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ellesliterarycorner · 2 years ago

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Writing Morally Grey Characters

Spoiler Alert for ASOIAF, Six of Crows, and A Court of Thorns and Roses:

Well written morally grey characters are some of my favorite characters to read and write. Seeing them walk that fine line between good and evil, the smallest hint of a tragic backstory, and seeing the loyal friends and lovers who keep them from going full blown dark side. They’re also some of the hardest characters to write because of that fine line. Too far to the good side and they aren’t actually a morally grey character. Too far to the evil side and you get a problematic character dressed up as the hero *cough* Rhysand *cough*. But, today we are making sure that we don’t do that, so here are some tips that I like to keep in mind when I write morally grey characters.

One Bad Thing = Three Good Things

This is one rule of thumb that I like to keep in mind. You don’t actually have to make them do three good things for one bad thing, but generally for every bad thing your character does, they need to do a better thing. Here comes the spoiler for A Song of Ice and Fire: in A Game of Thrones, Jaime Lannister throws a kid out of a window. Now, we all know that that is a very bad thing, but pretty much for the rest of the books in the series, we slowly start to understand Jaime, and he does good, admirable things to make up for all of the bad that he’s committed. We obviously don’t forgive him for yeeting a child out of a window, we slowly start to like him and understand a little of what brought him to that point. Thuy, moving him from terrible bad guy to a morally grey character we can root for. It’s almost like the character needs to balance out their karma, but karma is the reader’s opinion of them.

Are You Actually Morally Grey or Just a Shady Person?

There is a big big difference between a character who is actually morally grey and a character who the author says is morally grey. People may think it’s not a big difference, but imho, it is. My favorite examples are the differences between Kaz Brekker and Rhysand. Some people think these two are comparable, but they just aren’t. Kaz is actually morally grey. He has his little murderous tendencies and occasionally says or does things that might make him unlikeable, but then we see him rescue Inej without any real payoff or really any scene the two of them share, and we see the good inside him. People love Kaz because even though he can be ruthless, he never goes too far, and we constantly see the soft, likable side of them. Then we come to Rhysand... Before SJM pulled a 180-switcheroo on Rhysand, for most of the first ACOTAR book, he was a pretty good morally grey character. I couldn’t tell where his head was at, he was scary, and while everyone else was playing checkers, Rhysand was most certainly playing chess. Then, we come to the faerie wine roofieing scene where Rhysand commits an unforgivable, s*xual assault. All of that goes right out the window. Rhysand says he did all of that to protect Feyre, but common sense tells us that is not the case. The author tells us Rhysand is morally grey, but his actions and the textual evidence in the book do nothing to support that fact. Which is why Kaz is actually morally grey, and Rhysand is just a shady person.

Peel the Onion

Think of your morally grey character as a little onion. When you cook an onion, you need to peel it back and reveal all of the layers underneath. The character development for morally grey characters (and all characters really) is the same. Characters bend when you put them under pressure and show a side that people don’t normally see. Show your reader what happens to your character when they are:

Angry

Vulnerable

Forced to make a hard decision

Forced to partner with the bad guys

Protecting someone they love

Proven wrong about something

Fail at a task or lose a battle/competition/etc.

In which of these situations does your character’s morally grey side take over their actions, and in which do they reveal their softer side?

They Need a Friend

Or a love interest, or a dog, or even a parent really, whatever floats your boat, the storyline, and the personality of the character. The point is all characters especially your morally grey characters need someone they trust and love. Like I said earlier, a huge part of Kaz’s story is him showing hsi softer side with Inej and becoming a better person due to his love of her. She brings out his softer side which helps make him a more likable character. This person could also be someone they meet for the first time and grow to trust or love over the course of the story. Your morally grey character should interact with this person in a different way then they do with the other characters in the story. They should be the first hint that the character can be redeemed and show the character acting in a way beyond their usual morally grey actions.

Looking in the Opposite Mirror

One of my most popular personal opinions is that all main characters need characters who have opposite trails from them. This isn’t a new idea, and these characters are called Foils. A lot of time they’re put in the story to show what the main character could have been given different circumstances or cast doubt on a character who believes they should be more. Especially for morally grey characters, it’s great to have a character who acts as a foil and contrasts specifically with a certain morally grey trait or aspect your character has. This foil can highlight the negative attributes of the morally grey’s characters particular trait or show the positive light that the morally grey character needs to work to. This Foil could be the villain of the story, but they don’t have to be because their presence in and of itself provides conflict for your character wether that be internal or external.

To Each Their Own

I mentioned this when I discussed problematic characters, but my main gripe with both problematic and morally grey characters (because no they are not always the same thing. see Kaz and Rhysand example) is that a lot of authors, especially in YA, don’t trust the reader to form their own opinion about the characters, so they feel the need to retcon or sugarcoat their actions. Not everyone will like your morally grey character, or any of your characters for that matter. The best part, imo, of morally grey characters is debating and discussing the nuances of their personalities and wether or not they really are morally grey. Don’t just tell your readers that a character is morally grey. Show them that character walking the line between good and evil, making the hard choices or even the wrong choices. Let the reader form their own opinion because if you do everything else right and make a complex and intriguing character, readers will be interested in them!

#writing #writers #writers on tumblr #writersofinstagram #writers of ig #writer #writing tip #writing tips #writing advice #morally grey characters #character development #writing reference #writing resource #writing resources

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gagmebucky · 5 years ago

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thank you to taylor @blessedbucky, mia @theamericanfalcon, liz @marvelous-mr-stark, raechel, shayla, lauren, courtney, em and tina for allowing me to write this content as well as my beta reader kat @angel-fire! love you all!

read the full synopsis and excerpt // read chapters snippets here.

o. in which you accidentally send your nudes to your brothers’ best friend. (includes reader’s pov, bucky’s pov, mentions of sexting.)

—

Initially, taking the photos—exposing yourself in such an intimate state to another—you were hesitant. It wasn’t the possible repercussions, i.e. revenge porn, that gave you pause but more-so an insecurity in your own body. Having never done something like this before, you briefly dithered between whether you should or not.

Ultimately, however, you do. The guy had spent money on you, went through the trouble of finding something you’d like and shipped it discreetly. And when you slip the racy number on, your insecurities wash away and leave excitement in its wake. Everything about it you love, and it has you preening in a solo photo shoot you’re eager to show off.

After a good time of selfie shutters bulking your phone’s storage—positions of you scantily-clad standing, sitting, a cross of both—you finally relent. There’s too many pictures to pick from, but you do. Three poses that optimize the best aspects of the outfit and that you think he’ll like the best have you buzzing in anticipation of his reaction.

Giddy, you tap them directly on the album app and click the share button; you input the letter B in the ‘To:’ slot. Since there’s only two contact names under that letter, his name shows up immediately, the first with the nickname Bucky beneath it. You gloss over that and in quick succession, you quickly hit the contact and press send.

For a split second, you’re proud: you’ve taken this e-relationship to the next level like he wanted, and he’ll be happy with you. Then it hits you like a brick through glass. A replay of your actions travel to your brain, and you belatedly realize what your eyes saw—your thumb smearing too low on the screen, so instead of Brock as the recipient, it’s Bucky.

“No, no, no!” you whisper as your heart hurtles like a jackhammer stuck in your rib cage.

A part of you insists it’s your paranoia playing tricks on you, and that’s a valid rationale because this whole thing does worry you about getting caught. Except, upon checking its legitimacy, you confirm what you accidentally did. There’s no mistaking it, now, because with your brightness turned up full, your partially nude figure stares you in the face underneath of a thread between you and your brothers’ best friend.

James Bucky Barnes—the man who’s nicknamed you bambi because the numerous times he’s seen you face-plant over your own footing, the twenty-four year old who still ruffles your hair when he greets you, the soon-to-be business owner who dates certified models—has a trio of your attempts to be seductive; bottom lined with text you hope comes off likewise seductive.

Mortification swallows you. Your skin burns hotter and hotter by the second. Sure, you’ve embarrassed yourself before: you fall a lot, and you’re awkward conversationalist. But never something of this magnitude, not something that makes you seem so desperate and pathetic.

You can imagine him opening the messages. He’d immediately assume, understandably, it’s a come-on; a girl trying to be a woman’s failed goal to enthrall a man like him, his best friend’s kid sister’s pitiful effort to be anything other than just that. As if you could ever measure up to the types of women he dates.

And, yes, there’s been a time where you had a crush on him. But it’s not your fault when he looks like how he does, a rugged example of masculine sex appeal, and treating you the way he does, teasing but with a twist of kindness, and the fact that he’s the only non-blood related man allowed near you.

But that time has passed. Even then, you knew the one-sided attraction was delusional to have. You were—still are—so sure about it that you never even dared to fantasize about him and the rumors that used to trek behind him about his sexual escapades. There’s no hidden desire to be with him, and that worsens it because it’s not like you’d feel any relief in knowing his reaction. You don’t care about his reaction in the first place!

Now, no matter how much you will insist it’s an accident, there will always be a dubiousness about it. With how close your families are, things are going to be tense. Because there’s no forgetting he’s viewed you like that, and there’s photo evidence of it.

It hits you then. The extremity of your fuckup douses you in ice, and your muscles freeze because you register that since he knows about your family borderline patriarchal values concerning you, he has to tell them you’re taking nudes, and it will be over for you.

It has taken you twenty years of your life to finally venture outside what your family has allowed, to sate your curiosity of what exactly your fathers and older siblings have kept so strictly from you: sex and all the goodness it entails.

It has taken you an additional six months to explore in-depth and build the courage to start something tangible, to wander the depraved side of the internet where strangers did things to each other that made you want to do things with someone of your own: stirring foreign but oh-so amazing feelings in your nether regions.

For twenty-six weeks you carefully treaded across in order to ensure your family had no clue what you’re doing, clearing your web history and using incognito mode, all your accounts anonymous, keeping your notifications on silent in case anyone becomes suspicious of who’s continuously contacting you.

One hundred and eighty-two days later—in the middle of which you started your sex-based communication—of preparing to lose your virginity, your family will find out what you’ve been up to, and your life will be hell.

Everything has been going so perfectly. You found a guy enough distance away he isn't affected by your family’s influence, middle-aged so he’s experience and doesn’t mind handling a virgin, and is willing to drive an hour to meet you at a specified hotel when the time comes.

All that hard work down the drain.

You toss your phone and jump to your feet. Panicked, your bare feet pad back and forth on your rug-covered wood floors. Your teeth gnaw at your thumbnail as different scenarios of how everything will transpire flit through your head. Each one is more terrible than the last, and your anxiety heightens.

Somewhere in your disquietude, it occurs to you. Your brothers are downstairs and so is Bucky, but it’s ten o’clock at night, and that means they’re gaming. That particular activity coined a rule that all players have to stow their phones in the guest room. The specifics are blurry but it was something about Bucky interrupting the session due to excessive texts.

It’s an opportunity. A chance that you can creep downstairs, swipe his phone and delete your mistake—hell, you’ll break his phone if you need to—before he’s any the wiser.

“And—” Bucky Barnes drawls out the vowel as the rough-textured ball hurls through the air and swishes sharply into the hoop. “—nothin’ but net.” He relaxes from the perfected basketball follow-through stance, hands dropping to his sides, while he regards his old friend with a cocky smile. “Beat that, Rogers.”

Steve snorts and catches the ball when it bounces onto the concrete. Palming it in one hand, he dribbles it twice and trades positions so instead of being stationed next to the hoop, he’s descended to the driveway curb where the established three-pointer line is.

“You still got it, Barnes,” the blond admits, loosening his shoulders and spreading his footing to be a width apart. His right hand balances the ball from below, elbow tucked underneath, while the left splays against the side as his knees bend, and he springs up. With a practiced flick of his wrist, he releases the orange sphere at the top of his jump. It catapults in a flawless arc and drops through criss-crossed netting with a similar swish. His lips curve with satisfaction as he adds, “But, so do I.”

Bucky laughs and seizes the ball as it falls free. “Callum and Henry have no idea they’re going to get obliterated,” he says, coming to slap his palm in an affable embrace. “Fair warning, they’re still as sore losers as they were five years ago so be prepared for that.”

Steve Rogers chuckles. The former fourth to their high school cliquè, he’s aware of just how bad sports they are.

After graduation, he left out-of-state to pursue a degree in technological engineering, which he acquired last month in May, prompting his return back to New York. Between the four of them, Bucky and Steve are the level headed ones so he’s glad to have the support to handle the wild children his childhood best friends are.

“Speaking of,” Steve starts, dirty blond eyebrows knitting as he glances around the neighborhood’s cul-de-sac. “Where are they? I thought Henry was supposed to be waking up Callum? If we aren’t starting yet, then can I get my phone back?”

Bucky clicks his teeth. “Yeah. They’re probably stuffing their faces right now. Their sister went grocery shopping and got a cake so. . .” He waves his hand in gesture before continuing in vehement passion on the second point, “The whole phone thing is bullshit, though. I miss a few winning shots ‘cause I was busy with some pretty little thing texting me, and now there’s a ‘no technology rule’.” He scoffs and folds his arms.

Now that he thinks about it, he could totally have his phone right now. And he’s more interested in having it than usual. There’s this girl he’s been seeing frequently at local parties—six feet tall with gorgeous brown skin, always done up in intricate eye makeup, silver tongued (he’s very interested in her tongue) when she speaks—and he’s finally gotten her number. She could be texting him, and he doesn’t even know it!

“You know, yeah, we should get our phones back if those assholes want to take all day,” Bucky decides, agreeing with steps toward the closed storm door, but opened front door until he hears the inquiry:

“How is Y/N, anyway?” Steve’s voice is genuinely and harmlessly curious behind him, and he stops in his tracks because Bucky remembers the poorly hid crush he harbored for you. “I saw her instagram the other day, and she must be quite the heartbreaker.”

Spinning around to face him, Bucky lifts a brow. “Huh?” Then he processes the implication that you’re out dating and such. The mere prospect has him surprising laughter.

With their dad and his girlfriend on a tour of the world, the three of them are the only ones in the household. Given you’re the baby of your siblings, despite being an independent twenty-year-old, your older brothers have taken it upon themselves to ensure you focus solely on school work. Callum and Henry know exactly how to threaten their message across that you are not to be bothered, and anyone who tries will end up battered and bruised.

He shakes his head. “Nah. She’s not with anyone, hasn’t been ever,” he tells him. “If you thought Callum and Henry were overprotective back then, you should see them now.”

Gunmetal blue eyes blink surprised at him, and there’s a faint battle between delight and disappointment. “Really?” He shoves his hands in his sweats and falters somewhat. “It’s gotta be hard considering the way she has grown up,” he says but Bucky’s face scrunches in confusion. “You can’t tell me you don’t see how cute she is.” Before he can respond, Steve adds, “Obviously I wouldn’t ever see or be with her in that way—I wouldn’t betray Callum or Henry like that—but objectively, you can admit she’s gorgeous, right?”

Bucky has to take a moment and genuinely consider it—consider you—because he hasn’t before. (Other than noticing the genetic similarities to Callum, who shares your eye and hair color but is a shade lighter than you, and Henry, who shares your complexion and eye color, but his hair is darker than yours.)

There’s no denying your looks are better than most: the structure of your face works beautifully, dazzling eyes framed by your lashes and occasionally accentuated by mascara, lips usually adorned in gloss or anything that keeps them hydrated which could be described as alluring, and your hair is almost always done, sometimes switched up in style. But there’s an inherent innocence there, a sweet and clumsy awkwardness, and maybe because he’s watched you grow up, four years your senior, but it just doesn’t do it for him.

You’re his best friends’ baby sister, for God’s sake. He’d never at you like that in the first place. Especially not when he’s been aware, in the past, you harbored a schoolgirl crush on him. It was painfully obvious, to your chagrin, but he found it adorable—flattering but unsurprising considering girls flock to him like seagulls to boardwalk french fries.

Currently, he’s sure you know he won’t ever pick you—under principle, under the lack of attraction. Other than pleasant smiles and occasional small talk mixed with teasing, you don’t gaze at him with starry eyes anymore, at least it’s waned significantly as you matured.

Back to the question: “Uh, no, not really. Even if Callum and Henry didn’t care, I don’t think I’d be attracted to her,” he answers truthfully. Your purity doesn’t provoke his sexual attraction although it does invoke a duty of protectiveness. “She just isn’t my type.”

Steve arches a brow, a surprised playfulness in his expression. “Oh? Then what is your type, then?” he asks, nudging him with his elbow. ‘Cause from what I remember you’re up for anyone and everyone.”

