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maddiewritesstucky · 4 years ago

Text

Call me maybe (but only during business hours)

A smutty gift for @raynakiasbel, for her endless patience with my infuriatingly slow writing and inability to focus on one thing at a time!

Pairing: Steve/Bucky

Rating: Explicit

Wordcount: 3308

Tags: CEO Steve, College Student Bucky, Poorly-Timed Phone Sex, Anal Fingering, Masturbation, Dirty Talk, Light Daddy Kink, Dom/Sub Undertones

Part 1 of the SugarVerse series on Ao3

Bucky is most definitely not watching the clock.

His eyes have absolutely not been glued to the LED display on the bedside table for what feels like a hundred goddamn years, watching the little white lines form number after number, blinking their way into the formation that will mean he can pick up his phone, and call Steve.

That would be all kinds of pathetic, and Bucky is not that kind of boyfriend.

He’s certainly not the kind of boyfriend who’s already fixing to climb out of his skin on day three (three!) of Steve’s out-of-town business trip. Bucky is one of those autonomous, self-sufficient boyfriends, who is entirely too busy with his own obscenely full schedule to care about the fact that he’s not getting dicked down at his every whim this week.

He has midterms to study for, and hours to log at StarkTech to go towards his internship, and Nat’s surprise birthday party to plan even though she’s literally impossible to surprise…he doesn’t have the mental real estate to spare on thirst right now. He might have become a whole other kind of hoe since being exposed to the many splendors of Steve Rogers’ cock, but twitching for it before they’ve even hit the seventy-two hour mark?

That would be highly problematic, if that was happening.

Which it isn’t.

Bucky is well accustomed to flying solo when Steve’s off in corporate alter-ego mode; he’s done this countless times over the past few months since he moved in with Steve, and he’d made his peace with it long before that. You don’t couple up with the CEO of an internationally renowned architecture firm and expect to see his face at the dinner table every night, and for the most part, Bucky has no complaints about having the stupidly plush bed all to his starfishing self a few nights a month.

It’s just...there’s a method to this, usually. And that method does not involve three entire days of near radio silence.

When Steve goes away, even on his busier trips, he always finds time to call Bucky at least once a day, even if it’s just five minutes as he’s crawling into bed to say goodnight. They’ll text, and Steve will send emails that are endearingly formal because his brain tends to stay in CEO-mode 24/7 when he’s on business trips, and they’ll generally tide one another over with tidbits of cyber-affection until they get back in the same physical space.

But this time? They’ve hardly been in contact at all. And it’s on Bucky, too, at least in part - he’s been swamped with his own workload the past few weeks, struggling to find quality time or head space even in the few days just before Steve left, and all they’ve managed so far is a few sporadic messages in their rare moments of down-time, which have so far been chaotically misaligned.

It’s been a drag, if Bucky’s honest, and he can occupy himself all he wants with his exam prep and his party-plotting, but at the end of the day…

Bucky’s just a boy, laying in front of a clock, asking his dick to hold out just a few more minutes.

Because right now, it’s 10:42pm.

It’s 10:42pm, which means that in exactly three minutes, Steve will be sliding into the crisp white sheets of whatever lavish hotel bed he’s being put up in; buck-ass naked because he’s as stringent on his no-pyjamas policy as he is on his bed time, and in exactly three minutes…

Bucky’s gonna call him, and phone-fuck the soul right out of his offensively perfect body.

He flips onto his back and nestles into the pillows, a dumb grin already fixing to his face in his hormone-fuelled stupor. The lights of the city outside the floor-to-ceiling penthouse windows bathe his naked skin in soft orange-gold, and his hand migrates of its own accord to the semi he’s been rocking ever since it occurred to him that he could just straight up call Steve and spring a jerk-sesh on him.

The whole thing feels deliciously sneaky-skanky. He’s never done this before, just cold-called Steve with an x-rated agenda. They’ve had phone sex before, a great many times in fact, but there’s always a lead-in; a text exchange turned sordid that spirals into a video call straight out of Bucky’s horny teenage fantasies.

But he’s never gone in jizz-first, ask-questions-later, and as certain as he is that Steve will be entirely on board, it feels just risky enough to have Bucky a little high off the adrenaline of it.

Here lies Bucky, Queen of the Sluts! Stretched out bare atop cream colored sheets, lit up by the New York skyline! Dick in hand and filth on the tip of his tongue!

He is power! He is scandal! He is ready for this!

He pulls the lube out from its hiding place under the pillow and slicks himself up, stroking slow as he tries to summon some small measure of nonchalance about the whole thing. He has a vision for how he wants this to go, and it does not involve him losing his cool the second he hears Steve’s voice on the other end of the line.

This is about seduction, about surprising Steve with some old-school nasty, no video or visuals involved - just Bucky’s filthy mouth and vivid imagination, and he’s determined to keep it together long enough to paint Steve a picture he can jack it to.

He pulls up Steve’s contact and waits out the final torturous minute with his heart in his throat, hitting the call button the second it ticks over to go-time. He hits the speakerphone button, dropping the phone onto the pillow next to him, and holds his breath through the four rings it takes for Steve to pick up.

“...James?”

And oh, but that bodes well...Steve uses his real name in two contexts, and two contexts only - when Bucky visits him at work and he’s in business mode, and when he’s got Bucky flat on his back underneath him, letting him have it.

If Steve’s already keyed up tonight? This just got a lot more interesting.

“Mm, there it is,” Bucky heaves a deep sigh, “that’s what I needed, that voice...”

His mind’s eye conjures up visions of Steve spread out across the bed, taut lines of muscle and bare flesh all laid out. He’s probably just had a shower, so his skin would be all warm and pink, smelling like soap and aftershave; his hair all fluffy from that irreverent way he has of rubbing it towel-dry...god, Bucky misses him.

“James? Are you alright?”

He can practically hear Steve’s brows drawing together in that way they do when he’s overworked; a tight-wound tension in his voice that Bucky has every confidence he can allay before the night’s through.

“Mm, be a lot better if it was your hand wrapped around my cock right now,” Bucky drawls, rolling his body for his audience of no one, “but I guess I’ll just have to settle for fucking my fist to the sound of your voice. Can you hear me touching myself, Daddy?”

He breathes a soft groan as he strokes himself slick and languid, and Steve is silent for a long moment that Bucky’s brain is all too happy to color in with pornographic images of how Steve might be listening; where his hands might be wandering, how his cock would be filling at the mental picture Bucky’s painting. Bucky thinks this might just be the best idea he’s ever had, and he doesn’t hold back on letting Steve hear exactly how good he’s feeling about his decision...

...Until Steve clears his throat, and unceremoniously hits him with an ice-cold dousing of you-done-fucked-up.

“I’m in a meeting right now, I have two clients with me.”

There is zero inflection in his tone, and if Bucky thought he had experienced true panic before, he was mistaken. He can physically feel himself paling; his mouth dropping open soundlessly, humiliation warring with plain confusion as to why the hell Steve is still working at this ridiculous hour.

And then it clicks.

Horribly, harrowingly clicks.

Steve isn’t working at stupid o’clock at night.

In the perpetual haze of Bucky’s overworked brain and Steve’s ever-changing schedule, Bucky had forgotten that this trip was taking Steve to Hawaii.

For Steve, it isn’t slutty phone-sex hours. It’s very sensible, 4:45pm strictly-business hours.

“Ohmygod,” Bucky gasps, bolting upright and looking desperately around the room like it might hold the solution to his colossal screw up, “Steve, I completely forgot--”

“Mr Barnes, I can give you exactly two minutes of my time right now because I realize it’s been difficult to touch base recently,” Steve interrupts, his tone cooling abruptly with the air of professional detachment and veiled authority Bucky’s heard him use on work calls a thousand times. “Can you tell me exactly what the issue is with the redesign?”

...Bucky blinks, breath caught in his throat as he scrambles to string together some sense from Steve’s response.

Steve hasn’t mentioned any specific projects lately, is Bucky supposed to know something about a redesign? Was there something he--

Oh.

His brain and his dick catch on at the same time in a borderline painful rush of blood. He hears Steve pull back from the phone to address his clients, placating them with an apology and the assurance that this won’t take long, and Jesus Christ...Steve is actually doing this.

Steve is actually going to let this happen, going to let Bucky have one-sided phone sex with him while he sits there in some boardroom, with actual clients sitting right in front of him.

What the fuck.

Bucky’s breath leaves him in a rush as he drops back against the pillows and wraps a frantic hand around himself. “The issue is you’ve been gone three fucking days and I wanna sit on your face.”

“Mm, I see why that’s problematic,” Steve muses, cool and unaffected, “what exactly do you need from me?”

God, Bucky can just picture it - Steve sitting there looking like a fucking wet dream in one of his distractingly well-fitting suits, with his hair swept perfectly over and his beard trimmed just close enough to show off the sharp cut of his jaw; radiating that air of quiet authority that makes Bucky want to bounce in his lap until he dies...

Bucky knows for a fact that Steve’s face will be betraying precisely none of what’s happening on the other end of the line, and why the hell is that such a turn on?

“Well I was gonna describe in graphic detail all the things I want you to do to me when you get back,” Bucky huffs, breaths coming faster already, “but if I’m on the clock now, guess I’ll have to settle for sayin’ I need you to bring that dick home ASAP...fuckin’ miss it.”

“I see,” Steve sighs, “well I’m not back in New York for a few days yet, how do you plan to manage this in the interim?”

Bucky curses under his breath, tightening his grip on himself. “Just have to fuck myself, imagine it’s you.” He sounds every bit as unconvinced of the efficacy of this plan as they both know he is, and Steve hums thoughtfully in response.

“I’m going to need more detail, paint me a picture here.”

Bucky knows he’s blushing, feels the heat of it all the way down his chest, and fuck this shouldn’t be as hot as it is. Dirty talking at Steve and getting nothing back but clipped responses, void of emotion and the usual undercurrent of affection he’s become accustomed to?

Work-Steve needs to come to the bedroom more often.

“I’ll touch myself, like I’m doing right now,” he twists his grip a little on the upstroke, hissing at the change in sensation, “get my fist all wet and tight around my cock...pretend it’s your mouth.”

How close are Steve’s clients sitting to him? Steve wouldn’t be letting this happen if there was any way they could hear...but what if one of them has some kind of medical condition that gives them enhanced hearing? What if one of them can read minds and is hearing this entire conversation play out in stereo quality in their head?

Why is there a part of Bucky that hopes one or both of those things are true?!

“...And?” Steve prompts, almost brusque, and Bucky gives himself a second to revel in the way his dick twitches for the hard edge in Steve’s voice.

“And I’ll, fuck- ” Bucky stutters, rocking his hips with the rhythm of his strokes, pushing himself up through his grip, “I’ll use my toys, fingerfuck myself.”

“Right, well why don’t you go ahead and start that for me now,” Steve says, off-hand; pulling back from the phone to place an honest-to-god coffee order with the oblivious intern who’s now seemingly in the room too, and Bucky’s never felt more of an affinity for the whole bored-and-ignored thing.

He slicks up the fingers of his free hand and shifts a little onto his side, hiking a knee up as he slips a finger inside himself.

“Can I take that as a yes, Mr Barnes?” Steve asks at the breathy moan Bucky lets out as he presses in first with one, and then with two fingers, and Bucky nods frantically even though Steve can’t see him.

“Yes, fuck...I'm doin' it...feels so fucking good, Steve.”

And it does. It’s a difficult angle, and he can't quite hit the spot he wants to inside himself, but the steady stroke-tug against his rim while his fist flies over his cock is working for him; winding him towards what would, in any other non time-constrained circumstance, be an embarrassingly fast orgasm.

He can hear Steve shuffling papers, making quiet sounds of agreement along with whatever conversation is going on in the background between his clients whilst they wait, unknowing, and Bucky can’t decide whether it’s a blessing or an immense disappointment that Steve has to bite his tongue right now; that he can’t unleash any of the filth he’d definitely be spitting if he didn’t have an audience.

Steve fucking loves to run his mouth, and Bucky loves to hear it; lives for the endlessly colorful obscenities Steve comes out with in the throws of it.

Just listen to you, he’d be laughing a little; his voice dripping with that indulgent, self-satisfied grin he gets, so goddamn easy for it, ain’t that right baby? Three fuckin’ days and you’re gagging for it...should be ashamed of yourself…

But Steve is in a very public forum right now, in the middle of a meeting no less, trying to give the impression that he’s very decidedly not having phone sex. Right now, he’s Steve Rogers - CEO, consummate professional.

But he is also an asshole, and when he asks Bucky “do you feel you have a firm grasp on the situation, or would a second set of hands be helpful on this one?” Bucky swears he can hear that faint hint of a smirk all the way across the fucking country.

“Might just have to go find myself a second set of hands if you stay away too long,” Bucky retorts, emboldened by the distance, and a little morbidly curious to see what sassing gets him when Steve can’t say shit about it.

Turns out, what it gets him is a full-body shiver and a throb between his thighs as Steve’s tone dips to somewhere in the realm of politely-veiled threat. “I would not advise that, Mr Barnes.”

It occurs to Bucky, then, that this won’t just be done and dusted once they hang up. At the end of the week, Steve will come back to New York, and he will absolutely have some Things To Say about this little interruption.

He can picture it now, the way Steve will stand there all calm, staring him down with his mouth upticked at the corner while Bucky fumbles his way through an explanation.

He’ll probably do that thing where he doesn’t say much but his eyes say everything, and Bucky will have to try really hard to seem remorseful even though they’ll both know he’s not actually all that sorry. And Steve won’t want him to be, not really, but it’ll be something he can use to their mutual benefit, nonetheless.

Fuck, Steve might spank him.

Bucky smothers a moan into the pillow next to him, twisting his fingers inside himself and brushing his thumb across the head of his cock as he turns that thought over, Steve bending him over his knee, or better yet, over his desk...

“Oh,” Bucky gasps, a sudden rush of heat twisting tight in his gut, “fuck, I’m gonna come.”

Steve huffs a vaguely incredulous laugh, and there’s a faint creaking sound like he’s settling further back in his chair. “Oh really? Who authorized that?”

Bucky lets out a deeply undignified whine, his whole body strung tight enough to snap; caught between the sensations of his hand moving frantically over his dick and his fingers scissoring inside himself.

“Come on,” he whimpers, teetering on the knife edge of losing it, “tell me I can finish, please.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch that.”

Oh, fuck him, fuck him...how is he still edging Bucky when he was the one who put the rush order on this?

“Please, Daddy,” Bucky doesn’t try to hide the desperation in his voice as he changes tact, “if you don’t authorize this orgasm I think I’m gonna go blind, just fucking let me come!”

Steve pauses a beat, humming a considering sound. “No, I’m not comfortable signing off on that. We’re tabling this until I get back to New York.”

Bucky freezes, both hands stilling; his face crumbling into a mask of abject disbelief. “You can’t be serious?” His stomach drops, even as something in the back of his mind says he really should have seen this coming...or, not coming, as is the case.

“I'm sure we can come to a far more satisfying resolution in person,” Steve says, maddeningly cavalier.

Bucky’s gearing up to plead his case, but Steve’s not done ruining his night yet.

“In fact, Mr Barnes,” he piles on, “I’d like to make you personally responsible for ensuring no further action is taken on the matter until I return. Can I trust you with this?”

Bucky gapes down at his poor, oblivious cock still standing at eager attention in his grasp, unaware of the disaster that’s just befallen them, and he takes his hands off himself with a pained groan.

“This is criminal,” he objects, flopping heavily onto his back and throwing his arms out to his sides, “if my dick falls off, it’s your fault!”

“Great! Glad to hear it,” Steve chirps, as if he's not the worst person alive, “I’ll be in touch.”

“Whatever,” Bucky scowls at the shadows stretching across the ceiling, willing his mind off the throbbing ache of injustice between his thighs, “I’m totally not answering any of your calls.”

Steve’s smile bleeds into his tone a little when he responds, the closest he’s come to fondness yet. “Okay, speak soon, Mr Barnes.”

Bucky tries, really tries, to inject some petulance into his tone as he signs off with a grumbled “love you, I guess,” but he can’t quite bring himself to sulk as much as he feels the situation warrants.

After all, in exactly four days, Steve will come back to New York.

He’ll come home, and they’ll laugh about this, and in exactly four days…

Steve will make him forget what he was even upset about in the first place.

(Part 2 of the series here!)

#steve/bucky #Steve Rogers #Bucky Barnes #steve x bucky #stucky fanfic #ao3 stucky #daddy steve rogers

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kuramirocket · 3 years ago

Video

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In the grand cosmos of her life's journey, Ali Guarneros Luna discovered early on, the path to the stars is not a straight shot - but a winding course that sometimes skirts peril and disappointment.

As an engineer at NASA, Luna knows what's involved in navigating space. Her engineering fingerprints are all over numerous satellites currently orbiting the earth. And as project manager for NASA's Small Satellite Program she's worked on projects aimed at deepening understanding of what lies beyond. But her trajectory was definitely not a direct line.

"I was born in Mexico. My mother was born there. Being an immigrant in this country," Luna said, "having a harsh beginning, being a woman, it’s difficult, right?"

Luna's passion for space travel touched-off when she was seven-years-old living in her native Mexico City.

Unlike others who gaze up at the stars contemplating the meaning of the universe, Luna wondered about the machines that would make the trip possible.

"I was just so captivated at seven -- that I was like 'I want to do that!'" Luna recalled. "That’s exactly what I want to do and at that age I was like, 'I’m going to be an aerospace engineer.' My upbringing was different, I want to say, from most girls because I was never told that I had to fit certain roles. I guess it was because I was the oldest one of four. I had to step up. And the two youngest ones were boys. And I was a hyperactive child. So I never had that actually being a situation where I felt that I was not good enough in math or science. Because I had to be the boss. So it just happens that in that environment, even though I was only one of two girls within a bunch of young kids, mostly boys, I was doing what I wanted to do. And it was very exciting. So I never really had that. So with me going into aerospace engineering, I think it was an easy thing.”

After the 1985 Earthquake in Mexico City, her life changed. Ali and her mother immigrated to California and settled in San Jose, CA. With only two pieces of luggage, they left everything behind, especially close friends and family.

During the anti-immigration efforts like California Proposition 187 in 1994, school was the only thing Ali was allowed to do as her mother feared deportation. Her new schedule was limited to traveling from home to school and back, with no room to do the sports she loved. So school became her outlet — it became a safe place for her to grow up, where she could continue to learn and grow.

“So within six months of working full-time, my mother lost her job. So I became the one that supported the whole family. And I did it for about five years. It was tough because being so young and understand that my mother needed my support. And my brothers, being they were looking up to me -- it's something that's heavy when you're so young. You don't understand. But when I was growing up, I always moved on the opportunities that presented in front of me, and I did what I needed to do without looking back.”

Despite being a single mom, Ali’s mother worked hard to make sure Ali had every opportunity growing up. Ali was very athletic and participated in many sports and gymnastics, track being her favorite. When she wasn’t playing sports, she was reading the encyclopedias that her mother bought for her.

“My mother loved encyclopedias. My mother had so many. I would just sit in the living room reading about space shuttles after school because I really wanted to understand what they did.”

On the cusp of adulthood, she graduated high school and went straight into the workforce. Although she loved school, she wanted to support her mother and her family. She attempted to go to community college while working full time, but the emotional stress was overwhelming and she dropped out. In the next few years, she had four children, with two who had special needs. While caring for her children at home and researching their disabilities, she realized that she needed to go back to school.

“I saw my kids who were born with special needs, and I asked myself ‘How I can help them?’… it was clear to me that I needed to go back to school. I wanted to give them a stable life.”

Back-to-school, together. After her youngest child enrolled in kindergarten, Ali enrolled at San Jose City College and transferred to San Jose State University majoring in Aerospace Engineering. In this transition from stay-at-home mom to full-time student, she became a single parent. She was a full-time student while being a full-time mom, taking care of four children.

"I was too old, I was not as young as any of the students, and I definitely was not in that mold of students," said Guarneros Luna. "I had four children. I didn't think of myself as someone who was going to contribute something special."

“I went and applied for an internship without thinking that I was ever going to come and work for NASA. I did have a bachelor's degree, but I was old. I was not a young person. The internship was only going to be for three months. Because of the internship I have to leave one job and then be here. I knew it was only for three months, but the opportunity was too much to pass up. And then I became a contractor. And then it was important to apply for a civil servant. And I became a civil servant. ”

Ali has managed ten interns, introducing them to aerospace engineering through several projects including building three satellites and researching the design for return capsules for the International Space Station. Commercializing ISS has been a difficult problem for NASA and the process to ship products back and forth from the space station has to go through large space vehicles like Falcon, which takes three to six months. Space is limited on these vehicles and launching them gets very expensive. She and her team are paving the way to redesign return capsules with small payload returns so that astronauts can get the products they need for experiments in three business days rather than months later, allowing for more research to be done more efficiently.

