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tamberlanecomic · 2 years ago

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July Newsletter

Hey everyone! Here are some general updates for everything that’s been going on and what you can expect for this month and throughout the summer.

Health Update

As some of you may remember, right after the Kickstarter closed I was knocked out by a one-two punch of a fibro flare and Covid. While I’ve been put through the wringer, I’m FINALLY feeling like I’m crawling back out from under this extended period of sickness.

I’m still dealing with some pain and fatigue due to my fibro flare-up, but it’s more or less back to the “normal” levels of what I’m used to, so overall I’m doing pretty good. I took some extra time to recuperate from Covid in the hopes of avoiding any long Covid effects, and while I am still taking it easy, I take a lot of joy in drawing and being forced to not indulge in any of my creative pursuits have made me all the more eager to get back into the swing of things. So, I’m still being careful, but I’m also easing back into work.

I got so many amazing comments from patrons, readers, and Kickstarter backers all encouraging me to take as long as I needed to get better, and I can’t thank you enough for the kind words and well wishes! It was measurably easier to take some time off to rest knowing I had so many people cheering me on and encouraging me to do so, so thank you so much for taking the time to say something and for sending me words of support. <3 You da best!

Comic Updates

We’re moving right along, with 12 pages currently in the pipeline at various production stages. In fact, I’ve just put three new finished pages into the buffer for $10+ patrons today! Our priority right now is to get a healthy buffer so that I can have ample time and space to catch up on other work without impending deadline pressures.

Patreon Rewards

Next, I plan to knock out a good chunk of Patreon commissions for my $50+ folks. I’ve already been doing that here and there, but I want to make sure that the oldest ones are finished first.

Likewise, due to the chaos of a sudden move and a lot of life changes, Ari didn’t send the May postcards out until today, so I apologize for the delays there – we’re getting back on track! June’s postcards have already been sent.

Speaking of, I’ve included some of the patron reward art I just finished last week!

Kickstarter News

We still need to finish the internal book edits, draw up the Q&As, format the information in the book, and finish formatting annotations. These are all things I had intended to get done both during and after the campaign but I was simply unable to keep up with it due to health reasons. Curse you, chronic illness!

I am also going to explore another option for getting the softcovers printed locally, which is something I will only go with if the quality is up to my standards. But we're less than $5k away from being able to reprint Chapters 1-3 so if we're able to get a cheaper local deal with a good printer, I'm willing to explore the option!

By the way, we are now officially sold out of Chapters 1 and 2 books, but you can help us reprint them by preordering them and other stuff through our Backerkit shop!

Preorder Here

We’ll be streaming edits in the Foxglove discord server, so be sure to keep an eye out on there!

New Pride Merch

For Pride month I launched two new apparel designs as part of our Pride collection! Choose from Agender or Non-Binary Ainsley or Biromantic or Transgender Marie on comfy shirts available in a wide range of colors and sizes.

This collection also features downloadable Tales from Treehollow comics dealing with LGBTQIA+ themes. Come check it out!

Shop Now

Artfight

I’ve never done Artfight before, but I’m gonna try this year! It’ll be fun to have little warmup drawings I can squeeze in here and there between larger projects.

If you’ve never heard of Artfight, it’s an annual art trading game where you “attack” by drawing other people’s characters. It seems really fun! If you’re participating and want to add me, here’s my profile:

https://artfight.net/~Cvilbrandt

Thanks all for reading! May this month be ever better!

#newsletter #art #comics #webcomic #cute #animals #adorable #furry art #furry community #digital art #indie comic #TamberlaneComic

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dandelion-wings · 2 years ago

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In the category of "writing warmups that ate my entire afternoon," I re-read my Sekirei fusion AU the other day (and rather liked it, for all that it may be cringe; I'm contemplating editing it to put on AO3, because the kissing is the important part and that's very good). And then I decided that I would warm up today by writing a bit of the whole affair with Eroch that I knew all along was how it went down, but didn't include in that bit because it didn't fit the tone. And then I started working out how it would work differently than I'd originally envisioned in the context of the Hidden Strife info, and next thing I knew it was way longer and had taken way more time than I intended. Whoops. XD;;

Anyway, warnings on this one for what is essentially sexual assault/mind control (they come together in this premise) and suicidal ideation on the part of a non-POV character.

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ETA: now archived on AO3!

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Kaeya is the faster runner. He always has been. So when he spots the back door still swinging when they storm into the cabin and find it empty--find that Eroch had known they were coming somehow, even though Jean's forces were hand-picked and Kaeya himself had been certain of every one of them--he shouts to Jean and then plunges through it without waiting for her command.

She shouts after him, but it's not to call him back, only to command, "Be careful!", as if Kaeya isn't more than willing to take a risk to net the former Inspector at last. The Grand Master had given Eroch the chance to leave quietly when Jean had first uncovered his misdeeds, and Kaeya had hated it then. When Eroch hadn't been satisfied with that, when they'd found positive proof that he was still coordinating the internal sabotage of his fellow traitors, he'd leapt at the chance to help Jean track the man down and take him down for good. The number of times he's slipped their noose has been infuriating.

As he follows the hidden trail through the rubble of Old Monstadt, another knight leaps down from a higher perch to sprint along beside him. Kaeya glances sideways long enough to give Sir Danila a nod. She's the only other knight on Jean's team who can keep up with him, nearly as tall and almost all legs, and with a Hydro Vision to give her the same extra stamina that Kaeya's gives him. She doesn't bother to ask where he's going as she follows along. They all knew that this mission might turn into a chase.

Watching the ground ahead of him carefully, Kaeya sees the bootmark on the stone where the path splits, a fresh bit of scuffed dirt on half-broken ancient stairs. He telegraphs his movement to Sir Danila as he turns. She's right on his heels as they go up the stairs, and there's no door to swing on the ruined building ahead, but Kaeya can see a flash of movement within.

"We'll freeze him," he tells Sir Danilia without looking back, and draws his blade, ice crackling around its length, as he dives through. The burst of Cryo hits the Inspector as he turns, frost wreathing the air around him and clinging to his clothes. Kaeya steps sideways to make room for Sir Danila's Hydro.

"Pin him down," Eroch says, looking past Kaeya.

He turns too late; the blade of water knocks his blade from his hand. Then Sir Danila is on top of him, wrestling for his Vision. Reaching for it as no one ever should, even another Sekirei, a taboo that Kaeya hadn't realized he'd absorbed so deeply under his own skin until the shock of it makes him falter now. She wrenches it from his belt, chanting the norito she shouldn't have, unwinged as she is--as she isn't. Kaeya hisses out an imprecation as he realizes, at last, why Eroch had kept escaping their noose. She's Jean's lieutenant, ever-reliable, loyal and trusted, always included in all of their plans. And it turns out she's in Eroch's pay.

As she finishes her norito, Kaeya can feel the strength running out of him. He lies gasping, struggling even for breath. His Vision is dim in her hand. She looks down at him with a look of anguish on her face that he doesn't understand--or maybe understands too well. What led her to this particular treason?

Then Eroch kneels beside Kaeya, sinking fingers in his hair to keep his head steady, and Kaeya feels a wash of cold through him as he leans down as if for a kiss. Not as if. He can feel now what he'd never picked up on before, because Eroch has never before touched him. Has taken delicate care never to touch anyone, and Kaeya is furious at himself for missing that datapoint, even though Master Fredrica holds herself at an equally impersonal distance and he knows that she's no Ashikabi. It had seemed so much a part of the Inspector's fastidiousness that he'd never questioned why.

