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table-turf · 1 year

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THE LEGENDARY SOUP CUP DECKBUILDING GUIDE

Now with updated comments!

(This is a GIF: it changes slide every 10 seconds)

PDF version can be found at the link below

Bonus Tableturf Tips

In-game stuff

You can get a character card sleeve by defeating them at level 3 30 times!

The card bit exchange!!! It lets you swap the bits you get for card dupes for other cards or holofoil upgrades for your cards!

OCTOBER 2023 EDIT Every 5 levels after level 50 you get 20 card bits and every multiple of 100 you get a fresh pack!

You can press + after starting a match to give up. Useful if you picked the wrong deck or map, or forgot to set a timer.

Gameplay stuff

Based on a community poll, Lil Judd and Mr Coco were voted hardest AI and Sheldon the easiest. (thank you Octanoic once again)

You probably want a separate deck for Double Gemini and Box Seats due to the nature of the maps being unique from the rest. The rest can viably share a generalist deck, or you could build one for each map!

OCTOBER 2023 EDIT virtually nobody uses generalist decks in top level competitive tableturf, so once you get more confident with deckbuilding it is recommended to try and build around the shape of each map!!

Generally good deck sizes range from 130 to 160. Either end of that often ends up being too small to win or so big you have to keep passing. For my personal playstyle I like playing decks in the mid 140s. Decks in the 150-160 range are generally considered ultra large and is more of a niche.

OCTOBER 2023 EDIT the meta now favours bigger decks! 150-160 range is not niche but rather the expected norm in comp tableturf! Anything lesser may lead to a significant turf disadvantage. But for casual play or against the bots the previous advice still works!

I *may* also make a card playing basics tutorial at *some point*. But in general it's a good strategy to try and reach and/or block in early turns and focus on special later on when you have established dominance on the map and/or have safe zones to play in.

Finding other players

The pool "tableturf" is reasonably active to find random matches and is quite friendly to newer players!

The Japanese tableturf pool code is "ナワバトラー"! They seem to favour larger decks over there and have different popular/"meta" cards to the western community.

Join the Tableturf Battle Server (TBS) for casual play with higher skilled players, events, deck advice and more! I'm not affiliated with them at all*, they've just helped me a lot. There we use the pool code "tbs"!

Squidbagging, spinning around, jumping up and down in swim form are considered handshakes in the tableturf lobby

* Since writing the post, I'm now working in partnership with the TBS team to help plan some events, although I'm still not an official member of their staff. Statement was true at time of writing though!

**Since the last edit, I am now officially part of the TBS TO team

lol

Whopper whopper whopper whopper double triple whopper*

Dynamo Roller is considered such a good opener card on X Marks the Garden that it has become a meme within the community. When Gold Dynamo drops it'll be a True Dynamoment

OCTOBER 2023 EDIT Gold Dynamo dropped and it was not as funny as we thought it would be. If you don't pull them both at the start have fun with a bricked hand :(

*This is also a meme in TBS. None of us are entirely sure why

#tableturf #splatoon tableturf #tableturf battle #splatoon 3 #splatoon #tableturf resources #gif warning #moving images

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scoups4lyfe · 2 years

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VegasPete and Stockholm syndrome (part 2)

…

This episode helped me realize what Pete’s exact relationship to pain is.

Really funny to me that Vegas was right when he said that Pete likes it when he’s moody. Because it’s true. (Saw a post on this earlier which I’ll try and link once my comp is back in working order;; But the the way it highlighted how Pete’s fascination with Vegas is a kind of “tragic lust.”)

Pete likes seeing Vegas be pathetic. When the torture first started I don’t doubt the pleasure or motivation Pete had for being defiant specifically relates to the feeling of rebellion against that abusive trauma from his past.

“You can’t break me. I’m not pathetic YOU are.” <- Pete’s thoughts/motives on some subconscious level.

But then of course there’s a shift from the moment he witnesses the dynamic between Vegas and his father. Yeah he’s still defiant but there’s more to it than that.

It isn’t just “you are pathetic” now it’s “You’re pathetic because you’ve been hurt the same way I have.”

I’m not really gonna touch on it because I’ve already read a lot of amazingly written analyses on it — but when they’re at the safe house, Pete is subtle but he’s trying to convince Vegas that’s there’s a third option, and that he doesn’t have to be stuck in this cycle of abused and abuser. All the way up to his conversation with Vegas about fathers’ —Pete’s doing this. The conversation fully bringing around Vegas’ whole shift in viewpoint.

Which set great groundwork for episode 12. And more specifically how this shared empathy also became a shared fascination.

Vegas is fascinated with Pete’s defiance in the face of pain, and Pete’s fascinated with Vegas’ pain and how he weaponizes it against himself and others.

Getting more into the specifics rather than just “Pete’s into Vegas’ being pathetic”

It gets more layered when you consider that Pete specifically likes giving control / being dominated by someone pathetic.

(Lol why they are both so fked up <333. Lemme study you two under microscopes.)

Anyways,,,

Can’t help but think this is all about projection.

Like the reason why Vegas has a hedgehog 🦔 and why he wanted to take Pete with him to the safe house is because he’s projecting just how little freedom he actually has in his life. He’s trapped in a closed cage (chained up, in Pete’s case).

Except Vegas has been trapped his entire life. Just someone for his father to take his pain out on. Someone set up to always lose, someone that’s never enough. So taking Pete isn’t just an act of defying his father (who told him to kill Pete and doesn’t know Vegas took him with), but it’s also so he can take back an illusion of control in his own life by taking out his own pain on Pete (similar to what his father is doing to him) — that and Vegas is lonely. He would be isolated at the safe house. He would have no one to talk to. Just him and his books and the silence before his father visits.

…..I’ll be honest y’all I don’t think this safe house HAS guards? In my mind he dismissed them once he got to the safe house cause he had Pete to keep him company. He literally says “it’s fine I have someone to keep me company.” In the episode to men in black suits. And then we don’t see a single guard after that. Not on the safe house premises. Just Vegas, Pete, and isolation.

(Lol back to the hedgehog 🦔 projection….this projection is especially fked up when you realize that Vegas having to watch as all his hedgehogs died one after another is just a visual representation to him of his life—given something by his father, but it dies and he fails and loses love and gets hurt. The love —for clarification— being the hedgehogs.

Him projecting himself and his situation on the hedgehog is just all the more poignant when you realize that since his father gave him these hedgehogs it just makes it all the more a reminder that he’ll be trapped in this cage of a life until he, himself, dies. Hence the vulnerability when he asks Porsche not to torture him if he has to kill him one day. He states it like an eventuality. I guess Vegas on some level knows that it is. That no matter how many times he fails, the door of the cage will open, only to put another hedgehog in. His father gives him something — only for Vegas to be immediately placed back into his cage. Rinse. Repeat. Until he “succeeds” or dies trying.

Side note: Lemme also state here that it’s obvious to me that a lot of time has passed. Or at least a good couple of days. Why do I think this? Because when Vegas comes in that second time after being beaten by his father (at the end of the ep/just before the noodle scene), Pete asks if his father did it again and Vegas responded:

“Aren’t you used to it by now?”

(Or smthn similar along these lines I don’t have the episode pulled up rn LOL)

Now, it wouldn’t make a lot of sense for Vegas to say this to Pete

(as they’ve only had one conversation about his dad, and the warehouse scene before that — this would be like the third time total seeing Vegas come back from being hurt by his father— I wouldn’t be used to that kind of situation having only experienced or gotten wind of it 3 times, and I doubt Pete would’ve either)

While watching the episode I understood immediately what Vegas was implying when he said that. “Aren’t you used to it” means that more than a couple of days have passed, and during that time Vegas’ father has come to the safe house more than once to take his anger out on Vegas. Pete being locked up there with Vegas would then be seeing this toxic cycle of Vegas getting beat for no reason.

Which is why Vegas thought Pete had gotten used to it. Used to seeing him come in with new bruises.

Honestly a really heartbreaking implication. The moment Vegas said “aren’t you used to it by now” my heart dropped to my feet.

But I haven’t seen anyone else comment on this line LOL!!! Anyways this means Pete’s been holed up with Vegas for at least a week, maybe longer. So although it’s unseen, the implied passage of time does at least give Pete breathing space to rewire the way he thinks about and interacts with Vegas. Enough for him to be at the point of asking if Vegas was hurt. [End of sidenote LOL]

Then when you add in Pete relating with Vegas via his own abusive past with HIS father?

(Except Pete realizes and knows why his father hurt him —Because he was hurt himself)

Pete’s story not only helped Vegas realize that it wasn’t Vegas that sucked (but his b*tch father >:OOO ) and this rlly impacts Vegas. And yet, when Vegas sees his Hedgehog die, he leaves the key Pete needs to escape right next to Pete, pretending it to be an accident, because everything he likes or loves end up leaving him in the end anyway, right?

But Pete is SO drawn in and captivated by Vegas’ pain. Yes he wants to comfort him —

…. but I wonder if his strong attraction is relating to the comfort Or control Pete wished he had when he was a kid in an abusive situation.

So it’s like he’s living vicariously through Vegas when he *LET’S* Vegas chain him up, when he chooses to let Vegas have that kind of power over him.

At the same time it’s all kinds of fked up cuz Vegas isn’t really in control? Pete is obv still in such control of the entire situation, *he’s* the one giving Vegas permission. (Which is probably why, of the two of them) it’s VEGAS that ends up on his knees in the end…..(God help me)

Hmmm. Anyways I don’t have a lot of intelligent things to say rn. I just think the two of them have an interesting relationship to pain, and therefore an interesting relationship with each other 🤷🤤.

