#((I WOULD LOVE MULTIPLE VOLUNTEERS / VARIOUS SCENARIOS)) | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

tameblog · 4 days ago

Photo

Hi GPODers! Last week we saw another stunning submission from the always-beautiful garden of Gail Bromer, and she shared with us the story of her community in Black Mountain, North Carolina, coming together after the devastating impact of Hurricane Helene last fall. If you missed either of those posts, check them out here: The Light of Spring After a Dark Fall and Winter in North Carolina, Part 1 and Part 2. Outside of her home gardens, Gail also tends to plantings in downtown Black Mountain as a volunteer for the Black Mountain Beautification Committee. While this work is appreciated by the residents and visitors of Black Mountain every year, their efforts feels extra vital this spring. Today she is sharing spring photos from the park they maintain in the center of town. The Black Mountain Beautification Committee is a group of volunteers who plant and maintain over 50 flower boxes in downtown Black Mountain, NC, as well as nearly 30 different garden sites. One of those sites is a 1-acre park in the center of town. Like all gardens, it has evolved. Thanks to all the volunteers and their commitment, we work hard together and enjoy keeping our town beautiful. For a mountain town like Black Mountain, a fancy fountain of sculpted stone would feel completely out of place. But this naturalistic waterfall with a sculpture of playing bear cubs alongside feels like the perfect addition to this park and a beautiful reflection of the landscape that surrounds downtown. More boulders are placed throughout the beds, creating a smooth transition away from the water feature. Recently planted pansies are bringing in new color and life among hardy geraniums that are just starting to bloom. I love to see the Black Mountain Beautification Committee incorporating some native plants into their designs, along with the annuals that add instant appeal. Black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa, Zones 3–8) is native to the majority of Eastern North America, and these beautiful blooms will be followed by the dark, glossy berries that give it its name. This native can get pretty leggy and send out lots of shoots, but I’m sure it’s nothing the Beautification Committee can’t handle. Creeping phlox (Phlox stolonifera, Zones 4–8) creates lovely carpets of color, a classic sign that spring is well underway. Another native with multiple seasons of interest and minimal work needed from the Beautification Committee, dwarf fothergilla (Fothergilla gardenii, Zones 5–8) starts the growing season with these interesting blooms. When flowers fade, cool foliage will carry the fothergilla through summer until it puts on another show in fall, with foliage shifting to various shades of red, orange, and yellow. It wouldn’t be spring in a public park without some cheerful bulbs! These double white daffodils are absolutely delightful. An old root ball can be transformed into garden mulch, or it can be utilized as an interesting garden structure. In this scenario, it becomes a cool backdrop and additional support for a bright red-pink azalea to grow around. Another kiss of red in the form of an impressive camellia covered in bright blooms—what a gorgeous park, where one can admire some much-needed spring color. Thank you so much for sharing the incredible work of the Black Mountain Beautification Committee and continuing to inspire through your community efforts, Gail! The stories you have shared both this week and last epitomize the importance of coming together as a community and utilizing the healing powers of plants. I hope for more positive news from your corner of the world in future submissions. I know that Gail is far from the only GPODer who is active in their community and volunteers for their town or local public garden. If you do any garden work as a volunteer, we’d love to learn about the organization or group that you work with and see photos of any projects you’ve helped complete. Follow the directions below to submit photos via email, or send me a DM on Instagram: @agirlherdogandtheroad. We want to see YOUR garden! Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit! To submit, send 5–10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden. Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening! Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here. Fine Gardening Recommended Products Corona® Multi-Purpose Metal Mini Garden Shovel Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. Longer Service Life: The blade of this round small shovel is made of carbon steel, which can effectively improve the hardness by high temperature quenching, and the surface has anti-rust coating to avoid rusting. In the process of use when encountering hard objects will not bend and deformation. Sturdy Structure: The small garden shovel with D-handle, ergonomically designed grip can increase the grip of the hand when using, the handle is made of strong fiberglass, will not bend and break under heavy pressure. Quick Digging: Well-made digging shovel has a sharp blade, and the round shovel head is designed to easily penetrate the soil and cut quickly while digging to enhance your work efficiency. Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden, Revised and Updated Second Edition: A Natural Approach to Pest Control Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. This revised and updated edition of Jessica Walliser’s award-winning Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden offers a valuable and science-backed plan for bringing balance back to the garden. With this indispensable gardening reference—now updated with new research, insights, and voices—learn how to create a healthy, balanced, and diverse garden capable of supporting a hard-working crew of beneficial pest-eating insects and eliminate the need for synthetic chemical pesticides. Berry & Bird Rabbiting Spade, Trenching Shovel Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. Ideal Tool for All Gardeners Use: Our heavy duty trenching shovel is designed by a professional gardening tool designer. Lifetime Durability: This heavy duty drain spade is made of high-quality stainless steel, it is very strong and durable, even if it is used for high-strength work, it will not bend. Ergonomic Wood Handle: The handle of this planting spade is made of ash hardwood harvested from FSC-certified forests and has an ergonomically streamlined design, making it very suitable for everyone's hands. Multi-Use: This digging shovel is generally used for digging trenches, digging holes, transplanting, edging, moving compost, cutting thick turf and furrowing. The sharp blade allows you to cut, scoop, dig, lift and dice in hard soil. Source link