Sir Danila isn't in his pay, she's under his thrall. An Ashikabi doesn't need to offer their Sekirei any incentive to force them into action.

Kaeya's 'destined Ashikabi,' whoever they are, has always been a mystery. The pulling in his chest changes direction sometimes from hour to hour, never mind day to day. He's always imagined them, the person the stars say will bring him under their command, as some roaming Khaenri'ahan noble traversing the Abyss from place to place as they wait for the right moment to call a disobedient tool back to heel. It's not a nice thought, but it seems far more likely a fate for him then the perfectly-fitted love that the surface world's fairytales promise.

Right this moment, though, the pull is coming from far too close, above and to his side, where Eroch kneels. He feels sick. It should be impossible, but if it's true--that's even worse than his usual nightmare.

And then Jean comes through the doorway behind Eroch, wind whipping around her, and knocks Eroch to the ground with her blade piercing straight through his side. The rest of the team piles after her. Sir Eula wrenches Sir Danila away from Kaeya, then twists her wrist until Kaeya hears a snap. Sir Danila cries out in pain as his Vision clatters to the ground at his side.

He snatches it and scrambles to his feet, finally catching his breath again. Jean is shifting to draw her sword back out of Eroch. It's a deep wound, through and through, probably into the liver. He could very well bleed out in a moment. Her face is hard, furious, and Kaeya realizes that she's willing to do it. That in this moment of emotion she might.

"Jean, no, he's an Ashikabi," he tells her.

"I know," Jean says, all bright-eyed, righteous fury. "And one who would wing a Sekirei against his will deserves-"

"He's already done it!"

Jean freezes, all the color draining from her face, fingers tight around the hilt of her blade. There's blood spreading on the floor beneath Eroch already, and she hasn't even pulled the blade out yet. He's moaning softly, hand wrapped around the blade of the sword where it emerges from between his ribs, moaning softly.

"Let him die," Sir Danila says, her voice thick.

Kaeya ducks down for his sword and then takes a step back towards her and Eula, who is still holding her pinned. "Are you the only one?"

Her face twists, but she says, low and defeated, "No."

Jean takes a deep breath, then puts a hand to her own Vision and mouths her norito.

The scent of dandelions swirls through the ruined room, carried on a whirling breeze. Kaeya can feel the bruises from the struggle fading; Eula hurriedly yanks Sir Danila's wrist straight, elicting another yelp. Jean draws the blade from between Eroch's ribs slowly, inch by inch, her face screwed up in concentration as she focuses her healing on the torn flesh left behind. She pulls it free at last with a gasp. The whirling breeze dies.

Kaeya starts to step forward, his sword out, but Jean holds a hand out to stop him and calls out for other knights before Eroch can make it to his feet. None of those she names are Sekirei. As much as Kaeya wants to slam the man back into the floor himself, he can see the reason in it. Those she calls rush forward to grab and bind him, including a strip of cloth against his mouth to keep him calling out to Sir Danila again. Eula still holds her tight until he's been hustled all the way outside.

"I'll make sure he makes it all the way back to the Ordo," Jean says, not quite meeting their eyes. There's still a trace of horror on her face. "Eula, Kaeya, can you escort Sir Danila back?"

"We can do that."

"Thank you." Jean starts to turn.

"Wait." Kaeya can feel the pulling in his chest shifting as Eroch is swept away. It's not directed towards him, out past the door; the source is right in front of him. He stares at Jean, and this time, she does look up to meet his gaze directly. It feels like a blow. "Jean-"

"I didn't know where you'd gone," Jean says, very soft. "I was praying to Barbatos for a sign. And then I knew exactly where you are."

"I…." Kaeya swallows and shakes his head. "I'll catch up with you later."

Eula shifts her grip on Sir Danila to one less punishing, though she doesn't let go. Kaeya falls in on her other side to help usher her out. Without Eroch right here, she should be better able to resist any orders he's given her. Though she'll still be a danger until he's well away from her, a nation's width or more. A Sekirei naturally wants to please their Ashikabi, to want what they want, to bend to their will. And to ensure their safety. Sir Danila will want to rescue him as long as he wants to be rescued. Never mind what other orders he's given her that proximity will reinforce.

If Eroch had winged Kaeya, he would have wanted what he wanted, been at his disposal, would have turned, just as Sir Danila had, on Jean.

Sir Danila gives him a sideways glance. "Master Jean should have killed him," she says, fiercely.

She's shaking a little, Kaeya notes. So is he. Only Eula, with her firm arm around Sir Danila, is unwavering, and she's looking over Sir Danila at Kaeya as if she's wondering if he needs to be held steady too.

"And kill you and anyone else he's winged? You know she wouldn't do that." He side-eyes her back. "You know who the others are, don't you?"

"I do. I can't- can't tell you now. But get me far enough away from him, and I'll write you a list."

"Getting him far enough away from the whole Ordo would be better, so we can sort out the unwilling traitors from the corrupt without his interference. We have deals with Liyue and Fontaine for exactly this purpose."

Deals they've had to call upon twice since Kaeya started with the Knights, which should put the lie all on its own to those romantic ballads about destined bonds. He pushes the thought away. Better to focus on work. He starts peppering Sir Danila with questions, noting her hesitations and too-quick answers as well as the honest answers she seems to be able to give. What Eroch wants to hide is even more important than what he hasn't thought to.

There are more knights waiting at the Ordo, all Sekirei, all with known Ashikabi. They usher Sir Danila off to, essentially, house arrest, one of the unused officer apartments with a guard on the door. Eula demands to know where Jean is and is pointed down to the cells where she's still processing Eroch. When she starts that way, Kaeya starts after her on instinct, then stops himself.

"Tell Jean I'm taking off for the rest of the evening," he calls after Eula.

She looks back over her shoulder at him and frowns reprovingly, but nods. Kaeya makes his escape before she can say anything to go with the frown.

Most of a bottle of wine later, Kaeya wanders back out of the Cat's Tail wondering where Jean actually is. The pulling in his chest seems to be tugging the wrong direction. She has no business at the cathedral. But maybe she's taking a moment to pray, or to talk to Barbara, or….

Or she's still at the Ordo, and Kaeya's ever-wandering destiny has shifted again, because he fetches up at the foot of the statue in the cathedral plaza with no sign of Jean to be found. The pull is as strong as that moment in the ruin when she'd been right there with her sword run right through Eroch, willing to kill him to keep Kaeya free. But there's nothing here but solid stone and grass gone dry with the winter.

"She prayed to you, huh," Kaeya says to the stone, as if the statue can hear him.

Right now it seems perfectly reasonable to sit down at the statue's feet, in the shelter of the stone sweep of the cloak. Kaeya breaks a dry branch from the nearby bushes and starts to systemically break the leaves from the twigs, and then the twigs from the main branch. This drunk, he's not sure how he feels about anything. The wine lays a haze between him and the echoing abyss in his chest, the one into which he's always afraid to look. Every time he does it feels like another little piece of him crumbles off and tumbles into it.

The draw of his destiny Ashikabi wanders, sometimes from hour to hour, impossible differences. Is it… from person to person? He's never heard of such a thing, but then, there's nothing normal about him, a Khaenri'ahan sinner with a Vision at his waist. Or if it is one person, instead of stepping from place to place through the doors of the Abyss, maybe, just maybe, it's place to place on the wind-

It's a ridiculous thought. Kaeya puts his hand against the stone, feeling the pull resonate through him as if he's touching something familiar. A ridiculous thought, and one he should loathe. He's still a poison in the midst of Mondstadt, safely bottled, but always ready to spill over if the wrong force does someday bring him to bear. And he's still a child of Khaenri'ah, with every grudge his line bears against Barbatos and his City of Freedom.