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bookcoversalt · 4 years

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SERPENT & DOVE 2: ELECTRIC BOOGALOO (also blood and honey)

I originally covered (pun intended) SERPENT & DOVE in February 2019, and I wasn't complimentary. While the black and gold color scheme is appealing and there's a nice sense of depth and texture to the snake, beyond that, it is a hot mess. The rendering is plasticky, the imagery is mostly vague ~ AESTHETIC ~ nonsense, the whole thing has an off-center awkwardness, and what, for the love of god, is up with that midcentury typeface. An eagle-eyed blog reader even clocked weird crop mark.

Since then, I've been pointed to the online portfolio post of this cover by the designers, which has some very cool (and enlightening) process shots:

You may notice that this looks better than the actual cover! The serpent and dove figures actually share hierarchical dominance here as a single unit, and their overlap is dynamic and interesting as a focal point. So what happened? Since there's so little color in the comps, I have to assume that either it was originally intended to have a paler overall palette, or the question of color was intentionally punted down the line, but either way, this seems to have been created before the stark black and gold was decided upon. Because that's where we lose the dove completely.

She's also been pushed fully behind the snake, losing any sense of the interaction between them and making our general sense of depth and "physical" space sort of... confused. Knowing how design processes typically work, I would think they tried the dove in gold in that original lockup and for whatever reason, it didn't work: maybe it overwhelmed the cover with too much gold or maybe it interfered with readability too badly. This explains my original discomfort with the size of the snake and weird emptiness of the design between the dramatically spaced type: originally, it was supposed to be (more) filled, and it hasn't been adjusted for the loss of that element.

Full disclosure: the first time I made a post on this cover, I didn't even realize the dove was there. My eyeballs lost it in all the nondescript foliage and flourishes so badly that the meaning-making part of my brain didn't translate those shapes into a specific object. And I spend a lot of time looking at covers when I review them! So that's embarrassing for me, yes, but this is also a failing of the cover itself. Regardless of my other issues with it, I think it's really disappointing that the (interesting! relevant! aesthetique but in a good way!) visual focal point that the entire iterative process centered around ended up completely dismantled in favor of....... ugh, I dunno, the 1950s diner type? Pinterest board trimmings of leaves and sparkles, like turkey trimmings but even less appealing?

Because I didn't know the dove was there, I was, uh, confused when I first got asked about how EXTREMELY similar BLOOD & HONEY is, a sentiment I've heard a number of times now, because BLOOD & HONEY, shall we say, overcorrects on the "bird loss" front.

HELLO, SAM THE EAGLE. LET FREEDOM REIGN, BITCHES. MY COUNTRY TISSSSS OF THEEEEEE-

[Edit: I have been informed that this is probably still a dove, not an eagle, based on the face, but i’m not changing this joke.]

First of all, yes, the red is Bad. The black background of S&D matches the dark coloring of the objects, thereby hiding some of those Rendering Sins and lending a sort of subtlety to the mishmash of Aesthetique Things. It's all out in the open here and no less of a hot mess. The highlights are blindingly shiny and feel arbitrary as hell, like every single spear and leaf is being lit independently of anything else, and the almost pure black shadows that contrast them make my eyeballs burn-- it looks like it's a color being reflected from somewhere, rather than native shadow, because of how metallic objects reflect light, but there's nothing here but a perfectly flat, untextured field of red. I appreciate the emphasized presence of the bird (I'm ASSUMING it's an eagle, but I haven't read it, so correct me if I'm wrong) from a hierarchy and space-filling standpoint, but it is goofy as shit, and I have no idea why its chest has been so aggressively lit and filtered that it looks nearly on fire with saturation.

The primary offense of S&D's cover, that it's a tangled mess of meaningless and poorly crafted flourishes meant to be aimlessly Fancy that ends up being kind of ugly in the process, has been cranked up and the knob broken off here. An "Oooh, shiny!" from a dumb character who is about to trigger a trap manifested through a hypertrendy YA goth lens.

The text is also Still Bad. Compare the font to the one the Fairyloot book box uses for the book:

Although this isn't rendered in the metallic style, which it would have to be to match, it has a dramatic blackletter quality that matches the edgy medieval tone of the story far better than. Whatever the hell this B is doing.

So round!!!! So friendly!!!! So Un-witch-hunt-ey!!!!

To be clear: no, B&H is not a full, exact recolor of the S&D cover-- most of the elements, though the same, are arranged differently, and that's a completely different bird and at least a nominally different snake.

However comma I see why people think it is, because someone got lazy with the bottom left lol.

There is a Behance post for this one, too, although there's noticeably no process work, because the process was quite clearly "do it again but slightly to the left," and that doesn't involve much iterating.

Here's the thing, though; I'm not convinced any of this matters, because the truth is that hot, high-contrast messes photograph well.

Particularly when paired with a moody setting or editing, the red that comes across as kind of a nightmare in the jpeg pops, and the Escherian snarl of detail becomes more a texture nonspecifically indicating luxury and romance than an object theoretically representing something concrete about a story. And I personally may not Love This For Us, but honestly, that's half of a book cover's job these days: look pretty and do nothing.

If there's something to be learned from BLOOD & HONEY's cover, it's that better or worse, instagram filters matter. (Also true of Shelby Maurin's immaculately aesthetically curated, goth-trendy personal brand, which has increasingly been mimicked by other authors since S&D listed, although the author-brand-as-book-marketing-tool has always been a thing to some degree). A book isn't just a book, it's a prop for the countless ongoing performances of book-consumption-as-identity done both for fun and for clout in this particular subculture. I'm not passing moral judgement, here-- anyone buying a new YA fantasy book, no matter what they want to do with it or what my feelings on the book itself are, is a win. But this is the industry moment we live in, and it's savvy of publishers to have it in mind in regards to marketing and design.

Like what I do? Want early access? Support bookcoversalt on Patreon

#bookcoversalt #serpent and dove #blood and honey #YA #book cover

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remuswriting · 3 years

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Original Short Story

Warnings: angst

Word Count: 2,760 words

Note: this was for my creative writing class and I only had 10 pages (2800 words) so it’s not my best like things I have all the words in the world. I just want to post this because maybe people will think my original writing is decent

Oliver didn’t have a class eighth period, well technically he had one of his concurrent classes on his schedule for then then. His English Comp I class was on Thursday at 7:30pm though, so he usually went home after his seventh period. He worked on homework and watched whatever was on television. There was currently a marathon of Friends on ABC. It wasn’t his favorite show, but he still draped himself over the navy blue sofa in the living room to watch it.

Instead of being draped over the sofa in his living room, he stood in front of the boys’ soccer coach with a paper needing her signature. The counselor had told him how he needed to be part of something for any university to look at him. Coach Foster stared at him but she wasn’t scary. She was extremely in shape, always wore a ponytail, and had a perpetuating frown but she had never been mean to any of her students.

“Oliver Williams, you want to be the new manager?” Coach Foster asked, and Oliver nodded. “Do you know anything about soccer?”

“No, but I’m a fast learner.”

He had refrained from bringing his resume of all of the volunteer work he had done. Mrs. Langford had told him how Coach Foster wouldn’t care for it. She didn’t care if he was able to anything if none of it involved soccer.

She took the paper. “Be glad we need one or else you wouldn’t get it.”

Oliver thanked her and left her classroom. He needed to text his mom about it because it had been her idea to go through with his counselor’s suggestion. She thought it would help him make friends and maybe make his college application better. He did it for the latter reason. He ran into someone as he fiddled to get his phone out of his pocket. A maroon Rosewood High School Soccer shirt was the first thing he saw.

“Are you okay?” Wyatt asked, and Oliver nodded as he looked up at the blonde. The four inch height difference really pissed him off. “Oh, you’re Oliver Williams. We have economics together, right?”

Wyatt Camus knew who he was. It was silly to be so excited, especially since they had been going to school together since they were in the sixth grade. People usually wrote Oliver off as the smart kid and never bothered to learn his name. It meant a lot for Wyatt, someone everyone loved, to remember him.

“Yeah, that’s me.” Oliver let out a nervous laugh. “You’re Wyatt, right?”

He felt confident in that attempt of being cool and like he hadn’t been in love with the other since freshman year. Maybe he even seemed smooth about it. Smooth like that pickup line of do you come here often or something. That was the effect he was going for.

Wyatt’s smile lit up his entire face. “Yeah! What are you doing over here by the coaches’ classrooms? I didn’t know you did sports.”

“Oh, I don’t but I’m joining the soccer team as the manager.”

“Really?” Wyatt exclaimed, and Oliver hadn’t been expecting this amount of excitement from the soccer captain. “That’s so cool! Boys or girls team?

Oliver looked down at the paper in his hands. “Boys, there wasn’t a manager for them. Only problem is I don’t know much about soccer.”

Wyatt’s warm laughter echoed through the hallway. Oliver looked up at him and there was an amused look in the blonde’s brown eyes. It only made the three-year-long crush grow.

“You’re smart, so don’t worry too much. I have to go talk to Coach Foster but I’ll see you tomorrow,” Wyatt said, and Oliver nodded as the other walked off.

Oliver stood there, trying to figure out what just happened, and pulled out his phone. He’d text his mom first before he processes anything else.

*****

Oliver always sat in the library during lunch. It was quiet and he could focus on homework. He didn’t expect to find Wyatt at his usual table the next day, twiddling his thumbs. The blonde looked around the library as if he had never stepped foot in it before. It wouldn’t surprise Oliver because the blonde didn’t seem like the type to stress over academics.

“Hey, Ollie. Wait, can I call you that?” Wyatt asked as the black haired boy made his way over to the table. Oliver nodded and Wyatt smiled. “So, you have to come eat with the team. They’re all stoked to meet you.”

