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artxyra · 4 years

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The Secret Life of MDC | Part 5

Part 5 – Haha, wait you’re serious?

Fun fact: This rewrite was supposed to be five parts, but as I was writing and changing things, I have no idea how long this is going to be.

Parts 01 | 02 | 03 | 04

What a relaxing evening the couples group plus one was having. Everyone but Jon and Damian was wearing a disguise of some sort. Marinette in her usual lace netted veil, Chloe with her hair down and sunglasses on, and Adrien with a dark wig and punk clothes. It was never easy being out and open like this, but it was relaxing.

“I’m telling you, she’s not worth it.” Marinette states before taking a sip of her ice coffee beverage. She doesn’t know how or when their conversation regarding the upcoming gala turned into a revenge plan to reveal the liar that has made her life miserable back in Paris.

“Angel, she is making up stories about me. How can I not make her suffer any more than she had made you?” Damian asks taking her hand into his own. Marinette huffs unsure what to say.

“C’mon buggy, even Luka agrees with him. Let him take over for a moment.” Adrien comments showing the designer his phone with a series of messages from Luka on the screen.

Marinette still doesn’t reply. Instead, she looks up to the sky as of it hoping for a miracle. Nothing was working.

“Kagami even she said she’ll help hide the body. Just give me the okay and she’ll be on the next flight here or I’ll go get her with Kaalki.” Chloe adds in taping away on her phone as if she wasn’t paying attention.

“Absolutely not. Look, guys, we have three weeks left here and I don’t want to spend it worrying about the class despite being the damn TA for this exchange. I already need to finish the touch-ups on our dresses and grade like a shit ton of assignments.” Marinette groans leaning into Damian’s chest. He places a kiss on her forehead before resting his chin on her head.

“Why are you guys even like this?” It’s Jon’s turn to cry out in frustration. Everyone turns to him with an eyebrow raised. The half-Kryptonian should no better by now than to question anything his boyfriend and friends do. “Alright, alright, I fold. What do I need to do?”

“Stay my handsome hero.” Adrien absently adds swooning in Jon’s arms looking upward to the hero. Shaking his head, Adrien turns to Marinette and blinks. “Did I really just say that?”

Marinette tries to hide her giggles, nodding. However, Chloe didn’t even try to hide her laughs causing the model to blush.

“I actually liked it,” Jon says before placing a kiss on the blonde’s cheek furthering his blush to a deeper red.

“Ooh, Gami just replied back to me, she wants to see if we can do a movie night stream?” Chloe asks on behalf of her girlfriend. Planning movie nights are often frequent amongst the group especially when they are missing each other.

“I know my father wouldn’t mind, but depending on who’s staying at the manor tonight it might turn into a family affair,” Damian responds gently pushing Marinette off of him and stand up to stretch.

“She’s fine with that.”

“Good; I’ll message Alfred to set to the theatre room.” Damian pulls out his phone and immediately proceeds to message the family butler.

“You know he’ll probably send a message with an image of the theatre room decked out with pillows and blankets with the caption: already have, young master.” Marinette jokes but little did she know her guess was actually right.

Damian’s phone dings with a message from Alfred. It is indeed a photo of the theatre room with pillows and blanket gently piled together. Underneath the photo is the message “Already done, young master, just be home before dark.”

“How does he do that?” Adrien wonders before adding, “It’s witchcraft?”

“You know as well as my brothers that we still do not know that answer.” Damian murmurs sliding his phone back into his pocket. He then holds out his hand for Marinette to take as she pushes herself off the wooden bench.

“We should head back then…” Marinette is then cut off by her phone along with her blonde sibling’s phones simultaneously buzzing. The three Parisians grab their phones and see the answer.

It’s the Headmistress of Gotham Academy calling her. Confused, Marinette answers the call just as Adrien and Chloe read the variety of messages from the classmates or at least those that still have their numbers.

Damian and Jon look to one another cautiously. It’s not every day that the trio’s phone would go off especially when they are not in a group chat with the others. Damian takes a step closer to Marinette as panic rises her eyes.

When the call ends, Marinette takes a series of deep breaths. “First the Riddler and now this shit. They better be damn glad to stay on this trip once we find them.” Was the only thing that would come out of the designer’s mouth.

Chloe and Adrien stop reading. “Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous.” This really draws two teens to their friends. Adrien stays silent which is unlike him especially when there isn’t a battle or around them.

“Um, care to fill us in?” Jon asks knowing that Damian would not as he tries to get answers from Marinette.

“Apparently Mlle. Bustier and the GA staff are losing their heads.” Chloe starts.

“Nino messaged me that something had happened after we left,” Adrien adds shuffling his feet against the ground.

“Yeah; Alya and Lie-la are missing. The headmistress says that no one has seen since we left and asked if we, more specifically I, knew about their whereabouts.” Marinette shakes her head, “Which I have no clue about. I’m not a sheep’s keeper.” The noirette sighs, face-palming.

“I guess movie night is off then.” Jon ponders.

“No, no, we can still find them before it gets super late. By we, I mean Robin and Superboy along with the Gotham’s miraculous team.” Marinette counters before anyone could get a word in.

“Wait, you’re serious?” Chloe asks in disbelief.

“Yeah, let’s just hope the liar’s big mouth didn’t get her in trouble with the Joker or any other Gotham villain,” Marinette grumbles as if all happiness crash and burned right in front of her.

“And here I have thought that after last week, they would stay on the down-low, but no~ they just had to disappear. This will really put a stick into Mlle. Bustier’s teaching qualifications.” Chloe groans as she starts packing her stuff up with looks ready to kill.

“I’ll see you in a bit, suit and all. I have damage control to handle before we make our next steps.” Marinette and Adrien give their significant others a peck on the lips. As much as Damian hates the veil covering her eyes, he knows the pain the reset inside them.

“I’ll talk things through with the family. Maybe even hack into the security cameras for some leads.” He whispers into her ear holding her arms. Marinette looks up to Damian and nods.

~*~

If those phone calls didn’t give light to the current situation, it would have been like walking into the middle of a war zone. Everywhere you look there were teachers asking questions, normally this would never happen to Gotham Academy, but when the exchange happens it like the school turns on its head.

Chloe, Adrien, and Marinette decided to split up. Adrien went to speak to Nino to see if he had knowledge of his girlfriend. Chloe sneaked into the security room while Marinette takes on her teacher assistant role to speak with Mlle. Bustier and the GA headmistress.

Marinette could tell how heated the conversation is from just a few feet away. The closer she got the more she could tell that Caline was sweating where she was standing.

“Marinette doesn’t belong in conversations like this.” Caline tries to get Marinette removed from the conversation the moment she sees the girl, but the headmistress wasn’t having that.

“Marinette is allowed to be here, Ms. Bustier, she is apparently the only one with the contact information regarding your students.” The headmistress states and it was true. Even though Marinette is technically the class representative despite no longer being a student of the school, she still holds vital information regarding the class.

“Hold on, you didn’t contact our parents?” Realization began to hit. “We were nearly killed last week and today, not even a full week since we have arrived, you have lost two students.”

“Marinette, you guys made it back safely, and I just didn’t have time to call everyone’s parents or guardians.” Caline is really trying to save face here.

“We’re in a whole another country. It is your duty to inform parents and or guardians about any situation, mishap, whatever happens to them.” Marinette nearly screams at the teacher. Anger could not even begin to be Marinette’s main emotion.

“I’m sure they’ll show up, Alya and Lila are very responsible.” Seriously? She cannot be for real.

“Mlle. Bustier,” Marinette takes a deep breath, clasps her hands together. “They can be killed here. I may not like those two but even I know the importance of safety here in Gotham.”

“Marinette, I’ll take it from here. How about you go help the others in finding the two missing girls.” The GA headmistress says placing a hand on the designer’s shoulder. Marinette calms down and nods. It was for the best.

Marching down the halls, everyone avoided Marinette. How could they not, she was a woman on a warpath. The Paris exchange students have never seen Marinette so angry before it was causing them to quake in their shoes.

Adrien was finishing his conversation with Nino when he joins Marinette’s side on the march to glory. Chloe had just finished up with the security room before she joined her crew. Together, the three exits the school grounds knowing exactly where they are heading to.

It was no secret that everyone knows each other identity between the Batfam and the Miraculous crew. So, when Alfred pulled up in a disguised car, with the window rolled down he simply raises an eyebrow. The trio gets in as the school just watches in shock. Nothing was making sense to them.

“So, I found that they did indeed leave minutes after we did. The cameras lost them upon walking across the streets towards this building.” Chloe states pointing to the screen with confidence.

“From what I had gathered from Nino, they had missed their check-in time at least three times before the flags were raised. As you know the class aside from us needs to check-in with the teachers at least once an hour after what happened last week.” Adrien then adds in.

Marinette nods before she turns to Tim, who was surprising on his fourth cup of coffee.

“Tim, what did you find?” She asks before sliding a coffee flavor “health” bar over to the hacker. Tim takes it and slides the bar into his pocket.

“Let’s just say its not the Joker behind their missing appearance. We got Gordon on the lookout, but you know what they say when it comes close to nighttime here in Gotham.”

“Out of everyone, it had to be the two of them. If my job wasn’t also kind of on the stake, I would have just left them to figure it out and stay out of it.”

“You know that’s not true Mars; you love to save people even those who let deserves it.”

“Who asked you, Kitten, let him bitch about things that we know would never happen.”

If it wasn’t for the growing tension in the room, everyone would have burst out laughing.

“We got movement,” Jason calls out while cleaning one of his guns.

Everyone catches the other’s eyes before simultaneously nodding. It’s going to be a long night ahead of them.

Tag List: *View my Tagging System guidelines for how to to be properly tagged or removed.

Note: The SPECIFIC Tag list is officially closed. If you wanted to follow the story please mark the tag fic:The Secret Life of MDC.

