#its like i know it takes skill to be able to replicate somebody on a piece of paper but i think it takes another kind of skill to be able to
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Backrooms; Horror to Shittypasta
I've not kept up with the backrooms 'community' as when I'd first seen it I figured it was a neat concept that you could write a few short stories about. Boy am I glad I didn't keep up.
See; the backrooms was almost a perfect horror. An unnatural location to be in, uncomfortable lighting (very importantly, no natural lighting!) and nothing there but yourself. That was very good, the horror comes from the isolation and how it would feel to be somewhere so unnatural, for what could be the rest of your life.
And the best thing is, it's exceedingly simple. It's just some picture of an office building with a caption.
...Enter the Backrooms 'community'.
Y'see, for these people, it wasn't enough to just be a strange location. Nay; it had to have lore, it needed threats and dangers, it needed to be expanded! Everybody needed an opportunity to get in on the action. Hey, you could choose an SCP-like interpretation, right?... Well that seems to be what they did. No longer is the backrooms a small paragraph, instead there's thousands of levels, hundreds of enemies, and anomalous items to top it all off.
And I despise it.
The first step I imagine was to take the rooms, terrifying due to their empty nature of just being walls and a ceiling, and give it some pzazz baby! Fill it with more life than the rainforest! Thousands of entities? Hell Yeah!
But of-course that's not enough, gotta put more in! But we need places to put them, the standard backrooms is too simple in its' description... I know, let's add thousands of OTHER backrooms to the backrooms! We're geniuses!
No longer is the backrooms this neat little thing, it's this SCP-wannabe with very little to make it an SCP-able concept. Hell, they even have groups of interest. And I know art is subjective, but the writing is... well, take a look for yourself;
Now-now, I'm a little biased with some of the computer skills I have if I do say so myself, but why on god's green earth would a computer operating system be rated in frames per second? It's not a video game! It's the glue between all programs! It's not FPS-Capped for crying out loud! Not only that, Internet Web 3? We're still sitting ducks on Web 2 in reality right now, with HTML5/CSS3 - and you're telling me they had Web 3 in 2000? They didn't even have HTML5 until 2008.
That's not the best example of the [lazy?] writing, I just needed to rant. However, here's another example:
This is part of a description of some entity that replicates the Emergency Alert System of the united states. It's a good concept to go on, but it's very hard to pull off correctly. Run is written here far too many times. It's also comedic when you bring up the Amber Alerts and mention ballistic missiles. Don't worry guys, Obama isn't in the Backrooms, no chance of ballistic missiles!
And then you have server boxes (as in literal server stacks) running around slicing people open, but if you push them over they have laser guns! Think you can run away? The lasers break through walls!! Also they're only this aggressive because of lots of wiring on their motherboard!!!!!
...I hate the backrooms wiki. It's early creepypasta all over again.
I have to cull it back however, I need to remember that a lot of backrooms fans are children. They're young and it's expected that they maybe don't have the best writing. It's not necessarily lazy writing, it's just unskilled. The Emergency Alert System, for example, is a good idea. It's not very well executed, but they put thought into it, even if they don't understand what the system is entirely. I can credit it on the merit of ideas.
The Backrooms OS is somebody's attempt to add flavour to the world, and answer the question of what OS the computers would run. Again, a good idea, just poorly executed. They give it mention of FPS because as far as they're concerned, Frame-rate is the discerning factor of computer performance. They version the internet relative to their own little timeline, probably because they don't know the real history, just some vague things about OS release dates.
The servers are a potential idea, the Backrooms OS needs servers to run the internet, after-all. They need spooky scary effects to qualify them to be an entity in their own right, and the writer probably had skinning on the mind, given how common it is as a trait.
I hate the backrooms wiki because it's a depot of children's writing and scribbles. It's their starting point, their sandbox. They don't have anywhere to go, they mimic what they like (SCP) because it interests them. It's kind-of cute in a way. I wouldn't have seen their writing had they not put it on the backrooms wiki, but they really don't have anywhere else to put it. Maybe this will be a stepping point to being a better writer when they're older.
God I hope they're actually children.
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#another little rant post abt art sorry..#so recently i finally became satisfied with my ability to draw realistically and i have felt pretty proud of myself for all the progress ive#made over the years#and i still am proud of myself and of the fact that i can do what i can do .. BUT .#now that i can do this im also realizing that i feel kinda stuck? because i feel like i dont have my own style#i wish i had my own stylized way of drawing people other than just .. how they actually look? if that makes sense..#its like i know it takes skill to be able to replicate somebody on a piece of paper but i think it takes another kind of skill to be able to#draw them in a way that isnt rly them .. but it still looks like the person.#i feel like this isnt coming out the way i mean it 😑😑 idk !! im just feeling kinda down about my lack of .... whatever it is im lacking .#theres this girl on insta who has the most gorgeous art and i truly with i could do something similar .. shes so talented. i feel like a#copy and paste machine with my art .. not like im actually creating something beautiful..#edit: just found out she has a tumblr n im dying to know who she is but she hasnt made it public on her acc n she said to dm her to get her#url but UH thats scary so ig ill live in the dark !!!
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The Music in Our Heart
@tsshipmonth2020
I actually updated two days in a row for once!
Day 16: When your soulmate listens to music or is singing, you hear it in your own head as well. (I also made it so that any music you play on an instrument, your soulmate hears too.)
Warnings: Patton and Virgil have some negative thoughts but recognize them as such.
Word count: 2620
A/N: Virgil uses they/them pronouns; Logan uses ze/zir pronouns.
Summary: Roman is surprised out of his violin practice one day when he hears another violin joining him. Soon, he finds out that he fills out a soulbond of a string quartet.
Roman opened his violin case, absentmindedly humming his most recent concerto to himself. As he put his shoulder rest on the back of the violin, he was surprised to hear the first violin part joining into what he was playing.
Holy crap.
That would be his soulmate, wouldn’t it? And not only were they familiar with music, they appeared to know the specific part to the concerto, meaning that they were probably also a musician – a violin, given what part they knew.
Roman shook himself out of his thoughts, and quickly ruffled through the sheet music taking up most of the bookshelf. He picked out a violin duet – Bach – and began playing one of the parts.
His soulmate joined in with the other part after about a minute of playing. Roman could hear some mistakes and pauses, so it was probably something that they were playing themselves.
As they continued to play the rest of the duet, Roman felt a smile breaking out on his face. This would be fun.
***
Patton sighed as he put down his violin, frowning at the music in front of him. He hadn’t looked at this piece for a long time, and it showed. He’d missed so many of the accidentals…
Oh well. It was okay. His soulmate didn’t seem to care – they made it to the end together regardless.
He thought back to the concerto that his soulmate had been humming to themselves. It was probably something that they were working on – Patton knew that when he started a new piece, it got stuck in his head for weeks. Well, either weeks or until he got sick of practicing that one spot over and over to make it perfect.
Patton shook his head to himself. Focus. He would practice this piece after his soulmate was done with their practice, and he would make it perfect.
***
Virgil started in surprise as they suddenly heard a violin echo at the highest reaches of their range of hearing.
“Ow,” they muttered, but it didn’t actually hurt. They were more surprised than anything else, to be honest – most of the time, soulmates weren’t introduced with a note that high suddenly inserting itself into one’s head.
They put down their viola, tilting their head to listen more closely to their soulmate. It sounded like somebody practicing – so probably either their soulmate played violin, or they were listening to someone else practicing. Virgil was impressed by the skill in the piece – they didn’t know a lot about violin, since they hadn’t played since fourth or fifth grade, but they knew enough to know that the piece was impressive. Maybe only technically demanding in some spots, but still difficult and fun to listen to.
Suddenly, they were jolted out of their thoughts by another instrument joining into the music going through their head. It was another violin, it sounded like, and apparently the other person in their head could hear it too, as the previous music stopped. Then it started up again, harmonizing with the second violin to make a duet.
Virgil decided to find out if these people were in the same room as each other and only one of them was their soulmate, or if they were duetting through the bond. As they ruffled through their orchestra music to find a good piece, they tried to push away the thoughts in their head.
You’re making this up.
You’re not special enough to have a soulmate.
You know you can’t be loved.
They forcefully played the first few measures of the piece they had picked out, hearing both of the violins in their head stop suddenly. So they were both their soulmates, then.
They quickly played a scale, starting on their lowest string so that their soulmates would be aware of the fact that they played a viola, thanks very much, not a violin. When they finished, they heard two responding scales, confirming the fact that the other two were both violinists.
They rolled their eyes slightly, but smiled through it.
They could deal with the viola jokes. They’d been thinking up responses for years.
***
Logan put down zir bow as ze finished playing zir most recent piece. Ze frowned as ze leaned forward to correct a fingering and note a few accidentals that ze had missed.
Suddenly, ze was interrupted by a viola playing a familiar piece – not the same one, but one that Logan knew quite well. Ze was surprised by the music, but decided to play along; zir soulmate deserved to know that Logan actually could play, and see if zir soulmate was just listening to music or actually playing it.
The music paused for a minute as Logan synced up, but then continued. So this was actually zir soulmate playing.
As ze and zir soulmate finished their piece, ze heard another piece start up. This time it was two violins playing together. Logan frowned, confused. Did ze have four soulmates? Two, and one was playing a duet? Only the one, who was listening to a piece now?
Logan picked up zir bow, experimentally interrupting the duet. One of the violins stopped before the other, but they both stopped relatively quickly after Logan’s interruption.
So ze had three soulmates. This could be something ze could navigate.
***
Roman frowned as he came upon a stray page of string quartet music in his sheet music bookshelf. He absentmindedly began humming his part, thinking of the other three parts weaving in and out of the first violin’s melody line. He was surprised to hear another person humming along. It sounded like the viola part, but he couldn’t be certain.
He was surprised when a recording of the same piece began playing in his head. It seemed that it wasn’t the viola who was playing it, as they were still humming along to their part.
Suddenly, he heard the second violin very quietly join in, hesitantly plucking every few notes.
It seemed that they might be able to make a quartet out of their soulbond.
***
Patton grinned as he printed out the music for the quartet that his soulmates had started playing. His teacher had been suggesting that he look at the quartet for a chamber group he had thought about joining, so he was at least familiar with what the piece sounded like. He was so excited – the four of them might be able to find each other with the quartet!
He bit his lip nervously as the music finished printing out. This piece wasn’t too hard on its own, exactly, but- the recording that had played was… pretty fast, wasn’t it?
Patton shook the doubts out of his head. He’d just have to practice and work on increasing the tempo. Then he’d be able to play it with everyone else.
***
Virgil grinned as they heard a violin slowly practicing a run of notes. It sounded like it was a part of the quartet their collective soulbond had chosen to work on together – probably the second violin, based on the pitch of the notes. They’d heard that soulmate practicing a lot, recently; usually the quartet, but sometimes the duet that they had played with the other violin. Virgil was a little worried that their soulmate would overwork themselves, but they had to trust that they knew what they were doing.
When their soulmate had stopped playing for about ten minutes, they got out their viola, ready to practice both their orchestra music and their quartet. And if their soulmates decided to turn it into a group rehearsal? Well, they definitely wouldn’t complain.
***
Logan let out a rare grin as ze finished running through the quartet. Ze had joined the soulbond’s first violin in practicing the group’s piece. It had been a unique experience being able to practice with different members of the group; Logan thought that ze probably had a better grasp on how zir part fit in with everyone else’s. It had been an experience that ze wanted to replicate again, if at all possible.
Suddenly, ze heard the second violin play a scale, switching to an arpeggio after a few runs up and down the violin. The viola joined in.
A group rehearsal sounded… quite enjoyable for today.
***
Roman had decided to practice outside today. He was in the middle of a park, with relatively few people passing by him. He knew it was a bit strange to play outside, especially when his pieces were less-than-perfect, but he didn’t really care. It was nice, sometimes, to hear his pieces in a different space.
Suddenly, he realized that there was someone who had been watching him for the last few minutes as he played through his piece. He put his violin down, raising his hand to greet the other person.
“Hello, can I do anything for you?” Roman called out. They came closer. They were wearing a black polo shirt, a blue striped tie, and a galaxy-printed skirt.
“Possibly. I am Logan, I use ze/zir pronouns. I was just wondering… by any chance, are you in a soulbond with another violinist, a violist, and a cellist?”
Roman paused, taking the other person in. “I… yes. May I ask how you knew?” Roman had a feeling he knew how ze had known, but he wanted it confirmed.
“You may. I am in a soulbond with two violinists and a violist, and one of the violinists is playing pieces identical to the ones you were practicing today. I noticed that they were echoing in my head, and I wanted to confirm my suspicions.”
Roman grinned, switching his violin and bow to the same hand to he could leave the other hand available for a handshake. Logan took it, a small smile spreading across zir face.
“I look forward to getting to know you.”
***
Patton had noticed that the cellist and the other violinist of their group had started playing duets together. He was happy to listen to the music; he enjoyed what they picked out. He was relatively sure that they had met in person, and were nitpicking the pieces together; the small pieces of duet that were played over and over together were a pretty big indicator of that.
He had to constantly remind himself, with the help of his therapist, that just because they met first didn’t mean that he was any less than them or less meant for them. It just meant that they were in the same place at the same time, and one of them was listening to or playing music that was easily recognizable.
He was working on it.
Patton was taking a break from his schoolwork, walking around the block a few times to get himself fresh air. He had gotten frustrated with the assignment, so had decided to give himself a little time to reset.
He was bobbing his head along to something that one of his soulmates was listening to – something by Panic! at the Disco, he was pretty sure. It was always funny trying to figure out who was listening to what; he was pretty sure that this was the cellist listening to this, but he wasn’t positive.
Suddenly, he ran into somebody on the sidewalk, knocking them down.
“Oh, I’m so sorry!” he said, putting his hand out to help the other person up. They took it and stood up, pulling their earbud out of their ear. The music that Patton heard through the bond suddenly got much quieter. He could hear it playing distantly through the earbud. His eyes widened.
“Oh my goodness.”
The other person looked at him weirdly. Patton scrambled to explain.
“No, it’s just that- well. I think maybe you’re one of my soulmates?”
The other person’s eyes widened. “I- wow. Um. Okay. Uh- Wow. Wasn’t expecting this.” They fidgeted with their earbuds, wrapping them around his hands and pulling them through his fingers. “Um. I play viola? I have two violinist soulmates and a cellist?”
Patton squealed, bouncing on his toes. “Yes! I’m a violin, I have a violin and a cello too! And you’re the viola, I guess?”
The other person smiled a little bit. “Yeah, I guess. My name’s Virgil. They/them pronouns.”
