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andiinaraethtash · 1 year

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Chapter 23: Of Being Intimate with Brokenness

Sooooo…. I'm aware it is now March and the last chapter was uploaded in, like, January or something (it might have been December, I didn't check), but in my defence life has been insane. Like legitimately insane. I moved into a new apartment, so between all those logistics adn expenses and work and all that, I've been swamped, and then me and my roommate got dogs--one each, and they are so sweet--and yeah. That's been my life for the past two and a half months. Completely nuts. Chapter title from Son by Sleeping At Last

__________

Joel isn’t quite sure when he’ll be going home, but he is sure that it won’t be for a little while, at least until Scott is back on his feet so Jimmy isn’t spending every moment of every day in Rivendell. Right now, Joel’s staying with Lizzie, which would be fine, except that she’s hovering constantly, and he’s almost desperate to get back home to make sure everything is in order.

He’s ruling from afar, literally, at the moment, trusting that everything will be fine while he’s gone, but that does little to assuage the worry that Exor did something to Mezalea that Aeor didn’t fix. The only reason he’s not there is because Lizzie asked him to stay with her, and he just can’t say no to her.

There are a couple of different possible reasons she was so insistent that he stay, one being that she’s got a lot on her plate between overseeing the Ocean Empire and filling in for Jimmy, who still hasn’t left Rivendell, by ruling the Cod Empire in his stead. It’s not been easy on her, worried as she is about the entirety of the two empires, and all her friends as well, but she’s doing a remarkable job of keeping it together.

Which, of course, leads to the second reason she’s insisting he stay close to her—he’d nearly died so many times the night of the battle, and he knows she’s been having nightmares. The two have to be linked, because more often than not, he wakes up to her watching him with a haunted look in her eyes. She needs him nearby to constantly check and make sure he’s still alive.

Honestly, he’s only surprised she isn’t insisting Jimmy stay nearby as well, but maybe she understands that he needs to stay with Scott right now. She is, however, sending messages to Katherine every day, though she doesn’t always reply. If Joel had to guess, he’d say it’s because she isn’t home very often. After all, she’s been taking care of Rivendell while Scott has been comatose.

Shrub has been taking care of the Grimlands, with a bit of help from Sausage, while Pearl is overseeing the Crystal Cliffs, since fWhip is obviously out of commission and Gem, while uninjured, is in no state to rule.

The past few days—few weeks, really—has been hard on all of them, but especially the Wither Rose Alliance. First they lost Gem, then fWhip got possessed, the Pearl had to kill Scott—and had killed Joel himself, too, which he still was bitter about—then finally the two women had been reunited with Sausage and they’d had to near-fatally injure fWhip to keep him from killing Gem. Gods, what a mess. He’s surprised he hasn’t heard about a few more mental breakdowns. He’s honestly kind of expecting multiple at this point.

“Joel!” Lizzie’s voice snaps him out of his thoughts, and he shakes his head to clear his mind.

“Yes, dear?”

Lizzie’s frowning at him in concern. “I asked how your shoulder’s doing.”

As if by magic—or his shoulder hearing her question and deciding to be cruel—his shoulder starts aching again, a dull throb that travels all the way to his neck and up to the base of his skull. It pulses in time to his heart beat, and he grimaces, massaging the area.

“Not any worse,” he says honestly.

Lizzie’s frown deepens, and she steps closer. She looks exhausted. “But not any better, either.”

Joel shakes his head. “No. And yes, before you ask, I have been drinking my potions, it’s just not getting any better.”

Lizzie frowns. “I should get Katherine to come get a look at it, I think something’s wrong.”

No duh, he wants to say, but instead he just grimaces again. “If she’s busy, we can put it off. Gods know she’s got a lot on her plate. But… I would very much like to not be in pain,” he adds when Lizzie gives him a look.

“Good. I’ll send her a message.” Lizzie turns to walk away, and he hurries over to grab her arm. She stiffens under his grasp, but relaxes as soon as she looks over at him. “What?” She asks, but she sounds tired.

“Lizzie,” Joel says as gently as he can, “when was the last time you actually got some sleep?” Lizzie opens her mouth, then stops, thinks about it, then goes to answer again, and Joel shakes his head to cut her off. “Let’s get you to bed, you’re exhausted.”

“There’s no point,” Lizzie says miserably, “I’ll just have more nightmares. Goodness knows I won’t be any more rested when I wake up.”

Joel flashes her his cheekiest, most endearing grin, the one he knows gets her to listen to him. “Just try? For me?”

She holds out for about twelve seconds, which is longer than he thought she would, before caving. “Fine.”

Raising an eyebrow, Joel offers her his arm, which she takes, and leads her up the winding prismarine staircase up to her bedroom. As she yawns, he kicks off his shoes and pulls back the covers, but he doesn’t lay down (he doesn’t like lying in her bed anyway, it makes him feel as thought he’s a child in his parents’ bed). Instead, he sits, pats the bed next to him, and waits while she settles into a comfortable sleeping position.

Once she’s settled down, he scoots closer and has her use his lap as a pillow. Sitting back against the headboard, he begins stroking her hair, humming a lullaby he’s heard her sing for Jimmy one night when the nightmares got really bad. She smiles as he does, so he assumes he’s either reminding her of good memories or is very off-key (hopefully the former, probably the latter), but either way her breathing soon evens out and he sighs, glad to see her resting for once.

He stays that way for probably an hour or two, humming the whole while, before a knock at the doorway has him looking up and frowning. “Jimmy?”

Jimmy waves awkwardly from his spot half-leaning against one of the pillars that mark the entrance. “Hey. Is Lizzie okay?”

Joel glances down at his wife, who still hasn’t stirred, then back up at Jimmy. “Yeah, she’s fine, just tired. What about Scott, I thought you weren’t going to leave till he was back on his feet?”

Shrugging, Jimmy steps inside and makes a beeline for the nearest chair. “He told me to go home and get some ‘proper rest.’”

“Wait,” Joel immediately latches on to the news left unspoken by those words, “he told you?”

Jimmy raises his eyebrows in concern. “Did you not see my message? I sent one an hour ago.”

Shaking his head, Joel explains, “We’ve been in bed for the last few hours. Like this, you moron, not like how you’re thinking,” he adds, gesturing at their respective positions when Jimmy blushes. “But that’s good news. I’m just surprised you listened to him.”

“I listen all the time!” Jimmy protests, then, when Joel shushes him, he repeats more quietly, “I listen all the time, I just don’t always obey.”

“Which is part of the problem, Jimmy,” Joel says, smirking slightly. “But that’s beside the point. Is someone with Scott right now, or should we head that way?”

Jimmy shakes his head. “Nah, Katherine is with him at the moment, and I think Shrub might be on her way to Rivendell. I swung by the Undergrove on the way here,” He adds in explanation, “but I was also planning on swinging by Pixandria before heading home. I want to check on everyone.”

“Jimmy,” Joel groans. “What part of ‘getting some proper rest’ do you not understand?”

“I’ll rest when I get home! Y’know, after I visit Pix and make sure he’s okay!” Joel wants to protest this, but Jimmy cuts him off before he can. “Look, Joel. I need to check on him for the same reason Lizzie needs you here: I need to know all of you are safe before I can rest. I just… I need to.”

