#computer science summer camp

[pingrysummercamp]

4 Reasons Why Pingry Summer Camp Excels in Computer Science Programs

In today's technology-driven world, computer science skills are becoming increasingly vital for future success. If you're seeking a top-notch computer science summer camp for your child, look no further than Pingry Camp. With its commitment to excellence, innovative curriculum, and expert instructors, Pingry Camp stands out as the best choice for computer science enthusiasts. Let's explore four compelling reasons why you should encourage your kids to enroll in a computer science summer camp at Pingry Camp.

Cutting-Edge     Curriculum: 

At Pingry Camp, the computer science summer camp offers a cutting-edge curriculum designed to keep pace with the rapidly evolving field. The camp covers a wide range of topics, including coding languages, web development, app creation, game design, and robotics. With a focus on hands-on learning and problem-solving, students are immersed in real-world scenarios, allowing them to apply their knowledge and develop practical skills. Pingry Camps for Summer ensures that its curriculum aligns with the latest industry trends, giving students a competitive edge in the digital landscape.

Expert     Instructors: 

 Pingry Summer Camp prides itself on its team of expert instructors who are passionate about computer science and dedicated to inspiring young minds. The instructors at Pingry Camp have extensive knowledge and experience in the field, ensuring that your child receives top-quality guidance and mentorship. They create a supportive and engaging learning environment where students can ask questions, explore new ideas, and push their boundaries. The expertise and enthusiasm of the instructors foster a love for computer science and motivate students to reach their full potential.

State-of-the-Art     Facilities: 

 Pingry Camp boasts state-of-the-art facilities that provide an ideal setting for a computer science summer camp. Equipped with cutting-edge technology and resources, the camp offers a conducive environment for students to learn and create. From fully equipped computer labs to advanced software and hardware, Pingry Camp ensures that students have access to the tools they need to unleash their creativity and turn their ideas into reality. The modern facilities enhance the learning experience and enable students to explore the limitless possibilities of computer science.

Collaborative     and Fun Learning Environment: 

Pingry Summer Camp fosters a collaborative and fun learning environment that encourages teamwork and camaraderie. The computer science summer camp at Pingry Camp promotes interactive group projects, coding challenges, and collaborative problem-solving activities. Through teamwork, students learn to communicate effectively, share ideas, and work together towards a common goal. This collaborative approach not only enhances technical skills but also nurtures important soft skills such as communication, leadership, and critical thinking. Pingry Camp ensures that learning computer science is an enjoyable and enriching experience for every camper.

Pingry Summer Camp stands out as the premier choice for a computer science summer camp, offering an exceptional experience for young learners. With its cutting-edge curriculum, expert instructors, state-of-the-art facilities, and collaborative learning environment, Pingry Camp provides the perfect platform for your child to explore and excel in the field of computer science. Enrolling your kids in a computer science summer camp at Pingry Camp ensures they gain valuable skills, ignite their passion for technology, and set a strong foundation for their future success in the digital world.

  Embrace the opportunity to give your child an unforgettable computer science experience at Pingry Camp this summer.

[remember-digimon]

Prodigious!

Izzy is the reason all these kids are still alive btw just wanted to make sure we all know that

So Izzy is smart. He brings a laptop and cellphone to summer camp and uses big words. But thankfully he does not fall into the trap of 'smart kids' of western media; overly nerdy, completely socially inept, you get the idea. No, Izzy is more than that. His intelligence has a basis in something besides a trope; namely, computer science and engineering.

(Don't even get me started on Matt being the one to go into engineering when IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN IZZY)

From the moment the kids land in the Digital World, Izzy is curious about it. His crest is knowledge but I really think it should've been curiosity. He gets Tentomon to evolve by hacking his code. He comes up with some aliens conspiracy to explain why they're there and why there's things like phone booths on the beach.

Izzy is the problem solver of the group. In fact, without him, the other kids are just... Kinda lost. Izzy has the answers, and if he doesn't he'll at least know how to find them.

Even though he's younger than the others, being 10 when they're 11, they treat him as an equal. This is opposed to the other kid that's 10, Mimi, who is kind of coddled, and the two youngest, TK and Kari, who are literally the hope and light of the group.

Izzy is basically Tai's second-in-command, deferring to Tai's leadership while Tai takes his input very seriously. However, Izzy isn't much of a leader on his own.

He gets distracted by details. When Mimi finds him in the temple, he's so busy on his laptop that she gets upset and runs off into a maze. I would attribute this to him being younger, and as he gets older he does get better at applying his intelligence to a leadership role.

Most of the kids have an interesting family dynamic and Izzy is no different. It's revealed that he's adopted, that his birth parents died shortly after he was born and his adoptive parents were friends that took him in.

What I like about this reveal is that, of course, Izzy found this out on his own due to his curiosity. He overheard his parents discussing whether or not they should tell him, deciding not to because he's too young.

During the Odaiba raid, when the kids have a moment, Izzy gets to finally have the conversation. They admit that he's adopted and tell him what happened, and he says he already knows. He didn't want to bring it up himself because he thought he could just pretend like things were normal, like before he knew. But obviously it couldn't. This shows the price he pays for his curiosity, that sometimes knowing things isn't all fun times and computer jargon. It isn't helpful for Izzy to pretend to not know, to ignore what he knows. Instead it's better for him to apply what he knows to react appropriately, instead of hiding behind the easier mode of willful ignorance.

This also comes into play, though in a different way, during Izzy's confrontation with Vademon. Izzy gives away his curiosity (under extreme duress but still) and is basically empty of all character after that. He does a weird alphabet yoga meditation and willingly gives up his crest and tag, when earlier in the episode his curiosity was at a boiling point over it.

This causes Tentomon to de-digivolve to the baby stage; the only other partner Digimon to go back to this stage is Patamon. With the loss of his curiosity, Izzy has lost the core of his being and is no longer able to maintain Tentomon's existence.

Of course, he gets it back and everything is fine afterwords. This episode is very interesting when looking at how things work for the kids and their Digimon, why the crests are important, etc. But that's a post for another time.

Izzy is incredibly important to the team. Without him, I highly doubt they would've made it very far at all. He's able to look up Digimon on his laptop, kind of like a Digimon version of a Pokedex, when none of the currently present Digimon can give an explanation about who they're up against. But aside from his usefulness as the Smart Kid, it's noteworthy that he uses his intelligence to be helpful instead of lording it over everyone. And he is still a kid, albeit with an impressive vocabulary, so sometimes his curiosity gets him into trouble.

[autumnmobile12]

Villain Deku AU

Most of the time when I see the Villain Deku AU, he's often crazy, and while I do love that concept, I really want to see more sarcastic, cinnamon roll 'Moxxie from Helluva Boss' vibes.

Shigaraki: And that's the plan, any questions?

Deku: Uh, yeah, what was that?

Shigaraki: That wasn't a question, Deku.

Deku: That wasn't a plan.

...

Remember my League of Morons vs A Summer Camp post?

Deku can fix that.

Shigaraki: All right, smart ass, you think you can do better?

Deku: I actually can. Your first mistake is attacking the second night of the camp. Let them all have their summer camp fun. By the end of a single week of non-stop, hardcore training, they'll be exhausted and less likely to fight off a surprise attack efficiently. Now, before the camp begins, we'll need Spinner to drive out there. You're the only one of us who hasn't committed any significant crimes yet.

Spinner: Why is that important?

Deku: *smiling cheerfully* Because you're a civilian. The Wild, Wild Pussycats aren't going to think it's weird if a civilian drives up to their base asking for directions through the mountains. Just make sure you have nice, dead battery for your cell phone. Ooh, or you could park on the road with a low tank of gas and walk up to their base! That'll sell it.

Spinner: Sell what?

Deku: You're getting the exact coordinates of the building for Kurogiri, of course. Once we have that information, he can open warp gates beneath our target while he's asleep and let gravity do the rest.