#OUTDOOR_LIGHTING #BEAUTIFICATION #BLACK #COMMITTEE #FINE #GARDENING #MOUNTAIN #WORK

0 notes

ramestoryworld · 4 days ago

Photo

#OUTDOOR_LIGHTING #BEAUTIFICATION #BLACK #COMMITTEE #FINE #GARDENING #MOUNTAIN #WORK

0 notes

alexha2210 · 4 days ago

Photo

#OUTDOOR_LIGHTING #BEAUTIFICATION #BLACK #COMMITTEE #FINE #GARDENING #MOUNTAIN #WORK

0 notes

angusstory · 4 days ago

Photo

#OUTDOOR_LIGHTING #BEAUTIFICATION #BLACK #COMMITTEE #FINE #GARDENING #MOUNTAIN #WORK

0 notes

tumibaba · 4 days ago

Photo

#OUTDOOR_LIGHTING #BEAUTIFICATION #BLACK #COMMITTEE #FINE #GARDENING #MOUNTAIN #WORK

0 notes

romaleen · 4 days ago

Photo

#OUTDOOR_LIGHTING #BEAUTIFICATION #BLACK #COMMITTEE #FINE #GARDENING #MOUNTAIN #WORK

0 notes

monaleen101 · 4 days ago

Photo

#OUTDOOR_LIGHTING #BEAUTIFICATION #BLACK #COMMITTEE #FINE #GARDENING #MOUNTAIN #WORK

0 notes

iamownerofme · 4 days ago

Photo

#OUTDOOR_LIGHTING #BEAUTIFICATION #BLACK #COMMITTEE #FINE #GARDENING #MOUNTAIN #WORK

0 notes

shelyold · 4 days ago

Photo

#OUTDOOR_LIGHTING #BEAUTIFICATION #BLACK #COMMITTEE #FINE #GARDENING #MOUNTAIN #WORK

0 notes

iammeandmy · 4 days ago

Photo

#OUTDOOR_LIGHTING #BEAUTIFICATION #BLACK #COMMITTEE #FINE #GARDENING #MOUNTAIN #WORK

0 notes

januishstory · 4 days ago

Photo

#OUTDOOR_LIGHTING #BEAUTIFICATION #BLACK #COMMITTEE #FINE #GARDENING #MOUNTAIN #WORK

0 notes

pctaldrunk · 3 years ago

Text

sometimes u read some books n u just start needing that good court revenge bullshit so uh hit me up if you’re down for a (probably v specific im so sorry we can tweaK ALL THE THINGS I PROMISE) scenario :

muse a and muse b have known each other since birth, pretty much, and are both from important/powerful families that have a lot of status/influence in court. the families are close - possibly one is indebted to the other, possibly they have always held power/peerage in neighboring places and helped each other out, possibly one is loyal to the other, we can work out how they’re connected later. muse a and muse b are childhood friends. their parents are simultaneously important and yet a threat to the emperor/people in charge (very likely both military families with a lot of sway in court).

muse a’s family, at some point, becomes too much of a threat and is wrongfully accused/set up for treason/some other crime and everyone’s wiped out - only muse a survives, either by chance or else because the royal family wants insurance/to appear merciful. regardless - muse b/muse b’s family takes in and hides muse a. over the years, muse b helps muse a with their plans of revenge, including helping them come up with a fake identity and re-entering court to look for clues/evidence/make political moves. they trust each other most and keep each other relatively sane, even if they sometimes disagree on how to go about handling matters.

and also, building off that same set up: muse c is a member of the royal family that was also childhood friends w/ muse a and muse b. they’re personally innocent re: muse a’s family’s demise. they’re convinced that muse a is dead/imprisoned and so this person must just be someone else, but find themselves drawn to muse a upon their return, even if they can’t put their finger on why. muse a is specifically interacting with muse c because muse c is a step in their revenge plan, even though sometimes they feel bad about using muse c.

some fun bonus tropes: someone could have an incurable illness that stems from trauma an old sickness, the country could suddenly go to war, muse a could be found out, etc. etc.

and finally: if not platonic, all of that can be flavored with some leg of arranged-marriage-that-has-been-in-place-since-birth. for the ship vibes honestly i would ship all three as an ot3 or a/b or a/c. b/c is interesting by itself but we could work on it till it worked.

#wishlist : careful the path they take. wishes come true #((look))#((i will take canons))#((i will take ocs))#((i will take connected ocs that i have to make Right Now))#((I WOULD LOVE MULTIPLE VOLUNTEERS / VARIOUS SCENARIOS))#((am down to be muse a b or c))#((just))#((I NEED THE GOOD BULLSHIT))#((why ius this wishlist item....so long))#((sorry i may or may not have read 帝皇书))#((and went a lil feral))

3 notes · View notes

musetta3 · 4 years ago

Text

Dragon Age OC as a Companion: Revka Cadash

Trend started by @little-lightning-lavellan it’s an amazing one and I had such fun with it! Thank you for the template!

This will be under a cut, because ohhhhhh my, there’s a lot here <3

This is also on AO3!

Is your OC a Companion in the Dragon Age series? What would it be like for a player to select them to join their party for quests (or romance them, perhaps? 👀)

You have selected Revka Cadash to join your party!

Race: Dwarf

Affiliation: Carta

Gender: Female

Class: Rogue/Archer

Specialization: artificer

Background

Revka Cordelia Cadash (born 8:95 Blessed) is a dwarven rogue and businesswoman. She is a companion and a potential romance option for a male human, dwarf, or qunari Inquisitor in Dragon Age: Inquisition.

Revka is a member of the many-membered Cadash Clan, and daughter of Brygida ‘Cookie’ Cadash and Artur ‘Archie’ Cadash. She has an older brother, Tavi, as well as numerous cousins, including Edric ‘Dasher’ Cadash, the head of the Ferelden Carta.

Revka grew up in the company of her rambunctious cousins, and thus views them like brothers and sisters. It’s common for Cadashes to play tricks and pull pranks on each other as a way to show affection, as is evidenced in the short story ‘Flapping in the Breeze.’ Some of Revka’s favorite pranks include spiking food with chili oil, switching people’s beverages, hiding belongings, and breaking into ‘private’ things such as journals, desk contents, or that box of cookies under the bed.

Revka made a name for herself in the Carta accompanying her mother and cousins on patrol as a teen. Her deadly accuracy with a bow earned her the nickname ‘Hawkeye;’ her duties quickly expanded to include ‘problem-solving’ for the Carta, her solutions ranging from assassinations, blackmail, and negotiating contracts, to smuggling, and forgeries. Her successful business plans and battle tactics made her a valuable asset to the Carta.

In 9:13 Dragon, Revka married Iwan Feddic, a member of the merchant caste and a Cadash client in Ostwick. She helped her husband run his international shipping business, a venture she took over after his untimely death. When Dasher’s wife, Darya, died at the hands of the Orlesian Carta, Revka returned to Ferelden to help her cousin raise his five children, turning over the Ostwicker affairs to her brother, Tavi.

When the Cadashes eliminated a rival Carta branch in Kirkwall, they sent Artur Cadash to oversee operations in the city. 22-year-old Revka volunteered to accompany him, becoming her father’s second in command. Once arrived in Kirkwall, she helped him found Graywater Imports, an import/export company functioning as a storefront for both legal and illegal goods. She is a prominent member of the Cadash Carta branch in Kirkwall, often dealing with the Dwarven Merchant Guild and Varric Tethras.

Romance with Varric Tethras

Shortly after Revka arrived in Kirkwall, she met the young Varric Tethras. What began as mixing business with pleasure became a romantic entanglement that lasted until Tethras met the talented smith Bianca Davri, and broke off with Revka for Bianca. As much as Revka wanted to cut all ties with him, she maintained their business relationship… and an unrequited, one-sided love for the deshyr prince.