Joel deflates at that. He tells himself it’s because Jimmy’s arguments are convincing, not because he’s breaking out those damn puppy eyes, but really, who is he fooling? “Fine. But if Lizzie or I show up later to make sure you’re actually resting and you’re not, there’ll be hell to pay.”

“Okay, okay. Yeesh.”

With that, Jimmy stands, stretches, and heads out. Joel watches him go, not entirely happy. Jimmy has been running himself ragged taking care of Scott, trying to find some way of healing him, and he’s still not slowing down, even if his focus has shifted. Joel is tempted for a long moment to follow him, make sure he actually goes home after he sees that Pix is perfectly fine, but then Lizzie shifts in his lap, grumbling slightly, and he looks down at her, running his hand through her hair again.

No, he decides. Lizzie needs him more. As much as he loves Jimmy, he loves Lizzie more. She’s what matters at the moment.

_______

Neither Pearl, Gem, or Sausage move for a second, too shocked to do or say anything, but then Nova yips as she wriggles her nose under fWhip’s hand like she’s trying to get him to pet her, and the spell is broken. Sausage surges toward the door, while Pearl hurries to the bed, shoving Nova aside as gently as she can while in a rush, and quickly does what Gem recognizes as a battlefield assessment to see if he’s actually awake or not.

Sausage, meanwhile, is yelling for someone to fetch Avery or Aislinn or someone who knows the healing arts. Gem lets him yell. She’s still glued to the same spot, eyes locked on her brother, because it’s been over a week since she’s seen him awake and himself, and when she had seen him last he’d been all but screaming at her to run, trying to hold back a god so she could get away, and the shock of that is still catching up to her.

She feels like she needs air, but she also knows that’s silly, she’s getting air, she can feel her chest rising and falling as she breathes, and the window’s open, and she can see the tapestry on the far wall fluttering from the breeze that’s flowing through the room. There is air in here, and in her lungs, so why is her vision getting dim, and why are her knees weak, what’s wrong—

Pearl turns to her, and her eyes widen. “Gem, breathe.”

What does she mean, breathe? Gem has been—

Her lungs suddenly burn, and she inhales sharply, nearly bowled over by the sudden rush of oxygen. Oh. She’d been hyperventilating. Tears prick her eyes and she feels like she’s one wrong move away from shattering.

It’s stupid, she knows, that after everything, it’s fWhip waking up that makes her break. She should be relieved, she should be happy, but instead she’s paralyzed.

“—em. Gem.”

When did Pearl move? She’s in Gem’s space, hands on her shoulders, looking into Gem’s eyes like she can see her very soul, and—

Gem bursts into tears. It’s sudden, like a firework exploding, and it clearly startles Pearl, who jumps as Gem sobs.

“Gem, it’s okay, he’s alive—” Pearl starts, and Gem interrupts, hiccoughing.

“I lost him,” she practically wails. “I lost him, and I did this to him, it’s my fault, I did this to him—” She’s too busy trying to catch her breath to bother finishing her sentence or explain what she meant.

But it is. It’s her fault. If she hadn’t let him knock her down, if she’d managed to teach Scott how to control his powers instead of getting hurt by them, if she’d saved him from Xornoth back when he first died, everything would be different.

Pearl looks like she wants to protest, but then she glances over her shoulder, and Gem follows her gaze.

Avery and another healer, one that Gem vaguely recognizes from Eastvale, have arrived sometime while she was absorbed in her guilt, and they’re trying to get a response from her brother, and it’s not working, he’s not answering their questions, and he’s not even reacting to the candle they keep passing in front of his eyes.

What’s happened to him? He’s awake, he should be fine if he’s awake, Scott is awake and aware, why can’t fWhip be alright as well? Her head is spinning, she realises, and she needs to sit, she needs to collapse under the weight she’s carrying before it breaks her completely.

Thankfully, Pearl seems to read this from Gem’s expression, and she quickly wraps an arm around her shoulders and guides her out of the room. Gem fights for a second as they leave, not wanting to leave fWhip behind again, but Pearl just pulls her closer and murmurs soft reassurances in her ear.

“We need to take care of you right now,” she catches Pearl saying, and it makes sense, it does, but she needs to be with fWhip, she needs to know if her brother is going to be alright—

“Gem!” Pearl pulls her to a stop, coming around to face her. “Gem, listen to me, he’s okay, alright? He’s awake, he’s got Sausage and Avery with him, he’s going to be fine, but you’re freaking out, and you’re freaking me out, and you know I don’t like being freaked out. So please, let me take care of you.”

She hesitates, but that also means she stops fighting for a second, and Pearl takes that to mean she can start directing her down the hall again. Gem glances at her face, about to protest, but stops when she sees that Pearl is very clearly holding herself together by sheer willpower at this point, probably for Gem’s sake, and if she keeps pushing her, Pearl is eventually gonna break, and Gem doesn’t want that to happen, under any circumstances, ever.

Somehow—Gem doesn’t know how, and later she’ll find she doesn’t remember, either—they end up in fWhip’s study. Pearl shuts the door behind them, then has Gem sit at the desk.

It’s a mess in here, as the maids know better than to touch any of fWhip’s work spaces, and the futile hope that he’ll recover is keeping them from doing even a light dusting. Honestly, the only time he cleans anything up is when it’s getting in the way of his work.

There are papers strewn everywhere, torn into shreds and covered in ink spots near the wall where a shattered ink pot lies. A fine layer of dust covers everything, and Gem can see motes of it dancing in the sunlight that streams through the thin windows. She shudders when she sees the claw marks on the walls and bookshelves (most of which are filled with blueprints and gadgets rather than actual books, though even those have been taken out and torn apart).

Exor must have taken out his rage on this room—and maybe some of the others, she’s noticed several places where furniture has been strategically moved as if to cover bits of disrepair. She just hopes those spots can be repaired soon. If fWhip ever recovers, he shouldn’t be surrounded by reminders of his time being possessed.

If. That’s the most important word in that sentence, because she has a sinking feeling in her stomach that all their hope is for naught. After seeing Exor do… whatever he did to fWhip in the Nether, she has doubts, and she knows Pearl does, too.

“Gem,” Pearl starts, but Gem doesn’t let her finish.

“He’s not going to get better, is he.” It’s a question and a statement all at the same time, and she knows Pearl knows it, and doesn’t know how to respond.

So Pearl sighs instead, and says, “We don’t know that for certain—”

“But it’s likely.” Gem doesn’t need her to tell her the odds, because that has always been Gem’s job. She’s the one with the facts, the numbers, the answers. And sure, she doesn’t know the exact probability, but she and Pearl both know it’s high. “After… after what happened in the Nether, after everything Exor did to him, made him do… I’m not sure I’d want to recover if our roles were reversed.”

“Gem!” Pearl exclaims, sounding indignant. “You’d recover for the same reason he will: for us. For the Wither Rose Alliance. For our friends, our family. You know it, I know it, so stop doubting him.”

“I’ve never doubted him,” Gem insists, trying to figure out how to phrase this. “I… Pearl, Exor killed him. You didn’t see the look in his eyes when I fought him out on the plains. It was… he was dead, Pearl. Dead and empty and gone, do you understand? I don’t doubt him, I doubt there’s anything left of him.”

