#why is a fifth grader so relatable send help

[byericacameron]

Hi! I figure you have a ton of asks so I’ll try to keep this brief but I read Island of Exiles in fifth grade (a little young? maybe. but I had free rein of the library and inhaled books faster than my parents could keep track of), and it absolutely changed my life. Not only did I love it (and find out just how much I could ship a ship, that is, as much as a fifth grader can), but the existence of a third gender in your fictional society started the wheels turning in my own mind of just how much I wanted that, and honestly, I don’t think I would have figured out I was nonbinary if not for your book. It was a long and hard journey of identity and it would have been so much harder if my sheltered self hadn’t had anything or anyone to relate to at all. Not to mention how me and my twin incorporated your magic system and world into the stories we’d dream up for hours every night. A few years later, I went looking for the other books and ultimately gave up on reading the rest of the series because the third had been out of print at the time and I didn’t think I’d be able to handle another cliffhanger ending of the second if it was like the first, but this time, unresolved forever. But recently I started thinking about it again, did some googling, and saw they were re-released— and let’s just say that my day and maybe my year is made. I’m so unbelievably excited to fall in love with this universe and these characters all over again. From the bottom of both my heart and that of my eleven year old self, thank you for sharing your writing and, by extension, your soul with us all.

Okay, first off...

And possibly all of my 2023. Many readers assume that authors receive hundreds of emails and messages, but for a lot of authors who aren't New York Times bestsellers, that's not true. Messages like this are incredibly rare, and I deeply appreciate you taking the time to send this to me.

It means more than I can say that you identified so strongly with the way I described gender and society in The Ryogan Chronicles. A huge part of why I included a standard third gender and made bisexuality a more standard norm is that I wanted people to see how easily we could shape our society to be just as equal and inclusive. For readers who had never heard of intersex, trans, bi, or ace people, this was a chance to see them portrayed in a story where they could go on adventures and live in a world where they weren't judged for who they were but for what they did. I hoped this might help some readers understand those who were different from them. It's even better if the story somehow helped you figure something out about yourself.

Writing and reading have helped me figure things out about myself before, too, so I know a little bit of what you're feeling. For me, it was a lot later in my life that these realizations came because representation like I now include in my books didn't exist in any of the stories I read growing up. Maybe if stories had been more inclusive when I was in elementary and middle school, I would have walked a very different path in my teens and twenties.

Honestly, it's the rare messages like yours that kept me working toward re-publishing the Ryogan Chronicles series even after my original publisher pulled them from print. I knew it was unlikely that the series would suddenly explode in popularity or anything like that, but it was worth the work for the few people I knew would care about being able to finally reach the end of Khya's journey.

As a bonus, because I had complete control over everything that went into the new versions, I was able to include multiple maps and other special features to make the books even more special.

The whole series is finally available again on Amazon. I hope you enjoy the final book even half as much as you enjoyed the beginning of the series, and maybe one day you'll come up with your own wonderful world that can help the next generation figure something out about themselves. Keep reading and keep writing, even if it's just for yourself and your friends/family, and thank you again for letting me know you were out there. Readers like you are exactly why I wrote this series, and you're also why I made sure I eventually got these books back out into the world.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I hope you have a wonderful New Years full of new stories and wonderful new experiences!

[starsandmoonwater]

another doodle of him. but i just colored thme both physically and digitally because why not!! colors r a little too saturated but thats ok. anwyas love him. tbh!! suchc a goofy dorky guy he is so me

[sastielsfandom]

Self Insert Writing Advice

Hi! I personally don't write these types of stories anymore but when I did I used these methods that improved my writing in general and in this particular genre.

These are suggestions and if they're not for you, it's understandable! Just because this worked for me, it doesn't necessarily mean it'll work for you. Let's begin.

Refrain from using Y/N. It's distracting to the reader and oftentimes they read Y/N as the character's name rather than their name.

Try using different nicknames, it allows you to showcase your relationships with other characters and you can give backstories on each nickname. This not only helps establish the reader more but it's easier for the reader to imagine themselves in the story.

Avoid describing the reader's physical traits if you don't have to, it's best to be vague. The same rule for Y/N applies to the use of different traits such as YHC (your hair color). It's just as distracting to the reader. 

Then what should you do?

Instead, describe the personality, not the physicality. It's easier for the reader to imagine it's them when they don't have to mentally correct the hair, eyes, skin color every time they're mentioned. Overall, it helps avoid pulling the reader out of the story.

This next one was kind of difficult in the beginning to make it appear subtle and more seamless. Once you're used to it it's fairly easy and you don't have to think about it. Using gender-neutral pronouns for the reader.

Why? Why shouldn't I just make it she/her or he/him? Do I have to use they/them?

I personally did this because I wanted anyone who read my stories to be able to put themselves into the story. No matter their gender or lack of gender. You can absolutely make your writing as specific as you want, it's your writing, so do you have to do this? No. But I do strongly advise it because it challenges you as a writer, and it lets your readers see themselves.

Be careful with these suggestions you don't want the reader to be so bland that a blank wall can project on it. I'm advising that you focus on the personality of the reader rather than the physicality. Not that you should be as vague as possible for everything, at a certain point it comes off as lazy writing.

Now to put this into action so I'm not just sending you off with some advice and no comparisons. Also, this writing is from 2019, I just took it out of my unpublished work and replaced names:

Tapping my foot along to my music, running through my schedule for the day mentally, a pair of cold hands covered my eyes disrupting my thought process.

There was only one person who ever dared to be that bold knowing they wouldn't have any consequences, Eric.

"Guess who?" He asked, I went along, putting a hand to my chin in a thinking position, humming, hmm...

With a sigh, I shrugged, "I don't know..."

Waiting a second I gasped as dramatically as I could. "A really tall fifth grader?"

His hands dropped, and he looked as if I had betrayed him and his entire lineage. "That was rude."

He attempted to pout and for him being in theater and being a good actor, he couldn't contain his smile that wanted to peak out. Not when he wanted to mirror my smile.

Booping his nose, "Whoever said I was nice?" He swatted my hand away and I thought that was the end of that until he had a look on his face that I knew too well. A mischievous one.

Before I could react he had me in a bear hug, "I don't know but whoever did is a liar," and then booped me back. I couldn't hug him back even if I tried, so I just had to deal with it.

Thankfully, he released me and I simply shook my head at him. 

When the moment stilled and steered back into our more casual interactions Eric nudged me to look at him.

"Yes?" I asked.

"I missed you yesterday." I could tell he was being sincere. I missed him too.

But I saw an opportunity, "Enough to use my name?"

"I use your name all the time Bee." He said it like a fact, the real fact is he is very wrong.

"Nicknames that are all bee-related and bee puns?" I sighed at this man who really seemed to be intrigued by this question, "They don't count as using my real name." I said sighing, you have to break it to him one day, right?

"It totally does."

"No, Eric, it doesn't."

He made that face that clearly says, agree to disagree. "It's still funny."

I tried not to blink fast at his response but I couldn't help it, "The number of people who think we're dating because of Honey, and Beeloved alone..."

He held up a hand that turned into a point and shook his head, "Come on, the Beeloved one is clever and you know it."

"Sure, Eric, sure."

This is just one example, there are many ways to execute this though. Again, it's a suggestion, not a demand. This is simply how I used to expand my stories to a wider audience in a more subtle way than using Y/N and YHC.

[buythebackpackdobbyfucker]

Lesson after Lesson

For @pjosapphicweeks Day 5: Career AU! This doesn’t fit quite right but I started typing this out at 2 am and I’m not going back now.

Lacy meets Hazel in the staff room and has to work very hard to remember that kissing girls you’ve never seen before without mentioning it to your partner is irresponsible to control herself because Hazel is so fucking pretty and kind and soft and complimented Lacy’s glitter nail polish.

Lacy nods along to whatever Hazel says for most of the conversation and almost dies when Hazel blushes because she accidentally swore, she apologizes quickly and Lacy nods some more and then the bell rings and ugh, kids are lining up because lunch is over so Lacy waves goodbye and races to pick her class up from the door.

.

Sadie’s helping a kid fix up their cords because their last guitar teacher must’ve been an idiot when her girlfriend gets home. She checks the clock and thanks the gods that the kids mom shows up in five minutes. She has the kid write down everything, packs up for them and shoves them out the door into their mom’s hand and then Sadie races into the kitchen to kiss Lacy hello.

Lacy blushes as usual, kisses her back and then starts rambling about the new fifth grade teacher. Sadie knows she must be something when Lacy knocks over a treble clef vase. She smiles and tells her to go for it and then they make dinner together and watch the Vampire Diaries before Sadie’s flute lesson comes over.