But try as he has to remember that, Mondstadt's false promise of freedom--from his duty, from the weight of hatred, from all the pain he grew up with--has always tempted him. Finding himself a Sekirei, with its implicit bondage, had seemed a cruel taunt to remind him that he never could be truly free. In that moment in the ruin, though, when Jean had felt herself pulled to him and him to her, she'd sped to deliver that promise of freedom in person. If that's his destiny-

Kaeya can't entertain that fantasy any longer, drunk or not. Building it up in his head will only make it come crashing down harder once he's sober. But he can let his thoughts wander further while he still has the excuse of the wine. He leans back against Barbatos' cloak and lets himself picture Jean, breathless and angry and horrified, desperate to keep him safe. If he has to be bound to someone, someday, willing or not, he thinks Jean wouldn't bind him any more tightly than someone as untrustworthy as he is needs.

#working out 'who' kaeya's 'destined ashikabi' was occupied a lot more of my brain than necessary when i was initially writing the other bit #and i honestly don't know how well it actually works in this magic system even with the blendering job i did on it XD;; but i like it anywa #jean and kaeya run this city #sekirei impact #ascended fic

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shookethbrooketh · 6 years ago

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seven days

day five

summary: dan is stuck in the wrong timeline. one day, he kisses phil goodnight. the next morning, he’s completely alone. he doesn’t even recognize where he wakes up, and little details in the world around him have changed. he has no clue what’s happening or where to go next in an effort to fix it; all he knows is that he has to find phil.

genre: sci-fi, a lil bit of angst, happy ending

warnings: just some swearing!

fic word count: 13.6k chapter word count: 3.3k

written for the @phandomreversebang ! inspired by the awesome moodboard/edits by @maybeformepersonally ! beta’d (beginning to end) by @i-might-just-leave-soon !

dan clambered to his feet and made his way to the door. he walked slowly and emotionlessly back to the flower shop and into its adjacent flat, where he flopped back down onto the same couch he woke up on. he hadn’t even anything to process; he knew exactly what he had to do. he had to wait - for another day, for another trope, for another phil.

read it on ao3

Dan woke up in his bunk and attempted to stretch his arms, but, as usual, there was no space. Why did he and Phil choose to sleep in stupid, tiny bunks instead of the master bed?

The movement of the tour bus was soothing to Dan; he couldn’t quite remember what had happened, but he felt as if he’d had a long, terrible dream. He tore open the curtain to his bunk and carefully slid out so as to not hit his head, but as soon as his feet hit the floor he could tell he wasn’t in his tour bus at all.

Everything came flooding back to him; Interactive Introverts had ended nearly a year earlier, yet simultaneously it hadn’t happened at all, and in this universe it never would. Dan certainly was in a tour bus, but it wasn’t the II bus, and it certainly wasn’t 2018.

“Shit,” he heard from a bunk to the right of his. “I’ve really got to get used to that.” A body fell out of the bunk with absolutely no grace, and the man appearing before Dan barely managed to land feet first. He was rubbing the back of his blonde-haired head, and Dan could tell he was suffering a pain all too familiar: he’d hit his head on the bunk. “G’mornin’, Dan.”

Dan was taken aback for a moment by the fact that the man knew his name even though they’d never met, but within a few seconds he’d adjusted and shot back, “Morning.”

Dan sat down at the mini table in the bus’s “kitchen” and began mapping out his conversation. He’d learned to be quite careful conversing with people in odd timelines; if he arose too much suspicion, it could affect his ability to find Phil later in the day. He had to figure out what he needed to know to get by in this universe, and quick.

“So where are we going today again?” Dan asked nonchalantly. He was lucky in this particular timeline; he’d obviously had experience on tour, so he at least knew what that portion was like. He just needed the details.

“Detroit,” the man said, lighting a cigarette. Dan struggled not to cough. What kind of a tour bus was this? “Want one?” he asked, noticing Dan eyeing the stick of death.

“No thanks,” he answered, and the other man raised an eyebrow but let it go quickly.

“We’ll be rolling up in a few hours. You’re on opening act today,” he said, and Dan was immediately filled with fear and confusion.

“I’M opening?” Dan blurted out. He wasn’t a musician. Now that he thought about it, he didn’t even know that this was a musician’s tour. Who was he?

“I know it’s your first show on this rotation, but you’ll be fine. All you’ve gotta do is make sure the opening act gets in and set up alright. You’ll have help.” He paused to blow smoke directly in Dan’s face. “Roadie code.”

Dan wasn’t sure what ‘roadie code’ was, but all he could do in that moment was attempt to get out of the smoke cloud that was billowing in his direction. As soon as he could breathe, his focus turned quickly to trying to decipher what he was being told. He was a roadie, or at least that was what he had deduced. His duty for the day was to make sure everything ran smoothly for the opening act of this show, which worried him given that opening acts were about the only thing that he hadn’t experienced from his time on tour. However, he had other priorities.

“Who’s the opening act?” Dan asked.

“Some guy called Phil Lester. He’s another emo dude.”

Bingo.

Dan was completely mentally prepared when the bus arrived at the venue a few hours later. He’d been rehearsing in his head what he was going to say to Phil as much as he could from the moment he’d gotten there, and it was finally time to put it into action.

His head drifted off topic for a moment as he got off the bus and started unloading. He noticed that the venue was the same one he and Phil had been to when they went to Detroit for TATINOF, and he couldn’t help but take a moment to reminisce. Things had been so good then; their tour was beginning to look up from its original controversy, their relationship was as strong as ever, and, most importantly, they were together. The place held good memories for Dan, and he couldn’t help but hope it would hold good omens for him and the Phil of its universe.

“Here’s your crew,” the guy Dan had been talking to earlier said once they’d gotten inside. By then he’d learned that his name was Tommy, and he was the head roadie for the tour. Behind him were about five crew members from the venue. He recognized only one of them, which didn’t surprise him since it was ten years in the past, but it did remind him that he’d had an odd feeling of deja vu when he first saw her in 2016. Having his deja vu validated almost sent him into an existential crisis, but he repressed his thoughts; he had business to attend to.

“Awesome, thanks,” Dan finally replied. Tommy walked away and Dan turned to the crew. “Do you guys know where Phil is?”

“He’s in his dressing room. It’s down the hall, and it’s labeled ‘opener’,” responded someone with an emo haircut Dan had to remind himself was completely normal. He nodded, muttering something about setting up speakers as he disappeared in the direction the crew member was pointing.

His heart pounded as he came up to the door and knocked. Phil opened the door almost immediately, and Dan quickly discovered that Tommy was right about his emo act. He was dressed in almost complete black, and he seemed to have embraced his messy fringe to a point where Dan, with his 2019 brain, could barely handle looking at it.

“Are you the one in charge of getting me set up?” he asked immediately, radiating edgy, careless energy.

Dan was completely frozen out of shock; he’d had his plan all laid out, and Phil had immediately changed it. “Yeah, I-” he eventually stuttered out, but Phil cut him off before he could even begin to figure out what he was going to say next.

“Wonderful, let’s go.” Phil pushed right past him, and he was somehow rendered even more speechless than before. This Phil was not going to be easy to convince.

Dan followed as closely behind as he could, practically falling over himself as he trailed after Phil to the stage. The crew was already working efficiently to set everything up, and Phil stepped up to the microphone as if he owned the stage.

“We ready?” he asked, assuming a powerful stance; he truly practiced like he would perform.

Someone in a distant sound box gave him a thumbs up and started playing a track. “Where’s the backup?” he shouted.

