#also why is there such a limited range of text colours someone help me

[lowtoleranceforyou]

“You can never be overdressed or overeducated”

Flavio Ceccere for @sirfluffig for being always being kind and understanding 💙

[justimajin]

It’s a Reverse Basket ◍ Part 15

⇝ Pairing: Yoongi x Reader

⇝ Genre: Fluff, Comedy, Angst

↳ Basketball AU, Crossdressing AU

⇝ Words: 4.2k

⇝ Summary: Basketball is your everything; your passion for it running deep and wanting nothing more then to play the sport. Problem is, the sport isn’t offered competitively to girls and with that, all your hopes immediately fizzle away… …but who ever said that was going to stop you?

⇝ Warnings: pg13; I’m just throwing barrels of fluff into this one

gif credit.

⇝ Previous Parts: Moodboard Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14

⇝ Next Update: Tuesday, June 23 

Tightening your grip, the giant and hefty block of metal is hoisted above your head. Your arms strain and you clench your teeth in agony, but thankfully twenty seconds fly by and you can allow your grip to loosen. 

With an exasperated sigh, you shakily place it back down on the rack and wipe away the lingering sweat from your temples. 

A low whistle sounds from nearby, Hoseok staring at you with wide eyes.

“You’ve gotten really good at lifting Y/N!” You manage to sit up and smile at him, “I think Jungkook might be seeing some tough competition soon.”

Jungkook pauses mid-way from lifting his own weights and raises a brow at Hoseok, only for him to mischievously grin. “What? You’ve got another competitor now.”

Shaking his head, Jungkook resumes his workout as Hoseok helps you up from the bench press, plopping himself down and adjusting your weights. He had decided to assist you since Jungkook was a bit preoccupied with his own routine, alongside with Jimin and Taehyung having long gone out on a run together.

That’s when a head of bleach blonde hair flocks in, roughly setting down his bag and plopping down in a hurry. He flicks his phone out, scrambling through it with attentive eyes.

The unease on his features draws concern out from you. 

“Everything okay?” You ask, his eyes becoming wide once he realizes you were referring to him.

“Uh yeah,” Jackson replies, his usual cheerful demeanour not sparking out. “Actually– Y/N, do you know what girls like?”

Your eyes widen, “Or do you have a girlfriend or a sister? Someone that does?”

A nervous laugh leaves you at that and you place your hand on your racing heartbeat. Meanwhile, Hoseok strolls over in curiosity. “W-Why do you ask?”

Jackson somberly smiles, “I wanted to get something nice for my girlfriend but I’m not sure what….�� His eyes perk up at Hoseok, “What about you?”

Hoseok shrugs, hands in his short pockets, “I have a sister but she’s older than me. Probably not the age range you’re looking for.”

Jackson sighs, staring at his phone hopelessly. You catch a glimpse of his calendar brightly lit on the screen, his voice answering your confusion.

“Man….why is Valentine’s Day already here?” He slumps down onto the bench, your eyes frantically widening.

V-Valentine’s Day?

As in, the holiday where people celebrate love?

Your heart starts racing again.

“U-Um, so, you’re buying your girlfriend something?” You hastily question and Jackson glances at you in confusion.

“Of course, all couples get each other things on Valentine’s Day.” He shrugs, however, it only serves to make your eye twitch now. “I just wanted to get my girlfriend something nice, you know? To show how much I appreciate her.”

“Dude, that’s beautiful.” Jungkook says from behind, eavesdropping on your conversation as he lifts weights.

“How long have you guys been together for?” Hoseok questions.

“Roughly a year?” Jackson sadly smiles, “But ever since I came to school, we haven’t been able to see much of each other.”

You hurriedly interject again. “I-Is there a limit on how long you’ve been together?” 

Jackson furrows his brows, “I don’t think so? There’s no rules or regulations, you just get the person you love something or spend time with them.” He sighs, “I can’t do the second one, so I’m going for the first option.”

Hoseok hums, like he was trying to understand as well. That’s when an idea sparks in your mind.

“I can help you then!” You timidly suggest, “Y-You know, with what girls like and all that.”

“Really?” You nod and Jackson’s smile widens, “Thanks Y/N, I seriously appreciate it!”

You smile but there’s something else brewing in your mind, something you’ll have to get started on as soon as you can before Valentine’s Day can strike.

***

You patiently wait outside of the store.

After you had agreed to help out Jackson, the two of you had decided to exchange numbers in order to meet up. Once you had started texting for a while, you gave him a call one day and spilled the beans.

You tell him everything – how this tradition of Valentine’s Day was completely foreign to you, how you were in a relationship with Yoongi and wanted to get something for him but were absolutely clueless on what exactly, how you thought in a way you could help each other, since you would help him find something and then you could also have someone around who was in the same scenario as you.

Jackson agrees, even vouching that he’ll keep everything a secret. However he grows just as excited and nervous as you, glad to not be alone in this either.

“Y/N!” You whirl around to see Jackson jogging over, “I didn’t take too long, did I?”

You shake your head and smile, “Great! I saw this store the other day and I thought we could find something nice here.”

Catching a glimpse of the place, you can see why he chose it.

It seems more catered towards Valentine’s Day than anything. The exterior glass is covered with giant hearts, the smell of chocolate wafting through and a giant banner declaring that all Valentine’s gifts were half off.

You warily stare at it but Jackson doesn’t mind, dragging you over with him in an enthusiastic manner. He ends up getting drawn to one of the first shelves, letting you wander around the many aisles in curiosity.

There’s an abundance of things – obnoxious cards scribbled with hearts, large bouquets and flowers on display, even boxes of chocolate that appear to be recycled.

You keep wandering around and pacing the store when nothing catches your eye and strikes you as something that you would want to give to Yoongi. In fact, you think Yoongi would actually hate more of the Valentine’s catered things here.

With a sigh, you head back to Jackson who is eagerly eyeing a chocolate box that has a bright red bow on top.

“I don’t think I want something from here…” You avertedly whisper. He immediately pivots, like he couldn’t believe what you were saying.

“Why not?”

“I don’t know, it’s just….” You glance around, staring at the bright red balloons floating at the ceiling, “It just seems too much.”

Jackson hums, “I think something practical would be better.”

“Like what though?” He questions. You ponder for an answer, still avertedly glancing around the store when your eyes land on the glass outside of the store. As if a light bulb went off in your mind, you whirl around and grab onto Jackson.

“Come on!”

He hurriedly nods, discarding the chocolate he was going to initially buy and rushing with you. Once you enter the opposing store from the Valentine’s themed one, your eyes instantly light up.

However, Jackson frowns. “Y/N, why are we in a clothing store?”

You’re already eyeing the various articles of fabrics, latching onto a fluffy sweater.

“I think…this is something he’ll like.” You whisper, mind racing.

In the time you’ve known Yoongi, somehow you’ve noticed that he always seems cold. From the way he constantly keeps his arms crossed during practices when he wears your team’s thin jersey , to moments when he keeps a jacket on hand when it gets rather chilly. It’s such a small observation but you’re certain that this is something he would truly appreciate.

However, your moment of sudden realization is cut off when your eyes land on the price, backing away immediately.

“What’s wrong?” Jackson asks, eyes landing on the giant tag as he hisses, “Yeah, I wouldn’t recommend getting that one.”

You filter through the various tags around you, all of them spelling out a similar message. You let out a sigh, wondering how you were going to possibly get Yoongi a sweater when you can’t even afford one.

“What am I going to do Jackson?” You whisper, a defeated silence lingering in the air. Jackson frowns, quickly peering around the range of clothing for another moment. The prices don’t appear to be changing any time soon, but then he stumbles upon one very specific sweater. 

He abruptly spins around, grabbing your attention. “Hey, Y/N?” 

“Yeah?” 

“What if you just made a sweater instead of buying one?” He lifts the particular piece of fabric that’s been covered in carefully woven strings and knots, “You could like knit it or something.”

Your eyes widen in bewilderment, never really considering that to be an option. Truthfully you aren’t a huge craftsman at all, but you suppose in a way making it would be more sentimental and it wouldn’t have your wallet emptying out in despair either.

You pursue your lips. 

Perhaps...you’ve got a solid idea on your hands. 

***

Soon after, you and Jackson head over to a different store to pick up various threads. None of the colours seem to catch your eye until you focus on the black and orange assortments, the idea of making the sweater like your team’s jersey being a welcoming one because Yoongi would then be able to wear it to practice.

You discover that Jackson had ended up purchasing some of his own threads as well, declaring that he doesn’t think giving his girlfriend a mere box of chocolates would be enough and he wants to take up the challenge. You’re ecstatic at the prospect of someone else also working at this with you, not being alone in a somewhat lengthy project.

By the time you head back to your dorm, Taehyung and Jungkook can’t help but be curious.

“What’s that?” Jungkook wonders, pointing to the large bag you had hauled up and planted onto the ground.

“Oh, just some threads I picked up with Jackson.” You softly smile, “I’m going to make a sweater.”

“Who is this sweater for?” Taehyung questions, raising a suspicious brow. You opt out for not telling them just yet, in the hopes they don’t accidentally tell Yoongi when you’re not around.

“Just for someone…” You meekly snatch up the bag, deciding to bring it to your room instead of in front of the prying eyes.

Taehyung pursues his lips, like he wasn’t able to believe you on that. He watches you disappear into your room, tugging the bag alongside with you.

Spreading out the materials onto your bed, you unpackage and begin to unravel the long bundles of thread. You then take out the sharp needles, staring at them and then at the yarn with a blank look.

Although this had initially been a good idea, you can’t help but wonder what knitting would be like for someone like you. You have zero experience with the craft and you don’t know what you ended up making is going to look like, but with a sigh, you suppose that simply the desire to make something for Yoongi should be enough at the end of the day.

***

Knitting is horrendous.