Later when Sadie’s writing down some lyrics that drifted into her mind and Lacy’s marking her seventh graders science labs Sadie asks Lacy for the new teacher’s name and Lacy flails and falls out of bed when she realizes she forgot to mention that. Sadie giggles and pulls her back into bed and they put away their papers and kiss each other to sleep.

.

Hazel’s just started the lesson on grammar and the difference between past and present tense when the cute blonde seventh grade teacher pokes her head in, “Hey zero divided by zero is zero, right?”

Hazel pauses. Lacy blushes and 12 year olds screech from the class across the hall that they’re right and Ms. Veen’s is clearly wrong. Hazel giggles a little and then calls across the hall back to the tweens that, “All of you need to be giving Ms Veen’s a break! I’m sure you’ve all asked siri the same question!” Hazel’s 10 year old’s screech in laughter and Lacy smiles brightly and-oh, Yeah, Hazel’s gay.

Lacy skips off back to her class and Hazel turns back to the board a little dazed, because wow. Wow, okay.

The kids snicker, but she saw one of the boys swoon when Lacy flounced off so they can’t really talk.

.

Lacy may have used her loud ass 12 year olds to give her an excuse to talk to Hazel. And holy shit how is Hazel’s class so good? She’s taking five of them next time they’re on Plan B. Actually nevermind, Hazel’s not allowed to be absent.

Lacy squeals as she realizes what she just thought and tries to drown herself in her classes failure to comprehend BEDMAS.

.

Sadie is helping a piano student figure out the game plan for her upcoming exam when Lay starts spam texting her, which honestly? What the fuck? Her Lace has class right now? Her Lace should be educating tomorrow’s generation or whatever the fuck she does instead of interrupting a tinys lesson. Sadie rolls her eyes and tells the midget to make a list of the intervals they need to know and the songs that help them remember them and looks at Lacy’s texts.

Oh. Oh fuck that girl is pretty. Holy fucking shit what the fuck know she knows why Sadie used her pink eyeliner today fuck.

And from Lace’s rambles this Hazel girl is also really smart and sweet and good with kids. Fuckity fuck fuck.

Sadie swallows.

S: Babe holy fuck L: Oh light of my life, heart of hearts, I need to actually hold a full out conversation with her first S: Babe please L: I’m tryingggt L: she speaks french btw L: like I was in the workroom and trying to hide from the kids who were in French and I mention this to Hazel and she laughs and she starts spitting out French really dad and I spent the next ½ hour dieing S: babe. L: I CAN’T HELP IT

.

Lacy’s just minding her own business when Hazel sits down next to her without any warning which is not fair because Hazel’s wearing this really pretty lipgloss and Lacy is not an adult and falls out of her chair when Hazel smiles.

Hazel helps her up, “Are you okay?”

“Go out with me?” Lacy answers. Thankfully, she doesn’t say that out loud. A voice in her head that sounds like Sadie tells her to ask Hazel out for real. Lacy ignores it.

“Urm, yes fine good very good, yep thank you, hi?” She flops internally.

Hazel still looks concerned but let’s Lacy’s flailing limbs slide. “Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to escape the school next week for lunch?” Lacy almost faints but pulls herself together, it’s not a date it’s a friendship growing. Dates are later-Sadie needs to get out of her head, gods.

Lacy nods eagerly at this and leaps for Hazel’s phone to punch in her number and mumbles some excuse and holy shit her background is a horse and it’s so cute oh gods. Lacy shakes herself out of it and sends herself a text before returning the phone. Hazel laughs and makes her take a picture for her contacts.

.

Hazel wanders back into her class after recess beaming and lets the kids watch The Prince of Egypt for the mythology unit instead of reading from the textbooks.

She texts her roommate Leo as she’s marking some of their english paragraphs. She doesn’t bother letting anyone else know because Leo will tell them fast than she could even if she tried.

H: you know the cute girl with the pink eyeliner L: DO YOU HAVE PICS YET H: picture_attached L: LOL YOUR SCREWED L: HAVE YOU ASKED HER OUT YET H: i got her number? L: HOLY F*** I’M TELLING MY BOYFRIENDS H: you do realize i know that f*** is fuck right L: SHHH, YOUR TOO PURE H: its you’re L: JASON SAYS YOUR TOO YOUNG TO DATE AND FRANK SAYS GOOD FOR YOU L: PIPER SAYS YOU NEED TO RESPOND TO HER TEXTS L: ANNABETH SAYS TO ASK HER OUT ALREADY L: REYN

Hazel giggles when the messages stop because someone’s clearly stolen his phone, Leo likes to have the typing noise on max to make up for his lack of long nails to click. Or maybe one of his boyfriend’s just wanted some more Leo time and less Leo-On-His-Phone time.

She hesitates before typing out a text to Lacy and sending it.

H: hey, do you want to do brunch on saturday instead of going to some fast food place for five minutes on friday

.

Lacy doesn’t check her phone till she get’s home because she blew out her battery texting Piper and Mitch.

When she does she scares one of Sadie’s students with her shriek, she apologizes quickly and counts down the minutes for Sadie’s lesson to be over to tell her. In the meantime she lets Piper and Mitch know the update and looks at animal shelters for the pet she’s working on convincing Sadie to get. She wonders what Hazel thinks of pets, is she a cat person or a dog person?

.

Sadie finally gets rid of the five year old trying to learn the violin and slides across the floor to the kitchen where her Lace is staring at her phone, “Hey babe.” She kisses the top of her head and looks to see what Lace is staring at.

“I think she asked me out,” Lacy whispers. “Holy shit, I think she asked me out.”

Sadie laughs, “Babe, say yes.”

Lacy nods, “Yeah okay.” She continues to stare at the screen. Sadie sighs and steals her phone.

L: hey lacy would love to get brunch with you H: uhm L: Oh sorry, I’m laces gf sadie, lace is a little busy dying on the kitchen counter H: Oh. Hi! I didn’t know Lacy had a girlfriend, nice to meet you! H: well not meet you H: but uh H: hi?

Sadie found herself staring at the phone. This girl was adorable.

L: heyo, lace also has a mega huge crush on you though, so dw H: wait what L: u like her 2 rite? H: Um H: uh H: …yes L: so u and lace saturday for brunch=date? H: please

Lacy finally moves to wrestle the phone out of Sadie’s hand, and the  she sees the texts and drops her phone. Sadie kisses her cheek and tells Hazel that Lacy will meet her at 10:30.

She turns to smile at Lacy, “You’re welcome babe.”

.

Hazel watches as Lacy’s girlfriend drops her off and her jaw drops because wow. Wow. Wow. Wow.

Lacy walks over to meet her and Hazel awkwardly offers her hand and let’s out a sigh of relief when Lacy takes it. The two of them blush their ways inside.

Once they’re seated they order a waffle to share and start talking, Lacy loves all sorts of animals so Hazel starts gushing about her horse Arion and then she notices Lacy’s glittery pineapple dress and squeals over it and everything seems to settle nicely together.

Lacy decorates her sections of the waffle with strawberries and Hazel puts whipped cream and blueberries on hers and they take a picture with dorky faces and Hazel steals some of Lacy’s strawberries and Lacy swipes her bowl of whipped cream and hoards it.

They split the bill and skip out hand and hand, Sadie’s waiting for Lacy so Hazel doesn’t kiss her goodbye, but then Lacy kisses her and Hazel almost faints because her lips are so soft and she still had a bit of whipped cream on the corner of her mouth and gods.

They both swoon and Sadie has to help them both up and they blush sheepishly. Sadie laughs good naturedly and they start to wander along a walk in the park across the street and holy fuck Sadie’s really cool. Lacy and Sadie drive her to the subway later and Lacy kisses her goodbye one more time and Hazel stumbles onto the train in a happy daze.

.

Sadie and Lacy drive home and Lacy’s rambling about the date and then Sadie starts talking about how nice Hazel was and wow her horse was so nice (she’d shown them pictures) and the two stop and look at each other.

“You want to date her.” Lacy says, smiling.

Sadie looks at her, “I want to date her.”

“Let’s date her.” Lacy says, still smiling.

.

Hazel, Sadie and Lacy go to the library and the movies and bike riding and Hazel brings them to meet Arion and they fall into a relationship, Sadie’s jealous of the other two because they get to see each other at their school so Sadie ask Hazel to spend the night whenever she can and then Lacy asks her to move in because the night’s Hazel doesn’t spend the night are always a little bit empty now. Hazel’s filled a spot in their life that didn’t need to be filled but life’s so much nicer now that it is.

.

Ten months after they’ve moved in together and met all the family and Sadie’s asked both their dad’s for permission because her girlfriends like it when Sadie does stuff like that she asks their Principal Reyna if Sadie can propose to them over the PA.

All the secretaries giggle but Reyna just smiles at her and passes over the mike and then Sadie’s on air.

