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midnightshowing-acm420-fall2019 · 4 years

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Week 16 - Alex - Dénouement

--- Opening Thoughts:

Here we reach the end of the story of this project; the final knot, which took so many threads to tie, yet seemed not long ago to be little more than a tangled mess. This week, our group achieved more than what seemed achievable, given the time constrains and pressure. And although so much could have gone wrong, this was truly a very ‘right’ conclusion to an epic semester-long project. I’m so very, very thankful, and proud, of each and every member of our our group - without whom this film would never have been possible. And I’m honored to have been a part of what may very well be one of the finest films produced here in ACM Animation since its inception. I also would like to give a huge thanks to all the colorists who made the production pipeline go so much smoother and faster - sacrificing their own time and effort to be a part of something amazing! I also would like congratulate our terrific voice actor Justin Bendo, for his incredible work as the voice of Angel. And to our composer Joshua Namba, who breathed life and vigor into our film through his music.

--- Weekly Deliverables

For my work this past week, a lot has happened, as most of our group can probably agree to. It’s difficult to bring to memory every individual thing, but the core tasks were these: Coloring Sq13s6, a shot I originally roughed for. Although the final version would go on to have some major alterations to Angel, I’m happy to see it least one rough of Phantom I did pretty much stuck all the way to final:

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Colored Sq13s16; took a heck of a long time even using pre-programmed inputs for the coloring process. But it turned out good, and due to me needing to use base layers for the characters, Gavin came up with an interesting blending mode for the Old Man which we can see in the final film:

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For the next two shots I finished line from last week, plus color and shading for this week. They turned out pretty good I’d say:

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We ran into some technical issues when it came to rendering out certain files, and one in particular that comes to mind is Sq9s16, as imaged below.

I don’t know how it was possible to even work on a file this large on Photoshop, with the hardware we have. It was so big that most of our group’s computers couldn’t even open it. Mine struggled big time to load it, let alone render it as an uncompressed .mov. I had to clear almost all my ram, and even then it crashed before finally managing to render it, which only took around 10 minutes (for one shot mind you,) and then uploading it which took a solid three and a half hours.

This one file almost stopped our whole production. It was amazing, kind of hilarious, and a bit scary, but we managed to pull through. I added a clipping mask to the fire’s lineart to make it orange.

The next thing which ate up a lot of time and energy this week was sound. Basically, I expected have sound done in maybe 5 or 6 hours over the weekend. Turned out it required almost two full days to finalize. Me and Gavin met up to discuss corrections and adjustments, and after some last minute feedback, all the retiming work was done, and we got an incredible audio track. Even though it was a heavy tax on my very tight finals week schedule, I think having those two days to work on it really raised the fluidity and creativity to provide something almost of a remaster to the animatic audio track we’ve been using up to this point. The premiere file itself is kind of a convoluted mess:

Nevertheless, it gets the job done, and taught me a whole lot about sound editing and design over the course of the semester (except organizational skills.)

--- Last Reflections

This semester has been such a momentous one for so many reasons. If 320 taught me “how to work on animation,” then 420 taught me how to work on animation for real. The jump is so tangible, not necessarily in a “workload” sense (although that may be part of it) but more so as an appreciation for the art of animation itself as a collaborative medium, and a visually exploratory one. I am much more aware now of every element that goes into a piece of work, and I think I can see the great value in attempting to discerning the purpose behind everything we see in Animation, as with any art piece. While it was easy to get away with seemingly arbitrary choices of shape, color, motion and such in the past, it has become especially necessary now to be deliberate in making choice, since the workload falls on someone else’s shoulders.

- Adjustments to the Process in the Future:

Not all of this is necessarily in my control, nor should this be held against anyone or any part of the film making process here, since after all we’re learning and exploring how to work in teams with new techniques. That being said, one thing I would aim to sharpen in the future is the pre-production estimates of workload times/levels, as well as the overall film length. I think I speak for most of us when I say that the film’s scope grew a lot over the course of the semester. And I’m not saying having a large or ambitious idea is bad - that’s my favorite kind of project! But it can become a bit of an issue when it grows to such a scope that we are having to recruit outside helpers and dedicate most or all of the 24 hours we have in a day to be able to manage finishing on time. Basically, just have a more rigid plan from the start, and be very cautious towards anything that adds unnecessary levels of complexity. That’s something that can be addressed at the animatic stage. Beyond that, being more cautious with the estimates of time and energy requirements per shot would help. I noticed that some (or maybe most) of the shots required quite a bit more time than originally intended to be roughed, lined, colored, and shaded. That’s not taking into consideration all the revisions they may go through as they are reviewed, given feedback, and trade hands between group members. Production schedule-wise, it’s much better to undershoot I think, and have a lot of extra time to hammer out details, maybe refine shots, and properly apply feedback versus feeling the dread of being behind schedule and cutting years from your life due to the amount of sleep lost to try and catch up. A general rule of thumb is that specificity helps. Despite how meticulously we planned, we would still occasionally run into issues such as what color a prop might be, or how the shading might change between environments. Or another example might be how a character’s physical attributes such as stretchiness might change or remain consistent throughout the film. Although these were minor things that got addressed in the end, baring those details in mind in the future would be of great help I think.

- Words of Advice to Future 420 Students

You have three options: either become a cyborg, learn to hate sleep, or adapt to being powered by copious amounts of coffee every day. As for me, I took something from all three of those this semester. Joking aside, these are some general pointers I would give to incoming 420 students: -Choose your story and teammates carefully: This semester can be as fun (or unfun) as you make it to be. No matter what though, the people you have at your side are the people you’re stuck with. Hopefully by this point in the major you would be familiar with your teammates and their individual strengths and quirks, so if you’re having trouble picking a team in the beginning, go with the people you feel are the most self-determined, hard working, and whom you can adapt to their mold (not necessarily vice versa.) If you hate your team, you will hate your semester. But if you love your team, it doesn’t matter how tough the work gets, because you can still come to class with a smile (a very dead inside smile.)

-Come in with a strong concept: Even if your idea doesn’t get picked, being able to receive other people’s ideas and represent them faithfully is vital to the overall success of the production. The better you understand the idea you are working on, the better prepared you will be to make it a reality. Also, simple designs and ideas tend to get picked more often. Keep that in mind when developing your idea.

-Diversity is a strength: Having a broad skillset on your crew is incredibly important. Ideally, everyone can functionally perform any given task on the production. But having specialists assigned certain specific tasks is very helpful. It serves to balance the workload more or less equally among members based on their strengths, and the result is a product where you have good work reflected in all aspects of the film.

