#outstanding grad

[scrivnomancer]

Cleaning out the garage and finding the old sign from when I received the Outstanding Masters Thesis of the Year award in grad school… and discovering water damage made it more badass.

[periphrasis]

quarterly Isaac logs in and vent posts incoming

[yourstrulysims]

Part III of Hillary’s Intro ♥️

I touched on Hillary being a Criminal Defense Attorney in the first part of Hillary’s intro.

She loves her career. It’s always been her dream to be a lawyer just like her dad growing up. She loves everything about law and justice. She has defended some really big names in the industry for only being 27 years old. From Judith Ward’s son to Nina Caliente her criminal representation record and wins are huge!

But as of recent, she has a run in with someone from her past. Her very first client after graduating law school.

Nate Rowland.

Nate was only 19 at the time of his arrest and conviction for theft and robbery of the Landgraabs. He’s apart of this notorious mob gang in evergreen harbor called the VMI. He has a family. Wife Vic and daughter Essie (he now has another daughter) .

Nate was Hillary’s first client post grad and she wanted to do everything she could to prove she was fit to be in this career. She worked her butt off for Nate. She felt bad that this young boy with a family was being faced with 15 years of prison. She did outstanding work and got his time reduced to only 2.5 years.

However, Nate didn’t want to serve time at all and thought Hillary was going to get him completely off the hook. When he was convicted he didn’t take that too well and let’s just say everything ended in Hillary never wanting to see him again. But he’s recently reached out to Hillary.

[margridarnauds]

what's grade inflation? why does it exist?

For more information on grade inflation, I highly recommend typing in "inflation" on AO3 and...

Sorry, have had no rest and very likely won't get much rest today, because no rest for the wicked...or grad students, so I had to get the cheap humor out of the way.

Grade inflation is, essentially, a system in place at many universities where the graders are heavily pressured into giving higher grades to their students. This is particularly prominent at elite universities, where Mommy and Daddy do not want Schnuggiekins to have anything as undignified as a B on their transcript when they are set to be a senator, but it is also common across the board, including in high schools and, joy of all joys, it is only getting more prevalent, as schools are essentially in a nuclear arms race to deliver higher grades, since it means they can say "Look! 98% of our students graduated with a 4.0!" It looks bad when students don't pass, so students *generally* pass no matter what. Doesn't that make you feel optimistic about the future?

And because it is common across the board at these places, that essentially forces conformity, because if you do NOT give them at least a B+...or sometimes an A-, you will get undergrads complaining about why you were mean to them, because the OTHER TAs would do the same, and student evaluations are VITAL to your career stability down the line. So, besides GENUINELY wanting to be seen as easygoing and relaxed (because, remember, if you're a woman in academia, you ALSO have to beat back the allegations of being a Bitch...and there have been numerous surveys done to indicate that student evals can be biased), it is also unfortunately...not MANDATORY, but something that I do feel heavily pressured by. People forget that the power dynamics between TAs and their students aren't always clear cut -- I'm in a position of authority, and I recognize that and am ALWAYS operating under that awareness, but they can also severely impact my career with student evals...and inconvenience my life if they decide to dispute a grade, such as when I had people emailing me on Christmas about why I gave them an A-. (The answer: Because they had earned, in my opinion, an A-.)

The result is that, functionally, I am grading, roughly, on a scale of B- to A, which means that my grades can't really reflect the nuances that can exist in these things. I have to put things that are "borderline grad student level work" alongside "well. you didn't do anything WRONG". (There have been occasions where they have gotten the Email Of Shame from me where I flat-out refuse to grade it.)

At my undergrad, in my community college (which people always like to act was some kind of...inferior education), if I handed in a paper with numerous typos, it would have been an A- at best. Potentially a B+ if my arguments were not up to the highest standard. I turn in an argument with no citations and not much of an argument...honestly probably a C? Maybe? I KNOW some of my professors would have refused to grade them. But I would feel pressured to give the same paper a B with a reminder to please cite their sources next time.

And, again: I do, genuinely, care for my students. I believe that, for the most part, they ARE trying their best. I don't enjoy being harsh on them, and I don't expect them to be writing at a grad level. I remember being an undergrad -- it isn't like it was that long ago, it's only been six years. I made a lot of mistakes. Including some very stupid ones. And I was lucky to have very patient professors who ALSO weren't afraid to call me out if I didn't do a good job. But, because of systemic issues beyond my control, I can neither give them a real wake up call so that they can improve OR truly reward them for outstanding work.

[savvylittlecoxswain]

Have you ever seen those videos where the college grads are showing off a million stoles and cords and medals? That’s Bobby.

He was involved with the following organizations and activities per the UW yearbook his senior year:

Phi Gamma Delta aka FIJI

A social fraternity whose members attend university with the foremost goal of receiving an education, and that Phi Gamma Delta is a fraternity that promotes scholastic achievement amongst its members. Its mission statement lists five core values for its members: friendship, knowledge, service, morality, and excellence.

Oval Club

The Oval Club, formed in 1907, was an organization affiliated with the University of Washington. Its purpose was to promote student unity and cooperation, develop cultural leaders and preserve traditions of the University of Washington.

Big “W” Club (for Crew)

The Big W Club is a special organization that helps University of Washington letter-winners stay connected to their alma mater. Big W Club members retain the spirit and pride of being a Husky by taking part in exclusive gatherings and events, like hanging out at informal happy hours or reconnecting at the biannual Hall of Fame induction or team reunions. Membership is automatic when you receive your first varsity letter.

Minor “W” Club (for Fencing)

Membership in the Minor "W" Club is dependent upon participation in some University minor sport. Men who participate in wrestling, swim-ming, golf, fencing, cross-country, ice-hockey and rifle are awarded the small "Circle W."

