#but like. it does frustrate me when they give a deadline & then don't meet it lol

[queenerdloser]

so i submitted something to this writing contest which originally said they planned to have a shortlist announcement by early january. then they said by the end of the month. and like. it's january 31 today buds and already nearly 4pm so. are you posting that today or????

[beyondthesefourwalls]

Before he had to remember you, Bradley got to experience the whirlwind that was meeting and falling in love with you (the first time).

All stories can be read independently, but will precede or coincide with the series Remember You Even When I Don't.

And You Will Find Me: The last thing Bradley expected when he was assigned to the unofficial “singles without a plus one” table at an old friend’s wedding was to meet who he thinks might just be the love of his life. But that’s exactly what happened. 

Marvelous Night for a Moondance: A date night at a concert in the park has you and Bradley adventuring in ways you hadn’t with each other yet. You had only been dating for a few short months, but he made you feel things you never had before, and it was almost scary how easy it was to picture yourself staying in his arms forever. 

Wildflowers & Wine: He hadn’t seen you coming, but you entered his life like you had always been there, in a burnt orange dress and high heels and champagne sipped away from the rest of the world. Bradley fell in love with you that first night and now he can’t imagine his life without you. He couldn’t bring himself to care that it had only been four months.  For roosterforme's #love is in the air tgm Writing Challenge!

Home (Is Wherever I'm With You): You aren’t supposed to be in California for another week, but managed to tie up all your loose ends and arrive early. You get some unwanted attention when you try to surprise your husband at his favorite bar, and after he comes to your rescue, Bradley shows you just how much he missed you right there in the Hard Deck bathroom. 

Something Worth Remembering: You were hopeful that you’d be moved into your new house before Christmas, but after another renovation delay, that’s not in the cards. To your credit, you make the most of the situation, and Bradley falls in love with you even more because of it. But he’s determined to make your first Christmas together special, and sets out to plan a surprise that ensures the holiday will be one both of you will always remember. 

For Better or Worse: Getting the phone call that your husband was involved in a training accident was something you had never prepared yourself for, and something that you never wanted to experience again. You felt like your entire world crashed down around you and the only thing that would pick up the pieces would be Bradley opening his eyes. But then he does, and everything starts to turn out worse than you ever thought it could. 

Return Back Home to You: Five months after the accident that took his memory from him, Bradley gets the all clear to return to the sky. He thought he would be ecstatic to get back in the air, but all he can think about is how the last time he was in a plane, he almost didn’t come home to you. When he tells you he can’t handle doing that to you again, you remind him that all you need from him is to love you and do his best to always come home, and you’d figure out the rest together. 

Motivation Tactics: You’re having a hard time finding the motivation to finish a work assignment with an upcoming deadline. While you're on a conference call, Bradley decides to help you release some of the frustration and tension you’re feeling. His knees may not thank him later, but you sure will.

Blurb: Bradley hits his head a year after his accident

*Ongoing collection - requests open! *

Main Masterlist

Banner by the one and only @mak-32 🧡

*I do not give permission to copy/steal, translate, or publish elsewhere*

[yukidragon]

Hello~ So I think there's a flaw with swwsdj actually..... Everyone says, Jack can't do anything the MC wants right? Thaaaats not entirely true, I don't think anyways...

Example: Jack starting to disappear when MC says No when Nick asks about dating....

Why? Why does he Suddenly start to disappear? The demo starts Months after meeting Jack, if MC doesn't truly like him to that point, then how is Jack still around to begin with??

I theory that he's kiiiinda lying to that extent! Cause MC feels Horrible for saying No, but why? If they don't like Jack, why would they Suddenly feel bad, and why would Jack only then start disappearing? See I think Jack has more control over us then we are lead to fully believe, warping our minds so we struggle to hate him and rethink our No options.

That’s just it, MC doesn’t want Jack to leave. We see it in their desperation to keep him after they can’t touch him.

However, that doesn’t mean that MC’s need for them didn’t weaken in that moment.

Jack is an actor, and a good one at that. It can easily be argued that he faked the incident to teach MC a lesson for that reason alone. However, there’s very strong pieces of evidence to indicate that it wasn’t faked.

For one thing, Jack’s expression and reaction, dark and traumatized, is similar to his reaction to the bad choice in the yogurt mini game. There’s no reason for him to fake that negative reaction, so this seems to be how he looks when he’s genuinely haunted.

However, the bigger piece of evidence is the monologue Jack has afterwards.

...That was close. Too close. ... Haha...I thought I was doing everything right. ... Wasn’t all this what you wanted? ... Or was I meant to be giving you more? ... I can do better. ...I WILL do better. ... You’ll see how good I am for you. ... I can make you whole. You’ve just got to trust me.

The red text that results from the “yes” or “no” choice doesn’t seem to be a direct conversation with MC. Rather, this seems more like Jack talking at them, or perhaps thinking.

Jack expresses fear, frustration, and confusion. This is in direct contrast to his quiet, sad reassurance to MC when he was directly speaking with them. Saying that he just had a close call is the opposite of what he implied, that he was still there and he wasn’t disappearing. It kind of makes him out to be a liar if he suddenly switches like this, doesn’t it? That’s something he certainly wouldn’t want his sunshine to believe him to be after all...

I think that the red text here is us, as the players, hearing what Jack is thinking about MC. Maybe they subconsciously hear it, but it’s not on a level where they are aware of it. This suggests that anything said here isn’t meant to be a direct manipulation tactic.

Speaking of his manipulation tactics, Jack’s tactics aren’t threat based, at least when it comes to MC. He does his best to present a gentle, supportive persona for his sunshine. He doesn’t lie directly, but rather he misleads through lies of omission. While he does make it clear that what’s happened to him is because of them not wanting him there, he doesn’t condemn them for it. He is reassuring, trying to be cheerful and supportive of them despite being sad. Yes, his sadness can be a manipulation tactic, but given his shocked stammering for words earlier and his red text thoughts after, I doubt it would entirely be for show.

I think what happened was that Jack started to lose his grasp on being real because MC was pulling away from him. They didn’t need him as an excuse to say no to some random guy hitting on them at work. They’re deciding not to get closer to Jack. They don’t need him in their life to do things, to stand on their own.

Wants and needs can be different. MC might want Jack, but it could be that unless they need him too, he goes away.

Hell, for all we know, Jack might even be on a time limit. Similar to the Little Mermaid needing the love of her prince before a deadline, if he doesn’t get his sunshine’s love in time or loses it to another, then maybe this big yandere clown ghost(?) will turn back into a lost memory in static...

It can take a while to trust someone. It takes time to develop a relationship and a strong bond where you feel that you need a person. Love needs time to grow, and that’s what Jack wants ultimately - he wants his sunshine’s love.

