#and then trying to pay attention to all the info during the training session

[studiousandrogynousfox-blog]

(almost) fully independent at clicky and zoomy stuff

this morning i received training to use an electron microscope independently! i'm now allowed to open and close a vacuum chamber on my own and play the video game of aligning everything to make the focus better! it's honestly mostly just clicking buttons in a software and carefully sliding a door open and close lol

in the afternoon after installing all the equipment i'll need in the vacuum chamber i was allowed to operate the microscope on my own and managed to measure two samples. the other seven i'll hopefully manage in the next two days :)

[sensei-venus]

@gemini-sensei , I might try doing something for this but-

Chubby!Reader who has been with the original group of students from cobra kai. She only ever defected to Miyag-Do after Kreese took over and then she went to Eragle-Fang. 

She's always been in the background, but so far back that not even the other background kids see or talk to her. It's almost like she's not there most of the times. For a long time she tries really hard to get some of any attention at that, but nothing worked. Nothing seemed to get her in the spot light, or even noticed for that matter.

So she just goes to class for her own benefit. Only to go home right afterward. She doesn't bother to stick around after practice, it's not like anyone wants to talk to her or hang out. No one makes a move to get to know her, they hardly even look in her direction most of the time. One of the only times she is noticed is when she's paired up with someone. Then right after they don't say a word to her.

Daniel is the only one who seems to care enough to notice her. He's the only one who tends to talk to her, asking about training, how she's doing, and how's school. More than Johnny ever has with the time she's been learning under him. She feels grateful that he at least takes a liking to her. One of the only reasons she keeps showing up.

But things change quickly one day and she snaps.

One day after a long hard trading session most of the students are talking. Everyone has changed out of their workout clothes before muddling around the dojo. Reader is checking out her bag just to make sure she hasn't forgotten anything important. While she is looking she over hears Miguel and Sam talking to the other students. They are all in tight circle having a conversation, Reader decides to walk over. She gets into hearing range to hear them saying how they should all meet up.

The other students get excited about the new idea.

“Can you just send the info to the group chat? So we can all know the time and place to show up?” solemn says. Everyone nods which has Reader stumped.

Group chat? What group chat?

Moments later the huge group starts to split up leaving Reader confused. She quickly tries to flag someone down before they can all leave.

“Hey so you have the group chat info-”

“Can you by chance send me the group chat-”

“Can you add me-”

Every single one of them seem to ignore her. Walking right past her, paying no mind to her or any of her questions. They just leave her standing there, hurt and clueless. Clearly, all of them were part of some dojo group chat. One where they shared group plans and hung out together. Maybe they even talked about things besides what went on at the dojo. What real friends did.

But now it was crystal clear to her, she wasn't their friend and they weren't hers either.

Her attempts at trying to be nice where useless. When she tried to talk to them during class or before, when she offered to help with school work, even when she tried her best to be a shoulder to cry on. None of it seemed to be enough for them to notice her. To care that she was trying to be apart of their friend group.

Even the slight crushes she developed on some of them.

There was no use in trying anymore.

This was the final straw.

That day she left the dojo with a heavy heart and a mind full of deep honest questions about what she needed to do. The dojo was no longer much of a comfort. Being there only made her feel like a outcast, out of place and cold. Why keep going if she could not build any relationships with her peers? While karate itself kept her busy and happy, the environment she was in did not. It only brought her down. 

Days passed and time ticked along with all of her thoughts about the dojo. Until one afternoon she decided on her final decision.

She folded up her gi and drove to the dojo.

She looked at Daniel’s face as he sadly took the crisp gi from her hands.

“I don't think I should be in an environment where I'm invisible to those around me. It's not fair to me or them. I'm sorry Sensei.” she bowed lowly to Daniel.

His lips draw down into a slight frown, brows knit as he watches the girl bow.

“I understand, not feeling as if your peers are behind you can be difficult. She shouldn't feel the pain of not fully knowing if they would stick behind you as you would them. I would hope that this is not the last time I see you. I can only hope you don't give up karate over this. You are a great student Reader.” his words priced her heart a little. Standing up she looked at him, her own eyes filled with sadness. She did her best to hold back the tears that slowly started to well in her eyes.

“I promise Sensei, I won't forget all the things you taught me. Maybe one day I can come back. Maybe then I will have a bit more confidence.” her voice cracks a little. With one final nod she turns around and walks away. She gives one last look around, knowing this might be the last time she ever sees the beautiful yard. Sighing she walks back to her car in silence, leaving the small lot without even a second glance.

When the next class comes around, no one notices anything missing. Everyone gets into their respective groups and stands ready for the days lesson.

“So we are going to pair up for today's lesson. So let's all get into pairs and start.” Johnny booms from the front of the group of teens. Quickly everyone starts to team up. Already knowing who they want to be paired with.

“Uhh sensei, I don't have a partner. I think everyone is paired up but me.” its Bert who speaks up.

“What so you mean you don't have a partner?” Johnny questions. They had never has a odd am out of students before. There has always been a even amount among the dojo.

Who wasn't there today? He looks around finding all the familiar faces he knows. He accounts for all of them which has him scratching his head.

“Shit that's my fault Johnny, I completely forgot to tell you. Reader quiet last class, I should have told you as soon as she came to me.”

There was a long pause between the two men. Even the teens stopped to listen in.

“Who?”

“Reader? Last Name? Do you seriously not remember your own student? Now that I'm thinking about it she was a part of your dojo before mine. I would have thought you would have noticed her missing.”

“Still blanking.”

Daniel doesn't even want to keep talking to the man. It's like talking to a brick wall with him.

This idea started to die, but I like to think Poly! Hawk, Sam, Demetri, Robby and Miguel start to feel bad about not paying attention to Reader. They end up following her around school, trying to figure out what they can do to make her come back to the dojo.

But it quickly goes from just trying to get an old teammate to come back to “Oh no we might have started to develop a crush on the girl.”.

[the-huntress]

Little Moth - Chapter 1 - The Beginning Is The End Is The Beginning

[Hi guys, welcome to my fanfiction. This is a Resident Evil inspired fanfiction, I wanted to incorporate a number of my favourite characters, and especially our beloved Magnet Daddy. Slow burn, soft smut impending, beyond that who knows… But to be safe I will say that this is for 18+ years of age only. Let me know if you’d liked to be on a tag list for future chapters. Masterlist is pinned. Thank you to everyone that has read so far. <3]

Masterlist

Trigger Warnings: Mention of menstruation, swearing.

Y/N Protagonist, female. Reader X Karl Heisenberg [18+]

Summary:

Your lifelong friend, Leon Kennedy, has mysteriously gone missing two years after the events of Racoon City. You make a discovery that could lead to his whereabouts; dare you enter the Village?

[Photos are my own] You weren’t sure exactly what you were looking at for a moment, arching your back forwards over the desk in the dimly lit room, the glare from the laptop the only source of light. Several windows had been left open on the screen, and despite the turmoil that Leon’s apartment had been left in, this was what had really grabbed your attention.

The most notable of which was a photo, the resolution was grainy, a scan from a black and white film photo, it looked almost like a foetus, but you couldn’t be sure. Was somebody pregnant? It was almost akin to the sort of photograph that expecting parents would show at a baby shower, but this was… different. You had a feeling of impending doom just by looking at this thing.

Next, another very grainy photo of a town, it almost looked like some of the places from back home in England; a church steeple, a castle or maybe a mansion in the distance? A quaint looking village in the snow. And lastly, a very cryptic email;

                                               10/10/2000

Leon,

Know not what I have done, but what I believe must be done now.

Half of the results of good intentions are evil; half of the results of an evil intention are good.

You have the information that you need, please make haste.

A friend.

Well, that’s ambiguous as fuck. You thought to yourself, pushing the chair back and pulling the lighter from the little band on the side of your cap. You reached to your shoulder and cursed. That’s right, you’d given up, “for health reasons”. Putting the lighter back you reached instead for your camera, a notepad and a pen. You’d been tempted to just take the laptop and the scattered papers, but after several years in the police you knew it was beneficial to leave things as they were. Your eyes flitted from paper to paper, taking notes of numbers, flights, times, place names, anything that you could until you’d filled a couple of pages. One page for practical info, and one page, now that you looked at it almost sounded like a fairy tale;

A village, four kings, four lords, and a mysterious ‘Mother Miranda’. You bit the end of the pen and pondered. It was like nothing you’d ever heard of before, what had he got himself into…

Several days ago you had received a text from the man himself;

‘Y/N I am going to be out of

town for a while, something has

come up. Please don’t worry,

will explain soon. Leon. X

P.S. I’ve left Timesplitters in

your mail box, play you again

when I get back! :] ’

And now here you were. You scoffed knowing he’d have had to pay double to send that one, but he was mad to think that you wouldn’t worry, he was like a brother to you, hell, the only family that you had. After a childhood growing up in rural England you had moved to the states with your father and stepmother when you were in those vulnerable years of your teens during the early 90s, but were lucky enough to have met Leon in school. The two of you had become best friends quickly, and even graduated from the same police academy. It was Leon that saved your butt two years ago when all hell broke loose in Racoon City, him and Claire.

You shifted on the collapsible chair in front of the usually neatly tidied desk which was now strewn with various papers and articles. Your thoughts of Claire continued, and you pulled out your Nokia, opened a message and then faltered. It was late. Later than late you realised, seeing the time; 02:08 AM. What am I doing? You didn’t want to wake her, so you put the phone back into the pocket on your belt.

You swept a strand of your hair behind your ear, the outgrown bangs jumping back in the way and you blew at them irritated. You heard a grumble and moaned, looking down at your stomach. Padding across the shiny, tiled floor you left the desk and headed to the kitchen, opening the fridge where you knew there would be left-over pizza. Sure, it was from over a week ago when you were last here hanging out, but hey, it’s pizza, right?

‘Ugh dude, always with the anchovies, why?’ you mumbled, flinging a small fish into the bin and mentally backhanding the back of Leon’s head. Of course, it was his side of the pizza that was left over, probably trying to stay in shape in case he bumped into ‘Ada’ again. You weren’t keen, but then, you didn’t trust her. You looked at your phone again, left on the desk besides the laptop, Leon would be much better off with Claire, but sadly you felt perhaps that ship had set sail long ago.

You went to sit yourself back down at the desk. CRUNCH “Shit!” Your eyes darted to your right knee. “Fuck… you’re not giving me a break are you.” Letting out a sigh you closed your eyes for a moment. Since you were a child your knee had given you problems. A few dislocations, hospital visits, insteps, braces and physiotherapy. You’d had to grit your teeth hard through every physical training session during academy, but you’d made it. Fortunately for you it wasn’t something that many people would be able to notice or spot. You could run for miles with no problem; it was the recovery time in the days that followed that was tough. You knew it was getting worse, and had been reading about how much longer you might have before you’d need a full replacement, but you knew that it could jeopardise your job, you knew you’d likely not get put on the jobs that you wanted, and the thought of being put into the office answering calls made your heart sink.

And then you spotted it, the corner of another window was sticking out from under the others, exposing the corner of a third photograph. Instantly recognising the symbol you felt as though you were falling.

“What…”

Dragging the window and clicking it to full screen you could see this photograph clearly; some kind of mural, was it in stone? It looked as though there were four crests, family crests maybe. And at the centre; “Umbrella.” You breathed. You stared at it for several minutes and quickly took a photo of the screen on your camera, no point trying to get that old thing to work, you thought, looking at the printer at the other end of the desk. You couldn’t help but smirk, memories of Leon trying to print page after page of game walk throughs, whilst trying to find all the secrets in your favourite action/ adventure game, and laughing your head off at him, mouthful of noodles spilling back out into the carton as a hundred pages shot out at him, flying all over the room with cheat codes for a scantily dressed version of the playable character.

You looked at the clock again, time to go. If you were going to do this, you needed sleep and to get going as soon as you could the next day. It might drain your bank account, but it would be worth it. You didn’t have a good feeling about any of this, and more often than not, your gut instincts were right. Grabbing your R.P.D jacket at the door, you took one last glance at the room. It really did look like a whirlwind had hit it, not like Leon when he was in a better mental state at all. You knew that when he wasn’t his best he’d reach a for a drink and then some, but you could see that nothing was broken, and it was mostly clothes scattered, some bits of equipment and where he’d clearly got the luggage bag down from on top of the wardrobe. Nothing to worry about in regard to kidnap or a break in at least; as if that was enough to stop you from worrying about whatever lay ahead in this ‘Village’.

It started to rain just as you got into your apartment building, and you smiled. You’d always liked the rain. Stopping to quickly check your pigeon-hole for mail and seeing nothing you felt something press up against you calf, rubbing itself against the tops of your boots. You looked down and grinned, scooping up a slender, black cat in one hand and kissing the top of her head. “I’m going to miss you Boo, keep an eye on my mail for me while I’m gone, you know how crammed that thing gets.” You winked at her as you set her back down outside Mrs. Little’s door and fished a sandwich bag full of the leftover pizza anchovies out of your R.P.D. bag. “You didn’t think I’d forget you, did you?” Leaving Boo hastily munching into her treats you jogged up the stairs, your knee twinged, but it wasn’t too bad. It just had its moments.

Your apartment was pretty standard for this part of the city; both you and Leon had left Racoon city some time ago, though it wasn’t far from here. It had been destroyed and bordered off and that was all there was too it. You had to tell it to yourself that way to cope. Leon’s apartment was slightly swankier, but then again, he did like his gadgets and liked to keep things tidy, when his thoughts weren’t somewhere else. You on the other hand were happy to know that while everything had its place, sometimes that place would be on the floor… next to the thingy and nestled safely under a cereal box; and that was okay! You picked up the thingy, and looked at it fondly, before folding it up and putting it away with the others.

Stretching and yawning you looked around you, making a mental note of what needed to be done; pack, shower, sleep. You’d get the tickets the next day, and some money too, you’d have to stop off at the currency exchange. What currency did they even use there? Equipment, keep it simple; knives, pistol, rounds, lighter, fluid, compass, torch, camera, medi-kit. A couple of spare pairs of clothes, and you had your light armour that also fit into the case. You knew the contents would raise suspicion, but you had your badge, at the end of the day another cop had gone missing, and your team knew too.

You whipped off the remainder of your uniform and jumped in the shower, the bathroom filling up with steam and bubbles quickly and you sang along to a few songs on the radio. Wiping the mirror to see yourself more clearly you felt all your insecurities flood to you at once, as well as seeing yourself for the natural beauty that you were. You pursed your lips, staring into your own eyes and promised you’d find him safe and bring him back. He’d yell at you for going in the first place, but you knew this wasn’t right. Something wasn’t right. Traipsing out from the bathroom, you felt the cool air attack your flushed skin. You liked it, you were always a window open kind of person, no matter the weather, the fresh air just soothed you. Of course, that meant the odd moth now and again, like now as you heard the tiny body plummet time and time again against the spherical glass shade of the dim lamp besides your bed. Snuggling up into the loose blankets you smiled at the little creature and pulled the cord on the lamp, smiling again as you felt the moth settle on the side of your head.

After that you actually fell to sleep very quickly. It had been a long day after all; a 6AM start, patrol, arresting some juvies for petty crimes, followed by yet another zombie scare, (false alarm thank God), before filing up all the paper work and heading to Leon’s. Sleep fell like a veil of cool clouds, taking you in and raising you up into the inky blue skies of the night. The next thing you knew, you were butt naked in a dark green forest, dew drops shining on moss like a trillion tiny emeralds. Mist hung thick in the air, and thousands of tiny moths flew up from the ground? No. From you. You were raising your arms up to the skies, the moss covered forest floor moist under your bare feet and between your toes. Behind you the silhouette of a deer… antlers, but much, much taller. In front of you a pair of cold silver-gold eyes in the dark. You felt drawn, ever so drawn, taking one step forward, and then another, your arms coming down now, hands outstretched in caring caress, your heart swelled, your lips bloomed, taking in a short breath, and then; blood. Gushes of it, soaking into the moss, reddening Earth’s green carpet, and dripping down the trunks of the trees, the moths falling from the air around you, their wings sticking and stopping in the thick, red mess.

“Shit!” You fell back down onto your bed, several items around you also crashing down. Hand to your head, you looked wildly about. It happened again. Whatever had fallen this time had been heavy. You turned to see half the cutlery that had been lying on the kitchen tops now on the floor, and the knives and pistol that you’d placed earlier on top of the luggage bag were now in the middle of the floor. A sudden feeling of loneliness washed over you. The same dream, but longer, and this time with blood. “Shit” again, you put a hand to your pants, pulled the covers back and saw red. “Well, that’s one more thing I need to bring with me.” You mumbled, rolling your eyes, and throwing yourself back onto the bed.

Song Suggestion: ‘The Beginning Is The End Is The Beginning’ by The Smashing Pumpkins

[knifefather]

➼ Title: Tutor Me, Chapter 4 ➼ Pairing: Diego Brando/Reader, Johnny Joestar/Reader ➼ Fandom: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure ➼ Word Count: 3.8k ➼ Rating: Explicit, 18+ ➼ Contains: Chubby AFAB!Reader, college AU, angst, and sexy fantasies! This is the fourth chapter of this work!

ミ★ View this on ao3! ★彡

ミ★ Twitter | Ko-Fi | Commissions Info ★彡

Preview

After finishing giving Johnny an explanation of the question he was working on, the blond took a minute to gaze at you. “I didn’t know that you were this studious. Maybe you should start tutoring me instead of Diego. Lord knows that I need the help more than him,” Johnny joked with an edge of seriousness in his voice, motioning to the red pen on his page where you marked questions wrong.

His comment hit you like a ton of bricks. Suddenly, your mind was swarmed with ideas of you and Johnny having the same kind of study sessions that you and Diego did.

Before the lewd thoughts could escalate any further, you blinked them away, closing your gaping mouth. You had to get it together before he began to suspect anything. Johnny was grinning at his words, and you stuttered your way through a response. “I-I don’t know, I’ll have to see what I have going on…” you replied, trying to brush it off as best as you could.

He laughed at you playfully. “I’ll hold you to that.”

Monday couldn’t come fast enough. You were elated to take Diego up on his promise that you both would study after school. Though it was unlikely that you would have sex again, part of you hoped that he would make another move on you during your session. Even if it wasn’t a sexual advance, you wanted some sort of hint that perhaps he was having the same feelings you were. The blooming feelings in your bosom were hard to place, but you knew that at this point, you viewed him as more than your classmate. More than just a friend, even. Diego was special to you and you were excited to see him again.

The flow of your thoughts was interrupted at the sound of Dr. Kujo clearing his throat and addressing the class.” Everyone, take your seats now. Class is beginning.” Most of the students were aware that Dr. Kujo ran a tight ship, and everyone promptly quieted and settled down. After a few minutes of the class being in session, your brows came together in worry as you realized that Diego wasn’t in the room. That’s okay. He’s late. He’s always late, but he shows up eventually… you thought to yourself, nervously tapping your pencil against the desk. That much was true. And when he did show up, he always made a scene and was incredibly loud about entering the class. Usually, Dr. Kujo didn’t take his buffoonery kindly and sternly told him to shut up and take a seat.

But that didn’t take place. Your professor instructed the class to take out their textbooks and flip to a specific page, but you weren’t paying attention to which page. A pit of worry formed in your stomach as you realized that Diego wouldn’t be coming to class today. You had mixed thoughts about this: you were worried that he was going to fall even further behind in class, but you were also disappointed that the chance of you studying with him after school was slim. You thought about shooting him a text when you got out of class, and you pondered it for the rest of the lesson. Knowing that you would more than likely be tutoring Diego on this information, too, you made sure to pay extra close attention and take more detailed notes than usual. Even without Diego, the world continued to spin, and your day proceeded as normal.

★・・・・・・★

It’s time for lunch and still no sign of your classmate. You took your usual seat at a lunch table by yourself, sitting your tray on the table. The pit in your stomach earlier scared away your appetite, so instead, you opted to crack open the book that you had been reading. Pulling it from your bag, a sigh escaped you before you began to read once more.

