#no offense to anyone with just a high school science background

[jojotichakorn]

ok , like one person asked ( thanks @jinkister ) , and believe me i don’t need to be begged to speak about whatever bullshit of the day i thought of . so , let’s talk about why i think an engineering major is such a common choice for characters in thai dramas ( as well as why it’s not an accidental choice , and why it makes complete sense ) . there is a tl;dr at the end , if you just want the gist of it .

there are three parts to this , and they work soundly to create this overwhelming amount of engineering students .

part 1 : lichrally just statistics

you know what the three of the most popular fields of study are in thailand ? dentistry , nursery and - you guessed it - engineering . if you go to thailand ( or come out of the house if you’re already there ) and survey fifty random people on the street , a big percentage of them will be engineering students . there are a lot of them in real life as well !

part 2 : no requirements - no problems 

let’s be honest , anyone can be an engineering student . a lot of other majors require something , while you literally don’t need to be or do or want anything specific to be an engineering student . 

take for example 2gether . tine is a law student and sarawat is a political science student . * insert laugh track here * no , but seriously . no offense , but you’ll have better chances of winning a case with no lawyer at all , if someone is suggesting tine should defend you in court . and it’s easier to imagine a bear on a bicycle than sarawat being a politician . both these majors ( and future careers ) require certain personality traits , certain actions , certain views . and sure , sometimes people are forced to study something they don’t want by their parents or whatnot , but that’s something the writer needs to mention and get into in order for the majors to make sense . and why waste time on that , when they can have a major that doesn’t need an explanation ?

or remember any business major we’ve had . it’s tine from love by chance , it’s phu from oxygen , it’s dean from until we meet again - they all have something in common . they are either an asshole or have the demeanor of an asshole , and/or are very rich . once again , this traps a character in certain circumstances that need to be met in order for the character to make sense . and unless the writer’s idea of this character’s personality lines up with this stereotype of the major , there is no reason to bend over backwards including it and defying the stereotype , when the writer can use a major that allows them to choose whatever they want for their character , no strings attached .

and then if we take something like 2moons ( as well as 2moons2 and gen y , jesus christ how many adaptation does that novel have ? ) , we have a few medical students there . and them studying , passing exams , not seeing their friends and/or partners for days because of school is an actual thing that happens more than once . why ? because you can get away with not studying too hard , if you are studying anything , but medicine . if you are a medical student and you are not fucking dying studying , you are not going to be a medical student for long . this can obviously work in favor of the story if the writer specifically decides on their characters being medical students and wants to add everything that comes with it to their story , and use it to its advantage . but if they are just planning to put their characters in a university setting because it’s very flexible and can fit pretty much any story into it , they need to find an undemanding major for them , so they could do anything at all with them .

and engineering ? lichrally doesn’t demand anything , my guy . name one stereotype about engineering students , or one thing they all have in common . you can’t think of anything , because there isn’t anything .

part 3 : what do they do ? no really , what do they do ?

listen , engineering must have something to do with math . i know it does . do they like ,,, work with graphs and shit ? idk , maybe ? IDK WHAT THEY DO , OK ? NO ONE DOES . NO ONE CARES .

if you look at a lot of other majors , you know what they do and what they are experts at . for example , i am a linguistics student . so you can assume i know languages . and you’d be right - i know two fluently , i am in the process of learning a third and i know bits and pieces of some others . languages are a big part of my life . if someone is an art student , it’s obvious they are good at drawing / sculpting / whatever artsy thing and it’s a big part of their life . same goes for music students and singing / playing instruments / whatever musical thing , etc. etc. this is likely to come up . it’s realistic for these things to come up quite often in that person’s life . which means the writer has to include them in the story , if they want it to be immersive and realistic . 

now , you look at engineering students and think “ well , i guess this one must be good at math “ . does math ever come up in real life ? no , certainly not the kind they are working with . high school lied to you , ok ? math doesn’t matter , it’s bullshit . the only way you can maybe use math in your day-to-day life is to count something simple like money , and i’m pretty sure studying engineering doesn’t constitute counting simple numbers without a calculator . it has no effect on real life , certainly not on situations that would be shown in a romantic drama . therefore , unlike so many other majors , it once again has very little effect on the story .

tl;dr engineering is the only major that is 1) statistically one of the three most common majors in thailand , 2) can be realistically chosen by a person with any sort of personality and background and 3) doesn’t affect regular every-day situations . all of this allows a character the writer is creating to be absolutely anything they want , with no expectations , explanations or restrictions .

#archer speaks

[janetbrown711]

“I ask myself what did I do to get as far as I’ve gotten…”

Evelyn Covey had practically planned out her life for the next couple of years. Sure, she was just in seventh grade, but that meant she was close to highschool, which is close to college, which is close to the rest of her life, and soon enough she’ll be dead. Planning everything out in her life hadn’t been her first idea, but her mom and dad insisted she and Eric plan things out. After all, they were heirs to a pretty large fortune, they had to be careful what they did. 

Basically, Evelyn planned to be head of the yearbook committee in middle school so she’d easily climb up the ladder in high school to be head by, at the earliest, sophomore year, then become head of the student council by at least junior year. Senior year would be more reasonable but, as her mother put it, “my children are exceptional, not reasonable”. She would also be head of the dance team and become a master of point ballet so she’d be several years ahead of her class by the time she gets into Julliard and before she knows it she’s Prima Ballerina just like her mother. Also, at some point soon she was supposed to start dating, but only rich boys that were approved of by her mother. 

Along the way, she was supposed to make friends with powerful people’s children and use them to her advantage. For the most part, Evelyn was good at that, with a few exceptions (Odette Jefferson, for one). Evelyn had a pretty tight squad and was pretty well-liked, and she was even cool with Eric and his sporty guy friends who were supposed to help him with his future. 

However, there was one friend that was completely unpredicted and probably a liability in the eyes of her mother, and her name was Hazel. 

Evelyn had no idea what really drew her to Hazel. She was the cousin of one of her dad’s business partners (and a very powerful one at that, but for reasons beyond Evelyn’s knowledge, she and Eric weren’t close to) but she knew she definitely wasn’t rich like Selena. She was nervous and kinda dorky. She always wore a scrunchie with a messy curly ponytail. She was naturally beautiful, which was all the odder as Hazel didn’t even seem to notice it. In fact, Hazel seemed to always be hiding in a sweater of some sort. Needless to say, Hazel was nothing that Evelyn was used to. Maybe that was it...

She knew that her mom would probably not approve of their friendship, but after the fall formal dance, Evelyn found herself hanging out with Hazel more and more. They didn’t have the same lunch, but Evelyn would find her after school and they’d chat for a little bit, and Evelyn sat near Hazel whenever possible during science and PE. She knew it was suspicious, especially to her friends, but Hazel was just... enticing. 

Her smile, her eyes, her laugh, the way she drummed her fingers on her desk when she was thinking, the way she would just ramble on and on until she caught herself... she was... 

Evelyn thought Hazel was cute, but she didn’t admit that to herself often. It didn’t matter, she had ‘the plan’ to think about. Grades, friendships, eventual relationships, her whole future couldn’t fall apart because Evelyn thought maybe that one girl was kinda cute. 

However, despite the little warning voice inside her head, she had invited Hazel and her cousin (Hazel never went anywhere without Selena) to her and Eric’s 13th birthday party. If anyone asked, Evelyn would say Selena was the daughter and future heiress of Louie Inc. and despite not being big in the social circles, she was still important and her cousin was just a tag along. Eric knew better, of course, but her friends (and more importantly, her mother) bought it. 

Anyway, that was how she got to the present moment; at her house eating pizza with her group of friends- plus Eric and Selena- with Hazel in the corner on Evelyn’s window seat, reading something on her phone, and the rest of her friends gossiping and playing games while also posting to Duckigram.  

“Enjoying the party?” Evelyn asked, taking a bite of her pizza. 

“O-oh yeah! Totally!” Hazel blushed and laughed. “J-just a little tired is all.”

“I get it,” Evelyn gave her a smile, which seemed to relax her. “Selena’s kinda a natural, I didn’t expect her to click with all my friends that well, since she doesn’t really know them and all,” Evelyn commented. 

“Oh yeah, she’s very amicable like that,” Hazel nodded. “She just chooses not to get involved in popularity contests- n- no offense or anything-!” Hazel bit her tongue. 

“No, it’s cool, I get it,” Evelyn chuckled. “I get a little tired of it too sometimes, but I find my own ways to cope.” Hazel nodded in tired agreement. 

“Here- you wanna go outside?” Evelyn stood and set down her plate on a nightstand. 

“Y-you wanna leave the party?” Hazel glanced over at Evelyn’s friends. 

“Psh, they’ll be fine. We’ll breathe just for a minute, it’ll be fun,” Evelyn offered her hand. When Hazel glanced at it, she realized how stupid the gesture was and was about to pull away when Hazel took it and Evelyn helped her up. The two snuck out of the room and eventually made their way to the balcony. The night air had done exactly what Evelyn had hoped, Hazel seeming to relax in an instant. 

“This is pretty cool,” Hazel said, remarking on the fairy lights wrapping around the ledge, giving the balcony a nice soft glow. 

“Thanks,” Evelyn said, going to the rail and leaning on it. Hazel joined her. 

“You can practically see all of Duckburg from here,” She said, eyes shining like diamonds as she looked out. 

“Yep yep,” Evelyn found herself lacking anything else to say, so she just took a deep breath. 

“Are you okay?” Hazel asked, which made Evelyn blush a little. 

“Yeah, I’m just a little more tired than I realized,” She chuckled. 

“I feel you,” Hazel nodded. 

“You know, I think you should consider yourself lucky that you weren’t born into all this. There’s so much politics involved in every single friendship and party, it’s honestly one big headache,” Evelyn rubbed her arms and leaned more on the ledge. “I can’t even count the number of times I’ve just sat and wondered what the heck I’ve ever done to get as far as I’ve gotten... It’s hard to tell what’s real and what isn’t.”

“W-well I’m sure it’s not all bad. I mean, you do have a lot of friends. That’s nice,” Hazel said. 

“It’s hard to tell if they’re genuine or not though. A lot of my friends were simply formed because of our parents,” Evelyn said. “Not you though! You’re a lot different than most of my friends.”

“What do you mean?” Hazel questioned. 

“Not in a bad way-! I-i mean... you’re actually pretty cool. I choose you to be my friend, you know?” Evelyn cursed internally. Hazel smiled a little. 

“T-thanks. You’re pretty cool too,” Hazel said. Evelyn felt her heart give a flutter. 

“Thanks,” She smiled. They looked at each other for quite the moment, before returning their gaze to the city. Evelyn took a sip of her soda.

“You know... you’re really pretty. Have you ever been told that?” Evelyn asked, realizing it was a pretty stupid question to ask someone only after she said it. 

“I mean- outside of my dad and great aunt and uncle and Selena? No, not really,” She said, scratching the back of her neck. 

“It’s true, you’re really... really pretty,” Evelyn glanced at Hazel, but their eyes met, and they went back. 

“Thanks,” Hazel smiled more. “You’re really pretty too.”

Evelyn felt her heart do a summersault. 

“Th-thanks,” She said, turning her face away as she felt herself become a blushing mess. 

There was a moment of silence between the two, minus the ambiance of the night and the background music of the party not too far away. However, it wasn’t unbearable, in fact, it was relaxing. Just two girls enjoying each other's company on a cool Friday night... 

“Evelyn..?” Hazel asked. 

“Yes?” Evelyn responded, turning to her. 

“Y-you don’t... I-i mean... Do you...? I-...” Hazel couldn’t get the words out. 

“What do you mean?” Evelyn tilted her head a little. Hazel glanced at her before shaking her head. 

“N-nevermind. Forget I asked anything,” Hazel shook her head. Evelyn decided it was probably best she didn’t push and left it at that, taking another sip of her soda. 

“You know... I’ve never really been to a birthday party outside of my family,” Hazel said. 

“Oh?” Evelyn said. 

“Yeah... and I know that sounds a little stupid, but... I’m not the best at making friends... so... I just want you to know... I appreciate you. A lot,” Hazel said, facing Evelyn. 

“I appreciate you too Hazel,” Evelyn said, suddenly aware of how close they were. She looked into Hazel’s eyes and Hazel looked right back. 

“Y-yeah... I get really shy and quiet around people, a-and you’ve really helped me reach out and grow, even if it’s j-just a little. I never would’ve dreamed of this last year,” Hazel said, leaning in a little.

“You’re really cool Hazel, I’m lucky to know you,” Evelyn replied. Hazel blushed a little. 

Just then, Evelyn closed her eyes, leaned in, and kissed her.  

To her surprise, it felt good. Really good. It was better than any kiss Evelyn had ever had before. Those countless dares she had taken with her friends were nothing compared to this.

However, right after the moment passed, both girl’s eyes snapped right open, and they jumped away from each other in shock. 

“H-hazel- I-”

“Hey, Evelyn, where’ve you- oh hey Hazel. What’s going on here?” Eric appeared on the balcony door right on time. Hazel turned away. 

“Nothing much,” Evelyn cleared her throat to quickly get a grip on herself, though her heart was pounding a thousand miles a minute. “We were just about to head back, right?” she said, turning to Hazel. 

“Y-yeah,” Hazel said, still not able to look at her. Evelyn’s smile fell. 

‘Great job Evelyn, you just screwed up the best friendship you’ve ever had,’ Evelyn facepalmed internally. Silently, the three of them went back to the party and Evelyn did her best to act like it didn’t happen. 

It wasn’t easy though, as a voice in the back of her mind kept screaming at her. 

‘You’re such an idiot. Hazel doesn’t like you like that! Now she hates you.’

‘You can’t like Hazel, this isn’t with the plan. Mom will totally kill you.’

‘What the hell is wrong with you?! Who kisses a person they barely know?’

‘You can’t risk your future like this.’

‘None of your friends would approve.’

‘How do you even know what love is? You’re thirteen. You can’t like someone like that, especially a girl.’

‘Mom is gonna kill you.’

‘That was a mistake.’

‘You’re such an idiot.’

Evelyn wished she could just turn her brain off. 

Eventually, Hazel asked if she and Selena could leave. Evelyn managed a nod, expecting that. They left not long after that, and it was safe to say the rest of the party felt like a waste. Evelyn’s mind was eating itself alive and she wished she could take back the whole thing. 

But Evelyn knew she couldn’t. Sooner or later... this was going to have to address itself again. The thought wasn’t comforting; it only got her thinking about how her friends and family would react, which filled her soul with dread. 

So for the present moment, it was a lot easier to deny the truth. She just... couldn’t risk what she had built; what she was going to build. She had her whole future, she couldn’t just... drive it all off the rails. Not right now. 

She was just confused... there wasn’t anything really there. And even if there were, it couldn’t be worth it... right? 

Evelyn took out her phone and gave Hazel a quick text. 

“I’m sorry for everything” and sighed. She hadn’t meant to screw this up so badly... 

Hazel read the text but didn’t respond. 

Evelyn pressed the phone against her forehead, cursing herself for being an idiot. 

Evelyn added: “We can pretend it never happened if you want”

Hazel started to type, but after a long moment, stopped. Eventually, she gave the message a thumbs up. Evelyn groaned internally. She hated this, she never wanted to make Hazel feel bad, and yet... she sighed. 