“That makes me sound like a whore,” he feigns offense but digresses into a fit of chuckles as he thinks back to all his various sex-capades and Steve flashes him a look that says aren’t you? “Yeah.” He nods with a prideful chortle. “But I’m into more frisky girls, y’know? Ones who’ve been everywhere and done everything. They’re brass and loud and just do whatever the fuck they want. I like to be one of those things.”

Behind him, his best friend, Callum’s orotund voice rings out between the pressurized shh of the storm door, “Buck’s into slutty girls, Steve.”

He cringes at the diction. “Don’t call ‘em slutty. Sounds degrading when you guys say it like that.” Most of the time, he agrees with him—and his brother—but when it comes to women, there’s usually a dissent and a need for correction. “But yeah. I prefer girls with experience,” he declares strongly. “They don’t get attached like girls with... less experience do.”

Callum rolls his eyes, bounding down the porch stairs to the recently pressure-washed driveway, and he plucks the basketball out of his hands. “Here we go again. Bucky and his ‘I hate virgin’s’ campaign,” he mocks, shaking his head. “Doesn’t make any sense to me ‘cause everyone knows virgins are the tightest.”

This time, Bucky is the one to roll his eyes. “Well, that doesn’t make any sense considering tightness isn’t dependent upon whether it’s their first time ‘cause, y’know, vaginas stretch, you morons.” Sometimes he has no clue how Callum passed sex education (then he remembers that he bribed the health teacher). “Meaning a girl can have sex, then after a period of time, her virgin ‘tightness’ eventually returns. The only reason virgins may seem tighter is because they’re usually nervous.”

The look on Callum’s face says that what he just said went right over his head. “Whatever.” He shrugs and starts dribbling the ball half-heartedly. “I just know the woman I end up with better be a virgin.”

“Right!” Henry’s likewise orotund voice, a pitch higher, speaks after he pushes through the glass door. He presses to the court-slash-driveway, wiping icing off his mouth. “That’s marriage material. I’m not fucking around in a relationship with no woman that’s been fucked already, y’know?”

Bucky’s eye twitches, jaw locking for a millisecond. “But you guys aren’t even virgins yourself,” he points out their hypocrisy. When they look at him to rebuttal, he automatically knows it’s going to run his blood pressure up and it’s not worth it. “You know, I’m gonna go to the bathroom. You guys have fun with your conversation.”

Swiftly, he whirls around and heads for inside. The last thing he hears is Steve’s ambivalent, “I get the appeal of virgins. But you know, I don’t think it really matters. I think it just matters if you’re into them, and if they’re into you. I wouldn’t care either way but. . .”

The air conditioned air greets him coldly, and he revels in it. The June sun is killer, though perfect weather for playing a game outside, and the chill dries the sweat beaded on his forehead. He pads down the foyer, turns the corner to the bathroom and enters to take a much needed leak.

Bucky has so much brotherly love for your brothers: neighbors since being in diapers, his mother the female figure in their life, and becoming and remaining best friends for over twenty years. There’s only one thing that grates his nerves when it comes to them and that’s their view of women is somewhat skewed. Sometimes—most of the time—went the topic comes up, he’s always one second away from throttling them.

Hopefully after he pisses, they’ll be talking about something else, and finally they all can play basketball. It.

Flushing the toilet, he goes onto wash his hands. He lathers up in orange antibacterial soap and rinses the suds off with hot water. There isn’t a towel, at least not a clean one, so instead he just lets the remaining droplets drip onto the floor.

Emerging from the bathroom, James pauses and absentmindedly wipes his hands dry on his mesh-polyester shorts. His attention automatically draws to the guest room’s closed door adjacent to his position. A decision strikes him, and he steps forward and casts a curious glance down the corner.

When boisterous and distracted laughter filters through the front door and down the empty corridor, it springs him into action. He figures there’s no harm in checking his phone while he’s here. He’d been especially resistant to giving it away because he’s engaged in a particularly stimulating conversation with a particularly titillating woman—popular in her own right, he can’t afford to miss his shot with her.

His fingers turn the knob, and he shoulders through. The furniture is decorated and accented in yellow and white, condition otherwise pristine, save for the phones littered across the king-sized poster bed’s fluffy duvet. He strides across gleaming light oak floors and hones in on the only golden-colored, rubbed encased titanium.

As he grips it, long digits curling around the back, pinkie supporting the bottom, thumb tapping the screen to life, he can hear the dwindling of high-spirited jesting through the en-suite’s rectangular horizontal slider window; a wondering of where he’s gone has him speeding up.

Although he’d been gone for under an hour, his screen is bright with various notifications, social media accounts and text messages. He ignores the former and searches for the latter, specifically the contact, Val 😛💦. Scrolling quickly, he comes to a stop but not because of his original intent.

His head cocks, and he knits his brows when he sees your name instead; formally nicknamed, bambi, due to your penchant for clumsiness and general fragility. You don’t text him—except for that one time you needed to be picked up from the library—and considering you know he’s just outside, his baffled curiosity is further spurred.

With a sideways swipe of his thumb, your thread enlarges on the high-definition display. He isn’t sure what he expected, but this? Oh, this, definitely is not it. His eyes widen as the content loads, and reveals you, in all your half-naked glory.

“Shit,” he breathes out raggedly, blinking multiple times because he has to be seeing things. But, nope, it’s still you—looking like that, wearing that. “Oh, fuck, fuck, fuck.”

Your brothers are beginning to call his name, demanding his attendance, and he froze in shock, unable to tear his stare away from the girl who’s tripped over her own feet more times than he can count; the wallflower who spends all her time studying in her room; the forbidden fruit who’s innocent has always stirred a vigilant feeling inside him—now stirring something hard between his thighs because there you are.

Like always, your hair is done prettily, wispy-lashed eyes big and inviting, a saucy pout to your glossed lips. Your flawless complexion seems to glow in the reflection of the mirror, and he doesn’t know if it’s because of the warm lighting, or if it’s the confidence you exude in your faux-innocent expression from where something so sinfully sexy.

Three photos, and every single one is like a punch in the gut; displaying your usually hoodie-hidden figure in its bare, exquisite form. The skimpy white two-piece caresses your breasts in a lace halter top, leaving a teasing amount of cleavage. Your navel exposed, he becomes aware of how soft your skin would be. Moving lower, your untouched flower is wrapped in a thin thong with a bow on the center of the waistband.

A million things flit through his head; a million disgusting things he never thought he’d think about you.

The main one is every sort of attraction these snapshots arouse. A laser slices down his center and sears him to the core. The multiple poses calls every hungry part of him to attention, the curve of your breasts, the contours of your hips and the jut of your ass. And he shoves to the darkest recess in his mind because that’s just an innate reaction to lingerie. (Right? Right.)

He combats your images with that of Val: knows-what-she’s-doing and equally promiscuous as him Val. The anthropology major who downs beers within seconds and tongue kisses the first person she sees afterwards.

The next is the one he focuses on, that you would take these and send them to him—as if he’d betray your brothers like that. Second-hand embarrassment strikes him because he knows if you’ll send something as risky as this, he’ll have to formally reject you and break your unreciprocated pining heart.

He grimaces at the thought. This is why he doesn’t do virgins and the less experienced in general. The inherent strings are a killer, and he resents the drama; and it’d be ten times worse with you because of the added complications of your siblings.

In fact, he hears something beyond him, coming down the hallway, and it’s probably them, but he can’t stop rereading your text accompanying the photos, partially imagining how it’d sound in your delicate voice:

bambi (4:21PM): is this as pretty as you imagined? did i do good? just tell me what you want, and ill do it. i want you. soon, please - and yes, ill beg. i promise itll sound even better in person.

[read it in its entirety on my patreon - one time fee of $5 to access!]

#bucky x reader #bucky x you smut #bucky barnes imagines #marvel imagines #bucky barnes fanfiction #marvel x you #bucky smut series #marvel chaptered fics #my writing #tva

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dualdaospirits · 5 years ago

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Do you think if they ever reboot ATLA they would make Zutara canon? Reboots have changed quite a few things(the new She-Ra is vastly different from the original) especially with all the support Zutara got post-series

Hmmm, an interesting question. It depends on many things I think, not the least of which being who the showrunners are and the tone they want to set. We may get to see our reboot soon, actually, since there’s a live action Netflix series in the works (they haven’t started production yet though, so don’t get too excited). As far as I know, Bryke is at the forefront, and while that’s great news since it means another abomination hopefully won't happen, it does mean that a Zutara relationship probably isn’t likely since they’re big fans of the Katara/Aang relationship.

That being said, I think it would be a missed opportunity if they didn’t, and I’ll explain why. (Disclaimer for any non-Zutara fans reading this, being a Zutara shipper is not my main motivation for thinking or wanting it to be canon). First things first, the audience. I don’t know if post-series Zutara support would have much of an effect on Bryke, but it’s possible that the producers or Netflix would notice and try to factor it in. However, I don’t think pandering should be the reason they include Zutara--far from it. The original audience that watched Avatar has grown up at this point. Many of us are in our twenties, give or take. We’ve matured, and it would be foolish of the showrunners for ignoring this fact. If there’s a reboot of Avatar, live action or animation, the majority of the audience will be those that grew up with the show, not kids the same age as the audience of the animation. I think that’s evident enough with the release of Avatar on Netflix (notice how many people are rewatching and falling back into their love for the show?) and the comics. Ah, the comics. Some things they did well, others...not. What they did do well is writing the storytelling more maturely than the show. I don’t mean to bash the original show as it obviously had no problems including the dark effects of a war story in bite size, easy-to-swallow chunks for kids (a good thing). However, they treat the audience more seriously, knowing that not everything needs to be spelled out. You see the same in Korra. And to me, that’s part of what makes the Zutara relationship so captivating and intriguing--it’s mature. It’s not easy, and it has faults. It’s not “hero gets the girl after saving the world”. It’s complex.

I’ll say this now: there’s a difference between a relationship being canon and being endgame, and it’s an important difference. I definitely think Zutara should be canon, if not endgame, in any reboot they do.

Personally, I’m excited for a live action version if they ever get around to it. It brings many new factors to the table, and the majority of them have to do with adaptation. (I’ll mainly be talking about a live action version for a little bit, excuse the art student that shows). Adaptation, especially between mediums, is tricky to execute. You see many book-movie adaptations that succeed, and some that miserably fail, and others in between. This goes for other forms as well, ex: book to comic, book to animation, animation to film, etc. With any medium adaptation, the story will inherently change. You can't hear a character's inner dialogue or prose written in a book in a film, so changes have to be made or the filmmaker must write or use film language to substitute for it. With adaptation, changes must happen, that's a fact. To me, more often than not those adaptations succeed when the creator embraces that fact and uses the medium to their advantage. Sometimes this changes the story, and sometimes that change enhances it for the better. Take Game of Thrones or Harry Potter. The former deals with many characters and worldbuilding that is extremely complex, and they did an excellent job in getting you attached to those characters. However, they did have to change some things from the books, and while some weren’t as successful, others did remarkably. (Before anyone starts raging, I’m specifically talking about the seasons where they still had books to go off of). For Harry Potter, we have eight movies to analyze, which I will not be doing, but I will say that the weakest films storywise were the fifth and seventh, simply because they tried to do both too much and too little, if that makes sense.

How would this apply to a live action ATLA? Well, it wouldn’t be like the animation, most likely. It’s a medium adaptation, meaning that the approach they had in the animation won’t work the same in live action. Think about it--you don’t watch animation, especially 2d, the same way you watch live action, psychologically and subconsciously. There’s a separation there between their world and ours. It lessens with 3d animation, but it’s much much smaller when it’s live action since it looks like our world, more or less. Would GOT beheading and other violence (you know what I mean) have had the same effect if it were 2d animation? No, probably not. Yes, I know that anime has its fair share of gore that can be extremely realistic and gross, but it still doesn’t have the same impact it would if it appeared on your screen with quality vfx. Now, these are extreme examples. I really doubt that they’ll make the violence that intense or realistic in the show, as they’ll more than likely want to keep it family friendly (there’s still kids that watch the original). Another disclaimer (ik there’s a lot of them, but people can misunderstand this kind of critique as bashing, which it’s not): I am not saying that the original animation of ATLA is not impactful, absolutely not. I have no trouble getting attached to animated characters, laughing or crying with them, etc, especially if the writing is good. However, it was a kids show, and it was written with that in mind. This is apparent to me as I’m rewatching the show now. There’s some dark stuff that happens, as is the nature of a war story, and the animation handles it excellently. But think of how different it will be seeing the ruins of the Southern Air Temple, practically a garden of bones, Gyatso’s included, in live action. Show us all the nitty-gritty of the lower rings of Ba Sing Se, and the corruption up top. Let this affect the characters. Bring this moral ambiguity into light, as it was done in the show. I think that if they’re going to tackle a show in this way, not a movie or series of movies, it would be smart of them to lean into these darker themes, not shy away from them. Like I said earlier, the audience has matured, and there’s so much more to explore with these stories and themes. I’ll say with confidence that they’ll definitely do this, and possibly add a story or two. Otherwise, it will just be a rehashing of the original, word for word dialogue. Not that the original is bad (obv not), but I don’t think we should want that. There’s a lot of potential in a live action series, and I think they’ve learned lessons from the abomination that already tripped over itself. It was an example of adaptation done badly. However, you can change a story without destroying it, but it’s a delicate operation. That’s why having the original showrunners on gives me a bit more confidence. To be clear, I don’t think they’ll go full PG-13 or higher. It’s still possible to have family/kid friendly media without shying away from the darker parts. ATLA is a great example of that. If you want a live action example of a show that balances humor, heartache, and violence beautifully, look at Merlin (bbc).

I think you bring up an interesting point with She-Ra and it’s divergence from the original. I haven’t seen the original animation, but I can say that the new one was successful in telling a new and fresh story in the same universe. The act almost as parallel stories in that universe. How To Train Your Dragon is the same way--the book and movie have very very little in common story wise, but it’s a beautiful trilogy nonetheless. Would this work with ATLA? Possibly, though I doubt they’d want to stray away from the original’s core themes. Though, you can fight me on this, Zutara does align with those themes, but that’s another post (this one is long enough). However, it’s such a complicated question because it inherently considers countless possibilities, so there’s no definite answer. It’s a beloved show that’s already been butchered once, so how much would they be willing to change?

Now, how does Zutara factor in? (getting to the point now). For many of the reasons above, I think it should be canon. Their dynamic, their rocky relationship, the journey of trust and acceptance, the connection they have, all of it is ripe for exploration, especially in a revamped, inherently more mature story. Instead of a predictable relationship where there was never any real conflict (Katara was always loyal to Aang, and their fights were never truly consequential), you have a relationship coming from a difficult, seemingly impossible place, one that requires time to establish. Like I said, it’s not an easy relationship. Part of it is strengthened by Zuko’s wonderful redemption arc. He needs to build a foundation of trust before almost any of the Gaang trust him (Aang, the angel, is willing to give him a chance almost immediately in Book 1, and though she didn’t care one way or the other at first, he did accidentally burn Toph’s feet). What would a Book 4 have brought us? Despite what Bryke say about it being a false rumor, Ehasz, a co-producer, said that it was at least discussed, plus Book 3 definitely had more to give, so I take it with several grains of salt. Anyways, even wondering about it hypothetically produces interesting theories. We see at the end of Book 2 in the cave that Katara, once she overcomes her immediate, and warrented, repulsion of Zuko, she’s able to connect and see a bit of his heart underneath the layers and layers of angst and anguish obscuring it. This scene is popular in the Zutara fandom for a reason. However, I think that making changes to characters, especially in Zuko’s case should be done extremely selectively and purposefully. His arc is one of the most fantastic accomplishments of the show, and I think very little should be changed. For example, he should still make that doomed, yet inevitable choice in that cave to join Azula, but perhaps they’ll include his mother as a more forefront character, especially when he goes back to the Fire Nation. By all means, give Ty Lee and Mai more than just a conversation to supply their backstory. Thoroughly explore the swampbenders and the Freedom Fighters. Show more of the original airbenders in Aang’s memories! There’s room for exploration without dismantling the world or characters like the M. Night film did. For Zutara, I think that expanding Book 3 and giving the characters more time with each other would be invaluable. Think of how quickly Katara and Zuko grew close, from Katara threatening to off him first time he even hinted at being a threat, to becoming one of the most instinctual and formidable teams in the Gaang, to saving each other’s lives in the final battle. That’s not even mentioning the Southern Raiders. The conflict over the entire show as the backdrop for a relationship like that, romantic or platonic, is incredibly suitable for a reboot. If it was explored, the outcome would be so powerful.