Kurogiri: You suggest we strike at night?

Deku: Right. You want to kidnap Kaachan, so we do it covertly while everyone's asleep. After that, if you really want to send a message to the heroes, we can always seal up the doors and windows, then Mustard can gas the building. Or Dabi can burn it to the ground. Your choice. Painless death in their sleep or painful death by fire?

Dabi: ...holy fuck, that's insane.

All-For-One: *through the computer monitor* Intriguing proposition, Deku. I suppose you have a back-up plan in case something goes wrong.

Deku: About that, it's entirely possible one of the Pussycats or UA teachers will be on look-out and if that's the case, Eraserhead will be the biggest obstacle. Most of you rely extremely heavily on your Quirks. We'll have to work on that, but in our current time frame, doing so before the summer camp is not feasible. So we'll need to remove the one player who can nullify Quirks. That'll be Mr. Compress's job.

Compress: And how exactly will I do that?

Deku: You'll hit him with a surprise attack. Kurogiri will open a warp gate for you, and the second he does, then you strike. Simple.

Muscular: Yeah, and what about the rest of us?

Deku: You'll be on standby in case Compress fails or draws too much attention to himself. Now about our hostage situation...do we really want Kaachan?

Kurogiri: What do you mean?

Deku: Well I know Kaachan. Despite his violent tendencies, he does have a strong sense of justice and he won't be easy to corrupt. Might I suggest taking the heteromorph students instead? Given society's discrimination problem against what they call the 'non-human' types, they've already got a reason for dissatisfaction with how they've been treated since they were born. Oh, and we should take Yaoyorozu Momo, too.

All: ....why?

Deku: She's rich. Her Quirk is infinitely useful, of course, but even if we can't convince her to join the League, her family will pay us a hefty ransom to get her back. For the record, so will Endeavor if we abduct his youngest son, too. Or we could just ransom the oldest one if all else fails.

Dabi: How the fuck did you know?!

Deku: ...Todoroki Touya allegedly burned up in a massive forest fire and the body was never found. You have a fire Quirk and horrific, full body burn scars and are the age he would have been today. It's not rocket science.

Shigaraki: ...this brat just hijacked my entire plan.

...

He'd quickly become the Bilbo Baggins of LoV, the one who's solving all the problems right up until they get to the fight with Gigantomachia, at which point he says, "No, I'm not helping you this time. He's gotta respect you, this is your quest. I'm not the fighting type, so I'll just sit back and watch." Proceeds to sit quietly and take notes while observing the fight.

Dabi also wasn't helping out with that fight, so every now and then he checks in on their progress. He just shows up, mildly entertained and mostly annoyed by the collective ineptitude (not that he's any better,) and he walks up to Deku.

Dabi: So how many ways have you thought of to defeat him?

Both: *duck as Spinner goes flying over them*

Deku: ...47. How's that recruitment process going? Because you're starting to look way more useful as a bargaining chip for ransom.

Dabi: Says the guy who's just sitting here.

[sometimesanalice]

I’m so curious about ‘Like I Can” and reader’s childhood/high school background!! Could we get some little flashbacks? Your work is amazing btw❣️❣️❣️

Ah! This was such a fun message to get! Sorry it took me a minute to respond, I wanted to make sure I had time to sit down and give it the attention it deserves!

What do you want to know? My inbox is always open, so please feel free to send thoughts or questions in any time they pop up! 🫶🏻

But here’s more about Sweet Girl for you! (i might have gone a little overboard, lol)

Sweet Girl was a bit of a shy girlie and a bit of a late bloomer in her younger years. It wasn’t until high school where she really started coming out of her shell.

She spent a lot of time at the Bradshaw house growing up and felt like it was hers too. Carole was the one who first gave her the “sweet girl” nickname and they had a really close relationship (sg still has the locket Carole gave her for her 13th birthday). And SG’s favorite nights were the ones where they’d get to have sleepovers. The moms would be upstairs having their own (wine, brownies, and romcoms), and her and Bradley would have free rein of the living room. (she famously isn't a fan of movie theater popcorn while Bradley is the extra butter kind of guy, but she does like the kettle corn kind.)

After her parent’s divorce, she had a complicated relationship with her dad. SG never saw it coming and then he moved very quick with a new wife and step siblings, and she felt really betrayed there for a while.

She had a few close friends in her grade, but Bradley was always who she considered her best friend. And because of that she did get picked on sometimes mainly by shitty boys who didn’t understand why they were so close or why he’d want to hang out with her (especially since they have a 2 year gap, so they’d call her his shadow or a tagalong). Bradley made it clear that anyone who messed with her wasn’t cool with him, but there were still some comments under breaths that she’d hear sometimes chose to keep to herself.

She’s always been artsy (she doodled some very detailed fireballs on the page of the sheet music book with Great Balls of Fire that she gave Bradley for his 12th birthday). But her favorite classes in high school were AP history (preferred euro over us) and computer science. (She originally wanted to be a graphic designer, and focused on pursuing her freshman year in college before later changing her major.)

Tennis was her sport of choice, and she was pretty decent at it. Her mom, Carole, and Bradley (baseball schedule depending) were always in the stands to cheer her on (the moms had to sit through so much spring sports, those opaque tumblers were definitely filled with wine, lol)! Both SG and Bradley had shirts they’d made as self professed #1 fan of the other when they were at each other’s games. The year she almost made it to the state playoffs was the year after Carole passed away, and after that happened and seeing her mom there alone in the stands without Carole or Bradley, she quit playing.

Miss ma’am is a smart cookie, and was one of three valedictorians in her class. (She did not audition to give the speech and let one of the others do it because she doesn't like a lot of attention directed at her.)

Her respect for the library (and why she won’t make out with Bradley in the stacks, even though he’s always trying to get her to after they get together, she won’t but she does let him carry her books, lol) is because she used to spend her summers volunteering there. Bradley would either drop SG off or pick her up depending on his baseball camp schedule and his job scooping ice cream. (Which Bradley has a struck ‘no milkshakes’ in the montero rule after she spilled hers one time, and he never let her forget about it)

I do have plans for a couple longer oneshots about their younger years! Including one about the night at the homecoming party where Bradley got his scars, and then also about the period after Carole died and Bradley's self destructive era (when he tried to implode their friendship).

As for some little flashbacks, I think that sounds like so much fun! I love their dynamic so much and have fun weaving in things from their past into the stories I write when I have the chance to do it! If there's specific things you're interested, send them my way! I'm happy to keep a little list and work on them when the time and inspiration hits!

[zoesblogsposts]

o 625 words to know in your target language o

There is a really interesting blog called "Fluent Forever" that aids foreign language learners in tricks, tips and techniques to guide them to achieving fluency "quickly" and efficiently. One of the tricks is to learn these 625 vocab words in your target language, that way you have a basis to start delving into grammar with ease as you can understand a lot of vocab right off the bat. Plus this list of words are common across the world and will aid you in whatever language you are learning. Here is the list in thematic order

• Animal: dog, cat, fish, bird, cow, pig, mouse, horse, wing, animal

• Transportation: train, plane, car, truck, bicycle, bus, boat, ship, tire, gasoline, engine, (train) ticket, transportation

• Location: city, house, apartment, street/road, airport, train station, bridge hotel, restaurant, farm, court, school, office, room, town, university, club, bar, park, camp, store/shop, theater, library, hospital, church, market, country (USA,

France, etc.), building, ground, space (outer space), bank, location

• Clothing: hat, dress, suit, skirt, shirt, T-shirt, pants, shoes, pocket, coat, stain, clothing

• Color: red, green, blue (light/dark), yellow, brown, pink, orange, black, white, gray, color

• People: son, daughter, mother, father, parent (= mother/father), baby, man, woman, brother, sister, family, grandfather, grandmother, husband, wife, king, queen, president, neighbor, boy, girl, child (= boy/girl), adult (= man/woman), human (# animal), friend (Add a friend's name), victim, player, fan, crowd, person

