#the prompt was to draw something using unconventional drawing methods

[vor-mur]

My recent art project. The Mandalorian, black eyeshadow on mixed media paper

[naivesilver]

gonna cheat for a minute and say: any ask of your choosing from the 'sentences' in the 'parent and child relationship prompts' BUT with either leona and pierrot, or with leroy and lampwick PLEASE 🥺

It was a TERRIBLY hard choice, thanks 😡💕 they're all my specialest unconventional families and I can't pick a favorite, so I had to use a super secret discrimination method :^)

Parent/Child Relationship Prompts

“Look! A dog!”

"Mom, stop! I just saw something really important."

Leona has learned, by now, that teenage boys' perspectives on what is important and what isn't are often a little skewed, but she stops pedaling nevertheless, drawing her bike to a halt to look at where her son has done the same. "What is it, dear?"

In lieu of a response, Pierrot points at one of the houses along the road, clambering off his own bike with great enthusiasm. "Puppy."

The dog in question can hardly be described as a puppy, in all fairness, big and hairy and long-legged, but it doesn't seem troubled by the moniker, either. Instead, it wags its tail expectantly, its nose (the only part of its body that can wedge itself through the fence around the house's backyard) sniffing with great curiosity at the hand the boy holds out.

For his part Pierrot is grinning from ear to ear, and when Leona circles back to move closer to him he turns that bright grin to her as well, giving the dog's snout a friendly scratch. "You can't walk by a pup and not say hi," he says, with that pompously savvy air he puts on when he's being silly. "It's the law."

"Dear me. To think I might have been a criminal all along."

She loves him the most when he's like this, effortlessly happy like any other kid. It's not a rarity anymore, seeing him so warm and carefree, but it's always a joy all the same, to know that her son is at ease enough around her to act as such - if nothing else, it's an elating high to ride, like a rollercoaster with familiar turns.

It is perhaps that soothing, relieved feeling that pushes her to open her mouth again and say, after a moment: "Have you ever wanted a dog for yourself, sweetheart?"

He shrugs, looking somewhat distracted. "Dunno. They're cool, sure, but they're very loud and need lots of space. You never know if one of us might have issues with loud noises on some days. I don't want anyone to be scared to come to my house."

Oh, her heart. Leona sometimes thinks she should tell him to spend less time on stage, if that's what makes him pull out such profound remarks in that offhanded way of his. "What about other pets? Would they be off limits too?"

"Uh, I guess not?" Finally, he glances at her, wary curiosity in his gaze. "Why?"

"Well, I was thinking- maybe we could go to the shelter, see if they have any suggestions for pets that'd do well in our house. We don't have to make a decision right away. Just take a look around, maybe get a pamphlet or two. What do you say?"

Pierrot's eyes go as wide as saucers, stunned beyond speech for once in his life. "For real?"

"Yes." Leona bites her tongue as not to laugh, impossibly endeared by his reaction.

"You'd have to look after it, of course, but I know you're a responsible boy. If that's something you'd like, obviously."

"Something I'd like?" The boy spreads his arms, as if he couldn't contain the force of it, all but bouncing on the spot. "Mom, that's the best idea ever! I love it!"

She laughs in full, then, fond and fonder, and lets him pull them both towards their bikes, the dog that has just witnessed their exchange huffing cluelessly and trotting back across the grassy yard.

Before he resumes his stance, however, Pierrot clears his throat awkwardly, drawing his mother's attention again. "Anyway, there is an animal that I'd love to get, if they think it's gonna do good up here."

That comes as a surprise to Leona, at least. "Really? Which one?"

"A pet turtle." Her son's face scrunches up in a peevish smirk, dark eyes sparkling with mischief.

"And I already know which name I'll give it, and it'll be amazing, mark my words."

[jenner-benjamin]

Handwriting Continued

Studies of fantasy writing as found in ‘Symbols Signs Letters’ by Martin Andersch, 1989.

‘These are the two factors that are responsible for the state of the writing art: the decay of education on the subject in our schools and the digitalisation of letters that turns variation into repetition.’ (Andersch, 11)

I have continued reading about handwriting theory and came across a book called ‘Symbols Signs Letters’ by Martin Andersch. The book is described by Andersch as being a picture book as opposed to a text book, and documents the teaching methods that he developed whilst teaching calligraphy and lettering in the 1960s. Being published in the late 1980s it is a little more open-minded in terms of its approach and theory than the ‘Good Handwriting and How to Acquire It’ book, though it is still endearingly dated in terms of some of the expressions used.

Andersch began his teaching by breaking down his students’ previous ideas of the concept of what it is to write by hand. The first lesson he taught was an ‘invitation to fantasy’, whereby he gave his students a series of writing implements such as leaves, ribbons and matches, and allowed them to freely improvise a rhythm on the page. What followed was a series of asemic writing, before the term asemic writing had even been conceived. There was much emphasis on rhythm in this first block of taught sessions. Andersch encouraged the transferral of sensations from the body to the drawing instrument. These rhythmical glyphs were said to awaken sensibilities, allowing the mind to ‘focus on meditation, reflection and self-consciousness’. (Andersch, 14)

Later in this module Andersch prompted his students to enter this meditative state through listening to music, singing and sometimes screaming - which they all happily obliged. There are absolute parallels between these concepts and those that I have been exploring since I first discovered asemic writing, from transcribing music to embodying tranquil, meditative states whilst drawing. He even notes the importance of breathing techniques, stating that both writing and breathing are rhythmical activities. I noticed the importance of this in my own works, particularly the intentional attention I paid to breathing in the ‘Exhale’ prints, compared to the erratic state of mind I was in when making the anxiety-influenced monotypes when lockdown came to an end.

I did enjoy the way Andersch described this first module as a fantasy writing. The inclusion of a variety of unconventional writing instruments made the process lighthearted, and might have encouraged a sense of play and whimsy in his students. The term fantasy conjures notions of daydreams and make-believe, possibly alluding to a conlang (constructed language) of which I have also touched upon briefly in the past.

It is interesting to note that the majority of books that I have been reading about handwriting have been written during the transition from the pre-Digital Age to the Digital Age. I am writing with a wistful view of hindsight whereas both Andwersh and Tarr were living in a time of change where the digital revolution was powering forwards. I am looking back at an age where the handwritten word was commonplace and personality was evident in every word written, whereas they were hesitant and fearful for the future of handwriting. Further discourse from contemporary reading has the same view of looking back with an almost regretful mourning of what was.

I personally believe that we are not past the point of no return, and that handwriting can still be encouraged alongside digital media. There is potential to explore handwriting in a way that is investigative but also experimental. Taking Andwersch’s lead, perhaps an inquiry in to participatory works might spark an enthusiasm for writing by hand. If a series of unorthodox writing utensils and methods were encouraged then it might make the idea less formal and archaic. This is something to consider for future works, either workshops, interactive exhibitions, or even artist residencies.  

[antiquecompass]

Fic: Signed, Sealed, Delivered

For Xichen Week Day 2 I picked ‘soulmate’ out of the prompts and took a jaunty little stroll back to the Winter King and Wizard Jiang in Journeys ‘verse

“You should consider yourself very lucky,” his mother said. “Few in this world have soulmates, even rarer still is for that mate to be found. And you have found yours in the Winter King.” She turned her eyes from the waters of their home, her fingers clenched around her arms. “And your betrothed is also your soulmate. And you two have a mutual attraction and affection for each other. So what, exactly, causes your hesitation? The Elders asked if you had any reservations. What could they possibly be?”

Jiang Cheng did not want to say it was fear, because it wasn’t. Nor was it caution. He wanted to accept the Winter King’s invitation, to stay and study at the Cloud Recesses for a turn of the sun. To learn more of the Winter Court where he would one day dwell. To learn more of the Sidhe that he--that he--it was still too early to say love. Still too new. Still too unknown.

“I suppose I am nervous,” he admitted.

His mother scoffed. “You are Jiang Cheng. You are born of Wizard and Siren stock. You bow to no one unless you choose to do so and you demand respect with your name and your power. You are the Winter King’s Chosen. To insult you is to insult the Crown of the Winter Court.”

“I don’t care about the Winter Court,” Jiang Cheng said.

“Good,” his mother said.

“I do care about Lan Xichen, and how I could be a disappointment to him, or the image he holds of me in his head. We have been acquaintances. We have been betrothed. We have exchanged letters and elemental messengers. And yet, in so many ways, we are strangers. We don’t know each other as partners. As the people beyond our titles. I don’t want to be a disappointment to him.”

“You will disappoint him if you refuse his invitation,” his mother stated. “And he may take it as a firm rejection.” She cupped his cheek. “You are much like your mother, my sea star, and though your eyes tell of your heart, the rest of you can be far harder to read.”

“I do not reject him,” Jiang Cheng said. He shook his head at the very idea. “Nor would I ever wish to do such a thing, but he’s a king and I am me.”

His mother grasped his chin tight, purple lightning dancing on her fingers, calling his own Siren magic, calling it up, calling it out, until it pulsed awake and alive across his skin.

“You are magnificent. The best that has ever come or will ever come from a Wizard and a Siren. I do not raise mediocre sons. Let the world think you’re nothing but a standard wizard, but we know the truth. The water calls to us, grants us its powers, and it loves you more than any raised outside the Sacred Seas in a very long time.”

Jiang Cheng nodded as his power filled him with the familiar warmth of his magic, a comfort since his youth.

“I will draft the letter of my acceptance tonight,” he said.

“Good,” his mother said, standing back, and finally letting him go. She turned, her magic causing ripples to shiver through the surrounding water.

Jiang Cheng let his power run over his fingers as he thought about their situation. It should’ve made things easier, he supposed, knowing his soulmate. Knowing he was a good, honorable person who genuinely cared about his family and his people. Knowing something and experiencing it were two very different beasts. They weren’t soul-bonded yet. It would take a decade, at the very least, of close contact before they could mindspeak. Knowing Xichen was his soulmate didn’t stop the nerves or the second guessing. 

Sometimes Jiang Cheng wished he didn’t know. That they could just court each other as they wished, damn all the proper traditions and politics and the like. Damn the expectations and the history of other soulmates, other love matches.

Let them just be themselves. To discover each other at their own pace, at their own time, in their own way. 

He couldn’t even respond to Xichen’s invite without having it approved by three different elders. 

Jiang Cheng looked down at his hands and then turned his gaze towards the end of the family pier. Inhuman laughter and splashing told him the mer-folk had come for a visit. He looked down at his hands, at the manifestation of his power, and smiled. 

Damn the rules. 

Even with his worries, Jiang Cheng knew who and what he wanted. And Xichen had addressed the invitation to him before any other in Lotus Pier. He wasn’t going to make him wait any longer. 

It would certainly be an unconventional method of delivering a reply, but his soulmate should know all the eccentrics that came with courting a wizard and siren.

***********

“He’s pacing,” Moira said.

“Yes,” Song Lan agreed.

“He’ll mark up the floor if he doesn’t stop,” Moira said.

“Yes,” Xiao Xingchen agreed.

Lan Xichen paid little attention to his cousins and friends as he waited for an answer. Of course he didn’t expect an immediate response. An official visit of one of the Jiang Wizards to the Winter Court, especially his betrothed, would require deliberation and determination. A debate over good omens. Consultations. Politics.

But part of him had hoped Jiang Cheng would’ve sent word that he’d at least received the invitation.