It takes a certain kind of rhythm to get through it, a precise way of weaving the strings to build a cohesive chain. That chain then grows to become a giant sheet, building up to develop into the huggable and cozy appearance you were going for.

Or at least, you had hoped for.

There’s a crease in between your brows when you clasp the needles tighter, attempting to loop them according to the tutorial you had been up all night watching. The man in it was able to easily tie the strings together, letting them effortlessly go through various hoops until he was completely finished. You on the other hand, barely have finished the first row of many, roughly pulling the needles back and forth to create some sort of structure.

When another disastrous knot forms amongst the somewhat okayish row, you let go of the needles in exasperation. You suppose there was no guarantee that you would have been good with this, not accustomed to working with something that required so much care and detail opposed to brute force and strategy.

“Hey Y/N!” You glance up to see Jackson strolling over, a bright smile on his lips, “Are you making it?”

He points to the multiple strings wrapped around your arms, needles poking out of the mess you managed to create. With a somber nod, you sadly smile.

“What about you?” You question, hoping you can get some solace that knitting for the first time was a universal issue and that you weren’t the only one facing its wrath.

Jackson plants his bag on the ground next to you, rummaging through it before he pulls out a clean sheet of perfectly woven strings.

“I think it’s coming out quite nicely!” He grins, “I might just turn mine into a sweater instead of a scarf at this rate.”

“That would be a good idea.” You whisper, still eyeing the way your teammate was able to catch onto the craft much better than you did. In a way, you are happy, however you wanted this to be perfect for Yoongi and so far the future doesn’t look so bright for you in that matter.

Speaking of which, Yoongi steps into the gym. You and Jackson hurriedly scramble as you slide your bob of mixed yarn and his perfected one away in your bags before anyone can see. Hastily straightening up, you jog over to where the members have started to line up and patiently wait.

“Hey Y/N.” Taehyung nudges you with his elbow, “Is the captain alright?”

“Hm?” You stare at Yoongi in confusion when he paces over to Namjoon, his dreary eyes appearing a lot more serious than usual. You recall talking to him about it a while back and he had simply shrugged it off by saying he had a lot on his plate with school and being captain. Although he managed to convince you that everything was okay, the stress lining his delicate features is too easy to read in the single moment.

“I honestly don’t know…” You whisper to Taehyung, but before he can ask you more, Yoongi marches over.

“We’re practicing in teams of four today, separate yourselves.” He simply mutters, eyes coming into your contact with yours for a second. He smiles, but it’s then when you realize how stressed he actually is when it barely meets his eyes. 

When you move to get into teams, Jackson reminds you of the very thing that could help the situation.

“Since the captain is stressed, he’ll probably be really happy when you give him the sweater.”

Although you agree with the sentiment, his words only serve to spike up determination in you.

***

You collapse onto your bed, a sigh leaving your lips.

“I mean, it doesn’t look so bad….” Hyerin encourages over the phone, the overshadowing in her voice being too obvious, “Really Y/N, it kind of looks like a hat– OH! Maybe you could give him a hat!”   

You groan, planting your hand on your face as Hyerin desperately tries to make you feel better. “Yeah, a hat! He could totally rock it, right?”

“Maybe I should just give up on the idea and buy one…”

“Why don’t you just ask that guy for help? Uh what was his name, Jackson?” Her voice blares through the phone and you roll over to plant it against your face.

“He’s already making one of his own Hyerin.”

A tick leaves her, but she still persists, “You can do this, Y/N! It’s really great that you’re putting in so much effort to make something for this Yoongi guy and I think he’d be grateful at the end of the day.”

You stare down at the heaped mess you’ve created, strings poking out in absurd ways.

“Are you sure?” You pluck one the strings, watching it unravel from the loose knot you weren’t able to make.

“Positive!” Her voice turns firm, “Now make sure you finish that sweater and knock his socks off with it!!”

You giggle from that, thanking her and then turning off the phone. Letting your eyes wander back to your failed sweater, you pick up the needles again and give it another shot.

***

Namjoon arrives at practice earlier than expected.

Yoongi had informed him that he would be caught up in some delays because of a late exam the day before, so Namjoon decided it would be best if he came early for the team.

He heads for the gym doors, entering the large court area and jogs towards his office. Grabbing his whistle, he naturally assumes no one is in the gym – until he catches sight of two people.

You and Jackson are huddled together in the corner, seemingly whispering to each other amongst the empty and quiet gym. Namjoon raises a brow, unsure of what was exactly going on as he treads over to you, hovering above your crouched figures.

That’s when he sees it and it leaves him feeling even more puzzled. Strings of yarn are sprayed across the ground, both you and Jackson holding what he assumes to be knitting needles. The pile next to Jackson is an appealing array of white and sky blue, woven together to resemble a cozy scarf.

The pile next to you, however, is a disarray of blank and orange, and what’s worse is that your technique doesn’t seem to be helping much.

“Oh my god, Namjoon!” Jackson suddenly shrieks. Namjoon winces at the high pitch, watching you two instantly scatter away all your belongings and pushing it behind you. “W-We were just uh, you know talking and stuff!”

Namjoon sighs, “Why are you knitting before practice?”

“Oh uh, the thing is–“ Jackson scrambles for an answer.

“I’m knitting a sweater for Yoongi.” You smile, being honest with Namjoon as Jackson gapes at you for letting the secret out so easily. “We were just working on completing so we won’t be distracted when practice starts.” 

Namjoon appreciates that you’ve told him the truth instead of covering it up like Jackson was attempting to, so he decides you could use the piece of advice he offers.

“Do you need help? I’m not great at knitting but I do know the basics since my mom’s really good at it.”

A cord strikes in you at that, mouth falling agape when the source of help you needed all along was actually in front of you. You hurriedly nod, shifting over abruptly as Namjoon chuckles.

When he takes the bundle from his hands, Namjoon frowns, “Why are there so many lumps in it?”

“Lumps?” You crane your neck to see the various bumpy ridges, “Oh, that’s how the tutorial said to do it.”

“I think the tutorial was right but you did it on the opposite sides.” Namjoon plops the ground, weaving the needles on a different side, “It should be like this.”

You attentively watch as Namjoon fixes your errors, the odd lumps in your design beginning to disappear as he continues. Jackson seems to be intrigued as well, dropping his own bundle to observe Namjoon with pure marvel.

“There you go.” Namjoon smiles, having taken a couple of minutes to fix your messed-up rows and passing it back to you. Thanks to him, your design appears much better and smoother, no longer a disarray of chaos.

When he gets up, you sincerely smile.

“Thanks Namjoon.”

He smiles back at you, heading back to his office to grab some paperwork. He swoops out of the gym for a brief moment, both you and Jackson still huddled in the corner as you attempt to recreate the way Namjoon had shown you. That’s when Namjoon runs into him, eyes sparking up in surprise.

“Ah, you’re on time.” Yoongi nods, hand on the bag slung across his shoulders.

“I managed to get some sleep.” He yawns, rubbing his eyes sleepily. His eyes dart over to Namjoon’s hands, “What’s that?”

“Oh, it’s the approval for the next game.” He hands it to Yoongi, who hums before briefly scanning over it.

Namjoon smiles when he gives it back, “If you need any help, just let me know.”

“I wouldn’t worry so much about that, just focus on school for now.” Yoongi nods and Namjoon smiles, patting him on the back before he leaves. “Good things are coming your way so try not to stay too stressed.”

Yoongi frowns and stares at him strangely at that, but he simply shrugs it off as another yawn escapes him. 

***

Namjoon’s help ended up doing pure wonders for you. Because of him, your rows don’t longer are tangled or stringy but aligned and smooth. His help also sparked bundles of motivation in you, the desire to keep going without completing the sweater not being far from your hands.

You end up finishing just on time, presenting the finished product to Jackson with a huge smile gracing your lips.

“It looks great Y/N!” He exclaims, marvelling at the fine embroidery of black and orange, “I can’t believe you managed to make our logo on it!”

He flips the sweater around to show the words Bangtan and the number nine that Yoongi wears on his jersey. You smile at that, though you have to admit pestering Namjoon with a multitude of questions ended up being immensely helpful.

“What about you? Where’s yours?” Jackson places your sweater down and pulls out the bright white and blue sweater, an intricate striped pattern on it.

“What do you think?”

You gape in amazement, fingers faintly touching the material, “It’s beautiful….” You whisper, giving him a soft smile, “Your girlfriend will love it.”

Jackson grins and you take your sweater back. The sound of feet shuffling nearby have you two scrambling again, hurriedly glancing in the direction of the door where Yoongi stands.

He frowns, bag still on his shoulder, “What are you guys doing here?”

Jackson’s eyes light up with the situation, a cheesy smile on his lips when he grabs his belongings and hastily gets up. Yoongi raises a brow when Jackson sends you a thumbs up before leaving, dismay growing in you at how obvious he was being.

“What’s going on?” Yoongi turns back to you, more confusion appearing in his features.

You slowly get up from the ground, bringing the folded sweater in your hands. Shuffling over to him, Yoongi’s eyes perk up at the sight of it.

With a bashful smile, you extend your arms.

Yoongi frowns, letting his bag drop to the ground before he takes the woolly sweater from your hands. It unfolds, revealing the huge logo that matches with the one on his jersey.

When he glances at you perplexed, you clear your throat and smile, “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

Yoongi takes a glance at the sweater again, the shock across his features not leaving the longer you stare at him. You wonder just how speechless you’ve rendered him, but then he takes the sweater and walks away from you.

Pain flashes in your eyes when he hasn’t said anything, fear dwelling in you at the prospect that he doesn’t like it. But then he emerges from the office with something in his hands.

“I had a talk with Yoonji….” He begins, a small box in his hands, “When everyone’s families were invited to our game.”

You nod, recalling the day being horrible for you until Yoonji had cheered you on. “So I got you this. I wasn’t sure when to give to you but since it’s Valentine’s….”

