#also this is just an optional video posted as review bc i was like what do you mean watching crash course in college 😭

[francisforever2014]

getting exposed to two of my least favorite things at work . crash course and the study of abnormal psych

[bamgeut]

Alright, so about the whole Made In Abyss situation, I shared some of my opinions here, but I've been looking into it more closely so I could finally make up my mind about it. I don't really stan any of the idols involved in this controversy except for Soobin, so he's the one I'll be talking about, but I guess some of this might be applicable to those who only mentioned watching the anime.

I'm putting this under a read more bc it's long as fuck but anyway. I'll probably repeat myself a lot but I'm just trying to organize my thoughts. If you plan on coming for my head please read the full thing first.

First of all, once again, the whole "he said he does NOT recommend it" argument is not valid for me at all. As I've said before, just the fact that he mentioned it as something he was enjoying at the time is enough of a recommendation to most fans. Let's stop using that as an argument.

I watched an interesting deep dive about the anime where she talks about the controversial content, and I also took the time to read some long comments people left under that video. From what I've gathered, most of the problematic content is used in a way to make you see it as wrong and fucked up, much like other pieces of media have done multiple times before. The biggest problem is the use of children in those scenarios. Even though it's for shock value, it seems to be something that most of the people who enjoyed MiA have a big problem with.

It also seems that 99.99% of the people who have enjoyed it, enjoyed it for the world building and the main plot (the main character going into the abyss to look for her mother). I've watched/read some reviews (not linking them bc they're in Portuguese) and most people only really talk about these aspects, and how scary some parts are. When the problematic parts are mentioned, it's to complain that they aren't necessary and shouldn't be there. They acknowledge it's problematic and make it clear they're uncomfortable with that. It's a general consensus that people didn't like the problematic parts and they agree that they should've been removed. I got the same type of reaction/opinion from my friend's friends who watched the anime in question.

I've seen multiple people saying the Korean version of the anime is heavily censored to remove all the pedophiliac content. I've seen multiple (Korean) people saying they've watched it and it had none of those things that are being brought to light. I've seen people claiming that many of the things that are being brought up are actually from the original manga and the movie (which allegedly wasn't even aired in SK). Reportedly the 15+ rated version was being aired (and highly popular) in SK at the time. And to be honest, like I said in previous posts, if you remove all the problematic parts and you enjoy scary stories, then the anime sounds like a great option to watch.

"Soobin said once he watched 18+ rated animes, therefore he was DEFINITELY watching the original version": I don't think that's something you can claim for sure. 18+ doesn't always mean sexual, too. Plus, apparently even the 19+ rated version of the anime is censored in SK to remove the problematic parts?? So idk.

Even if he were watching the 19+ version, like I said, I haven't seen anyone who enjoyed the anime and DIDN'T have a problem with those problematic parts. Everyone seems weirded out by it. Plus, from what I've gathered, the more """subtle""" problematic parts are things you only really notice if you're watching it critically.

What's getting to me the most is: 1) He mentioned it over a YEAR ago, and somehow NOBODY cared about it at the time. It was only brought to light NOW, and it's only now that people are seeing a problem with it and pointing out what's wrong with the source material — something that went over everyone's heads at the time. Wouldn't anyone point this out earlier? 2) Would he honestly come out and say he's enjoying the anime on a livestream to thousands of watchers if he were watching the original version with all the gross CP stuff? Being an idol (and the leader of one of the most prominent groups we have in 4th gen, under one of the biggest kpop agencies), he's usually very cautious with what he can and cannot say. We've seen it before, and that's enough for me to think it's most likely not the case.

"Nobody should be promoting the work of a pedophile", yes, you're right, I agree with you 100% there!!! But I don't personally run a background check on the creators of every single piece of media I consume, and most people don't either. I don't know jack about the writers of most of the stuff I've watched. I highly doubt he'd go researching the background of the writers of everything he watches, so I don't think it's fair to hold this against anyone as an argument to cancel them.

I'm all for holding our favs accountable, I think it's important to call them out. I've unstanned people before because of problematic behaviors that made me feel like they didn't deserve the time I was putting into them, things that made me feel disgusted by them. But most of us have watched shows/movies with problematic themes, and it doesn't mean we condone them in real life. Of course, there's a limit and I wouldn't support someone actively enjoying basically CP, but considering everything I've said above, I genuinely don't think that's the case. In my head it doesn't make sense at all for me to think he'd just be like "heyyy I like borderline CP content it's so interesting <3", considering how much BigHit/HYBE is always up their asses when it comes to maintaining a good image.

On the other hand, I still think he shouldn't have mentioned it. As he said it himself, it's disturbing (which is what that word translated as "provocative" meant), so even without all the CP stuff it's still not something he should've mentioned by name to an audience of mostly young fans, a majority of which are very impressionable. It's even worse if he was watching the 19+ version even if it's still allegedly censored in SK. If I remember correctly, he has mentioned animes without mentioning their names before (or maybe that was just once? I'm not sure), so he could've just done that.

However, I personally don't think there's enough reason for me to unstan him, at least for the time being. After doing research for hours on end and doing my best to think logically and objectively, it doesn't make sense for me to do that.

Of course, you are entitled to stop liking a celebrity for whatever reason, or even for no reason at all. It's your right, there's nothing wrong with it, and please don't let ANYONE tell you otherwise!!! But if you decide to unstan, please let's be level-headed about this and not go around throwing people under the bus without knowing the full story. You can call people out and dislike them without being disrespectful towards others. And please don't go around calling people pedophiles, that is a VERY heavy word that shouldn't be thrown around so lightly.

I did my research and I'm still reading/watching stuff about it, and I think it's important for everyone to do the same rather than jumping on an extremist bandwagon (be it to defend or to condemn anyone). Your opinion is always valid as long as it is yours, not someone else's. I'm just sharing mine, and you have a right to disagree if you want to, but let's all be civil about this, alright?

You're free to mute Soobin's tag or even unfollow me, if you want. I'll keep him out of my blog for a few more days, probably, considering how fresh all of this still is.

[gallus-rising]

hmm i wanna remake my Neocities site to be more general but i'm particular abt organization and am having a mental block rn :/ plz give me input

currently the site looks like this. i rly like the layout and would like to keep it if possible (totally redoing the graphics tho ofc)

my ideas for the tabs up top are

home page/landing pad: would give a tldr of what to expect + would be where i post updates if needed

about: just a bio + links to where else you can find me

general blog: disorganized thoughts on w/e the FUCK i feel like talking abt atm

original fiction: would keep all my various headworld stuff there. maybe general thoughts on my worldbuilding if the mood strikes me process

fandom stuff: posting properly organized meta, maybe reviews, doing proper read/watch-throughs. that sort of thing. maybe do some writing that i feel isn't up to snuff for ao3 (yet...)

game stuff: play-throughs of video games. any kind of TTRPG stuff. maybe game reviews. any kind of dev stuff/Thoughts abt things i'm working on

so that's all 6 tabs but i'm worried game stuff and fandom stuff has too much overlap? like if i'm keeping a log of a pokemon game i'm playing that would be game stuff, but if i wrote some kind of meta abt pokemon lore that'd be fandom stuff? is gushing over a new TTRPG i'm in love w fandom stuff, or since i'd be talking abt mechanics would it get into the technical aspects? would it be okay to split things up if needed (like blogging a nuzlocke under game stuff and posting canon lore meta under fandom) or too confusing?? am i just overthinking this???

final note: cutting the number of tabs is not an option bc that'd be way more work than i feel like i have the energy for rn orz

also if anyone's interested in seeing all the bs i'm gonna be posting plz don't follow my site yet for your own convenience. your feed will be w inundated w update as i smooth things out lol

but anyways plz give me your thoughts <(--)>

[ftm-radio]

Do you have any suggestions for good binder brands? I tried gc2b and their binders didn't really work for me, mainly because my chest tissue moved around a lot and after the first 5 minutes I had to readjust a lot, but I don't know if that's a common issue with all binders or specifically the one I tried. If it's an all-binders issue, do you have any other recommendations for alternative methods?

fam, i know EXACTLY what you mean regarding everything moving around too much in gc2b binders. 😫 I'm not sure if that issue is caused by the binder not quite being the right size, or if it's just how gc2b binders are shaped/constructed. Like maybe you and me are in the same boat and we just don't have the right shape for gc2b to work well with us.

I have not had personal experience with these brands, but I think some folks have had better experiences with binders from Spectrum Outfitters and Shapeshifters. Another brand I know of is Underworks, but I don't think they're recommended for anyone who isn't thin and/or small-chested bc they are tighter and more uncomfortable. (I haven't looked into them much myself, so I could be wrong but that was the general vibe I got.)

However, there is one other binder brand i DO have personal experience with—ForThem. I got one of their binders recently, and like.... I love it so very much???? They are only in the US, though. (for now?? maybe they'll be more widely available in the future? i couldnt tell ya)

hang on I'm about to ramble so let me put a cut in here before the post gets too long lmao.

ForThem binder review and discussion of TransTape under the cut! 😘

okay SO. I just went up to get mine so I can be accurate with my gushing.

here's the info printed on the inside of the binder:

The Binder; Size: Illusion

65% Polyamide, 35% Elastane, 100% recycled from waste.

Wash cold. Dry flat. Love forever.

Made just for you with love in New York City.

First, lemme tell you about the sizing—they only need one measurement. Just one. Glory hallelujah for that bc getting the measurements for my gc2b binders was a pain in the ass and confusing and I hated it. When you go to their site they have a questionnaire for you to go through to find your size and it's pretty simple. They even have a video showing you how to measure your chest. Easy peasy. And you can have them save your binder size for you to come get it again later when you're able to order.

Regarding colors—because of the way these are made, you don't really get to choose what color binder you get (mine is Forest, it's this pretty nice desaturated dark green) but you can go on a waitlist for specific colors if you want.

Oh, and their binders are reversible. One side has a scoop neck and the other has a vee neck. I tried the vee neck and personally didn't like it, the scoop neck feels more secure & it covers my chest better, but it's nice to have the option.

Additionally, these binders are only available as half tanks. I think I saw one person say they are shorter than the gc2b half tanks but I just compared it to one of my old gc2b half tanks and it's basically the same. The biggest differences between the two are the necklines and the thinner straps on the ForThem binder.

okay with all that out of the way I have to tell you about the fit & how it feels to actually wear it.

.....it's so good, y'all.