Then again... maybe it’d be easier this way. Evelyn could just move on and pretend it never happened. Their regular old friendship would return in no time and everything would be fine and as planned. Evelyn would just play the part she was always meant to, and she’d move on and everything would just be okay. After all, she was only 13, none of this meant anything. 

“Evelyn, you good?” Eric asked, noticing her worried looks. Evelyn glanced around to see if anyone was paying attention to her, which no one was. 

“I screwed up,” she sighed. “But I’ll fix it, it’ll be fine... it has to be,” she muttered the last part under her breath. Eric gave her a sympathetic look but didn’t push further than that, which was good. Evelyn wasn’t sure how well she’d be able to hide this from him. He was her twin after all. 

That didn’t change anything though. This whole... Hazel thing was against the plan, so Evelyn would just pretend it never happened, keep being her friend and move on. 

She had to.

#evelyn covey #eric covey #my fics #hazel duck #ducktales #dt ocs #gay fic #my ocs

[schrodingersauthorii]

Since I'm stuck at home doin' nothing until classes start, here is the 'best of' from my reading list.

'A Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir by Lady Trent'- Marie Brennan

Recommendation level: my mom liked it (she HATES sci-fi/ fantasy.)

Absolutely fantastic read. The title gives you the content and the vibe: it's DRAGONS from the perspective of a 1800s(?) lady scientist writing her memoir.

Deeeefffinately not for little eyes. No on-screen sex (but definitely allusions to it), but TW for: discussion of miscarriage, hunting/butchering of large animals, period typical fantasy racism/sexism/classism, major character death.

(disclaimer: not meant to be a complete list of all potentially triggering content)

'Howl's Moving Castle'- Diana Wynne Jones

Recommendation level: I have both a physical copy and a digital copy

Traditional(ish) high fantasy, but wonderfully whimsical without being saccharine. Sophie is my role model.

CLASSIC. Should be taught in middle/high school literature classes. Do not be scared of the release date: it's not at all dated.

The movie's fantastic and holds a special place in my heart, but. um. It's not really like the book.

Young lady gets cursed into an old lady, chases down a 'wicked' wizard's walking house only to discover he is, in fact, worse than wicked: a slovenly layabout. Oh, and it turns out she might have been sort of magical all along.

Nothing to warn about HMC that I can recall, but I'm in the middle of 'House of Many Ways'. And. The lubbock. I don't know exactly how to tag for that, but it DEFO NEEDS A WARNING. Stay tuned for updates. DO NOT read if you've got a thing about parasitic insects.

Updates: I’m 98% sure Diana Wynne Jones could have written an essay on carpet weaves and it would have toped the charts, her writting is just Good Like That, but I take MAJOR OFFENSE at the lobbocks. House of Many Ways actually feels far more dated than Howl’s Moving Castle because of them.

Lobbocks are an Always Evil species of purple, magical, parasitic insects. They reproduce by laying their eggs in people. Male victims just get eaten from the inside out, but females give birth to half-human lobbockins and THEN die. (MAJOR YIKES.) Lobbockins are also Always Evil. All the problems in House of Many Ways are cause by lobbocks and lobbockins and are instantly resolved by killing them all.

Cells At Work

Recomendation level: LOVE MY NICHE INTEREST WITH ME!!!

Anthroporphic cells working in the body to keep you alive. That is all.

I...really don’t think anyone can keep up without a solid anatomy/ physiology background. I couldn’t keep up with the anime and I have a goddamn Master’s in Biomedical Science. If you wanna learn, this is probably a decent memory tool. (Warning: does not go into sufficient depth to replace actual studying.)

Currently read: Vol. 1-2

Cells At Work: Code Black

Reccomendation level: I am so horrified, yet so intrigued

Cells At Work, but rated R. For everything.

If you have any anatomy/ physiology background, you no doubt went: “Cool concept, but won’t it be super disturbing if you extend the metaphor too far?” Yes. Yes it is. If the cancer episode in CAW freaked you out, just set the book down now. It gets much, much worse.

The 18+ rating is for everything. There’s typical “female character breasts boobily,” but also full on, uncensored, and unnecissary tiddy. For the cells. Why? Just why? Then drugs and alcohol- but mostly on physiology side, so? Not for kiddos? But it doesn’t hit like normal drug and alcohol content? Same with sex. The sperm cell design is just freakish, though.

Then violence and gore (worse than normal CAW.) Special shout out for canabalism on that front. Character (cell) death. Most of your cells don’t make it long even when your body works correctly, and CAW:CB pulls no punches there. Disturbing imagrey, and not in a cute Tim Burtony way. I am wholly and viscerally repelled by this series, but can’t stop reading.

Currently read: Vol. 1-3

#book recs #howl's moving castle #a natural history of dragons #cells at work #cells at work: code black

[winryofresembool]

Things We Lost in the Fire, ch 4

aka Caleo uni au

Fic summary: Calypso starts studying at a new university, but to her annoyance her new flatmate is a loud mouthed mechanic who also likes to sneak his dog in whenever. But as she learns to know him better, she realizes they might have more in common than what she first thought. Eventually, even the darkest secrets come out…

Chapter summary: Leo makes a deal with Piper and Jason.

A/N:  Time to introduce more characters! I'm currently reading The Burning Maze (yeah, wish me luck) so I'm not gonna lie, I'm feeling for Jason and Piper more than before and that will probably show in this fic too. But worry not, no body is dying in my story (yet). Anyways, I had a lot of fun with this chapter and Leo's pov and I hope it shows! As usual, thanks to the lovely Cris for noticing my silly mistakes! Feedback would be really loved as it's the only way for me to know what you guys think of this (and it really motivates me!)

Characters in this ch: Leo, Piper, Jason

Words: 2100+

Genre: romance & hurt/comfort (in the future chapters)

Warnings: none

previous chapter / next chapter / AO3

...

“You know, when you told me you’d be moving out of our flat, I didn’t realize you’d be switching our modest mancave to… basically a mansion.” Leo whistled. He was visiting Jason and his girlfriend Piper’s new home for the first time, only to find out that the place was a new two-floor, 5-bedroom house with a big yard and a garage. Leo knew Piper’s dad was a famous movie star but even so, he couldn’t help but be surprised by the size and the fanciness of the place.

“Yeah,” Jason agreed, ruffling his short, spiky hair awkwardly. He knew about Leo’s background, the part about no biological parents and having to live on the streets for weeks between different foster homes until the police finally picked him and made him go to another family. That’s why Jason didn’t like to make a big number of living in such a place and about the fact that both his and Piper’s dads were rich and well known. As a matter of fact, Jason has moved away from his childhood home already at 16, living with his sister Thalia and working after school to pay for his living because he didn’t get along with his father well. Having Piper’s dad fund the new place had not been an easy thing to swallow for him and Jason swore that once he had gotten a job, he would pay him back. “I told Piper’s dad that we’d be perfectly happy with something smaller, but he refused to listen,” he told Leo too.

“Must be pretty great to have a father like that,” Leo mumbled under his breath, and Jason didn’t miss the tone of his voice.

“I know what it sounds like, but believe me, both of us have had our own issues with our parents.” It wasn’t a lie. Jason’s mother had died of a severe illness when he was young, and his father had always expected him to take over his business when he got older. However, Jason had never wanted that, which led to a huge argument and his father telling him he’d disown him entirely if Jason didn’t listen to him. 

Piper’s dad again was almost never home, being busy with his work, and her mother had left her family when she was a young kid. Piper had visited her occasionally until her teenage years, but these days she only saw her about once a year. From what Piper had heard, she was constantly running after new men and busy with her beauty business. All that meant that Piper was basically raised by a nanny, and she was suspecting that her dad had gotten the house mainly out of regret. 

Either way, even though Jason and Piper’s experiences hadn’t been quite as traumatic as Leo’s, perhaps the problematic family backgrounds had been an important uniting factor for the three of them when they learned to know each other. It was also a big reason why Leo wasn’t actually bitter towards his friends about this new luxury. He knew they deserved to have good things in their lives after what they had gone through.

“Yeah, I know,” Leo replied to Jason. “Don’t worry man, I was just surprised, that’s all. Now you have some space to invite Uncle Leo over sometimes too, right?”

“As long as you remember to pull your head from your machine clouds sometimes,” Jason jabbed back. “It’s been a while since I’ve heard anything from you. How are things going?”

“Busy busy,” Leo answered. “You know, the usual: the profs being a huge pain in my ass, people lining up to get me to fix their things that in reality would take them like 3 minutes to fix and… oh, I have a new flatmate.”

“You do?” Jason asked curiously. “What’s he like?”

“First of all, she’s a she and it’s a long story so I’d prefer to tell it when Piper is hearing it too so I don’t have to tell it twice,” Leo said, so that Jason wouldn’t ask more questions. The blonde boy simply nodded and gestured towards the entrance of the house. After that he gave Leo a quick tour on the first floor. 

“You have this much space here and no workshop? Holy Hephaestus, dude, you need to sort out your priorities!” Leo exclaimed once he had seen most of it. 

“Hephaestus? That’s a new one,” Jason said with amusement. 

“Yeah, well… my new flatmate is into Greek mythology… and Hephaestus is the god of blacksmiths… so that’s kinda cool,” Leo explained as nonchalantly as possible. 

 “Yeah, but did you really pay attention to the mythology lessons? I thought you only care about sciences and handicrafts,” Jason pointed out.

“Fine, you got me. Everything I know about Greek mythology is through my childhood nanny.” Jason couldn’t help but snort at that. 

Leo had to admit he was rather impressed by what he had seen even though the house was still lacking a workshop. Besides, Jason had already promised the guest room would be open for him any time he wanted, which was an offer he would definitely be using soon enough.

“Hi, Leo!” a brown haired girl greeted him happily as soon as he reached the living room. 

“Pipes, hi!” Leo greeted back, throwing her a high five as was their usual habit every time they met. “Would your dad be willing to buy me a place too so I could move away from that old, dusty building?”

“He’s a nice guy, Leo, but he has his limits too,” Piper noted, knowing that Leo wasn’t asking seriously. “Trust me, Jason and I don’t like owing him either. But I thought you liked it in your current flat? What’s the issue?”

“I guess it just isn’t quite the same without you guys hanging out there all the time,” Leo shrugged. “And my new flatmate seems to think after 10 PM is not an appropriate time to fix people’s machines. Go figure.”

“Yeah, why would anyone want to sleep at night?” Piper replied sarcastically but then smiled at him. “So, you do have a new flatmate?”

“Yeah,” Leo nodded, not elaborating more.

Jason couldn’t help but tease a bit: “And it’s a girl and he refused to tell me anything about her.”

“Oh,” Piper said, a curious gleaming in her eyes, “Is that so, Leo?”

Leo punched Jason on his bicep, which however only made him laugh. “Your boyfriend here is changing facts. I only told him that I’d like to tell the full story when you’re hearing it too because I don’t care about going through it any more times than necessary.”

“You’re being quite grumpy about it, though,” Jason retorted. “C’mon, we’re curious.”

“Fine.” Leo sighed. “Her name is Calypso and she’s a history student,” he said simply.

“Wow, I feel I basically know her already,” Piper replied sarcastically. “There must be something else too,” she urged with an encouraging tone that usually never failed to make Leo talk. “What about the long story?”

Suddenly Leo blurted the whole story from their meeting to her cold attitude to Festus breaking Calypso’s desk and to him fixing it and finally cracking her shell a bit. Not much, Leo felt, but at least she greeted him now when they were in the common area at the same time and didn’t seem quite as angry at him anymore. She had even smiled at him the other day. Briefly. Leo tried to shake that thought out of his head. Damn it, why did he always have a thing for girls who were way out of his league (and who hated his guts)?

“Tough luck, man,” Jason said when Leo finished his story. “Maybe she will come around, though.”

Piper, who was very good at reading people’s emotions, though, reacted quite differently.

“Try to think about it from her point of view. She has, based on what you just said, just moved to a new town where she knows no one, and then the first person she meets was – don’t take this as an offense - maybe a bit different than what she expected and then he also breaks what little she owns… I’d probably be pissed off too. So instead of firing back – if she’s still angry – you could try a different approach. You know, actually being nice to her and not making jokes at inappropriate moments.”

Leo frowned. “Hey! It wasn’t like I was intentionally trying to be rude or break anything! I did apologize and fix the desk! She just makes it so easy to be snarky sometimes…”

“Have you really tried to get to know her, though?” Piper asked. “She could be happy if you showed some actual interest in her.”

Leo blushed a bit at the word ‘interest’. “I’m really not so sure about that… To me she seems the happiest when I just let her be.”

“But you’re gonna live together for a while, you can’t just avoid her forever,” Piper pointed out.

“I hate it when you’re right, beauty queen,” Leo rolled his eyes at her. Jason decided to change the topic.

“Hey, how about a card game? If Leo wins, we’ll let you withdraw into your tinkering cave for one more week. If you lose, then we are challenging you to talk to her within the next 24 hours.”

“Sounds like a pretty unfair deal,” Leo muttered. “But knowing you guys you won’t be giving me a choice. However, if I win, I demand to get to live here from next Friday to Sunday, free food and foot massages included.”

“I’m not gonna touch your dirty feet!” Jason protested.

“But if I’m gonna have to talk to her either way, I feel it’s a fair deal.” Leo grinned as if he had won already. 

“Alright. You can spend here even a whole week if you want and we will buy your food BUT we are not gonna massage your feet,” Piper tried to compromise.

“Bummer. I was really looking forward to that. But fine, I’ll accept the deal.” Leo shook both Piper and Jason’s hands to seal it. “Now, let me show you what a real card master can do!”

…

Leo turned out to be an amazing card mixer (his hands always fiddled with something so he had definitely practiced card mixing too) and a good strategist (his main strategy was trying to distract his opponents with bad jokes) but Piper and Jason weren’t bad either. After playing for over 30 minutes, the winner still hadn’t been decided so the trio decided to go all in, the next round would decide the winner.

Piper dealt the cards this time, Leo and Jason taking theirs. A wild grin spreading to Leo’s face when he checked his cards.

“Woah. Sorry, Grace, but I’m afraid I won this game.”

“Is that so, Valdez?” Jason asked, rather confidently as well. Leo glanced at him with confusion only for a moment before he smashed his cards on the table.

“Quads!” he exclaimed happily as he spread the cards on the table for the others to see. Jason’s mouth twitched.

“Not bad, Repair Boy,” the blonde boy said, using the nickname Piper had come up with. “But I’m afraid that won’t win this.”

He showed his cards, revealing five hearts, numbers 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8. Leo’s face paled a bit and the grin disappeared.

“Straight flush! That’s impossible!” he yelped.

“It’s not!” Piper said. “But don’t worry, I think this is a win for both of us. We don’t have to buy your food and you get to stop being stubborn a bit faster. C’mon, this could be a good thing. You might have formed your opinion on her too fast.”

“Hmmph. But fine. I’ll talk to her. Tomorrow. Today, my pride has been wounded.”

Jason and Piper both muffled their giggles. Not much later, Leo decided to go home as he supposedly had homework to finish (in reality, he had already finished his physics exercises in class while bored of listening to the professor talk about something that was way too obvious to him) but the other two knew he was simply making excuses. When Leo had decided he didn’t want to do something, it was /really/ hard to get him to do it, because he was that stubborn. And clearly talking with that girl was one of those things.