I said before that there’s a difference between canon and endgame relationships. This just means that a relationship can be confirmed and explored without being the outcome. If Bryke include Zutara at all, that’s most likely how they’ll do it: adding a love triangle that ends up with Katara and Aang getting together. Honestly, it would be a method of making K/A a more interesting relationship and a way to have the characters grow a bit. However, this has the awful potential of just shitting on Zutara and turning it into a toxic relationship, which I’d rather not see.

But if it wasn’t Bryke running it? Absolutely, I think Zutara would, and should, be canon. Adaptation should take risks and be willing to explore, and I think Zutara is the type of dynamic we should see.

#zutara #atla #atla live action #avatar the last airbender #zuko #katara #sorry this got really long i have a lot of feelings

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mbti-notes · 5 years ago

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Are you familiar with Little Women? Is Beth INFP or ISFJ? I don't really see enough Ne or Fe. I'm wondering how to determine the aux when her life/dev was cut short. Is Amy ESFP or ENFJ? You've said that using the tert is more likely to lead to problems, but how to differentiate an impulsive kid or unhealthy Se? I don't know what Laurie is and I'd love to hear any thoughts of yours. Thanks

I haven’t read the book. I’ve watched the 1994 and 2019 film adaptations and read some literary commentary. I don’t know whether I’ve captured the true spirit of the characters in my mind yet.

The story is a period piece at this point, which means that context is very important for getting into the minds of the characters. That is, we should avoid projecting our current understanding about personality expression onto past eras. Theirs was a time when people, especially women, were not afforded the freedom that we have today to be oneself and pursue one’s own happiness. They were also quite limited in their exposure to the wider world, thus, new and diverse learning opportunities were rare and to be cherished. Despite being in financial hardship and difficult political times, I believe that the girls had a good moral upbringing. The fact that the girls eventually learned the right things to focus on in life is a credit to their mother’s strong and steady influence. Given this backdrop, I think there will be more examples of healthy than unhealthy function use. The girls are well-adjusted people.

Yes, it is more difficult to assess children, as they do not express the functions in typical adult fashion. Adults have the benefit of many years of feedback about their function use and they are more consistent in their function expression, whereas children are in their experimental phase and often misfire in their attempts to use a function. That is, there is a lot of “noisy” data to sort through when observing kids.

Beth

I’ve often seen words like “shy”, “pious”, and “industrious” used to characterize her. I don’t think introvert is in doubt. Her manner is reserved, she prefers to keep to herself, and she is self-motivated. I don’t think F is in doubt. She cares very deeply and her judgments/decisions are largely informed by her feelings.

Other than the expected imaginative play of all children, I don’t see any evidence of Ne, and she should be showing some significant signs at her age. Being P means being a prospector of information. She lacks the curious, exploring, and adventurous mindset of NPs. Shy and reserved INFPs still find ways to explore the world safely such that they feel brave in their own way (a great example that pops to mind is the character Amélie from the film of the same name). But Beth is perfectly content to close herself off from practically every opportunity to venture out into the world, and there were some very good opportunities presented to her that NPs typically wouldn’t be able to resist. She prefers that life is tightly structured around familiar people, routines, and comfort zones, where she is able to feel in control of her own realm. Of all the sisters, she seems to enjoy her routines the most, as she is most likely to perform her chores and duties without complaint or requiring admonishment. Dutiful, obedient, routine, and “industrious” behavior does not come naturally to INFPs (i.e. not without coercion of some kind), in fact, they tend to really struggle with it unless they are motivated by deep passion. Therefore, there’s compelling evidence that Si is the higher function.

One of the main arguments I’ve seen for INFP revolves around Beth’s strong moral beliefs. If every person with strong moral beliefs is Fi dom, the world would be overrun with them. Why is it that, of all the types, SFJs are known for being the best caregivers? Let’s not do them a disservice by downplaying the strong moral beliefs that FJs are also capable of. It’s more important to look at the source of the beliefs and how exactly they are expressed.

To me, the word “pious” invokes Si more than Fi. A pious person is a rule-abider at heart, someone who deeply respects tradition and ritualistic expressions of it. A pious person also faithfully corrects un-pious behavior, as a form of self-improvement. Challenging oneself to be “proper” (Si) is somewhat different than feeling “good” (Fi). I would argue that Beth’s morality comes from her sense of what is proper and “expected” of people, as picked up in very literal terms from her mother’s pithy advice. Beth is acutely aware of how her suffering might impact others and tries her best to put people at ease. She also never needs to be told twice and she doesn’t struggle with moral decisions in the way that her sisters do.

INFPs often feel conflicted when decision-making because they tend to be full-to-the-brim with conflicted feelings after having prospected too many Ne possibilities. Beth does not seem to suffer this common problem because she’s not just about following her feelings and she’s not as full of conflicted feelings as one would expect of INFPs (i.e. F is not dominant). She is naturally good at managing feelings and keeping them in check because her main approach to information is to structure it with rules and regulations. And purposely keeping her world very contained to the known and simple is a way of making doubly sure that the rules are never difficult to follow. Luckily for her, she lived during a time when it was still relatively easy to choose a small and simple life, away from the stressors of the world at large. She didn’t get to experience the weeds of developing Fe because she purposely kept life simple socially, and then she died before she was forced out into the real world.

Amy

Aside from the impulsiveness one would expect of children, I’m not sure I see other significant signs of Se dom. Fortunately, we do get to see her grow up, and the mature Amy doesn’t resemble ESFP.

One of the main differences that I look for between ESFPs and ENFJs is the degree to which they “think” about how to socialize and fit in. ENFJs approach socializing in a much more complicated way than ESFPs, for better and for worse. ENFJs are more “calculating” socially (for lack of a better word) because Fe relies on knowledge of social norms to achieve social acceptance. ESFPs tend to fit in more naturally by virtue of being themselves and showing off whatever obvious talents or good qualities they have. The more ESFPs “think” about how to socialize, the more they fumble socially, because they get further and further away from themselves (i.e. betrayal of Fi + poor use of Ni). The more carefully ENFJs think about how to socialize, the more they succeed at climbing the social ladder, because they are better able to abstract the essential rules for socializing well (i.e. good use of Fe + Ni).

As a result of this main difference in “complexity” of socializing, ENFJs tend to think/talk a lot more about fitting in (how to do it and how to behave the right way), whereas ESFPs tend to reject abstract talk about “how to” and prefer to “just do it”, since complexity only leads them astray. Notice how Amy gives Jo and Laurie unsolicited advice about how to be “better”, i.e., more acceptable. ESFPs aren’t likely to interfere with people like that because they don’t possess complicated “social worries” to project onto others.

Amy often gets obsessed about particular things that she believes are necessary for “moving up in the world”, such as: physical appearance, material possessions, matters of etiquette, impressing the right people, learning the right crafts, developing the right skills, and so on and so on. Moving up in the world seems to be her main character motivation AND she’s a natural at it. ESFPs, with the strength and conviction of healthy Fi, tend to dislike/resent the idea of social hierarchy, so it pains them a lot more to feel forced into participating in categorizing people along those lines, and, in the end, they will feel that social rewards are meaningless if obtained through betraying Fi. ENFJs are much more willing to play the long social game, even when they are aware that it’s all an act, because Fe benefits much more greatly than Se from the rewards of social status. In the end, Amy makes the correct decision to prioritize her well-being over the superficial trappings of social status (Fe+Ni well-balanced).

Laurie

I’m not sure about him, either, because he’s a supporting character and we aren’t privy to all of his motivations. Being rich affords him a carefree life, so his personality development is rather slow due to not being challenged to grow. I think he’s introverted as he’s modest and unassuming, not one to actively seek out attention, esteem, or glory. I think he’s P as he doesn’t seem to require any structure and is content amusing himself with whatever he likes moment to moment. He seems to scrape by just fine no matter where he is or what he’s doing, and he doesn’t aspire to much more than drifting along. However, I think his lack of aspiration isn’t a natural part of his personality but more a result of him being bogged down by unresolved heartbreaks. He feels somewhat alone in the world (family issues). He dreams of being with Jo but she refuses him. He dreams of being a musician but feels torn about disrespecting his benefactor. He dreams of various careers but lacks the talent.

What’s his main motivation? I think he would love nothing more than to devote himself wholeheartedly to the people he loves. He’s basically willing to accept any sort of life as long as he gets to be with his loved ones. This deep romanticism indicates F, and if also P, then Fi dom. His long and deep devotion to the IDEAL of being with Jo might indicate Ne. Later, he longs for the past and his childhood relationships with Jo and the girls, which might be an indication of Fi-Si loop. He has mythologized Jo, their past together, and the future they could’ve had. It takes both Jo and Amy to make him face facts. A running theme in the book is how women are expected to be proper for men (so as to be a good influence and/or not lead them astray), and the sisters saving Laurie from himself is a good example of that.

Observe how he sizes up the girls and the ways in which he tries to care for and protect them. One thing that he seems to value a lot is “authenticity” and he tends to call them out for inauthentic behavior throughout the years. He had a hand in Amy re-evaluating her priorities. In return, Amy taught him that "authenticity” is a privilege (as women didn’t have the freedom to be authentic) and he came to admire her ambition and tenacity. He seems to think that he’s good at sizing people up, but she’s on a different level. I think that he was impressed by her blunt assessment of his lifestyle, probably because he had never encountered that sort of tough love (aka honesty) before. It seems that he needed someone to be tough with him, which is common for INFPs. Jo was always the star of the show, too self-involved to encourage his growth. Amy opened up his mind, which he seemed to sorely need for moving forward (perhaps Ne resolution).

#little women #beth #amy #laurie #fiction #fictional depictions #isfj #infp #enfj #esfp #ask

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nicknellie · 4 years ago

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Honestly the fact that March is in two months is actually horrific. Also that’s a mood, my sleep schedule has been weird due to Covid as well. (and technically good night to you when I get this down in like the next hour)

Box stuff

1. Exactly, Alex tells Luke how exactly to get back on good terms with his parents and at the same time tells him how dumb he was but lovingly and of course since it’s Alex Luke immediately listens.

I love that, also he was close to his teachers. Like he would be the one to tell them if Luke (for example) had a bad night and to let him skip the class and the teacher would begrudgingly agree just because they know that Alex is true to his word and will make sure that he’s caught up on everything. Honestly I don’t really feel like Alex is a teachers pet as well but he did get along with his teachers.

Actual points (that did make sense)

Oh my goodness yes, Emily will deliberately try to remember embarrassing Luke stories just so Alex can bring it up.

‘Bold words for someone who cried when they didn’t get to go on the tea cups’

Precisely, they gave the chance for Luke to make up with Emily if he wished because they didn’t really have anything to say to their parents. Agreed, and that’s some thing I hope season two expands on because they had to have friends outside of the band even if they were closer with the band than anyone else they definitely had some acquaintances. Imagine people making tributes 🥺 (honestly I feel like they were all kind of done with school and that Bobby if he didn’t quit like the other boys then he probably did not return). But I love that idea. I feel like Alex had a little sister as well, and that’s a really good theory I feel like it would make sense that Mitch and Emily were a bit more overprotective about the band and everything if they had a miscarriage. Because they want Luke to do so well that to them committing himself to a band that might not take off wasn’t the path to go and they were worried. Agreed, honestly if anything sometimes I just think to myself that the three of them are only children however I feel like it would also work if they had a younger or older sibling (Alex having a younger one and Reggie having an older one).

That’s relatable I’ve had quite a few songs I’ve only listened tofor a bit and then immediately fall in love with them. I hadn’t heard the song before but I checked it out and I agree. If you like it is some thing that Rose wrote towards them just to remind them not to give up. Because, while wake up was personal to Julie and to remind her to keep doing music this song would kind of be Roses way to say all the words she never got to say but not like in an Unsaid Emily way. (Exactly how you said it lol)

I feel like they had a piano as well, so one day Julie does play it for them and it’s so sad.

3. Oh my goodness, Willie setting the kitchen on fire and then Alex trying to help him is everything. And yes he does need to be banned from the kitchen, is the type who would burn water. Yes, every single time Luke and Reggie try to receive the book for Alex just so that he has something to look at but he’s just like ‘nope I don’t need it anymore’

Board games and jam (that is honestly just monopoly and among us at this point)

1. I’m glad this made you laugh because I find it hilarious as well. And that’s exactly what happens because Alex waits for Reggie to be completely unprepared and just like Luke he sends a drumstick at him.

Honestly I’m the one who wrote the sentence and at first I interpreted that way as well. Just like Alex has thrown drumsticks of the band so many times that he has perfected his skills is so true.

He does and Willie is just crying laughing in the corner because Alex is throwing drumsticks at Caleb. I love how Alex just doesn’t stop and Caleb eventually it’s just like okay I guess I will continue on with my evil speech. But he continues to get hit with drumsticks, although he doesn’t understand how.

Among us

I love that so much. That is exactly what happens and bonus points if Alex looks Willie straight in the eye when he kills him. And Alex isn’t even subtle about it he legitimately just follows Willie and kills him immediately.

That is so cruel but hilarious. Building off of that idea a little bit the first time someone finds Luke’s body is Alex and he runs away. After that round Luke is so hurt but Alex is like we’re all just going to be suspicious of each other and there’s no point.

How Flynn has the rules memorized no one understands but she will legitimately say ‘in section B point 2 it says blah blah blah’ and she is always correct.

I love the example you chose was someone, probably Willie, moving three squares instead of two and Flynn just loses it. (bonus points if just like Alex she will throw something at you but it’s usually the rule book and or her piece)

I do have to agree with you but at the same time Alex being friends with Flynn and the two of them plus Julie making friendship bracelets is adorable to me. But with your point, legitimately they are always in agreement together. One time Alex even lies about the rules and just because Flynn is done with Luke, she will agree with him.

I do have to agree with you, I may not start arguments but I am definitely the type to be like ok this is your turn and you have to go twice ect. And as we should

Alex never has any pity for Reggie struggles, legitimately Reggie will not understand how Uno is played and Alex will just be like ‘oh sad, now draw 4’ (I have no clue why I chose Uno but that’s the route I’m going down)

Numbers

2. That was exactly my intent. And yes, Alex does say that.

6. Honestly Willie trying to have a discussion with Alex and then Alex just panicking while the guys are laughing in the corner is everything.

Actually I haven’t seen Miranda before but I will have to check it out and the American version because anything that has Cheyenne Jackson in it needs to be seen at some point. I don’t know why but that just gives me total Alex energy like Willie just offhandedly asked him about some thing and Alex is immediately agrees although in real life the statement is very false. (Honestly I feel like we’ve already talked about three AU here but you definitely should)

8. Luke- yes he is very selfless which upsets Alex who usually is the one who reminds him to proceed with his day and do things. Also agreed, the band means so much to him that he couldn’t be cocky even is he tried (unless it’s about the others talents)

Reggie- I love his solo in stand tall as well, I don’t think you’ve mentioned that before but that lyric is really good from now or never. (Honestly part of the reason why I love those song so much because both Alex and Reggie have solos in them)

I haven’t listened much to his new EP either but I’ve listened to Uh oh and ballerina (really good)

Alex- exactly, honestly I feel like that scene was kind of uncharacteristic on Luke’s part. Because throughout the show we see him being supportive of Alex and trying to get Alex to appreciate his talent more (after now or never basically him being like Alex you killed it come on) so him basically saying that they don’t need drumming anymore is a bit weird.

Precisely, whenever anything goes wrong they usually turn to Alex because although it may not go the best way he’s always the best person to handle it

Bobby- same here, it’s easier to talk about a character if you know how exactly they are/how they react to things

Umm this is painful. Thinking about Luke being left behind hurts, also your right. Honestly I feel like if any of them and Luke especially lost each other then they would probably lose music because the greatest attachment they have to music is each other. (Which for Luke is a big thing) oh my goodness thinking about him going to the studio and just crying because he’s thinking about the boys is everything. Also thinking about Luke unconsciously going home and just seeing the boys in simple stuff that his parents are doing is heart crushing. Aw just Luke and Emily going to hug each other is adorable, honestly it would be amazing to see him talk about the fact that he lost the boys and then slowly she becomes supportive of his music and, despite what I said earlier, eventually he releases a tribute to them.

17. Yes exactly, bonus points if the wave that Caleb does is the one that he did after Alex says ‘Willie and I. I mean I wouldn’t call it magic’

‘Do what you gotta do’ and nothing to lose are some of the best technically villain songs and Cheyenne Jackson does such a good job at them that honestly seeing his character turn good would be sad. (But that would also mean more songs in general possibly and not losing the character so it’s hard to decide)

19. Exactly, they all just end up attacking each other with snowballs that it’s hard to keep alliances. Also yes, Willie has a really keen eye for perfect moments to throw snowballs.