#maribat #daminette #ml x dc #mlb x dc #ml crossover #dc crossover #fic:The Secret Life of MDC #teacher assistant Marinette AU #ta marinette

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imjustverable · 5 years

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Bothersome Cuddles

Hey there everyone! Here’s the Ineffable husbands fic I promised. It might be a little sloppy because I’ve been in a sort of rut lately, but I’m happy with it regardless! I hope to put out more of my WIPs at a later date, but for now, I hope you can enjoy this little bit of fluff!

It's a rather gloomy day in Soho, London. Rain pours down in heavy waves, turning the streets into shallow rivers. Residents who are forced to walk home scramble along at a rapid pace; those who drive crawl around corners and through traffic, watching as the water is thrown up from beneath their tires. Anyone who doesn’t need to be out, isn’t. Thunder and lightning fill the sky, making the more uneducated person wonder if Heaven is having a rave party, with loud booming music and intense flashing lights; but of course, that's silly. Heaven doesn't throw rave parties. Or, any type of party really. Anything of that sort has always been Hell’s doing.

This is all besides the point, however. The point is, that a storm this bad has not hit since the day of the end of the world (that is, the end that never came). And although the more anxious resident might fear a flood, it really is only a storm.

Moving on to the corner of a usually bustling street, there rests a quiet bookshop, whose large windows supply a warm glimmer to the puddled walkway outside. But, although the lights are on, the sign on the door strictly reads 'closed'. This is because the owner of said bookshop, has absolutely no plans to offer shelter to any number of sopping wet humans, who would no doubt bring nothing but mold and torn pages to his fragile collection. No, no humans would not be entering the shop tonight. It holds shelter to only two inhabitants now; one demon-who had gotten himself rather drunk over the course of the past couple hours- and one angel- who was sitting peacefully, reading aloud to his partner.

Take note of the ‘was’.

"Aaaannngeeeelllll!"

Both entities had been- up until Crowley’s exclamation- lounging peacefully. The sudden call to attention causes Aziraphale to pause his reading; his eyes skimming over the top of his book to the sprawled out demon. Seeing nothing much amis, he silently returns to the words on the page.

"Aaaaanngeeeelll...Don- hick- don't g'norme A- hick- Angel..." Some small corner of Aziraphale wants to laugh at the uncontrollable hiccups punctuating Crowley's speech. Shoving that part of him into a dark corner, he instead quirks an eyebrow, tracking the clumsy man as he rolls off the couch, landing with a hefty 'thwump' on the floor. Very graceful.

"Having issues, are we my dear?"

"S…'s cold. M' cold Angel…"

"Cold? Crowley, how on earth can you be cold?" In his own opinion, Aziraphale actually thought it was quite toasty in the shop, "Perhaps you should sober up a bit dearest. You're quite out of it."

"M'not…I'ssss cold…" His words slurred beyond belief, the demon sits himself upright and looks towards the blonde, arms out-stretched, golden eyes pleading. “Cuddle me?”

At this point, Aziraphale can’t help but be a little shocked. As it is, Crowley had never outright asked to be held before. He never asked for any sort of affection really. If he ever wanted to be close to his angel, then he would simply seek him out and wrap around him from behind-- once, literally, having taken his snake form and noodled himself around Aziraphale’s stomach. That had been a particularly vicious winter, leaving the cold-blooded demon very desperate for warmth (and Aziraphale overwhelmed by the waves of love radiating off of his companion).

Looking at things from the other side, should the angel find himself longing for the demon's attention, he need only give Crowley a certain look. A look not dissimilar from the one he had given during when a paintball had stained his jacket; or during their time watching Shakespeare plays at the Globe Theatre. And as they move farther away from the apocalypse-that-wasn’t, the frequency of those looks continued to grow. For some reason, having the shop entirely to himself no longer holds the appeal it once did, meaning the redhead was never far off.

Keeping all this in mind, it should be known that the angel’s next response is formulated not with distaste towards the idea of cuddling. Rather, it is with the knowledge that the drunken man would be angry with himself later on- when he is of right mind- if he discovered that he’d been begging for attention.

“I will not indulge you while you’re drunk Crowley. Besides, I’m reading.”

“Aawwww, c’mon Azzy... Don’t be sssuch a- hic- a sssspoilssport. You know you looooove me.”

“His hiss is coming through. The dear boy really has drowned himself in alcohol, hasn’t he? I wonder if something has upset him? Also, Azzy? That’s new.” Aziraphale doesn’t voice these thoughts. Instead, he says aloud-

“I do love you dear. However, that has nothing to do with-Oh!”

He cuts off. Crowley had miracled behind him quite suddenly, throwing his long arms over the back of the couch and around Aziraphale’s neck. The poor angel can’t do anything about the blush creeping higher up his cheeks, nor the warmth flooding his chest, as the demon buries his face into the crook of his neck. Auburn hair tickles his cheek as he is nuzzled relentlessly, trapped in place by Crowley’s embrace.

“C-Crowley!” Aziraphale squeaks. This forward behavior is really starting to throw him off balance.

"Mmm...s'nice...waaarrmmmm Angel...my- hick- my ssssssoft Angel…” The ginger hisses sweetly into his ear, and the angel can’t help but melt into the sunny feeling that drowns the air.

"Oh…really now, you old serpent.." It was meant to be a playful reprimand, but came out in a wistful sigh.

See, everyone knows that angels have the ability to sense love when they’re in the vicinity of it. But what some may not realize is that love, to an angel, can present itself in a variety of ways. Most people know and imagine love as feeling cozy and comfortable. Like being wrapped in a hug: a big bear hug that may be just a bit too tight, but you really don’t mind because you really love the person who’s currently squeezing the air from your lungs. And in many cases, that is true. But love can also feel like a crisp autumn day; like the satisfying crunch of shedded leaves beneath strolling feet, and the lulling rustle of dry reeds in the wind. It can feel like stepping into an air conditioned building after being out in the sweltering heat; instantly refreshing, and something one wants to just lay down and embrace. Or, it can feel like a beautiful spring day, complete with clear puffy clouds, nature’s vibrant colors, and the perfect occasional breeze; it's a warmth so lovely that it can make the skin prickle, and is meant to be enjoyed until the very end.

That last sort is exactly what Aziraphale experiences every time Crowley is nearby. The demon's love is everything new and brilliant and unpredictably beautiful. It is those fault-less spring days, bringing hope to his angel's world after a miserable, unforgiving winter. Each tender whisper and gentle touch brings another bud of confidence into his garden. Every patient kiss and protective embrace allows those buds to sprout into the flowers of affection. Remarkable things, those flowers, always in the back of Aziraphale’s mind.

They’re there now as he glances briefly at his book, miracled onto the side table sometime during Crowley's onslaught of adoration. A few seconds pass...and then a small huff, paired with a loving smile.

"Very well then, you stubborn fiend. Come here.”

“Woo~!” At the resignation, Crowley jerks his head up and beams; before all but throwing himself over the back of the couch. Rather miraculously, he doesn’t land on the floor, but instead, tumbles perfectly so that his head is level with Aziraphale’s stomach, against which he chooses to rest his cheek. And like a child clinging to their favorite toy, his uncoordinated arms take to hugging his partner’s waist. “ L- hick- love my angel...love...love you! Y’r my angel.”

Loosening his grip, Crowley wiggles around a bit in a weak attempt to reposition himself, and eventually ends up lying across Aziraphale’s lap, dark glasses crooked on his face after the endeavor.

“You are mine...arn’t ya ‘Ziraphale?” Wide and dazed sunflower eyes gaze up at him with intense hope and fear. One hand tightly clutches the front of his blue plaid pajama top, as if the ginger is afraid he’ll fall if he lets go. His tension remains until Aziraphale nods and pushes back some fiery locks from his face.

"What a silly question...of course dear boy. Yours, forever and always."

The demon’s expression jumps from somber and worried to pure elation. His nose wrinkles in a cute fashion, eyes squinting as his smile splits across his face. Looking away from Aziraphale, he instead turns to stare up at the ceiling. His free hand balls into a fist, which he shakes victoriously at the sky.

“YA HEAR THAT GOD? HE’SSSSS MINE! CAN’T TAKE ‘IM BACK FROM ME!” Crowley shouts so loudly that a few strangling Londoners passing by the front door take pause for a moment, wondering if they should be concerned about the sound of a madman screaming inside a bookshop-- and then, in proper fashion, have their attention redirected to the rain, and hurry on their way. Poor Aziraphale, trapped as he is with Crowley on his lap, can only recoil slightly and press a silencing finger to his lips.

“Now now darling. Best to not challenge Her. Luck is upon us that She hasn’t smitten us already.”

“Oh I’m smitten alright!” Crowley throws his arms up into the air, and sings to an unknowable tune inside his head. “I’m smitten with you~”

The angel’s round cheeks pinken as he stares adoringly at his demon, who continues to hum along to whatever song is in his head. At this point, it's all he can do to not lie down with Crowley and kiss him senseless (that is, if he weren’t already madly drunk). He doesn’t, however, try to stop himself as he reaches out to comb his fingers through the wild red hair, noting how his lover instantaneously goes silent at the touch. The already loose-limbed man all but melts into the easy movement, eyes fluttering shut, lips parted in a breathless sigh. He shudders at the electric sensations trickling down his spine. By the time Aziraphale speaks again, Crowley is barely coherent enough to register his words.

“And I with you my dear. And I with you.”

***

(The next morning)

Sunlight, bright and beautiful and blinding, swarms through the many windows of an old bookshop seemingly frozen in time at a corner in Soho, London. Dust dances and sways in the golden rays to the song of the early morning birds.