“I usually sit in here though,” Oliver said, and Wyatt nodded.

“Sit in here tomorrow and sit with the team today. It’s just one lunch.”

Just one lunch would cost Oliver time. He had a research paper to complete in two weeks and there was also the psychology test next Monday. It was just hard to say when Wyatt resembled a golden retriever though.

“Okay, but only today.”

The team didn’t know how to act around Oliver. He wasn’t sure if there was something they knew about him that changed the way they interacted with him. Multiple of them were in his classes, one in his Comp I class, and instead of just ignoring him as usual; they tried to talk to him. It was just uncomfortable.

Wyatt was the only one who talked the entire time. If they all knew something, the captain didn’t care what it was. He sat next to Oliver and had an arm wrapped around him the majority of the time. He told embarrassing soccer stories, which made the entire table erupt in laughter.

Toward the end of lunch, the team seemed kind of comfortable around the new manager. Sam said he’d sit with him during their shared Comp I class. Tyler said he could move over to his table in biology. He didn’t know if it was an act for Wyatt or not though.

Wyatt walked Oliver to his next class. “You have to eat with us again! They loved you.”

Oliver wondered if they had been at the same lunch. A bunch of stiff soccer players taking 15 minutes to remember the new manager’s name didn’t seem like the group loved him.

“I think I’ll stick to the library.”

“Oh, okay.” Wyatt frowned and sighed. “Well, you’re welcome to eat with us whenever you have time.”

“Thank you for inviting me,” Oliver said, and the captain nodded.

“Any time. You’re part of the team now.”

Oliver sat in calculus and didn’t know how he felt about actually being part of something. He was only in the student council for the volunteer work opportunities and to put on his college applications. Similar to why he joined the soccer team. He assumed he’d do whatever his job would be and no one would pay attention to him. He assumed it’d be like every day.

******

Oliver had compiled a notebook full of soccer terms and plays he believed he’d need to know. He wanted to be the best manager because some of the boys on the team had been asking him to eat with them again. He didn’t have time to do that, so he’d be the best at his job.

“Whatcha got there?” Wyatt asked as he peered over the black haired boy’s shoulder. “Did you make a notebook about soccer?”

“Yes, I need to know about the thing I’m doing,” Oliver said, and closed the black composition notebook. The words ‘Soccer Guide’ showed on the front.

Wyatt laughed and it was similar to the one he had in the hallway almost a month ago. He looked carefree whenever he laughed, his hands gently placed on his abdomen.

“Coach Foster isn’t really going to need you to know all of that. You’ll work the scoreboard, get equipment ready for practice, fill water bottles, and probably wash our uniforms. You may not even work the scoreboard for a while.”

“I still want to be a good manager.” Oliver crossed his arms and cocked his head slightly. “Are you saying I won’t be?”

“Never said that. Just saying what she’ll have you do.” Wyatt flashed one of his charming smiles. “Don’t worry, you’ll still be my favorite manager we’ve ever had.”

“She already told me all of that stuff,” Oliver said, and he relaxed. “I already have everything put together. You should go join the team.”

Wyatt chuckled. “Come with me then, because you are our wonderful manager, which makes you part of the team.”

When the blonde grabbed Oliver’s wrist, he felt like he was on fire and let the other drag him along. Finally being out of direct sight of Wyatt made the other able to blush at his comment. It was a joke he’d be the captain’s favorite manager but it still made his heart race.

******

Oliver had always minded his own business, even at practice. He had always been all work, no play. Those who had had him in class understood and didn’t push him to be social. Wyatt pushed him though and would drag him into conversation that didn’t actually involve him.

Everyone could tell Oliver held a special place in Wyatt’s heart. It just wasn’t clear as to what it was. It could easily be friendly but there was the possibility of more. Oliver believed it was the former.

“Hey, Oliver, can I talk to you?” Sam asked, and the black haired manager looked up and nodded. Sam was near 6’0” and towered over the 5’4” senior. He intimidated Oliver a lot.

“What’s going on? Did I do something?” Oliver asked as he placed the clipboard by his side and the brunette shook his head.

“You didn’t do anything, at least yet.” Sam looked over the other’s shoulder. “You know how Wyatt has been a little much with you? Be careful about that. He’s sensitive.”

“I’m not sure what you mean. We’re just friends.”

Sam laughed hard enough to hold his sides. “Wyatt doesn’t act like that with people and it’s just being friends. If you want to just be friends with him, then you should make that clear.”

Oliver let out a shaky breath. “What if I want to be more?”

Sam smiled a gentle friendly smile. “Then be clear about that too.”

The brunette went back to practice and Oliver noticed Wyatt staring at the two. Even from across the field, Oliver could see the curiosity in his brown eyes. Tyler slapped the captain on the back and the blonde seemed to focus back on practice. Maybe he did like Oliver more than just a friend.

The manager was fairly certain no one had ever like him before. It was rare for others to even remember his name; he had no friends and didn’t try to make any. Wyatt was charismatic and everyone remembered him. Everyone wanted to be around him. Oliver doubted he liked him back.

*****

“Want to stay after practice with me?” Wyatt asked, and Oliver looked up from the clipboard Coach Foster had given him. It listed inventory he needed to count before the first game in two weeks.

“Coach won’t allow it,” Oliver said, and Wyatt shrugged.

“I’m her favorite, so I do whatever I want.”

They both knew he wasn’t her favorite. Daniel was most definitely her favorite. He was the only player on the team who listened the first time. He was only vice-captain because he was a sophomore. Oliver liked how he helped pick up and Wyatt only helped pick up to receive the same compliments the manager gave to Daniel.

“Get a note from her saying that we can stay after and I will,” Oliver said, and directed his attention back to counting inventory.

“I don’t have a piece of paper,” Wyatt whined.

“Look in your backpack. If you don’t have paper in there, guess you’re out of luck.”

“What if I just want to spend time with you?”

Oliver looked over at Wyatt, and the blonde looked at him with his teasing smile. It was never clear if he was joking when he smiled like that.

Since Sam talked to him, Oliver had thought about all of it constantly. Every interaction played on loop in his head. This would be another interaction. That sentence would replay in his head all week and he’d wonder what it meant.

“We don’t have to be at the stadium to do that,” Oliver said with an airy chuckle. “Have you ever thought of hanging out outside of practice?”

“That’s a great idea!” Wyatt’s had lit up in a smile. “We can go get food after practice!”

“Wait, what?”

“See you after practice!”

Wyatt jogged off to meet up with everyone in the middle of the field. Oliver watched him with a confused look on his face. Was he just forced into a date? Or just friendly hangout?

*****

Oliver had forgotten about the entire hangout ordeal after having to count 50 soccer balls, locate every cone, and see which of the uniforms needed a double wash compared to the others. Coach Foster also had him to look over the game schedule for any spelling errors and high light which games were junior varsity and which were varsity.

“You think you can just ditch me?” Wyatt pouted. “I thought we were besties.”

“Sorry, I forgot,” Oliver said, and the blonde stopped pouting.

“Okay, you’re forgiven. Let’s go get some McDonalds.”

Oliver didn’t follow the other to his car. The manager had his own car. How did people do things with multiple cars? Wouldn’t it just be easier if everyone were in the same car? He wouldn’t leave his car here and he knew Wyatt wouldn’t leave his car either.

“Are we going to meet up or something?” Oliver asked, and Wyatt nodded.

“Yeah, we can go to that one park near the cemetery with the geese. It’s fun to run away from them.”

Oliver laughed. He laughed harder than he had in a while and was near doubled over because of it. He couldn’t help it because there had been pure excitement in the other’s eyes at the idea of running away from geese. “That’s the most you thing I have ever heard.”

“I hope that’s a good thing.”

“It is,” Oliver said, and Wyatt smiled at him. “It’s the best kind of thing.”

*****

The park was weird, especially with the geese. Oliver wasn’t athletic and running hadn’t been on the agenda for this. Wyatt would disagree but it wasn’t like Oliver would’ve known he would actually have to run.

“We’re friends, right?” Wyatt asked, and then shoved his Big Mac in his face. Oliver hated that he found it adorable.

“I think so,” Oliver said, and he ate a couple fries. “Why?”

“I need to tell you something because I’m not sure what to do.”

This could be it. This could be the moment Oliver learned if Wyatt liked him back. His chest hurt from how hard his heart pounded but he didn’t care. He was actually excited for once.

“I like this guy and I don’t know what to do. We’ve gone to school together forever but I recently noticed him and I can’t get him out of my head. What should I do?”

“You should tell him. Who is it?”

Wyatt smiled the smile that made Oliver swoon. “It’s Tyler. He smiled at me the other day and something clicked, you know.”

Oliver could feel his heart break and he nodded. He knew exactly how that felt because he started liking Wyatt because he smiled at him in the hall their freshman year. He wished he were at home draped over the couch right now, not getting his heart broken. Was there a Friends marathon still?

“You should tell him,” Oliver said. “You never know, he might feel the same.”

“You really think so?” Wyatt asked, and Oliver wanted to wipe the mayo off the other’s face. Maybe it would click for him instead and they could have a fairytale ending. “You really think have a chance?”

“Of course. Who wouldn’t want you?”

“You know, you’re a really great friend,” Wyatt said, and he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Oliver didn’t want to just be a really great friend.

“Thanks.”

“Hey, this is where you’re supposed to tell me I’m a great friend too,” Wyatt complained, and Oliver smiled down at his lap. Only Wyatt would want a compliment when giving a compliment.

“You’re decent I guess.” Wyatt scoffed and Oliver laughed. “I’m kidding, you’re a great friend too.”