Beta Gamma Sigma (Sr. Yr. - Treasurer)

An International Honor Society Serving Business Programs. Its mission is to encourage and honor academic achievement in the study of business and professional excellence in the practice of business. Membership in this honor society is by invitation only and is very prestigious as BGS invites only the upper 10% of the upperclassman undergraduate classes. An invitation to become a member in BGS is the highest recognition a business student anywhere in the world can receive.

Alpha Kappa Psi

A business fraternity with the goal to bring together students who share an interest in business and provide them with opportunities to learn and grow through professional development, philanthropy, social events, and more.

Rho Sigma Chi

A social fraternity that believes a principle-driven lifestyle should be paramount in an individual’s lifelong quest to achieve progressive development, and that the world has a great need for ethical leaders whose core principles were based on the possession of remarkable character. Their goal is to enhance the leadership abilities of men by refining their character through the framework of Friendship, Justice and Learning — our three guiding principles.

Varsity Boat Club (Sr. Yr. - Manager)

A platform and guide for the men and women of Washington Rowing, collectively encouraging the values of hard work, team before self, and personal improvement. All men and women participants at Washington are eligible for membership after rowing four quarters.

Not listed:

Schaller Scholarship Plaque Recipient

Awarded to crew member with the highest grades on the team. Bobby Moch won this award all three years he was on crew.

Phi Beta Kappa Key Holder

The Phi Beta Kappa is “America’s Most Prestigious Academic Honor Society.” It was founded in 1776 and aimed to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, and to induct outstanding students of arts and sciences at select American colleges and universities. Fewer than 10% of US colleges and universities have Phi Betta Kappa chapters and these chapters select less than 10% of their arts and sciences graduates to join.

[angelosearch]

Little life/fic/project update...

I absolutely love my grad program and learning all this art therapy stuff but sometimes the spoon drawer just gets empty even when all you're eating is ice cream, you know?? Definitely hit a bit of a wall yesterday, especially with how stressful/unpredictable my internship has been. I took a mental health night (still had to intern for 5 hours and sit in an hour of traffic) and skipped class this evening... hoping that recharges me at least a little.

I fell behind with Inktober and it doesn't seem like I'm going to catch up. I have two sketches that I might ink and post but if it's between that and writing... I'm going to write.

The next chapter of "Chaos Theory" is in progress. I might finish it this week, but I'll have to see if it feels "complete" after I finish the current scene or if I want to add more. After that there is just two more chapters and the epilogue and two out of three of those I already have extremely strong drafts for!!

The one thing keep asking myself is have I answered all the questions? From watching the numbers I am guessing I have between 60-80 consistent readers (WHICH IS INSANE. And a huge honor!! so happy to share my story!!!!) and I don't want to let anyone down!! If you read CT, please let me know any outstanding questions you have in the story (like 'what's going on with x character?' or 'what's the explanation for this?' etc.). I have room to answer some things I might not have considered, but I need to know what I haven't considered!

Because I am so close to the end of CT, I haven't really touched anything else lately! Here are my rough writing goals looking toward the end of the year:

Finish posting CT before December. If I can, finish writing this month!

Finish writing CT "Rewind." I am about 60% of the way through overall and 50% through the next chapter.

Post at least one more FFVIII The Musical song by Halloween since that's when I started writing it last year.

Finish my Bingo card!

Write and post for my Yuletide exchange.

Write and post "Angelo: Search" (the next installment in the Angelo Combine series)

After that, I will probably try REALLY HARD not to start anything new (at least in the FFVIII fandom) until I finish some of my current multichapters. Update priority as I see it is:

Minute Hand

The Sorceress Awakens (and the rest of the New Beginning Series)

Vessel of Hyne's Grace

FFVIII The Musical

Of course, I have other non-fanfiction things I want to do before the end of the year/January, too. I have some people I want to visit, outstanding art projects, my new year's journal, holiday gifts to make (watch out my friends 👀), AMVs, class/finals... Yeah, so who knows how much of that is possible! Also I have SO MUCH reading to do!!

As always, these posts are more for my planning purposes than anything else!! I love a prioritized list, haha. Please continue your regularly scheduled scroll.

[milfzatannaz]

last semester a classmate (former crush) (killing her with my mind) and I were talking about the outstanding grad award and since I always perceived myself as a bit of a wallflower in the dept, she was like “yeah I mean your grades are fine but I can’t see you getting nominated” so I was so fucking flabbergasted when my professor told me. I’m kinda glowing now that I got the official email. I think I deserve so many treats because of it. And also, screw you wren bc you’re just mad that I’m sexy AND smart!!!!!!!!!!!

[qqueenofhades]

So I decided to go back to school this year and am now in grad school, which I am somewhat struggling with more than I would like; damn them ADHD brain gremlins. As a grad school veteran, do you have any tips for not drowning in grad school while being a semi-functioning employed adult? 💚

Aha, well. I haven't actually gone to grad school while also working full time (unless I really lose my mind and do another master's degree while also managing two and/or three academic programs, but let's not talk about that), so I don't have specific suggestions in that regard. However, I can offer my basic tips for surviving grad school, which include:

* Set a routine and make sure you block out time to do your reading and/or writing. If nothing else, prioritize this. A lot of your grade in the class will come from what is directly before the professor's eyeballs, i.e. whether you can prove that you actually have a clue what they're teaching you and whether you can write coherently as a result. You can skim-read (dirty secret: almost all academics do), but you have to know how to skim-read, so you'll still taking in the essential points of the content. Usually this means reading the abstract, the introduction and conclusion, and maybe the beginning and end of each chapter or article section. Take notes. If you think "oh no, I'll definitely remember that!" -- that is the devil talking. Read with a pen in your hand. Future You will thank you.