-Be prepared to change your schedule: Unless your group’s idea is ridiculously simple, chances are you will be losing sleep, possible questioning your choice of major, and being forced to change both when and how you are available to people and things you care about in the world outside the borders of your computer screen. It is not a joke to say that this course can affect your health, your diet, and maybe even the way you view other people - or even yourself! If done properly, this class should challenge you in the way you live and handle work. It should force you to adapt to an animator’s lifestyle. Not that you need to forsake life to be an animator necessarily, but to give you a taste of what the industry may demand of you through certain seasons of life.

-Be able to take a joke: By the end of the project, you’re going to be throwing shots at each other left and right. It is a crazy, whacky time - and you may find yourself forgetting this is all for a school project. Learn to enjoy acknowledging your own weaknesses, and have fun pointing out the flaws in others, when its appropriate. This makes the experience not only more enjoyable, but in a strange, ironic way it makes us become comfortable with our shortcomings, and enables/pushes each other to genuinely improve our skills, and ultimately create a better product.

-Communication is key: You need to keep up with your group. Period. If you are our of the loop for even a day, it can throw things off big time. Setup a chat group via text, setup a Discord server, or find some other means to talk to one another that is reliable. Even if you don’t always feel like chatting, just be ready when somebody needs you (which will happen quite a lot.) Also, having a system of file sharing such as Google Drive is indispensable. You may find yourself keeping certain tabs open and rarely closing them, just to check for updates and be able to send/receive files when you need them.

-Practice makes perfect: I don’t care how good or bad you think you are at animating up till this point; if you do your best in this class, you will grow. You may find yourself drawing in a different art style than you’re used to, and implementing work methods and software that you’ve never used before. And that’s wonderful! Be open to experimenting and exploring new styles of work. I’ve found that is a big part of what makes animation enjoyable and inexhaustible. Just when you feel like you’re set in your ways, the moment you step into something new, it’s a whole other world, and you just might find something you like about it.That opens the door to not only other ways of being creative, but on a practical level, makes you a much more viable component to a team when being considered for hiring. Don’t let the early hardships bog you down; with time and practice, there’s nothing you can’t do. -- Well that pretty much wraps up this last blog post and the semester for 420. The experience has been life altering, no joke. I have no regrets, and I’m so thankful to have had the chance to work so closely with everyone. In my experience, this class has been the difference between being an animation student and becoming a professional animator. Even though it was as a real challenge emotionally and physically, I would take the class again if I could, and I very much look forward to working with you all - my fellow animators - in our continuing classes, as well as our careers beyond. You all have been my family here while I’ve been without one since moving all the way out here for school.

Thanks to Brittany for teaching our wonderful class! And to everyone who has fought through this semester together and made it something special, right up until the very end. Until next time my friends, this is the Undercover Animator signing out.

#midnightshowing #acm420 #theend #coffeepower #i cry every time

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panharmonium · 7 years

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three old notes i made for myself about the opening scene of “battlefields,” retrieved from my ancient email history and compiled together here at @brambleberrycottage’s request :)

1) she was someone to him, too

that first line of stiles' about allison is so significant. it's one of those lines that says so many things without saying anything at all; all the deep meanings are unspoken.

i don't think he's talked to allison, either.

but that might be more her choice.

you know?

every time i watch that i think, "no, ms morrell doesn't know. but you do."

the show doesn't make the comparison in words, but it does make the comparison. having stiles add the 'you know?' after that pause - having him accurately infer that allison is choosing not to talk to scott (which we see confirmed in the next shot, when she ignores the message scott left on her car window) - having the "you know?" placed over this shot of his eyes, where his gaze does a tiny shift down and away from ms morrell, off into space, the way we look when we're looking at something that isn't there, when we're thinking about something else.

he knows. the show makes the comparison without having to say a single thing about it; it doesn't have to tell us in so many words - these little things are enough to remind us. he knows.

this is such a little moment that is so important to me, the jumping-off point for their connection. because it's not that they weren't friends before - but it used to be more of a 'you're my best friend's girlfriend/you're my boyfriend's best friend' kind of thing, whereas this is a crisis point, a turning point, one that kicks off their building of a relationship that will exist on its own terms.

and this relationship-building is a thing stiles chooses to make happen, at least in the writing-verse i’ve been playing in, anyway - i have a lot of feelings about this process and about the internal impulse stiles feels to do something, to be available, to be there, because everybody should have somebody. he had somebody. allison should have somebody, too.

i don’t think he even consciously recognizes how strong that conviction of his is; he's just doing what feels right, but really what he's doing is exactly what chris tells allison earlier in the season:

what you know makes you responsible.

stiles knows. and so stiles feels responsible. "whether you want it or not, you can do things that nobody else can do. so that means you don't have a choice anymore. it means you have to do something." he's in a position to do things for allison that nobody else in their group can do. he knows things that nobody else in their group knows. he can do something - and that means he has to do something.

and that's why when we say stiles isn't nice, it doesn't mean he isn't good. this girl dumps his best friend and it doesn't matter; he doesn't care; he's still going to be there, he's still going to go out of his way to make himself available. he can't not do it. he feels compelled to do it, in a way he doesn't fully understand but can't refuse or ignore.

2) (not) appeasing my parents so they don’t take away my car keys

aka, how stiles actually interacts with ms. morrell vs how we originally would expect him to interact with ms. morrell.

going back to that whole ‘stiles as a mass of contradictions/a character who defies expectations/doesn’t fit in a box’ thing i always talk about - because just looking at his character and what we know about him and the constant litany of ‘i’m fine’ that he recites to people around him, as well as how he handles adults he doesn’t have a connection with (see 3a & b for more on that) - you’d expect him to be more like lydia. especially given that as far as the kids know, at this point, ms. morrell doesn’t know anything about the supernatural stuff they’re dealing with; she’s just a plain old guidance counselor.

but when we come into that scene, stiles is working with her. he isn’t doing the lydia “it’s a butterfly” dance, which is what we would originally expect. coming into that scene for me feels like stiles is pretty familiar with how this goes, and maybe he’s not completely comfortable, but he’s still willing to work with this lady, as long as she doesn’t give him a reason to retract his consent.

how do i organize my thoughts about this, um -

stiles absolutely COULD do the “it’s a butterfly” shutdown/evasion if he wanted to, and he absolutely would, if he stopped feeling like this was worth his time or if the counselor in front of him gave him a reason to withdraw his very temporary and very conditional trust.

the way stiles works with ms. morrell very much gives me the implied sense that stiles knows school counselors. not ms. morrell herself, but school counselors as an Experience, you know, he knows that whole scene. he answers every question that's asked of him, even asks a pointed one of his own ("how come you're not taking any notes on this?" - "i do my notes after the session" - "your memory's that good?"). he knows this process well enough.