In the novel, the blond hunter is fighting the dark prince for his life while the protagonist is frozen in fear. She snaps out of it when the hunter takes a hard blow to the face. Using her quick thinking, she attacks the dark prince and allows the blond hunter to get a good shot in. However, the prince is meaner, more quick and fierce, and throws off the protagonist before promising her a dark punishment. He badly injures the hunter, who has no choice but to retreat, leaving the protagonist alone. The villain leans down close to her and whispers in her ear the promise of all the ways he will destroy her.

Normally, you would find this much more captivating, especially the suggestive bits, but it did little to arouse you. The book’s contents just made your sour mood grow sourer. As you sat and read, you found yourself feeling disappointed yet again. You weren’t interrupted by Diego like you had become accustomed to. You missed having him around. To keep your mind off of it, you read the book until your next class. By the time you arrived in the classroom, you had a massive headache.

★・・・・・・★

Four o’clock had rolled around and all of your classes were out for the day. Though you knew that it was improbable that Diego wouldn’t show up to the library, you went anyway. You walked into the building, several students still working inside. It was more lively than you were used to, that was for sure. The past few times that you had visited the library, it had been desolate sans you and Diego. You tried to shake those thoughts from your head. Quietly, you sat at a table off in the corner, alone, and waited.

Removing your textbook from your bag, you huffed and opened it up to the first few chapters that you had tried in vain to cover with Diego. This time, you printed out the textbook pages for him, so you wouldn’t be tempted if he read over your shoulder. While you waited, you decided to read more of your book since you had nothing better to do. With an air of sadness, you brought your book from your bag and continued from where you left off during lunch.

The plot of the book only grew darker as you read on. The protagonist has been thrown into a pit of despair, hopelessness grasping her. The dark prince kept her locked away in the cellar, the only light illuminating the space was the light of the moon through the bars of the window. Despite her depression, the protagonist still holds out hope that the hunter would come to save her. Countless times, the dark prince made his way down the cellar, promising her freedom if she would agree to be his queen. She declined every time, knowing that she was strong enough to resist the temptation. There is still no sign of the hunter anywhere. At this point in the story, it seems as though all hope has been lost.

A sharp ping! sound distracted you from the plot of the novel. With a jolt, you looked over at your phone, the screen lit up. First, you scolded yourself for leaving your ringer on while you were in the library and quickly switched your phone to silent. Next, you checked who the offending message was from.

Diego.

Your heart skipped several beats, making you feel as though you got the wind knocked out of you. Greedily, you opened the message and read what he had to say.

Diego 4:29 pm Hey. Just wanted to let you know I’m not gonna be there tonight.

The thundering of your heartbeat stuttered to a halt. The warm, giddy feeling that filled you before fell away to coldness. The disappointment formed an icy ball in your stomach. You could feel your frame drooping involuntarily. Though, you were curious as to if he was okay, and decided to ask him just that.

You 4:29 pm Hi. That’s okay. Where were you today? Are you doing alright?

Diego 4:31 pm You’re really good at asking too many questions

Diego 4:33 pm But if you must know, I’m training for the tournament. Losing is not an option.

Diego told you that you asked too many questions when you were in the car with him on Saturday. It was when you tried to ask him about his family. Perhaps you struck a nerve? You tried to steer the conversation away from something that was going to make him uncomfortable.

You 4:34 pm Sorry about that.

You 4:36 pm Your grade is going to drop if you don’t study :/

Diego 4:37 pm I don’t care. Winning is more important than a study session

Ouch. That really hurt, not going to lie. You wanted to take what Diego said at surface level and not read into it more than needed and hurt your own feelings. However, the thoughts came anyhow. You couldn’t help but feel that maybe his grades weren’t the only thing that wasn’t important besides winning. Unable to think of what to say in response, you left his message on ‘read’ and stowed your phone. The small device burned a hole in your pocket, your fingers itching to ask him more, but you leave it be. You don’t want to push him further away.

At that moment, you realized that you didn’t have much business in the library if you’re not going to be tutoring Diego. You paid attention in class and took all of the notes, and Dr. Kujo was merciful and decided not to assign homework, so you didn’t have to worry much about Marine Biology. Most of your homework was caught up in your other classes, too. With a heavy sigh, you began to pack up your books and leave.

Defeat settled over you as you walked out onto the sidewalk. You were intent on returning to the dorms until you saw two familiar faces that were about to enter the library. They saw you too, and both of the young men called out to you. Johnny and Gyro were both carrying books, looking like they were getting ready for an intense study sesh. “Hey, y/n! Good to see you here,” Johnny greeted, giving you a large, blue smile. His smile was crooked, but it was endearing and made you smile as well. His face fell a bit when he noticed the expression on your face. Gyro noticed as well, but he stayed quiet. “You don’t look so good. Are you okay?” Johnny asked, giving you a concerned look. They didn’t know about what was going on between you and Diego, and you wanted to keep it that way. The last thing you needed was to lose your friendship with Johnny and Gyro.

“Yeah, I’m okay! What are you guys doing here?” you asked, looking back and forth between the two of them.

“Studying for an upcoming anthropology exam. It’s supposed to be our hardest test yet,” Gyro said, motioning to the stack of books on Johnny’s lap.

Johnny gave an “mhm” and nodded along. “You know, you should come study with us! Or are you on your way out?” Johnny questioned, reaching out to touch your arm gently. You had to fight the blush that was rising to your cheeks as your classmate made contact with you. Gyro stiffened at his gesture, giving you an apprehensive look as you decided on whether or not to join them. Despite the weird look from Gyro, you figured that maybe you could find something to work on in the library after all. The Intro to Humanities notes you took earlier in the day wasn’t very legible because your teacher was talking a million miles a minute. Maybe you’ll rewrite those notes and sit with your friends.

“Actually… I can stay. There’s some stuff that I still need to work on,” you said, much to Johnny’s pleasure.

“Then what are we waiting for? Gyro, can you get the door?” Johnny asked, looking expectantly at his tall friend. Quietly, Gyro opened the door for the both of you, and you all entered the library.

It turns out that you remembered a bit of anthropology from high school. You were able to help Gyro and Johnny study, forgetting about rewriting your notes in favor of helping them. They were both progressing very well through the material, but Gyro moreso than Johnny. It seemed like the man had more of a knack for it, you supposed. After finishing giving Johnny an explanation of the question he was working on, the blond took a minute to gaze at you. “I didn’t know that you were this studious. Maybe you should start tutoring me instead of Diego. Lord knows that I need the help more than him,” Johnny joked with an edge of seriousness in his voice, motioning to the red pen on his page where you marked questions wrong.

His comment hit you like a ton of bricks. Suddenly, your mind was swarmed with ideas of you and Johnny having the same kind of study sessions that you and Diego did.

You envisioned yourself in the library with Johnny instead, alone, the lights dim. You were bouncing on his lap, your dress hiked up while he guided your hips back down to his waist, his callused hands gripping you tight. His blond hair was a mess on his shoulders, his beanie askew while he grabbed you. Blue eyes moved over your form greedily, looking at you as though you were good enough to eat. His cock was piercing you in the most delicious way, angling right into your favorite spot. In your mind's eye, you grabbed his shoulders tighter as he thrust into you.

Johnny’s mouth was open, moaning salacious things to you, that Kentucky twang prominent in his voice. “Come on darlin’, that’s it, move against me,” he moaned in your fantasy, breathing heavily while he rutted into you. “That’s my good girl, take my cock…”

Before the lewd thoughts could escalate any further, you blinked the them, closing your gaping mouth. You had to get it together before he began to suspect anything. Johnny was grinning at his words, and you stuttered your way through a response. “I-I don’t know, I’ll have to see what I have going on…” you replied, trying to brush it off as best as you could.

He laughed at you playfully. “I’ll hold you to that.”

You didn’t miss the way that Gyro’s lips pressed into a thin line. The Italian man played it cool, though, and laughed along half-heartedly with Johnny.

The rest of the study session was nice, and you left with Johnny and Gyro after about an hour or so. The two of them had to practice for the upcoming tournament after studying, so you parted ways with them and headed back to your dorm. While you were walking, you couldn’t shake a certain feeling that was blossoming in your chest. What if you took Johnny up on his invitation to tutoring him? Could you possibly have the same relationship with him that you do with Diego? Or maybe you’re reading his signals wrong? All of the possibilities were present in your mind, and you weren’t sure what to think. On one hand, Johnny was interested in you and would pay you more mind than Diego. However, Diego was the man that you lost your virginity to. And for some reason, you felt a bond with him that you can’t quite shake. You knew in your heart that the events that took place over the weekend changed everything between you and Diego, and that is an unchangeable fact.

The subject weighed heavily on your mind until you reached your dorm room. Hot Pants was there, getting ready to head down to the track. In the middle of putting on her equestrian helmet, she turned and greeted you politely. Chatting with her made your complex thoughts dissipate. Bantering with her was simple, easy. Even though you haven’t known her for very long, you were grateful for her and her ability to keep you from overthinking. She went to practice afterward and you were sad to see her go, now left alone with your deafening thoughts.

★・・・・・・★

It’s almost here, and that thought filled you with dread. It’s Friday, and the tournament is tomorrow. The school week had been rough on your mentality, and you barely saw Diego at all. You caught brief glimpses of him in the halls at school, but he never spared you a glance and always looked straight ahead. It fucked with your emotions, making your already challenging school experience even more difficult to get through. Even though you saw him in the halls, you never saw him in class, and part of you was convinced that he dropped the course. He hadn’t reached out to you since Monday. You thought about texting him first, but you didn’t want to be met with the same cold detachment that he exuded last time. Weirdly, that would have felt worse than being ignored.

Hot Pants, Johnny, and Gyro helped nurse your heartbreak without even realizing how much they were helping. You were beyond grateful for them. In between classes and practicing for the tournament, the four of you hung out almost every opportunity that you could get. The pleasant, budding feelings that you had blooming for Johnny were also a nice distraction from Diego’s absence. Even then, you shouldn’t shake the feeling of loss that tainted your every happy interaction. It felt as if you were going crazy and being with your friends was the only thing that reminded you of saner times.

Hot Pants sat on the edge of your bed in your dorm room, watching one of the newest Netflix dramas that released just that night. The two of you hung out and watched the show while scrolling through your phones periodically, sitting in comfortable silence for the most part. It was nice, relaxing, and definitely what you needed to shake your anxiety.

She knew about everything that happened between you and Diego. The fact that you were quieter when the boys weren’t around tipped her off. One night after class, the pink-haired woman cornered you in the room and asked you about what the hell was going on with you. You spilled everything to her, nearly crying while you went into the details. The crying wasn’t only out of the emotional pain, but also at how embarrassing it was to confess something like that to her. Surprisingly, Hot Pants accepted you and was supportive after you shared your story. While she didn’t have much advice to give, over the following days she was more gentle with you than usual. She would never know how much you appreciated her no matter how many times you told her.

While sitting on the bed, your phone buzzed beside you. Cocking your brow, you picked up the device and saw the message was from Johnny. This was a normal occurrence, but still, it brought a smile to your face when you opened it up.

Johnny 8:21 pm Hey you! <3 I wanted to shoot you a text and see if you’d be coming to the race this weekend?

Johnny 8:23 pm I would love to see you there!

Johnny 8:24 pm You can finally see what all of this practicing has been about ;)

A chuckle rippled through you before beginning to shoot back a reply. However, you hesitated, your fingers slowing. If you accepted the invitation, it is almost certain that you would see Diego at the race. Knowing him, he’d be swarmed by paparazzi and adoring fans, and that was not something that you could handle seeing right now. Though, the question that lingered in your mind was this: What was more important? Supporting the friends that had supported you, or keeping your distance from Diego? After a brief moment of consideration, the answer was clear to you. You texted Johnny back with a look of determination on your face.

You 8:27 pm Hi!! I would love to see you perform at the tournament! I know it’ll be a ton of fun :)

Johnny 8:28 pm Absolutely! I was wondering if you wanted to get dinner with me after the race.

Johnny 8:29 pm Without HP and Gyro, I mean. Just the two of us.

The bulbs of your cheeks were ablaze at the message you just received. Your eyes darted back and forth between the words several times, unable to believe what you read. Hot Pants gave you the side-eye and paused the show. “What’s up with you?” she asked, cocking a pink eyebrow.

You fumbled on your words for a minute before you were able to tell her about what Johnny just asked you. “I think that you should say yes,” Hot Pants said, giving you a steady look. You met her gaze. She understood the reasons why you were thinking about saying no, and yet she encouraged you.

“I think you’re right.”

You 8:32 pm I’m not sure if I can! I have some homework I need to get done before the weekend is up. Maybe if I can finish it I’ll come with you.

Johnny 8:33 pm No problem. Just let me know.

Johnny 8:34 pm Can’t wait to see you there, y/n

You 8:35 pm You too!! <3

A thundering sound was filling your ears as you finished your conversation with Johnny. It was hard to believe that Johnny had asked you out, but here you were, being properly asked out. Now more than ever, you were unsure about your feelings. You had to get some kind of closure for whatever has been going on between you and Diego. Given the time of night, he was probably out of practice and able to use his phone. Already having your messenger app open, you try to reach out to him.

You 8:39 pm Hi there. I just wanted to shoot you a message and say good luck at the tournament tomorrow! I was wondering if I’d be able to talk to you after the race?

For a few minutes, you waited. A response didn’t come. It read “Delivered” so you know a technical error wasn’t the case. Perhaps he’s busy? I’ll probably hear from him tomorrow, you thought to yourself, shrugging. But then you noticed that the “Delivered” line changed to something else.

“Read at 8:52 pm”

By then, Hot Pants had unpaused the program, the episode continuing. Tuning back into the show, you forgot about the message for quite some time. The both of you watched three more episodes, intending to binge the series in one go. The show seemed like it was going to be a typical cliché original, but it was turning out to be pretty entertaining. At some point,  Hot Pants left to go use the restroom, and you took the opportunity to see if Diego texted you back.

Nothing.

The only thing that you were met with was the same “Read at 8:52 pm” that you had seen an hour ago.

He left you on read just as you had done to him on Monday. Honestly, you were upset, but you realized that it was fair. Brows furrowed, you locked your phone before sighing deeply. Something had to give, the situation had to change. With that in mind, you formulated a plan.

After the race, you were going to approach Diego when he was alone and ask him about what was going on. You wanted to keep it as private as possible. If he told you to leave him alone, you would drop it and move on with your life. But you couldn’t give up without trying at least once. With this in mind, you were granted some relief. Hot Pants came back into the room and you continued to binge the show, but the plot was the furthest thing from your mind.

[jess-the-vampire]

Sky And The Forces Of The Multiverse, Chapter 52

Previous / Next

-

"You guys ready?"

"I hope so".

"I still think this is a waste of time".

"C'mon landon, it's better then nothing".

"Kids, we're heading in, just stay focused on your roles and don't draw too much attention to yourselves".

Marco took in the lead into the crowded cafe, all the kids behind them in their disguises, all wearing masks and staying close behind. The place WAS more crowded then landon was used to, so perhaps there was something to be said about finding more info here from locals. There were guards, regulars citizens, and perhaps some well...unsavory type people lurking all over.

It made landon well...nervous.

All of them stepped in for some show?

Usually when this event happened he was either in his booth or at home, and even in the booth he was barely paying attention. Sure, this place was decently popular and had quite a bit of talent but this all still made him uneasy. But perhaps that was more because he was going to have to perform in front of all of these people, and not the people who came in general.

Someone special had to be performing for this many people to even BE here.

Whatever, who cared, this trip would be a waste.

He just needed to focus on performing so they could go home, that was it, no need to dwell on all of this unless needed. This mission was just to hear rumors and get more leads, a crowded area like this was bound to have people they could question further on details. They'd just see where this went, boring or not. Though landon was trying t keep himself together right now.

His mom had been helping him get better, but his mom wasn't the same as...this.

Granted, he was more then allowed to back out if he so wanted to, but he couldn't bring himself to, he said he'd help and to back out right now of all times...well he'd be more mad at himself for it. This felt like something he had to do too, something he needed to do. He'd played in front of small groups, but never large ones this size, if he ever wanted to perform more...this was something he needed to get used to.

At least his face as covered, and his mom was here. He was not ready for everyone to see his face while performing like this at all, the thought of being nearly attacked still in the back of his mind. He did not know what might happen if people knew who they were, though with marco being royalty, maybe they should've been the last person to be escorting them.

It was lucky no one even seemed to notice, unless they were all just ignoring them entirely. Which, with everything else going on landon could see people not knowing what their owns royals looked like anymore. If anyone did anything though, marco could take them, hopefully keep them from telling anyone else who should not know int he slightest.

Marco had to admit, they liked having the kids here.

Sunny looked pleased as punch to be here though, ever since landon had taken her here she had thought about performing on that stage and now, she could finally do it. She hadn't been able to do something like this in such a long time, and she didn't count the play she put on to distract the adults. This was a real audience, looking for a performance, from her.

It was something she only really got to do in her dreams for a long while, and she got to do it with her new family and friends? How could she be more excited? She never got to even do something in front of such a good crowd back home either! She always had to perform for her friends and family and rarely much else, this was some freedom she was thankful to get to enjoy.

And she loved her costume too, she just wished her parents got to see it, they would be super proud if they had.

But that was besides the point, the fresh air was nice and so was the company. She was hooked to lexi so much she was glad to have sky and landon along for the ride for once, though lexi was trailing behind, simply because marco didn't want to leave her alone. Scribbling behind them, also in costume, her role being boiled down to being a manager, but really she was meant to scribble down anything she found useful.

Which could range for lexi, what she found useful and what others found useful might not be one and the same, but she was perfect for this kinda job. The record in which she made anything and wrote stuff down was surprisingly fast, and it was better she did that while marco protected her, so their info taking didn't distract from the kids at all during all of this.

Lexi seemed to understand the job pretty well, though she also seemed to be scribbling everything and everyone she saw since she entered so...the results of this test may be a little mixed. Marco was at least kind enough to get them all drinks as they took a table and had a small huddle session to go over what their full plan was and if there was anything they needed to change.

"Ok, you all will be backstage soon and getting ready for your performance when they call you on, see if you can get anything from the performers, get some gossip. We don't think her left mewni, so if they're around someone else must've seen them, and well...you never know if they might be around here. I'm going to be around the dining area, watching lext and keeping an ear out.".

They all seemed in agreement, if even nervous agreement.

They just wanted to do this and make sure everyone was safe.

It was a risk, but now was the time for dumb choices and risks. Sky reached out to hold the hands of sunny and landon so they could stay together, landon hesitant to take it at first before sucking it up and taking it. This was bout trust after all, and even if sky was a little unsure about trusting him after recent events, they had to put all of that aside and get things back on track.

Marco from their spot was going to see what they could get on their side of things, they could keep an eye out for anyone shady and strike up some conversation with some of the residents with lexi next to them. This mission relied a lot on gossip and help from people outside of the royals and spies, fae knew full well the demons down here loved to chat, it was worth looking into.

Marco would much rather do this, then have the kids sit here by themselves and be at risk.

They had to head backstage, and thankfully landon knew where that was. A side room he had never been in himself but knew was there from the times he'd seen performers go in and out of before and smelled of old perfume and makeup. He'd never really been back here before for obvious reasons, though he had alays been cruous, though he never planned on really performing up here despite thinking about it sometimes.

It wasn't very big, not much of a shocker there, but it didn't matter, at least they couldn't get lost in here. Though the place was a little crammed with how many acts there seemed to be. But the nice thing is that helped then blend in a lot more, people would not stare at them nearly as much if there were tons of other strange people to be looking at instead of this group of teens.

Honestly he felt safer with sunny in the lead if anyone, since sky was lacking in magic she was the most powerful one between the three right now, though, she would've been the most powerful one even if they both did have wands. Sunny was so happy but she still could stab anyone in this room if they even considered laying a hand on any of them if she so needed to.