Once Jason and Piper had waved Leo goodbye and watched him strut farther on the road, Piper asked quietly: “Should we have told him that the dealer may have been a bit partial and she’s also good at card tricks?”

“Nah, let him think it was a fair game. Otherwise we’ll never hear the end of it.”

“Yeah, you’re right there,” Piper admitted and the two burst into laughter.

#caleo #leo valdez #calypso #heroes of olympus #percy jackson and the olympians #trials of apollo #jason grace #piper mclean #my fics #caleo uni au

[cas-kingdom]

i was extremely bored so found this 105-question questionnaire and filled it out. you guys can do it too if you want!

 1) Are you in a relationship with somebody? No.

2) Do you hate more than 3 people? Probably.

3) How many houses have you lived in? 4.

4) Favorite candy bar? Crunchie! (That’s honeycomb and chocolate heaven for those of you who don’t own the luxury of having them in your country).

5) Favorite shoes? Nike.

6) Have you ever tripped someone? Oh, yes.

7) Least favorite school subject? Science, unless it’s biology, which isn’t so bad.

9) Do you own a Britney Spears CD? No.

10) Have you ever thrown up in public? Yes. I was 8, in school, and threw up in front of my class. So fun. Really, it was my parents’ fault for sending me in despite me saying I felt sick; they thought I was trying to get a day off school because my sister was ill, too. Sucks to be wrong.

11) Name one thing that is always on your mind. A lot.

12) Favorite genre of music? Probably pop. Whatever Take That is.

13) What is your zodiac sign? Pisces.

14) What time were you born? 9:06 am.

15) Do you like beer? There’s a dark berry one I don’t mind, but I don’t drink much alcohol.

16) Ever made a prank phone call? Yep.

17) What is the most embarrassing CD you own? I don’t own any CDs tbh. 

18) Are you sarcastic? Of course not. (That was sarcasm).

19) What are your favorite colors? Blue and yellow! 

20) How many watches do you own? I have a few, though only one proper one which I wear most days, but it’s an expensive one.

21) Summer or winter? Winter. The sun gives me headaches.

23) Favorite color to wear? Black or white with blue denim. (I’m boring).

24) Pepsi or Sprite? Sprite.

25) What color is your cell phone? Silver and white.

26) Where is your second home? Ireland! 

27) Have you ever slapped someone? Not that I can remember. I’d like to, though. ;)

28) Have you ever had a cavity? Yes, but only recently, weirdly enough.

29) How many lamps are in your bedroom? 2. Are you supposed to have any more than that?

30) How many video games do you own? No clue. Apart from Sims 3 & 4, Minecraft which I bought when I was like 11 and haven’t played in years, and tons of old Nintendo games…. Yep. No idea!

31) What was your first pet? Poppy, my black and white cat. My parents adopted her before I was born and she was put down when I was 13. She lived to be over 20!

32) Ever had braces? Yep. Currently have them now which sucks because the treatment will probably be set back now that my next appointment has been delayed over 3 months due to the virus!

33) Do looks matter? Someone’s looks become a little less attractive to me if their personality isn’t just as beautiful. (How sappy?)

34) Do you use chapstick? After I brush my teeth because my lips get dry. ;(

35) Name 3 teachers from your High School. Mrs Drake, Mr Cherry (isn’t that an awesome name?) and Mr Romero.

36) American Eagle or Abercombie? I’m not American but I do visit and my Granma had an apartment in Florida so I have a few Abercrombie clothes.

37) Are you too forgiving? Probably, yes.

38) How many children do you want? 3. Twin boys and a little girl.

39) Do you own something from Hot Topic? Again, not American!

40) Favorite breakfast meal? Pain au chocolat!

41) Do you own a gun? There’s a water gun somewhere in my back garden.

42) Ever thought you were in love? Not with anybody who isn’t fictional.

43) When was the last time you cried? Uh, a few days ago?

44) What did you do 3 nights ago? I can’t even remember what I did last night.

45) Olive Garden? La Panera? Never been to either, though my sister and I will go to OG after lockdown’s over.

46) Have you ever called your teacher mommy? No, but I’ve called my science teacher Grandma (they have the same name). 

47) Have you ever been in a castle? I’ve been in loads!

48) Nicknames? A few. My best friend and I constantly call each other ‘Bitch’ and my Dad has called me ‘Monkey’ since I was born. I have it tattooed in his handwriting.

49) Do you know anyone named Bertha? Who knows someone called Bertha? (No offense if your name is Bertha).

50) Ever been to Kentucky? The only US states I’ve been to are Florida and NYC.

51) Do you own something from Banana Republic? No. Had to look up what it was. Thought it was a crazy Government party.

52) Are you thinking about somebody right now? Alexander Skarsgard. Why? Who knows. (We all know).

53) Have you ever called someone Boo? No, but I’ve been called it.

55) Do you own a diamond ring? No, but my mum and sister own a few (passed down from my Granma).

56) Are you happy with your life right now? I wish.

57) Do you dye your hair? A little. It’s a bit blonder that it is naturally.

58) Does anyone like you? Who knows?

59) What year were you born? 2000 and something....... maybe.

60) What were you doing in May of 1994? Rooting for my parents to meet and have me.

61) Do you own a Backstreet Boys CD? No.

62) McDonalds or Wendy's? Wendy’s. I hate McDonalds.

63) Do you like yourself? Sometimes.

64) Are you closer to your mother or father? Probably my mum, but that’s only because my dad and I are so alike we often find it difficult to speak about what I speak about with my mum. 

65) Favorite physical feature of the preferred sex? Oh, where do I start? Give me a guy with long-ish hair and we’re good to go.

66) Are you afraid of the dark? Sometimes.

67) Have you ever eaten paste? Like toothpaste? Probably accidentally.

68) Do you own a webcam? No.

69) Have you ever stripped? Not in front of anyone…

70) Ever broke a bone? 2. My shoulder and my tailbone. Both by falling off my horse. I know, I know.

72) Do you chat on AIM often? I don’t even know what that is.

73) Pringles or Lays? Never had Lays. My favourite crisp (or chip to you Americans) is paprika Pringles.

74) Have you ever broken someone's heart? I don’t think so.

75) Rugrats or Doug? Who what where?

76) Full House or The Brady Bunch? FULL HOUSE. Even if I’d watched The Brady Bunch, my go-to will always be Full House.

77) Did you like your high school guidance counselor? We don’t have those over here.

78) Has anyone ever called you fat? Don’t think so. I’m underweight so if they did they’d be an asshole or blind.

79) Do you have a birth mark? One on my thigh.

80) Do you own a car? I will after I learn to drive.

81) Can you cook? I can try.

82) 3 things that annoy you: Background noise when I’m trying to concentrate, people who think they know something when they don’t, those who think they can dictate my life for me... (among maaaany other things).

83) Do you text message often? Not really. I speak to my friends on social media.

84) Money or love? Love, but money is important, too.

85) Do you have any scars? A few. The most prominent one is on my forehead from when I ran into the corner of the oven door and tore a hole in my head. I was at my Granma’s at the time and she almost had a mini heart attack.

86) What do you want more than anything right now? To leave my house.

87) Do you enjoy scary movies? It’s my best friend and I’s go-to genre of movies when we’re together. Never alone, though.

88) Relationships or one night stands? Relationship. Please.

89) Big Red or Juicy Fruit? What on earth does this mean?

90) Do you enjoy greasy food? Not really.

91) Have you seen all the Rocky movies? Nope. None.

92) Do you own a box of crayons? Probably somewhere in my house.

94) Who was the last person that said they loved you? My dad.

95) Who was the last person that made you mad? My mum. Not ‘mad’ mad. Just upset and a little angry.

96) Who was the last person that made you cry? Refer to previous question.

97) Who was the last person that made you laugh? My parents when my dad almost had a heart attack when my mum pretended to throw the spider she’d caught at him.

98) Who was the last person that you fell for? My dog.

99) Who was the last person that instant messaged you? My best friend.

100) Who was the last person that called you? A woman about a job interview.

EXTRA QUESTIONS!!

101) Name one thing you want to stop. Right now? The Coronavirus.

102) What's your dream holiday destination? New Zealand and Iceland.

103) Who's your celebrity crush? I have too many to be considered healthy. But Hugh Jackman... I love you…

104) What's your favorite video game? Sims.

105) What's your favorite song right now? Probably Snowman by Isak Danielson. Forever my fave.

#get to know me #get to know the admin #me #text

[i-am-grell]

Here’s My Top 100 For 2018 From Spotify

And me trying to justify them! (Look, some are WIP-related, others are jams, some I really can’t explain I just got back into Glee for like a month at one point this year...) Here’s the playlist

1. From a Mountain In The Middle Of The Cabins - Panic! At The Disco

Look, I just love the bouncy piano and the tuba. You can never have a bad tuba.

2. The End. - My Chemical Romance

Goes along with Chapter 8 of my WIP, Interlude, because I’m mean

3. Blank Space - I Prevail

This also goes along with Interlude from Chapter 1 - 5

4. If It Means A Lot To You - A Day To Remember

This one goes with my WIP Blood Bound (This one isn’t posted anywhere) (specifically, book 5)

5. Disloyal Order of Water Buffaloes - Fall Out Boy

Another Blood Bound one (Book 7)

6. This Could Be Anywhere In The World - Alexisonfire

Interlude

7. The Curse of Curves - Cute is What We Aim For

This was going to be Interlude-related but got replaced. Still a banger

8. Disturbia - The Cab

The theme song of Dreavyn from my WIP Aaron Being Normal and if anyone has any tips on how to control a chaotic bisexual OC please let me know

9. Jumpsuit - Twenty One Pilots

Funky bass

10. MakeDamnSure - Taking Back Sunday

A theme for Trace from Aaron Being Normal (Won’t be extremely relevant until book 3 (also this was supposed to be a standalone...))

11. Miss Murder - AFI

Funky bass part 2

12. Fences - Paramore

Interlude again - A Selena Walton Theme Song.

13. The Sharpest Lives - My Chemical Romance

Interlude - A Morgan/Selena/Mostly Selena Theme. (Also, a banger)

14. Camisado - Panic! At The Disco

Interlude - How many hospital scenes can I fit into 1 WIP about depressed teens? (Turns out three; maybe four, technically)

15. My Heart I Surrender - I Prevail

Cole’s character song (Interlude) (Also romantic AF)

16. I Don’t Care - Fall Out Boy

Interlude. Also a Mood

17. Holiday/Boulevard of Broken Dreams - Green Day

Partially Interlude, partially because Holiday fucking slaps and BoBD is a classic

18. Ocean Avenue - Yellowcard

1/2 Interlude, 1/2 a Mood

19. I Don’t Wanna Be In Love (Dance Floor Anthem) - Good Charlotte

Dare I say, an aro-ace mood?

20. Check Yes, Juliet - We The Kings

I feel like half this playlist is just gonna be songs from the Interlude playlist...

21. Problematique - Hot Chelle Rae

Some funky bass, call and response, and fast rhyming - an ultimate jam

22. Postcards - Amber Pacific

Interlude playlist

23. Nico and The Niners - Twenty One Pilots

Look, I just really like Trench; it’s a good album

24. Demolition Lovers - My Chemical Romance

This is on the Interlude playlist but there’s such a Bonnie and Clyde feel to it, man...

25. Do You Know What I’m Seeing? - Panic! At The Disco

No. I don’t. Good song to dissociate to, though. I’m not good at instruments but good guitar/ukulele/whatever it is. Pleasant mood.

26. Rough Hands - Alexisonfire

Look, I’m trying to learn how to properly sing unclean parts (screamo parts) which will be absolutely shocking coming from a 5′2″ blonde girl; I need songs to practice to...

27. The Irony of Choking on a Lifesaver - All Time Low

Theme song to the Netflix adaptation of Interlude that plays in my head on repeat. Now if only I could actually finish writing the goddamn book...

28. Fat Lip - Sum 41

Interlude playlist, also listen to it and tell me you don’t hate everybody and this town

29. Say Anything (Else) - Cartel

I like singing the intro/chorus as sort of a vocal warm up...

30. Oh Well, Oh Well - Mayday Parade

Just a fucking MOOD my dudes

31. Whatever Happened To Saturday Night? - Glee Cast Version

No offense to Meat Loaf....but John Stamos... (Also Interlude (Travis) inspo) (Also I was really into Glee again earlier this year... Still haven’t actually watched past season 3...)

32. The Anthem - Good Charlotte

What I listen to when I consider dropping out and becoming a bog witch, but, like, a punk bog witch

33. Thunder - Boys Like Girls

Aaron Being Normal Inspo. The band’s name is ironic considering how Gay I make it...

34. Don’t You Know Who I Think I Am? - Fall Out Boy

I like singing this one when I’m drunk

35. I Don’t Love You - My Chemical Romance

Blood Bound (Book 2)

36. This Is Gospel - Panic! At The Disco

Blood Bound (Book 3)

37. Silver Bullet - Hawthorne Heights

Interlude Playlist

38. Weightless - All Time Low

MAYBE IT’S NOT MY WEEKEND BUT IT’S GONNA BE MY YEAR I scream to myself on a Tuesday

39. Who Do You Love - Marianas Trench

Have you ever looked up an a capella version of this one? Cuz yeah

40. Let The Flames Begin - Paramore

Anti-Depression, yet still Depressed Mood

41. Red Sam - Flyleaf

Depression Mood - also Interlude playlist

42. Jamie All Over - Mayday Parade

Interlude Playlist, and I think the Dreavyn playlist too... Look, it’s just a jam

43. Savior - Rise Against

Interlude Theme

44. Kiss Me, Kill Me - Mest

Another Interlude thing also a really good Selena x Morgan song

45. Hot To The Touch, Cold On The Inside - Fall Out Boy

Aaron Being Normal song also it’s about a hot pocket

46. Newport Living - Cute is What We Aim For

Interlude song that causes drama

47. Meant To Live - Switchfoot

Selena song - Interlude

48. Kill All Your Friends - My Chemical Romance

This is on the Interlude playlist purely because I’m Evil

49. You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid - The Offspring

On the Interlude playlist, also highly recommend blaring this through the hallways of your Catholic High School during lunch

50. Lights And Sounds - Yellowcard

Interlude Playlist also a banger

51. Angel With A Shotgun - The Cab

If this ain’t romantic as shit... Also it will make you wanna declare war on God Himself what a Mood

52. Somebody Told Me - The Killers

I’m not justifying why The Killer’s is on here I’m just shocked and appalled that Mr. Brightside has yet to make an appearance Spotify

53. Alright - Hot Chelle Rae

The English major inside of me wants to correct it to “all right” also Interlude epilogue Mood.

54. Changing - Saosin

Interlude Playlist

55. Bring Me To Life (Synthesis) - Evanescence

The Synthesis version is far superior and allows me to Properly showcase my Amy Lee impression

56. Headfirst Slide Into Cooperstown On A Bad Bed - Fall Out Boy

Along with J. Michael Tatum, Patrick Stump’s voice is My Religion - the first 23 seconds > The Beatles

57. Pas De Cheval - Panic! At The Disco

Sounds gallop-y

58. Be My Escape - Relient K

Interlude Mood/Theme

59. Science Fiction Double Feature - Glee Cast

Look, all Rocky Horror versions are great, even the Glee one...

60. Dear Maria, Count Me In - All Time Low

I like to sing this one when drunk

61. Stand - Flyleaf

Blood Bound (Final Book. End. Roll credits.)