He hands you the box and you stare at it in curiosity. It feels extremely light and you pick at the tape on the side, letting it peel away to allow the corners to unfold.

Your hand comes into contact with something metallic, pulling it out completely from the bag to reveal the large brown frame.

When you had first earned your position on the team after try-outs, Namjoon had wanted to take a group picture of the team to cement it. He had requested that you all appear serious, but after the first shot, that was thrown out the window once Taehyung had managed to fall over and everything had started laughing. Namjoon had ended up keeping the remaining shots for memory sake, but the one where all of you are laughing the hardest, is the very one in the frame Yoongi has given you.

It spells out one solid message for you, something you didn’t even know you needed.

You will always have your team by your side.

Your eyes grow glossy when you glance up at Yoongi, who’s smiling tenderly at your reaction. He brings the sweater in his hands over his head, looping in his arms in it before it entirely covers him. Snatching up his bag from the ground, he trudges away to toss it aside and to bring the cart of basketballs out.

Taking one final glance at the frame with a smile, you carefully place it back into the box and into your bag. Eventually getting back into the flow for practice, everyone begins to arrive and take notice of Yoongi’s unique sweater, Jackson throwing you a cheeky smile at its appearance.

“They’re so cute.” Jackson dreamily sighs, later on watching you two interact from the window of the Namjoon’s office once practice wraps up.

Namjoon hums, clearly annoyed by Jackson's sudden emergence in his office as he works, but managing to let out a soft smile from the thought.

[the-phoenix-heralds]

Coping with Online Classes while Neurodivergent

(Mostly aimed at those with ADHD and Autism, as I have ADHD and NVLD)

Organization

If you aren’t already keeping a planner this is a great time to start, It will allow you to not only remember the overload of information you are getting but also to organize it. (Also don’t be afraid of modifying how you use your planners, I for example am now using a completely different planner than the one I have been using for the past 2 years)

Also It will help you keep track of time (especially now that everyday seems to blend together)

Google calendar is great as not only is it online (and you are able to keep it both on your computer and phone) but Zoom is also allowing teachers to schedule classes on through it so they show up automatically on you calendar

If you haven’t already joined/made a class group chat, DO IT! being able to ask classmates/friends for advice/help is going to be more important than ever now, I have been relying on mine to keep me accountable and attending my classes on time

It is completely reasonable to ask your teachers to set a “firm” schedule, ie “we only meet for classes on Tuesdays and assignments will always be due on Thursdays”. Even if this is only true in *most* cases it is still a huge step forward in establishing a schedule and a sense of normalcy.

Use Google Drive and Bookmarks to organize your digital resources, sorting them first by class then by type (textbook, questions, data sheet, etc.) or how ever else you deem appropriate. This will save you time and keep you from losing documents

Gmail allows you to add searchable and colour-coded labels to your emails, these are great to wrangle your now completely overwhelmed inbox. My teachers tend to send their Zoom invite emails out directly after class meaning I might not need them for entire week, so I now tag them “zoom” so when I’m scrambling a few minutes before class I can find them in one search  

Coursework

do not be afraid to directly ask teachers how their marking criteria and curriculum have changed. Even if they are only able to give you an approximate answer, this should still help you prioritize your work and know how much time to give each assignment

also do not be afraid to tell teacher how/if you are struggling, many of us have spent years learning how to cope with a “normal” learning environment. Asking us to adapt all of our coping strategies and modifications in a few days is unrealistic and many teachers thankfully understand this

Also don’t be afraid to get creative with adapting your new coursework, If you usually answer questions orally you can use the speech to text function in Google Docs or submit audio of your answers via email

Productivity

DON’T DO YOUR HOMEWORK IN YOUR BED OR ATTEND CLASS FROM THERE. I know how tempting it is, but It’s amazing how much easier attending class is for me from my desk. Differentiating spaces helps you mind organize what you do where, you don’t have to have a desk just somewhere that preferably Isn’t your bed.

Set a schedule to follow during the week, but also be realistic with what you know you can and will accomplish. For example, I have to be in Zoom classes every morning at 8:35am, so I have to be up by 8 and be “presentable” (this is very low bar for me, it literally only means that I don’t look like I got mauled by raccoons) and have made myself breakfast and coffee by 8:30.

Take structured breaks at certain times of the day and go outside/open a window, eat, refill your water or just to simply take a break from the internet/screens.

Try using noise cancelling headphones or earbuds to limit the amount of outside stimuli, and arrange your desk so it is not visually overwhelming (ie. no huge piles of work or text books)

Zoom

Zoom is currently sensory hell for me and I haven’t seen a lot of information on what to do so here’s whats working for me right now

Asking for notes before class is a classic accommodation so don’t be afraid to ask your teacher, chances are they are already providing notes to someone else (If a teacher shoots you down ask a trusted friend for a copy of their notes, or to take turns note taking)

Ask your teacher to mute microphones during lectures and to only turn them on for discussions/questions, It’s amazing the amount of background noise this eliminates

Find the best place for internet in your living situation, or If possible switch to wired Ethernet (I went from 1.5-3 MBS to 150 MBS just by switching to a wired connection even though I was already less than 2M from a WiFi modem)

If it’s visual stimuli that’s the issue, Zoom let’s you choose if you only see your teacher/ how many of your classmates you can see at any given time and also lets you reduce the size of the window. It will also outline whoever is talking in lime green, to help direct your focus

download an audio mixer, this should give you the ability to cut the audio frequencies above and below the range of speech, while this won’t cut all the distracting noise it should reduce it and cut what sounds the most “artificial” (which I have the most issue with)

you can also download KRISP a program that does this for you (If you email them you can get it for free for the next six months)

Find ways to fidget that can help you focus, I for example have been knitting during class discussions because it not only helps me focus but the added input also helps me interrupt people less and listen better (other recommendations are Rubik’s cubes, stress balls or even doodling)

Don’t be afraid to turn off your camera for a few minutes to work or take a break, taking a break before you shut down is always better than after you do

also don’t be afraid to mute the class, If you already have the notes and understand them you are mostly there for the attendance/participation marks anyway

Now even though I advise talking to your teacher before you turn off/mute any part of the zoom I also understand that many teachers won’t be willing to make those accommodations and that most of this can be done easily without the teachers knowledge. As long as you are trying don’t feel guilty for adapting online classes to fit your specific needs.

Other Tips and Tricks

make friends with the SEA’s (Special Education Assistant’s or your equivalent) even if you don’t get support, they are having to adapt classes for their students and are able to offer an incredible amount of insight and help (they are also some of the most compassionate and determined people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing)

along the same vein make friends with other Neurodivetgent students, not only so you know what is working for others but also because the more people asking for help/accommodation the more likely you are to get it (never underestimate collective bargaining)

If you are new to self advocating or communicating adaptations through email take a look at Understood.org , they have amazing and simple to understand information on different learning issues in all ages from infancy to adulthood as well as common accommodations and why they are used. It’s an amazing tool to not only explain neurodiversity but also to find solutions and how to communicate them to others. They also now have an entire page on how to adapt to covid-19 as a student and as an educator

Finally do not be afraid to ask for help, everyone is going to need help and grace during this time, you do not need to be ashamed of it. (I personally am battling some shame over asking for more comprehensive accommodations during these times)

@dashing-hyphen @galazybunny @mouwwie

[haiykuties-imagines-blog]

hello! i love your writing so far - good luck on the future of your blog! may i request an angst scenario with akaashi but has a very fluffy ending? thank you very much! also! if you need any help or advice, i'm always free - just shoot me a message! good luck and thank you again! (p.s, you might wanna turn anon on hehe :3)

Hey, Thanks so much! I would just like to warn Akaashi fans that I honestly kinda struggle with his personality, but I hope this will do aha 💓

Akaashi Keiji x reader | Word Count: 1,481

You knew he struggled with emotions. And that he wasn’t the most affectionate. He loved you, but there was never any affirmation, never a sense of love and affection emitting from him. So did he really love you?

Was it all a facade? Well, it wouldn’t be a facade considering the man always looked like a statue, so cold, desolate and hollow to the core. More like a lie. Maybe it was a lie he told you on the occasion because he felt too bad to end it after so long. Either way it all seemed hopeless now.

The soft buzz of your phone rang throughout out the air, shaking the table ever so slightly, surfacing your mind back to the miserable reality you drowned in.

“Sorry”

That was all it read. Your blood boiled at the sight of the one worded text from Akaashi, was this situation a joke to him? You couldn’t even muster the effort to reply, often like himself when it came to your texting stream. Pondering, your mind replayed the scenario back in your frazzled head.

The sun set graced the skys above, the orange and yellow hues spreading like a blanket across the city, it was warm but not over-bearing as you cooked dinner. It was only a simply pizza, you had both had a busy day, like always. It was a constant routine with you two, never fluctuating down to the very second it seemed. He liked it that way. You didn’t mind, but a little adventure is fun every now and then right? Either way you set the timer for 25 minutes, humming to yourself as you scanned through the calander perched on the marble ledge. The 21st of September. Your anniversary. Of course yoh hadn’t forgotten, you had brought Akaashi a watch, simple as it was you knew he would like it. It was plated gold but not necessarily blingy, straightforward, like the man you loved. You couldn’t wait to give it to him! Practically squeeling with joy in your heart.

Akaashi rocked in from work just on time, the alarm Blaring throughout the small apart, the sound was enough to drive you insane after long. You quickly greeted your lover, placing a chaste kiss on the cheek before rushing back to the kitchen. He gave a faint hello back and that was it, no questions about your day or anything. Nothing. It was usually like this, but on a day so special you would’ve appreciated at least a little something back, even a smile. Yet he remained a statue. Lifeless and uninhabited of any possible emotion.

It grated at you and weared you down, you were reaching your limit, yet this day had to be special! So you slapped a content grin across your face and played it out as if there was nothing wrong contorting and eating and your mind slowly.