and the way that he works with her also implies that he’s willing to roll with counselors, up to a point. like - stiles is so often smarter than the people on the other side of the desk; he is often two steps ahead of them, and he could, if he decided to, game their system. he probably has, plenty of times, because stiles is, again, one of those kids who knows who he is and who knows what’s good for him and who doesn’t need unfamiliar adults/authority figures to affirm him or give him permission for anything. he makes decisions without their input.

so what i'm saying is, if stiles decided he was done with counseling with ms. morrell, he’d be done. it would just be over, that’s all. she wouldn’t get anything else out of him - he’d either go lydia and take the “it’s a butterfly” route, or go master manipulator and manipulate himself right out of the room, testing normal/”fine” on every scale.

but he doesn’t do that. ms. morrell doesn’t have to pull information out of him; he volunteers it when she doesn't even request it. i.e., ms. morrell says “one positive thing came out of all this, though, didn’t it?”, about stiles’ father getting his job back - and if stiles were just sitting there talking to her because he was being forced to, if he were lydia-ing his way through the whole thing, all he would’ve had to say is “yeah, i guess,” and that would have been enough. he could have left it there; it would have been a completely satisfactory answer. but he doesn’t. he volunteers extra information. he puts more out there when he doesn’t need to - he gives her something new when she doesn't even ask: “yeah. yeah, but i still feel like there’s something wrong between us. i don’t know, it’s just like tension when we talk. same thing with scott."

and he does it again, when she asks “how about we get back to you? stiles?”

“i’m fine.” and you think it’s going to be just that, the lydia answer, but it’s not: “yeah, aside from the not sleeping, the jumpiness, the constant, overwhelming, crushing fear that something terrible’s about to happen.”

he gives that information up when he doesn’t have to. he’s a willing participant in their discussion. and yes, his willingness to participate absolutely can and will be withdrawn, immediately and without apology, if what he’s doing stops being valuable for him, if he stops benefiting from it - but he’s willing to run with it, for the time being.

it's like….stiles is this kid who doesn’t feel any particular desire for counseling, when he’s not in the room, but he’s been in the room enough times to know how it works, and he knows that sometimes it’s a complete waste of time and sometimes it’s okay, and he’s willing to work within a system that he could manipulate himself out of in half a second as long as that system doesn’t give him a reason to change his mind. he may not have any connection to ms. morrell in particular, but his M.O. is to give counseling its chance and roll with it for as long as it feels useful.

this is just a very interesting dynamic to me, because it's definitely not what you would expect just from looking at his other character attributes. and stiles and his attitude toward adult authority is one of my favorite character things to look at with him, because he just reminds me SO strongly of some kids i've known and it's so difficult to express what it is - it's not rebelliousness, it's just a mixture of self-awareness and self-sufficiency that renders the vast majority of external adult influence...unnecessary. not resented, but always just - extraneous.

3. because...he’s evil.

(cn ableist language in the quoted material)

the exchange ms. morrell has with stiles about matt daehler is what i mean when i say this entire scene is a stiles stilinski character study.

"are you saying you hope matt felt some peace in his last moments?"

when ms. morrell asks him that question, stiles looks up immediately, with a look on his face that says he knows exactly what she’s trying to get out of him, but he's not going to lie to appease anybody, and he's not ashamed of the truth, either, even when he thinks other people will say he should be.

"i don't feel sorry for him."

"can you feel sorry for the nine year-old matt who drowned?"

and this bit, character-wise, this is THE BIT, because stiles makes this exasperated little expiration of breath and readjusts his lacrosse stick and proceeds to explain to her, in the clearest possible terms, no.

no.

Just because a bunch of dumbasses dragged him into a pool when he couldn't swim doesn't really give him the right to go off killing them one by one. And by the way, my dad told me that they found a bunch of pictures of Allison on Matt's computer. And not just of her though; I mean, he photoshopped himself into these pictures. Stuff like them holding hands, and kissing...you know, like he had built this whole fake relationship. So yeah, maybe drowning when he was nine years old was what sent him off the rails, but the dude was definitely riding the crazy train.

and this is huge, here, because stiles isn’t fronting. he’s not compensating for some kind of submerged guilt or pity - he legitimately does not feel sorry for matt.

i love that the show allows this, that it doesn't take the easy route and give all its characters the same heroic empathy. because scott mccall would have answered this question differently - but the show doesn't pass judgment on whether scott or stiles is right, the same way ms. morrell doesn't challenge stiles' explanation. it just lets us have the differences. it lets these characters exist with legitimately dissimilar outlooks on life borne out of dissimilar life experiences.

ms. morrell asks stiles specifically about "the nine year-old matt who drowned." what exactly is stiles supposed to answer that with? stiles is not scott mccall. stiles loves scott mccall - loves him for being the kind of person who always wants to try with everybody; loves (and worries about) the fact that scott is the kind of person who would give someone like deucalion a second chance to do better - but stiles and scott, close as they are, have lived very different lives. and when ms. morrell asks stiles about whether he can feel sorry for the nine year-old matt who drowned, stiles can't say anything but no.

no.

bad things happen to everybody.

they happen to people who deserve them.

they happen to people who don't deserve them.

they happen to grown-ups.

they happen to nine year-olds.

and what happens to you, after something happens like that, is your call.

can you feel sorry for the nine year-old matt who drowned?

he can't. stiles was drowning when he was nine, too. somebody threw matt in a pool, and then in the span of a few minutes matt was pulled out again. life threw stiles in the pool and that was it; that was his new plane of existence - agony now, hell later, just survival - trying to hold his breath underwater. it's called voluntary apnea. no matter how much you're freaking out, the instinct to not let any water in is so strong that you won't open your mouth until you feel like your head's exploding.

climbing out of that pool took years. some days his feet are still in. but he managed it, and he managed it without turning into a murderer, or an abusive stalker, so when ms. morrell asks him about nine year-old matt, sixteen year-old stiles looks back at his own nine year-old self and says no.

take responsibility for yourself.

he tells danny that later, as a joke. but it's exactly the right summary of where stiles is coming from here.

#if you are not embarrassingly into teen wolf definitely move along #i forgot kind of how much meta writing i used to do after i watched episodes #yeah sorry i write novels about tv shows now #bc i don't write literary analysis anymore now that i'm not in school #and i miss it #teen wolf #meta

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nicksebastiaofmp · 5 years

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FMP Evaluation

We were asked to create a final major project where we could choose from 4 different themes. It was: Gaming, Graphics, Photography and Video. The aim was to produce something more than just a regular project we did in past. Basically, we had 8 weeks to proof that we’re worthy to get great qualification from this course. In this project we were meant show all of our skills, knowledge, creativity, terminology, etc. We’ve gained from being on this course.