Sadie takes in a deep breath, “Lacy Veen and Hazel Levesque, this is your wonderful and extremely talented girlfriend and I. Um, I was wondering if you two would like to shackle yourselves to me for the rest of your lives.”

The next thing she knows two beautiful teachers are screaming in her ears and showering her with kisses and classes are buzzing in to ask what they said so Reyna hands Hazel the mike and Hazel just screeches so Lacy yells yes into it and there’s laughter and Sadie hugs them tight and pulls out their rings and then Hazel’s giggling and she gets down on one knee with two rings.

“Hey, I love you two?” Sadie and Lacy take the rings and they smile and pull her up and kiss her on both cheeks and then Reyna’s in front of them with a camera and they all try to smile but they’re too busy laughing and telling each other “I love you”.

The picture comes out blurry but they hang it in their apartment anyway.

[disneygirl2202]

You’re Not Them (Sam Temple x Reader)

A/N: These characters are from a book series I read called Gone. It’s a really good series, I highly recommend it! 

Prompt: You’ve been friends with Sam and Quinn for as long as you can remember. You’ve known about his powers for awhile since you are just like him. When Caine, Derek, and Diana first show up, they recognize you and try to get you to join them again, but you go back to the firestation with Sam and that’s when you decide to confront them to leave your friends alone. 

Sam’s P.O.V. 

“Not them, anybody but them.” Y/N mumbles, her grip on my hands tightens 

“Y/N, didn’t you go to school with them?” Quinn asks 

She sighs and nods, rolling her eyes. 

“Yeah, I sadly had to go to school with them before my mom realized that I was happier with you guys so she let me switch. They still hate my guts for it.” She says

“Want to tell us who they are?” I ask 

“The one in the bright yellow is Caine Soren, the other one next to him with the sandy colored hair is Drake Merwin, then the girl is Diana Ladris, then the one who looks like a fifth grader, his name is Jack, but everybody calls him Computer Jack.” She says, pointing to each one 

“They seem like they’re in charge.” I say 

“No doubt about that.” She says “Caine always had that natural leadership with him.” 

She looks at them, I can feel her hand start to warm up and tap her with my free hand. 

“Y/N, your hand.” I whisper 

“Sorry.” She says and automatically cools down

“How well did you know them?” Astrid asks 

“They were my group. They were the ones I hung out with. Drake and I were the athletic ones in the group. But I can tell you this, this isn’t the Drake I knew. They must have changed him somehow after I left.” She says quietly 

“Who are the leaders here?” The one named Caine asks 

Howard steps up, telling him about Orc, and that whole fiasco happened. When Caine asked for other leaders, mine and Y/N’s name. 

I look at Y/N as she has a tight line formed with her lips as she grabs the crook of my arm with the hand that isn’t holding mine. 

“Lets go down there and see what its about.” I say 

“He will kill me.” She says

“No he won’t. He’s not capable of that. Besides, you’re stronger than him. You have the powers.” I whisper 

She nods as the crowd parts as we make our way towards the center. We reach Caine and the others, he looks at us and his eyes stop on Y/N. I can feel my own grip on her hand tighten. 

“Sam Temple.” I say and hold my hand out

“You wouldn’t so happen to be related to the nurse up at Coates Academy.” He says 

“She’s my mother.” I say 

He nods and shakes my hand then looks at Y/N, eyeing her up and down. 

“Caine, stop checking me out. I will never be your’s. Not again.” She says, an annoyed look on her face “Besides, I’m taken.” 

She holds our hands up and he nods then looks around again. I quickly nominate Quinn for another leader. 

Once we have all of the twelve he needed, we head into the church. I feel Y/N’s grip release a bit as Astrid kneels down and does the cross symbol. We look back and she lets go of my hand as she sees Drake looking directly at us.

As we are walking in, Y/N watches those four closely, especially Diana. She looks at the ground as we approach Diana. Diana sets her hand on my shoulder and I can feel Y/N tense up next to me. 

“I’ve heard a lot about you Sam. That was really brave.” She says 

“Diana, don’t touch him.” Y/N says

Diana looks at her as she lets her hand drop and shakes her head. 

“Look what the dog dragged in. The one who left Drake behind.” She laughs 

“You’re so lucky we are in a church. But I would’ve brought Drake with me if his parents would have let me.” Y/N growls 

“Oh! Sam, you have a feisty one here.” She says 

“Well maybe you shouldn’t talk about her family like that. I would be the same way if you were insulting me about leaving my family.” Quinn says 

She just looks at us and smiles softly, then motions for us to head into the church and sit down. 

“Thanks Quinn, she tends to be rather difficult.” Y/N says “Sam, don’t let her let her touch you, she’s like us.” 

“What can she do?” I ask 

“I’ll explain later.” She says with a kiss to my cheek then goes and sits next to Astrid and little Petey 

-~-

Everything was going good until Orc decided to run his big mouth and after the mini earthquake, that’s when Little Pete started to have a break down. 

“Astrid, get him outside.” Y/N quickly said 

She nods and started to walk out, I grab Y/N’s hand, hearing a creaking sound coming from the front of the church. I see the giant cross as it starts to fall down and hits Cookie in his shoulder. Caine looks at Cookie then directly at Y/N as she brings her hand to her mouth, running out of the church. 

-~- 

After they got help for Cookie, I walked out, hoping to find Astrid or Y/N. I see Astrid talking to the one they call Computer Jack but I don’t see Y/N, or Drake in that case. 

“Astrid, have you seen Y/N?” I ask 

“I think she said she was going to head to the fire station and clean it up a bit so it could be livable for you four that are working that part.” She says 

“Thanks Astrid. We’ll meet up later.” I say and run off 

Your P.O.V. 

“Drake, just leave me alone.” You say as you continue to walk to the fire station 

“Y/N, you need to listen to me if you want to stay alive.” He says 

You turn around suddenly, looking him in the eye, his sandy hair falling into the eyes you once used to call safety. You shove your hands in your pockets, looking down. 

“I’m not being part of that group again. Not after what I see that they have done to you. The Drake I knew, the Drake that I called my best friend is no longer there, all because I left to be happier with my boyfriend. I’m sorry Drake, I need to keep my friends safe from Diana and Caine.” You say, tears coming to your eyes 

“Y/N, don’t do this. We can keep you safe. Nobody will find out about your powers like they will if you stay with them.” He says 

“I’m not coming with you Drake.” You say again 

You reach your hand up and set it on his cheek, instead of pulling his face away, he accepted it. You sigh as some of his tears spill over his cheek, you wipe the fallen tears from his cheek. 

“I’m sorry.” You whisper, going on your tiptoes and give him a small kiss on the cheek, just like old times 

You watch as he walks away, you finally let your own tears fall as you finish your route to the fire station. 

When you find the room with the cots, that’s where you just break down. 

-~-

“Y/N, hurry up. We’re going to be late!” Drake yells 

“Coach won’t kill us, he knows we were studying.” You yell, running after him

“You never know.” He says 

You roll your eyes as you finally catch up with him, holding onto your blazer as you continued to run to the football field. 

“You never told me how your date with Caine went last night.” He says as we slow the pace down 

“Why would you want to know?” You ask 

“Am I not allowed to know how my best friend’s date went with the guy that finally helped her get over her last crush?” He asks 

“Well it fine. It was basically a normal day, but there was just something there.” You say with a smile

“Good. And I can actually approve of this guy.” He says 

You roll your eyes and get ready for rugby practice. 

-~- 

A few days later, you are in the kitchen, preparing something to eat for whenever Sam got back with Quinn and Edilio from a training. You hear the door open and three groans in unison. You laugh as you walk to the door, pulling your hair to the side of your neck. 

“Tough day?” You ask 

“You have no idea.” Quinn says 

“Can’t be as bad as half of the waves you took last week.” You say

“True. Wait, is that water I hear boiling?” Sam asks 

“Why yes it is. I was just about to start the pasta.” You say 

As you guys all walk back into the kitchen, you hear a light scream. You look at the others, then go to run out to the garage, where you see small curls around a figure as they make their way up the driveway crying for help. 

“Bette?!” You say surprised, grabbing her under her arm and help her, noticing the cut on her temple 

“Help me. They’re going to kill me.” She cries 

“Y/N, who is that?” Sam asks as he comes running out 

“Bette, who did this?” You ask, while answering Sam’s question 

“Y/N, get back here. I just figured out who did this.” Quinn says 

You look towards the bottom of the driveway and see Orc with Howard and two kids from Coates. You bring Bette to where you two are behind the three boys. You step up next to Sam and look at them as they are carrying their bats in their hands. 

“Alright Orc, this has gone to far.” You start 

“Get out of the way, we ain’t finished with the punishment yet.” Orc grumbles 

You cross your arms as you take a step in front of everybody, glaring him down. 