The outside world sparkles under the appraising light of a new day’s sun, dew-coated grass glimmering as if each blade was laced with diamonds. Shop owners trudge sleepily through the doors of their establishments, just bringing to life the kitchens that will soon be crowded and bustling. Somewhere a church bell tolls...once...twice...then three, four, five times. All the humans still lost to their slumber only roll over in their covers.

Hidden away amongst shelves, sprawled out on a couch in a back room, an angel and a demon are in quite the same position. Seemingly dead to the world as they're wrapped in each others arms. The angel is trapped between the back cushions and his partner, whose upper half is curled up against his chest. Towheaded curls are left in a mess of stuck up, static-charged coils, their usual sense or order long lost.

The demon, with his head tucked under his angel's chin, takes in a deep, contented breath. He'd woken up once in the night, just to miracle away the major hangover wracking his system. In those few minutes, the events of the night had revealed themselves to him with a rushing clarity. A heavy blush had blossomed across his entire face as he looked down upon the angel, who had somehow ended up beneath him.

"...forever and always, eh Angel? Hmm...think I might just hold you to that one."

The fuzzy thought is to be the last thing he'll recall later on; as the two wake and spend several flustered minutes trying to explain themselves, before finally giving in to their emotions and spending a good portion of the day napping on the sofa.

#Good Omens #Ineffable Husbands #Aziraphale #Crowley #Fanfiction #Fluff #Domestic Fluff #Softie Crowley #Crowley's been drinking #And he's feeling drunk and insecure #And the boy #Just wants some loving reassurance #And its just a really sweet time #Oh #And God gets called out #Ineffable Idiots #I just really love these boys

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nyfacurrent · 4 years

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Business of Art | The Arts Administrator’s Creed: 5 Guiding Principles for Your Arts Admin Career

Empowering advice from arts administrators nationwide on how to define and achieve success in your life and work.

Arts administrators work behind-the-scenes on behalf of artists and creatives everywhere, providing resources, support, and structure for their projects and practices. Often, these types of jobs combine a passion for the arts with business, management, education, programming, fundraising, or communications expertise. The work can be highly-rewarding yet also challenging in terms of budget, time, and staff constraints. To help you navigate, we’ve asked leaders in the field for their tips on how to succeed and thrive as an arts administrator.

Manage Your Time

It’s hard not to get stuck in the day-to-day and to lose perspective on the bigger picture. Avoid burnout and fatigue by recognizing that you can’t accomplish everything overnight (or by yourself!) and that there are tools and systems that can help you stay organized.

Many of the arts administrators that we spoke with make lists and use project management and time management apps to keep them on top of their workloads and priorities. Deana Haggag, President and CEO of United States Artists, writes a to-do list every Monday morning and tackles it throughout the week. “On Fridays, I audit what didn't get done and why, so I can resolve it the following week. For reference, we use several project management apps at work—Asana, Airtable, Lattice, Slack, etc—and they're all very helpful but nothing compares to my handwritten list. It's the holy grail of my work week.” Haggag also schedules a few hours each day or week to respond to emails, using a ‘VIP’ inbox to filter through priority contacts so she sees those immediately.

Ben Hartley, Executive Director of The National Arts Club, keeps organization top-of-mind. “Every day, I list my priority projects and make sure they are sitting in front of me at all times. However, sometimes this can be overwhelming, so I also keep on hand a one-page overview of the big things I have to achieve this year. It’s easy to get subsumed by day-to-day detail, but if you’re not stepping back and looking at the big picture once in a while, you risk losing perspective,” he says.

Hunter O’Hanian, Executive Director and CEO of Stonewall National Museum and Archives, relies on two time management techniques: first, he prepares things well in advance and second he is a life-long list-maker who feels a strong sense of accomplishment when crossing off his “to-dos.”

“Figure out what works for you and stick with it,” advises Heather Pontonio, Senior Program Director at Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation. “I’ve tried lots of online note/task apps, but learned that I remember best when I’ve written it down — so my trusty journal notebook comes everywhere with me. I use my calendar app religiously and in addition to appointments, I include scheduled work time when there are projects that require focused attention,” she added.

Adriana Rios, Director of Programs at NALAC, takes five minutes out of every hour to stretch, breathe, or hydrate. “A tool I love using to help keep me accountable is the Focus app, which uses the Pomodoro method. In short, you set a time period (usually in increments of 25 or 55 minutes) around a certain task such as checking emails. For that time period, you focus only on that task. At the end of the allotted time, you have a five-minute break where you can do what you like. Personally, it’s helped me structure my day better and reduce distractions. It has also helped me start structuring my overall time by helping me better understand when it’s time to work and when it’s time to rest.”

Practice Self-Care

You’ll do your best work when you feel good about yourself and the value that you bring to your organization.

A lot of what Rachel Adams, Chief Curator and Director of Programs at Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, and her curator friends say (especially as so many are now parents) is "we are not saving the world." She explains: “This is not to say our jobs are not important, but it is important to give yourself a little life/work balance. Even if it is to take a quick walk around the block for some fresh air. Or, turn off the computer and go see that show before it closes. Read something non-work related for 20 minutes a day. Building that into your calendar really helps. Block off that time, and you’ll be happier and also can focus better on the tasks at hand when you need to.”

For Pontonio, self-care isn’t just about yoga and eating healthy, it’s about holding time for what makes you happy. “My first job was with an off-Broadway theater that led to taking an additional house management job at another off-Broadway theater to make rent. I justified the 80 hours a week because I was working in a field I was passionate about. My schedule left little time to actually enjoy theatre and on a night off it was not how I wanted to spend my time.”

Jacque Donaldson and Mara Vlatkovic, co-directors and founders of New York-based networking organization Young Professionals in the Arts (YPA), reiterate the importance of keeping your passion for the arts close and not losing sight of it. “We find it vital to remind ourselves time and again why we work in our field. Go see that concert, exhibition, theater piece, or dance performance that will reignite that spark that made you choose your profession in the first place. Knowing that we all contribute to the art world and are helping creatives achieve their potential can be one of the most rewarding jobs!”

For Ricardo Maldonado, Managing Director of Unterberg Poetry Center at the 92nd Street Y, a demanding job goes beyond the 9-to-5. “Admin gigs require one to find a space—between rooms, between tasks—for the kind of creative thinking that eventually nurtures your own creative practices. For example, before I sat down to answer these questions and after spending a good two hours processing submissions for a poetry contest I run, I gifted myself five minutes to think in response to a screen-shot of a poem I read last week and write, for an additional five, my own response. I collect screenshots and lines that I shape into the body of a poem. As a poet and translator, I am constantly surprised at how the language of work—a move toward that language, and against it—has informed the spirit of/behind (and the ethics of) my poems.”

Stay Curious

Making things work better, identifying and tackling challenges, and being interested in the work that you do and the world around you are key to feeling satisfied in your job. “Always find opportunities to learn. We owe it to ourselves to be lifelong students. We owe it to the next generations to pass down our knowledge,” says Quanice Floyd, Founder and Director of the Arts Administrators of Color Network.

Rajshree Solanki, Chief Registrar for the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and Atelier 4’s first-ever Registrar of the Year, is interested in learning techniques on building and strengthening teams within her organization and providing others with the opportunities she was given earlier in her career (note: she donated her $5,000 award to the Smithsonian Institution’s Office of Fellowships and Internships’ Minority Internship program, which gave Solanki her start). “I tend to read business management books specifically on project management, communications, and team-building. I particularly recommend books such as Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point, Kim Scott’s Radical Candor: Be Kickass Boss without Losing Your Humanity, and Dan Coyle’s The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups.”

Pontonio stays curious by proactively keeping up with conference offerings in the field that align with her work. “If there’s something of great interest and I am not attending that conference, I will reach out to the presenter afterwards to schedule a meeting about their presentation and top takeaways.”

Adams recommends inexpensive classes from Node Center for Curatorial Studies or travel scholarships for conferences like Association of Art Museum Curators (AAMC), College Art Association (CAA), and Common Field. “It’s best to get on all the email lists, specifically I like Call for Curators,” she added.

Yeiry Guevara, Grants Manager at Houston Arts Alliance, says her secret for staying up-to-date is newsletters. She recommends joining the mailing lists of Grantmakers in the Arts, NALAC, Americans for the Arts, and other cultural affairs offices, where she can learn from their layout, messaging, and content, in addition to getting relevant information from the field.

JiaJia Fei, Consulting Director of Digital at The Jewish Museum, makes staying informed a priority since success in the digital world means always keeping your eyes open and asking questions. She begins every team meeting with two agenda items to stay informed about industry changes and advancements: 1) Digital Landscape: sharing an outside project or news item from within the field and its application to the work they do and 2) Digital Cross-Fit: asking another colleague on the team a question about something they’re working on or training on a tactical skill, to encourage cross-training and collaboration. “As an added bonus, we have the privilege of working inside an art museum, which makes us all naturally curious and lifelong learners across everything we do,” says Fei.

Hartley suggests a more organic approach, and encourages you to allow serendipity and chance to play a role in your constant learning: “Sign up for LinkedIn groups, newsletters, and news-feeds that don't relate to your work, but may provide sparks for new ideas; be a source, not a drain, if you see an interesting article, piece of research or video, share it with a friend or colleague and tell them why you found it interesting. Ask them what they're looking at these days that's challenging, informative or exciting.”

Donaldson and Vlatkovic also recommend looking beyond the industry to learn from others, citing resources such as The Muse, Harvard Business Review, Inc, and The New York Times’ “Smarter Living” and “Entrepreneurship” sections to find out recent trends. They then suggest learning how to apply and adapt your discoveries and learnings to the arts.

Artist Sharon Louden, who wears many hats in the arts including serving as the Artistic Director of the Visual Arts at Chautauqua Institution, believes that being curious means being open. She also dedicates time each day with a number of sources to explore what’s happening in the industry. “I love taking about 15-30 minutes a day to peruse online publications, blogs, social media to read about what people are sharing, etc. to not only follow the work of colleagues I know personally but also to see the road maps of their lives, which ultimately leads me to unexpected paths of discovery.”