Intro:

I chose to do video as it is closest theme to my heart. I like telling stories and any sort of video is a way to tell a story. I’ve had a story in my head I wanted to visualise and so I did. When I found out that we’ll be able to choose I didn’t hesitate I knew this was my time to create it. I started brainstorming my prime ideas, drawing the logo I wanted to appear in the short film, talking about scenes a bit, mainly describing my ideas, taking about actors from drama school, etc. For my initial research, I headed to ancient civilizations as it was relevant to my idea and tried to get as many information as possible. I’ve written the proposal based on my initial research and I was ready to start writing the schedule. I completed the schedule for 3 weeks and started looking forward to filming it.

Research

Research played a big role in this case and I was aware of it. The first research I had to do, was the primary research in the classroom, which is the collection of information that is later used in secondary research. The aim was to find out what individual students like and what they would like to see on the screen if it was related to film. I think that listening to the opinion of a couple of classmates helped me, but I also have a few friends from University who explained to me quite a lot, their advice was very valuable. On the other hand, if someone is aware of what they desire and goes after it, they do not have to ask others for permission, because then the personal work changes them into the work of others and here the originality disappears. I do a lot of research without being aware of it, but I often find it unnecessary to write about everything I do and keep repeating myself. I mostly wanted to watch sci-fi movies that would tell me a bit about their spell and so I could learn something new, then I watched the directors and writers behind the sci-fi movies. I've been watching a lot of YouTube videos where YouTubers talk about, how to keep the camera properly, how to colour correct, how to film a cinematic sequence, etc. I wanted to make it look like film and make it as far away from amateur work, I just wanted it to be not like the stuff I did in the past and by practice and training I think I did. Even playing games (mostly Assassin's) shown me a lot about the then civilizations, which was useful for my research. For example, watching the movie "The Island" gave me some suggestions for my actors' clothes, it's all just a test to know what I'm capable of for now.

Target audience

My target audience are females from 18-24 who like horror type of movies with little bit of action and excitement. I did try to make it look like an action sequence with a bit of excitement I guess, but I also did what I liked. I remembered what I was supposed to create and somehow focused on it, but at the end of the day it was my work and I cannot satisfy everyone.

My demographic profile of my audience is literally just their age and gender in this case, the most common age is 18-24 and the gender are females. When it gets to psychographic audience it starts to be wider. There are students who don’t really have taste in movies, students who are into action and horror movies, some search for an excitement and death in the movie and some wouldn’t even want to star in a movie. I’ve got all this data from the survey monkey that I did like 2 months ago. I mean it’s important to know what they like, so you roughly know what direction to head, but at the same time you need to find a way that will suit the majority. I figured out that they somehow like action, so I made it look action. I’ve seen in all in quantative form.

PRODUCTION

I knew that as soon as I had the actors and the plan I could start filming. Before I started filming, I took my time to walk around the town in order to find an appropriate location, (location recce) so I wouldn't waste my time later. I had my actors fill in the release forms and I filled out my call sheets in their presence and the filming could start. First shoot took a place in town and my house. I know I was supposed to follow the schedule, but I rather followed my script because it told me all I needed to know. I experimented at every location because the shot in my head will always be different on the camera, the biggest challenge was probably working with green screen and POV shots. I watched YouTube videos as part of my production and slowly learned how to make sequences look cinematic. I knew enough about Adobe Premiere, and I wanted to discover more about Adobe After Effects for this project. I have to say that at first glance these two programs are very different and it takes time to know what to do. I tried to experiment with many shots, but everything was futile. Then I did, I said to myself I have to do one at least thing in After Effects. I was most interested in 3D motion, a feature that allows you to track an object or background in a 3D environment which saves energy and time. As far as the main edition is concerned, I edited it all in Adobe Premiere and the photos that appeared in it were designed in Adobe Photoshop. I wanted it to be different this time, so I decided to work harder than ever. The edit itself took about 2 days of pure time, my editing contains a lot of effects we haven't talked about in the classroom, effects like Posterize time, Motion, HSL secondary, etc. PT allows you to slow down the sequence to a minimum frame speed which creates this nice “ghosty” looking sequence when you duplicate it and put a normal sequence on top of it. Motion helps you to track anything you want within the sequence, but it takes time and determination. HSL secondary is a new feature in Premiere and what it does is that it basically allows you to pick a colour and highlight it which is good when doing for example a black and white video, but you just want this specific colour to be seen or when you deal with really bad green screen you can highlight the green and make it pure green to make it easier for Ultra Key. All this above had a huge impact on my work I wouldn’t do anything without what I just stated.

REFLECTION

I guess I should feel satisfied and proud of the work I’ve done, but nothing is ever enough for me, so I just did what I thought was right. It took some time to finish and don’t get me I wrong I thought I won’t be able to do so due to having so many actors, but I didn’t give up and carried on. My first plan was to film a proper short movie that would last like 12-15 minutes, I’ve written the script for it, but due to lack of time and loss of my USB I had to stick to a trailer of this short movie. My overcome was not to give up and look forward to the final lane. If I was going to do it differently, I’d probably start filming even earlier and would make sure I back up my stuff to avoid any inconvenience. Working independently is alright I mean I always do at the end of the day. I prefer to work alone rather than listening to someone, but for this project I had a team that helped me a lot and I’m grateful they did. When it gets to these famous Hollywood movies, they haven’t been done by just a one person either, so. I did follow my schedule at some point, but as I mentioned earlier I mainly followed my script and it worked. My schedule was completely screwed up when I lost my USB stick I had to redo everything and that completely changed my plans. If I would’ve backed it up I wouldn’t become so concerned afterwards, at that point I really thought I won’t be able to do it again, but I did. I used my time wisely, even though this occurred. I guess I could’ve begun earlier, but as I was relying on my actors schedule I couldn’t do much. I did stuff in a meantime, for the shots I didn’t need them to be on, but for the most of it I was powerless without them.

Presented Work

I feel like I’ve met the requirements to a high standard which makes me proud and fulfilled. I’ve received some nice feedback so far, and I looking forward to see more responses.

PEER FEEDBACK

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ronaldmrashid · 5 years

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The Wide Implications Of The College Admissions Bribery Scandal

Thanks to the fantastic work by the Department Of Justice and the FBI we have learned the average bribe it takes to buy your kid’s way into an elite private university is between $250,000 – $400,000. Although, some bribe amounts went as high as $6 million.

The 10-month-long investigation, code-named “Operation Varsity Blues,” uncovered large bribes nationwide across various stages of the college admissions process. So far, two SAT and ACT exam administrators, one exam proctor, a college administrator and 33 parents, including actors William H. Macy, Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin were arrested.