Dinner went rather fast, small talk here and there, you’d managed to get a vague smile to smear slightly along his lips. ‘Congratulations to me’ you thought, a bit more aggressive and sarcastic than your average in head voice. You were sour but hope begin to sink back into you as you remembered one thing: His anniversary present!

You quickly excused yourself, dashing along the corridor and into your shared bedroom before picking up the matte black box with a little red bow wrapped neatly across it. This was it. You saved and saved for this watch, any extra money going towards it. You prayed he would like it.

Sliding the box over to him, after your return, he stared up at you; blank and confused as to why you have placed it before him. His delicate fingers brushed over the ribbon, then he slowly opened it, revealing the watch in all its delicacy.

His next words destroyed you, completely and utterly.

“What’s the occasion?”

Something in you heart snapped hearing that. You felt like someone just swung punch right into the pit of your stomach, it curdled and raged, you wanted to be sick. Your mind wasn’t racing no more, it was blank, like a blank sheet of paper. All the cogs in your body stopped moving, the emptiness you felt was unbearable and grotesque. For what seemed like an insufferable hour, but was only a matter of seconds, you were uncomfortably tranquil and lost. The slow agonising ticking of the dinning room clock seemed so loud, practically eating the entire room.

For once, you were the statue.

Akaashi stared at you, bewildered in your hurt expression, he truly had no idea what was happening.

“It’s our anniversary Akaashi”, you stated, blunt and with such venom in your words.

“Oh yeah you’re right, I forgot, I’m really sorry y/n I’ll try make it up to you another time”, he replied still emotionless, did he actually even care by this point?!

He forgot.

How could he?

You tried to save up so much

Was it all for nothing?

Where is his effort hiding?

You cracked, every fibre in your body officially broke. You couldn’t feel the seething pain of his words no more, nor the sting wrecnhing at your heart shred by shred.

You couldn’t even control yourself as you robotically edge your way towards the front door, picking up your coat and leaving. You didn’t even glance back, you couldn’t, it would cause to much anguish.

Akaashi just sat there at the table, repent and agony leaking across his face, how could he do this to you? Why was he so stupid? But most importantly he wondered if he’d actually get you back after this, he destroyed you completely due to his ignorance and now he had to pay the price.

It had been about 15 minutes since he sent that text, you took another sip of your coffee and stared at it again. You eyes bored into the message as if it was going to tell you something. People must’ve stared at you weirdly, you looked nuts, eyes puffy and swollen, disheveled hair and practically shaking in your seat. You didn’t know whether to give in or not. Mind clouding up yet again like the brewing of a wrathful storm.

You kept ignoring the text for a few more minutes. The subdued buzz flew into the air again.

“Y/n please come home, I’m sorry, I truly am. I understand if you want to leave me, I haven’t treated you right, taking your affection and emotions for granted; completely forgetting to give you back what you deserved. Can we just have one last chat, i love you”

Shock took over your body, that’s practically the most he’s ever opened up to you in one go, you felt awful about him talking about the idea of you guys breaking up. You didn’t want that. Quickly shuffling all your stuff together, you made a B-line for your apartment, this would not be the end.

Knocking faintly on the door you waited for a response. You heart raced, you felt so overwhelmed, how would Akaashi act towards you now? You just left him on him own, without anything.

The soft click of the door brought your mind back to the present, the door jarred open slightly, but he didn’t open it fully. Instead he walked away, awaiting your entry. You swallowed the lump in your throat, holding back tears as you opened the door further, eyes shut tightly.

After gaining the courage to actually open them, you found yourself in utter disbelief at the sight before you...

Scarlet rose petals lead a trail along the cream coloured carpet, slowly your eyes followed the petals until it came to a halt, you glanced up to see Akaashi. He had matching roses in his hand, fresh and dewy, a smile graced his lips but his whole face showed regret and pain. You jumped towards him practically, embracing him in such a large hug that you almost took the poor man to the deck, tears began to prick at the corners of your eyes as you stared up at him.

“It might not be the best, but don’t worry, your anniversary present won’t be this, this is just the beginning of a new chapter”

You honestly couldn’t believe it, the man that was so stone-like before is now before you, pouring himself and his feelings to you. Honestly you weren’t even listening properly to what he said, you were overjoyed, this was a new chapter, a new time to learn and fall even more in love with eachother.

The rest of the night was just pure bliss, cuddles, kisses and anything in between. You slowly felt your eyes drift, laying on the boys lap was a dream, so warm and comfy. Akaashi played lightly with your hair, appreciating every fibre of yourself.

After all, you were both happy now, starting your new journey together.

[crowsvalentine]

Tour Guide

The first day of school was always broken lockers, kids running late to class, and a chorus of groans that echoed through the hall as students got their schedules for the semester. Nothing ever changed and Annabeth hated it. When she walked into the school that morning she wasn’t surprised at all when she found her best friend sitting in the courtyard, it was the place they met in freshman year and Piper Mclean was determined to sit there everyday until they left that godforsaken place. 

“You’re late!” Piper yelled the moment Annabeth stepped out of the building. She only rolled her eyes as she sat down, not caring for the glare Piper was giving her from across the table.

Looking around the courtyard, Annabeth couldn’t help but sigh. The place was  a dump, all of the school’s money went to their acclaimed sports teams leaving none to care for the actual school grounds. The only reason she let Piper drag her out there everyday was because it was quiet unlike the halls of the school and even if there were windows lining every wall, it was as much privacy as they were going to get since no one else seemed to hang out outside.

“Hey, Annabeth, attention over here, sweetie,” Piper said snapping her fingers in front of her eyes. She didn’t need to pay attention, she knew exactly what Piper was about to say. 

“Jason made captain of the soccer team and as captain of the cheerleading team it is my duty to hook up with him this year,” they both said at the same time.

Piper scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest. Since she moved to town she had her eyes set on the blonde star athlete, every girl who’d ever seen him did. However, Piper was convinced she was the only one who’d have any sort of shot with him. She was right but Annabeth would never tell her. Annabeth had known Jason since forever, they’d lived across from each other for as long as they could remember and he tended to tell her everything.

“Anyway, I texted him earlier asking him to join us for lunch-”

“You know, if we were part of a movie we wouldn’t pass the Bechdel test?” Annabeth asked and smiled when Piper rolled her eyes.

“But he said he got stuck showing this new kid around because he doesn’t have enough volunteer hours to graduate-”

“No, really, I’d hate a movie that stared us. It would be a terrible influence on young girls,” she continued, as much as she loved her, sh was starting to get tired of Piper’s hypothetical love life. Continuing to ramble about their theoretical movie deal, she smirked as Piper got more and more frustrated. Piper could get anyone she ever wanted but she had spent the last four years pining over a guy who she could easily have gotten if she just talked to him. Annabeth on the other hand, only had a limited choices, most people thought she was too smart for them or that she just wasn’t smart enough.

They both talked over each other, getting louder and louder until Annabeth finally needed a breath and Piper stood up.

“So I told him you’d do it and that you wouldn’t mind signing off the hours in his name!” 

Annabeth stopped talking abruptly, Piper wouldn’t dare drag her into this mess too. Before she could say anything the bell rang and her former best friend turned on her heel to walk back inside. The moment she swung open the door Annabeth winced at the sudden flood of noise coming in.

“Be at the front doors by noon!” Was the last thing Annabeth heard before she was left alone. 

-

Annabeth was going to kill Piper. 

She was fine when Piper signed them both up for cheerleading, she was cool when Piper made her join the dance committee, and she was actually ecstatic when Piper wrote her name down next to hers for the school redecoration project. Forcing her to show some kid around the school while she chatted up the love of her life was where Annabeth drew the line.

“Mrs. Chase, Jason told me you’d be filling in for him,” Mr. Nestor said from behind her. Annabeth fought the urge to roll her eyes, of course the star athlete was on a first name bases with the principal. Instead, she smiled at him when he stood next to her. “I was warned about his tardiness, I was hoping he’d change his ways for a new school.” 

“Maybe he got the dates mixed up, it’s better that way then Jason can be here to greet-” but the sound of a loud engine cut her off. The principal’s usual cheery face faulted a bit when they caught sight of the source of the noise.

It looked like it had been built by hand from every piece of scrap metal found in a junkyard, it wasn’t ugly, just not something you’d see everyday. Annabeth let herself admire the handiwork it must have taken to build it. She also let herself admire the rider, she couldn’t see his face due to his helmet but something about him just made her not want to look away.

“A mobile death trap, just what we need at a school,” Nestor mumbled under his breath, but despite his words he walked down the steps to meet him. 

Annabeth stayed planted in front of the door, not sure if she should follow or wait to be introduced. She decided the latter would be the better option, it gave her enough time to determine what kind of person this guy was and how the tour will go.

The first thing she noticed about him was his height. Mr. Nestor was a tall man himself, playing basketball in his golden years at this very school but when the rider stepped away from his bike, he easily dwarfed the principal, and Annabeth couldn’t help but be impressed. 

“Percy Jackson?” 

It was a strange name, probably short for Percival, though he didn’t look like a Percival. The rider only nodded, not saying a word as he dropped the stand for the bike. He wasn’t giving Annabeth the impression that he was a friendly person. Maybe she’d get lucky and he’d blow off the tour all together. 

“I hope you don’t keep up this habit of being late, Mr. Jackson.” 

From what she could tell, Percy was staring at the principal, probably rolling his eyes under his visor. She wouldn’t blame him, she’d be doing the same if that was the first thing her new school principal said to her. 

The next thing she noticed about him were his eyes. When he finally let up his visor she was shocked she couldn’t see the colour through it. His eyes were so bright, greener than anything she’d ever seen before. Nestor seemed to go a bit uneasy as well when he saw them, he started shifting his weight back and forth on each leg, Annabeth could understand why. Percy had a certain look to his eyes that screamed ‘don’t look too hard, something bad might happen if you do’.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Nestor, it won’t happen again,” Percy finally said as he took off his helmet. 