Agreed, it will be exciting to see them grow as actors and also how they grow in general because as you spend more time with castmates you get closer to them and that chemistry is more evident on screen which will also help out. It’s interesting because the show has kind of like a perfect balance of actors who are in stuff before so they have previous acting experience and actors who haven’t really. So seeing them get more recognition especially for the ones who have been in stuff before but aren’t really recognize/popular because of that is amazing. (also the fact that quite a few of them have picked up learning a new instrument and or in general can play quite a few instruments so I hope that they will experiment with that during the second season)

Agreed, just wouldn’t want the show to have too many villains to the point where it gets overwhelming and just repetitive. Honestly Willie turning the ghost club into a skate park just out of spite for Caleb would be amazing.

I have no clue why but the ‘you’d better run’ made me think of that ‘why are you running’ vine and now I can see Carlos saying that just to be funny.

21. Oh yea Willie almost got arrested while he was alive. Honestly if anything I think that he was running from the cops before he died so he was almost going to get arrested for sure.

Exactly, bonus points if it’s Alex who actually did the graffiti just because he knew that Reggie was upset and although he teases Reggie so much, he will be the first one to say something if anyone ever hurt him.

25. Exactly, also love the ‘she’s going to kill me again’ like Caleb is scary but if you hurt Alex then Carrie is most definitely scarier. That’s how the talk goes, word from word. And yes although Carrie is more so all bite no bark, the boys would’ve definitely killed willie if he hurt Alex. They would find a way, it’s definitely possible. I feel like while all of them would know that Willie wouldn’t actually hurt Alex. They say that just in case because they love Alex and if there’s a slight chance that someone could hurt him then they want to make sure that the person knows repercussions will happen.

They are perfect for each other lol

32. Exactly, and Alex just brushing off the dirt of Reggie‘s jacket and being the mom friend is very in character. Also the handing over the cookies, and Bobby goes with him just to make sure that Reggie doesn’t get lost again. (Luke was probably with Reggie when he got lost and or is the one who wandered off and lost Reggie while doing so)

37. He can do the impossible though I feel like that’s definitely canon. It does makes sense, if anyone can be trusted to do something that is hypothetically impossible it’s definitely Reggie. It will definitely be done in the weirdest way but Reggie will always pull through.

Oh my goodness ‘the timeout corner’ I love that. They are preschoolers thought especially with lighters. Yes, that is the only time Alex did not realize that Reggie had a lighter and of course it was the time that Reggie set Luke on fire. (Love the fact that you said he was panicking because he knows that he will be put in a time out)

I want a Reggie and Julie duet as well, it would be so amazing. And yes that is the title. They have another one that’s pure country because Luke won’t let Reggie have a country song.

Omg I’m so sorry, I’m really dumb and I thought I had posted this forever ago but turns out I just had it saved to my drafts! Aksbdkdk sorry lmao

March is in two months??? That doesn’t sound right. March was like a week ago. I hate this.

Good *insert time of day here* for whenever you read this!!

Box stuff:

1. Yeah exactly! And like what if it’s not just that it’s Alex so he listens, but it’s Alex so it makes sense? As in, if anyone else was telling him he’d wouldn’t get where they were coming from but because Alex takes the time to really explain what’s going on Luke actually gets it (even if he doesn’t want to get it, but Alex can tell when he’s just being difficult and petty)

Omggg I love that! Like he’d arrive to class early to tell them to make sure nobody else heard. And it gives a whole new meaning to his line “I’m pretty sure that was just a you thing. I was always pretty trustworthy ☺️” because like if any of the other boys (especially Reggie) tried it then they wouldn’t have got anywhere at all but just everyone trusts Alex

Actual points:

Agskdlsld I love that also “bold words for someone who once got his head stuck in a lampshade” “SHE TOLD YOU THAT?!?!”

Oooooh I never thought about them dropping out of school but that would make a lot of sense (especially for Luke dropping out because of all people he wouldn’t have seen any need to stay). And exactlyyy they would have had to have other friends and they must’ve been upset by their friends dying so like??? And the idea of people making tributes hurts my heart - like, putting flowers or whatever outside their old lockers at the school, no matter if they were still in school or not, just as their way of saying goodbye, or making sure nobody sat where they used to sit in class. And having a whole-school assembly where they played Sunset Curve’s demo and talked about how inspirational the boys were and I’ve gotta stop or I’ll cry. And yesss because if Luke was their one shot at having a child, something they had dreamed of for years, they’d want him to succeed and they were so blinded by it that they wanted him to succeed in their way, not his which could fail. And yeah, I also usually think they’re only children but for the purposes of fics or adding some more depth to their characters then I like to think about siblings and how that would have changed them as people. But the show never mentions them ever so I mainly stick to canon that they don’t too

Yessss exactly 🥺 it’s her way of telling them that they don’t need to worry or be sad and I love it so much!

3. Lmao Willie just being a kitchen disaster is brilliant - he actually did burn water once (on purpose just to see if he could actually do it) but then every time he tried to cook after that and use water he burnt it on accident and he has no idea how he’s doing it bc it’s impossible and after the fifth time and the fire Alex is like “ok willie just go”

Lol it kinda turns into some sort of game once Luke and Reggie realise Alex is dead set on not having that recipe book. He throws it away and one of them sneaks it into his pocket somehow. So he throws it away again and next time he opens the fridge one of them has put it in there. They just spend hours moving around the book solely to piss Alex off

Board games and jam (lmfao yeah there’s no jam left, it’s one board game, and a random online game):

1. Alex now just uses it as any excuse, like Luke will ask him to make room for him on the couch or whatever and Alex will scowl at him and say “if you make me move I swear to god I will pelt your face with drumsticks” and Luke just backs away slowly and sits somewhere else

Absbdksl with the Caleb bit, it’s like Alex has been secretly practising magic tricks or sleight of hand or whatever, so he’s got these hundreds of drumsticks hidden all over his body and no one can see where he’s getting them from apart from when he literally pulls them out his sleeve. Caleb - the actual magician ffs - spends hours later trying to work out how he did it but can’t. Willie finding it hilarious is everything omg just stood in the corner like “you go babe! Mildly inconvenience that soul-stealing jazz singer ghost!”

Among Us:

LMFAO YES and he does it in front of everyone too, reports the body himself, admits to it on chat, but nobody votes him out because Willie had it coming

I love that sm, Luke looking at Alex like “dude I’m right there” but Alex just completely ignoring him. The anger and hurt just fuels Luke’s weird ability to be able to sense whenever Alex is imposter

Yes definitely! Flynn gives the page number and everything, and Julie watches so smug and proud as he best friend rattled off these rules and Reggie is like “that can’t be right” so Alex checks and everyone is just that little bit more scared of Flynn because god that was weirdly cool

Ajakdlsnd YES she does or if she’s sat beside the person who did it she just repeatedly hits them over the head with the rule book like “MOVE. YOUR. PIECE. BACK. ONE. SPACE.”

Oooohhh I love the friendship bracelet idea that’s so cute! Also, I know I said they wouldn’t be that close, but the idea of Flynn going to Alex before anyone else when she realises she has a crush on Carrie (because she knows he’s gay and also hopefully friends with Carrie at this point and he might be able to be helpful) is literally such a cute idea to me. And the one time they’re not in agreement with the rules is obviously when it comes to Willie - Flynn accuses Willie of cheating somehow and Alex readies his drumsticks to throw at her like “what did you just say about my boyfriend?”

I do that too! But tbh most arguments are because I get competitive and demand we play the game by my utterly made up rules which are very biased towards me. I’m half the reason most card games are banned in my house... 😂

Oh lol I love that Alex just takes advantage of Reggie’s complete lack of uno knowledge. Reggie will pick up a useful card like the one where you change the colour or whatever, and he asks what it means, so Alex is like “oh that means you have to pick up four of every colour”

Numbers:

6. Exactly, so right. And like I feel like that’s definitely the sort of thing we could see in season 2 - like Alex and Willie having a conversation and Alex feels normal and fine but then Reggie and Luke and Julie come in and suddenly everything that comes out of his mouth sounds romantic and sappy and they’re all laughing at him and it wasn’t this hard before they came in!

You should definitely watch Miranda! I can’t remember if it’s still on Netflix, but highly recommend! Exactly, any opportunity to see Cheyenne Jackson act should be taken at once. And yes, it has total Alex energy, Willie could say anything and Alex is just like yes absolutely. (And tbh that’s mainly the plot of Miranda as well so if I did write this hypothetical AU there would be plenty of opportunity for it lmaooo)

8. Luke - yes wait I love all this so much. Like as a totally random example if Luke tries to surprise them all by cooking lunch or dinner or whatever one day (even though he’s a terrible cook and it should always be left to Alex) he just forgets to make any food for himself and Alex has to gently remind him that Luke you need to eat too remember? And Luke being cocky about the others’ talents??? God Tier Thought, I love it so so so much. Like someone will tell him he was really good on stage that night and he’ll brush it off with “yeah, but did you hear Alex’s drum solo? Totally improv, the guy has mad skills. And Reggie’s backing vocals and harmonies - his range is literally unbelievable, better than most people to be honest. Oh and Bobby? Well damn, did you hear his solo? He’s up there with the best, learnt that whole thing in under ten minutes”

Reggie - same tbh 😂 like I love Luke and Julie’s vocals to the moon and back, but it always feels kinda special whenever Alex and Reggie sing y’know bc we hardly ever hear them apart from backing

Yeah I listened to Uh Oh and a few others too, I think Stranger was my favourite (if that’s even what it’s called, I think it is) but I haven’t heard the whole thing yet. Ballerina is my jam omfg I love it and I love he wrote the whole thing for and about Carolynn like that’s so sweet 🥺

Alex - yeah I thought that too! I think I saw a post ages and ages ago that was talking about how it would have made more sense if Luke was worried about being left behind or had some abandonment issues (worries from his days arguing with his parents) so at the first sign that Alex wants to “leave him” (in his mind) and cross over or join Willie he gets defensive and tries to shut Alex out with that line before Alex can leave him. I might not have explained that as well as the post did but I think it’s the general gist?

I think you’re right, I can totally see any of them losing sight of music to begin with. I think for Reggie he would sort of shrink in on himself and just not feel up to doing anything at all, he would really struggle mental health-wise. Then for Alex I think he’d launch himself into boring menial tasks to get his mind off it, maybe go off the rails a little because what does it matter anymore? Then exactly as you said for Luke, bc it’s so important to him he just can’t face it. And obviously we’ve talking about Bobby like a million posts ago and still now 😂 but eventually all of them would take up music again and write a tribute for each other.

This is only a little bit off topic bc we just mentioned Emily and Luke but yeah so if Emily and Mitch saw Julie and the Phantoms perform what would they do??? Bc I can’t imagine it, and I don’t think they’d believe in ghosts, but if they did like would they be happy? Or angry that Julie didn’t tell them? Or sad because they can only see their son if he’s playing and that’s the very thing they encouraged him never to do? Idk idk idk but I just want them to find out about the band in season 2!!!

17. Bonus points definitely awarded, I love that sm lmao

And yeah like Cheyenne Jackson just does villain songs so well??? Like, Caleb is my best friend’s favourite character and I asked her why she loves him so much and to answer she just got Spotify up and started playing Nothing to Lose and I was like ok fair enough. Exactly, like I want him to turn good but the villain songs might be something I can’t lose. But then just general Caleb songs ugh idk I’d love that too

Wait wait wait I had a thought - someone’s probably said it before but Caleb and Willie duet????? Please?!?!

19. Lmao by the end alliances just don’t exist at all anymore

Yes all of this!!! It really is perfect because as you said their friendships will develop and that’ll translate into screen so beautifully and I honestly can’t wait. And of course as you said the balance between upcoming actors and those who have been in stuff before is great, they’ll be able to give each other tips and pointers and learn from each other and eventually start reaching the same levels of fame or whatever and that’ll just be so cool! And yes it’s so cool to see them start getting recognition - like Madison hitting one million followers on Instagram the other day, I’m literally so proud of her and so glad she’s getting what she deserves!! Agreed, it’s great that they all play their own instruments and sing their own stuff rather than having others do that for them - I really want to see more of Sacha playing his guitar as Nick bc he’s so good, but also he’s being possessed by Caleb and I want Caleb to just be terrible at guitar so that’s how they first know somethings off bc Nick suddenly can’t play 😂😂

Ajsndlslf Carlos would totally do that. Carlos would be the one to introduce the guys to Vine and it would haunt Julie’s existence for all eternity because now Alex won’t play anything until Julie has said “bring the beat in” for him to reply “anything for you Beyoncé!” And Reggie would keep saying “I wanna be a cowboy, baby” and it gets on her nerves, and Luke takes to strumming his guitar and going “I love you bitch I ain’t never gonna stop loving you bitch” and yeah lmao

21. Wait yeah lmao that’s the only reason he didn’t get arrested because he freaking died instead, chaotic king

Oh it was DEFINITELY Alex who did the graffiti, it’s his way of being overprotective and cheering Reggie up

25. Lmao I love that - Caleb is scary but oh shit better watch out for Carrie Wilson. The guys would definitely find a way to kill Willie again - they’d go to extremes like figuring out how to do the stamp so he stops existing (or maybe they would just talk about doing that but not actually do it because that feels way too mean and if Willie hurt Alex (not that he would) then they could just keep them out of each other’s way). Yeah exactly, they just want to make sure they’ve got everything covered to try and protect Alex as they would do for anyone in their group - and Alex insists he doesn’t need their protection because it’s just Willie, but really he’s extremely grateful for it

32. YES I love all that like Alex is about to send Reggie on his way but is just like “hang on, take Bobby with you, I don’t want you getting lost or eating all the cookies before you get there” And Luke having got lost with Reggie is everything - both of them were looking at a cool bird or something and didn’t realise Alex and Bobby had kept walking, so Luke tried to lead Reggie in the right direction but got them lost, and then said to Reggie “stay here I’ll get help” and left him and didn’t come back because he couldn’t find him again

37. Oh 100%. Reggie can do impossible things but they’re just in ways that also seem like they should be impossible. I wish I could think of examples, but I don’t know how to do impossible things so 😂🤷🏻‍♀️

Adjoskflfmj yeah he’s not panicking because Luke’s on fire, he’s panicking because he doesn’t want to miss snack time while he’s in the timeout corner (having a scheduled snack time was Bobby’s idea because Luke said he wasn’t allowed to eat during rehearsal because he needed to focus)

Honestly Julie letting Reggie have any country song he wants just because Luke won’t let him is everything I need and more

#ugh im so sorry im an idiot for saving this to my drafts instead of posting it :(((#its lucky I realised before it had been like a week lmao #williexmercer #asks #emily answers

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not-poignant · 4 years ago

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Hello, I love your writing and I love how you manage to write complex characters and antagonists I can totally sympathize with (Augus, my precious), so I was wondering if you have any advice on that? Also, how do you decide on a love interest for your MC? Sorry if this is too broad of a question, but your writing advice is always super helpful.

Hiya

I‘m glad you’re enjoying the writing! Honestly I don’t know if I’m going to do a good job of explaining these things, but I hope whatever I say helps!

Writing a sympathetic antagonist

Firstly, most importantly, they have to be sympathetic! I know I know, that sounds stupid, and obvious, but it’s true. Don’t expect every reader to still like your antagonist, they won’t. Not everyone likes villain, antagonist or even antihero fiction.

Re: garnering sympathy:

Show the character as genuinely vulnerable. (Consider Augus being hurt by Gwyn in the dungeon, even if most of it slid off of him, that gag certainly didn’t). (Consider that even though Eran is Mosk’s captor and actually not a very nice person, we understand his motivations for being mean - he has lost his entire family, and he believes Mosk is the reason. He’s shown experiencing constant culture shock, totally alone, and he doesn’t understand the new world he finds himself in). (Consider that Efnisien is living an extremely bleak life, post violent injury, and that he is shown to be vulnerable to his own patterns of thinking).

Show the shift in their attitude that makes them more relatable, or that gives the readers hope that they’re not about to revert back to who they used to be. (Augus clearly being far more even-minded and less destructive for the sake of it). (Eran constantly questioning how Mosk could be capable of his evil, and double-checking on himself, and it obviously being insecurity when he decides that Mosk is evil after all). (Efnisien is forcing himself to attend very personally challenging therapy sessions, and we can see that not only has he not hurt anyone in 3 years, we can see evidence of a life lived that tries to avoid opportunities to hurt people ever again).

Make them human, create common ground. Show them eating food, getting dressed, responding to a major (or minor) injury. Show them loving another character even if they only ever love one other character (Augus saying ‘careful’ to Ash in Shadows and Light was actually the moment that some readers fell in love with him or became intensely curious about him - and so while most readers came around to him in Game Theory, just having Augus genuinely love and feel protective towards his brother was enough to create sympathy and empathy). (Consider Efnisien and his love for Gwyn). (Consider Eran’s love for his family). Make it so that people literally can go ‘oh, I eat food that way�� or ‘oh, I’ve tried to hide an injury before’ or ‘that’s how I get dressed’ or ‘I hate summer too.’ Give them details that can stack up over time and create common ground.