The dagger still in her tail's grasp, just in case she might need it, she never could know what any of these demons might do if she wasn't paying any attention to them

Landon felt like a protective older brother and yet she was the one more likely to be saving him, she was trained and far better at fighting then he ever was.

She was so small and yet so ungodly terrifying.

Thankfully no one really paid them much mind, the performers all talking to each other and getting themselves ready. Landon knew quite a few of these people from previous years, and they all were pretty talented. Well, the poetry guy wasn't very good but at least he was still passionate about this after he was booed off last year. But what did get landon's attention was someone sitting off in the far corner.

Their hood was up, so no seeing their face for the time being, at least it gave off the opinion they were trying to hide their face, and usually when someone was trying to hide their face it was for a reason. Normally they wouldn't even pay this person much mind, after all they didn't want people to pay them mind either and they were also wearing their own masks.

But something about them seemed, familiar.

Sunny must've sensed it too, because she was also looking in that direction at the person, her eyes narrowing at them. She didn't bother to wait, she ushered everyone to follow her as she approached. Landon suddenly very nervous and sly confused about why this person caught sunny's attention and not, well, any of the other single lone performers around here.

Sunny smirked, crossing her arms.

"Nice guitar".

The figure looked up, before gasping.

"You kids are here too?".

The hood was instantly lifted and the face of a familiar monster welcomed the sight of the teens.

"Meteora"

She instantly felt her stomach drop, stopping her playing entirely, "Well, this was a new twist i wasn't expecting, what are you all doing here? Is this another mission i've been made unaware of, i swear, i need to get more in contact with katrina about all of this. Or did you kids sneak out? Cause well, actually i won't rat any of you out on that, the castle is getting stuffy".

"No, it was the mission part, marco's here".

The monster sneered, like they had something bad or told her they got her ice cream or something.

"Oh...great", the tone of those words both seemed annoyed and frustrated, after all it was not always the best sign when the royal family was lurking around while you work.

She looked like she was smelling something really bad when hearing their name, but quickly she clamed herself down. "Anyways, how did you know it was me? I was trying to keep to myself here". That's when sunny bit her lips, "I've uh...seen that guitar before, and i recognized it, it screams you after all". Meteora actually smirked, kinda impressed at the girl's observation skills.

"Maybe we outta consider making you a spy if you can notice details like this so easily", sunny instantly felt like she was glowing hearing that from her, she must've missed meteora back home so much. "Anyways, are you here to spy too or is this like-?", she eyes the guitar and meteora shrugged. "I come here often, usually in disguise, and thought, y'know...why not? I almost never get to do this for myself, i only get on stage a few times per year and i like it here".

Honestly that was fair, landon should've expected her here to some extent when he found out she'd been here before. Guess it never really came to mind because why would it? Meteora had been so busy with other things imagining her taking a break was now just...weird. Though maybe seeing her like this instead of her usual more dominant self would make it easier to talk to her.

She was trying to put luna away and maybe talking to her might...well maybe not prevent it, but it could give them more info on what else meteora had against luna.

"Does...katrina know you're here?".

It was a simple question, but it gave a big reaction out of meteora, who turned her head. "Hey, she has her family diner, i have my music, we're allowed to have lives outside of our jobs, besides...i needed this time after...stuff". Sky noticed a slight glance towards her and she quickly could tell "Stuff" meant, "Finding out about my past and that my mom gave up on me being the next queen".

She felt her throat dry a little, guess if that happened to her she'd want some more alone time as well to not think too heavily about it.

Would also explain why she was hiding her face so much.

Last thing she needed was a bunch of citizens knowing who she was and getting upset with her around this time, especially now that she knows why they might. Before it was easier to say they were crazy, but she couldn't do that now, now she knew why they were upset with her. At least she was still comfortable enough to go to a place like this, even if she was anxious about it now.

She huffed, "Anyways, you squirts are gonna perform huh? What'cha doing and do i need to call for backup?". She was partially joking but it was her job to protect them so...she would be prepared in case of something bad at a moment's notice. Sunny was quick to explain, "Oh, it's like a play, but landon is providing the music! We're gonna go out there and impress everyone with our talent!".

Meteora didn't seem to be buying it considering this situation was far too strange to be the entire truth, but to sky it was obvious sunny would nail it on her end.

But her?

Sky was bad at stuff like this, and she really hoped sunny wasn't under the impression she was going to do a good job and impress everyone. Because the higher the expectations the worse she'd get, she wondered if she even remembers the lines as she should. Cause if she was standing onstage with nothing coming out things could be far worse for her social life.

And it wasn't even like she had much of one before this point to begin with.

"Well, i wish you luck? But as a spy i will be keeping a close eye on you since i know you're here now, just keep that in mind, it's kinda mw sworn duty to protect you and everything". Well at least she was still willing to keep them all safe, even off duty, though they just hoped it never came down to that, a show of their spying could kinda ruin everything.

"Good luck to you too meteora!", sunny said with delight, before moving away from her, they had other people to check out. Though sky felt a lingering glance at her as she followed the rest of the group. All these people were laughing and chatting and practicing and here she was, nervous to do anything. She needed to relax, angel and nora and oh god, judas...they all thought she was brave and tough, she could handle this.

She didn't have to be super good at it or anything, she just needed to focus on the task and that was it. As long as she didn't vomit on the stage and pulled herself together she would be fine, though she didn't like the idea of the crowd booing her offstage either. She would rather be good then bad, the humiliation might end up being too much for her.

The play was just a means to an end, if they went in here and performed nothing there was a good chance someone would look into the reasons why, making things far worse then it needed to be.

And she was wearing a mask too, so no one would notice her and her cheekmarks, so at worst they'd just think she was someone else and forget her when the next act came on. God, since when did she have so much stage fright? She must've been hanging out with nora a lot more then she thought, she was picking up some of her traits. She took some breathing exercises and focused on sunny...

Who was already chatting up another demon.

She worked fast, wasting no time getting to the point and getting all the information she could.

She was such a social butterfly that the band she talked to seemed to take kindly to her instantly because of course they did. She was quick to make friends and who could blame anyone for loving her instantly. But considering she was doing this to trick people into giving her info it really told sky how scary she could actually be, that people would never realize how good she was at getting info from them by being a sweet young girl.

Not that she wasn't sweet, but when she did stuff like that it almost scared sky more then the dagger she kept on her.

Even Landon seemed unnerved, standing away from her and next to sky. He was slightly looking at the bluenette, knowing things were slightly awkward between them after he expressed his desire to well...use his magic for maybe not the best purposes. Now that he came clean to his mom he was worried what sky would think when she found out, if that even mattered to her at all.

He just didn't want her to be on his bad side, especially since it was her wand he would have to borrow if he wanted to use it again. There was no way she was ever letting him use it again if he made any kinda wrong move. Of course sky wasn't happy about what he said, she had spent so long being ingrained about the danger of hurting others with the stuff, that magic is less controllable when too emotional.

She nearly had done it herself after all.

He was going to have to gain her trust properly if he was going to get a chance with the wand again, and that meant staying on her good side for now and working his way up. I guess this mission was great in that aspect, a chance to do better with sky. I mean hey, he worked things out with bernard and was getting better with his brothers and mom so-

"Hey, sky".

Sky looked over to him like he said something weird.

And well, maybe it was a little weird for landon of all people to be trying to talk to her, especially in a somewhat cheery voice and on a mission of all things. But it was as good a time as any. "Sorry um, i just wanted to say i was...thinking about what you said, about using magic out of anger and stuff...and...i'm sorry for getting upset. I'm just...angry about what happened and not being able to stop it".

Sky's face shifted of one of confusion to one of sympathy.

"No...i get it, i lashed out because of what happened to angel", it was hard to really be mad at him, it was his crush that got kidnapped and hurt after all. She'd be mad too in his position, "I just don't want us doing it again, cause it's messed me up so much at this point that who knows if it might make things worse in the future if we're not careful y'know?".

"You're not mad with me?".

"I mean, i don't agree with you, but i also screwed up, so...i guess i'd be a hypocrite for not understanding why this happened. Look, just be careful with your new powers or whatever, or you might hurt someone". She said that last part softly and he nodded, he didn't want to hurt any of his friends, and after that scare with the levitating he needed to be extra careful now.

"Thanks sky, means a lot to me".

"Yeah yeah, though the wand's in repair for now, so we're both not using it for some time being. Thankfully i'm trying to get super good at non-wand magic, so maybe i won't need it magic afterwards". Well, it would probably take years of practice to get right, but at was better then nothing entirely. The demon seemed impressed by that, especially with how hard it was.

"You uh...done any spells?".

"Not yet, but if i keep it up long enough i'll probably be able to do at least one, i'll be sure to keep you updated".

So she was still mostly powerless, he found himself hoping nothing bad happened on this mission because sky was going to have a harder time protecting herself without magic. She could fight a little, but she in no way was as good as her mom was without her wand, athletics wise. Just how long would that wand be damaged before they found a way to properly fix it anyway?

"You're practicing it with angel right?".

Guess it was kinda obvious the more she thought about it that she and the prince were up to something, "Yeah, he does magic without a wand all the time so...y'know, i can do it with him, without one of the adults having to come in since they got other stuff to do...i mean our magic is exactly the same but...it's better to have company when practicing then not i think".

He thought back to having mason with him when he did spells.

"Yeah, i guess it would be more fun to do with company to help cheer you on...", he really should fully talk to mason about it, but the kid had went out of his wa to not say anything and stay around his dad of all people now, not even having the nerve to really look at landon. Mason had to know landon wasn't really mad at him, but he still must've felt bad for it.

He had handled things with his crush, he had to repair it fully with his little brother now. This was now about him working things out with everyone, he could talk to mason, maybe judas next, and well...

He clenched, remembering luna.

Well, maybe he could entirely skip her on that front, but he did want everyone else to be on better terms with him, celeste he wanted to keep in his favor too, cause even she got a lil mad with him. He seemed to have a habit of having people in his life that he managed to either make upset or had issues with didn't he? He had his work cut out for him now, he didn't even know how to help with bernard's parents.

He almost felt it would be rude for him to go up to them and tell them how to raise their own kid, this felt like something an adult should be doing rather then him, because they were unlikely to listen to him and anything he actually said. But he was making progress with others so...there had to be a good chance he could do something to help right?

"Maybe...i could join you...sometime? I want to be able to train, it would mean so much to me to have a chance...".

He said it without thinking too hard, it kinda mostly just slipped out. Sky even looked at him for a moment like she thought he was crazy, but to his surprise she shrugged, "I mean, if you want. You might not do much of anything but...hey if you wanna join us we can't exactly stop you. We just hang out in the gardens and blast stuff mostly, though yeah...that's still mostly angel.".

"Angel is blasting stuff?".

"He's getting more powerful every day i think, i've never seen him so eager to practice magic. He only knows so many spells but at the same time he knows those spells very well, so it's not that bad". Wow, even angel was getting more powerful then landon was at this point, at the very least he wondered if he couls surpass him when he only knew one spell...now...he was discovering new ones.

Maybe he could look more into eclipsa's offer, after all, she had taught angel more about magic so maybe she was a good choice to help after all.

Sure, he rejected her before this point but she'd still take him back right? But if his mom was going to teach him there was no need to go out and find a new teacher was there?

And yet-

He was heavily considering it, more then he did originally.

"Anyways, he's good, and that's why the garden has a little more damage then it did the last time you guys all saw it, sorry about that! Sometimes he tried something and things turn out more destructive then usual, but nothing a little magic can't fix", thankfully no one had seemed to really notice the garden was starting to look a little more unnerved as of yet. "But yeah, sure, it's ok if you join if you're careful or whatever, maybe you can find some time there alone as as well to practice. We find the whole plce kinda comforting and it's an open space so usually no one will get hurt there".

"Yeah, maybe", if that were possible at the very least, and who knew if it was anymore, he might not get much but he'd suck it up and at least make some form of an attempt, he could ask eclipsa and train with them and his mom could hep as well, it was well...perfect. He felt so much relief all of a sudden, no one seemed to hate him as much as he thought and they all did want to help and hang out with him.

Maybe this outing was just what he needed to get his voice out there, and fully get all this weight off of his chest.

Speaking of such, now sunny was performing tricks for the people she was supposed to be questioning, not that it was shocking to anyone in the group "Y'know, sometimes i forget she's my sister, she...isn't like us. Treating her like a sibling feels...strange, and i thought it was me who was the black sheep of the group". Sky laughed, "Yeah i get it, i got sisters out of this and yet i forgot we're related technically".

"I can see it a little".

"Pft, don't lie, we know you can't".

"No but...you got the whole...creative spirit in you and we can all tell, i think it's genetic"., sky rolled her eyes and pushed him aside," My family is all the same in a weird way, so i guess somehow that's a little comforting. Just like for as long as I've know you all you're dweebs who love boy bands". But she felt herself cause for a bit, "I wish i could stand out among them though".

"You do".

"Hmm?".

"Sky, we're known you for years, if anyone knows what you're like...it's us, and we know you're stand out", she looked over to him, thankful, but still sad, "It's more complicated then that, but...you got really sappy all of a sudden". Landon was rarely the sappy one in his family, in fact he usually was the least likely to do any of this mushy stuff, so hearing it from him had to mean something.

"I doubt myself a lot, i can't help it".

"Yeah...same", this was something weird to talk about with sky but maybe it was just what she needed. They had a lot in common in ways, and this was a good time to talk like they rarely had before. Sky playfully hitting him, "Hey, good job with your crush by the way, i know that whole thing must've been so uncomfortable but you got through it and i'm impressed".

"Well, good on you for well...taking a break? You're kinda overworking yourself and it's freaking everyone out seeing you do so...cause like...you're not exactly known for it".

"HA!", she said, louder then she should, "Angel made sure i did...he got upset seeing how stressed he was he got others to do my tasks for me...i've gotten so used to doing stuff you have to drag me out of it now". If angel hadn't done anything she might still be having a rougher schedule, she just felt better doing everything herself at the time, but branching it out...WAS a good idea.

"Well before you didn't wanna do work much at all so...i guess they got you to do queen stuff kinda now", it wasn't exactly queen stuff but in terms of taking up leader roles, not being hooked to judas all the time and becoming her own person...yeah it did seem to have done nothing but benefit to her being the next queen. Like this was some kinda therapy session he got tricked into.

Then sunny waved hands in front of them, getting their attention.

"Hi, you guys do know we have a mission to do right? You guys better focus before you get too distracted, we don't want marco to get soo worried about us being back here do we?", she had a good point as they nodded between each other understanding. Sunny did not seem unhappy at all though, she looked rather delighted to see them getting along.

While they had been busy sunny had actually figured out a few things that might come in handy believe it or not. Her social nature made it easier to gossip with others in comparison to the other two, though with her being so young the teens could only hope the demons were being serious and that their gossip hadn't been mockery to the young demoness.

The demons indeed had been gossiping to themselves and while there was probably more to the story, there was word of some weirdo around mount boom. It was not exactly confirmed on if this was the person they were actually trying to find but it was something to work up and off of and the teens looked baffled sunny actually got that out of someone with ease".

"How did you even manage to get any of that out?".

"I like to talk to people, it was really easy, demons can't resist talking about strange people anyway, i just asked what they saw", sky hoped it wasn't a joke though, because she could see it being so. They go out to a mountain and quickly get pranked and put in serious peril, her moms dealt with that a number of times as is and this was too easy to be real.

Landon also seemed skeptic thankfully but sunny thankfully wasn't pushing the rumor, "We'll just keep it in mind, back home there were weirdos living in the caves all the time! So nothing too standout but we can check into it! Now, c'mon, we got more people to meet!". She headed around and it became clear she was heading this mission more then the others were.

People were already performing and she was eagerly talking to them before and after they finished, on occasion looking into the crowd. Sunny was probably looking for marco and lexi but sky also thought she was being careful for any threats out there as well. There was a lot of talking among the people watching the shows and the topics were probably mundane but-

She had to admit, this idea wasn't bad, hearing the gossip of the underworld was a handy way to get info even if it wasn't all truthful. People were talking about all the stuff going on like it was brand new, and with that masked face plastered everywhere it was only a matter of time before they caught them. So it wasn't all bad, for the time being at least. She also felt like she got to chill for just a little bit, something she never got to do on other missions, missions involved fighting, missions involved going out there and getting dirty.

Rarely did missions result in her having fun with her friends like this, well, if you found this kinda thing that fun.

Plus she got to hide her face, no one had to see who she was and judge, it kinda made her feel a lot better being here then she would otherwise. It was like going out as a new person, without all of the burden she had being the princess. She could do nearly anything hidden like this, no one would know who she was and no one could tell her one way or-

"Sky, we gotta get on stage!".

The princess had been so lost in thought she forgot they still had to perform, her eyes blinked to shake herself from her thoughts. She needed to quickly recall her lines she had been practicing as sunny quickly dragged them on stage, the announcer watching them fly past, sky already sweating. How could she have forgotten all of her lines already? There was no way!

It was her nerves, she was forgetting because of her nerves.

This wasn't the time for that.

She actually had managed to do well when she performed for the kingdoms with her spells, but that was because judas had been there to help her out and make her feel safe and comfortable and he wasn't here right now. But maybe if she could recall some of the stuff he said to help her maybe she could pull herself together as to not blow their cover entirely.

Judas always had a way with words when it came to these kinds of things, it was what he was all about. She forgot what he said but she did picture him in her head, reassuring her and hugging her and letting her know she could do this. It probably said something if just the thought of him doing this was enough to calm her down, if even a little slightly.

Hopefully most of everyone put far more focus on sunny then her, as sunny was by far the better performer. But her mom always said usually the worse performances were the ones people wouldn't forget when there were so many good ones, so maybe that was not actually going to be the case at all. Thankfully landon was still pretty good, even if he also seemed kinda nervous about this.

He was making it easier for himself by keeping his eyes closed the whole time, if he did he could picture himself anywhere, and not surrounded by people who could mock him. It made the process so much easier, and thankfully his mom was there to watch him just in case anything actually did happen. He had a lot of reasons not to panic right now in comparison to sky.

At least their performance was like...10 minutes tops, so it wouldn't last that long, mostly because the show had tons of other acts after them and they weren't allowed to hog the stage like crazy. Thoughts swarming through her head as sunny started them off, the play was pretty simple, as it would be for the time limit they had. Sunny was meant to be a fox and sky a deer, two spirts with a rivalry.

It was sunny's idea but for a short play, it was not bad.

It just might've been way better if they had someone other then her to play a role, but sunny wouldn't care, the point wasn't to impress these people anyway. Landon in his tree mask played softly in the background as sunny gestured towards sky, "You are standing on my turf young spirt! Please leave and go back to your own lands! This is my place and mine only!".

"I-i'm not, afraid of you!", she almost missed that line but she got it, feeling a little less nervous after seeing a more positive reaction then she thought. Trying to take a good stand on the floor like she was willing to headbutt if she could. It was a deer thing right? She wasn't making all of it up? She had have been doing it right, so far things seemed to have gone well without anything bad happening and she and sunny weren't making themselves look like idiots.

Look, even the crowd seemed to be throwing some roses their way to tell them how good they were doing.

Wait.

Those felt too hard to be roses.

That's when sky turned her head to get a better look and nearly ran off in horror, because they were not throwing roses at them at all.

As in, the audience was tossing water bottles and rather soft fruits at them on stage, splattering on the surface and getting everywhere.

Wait, that was bad, BAD bad, she'd seen this kinda thing in movies before, mel showed them to her.

They must've gotten them from their snack bowls for them to...eat? She sure hoped that's what they were for. Man the underworld was weird sometimes if they threw these like these were flowers, she was shocked marco was just watching this like it was normal instead of standing up. They did seem to be the youngest ones here too when sky thought about it, all the others had teams of adults, was this their way of mocking them?

