#best apps for students 2021

[nanowrimo]

5 Tips for Building a Sustainable Writing Practice

Every year, we’re lucky to have great sponsors for our nonprofit events. First Draft Pro, a 2023 Camp NaNoWriMo sponsor, is a great writing app—whether you’re writing solo or with a co-author. Here are a few tips for building a sustainable writing practice, brought to you by author Ariana Brown and First Draft Pro.

We’ve all heard the advice to “write every day,” as if it were that easy! Translation: suck it up, no one cares if you’re tired. But what if there was another way to get writing done, without being unkind to yourself? 

Hi, I’m Ariana Brown, and I teach writers how to create a writing practice that is sustainable, flexible, and fulfilling. Most of my students are chronically ill, disabled, neurodivergent, or simply exhausted from the daily stresses of life. I know writing isn’t your only responsibility—capitalism makes sure of that! But I strongly believe that writing should be an enjoyable activity you look forward to.

Below I’ve compiled my top tips for exhausted writers who want to be kinder to themselves—and still get the work done.

1. Add pleasure to your writing routine.

Sensory pleasures are neither frivolous nor are they only for children. They’re a crucial part of being alive! They give us something to look forward to when times are tough and we need motivation. Candles, soft blankets, cold beverages, mood lighting, dance breaks, yummy treats—whatever you choose, make sure it’s something you love. Paint your nails a fun color so you have something beautiful to look at while you’re typing away. Make a playlist of your favorite songs and after you finish a chapter, blast one song so loudly you have to get up and dance. Then, get back to writing. Remember, even for the most focused among us, pleasure is a better motivator than shame.

2. Be clear about your intentions.

What brought you to writing in the first place? For some, it was the ability to escape into our imaginations. For others, it was the chance to finally express what we’d been holding inside. Identify your reason for writing, then ask yourself: Am I still enjoying this? Do I still feel connected to my reason for writing? If not, explore how you can strengthen your connection to your inner child’s reason for writing. 

3. Work with your brain, not against it.

If we know that everyone’s brain works differently, why do we force strict discipline and linear processes on ourselves? My advice: find or create a writing process that works for you. Maybe you love outlines; maybe you prefer to see where the words take you. Either way, make space for wandering, play, and discovery as you write. Take brain breaks. Doodle, map, dance, and draw when you get distracted. Body double with other writers, try new exercises and prompts to make the writing sing, and take plenty of breaks to stretch your body and talk to friends. We come to writing with our whole selves. Listen to your body, don’t shut it off.

4. Find a writing community.

You don’t have to wait for a community to come to you! I offer co-writing sessions on Zoom four times a month for my Patreon supporters, but do what works for you. Attend local open mics as an audience member and cheer on your peers. Invite your best friends to your living room once a month for a two hour writing/crafting session. Or check your local library and bookstores for free workshops and author events. You don’t have to do this work alone.

5. Develop a gratitude practice.

Finishing your draft is a huge accomplishment, but it’s not the only milestone to be celebrated. Consider creating opportunities to thank yourself throughout your writing practice. You’re doing an amazing and difficult thing. The fact that you keep showing up is worthy of celebration. Whether you decide to journal, rest, pray, meditate, or reward yourself, a little gratitude goes a long way.

Ariana Brown is a queer writer from San Antonio, TX, based in Houston. She is the author of We Are Owed (Grieveland, 2021) and Sana Sana (Game Over Books, 2020), and a national collegiate poetry slam champion. Ariana holds an MFA in Poetry, MS in Library and Information Science, and a BA in African Diaspora Studies and Mexican American Studies. She has been writing, teaching, and performing for over a decade. Follow her online @ArianaThePoet and www.arianabrown.com. 

[jikookuntold]

The Untold Truth of "Letter"

Back in 2021, 2022, or even early 2023, if someone had told me about the possibility of JK having vocal credits in Jimin's solo album, I would have called it wishful thinking at best. But it happened, and we got the song "Letter" (AKA Dear Army) as a hidden track in Jimin's first solo album, FACE, with back vocals by JK, and his name written invisibly in the album book.

The perfectly matching vocals of Jikook, with the heartfelt lyrics and soft instruments, undoubtedly made one of the most beautiful songs of the year, which could break many records for Jimin and his album if it was released in the streaming and buying services. The release of Letter as a hidden track in Jimin's solo album raised many questions and debates among Jikookers, and as someone who barely scrolls in the Tumblr app, I know I'm a bit late for the party, but I may or may not have some notes to add to the already made discussions. FYI, these are my analytic views and speculations, I am fully aware that this song has been named "Dear Army", and Jimin called it a "Fan song" on different occasions. So, I do not intend to ignore that and diminish Jimin's expression of love for his fans.

What's a Hidden Track?

Before getting into "Letter", we need to understand what a hidden track is. Well, the definition is pretty clear; When a song is not listed in the official track-list of a music album, but it exists in (some versions of) the physical printed CD, cassette, or LP, it's called a "hidden track". 

Hidden Tracks of BTS

There are several techniques and reasons to "hide" a track in an album, but in the case of BTS discography, the hidden tracks exist for a specific reason, and I'm going to explain it with the only examples we have. The debut album (2013) and Love Yourself: Her (2017), are the only BTS albums including hidden tracks, and if we ignore the skits in each album, "Path" and "Sea" are the only hidden songs BTS ever released. So, these two songs must have something(s) in common and different from the other BTS tracks that caused them to end up as a hidden track. To find that common factor, we need to check their lyrics first:

Path

[Intro: RM] Yeah, wassup? You know, time flows like stars (Check it, check, check, check, check it out) [Verse 1: RM] I started from imitating Eminem, Garion, Epik High To writing my own raps Now I see that I’m already at Hongdae My lyrics back then were all (****) Bossy But we dunno, we dunno When I dreamed without anyone to stop me Reality tied me down and trapped me inside Oh, my youth trapped me My hot heart lost to my cold mind (Damn) As I blindly told myself my decision was right I don’t know whether it’s an angel or a devil, but it says to me "Do you really have any plans to rap properly?" (Yes or no?) I didn’t have more time to hesitate and didn’t want to be stupid So I came here and three years passed by Some say art is long, life is short But for now, art is life Life is sports, just do it, uh [Chorus] If I had chosen a different path, would have I been any different? If I stopped and looked back (Oh hey ya, hey ya) What will I see at the end of this road? Where you should’ve been standing? (Oh hey ya, hey ya) [Verse 2: Suga, Suga & Jungkook] A long time passed and by 2013, I was a trainee for three years I was a high school student who grew overnight (I became a child) White hair grew from my desires and one by one my many friends (Parted ways with me) I spent my time in Seoul alone without a family (That was my third spring) I thought my worries would disappear with my debut ahead of me I closed my eyes to the present that had nothing to change But the reality was different, even as my family and friends tried to stop me I walked into the tunnels that shed no light on my own I thought I would be alone (Why?) As it turns out, there weren’t seven bare feet but we were wearing the shoe named Bangtan We’ll have to go forward, take one more step, become newer And that’s how I spent my fourth spring in Seoul (Whoa) [Chorus] If I had chosen a different path, would have I been any different? (Hey) If I stopped and looked back (Hey) Oh hey ya, hey ya What will I see at the end of this road? Where you should’ve been standing? (Oh hey ya, hey ya) [Verse 3: J-Hope] 2010, the year I walked towards Seoul! I just loved to dance, and now I’m standing on top of the stage Until then, I overcame many pains and scars to prepare myself I survived with my belief to bend, not break, and ran for three years Let the stars inside my heart shine! Now shine on me differently Write “Bangtan” on the paper world I walk my future with more lights on Give a smile to that far future (Ha, ha)

As you can see, the lyrics are simple and self-explanatory, so I guess we don't need any lyrics analysis, and the description section of the Genius translation I used here, says it all:

“길 (Road/Path) follows the member’s decisions to become idols in the Korean music industry. They recall their different upbringings from listening to hip hop in school to the hard years of being trainees under BigHit Entertainment. BTS pose the questions of how their lives would be different if they made a different decision, and they ask themselves what the future entails. A very introspective track about their career for a debut album, BTS display their thought processes as they enter the music scene.”

Sea

[Intro: Jungkook] Oh, ah, yeah [Verse 1: Rap Monster] I just started walking and ended up at the sea I'm looking at the coast from here There's endless sand and the rough wind I'm still looking at a desert I wanted to have the sea so I swallowed you up But I'm even thirstier than before Is what I know really the ocean? Or a blue desert? [Refrain: J-Hope] I don't know, I don't know If I'm feeling the waves right now, yeah I don't know, I don't know If I'm being chased by the sand wind, yeah I don't know, I don't know Is this the sea or the desert? Is this hope or despair? Is this real or fake? Shit [Pre-Chorus: J-Hope] I know, I know, my hardship right now I know, I know, I'll overcome I know, I know, open me up It's the place I can rely on Think positive, I'm swallowing my dry spit Even if I'm nervous, even if I'm in a desert I'm in the beautiful Namib Desert [Chorus: Jimin, Jin] Where there is hope, there is always trial (4) [Hook: V, Jungkook] Where there is hope You know, you know You know, yeah yeah (2) [Verse 2: Suga] I thought this was the ocean but it's a desert A medium-sized, ordinary idol was my second name Countless people get cut from broadcast But someone's empty spot is our dream They say some of these kids can't make it cuz their agency is too small I know, I know, I know too Times when the seven of us had to sleep in one room With foolish hope that tomorrow will be different before we fell asleep We saw the mirage in the desert but we couldn't grasp it Praying that we'll remain in this desert till the end Praying that this isn't truly our reality [Verse 3: Suga] In the end, we reached the mirage and it became our reality The scary desert became the ocean with our blood, sweat and tears But why is there this fear in between the happiness? Because we know too well that this place is really a desert [Refrain 2: Suga] I don't wanna cry I don't wanna rest No, who cares if we rest a little? No no no I don't wanna lose It's always a desert I told you everything Then I'll just be more depressed [Chorus: Jungkook, V] Where there is hope, there is always trial (2) [Hook: Jimin, Jin] Where there is hope You know, you know You know, yeah yeah (2) [Bridge: Rap Monster] Ocean, desert, the world Everything, the same thing Different name I see ocean, l see desert I see the world Everything's, the same thing With a different name It's life again [Hook: V, Jungkook] Where there is hope You know you know you know yeah (2) [Chorus] Where there is hope, there is always trial

Compared to “Path”, we have more innuendos and metaphors in “Sea” because of Namjoon’s lyricism (it was supposed to be in his mixtape at first), but as the description says:

"It discusses the hardships BTS has experienced since debut, particularly struggling to compete with groups from other, larger agencies. In this song, BTS reflects on these hardships, fearing that their global fame and success could leave as suddenly as it arrived."

Common Denominator

These two lyrics have one big thing in common, and it's the topic they are discussing. They talk about the members' struggles, fears, hopes, and dreams career-wise. I was thinking maybe these issues are something they can only share with their longtime fans, not the general public, therefore, they decided to release them as hidden tracks in the physical album for their real fans who buy them, something like the difference between Weverse and Instagram, I guess? Then I realized that’s something Namjoon has mentioned himself to Billboard Magazine, in LYS: Her interview:

And if fans are so lucky to own the physical album, they’ll hear two hidden tracks at the very. Why keep them secretive?

"I think they’re hidden because you have to be a real fan of BTS to understand them. Otherwise, you won’t. Otherwise, you’d like to be, “Why are they feeling so confused about things? They’re good?!? They’re No. 1 somewhere, they have so much stuff, why are they worried?” People always talk about that. But if you are a true fan of BTS and you buy the album and you listen to the hidden track — if you are an Army and we spent time together from 2013, 2014 — they could understand. It’s kind of more special, more closer, to our true hearts"

What about "Letter"?