In the case of characters who have done absolutely egregious things, whump the everloving fuck out of them. Like, this was legit a thing I did in Game Theory *deliberately* in order to create increased sympathy for Augus. Even people who have the most intense revenge fantasies re: a character burn out on them after a while. A person who is like ‘yeah I can’t wait to see them tortured and suffering and going through awful pain’ will, very often, get that and realise they didn’t want that much of it. And they will turn to sympathy instead. It’s worked an absolute fucking treat with Augus and Efnisien in particular.

Have someone who is worse opposite your antagonist. (Augus had the Nightingale. Eran has Olphix and Davix and, well, Mosk’s entire family. Efnisien has Crielle and Lludd). Give your villain a villain.

That’s it. You don’t have to make them ‘good.’ You don’t have to rationalise what they did. You don’t have to make excuses for what they’ve done or what they’ll do in the future. Your readers can make up their own minds on that, and they will, with or without your guidance. Augus can still be a waterhorse that eats people and sometimes uses compulsions because he’s impatient. Gwyn can still just straight up murder people without giving them much (or any) warning first.

When you don’t encourage sympathy based on a ‘good/bad’ binary, you can still have your antagonists and villains kind of stay where they are. They might do heroic things, they might do villainous things, the point of empathy is that they’re often doing and thinking relatable things, even if the subsequent actions aren’t themselves relatable.

I don’t do these things for villains that I don’t want to be sympathetic. But I must admit, I am enjoying showing different facets of Davix in The Ice Plague, even though I don’t really intend for him to be a transformed villain or anything.

Deciding on a love interest

This one is harder. Mostly because in some ways, it’s ‘simpler’ on the surface. All you’re doing is looking for a character who has qualities that strengthen your other character, and balance out the imbalances in your primary character and vice versa. They will need to have some things in common too. They also need to get along, and have a reason to get along (especially if it’s rivals to lovers).

Like, it’s hard to describe how I do this because I don’t spend a lot of time on this part. I tend to just...idk, ‘know’ what another character needs and build off that. And that’s fucking useless to break down for other people. BUT, it does mean I can at least use my doofuses as examples:

Augus and Gwyn: They are both people who favour diplomacy over war, but can be extraordinarily bloodthirsty when a situation calls for it, and they’re both actually pretty snarky and bitchy people (things in common). Augus is proud of his sexuality and does not see the point in not fully embracing who you are as a monster, Gwyn rejects his monstrous self and is not proud of his sexuality or his role as a sub (Augus strengthens Gwyn in this, and complements what Gwyn lacks). Gwyn is extremely bold and secure in his ability to manage a Kingdom and also protect his loved ones, he is very able to step forwards into his future decisively, fully confident in his ability to do what is best for the people around him and the nation (Gwyn strengthens Augus in this, and complements Augus’ insecurities in this area).

You can find lots of other examples of complementary traits in Augus and Gwyn in particular (Augus had a happier family, Gwyn didn’t. Gwyn has military and physical training, Augus mostly hasn’t. Augus understands fashion and courtiers, Gwyn doesn’t. Gwyn understands tracking and large-scale military operations, Augus doesn’t. Augus understands finer interpersonal relationships, Gwyn doesn’t. Gwyn understands politicking that’s specifically malicious or manipulative (like the Raven Prince, Augus doesn’t).

Mosk and Eran: They are both people who are extremely determined and share a common goal (Mosk took a little while to get online with that goal, but okay). They are both actually very earnest at their hearts and want people to be happy with them, and they both need guidance from people in positions of authority. They’re both hot-headed (in different ways, but they both absolutely fly off the handle all the fucking time). Ultimately, they want to feel warm and supported (things in common).

Mosk is extremely aesthetic and cares for beautiful things and scenery, at all times, he tends to tune into an environment based on its beauty, Eran on the other hand tends to be a bit stuck in the past, and isn’t always quick to see the beauty in the present. (Mosk enriches Eran’s life in the present, but helping him to focus on what might be beautiful in the present). Eran likes to feel as though he’s helping people and he needs to feel needed, Mosk needs someone to take care of him (Eran enriching Mosk).

Tbh you could come up with a lot of examples. Places where they ‘complement’ each other are also places of potential conflict. Eran being hopeful and optimistic is definitely a point of contention between Mosk and Eran when it clashes against Mosk’s pessimism, even though it’s good for Mosk to be around more hopeful attitudes, and it’s good for Eran to be more realistic sometimes.

ANYWAY. Basically, yeah, I... this second part I’m a lot worse at, sorry. The process of coming up with love interests is very organic, and I don’t actually like, sit down and plan these things. Which means I don’t have a formula to share. (I am very much just making shit up as I go).

Idk if any of that is helpful, but I hope it is. <333

Please don’t listen to my writing advice lol.

#asks and answers #dodgy advice #pia on writing #pia on characterisation #fae tales #i feel like i've answered a lot of comments and asks in the past #about how characters have opposing views #or skills #that actually marry up really well together #in fanfiction #Jack and Pitch were probably the most obvious ones for this #i can't believe how long this post is #you know other authors could say this in like 10 lines?#amazing #wanderinggods

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mediaeval-muse · 4 years ago

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Academic Book Review

The Professor Is In: The Essential Guide to Turning Your PhD Into a Job. By Karen Kelsky. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2015. Pp. x + 438. $16.

Argument: Each year tens of thousands of students will, after years of hard work and enormous amounts of money, earn their Ph.D. And each year only a small percentage of them will land a job that justifies and rewards their investment. For every comfortably tenured professor or well-paid former academic, there are countless underpaid and overworked adjuncts, and many more who simply give up in frustration. Those who do make it share an important asset that separates them from the pack: they have a plan. They understand exactly what they need to do to set themselves up for success. They know what really moves the needle in academic job searches, how to avoid the all-too-common mistakes that sink so many of their peers, and how to decide when to point their Ph.D. toward other, non-academic options. Karen Kelsky has made it her mission to help readers join the select few who get the most out of their Ph.D. As a former tenured professor and department head who oversaw numerous academic job searches, she knows from experience exactly what gets an academic applicant a job. And as the creator of the popular and widely respected advice site The Professor is In, she has helped countless Ph.D.s turn themselves into stronger applicants and land their dream careers.

***Full review under the cut.***

Chapter Breakdown: This book technically has 63 chapters, so I’m going to briefly describe each major section.

Section 1: Dark Times in the Academy Overviews the decline in tenture-track jobs in higher education, as well as the challenges facing PhDs, from adjucting to the feeling of losing one’s identity.

Section 2: Getting Your Head in the Game A guide to the realities of the academic job market, including what it is, what unspoken rules/assumptions are present, what grad students tend not to understand or habits that make them a poor candidate, institution types and rankings, and how to (generally) build yourself up as a candidate.

Section 3: The Nuts and Bolts of a Competitive Record Covers the importance of building a CV, getting teaching experience, publishing, obtaining grants, cultivating references, and going to conferences. Also contains advice on how to take control of these situations.

Section 4: Job Documents That Work Advice on how to compose cover letters, CVs, teaching statements, evidence of teaching effectiveness, research statements, diversity statements, and dissertation abstracts.

Section 5: Techniques of the Academic Interview Information about interview basics, including what kinds of questions are likely to be asked (and how to respond). Also includes information about conference interviews, campus visits, job talks, teaching demos, talking to deans, etc. Also contains advice on how to handle outrageous questions and what to do after the interview.

Section 6: Navigating the Job Market Minefield Covers topics that could cause additional stress in the job market search, such as inside candidates, unresponsive references, poor campus climate, department politics, pregnancy, finances, etc. Also contains advice on how to dress professionally and cautions against attitudes like narcissism, grandiosity, self-juvenilization, etc.

Section 7: Negotiating an Offer Advice for negotiating job offers, including sections on partner (formerly, “spousal”) hires and rescinded offers.

Section 8: Grants and Postdocs Contains templates for writing grants as well as an overview of how postdoc applications are different from a job application.

Section 9: Some Advice About Advisors Overview of what kinds of advisors are “good” (one that has your best interests in mind) as well as a section on how advisors/departments discuss PhD debt (and what that can tell you about job prospects).

Section 10: Leaving the Cult Advice on leaving academia, including a list of transferable skills. More focused on “giving permission” to leave as opposed to traditional job search advice (like how to write a non-academic cover letter).

Reviewer Comments: Despite the intimidating size of this book, The Professor Is In is probably the most useful text I’ve come across (so far) in terms of career advice for PhDs. It contains practical information about preparing academic job materials, as well as insights into unspoken assumptions about the job search from the perspective of the hiring committee. It also does not hesitate in talking about the dismal state of higher education, and is very clear that the contents of this book (and individual action) can’t fix systemic problems.

The tone of the writing is appropriate for its audience. Kelsky doesn’t attempt to give readers an inspirational pep talk, nor does she ignore the fact that readers may have very real, pressing anxieties about their futures. Instead, she lays out the facts of the job market so that readers can make informed choices about how to proceed. I liked that Kelsky’s prose was so down-to-earth and blunt, not trying to coddle PhDs but also not trying to blame them for things beyond their control. Instead, Kelsky was able to balance “tough love” with true empathy and compassion, which made me not only feel open to reflecting on my own flaws as a PhD job candidate, but also respected as someone with real concerns. For some, the tone might be off-putting, as it does, admittedly, come off as “angry” in many ways, but I honestly prefer that over other books I’ve read that tries to “cutesify” the problems in academia. I also appreciated that Kelsky offered stats and secondary sources to illustrate everything point she made, so her advice felt less anecdotal and more rooted in research. As PhDs, most of us like supporting research, so I may be a bit biased; I just don’t find anecdotes that inspirational.

While this book is aimed at PhDs from various disciplines, the sheer amount of information and practical writing advice made it *actually* useful. As opposed to books which tend to offer general pointers like “tailor your resume,” Kelsky has specific advice, like “email your letter writer and ask for 15-20 minutes of their time” or “here’s an example of a diversity statement as well as a brief analysis of what it does and does not do.” Kelsky clearly lays out not just what candidates *should* be doing, but also *why* they should be doing it, which makes concepts easy to grasp and see the value in.

The only major thing that made this book discouraging to read was the implicit suggestion that if you haven’t been building your academic job profile from the beginning (or even before entering graduate school), you’re basically f*cked. Looking over some of the advice, I couldn’t help but feel like I had missed out on some things and couldn’t rectify them because I’m out of school. Maybe that’s true, maybe it isn’t, but either way, I wanted to see it addressed (or maybe it was and I missed it?). If I can’t get accepted to lead a conference panel in the top conference in my field, what then? What if I apply for tons of grants and don’t get many? What if a journal holds onto my article for 2 years with the promise of publishing it but never moves forward (something that actually happened to me)? What if my dissertation topic is interesting to me, but doesn’t follow popular trends? Am I a bad candidate? Should I give up? Things like that.

Overall, I think this book is one of the most practically useful guides out there, and if you’re a grad student who does not have a supportive job placement program at your institution, this book is invaluable for beginning to understand the realities of the academic job market, as dismal and unfair as it is.

Recommendations: I would recommend this book if

you’re a graduate student or adjunct going on the academic job market

you’re a grad student thinking ahead about how to use your time in graduate school effectively

you’re a PhD thinking about leaving academia

you working in career advising (including positions such as dissertation director or department head)

#book reviews #academic book reviews

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mr-entj · 5 years ago

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Brain-Based Descriptions of the 8 Jungian “Types”

A piece my former professor published on MBTI, cognitive functions, and his study I participated in 10 years ago.

____________________

By Dario Nardi

This is based on the blue “Brain Basics” foldout by Radiance House. (Www.RadianceHouse.com)

In his seminal work, Psychological Types, Dr. C.G. Jung described 2 attitudes (Extraverting and Introverting) and 4 “mental functions”: Sensing, Intuiting, Thinking, and Feeling. Together, they give what he called 8 “Types”. Today, we can use more appropriate terms like functional patterns or cognitive processes. Notice the terms are verbs. His is a process model, not a trait model. Since then, people have offered many variant definitions and created assessments, most of which are peculiar to the creator, speculative, and not research based. In my own work since 2006, I have correlated the Jungian processes to biases and patterns in neocortical (brain) activity using EEG technology. Subjects complete a 1-hour protocol of 20 diverse tasks (meditating, math, memory, etc) while monitored by EEG. And of course, we do our best to confirm their best-fit personality profile using common definitions. Here is an overview of the neocortex and definitions of the 8 cognitive processes.

BRAIN BASICS

Your brain consists of many small modules linked in networks. Each module is a neural circuit that helps you do a task. Some tasks are concrete, such as recognizing faces, hearing voice tone, and moving a hand. Other tasks are abstract, such as evaluating ethics, adjusting to others’ feedback, and mentally rehearsing a future action. There are easily five-dozen modules just in the neocortex, which is the brain’s outermost, thick layer and seat of consciousness. The big figure below is a bird’s eye view of the neocortex. It highlights key modules. We each prefer some modules over others. We differ by the tasks we enjoy and how well we do them. You might take a moment to explore the big figure to identify aspects of yourself.

We enjoy different competencies. For each of us, modules activate with a different degree of stimulus, competence, motivation, and energy level. If we look at the average brain activity of two people over an hour, you may see that their favorite modules are similar, near opposites, or somewhere in between! When different, those people’s personality profile, behaviors, and self-experience differ greatly too. In fact, we can dig deeper to look at underlying brain networks (using computer-aided analysis of EEG data), and confirm the biases are longterm rather than a result of just a 1-hour protocol.

In addition to favorite brain regions and networks, there are whole-brain patterns. For example, the brain can get into a state of “ﬂow” where all modules are in synch. Or it might show a chaotic brainstorm. There are more patterns, and we human beings are pretty diverse. Situations may prompt everyone’s brain differently. Take a moment to reﬂect, when do you get into your “zone”? What is it like when you are at your most creative and productive?

To meet our needs, the brain’s elements work in concert. As an analogy, if a module is a musical instrument, then the brain is a symphony orchestra that affords complex performances. Research suggests eight ways the brain (specifically, the neocortex) works in concert. These eight are highly effective and sustainable, though we necessarily come to rely on some more than others. You will find descriptions of these 8 below.

FOUR EXECUTIVE STYLES

Before we get into details about all 8 cognitive processes, let’s break things down more simply into 4 executive styles.

Two Processing Circuits: To start, there are 2 circuits in the brain to process incoming stimuli. One circuit is faster. It sends sensory data directly to the front of the brain, our executive centers, to quickly act on the data. This is a more extroverted style. A second circuit is slower. It sends sensory data to the back of the brain, to link with memory and information processing centers, to compare, contemplate, and collate the data before moving it on to the executives. This is a more introverted style. There are other ways extroverts and introverts different, such as high versus low gain: Given a certain environment, an extrovert may easily find it too quiet and want to “dial up” the stimuli, whereas an introvert may easily find it too noisy and want to “dial down” the stimuli. Suffice to say, everyone uses both fast and slow circuits, and Jung himself described each person has having 2 functions in awareness, one for extroverting and a second for introverting, to make a well-rounded adult.

Two Executive Centers: We have 2 main executive centers: a “goal-focused” left pre-frontal cortex and an “open-ended” right pre-frontal cortex. Different activities light up these regions. For example, when you make a decision, craft an explanation, or focus to shut out distractions, the left goal-focused executive gets active. Or, when you engage in brainstorming, monitor a process, or reflect on yourself, the right open-ended executive gets active. Very nicely, these two executives correlate well to Jung’s functions. Jung described Thinking and Feeling as “rational” or “judging” functions, which definitionally fit well with our left goal-focused executive. And Jung described Sensing and Intuiting (aka “iNtuiting”) as “a-rational” or “perceiving” functions that definitionally fit well with our right open-ended executive. In his framework, Jung viewed balanced adults as having both kinds of functions, just as all people use both their left and right pre-frontal cortex, and their left and right hands, but invariably with some bias for one over the other.

Now we can bring together Extraverting-Introverting and Left-Right pre-frontal bias to get 4 executive styles:

Expedite Decision-making: Proactively meet goals. Often look sure and conﬁdent. Organize and ﬁx to get positive results soon. (More goal-focused, more extraverting.)

Refine Decision-making: Clarify what’s universal, true or worthwhile. Often look quietly receptive. Trust their own judgments. (More goal-focused, more introverting.)