Involvement

A special mission at the War Table will unlock a quest at Kirkwall’s Docks, ‘Ten Shades of Graywater,’ in which the Inquisitor will receive a mysterious anonymous letter inviting them to the coast to discuss a purveyor/supplier contract for the Inquisition. The Inquisitor will arrive in a seemingly abandoned alley, but is ambushed by Coterie thugs. After the enemies are slain, Revka can be engaged in conversation.

If Varric is in the party, he will be surprised to see Revka. It’s revealed that they know each other through various business ventures, and are old acquaintances… although the weighted, bitter quality of Revka’s answers imply that their relationship is more complicated than Varric had said.

Upon further questioning, Revka pitches her business proposal: wholesale lyrium for the Inquisition’s mages or Templars, with access to the Cadash Family’s network of spies, businesses, and Carta members for Inquisition purposes. Her only condition is that her family obtains an industry monopoly, becoming the sole provider of lyrium for the Inquisition and Southern Thedas.

Revka can be found near the archery targets and training dummies in Haven. Once the Inquisition relocates to Skyhold, Revka spends time training in the courtyard, in Skyhold’s main hall talking to Varric, or in the rookery, spoiling her messenger crow, Cipher, with treats. Dialogue options will reveal that she uses the bird keep in contact with her family and business associates.

Approval and Romance

Revka can be romanced by a male Inquisitor of any race, and will jokingly comment on the height differences if romanced by a qunari, elf, or human. A Cadash inquisitor of either gender can unlock Carta-specific dialogue. Revka is guarded at first, giving out only generic information about her family, but with some persistent questioning the Inquisitor can wear her down. Depending on dialogue choices, the conversation can end with the Cadashes exchanging stories of ‘colorful’ family members and an approval gain.

Revka takes a more pragmatic view on politics: she supports whoever pays the most, and sells lyrium to both the Templars and mages without discrimination. Upon learning the truth behind the events Redcliffe, however, she is dismayed to learn what her products enabled. Traveling to Redcliffe with Revka in the party will trigger her personal quest ‘Scales Fall from Her Eyes.’ (this quest will trigger after the Inquisition relocates to Skyhold if the player sided with the Templars)

Revka approves of Inquisitors who are tenacious, calculating/far-sighted, and does what is best for the majority. She believes that the end justifies the mean, sanctioning death only as a last resort. She approves of bold plans, investigating all aspects of a quest before making a decision, and an Inquisitor who makes jokes (especially puns). Her sense of justice changes as the player completes more of her personal quests. She will approve of charitable acts and kindness as the game progresses and her personal beliefs change.

Revka’s romance can be initiated through the conventional method flirting and conversation. During the quest ‘Scales Fall from Her Eyes,’ the Inquisitor has an opportunity to embrace Revka, leading to a kiss.

If Revka is not romanced by an Inquisitor, she can enter a relationship with Varric Tethras, but only if the Inquisitor assists in reconciling the two ex-lovers. Revka’s romantic past with Varric is hinted at in party banter if both are present, the two bickering with each other. This series of quests are available post-arrival at Skyhold, and has conditional dialogue for certain scenarios.

Revka gets along well with Dorian and Cassandra, bonding with them over their mutual love of books. It’s revealed that the three of them have an unofficial ‘book club’ going on, where they read various novels and comment on them in party banter. Revka also gets along well with Sera, bonding over pulling pranks in Haven and Skyhold. She makes a special bond with Leliana over nugs, owning a nug, herself.

Revka does not trust Solas from the moment she meets him, stating he knows too much, and is fond of talking without saying anything. She also suspects Blackwall of hiding something.

Companion Quests

Scales Fall from Her Eyes

After the events of Redcliffe, the Inquisitor will receive a note from Revka to meet her at the abandoned cabin outside Haven. Or, if the player sided with the Templars, this will trigger once the Inquisition relocates to Skyhold. At the meeting, she will share her guilt and horror at what occurred. She questions her personal beliefs, and offers an apology with the promise to amend her family’s business practices. After this quest, Revka is more empathetic, approving of selfless and charitable acts, whereas before she’d disapprove.

At the end of the quest, the Inquisitor has an opportunity to embrace Revka, which can lead to a kiss, if desired.

Varric’s Quest in Valammar

Revka can be found beside the fireplace in the main hall, arguing with Varric over the contents of a particular letter. Upon investigation, the Inquisitor learns that Revka has broken into the locked box in which Varric keeps his correspondence, which she claims he’s done to her on multiple occasions over the years. He neither denies nor confirms the accusation. Revka demands to know why Varric is still in contact with ‘that woman,’ declares she won’t set foot in the main hall until his ‘guest’ is gone, and leaves, demanding the Inquisitor ‘talk some sodding sense into him.’

This leads into Varric’s quests with Bianca Davri, and some cutting comments from Bianca calling Revka a ‘sore loser.’ Varric comes to Revka’s defense, much to the Inquisitor’s surprise.

If the Inquisitor takes Revka to Valammar, she disapproves and will grouse all the way there, cutting snide remarks whenever Varric says something. She becomes jealous during Bianca and Varric’s reminiscing, interjecting and muttering. Her anger only grows as the quest proceeds, Revka calling out Bianca for her selfish, pragmatic methods and carelessness. Once Inquisitor concludes the quest, Revka declares she needs some air, and says she’ll meet the Inquisitor at the nearest inquisition camp later.

Upon arrival at the campsite, a scout reports that Revka never returned to camp. The Inquisitor must search the nearby area; eventually, they find Revka injured after being ambushed by bandits (the Inquisitor and the party must defeat them in order for the quest to proceed).

If Varric is present, he will be upset, demanding to know why she would be so foolish as to wander around alone. Revka half-jokes, claiming how surprised she is that Varric cares about her safety, after all these years. Varric’s expression visibly shifts. The Inquisitor arranges for her immediate medical care, but it’s too serious a wound for her to remain out in the field. After this point, Revka is unavailable as a companion until after the Inquisitor returns to Skyhold.

Once the Inquisitor returns, they will find Varric in the central courtyard, pacing outside the infirmary/medical tents. The medic will inform the Inquisitor that Varric hasn’t left since Revka’s arrival, but refuses to go inside to see her. Selecting Varric for a conversation will show he can’t bear to face her after what happened at Valammar; he feels especially guilty, knowing that she got hurt in an attempt to calm down after the encounter. The Inquisitor can remind Varric that his apology should be to Revka, not them. To trigger their romance, the Inquisitor can encourage him to visit Revka and share his feelings.