In conclusion, hidden tracks for BTS, are something between them and their real fans who know about the path they have wended, therefore they can open up to them through lyrics and talk about their fears and struggles and ambitions without being judged or misunderstood. Also, we have to debunk some of the misconceptions going around (especially after the release of FACE) about hidden tracks. For example, some claimed that Letter is made for fans because hidden tracks are always supposed to be “gifts” for fans. This claim obviously can’t be true when you are able to listen to a hidden track legally, only by purchasing the physical album. Gifts are supposed to be free of charge, like Promise, Still with You, Christmas Love, My You, and so on. 

Then what about “Letter”? Why this song is a hidden track in Jimin’s first solo album? Did Jimin want to say something by hiding this track in FACE? To answer this questions, we need to pay attention to the lyrics and how the song was made:

 [Verse 1] What should I say? And how should I convey it? I'm really not getting my words right I know it sounds so clichéd So that it's not taken lightly Let me say it to you properly [Chorus] I say oh-oh, I hope you can be happier You, who stretched your hand out to me whenever I fell I say oh-oh, I'll hold it now (I'll hold it) So when you feel like crying, you won’t fall [Verse 2] After all this time has passed Will we still be the same? Just like we were when we first met, hmm-mmm If we are together, even the desert could turn to a sеa Just like how we were then, oh-hoo-ooh [Chorus] I say oh-oh, I really hope that it’ll last forever You, who felt like a warm spring to me in a cold winter I say oh-oh, I'll always cherish it All those moments between you and I [Refrain] Baby, don't leave Just stay by my side, yeah To you, who see me bigger than what my little self is (to you) So that I can give as much as I’ve received (oh-oh) So that I can keep my word (oh-oh) Don't worry, just stay by my side, yeah (Yeah) We don’t know what the future holds (holds, yeah) And that’s scary and makes us afraid (oh-oh) But don’t forget that we’re always together (don't forget) [Outro] I know it sounds so clichéd So that it's not taken lightly Let me say it to you properly

The Feelings

If you compare these lyrics to "Path" and "Sea" you can clearly see the differences, and except a mention of "sea and desert" there's nothing in common between them. Letter is not a monologue about career issues, it's a romantic song. These lyrics are expressing the feelings and addresses them to an audience and appreciates them. But how was this song made?

According to Jimin, at first, SMF Pt2 was supposed to be the last track of his solo album, but in their YTC promotion and recording era when they announced that they have planned to put their group activities on rest, Jimin decided to express his feelings of the moment through a letter, and turned that letter to song lyrics. Producers liked the song so much and decided to add it in his album and that’s how “Letter” was born. Although Jimin didn’t explain much about those “feelings” and left the conclusion to us like a true artist, we all know that this song is totally different from the other tracks in his album.

All the tracks of FACE are dark and sad. Jimin’s first album is all about himself, and he talks about the painful emotions he had as an artist and a person in the past few year, but with “Letter” there is a different story. Recording Academy admitted this and wrote:

“Though the EP is technically only six songs, the physical version has an additional “hidden” track called “Letter”. The song provides an intimacy that stands out from the other FACE tracks, capturing Jimin in his best form. The lyrics are poignant and vulnerable as Jimin pleads for someone to stay (“Baby, don't leave Just stay by my side, yeah”) The biggest surprise though? Fellow BTS member Jungkook contributes vocals to harmonize with Jimin.”  

A Fan Song?

“Letter” being a “Fan Song” is a stated fact by Park Jimin himself, and there can’t be any arguments about it, but that fact doesn’t mean Jimin made this song with the thought of fans in his head and all about them. In one of my old posts, I said that a faceless crowd can’t be the muse for a romantic song, especially when that song has a "standing-out intimacy".

Another reason for calling "Letter" a fan song, is the fact that it starts at 6:13 of the album, the numbers that remind us of the debut date of BTS. We can't call this a coincidence because we know how thoughtful and punctual Jimin is. But don’t forget that 6.13 is more of BTS time than ARMY time. So, as much as you call this track a song for fans, it can be called a song for his fellow BTS members.

Why JK?

Now, let’s address the elephant in the room. Why JK was a part of this song? Did it mean something for Jimin, or did he have no other options? Jimin said that FACE is an album about himself, and he didn’t feel right about featuring other artists in it, that’s why he decided to record SMF Pt2 all alone and do all the rap parts by himself instead of featuring Yoongi in it. He collaborated with several producers and songwriters (including Namjoon), but there was no featured artist in the whole album.

About the background vocals of the album, he did most parts by himself, and for the other parts, he worked with artists who already had credits in his album, such as BLVSH, Sumin, and James Keys. But JK didn’t have anything to do with Jimin’s album. Jimin was fully capable of doing the background vocals of Letter by himself, as he did for the first parts of the song. Jimin never really explained why he decided to have JK in the song, other than saying their voices match. This known fact doesn’t give us much information, but we can have our speculations. 

Closer Than This?

Another thing that questions the idea of “Letter" being inspired by fans, is the existence of “Closer Than This”. The newest release of Jimin is the exact definition of a fan song, the lyrics are straightforward and directly address the fans and leave no place for speculation. If CTT is the result of Jimin getting inspired by his fans, then “Letter” must be inspired by something different because these two songs are not comparable. 

The difference becomes more obvious when we look at the initial version of the Letter lyrics in Jimin’s drafts. I wonder what the Grammy journalist who called the final lyrics of “Letter” intimate would have said if they read this: 

You hugged me tightly Only you who protected me Hold my hand, hold my hand tightly You who reached out my hand You held out your hand to me

We don’t know what was going on in Jimin’s mind when he wrote these, but we can see that the initial lyrics have been moderated, and the intimate parts, which clearly refer to a person, didn’t end up in the final lyrics. FYI, I’m doing a lyric analysis here, and this is not a complaint or conspiracy theory because Jimin said that he liked the way the final version came out, and it's all that matters.

For Fans, Not About Fans

So far we made it clear that "hidden tracks" are not about fans, they are for fans like any other BTS song, but the hidden tracks are a secret between the artist and the fan, something that only the true and dedicated fan can understand, and this applies to Jimin's "Letter".

Jimin gave up on many records for streaming and buying by releasing this song as a hidden track in his album. So, there must be an important message in this song that he wanted to convey to the true fans. He did his share of being thankful to fans by CTT, and I don't think he needed to do it twice in a year.

Maybe you prefer to think Jimin just made this song for ARMY and hid it in the album as a surprise or because it didn’t match with the whole concept of FACE, and you might not be wrong about any of that. But, don’t forget that he didn’t explain anything about this, and we both are just making assumtions.

Yes, maybe Jimin didn't acknowledge JK being a part of Letter in his promotion era, but JK did everything he could for his share. A few hours before the release of FACE, he started a live and played a part of it with his guitar, and months later, he watched Jimin's live performance for Festa while harmonizing with it and reminding us that he knows the lyrics very well. In Jimin's documentary he was very supportive and even teased for a live performance with him in future.

Why Just Jikook?

Jimin and Jungkook are not the only members of BTS. But I don't know why everytime Jimin or JK do something with romantic undertones, the fans (OT7 ARMYs, to be more specific) immediately try to label it as "About ARMY". I usually don't see this energy with the other five members. I'm perfectly sure they are also very grateful for ARMY, they have released several songs about them, and they would have loved to collaborate in a fan song with Jimin, too.

Then why Jimin only included JK in Letter? Why he wanted to sing for "ARMY" with him? Unless we assume Jimin's gratitude towards ARMY has connections with JK, and I don’t even want to bring up 2019 "I am army" jokes. But "Letter" is the song the most optimistic Jikookers didn't expect to exist. You may try to ignore and normalize it, but you can't deny the fact that Letter proved Jikook's unbreakable connection as two harmonic colleages, long time friends, and inseparable souls.

[thenextdawn-temporarilyclosed]

One of Your Kind (CH. 3)

Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6 | Ch. 7 | Ch. 8 | Ch. 9 | Ch. 10

Word count: 2.8K

Summary: navigating through life in America. You go through a lot of stuff. Within Ups and downs, you get to direct your first movie on your own, it didn’t go as expected, but you’ll soon get a better job.

Warnings: none

Pairing: Jenna Ortega X Fem!Reader

———

January 2021

You weren’t one for social medias, you really weren’t. You hated the fact that whatever app you opened, there were people ready to judge you and criticize you or talk shit about you. It sucked, which is why you relied A LOT on emails. you had tried looking for Jenna’s email to send her a message asking for her number, since you promised you’d text her, but you never found it, so she either didn’t do emails or didn’t want to receive emails. It honestly felt bad, not being able to talk and stay in contact with your probably best friend, so when “The Fallout” Premiered only for actors in LA, you hoped to see her there. Megan had made sure you got an invitation because you helped her a lot for that movie. She felt like she owed you and even though you told her thousand of times that she didn’t have to do anything for you, she insisted. If anything, you were the one to owe her but she never asked for anything in return if not for you to study.

You were given an incredibly pretty dress for the premiere, stylists and hair stylists sent by Megan had come at the apartment she gave you, and they got you ready and pretty for the night, you even had a car taking you there. When you arrived Megan was the first one to greet you with a tight hug. “Hey darling! How have you been? How’s your English?” She asked and you smiled “definitely better. It was true, living here and only listening and speaking English definitely made a difference. My pronunciation definitely still needs to be worked on, but I can understand almost everything and form sensed sentences.” You said smiling and Megan was nearly amazed by you. For it only having been 5 months since you wrapped up filming, you had definitely gotten better. “What about you? How are you?” You asked her as you walked together in the theater. “I’m great! I’m really proud of how the movie turned out. It’s really good, you’ll see. Oh wait, this reminds me that I have to do this!”

“Hey everyone! May I have some attention?” People invited to the premiere and even paparazzis turned to the two of you. “This girl right here, her name’s (Y/N)(L/N), she was my student while shooting this movie and I’m telling you she has some talent! She needs a round of applause” you blushed, not used to this kind of attention as paparazzis started taking picture of the two of you before heading inside to watch the movie. “Megan, do you know if Jenna and Maddie are coming?” You asked hopeful. “No unfortunately they’re not. Miss your friends?” She asked and you nodded, giving her a small sad smile. “When everyone left set, me and Jenna promised each other we’d text, but we never exchanged phone numbers. I don’t do social medias and she doesn’t have an email so I don’t know how to reach her. Do you have her number?” Well, too bad for you she didn’t have it. It sucked, you just wanted to talk to your friend…

The movie was amazing. You found yourself to be hit by all of it, when filming you don’t really pay much attention to the details, but seeing this movie come to life was just amazing. People don’t go through traumas the same way, and in this movie Jenna did a great job with Vada, how she doesn’t really go through it but tries to put it aside even if in the ends it all comes afloat. Putting the trauma aside is not what you’re supposed to do because it always, always resurfaces no matter what you try to do. “Oh here it comes!” Megan snapped you out of your thoughts when the scene you directed came up and it was utterly perfect. The way it was filmed, the way the cameras moved. It was all just perfect. The whole movie itself was perfect, and at the end, Jenna’s performance made you tear up a bit.

After that, you stopped hearing from Megan as well. She was busy with the press and the interviews and you watched every single one of them, Jenna was in some too, though what made you think a bit was that when they talked about friendships on set, none of them talked about you or even hinted having become friends with a student. Not even Megan, who was so proud of you until just months back. You thought and thought, are you really that easy to forget? Were you really nothing but an occasional friendship?