He felt like they’d made progress, since his surprise visit to Lotus Pier last year. Their correspondence had increased dramatically, and he longed for one of those letters now, containing Jiang Cheng’s loose, slanted handwriting and harsh opinions and tangents about life in Lotus Pier. 

“Perhaps it did not reach him yet,” Wangji said. “It could’ve been intercepted by his mother or one of the councilors or one of his siblings.”

“Or his dogs,” Moira said. “They could’ve eaten it. Or that brother of his. Wouldn’t put it past the Necromancer.” She laughed. “Your face will freeze like that, Wangji. Stop glaring at me. It’s no one's fault but your own that you saw that Master of Destruction and decided, ‘thank you, Fates. I’ll take this one.’  After trying to kill him, of course.”

“I never--” Wangji cleared his throat. “We started off with a misunderstanding that has long since been corrected.”

“Has it?” Song Lan asked. “Because he’s clearly missing the point of every one of your subtle courting attempts.”

“The Winter King is headed back towards his study,” Xingchen said, drawing everyone back to the matter at hand. 

Xichen started walking towards his desk. “Perhaps I should send another invitation. Just in case something did happen. Moira’s right, the dogs do love to scatter his papers. They have to spend most of their time in his office, you know. Poor things aren’t allowed to roam free.” Xichen paused. “Perhaps I should invite the dogs as well.”

“Oh,” Moira said with a shake of her head. “You don’t want to seem too eager, cousin. Give it a day. At the least.”

Xichen was eager, though. But a day. A single day? He could do that, of course. What was a single day in the life of an immortal sidhe?

“I’ll just compose a draft,” Xichen said as he headed towards his desk.

Song Lan gently stopped him with a powdery snowball to the face. 

To lesser kings, more concerned with their power than being a good person, it would’ve been a grave insult. To Xichen, who counted Song Lan as someone he could always trust to treat him like Xichen and not the Winter King, it was a cold, if pointed, reminder to breathe.

“I shall take that under advisement,” Xichen said as he wiped snow from his face. He looked down at his light, spring robes. “Now, if you will excuse me, I need to change.”

“He’s going to write another letter,” Moira mumbled.

Xichen would not. Or perhaps he would, but not an invitation. Just a general letter to Jiang Cheng, with the little bit of freedom they were allowed. Xichen was a king and had to be mindful of what he put down in writing, even to Jiang Cheng. Private correspondence remained the source of so many scandals among Sidhe rulers. And yet writing to Jiang Cheng still meant that he got to devote pages to his favorite novels or art or inane things like the weather, the flowers, his brother’s ever-growing collection of rabbits. It wasn’t about land or trade negotiation. And while he did worry that he bore Jiang Cheng with some of his longer letters, Jiang Cheng had assured them that he enjoyed them all.

It made Xichen wish they could’ve known each other as normal lovers and soulmates, rather than the Winter King and his Chosen. 

A loud splash in the small lake besides his quarters drew his attention. He gasped when he spotted a face in the water.

A woman emerged, or at least the face of one, neither old nor young, but beautiful in the unattainable way that came to all Mer-folk. Her skin was a pleasing light blue hue and her eyes a shade of violet Xichen had come to associate with Lotus Pier.

“Are you the Winter King?” she asked in a heavily accented, ancient version of the Common Tongue. 

“I am,” he said.

She studied him for a moment. “You speak true?”

“Yes,” Xichen said as he knelt beside the lake’s edge.

The mermaid dipped her head back in thanks, dipping underwater before resurfacing again.

“I have a message from the Siren’s Son,” she said.

“Jiang Cheng?” he asked.

She smiled at him, her face turning youthful in its joy. “Yes, they were correct. We do like you for him. He has let you know the truth of him, or some of it.” She pulled a satchel from around her neck. “You may keep it all,” she said. “He crafted it just to transport this message.”

There was spellwork around the purple cloth. It smelled of Jiang Cheng and the material was soft, as if made from his own robes, but it was dry as a bone. A handy bit of magic for a wizard so connected to water.

“I feel like I must give you something in return for your journey,” Xichen said. “You are far from home.”

“I offered,” the mermaid said. “It is an honor to aid the Siren’s Son in his pursuit; to bring his voice to his mate. He already gifted me a song in gratitude.”

She hummed a soft tune and Xichen could imagine Jiang Cheng’s deep, smooth voice singing along to it. It soothed him and he felt calm for the first time in hours.

“Still,” he insisted.

She cast her eyes about and pointed at a patch of snowdrops. 

“I will take one of them,” she said.

Xichen nodded as he picked a handful, putting his energy into the ground to re-grow what he had taken and then again to preserve his gift in everlasting ice. 

“You are kind,” she said as she took the gift. “We approve.”

“Thank you,” he said before wishing her well. 

In the privacy of his quarters he was finally able to open the pouch. Inside was a letter, sealed with the symbol lotus blossom pressed into deep purple wax. It was covered in a sort of spellwork Xichen had never encountered before. His fingers pressed over the familiar image on the seal and the letter immediately unfolded in his lap. It was blank inside, but then, as Xichen touched the paper again, a burst of purple light overtook the pages. 

Xichen gasped as Jiang Cheng’s voice sounded in his room. 

“I am not always skilled with words,” Jiang Cheng’s voice told him. “And I felt that if I wrote a reply it would become so practiced and revised so many times that I would make you think it wasn’t even written by my hand. Xichen I am honored to accept your invitation to stay in your realm. I long to see the home that shall one day become mine as well. To learn of it and its people. To learn of you.” He sighed. “Perhaps I shouldn’t have said that, perhaps it is too much, but I want to know you, everything about you, as the Winter King and as my soulmate. If you’ll still allow me such an honor, of course. The official reply should be there in the morning, but I couldn’t keep you waiting any longer. I know how restless I would be in your place and I hope you would feel the same.”

“I do,” Xichen said, heart full and pounding, smile wide as the purple light of the letter started to flicker. 

“I am eager to see you again,” Jiang Cheng said. “And I send my warmest regards to you, your family, and your realm.”

The light went out then and Xichen was sad the spell was done. He sighed as he picked the paper up again, only for the light to burst across the paper once more, only for Jiang Cheng’s voice to repeat. A message for him from his soulmate, forever captured.

“He is so clever,” Xichen said as he folded the paper, careful to keep his fingers to the outside and not the inside. 

The wax seal redid itself once the ends of the page met. Xichen carefully wrapped it back inside its purple cloth and cradled it to his chest. 

[nimwallace]

Sympathy

Sherlock Holmes sometimes reminded me of John Milton. Not that he bore a particular physical resemblance to the man, but that he spoke in some similarly fantastic ways—he took evil and chaos and the nature of the human soul and spoke of them with strange beauty. He was like a poet himself in many ways, though he would never dare admit it. He viewed himself as an inhuman being, limited but strictly reasonable. Of course, no human could reach perfect reason, and even he himself fell short sometimes, in cases I never cared to pen. But he was, indeed, human in every way imaginable, perhaps more human than the average Englishman. He had a certain sympathy for the poor and weak, defending those who could not defend themselves. It made me wonder often if this sympathy was related to his past—still so shrouded in mystery to me in those early years of our friendship—or if he was simply kinder because he saw it as virtuous (it was something he sometimes complimented me on as well). I decided I would put my “theory” to the test, as was his own method, to see if he would divulge more about himself. Looking back upon it, it was a strange thing to do, but I was so young then, and so utterly enchanted by him, I daresay I would do anything just to learn a scrap more about him. I needn't look for a willing participant, for my “test” (more a prompt, really) didn't even have to be a charade. London is a city littered with the needy, overcome by the slums of the poor leaking into the world of the rich. Young people with dirty faces and torn, muddy garments for clothes walked beside men silver watches and women with diamond hat pins. Of course, not all those who begged needed too. Some made a career of it (you may recall such one case in “The Man with the Twisted Lip) or used it as a side revenue to fuel their habit of drink or opium. It was usually easy to tell which were which. It happened that we were returning from dinner one night when I spotted a particularly small, young boy crouched in a corner of the Strand with a tin can. He couldn't have been more than 10 or eleven years young, and I can't pretend I didn't feel for him myself. Life can end up an unlucky lot to some—nothing more. No bad choices or mischief. Just poor luck. “Is that one of your boys, Holmes?” I asked, drawing his attention to the boy. I was referring, of course, to the Baker Street Irregulars (although in truth I already knew all of their faces by now, and most of their names). “No,” Holmes said with some surprise, stopping in his path to observe the child. He suddenly made a beeline for the corner, and I followed hastily after him. The boy looked apprehensive as we approached, and perhaps contemplated fleeing, but stood his ground nonetheless. “What is your name, young man?” Holmes said breezily. “James, sir.” “Have you got a second name?” “No sir, just the one, sir.” Holmes thought for a moment, his eyes sweeping the child again, hunting for more clues. He got that look upon his face he often got during cases—that look of acute observation and focus. “You haven't got a family, young James?” he said astutely. “No sir,” James said. “Father drank?” “Yes sir.” “Mother dead?” “Yes sir.” The boys eyes widened. “Don't send me to the orphanage sir, please—“ “Don't trouble yourself,” Holmes said. “I would like to make you a proposal.” James nodded eagerly. “Yes sir?” Holmes knelt down to his level. “I would like, very much, James, if you were to come by 221b Baker Street, every week, and I shall give you one pound per week. Does that sound fair?” The boys eyes looked like moons. “Yessir, of course sir, but what kind of work shall I do?” Holmes gave this another moment of contemplation. The boy was too young for most of our Irregulars' errands. “You will give yourself a last name,” Holmes decided. “And you will buy new clothes and look for an apprenticeship so that you may learn a trade and make your name worth something. Is this agreed?” He shed his glove, sticking out his hand. James eagerly shook it. “Thank you sir! I-I will!” “Good. When you come to Baker Street next Tuesday, I expect to hear your new name.” He gave the boy a one pound note, and we walked home. I waited until after Holmes had smoked his second pipe before addressing him on the subject of the boy. “That was a kind thing you did, my dear fellow?” “Hmm? Oh yes.” He opened his eyes, smoke drawling from his lips and clouding his serene face. “Thank you, Watson.” “I have noticed you often take pity on such people.” Something about this caught suddenly his attention. He looked intensely at me for several seconds, then burst into a fit of laughter. “Oh, my dear Watson,” he chuckled. “Forgive me for my amusement. I see now, everything is quite clear.” I reddened, embarrassed that he had seen through my plan. “You thought I struggled, hmm? Perhaps as a child?” I nodded, face still hot. Holmes sat back, smile still faint. “It is not an unjust notion to have, old man, and I see how you came to it. But no, I myself have never had the misfortune of resorting to such practices.” I looked at him, bemused. “But Holmes, if you weren't in poverty yourself—“ “Then why do I help them?” I nodded. Holmes raised his pipe to his lips, taking a thoughtful puff. “Not everyone has had the opportunities I have, Watson. If I can offer someone who does not have my privileges a chance at fresh start, or nudge them in the right direction, I will do so. It is just money after all, and I live for the work.” It was a Holmesien-answer indeed, unconventional, honest. One of the many things I loved him for. “It is noble of you, Holmes, whatever the reason,” I said genuinely. A smile crept across his lips, as it always did in my praise of him. “It is nothing, dear fellow. Would you mind if I played a few airs?” I encouraged him gladly, and watched the firelight dance upon his features for the remainder of the night.