#original writing #original character

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dustedmagazine · 4 years

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Dusted Mid-Year Exchange, Part 2: Positive No to Yves Tumour

Six Organs got a lot of mid-year love this time

Welcome back to part two of the Dusted Mid-Year Exchange, in which we tackle the second half of the alphabet. If you missed part one, with its lengthy description of what we’re doing here, you can read it here. Or just muddle through. Cheers.

Positive No — Kyanite (Little Black Cloud)

Kyanite by Positive No

Who recommended it? Tobias Carroll

Did we review it? No.

Tim Clarke’s take:

Positive No braid tight bursts of guitars, bass and drums into upbeat yet agitated shapes. There’s a touch of Blonde Redhead’s Kazu Makino in Tracy Wilson’s vocal delivery, or My Bloody Valentine’s Belinda Butcher, especially on expansive opener “Elevator Up.” At just under half an hour, the urgent economy of Kyanite’s songwriting makes all the more sense when you learn that it’s the band’s final album, released on Valentine’s Day this year. As their parting gesture, nothing is wasted, everything invested. As one of the song titles says, “Get In, Get Out. Don’t Linger. Go On.”

��Raspberry Bulbs — Before the Age of Mirrors

Before The Age Of Mirrors by Raspberry Bulbs

Who picked it? Jonathan Shaw

Did we review it? Yes, Jonathan said, “Even in its heaviest metal moments, on ‘Reclaimed Church’ and excellent closing track ‘Given Over to History,’ the record’s punk vibe cuts and grins. It insists on a deadly aesthetic seriousness, and at the same time, it’s tugging the rug out from under its own feet.”

Jennifer Kelly’s take:

Raspberry Bulbs splices punk’s antic venom with metal’s storm and roar, shifting from one mode to the other inside individual tracks, sometimes measure to measure. Consider “Doggerel” which kicks off in a pogo-ing furor, rattling violently over rapid oi band rhythms, everything clipped and percussive, even the vocals, though hoarse and splintered. Midway through, a sirening guitar riff intercedes and the singing turns ominous and measured; all the sudden it’s metal. “Midnight Line” pulls the opposite trick, beginning in clanging, feedback-morphing guitar and larynx shredding howl, then introducing a punk rock palm-muted chug and anthemry. It’s a volatile mix, at times nearly playful, at others agonizingly heavy, at still others (the “Intervals” mostly) surprisingly lyrical. I lean towards the punk-er tracks—"They’re After Me” and “Doggerel”— metal fans may feel otherwise.

Stephen Riley — Friday the 13th (Steeplechase)

Who recommended it? Derek Taylor

Did we review it? Yes. Derek said, “Knuffke and Riley are a directly collaborative pairing now and their partnership politely demands many more dates like this one.”

Justin Cober-Lake's take:

Saxophonist Stephen Riley has put together a quartet with a singular idea of playing these classic tunes on Friday the 13th in relatively straightforward and spacious renditions. Their take on Eddie Vinson's “Four” has Riley and cornetist Kirk Knuffke trading long solos. The rhythm section does its job, but it's a horn players' record. The album comes alive most when Knuffke and Riley interact more immediately. On Oliver Nelson's “Hoe Down,” they reveal how great a partnership they have, initially matching each other on the main melody before spiraling off. “Round Midnight” could have been too obvious a choice, but the combo's personalized take on the standard works out. Everyone sounds at ease enough within the song that they take a few more risks, and the horn players supplement each other nicely with more harmonic considerations. The album ends with a trio of spirited numbers, and in each case Riley and Knuffke play off each other's solos with a sharpness that by now makes sense. Riley's listening to Monk and playing like Rollins (hence the title track) as he and his group find ways to make old bop sound new.

Gil Scott-Heron and Makaya McCraven—We’re New Again, A Reimagining (XL Recordings)

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Who recommended it? Jenny Kelly.

Did we review it? Yes. Arthur Krumins notes, “McCraven lays down a lush musical backdrop that allows Scott-Heron’s words to have emotional impact.”

Jonathan Shaw’s take:

The word “reimagine” has a sexy resonance, and for that reason, it’s often too casually used. But in the case of We’re New Again, the word is warranted. Drummer and producer Makaya McCraven doesn’t just remix Gil Scott-Heron’s final record, I’m New Here (2010); McCraven shuffles the track list, adds some relevant recordings of Scott-Heron’s voice, and creates entirely new arrangements, moods, and musical accompaniment for the earlier album’s songs. It’s ballsy — I’m New Here is justly recognized as a masterpiece, and it’s marked by a stylistic austerity. On that record, Scott-Heron sang and spoke and recited his poetry over minimalist beats, a strummed guitar, or his own piano playing. McCraven attentively reimagines the tunes, working with polyphonic, post-Bop ensembles; busy hip-hop soundscapes; gospel and funk quotations. Remarkably, none of the richness of Scott-Heron’s vocals and none of the complexity of his poetry get obscured. More often, McCraven inventively intensifies the impact of Scott-Heron’s songs. And the reordering and recontextualizing of the tracks reveals a different narrative, grounded in the resilience and the suffering of Scott-Heron’s upbringing and too-short life. You listen and you feel it. It’s a terrific record.

Six Organs of Admittance — Companion Rises (Drag City)

Companion Rises by Six Organs of Admittance

Who recommended it? Jennifer Kelly

Did we review it? Yes. Jenny said it’s “straight-down-the-middle Six Organs, not as loud and abrasive as the first Hexadic disc, not as reticently wisp-y as the older folk-derived records.”

Patrick Masterson’s take:

Back when Dusted was still a dot-com, we talked about making a site-specific canon for our 10th anniversary, a kind of “Dusted 500” field guide. There was a shared spreadsheet and talk of a benefit show and a mixtape comp and so on that never amounted to anything for myriad reasons, but I can promise you Ben Chasny would’ve figured into it somehow — and nearly a decade on from that, my promise stands. The latest (30th? Let’s call it 30th) Six Organs of Admittance record is a beautiful slow burner that shows why, all astral spirits and slow-rolling starlight guitar plucks that is, as Jenny rightly notes, a Six Organs line drive. My belief after numerous spins since early February — mostly in the mornings, for which this music also seems suitable accompaniment — is that, like the rest of Chasny’s oeuvre, it will appeal to anyone who likes guitars or reads this. On the off chance you stumbled in here or haven’t heard this record yet: Welcome. It’s always been this way.

Patrick Masterson

Spanish Love Songs — Brave Faces Everyone (Pure Noise)

Brave Faces Everyone by Spanish Love Songs

Who recommended it? Ian Mathers

Did we review it? Yes. Ian said, “it’s more a record of solidarity and mutual support than it is anything more prescriptive.”

Patrick Masterson’s take:

L.A. quintet Spanish Love Songs occupy a very specific point on what I like to think of as the Bar Band Spectrum, where one end is a bottom-rung covers-only collective found in just about any weeknight dive pre-COVID playing for beer money out of boredom and modest ambition… and the other end is Bruce Springsteen. This band isn’t as ramshackle as, say, Ladyhawk, nor have they yet hit a glass ceiling à la the Constantines; they sound to me more like Beach Fossils or Single Mothers, where everything from their songwriting to their slightly glossy production suggests they’re as ready as they’ll ever be for arena life. And what a record to make the case, too: Brave Faces Everyone is the sound of Run for Covers Records growing up or early onset Gen Z realizing a glass of wine after everything is, in fact, a coping mechanism for adulthood in a profoundly uncaring world. It’s got a big, young heart to match its big, old sound. It says, loudly, that in the increasingly untethered reality of 2020, we are all losers forever — but there’s still a “best of it” to be made if you wanna and the bravest face is an optimistic one. I’ll rock with that (from the quarantined confines of home and the other side of another lousy livestream, of course).

Patrick Masterson

Squirrel Flower — I Was Born Swimming (Polyvinyl)

I Was Born Swimming by Squirrel Flower

Who picked it? Patrick Masterson

Did we review it? Nope.

Arthur Krumins’ take:

Making the most of a dour mood, Squirrel Flower squeezes disaffection from her vocal delivery. The instrumentation is reminiscent of a less noisy Built to Spill, or maybe Julie Doiron, and is effectively now a retro indie rock sound originally from the late 90s or early 2000s. The jamminess of some of the drawn out riffs feel both pretty and sad, and could be a good soundtrack to a rainy drive. The heaviness is well developed without being bogged down. The lyrics catch your attention with their plainspoken narration of conflict (“You slap me, I’ll slap you right back” she repeats in “Slapback”). A fitting album for looking your troubles head on while still being totally surrounded by them.

Waterless Hills — The Great Mountain (Cardinal Fuzz)

Waterless Hills - 'The Great Mountain' by Waterless Hills

Who picked it? Bill Meyer

Did we review it? No.

Arthur Krumins’ take:

A dissonant flow that steadily increases in intensity starts this record, which is a live recorded improvisation. The combination of aching, modal violin by dbh with slightly overdriven cascading electric guitar by C Joynes makes for a feel reminiscent of “Venus in Furs” by the Velvet Underground. The percussion by Andrew Cheetham, a drum kit plug some extras like a hung Chinese gong, creates texture and mood. Sometimes there’s just a steady counting of time in the background, at other moments waves of cymbals crash and make a cacophonous emphasis as the music rises and falls. The overall effect of the jams is hypnotic, like getting absorbed in a swirling light show. The players’ sensitivity to the musical interplay of their instruments, combined with a masterful looseness, makes it a trip worth taking.

Well Yells — We Mirror the Dead (Self-released)

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Who recommended it? Ian Mathers.