“How about you make me Orc.” You say 

“You’re asking for it.” He says

He brings his bat up and swings it at your head, you duck under it and quickly kick his gut as he is still moving from the momentum from the swing. 

“You must have forgotten, my dad was a police officer and taught me a few things in the self defense category. And I trained even more at Coates.” You say, glaring at him as he is doubled over 

He laughs as he shakes his head and brings his arm out and grabs mehind your knees and pulls your legs out from under you. You fall back and land on your butt, sending a shock of pain through your spine. You see Edilio come rushing him and that’s the last thing you remember for that moment before it goes black. 

The next time you see color is when Drake shows up telling everybody to stay still. You stand up with the help of Sam and watch as Orc keeps kicking Edilio. Drake stops them then turns towards us, eyeing you. 

“What is going on here?” He asks 

“I was just coming to help Bette get away from Orc when he attacked me.” You say, arms crossed

“And why was Orc beating Bette?” He asks 

“Cause she was breaking the rules.” Howard says 

“That shouldn’t result into a beating that could have killed her!” You yell, feelings Sam grab your hips to hold you back from taking a lunge at them again

Drake watches you, awfully amused by your reaction at saving somebody like Bette. 

“And what rule was she breaking?” He asks 

“She was doing magic.” A kid says 

You look at Sam, eyes wide. 

“Drake, she is done with punishment. I’m calling that now.” You say 

“Since when is that the rule?” Sam asks 

“They’re in the new rules.” Drake says, handing Sam a folded piece of paper

“This is ridiculous.” You mutter 

“And Y/N, I’ll let you call it tonight, but don’t expect it to happen every time.” He says “Everybody go home!” 

The crowd clears as you turn around and bring Bette inside. You bandage up the wound and look at the clock. 

“Sam, want to walk her home?” You ask 

“Oh, uhm, sure.” He says 

You watch them walk out then turn towards the other two. Quinn looks at you and shakes his head. 

“You’re not going out there.” He says 

“Yes I am. I am the only one who can directly approach Caine and Drake without being beaten.” You say, grabbing Sam’s jacket that he left behind, heading towards the door “Tell Sam I’ll be right back.” 

You walk out and head towards Town Hall, ready to beat somebody. You feel a presence behind you. 

“Orc, you know you aren’t to touch me. I’m just going to talk to Caine then I will head back to my station.” You say, not looking back 

“Why are you one of the only ones who can approach him without a warning?” He asks 

“I don’t have to tell you.” You say and continue to walk 

Sam’s P.O.V. 

I get back to the fire station and see Edilio and Quinn eating a bowl of cereal. 

“Pasta didn’t survive.” Quinn says 

I nod and grab a bowl myself, looking around and not seeing Y/N. 

“She went to go confront them didn’t she?” I say 

“You know her well.” Quinn says

“She didn’t give you a choice?” I ask

“Nope.” He says 

I sigh and sit down and start to eat, pulling out the new rules, reading over them and shaking my head. 

“These are dumb.” I say 

“That’s why Y/N  went to confront them.” Edilio says 

“I don’t trust them. I don’t see why she liked them when she went to school with them.” I say 

“They must have changed.” Quinn says 

“That’s what she said about Drake.” I say 

“Dude, he’s her cousin.” Quinn says 

“How do you know that?” I ask 

“My parents were out, you were busy, so I was over there, playing video games with her when he came over with Y/N’s mom’s brother.” He says 

I nod and look back at the rules, pursing my lips. 

“Did she say when she was coming back?” I ask 

“No. But she said she’ll be back, and that you probably should try to get some sleep.” Edilio says 

I nod and walk into the toehr room and lay down on one of the six beds, looking at the ceiling. 

Your P.O.V. 

You walk into the Town Hall, walking right past some of the kids on duty. You ignore their protests about how you can’t go in there. 

“Alright Caine, what the hell are you doing with this place?” You ask, barging into the mayor’s office 

“Hello to you too Y/N.” He says, looking up from the paper in front of him 

“You can’t just let your officers go around and beat people. Especially if the new sheriff is my own cousin.” You say, crossing your arms, glaring at him “Don’t even try to touch me Diana. You should know better than anyone that my powers won’t change and I will stay at 4 bars.” 

“You’re getting good at noticing your surroundings.” She says and walks out from behind me 

“I just want to know what gives you the right to give permission to other people to beat others.” You say 

“I’m the mayor. What I say, it goes. That is why I have Drake in charge of enforcing the rules. You would have been a good one to have in his place, but I don’t know if I can trust you. Especially after you left us for the Temple kid.” He says 

“I left because they made me a lot happier than Coates kids could. But me leaving did not give you the right to change Drake.” You say 

“Well, you could be part of the plan once again and you can hear what we are planning on doing after we find all the ones like us.” He says 

“I’m good. Just like I told Drake, I am not coming back and being one of you. I rather be a minion or fall into a trap with Sam and them, cause I know they will always have my back.” You say 

Turning around, going to walk out when you turn around and look at Diana, to see her glare at you. 

“Oh Diana sweetie, don’t try to read my friends. I know which ones are like us, and which ones aren’t. So don’t go trying to read them again, or you won’t like what will happen.” You say 

She looks at you, a shocked expression on her face. 

“I know you tried to read Astrid, I was able to feel the presence of your ability residue on her. And when you set your hand on Sam’s shoulder, I know you didn’t read him, but you were thinking about it.” You say “But don’t. You don’t want to turn out like Caine with a burn mark on his back because of me.” 

You walk out of the Town Hall, walking right past Drake. You feel his hand grace your shoulder as you continue to walk away. 

Sam’s P.O.V. 

I sit up as I hear the door open and a quick groan. I get up off of the bed and quietly make my way out. I walk to the main room and see Y/N sitting on the couch, looking at the ceiling, hand in her hair, tears going down her cheeks. 

I walk over and sit at her feet and set my arm on her knees, looking at her. 

“Are you okay?” I ask 

“It just hurts to see my cousin so ruthless. What did they do to him? His father would have never let his mother do this to him.” She says

“Who knows. But you just have to ignore it. Maybe he’ll change back once he sees it’s wrong.” I say 

“He’s stubborn like his mother. He won’t come back.” She says

“I’m sorry Y/N, but we just need to survive for now until we can figure out what the next move is.” I say 

“I know. And whatever they are planning isn’t going to be good.” She says 

“You never told them their powers if they have any.” I say 

“Right.” She says

She sits up, curling up into the blanket even more. I set my arm across the back of the couch as she lays her head on my shoulder. 

“Drake, he is one of us, he’s not that strong, his is something to do with regeneration and stuff like that.” She says 

“Not surprised with him being your cousin.” I say 

She laughs and nods, a smile on her face. 

“What about Computer Jack?” I ask 

“I don’t think he is one of us. But he obviously knows that they have powers.” She says 

“Aright. Caine?” I say

“Yes. He is just about as strong as me, he has telekinesis. I have a feeling that he is the one who caused the cross to fall on top of Cookie.” She says

“That’s insane.” I say 

“You don’t want to get on his bad side.” She says 

“What about Diana?” I ask 

“Yes. She’s a reader. She can tell you how strong or what your powers are. But she has to touch you and it takes her about 2 to 5 minutes to get a full reading.” She says 

“That’s why you don’t want her to touch me or Little Pete or anybody else.” I say 

“Exactly. If they were to find out how strong you are or what powers you have, or that Little Pete has some powers, I don’t know what they plan on doing.” She says 

“He obvious took an interest in me after he found out for sure that I was who I was.” I say 

“Because of your mom. He had something against your mom while we were at Coates together, but he never told me what it was. But I can tell you this, he is afraid of you and I don’t know why exactly.” She says 

“Well I can tell you that he is afraid of you too.” I say 

She chuckles, and shakes her head, looking down at our hands as I took one of her’s with my hand that was at my side. 

“There’s a reason behind why he is scared of me. Why all of them are scared of me.” She says 

“Powers?” I ask 

“Yeah. I’m the only one they know of that have two powers like mine.” She starts 

“Reading and fire.” I say 

“Yeah. Well Caine did something to me that I didn’t like, so I may or may not have left a burnt spot on his back.” She says 

“You injured him?” I ask 

“Yeah. He deserved it, he broke my heart.” She says 

“The same day you came right over to my house after school, tears running down your face.” I say 

“Exactly. Same day I told you that I liked you and I have for a while.” She says 

I smile and drop my arm to where it’s around her shoulder. I kiss the top of her head and look down at her. 

“You should get some sleep.” I say 

“Will you at least stay with me here until I fall asleep, I’ve been having nightmares a lot lately.” She says 

“Of course I will. Besides, we aren’t that far away from the other room.” I say 

She smiles and just lets her head lay on my shoulder while we talk until I can hear her breathing even out, telling me she’s asleep. I smile and lean my head against the arm rest and fall asleep, her hand in mine and my arm around her.