The private universities spanned across the nation, including Yale, Stanford, Georgetown, USC and Wake Forest. A couple of public schools such as UCLA and the University of Texas were also involved in the scam.

In one alleged incident, the Yale women’s soccer coach received $400,000 to accept one student on her team, even though the applicant did not play soccer.

In another alleged incident, Lori Loughlin, aka “Aunt Becky” on Full House, allegedly paid $500,000 in bribes and fabricated photos depicting her daughters as competitive crew rowers in order to get them accepted into USC.

In another alleged incident, the Stanford University sailing coach agreed to also accept $500,000 in bribes in order for two students to gain admissions.

What’s up with crew by the way? It’s not a money-making sport for the university. Perhaps crew is a sport where a potential admit can be more easily manipulated into looking like a high caliber athlete through photoshop and other means.

Bribe-willing parents take note!

College Bribes And A Rigged System

According to Andrew Lelling, the US Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, the ringleader of the scam is William Singer, owner of a college counseling service called Key Worldwide Foundation, who accepted bribes totaling $25 million from parents between 2011 and 2018.

Singer’s counseling service is alleged to have been in reality just a money bribing business which enabled wealthy parents to buy their kid’s admission into an elite private university. Singer even set up his own fake charity where parents could “donate” the money and then write the donation off on their taxes.

“The parents are a catalog of wealth and privilege,” Lelling said. “They include, for example, the CEOs of private and public companies, successful securities and real estate investors, two well-known actresses, a famous fashion designer and the co-chairman of a global law firm.”

Implications Of The College Admissions Bribery Scandal

As the parent to a two-year-old currently “stuck” in extremely competitive San Francisco, I find the details from this investigation extremely fascinating. In fact, 14 of the 33 parents indicted hail from the SF Bay Area.

Over the years, I’ve written many posts regarding the private school system as I try to work out what’s best for our son.

After all, I come from a middle-class family and went to public high school, public college, and public graduate school. A public school education has worked out fine for me, but I want to make sure I’m not missing the benefits of going the private school route.

Here are some past posts to review:

Would You Accept $1,000,000 To Go To Public School Over Private School?

What If You Go To Harvard And End Up A Nobody

Private School Or Public School? Depends On Your Level Of Fear And Guilt

If you read the posts, you might come away thinking I’m waging a jihad against the private school system. In actuality, I’m just trying to get my head around paying such enormous amounts of tuition for an asset that is declining in value.

After all, this is Financial Samurai, a personal finance site that focuses on optimizing our finances and living our best lives possible.

I love the topic of education, and this latest college admissions scandal is worth reflecting on since every parent cares for their child’s future and we all care about competing in a fair society.

Here are 15 implications from Operation Varsity Blues.

1) Private school reputation takes a hit. Private schools are already under fire due to a number of reasons: 1) outrageous tuition, 2) student body is much wealthier than the overall US demographic, 3) rumors and now facts of buying your way in, 4) affirmative action, and more. The Varsity Blues investigation simply buttresses the point that this stuff goes on at private schools. It’s the same way we know shady recruiting tactics occur in D1 college sports.

2) Public school reputation grows. Notice how the vast majority of admission bribery cases occurred at private universities. Some argue this is because there are many more prestigious private universities than public ones. However, there are still plenty of prestigious public institutions like Berkeley, UVA, UCLA (named in scandal), UCSD, Michigan, Wisconsin, UNC Chapel Hill, Purdue, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, George Tech, US Military Academy, and William & Mary where it appears somehow much harder to buy your way in. The less public schools are implicated, by default the stronger their reputations grow.

3) Affirmative action for the wealthy gets harder to deploy. We learned from the Asian-American lawsuit against Harvard that donor legacy kids have a 10X greater chance of getting into Harvard than a nondonor, nonlegacy kid. The reason why affirmative action for the wealthy is far more egregious than affirmative action based on race is that wealthy people, no matter their race, already receive the best education, the best tutoring, the most stable home environments, and the most amount of access money can buy.

4) All universities take a hit overall in reputation and importance. Although it takes a tremendous amount of capital to bribe your kid’s way into these elite schools, a college education is fast becoming unnecessary. We can now learn everything for free online. It is also much quicker to do research and learn thanks to the internet. Yet, colleges continue to raise their tuition 2X-3X the rate of inflation each year. Meanwhile, it still requires the student 4.-4.5 years on average to get a diploma. Talk about an antiquated system the elite is desperately trying to perpetuate.

Don’t you think there’s something wrong with this chart?

5) The angst for all parents is real, but should decrease. Even if you are a famous, rich, white person like William H. Macy, Felicity Huffman or Lori Loughlin, you are not immune to the anxiety and stress of trying to get your kids the best educational environment possible. The famous, rich, white person is competing against even more famous, rich, white people. This constant comparison will never stop until we make it stop. People of color and the poor should find some solace in the fact that people with all the privilege in the world are still stressing out about their kids’ future. People playing by the rules should feel better that something is being done about this rigged system.

6) Smart, hardworking students get unfairly sullied. Unless the FBI discovers the majority of students at elite universities have parents who buy their way in, it is likely that most students got in through merit. Unfortunately, this college admissions scandal will unfairly paint all elite college students and graduates, especially wealthy ones, with a suspicious eye. It’s the same way affirmative action may discredit an underrepresented minority’s achievements. We must remember that the vast majority of graduates of such schools are highly intelligent, good people.

7) Elite private university graduates will start questioning their accomplishments. Singer’s consulting firm made sure the kids had no idea they didn’t get into their respective universities by cheating. The FBI wiretaps highlighted such discussions. As a result, there will be plenty of students and graduates of these bribe-accepting schools who will wonder whether they got in due to their accomplishments. As self-doubt creeps in, self-esteem may drop, especially for graduates who end up working at a regular job.

Fake charity Singer set up so his clients could write off their bribes

8) Big city living is becoming less attractive. Notice how most of the schools implicated in this latest bribery scandal are located in large coastal cities such as Boston, Washington D.C., the San Francisco Bay Area, and Los Angeles. Big cities attract the most educated, type-A go-getters because big cities have employers who pay the most amount of money. The desire for money and prestige will eventually make you miserable because everybody is frantically competing to one-up the other.

9) Smaller city living is becoming more attractive. When we look back on our lives, we don’t wish we spent more time in the office trying to make more money and getting some meaningless title. What we wish we had more of was the freedom to spend time with family and friends and doing meaningful work. I foresee the continued growth and attraction of smaller cities as more people “opt out” of the grind. The FIRE movement has arisen partly because people are tired of all the corporate work BS and would rather be free.