Wait...were they booing?

They were booing weren't they? They didn't like the boring play and now they were trying to kick them off the stage, and sky suddenly felt all her confidence drain from her face in a flash. How was she supposed to perform when she was being booed and having things thrown at her? Her lines were becoming blank in her mind and she was almost about to jump off the stage and run.

So much for the good opinions she had seen before.

Then she got a better look at marco, who was signaling to them that if they wanted to leave they could. They didn't want to blow their cover, and that's probably why they hadn't done anything yet, despite wanting to. Though sky kept the show going with her best performance she could muster as a snack hit her face, guess the people here preferred their musical acts and found this to be a major downgrade.

What a bunch of jerks.

Marco was about to stand up and blow their cover out of anger but then one of the bands stepped in, then another, the bands sunny had been talking to backstage. They quickly shut up the rowdy and rude people from the crowd, sending sunny a nice smile her way. She looked relieved, she had never been...booed before like that, it sent her into some form of shock.

Sure what happened last time was bad but-

The demons growled at the rude customers and for a moment sky thought about how these people barely knew sunny and yet wanted to help. This play did mean something to the small and strange demon girl, and this brought back a small spark in her step as she kept up the act. She was no longer as nervous as she had been and was just having fun.

Rarely had sky seen sunny sad. but her little frown was so...terrifying

Who could boo at a little girl like this, one as young and as lively as her even? Sunny was nothing but nice to everyone she met and rarely had anyone got hurt due to her actions, she could make anyone smile in their darkest moments and some jerks were booing her? It hurt more because sunny had been looking forward to this too and she was treated like this.

Marco seemed relived, send them all a thumbs up for their efforts. Sky got back in focus and landon was also able to focus again on what he was doing before he also had a panic attack and just let them all to fend for themselves. Sky could feel a new energy inside her, like she was just charged up on batteries after what they all jus did for her small band.

They helped them, they actually came over and helped them even if they didn't have much useful information relevant to the whole reason they were even here, it was...actually really shocking. Landon knew how aggressive people down here could be so he wasn't shocked to get a negative reaction, but he had to admit, this was nice to have.

Bless sunny and her ability to make friends with everyone as fast as she did, if things had gone on much longer a fight would have broken out and the entire night would have been for nothing.

At least it didn't seem to result in any fight, which was even better, landon was not in the mood to fighting some wierdos, he wasn't anywhere near good enough like that to last more then a few seconds. The wave of relief passed and they continued with their performance, sky trying to bumble through her lines as she hoped they wouldn't have things thrown at them again.

She felt better pretending to fight and dodge honestly, even if it looked funny to the audience. She simply tried to keep focus, this was like her training with angel, she needed to focus and not pay attention to the audience.

"We may be off two worlds, but that doesn't make us enemies, nor does it mean our homes can't welcome another", sky said, hoping that sounded right, sunny smiling and taking her hand, "You had no need to save me as you did, but...perhaps i truly have misjudged you, and for that i am sorry, i wish to apologize for the burden i may of caused you, i know at times i can be too much another bother those around me-".

"You're not a burden...", sky said.

Sunny paused, leaving sky to wonder if what she said was in the script or not.

"Well, it was still rude of me before-".

"It's ok to be standoffish, we didn't know much about each other, sometimes you can't trust people right away and that's ok...and sometimes you can. We're all different like that, and friendship is built on trust and time so...i'd like...to be proper friends with you...if you'd give me the time to do so...if you want to of course. I would like more moments...like this, with you".

Ok, that was very much not in the script, in fact sky was sure she forgot the rest of it entirely.

But sunny didn't seem to mind at all, if anything she seemed to find it sweet and like it more then what she had written. It felt so much more genuine then what sky tried to do before, she actually sounded like she meant it, and she probably did, no, she DID mean it. Sunny smiled sweetly and ran in to give sky a hug , holding her tight, "I'd love to have more moments like this with you".

Landon has already stopped playing and she could hear marco awwing close by at the moment, in fact, people all over seemed to find this moment very cute in fact and sky heard some clapping. Sunny leaving the hug as the clapping got louder, accompanied by some cheering, not all of it was probably genuine but it didn't seem to matter. Sunny motioned for sky to bow and they did, landon following after, more at ease that his magic didn't act up or anything.

They headed offstage into marco's arms, hugging them tightly and making sure they were all actually ok after all of that.

"I'm so sorry i did not expect them to get so...like that, you guys weren't hurt right?", all of them shaking their head, they had all been through far much worse to be hurt by some food. But marco was still concerned, proud, but concerned. Taking them to a place like this maybe wasn't the best idea, but normally a cozy place like this wasn't so dangerous, though they actually seemed...happy?

Landon looked relieved he had actually done that, onstage, without any issues.

Sky looked happy she performed well.

And sunny seemed super happy that things had gone well and she got to do a live performance.

Though the plan was...lukewarm at best, to some extent, it did feel like something these three needed, an outting that did more good then harm. Galexia quickly joined the group hug and marco was quick to usher them to their seats before anyone got a closer look at all of them. Though it was at that time sky remember marco had no idea about something in particular-

and sure enough the next act looked VERY familiar.

"Is that-", the queen's eyes were quick to widen as sky and landon exchanged glances.

Meteora hopped up on stage, instrument in hand.

The monster was partially still in disguise, but only partially, she was still noticeable enough that of course marco could tell who she was. Meteora was a spy but this was not one of those moments she really had to care about that, she was here for herself, not work. Though there was some clear hesitation, probably in fear someone would remember who she...was.

Marco seemed stunned about her being here, also wondering if she was here for her job before noticing she was really here to play. The crowd seemed far more excited for her then they did for the kids, but i guess meteora had that kinda energy about her being a young rockstar. She learned those moves only from her mother and she was going to put them to good use, and she did.

Sunny had a hard time hiding her excitement, she was whistling and cheering as meteora started jamming her solo. Though thankfully her cheers were drowned out by the crowd, keeping her more hidden among the demons. marco seemed to be pondering if the reason the place was so busy had something to with meteora herself, judging by the crowd's love for her.

At least that's how it came across.

Geez, how many jobs did meteora have? I guess katrina did have a second job helping her family though so it figures meteora might have one as well, though music was not the first thing that came to mind for anyone here. Probably because if she was a popular musician it would be assumed they would know about her to an extent, or that she would've been pined to a certain rampaging monster earlier as well.

Regardless she seemed to get through it all with no issues whatsoever, including no fruits being thrown at her. So if anyone did know who she was, they did not seem to care at all about her past, in fact she seemed pretty happy up there and less scared of being found out if anything.

Lucky her, at least she doesn't have dislike they had, but she's also scarier to make mad anyway so if they did piss her off they might risk becoming literally souless. She was rewarded with flowers being thrown at her which was confusing at first because no flowers had been allowed into this building, then they noticed they were pulled flowers from the décor to throw at her. Guess she was far more popular then they thought, or the people just loved her THAT much.

No one was more happy they sunny though, she must've really missed meteora, but seeing her thriving here really made her super happy.

Marco had a hard time focusing on the task with meteora on stage though, she was someone who easily got them very distracted. Just a lingering worry in the back of their mind that she might get upset at seeing them or lash out, especially now that eclipsa had explained things to her. It had been easier to avoid dealing with it since meteora and them hadn't spoken for years and she had forgotten but now-

And right now there was no excuse they could make to really avoid her either, she knew they were there and on top of that she probably knew exactly why they were there as well.

Marco sighed, they were probably overthinking this, that was LONG in the past by this point and it was doubtful meteora eve cared about any of it. It was just something hard for the human to forget no matter how much they tried, meteora being here was just...bringing back memories they had long since repressed to the best of their ability up until this point.

It must've shown on their face because sky and landon were looking at them with concern. Marco quick to reassure them before they got freaked out, "Sorry, i always get this way around meteora, bad memories, i'll be ok kids...no need to worry". But their words didn't sem to be doing much, probably because that kinda response never worked if it was one of THEM saying it.

"Ok so i might get just a tad anxious about meteora sometimes, she might not have her memories but i still have mine and well...i've talked about it, it's not fun and...i'm sorry i wasn't planning on dumping on you kids about my own issues today.", they seemed like they actually felt bad and sky quickly interjected, "Hey, i deal with jude's stuff all the time, it's ok...you know how...he is when it comes to the bad stuff".

"Yeah, yeah you're right, i'm sorry...sometimes it's hard to forget the past...even if i so badly want to...and...i'm sure she does as well", they eyed meteora, "I should probably talk to her but i feel like that new info might be fresh on her mind and i'd hate to make things worse for her, we have a mission going on and i can't be distracted right now".

"You can push it aside slightly to talk to her after she gets off the stage", sky offered, "The night is almost done anyway and we all have each other, as long as you stay close by you'll be fine, and besides, meteora knowing we're here will make sure she'll be even more careful just to keeps us safe. So don't worry about it too much, we can handle being here for a minute or something".

"You know you just had things thrown at you not even that much time ago right?".

"Yeah but we can still handle it, we're in disguise anyway, like we'll be fine and you're close by anyway, just in case".

They still seemed nervous but if they weren't too far away then it might not be that bad, meteora had just gotten off stage after all and she clearly noticed where they were sitting, so if anything did happen she could get right into the action. "Fine, just do not leave this table and if anything bad happens, don't hesitate to fight back, i give you permission".

They got out of their seat to approach the monster girl as the kids stood by. Careful to move through the crowd without drawing too much attention, keeping their mask on tight and hoping meteora would know it was them without even removing it. But she probably would, marco had the funny feeling even though she barely grew up around him, she had some lingering memories of her past life.

But they couldn't dwell on that part, it was a good time to talk to her before she vanished again, that's what this was about.

Time they took their own advice and did confront their issues, better now then ever. Meteora would be heading back to her job as a spy when she got the chance and they might not see her again for years, so if this helped get everything off their chest they might as well go for it. But meteora stopped them, pressing a hand out, and looking at them intently.

"Look, i didn't know you'd all be here so...this was my time off and i wanted to join...i...sorta play around mewni a lot...not a crazy amount but- anyways just don't think to report me for being here". She was being so defensive, did she really assume marco was going to get her in trouble for this? Marco was mean sometimes but they were never on that level of mean.

It did remind him of why they barely talk tho.

"Meteora, it's fine, i just want to talk to you i promise, you were doing great up there and the kids tried to tell me you were before before you were on stage"., she seemed kinda relieved at that but also a little insulted, "So what's this about then? The kids aren't hurt are they? I saw what happened out there and i gotta admit, that was pretty messy".

So she even saw all that happening to the kids and still didn't come to help? Marco might've been more mad if they hadn't done something very similar, the human just changing the topic before they got upset, "Meteora, i wanted to confront you about the stuff that happened, the stuff that happened years ago". The monster girl raising an eyebrow, she had not been expecting that at all.

"I know for you it might not be the same anymore since well...you know, you forgot, but for me i just need more closure because we don't have a lot of good memories together, and i would prefer to be on good terms with you and feel safe with you around. I understand if you say no though, it's just been on my mind and i wanted to speak to you.

While she seemed skeptic, meteora reached out and shook their hand, huffing.

"Alright then, fair enough", again, in their head they imagined things going far worse.

Was meteora really much nicer then they gave her credit for? they glanced to see the kids staring at them still, ushering them to go on. "Look, i know me being back has got everyone kinda...on edge, i can tell, you're on edge, the princess is on edge...my mom's kinda on edge...i get it, but i just am here to do my job and help out, that's it. Nothing up my sleeve, everything is under the bridge".

"I'm sorry if we came off-"

"I'd rather not think too hard on what...i did before this point, i wanna focus on my life...my new life...to the best of my ability, so if any of you think i'm mad or hold grudges, i'm not...i'm not that person anymore.". They could tell they hit some sort of nerve though, the pain must've still been very fresh for meteora and she was not ready to deal with it right now of all times.

"I'm so sorry,", marco backed off, "I just...wanted closure for all of that...".

She had a point though, she was not the same person they had been tortured by so long ago, how could they properly have closure with her if she wasn't even the same person anymore? Marco suddenly felt a little stupid having attempted to do this how they did, backing up and bowing their head in some form of apology. They had screwed this up and it was better to leave it be.

But meteora spoke up, clearly having more to say on the matter then they had been expecting.

"Hey...".

"Hmm?".

"It might not give you closure, but...i don't hate you...not like i think i did before. You...have good kids, really good kids, Just take good care of them, not all of us get a second chance to do things better". Marco nodded, understanding, "Meteora i promise you i intend to be the best parent i can be, and i will. My kids...mean the world to me, i won't fail them any more then i might have already".

"Good, and sorry...i just, don't want to talk about...how i used to be. I...prefer to be...who i am now".

Marco understood, "Well, i hope we can still have a fresh start...all of us, with you, together".

They reached out to shake her hand and meteora took it, she squeezed rather tightly, probably just to mess with them, but still shook their hand in alliance. "Now, as your first step of showing me you're good at your job, you should probably take all those kids hold before they get themselves hurt, this place is full of some feisty demons and i think you could tell that after they made a mess out of the kids".

"Fair enough".

"But first-".

The kids perked up as they got greeted with smoothies, right on meteora's tab, who was gladly sitting with all of them as they took notes, she was a spy after all, this kinda thing was right up her ally. She was far more ingrained in the gossip then they were, being a regular citizen and not some royal snub, guess it really did have it's perks to be just like everyone else.

"Some weirdo living by the volcanos? Pfft, well i'd be shocked if no one tried living near mount boom, not everyone here to known for their minds or being smart. But hey, a lead is a lead, me on the other hand? Been chasing some leads for awhile now, not a lot of results, i'm honestly shocked you all are even trying when we seem to have already gotten the person we want-".

Sunny shifted in her seat.

Meteora glanced at her, " I know you all have some...strange attachment to that girl but she's bad news, i can tell and so can everyone else, you're wasting your time trying to prove it isn't her". Meteora really was confident in this wasn't she? Guess it was hard to argue with her much, it did all look strange. Though her accusations against luna did make sky think-

And the expression on her face was enough to peak meteora's interest.

"Are you about to protest?".

"No it's just-".

"Spit it out...".

Sky wasn't even sure she should say anything, it was unlikely to even go anywhere, but i guess if they had nothing to lose right now it wasn't too weird to bring up...maybe. "Hey, meteora, i don't wanna accuse or anything, i was just curious if...when it comes to angel's mother, if well, you were at that one event for monsters at the time...before she ended up sick and-".

Meteora raised an eyebrow, and marco looked a bit panicked at what sky was implying.

"Wait, where did THIS come from?".

Honestly it did seem to come almost entirely out of nowhere, arana had little to nothing to do with luna and why she was being accused. In fact her sickness came before the masked mess, so they had nothing to do with it by the looks of it, and yet...if luna had some ideas here maybe there was a lead here, or maybe, she could beat meteora with her own logic on this.

"Meteora, i'm just asking if you have any idea of that event lead to what happened, with Arana?", it was a far shot but it was better then nothing at the very least, maybe meteora could answer her questions. It's not like there were many better places to do it when they barely could even find the monster woman anywhere, as long as they were careful around these crowds of people.

"Why do you think i would know anything about why that happened? Sure i attended but-", she seemed confused, but also a little annoyed that sky had just interrogated her out of the blue like that. Her job involved this kinda stuff all the time, and rarely was she ever the one being questioned on anything, so this was all very new to her and rather shocking all things considered,

"The bug, the parasite that went inside of her...it's not from mewni and...you leave to other dimensions all the time...so...i just want to know if you have any idea how it got...well...into her food", she could see were this was going and she wasn't liking the sound of it at all, being accused the way she was. Sky was rather bold to even be doing this, especially to someone who was kinda an ally, but maybe if she played this card she might have an easier chance at protecting luna.

Meteora didn't appear to like these implications in the slightest, though she was impressed how sky went at her like that.

"What does this have to do with me and luna?", she got right to the point, folding her arms, "This is avoiding the case entirely to focus on something else, something serious and not involved in this matter at all, while what happened is tragic, this has no reason to even matter in the blonde's case, not unless you have something you really think could be of use here ".

"I do".

"And what's that?"

"Circumstantial evidence...if your evidence against luna holds up, then so does the evidence against you hurting the queen, it's, easy to accuse when you have so little to go off of". Meteora sent her a look that told sky she was being rather silly trying to do whatever it was she was doing, but it seemed she wanted to hear more of where sky was going with this.

"You gonna get me arrested? I feel like you're threatening me".

"No...well...i'm just saying, your evidence is mostly convenient and...could be faked, and how easy it is to accused someone based on judgments like that, sometimes things aren't as they seem y'know? Luna is innocent, she's being framed...i just want you to look at all of this from a new angle, because making judgements based on few evidence...could be scary".

"Luna made that accusation against me didn't she?".

"How did you-".

"I know you've been talking, so i assume she had you say this hoping to sue it as blackmail or something against me into letting her go. Which does not work, it's very cute that you think it might but i don't work that way, i've been doing this far too long kid. Gotten all kinds of threats, You got some kinda of guts to even attempt so i'll give it to you".

"I just want you to rethink things, luna isn't behind this...".

The other kids also looked at her, pleading.

Marco coughed into their hands, "Listen, meteora, we don't know for sure if you have anything to do with the sick queen thing, it's only a guess and i'm deeply sorry we accused you like that, we just have a lot of questions as you can see". She raised an eyebrow she now knew they were into her about that entire situation with the queen and there was no going back on any of it.

"I would never-".

"We never meant on purpose, we just know there had to be some way a creature like that could've ended up...here, and well". She had to admit luna was smart coming to this conclusion for how frustrating she was. As far as people attending that party who went through many other dimensions go, meteora was really the best candidate, even if she had no idea.

"I suggest we talk about this later then, but, i'll keep what you have to say in mind, if that's fine".

They could agree to that, at least she was listening.

This had forced sky into silence about it though, and back to work as she sipped down her frozen drink. Thankfully nothing else seemed to go wrong that night, meteora was even happy to have herself magically tested in case the kids had their doubts about her being her. Which was fair up at this point when people were now being mind controlled to do things they didn't want to do.

Well, if meteora knew about this and that she did it, she didn't seem to actually want to talk about it at all for now.

Till next time.

But it was over, they could all go home and take a well needed break, it was a far better mission then it could've been, and for once it was great to have another adult step in to help. Though sky felt stupid for even saying anything back there, how could she accuse meteora like that? She must've sounded desperate to convince the monster that luna wasn't evil that she said whatever came to mind.

But it was fair right? If luna could be accused for just wearing the clothes then meteora could be accused for just being at the wrong place at the wrong time, she couldn't use this against luna when there wasn't anything defiant, especially when mind control was a thing going on. She was lucky meteora even listened to her instead of laughing her butt off at sky's accusation.

Marco seemed astonished she even said that to the monster's face, it was bold, bolder then sky would normally go. Sky was already in enough hot water with the high commission and had been a high suspect, so doing something like this, well it was just asking for her to get in more trouble. Though really, lexi, sunny and landon seemed...kinda impressed.

None of them would've been that bold, not to meteora at least.

Shedding their costumes away and safe and sound in the castle and finally dismissed, marco was quick to do another un over of all of the kids to make sure they were ok. They were clearly still heavily affected about the kids being booed off stage how they were, they were supposed to have been there to keep them safe and the kids were being hurt, how could they not be upset?

Marco finally lets them go on a mission to help, not even a big mission and they-

"Queen lucitor, we're ok, honestly, we've been through worse then a bunch of crumby jerks", sky said as marco checked her for bruises, "I know it's just, me and tom were so worried about you kids getting in trouble and...you're on my watch and yet something still went wrong. I know you all can take care of yourselves but...it hurts me as a part to watch something like that".