62. I’d Do Anything - Simple Plan

A jam

63. Sweetness - Jimmy Eat World

The call-response, the spastic drums, damn boi, they’ve got it all

64. Say You Like Me - We The Kings

Catchy song, little fuckboi-ish if you really listen to the lyrics, but it’s not Baby It’s Cold Outside-bad???

65. AMBULANCE - My Chemical Romance

*Choir Ah-ing*, also an Interlude mood considering there are like 2 separate confirmed ambulance parts anyway...

66. crushcrushcrush - Paramore

Look me dead in the eye and tell me Hayley Williams didn’t put everything into her lyrics/singing here

67. Stay - Mayday Parade

Songs for when you’re heartbroken but to the point of dissociating while it rains outside, starting to storm, it starts out with just the grey pattering of a sheet of raindrops and soon the thunder starts to rumble with growing intensity and lightning splits the sky

68. There’s A Good Reason These Tables Are Numbered Honey, You Just Haven’t Thought Of It Yet - Panic! At The Disco

I am the victim of Dreavyn Hawthorne from my WIP Aaron Being Normal seriously if anyone can help me control a chaotic theatre bisexual...

69. Lyrical Lies - Cute is What We Aim For

This band’s lyrics are so fucking poetic it is Shakespeare to a guitar, y’all

70. Wilson (Expensive Mistakes) - Fall Out Boy

I always get like a falling slowly down one of those psychedelic tubes greenscreened into the background feeling at the intro but just like totally at peace falling, like kinda like listening to Ride by 21P type mood but then the chorus comes and it’s a jam

71. Backseat Serenade - All Time Low

Just a banger

72. My Own Worst Enemy - Lit

Look I don’t party too hard but when I do we go hard I was at a party on a Thursday night that didn’t end until the next morning no shit one guy I know did a kegstand before going to his English class

73. Come As You Are - Nirvana

Damn Kurt we miss you but you turned out some jams that no one can match

74. Traitor - Flyleaf

Blood Bound (Book 3)

75. Sadie Hawkins Dance - Relient K

The lyrics are so stupid but damn I love it

76. Poetically Pathetic - Amber Pacific

Did you mean literally 90% of my male OCs?

77. Saviour - LIGHTS

The first LIGHTS song I ever heard and I will defend my favourite singer until the day I die she’s Canadian like me, her family is ADORABLE, SHE is ADORABLE and I love her the end

78. Jersey - Mayday Parade

This goes with every WIP I’ve ever conceived and literally none of them are set in Jersey

79. The Middle - Jimmy Eat World

I feel like this song is just a universal mood but no one can explain exactly why

80. C’mon - Panic! At The Disco

Wholesome(TM)

81. Sunshine Riptide - Fall Out Boy

Interlude Playlist - I imagine Morgan singing it and that might end up happening in canon but idk yet...

82. Sweet Caroline - Neil Diamond

Easily in the top 3 Neil Diamond songs if not the top, fight me.

83. First Date - blink-182

Literally just such an adorable song, blink-182 is the best

84. Last Hope - Paramore

Mostly a Selena song (Interlude) but idk I’ve destroyed many OCs wills to live so

85. Black Sheep - Metric

@spotify please put the Brie Larson version from Scott Pilgrim vs. The World on your streaming service I’m begging you - a very gay

86. When You Were Young - The Killers

Good song, real jam, where’s Mr. Brightside, spotify, where is it????

87. Broken Hearts Parade - Good Charlotte

A certified bop

88. All I Want - A Day To Remember

A song for my greedier OCs who just want to stop being tortured but yknow what children life aint fair

89. The Kids From Yesterday - My Chemical Romance

Put this in any of my WIPs really...

90. Threshold - Sex Bob-Omb

Try to tell me the Scott Pilgrim vs. The World soundtrack isn’t lit

91. Sorrow - Flyleaf

Blood Bound (Book 3)

92. Stay Frosty Royal Milk Tea - Fall Out Boy

You know when you’re writing intense battles or going to get a tattoo and need a playlist of War Songs? This is like the first one on my War Songs playlist

93. Jesus Of Suburbia - Green Day

A staple in the punk rock genre

94. Neon Gravestones - Twenty One Pilots

Ngl I sobbed when I first heard this one so

95. Pressure - Paramore

Very vocal on the Interlude playlist

96. Starlight - Muse

I first got into Muse because it fueled Twilight but yknow what they’re still a damn good group and Supermassive Black Hole carried the baseball scene which was an astounding piece of cinema so

97. Sleepless in Phoenix - blessthefall

It’s literally just my favourite blessthefall song, fight me

98. Kids In The Dark - All Time Low

My mood for when my dad tells me “you’re 20 you should be able to figure it out” like excuse me for not learning how the entire world works the second I turned 18...

99. Don’t Threaten Me With A Good Time - Panic! At The Disco

Refer to My Own Worst Enemy. Add drugs. I’ve never done drugs but..

100. Feeling This - blink-182

*screams I’m Feeling This at regular intervals* (I have no explanation it’s just a BOP)

#music #spotify #spotify 2018 #top songs 2018 #playlist #spotify playlist

[marksburyscripts]

Season 1, Episode 7-- Reappearance

Google Doc

Content Warnings: -Past parental death -Cancer

[A local farm in Marksbury. Day.]

CHRISTINE

This place is nice.

VICTOR

Yeah. We used to take field trips here all the time when we were kids. Learn how to milk cows, how to plant seeds, all that stuff. If we came during the fall, we'd paint pumpkins. Elliot and I actually took horseback riding lessons here when we were eight. 

CHRISTINE

Oh yeah?

VICTOR 

Mhm. There was this one horse. Sierra was her name, if I remember correctly. She always gave everyone a hard time. Nothing dangerous, obviously, just not wanting to cooperate. Figure she must have been bored of a bunch of kids tugging on her reins all day. But Elliot, the moment he sat up there, it was like she'd known him her whole life. 

CHRISTINE

He sounds wonderful. 

VICTOR 

He was.

CHRISTINE

Do you have a picture of him? 

VICTOR

I… yeah. Here.

[There is a beat as he pulls up the photo]

CHRISTINE

And the one in the hockey shirt is Henry, I'm assuming? 

VICTOR

Yeah. This was right after one of his games senior year of high school. They won.

CHRISTINE

He's wearing your sweatshirt. 

VICTOR

Well-- Technically it's his. He let me keep it though, I…. I haven't really taken it off unless it was for laundry or to sleep, not since he…. [A breath] 

CHRISTINE

No, I get it. You all look really happy.

VICTOR

...I still don't understand it, you know.

CHRISTINE 

Understand what?

VICTOR

You. Clearly you're on… Erik's side, why bother with me?

CHRISTINE

I'm not on anyone's side. You know as well as I do that he has a tendency to get violent. If he decides that he wants to come after you, I might be the only person who can change his mind. It’s not a decision I made lightly, my fiance and I talked long and hard about it. Weighed all the pros and cons, the risks and benefits.

VICTOR

Hold on, you’re--

CHRISTINE

Mhm. He and I were childhood sweethearts. He proposed not long after I graduated.

VICTOR

Can’t imagine that went over well with your secret admirer.

CHRISTINE

No, it didn’t.

VICTOR

And so what? Your fiance is just… okay with you moving six hours away and keeping an eye on someone who’s basically a stranger so that your kidnapper doesn’t murder him?

CHRISTINE

In short? Yes. We trust the other can hold their own if things do go south. But honestly, I don’t think Raoul or I have to worry about Erik.

VICTOR

...So at the end of the day, you've decided that you're my bodyguard whether I like it or not.

CHRISTINE

It sounds better than "Friend with benefits".

VICTOR [He laughs] 

Now you just sound like Henry.

CHRISTINE 

Is that a good thing?

VICTOR

Yeah. Yeah, it is.

CHRISTINE

I'd love to meet him someday.

VICTOR

I’d have to check with him on that. Not sure he’d love the idea of….

CHRISTINE

My connections?

VICTOR

Exactly. It’s not that he’s a bad person or anything, he just--

[Very faintly, almost overlapping his words, there is a soft, nearly inaudible humming in the distance]

VICTOR (Cont.)

Did-- Did you hear that?

CHRISTINE

...Hear what?

VICTOR

...Nothing. Nothing, sorry.

CHRISTINE

...Are you okay?

VICTOR

I think we both know the answer to that.

CHRISTINE

You know what I mean. 

VICTOR

...Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine.

CHRISTINE

Can I ask you something?

VICTOR

I have a feeling you're going to find out the answer one way or another, so go for it.

CHRISTINE

What inspired you? What gave you the idea to--

VICTOR

To make a person, commit arson, and drop out of school?

CHRISTINE

A little more blunt than I was going for, but yes.

VICTOR

Yeah, no offense, but I'd rather not get into it.

[There are a few seconds of quiet as Victor debates whether or not to continue]

VICTOR (Cont.)

...My mom died. Cancer. I was seventeen, just a couple days out of high school. We'd always been close, so losing her, it… it was devastating. Not just for me, obviously. My dad, my sister…. My brother was five at the time, he didn't even really understand what was happening. That she was gone, that she wouldn't be coming back. Unless… she did. Unless she did come back.  I'd always had the interest in the subject. I already had theories, but they'd always been just that. Theories, curiosity. "Is this the secret to piercing through the veil that separates life and death?" Little more than a hypothetical. But after she died, that's when I decided it. That this would be my life's work, that I wouldn't rest until I found a way to see her again. But it-- it wasn’t just for me, it was for everyone. The entire world. Elliot, he lost both of his parents when he was five. What if-- What if-- What no other child had to go through that again? Imagine death not as a finality, but as nothing more than an inconvenience, an-- an unfortunate circumstance equal to a car breaking down. Irritating, perhaps a bit stressful. But something that could be fixed, life continuing on as usual before long. That was the vision I had, the future I’d dreamed of. I'd already been accepted at Ingleside, I would have access to everything I needed there. Tools, chemicals, even cadavers. All that was left was the work, the dedication, and the perfect storm. Of course, I couldn't tell anyone what I was doing. They wouldn't have understood, they would have tried to stop me with talk of ethics and the dangers of playing God. That made the entire project difficult, not only having to get into the building undetected every night, but hiding my progress where it wouldn't be discovered. But I managed. ...You know, I think that was the last time I really ever felt excited about something. That night, thinking that this was the moment that would lead mankind into a new Golden Age of science. It-- It was like every dream I'd ever had was coming true right before my eyes. I walked into that lab expecting glory. And instead… I ended up like this.

CHRISTINE

...I think she’d be proud of you, you know. [Victor scoffs] I’m serious. You’ve been through a lot, but you keep going, no matter how hard it is. You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for. [Beat.] I lost my dad when I was eleven. We were close, too. Honestly, he was all I had, my mom died not long after I was born. We immigrated from Sweden when I was two, and it took everything he had just to keep us on our feet. Not exactly a huge market for violinists these days. But we were happy, even during the hardest times. It was just the two of us against the rest of the world. But then, all at once, there was just me. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you how difficult it was. It still is sometimes. Some days, everything still reminds me of him. Are you religious, Victor?

VICTOR

No.

CHRISTINE

But you believe in something, I assume. Given your work.

VICTOR

...Yeah. Call it whatever you want, a… soul or whatever. There’s something, I’m just… not sure what it is. Or what happens to it after death. Even now, I… I have no idea.

CHRISTINE

Makes sense. Let’s look at it from a non-religious angle, then. Whatever that something is that you still can’t identify, that you know is there. That soul, or sense of being. It existed in her. Would you say it could be considered some sort of energy?

VICTOR

I guess…?

CHRISTINE

And what’s the First Law of Conservation?

VICTOR

...Energy cannot be created or destroyed.

CHRISTINE

You see what I’m getting at? Whatever that force is, whatever made her her, it’s no stretch of the imagination to say that it’s still out there. Maybe in a different form, but even so. ...I know it’s hard, Victor. There are gonna be days where it all comes rushing back, and you’re gonna feel like breaking down. You've gotta understand, that never really stops. Years from now, you're gonna see something that reminds you of her, and it's going to hurt, no matter how well you've healed. I wish I could say that eventually you'll just stop missing her, but I can't. But it will get easier. There's one main difference between you and me, I think. You're under the impression that your mom's death means that you're alone. I believe that with my father watching over me, I’ll never be alone again.

VICTOR

Poetic.

CHRISTINE

I try to be. But it’s true. And the same goes for the others, too. We love, we mourn. And in time, no matter how impossible it seems, we accept. All you can do is remember that, and hold onto the friends who are still here.

VICTOR

And... are you included in that category?

CHRISTINE

I’d like to be. If you’d let me. [She thinks for a moment] I have an idea. Maybe it will be a step in the right direction for you. What’s your work schedule look like the next few weeks?

VICTOR

...Why, what’re you thinking?

CHRISTINE

Well, if you’re comfortable with it, maybe the two of us could take a trip to- [There is the sound of a horse in the background, and we hear Victor’s breath begin to shake] Victor? You still with me?

VICTOR

We need to leave. 

CHRISTINE

What? Why, is everything okay?

VICTOR

Just go, now!

[The pair get into the car, doors slamming behind them as Christine drives off, clearly shaken up]

CHRISTINE

Victor, what's wrong?

VICTOR

Did-- Did you see her? 

CHRISTINE

See who? 

VICTOR

Her, the-- the woman on the white horse in the field. 

CHRISTINE

The one in the red sweatshirt? I didn't see her face, I--

VICTOR

Because she didn’t have one. 

CHRISTINE

What?

VICTOR

Just-- Just keep driving. This is a long story.

NEXT EPISODE➝

#Season 1 #Episode 7 #Christine Daae #Victor Frankenstein

[jopok-krp]

Welcome to Jopok! Please follow the ADMIN TWITTER within 48 hours of acceptance, or your faceclaim will be freed up

Personality:

Rei is a very lively and playful person resulting from having to grow up from such a young age alongside his twin brother. Despite being born only 10 minutes apart, he still very much acts like an older brother to Tai a lot of times. Yes, he uses that against Tai way more than he cared to admit, but it’s all out of fun. No matter how much he teases and makes fun of his twin brother, he will always be protective of him and will definitely take a bullet for him no matter what.

He’s quite a social butterfly underneath the soft and calm exterior that he displays. He quite literally thrives in chaos and enjoys being surrounded by it a bit more than one really should. It was only expected from a duo like his twin brother and him.

Other than that, he is also quite charming and charismatic, pulling admirers left and right, but not really settling and getting serious with anyone in particular, especially if they were unable to tell the twins apart properly, which was really hard seeing that they are identical and only had very little differences visually and physically. Despite not being picky with food, he was picky with people he beds and meets.

As far as his line of work, he was good with his hands and what he did with his brother. In addition to that, he could craft chemical weapons precisely which was supplemented with his fascination with science early on in life. When he’s alone, he is a decent hitman, but with Tai and his intelligence partnered with his knowledge of forensics, they are quite a team. Their jobs are clean and are mostly spotless with a dash off both their antics and experiments in their execution of the plans they initially had.

Background:

[Codename Rei]

Rei was born the older of the identical twins by ten minutes. Barely cried as he came out, only to cry more later on when his twin brother, Tai, came to join him in the world. He always held that fact over Tai’s head and used it against him whenever he could growing up. Though, they never really fought against each other, and in fact, they had actually got along way better than some siblings had.