10) Private business owner’s increase their purpose. The end goal for getting the best college education possible is to get the best job possible after graduation. Therefore, you’ll always be at the mercy of someone else’s decision if you do not own your own business. If you own your own private business, you can rig the system in your favor by hiring your know-nothing 22-year-old kid as VP of Operations and pay him or her a huge salary if you want. Unless you are a C-level executive at a public company, it is very hard to get your kid a top job or even an internship at your firm.

11) If you are a poor Asian American, you probably face the toughest hurdle. Given there is clear affirmative action for the wealthy through “donations” and straight up bribes, while race-based affirmative action does not include Asian Americans, poor or middle-class Asian Americans will have the greatest difficulty of getting into an elite private university. This is one of the reasons why you see so many mom and pop stores owned by Asians across the country. They know nobody is coming to help them, so they must count on themselves.

12) Poor students will see a rise in reputation. On the flip side, if you happen to be a poor Asian American or a poor student from any race who graduated from an elite private university, your stock should go up given more people realize what you’ve had to go through to get in.

13) A greater percentage of parents will donate to schools. The irony about this bribery scandal is that parents will simply go through legal bribery means by donating quid-pro-quo directly to their desired schools. The 33 parents caught so far were simply bad at cheating. They should have just contacted the admissions office at XYZ private school and discussed a plan to donate directly to a new building, courtyard, or scholarship. The donations will likely be more anonymous.

14) There will be a rise in stealth wealth. Given the college bribery scandal has reignited hatred for the rich, the rich will flaunt their wealth less. Luxury car sales might go down as BMWs are traded in for Hondas. Rich parents will tell their rich kids to stop showing off their wealth over social media. There may even be a surge in luxury home inventory as the rich decide to move out of expensive neighborhoods. Stealth wealth has always been a good idea. As we surpass our 10th year in a bull market, practicing stealth wealth is more important than ever before.

15) The middle class may become wealthier and happier. As college becomes less important in finding a job, there will be fewer people spending four years and borrowing tens of thousands in student loans. With more time and less financial baggage, more people will be able to aggressively save to buy a house, start a family, and save for retirement. With more financial security and more time, society as a whole becomes much happier.

Let The College Admissions Bribery Scandal Pump You Up

Instead of getting bummed out about how all these image-conscious and misguided wealthy people buy their kid’s way into elite universities, get happy!

Not only do you not have to spend $250,000 – $400,000 on average per kid on bribes, you also don’t have to pay $50,000+ a year in tuition alone for 4-5 years! The bribes plus the full cost of attending a private university for four or five years could run you over $1 million.

Life is already hard enough as it is. We don’t need people who have all the means in the world pull further ahead from the rest of us who abide by the rules or who went to public schools.

Let us all thank Andrew Lelling, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts; Joe Bonavolonta, special agent in charge of the FBI Boston Field Office; and the entire team for unrooting this scandal.

I trust this is just the beginning of much more to come!

Related: How To Stop Worrying About Your Child’s Future Again In This Brutally Competitive World

Readers, what are your thoughts on the college admissions bribery scandal? Why didn’t these parents just donate directly to the school instead? Why isn’t there more backlash against affirmative action for the wealthy? What are some other implications about the bribery scandal I have not mentioned?

The post The Wide Implications Of The College Admissions Bribery Scandal appeared first on Financial Samurai.

from https://www.financialsamurai.com/the-wide-implications-of-the-college-admissions-bribery-scandal/

#Financial Samurai

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kristablogs · 4 years

Text

How to learn new skills online

Put your glasses on—it's learning time. (GaudiLab via Depositphotos/)

There’s a lot wrong with the internet, but one of the best things about it is how easy it is to learn new skills. It’s actually one of the big reasons I have this job: I taught myself photography and photo editing, and I got my break writing about it. There are hundreds of thousands of videos out there teaching pretty much every skill imaginable, so if you want to learn something, there’s almost certainly someone teaching it.

However, there’s a reason most colleges haven’t done away with face-to-face classrooms. Learning by yourself has its own set of challenges—you can’t ask questions, there’s no feedback, and you have to be totally self-motivated.

But people still overcome these caveats and teach themselves everyday—and you can be one of them. If you want to learn how to sew, cook, or take a decent photograph, here’s how to do it well.

Have a reason to study

It’s easy to get excited about learning a brand new skill, but it’s much harder to stick with it once that rush fades. Before diving in, think about why you want to learn what you’re trying to learn.

“Have an end goal in mind when you’re learning,” says Aaron Nace, founder of Phlearn.com. “What do you want to do with this information? How is it going to improve your life? If you don’t plan on using any of the skills you learn, there is little chance you will retain the information.”

Even if you just want to do it for fun, come up with a cool project you can’t do without learning the skill. It’ll give you something to work toward.

Find the right instructor

How will you ever know what all these things do without a good teacher? (Belchonock via Depositphotos/)

The most important part of learning anything online is to find a teacher who’s right for you. One instructor might move too slow, another might move too fast, and maybe the third one has an annoying voice that distracts you. But don’t worry—there’s definitely someone you’ll find who’s just right, Goldilocks.

My big break came when I discovered Nace. I’d watched tutorials from other photographers before, but they’d all fallen a bit flat with me. Nace was different: his Photoshop lessons were unbelievably thorough but never boring. He was personable, fun, and an incredibly good teacher. For me, learning from Nace was super easy.

If you’re trying to learn a new skill, dedicate some time to look around and see what courses are available. Don’t just go with the most-viewed video on YouTube—check Skillshare, Lynda, Udemy, and any subject-specific websites, like Phlearn or Masterclass. Also, take advantage of any free lessons they offer, watch the introductions to their classes to see if they fit your skill level and speed, and check what other courses they’ve done, too. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to have the same instructor take you from a total beginner to a near-expert.

Don’t binge

Much like a good show on Netflix, watching online tutorial videos can get addictive. But don’t let it—you’re trying to learn something, not get distracted for a few hours. If you watch too many tutorials in a row, you’ll stop taking in the information.

How long you’ll be able to study depends on a few factors—the density of the subject and the amount of information in each video matter a lot. For skills like coding, web design, and data analytics, where big things happen in just a few lines of code, you’ll probably have to slow down and pause each video to follow along. It’d be impressive if you could retain all the information after more than one 20-minute video.

On the other hand, longer, more repetitive subjects like photography, photo editing, or cooking will feature less information in significantly longer videos. You might find you’re able to watch two or more hours of lessons in a row and come away with a good grasp of what’s going on.