Annabeth felt herself heating up at the sight of him, never in her life had she seen someone who looked like him. She found herself transfixed on the way his fingers carded through his black hair, trying to tame what damage the helmet left. He was smiling, as if only from one side of his mouth, the smile of someone who would be in detention by the end of the day, she was sure. However, she didn’t stay lingering on it too long, she was already drawn back up to his eyes. Which to her luck, were staring right at her. Her own eyes widened but he looked away faster than she could.

“I’m not in the mood for any sarcasm,” Nestor said. Percy looked confused for a second but didn’t say anything. “Follow me, I have the same lunch break as the rest of the school and I have a turkey sandwich waiting for me in my office.” 

Annabeth quickly straightened herself, keeping her eyes trained on Nestor, refusing to get caught looking at Percy again. The next hour was going to be the longest of her life, she knew it. 

[chloepalmerblog]

Module Feedbacks Reflection.

Initial Project Feedback:

Chloe Palmer

Used module well to work on a variety of Fashion editorial shoots on multiple well chosen locations.

Your project proposal doesn’t necessarily get to ‘why’ the outcomes might work. What is it about these locations that works in a fashion context? How do we define ‘instagrammable?’ I’m not sure to what extent the locations are ugly or undesirable? Your research is fairly limited in terms of established sources; I realise the look you’re going for is linked to the area of industry you want to work in, but studying the work of people like Juergen Teller, Corinne Day etc give you a better starting point for visual research. You’ve done really well to work with models, the wide range of models lends the project a professional feel, the poses/gestures are moving in the right direction, though occasionally some can look awkward. Sometimes the models look really good and suit the theme, other times some things can change the mood, such as eye contact and smiling. Sometimes the colour is off and a bit green, make sure you’re correcting white balance before adding filters or making other changes, though this could be the printing. The amount of work you put into organising your shoots, working with models and organising locations is exemplary; you should be really proud of your professionalism and work ethic.  Cover image is really good and feel the final page spread is getting closer to what you’re after which suggests that this exercise has been useful for you. Your dummy is evidence that thought and time is going into the layout.  Your evaluation highlights some of the successful areas and evidences your developing skills and ideas, though does overlook some of the less successful areas mentioned above which would better support your major project.

Your proposal for Major Project has a lot of potential, as discussed in sessions it is important you use each week to build on supporting workbook alongside the practical week.  For major project suggest using your workbook/ sketch book more regularly to document the journey of your project ensuring you clearly document all learning outcomes showing for instance your - ability to synthesize theoretical concepts and practical skills to produce a coherent body of work and communicate it effectively.   Important to show contextual research for project.

Creative outcomes with supporting evidence (equivalent to 3,750 words) - 75%  weighting

69%

Critical and reflective evaluation  (1,250 words) – 25%   weighting

59%

Overall

66.5%

Jamie Dormer Durling

Richard Edkins

Reflection:

I was very pleased with my results for Initial Project. I wish I could of know the developments before hand and I would have improved my grade to bump into the first grade mark. However I can take on this feedback and work on them through my Major Project.  I understand that I did not say why the outcomes might work. I believe that the images and location was successful if I was able to get strong images. If there is a connection with the model and location, then they work well together to make a stronger image. The locations may not be fashion related but by having the fashion there brings its attention and focus to the fashion. I believe the fashion is more interesting when there is a unique background that works with the model. If the model looks comfortable and confident and knows how to pose correctly with the items there; then the image automatically works as a whole. I believe anyone can create a cool image if they work well with any location. The fact that the location is different and challenging makes the image fun and unusual. Unusual tends to intrigue the viewer as it is somewhere they have not seen used as location. 

Instagrammable means a Photo or a Picture that is worth posting on Instagram. However I believe a instagrammable photo is of something that is popular and in trend during that current time. 

My research was limited within books and photographers. However I found the most successful research was through YouTube videos where photographers did this challenge. It was easier to understand when you see someone work with the location visually. I felt like this trend or style of photography was new and popular. Therefore finding photographers who have done this was limited. All my research would come from being online as books would not have the relevance. However I could have had a library session and find locations that seem to be challenging through photos. 

I understand the images may look different and not right to some people but I have edited my preset to my style. Therefore it may not match everyones taste. I understand I need to check the white balance so that the skin tones and light areas do not get changed dramatically. 

I believe I worked hard with getting models and arranging lots of photoshoots. I had plenty of images that I could have used for the book.

I believe that Rich said a good point about using a workbook or notebook to document your work. I will use notebook to write down any meeting I have had with Chloe, so that I have the information stored to come back too. It is a big project, therefore there is lots of things to discuss so writing everything down is important. I will aim to document as much as I can, even conversations through text with Chloe. We want to make sure things get done and that we remember what we have discussed. 

I will take this feedback and work on developing myself through the Major Project.

Critical and Contextual Research Feedback:

Reflection:

My first reaction to my markings for the dissertation and research proposal and presentation was I was very pleased. I feel like writing essays is not my strong point when it comes to education. Hence why I am very passionate about photography. I was worried about this module the most as when I studying my Foundation Degree at City of Bristol College, I did not have the full support I needed. My tutor for the module was always ill or could not make it into college. Therefore I felt like I struggled by not having the support I needed as essays was not my strong point either.

 However, with this dissertation, I was given as much support needed to pass it. Sam was always available for a tutorial or able to read through my plans and writing sections. He always responded to my emails and helped as much as he could. Sam sent through structure guides and many lessons/lectures on how to write a dissertation. I also contacted Hannah Raines who works at the libraries throughout the university buildings. We had spoke through emails about any referencing enquires. I had a library session where we went through the library in depth, to find books that were relevant and beneficial to my research. 

By having the support I needed, I was more confident when writing my dissertation. As I was nervous about getting these results back, I was surprised by the marks I had received. I was expecting to just get a pass but I managed to get a high 2:1 grade. Of course, I was gutted I was a very small percentage of a first but I am still very happy that I achieved that grade. I worked very hard to get that grade as I knew essays was not my strong point. I feel like I made a good use of the library and its books. 

The first draft of my Research Proposal had grammar and spelling mistakes. Therefore I fixed those mistakes and was able to boost my marks a bit more. Sam said for me to include more books in my research. He stated that there was lots of books written about body image/feminism. I acted on this feedback and had a library session with Hannah to find as many books relevant to my essay. Even though my essay is a modern topic, there was still lots of books I found on certain sections of the essay. I felt like I found and red through many books to increase my knowledge on these subjects. 

If I had to do the presentation again, I would include more information about money and its impact on online behaviour, as Sam said that would be important to address. This would be an extra slide to the powerpoint to explain this. 

For the dissertation, I realised I should have done more study of fashion photography. I felt like my essay had so many turning points into another essay, it was hard to narrow it down. However I should have included a little section about fashion photography itself. For example, about the necessity for women to look a certain way, in order to sell them products. For the survey, Sam said I needed to analyse their different reasons/answers more. Instead of making a generalised statement. I understand this as those who disagreed has an important point to make swell and I should focus on them more. 

Overall, I am very pleased with these results as I thought I was not going to do as successful in this module. I have surprised myself and realised I am much better than Ii thought I was.

Research Portfolio Feedback:

Reflection:

I enjoyed this module as I was looking a new skill that would be beneficial for my business. I managed to look lots of new editing skills on Lightroom and a few on Photoshop. However Lightroom is my chosen editing software. For this module the key thing to understand what is happening in the industry. I understand that it would be useful for myself find out why these popularities have become. I understand that once I learn about these, it will increase how I am critical when evaluating ideas. There is some trends which are worth following and some that are best ignored as Jamie said. I agree with Jamie as I have found trends that are popular and are worth getting on the band wagon. However it is also important to understand why some trends do not become successful. I believe it's important to know what makes something popular. And how it does that. 

I believe I have made some good critical observations of others work, this helps me understand how they have created that particular style. 

Jamie said with my preset can be inconsistent with indoor ones than outside ones. I do struggle sometimes with the indoor ones as the lighting is difficult. However I believe I have improved greatly with editing the indoor ones. I have created an indoor preset which is just the lighting has been boosted and the shadows have been decreased. I understand what Jamie means as I have been working on it for a while. It is not perfect but I have developed since. If I have more time, I would try and develop my preset for indoor to be more successful. This would. be done by watching more Youtube Tutorials on how others do this. I understand I need to keep the whites as white as possible. Presets are good and efficient but the skin tones may be affected by the colour scheme. I believe I need to focus on the skin tone more so that it does not look odd or clearly showing there is a filter on it. 

I believe that a preset may not fit all images of different models with different skin tones. However I believe it is a starting point where most of the editing is done and then I can adjust any anomalies that make the photo look wrong. There is lots of ways you can edit your image to look like, whether it is changing the whole look or making someone look more tanned. It just depends on what the client wants their images to look like. They might edit a particular way to match their social media feeds. 

Overall, I am happy with my grade and understand Jamies Feedback. Next time, I will be more informative about how a preset may not fit with every image and how I would adjust that so iit would work with the image. I would make my notes from workshops and tutorials more detailed so that I have all the information needed. The more detail allow me to reflect on the workshop better. 

[bulletproof-heaven]

Wings Cafe - Chapter 3

Chapter: prologue 1 2 3 4

Another night, another successful mission. Much to Yoongi’s dismay, Jimin chose to stay home while Jin followed the group, just in case, they needed someone with medical skills. Hoseok was stuck at the club dealing with Jihyuk’s problems as the trouble child partied. The mission only took a half an hour as the client’s abusive boyfriend was nothing but a coward. After a few broken objects, a very convincing conversation with Namjoon, and a little help from Jungkook, the boyfriend promised that he will never contact Yuji again.