Energize the Process: Seek out stimuli. Often look random, emergent, and enthusiastic. Attend to the here and now. (More open-ended, more extraverting.)

Monitor the Process: Reﬂect on data and perceptions. Often look focused and preoccupied. Attend to reference points. (More open-ended, more introverting.)

You might take a moment to consider which style is more like you, and more like a spouse, colleague, or boss. Remember these are about habitual biases, not boxes, so feel free RANK the styles 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th rather than pick one.

EIGHT COGNITIVE PROCESSES

We can get more detailed. People’s brains tend to differ in two more ways: people versus thing preference, and abstract versus concrete preference. These are not absolute, simply biases.

For example, there is a module that aids us in identifying stuff in our environment. Some people invest more in identifying lots of people’s faces and emotional expressions, whereas other people invest more in identifying makes and models of cars, computers, or other objects. Of course, everyone does both. But like handedness, where we use both hands, there is bias and have a preferred hand that plays a lead role in many activities like writing.

For as a second example, there is a module that is home to lots of “mirror neurons”. This module tends to get active when we do something concrete like observe and mimic a person’s actions, perhaps to learn a skill. It also can get active when we do get abstract and imagine if we were another creature in a galaxy far far away. Everyone can do both, but we have biases that are likely do due a combination of genetic tendency and habits from culture and physical environment.

There are many other examples. We don’t need to go into them here. Suffice to say, there is evidence to support the kinds of variations and biases that Jung observed among people.

Without further ado, let’s look at the 8 processes. As you explore, keep in mind you likely have preferred one or two from an early age, and may now be reasonably proficient with as many as 5 or 6 as an adult, at least enough to keep up in society, in relationships, and on the job. I have numbered the processes for convenient reference. They do not actually come in any particular order! Each comes with a name like “Active Adapting” and a broad cognitive process such as “Immersing in the present context”. Finally, each comes with a code such as “Se” (meaning extroverted Sensing) that links to Jung’s framework in Psychological Types.

1. Active Adapting (“Se”): Immerse in the present context.

Act quickly and smoothly to handle whatever comes up in the moment. Excited by motion, action, and nature. Adept at physical multitasking with a video game-like mind primed for action. Often in touch with body sensations. Trust your senses and gut instincts. Bored when sitting with a mental/rote task. Good memory for relevant details. Tend to be relaxed, varying things a little and scanning the environment, until an urgent situation or exciting option pops up. Then you quickly get “in the zone” and use your whole mind to handle whatever is happening. Tend to test limits and take risks for big rewards. May be impatient to ﬁnish.

2. Cautious Protecting (“Si”): Stabilize with a predictable standard.

Review and practice to specialize and meet group needs. Constant practice “burns in” how-to knowledge and helps build your storehouse. Specialization helps you reliably ﬁll roles and tasks. Improve when following a role-model or example. Easily track where you are in a task. Often review the past and can relive events as if you are there again. Carefully compare a situation to the customary ways you’ve come to rely. In touch with body sensations. Strong memory for kinship and details. Rely on repetition. Check what’s familiar, comforting, and useful. Tend to stabilize a situation and invest for future security. May over-rely on authority for guidance.

3. Timely Building (“Te”): Measure and construct for progress.

Make decisions objectively based on measures and the evidence before you. Focus on word content, ﬁgures, clock units, and visual data. Find that “facts speak for themselves”. Tend to check whether things are functioning properly. Can usually provide convincing, decisive explanations. Value time, and highly efﬁcient at managing resources. Tend to utilize mental resources only when extra thinking is truly demanded. Otherwise, use what’s at hand for a “good enough” result that works. Easily compartmentalize problems. Like to apply procedures to control events and achieve goals. May display high conﬁdence even when wrong.

4. Skillful Sleuthing (“Ti”): Gain leverage using a framework.

Study a situation from different angles and ﬁt it to a theory, framework, or principle. This often involves reasoning multiple ways to objectively and accurately analyze problems. Rely on complex/subtle logical reasoning. Adept at deductive thinking, deﬁning and categorizing, weighing odds and risks, and/or naming and navigating. Notice points to apply leverage and subtle inﬂuence. Value consistency of thought. Can shut out the senses and “go deep” to think, and separate body from mind to become objective when arguing or analyzing. Tend to backtrack to clarify thoughts and withhold deciding in favor of thorough examination. May quickly stop listening.

5. Friendly Hosting (“Fe”): Nurture trust in giving relationships.

Evaluate and communicate values to build trust and enhance relationships. Like to promote social / interpersonal cohesion. Attend keenly to how others judge you. Quickly adjust your behavior for social harmony. Often rely on a favorite way to reason, with an emphasis on words. Prefer to stay positive, supportive, and optimistic. Empathically respond to others’ needs and feelings, and may take on others’ needs as your own. Need respect and trust. Easily embarrassed. Like using adjectives to convey values. Enjoy hosting. May hold back the true degree of your emotional response about morals/ethics, regarding talk as more effective. May try too hard to please.

6. Quiet Crusading (“Fi”): Stay true to who you really are.

Listen with your whole self to locate and support what’s important. Often evaluate importance along a spectrum from love/like to dislike/hate. Patient and good at listening for identity, values, and what resonates, though may tune out when “done” listening. Value loyalty and belief in oneself and others. Attentive and curious for what is not said. Focus on word choice, voice tone, and facial expressions to detect intent. Check with your conscience before acting. Choose behavior congruent with what’s important, your personal identity, and beliefs. Hard to embarrass. Can respond strongly to speciﬁc, high-value words or false data. May not utilize feedback.

7. Excited Brainstorming ("Ne"): Explore the emerging patterns.

Perceive and play with ideas and relationships. Wonder about patterns of interaction across various situations. Keep up a high-energy mode that helps you notice and engage potential possibilities. Think analogically: Stimuli are springboards to generate inferences, analogies, metaphors, jokes, and more new ideas. Easily guess details. Adept at “what if?” scenarios, mirroring others, and even role-playing. Can shift a situation’s dynamics and trust what emerges. Mental activity tends to feel chaotic, with many highs and lows at once, like an ever-changing “Christmas tree” of ﬂashing lights. Often entertain multiple meanings at once. May ﬁnd it hard to stay on-task.

8. Keen Foreseeing (Ni): Transform with a meta-perspective.

Withdraw from the world and tap your whole mind to receive an insight. Can enter a brief trance to respond to a challenge, foresee the future, or answer a philosophical issue. Avoid specializing and rely instead on timely “ah-ha” moments or a holistic “zen state” to tackle novel tasks, which may look like creative expertise. Manage your own mental processes and stay aware of where you are in an open-ended task. May use an action or symbol to focus. Sensitive to the unknown. Ruminate on ways to improve. Look for synergy. Might try out a realization to transform yourself or how you think. May over-rely on the unconscious.

Further Exploration

You can read more in the following references: “Neuroscience of Personality: Brain-Savvy Insights for All Types of People”, “Our Brains in Color”, and “8 Keys to Self-Leadership”. Or if you prefer a free online 1-hour video, you can find it here:

https://vimeo.com/user40810588/review/143815719/c69a1060ef

Here is an assessment built around the Jungian functions, validated on 3000 people:

http://www.keys2cognition.com/explore.htm

You can find a complete list of references to my neuroscience of personality work here:

https://www.facebook.com/notes/dario-nardi/neuroscience-of-personality-resources/10155730683011216/

#mbti #myers briggs #cognitive functions #intp #infp #intj #infj #entj #enfj #entp #enfp #estj #istj #estp #istp #esfj #isfj #esfp #isfp #te #ti #se #si #ne #ni #fe #fi #mine

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askaceattorney · 5 years ago

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Dear the-one-ace-attorney,

I’d love to, but the thing is, there isn’t very much I can say with confidence about this particular ship. Unlike Phoenix x Maya, which at least has some circumstantial evidence to back it up, Athena x Apollo is mostly just wishful thinking on my part (and the part of many others, I’m sure). So it looks like I’m about to go on a wishful thinking tangent.

Apologies in advance to every non-fan of Justicykes out there.

As we know, the two of them met in Tenma Town during their first case together, in a very unforgettable way:

Ah, good times...

So, one reason I think they make a good pair (even just as friends and coworkers) is the way their conversations usually pan out. Much like with Phoenix and Maya, the more serious attitude of one of them clashes beautifully with the overly excitable personality of the other.

Right from the get-go, Apollo struggles to make sense of Athena and everything she brings to the table -- personality, energy, random foreign expressions, personality, a talking robotic companion...and did I mention her personality? Then, of course, there’s her huge competitive streak.

I’m willing to bet no other lawyer has ever said that on their way to a crime scene.

Their clashing personalities don’t seem to get in the way of them working together, thankfully. In fact, Apollo’s more mature attitude helps to balance out some of her more irrational behavior.

This symbiotic working relationship is the biggest reason I can see the two of them clicking on a more personal level, but there’s at least one other big connection between them: both of them know the pain and injustice of losing someone they love to murder. I don’t claim to be a love guru, but to me, the ability to sympathize -- or at least empathize -- with someone else’s grief is one of the greatest parts of any relationship, especially romantic ones. And on top of that, they both have a special talent for noticing when others attempt to hide their emotions. That has to make for some interesting conversations, I bet.

Then, of course, is the fact that they’re both named after Greek gods. While it’s true that the Apollo and Athena of Greek mythology were never lovers (in fact, they were half-siblings), this does lead me to believe that their destinies (heh heh) were meant to intertwine in a special way. Again, it’s probably just wishful thinking, but yanevaknow.

Of course, as you may know, this ship has plenty of other fans, some of whom happen to be talented artists who decided to portray their version of a Justicykes romance (and kudos to each and every one of them for doing so). I couldn’t possibly name them all, but I’d be remiss to leave out one whose love of the ship rivals even my own. Some of her artwork has shown up a few times here, in fact. I am, of course, referring to Ila, also known as Ticcy. I thought my shipping was hardcore until I looked through the justicykes tag on her blog. *whistle* (Be warned of NSFW material if you decide to explore it yourself.)

But more importantly, her artwork provides some great illustration of why a romance between these two is so easy to imagine. Take this one, for example:

(Source)

It not only illustrates how hilarious their one-on-one conversations could get, but how their relationship would be both a romance and a rivalry -- one in which they often compete to see who can break the other one first. They’d still be lawyers competing to be the pride of the Wright Anything Agency, after all, so it’s easy to imagine them using each other to sharpen their skill at making people spill the truth. Competition of this sort has a way of bringing out the best in people, so I can even imagine Phoenix letting them do it gladly...as long as it didn’t interfere with their work.

(Source)

It wouldn’t do much to interfere with the comedy value of their dialogue, thankfully.

And best of all, they’d be there to congratulate each other after every victory -- especially the ones they managed to pull off together.

(Source)

Also, one thing I absolutely agree with Ticcy on -- lovers or not, these two are a couple of lawyerdorks.

(Source)

Of course, before we go any deeper, it’s probably best to return to reality (or game canon in this case) -- as of right now, Apollo and Athena are on opposite sides of the Atlantic, and aren’t likely to see each other again for a long time. Or, in Athena’s words:

Is this a reason for us Justicykes shippers to be worried or sad? Maybe yes, maybe no, but it does leave us with the promise of foreshadowing. Somewhere down the road, whether it’s in Khura’in, the U.S., or somewhere else, sooner or later, by choice or by coincidence, chances are pretty high that they’ll meet each other again. True, that'll require a new entry in the Ace Attorney series (among other things), but a potential reunion is better than nothing in my book.

One other thing worth mentioning is that Athena seemed to start missing Apollo just moments after they part ways.

Yet again, this might just be wishful thinking, but it could be she misses him in a different way than Phoenix, Trucy, and his friends back home miss him. In the year and month she spent working alongside him, he’d showed her the ropes of being a defense attorney, served as her legal aide with her first court case, and even helped her discover the truth of her past (in a roundabout way, granted, but technicalities). There’s no denying that they’d become close friends by that time, but could it have gone further than that in her mind? I mean, just look at that face!

Is it the separation from a close friend making her feel this way, or did she perhaps leave a part of her heart in Khura’in? Only time will tell. As they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Anyway, those are my thoughts on the would-be mixture of yellow and red, so to speak. Like I said, there isn’t any real evidence to support it, but it’s still a fun, heartwarming idea to explore. Thanks for asking!

-The Co-Mod

#the one ace attorney #Athena Cykes #Apollo Justice #Mod Post #Co Mod #Character Essay #Mod Commentary #That one gave me chills

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lupinusalbus · 5 years ago

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Some of the Many Ways Jon Snow’s Character was Destroyed in Season Eight (My Reading)

So I have been working hard on a longer series about the writing in seasons six, seven and eight, and what the ultimate arc of the characters was perhaps supposed to be. This post is a shorter supplement to the others in order to give a little more background on what just doesn’t make sense in Jon’s character arc.

The Beginning - Bending the Knee

It all began at the end of season seven; I believe most of us can agree that the jumping off point was Jon bending the knee to Dany. When that happened a lot of theories started to emerge about why he did it, and whether he was being disingenuous. This is because he didn’t have to bend the knee since Dany gave Jon her word that they would defeat the Night King together before he actually did so. Regardless of whether Jon was sincere (I personally now think that he mostly was), the reason the theories emerged was that many people had a hard time believing he could so cavalierly give up his crown. As @esther-dot has pointed out, doing that could be interpreted as a kind of treason against the North and the Starks, especially Sansa who supported him in spite of being the one who really came through and made the difference in the Battle of the Bastards. But regardless of whether one thinks Jon was playing the game, this moment seemed to be the start of his character going downhill.

Even though season seven was choppy in execution we did see plenty of skepticism about Dany from Jon. For example, he stood up to her immediately in the throne room at Dragonstone when she demanded that he bend the knee. He looked annoyed on the beach when Dany was raving about taking her dragons to the Red Keep. He advised her against becoming “more of the same” and also stood up to her by reiterating “I am a King” when she told him he didn’t have permission to leave. So I would say that even though there was a lot not to like about season 7, there really was not too obvious of a departure from Jon’s character until he bent the knee. As @esther-dot and others have said, taken at face value, bending the knee is pretty much inexplicable and indefensible from someone who had just been crowned King. Also, we didn’t really see any evidence that Jon didn’t want it, as he later claimed. The scene where he was crowned was a triumphant one for all involved with the exception of Littlefinger.

Jon’s Love for Dany Regardless of how “Real” it Was Went on Way Too Long

Jon’s love for Dany is problematic for many reasons. Personally, I now tend to believe the show was genuinely attempting to portray Jon as being in love with Dany from the time of his bending the knee onwards. My hypothesis is that he fell for her after seeing her come to the rescue during the (dumb) Wight Hunt. Her heroics, combined with the things he had been hearing from her devotees on Dragonstone, plus her infatuation with him put him over the edge. It all happened against the highly charged background of the deep threats facing them from all sides. Was it convincingly portrayed? Not really. The scene where he bends the knee itself was well handled, but up until that point there was very little chemistry demonstrated between the two, which is a (good) reason so many doubted.

At any rate, we may be able to accept that Jon fell in love with Dany or fell under her spell in some sense for the reasons stated above and also because Jon received very little of the negative information about Dany that Tyrion editorialized about in the last episode of season eight, when it was already too late.

But the most problematic aspect of Jon’s “love” for Dany was how long it continued. We did see them have a romantic and lighthearted Dragon Ride (the significance of which for Jon being a Targaryen was completely glossed over), and this was really the only non-conflicted “love” scene they ever shared. Many negative things happened in the first couple of episodes as well, such as Dany hinting that Sansa had to be forced to fall into line, her lack of remorse or empathy for Sam around the killing of the Tarleys and most of all, her gut reaction to Jon’s admission about his real name. None of these clues, coupled with his family’s or best friend’s apprehension seemed to have any effect on Jon at all. We can all agree that this is out of character for someone who had always shown a good conscience and would stand up for what was right even at personal cost to himself.

In the face of Dany’s selfish reaction to Jon’s true lineage and the growing likelihood that she was going to decimate a population of civilians (”Let it be Fear”), Jon said that he loved her and continued down a path of obedience and fealty.

Jon was Ineffectual and Clueless in his Reaction to his lover Dany’s Downward Spiral

Although Jon was perhaps never overly confident around women, he was a decisive character. Just a few examples: going to kill Mance Rayder, mercy killing Mance Rayder in front of Stannis, beheading Janos Slynt, bringing the Wildlings South, hanging his assassins. All of these things were done for good reasons, even though he may have hated doing some of them. He was also a sympathetic character who could read the emotions of others. But when faced with Dany’s growing paranoia and emotional disintegration, at least partly because of Jon himself, he seems unable to do anything at all about it. We don’t see him initiating any kind of discussion with Dany on why he is conflicted about their intimate relationship, even when she hints that she will now rule by fear. He says nothing to her about their shared heritage and what his real name means to him. While thousands of lives hang in the balance, he is so tongue tied that he can only say “I love you”, and doesn’t even attempt to talk Dany out of her darkness, which would have been the smart thing to do. What he does is go along with her plans to attack King’s Landing and gets angry at Varys after the latter explains his reservations about Dany. Would Jon Snow really be this dim? Which leads me to...