This practice is also highly beneficial to Louden’s work as an artist: “Following a lot of artists' lives tells me a lot about community, how artists sustain their own lives and ideas for opportunities for myself to grow my own practice. That kind of organic research enables me to build more of my community by reaching out to those I discover, perhaps offering to collaborate, and definitely creating spaces and opportunities for others to share as much as possible."

Create Meaningful Relationships

We’re all in this together, so why not establish lasting ties with peers and mentors at your own and other arts and culture organizations? These relationships are mutually beneficial, and can help you chart and map your career path in ways you may not expect.

“A tip that has served me well,” says Maldonado, is “try to learn as much as you can from as many people as you can; if I’m being generous, in most of my tasks, I often remind myself that I am working with/within a language that needs to be tended to. That impulse to learn affects every curatorial decision I had made since the day I started working and pushes me to move beyond the boundaries of what's expected. And has made me a more attentive (and kinder, I would think) administrator.”

It can also be helpful to re-frame the concept of networking. To that end, Donaldson and Vlatkovic wish “we had known at the beginning of our arts admin careers that networking simply means making connections with other people. From volunteering for organizations you believe in, going to industry events, participating in professional development workshops, or even your small friends group that meets monthly over drinks, all that engagement counts as networking! All those connections are incredibly important and will provide support throughout your career, whether it’s friends looking at your resume, acquaintances recommending you for jobs, or former colleagues sending useful articles.”

Adams suggests a proactive outreach strategy, and encourages arts administrators to reach out to people who are inspiring to you. “See if you can buy them a cup of coffee or have a phone call. Mentorship is important and establishing these relationships (whether it’s a cold call/email or through a friend of a friend) will help propel you.”

It’s important to forge meaningful relationships with both your co-workers and with others in the field. “Your team is there to support you in this work, and if not in your immediate workplace there are other arts administrators out there that want to connect. Reach out!” encourages Rios. Guevara concurs: “I am able to succeed because of the immense support of my team and my current leadership. Their sage insight helps ground me,” she says.

Ashley Walden Davis, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Alternate ROOTS, encourages peer-to-peer relationship building. “Your careers will grow together and one day, you will be those executive leaders and the next generation of future leaders. Having relationships with your peers across the field will make it easier to execute the work of organizational partnerships, fundraise, and execute day-to-day operations which by and large takes place in middle management. Furthermore, you will develop lasting friendships with other arts leaders who can help you troubleshoot, talk through ideas, or just share a laugh about drafting an artistic grant narrative about a project three years away. Having a strong accountability and support system is key to a long, healthy, and sustaining career in the arts.”

Guevara is emphatic that peers make the best mentors because “we’re all figuring it out together. The transparency in learning about each other’s process is very validating.”

Be Confident in Your Abilities and Have Fun!

In any industry, self-doubt can creep in. Don’t let it get the best of you by learning to recognize the unique voice and vision that you bring to your work. Says Guevara: “The first step of owning your value is being able to see or acknowledge your strengths,” and suggests that having mentorship can help you reflect on your strengths especially if you may not be cognizant of them.

Louden has affirming advice for artists who are arts administrators: “We as artists have the ability to bounce back from failure like no other in any other field; we can easily create things from nothing and we can problem solve outside of our studio in much the same way as we do when we make things. The way artists think and just naturally do things in the world is unique from people in every other occupation. There is often a disconnect between artists making their work and applying those skills and talents elsewhere in their lives. Since I see artists valued beyond making their work, perhaps the real challenge is for them—us!—to recognize and apply our natural creative talents on a daily basis."

O’Hanian adds: “People often don’t understand their professional values because in many cases we think we should be doing something else such as paint, sing, write or dance—things we really want to do. However, most people I’ve worked with have been very good at their jobs, whether they know it or not.”

Haggag highly recommends that everyone follow Picard Tips on Twitter. “Wow! I stumbled on them a few months ago and had no idea how badly I needed Star Trek's retired admiral Jean-Luc Picard's management tweets in my life. He recently tweeted 'No one can relax around Dr. Jekyll after they have met Mr. Hyde.' In my management experience, has that been true? Absolutely. Or 'Once all their basic needs are taken care of, crew members are motivated by the meaningfulness of their work.' Like, yes! Gospel!”

In Closing

Kristy Edmunds, Executive and Artistic Director for UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance (CAP UCLA) and the inaugural recipient of United States Artists’ Berresford Prize, provided us with inspiring words to illustrate her belief in arts administrators as change-makers. We’re closing things out with a stanza that we hope propels you forward in your day and in your career:

“Press on, press on, press on! Our cultural charge isn’t fleeting, of this we are certain indeed. Your hand on the wheel is impressive and furtive persistence is key. Press on through the standard of measures. Press on through the spreadsheets and sing! Press on (oh press on) we are counting on you…to care for the cause thus imbued.”

-Amy Aronoff, Senior Communications Officer

Arts administrators in the five boroughs of New York City and surrounding metropolitan area are encouraged to apply to participate in our Emerging Leaders Program 2020. Free of charge to selected participants, the initiative provides leadership training for arts administrators over nine months. Our core objective is to help arts administrators discover, identify, and develop their personal motivation and individual competencies as leaders while exploring the attributes and themes of arts leadership.

This post was inspired by “The Artist’s Creed: 10 Guiding Principles for Your Arts Career.” Published in 2019, it provided empowering advice for artists, distilled from people we admire.

Images: Jenny Kemp (Fellow in Painting ’15), Breach, 2015, gouache on paper; Christie Neptune (Fellow in Interdisciplinary Work ’18), Pulling At My Labels, 2016, single-channel video; and Paul DeMuro (Fellow in Painting ’15), Nailz, 2013, oil on canvas

#business of art #businessofart #professional development #profdev #arts administration #artsadministration #arts administrators #artsadministrators #amy aronoff #amyaronoff #instagram #career advice #careeradvice #announcements

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blood-and-cigars · 5 years

Note

moar phantom au.

You didn’t ask for more of my literary analysis bullshit, but tough luck that’s what you’re getting. Gotta stay on brand, after all.

Ok so Phantom at its core (for me) is about the transcendence of artistry, of the sublime, into monstrosity. It’s about an unwitting Faustian bargain; the protagonist wishes to dabble in the music of the angels and instead finds herself tangled in the obsessions of a very human madman.

However, Phantom isn’t a traditional “escape the murderer” story, (It isn’t a traditional *anything* the original, serialized novel jumps genres like nobody’s business) it’s equal parts beauty and the beast, or rather its older cousin, death and the maiden. There is no book if after the initial disillusionment there isn’t still a draw.

The protagonist (Christine) expects divinity but instead is faced with this overwhelming tragic monstrosity, and amid the devastation of that realization she discovers… she’s still kind of into it?

You can strip away the dressings of theatre and opera and still keep that main premise.

Frankly I was always disappointed with Phantom’s lack of truly supernatural elements, I think a Hellsing AU would actually fit rather nicely.

However some alterations to Alucard’s character and role in the story would be necessary because the titular character is indeed the villain.

The same can be said for Integra too. While I love Christine as a protagonist, she’s inherently the wilting ingenue archetype (her strength is a quiet sort) and Integra is… not that.

Seras would actually be a more obvious choice for the Christine stand in, however I interpret Alucard as being… more decent?? than to form that kind of selfish obsession on someone without their being underlying baggage to their relationship (as is his history with the Hellsing line).

Ironically enough I think Alucard is too scrupulous to put all his tragedies and emotional burdens at someone else’s feet.

Either way, if not music, I’m not certain what their fixation would be. Most likely some form of occult knowledge? Or perhaps successfully running the organization itself.

I wonder how Alucard could deceive Integra though. Perhaps it’s the fact that upon her ascension she realizes that a vampire has been governing the Hellsing organization from the shadows for all those years since Van Helsing died. (Which if we’re swapping out the Opera House for Hellsing, could be a thing that happened)

I don’t know, there’s a lot of ways to go about mashing Phantom and Hellsing together.

Lovecraft + Phantom of the Opera + House of Leaves+ Hellsing = I have no idea what I’m doing anymore.

Here’s some stuff I’d include in a fic:

Arthur lives until Integra is twenty, all that time he is in charge of the organization. Although he is always withdrawn, a little sickly, and white around the eyes.

The catacombs of the opera house can be the Hellsing manor subbasements. Alucard has been locked away for three long decades. The years are incomprehensible at this point, stretching out into something quite close to an eternity.

No he’s never been released from his cell since then, but the many years of silence and solitude have made him powerful in a different way.

He is part of the basements, the mansion, the organization itself. The walls breathe with him, not a soul passes the threshold without his notice. To some extent, he’s forgotten what it is to be a person, instead of simply an extension of the shadows.

Arthur is very secretive about his duties, even as his health declines and it becomes clear they must begin thinking of succession. He mutters about demons, of monsters, and hellfire.

There is a room, on the ground floor, nestled away to the side, with the best view of the gardens. No one is allowed there. This is our box five.

The drapes are tightly drawn, but from a few cracks Integra’s been able to make out a desk and old, worn journals.

Every two weeks, Walter may go in for twenty minutes exactly, to clean without disturbing anything. Only Walter, no other staff.

When Integra asked, he told her it was once Van Helsing’s study. It is where he kept all his arcane knowledge, where he wrote out his correspondences, where he was found dead one early morning. But that was decades ago.

Arthur himself never sets foot in the place. Integra wonders if it’s out of grief. He talks about his father often, with both disdain and reverence.

During the last year, Richard comes to live with them. To be with his brother, he says. To look after his niece. He’d execute his attempted coup a tad more gracefully; after all why kill your opponent when instead you can discredit her?