Patton grinned. “Patton, he/him.”
Virgil tilted their head. “Can I ask- do you play the same part all of the time? Or do you play first on one piece and second on the other? Or how does that work?”
Patton offered a hand so that they could walk together on the sidewalk. Virgil shyly took it, interlacing their hands. “I play second, most of the time. Sometimes in orchestra I play first, or in chamber when someone’s gone, but for our stuff I’m on second.”
Virgil nodded, seeming to take note of the information.
“Do you like it?”
Patton tilted his head. “It’s easier than working out all of those notes in the stratosphere, for sure. And I like listening to all the high notes, and helping the whole piece come together.”
Virgil squeezed his hand. “See, I thought that was why people switched to viola.”
“No way am I doing that. All of the viola jokes? No thanks.”
Virgil ducked their head. “Eventually, you get used to them. You even start to think of comebacks to rag on the violins.”
“Really?”
“What’s the difference between a violin and a viola?”
Patton hesitated. “…I don’t know, what?”
“There isn’t one. Violinists’ heads are just bigger.”
Patton burst out laughing. Virgil smiled proudly to himself, looking at the sidewalk. He could see how he would come to love Patton.
***
Virgil squeezed Patton’s hand where it was interlaced with theirs, swinging their hands between the two of them. Patton grinned at them.
“Can I kiss your cheek?” Patton asked. Virgil wasn’t comfortable with a lot of PDA, but sometimes they were okay with smaller shows of affection. They knew that Patton would only ask if he really wanted to, but he would also accept a negative answer.
“That’s fine,” they said. Patton let out an excited noise, leaning over to gently peck Virgil on the cheek. They blushed but held on to Patton’s hand even tighter.
Patton bounced his head along to the beat in his head. Virgil noticed that their steps had unknowingly synced to the beat as well. They tilted their head, trying to listen to the song a little closer.
“That sounds like something from a musical,” Patton said, trying and failing to find the melody line to hum along. Virgil snapped their fingers in recognition.
“Yes. It’s from Wicked – Defying Gravity, I think. I’ve never heard it sung by a lower voice, but I like the way it sounds.”
Patton let out a quiet ohhhh. Suddenly, Virgil realized that they were also hearing the song outside of their head.
“Hey, Patton?”
“Yeah?” He looked curiously at Virgil.
“Is it just me, or do you hear that in real life too?”
Patton stopped walking, listening for a moment. A wide smile spread across his face. “Let’s go find it!”
***
Logan watched Roman to cue the rest of the quartet in. As Roman settled his violin on his shoulder and his bow on the strings, the other three did the same.
Roman cued the group to start, and Virgil and Patton began to play, a steady beat that set the tempo for the piece. Logan joined in, lower plucked notes adding to the texture of the piece. Roman’s higher, fluttery notes were the last part of the puzzle, rounding out the quartet.
Logan looked around at zir soulmates over zir music, seeing them playing their instruments together, feeling a love rush through zir limbs that ze didn’t know was possible.
In case anyone’s interested:
Roman’s concerto: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yteXc85mK_Y (he plays the first movement, until about 8:07 in this version)
Roman and Patton’s duet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dm6XvKBp1e4
Logan’s solo piece: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5U62RPySYY
The piece Virgil plays that Logan joins in on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wISN_hJSCPE (the first movement, until about 2:40)
The quartet that they play together: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxtAHpYIXdU (last movement, starting at 20:00)
#soulmate september#tsshipmonth2020#ts fanfiction#ts lamp#ts logan#ts virgil#ts patton#ts roman#i can write sometimes
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Nature in Art
The philosopher Aristotle once wrote that "Art not only imitates nature, but it also completes its deficiencies."(Aristotle Quotes About Art, n.d.) This can be interpreted as art not only recreating the natural world but also creating new ways in which to see it in another light. When interpreting nature through art, there is endless forms and purposes of nature provided to us. Nature is both around us and deep within us. Art can mimic nature by visually replicating objects as they appear in real life. This depiction can sometimes be literal or abstract.
Just like nature can be recreated through art, it can also be used as a stand-in for greater thought. For example, the famous painting called The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo in Sistine Chapel. It is well-known that Michelangelo was an exceptional artist. However, not many people know that he was also an expert anatomist who used to dissect corpses to produce anatomical sketches.
“The Creation of Adam” painting by Michelangelo.
Now, take a look at this photo!
Photo posted by Zeina Mehal in Art Wise.
Many people believe that the artist was trying to secretly attack the church’s disagreements towards science. Have a look at these two paintings and let me know your thoughts on this! The second painting depicting the representation of the human brain hidden with the faces of the figure of God.
When it comes to art, people see what they want to see. It’s all about how people perceive and interpret it. When, I asked myself Who am I to Interpret Nature Through Art? I went blank. I’m definitely not an artist or somebody who sees the hidden meaning of art right away.
I usually go crazy when my friends drag me to art galleries. But I do admire anyone who got the talents and skills to create a work of art and convey a sense of depth or a perspective. I enjoy going on photoshoots with my friends. I admire people’s abilities to capture that perfect moment with the element of beauty contained in it. When you share what you perceive with others, you convey the message of appreciation of that moment with one another. For me, I feel like I’m somebody who uses imagery or photos of my own when sharing an experience with others. I believe it would help my audience understand what I’m experiencing more accurately as a photo or video would be able to speak louder than words.
A photo took by me at Canatara beach, Sarnia.
As you can tell by the photo, the sunset is so beautiful with the orange-gold sky stretches so far and wide. I feel like the beauty of the scenery is fully shared with another person with the help of art.
How do you interpret the gift of beauty?
My understanding of the gift of beauty is that it is our ability to find beauty in our surroundings to provide spiritual uplifting and resource prevention. When you create the practice of seeing beauty everywhere, it empowers you and makes you more grateful throughout the day. This could be the sun shining through your windows when you wake up, the strong tree on your walk, the rustle of leaves, or even the plants in a neighbor’s garden. When you start to appreciate nature and your surroundings, you will create a more grateful way of living. Can you guys think of something small in your surrounding that we take for granted and don’t appreciate as much as we should?
Thanks for reading! Let me know your thoughts and comments!
References:
Aristotle Quotes About Art. (n.d.). A-Z Quotes. Retrieved February 3, 2021, from https://www.azquotes.com/author/524-Aristotle/tag/art
Hooykaas, A. (2021). Unit 04: Nature interpretation through art and planning for “All” scenarios [Course website]. CourseLink. https://courselink.uoguelph.ca/d2l/le/content/666945/viewContent/2591221/View
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Knight in Shining Armor
Summary: You’re a princess— locked away in a tower, under a sleeping spell, waiting for a brave suitor to come rouse you from your slumber. Luckily, Sir Michael Langdon has come to the rescue.
From the writer: Hey guys, I’m so excited about this! I think there’s going to be a few more parts to this, so stay tuned and let me know if you’d like to be added to my tag list. Big shoutout to @jocelynscloset for proofreading this for me! Also, if you like this, be sure to check out my masterlist here! <3 Update— here’s part two, here’s part three, and here’s part four + here’s my masterlist with more fics!
Word count: 2,404
Background knowledge in italics:
A princess blessed with the gift of the Light, as it is known. To be able to conjure up power from the good, almost like a wizard of the time. A scary gift, sure, but a gift nonetheless. It must be a recessive trait, as nobody else in the family has been touched by the Light thus far. As your powers grew with you, you turned from a whimsical girl to a seemingly omnipotent woman. Whispers became less hushed around the castle as doors would open with no servants, candles would light with no match, and books would become loose from top shelves with no ladder. The King and Queen, your parents, have decided it is best for you to wait for one of your own power to suit you. ‘Only the best, or better, for our princess,’ their words replayed in your mind. A tower was built with barriers only a skilled knight could make it through alive. It seems irrelevant, though, that you would have liked to stay awake. As you were lead to the tower, you were apprehensive, but excited for when you would soon be roused, if ever.
Soft rays cascade through thin curtains to fall on bedsheets. A faint chirp! chirp! chirp! of the birds from outside can be heard. As you lift your head to see who has come, nobody more perfect could be thought of. This is not a figment of your imagination. Bright, blue eyes that energize you more the longer you look— soft, long, blonde hair that hangs a little past his shoulders, right above his silver, gleaming armor.
How long it has been, you cannot tell. Your parents had you put up and locked away for your own safety. Your conjuring abilities had been far too much for them to handle. As powers grew, so did the desire to use them. Such a convenience to have, and a waste to not use, you thought. Now, that urge has subsided, all due to the happiness you were feeling that somebody had finally come to save you. A loving kiss was all it took to break the spell. Although it was a one-sided love for now, a warm feeling began again in your chest. The suitor must have made it through the traps and misleadings that lead up to your room— the highest room in the tallest tower. The tallest tower guarded by a moat full of fish, bigger than the great, big whale that swallowed Jonah, your father said. Top floors of the tower protected by a dog-beast of three heads and enormous size, and misleading staircases that would send the adventurer falling down thousands of feet if one wrong step was taken.
“Are you here to save me?” you ask, sitting up and glancing at the mirror in your bedside table. A repressed memory tells you that you never looked like this before, not even entering the castle. A gold crown sits atop your head, three rubies, each in the middle of their own peak, the biggest gem sitting in the center. Red fabric falling from your arms as you reach up to touch the cold metal.
“Yes, Princess,” he says, guiding your fingers from your crown into his warm grasp to place a soft kiss on the back of your hand. As you fully sit up, you swing your legs to the edge of your bed and stand.
“Who is my suitor?” you ask, reaching for a gold pitcher and a crystal glass. Flowing from the top with ease is your first drink since probably five years. Clear liquid passes your lips and beads on your top lip, and you rub your lips together to rid them of the excess, then turn to the man behind you.
He is now standing, at least six feet tall it seems. A very impressive, strong knight. A long sword hangs down from his belt, leading your eye to his gleaming, black boots. His hand makes its way to your shoulder, glistening in the sunlight. Wrist so reflective, it’s aggressive for a little clock. Diamonds glisten, light shining in through your arched window.
“Sir Michael Langdon,” he says, kneeling before you and releasing his sword from its sheath, cling! The long strip of metal lies in his two hands as his head is bowed towards you. As you place your glass down, a finger of yours makes its way to the bottom of his chin, tipping his head up. Azure is all you can see, eyes almost as beaming as his armor in this sunlight. The warmth of his body being a now-familiar feeling, and a welcome reminder that you are, in fact, awake now.
Sir Langdon stands again as you release your touch from his face.
As you know, Michael is likely here to rescue, then marry you. He seems like a fine man, although you had only just met him. If he leaves without you, you are stuck here, now awake and with little water and food to sustain yourself with. The spell had been broken, and it seems nearly impossible for you to replicate it yourself. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, you toy with the idea or running off with Michael and never returning. How would your family know that you’ve been saved? Do they come to check up on you often? The barriers set seem near impossible to sneak past and still leave intact.
“Come with me, Princess, your kingdom is so eager to meet you,” he says, offering an arm for you to grasp.
“Do you not wish to know who it is you are leading?” you say, taking a small step back and offering a small smile.
“My apologies, Princess, what is your name?” he says, now holding his hands clasped behind his back, posture straightening up in anticipation of an answer.
“Lady Abigail of Minnesott,” you say, softly reminiscing of your home before the tower. A river ran down behind your castle, and an open field before it. Wild deer, turkey, and mustangs all present in the temperate, deciduous forest around your home. Oh, how the leaves would turn in autumn. How sharks teeth and pottery fragments were readily available as the tide drew in, when you pursued the river bank searching for lost treasures. You could only hope for a place as beautiful, wherever Michael would take you.
“A beautiful woman of a beautiful land,” he says, offering his arm again. Warm metal is a refreshing sensation across your fingertips, and Michael leads you down the staircase. With horror, you witness the scattered bones of at least ten men, splayed across the floor beneath you, piled up near where the dog-beast once resided. Dried-up blood stains and gore were on display across the walls, the only other artwork here besides the oil on panel of your family, safely tucked away in your room.
Past the slain dog-beast, for it was not just a creature of your father’s dreams. Across the long bridge of the moat, above the murky waters. Shadows of large fish and glimmering of large scales suggest that one of those creatures may still hold Jonah captive.
Out on a post was a dark horse, secured with a rope skillfully tied. One pull, and the rope is free of its tangles. A firm hand grasps your waist as you mount the horse, but hands are careful to travel no further south. A true gentleman, you must remark in your mind. As Michael mounts the horse in the seat in front of you, one swift kick is all it takes before the four feet under you are trotting, then running. A small jingling noise is coming from the seams of your dress, and a quick investigation is needed before you determine that a compass is in the pocket of your dress. One small glance down, and you realize that the horse is taking you south rather than North.
“Should we not be headed toward Vandemere?” you ask, a somewhat urgent tone in your voice.
“My kingdom is south, Princess, near Havelock and towards the Croatan Forest,” he says, a stern look in his face as he scans the path ahead. As Michael seems to know where he is going, your worries are washed away. Your sense of direction may have been put on hold during your deep slumber, but it is back now, and perhaps stronger than it was before.
The forgotten feeling of tiredness washes over you, and before long, your grasp on Michael loosens enough so you could relax, but you’re still steady while he’s riding horseback— you lean in to drift off on his shoulder, warm metal and all. When you wake, it is now dark outside, and the horse has stopped running, but it now simply slow-trotting through a forest. A few more minutes through the dark forest, and Michael beckons the horse to stop. He is now dismounting his ride and tying up on a tree branch.
“Stay here, Princess, I must go search for a landmark on our way,” he says, walking off. You pull out your compass once more, only to realize that the arrow will not point anywhere besides south, no matter where you turn.
“Are we more towards Trent, or Pollocksville?” you ask, but Michael is already into the woods before you even began to speak.
Ears alert and ready to pick up on any cues as to where Michael is. Not a chirp! from a bird, not a crackle! from skimming the side of a bush, not a swoosh! as his feed passed over the ground. Only visual cues left to guide you towards him— if you choose to go and venture— even the stars being hard to see through the thick foliage.
“Princess!”
Your heart skips a beat as Michael shouts. Your leg swings over the saddle so you’re sitting atop the horse, then you carefully slide down, using the stirrup as a guide as to where to place your feet. It is only then you realize how fatigued you are, running on barely any water and no food since years ago, probably.
“Sir Langdon, I’m following your voice!” you shout, heading the direction his initial call came from. Step by step, you make your way on the dusty ground. There is no path, no landmark presenting itself yet. Only the memory of which way his voice had come from. It is now colder than you remember it being at night, although this could just be due to being farther inland— no body of water acting as a heat sink during the day, then releasing heat through the night.