The boys were super keen for late night snack as Jin unlocked the door.

Namjoon felt his phone vibrate before he checked it. There was a text message from an unknown number:

 Welcome home, boys.

“Jimin!” Jin called out while they all walked through the door, “We’re home”. All of them stood around waiting for the familiar sound of Jimin’s footsteps rushing down from upstairs to greet them; but the house was eerily silent.

“Guys, look at this” Namjoon showed them the message before Yoongi immediately took off running up the stairs. All of them followed him, searching in each room for the wide-eyed angel.

An ear-piercing scream came from Taehyung and everyone poked their heads out of the room that they were searching just in time to see the hacker rush out, laptop in hand, yelling at them.

“MEETING NOW”

They all immediately stopped what they were doing and ran towards the said room.

“This was just sent to me, it’s currently live” Taehyung connected his laptop up to the project and pressed play. Everyone didn’t even get a chance to sit down when the black screen showed Jimin lying on the ground, in a room with metal walls, unconscious.

Before anyone could say another word, Namjoon’s cell phone rang. He answered without taking his eyes off the screen.

“Are you guys enjoying the show?”.

The lady’s voice made a chill run down his spine. He immediately turned his phone on speaker and placed it in the middle of the table.

“Who are you?”

The lady chuckled, “You guys have such a lovely home”.

“Let him go” Yoongi growled.

“Hm… I don’t think I will”.

“Hyung” Jungkook said, directing their attention towards the screen. Jimin, who was still unconscious, started visibly shivering.

Yoongi snatched the phone off the table and bellowed, “What are you doing to him?”

“You have two hours until he dies. Better get cracking”.

“Hey-” The phone went silent. Yoongi let out an enraged yell and threw the phone against the wall, smashing it to pieces. His hands immediately grabbed the nearest object –the chair in front of him. He went to pick it up but Namjoon’s placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey, calm down”.

He shook the hand off and seethed, “Don’t tell me to calm down! Jimin’s going to die if we don’t find him”.

“And you’re just wasting more time by being like this”.

Yoongi paused before exhaling deeply, running a hand down his face. “You’re right”.

Jin walked closer to the screen. “He’s facing the other way,” he squinted his eyes, “I can’t tell what’s wrong with him”.

“Taehyung,” Namjoon ordered, “track Jimin’s GPS”

Every single member of the group has at least one ear pierced and are given at tracker embedded into a stud earring. The trackers are undetectable by x-rays or metal detector, and is made to be basically indestructible and also water-proof. Whenever a member goes missing, the trackers are always the first step of action and it has never let them down.

“I did; location send to Yoongi hyung’s phone”.

Yoongi immediately took out his phone and keys, and started running out the door, not even waiting for anyone else.

Namjoon also started moving, “Taehyung, you stay here and keep an eye on Jimin; Jungkook, Jin, let’s go”.

Driving through the empty streets, Yoongi kept his eyes and mind focused on the road. There was a reason why he was always the driver. He had a natural talent of getting to a location that’s an hour away in twenty minutes. Sure, he was breaking tons of laws, but he hasn’t gotten in any trouble yet.

They ended up in an abandoned warehouse on the industrial side of town. The surroundings look like that from a horror move, as a chilly breeze rolled through as if a serial killer is going jump out at any minute. Yoongi parked the van and immediately hopped out, heading straight towards the entrance of the building.

“T-minus 100” Taehyung’s voice rang through the ear piece.

“Yoongi-” Namjoon started to say, shutting the door behind him, and received a glare. “Fine, Jungkook stay with the van”.

The three jumped the fence, and rushing into the eerie building. They ended up splitting up, searching all the different rooms; none of the rooms looked like the one from the video. Yoongi kicked down the third door down the hallway while Jin and Jungkook searched the other two.

The room was basically empty. There were boxes laying around, the paint on the walls were peeling, the moonlight shined through cracked windows, and the lights flickered continuously. Yoongi’s attention was drawn to a table sitting in the middle of the room. He walked up to it and saw Jimin’s stud earring and a card.

 Nice Try ~

 Anger flushed through him, making him want to send his fist into the nearest object. “Fuck”.

Instead, he kicked the table, sending it flying towards the other side of the room. Namjoon and Jin came running into the room as he walked out.

“What happened?”

“We got played; that’s what happened” Yoongi showed him the card and the earring, before heading back to the car.

“Taehyung, he’s not here.” he said into the ear piece as he hopped into the van, others following his actions. “Try tracing the video feed”.

“I tried isolating the signal but its bouncing off too many servers”.

“Keep trying.” Yoongi growled, starting the car as Jin and Jungkook watched the video from Jin’s phone. “Also check all traffic cameras around the forest, he must have been taken by car”.

“No vehicles entering or exiting the forest”.

“Damn” He slammed his hands against the steering wheel, “How the fuck did they take him without using the forest?”

“Jimin’s awake” Jin stated, “poor child”.

Yoongi turned and snatched the phone from his hands. Jimin, who was still shivering, had sat up and was looking around, very confused. He handed the phone back, slightly relaxing at the fact that the boy hadn’t started panicking yet. “Taehyung, how the tracing coming along?”

“I told you, it’s bouncing too much to properly isolate it”

“I thought you were some genius hacker!” Yoongi snapped.

“Hyung,” Jungkook cut in before the elder said something he’ll really regret, “It’s going be alright, we still have 90”

“We only have 60”

Yoongi’s head snapped towards the eldest, “What? She said-”

“He’s currently in some kind of freezer. We don’t know what temperature the room is set at but his lips are already starting to turn blue. He’ll be dead in 90 but what about frostbite? Mental confusion? If he passes out again, the hypothermia will set in faster”.

“Fuck” Yoongi immediately pulled the van away from the warehouse.

Namjoon, who had been sitting silently in the passenger, staring out into the night, and suddenly leaned forward as something in his mind clicked. “Taehyung, check all the aircrafts that passed by the forest. The government keeps a secret record”.

Finger tapping against the keyboard was hear. “Got it! There was only one plane that passed when we were gone; it was a private jet…Location sent”.

Yoongi looked at the location and immediately made a U-turn, van on the verge of tipping over due to how fast the wheel was turned. Everyone grabbed on to the car handles, fearing for their lives.

“Hurry, Hyung. T-minus 50”

The young man huffed at Taehyung, “I’m going 120 on a 60 road and there are traffic lights. Stop talking and start helping”.

“On it”.

They arrived at the location in 15 minutes with the hacker changing all the traffic lights to green so they could pass through. It was a miracle nobody called the police about a van driving way over the speed limit, not to mention very dangerously as well, swerving in and out of lanes, over-taking other vehicles.

Everyone jumped out of the van, they just needed the layout and Jimin’s location.

“Taehyung, we’re here. Do you have visuals?” Namjoon asked.

The was no response.

Namjoon and Jin looked at each other worriedly. The hacker had never stopped responding before. Even during times where the communication device was broken, the younger would always instantly find a way to contact them via hacking the nearest thing; car radio, a television, computer, PA system, anything.

“Tae?” Jungkook panicked a little before all four of them received a text from Taehyung with a map of the place and Jimin’s location. Everyone else relaxed, believing that the hacker’s ear piece simply malfunctioned, but Jungkook’s stomach churned; something is not quite right.

They all ran straight to the room that Jimin was held in. Yoongi opened the door and saw the boy still sitting on the ground, slight shivering but not as violently as before. Namjoon noted how odd it was that to door wasn’t unlocked or that there were no guards to keep Jimin from escaping.

“Hey,” Yoongi kneeled down before wrapping his jacket around Jimin and held onto him tightly, trying to transfer some body heat. He looked up at Yoongi, eyes a bit unfocused, before bursting into tears. Jin kneeled beside the two of them to check the boy for any injuries or see if they needed to get him to a hospital. However, what the med student saw was strange; usually it would take a lot longer for the body’s core temperature to rise but the boy’s lips had already returned to their normal pink colours.

“Shh” Yoongi rocked him and boy in his arms side to side, soothingly, “You’re okay”.

“Okay, help Jimin up,” Namjoon states urgently; there was something very wrong with this situation, “Let’s get out of-”

“Fifty-seven minutes and twenty-two seconds. No wonder you guys are the most requested service in the underground world.” A lady from the phone call walked in clapping. Everyone’s head snapped towards her. “You sure exceeded my expectations. I thought your group of eight was going to be a group of seven”.

“Who are you and what do you want?” Namjoon reached to pull out his gun.

“Ah ah ah” The woman sung, “I wouldn’t do that if I were you”. She snapped her fingers and a man in a military uniform came through the door with Taehyung, a gun against his forehead.

“Taehyung.” Jungkook gasped before growling, “Let him go!”. He quickly analysed his boyfriend: he didn’t have any wounds or bruises. He did look a bit dazed so Jungkook assumed that they used chloroform or some type of incapacitating agent.

The lady just ignored him. “Put the gun on the ground and kick it over here”

Namjoon slowly bent down, lowering his gun to the ground. Before he placed the gun on the ground, Taehyung grabbed the soldier’s hand and directed the gun towards the ceiling. He elbowed the man in the face before taking the gun, pointing it at the man lying on the ground as Namjoon aimed at the lady.

The lady sighed, “I knew this would happen.”

Suddenly, red lasers appeared on every single one of them. Snipers.

“I’m not going to repeat myself”.

Namjoon and Taehyung both placed the guns on the ground and kicked it towards the lady.

“Okay, you got us,” Namjoon stated, “What do you want from us?”

“We want to kill you”.

He let out a dry laugh, “You and I both know that’s not true. If you really wanted to kill us, you wouldn’t have kidnapped Jimin and made us go on this wild goose chase; you would have just stayed at the mansion and shot us when we walked through the door...”

The lady smirked at his explanation, clearly impressed at how he could analyse the situation so clearly under pressure.

“…And you said ‘we’ so you work for an organisation of some sort, who?”