Here is a part of the conversation with Ali Guarneros Luna, NASA Engineer and Deputy Project Manager at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley:

Host: When you became a civil servant you were working on some safety aspects?

Ali Guarneros Luna: Yeah. Safety mission assurance. So when I started for this small set of projected, specifically the TechEdSat, you're going through the space station. And you're dealing with humans inside. So everything you put inside the space station, you have to be careful of what you put in there and understand what are the consequences if something goes wrong.

So I was one of the group of engineers who started that process and started learning and setting it up for the following satellites that are going to be deployed from the space station. So I ended up doing all the safety data package, which is like documentation about your hardware that you put into space where you analyze all the hazards that you present to the space station or to the astronauts and then how are you going to control them and how are you going to verify them. So I was doing that. I became so good that I ended up doing every single one from the one first one to now, right?

Host: You do it right once, then they keep coming back.

Ali Guarneros Luna: Yes.

Host: This is my job now.

Ali Guarneros Luna: Yes. I was an engineer. I was part of the engineer group like two years ago. But there was an opening in safety mission assurance. Just for me to learn, I just say, "Why not? Let me go in there." So when you're an engineer and you go to school, nobody teaches you anything about that. You learn it on the job.

Despite her unique circumstances, Ali believes the challenges she experienced guided her to make the right decisions for her future. “I am resilient, if there’s a problem, there’s more than one solution”, she states, “To overcome difficult decisions, you need to plan for them…educate yourself so that you have the tools to make a plan of action.”

Every summer, Guarneros Luna gives back to her community. She goes back to San Jose State as a professor. "It's important for them to hear from somebody who did not come from a privileged background and did not come from parents that were educated," she said. "In my mind, I have that 'semillita' of education, that I wanted to get educated. A seed planted in me to go and get an education early on." The next time you look up and think your dreams like the moon are too far to reach, Guarneros Luna wants you to remember: 238,000 miles is actually closer than you think.

As an aerospace engineer, Ali is an advocate and actively promotes Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education. She is registered with the NASA Ames Speakers Bureau and is an active participant of this program. Ali also supports yearly programs like, Girls Scouts Go Tech, SWE Get Set, Soles Science Extravaganza, Society of Women Engineers (SWE) “WOW that is Engineering”, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE )“Noche de Ciencia” by providing hands-on activities and tours of the labs at SJSU. In 2012, Ali had contact with the Mexican university,, Universidad Autonoma de Baja California, UABC. She hosted a 6-week workshop at SJSU for the UABC students to build and launch an armature rocket. The success of this project was greatly broadcast in Mexico and as a result the Agencia Espacial Mexican, AEM, is interested in organizing a similar program but with the involvement of more universities.

Ali is committed to encouraging young people to pursue science, technology and engineering careers. In recognition of her achievements, the Hispanic Engineering National Achievement Awards Conference (HENAAC) named Ali Guarneros Luna as one of the 2013 Luminary Honorees. In October 2015, Ali was awarded the NASA Honor Award - Equal Employment Opportunity Medal., She also received the ISS Space Award in 2014 for her contributions to SPHERES, Modular Rapidly Manufactured Small Satellite (MRMSS), Nodes and TechEdSat Series Projects:

SPHERES: For dedication and exceptional performance in the development and operations of free flying robotic satellites inside the ISS testing autonomous satellite maneuvers.

MRMSS: For dedication and exceptional performance in research and development of modular design and manufacturing processes for spacecraft systems.

Nodes: For dedication and exceptional performance in two nanosatellites that will be deployed from ISS to demonstrate networking and advanced multi-spacecraft operations

TechEdSat Series: For exceptional performance and dedication in the development, test, launch, ISS deployment, and operation of the TechEdSat Nanosatellite spaceflight mission; launching the first NASA CubeSat from the ISS. TechEdSat-3p: For exceptional performance and dedication in the development, test, launch, ISS deployment, and operation of the TechEdSat-3p Nanosatellite “Exo-Brake” spaceflight mission; launching the first 3u NASA CubeSat from the ISS.

Ali Guarneros Luna currently works with the Office of System Safety & Mission Assurance (SS&MA) at NASA Ames Research Center. Prior to her work in the SS&MA, Ali worked in Ames’ Engineering Directorate as a technical authority for small satellite development and payloads bound for the International Space Station (ISS). In the Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites (SPHERES) National Lab, she worked as the system and safety engineer. In the Edison Program, Ali served as the system engineering, mission and ground operations, and launch vehicle service expert for multiple CubeSat projects including the Technological and Educational Nanosatellite (TechEdSat). Ali functioned as the Deputy Project Manager, ISS expert, and launch vehicle interface for the Small Spacecraft Technology (SST) program’s Nodes project. In the Sub-Orbital Aerodynamic Re-entry EXperiments (SOAREX) Series of suborbital experiments, Ali has performed in multiple engineering roles to include design, building and testing engineer. Ali is currently the deputy project manager and co-investigator for the SOAREX 9 and SOAREX 10 missions.

She received her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Aerospace Engineering from San Jose State University (SJSU) in 2010 and 2013, respectively. Upon completion of her undergraduate degree, Ali obtained an internship at NASA Ames with the Office of the Chief Technologist. During her time as an intern, she led and helped develop education and outreach programs for SJSU. The first program was called System of Networked Autonomous Positioning Satellites (SNAPS) followed by the TechEdSat Series. As a professional engineer, Ali has lead various projects affiliated with the ISS.

During her internship at NASA Ames, Ali supported the SNAPS project, which is an evolution of the SPHERES program which aims to demonstrate the practical applications of a network of autonomous probes. SNAPS was a test bed for guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) capabilities to enable probes to navigate without human interference or the need for external control.

As a professional engineer, Ali was mission manager for TechEdSat-1. In this capacity, Ali had managerial and oversight on all technical and programmatic aspects of the NASA Ames- SJSU project. In particular, Ali provided technical contributions to both speed the development and avoid ISS define hazard that could stop the mission, through innovative design, lab testing, and qualification methods for the TechEdSat flight hardware. She also developed and engineered the Auxiliary Lateral Inhibit (ALI) Switch for safety deployment from the ISS. Ali has co-authored technical papers for the TechEdSat structure and payload including the project plan and Safety Data Package, among others.  Her efforts enabled the project to successfully meet both ISS program and Ames Engineering Requirements. Developed, built, tested and certified for flight to the ISS in only 9 months, TechEdSat-1 was the first American CubeSat deployed from the ISS as well as being one of the first CubeSats deployed from the Station overall. TechEdSat-1 completed a life cycle with over 1000 beacon packets and 208 days of service. The TechEdSat-1 deorbited May 5th, 2013.

As a result of TechEdSat-1’s enormous success, an opportunity was presented to develop, build, test and certify TechEdSat-3P which ultimately launched to the ISS in 2013. For this mission, Ali served as a mentor to the other students and engineers as well as performed the role of safety engineer. For TechEdSat-4, launched in 2015, Ali was a radio frequency, safety and system engineer. Currently Ali is working on TES-5 as the quality and system engineer.

Ali is the deputy project manager, liaison and lead for ISS requirements for the Network and Operation Demonstration Satellites (Nodes) mission. This mission was deployed from the ISS in May 16th, 2016.

Developing new technology, Ali currently works with the SOAREX Series team. SOAREXserves as a test bed for a variety of re-entry and supporting technologies for use in automous sample return and other applications. Within the SOAREX team, Ali has multiple engineering roles from designing, building and serving as a testing engineer. She is also the deputy project manager and co-investigator for SOAREX 9 and SOAREX 10 missions. Ali supported the Orion Thermal Protecsion System (TPS) as a S&MA lead for the sensor on the Heat Shield (HS). She oversees the quality and safety of the design, build and testing of the sensor that would be installed in the HS for the next flight back in 2018.

In 2011 Ali was a member of the Plug-n-Play Mission Operations (PPMO) Workshop organizational committee at NASA Ames and helped organize the workshop held at SJSU. In 2013, Ali was on the student committee for the 10th International Planetary Probe Workshop (IPPW-10), which was held at SJSU the week of June 17th 2013.

Sources: (x) (x) (x) (x) (x)

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a-happy-little-cactus · 4 years ago

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Midnight Cuddles

Summary: You can’t sleep, so you go to your friend Bakugou for help, though it’s a bit more than what you were expecting.

Word Count: 1,571

Genre: Fluff

Warnings: None

A/N: Hey ya’ll! I haven’t posted in a really, really, really long time, but here ya go! Let me know what you think! (Also, I’ve been meaning to write this for a very long time, but never got around to it. Super happy I finally did!)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

As much as you loved it here at UA, it had officially screwed you up.

Within a few days, you have somehow managed to go from great eating habits and sleep schedule to living off Bang, Monster energy drinks, and black coffee while getting somewhere around 2 and a half hours of sleep.

With midterms starting in a few days, for both normal and hero classes, your sense of self-preservation seemed to have taken a nice long vacation. Between studying and training, self-care was pretty much one of the last things you were worried about at this point.

As of now, you were looking aimlessly between your computer and your notes, debating how many questions you could miss on this test without absolutely failing. Hearing a sudden knock at your door jolted you back to reality, though it took you a minute to register what was going on.

“(Y/N)! I know you’re still awake in there! Let me in for a minute!”

Usually it wasn’t weird for your best friend Mina to want to have random midnight talks, so this wasn’t too out of the ordinary. Pushing yourself out of your chair and taking a swig of your coffee, you walked to the door, careful not to run into anything on your way over, since you had forgotten to turn on the light even after the sun went down.

“Hey Mina,” you said tiredly.

“Hey girl, I-” Mina paused, glancing behind you at your room, which was currently being illuminated solely by your computer screen, as well as the mess that was currently occupying your desk.

“Uh, is everything okay?” she asked.

“Hm? Oh, yeah it’s all-” you stop, having to yawn, before plopping yourself down on the bed- “It’s all good. Just a bit of studying.”

“Okay, girl, what cup number is that?” Mina asked, gesturing to the coffee cup sitting amongst the many other empty cans.

“Honestly, I’ve stopped counting,” you replied, laughing tiredly.

Mina rolled her eyes, walking over and grabbing the cup of coffee, despite your objections, “Look, you’re going to sleep. This can wait until tomorrow. Besides, Aizawa’s not gonna be too happy if you pass out in the middle of his class.”

“Ughh fine, I’ll go to bed,” you said, accepting that that was probably the most you were going to be able to cram for tonight.

“Good. Well, good night (y/n)!” Mina half shouted from down the hall, in somewhat of an attempt to not wake up everyone else.

“Night!” you yelled back, forcing yourself up from off the bed to get ready to go to sleep.

~time skip~

Despite being unbelievably tired, it had been about 30 minutes since you had finished getting ready for tomorrow morning and laid down, yet you had been completely unable to fall asleep.

‘Stupid caffeinated drinks’

You cursed yourself internally for drinking so much coffee. Frustrated, you thought about your options:

You could sneak out downstairs to the common area, but if Aizawa-Sensei happened to be down there, you’d definitely be in trouble.

You could try to cram some more, but you had a feeling if you looked at your Chem. notes one more time you would actually die.

Lastly, you contemplated doing something completely and utterly stupid and irrational: Asking to crash in one of your classmates’ rooms.

You didn’t know why, but for whatever reason, you found it a lot easier to fall asleep with others near by. Usually this wouldn’t be a problem, since none of the girls really ever minded having an unplanned sleepover. However, considering the fact that it was just over one in the morning, and class started in five hours, you guessed they were all probably asleep.

You thought about asking one of your guy friends, but Kiri slept like, well, a rock, and wouldn’t wake up without a blaring alarm. You would ask Kaminari, but he was probably still gaming, and it’s not too easy to fall asleep with him yelling at his console in the background. Sero would be a good choice, but he was at a family gathering, and wouldn’t be back until next week. Considering you didn’t really feel comfortable asking the other guys in your class, that left you with one other choice: Bakugou.

While yes, usually Katsuki did go to bed earlier than everyone else, like you, midterms had screwed that up. Even though he was still doing well in class, you had actually bumped into him during a 2am snack run a few days ago, so you guessed it wasn’t too far off to say there’s a chance he might still be awake. Even if he did end up telling you to screw off, it was at least worth trying.

Walking through the boy’s dorm hall, you noticed that you were indeed correct, as even while passing his dorm you could hear Kaminari shouting. What intrigued you though, was seeing the light peeking out from the doorframe of Katsuki’s room.

Knocking, you called for him, “Katsuki, I know you’re at least awake, can you open up?”

After about a minute of silence, the door to his room swung open, and you had a rather irritated looking Bakugou staring you down, the draft flowing from his room making you shiver.

He was wearing a black hoodie with sweats, and had a pair of glasses on, which made you notice the pile of notes, costume redesigns, and other sheets of paper scattered across his desk.

“What do you want dumbass, it’s late, and I’m busy,” he said.

“Uh- Oh right! Um, so, I was uh-” you stuttered out, trying to figure out how to word your sentence, which was proving difficult with the combination of his glare and your tiredness.

“Get to the point extra-” he warned.

“Look, can I sleep in your room tonight?” you asked.

His eyes widened, before regaining his irritated composure.

“How come? You got a room, don’t you?”

“Well, I can’t sleep,” you admitted, though that part was obvious.

“And what makes you think sleeping in my room is gonna change that?” he asked.

You looked away, before answering in a quieter voice, “It’s just, well, it’s just easier for me to sleep when other people are around.”

“Can’t you ask one of your other friends?”

“No, they’re all sleeping, and I don’t want to wake them up,” you replied.

After a moment, he sighed, before opening the door all the way and stepping aside to let you in.

“Fine. But you owe me,” he said.

To that, you lit up, nearly knocking him over with a hug, “Oh my gosh thank you so much! And yeah, that’s fair.”

Katsuki froze, before pushing away from you, averting your gaze.

“Whatever, just don’t bother me,” he said.

“Okay, that’s fine. Do you have any extra pillow’s I can borrow? I’d sleep directly on the ground, but it is hardwood, so I don’t think my skull would particularly like that,” you asked, taking in the rest of his room, which was really just a bed, dresser, and some more miscellaneous papers scattered across the room.

“Why the hell would I have extras, I’m not Mina. And don’t sleep on the floor dumbass, you’re going to wake up with bad back and neck pain, and you’re not going to be able to be at your best for when I beat your ass tomorrow,” he said.

Realizing what he had said, you felt the heat rise to your cheeks.

‘Just use his bed? But then, is he meaning he wants us to share?’

The more you thought about it, the more you blushed, so you put the thought away, and made your way into the bed. Thankfully, he only had his desk light on, so you faced the wall to deciding you should be able to sleep just fine like this.

“Oi, scoot over. You’re hogging the bed,” you hear after a few minutes.

‘Wait, what?’

You turned around to face him, confused, but he only gestured for you to move.

Blushing slightly, and glad he had turned the light off, you comply, giving him room to slip into the bed.

“Um, I uh, I thought you were working?” you ask, glad that the two of you were currently facing opposite directions, though it didn’t really help with your nerves.

“I was working. But it’s two in the morning, and I guess your dumbass reminded me to go to bed,” he said, chuckling lightly at the end.

“Oh.”

After a few minutes of silence between the two of you, you felt the draft of his room again, even with the covers. You had known he kept his room cold, but this was just stupidly cold.

“Hey Katsuki?” you called weakly, in case he had already fallen asleep.

“Hm,”

“It’s really cold, do you have any extra blankets, or could you like, change the AC settings?” you ask.

After a moment, you felt him shifting behind you, before feeling him put his arm around you, his body pressed against yours, and sending warmth back towards you.

You couldn’t do anything other than sit there, a blushing mess, and yet again unbelievably grateful that he couldn’t see your face.

“Better?” he asked.

“I-um, uh, yeah,” you stutter out, covering your face with one of your hands, making him laugh.

“Good,” he said, sounding a bit proud of himself for his job well done.

That night, despite everything, you two slept better than you had in a very long time.

#bnha x reader #bakugou x reader #bakugou fluff #bnha #katsuki bakugou #mina ashido #bnha imagines #bnha fluff

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dr-astormylasthurrah · 4 years ago

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DR:ASLH AMA (10/21/2020)

so today i decided to sit down and answer a whole bunch of questions on discord!

this DOES contain spoilers up through the end of ch5, just a warning! if you’re on mobile i’m so sorry.

Who is your favorite character?

THAT IS THE MEANEST QUESTION YOU COULD EVER ASK DID YOU KNOW THIS. This varies a lot depending on the day but usually... tied Chiyo/Tatsumaru. I love them both so much. I think Ryouji's my favorite to write, though. If ASLH were someone else's story, I think my favorite would undeniably be Chiyo, because I'm nearly always biased towards protagonists.

What’s been the most enjoyable part of the story process? Why?

Honestly? Getting to see how people react to it. It's the validation luv. Maybe it's selfish, but I really do like seeing how people are affected by my work LOL.

who is on what side of the pineapple on pizza discourse?

Likes it: Amal, Kanemori, Claude, Aster Neutral: Tristan, Tatsumaru, Sentarou Hates it: Ryouji, Chiyo, Ririka, Brendan Doesn't like pizza: Tiana, Hirono, Alexei, Tsukino, Iris Ryouji, Chiyo, and Ririka make fun of Amal.

For the trials of aslh, which trial has been your favorite so far? In terms of planning the case itself, plot beats, character developments, anything really. But which one still makes you lose it when you think about it.

That's a tough one, I don't like writing trials. I liked the structure of ch3, though. The way that the trial stops being "who killed Amal" and instead becomes "who is Aster". The Tatsu POV. The story title drop. And the way the execution just wrecks everything, immediately? Yeah, vibes.

I also feel like ch4's trial deserves a special mention because of how I wrote it while I was sick with the flu, and yet if you ask me that was still probably the most emotionally intense trial- wait I forgot ch2- and ch5- y'know what, forget it. At least it's on par!

If you could change anything about aslh on any level, what would it be & why?

In general, I think it needed more planning. I'm a very on-the-fly planner and writer, but there were a lot of unknowns I didn't consider until late-game that made it hard to bring up and resolve cleanly. It could also probably have used a little bit more clarity with regards to the lore - things like "how does the memory replacement work" weren't decided until super late in the project. I didn't have a backstory for Tatsu until I wrote ch2 or ch3, so before that point their scars were much less extensive and I think they were cut-shaped instead of burns? That was kind of important for at least continuity's sake, and it irks me.

Also, Hirono deserved better. I didn't plan out her arc as extensively as the others (she was, pre-story, the last survivor to be locked and she had traded with Kanemori), so she sort of stagnated in the story. Which wasn't a bad thing, because not everyone's going to get shoved off a balcony or watch their friend get shot, but it kind of sucks that the most "defining" moment she had was that Ririka and Iris died, neither of which she actually witnessed, or the name confession in ch4 trial which kind of got brushed over. Like all the rest of the survivors have Big Defining Moments, except her.

To be honest, ASLH is the first huge writing project I've ever completed, so there's a lot of things I could have done better. But it was also the first huge writing project I've ever completed, so I'm cutting myself some slack there.

What's your philosophy, or even your strategy when it comes to character design? What do you go for first or emphasize, where do you think you could experiment more?

Most of my designs are based around a core "ooh I want to try this thing". Sometimes I take character inspirations, sometimes it's a cool garment, sometimes I'm just redesigning characters. I mostly emphasize clothing, patterns, and colors, but I also reuse a lot of the same clothing styles and patterns. I could definitely experiment more with shape language and silhouette - usually, that's like the last thing I think about, but one of the more important things to have in an ensemble cast. Mostly, though, I just like drawing clothes.

What do you think is the crowning moment of aslh? Like if someone asked you what would be a moment that gets to the heart of the story the most. What would it be?

DEFINITELY the ch5 execution. Like, the emotional resonance? The narration shift? The drama of it all? Peak ASLHcore.

what factored most into your decision-making progress? why did you decide this death order and this mastermind(s)?

My decision making process is entirely me sitting in a fugue state mumbling out details that I need to fix and then sporadically sitting bolt upright and screaming a parallel or tangent I've pieced together.

The mastermind question is easier to put together - I'd always had in mind that this was going to be a revenge game, and that one mastermind was so difficult to take seriously it wasn't even funny and that the other decided to bail halfway through. So I built the characters around that. The points I usually pay attention to with fangan planning (these days) are: ch1 is to establish the status quo and tone of the story, ch3 is to overturn the status quo, and ch5 forces ch6 to happen. So the ch3 case revolved around Sen dying, and then I was like "how can I fuck up the status quo more" and killed Amal and Aster too.