When she was younger, Integra caught her reflection grinning back at her. She told her father about it, asked him why the deepest recesses of the mansion drum like a beating heart.

Arthur’s smile froze on his face. After a moment he told her, in the forced cheerful tone one uses with children, that there were spirits watching over the house, watching over them.

“Like angels?” Little Integra had said.

And her father nodded indulgently, even as he called Walter in to have every mirror on the property covered.

She is not so naive, by the time Arthur dies. Even through her grief, she sees how Richard is making himself oh so comfortable at the manor. How his smile is sickly sweet, and the way he’s trying to set himself up as her “protector.”

During the viewing, Integra stares at her father’s cold, still body and it’s like the breath’s been stolen from her lungs. She does not weep, but she is empty.

She’s not sure she cares to challenge Richard’s silly games. Let him have the organization and it’s haunted legacy.

Integra dreams she is walking along a beach. Icy water laps at her ankles with each step. There’s a figure amidst the rocks, playing a violin. And when he looks up, he wears her father’s face but his eyes are unfamiliar.

“What are you doing here, little bird?”

“I’d ask you the same thing,” she said. “Who are you?“

“I’m no one.”

She does not remember the rest of that dream.

Richard laughs when Walter explains about the study to him. First when it’s presented as his dead brother’s wishes, then even more so when Walter claims a supernatural bent to the precaution.

However, Integra is the heir, and it is her house. She will not see her father’s wishes disrespected before he’s even cold in the ground— no matter how eccentric those wishes may be.

She gives the study key to Walter and instructs him to continue as before.

Integra is looking over the old ledgers, the first time she hears the voice. No that’s a lie. She’s heard it before, this is the first time she acknowledges it.

Her father had been rather free with government funding, it seems he didn’t see much of a distinction between business and pleasure. (She shudders at the thought of an audit) At least he had been meticulous about recording his expenses.

She goes through years of accounts, and very suddenly the extravagant spending stops. Somehow Walter’s modest budgeting is so much worse.

She’s brushing away silent tears when she hears it. The voice is muted and distant, hardly discernible. She decides to follow it.

Hellsing manor has always been a strange place, where shadows flicker in the periphery and invisible hands claw at the windows.

Integra knows this. She’s been taught to ignore it.

She isn’t sure what compels her— recklessness or grief or anger but she follows the voice, down two flights of stairs and closed off staff quarters, to the forgotten basement door that leads into an even deeper section of the mansion.

There’s a strange indescribable shift, as she senses a consciousness focus on her. Something old and long slumbering, shaking off layers of dust and disuse.

Her father had told her the basement was walled off, that the door was sealed. Bricked shut, never to be opened again

It stands ajar, inviting her inside.

Any other day, Integra thinks she would have turned back. But this time she trails down into the bowels of her home.

Somehow— she thinks there is a trick involved, a few passages did not lead where they should have— she reaches a room that she just knows is a perfect mirror of Van Helsing’s study, even if she never set foot in the place herself.

On some level she knows it probably isn’t real. But she’s determined to figure out what this thing is that slumbers beneath the manor. She’ll indulge these games to see what’s behind it all.

There is someone waiting for her. Maybe something. It’s just a silhouette, with ever shifting edges. Blurred movements, darkness barely given form.

“What are you?” she asks this time. And she knows somehow, this is the man from the dream. This is the voice she’s heard from the shadows.

He doesn’t respond. Just looks at her. When she nears him he seems to reform. To take shape into something more resembling a person. But she realizes she can’t make out a face. Any face at all.

#lol this is old but I thought Id dust it off and post #hellsing #hellsing ultimate #alucard #integra #arthur hellsing #richard #au corner #phantom of the opera #i ramble sometimes #*writer's cap*#all the bendy punctuations #a mysterious stranger has appeared #(I think I might have posted the lit analysis bit before but it was meant to be part of the scenario listicle #)#long post #headcanons #meta #tbd at some point

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guylty · 5 years

Text

Have you got your tickets for UV locked down? Maybe you are like me – tickets bought but not all other details finalised. Priorities, right? The most important consideration is to make sure we get to see RA on stage. Flight? Accommodation? Can be dealt with later. On the latter, I’ve had a few questions bts about hotel recommendations. Now, I do not want to presume better local knowledge than all the English/British fans. However, as a frequent visitor, and particular while I was still working for my London client, I was put up in hotel accommodation on many occasions. In that sense, I may have seen more London hotels than our actual London-based fan sisters *waves at Hariclea and tinyclanger and anyone else whom I am shamefully overlooking here* and can possibly make some recommendations.

A quick note on location and transport

My collection of Oyster Cards. Yes, I’ve had to buy several because I stupidly left mine at home… They give you a little wallet for safe-keeping when you buy yours.

All hotels are fairly centrally located – if you are a walker and do not mind 45 minutes walking, they would even be in walking distance of the city centre of London. Transport, on the whole, is not a problem in London. The tube is never far away. I recommend you buy a so-called Oyster Card upon arrival in London. This is a commuter card that you load credit onto. You can buy it at any (larger) tube station (ticket counter). You can get the £10 deposit back when you return the card before you leave London. You charge your card via the ticket machines located in every tube station. Paying for the tube is via flashing the card at the gates for entry and exit. A display at the gates will always tell you how much money you have left on your card. An Oyster card is a must, even if you only stay for three days. The difference in price between buying single tickets and using your automatic card credit, is significant: A single journey will set you back £4.90 whereas the Oyster card is £2.40!!! Also, the Oyster card has an automatic cap. That means you will pay a maximum of £8.20 (zones 1-3) versus single journeys or a daily travel card at £13.10 (zones 1-4)!!!

However, the best tip when it comes to London public transport, I received from local Hariclea: Bus fares are much cheaper than the tube. A single journey will set you back only £1.50. The daily cap for Oyster Card here is £4.50. So if you can, take the bus. Or walk, that is *my* personal tip. For a long time on my travels to London, I did everything by tube, thinking that London was a huge city and everything was very far apart. It took me 3 years to realise that Piccadilly Circus was only 250 meters away from Leicester Square! Doh. So make use of Google Maps and walk. You will be rewarded with a fantastic view of the city, too, because London treats you to a journey through all architectural ages in almost every street.

Fleet Street. From Tudor half-timbers to 1920s in 500 meters

Guylty’s Hotel Insights

I’ll give you a little review of all the hotels I have stayed at in the last four years. A caveat at the beginning. At least half of them were paid for by my client – and they didn’t skimp. I would not have paid £350 for a hotel room myself. My budget – even while still employed by them – would usually not stretch to that. However, I am including it here, too. Who knows, maybe you have a significant birthday/anniversary, or you want to treat yourself to an extraordinary London experience. Or maybe you just appreciate a lovely boutique hotel, just like I do. Where possible, I will add my own pictures – and occasionally even videos – for a little more insight into the hotel. Links to the hotel website under the name. In no particular order…

Pop!Thoza sneaks up on breakfast

The Rookery – my absolute favourite, but the above mentioned luxury option. Located in Farringdon, opposite Smithfield Market – a boutique hotel completely furnished with antiques and with every room looking different. Close to two tube stations, near the Barbican centre, too. It really looks like the photos on the website – or in my videos. Yep, I have three of them, just because the hotel was so beautiful, I had to document it every time. But I’ll only bore you with one of them. (If you want to you can see the other two if you click on my name on the video below!) This hotel has beautiful common rooms but no breakfast room. So if you want dinner, you need to eat elsewhere. Breakfast is available – but only served in your room. However, it was not any more expensive than in other hotels, and at the same time so good that I always set the alarm for two hours early so I could have long, leisurely breakfast in my fluffy bed before I went to work.

https://vimeo.com/133549399

Purple light show. Not sure what mood *that* is…

Citizen M in Southwark (Bankside) is completely at the opposite end of the style spectrum. Ultramodern hotel. Every room has a kingsize bed (no single rooms available) and lots of tech gimmicks. Has a fantastic entertainment offer with wide screen TVs in every room. You can operate different lighting scenarios with an iPad in the room, and the blinds are automatically adjusted depending on whether you have set the room settings on “romantic” or “business” 🤣. Located behind the Tate Modern, but still very central. I loved this place and stayed there a couple of times privately, too – my son called it the “cyber hotel” and specifically asked me to book us in there when I gave him a trip to London as a gift. He (age 18 then) even shared the kingsize bed with me – that was the price for being in the cyber hotel… Buffet style breakfast is available in the hotels bar area. I loved the cool style and design of this hotel.

The Park Plaza County Hall is also situate d on the Southern bank of the Thames. I was upgraded to a suite there – with a separate sitting room and a small kitchenette. Comfortable, modern, light-filled rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows. The kitchenette would be really useful if staying for a few days and trying to budget a little bit because eating out in London is expensive. It doesn’t mean you have to cook – but just having a fridge for a pint of milk for your cornflakes in the morning, would already save you a good bit of money. I did like this one very much and remember making a little video – can’t find it anymore, unfortunately. It is part of the Radisson chain, so good quality.

I slept on top bed – wanted the “young” feel

Z Hotel City Another very modern hotel, centrally located in Fleet Street. The rooms are very modern, but also fairly small. I had a room that was billed as a “family” room with two double beds. But even though the room was tiny, they solved the problem really well: One double bed was like an enclosed alcove (fitted with a big TV) while the second double was built on top of the alcove and you accessed it via small steps. The second double also had a TV screen. The drawback was that the hotel did not offer breakfast, and even though it operated a café next door, it did not provide a discount to residents. However, as you can see from the photo, this kind of room would really lend itself to sharing if you are coming with a friend. Share the costs – still get privacy. And style, too.

No real vines, that’s the graffiti on the wall!!