* Likewise: you will need to take at least a few days to write a decent grad school essay. Plan in advance. Some people are the kind who can frantically scramble to pull an entire undergrad essay out of the hat on the night before and submit it at 11:59pm, but a) this doesn't work in grad school, or at least not as much, and b) if that's how you're going through it, you're not getting value out of it for money, and grad school is FRIKIN EXPENSIVE. The most amount of outstanding student loan debt I have is from my master's degree, not my bachelor's or PhD. If you're skating through it and bullshitting everything, then it's just not worth what you're paying.

* COMMUNICATE! PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, COMMUNICATE!!!! This should be both to your professors in school and/or your bosses at your regular job. If you anticipate a schedule conflict, need an extension, have something that needs to be done in one front that will have to take priority over the other -- PLEASE COMMUNICATE! (Is this my Traumatized Faculty And/Or Administrator Voice talking? You can't prove it.) Don't drop in with a panicked email five hours before the deadline and beg for more time/a dispensation/extension/whatever. Most people will be willing to work with you, but that relies on giving them time and/or planning space to do so and make other arrangements; after all, they are also counting on you to be a team player and if you can't be, to give them the chance not to be screwed by your absence. It is a basic courtesy to promptly answer (and my god, READ!!!!) your emails and to communicate with other people BEFORE problems arise, rather than when you're right in the middle of them and it is already an emergency. Everyone will thank you for this.

* Likewise: work out which things need to be done as soon as they come up, and which ones are able to wait a little longer. My particular brand of neurodivergence often makes me think that I need to do new things RIGHT NOW GOD RIGHT NOW FIVE ALARM FIRE!! and I stress and get anxious until I do them, even if I'm already working on something else. Project-hopping can sometimes be helpful if you're feeling blocked on something else, but do also have a sense of what needs to be prioritized most.

* If you're not already on medication and/or have some way of managing your ADHD: I would strongly recommend that. Grad school is hard enough, and you don't need to make it artificially harder. There are always the usual bugaboos about obtaining any kind of care, but do what you have to do, medically or otherwise, to make sure you're putting your best foot forward and not artificially sabotaging yourself because the brain chemicals just won't play ball. Believe me, I also know something about that, so yeah.

Good luck!

[en-abime-updates]

Members

Hiya, I’m Rhydian, or Rhys! (any or no pronouns)

(pronounced rid-ee-in and reese)

I only discovered en abime in early April (my first arg!), but I really love the community and have become a big fan. Outside of this blog, you can find me in the en abime discord or at @canidtendencies.

I love drawing, singing, writing, and analyzing! I also love chatting and meeting new people, so don’t be afraid to say hi.

My tag is #⚔️

—

I'm Red. [He/Him.]

I've only been involved in the En Abime community(?) For a month now, but it's awesome and fun and all that. I'm also super involved in the Discord and over at @chthonianalacrity :)

My tag is #🪳

—

I'm Sef. [They/Them]

You might know me from the collaborative Google Doc and other archiving efforts for the ARG, or because I talk to internet ghosts. I can be found at @abstractkind, on Tati's discord, or in the Abimers' inboxes, likely theorizing or fixating on details.

Feel free to reach out if you're interested in any archival effort, or want to know what mysteries are still outstanding!

My tag is #🍁

—

I'm Peri/Perry. [She/Her]

I've been playing En Abime since late March! My main blog is over at @per1pete1a and I'm also around in the discord when grad school isn't kicking my ass. I like toxic internet ghost yuri and yaoi. /j

My tag is #🪐

—

hello! i'm ren! (he/they)

i've been playing en abime for a couple of months and i help out where i can! my tumblr is @ell-if-i-know and i'm "music man" on the discord server.

my tag is #🌃

[newspro111]

he main card of the final UFC fight card of 2024 mirrored the preliminary action on Saturday night in Tampa, opening with a couple decisions before the finishes started coming one after another and continued through to the end.

Recent Dana White’s Contender Series grad Navajo Stirling opened the six-fight slate by sweeping the scorecards in his debut opposite Tuco Tokkos before Daniel Marcos and Adrian Yanez paired off for an entertaining bantamweight tussle that ended with the former landing on the favorable side of a split decision verdict.

It was finishes the rest of the way home, beginning with Dustin Jacoby planting a flush right hand on the jaw of Vitor Petrino and Manel Kape eventually melting Bruno Silva before calling for a championship opportunity. In the co-main event, Cub Swanson ended his back-and-forth barnburner against Billy Quarantillo with an absolute missile of a right hand, followed by Joaquin Buckley wrapping up an outstanding 2024 campaign with a stoppage win over perennial contender Colby Covington.

Check out all the details below, and thanks for spending the year following along to the action here!

Main event scheduled for five rounds. All other bouts scheduled for three rounds. | Prelim Results | Official Scorecards

UFC Fight Night: Covington vs Buckley Results

Joaquin Buckley defeats Colby Covington by TKO (doctor’s stoppage) at 4:42 of Round 3

Cub Swanson defeats Billy Quarantillo by KO (right hand) at 1:36 of Round 3

Manel Kape defeats Bruno Silva by TKO (strikes) at 1:57 of Round 3

Dustin Jacoby defeats Vitor Petrino by KO (right hand) at 3:44 of Round 3

Daniel Marcos defeats Adrian Yanez by split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)

Navajo Stirling defeats Tuco Tokkos by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Michael Johnson defeats Ottman Azaitar by KO (right hook) at 2:03 of Round 2

Joel Álvarez defeats Drakkar Klose by KO (flying knee) at 2:48 of Round 1

Sean Woodson defeats Fernando Padilla by TKO (strikes) at 4:58 of Round 1

Felipe Lima defeats Miles Johns by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Miranda Maverick defeats Jamey-Lyn Horth by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Davey Grant defeats Ramon Taveras by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

Piera Rodriguez defeats Josefine Knutsson by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

http://wmrf.su/w2q42

[mistresslrigtar]

I Belong to You - Chapter Twelve - Falling Away With You

It's here! The final chapter of my grad school au I Belong to You!