Similarly, how much you already know about the subject you’re learning is also important. If you’re already at a high level, you’ll find most videos easier to watch—while beginners are trying to take it all in, you’ll only be learning a few new tips and techniques. I can now watch Photoshop tutorials at double-speed for hours because I know all the mechanics, but when I was starting out, I could only sit through a lesson or two in a row.

Time matters

Choosing the time also means shoes are optional. (Alexander Raths via Deposit Photos /)

Another important factor is the type of time to dedicate to learning, but also to resting. First, pick the right time for you—catching a couple of lessons after a long day at work definitely isn’t the same as doing it when you’re fresh, first thing on a Sunday morning.

Maybe you learn better with your morning coffee, or maybe your brain absorbs more information late at night. But whatever the time of day, it’s important to consider a couple of breaks during your learning sessions—this will give information time to set in.

“Ideally, you should rest when you feel yourself getting tired or you notice you are not able to pay attention,” says Nace. “Our attention span changes throughout the day.”

The only way to find out exactly how much you can get done in a day is trial and error. It’s different from person to person, subject to subject, and instructor to instructor. However, Nace recommends erring on the side of less.

“Don’t try to push yourself and ‘cram’ a lot of information into one session,” he says. “Try to learn over multiple days and allow time for everything to sink in.”

Follow along and take notes

Taking notes will prevent you from having to watch a 30-minute video to find the keyboard shortcut to the crop tool. (GaudiLab via Deposit Photos/)

Most online courses provide you with the sample files the instructor works with: use them to follow along. The best way to learn is by doing and practicing, not just by watching.

You have two options: watch the lesson through once, then go back and watch it again while following along, or follow along from the start. If you’re totally new to what you’re learning, the first option will make it easier for you to follow along, since you’ll already know where the lesson is going. Once you’ve got the basics down and you’re learning higher-level skills rather than simple mechanics, you can follow along as you go.

Also, take notes. Write down any important steps, handy keyboard shortcuts, or tips and tricks. Video is great for in-depth learning but it’s terrible for a quick-skim refresher. You don’t want to have to sit through 20 minutes of footage just to find out what tool you were meant to use next.

Practice on your own

At the beginning, it’s good to be able to do something following along with someone else, but eventually you’ll have to take off the training wheels and put things into practice.

Once you’ve learned a new skill, try it out for yourself. You’ll almost certainly make a few mistakes, and that’s totally okay. If you go wrong, review your notes, but otherwise just keep going. You’ll learn a huge amount from your own early errors, rather than just mimicking someone else’s work. And if you get lost, you can always go back to the original lesson.

When you’re starting out, I’d recommend turning the video off and working with the provided exercise files, as you can then compare your final results to the instructor’s. However, learning is not about memorizing a series of steps, but knowing when each step is necessary. So, as you get better, you’ll need to go on your own.

“I suggest students work on their own projects that are similar to the lessons to see how this new information integrates into their current workflow,” says Nace.

Revise in the background

Once you’ve learned something, you need to keep refreshing it to make sure it sticks. The best way I’ve found to do this with online lessons is to throw them on in the background when I’m cooking, photo editing, cleaning, or otherwise semi-occupied.

Actively watching a lesson you’ve already sat through once (or even twice) is pretty boring and, unless you’ve totally forgotten everything, completely unnecessary. However, by having one on in the background while you do other things, you can tune in and out as you go. It’s a great way to keep your skills strong.

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scootoaster · 4 years

Text

How to learn new skills online

Put your glasses on—it's learning time. (GaudiLab via Depositphotos/)

But people still overcome these caveats and teach themselves everyday—and you can be one of them. If you want to learn how to sew, cook, or take a decent photograph, here’s how to do it well.

Have a reason to study

Even if you just want to do it for fun, come up with a cool project you can’t do without learning the skill. It’ll give you something to work toward.

Find the right instructor

How will you ever know what all these things do without a good teacher? (Belchonock via Depositphotos/)

Don’t binge

Time matters

Choosing the time also means shoes are optional. (Alexander Raths via Deposit Photos /)

“Ideally, you should rest when you feel yourself getting tired or you notice you are not able to pay attention,” says Nace. “Our attention span changes throughout the day.”

“Don’t try to push yourself and ‘cram’ a lot of information into one session,” he says. “Try to learn over multiple days and allow time for everything to sink in.”

Follow along and take notes

Taking notes will prevent you from having to watch a 30-minute video to find the keyboard shortcut to the crop tool. (GaudiLab via Deposit Photos/)

Most online courses provide you with the sample files the instructor works with: use them to follow along. The best way to learn is by doing and practicing, not just by watching.

Practice on your own

At the beginning, it’s good to be able to do something following along with someone else, but eventually you’ll have to take off the training wheels and put things into practice.

“I suggest students work on their own projects that are similar to the lessons to see how this new information integrates into their current workflow,” says Nace.

Revise in the background

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fluorescentpipedream · 6 years

Photo

Conversations in the Dark

David and Gabriel used to travel in the same circles…when I uploaded David’s new picture the two struck up a conversation.

David: *referring to his picture* It’s better than it was…you’re getting better at photoshop

((Thanks…I guess))

Gabriel: You’re looking scruffy, old man. How long has it been?

David: Hmm…Fall…1888, a garden party in New England I believe…we made quite a mess.

((So I had the wrong dates before? Great…*runs to change a few things*))

Gabriel: Aye….I remember now. You still do that?

David: Hmm…no not in a few years now. I’ve got a wife and a daughter. You?

G: No…I haven’t killed anyone in a manner like that since 1902. *pauses* I saw you in New York during the Depression. Married? Who is mad enough to marry you?

D: I remember that now, it has been a while either way…The depression was…well. *trails off* Her name is Robin, it’s actually quite nice. Never thought I’d say that but after centuries of torturing people I kind of like being a husband. Being a father is different but its quickly becoming the best part of my life. Go figure

G: *laughs* Well there was a reason they called it that, David. Not exactly a happy fun time, but the war was a nightmare…I swear the first 50 years of the 1900s was a wasteland. It made being a vampire difficult when half the populace is dead and the other half is dying. I gave up about ‘32 and slept for a bit. I’m still trying to wrap my head around you being a father. The Bloodletter, Demonic Painter, The David Black…changing diapers and living….where?

D: Best thing to do really. I stayed around for a bit then returned to that cave I liked in Santa Monica…it’s still one of my favorite places. But I know what you mean….the 1900s were the worst for humans and immortals alike. The 60s were fun. *laughs* It is a little strange to think of the things I’ve done, the massacres were fun, but the bloodlust has faded these days, I don’t really feel that urge anymore. *shrugs* Ireland. We live in Ireland. Where are you exactly?