• Job: Teacher, student, lawyer, doctor, patient, waiter, secretary, priest, police, army, soldier, artist, author, manager, reporter, actor, job

• Society: religion, heaven, hell, death, medicine, money, dollar, bill, marriage, wedding, team, race (ethnicity), sex (the act), sex (gender), murder, prison, technology, energy, war, peace, attack, election, magazine, newspaper, poison, gun, sport, race (sport), exercise, ball, game, price, contract, drug, sign, science, God

• Art. band, song, instrument (musical), music, movie, art

• Beverages: coffee, tea, wine, beer, juice, water, milk, beverage

• Food: egg, cheese, bread, soup, cake, chicken, pork, beef, apple, banana orange, lemon, corn, rice, oil, seed, knife, spoon, fork, plate, cup, breakfast, lunch, dinner, sugar, salt, bottle, food

• Home: table, chair, bed, dream, window, door, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, pencil, pen, photograph, soap, book, page, key, paint, letter, note, wall, paper, floor, ceiling, roof, pool, lock, telephone, garden, yard, needle, bag, box, gift, card, ring, tool

• Electronics: clock, lamp, fan, cell phone, network, computer, program (computer), laptop, screen, camera, television, radio

• Body: head, neck, face, beard, hair, eye, mouth, lip, nose, tooth, ear, tear (drop), tongue, back, toe, finger, foot, hand, leg, arm, shoulder, heart, blood, brain, knee, sweat, disease, bone, voice, skin, body

• Nature: sea, ocean, river, mountain, rain, snow, tree, sun, moon, world, Earth, forest, sky, plant, wind, soil/earth, flower, valley, root, lake, star, grass, leaf, air, sand, beach, wave, fire, ice, island, hill, heat, nature

• Materials: glass, metal, plastic, wood, stone, diamond, clay, dust, gold, copper, silver, material

• Math/Measurements: meter, centimeter, kilogram, inch, foot, pound, half, circle, square, temperature, date, weight, edge, corner

• Misc Nouns: map, dot, consonant, vowel, light, sound, yes, no, piece, pain, injury, hole, image, pattern, noun, verb, adjective

• Directions: top, bottom, side, front, back, outside, inside, up, down, left, right, straight, north, south, east, west, direction

• Seasons: Summer, Spring, Winter, Fall, season

• Numbers: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 21, 22, 30, 31, 32, 40, 41, 42, 50, 51, 52, 60, 61, 62, 70, 71, 72, 80, 81, 82, 90, 91, 92, 100, 101, 102, 110, 111, 1000, 1001, 10000, 100000, million, billion, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, number

• Months: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

• Days of the week: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday

• Time: year, month, week, day, hour, minute, second, morning, afternoon, evening, night, time

• Verbs: work, play, walk, run, drive, fly, swim, go, stop, follow, think, speak/say, eat, drink, kill, die, smile, laugh, cry, buy, pay, sell, shoot(a gun), learn, jump, smell, hear (a sound), listen (music), taste, touch, see (a bird), watch (TV), kiss, burn, melt, dig, explode, sit, stand, love, pass by, cut, fight, lie down, dance, sleep, wake up, sing, count, marry, pray, win, lose, mix/stir, bend, wash, cook, open, close, write, call, turn, build, teach, grow, draw, feed, catch, throw, clean, find, fall, push, pull, carry, break, wear, hang, shake, sign, beat, lift

• Adjectives: long, short (long), tall, short (vs tall), wide, narrow, big/large, small/little, slow, fast, hot, cold, warm, cool, new, old (new), young, old (young), weak, dead, alive, heavy, light (heavy), dark, light (dark), nuclear, famous

[hypokeimena]

i know i could google it but i love to question american mutus, what's it really like in a frat ?

well like it's extremely variable. one of the primary things that makes frats scary and nonfunctional is the fact that at MOST schools, the frat is technically "off campus" housing which means that the university - while dependent on greek life to provide housing to students - has no or extremely limited legal control over behavior which happens in frat houses bc... it is "off campus". which is what leads to the kind of bad shit you hear about bc there's very little like... accountability. HOWEVER greek life at my school was 1. housed in dorms 2. at a school with a more liberal milieu, and also not an enormous part of campus culture - it was there if you wanted it but it wasn't the ONLY place to socialize, or the only kind of group housing etc, the way it is in some other more rural schools where that's sort of the only thing there is to do yk. also 3. it was a group that very much self-selected for people who cared about Living In Community who wanted a space that was not as traditionally "fratty".

i tend to feel it has much more in common with the way i've seen people describe coop housing than with other frat houses; we were a greek letter org with a national - but we are co-ed and legally distinct, though we still share songs and a history with the all-male org.

so for me "what was being in a frat like" well it was like living with a bunch of people who all agreed that we wanted to live together, drink responsibly together, and learn all the same drinking songs. together. which i think is not typically the experience for many people!

checked in with a college friend to see if this description held true to her perception also and she said "well housing coops don't ritualistically blindfold members" which i feel like is a big thing for her to claim. they might. i don't know that. anyway it was good and fun and we did not do Hazing except in to a degree that was entirely opt-in.

have these descriptions also: "[frat was] like kind of a traditional frat, kind of a religious community a little bit (in the way that frats are that) and kind of like coop housing for people who like movie nights. also kind of like attending city council meetings. a homeowners association for self destructive people. socialization daycare for computer science students. sleepaway summer camp but the kids and chaperones are the same age. and also the same people. [frat] is like the post-musical rager for high school students who played in the orchestra pit" (h/t @oddliestcatch)

[laxmiree]

[CN] MLQC Lucien's Through Thousands of Mirrors event translation (Day 1 -Thursday)

⚠️ SPOILER ALERT ⚠️

This post contains a HEAVY SPOILER for the event that has not been released in EN yet! Feel free to notify me if there are any mistakes in the translation~

Through Thousands of Mirrors Event | Day 1 (You're here!) | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | HS/Uni SSR Story: Monochrome Scenery

-

[Tidbits: I don't wanna break the flow so I'll put some information here first 😂. Dr. Lawson is Lucien's post-grad professor. Before, he also appears in UR MQ Distant Similarity. During his post-grad he has three seniors Colt, Elliot, and Caroline.]

-

[Math]

Seeing the particularly puzzled expression on the classmate next to him, Lucien starts to consider whether he should offer some assistance within his capabilities.

For instance, he thinks about telling the classmate that the topic currently being discussed on the blackboard is not from the same chapter as the one in the textbook he's currently reading.

-

[MATH/BIOCHEMISTRY]

After the vending machine devours Lucien's one dollar and twenty-five cents for the third time, and with only three minutes left to get to his next class, he begins to seriously contemplate whether he should try some mysterious repair method—like giving it a good smack or a swift kick.

-

[BIOCHEMISTRY]

Lucien coincidentally runs into Colt by the sports field, just as Colt is about to attend a cricket practice session.

Upon realizing that his senior from the lab is not only managing coursework and a significant project workload but also juggling a 20-hour weekly part-time job and daily school cricket team training, Lucien begins to contemplate whether there is any room for further optimization in his own schedule.

-

[PREVIEW/COMPUTER SCIENCE]

During the brief half-hour period, Lucien typically uses the time to prepare for the upcoming class or visit the library to research and gather information.

In any case, that time should not be spent on arguing and explaining to people, like the enthusiastic campus volunteer in front of him.

"No, thank you. I'm not a high school student attending a summer camp. This is my student ID, and I'm indeed a student here, a graduate student. Yes, I'm not lost, and I need to get to my class. Can you please let me go?"

-

[COMPUTER SCIENCE]

Lucien presses the enter key, intending to ask the teacher if he can leave early once his coursework is done. However, the error message on the screen deters him from that thought. So, he sits back down and begins to examine it again.