Did we review it? Yes. Ian Mathers notes, “tipping towards the slightly industrial/EBM side of the genre, We Mirror the Dead gains a kind of gloomy propulsion without losing any of the atmosphere or intensity of [the band’s] prior work.”

Jonathan Shaw’s take:

The Gothic is not famous for stylistic restraint, and neither are the various contemporary subgenres that have inherited goth music’s romance of dark interiors, painfully fraught feeling and highly stylized self-fashioning. A few recent acts have cut against the grain of those established maximalist textures: see the grim industrial rancor of Street Sects, and the more experimental, sample-based austerities of Wreck and Reference. Well Yells’ music feels similarly stripped down to a pulsing electronic essence. But the record is more interested in the strobing spaces of Clubland than in decrepit factory ruins, and the darkwave gloss of We Mirror the Dead presents a more conventional relation to goth’s sensations. At its best—as on album opener “Kill the King”—the music of Patrick Holbrook, sole member of Well Yells, snaps and glimmers with compelling dread and arch sophistication. Holbrook’s breathy tenor is a useful counterpoint; his vocals are vaguely reminiscent of the best of those other habitués of Clubland, the British New Romantics (remember Bronski Beat?). It’s good stuff, somehow simultaneously polished and dirty.

Lucinda Williams—Good Souls Better Angels (Thirty Tigers/Highway 20 Records)

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Who recommended it? Justin Cober-Lake

Did we review it? No.

Bill Meyer’s take: I haven’t listened much to Lucinda Williams; the one record I have by her, Sweet Old World, is 28 years old. The first thing that hit me when I listened to Good Souls Better Angels is what’s changed. Williams’ voice is much rougher, and she’s adjusted the music correspondingly, adding Hendrixian guitar flourishes to “Bone of Contention” and coarsening the domestic violence scenario “Wakin’ Up” with bad-trip electronics. The next is how pissed she sounds. Violent boyfriends are bad enough, but having a charmless sociopath for president is even worse. Fortunately, bile hasn’t overwhelmed her writing chops. Big-sounding roots rock isn’t really my thing these days, but if I feel the need to change that, Good Souls Better Angels is a good place to start.

Wire — Mind Hive (Pink Flag)

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Who picked it? Andrew Forell

Did we review it? Yes, Andrew said, “Mind Hive is concise yet full of restless intelligence, musical ideas and willingness to push boundaries.”

Derek Taylor’s take:

I tapped Wire late and left early. That truncated exposure lends a narrow vocabulary in describing their music contextually, pre- and post-reunions. This latest missive sounds alternately like what I remember and at least several zip codes removed with a heavy lean into synths. “Be Like Them” and “Primed and Ready” fall in the former category, while “Off the Beach” trades gangly ennui and menace for what almost resembles instrumental optimism until the lyrics stack dutifully into another ode to the disaffected and disconnected. “Oklahoma” feels inscrutably weird. “Hung” drops as the album’s extended, incremental, post-industrial dirge. There’s additional insulation sheathing this Wire, an inevitable adjunct of ascendancy to elder status, but the current foursome is still dependably conducting current.

Yves Tumour — Heaven to a Tortured Mind (Warp)

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Who recommend it? Patrick Masterson

Did we review it? No.

Ian Mathers’ take:

Listen to music for long enough and you might realize that most of the time when you hope any artist goes in any particular direction with their work, you’re bound to be disappointed. But every so often, maybe after a promising album that you just didn’t fully click with, an artist does exactly what you were hoping for and fully manifests all the potential promise you thought you glimpsed. Yves Tumor’s 2018 album Safe in the Hands of Love was admirable in many ways, but it was really only on crucial single “Noid” that all the combustible elements were really brought together into something that properly bangs. Well, Heaven to a Tortured Mind might not have as many showcases for the ambient/noise chops that Tumor definitely has, but it does consistently bang for 36 minutes of should-be alternate universe pop hits, from the brassy “Gospel for a New Century” to the floaty duet “Kerosene!” For anyone who loved “Noid” and then found more to respect than the viscerally love on Tumor’s last record, this is the record you were waiting for, and it is magnificent and ferocious.

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ratac1d · 3 years

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AFK Arena Tips, Tricks, and Heroes for the Abyssal Expedition

The Abyssal campaign was pretty fun. It was an entirely different occasion, with various procedures, groups, and managers. There was a great deal to take in, and every little thing about it was new to the point that not many had a smart thought of how to beat it until two or three days.

Luckily, that was the first. Like they evidently state about nurturing, it's just terrifying the first run through on the grounds that you don't have the foggiest idea what you're doing. Thus, we have the experience, and luckily, we'll have a genuine responsibility from all players (on the off chance that you do the precious stone enlistment thing), so this time it will be incredible.

Anyway, for what reason am I making this post? All things considered, there's a great deal of ground to cover in this occasion. It's a misuse of endurance to utilize your full LB meta group in a powerless spot, and luckily, you don't need to! Here are a few hints, stunts, and saints I'd recommend executing into your techniques:

1. Use as hardly any saints as conceivable in a battle.

In deep, there's an endurance meter for each saint. They start off with 60 energy and gain 4 consistently. Most fights require 12 energy from each legend required to begin, and you get some back by beating the stage with certain conditions. One star on the off chance that you beat it, a star if no one kicks the bucket in the fight, and a star on the off chance that you win inside 30 seconds of the beginning. Each star you acquire gives both of you energy back, which means you can net a deficiency of just six energy.

Be that as it may, here's an interesting point: you could utilize four legends in a fight to get three stars on a fight, or utilize one saint to two-star it (in the event that you win a performance, the base is two stars since you'd lose on the off chance that somebody kicked the bucket). Without a doubt, the four saints lose less energy independently, however you'll generally lose 24 energy, rather than losing 8 by soloing it. Particularly if it's a saint you wouldn't regularly use in a group comp in any case, it's very justified, despite any trouble to solo it at whatever point you can. (Except if it requires 3 legends to one star when you realize you can three-star with five, at that point it's a deficiency of 30 energy in any case.)

2. (modified) Have a solid list from the beginning.

A significant piece of this occasion is the honored embodiment. It tends to be utilized to purchase relics, which buff legends in various branches. (More on branches in another tip.) Blessed quintessence is obtained from taking out towns, towns, and urban communities. Notwithstanding, the underlying buffs from the tree (regarding HP, atk, def) presumably won't sufficiently be to quickly begin running your Elite+ and Legendary saints.

Accordingly, my recommendation is utilize your acceptable saints at a high rising except if A, they as of now work at lower climbs (Mehira for instance) or B, they're a manager executioner (like Cecilia or Saurus). At that point, when the branches begin arriving at lv 2 or 3 when the detail buffs make climbs practically inconsequential, you can begin turning out with the E+ young men.

Fundamentally, attempt to plan what saints you put in your list so you can limit energy use and augment results (grimy deeds done bargain basement, I needed to). You just get 10-25 saints relying upon your position, so pick shrewdly!

3. Construct your branches, particularly the ones you use.

Much the same as in the ordinary game, the Abyssal campaign has a tree, with branches that buff the saints in them. In contrast to the customary game, be that as it may, each branch is great (if you don't mind buff mage branch). You won't turn out badly in building any of them, so attempt to organize the branch you have numerous legends in, and on the off chance that you have any saints in it, buff the officer branch too (likely the best one of the five). In any case, you'll most likely need to overhaul each branch for journeys, and it's simply a smart thought to do that in any case. That is to say, it isn't so costly, so what do you need to lose?

4. Facilitate with the civilian army and construct common trust.

This occasion is certainly not an independent occasion. You'll presumably be separated from everyone else for the main day or two, however attempt to associate with different players as fast as could be expected under the circumstances. Since players that are associated can assault anyplace associated with a common like, your gathering will advance route quicker than if there were 70 lines made a beeline for the last chief.

On a comparative note, you'll likely need to collaborate with another person to take out your first towns and urban communities since they're so troublesome. Simply know that the individual who murders the last adversary involves the region that was all in all battled for, so make certain to inquire as to whether they need it before you kill it after another gathering was at that point attempting to take it. That is simply mean. Have the activity to help other people before they help you, it will pay off over the long haul since you'll have the option to rapidly trust everyone around you. I realize that seems like some sort of kindergarten educator stuff to state (no offense to any kindergarten instructors out there), however it's actual, it caused me out so much the last time and made the occasion more fun.

So those were the principle tips and deceives I needed to discuss, presently for some saints I utilized that were great:

Orthros Icon

1. Orthros–obviously they're revamping the tank branch (presumably in light of the number of individuals griped about Orthros), however I figured that on the off chance that you can't beat em, join em! He was truly tanky last time; even at L+, he was killing it! Likely in light of the fact that risings don't make a difference that much yet whatever.

Fundamentally, Orthros has an aloof capacity where he gets more max HP until he's at 150% of his base, at that point mends 3% of his HP consistently. That doesn't seem as though a great deal, yet since he has 1.5 occasions his maximum HP, it's more similar to 4.5% of his HP every second. The tank branch at that point expanded HP regen by half, which means he was mending practically 7% of his HP every second. That, alongside his ult, which let him recuperate even in halted time, made him practically unkillable except if you had silly blasted harm or Ferael/Oden. Talking about…

Oden Icon

2. Oden–another instance of "in the event that you can't beat em, join em." When he was on the foe side, he truly screwed with your group. He moves legends into one another, takes their energy, and does gigantic AoE harm, particularly when he gets his eyes opened.

Clearly, that implies you can gain by it by utilizing him in your group! Consolidate him with another AoE unit (like perhaps Skriath or… no not going to make reference to him), and you have a wombo combo, dynamic couple, um… torment train, energy pick up, Bruce Wayne. (what am I sayn'?)