Jack is patient though, as we’ve seen. He’s gently doing his best to coax MC into choosing him. He can’t force it, and he won’t do anything they don’t want.

MC was scarred by love before. Ian betrayed them in the worst way. Someone they grew up with who they loved and wanted to spend forever with cheated on them. That’s a deep scar that takes time to heal. It takes time to trust anyone, especially if they are as suspicious as a ghost(?) clown suddenly appearing one day.

I think, for as strange as the situation is, for whatever it might say about their mental state, Jack’s presence has brought MC a twisted sense of comfort. They’re not alone when he’s around. He makes them feel good, and it’s hard to want to give that up after they’ve felt bad for so long.

However, wanting to feel good isn’t the same as needing someone, let alone forever. That’s not love.

That’s where our choices come in, and where Jack is going to be desperate to guide those choices towards loving him.

That’s what make Jack’s tactics scary. He’s not taking control, he’s convincing others to make the choices he wants. He’s making the idea of surrendering control too attractive to refuse. He does it to MC, and he does it to the unknown people in those teaser pictures Sauce drew when he convinces them to use a knife on themselves...

There are a lot of people out there who convince people into surrendering control through words alone, including with technical truths that lie by omission. Reality gets twisted around until the victim feels as though it was something they wanted all along. They are lured into the cage and lock the door behind themselves willingly. Jack is that type of antagonist in this horror game, and those type of people can be just as scary as axe wielding maniacs.

Is a few months enough time for MC to start to fall in love with Jack? Well, that’s up to us, the player. If it’s not, then, well... this colorful little mermaid is at risk of turning into seafoam, isn’t he?

@channydraws @earthgirlaesthetic @sai-of-the-7-stars @cheriihoney @illary-kore @okamiliqueur  

[celinamarniss]

Year in Review

In 2023 I posted 4 fics at 58,153 words.

Previous years:

2022: 4 fics at 45,096 words.

2021: 3 fics posted, 55,788 words.

2020: 7 or 10 fics posted, 125,738 words.

2019: 7 fics posted, 72,149 words.

2018: 7 fics posted, 87,752 words

2016: 9 fics posted, 51,643 words

2017: 9 fics posted, 115,336 words

2016: 9 fics posted, 51,653 words

In total, 49 fics posted to Ao3.

We Can't Keep Meeting Like This

34,355 words, gen, Din/Luke/Mara

The Din/Luke/Mara fic I told myself I wasn't going to write! As these things tend to do, it expanded into a much longer fic than I expected. The "five things (plus one)" structure helped to keep it from spiraling even further, but those individual chapters ended up being much longer than I expected and took much longer to write. At first, I serialized the first couple of chapters in smaller excerpts for WIP Weds on tumblr. It was fun to get a little feedback and the weekly deadline compelled me to write those chapters quickly. But when engagement dropped to basically nothing I stopped posting updates and waited to post each chapter to ao3 when it was done. My progress slowed down considerably, but the chapters got longer. I had fun, most of the time.

The Girl Who Traveled the Ways Between the Walls

4,938 words, gen, Animalis verse

Written for the 5k AU fic challenge. Luminous Creatures begins with Mara and Luke's daemons settling, and I regretted never writing a story with an unsettled daemon character. I wanted to write a fic with a fairy-tale vibe and I wanted to explore the weirdness of the Imperial Palace. The Palace becomes a fairy tale wood, and Mara sets off on a quest in which she encounters strange people who aid her or demand aid. Does she learn the right lesson in the end? Perhaps not.

Echo, Revenant, Targeter, Phoenix

15,431 words, gen, Winter Retrac character study

I wrote this one for the Star Wars Big Bang, an experience that ended up being so stressful that I dropped out. I still finished the fic on time and posted it. The fic attracted a modest number of readers (unsurprising given Winter has been basically forgotten these days), but their enthusiasm was very gratifying. I've always liked Winter and I wanted to give her a chance to shine.

However, while I love the worldbuilding and individual scenes and images in this fic, as a whole I don't think it's very gracefully written and I've never been very happy with it.

Cascade

3,429 words, mature, Luke/Mara

I wanted to include A Non-Zero-Sum Game in Vol II of my printed fic collection, but the series felt unfinished without the fourth and final story that I planned to write after Tether. So five years later, I finally wrote it. It was interesting to go back to those old fics and try to write a story that fit the series. I wanted to post it before the new year broke so that I could count it in the 2023 list, and I rushed to get it out. It could probably still use some work.

As the year went on, I failed to meet a lot of the arbitrary deadlines I set myself, and that made writing frustrating and unfulfilling. I don't want it to be like that! I want fic to be fun.

However, I have a lot of non-fandom projects coming up in 2024, and I'm going to have to shift my focus away from fic, at least a little bit.

GOALS FOR 2024

(almost exactly the same as the goals for 2023)

Triumvirate Finale! (explicit, very) The big finale of the Triumvirate series, in which the trio returns to Coruscant to face the Emperor. Doesn’t have a proper title yet. Progress so far: three chapters drafted, 15,410 words.

A Smuggler’s Guide to Joining the Rebellion (gen) The sequel to The Things You Find on Tatooine. Progress: the first chapter finished, 2,241 words.

Lando Calrissian and the Jewel of Andara (gen) The Lando and Mara heist romcom I’ve been promising forever. Progress: three chapters drafted, but in need of heavy revision, 6757 words.

Other fics on the backburner:

Courtship remix

Experiments

Daughter of the Rain and Snow

More daemon fic! 

[merge-conflict]

Since you asked twice: 4, 61, & 66 for the fic writer asks :>

Heheh :3 (questions here)

4. Where do you find inspiration for new ideas?

I ask myself questions. The scope and number of questions depends on the idea. Am I looking to complete a next scene? Why don't I know what the character will do next? Do they need to make a decision, or does something need to motivation to move past an obstacle? Is their struggle internal or external at this moment? Are they at full capacity or are they tired or hurt and more likely to mess up or do something impulsive?

For fic ideas it's just that but broader. Usually I get a snippet of a scene or inspiration from some outside source- either my own life or some other story. Maybe I just think that two characters should meet, or be put in a situation where they have to fight. Maybe Johnny should punch Valentine in the face. Then I just work backwards from there- what kind of pressure would cause them to be angry at each other? If they have an argument can it be exacerbated by some vulnerability or just because they're having a bad day? Because something else happened and now they're on a hair trigger? What would cause them to fight instead of just walk away? And then just sort of reverse engineering the situation from there. It fails a fair amount of the time, but asking the questions themselves helps flesh things out to make it easier to work out ideas for those characters or any characters, so there's never anything lost through brainstorming.