-

The longer you stayed in America, the more fluent you became in english. You even got little jobs here and there, taking over directors places in movies when they were sick and for really short periods, while you paid for rent thanks to the job at a clothes shop that paid enough for rent and for some occasional vices, such as a beer on a Saturday night at a pub. You first went there with the intent of making friends… but eventually you found something more… you found yourself a girlfriend. She was the kind of girl that didn’t have many friends, same as you. She was very shy, same as you. But you opened up to each other a night where you were both drunk and ended up sleeping together at her place.

It turns out that, to her you were nothing but sex. She didn’t like you, she didn’t love you. She used you for sex, and then made fun of you with your friends, the friends you had worked a lot to have, now made fun of you, calling you slurs and, like every other person you met until now, didn’t believe in you and your dreams and abandoned you.

You were broken, too say the least. You were back to being alone, if you had to direct a movie about your life you would call it “lost in America” because truly, that’s how you felt. You have always been alone ever since you came to live and work in America, Jenna and Maddie and even Megan just being occasional people you work with, and you had to learn how to not get attached to people on sets because you knew you most likely won’t see them again.

Then eventually, you got to direct a movie, all on your own, with nowhere to guide you. You were scared, really scared. You hadn’t learned quite everything and the creators of the movie had given you enough faith and trust, convinced that you were gonna pull off something amazing… yet it was quite the opposite. Being scared of not knowing how to set up some scenes or how to act with actors definitely put a lot of stress on you and the movie came out like crap, there were lots of mistakes, scenes that had to be cut, outside voices that weren’t even supposed to be there. You received a lot of bad criticism and reviews, saying that your works sucked and that you weren’t worth of the title “movie director” and you felt as if you were destroying your career before it even started. You needed support, you needed maybe to hear from your mentor Megan, or from Jenna, but nothing.

Your applications for directing movies were always being turned down and you were starting to give up, until you got an email…

From: Tim Burton

To: (Y/N) (L/N)

Good morning. It took me a while to find your email address but finally I did and I have a proposal for you. It been following you and your road to being a director and I saw your first movie. It wasn’t the best movie both because of the plot and because of how it was directed, but you’re still young, you still have a lot to learn. If I were you, I wouldn’t think too much about it, trust me when I tell you that, my movies weren’t the best when I started either. Like Megan I also see some talent in you, and now that I have seen your work and now that you have some experience, I believe you can become a big director, which is why I’m offering you the opportunity to be my co-director. Not a student, a co-director. You’re in charge same as me, you can do what I do. What do you say?

This is how you ended up flying to Romania in July. Filming wouldn’t start for two more months and it would last around 8 months, but Tim wanted to get to know you, explain you some stuff and go through some things together. He had a lot of faith in you, even if he knew that your first and only work sucked. As soon as you arrived to the set, he and the crew - mind you, not the actors - were already there waiting for you. “Hello (Y/N), it’s so good to finally meet you!” He said and shook your hand. “The pleasure’s all mine! I’ve loved your works ever since I was a little kid. It’s good to have the chance to work with you. I’m not really sure why you want to work with me though. It’s clear that I’m not a good director” you said and sighed “oh don’t worry about that! That’s really not a problem. The way you work depends also on the genre you’re working with, and this is a series, not a movie. These are filmed in two very different ways.”

“What’s the series about anyways?” You asked him, and he handed you the script of the first episode. “Wednesday Addams” he started “it’s a Comedy-Horror show that talks about Wednesday during her teenage years in highschool, trying to find who’s behind a monster that has been killing people. It’s definitely gonna blow up” he gave you some time to look through the script “it does sound interesting. Definitely more interesting that my other projects. You think my performance as a director also depends on the genre?” He was sure of that and confirmed it again. The man definitely had a lot of experience, so you trusted him.

A month and a half passed and you and Tim had gone through pretty much everything. You went to every single detail of the set, both outsides and insides, then green screens, the scenes with the monster and CGI, it was all set. You just needed to wait for the actors, that would be coming today, as a matter of fact. You had never asked Tim who the actors would be, bot today as they were coming, you were curious, really curious. From what Tim had told you, they’re all about your age, which you didn’t mind at all. They started arriving: first Emma, then Percy, Joy, Hunter, and then… a car pulled up, a short ravenette coming out of it. She seemed familiar, the height, the body form… you had definitely seen her before

“Jenna?” You called once she recognized you. “(Y/N)? Oh my god it’s you!” She said and ran your way, to give you a tight hug. It had been a year since you last saw her, but she hadn’t changed one bit. If anything, you were slightly taller and she had to get on her toes to hug you properly. “I’m so sorry for not reaching out, I was so sure we had exchanged numbers! I even tried finding your email address but nothing” you started, hoping that she wasn’t mad at you “it’s fine really! Honestly I realized I didn’t have your number when I got to the airport, I wanted to warn you that I made it there and when I looked up for your contact I realized I didn’t have it. I’ve been wanting to reach out ever since- wait. Has your English gotten better?” She asked, just later noticing that you talked fluently now and that you’re pronunciation was immaculate.

You giggled at her question and pulled back from the hug, scratching your neck awkwardly “yeah. I’m definitely a mother tongue now” you chuckled and she laughed “that’s good! What are you doing here anyways?” She asked and you looked at Tim “I’m his co-director. Not quite sure why he chose me out of all people though” you laughed and watched Jenna go wide eyed “SERIOUSLY ? THAT’S AMAZING!” She said and hugged you again, as Tim spoke again. “I figured out it would be nice for you to have a friend here.”

That day as Jenna introduced you to the rest of the cast, you couldn’t help but be happier. Finally you were spending some time with Jenna again and you would be doing so for 8 months… now you just had to ask her for her number, so that when recordings were over, you would keep contact with her. However now you had to think of the present day. That same day you went to a bar with all of the cast, to get to know each other. Jenna already knew them and you didn’t, so you took advantage of the moment to get to know them. “So (Y/N), how did you two meet? It was so weird to see you two already knew each other.” Emma asked, she seemed really expansive, but she was actually really shy. “You know her movie “the fallout?” I was Megan’s student while filming. I’m from Italy and when I arrived I didn’t know English one bit, but she helped me a lot, she would come to my trailer even after filming, I owe her a lot.”

You saw as everyone went wide eyed. “You’re italian!??” They all said together, kind of startling you. “Yeah I am… is that weird?” Percy shook his head “no it’s just that you speak really fluently, we would have never guessed. How long have you been in America?” “Well after filming finished I stayed there so… about a year?” You said, looking at Jenna for confirmation, and she nodded “and you improved this much?” Percy asked, and You nodded “yeah. Jenna was right when she said that I had to ignore the grammar and go straight ahead to the hearing and speaking” everyone giggled and you were all soon brought your drink. You were sitting next to Jenna, and she had to slightly move over to you to grab her drink, and you slightly froze. Ever since you had broke up with your ex, the one who used you for sex, you never had someone this close.

You unfroze when Jenna, finally having grabbed her drink, moved back down at her place. You were lucky no one noticed you freezing. “I’ve been wondering, what did you di this year?” Jenna asked as she turned to look at you. “Well… after the fallout premiered, I tried making friends, I got a girlfriend, got the chance to direct a movie. I didn’t know everything yet, the movie sucked and I got criticized a lot. Movie creators didn’t want to hire me until Tim did so, here I am” you took a sip of your drink, that didn’t contain any alcohol as you didn’t drink Alcohol as you felt Jenna’s eyes on you forna few seconds before she spoke. “You… got a girlfriend?” She asked with a different tone than any other time. “Yeah, but it didn’t end well. She just used me for sex and I got my heart broken for like the thousand time” you shrugged and took another sip of your drink.

Jenna nearly chocked on her drink. “She used you? That sucks…” Jenna said and you shrugged again. “I’m used to it. The only friends I made only used me for money or for anything, really” you didn’t look at them. You’ve been feeling really bad mentally recently, and the fact that you didn’t have any friends never helped. “Well if we all become friends we won’t use you, trust us” Emma said, you nodded and finished your drink. “Who knows, maybe you’ll even get a new girlfriend. I saw some cute girls in the staff” Percy winked and you shook your head.

These are gonna be some long ass 8 months.

Tags: @idkjustliving2 @tundra1029 @engenelxver @rainbow-love4ever @gimaximoff

[cadybear420]

hello! i do want to preface this by saying im not trying to be judgy im just wondering what is it about og choices hss that makes you so obsessed with it? it was a hs book so i could never really get into it but seeing this be one of the most talked about books after the aichoicesapocalypse is unexpected to me ngl

The Key Reasons Why I Consider OG Choices HSS So Great

Don't worry, this question isn't rude or judgy! And apologies for the late response I was very busy and distracted... but hey, I got it done in time for HSS Appreciation Week 2025! @hss-appreciation-events

Honestly though, even though I've been obsessed with OG Choices HSS since March 2021... I'm still not sure I can fully explain why I like it so much. Even the Cadybear's Reviews post I made for it in March last year doesn't fully cover it anymore.

I'd like to keep this brief and not delve into an essay because otherwise I'd be here forever. So here's my list of the key things that are so great about OG Choices HSS. Enjoy! <3

The Art and Heart Of It All

On a surface level, HSS is a genuinely fun, lighthearted, and escapist series. From its characters to its scenarios, it's "high school but if it was actually good". Stuff like hanging out with the LI you or your character (depending on how you play the story) has a crush on doesn't have to be so agonizing. Instead of dealing with college apps and AP exams, you deal with pranking bully schools, catching culprits, taking down a corrupt principal. And it can be enjoyed as a purely escapist story if one so wishes.

But at the same time, even though these are situations are escapist and more likely to be found in TV show high school rather than average IRL high school, it doesn't feel like it's being cheap about it. In a general sense, there's sort of an art to how it's all structured. Because at its core, HSS is about a high school with a promise to be accepting and enriching to all students. The plots are very much driven by the characters' personal struggles– and so, seemingly basic overarching goals like "win the homecoming game and beat Hearst" feel like truly important goals because they become representative of the characters being able to grow from their struggles. Almost everything seems to have a justified place in the story, no matter how seemingly cheesy it may or may not be. Even a good amount of the little details feel like they contribute something.

The MC

In my opinion, the OG HSS MC is one of the best MCs on the whole damn app and I have a whole essay in progress about them. They're a very wildcard blank slate, with a background very open to interpretation and quite a variety in ways to shape their personality; you aren't necessarily getting the exact same character every time. I can (and do) get excited to replay it as a different main character with different choices. The extracurricular activity choice is of course the most forefront of these and it is fantastic, but there are lots of other features as well like their skill at their activity, certain decisions they can make, certain outcomes they can have, their general personality, and more.

This benefts HSS both as an interactive novel game mechanic feature, and as a narrative element. The point of Berry High from the very beginning is that you can become anybody you want to be (as reiterated by Principal Hughs) and that you would be accepted no matter who you were (as reiterated by HSS Prime MC's quote on the statue of Ollie the Tiger). OG HSS MC can be anybody you want them to be, there's no singular version of their high school story. They're no ILW MC, but the way thi MC's character and game mechanics are structured is really well done and they don't get nearly enough credit for it.

The LIs and their Romance Routes

I could write an essay just on Ultimate Cuntress Aiden Zhou alone and I probably will one day, but really, all 5 love interests in this trilogy are very well-rounded and compelling. Something HSS is good at, both in OG Choices trilogy and in Prime, is that on the surface it does seem like it's made of high school tropes. Everyone you know is based on some sort of stereotype you've probably seen in your average Disney Channel high school show. But as you get to know them, you learn there's more to them. Everyone is some sort of twist or subversion of those stereotypes, and they truly feel like real people with different sides to them.

And however you play their romance routes, the relationship between LI and MC develops so organically. There's kind of a coming-of-age element to them too, with how they can sort of help each other grow as people. There is a sense of grandness larger-than-life to them since an average high school relationship probably doesn't happen quite like them, but at the same time they still feel real and believable.