I’m posting the final chapter early because today is a special day. This is the day my RL one true love and I went on our first date and by the end of the night we were hopelessly in love. We are proof that true love can happen in a moment with one look, one gesture, one touch. He’s my reason and my life, the father of our children, and to this day, through all the ups and downs, I love him with all my heart. This is for you, @thisgeekyweek.

Excerpt:

“Okay. Just remember you asked for it.” His fingers glided over the keys, and as he softly sang, the sun rose, brightening the room from gunmetal gray to rosy pink. Link painted a picture of the moments they shared and then recklessly threw away, if only briefly. Zelda closed her eyes and let the lyrics and music wash over her. 

‘Staying awake to chase a dream, tasting the air you’re breathing in. I hope I won’t forget a thing.’

The earnestness that tinged Link’s voice quickened Zelda’s heart, and she wanted nothing more than to soothe him. She rested her hand on his knee, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

‘Memories I will never find, memories I will never find.” Link’s hands stilled, but remained curled over the keys.

“What does that mean?” Zelda asked. 

Link shook his head, wrapping an arm around Zelda’s back, pulling her closer. “Oh, it, uh, means all the moments we could’ve lost if we hadn’t worked things out.”

Zelda relaxed against his side, savoring the peaceful moment. If only they could stay like this forever and forget about everything outside these walls. The rising sun and the fading shadows however were a reminder that the world continued to turn around them. They could only move forward, but the last two days had proven that she and Link were better, stronger together. She blew a shaky breath, feeling something subtle and unspoken shifting between them.

“I’m so glad I met you.” Zelda pulled away to look at Link, searching and finding what she felt reflected in his bright blue eyes.

“Me too, Zel. Me too.” Link tugged on her hands, pulling her to stand with him. “Let’s go back to bed, and I’ll make you breakfast when we wake up. Do you like pancakes?”

“I’ll like anything you make.” 

Many, many thanks (which will never be enough) to @zeldaelmo and @hyylia for their outstanding beta work. Thanks so much, friends!!

If you liked this story, I'd really appreciate a reblog. Thanks!

[seadeepy]

saw that WIP ask game going around again, wanted to participate, then remembered I have an outstanding tag by @jamscandraw from back in April... I have been something of a ghost online recently... but now's my chance!

RULES: make a new post with the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! and then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

This is the ones marked as active, but truthfully I haven't written much of anything since starting grad school almost a year ago, and I would really love if ppl sent in an ask or something so I could get back into some of these ;w;

let the walls crack (Haven)

W&L Convo (DM, Whist)

disintegrate (Haven)

leaving (Basil)

watch you take the fall (DM, Basil)

a little different now (Basil)

ozification (RWBY)

as for tags, idk who's still around and likes this kinda thing, lmk if you want to be tagged for writer/fic tag games in the future and I promise I'll add you going forward!!

[my-castles-crumbling]

hi cas, its outstanding anon again, i think i need some more advice about the last situation i sent an ask about 😭😭

my friend (crush) finishes highschool next thursday. my friends say i should tell him, and i *want to*, but im just so nervous

he just turned 18 recently, and so now he's been trying out dating apps and swiping through them at lunch and showing profiles to our lunch group, which i hate because i hate the idea of him going out with them and not me

and today he deleted the apps because our friends said he should try meeting someone organically, and i think it was partly because they all know i like him

i really want to confess to him but everyone ive ever confessed to has ended up not liking me back or leading me on. it doesnt help that hes way more experienced with relationships than i am, because ive only kissed one person and that was only a few months ago, so i feel like i would be lost when it comes to relationship stuff. im also on the aroace spectrum, so having this strong of feelings is... *weird*

i was thinking about writing it in a note and putting it in his graduation gift, which im giving to him at his grad party a few weeks from now, but idk if it would be awkward or not :/

any advice you can offer would be greatly appreciated

Hi!!

Okay so firstly, experience doesn’t necessarily mean anything. If you were to date this person, the question is: would he respect your needs and boundaries? That’s the thing to consider, you know?

I think it’s also something to bring up that he is now legally an adult and you’re not, so depending on your country/state, there may be laws about what you legally can do. I’d encourage you to look that up.

As far as telling him, if you’re uncomfortable talking to him, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a note. That also gives him the ability to completely ignore the note, you know? He can just go on like this are if he wants.