But that's okay, he does understand the commonality between computer science and experimental research: it's often hard to know right away if the thing at hand will work, why it's not working, or even why it's even working.

-

[LAB]

Come on, come on, come on. After moving this box, there's another.

And after moving that box, there are three more to go.

The prospects for the future and the shine in one's eyes are often taken away by the God of research in such necessary yet mechanical repetitive work.

-

[LAB]

Lucien goes out to get some water and returns to find a school burger on his desk.

Colt, with dark circles under his eyes, waves at Lucien and saying, "No need to thank me, newcomer. Have some food, we might be staying here today."

Lucien quietly eats the burger, hesitant to tell Colt that he has spent more time in the laboratory than in the dorm.

-

[LAB]

When Dr. Lawson enters the laboratory, what he sees is a scene where his graduate and doctoral students are sleeping and sprawled all over the place.

On the laboratory whiteboard, several words were written in large letters: "Publish immediately! Guaranteed to be published in Nature!!"

Dr. Lawson retrieves small blankets from the cabinet, covering each of these research madmen.

He proceeds to organize the data and take over the finishing work on the project. Of course, when it comes to authorship in the paper, not a single one of these kids' names can be left out.

[tesco-finest-aromantics]

why did cryptographers have to name this thing that...

trying to get through a computer science summer camp with the lecturer talking about nonces is not good for the lecturer nor the teenagers they're presenting to. every time they say nonce there's just a snigger across the whole room

i sure wish it was avoided in our course

[lesbiantoaster]

Modern (Academic) AU - Nevermore

This modern AU is my extension of modern AU headcanon* where Lenore and Annabel are PhD students in rival research groups at the university of two rival faculties (Physics and Mathematics) that need to share a building because of low funding. Since PhD school is kinda like purgatory on its own so it's quite a fitting setup imo.

>> Lenore's a physicist (specialization: Particle Physics and Programming), while Annabel's a mathematician (specialization: Statistics and Algorithms)

>> They met just before the start of the PhD programs while volunteering as counsellors at a summer science camp organized by their university for high school students

>> They shared a room and bonded over the excitement of beginning the PhD programs, their academic interests, their love for games etc. But it wasn't long before their relationship evolved into something more and soon after they started dating

>> Lenore's style could be described as edgy/rebel but started to dress smarter (like a nice shirt and pants and sometimes a tie too) for the job, while Annabel's is more preppy with floral accents and always wears a small raven-shaped necklace Lenore's got her for their second date

>> Since starting dating Annabel, Lenore started incorporating floral motives into her wardrobe as well (like floral patterned shirts, ties, socks etc.)

>> Lenore's out and proud but her parents disowned her at the beginning of her studies. Luckily she has some rich grandma/grandpa who could financially support her. Her older brother Theo used to be in the same PhD program but before graduation, he disappeared.

>> Annabel is still in the closet.

>> They're both super talented and are soon deemed rising stars of their departments

>> In Lenore's team there are also four other PhD students: Duke, Berenice, Eulalie and Pluto, and they all share the same workroom at the University

>> Duke is Lenore's closest friend; their desks are next to each other and they hit the gym together on a regular basis

>> Annabel's team consists of another PhD student Prospero (who is this stereotype of math purist that looks down on other fields because "Mathematics is the purest form of science" 🤢) and Will, annoying secretary Ada who thinks she's better because she's working at university (she handles the documents and other papers for real scientist but she still thinks she's the next Marie Skłodowska-Curie). There's also a postdoc Monty, who no one likes and no one is sure who hired him (he's a little shady). There's also a Master's degree student Morella (who did her Bachelor's degree at the Faculty of Physics -and she knows the gang from Lenore's group - but switched for Master to Mathematics)

>> Both of their groups research quantum computing but because of the lack of funding they have to fight with each other for the money and rivalry evolves into people despising each other

>> The Deans don't want to do anything with that because they find this whole drama entertaining.

>> Both girls want to go to the same Institute in Europe for their postdocs so Annabel comes up with a plan to get them both jobs at that Institute that includes them pretending to hate each other

>> Everyone knows about the beef of unknown origin between the two most promising PhD candidates

>> Lenore is that kind of TA that gives off an "older sibling"/"cool uncle"/"bad boi" vibe, she rides a cool motorbike every day and the students simply adore her! Some even have an obvious crush on her and try to flirt with her but Lenore is really awkward and such a simp for Annabel lee she interprets it as them being nice/buttering her up for a better grade

>> Annabel on the other hand is pretty much a "ice queen" of the department she's respected for her work but also people low-key (high-key) fear her. She also (but you didn't hear it from me) tends to go harder on students she knows who tried to hit on her pet. But you can't prove her anything.

>> Once a week Lenore has the whole work room for herself and that's when Annabel sneaks out for lunch dates with her gf to talk about each other's day, hold hands and steal a kiss or two

>> However one day Eulalie almost walks in on them but Annabel quickly dived under Lenore's desk. Lenore tried to act normal while Eulalie was looking on her own desk for some papers she forgot earlier.

"You must be really hungry today, Lenore." Said Eulalie.

"Wha- Why would you think that???" All but shouted flustered Lenore.

"Because you're eating chocolate pancakes AND a chicken sandwich" Eulalie pointed to the two meals on Lenore's desk "Weird combination if you ask me... But if you like eating that way I guess that works too." then she leaves.

>> Both Annabel and Lenore are gamers but of a different kind. Annabel loves every strategy game and streams her gameplay in her free time. She is also an international champion in online chess. She and Lenore often play chess together but Annabel always wins. They make a deal that if Lenore would ever win against Annabel the loser will grant a winner one wish.

>> Lenore on the other hand loves tabletop games - especially RPGs. And she DMs a homebrew D&D campaign for the gang + Morella.

>> (Of course when Lenore asked the gang to name their D&D party they chose "Misfits")

>> Lenore feels guilty for lying to her friends and tells Annabel so, to which her gf responds by hugging her and saying something like "I'm sorry, pet, I know it's hard for you but it has to be done... Our future dream jobs depend on it. We are doing this for us and after all... they still are our competition on the job market... no matter how much we might like them or not."

>> After the first year they move in together into the small apartment

>> And they have these cute moments like cooking together, making lunches for one another, Annabel helping Lenore to tie a tie in the morning, Lenore giving Annabel massages when she comes back home all sore after a whole day walking in heels, both girls pulling all-nighter grading students' tests or doing some studying themselves and taking turns making coffee, etc.

>> Now that Lenore's got her own place she hosts most of the D&D sessions for the gang (to not raise any suspicions).

>> Before every session the girls need to clean their apartment of any evidence of their relationship and when the gang comes over Annabel stays in her streaming room playing games/doing some work. Lenore tells her friends that she has this weirdo-roommate that almost never leaves their room and they're better not to be bothered with.

>> All this work, however, goes in vain, when Pluto unexpectedly comes over to Lenore's flat to ask for help with some work before his first conference. To make things worse the girls were expecting the delivery guy to bring them their food that evening. Imagine Pluto's surprise when the person who opened the door was no other but the Ice Queen herself wearing sports shorts and a worn-me-down t-shirt and behind her Lenore was sitting on a sofa.

>> After a while girls manage to calm hyperventilating Pluto down, they ask him to keep it a secret. Pluto wasn't too keen on lying but Annabel managed to persuade him not to tell anyone. He agreed but only if Lenore will come clean about her and Annabel lee relationship.

>> So before the next session Lenore finally tells the rest of the gang the truth. There's feeling of betrayal, some tears and lots of shouting because they (especially Duke) are hurt that Lenore has lied to them.

>> There's some drama and silence treatment towards Lenore for a couple of weeks but it made everyone even more miserable so they eventually all reconcile.