Also honestly sometimes when I can't think of anything or I'm frustrated and want to vent or cry about it... I'll give myself a weird objective. Try a new POV. Keep it a certain length. Change tense. Write about someone without ever saying their name. It also doesn't always work, but concentrating on some new kind of goal often gets me out of the pit I've been languishing in even when it fails.

61. Why do you continue writing fics?

I love doing it, and also I can't really control my brain when it comes up with stories. So they're going to be in my head anyway, and writing them down helps me develop them and enjoy them even more. Obviously I do love and enjoy the community part of writing fanfiction, and getting feedback and engagement. (Love it. Crave it. Don't we all?) But ultimately I just love doing character studies, and constructing scenes and making things. Sometimes I "write" for hours and get very little done but I really enjoy that time, and if that ever changed I wouldn't do it.

66. How do you deal with writing pressure (ie. pressure to update, negative comments, deadlines, etc.)?

I don't think any of those things worry me too much. I do feel bad for not updating regularly sometimes but I hardly do anything regularly. I could keep a habit for 3 months and drop it in 2 days for something new. If I don't like something I'm hitting the bricks. Honestly the biggest struggle I have is that period of time just before and just after sharing a story- it's like as soon as I hit post my self-confidence dives, and by that time I've usually reviewed my own writing so many times that it just looks like garbage. Similar to saying a word over and over until it becomes meaningless and annoying? It's kind of the worst. So far the only solution I've found is to leverage my adhd and distract myself until I'm out of the danger zone. I've also found the more I do it the easier it gets, like exposure therapy. The anxiety poison damage from posting gets a little less now that I know "How It Works (tm)".

I do often get stuck on something (a scene, etc.) but my writing process is really messy and so I will leverage having multiple projects and just sort of tool around through them until I find something I can make progress on. If I have motivation I have to follow it or I'll never do anything so just going with the flow and not getting too hung up on doing things In Order or finishing my writing veggies before my writing dessert. Having little to no executive function means that there are some things that I can't do without spending extra spoons and I'm alright with some comfortable chaos.

[lizbethborden]

My boss is not detail-oriented and does not have a lot of interest in/respect for paperwork. He doesn't submit important forms on time and messes up processes for other people. We'll get reminders in a chain including both of us from our overboss about a bit of paperwork or housekeeping that needs to be done, and I'll be the one who responds and affirms the need and takes responsibility if it doesn't get done, even if he's the one who hasn't pulled his weight. He won't submit his expense reports on time, which gets the company card frozen, which means we can't get our transportation paid for; now I have to do the expense reports, for which I receive no credit/acknowledgment. I have to follow around behind him and submit those missing forms so that people can get their jobs done. I have to schedule reminders, send group messages, take notes at every meeting and make to-dos, submit tickets, follow up on tickets, emails, and messages from the team--oh, and also, he considers me "an extension of himself," meaning I also have to do hiring, sometimes totally solo with no formal training in our company's processes, issue disciplinary actions, manage issues with the schedule, and mediate between members of the team if they are having challenges.

He has some good instincts for sure. He's made some good choices. But I'm reminded of that observation that women tend to do the drudge work--the daily grind, the minutiae that keep the "house" going that are commensurately so, so much less fulfilling for being so small and for never being done done--whereas men tend to do bigger projects or once-a-week jobs that give them a sense of accomplishment, result in a visible change or improvement, and don't interfere with their day-to-day. When we had terrible staffing issues and he was physically working on the floor almost every day, then I understood why he seemed to struggle catching up with details and communicating information. Now we don't have that problem and I'm stuck wondering what he's doing all day, because it's not all the stuff that I'm doing, so I can't figure it out! The way he talks about and portrays himself seems to imply that he is nonstop grinding until the wee hours of the morning--quite literally I'll get emails at 3, 4 AM where he says "this is the only time I had to sit down today..." etc. Like, is that true, though? What have you been doing? I guess I should take the functioning machinery of the business as proof that whatever he's doing, on some level, it must be good; and I don't want to fall into the trap of assuming that because I don't "see" the work, it's not happening.

It all makes me feel frustrated, trapped, and lonely. Functionally, I'm a glorified secretary. I've already given myself a deadline for when I want to either be moving up or moving out from this job, but the day-to-day is so frustrating even knowing that I have an endgame.

[jenna-of-eluria]

i've been doing this job without a fully trained or capable backup for over two years now. during our 'team' meeting this morning my supervisor announced that they've decided to fill the position on our team vacated in january of this year before they fill the position that backs me up/does half the shit i've been doing on my own for years now. not only that but that they're reposting the position for the third fucking time. each time a position is posted the time from posting the position to filling the position (having an ass in the seat in this office) is six months.

and then when she was making small talk about pollen and whatever she's like 'are you okay? you're very quiet' what do you want me to say on a team call? that i'm once again disappointed and frustrated with the lack of support or care? i am physically burned out, i'm mentally crashed out, i can't keep doing this and y'all don't give a shit. i don't care how much you pay me a) it's never going to equate to a private sector salary and b) it's not worth the fucking stress.

i have zero hobbies now because i don't have a single second to focus on anything but meeting deadlines and properly filing paperwork. i have choice exhaustion, i have sovereign citizens calling and wasting my time. i'm so over this bullshit.

what happened to going out and photographing pretty landscapes? what happened to writing stories? what happened to using my imagination? now all i do is crawl in bed and sleep. and it's never enough it seems.

[t-utopia-idea]

If there was a part of my life I wish I could relive, it would be this moment.

I made it home thirty minutes after deadline. Mr. Carlson doesn't look for people who show up late. He's made it a point earlier on in my stay, all come to great him. If I don’t I'll be locked away in my room for much longer. He sat at the fire place cigar in one hand, glass of burban in the other. They must have finished their meeting some time ago.

"You're late. Three days."

"Yes sir."

With a cold calculated clink of his glass onto the table. He motioned me forward.

"You're going to need to sign some documentation here so that this whole process goes smoothly."

Something came over my fear of him that night. Was it the anger that my father had all thoes years ago?

"Yeah I'll sign it. Only if you have a couple of lines added onto my contract."

He paused. The cigar smoke started to burn my eyes.

"When did you finally grow up?"

I cried all the anger and frustration time and time again. Now all I can give him is a slight annoyed tone in my voice.

"You should know that your wife gave me the same contract you gave my father. Not only that but also my child custody papers. If you want to stay alive as long as you want, you'll redraw the contract you wish to apply to me."

He sighed to and fro for a moment. It felt as though I've defeated him. But he got up.

Learing over me his vemon spat, "Huh, Just like that? You think you're gonna get everything you want? Life does not bend to your will it bends to his."

His hatred seethed into my eyes. I don't think he believes in a God.