Remember, no matter how he reacts, it doesn’t change that you are a fantastic person and you deserve the best. ❤️

[bunmellos]

do you enjoy being a violinist? im thinking of pursuing a music degree and yk, its always nice to hear from actual musicians

this is a long post so continued under the cut for the sake of everyone’s dash

heya!! it definitely has its pros and cons. self esteem and motivation is hard to maintain in any arts field, and you’ll feel it strongest when you’re in school surrounded by similarly skilled people. this is one thing i personally struggled with a lot 🥲 imposter syndrome/the feeling of being left behind is a lot to deal with, especially if you’re in a competitive program like i was. But! you also get to do tons of really cool things and play lots of beautiful music, and you’re surrounded by such amazing people who inspire you to become better. one of the things i miss most about the music program is having a group of people around me who had similar worries, goals, and skills. there’s nothing like serenading the music faculty headed to a meeting with an impromptu kazoo choir with your world music class……..

i would definitely recommend figuring out if/how much you enjoy teaching. it’s a given if you’re going for music ed, but most performance majors also end up with some form of private studio. that’s just kinda the way it goes in such a competitive field where professional performance opportunities are scarce. teaching is probably the most reliable path for most people, but it isn’t the only path!!

the last thing i would say (trying to keep it brief) is to make the most of the time you’re in school, try to meet lots of people, and take any opportunities you can. everyone’s experience is different based on their instrument and whether they’re performance or ed, but personally, i got to do lots of awesome stuff- traveling, accompanying world famous musicians, playing pit for operas and ballets, among other things :] i would also recommend making sure you get along with your private teacher, since you’ll be working very closely with them.

finally, being an outstanding musician is only half of the job; most performance opportunities (especially post graduation) come from people you’ve built a relationship with, so don’t be afraid to network and try out new things! right now i’m teaching students for a reliable income and accepting every gig offered to me, even if it’s out of my comfort zone. im pretty directionless right now, but the hope is someday i’ll come across something i really love, and that’s only possible if i keep doing random stuff.

i hope this helps!! let me know if you have any other questions or want me to elaborate more, and keep in mind this is from the perspective of a fresh college grad :] and remember you aren’t locked into anything!!! if music doesn’t work out that’s totally fine, and vice versa. U CAN DO IT I LOVE YOU!!

[x0401x]

I think I've said this before, but I always reply to asks. No matter how long it takes. In this case, it took me a year. I can barely believe it. The way that grad school and living in Tokyo completely sucked away my free time is surreal. To be honest, I was expecting this, but I was hoping I'd be able to get back on track sooner. Words can't possibly express how sorry I am for the truly ridiculous delay.

Okay, now without further ado...

So, episode 11. By this point, it’s clear that the anime is trying to convince us that Eisuke is single-handedly guiding Tsujimine to the top. This unintentionally disregards the other members of the team and relegates them as nothing more than his less important supporters. That’s the same kind of narrative suicide that season 1 committed, except with Seiya instead. In S1, Seiya is the only character with a personality, basically because his canon personality is butchered and he’s turned into an amalgamation of other characters’ good traits, plus some weird yandere shit that the screenplay pushed onto him. The narrative makes him a participant of just about everything that happens, while dimming down everyone else, even the very protagonist of the story. It’s clear that KyoAni (read that as director Yamamura) couldn’t handle giving the spotlight to one character at a time and making them as rich and colorful as the original work, so they decided to invest all of the good stuff into just one character and make the fandom obsess with him. Which failed miserably, but we all already know how that went.

In the case of S2, this pattern is a little worse, even. The other boys of Tsujimine are barely there, and whenever they’re there, it’s to make Eisuke’s character shine through, never their own. And when it comes to team performance, almost like the team consists of just Eisuke, as if they’re part of the team only because there aren’t five of him. He’s basically a genius who does everything - he’s an individual archer, a team competitor, the team leader, the club counselor in place of their teacher who knows fuck-all about kyudo, and a coach, since their team has none. And he excels at all of that, which is not only unrealistic but also contradictory. It’s unrealistic because, like all Zen types of martial arts, kyudo takes experience and experience inevitably requires time. There’s no way a high school kid would be on the same level of knowledge and skill as certified practitioners and be able to look after four people while simultaneously doing his own practice. This is literally unheard of in the history of kyudo. And it’s contradictory because it was established in earlier episodes that Eisuke was taking advice from his uncle for coaching Tsujimine, so how come the story just forgot about this and started branding Eisuke as the one and only patron saint of his team?

In the book, Eisuke manages the team coaching by filming practice, showing it to Shigeru and getting precise advice every day, which he follows by heart. The team coach is actually Shigeru, not him. He’s also not the team counselor, and although he’s the most proactive member, the thing about Tsujimine is that they’re not a conventional team. All the boys have very outstanding personalities - one could even call them self-centered -, to an extent where it doesn’t seem like there’s an actual leader in the team. Everyone is just doing their business and none of them are particularly close to each other, but when it comes to kyudo, they all trust one another and nobody tries to meddle with each other’s way of doing things. Against what appearances might suggest, harmony comes naturally to them. This is something very unique of Tsujimine and it’s sad to see this dynamics ruined.

Other than that, this is one more example of the anime treating kyudo like a sport. Everyone keeps fawning over Eisuke, even people from other teams, and telling him that he should be proud of himself for his achievements. I could argue about how unnatural it feels to see teenagers behaving like that all the fucking time, but I don’t think I have to. And it’s all the more ridiculous when it comes to anything Zen-related. Being proud isn’t the point. Achievements aren’t the point. There’s no point but enlightenment. KyoAni seemed to be making an extra effort to show respect towards kyudo this time around in the first episodes, so I really wish they could’ve nailed this, but it’s hard to take the story seriously when it fails to understand the most basic thing about its core theme. So many things in this anime are such a blatant “don’t worry about it” that I have lost count, especially about the fundamental elements of kyudo.