Being a half tank I was worried it would have the same issue I had with my gc2b half tanks where I could not raise my arms without my tiddies literally falling out of the binder (although to be fair my first two binders from gc2b were also too big). But I mean even with my more-correctly sized full tanks from gc2b, if I did anything or lifted my arms my chest would fall out of place and be weird and uncomfortable.

well when I got my FT binder and tried it on, that was the first thing I checked. and I could lift my arms and move all around and my tiddies stayed inside the binder where they belonged. it was honestly a miracle. I mean, it's not completely perfect—over time they do kinda get pushed to the middle of my chest kinda like a monoboob situation, but it's not nearly as bad as walking five steps in a gc2b binder and having to adjust everything.

it's also just so comfortable?? the material is very soft and nice. like on the site they went on about how lovely the material is and i was like yeah sure but then i got mine and THEY WERENT KIDDING. it is so fricking soft i cant get over it. also, I don't notice the seams at all when I wear it, and the armholes don't really annoy me either. I honestly forgot to take it off a few times bc it was so nice to wear. (don't do that, tho! 8 hours or less, depending on what your body can handle!)

as far as compression goes, I think it does a fairly good job. if I'm wearing it and I put my hands on my chest and try to smush it all even more flat, I can't get much flatter than the binder gets me. does that make sense?? idk, it does a pretty good job and when I have a shirt on it looks great! I look like just another tubby guy with an appropriate amount of man boob.

I think literally my only thing with this binder that could be a little better is that the bottom edge has a tendency roll up sometimes. but I think that's because of my bigger stomach tbh, and if I fold over the material between my chest & belly it's not noticeable but keeps it from rolling. 🤷🏻‍♂️

as a fat guy with C(?) cup tiddies, this binder works better for me than gc2b did, for sure.

aaaaaaaaand now that the impromptu FT binder review is over, you also asked about alternative methods!

so yes, I highly recommend checking out ForThem binders if you're in the US!

another method I've tried is using TransTape, and I also recommend that if you're interested!!! It's definitely not suited to everyone, though.

If you haven't heard of TransTape before, the gist of it is that instead of wearing a binder for part of the day, you apply tape to your chest to manipulate the tissue into a more masculine shape. You can wear it for multiple days, sleep in it, shower/bathe/swim in it, exercise in it, etc. It's honestly amazing.

But there is a pretty tough learning curve when it comes to application (and removal.) It takes time to learn how to get the look/shape you want, but if you keep at it it's definitely worth it.

on the other hand, removing the tape is a whole other thing, and is my least favorite part. 😩

Basically, to remove the tape safely, you have to use oil to break down the adhesive, which is messy and annoying and requires a lot of time and patience. if you do not remove the tape properly, you will have a lot of ouch in your future, specifically in the form of abrasions and torn skin and sores/blisters (although the former is also dependent on application). and the worst part is, if you have any wounds from removal you can't use tape again until it's healed because that would be begging for trouble. (and infection.)

I personally had just.. the most awful trouble with removal. at first I was too impatient and pulled on the tape too much and didn't really give the oil time to do its job, but then even with my very last attempt when I tried SO HARD to be patient and waited for much longer than the recommended time, I was left with really sore and irritated skin despite feeling like it was the best i'd done at removing it. 😔

it was just really upsetting after a while, and it's part of the reason why I have taken a break from trans tape. the other reason is financial—i'd used up all the tape i had, and i couldnt really afford to keep buying more. depending on what size tape you get it can be almost 20 bucks a roll, and since I use two different sizes my next order would have been a little over $40. the ForThem binder I was eyeing was only a little more than that, and I figured spending the money on something I only had to buy once that would last for ages if it worked for me would be better than spending 40 dollars every month or so on tape that didn't seem to agree with me. 🥲

now, I've kind of done trans tape dirty by talking about the negatives first (sorry trans tape) but it is genuinely my favorite binding method.

when I got a little better at applying it, it was amazing and I had just the best euphoria. I didn't have to think about my chest, I didn't have to wear anything under my shirt, I didn't have to feel my chest move and bounce around because it was good and secure under the tape. I even got to enjoy being shirtless in my room for a bit one night, and it felt so comfortable and natural and wonderful that I'm.... not gonna think about it too much more or I'll get sad lmao

I'm not sure exactly what my problem with the tape was. I don't know if I had some very slight allergy to the adhesive that got worse the more I used it, or if it had something to do with using too much tape on my chest than my skin could handle, or if maybe bc I have eczema in a few places the skin on my chest is also too sensitive?? I don't know. maybe someday I can give it another go and try to figure it out.

but my point is, the issues I had with the tape that are preventing me from using it might not necessarily be problems for you, so if you are interested and are able to, I recommend looking into this particular method of tiddy-taming!!

it doesn't work for everyone, but goddamn, when it does work it is so flipping good. 😫💔

[harrypotterhogwartshitpost]

Shifting Realties- 

I said I was going to do another post on shifting realities, so today I’m sharing my experience so far, as well as some research I’ve done. 

Personally I haven’t completely shifted yet. However I have tried twice and both times I made progress towards being able to shift. The most recent time (last night) I did a variation of the Raven Method, where I counted slowly to 100, taking deep breathes, thinking affirmations, and visualizing my dream reality in-between each number; except instead of laying in starfish position, I held my pillow in the position in which I normally sleep.  Around 17 I began to see flashing lights. Around 50 I began to feel tingling, and around 80 I began to feel as if I was moving. 

Now, into shifting. 

-Shifting- The process of moving consciousness between realties. 

There is no right or wrong way to shift. Shifting will be different for everyone who tries 

-Shifting Terms- 

Current Reality (CR)- The reality you are currently conscious in 

Desired Reality (DR)- The reality that you wish to shift to. 

Waiting Room (WR)- A place or ‘rest stop’ in-between realties where one may do things such as script or design their desired reality as they practice shifting. 

Temporary Reality (TR)- A ‘test reality’ or smaller version of a desired reality one may try to reach as they first start practicing shifting. 

Face Claim (FC)- The face you script to have in your desired reality

Body Claim (BC)- They body you script to have in your desired reality

Voice Claim (VC)- The voice you script to have in your desired reality

Clone- Part of your consciousness that stays in your current reality and occupies your body there while you are in your desired reality. 

Respawning- The act of dying in your desired reality and waking back up in a waiting room or your current reality. 

Scripting- writing down everything you plan to happen in your desired reality. 

-Scripting- 

There’s no right or wrong way to script. You can write full stories or just a few sentences. Just be sure to script in first person, as if everything is currently happening to you (Example: “I am rich and famous.”) You can hand write or type your script. You can add pictures or videos. Whatever helps you picture your dream reality. 

You can even script something as simple as “My desired reality will be perfect for me.” and allow your subconscious mind to take over the rest. 

You can also script for your clone when they stay in your current reality for you, such as their personality, behavior, and what they can or cannot do.

-Shifting Methods- 

Sunni 1- This method can be used when and wherever. Just find somewhere comfortable to sit. close your eyes and focus on your desired reality. Bring elements of your desired reality to mind until you can feel yourself there

Sunni 2- this method is usually done before sleep. Get comfortable in bed and visualize your desired reality. Hopefully you’ll visualize pictures or scenes of you in your desired reality until you find yourself there. 

I am/Affirmations- This method is one of the easiest. Simply repeat affirmations such as “I am in my desired reality.” “I believe I am in my desired reality.” “I will soon be in my desired reality.” 

Subliminals- Music with affirmations under it that your mid subtly pick up on as you fall asleep. 

Raven Method- Position yourself on your back in starfish position. Close your eyes and slowly count to 100, visualizing your dream reality and repeating affirmations in-between each number. 

Elevator Method- Lay somewhere comfortable in starfish position. Put headphones/earbuds in and listen to subliminals. Close your eyes and imagine you are in an elevator. With each passing floor you gain more energy. On the top floor you will see your desired self sleeping. Step into their body and return to sleep (still in their body) and you should wake up in your desired reality. 

Staircase Method- Imagine you are at the bottom of a staircase. Each step symbolizes a step to reaching your desired reality. with each step you take you get noticeably closer to your desired reality. When you reach the top, stop and appreciate all you have done before entering your desired reality.

Train Method- Slowly relax and clear all your thoughts. Think happy thoughts about your desired reality, adding affirmations if you wish. Imagine you’re on a train heading to your desired reality. Keeping your eyes closed, and not opening them until you reach your stop. Once you reach your stop you may open your eyes and step off the train, into your desired reality. 

Tunnel Method- Once you’re sleepy lay down in a comfortable position. Visualize yourself surrounded by your soul energy. Picture it dancing and twirling around you. You should start to feel tingling. Visualize this energy leaving your body. Picture a tunnel leading you to your desired reality. Slowly navigate this tunnel. Once at the end you will see your desired self sleeping. Give your soul energy to your desired self. Finally, fall asleep (in your current reality) with your soul energy now in your desired self, optionally repeating affirmations while doing so. 

Remember these are not the only ways to shift. You may have to look up different methods or make up a method of your own. Shifting is different for everyone who tries it. It takes patience and practice. No one shifts on their first night. 

-Other Tips- 

Stay Hydrated

Meditate throughout the day

Review your script throughout the day

Practice regularly

Have patience 

Remember, to shift you have to have peace, patience, and you have to truly believe in shifting without a doubt. Just like hypnosis, your brain will not allow you to do it if you don’t believe. 

I hope this is helpful. Please let me know any questions you have. I will be updating as I make progress shifting and do more research! 

[thatblueshade]

Hey darling, just read your theory and found it really well connected! Lets hope for some caos! But you never said anything about my policeman and I believe that it is an important point in all this, due to the topic and interviews that we are probably getting with it. How do you think it fits there?

Thanks! and honestly, I'm not sure.

I think it will definitely have a lot to do with Harry's coming out, might even be the way he does it.

I can picture two things happening:

He “casually” comes out as not straight (kinda like Joshua Bassett did), not using a label, saying something like “being a part of this movie was really important for me because as a queer person myself I understand how important it is to talk more about all the things us queer people have had and still have to go through” or something like that. OR

Everyone has said he did amazing in the movie so assuming he wins some important award for it like a golden globe or something like that, he could use the opportunity and more seriously talk about, obviously not mentioning the fact that all his girlfriends have been fake but still not denying or confirming anything other than the fact that he is not straight.

Another option is, through his music.

There is still at least one music video we haven't seen, “duvet” and there were those rumors that said that there would be a Harry music video with a male love interest. I am still not very sure of if it's true but idk.

If he does this then it could also align with my policeman.