G: That’s the difference between you and I…you can sleep in a cave near a waterfall. When I slept I returned to a friend I’d made and stayed with her, she was able to keep me safe for a while. *shrugs* I didn’t care much for the 60s, people were too…inebriated for me. It made the blood taste strange. Ireland…I’ve still yet to travel much, I don’t enjoy it. But then again you and I aren’t exactly the same in what we can do. I live in California now, in a suburb if you’d believe it.

D: A friend? Who’s going to watch over the body of a sleeping vampire? Or did you finally take a lover? Somehow…with you? I do. You must make the soccer moms nervous.

G: Uh…no. It wasn’t like that. She was the one that managed to soothe the bloodlust in me though so we did have a connection. I love her, but there’s something about her and I together that never worked well. *laughs* I don’t know if I do or not, honestly. I work at a hospital now, graveyard shift, so I don’t see many people.

D: So who is this friend exactly? What kind of person manages to calm the rabid desires, I seem to recall you and I made quite a pair back then. *Pauses and switches gears* A Hospital? Really?

G: I’d ask you the same thing *laughs* Stella is a special case…you’d have to meet her and let her explain who and what exactly she is but suffice to say, she simply decided one day not to grow any older. And hasn’t. She has….a way. *shrugs softly* I’m surprised you want to remember all of that or do you block out some parts of it? *grins somewhat mischievously* Yes…I hospital. I like my job thank you very much. I’m the one they call when the person has become a glorified pin cushion. I cheat, but it works for me.

D: Uhh…yeah…that’s a conversation I prefer stays in the 1800s…thanks. Well at least you’re good at your job I suppose. *eyes Stella* I suddenly understand why you aren’t with her. You never were one to go for children. Though about your other question, it was the same thing, there’s just something about Robin.

((*Looks in between characters and suddenly get the image of hands in dark hair and bloody mouths kissing* …….Really?!))

D: I think we broke him.

G: *laughs* Anyhoo…All this time and you’re still trying to pretend you didn’t tangle your hands in my hair and kiss me while the room smoldered around us…I’ll never forget the look in your eyes…shortly before you bit me, that is.

Anyhow…I don’t really know -how- she did it, patience…genuine concern for something other than herself. And there’s something wrong with her blood…it’s not for drinking.

D: Ehhh….You’re going to hold that kiss over my head until the sun goes out… I suppose we both came full circle though. You actually managed to insinuate yourself into a human culture…still think its funny you live in California though. You’re not a surfer are you?

G: It’s been 116 years, let it go. You left a nasty bite in my neck, I almost beheaded you and when I came around again I was alone in the room with jagged claw marks across my chest. That was 1902…there’s a reason I didn’t really speak to you in New York all those years ago…I wanted to make sure I wasn’t gong to add a beheading to those who had jumped out of the building. *shrugs* David you have the sweetness of a seasick crocodile…I’m actually surprised someone married you, and someone so beautiful too. You definitely upgraded from those women you used to be drawn to. *shakes his head* well i can’t exactly get a tan so…no. I imagine there’s a few soccer moms that might want to see what’s under my scrubs, but…I haven’t really let anyone that close in a while.

D: I remember, Gabriel, I was there. Only reason I didn’t kill you was you were one of the few that could actually keep up with me when I went crazy like that. It’s funny…I don’t remember what it felt like to do that….I remember why I liked it, why I did it, but as far as why I would randomly decimate entire villages….I don’t even remember. A seasick crocodile? You’re quoting the Grinch….*frowns* And I know that…ugh. Domestic life is…well. At least it’s not the Wiggles. You should try. Some humans are more…understanding of the strange and unusual these days

G: A little girl in the ER wanted to sing a Wiggles song to me the other day, I couldn’t figure out if she was getting the words wrong or it was really that strange. But either way…This has got to be the strangest conversation I have ever had with you. Maybe…I wouldn’t know how to go about it. I can’t exactly join Jdate.

D: I forget, are you one of the ones that don’t show up on film?

G: Only if I don’t want to, but that’s not the point. I sleep all day, work all night at a hospital, on my days off I still sleep all day and maybe take a swim in my pool…though mostly go on a hunt for something fresher than what’s in my fridge. But.. I don’t eat, so dating is a little difficult. The last person I had in my bed was about three years ago and I had to feed off someone else before we actually did anything so she didn’t find out I’m not exactly living.

D: So find a pet. Why didn’t you just take her?

G: I work with her. It would have been….uncomfortable at best. I have tropical fish, that’s the closest thing to a pet that I’d like. How did you and Robin get started?

D: Eh…gods I don’t remember. I seem to recall there was a conflict of interests with a young woman who all too willingly gave herself to me and then I think I kidnapped Robin…or she decided to run away with me. I don’t even remember now.

G: Conflict of interests? That’s the most diplomatic way to say someone wasn’t willing to accept what they’d done, if I’ve ever heard it. *chuckles*

((The Sasha ordeal…oi. That’s a tub of worms…not even a can anymore. wrap it up gentlemen, it’s almost 3am))

D: It’s the best way to put it, I remember it caused a lot of unnecessary drama, as do most things that don’t go the way some people want…but in the end, I got Robin when no one else wanted her and I couldn’t be happier. So this woman you work with, you still see her?

G: Three years ago, David. Three. She’s with one of the doctors now, probably better off that way. I’ll find something to keep me amused, I’m sure. There’s a lot of people in Los Angeles

D: I’ve never been able to figure out why it’s called the City of Angels…most of the people there aren’t.

G: That’s part of the charm…I think. Though there’s a lot of angel sightings here, so that might have something to do with it.

D: God only knows. I think it’s similar to how the mantra to Vegas goes…nothing stays anywhere these days, thanks to the humans’ obsession with the internet.

G: True. I understand the internet thing though…I’ll admit, I spent the better part of an afternoon thunderstorm playing angry birds on my iPhone.

D: *narrows his eyes* Angry Birds? …..Are you sure you’re the same vampire that made the streets of Rock Springs run red?

G: In 1885, that was the most interesting thing going on in Wyoming…but there was also a riot going on and the mob mentality had taken over my mind as well as yours. But yes…I’m still me. You change with the times or you’re better off sleeping through them.

D: Which is why we’re here…I’m honestly waiting for all these young vampires to mobilize online…make a board…or whatever it is

G: They had one once…it quickly turned into a human gathering point online and wound up working more as a feeding service for real vampires to meet those who wanted to be. There were a lot of them that wound up being turned and ultimately took their lives into their own hands. It was a disaster.

((Omg…VampireFreaks….))

D: That doesn’t surprise me.

G: Yeah….it’s late and I should get back to work. Good night David.

D: Good night, Gabriel

#Character conversations #colin farrell #Kiefer Sutherland

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