Most important, though, is that this “Eisuke is God” thing is a disservice to Minato as a character. And I’m not even talking about the fact that Eisuke, the character who was supposed to be the “bad guy” of this arc, is getting more background story and emotional investment from the narrative than the protagonist himself. I mean the fact that he’s being given a role that was supposed to belong to Minato in the near future. Yes, I’m talking about his career plan to become a Shinto priest and a kyudo coach. It was set up from the very beginning in the novel. Throughout the whole story, we get glimpses of him already being on the path for that by being the kind of person who inspires others to shine their own colors. He gives prep talks to Ryouhei and Kaito, acknowledges Nanao’s efforts and lets Seiya indulge in his patience and forgiveness. He also gives people advice, like with Manji when he was about to get target panic. A lot of people seemed to interpret this as Minato being savage, but it was a candid warning. In volume 3, though, we get to see Minato actually do something very close to coaching. The way he encourages Hikaru in the most non-obvious, roundabout and abstract manner possible is exactly how kyudo coaching should be. He never tells Hikaru to do anything, just says things that might sound vague, but actually mean to stir Hikaru’s spirit. The pacing of this scene is kind of a mess and its contents might be confusing for some (as Zen always is, to be fair), but what Minato does in it is honestly beautiful. He doesn’t even seem to realize what he’s doing; he just does it (very Zen of him, as usual) and it hits home. It’s a glaring sign from the author that he’s a natural at this (again, can’t get more Zen than that).

All of this careful build-up is wasted in the anime, given that Minato’s “natural talent for realizing people’s needs and spilling pearls of wisdom onto them” is now Eisuke’s in the show. I might sound harsh here but I gotta spill the beans on this particular load of bullshit: the anime lowkey hates its own protagonist. The one thing I thought KyoAni could’ve learned from last time was to stop giving other characters’ roles and personalities to whoever the director decided to pick as fandom darling for the season, but I guess this was too much to ask once again. Still, as you guys know, my motto for S2 is “disappointed but not surprised”. I do realize everything that’s wrong with it and don’t like it, yet I maintain what I’ve been saying since the beginning: I’m taking what I can get. It’s a miracle that a sequel even exists, anyway.

More bullshit ensues as Eisuke is confronted by Seiya by the toilet. It’s kind of amusing to see the anime finally try to portray Seiya as his own person in this season, only to do a full backtrack and put him again in the one-dimensional condition of “caring about nothing but Minato”. It’s also kind of weird to see Eisuke going through the trouble of attempting to pick a fight, especially when it concerns Seiya, whom he has no reason to hold contempt for. He resents Minato and Shuu because Saionji took them in as disciples when he (she, in the anime’s case) wouldn’t take him. What’s his reason to be a prick to Seiya, even when unprompted? It’s never explained or implied. The scene itself apparently has no reason to be there other than to imply that Eisuke attacks people because he’s putting up a front, as shown from the toilet mirrors and the composition of the shots. In putting up a front, he’s keeping himself from moving forward, which thankfully aligns with canon.

Then the dialogue shoots itself on the foot by suggesting that Seiya is moving forward because he sticks to his weird obsession with being Minato’s guardian.

I could talk about how obsession is a negative point for anyone who practices any Zen martial art and that the anime is once again treating kyudo like a sport here, but I’d just be repeating myself. What annoys me here is that the show continues to miss the point about Seiya. Sure, he’s a caretaker by nature and he worries about Minato more than anyone else, not just because Minato is his best friend, but also because Minato is a dumbass and a catastrophe magnet. But from the moment he and Minato have The Talk in volume 1, his attitude changes drastically. He’s a mother-hen but he’s got a life outside of Minato. He’s his own person with his own problems, like a normal person would be. By turning Seiya into a Minato-hen, the anime makes him feel unnatural and forced. Even Ichikawa Aoi’s line delivery is stiff as hell here. It sounds like fiction, and it’s not supposed to. This is a slice-of-life.

And so, after wasting half an episode with this boring repetition of information that goes absolutely nowhere, we finally move on to what matters. Or what should matter: the goddamn tournament.

It’s not a ganglion but a broken nail in the anime. The brief moment of Minato assuring that everything is fine and the one where he helps everyone regain their composure are the closest things that the anime gets to portraying him faithfully. Minato isn’t the glue that keeps everyone together because there’s no such thing in any of the teams in Tsurune, but he is very much a force of nature in it. He stirs things up and makes shit happen. I dare say he’s as much of a source of inspiration for the club as Masaki is. But it lasts for only a few minutes before Yamamura’s bias steals the spotlight again. It’s amazing how everything is about Seiya even when it’s supposed to be about the whole team. And by “amazing” I mean it makes me want to rip my hair off. In order to keep my sanity from flying off the nest, I tried to distract myself by keeping count of how many times Eisuke has said or thought the phrase “Tsujimine will win as Tsujimine”. It’s been three or four times, just in this episode.

Speaking of Tsujimine, I’m losing my mind at how the way it’s depicted far surpasses the way Kazemai is, from an artistic standpoint. The way the flashbacks are perfectly timed, the watercolor explosion, the fact that Shigeru is watching it from the hospital in real time… it’s such a stark contrast to the bad water CGI from the Kazemai side. Everything connects just perfectly. The show wants you to cheer for them and not Kazemai. I maintain my point from waaay back ago, but KyoAni (again, read that as director Yamamura) has next to no interest in Minato. It doesn’t dive into him, doesn’t explore him beyond surface level and is not invested in making him captivate the viewers. By extension, the same happens with Kazemai. The creators clearly find it to be a boring club, completely blind to the fact that they’re the ones that made it boring.

Anyway, this is my take on episode 11. Now here’s a bonus: a review of the movie.

Being back home for the summer means I finally, at long freaking last, got to watch “Hajimari no Issha”, since it was not on Netflix or Chrunchyroll. I wrote down my thoughts about it as soon as I watched it, which was about half a year ago. If this isn’t a testament to how little free time I’ve had for the past year, I don’t know what would be, lol. It’s surreal how long this has been sitting untouched in my iPad notes. As compensation and apology for taking so goddamn long to post the remainder of my reviews on S2, I’m leaving this here.