"You tried to motion us to leave, because you couldn't blow your cover...it was kinda scary", sunny said, fixing her hair, "Like You froze the first time, like you didn't know what to do but try and coax us away". Marco swallowed some spit and nodded, "I did freeze a little because of the mission, i'm really sorry about that, i should've went in right ahead the first time, i just...i didn't want to risk worse happening if you kids were caught, everything moved so fast like i couldn't process it and...i'm sorry i let all of you down but not stepping in right away".

Landon was silent, guess even if the mission went well, they had to address that whole aspect of it even if they did not want to.

But then they saw marco start to cry and their mood shifted, landon mumbling under his breath.

"I'm glad you were there, i...i really am, it was really nice".

Marco looked up at their son, surprised at his words, but so grateful. "I'll try and do better if i can, i guess i still have my own issues to work through...but...i'm sorry i didn't step in right away". Only for sunny to say something, "But it matters that you trusted us too, you can't always be there to protect all of us, so...giving us space to handle issues is nothing to be ashamed of".

The human smiled.

"You're right about that too, my anxiety may of gotten the better of me when it really should not have."

"We all get scared sometimes, it's ok", sunny reached out, quick to give the human a hug, a sign of forgiveness and comfort. Before the others quickly joined in, wrapping their arms around the human as he hugged them back. Landon was not one to even get involved in hugs like this but, this was his mom, and he was not going to be the only one to not hug his own mother.

Marco smiled, "Thanks kids, we'll meet up later and we can pass on this information to the others, so hopefully some of this info might be off use, we'll get some additional info from the other spies later, but let's take a break, we all need one, you all might nee a long nap.". They laughed and patted all their heads, "And so do i, I'll also well...keep an eye...on meteora".

Sunny giggled, "You guys are friends now right?".

"Well, probably not, but it's a good start to something proper at the very least so...i'll take it."

As they headed out marco pulled sky aside, while still eyeing the others, "What you did back there was brave but...just be careful, i'm not sure how luna will react to you telling meteora all of that information, could be massively dangerous". She nodded, "I'm sorry, i was trying to help but...yeah, but hey, maybe it might go somewhere...maybe?".

"Well, i just hope this means meteora doesn't come for her faster and harder after finding out she accused her of possible attempted murder, just be wary of what you say around her if you can...you never know what can be used against you". Sky nodded, "Alright, thanks...i'll try not to throw our theories out to the people we're accusing next time...kinda a dumb move".

"Hey i made dumb moves too, so does your moms, it happens...just...be more careful".

And sky could feel her nerves start to stiffen as she headed down the hall, hoping she really hadn't made a huge mistake to further ruin their investigation and plans.

Because if she had, they were in for a handful.

[the-final-sif]

For the anons that wanted to know about my “dabi actually makes progress on converting Katsuki into a villain” thoughts, here you go!

As these things often start, Katsuki gets kidnapped for a second time by the  LOV. Only, this time the league has a lot more power and influence to keep things covered up, making it nearly impossible for the heroes to get him back. All that they have going for them (although they don’t know it), is that Hawks is successfully embedded in the league as a double agent.

Katsuki still has no interest in joining the LOV. He's not even willing to lie about it, despite lacking any escape options. Tomura is upset and has plans of his own that he is about to discuss with the other members of the league, but Dabi cuts in, asking for a month or two with Katsuki to see if he can't change his tune. It’s certainly a bit odd, because out of all of them, Dabi has been the most certain Katsuki wouldn’t join them. Still, Tomura considers it and since he trusts Dabi, he accepts. Which leaves Hawks, whose been dying inside throughout this entire meeting, Morally Torn.

Hawks can't break his cover to get Katsuki out, but he's not okay with letting the kid get tortured either. So he tags along with Dabi, trying to figure out what his plan is, and trying to gauge what Dabi would be willing to do in the first place. While he’s gotten the vibe that Dabi has a soft spot for kids, and he’s not willing to do too much damage to one, particularly outside of a fair fight, he can’t be sure. Dabi’s too unpredictable to count on that.

Even though he tries to keep his questions casual, Dabi realizes what he's hinting at and laughs at Hawks, telling him he's been watching way too many movies. You don't get people on your side by torturing them. Hell, you can’t even get good info out of someone by torturing them. That shit doesn't actually work in the real world. It’s just something Hollywood clings onto because it makes for good dramatic tension.

It’s certainly reassuring to hear Dabi’s not going to torture the kid, but now Hawks is confused as to what Dabi is planning to do. Clearly, just talking to Katsuki won’t do shit. The kid is way too stubborn for that. He questions Dabi more directly, asking what his master plan in, and Dabi rolls his eyes.

“If you’re so curious, you can watch and learn.”

He means it too, as he leads Hawks to one of the security rooms, setting it up so it’s keeping watch over Katsuki’s cell. Dabi sends out a handful of texts, checks a few things, then tells Hawks if he decides he wants to stop watching to let Dabi know before he leaves the room, since risking Katsuki seeing him would be extremely dumb.

Then, with a concerning amount of confidence, Dabi walks out and waltzes down to Katsuki’s room, only stopping to grab some food for the kid. The food is offered when he enters, but is rejected. Just like Hawks expected. Dabi leaves it off to the side anyways, so Katsuki can have it later if he changes his mind. Then he settles down, sitting on the ground just like Katsuki is, and starts talking with the kid.

At first Katsuki doesn’t want anything to do with him, but Dabi manages to coax him into an argument, shifting their conversation carefully until he can talk about the positive values of the league, highlighting one in particular, the freedom to do what they want.

Katsuki gives him an incredulous look at that one.

“Oh yeah, this is exactly what fucking freedom looks like. Even if I signed up with you fuckers there’d be no goddamn ‘freedom’, it’d just be me doing whatever you assholes wanted.”

“Well now, that’s just untrue. If you were a proper member of the league then you could do what you want. That’s what most of us are here for.”

He gets an eyeroll as Katsuki tries to call his bluff,

"Okay, then what if what I want to do is kill you? Then what, huh?"

Dabi merely shrugs in reply, although Hawks catches a glint to his eyes which tells him that somehow, this is what Dabi wanted all along.

"You'd be welcome to try, kid."

And then he lays out an offer for Katsuki. If what he wants is to try to kill him, then he’ll give him a chance. Hand to hand combat. No quirks allowed, since their quirk match up is really bad (even Katsuki has to admit, TNT vs a matchstick is just asking for trouble). Other than that, once the match starts, anything goes.

Katsuki is 99% sure this is a trap. Hawks can see it in how it takes almost thirty seconds of silence before he gets out an answer, in how the kid’s eyes are darting every which way, and how his answer is oddly hesitant. Still, he agrees. What does he have to lose?

To his surprise, Dabi takes his restraints off (minus some sort of quirk nullification), and unlocks the cell door, holding it open for him. Katsuki just stares blankly for a few long seconds, before Dabi raises an eyebrow at him.

“You backing out already?”

Slowly, carefully, Katsuki shuffles his way out of the cell. Still watching Dabi  closely.

“You seem pretty fucking confident that I’m not just gonna run for it.”

It’s a challenge, but it’s also Katsuki trying to figure out why Dabi is so confident he won’t run. He knows there has to be something.

"You're in an enemy base, you don't have your quirk, and you don't know the way out. We’ve got people keeping an eye on us, and more than enough security that even if you killed me, you wouldn’t make it out. I know you’re smart enough to know you can’t win, and I know you can control yourself.” He pauses, shrugging again. “If you really want, I can go grab some chains to drag you around in, but it seems like a lotta of extra work for no reason."

Dabi's right too, Katsuki is smart enough not to make a move. He’s at a heavy disadvantage, but he’s also curious about what’s going to happen next. It’s enough to keep him walking by Dabi’s side, taking in as much of layout of the base as he can.

They walk to a decently large training room which Dabi locks behind them, leading Katsuki to the center before he starts talking.

“Alright kid, ground rules. I’m not going to make this easy for you, but I’m not going to retaliate. If you try to kill someone else, or try to escape, then I can’t promise there won’t be consequences, but anything you do in this room is fair game. You’ve got one hour, then I’ve got other shit to do. Got it?”

Very hesitantly, Katsuki nods, dropping into a fighting stance. Dabi looks it over for a moment, and then reaches into one of his pockets, pulling out a knife. Hawks’ heart almost stopped, but the knife is left folded and tossed over. Katsuki barely catches it, eyes wide as he looks between Dabi and the blade. Waiting for the trap to spring.

“Figured we ought to make this a bit more interesting. That’s yours, you can use it if you want. Or don’t. It’s your choice. Anyways, your time starts now.”

It takes a few seconds for Katsuki to realize that this is really a thing that is happening, but soon enough he makes a move and before he knows it, he’s getting into the fight.

The problem is, Dabi’s got way more experience in hand to hand and knife fighting than Katsuki does. Even with Dabi only dodging, he can't get a blow in.

For the first half the session Dabi lets him go at it, and then he starts giving Katsuki hints. Telling him to loosen his posture more, not look where he's about to slash, etc. Katsuki is super weirded out by it, but he tries the advice and it actually works, so he keeps listening.

Eventually, the hour is up and Dabi leads Katsuki back. Katsuki is so weirded out by the whole experience that he’s more complacent than he’s been since he got here. He even tries to return the knife when he’s back in his cell, but Dabi tells him to keep it.

“If you can get anyone with it, then they deserve it for not paying more attention.”

Hawks is totally baffled watching this entire scene play out, and he can't understand what Dabi's doing.

Yet the next day, Dabi goes back and repeats the process. And the day after that. And the day after that. Katsuki starts eating properly because he wants to keep his energy up for the combat sessions, and after a few days, they've become thinly veiled training sessions instead of pure combat. Katsuki's still trying to stab Dabi, but most of his time is spent improving his various combat skills.

They keep going for nearly a week, Hawks going out of his way to make sure he can watch each and even session, until on day 8, it hits him.

Katsuki has started responding positively to Dabi's presence, perking up when he enters his cell, looking to him after he's finished learning a new move, and when Dabi walks him to and from the arena, Katsuki's way more focused on the combat session then he is on escaping. He’s hardly even studying the base anymore since he’s so determined to win. Even in his cell, Katsuki’s attempts to get out are less frequent and have a lot less effort put into them, with him now spending most of his time practicing what he’s learned.

It leaves Hawks baffled, and he ends up asking Dabi directly how the fuck he managed to pull that off. The kid was- is- stubborn as hell, and Hawks  assumed that he’d be nearly impossible to win over.

Dabi laughs at him, just like he did at the start of all this, and says that couldn’t be further from the truth; Katsuki is damn near perfect for conversion. There’s only two real issues, namely, Katsuki’s attachment to the title of “hero”, and his bonds with his teachers/classmates. Outside of that, Katsuki is a kid who has no real emotional connection to his parents, he's completely attention/affection-starved and desperately wants to reach an impossible goal of perfection. He’s faced constant negative media attention, having been basically typecast as a future villain by UA during the sports festival, and it all leaves him very vulnerable.

If anything, Katsuki is the easiest kid in the world to work. All you need to do is know what you’re doing and take the time to do it right, which Dabi has been.

By letting Katsuki have freedom and go after something he actually wants (in this case, fighting Dabi), he got positive associations started right off the bat.

Katsuki has no idea how deal with affection/attention from a parental figure, but he does understand teacher-student relationships, and so far in his life, those have been just about his only positive relationships with adults. Teachers liked Katsuki, and as such, Dabi pivoting himself into a mentor position allowed Katsuki to be far more comfortable with him.

By giving Katsuki a lot of trust right off the bat, like letting him walk back and forth from the arena without any restraints, letting him keep the knife so he can defend himself, and letting him do what he wants in the arena, Dabi not only made him feel like he had freedom, but the thing that was stopping Katsuki from taking advantage of that freedom was himself. Katsuki is smart enough to not want to lose that freedom, and as such he became his own limiting factor.

He also gave Katsuki a goal to works towards to keep himself occupied, because Katsuki needs to be making progress towards something in order to be happy. By changing his goal from ‘escape’ to ‘beat Dabi in a fight’, it means Katsuki is spending a lot less time and energy trying to escape, and on some level it reduces his actual desire to escape, because escaping means he didn't actually ‘win’.

Not only that, but because Katsuki is really attention/affection-starved, he's a lot more affected by getting positive attention from an adult figure than he likes to let on. Katsuki doesn't like unearned positive attention, he doesn't understand how to accept affection/attention from people normally, all because he's been starved of it most his life. It makes him get angry and hostile quickly. So Dabi's been very careful to only give him limited amounts of earned positive attention, slowly increasing the amounts but focusing on quality rather than quantity. It makes Katsuki’s positive associations that much stronger, and leaves him craving more.

Hawks is blown away by how much thought Dabi put into this and how much sense it makes. Everything he’s doing adds up to that same goal of winning Katsuki over, and from the looks of it, it’s actually working.

By week two, Katsuki is tolerating hair ruffles and gentle teasing from Dabi without protest, he walks closer to Dabi, he nearly instantly looks to Dabi for directions in unfamiliar circumstances, and despite Katsuki's best efforts, it's clear Dabi has become a positive figure in his life. Hawks is left watching all of this with a morbid fascination because he's known this kid and tried to interact with him on the heroes side of things for months now without any success, and even the Katsuki's teachers haven’t been able to make so much progress with him in such a short span of time.

At some point in week two, Katsuki and Dabi are walking in the hallways. Previously, Katsuki has encountered a few other people passing by in the hallways. All of them keep their distance, and Katsuki's always reserved and watchful, trying to remember as many faces as he can, but not interacting with any of them.

That day shouldn't have been any different, but the guy who passed by them is a low-level guy in with a chip on his shoulder. He sees Katsuki watching him and tries to pick a fight with him about it. Katsuki is instantly nervous, but he doesn’t let it show. Still, he doesn’t have a quirk, the guy is about three times his size, fighting anyone other than Dabi will likely get him in trouble, and Katsuki has very limited room to maneuver. Doesn't mean he's not going to tell the guy to fuck off, but he also knows he's probably about to get beat up for it.

Or, he would've, except Dabi intervenes, stepping between the two and backing Katsuki up in telling the guy to fuck off. He forces the guy back and makes it very clear that if he comes near Katsuki again, then Dabi will kill him, no questions asked. The guy recognizes Dabi as a higher rank, and someone who could actually make good on that threat, and so he steps the hell off.

Dabi waits until he's gone before he tells Katsuki next time, if someone starts shit with him like that, he's allowed to use his knife to make them fuck off, and Dabi will back him up. Hawks has been watching this whole exchange, and he can see instantly how much that strengthens Katsuki's attachment. It's starting to really worry him now.

Luckily, Katsuki gets rescued not too long after the incident. The heroes finally find out where he is and they get him out of there, no worse for wear. Hawks is able to drop some hints so they identify that he's got some level of Stockholm Syndrome, and he ends up breaking out of the mindset that Dabi was slowly luring him into.

Only, even after Katsuki is rescued, Hawks can't forget all the stuff Dabi said. He starts noticing how Katsuki doesn't really trust the adults around him, doesn't know how to handle real positive attention, how the media has only gotten worse, and the list goes on and on. Before he was able to laugh it off, but now... he finds himself actually taking several pages out of Dabi's book.

Hawks feels guilty about it, but Katsuki responds to it wonderfully. Dabi already laid a lot of groundwork for him, and it makes so easy for Hawks to slip into the role of a mentor figure. He's not trying to do it for any nefarious purposes, he just hates seeing the kid unhappy after all the shit he's been through while Hawks sat back and watched.

Before long, Katsuki is going so far as to reluctantly ask Hawks for advice. First about heroics stuff, and then about personal stuff. He’s the first person Katsuki opens up to about struggling with lingering positive thoughts about Dabi. Hawks is allowed to rest a hand on Katsuki’s shoulder and sooner than he thought, Katsuki will lean into it. He’s able to give the kid a hug and it isn’t unwelcome, and after one extremely long day, Katsuki even ends up falling asleep on him.

Katsuki’s doing better with other people too, with Hawks’ encouragement. He’s gotten much less aggressive with civilians, his rescue is improving, and he’s gotten better about talking things out with other people.

Just about everyone else around Katsuki is baffled as to how Hawks of all people somehow got through to the kid, and Hawks has to play dumb. He laughs them off, pretending it’s all just luck while dropping a few hints to try to encourage other people to take similar steps, only to get frustrated when nobody picks up on them. People just keep going on and on about how he’s done the impossible, and it’s grating to listen to because holy shit, it's really not that complicated.

Why was it that Dabi somehow got all of this in five minutes and knew just how to handle this kid, while it seems every other adult in Katsuki’s life is clueless? It’s super frustrating, but he can’t say shit without blowing his cover, so he keeps quiet and just does his best to help Katsuki as he can.

[gigslist]

46 Online Roles and Open Casting Calls - Work From Home - Paid

Company Video Voiceover

PAID WORK FROM HOME NONUNION

Brooklyn SolarWorks Francesca Ricotta, Digital Marketing Manager

1.5-2 minute audio recording. 450-word script. Looking for a welcoming, neighborly tone for a voiceover. We serve a Brooklyn audience, so hoping for someone with a little New York flair. This will be used for an internal video that will be shared with customers who have recently gone solar. The voiceover will outline what to expect during the solar process.

Voice Actor (Voiceover): All Genders, 30-58 voice actor for short informational voiceoverLanguages:

English

Accents:

Standard American

New York

Voice Styles:

Neighborly

Trustworthy

Cool

Friendly

Talent must have access to their own recording space and equipment and submit the final recording as WAV audio file. Ideal completion by Friday, September 10th.

Professional Pay: $70 - $200audio to be used as voiceover for an educational video

Seeking talent: Nationwide (United States)

Attention FRANCESCA RICOTTA - info@brooklynsolarworks.com

DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER

====================

Event Sizzle Reel, Bold Inspiring Voiceover

PAID WORK FROM HOME NON UNION

Flightless Bird Creative Stephen Kipp, casting dir.

Casting a sizzle reel for a business event. Production states: "The event is focused on the theme of being 'bold.' To match that energy, we're looking for a bold voiceover read for this video. Kanye West is a good reference for the energy-level and style of delivery."

Roles

Voiceover (Voiceover): 21-35 WORK FROM HOME

Records Sept. 9 remotely.

Professional Pay: $100 - $150Pay TBD.

Seeking talent: Nationwide (United States)

Attention: Stephen Kipp, casting dir. https://flightlessbird.tv/about-us/

Flightless Bird Creative

=============

Razor and Shave Care Product Promo

PAID WORK FROM HOME NON UNION

TubeScience

Hilal Narin, talent prod.

Casting outgoing Australian and British men and women willing to shave on camera, for demos and testimonials with a razor and shave care product. "The product is a popular razor and shave care products that are delivered right to your door. This is an on going project. We shoot a lot of these projects."

Roles

British or Australian Male Willing To Shave With Shirt Off Near Or In The Shower (Lead): Male, 18-54WORK FROM HOMEproduction states: "This project is remote and can be done anywhere in the world; this would be a director assisted remote shoot which you could shoot on a smart phone; male talent will be shaving on camera; we will send you a quick selfie audition; in the audition you can say what you feel comfortable shaving; it could be your beard, your head, your chest, or just cleaning up your beard."Ethnicity: All EthnicitiesRequired Media: Video Reel

British or Australian Female Willing To Shave In A Bathing Suit In A Bathroom Or Shower Setting (Lead): Female, 18-40WORK FROM HOME "This project is remote and can be done anywhere in the world; this would be a director assisted remote shoot which you could shoot on a smart phone; female talent will be shaving on camera. We will send you a quick selfie audition; in the audition you can say what you feel comfortable shaving; it could be your legs, armpits, head, or toes; whatever you normally shave or feel comfortable shaving."Ethnicity: All EthnicitiesRequired Media: Video Reel

Talent shoots remotely.

Professional Pay: $250/DailyPays $250 for day/all media buyout/non union.

Seeking talent: Nationwide (United States)

casting@tubescience.com

============

Open Call

ACTOR / TALENT

Please submit via this link 

https://airtable.com/shrwe67h1SstvX8mV

if you would like to be cast in a commercial.