If the Inquisitor visits her instead, they will gain high approval with her, and further unlock romance scenes. After the visit in the tent, Revka will invite the Inquisitor to her quarters to personally ‘thank’ him. The Inquisitor can choose to accept her proposition, or refuse. Depending on choice, Revka may sleep with the Inquisitor. There is an option to break relations off with Revka the morning after.

Revka’s Family

Revka’s war table missions mostly revolve around business opportunities she’s scouted out for the Inquisition throughout Thedas. Some of these are triggered through conversations with Revka in the rookery or throughout Skyhold. Completing quests from her cousin Jon in Tevinter will reveal Venatori camps on all game-maps, and will reduce the cooldown time on war table quests dealing with Venatori in general.

Revka’s cousin, Czibor, can be encountered in the Hissing Wastes hunting Venatori. Accompanying xem in eliminating a Venatori camp can lead to xir recruitment as an Inquisition agent.

The Trouble with Tavi

After the quest Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts, Revka will ask to meet the Inquisitor, requesting their assistance in a matter of life or death. She reveals that she’s received a letter from the Orlesian Carta, stating their displeasure at the Inquisitor’s choice of ruler, since they’re encroaching on the Orlesian Carta’s operations. They know Revka and the Cadash family has been helping the Inquisition, and threaten to exact revenge. She’d thought it an empty threat until her brother Tavi stopped replying to her letters. Upon investigation, it’s revealed that the Orlesian Carta kidnapped Tavi and have hid him at their base in Val Royeaux. Revka asks the Inquisitor for assistance.

Should the Inquisitor refuse Revka, she will greatly disapprove, stating that her brother’s more important that the Inquisitor’s ‘sodding principles,’ and leave the Inquisition to save him. She will not be available again until later in the game (post Adamant), when a war table mission will appear from Tavi in Ostwick, stating that Revka saved him and has returned to Kirkwall. She is still very offended, and is considering terminating the Cadash business contracts with the Inquisition. He urges the Inquisitor to please make her reconsider, citing the monetary gain the contracts net him but also Revka’s hurt (note: the letter will also reference a romanced Varric, asking the Inquisitor to enlist his help). The Inquisitor has the choice to make up with Revka and invite her back, or leave her be.

Should the Inquisitor choose to help Revka, she will greatly approve and travel with the Inquisitor to Val Royeaux. Varric—regardless of the romance status—will also express interest in coming, but bringing him along is not required. Revka will be touched by his offer, regardless.

The meeting place mentioned in the Carta’s letter is an abandoned oil warehouse at the docks. Inside, the companions note the derelict condition of the place. The further they travel into the warehouse, following a trail of blood, the smell of rancid oil grows stronger. In a storeroom, there is a lone dead dwarf bearing a note, a man Revka recognizes as Tavi’s second in command in Ostwick. If the Inquisitor can find Tavi before time runs out, the note says, they’re welcome to him. As the Inquisitor reads the note aloud, a shadow darts in the periphery; the door slams shut, locking them in. A torch is thrown in through a window, setting the spilled oil on fire.

The Inquisitor may, through a series of dialogue choices, decide to rescue Tavi or leave him to his fate, opting to escape. If the Inquisitor chooses to escape and leave Tavi behind, Revka will greatly disapprove, running off to find him herself. If she is romanced by Varric, he will also greatly disapprove, stating that they should go after Revka. If the Inquisitor chooses this route, they can still save Revka and Tavi. Otherwise, the two Cadashes are not seen again, supposedly perishing in the fire. Revka will then be unavailable as a companion for the remainder of the game.

The mission to save Tavi is time-sensitive, with several endings: should the Inquisitor take too long to escape or find Tavi, the warehouse will collapse on them, killing everyone. The timer, separated into quarters, is marked by sections of the roof collapsing: escaping by the third collapse will guarantee the party’s safety. Escaping post-third collapse can result in a 50% chance of the roof collapsing on the party: if this occurs, Revka pushes either her love interest or her brother out of the way of a falling beam, sacrificing herself for their safety. The mission then ends with the party barely escaping in time, mourning the loss of their lover and/or friend.

Pranks

Various pranks around Skyhold and Haven are attributed to Revka via ambient dialogue and party banter. If the approval rate is high enough, Inquisitor has an opportunity to join Revka in pulling pranks around Skyhold post-Adamant. She claims that she’d like to cheer everyone up, and would like the Inquisitor’s help.

Prank 1: sneak into the kitchen and switch the sugar out for salt in a cake.

Prank 2: paint a smiley face on the back of a sleeping Solas’s head

Prank 3: Rearrange Vivienne’s furniture

Prank 4: Distract Varric so she can steal his letters and replace them with scrambled riddles

A cutscene follows, showing a crowd standing at the base of a flagpole the morning after. Revka pushes through the crowd, gasping: someone has nailed her frilly blue panties to the pole. Varric is seen leaning against a column, howling with laughter. Revka pulls a face at him and scowls, but eventually ends up laughing, too. (Note: this is inspired by the short story ‘Flapping in the Breeze’)

Trespasser

If Revka left or died during the events of the game, she will not be at the Winter Palace. Otherwise, there are several outcomes as to what she’s been doing…

If she romanced Varric, she returned to Kirkwall and is his lover

If she romanced the Inquisitor, she stayed alongside him as an Inquisition agent

If she did not romance anyone, she returned to Kirkwall

There is an option to marry Revka as a romanced Inquisitor, or urge her to marry Varric. If she marries, her brother Tavi and a recruited cousin Czibor may attend the ceremony.

Combat comments

Kills an enemy

And stay dead!

Sodding nughumper, good riddance.

Low Health

A little help would be lovely!

Oh shit. Not good.

Atredum na satolva! Toss me a health potion, will you?

I’m too old for this…

Low Health (Companions)

(The Inquisitor) Inquisitor!

(The Inquisitor - if romanced) Hold on, love!

(Varric, unromanced) Varric, you don’t look so good...

(Varric, if romanced) Oh shit, don’t you dare die on me.

(Sera) Can someone check on Sera, please?

(Cassandra) Cass! Wait!

(Dorian) Dorian needs help!

Location comments

(Approaching Camp) Ahhh! Home sweet tent.

(When collecting a shard) Ooh! I wonder how much it’d fetch at market.

Storm Coast

(sighs) They ought to call this place the ‘Soggy Coast,’ or the ‘Sopping Coast.’ My socks are soaked through to my boots.

Fallow Mire

The bugs will drain you dry before the undead will. Nug-humping bastards keep biting me…

Anyone else feel eyes watching you from the shadows?

Hinterlands

(Laughs) You know, back when I was running jobs for the Carta, I would get so lost here in the Hinterlands. Good to know things haven’t changed.