Leaves crunch! under your feet as you begin walking faster. The darkness tends to disorient you. Faint outlines of trees begin to grow and shrink as you walk further. Turn around and you’ll see nothing, only the night’s dark blanket, engulfing the sky and almost everything around you.
“Are you alright?” a faint voice causes you to turn around, and you find Michael waiting for you by a strange stump, it seems like. As you walk closer, you realize it is a ring of mushrooms, leading down to what seems to be a small cavern, only there is no other demarcation other than the ring of mushrooms to warn any passerby of this dip in the road. Walking closer, you see it is actually a well, as the inside is even darker than the ground surrounding it, and the edges are a perfectly symmetrical circle. Very strange, you thought, but perhaps Michael would like to stop for the night and continue the long journey tomorrow.
“Could we draw up some water?” you ask, looking towards the well, but not daring to step any closer than four feet. The last thing you would like is to be a victim in another situation where you would be in need of rescuing.
“Of course, Princess,” Michael says, stepping closer towards you and taking your cold hand in his warm one. As his fingers travel up your arm and toward your jawline, you shudder at the sensation and move back. He begins to lean closer, with his still-warm armor grazing your front. He takes another step forward to move into you closer and brings his arms around you protectively. A small shuffle in your direction from him has his warm face nuzzled between your shoulder and neck.
“I would never do anything to hurt you,” he says, voice muffled from his face being buried in your dress. You step back to look at his face, although you can barely see a thing in the overwhelming darkness of the night. It is very hard to trust a man you had only met earlier today, and you would only have to see with time if Michael could hold up to this.
Creeping in from the back of your mind, a very fatiguing sensation begins to wash over you once more. You feel wobbly almost, and contemplate just falling asleep then and there, your dress is thick enough to keep you warm through the night, and it seems as if Michael wouldn’t let you lie down alone. Michael then removes his face from your shoulder, and the cold air is again exposed due to your low neckline. His thumb rests on your top lip before his hand is entirely pulled away, moving towards your chest. It doesn’t take much to move you, and you almost melt at his lively touch.
“Forgive me, Princess,” he says. Without any time for you to question what he is asking forgiveness for, your fatigue has gotten the better of you. In perfect timing for Michael, a small jostle is all it takes for him to send you down the well. Unbeknownst to you, Michael had you exactly where he wanted you, luring you towards the secret Hellmouth.
Information on ring of mushrooms mentioned:
Fairy rings are acknowledged to have otherworldly powers or be connected with dark forces, according to various folklore tales. They have a mythical reputation of fairies or supernatural creatures being present around the rings— there are many warnings of the dangers of entering a fairy ring throughout different stories. Many sources warn of fairy rings being created by shooting stars, lightning strikes, or the work of witches. Some even say entering a fairy ring can lead to certain doom.
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Tag list: @langdonsoceaneyes @ms-mead @daydreamingofcody @psychobitchtess @swampwitchh13
#michael langdon#michael langdon x reader#michael langdon fanfiction#michael langdon imagine#michael langdon alternate universe#michael langdon au
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One of the things you can’t help noticing when you talk to Oscar Isaac is just how incredible he is at playing the part of Oscar Isaac. It’s not that he’s putting on a performance. But when you talk to Oscar Isaac, the public idea of Oscar Isaac begins to make a tremendous amount of sense.
We talk a couple of days before the release of Netflix’s new Triple Frontier, an action-adventure heist/American military allegory flick (it’s a lot) that Isaac stars in, and Isaac manages to, within the span of a few minutes, quote Shakespeare and express guilt about shoplifting in his college days. In other words: He’s sensitive with a risky streak. It’s no wonder the Internet has declared him its boyfriend (and more recently, its husband).
This quality, of course, is part of what makes Isaac so compelling to watch when he’s playing an actual role. He seamlessly shades his characters with duality; by turns he can play dour and charming, cerebral and clueless. Take Triple Frontier. Isaac portrays a character, Santiago ‘Pope’ Garcia, who is essentially a stand-in for Donald Rumsfeld. He’s tasked with rallying an all-star gang of ex-Special Forces agents (played by Ben Affleck, Charlie Hunnam, Pedro Pascal, and Garrett Hedlund) to execute a covert heist of a South American drug lord. It’s an ill-fated, and perhaps misguided, operation, but Isaac makes you believe that nothing can go wrong—and, moreover, that what they’re doing is inherently right, all while emitting a sense of manifest failure.
On the heels of turning 40, Isaac hasn’t given much thought to where he wants to take his talents for portraying complex characters next, only that he wants to scale back. “Doing the circus thing can get tiring after a while,” he says. Though, it won’t be long before he talks about what a thrill it was to train for a daunting high elevation chase scene. The change of tune comes off genuinely; he digs a good adventure, but also wants to settle down. It’s both. And it’s Oscar Isaac, so you believe him.
Happy birthday!
Thank you.
Did you do anything exciting?
We had a little bit of a house party. We just moved to a new place. So we thought, “Why not trash it? Have a party.”
It was a pretty big birthday [40]. As you move into middle age, are there new kinds of roles you're interested in playing?
No, not necessarily. But it's just kind of fun to start a new decade.
Do you have a philosophy in terms of how you choose roles generally?
Oh no, if only. Things would be so much easier. Choosing roles is really more like falling in love. I don't have a specific type that I'm looking for. It's just kind of if I read the thing or speak to the director or see some art that's connected with it and it incites something where I can't stop thinking about it, then I keep moving towards it.
Tell me about how you fell in love, then, with the character of Pope in Triple Frontier.
I worked with J.C. [Chandor] on A Most Violent Year. That had gone well. And I knew he was somebody I could trust in the editing room. You could try lots of different things and he won't make you look like an idiot. And then he talked to me about the kind of guy this is, the parables behind the whole movie, it being an allegory to the way the United States has operated throughout the world, and how in some ways my character is the Donald Rumsfeld of the story. [Pope] says, “Look, we can do this. We can take out a really bad guy. We'll be rich. We'll be in and out. No problem.” And so there's a bit of hubris there about their skills—even though these characters are incredibly skilled. But he underestimates the team's greed.
Once I became involved, we started having conversations. We thought an interesting complication—and one thing that would make it not feel so cliché—would be making the character of Pope actually from the area that he's been working in. There's a familial connection to it, so there's something more at stake. He wants to take out this guy not just as a trophy but because he actually thinks it'll make a difference.
In Annihilation you also played someone in the military. And I read that you at one point had considered joining the Marines. Is there something about diving into that military world that attracted you?
Yeah. That's definitely something I had been into when I was younger, and I had imagined that that was an avenue I could've gone down for my life. And I was very near going to boot camp and starting that whole process, and then other things happened that took me away from that. So I think there's always something inside of me that wonders about the What if? of it.
I can be quite a good student when it comes to certain things. So learning the mechanics of working with the weapons, learning about situational awareness and clearing the room, the team-building exercises—all those things, I got very excited by. And also, there was a lot of high altitude training.
What was that like?
What was cool was that all of us had a different physical task. Garrett [Hedlund] was the MMA fighter and there was a whole MMA fight that ended up getting cut down quite a bit. So he ended up spending a lot of time training that way, training with jiu-jitsu. Pedro [Pascal] spent a lot of time with the cockpit and flying. And then Charlie [Hunnam] and Ben [Affleck] both found things that were specific to their characters. And for me, I knew that I was having to do this extended chase sequence in Colombia, which was between 10,000 and 13,000 feet, depending on exactly where we were shooting. So I knew that was something I needed to train for just so I'd be able to do more than one take without throwing up. And I found a place here in New York that's a hyperbaric chamber that's able to replicate what it's like to run in different altitudes. They have a treadmill in there. And an oxygen mask, and even a tent you could sleep in at night to get your blood saturated with oxygen.
When you were preparing, what kinds of things did you learn about the military that surprised you, or that you didn't know when you were considering joining the Marines way back when?
I was a kid back then, so I didn't know much. I was like, “I'll get fit. I'll get money for college. I'll go in there because some of my friends are planning on going in there as well.” There were some people I admired who had been. This was like 1998. But the reality of it is the amount of sacrifice—not just physically, but emotionally. Being separated from your family for long, long periods of time. And especially special forces guys, who are just the elite, top of the top. There's this sense of [it being] these tough guys, these killers, chest-pounding guys. The truth is the people we spoke with [have] humility and soft-spokenness and ethical codes they go by, [there’s] lack of rejoicing in violence, the desire for connection, and the way deadly force is viewed—all those things I found to not be clichéd adolescent ideas of what being a military guy is.
The movie is very much an allegory about the American military and the country's greed. But how did you internalize the individual sense of greed that you're portraying in the film?
There's something that's epic about it. It's a very primal tale. Macbeth is the same thing. Macbeth is a heroic soldier. The entire first part of Macbeth is everyone saying what an incredible soldier Macbeth was, what he did, how he was fearless, courageous, how he saved his men. He is the hero. And then that little thing gets in there like an infection, this thought, What more could I have? "What do I deserve for everything that I've done?" And that’s mixed with the violence the person is seeing. So that for me was very interesting. Noble people who have a tragic flaw that brings them down. For my character, it was less the money. It was more revenge, taking out this one guy he's been hunting since he's been down there. He actually believes that if he cuts down this head, the rest of the thing will fall.
Did you return to moments in your life or career where you caught yourself letting greed get the best of you?
I think when I was in college I definitely did some damage at the Tower Records across the street. And the Barnes & Noble... And a couple liquor stores. There was a sense of, “I am a college student. I can barely make ends meet over here. This is a big company; they're not going to mind if I take this book of poetry.” So I could justify snagging a few items here and there. But of course Tower Records closes down, and I can't help but feel at fault.
It’s not your fault.
It was a flawed system. They had the bargain DVDs right next to the place where you walk out. So you could just put [your bag] right there next to it, go through the metal detectors, and then reach back and grab your bag.
Do you think you could graduate from Barnes & Noble theft and pull off an actual heist?
No. I wouldn't know where to begin or what to do. Anything I know about it is from movies.
Are you a fan of the heist genre?
I like the heist genre thrown on its head. My favorite movie is Dog Day Afternoon. And that is another thing where it's like, Let's do this thing. We're going to rob a bank. In and out of there. And everything that happens after that is, to me, the most exciting part. It's people in extreme situations. I worked in a hospital when I was younger, and that's something I learned a lot from, seeing people in extreme situations. You see the entire spectrum of humanity in those moments.
As a musician and a big music fan, how do you use music to get yourself in the mindset of a role?
I've done that for ages. Often for me, it's less specific about, This makes me think about this thing. It's more about what gets me to a place of readiness, openness. What makes me feel connected to the earth a bit more. Sometimes I'll put together music that I find inspiring thematically, or tonally. But I think if it's something that needs any real depth of emotion, there's this one guy named Ernst Reijseger, an incredible cellist who did the soundtrack to Werner Herzog's Cave of Forgotten Dreams. I listen to that and it puts me in a primal state. It opens me up so I'm able to receive anything that's floating around inside without judging it too much.
Were you listening to that for this role?
For this one, there were a couple moments when I did. But I think I listened to a lot of Sepultura, a Brazilian hardcore metal band. It gave a sense of the chaos and the violence, and it has some Brazilian kind of tribal elements to it. So it felt like a bit of a mix of everything they're getting involved in down there.
What's the best piece of direction you've gotten in your career?
The first one that comes to my mind was just like the sweetest way of saying "Tone it down." A great writer, Hossein Amini, he came over and in the sweetest way said, "The camera is just not able to capture what you're doing right now. We don't have the technology yet to get what you're doing. So you just have to bring it down a bit so we can capture it on the camera."
My editor insisted I find out about the footage you filmed for the Disney Parks upcoming Star Wars-themed lands. Is there anything you can tell me?
I'm afraid I can't, because actually I don't really remember [laughs]. I think some of it happened in the middle of filming the actual movie. So they were like, "Hey, today you're coming in and you'll be in the cockpit." So it's those kinds of situations. I'm sure I'm in the cockpit and I'm screaming about something important.
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#oscar isaac#triple frontier#pope#santiago garcia#poe dameron#star wars#episode ix#ben affleck#charlie hunnam#garrett hedlund#pedro pascal#interview#gq magazine
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a stupid mistake?
Shancai: What is the principle of the Schumpeter theory of creative destruction?
Si: In an entrepreneurial life cycle, one doesn't always remain an entrepreneur. Unless he continues to evolve and create new formations, which means to destroy the old, creating the new. [sic] Because with every depression, there is a possibility to gain new skills. It becomes a new skill, product, or business model, to bring the most benefit.
At the close of Meteor Garden (2018), Si credits a revolutionary business plan for his family's once powerful conglomerate, the Daoming Group, to his above conversation with Shancai. As they are studying and he answers her question by rote, she tells him that she admires him -- and Si realizes that memorizing this theory, and understanding it, are different. In creating this plan, a plan that he believes to exemplify this principle, he hopes to always be the person that Shancai admires.
That tension -- between embracing transformation and maintaining a particular feeling -- is at the heart of the show. You could argue it's at the center of all romance, really; love stories are often stories of how a feeling relates to change, be it a story of choosing your beloved, come-what-may, or a story of how affection deepens as you and the object of your affection grow.
And, in a different, meta-way, I think romance is often turned to as a comfort-food kind of entertainment in times of transformation, of uncertainty, because you can be certain that you know how it ends, in two senses. First: somebody's gonna love somebody. Romance is often a story about a person valuing their love for someone else, and in telling that story, it advocates for the audience to hold love as valuable, too. That's the second sense of certainty: romance is going to advocate for the power of love, somehow.
I want to talk about audience expectations and how Meteor Garden ends.
The final three episodes conclude with the protagonists choosing to make a hunger and water strike together, protesting Si's mother's insistence that he marry Xiaozi as part of a larger business deal to save the Daoming Group. Initially, Shancai attempts to convince Si that she does not care for him, so that he will eat; he sees through this, and reminds her that his love has never wavered, convincing Shancai that they must be together.
His mother relents only after their friends raid his computer and uncover his revolutionary business plans, able to save the conglomerate without a wedding. When the lovers are reunited, a weak Shancai crumples to the floor, her head lolling on to Si's bandaged palm.