"You got custody of me, before the dirt settled on my father's grave. You asked my mother how much can a women make with just one child let alone two. You took me, got me tested for all sorts of things and when the doctor came back to you and said I was a match. That wasn't God that was you." I spat back calmly.

He took a step back to see me in totality. Maybe he recognized that I'm no longer a scared child or maybe he finally saw how bleak his options where. With one hand wave he dismissed me to my room. We'll have a discussion tomorrow morning.

[rryanmen]

Email Etiquette Tips

One of the most popular modern communication methods is electronic mail (electronic mail); the ability to send messages from one person to a recipient through a computer. This medium has been widely abused and misused, and the biggest responsibility is the lack of information that should be avoided when using email. Some things that people do while using this feature will push most recipients to the wall. There are hundreds of dos and don'ts, so in this article I have outlined some key issues related to using email. I have used email for over ten years. This is one of the best ways to communicate, but like any other facility, it can be easily abused and misused. Misuse has always been considered to occur when the purpose of the facility is not clear. Email will accompany us for a while, so it is necessary for users to practice etiquette and make everyone who uses it like it. Email Tips: 1. It is very frustrating to open the email quickly and reply to the sent email without getting a reply  . People will start to wonder if these emails were really approved or just delayed. Responding to email does not require confirmation that you have read all attachments, etc. You can reply simply to convey the information you have received, and you will read more details later. It gives the sender peace of mind. Although I recommend that you open email quickly, handle suspicious topics and attachments carefully to prevent your machine from being infected with viruses. 2. Know what you want to convey Long emails will never attract readers' attention. Get to the main points faster to ensure that people read and understand your point of view in the fewest words. I am not advocating that you start using jargon and shorthand in emails. People have just been busy due to increased demands in the workplace and in life. Your subject must match the content of the body of the message and the attachment. Avoid fooling people with attractive themes and texts, but the attachments do not meet expectations. Always be sure to organize your email and verify that you have said everything you want to say. It's annoying to type four times for the same subject and add more information to each email at the same time. If people notice a trend, they will often wait for the fourth edition of your email. Be clear in your email whether it is for someone's information or for your actions. 3. Organize and Manage Your Email When you're organized, your email becomes more efficient, making it an exciting experience. When I open the mailbox, the first thing I do is select all spam or spam and mark it as spam immediately. I also created folders to store emails of different categories. To automate the archiving process, I created email rules to help put emails in different folders without my interference. I think emails that are of no value will be deleted immediately to make way for usefulness. You will definitely find that doing so allows you to process hundreds of emails without getting tired. To avoid forgetting to track emails, I often mark emails as unread so that they continue to attract my attention. It helps me keep the loop because I can't stand unread emails for too long. I was surprised when I saw people with 400 unread messages. Important messages were hidden between less useful emails, so deadlines were missed, appointments were postponed, etc. 4. Be careful how you call yourself. Who is a carbon copy (cc) of your message and who is a blind carbon copy (bcc), which means that they received a copy of the email and the other recipients don’t know. When distributing newsletters or sending emails to hundreds of people, always place the address in a Bcc. Unsolicited emails are sent across the web because people unnecessarily reveal the addresses of other people. This can be annoying. Similarly, if you receive an email with a copy to 5 other people, use the reply option to send a reply to the sender instead of replying to all. Reply All will send your reply to everyone who receives the email. Use Reply All when absolutely necessary. 5. The format and accuracy of e-mail is important. It is important to note that e-mail is only a substitute for the usual handwritten letters in the past. People used to be very cautious about the format of the letter. Now, even with tools and utilities that can be used to properly format emails, check spelling, grammar, etc., people still send malicious and regular emails to recipients. Always check your spelling to make sure you are communicating what you originally wanted to say. Converse communication is easy. Scanning emails with your eyes alone will not help you eliminate the unavoidable mistakes in your mind. Sometimes leaving the email and coming back a few minutes later will reveal the entire error to you. Don't write all screaming capital letters or lazy lowercase letters, because both convey an attitude. Avoid using multiple colors in emails. This is not about decoration and background, but about information. Avoid emojis as much as possible, especially in business-related emails. Fonts that seem funny can be annoying because they make people spend more time reading emails. Avoid them.

[fitmydaydream]

Apologies - Part 3

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3

Prompt: Shawn becomes miserable after Y/N left for a so called break. But how long will the break last? Will Shawn be able to win her back?

Word Count: Almost 4k

A/N: Well who knew I would be writing a part 3 to this but here we are. I cannot thank you guys enough for showing so much love to me. I'll forever be grateful. I love y'all babies 🌸💕 Also this part is gonna be a bit longer so hold on tight!

One week. It has been one whole week since Shawn has last seen you walk through the door. One week of utter heartbreak. One week of loneliness and sheer regret. Shawn has been through it all.

The morning after you left, Shawn woke upto a cold hard floor realising he had cried himself to sleep on the floor only. Flashbacks of the last night hit him and there he was back again, grieving over your absence.

He called you several times but you didn't pick up even once. All his calls went straight to your voicemail and all the messages remained ignored. Every moment was stabbing him in the heart, blaming himself for all the mess. Oh god if only he would've acted a bit responsible.

The deadline was approaching near but he didn't care about it now. Whenever he would try and sit down to think about a song, his thoughts would get distracted and he would always end up thinking about the words you said.

You broke me in the blink of an eye Shawn.

A tear would slip down his cheek and he would wipe it off. He wasn't able to focus anymore. He was ignoring all the calls he was getting from his management team and has not been to the studio since the last week giving an excuse that he was working at home.

Brian and Andrew sensed something was up and decided to visit him due to his lack of presence in studio and the halted progress in work. Analysing the mess he has created out of himself and his surroundings, they decided to bring up the question.

"What do you think you're doing with yourself?" Andrew asked.

Shawn looked terrible. Red eyes, purple under eyes bags, messed up house and his lack of presence of mind were all evident of the fact of the immense effect it had on Shawn when you left him that day. He was not eating properly and probably was not in his best state at all.

"What? I'm working on stuff." Shawn said bluntly.

"Oh is it? Let me take a look at your work then. May I know where is it?" Andrew asked clearly pissed off.

"Jesus! Do you need a fucking proof of everything? I said I'm working on it!" Shawn argued.

"I know you're lying to my face Shawn. Otherwise why would you stop coming to the studio all of a sudden. Why would you even ignore our calls? Hell you even fought with Y/N. What's the problem man?" Andrew asked bluntly.

"That is the bloody problem Andrew! That is the bloody problem! She left. Y/N left!!!!!!" Shawn yelled.

"W-What?" Andrew was confused.

"Yes she fucking left Andrew after all that I said to her. I broke her terribly. I hurt her like an enemy and now she left and I don't even know if she's coming back or not!" Shawn broke.