For any other questions about casting, you may email us at casting@tubescience.com

==================

DTC T-Shirt Brand Casting for series of UGC videos - Remote Production

Open Call

Common Thread Co. Ari Hayes, Lead Creative Producer

Casting a series of UGC videos for a high-growth T-Shirt brand in the DTC ecosystem. Looking for “everyday guys” - who are on the taller side (6’2”+). Ideal talent is someone who fits in both a regular and a tall tee.

 Preferably someone who "skinny-fit" who can express high energy and raw / honest testimonials about their experience with the products. Historically, UGC content from the client has performed best outdoors in good looking environments because the shirts feel grounded in reality and not just a studio or upscale apartment setting. So, if possible - please try to shoot outdoors in an appealing setting with good light that brings out the value propositions of the shirts and doesn’t hide or distort them with harsh light or shadows. iPhone 8 or Newer will be required for this shoot (for camera / audio purposes). Ring Light or Personal Lighting is required for this shoot. This will be a remote production to be shot at talents home or nearby exterior area (park, backyard, etc.) Looking to shoot ASAP based on talent availability!

Male Talent (Day Player): Male, 25-45WORK FROM HOME"Everyday Guy" Average guy who is "skinny-fit" or as close to that description as can.Ethnicity: All EthnicitiesRequired Media: Headshot/PhotoApply

Remote Production - Shoots Nationwide Must submit before 9/17

Professional Pay: $200/DailyPays $200 / day minus any pickups due to technical or human error. Paperwork will be completed through Wrapbook.

Seeking talent: Nationwide (United States)

https://www.linkedin.com/in/arihayes

https://www.linkedin.com/company/common-thread-collective

https://commonthreadco.com/

==========================

'Talking It Out,' Virtual Arts Festival

THEATER: PLAYS

PAID WORK FROM HOME NON UNION

Piccione Arts A. Piccione, coord.

Casting roles in the Nov. 20 performance of "Talking It Out," a virtual play festival in support of mental health awareness.

Roles

Jane (Lead): Female, 25-45from the short play "Something Stupid." Young woman in her 30s being treated for cervical cancer.Ethnicity: All EthnicitiesRequired Media: Headshot/Photo, Video Reel

Brie (Lead): Female, 25-45 from the short play "Something Stupid." Jane's close friend.Ethnicity: All EthnicitiesRequired Media: Headshot/Photo, Video Reel

Thomas Brown (Lead): Male, 25-45WORK FROM HOMEfrom the short play "Warriors." An Iraq-war veteran in his 30s, who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.Ethnicity: All EthnicitiesRequired Media: Headshot/Photo, Video Reel

Dr. Gozlin (Lead): Female, 30-50WORK FROM HOMEfrom the short play "Warriors." A Veterans’ Hospital doctor, she suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder from her own time in the military.Ethnicity: All EthnicitiesRequired Media: Headshot/Photo, Video Reel

Matt (Lead): Male, 16-25WORK FROM HOMEfrom the short play "The Teenagers Aware of Death." Proud of his wrestling achievements.Ethnicity: All EthnicitiesRequired Media: Headshot/Photo, Video Reel

Piper (Lead): Female, 16-25WORK FROM HOMEfrom the short play "The Teenagers Aware of Death." Loves to be comforted every moment.Ethnicity: All EthnicitiesRequired Media: Headshot/Photo, Video Reel

Geraldo (Lead): Male, 16-25WORK FROM HOME

Killer (Lead): Male, 30-70WORK FROM HOME

Police Officer (Lead): All Genders, 25-70WORK FROM HOME

Hope (Lead): Female, 16-25WORK FROM HOME

Dr. Morgan (Lead): Female, 30-70WORK FROM HOME

Dad (Lead): Male, 30-60WORK FROM HOME

Protestor(s) (Lead): All Genders, 18+WORK FROM HOME

Mister (Lead): Male, 25-45WORK FROM HOME

Jude (Lead): Male, 16-25WORK FROM HOME

Ruthie (Lead): Female, 18-35WORK FROM HOME

Vera (Lead): Female, 18-35WORK FROM HOME

Ellis D. (Lead): Female, Trans Female, 18-35WORK FROM HOME

Rehearsal dates subject to actor and director availability. Tech rehearsals from Nov. 15-19 (each day from 6 p.m. EST onward0. Performance Nov. 20 (7 p.m. EST).

StipendStipend TBD. Production states: "Half of all donations go toward the National Alliance on Mental Illness, while the other half will be distributed evenly among the participating artists."

Seeking talent: Worldwide

piccionearts@gmail.com

https://anthonyjpiccione.com/

======================

Hiring Actors to Play Customers in Chicago

Open Call

PAID WORK FROM HOME NON UNION

The Center for Civil Rights/NCRC

Jake Lilien, Compliance Program Manager

Seeking actors to go "undercover" to determine whether businesses in the Chicago metro area are observing civil rights laws, as part of a civil rights enforcement program. This work will all be remote, and can be done from home. Company states: "To give an example of our work, we'll hire a white actor to contact a bank about a loan, then hire an actor of color to contact the same bank about the same type of loan, to see if the bank treats them the same way. We file complaints against businesses that show patterns of discrimination." "Assignments typically require about an hour of work, and participants will be paid $45 for each completed assignment. Hours are very flexible, but the work must be done during regular business hours (Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.) "This is a great opportunity for actors looking for some extra income, and participants will have a direct impact on increasing fair and equal access to housing throughout the nation."

Roles

Civil Rights Tester: All Genders, 18+WORK FROM HOMEActors of all races and genders needed to serve as civil rights "testers." Actors must be 18 or older to participate. Company states: "Because of grant restrictions, we are unable to work with anyone who has ever been convicted of a felony, or any crime of dishonesty (such as perjury, fraud, or writing bad checks). We are also unable to work with anyone who has worked for a bank or a real estate agency within the past 12 months."Ethnicity: All EthnicitiesApply

Mandatory training session on Sept. 13 (6:00 PM -9:00 PM CST) via Zoom.

Stipend: $45Pays $75 for completing the three-hour training session, then $45 per assignment. Each assignment requires about an hour of work.

jlilien@ncrc.org

https://ncrc.org/

===================

Home Depot Design Center VO

PAID WORK FROM HOME NONUNION

Trade School Ben Tischler, sr. prod.

Casting voiceover for video showcasing the Home Depot Design Center.

Roles

Voiceover (Voiceover): 25-40WORK FROM HOMEFemale voice, clear, conversational, refined, positive/energized tone and attitude.Apply

Recording date TBD in the Old Fourth Ward area.

Professional Pay: $1,000One year - Broadcast, BTS, Social , Internet, New Media, OTT, Industrial, Historical for PR purposes

Seeking talent from: Atlanta, GA

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-tischler-0319829

============================

'By Mouth' Podplay

PAID WORK FROM HOME NONUNION

By Mouth -Martin Garrison, prod.-dramatist

Casting podplay "By Mouth," a podplay based on a classic novel. Production states: "Before auditioning, please listen to selections of our first two podplays at: bymouth.org/podplays."

Roles

Kira (Voiceover): Female, 20-30WORK FROM HOME20, British RP light, feminine with rare indomitable will more often found in a man. Doesn’t care what others think—tunnel-visioned—in her own world--certain about what she wants. Kind but not nice or phony. Sister to Lydia and daughter to Kira’s Mother.Accents:British

Andrei (Voiceover): Male, 25-40WORK FROM HOME 20’s, British or Scottish/Irish lower-class light, controlled intensity, highly intelligent, masculine. In love with Kira. Accents: Scottish

Uncle Vasili (Voiceover): Male, 45-60WORK FROM HOMEcountry British sialect, 45-60, from where folks in 1800’s hunted, fished and trapped animals. Self-made furrier to former czar. Salt of the earth type. No artifice. Up from bootstrap’s authority/confidence. Revolution has made him bitter but is naturally optimistic and still vital when excited. Father to Victor and Irina and husband to Kira’s Mother.Accents:British

Timo (Voiceover): Male, 45-60Scottish or Country British. Gruff, booming-voiced Scottish or Irish sea dog—a Blutto with a heart of gold. Accents: Scottish

Karp (Voiceover): Male, 45-6040-50’s, heavy British cockney, short, fat, ugly, pushed up pig nose, obsequious, ingratiating. Accents: English - Cockney

Kira's Mother (Voiceover): Female, 45-60WORK FROM HOME Accents:British

Required Media: Voice Reel

Irina (Voiceover): Female, 20-30WORK FROM HOME

Victor (Voiceover): Male, 20-35WORK FROM HOME

Sonia (Voiceover): Female, 20-30WORK FROM HOME

Marisha (Voiceover): Female, 20-30WORK FROM HOME

Lydia (Voiceover): Female, 25-35WORK FROM HOME

Kira's Aunt (Voiceover): Female, 40-55WORK FROM HOME

Tonia (Voiceover): All Genders, 35-55WORK FROM HOME

Vava (Voiceover): Female, 20-35WORK FROM HOME

Sasha (Voiceover): Male, 20-35WORK FROM HOME

Talent records voice-over remotely at home studio.

Stipend: $125 - $1,000Pay TBD.

Seeking talent: Nationwide (United States)

Additional Materials

Website:http://www.bymouth.org/podplays

CHARACTER LIST_By Mouth podplay.pdf https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/69a0e328-26c3-43ed-9b52-0a7b38161c7d.pdf

KIRA_Lines_By Mouth.pdf https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/f4026011-df2b-4d5f-9aeb-102c58f06daf.pdf

ANDREI_Lines_By Mouth.pdf https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/6dfbb1f4-534b-4839-b3ac-6b2072f2b5b2.pdf

UNCLE VASILI_Lines_By Mouth.pdf https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/9dd1f37b-8e09-4220-bc05-1417f50d77ea.pdf

TIMO_Lines_By Mouth.pdf https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/79f43f5a-782f-4334-b765-f3cc478aa5fc.pdf

KARP_Lines_By Mouth.pdf https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/518a744a-5066-43c5-9f7c-f30188fcd81e.pdf

KIRA’S MOTHER_Lines_By Mouth.pdf https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/f77be1a1-5afb-4497-81a3-df38fbf2b65b.pdf

IRINA_Lines_By Mouth.pdf https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/f0cbae30-426c-4493-abc2-82ab26df1e73.pdf

VICTOR_Lines_By Mouth.pdf https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/6b50c51f-a069-4603-8c05-27d281150a10.pdf

SONIA_Lines_By Mouth.pdf https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/05d21440-6fa4-40e3-ab19-3094b6102837.pdf

MARISHA_Lines_By Mouth.pdf https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/fb422d34-a9dd-4bce-97ec-92232d802f74.pdf

LYDIA_Lines_By Mouth.pdf https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/1ffa4b29-c822-4bc6-a974-8506f452f126.pdf

KIRA’S AUNT_Lines_By Mouth.pdf https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/4a493ce0-d001-432a-9234-4b3c8cbde213.pdf

TONIA_Lines_By Mouth.pdf https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/c08abaa1-0956-456e-905b-6ccaf98652bc.pdf

VAVA_Lines_By Mouth.pdf https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/9b8b5927-0ab3-4e25-9204-70f9aa00c892.pdf

SASHA_Lines_By Mouth.pdf https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/d29ddfe8-ce97-4710-9387-b48d163d1096.pdf

https://bymouth.org/contact

=================

Covet Fashion, Models

MediaNug.com Matt, producer

Casting seven females to model fashion outfits to create digital ads. The company is not a clothing brand, but a fashion app called Covet Fashion. Models will select three-five outfits from your wardrobe to showcase.

REMOTE UGC - - FEMALE FASHION STYLING (Lead): Female, 18-30Ethnicity: All EthnicitiesRequired Skills:

Voice Style: Happy

Voice Style: Attractive

ON LOCATION (LOS ANGELES) - - FEMALE FASHION STYLING: Female, 18-30

Ethnicity: All Ethnicities

Required Skills:

Voice Style: Happy

Voice Style: Attractive

Some roles are remote UGC, others will be on location in Los Angeles., CA.

Professional Pay: $400 - $500/DailyRate: $400-$500 (depending on role)

Seeking talent: Nationwide (United States)

https://www.medianug.com/contact

==========

[donnalyre66]

Workplace Mediation

Avoiding Mistakes Made When Making Use Of Workplace Mediation.

Content

Groups Of Workplace Disagreements We Have Mediated:.

Going To Family Members Mediation

Kids and also youngsters can find it useful to speak with a person independent however who understands the household scenario-- a person that is trained to pay attention, such as a family arbitrator. business mediation services brighton can aid wed, unmarried as well as exact same sex pairs to locate services to family members disagreements.

supplies a system for celebrations to discuss their disagreements with the assistance of a qualified unbiased 3rd person. At CHILDREN, we have services that give basic parent and also family members support in addition to Key working, Sleep tasks, Moms and dad discussion forums and also Befriending services. Our Young carers solution supplies assistance as well as assistance to children and also youngsters under the age of 18. Our independent service is right here to offer children as well as youths a voice, shield their rights and also help them speak out. YOUNGSTERS purposes to offer the very best guidance and also support solutions to ensure each kid receives the treatment they should have. Nevertheless, in special instances, one might need to consult from a specialist. CHILDREN SEND Mediation Solution has a panel of independent, knowledgeable and also particularly experienced conciliators.

Classifications Of Workplace Conflicts We Have Actually Moderated:.

Lambeth Medition Service supplies a number of services for youngsters. Our team believe that mediation can be an actual opportunity for difficult perceptions, wondering about ideas and changing perspective, which can aid solve even entrenched disagreements. A month approximately after the mediation, either a follow-up call or a meeting will be held to see how the arrangement is working.

" He showed up extremely experienced at getting a sense of how the parties intended to work out and where a deal lay. I observed a detailed example of how to moderate a conflict." Throughout the disturbance of COVID-19 throughout the country, we are remaining to operate by giving on the internet solutions. Please call us if you would certainly like anymore info on exactly how this might impact your mediation.

Mosting Likely To Family Adjudication

They will ask you concerning the difference and also will certainly address any type of inquiries you might have about planning for mediation and the meeting itself. Conciliators handle the meeting, as well as see to it everybody is completely listened to as well as treated fairly. Our arbitrators ensure that the emphasis of the conference remains on the demands of the child or young person. At Buckles, we're everything about making life much easier, consisting of accessibility to info. To learn more about our lawful services, simply watch the suitable department you require. We provide a personal, objective and receptive solution that develops the most effective feasible possibility to safeguard reasonable and lasting arrangement as well as reduces the requirement for litigation.

Is mediation better than going to court?

Mediation is less expensive than going to court. Hiring a mediator costs significantly less and the cost is typically shared with your spouse. When you combine the lower mediation fee and the fact that the process has a significantly lower turnaround time, you end up paying much less for your divorce fees overall.

They can help you get to an arrangement regarding issues with money, home or children. Moderators do not judge, give recommendations, take sides or determine that is ideal and also incorrect. Arbitrators will certainly make certain that every person in the area has equal time as well as space to speak. Members of the public that have a dispute or conflict can contact our solutions directly.

Typically Mediation Is 400% More Affordable Than Lawyers And Also Court Charges.

Complying with mediation we will certainly write the outcome and also if requested compose an arrangement into a formal record which can end up being the basis of a court order, if you feel you need one. Mediation supplies a much less spiteful as well as much more cooperative way of efficiently working your means with the process of a splitting up or separation. Call our household conciliator on or inform us what happened so we can aid. Honesty, expertise and also the greatest standards of customer treatment create the bedrock of our solutions. We have the breadth of knowledge as well as experience to aid you attain the appropriate outcomes.

5 Best Mediators in Chicago 🥇 - Kev's Best

5 Best Mediators in Chicago 🥇.

Posted: Thu, 07 Jan 2021 21:01:02 GMT [source]

Agencies such as the Police, Anti-social Practices Teams/Officers, Real Estate Departments and others likewise make references to our services. Community Mediation provides a risk-free, structured and favorable setting for people in dispute ahead to arrangements and far better understanding. Call Roger Levitt for suggestions on all facets of the mediation procedure. When celebrations differ, and it becomes a disagreement, the following action is commonly litigation. The function of a litigator is to marshal the conflict as well as take the steps needed to protect their client's lawful civil liberties.

Our professional lawyers have actually been delivering the best quality legal services to exclusive customers for 150 years, with lots of households staying faithful for generations. Our method offers you the chance to work through all the issues involved and also to consider numerous choices before making any kind of choices relating to a splitting up agreement. Our documents can be made use of by a solicitor to get a legally binding layout to guarantee there are no misconceptions later on. We know that emotional chaos and separation can go together.

Should I settle at mediation?

What you want or need is not the criteria for a settlement. Rather, you should listen to what those with experience have to say about what you are likely to net if you go to trial rather than settle the case. Often times, a settlement at mediation will result in more net recovery to you than a verdict at trial would.

Our conciliators have a wide range of expert histories, are fully approved and consistently briefed on unique instructional requirements regulations and also technique. Mediation is about understanding the problems of the difference and attempting to address them. It is not about "who is ideal and that is incorrect" as well as looks at the here and now and also the future instead of the past. It is different to the Tribunal, where a panel hear the events' proof and then make a judgment. The conciliator or instance employee will call you and present themselves.

Our knowledgeable professionals lawyers understand the fear as well as distress problems involving youngsters can cause and also come close to all matters sensitively as well as affectionately, for the advantage of all concerned. Youngsters and also youngsters can be provided the opportunity to satisfy as well as chat privately with a mediator as component of their parents mediation-- if they, their parents and the moderator feel it would be useful. They can only be welcomed to meet with a mediator once their moms and dads have actually had several sessions together in mediation.

You are originally seen separately prior to a collection of joint sessions focused on reaching contracts on essential concerns, consisting of Kid Arrangements, distribution of residential property and pension plans, as well as allocation of upkeep. His experience covers a wide variety of civil, property, building, and ownership conflicts. As a RICS certified arbitrator I have moderated a number of disputes in building and construction and property-related issues. " He went above and beyond giving the other mediation onlookers and also myself ampleopportunity to ask questions as well as decipher techniques. try this web-site would certainly advise him to any person trying to find a seasoned mediator to observe."

During this hard time choices require to be made about useful issues, such as financing as well as residential or commercial property. If you have kids, useful decisions need to be made concerning them as well as their futures. Our specialised mediation for separating couples can assist you with this, whatever your scenario, whether you are still cohabiting or not. PLEASE NOTE-- Mediation must be discovered as a choice prior to making an application to court.

Landlords and tenants have arguments which occasionally end up in court.

Going to court isn't the only way to fix concerns and also is usually pricey and also takes time.

We function right across England and Wales and also our household mediation solution has more than 30 years' experience supplying professional, professional family mediation solutions.

Only Family Members Mediation Council Accredited Meditors are able to sign the called for court types. All Essex Mediation conciliators are completely Approved by the Family Mediation Council. To learn more about the cost-free mediation solution in Sunderlandvisit the first4mediation websiteor call. If you would prefer legal solution instead of Mediation services, after that we can still aid you. Please click the complying with link to see the lawful services that can be used as a choice.

[nekojitachan]

Job Hunting Tips

Seems apropos to do a post on this during October.

I figured I’d post this to help people who are looking for a job, that wonderful, soul-crushing, horrible experience. Hey, if you enjoy it or it’s painless for you, I want your outlook on life and blessed karma. Congrats.

Let me just say that I can understand the urge to ghost companies if you get multiple offers and have already accepted a lesser one from one company when something better comes along. I mean, you’ve probably put up with hearing NOTHING after submitting an endless amount of applications, heard NOTHING after that first round with HR, heard NOTHING after the second or third round... basically companies ghost you all through the process (and then whinge like hell when potential employees do it to them). But if you are lucky enough to have multiple offers and accept one then get something better, do call them up or send an email to explain the situation since you never know if you might be looking for a job/new opportunity again in the future (or have a new HR person who switched jobs).