>> At first the gang remains sceptic towards Annabel lee but after some time they welcome her to the group. She occasionally joins them for D&D sessions or board game nights (when everyone fights to be with her in the same team because Annabel gets really competitive and her team always wins no matter the game).

>> Annabel finally has a support system she so needed in her life and that's so wholesome

>> Annabel and Lenore's third anniversary was at the same time as a conference in Cambridge both girls were selected to represent their teams on

>> During free time Annabel took Lenore on a walk around Trinity Colledge (the place where Isaac Newton - a great mathematician and physicist - studied) and proposed to Lenore there (she of course said "yes")

>> Later on that day Lenore asked Annabel to play chess with her to which Annabel gladly agreed

>> Lenore wins

>> Annabel asks "Very well done, pet. I'm impressed with your strategy. So what do you wish for?" Lenore takes Annabel's hand and looks her straight in the eyes and answers with a sly grin slowly forming on her face "For the Queen's hand in marriage" She pulls the ring box with her other hand "... if she agrees, of course". Annabel almost leaps over the table with the chess board to kiss her soon-to-be-wife.

The end.

It was in my head for a while and I wanted to share it somewhere. I just thought what if instead of repressed Victorians they all were just giant nerds and this is a result of my thinking.

*inspired by this post by @incorrect-nevermore and @spoopy-nevermore-dump (so thank you, guys! I had lots of fun making this shit up XD)

Bonus:

>> Lenore's supervisor is an older detached from reality professor who can't for the life of his remember the names of his assistants, so he calls Lenore "Lenny", Duke "David/Damian", Eulalie "Eugene", Berenice "Veronica" and Pluto "Matthew" (for some unknown reason). At first, the gang was annoyed by it but it quickly transformed into an inside joke between the misfits and they even have each other's contacts saved under those names.

[scrapsovereign]

Fic idea: Isekai BG3 AU where Ascended Astarion and Gale try to kidnap Tav in an interesting setting to bring her back…but were off by about 100 years.

If you liked country, maybe you could write a song about the week you’ve had.

Starting Sunday, you cried all the way home from the vet and all night after you put down your very sick 21 year old cat, went in Monday to find you’ve been let go from your job at the Box of Human Suffering, and came back to your apartment early to find your partner in bed with their coworker.

Fan-fucking-tastic.

You make it to your bestie’s place and crashed in their spare room- you’re still invited to Ren Faire if you want to go. It’ll be fun! You can stress shop, get trashed, be hungover in the hot, hot sun…

Feeling like shit outdoors in the beautiful cottage core fever dream that is the PNW summer is better than feeling like shit at your apartment around your now ex-boyfriend. Besides, there’s no cell phone signal at site so you can avoid the inevitable garbage fire that is the social media fallout.

The night before you make your way to Ren Faire you can’t sleep. Stupid global warming. The open window in your friends’ guest bedroom helps to cool off the room some but it’s still pretty warm. Eventually, you fall asleep…with your phone on your face.

A slender, pale hand picks it up, puts it aside on the table next to you, and smooths back your hair. That feels really nice. You hum out in bliss, a peaceful smile on your lips.

“Soon, we shall be reunited at long last, my treasure.”

That voice. You’ve heard it before in dreams just like this one.

What happens next is something that you’re sure there’s a million Labyrinth fanfics about. Damn, that’s a spicy dream- you had to fake it with your ex but this guy? You have 3 orgasms! In an hour! That’s more than you had in your whole 2 year relationship that just ended!

The next morning, you make it to the event with your friends and are setting up when you hear the couple in the site next to you bickering. You poke your head around to look at the corner to see an Astarion and a Gale cosplayer arguing with each other. They’re so in character it hurts. “Astarion” looks like he’s about to stab “Gale” with a tent pole before you intervene and offer your help.

Turns out they’ve never been to one of these things before! You laugh darkly at the situation of your new thirst trap friends. Two hot guys with British accents at REN FAIRE of all places is like dumping a bucket of blood in shark-infested waters.

And YOU get to be their guide.

You learn a little more about them, but it doesn’t add up. “Greg” teaches computer science but doesn’t say where and looks at you weird when you crack a joke about the internet being a series of tubes. “Ryan” says he’s a lawyer who works in downtown Seattle but won’t tell you what flavor of lawyer he is and he’s never heard of Jeff Bezos’ Balls.

Huh.

Ryan is super excited to learn about and partake of all the drunken debauchery that happens after dark, so you drag your new friends to all the different camps and make sure they know some of the rules before you let them loose.

You knock back some blue pixie stick and cackle at Ryan when he does a spit-take from the sweetness of the drink. Greg (who ignored your warning about not eating more than one atomic cherry because he wanted to show off how well he could tie a knot with the stem) gets into a very spirited debate with your DnD buddies on the nature of “The Weave”. While he’s distracted, Ryan drags you away from site, away from the event, far beyond the parking lot.

He looks down at you with adoring eyes, your hands held delicately in his, his silver hair positively glowing in the moonlight. He begins to lean down toward you- oh shit, is he going to kiss you?!

“Uhhh…I’m fresh out of a breakup, this probably isn’t a great idea if you’re looking for something that isn’t casual- and I don’t want to come between whatever’s going on with you and Greg.”

He barks out a laugh. A wicked smile spreads across his face, displaying that really great pair of fake teeth. You make a mental note to ask him later where on Etsy he got them from.

“It’s time to go home, Octavia. You can abandon this little charade of yours.”

You stare up at him blankly, feeling uneasy all of a sudden.

Why is he calling you by your middle name? That you never gave to him? Which is also your grandmother’s first name? Your grandmother, (who you bear an uncanny resemblance to), who died more than a decade ago?

You ask him as such. His lips curl in to a snarl, his hands tighten painfully around yours.

“Don’t be stupid, pet. Do you know what we’ve had to go through to find you?! The bloody traffic from that awful place called ‘Renton’ was worse than the ordeal it took to infiltrate the Acquisitions Incorporated Office in Waterdeep. You’ve had your fun, but you’re coming back with us. Tonight.”

Waterdeep, as in Waterdeep in the DnD? What the LARP is he talking about?

You try to tell him that he doesn’t need to be in character, that this isn’t that kind of event when you don’t feel good all of a sudden.

The night swirls around you, wrapping you in a blanket of inky darkness.

You awaken from your dreamless slumber, noticing the softness of real silk sheets beneath you.

Slender fingers lovingly card through your hair. You’re held tenderly in strong arms. You can’t remember the last time you’ve felt so relaxed and comfortable.

Your stomach drops as a familiar voice lilts out above you.

“Welcome home, my darling consort…”

[pingrysummercamp]

Career advancement through computer science camps

Computer science camps can be very helpful for anyone interested in technology, regardless of the particular field. One of the best reasons to sign up for a camp and master computer science over the summer is if you plan to enroll in an AP Computer Science program at your high school. It is a smart move to enroll in AP classes because they significantly improve your college applications. If they do well on the official exam (if there is one) that follows the course, students who attend such intensive camps also have a fantastic chance of being considered for lucrative internships or scholarships with well-known tech companies like Google or even Amazon.

Excellent AP exam results can also lead to other fascinating internship opportunities. Students who aspire to acquire an MBA, land prominent internship positions, or enroll in particular IT or software engineering schools will undoubtedly have an advantage over the rest of their peers. Students at the work with mentor engineers or business professionals to obtain even more insight into the inner workings of the company. Students who receive basic computer science education early are also better suited for profitable careers once they are ready to enter the industry. Computer scientists are widely used in the field of cybersecurity. These days, jobs in this specialized industry can be rather lucrative. If you're interested in artificial intelligence (AI), a computer science summer camp can help you prepare for future study as well as a career in that specialized field. Data science occupations are on the rise as more and more individuals realize they cannot analyze the vast amounts of information and data being produced today. During the best summer tech camp, you might also gain a greater understanding of data science.