Andrew was shocked. He stepped forward to put a hand in consolation over Shawn's shoulder.

"I get-" Andrew said but was interrupted.

"No you don't get it okay! It has all happened because of you people!!!!" Shawn shouted.

"You all are crazy. You all want me to follow my passion but at the same time want it done so quickly like I'm working on a damn written assignment or something. It's music for fuck's sake. It takes time you know? It requires thinking and a lot of emotions attached to it. It can't just come up with a song like that. I'm not even happy with my work anymore because you guys always want the work on your table so on time like some fucking dinner oh my god. And because of this, I've not been able to even talk properly with Y/N since the past several months as you guys always want me to be in the studio. I left her when she needed me the most. I ignored her. I didn't say anything because I thought this all was happening for good but no it wasn't and here I'm in the midst of a hell hole. I watched her walk past that door after begging her to stay and I don't even know if she'll ever be back? How am I supposed to focus Andrew? Tell me? Does this make you happy? Are you happy that I lost her?" Shawn was on the verge of tears with his voice cracking.

"So you're now saying that this is all because of us don't you? What fucking lame ass excuse are you giving us for a breakup which you were responsible for Shawn?!" Andrew said angrily.

Brian told Andrew to shut up just for once because this wasn't the right time to argue with Shawn.

"Yes I only mean what you're hearing? You're sick. Your whole management is sick. Thinks people are fucking robots or something. You and you management can go and fuck yourself!" Shawn retaliated.

Andrew was done with him. Brian dragged Andrew outside before this could get anymore ugly.

"What are you doing dude?" Brian whisper yelled.

"Wh-what I am doing? Didn't you see him being such an immature and irresponsible guy. It's like I don't know him and how the fuck did he dare to put this all on us. I'm-"

Brian interrupted " I know buddy. He's not in a right state. You know how much he was attached to Y/N. He loved her to death and with her leaving him now, he has totally lost it. He needs consolation and help Andrew and not people reminding him it's his mistake because he surely does know it. You and me we both know that he's not totally wrong about what he said about the management. It's partially our fault too you know? He worked more than he needed. You know what I mean right?" Brian asked Andrew and he kinda nodded slightly but not too much.

"I'll talk to him. I'll also try to talk to Y/N and see if this gets any better. But for now, give him a little more time for he is going through a lot right now. He's in pain and needs help okay. You can go now and I'll try to talk to him about this. Just be cool huh?"

Andrew nodded and went for his car. Brian sighed in relief and went inside. He saw Shawn sitting on the couch with his head in his hands.

He walked up to him and placed a hand on his knee asking "Hey buddy! How you doin'?"

"What are you here for now?" Shawn mumbled against his hands.

"What? I'm here to check up on my buddy. Gotta see is he's doing okay?"

"Well then you're gonna be really disappointed because I'm a screwed up mess right now. I don't know what to do. Y/N isn't picking up any of my calls neither is she replying to my texts. I think she hates me now and probably won't ever be back and all this wouldn't have happened if I wouldn't have been a dick to her. So there's that and I'm doing just fine I guess?" Shawn rambled.

"Woah! Woah dude slow down. So you're telling me you just called and texted her and never actually tried to go after her or chase her? What difference is that gonna make Shawn? What are you thinking?" Brian said surprisingly.

"What do you mean by that?" Shawn asked looking up, confused by what Brian was implying.

"You gotta reach out for her Shawn duh?" Brian raised an eyebrow hoping Shawn would get the indication.

"I'm not really getting you Brian. Stop beating around the bush and get to the point!"

"God! Are you really that dumb or do you pretend to be one. Well seems like you are actually dumb because what I'm trying to say is you got to reach out for her in real. All these texts and calls about how much you miss her and love her will not make any progress buddy. If you really love her so much then you gotta tell her about it. You've to find a way to meet her. I don't know how but figure it out before it gets too late and she changes her mind to not come back to you. Time is precious and you've already lost a week. Go after her. Chase her. Are you getting what I'm saying Shawn? No one considers a mere call or a text expressing your love or regret as a solid way to apologise you know." Brian asked.

"Oh shit! What was I thinking?" Shawn sat there wide eyed.

"Exactly. My point. But it's never too late. You've still got time. Think about a plan and chase her. As much as I know Y/N, Shawn she really loves you. And if you assure her that you're never gonna mess things up like this again and show how much love you hold for her, I'm sure she's gonna consider you another time."

"Yes I think you're so damn right. I should go but she's living with Noah and as much as I know Noah she won't let me meet her after seeing what I did to Y/N. She's never gonna let me meet her." Shawn ran his hands through his hair in frustration and groaned.

"Dude did you lose your brain somewhere or threw it into trash can someday because you're fucking stupid. Who told you to go and ring the bell and be a gentleman? Figure out her room and climb through a ladder like a romeo and get inside your Juliet's room and do your thing bitch!" Brian exclaimed.

Shawn stared at Brian for a minute as if he was a superhuman. He mentally face palmed himself for being so dumb and wasting so much time texting and calling her. Suddenly, he hugged Brian tightly.

"You're a saviour Brian! Thank you so much! God knows how much time I would've really wasted if you wouldn't have been on time here." Shawn said a bit happily as he got some hope that maybe he was not that late that he has imagined himself to be.

"You're welcome pussy." Brian said smiling. "Now go and do it! Good luck mate! I'm sure she's gonna be back and everything is gonna be alright! Just don't bring your defeated ass back home. Bring home victory!"

xx

It was raining and you were driving your way back to Noah's home after a tiring day at work. Yes, work. You decided to go back to work since sitting idle was eating you up and bringing back bad thoughts and memories which were never really helping you.

It has been one week since you walked out of that door and last seen Shawn's face. You wouldn't deny that you missed him. You missed him like crazy. And you were still in love with him.

You wondered how he must be doing. Would he be fine? Would he be sad? Would he be over you? Would he be expecting you to be back? Endless thoughts circled your minds daily and it was hurting you.

You also debated with yourself at times whether you did the right thing or not and that was the most scary part. You tried talking to Noah about this and it kind of helped.

"Y/N honey" she' sighed. "It was a decision you thought about right? It wasn't taken in the heat of the moment. You were hurt too much. Anyone who would've been in your place would've considered it to be an appropriate thing you know? I know what you're thinking but you needed some personal space to figure things out and that wouldn't have been possible if you would've still been there right? So stop beating yourself up" Noah said calmly.

You wouldn't deny that it helped talking to Noah about this but not that much that you expected. It was still bothering you.

You pulled your car in Noah's driveway and turned off the ignition. You signed and rang the bell. The door opened and you were greeted by Noah talking on her phone to someone. She smiled at you and you smiled back at her. She continued talking on her phone in a low voice but it was still audible to you.