The Supporting/Side Characters

The LIs aren't the only characters that are well-written. Characters like Myra, Frank, Sydney, etc... even the returning HSS Prime characters like Julian, Mia, Koh, etc... even the incoming Hearst kids in Book 3... just about all of them have really strong, memorable, and unique personalities despite their smaller roles. It's one of the few books where the larger cast benefits the story. Berry High truly feels alive with these characters.

Passing Down The Torch from HSS Prime

While I did play Choices HSS before Prime HSS, playing Prime HSS only made me appreciate Choices OG HSS a lot more. For the most part, I quite like how the OG HSS Trilogy connected to its predecessor AKA the original HSS Prime mobile game, with a lot of the storylines being centric around dealing with Hearst and maintaining the school's promise of being accepting to all. It's clear that they sort of want to "pass down the torch" to a new MC and cast after the older MC has graduated and the older cast is nearing graduation.

I especially loved that a lot of the returning Prime characters had these senior figure roles– both in the sense of them being soon-to-graduate seniors, and in the sense that they're sort of more mature versions from how they were in Prime. And I really do respect that PB could integrate them organically into the story and give them strong personalities even while their roles and characterizations were more minimized than in their original iteration. Again, I played OG Choices before Prime– and characters like Julian, Payton, Mia, and the rest were all characters that stuck with me that first time around. Playing Prime of course gives the Origin Story for them, but I didn't feel like I had to play Prime first in order to care about them, y'know?

Well I hope that covers it. A lot of these topics I plan to go more in-depth on in their own pieces, but these are more or less the key reasons why I think this trilogy is so great and why I'm so obsessed with it <3

[theflagscene]

Growing up is realizing how toxic TharnType was.. like really

🤭🤭🤭 Ngl, when I got this message a couple days ago I legit giggled. I was not expecting it, and it took me a second to figure out where it came from until I remembered my answer for day eleven of the 15 Day BL Challenge. Then the Booping happened and the next day I was at the hospital with my dad all day because he was going in for heart surgery—it went well btw—so I just got around to replying to this today. I apologize for that my dear anon 💕

I felt kind of lucky because I came into TharnType when the second season was about to air, so I had heard of some spoilers about the first season, plus I had seen Love By Chance multiple times so I was familiar with Type and some of the other side characters—Techo, Tum, Tar, Kengkla, Technic, etc.

I legit gave Mame a pass when watching LBC, not everyone’s first novel is great and the screenplay did what it could, ya know? But as time went on, as a queer person I started to get the sense that she was one of those rare hetero writers that actually do kind of fetishize gay men, which I really didn’t want to think was still happening in—at the time—2019.

But after I watched both TharnType seasons, and LBC and DSN, all of which have interconnected storylines and characters, I couldn’t help but not think that. Which is why by 2021, I sort of stopped giving her the benefit of the doubt as a writer even though I desperately wanted her to do better, so much better. And to be fair, Wedding Plan and Love Sea were both okay, I think those have been her least offensive scripts to date.

But getting back to TharnType lore, I remember actually writing up a ‘problematic trope’ list in my notes app whilst watching the series and oh boy, it’s a doozy! Let’s break it down, for anyone who (somehow) has not sat through the trash fire that was the highest heat BLs of 2019/2020 and the various storylines that tie back to TharnType that span four different series.

Heavy trigger warning for under the cut: SA/r*pe/DV/ped*phila/blackmail/ab*se/stalking/in*est/predatory behaviour/emotional manipulation and ironically enough, homophobia.

Right off the bat, the first thing in the very first episode was the comparison of gay men to pedophiles. Type was 100% allowed his trauma from what happened to him, but if Mame had done even an ounce of investigation into actual statistics, she’d know that pedophiles typically don’t identify as any type of sexuality outside of being attracted to underage people, that is their sexual preference. So no, a man assaulting a boy does not make him gay, it makes him a pedophile, full stop.

Violent homophobia: Not just outright blatant hate speech but Type is violent towards gay people, and specifically Tharn when he finds out that he’s roommates with a gay man. Also Type’s father literally chases him and Tharn with a machete when he finds out that Type is dating a man, so yeah.

Sexual assault and rape: Tharn assaults Type in the shower as a way to ‘get back at him’ for being homophobic, playing into the classic predatory gay stereotype. Techno is drugged, stalked, blackmailed and date raped by Kengkla (LBC). Tar is gang raped and was ‘so broken’ that he literally ran away to France (LBC/TT). Fiat forces a kiss onto Type against his will (DSN)

Domestic abuse: Type hits Tharn many times throughout their relationship, he constantly slaps, punches and kicks him and yet always is allowed to get away with it because of his traumatic past and jealousy issues. Uh, no, no no. You do not get to abuse your partner or anyone in your life because of your trauma, get thee into therapy!

Stalking: Kengkla is obsessed with Techno, he stalks him and often pays his best friend Technic—Techno’s little brother—to snap pictures of the older man when he’s sleeping or changing to give to Kengkla, as well many other things. It should also be stated that they are high school students whilst Techno is a university student, so they are putting Techno at risk with the law because Kengkla is underage. (LBC)

Lhong stalks Tharn for years, even going so far as to run off any potential suitors and hire bikers to rape Tharn’s—extremely underage—boyfriend Tar. (TT)

Fiat stalks Type and dismisses that he has a boyfriend, not caring about it because he’s convinced that he’s in love with Type after being treated by him for a sports injury (TT2)

Incest: Tum, Tar’s older half brother is in love with him and has been for many years. He hates Tharn for breaking Tar’s heart so badly that he ran away to a different country, not knowing about Tar’s rape. Tharn is the only one he tells and to Tharn’s credit, doesn’t tell anyone out of respect to Tar. Eventually it comes out and Tar tells Tum what happens and also tells him that his trauma from the event has left him sex repulsed and broken, unable to love or trust anyone… besides Tum that is! Of course, because Tar loved his big bro all along as well.

Emotional manipulation: Ummm *gestures wildly to every character* take your pick!

Blackmail: Kengkla and Technic—again I cannot stress this enough, Techno is Technic’s brother!—drug Techno during a party, strip him and then put him in bed naked with Kengkla. When he wakes up the next morning with a teenager in his bed and no memory of what happened, he rightfully panics. Kengkla then tells him that they had sex—up until this point Techno had no interest in men—and Kengkla promises that he won’t tell anyone what happened if Techno will sleep with him one more time, Kengkla wants to lose his virginity to him since they didn’t actually have sex, Techno was passed out due to GHB that had been slipped into his drink. As of TharnType2 it is heavily implied that Techno and Kengkla are still together, and that Techno has no idea about the truth behind how he ended up with an underage boyfriend his first year of university.

Dishonourable mentions: Kidnapping, slut shaming, toxic jealousy, racism, classism, misogyny, mishandling of mental health issues, a grown man being perversely obsessed with a teenage girl and extremely harmful LGBTQ+ stereotypes.

Seriously, nothing about TharnType was good or romantic. It was toxic waste and even as a trash/hate watch, I could not enjoy it. I don’t use this term lightly, but the whole series just gives me the ick. And remember those were just all the interconnected storylines that directly involved Tharn and Type, none of those touch on AePete, TinCan or PhugunCirrus. All of which have their own issues, many many issues, but it really does seem like TharnType are the atomic bomb of BL couple fuckery.

Whew! 😅

[mikayortegaedits]

Master List (Updating)

I am redoing my master list because it is annoying me to leave vague stuff on this, and I want all of you to get to know me this way. I'll probably do a personal post on my OC separately and make include it on the master list. I kind of realized how messy my page is haha.. Might consider changing my username soon.

OC Info

Introduction

My name is Mikaylyn! I've been in the choices fandom since August 1st 2023, I love editing, writing and reading in my free time alongside playing video games like Roblox, sims, and the visual novel apps. I also like romance club :DD. I first played choices in 2021 but left until March 2023. I am born with autism and currently a college student who uses fiction as an escape and comfort. I had done writing fanfics since I was like 12 years old and some sort of picture editing when I was around 13 to 14 years old. My first love interest is Zig Ortega in choices and it always will be.

Purpose on my Tumblr account

I post my art commissions, fanfics and some of my edits that I created that also on my instagram :)). I am not too active here but I do my best for you all. I do post mostly choices on here but time to time I'll post a romance club edit. I had posted more romance club on my instagram account.

Boundaries

Choices/RC Mutuals Text?: Yes :D. I may not answer immediately but I like getting to know to people :).

Edit Requests?: Yes but please send screenshots so I can be able to edit them. I usually dont really have any ideas to post on here since I'm so used to post and mainly active on instagram so feel free to request me whenever you want!

Ask personal questions?: You are allowed to but please also consider on what to ask because I can be uncomfortable on a topic, but I am usually pretty open about things. I won't tolerate disrespectful people though if it is something crossing the line.

Like/love: I love Zig Ortega, he is my favorite love interest, I love seeing art commissions are like from choices and romance club it makes me happy seeing on my feed and I love Sanrio! my favorite character is Melody.

Art Commissions

Mikaylyn x Zig Ortega Art (Artby.Alz (Trade))

Mikaylyn x Zig Ortega Art (ArtsbyMena (won/gifted))

Zig Ortega Art Sketch (Ohhheyitsjulia (won/gifted)

Mikaylyn Rose Ortega Art (mxcameronrose (Requested))

Mikaylyn Rose Ortega Art (Ohhheyitsjulia (Won/gifted))

Mikaylyn x Zig Ortega Art (bayleedraws-sometimesx (won/gifted)

Mikaylyn x Zig Ortega (choiceswithmikasa (requested))

Zig Ortega Art Sketch (artsy_elii (requested))

Mikaylyn Rose Ortega Art (Birthday Gift from choiceswithmikasa)

Mikaylyn x Zig Ortega (Notperfect_arts (gifted))

Mikaylyn x Zig Ortega (lilyoffandom (requested))

Mikaylyn x Zig Ortega (zhoumeyourlove (gifted))

Mikaylyn x Zig Ortega (v.doodlez (Requested))

Mikaylyn x Zig (kathrin_artistry (Gifted))

Mikaylyn Rose Ortega Plushie Doll (cadybear420 (requested))

Fanfics

Your Normal Daily Life Before A Shift At Edenbrook 

What Is It Like Living with the Ortegas?

The Freshman x The Royal Romance CrossOver Series chapter one

The Freshman x The Royal Romance CrossOver Series chapter two

Christmas with The Ortegas Fanfic

[wanderinglotus7]

#BodyAcceptance

I haven't thought about weight loss until recently. Since I had my surgery, I've been unintentionally losing weight. I'm not complaining, but I don't want to be careless and turn around to gaining the weight back. The week before surgery I weighed 191lbs. On 9/20 I weighed 184lbs. So I lost 7lbs at this rate I can loose even more weight before Thanksgiving. My next goal is to loose 9lbs, so I'll be 175lbs by the end of 2024.

Reflecting on my overall weight loss journey, I believe I've been on the right track. I was at my highest weighing 195lbs in November 2022. At that time I was unaware that I had problems with my cortisol levels. I thought my rapid weight gain stemmed from PCOS because rapid weight gain is a symptom which is also a symptom of Cushing's disease which is related to cortisol and I was diagnosed with Cushing's June 7, 2024. I knew there had to be something else going on with me than eating poorly and being less active.

From 2022 to 2024 I lost a total of 11lbs which isn't bad because Dr. Tsai wants me to loose at least a total of between 12lbs-15lbs. The 12lbs-15lbs was a year goal set by Dr. Tsai (PCP). So, if I stick with my goal of being 175lbs by the end of the year, I will reach this goal. I would've loss 20lbs in 2 years. I know other doctors would say I need to loose more weight. However, they don't have to live in my body.