The post going around advising you to copy and paste the job description onto your application/resume/CV in tiny font and white color? Don’t do that. The companies have figured it out and your application will be rejected immediately.

Don’t just do LinkedIn, try to get your application out on or have job alerts on the other job sites as well (glassdoor, indeed, dice, monster, ziprecruiter, etc.) - some companies post all over, and some don’t, so you can miss some great jobs or find out about them too late. It’s up to you if you want to pay for a ‘premium’ feature - I’m not sure if LI’s is really worth it, other than to be able to send emails to people and to see the supposed ‘skills’ of the person who did get the job you applied for.

It may be easier, but don’t do the ‘easy apply’, go to the company’s site to upload your profile. That’s the recommendation made to me by HR people, and that way you’re tailoring your application for the job, not just sending a generic resume.

ALWAYS tailor your resume for the specific job. I know this takes time, but catch the repeated key words and skills they’re looking for, and make sure that’s in your resume (’risk management’, ‘good at communication’, ‘talent for documentation’, etc.). Maybe they say ‘manages issues’ instead of ‘risk mitigation’, which is what you have down, so you need to change that. Try to have what they want in your resume, and if you have it a couple of times, even better.

It helps to have a couple different versions of your resume, too. One if you’re going for more documentation type jobs, one for another type of skill set, another for that skill set... that way you’re not doing so many rewrites.

Why you’re doing this? Because companies use Application Tracking Systems (ATS) which are pretty terrible (there are many different versions out there, they’re old and companies aren’t in any hurry to update them because it’s not cheap to move onto something new, when they’ll probably just go w/ social media accounts at some point). An application is scanning your resume, and it ‘rates’ it based on key words - if you don’t get a certain percentage, say 85%, you won’t be considered for the job and even get that first HR interview even if you’re the perfect candidate.

There’s a site that can help you figure out if your resume will get past the ATS system - jobscan.co  Be aware that you have to create an account and it only allows you like 5 free ‘scans’ a month, and then you have to pay for more, but it is still helpful at the free level and can give you an idea of what you need in your resume.

You can always pay someone to update your resume, cover letter (which I’ve been told a lot of companies don’t bother to read) and LinkedIn profile. If you do have the money to spare, you might want to consider this, or ask for some help (or do research online). Your LI profile can be more informal than your resume.

It’s been said before, but you don’t have to have all the requirements in a job posting. If you have a good bit of them, companies will settle for the rest - for training you on what’s needed. Don’t be afraid to apply! Also, it gets your resume on their system. Some companies will keep it and if they think you’re a fit for other jobs, send you the job posting to see if you want to apply.

It’s always easier if you know someone at the company who can act as a referral, can send you a link for you to apply which helps to get your resume past the ATS system or can mention your name to HR. It doesn’t have to be a good friend, but this is a way to get your resume to stand out. So reach out to any connections you or a friend or family member have to see if they can send you a referral link for a job.

ALWAYS ASK QUESTIONS during interviews. Never be quiet during an interview - have at least 5 questions lined up (what is the culture like, what do you love about working here, what are challenges for the job, what would you have me focus on if I get it, what are any concerns you have about my background/knowledge, things like that - you can find suggestions online). No questions, even if you’ve just sat through a monster interview session (and some companies like to do that, to have you in for half a day or several hours so you meet everyone rather than have you back a couple of times, and that’s HELL, to be honest) and you say everyone’s answered everything already, that you feel you’re just repeating things is not a good impression... ASK EVERYONE A FEW QUESTIONS. Don’t let someone think you’re uninterested, because they probably will not give a ‘yes’ vote for you.

Be prepared for questions! They’re going to do these behavioral questions, most likely (if you’re technical or programming, they may ask for you to solve something or do a quick presentation - glassdoor is good to find info on interview types) where they ask you to tell them about what you did this time (how did you handle a challenging colleague, or a project where someone didn’t like the timeline you proposed, things like that). If you look up ‘sample BAR interview questions’, you will get a feel for these questions and how you can answer them, and can work on preparing your answers beforehand (have lots of examples lined up).

ALWAYS send thank you letters (emails). Thank them for their time, try to reflect back on something during the interview (if you asked what they like about the company, mention how you were touched by their enthusiasm for the company or something like that, or if you asked them for their advice for you in the role, thank them for it) to show you paid attention to what they said and to make it personal. Always be very polite to the HR people scheduling the interviews.

Ask about timelines, and if you can follow up. Show your interest in the job, but don’t badger them. Usually HR will ask salary range - if you’re uncomfortable naming your ‘price’, ask them what their budget is for the job. But usually it’s best during an interview to not question the hiring manager about money and stuff. You can ask general questions about their benefits, but don’t make it seem like you just want to know what you’ll be making as if that’s all you’re interested in. Asking about training and development opportunities is good. Glassdoor and other sites usually give you a general idea about benefits.

Uhm... I think that’s it? Please feel free to add to this post any useful advice I left out.

[callsignbaphomet]

Quick Tips for New Players pt. 2

You can roll through roars. Each monster type has different timing and will require a bit of practice to get it right but once you do it'll make fights a cakewalk.

To be fair you actually CAN roll through some lesser attacks but it takes practice to get the frames right. No, this isn't like Dark Souls where rolling through everything makes you invulnerable. Take some time to see which attacks you can safely roll through.

Every monster attack is heavily telegraphed and if you pay attention you can completely avoid all their attacks. For example right before Rathian does her air flip to hit you with her tail she will crouch lower, her roar will be a guttural growl and then she'll jump.

Every monster except for Bazelguese and Deviljho (correct if wrong) sticks to a certain path and area. As you get familiarized with the game you'll learn where they hang out and which camps to spawn in.

Gunlance users and HBG users. For the love of all that is sane please be considerate of your partners! When a Gunlance user uses Wyvern's Fire or an HBG user fires cluster bombs it sends your partner's flying. Not only will it prevent someone from attacking a monster and doing more damage to it it will also stagger a player and will prevent them from evading an attack and that could cause them to cart. The fault is all yours. So be mindful of cluster bombs and Wyvern's Fire. Don't be that person that spams that shit without regard.

Flashpods are only effective three times during the fight on tempered monsters. It's best to save them for when the monster is limping away to its nest where things can get super risky and hectic. Looking at you, Kushala.

Make use of the training room. It's fantastic! Spend some time labbing a weapon and get a feel for it. Also any items you use there will not be consumed so go ahead and test out a build and use some demon juice or powder or what have you to see how much damage you're doing.

Every weapon is capable of inflicting status effects (poison, paralysis, sleep, blast) it's just that some have an easier time doing it and with more consistency. For ranged weapons the best option is the Light Bowgun. For bladed weapons it's the Dual Blades. But even the painfully slow Great Sword can inflict ailments.

Speaking of ailments. Every time you poison, sleep, paralyze or add blast to a monster its resistances to that ailment go up. It doesn't mean you won't be able to do it again, it just means each time it gets a status effect it'll take more hits than the last time to get the effect. There are ways to make it easier like charms or decorations or you can eat for Felyne Specialist at the canteen.

Speaking of the canteen, if you scroll all the way to page 4 you'll have 6 slots to make your own menu. This allows you to save menus that have Food Skills you wanna make use of during a quest. Oh and FYI the "daily" skills ain't daily. They change every time you spawn back into Astera. I have no idea why they chose daily.

You can cancel any healing or buffing in case you need to get the fuck outta dodge or avoid an attack. Just roll. If you do it early enough the item won't be consumed.

When you heal using a potion or mega potion your character wipes their mouth. You can cancel that animation by rolling as soon as your health bar has recovered. Ain't much but it sure as shit could save your ass.

Lance users please stop "running over" your partners when y'all are attacking a monster. See #5 for reasons why you should cut that shit out. Now!

Low Rank and early High Rank players should definitely take advantage of festivals. Not only because of the events but because during festivals, up in the Gathering Hub, the canteen will have a special platter which is guaranteed to give you more health and stamina. You can only get it up at the Gathering Hub.

Do not throw away, sell or trade decorations when you start out in High Rank. Every decoration is useful and you never know how you'll change your playstyle in the future. Some of these are extremely hard to come by so keep them. Once you've established yourself a little better and are holding about 500 Palico Rally decos then you can trade them.

Hold off on trading Gleaming Stones at the smelder. I highly suggest you augment your armor first. I know it's tempting but these are a bit of a pain to come across and you REALLY will need augmented armors for end game and especially for when Iceborne drops.

Augmentation is unlocked the very second you get you hands on a Hero Streamstone or a Sullied Streamstone. Just do some tempered investigations, either threat level 2 or 3. Chances of getting one or the other are strictly RNG based. There is no way to know if you'll get it. Just keep at it and eventually one will drop.

The Siege of Kulve Taroth is super fun and can be done as soon as you're done with the main storyline. Not only do you get some really neat weapons but you can also make KT's Alpha, Beta and Gamma armors (I suggest the Beta and Gamma). Once you crafted the armor you want I suggest selling all of her materials for Zenny (the game's currency). You always end up with a bunch of materials and they sell for high easily netting you over a million. Just don't sell her gems.

With the exception of KT you should never sell any monster materials especially hard to come by pieces like tails and gems and plates. You never know which weapon or charm or armor piece you may need in the future.

If you wanna join a quest I highly advice you avoid any that have been ongoing for more than 8 minutes. Once the quest hits 10 minutes and you join you won't get any rewards. Unless you don't care for getting rewards, in that case join whenever the heck you want.

Deviation is the recoil or kick from each trigger pull. Recoil allows you to move as you shoot. All rapid fire ammo (the ammo with a white arrow pointing up) benefits from this. 3 Recoil Suppressor mods are mandatory for rapid fire ammo. You only really wanna do this for LBG. No matter how high the Deviation is it's super quick to adjust to and frankly after a few quests you won't even notice it. The wording in this game can be frustratingly confusing.

Insect Glaive users should also upgrade their kinsects along with the Glaive. Make sure you pair up the right kinsect with the right Glaive for maximum efficiency. Imma save you a lot of time and headaches. Grancathar III, Whispervesp III, and Pseudocath III are the best ones. All the others really suck. The kinsect from the Final Fantasy questline is absolute shit until you upgrade it.

If you're looking to hunt a specific monster with other players just hit Join a Quest, Respond to SOS and scroll down to Target and choose the monster you need. Some are easier to get than others but keep trying.

If you're going to join Low Rank quests don't be that asshole that never actually helps and just wants to show off. Actually help the host. Debuffing yourself is stupid as fuck.

It may feel a little intimidating at first but the hud has all the information you need. Pay close attention to it especially during a quest.

When you hover over a quest all the information about it is laid out right in front of you. It will tell you the time limit, reward, small monsters in the area, will say if it's a slaying, hunting or capturing quest so be sure to read everything carefully so you're prepared.

As you hunt monsters your Hunter's Notes get updated. Check back every once in a while to see what new info it has to offer.

Yeah, the game autosaves frequently but it's never a bad thing to manually save. I've had the game freeze and crash on me while I tried to join a game.

I highly suggest you get very well acquainted with the dive dodge. It will save your life! Remember, it can be done while running AWAY from a monster but it has to be within reach.

Some attacks will knock you down and if you don't press any buttons you'll just lay there for a few seconds. This can be super useful to avoid a fast follow up attack as NOTHING will touch you while you lay there. As you get familiar with the monsters and their attacks you'll learn when to get up and run and when to just lay there for a few seconds longer so that the attack completely whiffs.

HBG users, yeah you can put shield mods. In fact, it's kind of a really good idea to do so because putting away that weapon is painfully slow. However, you only really need just 1. Literally 1 is enough.

There can only be three monsters per map. Every time one leaves the area it's replaced by another. Do keep an eye on this HR as the missing monster can be replaced by Deviljho or Bazelguese.

Adamant Pills cure Guard Down.

Demon Powder, Might Seed, Adamant Seed and Hardshell Powder last for 3 minutes. Adamant Pill and Might Pill last for 20 seconds. Armorskin, Mega Armorskin, Mega Demondrug and Demondrug last until quest completed or you faint. Dash Juice lasts for 4 minutes. Also Might and Adamant Seeds, Adamant and Might Pills cancel each other out so you can only consume one or the other, can't eat both a seed and a pill.

Your buffs and debuffs show up next to your name on the screen. You can tell when a buff is about to go out when it starts rapidly blinking. Same for the powered up Kinsects. When they're about to go out they'll blink rapidly.

When you mount a monster quickly avert your eyes to the top right corner of the screen the game itself will tell you when to brace, attack or move. Don't look at anything else! Eventually you'll learn when to do what but it's just safer to watch the commands.

Your character doesn't level up in the traditional sense, your gear does. A level 29 could have far better gear and builds than a level 49. Don't let the Hunter Rank fool you.

Kelbi horns are fantastic items to have. Find a Kelbi with big horns and smack it in the face with a blunt attack, for example the shield of the Sword and Shield, to make the horns fall off.

Wanna talk to one person in particular in the session. Press options, triangle, hover over their name, click on chat, open the chat option and type.

Listen, no Elder Dragon in MHW (pre Iceborne) is weak to the dragon element. None. Taking a weapon with dragon element into an ED fight is just going to prolong the fight. You can get the Elder Seal effect by the dragon pods that they drop themselves. If you have the space for it the Elderseal decoration can up the effect of these pods. Dragon element weapons against Elder Dragons = horrible idea.

[stellar-imagines]

HEADCANONS REQUEST: ❝bubbly, clumsy S/O with PTSD.❞

[ Fandom: Boku no Hero Academia ] [ Characters: Todoroki Shouto ]

「Headcanons of Todoroki and his bubbly, clumsy S/O who suffers from PTSD.」 [ Unsure whether this should be under the cut but a small warning, this will be about PTSD. Proceed with caution. ]

TODOROKI SHOUTO

♤ Todoroki himself is a very distant person and he actually likes it when you would drag him around and make sure he’s socializing with his friends. Your bubbly personality was what drew him in to begin with. He was aloof and cold in your first meeting but even so, you would smile and wave at him every time you see him. He didn’t pay attention to it at first but he soon got used with seeing you all time and slowly falls in love.

♤ You’re pretty clumsy. Always misplacing things and tripping over things because you weren’t being aware of your surroundings. Sometimes you just overwork yourself and use your quirk carelessly. But he’s relieved when there’s no visible injuries on you. Even so, he’s worried even when you don’t injure yourself. Todoroki makes sure that he’s always by your side whenever something happens. 

♤ Todoroki looks out for you very much, occasionally glancing at you during class and training. When it comes to training he’s very attentive, hoping that you wouldn’t strain yourself.

♤ He literally becomes a pro with treating bruises and cuts. Whenever you get injured in training or outside of training, you can rely on him to tend to your wounds. He knows every single necessary step. What’s more he could kiss over every single bandage like the sweet boy he is.

♤ When it comes to your PTSD, you’re very defensive about it. You refused to tell him what was haunting you. Nonetheless, he still accompanies you when you were undergoing counseling and psychotherapy. Sometimes, he insists on going through the therapy with you in hopes of learning what kind of thing you had gone through.

♤ Your therapist always attempts to make you talk about your trauma, they were aware of what you had been through. True that it was horrible but he wants to see if you were ready to tolerate the discomfort of reviewing those horrible memories. When you were experiencing mild discomfort, it was concluded that you may need more time in order to be ready to process your trauma.

♤ Todoroki is naturally worried. Your bubbly personality didn’t help either. You could easily change from one person to another. He knows that it was like some sort of mask to protect yourself from the harsh world but he was relieved that you didn’t relieve those unpleasant memories during the day.

♤ But at night its a different case, you would wake up with nightmares and cry after reliving the event from them. Todoroki would see a message from you in the middle of the night at random times like 3 AM or so. If this was before you moved into the dorms, he would quickly call you and talk you through it, whispering calming words. If you already moved into the dorms, Todoroki would be up and heading to your room to comfort you.

♤ Sometimes after that night, you would avoid situations that remind you of the traumatic event and you may react to loud noises. Todoroki usually brings you out for some fresh air and made sure to stray away from overly crowded places. So he would take you to the beach late in the evening when there’s barely anyone. On weekends, he brings you to cafes and takes you to your favorite places.

♤ He doesn’t really know much about PTSD but is willing to learn more for your sake. Whatever traumatic experience you had gone through, he didn’t want you to constantly keep it to yourself. But he knew that he couldn’t force it out of you. So he tries to go the long way and get you more comfortable around him first.

♤ Todoroki doesn’t mind waiting for a long time until you gather the courage to tell him about your past traumatic events. When you finally do, there’s a lot of tears and hiccups from you as you try to convey to him as detailed as possible. He could envelop you in a hug afterwards, patting your back while praising you for being so brave to tell him this.

♤ Naturally, you were a little bit relieved that you told him everything. There will be a cuddling session after your confession, he would bring you your favorite snacks and put on your favorite video or movie. He makes sure to stay with you for the whole day/night.

Total: 735 words Published: 09.04.2019

Thank you so much for requesting anon! We weren’t particularity disturbed by this. Though I don’t really have enough info about PTSD, hopefully the headcanons contained nothing that we should’ve warned the readers about.― author Lou

Thanks for requesting. We’re actually fine with touchy topics like this but we sure hope that it was okay for everyone else. I have more knowledge on PTSD but not as much as one would expect. Just a basic knowledge of what it is. Hopefully this is what you wanted, anon. ― author Natsuki

Please do not mind the grammar mistakes and typos.

[mas-ai]

UTAPRI DISNEYLAND HEADCANONS!

Pardon me while I indulge myself, unload my mind and project.

Warnings ahead: Extremely long post, OOC, self-indulgence, shipping mentions, rare pairs (all characters aged up but nothing nsfw is here), Disneyland ‘spoilers’ , mentions of mental illness/causes of mention illness (Reiji, Ichinose, Aine, etc), not a dark post though, fluff, 

Ai:

 Mom mode activated

 Everyone has specific, custom glowsticks so you can find everyone at night no problem

 Also everyone has to wear GPS bracelets that allow Ai to track them in case anyone gets lost

 He downloaded a mental map of the parks 

 Literally never lost, knows where everything is and the fastest way to get there

 Faster than the Disneyland app by 73.2% (ok for real though I had almost no issues with it when i was there??)

 He knows all of the secrets

 All of them

 Blurts out a bunch of random trivia and info he found while researching (which makes him fun to be with!!)

 Then asks why it's important and has to have it explained to him

 Snacks and water every 2 hours

Natsuki:

 The actual child

 Ai insisted on tethering him to a harness+leash after the aquarium fiasco

 Also must have someone keeping an eye on him at all times

 Outprincesses the Princesses

 where's tinkerbell

 more of a fairy than tinkerbell

 goes to bibbidi bobbidi boutique and gets pixie dust (glitter) sprinkled in his hair)

 the BEST character interactions

 insists on eating all the food so he can remake everything when he gets back

 somehow finds his way into the kitchens and poor syo is a victim

 Poses everyone before all the photos

 Must go on the fastest/scariest rides 6 times in a row

 Always has hands up and is laughing in every ride photo

The cutest, most magical expressions in all their pictures

Masato:

 Brought the snacks and water

 Helps Ai give them out on schedule

 Also has bandaids, bug spray, sunscreen, hats, sweaters, spare shoe inserts, spare clothes

 Has 2 bags in bag check and carries around an oversized backpack all day

 LOTS OF BUG SPRAY

 "masato there's not really a lot of bugs here"

 Insists everyone calls the minute that they're done rides if they separate

 Also insists on breaks midday

 Ai agrees

 Really interested in seeing all the shows, parades, etc and making this a learning experience

 Also wants to go on as many tours as possible

 Buys everything for Mai!!!

Video calls with Mai so she can see!!

 Holds Ai's hand during fireworks

Syo:

 we'RE noT taKinG breAkS

 he has this D O W N

 he trained for this

 he made everyone else train for this

 This boy is getting everything done.  Everything.