The biggest factor in my decision making process is "what would be really cool". I tend to make a lot of decisions that fuck up the structure of what a fangan "should" be because I think it goes hard as hell when we throw out rules that the characters are unaware of anyway.

was there a draft of aslh that looks drastically different from what we ended up with?

Great question, and fuck you for reminding me!

ASLH actually started as a bullet point fangan called What Tempestuous Despair. It was a much more international cast until I was like "fangans are supposed to be mostly Japanese casts!" and changed a bunch of characters' nationalities, which in hindsight was dumb. Ririka, Kanemori, Tsukino, and Iris were victims of this. Also Amal was the protagonist and I am SO GLAD that didn't stick they are SO DIFFICULT to write the POV from.

I've spoken on a few occasions about how the cast itself changed, and I never got around to plotting out arcs (other than "Amal learns to trust people and allows themself to truly grieve Rin after holding everyone at length for so long"), but some assorted things:

The cast had a bunch of characters who were swapped out. Included in this tally are Rin Matsumoto (whose personality was recycled into Hisaichi, Ryouji's cousin, and their name was recycled into Shuichi's school friend), Leon Mercury Kahahawai (who’s in CYAH), Haywire Asturias, Puck Ganka (who’s also in CYAH), a few characters/designs who I ended up giving away... And also Hayato Kikuchi.

Iris was always a killer, because I really wanted her to have a downfall-that-wasn't-a-downfall-but-rather-a-reflection-of-the-true-self arc. This was always a lategame case so I'd have time to establish her as terrible. Originally, she killed Leon.

Tiana was also always a killer. I think he killed Hayato via electrocution, so as you can tell that's always been around in some form or another.

(Tristan killing Chiyo in ch5 in the current version, btw, was specifically to mirror Tiana's murder. While Tiana killed to get themself out of the KG, Tristan killed to get everyone else out.)

who was considered for mastermind throughout making aslh? what would their reasons have been?

The masterminds have never changed, except that the characters for them didn't exist back in WTD. But the personalities of the characters they replaced were about 1:1 anyway, so yeah basically they've never changed.

what is one thing you really loved about the beta and what is one thing you really hated about the beta

One thing I really loved about the beta was the ch3 case (which I've spoken about at length before), but other than that... honestly Tiana? Tiana's the one character that I had fully developed as of WTD, they just sprung into my head completely materialized. Their entire personality and design somehow stayed the same since conceptualization.

One thing I really hated? I would say "all of it", but specifically, we don't talk about white Tristan. That was so bad. I was trying so hard to design him so that he'd look nonthreatening and I was like "why is this so hard" and then I changed his ethnicity and I was like "oh right, white gamer boy characters just have cursed energies" and moved on with my life.

what would be an ideal day for tiana murdock. what would make them happy.

An ideal day is honestly one where they get a lot done. They're not one to relax or know what to do with free time, but they get a lot of satisfaction out of being productive, so if they manage to finish a lot of work and not end up exhausted? They're happy. They've probably gotta work on learning to enjoy their free time. They do like traveling, though, and- oh my god I should make them friends with Tsukino.

What would the cast's careers be if they lived to be adults?

Chiyo: Elementary school teacher and scifi author! Really wish I'd leaned more into the fact that she loves scifi, honestly. Amal: Journalist, probably, except they'd actually take classes in it this time instead of just writing op-eds constantly Tatsumaru: LIBRARIAN TATSU TRUE ENDING!!! Sentarou: Freelance pianist/composer. I have this whole headverse where he and Alexei are somehow friends with Claude, and together they plot to kill Enji Sekisada. Or Claude and Alexei plot to kill Enji and Sen sits there with his head in his hands. Iris: In universes where she's able to reconcile with academia, she works in ecology + chemistry. In universes where she doesn't, she's a florist. Aster: SERIOUSLY depends on the AU because every time I try to put Aster in a normal AU they're different. Jokes about becoming a flight attendant to travel with Tsukino. Claude: Secretary. No, seriously. May have something to do with killing Enji Sekisada. Hirono: Photojournalist! Photography reminds her of Ekuko. :') Alexei: Veterinary assistant for a specialized bird clinic Tsukino: Pilot, obviously Brendan: Mechanical engineer but sometime around age 30 has enough stress to just quit and become a college professor instead. Tiana: Museum docent, he's coworkers with Laurent Sinclair thanks Ryouji: He's... not sure. In normal AUs does take up food service for a while before getting uncomfortable with his family and quitting. In ASLH canon, he skips this step and goes into law with the intent of helping other killing game survivors sort out their lives. Tristan: Web designer, still makes a few games on the side with his friends. Mostly point and clicks because he ain't about this life Kanemori: Volleyball coach, because he knows a lot more about that than soccer honestly

what part of aslh was the hardest to write?

Deadly life. Always. I can crank the chapters out really fast, but I hate the case part of fangans and they're painful to plan.

For each case, what is your out of universe reason for wanting each person to die when? Like not counting the motives or anything, but why you wanted each person to die then?

- Brendan: He was the OC I had the longest. He had to die. Goodbye you little shit. - Kanemori: He was actually a survivor originally, and Hirono was the ch1 killer for the same "OC longevity" reason but then I realized I don't have anything for Kanemori to do. So... Sorry dude.

- Claude: Y'all ever notice how no one... EVER... puts plot relevant information in ch2s? Anyway. - Tiana: As discussed, they've always been a killer. Putting them as a killer here was a good balance - far enough from ch1 to build up their relationship with Tristan, but also not so far into the story that it conflicts with the general endgame fall-apart-ness.

- Amal, Sentarou, Aster: This case sprung into my head entirely materialized. Like, this was the one that BUILT the story, so it didn't change much. Mostly I just thought it'd be narratively fun to kill off the deuteragonist, the mastermind, AND the ??? in one go. I didn't plan for Chiyal to be a thing so when that became a thing this chapter got better/worse.

- Iris: I always wanted her to be a killer to really expose that "she's not a good person" stuff (she was more of a snake in WTD), but she didn't become a victim until when I was actually writing. She was supposed to have a trial and then I got sick of writing her. Whoops. - Ririka: I had arc ideas for everyone else, and it could have gone either way between Ryouji and Ririka getting that "close to my best friend who is now dead"... in the end it went down to gender balance in survivors. At the time it was Ryouji or Ririka + Kanemori + Tsukino + Tatsumaru, but then once Kanemori got swapped to Hirono just... yeahhh Ririka got stuck in ch4. Sorry. - Alexei: Special shoutout, he was supposed to die in ch4 as just an "oh no this is what happened, how sad" but then it was super narratively unsatisfying and now he's alive.

- Chiyo: For the sake of pain. But like, poignant, meaningful pain. I don't believe in making plot decisions just because they hurt, they've also got to mean something. Considering that a major theme of the story is "death before its time is a complete tragedy", and Chiyo's motifs include death... uh. Yeah... yeah. When it came time to ask myself who'd die in ch5 for this motive, well. I miss Chiyo. - Tristan: Meant to mirror Tiana's killing in ch2, as stated above, had the "selfish kill vs selfless kill" thing. Look if you're going to have a duo in a fangan and don't get to make cool dichotomy/theming what's the POINT. Ended up surviving because when there were only four survivors, there were... really no stakes for the ch6 trial.

- Tatsumaru: I just wanted them to be alive. I didn't know WHY, exactly... I just knew I needed them to live. So. I guess they're alive? Also I thought it'd be really interesting to have a killer protagonist, and a remorseful killer protagonist. - Ryouji: To be honest I didn't have a solid arc for him, aside from Ririka's death I'd decided I was going to figure it out as I went. And I guess I did? I love him. And not gonna lie, since Tatsu became the protagonist and Ryouji's still pissed at them, the perspective/dynamic became VERY INTERESTING. - Tsukino: Originally in beta!ASLH, her schtick was "gilded exterior with a heart of jerk with a hidden, smaller heart of gold" but that didn't transfer over to ASLH itself. Then when I realized "oh shit Tsukino wants to be a hero" it was all over. At first her arc was very "tone yourself down and stop rushing into things" which wasn't... ideal, I think you can still be enthusiastic and upbeat while being mindful and that was not how I had gone about it lol. Fun fact, Tsukino's survived every draft of ASLH, including the beta one - I think she and Amal were closer friends in that. - Hirono: See Kanemori, I just thought she had more survivor potential than him. The problem was that by the time I made the decision to swap them, everyone else was sort of locked by necessity, so Hirono became a survivor by default. Again, I didn't quite have an idea of what she was going to do other than get leeched off of by Iris. Ririka wasn't even part of it, we just had that cooking thing in 2-3 and Ririka was like "this is my problem now" and I was like "what?" so now we're here.

What's everyone's coffee/tea/other preferences?

Coffee: Tiana, Tristan, Brendan Tea: RYOUJI, Tatsumaru, Chiyo, Iris Hot chocolate: Claude, Sentarou Soda: Amal, Ririka Soda but only fruit flavored: Tsukino Water, thanks: Aster, Kanemori, Hirono, Alexei

What was the hardest decision to make, writing wise, for aslh? Like you wanted the story to go one way, but you couldn't force it, or a scene you felt you needed but was difficult to decide upon, anything like that?

Hm... okay see the thing is I'm generally pretty good at writing on the fly so if I make decisions I CAN force them to happen, so there's really not too much that comes to mind. Mostly this happens with trials - I make outlines for my trials and drag my cast along with it. Except they tend to go off-topic, and then I have to drag them back on topic. And sometimes the points don't make sense when you go out of order so I have to ad lib stuff. Ch4 trial was the most off-script one, it was supposed to be a lot slower and made more sense but then the cast just went out of order and I was bonking my head against the wall trying to get it to make sense.

The only real thing I had consistent difficulty with is locations. I did not fucking plan any of this shit and hate making maps so much- oh my god I need to do the ch6 map still.

who would deliberately salt their coffee and who would accidentally do it

Deliberately: Tristan, Tiana, Tsukino, Hirono Accidentally: Kanemori, Amal, Sentarou, Chiyo, Brendan, Iris "Why?": Claude, Alexei, Aster, Tatsumaru, Ryouji, Ririka

#aslh #ask and you shall receive #trivia #crow caws

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diarrheaofthekeyboard · 4 years ago

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Confluence of Updates

7.26.2020

Writing on Writing

In addition to weekly therapy since November, I have been watching School of Life videos on YouTube. The latest video I watched helped confirm for me that I’m on the right path. I’m never going to eliminate my Inner Critic or ever feel completely comfortable with myself. I think if I did, that would be something extra-human. Neither are realistic goals. This particular video’s intent was to get people to write a journal. In a nutshell, you can’t keep it all in. Give yourself a daily mental outlet where you can release your thoughts and you’ll have less mental anguish. Well, here we are! Glad I’m on the right path.

This may be the reason Sunday nights have recently become the most difficult for me. Brain won’t turn off, but it’s because I haven’t had what I’m trying to turn into my daily routine of walking in the morning and writing at night. The out I’m giving myself is this is all new and it takes some growing pains to get it right.

Writing on Walking

I try not to spend money these days but any new venture is going to have some startup costs. My sneakers should be good for another month or so if I stick with it. I’ve been keeping my mask in my pocket, but that makes it difficult to pull it out when I actually see people, so I bought some neck gaiters I can pull up to be a mask. But the two big things were new headphones and shirts.

The headphones are a big deal because of “the thud of footsteps”. As you may have figured out by now, I actually listen to music. It’s not just a beat or a background to keep me going. I’m actually interested in hearing it, reacting to it emotionally, having my own internal dialog about it, and just plain enjoying it. I can’t do that while walking because I hear the thud of my own footsteps with my headphones on. Happens with my Amazon Basics on-ear headphones, which are actually super awesome Monoprice headphones, and it also happens with my Sony earbuds I bought for phone calls. Turns out the Amazon ones are on-ear, closed back. And with the way earbuds have been redesigned, they create a closed back type effect.

So I made an educated guess and took a chance on some KOSS open air, on ear headphones. Remember the shitty headphones that came with your Walkman? Those were open air, on ear headphones. Those are the ones I used to listen to Megadeth at top volume on in the back seat of my parents’ car so I didn’t have to listen to their shitty lite-fm radio. I found some good ones from KOSS that won’t make my ears hurt after listening to them for 30 minutes and they arrived today. Put them on, took three steps, no thud. Yeah, you can hear the music if you really get close to me. But it’s not like I’m crammed onto a subway around here. Monday will be the real test but so far it seems like $30 in Amazon points well spent.

Now you may ask yourself, “why are new shirts a big deal?” I think it’s about self worth and there’s a bunch going on here.

To this point, I’ve been wearing whatever t-shirt I want to walk. And there’s certainly nothing wrong with them. But they’re yer basic men’s printed band shirt or otherwise printed shirt. So they trend kinda heavy and not too comfortable. But you’ll be able to wear them through armageddon. Some of them are 10 to 20 years old. So there’s a lot of personal history and/or bullshit associated with them. Not only because of whatever is printed on them that I obviously liked. But also because of where/when I’ve worn them and how they’ve been associated with certain places. I don’t want to get rid of them or necessarily stop wearing them. But I do kinda just want to put them in a box at the bottom of my closet and start over.

Then there’s the deserving part. I have more than enough varying degrees of uncomfortable shirts, I should just wear them and be done with it. I’m not good enough for new shirts. Especially some new shirts that are obviously designed for workouts and sports. I’m about 40 pounds overweight. I need to lose half that weight first and really get into a routine before I’m approaching good enough for new shirts. Otherwise, I’m just some pudgy poser.

And I’ve been listening to this bullshit from my internal dialog for the past month, as I have been walking around my neighborhood. Well, we’re almost at the end of the month and I’m still going. And as I’m putting them in the cart and buying them, a 14 year old memory trying to get me to stop pops up.

From ‘05 to ‘08 I played guitar in an off-off-off Broadway production of Oedipus. We actually did all three plays during that time. And the best way I can describe the production is “What would happen if George Orwell wrote Oedipus, and it played out on American Idol?” In 2006, we played for a week at the Fringe Festival in Brisbane, Australia. My anxiety nearly fucked me on getting a passport, but I was able to get over that. What really fucked me was the NYC blackout of that year, which hit my area for an extended period of time.

One of the wonderful things about NYC is the laundromats have drop off service and will do your laundry for you. So I dropped off my laundry a few days before I was going to leave for Australia. Well, the fucking blackout took out the laundromat, with my clothes still inside. So I left for Australia with my guitar equipment and an empty suitcase. For some reason, I had insisted I wanted to fly JetBlue from NYC to LA, which meant I needed to take a cab to LAX. This turned into a blessing in disguise because the driver agreed to stop at Target while I ran around the store and bought whatever I thought might look ok.

The black shirt I bought to wear onstage was an activewear shirt. It was kinda stretchy, but I figured it would hang loose. And of course it didn’t and we’re about to get onstage and I look like a fucking Ring Ding shoved into a muscle shirt. Everyone in the entire cast laughed at me. Finally, the drummer was nice enough to change shirts with me and he wore it. Later on that trip, he gave me the worst purple nurple ever. So this is what’s going through my mind in fucking Costco, and why I didn’t deserve new shirts. But I bought them anyway as a fuck you to that memory.

And you know what? I took them out of the package and they smelled like chemicals. So I washed them and the neck gaiters and left them out to dry. Then I changed into one of the shirts to play pickleball with my kid yesterday afternoon. AND IT WAS PERFECTLY FINE. Yeah, I’m probably dumb for buying black shirts and I should have bought the white ones. But that’s toxic “oh black looks harder than white” for you/all band shirts are black/get ripped in a year and wear them onstage too.

To top it off, we went to the pool this afternoon and after I showered, I put on one of my regular t-shirts. And it kinda felt constricting. I can’t wear the black shirts everywhere because they’ll smell like BO in 30 seconds. But I’m going to wear them a lot, and not be embarrassed about them. It’s ok to be comfortable.

Whither, Music.

Unsurprisingly, Bernstein’s lectures have led me to bite off more than I can chew. I haven’t been walking on weekends, so I haven’t been listening to him. But I did find a bunch of books I’ve either read too many times or not read enough, and pulled them out. They are:

Aaron Copland - What to Listen for in Music

Howard Goodall - The Story of Music

Glenn Kurtz - Practicing

Philip Toshio Sudo - Zen Guitar

Pat Pattison - Writing Better Lyrics

I haven’t really read anything other than news for a long time. Or I buy books, read some, and never finish them. This is obviously detrimental to my mental health. So like with walking and with writing, I’m going with what interests me. I’m not trying to be busy all the time, but I definitely want to keep from punishing myself like I have done historically.

I started on Copland’s book last night. I read 25 pages, and that was only the Forward and Preface. So tonight I’m looking to get into at least the first chapter.

I’ve also been watching some other YouTube videos, particularly “Now Hear This” which is a PBS show about classical music, and another series I found about “how to listen to classical music” from a channel called Inside the Score. Last night I got my Ford Prefect on, and listened to Beethoven’s 5th. Today, I’m listening to Holst’s “The Planets”, which of course is the Leonard Bernstein version. I gotta say, these new headphones sound pretty good.

Lastly, I’m waiting on the book to Bernstein’s Harvard Lectures, which I will pick out every last piece he talks about, find it on Apple Music, and create a giant playlist. I hope the runners on the American River trail like classical music. They’re gonna hear a lot of it in passing.

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sonicfanj · 5 years ago

Text

I’m a big fan of AUs and the freedom that fans have to explore Sonic or any fandom in ways that diverge from the source material, but with AUs and more recent Sonic stuff being what a lot of new fans brought in from the movie will see, the possibility of providing false information is far to high if we are not careful. That SEGA also spreads misinformation only makes matter worse and it is the heart of this particular post.

One of the biggest misconceptions of Sonic that SEGA perpetrates both through retcons and from Sonic Generations onward is that Sonic before the Sonic Adventure (Adventure henceforth )rebranding back in 1998/1999 is that “Classic Sonic “ as he is dubbed these days is possessed of an age of around eleven and is even shorter than Sonic’s 1 meter/3′3″ height. The height can actually be sourced to a profile of Metal Sonic’s that lists him at around seventy something centimeters as well as Generations making him shorter to account for the difference in proportions. But the truth is, Sonic was always listed at 1 meter tall, both before and after the Adventure redesign.

[Character height chart for reference - http://info.sonicretro.org/images/9/99/Classic_character_heights.svg]

Age on the other hand is where things get really strange. Again, a retcon for Generations makes sense to an extent, especially when you consider that the characters had their ages shuffled around as it was with the Adventure redesign. Amy aged up from 8 to 12 and Knuckles aged up from 15 to 16. Tails remained the same but Sonic actually received a subtle change. Bios that listed Sonic’s age before Adventure typically listed him at 15 to 16 years old. That would actually make him the same age or older than his Adventure onward counterpart. But it gets even weirder. According to the Sonic Technical Files (currently hosted by Sonnic Fansite Sonic Retro here - http://info.sonicretro.org/Original_Story) Sonic was actually originally thought about to be even older, around 18 years old. Suddenly, Sonic from his typically dubbed Classic Era is actually definitively older than his modern counterpart, yet is portrayed as a younger bubbly child from Sonic Generations onward. And I assure you, this is a retcon.

If you grew up in the 90s like I did and were introduced to Sonic when he debuted back in 1991, then you will remember the western advertising over embracing his teenager with an attitude description. And it wasn’t just in game ads, it was in all Sonic media available in the west. The US cartoons, the Archie and Fleetway comics, and so on, portrayed Sonic as an uppity teenager with an attitude problem (some cases being far worse than others). That teenager of a high school age mentality was the backbone for why the Archie Sonic comics were littered with teenager romance drama, which would look rather distasteful if you think about it post retcons now. But they were not at fault for portraying Sonic based on being high school age. The material and information they were provided told them as such and so they based their interpretations off of that available information.

But it wasn’t just a western mistake either. If not for input from key members of SEGA of America (henceforth SoA) Sonic would be rather different and would even have had a human girlfriend by the name of Madona who was anything but a child.

[Pic here - https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/sonic/images/d/dc/Madonna.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20090313035151]

Madonna was not the only time it happened either as one of the last pieces of pre-Adventure release Classic Sonic material is the Sonic OVA or Movie produced by Japanese animation studio Studio Peirrot where a catgirl (read human girl with cat ears and a tail) was the main love interest and whom even Eggman/Robotnik wanted to marry (it’s weird, I don’t argue that). But more importantly, two of Sonic’s primary creators, Yuji Naka and Naoto Oshima, were listed as Production Directors for the two episode Original Video Animation (OVA) and were rumored to be involved quite a bit with the film. You can typically find it on youtube though I recomend the subbed version, bad video quality and all, to get a better representation of the Japanese perspective. It’s really eye opening and was very nostalgic in when I first watched it post Sonic Generations release.