They grew up barely making by with their parents livelihoods not able to really provide for two children. They weren’t expecting twins when they got pregnant and it wasn’t a choice for the couple to lose their children either after trying so hard to conceive. Life may not be easy with the lack of funds and situation in life but their parents did their best to bring them up properly and send them to school when they came of age.

[Silent Assassin]

Despite their young age, they’ve been made aware of their standing in life and society. They were poor and scraping by with what they’ve got. It was one of the ways that their parents knew to humble their children; by letting them know what they had and why it was the way it is for them. It worked for most things, but not for everything. It was also around this time that the shortage happened, which only made their situation even worse.

Rei had a particularly huge liking towards Pokemon and that was one of the things that pushed them towards their first theft at the young age of ten. He had wanted the pokeball keychain that made sounds and lit up whenever the button in the middle was pressed. The problem was that the particular keychain was hanging on a classmate’s backpack, and knowing they don’t have the money to spare for the keychain, he had stared and sighed to his brother about how cool it was and how he had wanted it.

Later in the day, the keychain went missing and no one batted an eyelash as there was no talks about theft, but only that it may have been dropped on his way to school. Rei was able to keep the keychain even if he couldn’t bring it to school. He then noticed that the keychain was easily replaced the following day, so from then, he knew that they got away with what they had done.

The second theft came quick as Tai eyed a nice gold bracelet hanging around one of their schoolmate’s wrist. She was from a different class, but still the same grade and shared recess with the them. The plan was one would distract and the other would take the bracelet off. Tai was a lot better with talking to people so he distracted while Rei took the bracelet off of her. It was risky and dangerous seeing how he would have to make sure that she wouldn’t notice. Though, it seemed that he was able to pull it off on his third try as he kept almost getting caught.

[Contracts]

Petty thefts turned into things more grand as they grew older. At first they were just small trinkets that Rei liked to keep, but most were ones they had sold to others so that they can bring in some money home. The money was just kept between the two of them due to the fact that they did not want to risk their parents getting angry when all they wanted to do was help.

So, they decided that when they’ve saved up a huge sum of money, they could just put it in an envelope and put it in their mailbox for their parents to find. It was the easiest way for them to be able to provide some help for their family, especially in their situation growing up. It may not be much as they are still in their early teens, but it was enough to help out even with just putting food on the table.

By the time that they were fifteen, they’ve gotten more and more luxurious items with how well they’ve worked together. Being twins helped out a lot of the times, but it was both their skills that pulled them through almost always whenever they try to get anything that caught their sights. Rei had also started to steal less for himself and more for profit when he grew older.

[Blood Money]

A particular transaction that turned their lives around was from a stolen phone that contained important contacts and information on it. Selling it to the black market would get them more than the reward that was being posted for it, so that’s what they had decided to do.

Though, things don’t always go as planned, and things started getting heated when the buyer started trying to haggle the price for the phone when they knew that it was most likely worth more than what they are even asking for it because the black market usually priced things lower than its face value.

A fight broke when Rei put his foot down, letting them know that the price was firm or there wouldn’t be a sale between the parties, which the buyer did not like at all. A knife was pulled and the first thought on Rei’s mind was to step in front of his twin brother. He tried to calm the situation down by talking to the guy, but seeing how the man was acting, he knew reasoning was falling on deaf ears. He still did not want to sell the phone for a lower price.

With words thrown back and forth continuously, it was only a matter of time when the man decided to lounge at him, in which he had stepped aside and with Tai who went to the other side of the man, they were able to trap him, and in the act of self-defense, they ended up killing the man.

They were only sixteen years old, but they were tall and were a bit more built for their age and had prepared to fight if things got out of hand at times as a precaution. They never really expected things to go this far, but at the time, they knew they were only protecting themselves and in addition, they had realized that they were able to keep the phone and take the money. This could be easily staged as a robbery, and so they got to work with each other reassuring that they only did what they had to.

[Absolution]

Killing was always the last thing to come to their mind when deals don’t go as they planned. Most of them just ended up either giving up and paying what they asked for, or they try to make it seem like they aren’t interested anymore due to the high price and buying it anyways when the twins tried to leave due to the value it held.

But things still go rocky for the two as they continued to sell stolen artifacts, and unfortunately they had ended up killing two more people by the time they turned seventeen. One during the spring of 2032, and the other happened during the winter of the same year. Both deals, they got the better side of with not losing what they were selling and getting to keep the money for it and some more.

Though, what they did not realize then was that those two people that they had ended up killing were people being watched by a gang. They both had been on the gang’s hitlist for various reasons, which they were completely unaware of.

With the two being successful in eliminating people from their hitlist without doing anything, eyes were put on the two, watching them from afar, especially with the fact that they didn’t even need to do anything to evade the authorities with how well they had staged the kills after they had done them.

By the following year, on 2033, they were approached by someone from the gang Taurus. They were given an offer of protection and money for their family that they couldn’t refuse. For one, protection from the authorities would lessen the risk of their parents ever finding out about what the two had been up to. Other than that, it would give them peace of mind that their family was protected and they would be able to provide for their family better, albeit in a more gruesome way than they had initially planned.

In their parents eyes, they are both interns that concerned their majors in college that paid pretty well, so there was no question when they had moved into their own apartment by the age of eighteen after their first year of college.

Rei had found a fascination with biology and chemistry when he was in high school and had found so many ways that it could be beneficial for when they are protecting themselves when they used to steal and sell things in the black market. What was once something defensive had turned offensive with the shift of their ‘occupation’ upon accepting Taurus’ offer.

While he forged chemical weapons, looked for ways on how they can make deaths seem natural, or get rid of a body completely, Tai was the brains of their operation working out how they will make it either look like an accident or cover their tracks completely. They were a deadly duo, and their synergy was incomparable to anything.

#JOPOK : acceptance

[aboutminneapolislskq978]

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anemones by touch, in addition to a 300-foot glass undersea passage for.

extraordinary sights of sharks.

Minneapolis Minnesota.

Initially run by General Mills, the mill blew up and ignited.

several times during its working life. As soon as abandoned, a virtually.

disastrous fire damaged much of the mill. The Minnesota Historic.

Facility finally took charge of the remains, which were maintained and also a.

gallery was constructed inside the ruins. The gallery is among the finest areas.

to explore the history of Minneapolis.

Yearly Events In Minneapolis.

From hip youngsters to rich professionals, the amazing shops in Uptown.

Minneapolis organizes the facilities they like to constant. Chic bars,.

restaurants, ​​ and also stylish shops are gathered around the crossway of.

Hennepin Method and also Lake Road, the heart of Uptown Minneapolis. If.

people-watching is the goal, order a seat at one of the regional coffee.

stores as well as enjoy the ceremony of fashionistas passing by. The location is a.

number of blocks from Lake Calhoun, where the lovely people go to.

sunbathe in the summer, and run or rollerblade around the lake.

Destinations & & Activities.

Weekend trips, what is a terrific excursion location: Things to Do in.

Mauritius, Ukraine, Hong Kong, Myrtle Beach Day Trips, NY with Kids,.

Nevada with Children, Oklahoma with Kids, Day Trips from Omaha, Marquett,.

Greenbelt, Grantsville, Malvern, Hot Springs, Middletown.

Famous Individuals From Minneapolis.

The Minneapolis Institute of Arts is the major art gallery in.

Minneapolis, with pieces covering a number of centuries from all over the.

world. Works from antiquity through modern art fill this vast area,.

where it's simple to get lost for an entire day. The gallery has a range.

of special programs, ranging from attracting classes for kids to a.

weekly cocktail as well as art night each Thursday.

St Paul Minnesota.

Izzy's Ice Lotion is a gelato establishment, with shops in Minneapolis.

and St. Paul. Owned and taken care of by Lara and also Jeff Sommers, what started as.

a small kitchen area serving handmade gelatos has become the city's.

preferred ice cream area.

10 Factors To Explore Msp Airport.

"" New cool things to do in Minneapolis, Minnesota""

[minneapolisminnesotakqqc547]

10 Facebook Pages to Follow About Minneapolis Minnesota

Minneapolis Minnesota

Outside attractions in Minnesota include Minnehaha Falls, an attractive

eco-friendly room situated in the heart of Minneapolis. The falls are just one of

the major Minnesota attractions when seeing the Twin Cities. The

stretching building affords visitors outstanding mountain cycling trials,

hiking trails, outing locations and lots of various other tasks.

About Minneapolis

Revealed brick, wood floors, gas fireplace, 3 panel doors, all-natural

woodwork, great kitchen area granite counter tops and also stainless-steel

home appliances, in an open layout with a center island, top level washing,

a new high performance heating system simply installed.

Famous Individuals From Minneapolis

Every big city needs a place where citizens as well as site visitors can relax

and relax away from the stressful speed of the city. Lake Calhoun in

Minneapolis is simply the location to go when you want to unwind. Lease

paddle watercrafts, swim, canoe, fish or simply sit by the shores and delight in some

great people-watching!

The home itself has been carefully taken care of by the existing ownersand

flaunts a functional layout with lots of natural light, large open

concept kitchen area with stainless steel devices, morning meal buffet, & & a. great area with a wood-burning fireplace.

Lakes and tanks: Birch Pond (A), Powderhorn Lake (B), Lake Nokomis.

( C), Mommy Lake (D), Lake of the Isles (E), Lake Hiawatha (F), Lake.

Harriet (G), Diamond Lake (H). Display/hide their locations on the map.

If you reside in Downtown, getting around in wintertime is never ever a problem.

thanks to the skyway system. Connecting on the 2nd floors of all.

major midtown office as well as apartment, the skyway system is an.

ingenious hallway network enabling you to walk for miles without ever before.

going outside.

Minneapolis, Mn.

The arts scene in Minneapolis is first-class and comprehensive. One of the.

city's cases to fame is that it has more theater seats per head than.

any city beyond New York, as well as the executing arts area in.

certain is as energetic as well as varied as they come. Legendary locations like.

the Guthrie Movie Theater as well as the First Method Nightclub are only the suggestion of.

the iceberg when it concerns live songs, as well as the city's gigantic network.

of galleries (consisting of landmarks like the Walker Art Center as well as.

Minneapolis Institute of Art) is among the most effective in the United States.

This Minnesota tourist attractions one of one of the most enjoyable leading academic.

centers to see in the state. With exhibitions such as The World of.

Sharks in 3D, and numerous blended media shows covering subjects like biology.

as well as anthropology, the Science Museum of Minnesota is an interesting location.

to see.

Visitor destinations: Bill & & Bonnie Daniels Firefighters Hall & & Gallery

.( 664 22nd Avenue Northeast) (1 ), Golden Wings Museum (8891 Flight Terminal Roadway.

Northeast Suite 6C) (2 ), Minneapolis Institute of Arts (Galleries; 2400.

Third Method South) (3 ), Holy Land Exhibit (Museums; 434 Ridgewood Method).

( 4 ), Hennepin Background Gallery (2303 third Opportunity South) (5 ), Facility for.

Early Discovering & & Living of the Sciences (Museums; 4139 Regent Avenue.

North) (6 ), Aminah Hair Sytlist (Galleries; 7500 69th Method North) (7 ),.

Fridley Historical Culture Museum (611 Mississippi Road Northeast).

( 8 ), American Wings Air Museum (2141 Rhode Island Avenue) (9 ).

Display/hide their approximate areas on the map.

Points To Do In Minneapolis.

Look into the Budweiser Roof covering Deck prior to heading back down to the.

playing area. The tour will certainly take you with the background of the Doubles.

group, highlighting past as well as existing players, outstanding display screens of.

baseball memorabilia, and also special environmental attributes of the having fun.

field.

The exhibition intends to establish crucial believing abilities via forensic.

examination, scientific questions, and modern technology, by providing a.

multi-sensory experience where visitors can look into the globe of.

criminal offense scene examination.

St Paul Minnesota.

Complementing the home-away-from-home environment is a food selection loaded with.

superb mixtures from mouthwatering lamb scottadito to pillowy.

pan-fried gnocchi surrounded in crumbly Parmigiano Reggiano. Open up till 1.

a.m. on weekends, the area is constantly packed as well as obtaining a table is not.

easy, however definitely worth the delay.

Minneapolis Minnesota.

Pop, rock and also indie songs acts perform, however it is not just arising.

musicians as also bands with big followings will play two evenings at.

First Avenue versus than one night at a larger place. Major talents that.

have beautified the stage consist of the Indigo Girls, Tina Turner, The Black.

Considered Peas, Affordable Trick, Phish, and also extra. A photo with the wall of.

stars in the history is a must-do memento of Minneapolis.  

. Youngsters as well as kids-at-heart will love exploring these leading 10 kid-approved.

stops in the Double Cities. From epic dinosaurs and indoor.

water parks to roller rollercoasters as well as four-story interior play areas, there's.

no scarcity of family fun.

Including an encyclopedic collection of over 80,000 objects, covering.

5,000 years of globe background, the MIA is house to among the finest.

comprehensive art collections in the nation, containing remarkable.

events and also collections of art from Africa, Oceania and also the.

Americas, in addition to a substantial collection of Oriental art and also sculpture.

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Arbor, Sausalito, Morrison, Puerto Rico Beaches, Athens GA, Portugal.

Coastlines, Zagreb Hotels.

23 Best Points To Do In Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Located on the west bank of the Mississippi River, beside Gold Medal.

Park as well as the Mill City Museum in midtown Minneapolis, the Guthrie.

Movie theater has won countless honors for its style by Jean Nouvel and also.

attracts visitors from all over the world to appreciate its style.

The movie theater homes three theaters with a trademark ‘‘ drive' stage, and also a.

78-foot cantilevered bridge called the "Endless Bridge.".

Background Of Minneapolis.

The piano on the baggage claim level in Terminal 1 is not simply for program.

Anyone is welcomed to play it; you might even be captivated by a.

specialist artist or genius while awaiting your travel luggage.

Want to know the ideal areas in Minnesota? How around suggestions on exactly how to make.

the most of your time in a certain city? Our Minnesota professionals can.

answer your inquiries, supply recommendations, or prepare the ideal Minnesota journey.

for you. Free of cost.

MSP has a main 1.4-mile walking path in Terminal 1, sponsored by.

the American Heart Association. It's a healthy and balanced way to pass the time on a.

stopover or to walk off some of that exquisite flight terminal price.

Things To Do In Minneapolis.

Everything regarding Manny's is impressive, from large items of.

meat served with a collection of sides, to must-try decadent desserts.

The restaurant flaunts a 300-bottle white wine list, in addition to substantial.

book listing. If you are seeking unique day night ideas in.

Minneapolis, this restaurant is a good selection.

10 Factors To Explore Msp Flight Terminal.

The Walker rests opposite the Minneapolis Sculpture Yard, a sculpture.

park on the north side of the Pedestrian School and also is cooperation between.

the Walker as well as the Minneapolis Park and also Entertainment Board. Housed in an.

architecturally stunning building, the museum is a must-visit.

Minneapolis' beginnings were as a mill community, very first handling hardwood, as well as.

then ending up being the largest flour-producing city in the country in the late.

19th and early 20th centuries. Today the flour mills stand still, have.

been razed, or converted to chic loft spaces, however you can see a glimpse of.

that time at the Mill City Museum on the bank of the Mississippi in.

midtown Minneapolis.