“We are the government, and- ah, nice of you to be able to join us, Hoseok”

Hoseok walked in, escorted by another solider before being pushed towards his group. He stumbled a bit before turning to face the lady with a frown.

“As I was saying, we are the government and we would like for you to work for us”.

He let out his signature snort as if the red laser wasn’t pointed at his forehead, “No thanks, lady”.

“Oh, I’m sorry” The woman looked a bit surprised, “that wasn’t meant to sound like a question. You guys don’t have a choice.”

Namjoon laughed, “I think we do-”

“Kim Namjoon, the leader, twenty-two, IQ 148, married Kim Seokjin three years ago, twenty-four, the mother of the family, current med student.”

He clenched his fists, hearing their information pour out of her mouth. How did they get their files? The clients? No. The clients don’t even know all of their names, let alone what they’re studying.

“Min Yoongi, twenty-three, second-in-command, best illegal street racer till this day. Park Jimin, twenty-one, current dance student, owner of Wings café, guns specialist but dislikes killing, and is prone to panic attacks.” She stared straight at Jimin and mocked a pout as he wiggled in Yoongi’s embrace, tears welling in his eyes.

“Park Jihyuk, Jimin’s foster brother, twenty-one, currently passed out at the club from alcohol. Jung Hoseok, twenty-two, chemical engineer, ‘a literal ball of sunshine’ who was admitted into Marley Mental Institution by his own parents”. Hoseok’s face whitened; he thought that part of his life was completely hidden away.

She looked towards the last two, “Jeon Jungkook, nineteen, the muscle of the group, mixed martial arts since the age of five, current business student. And finally, Kim Taehyung, no blood relation to either Kim Namjoon or Kim Seokjin, twenty-one, hacker, current IT student”.

“And there’s a lot more information where that came from so no, you don’t have a choice”. The lady took a deep breath after finishing, “We’ll be in touch with the details soon”.

The whole group stayed silent, waiting for the next move. She also stood there, waiting.

They spent several moments simply staring at each other before the lady realised, “Oh, you can go”.

The group snapped out of their staring conversation, the lasers were no longer point at them. They can what?

“Shoo now,” She waved dismissively, “Just don’t try and leave the country, you’ve all been restricted”. And with that she and the military guards left, leaving the group stunned.

Everyone, except for Jihyuk who was still at the club, hung around the living room. Jin had volunteered himself to take the sobbing boy up to take a bath; Jungkook and Taehyung cuddled up on one side of the couch while Hoseok occupied the other. Namjoon paced the width of the room as Yoongi just leaned against the side of the couch. They all stayed silent for the longest time before Yoongi exploded in anger.

“How the fu-” He caught sight of Jimin, who just walked in and curled up on the couch, “-hell did they know where to find us?”

He eyed the younger boy, hair still wet, dressed in his sweater and pants, to make sure that he wasn’t still crying.

“We give clients our address all the time, someone must have leaked it” Hoseok shrugged.

“But they knew everything about us” Jungkook added on before mumbling, “I didn’t even know you’ve been admitted into a mental institution before”.

Jin waltzed in and clapped his hand, capturing everyone’s attention, “It’s late. Everyone go to bed. No arguments.”

One by one, they all filed out of the room. Yoongi passed by Namjoon, whispering, “I know you’re thinking the same thing as me. We have a rat”.

[clarkhannahgraphics-blog]

Reviewing the brief  ‘Animal Instincts’

For this assignment we have been asked to focus on the translation of primary visual information into a recognisable symbolic form.  We will be taking the characteristics of an animal and making it symbolic. Following this we will then apply this to a product of our choice. 

Aims and objectives:

Work directly from primary sources,

Create ‘modernist mark’ that can be used across a range of applications,

Use evidence to support a secondary understanding of characteristics of my logo design,

Establish a clear context for it’s use and present this in a visual exciting way,

Developing outcomes across a range of disciplines understanding the reasons for my choices,

Defining a clear audience for your ideas and establishing the effectivity of my ideas. 

To help me create a successful outcome I will: 

Research history of logo design,

De-construct existing logos and establish why they are successful,

I will research Paul Rand, Micheal Bierut as well as Angus Hyland. 

Question why we need logos and what they are for. 

Task 1:

What is a logo/symbol for? Where do they come from?

A logo is the face of a company and it represents/is the identity of a brand. A logo must be recognisable as well as being easy to understand. The audience shouldn't have to think about it, the understanding should be effortless. Logos come from the themes of a company and links to the purpose of the brand. 

How do we, the viewer/audience, look at, consume and read logos/symbols?

As the viewer/audience we look and consume logos as a identity of a brand/company. The logo will symbolise important aspects creating an organisation that people will come to recognise. 

What visual language elements are at work in a successful logo?

Line- Thickness of line create different meanings and feelings for an audience.

Shape- Geometric shapes are aesthetically pleasing to the eye, allowing human qualities such as symmetry making them more appealing to look at.

Size/scale- Should be viewed from any distance. No parts should become unseen when shrunk or from long distance.

Colour- Must work in one colour before adding several (no more than three). You can appeal to the target market by foreshadowing emotions, human qualities.

Layout- Shapes should look natural and sit in places where they look like they belong. As well as this, if it is a logo containing text and imagery they should be positioned correctly.

What are the key principles of successful logo?

Keep it simple, simplicity is key and the logo must be able to work in singular colour before adding colour. 

Use of geometric shapes

Passive (not aggressive as a tone, not providing a message) v.s. Active (swoosh-sense of movement)

Must always begin by drawing and mark making

Use negative space to create space

Memorable and aesthetically pleasing 

Symmetrey and balance

Relevant to theme/brand/company

Unique/original

Universal

Adaptable- Versatility, changeability, scalability

What is a modernist logo?

A modernist logo is an attitude towards simplicity,Its a logo that an be recognisable easily, and is not limited to certain cultural contexts. One key factor about Modernism is that it is, in a way, timeless. It doesn't run out of date in a sense, it will always be up to date with society and the current trends.

Why is it important to work from solid primary sources to develop an idea?

Primary research is someones own research they have gathered themselves so allows them to have their own experience in gathering inspiration. It is also good to work from primary research because you’ll have sources no one else does which you can work from, develop etc in your own unique way.

You could also collect primary research from a museum, gallery which will give you the most stripped back information that you know is 100% true and for example when I visit the Ipswich Natural history museum I will be able to see animals from around the world in the 3d naturalist form rather than a secondary source like the internet.

What is a modernist mark?

Based on simplicity, easily recognised, not limited to certain contexts or the context of a language. 

Here are a few rules I created in order for a logo to be successful:

Colour- no more than three colours,

Needs to relate to the name/theme/company,

Less is more, simple but effective,

It has to work in black and white before adding colour,

Has to be scalable,

Has to appeal to target market,

Balance and symmetry,

Passive (hasn't got an opinion)  V.S. Active (giving a message and offering an opinion)

Always start by drawing and mark making,

Logos have to have a long life. 

Here myself, Dallin and Eve identified the difference between a good and a bad logo. We discussed that the KFC is not a successful logo due to the fact that it does not follow the rues. There are clearly more then 3 colours included in the logo, to add to this the logo is nots scalable. Finally, I believe that the look in general is too complicated and there is too much going on. 

Requirements:

Sketch work and development of ideas, 

Production file documenting ind maps/research/developments in workshops and final ideas,

Final presentation boards and digital illustrator files of final logos,

Blog,

Video/audio log- Final evaluation of project uploaded and embedded to blog using vimeo/youtube. 

I completed a mind map establishing the qualities animals portray to help me discover what sort of products i could place my logo on. 

[jamesodell2]

Dada Movement (Philosophy) of Political Punk Case Study

In this blog post I will be explaining the Dada movement and discussing its relevance towards my project; I will show a detailed background behind the movement which will include influential artists which will inspire me for future practical experiments. I want to explain the cultural changes involved within this movement such as the punk era and political scene which can stem towards my collage experiments. I will be looking at the artwork which was created during this time and visually analysing these to puck out characteristics I could explore. within my own outcomes. I think this research will broaden out my project and give me a wider range of outcomes which explore my project concept behind recent and iconic events.

What was the Dada Movement?

Dada was an artistic and literary movement which started in Zurich, Switzerland and this was a reaction to the First World War but also the nationalism which many people thought lead the war. This movement was inspired by other big movements such as Cubism, Futurism and Constructivism and its output was widely diverse which ranged from poetry, photography, sculpture and most importantly collage. The aesthetics Dada movement involved inspired many young artists in loads of different cities such as Berlin, New York, Paris and Hanover.

The Dada movement was the first conceptual art movement where the focus on the artists was not on their crafting aesthetics but their works which upended sensibilities and generated difficult questions about society, the role of the artist and the purpose of their art work. Many Dada artist are known for their use of ready made objects which are brought and presented as art with only little manipulations by the artist. This technique of using ready made sources forced questions behind the artist creativity but also the very creation behind art and its purpose towards society. The aims of Dada was to help stop the war and vent frustration towards the nationalist and bourgeois conventions that lead it. Their anti-authorisation stance made for a protean movements which was because they opposed any form of group leadership and ideology.

Parties At Cabaret Voltaire

The Spread Of Dada:

The artists in Zurich published a dad magazine to display their ideas and thoughts and also held art exhibits that helps spread their anti-war and anti-art cry. In 1917 Tzara founded Galerie Dada where further dada evenings were held alongside their art exhibitions. Tzara became the leader of the movement and began an unrelenting campaign to spread Dada ideas, showering French and Italian writers and artists with letters.