The thing is though, the OVA released in 1996, years before the Adventure rebranding, and is strongly believed to be how Naka and Oshima see the character. This is actually reflected in the Sonic Adventure redesign as Yuji Naka on record (a shame I can’t find the link) has stated that Sonic was redesigned to bring him closer to the original character idea and to erase the growing cute identity that he was developing due to marketing. He even goes on to say that Sonic was never intended to be cute and that being a cute mascot character would inevitably pit him against Hello Kitty which would not have ended well. Yet, SEGA retconned the Naka/Oshima Sonic into being a bubbly hyperactive kid who was much shorter and generally hyper cute compared to his more modern interpretation of the character. This retcon is only made even more complicated when SEGA decided they didn’t like their “New” Classic Sonic being treated as the same character as their Legacy Sonic and even retconned that come Sonic Forces to say that he was actually from a different dimension. Years after Sonic Forces release that decision still riles up many more dedicated fans as it breaks the series continuity. Arguably, it has too. After all, if Naka/Oshima Sonic is older than Legacy/Modern Sonic and has the same height yet New Classic Sonic is shorter and strangely mute then something had to be changed or it just starts to fall apart for a cohesive narrative. Of course Amy’s four year gain already threw things into question but on it’s own was fairly harmless considering her role in the franchise as the main female lead and primary love interest. But New Classic Sonic’s muteness is what this post will be carrying on from.

One of the biggest misconceptions of Sonic before the Adventure redesign is that he did not speak. The primary reason for this misconception I usually attributed to him not speaking in the classics. this is actually a false statement as Sonic speaks in Sonic the Hedgehog CD, SegaSonic the Hedgehog, and is quite the chatterbox in a Japanese only popcorn machine. Admittedly, these are all difficult to experience items, especially pre-Adventure, but by the time of Soinc Generations’ release a good deal of these could be researched and Sonic CD was readily available to the public again thanks in no small part to Christian Whitehead of Evening Star Studios. but even outside of the games SOnic was shown to talk quite a bit before the Adventure redesign. Again both the western comics and cartoons and even numerous Japanese comics all showed him speaking quite a bit before the Adventure redesign. Of a more canonical nature however, the Japanese instruction manuals for most of the games from the original onward will show Sonic talking.

So, where did this misconception gain enough steam to become a retcon? It’s hard to say, but there are a lot factors that could lead to it. Major fan backlash was threatened when Generations was first revealed if they got Sonic’s voice wrong and hat it’d be better if he didn’t talk at all. SEGA is known for overreacting to negative feedback at odd and seemingly random times and this appears to me to be yet another case of it. But his muteness only got weirder when people started latching on to him being mute as a matter of shyness. I don’t know where that one originated from, but Sonic’s shyness is actually a trait of his, but it is specifically tied to how he feels about his self-proclaimed Amy Rose. When asked about, Yuji Naka once said that Sonic does likely like Amy deep down, but is too shy to act on those feelings. Naoto Oshima expands further on that stating that Sonic has a boyish immaturity in regards to his feelings and thus won’t act on them but should he mature in that regard he would end up with Amy. In other words, boyish immaturity and shyness are part of Sonic’s character, but they only reflect on certain facets of his character. His shyness and immaturity of his feelings for Amy though were instead stretched out to cover most of his character resulting in New Classic Sonic being a mute, when Naka/Oshima, Legacy/Modern, BOOM! (just to throw in another iteration where he is shy about his feelings for Amy), and even Movie Sonic are all rather talkative.

So that there is three misconceptions about pre-Adventure Sonic that are perpetuated officially by New Classic Sonic effectively being placed over Naka/Oshima Sonic. Again, I don’t aim to bash fanfics and AUs as I love them and the way they explore the characters in new ways, but for the sake of new fans not being overly confused, it should be noted if your Classic Sonic is New or Generations based, or the Naka/Oshima, pre-Adventure version. There are hugely massive differences between them with things like height, age, and talkativeness being hugely noticeable. Otherwise, keep writing, drawing and having fun, and may all of the movie’s fans who find their way into the fanbase enjoy themselves

#sonic the hedgehog #sonic misconceptions #misconceptions born of retcons #misconceptions #retcons #Naka/Oshima Sonic #legacy/modern sonic #boom! sonic #movie sonic #long post #long rant #thoughts #my thoughts #clarification

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hardenshippingheadcanons · 6 years ago

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I have a hardenshipping au idea! What if Maxie was an independent, well known fashion designer in the 70's, and Archie was starting out his career as a model; looking for ways to gain fame and attention. Eventually, (somehow) Maxie finally meets Archie after various interviews and tryouts of his new male clothing line on other male models, until he settles on Archie, seeing his potential. After some time they get to know each other, they start to grow closer. Please and thank you so much!!

Okay so I may have gone a bit too far because this thing is almost 9000 words long, which is like, four times my average O_O

Anyways, I tried my best, but I don’t know much about fashion or the 70s, so I added some homophobic parents and buses… lots of buses for some reason. Also at some point I forgot Hoenn was a tropical region and I made it snow…. I have no idea how I forgot that.

I hope this is at least slightly what you wanted

“No no no! They’re all wrong!”

Tabitha sighed. They had been over this four times already, and yet Maxie continued to be difficult. “You’ve got to pick one, sir. The show is in a few months and you can’t start making the outfits until you have a model.”

“None of these men work, Tabitha!” Maxie yelled, swiping a bunch of notes and fabric off of one of the work desks in their small studio to underline his point. “They all look too… I don’t know! But they’re not what I want!”

Tabitha sighed again and rubbed his eyes. He felt a headache coming on. “Maxie, please.”

“No. Absolutely not,” Maxie continued. “We should hold auditions, that’s what we should do. Forget about these ‘professionals’, get some new people!”

That… actually wasn’t that bad of an idea, Tabitha thought. Some random person would probably be much cheaper than professional models. But they would have to be trained….

“Tabitha, you go sort that out. We can hold the audition next Saturday, after I’m done the last outfit for Courtney.”

And just like that Maxie was back at his desk furiously scribbling away in his sketchbook. Tabitha knew that Maxie could do great things and would be a huge person in the fashion industry some day, but Arceus, whoever got stuck working with him would have their work cut out for them.

—————

Maxie was waiting at the bus stop, nervously looking up at the sky and shifting his weight in agitation. It looked like it would start raining any minute, and he was holding months worth of notes. If the bus didn’t get here soon….

Maxie felt a presence behind him and glanced over his shoulder. Not many people used this buss stop.

Behind his was a dark skinned man with a goofy smile on his face. They made eye contact, and Maxie immediately turned away.

‘Please don’t take that as an invitation to talk to me, I don’t want to talk to a stranger right now….’

“Hey, what’s your name?”

Well, there goes that hope.

The man had stepped beside him so they could talk, and Maxie realized that the man was pretty tall.

“Who are you?” Maxie asked.

“Ohhh, secretive, huh? I like that. I’m Archie. What’s with all the paper?”

Maxie glanced up at the sky again, then down the street where the bus should be coming already. Nothing.

“It’s work,” Maxie stated. Where was that bus?

“What do you do?” Archie leaned over to try to get a look, but Maxie pulled his work closer towards himself. He hated letting people see his work before it was released.

“Oh hey, the bus!”

That got Maxie’s attention. Coming down the street was the city bus. Which was perfect timing, because Maxie felt the first drop of rain fall on his hand.

Archie was waving at the bus, as though the bus driver didn’t see them. Had this man never used a bus before? Maxie thought in irritation. He had known this man for two minutes, and already he was loosing patience. Maxie wasn’t the most patient person in the world, but even he normally lasted a bit longer than that.

When the bus stopped, Maxie got in first and chose a seat near the back. As usual, the bus was practically empty. There was an old lady at the front, a drunk, passed out man in the middle, a student between them…. and Archie, who was walking straight to the back, towards Maxie. Great….

Archie sat in the row opposite of Maxie, with his legs in the aisle. “So, what do you do for work?”

The bus took off.

“I’m a designer,” Maxie said, pulling his notes close again. Why was this man so determined?

“Cool! What do you design?”

Maxie sighed irritably. He hated talking to strangers, he hated telling people about his job, and he absolutely hated people who wouldn’t leave him alone!

“Woah, you look angry,” Archie said. Maxie glared at him. “Do you not like your job or something?”

“Wha- how could you - No! No I absolutely do NOT hate my job! I absolutely LOVE my job, and I work my butt off every day just to stay relevant! How dare you assume-“

“Woah woah, calm down. I didn’t mean to make you upset, jeez,” Archie said, but he was holding back a laugh behind that big, stupid smile, and that just made Maxie angrier.

“Oh, hey, this is my stop,” Archie said as the bus slowed down.

Maxie sat back and huffed. In just a few minutes this man has made him furious. That was a new record. There was something about him that was just so infuriating.

Archie got to the front of the bus and stoped to look back. “Bye, Red!” He called, giving Maxie a huge wave. Maxie groaned and smacked his head against the seat in front of him as Archie left.

Well, at least he’d never have to see that man again. That thought calmed him down.

————

“Well, thank you for coming. We’ll contact you soon if you get the position,” Tabitha said with a warm smile. The man that had just auditioned smiled and thanked them before leaving.

“He was nice,” Tabitha stated as he attached the photo of the man to their notes.

“Not what I’m looking for,” Maxie replied. He was barely taking any notes at this point. He knew what he wanted, and none of these people were that.

“Maxie, you’ve got to pick someone,” Tabitha said. “You can’t just wait for the perfect guy to come walking in. You have to get this line finished in a few months!”

“I know, Tabitha!” Maxie snapped. It wasn’t his fault that all these people had the same body type. They were all too… average. Definitely not the big, buff, hero type that Maxie needed for this line. He really should have looked for a model earlier….

“Okay, Maxie, look. There are six more guys out there waiting to audition. You’ve got to pick either one of the ones we see today, or one of the ones that sent in their applications. Just… try to have an open mind, okay?”

“I liked the last guy,” Courtney said. Maxie had almost forgotten that she was in the room. She was sat in a corner, wearing one of the outfits that Maxie had made for this line. The male model had to complement her, after all. It didn’t matter how perfect he was if he didn’t look good beside her.

Maxie sighed. “Let the next guy in.” He started doodling in the notebook that Tabitha had given him to take notes on the models. Was it even worth seeing the next few? He should just pick one and get it over with. Maybe he could redesign some of the outfits to work.

The door opened, and Maxie heard Tabitha talking to the next model. The man laughed at something Tabitha said, and Maxie looked up, recognizing the voice.

“Hey, Red! I didn’t know you worked here!”

It was Archie.

Maxie groaned and smacked his head against the table. He didn’t even bother looking back up. Maybe if he just stayed like this the universe would take pity on him and just end it all.

Of all the people….

“Oh, you know each other?” Tabitha asked.

“No!”

“Yeah, we took the same bus yesterday. What are the odds!”

Maxie shifted his head to glare at Tabitha, who had a funny grin on his face. Maxie supposed that he had put Tabitha through some rough times these past few days, so seeing Maxie suffer a bit was enjoyable to him.

“So if you would just come this way, we’ll take a photo and some information to attach to our notes,” Tabitha said, motioning towards the camera.

Maxie finally decided to sit up straight and take a stretch. His shoulders hurt, his legs were asleep, and his tea was cold. Could this day get any worse?

He heard Tabitha and Archie chatting, and decided to turn towards Courtney. “Would you mind getting me some tea, Courtney?” Maxie asked.

“Sure,” Courtney said, getting up and fluffing her dress out a little. “Do you guys want anything?” Courtney called.

“Could I get a refill, please?” Tabitha asked.

“Ohh, can I have a coffee? I was waiting out in that room for like, an hour. I could really use one,” Archie said, shooting Courtney a huge smile.

Maxie rolled his eyes, but caught the blush on her cheeks before she left.

“Maxie will give you a form to fill out while I print this picture,” Tabitha said.

“Oh, so you’re ‘Maxie’ then?” Archie asked as he sauntered over to the desk. “Well, nice to officially meet you, Maxie. I’m Archie, as you know.”

Maxie rolled his eyes and passed the form over. “You’ve got an awful lot of confidence,” Maxie pointed out. “It almost comes off as arrogant.”

Archie laughed, brushing off the insult. “You should always be confident in what you do! Even if you’re not the best, if you give it your all you’ve got nothing to be ashamed of. And that’s how I like to live!”

That was actually good advice, but coming from Archie it just made Maxie more irritated. How much longer until this guy was gone? He’s been doing these auditions all day, he should know how long they take. But it was like Archie managed to sweep all his metaphorical papers off of the desk that is Maxie’s mind when he’s around.

“There, all done,” Archie said with a smile as he passed the form back to Maxie. He gave it a quick look to make sure nothing was missing before he put it back down.

“Great, thank you.”

“So, uh… now what?” Archie asked. Was there a bit of indecisiveness in there?

“Have you never auditioned before?” Maxie asked, teasing him. Of course they would tell him what to do, but if he could spend a few minutes making Archie feel like he should already be doing something, well… that would make today far more enjoyable.

“Not for a model, no. I’m an actor,” Archie admitted.

“Actor?” Maxie asked. Well, he did seem like a ‘theatre kid’, to be honest.

“Why are you applying to be a model, then?”

“Oh, you know,” Archie waved his hand around. Maxie did not know, but before he could cut in with the sarcastic remark Archie continued. “There ain’t much auditions for actors after the contest hall burnt down last month, so a guy had so make do. Besides, this sounded like fun, and it would be something cool to put on my resume.”

Maxie frowned. “You do know that this job would be a several month contract. You couldn’t just quit if a better opportunity came around.”

“Of course not,” Archie looked offended. “When I commit to something, I commit. I don’t care what it is.”

“Okay, we’re all ready, Archie,” Tabitha said as Courtney walked in and handed everyone their drinks.

“Oh, thank you,” Archie said with a small bow to her. “It’s absolutely perfect!”

Maxie rolled his eyes, but Courtney gave a cute giggle, which was shocking for the normally stoic girl.

“Great, let’s begin,” Tabitha announced with a clap of his hands.

————

“Thank you, Archie. We will contact you in a few days if you get the part,” Tabitha said.

“Thanks! Either was, this was pretty fun,” Archie said, giving Courtney an overdramatic kiss on the hand.

“Urgh,” Maxie said as he tossed his notes towards Tabitha.

“What do you mean?” Tabitha whispered to him. “He’s exactly what you wanted, isn’t he!?”

“An arrogant, overdramatic idiot?” Maxie whispered back. “Why would I ever want that?”

Tabitha rubbed at his eyes and sighed. “Who cares about his personality, it’s his body that’s important. Look at him!”

Maxie felt his face flush but quickly regained composer. He had completely forgotten what he was supposed to be looking for.

Archie was giving his goodbyes to Courtney. He was much taller than her, which was a must. Dark skinned, muscular…

Maxie felt his heart drop as he realized Tabitha was right. Archie was perfect. ‘For this modelling job!’ Maxie quickly corrected himself. Perfect for this job.

Perfect, and somehow knew how to push all of Maxie’s buttons. He honestly wasn’t sure that they could make it through the next few months if they hired him though. One of them was sure to kill the other. Most likely Maxie killing Archie.

But no one else had come close to the look that Maxie needed.

“There are still five more, right? Let’s get through them before we make any decisions.”

Maxie tried really hard to find positives in the rest of the guys, but none of them held a candle to Archie.

Maxie groaned and pushed his fingers through his hair when the last man left.

“So?” Tabitha asked.

Maxie sighed and closed his eyes. This was a huge mistake.

“Archie it is, then,” Tabitha said.

————

“What’s this do?”

“I said don’t move!”

“Sorry,”

Maxie sighed and readjusted his glasses. It’s been less than a day, and Archie had somehow made him angry enough to go out for two smoke breaks. Which was saying something, since he was trying to quit and was down to one a week before today.

This man would literally be the death of him.

“Is it that hard to stand still?” Maxie asked. “Is that not something you have to do in your plays?”

“It’s different in plays,” Archie countered as he got back into position and Maxie started measuring again. Archie was a bit nervous of all the pins Maxie had shoved in his mouth, but didn’t say anything about them, instead going with “I’m not me in those plays. But I’m me here, so yeah. Pretty hard to stay still.”

“Then don’t be you,” Maxie said with surprising clarity despite having a dozen or so pins held between his teeth. “Hold this.”

Archie grabbed it and awkwardly held the fabric in the exact spot it was when it was handed to him. He had really only known Maxie a day, but he could tell how passionate he was about this fashion stuff, so he didn’t want to do anything to mess it up. “Oh, come on, you like me,” Archie teased.

“I really don’t,” Maxie countered, pinning some fabric behind Archie’s back. “Pass that to me.”

Archie passed him the fabric. “What are you doing?”

“My job,” Maxie replied. “Which is much easier to do in silence, I might add.”

“That’s no fun!” Archie shot back. “Time goes by much faster when you’re having a conversation!”

“Well, lucky for me I’m short on time, and therefore if your hypothesis is true, we should remain silent,” Maxie said, reaching toward his desk to write down some notes.

“Jeez man. You sound like a scientist when you talk like that,” Archie said.

“Yes, well, I was originally going to be a geologist,” Maxie said as he pulled some fabric tighter and pinned it at Archie’s side.

“Really? What made you switch?” Archie asked. At least they were getting somewhere. It would suck to spend months with a guy who doesn’t want to talk to you.

“My family wanted me to be a geologist. I wanted to be a fashion designer,” Maxie said. We was back to Archie’s front, eyes quickly shifting all over as he calculated where to put the next pin.

“Yeah, it sucks when your family pressures you,” Archie agreed.

Maxie looked up at him for a split second before going back to work. “What were you supposed to be?”

“My whole family are sailors,” Archie said. That was somewhat surprising, and yet Maxie could absolutely see Archie on a dock pulling a boat in. “We own a small shipping company, and I was supposed to take over the family boat. It’s the biggest one we have, and it’s been passed down for generations.” “How long does a boat usually last?” Maxie asked. He couldn’t imagine that a wooden vessel constantly sitting in water could last for generations.

“We fix things as they break, so as long as you do that they last a long time,” Archie said. He stretched his arm up as Maxie tapped it and pointed up. A pin connected fabric under his arm, then Maxie allowed him to put it down again.

“If you keep fixing it, though, is it the same ship in the end?” Maxie asked as he went to get more pins.

“What do ya mean?” Archie asked.

Maxie grabbed a new roll of fabric and some scissors, and shuffled back toward Archie. “Like, if I were to replace the handle of my broom, and a few years later I replace the brush part of my broom, is it the same broom? Because all the pieces have been swapped, so would it not technically be a different broom?”

“Huh,” Archie said. “Never thought of that.”

————

“Achuuuuu!”

“Could you stop!?”

“Sorry?” Archie sniffed.

“Honestly, what kind of idiot goes ice skating on a lake this time of year,” Maxie said as he drew on the fabric where he would cut. Sometimes he would just cut as he went, but not when any second could result in a sneeze.

“When I was a kid the rivers were always frozen through at this time! We used to play hockey after school every day!” Archie complained. He sniffed again. He looked absolutely miserable.

“Yes, well, you’re not a kid anymore. And it’s been an exceptionally warm autumn. You should have known.”

Archie coughed, and Maxie dropped the fabric and walked off in exasperation. “This is ridiculous. Why did you even come in today?”

“You said I can’t miss a day unless someone was literally dying,” Archie pointed out. “And that person had to be me.”

Maxie leaned against a pile of fabric and held his head in his hands. “We can’t get any work done like this,” He stated as Archie began a coughing fit.

This one was longer than usual, so Maxie decided to bring him his coffee and started removing the half done outfit. “I’m fine, really. Just need a drink and I’ll be fine,” Archie tried to convince himself.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Archie. You’re taking a break,” Maxie finished removing the outfit and pushed him lightly towards the sofa. Maxie had used it to sleep overnight in his studio many nights, so it was one of the most comfortable ones he could afford at the time.

Archie sank into it with a content sigh and sipped his coffee. “I could really go for a nap,” he said, shifting himself so he was lying down. “Wake me when you’re ready to go again.”

Before Maxie could even reply, he was asleep, mouth open and gasping for breath as his nose was blocked. Maxie sighed and got the spare blanket he kept in the closet, and threw it on Archie. He only ever wore boxers and a tank top during work, and he didn’t even bother getting back into his clothes before passing out.

Maxie looked outside. It was really snowing hard now. He went to the fire place and threw in another log to keep it warm.