I could bore you with a description of each of the scenes to follow, but it is essentially this: Shancai faints when Ximen tells her that Si has gone to London to marry Xiaozi, that they really broke up; she wakes up in a wedding dress in a strange place; as Shancai tries to find Si in this unfamiliar location, a black room with just a stage, she is confronted first by his sister Zhuang, who dances sexily to Si's fight song with two backup dancers; who then tells her she will magically summon Si; who then tells her she cannot because Shancai isn't devoted enough; the members of F4 come out and each propose and are rejected in turn; cue Si's entrance, flanked by Shancai's would-be love interests, each of whom gives his blessing to her union with Si; several side characters, many not particularly close to the bride and groom, compliment Shancai's appearance and offer free babysitting; Si is then kicked to the floor impatiently by his sister; Shancai asks if this is real, and is laughed at for being stupid; Zhuang, in the same thigh-high boots from her choreographed dance scene, performs the marriage vows; husband and wife dance to Gareth Gate's 'Any One of Us (Stupid Mistake)':
It can happen to anyone of us
Anyone you think of
Anyone can fall
Anyone can hurt someone they love
Hearts will break
'cause I made a stupid mistake
Cut to a series of endearing scenes, showing how various side character's lived are unfolding. There is gratuitous product placement shown as part of Si and Shancai's new married life, and Si's mother says that she wants to discover herself as a person independent from the business, and learn how to cook and take selfies. (Yes, really.) The penultimate scene is of Si with his arms wrapped around Shancai, watching a meteor shower together with Lei... and the very last features Shancai, Si, and the remainder of F4 singing with the musician Harlem Yu, performing the very song that appears so frequently on the sound track, waving at the camera as the screen darkens.
If you take anything away from the above summary, take this: the ending of the show was quite aware of its audience.
I think it was that same awareness that made the ending so unsatisfying to me. As I hope my description above conveyed, the entire wedding was fucking surreal. Meteor Garden, like several of the asian dramas I have seen, was quite clear on its conclusion from the credits of the first episode, being a gratuitous spatter of interactions between Shancai and Si, followed by a notably shorter mixture of interactions with Lei. Though Lei was going to appear to be a viable option, he would never be endgame, the credits told me. That was probably why it appealed to me so much, as a person currently thick in transitions and changes; it was so nice to be sure of something. The narrative took something I was sure about, the wedding between the central couple, and showed it to me in the least certain terms as a last possible twist. Followed by naked product placements. Followed by the cast singing from the sound track and waving at the camera.
I had followed this show for forty prior episodes, confident that it would show me that love is something worth fighting for. I wanted to hear that message. I wanted the happily-ever-after. And what I got was a series of scenes so unlikely, so transparently wish-fulfillment where everyone ended up happy, so focused on the viewer who wants a certain thing from this show and who can buy things, that I cannot take it seriously as part of the story, really, because none of those scenes felt like something that a person would do. There is a part of me that wonders if the wedding and following scenes are anything but afterlife dreams, Shancai and Si having each died from their hunger strike shortly after being reunited. That would be cruel, but better writing.
Similarly, I found myself hoping that Daoming Si would turn his back on his incredible wealth and privilege. As it stands, though he undergoes emotional growth (the most of any character in the show), he never ... seems to face real risk, where he might change in some way previously fundamental to his identity. He never stops being the chosen son of Daoming Group. Even when he shouted out his intention to never give Shancai up to waves, it was never a vow to choose her over wealth; it was to choose both. Both is good.
I've decided that, no matter what happens,
I have to be with Dong Shancai!
I won't give up on Shancai or Daoming Group!
I'm going back to London,
I'll take care of everything,
because I'm Daoming Si!
Because I'm Daoming Si,
I'll never give up on Shancai!
Even if Si never went through the material transformation I wanted, I strongly suspect that the choice of wedding first-dance song, the one meant to be symbolic of a love story between the bride and groom, was intended to reference the many mistakes that they had learned from and so become changed people, leading them to choose one another; it was not supposed to be directed towards the audience, for foolishly believing that this surreal scene was actually happening. But as an English viewer, it was quite a suckerpunch to have that song, of all songs from the limited soundtrack, play at the critical moment.
Was it a stupid mistake to watch this show?
Dong Shancai.
I like you.
I don't know why.
Even I'm surprised by how much I like you.
... I know I'm annoying.
If you want to run away I'll chase after you.
If you go to Mars, I'll go there too.
Sometimes Meteor Garden seemed like nothing but an elaborate game of tag, where each lover would take turns pursuing and resisting one another. I think that is because the satisfying part of a love story is to see feeling calibrated by action and risk. They always end, and the point where they end is supposed to be the point when you believe that these people have settled the question of the value of their love. But that's the funny thing about intrinsic values, things like righteousness or love or protecting others -- you never stop coming to that crossroad. When I think about what I wanted from this episode, a realistic depiction of the question of their love being settled, it's true I didn't get it, but what I want from this story, an assurance that certain things are worth fighting for, I was never going to get. Not for long.
In that way, I've found deciding the value of this show to replicate the pitfalls of deciding to hold values generally, even love. Yes, I think it was worth watching a series of distilled yearning that never paid off, if only because it made me think so much about why I was unhappy with what I got. Occasionally I wonder if the final arc was a brilliant, intentional choice, referencing the artificialness of endings by being so exaggeratedly unreal.
And along the way, I got to observe Dylan Wang's excellent eyebrows make an entire character.
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Creative Journal
26/10/20- Week 5
Session Themes: We began this weeks session recapping Edward De Bono’s 6 Thinking Hats idea from last week and there were some important points i thought i should note down as a reminder for myself:
“Thinking as a skill”
A “tools approach”
“Software for thinking”
Parallel thinking- Everyone thinking the same thing at the same time
we covered whether originality is important in terms of creativity. Looking back at our discussion in previous lessons regarding the definition of creativity, we saw how overall originality is a key aspect of a lot of peoples interpretation of creativity. We looked at Disney’s Steamboat Willie as a case study. The iconic 1928 short film known by many as the opening animation for numerous Disney films, is actually an idea taken from Buster Keaton’s Steamboat Bill Jr., a silent picture from the same year. Using characters like Mickey mouse, changing the story and the addition of music makes Disney’s take entirely different from the “original”. It’s not that the idea was stolen and copied, but instead used as a point of influence for the animation. Many people today know the name “Steamboat Willie” but would not recognise “Steamboat Bill Jr.”.
We also learned about “Permission Culture” or “Read-Only Culture”, “ a culture in a culture in which creators get to create only with the permission of the powerful, or of creators from the past. ” (Lessig, Free Culture, 2004). I found this idea super interesting as someone that utilises “outsourced” mixed media in my own graphics work, the idea that so many people can produce things with the intent of it being theirs only, so that nobody else can work on it, add to it, or use it in their work. This has lead to the rise in popularity of concepts such as “Creative Commons”, a creative copywrite license that allows free public distribution and usage of materials that may have otherwise been copywrited in the past. Concepts such as these are so important to the industry especially in times like these when going out and capturing images for yourself is less feasible.
We discussed whether utilising somebody else’s work was necessarily considered “stealing”; the difference between outright theft and copying. The examples we looked at were parody and pastiche.
Pastiche
Imitative work with the purpose of replicating artistic methods/stylisation
To celebrate/admire
To pay homage (publicly displayed special honour or respect)
Parody
Imitative work with satiric/ironic intent
To mock
Parody and Pastiche link to the ideas we’ve been learning about in terms of “reverse brainstorming”. In order to replicate something for pastiche/parody you need to truly understand your source materials and similarly “reverse engineer” it.
DSD Activity: This week I’ve started trying to listen to “sleep meditation” podcasts. I’m on sleep medication but still struggle to fall asleep before 3am on a regular evening, usually i listen to fan noises or rain noises but haven’t been able to recently since i broke my phone. So far I’ve been struggling to get into it, it’s a pretty foreign feeling to me trying to tune out of a conversation in order to sleep. They keep talking about how “some people find it difficult to tune out but keep at it” but I’m too interested in whatever they’re speaking about. Sometimes they tell stories, other times they’re more of a guided meditation to help you become more relaxed and think about physical sensations and distractions that may be preventing you from getting to sleep. I find the latter much better for sleeping, but i do enjoy listening to the stories although they keep me awake.
Inspiration: Some interesting media I’ve been looking into this week are old “big tobacco” advertisements. A friend and I were discussing the depopularisation of smoking in recent years, how we always thought it looked “cool” when we were younger but now my 13 year old sister pretends to gag when i come in from a cigarette at my mums place. We were talking about how old “big tobacco propaganda” has been replaced by vape/ecigarette/shisa advertisements. It’s not quite the same in terms of product, obviously cigarettes are much worse than their substitutes, however in terms of corporate propaganda its exactly the same. In years time when we have more research into the long term effects that come with these substitutes we may even laugh in disbelief that these were once being marketed as a safer and healthier alternative. Looking at some of these advertisements, i also really enjoyed the retro art style and shocking nature of some of the messaging, so i’ve also held onto this as inspiration for my own graphics work.
“Make Something Rubbish” Project: For this mini-project, I decided to pitch a film about paint drying. I thought about doing grass/plant growth but in order to actually see any growth on film i think I’d need to do some kind of time lapse which may end up being actually interesting, the only interesting thing that occurs as paint dry's is perhaps a slight change in depth of colour, which is MUCH LESS interesting than plant growth. I started by thinking about traditionally enjoyed aspects of film and how i could counter-cater to the masses. Popular film usually has a range of exciting characteristics whilst this does not. No exciting cast, no music, no interesting camerawork or lighting. This film couldn’t even be enjoyed by people that are into “interpretive art“.
I really thought i had done something clever with this idea, until i did more research and found out that such a film already exists! However, i think my idea is unique to this in terms of intent. Charlie Lyne’s Paint Drying was made with the purpose of making a statement against the BBFC for making film production in this country less accessible to aspiring creators. He made it with the intent of making the BBFC sit and watch an entire 10 hour film of only paint drying, which, whilst making a statement on censorship and economic privilege, was a conversation heavily publicised due to it’s message and comedic nature. This research inspired me in some ways, instead of making a time-lapse, I too had decided to pitch a 10 hour paint drying film. However, the key difference as I’ve stated is intent. Whilst the exact same concept, my film is not trying to make any kind of statement, cause any kind of conversation. It’s simply a film about paint drying. It doesn’t mean anything, doesn’t have any kind of purpose. Just boring paint drying. I can’t find the full film anywhere online but judging from the video on the kickstarter page and the trailer made available on youtube, i believe the actual piece may even contain some music and/or somebody painting the actual wall initially. This would be much too exciting in my film.
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Firsts (Noctis Lucis Caelum x Ignis Scientia)
WORDS: 3026
RATING: SFW
PAIRING: Noctis Lucis Caelum/Ignis Scientia
SUMMARY: He remembers the first time he met him, the first time he held him…the first time he kissed him. Ignis remembers a lot of their firsts, but he never thought there would be a first time where he had to say goodbye.
NOTES: Ignis POV (third person), Heavy Angst, Major Character Death, Friends to Lovers, slight Episode Ignis spoilers.
[read on Ao3 here]
PREVIEW:
A Crownsguard should not be doing this. He was the royal advisor to the Prince; his job was to look over and care after him, and not to litter chaste kisses down his neck and all the way to his collarbone.
|one| the first time green eyes gazed into blue
He was not dressed like a Prince, that was certainly evident.
Although he was donned in the Royal colours, he almost looked like an Insomnian citizen. His father, on the other hand, was quite the opposite; he exuded regality, and he looked exactly like Ignis had pictured him (minus the angry glare and extremely arched eyebrows).
Outstretching his hand towards the Prince, he met his eyes for the first time. Bright, and blue. They were much more childlike compared to his own green eyes, which were slightly hardened from all the strenuous training and skill-building he had gone through growing up.
The Prince looked hesitant at first, but he smiles and takes Ignis’ hand in both his smaller palms.
“I’m Noctis,” he said. I know. “What’s your name?”
“Ignis Scientia. It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Prince Noctis.”
|two| the first time he showed him how to be a child
“Prince Noctis, you must be careful.”
Even though he was facing Noctis’ back, he knew he was rolling his eyes at him. He understands. He is ten, and will only grow more rebellious as he ages. Being the Prince of Lucis definitely adds more fuel to the fire.
Noctis stops, and turns slightly, balancing on the railing beneath the soles of his feet. “I’ll try…” he says, walking towards the direction of Ignis, ignoring his worried look. “…Mom.”
Ah, His Highness’ sarcasm is finally making an appearance for today. Ignis had thought that today must have been an awfully lucky day, blessed by the Six themselves, if the Prince wasn’t speaking back as usual. He did enjoy the sarcasm, though, for whatever reason, and he supposes it could be worse; he had heard stories of the lives of other royal advisors, and they were not something he liked to think about. He thought that maybe they were just stories, told to people like himself to scare them into always being prim and proper, but that was something he would never truly know.
“If you scrape your knees again, I’ll have to use that ointment that you loathe.”
That seemed to work. Noctis stood still on the railing, looking towards Ignis with curious eyes. He was weighing the options over, it seemed. And with a shrug of his shoulders, it seemed that the short-lived fun outweighed the inevitable tear stained cheeks and bloody knees.
Walking closer to Ignis with cautious steps, Noctis began to hum a tune that Ignis recognised instantly. It was one of his favourite piano pieces, and he played it on the grand piano in the Citadel’s music room various times throughout his stay there. Was the Prince sneaking around, watching him in secret?
“Y’know, you’re a lot older than you look,” Noctis says.
“How so?”
“You just…you’re meant to be a kid. I thought I could have fun with you, or somethin’.”
You could—can—but other, less dangerous kinds of fun. “Well, I am your advisor. My job is to take care of you, and look over you. I was told nothing of your ideas of fun.”
“Oh. I didn’t know there was a how-to-be-an-advisor booklet,” he retorts.
“There is not.” Ignis walks over to the railing and leans against it, looking up to Noctis with narrowed eyes. “It’s just…an unspoken rule, followed by all.”
He jumps off the railing, much more reckless than Ignis appreciates, and points to his knees. “See!” He says with a grin. “I didn’t fall this time.”
Yes, but he had fallen more than ten times before that, and that left some fairly noticeable scars. The blood was not fun to clean up, and Ignis could not for the life of him understand why the Prince kept balancing on the railings. He knew he would keep falling, hurting himself, and the tears had shown that he did not enjoy being hurt. So why?
Ignis clears his throat, and cocks his head to the side in confusion. “That was the first time you have not hurt yourself. Why do you continue to do this?”