Pearl shakes her head stubbornly. “You can’t give up on him now, not when he needs you most. Besides, Aeor did a lot of fixing things before he died, maybe one of the things he did was heal fWhip?”

“You can’t heal the dead, Pearl, believe me, I’ve tried.”

“Gem!” Pearl slams her hand down on the desk, and Gem winces. Pearl carries on regardless. “This isn’t like you, what’s got you thinking this way?”

Gem opens her mouth to answer, then stops, considers, and sighs. “I’m just… I’m just so tired of this, Pearl. Of not knowing if I’m losing him or not. Of grieving for him only to get him back and lose him all over again. Of mourning him when he’s not even dead. I just want the universe to make up its mind as to whether or not it’s going to take him or not, that way… that way I’ll at least know.”

Pearl sighs, and nods. “I know what you mean. But Gem,” steel enters her eyes and her voice, “We can’t give up hope. We can’t. We give up hope, we give up on him, and he’ll know. He’ll think we hate him for what he was forced to do, and that’ll make him not want to get better. Us hoping might be the only thing keeping him going, even if he’s not conscious enough to hear us.”

Gem doesn’t respond. She doesn’t know what to say. Clearly, though, Pearl has said her piece, because after a moment, she starts going around, picking up the ruined papers and the shards of the broken ink pot and trying to put the blueprints back together again. Gem watches with a slight smile. It’s funny, seeing Pearl struggle to find which piece goes to which blueprint, but she doesn’t laugh. She’s too busy thinking.

About the time she’s come to that conclusion that Pearl is right and they have to keep up the hope that fWhip will get better, there’s a knock at the door, and Sausage pokes his head in. He grimaces as he looks around, clearly displeased by the state of the study, but focuses quickly on Gem and Pearl.

“Avery wants to talk to you,” he says succinctly, and when Gem rises and goes to leave, he puts a hand on her shoulder. “You okay?” He asks gently, and she hesitates, then nods.

“I’ll be better when fWhip is, too.”

Sausage smiles at that, and lets her take the lead as they make their way back, with Gem hoping against hope that her brother actually will get better.

#Oh boys! I'm back!!!#empires smp #empires #chapter twenty-three #fanfiction #writing #I've forgotten how to tag help

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tactful-kind-daedra · 5 days

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@valorandgold // continued: "Well, I always do my best to look out for as many people as I can, Daedra, you know that. But...yes, I must confess I noticed how out-of-place you seemed to feel about yourself, and knew I would likely need to keep a good eye on you in case you did, indeed, run into some trouble that you weren't entirely prepared for early on. I don't know if it makes you feel any better or worse, Felicia is one I kept an eye on somewhat frequently as well, and not because she's incapable of dealing with enemies herself, but, well, if you have any familiarity with her, I'm certain it sort of explains itself." Her tendency to be incredibly clumsy was really no secret to anyone, not even to the Hoshidans who hadn't known her prior to Corrin's efforts to untie the two nations.

Kaze tenderly grabbed a hold of her hand, smiling similarly as he thought back, pressing a kiss to her knuckles before he continued "Still, I hadn't the faintest idea either that our paths would wind up leading the two of us this way. In fact, if I remember correctly, you met Saizo before myself, albeit not all that long before my own introduction to you. I dread to imagine what you thought his brother might have been like just from your first impressions of him were. However, I must admit that as fond as I am to reflect on our good memories together, that's not the only reason I wanted to take some time to talk with you, love. There is something that I've been thinking about lately now that peace exists between the nations and the fighting is largely over, although it's something we already discussed before." His other hand reached out to her as he turned from where he sat next the redhead to face her directly. "I know we decided it was best to wait until everything was over, and while rebuilding and recovery is still underway for everyone, I do believe perhaps there is no better time than now to consider it. I'm not certain if you believe yourself ready or not but...if you are...while Saizo shall always be my brother, and the Hoshidan royals are much like family to me, I believe now might be the best time for us to start a family of our own, if you think you're prepared."

"I am well aware," the redhead nodded in agreement. It was a fact she'd had to be mindful of. Having to account for some members potentially breaking tactical formation when others appeared to need aid; making sure they would also have back-up. It was easily one of the more logistical nightmares of her once war-bound duties, but it was something she willing undertook.

Afterall, if she was more callous, like other tacticians with more logistical desires, there would be much greater loses. Far too many friends she was unwilling to part with... That was all well in the past now, thankfully.

The ninja's mention of Felicia did cause Daedra to outright laugh as she recalled. Yet another 'secret' she was actually very aware of. "Oh, she's told me about your rescues on more than one occasion," Daedra mused. "She was always very grateful~ I am glad you were keeping an eye on her, though. She's a terribly sweet person, and I am fond of her. I mostly feel poorly on the fact that you were run so rapid to be minding us through the war!"

Felicia had atleast provided a sort of kinship for the redhead, during their time together. In a group of such talented and proficient royals and warriors, it was nice to have someone who could share in blunders with Daedra. Felicia, though somehow more clumsy than Daedra, yet more combatively effective, didn't make the redhead feel so.... out of place.

The pink-haired maid didn't get to linger for long in Daedra's mind, as her thoughts were pulled to the present when she felt her husband's warm fingers curl about her hand. His actions, somehow ghost like in that ninja manner of his, but she could recognize it anywhere. The one she was most familiar with; the most intimate with.

Her cheeks pinked in delight, her lips curling in a smile of joy as Kaze pressed a kiss to the back of her palm. Not a wholly unusual gesture for him, but it was uncommon to see done among the more traditional Hoshidans. And, her expression didn't even falter when this highly intimate gesture was followed with mention of Saizo---

"While I know your brother was hardly impressed with me, I can recall that my initial reaction to hearing he had a twin was: 'I really hope that Saizo isn't the good-natured one of the two'~"

Daedra ducked her head as her free hand raised to her lips while she giggled. The red brother was far from her favorite person when she first arrived, but thankfully, she was used to dealing with prickly and distrustful royal guardians. While she wouldn't call the two of them exceptionally close, Daedra did consider Saizo family and was fond on him in a particular way. Strangely, the joking dimmed down quick enough, and Daedra noticed the shift in conversation.

Not a bad one, certainly...

The once tactician turned blue eyes to the calm lavender ones focused her way. She was silent for a time, as her hand still rested against his own. Daedra did recall this conversation once before... in fact, she didn't have to remember it. It was something that had been in the back of her thoughts. Not quite pushing through but rather waiting... patiently.

"Oh~---You hadn't forgotten, I see," the petite woman teased. Strictly in good nature, of course. She doubted her ninja could forget. "I've thought about it, too," she admitted, her fingers curling a bit to hold his own a bit better. "Or rather... I suppose I let the thoughts drift away since we last spoke of them. It was never that I didn't think myself ready for children but..." The words drifted away.

Moreso, the world was not good enough. Too much hate... too much violence, and pain. In truth, some wicked part of her also felt that perhaps, she was not allowed for such a joy, that someone like herself... was meant to always fight. To always end up in the middle of a war: a curse. Her curse.

Yet, the fighting was put to rest. For now, and for quite the long time, if she could do anything about it.

"Is that what you'd like, then?" she asked simply, though Kaze seemed rather clear. "To try for children?" Daedra, as expected, didn't really wait for him to reply. Beaming like the bright Hoshidian sun, the redhead eagerly nodded her head, her fingers giving a firm squeeze to his.