From what we know, the movie is almost ready bc the screenings were I think about a month ago and the reviews in general were really good.

So let's say they release a first teaser soon, idk maybe June bc it's pride month, and then that's when harry releases that music video with a male love interest.

That way the queer community won't be mad bc they think he is straight and queer roles should be played by queer actors.

Also, if this happens he would come out while still being with Cockburn which is better than doing it single, that way it will be like “don't worry everyone, he is not straight but he is still dating a woman so he is not fully gay either!” yk what i mean?

He could also pull a Lil Naz by releasing medicine as a single, he could do a music video with people from all genders but finally kissing a guy, scandalizing everyone and making it an insanely popular song, it would be a great pr move bc it would definitely top the charts so...

Like I said, he will not label himself, and he will not talk about all his fake girlfriends or anything like that.

Louis won't have to do much with this whole thing though I do see him throwing slight shade to O and absolutely praising My policeman.

Edit: i just realized I didn't say anything about Eros so, i think that if asked about H's acting career Louis will focus more on this roll than any of the others bc he is a big marvel fan, they could even use the narrative that even though they weren't super close friends Harry called Louis and Liam to tell them that he was going to be a part of the MCU.

So Louis would be all “oh yeah, my policeman is amazing, the story and the directing are incredible and harry did great, don't worry darling is also really good the acting was great. i still can't believe he is a part of the MCU now though [and then procedes to rant about his love for marvel and how cool it is that Harry is a part of it now]”

But yeah, those are my thoughts!

Thanks so much for the question! I'm going to link it to the post to clear up all this.

[mochuelovelli]

GAAAAHHH OKAY

Let's talk about the Timephoon Episodes

This is such an old topic of discourse but after reading many fanfics, videos, and some posts on the subject I have found little divergent takes on the whole subject.

While commentators are of the mind that, for the most part, the punishment and execution of said punishment for Louie's actions were partially if not fully justified but how she went about it was wrong.

Some fanfic writers and some subsects of the fandom but they are much more critical and often in a more black and white interpretation. Which is valid for vent art. However, I find both these portrayals to be lacking in some nuance.

Specifically when it it comes to who's to blame for the next 3 episodes, and to me, its more than just Della (and Louie but there really isn't much discourse here).

Let's start with Timephoon:

This pretty much solidifies their relationship throughout the episode[Also sorry for no captions]. Multiple times Della is shown to have a very laissez faire style of parenting as she primarily wants her kids to enjoy being kids and having fun. This is probably in part to her personality in general - which is probably what Beakley assumes here - however it is also her want to be loved by her children and even more critically, she doesn't ever want them to suffer like she did. Above all else, she wants them to be happy and feel confident in themselves. We see this in all the previous episode with her and her kids - From Dewey and reassuring him that he doesn't need to prove himself to her [notably in this episode she only shows concern when Dewey himself is in danger, she doesn't give a shit when he almost kills her] to Huey and helping him to have the most fun he possibly can, to even Webby and making sure that she also feels confident in herself regardless in how she goes about things.

Bringing up all these adventures does raise some pretty damning hypocrisy. Della encourage Dewey's reckless behavior in his episode. The lesson at the end wasn't, okay maybe we shouldn't be going on dangerous adventures, it was its okay to be afraid and you don't need to prove to me that you're great I already know you are. Huey's message was similar, albeit more low stakes. Webby's lesson wasn't even that she shouldn't be trying to take such risks to find adventure in the future, it was just a lesson in not being disappointed when things don't work the way you want.

So why wasn't Louie's adventure treated the same? Well... let's look at some more examples of Beakley V Della this episode before we answer that -

This is right before the kids find Bubba, Beakley's reaction is what most people would consider to be parental as she is concerned for the safety of the kids running out in a hurricane. Again we see Della acting casual.

Once Bubba is inside and Huey geeks out about him, Beakley actually smiles bc she knows that something like this means a lot to Huey [keep this in mind for l8r]. She only gets serious after Della says it's neat without much after thought so she gives the lesson of the episode - "Small problems become big problems later if not prevented early."

Next we have Della's faux attempt at being strict with her kids. Letting the irresponsible thing happen as long as they are "safe". While also harkening back to her previous episodes where she also is shown to have this attitude that "the kids can do anything as long as they are safe with ME or Scrooge or another SAFE adult", it is also good to note SCROOGE'S expression here to her patting herself on the back for her parenting. Now he could just be confused as to why Della is taking this "lesson" as a win, but he could be noticing that she really doesn't know what she is doing but unlike Beakley doesn't make any attempts to correct this.

Another scene that people often forget when reviewing this episode, just like with all her other kids she at first takes LOUIE'S side and decides they should just roll with the punches like always. Which honestly is sort if valid because that's kinda Scrooge's whole MO; though he also had others to there to keep him afloat but we all know someone like Scrooge, Della, and the kids hardly see that. I also want to hammer home that, just like with the other boys, she doesn't shy away from displaying that she loves them ALL. A few seconds later, it's subtle but she is shown smiling and patting Louie on the head because like the other kids she just wants him to feel supported. If I was to be critical, I would say this is possibly because she likes the IDEA of her boys more than them but I mean - this is pretty much everyone's attitude towards kids. It might be amplified bc of her trauma but it's not unusual. But even still I would argue that she mainly does love the boys for who they are as she is excited to get to know them.

After Della figures that they are looking for a "master thief", Scrooge and Beakley immediately know it's one of the kids. Shocking her since she later states she is of the belief that her kids are too "good" to do something like this. I also want to bring attention, again, to Beakley smiling (ik im putting a lot of stock into expressions but animation tends to do stuff like this for a reason). She is smiling at whom she expects is Dewey for messing with time and space. Bc even if she planned to scold him, she knows it's just their normal. Scrooge seems to also be of the same mind. Later Beakley gives a really good line about "Even good kids can do dumb things. We got to make sure those dumb things don't turn into bad things like destroying all of existence!".

Mrs. B exists stage right

All jokes aside, this must have been a nightmare for all of them but especially Della. She had just finally admitted that she was out of her depth and made another mistake in parenting. But now it seems like she lost her chance to rectify that. Because for all she knows, Mrs. B will never come back. This is import-ALLRIGHTWEGETIT

Della is then shown explicitly worried about her family. Emotions, insecurities and fear obviously getting the best of her. We don't know exactly what she is thinking but we know she is terrified of the possibility of losing one of her kids. When she asks about Louie, she probably thinks he must have disappeared without her knowing. That she might have already failed more than she could know, because she wasn't there to protect him. She doesn't know - she is "Della Duck" and she doesn't know how to fix this. She didn't expect everything to go so horribly wrong, but that's her theme isn't it?

She is both relieved and understandably PISSED when finding that Louie was responsible for almost destroying the fabric of reality (let me say this again, nearly destroying the fabric of reality). She goes scold both herself and her son about the danger he put them in. Later we see Della, the last one leave and seeing almost everyone she loves vanish. We don't know how long each of the characters who left were in the past but we can assume it was long enough to have to change clothes. Yeah this was probably more of a visual gag but like, the other past characters didn't change their outfits when they came to the present so - (also Launchpad was specific about knowing how the world ends so he had to be there enough for him to understand it). Side note someones gotta write fanfic of these characters time misadventures. I wonder if Dewey and Webby ran into Agent 22.

[Last picture of the infamous scene, side note did anyone notice Launchpad NODDING his head when Della mentioned his time schemes could've cost them their future? He's the only one who knows what happened so maybe Louie's misadventure has more impact than we think-]

Anyways, yeah we know what was said here. But I think it's important to see the reaction the other adults (sorry LP, and Gryo i GUESS) have here BC this is basically why I made this post. What Della decided to do was unquestionably the wrong decision, at least her way of going about it and I will not absolve her of her many MANY mistakes. However, let's remember she wasn't alone in any of this. She was with other parental figures who KNOW more about her kids than she does.

After Louie leaves, why did they think it was good to encourage this course of action? Why did they think giving full parental control to a PTSD, trauma survivor who barely got back less than a month ago was a good idea? Sure it's one thing to not want to overstep your boundaries but are you telling me they wouldn't want to guide her in the right direction at least? We KNOW both Beakley AND Scrooge have their grievences towards Della's parenting strategy or lack there of. Beakley so far doing the most to try and put her in the right direction (which speaks volumes to the problems Scrooge has).

So why wouldn't they explain that, hey, maybe taking away the one thing your kid thinks he is good at ISNT a great idea? Why didn't either say anything about their two day vacation? Something that came up presumingly on a whim and might of prevented (although i doubt it) Louie from trying to steal w/ time? He might have considered pushing back time schemes at least 3 days later. While Mrs. Beakley might be less aware of Louie's insecurities and ambitions, Scrooge definitely isn't. He should have talked to her, and hey we don't see what happens before they leave so maybe MAYBE they did. But again, I doubt it. Seeing as how they all agreed with her at the end, I don't see them trying to meddle with her.

But they should've. They are both experienced guardians and they have nothing to say to her? Plus Donald (goddamn it i almost finished a post w/o him) have THEM responsibility to take care of the kids NOT Della. So they are obligated to help her. Really, the other option other than just well negligence would be not thinking this punishment was a big deal. I wish this aspect was also scrutinized just as much as Della and Louies role in this arc.

Beakley and Scrooge (more so Scrooge) are just as much to blame in what happens as Della if not MORE since they know of her situation in only a way that an experience adult can. There is no excuse for their negligence.

[nordic-language-love]

Hei! Hvis du har fått spørsmålet før, så leser jeg gjerne gjennom asksene dine Men - jeg har lyst til å lære fransk! Har du noen gode tips til strategier i hvordan man best kan lære et språk på egenhånd? Jeg kan ta kurs, men tror jeg skal starte på egenhånd først. Jeg har norsk som morsmål, men snakker engelsk og litt spansk (har hatt det på ungdsomskole og videregående). I tillegg tar jeg et introduksjonskurs i latin, men det fokuserer mest på tekst, grammatikk og oversetting. Takk!