Noctis shrugs his shoulders again, and leans against the railing beside Ignis. “I dunno.” He leans his head back and looks up towards the sky, glancing at the various shapes of the clouds above and humming in contentment. “Hey, look!” Noctis says, pointing towards a particularly odd-shaped cloud, one that looked almost like a—“It looks like a fat chocobo.”
“Yes, indeed. It, uh…” He clears his throat. He isn’t good at this, this…spontaneous rambling of sorts. It seemed so informal, not something you would engage in with a Prince. “It looks like a rotund chocobo has just finished eating its fifth meal of the day.”
Noctis laughs at that, eyes shut and mouth wide. His laugh suits him, it is joyous and pure and spontaneous. He turns to the advisor, and glances at him, smile still evident. They give each other a slight nod.
Friends? Friends.
|three| the first time he actually talks to him
Walking into his apartment, he noticed the blazer thrown nonchalantly on the floor and Noctis’ bag draped on the arm of the couch. He sighed, and walked over to where he was lounging and sat across him.
The Prince still had his eyes shut and arms behind his head, head facing the ceiling. Ignis could see he was in deep thought from the slight furrowing of his brow and clenching jaw. “Everything alright?” He asks, leaning back against the couch and getting comfortable.
He was expecting a groan, but he did not receive one. Noctis lifts himself up and replicates his position, albeit a lot more comfortably. “I guess,” he says, resting an arm loosely on his thigh and chewing at his bottom lip. “School is just…I dunno , worse, somehow.”
“Are you still friends with Prompto?”
He nods, eyes downcast. “He’s my best friend, it’s just that…” he trails off, hand lifting up to rest behind his neck. “Nobody else is my friend, at least not in the way he is. And Prompto is enough, he’s more than I could ever ask for. I just don’t understand why he’s the only one to treat me so normally.”
“I see.” He brings up his index finger and pushes his glasses higher up the bridge of his nose. He expected this, of course. Even though his father had enrolled him in a public school, nothing could change the fact that Noctis was the Prince of Lucis. Everyone would have seen him at least once in the papers, on the television, or online. Everyone knew what he looked like, and where he resided, and his birth date. Privacy and normalcy would be considered a privilege for somebody like Noctis, and unfortunately, he did not have that privilege.
Before he could continue on—give some words of consolation—he was cut off. “Do you like being my advisor, Specs?” Noctis asks, looking at him directly now, with hardened eyes.
“It can be difficult at times…” He exhales, crossing one leg over the other. “But I thoroughly enjoy it.”
|four| the first time his lips graced his own
He found him, in his room, feet tucked underneath his arms and tears staining his cheeks. He was trying to muffle the sounds of his cries by biting the inside of his cheek with his teeth. It did not work. Ignis could hear his cries as soon as he opened the front door.
Walking towards him with cautious steps, he sat next to him. The mattress shifted with his weight and Noctis turned around to face him with wide eyes, not realising that he had walked into the room. He couldn’t cover up that he was upset, and just lowered his eyes to his feet, fiddling with his fingers.
“I, uh—” his voice cracks. “Did you hear?”
Ignis nods. He did hear. Of course he did. It wasn’t pleasant news; no one would like to be informed that they were to be married for politics. Not only that, but to be told you could not even choose who you were to marry was not something anyone, especially a young man, would want to hear.
“I can’t believe this is happening to me, and Luna. She’s my friend, Ignis. I don’t see her in that way at all. I just—”
Ignis places a firm hand on his shoulder, turning him towards his own frame and looking at him in the eye. “It will be fine, Noctis.” His thumb rubs circles over the Prince’s clothed shoulder in comfort. “Things can still change. When will the wedding take place?”
“In two years.”
“When you are twenty, then.”
In all his years of being an advisor, Ignis had never acted out of impulse. Never. Until today. All he had to do was look into his blue eyes—that used to be so bright and full of life—which were now holding hundreds of untold emotions and pain, and he felt his resolve crumble into tiny, little pieces. He hated seeing Noctis like this…so fragile, and lacking hope. Pulling the Prince into his embrace, he wrapped his arms around his shoulders tightly, not wanting to let go.
He could feel his heartbeat against his chest, rapidly increasing and unsteady. His hands traveled up to the soft, black locks he had always wanted to touch, but never dared to, and lightly caressed the strands between his fingertips. He felt the younger man nuzzle into his neck, and his heartbeat had slowed down just slightly.
“I am sorry, Noct,” he whispers into his ear.
Noctis pulls away from him and looks up into his green eyes, face now confused. The corners of his mouth rise slightly, and he leans in—too close for comfort—inches away from Ignis’ lips. “Don’t be.” Before was able to voice his concern on what he was sure was going to happen, it happened.
Noctis pressed his lips onto his own, and his palms cupped Ignis’ face, tracing his thumbs over the line of his jaw; relishing the way his skin felt under his own fingertips.
Graceful hands trailed to the Prince’s chin, tilting his head upwards so he could taste more of him—kiss him deeper. He tasted unbelievably sweet, even sweeter than anything he had concocted before. But he wished he wouldn’t have tasted so sweet, so much like he imagined he would taste. Because a Crownsguard should not be doing this. He was the royal advisor to the Prince; his job was to look over and care after him, and not to litter chaste kisses down his neck and all the way to his collarbone.
|five| the first time he lied to him
“You alright, Specs?”
No.
He nods at the concerned Prince, avoiding eye contact.
He cannot bear to say it out loud. He saw it. Everything. What was going to happen to Noctis. And he should tell him, but he can’t. If he tells him—says it out loud—then that makes it real. And he does not want it to be real. It cannot be real, it should not be. But Ignis knows that it is inevitable, as Noctis is a good man…and a good King, just like his father.
Ignis hopes, silently, in the darkness of the night, that it will not happen.
|six| the first time he said ‘I love you’ without actually saying it
He knew he would awake from his decade long slumber, but he wished he didn’t—that meant that he would soon leave, for eternity.
But he couldn’t think about that, at least not focus on it, as he was finally back, within arms reach. Ignis could finally hear him again, smell him. He wishes he could see him. But hearing him, feeling the warmth of his skin is more than enough.
The smell of the salty water beneath the cliffside, and Noctis’ finely tailored suit engulf his senses. He can hear the fire crackling behind him, and the waves softly hitting against the rocky shores. He loves this sound, and the smell. It always calmed him, somehow. It felt homely, and warm, and safe. Sometimes, it made everything feel normal—as if his dear friend wasn’t going to pass shortly. It made him forget. Only sometimes.
“No,” Ignis says. “You won’t be going alone, I’ll—”
“No, you’re right.” He can hear Noctis turning towards him, leather shoes slightly scraping against the rocks beneath their feet. “I mean, I wouldn’t have made it all this way without you guys. Why stop now?” He can hear him walking closer to him now, and a warm hand is placed gently on his shoulder. “In the end, I might not have you at my side, but I’ll always have you in my heart.”
I love you.
Noctis’ hands trail down his arm and make their way to his gloved palms, and intertwines his fingers loosely in his own. Ignis can feel him leaning closer, just like before, and a chaste kiss is placed just underneath his most prominent scar. “Thanks…” Noctis says, lingering, breath fluttering against his cheek. “Thanks for everything, Iggy.”
Outstretching his hand towards the Prince, he met his eyes for the first time. Bright, and blue. They were much more childlike compared to his own green eyes, which were slightly hardened from all the strenuous training and skill-building he had gone through growing up.
The Prince looked hesitant at first, but he smiled and took Ignis’ hand in both his smaller palms.
“I’m Noctis,” he said. “What’s your name?”
“Ignis Scientia. It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Prince Noctis.”
Before he can stop himself, and not that he wanted to, a tear ran down his cheek, and he hears Noctis chuckle slightly, bringing his hand up and wiping away the tear with his thumb. He wishes this moment could last forever. He wishes it was ten years ago, when he had to wake up a grumpy Prince in the tent, or lecture him to eat more of his vegetables.
No. Thank you for everything, Noct.
|seven| the first time he said goodbye
When he sat on the throne—his throne—matured and ready, ready to enact his fate and save his people, Ignis was proud. So, so proud. Although Noctis had awoken from his decade-long slumber with a very similar attitude to his younger self, there were things that had changed; he was quieter, much more solemn. His appearance had changed, too, of course. From what he could feel beneath the tips of his fingers, he now had a beard, one that Ignis would have never believed he was capable of growing, and his hair was styled in a more suitable fashion for a thirty-year-old King.
Noctis had grown up.
Truthfully, Ignis had waited for this day. It was not that he disliked Noctis before, no, quite the contrary—it was just that Ignis had always believed that Noctis could become someone that was fit to rule over his people, and to see that now he had believed in himself, too, made the royal advisor feel a range of things that could not be described with words.
And Ignis thought that he was part of the reason for that, and that made him happy, but he was even happier knowing that most of it was because of Noctis himself.
But when Ignis walked up to the throne one last time, just feel His Highness’ decaying body and somehow comprehend and accept that he was really gone, he found himself struggling to do just that. He didn’t want to. He couldn’t. The world took away his best friend, his would-have-been lover, his King.
It was stupid, he knew that. He knows that if Noctis was here, and he was telling him how he felt, he would shake his head and tell him to snap out of it. But he couldn’t help it. He felt as if he had no purpose. Without Noctis, what was there left for him?
Without Noctis…
…without Noctis.
|eight| the first time he is without him
He has lived for longer than half a century now.
It should not have turned out like this, he thinks to himself every day. But thinking about it brings back the pain. He supposes he should have moved on by now, but how can he? He knows the others haven’t, either. The Shield is all smiles and laughter with his wife and three children, now making their way into adulthood, and he hasn’t heard from the blonde in a while, either; probably out on some hike again, with his camera and some friends, a companion, too, most likely. But he knows that they still think about him, and everything that happened once they rest for the night. And he knows that they are hurting just like he is.
It has been more than twenty years since the world took Noctis away, and every day, Ignis thinks of the years he spent beside him. The awkward first encounter, scolding him almost constantly for not eating his vegetables, the road trip which turned out to be their last moments together, and all the tiny things that happened in-between.
He hates that he has forgotten what he looks like. He can only remember tiny details, like how his hair was dark and had an almost-sapphire tint, and his bright, blue eyes. And the tiny mole on the right side of his face. He remembers the sound of his voice, the lilt in his tone whenever he talked about the constellations or pastimes. He remembers the words of affection spoken to him, and the saccharine taste of his lips.
He remembers the way it felt to have a hand on his shoulder, his thumb rubbing soothing circles across his soft skin. He remembers the first time he told him he loved him, without actually saying the words. And he remembers the first time he cried for him.
Most of all, he remembers that he didn’t die with him. And that above all else, that he wished he had gone instead.
#ignoct#episode ignis#noctis lucis caelum#ignis scientia#noctis x ignis#ffxv scenario#ffxv fanfiction#ffxv imagines#i feel like crying again ahhhh#mine#the formatting on tumblr is shite
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How You Can Be Successful In The Background Music Enterprise. Component 2
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How You Can Be Successful In The Background Music Enterprise. Component 2
So you nevertheless wanna be described as a celebrity?
Portion 2
No matter what style of tunes you%u2019re in, you need to establish your meaning of achievement. When your meaning is %u2018being a imaginative artist undertaking what for you to do in your life by discussing your tunes with those who will listen%u2019, then you ought to succeed, when your definition is %u2018being a abundant and famous superstar%u2019, then, well %u2018good luck%u2019… but. Of course, if you%u2019ve got the package to stick to your very own fashion and audio, your very own thinking of how your audio must sound, then you%u2019ve a lot more potential for accomplishment in the long term.
But be warned – flying within the deal with of meeting, of what is current, is always tough. But trends diminish and pass away – original ability and songs will not!
If you%u2019ve captured an recording oneself then get self-sufficient comments, the two music and practical. Friends and relations will say your tunes is %u201Cgreat%u201D (and hey, that%u2019s fine, you want that support). They%u2019re of no sensible use by any means, although but, the person who informs you anything you do is great may be best for your ego! The harsh fact is that you simply require great positive judgments from self-sufficient sources who understand what they%u2019re speaking about. There are actually publications like %u201CSound on Sound%u201D, for example, who offer demonstration critiques, although fine, easier said than done.
One more tip is look for the local documenting recording studio and buy a studio room designers time (or even better the studio room proprietor if you can), just to listen to your documenting. Decide on their brains and request their tips on all facets of your taking. I did this it and myself personally was crucial. You%u2019ve got to actually can relate with the studio room expert and that they can correspond with what you%u2019re performing. But following your day, you%u2019re having to pay them simply to pay attention and to provide you with the main benefit of their experience. Believe me, numerous studios will be pleased to accomplish this whenever they realize you%u2019re seriously interested in recognizing constructive judgments and you%u2019re ready to spend the money for heading recording studio price for it. Having Said That I repeat, make certain you get somebody who has expertise and several empathy using the tunes you%u2019re undertaking.
The reason why this is certainly essential is really because frequently, when starting out carrying out a very first album you will not hold the knowledge or products making it sound anything more than a demonstration. Unfortunately, a lot of soon to be musicians get so near their %u201Ccreation%u201D that they can fail to listen to how the music isn%u2019t as good as they believe it is, particularly around the practical side!
It%u2019s usually great to understand that you will find almost certainly tens of thousands of individuals worldwide (maybe thousands and thousands, who knows? !) doing the same thing you are. There%u2019s no shortage of home studios converting out songs without any general shortage of agencies, especially on the net, suggesting how to %u201CMake it Big%u201D.
So, the trick would be to stand out to be %u2018different in the rest%u2019 whilst reaching an ordinary that may be %u2018professional%u2019. How can i outline professional? In which somebody has brought the time and energy to accept documenting above a property trial. Fine, I realize which could seem to be just a little opaque, but the truth is that it%u2019s tough to define, you simply %u201Cknow%u201D.
Songs is extremely subjective – most of us notice different things in it, indeed, people need different things from tunes so it will be acceptable to us, regardless of whether being a composer or a listener. There are fantastic performers who definitely are technically amazing taking part in various tools but history audio that is certainly devoid of soul or enthusiasm and restricted by personal enforced musical restrictions. On the other hand there are actually music artists and bands with little or no education who is able to blow your mind with artistic and amazing tunes because they are not constrained by conventional musical coaching. It%u2019s also worth pointing out that as being a skilled music performer doesn%u2019t make for a competent composer of audio! And even a qualified composer can%u2019t always imbue the formula with this special ingredient that make folks rest up and take notice.