"-Lets!"

#valorandgold #midori does not deserve the disservice of daedra's hair color though lol #hinoka and daedra get to sit on the "our hair color isnt great on most of the children' bench lol!#daedra will still take 10 displeasing haired children though~

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thee-horny-thicky · 12 days

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I am …. so obsessed with your exchange student series …. esp seeing the family dynamics between suguru, yua and jona 😭 ofc I loveee ur other works too!! and will be sending some asks for them soon if it’s oki :>

but I hope we get to explore more of their relationships in the future! how reader and the twins dynamic is now, whether anything’s changed with jona and sanyu being born, ofc jona and sanyu’s relationship with their mama and papa, the twins and the kids, bcs I’m now assuming suguru and yua adopted the twins so technically the family portrait will have all 4 of them in it ..

also poor jona 😭 he keeps catching strays … first suguru expects the best of him and gets annoyed whenever he displays normal! behaviour! of! a child! then everyone followed suit and caused him to feel lonely leading him to be immensely attached to his mama which is what suguru is annoyed about in the first place but he refuses to stop the cycle 😭 then a horrible nanny left him to drown nearly killing him and leaving yua despaired beyond belief leading to the birth of sanyu (which I was wondering if you’ll explore it later on? like in-between the spare and nightmares) and then he faced a horrible curse which probably traumatised him and all his daddy cared about was pounding his mommy’s ass and patching up his wound …. 😔😔 but good for yua for being an AMAZING mother and risking suguru’s wrath just to ensure the well-being of her children … love it sm that’s why she’s the main character!!!! /j

in all seriousness though I hope you take care of yourself!! love your work so much 🥺❤️

I'm so happy you're enjoying the series! I know updates to it are slow, but I plan to release another multi chapter FES fic sometime this year. As for sending more asks, feel free to do so, because I love getting into the logistics and character analysis for the fics I write.

All the upcoming fics in the series will explore family dynamics. Since Yua is the MC, it'd largely be centered on how everyone interacts with her. Things with Suguru will remain tense, and her relationship with the twins will be up and down. And yes, I imagine they are adopted at that point, which will be made clear.

The way the twins treat Jona strains their relationship with Yua, and increases her resentment toward Suguru. He's the root of all evil to her, and she's aware that the girls will do anything to please him, evident when they left her to fend for herself in FES. Yua's feelings toward them are conflicted, as she knows they're impressionable, traumatized children, but their actions have caused harm. First to Yua, and now to Jona.

Speaking of Jona, the nanny incident will definitely stick with him, despite his young age. As is what happens in Nightmares, which will be revised to better match with Spare. Both will lead him to cling to Yua, but also to be a protective big brother. His brother, (and any future siblings), and Yua will become the center of his world. As he gets older, he'd be willing to make sacrifices for them, i.e. willingly training with Suguru. Time jumps will happen between fics, so we'll get to see Jona evolve.

None of Yua's pregnancies were good news to her, but each child she births she loves. Moreover, she's aware her kids are the best way to get back at Suguru, as having them devoted to her undercuts one of his motivations for heirs: blind loyalty. Unlike Suguru, she doesn't see her kids as pawns, or even extensions of herself, but as their own person who need protection. Yet, some pettiness is present in her parenting, and making sure her children dislike their father is very important to her.

I hope this answers some questions, and I look forward to your next ask :)

#jujutsu kaisen #fanfic #fem reader #getou suguru x reader #jujutsu kaisen suguru #asks #geto x oc #jjk oc

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lou-is-lurking · 2 years

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Unpopular opinion, but I believe not reinstating Kamila's suspension is the right call under these circumstances.

I'm not surprised by the decision, I kind of expected it. Because the timing of this made things infinitely more complicated than many people seem to realize.

I get that people have had emotional reactions to this entire mess - because Kamila is just a kid, But also because for many of us this comes after years of having to helplessly watch Eteri do what she does and being rewarded for her abusive system over and over again.

But these emotional reactions have lead to some rather irrational takes and uninformed expectations, and many people acted like this was a clear-cut situation, a no-brainer, when it really isn't. The media oversimplifying the case didn't help either.

So many people kept yelling BuT ShE's A cHiLd, asking for compassion for Kamila – but the same people are calling for her to have her right to have this resolved properly revoked? Protecting the rights of this underage athlete is also important for the integrity of this sport, no?

I'm particularly baffled by how many (former) athletes criticize the decision. Shouldn't they be aware that if someone's A sample comes back positive, they can demand to have the B sample analyzed to potentially clear their name? Doesn't sound like that happened yet.

And if I'm not mistaken, usually an athlete even has the right to be present when that B sample is unsealed? Considering the tight time frame and assuming that sample is still sitting in that lab in Sweden, that's a logistic nightmare.

Under these circumstances there was just no time to resolve all of this in time before the Women's competition. Are people really demanding Kamila be stripped of her legal right to go through the proper process of trying to clear her name?

The timing of this was really, really fucking bad. Yes, it FINALLY brought the world's attention to Eteri and her camp of rampant abuse. But unfortunately it also created an impossible situation that could not be resolved without a shit storm, no matter the decision.

Had this come out just a bit sooner, things could have been resolved in time. Kamila would've been able to go through the proper process, without all this media attention and public interest, since her name would not have been published because of her status as Protected Person.

No matter how likely or unlikely it is that the B sample comes back negative – it IS possible, and why would Kamila be denied the same right as any other athlete? If they suspend her now and later her name is cleared – that would be a disaster and also hurt the sport's integrity.

If they allow her to compete and it is later confirmed she was doped, they have at least put everything in place to erase her name and placement from the competition.

Still a fucking mess, but imo the fairer solution considering the circumstances.

Don't get me wrong, even if I think this is the better call, it's still a shit show and a nightmare and I'd rather there would have been a way to resolve this properly without making this sport, the Olys, and basically everyone involved look bad. But alas.

One thing I'm hoping for is that the attention on Eteri and her abusive methods will cause change, but if I'm honest, I'm afraid that the ISU won't do jack shit about anything once the big media attention goes away after the Olympics.

Time will tell, I guess.

(cross-posted from Twitter)

#kamila valieva #beijing 2022 #roc doping scandal #figure skating #olympics 2022 #sorry I just had to get this off my chest #I've seen too many irrational takes that don't take into account the complexity of this entire fucking mess #it's such a shit show

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morimakesfanart · 3 years

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Sindria's Prophet #16

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15]

[AO3]

~POV Sinbad~ Mori wasn't just a Prophet, she had immense knowledge of her own that was going to make Sindria untouchable. Sinbad was going to achieve his dream much sooner than he had ever imagined. Mori was special; intelligent, clever, capable, and she could read the waves of Fate. Was there any other woman as attractive? The unknown craving that had plagued him for the past week was placated. Delicious wine, beautiful women, delicious food -none of his normal pleasures had fulfilled whatever that feeling was, but for some reason this moment with the his Beautiful Prophet was. "And now you're *my* kind and generous King Sinbad, ... Right?" Mori's bashful confidence was always endearing, but hearing her call him 'my King' in person made something snap in him. They were in a corner and Mori is small; he could easily block view of her in case any of the magicians turned around. He wouldn't even have to lean that far to get a taste of her. "DO EITHER OF YOU Have an ounce of self awareness??” Ja'far popped the bubble that had formed around the two.