Two aviation-inspired play locations (one in each terminal) will certainly keep the.

children occupied while you wait for your trip, as will the.

delicious treats at Rocky Mountain Delicious Chocolate Factory. There's likewise.

personal and deluxe nursing spaces for households taking a trip with infants or.

mothers who need a silent place to pump, situated in both terminals.

The home for the Minnesota Twins is   at Target Field in the western side.

of downtown Minneapolis. The arena is an open-air ball park   as well as. received appreciation from ballplayers and also viewers for the seating, sights,.

ambience, as well as giving ins alternatives. Participating in a video game is a best means.

to invest a balmy summertime evening in the city prior to getting a beverage or.

bite after the 9th inning in neighboring midtown Minneapolis.

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to Do in Minneapolis, Free Points to Do in Minneapolis.

As soon as you have actually authorized up, you get a vital or passcode, which you after that.

insert into the called for port at one of the many bike stations across.

the city, obtain the green light and also take your bike. You will be offered a.

particular quantity of time to use the bike, according to your pass or.

membership, after which time the bike requires to be gone back to any type of.

terminal. Once the bike is secured into the station, your trick or pass is.

cleared, and you are good to go. Rapid, simple and also economical, it's the.

perfect means to check out the city at your own speed.

Weekend break trips, leading 10 points to do, places to check out near me: South.

Padre Island, Lexington,, Erwin, Floyd, Essex, Biloxi, Erie,.

Dining establishments in Lancaster, Restaurants in Lake Tahoe, Realm, Eastham,.

Escanaba.

Sleep in before your return flight as well as stay on-site at.

the   InterContinental Hotel. The 12-story hotel includes a spa, 2.

signature dining establishments, a penthouse alcoholic drink bar and a cutting edge.

fitness center.

Points To Do In Minneapolis.

112 Restaurant is an acclaimed midtown restaurant that offers a casual.

setting, superior service, and also incredible food. Award-winning chef.

Isaac Becker has developed this relaxing spot where the wood floors and.

subjected brick walls resemble a comfortable house as opposed to a.

narrow dining establishment, making it the optimal go-to area for a decadent supper.

or late-night bite.

Located within the Shopping Mall of America, the Nickelodeon Universe is the.

worlds biggest indoor theme park.   The grounds have greater than 50.

trips, suitable for young and also older youngsters—— from looping rollercoasters, like.

Shredder's Mutant Masher,   to even more mellow standards, like an antique equine.

carousel.  

. Pop right into in your area started Aveda to example some items, get a pre-flight.

change at The Chiroport, or kick back as well as delight in a costs footwear luster.

You can even get a full mani/pedi, hair designing and also face treatments at.

XpresSpa; no visit necessary.

Going back to the 1870s, the mill facility is noted on the National.

Register of Historic Places and belongs to the St. Anthony Falls.

Historical District, playing a vital role in the conservation and.

education and learning of the state's heritage.

Diving certified divers can endure the waters and also dive with sharks, while.

various other site visitors can take part in feeding times with stingrays,.

seahorses, as well as rainbow coral reef fish. The aquarium offers an array of fun.

sea-based tasks and journeys for all, consisting of stamp stations.

with dive books for children, behind the curtain trips and also overnight.

keeps.

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purchasing in the area, nightlife for visitors: Whistler, Shanghai, South.

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Famous Individuals From Minneapolis.

Established in 1963, the Guthrie Theater is a facility for theater.

performance, production, education and also specialist training with the.

objective of revealing as well as connecting target markets to classic literary works and also new.

works from varied cultures around the globe.

10 Reasons To Check Out Msp Flight Terminal.

Minnesota's growing neighborhood food scene welcomes site visitors as soon as they.

touch down at MSP, where much of Minneapolis-St. Paul's finest cooks and.

restaurateurs have opened up store. Please your inner food lover with.

options like coal-fired pizza at Ne'er-do-well, fresh sushi at PinKU,.

regional craft beer from Stone Arc or a Tattersall craft cocktail from the.

Alcoholic Drink Area at 18th &   & Central.

Hing on the financial institutions of the historical Mississippi Riverfront as well as built.

into the damages of what was when the globe's biggest flour mill, referred to as.

the Washburn "" A"" Mill, Mill City Museum is a small, intimate gallery that.

presents birth and also development of Minneapolis and also the succeeding background of.

the expanding city with the flour sector and also the river.

For foodies (as well as those with food allergic reactions) Bryant Lake Dish uses.

locally sourced grub as well as a gluten-free menu. Searching for an activity.

before playing a game? The affixed theater to Bryant Lake additionally hosts.

everything from plays, local artists, as well as even a weekly worship.

Minneapolis-st. Paul Location.

First Avenue is a genuine symbol of Minneapolis. As soon as the midtown.

Minneapolis Greyhound bus depot, the building was remodeled in 1970 right into.

a real-time music place by ripping whatever out, adding a phase, a noise.

system, and painting the entire location black. The place has genuine.

music cred— — Royal prince done below in the very early days of his occupation.

Points To Do In Minneapolis.

The Double Cities' online reputation as a center for arts is reflected throughout.

MSP. Several mosaics enhance both concourses, the flight terminal holds an.

yearly employee art show as well as competition, and a triad of Snoopy sculptures makes.

for an enjoyable scavenger hunt.

Resting and taking pleasure in an elegant alcoholic drink is good—— discovering exactly how to make that.

fancy cocktail in the house is also better. The experts behind the bar at the.

Norseman Distillery disclose their secrets of the trade throughout courses at.

their Cocktail Lab every month. The sessions include hands-on.

directions, recipe cards, and 3 tastings.

The fish tank boasts a 1,500 gallon Pacific Northwest Rockpool where.

site visitors can check out uncommon sea animals such as cucumbers and sea.

anemones by touch, along with a 300-foot glass underwater passage for.

extraordinary views of sharks.

Minneapolis Minnesota.

Initially run by General Mills, the mill exploded as well as captured fire.

several times during its functioning life. Once deserted, an almost.

devastating fire ruined a lot of the mill. The Minnesota Historical.

Center ultimately organized the remains, which were stabilized and a.

gallery was constructed inside the damages. The gallery is among the very best places.

to check out the history of Minneapolis.

Annual Events In Minneapolis.

From hip children to rich professionals, the cool stores in Uptown.

Minneapolis organizes the establishments they like to constant. Posh bars,.

restaurants, ​​ as well as trendy stores are gathered around the crossway of.

Hennepin Opportunity and Lake Street, the heart of Uptown Minneapolis. If.

people-watching is the objective, order a seat at one of the local coffee.

stores as well as take pleasure in the parade of fashionistas going by. The location is a.

number of blocks from Lake Calhoun, where the the upper class go to.

sunbathe in the summertime, and run or rollerblade around the lake.

Destinations & & Activities.

Weekend trips, what is a fantastic outing location: Things to Do in.

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Greenbelt, Grantsville, Malvern, Hot Springs, Middletown.

Famous People From Minneapolis.

The Minneapolis Institute of Arts is the significant art gallery in.

Minneapolis, with pieces extending a number of millennia from throughout the.

world. Functions from antiquity with modern-day art fill this huge space,.

where it's easy to obtain shed for an entire day. The gallery has a variety.

of unique programs, ranging from attracting classes for kids to a.

once a week mixed drink and also art night each Thursday.

St Paul Minnesota.

Izzy's Ice Lotion is a gelato establishment, with stores in Minneapolis.

as well as St. Paul. Owned as well as taken care of by Lara and Jeff Sommers, what started as.

a tiny kitchen area serving hand-made gelatos has become the city's.

favorite gelato spot.

10 Reasons To Check Out Msp Airport Terminal.

"" New amazing stuff to do in Minneapolis, Minnesota"" Back to Leading or Enchanting.

Getaways,

[mattpajak]

Analogy in Communication

What is an analogy? Per Merriam-Webster, analogy is a comparison of two otherwise unlike things based on resemblance of a particular aspect. Simile and metaphor can be used to a similar effect.

Hip hop artists, Jadakiss and Fabolous - masters of verbal expression through analogy, simile, and metaphor.

Simile – a figure of speech comparing two unlike things that is often introduced by like or as.

Metaphor – a figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them.

What is the significance of analogy in communication?

Okay, so, analogy, simile, and metaphor – how can they be used in communication? Imagine the world as one big Venn diagram.

Every time you meet someone new, you are bound to have commonalities AND many differences. The commonalities make you relatable and the differences make you unique! Use analogy in commonalities to build trust, perspective and understanding. Introduce your differences to them in ways they can understand it!

In the book, Enchantment, Guy Kawasaki focuses on how to make a cause short, simple, and palatable. If you are a coach, teacher, or parent (or anyone else tasked with guiding development), you will have a cause (or more likely, many of them) and you will have to find a way to resonate. Kawasaki suggests both simile and metaphor as a great way to relate your cause (likely a new concept) to something everyone understands, (Kawasaki 45-46).

Furthermore, Kawasaki suggests that people are more likable when they use analogies that everyone understands, (Kawasaki 14).

Funny concept, we can use analogies to get people to trust and understand. So many scientists do important and impactful work. The vast majority of people can’t follow along (it’s a completely different language of terms). There has to be an analogy for that!

If you have something important to say – don’t lose the French by speaking Spanish.

Of Moon Juice and Minis

On February 3, 2018, I was sitting in a dugout with Cole, Matt, Kam, Colt, and Emilio – 5 high school seniors. In the baseball event business, often there isn’t much time to be a human being, so when there is time, it is important to maximize it – but like any social situation in life, how do you break the ice?

It was about 1pm and I hadn’t eaten all day – but, I did have a Moon Juice that I had bought at a shop in Venice Beach the day before that promised to raise my energy levels. So, I pull it out of my backpack and immediately liken it, aloud, to a mini-potion (provides extra protection) from the then-popular (and now, still, maybe?) game, Fortnite. 

All 5 high school seniors knew exactly what I was talking about because everyone was playing Fortnite at the time and at that moment, we had a commonality. The following 2 hours were light and a lot of fun.

Fast forward 2 years and I continue to maintain a friendship with 3 of the 5 guys from that dugout on that Sunday in February. Shout out to Moon Juice, Fortnite and metaphors, bringing people together in Compton, California since 2018.

Counter Movement Jumps + Rebounding a Basketball

The counter movement jump (CMJ) assessment that we use in assessing athleticism requires an athlete to jump 3 times as quick as they can, trying to get as high as they can.

“What do you mean by as quick as I can?”

“You want me to be quick or jump high?”

“So can I tuck my knees?”

Okay. Imagine you get an offensive rebound in basketball and you have to get back up there again for the put back – however you would do that.

When you need more than experts

In the book, Range, David Epstein outlines an example of how in many cases, experts can be too narrow-minded in problem-solving:

In one instance, Dunbar actually saw two labs encounter the same experimental problem at around the same time. Proteins they wanted to measure would get stuck to a filter, which made them hard to analyze. One of the labs was entirely E. coli experts, and the other had scientists with chemistry, physics, biology, and genetics backgrounds, plus medical students. ‘One lab made an analogy drawing on knowledge from the person with a medical degree, and they figured it out right there at that meeting,’ Dunbar told me. ‘The other lab used E. coli knowledge to deal with every problem. That didn’t work here so they just had to start experimenting for weeks to try and get rid of the problem.’ …  

In the lone lab that did not make any new findings during Dunbar’s project, everyone had similar and highly specialized backgrounds, and analogies were almost never used. ‘When all the members of the laboratory have the same knowledge at their disposal, then when a problem arises, a group of similar minded individuals will not provide more information to make analogies than a single individual,’ Dunbar concluded. – (Epstein 118-119)

The non-overlapping parts of our Venn diagrams are what make us unique. Analogies, similes, and metaphors are the vehicle by which we can help others understand what they don’t know and help us maximize the impact of the diversity in our experiences and interests. 

How can we learn to use analogy?

The best way to tap into analogy-potential is to continuously broaden your horizons. Diversify your experiences, interests, and thoughts. More experiences and interests = more material to draw from. Go visit a new place, go read a book about something new, go try a new sport.

Go be curious.

Remember learned gratefulness and the science behind neuroplasticity? You can always train your brain. Training your brain to make analogous connections for problem-solving and building relationships can be learned. You just have to regularly expose yourself to analogies, similes, and metaphors. But how?

Go read a book on poetry, poetry is full of analogy, simile, and metaphor.

Flip on Netflix or YouTube and watch your favorite stand-up comedian for an hour after dinner and count how many analogies, similes, and metaphors are used.

Attend (me) or participate in (Cole) the Great Durham Pun Championship – or whip out Punderdome at your next family gathering.

Last but not least, my personal favorite: hip hop music – quality lyricists lace their verses with analogies, similes, and metaphors. In fact, Royce da 5’9 is dropping an album tomorrow (2/21/2020) called The Allegory that is a metaphor for his evolution as a human being and mirroring that evolution to Plato’s Allegory of the cave.

Black Savage - the first single off of Royce Da 5′9′s ‘The Allegory’

Conclusion

“I especially love analogies, my most faithful masters, acquainted with all the secrets of nature … One should make great use of them.” – German Astronomer, Johannes Kepler via Range (Epstein 102)

Analogy has the power be a tool for communicating and connecting with people from diverse backgrounds, teaching and bridging gaps in comprehension, and providing perspective (which is critical for emotional well-being). Go take your analogy-potential to the next level, it just might enhance your coaching/teaching.

Recommended Reading

Enchantment (2012) - Guy Kawasaki

Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World (2019) - David Epstein

#holisticdevelopment

[mr-slawson-blog]

Polarizing Topics

When it comes to polarizing topics in schools, I think that it’s better for students to be able to express their opinions as long as it is in a non-violent, non-offensive way that does not disrupt other students education. If protesters came into my classroom and tried to shut it down, that would be something I’d take issue with. However, if students want to openly discuss issues in class ,I would be totally fine with letting them express their opinions and challenging why they believe that thing is correct. It’s all about challenging students to think about more than what they see on the news or what they hear their parents say. If a student wants to protest something by not going to class, that’s okay, that’s their purgative and its not disrupting other classes or students. If a student were to bring up a polarizing topic in my classroom, that would be great, honestly. I love when people can have a nice, civil discussion about issues. I think that if everybody thought the same way, nothing in the world would be accomplished. The students need people to challenge them and their ideas, so I would 100% allow and encourage intellectual debate on polarizing subjects because I believe it would benefit the students immensely. Ignoring student protests is an option, however, I don’t think its a necessarily productive one (depending on what the protest is about). Protests on civil rights doesn’t really have a place in a math or science class. Social Sciences like history, however, I think it deserves to be discussed because a lot of these issues have historical background to them that is important to talk about. Schools and teachers definitely need to keep in mind that shutting students down and telling them not to express an opinion on an important issue is not necessarily a good thing. All it does is prohibit those students from learning more and being challenged. Protests can get out of hand, but as long as the school is willing to make sure the kids have a place to express their opinion without it getting violent or causing some kind of disturbance, I think it’s productive. High school students are literally the future of the country and their opinion should matter just as much as anyone else’s. Teachers and students can work collaboratively to support each other by the teachers being open to letting the students talk and express their opinions, and the students being open to listening to other’s opinions in a civil way without getting into heated argument or violence. Teachers need to consider the fact that students are going to have different opinions, even different opinions than the teachers, however, that cannot be an issue. It is the teacher’s job to challenge the student, not tell them that they’re wrong for having an opinion. Even if a teacher agrees with the opinion, it’s best to challenge the student by asking why they think the way they do and for what reason. It’s being on the same understanding and the same level as the students and I think that helps a lot. Teachers also need to tread lightly, in a way, because sometimes these discussions can get heated and out of hand, so the teacher needs to be someone who is always listening and someone who can enforce classroom management if need be so the discussion does not get chaotic.