From the gathering of the crew offstage, Dan heard a “they’ll be here a bit before the show!” Phil dramatically rolled his eyes and started singing to the recording. This clearly was a Phil completely unlike the one he knew.

The situation, however, was completely familiar to Dan. Having been on tour twice, he was more than used to a simple sound check. Phil seemed to prefer to jump straight into his songs while some of the crew was still setting up the main act’s equipment behind him, but Dan couldn’t help but appreciate the style just a bit. A quick rehearsal before a show was a refreshing, far from foreign concept in the foreign world he was living in.

After Phil had finished up, he took off back to his dressing room before Dan could even attempt to speak to him. He tried to prepare himself again before heading back down the hallway, but he was almost immediately interrupted. “Dan!”

He turned to see Tommy with the members of the band they’d been traveling with. Dan hadn’t heard of them, so he assumed it was a difference in the timelines, but they seemed to be a slightly different version of My Chemical Romance.

“Can you help me on security?”

“Security already?” asked, dumbfounded by the fact that warmups were just starting and they already needed security.

“A few fans are starting to get lined up; someone just needs to keep them in order. I’ll come get you off once we get through rehearsal, I promise. You’ll be back in time to cover opening rehearsal with the band.”

Dan sighed and responded, failing to hide his dejected tone. “Where do I need to go?”

By the time he’d been relieved from security duty, Dan had become completely aware of how much of a pain 2009 was. Despite his complete awareness that he was the exact same way, he couldn’t help but be dreadfully annoyed by the lines and lines of emo teenagers giving him flashbacks to times he didn’t particularly want to remember. Everything they said and did were completely reflective of what the culture used to be like, and it almost infuriated him to know that they had no idea how “cringe” they would consider their behavior to be in the future. That would be true of any point in a cultural timeline, but Dan could still barely handle living in the past with knowledge of the future.

Even worse, he had no way of telling time. Apparently a young roadie in 2009 didn’t carry a cell phone. Either that or Dan had left it on the bus. Regardless, he was driven nearly mad just by standing there waiting for someone to free him from this job and hoping and praying that he’d be able to talk to Phil before the show. If there was one thing Dan knew about performing, it was that once you perform, you leave. There was nothing better than a post-show tour bus sleep.

Finally, after what Dan could only assume by the movements of the sun was about an hour, Tommy came back with real venue security guards, and Dan was gone before they could even say a word. He had one thing on his mind, and that was getting to Phil’s dressing room.

This time, when he knocked on the door, Phil took slightly longer to answer. When he did open the door, he emerged with black eyeliner caked onto only one of his eyes. “You certainly seem to be interested in me this evening,” Phil said, continuing to apply eyeliner in front of him.

Dan had no idea what to say. All he could think was that he truly was in a fanfiction trope.

“I’m joking….obviously….” he trailed off, and Dan almost wanted to throw up in his mouth. Why did his journey through time have to be so cliche?

“Band’s here!” came a call from down the hall. Dan’s fists clenched up at his sides; he was quickly running out of time.

Dan walked awkwardly beside Phil to the stage, not daring to say anything at all after the ‘conversation’ they’d just had. It really wasn’t much of a conversation at all, but there wasn’t anything else he could call it.

Dan waited anxiously as the rehearsal went on, but he did enjoy watching; Phil seemed to be completely in his element performing with a band. Dan knew he had the whole science thing going, but he couldn’t help but hope this universe’s Phil would eventually make it big as a musician. In reality, his genre wouldn’t last long, but maybe he’d be like Brendon Urie and Fall Out Boy and evolve--or devolve, depending on the way you look at it.

Suddenly, rehearsal was over, and Dan didn’t even realize he’d drifted off into his own thoughts. It shocked him, given how focused he’d been earlier on his goal of trying to get information from Phil. Even he had become entranced by the appeal of the day’s trope. They do have a way of getting to you.

“Can I talk to you in your dressing room for a moment?” The words fell out of Dan’s mouth more than he spoke them. Nerves were beginning to creep back up; it was now or never.

“By all means,” Phil replied with a cool smirk. Dan couldn’t help but roll his eyes at himself for falling a bit for this Phil.

He followed Phil back to his dressing room like a terrified teenager who’d never kissed anyone before. When they reached the room, Phil held the door open for Dan, who went in and took a seat on the couch. The dressing room was nice, but it was nowhere near as nice as the one he and Phil had been in when they’d come to this venue. To be fair, seven years did tend to make a difference.

“So,” Phil said, running his hand through his hair and sitting down beside Dan, “what do you want to talk about?” He put a bit too much emphasis on the word talk for Dan’s taste.

Dan took a deep breath. Phil was sitting in such a manner that Dan knew he wanted to make out with him; Dan, however, had drastically different goals. Why was it that every time he needed information out of a Phil he had to ruin a perfectly good trope in doing it?

“I’m a time traveler.”

Phil took a moment to process this. Dan could recognize it as the same thoughts he went through when Phil first spoke to him; he’d had perfectly good plans in place, and what Dan said not only completely ruined them but probably also thoroughly confused him, at least at first.

“What year?”

“2019. I jumped around 2019 timelines for a few days and then got transported back to here. This is my second day in 2009.”

“Wow,” Phil said, clearly intrigued, “what’s it like?”

“It’s… good?” Dan said, a bit aggravated that they weren’t making better progress. “This entire thing goes out of style pretty soon, though,” he added, gesturing to Phil’s whole body. “But that doesn’t matter. You do this sort of science, don’t you? I know you’re nowhere near actual time travel, but you’re starting studies on the subject, are you not?”

Phil nodded. “You know about the Phils. You definitely are getting along well in your journey.” He stood up and walked over to a desk on the other side of the room and picked up a pad of paper and a pen; he seemed to have been drawing earlier. “What do you know?”

Dan’s entire story came spilling out almost uncontrollably. He truly hadn’t been able to vent to anyone the way he had to Phil, and it was just as relieving to him as it was helpful to Phil.

“That’s my story, I guess,” he ended, taking a deep breath and making eye contact with Phil, who had been taking some notes.

“I suppose it does make sense that this entire thing was a trope. That’s probably one of the simplest ways to explain how attracted I was to you having barely even spoken to you.” Dan wasn’t completely sure how to respond to that, so he just let Phil keep talking. “I have so many questions, mainly about the clear cultural differences that I can feel between us just from the way you spoke in your story and different things that you spoke of, but I doubt we have time to discuss anything like that. What matters is that we figure out how to get you home, back to your Phil.”

“As much as I’d love to explain fanfiction culture to you, I wholeheartedly agree.”

“Well, I can assume that your Phil is probably making efforts to look for you. He’s certainly realized something’s wrong with whatever Dan is in your universe right now.” Dan gulped; he hadn’t considered that there was another Dan currently with his Phil. It almost made him feel jealous. “The last Phil you met was right; there’s probably also another 2019 Phil in this universe somewhere. I’m not completely sure how you’d find him, but he’s probably the only one who knows enough to get you home.”

“But what do you know?” Dan asked, anxious to get to the point. Phil mentioning the lack of time for discussion suddenly made Dan quite aware that Phil had a show to open for any moment.

“Based off my research so far and what you’ve told me, I can make a couple calculations, but I definitely won’t be able to explain anything to you. I’ll just hand you a paper that you probably won’t be able to read, and you’ll have to show it to the next Phil. Keep it on you and hopefully it’ll come with you into the next timeline. I’ll work on all that after I perform--shit, the performance!”

Phil jumped up and ran to check a watch sitting on the desk. “I’m on in five!” he exclaimed, rushing for the door. “Let’s go!”