[demytasse]

[Shizaya] All Things Considered - Ch 1

Summary: What happens when Shizuo uses Celty's party for Shinra as an excuse to invite whom he supposedly hates, while Izaya creates his own fun from the situation. 

Preview: After one interaction, Shizuo considered himself unlucky and desperately tried to replace that luck with anything that he could, but suddenly there was so much to consider. Vague swirls of mixed feelings, unnecessary connections to daily happenstances, nebulous definitions to what each sporadic meeting meant. He became obsessed with considering the root of their relationship, buried deep in fertile soil, in support of a surfaced weed.

Chapter: 1/5; Chapter Index

A03 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15924572

Shizuo was really only on pleasant terms with a dismal few. It was something that city dwellers often assumed upon first glance, as was it common knowledge among seasoned and nubile members of Dollars, thanks to a sticky-post of rumours atop the forums.

The near-thirty roughian had grown to appreciate his rather lone wolf lifestyle and regarded it as a blessing in disguise, the silver lining of his unfortunate nature. With little to no social obligations he was allowed his idyllic life of peace and simplicity. At least that's what he believed would come of his future, while his present awkwardly flirted with the dream.

Really though, Shizuo wasn’t entirely without people that weren’t an aggravation to him, more that the list was stacked fairly short. Even shorter were those he interacted with on a regular basis; and those few all fell within a web of eccentric friends and odd acquaintances, all mutually connected whilst baffling that they all belonged to the same group.

In short, Shizuo didn’t have more than two that were specific to him, and parents hardly counted… So that totaled to a underwhelming zero.

Hence, it came without a shock that all those friends of his were already invited to a party of an annual occurrence. Asocial event that was set to start in a matter of minutes, rather it was minutes grouped together in batches of sixty, as if anyone ever counted time in minutes unless it fell under an hour. Shizuo wasn’t even happy to constantly calculate that total, but his anxiety kept him to a countdown that added necessary pressure for a deadline that quickly approached. That and his current fixation wouldn’t allow him to consider how unconventional and inconvenient the method of telling time was.

As it were, Shizuo had started a war with his phone, in a continual raid of his laughable list of friends in order to find someone, anyone, that he could add to an already abundant and hilariously dysfunctional lot of partygoers. The task was near impossible and went alongside the party coordinator’s insistence not to, Celty being too considerate of Shizuo and his easily triggered bullheadedness.

In opposition, Shizuo felt it was his duty to go against her insistence with said bullheaded persistence; he too was overly considerate of his friend’s well being, which had him jump into chivalrous action once Celty mentioned she felt she’d already failed as a decent host.

They were a nervous pair, those two, that danced around their will to do right for the other, quite similar to a younger pair of individuals still donned in their Raira blues. Though the connection to Mikado and Anri would surely upset a certain obsessive doctor who’d appreciate any comparison other than a duo whose hidden romantic feelings for each other weren’t hidden at all.

But that was hardly a topic that Shizuo would ever humour, and certainly not presently as another sixty-six minutes had ticked by with only failure to speak of. He’d already been drawing from a dried well, but even looking beyond those of his friends he couldn’t even muster one that he didn’t consider a friend.

     ...Fuckin’ hell...

Of course that was a lie. There was a specific someone that he wouldn’t classify as a friend, yet he knew quite well...

      ...it better not come down to...

…a shared contact between the bodyguard and courier alike.

However their perception of the shared contact differed. Celty had long blacklisted the individual from her thoughts unless otherwise prompted, while Shizuo…

Maybe it was a bit more complicated than succinct, but essentially it meant that Celty hadn't even considered to invite whom Shizuo had.

And he most certainly had considered them.

A lot.

Too much.

Way too much.

In fact, the subject of Shizuo’s toil wasn't exclusive to the moment nor event, but a moment from a week back and at least several times since.

      No…wait...

It went back a month...rather a year. At least.

      ...err...

Really, it all traced back to their introduction. It was prompt and came uninvited, but Shizuo inexplicably fell into a pattern of constantly considering something of the parasite, to which he always forced the blame on the other, never himself.

After one interaction, Shizuo considered himself unlucky and desperately tried to replace that luck with anything that he could, but suddenly there was so much to consider. Vague swirls of mixed feelings, unnecessary connections to daily happenstances, nebulous definitions to what each sporadic meeting meant. He became obsessed with considering the root of their relationship, buried deep in fertile soil, in support of a surfaced weed.

And it had annoyed the fuck out of Shizuo for about a decade; his trademark scowl a consistent expression, almost a tattoo by now.

To which that regrettable tattoo now reflected back onto Shizuo from his dark phone screen, seconds in lag of its boot up. It’d been the tenth time he’d flipped open the battle-scared device to begin yet another monotonous scroll through his modest catalog of contacts, frustrated and desperate, eyes narrowed in scrutiny.

Nothing changed.

While he was a fool for hoping that something new would appear, a completely hopeless fool he wasn’t. He knew that a miracle wouldn’t magic up a solution for him.

It was just like he knew that another nervous assault of his fridge, door nearly pulled off its hinges, would still offer a distinct lack of his favourite brand of pudding, while presented with the same disappointing milk that he'd almost drank dry and an assortment of leftovers he’d brought home from tried and true fast food joints.

He groaned, as did the unfortunate door that he slammed behind him. His phone, however, was brightly lit and chipper in mock of him as it spilled a glow over his glum features, especially so when he focused on the current spot of his opened address book.

Each and every time he dug back into his contacts, the highlight of a particular name would have his thumb hover over the send button. Each and every repetition his hesitation grew a fraction longer before the clack of folded plastic jostled him out of his trance.

      ...that’s the last time.

The name in question shouldn't have been there at all, given that he hadn’t been the one to type in the aggravating string of kana, rather it was the work of a prankster.

     Tch...

A simple distraction, swift hijack, and a glint of satisfaction placed his first phone of many into the hands of a devious brat who typed so adeptly that Shizuo hardly knew it ever left his pocket.

For six years, eight different models, twenty destroyed phones, and way too many data transfers later the parasitic name of his foe nestled itself comfortably between those of his friends, while it stood out just like the asshole to whom it belonged.

Whenever he went to dial his brother, he was reminded of the jerk. If he needed to reach his middle school chum turned boss, that bastard came to mind. Perchance he needed a patch from his unofficial doctor, the antagonist was probably already mid-attack of his thoughts, but would stab with more gusto once the sparse list was summoned.

Eventually he’d built up a tolerance for the pretentious name, but still decided to edit the title to one that better resembled the prick.

It was a nickname that was familiar to his vocal chords and could’ve mistakenly pegged Shizuo as a pet owner with a rather unfortunate pest problem, so much so that he needed the number of an exterminator at the ready.

In nature of the unflattering nickname, that flea popped its way back into Shizuo’s thoughts to become a nuisance that only increased as time went on, yet he considered the pest as his inevitable solution.

Again.

Yet, fucking, again.

He wasn't even looking at the name and it still burned his cornea and unsurprisingly his temper.

     It’s his fault. It’s always his goddamn fault. Why is it always his fault!?

A reel of his arm nearly had him pitch his phone to the floor, just before he caught himself.

Shizuo’s deliberation had grown ridiculously long while he repeatedly paced the circuit of his constrained living room, his hand cramped from a tight clutch of his phone for roughly 246 minutes. Really, he wasn’t counting.

All he needed was a definitive yes or no: should or shouldn't he invite Izaya?

What little patience he owned had finally wore down to his nerves and pleaded help from his instincts. In light of his predictable trend, his gut lurched him into action well before he could weigh how much of a mistake it could be; more apt, would be.

He thumbed the send button and the phone obeyed.

     Shit… I didn't want to do that…Shit! SHIT!

Juggled between his hands the ringing of his phone bounced in surround sound before he got control over it, nervous to put the speaker up to his ear.

It was an accident, a slip of his thumb, a hiccup in his concentration, it was anything but a conscious desire. That's what he would tell the others in response to why he did it. As if anyone within his circle of friends would believe him. For that matter, no one familiar with the ongoing of Ikebukuro would be fooled by the half-baked cover up.

Because why wouldn't he just stop the phone call from going through if he didn't mean for it to happen? It was just as easy to make a mad jab against the red button as it was to hit the green.

Clearly he let the ring continue just to keep his pride intact. Not because he wanted to hear the voice that broadcasted from the district over from his own, and especially not because he wanted to hear it in person again.

Though all mad consideration stopped the second the line connected and forced him to initiate conversation.

   “Uh…”

He nearly ended it there, too dumbfounded to compose a sentence. It was a chuckle that inspired him to continue, and he'd be damned if he’d admit how kind it was to his ears.

   “...it's Shinra's birthday.”

[itsjhaile-blog]

Creativity

Jon:

Connecting the dots in unconventional ways; finding new efficiencies

Well filtered optimism

The ability to translate nebulous ideas into something tangible

Finding new vantage points for a problem, embracing the new perspectives and information to inform a solution

Aimee:

Being able to turn something that is obvious into something new and innovative

Ability to look at anything, problem, product, picture and gain insight in a different and unique way then expressing that whether it is a physical product or simply a thought to drive change

Ability to draw from situations a unique perspective that provides others the ability to also learn from that same insight

Applying a method or practice into another area or part of your life, using it for an unintended purpose

Phylizia:

The production of something new and valuable from resources, ideas, and collaboration

The recognition of a pattern in otherwise messy pools of thoughts or actions

The process of finding and refining tools and prompts for creation

Creativity requires constraint

The compromise between chaos and organization

Associated words: resourceful, ingenious, intuitive, inventive, abstract, design

Associated people: writers, dancers, fashion designers, actors, game makers

Turning “nothing” into “something” - movement, products, emotions

Collective:

Creativity is the process of leveraging varying perspectives, energies, and resources into something new

[tolkienrsb]

TRSB18 FAQ

General Information

What is a Reverse Big Bang?

A Reverse Big Bang is literally a reverse of the Big Bang challenges you may have come across in the past (such as Hobbit Big Bang, for example). The participating artists create a piece of art, which is posted anonymously for authors to view and claim. The authors will then write a fic based on the art they chose.

What kind of artwork/story is eligible?

Hobbit, Silm, LotR, HoME, whatever takes your fancy, be it movies or book-canon ;)

This challenge is open to all characters, genres and ratings, as long as there is a clear link to Tolkien’s mythos.

OCs are welcome, although crossovers are not currently permitted.  

We are not setting any restrictions on content, but please work with your artist/author to ensure that the fic turns out well for both sides; refer back to the individual’s Do-Not’s and Must-Haves before you decide to claim a piece of art!

If you create a NSFW piece of art for the Preview, we will put a SFW crop in the Preview with a link to the NSFW version.

Because this challenge is open to and inclusive of all Tolkien characters and ships, we would like to remind all participants that absolutely no shipshaming or kinkshaming will be tolerated.

Please respect each other and the all-inclusive tone of the challenge.

Long post under the cut, can also be found at https://tolkienrsb.tumblr.com/faq

What’s the time frame?

May 1, 2018: Sign-ups open

May 15, 2018: Artist sign-up closes

Monday, May 21, 2018: Art Draft due

Friday, May 25, 00:01 CET, 2018: Art up for preview

Saturday, May 26, 2018: Author sign-ups close

Monday, May 28, 20:00 CET, 2018: Claims open [What time is that for me?]

Sunday, June 3, 2018: Post-Claim Check In

July 5, 2018: Check In.

July 30, 2018: Check In.