Don’t go near there; bears love that place. I learned that the hard way…

(at Witchwood) Ah, the Which-Witch-is-Which-Wood. Da would warn my brother and I about this place when were children.

The Hissing Wastes

I have sand in places I never knew existed.

Why my cousin had to choose to hunt Venatori in the ass-end of nowhere is beyond me…

Emprise du Lion

(scoffs) Snow. Snow. More sodding snow. I’m up to my tits in the stuff.

We don’t get snow like this in Kirkwall.

(on seeing a snowfleur) Ooh, look! Fluffy nugs! Can I take one home? Lucky could use a friend.

Emerald Graves

I…I heard the reason why this place is called the Emerald Graves. Such a tragic story.

I didn’t expect such greenery this far south, to be honest.

Exalted Plains

(shivers) You can feel the sorrow in this place.

Companion Comments

Blackwall: “Rev? She’s a bit… unnerving, to be honest. Never smiles, glares holes in the side of your head. Offered to sell my carvings in Denerim, though: two sovereigns apiece. I swear she could sell water to a fish, that woman…”

Varric: “(Laughs) Hawkeye and I go way back. Don’t let her innocent face fool you: she’ll bleed you dry at Wicked Grace if you let her. Learned some of my best tricks from her—Don’t…erm. Don’t tell her that.”

“Do you know how Hawkeye got her name? She shot a fly from across a room, once. Still don’t know how she did it.”

(If Inquisitor romanced Revka) Hawkeye’s a sweet girl, under all the Carta bullshit. I’m glad she has you; she deserves some happiness in her life.”

(If romances Revka): “I know they say don’t mix business with pleasure, but I get all the best discounts at Graywater Imports, now. You want anything? I think they’re running a sale on Antivan leather, at the moment.”

“She’s probably upstairs feeding Cipher, knowing her. Or taking another order for Dagna; buys crafting supplies like candy, that one.”

Sera: “Rev’s fun, not all stuffy just ‘cause she’s someone back home, yeah? Takes jokes well. Can’t shoot for shit, though…”

Cole: Ash, steel, gray, withering inside at the sight of him smiling at her. Don’t look back, you’re not going that way; old coals don’t rekindle. It bleeds under her armor, but she can’t bandage the wound. I want to help. (if she romances Varric) but he helped her feel whole again. (if she romances the Inquisitor) but you helped her feel whole again.

Solas: “Is it wise to allow a known member of the Carta in our ranks? She actively seeks information and passes it along to her superiors.”

“Do tell Mistress Cadash that if she breaks into my desk one more time, I shall ward the drawers to set her on fire. I can tolerate harmless pranks, but one thing I cannot abide is liars who snoop.”

Iron Bull: “They say still waters run deep, and she’s no exception. She might appear all laughs and smiles, but that woman knows exactly what she’s doing. Don’t underestimate her.”

Dorian: “Ah, my darling Rev: she has excellent taste in literature and baked goods.” (if she romances Varric) “And dwarven merchant princes.”

Cassandra: “I doubted her intentions, at first, but she has proven herself quite useful to the Inquisition. If you see her, tell her to return my book, will you? She ‘borrowed’ a week ago, and I want to know what happens to the poor Guard Captain.”

Vivienne: “Mistress Cadash would do quite well at court; she understands the Game surprisingly well for one who’s not a courtier. Too strong from the onset, however: the idea is to gain a person’s trust, not frighten them into submission.”

Cullen: “I knew Mistress Cadash back in Kirkwall; I’d frequent Graywater Imports often. They carry three kinds of hair pomade there, did you know?”

Josephine: “Mistress Cadash has many useful connections throughout Thedas; I’m pleased she offers them to us so freely. But then, we’re making her a rich woman with all the business contracts. Quid pro quo, as the Tevinters say.”

Leliana: “Rev is a shrewd woman, fierce and good at her craft. Did you know that she has a pet nug in Kirkwall? She always has something for the birds when she comes here; I like her.”

Trivia

It’s said that the young Varric Tethras wrote his first novel, The Dasher’s Men, about Edric Cadash, Revka’s cousin. The femme fatale who assists the hero of the tale, Revka, is heavily inspired by Varric’s lover at the time, Revka Cadash. An autographed copy of The Dasher’s Men can be found in the rookery, where Revka sits.

Revka adores cookies, and has been trying to get the secret brandy snap recipe off of her cousin, Edric, for years. She has tried everything from recipe book publisher scams to impersonating the Viscount of Kirkwall’s chef to obtain the recipe

In party banter, Revka will mention her nug, Lucky, which, according to the short story, she won during a rather raucous evening of Wicked Grace.

When Revka isn’t reading, answering correspondence, or training, she enjoys baking, sewing, and embroidery.

Despite being an adept businesswoman, Revka is terrible at bookkeeping, and will often complain about it to Varric… sometimes enlisting him to do it, with a bribe of cookies.

#dragon age #dragon age inquisition #writing prompt #dai #dragon age companions #revka #revka cadash #Cadash x Varric #dorian pavus #Varric Tethras #dragon age varric #cadash #female cadash

48 notes · View notes

mr-entj · 5 years ago

Text

Career 102: Getting a job you have no experience in

Combined with the following asks:

Hey Mr ENTJ. Do you have advice on how to move from academia into industry for someone who has only research experience? Only a CV and not a resume? Thank you!

How do you spin skills from one industry to be applicable to another? I'm a theater and English major (yes, I know) and it's been difficult finding work lately, because I am stuck living in a state where there are little jobs for that. I've worked on films, weddings, as a curator guide at a museum, and have my AA. I've had good interview after good interview, and have been outright told at three different places that I was a perfect fit. And then they went with someone else. Any advice?

Hi Mr. ENTJ I love your blog, is a great source of information for me so thanks for that! I have a question if you don’t mind. What kind of advice would you give to a graduate student who has not worked on their field during college and now is looking for a job? I’m a Business major but I’m currently working as a language teacher at a private institute (it started as a part-time job) My salary’s really good, however I’d like to start working in business but I have no experience on that :( thnks!

Hi there! I've read some of your advice to other askers and find what you say very perceptive and realistic. I'd like to ask your opinion. I have Bachelors and Masters degrees in the life sciences. I worked in academia for 2 years but my field lacked funding so I left. I have no commercial experience.I have problems getting a job because of this and most companies' resistance to hiring nonpractical grads. I want to go into consulting which is more flexible with degrees. What would you advise?

Hi mr entj! This may be a bit of a stupid question but what should I do if I can't find the job in a field(actually sub-field of a field) that I'm aiming for? I'm looking to be a concept artist but I can't seem to find any such jobs that don't require atleast a year of experience and since I'm a fresher I don't have that. In my country, there is also not a tradition of getting small student jobs so I don't have that experience either. Help me with some tips please.