First of all, I’m happy that the glow-up in the art style actually began with this movie and not really in S2. The extra scenes are clearly animated better than the recap ones. The contrast is ridiculous. It honestly had me torn between “wow, thanks for the consideration” and “so you really could’ve done better from the beginning and decided not to, huh”.

I’m also happy that it humbly offers bits of information and character development that we’d been given in the novel up to that point but were left out of S1 (well, at least the part of it that doesn’t contradict the anime, which is a lot). Minato’s mother, the time when he and Seiya were going to the same grade school as Ryouhei, young Masaki and his grandfather, etc. Many things we were supposed to have had in S1 are here.

The first parts go back and forth in time, but the initial content is new. New scenes, new dialogue, but still with a certain degree of deviance from the source material. The funny thing (it really ain’t funny at all) is that the deviations mostly don’t have a reason to be there. Hardly any of them have anything to do with the alterations made in S1. Thankfully, they’re small and not very significant, just minor bothers.

But if they’re so unimportant, then why do they bother, y’all may ask. Well… because they’re constant reminders of how much KyoAni doesn’t get this story. Or its characters. Or (yeah, it’s getting old, I know) Zen.

First one was the way Minato got into archery. So I guess anybody who read the novel has been able to tell, but the characters kind of stand on a ladder when it comes to how enlightened they are. Masaki is at the very top, of course, and right bellow him are Minato and Shuu. As the author’s bias - I mean, the one who’s closest to the Zen-Buddhist ideal of enlightenment, Masaki found his way to archery without any reason. He had contact with it even before he became aware of his surroundings; it happened naturally, as if that was just the obvious way to go about life for him (and it was, in a sense).

As the not-so-close second, Minato got into archery in the same way as Masaki: by sheer coincidence (just happened to be present at a kyudo ceremony) and influenced by a loved one (his mother). They also were inspired by the same person (Akihiro) and fell in love with archery at the very same place (Yata Shrine). The difference is that Minato decided to pursue archery consciously, unlike Masaki, who was just doing it before he even realized it, as though he’d been born already with a bow and arrow in hands. And that was that. It’s simplistic and pure and the peak of innocence. It also defines the whole story because this shared beginning, translated in the form of Akihiro’s tsurune, is basically what ignites Minato’s whole world and connects him to everything and everyone he loves. And then comes his mother and her past doing kyudo, which adds fuel to the fire but it’s not really what kindles it. Because then that’d be just ordinary and not as Zen as what the author was going for.

Second alteration that I noticed was the rubber mountain rat that Masaki gave Minato, which in the anime is a rubber ball with a mountain rat mascot printed onto it. As I’ve mentioned a thousand times before, saying that S1 was lackluster and wasteful in terms of Masaki’s teachings and his relationship with Minato is a gross understatement. I’m glad KyoAni tried to make up for that here by giving him a little more spotlight being an actual coach, not just teaching the bare minimum and fucking up. The mountain rat is given quite a bit of importance in volumes 1 and 3, as well as everything else that Minato receives from Masaki, so I guess KyoAni can no longer pretend that these things don’t matter. Except the timing wasn’t the best. In the novel, Masaki gave the mountain rat to Minato when Minato hadn’t yet joined the club, and there’s the whole subplot about Minato being haunted by the things Masaki gives him and does for him, because he’s afraid he’ll lose Masaki at some point. But the opportunity to explore it has long been missed.

Something else that is very different from the original is the way that Seiya is being portrayed as similar to Masaki. This is also a thing in the drama CDs and promotional audios for S2, for some reason. Yet in S2 this is thrown out the window and Masaki is portrayed as similar to Shigeru instead. KyoAni tries so hard not to make the right comparison it’s hysterical.

Speaking of Masaki as a character, it’s always amusing to see the many ways that KyoAni misses the mark about him every single time. It’s literally impossible to understand what they’re trying to do with him. One example of the many incoherences in their depictions of him (aside from trying to brand him as similar to two characters who are completely different from each other, with neither of them being the characters that he’s actually similar to in canon), is the scene where Ren calls him a narcissist. ‘Cause that’s totally the number one quality of a priest. I lost my mind at this one. Where do they pull this shit from? When did Masaki ever act that way, even in the anime itself? Are they just throwing words around? Make it make sense.

There’s one fleeting moment where Masaki is compared to Minato in this scene. Except it’s not because of their personalities or form, but because of the target panic. And Masaki doesn’t really appreciate that. Yeah, that’s definitely the same Masaki who decided to take on teaching because he saw himself in Minato, especially due to the target panic. Who knew exactly what to do and how to help him because of his previous experience. Who puts prayers into everything he does for Minato so that Minato will overcome it as soon as possible. That Masaki.

“Don’t know her,” says the show.

Most frustrating of all is that this happens because Ren says kyudo is overly complicated for something that’s “all about hitting or missing” and Masaki retorts with, “Yeah, but that’s what makes it interesting”, which prompts Ren to joke, “Said like a true narcissist” before Masaki elbows him. This is a nod to volume 1’s “The way of the bow is steep, but that’s what makes it interesting”, but by God, does it backfire in the worst possible way. He could’ve just said that kyudo isn’t about hitting or missing. Actually, the last thing kyudo would be about is hitting or missing. Hitting and missing don’t fucking matter. Masaki is the last character who should be saying this, considering that he’s not only the best archer of the club but also that the literal reason why he and his grandfather started fighting was that Akihiro accused him of only caring about hitting the target. This isn’t western archery. Get your own culture right, I’m begging you.