My goal is to be between 155lbs-150lbs. I'm comfortable with being that size considering my family's genetics and my history with Bulimia. Walking on this daunting journey, I could've relapsed and fell into my old disordered eating habits. I'm proud of myself for not relapsing. Maybe this is another reason why I attended Boston College. During my first year at BC all classes were virtual because of COVID-19.

I think on a random day, I was browsing through the college's various clubs and activities. Then I found The Body Project which helped me to recovery from Bulimia. The Body Project is a group-based intervention program for girls & women to confront unrealistic beauty ideals and develop healthy body through verbal, written, and behavioral exercises. From the 4th grade to my college years, I've struggled with my body image and self-esteem. Going through early puberty didn't help either. My weight became a BIG concern for me because I badly wanted to attend FAT CAMP (I was in elementary school). Ridiculous right!

Like a wine tasting, I dabbled in a little bit of everything until I decided that Bulimia was my niche. From middle to high school I downplayed my eating disorder and kept it moving. I was tired of doctors telling me and my mom that I was overweight and needed to loose weight. They didn't understand, I was a highly active individual playing multiple sports and spending most of my time outdoors. My mother provided me and my brother the best healthy foods as possible as well as allowing us to eat "kid" food (i.e. hot pockets, lunchables, Captain Crunch, etc.). Of course, these comments came from White medical doctors.

And this is were the disconnect comes to play: Race & Culture. Race is one reason why I couldn't talk about my body image and ED with my 2021-2022 therapist (she is a slim Yt woman). I felt like I could never win because I didn't have the 'ideal" body that is accepted in mainstream [Yt] society and I felt like I didn't have the "ideal" body that is accepted in Black America. The rise of social media increased my insecurities especially when I went off to college. Social media really popped off for me when I attended Bridgewater College.

Instagram was my App. I thought I found inspiration and empowerment. Instead I found myself in a constant state of comparison. I didn't realize IG was negatively impacting my mental health. The height for being slim thick was between 2015-2018 for me. I tried to model myself after Kylie Jenner, Jordyn Woods and a few IG models aka IG Baddies. I embodied the Baddie aesthetic outside of my student-athlete persona. Trying to look like Kylie Jenner was dumb; hello, she ain't BLACK and she had cosmetic procedures done to obtain her look.

I dressed like a Baddie to an extent. I wore high-waisted bottoms, crop tops & cropped hoodies, skinny jeans, leggings, bralettes with flannels or jean vests, regular hoodies, sneakers, wedges, and combat boots. I rocked my box braids and afro. At 27, I'm slowly going back to that style because I'm taking over my personal life. Still keeping it cool and casual. In the depths of my ED, images of slim thick plagued me. I hated my body because I couldn't look like the Nicki Minajs of the WORLD.

Then something clicked! I had to do the inner work to learn how to accept, appreciate, and love myself. I was already receiving individual counseling, next was deleting the bad/unhealthy influences on my IG. Good-bye Kylie Jenner!! You won't be missed. Sometime in 2018, I began my journey towards self-love. I was also riding a high from the news of me going to Thailand in 2019. Thank you Stacey for introducing Lizzo to me. Lizzo helped me learn about Body Positivity & Body Neutrality. Fast forward to the Body Project.

A group approach was best for me addressing and healing from my Bulimia. The Body Project provided me with space to be open with my body image issues and I didn't feel like an oddball. I was different from the others but the group was diverse. When I looked at my screen I didn't see digital space filled with slim nor Yt young women. It's been 2.5 years since I had my last binge and purge episode. Though I'm in recovery, I'm still working on myself every day. I LOVE ME!!!!

[lindevi]

Media Favorites of 2023

Who can't believe that 2023 is nearly over? *raises hand* As the year winds down, this seems like the time to reflect on the things that helped us or brought us joy. The following is a list (not exhaustive) of my favorite apps, books, music, TV, and video games from the last year, including many that I would recommend to others. You can find my list from 2021 here. (I missed compiling this list in 2022, in no small part because I was sampling eastern Germany’s best Christmas Markets all through December.)

Apps

Airalo. My new go-to for international data, but you’ll need an unlocked phone. I was able to save a ton of money by setting up a second e-SIM to access Japanese mobile data networks. (It cost $10 for 10GB of data across 30 days, which was plenty for the week I spent there, and much cheaper compared to my phone plan’s offerings.) I wish I’d heard of this before my trips to England and Europe this year, but I was able to try it out in Japan successfully. I’ll definitely be making use of this app when traveling in the future. The only downside is that I can’t have both e-sims active, so I had to restart my phone in order to check my text messages. Luckily, most communication is done over apps these days instead of SMS, so I wasn’t missing much.

​Reverso. This app pulled more than its weight for me while I was traveling abroad this summer. The thing I liked most about it is how it pulls up example sentences so you can help see the context and usage of a given word. It also saves your searches for you, so if you were a more disciplined language student than me, you could write down any new vocabulary in a notebook to study later. Also, it’s free and works fairly well offline, and it’s able to handle multiple languages in the same app.

Vivino. When in France, drink as the French do, I suppose. But when you’re at the supermarket trying to decide between the many, many wines available for less than 10€, this app helps to narrow down the field. Scanning the label gives you the user score for that vintage, plus a personalized rating for how it compares to previous wines you’ve enjoyed. By rating the wines I tried, I was able to get a better sense of my preferred styles and remember which labels to avoid in the future. It was also excellent to have on hand when we went to Bordeaux and sampled various Grand Crus. The app helped me to get a sense for how much those bottles would fetch back home, and whether it was worth it to buy it in France to bring home or to seek it out at my local liquor store.

Books

​Dracula by Bram Stoker. The vampire book that started it all (well, not quite), this one really does live up to its reputation as a classic. A few years ago, I read Stoker’s The Jewel of Seven Stars and enjoyed it tremendously (it even served as the inspiration for a Dark Sun one-shot scenario I wrote based around Queen Tara), so I’m not sure what took me so long to get to Dracula. The epistolary style is really well done and should serve as a reference point for any game masters who long to add handouts to their campaigns. It’s inspired me to try running Night’s Black Agents in the new year.

Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch. Apparently this book is the first in an urban fantasy series I’ve been sleeping on for some time. The easy comparison is Storm Front, the first book in the Dresden Files, but I have to say that this one comes out on top re: modern wizard investigator stories, mostly because of the protagonist’s sense of humor and the audiobook narrator’s brilliant delivery. I think fans of British TV will find themselves very much at home with this book. I had the happy accident of being in London while reading this, and I had been exploring Covent Garden and the alleys surrounding the Royal Opera House immediately before reading the finale, which helped tremendously when picturing the final scenes.

Slaying the Dragon by Ben Riggs. With the news of the recent Hasbro layoffs affecting the D&D team at Wizards of the Coast, this book feels like required reading to understand some of the boom and bust cycles of D&D (although, sadly, D&D seems to be doing better than ever, and the layoffs appear to be mandated to help cover losses elsewhere in the company). It’s hard to fact-check/cross-reference this book because so much of it is original research and interviews done by the author, but that’s precisely why it’s a must-read for fans of the franchise.

Music

All Quiet on the Western Front (Soundtrack from the Netflix Film). One word: haunting. The main “melody” is extremely simplistic, but it fits the subject matter so well. I also recommend the movie if you play any 20th century-based wargames or read any history. I found it interesting that this was only the first time a German production company adapted it from the book.

Seelie by CLANN. I’m not sure how to categorize this album, except it’s incredibly ambient and dark and pagan (especially Celtic). The tracks all kind of blend together in a good way, making it excellent for writing or focus work.

Gris (Original Game Soundtrack). Another great soundtrack I put on repeat this year, mostly while reading. It’s melancholic, sweeping, hopeful. I’ve never played the video game, but if it’s half as good as the score, it’ll be quite good.

Movies/TV

​Barbie. I went for a “Barbenheimer” double-feature this summer, and I did not expect Barbie to hit way harder than Oppenheimer did. Ryan Gosling might have stolen the show, but the story and the feels really made this movie stay with us. Coming from a franchise development/IP approval perspective (and this is where I have to do the disclaimer that my opinions are my own, I’m not speaking on behalf of my employer Asmodee), I’m shocked that Mattel let this get made, but I’m so glad they did.

Blue Eye Samurai. (Netflix) I had little idea this was coming until a few weeks before the release, but this show blew me away and shattered any expectations I had for it. The character development, the animation, the voice acting, the themes… it’s hard to find faults with the show (although, perhaps Mizu’s ending was unexpected). If you enjoy samurai cinema or anime, if you’re at all interested in the history of Japan, or if you’re simply an appreciator of animation, this is a must-watch.

​Vienna Blood. (PBS) I like to joke that I have a grandmother’s taste in TV, because BBC/ITV period dramas make up so much of my streaming diet, but this is a mystery/detective show first and foremost. Instead of Sherlock and Watson, you’ve got Detective Rheinhardt and Max Liebermann. Max is a Jew in 1900s Vienna and a student of Freud’s work, with the psychoanalysis lending the show an interesting frame, but I’ve also really appreciated how important his family is to the show. I’ve found it really fascinating how they explore the many peoples of the Austro-Hungarian empire before its collapse, and it’s made me want to run a Cthulhu by Gaslight campaign in Vienna (elements of which I might pull forward into the NBA game).

Video Games

​Baldur’s Gate 3. (PC) It shouldn’t come as a surprise that someone whose hobbies center on Dungeons & Dragons and other roleplaying games should thoroughly enjoy this game, but I’m certain that even folks who have never rolled a d20 will be delighted by this CRPG from Larian Studios. The writing and voice performances are phenomenal, and the sheer amount of content (and thus, replayability) is staggering. I’ve logged over 60 hours playing and can easily see myself playing for 60 more. I’ve only just started Act II, so no spoilers, please!

Horizon: Forbidden West. (PS5) I was a bit of a latecomer to this game after it released in 2023, but once I started, I could barely put it down. Amazing characters? Check. Phenomenal gameplay? Check. Open-world exploration that actually evokes the feeling of discovery? Check. My only quibble is that the story isn’t quite as brilliant as the first game, but given that the first game was a masterpiece and easily in my top 5 games of all time, that’s a high bar to clear. I admit I bought a PlayStation 5 just so I could play the Burning Shores expansion when it came out in April, and while personally I had been shipping Aloy with Kotallo, I appreciate the romantic subplot being included.

What were some of your favorites from 2023? Did your list have any of the same titles as mine?

Featured image by Alisa Anton on Unsplash

[truly-morgan]

[Crossdresser!JC and teacher!WRH]

RuoCheng | Mo Dao Zu Shi Modern AU 28-04-2021

[#ruocheng - cross-dressing]

what if after losing a bet with nhs and wwx, jc as to cross-dress for a day (although he refuses to leave the apartment). nhs make him all pretty, jc wonders /why/ he has these fem clothes for the first time, but he doesn't dare ask.

he also has to send the picture to three random persons on one of nhs dating app under the "look at how cute my friend and I are :D" (not without hiding most of his face). He's a bit surprised by the praise these men give about him, saying the outfit fits him well.

but... jc actually like it? He won't admit it out loud and will curse wwx for making him do this, but inside? jc actually thinks he does look kinda pretty and cute?

So he secretly keeps cross-dressing when he's home alone, usually doing this for himself. Sometimes he will wear some cute panties or thigh-high socks under his clothes, even daring cute tops under his hoodie and jacket.

But it doesn't exactly do the same as when he first did it, so he tries posting a faceless photo on a forum. he's extremely nervous at first but then people compliment him on his looks and he feels a bit funny about it, he really likes it.