Dan and Phil rushed down the hall and backstage, where Phil got ready to go on. Dan tried to calm himself back into normal life, but it was difficult when normal life didn’t really seem to exist. All he could do for the time being was enjoy Phil’s music, and he was damned if he wasn’t going to enjoy Phil’s music.

He and Phil smiled at each other both as Phil went on and off the stage, and Phil disappeared quickly back into his dressing room to work on the calculations. Dan had nothing left to do but sit backstage and watch the rest of the concert.

When the band finally wrapped up, the entire crew immediately started moving, and Dan quickly joined in. “Dan, what are you doing?” he heard Tommy ask. “C’mon, you know we’re on band security getting out of here. Everyone else will get the stuff out just fine, even if we’re stuck here awhile. They’re slow, but they’re good.”

Dan bit his lip and walked out with Tommy and the band. He exhaled as he walked past Phil’s dressing room, trying to nonchalantly hit the door a bit in passing. He hoped Phil would notice; if he didn’t, Dan would be completely and utterly screwed.

They got out to the bus, and there was still no sign of Phil. The crew was beginning to get all the things outside and pack them underneath the bus; if Phil didn’t arrive soon, they’d have to leave without the paper.

“I’m going to go help them load,” Dan said, rushing off the bus before Tommy could comment on his obviously strange behavior. Dan quickly regretted his decision, as him helping sped up their process, and they were done loading within a few minutes.

“Let’s roll out,” someone said. The crew went back into the venue, and the rest of the roadies got on the bus. Dan furrowed his brow; he’d run out of time.

“Dan!” he heard, and his head turned faster than he could even register. A deep sigh of relief escaped his mouth as he saw Phil sprinting across the parking lot. Dan ran out to meet him, and when they finally met, Phil rested a hand on Dan’s shoulder to catch his breath.

He took Dan’s hand and placed the paper in it before taking a step back. “Good luck, Howell.”

#phan #phanfic #phanfiction #phic stuff #seven days #dong and ping

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mitchbeck · 6 years ago

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KEELEY: MARINERS EXTEND, PROMOTE RILEY ARMSTRONG

Armstrong earns a two-year extension, expanded role BY: Michael Keeley, Maine Mariners PORTLAND, ME – August 28, 2019 – Mariners Vice President of Operations Danny Briere announced today that Head Coach Riley Armstrong has received a two-year contract extension through the 2021-22 season and has also been promoted to the title of Head Coach/Assistant General Manager. Armstrong, in his first season as an ECHL head coach, led the Mariners to a 37-32-2-1 record in 2018-19. “We are excited to extend Riley for two more years as he’s shown a lot of promise leading an expansion team to within two points of a playoff spot last season,” said Briere. “He has also gone above and beyond his role as a head coach and we feel he has earned the title of Assistant General Manager for his work off the ice as well.” Armstrong, 34, was announced as the franchise’s first head coach in February of 2018, departing from the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers where he served as an assistant coach. He joined Wheeling in 2016, immediately following retirement from his playing career and spent almost two full seasons on the Nailers staff before accepting the head coaching job in Maine. His initial contract took him through the end of the 2019-20 season, and now he has welcomed stability for himself and his family. “As a player and then early on my coaching career, we had a couple of moves that we made as a family so now it kind of takes a load off the shoulders a little bit,” said Armstrong. “My kids don’t mind the moving part of what I do for a living, but at the same time for myself, it’s nice that they’re going to be in a school for a long period of time. And also just being in Portland, we’ve made some friends around town now, I feel really comfortable here.” A native of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Armstrong’s playing career spanned 12 seasons and took him all over the globe. He spent the majority of his career with the San Jose Sharks top affiliate – first in Cleveland, Ohio and then in Worcester, Massachusetts. In the 2008-09 season, Armstrong made his NHL debut with San Jose. He left the Sharks organization the following season, but stayed in the AHL, playing for the Abbotsford Heat and Grand Rapids Griffins. He then played overseas in Germany, Finland, Sweden, and Kazakhstan. Before his career was over, Armstrong had ECHL stints with the Utah Grizzlies, Elmira Jackals, and Reading Royals – the team with which he finished. Armstrong says the addition of Assistant General Manager to his title is a key step in a journey toward NHL coaching dreams. “It’s something that is good for my resume that I can add to it to keep climbing the ladder in this hockey world,” he said. “Everybody wants to move up to the American League and hopefully to the National League one day, and that’s the path I want to take too.” After a 0-3 start to their inaugural season, Armstrong’s Mariners went 16-7-0-1 through the months of November and December of 2018, putting them in a playoff position at the holiday break. Despite a downturn in January, they rebounded with a 14-9-2-0 mark through February and March. Only a poorly timed five-game losing streak in the season’s final weeks kept them from qualifying for the postseason, missing out by just two points. Armstrong’s Mariners were the only team in the ECHL in 2018-19 to miss the playoffs with an above .500 win percentage. Heading into season two, Armstrong’s outlook is optimistic. The current roster contains 16 names of players under contract, not including re-enforcements from the New York Rangers and Hartford Wolf Pack. “To build the team wasn’t the hardest part,” said Armstrong. “There were a lot of guys that wanted to come back, so for us, it was picking the guys that we wanted back. Hartford has helped out a ton, it’s been great building that relationship. I think we’re going to have a really strong team this year. I think we’re going to have chemistry right off the bat that we lacked last year off the start.” Armstrong and recently signed forward Ted Hart, of Cumberland, will appear on an off-season edition of the Mariners Coach’s Show next Thursday, September 5th from 6-7 PM. The show will broadcast live from Three Dollar Deweys (241 Commercial St. in Portland) and will stream on the Mariners Radio Network via Mixlr as well as Facebook Live. Fans who attend the show at Three Dollar Deweys and ask a question on air will be entered to win a “Benchwarmers” experience during a 2019-20 regular-season game – watching warmups from the player’s bench. The second season of Maine Mariners ECHL hockey kicks off October 11th at home when the Adirondack Thunder visit the Cross Insurance Arena for a 7:15 PM faceoff. Full and half-season plans along with 12-game mini-plans, flex packs, and group tickets are on sale now by calling 833-GO-MAINE or visiting the Mariners front office at 94 Free St. in Portland. Single-game tickets will go on sale September 16th, with a special “Opening Night Pack” available now through September 13th. More information is available at MarinersOfMaine.com. Read the full article

#AbbotsfordHeat #AdirondackThunder #CrossInsuranceArena #ElmiraJackals #GrandRapidsGriffins #HartfordWolfPack #MaineMariners #MichaelKeeley #NewYorkRangers #NHL #ReadingRoyals #RileyArmstrong #SanJoseSharks #UtahGrizzlies #WHA #WheelingNailers

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evnoweb · 6 years ago

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9 Good Collections of Videos for Education

When I started teaching, videos were a rarity. Common practice was to assign a chapter to read in a textbook and then a worksheet to assess student knowledge. This placed the responsibility for learning on the students, using teacher-prescribed methods, even though decades of research screamed that lots of kids perform better with images than pages filled with black-and-white text. But the excuse I used, as did most of my colleagues, was: It takes too much time to find the right videos to support so many different personal demands.

Back then, that was true. It’s not anymore.