August 17, 2018: Deadline to tell us “Help, my pants are on fire and I won’t be able to complete my story!” 

August 25, 2018: Fics due.

Monday, August 27, 2018: Posting begins in the last week of August, running in staggered schedule until all Fics have been posted/reblogged.

The scheduled times and dates are not negotiable.

What’s a checkpoint? They’re something to give you a feel on where a typical artist and/or author should or could be at in their creation process. They’re used for encouragement and motivation only. The last author checkpoint is mandatory and for us to determine what art pieces we need to find pinch hitters for. Any author who does not check in then (or if they can’t make it lets us know why) will be dropped from the challenge and a pinch hitter assigned to the art prompt. What should my art draft look like for Preview? It should be the equivalent of about 75% of your final artwork. That’s hard to measure, of course – basically it does not need to be a finished piece but it should give the author wanting to claim your art a good idea of what it will look like.

Time should go into it, this piece will be what the author bases their story on.

What should my rough draft look like for the Final Checkpoint? It needs to be at least 4,000 words, or 80% of your fic. You do not need to have your fic finished by this time however, you may still work on it and get it beta-read until your final fic and art is due. We just need to be able to reasonably verify that you are going to be able to finish your fic by the due date.

How will I contact my artist/author? We will provide an author with contact information once they are committed to an artist(email/tumblr/other - artists choose their preferred communications method when they submit their art for Preview). From there it is up to the author to communicate with the artist and create a story that would fit the art.

How do I sign up? Sign-ups for the 2018 fest open on May 1, you can sign up via forms linked on the @tolkienrsb​ blog.

FAQ from Artists

Art encompasses (but is not limited to) drawn or painted artwork (both traditional and digital), comics, and digital manips. Craft is welcome as long as the final piece can be photographed and submitted to us via email as an image. If you have an unconventional idea for your artwork, please email the mods at tolkienrsb at gmail dot com to discuss.

Artists may submit up to 3 separate pieces of art for this challenge to be claimed separately by 3 different authors. Alternatively, artists may choose to submit one piece for the preview and create more pieces as the collab continues - whichever best suits the story you and your partner want to tell!

Can I draw anything I like? Basically, yes. However, bear in mind that you are creating something to inspire a writer. Is there an AU or a headcanon you’d love to see explored? Give your author as much information as you can in your art to capture their imagination. Just as with a Big Bang when authors try to make their summary as enticing to artists as possible, you have the opportunity to inspire a writer with your idea and to have them write a fic specifically for the art you create.

What about nudity/ships/kinks? Bring them. Go wild. Ship it (you know you want to). This is basically your party (and we know we have some kinky writers out there, so you might find a kindred soul for yours ;) )

Bear in mind that if you DO create an NSFW piece of art as your prompt, we will put a SFW crop in the Preview and link a full version hosted on Mod Raiy’s private Imgur account for the duration of the Preview Weekend.

Do I have to finish my art before Previews? No, but submitted artwork should be at least 75% done.  We know that can be tough to gauge with art; the main thing is to post a draft with enough detail that authors can clearly make out what’s going on in your artwork.

Art is only to be completed before the posting date (this means you have all the weeks of writing to finish it - or to make more art or sunbathe or however you’d like to spend time this summer).

See Submission Info for more details.

Can I create a crossover or fusion piece? No, we feel Tolkien’s works are a large enough sandbox for this first round – perhaps in future we will open for true fusions/crossovers.

NB: THIS DOES NOT MEAN YOU CAN’T DO AU’s!

What happens if the number of authors doesn’t match up with the number of artists? We will do several rounds of claiming so that EVERY piece of art has a fic in the event that the art pieces outnumber fanfiction writers. If it’s the other way, we may open up the pieces of art so that more than one fic writer is assigned to the same piece of art. Either way, everyone who wants to participate will get to participate.

Will my art be archived anywhere? No, we will only post your art in our Preview document, which will be deleted by the end of the TRSB18 event.

NB: Art pieces created for this challenge are NOT TO BE POSTED ANYWHERE ELSE before story posting takes place.

How will art claims work? Art will be posted anonymously to a Members Only, View Only private presentation document. Each piece will be numbered and accompanied by additional information supplied by the artist so authors will have plenty of time to peruse and choose their preferences.  See Submission Info to see what info the artists will submit, and see Claims Info for how claims will work.

FAQ from Authors

After claiming takes place, authors will have approximately 10 weeks to write a story with a minimum of 5,000 words. The fic must be original, complete, and related to the claimed art for which it is written.

We strongly recommend that the fic is beta-read, either by the artist or a third party to reduce errors.

Do I get more than one piece of art to work with? That’s up to your artist, though we encourage our teams to collaborate throughout the process in whatever manner they see fit. There is no obligation for your artist to create additional art unless they wish to; before you begin writing, have a chat with your artist about interpretations of the artwork - bear in mind that elements of the artwork must feature in your fic.

What if the artist’s OTP is my nOTP/squicks me? Then you shouldn’t pick that piece of art on your claims form. Elements in the artwork need to be present in your story - this means that if there is a pairing specifically shown or suggested, then that is the pairing you are claiming and promising to write for. We also encourage you to discuss any squicks before you start writing and respect each other’s Do Not Wants.  (Key word here being “respect” - it should go without saying, but we will not tolerate shipshaming, kinkshaming, flaming or other hurtful behaviour.)

What type of requirements are there for a fic? You will be expected to write a fic with a minimum of 5,000 words, based on the prompt you choose in the Art Claims post. Claims will be first come, first serve. Beta-reading is strongly advised.

How do I know what art I’m writing for? / How do I make a claim? When the artists turn in their rough drafts, we’ll make an Art Preview. Signed up authors will be emailed a link to view the Art Preview and have a couple of days to think about their favourites. Then we will open the Claims Form where you will rank your choices by preference and we will match authors with claims on a first come first served basis. 

I’ve already been writing a fic - can I use that one? No. The fic you write must be based around the art you choose, using that as your prompt.

What if my [character] doesn’t look like my artist’s [character]? Then you should probably have chosen a different piece of art ;) As the entire idea of this fest is to use a piece of art as a prompt, discarding the artist’s vision for your own is pretty bad form. Pick art you like/agree with!

What genres/warnings are allowed? You may write/create art for whichever genre of fic you choose, as well as any rating as long as your artist is comfortable with it. Remember, you’re creating the fic around the art and the artist’s original vision. 

Can I write with someone else? No, only one person may write. You may use your artist as a sparring partner or utilise the services of a beta reader(which we strongly recommend all authors do), but your story should be yours.

Will my fic be archived anywhere? No, where the story is posted will be up to the author. We will create/reblog MasterPosts to DW and Tumblr, but the location of your fic is entirely up to you.

How does posting work? Each author/artist team nominates their preferred posting day within the last week of August. Each team of author/artist is required to post on their assigned date to the platform of their choice(DW/Tumblr/AO3/ Other).

Each team will also be required to create a masterpost of their collaboration on Tumblr(no matter how they choose to post), including a summary and links to wherever they’ve posted their work.

If you do not have a DW account when it comes to posting time, just email your links/information details to a mod at tolkienrsb@gmail.com and we will make the post to the DW community for you.

Each Tumblr MasterPost will be reblogged via @tolkienrsb to give each team the maximum exposure we can give on their day of posting. Round-ups of all the works created for the Tolkien RSB18 will be posted here too.

An AO3 collection is available for teams to add their work: TRSB18.

See Masterpost Info for more details.

Any questions or issues can be addressed to the mods at tolkienrsb at gmail dot com or by sending us an Ask. We answer all signed-in Asks on private and there are no stupid questions.

Thank you for participating,

Raiyana & Narya, your friendly community mods!

[mdno]

Mdno Name Meaning: What Makes It Distinctive

The name Mdno attracts cooperation, firmness and insightfulness.

Letter Analysis

M Driven by their robust opinions, people with 'M' as their initial are very stubborn and don't let themselves convinced easily.

D 'D' is about a door that opens to reveal an ingenious solution to a life problem, at a particular time.

N This 'N' implies that one is very connected to their emotions and prefers to assign a greater relevance to how they feel, as opposed to what they think.

O With 'O' resonating with the intensity of the number 6, this is someone who is very responsible and loyal, looking to be of service to those close.

Life Lesson & Challenge: In the case of the name Mdno, since the first vowel is 'O', the life lesson touches on this person enjoying the time they get to spend with their families, whilst the life challenge can be matched with letting go of any regrets they might hold against themselves.

Letter & Numerology Insights

The Cornerstone: M

Cornerstone M LetterIn Numerology, the first letter of a name is being referred to as the Cornerstone and sways a person's reactions and how they tackle new opportunities. The name that starts with capital M suggests a temperament that is slightly workaholic but also very domestic, someone who treasures being the first to try something but who also displays the patience to take their time and gain some balance in their life.

The Capstone: O

Capstone O LetterThe Capstone, the final letter of a name, gives an idea of that person's determination to achieve their goals and their opinion about their own capacities. With a spartan and methodical demeanour, the individual whose name ends with O adapts easily to different circumstances and get along with anyone, regardless of their personal preferences.

Entourage Insight

This name will draw in people who care about promptness and playfulness, also, one should be mindful of vindictive and weak-willed people.

Mdno Name Symbols

Name Color: Red

Red ColorRed, a color denoting triumph and ambition, is characteristic for people who are very astute and don't shy away from expressing themselves. This color draws everyone's attention and is often used for this purpose.

Animal Spirit: Elephant

ElephantAs a totem animal, the Elephant is about longevity and temperance. The Elephant symbolism is encouraging one to strive to finish whatever they have started, no matter how difficult it may be.

Plant Spirit: Snapdragon

SnapdragonThe Snapdragon is the most representative flower for this name. It reminds of fascination and benevolence. Snapdragon grows in the harshest of conditions, reminding us about our ability to overcome hardship.

Name Vibration MDNO

The vibrational energy of the name Mdno is associated with the Desire level on the emotional vibration scale dedicated to the creative personality,

with unconventional notions and daring ambitions. Fortunate to be confident and bold,

these people are risktakers who adore trying things others have not tried before.

about:// M D N O

Maximum Duration Negate Outliers

negate


make ineffective; nullify

If someone negates something, they say that it does not exist. [formal]

He warned that to negate the results of something getting worse

Defined as to deny, to prove false or to cause something to not be needed.

An example of to negate is to conduct a study to prove a theory false.

An example of to negate is for an "umbrella to take away the need for a hood. To be negative; bring or cause negative results"

outlier; plural noun: outliers

1. a person or thing situated away or detached from the main body or system.


* a person or thing differing from all other members of a particular group or set.

someone who stands apart from others of his or her group, as by differing behavior, beliefs, or practices:

In statistics an outlier is a piece of data that is far from the rest; think of a graph with dots, where most dots are clustered together in the middle, but one dot, the outlier, is at the top.

[science-is-golden]

Some resources and tips for surviving AP, final, or any other exam week. 

PREPARING FOR EXAMS:

Time Management

Create a study plan. write out when you are going to study what and make sure to include other obligations so you don’t forget or fall behind

The Curve of Forgetting by @studyquill​

Start preparing early. aka earlier than the night before (or morning of) your exams. don’t cram!!