So he keeps this secret to himself, always allowing himself a little moment of fun when he knows his roommates are out for a while. then one day he dares go out in full cross-dress, makeup done as best he can to soften his look, wearing along-haired wigs to help to hide his original look. He feels really good in his cute dress.

he tries to stay away from the college campus, giving him less chance to stumble onto people he does know.

He feels a bit shy, nervousness still running under his skin at the situation. Yet he must be passing well enough because he doesn't get any weird looks, so he slowly gets more comfortable.

at first, he intended to simply walk around but he ends up going to get something to drink, placing his order in a small voice, scared that his voice would give him away. Yet the barista doesn't give him looks so he believes it just be alright.

everything goes well until he goes to leave, bumping into someone surprising him. He loses his balance, a bit more surprised when a strong hand help him stay upright. In his little moment of panic, he forgot to modify his voice, apologising and asking if the person was alright.

He realise quickly what he did, looking up to see the person's reaction, only to pale when he saw who it was.

Wen Laoshi!

The man scans his face frowning a bit, only for recognition to slowly settle in and jc knew he was screwed now. before he can even make some excuses to leave the man calls out to him, making him freeze more. he's so screwed. Of all people he could stumble onto, it had to be a teacher, and /wen ruohan/. The man didn't have the best reputation and he was scared of what would happen.

"Why don't we sit down" suggested the teacher, a hand on jc lower back guiding him back in. Soon they are sitting at one of the booths, jc squirming uncomfortably in his seat. wrh look on him is heavy, making him blush because he's /clearly/ checking out what he's wearing.

"I didn't know one of my best students had such interest"

"I-I don't-" tried jc despite the hard evidence of /him wearing these clothes right now/, blushing even more as he looked down at his iced coffee.

"It's alright, no need to hide it, I actually think it fits you well" he instead commented. from all thing jc thought would be said (and nothing good had come to his mind) but being complimented was not one of them. This made him blush /even more/, feeling a bit weird about /wrh/ being the one to compliment him like this.

he missed the smirk growing on his teacher's lips, the man continuing in his praises, clearly, the young man liked it. "I-I get it, please no more" managed to force jc although he likes the compliments, not really squirming out of shyness anymore. they talked a bit more, wrh trying to reassure him he won't tell anyone or use this against him (slipping some more praises in) before standing up, sliding his phone number on the table.

"If you ever want some help in your... past time, just text me". at first, he doesn't dare, but he can see the looks his teacher is giving him, as if trying to see if he tried to slip something more feminine on. He plays a bit by sometimes letting something show a bit more, clearly seeing in the man's smirk that he noticed it.

he only dares to send him a message when the semester is over and after weeks of playing around like this. He lies about saying he cannot dress up because his roommates are here, wondering if maybe wrh would like to help (false, nhs is back in Qingge and wwx at lwj place).

of course, wrh accepts, so jc packs up some of his cutest outfits and his makeup, making his way to his teacher's house, rather excited at the idea of dressing up for him, something in him wanting /more/ praises. He's starving for them.

jc ends up having a lot of fun, which didn't simply stop at dressing up, wrh taking good care of him. He supposes he can pass his summer break doing just this (which he does).

========

(sorry I ran out of energy to make it more steamy ( ; ω ; ) maybe I'll make a thread about what kind of fun jc ended up having with wrh on his "first date" with him (¬‿¬ ) maybe I can make it a married wenqi again jc deserve 2 nice daddy praising his cute outfit)

Original

[genmakesmedia]

keeping organised and on task at uni: bullet journaling and reducing phone usage (plus module thoughts)

While it’s fairly clear that this blog exists to reflect on projects I’ve completed, I realised there’s not much information on here about the course itself. Let’s change that!

Digital Media Foundations (or DMF, for short) is a largely practical module on the Media and Communications course at Kingston University. It has a focus on doing creative work and teaching students how to use industry-standard tools like the Adobe Suite.

One of the things I really enjoyed about DMF was the lectures in Term Block 1. In these lectures, we would learn a bit about the history of the practical things we were going to do in the workshop, and their importance, and even science - for example, learning that the reason animation works the way it does is because our eyesight lags ever so slightly when looking at images, which makes a quick series of images look like one continuous picture (Richardson, 2023). I love to learn and so being given access to a wealth of information in such an accessible and interesting way was very enjoyable for me.

Another thing which was very cool were the workshops. In these we were given instructions to work through to experiment with various softwares or techniques. In all honesty, while it was nice to have the freedom to work at our own pace, I do tend to struggle with self-guided work as I can easily get off-task and distracted, so the workshops could sometimes be quite hit-and-miss for me in terms of how much work I’d get done or how happy I’d be with the work I was doing. I’ve been working to find solutions to this, including using the app Forest to block my use of my phone whilst working, as this is my most common distraction.

Isn’t it literally the cutest thing?

Another struggle I’ve consistently had during this module - and you will see it in many of my posts about bigger projects - is planning and time management. With creative work, I think a lot of the time I can have almost too many ideas and get overwhelmed by them, unable to decide which ones will work best. And historically my time management issues have always been because I struggle to organise the information in my head. Although the planning thing is annoying, I’ve sort of accepted it as part of my process at this point and started working on projects earlier to give myself time to try out as many of my ideas as I can.

The main difference that I’ve made to my work routine is more about organisation and prioritisation: I started a bullet journal. Bullet journaling was invented by Ryder Carroll in 2013 as a way of keeping focused and productive in spite of his learning disabilities.

I’ve had several bullet journals in the past, but because I tried to make them elaborate and aesthetically pleasing like the examples I saw online (especially from ‘studytubers’ like Amandarachlee) they didn’t stick as I just didn’t have the time to keep up with them. This time, though, I did a lot of research into effective and minimalistic journal spreads and pages which I could use, mostly through Pinterest (I'll link my pinterest board here) and YouTube. I’ll pop a few videos that really helped me in a list:

Super-Useful YouTube Videos That Helped Me Figure Out A "BuJo" System That Works For Me:

claudia spaurel (2022) '10 Minimalist Bullet Journal Spread Ideas For Beginners | Helpful Tips For Starting Out' [YouTube] 31 December. Available at: https://youtu.be/Tfjhws8gKS8 (Accessed: 15 March 2023).

Journaling with Nadia (2021) '8 Minimalist Bullet Journal Weekly Spreads for Productivity' [YouTube] 14 October. Available at: https://youtu.be/XP_ETHIj_dg (Accessed: 3 March 2023).

Rylee Autumn (2022) '10 WEEKLY SPREADS FOR YOUR BULLET JOURNAL | Weekly Bullet Journal Weekly Setup Ideas' [YouTube] 9 August. Available at: https://youtu.be/eU1VOpGDs64 (Accessed: 26 February 2023).

Using these tools, I was able to set up my journal. I’ve been using it consistently for almost two months now and am hoping I’ll be able to keep going with it as it’s been immense to my productivity. Having all of my information, schedules and time planning has been incredibly useful. Here are a few sample pages from my personal planner!

Bibliography:

Bullet Journal (2023) Who, what and why. Available at: https://bulletjournal.com/pages/about (Accessed: 17 April 2023).

Kingston University London (2023) Media and Communication BA (Hons). Available at: https://www.kingston.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/media-communication/ (Accessed: 17 April 2023).

Richardson, P. (2022) 'Animation'. MD4004: Digital Media Foundations. Kingston University London. Unpublished.

[andersonpress]

How being trafficked informed my sex work

Sep 27, 2023

Human Trafficking is defined by Oxford as “the unlawful act of transporting or coercing people in order to benefit from their work or service, typically in the form of forced labor or sexual exploitation.” Statistics compiled from the National Human Trafficking Hotline highlights over 10,000 reports in 2021 alone with their projected number of victims being upwards of 17,000 people. The top three types of trafficking they report are: escort services, pornography, and illicit massages; however trafficking also occurs in non sexual ways as well. Victims are often exploited and recruited by employers, family members, and intimate partners. Emotional, economic, and psychological abuse remain the top three ways that victims are coerced into human trafficking and human trafficking can happen to any person regardless of their chosen and ascribed identities. 

I, like many other survivors of child sex trafficking, had my access point through a friend. A fellow misguided and out right clumsy teen lying about their age to sneak into strip and dance clubs in Houston, Texas. I had met her at a teen night at a now shut down club after we were both fondled by the same guys on the dancefloor. He managed to get a hand under both of our skirts about three times before we decided to ditch the club. We talked mostly via text or on snapchat- the sex work app of the time. She had introduced me to camming online under a pseudonym only sending pics of mainly other people to creepy dudes we met at the clubs. Eventually we both migrated to meeting up with these guys at clubs on the nights we would dance or when we wanted to get in and try to make money. Making out, fingering, and fondling in between dancing on bars or on a tiny stage with a dirty pole made us about $250 - $500 split. By the time I hit senior year some of the guys would pay to Facetime me in the shower so I decided to meet up with a few to see what all they wanted. I had a car and time on my hands. Not to mention hating making the pennies I made at my job at a yogurt shop when the Johns started to thin out. 

At this point I had not had penetrative sex with any of my Johns and managed to keep everything above the hood. I had met up with a few guys who wanted to exclusively have me as their sex slave and I wasn’t ready to risk getting a STI or getting pregnant doing things I wasn’t supposed to be doing. I had sweet talked or sucked my way around the P in the V conversations until I fell upon Secret Arrangement. I had seen a mini documentary on sugar babies in college after I had cut things off with my last Houston John, Alex. Alex was an old white man who hated white women. He had a brown bowl cut, a protruding belly, and a hanging bottom lip. But he loved to hear me talk. He thought I was so smart. And that I offered him more than any of his white wives ever did. And he was so old he “couldn’t imagine having sex,” with me. Which was delightful. We’d watch Cowboys games, talk about politics, he'd give me $300 and I’d go home. He was the second best John I’vve ever had. He had set a very high standard for me. And yet I didn’t know that what I was doing was exactly the same as other sugar babies. So once I moved to San Antonio and watched the doc I thought to myself: time to step it up. 

I began watching all types of videos on how to be a sugar baby, how to create a lifestyle that wealthy men wanted to support, and how to make the most while also being a student. I then proceeded to go on my second sex work streak - now as an adult. From 2017 - 2022 I went on hundreds of dates with dudes literally collecting as much money as I could get. I connected with sex workers on Discord and on certain reddit and Twitter pages. As I continued on my journey of being an adult Black woman navigating online and in person sex work I gained more and more sex worker friends who warned me against serial offenders or people who intentionally wanted to blackmail or scam you. They offered me gigs to strip or dance at a private party or club and I’d do the same. We were all in need of money or financial independence and we wanted to help each other achieve that as much as possible. By the end of college most of my friends had an online sex work page, several online cash payment systems, and a small booklet of clients. We didn’t need pimps - we had iCal. We didn’t need to put ourselves in the line of danger with a John first and ask questions later - we would warn each other beforehand. Organizations like SWOP and my own #ChangeRapeCulture helped with building community with trafficking survivors, sex workers, and those seeking to get into the work safely and with mentorship. We were building the future of sex work we wanted to see and be a part of. 

Now abuse and trauma still happen on the job for a lot of us even though we may have been able to find our more chronically online or remote audience. In person sex workers are still out here working hard for their money and relying on one another to stay safe. A quick look at #304 tik tok will show how tight (pun intended) sex work community is and how deep we look out for one another. The community I found through being trafficked that spoke up against non consensual acts, advocated for safe sex, and wanted to appeal to queer sex workers became my family. They helped me through my sexual trauma, my lost queer identity, my complex relationships to men, encouraged me to go to counseling, and helped me leave a FEW nasty relationships. Their love helped me understand why I originally sought out nightlife and followed my friend into seedy nightclubs. 