While he waited for Archie to wake up he might as well get some work done. He pulled out his sketchbook and started drawing some new ideas. But they all sucked. Creativity would not come.

Maxie sighed and glanced at Archie. Well, when all else fails, draw what you see, he thought.

———

“Hey, wanna go out for dinner?” Archie asked in his normal, upbeat voice.

“What?” Maxie asked, feeling his face heat up.

“Some friends and I are going to that new restaurant for dinner tonight, and I was wondering if you wanted to come,” Archie said.

“Oh! Oh, um, I’m not sure,” Maxie replied, getting back to work. “I don’t know them, and…. Well, I guess that’s it.”

Archie laughed, a laugh that always made Maxie smile for some reason. “Oh, c’mon Max! The entire time I’ve known you you’ve only talked about two people - and you work with them! Do you even have friends?”

Maxie’s face flushed, but this time in embarrassment. “What? Of course I do!”

“Name one,” Archie countered.

“Richard!”

“… Richard?”

“Yes,” Maxie said, ‘accidentally’ poking Archie with a pin, which made him jump.

“What does ‘Richard’ do?” Archie said in a I totally know you’re lying but I’m going to humour you tone of voice.

“He’s a… one of those guys who sells tickets at the theatre,” Maxie said. That’s stupid, why was that the first thing to come in his mind?

“Oh, really? At what theatre?”

Fffffffffuu-

“C’mon Max. It won’t kill you to go out for one night. Besides, didn’t you say we were ahead of schedule? Celebrate!”

Maxie sighed. “What time?”

————

“So, what made you move here, Maxie?”

Maxie wanted to disappear. He had thought Archie would have a bunch of friends, and that he could just kinda let them talk amongst themselves without talking much himself. But turns out by “friends” he meant two. A married couple.

“I had some, uh…. family problems,” Maxie said, hoping that would be enough.

“Hey man, no need to tell me about family problems!” The man, Mat, said. “My family’s great, but Shelly’s? Wooooh! They need help!”

“Yeah,” Shelly said in irritation. “Our whole family had to move because the church found out my sister was gay.”

Maxie tried his best to hide his cringe. Were these really the people Archie associated with? Did he think the same way they did?

“Eh, she shoulda joined the navy!” Archie said. “Loads of gays there.”

“Yeah,” Mat added. “They don’t care what you are out at sea.”

“My family’s religious,” Shelly said. “Doesn’t matter where you are, it’s still wrong.”

“Hey, so how are you guys liking Lilycove?” Archie cut in.

“Oh, it’s beautiful!” Shelly said, and Mat nodded along. “The beach at night? Nothing more romantic than that!”

Maxie felt some of his tension leave. At least the topic was shifted now. But he still wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.

—————

“Bye Archie! It was nice meeting you Maxie!”

Maxie gave a little wave, which was dwarfed beside Archie’s full arm wave. “See you guys later!”

Maxie turned and started walking towards the bus stop. Archie ran to catch up a moment latter.

“The food there was pretty good! Still not as good as the place on the other side of town, but that’s a long bus ride. Hey, you okay?”

“Great,” said Maxie, maybe a bit too harshly.

“Maxie? Hey, c’mon, what did I do this time?” This wasn’t the first time Maxie had gotten angry. Archie wasn’t the most perceptive of people though, so he rarely noticed until after the fact that he was angry.

“Nothing,” Maxie said less harshly. Technically he didn’t do anything. It was his homophobic friend that had made him feel horrible. They said people were more accepting on the east coast, but Maxie knew that there would always be people like her. He was almost getting used to not hearing anything homophobic, so it was about time, Maxie thought with irritation.

And the worst part was that she seemed nice other than that. Maxie could have seen himself being friends with her if she wasn’t….

Or if he wasn’t gay. That would solve a lot of problems.

“C’mon, I had to have done something. You never get upset for no reason.”

They reached the bus stop, and Maxie leaned against the post as he waited. What time was it anyway? He didn’t want to wait long.

“Maxie? C’mon, tell me. Pleeeaaassseee?”

Maxie was grinding his teeth so hard that he was sure he was causing lasting damage. But he couldn’t bring himself to care.

The buss going the opposite way stopped across the street. Maxie knew that the bus station wasn’t far, and that the bus would turn around once it reached the station. He somehow felt better knowing it would only be twenty minutes or so.

“Max?”

“Stop!” Maxie shouted. People passing looked their way, but kept going.

“….. Did I do something?” The question was softer this time, lacking Archie’s usual energy. Maxie realized that despite how many fights they had had, he’d never actually snapped at Archie before.

That was a sobering thought.

“I don’t want to talk about it, Archie.” Maxie half expected Archie to continue to try to get the information out of him, but he didn’t. He just silently stood beside Maxie, waiting for the bus.

A whole two minutes of silence passed before Maxie pulled out a cigarette. Forget quitting, today he was having as much as he wanted.

His hands shook as he tried to light it, and he went through three matches before he gave up. He pulled the cigarette out of his mouth with a sigh and stared up at the sky. It had no right showing off such a beautiful sunset when Maxie was feeling horrible.

“Are you okay?”

Maxie glanced over at Archie. He had almost forgotten that he was still there. Maxie rubbed his hands over his face, trying to release some of the tension there. “I’m fine.”

Archie went to say something more, but thought better of it.

Another few minutes passed.

“I’m sorry for snapping at you.” Maxie could see Archie turn to look at him through the corner of his eye, but he refused to look at the man. “It’s not your problem, it’s mine. And I should have my emotions under control by now.”

“You don’t need to apologize,” Archie said. “And like, if you want to talk about it - or not! Like, I’m not trying to pressure you or anything, so if you don’t want me to know then that’s fine too. But like, if you do want to talk about it, I’m here for you.”

“Hah,” Maxie tried to light his cigarette again, and this time his hands were steady enough.

“Hey Max?”

“Hmm?”

“So uh,” Archie was fidgeting his hands, which was actually kinda cute. “I don’t know what I did, and I don’t wanna pressure you, and like, you don’t have to tell me, like I said. But, uh… could you let me know what I did to set you off so I don’t do it again? Like, you don’t have to! If that crosses some line or something then whatever, I won’t bother you about it. I just don’t want to do whatever I did again -“

“Shut up,” Maxie said. His tone was playful, which helped lighten the moment. “Besides, it wasn’t anything you did or said. You just happened to be pestering me when I wanted - needed - time to cool off.”

“Oh!” Archie said. “Oh, that’s good. ‘Cause no offence Max, but you’re scary when you’re angry.”

Maxie laughed, which was something he hardly did. He had noticed that he started to do that when Archie was around.

“You think I’m bad, you shoulda met my dad. He was like an actual volcano.”

They both laughed at that one. “Hey, you never mention your family. Is everything okay with them?”

Well, that ruined the moment. Maxie’s family was… honestly horrible. They were super religious, like everyone out west. Everything was fine and perfect…. Until Maxie realized he was gay. And when his family learnt?

His father was furious. Basically any time he would lay eyes on Maxie he would get beaten. His siblings ignored him, as though associating with him would somehow bring their father’s rage upon them as well.

And his mother. Constantly yelling at him and crying, wondering what she did wrong for him to end up like this.

He went to church once after it got out. Everyone was staring at him and whispering, and he swears the priest chose the sermon just to hurt him personally.

Maxie had tried so hard. His family were geologists, so he got a job and saved up for school. He got his degree, and came back, hoping that that would be enough for them to see how wrong they were.

Turns out he was the one who was wrong. They didn’t care about that. They didn’t even want him to have the family name. So, Maxie moved out east and started designing fashion. Something he had wanted to do his whole life. Something to make him happy.

And he was. Those few years he had spent here, making a name for himself, building his company, those were great years. He had almost forgotten about his family.

Until now.

“Max?”

Maxie snapped out of his thoughts. He heard the bus coming, and put out his cigarette. His dad smoked….

That would be Maxie’s last one, he thought. He pulled out the pack the tossed them into the bin as the bus stopped, “Let’s go,” he said, and Archie followed behind him.

————

“Hey, Max!”

Maxie groaned, and flipped over in bed.

Knock knock!

“Maxie!”

Well, he was up now. And probably half of his neighbours, too.

The knocking continued as Maxie got out of bed and into a robe and slippers before opening the door to his flat. He regretted ever giving that man his address.

“What the hell Archie? It’s Saturday, let me sleep in.”

Archie walked past Maxie like he owned the place and started the kettle for coffee and tea. “Not today, friendo!”

“Friendo?” Maxie asked as he closed the door and shuffled to the counter. He didn’t have his glasses on, so he was just watching a shape walk around his kitchen opening and closing cupboards and drawers.

“Don’t you know what today is?”

“Saturday,” Maxie said in the most deadpan voice he could muster. “Our day off. A day to sleep in.”

Maxie heard Archie crack some eggs into a pan and decided he’d like to see what Archie was up to, so he shuffled back to his room to get his glasses.

By the time he got back Archie was just placing two plates with delicious looking omelettes on them onto the counter. Beside the plates were two steaming mugs.

Maxie sat down and grabbed a fork. “Okay, you’re buttering me up for something. What is it? Do you need a day off or something?” “What? No!” Archie said as he put the frying pan into the sink and came to sit down. “But out of curiosity would you have given it to me?”

“Mmm, maybe,” Maxie said through a mouthful of eggs. “In exchange for breakfast every Monday. Where did you learn to cook?”

“Used to help my mom,” Archie said after swallowing a huge mouthful. “Speaking of families-“

Maxie shot a glare at Archie. He hadn’t told Archie anything, but they had always avoided the subject after that day.

“Hey, just hear me out, okay? I know that you’re not all that close with your family-“

“Understatement,” Maxie cut in.

“But you know, today is father’s day and my father’s coming to town and I thought you could join us,” Archie finished in a rush.

…

“Why would I want to do that?” Maxie asked.

“Well, since you aren’t going to see your dad today,” Archie said.

“I don’t want to see my dad,” Maxie said, stabbing his fork a little too strongly into his eggs.

Archie sighed. “Okay look, when I left home things were a little rocky. I haven’t seen my dad in person since then, and… I could really use a friend.”

“Oh,” Maxie said. He really wasn’t expecting that.

Was it weird to go with Archie? He’d have to spend the whole day with them. And if today turned out like that day at the restaurant….

“I don’t know, Archie…”

“Pleeeeaaaassseeeee?” Archie gave that puppy dog face that he knew worked so well on Maxie. “I’ll owe you one!”

Maxie sighed. Well, it wasn’t like he had anything else planned today. “Where would we be going?”

———

“Hey dad!”

“Archie!” Archie’s father was a big man, which was saying something since Archie was pretty big himself. In height he was an inch or so taller, and if Archie looked like he worked out this man looked like he lived in a gym.

Archie’s father picked him up in a huge hug. “Are you eating okay, son? Doing enough hard work?”

Archie laughed. “I’m eating fine. How’s mom?”

“She’s great, and sends her regards.”

That was the moment that Archie suddenly remembered Maxie existed and dragged his father towards him. “Dad, this is Maxie! He’s the designer that I told you about.”

“Well, nice to meet you Maxie!” Archie’s father grabbed his hand in a strong handshake.

“Nice to meet you too,” Maxie said at his most professional. “You’ve raised a wonderful son.”

“Haha, that I have!” he said, throwing an arm over Maxie’s shoulder. “But he ain’t perfect, you know. Has he told you about the time that he -“

“Okay dad! I’m sure Maxie doesn’t wanna hear about any of that!” Archie cut in grabbing his dad by the arm and pulling him away.

“Oh, quite the contrary,” Maxie said with a smirk. “I would love to hear all the embarrassing stories from your youth.”

Archie’s face flushed for the first time that Maxie could recall, and his father laughed. Maybe today wouldn’t be so bad after all.

————

“Are you sure you have to leave tonight? There’s loads more I haven’t shown you,” Archie said as he gave his dad a goodbye hug.

“Eh, you know I can’t delay this shipment. But mark my words, I’ll be back. And you had better show me that chilli place next time! I’ve heard great things!”

Maxie smiled as he watched them say their goodbyes from the end of the dock. The day had gone wonderfully, and Maxie wished he could have more days like that. Archie turned out to be a lot of fun when he had a whole day to plan for. And his father was great, too.

Maxie’s smile faltered for a second as he thought about his dad.

Nope. He wasn’t about to let that man ruin a wonderful day.

Archie came back after seeing his dad off. “That wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be!” Archie said.

They started walking back towards town. “No, it was quite pleasant. I guess you didn’t need me after all,” Maxie said.

“But it was way more fun with you there,” Archie said with a smile. “Even if my dad kept trying to tell you embarrassing stories about me.”

Maxie laughed. “Did you really try to grab a carvanha by the tail!?”

“Yeah, it really showed me!” Archie laughed. “Still got the scar to prove it! You gotta be looking for it though, here.”

Archie stopped and pointed to a spot on his face right between his eyes. Sure enough, Maxie saw a small, x shaped scar. “Woah. You’re pretty lucky. That could have been your eye,” Maxie said.

“Nah, my eyes are too beautiful, the universe would never allow that!” Archie laughed, but it made Maxie look at his eyes closer than he normally would.

They were a deep blue like the ocean. The bluest blue he’d ever seen in someone’s eyes before. They were… really pretty. Not that it mattered. Why should he care?

Maxie laughed along. “Don’t tempt the universe, Archie.”

————

It was a week until the show. A week until the deadline. One more week.

Maxie was freaking out. This was his first time in one of these shows, and this could very well make or break his career. And he only had one week to finish this last outfit.

“Calm down, Max,” Archie said as Maxie pocked him with a needle for the hundredth time that day.

“I can’t calm down! The show’s in a week, Archie!”

“You’re pretty much done. I’ve seen you finish a project this big in a single day before. You’ll be fine,” Archie said, trying to comfort the crazed fashion designer.

“It can’t just be fine, it has to be brilliant! Amazing! Extraordinary!”

Another stab.

“Okay, enough,” Archie said as he grabbed Maxie’s wrist.

“What are you doing? It’s not done yet!”

“No, but you are,” Archie said as he dragged Maxie to the couch.

“I absolutely am not! Let go of me!”

“Nope,” Archie said as he flopped down onto the sofa, pulling Maxie down to sit beside him. Archie grabbed a book and awkwardly opened it with one hand, then flipped to the page he had stopped at last time, all without letting go of Maxie’s wrist.

It took Maxie a moment to realize that Archie was, in fact, not going to let him go. He tried to pull away, but no matter what he did he couldn’t overpower Archie. “This is ridiculous! Let me go!”

“You’re too stressed, you can’t work like that. You’ll end up making mistakes.”

Archie wasn’t wrong, but with only a week left Maxie didn’t have the time to spare.

“Archie!”

Archie groaned and closed his book. He couldn’t read with all this noise. “How about dinner? When was the last time you ate?”

Maxie thought about it, but before he could remember Archie cut him off, pointing out that if it took him that long to think about it, it was too long ago.

“I am not going out like this,” Maxie stated. His hair was a mess, his clothes wrinkly and with a few tea stains. It almost looked like he hadn’t slept in days. Or gone home.

“Do you even have food at your house? Fresh food?”

“I don’t- no, probably not. I’ve been busy,” Maxie said defensively.

“Okay then, my house it is,” Archie said, finally letting go of Maxie’s wrist. “I live just down the street, so we can walk if you want.”

“What ar- but we have to finish!”

“Maxie, c’mon. You’ll feel better after you eat and sleep.”

Maxie couldn’t counter that.

————

Maxie was half asleep on the couch when Archie placed a plate full of food on the coffee table in front of him. “Oh, thank you,” he said, giving himself a stretch before grabbing the fork.

“No problem,” Archie said and sat next to him. He put a bottle of wine on the table, and poured them each a glass.

“Wine, really? Are we on a date or something?” Maxie asked sarcastically. Of course, that just put the idea of a real date with Archie in his head, and he quickly had to erase that.

“I always have wine with dinner,” Archie said. “My mom used to say it was healthy to have a glass a day.”

“Well, I’m not complaining,” Maxie said after he had taken a sip. “This is quite nice. Better than anything we ever got out west.”

Once they were done their dinner, they continued to chat and drink for hours. The sun slowly set, and eventually Maxie noticed the time.

“I should probably go now, before the last bus goes by,” Maxie said without even attempting to get up. He was super comfy leaning against the couch and chatting with Archie.

“Nah man, stay here tonight. Who knows what kind of weirdos take the last bus of the night,” Archie pointed out as he refilled Maxie’s glass.

“True,” Maxie agreed. “It would be absolutely horrible if I were to be killed the week before the show. All that work would be for nothing.”

Archie laughed, which brought a smile to Maxie’s face. “Well, at least you got to know me!” Archie teased.

“And I wouldn’t change that for the world,” Maxie agreed.

“Awwww, that’s cute,” Archie said, leaning closer to Maxie and batting his eyelashes.

“Hmmm. Tell anyone I said that and I’ll kill you,” Maxie countered and finished off his glass.

“You wouldn’t do that to me,” Archie said with a laugh. “You’d miss me too much!”

“Maybe,” Maxie agreed.

They were both laughing now. Archie laughed a little too hard and spilled some of his wine on Maxie’s pants.

“Oh man! Sorry, I guess I was leaning too far forward,” he said as he looked around for something to wipe it up with.

“Don’t even worry about it,” Maxie said, and waved his hand in dismissal. “This entire outfit needs to be thrown out when this week is over. One extra stain isn’t important. Now, if this was the show outfit….”

Archie laughed again. “Yeah, you’d probably kill me for real then.”

A few minutes passed where Maxie just stared off into space. When Archie asked him what he was thinking about, he could honestly say “I don’t know.”

“I think,” Maxie started, then lost his train of thought.

“What do you think?” Archie asked.

Maxie looked into those far too blue eyes and felt himself melt away. “I think… I’m drunk. And you should let me sleep in in the morning, or you’ll have to deal with a very tired, hungover Maxie.”

Archie laughed at that. “Okay, fair enough. I’ll get you a blanket,” Archie said as he got up and headed into another room.

Maxie lied down and closed his eyes, listening to the sounds of the city outside. He was almost asleep when Archie came back.

“C’mon, get up. You need a pillow or you’re gonna have a sore neck tomorrow.” He was right of course, but Maxie still groaned as he forced himself into a sitting position.

The blanket Archie gave him was soft, and Maxie was curled up and ready for sleep before Archie was done turning off the lamps.

“Hey, Max?”

“Hmmm?”

“How drunk are you? Like, are you gonna remember that I spilled wine on you in the morning?”

“You spilled wine on me?” Maxie asked. Oh yeah, he remembered now. He was too tired to care, though.

“Maxie?”

“Hmmm?”

Maxie felt a hand on his face, so he opened his eyes. The moon was bright out, so Maxie could see every feature on Archie’s concerned face. “I’m fine,” Maxie said, even though Archie hadn’t asked.

He was staring. He knew he was. But Archie was staring right back, and Maxie couldn’t bring himself to care that he would have probably looked away had he been awake and sober.

Then, Archie leaned down and brushed his lips against Maxie’s. That snapped him out of his half-asleep, tipsy state. His hand shot out and grabbed Archie’s arm. “Archie?”

And Archie leaned down and kissed him. Maxie’s head was spinning, his heart was racing, but he was kissing back. Archie was kissing him, and he was kissing back.

He had pushed this thought from his head countless times, as though refusing to imagine this it would somehow make it easier to pretend he had no feelings for Archie. And it was working, but now?

Maxie knew he could never go back now.

Archie pulled away with an awkward cough. “Well, uh, goodnight,” he said, and walked away to his room.

Maxie stared at the ceiling in shock. “What just happened?” He lightly traced his lips with his hand. He didn’t have much time to think about it as he quickly fell asleep, but the butterflies in his stomach stayed even in his dreams.

————

Maxie woke to the smell of tomatoes and the sound of chopping. The sun was already high in the sky as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

Then Maxie remembered where he was, and what happened last night. Did it happen, though? Or was it Maxie’s imagination and subconscious mixing with his tipsy, sleep deprived brain?

Maxie got up and folded the blanket before heading towards the kitchen. His mind was furiously sorting things he remembered, determining what was real and what was dreamt.

“Good morning,” Maxie said with a yawn.

“Good morning!” Archie said, but only gave Maxie a glance.

Oh, so it was real. Was that going to make things awkward now? There was less than a week until the show, Maxie couldn’t have his model acting weird, or worse, quitting.

Maxie shook that thought from his head. That was a load of bull. Maxie didn’t want to loose Archie, period. As a model, as a friends, or as… something else. So he decided to dive right in.

“So, that kiss last night?” Maxie started. Archie instantly froze. There was an awkward silence. Maxie half expected Archie to deny it, or to turn around and laugh it off. Not silence, though. That was so unlike him.