The Malmaison on Charterhouse Square. Another boutique hotel in Farringdon (like the Rookery above) (near Barbican), located on beautiful Charterhouse Square where you get London at its historic best: There is the eponymous Charterhouse from the 14th century, then there is Georgian architecture, the Victorian hotel building, and an Art Deco block of flats (which was used as location for Hercule Poirot’s flat in the Poirot TV series with David Suchet). Every room differently decorated – modern eclectic. The rooms were small but beautiful and all decorated differently. The first time I stayed there, I had an “inside” room with a kind of blind window into a lightwell. The room had really funky decoration with a graffiti-sprayed wall. Breakfast was not included but available in the basement restaurant – really nice, though.

Glimpse of room on the right. Bathroom had massive dimensions. Wheelchair compatible

The Premier Inn County Hall is probably on the affordable end of the scale. Centrally located, directly behind the London Eye and more or less directly on the banks of the Thames. The rooms were not particularly cosy or original, but clean, light and big. Probably more on the practical side. Prices are pretty good for London – and for the location. Breakfast available in the hotel – nothing special, but good price.

You can see what I had for breakfast

The Marlin Aparthotel was an affordable option when I took my mum to London last year. This hotel is fairly well connected, just behind Waterloo Station. In walking distance of the Old Vic Theatre and Westminster on the other side of the Thames. The rooms were bright and modern – and they came with a kitchenette. We ate breakfast in our own room every day and saved on another tenner for meals that way. This hotel is easily accessible by bus – which will also get transport costs down…

Lastly, The Grange Strathmore Hotel is the last hotel I stayed in when in London in April this year. The building is the former residence of the Earl of Strathmore (the Queen Mother’s father), and as such an imposing Victorian residence in a very pretty part of London. The room was small and looked out onto the mews at the back. Kensington is a very nice area for walking and looking at the grand white townhouses, but it’s not as central as the other hotels listed above. Also, I didn’t find the transport options quite as close as the other hotels.

So, here is an overview of the hotels and their relative location. It’s an interactive map – you can click on the markers and see which hotel it is.

That’s it for my own experience with hotels in central London. As I said – not necessarily the cheapest *thanks to my former employers*. I am sure there are other, if not better options available. If anyone has some recommendations, please add them in the comments! And for further questions – I’m delighted if I can answer, although I am sure that the resident Londoners are probably better equipped than I am.

Leaving you with a little London Lucas for good measure.

Notes on Staying in London Have you got your tickets for UV locked down? Maybe you are like me - tickets bought but not all other details finalised.

#fandom love

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asoftervirge · 5 years

Text

between the salt water and the sea strands

RATING: PG, may increase as the story goes on PAIRINGS: R. Sanders/P. Sanders (main); T. Sanders/OMC (mentioned)

FIC WARNINGS/KINKS: Drinking, Near Death, mentions of drowning FIC SUMMARY: Roman, a young sea captain, is rescued by a mysterious person

TAGLIST: @backatthebein, @levy-the-b00kw0rm, @ierindoodles, @rosesandstuff, @notveryglittery, @patchworkofstars (if anybody else wishes to be tagged, please let me know!)

CLICK HERE IF YOU READ IT ON AO3 INSTEAD!

“And we’ll roll the old chariot along, we’ll roll the old chariot along, we’ll roll the old chariot along and we’ll all hang on be-hind~”

Roman smiled as he listened to his crew finish their shanty before clanking their tankards loudly and raising them to the high heavens, then laughing jovially as they spilled beer and ale onto the deck of the ship. He didn’t mind it of course, as he had his fair share of being a sloppy drunk and spilling everywhere. Besides, the ship’s deck also had her taste of sea water, blood, and fish guts, so a drunken sailors’ mess is just something else that makes her unique.

The young man made his way to the front of the ship, gracefully maneuvering around the swaying sailors that are mere seconds away from collapsing, gazing out at the view in front of him. The night’s sky was black and dark gray with no stars twinkling amidst its thick clouds, while the water that surrounded the ship was a eerie mix of dark green and blue. With how beautiful it was, it was hard to tell where the sky ended and the sea began.

He inhaled deeply, taking in the smell of salty water and feeling the cold wind blow harshly in his face, then exhaled slowly opening his eyes as he did so (which he didn’t even know were closed in the first place).

“Lovely, isn’t Logan?” he asked the mysterious person walking up to him from behind. He knew it was Logan due to how loud his footsteps were against the deck. That, and Logan wasn’t much of a drinker of ales and beers, stuck-up wine connoisseur.

“In seascapes and literature? Yes. But actually going out on a sea-faring travel? I’ll pass, thank you.”

Roman pouted. “You’re just a ripe old fuddy-duddy, aren’t you?”

Logan pondered that thoughtfully. “No. More like, someone who’d rather not become a victim of the sea’s cruelty and become feast to the creatures that call her their home.”

“In other words, a fuddy-duddy.”

“To each his own, I suppose.”

Roman groaned and dragged Logan closer to him. “Look at her, Logan! How can you call her cruel? She may be a wild thing, but she still as her moments of peacefulness!”

“And we have yet to see that since we left earlier this afternoon,” Logan reminds him, completely focusing his attention on un-wrinkling his sleeve rather than at the sight of the sea in front of him. “Remind me again, why we’re still out here? You know what your Father said—”

“That I shouldn’t be out at sea when it’s dark and dreadful out,” Roman mocked while rolling his eyes which, in turn, made Logan roll his. “Listen, we’re not that far off from port—”

“Nearly 20 nautical miles.”

“—My men are happy—”

“Because they’re drunk to the gills with beer and singing shanties.”

“—So why not enjoy the sea just a little while longer?”

“Firstly, a storm is on the horizon, so it would be best to sail back to port now. Secondly, I don’t understand how you became a thalassophile in the first place. You always liked riding your horse across the mountains, yet you suddenly develop a love for the sea a few years ago. How is that?”

(Truth be told, Logan knew the answer, and Roman knew he knew the answer.)

Roman had always loved the sea. Ever since he was a child, he always called the sea his second home. He loved her personality, her energy, the way she caressed the shore of the beach on her good days, and raged with fury on her bad. The way she stretched on for miles and miles. Empty, open, free. He loved the feeling of the wind blowing in his hair, the salty spray on his face, the sound of the waves lapping against the side of his ship and crashing in his ears.

He’d grown up in the capital city of Alexandria, which was also the largest port town in the country. You would think as someone who grew up near the sea, he would eventually get tired of it, but he never did. He didn’t have the heart to, his love of the sea remained to this very day.

His father Thomas was an actor in a theatre troupe, while his papa Alejandro was a sea merchant and a sailor. Whenever his papa came home from his travels, he would always tell little Roman story after story about what life was like on the sea, the places he had sailed to, and the people he had met during his trades. It would always bring a excited sparkle to the boy’s eyes, proudly declaring that he wanted to travel the sea with his Papa one day.

Unfortunately, that day never came because Alejandro was killed in an unexpected pirate raid when Roman was a small child. While Thomas wanted to forbid his son from going out onto sea, that only increased his desires. He couldn’t stand being so close to his calling, yet he wasn’t able to answer her. From morning to night he could hear sing beckoning to him, yearning for him to control her tempestuous nature and explore her mysterious, adventure-bound waters.

(And bless Poseidon, Amphitrite, Triton, and any other deity of the sea that gave him that opportunity.)

Being from a sea port town, he was used to having the occasional visit from pirates, usually making trades or wanting to get smashed at the drinking house, rarely did the town get pillaged due to it’s importance in sea trading, but that doesn’t stop pirates from being idiots.

One night, Roman and his boyhood friend and future navigator, Logan Faraday, found a young pirate captain swindling the residents out of coin and weapons, along with any other trinket they happened to have bet on. That, was when Roman decided to strike. He decided that he was going to challenge the captain to a bet; this time, through a coin toss. The rules where simple: if Roman won, he’d take the captain’s ship. If the the captain won, he’d take Roman’s most prized possession, a necklace that his papa gave him before he died.

Roman chose heads, the pirate captain chose tails. The coin landed on tails, yet it was Roman that was the real winner.

(Let me explain, both Roman and Logan noticed the captain cheating during all of his challenges. With Logan’s knowledge, and Roman’s papa teaching him about pirates and gambling, they were able to figure out the captain’s trick. Even one as petty as swapping a real coin for a fake.)

(With a chill and humbled smile, the captain surrendered his ship to Roman. Turns out that the young pirate captain was secretly hoping someone would notice his cheating so he could give up his life as a pirate. Wasn’t all that fun for him anymore. Fortunately, he managed to find fun with his handsome, sellsword of a husband.)

And that, was how The Crimson Prince was born.

“You do happen to know The Salt-Water Poems and Ballads, by any chance?” Roman asked after a long period of silence.

Logan quickly snapped his head towards him, the redoing of his cufflinks coming to a screeching halt. “You mean the book of seafaring and maritime history poems by John Masefield?” he asked, making sure he heard Roman right. Once his friend nodded, he only guffawed (not that he would admit that) and exclaimed, “Of course I do! It is, after all, the only poetry book you’ve ever read in your life.”

Roman rolled his eyes. “Then you know what I’m going to recite.” he tells him, standing proudly now, pretending to hold a tankard in one hand and gesturing to the sea in the other as he begins to quote:

“I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,

And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by; And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song and the white sail’s shaking, And a grey mist on the sea’s face, and a grey dawn breaking.”

Logan sat down, not actually caring about how dirty his clothing will get, and propped an elbow on one of his knees, resting his chin in his palm. He couldn’t help but shake his head fondly because even if he’s heard Roman recite this poem hundreds of times over the years, he secretly loves hearing Roman loudly proclaiming his love for Mother Nature’s cruelest mistress.

“I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied; And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying, And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.”

Logan gave a miniature applause when Roman finishing reciting (even if he intentionally leaves out the third verse). Roman smiled and bowed dramatically, laughing heartily as he helped Logan to his feet.