[close-eyed]

Diversity in the Entertainment Industry

THIS IS THE GODDAMN PAPER I GOT A PERFECT SCORE ON:

        In 2016, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organization that started the Academy Awards, came under scrutiny for not including any artists of color in most categories. This prompted the public and press to start the social media tag “#OscarsSoWhite”. Many actors and directors also considered the lack of representation at the award show to be offensive and decided to boycott the event. Comedian Chris Rock, a performer of color himself, hosted the Oscars that year and addressed the issue throughout the show with many quips about the lack of opportunities given to actors of color. In his monologue, Rock says, “What I’m trying to say is, you know, it’s not about boycotting anything. It’s just, we want opportunity.”

Like Chris Rock, many, including myself, believe that Hollywood and the entertainment industry in general does not provide enough opportunity for minority performers, and events like that of the Oscars 2016 raise some concerns especially for someone like me who is choosing to pursue a career in the entertainment industry and is a person of color. Growing up I never really saw anyone on screen or stage who looked like me. Tall yet wide in stature, darker skinned, with a bigger nose that comes along with Polynesian features, and slender eyes that come with being Asian.  It is hard for me to believe that no one else out there shares some of these traits and are not being portrayed in entertainment. So, should Hollywood and the entertainment industry provide more opportunities to a more diverse array of performers?

In high school, I auditioned for plays and was involved in the theater program. With the exception of one, all of the plays that were put on during my time in school were casted with white actors in the lead and supporting roles while the ensemble was the most diverse group casted. At the time I just thought that I was not performing well enough to be casted in the lead and that the actors who were casted in lead and supporting roles were just better performers. Looking back on it now, there was a trend of whitewashing. Whitewashing is a process whereby non-white characters are played by white actors (CNN). This may sound like just a personal experience in my high school productions but, whitewashing also proves a problem in Hollywood from as early as 1921 with Rudolph Valentino, a white actor, playing an Arabian Sheik in The Sheik to as recent as this year, 2017, with the English-language, live-action adaptation of the popular Japanese Manga Death Note in which the setting was moved to America and the characters were changed from Japanese to white Americans. Not only would providing more opportunities for diversity in entertainment be morally correct, it would also increase accuracy, integrity, and profitability in the entertainment industry.

By increasing the opportunities given to performers of diverse backgrounds, the accuracy of the portrayal is increased and more visualized and the performers are able to bring their own personal experiences and feelings into the roles. This is most common with the amount of LGBT+ roles available. In 2015, it was reported by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) that only 17.5 percent of the 126 major movies released that year contained characters who identified as LGBT+ and in many cases these characters only represent a singular, catch-all queer experience and are not portrayed by queer actors themselves. Furthermore, it is more common to see an actor who identifies as straight filling roles of LGBT+ characters. The idea of a singular queer experience could be due to the fact that there is a lack of employment of writers who have an LGBT+ background and could provide helpful insight into the roles being created. According to The Writers’ Guild’s 2016 Hollywood Writers Report, minorities, which include LGBT+, make up only 10.3% of total writers in the guild. Less writers means less pressure to promote accuracy in roles. Accuracy promotes respect and a positive reflection of minority groups who might otherwise face negative stereotypes. A stereotype is a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person. There is even a diversity problem within the opportunities for portrayal of LGBT+ characters. According to GLAAD’s 2016 Studio Responsibility Index, 77% of films studied included gay men and only 5% included transgender people. Furthermore, of the films that did include LGBT+ characters, 72.3% were white LGBT+ characters and on the lower end of the data, Asian/Pacific Islander LGBT characters made up only 6.4%. Limiting the diversity of portrayal promotes generalization in ideas of, in this case, the queer experience. By accurately portraying roles, especially in realistic situations, “oversimplified images or ideas” become clearer and less generalized thereby creating a more accepting environment for every unique experience within minority groups. Accuracy is also the basis to performance; a basis that has been carried on through the teachings of classic theater practitioners such as Stanislavski’s “art of experiencing” and Sanford Meisner’s work with emotional impulses. Both of these approaches to acting focus on knowing one’s personal identity and contributing that energy into performance. Such pioneers of theater have pushed for the importance of previous life experience and emotions to provide heightened theater experiences and quality performance.

Accuracy, in a way, is also owed to the tax-paying citizens of the US and by following through with this responsibility, integrity is partially upheld in the entertainment industry. A portion of tax money received from tax payers in 35 states goes to entertainment content creators who decide to conduct business in the set of states in the form of tax incentives according to The Hollywood Reporter. For example, in the state of California, filmmakers receive a 20% tax incentive with 25% for indie film makers and an extra 5% for specified expenditures. The minimum spend by the state is $1 Million of tax payer money. With these state level laws in place, it is approximated that tax incentives provide 20% of film and television production financing (Guay, Richard). On top of this, women in entertainment in front of and behind the camera are payed significantly less than men in entertainment. For example, according to Forbes, Jennifer Lawrence, the world’s highest paid actress of 2015, made $52 million in a year while the world’s top paid actor of the same year, Robert Downey Jr., made $80 million (Berg, Madeline). Such incentives are put in place in order to attract filmmakers to bring their productions to such states and in turn bring more job opportunities and employing local businesses such as catering and vehicle rentals yet, none of the money goes toward performers who reflect the backgrounds of those who fund such a large amount of production finances. Since we, the tax payers, fund a fifth of the production financing, filmmakers and production companies have some obligation to portray their experiences and to do so accurately. Still, how do we get filmmakers to use this money to fulfill their obligation to these tax payers? Some propose a diversity incentive wherein films and television shows that include women, people of color, and LGBT+ individuals in major roles whether it be in front of or behind the camera receive money to reward their efforts. The Screen Actors’ Guild, has a similar program for independent filmmakers. The “Diversity-in-Casting Incentive” provides funding to low budget and independent films that have a minimum of 50% of speaking roles and 50% of employment days that are cast with women, senior (60+), disabled, and/or ethnically diverse performers (SAG-AFTRA). Though, there is not enough information to conclude that providing such an incentive is effective, it does seem like a fairly surefire way to increase diversity in casting and employment in the entertainment industry. Personally I would rather promote change in casting without the use of cash incentives because it seems like a handout rather than an actual change in ideology but, the fact of the matter is that Hollywood and the entertainment industry as a whole is motivated by money and profitability. Yet, at the same time, who is to say that promoting diversity is not profitable?

The fact of the matter is that diverse content is actually more profitable than classic, homogenous content. According to the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, “audiences, regardless, of their race, prefer diverse content” and that “films and television shows with diverse casts tend to sell more tickets and earn higher ratings.” This is the third year that the Bunche Center, has recorded these outcomes. Darnell Hunt, UCLA professor of sociology, director of the Bunche Center, and lead author of the department’s Hollywood Diversity Report that collected this data, says, “What we’ve found for three years running now is that audiences prefer content that looks like America.” To emphasize this point, the third highest grossing ($966.5 million worldwide) film of 2016, The Jungle Book, was set in the jungles of India and casted Indian-American child actor, Neel Sethi, in the lead role of Mowgli and the voices of other actors of color including Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong’o, and Giancarlo Esposito (Guerrasio, Jason). All of this could be due to the fact that, according to the Motion Picture Association of America, “every year for the past half-decade, the average white American has bought a ticket to fewer films that the average black, Hispanic, or Asian moviegoer (MPAA).” If the industry knows all of this, then why haven’t they taken advantage of this information and increased the production of diverse entertainment? It could be due to the fact that Hollywood and the entertainment industry is stuck in the past. As previously stated, Hollywood has had a long history of casting exclusively straight, white, male performers so as to reflect the wants and views of moviegoers in the early to mid 20th century and while demographics and views of moviegoers have changed, the views of those in charge of production companies have not. They only see popularity in these white actors who have received the opportunity to show their talent as great performers and thereby skew the data to show that consumers pay money to see white actors when they are not given the opportunity to see a diverse set of performers. This causes companies to see profit in whitewashed movies and not allow actors of diverse backgrounds the opportunity to showcase their talent and portray roles of their own background which creates a cycle of stagnancy in the push for progress of diversity in the industry. Still, there is hope that this will change with the success of recent films like the historical drama, Hidden Figures, which grossed $227.5 million on a budget of $25 million, despite production being pushed for years out of fear of bad box-office performance (McNary, Dave).

#diversity #hollywood #diversity in hollywood #essay #social justice

[americanconvert-blog]

I how came to Islam

For the majority of my life, I had been seeking religion and God. 

Like many Americans, I grew up in a Western family who identified as Christian even though we stopped going to church when I was seven. I went to Sunday school, went to Christian schools for middle and high school, and even my Grandfather was a retired priest. As a child, I turned to God for answers. Why did it rain? Because God was crying. What happened when you died? Easy, Jesus took you to Heaven if you were good and Hell if you were evil. 

My faith in Christianity was on shakey ground by the time I was in sixth grade. I no longer believed God controlled the weather and life after death seemed like a hoax. How could anyone really know that? Plus the Bible was written thousands of years ago, and they didn't have science back then to explain things so obviously, religion was just a primitive way of explaining the world. My tween self knew better than to be so ignorant (I cringe when I think about how arrogant I was). I grew to hate religion. All organized religion was evil to me- religion caused death, oppression, and violence, no exceptions. Puberty also didn't help at all with my negative outlook lol. Still, even though I no longer believed in Christianity and huge, organized religions, I had a soft spot for faith and ritual. For two years I went "religion shopping." I looked around mostly at pagan religions since I naively thought that they were harmless and victims of the misogynistic men of the Christian church. I very briefly became a Wiccan haha. 

It took me years to realize this, but I think this period of my life was the beginning of my search for God. I went from believing in God because I was a child with a narrow perspective to jumping from religion to religion because my subconscious knew that something was wrong. I fully believe that God was keeping my faith in Him alive knowing one day I would return to Him. I was looking for Him but did not have the tools or knowledge to find Him. I was not a Christian, which was why I could never truly believe in Christ or many other Christian doctrines. But, I was 14 and couldn't find anything that spoke to my heart and allowed me to have a relationship with God. I didn't know about Islam much either, which is shocking considering I grew up in the wake of 9/11. I think the only thing I knew about Islam as a young teen was that they called their (didn't know it was the same God even!) Allah and spoke Arabic. Anyways, the Summer before my freshman year (1st year) of high school, I gave up on my search and went back to being a Christian. I could not deny that I believed in the God spoken about in the Bible and after I had come to this conclusion I began to feel stirrings in my heart. God was giving me signs that I was on the right track, but when I prayed, I felt nothing. In church, I felt nothing. I felt God but could not connect with Him in the way I was taught. 

I went to a Catholic high school, so I was told plenty on what True Christians® believe. Go to Mass, recite the Lord's Prayer, confess your sins, and believe with all your heart that Jesus is God/Son of God who had redeemed your soul. None of this made me feel closer to God, and I had so many questions. Going to a Catholic school, of course, we had a religion class. I loved my teacher, and no offense to him but all the answers to my questions felt either too convenient or shallow. Christianity felt like a world seen through rose-colored glasses were I was supposed to be happy with "Jesus is the answer" and "God works in mysterious ways!" Belief felt shallow and fragile. I was scared that if I asked myself or my teacher the wrong question, my faith would break forever. I understood that Christianity did not hold the answers I needed on a subconscious level but what else was I suppose to do? Anything else felt like I was turning my back on God which was the last thing I wanted to do. Being a creature of the 21st century, I had gone searching online for anything to strength my faith in Christianity, but nothing looked promising. Those that had taken their time to respond to my doubts gave me shallow responses or would go to such lengths to explain away an issue that they looked disingenuous. I was stuck in limbo, finding to near impossible to grasp on to the religion I had grown up with but unwilling to deny God. 

It was around this point that I had stopped praying and stopped thinking about my faith and God. It was better to just live my life with religion in the background, never truly entering my conscious thought than to be in constant doubt of my faith. Then I learned about Islam. My religion class had a unit on World Religions; it was probably the first time I had ever learned about another religion in depth. When we began to read about Islam, something inside me clicked. The way Muslims explored their faith and strengthened their relationship with God every day through prayer almost had me in tears. Praying in Christianity felt selfish. In Islam, it was about submitting to God completely and selflessly. I knew that one day I was going to become a Muslim; I didn't even have to think about it, a voice inside me just said: "I'm going to convert." There was no doubt.

However, I did not become a Muslim right away. I am ashamed to say that it took me years to really sit down and commit to learning more about Islam and become serious about shahadah. I was scared of what my family and friends would think of me. I was afraid of what strangers may say or do if I walked outside wearing a hijab.  I've been called stupid, and an idiot for believing in God before and I was afraid of the type of backlash I would receive if I were to declare my faith. 

I was also scared of jumping in too fast. What if I convert but then a few months later change my mind or do what I had been doing before and just forget all of the important aspects of being a Muslim and seek God for selfish reasons. If you read my description, you;d know that I'm 22. It was taken me years to muster up my courage and finally convert.

A few months ago, I opened up the Quran for the second time in my life, and I have never felt more at home. I have been studying and learning all I can about Islam. This blog, Inshaallah, will be a resource not only for myself as I document my conversion and connect with the community but for other converts as well. Being Muslim, and exploring your faith, is for life. And I am excited to begin it.

#islam #revert #muslim #muslimah #muslim americans #bismillah

[stonerboy-writings]

A L’Avis De Victor : Une Réponse à la Première Essai que J’Avais Ecrit

The general dissatisfaction that I had with the mark I had received, compelled me to “re-interview” my friend so that we could bond over my most unfortunate loss. Even though this our discussion had begun as a means to remedy my overall disappointment with the system under which I had been judged, it did provide me with a sense of pride surrounding my work as well as an improved understanding of Victor’s field of study.

I messaged Victor via Facebook to express my discontent at around 12:30, which had been 6:30 in Paris. I was happy to receive a quick response from him, which said:

“Darling I’m almost home, let me tell you about my day. It will make yours seem like nothing. I’ll be on skype in five minutes.”

I smiled and knew that we would have a marvelous session complaining about the insignificant details of our lives.

I put down what I had been doing, placed my phone on my desk, and woke my laptop from its most somber sleep. After entering my password, I logged into skype, to then be happily greeted by skype’s “wheep” tone, which notifies its user that they have a new message. Unsurprisingly it was from Victor, who then initiated a phone call. I answered, to be greeted with Victor’s dark apartment and his unkempt hair, which had to be accompanied by a nearly overflowing glass of two-euro red wine.

He smiled and said, “well darling tell me about your troubles.”

I looked down to say, “well was nothing, it was just a bad mark, and I’ll be able to make it up later in the semester.”

“Yes, too bad you are no longer in high-school when your grades were actually something –

I cut him off “Ah, grades how American of you, even I don’t even call them that anymore”

He glared in continued, “As an Albertan, I take offense in drawing those conclusions, but as I was saying, it’s too bad that those do come more frequently than they once did”

“Yes that is true, but I do have four more essays to improve help improve my mark,” I responded.”