Related answers:

Resume and Cover Letter Guide

Job Hunting 101

Top 3 job hunting mistakes college students make

Tips on transitioning from school to the workplace

Job interview tips

To break into a field that you have no experience in, translate the experiences in your current career into the “language” of your target career. The ultimate goal is this: make it as easy as possible for the hiring manager (and recruiter) to understand your background. People are lazy, they aren’t going to waste their time performing mental gymnastics to figure out how your obscure experience applies to their available job-- if they can’t figure it out-- your resume goes into the rejection pile. Make it easy for them.

To do that, see below.

Step 1: Collect multiple job descriptions of similar roles

The goal is to source as many overlapping skills as possible for the same role so that you can update your resume to reflect them. To illustrate this, let’s say you’re currently a school teacher but your goal is to become a Communications Manager for a tech company. What kind of skills are tech companies looking for in Communications Managers? A simple search on LinkedIn for “communications manager” yields 42,000 results:

You don’t need to read all 42,000 job descriptions, but pick 4-5 that interest you from top companies (i.e. Lyft, Twitter, Facebook, Google) of similar nature. Top companies are leaders of the pack; their job descriptions are reliably the ones that other lower tier companies will copy.

Step 2: Identify key themes

All job descriptions that aren’t scams will have sections called “roles/responsibilities” and “minimum qualifications” with detailed bullet points describing what they’re looking for in the ideal candidate. As an example, I’ll use the Lyft “Internal Communications Manager” job description above and a “Communications Manager” job from Twitter to identify the key themes.

Lyft - Internal Communications Manager

Responsibilities

Work closely with and influence key company leadership to develop and disseminate their important messages to team members, including aligning the team on our strategy, goals, and priorities (Key theme: Communication)

Own strategy and results for keeping all relevant team members informed on important org news and updates in a timely and engaging manner. (Key theme: Stakeholder management)

Provide strategic, direct hands-on support to key senior leaders (Key theme: Project management)

Proactively identify new opportunities and develop new programs to continually up level our internal communications program (Key theme: Analysis)

Successfully collaborate with cross-functional partners to execute on a comprehensive plan for seamless communications. (Key theme: Collaboration)

Maintain the Lyft voice across all communications, written and verbal, and across company leadership (Key theme: Branding)

Keep Lyft fun! (Key theme: Culture fit)

Twitter - Communications Manager

Roles And Responsibilities

Coordinate with various Twitter teams on product launches, announcements, issues and other news (Key theme: Project management)

Craft communications materials with a high degree of consistency, conviction, and strong tone of voice (e.g. messaging docs, communications plans, blog posts, statements, Tweets) (Key theme: Communication)

Drive proactive, creative storytelling around our products and the people who build them across a range of media, both traditional and non-traditional (press, podcasts, speaking engagements, video, etc.) (Key theme: Communication)

Help the team establish and maintain relationships with reporters nationally and globally. (Key theme: Stakeholder management)

Manage a high-volume of incoming queries from media covering product matters, and be able to consult and drive towards decision-making on press response during high-pressure scenarios (Key theme: Project management)

Serve as a company spokesperson in the U.S. and in other markets. (Key theme: Branding)

Draft, manage through reviews, and upload blog posts and Tweets for announcements and updates (Key theme: Communication)

Track press coverage for key announcements; identify and correct inaccuracies in stories (Key theme: Analysis)

Support team to drive proactive stories in global, local and industry-focused publications (Key theme: Project management)

You’ll notice that the same key themes will emerge for similar roles. Extract these key themes and copy and paste them into your resume. Move to step 3.

Step 3: Translate your experience and achievements to map to these key themes

From the Lyft and Twitter Communications Manager job descriptions above, we have the following 7 key themes:

Communication: Writing, editing, speaking, etc.

Stakeholder management: How to be organized and manage large groups of people of different levels and backgrounds

Project management: How to be organized and adaptable to support senior leaders with whatever they need done

Analysis: How to be a critical thinker who can spot better ways to do things (AKA performance/process improvement)

Collaboration: How to achieve success with people from different backgrounds

Branding: How to write in the company’s voice or a voice not your own

Culture fit: You need to jive with the company’s organizational culture

As a school teacher, you may not have the exact experience required but you’ve definitely done work that maps to these key themes. Use the verbiage from the job descriptions to write new bullet points for your resume:

(Key theme: Communication): Crafted and distributed weekly internal communications to 500+ students on academic updates, key event announcements, and other news in collaboration with administrative staff

(Key theme: Communication): Managed a high volume of inquiries from parents and administrative staff on the academic performance of 30+ students, provided updates and resolved concerns resulting in strong performance ratings

(Key themes: Stakeholder management + project management): Collaborated closely with senior leadership and a team of parents, educators, and volunteers to fund, launch, and manage the school’s $400,000 music program resulting in new extracurricular opportunities for 40+ students

(Key theme: Analysis): Led strategic initiative to improve academic curriculum and identified new teaching methodologies for 20 ESL (English Second Language) students resulting in an 15% increase in annual graduation rates

It won’t be a perfect fit, you will still get a lot of rejections, but your profile and background are much easier to understand to someone hiring for a communication manager role than it was before. Use your new resume as a script for the job interview to explain your experience as it relates to the role they’re hiring for.

Key Takeaways

Brand yourself for the role you want, not the role you have. Your resume and LinkedIn should contain a description of the role you’re aiming for and what skills/experience you bring to the table. If you’re currently a school teacher who wants to become a Communications Manager, then brand yourself as a “Communications leader with expertise in education, project management, and collaboration with people of various backgrounds.” This also makes it easier for recruiters to find you online because if they’re hiring for a Communications Manager, they will not be searching for a school teacher, they’ll be searching for key words related to that specific role.

Apply everywhere. You’re going to get rejected, a lot, it’s part of the process and you’re an underdog so don’t take it personally. Job hunting is a numbers game, always cast a wide net.

Progress is better than perfection. If your goal is to become a Communications Manager for the United States White House but you’re currently a school teacher, then the odds are you won’t immediately get hired by the White House. The goal here is to first break into the industry and work your way up. Accept the role that you want in a company that may not be your first choice because progress is better than perfection. Once you accumulate achievements in this role, other more reputable companies will be willing to take a chance on you.