“What was all that about?” Maxie asked.

Archie slowly put the knife down and grabbed the counter, but still didn’t say anything.

“Archie?”

Nothing.

Maxie got up and walked to his side, but Archie turned his head to avoid eye contact.

“Come on, you can’t just pretend I’m not here. What are you, a child?”

“No, I just…”

“There we go! Words! Isn’t that better?” Maxie teased, then instantly regretted it. That was so lame, why did he say that? Why was he so bad with these types of situations? “Sorry, that was stupid.”

“No, I was,” Archie said. “Look, I’m sorry. I thought you were drunk and wouldn’t remember, and I know that that’s not okay anyway, and I should never have done that, and you are probably super mad at me and that’s fine! That’s absolutely okay, because I deserve it! I just, I don’t even know what came over me. You’re such a good friend and I really don’t want to loose that just because I was stupid. I mean, just because I like you doesn’t mean we can’t be friends, right? I’ll get over it eventually. We could just pretend that never happened-”

Archie kept going, but Maxie didn’t hear him.

Did Archie just admit to liking him? But that didn’t make sense, Archie wasn’t gay. He couldn’t be. In the few months they had known each other he had probably pointed out a hundred “hot” girls to him.

And yet Archie was still rambling. He should… probably stop him.

Maxie grabbed Archie’s arm. “Archie.”

Archie kept going, slightly louder now, as though he was afraid of what Maxie would say.

“Archie. Archie. Hey, stop that. Archie!”

With a big inhale Archie finally stopped. He was staring down at the cutting board, his hands balled into fists. “Look at me.” He didn’t move. “Archie, look at me.” Archie shook his head.

Maxie grabbed his face and turned it towards himself. Archie kept his eyes closed. Which was fine, considering how nervous Maxie was. It was nice knowing that Archie was just as nervous, if not more.

This time Maxie leaned in for the kiss. He could feel Archie tense up for a moment. Maxie wrapped one arm around Archie’s neck and pulled him closer. Archie hesitantly put his hands on Maxie’s hips.

When they finally pulled away and made eye contact they sort of shuffled away, but didn’t let go of each other.

“So, uh…?”

“It was absolutely not cool to have kissed me when I was drunk like that,” Maxie stated.

“Oh.” Archie’s arms dropped away and he tried to dislodge himself from Maxie. But Maxie wasn’t having any of that.

“Our first kiss should have been after a brilliant date, like it’s supposed to be. It’s going to be quite difficult for you to make that up to me.”

That stopped Archie altogether, and he just stared at Maxie as his brain tried to process what just happened. Maxie smiled when Archie finally laughed. The tension was broken.

“Whatever you’re making for breakfast had better be amazing,” Maxie said as he headed towards the washroom.

“I’ll make you amazing breakfasts every day if you want,” Archie called back.

Maxie smiled as he closed the door behind him.

————

“Are you sure I look okay?” Archie asked for the twentieth time that minute.

“Archie, you look beautiful, stop asking,” Maxie said as he circled the two models. This was it, show time.

“You’ll do fine,” Courtney said, grabbing his hand.

Archie quickly glanced at Maxie, who was looking at their hands intertwined together before shaking it off and continuing his inspection. Archie wasn’t sure if Maxie was the jealous type or not, and now would not be a good time to figure it out.

“Uh,” Archie shook his hand out of Courtney’s grip. “Thanks.”

The announcer announced the next designer, and a stage manager came rushing towards them. “You’re on next. Ma’am, you’ll start on the other side of the stage.

“Okay,” Courtney said, but Maxie grabbed her before she could leave.

“Okay, this is over a year of work we’re showing off, so I want you two to really blow them away for me, okay?” He grabbed their hands and put them together, giving Archie a meaningful look. ‘It’s okay, go all out.’

“We won’t disappoint you,” Courtney said.

“Courtney!” Tabitha was frantically waving from the other side of the stage.

Maxie gave her hand one more squeeze before she ran off to join Tabitha. Maxie and Archie headed towards their side of the stage. “You’ll do great,” Maxie whispered.

“Thanks! This isn’t like my normal roles,” Archie admitted.

Maxie glanced around to make sure no one was near, then pulled Archie down for a quick kiss. “I know you’ll do great.”

“And next up is Maxie from Lavaridge!”

————

They were all sitting in the waiting room of Maxie’s studio, eating cake, drinking, and laughing. “Third place isn’t bad considering it was my first time,” Maxie pointed out.

“It’s absolutely unheard of!” Tabitha mocked one of the older ladies that had attended.

“Pffff, that lady’s never met Max before!” Archie said, throwing his arm around Maxie and leaning in. Maxie lightly pushed him off, glancing at the other two.

“Okay okay,” Tabitha said, noticing. Maxie had a mini panic attack as he ran through his history with Tabitha to try and find any moment that would tell him if Tabitha would be okay with this or not.

“Courtney and I had a bet,” he said, gesturing to a nodding Courtney and himself. “About whether or not you two would get together.”

Maxie felt his face heat up. Suddenly Archie’s arm (which he hadn’t been able to push off of his shoulders) made him feel claustrophobic. The room was spinning, and not just from the alcohol. Tabitha was one of Maxie’s only friends, if he didn’t -

“Who bet what?” Archie asked, leaning forward.

“I bet,” Courtney started, “that you two were going to end up together before the show.”

“There’s no way,” Tabitha stated. “Maxie’d drop hints ‘till the end of time and never go for it, and Archie’s not smart enough to pick up the hints - uh, no offence.”

“None taken!” Archie laughed. “I definitely didn’t pick up any hints, at least not consciously.”

“I didn’t drop hints! I don’t do that!” Maxie said in exasperation.

“So I was right?” Courtney asked.

“What do you get for winning?” Archie asked.

Tabitha sighed and pulled out his wallet. It took Maxie a moment to realize what was happening.

“You two are actually horrible,” Maxie joked.

“Well hey, now that they know, I can do this,” Archie said, and dived to rub his beard against Maxie’s neck. Maxie jumped back and tried to push him away through his laughter.

————

“Hey Max.”

“Hmmm?”

Archie sat on the corner of Maxie’s desk, which was, for once, pretty clean. “Whatcha doing?”

“Looking at this paperwork. Are we 100% sure we want to move here? Because once we do we’re stuck for a few years.”

“I’m sure if you are,” Archie said. “I’m happy wherever you are.”

Maxie laughed and rolled his eyes. “Cheesy.”

“And if we do move, I’ve already found you a commission,” Archie pointed out.

“Okay, you’ve got my interest. Continue,” Maxie said, sitting back and folding his arms.

“The Sootopolis theatre needs costumes for its next show, and I showed them some of the stuff you made. They’re really interested, and they pay well.”

“Well, you got me,” Maxie said. He signed the papers and passed the to Archie. “Mail these next time you go out?”

“Will do!” Archie said.

Later that night, when they were in bed and Archie was softly snoring with Maxie in his arms, Maxie opened his eyes and looked out at the moon through his window.

If only his family could see him now, he thought with bitter confidence. He was successful, he was well known, he was dating the most handsome man in all of Hoenn, and that man also happened to be an upcoming star.

Maxie’s life ended way better than he would have ever imagined all those years ago.

#hardenshipping

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sian265 · 5 years ago

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Legio autem Arcarius Chapter 3

Legio autem Arcarius

Legion of Archer

Chapter Three

“Are you out of your mind!” Alec shouted. He shot up to stand over Magnus, using his 6’3” height to his advantage. Alec had no idea how his outrage looked to the High Warlock. “Let me get this straight,” he continued. “You are the target of a killer cult, in New York. You want to go, to New York! See anything wrong with this picture?”

Magnus didn’t respond right away, too busy staring up into gorgeous, furious, hazel eyes. He was sure the Commander had no idea how hot Magnus found him all mad and intimidating. He also couldn’t help but be a little touched at Alec’s concern, he didn’t know the stoic archer cared. He winked at the furious Shadowhunter before responding. “Why yes darling, you have it right. I do intend to go to New York-, but I don’t know why you are so concerned. After all, I will have you and the Legion there to protect me.”

Alec knew he looked like a fool, standing there with his mouth hanging open. He turned a shocked gaze to the Consul, only to have Jia confirm Magnus’s words with a nod. “Yes, Commander, Magnus is correct. I want you to go to New York with the High Warlock and help him in this investigation. I want you to hand pick a team. The Legion will be charged with protecting Magnus and assisting in the discovery and capture of this cult.”

He sat back down heavily on the sofa, mind whirling. Alec did not want to go to New York and he most definitely did not want to assist the New York institute in their investigation! To be in such close contact with his mother and sister, Alec wouldn’t even know what to say to them. He had only exchanged polite greetings with his mother, and he and Isabelle were at most only pen pals. It wasn’t that Alec did not wish a closer relationship with his family, it was just that the Legion took precedent and did not encourage close family bonds other than with his fellow archers. In addition, Alec had left New York at age 10; it had been 14 years since he had spent more than a few minutes with any of the Lightwoods.

Alec was unaware that all his internal struggles were plainly visible on his face. Jia and Magnus watched silently as the Commander worked though the dilemma of this new assignment. Magnus brought his cocktail and took a seat across from Alec. He did not envy the young Commander his role in all this, knowing how difficult it was for the Legion’s young recruits. They were plucked from home and family and told that their ranks were now their new family and those old bonds were to be forgotten. It was the only thing he and Jia regularity disagreed upon, that old tradition that had been around as long as the Legion itself had. He couldn’t resist shooting the Consul an I-told-you-so glance. She ignored him.

“Commander,” the Consul pulled Alec away from his thoughts. She waited until she had his attention before continuing. “You and your archers will not be staying at the New York institute, but instead will be stationed with Magnus at his loft.” Jia hoped this would appease a bit of the stress the Commander was feeling at the possibility of being so close to his family again.

Alec took a deep breath and gave the Consul a nod. Turning to Magnus he asked, “When do we leave?”

“Tomorrow,” Magnus replied.

“Okay then I shall leave you both now to prepare and select who will be accompanying me.” Alec rose and giving each a respectful nod, he left the study and the party.

Alec knew Underhill would still be waiting for him. He had spoken with his second in command briefly before departing for the party/meeting and given him a heads up regarding a new mission. He was correct and nodded to Andrew as he stepped into his office. “Grab the mission log and come into my office,” Alec ordered, moving through his aid’s space into his own slightly bigger office. Taking a seat behind his desk, Alec waited for Underhill to join him. It was not too late in the evening and since they departed tomorrow, he wanted to give his archers enough time to prepare. Once Underhill took a seat, Alec briefed him. “The mission starts tomorrow. We will be joining the High Warlock in New York. The assignment has two parts, first we will assist with an investigation headed up by the New York Institute. And secondly, we will be providing protection to the High Warlock.”

Underhill nodded, his face thoughtful as he digested the plans and thought of possible questions and or issues. “How many Legion do you wish to join us?” Andrew did not even have to ask, that confident that he would be joining his Commander, for it was his duty to watch Alec’s back.

“I did think at first to leave you here in charge, but I knew what your response to that would have been.” Alec gave his second a small rare grin. He knew his second’s mind and how displeased Underhill would have been if Alec left him behind. “I am thinking eight archers and I will leave the individual selection to you. I would like to leave the Legion here in Theo’s hands.”

Andrew nodded and ignored Alec’s comments about leaving him behind. He knew his Commander was just teasing him; Alec did not go on missions without his second to guard his back. “Understood and Theo is a good selection, he ran the Legion effectively when we were on the last mission. I will select the other seven and notify them at once to be ready tomorrow. Is that all for now Commander?”

Alec nodded, trusting the rest of the mission to Underhill. He headed to his own quarters, packing did not occupy his mind more than a few minutes and Alec was left with the rest of the night to struggle with his doubts and worries. He lay in his bed, arms folded up behind his head, staring at the ceiling. This mission would not be like any other. Not only would he have to face his family and that drama, but he was to guard the High Warlock, a man who had Alec twisted up for years. Putting aside his emotions to accomplish this mission will be the toughest battle he had ever faced, and as he was prone to, Alec fretted. He got little rest that night.

He stood in the portal room waiting for Magnus to join them. Alec surveyed his team, all packed and ready for the mission. The four men and three women of the Legion stood at attention, faces serious as they awaited instructions. Underhill walked up and down the line, speaking with each to double check they had their weapons and were up to date with what Alec had shared so far about their mission. Alec did not worry about his own weapons, trusting completely that Andrew took care of packing for his Commander himself. All that they needed now was for their host to arrive.

Magnus finally arrived bringing with him more sparkles than Alec had ever seen. The High Warlock was dressed more for a party than a mission. Though, Alec did think he looked rather great in his red jacket. The High Warlock’s hair was spiked high in an artful Mohawk, and his black eyeliner darkened his normal honey brown eyes, making them almost appear-, black. The dark dress slacks, and dress shirt, perfectly set-off the silver jewelry accents Magnus added. All-in-all, he presented a truly spectacular sight. He took Alec’s breath away.

The Consul stepped into the room behind Magnus, she nodded her head for Alec to join her. When he stood in front of her, she lowered her voice so that only he would hear her. “I’ve ordered the New York Institute to cooperate fully with Magnus and the Legion. They have been instructed to present all evidence to you upon your arrival and that you and your Legion will be in charge of security. They are to provide whatever resources you deem necessary.”

Alec grimaced. “How’d that go over?” he asked.

Jia just grinned her shark-grin and that told Alec all he needed to know about how his reception was going to go with the New York Institute. “We do not have time Commander for any posturing on that front. The Seelie Queen just needs one more incident to step in and create even more chaos. We need this solved sooner rather than later.” Jia instructed.

“So in other words, you want this taken care of yesterday?” Alec aimed a small grin at his boss, she was tough, fair, and always on the Legion’s side. He couldn’t ask for a better Consul.

She smiled a little more warmly this time and patted Alec on the arm. “You know me so well, Commander.” Jia then moved off to say a few words to Magnus before departing the room, leaving them to their mission.

Alec looked over in time to see his archers moving all their bags together in a pile, then watch as Magnus waved his hands and the bags disappeared. Alec moved to stand next to Magnus. “We are ready when you are.”

“I’ve sent the bags to my loft. I have also taken the liberty of redesigning it to include rooms for you, Commander and your archers.” Magnus paused briefly before flashing Alec a wicked grin. “I figured I could not talk you into sharing my room, at least not yet.”

He could not say a word, nor could he possible hide the fact that his face and neck were flushed, red. Alec could only gasp at Magnus’s words, and in front of his troops! The High Warlock gave a devilish chuckle before in a whirl of color, a portal opened up in front of them. “Well my dears, shall we depart?”

Alec shook his head as one by one his archers stepped through the portal until only he and Magnus were left. Magnus raised a somewhat challenging brow at Alec. “Well Commander, after you.” And with a deep sigh, Alec stepped through the portal. The portal that was taking him to New York, and his family. He stepped through and straight into Magnus’s lair. Welcome to New York, he thought.

TBC…

#malec fanfiction #au #Magnus x Alec

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glapplebloom · 6 years ago

Photo

New Smash means new characters. And these Echo Fighters have some potential going for them. Here are a few on my end. Send me an ask in my Mod Blog with your suggestions and we can do a part 2.

First some rules.

No Characters with Echo Fighters already (No point in thinking about those that exist)

No Characters who have Fighters that share a move set (Dr. Mario and Falco may not be considered Echo Fighters, but they are the Ken to Mario and Fox’s Ryu.)

No Characters with alternate skins (they’re essentially Echo Characters who share the same spot)

Echos have to come from the same game unless exceptions (Fire Emblem has multiple Characters who could fight similarly to one another. Can you name someone else besides Mr. Game and Watch?

No Echos of Echos or Kens. (So don’t expect to see Luigi’s Echo).

Donkey Kong

The Big Ape that everyone loves. But because of his unique size and how varied his cast of characters can be, there are not many options for that. But I have two suggestions that could do the trick.

Funky Kong - He is already an Echo Character in Tropical Freeze. Use the surfboard instead of the DK Helicopter and you are pretty much done.

Classic Donkey Kong - He’ll be just Donkey Kong, only with his original look and original sounds. And in 3D. How cool would that be?

Samus

I know Dark Samus is a popular choice, but I can see that thing with its own move set. But if you want characters who play similarly to Samus but with some slight variations...

Metroid Hunters - As far as I know, the Hunters play similarly to Samus minus a few things here or there. Any one of them could be a clone or even have the Bowser Jr./Koopalings Treatment and have them all occupy the same character.

Kirby

He is going to be very difficult since I doubt anyone could really match Kirby. Bandanna Waddle Dee certainly can’t. But I think the closest would be another Player 2...

Gooey - In Kirby’s Dream Land 3, he plays just like Kirby. Just don’t make him copy enemy powers and boom.

Jigglypuff

The Balloon Pokemon. Honestly, there is only one choice for this one’s echo fighter...

Wigglytuff - Make it heavier hitting, less float-y, slower, and rest becomes a counter (because why not) and you got a Wigglytuff.

Bowser

Bowser is a tough one to figure out since a lot of who could it be can be easier as skins than their own characters (Dry Bowser and Rookie). But since no other character can fit Bowser, one of them will get an upgrade.

Dry Bowser - He has appeared on its own despite Bowser being alive and well.

Ice Climbers

This one is tricky since there isn’t many other characters in that series. But I think I have a more left field idea for a Echo Fighter...

Ice Climber - Basically just a single player version of them. Same moves as the original, only with a better recovery move that doesn’t require a partner.

Shiek

I think there is only one obvious choice for this...

Impa - She taught Zelda to become Shiek. Only fair to make her play like her.

Zelda

Zelda is going to be more tricky. Since I am not into the series as others, my choice may most likely be way out there.

Midna - No Imp form for her. Her actions maybe closer to how Zelda is in 4 than how she is in Ultimate.

Mewtwo

The Clone Pokemon. Not many Pokemon can be like Mewtwo. But I have two possible choices for them.

Shadow Mewtwo - We have Dark Pit, why not Shadow Mewtwo?

Mr Game and Watch

Now this is a tough thing to come up with. Its already basically every character in the franchise now. So for this one, we have to look outside. And the only other character I can think of to be a Echo Fighter...

Joy Mech Fight - You’ve seen one of them as an assist trophy in the new game (Sukapon). Have the character change into one of the Robots when doing moves and you have essentially an Echo for Mr. Game and Watch.

Meta Knight

There’s only one real choice.

Galacta Knight - Its like Meta Knight, only it is considered the Greatest Warrior in the Galaxy.

King Dedede

Masked Dedede was already in the game as a Final Smash. Let’s see who could match the King...

Clone Dedede - When in doubt, Evil versions.

Zero Suit Samus

Now this is going to be tricky. And my choice is more likely a more unique character, or at least a combination of the two...

Fusion Armor Samus - I could see it as a combination of the agility of the Zero Suit (probably slower and heavier) with the power of the original suit. But again, it sounds more like a more unique character than a true Echo.

Wario

It keeps getting harder and harder. Wario is so unique and Waluigi is definitely not Echo Fighter worthy to be Wario. But I think I found someone who can fit the bill.

The Shake King - His build is pretty close to Wario and they could always shrink him down like Ridley. And a lot of his moves can look more Pirate theme than Wario themed.

Snake

Lots of obvious choices. So I’m just going to pick four.

Big Boss/Liquid Snake/Venom Snake - Snake is a clone of Big Boss, Liquid is his brother, and Venom Snake was made to be a fake Big Boss.

Raiden - Raiden was made to replace Snake in Part 2. And He was made into a cyborg in Part 4. Imagine what would happen if Smash brought the classic Raiden while PSASBR has the Cyborg, imagine how that would sting.

Ike

Honestly, I don’t follow Fire Emblem. So my pick maybe weird to those who do.

Hector - Make his sword into an axe, remove the fire effects. And boom.

Pokemon Trainer

In this case, its going to be tricky since this is pretty much three different characters. So there is only one logical outcome.

Another Pokemon Trainer with different starter Pokemon - Which ones I don’t know, but this is the most logical step.

Diddy Kong

I know a lot of people are thinking Dixie Kong to be the clone, but as you see in the games she has a lot more uniqueness. Instead, I’m thinking a Kong who has been missing for a long time...

Donkey Kong Jr - Diddy was originally made to be DKJr but redesigned. Maybe give him a shot.

Sonic

This is so obvious I’m pretty sure you know who it is before I even...

Shadow

Lucario

Not into Pokemon like others, but there is one person I think could be a good Echo...

Blaziken - Its a fighting type like Lucario. And changing the effects from Aura to fire sounds simple.

R.O.B.

R.O.B. is an accessory, not a game series. But he is associated with a character...