“hmm” …Victor glanced up to then go on to say, “well why don’t we just redo it, it is a shame though as I feel that your essay did capture my, essence.”

I chuckled to then say, “well if you wish dear, we can”

I opened my marked word document to then go through the specific criteria required for this assignment.

“I have it!” I exclaimed, “Okay Victor, let’s start from the top, first question, what ‘specific claim about the literacy (reading and writing practices) in [your] field’ would you make? (Phifer-Byrne)”

Victor smiled to then say, “the study of Anthropology, or rather the study of people has gone through great changes over the past half century. The field’s conception was out of European Imperialism, and with this background, it has and continues to oppress the people it studies. I feel that it has changed to become less oppressive, but the goal of Anthropology is to critically analyze, or judge the people it intends to study and to some that can appear to be oppressive. This analysis is then contained in the various essays that we make on a number of subjects related to our people of study.”

Very good, “Now how and why are you Victor, ‘appropriate for insight to a specific field, (Phifer-Byrne)’ or for your case Anthropology?”

“Well darling you and anyone who read your initial assignment would know how accomplished I am in my field, so I believe we can continue.”

“The next question asked Victor, would be, ‘adequately explore the reading and writing practices of the specific field, considering different variables like: what types of texts and genres are read, referenced, and produced. What methods and and technologies are used to consume, use and produce texts. What work of the field is accomplished through reading and writing? (Phifer-Byrne)”

“Well we do use primary sources, I remember that in one of the papers that I wrote during my master’s program I included a notebook written by this prostitute that I had been interviewing. Materials such as these are invaluable as they act as an account of a multitude of interviews over time, which allowed me to study a number of experiences that my subject had experienced. We can also use visual references, such as photography, or works of art. I know that in my line of Anthropology some Anthropologists have examined Picasso’s “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon,” and Ingres’ Grande Odalisque to understand the historical perceptions of prostitution in Europe over the past centuries. So because of that there are countless forms of expression that we analyze as Anthropologists to gain an understanding of the people we study.”

“Now Victor, I must, ‘include appropriate evidence from the interview to support an analysis (Phifer-Byrne)’ would you mind elaborating on the ‘evidence relevant to [your] main points and [your] overall claim[s], (Phifer-Byrne)’ ‘make evidence appropriate for [your] topic[s], audience, and purpose[es] (Phifer-Byrne)’ that you covered, and ‘provide detailed connection [or] description of how the evidence supports the point [or] reason, [or] claim? (Phifer-Byrne)”

Victor paused and said, “well I guess one could say that Anthropology is the study of people; however, that is the first definition out of your Oxford English Dictionary. I think that what we have learned as a field is how to be more respectful of ‘the other,’ since the mid-twentieth century. All you need to do to understand how Anthropology and Archaeology was used during the third Reich to support Aryan claims to ethnic superiority. I feel like there is much more that needs to be done in that regard as there is still a level of judgement to scholarly superiority in regard to the study of non-western peoples. Because of that I decided to people a social anthropologist as I would be studying sub-groups within the western world, which would help me stay away from issues such as ethnic and cultural superiority that has been the means under which abuse has been committed against non-western peoples. I think that we will eventually become better as time goes, on. Typically, philosophers are the ones that inspire the artists, whose art compels us to become better at understanding the human condition and the pressures we face as members of our world’s various societies.”

I interjected to say “I agree with that opinion.  I know that when we had spoken a few months ago about our own educations, primarily in Canada and the United States, there were rituals that w preformed to have a sense of collective superiority. With the arts, which artists do you think have been deconstructing this Euro-centric superiority complex?”

“Oh yes Ted I do remember that, very good point. I think that many of the apparatuses rituals that we have as people and within our western societies help speak to a certain hierarchy, which is common throughout many cultures; however, it is not an essential part of human society as a whole. I remember studying collectivism at University and how many so called ‘primitive’ societies used inclusion rather than deprivation as a means of supporting their societies. I think that Artists such as Marta Minujín, especially in her Destrucción (1963) speaks to how arbitrary our societies place value on certain practices. In her performance, the Destrucción (1963) she destroyed all of the art that she had made throughout her career as an artist to symbolize rebirth as an artist that was free of the so called “high-arts,” an artist that excluded herself from this arbitrary valuation. This performance acted as her first great performance and launched her career as a visionary who challenged our western status quo. I hope that someday the social-sciences, sciences, and humanities at some point might be able to become more universalist, rather than the critical exclusive disciplines that they had originally been drawn out to be.  I feel that once our Universities can help shed light on these misfortunes that we might be able to provide a truer understanding of plant’s peoples and cultures. Anyways, sorry for going on is there anything else that I should respond to?”

I looked down to examine the rubric to see I had stayed true to its requirements in order to receive a higher mark, but then realized that beyond proper grammar and syntax that all the questions that I had been asked to question Victor on had been answered.

I looked up at the screen and said, “No Victor, I think that is everything, so long as I remember my student ID number and section number this paper will have all the content necessary for a ‘proper’ mark.”

He smiled and said, “well darling, I hope that it all goes well. I would love to chat longer but I have a gig tonight so I should put get ready.”

“A gig?” I asked.

“Why yes I gig,” he said while winking at me.

I giggled, we then said our good-byes, and ended our call.

***

As this has been the first one-hundred level course that I have taken at the University of Arizona, I would like to apologize as I am used to having more creative freedom in my writing. I hope that this would answer all of the requirements that I would be asked of for this assignment and I hope that I might be able to improve myself in the future assignments for this course. The problem is that I am typically used to writing a paper around a general topic, that would be covered within a specific course. One example would be one course that I took on Conflict Management and Resolution. The general requirement was to write a final essay that carefully examined a conflict and then provide suggestions and commentary on how this conflict could have been more easily resolved. For this assignment I examined it as an exercise on conducting and recording interview surrounding aspects of academia. In that regard I do believe that I was to some degree successful at that in my first essay that I submitted for this course. Either way I hope that the response above can help show that I am trying to remember how to navigate a first-year course and that I am capable of following a rubric’s specified guidelines.

Figures:

Figure 1:

Marta, Minujín. Destrucción. 1963. Performance Art/Photograph. MoMA, New York. Image Courtesy of: Henrique Faria Fine Art, New York. Online. Accessed 24 Feb 2017. http://post.at.moma.org/sources/8/publications/129

Figure 2:

Pablo, Picasso. Les Demoiselles d’Avignon. 1907. Oil on canvas. MoMA, New York. Acquired through the Lillie P. Bliss Bequrest. Online. Accessed 24 Feb 2017. https://www.moma.org/explore/conservation/demoiselles/

Works Cited:

Phifer-Byrne, Kasey, Erin. Grading Criteria. 2017.

Originally published on Old Wordpress site: edwardjelliott.wordpress.com on Feb. 27 2017

#assingment #interview #marta minujin #pablo picasso #re-writing #series #writing

[mrsteveecook]

working with anti-vaxxers, my boss is sending me ads for other jobs, and more

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…

1. Working with anti-vaxxers when my friend is immunocompromised

I work in a science-based field, yet in our workplace of ~40 people, we have four rabid anti-vaxxers — that I know about; there could be more lying low. I work closely with one on projects, so I can’t avoid her.

My big problem right now is that I have a close friend with whom I went to school who is severely immunocompromised due to treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He’s currently hospitalized for Type-A influenza. He’s the type of person herd immunity protects, and now he might die from a preventable disease. And I refuse to visit him right now due to exposure I might have from this germ-ridden, entitled coworker. I want to grab this woman by the throat and shake her fillings out while I call her stupid and that I hope her kids die from smallpox. Both obviously bad ideas…

How do I handle both the interactions I have to have with, and my rage at, her? And by extension, others of her ilk?

(And the strain he has IS one that was covered by this year’s immunizations. Just to head off the “But the shot doesn’t cover every strain!” crowd.)

I wish I had a good answer to this, but I don’t know that there is one. In a lot of ways, it’s like having to work with anyone whose views and actions you think are responsible for real damage in the world — like people who support children being separated from their families at the border, or people who vote to deny other people basic human rights. Of course, your situation is different because simply being in your coworker’s physical presence is putting someone you love in danger, but I think a lot of the “how do I deal emotionally?” principles are the same.

That said, I do wonder if the physical presence element of this gives you some additional options. Is it possible for you to simply say that you cannot share space with her because of the risk to an immunocompromised loved one? After all, if someone you lived with was severely immunocompromised, that might be the solution you’d have to land on. It’s not a perfect solution for a whole bunch of reasons — work needs, the ways exposure works, etc. — but it might be at least worth thinking about, and even considering it as an option might give you more feeling of control back.

2. My boss is sending me ads for other jobs

For the second time in six months, my boss has told me about open positions at other companies in my field and said she feels like she would be doing me a professional disservice by not telling me. Should I be concerned that she is gently trying to move me along?

For some background: On paper, I am very overqualified for my position. It is a full-time position that only requires a high school diploma (I have a masters in the field). The work I do, however, is the same kind of work someone with a higher title would do (and that higher title would require the masters that I have). I would love to get the change in title and pay but I’m not in any hurry to leave — I love my job and my coworkers and know I am gaining valuable experience in my field. I have also only been at this position for not quite two years. My resume is already a bit spotty with short-lived jobs so I’m trying to shore it up a bit with some longevity. My biggest concern is whether or not I should be concerned that she is trying to tell me that it’s time for me to be looking elsewhere. Maybe she really is just looking out for my professional development but I can’t help but worry!

Some managers do this because they genuinely want to help people into their next position, without it being a sign that they want to get rid of you; they feel more invested in being a good mentor for you than in retaining you at all costs.

The best thing you can do is to talk to your manager about it! Say something like this: “You’ve sent me job postings a couple of times that you thought were a good fit. I appreciate you looking out for me like that, but I also want to make sure I’m not missing any subtext. I love my job and think I’m getting valuable experience here and have no interest in leaving any time soon, but I’m wondering if you actually think I should be looking around?”

You might hear that she does this for everyone and it doesn’t mean anything, or that she mistakenly thought you would be looking soon and is glad you won’t be, or that she just thought these two roles were so perfect for you that she had to share them, or who knows what. But you should come away from this conversation with a much clearer idea of what she intended (and she’ll probably appreciate the opportunity to clear that up too).

3. My neighbor is a coworker and he offered to violate city ethics rules for me

I work pretty high up in local government and I recently bought a house in the town I work for. It turned out that my next-door neighbor also works for the same city, in the parks department. I didn’t really have much contact with him prior to moving here, but he and his wife have been very kind and welcoming since I’ve moved in.

Now that the weather is getting nicer, I was outside raking leaves and getting the yard cleaned up. Coworker came out and made pleasant neighborly conversation, and then he offered to “bring home a leaf blower from work” so I wouldn’t have to rake by hand. Now, besides being a general work no-no, this is a blatant violation of ethics law; public employees are definitely NOT allowed to take home taxpayer-purchased equipment for their, or anyone else’s, private use.

I was pretty surprised that he would suggest this to me, but I can only assume that he either isn’t aware it’s wrong, or he is aware and doesn’t care. I didn’t want to embarrass him by saying outright, “No, that’s illegal and possibly a fireable offense” when I have to live next door to him. So I just said, “Thanks but my brother is loaning me his leaf blower until I buy one for myself” and changed the subject.

I don’t want him to get in trouble if he gets caught doing this kind of thing, as he seems like a nice guy and may just be unaware. But if he knows it’s wrong and is doing this (or other similar things), am I under an obligation to say anything to my employer about it (and possibly damaging my neighborly relationship)? If not, how do I respond to him if he makes comments like this again?

As an aside – our elected officials receive ethics training (including this particular issue, in the context that elected officials can’t do things like have the road department plow their private driveways) but the employees do not receive the same training. I could suggest that the employees get this training too, but I don’t know if I would have to explain why I’m suggesting it. What do you think?

If he says something like this again, I think it’s worth explaining that you could both get in trouble for violating ethics rules. You can say this kindly, like you’re assuming he didn’t know and would appreciate being told. The benefits of that are (a) he really might not know, and now he will, and (b) it’ll hopefully prevent him from doing anything else that you might be obligated to report (because even if he already knew the rules and just didn’t care, now he’ll realize he’s living next to someone who does).

I don’t think you’re under any obligation to report this single conversation, as long as your city’s rules don’t say otherwise. If you start to see a pattern of ethics issues (his driveway is filled with borrowed city property, he’s joy riding a city tractor down your block, etc.), then you could explain to him that you’re obligated to report that stuff, which would be a neighborly thing to do before just going straight to reporting him.

I do think you could suggest ethics trainings for all employees would be smart, and you wouldn’t need to explain why that occurred to you. It’s actually a good idea for employees to know what ethics rules they’re held to! (That said, that’s no doubt an expensive suggestion, and would likely carry more weight if you were able to explain you’ve had conversations with employees where you had the sense they didn’t realize the details of the rules … which you can probably say without naming names.)

4. I want to unfriend my manager on Facebook

I am early in my career and have made a mistake. When I was first offered my stable government job, my immediate supervisor added me on Facebook. I thought this was strange, but thought, “hey, why not.” This has bitten me in the butt.

While I have formed casual friendships with my colleagues at work, my immediate supervisor has proven herself to be controlling, nasty, micromanaging, and two-faced. She hated the woman who had my position before, and even told me outright that she audio-recorded their supervisory meetings to prove that my predecessor should be fired. I do not trust my supervisor. There is no outward animosity between us, but I absolutely do not want her to be my Facebook “friend.”

I have considered sending an email to all my coworkers, including those I’d prefer to keep, explaining that although I value our office relationship, I have decided to remove coworkers from Facebook. Would this be an appropriate approach to my problem? I have learned my lesson the hard way to never add a supervisor on Facebook.

You don’t even need to make that big a deal of it. You can just quietly unfriend her, and if she ever asks you about it, at that point you can say, “Oh, I decided to separate all my work stuff from Facebook.” But if you think she’s vindictive enough that she’d be offended (and maybe not ask you about it, thus not giving you the chance to say this), then you can severely restrict her access to your stuff (and yours to hers, so you don’t see it).

But if none of those options feel right, then yes, you can proactively let everyone know you’re shrinking your Facebook use to just out-of-work contacts. Personally I think an email is putting too much weight on it, but it’s fine if you want to do it that way! You can also add something about being happy to connect with them once you’re no longer working together, and if you get any pushback you can say a mentor advised you to keep work and personal life separate (or that you’ve read too many articles advising that, or so forth).

5. How should your resume show you worked at a job during school breaks?

I’m a first-year college student. I attend a school a few hours from home, so during the school year I have a work study position on campus. However, during breaks (Thanksgiving, winter, spring, and summer) I’ve been going home and continuing to work at the fast food place I worked at prior to going to college.

How would I write this on my resume? It feels dishonest to write that I’ve been employed since June 2017-present when I’m absent seven out of nine months. But I also don’t want to write it with giant gaps, such as June 2017-August 2018, November 2018, December 2018-January 2019, and so on. How would I write these periods of absence on my resume?

You can write it this way:

Employer name, June 2017 – August 2018, and during school breaks from November 2018 – present

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working with anti-vaxxers, my boss is sending me ads for other jobs, and more was originally published by Alison Green on Ask a Manager.

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