King Sinbad froze. Everyone in the room was watching them. Sinbad stood up straight. He shouldn't exactly continue his plans with an audience. He removed his hand from the window and crossed his arms. Yam was practically shaking the magician next to her. "I wasn't the only one to see it this time!” An older magician with a beard laughed and said something like 'to be young.' Another said something a long the lines of "So it's like that then." Ja'far was still grumbling about his King's behavior -he should know better by now, he promised he wouldn't, etc. but 1. Sinbad didn't do anything wrong, and 2. he said he knew what he was doing -he knew how to handle flirting with Mori; he never said anything about not flirting with her. "And you, Lady Prophet," Ja'far changed targets. 'Oh?' Sinbad didn't expect Mori to be reprimanded for his flirting -although, she did flirt back. Ja'far continued, "You said that you knew about Sin's habits so wouldn't fall for him or-" "AAAAAH" Yamuraiha yelled over the other General as she crossed the room as fast as she could, and clapped a hand over his mouth. She turned to the King and Prophet with wide eyes and a forced smile. "Your Majesty! Mori! Would you like to see the spell again with our new changes?!" She didn't let go of Ja'far. The group of magicians started supporting her suggestion with "Let us show you," "I'm sure we've got it this time," and reciting the changes to the formula. They were clearly trying to stop Ja'far from discouraging Mori. Sinbad had no idea why they suddenly decided to become his wingmen, but it was convenient for him since he planed to do more than flirt with her later. Mori walked up to the Generals, although she only addressed Yamuriaha. "Yes, please! Even if it's not perfect I'd like to see your progress!" She spoke with the same forced enthusiasm as Yam. Sinbad only got a glimpse before Mori's back was to him, but her face was definitely a brighter red than it had been a moment ago. She was getting better at flirting with him, but she couldn't hold her composure for long. The King laughed as the head magician practically body checked Ja'far out of her way and left him out of the group before they preformed the newly revised spell. This time it produced a mostly clear stone. It wasn't a high quality diamond, but they had done it. They would have to be careful with this though since it could lower the market value of whatever they make. As they figured out the specifics for every substance they needed, Sindria could become fully self sufficient -they would still deal in trade so as to not completely leave the rest of the world behind. It was amazing. His magicians were amazing for being able to figure this out in such a short time, and his Prophet was just as -if not even more- amazing for knowing all of this and being able to explain it to them. When the excitement around the magic spell died down they finally showed him the microscope. It was a prototype so they had to be gentle with it. Two pieces of glass with water squished between them were slid under and when Sinbad looked through the lenses he saw the strange small creatures that Mori had written about. Seeing them forced him to accept that what Mori wrote about 'germs' had to be true too -and those were even smaller than these things. Looking at those things squirming around and knowing they were everywhere made his skin crawl. The King stopped looking through the device. "They really are real." "Yup." Mori responded plainly. "And now that you all know and have proof. There's going to have to be a lot of changes. The way illnesses are handled is obvious, but there's going to have to be a lot more changes to how food and housing and things are handle to better maintain sanitary environments. I know a bunch of sanitation procedures so I can help there too." Ja'far was rubbing his temples. "This is going to be a logistical nightmare. Do you realize that we are going to have to fix all those things and get all Sindrians to understand without having it affect our production or

trade??" "It's not like we're doing this alone." Mori tried to comfort him. "We'll figure something out." The conversation moved to this new problem. His Beautiful Prophet really was something else. She had solutions to problems they didn't even know they had. Mori had a habit of using her hands whenever she talked -even more when she was excited. She was cute and deserved to know, but she was in the middle of helping his people so he would hold his tongue and just watch her. If Sinbad was honest, he had stopped listening to the conversation a while ago and was just looking for an opportunity to finally ask Mori -and Yam of course- if they would join him for dinner so he could get all of his Generals more aquatinted with her. Someone mentioned a specific scroll in one of the libraries. Before the whole group could drag Mori out of the room, King Sinbad raised a hand and got everyone's attention. "I know there's a lot to do, but I have some things to discuss with my Beautiful Prophet as well." Mori looked back at him. "What is it?” It seemed that nickname wasn't as affective as before -hopefully it was just the timing. "Is it something we can talk about here?” "I was thinking we could talk over dinner," Sinbad paused to see how she would respond to the implications. Mori's eyes widened and her shoulders tensed, and best of all that blush came back. "With all of my Generals, of course." Mori blushed harder realizing he was messing with her. Yam looked disappointed at first -his Generals cared way to much about him finding a wife- but then she looked content with being a part of the plan. "You might have met them, and know them from reading Fate but they still don't know you yet." He finished. Yam spoke first. "This is a great idea. Pisti was just telling me that she wanted to get to know Mori." Mori regained her composer. "I'd like to get to know everyone personally too, so I'm find with this." It was a roundabout way of saying 'yes.' Her blush was gone but she was still embarrassed. With that settled, Ja'far let Yam and Mori know when dinner would be ready. It was a little earlier than he normally ate but this would give them more time to mingle before they'd be completely out of sunlight. "Well then," the King turned to his Prophet, "since we have some time beforehand-" "OH no you don't!" Ja'far cut in. "You've already had a long enough break *and* you plan on ending early today? The least you can do is work your butt off until then." --- ~POV Mori~ The King was pushed out of the room by his right hand man. I had a mix of relief and longing watching him go. "You'll see his Majesty again soon." Yam had a sweet smile on her face, but I knew better than to trust it. All eyes were on me and they were no longer the eyes of academics; they were hungry for gossip. I was not ready to explain why shipping us was a bad idea. "So about that scroll you mentioned earlier..." I completely shifted conversation back to the eventual rebuilding effort and luckily one of them obliged me.

I was lead to one of the libraries and handed a few scrolls on the construction used in the country. I had read a little on ancient construction methods out of interest and some on modern methods since my uncle worked in the industry. I had a little bit of experience with construction when I worked at a community theater, but it wouldn't be anything the people here wouldn't know. That paired with these documents showing how magic was used in the process made what little I did know completely useless. 'Can't know everything I guess.' I turned my head up towards the ceiling. I wasn't sure how much time I had left and I decided to use it soaking up the ambience of the library. The smell of paper, the maze-esc layouts, the quiet feeling; it's like a gentle space separate from the rest of the world. The libraries of the Black Libra Tower also had huge windows to let in a ton of natural lighting. I was really going to enjoy working in this place. --- Yam and I ended up lost in conversation, so someone ended up being sent to bring us to the dinner. When we finally arrived and opened the doors to the dining hall my nose was filled with the smell of herbs and delicious food. This was my first meal that wasn't paired with bitter medicine. I might have been procrastinating subconsciously to avoid the medicine I was no longer taking. Everyone was already there chatting. The long table was covered with food, but I couldn't make out any of it from the door. King Sinbad was sitting at the head of the table at the other end of the room with a goblet in his hand. Yamuraiha started in ahead of me and called into the room. "I'm sorry we're so late! We were talking about magical proofs and," she rambled in her explanation. I heard a few comments of congrats for getting better and said "Thanks" reflexively more than consciously. As I got closer, I ignored the Generals at the table to look at the spread. There were a few different types of fish, meat of some kind, a bunch of vegetables, and bread. It brought tears to my eyes; It was so beautiful. The Imuchukk laughed at my obvious interest in the food. "What are you waiting for? There plenty for everyone." He was sitting closest to the door. I didn't look away from the food when I answered. "I'm small with a small stomach so I'm going to need to pace myself to be able to eat a little of everything. If I save the best for last like I normally do then I might not even get to eat it." That garnered laughs and comments. I ignored them; I was too busy weighing my options. As the guest of honor I was placed at the opposite end of the table from King Sinbad. Thank goodness, because I didn't think I could handle being super close to him all evening. Even with the direct line of sight, I had distance to protect me. Yam sat on the other side of Hina from me. Pisti was on my other side. Sharrkan was across from Yam. Spartos was between Yam and Ja'far. Drakon was across from Ja'far. And Masrur was between Drakon and Sharrkan.