"No I can't you know about Y/N right. She's sick and she has been living with me since a week so I gotta take care of her. I'll come in the next one for s-" Noah whispered.

You snatched the phone from her and answered "Actually Y/N is well and I would absolutely love to come around tonight. I'll be there at 8. Bye."

"What the hell was that Y/N? Why would you do that? You know I don't wanna leave you-"

"I know Noah and that's why I'd to do that. You've already done so much for me and I'm so utterly thankful of you that you stood by my side all the time and took care of me like a baby. But I'm fine Noah. I just want you to go out and have some fun and not avoid this just because of me. That'll make me feel even worse you know." you said while making a puppy face which you knew Noah couldn't resist.

Noah gave you a genuine smile and hugged you. You hugged her back.

"You bitch! You've to make that face don't you" Noah said and you chuckled.

"Yes and now go, get ready. Dress up sexy and get some ass." you said with a wink and Noah fake gasped.

After about an hour you saw Noah get ready to leave.

"I'll be back early. You'll be alright?" Noah asked you in a concerned way.

"No way! You'll not be back before 12 I'm ordering you girl. You better not be back home before that otherwise I won't let you in" you said in a made up manly tone.

"Okay mom!" Noah said and hugged you goodbye.

"Just drive safe and have fun!" you shouted behind her and she nodded while driving away. You sighed somewhat in relief and happiness. But now you were all alone. It was raining outside making it a gloomy evening.

It was already half past 8 so you decided to have a light dinner and retire yourself to bed by 9 after a good bath.

You couldn't help the thoughts about Shawn in your shower. How beautiful he looked when his lips curved into a smile, how the crinkles by his eyes appeared when he laughed flashing his perfect teeth, the way his perfect lips felt upon yours and how he was the ultimate source of happiness.

You shook your head to clear your thoughts. You turned off the shower and got out of it. Then you changed into your pjs and a loose t-shirt and snuggled yourself into the bed with the curtains wide open. You stared at your phone screen displaying hundreds of voicemails and messages that were not still opened by you and your hands itched to do that.

You watched the rain pour down and the thunder striking which always scared you. This reminded you of how Shawn would cuddle you in his arms whenever the lightning struck. A tear slipped from your eyes.

This was too hard. You wanted to go back to Shawn. You began to contemplate your decision whether you were right to leave him or not.

Shawn loved you. He moved away from his family and friends to live with you just because he loved you. And you knew how suoer stressed he gets when it comes to music. You thought whether you did the right thing to leave him when he needed you the most. He said you gave him motivation and what did you do? You left him? Yes he was wrong to say such things to you and heck even he did a mistake to ignore you but were you intending on taking a revenge from him instead of that? You loved him right?

Your thoughts were interrupted by a heavy pounding on your window. You were startled by the sound. You raised your head to get a better view and saw some wet curls slowly emerging up. You froze in your position. It was the person you were just thinking about. It was Shawn. He was trying to get inside. This is was all too much to process.

He was dripping wet. You realised you were staring for too long when he got restless and the pounding got faster signalling you to let him asap.

You ran towards your window and opened it. You helped Shawn get inside and he got you wet also. You quickly closed the window and went to grab a towel for Shawn to dry himself out. You handed him the towel while you caught him staring at you. You stared back at him.

This was such an intimate moment. You both were not saying anything. Just looking at each other, taking all in. It was like one of the many times when you both saw each other for first time. This was beautiful. He was beautiful.

"Come back Y/N" Shawn blurted out.

"Wha-"

"You heard it right baby. Come back. Just come back to me. It's too hard without you Y/N. Life's hard without you." Shawn said. He stepped forward and held your arms gently.

"I mean it. I love you Y/N. I love you with all my heart. I can scream it to the whole world and not feel even a tad bit of ashamed by it. I'm so disappointed in myself so much that I can't even tell you. In those past days, I just wanna tell you that it took everything in me not to run back to you every minute. I hated myself for doing this to you. There was not a moment when I didn't think about you. I wished I could just take all that back and tell you that you were not even near to what I said to you that day baby." Shawn's voice croaked.

"Shaw-" he put a finger on your lips.

"Shh! No let me speak today baby."

You were starting to tear up. He moved his hands to your cheeks and cupped them.

"Look into my eyes Y/N. Don't they scream about the love I have for you. Y/N you've saved me everytime I was about to fall. You are the power I have that keeps me on my toes. That keeps me motivated. You're my strength baby and not my weakness. You've that magic that helps me keep my shit together and not make me feel otherwise. You've been there for me when I used to feel so hopeless and useless. I don't wanna miss you like this Y/N. I want you like you used to be with me. I want you back. You keep me sane and at the same time you drive me insane. I love this contrast in my emotions when I'm with you. I'm at my best when I'm with you." Shawn was now crying. Light sobs were escaping your lips.

"What we have Y/N is so beautiful and magical. If I'd known what you were feeling like, I swear my love that I would've never left you like that everyday and would never have played so nonchalant. Distance, timings, breakdown, fightings and silence, we've been through it all. I don't wanna lose you baby. I've my whole life planned with you before my eyes. I always see you walking down the aisle and holding your face gently and kissing you in front of our families. I already see you as the mother of my children baby. I wouldn't trade this for the world. This is so precious Y/N. Just come back to me. I'm apologize with all my entire heart for all the nights I left you alone when I should've held you in my arms and have told you that it's gonna be fine. I should have been there for you when you woke up in the morning to kiss your lips. I regret not doing all those things in those past months which I intend to do now. Don't let this go Y/N my love. Don't let our forever get ripped into shreds babe. Just come back. Just come back baby." Shawn whimpered.

The look in his eyes said it all. The pain in those eyes were evident of the immense fear he was experiencing of losing you. It spoke to your heart directly. Someone once said that fall in love with the eyes because they never change. You saw it today. His eyes still held the same amount of love and tenderness as they'd when he first declared that he loved you. You were looking into eyes while you brought his face closer to you with your hands. Shawn placed his forehead on yours and you both were crying. It was getting too emotional. Shawn wiped a tear that was streaming down your cheek with his thumb and touched his nose with yours.

"I'm sorry" you whispered through sobs."Don't be. It's me who's at fault." he whispered back.

"No baby. I realised I left you when you needed me the most. You begged me to say but I couldn't hear you over my ego. I'm so sorry baby." You whispered against his lips.

"No baby. That was not your ego. That was your dignity and I'm so proud of you that you stood for yourself and kicked some sense into me." he cried softly against skin.

"I love you Shawn. I love you so much. We are not meant to fight like this. I miss us. I miss how we used to be. This love is good and you're the best thing that has ever been mine."