Breathe in, breathe out. I’m fine. We’re fine. This movie… isn’t fine, but S1 was by far the worst offender. Second place is S2. And none of these three are in the same ballpark. This wasn’t exactly good but it also wasn’t bad.

On the positive side, I like the care and detail that was put into this production as much as I like the care and detail put into in S2. Despite everything I just said, KyoAni is definitely paying a lot more attention and respect to the original from this movie onwards. Is it enough? Absolutely not. But it’s something.

Like the first shot of S2, for example, which is a throwback to the scene of Akihiro adjusting himself into his draw. The camera angles are identical. This is a very nice and well-thought detail not just for the sake of parallels, but because of something Tomio says in volume 3: that an archers’ form tends to resemble the one of their teacher. He comments that everyone from the team resembles Masaki a lot when they shoot, which indirectly means that they resemble Akihiro too.

I also really like that they gave Minato’s mom a little more screen time and lines. I’d almost forgotten that she was voiced by Matsutani Kaya ‘cause she barely ever talks in the other two titles. But it would’ve been for naught if she hadn’t been put in her rightful place as a big influence in Minato’s life. Especially the bicycle scene. It’s kinda obvious that this one was both a metaphor for kyudo and for life.

That’s about it. There wasn’t much going on in this one. It feels like bait to rile up the fans for S2, because it was, to be very honest.

[leonsliga]

A tour through Leon’s Facebook:

Thank you, FC Bayern München! Mona Lisa will be jealous. 😂😎

#derPokalhatseineganzeigenengesetze #puh — #thecuphasitsownlaws #puh

Ein Bild sagt mehr als 1000 Worte. — A picture says more than 1000 words.

The eagle has landed. 🚁🙏👊

🕶️ -gefunden ! 😜 — 🕶️ -found! 😜

Wer weiß wofür es im billard ne blaue nase gibt ? 😜 — Who knows what a blue nose is for in billiards?

Hexenkessel abgekühlt und eine gute Ausgangslage geschaffen 💪🏼😊 jetzt gilt es sich gut zu erholen, um Sonntag in der Bundesliga wieder mit vollen Akkus starten zu können ! — Witches cauldron cooled down and created a good starting position 💪🏼😊 Now it's time to recover well so that we can start Sunday in the Bundesliga again with full batteries!

Zu viel Kuchen gegessen ?! 🎂 Ate too much cake?! 🎂

Die nächste Aufgabe wartet schon 😊 — The next task is already waiting 😊

Max Meyer & Ich sind sowas von bereit 😉😜 — Max Meyer and I are so ready 😉😜

Grüße von da, wo die Sonne scheint 😉☀️ —Greetings from where the sun shines 😉☀️

Die Vorbereitung auf Samstag hat heute begonnen ! 💪🏼⚽️🔵⚪️ Benedikt Höwedes will weider drängeln bei den Koordinationsübungen 😅🙈 — Preparation for Saturday started today! 💪🏼⚽️🔵⚪️ Benedikt Höwedes wants to keep pushing during the coordination exercises 😅🙈

#seidihralleaufdemweg #wieisteuertipp — #areyouallonyourway #whatisyourtip

Ich: Kein Tor gemacht 😡//Er: 2 Tore gemacht 😀🎉🎉🎉 — me: no goal scored 😡//him: 2 goals scored 😀🎉🎉🎉

#schnippschnappnewcut 😛

Überragendes Konzert von Beyonce 🙏🏼✌🏼— Outstanding concert by Beyonce 🙏🏼✌🏼

Bei über 30 Grad und einer Luftfeuchtig von 89% - viel trinken !! ☝🏼😜 — At over 30 degrees and a humidity of 89% - drink a lot!! ☝🏼😜

Ich fahre nächste Saison den Mannschaftsbus ?! 🙈✌🏼😜 🚐💨…🚓🚓🚓 — I’ll drive the team bus next season?! 🙈✌🏼😜 🚐💨…🚓🚓🚓

Der neue Wachlöwehund 🙉😳😍🦁🐶 — the new guard lion dog 🙉😳😍🦁🐶

Cooler Typ, cooles Bild 👉🏼👈🏼🙉🙈 — Cool guy, cool picture 👉🏼👈🏼🙉🙈

Kreditkarte glüht 💸 — Credit card glows 💸

Kleines Käffchen nach dem obligatorischen Vapianobesuch ! 🤓😉 — A little coffee after the obligatory Vapiano visit! 🤓😉

Mussten wir was gegen die juckenden Füße tun 😍⚽️ — We had to do something about the itchy feet 😍⚽️

Auch hier nochmal. ab sofort bin ich für euch auch bei snapchat unterwegs 😉✌🏼 — Here again. From now on I’m on Snapchat for you too 😉✌🏼

Germany’s next top model 😂

Erst Training gehabt und jetzt in der Sonne entspannen. ☀️ Was macht ihr? — First had training and now relaxing in the sun. ☀️ What are you doing?

Kleinen Lauf um den Ümminger #catchmeifyoucan — Small run around the Ümminger #catchmeifyoucan

Ich habe heute die Gelegenheit genutzt um mal wieder die alte Schule zu besuchen 🤓😂📝 — I took the opportunity today to visit the old school again 🤓😂📝

Hatten einen schönen Abend mit den Jungs in Hamburg ! 😊 super Musical, sehr empfehlenswert! — Had a nice evening with the guys in Hamburg! 😊 Great musical, highly recommended!

✌🏼 Leute ! 😊 Ab sofort werde ich diese Facebook-Seite selbst führen und euch persönlich mit Neuigkeiten aus meinem Leben nerven ! 😁 — ✌🏼 People! 😊 from now on, I will run this Facebook page myself and annoy you personally with news from my life! 😁