   High school students now have a variety of summer programs to pick from to accommodate their various academic and timetable needs by merely doing a search for online summer courses in tech or tech day camps.

[megidonitram]

Everyone's Running From Something (ch.2)

A Baldur's Gate 3 University Professor AU

Rating: M

Quick Summary: Astarion and Gale are two University English professors precariously mentoring a troubled 19-year-old and falling in love.

💖Main Pairing : BloodWeave,(Astarion/Gale) 💕Side Pairings: Shadowheart/Nocturne, Karlach/Dammon, Wyll/The Dark Urge, Tav/Tav 💔Past Pairings: Gale/Mystra, Astarion/Sebastian, Astarion/Tav

<== Previous Chapter | Master List | Ao3 | Next Chapter =>

**Please see Master List Entry for Full Content Warnings**

⏰Chapter Warning⏰

Institutional discrimination against a person with a mental disability | sexual coercion | implied: self-harm | referenced: suicide attempt | referenced: involuntary commitment | referenced: murder.

Gale was happy to share an office with someone, even if Astarion didn’t seem too thrilled about it. Having another soul haunting the space made him feel slightly less lonely.

Minsc stuck around for a little while to help shelve books and chat about students. It turned out that both of the English department’s graduating seniors were into martial sports. Wyll (Spelled with a ‘y’) Ravengard was an English and secondary education major and was the captain of the school’s fencing team, and Lae’zel -Minsc couldn’t recall her last name- was a sports communications and exercise science double major with an English minor wrestled, kick-boxed, and did jiu-jitsu (she seemed like she was going to be incredibly intense).

Minsc didn’t bring up Xenia again, and Gale didn’t ask, even if he was desperately curious. Because she deserved the dignity of meeting new people without letting her past actions color their perception of her. After all, it wasn’t like she was dangerous. Surely, they wouldn’t let her back on campus if that was the case.

An hour or so went by, and Minsc had to leave for a meeting, and Astarion still hadn’t returned. Gale hoped everything was okay. He seemed genuinely angry when he left. Shadowheart had made an off-handed comment about how Astarion was department chair because he was a “law school type who refused to lose even the pettiest argument,” but this seemed like a far more intense situation than just squabbling over a textbook requirement.

Gale tried logging on to his work computer to see if his credentials were active yet- nothing. Six days out from the start of class, and he still didn’t have access to a work email or his class roster… maybe he should get Astarion to yell at someone in IT next.

The heat kicked on, and the naked air vent overhead made a shrill grinding noise and shuttered as it belched rubber-scented hot air into the room. That was unpleasant. Gale tried to distract himself by arranging things on his desk, but all he could think about was how many fewer picture frames he had to put out now. He had never considered this aspect of divorce before… how many of his family photos he couldn’t bear to look at anymore. He had precisely three pictures now: the old Sears portrait of his parents they’d used for his dad’s obituary, a popsicle stick and pom-pom framed picture of his niece on a zipline at summer camp, and a picture of his cat Tara as a kitten curled up cozy in the dirty linen basket. He would have to ask his sister to look through her family photos to see if she’d kept any without Mystra in them.

“I… um- did Dr. Ancunín change offices?”

Gale nearly jumped out of his skin- he hadn’t even heard the door to the stairwell open. He looked up to see a young woman with a jagged scar across one cheek and the blackest eyes Gale had ever seen slumped tentatively in the doorway like she thought she might be trespassing. She was sickly pale with long dark hair thrown into a half-hazard lopsided bun on the top of her head and her right arm secured firmly against her abdomen in a mesh grey shoulder sling.

“No! no, this is still his office. We’re just sharing the space.”  Gale replied. “I’m Dr. Dekarios.” He stood to shake her hand, reaching out with the wrong hand and quickly correcting.

The young woman gave him a suspicious look as if she expected him to already know who she was. “Xenia…” She said flatly. “Do you know when he’s going to be back?”

“I think he should be back shortly.” Gale checked his watch- he’d have to be back soon; they were supposed to be at a staff meeting in 30 minutes. “You’re welcome to wait here for him- unless it’s something I can help you with.”

“It’s not,” Xenia replied. She sat down in the plastic chair in front of Astarion’s desk and started scrolling through something on her phone.

Gale tried not to take her short answers personally. It didn’t seem like she was in a particularly good headspace. “Xenia’s a pretty name. Greek, isn’t it?” He felt weird just ignoring her, especially since he had nothing else he could be doing right now.

She gave him a long, blank stare before she answered. “I guess. I haven’t thought about my name much- my father named me, and he’s… ah, not around to ask.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” Gale said. “Were the two of you close?”

Xenia’s lips upturned in disgust. She looked past Gale to study the cracks in the wall’s plaster, and he sensed he made a horrible mistake even before she spoke. “I killed my father.” The words were as casual as if she were commenting on the weather “Stabbed him in the neck with a box cutter.”

Gale laughed nervously, at first thinking -hoping even- that she was just making a bad attempt at a dark joke. But she just watched him with a bored malaise, as if this was a story she’d told a hundred times and was very tired of telling it.

The horror of her confession slowly started to set in.

***

Astarion took the steps up to the administration building two at a time. Most of the administration was housed in the only original building on campus: a large pink granite monolith with some vaguely Grecian architectural flourishes that was meant to evoke the splendid “grandeur” of higher education- though now it mainly just served to make sure people where out of breath when they came to sort out their finances. The building unsettled him. The whole place creaked and groaned at the slightest movement, like it was going to fall apart under his weight at any given moment.

He threw open the heavy oak doors at the main entrance, but his theatrics were met with dead silence. Most of the hourly staff hadn’t returned from their holiday break, so the main floor was empty, and the ancient elevator in the back of the building was still out of order, so Astarion had to climb the narrow staircase up the provost’s office on the third floor. Astarion knew for a fact he would be here by now -the fucking micromanager wouldn’t take a day off to save his life- he could smell his cologne underneath the antique smell of wood lacquer.

The secretary at the front desk perked up a bit as Astarion crested the stairs but her smile strained when she realized it was him. “Astarion, how are you today?” She asked. Her voice was just a touch too loud, like she was trying to warn someone in the other room that he was here.

“I’m just fine, Korrilla.” Astarion snapped as he stormed past her into the bank of offices beyond.

“Oh, Raphiel isn’t available right-” Slam!

Astarion burst into the provost’s office before she could finish her sentence. Raphael swiveled around in his desk chair, his office phone pressed to his ear, looking miffed but not the least bit surprised to see Astarion standing in front of him. He held up a finger bidding Astarion to wait as he spouted a series of ‘yes’s, ‘no’s, and ‘understood’s to whoever was on the other line.

Astarion leaned over and pressed the phone’s switch hook, disconnecting the call.

“You’re certainly wasting no time to start being a nuisance this semester, Dr. Ancunín.” Raphael spat as he slammed the phone’s handset back into its cradle. He was seething, but he’d never willingly admit it. “Could you not even wait for classes to start?”

Astarion ignored him. “Why was Xenia Bellona’s petition for deferment rejected?”

Raphael paused, an amused smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth for a split second. He evidently thought this was going to be about office space. “I’m afraid that’s proprietary information.”

Astarion slammed his fist down on Raphael’s desk hard enough to make his computer monitor rattle. “Is it proprietary, or do you not have a good excuse for forcing a 19-year-old girl to come back to school less than a month after she was involuntarily committed?”

“Now, Dr. Ancunín, there’s no need to let passions run so hot.” Raphael seized back control over the conversation, tutting at Astarion like he was a belligerent child. “You’ve been in academia for a very long time, surely this isn’t your first pet lost cause.”

It was all Astarion could do not to lunge across the desk. “So, she’s not giving you the marketable little success story you were promised, and you’re going to hang her out to dry.”

“Not at all. Miss Bellona still has access to every mental health resource Balduran University has to offer, but she isn’t entitled to any special treatment from the administration just because she’s had a hard go of it.”