[carbonjen]

Middle school teacher!Jason has a crush on fellow elementary school teacher!Dick.

I think this prompt is absolutely adorable (and it gives me a chance to write outside being a gym teacher)

Learning the Lines of You

“Alright you guys, remember to be quiet, we don’t want to bother the middle schoolers!” 

A few kids in Jason’s class looked up from their essays at Dick Grayson’s bright voice in the hallway. Even Jason looked up and saw the line of first graders following Dick like obedient little ducklings. He looked back at his own group of kids and wondered why he hadn’t gone for elementary education. Yeah, teaching kids the books he’d loved in school had been a good idea at the time, but he should have known that not all of his students would appreciate it. 

The sound of tiny footsteps faded away and Jason was left with the sounds of his own students. The scratch of pencils and the occasional sound of an eraser, even a few exhausted sighs. They look at Jason like he’s the one that gets it easy when in reality, Jason will have to grade these essays. A few weeks ago, the Dean said something about a potential position for Jason in the upper school and Jason knows he’ll be considering it when he’s reviewing the terrible grammar in these essays. 

In the last ten minutes of class, students start to finish their essays, handing them to Jason until class ended and Jason dismissed them, collecting their papers as they left the room. A few minutes after they left, Jason collected the essays and went to the teacher’s lounge to start grading them. 

He stepped inside and among the other teachers, Dick Grayson was there looking over a pile of papers while eating something that smelled so delicious, it made Jason’s own lunch look sad. 

Dick looked up at his entrance, “Oh hi!” He smiled and it was one of the brightest things Jason had ever seen. “You’re Mr. Todd from the middle school right?”

“Jason,” he corrected as he went to the fridge debating pulling out his own lunch. He shrugged and grabbed it. “You’re in elementary,” Jason pointed out as he sat across from Grayson, setting the essays and his lunch down.  Dick looked at the papers. 

“What are those?”

“In class essays,” Jason said as he pulled out his pen. 

“Oh man, I always hated those,” Dick said. “No offense.”

“I get it,” Jason replied. “If you think writing them was bad, I promise you grading them is worse. Teaching kids how to write a thesis essay and teaching them analysis based reading in one year is kind of a lot.”

Dick nodded, “I totally get it. Elementary isn’t bad, but it’s as much babysitting as it is teaching sometimes.”

“And the kids actually like you,” Jason said. “These kids act like I’m torturing them when I ask them to read things like Treasure Island and Sherlock Holmes because they’re older and harder to understand. They also didn’t understand The Outsiders at all, they walked around wearing madras shorts calling themselves Socs for weeks afterwards.”

Dick laughed, “That’s terrible, but you have to admit the whole Soc thing is hilarious. This is Gotham Academy, not a lot of kids here relate to the Greasers.” Jason always had, but he didn’t say anything about that, he could see the understanding on Dick’s face though. 

“Hopefully they’ll do what I did,” Dick said. “They’ll pick the books up again one day and appreciate that someone tried to teach them good literature. They’ll also wonder how they didn’t understand what analysis was back then.” 

“Are you saying this from personal experience?” Jason asked, he opened his lunch box and pulled out a salad. 

“Maybe,” Dick said with a playful grin as he started eating his lunch again, it looked like a shepherd’s pie and it smelled amazing. 

Jason started grading the papers, but a few minutes later, a hand waved in front of his vision and he looked up. 

“Sorry,” Dick said. “But you looked like you were in pain and I just had to stop you.” 

“Sorry,” Jason said. “This one is just really bad.” 

Dick took the paper and looked at it, brow furrowing and a frown forming on his beautiful face. He looked pretty even when he looked upset at how bad some of these kids were at writing. 

“Oh my god,” Dick shook his head. “You are not grading all of these yourself. I’m helping you.”

“What?” Jason asked. 

“I’ll help you,�� Dick said with a grin on his face. “I don’t have much grading to do and my lesson plans for the month are done. I also feel like I’m in need of a challenge so I’ll help you grade your essays.”

“When?” Jason asked. 

“What are you doing tonight?” Dick replied. 

It was a Friday and Jason was tempted to say he had plans but Dick’s offer also meant he didn’t have plans. “I was going to grade these essays,” Jason admitted. 

“Awesome,” Dick replied. “Your place or mine?”

“Mine?”

Dick slid his phone over to Jason’s. “Great, put your info in and I’ll be there at six, I’ll bring some of this shepherd’s pie too.”

Jason put his info in Dick’s phone and Dick smiled at him then his phone jingled. “Oops, I have to go pick up the kids from gym class. I’ll see you tonight!”

“Dude,” one of the high school teachers said as Dick breezed out of the room. “Grayson is totally into you.”

Jason may have freaked out a bit when he got home. He cleaned his apartment from top to bottom and worked out hard in an attempt to burn away some of his nerves because what if that high school teacher had been right and Dick was into Jason. 

He stepped out of the shower and tried to find something decent to wear, settling for jeans and a t-shirt. He didn’t want to dress too nicely in case Dick came dressed casually, but he didn’t want to wear sweats either.  

When Dick got there, Jason’s hair was still a little damp and probably looked wild from all the times he’d run his hands through it. Dick stared at him for a moment before he smiled and held up the large tupperware container he held in his hands. 

“I brought food,” he said. 

“Awesome,” Jason said. “Come in.” He showed Dick to his living room and then to the kitchen so Dick could help him heat up the food. “Do you want something to drink?”

“Sure,” Dick said. “What do you have?”

“Water, milk, juice, beer, tea, coffee, wine, and I think I have some cokes somewhere in the back of the fridge.”

“I’ll take a beer if you don’t mind,” Dick said. 

“Alright,” Jason said as he went to the fridge and pulled out two beers. He opened them up and handed one to Dick as they put the food in the microwave. 

They started eating and grading a few minutes later, laughing and complaining about the papers as they sat together on the couch. There was only one cushion of space between them, occupied by the papers they needed to grade. 

“Is this what our papers were like?” Dick asked as he shook his head at the essay in front of him. “If it is, I want to send an apology to all of my teachers because these are awful. How do you even begin to grade them?”

“You have to make a really loose rubric sometimes,” Jason said. “And then follow that. Even then, sometimes it’s still difficult.”

A few minutes, or maybe even an hour later, Dick put the essay he was working on aside. 

“Okay,” he said, taking the papers from between them and putting them on the coffee table. “Mandatory break from the torture, that means you too,” Jason willingly let Dick snatch the paper from his hand. 

“All this makes me glad I’m in elementary,” Dick said as he leaned back on the couch and took a sip from his beer. Jason watched the way his adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed and he wanted nothing more than to put his mouth on the golden skin and feel how it moved under his lips. 

“Yeah,” Jason whispered, voice coming out lower than he intended. 

Dick looked at him and their eyes met, Dick’s eyes were such a rich shade of blue people would have waxed poetic about it back in the day, hell, Jason wanted to write poetry about those eyes now. 

-

“I hear Mr. Todd is in love or something,” one of the students said as she walked through the halls past Mr. Todd’s room. 

“Oh really?”

“Yeah, he’s like super smiley all the time. The only thing that sucks is that he’s not nicer or anything.”

“That sucks.”

Jason overheard the conversation from his classroom and had to bite back a laugh. A few minutes after the hallways cleared, Dick stepped into his classroom, closing the door behind him. 

“You look pleased,” Dick said as he sat down on Jason’s desk. “Did someone have really good insight today on one of your readings?”

“No,” Jason said. “But there are rumors.”

“Oh really?” Dick asked. “What kind of rumors?”

Jason stood up and placed on hand on each side of Dick, leaning in close to whisper in Dick’s ear. “Rumors that I’m in love.”

“Oh really?” Dick replied, draping his arms around Jason’s shoulders. “And are those rumors true?”

Jason moved down Dick’s jawline pressing small kisses there until he was hovering over Dick’s mouth. He looked into Dick’s eyes and they were like dancing fire, waiting for Jason to do or say something. Jason’s mouth quirked up in a small smile. 

“Yeah, I think they are.” He pressed in and kissed Dick, the two of them getting so lost in each other that they didn’t notice when the door to Jason’s classroom opened. 

Jason pulled away but it was too late. One of his students was staring at them both with wide eyes. The student stepped into the classroom and grabbed a backpack that was leaning against one of the desks, Jason and Dick watching her as she apologized profusely the entire way. 

The door shut and Jason leaned on Dick’s shoulder. “How long do you think it will be before the whole school knows.”

“I give it until the end of the day,” Dick replied. If Jason looked half as debauched as Dick did right now, he didn’t want to know what types of rumors would be going around. Dick pressed his lips against Jason’s neck and started sucking but Jason pulled away. 

“What are you doing?”