Our Hero Indirectly Participated in a Massacre and Didn’t seem to Ever really get Why it was Wrong

After seeing Dany burn a dissentor alive and give strong hints about ruling by fear (violence), Jon, a legitimate claimant to the Throne, does not question Dany in any way but helps her to attack King’s Landing. During the attack in which he witnesses “Little Children Burned” and other atrocities, he does appear to wake up to the horror of what is going on. But in the very next episode, we see him justifying Dany’s actions to Tyrion and generally behaving like a mindless sycophant. This is the same character who always protected the innocent regardless of the cost to himself. WTF!

The real reason that Jon kills Dany appears to be because of a threat to the Starks. Although this is a good reason, would this really be the deciding factor of the heroic Jon Snow that we saw in season 1-7? In his very last scene with Tyrion, Jon seems to be questioning whether he did the right thing. Really?

What happened to this guy? (HBO)

#jon snow #daenerys targaryen #got season 8 #bad writing got #wtf d&d

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mooksie01 · 5 years ago

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Virgil and Logan

First of all, major spoilers for the new video, so proceed with caution! tl;dr at the end ‘cause this got long.

So it finally happened in this video. What we’ve all been suspecting for the longest time was properly confirmed: Virgil used to be a part of the group that we refer to as the “dark sides.”

Of course, with that confirmation also came some pretty conclusive evidence to the other theory that each “light side” has an opposite—in the form of Roman and Remus (lovely play on Romulus and Remus, by the way). Naturally, that means that the second the video dropped, there was immediately a ton of speculation about who Virgil’s “light side” is, as well as to who Logan’s “dark side” is, with a popular theory beginning to quickly emerge with the conclusion that Virgil is Logan’s “dark side.”

Now, I will admit that this theory is compelling for a number of reasons, one of my personal favorites being that Virgil is very grounded in logic, but a form of logic twisted both to fit his own goals and to, unfortunately, cater to and intensify his own fears. On top of that, both Virgil and Logan have shown protective streaks throughout the series. However, I really don’t think this theory is quite hitting the nail on the head...

For one thing, based upon the Rainbow Theory, which, again, received greatly conclusive evidence with Remus’ color being green, there still remains one “dark side,” Orange, and I think that whoever that is will be Logan’s actual “dark side.” I have a few reasons for thinking this:

Logan has never displayed any sort of true annoyance / fear / affectedness toward any of the “dark sides” we have encountered thus far. He has, without fail, always been able to rationalize poor behavior, whether it be from Deceit, Remus, or, yes, even Virgil. If Virgil were actually Logan’s “dark side,” one would think that Logan would be more affected by him, but he’s not. Logan has not yet been daunted by any of the “dark sides,” and has, in fact, been a vital tool in shooting down all three of them--Deceit in his first appearance in “Can Lying Be Good?,” Remus in “Dealing with INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS,” and, finally, Virgil in “My NEGATIVE Thinking.” I believe that we will finally meet someone who can actually shake Logan to his core in the form of Orange, whenever that character makes his appearance. As of right now, Logan has been the guiding force through the “dark sides”; it’s why Deceit firmly sidelined him last episode--because he’s a threat. If Logan has a “dark side,” it needs to be someone who will put him off his game so completely that the others are forced to fight him without Logan’s aid, using the lessons that Logan has taught them (as a side-note, it is my theory that this is what will finally bring us to Logan’s room).

Speaking of the others--or, more specifically, “the others,” I find it rather interesting that Virgil refuses the term “dark sides.” He used to be one of them, but even with that experience, he obviously doesn’t believe that that title is fitting. Every single time that the word has been brought up or that Virgil has referred to those sides, he either seems uncomfortable with the title or outright refuses it. In its first appearance, which comes from Roman in "Can Lying Be Good?”, Virgil winces at its use--now, obviously this could be because he was one and that term stings a little, and that’s likely a contributing factor, but with other evidence, that just doesn’t seem fully right. In the last episode, Virgil refers to them as Deceit and “his friends.” Multiple times, he’s called them simply: “The Others,” including within this episode when, in a display that I think makes my whole point, Thomas specifically calls them the “dark sides” to Virgil’s face, only for him to immediately respond with this alternative title. This leads me to the crux of my theory:

I think we, and all of the “light sides” minus Virgil, as well as Character-Thomas have been going about this the wrong way. Thinking of the sides as “light” and “dark” may be doing more harm than good. Logan said himself in this episode that Patton/Thomas think of things in terms that are far too “black and white,” with Roman being a major contributing factor to this. Who named the “dark sides”? Roman. While I do think that some of the sides are rather opposed to one another, they are also necessary to complement each other and make Thomas into a full person--and when I say complement, I mean that quite literally. Roman and Remus are literally cut from the same cloth. They were, presumably, one full side originally before the divide that produced two Creativities. I will concede that “light sides” and “dark sides” are convenient shorthand terms, yes, but the idea of such diametrically opposed sides ignores the areas of Character-Thomas’ personality that are morally gray (honestly, Deceit is the best example of this) and forces us and the characters within the narrative to put the sides into boxes that they don’t necessarily fit in. I don’t approve of Remus’ viewpoints or many of Deceit’s, but I also acknowledge that they may have things to bring to the table--or, at least, Deceit does. And if we add on the fact that Virgil was a “dark side,” or rather, an “Other,” then that’s just full confirmation that things in Character-Thomas’ head can’t be evenly divided into “Light” and “Dark,” something which is only further backed by the Rainbow Theory--there can only be seven sides if that theory is correct. There isn’t room for each and every character to have an opposing character--a “dark” to their “light” or vice-versa--and if I were placing my bets on which character won’t, I’m going to have to go with Virgil.

Virgil’s mere existence and his very proven capacity for both good and evil is an immediate point against the dichotomy implied by the idea of “dark sides” and “light sides.” A side so neutral cannot exist within that dichotomy, and it is clear that Virgil knows this and, in fact, disputes that dichotomy through his insistence on refusing to use the term “dark sides.” At the end of the day, Virgil proves that the “dark sides” are not evil by nature--they have a very real capacity to do good for Thomas if they only decide to, and, more importantly, decide to do it with the cooperation and help of the other sides. Virgil’s redemption arc came as a result of his long-term interactions with the “light sides,” and it was through their support that he began to work with Thomas instead of against him. What is important about the current “dark sides,” Remus and Deceit, is that they refuse to work with the other sides, or even, really, with Thomas. In their current states, they aren’t good for Thomas because they aren’t working with him, in a different meaning of the word for each. Deceit believes that he is the only one who knows best for Thomas (a trait which Logan also occasionally exhibits, and which becomes a problem when it makes itself known), and it is because of this belief that he will not ever be a “light side” if he continues to refuse to change his ways--because Deceit, much like Virgil in the beginning of his character arc, cannot do good--or, in this case protect Thomas--without balance from others. A point has been made in the series that too much of a good thing is bad, and while I don’t personally believe that Deceit is a fully good thing, I don’t actually think lying is always bad, either. What makes Deceit, the character, a bad thing is his refusal to find his balance and to see that just because he advocates for something, that does not automatically make that something good. Remus, on the other hand, is in the unique situation with Roman of neither of them being a full, actualized side. By themselves, they are each only halves of a full Creativity who separated due to repression. The reason that Roman and Remus are so diametrically opposed as to make them the only true representations of the ideas of “light” and “dark” sides is because they are disallowed balance by their very natures as separated sides. Balance, and therefore, goodness and helpfulness toward Thomas, is impossible for Remus, in particular, out of the two of them, because while, in the separation, Roman was given the liberty of good creativity, even with its idealistic drawbacks, Remus was left only with the bad creativity--the thoughts that could never be helpful or necessary in, as Virgil says, the mind of a “stable” person. It is because of this that, although I do think Deceit has the capacity for good, I don’t think Remus does, and, vice-versa, I don’t think Roman has a full capacity for intentional wrongdoing--because neither is a full side. They are the only actual, indisputable justification for the use of the “light” and “dark” terms, which, again, were notably coined by Roman, who would naturally gravitate toward these terms as a half of a whole. All of this is to say that, I don’t believe there is any possible way for Virgil to have a “light” side, and thus, for him to be Logan’s “dark” side, because I don’t believe that those concepts work. Indeed, although Virgil may once have worked with “The Others,” he was never a “dark side” because “dark sides” don’t exist--just sides neglecting or unable to achieve balance within Thomas.

In conclusion, because this has become far too long, I don’t know how much stock I’m willing to put in the concepts of “dark sides” and “light sides”--I don’t think the lines are so definite in any case except for Remus’ and Roman’s due to neither being a full side (which leaves lovely room for Roman angst, by the way, my dudes). Because of this, I don’t think that Virgil is Logan’s “dark side”. It’s a fun theory, yes, but I can’t bring myself to believe in it. I do think we’ll meet Logan’s opposition eventually, but I don’t think things are so cut-and-dry as “light” and “dark,” especially for Virgil, who not only disproves the whole thing merely by existing as a character, but who also has shown himself to be extremely threatened by both of the other “dark sides,” rather than by any “light side” opposition of his. Whereas Patton is clearly disturbed by Deceit, his opposition, and Roman is outright taken out of the picture by Remus, Logan has not yet been daunted by either, and Virgil has been intimidated by both. Virgil’s real “opposition” in this whole thing, in a way, is himself, and, more specifically his past, which he is scared to death of hurting Thomas with, just as he puts unbearable pressure upon himself to protect Thomas from that past. Meanwhile, I see no possible way that Virgil could be Logan’s opposition, because they have never held that attitude toward each other in the way that Deceit-and-Patton and Remus-and-Roman do. Even in their worst argument--”My Negative Thinking”--they ended the video by complimenting one another, and Logan, notably, by going so far as to reassure Virgil. I think that the whole concept of “light sides” and “dark sides” comes down to balance, or a lack thereof, and I don’t think that Logan and Virgil can possibly be on opposing ends of any kind of spectrum because they provide that balance for each other rather than constantly fighting for an upper-hand in pursuit of their own goals, as the other opposed pairs do. So yeah. That’s just my theory. A Sanders Sides theory.

TL;DR - The theory that Virgil is actually Logan’s “dark side” has been floating around since the release of the new video, but, for a number of reasons, I’m convinced that this isn’t the case, and, in fact, put very little stock in the truth behind the concepts of “light” and “dark” sides to begin with, for other reasons.

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streamacademe · 5 years ago

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Week 110, Day 765.

It has been a manic week, hence the delay in my blog post. My trip to Scotland was totally worth it as I finally managed to collect more service reservoir material, which is now on its way to the US to undergo a variety of analyses in a weeks time or so! I spent approximately 60% of the weekend sleeping, which I’m super grateful to myself for as the last three days I have been doing lab work, data analysis, sample shipment arrangement, preparing for my trip to the US, and answering questions as a panellist on a Chinese online community network called ScienceNet. The latter involved myself and five other volunteers answering questions from whoever wanted to write in (mostly undergraduate and graduate students) on research career related topics. I thought that it would be useful to share the questions I was asked (in bold) and my answers (in italics) on here. I have had some brilliant and heart-warming feedback from ScienceNet, so I hope you also find them useful.

Q1. Do you think female PhD students face different stressors as compared to their male counterparts?

I think that both male and female PhD students face the same stressors in terms of workload. However, I also think that female PhD students face EXTRA stressors. These include sexism in the workplace, which unfortunately still exists, and especially sexism if your PhD involves manual labour. For example, as an engineer, I have a lot of fieldwork with contractors and I am usually treated differently as a woman in that the men on site tend to think of me as someone more fragile and in need of assistance. It can be very frustrating. I have also been in situations where there are no female bathrooms at some of the sites I’ve visited, for example at water treatment works. It is also more difficult for women to get the appropriate protective wear e.g. hard hats, high visibility jackets, steel toecap boots etc. in their size.

I also believe that women are expected to dress well and look nice at all times and especially at work related events. There is a lot less pressure on men to do this. Furthermore, it is not taken into consideration how hard work can be for a woman when she is on her period, especially for those who suffer from conditions such as endometriosis. I think that the world is changing for the better in terms of gender equality. However, we are not there yet and so it is very important to always tell someone if you feel like you are being treated unfairly and express your concerns to a staff member you trust or a student support officer. Just don’t suffer in silence.

Q2. As a PhD student, how did you manage to balance your study and personal life?

This can be very hard to do, and even if you do find a balance, it is difficult and unrealistic to maintain it at all times. However, one of the biggest lessons I quickly learned is how important self-care is. A PhD requires a lot of brainwork and can be really damaging on you mental and physical health if you push yourself too hard, which in turn will negatively affect the quality of your work. If you practice self-care, a balance between your personal and work life will naturally follow. Therefore, here are some of the ways in which I personally do this:

Spend time with animals and in nature - Honestly, if I had to choose just one bit of advice, it would be this. Animals are the definition of joy, and being in nature always reminds me how beautiful the world can be.

Sleep - Getting enough sleep makes my anxiety more manageable, my mood better, and means I have more energy to deal with what life has to throw at me. Don’t listen to how much sleep you “should” have, instead listen to your body and work with it. Personally, I aim for at least 8 hours a night.

Routine - Something that can be tough to do because a lot of PhDs do not follow a specific schedule, but trying my best to stick to a routine makes me feel calm and prepared for what’s ahead. It also means that when it comes to taking rest days, I can take full use of them.

Read - I use books as a form of escape from reality, typically reading either before bed or in the morning before work. It helps take my mind off the stresses that clutter my brain.

Exercise, eat healthy, and drink plenty of water - I know you’ve heard it all before, but here it is again. It works.

Focus on genuine priorities - Procrastination/dedicating your time to non-essential tasks are your no.1 enemies. PhD’s are extremely unpredictable and you have to try and be ahead of the game or you risk falling too far behind. So make sure you know exactly what your priorities are and treat them as such.

You have to learn to say ‘no’ - This will probably be something you’re not used to or are comfortable doing, but I have learned from personal experience that this is literally the most important thing when it comes to looking after yourself and avoiding burnout.

Remember that your PhD is your work not your life - As hard as that may be.

Q3. The PhD program in China usually lasts four years (but many students spend longer than this to get their degree). Is the situation different from this in Western countries? Do you have any advice for PhD students on what career choices they should make when they’re no longer “young” upon graduation?

The situation is different in the UK, but very similar in the US. In the UK, a PhD usually lasts 3 years, but a student may complete it (with or without funding) in 3.5 years. Sometimes, there are exceptions, for example, some PhD’s can be completed in 5 years, but this is VERY rare, with funding usually capped at the latest at 4 years. Career choices are very personal, so I cannot advise on that. I will however say that age is not a reflection of ones abilities. I think the biggest decision that a PhD student needs to make early on is whether they want to stay in academia or go into industry. This will change the trajectory of their PhD, for example, if they don’t want to stay in academia, there is less pressure to publish papers etc. but a higher requirement to have some work experience in industry.

Q4. What if my research topic diverges from my supervisor?

This shouldn’t happen as your supervisor is on that project because the topic of your PhD is what they specialise in. However, differences can arise in how research questions are approached e.g., your supervisor may feel you should do one type of experiment and you may disagree. To overcome this, talk to your supervisor about your concerns and provide evidence to back up your points.

Q5. Is it a big burden for PhD students in the United States to afford the tuition? I’ve heard that supervisors may pay part of the tuition or even daily expenses. Is that true?

I am not personally from the US, but do know a little bit about how their system works. Usually a PhD supervisor covers tuition costs, which are approximately $15,000 per year. The student is also provided with a stipend to live on, which is between $22,000 - $30,000 (for the duration of the PhD) depending on the institution. Some PhDs are self-funded, but most follow the structure mentioned above. A lot of PhD students will pick up tuition style work to earn some extra cash.

Q6. When doing a PhD is western countries, do you have any suggestions for choosing schools and supervisors? Any advice on something we should be careful with when contacting supervisors for the first time? Are there any qualities and traits of candidates that supervisors may prefer?

I would choose a university that specialises in your field and is ranked in the top 100 universities for that country. For me, as I do a research based PhD, it was important that my chosen university was part of a Russel Group.