Networking is everything. This is why human connections are the most powerful-- resumes can score interviews, but relationships build careers because hiring is about trust. If people don’t know you and your experience doesn’t inspire a ton of confidence or trust, they won’t extend an offer and commit to a legally binding employment agreement. To build that trust, use university career offices, professional networking events, internet job sites, forums, and other venues to engage and meet people. Socialization leads to trust which leads to opportunities.

#college #university #graduation #job hunting #job #work #resume #career #careers #changing jobs #academia #changing careers #faq

217 notes · View notes

3402studentvolunteer-blog · 4 years ago

Text

Final Volunteer Blog Post

The knowledge I’ve gained from this experience primarily consists of a new perspective on people with Dementia. I used to have preconceived negative connotations of them, as I often had the uncertainty that many face when interacting with people with Dementia. Through interacting with my matches, I have gained a new positive perspective that I can tell my peers to encourage them to change the way that they think about people with Dementia. Peer influence can be a highly effective means of changing an adolescent’s opinion (Albert et al., 2014), of which I hope to influence positively through telling stories about my positive experience. A more positive outlook on Dementia can allow for greater acceptance in the community, allowing for those with the disease to live more normal lives.

In a general sense, the entire Health Science program has taught me that health is an extremely broad field that is impacted by multiple variables. I have learned various biological, social, and psychological variables that can impact one’s health status, as well as have learned specific facts regarding various diseases (such as Dementia). My studies have prepared me with how to effectively analyze real time health scenarios, and how to approach various situations with an open mind and willingness to learn. I have an extremely open minded perspective as I understand the multifaceted factors of life, and have brought this into my position by being willing to listen and learn from my matches.

My opinion on Dementia has been highly impacted by this experience, as briefly mentioned above. While you can do many reviews of published literature to learn about Dementia, I feel as though you cannot truly understand it until you have first-hand experience with someone who has the condition. Through my conversations with my matches we have laughed, they have told me stories, and we have discussed various topics (both current and in the past). These individuals have so much knowledge and experience to share but are often stigmatized once somebody learns that they have Dementia. While I never saw these individuals negatively, I definitely used to feel uneasy due to a fear of unpredictability during conversations, in fear of bringing up something that they do not remember. Now, I realize that you can easily redirect the conversation and everything will end up working out in the end.

To positively impact the situation, various stakeholders can do their part. Individuals can change their perspective on those with Dementia, communities can become more Dementia-friendly (through clear and safe infrastructure, support programs, etc), students can be taught about Dementia at school in order to prepare them for older family and friends developing the condition, and the government can provide more funding for support programs and research to hopefully find a cure/effective treatment. By involving society to change their perspective on Dementia, those with symptoms are more likely to seek treatment as they do not feel ashamed for what is happening as they age (Riley et al., 2014), resulting in better outcomes for these individuals. Real change will not occur until every group in a population is involved in the solution, and with today’s aging population understanding Dementia has become increasingly important.

Through this service opportunity, I believe I have further developed my compassion, empathy, and communication skills. I have improved my compassion for others through learning more about my match’s lives, providing me with a new perspective on how I see others. Everybody has their own lived experiences and deserve to be celebrated equally, of which I understand further now that I have developed these relationships. My empathy quality has increased as well through seeing things from their perspective: they are often misunderstood and stigmatized, all for reasons beyond their control. Individuals with Dementia report higher rates of isolation due to this stigmatization (Riley et al., 2014), discouraging them from actively participating in society, making their last years of life less meaningful and enjoyable. Not only for the individual with Dementia, but I have also gained empathy for their caregivers: they are doing something completely selfless, but in the meanwhile see their loved one gradually losing their function. I cannot even imagine how hard that must be, especially if it is a family member or spouse who you have relied on and known for countless years. I have also developed my conversational skills and feel as though I can better maintain a conversation with those outside of my age bracket. Before this experience, I commonly only spoke to peers my same age, and my older family members. I did not really ever have the opportunity to talk to older individuals that began as complete strangers, so in having the opportunity I feel as though I can have more quality conversation with strangers in the future.

As somebody who has always wanted to work with kids, I feel as though my future career still aims to do so rather than working with the elderly population. Not for reasons such as not enjoying interacting with the elderly, but rather I do not think I could handle constantly seeing individuals (and their loved ones) in pain and mental anguish due to their gradual health degeneration. It would break my heart to essentially see somebody’s life fall apart, and see their partners counting down the days they have left with their loved ones. I do not have the strength to tell somebody that their brain is failing them, as I know how much it will change their entire life. It takes a very special and strong kind of person to work with the elderly, and I have nothing but respect and admiration for them.

The primary thing that has stuck on my mind for this experience has been how scared I am to get old and potentially develop Dementia. While it may sound stupid, I highly value the knowledge that I have (and will) learn and cannot imagine losing all of these memories. While I have not had my own family yet, it would be devastating to forget who my family members are and my memories with them. Individuals with Dementia face many unknowns, which makes me extremely nervous as I am the type of person who always needs to know what is going on. While I still have many years until this can potentially happen, I need to work on maintaining healthy habits in order to give myself the best chance possible at living a healthy life.

References: Albert, D., Chein, J., & Steinberg, L. (2013). The Teenage Brain. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 22(2), 114–120. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721412471347 Riley, R. J., Burgener, S., & Buckwalter, K. C. (2014). Anxiety and Stigma in Dementia. Nursing Clinics of North America, 49(2), 213–231. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cnur.2014.02.008

0 notes

educ326portfolio-ah · 5 years ago

Text

Feeling Safe, Loved, Powerful, Free, Pleasured

I feel powerful when I feel prepared, whether it be for a situation, event, or task. I tend to very easily become overwhelmed with things if I do not prepare for them beforehand, and so the power that I feel from preparedness comes from the feeling that I have at least some control over different aspects of my life. For instance, staying organized is one way I try to ensure that I feel this way. I always create detailed to-do lists for each week to help me keep track of assignments, tasks, and volunteering duties, as well as color-code my calendar and tasks in my to-do lists from most to least important. This allows me to stay in control as I am able to focus on each day's task rather than getting bombarded by my thoughts and anxiety by thinking ahead to everything that I need to accomplish for the week. I also always make sure to prepare (sometimes even over-prepare because of my anxiety) in advance for smaller things, such as a trip Downtown with my friends – I will review transit routes multiple times, search various possible places to stop for food, pack enough extra change for SkyTrain tickets just in case my Compass Card stops working, create possible scenarios in my head and plan out possible reactions, etc. I know that I can never be fully prepared for something, however, without doing these preparations, I become anxious as I feel that I will not be ready for unexpected situations and, in turn, I feel my sense of power decrease.I feel safe and loved when I am surrounded by people whom I trust and feel comfortable around. I mainly feel this way around my close friends and family – these are people who understand me and whom I feel I can truly be myself around. Knowing that my family and friends support me provides me with a sense of security and comfort and the feeling that I am loved and cared for. For instance, I feel this way when my best friend listens to my problems and helps me through them. Because I feel safe and loved when I am with family and close friends, I make sure to stay in touch with them. For example, I often do this by checking in on my friends and family and ensuring that I make time to spend with them.