“Well we’ve got to prove the rumor is true, don’t we?”

While the word around the school wasn’t something to go by, the hickey on Jason’s neck in fifth period that definitely hadn’t been there by third period was all the confirmation the middle schoolers needed. And if Jason gave Dick a necklace of hickeys that night in return, well, no one had to know about that. 

[ryanblog35]

BLOG 3-5

Create your own Movie Summary

Room (2015)

Five-year-old Jack's whole world is a confined, 11-by-11-foot locked space crammed with pictures, toys, and books--the Room. Of course, his young mother is in the room too, taking care of her only son, and making sure nothing bad happens to him--especially when Old Nick pays them a visit, and Jack starts hearing creaking sounds. However, one day, Ma says that there is a place outside their chamber where houses, trees, people, and dogs are real; a marvellous realm where the air is fresh, and the wide sky is blue.

Wonder (2017)

August Pullman has been homeschooled due to some complicated health issues related to a dramatic cranio-facial abnormality and the rigorous surgery schedule that comes with it. But by the time August turns ten, his parents are beginning to think about the big picture a.k.a. long-term. They have realized that Auggie not only needs to learn more than his mom can teach him, but he also needs to learn to navigate a world that isn't always kind to those who are different.

Enter: middle school.

At Beecher Prep in Manhattan, fifth grade is the first year of middle school, so it's a good time for August to plunge into the mainstream. At first Auggie dreads the idea of so many kids staring at him. And who can blame him? But when his mom tells him about the chicks (no, not the beautiful ten-year-old babes—the actual chickens that hatch in the science classroom incubator), he's kind of psyched.

Mr. Tushman, the principal of Beecher Prep (and the butt of many a weak joke), arranges a small welcome committee for August. He asks three kids he has heard are really nice to befriend Auggie, show him around, and help him transition into school life. Charlotte is polite and pleasant, Jack is reserved but nice, and Julian is an unkind creep pretty much from the get-go. Oh good.

The welcome wagon being an imperfect entity, Auggie finds himself sitting alone at lunch the first day of school. Out of the blue though, a really nice girl named Summer sits down and strikes up conversation. She first sits with him because she feels sorry for him, but it doesn't take long for the two kids to become friends. Outside of lunch, Jack's desk is next to Auggie's in almost every class. And once he gets used to Auggie's face, Jack realizes that Auggie is a cool, smart, fun kid, plus a really good friend. So while he's not exactly Mr. Popular, Auggie has made a couple of solid friends.

But Jack lacks self-confidence and the courage to stick with his convictions, and finds himself badmouthing Auggie with the best of 'em. Except he doesn't realize that Auggie is sitting at the next desk over, wearing a Halloween mask. It's a devastating betrayal, one that sends Auggie bolting for the bathroom in tears and swearing never to return to school. Luckily his big sister, Via, prods him into returning, saying that learning to cope with the awful days is part of growing up and facing life. Plus she threatens to rat him out. She's still his sister, after all.

Auggie goes back to school, but drops Jack like the proverbial hot potato, leaving his former friend hurt and bewildered. Of course Jack eventually figures out where things went off the rails, and when he does, he feels like a super jerk—and shortly thereafter a showdown between Jack and mean-kid Julian ends up with somebody missing a baby tooth.

Jack and August make up and it seems like life is getting back on track… at least until Jack returns from winter break and finds himself suddenly a total social reject. Julian has turned the entire class against Jack for his decision to remain friends with Auggie "The Freak" Pullman. Jack's loyalty is truly put to the test now, as he suffers social isolation on par with Auggie's. If he ditches Auggie, he gets to hang with the popular crowd—but Auggie and Summer are pretty much the only kids still speaking to him, giving him support even though he's let Auggie down in the past.

The climax of the story comes when the fifth graders are away at nature camp. Auggie and Jack are accosted in the woods one night by some big seventh-graders looking for trouble, and Auggie is verbally and physically assaulted for no reason other than his appearance. A few other boys from Auggie's class circle back to see what's going on, but when they step in to help, the situation explodes into a scuffle. Sweatshirts are ripped, elbows get scraped, and most painfully, Auggie's expensive hearing aids are lost in the night.

Auggie is terrified and hurt, but exhilarated too. Even in pain and in tears, he realizes that boys who have until this point either actively shunned or passively ignored him have, on this occasion, stood up for him and protected him, and have pledged to continue to do so. The injustice of the cruelty toward August catalyzes a permanent change for the better in his classmates' attitudes.

This turning point signals the end of Auggie's painful isolation. His peers finally accept him as one of their own—as a kid with a heart, a brain, and a great sense of humor in addition to his weird face. Auggie's fifth grade year culminates in victory, and he is admired by students and teachers alike for his courage, his perseverance in the face of difficulty, and the quiet strength of his character.

Lion (2016)

In 1986, Saroo was a five-year-old child in India of a poor but happy rural family. On a trip with his brother, Saroo soon finds himself alone and trapped in a moving decommissioned passenger train that takes him to Calcutta, 1500 miles away from home. Now totally lost in an alien urban environment and too young to identify either himself or his home to the authorities, Saroo struggles to survive as a street child until he is sent to an orphanage. Soon, Saroo is selected to be adopted by the Brierley family in Tasmania, where he grows up in a loving, prosperous home. However, for all his material good fortune, Saroo finds himself plagued by his memories of his lost family in his adulthood and tries to search for them even as his guilt drives him to hide this quest from his adoptive parents and his girlfriend. Only when he has an epiphany does he realize not only the answers he needs, but also the steadfast love that he has always had with all his loved ones in both worlds.

Guide Questions (WONDER)

1. What little lessons can be learned from the movie?

Dont lose hope even though its hard for you because there is always hope that awaits to you and always look forward and be determined to yourself.

2. What part of the story told by the movie was the most powerful? Why?

The ending scene because I feel happy for the main character and all the characters in the movie were happy and cheering to him also he gained a new achievement through all that ups and down. (about WONDER)

3. Who was your favorite character in the movie? Why?

Jack Will, in first part he was friendly to the main character and he even defended him even though he backstabbed the main character but after that he regretted it and good development came to his character like he actually like the main character him being a real friend. (about WONDER)

4. Did anything that happened in the movie remind you of something that has occurred in your own life or that you have seen to others?

Yes, about the bullying I saw someone picking a fight to other kid and I have a supportive family that always give me hope and determination.

5. If you have a chance to ask a character in this movie a question, what would it be?

What good advice can you give?

Guide Questions (ROOM)

1.  What little lessons can be learned from the movie?

Dont give up even its hard for you and love your family members.

2.  What part of the story told by the movie was the most powerful? Why?

When the mother is protecting her son when the antagonist pays a visit.

3.  Who was your favorite character in the movie? Why?

The mother because she still not giving up even when the two of them were in worse situation.

4. Did anything that happened in the movie remind you of something that has occurred in your own life or that you have seen to others?

Yes, when my mother supports me when I am sick.

5.   If you have a chance to ask a character in this movie a question, what would it be?

How to get all that courage and bravery?

[irrahalabaso23-blog]

August Pullman has been home schooled due to some complicated health issues related to a dramatic cranio-facial abnormality and the rigorous surgery schedule that comes with it. But by the time August turns ten, his parents are beginning to think about the big picture a.k.a. long-term. They have realized that Auggie not only needs to learn more than his mom can teach him, but he also needs to learn to navigate a world that isn't always kind to those who are different.

At Beecher Prep in Manhattan, fifth grade is the first year of middle school, so it's a good time for August to plunge into the mainstream. At first Auggie dreads the idea of so many kids staring at him. And who can blame him? But when his mom tells him about the chicks (no, not the beautiful ten-year-old babes—the actual chickens that hatch in the science classroom incubator), he's kind of psyched.

Mr. Tushman, the principal of Beecher Prep (and the butt of many a weak joke), arranges a small welcome committee for August. He asks three kids he has heard are really nice to befriend Auggie, show him around, and help him transition into school life. Charlotte is polite and pleasant, Jack is reserved but nice, and Julian is an unkind creep pretty much from the get-go. Oh good.

The welcome wagon being an imperfect entity, Auggie finds himself sitting alone at lunch the first day of school. Out of the blue though, a really nice girl named Summer sits down and strikes up conversation. She first sits with him because she feels sorry for him, but it doesn't take long for the two kids to become friends. Outside of lunch, Jack's desk is next to Auggie's in almost every class. And once he gets used to Auggie's face, Jack realizes that Auggie is a cool, smart, fun kid, plus a really good friend. So while he's not exactly Mr. Popular, Auggie has made a couple of solid friends.