 Fainted when he realized how much there was to do

 Probably asked for Ai's help to make a schedule so they could get everything done

 Is the first to deviate from the schedule the minute they're through the gates

 Designated FastPass runner

 Coordinated everybody else's outfits

 "do you think we can get on a parade float"

 Boardwalk games!! He wins everything!!

reluctant to leave at mid-day squad

later really glad they left mid-day and is happy to sit by the pool squad

Otoya:

 Absolutely the most excited for the trip until they got there

 Is now overwhelmed

 Really interested in the music

 Seriously he pays attention to everything in the background and hums it the entire time

 He's so inspired for new songs now

 Designated photographer

 All his photos are blurry

CARS LAND!!!!!

 Winds up just running for FastPasses with Syo instead

 (i got kinda shippy with syo/otoya on ideas but ill resist)

Ichinose:

 Pulled more allnighters than necessary (sometimes with Ren) to plan and book everything but nobody knows how much they put into it

 Original daily routines, flights, reservations, packing lists, everything was started by him and Ren (until Ren started to favor sleep after two weeks)

 At first it’s all super simple but then he starts overcomplicating it and when he's in the thick of it he can't stop and has to solve every potential problem

 (no problems wind up happening)

 Reiji discovers him one night and shuts it down (and then took over/shifted some stuff to Ai who would be better suited)

 He and Masato were then in charge of buying items for the trip but Masato started overplanning/over worrying so he took over

 Park bags? Got them. Ponchos? Thank him. Waterproof phone protectors? You got it. Chargers? Lots! Trading pins? Preordered online

 Also really thinks hard about everybody's individual needs and concerns and is worried about everyone not having the best time ever

 This boy is S O  F T 

 He was also in charge of meal plans (until they got to the park and Ranmaru started hearing about all the food and took over)

 This boy has not slept since they first decided they were going and hasn't done a single thing he wanted to do the entire time they're there

 So crowds are a thing and he's now crashing

 Reiji pulls him aside and they wander off to get some drinks and probably to Tom Sawyer's Island (very quiet! beautiful nature views!) and just... be in Disneyland

 Really deep conversations while looking into New Orleans!

They ride the Mark Twain together and drive the boat too!!

 Reiji takes him through all the shops on Main Street and they spend hours in the art gallery

 Also they sit on the disneyland railroad and just go around the park 400 times? (he likes the parts in Splash Mountain, also the show scenes)

 He and Reiji get caught in one of the 'bandit' shows where their train is 'robbed'. He's annoyed at first but has fun.

 Is now just the designated ticket/pass/autograph book holder. Probably safely storing everyone's passports in his luggage too.

Camus:

 Does not appear interested in this adventure. At all.

 Until one night he orders Cecil awake at 3AM to do a bunch of research for him and does not say why

 Nobody finds out until the day of, but he's upgraded EVERYTHING. First class jet, upgraded rooms, premium viewing for shows, etc

 Probably managed to book an entire section of the park (or even an entire park) for the group

 Also he just wanted information on every treat in the area

 He wants to try EVERYTHING

 He knows where all the best sweets are (don’t be fooled a lot of the food/treats are d i s g u s t i n g) and all the specials for the season

 Contacted ahead of time to have special treats made for each of them that represent them and are then delivered during their dinner as a surprise

 Do it right or not at all

 Don't half-ass things

 This means nothing. I care about none of you

 "peasants"

 he's smiling

reluctant to leave at mid-day squad

later really glad they left mid-day and is happy to sit by the pool

Cecil:

 "whats that"

 O H

 NOW HE'S VERY EXCITED

 Marathoned every movie  EVERY movie for months with everyone

 TAKE THIS BOY TO THE PARADES

 ALSO ON THE TEACUPS

 ALSO MUSICAL CHAIRS WITH ALICE AND HATTER

 thinks the princesses are actually princesses

 charms them all

 Was not amused at waking up so early and obeying Camus but learned a lot and is surprisingly well-versed in the park

 Knows where everything is and what everyone is doing at every point in time

 "has anyone seen x it's been 4 hours" yes he knows where they are

 Also Ai would wake up halfway through his planning sessions and stumble across Cecil and they'd wind up planning together

Really cute early morning planning sessions before work

Cecil falls asleep on Ai’s shoulder

 This is when he finds out about Ai

 He changes into full-on rainsuit for water rides 'for ai's sake' and makes ai do it too (ai is confused)

 He and Ai huddle together under an extremely oversized raincoat (or refuse to get on water rides altogether)

 But if they're getting splashed he dramatically sacrifices himself for Ai

reluctant to leave at mid-day squad

later really glad they left mid-day and is happy to sit by the pool nap squad

So inspired by all the lights and costumes

STARISH is now getting led costumes

Also quick-change costumes (tear-away to reveal a second outfit!)

Skipping/running EVERYWHERE

singing the entire time

Ren:

 This boy takes forever to get ready in the morning

But he’s one of the first awake and helps Ai & Masato to parent everyone out of bed

There’s an ongoing joke that the three of them are married

Maybe they are

Did so much more for this trip than anyone realizes

Suggests they split off several times during the day so everybody can enjoy what they want to

Probably winds up taking over photos after seeing Otoya's

 They're much better

 Insists on hiring professional photographer though

 Don't tell anybody but he pulled all-nighters to get things planned out with Ichinose

 Coralls everybody in for the afternoon breaks

 “Time to relax in the pool” initiation squad

“yes you have to shower before we go back”

really glad they left mid-day and is happy to sit by the pool squad

Reiji:

 "we're riding indiana jones ten times in a row kids" take me with you

 haw yee

 This boy has the most flamboyant hats and you can spot him from a mile away

the worst for being tacky

But also at the same time really charming and cute somehow?? 

But don’t tell him!

 Doesn't voice anything he wants to do, wants everyone else to have the best time.

 Insists on surprise kiss pictures with everyone

 Scrapbooks everything at the end of the trip because it was some of the best memories he had with everyone

he probably cries over the pictures because they mean a lot to him

 Ai finds out about the scrapbook and helps out

Is surprised for the following Christmas when everyone pulled together to make matching sweaters & ornaments for the whole group for a group picture for Reiji’s sake

It’s now a tradition

It’s his favourite tradition

Ranmaru:

 Here for the food

 Or so he thinks

 Winds up liking the rides a lot though

 Probably the one everyone hangs onto when they're scared

 super protective of ai on rides

 throws himself over ai on several occasions to prevent him from getting wet

 this is a good boy. ty for protecting the precious robot

 Last to wake up and first to head home but b o y does he have the most fun

 hell to pay the one day masato forgot to pack a banana

masato still feels bad

 (reiji to the rescue to prevent meltdown though)

unintentional cat naps with cecil during the mid-day breaks

either they’re cuddling

or cecil wanted to watch a movie and they wound up falling asleep while ranmaru was playing with cecil’s hair

he didn’t realize he swears

he just missed relaxing with a cat

cecil says nothing

Bonus!

Aine:

 at the bottom of the finding nemo ride

 bye

[bisuu-studies-blog]

How to get the grade you want in GCSE French

I decided to make this post because a lot of people struggled with  languages in my year - they were getting 7/8/9s across all their subjects, and 4s in their chosen language (not bad for this point in the year  but it’s a stark contrast to grades in all the other subjects, and there’s ALWAYS room for improvement). Now languages don’t come naturally to many people, but hard work can get you very far. SO here are just some tips that might help you since mocks are coming up as well - if you need any more info/help pop me an ask/message and I’d be happy to help. 

1) TAKE IT SERIOUSLY

Might be common sense, but people around you may place emphasis on Maths and Science, and you may shrug it off and say it’s just French; it’s not that important; you’ll learn all the vocab last minute, - but that won’t work, unless you’ve got a REALLY good memory but even then, the test won’t ask you what “chaleureux” or “pampelmousse” mean, it’ll ask you why Anais likes the town of Nice so much or where Claude, who lives in Paris, goes to buy grapefruit, and how he gets there. 

Also, LANGUAGES ARE IMPRESSIVE AND WILL HELP YOU THROUGHOUT LIFE! Start to pay attention in class now, ask questions for things you don’t get, attend help sessions if you need them, write down new words, print off the spec or have it at your disposal - you don’t have to come home and bang out notes for hours, and repeat French words to yourself over and over again to get it in your head (hell, don’t do that for anything, please!). Just don’t brush it off as irrelevant, or not try because even a little bit of work can get you SO far. I have a friend who got a 2 in their Year 10 EoY and then a 5 in their mocks, and ended up with an 8 in their final exam. It’s all possible! 

2) KNOW WHAT YOU’RE GOING TO BE TESTED ON

Know the types of questions that will come up, and what you’ll have to do for them. 

SPEAKING: You got to choose a topic (at least for AQA, tell me if this isn’t the case for the other exam boards?), so PREPARE THE HECK OUT OF THAT TOPIC! If you guys want the sheet I made to try and predict what questions I’d get asked, message me, and I’ll post it online - it saved my life! Have a few questions planned out that you can just spout the answers off by heart while you think of ways to extend. I can still remember the sentences I replied with. ALSO! Prepare for the question you’ll have to ask your teacher during the general conversation beforehand - you have to do it, and it can be as simple as you want it to. Try and ask this question before prompted, that way the conversation seems more natural, and you can just focus on getting out a good answer without that hanging around the back of your mind. 

What I did, that surprisingly helped me, was nearer to the speaking exam, I just replied to everything my family said in French, and tried to work on it from there. Spontaneity is needed, because you can’t always predict the questions that will come up. Ask friends to test you, record yourself and listen to it on the train/bus/car/walk to school. ALSO, if you get people to ask you predicted questions, you’ll know how you’ll automatically want to react in English - rather than learning something unnatural that you won’t remember, just translate what you’d say in English to French - more likely to remember it that way. 

Some questions in the writing exam only require you to write 90 words, while others want 150, and then there’s always those positive/negative/not mentioned in the reading one - careful with those - always read the question carefully. 

3) THE SPEC IS YOUR NEW HOLY BOOK

This is the case for most subjects! The exam board won’t give you any words that aren’t on the specification  - it’s a pre-made cheat sheet! This will help especially for your reading and listening exams (and the other two as well). I don’t know about the other boards, but AQA especially has a good spec, with all the vocab organised by topic. If you know these words, you’ll be set. 

This helps particularly with Step 2. Also for translation, it is literally just matching the vocab from the spec to English, so knowing the words helps considerably. 

4) WATCH FRENCH FILMS/YOUTUBERS/TV SHOWS

If you can’t go to France, bring France to you! Immerse yourself in the fillers they use (the bah, in the place of um) and the intonation of their sentences. I don’t know how to describe this, but I always see French as very up-down like this dash: ⁓. You know the whole thing about French being a cursive language? Integrate some of these expressions into your speaking, when the teacher asks you spontaneously during your speaking exam: Tu t’endends bien avec ta famille? Say: BIEN SUR.... (and the rest of your sentence) - SAY IT WITH THE PASSION OF A FRENCH PERSON WHO LOVES THEIR FAMILY!!!

Knowing how French people speak will help you greatly for listening and writing, and you’ll reach a point where it becomes kinda natural to understand what they’re saying? ALSO, for the Listening exam (for AQA at least), the people on the recording speak a lot slower than the youtubers and actors in the videos you watch - so if you do this early on - you’re set! 

Some youtubers I’d reccommend: Norman fait des videos,  Cyprien, Dirty Biology 

TV SHOWS: I watched the Santa Clarita diet dubbed in French (because I’m a lazy lass who couldn’t resist the pull of Netflix, but used it for GOOD!), Versailles, The Returned, and HERE is a great post about how to sound more French by @frenchaise (this isn’t a must, but it helps with fluency points). 

5) LEARN A FEW COMPLEX PHRASES 

SO many people in my class tried to memorise the entire paragraphs they’d write in their writing exam - this doesn’t work!! Considering the number of topics and combinations of questions that could come up, that’s more than 20 paragraphs you’d have to memorise on top of the 10+ other subjects you’d have to revise for - don’t do that. Just have a select few phrases that are considered to be “complex” or A* and personalise them for your topic. They could be something as simple as: Dans le salon, il y a toujours des gens en train de regarder la tele. Bitesize has loads of these phrases, as well as the Zut website. 

6) KNOW YOUR TENSES

Using a variety of tenses gets you very far. Present, Near Future, Future, Imperfect, Conditional etc. You have to know the 5 basic ones for present, past and future, as well as conditional, it helps if you have a few phrases in the subjunctive tense. Even one line can make the difference between the 8 and the 9 - for writing especially a range of tenses is very important - use them ALL, somehow - be creative - this only gets you more marks from an examiner sick of reading about how Mark played football in the park. 

The one phrase I used for subjunctive when asked about my town was: Bien que ma ville soit jolie... - very easy to do  - slip it in to your speaking as well. 

7) EXTEND, EXTEND, EXTEND!

My teacher had this 10 finger rule for ways to extend. So you did something - that’s the ‘what’ done. Now for the: who did you do it with? Where did you do it? Why did you do it? When did you do it? Have you done it in the past/will you do it again in the future?  Did you enjoy it? Did the person you were with enjoy it? How would you improve it? What was the weather like? 

Only thing is, make sure you stay relevant with the extensions you use. Don’t go off on a tangent about your family, when the question asked was about your town. 

ALSO - answer all the bullet points in the writing that you get given, if you skip one, even if your answer is on par with the works of Proust, you could go down a whole grade. 

8) ACCURACY IS A BIG DEAL

Check over your spellings, your grammar and all those sneaky little phrases you may have forgotten to conjugate - a few mistakes won’t do too much harm, but too many and you could drop a whole grade. If you can’t remember how to spell it, try to substitute another synonym in for it. 

9) STAY CALM - YOU CAN DO IT

Don’t panic. Remember what you’ve revised. All the work you’ve put in. Take a deep breath, sit down, clear your mind, and just do the exam - because in the end, that’s all it is. An exam. And if you think you didn’t do well, it isn’t the end of the world - you’re more than that. But also, you probably did fine, we just all have a tendency to think we’re worse than we actually are. Grades aren’t the be all and end all, and sometimes, they aren’t even a good measure of the work you put in. But if you put the work in, then be proud, because this is about getting the grade that YOU want! Je suis fier de toi! 

In the end, just enjoy the subject - it might be the last time you get to learn a language formally for free! Hehe. Bon courage mes amis! 

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[ambelle]

Tell me more about your time in China. I’ve been contemplating going.

Oh man where do I even begin? Grab your popcorn. I’m saying the names of the company because I honestly and truly DGAF. Anyway the short version is that despite me going above and beyond everyone people were offended by my skin color and COULD NOT GET PAST IT. 

Long version under the cut

THE GOOD

Met some dope people. They were all expats though. I did make friends with the only two non racist Chinese people breathing in my general area so that’s something. Look mom I transcended race : )..with two people but still.

THE BAD

First So the company that brought me to China was called EF English first. This place is built on a throne of lies…as seen by fake glassdoor reviews and the hopeless look in the eyes of every teacher who has been there more than a week. They promised constant support and training when we arrived. However we got there and they told us we have to find your own apartment and pay 4 months upfront because you can only stay at this hotel for 2 weeks. Gave us a list of agents and said yeah some may be shady good luck.

So I did my best despite my anxiety flaring, but the agent kept pushing back my move in date. Soon enough it was the day before we had to leave the hotel, I was out of money due to the deposit and was about to be homeless. I told EF and they reluctantly agreed  to pay for me to stay two extra nights. Then my recruiter sent me a nasty email about how ungrateful I was and how much I sucked during the training sessions. Speaking of the training it was just a info dump and us doing mock lessons while the trainer took notes. She then ripped into us about how uncomfortable we all seemed despite them saying no teaching experience is required for the position. Then when that was over the regional trainer sent messages to our individual centers to reiterate that we were all trash…Ya know just to start us off on the right foot. Or something?

Any way because I had the audacity to ask them to help me not be fucking homeless in a foreign country they harassed me until I decided to quit.  

THE BADDER

I made sure I secured another job at Etonkids before i quit. You can read up on it but when you leave a job you have to get a release letter to go to the next one. It’s impossible to restart your work visa application (or transfer it if your first job got you one) without this letter. We’ll come back to this damn letter because it’s ultimately why I ghosted on Eton Kids. 

Okay so my contract with Etonkids And I was meant to get training, a valid work visa, a 9-5 mon-fri schedule, a salary that was actually enough to live on, and 2 weeks off in the summer and 2 in the winter. All things EF didn’t have so it sounded great! Yeah I got none of that and to make matters worse my coworkers and the principals were both racist. The Chinese principal Coco outwardly so and the English principal Karen (she’s Australian) was on some bizzaro world wavelength of racism thats hard to describe. Now I was gaslighted so much that I began to think maybe I was the issue. But I was the 4th black woman to come and leave that position in the span of 5 months. And Ruby who trained me warned me that nothing I ever did would be good enough because they don’t like our skin. Now when she broke this news to me I had just escaped EF and damn near living below poverty level so I had some misplaced hope. HOPE that they’d just fucking stop acting like we were in the Jim Crow era until I finished up my year…but NOPE! Despite me staying hours of unpaid over time to do projects not even relevant to my lesson (painting murals making clothes for a parade etc), despite me adapting to wildly contradicting criticism from the 3 Chinese teachers in the classroom and Coco who would come in and observe me with a snare whisper shit to my co teachers and then leave… it was not good enough. They wanted me to teach the kids more English without using “too much English” and they want the 1.5-3 years olds to know how to read and write without me teaching them the alphabet. And they wanted all these ridiculous things and it took me too long to realize as I jumped through hoops they were laughing at me. 

Karen on the other hand decided to extend my probation because during one lesson I had to take 10 seconds to open a crayon box and she thought it was unforgivable that the box wasn’t already open. She also made the most unfortunate comments in meetings like when she talked about how some Africans who visited Australia were so dark and they would scare the children. Wild shit like that. But anyway yeah she also thought it would be possible for sixteen 1.5-3 year olds to make sixteen individual kites in 20 minutes. In other news I am literally Jesus and 1.5 year olds have the motor skills and attention span to construct their own kite when I’m teaching them.  

Anywho the damn work Visa. I went with a rep from EF to the entry exit Bureau because I needed to cancel the EF application one in order for EF to give me my release letter. But to cancel it I needed police registration forms for my current address. Turns out the apartment Etonkids put me in wasnt mine so they couldnt provide that. To put it simply no registration form=no release letter=no new work visa= YOU CANT FUCKING WORK IN CHINA LEGALLY. However because I’m a dumb darkie Etonkids decided to try and gaslight me. They repeatedly told me not to worry about getting the letter because they are getting my visa sorted. But I knew this was not possible without the letter so I kept asking and they kept lying for months. Finally end of July came and I held a grammy ceremony in my class that impressed them all so damn much they sent videos of it to Head Quarters. Next thing I know I’m getting an email about how they wanna put me in a hotel for a couple days to get registration papers from there so THEY CAN BEGIN MY WORK VISA APP.  So for 3 months I was at risk for arrest while they lied about my visa being “in process”. I told my family and they bought me a ticket home right away. I didn’t tell Etonkids shit I just collected my last check and left. I got angry messages and emails which I now have saved to laugh at every now and then. 

AND YEAH IT WAS UGLY 

The general publics treatment of you gets old fast. The stares are whatever for about a week but it quickly becomes excessive. It’s not a normal stare either , it’s a unblinking train ride long stare/glare from 100 people at the same time. Especially when you learn the slurs and figure out exactly what they are whispering and giggling about you. The cameras being pulled out inches away from your face. The realization that they know its rude when you pull out your camera and do the same and they look furious.

Yeah I’m really not here for anti-blackness and I’m not gonna excuse BS just because “UWU they don’t know better”. They know and they don’t care because we are subhuman to them. Know this ahead of time.

So yeah. China