Hei! Takk for spørsmålet - jeg svarer på engelsk fordi jeg tror andre kommer til å finne det nyttig :)

Learning A Language On Your Own

I wouldn’t say I have any specific strategies, per se (I’m too much of a procrastinating disaster human for that), but here’s a few tips I’ve picked up from years of trying to teach myself various languages and being on langblr:

First things first, ask yourself what you hope to get out of learning your target language (TL). Do you want to move to the country? Do you want to learn enough to be a polite tourist but don’t actually care about being fluent? Do you just want to watch TV shows or read a certain book? What you want from the language will alter how you learn - if you want to be a polite tourist then there’s no point worrying about tonnes of grammar, whereas if you don’t have any intention of talking to natives there’s no need to focus on pronunciation. (For the sake of this post, I’m gonna assume you want to be a well-rounded speaker and advise accordingly)

Get to grips with the alphabet. If you put “[target language] alphabet” into youtube you should find some videos. What I then do is start an audio recording of the video playing with me repeating the letters as it goes along, then I listen back and identify which sounds I struggled with. Your pronunciation is super important - you don’t have to sound like a native, but if you can’t speak clearly enough for people to understand the words you’re trying to say, no amount of vocab or grammar will help you.

Check out what free resources are available to you. If you do a quick google search of “learn [target language] online free” you’ll get some basics crop up. They usually only teach you a few touristy phrases, but it’s a nice starting point.

LingoHut, Duolingo and Memrise are great places for free online courses. They don’t teach you a lot of grammar, but they teach you basic phrases and vocabulary and they can go up to about an A2 level. Using a combination of them should get you well on your way!

A quick note on that: use multiple resources. No one resource will teach you everything you need.

For grammar, I usually just google “basic grammar [target language]” and see what comes up. If nothing else, you’ll come across the names of the grammatical concepts you’ll encounter in your TL, which you can then google individually for more information.

Repeat everything! Parrot back every phrase you learn. Keep repeating it until it roughly resembles the original and you can say it without having to listen to the original first.

Write things down. It helps to have a record of what you’ve learned recently and what you learned a few weeks ago that you need to go over. Plus it further cements everything in your head.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. I’ve found the langblr community on here sooo helpful when I’ve got stuck with something.

Create your own sample sentences. Write them down, read them aloud, then try and say them without reading them. If there’s a word you struggle to remember, write extra sentences with that word. Vocab lists are great for reference, but unless you put those words into the context of a sentence, you’re not likely to remember them. Sample sentences also help you practise sentence structure and verb conjugation and noun/adjective declension.

Listening to the radio helps, even in the early stages. As babies we spend months being surrounded by our native language before we attempt to speak it - listening to a language in its natural context is vital to being able to speak it! You won’t understand anything to start with, but it gets you used to the rhythm and the phonemes of the language, which will help you when you try to speak the language. Usually you can google “radio [target language]” and something will come up.

Try to do something regularly. Little and often works much better than trying to cram everything into one big long session.

Personally, I like to use textbooks too. Not everyone does, but it helps me to have something structured with exercises and grammar explanations. I usually ask tumblr for textbook recommendations or check amazon reviews if I can’t find anything in the local bookshop, but generally speaking I prefer to actually look through a textbook to see if I like the style (you want something with the answers to the exercises in the back and comprehensive grammar explanations)

Because it’s difficult to try and improve everything at once, it can be a good idea to focus on improving one aspect (eg grammar) for a couple of weeks while just trying to maintain your other skills, then change your focus to something else (eg speaking) for the next few weeks and keep cycling through. I do kinda do this but not in any sort of structured way lol.

A lot of people also recommend changing your phone to your target language. I’m not a big advocate for this bc having an error message you don’t understand with multiple options you also don’t understand is kinda terrifying but if you’re prepared to take that risk then go ahead.

Hope that’s helpful - sorry it got kinda long! Lykke til med å lære fransk :) (Også - @fremmedsprak​ har fransk som morsmål og lærer norsk - kanskje dere kan lære av hverandre ^^)

[eviestudyblr]

college apps survival guide *international students edition*

Hello everyone! I haven’t really posted any original content in a very very very long time, but I thought now might be the time since I have absolutely nothing better to do + I feel like it might be helpful for some ppl. 

I know the title says *international students edition* but really it’s for anyone, just holds more in depth info for my internationals out there!

So I’m currently a high school senior, finishing up my second semester of senior year and getting ready to yeet out of here and go to college. Now, I’m from Europe and seeing as I’m not American I applied as an international student to the US colleges and this is essentially how that went down and everything that I did/had to do!

~the basics

So I attended an American private college prep school during my junior year as part of this ‘one year study in the US program.’ And when I came back in early June, I was completely mesmerized and really really wanted to attend uni in the States. So in June, I started researching what I needed to do in general, but specifically what is asked of international students.

‘SO what do I need to do?’ you might ask, wellll here is a list, my friends:

research! research! research! find out what you want out of your uni experience and just the basics of each university that you have heard of or thought about already

talk to your parents and friends about it. i know it may seem silly, but trust me! they might be able to help you with your research or just be there for your emotionally during these truly TRYING times

look into standardized testing (SAT, ACT, SAT subject test, TOEFL or IELTS if you don’t go to an English speaking high school)

look for a college counselor (I know for many this isn’t an option bcs of how stupidly expensive it is, however, if you are in a position where you can pay for one I truly do recommend it!)

see if you need to better your GPA and by how much if you need to

email your teachers about recommendations. i’d advise emailing about 4 ppl e.g. your adviser, art or an electives teacher, a teacher that lectures in a subject you wanna study in college (for me it was my history teacher bcs i plan on studying politics), and a teacher that knows you really well/a teacher you really like

~standardized testing

Sooo in July, I decided to start prepping for the SAT and well it didn’t really go well, seeing as I’ve never before taken any sort of standardized test (except my Cambridge English exams). Seeing as that wasn’t going well and I already veryyyy stupidly applied for the SAT in October, I decided to find a tutor. Luckily, my tutor was also a college counselor and LUCKILY she wasn’t wildly expensive! 

I started my SAT prep in August and took my first SAT in October. I wasn’t all that satisfied with my October scores, so I went and retook my SAT in December and upped it by 80 points. I would honestly advise everyone to take their SATs/ACTs before Senior year, but I’m not judging you if ya don’t... i mean look at me.

I would advise taking a full SAT test every week or every two weeks at least and tracking your progress. I would also advise using Khan Academy and the College Board website. 

I also took my TOEFL exam in October, and honestly, I did no prep for it whatsoever and got almost a perfect score. Tbh most tests of English proficiency are not that hard if you’ve been studying English for a while. However, I do recommend at least doing some prep. There is also IELTS, however, I’ve been told that American colleges prefer the TOEFL test, seeing as it is an American test. But most accept both! 

~looking for colleges

I’m sure most of you know already whether you want to attend a big school or a smaller one. Whether you want it to be a city school or a small college town one, East Coast vs. West Coast vs. Mid West, etc. 

Now there are a couple of nifty little web sites to help you search for colleges and learn about the basics of each one and what their pros and cons are. So here are some of the ones that helped me (bolded ones are my faves):

Niche 

Unigo

College Confidential 

Princeton Review

College Board (Big Future)

College of Distinction 

I applied to 9 colleges, I had two reach schools, three safeties, and the rest were just schools I knew I could most probably get into and I liked. 

I used Sheets on Google to organize myself. I had 13 columns:

(I apologize for the picture quality and for the fact that it’s not one cohesive picture, it just wouldn’t fit.)

~essay writing

I honestly don’t know how I would’ve written my essays without the guidance I received from my college counselor and friends that have already done this. It took me 21 mfing DRAFTS to finally be satisfied with my college application essay! So take it from me - it’s okay if it takes you a while to hit the nail on the head! Trust me, everything will turn out great and you Will make it. 

I honestly don’t have much to say about essay writing, except that it’s a lengthy process and everyone deals with it differently. There isn’t a magic formula for it and all you can do is be yourself and try and help them see who you are. 

Some videos that might be helpful:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PhK7n4Labg&t=1s

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5VQq56IDfY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEpmZDf0SMg

Well, I hope this was helpful to some people and if anyone has any questions they can always dm me or send me an ask!

[herotheshiro]

whew ok i like stayed up until like 5am last night re-reading and then catching up on behind the desks ... a pretty cute story w the typical BL amt of smut (aka a lot more than what the situation(s) calls for lmao) although there are 3 things i didn���t quite agree with

taesung’s best friend actually having unrequited feelings for him. literally i did not  like that at all even though technically in the context of the scene it made sense bc it drove the scene. i honestly always only saw them as friends and i was like nice this is refreshing to just have two queer guys (ppl of the same gender) just be friends and nothing more but no they had to go that route. i mean it could’ve been worse as they could’ve gone the route of the best friend actually actively going for taesung and so we have a 2nd love triangle but thankfully they didn’t push it that hard and just had the best friend be a good friend who just wants the best for his bro. which is literally all it could’ve been !! sometimes platonic friends just want the best for each other, they don’t need to have ulterior romantic motives !! although i mean technically the best friend didn’t have an ulterior motive bc he was like “taesung would never look at me like that but thanks a lot for bringing up old shit i wanted to forget ASSHOLE”. then this kind of leads up to the next point

them potentially pairing up the best friend w asshole sunny’s ex ?? i mean this one is prob an incorrect assumption bc i was reading the korean raws for this scene so idk what they were saying but i swear to motherfucking god ... ik they’re the 2 leftovers but if you GOTTA pair up the asshole ex which you don’t have to just pair him up w that dude who was interested in him fr !! like i mean that’s bad bc the ex is toxic and also doesn’t like the dude supposedly so that’d be mean for the dude but at least throw the dude a bone i guess, the dude is also kind of a jerk. let taesung’s best friend have a healthy relationship

this one is more of a smaller issue but the ex just letting sunny go that easy? i mean i’m not saying i WANT more angst and pain for sunny but like for a dude who we know is very obsessed and possessive of sunny to just let sunny leave without any further complaint after sunny finally stands up to him ... maybe it was the shock of him seeing his “property” finally up and out after having enough of him but i was surprised nothing really happened and the ex seemed pretty chill w sunny leaving. i’m not asking for violence obvi but like idk, i just thought there would be more to it even though yeah at that point in time sunny had been going through a FUCKTON and he deserved this easy conclusion. i mean all the korean raws haven’t been posted yet and i know the ex shows up again so maybe he’s just like ‘well i’ll let him wander around but ik he’ll come back one day’ in delusion idk

OH WAIT NO I DON’T THINK THE LAST POINT WAS MY REAL THIRD POINT as i just remembered the shit w jooyeon and sunny !! aka the  bomb sunny dropped during his final breakup w his ex that jooyeon actually physically looked like taesung ??? which like how the fuck would we have known that bc the entire time jooyeon’s face is never revealed ?? i feel like it would’ve had more impact if we the readers were able to make that connection ourselves (revelation of jooyeon’s face at least ONCE, we realize it looks extremely familiar ...) and then the later overt statement from sunny.