Once the war ended in 1918 this lead to many of the artist returning to their home countries which spread the movement further and made it more recognisable. In 1919 Dada in Zurich followed the Dada 4-5 event in April 1919 that by design turned into a riot, something that Tzara thought furthered the aims of Dada by undermining conventional art practices through audience involvement in art production.  Dada has succeeded in establishing the circuit of absolute unconsciousness in the audience which forgot the frontiers of education of prejudices, experienced the commotion of the New. This riot which occurred was Tzara’s idea of getting audiences involvement which were not just onlookers of art, but ended up getting involved within its own production.

Max Ernst Dada ‘The Chinese Nightingale’ 1920

Im now going to look at and visual analyse pieces of work which was created by artists who were involved in the Dada Movement. The first artist I am looking at is Max Ernst who was a German artist who explored collage, paintings and prints. Although military service interrupted his studies, his academic background in literature, philosophy, and psychology was well beyond most artists of his day. Ernst invented the technique of frottage, making drawings by placing paper over such materials as floorboards, wickerwork, dried bread, string, cherry stems, seashells, leaves, and bark, and rubbing soft graphite over the paper.

The piece I chose to visual analyse was called ‘The Chinese Nightmare’ which was created using a collage technique which involves the human form working alongside ancient artefacts. The first visual quality which really stood out to me was the use of layering; Ernst uses this in a very affective way by combining the elements in the image which creates new shapes but also new art which was the main aim for the Dada movement. However this technique also enables another visual quality to rise to the surface which is texture; I think this piece contains many different textures which give the collage a setting of a grass field which is used a background for the mashup. These textures also add to the abstract theme which the Dada movement stick to throughout their pieces; this allows them to create new art which is taken from everyday objects which aren't classed as pieces of art which is another aim of theirs. Also the colour scheme they limit their selfs to creates tension in the collage; the monochromatic style keeps the age within the sources used but also adds to the abstract theme behind the piece which is something I want to explore.

Feminist Artist Hannah Hoch

The second artist I am going to be looking at is Hannah Hoch who was a German artist involved within the Dada movement. She was best know for her work during the weimar period, when she was one of the originators of photomontage. She created these pieces by using newspaper clippings and found objects and her work was usually engaged with the 20th century ‘ideal’ of the ‘New Woman’; and this was someone who challenged the role of a female. Hannah Hoch mostly worked within photomontage and this was a system the artist believed resulted in the failure of the Weimar Republic and the increasing militarisation in post world-war in Germany.

The piece I am looking at is called ‘Cut with the Kitchen Knife through the Beer-Belly of the Weimar Republic’ and this was created in 1919 by a collage of used pasted newspapers. I instantly engaged towards the busy and distorted theme she carries out throughout this collage which involves a pathway through the events which were carried out during the reign of the Weimar Republic. Another visual quality which is used in this piece is the technique of layering which brings exciting textures to the collage; this heavily links to the works of Max Ernst who uses many similar techniques to fit the style within Dada. I also really like the incorporation of colour in this piece which develops upon the work of Max Ernst who works in monochrome; I think the use of colour gives the collage more of an established theme which connects more to the message being perceived in relation to the Dada movement. I really like the use of text in her collage swell which gives the audience hints the the theme and meaning which Hannah Hoch is trying to establish. The text is taken from the primary sources she is working from which makes it relevant to the imagery surrounding it.

My response to this initial research behind the Dada movement involved me experimenting with different abstract compositions; the theme of my compositions were heavily linked to my project concept behind recent and iconic events but specifically the political scene I am focusing on involving president Trump. I wanted to show a range of approaches linking to the artist I have talked about above such as Hannah Hoch and Max Ernst; these two artists show the same meaning but through different techniques which I think would be exciting to explore within my own sketchbook.

First Development Inspired By Max Ernst

In this development piece I feel as I have represented the style of Max Erst well through the shapes I have used and abstract forms I have formed through the combination of these shapes. I think my collage shows resemblance to power and strength which is shown through the spartan helmet but corresponds to the  stature Trump is in at the moment. I wanted to use a texture as background for my composition as this was because Max Ernst uses this style within most of his pieces; this brings forward the abstract composition and creates a more engaging piece towards the audience. Why I chose to use the eye was because I wanted to resemble the leader looking towards the future and seeing a potential pathway to greatness which can influence the target audience in a drastic way.

How I think I could improve this development would be by adding a monochromatic colour pallet to my piece; this is because Max Ernst limits his colours which adds age and tone to his pieces. Also creating my outcomes in a larger scale which will add more impact and influence towards the viewer. I think the larger scale would show me pushing Max Ernst’s work further through my own style and interpretation; this can later be pushed further through a digital or traditional process such as print or photomontage which connects to the artist Hannah Hoch.

Hannah Hoch Dada Mashup

I think my development also has a heavy relation to the artist I have also talked about who is Hannah Hoch; Hannah takes a very abstract approach which is very similar to Max Ernst but uses colour to warm her pieces and attract the audience to a spiel setting through the subtle but affective colours. I think my pie shows a similar layout to Hannah Hoch because of how my work is very centred and has a simple backdrop which brings out the original image.

Overall I feel as these developments were a success because of the simple approach I made which made me produce quick but affective outcomes which are relevant to this specific research. What I wish to do next is begin to explore collage thorough larger scales but to start this I will need to look at artists such as Hannah Hoch and Jaimie Reid in much more detail to produce a set of principles to follow for my practical experiments. I want to show a range of colour schemes which can affect my practical outcomes in a good way.

Actions:

> Research Hannah Hoch and Jaimie Reid in detail showing a set of principles to follow to stem towards developments

> Begin to explore size and scale 

> Find the book ‘Design Of Dissent’ and find relevant sources to work from to push my research further and broader

Sources:

Dada Movement http://www.theartstory.org/movement-dada.htm Accessed on the 2 June 2018

Hannah Hoch http://www.theartstory.org/artist-hoch-hannah.htm Accessed on the 2nd of June 2018

Max Ernst http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/max-ernst-1065 Accessed on 2nd of June 2018

[chengu99-blog]

Reflection

When I first heard about the UX/UI course from my peers, I was drawn in instantly and knew this would be a course I would enjoy and be suitable for me. Switching majors 2 weeks into the semester was a big decision I made and I’m actually very happy I chose this course in the end! I feel like I’ve learnt so much within this one semester and not just about design, but more importantly how to work in a group. In the beginning, I admit I was little scared of working on a group project as my previous experiences were quite daunting but thankfully, I knew Debbie and Rebecca from last year’s classes so we were able to work pretty well as a team.

In the beginning, it was a bit hard for me to get my opinion across as I’m quite soft-spoken and it sometimes felt like my ideas weren’t as good as others. But as the weeks went by, I adapted to working as a group better and pushed my way through to speak when needed to and gave my own opinions. I know that some ideas might be neglected and debated upon but it’s all about compromising each other and I quite enjoyed these discussions as it was a good learning experience that not only helped us improve our app process but also gave us a valuable insight to the ‘real world’ because not everyone might agree and perceive things the same way you do. From the start of our brainstorming, we came up with many ideas and settled on a car parking management app. We all agreed that public parking in town was a stressful and frustrating issue that many people struggle with on a daily basis so to resolve these problems, our main features and functions of our app will allow users to book a park anywhere at any time without a hassle or worry. In the early stages of wire-framing our prototype, I had no experience with prototyping or creating an interactive screen design, however, the design process in general was easy to catch on with a lot of ideas being thrown out, prototyping then re-evaluating which was a repetitive but fun cycle. Designing our app individually was a time-consuming process as being a group of 3 made it difficult to combine and merge all our designs together however it worked out really well in the end.
 I feel like being in a group of three definitely had its advantages and disadvantages. Being able to share the workload meant we were able to complete the given tasks much faster and time efficiently. Having the majority vote with two people agreeing on something was also a plus as it reduced moments of wasting time being indecisive. Communication outside of class was a factor that went quite well as we all replied fast to our group chat and updated each other whenever someone uploaded work to share on Drive. This would then be passed on to the next member who would finish it off and re-upload for everyone. Our teamwork matched well as we each had certain aspects of design that we were good at. Debbie did an amazing job creating our style tiles and linking up our screens for the prototype, Rebecca’s talent in animating was eye-catching and really enhanced our app’s features while I was better at making our icons and logo, taking notice on details due to my OCD and discovering new programmes we could experiment with. The disadvantages weren’t many in comparison, but it included the pressure of having to do really well with all our tasks and create much more work since we had an extra person. It also involved a range of different ideas being voiced which occasionally was a struggle when needing to explain yourself and your viewpoint in order for everyone in the group to understand. One of our main challenges was designing for a screen and getting used to the idea that what we’re designing isn’t printed, it’s only digitally displayed. It’s so different as coming from designing publications and prints last year, I used 9pt body type yet using a 25pt body type on an app may still appear a bit on the smaller side. In the process of creating ParkPal, it really made me consider how much time and attention is put into every tiny detail from sketching, wire-framing, prototyping, designing and testing it until there’s nothing wrong. As we are on our phones every day, we never really think about why certain things work the way they do. Ensuring that we think about the little things like colour, text sizing, different screen sizes and interactions/ gestures is very important as a slight change could make the biggest difference from a user’s point of view. Colours could appear completely different on laptops vs phone screens without a retina display, text sizing of a 4pt difference could change the whole look of a button and overthinking animations/ interactions we imagined in our heads could easily become pointless and unnecessary. Struggling to choose a prototyping programme was another issue we later encountered as we realised XD was limited in its capabilities to enhance the character of our app so by the time we made a decision, it was too late. Overall, I’m really proud of my team and how our app turned out for this project! It was such an awesome journey and experience to work with a group in creating something that we’re all excited to share with others. I now understand the importance of putting the user’s experience first and through this mindset, I’ve learnt so many new tools and methods over this semester in relation to UX/ UI. I truly enjoyed designing something behind the screen that we could use every day, it makes me feel like I’m on the right path as a designer. Thanks to our tutor, G, for always giving us inspiration and motivation to work past our limits and setting the right atmosphere, I can’t wait for next semester !