Professor Hector - He is the character in all the R.O.B. Games. He could have a jetpack and weaponry to simulate R.O.B.’s moves.

Villager

Animal Crossing does have a lot of characters to choose from. But I think one of them has the best chance.

Isabelle - She pretty much is the mascot of Animal Crossing.

Mega Man

You know who it is going to be...

Proto Man

Rosalina and Luma

This is going to be tricky since I doubt a lot of characters can match her. Luckily Wario is technically part of the Mario universe...

Ashley and Red - She’s a witch so she could in theory mimic Rosalina’s abilities. And I bet Red is more abused than Lumas.

Greninja

Again, not into Pokemon that well. So for now I’m gonna skip it. Hopefully you guys can come up with something better.

Mii Fighter

They’re basically all Echo Fighters to each other.

Palutena, Robin, Shulk, Duck Hunt Dog and Corrin

These people would be tricky for me to figure out. So I’m saving them for part 2.

Pacman

Obvious choice is obvious.

Mrs. Pacman - While the original Packer is the household name, it was the Misses that made him so.

Ryu

Even though Akuma and Evil Ryu are good ideas, there is only logical choice.

Ken - He was an Echo Fighter before they were even a thing. Change a few attributes here and there and make his Final Smash both versions of his Super Dragon Punch. Vertical for just the Final Smash and Horizontal for holding forward.

Cloud

There is only one choice for Cloud’s Echo Fighter.

Zack - There would be no Cloud (in so many ways) without Zack.

Bayonetta

Another obvious choice.

Jeanne - A fellow Umbra Witch. Nuff said.

Inkling and Ridley

To me, they’re too new to get Echo Fighters. While others have some neat ideas, I’ll say no for now.

That’s what I have for now. If you have any other suggestions, let me know in my Mod Blog.

#other

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violetsystems · 7 years ago

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#personal

I managed to do seven miles before work on Wednesday. I run down by the river walk near the lake. I’ve been feeling more and more lately like that’s the only thing worth my time here outside of work. I know I’ve been saying it. But now people are seeing it in perspective. And all I can say is, I don’t really look back. It’s pretty scary to look backwards. I definitely don’t get nostalgic for the past particularly. 2013 isn’t really so far in the past. But I was a different me. Less sure of myself I guess. Still me though. Who is ever sure of themselves these days. I’m sure enough of myself to run seven miles in public on a lake path. It’s pretty peaceful and people leave you alone. It’s about as social as I like to get here with headphones on. I’m less nervous around surprises with them off. Back in 2014 my hair was way shorter and I was just trying to reestablish myself as some kind of artist. I was very unsure of myself and yet I was wearing the exact same shirt I am right now. An undercover shirt by Jun Takahashi from his collection back in 06. I bought that off somebody off of Tumblr for like sixty dollars. I was wearing that the shirt when I dj’d this house party here in Pilsen we threw. It’s where I met some really dear friends. At the time I still had feeling I needed to reprove something about myself to people so I was humble and tried to do it grassroots. It’s a small city. It’s full of the same types of people year after year. People who party. People who consume. People who never stick around enough to care what kind of legacy they leave behind. And the people caught up in between. And back then people had their opinions about me and what it was I did. The people I hung around didn’t do many favors. I realize now it’s because people here are afraid to go out of their way. To stick up for people and get their hands dirty unless it’s performative. And that exists in everything from relationships, friendships, and even citizenship of a small third market city with barely enough love or money to go around.

Everything to me has been ancient history to me for awhile now. I just needed some distance for myself to think. I did that. I continued to work a day job. I made music. I got bored. Read about fashion. Travelled around the world. Had a paycheck. Still have a paycheck. Came back home and this year particularly I went nowhere. I stayed in Chicago. I tried to make it work. And three years later of trying to make it work nothing really changed. Some of that is good. I was reading about the Nike Presto the other day and it’s history. It started as a design concept in Korea. Tinker Hatfield apparently redesigned them for running. His model became the Nike Presto. And in the history, he lets it slip that the Presto 2 was really the Nike Free. Which is one of the first pairs of Nike’s I bought for running. I didn’t really know about Presto’s until this year particularly because of the Acronym redesign. But I had the Free 3.0′s because I was genuinely into the design. I knew none of this four years ago. I had an undercover tshirt and a bunch of gear from vacationing in Japan. When I came back nobody knew or even cared about what it was. They were all too busy acting cool and being shitty to each other. Nobody would talk to me. When they did it was at parties to call me and my music irrelevant and my dreams and accomplishments a joke. Years later people are still doing the exact same thing to other people. It’s all a real life drama played out online with no regard for human decency or hint of care. You can fight it. But it’s always going to be there. I’ve learned the hard way that you avoid it. This city really doesn’t have anything to offer me other than my job and a great riverfront for me to stay alive long enough to get out of here. I may never leave my job. That’s a depressing thought. There’s always Parsons or Cooper Union. Somebody from the Design Department of Central Saint Martin’s just followed me the other day. Academia is a small world. I could go anywhere to be honest. I’m not too worried. But I also treat it with a lot of respect. Even when people don’t believe I do.

But that’s this city in a nutshell and maybe just part of a broader problem. All these years nobody made me feel valuable. Nobody in this city anyway. Some people manipulated that. A lot of people did. You can ask around. I don’t need to tell the stories again. That’s the part of the past I could care less about looking back at. Revenge is dumb. Life is short. Too short for me to waste my emotions on fake feelings that go nowhere. All those things I did for people that meant nothing at the end of all these years. There’s a lot of people who see that. See how people treat people like me. Whatever it is I claim to be. To me this is just me sharing my personal space low key. Nobody pays attention to me in real life. Sometimes they do. But for the most part they don’t. Or they just think they’re better. I’m not in a competition with anyone but myself. To be the best person possible with the time I have. I don’t understand why that’s so difficult for some people. Maybe I do. If I look back too far I can see a person who wasted a lot of time. But if I didn’t make those choices I wouldn’t know what I know and be the person I am. However much value that doesn’t mean to the place I live. I just don’t think you can expect people to respect you when deep down you just know. It’s a feeling. Like waking up to someone in your dash. That simple interactions that lead to real inspiration are better than flashy, over the top and ultimately anxious public displays of validation. I’d be lying to you if I didn’t say a lot of what I say and do is calculated around the idea of another person. That’s romantic to me that I’d want to be something more for somebody that inspires me to be just that. Even if it’s ultimately something people in real life pass off as too complicated or too much of a fantasy to entertain the logic. Those people aren’t even paying attention to anything but the sound of their own voice. That’s why I don’t say much and look at my phone. It’s where I feel like people are genuinely paying attention to what my heart has to say.

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laurenglasgowframed · 4 years ago

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Evaluation

1. Reflection on your own creative development as a performer, including your production role.

As a performer, I feel like I had to do alot of work in order to make this particular character authentic. Being from a Greek/English background, I know the way that different types of people are treated and the difference in the economic systems along with country development. With England having one of the most highly valued care systems in the world, I was able to connect with the fact that my greek family don’t get as good a healthcare service and this was the basis of my foundation of creating a character. Having a character travel to a new country shows the degree of grooming that Andrew went to. I developed massively from understanding the different cultures of the countries, along with the language. I took my families broken english and tried to base my accent off of that. I recorded my monologue in three sections and learnt them section by section. I am lucky that I am able to remember things quite quickly and so as soon as I knew it, I recorded it, to which I hope was authentic in its approach.

Within my production role, I think that I was successful in creating the mood for the piece, successfully, After hours of hard work to mix it and ensure that the sound levels were correct, I then had to create a story board to order the monologues, transition scenes and the soundscapes. Initially, I was part of the editing team and so created the sheet for Fran to use in order to create our piece. I spent alot of time listening to different types of music (links in bibliography) that helped me to understand what kind of feel I wanted to create with the pieces and also how each piece would also have to show different parts of a character. So for example, Islay’s character is trans and so I created a piece that echoed how that character felt in order to ensure that we displayed the validity of being Transgender.

2. What worked, what didn't work, why? And what you might do differently were you to make this piece again?

I believe our capability to explore different ideas before solidifying something was particularly successful within our group. Within the group, we all possess different skill sets and so it worked when choosing our production roles. I really enjoy working with sound and feel that my skillset lies there and so the group asked if I would take on that role as its my area that i feel most confident in. Additionally, Connor and I worked together to create a sheet for Fran to understand the concept of the play and how we would like it creating. I believe our teamwork was particularly successful because we would all try out each others ideas and explore all of the options before closing in on one. I think this is what fundamentally made our piece successful. However, in saying this, at times it was hard to communicate due to wi-fi problems and people not being available and so we had to make decisions without the consent of all in order to progress the piece. This was hard at times as we wanted everyones creative involvement! It was also difficult when creating a digital piece as the concept of a digital piece and a live piece are completely different and so I struggled to adapt initially!

3. What were the most important things you learned through the making of this piece and how do you plan to continue to apply the skills you have learned in the future?

I learnt how to adapt to unforeseen situations and I learnt how to respond to specific feedback. In complete honesty, this module has been very challenging for me as I struggled to adapt initially to an online procedure. However, through good communication and responding to feedback, I was able to be a part of a piece that I am proud of. Unfortunately, when writing this, we still haven’t seen a finished version of our piece and so I have learnt to trust in people that they know what they are doing and that they want our piece to be as successful as we do. It was very useful to perform the monologues to people outside of my group; for example a couple of girls in Craig’s class watched mine and gave outsider feedback which i found to be so useful. Also, sharing tips with them from what our lecturers said, in order to have a larger perspective. I feel that I have learnt how to time manage as well. Going from being an on-the-go person to having to slow down and re-evaluate make me particularly anxious but by redesigning a timetable and writing a to-do list, I was able to combat those initial fears. I never thought I would get the chance to explore a film medium and so this is definitely something that I will carry through with me as I have learnt how to use it effectively. I learnt that creating a piece when the company is far apart is difficult but I learnt that it is possible if everyone is working together productively and so from this, I will take alot of new, developed skills into the future projects.

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spamzineglasgow · 5 years ago

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(FEATURE) On The First Five Years of Dostoyevsky Wannabe

As storms of various average names raged across the UK, SPAM stayed fashionably online and caught up with our DIY indie publishing comrades Dostoyevsky Wannabe over gmail. The Manchester-based press have been going an impressive five years now, and with the absolute power couple that is Richard Brammer and Vikki Brown at the helm, you’ll find all the off-kilter zeal of Stereolab combined with the stylish swoon of The Carpenters (fyi the two band t-shirts Rich and Vikki wore when we first met IRL) in their impressive back-catalogue of books (fiction, poetry and beyond), anthologies, collections and other materials. In this piece, Dostoyevsky Wannabe unpack the origin story of the press, the dazzling success of Isabel Waidner, the impetus behind THOSE covetable designs and, most importantly their love of GLASGOW – not to mention some very exciting publishing announcements…

On ‘phase 1’ of Dostoyevsky Wannabe

> ‘Phase 1’ is how we’ve started to refer to the first five years of doing this thing. It’s anyone’s guess why we’ve started calling it that because it’s not like the first five years was a tremendously well-defined plan written by some nameless council or corporate body. Overall there definitely wasn’t that much of a plan at the beginning and it’s possible to say that the whole thing is perhaps really just a design and publishing experiment that got out of hand. We think perhaps Phase 2 was the name of the repository of code that held our second website redesign or something, so perhaps that was the reason, like Autechre songs named after whatever they named their MIDI files. We’re arguably in phase 3 now. We wonder what that will be like.

> At the beginning we just wanted to make objects and to probably do something that was like some kind of 1980-1990s indie record label or some other such vague aim. We were writing a bit ourselves, so we thought we’d make books and put them out somehow as long as we could find a zero-budget way of doing it. A small press did seem a bit like an indie record label somehow (one of us is doing research on this at the minute and there are a few interesting similarities actually). Actually, we were reading an old article in an old copy of The Face today about Heavenly Records and it sort of reminded us how much we had sort of unconsciously been influenced by their approach. Anyway, the identity and the covers came before the content of the books and that was partly because when you start a press nobody necessarily wants to publish with you much because they don’t know whether it’s worth it. The idea for the Cassette anthologies and the fact that we were a little bit connected to indie literature in the US (via the internet) helped because a few writers who were more or less well-known over there submitted to the first one and Sam Riviere, who was doing quite well with his 81 Austerities book in the UK, also agreed to be in one of the early Cassette books. At the time we didn’t think much about editorial and just wanted to make books that looked good together and we were massively naïve about lots of things but that’s ok, we don’t mind a bit of naivety. Since that time, we’ve learnt plenty about publishing but also a lot about other things too.

> A few years ago, we would mostly refer to ourselves by saying two things 1) that we weren’t ‘proper’ publishers and 2) that we didn’t know what we were doing, and, at various times, that’s definitely been true. We do sort of increasingly know what we’re doing these days, so any dumb pose is perhaps wearing a bit thin (although we’re totally capable of completely getting things very wrong too). In terms of not being ‘proper’ publishers, that’ll probably always be true in some sense because most publishers are not designers who also publish and are usually purely publishers and they don’t usually change their publishing models all over the place like we do, at least not on purpose. It’s kind of small press publishing business suicide really to do that. That said, some books that we’ve published have been shortlisted for major prizes so we must be doing something right, at least some of the time.

On Isabel Waidner

> We’re more than happy to talk up Isabel because they are brilliant. Someone recently asked how we’d found their writing like it was a great mystery how we’d done it but it was quite simple from our end really. For a long time, we had rolling open submissions and Isabel sent Gaudy Bauble to us when, as far as we understand, it had been not picked up by a few other presses and we accepted it after reading just a few pages. It had that energy which is ALL Isabel’s and that came fully formed from the off. It’s an energy and a style which has somehow evolved and gotten even better with We Are Made Of Diamond Stuff (even as it was pretty much fully formed with Gaudy Bauble). It’s just brilliantly exciting writing and we have to say we’re not just the publisher of their first two books, but we’re fans and we’re as excited to read what Isabel does next as many readers who’ve picked up on their work will be.

> We have a lot of affinity with Isabel, we’re a similar age, have broadly similar previous experiences in DIY/indie/whatever you want to call it circles and Isabel has become a really good friend. They are definitely willing to experiment both in a literary sense and in the sense of being VERY energetic in promoting their books. They don’t finish the book and then walk away waiting for the publisher to go to town doing everything for it whilst they sit back (this is just as well given our policy on such things). Isabel has been smart enough to do more to promote their books with us than we have although, in truth, we’ve made a good team and the two books (three including their anthology Liberating the Canon) have sold ridiculously well by any independent book sales standards and they don’t really stop selling either somehow. Isabel will basically always have a place with Dostoyevsky Wannabe but we have been gently suggesting to them, perhaps since Gaudy Bauble, that they go to a press who can afford them better distribution than the limitations of our print on demand setup because we want their writing to get to as wide an audience as possible and there are other larger publishing presses (small press and otherwise) who could do that.

> We have long had this kind of residual guilt perhaps that we are never quite good enough in that way (don’t worry about that though as we’re probably overly confident in other ways). This arose from the self-declared idea that we’re not ‘proper’ publishers, at least not in the way that every writer who we work with can easily gain a large readership, which is something that rarely happens across the board with every author anyway, for any press. Some of it is just typical working-class insecurity because money obviously helps when being a small press and we haven’t really got much which is why it’s often quite a middle-class thing. It’s not just all a case us being kind of chronically unambitious though and, in fact, we’ve realised it is just us being realistic according to what we want Dostoyevsky Wannabe to be because we are committed to being designers AND publishers and we haven’t got and we’re not planning to develop the resources to promote books as the only thing that we do. The design side is a huge interest for us and maybe this can cause us a bit of anxiety because we know we can’t promote writers in the kind of manner that publishing more generally might be able to do. For writers who aren’t that independently minded and who want to defer a lot to the press, people who need the press to push their book way more than they do, are not really that good a fit for us or us to them. It’s not like we won’t help. If they tag us, we’ll always retweet but there is a limit to what we can do. It’s always hard because we want EVERY book that we work on to do really well and find lots of readers and happily a good proportion do and we work hard for those books but, on the other hand, if a writer is so independent that they sort of reduce us to the status of pushing buttons and they want to take lots of control over everything then that doesn’t work either because we’re sort of reduced to being their unpaid employees so it’s a difficult balance to get right. We hope that admission doesn’t put writers off though (it doesn’t seem from the massive numbers of submissions we get) because with every new author who we work with we’re experimenting with all of this as a process. It’s not like all writers are the same either, there are many scales of writerly ambition and Isabel’s success whilst working with us proves that things are possible even with a set-up such as ours. We’ve been hugely lucky to work with so many different and interesting writers and we look forward to more of the same in the future.

> Oh, and by the way we totally, and obviously, think that We Are Diamond Stuff should win the Republic of Consciousness Prize this year but then we would wouldn’t we. The book world certainly has plenty going for it beyond prizes but the ROFC was the first prize that Isabel was nominated for and it does a lot of great work for small presses. We’re honoured to be in the running for it, as ever. So keep your fingers crossed for us!

On Publishing and Design

> It’s probably practical for us to separate design and publishing when we’re talking about it to people, just for the sake of clarity but in our minds, and in our plans, they’re one and the same because we do view our deliberate experimentation with different publishing models as a form of design in itself and we view publishing as a creative act in its own right. Maybe we’re designer-publishers or something and that’s not that weird historically and there is some precedent for it inasmuch as, before the whole middle-class industry of publishing grew into its broadest conventional modern form, printers were often the publishers and so what constituted publishing would have been quite different from that angle in a similar way that it is from our design angle. It’s common for small press publishers to maybe not overly think about design and typesetting so much on a personal level because they maybe outsource it and focus mostly on editorial.

> Something which was clear to us from the beginning, and it’s something that we’re still really into, was a lot of 20th century album and book cover design, particularly the more repetitive, quite heavily circumscribed styles based on things done in between the lines of a grid. We always really liked the anonymity of design which was sort of commercial work done quickly and loads of it rushed out at some tremendously productive pace complete with little mistakes but mistakes that had some charm about them. It was a weird decision for us to decide to ape the style of Penguin and Pelican books because they are so well known and there are lots of designers who practice by designing a Penguin type cover in some way but we were comfortable with our decision because we decided to not copy the covers but instead to use the Marber grid that was created by Romek Marber and which underpinned many (not all) of Penguin and Pelican books from the mid-century period onwards. We started to use the grid to make designs instead of exactly copying the Penguin designs and we continue to use it, sometimes breaking it and sometimes adhering to it a bit more. We’re currently updating the bottom part of it for ourselves to make it into a more compound grid actually, but you’d have to be a design geek to want to know about that.

> It’s interesting that people might look at those Penguin/Pelican books and assume that there was some huge Penguin factory or huge corporate concern where words went in at one end and some machine, tended by a group of designers in white coats, spat out books at the other end but it was actually more interesting than that from what we can tell. For instance, it was odd to find that Romek Marber worked from his home throughout his career, almost like a freelancer and in more DIY circumstances than you might imagine. Having arrived in the UK in 1946 after only just escaping death in the concentration camps, he came to England hardly able to speak English and got a job sweeping floors in a London clothing factory where he became friendly with a Belgian dress designer who found that Marber was interested in art and encouraged him to take evening classes. As a refugee at the time, he wasn’t allowed to apply to join St Martin’s College to study painting but he was allowed to do a more vocational course so that’s how ended up as a commercial designer. He lived in a shared London house for a good while and we read somewhere that he had to wait until people went out on a Saturday night so he could develop photos in the kitchen sink and it was this work that went on to become the Penguin covers. I think we were really taken with the idea that he was a bit DIY in this because whilst we’re obviously not in anything like the same boat as he was we have always been quite DIY at root ourselves. We were (still are, largely) penniless and we have to keep our overheads low by only using different forms of print on demand, but we have always essentially been kind of indie DIY at root because having no money often leads a person down that path. The thing is we didn’t just want to be all about photocopying and paste up aesthetically, even as we like that cut and paste aesthetic just fine, so even though we have little control over the types of paper or the actual printing of our books, there’s still a lot of control that we can have as designers to get quite a good looking book in a way that doesn’t bankrupt us.

> Of course, we were also quite influenced by the obvious examples of indie label designers from Manchester like Peter Saville and that kind of overly-audacious post-punk approach to design that was often partly doomed to commercial failure but which was just going to go ahead and do it anyway but we have to be careful about getting into that because if you mention the Hacienda too many times in a row some huge corporation puts up another luxury living skyscraper in Manchester and we’ve perhaps got enough of them already.