Astarion ran his tongue over the top row of his teeth. “Deferring a student's education because they are seeking mental health treatment isn’t special treatment.”

“I agree with you, and if Miss Bellona had presented disability services with a documented history of mental health struggles, we likely could have done more for her. Unfortunately, without documentation, my hands are tied.”

That was a fucking lie. Part of the appeal of private universes was that they were far less beholden to the public in their decision-making, so it was much easier to bend the rules. “Does a 5150 form not count as documentation?”

 “You would have to yell at disability services for a more comprehensive answer, but I believe it counts as a point of history, but not a documented history,” Raphael replied.

“Couldn’t an involuntary commitment infer a history of mental health concerns?”

“In some circumstances, I’m sure it would.”

“But not this one?”

“She is more than welcome to contest the decision if she feels she has been wrong, but you do not have any right or responsibility to be demanding things on her behalf.” Raphael spat, looking down his nose at Astarion. “If you wanted to be anything more than that girl’s English professor, you shouldn’t have dropped out of law school.”

Astarion bristled but regained his composure, quickly seizing on that little pearl of knowledge Raphael had let slip. “Excellent. Can you let me know what steps she needs to take to make a contentment? Better yet, why don’t you get me whatever forms she needs to fill out, and I’ll take them to her.”

“Dr. Ancunín, that’s hardly necessary. If she has a problem with the administration’s decision, she can tell us herself.” Raphiel turned to his computer and pretended to browse his email.

“Is it not pertinent job information? Shouldn’t I know how the school’s bureaucratic channels work? What if I have another student in the future who has questions?”

Raphael glared up at him. “If I email you the paperwork, will you get out of my office?”

“Hmm… no.” Astarion pretended to mull the question over in his head for a moment. “I think you’d better print it out for me, actually. We wouldn’t want that email to get conveniently lost, would we? I’d hate to have to come all the way back up here.”

Raphael let out a long-beleaguered sigh and leaned back in his chair. “One of these days, your doggedness will land you in one hell of a pot of hot water.”

“So, you keep telling me.” Astarion dismissed him. “Should I expect Korrilla to get those forms printed out for me or…”

“I’ll have her get those to you shortly… though I must say I’m not inclined to let you think you can just burst into my office -interrupt my work- and get exactly what you want out of me without giving anything in return.”

Astarion’s skin prickled as Raphael’s eyes roamed over his body. He crossed his arms over his chest. He knew Raphael wasn’t in this for the thrill- this was far from their first rodeo- to him, this was just another avenue for exerting his control. “I’d hardly say I’m getting exactly what I want… I mean, I wouldn’t be here at all if you’d just-”

“I won’t ask for anything right now. I simply want a favor I can cash in at my leisure.” That was, in fact, much worse than if he’d just forced him to do something right now; he could hold this over his head for years.

“What kind of favor?” He knew he wouldn’t get him to admit anything out loud, not so bluntly.

“Nothing bigger than you can handle, I assure you.”

“I could just figure out the back channels myself, you know.”

“You could certainly try, but you know as well as I do that bureaucracy is a finicky thing. There’s no guarantee you’d get it right.”

Astarion set his jaw. “Fine. One favor and you personally oversee this appeal.”

“I will do my utmost best to ensure this university serves Miss Bellona to the best of its abilities.”

[archiveofkloss]

Wellness is important to Karlie Kloss: as a spokeswoman for Adidas and an investor in the tech company Therabody, the supermodel has been a longtime advocate of self-care. Now, she’s hopping on the supplement craze as the face of Thorne’s new Find Your Way campaign.

Kloss appears in stills and video spots promoting the brand’s line of science-driven products. Here, she speaks with WWD about the campaign and how supplements are a key component of her wellness routine.

WWD: Where did your interest in wellness originate both as an investor and as a consumer?

Karlie Kloss: As an investor, I look at it through the lens of ‘How can I invest in something that’s better for you or for the planet?’ That has certainly been a framework that I think about. My dad is a doctor, so I think I’ve always loved the science lens on wellness. That’s a huge part of why I have so much respect and admiration for the Thorne brand, because it’s really the highest integrity ingredients. I’m also a super curious person. I love learning about new products, especially things that are trying to help people live healthier, better lives.

WWD: How did supplements become part of your wellness routine?

K.K.: I was first introduced to Thorne through a nutritionist I worked with years ago because I was feeling super depleted. That really set me on a path of learning about nutrition as a whole. It’s not about how I look at all, it’s really about how I feel and how I can bring energy to all that I’m doing, whether it’s the people in my life that I’m taking care of or just having energy to exercise so that I can push myself to keep getting stronger. It’s really a practice of self-care.

WWD: Which Thorne supplements do you use?

K.K.: Thorne has two products that are really special called Memoractiv and PharmaGABA. Those are in my rotation and at night I always take magnesium. They have a really great Magnesium Bisglycinate, which is really great to calm down before bed.

WWD: How do you feel these supplements benefit you?

K.K.: The Memoractiv is really special because improves your brain function and eye health and has a bunch of wonderful ingredients in it, including ashwagandha. That one I feel is a great energy pick me up, it has a little caffeine in it too, so I’m careful not to take it too late in the day. I also always have Thorne’s Prebiotic disks in my bag or whenever I’m traveling. It’s a tiny little pouch that you just pour into a glass of water. It’s delicious and it’s a super easy health hack. All of us have so much that we’re juggling every single day, so the more seamless and high impact your products can be, the better, and that’s certainly what I look for as a consumer, as an investor and as a mom as well.

WWD: Your Kode With Klossy camp is briefly featured in the Thorne campaign. How does it feel knowing that the program celebrates its ninth anniversary in 2024?

K.K.: It’s surreal. We’ve had more than 10,000 young women and gender expansive teens in our programs over the past nine years. We have 3,000 young people in our in our classrooms this summer. We have camps across the country and around the world and we have students from more than 90 countries in our classrooms. 78% of our alumni who are in college go on to major or minor in computer science. [Kode With Klossy] reaches them at a formative moment in life where they’re making decisions that influence their careers and they’re seeing the opportunities that could be possible for them. It makes me so proud to see our community continue to grow in so many ways.

[jokerislandgirl32]

zach headcanons? :)

I’ve had this ask in my inbox for months…I am so sorry it took this long to get it out, but I appreciate you sending it, and I have been working on it!

I’ve put the headcanons into sections and subsections to ease any confusion. The full post can be found below the cut because it is long, lol…Enjoy!

Physical

Freckles: When Zach exposes himself to sunlight his freckles from childhood come out again, and not just on his face. I feel like he is the type of person who has freckles on his face, arms, back, and chest. But he does not like that, so he stays out of the sun for this reason. 

Body/Facial Hair: Zach is more than capable of growing a full beard, and he has body hair elsewhere, but he either waxes or shaves it (let’s be honest, he gets the Zachbots to do it, haha). Zach is very neat and orderly, so he does not like to have an excessive amount of hair aggravating him, managing the hair on his head on a daily basis is bad enough. He likes to have his triangular goatee though, so he keeps that on his face. 

Wavy/Curly Hair: Zach’s hair is naturally wavy/curly. He uses hair gel to keep it tamed and slick. If he does not tame it after it gets wet it starts to get wavy immediately, which he detests.

Eyes: (This is implied in canon too) Zach’s eye color changes depending on his emotions and the environment he is in. His eyes range from emerald to an electric green. 

Family/Lineage

Siblings/Twin: My personal headcanon for Zach is that he had an identical twin brother, Zebulon, Zeb, Varmitech. This twin died when they were children, leaving Zach as the only child who was thus spoiled by his parents as they poured all their energy and affection into Zach while they mourned the loss of Zeb. Zach’s favorite number is 22 because this was the day his twin was born. Zach was born a few minutes later in the early morning hours on the 23rd. 