"I love you more baby. So fucking more. You're my life, my forever and my everything. I promise I'm gonna make this all better. The stakes will always be high but I'm ready to fight the world when you're right beside me holding my hand. I'm not gonna treat you like I did. You're my princess baby. No one can take what is ours and I'm fearless now."

You cried against his lips even harder. You took this moment to crash your lips against his. Shawn's hands held you closer to him by your waist as much as possible while your hands went from his chest to behind his neck where you interlocked them. The kiss was passionate, desperate and so loving. You bit at his lower lip. Shawn leaned into you more to make the kiss more intense. His hands roamed all over your body like a nomad wandering for his home. Your heart was healing with every second of this kiss. You realised this was all you'll ever want. His tongue delved into your and explored it with so much intimacy. You tugged at his curl which made him moan into your mouth. Suddenly lightening struck and you pulled out of the kiss, scared. Shawn looked at you and sensed that you were afraid so he wrapped you in his arms and kissed your head. You got engulfed in his scent and realised no place could be safer that his arms.

"I'm cold Shawn" you mumbled against his chest. " Well then I know just the right way to make you feel warm" Shawn said and you felt him smile against your forehead moving his lips straight down to your neck and kissing your skin over there. It was finally time to say goodbye to all the hardships and anguish and the perfect moment to celebrate the victory of love.

xx

I hope you guys liked how I ended it?! Feedback is cool! Also, if you've any ideas for any future imagines feel free to share with me ♥️ MASTERLIST

[atiredgothenglishmajor]

11.14.2021

As we are closing in on finals and final project deadlines, at least for me and my fellow college students, I would like to throw out some study tips. As a person with ADHD I struggle a lot with focus and absorbing the information that I actually need. This is what I have found helps me over the years in hopes that it might help you too:

- Everyone says this, but especially for people with focus issues, creating a space or environment for you to study is very important. I prefer to work with warm lighting, music playing to cover distracting background noises (I prefer classical, but everyone is different), and snacks and a hot drink so that I don't feel like I have to get up. Candles are also really nice and help me a lot, I have one candle I only burn when I am studying, the association with the smell helps my brain know it's time to work.

- Put your pens, highlighters, planner, anything else you know you always need right within reach before you start. That way you won't have to get up and search everywhere for that specific pen in an hour.

- Make a check list! Decide what you want to get done before you start. It also helps me to time out assignments. I give myself an hour for each classes assignments every night. Then if there is something I really don't want to do, I move on after a bit and it doesn't keep me from getting other things done (it also gives me a deadline to meet, and us ADHD people love our fast approaching deadlines).

- Don't be afraid when reading books or textbooks, especially if you find the language difficult, to look up summaries of chapters online. I know everyone is taught that this is bad, and I still recommend actually reading the chapter itself, but sometimes having an idea of what to expect makes the reading less daunting, easier to get through and understand.

- If you are having trouble remembering something, connect it to something you enjoy or maybe a song. Does it remind you of something else that you think about a lot in an obscure way? Can you sing it to the tune of jingle bells? Anything you can do to get the information to stick.

- Color code your notes! This is another thing you hear all the time, but if you can come up with categories that make sense to your brain, it makes it easier when you are looking for specific pieces of information. Sometimes having to sift through a lot of notes or pages in a book can be deterring and frustrating. This keeps you from breaking your study groove when you just need to double check that one pesky date.

If anyone can think of anything else, please add to this post! Let's all help each other out. I hope you have a productive week this week, and as wonderful a day as you can. :)

[protect-namine]

Based on my experience, I noticed that when a coworker gives me advice along the lines of, "don't worry about not meeting milestones on time because the only reward for work is more work/there will always be more work to do so don't kill yourself over what you're doing now", it usually means I ended up with a team that's a bit more understanding that not everyone has to be on 100% all the time.

And that is honestly such a huge relief. These are the kind of people that also won't try to micromanage me, which I have found is the biggest stressor for me when it comes to work. I hate being micromanaged sooooo much. And I already struggle with impostor syndrome and softening my language too much (I used to think I'm not confident, but tbh I think I just socialized myself to not talk assertively??)

But I'm also just really lucky to work in an industry where deadlines don't really matter beyond capitalism making you think it does (because shipping features faster means more profits amirite) (no that's not right because shipping faster means things are more prone to be buggy which costs more to fix in the long run)

ANYWAY I just....... I'm really fortunate with my new workplace, I think. My last one stressed me out so much that I would cry if I still knew how to cry lmao. The whole team did not like the manager and at one point we raised voices at each other in a 1-1 call out of frustration LMAO. Not my best moment, but we can still do "small talk" and talk friendly to each other outside of work so at least there's that (I think we still follow each other on IG lol). Never burn bridges if you can afford it. (She's actually an okay person, our work styles just clash A Lot and we're not a good match).

[linseysezines]

Article: Struggling Teenagers Look For Coping Mechanisms as a Result of Stressful Academic Environments Around the Greater Toronto Area

Every day is becoming more and more of an obstacle for senior students as the beginning month of January marks the new year. However, it is not a time to celebrate especially for senior students. Instead, it is a very intense and stressful time for these students. Around mid-January is when the deadline for university applications and in the following weeks collage too. During this time many students looking for loopholes such as ways to make their lives much easier. However, these methods aren’t always the most honest or ethical approach to stress relief. As exam season fast approaches many students are willing to do whatever it takes it to make the grade just in time for post-secondary applications. In most high schools across the GTA, may students are given final projects or culminating tasks near the end of their courses that are usually worth a very significant portion of their grade. Some students find these tasks rather difficult to handle as they interfere with the hectic examination schedule along with most of the teachers cramming in final lessons and tests right before the moratorium date.

Anna. S who is a very opinionated CyberArts student at Northview Heights knows how difficult it is to try to meet ends as she tries to finish a major culminating project. “Do you see these granny bags under my eyes, I’m so sleep deprived because of this stupid project”, she says as she continues sketching. “It really doesn’t help that I have so many projects due on top of that, I mean teachers should know how to be organized too if they expect it from us”, says Anna S who expresses her frustration and attitude towards Northview Heights. The department teachers for the art courses at Northview Heights have decided that it would be best for students if the exams are dropped for these courses and instead they find it much more suitable to assign students big art assignments and culminating projects where time isn’t as limited and the freedom of choice is greater than of an exam. There also many student like any who feel that they are harming their mental health and physical health as they lose sleep. The average teeangager needs about eight to nine hours of sleep daily, but statistically speaking the average senior high school student only gets about five to six hours of sleep. “Sleep is very important for teenagers, the body needs time to heal and it does that when they sleep. If they’re missing out on that it’s very unhealthy for them as their brain starts becoming more and more anxious to look for that relief”, says Samantha who is a mother. “There are times when my kids are missing out this important part because of school and I don’t believe they should put their health behind school. Health and wellness should always be first before anything else, continues Samantha.