Warek Ascended

3. Warek–so you think about mission Warek? Better believe it, he kinda sucks to battle against, and you know why. However, imagine a scenario where I revealed to you that he could do that for you.

Warek on your side with overhauled may is a beast. Envision him in the mission, yet about twice as great and can solo an adversary group with no issue (so fundamentally envision him twice as great, he could as of now devastate me). This Madlad can be utilized at any climb in view of the base detail buff, yet clearly, he will improve a SI and stuff. That is to say, you're presumably previously utilizing him for supervisor battles, you should mess around with him somewhere else.

Estrilda Ascended

4. Estrilda–she's likely the legend that is polished the third-most by the powerful tree. Where Warek was a unit, Estrilda is a super unit, with all the AoE she bargains and the existence siphon she gains from the tree. Once more, you're presumably utilizing her as of now, yet she can without much of a stretch performance battles on the off chance that you need to rapidly move to certain urban communities or a chief.

Rigby Icon

5. Rigby–(Quick aside here, I will let you folks realize that Rigby is my #1 legend in the game. I use him a great deal, so I know a ton about what he can do.) If saints like Warek and Estrilda picked up great buffs from the might branch, Rigby turns into a beast with it. Envision a saint with 90% harm decrease, more than 150 scurry, and huge loads of life siphon when he's at low HP. As far as I might be concerned, that is the meaning of OP, and you'll certainly observe it on the off chance that you use him. He can likewise harm supervisors, not exactly Saurus level yet at the same time strong generally speaking.

That is pretty much all I need to state on this. I will likely refresh this post as I experience the occasion for the subsequent time, regardless of whether to add more tips and deceives or to share some offbeat legends that my gathering has had accomplishment with. I trust this is a decent first guide, I plan on adding more here!

Read more about Abyssal Expedition here.

#abyssal #expedition #afk #arena

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lost-caticorn · 5 years

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My compulsory heterosexuality story

After letting this post in my drafts for a few weeks I’ve finally decided to put it out there in this wild tumblr world! 🙌 Today is lesbian visibility day and it’s a perfect time to talk a bit about why it took me years to accept myself as a lesbian.

I’ve identified as bisexual/pansexual for approximately 5 years from 16 to 21 years old. I took me so long to figure out that I was actually a lesbian and the reasons why are mostly the following:

1. Internalised homophobia

2. Lack of representation

3. Compulsory heterosexuality / Compulsive heteronormativity

I don’t know if this will be useful for anyone but I thought I’d share how these have impacted me for years.

1. Internalised homophobia

This one is the fact that I first learned the word “lesbian” as an insult before I even learned anything at all about homosexuality.

It’s the fact that people I barely knew would come up to me and ask “are you a lesbian?” almost spitting out those words of their mouth as if it was something utterly disgusting.

It was my relatives joking about lesbians being ugly or telling me that they’d cry if I ever told them I liked girls.

I am now an adult but it is still difficult for me to use the word “lesbian” because my entire life it was associated only with negativity. I took me so long to accept that I like women. I went from “Ok maybe I’m pan but I mainly like men.” to “I’ll use bi because more people understand and I’ll explain that I am still attracted to men!” to “Am I… Really bi? Maybe I just like men for like 10%?”.

The fact that still to this day have trouble to identify with the word lesbian is sad and really reflects how little society is actually accepting of us.

2. Lack of Representation

Now that I’m looking back at my life I think it would have helped me so much to have some kind of a lesbian model. The first encounter I had with homosexuality was through yaoi (genre of manga where the story is centered around gay men). I still read a lot of these to this day and while there are a lot of criticism to do about it I am truly grateful I had access to them because without this genre I wouldn’t have had any idea that you could be gay and happy/healthy/in a loving relationship.

Growing up and during adolescence I had no healthy portrayal of women loving women around me. None. The only representations of lesbian couples I had were fetishised by men or about abusive relationships. I wish I had access earlier to movies, TV shows, youtube videos and overall healthier representations of lesbian couples.

3. Compulsory heteronormativity

This one was and still is so tricky. There are already a few ressources on Tumblr about this so if you have no idea of what that is I recommend you search “comp het” or “compulsory heteronormativity”. I think you’ll find pretty good posts about it. What I want to write here is precisely how it affected me and how I recently realised that it wasn’t real attraction.

a) Obsessing over Kpop boy groups: When I was 16 I discovered Kpop and for about two years I almost exclusively stanned boys groups. I’m not saying that every girl who stans boy groups are lesbian in denial but for me this is exactly what it was. I would spend my days watching those beautiful yet completely unattainable boys just so that I could reassure myself. “See? I think these boys are attractive so I’m definitely into men!”. I’d have so many internal monologues about why I was definitely bisexual because there was no way I wasn’t attracted to these beautiful, talented men!

Thing is, I wasn’t. One day I just realised that even if one of my favourite Kpop idol would show up and offer me to have a romantic/sexual relationship with him…. I wouldn’t want it.

b) Crushes on fictional characters: this one is pretty similar to the last point so I won’t make it too long but basically it’s the same mechanism. I would imagine a story with a guy exactly like my favourites characters and I would tell myself that I was still a bit straight because I could picture myself with a man… Ok maybe with an awfully specific and unrealistic man but in my head it worked and this was enough to convince me that I was still at least a bit straight.

c) Having crushes on boys. I had 2 major boy crushes in my life (and I mean real life, not celebrities or fictional characters) and a few others that weren’t really important. The fact that I had those “crushes” is one of the main reasons why I thought I couldn’t be a lesbian.

But then…. I recently had my first “real” crush on a girl and I realised so many things about myself! I was finally able to compare my feelings in both situations and this is what made me realise that I like women and not men. Even just having a crush feels so different.

Boy crush: I am super nervous, I fantasy about him when he’s not around but when he is I feel trapped in my own head and I don’t really want to talk to him, I don’t text him because I have nothing I want to share with him, I feel self conscious because I want to be seen as desirable by him, I have an occasion of spending time with him but I decline (multiple times), I convince myself that we shouldn’t be together (we’re too young, I have to focus on studying, he’s not the one,…). Overall I don’t really try to know him more I just spend time imagining what he could be like.

Girl crush: I am overwhelmed by happiness when I spend time with her, when she’s not with me I think about her, I send her many texts because there is so much that I want to share with her, I want to hear her opinions, I’m excited to learn new things about her, I find her attractive and I fantasy about getting intimate with her, I can imagine a future with her while very much enjoying the current situation. Overall I want to know her more to discover more of her that I can love, I want to spend time with her and become a part of her life. I feel bubbly around her and I don’t want it to stop.

—> Although what I felt was love, it wasn’t truly directed at these boys. I was in love with the feeling of cherishing someone… not with the individual itself.

Soooo that’s it. These are basically the reasons why I never thought I could be a lesbian. I know this was a super long post but I enjoyed writing it for myself and for anyone it’ll maybe help discerning their own feelings.

#lesbian visibility #compulsive heteronormativity #internalised homophobia #self discovery #lack of representation #lesbophobia #lesbian #comp het #wlw #sapphic #lgbtq+#lgbt #bisexual #compulsory heterosexuality #homophobia #lesbian crush

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cs-discourse · 5 years

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here we go

https://cs-discourse.tumblr.com/post/179953845684/uuuuwuu-every1-whos-concerned-abt-biased-judging

ok this attitude has been pissing me off long enough that it's time for one of my Big Ole Posts (tm) about how shitty this is! thanks.

uuuuwuu every1 whos concerned abt biased judging in comps is just soooow entitled !!!1 i cant bewieve ppl wouldnt want some1 whos literally explicitly stating at this point that they trust their friends more to "demonstrate dedication to the character" they assign to a design to b an influence in judging comps !!!!!11 bc artists Never weigh in on other artist's comps, so obviously thes ppl just want fwee merc designs !!!1!!1 also my last braincell just died pleas h

so here's the og post in question for quick reference

i honestly have no idea why people keep bringing up this idea of bias in judging competitions because, while i do think there is a type of bias that certainly exists, i think a lot of so-called "bias" that people have is ... not whatsoever like what people think it is lol. artists are people and there's always going to be SOME kind of bias no matter what you do, because it's literally fuckin impossible to NOT be biased. by that i mean:

your taste in plots/types of characters/medias influence your judging

quality of writing or art can influence your judging

the person who's applying for the adopt you may have previous judgement about

even if you say you aren't biased, you STILL have preferences and tastes in things that you prefer more than others, which in of itself is a kind of bias

people who know you (friends for example) will naturally know what your taste is.

a competition is judged based on what form the artist thinks is best, right?

NEWSFLASH EVERYONE'S IDEA OF "WHAT'S BEST" IS DIFFERENT FROM PERSON TO PERSON ..... "BEST" is literally the most subjective thing there is, and while i agree that there are certain aspects of art and writing that you can use as objective measurements of tangible skill, it's... still subjective. what people think is "best" will vary from person to person because we all have different tastes. so, essentially, this boils down to the idea that the winner of an adopt competition will ALWAYS be the form the artist liked best, because that is what the artist perceives as best. so like. when people appear biased in adopt competitions towards friends or certain circles, it's probably because they're literally friends because they have similar tastes in things, and therefore the form the artist likes best is naturally going to be from someone who shares similar tastes.

so whenever i hear about """bias""" in competitions i just kind of roll my eyes tbqh because it's usually followed by complaints of "BUT I PUT IN SO MUCH EFFORT" or "I WROTE SO MUCH MORE THAN THE WINNER" uhhhh. if adopt contests were won by effort alone it wouldn't be a contest, it'd be an endurance test lol. literally just "who has the most time to waste writing out 60000k words of absolute meaningless fluff"... because, i hate to break it to you, but ANYONE can write 5000 words of mindless drivel that has literally no substance to it.

now in caps for emphasis. takes a deep breath

THERE IS NO SKILL NEEDED TO BLOAT YOUR WORD COUNT.