Now there are dozens of online free educational videos that address most every academic topic imaginable. And they’re put out by recognized names in education — Khan Academy, BBC, Microsoft, Teacher Tube, as well as textbook providers like Origo. Here are ten of my favorite virtual places to find clear, effective educational videos that not only support teaching but can be used to enrich lessons for students who want more and/or backfill for those who might need a bit more help:

BBC Bitesize

Bitsize is the BBC’s collection of free short videos and lessons (they’re all bite-sized) on over fifty subjects taught in Primary or Secondary education. Topics include languages, music, technology, social studies, science, engineering, maths, journalism, and more. They are sortable by grade level and/or subject and can be adapted to four different UK languages. Most include class ideas for usage and an assessment to determine if students got what you put out there. No sign-in is required but registration allows you to collect a list of videos to watch in the future, track those already completed, and return to videos not quite finished.

These videos are well-suited to international learners but if you’re outside the British Isles, you will find videos listed as “not available in your location”.

Bright Science

Bright Science is a free YouTube channel of over 1300 study videos for high schoolers (or precocious middle schoolers). Most are about five minutes (some longer, some shorter) and cover topics like chemistry, physics, calculus, geometry, biology, Algebra, trigonometry, grammar, ACT prep, and SAT prep. They are professionally recorded and presented by expert teachers with a class screen or whiteboard. The presenters may talk fast — after all, they’re trying to get it within the tight timeframe — but all information is cogent and pithy.

There is a paid version that is ad-free and offers more than triple the number of available videos.

Check123

Check123 describes itself as a video encyclopedia filled with engaging, professionally-produced movies that run between one and three minutes. They are produced by expert educators in the fields including some prominent names like National Geographic. Topics include earth sciences, nature, science, technology, history, space, the human body, sports, politics, philosophy, and more. The delivery platform is YouTube making them available from desktops or mobile devices and embeddable into LMSs, websites, or anywhere that takes embeds.

Each video includes a rating by viewers to give an idea of how effective they are to those who watch them.

Critical Past

Critical Past is one of the largest collections in the world of royalty-free original videos (and stock photo images) on amazing events in world history from the mid-1800s through the 1990s. All are available for viewing and/or immediate download. Specialties include World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, The Cold War, political figures, industrialization, culture, Civil Rights, transportation, aviation, and space. The website also offers featured collections that focus on one topic such as the Cold War or the Great Depression.

Videos can be searched by topic or decade. Videos are free when low-resolution and are watermarked. A user who requires a professional quality without the watermark (such as journalists) will pay a fee.

C-Span video library

C-Span is one of the best-known apolitical purveyors of commercial-free political videos, podcasts, streaming content, and more. Their videos cover Congress in action, the Executive Branch, the Supreme Court, prominent speeches, Commission hearings, and a wide variety of other topics (not all in realtime) that address American politics. All are provided at no cost to viewers. What is exciting to teachers is what they call C-Span Classroom, where free video-based lesson plans and bell ringers are provided on topical and historical subjects such as AP US Government, civil rights, comparative government, financial literacy, environmental policy, federalism, foreign policy, and more. C-Span Classroom is free but requires registration to access materials.

Explore.org

Explore.org is the world’s leading philanthropic live nature cam network and documentary film channel. It is a massive collection of Live Cams, nature films, documentaries, more than 250 original films, and over 30,000 photographs from around the world. The website showcases work at film festivals and on over 100 public broadcast and cable channels. They also have a YouTube channel that provides videos that explore nature topics such as Africa, bears, dogs, and farm life.

Their mission is to “champion the selfless acts of others, create a portal into the soul of humanity and inspire lifelong learning.” Kudos to their ability to achieve that goal.

Futures Channel

The Futures Channel is a subscription service enabling teachers to access four-ten-minute videos on a wide variety of educational topics such as animals, earth science, the environment, space science, math topics, and more. It was founded in 1999 with the goal of using new media technologies to create a channel between the scientists, engineers, explorers, and visionaries shaping the future and today’s students who will one day succeed them. It has become the largest STEM video library of its kind.

History Channel

History Channel is one of the most popular and well-known providers of free (and in some cases fee) history videos for education. It includes not only original movies but TV series, military history, in-depth topical explorations, biographies, and the ever-popular “This Day in History”. It is in Spanish or English, and on desktop computers or mobile devices. History Education includes collections on historical topics, study guides, the Citizenship Quiz, and Take a Vet to School Day ideas.

Education.com Songs

Education.com offers a free collection of preschool-fifth grade educational materials — printable worksheets, online games, lesson plans, and more — but what caught my attention was the educational songs. Nothing sticks in your head like a singable times tables or vocabulary! For students who struggle with counting, vowels, ABCs, math, shapes, place value or another of the forty-five songs, this is a great website to visit.

Songs are sortable by subject or grade, rated by viewers, aligned with a wide variety of international standards (such as Common Core), include a guided lesson and in some cases related resources, and can be listened to on a desktop or mobile device. If teachers create an account (with Education.com), they can assign songs to students as homework, classwork, bell ringers, or warmups.

Here are ten more online video purveyors you will like:

King of Math

National Geographic Video

PBS Video

Reuters Video Index

School Tube

Teacher Tube

TED Talks

Untamed Science

USGS Multimedia Gallery

Wired Science

***

It’s impossible to keep up with available online video resources. What have I missed that you can’t do without?

— published first on TeachHUB

@check123com

@CriticalPast

@cspan

@exploreorg

@history

@education_com

More on videos in class

Benefits of Student Video Creation

Edit and Share Videos Like a Rock Star

Videos: Why, How, Options

9 Good Collections of Videos for Education published first on https://medium.com/@DLBusinessNow

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blakedehart · 8 years ago

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Re-evaluating My Goals For 2017

We’re more than halfway through 2017, so I thought it would the perfect time to share the re-evaluation of my goals for the year. At the start of the year, I assessed how I finished 2016 and where I wanted to go from there. I set my 2017 goals to work towards becoming a better storyteller, illustrator, and overall, better person.

Here is that list.

Focus on Finishing Personal Projects, Rather Than Getting Stuck in Perfection & Over Analyzing

Consistently Keep My Blog

Write Every Day

Share a blog post every Thursday

Create a Webcomic

Focus on finishing one page at a time

Finish One Page Per Month

Share progress updates on the blog

Draw Every Day

Draw 100 Cycles

Read at least One Factual/Historical Event Book Per Month

Stay Up-To-Date on World Events

Analysis of Original 2017 Goals

How well have I held up to those goals? I believe I started the year out strong, working on illustration projects, growing as an artist, and continuing my career as a graphic designer. Looking back thus far, I wish I would have included my design career and an illustration project that I’ve been working on. For example, I spent a lot of time illustrating my first children’s book this year.

Illustrating a Children’s Book

I partnered with a coworker/friend from my previous full-time job to illustrate a story she wrote called Maggie’s New Home. It’s a sweet story about a dog moving to a new place, meeting new friends, and learning to feel at home in her new environment. As an illustrator, it challenged me greatly. We both had a rough vision of how the book might look. Internally, I didn’t feel I had enough mileage to complete the task but I remember someone once said, “Don’t Wait Until You’re Ready”. So I decided to take on the project. It ended up being an amazing learning experience of what it takes to be a professional illustrator and showed me areas where I need to improve to become the best visual storyteller. If you’re interested in buying a copy of my first published work, it’s available on Amazon for 10.99. If you decided to get the book and enjoy it, please leave a review.

When it comes to personal projects, I’ve held up well too. I completed a smaller project and kept my daily tasks. However, I had to break my commitment to a larger comic project that was going to take most of the year to finish. I broke the commitment, not because of how long it was going to take, but because I didn’t feel the story aligned with my vision as a storyteller. As the story lost its purpose, my interest and joy for it began to wane. How can I expect someone else to enjoy my work if I don’t enjoy it? The act of working on it is a different story. There will always come a time when your project gets difficult and that’s when you’ll find yourself growing the most.