However, not all teachers seem to be on board with the idea of student wellness as it raises eyebrows and suspicions amongst them as many teachers believe that students are responsible for themselves and their own time management skills.

Ran who is a senior Biology student also says that these days are rather stressful for her. “Biology is only one of four subjects I’m taking this semester, but nonetheless I more stressed out about the fact that everything it is all due at once. I guess it will all be okay if I manage my time”, says Ran. Just like Ran, there are thousands of other students who are balancing their time and working on time management to try to get the required tasks completed on time. Many teachers believe that the key to being successful in high school is all about good time management. “Students should know that it is very important that they learn how to manage their time wisely to fit everything that’s important into their schedules, otherwise piling workloads become rather difficult to manage”, says one of the teachers from the chemistry department.

However, time management is not the easiest task for many students. “What? $200 to buy an essay, are you kidding me”, says Jane Doe as she looks to purchase an online assignment to try to submit as hers. Jane who wishes to remain anonymous has a major writing project due the next day but is aware that she will not be able to finish it on time. “Eight pieces is actually insane, I think that a lot of students aren’t actually going to able to do this. Who even has time to write that much”, says Jane. While it’s true that courses such as writer’s craft require heavy writing, it’s very common that many students are looking for easier tactics than actually doing the work and this is because someone students are scared of the term known as “fear of failure”. It may be shocking but this is common amongst many students as they fear they won’t succeed academically or in some cases just in general. Students who feel this threat academically often look for easier ways of getting out of their work. This may include taking summer courses, online courses, night courses, and private school courses. Although most universities treat all the courses taken in these different categories as the same some prestigious universities don’t acknowledge courses done in the stated above categories. Most student, don’t go that far to get their credits especially because it requires additional time and sometimes extra cost that range from less than $500 to more than $1000. Students who just need temporary relief from assignments or tests look no further than to forge a doctor’s note. Recently, there has been an increase in the number of students who are willing to fake sickness to receive these doctor’s notes if they can’t be forged. Many of these doctor’s notes only require a visit and a small payment. Although some of the notes are not credible or believable, it is deemed to be a major problem when a teacher questions the authenticity of a medical note. Teachers can be under hot water for doing this including being under major legal trouble for this. Some teachers say that this is where they draw the line and it is the student who is at a disadvantage as they will learn their lesson in the future when they have difficulty with time management skills.

Some students believe that the stress goes way deeper than the surface level and way below the work teachers are assigning. Ali is a senior year student who does not agree with the teaching system of the western world. “You know what the problem is? It’s that this education system values the grade more than the learning”, says Ali as she flips through her chemistry notes in class. “University is a business and high school is becoming a gimmick and these clowns aren’t even giving back our tests”, says Ali as she makes reference to Northview new science department policies that add on to students lists of stress. For September 2018, Northview Heights implemented that students do not get to keep their tests or quizzes to take home. One of the teachers revealed that it was because questions of that nature were going to be asked on next years papers too. However, in compensation for that teachers post an old practice version of the unit test for their students to complete on learning tools such as Google Classroom. Not all students agree with this method. “This is whack, I’m telling you...how am I even suppose to study for my exams”, says Ona who is a senior chemistry student. “Like no joke, I’m actually dead serious, I don't’ get how I can do this, I actually stressed out for reals”, Ona says as she exits one of Northview’s chemistry labs.

At the end of the day, students should know that whatever they do is either for their own benefit or their own disservice and they are responsible for their own learning.

[thebrothershardy]

so i saw that you mentioned that you don't like the shattered medallion too much as a game. how come??

i actually just recently replayed this game so this is a wonderful time for me to talk about this!

this is one of those games that i believe was churned out a little too fast to meet a deadline. this plot has so many loose threads and unanswered questions in it and UNTAPPED POTENTIAL that it genuinely upsets me that it didn’t turn out as nicely as i wanted it to.

the entire reality show game aspect is so unnecessary, and honestly takes away from the true plot of this game: sonny and his grandfather’s quest. shattered medallion could EASILY have just been about that, and then we could’ve devoted more time to actually understanding the details of jin’s mission and the history of the relics. we have a lot of build up here that leads to a very unsatisfactory ending. is sonny satisfied with what happened with that relic in the cave? what exactly did the relic in the cave represent or do anyway? what does any of this mean for sonny?

as a matter of fact, this game is so sparse with giving us information about the main crux of this plot that half of the explanation is given to us via a huge exposition-dump from jamila. this is not exactly subtle or all that well done.

incorporating pacific run into this game created stress that honestly didn’t have to be there. the first time i played this game, i genuinely thought we were up against a clock and that the game wasn’t fixed; this caused me to practically run through the game trying to get the tasks done as quickly as possible in order to get those medallion pieces. and never mind the fact that patrick and leena were really leading the pack there in terms of points up until suddenly, it’s sudden death between nancy & bess and kiri. okay?

the soundtrack lacked a bit for me. kind of a small issue, but an issue nonetheless since the music plays a big part in creating atmosphere.

the culprit in this game is virtually nonexistent. kiri decides to play the role of Evil Reality Show Staple halfway through and sees this through to the end for some weird reason, and decides to go as far as killing us by trapping us in that cave for yet again some weird reason. why? i haven’t the faintest idea.

pacific run is such a cheap rip-off from amazing race that i kind of want to cry.

those random things falling around us, like that boulder at doubtful sound or the giant cube in the puzzle palace—was that kiri trying to take us out or was that just the dangers of new zealand? i have no clue, because nancy never comments on any of it.

speaking of nancy not commenting on things, it seems to be a universal frustration among people here that nancy never mentions recognizing sonny to sonny. 

in what world would a reality show like this have a “non-participating teammate.” what purpose would that even serve. how would that be interesting for the viewers. following that vein of thought, why would george choose sitting around researching on a tablet versus actually getting involved in the action? (at least, up until the rope bridge. up until that point, she was clearly the non-participating teammate until suddenly—oop.)

here’s my most nit-picky problem: the water animation is seriously lacking here. it is rarely ever moving when it should be moving (ie: the water under the bridge, the water in the cave after patrick jumps in, the way it then drains after patrick finds a way to unplug the whole thing) and that’s the sort of graphic work i would’ve expected from her maybe ten games ago.

in my opinion, the only shining light in this game are the characters. they’re all interesting, and bess especially gets a gold medal here for complexity and going below surface level. meeting sonny was also a serious plus, and after games and games of build-up, he lived up to my expectations of him. SHAME THAT THIS GAME DIDN’T