But Jack lacks self-confidence and the courage to stick with his convictions, and finds himself badmouthing Auggie with the best of 'em. Except he doesn't realize that Auggie is sitting at the next desk over, wearing a Halloween mask. It's a devastating betrayal, one that sends Auggie bolting for the bathroom in tears and swearing never to return to school. Luckily his big sister, Via, prods him into returning, saying that learning to cope with the awful days is part of growing up and facing life. Plus she threatens to rat him out. She's still his sister, after all.

Auggie goes back to school, but drops Jack like the proverbial hot potato, leaving his former friend hurt and bewildered. Of course Jack eventually figures out where things went off the rails, and when he does, he feels like a super jerk—and shortly thereafter a showdown between Jack and mean-kid Julian ends up with somebody missing a baby tooth.

Jack and August make up and it seems like life is getting back on track… at least until Jack returns from winter break and finds himself suddenly a total social reject. Julian has turned the entire class against Jack for his decision to remain friends with Auggie "The Freak" Pullman. Jack's loyalty is truly put to the test now, as he suffers social isolation on par with Auggie's. If he ditches Auggie, he gets to hang with the popular crowd—but Auggie and Summer are pretty much the only kids still speaking to him, giving him support even though he's let Auggie down in the past.

The climax of the story comes when the fifth graders are away at nature camp. Auggie and Jack are accosted in the woods one night by some big seventh-graders looking for trouble, and Auggie is verbally and physically assaulted for no reason other than his appearance. A few other boys from Auggie's class circle back to see what's going on, but when they step in to help, the situation explodes into a scuffle. Sweatshirts are ripped, elbows get scraped, and most painfully, Auggie's expensive hearing aids are lost in the night.

Auggie is terrified and hurt, but exhilarated too. Even in pain and in tears, he realizes that boys who have until this point either actively shunned or passively ignored him have, on this occasion, stood up for him and protected him, and have pledged to continue to do so. The injustice of the cruelty toward August catalyzes a permanent change for the better in his classmates' attitudes.

This turning point signals the end of Auggie's painful isolation. His peers finally accept him as one of their own—as a kid with a heart, a brain, and a great sense of humor in addition to his weird face. Auggie's fifth grade year culminates in victory, and he is admired by students and teachers alike for his courage, his perseverance in the face of difficulty, and the quiet strength of his character.

Answer

1.) Life lessons can be learned from the movie?

Never give in to bullies. Kids can be harsher than adults simply because they say whatever is on their minds. Your true friends will stick up for you.

2.) Most powerful part of the story?

Auggie hides behind his astronaut helmet until one day he doesn’t even know where it is. He begins to walk with confidence and develops true friendships along the way, which help build up the courage to not hide his face.

3.) Favorite character in the Movie? 

The best character is Jack. Although he was a jerk by saying those mean things to August, he remains his loyal friend is therefore the best character. He defended him through the hard times and remained loyal to him.

4.) Reminds me of Something

Do not change who you are to fit into a circle of friends or have certain people like you. 

5.) Question to the Character

To Via, Why are you ashamed to be friends with others?

[ashleydpalmerusa]

Let’s All Meet ‘Cody (COD-E),’ PwC’s Newest and ‘Creepiest’ Grunt

Earlier this morning, as I was getting ready to go to the dentist because I have a killer toothache, I heard from a tipster who told me to check out what’s going on in PwC’s Twitterverse. And this is what I saw:

Today I'll be speaking at the @AtlanticLIVE #FutureWork2018 alongside two of our Digital Accelerators, and I'll also be talking to our latest addition – the @PwCUS #robot! Tune in to see our conversation live here at 10am ET: https://t.co/2dobiBmobT pic.twitter.com/r1E6as9FDe

— Tim Ryan (@Timothy_F_Ryan) October 31, 2018

I guess PwC is taking this artificial intelligence thing to a whole new (dumb) level.

After I got back from the dentist, I decided to do a little more digging and came across this video that PwC US tweeted out on Oct. 11:

Meet our new robot that will work with us to help educators teach students tech + #finlit skills as part of our Access Your Potential initiative. Before it goes into classrooms, it needs a name! Help us dub our ‘bot by replying, or RTing this tweet w/ some ideas. pic.twitter.com/80Z03zANRQ

— PwC US (@PwCUS) October 12, 2018

So, the robot has many skills. It can give high-fives. It can change its eyes. And it can sing. So, it’s sort of like Bob Moritz but with less hair.

But the main thing the robot will be doing is helping educators teach students technology skills and financial literacy.

The video ends with the robot asking, “What should the kids call me? That’s up to you.” Well, PwC pored over all the suggested names, which included lame ideas like “Roh-Bot,” “Fin,” “Ollie Bot,” “Betty Bot,” and “Botsy,” and came up with three finalists and put those names on Twitter for a vote:

We've narrowed all your great suggestions down to three names. What would you name our new robot, which will be teaching tech + financial literacy to our youth as part of Access Your Potential?

— PwC US (@PwCUS) October 30, 2018

PwC totally dropped the ball on this. Why it didn’t choose “CPwC30,” as someone suggested, is a damn shame. Anyway, “Cody (COD-E)” it is.

This whole robot deal is part of PwC’s Access Your Potential program, which the firm explains thusly:

Access Your Potential is our commitment to help close the opportunity gap by equipping young people, especially those from disadvantaged communities, with the financial, technology and career-selection skills they need to change the trajectory of their lives.

Look, I think teaching kids financial literacy is great. I wish someone had taught me financial literacy in school so when I went to college and got my first credit card, I didn’t charge everything and anything.

My wife, who works at a bank in the Chicago area, taught financial literacy to lower- to moderate-income students this summer as part of a school program. But how can PwC make a robot relatable to students? My wife was able to reach the students’ level by bringing up money they understood, like Fortnite V-Bucks. Will PwC program the robot to do that?

I asked my youngest daughter, who is in fourth grade, what she would think if a robot like COD-E came into her classroom. And she said, “I would kick it and run out of the classroom because he’s creepy.” And, yeah, I was talking to my kid about robots, just like Cathy Engelbert.

Animatronic Donald Trump

If my fourth-grade daughter thinks a financial literacy-spewing robot is creepy, what are fifth-graders or sixth-graders going to think? It’ll be like going to Disney World and having animatronic Donald Trump (speaking of creepy) trying to teach you how to be presidential. The students aren’t going to take what a robot is saying seriously. Isn’t human-to-human interaction better for students when it comes to learning about money, budgeting, or other financial concepts?

And how is the robot going to respond when a kid by the name of Jacob whips a miniature PwC piggy bank at its head? How are the robot’s handlers going to react? You know the teacher will probably be out on a smoke break or talking bad about Jacob to the other teachers in the staff lounge while COD-E is talking to her students about credit and debt.

But the tipster probably had the best question of all: “Will the robot that PwC is sending out on tour be carrying the Academy Awards briefcase?” Well, the robot can’t do any worse than Brian Cullinan and Martha Ruiz.

The post Let’s All Meet ‘Cody (COD-E),’ PwC’s Newest and ‘Creepiest’ Grunt appeared first on Going Concern.

from Accounting News https://goingconcern.com/lets-all-meet-cody-cod-e-pwcs-newest-and-creepiest-grunt/

[charlesjening]

Let’s All Meet ‘Cody (COD-E),’ PwC’s Newest and ‘Creepiest’ Grunt

Earlier this morning, as I was getting ready to go to the dentist because I have a killer toothache, I heard from a tipster who told me to check out what’s going on in PwC’s Twitterverse. And this is what I saw:

Today I'll be speaking at the @AtlanticLIVE #FutureWork2018 alongside two of our Digital Accelerators, and I'll also be talking to our latest addition – the @PwCUS #robot! Tune in to see our conversation live here at 10am ET: https://t.co/2dobiBmobT pic.twitter.com/r1E6as9FDe

— Tim Ryan (@Timothy_F_Ryan) October 31, 2018

I guess PwC is taking this artificial intelligence thing to a whole new (dumb) level.

After I got back from the dentist, I decided to do a little more digging and came across this video that PwC US tweeted out on Oct. 11:

Meet our new robot that will work with us to help educators teach students tech + #finlit skills as part of our Access Your Potential initiative. Before it goes into classrooms, it needs a name! Help us dub our ‘bot by replying, or RTing this tweet w/ some ideas. pic.twitter.com/80Z03zANRQ

— PwC US (@PwCUS) October 12, 2018

So, the robot has many skills. It can give high-fives. It can change its eyes. And it can sing. So, it’s sort of like Bob Moritz but with less hair.

But the main thing the robot will be doing is helping educators teach students technology skills and financial literacy.

The video ends with the robot asking, “What should the kids call me? That’s up to you.” Well, PwC pored over all the suggested names, which included lame ideas like “Roh-Bot,” “Fin,” “Ollie Bot,” “Betty Bot,” and “Botsy,” and came up with three finalists and put those names on Twitter for a vote:

We've narrowed all your great suggestions down to three names. What would you name our new robot, which will be teaching tech + financial literacy to our youth as part of Access Your Potential?