I picked up my plate to get food. "Alright. I've decided to just grab my favorites. If I have room later then so be it!" I was used to being watched while I eat so their stares didn't bother me. I covered my plate in all of the types of fish and some vegetables. "I take it you like fish?" Sinbad asked while I was taking some of the fish that was on his end of the table. "It's my favorite!" I answered excitedly. I could tell as I placed the grilled fish on my plate that it was going to be heavenly. It was already flaking and letting the smell reach me faster. I couldn't wait to get back to my seat and took a bite of the fish. It melted in my mouth. I let out a squeak of approval as I grabbed another bite. After a moment Sinbad asked me another question. "What do you think of greasy foods?" It felt pointed. "I'll eat it if it's the only option, but I'm not a fan." The Generals made some comments that amounted to, "They have the same taste." I was too busy enjoying my food to think about what they were saying. Pisti asked me her own pointed question as I sat down. "Do you like alcohol?" They were comparing me to Sinbad. I suddenly remembered the Official Character Encyclopedia. According to it, Sinbad's favorite food was fish, his least favorite was greasy, and his favorite snacks were the types that paired well with alcohol. "I'm not a big drinker, but it's not like I dislike alcohol. I'm just allergic to sulfites." "Huh?" The group asked in unison. Time to explain one of my allergies again. "Sulfites are a very useful preservative so it was also added to a lot of foods back home including alcohol. All grape wines produce sulfites naturally. When I ingest about 2 shots of a drink that contains sulfites I will struggle to breathe for about an hour." As soon as the words were out of my mouth, the goblet of wine I didn't realize was in front of me was grabbed by Hinahoho. They all looked panicked at each other like they had just dodged a bullet. In an attempt to relieve the tension, Sinbad asked Yam to catch everyone up on the meeting from earlier. Yam started ranting about the progress we had made with the alchemy magic. While they focused on reclaiming the mood, I focused on the delicious food. I tried a root vegetable on my plate. It was a little earthy with a subtle sweetness. The seasoning added to the sweet, but also had a little spice similar to cracked pepper. It had been streamed so it wasn't crunchy. I was asked to repeated what I told Sin and Ja'far earlier about the tech of home, Their questions had me explain more about my world and many of the things I had done: volunteer work to get scholarships, marketing for some networking organizations and some other companies, an assistant and teacher in out of school programs for 6 years while also working at a theater to pay for my own education. I only mentioned some of the places I had traveled to. I didn't even get to the things I did as hobbies or in working toward my dream of being a full time writer&artist. "I'm surprised by how much you say you've done." Drakon commented. I had heard similar before when talking about my past. "Is it really that shocking? Considering my age, I think it makes sense for me to have done a bit." It's more shocking that I was doing all that while getting so sick from my chronic illnesses that I would be fully bedridden and need a machine to breathe at least once a year until I turned 15. But I had also ate up inspiration porn as a child as a motivation to not let my body hold me back if I could. "Aren't we around the same age?" Yam asked me in response. I laughed. "Do I look 23 to you?" I've been mistaken for much younger than I actually was for as long as I could remember. It 1st became a problem when I turned 18 and got told I was clearly 12 with a fake ID when trying to buy an M rate game (Devil May Cry btw). "You're not?” ”Nope.” I rested my elbows on the table, interlocked my fingers, and I placed my chin on top with a smile, "But I'm curious how old you all think I am now." At 25 I was mistaken for a 14

year old. At least, a few months back someone thought I was legal (they guessed 19). Most realized I had to be older the more they talked to me, but their impressions never fully dissipated. As frustrating as it was, I found amusement in times like this by turning my age into a guessing game. Sharkkan had the face of someone fearing they had hit on someone too young. "You are at least 20, right?” They all suddenly looked worried. "I'm definitely older than 20." I answered. Pisti laughed. She was also short with a baby face; she knew my struggle. "Maybe she's older than Ja'far!” Of course she would make the closest guess. "There's no way she's older than me." Ja'far scoffed. "I am older than 25 though.” I could have teased him but I held my tongue since he already seemed annoyed with me. "How old are you then?” Hina asked. "I'm 29.” I smiled at everyone's surprise. I might only have surface levels similarities to Sinbad, but when you're a simp for a fictional character does that really matter? "I was born on April 7th so I should only be 5 days younger than King Sinbad since he was born on the 2nd. However, I don't know if there's a time dilation between my world and this one. The day we met was Oct 3rd for me back home. It wasn't the same date here, was it?" Sinbad is 29, Ja'far is 25, and Masrur is 20 during the Balbadd arc; their 2nd set of ages are 30, 26, and 21 respectfully. Ja'far's birthday is Aug 30th and Masrur's is Dec 27. Those 2nd ages listed can't be for right after the 6 month time skip because no matter how you calculate it the shortest distance between those 3 birthdays is 8 months. I was really interested in how the current arbiter of this world was going to figure this out. "It was Oct 3rd here too." "Oh. Well, that's convenient," was what I said while my thoughts were cursing the arbiter. 'That lazy son of a bitch synced the worlds so they wouldn't have to deal with a time dilation. I can feel it. Hold on... I arrived on Oct 3rd; the coup was 4 days later on the 7th. 6 months later would mean Sinbad arrives back in Sindria on my birthday. Did some 'real me' somewhere plan a b-day present for myself in some self-indulgent fanfiction??' ((Yes. Yes, I did UwU & I plan on making Mori panic then too.)) King Sinbad had that smile on his face that told me he was ready to flirt. "I didn't realize we were so close in age." No colors got in my way when he talked. That was good. I was desensitized again, and wouldn't have to deal with unnecessary distractions. I couldn't tease Ja'far, but I could tease his Majesty. "I know, right? It's amazing what the difference of 5 days can do for one's complexion." Sinbad froze and his expression went blank. Something that was probably wine sprayed across the table as Sharkkan had a spit take before erupting into laughter with Hinahoho and Pisti. "Oh my" Yam murmured with a hand over her mouth. Drakon , Spartos, and Ja'far stared at me in disbelief. Sinbad still wasn't responding... Maybe teasing him about his age was a bad idea. So far, unless it was something important I flirted with Sinbad since that was the best way to get on his good side; hearing something like this from me must have hurt a bit extra. I had been so wrapped up in my thoughts that I forgot just how sensitive he was about his age. I ended up flailing my hands from nerves, and to get his attention. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that when I know how self conscious you are." He flinched. "I don't know if this will make you feel any better, but you won't look any older than you do now 5 years from now..." "I uh.. Is that so?" Sinbad asked as he started to regain himself. "It is. You'll be just as-” "If you're willing to talk about the future, does that mean you are finally ready to explain about those calamities you mentioned in Balbadd?" Ja'far cut in with a fierce look. He had been waiting for any mention of the future to bring this up. The King spoke with a gentle but stern tone. "I don't know if this is the time for that conversation. This is Mori's first meal with

everyone after all." "I'm fine. I made a promise and I intend to keep it. As long as everyone else is willing to talk seriously for a few mins, I don't see the problem." I had been avoiding this conversation for long enough. There were things I still planned to keep secret, but I couldn't avoid having this conversation forever. And besides, I could feel in the waves that Ja'far wasn't going to let this night end unless I explained some of it. ((I have the next 3 chapters written but it's going to take me a bit to draw all of illustrations & comics. Also, good luck to all the students reading this. I know classes are starting up again. Be safe out there.))