Blogging.

I started off the year okay. I had several blog posts written and shared them somewhat consistently for two months until my schedule flew out of order after pulling an all-nighter on a project for the first time in years. I was trying to rebalance my schedule for most of May. In June I had a better handle on my schedule again. However, I was focusing on my comic, personal writing, and considering vlogging the process of creating my comic. I still wasn’t satisfied with the way things were going so I took the Seanwes course 30-Days to Better Writing to get me back on track. I finished July with a clearer vision of the direction I wanted to go as a designer, illustrator, and storyteller. As for my blog, I was planning to get back into doing it on a consistent schedule similar to what I did early on. I felt like that was too formulaic and not how I wanted to share my work-in-progress. I will elaborate on it more soon.

Create a Webcomic.

I had been working on the script and started thumbnailing a comic I titled Aster since May 2016. The story got much better than where it started and I was looking forward to having it see the light of day until I got this feeling that it wasn’t a story I wanted to tell. Maybe someday I will want to tell it. That being said, from January 2017 to July 2017 I was consistently working on either the script, character design, or thumbnails for this, with the exception of May. I planned to have a few pages done by the end of August to start sharing it online. I was considering sharing it on Webtoons or Tumblr, in addition to my website.

I also planned to share the progress on my blog until I started sharing time-lapse videos of my warmups and smaller illustration projects. That’s when I thought, wouldn’t it be better to vlog the progress of making my comic by taking on the 100 Days of Making Comics Challenge? That turned out to be a whole other animal. I thought I needed to have my YouTube Channel consistently branded from the channel page to my video intro and outro, and video featured images. That was easy enough, but recording and editing the videos was where I got tripped up. Recording and editing other people came much more naturally to me than looking at myself, hearing my own voice, or keeping the videos concise and engaging. When I couldn’t do that I decided to focus on what I could do which was making the comic. One day I’ll be up for the challenge again, but for now, I'm going to blog my progress and work on the comic.

After reevaluating my goals as a storyteller I found my goals aligning with another story that I had been thinking about and researching for since February. Since then I’ve written a twelve-page script. I’m nearly done thumbnailing it and working on character designs. By the time you’re reading this I should be done with all of those and move onto tight pencils and inking. I also have notes for how I want the protagonist to grow and where I believe his story is going. I’m looking forward to sharing my concept art and work in progress when I’m closer to sharing the introduction to this story.

Draw Every Day.

When I was in the thick of it I attribute my drawing every day to having a warm-up session prior to working on any illustration projects for myself or clients. My most consistent warm-ups have been figure drawing, however, I like to practice shapes, lines, dimension, and perspective too. I would also record my warm-up sessions and sometimes the process of working on actual projects. That is something I plan to start doing again. Today I am still making an effort to draw every day despite not always achieving that goal. A few things I would attribute to helping me keep this goal is drawing in a sketchbook instead of always on my pen display. There’s something about touching a pencil to paper that can’t be replicated digitally. In addition to that, I would say taking an illustration course or doing master studies also challenges me to draw every day. Taking courses helps you get a new perspective on the way you approach your composition or characters. Master studies allows me to zero in on the nuances of the art I like and understand how I can incorporate some of those things into my own art. When it comes down to it, you have to do whatever it takes to get you drawing every day by using deliberate practices to grow as an artist, while having fun while doing it.

Read at least One Factual/Historical Event Book Per Month

I never got started with this. I set the goal but neglected to clearly define a plan of action. I didn’t outline a specific moment in history that I wanted to learn more about. Whenever I would go to the bookstore or look online, I would be paralyzed with indecision. Looking back on those times, I think using this goal as an opportunity to dig deeper into researching past events, people, and places similar to the stories I'm writing is be the best way to take action on this goal.

Stay Up-To-Date on World Events

This year I feel like I’ve watched the news more than ever. The political climate of the US and its international relations is in a place I didn’t imagine ever seeing. I believe everything will work out for the best with everyone taking a stand in the way they find most effective. Outside of the political chaos, there seems to be just as much on the ground locally. So much senseless crime. That being said, the news always makes sure to have a handful of sweet neighborhood features about good things going on, a ray of sunshine amongst dark clouds. It’s been refreshing to make more of an effort to watch the news, especially when it comes to social issues related to inequalities and seeing people come together in hope of making a change. I don’t know that I’m any more informed about world news by watching it on tv versus visiting the news station websites. Either way, its good to stay informed.

I started writing this blog post prior to Hurricane Harvey hitting. Instead of editing what I wrote above I decided to add onto it. The devastation of a catastrophe like a hurricane is unbelievable. It’s been amazing to see people coming together to selflessly help one another. The way people and news stations have been able to use today’s technology to aid in the search and rescue efforts is remarkable. Too often people use technology for mindless consumption, isolating themselves from real human interaction or to tear one another down. Thank God, that people are coming together in unity for the greater good.

My Current 2017 Goals

Make a Comic

Continue Blogging

Get a Full-Time Design Job

Continue Learning

Before writing this blog post I had been doing a lot of self-reflection during my morning writing on how to move forward with the goals above. During this re-evaluation, I based the evolution of my goals on where I want to be as a person, graphic designer, artist and a storyteller. I also wanted to simplify the list. That being said, just because something isn’t on my list doesn’t mean I won’t be doing it anymore unless I actually state that I won’t be doing it.

Goal No. 01: Make a Comic

I’m still making a comic, however, I have a solid idea of the stories I believe I need to tell at this point in my life. Before I was taking every idea I had that seemed like it would be interesting and somewhat meaningful. Whereas now, I want to focus more on capturing honesty through the growth and struggles of the protagonist's character and the world around them. I feel like I was trying to do this before but I was trying to force it and it came off as unrealistic. People would tell me the stories had heart, but something was missing. It was as if I was trying to tell someone else's story. In doing that, I made the story unrelatable even for myself. I had written a twenty-something page script for my comic, ASTER, but I didn’t know where to go from there. I had taken the character to a place I had never been. Sometimes I believe that is when I needed to do more research and ideation because I didn’t know my character Aster well enough to know what she would realistically do next. Since I’ve made the decision to work on TJÖRN I feel more in touch with the character and where he’s headed. It’s almost like I’m writing about myself, except there’s a science fiction element to it.

One of the things that helped me get to that place is thinking about the comics and cartoons that had an impact on me. My favorite cartoon of all-time is Nickelodeon’s Doug so I did some research on the show and its creator, Jim Jinkins. I discovered that Doug was based on Jinkin's experiences growing up. He also viewed it essential that each episode contains a moral. On top of that, he wasn’t just the story guy he was actually the illustrator behind the characters original designs and that the show was also inspired by Peanuts. I also felt a connection to Jinkin's theme for the series, “a world where everyone took honesty seriously."

Goal No. 02: Continue Blogging

I’m going to continue writing my blog, however, I want to rethink how I’m approaching it. I want to approach my blog as a journal and document what I’m learning through doing my projects, daily sketching, and my independent art studies. I’ve thought about this before, especially when I first saw the Gary Vee video, "Document, Don't Create", last year. As I was writing this post he released a follow-up video on how to start documenting. Both of the videos are below. (Forewarning, Gary Vee swears a lot.)

When I first considered blogging, everyone I was following recommended creating a catalog of blog posts before I got started. In theory that sounds great. It will help you save time and stay consistent, especially for a large company, but it seems a bit insincere and calculated for an individual. I believe I just need to schedule a short chunk of time, 10 to 20 minutes, to grab a few sketches or finished pieces from a project or course I’m taking and write a few paragraphs about what I learned in the process. Let me know if that sounds interesting to you?