I wanted the freedom that comes with sexual liberation especially after experiencing sexual trauma. I was chasing the peace within myself that I saw within the gogo dancers of Texas nightlife, the chaos of the bitches up in cages right next to the DJ, and the power of your body in a dark room with a man with money. I felt I was owed the ease they had. The money they had. The wisdom they seemed to have. All of the people I look up to were prostitutes at one point of time in their life - I wanted to see what they were seeing. There is so much that being trafficked took from me. My innocence;, my ability to trust and ask for help; and the dissolution of my immediate family. I would never recommend sex work to someone just looking for a quick buck or needing to get out of town. Many of us turn to sex work for money when we have no other option. However, those negative experiences we all face are the center of our current advocacy. 

Sex worker advocates are fighting to have sex work decriminalized in the United States, incorporate standardized rules for consent, and working to have those being trafficked be free from their captors. I know that I dream of a future where porn, stripping, escorting, and sugar babying will be recognized as work and sex workers are compensated fairly for their work. I want sex workers to be safe and have access to free healthcare. I want sex workers to sponsor their families dreams, helping to grow themselves and their communities, and feeling free enough to explore their and others pleasure centers. I want to have the agency to do as I please with myself to please only myself and those consenting to be with me. Sex workers want to prevent sexual assault - not perpetuate it. Me included. 

Some ways to support sex workers around you would be checking out your local SWOP chapters, supporting local groups like Red Light District, and supporting the sex workers around you. As always you can go to www.changerapeculture.org and look at our resources on our instagram pages that are sex worker specific. We released a reading list of POC sex workers for COVID! {https://changerapeculture.org/media/the-revolution-will-not-be-televised-2/} Follow them! And learn your sex worker rights history! Medium wrote a piece about sex worker’s rights that’s a good starting point. TIME did an article on how pivotal sex workers were to LGBTQIA2S+ rights in the 70s. POZ also did a great article on Black sex worker’s rights! Read up and diversify the perspectives you read from. 

My experience being trafficked informs my politics around men, patriarchy, pedagogy, gender, solidarity, and activism. I’ll never forget it. I’m humbled to have made it out of being trafficked with my life as many Black women in person sex workers do not get the chance to do that. I hope no child is surrounded by the scumbags I met between the ages of 15 - 18 in Houston, Texas. I wish future kids have the space in their life to ask the questions they need to ask about sex, trauma, and abuse with people who care about keeping their childhood and being safe. I hope every Black girl feeling alone and desperate has a place to go with their favorite snacks, enough blankets to last a year, and unlimited data. Children deserve better and need more options for wellness when they have experienced sexual trauma. I want to protect my younger self and warn her about what lies ahead. This seems to be a part of that process. Send a sex worker some money today! Subscribe to my site: ismygirl.com/ChaosEmera and stay tuned. 

[brainynbright]

Top Winter Camps in Dubai for STEM Learning: Brainy n Bright

The Magic of Winter Camps at Brainy n Bright

Winter in Dubai isn't just about cool breezes and festive celebrations; it’s also the perfect season for young learners to expand their horizons. Brainy n Bright’s Winter Camps deliver a transformative experience, blending education, innovation, and entertainment to ensure kids make the most of their winter break.

Let’s dive deeper into what makes these camps an unparalleled choice for families in Dubai.

Engaging STEM Activities for All Ages - At Brainy n Bright, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) isn’t just an acronym; it’s the foundation of every program offered during their Winter Camps. Activities are carefully curated to cater to different age groups, ensuring each child engages with content that’s both age-appropriate and intellectually stimulating.

Programs for Younger Minds (Ages 6–9)

Hands-On Robotics: Using beginner-friendly tools and kits, children build robots that spark their creativity while introducing them to the basics of mechanical engineering and coding. Example Activity: Design a robot that moves through an obstacle course.

App & Game Development: Kids learn the basics of app design and game development, gaining insights into how the apps they use daily are created. This program nurtures their problem-solving skills while fostering creativity.

Drone Technology for Beginners: Imagine your child controlling a mini drone, learning aerodynamics, and understanding real-world applications of this cutting-edge technology.

Programs for Advanced Learners (Ages 10–16)

AI and Machine Learning Made Easy: Older children delve into Artificial Intelligence, learning how AI models are trained to make decisions, recognize images, or predict outcomes. This program fosters an interest in real-world tech applications.

Python Programming: Python, one of the world’s most in-demand programming languages, is introduced with fun, interactive lessons. Teens work on projects ranging from simple calculators to more complex AI-based applications.

Drone Racing and Coding Challenges: For tech-savvy teenagers, nothing beats the thrill of flying drones and competing in friendly races while learning advanced coding skills.

A Legacy of Excellence

Brainy n Bright’s stellar reputation isn’t just built on words. Recognized as the Best Global STEM Institution in both 2021 and 2022, the center has earned its place as a leader in innovation-based education. Here’s why families trust Brainy n Bright:

Global Accreditations: Accredited by STEM.org and licensed by the KHDA in Dubai, Brainy n Bright ensures that its programs adhere to the highest global education standards.

Microsoft-Qualified Institution: As a Microsoft Academic Institution, students have access to state-of-the-art resources and tools.

Recognized by UAE’s Ministry of AI: Brainy n Bright’s contributions to AI education have been acknowledged by the UAE Ministry of AI, further cementing its reputation as a pioneer in technology-driven learning.

Beyond Academics: Life Skills That Last a Lifetime

While the primary focus is on STEM education, Brainy n Bright’s Winter Camps also emphasize the development of essential life skills:

Critical Thinking: Children face real-world challenges during their projects, teaching them to analyze situations, evaluate solutions, and make informed decisions.

Collaboration: Group activities and challenges encourage teamwork, communication, and leadership skills, preparing students for the collaborative demands of modern workplaces.

Creativity: From designing unique robots to crafting their video games, kids unleash their imagination in ways that go beyond textbooks.

Resilience: Tackling technical challenges teaches perseverance and the importance of learning from failures.

Flexible and Convenient Camp Options

The demands of a busy city like Dubai mean parents need flexible options. Brainy n Bright delivers just that:

Onsite Programs

Conveniently located in Al Barsha 1 and Al Nahda 2, these centers provide state-of-the-art facilities where children can explore hands-on learning in a safe and supervised environment.

Online Programs

For families who prefer virtual options, Brainy n Bright’s online programs are equally engaging and interactive. With instructor-led sessions, children receive personalized attention and can participate from the comfort of their homes.

Industry-Leading Trainers

Brainy n Bright takes pride in its highly qualified trainers who are not just educators but also industry professionals with a passion for teaching. Highlights include:

Diverse Expertise: Trainers are well-versed in various fields, including AI, robotics, and software development.

Global Experience: Many trainers have worked internationally and bring global perspectives to the classroom.

Certified and Child-Safe: All trainers are certified in first aid and child safeguarding, ensuring a secure learning environment for every participant.

A Truly Global STEM Institution

Brainy n Bright’s programs are designed to cater to a global audience, and its numbers speak for themselves:

Students Trained: Over 100,000

Programs Offered: More than 150

Countries Represented: 31+ nationalities

How to Enroll

Parents interested in giving their children this incredible winter experience can easily enroll:

Visit the Winter Camps Page: https://brainynbright.com/winter-camp.php

Book a Free Class: Try a no-obligation trial to understand the quality of training.

Secure a Spot: Limited seats are available, so early registration is encouraged.

Final Thoughts: Why Brainy n Bright?

Dubai is home to numerous camps and extracurricular programs, but Brainy n Bright stands apart for its ability to combine fun, education, and innovation seamlessly. This winter, give your child the gift of learning, discovery, and personal growth.

Whether your child is an aspiring coder, a budding engineer, or simply curious about technology, Brainy n Bright’s Winter Camps are the perfect platform to nurture their potential. With a proven track record, global recognition, and a commitment to excellence, this is an opportunity you don’t want to miss.

[v2gether01]

Trends & Innovation In IELTS Preparation

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is a globally recognized exam for English proficiency, and as demand for the exam grows, so does the evolution of preparation methods. Over the years, IELTS training has shifted significantly, incorporating technological advancements and adapting to the needs of modern learners. In this article, we explore the key trends and innovations shaping the IELTS Training Institute In Malad.

Digital Learning and Online Platforms: One of the most notable changes in IELTS preparation is the rise of online learning platforms. With the advent of digital technology, students can access comprehensive IELTS courses, practice tests, and interactive exercises from anywhere in the world. This shift towards online learning provides flexibility, allowing students to study at their own pace and convenience. Additionally, online resources often include multimedia elements, making the preparation process more engaging and effective.

AI-Powered Learning Tools: Artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionized IELTS preparation. For instance, some platforms use AI to assess speaking skills by analyzing pronunciation and fluency, while automated writing evaluations give students instant feedback on grammar, structure, and coherence. This personalized approach helps students focus on their weaknesses and improve efficiently.

Mobile Learning: With smartphones becoming a staple in everyday life, mobile learning has gained popularity among IELTS candidates. Dedicated IELTS apps allow students to access practice tests, vocabulary builders, and grammar exercises on the go. This makes it easier for students to incorporate study sessions into their busy schedules, offering a more flexible way to prepare.

Hybrid Learning Models: While online and mobile learning have surged, traditional classroom-based learning still holds value. Many IELTS training centers are now adopting hybrid learning models, combining the structure of in-person classes with the convenience of digital tools. This blend allows students to benefit from direct interactions with instructors and the flexibility of online resources, catering to different learning styles.

Focus on Soft Skills and Exam Strategy: In addition to improving English skills, modern IELTS training focuses on test-taking strategies and soft skills. Time management, stress control, and understanding exam patterns are emphasized to help students perform well under pressure. These strategies, combined with academic skills, ensure a more holistic approach to exam preparation.

They are also known as the Best Language classes in Grand Road.

About V2gether English Academy

Founded in 2021, V2gether is a prominent English-speaking institute that provides tailored courses in English, foreign languages (including French, German, and Spanish), IELTS preparation, and personality development. Their experienced native-speaking instructors provide focused attention in small classes, ensuring a supportive learning environment. They are dedicated to helping students improve their language skills and achieve their goals.

Credit:- https://penzu.com/p/bc2bc3fce0af6d1a

[texasmadehustler]

If you were the emperor of Earth, what would be the first rule that you would make?

If you were a dog, what dog breed would you be?

What would be your perfect first date and with whom? You can choose anybody and anywhere on the planet.

If you could only eat one kind of food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

If when you die, someone takes the VR headset off of your head and asks you how the virtual life was, what’s the first thing you say?

What animal would you choose to fight against Iron Man?

If you could immediately solve any unsolved mysteries in history, what mystery would you choose and why?

If you could pick a topic to have an in-depth documentary made, what topic would you pick?

If you had infinite money, where would you live? What kind of lifestyle would you have?

If Planet Earth was in a science fair competing with other planets around the Universe, what would be Earth’s best option to showcase?

If every person would have a conspiracy theory made about them, what would be yours?

If you had to put all your money into a single asset, which one would you choose?

Before being born we can choose a single color that our eyes can see. What color would that be for you?

If you could speak a dead language, which one would be the coolest to know?

If you could go back in time three times only, where would you go, how far back, and what would you do?

If a movie was made about your life, what situation would be the climax of it?

If human beings were born with an item, which one would be yours?

What would be your plan in the case of a zombie apocalypse?

If you had to become a teacher, what discipline would you pick to teach?

If you could meet any politician in the world, who would it be and why?

If your country was a student in University, which course would it get A+ in?

If you could be famous for any reason, what reason would you like it to be?

If you could come up with a college course, what would it be?