anyway other than that it’s a nice read ! it’s a pretty typical BL story i feel of two guys who fall for each other but a shitty ex and miscommunication gets in the way of their easy happiness. and also i like stories of ppl falling in love w each other again (sort of in this story i guess? you know what i mean). smut is p typical i feel, the scenes aren’t too drawn out but also sometimes longer than it needs to be prob (idk why i’m adding this statement on the smut when i usually don’t, just for kicks and future me i guess. making this review as complete as possible lol. but also that one panel of them in the supply closet was hot ngl ROFL IN EMBARRASSMENT AT HAVING WRITTEN THAT). i had read a large chunk of the eng translation before but for whatever reason i decided to catch up on it again last night. it made me kind of sad at points bc sometimes taesung would say stuff that was (or could be) very similar to what the ex would tell sunny and i’m like yeah the sentiment behind the statement is different but like for sunny who prob can’t tell the difference ... now that i think abt it i think they def glossed over a lot re: sunny and the ex’s history like their childhood and early relationship and stuff but i guess it’s not really important other than the ex weirdly is obsessed w sunny and was trying to do whatever to make sunny his. usually these kind of stories really dive into the ex-relationship through flashbacks and stuff but this one didn’t which made me feel like something was lacking even though they already told you everything you really needed to know. i’m the kind of person who always feels like every behavior needs a reason but sometimes i just have to accept that ppl are jerks just because. anyway sunny’s self-deprecation reminded me a lot of recent stuff i’ve read from tsumugi from a3 w his low self-confidence and i’m always like *clutches chest* at ppl who shit on themselves like that.

i also finally found the game it’s based off of this time around and i think it’s hilarious ... since i knew abt it originally being a game before i thought the game’s protag was taesung or sunny and they had the option to romance either the other teacher or any of the student council students (bc you know those BL games and their student-teacher relationship options) but nah i think the game is just student-student romance options w a side story of the teachers. i’m still not sure if the student protag has the option to romance sunny but i didn’t see any videos on it on the channel of the one youtuber i could find who posted a playthrough of it so i’ll assume you can kind like sort of flirt w him but you can’t get together. anyway i love how they kind of shove the students in there to reference the original game but the students are like not relevant at all to the entire manhwa story as a whole

anyway supposedly the entire story is finished w some side stories which is like good bc what else is there to talk abt now that the shit w the ex is finished (there are def manhwas out there i feel that just keep adding drama just to keep the story going). toonkor still doesn’t have all the raws up yet and idt they’ve updated it recently either so i’ll have to keep checking back from time to time or wait until the eng translations forge ahead and finish the story. anyway looking forward to the ending !

[robinrunsfiction]

Best Laid Plans (Ryan Seaman x Reader)

Pairing: Ryan Seaman x Reader Rating: General Requested By: scrolling-my-life-away “Ok so either with frank or Ryan S (bc there are not enough of him) where band members keep trying to awkwardly get y’all together but it’s super cute and just lots of fluff!” Word Count: 1,700 Author’s Note: Wrote it with Ryan Seaman because there really needs to be more of him! Also what is with me and cute old people in Ryan stories?

"I can't stand it any longer," Dallon announced. "I refuse to sit by idly any longer, I have to do something."

"Babe, they're adults, they'll figure it out soon enough, don't worry about it." Dallon paced around the front of the bus as Breezy looked on, slightly exasperated.

"No, this is getting excruciating, I'm taking action." With that Dallon marched over to where you and Ryan were talking.

"Hey guys," he said with a sweet tone. “I'm bored, and I was just talking to Breezy and we've never been to this next city before, so we're thinking we can pair off and do a photo scavenger hunt.”

“Oh fun!” You replied. “Boys versus girls?”

“No!” Dallon quickly snapped and both you and Ryan looked at him surprised. “I just wanna spend some time with my wife, why don't you guys team up. I’ll send out the lists when we get there.”

You had been traveling with the band photographing all their shows and backstage moments. You considered yourself to be the documentarian of the beginning of the rise of IDKHow. When you were first hired on, you clicked with the band immediately, but more so with Ryan. You always kept it professional, but you somehow ended up with more shots of the drummer than what you could reasonably use. Ryan always seemed to gravitate to you whenever he had a free moment, such as during the long hauls between cities, looking for any excuse to talk to you.

~

When you arrived in town Dallon had found, and then specifically edited, the scavenger hunt list, to make it so you were most likely to end up in a flirtatious situation of two.

“Sound check is at 5:30, so that’s the cut off. We will see you losers when we get back.”

“Yea right,” you retorted as you started to skim over the list. Breezy and Dallon hurried out of the bus as Ryan peered over your shoulder at the list on your phone.

“A flyer for a local event, we could use the concert tonight! A red door, a kissing couple, oh they’re just gonna take a selfie for that one, aren’t they?”

“That’s what we get for letting Dallon plan the list, I guess. Ready to go?”

“Let’s do this!”

You and Ryan wandered around the city center looking for options. The town they were playing was a university town and luckily the school colors were red and white, so red doors were plentiful. You took photos of the items, and Ryan posted updates to his Instagram stories.

“Hey guys, I’m out here hanging with (YN) and we are currently beating Dallon and Breezy at this scavenger hunt,” he said into the phone as you attempted to take a photo of some baby ducks. He watched you fondly as you made noises to get the ducks to look your way. “Hey (YN), wanna really mess up Dallon's game?”

“Obviously,” you replied, your competitive side taking over.

“Come here,” you sat down next to him as he started the next video. “Alright guys, if you’re coming to our show tonight, know that Dallon is wandering out down here, and if you like me and (YN) at all, you'll go get in their way, thanks!” He signed off with a laugh. You couldn't hide your surprise at the dirty trick he just played on them. “See how well their unfair advantage works now!” Ryan said getting up.

“We only have like 2 more left,” you said looking over the list. “A kissing couple,” you felt your cheeks turn a little pink thinking it would be so fun to lean up and kiss Ryan right then, but you weren’t a couple, and that’s what you needed. You scanned the park and saw an old couple getting ice cream for the grandson. “Bingo!” you said as you started over toward them.

“Excuse me, are you two married?” You asked politely as you approached.

“45 years!” the old man exclaimed with a smile that put a smile on Ryan and your faces as well.

“We're doing a photo scavenger hunt and we need a photo of a couple kissing; can we take your photo?” Ryan asked.

“We won't put it up on the internet or anything, it’s just for us to show the other team.”

“I suppose that would be fine,” the old lady said before turning to her husband with her lips puckered. They kissed long enough for you to get a great photo of them with their grandson looking slightly disgusted off to the side. It was funny and cute.

“This turned out great, thank you so much for your help,” you said before walking away with Ryan.

“Why didn't they just kiss each other!” The old woman asked her husband when you were out of earshot.

“I thought they were going to ask me to take their picture with one of those smartphones, I’m glad they didn't, I probably would have deleted everything!”

~

You reconvened with Dallon and Breezy to review the photos you took. As you scrolled through your phones, comparing what they got versus your team, they got to a photo of them kissing.

“I knew that’s what you would do,” Ryan commented.

“Yea well, what did you guys do?” Dallon retorted.

“We met the cutest old couple, they’ve been married for 45 years!” You said pulling up the photo. Breezy aww'ed at the photo but Dallon threw up his hands, exasperated. You glanced at Ryan, who shot you a confused look as well as you continued comparing the results of the scavenger hunt.

~

A couple days later you were in another new town with an extra day before the show. These types of days were pretty rare on the tour, so everyone was excited. Dallon decided that it was time to try another way to get you and Ryan together.

"A bunch of us are going out to dinner tonight, you wanna come along?" Dallon asked you and Ryan casually that morning.

"Yea, sure sounds great," you said.

"Yea I'm in," Ryan replied.

"Perfect, the reservation will be under my name in case we're running like," Dallon said as he walked away.

"Why would he be late to his own dinner plans?" You asked.

"I dunno, but he's been acting weird lately."

You watched through narrowed eyes as Dallon went back over by his wife and started saying something to her. “Very suspicious.”

Ryan just shrugged. "I'm just excited to eat something on this tour besides fast food."

"Same," you replied.

~

You arrived at the restaurant a little early. You gave the hostess Dallon's name and you were led to a table for two secluded from the rest of the tables, lit warmly with a few small candles.

“I think there’s a mistake-” you started as the hostess sat you at the table.

“We were told you might say that, but no, this is for you,” she said before walking away.

You sat there for a few minutes feeling anxious, even more so when you saw who the hostess was bringing over.

“Hi Ryan,” you said when he sat down.

“(YN), wow, you look stunning.” You wear wearing the nicest dress you had brought with you on tour. It was short, black, and had an open back.

“Thanks, you look really nice as well. So, umm, I think I know what’s going on and why Dallon was acting so weird. We're being set up.”

“Definitely a set up,” Ryan replied with a laugh.

“I don't mind,” you said quietly.

Ryan raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Really? ‘Cause I don't either.”

You smiled warmly at Ryan, not sure what to say, but you were rescued by the waiter arriving at the table.

“Good evening, my name is Michael and I will be taking care of you tonight. I have been given specific instructions that Mr. Weekes will be taking care of the bill, so please do not hesitate when making your choices. Can I suggest a bottle of wine to get started?”

You were grinning by now, both because of the absurdity that Dallon wanted this to happen so badly, but also because you knew you were about to cut loose on that menu. “I think that sounds like a great idea, Michael.”

After a bottle of wine, almost too much food, and a lot of great conversation, you found Ryan holding your hand in his and he was smiling at you like he could hardly believe this was happening.

You and Ryan walked out of the restaurant hand in hand and down the street toward the hotel where you were all staying.

“Isn't there a park on the other side of the building?” you asked.

“Yea, I think I saw that, wanna check it out?”

“Yea,” you replied giving his hand a squeeze. You didn't want the night to end.

You walked along the path through the park, illuminated by old fashioned street lamps. Eventually you found a bench and sat down.

“Like I said before, I’m actually glad Dallon did this for us. I didn't really realize that you might have feelings for me,” you mumbled.

“I was thinking the same thing. And I didn't know if I should say anything before the tour ended, in case you didn't feel the same.”

“I’m glad this is working out,” you smiled. Ryan took the opportunity to place his hand on your cheek and leaned in, placing a sweet kiss on your lips and you kissed back. After a moment you pulled back and you were both smiling. Ryan wrapped his arm around your shoulder and pulled you snugly against him and you rested your head on his shoulder.