It is hard to predict what a potential supervisor will be like, but it may be helpful to contact some of the students that are already supervised by that person to get an idea of what it is like to work with them. It is also helpful to read some of their published work.

When contacting supervisors for the first time make sure that you have very good grammar and keep your email/letter short as they are very busy people and are unlikely to read long pieces of text.

A supervisor needs to know that you can handle yourself in difficult situations, are reliable, punctual, hardworking, and in some way unique. You also have to show how passionate you are about the research you want to do and why.

Q7. What factors need to be taken into consideration when choosing your destination countries to do a PhD?

It is difficult for me to answer this question as I stayed in my home country for my PhD, but I guess it depends on how far you are willing to step outside of your comfort zone. It is very easy to feel isolated in a new country, especially if you do not know the language of that country well. If having a community of people from your home country is important to you, make sure you research this before choosing where you want to go.

Q8. If my goal is to publish papers in top journals and get real world experience, do you have any tips for me on choosing supervisors?

At the end of the day, you will be the one writing your research paper, so I do not think your choice of supervisor is too important here. It helps if your supervisor has published plenty of papers in respected journals, but it is more important that your supervisor can find the time to review your work and advise you on how to improve, rather than being super famous.

Q9. Any suggestions on improving the efficiency of your research?

To do lists and GANTT charts are lifesavers – On difficult days, refer to these to reorient yourself and stay on track. Make sure they are always up to date, kept neat, and, most importantly, realistic.

Find a balance between feeling terrified and apathetic, and stupid and self-assured - PhD’s are terrifying, which I appreciate can be exhausting and can lead to feeling apathetic. However, apathy is both a blessing and a curse. It may make you feel calmer and more able, but it will not motivate you to try harder and do better. The same applies for feeling self-assured; yes, you are clearly clever for getting this far and you should acknowledge and celebrate that, but feeling stupid pushes us to seek knowledge, which is what science is all about.

Rely on your supervisors for help - THIS IS SO IMPORTANT. You DO NOT have to do everything alone. Ask questions, talk to them about your problems, and seek their advice. If they make you feel inferior, uncomfortable, stupid, or make themselves unavailable to you, contact your student support office/r, because a supervisor should NEVER do that. Furthermore, don’t be afraid to voice your opinions and stand your ground with your superiors, they are only human, just like you, and if you feel like they are misguiding or misunderstanding you, tell them. This is your PhD, not anybody else’s.

Q10. I’ve heard that the PhD tuition is very expensive in western countries. Is it common that PhD students do part-time jobs to make ends meet?

I can only speak for the UK, and in the UK, this is not true. Yes, tuition costs are high but these are typically covered by a scholarship or something alike. PhD students are paid enough to live relatively comfortably. However, most PhD students will pick up some extra work within the university e.g. tuition to get some bonus cash; this is personal preference. It also depends on the location of your university, for example, studying and living in London is much more expensive than some other places in the UK.

Q11. Do all universities in the US cover tuition? How can I find out these details? What happens if I don't get university funding? Are there other options for me?

I am not from the US, so I cannot say for sure, but I do know a little bit about how their system works in general. Usually a PhD supervisor covers tuition costs, which are approximately $15,000 per year. The student is also provided with a stipend to live on, which is between $22,000 - $30,000 depending on the institution. Some PhDs are self-funded, but most follow the structure mentioned above.

To find out exact details for your university of interest, contact the university directly. I do not know about alternative options other than there may be some scholarships that you can apply for, but these are usually highly competitive.

Q12. Can you please evaluate the influence of your senior fellow students on you during your doctoral study?

It has been helpful to see senior fellow students progress through their PhDs and share their experiences and the lessons they have learned. They also tend to be more clued up on the way things work at your institution etc., which is helpful. However, because PhDs are so unique and every students approach to their PhD is different, it is very hard to be influenced much by others doing something completely different.

Q13. What was the difference between the focus/weightage on dissertations and papers when you did your PhD?

You do not do dissertations as a PhD student in the UK, just your thesis. However, there are two main types of thesis style, you can do either a classic thesis or thesis by papers, if it is the latter then you have to write and publish a lot more papers than the former.

Q14. If you could go back to when you started your PhD, what advice would you give yourself?

Do little things before they become too hard.

Write as much as you can as early as you can.

Focus on genuine priorities.

Practice self-care.

Q15. How should one deal with the relationship with one’s supervisors? Do PhD students in your country have a specific way of managing this relationship?

Supervisors are only human, just like you, and so they can be very different people. Some prefer a stricter, professional relationship, but from my experience, most are happy to go out for coffee with you and have a less formal rapport.

Your supervisor will be your no.1 support system throughout your PhD, so learn what they are like, find common ground, and do not be afraid to have a professional friendship with them. Your supervisor is there to help carry you through the tough phases, make sure they like you.

However, remember, if they make you feel inferior, uncomfortable, stupid, or make themselves unavailable to you, contact your student support office/r, because a supervisor should NEVER do that.

Q16. Would you let your children do a PhD in the future? Especially if they are girls?

I would let my children follow whatever career path they wanted to choose and I see absolutely no reason why women (not girls) should be advised against doing a PhD.

Q17. Why do so many postgraduate students’ superiors want them to go onto do a PhD?

I do not know if this is necessarily true in the UK. A student is only advised to do a PhD if their lecturers/supervisors/senior researchers believe that they have great potential to complete a PhD, especially if they supervised them during a Masters research project. However, in the UK students are not pushed to do something they are not interested in doing.

Q18. In China, PhD students are required to publish SCI papers before graduation. Is it the same situation in your country? Or do you have any other requirements?

No, you do not have to publish SCI papers before graduation in the UK, although it is preferable if you can. There are no other requirements of this kind that I am aware of.

Q19. I did a Master of Arts degree in China, and then studied English in the US for a year. I want to do a PhD abroad in the future, but haven't figured out what to study. Would it be possible for you to give me some advice on this matter?

Only choose a discipline that you know you are passionate about as PhD’s are tough and it is easy to lose love for your project. Also think about what you’re good at, for example, I like physics, but I would struggle to do a PhD in that discipline. Aside from that, I cannot advise as choosing a career is very personal.

Q20. What would you consider as “hot” subject areas for PhD programs in your country? (please specify country)

There is no such thing really in the UK. I guess any of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) degrees are quite popular, and medicine.

Q21. I find that I always end up procrastinating while doing research. What should I do? Are there any good suggestions for improvement? I feel that the pressure is immense.

Trust me; everybody struggles with procrastination in one way or another. However, my best bit of advice is to treat your research like a job, which to be honest, it is. You wouldn’t procrastinate at work, would you?

Furthermore, try your best to separate work and social life. For instance, I try hard not to not work on weekends because that way I feel refreshed and motivated to get back to work on Monday.

You can also create a reward system for yourself, for example, if you work 8 hours a day Monday-Friday you can buy yourself a small present, or if you finish an essay, you can treat yourself to an extra day off, that sort of thing.

I appreciate that the pressure of doing research is really high, but the more you delay a task and the more you procrastinate, the worse it will get.

Q22. If there is an academic dispute with the supervisor or if the supervisor is not happy with the student’s working progress, does the supervisor have the right to suspend the student’s living expenses or send him/her home?

Absolutely not. If your supervisor makes you feel inferior, uncomfortable, stupid, or makes themselves unavailable to you, contact your student support office/r, because a supervisor should NEVER do that. The only time you can be suspended from your PhD is if you fail to meet certain requirements set by the University itself, NOT the supervisor.

Q23. When applying to a PhD program, would you prefer a university with a good reputation, e.g. ranking 200-500 globally, or would you consider the supervisors’ experience and research in the industry as more important?

I would consider the research topic as a priority, because it is very easy to lose passion for your PhD and want to quit when things get tough, but if you believe in the value of the research that you’re doing, it is easier to get through those difficult periods.

Following this, I would consider the University, simply because it is a lot easier to find out what the reputation of an institution is like, compared to a specific supervisor. Furthermore, supervisors may change throughout the course of your PhD.

Q24. I don't know why my supervisor keeps persuading me to study for a PhD degree. I personally prefer to start working after finishing my Master's degree. Should I refuse my supervisor even though he is insisting?

You should definitely refuse to do a PhD if it is not something that you want to do.

Q25. What do you think is the most important quality you need for being a PhD?

There are many. However, if I had to choose one, you have to be excellent at self-motivation and time-management.

Q26. When the research topic is finalized, how to design the research?

Read literature from the field of study, converse with your supervisors, and just start. There is never a perfect plan for how to do research, it is all about trial and error.

Q27. PHD students are invited to dinner by their tutors in China. It's said that in foreign countries, they usually go dutch between PhD students and tutors in such a situation. And that graduate students have to attend a tutor's dinner at their own expense. Is that so?

No, this is not the case in the UK. Here, supervisors or your project budget should cover the costs of such meals/events.

Q28. Is it true that PhD students must follow the supervisor’s instruction exactly? If the process does not work out well, the supervisor can suspend the student’s scholarship?

Absolutely not. If your supervisor makes you feel inferior, uncomfortable, stupid, or makes themselves unavailable to you, contact your student support office/r, because a supervisor should NEVER do that. Furthermore, don’t be afraid to voice your opinions and stand your ground with your superiors, they are only human, just like you, and if you feel like they are misguiding or misunderstanding you, tell them. This is your PhD, not anybody else’s.

The only time a student can be suspended from their PhD is if they fail to meet certain requirements set by the University itself, NOT the supervisor.

Q29. I am doing doctoral joint training in the UK, and I plan to return to China next year after graduation. What do you think would be a better choice? Hunting for a job after I get the PhD or the continuation of overseas postgraduates studies?

Unfortunately, I cannot answer this question as the choice of any future career decisions should be your own.

Q30. For subjects like branding, public relations, is it necessary to study for a PhD degree in foreign countries?

As someone whose career is not related to any of these fields, I cannot answer this question. Your best bet is to contact companies/institutions in this field directly.

That is all for this week folks! Have a spooktacular Halloween! 👻

Photo: You’re welcome. Source: Pinterest.

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paytonsportfolio · 5 years ago

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Physical Literacy’s Well-Being

Physical literacy is a growing topic all over the world. With the increasing rates of obesity, our society is finally realizing the lack of physical activity that is applied into the average human’s everyday life. Although they may not realize it, physical literacy starts to become a familiar topic with humans by the time they are in elementary school. Many students disregard the importance of physical literacy while they are in PE (Physical Education) class. They don’t reflect on what they have done during class and use it throughout their life. In fact, most students don’t enjoy PE at all; however, is physical literacy really implemented into education systems as much as they should be?

Physical literacy is beyond the basic idea of reading, writing, and speaking. There are many different definitions of physical literacy, but they all have the same concept. According to Roetert and MacDonald, Margaret Whitehead, a professor of Public Health at the University of Liverpool, “described physical literacy as the ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, respond effectively and communicate, using the embodied human dimension, within a wide-range of situations and contexts.” Articles one and three also refer to Whitehead. In the first article, “Physical literacy in the field of physical education – A challenge and a possibility,” Lundvall mentions Whitehead’s first definition of physical literacy discusses the idea of “physical performance aspects of movement that enable a particular goal to be achieved, or elements of movement that need attention” (114). Part of physical literacy is understanding that your body has limits and acknowledging those limits. Physical Literacy helps humans, not just athletes, recognize their body’s boundaries. As you get older, your body starts to not work as well. Everyday activities, like walking up and down stairs, can become difficult, so it is very crucial to know your body’s limits.

According to Lundvall’s “Physical literacy in the field of physical education – A challenge and a possibility,” in 2010, Whitehead modified her definition of physical literacy to the idea of acknowledging the importance of being physically active for the duration of your life, being motivated to be physically active and having confidence in what you’re doing. The authors from the third article, “Construction and Validation of a Perceived Physical Literacy Instrument for Physical Education Teachers,” discuss a similar interpretation of physical literacy by Whitehead, including the concept of being confident with and motivated about physical literacy.

Due to the drastic changes in our world’s society over the past few decades, physical literacy is becoming a hot topic. These changes are influencing children and teenagers to have a lack of physical activity, causing them to develop lazy tendencies. These bad habits are what starts obesity. Canada is a country that is very knowledgeable about physical literacy. Currently, Canada is experiencing high rates of obesity and physical inactivity. To help prevent these problems from getting any worse, they use physical literacy to motivate people to engage in physical activity, like sports and recreation, and they want their community to understand the poor conditions of their health.

Lundvall conducted an experiment, researching many scholarly articles about “’physical literacy’ and ‘physical literacy and evidence”’ (114). Her main focus was on physical literacy’s research-based aspect and to discover themes that correlate with (physical education). After searching for articles, Lundvall narrowed down her search for publications for years recently published. The articles from the mid 2000s to 2015 clearly focused on physical literacy. Lundvall discovered three significant themes within these articles: the “assumptions of physical literacy and its educational role, sports development and physical literacy, and assessment and physical literacy” (114).

The first theme that Lundvall found throughout various scholarly articles connects to the idea that in the past, physical education has not been very unified. Also, the curriculum of physical education across the world’s schooling systems are all very different. Articles with this theme report how physical literacy influences the development of the human body. Many articles refer to sociological theories. Other authors “(demonstrate) how physical literacy is part of the PE discourse” (115). This idea is related to James Gee’s article, “What Is Literacy,” which explains discourse. Discourse is a socially acceptable connection or relationship with how people, talk, act, and think that's used to indicate someone as a member of a certain social group. Physical Education teachers live and teach by the means of physical literacy. They want students to be confident and motivated to be physically active. PE teachers want their students to develop the fundamentals movements of physical literacy and beyond. Lundvall believes that physical literacy isn’t just about the fundamentals. She uses the idea of building blocks. Once you learn a basic, fundamental movement, you can learn to execute more difficult movements; for example, you can learn to do jumping jacks or ride a bike. These things require you to have balance and move specific body parts a certain way. Lundvall also argues that physical literacy focuses on individual skills; however, you must look at it with a broad view. That single skill can be utilized with other movements or everyday duties. Lundvall also describes that being motivated is an essential component of the “building blocks of physical literacy” (115). When you are no longer motivated, your self-esteem goes down, along with your self-respect.

There’s always a fond memory of middle school PE class playing dodgeball or wiffleball. It is very common for middle school PE classes to engage in sport games. Teachers implement these games into their classes to hopefully interest their students into playing sports for the rest of their schooling. The physical education curriculum that these middle school students were previously taught in elementary school will influence them to play sports. Playing sports will give students the opportunity to be physically active outside of the classroom, boost self-esteem, confidence, and will generally lead them to a healthier lifestyle. Although physical literacy has a great influence on whether or not a student will participate in sports, it is not the main objective of physical literacy. When people think of sports, they think about competing; however, according to Lundvall, physical literacy is focused on the “personal development and realization of individuals” (115). Don’t focus on the sport aspect of physical literacy. Teachers are to integrate the fundamental movements that the students have been learning throughout their PE course into games and activities that children enjoy. It’s not about creating the ultimate athlete. The concept of physical literacy thinks less about winning and thinks more about the overall wellbeing of a person’s health and activity.

It has been made very clear throughout all the articles that the main goal of physical education is understanding and practicing physical literacy. In our current society, it is no longer justifiable to categorize and label human beings. This concept goes for physical education as well. Lundvall believes that physical education teachers should stop assessing students “based on how fast, high, or stong a student’s performance is” (116). As stated by the authors of the third article, “physical education is about encouraging every child and young person to become a lifelong participant in physical activity and supporting every child and young person on their physical literacy journey” (3). Categorizing people on how they physically perform in PE class is exactly what lowers students’ confidence. PE teachers must think back to the idea physical literacy focusing on the development of a child and not how well or poor they perform.

Similar to categorizing students, PE educators tend to categorize certain activities that have things in common. Roetert and MacDonald want to steer away from these groupings. They believe that some of these activities shouldn’t be tied down to one group. This could cause students to stay in one grouping of activities and not take action in the others. This will not broaden their perspective and familiarity of physical literacy. They will lack flexibility and feel constricted to one movement. Once students engage in more than one grouping of activities, they will become adaptable and have a diverse experience with PE.

Teaching children the concepts of physical literacy in a way that they enjoy is a start to a healthy life. The goal of PE is to educate and familiarize students with physical literacy, with the hopes of students taking the physical activity and engage in it, in some way, for the rest of their lives. Having a good relationship with physical literacy can help you have an even better relationship with your body. It is well known that the obesity rates in humans all over the world are very high. Being familiar with physical literacy can prevent that. Developing a positive attitude towards your body will boost your confidence extremely. You’ll want to be active and explore new things. Physical literacy can boost self-esteem, develop confidence and fundamental movements that you will use for the rest of your life, and is generally key to a happy and healthy life.

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