It%u2019s also correct to state that the great musician/composer is not necessarily a good business engineer! This can be a reality that for me, is frequently overlooked. Way too many composers feel that because they have accessibility to an all vocal, all dancing workstation and personal computer, they are able to end up an incredible documenting. Usually, nothing is further from the reality. Composing is a expertise, and engineering an album is another, very different ability. Mastering an album is another, completely different skill. I%u2019m not suggesting a person cannot do each one of these issues well. Naturally they can, with several years of experience, and even then, with insight utilizing sources.
Lots of occasions I%u2019ve sat listening to a trial where composer is persuaded how the songs and the documenting is %u201Cgreat%u201D if in simple fact it isn%u2019t. The saving and utilize of sounds is corny and naff, however the composer can%u2019t hear it simply because they haven%u2019t %u201Cstepped outside of the box%u201D, as I would say. They haven%u2019t stood back through the audio and listened to the taking and compared like for like towards specialist recordings of the genre.
It%u2019s a tough training to find out, to become personal essential of your personal masterpieces and often to comprehend that your development is actually not even close to excellent and that sometimes, the right spot for your development is incorporated in the bin and that you should begin once more on an additional strategy. But this is probably just about the most significant lessons to become acquired in the musical experience.
Additionally, it crucial that you think of this 1 unpalatable fact. Your record might be great. It might have good tunes, be recorded and so forth. and so on. nevertheless it just might not be sufficiently good to be anything greater than an inde record that markets a couple of one hundred replicates. That%u2019s Daily life!
Whether it doesn%u2019t make an immediate impact, It%u2019s a straightforward simple fact that document companies will hear the initial 20 moments of your trial after which swap them back and consign the demonstration towards the container.
That%u2019s not only a/R gentlemen sometimes. Some yrs ago, a serious label experienced a lot of demos that its A/R section couldn%u2019t handle every one of them thus it gave loads of demos to everybody, even products to search through. In the event the Compact disk didn%u2019t make a quick impact, this was %u201Con towards the next%u201D, anyone finished up doing the same -.
Certain, if you%u2019re the history content label exec trawling through 1000s of demos, how would you practice it, though which could seem to be unfair? Once again, I run a tiny inde brand, thus i understand what it%u2019s like.
I%u2019m not advising you history your demonstration to send out to a major tag. I%u2019m relating the tale to hammer property the purpose that with the amount of individuals generating audio, all pondering their own is %u201Cthe greatest recording ever%u201D, you need to be realistic – you probably convey more potential for profitable the united kingdom lotto and the Euro lotto in the very same few days than getting a record package!
But that shouldn%u2019t stop you! ! Your demo should be nicely saved and documented good enough that you may press it and then sell on it your self. In this time period, that%u2019s probably the most effective way ahead. Certain, nevertheless deliver backup to report tags, but also remember that record brands will be trying to find a lot, good deal not only the background music. They%u2019ll look for practical experience, a graphic, a malleable lots and designer far more aside from for today%u2019s audio business.
Your songs ought to have an identification that holds right out of the relaxation plus it ought to have an mental existence. Reaching this really is, extremely tough and then in real truth, it cannot be educated or discovered. I really feel tunes either has that wonder substance to make the fans head of hair get up on finish, to perk men and women fascination, or it doesn%u2019t. And therefore originates from the music performer – not the development, the engineering, the learning the history tag or anywhere else – this is the defining fact of your designer.
So, what am I looking to explain to you here? Properly, to summarize, embark on the highway for being a music performer with idea and desire but agree to that the potential risk of significant accomplishment thru a record bargain is virtually out of the question. Comprehend you need to pay attention with open up ear as to what you find out and do to get vital of your respective music. Make positive critique your closest ally via men and women as their opinion you value and believe in. And even so difficult you think it%u2019s likely to be to possess any way of measuring good results, realize that it will likely be even tougher!
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Hello everyone! These are some tips I wish I had known when I first got into the community. Warning: this got longer than intended, sorry! I tried to divide it into well separated sections, so it’d be easier for you to read only the parts that interest you!
Original content:
I think the best way to get your studyblr known is by posting original content, this can be either pictures of your journal, your notes, your stationery, etc. If you don’t feel like pictures are your thing, you could make advice masterposts or share little tricks and hacks that have helped you through your studies or your life in general.
Take nice pictures: 1) The trick here is to take your pictures near a window where the sun isn’t hitting directly on what you want to photograph (you can try direct sunlight as well, but I think if the sun’s too bright then you won’t be able to see what’s written on white paper). 2) A nice background makes all the difference. I personally prefer white backgrounds, so I just use my desk. BUT if you don’t have any white surfaces, you can create one by just laying down a few sheets of paper (that’s what I did for this post). Lots of people also use their bed sheets or duvets as background and it looks amazing as well! 3) Flatlays seem to be quite popular and they make the picture look very neat, aand you don’t need many photographic skills to pull it off, so I’d say it’s the best choice for taking pictures.
Edit pictures: If you’ve already taken your picture next to a window or in a well lighten environment, then you probably don’t need to edit it all that much (not that you ever have to edit your pictures, but it does make them look a bit more aesthetically pleasing and professional I’d say?). So if you still want to edit them (which I do), then I’d recommend the Snapseed app (available for Apple and Android), that’s the one I use, It’s free and it has a LOT of editing options. I also have the VSCO app (x x), which I downloaded because a lot of people here have recommended it, but I don’t really use it. You can play around with both apps and decide which one works best for you! (Oh and yes, like most of use here, I use my phone to take pictures).
Tag other blogs: Some people track a specific tag (usually their blog url, but not always, in which case they tend to clarify it somewhere in their blog). This is a great way for people to check out your content and then they might share it if they like it. There are some blogs who reblog everything they are tagged in, but I’d say this is the minority. If you’re not sure whether someone tracks their tag, then you can always ask them!
Trends: In the studyblr community there tend to be certain trends, such as a specific type of calligraphy, specific brands, etc. So there’s basically two paths here: You can choose to follow these trends and make your bujo spreads look like most journals look at that moment. This probably will make people reblog your stuff because that’s what everyone’s into. Another option is to go on the exact opposite direction and make your content completely different than everyone else’s in order to make it stand out more. Honestly, I don’t think one way’s better than the other, you’ll slowly figure out what makes you feel happier about your journal/notes. However, DO NOT copy someone else’s work and claim it as your own. You can get inspired by certain styles, yes, but if you replicate something somebody else made, then that’s stealing. That being said, lots of people recreate a bujo spread (for example) and then properly credit the person who originally made it, in which case I think it’s okay, but it’s always safer to ask for permission first.
Masterposts: There’s mainly two ways to make a masterpost: 1) You can make an original one with recommendations or tips you come up with yourself. My advice here would be to think of actually useful tips, do not just write whatever seems like the right thing to say, but instead use your own experience to think of tips that have indeed helped you in the past. 2) If coming up with advice is not your thing, you can gather around other people’s advice and provide links to their posts (they don’t even need to be from Tumblr blogs) in an organized structure that makes it easy for people to skim through and find what they’re looking for! Btw, even if you’re a studyblr, your posts don’t have to be all exclusively study related. There are some really good masterposts about mental health, moving out on your own, meal recipes, etc.
Stay visible:
One of the good things about the studyblr community is that most people won’t unfollow you just because you weren’t active for a certain period of time, we all understand that sometimes life (study related or not) just gets busy and it’s okay to take some time for yourself. BUT at the same time it’s true that in order to get your content around, you need to stay active to a certain extent.
Queue your posts: You can even do some research to find out when it’s the best time of the day to post something and on which days of the week and set your queue to those hours.
Interact with others: This helps to get your blog known AND it’s a great way to meet people in the community! There are loads of ways in which to do this: 1) Simply send someone a message and start a conversation with them, ask them about their day or tell them about yours. 2) Join a network. I’ve never been in one myself (bc shyness hey) but they do sound fun! 3) Try doing other people’s “challenges”, for which they usually provide a tag for you to use so they can check out your posts for the challenge. 4) Tag people in these little games that go around, like this bold tag thingy (I think that’s the only example I have).
Blog aesthetics:
In order to make your blog more appealing, make sure you spend some time on your theme and icon. If they go well together, it will create an organized layout, which tends to catch people’s eyes and make it more likely for them to check out your content.
Theme: The possibilities are endless. Whichever style you prefer, there’s definitely a theme that goes with it. Personally speaking, I love neat, soft-colored themes. I believe organization is key, if your links and information are easily accesible, then that adds up to your blog for sure! Here are a few theme makers whose content I’ve been using lately: @acuite, @cyantists, @felinum, @odeysseus, @pohroro, @roxiestheme. In addition, you can find a lot of great themes here: @theme-hunter (they even classify the themes by style, post size, etc.).
Icon: This is the door to your blog, people see it on their dash and use it to identify you. Some people make free icons for you to use, but I personally prefer making my own. Don’t worry, you don’t need to be super skilled or even use Photoshop for this. 1) I usually use Canva to make my icons or banners. They have lots of templates for you to use as a guide, or you can start your design from scratch. They do require you to register with an email, but it’s free yay (unless you want to pay for some special designs, but, honestly, their free stuff is more than enough to create whatever you need). 2) Flaticon is another website which provides a TON of icons and pictures that you can use (you do not have to pay to download the images, but you DO have to properly credit whoever made them).
Be consistent: Choose whichever content you’d like to post and stick to it. Not everyone is this picky, but some people only follow blogs whose posts belong to a certain category (studyblr, fandoms, fitness, clothes, etc.). This doesn’t mean you can’t post an occasional random post, though. Don’t restrict yourself, but do try to keep you content consistent.
Balance:
Life’s all about balance. Regarding your studyblr, I think there are mainly two aspects in which you need to apply this.
Studying vs. keeping a blog: Yes, studyblrs can be helpful when it comes to your studies (there is a lot of advice going around and, personally, it helps me to stay motivated and makes me want to do better). However, at the end of the day it’s still a Tumblr blog, which means you can spend hours and hours here without even realizing it, so be careful not to lose yourself in the wonderful journals and unbelievably neat notes that the community has to offer, because then you won’t end up doing any of your work.
Aesthetics vs. functionality: You’ve probably seen those posts which reassure you that your notes & journal are made to increase your productivity so there’s no need for you to make them pretty if that’s not your thing. I’m not going to preach you on that, we all know it’s true. However, It frustrates me a little bit that on that kind of posts, they never seem to acknowledge the fact that some of us spend time making our notes and journals pretty because it’s actually helpful for us. I’m less likely to want to study from my notes if they’re all messy and lifeless, so I spend time on them. Regarding my journal, whether I keep it extremely simple or make it super fancy and decorated, it would serve its purpose either way. BUT, spending time decorating my journal is what helps me unwind at the end of the week. So, no, I don’t spend time on my journal because that’s going to help me achieve my goals, I spend time on it because it helps me to relax and get away from the world for a little while. Not everything we do needs to have an academic purpose.
Hope you can take some advice from this and that you all have a lovely day! 🌿
#original#studyblr#studyspo#masterpost#studyblr masterpost#journalsanctuary#studyquill#educatier#ohlookyan#emmastudies#studylustre#equaticns#heyjul#bookmrk#focusign#sootudying#inspiration#advice#motivation#new studyblr#study#tips#productivity#organization#ma#studyblr advice
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Entering a New Frontier: Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning - Workday Blog
Artificial intelligence (AI), especially machine learning, promises to transform the enterprise as we know it. But just how close is AI to widespread adoption?
At Workday Rising Europe, I had the privilege to listen in on a fascinating discussion about AI and machine learning with Joe Korngiebel, Workday’s senior vice president, enterprise technology, and tech leaders from two U.K.-based companies.
Read on to learn how David Henderson, chief technology officer at Global Radio, and Russell Smith, head of IT: HR, legal and global sustainability at AstraZeneca, are starting to deal with these game-changing tools in this edited transcript of that conversation.
Joe Korngiebel: I think every conversation about AI or machine learning has to start with digital, so can you tell us a little bit about your journey to digital transformation?
Russell Smith: I’m very blessed. At the end of the day, I get to go home and tell my family that I’m helping cure cancer and other terrible diseases. And, digital is really helping us do that in ways that you could never believe. When I started with the company over four years ago, the time it took from an idea to getting a drug on the shelf could be 10-20 years. With digital, we’re able to compress that much more and get the drugs and the right medicines out to the right people at the right time. It’s not just an HR, finance, or science discussion. It’s the right people within the business all taking digital seriously.
David Henderson: At Global, our transformation started about four or five years ago, with the realisation was that our sector is competing with companies like Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon. We had to do something very different. The challenge was taking on those trusted brands with curated content available on a wide range of digital platforms. Having transformed the back-office with a cloud based architecture we designed digital products enhanced with first-party data to personalise the listening experience and provide more relevant, targeted, advertising.
“For HR, we’re using AI to help remove unconscious bias in job descriptions and recruitment.”—Russell Smith, AstraZeneca
Korngiebel: I wanted to talk a little bit about how you define AI and the benefits that you’re getting out of it today from a practical perspective.
Henderson: I think of it from the perspective of how you apply algorithms to try to solve complex problems, solving things that are commercially interesting but too difficult for our employees to figure out alone. We’ve tried a lot, and failed a bit, and I think that’s the important thing with AI.
For example, we capture every single word that’s sung during a song or in an ad break and all those words are transcoded, categorised in an engine and put through sentiment analysis. That’s a lot of data which on its own isn’t that interesting. We can overlay that with demographic, weather and major event data and combine this with behavioural activity data of millions of people listening on our apps such as which songs they like or when they stop listening. We can then make inferences about why people are listening —not just to songs but to advertisements as well – and change the mix of content and then see the impact of those changes to further improve the model.
Korngiebel: You can’t have a conversation around AI, machine learning, and automation without addressing the idea that it will threaten the employment of many people. What are your views on that?
Smith: Do I believe it will fundamentally change the workforce? Yes, but not in terms of numbers, as I think people will simply end up working differently. There are two very stark views that I see out in the marketplace. There’s the one that says, in the last industrial revolution, more jobs were created than were destroyed. The counterargument to that is to say that situation occurred only because, in the past somebody had a job making something, and now they switched jobs to think about something. But, AI stops us thinking about something. So, what’s next for the workforce? I think the answer to that is probably areas where judgment, interaction, and human instinct are crucial.
Korngiebel: In technology, it’s is easy to talk about the buzz and hype, but when you see the real-world examples you really feel it. What examples are you seeing in the usage of AI and machine learning in your business?
Henderson: People look at the big examples, but it’s the smaller day-to-day stuff that can add real value. You decide that you want to go on holiday, so you book your holiday and then, all the robot does in the background is it automatically takes the information, populates your calendar, sends it to your manager, and marks you out of office. It’s very small things like this that cumulatively starts to create lots of value for the organization.