“I was thinking,” you started. Ryan mmhmm'ed to let you know he was listening. “What if we play it off like this didn't work and we're still totally clueless to our feelings, just to see if we can get some more free meals put of it.”

Ryan laughed heartily at your suggestion. “That would drive him nuts! Maybe we should. Although I don't know if I can go back to not kissing you every time I want to.”

You looked up at him. “I agree, this is better.”

Masterlist

[actuallyadork]

Getting started learning Japanese.

Here’s some resources I’m using to learn Japanese and what I think they do well and not so well. This is all based on my own experiences and what works best for me.

I will be rating based on the following criteria: Cost, Is it easy to use?, How much does it cover?, Pros, Cons, Overall impression.

Tofugu

I’m replacing a previous recommendation with this one. Far superior. I’ll just get right to it.

Free. Easy to use.

Pros: articles on just about everything. Theres a podcast. And every month they post resources for learning japanese. I highly recommend this website for these posts alone.

Cons: some content you gotta pay for but as far as i know they don’t duck around with people’s trust. They are the creators of wanikani and they gotta make money somehow.

Overall: far more useful that the first website i had on here. Maybe I’ll add more details later, but I just wanted to update this one as quickly as possible.

Japanese from Zero (video series)

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOcym2c7xnBwU12Flkm5RcLIEhvURQ8TB

Cost: free

Easy to use: yes. Theres a nice playlist so all you have to do is sit and watch.

How much does it cover: You start out knowing absolutely no japanese and by the end of lessons you will know two writing systems. Basic sentence patterns and grammar. There is even a kanji series.

Pros: nothing is easier than sitting and watching videos to learn. You can play it anywhere at anytime. George has been teaching/speaking Japanese for years so he knows where students get stuck. He gives good explanations and examples on when to use new content and when not to use the new content.

Cons: because its a series, sometimes George refers to previous lessons or his book and you may be missing some context if you start in the middle or skip through some lessons.

Overall: The first lessons were painful to get through because It starts out with romanization and if you already know the writing systems, seeing the romaji on screen is like listening to nails on chalk. Not to mention I have a personal beef with numbers and counting as well as the common phrases like “おはよう”

But it is called Japanese from Zero and it is meant for someone who knows absolutely nothing about japanese so I can forgive the painful beggining lessons. Once I got past the introductory stuff the videos became more enjoyable.

Duolingo (app)

Cost: free

Easy to use: yes

How much does it cover: basic japanese sentence patterns, all three writing systems and a handful of new vocabulary.

Pros: teaches new words and sentence patterns and really drills them into your head. Gives you a few new words at a time so you can take the time to learn them without being distracted from all the other words you need to learn. You can go into the course as a Japanese person trying to learn English and really get the most out of Duolingo because the japanese version starts out with Kanji and even gives polite and casual sentence forms.

Cons: very repetitive. I don’t find fault with this but a coworker of mine found this to be very annoying and I can understand why. Duolingo says the lessons will get harder but instead its the same lesson except now you have to review it 10 times instead of 5. That’s not exactly hard, that’s just tedious. My biggest gripe with duolingo is that it doesn’t explain particles or why the kanji has different readings. In order to figure that out I had to go and do my own research which isn’t a big deal but if you’re only using duolingo by itself it makes it harder to understand why you keep getting things incorrect and subsequently how to fix it.

Overall: I will admit I am biased towards duolingo because I’ve used it for Spanish, French, Italian, and now Japanese. I was there from it’s early days when it was absolute shit and it has come a long way. I recognize the issues with Duolingo right now but I know that they are constantly updating. Painful as it may be to keep hearing 六時六分です it really is teaching you sentence patterns that you can use to make your own sentences. You just have to go out and do a little extra work yourself. It is, by far, the easiest to use and the method I use everyday.

TinyCards (app)

Cost: free

Easy to use: yes

How much does it cover: it covers a lot of vocabulary phrases and even sentences. You can probably get a lot mileage out of this one if used correctly and if you’re willing to put in the work

Pros: dozens of pre-made flashcards to choose from and the ability to make your own. Cards come in sets that you can unlock by finishing the first set similar to duolingo. A lot of other flashcard apps work in a similar way except they make you pay for the rest so I appreciate that this one is free of charge. Plus you can find flashcards specifically from the duolingo courses so you can study the vocabulary in isolation rather than in a sentence. Interactive flashcard system. So you don’t just flip cards and call it a day, occasionally you will have to write out the translation in the target language or pick from several choices.

Cons: the difficulty can be a little inconsistent. Sometimes you just flip a card and say I remember that one and other times you’ll have to translate a full sentence in Japanese. Even if you get the kanji right, you may get the answer incorrect because the card wants the hiragana and vice versa. And because there are so many card sets to choose from, not all of them are useful.

Overall: a sister app to duolingo it seems. Cards come from the community of learners and are not limited to japanese or languages. You can also learn about history, art and pretty much anything else. I appreciate the interactive aspect as most other apps don’t do this and the ones that do are muuuch more inconsistent than this one. I found similar interactive flashcard apps that would sometimes show Vietnamese translations instead of English translations. I’ve only recently been using this one but I pretty much gave up on using other similar apps bc they were very inconsistent. I haven’t used it very much though because I’ve discovered that I’m not a flashcard learner. If you learn best with flashcards then I would recommend it.

Tae Kim’s Guide to Japanese (website/pdf/app)

Cost: free

Easy to use: relatively. Just read the damn thing. I get it though. Reading is very tedious

What it covers: It really is a beginner to advanced beginner guide covering the same things as all the above. Basic grammar, writing systems and such. One thing that is very unique about Tae Kim’s guide however is that it also includes cultural notes such as explaining casual vs polite speech. Male vs female speech that a lot of the other resources don’t even touch on

Pros: A very good starting point that covers so so much. The website has an option to show/toggle translations. Additional cultural notes plus examples. Almost every“how to learn japanese” guide points to this website

Cons: one of the reasons I was holding out on making this list was because I haven’t finished going through all the resources so I don’t have any cons for this yet. I’m only part-way through and I’ve yet to have any issues with it. Maybe just that once it gets the point across it immediately moves on. You don’t really have time to digest the content so It’s like a very in-depth crash course in japanese. You may need to go out and do extra research in order to really understand the content. If you don’t understand what is being taught, just read over it again and keep it in mind. I’ve found that I’ll come across more examples as I continue my studies and it all starts to fall into place

Overall: It doesn’t sugarcoat Japanese or treat the learner like a baby. If you read the introductory page, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Definitely influenced my approach to learning despite not having gone through all of it. Like other resources, it builds on top of topics already covered but it’s nice having a book-format with conjugation charts and lessons separated by chapters. Videos and podcasts are nice but Tae Kim’s guide also acts as a manual to supplement your learning. Maybe you want to write a sentence in the masu-form and need a quick reminder? Just flip to the page in the guide. No skipping through videos trying to find the part you need because it’s already there.

Manga Sensei (podcast/website)

Cost: mostly free. I believe theres some extra stuff you can purchase. I’ve seen a special podcast that requires payment and comes along with a free pdf. But for the most part, you get a lot of free content.

Easy to use: relatively. Havent been on the website much so for all i know it could be a mess

What it covers: the podcast covers a lot of grammar points and occasional vocabulary and cultural notes. Gives you a good foundation to build on top of. The website has more details on what the podcasts are about but I haven’t spent much time on the website as I have the podcast.

Pros: grammar points in 5 minutes or less. Differences between common words. Good for improving listening skills. If you’re driving or on a bus, you can learn on the go.

Cons: so much to choose from you kinda have to sift through what you need. Most of it is useful and there are a couple of repeat lessons as Manga-Sensei has a beginner’s guide every year. Because its audio only, you may be learning new words and grammar but you may not be able to identify them as quickly on paper. Best to supplement with some type of visual. I believe the website has something to solve this and I’ve heard there is a youtube channel as well? Although I am not sure.

Overall: If you’re going on a long car ride, folding your laundry or even just working-out, this is a great way to stay on top of your studies. Manga-Sensei has talked a lot about his projects such as his manga, alternate podcasts, and pdf. Even though I haven’t taken a look at all of them, it’s clear he’s working hard to bring content for listening, reading, and conversation skills. That being said, the podcast is just as good for learning as any other method. You can still understand the lessons (which are meant to be short and simple anyway)

Japanese Ammo with Misa (Video Series)

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBSyd8tXJoEJKIXfrwkPdbA

Cost: free although she has a Patreon as well if you want to support her.

Easy to use: yep

How much does it cover: A Lot. From basic videos about grammar to more complex videos breaking down japanese songs as well common phrases and little notes that you may not find in a textbook

Pros: Her lessons have a lot of examples and good breakdowns of the grammar and tense. If a verb is in the past-negative tense, she will break down how to get to that point from the plain form or dictionary form. The best part about her videos is that she has her examples on-screen and color-coded. It may seem like a lot at first, but once you adjust to it, it helps to retain the information.

Cons: Because there’s so much content packed into her lessons, I recommend getting a basic knowledge of Japanese first. She has a video series for basic/introductory Japanese. I would suggest starting with that series or George’s series, or Tae Kim’s guide. Just so you don’t get an information overload.

Overall: There is one video in particular that I recommend to watch and I’ll make another post about it, but I really enjoy her content. Even though some of her videos are very dense with information, the comments suggest that its still easy to follow. I just think that while you can still learn a lot as a newbie, you might retain more if you already understand some grammar.

Japanese (app)

Cost: free holy shit!!

Easy to use: relatively

Pros: search using english, japanese, radicals, or drawing the kanji itself. Flashcard system, where you can build your own decks or use a pre-made one. The flashcards operate on a spaced repetition system. Plus it provides example sentences, compound breakdowns, stroke order, conjugations and JLPT level.

Cons: The drawing search method is sometimes hit or miss but i’m impressed the app has this option at all, let alone that it does not crash the app (like some others I’ve tried). The pre-made decks can have up to 400 words or more which is great if you have that kind of patience but I rarely find myself excited to sift through all of those words only to have about 10 of them be useful to me.

Overall: Okay it’s not like this app is super amazing or revolutionary but it’s a dictionary and flashcard sytem all in one. Say you want to keep a record of the new words you learn to refer back to them later? Make a new deck! Or if you’re reading a book or newspaper and come across a word you don’t know? Add it to the list or make a new deck! I try use new words as often as possible to drill them into my head And although my studying has slowed a bit, this app is perfect to double-check spelling and usage. (At least until jisho.org gets an app). Plus it’s easier to learn and remember words when you’ve come across them on your own.