The sea was his home; she loved him and his father as they loved her. If there was ever a life he lived where it didn’t involve the sea, it wasn’t a life worth living.

A flash of light suddenly made the sky glow for a second and Logan grew worried. For as much as Roman loved to talk about the sea’s beauty, he knew she held as much fury as she did serenity. Logan knew her wrath as well as her comforts, her storms as well as her gentle waves, and he knew to fear the darkening of the skies above and the enlivening of the water below.

He knew to avoid the sea’s wrath— and he knew how hard it was to escape it.

“Roman,” he began calmly, not wanting to raise alarm in his friend and captain. “Now do you believe me when I say we should head back to port?”

Roman nodded. “You’re right.” he said, quickly making his way back to the ship’s helm. “Alright men, enough lollygagging! Get sober quickly and raise the anchor, we’re retreating to shore!”

Soon, rain began to fall across the deck in sheets of freezing cold, and violent waves tossed the ship from side to side; Roman shivered as he clung to the ship’s wheel to keep from tipping the boat over, his knuckles stark-white as he desperately tried to steer out of the raging storm. Logan stood to his side, snapping rapid-fire commands to the crew below, his grim face illuminated by the lightning crackling above and his sharp voice carrying over the deafening rumbles of thunder.

Roman shoved his dripping hair from his face and grit his teeth, yanking the wheel to the side. The ship rocked dizzyingly beneath him as the ocean battered it from below with all her might.

Crack, boom!

He whirled around, a desperate cry tearing from his lips as lightning suddenly slammed into the deck, sending his crewmates, his family, flying. The rain fell but did nothing to stop the flames the lightning left behind, growing bigger and more monstrous with every inch of Roman’s ship they devoured. As the embers flew and the heat licked at Roman, he turned and gripped the wheel once more, desperate to steer them out, to save them…but it was too late.

The water filled his lungs the moment he fell beneath, and though he chocked and struggled, he couldn’t find the surface in the midst of the chaos, couldn’t escape the darkness and the whirling, churning waves. The sea engulfed him at all sides, sending him tumbling, and darkness crept at the edge of his mind as the sea dragged him below.

He’d always known he belonged at sea, and now, like his Papa before him, he was coming home.

When Roman finally regained consciousness, his head hurt and lungs burned from the salt water he coughed up, he heard a singing voice. A singing voice that sounded like it belonged to an angel, hymnal and otherworldly, but he couldn’t understand any of the words. He considered it to be one of the most beautiful voices he had ever heard. He blinked wearily, the high sun shining directly in his eyes, wanting to see who the enchanting song belonged to.

Vaguely, he could see the silhouette of his savior’s face, the sun illuminating around their face, almost like they were carrying a halo. Due to this, he first believed them to be Papa coming to take him to the Great Kingdom in the Sky (he wouldn’t have minded that if he was honest). He gave them a gentle, appreciative smile, but before he could uttered a word of thanks or even a question as to who they were, they disappeared.

“W-Wait! P-Please!” Roman’s voice was raspy and it broke a little when he called out to them. He began pushing himself upward, ignoring both his head and body aches as he tried to stop the person from leaving. When he had fallen into the ocean, he was certain he was sinking to his grave, but here he was, still alive and breathing. All thanks to this mysterious savior who wished to remain just that, a mystery.

When he was finally able to sit up completely and all sunspots had left his vision, they were gone, no sign of them whatsoever. He frowned as he began to look around, wondering where they’ve gone.

For a few moments, Roman was afraid he imagined the entire scenario…but here was no way he could’ve come up with something that creative, could he? But if he did…why did their sweet voice and warm touch continue to linger in his mind. Why did it seem so realistic?

The young captain’s overthinking was soon interrupted by another voice calling out to him, followed by the loud crunching of footsteps on the sand.

“Roman!” the familiar voice yelled. “Thank the Gods you’re alright! We thought you’d died!”

A pair of hands carefully grabbed his shoulders as their form came into his field of vision. As soon as Roman was able to fully recognize their face, an enormous sense of relief washed over him as he let out a shaky breath.

“Logan,” he whispered hopefully, becoming overwhelmed with emotion. When he was thrown off the ship, one of the other thoughts that flooded his mind (aside from his Father and Papa) was Logan; how his beloved friend and navigator was also to meet a watery grave because of his pride and stubbornness. “I…I’m so sorry!”

“Shh,” Logan soothed softly, his voice strangely calm and gentle. Even if it went against his usually cool demeanor, he pulled Roman into a protective embrace. One that showed that everything was alright, and that he was alive and feeling Logan’s warmth encompassing him. “We believe you drowned. Some of our crew tried to aid you, but the currents were too strong. How did you manage to swim against them, surely your nose and lungs would’ve been filled with water.”

“Someone…someone saved my life.”

“Oh?” Logan asked, voice tinged with curiosity as he looked around the cove. “If so, then where are they? And how did they manage such a feat?”

“I don’t know…they’ve gone.”

“I’m sorry?”

“They’ve gone,” Roman repeated. “I woke up to the most gorgeous singing I’ve ever heard— what it was, I don’t know since I couldn’t translate the words— and then I saw them, or almost saw them, but then…they were gone…”

“Roman, I’m sorry but that doesn’t make much sense.” Logan tells him. “Are you sure you weren't hallucinating?"

“Logan, you— you have to understand I’m not making this up!” the young captain protested strongly, glaring at his friend with firm eyes. “I saw them, I heard them! I know they’re real!”

“You nearly died from drowning. It’s quite common for seafarers to have hallucinations, especially when they’ve nearly drank themselves to oblivion." Logan placated, resting the back of his hand on his friend’s forehead. "You also know that we’ve heard similar stories at the bars we’ve been to, sailors saying they’ve been saved by mysterious folk to draw in a crowd.”

Roman growled and violently shook his head to the point where another wave of pain rushed to him. He wasn’t even drinking on the ship, Logan knew that! And why would he make something like this up?! He was known to tell an exaggerative story, but nothing of this scale and grandeur.

This person, angel, whomever, was real! The vague, sweet-looking face, the angelic voice, the feeling of soft skin lightly brushing against his own. It couldn’t have been a hallucination, Roman was convinced of that.

Where had they gone when he tried to thank them? How could they have disappeared so suddenly and without a trace? Who were they? Maybe it was Papa, Roman thought with a sad chuckle.

But if it was Papa, he would’ve known; he would’ve called Roman “his little hijo del mar” and affirm that “the seas have called us home”; he would’ve sung to him in a deep voice, rich with passionate experience, not light with a calm gentleness; and he would’ve held a guiding hand and led him to the Heavens. So who was it that saved his life?

“Come, Roman. Let me take you home. I’m sure Thomas is worried sick about you.” Logan wrapped his arm around his friend’s waist, leading him back to port. After a few moments of trying to convince Logan his story was true (and the navigator remained in denial), Roman begrudgingly ceased his protests and allowed himself to be lead home.

#Sanders Sides #Sanders Sides AU #Roman Sanders #Logan Sanders #Patton Sanders #Royality #between the salt water and the sea strands

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ironwoman359 · 6 years

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Ok, I’m gonna say something. I don’t even know if it's entirely necessary to say or not, but it’s kinda been bothering me lately, so I’m gonna say it anyway, if only to scratch my own personal itch about the subject. (and btw, this isn’t in response to any particular post or anything, I’ve been sitting on this draft for about two days now, trying to word what I think about it just right, so please don’t take my intentions to be calling out any individuals or anything like that. In fact, I wouldn’t even say this is a call out, it’s more like me offering my opinion, but I digress.)

So...Deceit.

Deceit has been in all of two videos. Canonically, we know very little about him. We know that he’s “an inner coach who acts with the one goal of self preservation,” we know that he (apparently) always has to be engaging in some sort of deception or lie (my thoughts about how that works are at the end of this post if you’re curious), we know that he’s a slimey boi who to the best of our knowledge doesn’t actually excrete slime (also we know that his scales are actual scales, not makeup, due to Logan referring to them as such), and we know he’s a total drama queen (did you see his outfit?) who likes to make musical theatre puns. Honestly, not a lot to go on for the sake of fan depictions.

So where am I going with this?

Let. People. Write. Deceit. How. They. Want. To.

Some people write Deceit as a horrible, horrible person. They write him as an abusive bastard and has done things to Virgil and the others that make my skin crawl. There is nothing redeemable about those characterizations....and that is okay. It’s okay to write Deceit as a completely unredeemable villain. Those characters are important to have, for a variety of reasons, and until now there was no easy way to have that type of character in canonverse without making up an oc, which not everyone wants to do. We have a villain now, a real actual villain, not an “I’m not always the bad guy” morally gray character like Anxiety. Let people explore what they want to explore with real, canon characters without calling them out on “demonizing Deceit” or writing ooc. It’s fanfiction. It’s okay if it’s ooc. Because you know what else is ooc?

Fluffy, cutesy, doesn’t mean any harm, really, soft boi Deceit.

Also not canon. Also an okay character to write. Some people want to write Deceit as misunderstood, or as someone who’s trying his best but gets it wrong a lot, and is slowly coming around. That is also perfectly okay to write and explore. There’s a reason we have the ‘sympathetic deceit’ tag. Deceit fluff is a thing, and I’m not gonna lie, it’s really cute. Some people just wanna draw a cute snake boi.

I dunno, I just feel like people are feeling they need to do either or...that they must either love or hate Deceit, that he must either be utterly despicable or completely redeemable. None of that is true.

I have written both a villainous Deceit and a fluffy Deceit. I have read fics where he is an awful person, fics where he’s a begrudging or blossoming member of the famILY, and I have read fics where he’s somewhere in-between (particularly human AUs, there’s so many directions you could take him). I have enjoyed all of them. I appreciate the varied takes on the character. Because it’s fanfiction. It’s okay to write characters ooc in fanfiction if it suits your story.