Parents: Zach’s parents are Victor and Valerie Varmitech. Victor was the CEO of Varmitech Industries before his death. Valerie is the proprietor of a flower shop.

Lineage: Zach is of Irish, English, Scottish, Greek, and Italian descent. On the paternal side of his family Zach’s ancestors were English, Greek, and Italian. The maternal side of Zach’s family is of Irish, English, and Scottish descent. 

Languages

Zach is able to communicate or understand a few languages besides English. He can speak and/or read in Spanish, Italian, and Mandarin for business purposes. 

Intelligence/Schooling

Zach was a straight A student throughout his academic career, due to his high grades and intelligence, he skipped a grade in school. Allowing him to graduate from high school a year early at the age of 17. Zach went to a well respected private school which the Kratt Brothers also attended. Zach then attended college and graduated at the age of 22 with a Masters Degree. He majored in robotics engineering and minored in mechanical engineering, computer science, and artificial intelligence (I’m not too smart on all of this, I’m still researching it myself, so let’s hope this makes sense, lol).

Athletic Capability

Contrary to popular belief, Zach participated in some sports as a youth/teen, the first of which was fencing which he picked up at summer camp, but Zach also was a talented swimmer. Aided by his thin body, long feet, and extra toe of course. He became educated in dancing. He is excellent at waltzing and knows a bit of ballet. 

Birthday/Zodiac Sign

Zach’s definitely a fall baby in my book, the way he loves Halloween just makes me think he’s connected to this season on a deeper level (like myself, a fellow fall baby), and I headcanon his birthday as October 23. The reason I believe his birthday is on this date is because he exhibits many of the characteristics of Scorpios.

Scorpios are persistent, strategic, strong, enigmatic, independent, smart, loyal, vengeful, and shrewd. Scorpios keep to themselves, they enjoy excelling at work and are always working, the are drawn to dark things and may have evil intentions, and they can have an addictive and charming personality among other traits. Zach is all of this, and he uses these traits to his advantage.

Philanthropy

We all know Zach despises nature and animals, and he’s hyper focused on himself and his wants and needs, but he and his company do give to important causes. Cancer research and cancer hospitals are at the top of the list, as his father and brother passed from cancer. The company also gives to education purposes. They fund scholarships for youth interested in science, robotics, and engineering. 

Voice

Zach’s voice is naturally deeper than the octave he usually speaks in. He speaks in a higher octave because he thinks it makes people pay greater attention to him. Similarly, Zach has an amazing singing voice, he even took choir in middle school. He just hides his singing voice because he was ridiculed during a chorus performance when he was ill.

Sexuality

Zach is Demiromantic. Zach has a hard time connecting with people romantically, but when he does it is a strong, unbreakable connection. He has to build trust with his partner to be able to love them and fully commit to them, and since this is so difficult for him to do he’s open to being in a romantic relationship with anyone so long as they show him the love and commitment he so craves. 

Well…That’s all I’ve got for now, I do have more headcanons for Zach, but I’ll leave this post alone!

[mostlysignssomeportents]

This day in history

On July 14, I'm giving the closing keynote for the fifteenth HACKERS ON PLANET EARTH, in QUEENS, NY. Happy Bastille Day! On July 20, I'm appearing in CHICAGO at Exile in Bookville.

#20yrsago BBC affirms Creative Archive in Charter Renewal plans https://web.archive.org/web/20050308195821/https://www.bbc.co.uk/thefuture/pdfs/bbc_bpv.pdf #20yrsago How Free Software won the hearts of hackers, capitalists, commies and academics https://web.archive.org/web/20040701094054/http://www.media-culture.org.au/0406/02_Coleman-Hill.html

#20yrsago Toaster oven casemod https://web.archive.org/web/20040701051006/https://www.snapstream.com/Community/Articles/tvtoaster/

#15yrsago Automated shakedown racket sends legal threats, demands cash https://torrentfreak.com/automated-legal-threats-turn-piracy-into-profit-090628/,/a>

#15yrsago Honduran coup is the first successful military coup d’etat in the region since the Cold War ended https://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE55R24E20090628/

#10yrsago Aaron Swartz documentary, The Internet’s Own Boy, out today https://web.archive.org/web/20140628031422/http://www.takepart.com/internets-own-boy

#10yrsago Horror movies and the Haunted Mansion https://longforgottenhauntedmansion.blogspot.com/2014/06/creepy-old-flicks-part-three-uninvited.html

#5yrsago Felony Contempt of Business Model: Lexmark’s anti-competitive legacy https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/06/felony-contempt-business-model-lexmarks-anti-competitive-legacy

#5yrsago Three Halflings in a Trenchcoat: a homebrew fighter class for D&D https://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/c6fdw4/oc_introducing_three_halflings_in_a_trenchcoat_a/

#5yrsago Microsoft is about to shut off its ebook DRM servers: “The books will stop working” https://memex.craphound.com/2019/06/28/microsoft-is-about-to-shut-off-its-ebook-drm-servers-the-books-will-stop-working/

#5yrsago Improving Q&As with peer-review https://memex.craphound.com/2019/06/28/improving-qas-with-peer-review/

#5yrsago Howto: stay civil while discussing the children in America’s concentration camps https://www.theonion.com/tips-for-staying-civil-while-debating-child-prisons-1827147411

#5yrsago Rage Inside the Machine: an insightful, brilliant critique of AI’s computer science, sociology, philosophy and economics https://memex.craphound.com/2019/06/28/rage-inside-the-machine-an-insightful-brilliant-critique-of-ais-computer-science-sociology-philosophy-and-economics-2/

Support me this summer on the Clarion Write-A-Thon and help raise money for the Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers' Workshop!

[eliteprepsat]

extra-cuˈrricular adj. outside the normal curriculum

If you’re not on an athletic team, or in the band, or in student government, or involved with any school-organized clubs, chances are you still have extracurricular activities.

All “extracurricular” means is “outside the normal curriculum.” That means anything you do on a regular or semi-regular basis outside of school and homework.

Do you take care of your siblings?

Do you help out your grandparents?

Do you volunteer at a church or non-profit organization?

Do you hike, code, or practice yoga? Do you play chess, board games, or even video games?

If the answer to any of these (or any other activities you imagine) is “yes,” then you have some extracurricular activities under your belt already.

Extracurricular activities lists are a chance to demonstrate your engagement with the world beyond school. Extracurriculars are what you do when you’re not working for a grade. They’re the space for you to be creative and to carve out an identity outside of school.

If you eat up all your spare time with escapist activities, such as playing video games just for fun instead of, say, creating levels or coding, then shift gears—get critically and creatively engaged with your hobbies so that you can reflect on their meaning.

That’s the trick of college applications in general: translating your day-to-day activities into a meaningful account of who you are. Think about how your actions today could translate into a written application. What would be impressive? What would stand out?

And no, volunteering just one day last year at the county fair doesn’t count—extracurriculars must be activities with some degree of regularity (once a month, or even just three times a semester).

If you’re a sophomore or junior, you have time not just to craft and cultivate what you already know, do, and love, but also to take on new activities. Volunteer or work at a camp or nursing home this summer. Babysit. Learn how to code. Start learning a new language. Pick up an instrument. Find a hospital, museum, or business that would allow you to volunteer.

If you’re unsure of what to do, ask your classmates, teachers, counselors, and parents. Find out what opportunities are out there for you to not only improve your applications, but to learn something new and do something exciting and enriching.

Thanks to the powers of search engines, it has never been easier to find things to do, even from your own home.

Want to learn more about modern poetry? Sign up for this free MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) out of the University of Pennsylvania. Interested in learning more about computer science? Choose from a number of these courses offered through MIT.

Of course, you’re not limited to courses; maybe you feel as if you get enough of that in high school. But keep searching: there is a community or organization out there that would be well worth your time.