YOU DO NOT NEED TO KNOW HOW TO WRITE WELL TO WRITE 5000 WORDS.

YOU JUST NEED TO KNOW HOW TO TYPE AND PUT SENTENCES TOGETHER.

quality > quantity, always. like, i'm sorry you put in so many hours of effort but, those people who win with MUCH smaller wordcounts... did they not work to get as good as they did with writing? you put in 5 hours into one tryout. but others, take me for example: i have been writing for over 10 bloody years. i've worked hard to improve my writing, so you can't tell me i "didn't put in as much effort" as you because i did. i put in YEARS of work to get better so doing simple things would take me LESS time now. inb4 IT'S UNFAIR! dude, the literal definition of a contest is for the best to win. it wouldn't be a contest if it wasn't like that lol. it'd just be charity. what you should be doing instead of complaining about it is ASKING FOR CRIT and WORKING TO IMPROVE like a good sport? i get that it's discouraging but you should be prepared to lose when you join a contest. it's valid to be upset about but the moment you say you deserve it more than others JUST because of your effort, then i have a problem.

and you know, there's gonna be times where i think a comp winner is objectively less skilled than other tryouts. honestly i just kind of shrug that off on account of different taste lol. sometimes that's just how it be, bc of those predetermined biases i mentioned before, and maybe a judge and i are just in completely stages of life so what i call quality might not appeal to the judge. that's also fine. anyway this really got off on a tangent but i'm leaving it in bc i think it needs saying. back to the og post

> i cant bewieve ppl wouldnt want some1 whos literally explicitly stating at this point that they trust their friends more to "demonstrate dedication to the character" they assign to a design to b an influence in judging comps !!!!!11

wtf didn't i address this in a different post

here let me link it for you

https://cs-discourse.tumblr.com/post/179841459154/post179838988303-the-difference-is-that-you-have

which was replying to this: https://cs-discourse.tumblr.com/post/179838988303/179837734509-idk-anon-i-kinda-agree-with-the

i said it once but i'll say it again: artist entries aren't main adopts lol. people don't work for artist entries. all you fucking do is post on one like "can i have this pls" .. there is... no effort put into that lol. main adopts you WORK for. it's a CONTEST. claiming an artist entry is NOT a contest. if a bunch of little nasty gremlins come running up to me like a hungry horde trying to be the first one to claim my design, i think giving friends first pick is COMPLETELY FINE, BECAUSE WHAT DID ANYONE ELSE DO TO "DESERVE" THAT DESIGN? nothing. you did. nothing. you're literally coming here with this attitude that NOT GIVING THINGS AWAY TO STRANGERS FOR FREE SOMEHOW EQUALS BIAS? i literally do not understand your logic whatsoever. like. i'm trying really fucking hard. at least with main adopts the "payment" is the effort you put in trying to answer the artist's prompt. i know i sound super dumb repeating myself but i don't know how much simpler i can make this concept tbh

and this is EXACTLY why i say ya'll are fucking entitled because merc and any of the kal artists could be making REAL $$$$ selling their own designs and adoptables and art and NOT deal with all the bs ya'll throw at them. they're literally here because the ENJOY MAKING ((( FREE ))) CONTENT for you, and they're not obligated to do this. they can stop whenever they want. if you had to pay per hour for the length of time collectively worked by ANY species artist staff, the lot of you would be fucking broke. i'm actually constantly shocked that species artists work like, 8 hours or more on some of these gorgeous designs just to give them away for free in a contest.

so, yeah, as someone who hasn't spent my entire life on CS (i've only been here for a year and a half), ya'll seem pretty fucking entitled to me lol. the world outside CS rarely gives out such gorgeous designs in write-to-adopt contests so i'm honestly baffled at the amount of bloody entitlement i see

>bc artists Never weigh in on other artist's comps, so obviously thes ppl just want fwee merc designs !!!1!!1

this part i don't actually understand what you mean. do you mean they... help judge other comps? or like, enter them? i don't get what you mean by "weigh in" but listen, lol. just because something DOES happen doesn't mean it gives you a good reason to assume the worst. i mean... of course it happens. it's statistically impossible for skewed contests and bias to NOT happen, because there's always going to be cases of it happening. but like, what proof do you have that merc will be biased lol? like, real proof? because your main point i've basically debunked and don't believe in at all. do better than "i cant bewieve ppl wouldnt want some1 whos literally explicitly stating at this point that they trust their friends more to "demonstrate dedication to the character" they assign to a design to b an influence in judging comps !!!!!11" because this doesn't make any sense to me for the reasons i already listed above lmao. if artist entries were supposed to be contests they'd be contests. what the hell makes you important enough to get first dibs on a stranger's work. ARTIST ENTRIES AREN'T EVEN MADE TO BE GIVEN AWAY, THEY'RE MADE AS ARTIST ENTRIES.... LIKE.... JESUS i struggle to understand ya'll

anyway im done here, if you wanna actually talk and debate this hmu on discord at lysander#9229 bc if you actually talk to me instead of spew this hot mess on the blog i might actually listen to you and change my mind and be nice about it instead of being a condescending bitch.

wait one more thing

>also my last braincell just died pleas h

yea clearly

p.s., why do you ppl keep going to the blog to give critique on merc's designs when on literally every other design merc makes there's this:

https://www.chickensmoothie.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=3950980

here i even linked it for you. idk why it's so hard for yall to give constructive crit like decent human beings

#cs discourse #submission

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promarketo-blog · 5 years

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What is the scope of CFA USA? Is it better than CIMA?

If you are planning to stud your collars with an extraordinary degree in Finance, then you must know that CFA is there for you with open arms. The CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) programme is a 4-year professional credential, covering the concepts of certain areas of finance like quantitative analysis, equities, investment management and what not. And mind it my friend, the CFA Institute located in the USA is the only one to provide you with this glorious degree internationally.

But aiming for CFA requires good preparation and no preparation is optimum these days without a proper training. This is because; the CFA exam is known for its difficulty level so much so that passing all of its levels without any halt in any of the levels is very difficult. Only 9-10% of the candidates can manage to do so.

A good training institute demonstrates and explains to you the benefits and future opportunities of any course. The importance of CFA USA is not very easy to understand until and unless someone takes the opportunity of explaining you all aspects and prospects of the course.

The best place to learn CFA is none but the CFA USA classroom training in Bangalore. CFA training in Bangalore is conducted in institutes like Success Edge and EduPristine. Going through the curriculum of the CFA programme it is not at all difficult for one to understand that the course comprises a wide range of subjects and concepts related to finance and commerce of course. Hence, as far as industries, banks, technology sectors and financial markets are concerned, CFA charter holders have no dearth of enhanced career opportunities across the globe. The world of stock exchange and all sorts of monetary transactions going on in the market require officials with good efficacy in all sorts of financial affairs. Be it a financial analyst or the entrepreneur of an independent financial analyst, an individual with a CFA degree is trusted worldwide.

CIMA or the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants is a body of the UK, which offers a course to the students of commerce post-graduation. Qualitatively, CFA and CIMA are two different entities. That of course doesn’t mean that they don’t share anything in common, but the basic domain of study differs– especially in terms of perspective, and emphasis on the subjects of each course. The primary difference that separates these two courses with a wide rift is that CFA is more genres specific. Once a student becomes a CFA charter holder, he or she has to stick to core Finance. On the contrary, if one studies CIMA, he or she gets a global recognition of having a good and updated overview of the entire world of business without being stuck to any particular genre. Thus, switching options are more in CIMA.

There is also a big difference in terms of the degree of toughness. While the average percentage of passing in CFA is 9-10%, considering passing in all three levels of the course consecutively, CIMA is a comparatively convenient option for the students with a passing rate of 70% annually.

Both the courses being equally good, you should choose your way with optimum analysis.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Q 1:-What does a CFA actually do?

They are doing various different functions at a different level of management. Like a financial analyst in an investment bank could be preparing trading comps for a client interested in acquiring a company, equity analyst could be preparing an equity report for the traders.

Q 2:-How to Become a CFA Charter-holder?

Here are the four main steps you’ll need to follow to become CFA:-

Pass the CFA Program Exams

Complete Education and Work Experience Requirements

Become a Member of CFA Institute

Abide by the Code of Ethics

Q 3:-Which Is More Valuable, CFA or MBA?

Well, it depends on your career ambitions. The CFA Program is designed to provide charter holders with specialised skills like investment analysis, portfolio strategy, and asset allocation. An MBA program is less specialised and suited for broader disciplines like marketing or general management.

Q 4:-What is a CFA charter holder?

CFA Program is a professional credential offered by the CFA Institute to Investment and Financial professionals. After completing and passing the CFA Exam one will bridge academic theory, assess current industry practice, and learn ethical and professional standards to provide a strong foundation of advanced investment analysis and real-world portfolio management skills.

Q 5:-What should I study for CFA?

As you develop your study plan, you should focus on:-

Focus on the Exam Weights and Learning Outcome Statements

Apply Concepts to Real Situations

Learn How to Take the Exam

Q 6:-Is CFA a Globally recognised degree?

CFA is a truly global certification unlike some other professional certifications like CFP and CWM. CFA tests are administered globally on the same day, so a candidate whether he is from the US, India, Europe or China will be appearing for the same test.

Q 7:-CFA and CIMA are two different entities?