Smith: For HR, we’re using AI to help remove unconscious bias in job descriptions and recruitment. So, we’ll run the descriptions through an AI and it’ll tell us if we’re overly masculine or feminine in how we’re writing our job descriptions. We will also leverage gamification to help determine things like personality, cultural value, and fit with the organisation as well. An area where I see great benefit is running a video interview through a translation engine to get a view on how good somebody’s English and communication skills are. And if you’re hiring in volume in say, somewhere like India or China, you can save a lot of time with these upfront tasks which generally take a lot of resources.
Korngiebel: How do you ensure you can trust your data?
Smith: It’s about choosing the right data and the right datasets so you get the right outcomes, not false positives. If you just put machine learning on top of your legacy hiring data, and then decided what we’ll do is look for the people that we hired that were the highest performers, the chances are you’d not get results that align with your wishes to be a diverse employer. The machine learning algorithm would just repeat history and maybe lead you to hire as you did 5-10 years ago! You need to be smarter about how and where you use machine learning, and what data you expose it to.
Korngiebel: Finally, can you talk about other technologies that you’re excited about and that are influencing your business in new and interesting ways?
Henderson: I think from my perspective, Snowflake, the data warehouse, is really interesting because it allows us to join disparate data sources and makes it really easy to do things with data. So, I’m loving that in the near term. Also, I guess voice, with Alexa and similar devices. It’s just the start. You’ve got Amazon with at least 5,000 linguists making Alexa better.
Smith: I think data is undoubtedly the main area, particularly predictive tools. I’m not an IBM employee, but I saw some stuff that blows my mind away around some of the Watson technology. Another area that I think is cool is robotic process automation (RPA). And, the next stage of RPA is cognitive robots. So, this is more than replicating end users. These cognitive robots have the ability to scan and learn from documents and from unstructured data and “dark” data. And that will allow us to automate so much more and uncover so many additional capabilities. I think particularly around unstructured data and processing for the back office, this is going to be huge.
This content was originally published here.
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The Problem of Welsh: An Educational Perspective
Here, we talk about the difficulty facing language growth in Wales and how this has a lot to do with education in the past, present and future. Somewhere in this post, you’ll find a model that I pulled together a while ago, depicting the tricky cycle that Wales is trapped in regarding language. This post will be explaining that cycle and revealing what I feel is the reason that Welsh is facing such difficulty. Obviously, this is not technically a self-inflicted cycle as this is only a result of the language being purged from Wales decades ago, but now, we’ve managed to become trapped in a model of our own creation.
19%
At the very heart of the cycle, we have a statistic. According to the 2011 Census, 19% is the number of people who proclaimed themselves Welsh speakers in 2011. I have no doubt that number is going to rise in the next Census (whether it’s for the right reason or not, I’m doubtful) but I have a funny feeling that might just be through population growth. Anyway, that percentage perpetuates the cycle and breathes life into it, allowing it to run it’s course in Wales. You’ll see why as we move forward.
Curriculum (English-Medium sector)
In Wales, education is of course split into Welsh-medium and English-medium education, what we generally observe is those who leave Welsh-medium schools leave with a strong foundation and understanding of both English and Welsh, while English-medium schools release learners that have basic and rarely-applicable knowledge of Welsh language structure and vocabulary. There is a solid reason why.
In Wales, most schools are still using the National Curriculum, if we take a peek at the curriculum document that teachers in English-medium schools use to teach Welsh as a second-language (find it here - https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/hwb-live-storage/ff/9f/57/de/d8f44d238d7e8f64a280a7ee/welsh-second-language-in-the-national-curriculum.pdf), we notice that it doesn’t even mention the word ‘fluency’. Personally, I would certainly argue that the goal of attempting to dedicate yourself to any language would be to eventually end up fluent, but we don’t have this set as an outcome in our primary curriculum. Teachers will know that politicians will always talk about ‘raising standards’ and ‘going for gold’ in education, but when it comes to Welsh in Primary Schools, we set very low standards of ourselves, embodying this lazy ideal in our own curriculum document. We are using a curriculum that does not teach for fluency, so naturally, we aren’t going to obtain it. The current interpretation of our current document means that often, there is very little progression or difference between what is happening in Year 3 classrooms, compared to what is happening in our GCSE Welsh classrooms.
However, even if the document did mention fluency and even if we’re reading between the lines, it is hinted at, this doesn’t matter, because the rest of the cycle kicks into action.
Teachers (English-Medium sector)
Firstly, it is really important to emphasise that teachers are most definitely not to blame for our current situation. Most teachers in English-medium schools are a product of this cycle and they cannot be expected to be able to speak Welsh after coming out the other end of it. But it is a factor, it is the reason we cannot design a curriculum for fluency because we do not have the practitioners to deliver it. You wouldn’t believe the pressure that is put on student teachers to be sufficient in English and Mathematics so that they are fully-qualified to teach a curriculum that strives for achievement and progression. This is less realistic of Welsh, but, you cannot expect somebody to be fluent in a language in three years, especially when Welsh is only one of several other modules student teachers have to pass.
An obvious buzzword in language pedagogy is ‘immersion’, the act of drowning children in language (written and spoken) so that they’re little sponge brains soak it up and they are able to replicate and comprehend it. Teachers cannot deliver this to the same standard as they do with English, they do not have the skills (again, not they’re fault). However, the principle stands, you would not ask somebody who cannot play the piano to teach your children to play the piano. But God-bless teachers in English-medium schools, they are doing so well despite their current circumstances, soldiering on, going on courses, collaborating with other professionals in different contexts, outside agencies etc. they are doing everything for our children, but they’re caught up in a political ping-pong.
However, before anyone dares to announce a cull on English-medium teachers, please note that only (apparently) 32.5% of teachers speak Welsh, and most of these are employed by Welsh-medium schools (as you’d expect). There aren’t the resources for it.
Attitudes (Both English-Medium and Welsh-Medium sectors)
I’ve found, that quite often, despite language being something that centres around uniting people of one nation, Welsh can become quite a controversial topic among people. People’s passion regarding the topic will often depend on whether you went to an EM or WM school, which area you live in or perhaps the experiences you’ve had (VERY IMPORTANT). However, attitude is often the driving force of learning (Carol Dweck strikes again) and it cannot be denied that amongst both sectors there are attitude differences and at times, a resounding anxiety.
This can be where people get sensitive but I literally speak from experience (and I know only an idiot assumes that they’re own experiences reflect the reality for everything but bear with me). Living in an area that had a low percentage of Welsh speakers and then one with a significantly higher percentage of Welsh speakers, I’ve personally witnessed the difference in attitudes regarding the language. Frequently, people often wish that they could speak it, but school didn’t give them the tools to get by and because of its lack of use in the area, they just don’t see the point. Alternatively, I’ve seen Welsh-speakers become hostile at those who don’t demonstrate proficiency in Welsh and in different ways. Both mentalities are unhelpful but they’re not surprising, they do however work to de-motivate people from going anywhere near the Welsh language and that 19% doesn’t go anywhere.
I’m also not a great fan of there not being 100% effort being put into BILINGUAL input and signage, this means BOTH languages. Absence of either Welsh or English is unhelpful and rips the divide further.
I won’t go into too much detail because I often upset people when I do, but turning up your nose and getting angry won’t deny the fact that at times there can be an observed divide and often those who are oblivious to it aren’t the ones responsible so if that comes as a shock to you, that’s not a surprise, but some people I think choose blissful ignorance.
If you’d like to hear more about this factor, do give me a buzz.
Environment (Both English-Medium and Welsh-Medium sectors)
You’ll notice that the entire model takes place in a green circle, symbolic of the environment. This should be interpreted as the environment in which first and second language Welsh learners grow-up and live in.
As usual, my rantings are rooted in theory and of course we know of the immense impact that the environment and indeed the home-life has on learning. Well firstly, there is a notable increase in the amount of English as Additional Language (EAL) children there are in Welsh schools, striving to pick up English to the best of their ability; this isn’t to say that Welsh is detrimental to EAL children because it’s not, some children will smash English and Welsh in their first year of being in school, this is apparently quite often the case, so I hear. HOWEVER, the amount of pressure being put on schools to ram Welsh down children’s throats doesn't pay credence to the fact that some children in schools are barely capable of English and do not need the additional pressure of a minority language, this is putting politics and passion before the progress and well-being of a child, which is of course, not what we want.
With regards to the environment, there is so much research out there that advocates for the idea that reading to children at home (especially when they’re young) and immersing them in language improves their prospects for both school and life (enough to sink the Titanic), there are children who go back to households that don’t even speak English, let alone Welsh. How are these children supposed to progress? Our children’s environments aren’t geared for language acquisition, so they’re having to learn it in a horrifically trivial and clunky way.
Also, a lot of the time, a child’s environment doesn’t prove to them that Welsh is even worth their time because they only hear it in school and it’s not used in relevant contexts at home. This means, they do not see the point, they only see it used in artificial contexts in school (strung together by desperate teachers who are struggling with it themselves) and it’s just not worth anything to them. Those who have children will understand, if a child doesn’t see the point of something, you’ll certainly find out about it.
Moving Forward
So, what do we do?
Granted, I do not have the answer, it’s a very difficult position to worm out of. I have suggested in the past that a step in the right direction is Welsh-Medium schools taking a leading role in tackling this issue, they more than anyone have the tools to tackle this and often are believe in it with a bit more gusto (somewhere in this blog you’ll see something I threw together for a University project). But there will always be the issue of the fact that a vast majority of our population do not speak the language, and no, they’re not going to ‘just learn it’ because A) learning a language is difficult and B) nobody has given them a good enough reason to, and calling them nasty things and shouting at them is going to have 0% success rate, trust me, I speak from experience.
They need help, they need understanding, they need encouraging smiles and lots of nods and patience. Granted, it sounds a lot like the pressure is mostly on those who can already speak Welsh and yes, I’m not 100% that’s fair, but welcome to the world of teachers. You love your subject, you love learning, you want to share it, you want to know how to share it, you do your absolute best, put all the patience in... and the government turns around and says standards are falling... hey-ho, can’t win them all.
There is a new curriculum on the horizon and I will say at the moment I don’t see much in regards to that million speakers by 2050 that Welsh Government has set us as a target... if we hit it, it won’e be for the right reasons because planning to shut-down EM schools and build WM schools on top of them is certainly not the way to go about it.
I’m considering a blog on my bonus, fifth purpose that I’ve added to Donaldson’s four (’Bilingually, literate communicators’) as I don’t feel he’s paid much credence to the importance of Welsh in the curriculum, but we’ll see.
For English-medium teachers, keep going, it would be fair to say you’re fighting what seems to be a losing battle but there are people who go on from EM schools to study Welsh at university so you’re breaking through despite all odds being against you.
For Welsh-medium teachers, keep going, you’re clearly doing something great because children are leaving schools bilingual and nobody is going to argue that this isn’t a good thing.
But, everyone needs to look at collaboration, EM and WM schools need to partner up, tag-team, find a way, it will mean extra work, but if you ‘love Wales’ and you’re all about ‘Cymru am byth’ and that stuff, why not?
For those outside of education, parents, shopkeepers, civilians, friends, neighbours, tourists... give Welsh a go. Aim for two Welsh words a day, then maybe in a month, make it 3. Your children are learning it in school, they’d like it more if they heard it at home, if not for your country, do it for your children. Nobody is judging, if they are shove a Carol Dweck book under they’re nose and call them a disgrace... but at least, give it a try. It is hard, harder than people give it credit for... but you’ve certainly done harder things.
Ffrindiau, lwc dda.
***NOTE TO PARENTS - The curriculum documents that teachers use in most schools (unless your school is a pioneer school) across Wales can be found here:
Foundation Phase (Nursery-Year2): https://learning.gov.wales/resources/collections/foundation-phase?lang=en
KS2 (Year 3-6): https://learning.gov.wales/resources/collections/key-stages-2-4?lang=en , so many parents out there make so much effort to give their children the best head start in life and if you’re stuck for ideas, the curriculum is the place to go! Power to parents! ***
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Voltron fanfic: “Scattered” Chapter 7
Season 2 AU. No ships, K+ to T rating. Begin at the beginning here.
Even with the excellent organizational skills of Dr. Holt, it still took hours to finish stripping the slave camp and load everything into the Castle-ship. Then there was the question of what to do about the Galra. Allura found herself in the middle of a heated debate. A few of the aliens from peaceful societies wanted to take the Galra to the nearest hub and drop them off. The majority, led by the Jocrai, wanted to kill them in increasingly painful ways.
Allura was torn. She wasn’t sure she wanted to kill needlessly, even if they were Galra, but taking the officers with them meant the quick spread of information to the enemy. She didn’t want any chance of Zarkon learning that the Lions and Paladins were separated once more.
Matt Holt had been off to the side, tinkering with something, As Allura tried once more to calm the situation, she saw him run to Shiro. After listening to what he had to say, Shiro climbed on top of his speeder, stuck two fingers of his left hand in his mouth, and produced an ear-splitting whistle. Everyone turned to him in surprise.
“We have a third option. Matt says he can rig a distress signal for the Galra officers, timed to go off in up to thirty-six hours. Given where we are, it’s likely that a ship will respond and be here in less than a day after that. They can survive that long easily in the isolation cells with a few supplies. And we’ll be long gone.”
Most of the crowd seemed pleased with that possibility and Allura let out a sigh of relief. After a short bit of discussion, the only ones not happy with the compromise were the Jocrai, but they recognized that they were outnumbered. With the decision made, they finished loading the last of the supplies and prepared the passengers for departure.
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Hunk could think of quite a few times in his life that he had been afraid. He would be the first to admit that he wasn’t the bravest person around. But he felt pretty certain that even Lance “I can conquer all the challenges before me” McClain would be rather uneasy in this situation.
It was hard to believe that they couldn’t be seen. The shield created by the net of prey-stalkers only worked in one direction, of course. A hunter would want to mask their own presence, but still be able to see the target. As Hunk looked up in the morning sun, watching the spiky silhouettes of Galra drones zip across the sky, he wanted to find a hole and crawl in deep.
His Lion radiated comfort in the background, humming at minimal power. All non-essential members of the Metrean colony were hiding under shelters, encouraged not to look, while the security forces and engineers monitored the situation.
They come, Paladin.
Hunk jumped at that voice inside his head, then turned to Luvixx. “Spread the word. We’ll have visual on the warships in a few minutes.”
Luvixx activated the stealth-comms, message transmitters that worked through earphone-like instruments, and whispered, “Total silence. Begin total silence.”