— PwC US (@PwCUS) October 30, 2018

PwC totally dropped the ball on this. Why it didn’t choose “CPwC30,” as someone suggested, is a damn shame. Anyway, “Cody (COD-E)” it is.

This whole robot deal is part of PwC’s Access Your Potential program, which the firm explains thusly:

Access Your Potential is our commitment to help close the opportunity gap by equipping young people, especially those from disadvantaged communities, with the financial, technology and career-selection skills they need to change the trajectory of their lives.

Look, I think teaching kids financial literacy is great. I wish someone had taught me financial literacy in school so when I went to college and got my first credit card, I didn’t charge everything and anything.

My wife, who works at a bank in the Chicago area, taught financial literacy to lower- to moderate-income students this summer as part of a school program. But how can PwC make a robot relatable to students? My wife was able to reach the students’ level by bringing up money they understood, like Fortnite V-Bucks. Will PwC program the robot to do that?

I asked my youngest daughter, who is in fourth grade, what she would think if a robot like COD-E came into her classroom. And she said, “I would kick it and run out of the classroom because he’s creepy.” And, yeah, I was talking to my kid about robots, just like Cathy Engelbert.

Animatronic Donald Trump

If my fourth-grade daughter thinks a financial literacy-spewing robot is creepy, what are fifth-graders or sixth-graders going to think? It’ll be like going to Disney World and having animatronic Donald Trump (speaking of creepy) trying to teach you how to be presidential. The students aren’t going to take what a robot is saying seriously. Isn’t human-to-human interaction better for students when it comes to learning about money, budgeting, or other financial concepts?

And how is the robot going to respond when a kid by the name of Jacob whips a miniature PwC piggy bank at its head? How are the robot’s handlers going to react? You know the teacher will probably be out on a smoke break or talking bad about Jacob to the other teachers in the staff lounge while COD-E is talking to her students about credit and debt.

But the tipster probably had the best question of all: “Will the robot that PwC is sending out on tour be carrying the Academy Awards briefcase?” Well, the robot can’t do any worse than Brian Cullinan and Martha Ruiz.

The post Let’s All Meet ‘Cody (COD-E),’ PwC’s Newest and ‘Creepiest’ Grunt appeared first on Going Concern.

republished from Going Concern

[chocolate-brownies]

When was the last time you beat yourself up for a parenting failure?

Perhaps your daughter got a D+ on the math test—and you regret some harsh words. Maybe you’re telling yourself that you bungled advice to your fifth-grader about how to handle an annoying classmate. You couldn’t keep your promise to attend your son’s music recital—and there’s a voice in your head telling you that you’re a terrible parent.

But there’s an alternative to that harsh self-talk: self-compassion. According to researcher Kristin Neff, “self-compassion provides an island of calm, a refuge from the stormy seas of endless positive and negative self-judgment.” As she defines it, self-compassion entails three components:

“First, it requires self-kindness, that we be gentle and understanding with ourselves rather than harshly critical and judgmental.”

“Second, it requires recognition of our common humanity, feeling connected with others in the experience of life rather than feeling isolated and alienated by our suffering.”

“Third, it requires mindfulness—that we hold our experience in balanced awareness, rather than ignoring our pain or exaggerating it.”

How is self-compassion related to parenting?  A recent study found that self-compassionate parents of adult children with developmental disabilities tend to have lower levels of stress and depression. In a 2015 study of parents of kids with autism, self-compassion is linked to more life satisfaction, hope, and re-engagement with life goals. Another study found that self-compassion may act as a shield against internalizing stigma—the negative evaluations and feelings others have about parenting children with autism.

A recent study found that self-compassionate parents of adult children with developmental disabilities tend to have lower levels of stress and depression

A new study by Amy Mitchell and colleagues provided Australian mothers with self-compassion resources and exercises, such as imagining how you would support someone else, remembering that you are not alone, and giving yourself a small act of kindness. Mothers who used the resources reported feeling more self-compassionate compared to mothers who did not—and they were less stressed and more satisfied with breastfeeding after the intervention.

Taken together, these studies suggest self-compassion may be a resource for resiliency and a protective buffer against both internal and external criticism. Can parents learn to be more self-compassionate? Of course.  Here are three steps you can take to build compassion for yourself.

1. Take routine self-compassion breaks

During the exhaustion and confusion of being a first-time parent, you may wonder how they even let you leave the hospital with the baby! Why isn’t breastfeeding magically easy? Where did you put the diapers? I stink! When am I going to be able to take another shower?

Those are the moments when you might try to take a self-compassion break. What does that look like?

First, accept the moment of suffering with a statement like, “This hurts.” Next, acknowledge that other first-time parents have felt this way—probably every first-time parent in the history of world! Last, offer yourself kindness, such as by saying, “May I give myself the compassion that I need as I try to care for my baby.”

Of course, it’s not always possible to take a break when you’re struggling to calm a weeping toddler. In that case, take a moment after the crisis has passed to give yourself a few kind words. Neff also recommends putting your hand over your heart, as a gesture of comfort toward yourself, or even giving yourself a hug. That might sound strange—but try it. See if it helps.

2. Practice loving-kindness meditation

It’s Monday. You’re trying to leave the house with your child so that you can get her to preschool and yourself to work for a 9:00 am meeting. She’s oblivious to the fact that even a five-minute delay would lead to a 15-minute difference in your commute time. She wants to put on her shoes and socks by herself. That takes a long time; you get impatient. Pretty soon, both you and your child are having a meltdown. After the meeting, you beat up on yourself for losing it.

This is where a preemptive, early-morning loving-kindness meditation can help. The idea is quite simple:

Think of a person close to you who loves you very much. Imagine that person sending you wishes for your safety, for your well-being and happiness. Feel the warm wishes and love coming from that person towards you.

Send your love back to that person. You and this person are similar. Just like you, this person wishes to be happy.

Next, think of an acquaintance, someone you don’t know very well. You and this person are alike in your wish to have a good life.

Then expand your awareness and picture the whole globe in front of you as a little ball. Send warm wishes to all living beings on the globe, who, like you, want to be happy.

In a recent study, Australian researchers James Kirby and Sarah Baldwin randomly assigned over 60 parents, mostly mothers in their mid-30s, to listen to either a 15-minute loving-kindness meditation or a focused imagery recording (a control condition). Before and after listening to the recordings, parents completed questionnaires on self-compassion and compassion motivation, and they provided their emotional responses to common parenting scenarios, such as children insisting on and crying loudly about having a candy bar during a shopping trip.

The results? Parents in the loving-kindness meditation group were more self-compassionate, more calm and sympathetic, and less angry and frustrated compared to the focused imagery control group. Kirby and Baldwin suggest that loving-kindness meditation “might help to support parents’ well-being, their capacity to be less reactive in responding to child distress, and their capacity to cultivate compassionate responses to their child.”

Parents in the loving-kindness meditation group were more self-compassionate, more calm and sympathetic, and less angry and frustrated compared to the focused imagery control group.

3. Visualize the presence of someone important to you when you need parenting support

Is there anything worse than an airplane meltdown? When your young child is crying about needing to sit still for hours on end, the glares of other people from the seats around you can make you feel very alone and despondent.

Try this: Displace those glares by visualizing a dear friend, partner, parent by your side, giving you support and help.

A 2015 study by Christopher Pepping and colleagues randomly assigned college freshmen to one of two groups. Students in the control group focused on reflecting on interpersonal skills that did not include security or compassion. The researchers asked students in the “attachment security priming group” to call to mind a person they are close to, that they could rely on to help them if they were in need. Perhaps not surprisingly, those students felt more self-compassion afterward than their counterparts in the control group.

I often call to mind the warmth of my own mom’s voice when I’ve struggled with parenting. I even use her nicknames and endearments in my self-compassion self-talk to marshal the power of her (and my own) tenderness to sustain me when I’m overwhelmed. Her presence in my mind’s eye reassures me even though she may not be physically beside me.

Indeed, our capacity for self-compassion is often formed by our relationship with our own parents. The 2015 study by Pepping and colleagues also found that college students who remembered parents as cold and rejecting were more likely to feel anxious about their close relationships, and in turn, tended to have lower levels of self-compassion.

Even if you didn’t grow up with good models of compassion, try to remember that self-compassion is a skill you can develop through practice. When you feel self-criticism rising in your head, put your hand on your heart—and talk to yourself as you would a dear friend who is suffering.

This article originally appeared on Greater Good, the online magazine of UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, one of Mindful’s partners. View the original article.

Teens Are Better Off When Parents Practice Self-Compassion (Study)

Taste a Little Self-Compassion

The post Three Simple Ways Parents can Practice Self-Compassion appeared first on Mindful.