When I can, I try to avoid putting myself in situations in which I know there will be people who would make me uncomfortable and feel the opposite of safe and loved. For example, there have been quite a few occasions where I have turned down invites to a friend's birthday party because I knew that there would be people present whom I felt intimidated and judged by. I knew that I would feel anxious and stressed being in the same setting as these people because I had had previous encounters with them in which they excluded me from social situations and were very judgemental. Avoiding this situation, and many other similar ones, was my way of protecting myself from feeling unsafe and unloved.

I feel free, as well as powerful when I am able to make my own decisions and don't feel bound to conform to expectations and images that other people have of me. I have struggled for years in voicing my worries and defending myself when it comes to my opinions, and in the past, I often used to stay silent to avoid conflict and go with whatever it was other people wanted. However, in the past few years, I have been working on improving in this area by practicing openly expressing my feelings and concerns with friends and family members whom I am close with – it has definitely helped me improve and I have recently been feeling freer. For instance, I made the decision to only take three courses this semester instead of four, despite some of my family members trying to convince me to take four. I know my limits when it comes to the number of courses I can handle online and when I enrolled in my courses, I felt a sense of freedom as I stood my ground, not changing my mind solely because other people wanted me to follow a different path.

I am continuing to practice and improve my skills in expressing myself and trusting my decisions. To help me, I frequently record my thoughts and feelings in a journal to keep track of my thoughts as well as practice explaining how I feel and expressing my concerns before I actually discuss them with other people. I have also begun expressing my thoughts more openly with my best friend. Doing this not only allows me to have more open communication with her, but also allows me to practice my skills so that I can better express my opinions and decisions to my family members and not feel like I have to go along with what they want and not have an opinion of my own. Feeling free in the ways mentioned above also allows me to feel pleasure.

For me, pleasure also comes when I accomplish my goals. As I mentioned, I very easily get overwhelmed with schoolwork, especially when I don't create detailed to-do lists and schedules. I find it quite daunting to start on a task when I write something on my to-do list such as "start working on education assignment" because it is such a broad goal and I will often end up procrastinating. Instead of writing broad goals as I used to, I have recently started breaking my overall goals into smaller steps. For example, I will break the goal of "start working on education assignment" into simpler, easier to follow steps such as read the assignment instructions, download lecture slides, review lecture slides, etc. I have found that this not only helps me feel less overwhelmed, but also contributes to my sense of pleasure as I feel good when I complete a small task and cross it off on my to-do list, and I feel that I have accomplished a lot when I see that the smaller tasks completed in one day add up to a lot of progress overall.

Being an introvert, I also find a lot of pleasure in spending time by myself. I find it difficult to create a balance between schoolwork and other aspects of my life, such as engaging in my hobbies, but with my recent transition to creating more detailed schedules, my balance has gotten much better. Now, I always ensure to schedule at least one hour each day to spend by myself doing a pleasurable activity, whether it be drawing, watching a TV show, or playing guitar. Having this time each day to relax and enjoy time alone provides me with a lot of peace and comfort.

Completing this activity provided me with the opportunity to reflect and gain insight into the interconnectedness between my needs, motivations, and actions. While doing this reflection, I noticed that planning and scheduling are central actions that I take to fulfill the needs to feel safe, loved, powerful, free, and pleasured. Before doing this activity, I knew that organizing my thoughts and scheduling was important in helping me stay on track and more productive. However, I was not aware of just how many of my core motivations and needs are fulfilled by the actions of scheduling – this is something that I found this quite surprising while I was engaging in this activity. Overall, I discovered that actions involving scheduling, such as creating to-do lists, planning for future possibilities, and scheduling time to spend alone and with others, contribute very heavily to fulfilling my core needs. Engaging in this activity has helped me reflect and think more critically about my actions, needs, and motivations, and I think that I will definitely be able to reflect more deeply on these things as I move forward.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

This assignment was a great learning experience as it allowed me to reflect on my life – my actions, my motivations, my experiences. This assignment encouraged me to reflect on when I feel truly safe, loved, powerful, free, and pleasured as well as what actions I take in order to ensure that I feel these things. When I first read over the assignment, some of my initial reflections were very surface level. For instance, I thought about feeling free when I do not have any schoolwork to complete or feeling pleasured when I can relax and watch television. While these are most certainly things that contribute to my feelings of freeness and pleasure at times, after taking some time to engage in some self-reflection alone in my room, I was able to more deeply reflect on the questions posed. For example, in addition to pleasure coming from spending time by myself to engage in my hobbies, I realized that an important source of my pleasure comes from the accomplishment of the goals that I set for myself. I was also able to learn more about myself as I found important connections and patterns in my behavior relating to feeling safe, loved, powerful, free, and pleasured – the main connection that I made was that planning and scheduling are central actions that I take to fulfill these needs. As I mentioned in my assignment response, I had known before engaging in this activity that organizing my thoughts and scheduling were important in helping me stay on track and more productive, but this assignment gave me the opportunity to see beyond that and really realize just how important it is when it comes to fulfilling my needs to feel safe, loved, powerful, free, and pleasured. Throughout engaging in this assignment and reflection, I realized how important self-reflection is as it is always good to learn more about ourselves and become consciously aware of our motivations and how we achieve those. While I had previously briefly learned about Glasser’s Control Theory which suggests that we behave in ways that meet essential needs – security, acceptance, power, pleasure, and freedom (Mamchur, Module 1: Choice Theory) –, I had never reflected on this in connection to my personal life, so this assignment was very interesting and educational for me.

This assignment was also a great learning experience for me as I gained a better understanding of how important it is for educators to be aware of students’ needs and do all that they can to meet them in healthy ways. Each individual may have the same core needs, however, the ways in which we try to meet those needs will vary from one person to the next. Thus, it is crucial that educators pay attention to this so that they can better support students. After reflecting on this assignment, I think that as an educator in the future, I would have my students do an activity similar to this one near the beginning of the school year so that I could get to know my students better and understand their interests and motivations in order to better support them. This would also show students that I care about their needs and am willing to learn about them and do my best to create an environment and community in which their needs can be met.

Citation: Mamchur, C. M. “Module 1: Choice Theory.” Simon Fraser University.

0 notes