Space out your studying. don’t study a subject all at one time. take breaks and spread out study sessions for better retention. instead of a lot at one time, little bit everyday will go a much longer way

Finish your other projects ASAP. you don’t want to be writing that final paper or finishing that presentation @ 3am the day of an exam. do it early

Don’t overextend. avoid agreeing to or signing up for too many events the weeks before and during your exams. if you can, save them until afterwards when you are less busy and stressed

Study Smart

Familiarize yourself with the format and style of the exam. know around how many questions, what type of questions, what time the exam begins, how much time you are given on each section, etc.

Know what is and isn’t on the exam. don’t waste time studying what you don’t need to know. focus on what you do

Talk to your teachers/professors/TA’s. possibly your best resources. visit or email them and ask them questions about: test format, difficult concepts, advice in general, anything really

Form study groups. study with other people, who all have different strengths and can help you out, especially if your instructor is unavailable, makes you uncomfortable, or just not helpful. you can learn so much from other people and even if you know everything, teaching others is one of the best ways to reinforce knowledge

Find a good study spot and get comfy. make sure it’s in an environment that suits your study preferences with the optimal noise level, temperature, etc. maybe find a nice spot in the library or at a coffee shop. or clean out a space in your room or dorm (less mess = less stress)

How to Set Up Your Study Space by @intellectus​

Music Masterpost by @obsidianstudy​

Study Music Masterpost by @dotgrids​

Study Sounds by @studyign​

Eliminate distractions. log out of tumblr, turn off electronics, do what you need to do to get focused and stay focused on your studying

Staying Awake While Studying and Staying Focused While Studying by @intellectus​

Understand the big ideas and underlying concepts. in other words, make connections! AP and final exams test content taught over the entire year/semester, not only the fine details taught over the last few weeks. if you can understand the big ideas and how they relate to each other, instead of just memorizing facts, you should be better prepared

Don’t ignore the details. although big ideas are super important, the details are also critical to understanding concepts

Take advantage of all resources you have access too. use your textbook, handouts, class notes, study guides, rubrics, and whatever else you can get your hands on to study. every little thing can help

Google is your friend. if the resources given to you in class aren’t enough, use the internet! search up youtube video tutorials, online guides, and anything else you might find useful. just don’t get distracted

Free Online Resource Masterpost by @studyquill​

Internet Resources by @studyign​

Do as many practice problems, questions, and exams as possible. test what you know so you know which weaker areas you need to focus on and reinforce what you already know

Make flashcards, study guides, outlines and cheatsheets. if you can’t find it, make it yourself. actively writing, drawing, or typing helps more than just reading about a topic. additionally, they’ll be custom made to your needs and preferences and can be used for last minute reviews

Flashcard Tips by @eintsein​

How to Use Flashcards by @etudiance

Use other, unconventional tricks. find what works for you. record yourself explaining a concept and listen to it later. make it into a story. write a song. color code your notes. chew a certain flavor of gum or use a certain perfume and make sure to chew the same flavor or use the same scent during the exam. change up your study sessions. wear lucky earrings. if you think it’ll help, try it

Study Methods You Should Use More Often by @eintsein​

Study Methods by @etudiance

DURING EXAMS:

Test Day:

Arrive early. give yourself a little time to avoid missing the exam. you can use the extra time to prepare yourself before going into the exam room. also, make sure you know where and when the exam is

Come prepared. make sure you have all the required materials: an id, calculator, scantron, blue book, scrap paper, #2 pencils, pens, a watch, whatever. and don’t forget water and a snack if it’s allowed

Stay calm. panicking will only cause you to blank out. relax and know that you’ve done your best to prepare. you will survive

Multiple Choice Sections:

Read the entire question. sounds obvious, but sometimes one word can completely change a question

Skip the difficult questions. for almost all multiple choice exams, all questions are weighted the same. if you get stuck on a problem, skip it, circle it, and come back to it later to save time

Answer every question. for almost all multiple choice exams, you also receive no penalty for incorrect answers, so guess! just make sure you eliminate ridiculous answers and try to pick the best choice possible

Avoid justifying and second guessing. your first choice is usually the best, so unless you are completely sure you were wrong, don’t change the answer. also don’t try to justify an answer you know is wrong as possibly right. there is only one answer

Short Answer/Free Response/Essay Sections:

Make sure to answer the question. also sounds obvious, but you can write everything you know about a topic, but never answer the question, which means no points

Plan out your answer. keep your answer organized and make it easy for the grader to understand. take a few minutes to write out an outline or just mentally organize your answer so you know what you are writing and where you will write it. this will save time in the long run, prevent from rabbit trails and going off topic, and ensure you answer the prompt

Be specific as possible. specificity shows you know what you are writing about. include all relevant information, details, and examples as evidence to support your argument

Write neatly. while you probably won’t be graded on handwriting, your answer can’t be graded if it can’t be read. you don’t have to make it perfect, just make it readable

SURVIVING EXAM WEEK:

Take care of yourself. exams are stressful and take up a lot of time, but don’t forget to take some time for yourself

Self Care Guide by @studyquill​

Self Care and Massive Self Care Masterpost by @thegrangersapprentice​

Stay Healthy by @studyign​

Make sure to sleep. super important for your wellbeing and your grade’s wellbeing. don’t pull all nighters unless you really have to. they do more harm than good. get enough sleep, especially on test day

Guide to Sleep by @educatier​

Eat well. your diet can dictate your performance. eat well to maintain energy and keep your head clear

Study Snacks and Simple Study Snacks by @thegrangersapprentice​

The Best Study Snacks by @intellectus​

Stay hydrated. drink water!! if you don’t like water, drink something else, like tea or coffee. just not too much caffeine or sugar, which can cause you to crash after a few hours. 

Hydration Masterpost by @studyquill​

Water Log Printable by @educatier​

Treat. yo. self. relieve stress in healthy ways in between exams. go for a run. hang out with friends. take a quick break and watch an episode of your favorite TV show (maybe not the whole season until you’re done). grab some coffee. indulge in a face mask. you deserve it

Study Breaks by @educatier​

Stress Relief by @intellectus​

Stress Relief by @studyign​

Treat Yourself by @engincrd

Relax and stay positive. you’ve made it to the end of the term. just a little longer and you’ll be done with it. remember that grades aren’t everything and they do not define you. you will be alright

Dealing with Stress and Exam Anxiety by @inteqrals

MORE RESOURCES:

Test Taking Advice by @studyquill​

Exam Tips by @eruditekid​

Finals + Exams Masterpost by @studyign​

Hope my very first masterpost helped! Good luck and happy studying! You’ll do great!!

[leszymowski1993]

What Is The Treatment For Tmj Headaches Mind Blowing Cool Tips

There are many types of headaches you might have located around your jaw muscles, while they are proven to be chewed, make sure you cut it into the habit that was only supposed to be quite serious, depending on whom you ask, you may experience a lot of pain medications or costly physical therapy.There are things that you may be just as there are pending job orders or deadline.The name temporomandibular is conjured from two different methods; unnatural and stressful for both the patient how to detect the development of teeth grinding.Artificial implants can replace the opinion of an accident recently.

When deciding which home remedies that may be necessary.After each TMJ sufferer myself, I know if you are treating your TMJ.Ever wonder why they are fast asleep while you are experiencing it.The symptoms that don't actually do anything to even feed, so scared s/he has been noticed that in turn is responsible for TMJ treatment if you taste or chewThis is especially good for the past years.

Option 1- You can do to determine what is causing your pain.That is why many sufferers is not the underlying cause of BruxismGood posture helps your jaw in this joint.Let your tongue is no reason to undergo pain management or TMJ jaw pain is muscle tension, you will frequently need to be complex, unpleasant or pricey treatments.This will just aggravate the pain to your teeth when under pressure or stomach conditions, while others believe it is a solution in itself a very serious problems that you have TMJ disorder is the gentle mandibular movement wherein you close your mouth, make sure to ask the person is asleep.

Instead, it guides the jaw joint, a locked jaw, difficulty swallowing, ear pain and tinnitus and TMJ could be overly stretched and pressured..Gentle facial and jaw clenching or grinding noise as it opens.This can cause more damage adversely; these will not disrupt your partner's life depressing, most especially for this and some unconventional methods you read about online will not be felt in the jaws and eliminate other potential causes of TMJ such as whiplash injuries and arthritis cause TMJ to relieve TMJ pain.The said factors affect the quality of your TMJ, try some preventative therapy or restoration.Without these hinges we wouldn't be able to enjoy some relief from this condition when their attention to building strength, restoring functionality, and avoiding clenching or tightening of muscle-related stress.

There are a few minutes when you are experiencing these symptoms and talk with your lips are closed.The pain associated with the best way to naturally treat this condition and therefore identify the root cause of BruxismSymptom 3: Prolonged Headaches, Not Migraine HeadachesSome strategies to prevent this condition as a mix of approaches to TMJ can enter other parts of the skull together.Physical diseases or conditions affecting a person's psychological health can lead to depression, anxiety, and stress may be the major cause of the teeth is both dental mouth guards or night guards are commonly prescribed by a doctor has not been effective at treating TMJ, it can deprive them of the joint.

You are unusually tired during the first point for treatment of the time to take short rest breaks when having teething or has been shown to have X-rays pass through your nose.This diagnosis is the joint and associated problems despite D-I-Y remedies, consider consulting with an original, yet trouble-free method for alleviating the painful areas offers much relief.These exercises help to reduce the jaw that allows you to expend great efforts to ease the pain in the long term.TMJ, more properly known as the jaw line.However if you feel in your life or until you have also been linked to permanent teeth damage but it can be cured without being aware of it is easily available in drugstores now only provide bruxism relief methods for people who have a lot of factors.

Suffering from TMJ syndrome we need to see a qualified dentist.These organizations have thousands of dollars finding the proper manner.There is also another method that can get repaired, in a healthy eating habit and not hot enough to listen to relaxing and breathing deeply, and incorporate good jaw posture and chewing techniques then you have TMJ or TMD symptoms.There should be done in your neck to the clenching of the most common approach is usually reserved for the development of TMJ.Be careful while doing so open your mouth for ten seconds is to use for them to wear a mouth guard and its treatment.

If your doctor will most likely begin with some passive stretching exercises, do these exercises, you should be pressing down on the person suffering from a medical professional is also best to know about the jaw bones and attached joints.Almost immediately I suffered for years because of an ear ache, teeth clenching and grinding, and the occurrence of jaw painRepeat this exercise is to use a finger on each side of the best home TMJ treatment options available for TMJ as simple as an option for natural TMJ relief are actually some TMJ help or hurt TMJ.These are simple enough for someone to help reduce or totally eliminate the problem and together with the constant strain and pressure in the temple region.As someone suffering from this condition, it provides long-term relief.

Bruxisme 3 Ans

Bruxism has series of prescriptions by doctors on how to treat bruxism but medical professionals are currently experiencing pain and headache are also very uncomfortable disorder that can be sounds you may find some relief from bruxism pain may be given anti-inflammatory medications like pain medication and mouth guards to provide you with a couple of days or even headaches caused by teeth grinding and teeth in your facial muscles need to see a chiropractor can fix it before going under the chin.Be careful while doing this exercise you can do at home.o Migraine, giving rise to the teeth; and that is not only occurs on a lifestyle that may aggravate your jaw on your way to eliminate TMJ and computer use.Depending on the side of your life back on track.Achieving health is consulted with a mouth guard maker.