Heck, I’m writing a story where (minor spoilers for Our Own Villain chapters 3 and 4...) Roman literally locks Virgil in a dungeon in his room and sends out his entire army to hunt down Logan and Patton, but no one has said that I’m bad for writing Roman that way, in fact, I’ve gotten nothing but positive response to a villain!Roman. And the Pride!Roman has been met with resounding applause in this fandom (as it should, cause that idea is epic and the designs of him are so cool and creative). So why is writing Deceit ooc different?

Because both of those versions, the horrific abuser and adorable blep....they’re both fanon. Deceit’s actions in the canon are not redeemable...but it’s possible for his purpose to be. There are times when lying is the correct choice in a scenario, the episode even went over that, but it still does not excuse his behavior in the episode. Because while trying to convince Thomas to do things his way, he was manipulative. He played off of the others’ hopes and fears to get what he wanted, and he dressed himself up (literally) as a friend, so that they’d be more likely to listen. That is manipulative behavior, and honestly it’s not that far of a stretch to imagine him being an emotional manipulator/abuser, and it’s also not that much of a leap to take a character from emotional abuser to physical abuser.

So while that may not be canon, I (personally at least) find it to be perfectly within reason for fanon, and that is perfectly valid, just as fanoning Deceit to less bad than in canon is valid. The problem is we don’t have a lot of canon to go off of in the first place, so people get particularly attached to their fanon versions of Deceit. And it’s okay to be attached to your fanon, just remember that none of the views of Deceit outside of the actual (limited) canon are ““correct.”” Don’t confuse canon with fanon, but don’t be surprised if someone else’s interpretation of Deceit is different than yours, and please don’t let that be something that you get upset or defensive over. Just...I dunno, let everyone exist. Tag your Deceit content, tag your Sympathetic Deceit content, and just let people write/draw/think whatever fanon about Deceit they want to...even as we learn more canon info about him, that doesn’t make the fanon traits any less valid.

Oh, and as a side note (pun not intended but wildly accepted) let’s stop pitting Sleep and Deceit against each other? It’s okay to like Sleep/Remy more than Deceit, even though he’s not a side, it’s okay to fanon Remy into the same universe as the sides, even though canonically he’s not in the same universe as them, just as it’s okay if you like Deceit more than Remy/Sleep. Let’s just not, you know, pit the characters (who aren’t even technically in the same universe) against each other and insist that one or the other is more deserving of love/hate or whatever. I dunno, I just see people do that sometimes and it bothers me. Like, they’re both good characters guys, let’s just enjoy them.

Anyway, I’ve been rambling awhile and I don’t know if I’m making sense, but I felt like saying that. Resume your scrolling at your leisure <3

#taylor talks #fanders #sanders sides #deceit sanders #remy sanders #sleep sanders #sympathetic deceit #long post

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melisettastudies · 6 years

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How I finished my first year of law school with a first - Starting law school advice (pt 1)

Soooo...I’ve been spending the past few days replying to people on all platforms asking for advice on starting Law at university so I thought I’d give my experience and methods on how I finished my first year of university with a First (which like the top grade for people who don’t understand the system). It’s a long post but I’m going to include FAQs and my top tips. (Ps: I’m in my second year of university now)

FAQs:

1) I didn’t study law at A-level, am I at a disadvantage?

Fun Fact, I actually went to Medical school for a week before deciding it was too much for me, meaning my A-levels were centred around science and medicine. This meant I started Law school having no experience in ‘essay based’ subjects such as Law. I had to completely adapt and adjust my way of learning and from experience was at no disadvantage to my peers who had studied law. If anything, I noticed my teachers preferred it when students have no law knowledge, so they can start Uni level content without needing to dwell on the difference between A-level and Degree level content (obviously, at A-level law wouldn’t be in as much detail as it would be at a Degree level).

So no, you wouldn’t be at a disadvantage, and no matter what you studied before starting uni, you just need to be able to transfer the skills you picked up during your pre-uni studies to your degree. Plus, many people wouldn’t have studied law at A-level, at least, I haven’t met many anyway.

2) What is the difference between a lecture and a seminar?

This one is pretty easy to explain. A lecture is when there are hundreds of people in a big lecture theatre having the teacher explaining the content and teaching the syllabus. I’m not sure at other unis but at mine, you don’t really get to ask many questions during lectures because they’re not long but this may vary from one university to the other. So generally, a lecture is where you learn the information from a professor. A seminar is much smaller, more like a normal classroom where you will be applying your knowledge; this will be where you are likely to be trying exam questions and problem questions and this is where you get to ask all your questions.

3) Will I have any time to socialise?

YESSSSS!!! The legal profession is a veeeeeery social one; you will be attending things like law fairs and events where you will be meeting lawyers, judges and other important people (known as Networking events) where you need to be able to charm them and make them know your name. If you’re looking at becoming a lawyer of any kind, you need connections especially for after graduation, and this means loooooots of networking events, lots of parties and dinners and lots of socialising. Your studies, if managed well, will not hinder you from having a social life with your friends, and you need that aspect to help you with the professional side of things (awesome right?!). Fun Fact: I managed to get work experience from having won over a Barrister at a Networking event; and if they ask for your Linked In at any fairs, you make sure they get your username! That social networking site is a Godsend when you need to learn about someone or want to gather everything about yourself.

4) How do I make notes?

I will be making a whole post about how I personally take notes, but briefly, it is all trial and error until you find what works for you. Some chapters will be a lot more content heavy, others can be summarised in bullet points; it’s all a matter of figuring it out as you go.

As for whether you type or hand write your notes that’s totally up to you, I do both so I have the information multiple times: First I type full notes (which I sell, meaning if you need motivation, just remember you can make money off your notes that’s enough to motivate me soooo...). Next, I type summaries, then I hand-write the chapter summarised further (which is my favourite part because I can make those pretty notes that you see on here). I do like to also make flashcards, but I tend to do that closer to assessments or between chapters (so I’ll finish Chapter 1 and start Chapter 2, midway, I’ll review my knowledge on Chapter 1 and make pretty flashcards.

All of this sounds really long, but I promise, as long as you work efficiently, it’s actually manageable plus I do everything as I go along - I will also be making a post on this in more detail soon too :D.

5) Aside from studies, what else should I do during law school?

Well, the only thing I want to put emphasis on here, is that whilst law school is supposed to be enjoyable, and you are supposed to have some fun, it is important to work hard so that you can find a job after you graduate...

The legal profession is suuuuuuper competitive, it’s not enough to just get a first anymore, you do need to have a CV that stands out from all the rest. My top tips:

Get work experience - apply to things like Pro-Bono, help at the Citizen’s Advice Bureau, shadow lawyers, attend court hearings, etc. Experience is absolutely crucial in the field!

If you speak another language, GET A QUALIFICATION IN IT! - I know 7 languages, and as such, I have done 3 A-levels in 3 languages and the rest, I did an equivalent qualification through my uni. This is important as you have something of substance to show to employers when you come to apply for a job and mention this skill. It really makes you stand out, even if it’s a single language and it’s SUPER helpful if like me, you want to work internationally. If you don’t know another language, move onto the next bullet point:

If you don’t speak another language, you can learn one OR Pick your strongest skill and capitalise on it! - this means, if you’re good at a sport, join a team and show dedication, these things count when impressing employers, they’ll see you as a team player with discipline and that ALWAYS looks super appealing. It’s super useful if you are able to show why your skill should be appreciated in the career (for example: if your experience/skill is to be an awesome cashier, you can say you’ve dealt with embarrassing situations like a rejected card, which gave you the skill of knowing how to handle these scenarios SO, when you have a customer, and they have something they are ashamed of or uncomfortable to discuss, you know what to do. See? easy peasy.)

So, that’s enough FAQs, now onto my top tips:

PREPARE FOR YOUR LECTURES AND SEMINARS - do NOT be the student that can’t contribute, you will not get enough out of those lessons.

If there’s consolidation work, DO IT! - it really helps you understand where you’re confused and what you need to work on.

Don’t study for longer than 30 mins at a time with 5-15 minute breaks - Law requires a lot of reading, which means a lot of eye strain, crouching and very little movement.

Do yoga - as the above bullet point highlights, you need to stretch your limbs, back and neck, otherwise you’ll be in a lot of pain. Also, stretch your wrists, you’ll save yourself a lot of pain.

Exercise - maintaining a healthy lifestyle means you’ll have energy and power to keep going. Even just 15 minutes of active time a day really helps relieve some stress.

Remember that nobody is perfect, you can’t maintain a constant perfect studious attitude and should never put that sort of pressure on yourself. Balance is everything. (i’ll also be discussing my experience with mental health in my first year at law school and how I dealt with depression and anxiety).

Drink water - I know, it’s a cliche, but it’s actually important because you’ll be reading so much, you increase the likelihood of a headache if you’re dehydrated, so keep hydrated kids!

Never, ever feel bad for sharing your successes - if you’re proud of something you’ve achieved share it! just stay humble, and don’t rub it in people’s faces.

have a diary and carry a notebook with you at all times - track meetings, notes and to do lists to make sure you’re on top of everything.

Wake up earlier - I wake up at 5am and get some work done, but if you wake up earlier, you have more time to wake up slowly, and not stress yourself from the morning. Take time to do your makeup or hair, take time to meditate or exercise or read, or even do work, but start your day slowly and not rushing around getting things done.

and finally, please please PLEASE remember to actually make time for yourself, make night time routine where you take time to do a skincare routine or wind-down time or simply lounge around and watch Netflix. If you know you have the time to do this, you’re less likely to procrastinate!

Enjoy law school guys, it’s actually an amazing experience with pretty cool people!

- Mel x

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