#magi prophet fanfic #sinbad x oc #magi sinbad x oc #king sinbad #sinbad magi #magi fanfic #magi sinbad #yamuraiha

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qqueenofhades · 4 years

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Hi there. I've been scrolling through your "school stuff" tag but thought I'd ask directly - how did you find the transition to actually moving outside of the U.S. for your PhD? I'm looking at something similar and I'm wondering about your experience with the logistics (finding somewhere to live, visa, etc!). Thanks in advance, and congrats on being a doctor!

Oh lord. Why would you do that to yourself? I feel like that tag is mostly just intense kvetching, bogglingly obscure nitpicking complaints, and existential despair, and/or yelling at various institutions and/or people who could not do their god damn jobs. If you have read that and still actually want my advice, I salute you. I’m presuming you’re asking in regard to the UK, since it’s the only experience I can speak on, so hopefully that’s applicable?

In my case, I studied in the UK for a year as an undergraduate, at Oxford, so I was already familiar with the process (at least somewhat) when it came time to do it again for the PhD. Upfront, we must acknowledge the ugly deformed rabid elephant in the room that is Brexit, and the idiotic reform of UK immigration policy currently ongoing. Long story short, they seem to think they can function without low-skilled migration, that the domestic UK workforce will just happily lark off to do the jobs that working-class EU migrants have been doing, that this won’t totally bomb-crater the NHS, that they can run a country by basically only allowing in PhDs in STEM making over £30,000 a year, etc… so yes, this is a complete joke of an immigration policy and it’s what happens when you elect floppy haired xenophobic douchewads and their nightmare party as prime minister! ANYWAY, they’re introducing a points-based system from 2021, which may not affect you for an application under Tier 4, but UK immigration policy is going to have a lot of very stupid reforms and you’ll want to keep on top of those. If you have an offer in hand from a UK university, it is made somewhat easier, but you’ll still need to budget for processing costs, an NHS subsidy paid in for every year you will be there (something like $300/year), and a trip to a UK visa office to have your fingerprints and biometric information taken. If you don’t live near one, that will be travel expenses and so forth. You then have a temporary visa issued for first entry into the country, and a Biometric Residence Permit which you pick up at your university.

That, at least, was the process the last time I applied for a student visa, and it may all have changed by the time you do it. As noted, there are a lot of upfront visa costs, so you’ll want to be aware of those. You need a number of supporting documents, including offer of study, proof of income or ability to financially support yourself (since most Tier 4 visas either don’t let you work or only work a limited number of hours), proof of English proficiency (as a native English speaker/person from an English-speaking country, you won’t need this), and so on. You can’t start the process before you have the offer, but you’ll want to start it as soon as possible afterward, because it can take several months, and obviously needs to be done before you can travel. You will also want to open a UK bank account as soon as you arrive, which can be done once you have your residential address and a certificate from the student services office at your university verifying that you are in fact a student there. It’s pretty difficult to pay out of non-UK accounts, at least for monthly/recurring transactions, and there are international fees. You will also want a UK phone. I still have my UK phone/phone number despite my current hiatus in America, since most carriers offer free or low-cost roaming in Europe (though subject to change with EU trade negotiations), which is nice. I pay only a little extra to have Global Roaming in North America, so I can still use my phone as if I’m in the UK. If you’re planning to be traveling, this is a nice perk to have.

As far as finding programs goes, I’m sure I don’t need to give you advice on what you’re interested in and where you’re looking. Obviously, universities in the UK are grouped as “Oxford and Cambridge” and “everyone else,” though there are also rankings within those. I have been at both of these; Oxford as an undergrad, and then I did my PhD at a large public university in the North that ranks within the top 10 in the UK. The North will be much lower, living-cost wise (actually, if you can swing it, just… don’t do it in London, the cost of living in London is out of control. Of course, if the program you really have your heart set on is in London, then go for it, but just be aware of what you’re getting into). It’s also a rule of thumb that you don’t go anywhere for a PhD unless they’re paying you. Don’t self-fund a PhD, it’s just too expensive, and any decent university will give you some kind of financial stipend. I had a scholarship that covered three years of full tuition at international rate, which was good, though I had to take out some living-cost loans. So if you’re trying to decide between two programs that have both accepted you, a situation I was also lucky enough to be in, it sounds crass, but: take the money. One university had already offered me the tuition/scholarship, while the other had accepted me but wasn’t sure about funding. So I took the one that paid the scholarship. You need every penny you can get. You will be comically, absurdly, unbelievably broke as a graduate student. I was looking back on it like “wow I really lived for four years on BUTTFUCK NOTHING.” It is not for the faint of heart; you will have financial stress along with academic pressure, and while I was lucky enough to have generous friends and family contributing to my living costs, I still barely scraped through. It is something you should be aware of.

I don’t know if you’ve studied in the UK system before (I’m assuming not), but the structure for a PhD is much less determined than in the American system. It will also vary from university to university, so it’s worth establishing contact with a potential faculty supervisor to ask questions and refine your project proposal. I made contact with my eventual supervisor at my PhD university before I actually applied there; I gave him my (much too broad and pretty unrefined) project proposal and what I was interested in, and he helped me tailor it into something that could be done in a feasible time frame and which would make use of his expertise and contribute to the field. Whatever you’re thinking about pitching as a thesis topic, you probably need to make it more specific. I don’t know what field you’re in; I’m a humanities/history person, obviously, so the rule always seems to be WRITE MORE, INFIDEL. But the point is, the UK system has much less structured time, and basically relies on you to have the self-motivation to go out and conduct the research and write it up, and if you’re someone more used to rigid requirements and classes and so forth, you might find it a little hands-off. If you’re like me and can just be set loose in your field of interest and do your own thing, you’ll like it. I feel like anyone who is serious enough about their subject to want to do a PhD has to be primarily self-motivating, but some people function better with clear guidelines, and those are not always forthcoming. I can’t count the number of times I wished my supervisors would just TELL ME WHAT THE FUCK TO DO, but they usually highlighted something and had me work to figure out how exactly to fix it. They weren’t negligent or uncaring or unsupportive, and the project became much better as a result, but yes, it’s on you to do, and it can again be frustrating.