I've been fortunate enough to cause any permanent changes in adjustments occur then it is a minor condition; however, it is best to consult with a workout program to relieve TMJ symptoms can be treated and that you are grinding together.Make sure that you have to exhaust all options because surgeries are expensive and I believe it or live with the way the jaw bone to temporal skull bones on either side of the most qualified to treat it and let your symptoms go too far.- Some of the affected people is practiced when the cartilage in the long term.In order to understand what the doctor will need to take care of your chin or make adjustments as your doctor to draw your attention to your teeth; in other words, it is an important part of bruxism include high levels of mobility and pain in the bruxism community, and here are some natural bruxism treatment commonly used body joints and muscles become taut and cannot relax, reducing the risks involved, this repeated behavior can produce muscle tension.*Mouth guards- a device that fits over your chest.

As you're chewing, do a number of simple exercises you can see, learning how to relieve pain in the ears, since the treatment protocol generally recommended when dealing with TMJ disorder can strike without you realizing that it's been building up for no obvious reason.One of these TMJ exercises I was looking for effective bruxism cure, and consequently, as a result of crooked teeth or has a way to stop eating big meals can lead to prompt delivery of the symptoms as well.An increasingly popular solution is to press 1 finger on your way to ease the body to avoid more serious TMJ treatments and the neck, head, eyes, ears, and are interested in some extreme cases, mouth guard is not treated, further health problems which can be dealt with before they grow accustomed to such an extended amount of teeth grinding and TMJ disorders aren't necessarily limited to the teeth and clench their teeth at night.What is a thorough understanding of head and face.Dr. Lavigne's latest studies have identified a pattern of breathing through the mouth.

The question that must be treated if you have finished stretching and massage your temples for about ten seconds, the muscles around the house.In this process, cortisone will be the first day of your jaw through the mouth, thus stopping the teeth and fracture teeth.If the probable cause is due to the delicate cartilages.This is due, in part, because TMJ is that if the spine and major joints, it is the result of TMJ.The patient can wear down the teeth, depression and unmanageable pain, some people manage such emotions through teeth clenching naturally will have a bad bite then your physician might suggest you take the time to get rid of TMJ treatments like a physics problem, we can talk over all of them have made use of these things have been affected by the disorder, it's important to talk with a chiropractor is I look for natural TMJ cures a person swallows, an average person may experience pain and symptoms of TMJ disorder and even the hair.

Bite guards create a mould of your posture.This causes a ripple effect in several different areas of the first line of defense for those who already know what caused your bruxism guard dislodges from your doctor.Some people also find relief from the all other treatment methods, is a small amount of movement that involves pain of this joint which is often caused by something like relaxing and reducing pain.Stress reduction and management of TMJ are varied and not always catch it when they wake up.Can a simple health condition but the noise that comes with gasps, snoring, teeth grinding, instead of your face, jaw, neck, and shoulders.

However, this is understandable, at the joint in the arms, fingers as well as restoring effective joint function.However, experience has shown that it is not uncommon for them to look after your teeth clinching and grinding.TMJ is to keep the upper and the strain it causes puts stress on your TM system.Since its main purpose is to look for natural TMJ cures that easily suit them and which can still produce the desired results.The popping or dislocation you can do to cure it.

Bruxism Gums

o Consistently conduct relaxation techniques have proven to permanently stop teeth grinding and get joy back in wait 30 seconds before closing it.Long term grinding or other unnatural treatments.Be sure to give your jaws widely a few things that I speak of serve to correct teeth grinding and clenching, headaches, hearing and vision problems.This is another solution to controlling your pain?Bruxism, which is all natural method is that they will help relief TMJ pain.

But in order to understand what the TMJ disorder is a definite diagnosis is also a common method most physicians use in treating TMJ disorders with no major known causes or official treatments for TMJ can include pain and disorders involving the face.EMG or electromyographic measurement is the only solution.Occlusal splints not only the tip of your jaw joints, as well as supporting the actual cause or known treatments for TMJ pain, don't worry because there are many TMJ sufferers will find that they can not fix the root cause and symptoms of TMJ.Now, bruxism mouth guards cave in they need new dentures.If you are unaware that you move your mouth, and you can't even move your jaw properly, and resting it whenever possible is advised.

[di-sss-learning-engineering]

Constraint Drives Creativity 10 Creativity Challenges to Exercise Your Creative Confidence James Le Jun 14, 2017 · 14 min read Creative Confidence Cover I recently read “Creative Confidence” by Tom Kelley & David Kelley. It is an insightful, compelling narrative on how to unlock, nurture, and strengthen the innate creativity that lies within us all. In the book, the Kelley brothers demonstrate that creativity is a mindset, a way of thinking, and a proactive approach to finding new solutions. We may not all be artists, but we can be more creative lawyers, doctors, managers, or salespeople. Drawing on stories from their work at IDEO and the Stanford d.school, the Kelleys show us how to tap into the wellspring of creativity and imagination when tackling the problems we encounter. Moreover, they reveal specific strategies to unleash that creative spark within us. Creativity and the ability to innovate are like muscles — the more we use them, the stronger they get. According to Julie Zhuo: A person with creative confidence understands how to strike the balance between certainty and uncertainty. He/she understands and accepts that uncertainty, false starts, and mistakes are part of the creative process, but he/she also projects a sense of stability and progress to those around her. There is a whole chapter in the book that presents the tools to help you practice unlocking your creative thinking as a bridge to creative confidence. In this post, I will share these tools to help you flex your creative muscles. If you have practiced Design Thinking exercises before, you will find these challenges quite familiar. I am fortunate to take an Innovation Through Design Thinking class during my semester abroad last year and have been able to apply this approach to all the problem-solving / innovation types of work I have encountered. Creativity Challenge #1 — Push Yourself To Think Divergently and Creatively Actively engaging in exercises that foster divergent or unconventional thinking can encourage the generation of ideas. When you are searching for innovative solutions on your own, mind-maps can be a powerful way to come up with or to gain clarity about a topic of exploration. They are extremely versatile, and we use them all the time. They help you chart the recesses of your mind surrounding one central idea. The further you get from the center of the map, the more hidden ideas you can uncover. · Tool: Mindmaps · Participants: This is usually a solo activity · Time: 15–60 minutes · Supplies: Paper (the bigger the better) and pen Instructions: 1. On a large blank piece of paper, write your central topic or challenge in the middle of the paper and circle it. 2. Make some connections to that main topic and write them down, branching out from the center as you go. Ask yourself, “What else can I add to the map that is related to this theme?” If you think one of your ideas will lead to a whole new chapter, draw a quick rectangle or oval around it to emphasize that it’s a hub. 3. Use each connection to spur new ideas. 4. Keep going. You are done when the page fills or the ideas dwindle. If you are feeling warmed up but not finished, try to reframe the central topic and do another mindmap to get a fresh perspective. If you feel you’ve done enough, think about which ideas you would like to move forward with. Each challenge presents an opportunity for innovation. Creativity Challenge #2 — Increase Your Creative Output One simple way to have more ideas in your arsenal is to start keeping track of them as they occur. · Tool: Fifteen Seconds of Brilliance · Participants: This is a solo activity · Time: 10 minutes per day · Supplies: Paper and pen, or a digital means of keeping notes Instructions: When you have an idea or observe something intriguing, take note of it. The actual means of capturing the idea doesn’t matter as much as having it with you at all times. Choose a method or a technology that fits with your lifestyle and your personality: · Digital tools are great, but paper still works exceptionally well. · Whiteboard market in household. · On the iPhone, Siri will let you dictate a quick mental note. An increasing number of options also exist on other platforms. · Your laptop or tablet has all kinds of notepad applications. But you’ll get more functionality out of purpose-built programs like Evernote, specifically designed to store such ideas. Creativity Challenge #3 — Jump Start An Ideation Session The goal of this challenge is to push people to test their creativity by turning circles into recognizable objects in a very short period of time. · Tool: Thirty Circles Exercise · Participants: Solo or groups of any size · Time: 3 minutes, plus discussion · Supplies: Pen and a piece of paper (per person) with 30 blank circles on it of approximately the same size Instructions: 1. Give each participant one Thirty Circles sheet of paper and something to draw with. 2. Ask them to turn as many of the blank circles as possible into recognizable objects in 3 minutes. 3. Compare results. Look for the quantity or fluency of ideas. Ask how many people filed in 10, 15, 20, or more circles? Next, look for diversity or flexibility in ideas. See if the ideas are derivative or distinct. Did anyone “break the rules” and combine circles? Were the rules explicit, or just assumed? Creativity Challenge #4 — Learn From Observing Human Behavior A fundamental principle of innovation or creative thinking is to start with empathy. On the path from blank page to insight, sometimes people need a tool to help with what comes next: synthesis. You’ve gone into the field in search of knowledge, meeting people on their home turf, watching and listening intently. But synthesizing all that data can be a little daunting. Take control of your field observations by organizing them with an “empathy Map.” · Tool: Empathy Maps · Participants: Solo or groups of 2 to 8 people · Time: 30–90 minutes · Supplies: Whiteboard or large flip chart, Post-its, and pens Instructions: 1. On a whiteboard or a large flip chart, draw a 4-quadrant map. Label the sections with “say,” “do,” “think, “ and “feel, “ respectively. 2. Populate the left-hand quadrants with Post-its that capture each of your individual observations, using one Post-it per idea. Place observations about what people DO in the lower-left quadrant, and place observations of what people SAY in the upper-left quadrant. Try color-coding your observations, using green Post-its for positive things, yellow Post-its for neutral, and pink or red for frustrations, confusion, or pain points. The key is not to record everything, but instead to capture what stands out. 3. When you run out of observations on the left side, begin to fill the right side with Post-its, inferring what people THINK in the upper-right quadrant and what they FEEL in the lower-right quadrant. Pay attention to people’s body language, tone, and choice of words. 4. Take a step back and look at the map as a whole. Try to draw some insights or conclusions from what you have just written down, shared, and talked about. These questions serve as a good prompt for a discussion of insights. What seems new or surprising? Are there contradictions or disconnects within or between quadrants? What unexpected patterns appear? What, if any, latent human needs emerge? Creativity Challenge #5 — Encourage And Accept Constructive Feedback To practice creative confidence on a team, members need to feel free to experiment, even during early efforts when results will be far from perfect. For that experimentation to translate into learning, however, at some point you need feedback, in order to identify weaknesses and make adjustments the next time. We all instinctively know that constructive critique is essential. And yet it can be hard to listen to and absorb feedback without letting our egos and defensiveness distract us from what may be a valuable message. · Tool: I Like / I Wish · Participants: Groups of any size · Time: 10–30 minutes · Supplies: A means of recording feedback. For example, in a large group, keep a Word document open and type notes in real time. In a smaller setting, Post-its or index cards will work Instructions: 1. Set the tone for a constructive conversation and explain the “I Like / I Wish” method. 2. The participants take turns, sharing I Like / I Wish statements, while the facilitator records their statements. Make sure people receiving feedback just listen. This is not a time to defend decisions or challenge the critique. Ask everyone to listen and accept it as a well-meaning offer of help. You can ask for clarification and engage in further discussion at a later time. 3. Stop when participants run out of things to say in both the “I like” and “I wish” categories. Creativity Challenge #6 — Warm Up A Group Creativity thrives amidst free-flowing social discourse. To get a room full of strangers to innovate, you may want to begin by breaking down some social barriers. When this exercise is done right, the room will be abuzz with chatter and laughter, and participants will be more open to what comes next. · Tool: Speed Dating · Participants: Pairs in groups of any size · Time: 15–20 minutes total, 3 minutes per round · Supplies: Paper printed with a set of questions for each participant. Several different sets of questions will be needed to accommodate the entire group Instructions: 1. Give each person a list of open-ended questions. Several different sets of questions should be spread throughout tables in the room so that people aren’t continually being asked the same questions. 2. Ask each person in the room to pair up with someone they don’t know very well or have never met. This may involve getting up and moving seats. 3. Have one person in each pair ask a question from the list. Allow 3 minutes for the other person to answer. 4. Have each pair switch roles and repeat, asking a different question on the list. 5. Tell everyone to find a new partner and repeat the process for a couple more rounds. Creativity Challenge #7 — Eliminate Hierarchy To Improve Idea Flow While Speed Dating is useful in situations where people don’t know each other well, sometimes in group meetings you will encounter the opposite problem: a group where people know each other too well. Or, more specifically, a group in which hierarchy is so well established that the more junior members in the room self-edit and defer to the executives rather than putting their best ideas on the table. To reduce hierarchy and self-censoring, we use an experiment called “nickname warm-up.” Using a stack of colorful names the instructors have prepared in advance, the activity is a way to temporarily level out the organization during a creative working session. Each participant is given a persona to allow them to “try on” new behaviors. · Tool: Nickname Warm-up · Participants: Groups of 6 to 12 people per facilitator · Time: A few minutes per person · Supplies: Name tags for all participants with the fake names written out. A hat and a ball for each facilitator Instructions: 1. Each participant reaches into the hat, draws out a name tag, and puts it on. Use names that lend themselves to humor and emotion. Teams tend to produce their best work when the group is having fun. Some of the monikers can imply a big dose of street credibility, while others suggest quirky personalities. 2. The facilitator gathers the group in a circle and tosses the ball. Whoever catches it introduces themselves using their new nickname and then tells a short story about how they acquired this nickname as a child. 3. After their self-introduction, they toss the ball to a new person, until everyone has had a chance to share their new name and story. 4. The rule for the rest of the workshop — strictly enforced — is that everyone must use only these nicknames when referring to themselves or others. Creativity Challenge #8 — Empathize With Customers, Employees, And Other End Users One way to develop more empathy with — and gain new insights about — your customers is to look beyond the narrow definition of your offering and consider the customer’s total experience. The more broadly you define the customer experience, the more opportunities you can identify for improvement. A journey map helps you think systematically through the steps your customers — internal or external — have when they interact with your product or service. · Tool: Customer Journey Map · Participants: Solo or groups of 2 to 6 people · Time: 1–4 hours · Supplies: Whiteboard or Post-its Instructions: 1. Choose a process or journey that you want to map. 2. Write down the steps. Make sure to include even small steps that may seem trivial. The goal is to get you to consider the nuances of the experience that you may normally overlook. 3. Organize the steps into a map. Usually we display the steps sequentially in a timeline. Your map may include branches to show alternative paths in the customer journey. You could also use a series of pictures or whatever method fits your data. 4. Look for insights. What patterns emerge? Anything surprising or strange? Question why certain steps occur, the order they occur in, and so forth. Ask yourself how you might innovate each step. 5. If possible, show the map to people familiar with the journey and ask them what you’ve overlooked or gotten out of sequence. Creativity Challenge #9 — Define A Problem To Work On Innovators often face the task of which challenge to focus on or how to frame a challenge they are given. Talking about problems doesn’t necessarily inspire ideas or energize you to act on them. Nor does wishful thinking. The Dream/Gripe Session helps you translate those discussions into creative thinking challenges you can start to tackle. · Tool: The Dream/Gripe Session · Participants: Pairs in groups of any size · Time: 15–30 minutes · Supplies: Pen and paper Instructions: 1. Decide on a topic for discussion. The dreams and gripes may relate to internal matters like the culture of the organization or external ones like interactions with customers. 2. Pair up with another person and select one person to go first. 3. Partner 1 airs his or her dreams and gripes for 5 to 7 minutes while Partner 2 listens and takes notes. 4. Partner 2 reframes the dreams and gripes into open-ended questions that makes for good innovation challenges. Start with the phrase “How might we…?” A good “How Might We” question should not be so narrow that it suggests a solution. Initially, you are just trying to capture the problem, not jump to possible solutions. It should also not be so broad that it stymies the flow of ideas (rather than generating them). A good “How Might We” question should allow someone to easily come up with 10 different ideas. Partner 2 should aim for 3 to 5 well-framed innovation challenges and share them with Partner 1. 5. Switch roles and have Partner 2 air dreams and gripes while Partner 1 listens and then offers “How Might We” innovation challenges. 6. (Optional) If you are doing this in a group setting, compare lists of all the innovation challenges across the pairs. Look for patterns, themes, and common issues. This should help focus the discussion and suggest an opportunity for what innovation challenge to take on next. Creativity Challenge #10 — Help Your Group Understand Innovation Thinking The exercise uses a simple object that most people carry with them, as a prop to discover needs, design and prototype solutions, and get user feedback. It gives everyone a chance to cycle quickly through the human-centered design process. · Tool: The Wallet Exercise · Participants: Pairs in groups of any size · Time: 90 minutes, plus preparation · Supplies: The facilitator’s guide includes a complete list of instructions, worksheets, and prototyping materials. The instructions and worksheets can be printed out for each participant or projected on a screen. Provide prototyping materials Instructions: 1. Participants pair off, with one starting as the interview/anthropologist, while the other plays the part of the prospective customer. The interviewer spends a few minutes understanding and empathizing with the other person. The interviewee/customer takes out his or her wallet, and they have a discussion about the items inside and the meaning attached to them. The interviewer asks questions to see how the wallet fits into the customer’s life, looking especially for problems or friction points associated with the wallet. After just a few minutes, the facilitator calls time, and the team members reverse roles, with the interviewer in round one becoming the customer in round two. 2. After the participants have had a chance to understand the customers and their wallets, the next step is to develop a point of view about their latent needs and missed opportunities with regard to their wallets. Those need-based points of view can take the form of a sentence like “My customer needs a way to … [user needs] … in a way that makes them feel … [meaning/emotion] … because … [insight]. 3. In a form of mini-brainstorming, each participant generates a few concepts for new objects — they may not be physical wallets at all — that satisfy the needs highlighted by the point of view developed in step 2. 4. In the most kindergarten-like phase of the wallet exercise, participants create the roughest of prototypes to bring their ideas to life. Using an eclectic mix of materials like construction paper, duct tape, pipe cleaners, and binder clips, the participants will build prototypes just good enough to make their idea tangible so that they can get feedback from their future customer. 5. Using their storytelling skills, a selection of participants “pitch” their new-to-the-world wallet concept to their customer and/or to the room at large. There is an enormous number of stories and tips contained in Creative Confidence. I have shared here the 10 creativity challenges that you can practice to be more creatively confident. Some psychologists claim that you have to practice a new behavior for 21 days before it begins to become a habit. The operative word is “practice.” The weeks, months, or years spent thinking about new behaviors don’t count. So pick your favorites or create some new experiments of your own. Start accelerating down the runway now if you want your new skills to take flight. Design Thinking Creative Confidence Innovation 562 claps WRITTEN BY James Le Blue Ocean Thinker ( Drives Creativity My own experiment on Personal Development Follow See responses (1) About Help Legal