On Future Things

> We are experimenting with the idea of branching out into non-fiction books alongside fiction and poetry (we’re open for non-fiction books mostly on music and design and technology so if anyone has ideas for these then please check our site and send a proposal). The fiction and poetry side will perhaps slow down as a result, but that doesn’t mean that we are not more committed than ever to helping get work out by fiction and poetry writers whose books we like.

> As far as titles are concerned, first up in 2020, we’ve published an anthology in collaboration with Partisan Hotel, also we’ve had Lee Rourke’s Vantablack, SJ Fowler’s I will show you the life of the mind (on prescription drugs), Nadia de Vries’s Dostoyevsky Wannabe Cities Amsterdam anthology and we will be publishing Marcus Slease’s Never Mind The Beasts. Also we’ve got Maria Sledmere and Rhian Williams’ book of Anthropocene work (poetry and essays) and 3:AM’s Andrew Gallix is publishing his collected reviews and journalism with us. There’s plenty more in the pipeline too just not as many as previous years. On the subject of Cities anthologies, these are all totally an open source effort for the editors, for us, for everyone involved, and all for no money because we sell them at virtually cost price so it’s the case that some happen and some don’t and we’ve had to scale down our own commitment to them and do fewer in future years but they’re still very much an idea we like.

On Glasgow

> Why does Glasgow get a mention all on its own? Well, first, even though we’ve been lucky enough to work with lots of different writers in lots of different cities, we are big fans of Glasgow as a city and have been for a while. We’ve always enjoyed the relaxed democratically collaborative spirit of the place since we first made the trip up there and visited Good Press and Monorail and we’ve since found that the same attitude prevails and exists beyond those places across both music and literature, not least in what you do with SPAM. Secondly, we mention Glasgow because it seems that a good percentage of the books that we’ve decided to publish in 2020, and even more so in 2021, are coming from poets who are either from Glasgow or based in Glasgow. First up this year is Jane Goldman’s book and having met Jane at Colin Herd’s brilliantly collaborative launch for his book You Name It with us last year, we’re very excited about that one. In 2021, we’re turning even more towards the city, at least for a while, to publish books by Kathrine Sowerby and Nick-e Melville which (hopefully) will happen at a similar time to Ruthie Kennedy and Colin Herd’s collaboratively edited Dostoyevsky Wannabe Cities Glasgow anthology. From the sounds of it this will be a book that reflects just how good Glasgow and its poets and writers are at working together to produce amazing work, plus it seems like it’ll be a good night (or a couple of nights out) and one where we’ll be able to satiate our need to listen to Jonathan Richman whilst at the same time hear a few new bands that we’ve never heard of — and maybe coincided it with when a Divine night was on (which is a favourite of ours).

> Anyway, that’s your lot. We’ve rambled on enough now and thanks to everyone at SPAM Zine for giving us the platform to allow us to ramble on.

For more on Dostoyevsky Wannabe, including their excellent ‘Materials’ section, delve into their beautiful new website here.

Published: 25/2/20

#interview #interviews #feature #features #SPAM #Dostoyevsky Wannabe #Isabel Waidner #Colin Herd #poetry #design #publishing #DIY

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douchebagbrainwaves · 6 years ago

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WHAT NO ONE UNDERSTANDS ABOUT TOUCH

I thought it might be interesting to try and write down what made Java seem suspect to me. But in at least some cases the reason the best PR firms are so effective is precisely that they aren't dishonest. If you're a nerd, and an investors' opinion of you is the opinion of other investors. This is a list of people who've influenced me, not people who would have if I understood their work. So I've seen a good part of the mechanism of popularity. And bingo, there it is: The Men's Wearhouse was at that moment running ads saying The Suit is Back. After spending years chasing them, it's now second nature to me to recognize press hits for what they are. You mean she doesn't know the kind of things that matter in the real world, it's generally for some common purpose, and the first cars.

We were already thinking about the kind of problems that have to be especially awkward to look awkward by comparison. Really they ought to be out there digging up stories for themselves. Most CEOs delegate taste to a subordinate.1 In fact, horrible far out of proportion to the value of Nasdaq companies in two years?2 They do it too consistently. The urge to look corporate—sleek, commanding, prudent, yet with just a touch of hubris on your well-cut sleeve—is an unexpected development in a time of business disgrace. John Bautista, Pete Koomen, Jessica Livingston, and Jackie Weicker for reading drafts of this essay, and Maria Daniels for scanning photos.

This one just happens to be controlled by a giant company.3 The reason startups have been using more convertible notes in angel rounds is that they make deals close faster. Probably the best we'll do is some kind of dreamer who sketched artists' conceptions of rocket ships on the side. You never understand other people's code as well as Newton, for their time, but the most I've ever been able to manage is about 18, and I feel as if someone snuck a television onto my desk. The specific argument, or one of them: a list of the n most admirable people. Why call an auction site eBay? It's all-encompassing redesigns. I'm uncomfortably aware that this is why poor whites in the United States are the group most hostile to blacks.

It's not because they're irresponsible that they work in long binges during which they blow off all other obligations, plunge straight into programming instead of writing specs first, and rewrite code that already works. In general, people outside some very demanding field don't realize the extent to which success depends on constant though often unconscious effort. Ok, I better work then.4 I was more in the nerd camp, but I wouldn't describe them as intellectually curious. Historically, languages designed for large organizations PL/I, Ada have lost, while hacker languages C, Perl have won. How can they get off that trajectory?5 They only just decided what to use, so why wouldn't they? The general argument is that new forms of communication always do. What you want is to increase the actual value of the company, not its market cap, Yahoo was still worth a lot.6 To do really great things, you have to get the first commitment, because much of the difficulty comes from this external force. The thing is, he'd know enough not to care what they thought.7

Reporters like definitive statements.8 Informal language is the athletic clothing of ideas. Real estate is still more expensive than just about anywhere else in the country.9 While the book seemed entirely believable, I didn't have much more experience of the world than producing something beautiful.10 If anything oversensitive. But reading Austen is like reading nonfiction. And that's what programs are: ideas. The least popular group is quite small.11 Kids are sent off to spend six years memorizing meaningless facts in a world ruled by a caste of giants who run after an oblong brown ball, as if it were part of the indictment.

So the language is likely to make your life difficult. There are always great ideas sitting right under our noses. Java in the press sounded a lot more definite.12 As with an actual gold mine, you still have to work hard to get the company to the point where it's like visual crack.13 I've read a lot of protocols for doing things.14 We made software for building online stores. You want above all to survive. When Yahoo was thinking of buying us, we had a meeting with Jerry Yang in New York. And most importantly, their status depends on how well they do against opponents, not on whether they can push the other down. And yet the authorities still for the most part act as if drugs were themselves the cause of so many present ills: specialization.15 Though notoriously lacking in social skills, he gets the right answers. But in at least some of the time we were all, students and teachers both, just going through the motions.16

When I talk to a startup that's been operating for more than 8 or 9 months, the first step is to realize there's a problem. When groups of adults form in the real world, nerds collect in certain places and form their own societies where intelligence is the most important thing was to stay on the premises. It was when I'd finished one project and was deciding what to do by asking what they'd do in the same situation. Or to put it more dramatically, ordinary programmers working in typical office conditions never really understand the problem. Apple was able to sell enough of them to get the same price. Chesterfield described dirt as matter out of place as an elementary school teacher, and I feel as if I have by now learned to understand everything publishers mean to tell me about a book, and perhaps a bit more. Because PR firms tell them to. Einstein was really as smart as them. I had a few other teachers who were smart, but I have a separate note with a different cap for each investor. It's not a question that makes sense to ask early on, any more than it makes sense to ask a 3 year old how he plans to support himself.

Suburbs are deliberately designed to exclude the outside world, because it changes too fast for that to be possible. Eventually everyone will learn by word of mouth. Mihalko was mine. Real standards don't have to look any further to explain why teenage kids are tormented. Most people who write about art history, Civilisation is the one I'd recommend.17 If you pay them to.18 Wow. Novels seem so impoverished compared to history and biography.19 I doubt PR firms realize it yet, but the way one anticipates a delicious dinner. Boston.20 This is the tone of someone writing down to their audience.

Notes

The set of plausible sounding startup ideas is many times have you heard a retailer claim that companies like Google and Facebook are driven by money—for example, if you repair a machine that's broken because a part has come is Secretary of State and the cost of writing software. With a classic fixed sized round, that probably doesn't make A more powerful sororities at your school, the approval of an extensive biography, and many of the big winners are all about hitting outliers, are available only to your brain that you're small and then using growth rate has to split hairs that fine about whether a suit would violate the patent pledge, it's a collection of qualities helps people make the kind that prevents you from starving.

So for example, probably did more drugs in his early twenties. Google was in his early twenties.

I can't safely omit any type I startups. Doh. This is everyday life in general we've done ok at fundraising, because those are writeoffs from the Dutch not to need common sense when interpreting it. If big companies can even be conscious of this essay, I can't tell if it means a big company CEOs in 2002 was 3.

When we work with me there. I couldn't think of the first type, and some just want that first few million. What happens in practice money raised as convertible debt at a 15 million valuation cap.

Basically, the more effort you expend on you after the first phase of the statistics they consider are useful, how could I get attacked a lot about some disease they'll see once in their early twenties. What I dislike is editing done after the fact that you're not doing YC mainly for financial reasons, including principal and venture partner. No doubt there are no false negatives. The best technique I've found for dealing with recent art, they don't.

At Princeton, 36% of the whole.

One of the web. If the rich. Proceedings of 2003 Spam Conference. What if a company in Germany, where there were some good ideas in the field they describe.

On Bullshit, Princeton University Press, 2006. But that turned out to be something of an extensive biography, and indeed the venture business, and try selling it. The state of technology. But in a certain size it gets you growth, because any VC would think Y Combinator.

They don't know who invented something the mainstream media needs to, but had instead evolved from different types of startup people in any era if people can see the old one was drilling for oil, which parents would still send their kids rather than for any particular truths you'll learn. A related problem that I see a lot of problems, but when people in return for something that would help Web-based applications. As Anthony Badger wrote, If it failed it failed it failed it failed. Foster, Richard, Life of Isaac Newton, p.

The New Industrial State to trying to sell, or one near the edge case where something spreads rapidly but the number of restaurants that still requires jackets: The Civil Service Examinations of Imperial China, during the 2002-03 season was 2. In technology, companies building lightweight clients have usually tried to unload it on buyer after buyer.

It's hard to grasp this than we realize, because they insist you dilute yourselves to set aside a chunk of this type is the proper test of success. Only a fraction of VCs even have positive returns. The brand of an investment. It may be useful here, the top startup law firms are Wilson Sonsini, Orrick, Fenwick West, Gunderson Dettmer, and this tends to be vigorously enforced.

None at all.

Everything is a bit more complicated, because the arrival of your identity. This law does not appear to be very unhealthy. Robert were each in turn is why I haven't released Arc.

Creative Destruction Whips through Corporate America. I worry we may be a trivial enhancement of HTTP, to pretend that the meaning of the Dead was shot there. But the solution is not one of the Garter and given the freedom to experiment in disastrous ways, but I realize this sounds to him? Japanese.

Revenue will ultimately be a variant of the resulting sequence.

Apparently someone believed you have the perfect point to spread the story a bit. Part of the causes of the problem.

In high school football game that will be big successes but who are both genuinely formidable, and also what we'd call random facts, like warehouses. A from a company's revenues as the cause.

No one in its IRC channel: don't allow duplicates in the belief that they'll only invest contingently on other sites. When you're starting a business is to start or join startups. But you can't tell what the US.

But you can't easily get a personal introduction—and in some ways First Round excluded their most successful startups looked when they buy some startups and not be to say that hapless meant unlucky. More precisely, this phenomenon myself: hotel unions are responsible for more than whatever collection of stuff to be on the wrong algorithm for generating their frontpage. Earlier versions used a technicality to get fossilized. There are two ways to get kids into better colleges, I can't refer a startup.

Ed. And in any field. I'm not saying, incidentally; it's not uncommon for startups that seem to lose elections. After lunch we went to Europe.

Thanks to Trevor Blackwell, Dan Giffin, Jeff Clavier, Alex Lewin, and Patrick Collison for the lulz.

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cecillewhite · 6 years ago

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Distance Learning and the LMS: Advice From a Higher Education Expert

EDITOR’S NOTE: As the non-traditional student segment of the higher education market continues to grow, demand for greater program flexibility is following suit. Many colleges and universities have launched distance learning programs, but student success rates remain inconsistent.

NANCY RUBIN PhD

What does it take for an extended campus to succeed? In this interview, distance learning veteran Nancy Rubin, Ph.D. shares her thoughts on what it takes to deliver a truly engaging experience for online students, both inside and outside the primary learning environment.

Nancy is Executive Director of the Extended Campus at the University of Northern Colorado and former Executive Director of Distance and Online Learning at Columbia Video Network (CVN) – the nation’s best online graduate engineering program, according to U.S. News.

Nancy also serves as Associate Managing Editor of The Journal of Literacy and Technology, and edits her own blog, Nancy-Rubin.com. You can connect with Nancy on LinkedIn or on Twitter.

TL: What are the hallmarks of a highly engaging online learning program?

NR: Strong content is obviously essential, but ongoing support for faculty and students is equally important. As many distance learning programs have discovered, online students can easily feel disconnected from an instructor, a course or the educational institution, itself. In fact, this is a common reason why students withdraw. Connecting online learners with the broader community of on-campus students, faculty and events is the best way to keep them on track with their educational goals.

TL: How did you accomplish this when redesigning CVN at Columbia University?

NR: Communication among learners, faculty and staff is vital. So we invested considerable time and effort to create and promote digital support resources that anyone can use on demand. The program leverages multiple channels, including regular website updates, email, social media, video conferencing and an online help desk. Together, these resources help learners advance their individual agendas while reinforcing a sense of community involvement.

TL: What are the biggest challenges in creating an engaging online learning experience?

REPLAY THE WEBINAR NOW!

NR: It’s imperative that a virtual learning experience mirror the on-campus experience. This includes the breadth and depth of courses offered, the level of access to faculty and teaching assistants, as well as the quality of instructional content, itself.

Getting any one of these elements right is challenging enough, but ensuring that they work together in a complementary way requires a deep ongoing commitment.

TL: How did you overcome these obstacles?

NR: The most fundamental change we made was to build a modern learning ecosystem based on three core tools – a new student information system (SIS), a new learning management system (LMS) and a new video hosting provider.

TL: Why did you decide to transform your entire infrastructure?

NR: The success of an online program depends on a number of things – but the most important thing is student satisfaction, and that depends on student success. If the learning environment is difficult to access, if faculty aren’t comfortable with an online teaching modality, or if support isn’t available when students need it, the program won’t succeed. To make success a reality for more students, we needed to rethink our systems from the ground up.

TL: How does an LMS support this objective?

NR: Many schools use a learning management system (LMS) to deliver online courses, which is true for both Columbia University and the University of Northern Colorado. A modern, robust LMS is important from a pedagogical perspective, as well as for effective student/faculty communication.

But implementing a new system is only the beginning. Training faculty and students is also essential. This empowers students to learn more efficiently and effectively, which in turn improves their level of comfort, engagement and satisfaction.

TL: What LMS requirements are most important for distance learning success?

NR: There are multiple considerations:

1) Mobile Design: A mobile-friendly environment is critical for any kind of digital experience today, and online learning is no exception. Students naturally expect to use a smartphone or tablet (or both) to read, watch and interact with instructional content, submit assignments and share questions or ideas. This means your LMS must be able to resize content on-the-fly to fit any browser on any device. Or the system may include a mobile app that delivers highly personalized content.

Even if your LMS is mobile friendly, optimizing your content for mobile learning can be an uphill climb. For many faculty members, mobile design wasn’t even on their radar until a few years ago. But now it’s imperative to adapt course materials so students can consume content anywhere at their convenience.

For example, mobile users typically prefer information presented in shorter intervals. In other words, a 90-minute lecture is likely to be more effective when converted to a series of 10-minute videos. At Columbia, working with instructional designers made this conversion process easier for many faculty members.

2) Synchronous Learning Tools: Many learning platforms include a variety of real-time communication capabilities at the click of a button. For example, virtual classrooms are a great way to conduct office hours or stage live class sessions.

At Columbia, faculty members often use this feature as a forum for remote students who present research papers to their on-campus classmates. There’s no need to install or manage a separate application, keep track of student email addresses, add all students to a group distribution list or manually send notifications – these tasks are all easily handled directly through the LMS.

3) Asynchronous Learning Tools: Other communication capabilities such as discussion boards help distance learners exchange ideas with peers and faculty at their convenience. Columbia students often use these forums for frequently asked questions about homework assignments or to ask professors follow-up questions between live sessions.

4) Communication Tools: Most platforms offer multiple ways for students and faculty to interact directly, as needed. Built-in chat, messaging and video conferencing put one-to-one conversations at your fingertips. And email integration makes it easy for faculty and staff to send messages to an individual student, a workgroup, an entire class or even multiple classes.

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5) Recording Studio and Equipment: If you want to provide a truly professional learning experience, you’ll invest in at least one recording studio and a high-end video camera. The quality is far superior to anything you can achieve with a webcam, a webinar video conferencing platform or even a lecture capture system.

At Columbia, we started with a more traditional green screen studio. But then we added two recording studios – a booth studio and a light board studio – both of which are used heavily to record content for online classes and flipped on-campus courses. Our early experiments with flipped classes were so successful, demand for more studio space skyrocketed.

Some professors have flipped entire courses by recording all lectures for students to view prior to class. Others use the studios to fill-in missed sessions or provide extra material they don’t have time to cover during the semester. This sometimes includes tutorial videos to help students develop specific skills to complete an assignment or to better understand important subject matter.

6) Remote Proctoring: With the popularity of online courses comes the need to proctor online exams, especially midterms and finals. Students who work full time or are in the military may not be able to travel to a testing center or library during their hours of operation.

Online proctoring is a viable alternative for remote students who need to take exams in a secure way that verifies their identity. Professors with online students are becoming more willing to let their on-campus students take exams using remote proctoring, especially if it is directly integrated into the LMS.

7) Data Integration and Analytics: In an increasingly competitive world, online education programs can no longer afford to fly blind. So rather than treating data as an afterthought, it’s important to consider key success metrics first. Regardless, an LMS alone probably won’t provide sufficient intelligence. You’re also likely to need a student information system (SIS).

Every time a student registers or pays for a class, submits a form or receives a grade, data is added to that student’s record. Ideally, this data is shared across systems, so faculty, teaching assistants and administrators can track individual and summary activity in reports and discover insights that are relevant, timely, accurate and complete.

8) Single Sign-On: Online students must have secure access to the learning portal, as well as their course files, registration and payment tools, progress reports and account records. Working with your organization’s information technology experts and your LMS provider, you should be able to offer easy access through a secure single sign-on process.

TL: What LMS did you choose at Columbia Video Network?

NR: We migrated the program to Canvas LMS. It wasn’t easy, but the benefits definitely outweigh the issues we had to overcome. The communication and notification tools in Canvas have improved interactions among faculty, support staff and students. And learning outcomes have also improved.

TL: Earlier you mentioned that you offer an online help desk. How important is that?

NR: It is central to CVN’s success. Online students should be able to solve their own problems with resources available to them 24×7, or receive a reply from someone they have contacted within 24-48 hours. Just-in-time support is a key component of the Columbia service model because it gives students immediate access to the information and guidance they need, when they need it.

Many people are drawn to online learning because it gives them the flexibility to pursue their educational goals in the evenings and on weekends. This means support must also available outside of regular business hours (8 am-6 pm Monday-Friday).

At Columbia, teaching assistants serve as dedicated rapid responders. They conduct virtual office hours, answer ad hoc questions and provide feedback so online students are aware of their progress in each class. This keeps participants engaged, and it directly affects overall program satisfaction.

TL: How do you develop online learning courses?

NR: Building a complete, cross-functional team is a smart investment that has definitely paid off at Columbia. Online faculty members work in collaboration with an instructional designer, a course developer and a multimedia specialist to design courses, develop content and experiment with new tools and teaching methods. This approach means every course is backed by a dedicated team of experts who are continuously assessing and improving its impact.

TL: What’s the next step for you and the online learning programs you manage?

NR: I recently moved to the University of Northern Colorado, where I’m involved with new initiatives involving AI and automation in distance learning. These technologies are opening doors to an exciting future for students, educators and organizations involved in continuing education. I’d be happy to tell you more about what we’re doing there in a future post.

TL: Thanks for sharing your perspective. We look forward to talking with you again soon!

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Editor’s Note: This post is inspired by articles originally published on The Evolllution blog.

The post Distance Learning and the LMS: Advice From a Higher Education Expert appeared first on Talented Learning.

Distance Learning and the LMS: Advice From a Higher Education Expert original post at Talented Learning

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