You hit your head on a rock and now you’re only able to say a single phrase to everything for the rest of your life, what phrase would it be?

What historical event would you delete from history and why?

Dumb hypothetical question: If you were a traffic sign, what would it read?

If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?

if you could instantly get a PhD in a topic, what topic would you choose?

If you died tomorrow, what would be your biggest regret?

If you could choose a date and a place for when Jesus was born, when and where would you choose?

If you could pick one robot (or cyborg) from any movie to be your lifelong companion, which one would you pick?

If you could walk through walls, would you invade places? And if so, which places you would invade and why?

If you could name one human being to become immortal, who would you pick?

If you rated the FRIENDS cast from best to worst, what would your list look like?

If you could only wear a single item of clothing for the rest of your life, which item would it be?

You have magically received $1,000,000 but you have to spend it in 24h. What is your plan?

If you had to invent a product that doesn’t exist yet, what would it be?

If you could travel 200 years in the future, supposing Earth and humans are still around, what would be the first place you would visit?

You have the power to magically mix three apps, what would they be?

If you received $1,000,000 for each year you would spend in a maximum-security prison, how long would you last before giving up?

If aliens promised to take you on a tour around the whole Universe but you could never come back again to Earth, would you go? Why/why not?

You have the power to create your perfect world for yourself to live in, just like in the Matrix, what would it look like and who would be in it?

If you could name famous people to die in 2021, who would they be?

If you had to pick a horror movie to live in for a night, what movie would it be and what’s your survival plan?

If you were sent to space and you could only take 2 items, what would you choose to take?

You can have everything you have ever wanted or an extra life on Earth where you come back remembering it all. What would you choose and why?

Funny hypothetical question: You just became a ghost. What’s the first thing you do?

If you were assigned to pick a spot on Earth where an atomic bomb would be dropped. Where would it be and why?

If you could remove all suffering at the cost of removing all happiness, would you still do it?

If you could own any social media platform, which one would it be and what would you change about it?

If you could be a fly on the wall of any restricted place, what would that place be?

If you had $1,000,000 dollars but could only spend $1 on yourself, what would you do with the other $999,999?

If you had to live for a year in the last video game you played, what video game would it be and how would your life be on there?

If you could make a weird thing socially acceptable, what would that thing be?

[ctom3835-blog]

Comparing Microsoft Office 2021 Editions: Professional, Professional Plus, and Home and Student

Microsoft Office remains one of the most popular productivity suites worldwide, providing tools that are essential for personal, academic, and professional needs. With the 2021 release, Microsoft introduces updated versions that cater to different users, each designed with unique features and applications. Here, we explore Microsoft Office 2021 Professional, Microsoft Office 2021 Professional Plus, and Microsoft Office Home and Student to help you find the best fit for your needs.

Microsoft Office 2021 Professional: An Essential Tool for Business and Professionals

The Microsoft Office 2021 Professional edition offers a suite of applications designed for business professionals who need advanced functionality and efficiency. This edition includes the core Office apps such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, along with additional business-focused tools like Outlook and Publisher. With enhanced features that improve collaboration, Microsoft Office 2021 Professional is a great option for users who need reliable tools for creating documents, managing data, and delivering presentations.

One of the standout features of Office 2021 Professional is its improved integration with cloud services. This feature makes it easier to share documents, collaborate in real time, and access your work from any device. The inclusion of Publisher allows for professional-quality publication creation, ideal for marketing and branding projects. This suite is also compatible with both Windows and Mac operating systems, making it accessible to a wide range of users.

Why Choose Microsoft Office 2021 Professional Plus?

For enterprises and users who require more robust tools, Microsoft Office 2021 Professional Plus is the ideal choice. This version includes all the applications found in Office Professional but adds Skype for Business and Access. Skype for Business is particularly useful for remote work and virtual meetings, allowing seamless video conferencing and instant messaging. Access is a database management tool that enables you to organize, store, and retrieve information effectively, making it perfect for those in data-heavy fields.

With Office Professional Plus, businesses can expect higher productivity levels thanks to the advanced features tailored to enterprise needs. Security enhancements in this edition also protect sensitive data, a crucial factor for organizations dealing with confidential information. Additionally, it offers more efficient deployment and management tools, making it easier for IT teams to install and manage software across multiple devices. If you run a business or require extensive data management capabilities, Microsoft Office 2021 Professional Plus provides a powerful solution.

Microsoft Office Home and Student 2021: Tailored for Academic and Personal Use

For students, teachers, and home users, Microsoft Office Home and Student offers the essential tools without the complexity or additional applications needed for business operations. This edition includes the basics: Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, making it ideal for educational and personal productivity. Microsoft designed this edition to offer maximum functionality with minimal cost, and it’s available as a one-time purchase, making it budget-friendly.

Microsoft Office Home and Student allows users to create and edit documents, analyze data, and design presentations with ease. It’s particularly popular among students due to its affordability and core tools that cover most academic needs. Unlike the Professional and Professional Plus editions, Home and Student doesn’t include Outlook or Publisher. However, it remains an excellent choice for users who don’t need business-specific tools.

Key Features Comparison: Professional, Professional Plus, and Home and Student

When deciding between these editions, it’s essential to understand their unique features and benefits:

Microsoft Office 2021 Professional: This version is suitable for small businesses and professionals who need essential tools like Word, Excel, and Outlook, with the added advantage of Publisher.

Microsoft Office 2021 Professional Plus: Designed for enterprises, this version adds Access and Skype for Business to the Professional suite. It offers enhanced security, management tools, and advanced collaboration features, making it perfect for data-intensive and collaborative work environments.

Microsoft Office Home and Student: Ideal for personal and academic use, this edition provides the basic tools without the complexity of additional business applications. It’s affordable and user-friendly, meeting the essential productivity needs for everyday tasks.

Which Version of Microsoft Office 2021 Is Right for You?

When choosing the best version of Office 2021, consider your specific needs:

For Business Professionals: If you need tools for business and professional use, Microsoft Office 2021 Professional provides essential applications without added complexity.

For Enterprise Users: For larger organizations or users who require advanced data handling and remote collaboration, Microsoft Office 2021 Professional Plus offers a robust solution.

For Students and Home Users: If you’re a student or home user needing essential Office apps, Microsoft Office Home and Student is a cost-effective choice.

Final Thoughts

Microsoft Office 2021 offers a range of editions tailored to various needs, from small businesses to large enterprises and academic users. Each version provides specific tools and features that enhance productivity in different ways. By understanding the distinct advantages of Microsoft Office 2021 Professional, Microsoft Office 2021 Professional Plus, and Microsoft Office Home and Student, you can select the edition that best supports your work or study requirements. Whether you need business-focused applications or a basic suite for academic projects, Microsoft has an option suited for everyone.

[dailydosetech]

Top 05 Digital marketing institutes in nagercoil

Digital Marketing Institutes in Nagercoil are now in high demand because businesses have shifted online, creating a demand for digital talents. It does not matter if you are a student, a business owner, or just a professional – mastering digital marketing will benefit you. Selecting the right place to learn is a must so, here we have a list of the best 5 digital marketing institutes in nagercoil. These institutes provide simple, straightforward classes, hands-on training, and coaching to enable you to succeed in the growing online marketing field.

1.Eloiacs Softwa Private Limited.

OVERVIEW:

Eloiacs Softwa Pvt. Ltd. stands out as one of the top 05 digital marketing institutes in Nagercoil. Founded in 2021, the institute offers hands-on digital marketing training for beginners and professionals. Their courses cover key areas like SEO (Search Engine Optimization), Social Media Marketing (SMM), Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising, marketing automation.Students are equipped with real-world skills to excel in today’s competitive digital landscape.

SERVICES:

⦁ Software Development ⦁ Mobile App Development ⦁ Web Designing ⦁ Digital Marketing ⦁ Epub conversion ⦁ Xml conversion ⦁ PDF Accessibility ⦁ Quality Analysis ⦁ Data Entry

ADDRESS:

ELOIACS SOFTWA PVT. LTD. SBI Bank Building, Ramanputhur,Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu 629002.

PHONE NUMBER: +91 9486 00 06 07 EMAIL ID: info@eloiacs.com WEBSITE URL: https://eloiacs.com/

2.ALO Educational Hub.

OVERVIEW:

ALO Educational Hub is one of the leading names in the top 05 digital marketing institutes in Nagercoil. They offer a comprehensive Digital Marketing Certification Course focusing on SEO, SMM, PPC, and customer relationship management. With their practical approach and expert guidance, ALO helps students build skills that are highly valued in the digital marketing industry.

SERVICES:

⦁ Front End Development ⦁ Back End Development ⦁ Mobile App Development ⦁ UI/UX Design ⦁ Web Development&UI/UX Design ⦁ App Development&UI/UX Design ⦁ Phython ⦁ Digital Marketing ⦁ Tally ⦁ HRM

ADDRESS:

Christopher Nagar Rd, Christopher Colony Extension, Parvathipuram, Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu 629003

PHONE NUMBER: +91 99947 25508 EMAIL ID: contact@aloeducationalhub.com WEBSITE URL: www.aloeducationalhub.com

3.Jclicksolutions.

OVERVIEW:

JClickSolutions offers Software Training, Web Development and Digital Marketing Solutions helping Students, Professionals and Businesses to fulfil their digital needs. They make yourself Industry Ready with our outstanding training. Personalized and Job-Oriented hands-on training is what sets us apart from others. They continue to embrace the newness in technology in order to stay up with its pace and to help you climb the career ladder by arming you with excellent software skills in emerging technologies.

SERVICES:

⦁ Web Development ⦁ Java ⦁ Artificial Intelligence ⦁ Data Science ⦁ MERN Stack ⦁ React js ⦁ Mobile Application ⦁ Digital Marketing ⦁ Phython ⦁ Machine Learning ⦁ Software Testing

ADDRESS:

4th floor, Xavier buliding, near Assisi church, Veepamoodu junction. Nagercoil-629001.

PHONE NUMBER: 04652-469428, +91 9025357947 WEBSITE URL: www.jclicksolutions.in

4.Creative Technologies.

OVERVIEW:

Creative Technologies specializes in offering IT and consulting services that can help companies reach their digital transformation goals. They specialize in creating effective digital marketing campaigns that have proven to bring in results. Their team of experienced digital marketers are knowledgeable in everything from social media marketing, mobile marketing, email marketing, and content marketing.

SERVICES:

⦁ Web Designing & Development ⦁ Digital Marketing ⦁ Mobile App Development ⦁ Graphic Designing ⦁ Maintenance ⦁ Search Engine Optimization ⦁ Brand Identity ⦁ Media Production

ADDRESS:

Leslie Tower, Hindu College Road, Chettikullam Junction, Nagercoil - 629002.

PHONE NUMBER: +91 44 35572101, +91 8248325234 EMAIL ID: info@creativetec.in WEBSITE URL: www.creativetec.in

5.Prism Technology.

OVERVIEW:

Prism Technology, established in 2007, ranks among the top 5 digital marketing institutes in Nagercoil. They offer expert digital marketing training alongside web and mobile app development services. Their programs focus on SEO, web development, and mobile apps, ensuring students gain practical, in-demand skills to thrive in the digital world. SERVICES: ⦁ Website Design ⦁ Web Application ⦁ Mobile Application ⦁ Responsive Design ⦁ Digital Marketing ⦁ Service Industries ⦁ Career Opportunities ⦁ Customer Help Desk

ADDRESS:

221/93, Josusha Street W.C.C. ROAD - Nagercoil KANYAKUMARI DISTRICT - 629001.

PHONE NUMBER: +91 4652 420071, +91 9443347941 EMAIL ID: enquiry@prismtechnology.in WEBSITE URL: www.prismtechnology.in