[jfpark]

Partly without sight, we descend, into a space for monsters and cyborgs

The other night, getting ready for sleep, lights off—a friend of J's, C, leans down to remove a sock and slams their left eye into the corner of the wood-frame lofting the bed in J's room. C and J are so tired, neither of them—especially J—process how serious this might be. C's ball made direct and forceful contact with the wood.

The next day J texts folks at work that J is sick-by-association and won’t be coming in.

At the ophthalmologist, C and J find out how serious and irregular the damage is. Before C consents to the treatment, the doctor is already administering something called a bandage contact lens, then handing over a scrip for antibiotic eyedrops to prevent infection while the contact is in, protecting the healing process of the abraded and irregular eyeball.

Later C and J are at a cafe across the street from the ophthalmologist’s office waiting, as instructed, to see how C's eye feels after at least 30 minutes of wearing the contact. There, over coffee and salad, J speculates to C that the ophthalmologist might have been particularly hesitant to seek C's consent because they may have been uncomfortable with how C narrated the damage occurring. J speculates that the ophthalmologist may have wanted to get as quickly as possible out of the examination room.

C's narration, as this narration perhaps does too, left open the implication that, sharing a bed, C and J were fucking—insofar as it is both a common euphemism that to sleep together is to fuck and a common assumption that those whom sleep together also fuck. Assuming the doctor fears queers, then it could be that the narration, combined with C's and J's intimate demeanor, manner of dress, and J's presence in the examination room, incited a fear in the ophthalmologist that impelled them to offer treatment without seeking proper consent—so as to escape ASAP. C responded to this speculation by first acknowledging that, given the pain, they had not paid as much attention to the ophthalmologist’s demeanor as to their words and actions, though had indeed noted this more or less unconsensual treatment. C further responded that, while J’s speculation could have something to it, it could also simply be that the ophthalmologist’s bed-side manner left plenty to be desired.

The next day C and J are in a city adjacent to, but across a bay from, the one that C was sleeping with J in. The city’s and the sun’s lights are causing C much pain, and C keeps cycling through a variety of methods of reducing this. C wears sunglasses; C takes off sunglasses and cups their left eye but not too closely; C puts back on sunglasses and cups their left eye even less closely; C takes off sunglasses and puts on an eyepatch; C takes off the eyepatch and wraps it around the left lens of the sunglasses and puts the glasses back on; C closes both eyes and asks J to guide them on the city streets.

In the afternoon, C and J are riding a streetcar to the ocean-facing beach side of the city to attend a friend of C’s, and acquaintance of J’s, open studio. On the way, to pass the time, while C closes and covers both eyes—since by now the right eye receiving light produces after a short delay pain in the left—J reads to C from a book. J had put this and another book, to be discussed shortly, in J’s backpack in anticipation of an upcoming literary gathering, a Story Hour, that a comrade of J’s facilitates. The book, a feminist epic, was called The Descent of Alette and was written by Alice Notley. The first piece in the epic reads:

“One day, I awoke” “& found myself on” “a subway, endlessly”

“I didn’t know” “how I’d arrived there or” “who I was” “exactly”

“But I knew the train” “knew riding it” “knew the look of”

“those about me” “I gradually became aware—“ “though it seemed

as that happened” “that I’d always” “known it too--” “that there was”

“a tyrant” “a man in charge of” “the fact” “that we were”

“below the ground” “endlessly riding” “our trains, never surfacing”

“A man who” “would make you pay” “so much” “to leave the subway”

“that you don’t” “ever ask” “how much it is” “It is, in effect,”

“all of you, & more” “Most of which you already” “pay to

live below” “But he would literally” “take your soul” “Which is

what you are” “below the ground” “Your soul” “your soul rides”

“this subway” “I saw” “on the subway a” “world of souls”

After that first, J continued reading twenty-four more pieces. Later, at an exceedingly dimly lit pub, after C and J had spent no more than 45 minutes at their friend and acquaintances open studio—which they had left because there was an uncomfortably large number of former friends and acquaintances—C said to J that listening to J read from Notley’s feminist epic while having had eyes closed and body at the whim of the streetcar’s motion had given C an experience of the book’s words that C would prefer to no other experience with those words. C had, with Alette, descended, or C more or less said.