[nijiiropokemame]

ok just reset my p:la save data so wanna do a quick impressions post while it’s still fresh-est in my head

I really liked this game!!

last night I started writing out a much longer review bcs when I’m sleep-deprived I always seem to write more, but I’ll keep that in drafts right now and try to be more concise now.

Pokemon Ultra Moon is my favorite video game second only to Breath of the Wild, so I have a lot of love for the pokemon franchise but also didn’t expect anything to match that experience for me, at least not for a long time. That said, Legends Arceus is probably now my second favorite pokemon game.

I was just playing Brilliant Diamond last night since I never got more than an hour into it last time I picked it up, and that really brought some of the good innovations to the forefront:

While I like 2D graphics for something like Fire Emblem, I think I’ve gotten more out of true 3D in Pokemon, which like Zelda is at its best when it lets you explore. It’s fun to discover things, the mount/ride system works pretty well, and it’s so great to turn a corner and see a 20-ft-tall Steelix glaring you down with murder in its eyes and have to turn and sprint in the other direction.

There’s been every possible joke made about the role-reversal of tall grass in this game, but boy howdy, I think it was a god-tier move. The Youtube channel Design Doc has a good video about how and why random encounters are falling out of favor, but basically, they played an important role in early gaming, but we can do better now. Playing Diamond, I found myself skipping trainer battles and cutting through grass as efficiently as possible, only to discover there was actually a pokemon I wanted in that grass by looking at a guide; I guess just being able to see what you’re about to fight and knowing you can nope at any time are enough to take that layer of frustration off the grind.

I LOVE the implementation of the agile/strong options for moves. I found myself instinctively trying to use it when I went back to Diamond. I guess it turns it into more of a puzzle than with just the 4 moves. Also love that you can now equip any move that your pokemon has ever learned. I think they already had ways to re-learn old moves in the other games, but it was like…going to a guy in one area of the map. There might be some value in trying to make the decision of what moves to keep knowing you won’t be able to change them later, but I think being able to decide which moves you want before every big battle is also a fun process.

OK quickly things I didn’t like:

The button mapping is baffling to me. Dodge should be B, inventory should be X, swapping between items and pokemon should be arrows, there are times when they use triggers when I think it should be arrows and vice versa, why do you use the right trigger to throw a ball AND the right joystick to aim???

…as a direct result of the frustrating aiming controls, the boss fights that involve aiming & throwing are just no fun at all. I do like the idea of getting the trainer involved; that’s not something I thought they’d attempt so soon, and I’m glad if that’s the direction it’s going. It helps with the role playing! But it needs better controls.

…so yeah! I ended up writing a lot anyway, huh. Well, I think the fact that I felt compelled to start over was really telling. I guess I did play through Shield after I played Sword, but those games really dropped off my radar pretty quick. We’ll see what happens with this one. But overall I both enjoyed it on its own, and really like the direction it’s taking.

Also if they release a Legends game set in Alola I will lose my freaking mind. I want one with this exact premise, including ancestors of the Sun/Moon cast.

[nedmallory]

Weird question but do you recommend a chrome book for like studying and work like that bc I’ve heard they can be slow

Hey, not weird at all! I just got mine mid March, but I haven’t noticed it being slow at all! My laptop completely died on me during midterm season and I had a ton of papers and online exams to do, so my plan was to just use this in the meantime and return it to best buy as soon as my work was done and then I could buy an actual laptop. I obviously decided to keep it. I would recommend using a Chromebook for schooling, but only if it’s not going to be your primary device at home like it is mine (if you spend a ton of time on it, anyway)

First off, before I go into pros and cons (no false sense of hope here… under the cut I’ll tell you everything I love about it and everything I hate or get annoyed at), I should mention I’m using the Samsung Chromebook Plus 

All in all, I LOVE my chromebook. It’s got its flaws, but most of them have easy fixes. I hope this full length article helps you decide what to do! If your main concern is getting you through school/work, I say go for it! 

8/10 would recommend! I’d love to say 10/10, but there are enough flaws that I can’t in good conscience tell you to go get yourself a chromebook knowing it does some real stupid stuff.

Pros:

lightweight - seriously, I spent all day on campus carrying my Dell around in my bookbag and I’ve never been one to have back problems but carrying it around all day hurt. Sometimes I’d literally just abandon my bookbag (with my laptop in it) in the hall in one of the academic buildings while I went to find something to eat all the way across campus. Like, seriously. According to google the UCF campus is 1415 acres. I don’t even feel weight from my Chromebook while I’m walking campus with it in my bag.

Convenience - It’s essentially half laptop, half tablet. You’re getting the best of both worlds. Google play store (so you can play games and use the device as an e-reader) but you also get the internet at full capacity rather than the dullness of a mobile browser.

Stylus apps - This stylus was a lifesaver for me last semester. I had college algebra last semester, and with math I’m always wasting a ton of paper, so I bought a whiteboard I could carry around with me but it took up too much space at the desks in classrooms. With a Chromebook, Google Keep (note taking app) is built in. when I didn’t feel like wasting space (and dropping my calculator, pen, eraser, markers, board) I could just pull up my stylus apps on half my screen and my math modules on the other half.

Also, have you seen my newer editing attempts? Working with just my finger on this device was already pretty good, compared to on my phone. But using the stylus helped me to get a clearer view of everything I was erasing and more wiggle control

Quick boot up time - In the manual, it claims that the chromebook boots up in 10 seconds. I’ve found that it takes about half that time to start up

2 in one - it does have 360 mode, so you don’t have to use it as a laptop all the time. In tablet mode, you get all the essential uses you get in laptop mode (except the ability to split the screen) plus you can use emojis on the touchscreen keyboard that pops up

Apple Music - On my samsung tablet, I can’t access apple music (the app shows up, but I can’t download it). On chromebook, I can. No itunes though, which is a bummer, but I don’t really need it.

Easy streaming - Watching Netflix/Hulu is such a breeze. I haven’t experienced any buffering issues like i constantly did with my last laptop

Amazing touchscreen - With my Dell laptop (which, again, gave out on me) my touch screen often had meltdowns or prevented my touchpad from working. Seeing as how Samsung has essential experience in touchscreen development, I’m not shocked that I’ve never had an issue with this touchscreen

Have trouble remembering urls? no more - Built into the computer, you have what appear to be google (and other brand) apps, but they’re actually shortcuts that take you directly to their respectful websites. Google drive (which is also built in through the files app), Lookout, Google Maps, Weather Channel, etc. I don’t use them, but it’s such a great gesture.

Memory - I use a lot of space and I haven’t even begun to run out yet! There’s also a slot for external memory (an SD card like what you’d insert into your phone something I wish Apple would do instead of making me pay for more storage every month. Unfortunately for me, this doesn’t work for apps. It’s only so that you have another storage method for your files. After my previous laptop died I lost all my running club pics, so with this chromebook, I have the option to just go ahead and save them directly to my SD card so that doesn’t happen again. It’s kind of like using a flash drive for safe keeping except, ya know, it’s not a flash drive replacement.

It’s made to fit YOU - If you don’t want someone to get into your files, they can’t. You sign in with your google account, but you CAN create additional user accounts (which includes a guest account)

Resetting the computer is easy! - You can’t go wrong. Your options are

restore default settings

COMPLETELY wipe the computer of all info (the option you’d choose if you wanted the get rid of the computer, so it’s essentially… factory reset)

Virus control - While there’s no harm in buying yourself an antivirus program, you don’t necessarily need it with Chromebook because google’s actively fighting off viruses for you. I started out using antivirus programs before I realized I didn’t need it. I haven’t had any issues at all with the security of my computer, with or without any kind of protection

Cons

Limited keys - You have to make sure you remember key combinations to perform certain tasks. For example, at first I thought I couldn’t get caps lock on this computer. To do that, it’s alt+search key. scroll to the top of the page? alt+ctrl+up arrow. screenshot in laptop mode? still can’t remember which symbol matches up with that one.

Ctrl Alt…. What? - You don’t have control alt delete anymore. The task manager apparently can only be accessed through settings, which if your chromebook freaks out on you either wait for it to settle down or shut it down are your only two options. Which brings us to con #3.

Freaking out - Lately I’ve been noticing that if I have too many apps open at once, my chromebook will stop funtioning properly for a couple minutes and it’ll do one of two things

shut all my apps down without warning

system reboot

Google Print - It wants to hijack your printer, but I refuse to give google access to store info from my printer. I have my Canon hooked up to my chromebook, but I won’t allow google access to it. They’re basically asking to save the info of everything you print to their servers and your printer will only be available for devices you allow access to your google print account (can’t be set up from chromebook anyway).

USB C ports - Okay admittedly I do like these ports, It serves as the charging port, so you can charge the computer on either side. You can also use it as a normal USB port so long as you find devices with the usb c tip BUT this means you need to buy an adapter if you want to use HDMI or a flash drive/other devices that use usb 2.0/3.0 ports

Speaker location - They’re on the bottom, so as long as you’re not covering them up, your audio should be pretty decent

Google Chrome - What I LOVED about using Chrome on actual laptops was that you could have several different user profiles under the same google email on your browser. I had 2. One for my personal multi fandom tumblr, and the other for my marrish tumblr accounts. That way I could just switch windows to change tumblr accounts. You can’t do that on Chromebook. You’d need to create different accounts for your log in screen… which… is it really worth creating new emails? (says the girl who creates a new email everytime she wants to get a new free trial) Now my only option is to use 3 different devices for different tumblr accounts (I just created a choices safe main blog so I can actually find choices posts without doing a ton of searching, so I need an extra layer now)

Microsoft Office/One Drive - Who’s that? We don’t like her apparently. Seriously. You can’t have microsoft office, because all downloads come from the play store. If you like the mobile version of Word, congrats! This system is a winner for you! If not, you can always use the online version on Outlook’s website if you use that. Don’t even THINK about trying to download the one drive app. Seriously, it doesn’t work on Chromebook. I’ve been trying to sign into it since I first bought this laptop. Only when I looked at the horrible reviews last week did I realize I’d NEVER be able to log into the app.

Also streaming - There’s this god awful sound that sometimes plays when streaming on the CBS website. It usually isn’t there, but I gave up on watching SWAT (sorry shemar and criminal minds, I still love you) because I never know if this’ll be the moment when that screeching will begin. It only happens on the CBS website though (while it’s hooked up to my tv)

Ooh speaking of hooking up to my tv - HDMI sucks. that’s all. I hate the border that surrounds the chromebook’s visual. And if you’re watching videos that already aren’t full screen? Good luck streaming comfortably.