Three miniature suns appeared above the horizon, growing larger and brighter as the warships entered the planet’s atmosphere, until they were past. The familiar silhouettes took shape, inky black slashes against the sky. Hunk sensed a stirring among the Metreans not hiding in the shelters as they saw the threat, but the silence held.
Slowly, far too slowly, the Galra ships split up and began searching the planet’s surface. Hunk watched with narrowed eyes and his heart in his throat as the shadow of the nearest warship crawled closer to them.
As the ship drew nearer, Hunk slid over to the Yellow Lion. It was lying flat, rather like a Sphinx but with the head down as well. He took up position near its mouth, just in case.
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Pidge finished downloading all the information from the crashed warship close to sunset. While she waited, she continued to sift through the wreckage for potential reverse-engineering projects. By the time she was ready to head back to the village, she had enough salvage to keep her busy for days.
One of the projects that had sprung to mind was bothering her, though. As she drove the speeder back in the twilight, she began talking it out to herself.
“All right, I have what I need to make some kind of glove that will let us access Galra tech. I may have a way to tap into their communications from a distance. I might be able to replicate their ion cannons and I can definitely reverse-engineer their rifles. But we don’t really need the rifles on the ship, we have plenty of defenses already. Do I leave the rifles with the Arusians?”
She thought hard about that. The Arusians were a very simple society, about as low-tech as one could get, and it had served them well for probably centuries. Yet they had been exposed to tech, both good and bad, through the Voltron team and the Galra. How much bigger of a leap was it to put advanced weaponry into their hands? It wasn’t as if anyone would stop them from investigating the Galra wreckage themselves eventually.
“I don’t know. I don’t know what to do.” As she neared the village, she saw that they had made significant progress in clearing the village of debris, thanks to the drones.
“I’ll work on the gloves first. Maybe Allura will know what to do when they get here.”
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The shadow of the Galra ship slipped smoothly over them, not hesitating once. It eclipsed the sun, creating a horrific demonic shape against the light, and darkened the sky. Hunk was relieved that the majority of the Metreans couldn’t see what was happening—it was difficult enough for the security guards to hold their silence in the face of this menace.
As the warship continued to track its search path, Hunk felt the muscles in his shoulders unclench. The plan was working. The prey-stalkers were masking their presence. Maybe, just once, they wouldn’t have to fight a battle.
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Keith opened his eyes to find the room dimmed, suggesting that it was late at night. He was still strapped down. He could feel the electrodes on his skin and hear the steady blip of the monitors. He risked a look around.
The room was empty except for himself.
That’s not right. Darzi would have stationed someone to watch me.
He reached out to his Lion with a thought.
Red?
You have returned to yourself. Your body is stabilized.
Yeah, I guess so. Do you know what’s happening?
The others are gathering again, but slowly. Without your helmet, you cannot contact them. Without you here, I cannot contact them. They will find us, eventually.
That’s something, I guess. Keith looked around again and saw his helmet and armor piled on a table across the room. He lifted his head as high as he could manage—
And froze at the sight of one of the medtechs on the floor near the door. Coffee from a dropped cup had left dark splashes over her white coat.
As Keith’s heart rate shot up, an alarm from the monitors sang out.
The doors slid open, revealing Darzi and an unfamiliar medtech. Darzi grinned at him and Keith felt a terror he had never known, even when a galactic emperor had prepared his death strike. This man was dangerously obsessed.
“Now we can talk, Kogane. Just you and me and the right balance of amotrazephine and adrenaline.”
Keith clenched his fists and braced his elbows against the gurney, trying with everything he had to move. “Guard! Hey, somebody! I need help!”
Darzi moved next to him and brought both hands down on Keith’s face, blocking his nose and mouth. “Now, now. None of that. Just give Perkins here a minute to set up the drip and everything will be all right.”
Keith thrashed desperately, trying to free himself, but Darzi increased the pressure. As a rushing sound grew in his ears and his vision dimmed, Keith could feel the building shake as Red roared her rage.
Can’t…breathe…
“Sir, let go!” The medtech grabbed the general’s arm.
Darzi seemed to snap out of it and shifted, but kept one hand clamped over Keith’s mouth. “Do it now!”
Paladin! Come!
Keith didn’t wait for the needle to bite his arm again. With a mental leap he dove into Red’s waiting aura.
<> <> <> <> <>
Tensions were beginning to run uncontrollably high in the camp. The warship that had crossed their location was long gone over the horizon. But there had been no all-clear from his Lion, and without that, Hunk refused to break silence.
Thus the voice, when it cried out, was all the louder. “Oh, no!”
Hunk joined a half-dozen Metreans in waving arms at the offender. But the engineer ignored them. “One of the prey-stalkers shorted out! The shield is down!”
“Quiznak!”
The Yellow Lion immediately opened her mouth and Hunk raced up the ramp to the cockpit. They sat up and began scanning. Hunk opened his communications controls and Yellow immediately connected him to the Metrean stealth-comms.
“My scanners show the ships are all scanning the other side of the planet. I’m going to try and draw them away! Get everyone into the transports – it’s the only real shelter you all have!”
Luvixx replied, “Yes, Paladin. May your gods protect you.”
Next chapter
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Scoring Points and Talking Points – Observations from Sixers 143, Lakers 120
You’ll take 143 points and a double-digit home win on national television any day of the week.
Consider the fact that 42 of those points were scored by a combination of players who have been in Philadelphia for a whopping 72 hours, and it was a pretty good Sunday afternoon for Sixers fans.
They clubbed the Lakers behind an incredibly efficient 37 points from Joel Embiid, improving to 7-4 through 11 games of this 12-game hell stretch. A win tomorrow against Boston would get them to 8-4 and really brighten the outlook heading into New York and the All-Star break, though I fear what the response might look like if they stumble against the Celtics on their home floor.
But we’ll leave that for tomorrow.
One of the key takeaways from Sunday’s win was how Brett Brown worked in his new players, and beyond the starting unit he split up his “big four” into pairs, rolling with two separate lineups.
The first one looked like this:
T.J. McConnell
JJ Redick
Jimmy Butler
Mike Scott
Joel Embiid
And the second group looked like this:
Ben Simmons
James Ennis
Furkan Korkmaz
Tobias Harris
Boban Marjanovic
That was the 10-man rotation for the large majority of the game, before Jonathon Simmons came in to make his Sixers’ debut during garbage time. Brown linked the minutes of Tobias Harris and Ben Simmons while allowing Jimmy Butler and Joel Embiid to share their rotational minutes alongside JJ Redick.
Said Brett post game:
“I still think that what we’re trying to do, when you start platooning and you start pairing, you look out and, to your point, you have Joel and Jimmy against their bench. So when you start shuffling the deck and trying to figure out how we’re gonna sub our team, we oftentimes are in that situation. And I think the growth of the pairings is still evolving. We’re still learning who pairs with who the best. The introduction of Tobias is a really good problem to continue to figure that out. But today I liked how we brought our guys in.”
Moving forward, I still think Jonah Bolden gives you a flexible big option on bad Boban matchup nights (Boston is one of those), and you’ll of course have Simmons available to play Furkan’s minutes. I suspect in the playoffs we’ll see a lot more of Butler handling the ball on the second unit.
Beyond all of that rotational stuff, there was a lot to like about this game. The shot distribution was fantastic, with Embiid taking 16 field goals and Butler 10, with Harris at 14 and Simmons and Redick at 13 each. They recorded 33 assists on 56 field goals and turned the ball over just seven times, which was a season-low for the Sixers through 56 games:
Protect the basketball while shooting 57.7% from the floor and 50% from deep, and you’re gonna win a lot of games.
Ben’s performance
Ben didn’t have a great shooting night at the rim, but the talk after the game was all about his first legitimate NBA three-point attempt.
I was actually in the bathroom when the shot went up, but I could hear this gasp-like “oooohh” sound very clearly in the bowels of the Wells Fargo Center:
Well, there it is. Ben Simmons stepping into a 3-pointer pic.twitter.com/bSkHWQmh0m
— Tom West (@TomWestNBA) February 10, 2019
Ben said he didn’t think too much about pulling the trigger, and recently discussed with Brown how to be more aggressive, take open shots, and grow his game in that way.
He’s always been very terse with reporters when it comes to questions about his shot, not because I think he’s annoyed by it, but probably because there’s not a ton to say. Sarah Todd got a bit out of him at the end of his media availability when she asked this:
Todd: Ben, with all due respect, you say you’re confident pulling up from deep, but we have not seen that. Moving forward, is it something you are specifically trying to add, and can we expect to see that more often?
Simmons: In terms of that, I’m just taking what they give me. If I see somebody back up and JJ’s coming off, I’ll give it to him. I will start pulling up, but it’s not one of the things I’m looking at, it’s not everything. I’m not focused on just doing that; I’m gonna play my game and play to my strengths and continue to train in it.
I think that’s reasonable and it’s certainly consistent with what he’s said his entire career. He is still a point guard, and his skill-set was good enough to land him on the All-Star team this year. His job is to distribute the ball, get teammates involved, and run the offense. If he can add a jump shot or three-point shot to it, that only makes him more dangerous, and it helps his teammates by forcing defenders to respect him in space instead of playing off, doubling, and targeting perimeter shooters.
Brett Brown had more to say on the shot:
“We talked about this a lot, and I actually thought the shot looked good. The rhythm into it looked good. It was close to going in. He didn’t look uncomfortable shooting it. He and I spoke about this notion for a little bit over the past 24 hours – ‘what’s going to happen over the last third of the season, how do we better help you prepare for the playoffs and what’s coming?’ We all saw, to an extreme, LeBron not guard him. And we all have memories of the Celtics series. So somewhere in the middle we have a window of 27 or whatever games left and I’d like to try some of this stuff prior to the All-Star break and take off with it in the final third. It’s a long explanation to the question, but the underbelly to the reason is specific.”
There were some good quotes from various people regarding LeBron’s defense on Ben, but I think that’s better served as a sidebar for later this morning or afternoon.
But I also wanted to share what would have been the pass of the night from Furkan Korkmaz if Ben hadn’t back-ironed this dunk:
Ben Simmons bricks the dunk pic.twitter.com/ySRfknU0PU
— The Render (@TheRenderNBA) February 10, 2019
You have to throw a ball down pretty damn hard for it to rebound all the way into the other half of the floor.
Tobias Harris, game 2
He was excellent again, scoring 22 points on 9-14 shooting, plus 3-5 from three while adding 6 rebounds and 6 assists.
Harris can do a little bit of everything out there, which is fun to watch. He can take guys off the dribble. He can spot up and shoot. He can back down a smaller guy from a mismatch.
Last night he did some running as well, and his ability to grab a rebound and push the floor is really only matched by Ben Simmons. Transitionally, he’s a huge threat, and I thought that was exemplified by that three-pointer in the third quarter, the one that came after a ridiculous bit of ball movement, which he touched on post-game:
“Any time you ever get 33 assists and keep the ball hopping from side-to-side, there was a fast break play, I think it was in the third or fourth quarter when we had like four to five passes for an open three that I hit. Just that type of momentum and that type of spirit of the ball, moving side-to-side, that’s fun to be a part of and fun to play with. If we can envision it the way we want, it would be to be able to play that type of way and still at the same time have guys create their own shot, make their own plays and still play in their game. That’s kind of how we would like to envision it.”
He was also able to do some things within the framework of the base offense, and this DHO with Boban replicates the Embiid/Redick two-man game:
For a 6’9″ player to take that DHO and just drive JaVale McGee to the rack for a dunk… it’s something else man.
Boban
10 points for Boban on 5-6 shooting and a solid 13 minute performance, but I wanted to share one play from the game that illustrates my defensive concerns and why I think Jonah Bolden should also be getting some minutes as a backup big:
Sure, that’s Boban and Harris moving to defend the same guy. They don’t have the assignments down yet, and they shouldn’t after three days in Philadelphia. But you see how Boban can be vulnerable to stretch bigs who can space the floor and sit on the perimeter. Pulling him away from the rim opens up space to slash and drive, and when other teams go small, Bolden is gonna be a better close-out option.
Embiid post game
In addition to 37 and 14 on a 75% shooting night, he had an all-time press conference featuring the following snippets:
not sure why he plays well against both Los Angeles teams: “I must not be a big LA fan”
his reaction to Ben shooting a three-pointer was “oh shit.. it caught me off guard.. I’m in a position where.. what just happened? I thought it was in.”
adding another 40% three-pointer shooter gives everybody a ton of space on the floor
JJ Redick got him sick earlier this week, Embiid texted him at 3 a.m. the other morning to let him know about it. “My whole life I never throw up, that’s how you know it was bad. I told him, ‘F you.'”
He’s excited not to play against Boban anymore, even though he “always found ways to kick his ass.”
Other notes:
Predictably, there were a ton of cockroach Laker fans in the building last night, and by Laker fans, I mean Philly-area natives who were cheering for Los Angeles instead of their hometown team.
Carson Wentz and Alshon Jeffery are taking this game in next to each other on the baseline, so I guess they don’t hate each other after all. Other celebs and athletes in the house were Kendall Jenner, M Night, Kimmo Timonen, Bob Kraft, Allen Iverson, Mike Trout, Marco Fabian, and Lil Uzi Vert.
Embiid had one sequence where he decided to bring the ball up the floor himself, drew a double team, and decided to shoot a 16-foot fadeaway instead of passing instead. Pretty horrendous possession. He tried it again later and committed a charge near half court. On an earlier sequence, he had a free run to the basket after a defensive mixup, which I think is why he felt like he wanted to try handling the ball again.
Mike Muscala got some cheers, some boos, and some “Mooooose” when he came in. It was hard to tell the difference between the latter two reactions.
Mike Scott and James Ennis each had a sequence where they blew a look at the rim, then immediately committed a defensive mistake on the other end. Ennis had an 0-5 shooting night while Scott finished 3-7. Jonathon Simmons hit a garbage time bucket.
T.J. McConnell passed up a wide open three in the second quarter. He’s not gonna take contested threes, but he shoots 33% for his career from three, which is good enough to warrant those open looks. Sure enough, he had another one of those looks at the very end of the third quarter and nailed it.
“I know you love him, but you gotta guard him,” a fan yelled at Ben Simmons after a LeBron James bucket in the paint.
With the spotlight off Jimmy Butler, he scored 15 points on 10 shots while adding 4 rebounds and 3 assists. He was a +19.
The post Scoring Points and Talking Points – Observations from Sixers 143, Lakers 120 appeared first on Crossing Broad.
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