No, They’re not completely different. If you want to understand business as a whole and want to have a big picture and also get global recognition from one of the topmost management accounting institutes in the world, then you should pursue CIMA. But if you want to pursue your career in core finance, investment banking, and portfolio management, then CFA is the right option for you.

Q 8:-Why Become a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)?

Here are 5 Reasons to Become a CFA

1) Better Job Prospects

2) Professional Credibility

3) The CFA Charter is Affordable

4) The CFA Charter is Globally Recognised

5) Real-World Expertise

Q 9:-What Do CFA Designations Mean to Investors?

When an investor is dealing with a CFA charter holder, they can make some basic assumptions. In general, a CFA is committed to becoming better at their craft, whether it is security analysis, portfolio management, business reporting or some other service. In addition, the individual has agreed to maintain a higher level of integrity by following the CFA Institute’s Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct.

Q 10:-What are the benefits of the CFA Certification?

This certification ensures that you are equipped with hands-on knowledge in the investment industry. To build a remarkable reputation among your clients, employers or colleagues, you have to commit to ethical behaviour and proficiency at work. Therefore, being a CFA charter will uplift your credibility in the eyes of clients and colleagues.

#cfa #cfausa #cfatraining #cfaclasses #scopeofcfa #hieducare

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trentteti · 5 years

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Your July 2019 LSAT Instant Reaction

Over nine months ago, LSAC announced that the LSAT would officially join the twenty-first century, becoming a digital, tablet-based exam. And today, that finally happened with the July LSAT.

Well, for only about half of all test takers. The exam will finally go digital for all test takers on September 21st. For the July exam, however, LSAC administered the traditional paper-and-pencil test in half of the test centers and then gave the same test in its new digital format to the other centers, in order to compare the results from both formats. This is known as “best testing practices” to the test administrators and “a total pain in the butt” to test takers.

To better understand the new digital LSAT, I came out of test retirement and signed up to take the July exam. Spoiler: I did not receive the digital version of the test. They say 50% of success is just showing up, but since I had a 50% chance of showing up to the location that was administering the digital exam, I suppose this plan had only a … checking my math … 25% chance of success.

But, fortunately, Blueprint’s crack team of LSAT-obsessed employees have been monitoring the experiences of as many people who took the digital exam as possible. With thousands of students to call upon, we were in a unique experience to get some second-hand report about the digital test, even if your faithful correspondent couldn’t provide that first-hand report.

youtube

The Digital Experience

So, how did the very first digital LSAT go? In all, relatively smoothly. But it was definitely not without incident. The main complaint is how long it took these test centers to finally get the tablets operational. We’ve heard reports that some proctors had trouble getting the tablets connected to the proctor-controlled motherboard that was used to start and stop each section, which meant that some had to wait almost two hours before the test finally commenced. Some test centers were given tablets that were already circling the drain battery-wise, which led to more wait times as proctors figured out how to charge those tablets. With a completely new format, it’s not exactly surprising that the roll-out wasn’t flawless. Hopefully, by September, proctors will be better equipped to administer the test quickly and seamlessly.

There were also reported issues with the styluses … or is it styli? At any rate, at multiple test locations, test takers were not even given the promised stylus. Someone just forgot about those. Oops. So test takers had to use their sweaty, shaky fingers to highlight and underline the text — which is not ideal, especially when one test taker reported having to use his knuckle to highlight, since his finger was too sweaty to do so.

Others report that the provided stylus wasn’t very good at underlining or highlighting the text — that it would rarely underline just one word, but instead would underline multiple surrounding words. Rather than balling out with the Microsoft-certified stylus made specifically for the Surface Go tablet LSAC is using, LSAC allegedly provided the kind of generic stylus you might get at a work conference or something. Test takers were allowed to keep their apparently not-entirely-effective stylus, though.

There were also reports that glare affected some test takers’ ability to see the screen. Allegedly, the adjustable tablet stand LSAC provided wasn’t quite adjustable enough, and the lighting interfered with test takers ability to see their screens.

Most concerning of all were the reports that at least two test locations had to cancel the LSAT altogether. Apparently, the recalcitrant tablets at these locations refused to work, and after much fussing, the test takers were dismissed without ever taking the exam. I suppose that means they never even got the opportunity to become test takers. Which is a huge bummer for them. Hopefully LSAC allows them to take the test soon, for free, with the option to cancel their score after seeing it, and will maybe wave some law school admission fees for good measure. It will not shock you to learn that both of these test centers were in Florida, incidentally.

And, finally, if you want to get really picayune, Logical Reasoning question stems on the traditional paper version of the LSAT often refer to the “information above,” since that’s where the main text of the question is. On the digital version of the exam, the question still said “information above,” even though the main text is now to the left of the question stem. Maybe that gets corrected in September, when the test is written specifically for the digital version of the test.

OK, you’re probably thinking that I initially said things went “relatively smoothly” but then spent six paragraphs outlining all the ways the test went demonstrably “not smoothly.” That’s a fair observation, but it’s important to remember that people for whom the test goes “not smoothly” are the people most likely to report their experiences. People who felt the digital test went fine wouldn’t need to vent their frustrations, and are hopefully on their third or fourth post-exam elixir at this point. And we heard many reports that the digital exam went well — where test takers had a decent enough time getting through the test, armed with apparently bountiful reams of scratch paper, some commonplace delays notwithstanding.

The July Test

So, with all the reports of the digital exam out of the way, what was the actual content of the test like? This I can provide with first-hand knowledge — this was a hard test! I can also relay some second-hand reports — nearly everyone we’ve heard from shares my sentiment!

Interestingly enough, everyone seems to have gotten a third Logical Reasoning section as their experimental section. Which is annoying, because it make it very difficult to figuring out which two Logical Reasoning were the real, scored sections and which were experimental sections. That said, that’s only a minor annoyance. The only reason you should bother trying to determine which sections were experimental is to figure out whether you should cancel your score. But that’s a moot point for the July 2019 exam. Test takers on this test have the option to cancel their score after seeing it, so there’s no pressing need to make that decision right now. Especially because it’ll take about three fortnights to get your score back.

The three Logical Reasoning questions on my sections included many dense, confusing questions that required you to identify formal aspects of an argument. These sections were also rife with many challenging questions that asked you to change an argument in some way — which has been the case for basically every recent exam. So, you know, normal Monday afternoon reading material.

The Logic Games section was fairly difficult — maybe the most difficult since the notorious-in-LSAT-nerd-circles-at-least December 2017 test. None of the games were totally leftfield, but they were all fairly complicated. The first game looked pretty straightforward — you just had to determine how different departments got arranged in a building — but ended up being quite time-consuming. The second game was one of those games that required a not-in-any-way-obvious deduction to crack things open. Games are never easy, but overall they’ve been more straightforward than these on recent exams. So this section was a bit of an unwelcome surprise.

Not as surprising, but perhaps just as unwelcome, was the difficulty of the Reading Comp section. The second, comparative passage was considered to be one of the most difficult passages here … at least among the top four, according to most.

The Curve Prediction

There’s no reason why you should fret about the curve on a test, especially on a nondisclosed test like July that will not publish the curve. But if fret you must, here’s my take: this exam really reminded me of the December 2017 exam. Except for the Logical Reasoning, which may have been slightly easier than that exam (though it’s admittedly hard to determine that, since we don’t know which section was experimental). I think that the curve of this exam will be forgiving, but not quite as forgiving as that one. Here’s my guess at what the curve will look like:

170: -12 165: -19 160: -27 155: -37 150: -46

(These all reflect how many questions you could miss and earn that score)

Conclusion

First things first, it’s time to accept that the Digital LSAT is here to stay. So, you will need to “digitize” your prep. We don’t expect you to run out and buy a Microsoft Go tablet, but you should be taking digital practice tests. If you don’t know where to find one, get a free tablet LSAT practice test here, or sign-up for a free trial of our Online Anytime course (sidenote: all BP students get access to digital practice tests).

Now, this is the point in these Instant Reaction posts where we talk about whether you should cancel your score, and we, in so many words, say you almost certainly shouldn’t cancel your score. However, for this July exam, you don’t have to worry about that decision now. You don’t have to worry about that decision for a long time, in fact — you’ll get your score back Wednesday, August 28, and you can decide then. So we won’t go through the formality of discussing score cancellation.

Instead, let’s end with a discussion of “difficult” tests like this one. When a test is more difficult than usual, it’s easy to feel utterly defeated. To feel resigned to receiving an underwhelming score. But it’s important to remember that our impressions of our exam performance are frequently unreliable. After an exam, it’s very easy to fixate on what didn’t go well; we rarely, however, remember what did go well. The dark thoughts have a tendency to crowd out the positive ones. And most test takers possess at least a modicum of social grace, so they don’t go around talking about how well they did on the test or how easy parts of it seemed. We overemphasize, both to ourselves and to others, the bad parts of the exam. So our impressions naturally incline us to worry about the worst-case scenario.

With the July exam, you’re going to have to wait a long time to get your score back. You’re going to be left with your thoughts and your LSAT-related conversations for a while — way longer than the usual three weeks. I encourage you to try, as hard as you can, to focus on what went well. Try to crowd out the negative thoughts by concentrating on all the parts of the test that you aced. And, hey, even if your score isn’t quite what you hoped, there’s going to be that voucher to retake the LSAT for free, waiting for you with a press of that “Cancel” button on August 28th. So, don’t wallow on the bad, try to focus on the good.

Or … you know … maybe try to forget about it entirely, perhaps aided by your post-exam beverage of choice. Congratulations, my fellow test takers.

Your July 2019 LSAT Instant Reaction was originally published on Blueprint LSAT Blog

#Instant Reaction #July 2019 LSAT #LSAT #trent teti #lsat

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