Digital Textbook app used for UCF - Okay so we use Yuzu for digital textbooks at my uni and I can’t figure out how to get the app to let me in. Pretty sure that’s the app’s fault though. You have to sign in through a mobile browser to use the app, but the chromebook uses a full capacity desktop browser so I CANT log into the app. I have to use the online version if I take my chromebook to school with me instead of my actual tablet. So whether or not this is the chromebook’s fault is a bit iffy.

Here are some photos for proof if you need to see what you’d be signing up for!

Nobody can….

Instead of a “start” menu… we have a search menu. The top bar shows your most recently used apps. 

[thecosydragon]

My latest blog post from the cosy dragon: Interview with Lillian Brummet

An Interview with Lillian and Dave Brummet, authors of One Small Garden

Lillian and her husband Dave are the team behind Brummet Media Group, high-fiving cheerfully as they pass each other on the way from checking off one item or other from their long to-do list. After moving to their dream location (in the Kootenay Region of BC, Canada), they have been methodically converting the abused lot over to the little park it has become – and in doing so have gained certification with bee, pollinator and wildlife organizations. Their home, too, has become energy efficient via the many upgrades they have done. Their business includes Dave’s music studio and percussion accessory products and graphic design work as well as numerous award-winning non-fiction books and popular blogs. Today we help them celebrate their latest book release – From One Small Garden, with over 300 delicious, nutritious recipes!

How many books or short stories have you written?

L: I’ve only written a couple non-fiction short stories, numerous non-fiction articles, bn oth product and book reviews, and a total of 7 published books, if you count an e-book (Jump Start For Writers) that no longer exists. Currently we have a 2-book series on green living (Trash Talk), 2 books of poetry (Towards Understanding; Rhythm & Rhyme) and there’s marketing advice for writers (Purple Snowflake Marketing). Our most recent release is a cookbook: From One Small Garden that, as you might derive from the name, focuses on recipes that help people take advantage of garden harvests and reduce food waste.

Where did you find all the sources for your research?

D: I do most of my learning online, for instance when it comes to understanding a new program for vector graphics I will comb YouTube for tutorial videos. Somewhere online there is a video explaining everything you need – and more usually. I would never have attempted repairs to household appliances or automobiles if I didn’t have access to tutorial videos. Learning how to do things yourself can save you a bunch of money as an entrepreneur too. However it also means that you have to be able to learn, have the patience and then actually apply that new skill. Not as easy as it sounds, believe me.

What do you do when you are not writing?

D: I play drums in a rock band when ever possible. I also teach both drum kit and hand drum lessons. I have an active repair shop in which I build, fix and tune djembe drums (among others) and manufacture a few percussion accessories as well. I enjoy doing the graphic design work for all our marketing and that is a never-ending learning journey in itself, but certainly an enjoyable one.

Who, or what, inspired you to pursue a career in writing?

L: The first writer I ever knew was my mother, who dabbled at the craft for a short time. Later, teachers would comment about my writing, truly moved by what I wrote. These were the earliest influences, slowly pointing me in this direction. Some of my poetry was published, then I won some writing awards… later I took some career evaluation tests and writing kept coming up as a career option. Dave’s emotional support and strategic skills have been of great value; having that strength, someone to mull over challenges with, split the work with, and just share the experience in general.

What have you learned about while working with your spouse?

We do some of our best creative work when we are just discussing stuff together over a cup of coffee during a break. And, we always have a note pad to jot down the ideas that come bursting out because, sure enough, the best ideas are the ones that slip your memory if you don’t.

Describe a typical writing day.

L: There is no real typical day for us; 2-3 days per month are dedicated to managing the blogs, about 16 hours are spent networking, advertising, sending out queries to media and following up on marketing opportunities every week, a few hours per week are spent managing social media. Any one day can also involve cleaning the office, workshop, studio… assisting Dave where I can. However, I’ll share an example of a ‘behind the scenes’ look at one day: upon waking, we have breakfast and coffee and deal with the fur kids, get some house duties done, check emails/messenger/text messages for any important communications, and after a brief discussion about what each other’s goals are for that day, split off in our different directions. I’m in the office responding to interview questions while Dave is in his office working on images and ad creations for our cookbook (From One Small Garden). After this interview, I plan to complete a few touchups to some articles we wrote last week. We always take a break to make lunch and clean up after. Depending on what Dave might need from me, I may take on the task of going through the emails etc. one more time, responding and dealing with what I can… or I might start some seeds for the garden and do some laundry. Perhaps I’ll be dealing with garden harvests or taking an online course during the afternoon hours.

How do you manage social media, what social media have you used, which do you like to use the most and why?

D: I personally use Facebook for networking with specific groups and for general announcements, YouTube for posting video content and blogging for building a presence and sharing information with followers. Lillian is the one that handles the blogs and a majority of the social media and I am happy for that as she is very good at it and knows the ins and outs. She has a lot of relevant connections already from over 20 years experience of promoting our business and books.

How do you go about choosing a book title?

D: For me the title almost always comes near or at the end of the writing process. If ever I have had an idea of the title first it was usually changed by the time the book was done. A title for me has to explain the book’s purpose or intent in some way. I like it to be catchy and not too wordy. Like a good melody that you can easily whistle, a good title should be memorable, appropriate and roll off the tongue easily.

What is your contribution to society?

D: As a drum teacher I hope to help the next generation of drummers by passing on the knowledge of drums and percussion I have accumulated in my career. I run a program called Drum it Forward that I was inspired to create years ago. I go to the schools and offer my services as a drum doctor armed with all the spare parts I have amassed along the way and fix their gear. The schools don’t have the budget to pay for this and the poor teachers don’t necessarily have the time or knowledge, so I do it as a donation. All I ask is that if they have any spare parts or pieces laying around that they consider donating it to the cause to perpetuate the program.

Tell us the process of creating the cover for your book.

D: From One Small Garden’s cover was a process that evolved over the years. By the time the final title was decided on the concept of what we wanted to portray was clear – How to cook with fresh produce. If you look at the front cover closely, in the background is an image of our actual garden ghosted out with dishes of prepared food in the foreground – from the garden to plate in a sense. The back cover concept is similar but with images of our freshly harvested produce in place of the food dishes. All from one small garden – is what we have lived for the past 30+ years as a life style and a health choice and we know it saves a bunch of money while having you eat like royalty.

Are you looking about more information about these authors? Here’s some social links for you to check out!

Website

Amazon Author Page 

FaceBook

from https://ift.tt/2WWURQn

[compscigirl-blog]

muji notebooks

frankly speaking, I have a love-hate relationship with these notebooks, but I guess love does trump hate bc I ordered them and am pretty excited to test them out! okay, so I love these notebooks because of their simple design and freedom of which you can design it yourself, but these notebooks only have 30 sheets! so, probably not ideal for school, hence why I had to buy so many of them, and let’s say it did not come cheap lol (at least for me). I bought it for $9 (per a pack of 5 notebooks) off amazon, but had to purchase multiple packs, so the price was bit steep. I would recommend it to those who plan to use it for recreational purposes! for students who just love the aesthetic and build of the notebook, go ahead and buy it, but make sure the price is worth it. these notebooks come in multiple sizes/types. I bought the B5 muji notebooks, however, they also come in A5, A4, B6, B4, etc.

pilot juice pens

I just ordered a 36 pack, but I’m splitting it with my sister since I wanted to save money. I’ve used these pens before and love the free flow of the ink and how it works with various handwriting styles! they come in so many different colors and shades making it fun to experiment with! I bought them off of amazon for $30 I believe (but technically payed $15).

staedtler fineliners

I remember being obsessed with using these when my friend had bought a pack and honestly I still am. these fineliners are so beautiful and really thin in terms of the tip (.3mm). they come in various shades depending on what pack you get. there’s the pastel set, 10 pack, 20 pack, 36 pack, etc. all coming at various prices, however, they are not the cheapest, nor the most expensive. I may buy some eventually, and they sell on amazon for $7-$35 depending on which pack you purchase.

kokuyo campus notebooks

okay if i being honest here I used to abhor the design of these notebooks but after checking them out and doing my research I found myself falling in love with them. they are a bit more expensive than muji, nonetheless they’re still worth it. I plan on buying them when I have money (rip wallet) or maybe just solely sticking to muji notebooks. you can find them on amazon for about $10-$11 per pack of 10 notebooks.I know that @studyquill uses these notebooks, so go ahead and check out her posts and videos if you’d like a better insight on them!

kanken backpacks

*starts drooling* these backpacks are just so…so…aesthetic. for lack of a better word. however, aesthetic shouldn’t be the only role that plays into it, and it sure isn’t. these backpacks have amazing quality in terms of build and can last for years. they come in various colors giving you many options to fit your style. however, and you may want to prepare your wallet for this, its cost ranges from $80-$150 (or even more from what I’ve seen). amazon sells these for pretty good prices, most of the classic ones costing $80, so save up your money if you’re looking to buy one ;)

washi tape

washi tape has so many different uses! use it as you would any tape, or for decorating your bullet journal, notes, etc. they’re really pretty and come in various designs. in terms of pricing, the more “flashy” the design is, the more expensive they get, but they range from $2-$15 dollars (also depends on how many rolls per pack). I’m thinking about buying these, but I don’t have a real purpose for it yet, besides maybe decorating my binders with it.

lihit lab pencil case

i just purchased this online at amazon for about $10, but it takes such a long time to come!!! i won’t be getting it until school starts, so rip (lol). i love how efficient it is, in terms of space for so many items, and the design is really nice too. the price is really good for me and…yeah! haha. oh! they also come in multiple versions/colors, fitting various styles.

zebra mildliners

I actually just ordered these and plan to do a swatch/review on them, but what convinced me to buy these were the wide range of colors and the fact that they’re double sided (highlighters and markers), so I was like a 2 in 1? yes! (I need to save all the money I can get lol) I bought 3 packs (yellow, blue, and pink) for $14.88 on amazon. the prices are pretty good, but try not to buy all 4 at the same time because some sellers charge $40-$50 for it (helll naaaaw, too broke for that). make sure to scope out good deals!

hope you guys liked this post! s/o to anybody who saw me accidently post an unfinished version of it on my main blog lol. inbox/hit me up with an ask on what you’d like me to make next. also, some original content comin’ up with my notes, and study space, and other stuff (haha)