Goal No. 03: Get a Full-Time Design Job

I wasn’t sure how to approach this one. I didn’t put it on my original goals list. It was just something I knew I needed to do. At the beginning of 2017, my wife and I left our full-time jobs in Northeast Ohio to move back to Southern California to be closer to our family here. We had been looking for jobs here for over a year and had some promising opportunities. However, it seemed like most companies and organizations wanted someone already here. I figure companies are thinking, why go through the process of tests and interviews with someone from out of state when there is an overabundance of experienced people right here? So we saved up enough money to be okay for a year while living with my in-laws and started looking for jobs when we got here. The experience has been mostly good so far and a great learning experience. The first few months we were riding the high of our new adventure and I have some client work as a self-employed designer. During the summer my wife was hired at an awesome place where she’s passionate about the work they’re doing, loves her co-workers and the work environment.

My search is still in progress. I’ve had some opportunities that seemed like a good fit but they didn’t work out. From the beginning of my search to now, I’ve relearned a few important lessons and learned some things I feel I should have known already.

Be Selective What I mean by this is to focus on places that seem like you would be a good fit. Even when I was applying to places that I wasn’t particularly interested or seemed like a good fit for me, I customized my resume and coverletter to the specific needs of the company and did my best to appear interested in the position. However, if my application ever got in front of a real person it probably didn’t take them long to see through it or my portfolio website to decide that my work and overall personality wasn’t a good fit for them.

Communicate When you find those places that you believe would be a good fit for you, the next step is to communicate with them outside of the job application form before applying. See if you have a mutual friend to someone in the company to connect you to HR or an Art Director. Let them know just how interested you are in the position, the company's mission, vision, and products or services. Almost like a prologue to your coverletter.

Simplify To be more specific, by simplifying, I mean putting less time and attention on side projects, passion projects, and courses that aren’t helping you get towards your goal of getting a job in the certain field or industry. It also depends on what your day looks like, are you working somewhere full-time already and have limited evening time or working part-time and have more time to spare? Either way, you need to consider the amount of time you’re putting into everything you’re doing.

Prior to my recent job hunting, I’ve heard and read advice similar on several blogs, podcasts, and YouTube videos. However, I took it with a grain of salt because it wasn't something I had to do in the past. I’ve been implementing some of these tactics during my 2017 job hunt but the results have been minimal so I’ve decided to lean into the advice even more than I have been. If anyone is interested in hearing how it goes, let me know and I’ll do a follow-up blog when I’m on the other side.

Goal No. 04: Continue Learning

In the design and illustration work that I’m doing, I’ll be growing and learning from experience. However, I also need to make sure that I incorporate time for deliberate practice and learning into my schedule. Sometimes that looks like doing master studies or drawing from life, while other times it will be taking a course or focusing on a single thing that I need to improve. After all, Bruce Lee said, “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times”.

I don’t think I’m leaving anything out and this is already a long post so I’m going to bring it to a close. This will be the last post written in a long-form style. It’s still going to take time to put things together. However, I’m looking forward to simply documenting what I’m making rather than focusing on creating content and writing something that has to be meaningful.

- Blake

#Reflection #Goals #Creativity #Learning #Growth #Progress #Measuring Progress #Improving

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eh1703 · 8 years ago

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Welcome to a wonderful new week of sketching again. Anna from the Blue Mountains branch reporting whilst Erin is in France, leading her joy filled Erin Hill Sketch Holidays.

First class of the week was in the crisp Blue mountains. Tuesday New Sketchers class.

This week was about seeing everyday objects with our new sketchers eyes.

We headed to The Hydro Majestic in Medlow Bath for spectacular views and a spacious cafe. There’s a rattan bike hanging on the wall, how can you sketch it? Next we headed to the sloping corridor. Cats alley. Incredible perspective issues here! And look at those scenes from the Windows! And that decor…. whoa! Thanks for having us Hydro Majestic. Always a delight.

Toni reports for the manly Tuesday general class that it was Blue sky and sun today, what a treat after so much rain. We started class by chatting about how to plan a sketch, selecting those aspects that please us and how we can ‘edit’ what we see and use a view or subject as inspiration, not just copy what’s in front of us. What freedom! Off we went to Sketch the gorgeous White House Flowers shop, with coffee and lunch at Sketch Cafe. Here below some wonderfully creative impressions. Well done!

Tuesday evening and Kathy says “Tonight we got bicycles ticked off then went happily ‘off piste’, as for various reasons only one intrepid sketcher made it to class. So we followed on from last week’s “People” and did facial features and proportions.” Gorgeous work!

Its Wednesday, my day in The Rocks teaching the General class. A visitor from The Blue Mountains Classes, and some sketching on the streets. The rain of course, meant we “had” to return to our favourite cafe for more coffee, lunch and sketching.

New Sketchers Manly on a Wednesday. Gaye reports….Warmup line drawing, studio fruit and veg, Manly vegetable market, Showbox cafe watercolour from fruit and veg market . We had a brush with fame Mike Witney was filming for Sydney weekender at our first choice of cafe .. chatted on the way past 🙂

Blue mountains general class on a Thursday. A lovely start at Big Beet Cafe where we experimented with water soluble inks, brush pens, and played around with aquarelles and looked at what we thought were Blue Mountains colours. Next we headed to the top of Katoomba street, sat at the taxi rank and sketched some of Katoomba’s wonderful facades. Then Lurline street to capture some of the old guesthouses. What fun, and a nice sunny day too!

Manly General Thursday class with Toni. Warm and sunny, perfect sketching weather for our Thursday group. We started with coffee and Mill & Co, (the old Foundry 53) and then headed down to White House Flowers. Everyone found a wide-angle view they liked and then crossed the road for a close-up sketch. The Sketch Cafe was our last port of call to finish off our sketches. A warm welcome back to Sooze who joined us for a drop-in class. You’re welcome anytime!

Manly Thursday evening general class where treated to a wonderful studio set up by Kathy.

The Rocks New Sketchers on a Friday. A wonderfully open adventurous and spontaneous class this term. As we headed to The Rocks market to sketch our bicycle we spotted a double back wheeled bike perfectly positioned opposite some seats, next to the musicians. Thats was us! And here are the sketches. What a lovely day.

Manly general class on a Friday. Cold and damp but the rain held off for our Whitehouse Florist sketch. Our stylish couple Dave and Zorana arrived on two wheels looking very glamorous. Everyone managed great character filled sketches, inspired I think, from the heady scents flowing past our noses as each amazing bouquet was carried past us.

Manly new Sketchers with Toni…Today it was bicycles. As one of our sketchers said, Manly is the Amsterdam of Sydney, bikes everywhere! We had prepared some aquarelle and watercolour pages in the studio before we headed down to Manly Wharf to find some bikes that appealed to us. Fabulous negative shapes to look for. So much confidence in your sketches…Coffee and brownies at BareFoot Traders and fast people sketching. Great fun. Can’t wait for next week!

Its Saturday and the General class with Kathy was great! Chilly morning but rain happily held off . Mill and Co were very happy for us to spread ourselves out and sketch indoors and Whitehouse Flowers ordering coffees and meals as we liked. So many fab sketches. See for yourselves. Kudos to Anne for her remote sketch class too.

The new sketchers class Manly.

Happy Sketching, and don’t forget your homework! Most importantly, enjoy. Stay warm, Anna.

Term 2. Week 8. Flowers and Bicycles and all things nice. Welcome to a wonderful new week of sketching again. Anna from the Blue Mountains branch reporting whilst Erin is in France, leading her joy filled Erin Hill Sketch Holidays.

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