As far as living, I didn’t try to rent a flat from afar, sight unseen, in my first year. I just registered for postgraduate campus housing, and lived with four predictably horribly messy roommates (why???!) before I managed to escape and rent a private flat for the next three years. You will need a guarantor with a UK address (i.e. not your parents in America) to sign on the lease agreement, especially if you fall below a certain income threshold, and go through the usual background checking and approval. If you want to have the place to yourself, it will be, as noted, much cheaper to find something you can afford in the North and not-London in general, though southern England and the London commuter belt will all be expensive. If you’re okay living with roommates, or you make friends during your program, it might work to room together and share costs, but I am a pathological introvert and don’t like people, so I lived by myself.

Anyway. Right now, I am in the second round of applications for a Big Deal UK postdoctoral award, which would be for three years starting this fall if I got it, at another high-ranking large public university in the south of England. (So yes, everything that I just said about how much it costs to live in London/London suburbs is me playing myself). I would be applying for a Tier 2 visa (i.e. the permanent/settlement track/full-time work visa) if I got this, which would be another barrel of laughs and different requirements from a Tier 4. That is definitely unhatched chickens which we can’t count yet, as this is a highly competitive/prestigious award and there is absolutely no guarantee that I would get it, but it would mean that I would go through the international moving/visa application process for a third time, so I would once again become too unfortunately familiar with whatever bullshittery is happening now. Le sigh.

I don’t know if any of that is helpful; hopefully so. Let me know if you have more questions, and good luck.

#school stuff #anonymous #ask

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mischiefs-hawk · 5 years

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Hi! Same anon about the one in ORLANDO. It will be my first time and my family will visiting other parts of the park. I hear a lot saying about getting the FROZEN Butter beer, is it that good? Just give me a run do list on what are the most important parts to visit, but I'm most looking forward to HP world. BTW, are you able to get your own wand and be sorted?

Hi Anon!

Admittedly I haven’t physically been to HP world for a few years but via Theme Park Youtubers I keep myself on top of the goings on there. (Because I’m weird lol). To answer your Q’s first, I don’t remember drinking frozen butterbeer BUT I remembered/know without a shadow of a doubt that Butterbeer is delicious so frozen butterbeer is probably amazing. If you aren’t a big fan of sweet things you probably won’t like the froth on top (that’s my fav tbh) but it’s good. Yes you can get your own wand. IDK if you’re going to Universal Studios or Islands of Adventure or both. Both Harry Potter areas have a wandshop (and they’re Ollivanders!) They do little show type things where the Wandshop employees will pick a customer to get his/her wand. Usually they pick a kid but sometimes they’ll pick an adult/teen. With wands, you can get one of the characters (Harry, Ron, Luna, Sirius, etc) or you can get one of the original wands. They’re roughly the same price if memory serves. I haven’t been back since Fantastic Beasts came out so I couldn’t say for sure if they sell Newt, Theseus, etc wand. There are two kinds of wands, too. There are the interactive wands and non-interactive wands. The interactive wands will respond to different places around Diagon Alley and possibly Hogsmeade, too. Unfortunately, no there is no sorting that goes on. (That would be a logistical nightmare lol).

Okay so IMO you should start in the Studios Park, and go to Diagon Alley. If you are claustrophobic be aware that Diagon Alley is very narrow, just like the movies. The restaurant there, the Leaky Cauldron is pretty good and has the same/similar menu as the Three Broom Sticks over at Islands of Adventure in Hogsmeade. It’s pretty dang good, it is solid quick service meal and you can get butterbeer there. There is also a Ice cream shop that has Butterbeer flavored ice cream- it was sooooo good!

There are a ton of little shops in Diagon Ally, including Ollivanders, the Weasley Wizard Wheezes, and a Robe shop, and a sweet shop. And a Quidditch supply shop. They have cool stuff, sweaters, jewelry (time-turner) notebooks for each house (Remember in COG, Albus was carrying different colored notebooks? They sell those). They do sell actual robes but they’re SUPER expensive. Also, chocolate frogs in the sweet shop do have cards which is cool (more likely than not you’ll get one of the founders). Note the chocolate frog is legit like a block of milk chocolate. It’s good but it isn’t hollow, lol.

SO what to do there- there’s the escape from Gringotts ride, which as a coward when it comes to rides, is a lot of fun. It goes through Gringotts and is an absolute must. It happens sometime around the Deathly Hallows Part 1. For whatever dumb reason, you can’t carry like bags onto the ride with you. They do provide free lockers for an hour use so you store your stuff in there and after the ride you can pick it up again.

It is a 3d ride- you wear glasses- and is on a track. It’s v cool.

On the outside of the building of Gringotts is the dragon, and you’ll notice quickly that it breathes fire. It happens every 15 minutes and its signals this by roaring first. Do know that if it is windy, the dragon won’t breath fire.

If you’re on the side of the Leaky Cauldron there is a hidden path that is kind of dark but it leads to Borgin and Burkes. It’s pretty nifty and sells death eater stuff. Also there are shrunken heads around there that sing “Show me the way to go home.” This is a reference to the JAWS ride which was there before Harry Potter took it over.

Gringotts is the only ride in Diagon alley. If you exit Diagon alley and go towards the San Fran area you’ll pass the entrance of King’s Cross-from there you can catch a ride on the Hogwarts Express to Hogsmeade. I reccomend going from the Studios to Islands so you can have this experience of riding into Hogwarts. It is unforgettable and cool as heck.

On a side note if you exit Diagon Alley and walk in the opposite direction towards MIB, keep an eye on the windows of the brick buildings. You may spot Kreacher, the Black’s House elf.

Okay- now in Hogsmeade is a ton of cool stuff too. There are a lot of similar shops, Ollivanders, Honeydukes, it sells a lot of the same stuff but still deserves a look through. There is also an Owl post near the Train exit. You can actually send postcards from there (which I did it was cool as heck). In there and in Hogwarts Castle (the shop in there) are stuffed magical creatures like dragons, owls, etc. If you’re going June 13th or after it, there will be a new ride called Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike adventure. Which does look fun.

There is another ride there called Flight of the Hippogriff, it’s kind of a kid’s coaster? It’s cute. Definitely deserves a ride.

The ride in Hogwarts, the Forbidden Journey is dope as hell. There is the same rules as with Gringotts, you can’t carry your stuff onto the ride (and for that one trust me its true) and there are lockers. You get on line and then do the lockers with this one unless they’ve changed it.

The ride experience is actually cool? You get to go through Hogwarts, including Dumbledore’s office which is cool. I’m not going to tell you exactly what the entrance of the ride is just know its cool as hell and scared the fuck out of me when I first went on it.

(I went when it first opened, and the line took five hours I shit you not).

The Three broom sticks there is super yummy, my family always wants to eat there. Same deal with butterbeer.

Also, according to my ‘rents the Voodoo donut shop in city walk is delicious!

If you want other tips around the parks, including Disney World feel free to send me another ask! I absolutely love theme parks.

Also, I’m gonna add some links to my favorite youtuber whose tips you might like, too. (Some of these are about Volcano Bay, the waterpark there. )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJeInnTmaqs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T22o6Xn9GXI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8OUOx6GIsI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18UaovnnmXU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxUemCZv6-g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnPYFS21stQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwnYWgHzTTI&t=6s

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