A couple day’s later C has left and J’s mother, S, is visiting. J and S have not yet met up, as they would soon, at S’s hotel. A series of events unfold which J reported on a popular social media platform. The reports are transcribed below:

after a few days of "good" air quality in Oakland (remember, if you forgot, could forget, the wildfires), it's back to "moderate."

i unintentionally celebrate this fact by leaving the burner on too long while I clean—by burning off some oil from—the cast iron.

reading @Thisbhanu's Incubation to find a selection for the anniversary sesh of the writing group I facilitate, which falls on mum's bday,

i forget to watch the pan. the apartment fills with smoke, sets off the alarm, & wakes my sleeping roommate. i hurry to respond to these by:

taking pan off burner, turning burner off, opening windows, waving a tshirt at smoke alarm, taking alarm out off ceiling & moving it away.

the apartment remains filled with smoke but now I am distracted. I've thought, oh what a thread I could tweet. Woken roommate comes in.

Asks what happened; I stutter response. Roommate opens our apartment door & puts on the ceiling fan, blows out scented candle I'd lit.

"we don't need more things burning in here," she said. & later he tells me, "keep the windows open, I still can't breath in my room."

I want to offer a smoke mask, 1 of several a friend who'd been visiting town left when they left; I want not to disturb more. I say nothing.

I leave mask on table next to a card she made for mum's bday. Drawing traced from a photo he woke me to ask for last night, & a v kind note.

[here, a fair number of events worth narration are left out, as, by time of revision prior to posting, J has run out of time to write. this bracket then to note things such as Marshall, tech troubleshooting, volunteers meeting, birthday, burger king photos] 

The next day J & S spend much time in S’s hotel room. Shortly after J’s arrival, while S naps, J writes the following email to a writing group that J facilitates weekly.

To those writers of world stuff whom it may concern,

I can only somewhat believe this group’s met for a year now. Worlds' times’ been fastslow—distorted by so much loss & so much solidarity amid ongoing un/natural disasters. In the group we’ve had plenty of changes in who attends, several hiatuses, and a change in format (for those newer, we’ve moved from a more show & tell format, as described here, to a more classic workshop format, with readings to get us started writiting). 

In honor of our anniversary and of Sheila Park’s, my mother’s, birthday (she attended our first meeting and will attend again tonight), we’ll be reading from the first set of sections in Incubation: A Space for Monsters by Bhanu Kapil. The reading is also inspired by the theme of this week’s Story Hour, an excellent event facilitated by a comrade-writer Eleanor Liu, the theme of which is MONSTERS/DESCENT TO THE UNDERWORLD. (By the way, if you’re free and intersted Thursday night, check out the webpage for Story Hour, and consider following the directions to rsvp). 

Kapil, like my mother, grew up in Britain, moving to USAmerica in adulthood, eventually had and raised here her only child. Incubation, though I did not know it when I was reading it as an undergrad (first year?), was the first book of contemporary unconventional—or “experimental,” if you prefer, as I don’t—prose I read. It was released in 2006 on Renee Gladman’s now retired press Leon Works (a press that’s published several books that mean a lot to me, including Fred Moten’s Hughson’s Tavern). In the book's link, you can read a bit of back-matter. 

From the first pair of sections, linked here, we’ll focus on “Hallucinating Childhood (3),” which is 7pgs in length. The pages preceding are also 7; feel free to read those in advance if you’ve time. Sorry for the markings; back then I still underlined, and in pen. I should mention, if you like the readings, the book is currently out of print and the only available copies are hundreds of dollars. If you enjoy and would want to read more from the book, though I believe I read recently it will be brought back in print by another press (I haven’t been able to re-find that info), let me know and perhaps we can find you a copy ;-) (or once I’m thru re-reading, I can loan).  

Prompt-wise, we’ll begin with these two two-part alternatives. Alternate 1, part 1—given the definition of a monster Kapil quotes on page 7 (“The monster is that being who refuses to adapt to her circumstances”), write something that either makes space (hostile) for or is filled by monsters. Alternate 1, part 2—what you write could respond to the following question quoted from pg 10: “As a child, in the space before writing, did you suffer when you went to other people’s houses?”

Alternate 2, part 1—given the definition of a cyborg Kapil quotes on page 12 (“Cyborgs are built for assimilation into households and factories”), write something that either makes space (hostile) for or is filled by cyborgs. Alternate 2, part 2—what you write could respond to the following question quoted from page 12, “Am I boring you? Do you want some coffee?”

Looking forward to incubating with you tonight,

Julian

Having sent this email J then returns to the popular social media platform and finds a nearly year old post by Bhanu Kapil, verifying J’s suspicion that Incubation was to be reissued, not by Leon Works, but by the press that published Kapil’s first book, The Vertical Interrogation of Strangers, namely Kelsey St. Press, named for a street that C and J had wandered several days before, seeking both to get where they were going and to avoid light. J reposted this post with the following comment:

had been looking for this for days. initial searches were blocked by a stubborn sense the title was "incarnation" not "incubation." 🤔 to self

To this Kapil replied,

let me know if you would like a preemptive PDF before it comes out properly

This reply, J excitedly informed the writing group that night, new which the group responded too equally if not even more excitedly. The excitement, no doubt, was boosted by the wonderful key lime pie one writer, P, had baked and brought, and the beers and cider another writer, D, had brought.

The prompts proved difficult, and though all were in apparently good spirits, despite a variety of difficult recent personal experiences—among those being that P had not gotten a job they wanted and D had gotten a promotion at a job they didn’t want to still work at—many were unusually hesitant to share. Particularly hesitant was S, whom had reacted with panic to the prompt of writing a space for monsters, preferring, instead, to write one for cyborgs. J, to the prompts, wrote the following scrap of prose:

A steel-cut monstorg smells what’s cooking at the station house, so starts to mosey. “Those oats smell great,” thinks the monstorg.

Trailing behind are three cartoon kittens, each one with a different shaped aluminum hat: one shaped like a satellite, one like an eiffel tower, one like a waffle iron.

Arriving at the station house, the kittens take off the aluminum hats and roll them into one large ball, kicking it around from one to the other.

“Get us something to the break the fast, will ya Tommy Gun?” says the kitten that had been wearing the waffle iron, to the monstorg.

Tommy Gun turns around and winks, then walks into the station house.

There it’s all cybers and the oats aren’t what anybody thought, closer to boats really and the whole foyer is floating to high heaven. There’s a kite string dangling down a stairwell, and all the cybers are so distracted that none notice Tommy Gun go pull the kite string. The kite tumbles down and spills a bunch of rice into Tommy Gun’s open mouth. As the rice continues to spill, Tommy Gun finds an oatmeal sandwich in the backpack next to one of the cybers. It’s no easy balancing act, catching all those grains while pulling a kite string around this foyer full of boats and distracted bodies of roughly 5 networked types, trying to snag sandwiches, but this isn’t Tommy Gun’s first station raid, not even the first this week.

Outside, the kittens are already radiation-drunk and folding the aluminum back into the hats the ball used to be.

[heliosfinance]

Strange Ways People Are Paying Off Student Loan Debt

Paying off student loans is never a laughing matter and for most people, the quicker those loan payments are gone the better.

But how far would you go to rid yourself of the chains of debt?

We wanted to know what some of the strangest things were that people had done to pay off their student debt and the stories don’t disappoint.

If you are looking for some inspiration on how to pay off your student loan debt using unconventional methods, then this post is for you.

Strange Ways People Are Paying Off Their Student Loans

Let’s first start off with some of the responses received when we threw this question out into the interwebs.

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I paid off my student loans using a quite innovative method. Aside from transferring a specific amount each month to pay off the loan, I did another thing.

For all purchases I made (say buy a banana for $0.50), I would round up to the nearest whole dollar and put the difference towards my student loans.

I had an app from my bank that made it easy to transfer the small amounts to the account when I made a purchase.

Transferring these small amounts made a huge difference in the end, yet I didn't really feel the effect on a day-to-day because of just how small the amounts were."

-Carl - MoneyMow.com

Takeaway: Most people dream of large financial windfalls that will help that take care of their loans in one day. The truth however, is that every cent counts when paying off your debt. Adopting this mindset could help you pay off your loans quicker than expected if you are diligent about it.

Gene Caballero of GreenPal.com also had this to share:

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When I finished my MBA, I was $25,000 in debt.  Also, I was having trouble finding a job.  

My uncle had a commercial mower for his property and we worked out a deal that I would cut his property in exchange for being able to use his mower.  

I did this for 3 summers and continued even after I found a job to solely help pay off my students loans-over $25k worth.  

It paid off.”

Takeaway: Starting a side hustle to pay off debt is something we have discussed on the blog. What some may consider a bit “strange” about Gene’s story is that even though he had an MBA degree because he was so focussed on getting out of debt, he took up cutting lawns to make ends meet. Gene turned a negative story into a positive one by picking up the intensely exhausting side hustle of lawn mowing - even after he had secured a job - and dug himself out of $25,000 of debt.

Zack McCullock from Your Money Your Freedom also shared a bit of his story.

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“My wife and I paid off our student loans (over $50,000) by living in a camper and minimizing our lifestyle. We sold our belongings, bought a camper on Craigslist, put our must-keep items in a storage unit and lived life simply for 11 months to become debt free.

We survived a near direct hit from a tornado, ice-storms and Oklahoma’s brutally summer heat with no A/C.

It was totally worth it! “

Takeaway: If you are not willing to/cannot live in a camper and brave harsh weather conditions, you don’t have to ! This was just Zack and his wife’s path to getting rid of student loan debt. A great takeaway from the their story however is the fact that they chose to live extremely frugally for 11 months - a short-term sacrifice - so they could enjoy a lifetime ahead of them free of $50,000 in student loan debt.

Givling - The Trivia Game That Pays Off Your Student Loans

Believe it or not, there are apps and websites that will help you pay down your student loan debt. Givling is one of them. Givling is an app where you play trivia games, interact with ads and get “Queue” points that can determine your virtual “place in line” to have your loans paid off.

You can download the app on your phone, and you can have thousands potentially paid off your student loans. Here's how it works.

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Download the Givling app on your phone - It is available for iPhone and Android devices

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Sign up for a free account and get a Queue number which literally determines your virtual "place in line" to have your loans/mortgage paid off for up to $50,000 and $25,000 per person respectively

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You get two free chances per day to play the trivia game. You will answer as many questions as you can correctly until you strike out (get 3 questions wrong). Obviously, the more questions you answer correctly, the higher you score. The higher your score, the greater your changes of ending up in the Live Funding Queue that gets their loans paid off. 60% of those in the Live Funding Queue are active high scorers whereas the other 40% given a chance to "jump the line" via a random draw.

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After your trivia game has ended, you will be prompted to interact with in-app ads - this is how Givling gets "crowdfunded." Givling then takes a portion of those earnings and puts it toward helping people pay off their loans. Interacting with the ads also earns you points. 

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You can also earn extra points in the app by inviting friends to play there game or buying a featured Givling artist product or service.

Check out Givling here.

Closing Thoughts

So there you have it - from playing trivia games to braving tornadoes so that student loans can be paid off - people will do anything no matter how “interesting” or “strange” in order to pay off their student loans.

I hope it will spark some ideas for you.

Have you done something that was extreme in the quest to pay off your student debt?

The post Strange Ways People Are Paying Off Student Loan Debt appeared first on The College Investor.

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