#rph guide

[minkakcllyrps]

LAW SCHOOL 101 

I am basing the following off of my experience as a law student at a Florida school. Keep in mind that schools within the same state may run differently and, especially, schools throughout the country may run differently.

Firstly, law school is in a building (or a cluster of buildings) separate from the undergrad campus, so you’ll have zero interaction with undergrad.

Law school is 3 years. The “freshmen” equivalent is 1L; “sophomore” is 2L; “junior” is 3L. The entire 1L class is split up into three sections. Your section will have every single class together (these are required courses) and by the end of the year, you will know every single person in your section. Law school is a lot like high school in this sense (we actually refer to my school as Levin High rather than Levin College of Law).

Required courses for 1L:

Civil Procedure

Basically, the rules of litigation

Torts

Honestly, it’s really hard to define a tort but Googling could be helpful!

Legal Writing

You’ll learn how to write a legal brief

Legal Research (this is the only class that lasts the whole year, but it is only 7 weeks of each semester)

You’ll learn how to effectively utilize legal research websites to find cases related to your research question

Appellate Advocacy

You’ll learn how to conduct an oral argument

Property

Pretty much what it says... rules of property law

Contracts

Once again, pretty much what it says

Introduction to Lawyering

I think it’s rare for a school to have this class, but we basically had an brief intro to the legal field. The only thing I took away from this course is that attorneys are #1 alcoholics. Seriously.

Criminal Law

Again, rules of criminal law

Required courses for 2L:

Professional Responsibility

You’ll learn the Model Rules of Professional Conduct, which is a large part of the Bar exam

Legal Drafting

You’ll learn how to draft a pleading, contract, and responses

Other than the above two, every other class will be electives.

3L: All electives! Students typically have secured post-grad jobs the summer before their 3L year and will therefore choose light classes to take during 3L. Students will especially choose light classes if they are on Law Review, Trial Team, or Moot Court (discussed below).

Outlines:

At the end of the semester, students outline their entire course using the book and their class notes because most exams will be open book and professors will allow you to bring in your outline. These outlines vary in page length from 15 pages to 100 depending on how detailed the student wants to be.

There are also commercial outlines you can purchase, but these are usually used as a study aid rather than in place of your own outline since they’ll never be detailed to your specific course.

Social Life:

Our school has something known as JMBA, which is basically a part organization. They plan events like Woodser (drinking in the woods, Google it), Barrister’s Ball (pretty much every law school does this, Google it), Thirsty Thursdays, Halloween Party, etc.

Once again, everyone knows everyone. It’s like high school, which isn’t always a good thing. SO MANY CLIQUES! Also, depending on the school, students can be REALLY competitive. Fortunately, this was not the case at my school.

Student Orgs:

You name it, there’s a student org for it. Each organization is run by an executive board and each e-board is elected at the end of the spring semester each year.

Student orgs will also hold socials (sometimes combining with other student orgs) to help garner attention of new students.

Co-Curriculars:

Law Review

This is a big fucking deal in the legal world. Practitioners LOVE to hire students who were on Law Review.

To join Law Review, you have to participate in a competition that takes place the summer after your 1L year. This competition includes a writing portion (usually, writing a court opinion based on the facts they give you, using the case law they give you) and a portion in which you edit citations). If you make it onto Law Review, you remain on it until you graduate, so for two years (2L and 3L).

Basically, you spend an entire two years editing journal articles. Specifically, you edit the citations of an author’s article to make sure that they conform with the rules in the Bluebook (like MLA, Chicago, etc. for lawyers).

Law Review also has an e-board, as it is an entirely student run journal.

Other Journals

These function the same as Law Review, but are not as big of a fucking deal as the Law Review. Employers still like seeing these journals on resumes.

Moot Court

I was on Law Review and not Moot Court or Trial Team, so credit goes to hunterrps for the following descriptions of these co-curriculars.

So starting out, Moot Court can be a whole lot of fun, but they are also a ton of work. First year students are not allowed to be part of the Moot Court teams usually due to time restraints and general allocation of time and energy needed. There are tons of different subjects for Moot Courts so you can have some fun with that. The ones I have seen deal with animal law, LGBT law, civil rights, and environmental law, but there are many more out there. Problems are distributed based on that particular Moot Court’s time so teams could be working on their brief during the school year, during the summer break, or even during winter break. You will also receive a team number as everything is supposed to be anonymous regarding where each brief is from and what school the team members are from. The important thing to remember about Moot Court is that it is appellate style arguing. What that means is that it is not the kind of trial where you call up witnesses or submit evidence to the court. Moot Court will receive a problem at the designated time and then they are expected to write a brief as if they were writing it to the Supreme Court of the United States. This brief is due on a certain day where it will be tagged with your team number and then after that it’s all about practicing for oral arguments. When you get to the oral arguments section, that’s where things can get really fun. Most Moot Courts will let you argue off-brief meaning that you do not have to stick to every argument that you put in your brief. This allows you to read other team’s submissions (anonymously, of course) and evolve your legal argument as you see fit to win the case. Most Moot Courts operate in two rounds, one on-brief argument and one off-brief argument, so your team will have to have practiced arguing both sides of the case. Usually, off-brief is the hardest just because it is the side that is newest for the team to argue. While giving your oral argument, the judges will stop you and ask questions usually to elaborate the argument or provide challenges for your argument. Each team member receives fifteen minutes to argue and Petitioners are allowed to reserve usually up to three minutes from either teammate’s time for rebuttal.

Trial Team

Trial Team is run similarly to Moot Court as far as tryouts go and the whole team preparation, but this is where it is an actual trial rather than appellate level. The type of case often rotates between criminal and civil each year. During the Trial Team competition, students will be given the fact scenario and spend a lot of time working through how they will question witnesses, present evidence, and prepare to object to anything the opposition tries to bring in that is inappropriate. Trial Team is a great way to really put the rules of evidence to work and see a practical use for them. Witnesses and jury members are usually provided at the school that is hosting the competition which is why it is important for each team member to know how to direct their questioning and be prepared for everything. Students will also be expected to perform a voir dire on the prospective jury members as well as before the trial begins. A voir dire is when attorneys ask questions to the jury to figure out if that particular jury member will be favorable or unfavorable to the client in an attempt to construct either a balanced or slightly beneficial jury for their side. From there, it goes on as a regular trial with members calling up their witnesses and paying close attention to each question asked or piece of evidence introduced.

Note: you shouldn’t try to join more than one co-curricular unless you have a death wish because they are very time consuming.

Clinics:

There are different types of clinics you can apply to join. Some examples of clinics we have at my school include the Intimate Partner Violence Assistance Clinic, the Criminal Defense Clinic, the Juvenile Clinic, and the Family Advocacy Clinic. Basically, if you're accepted to join a clinic, it acts as a class for one semester and it's worth up to six hours. You have office hours during which you meet with clients and you will also be going to court to represent this clients under the supervision of whichever professor heads your specific clinic. In order to join a clinic, you first need to apply for CLI Clearance from the Bar, which means that you are cleared for the Character & Fitness portion of the Bar (which helps you out later on when you're applying to take the Bar).

Jobs:

The most stressful part of law school, no doubt.

During your second year, you will be interviewing non-stop for a summer job. Summer jobs are the key to success, whether it’s with a non-profit, the State Attorney’s office, Public Defender, a firm, or as a clerk for a judge. 

Most of these interviews with take place on campus in a process known as OCI (on campus interviews). Basically, employers post on a school-affiliated website that they’re interested in hiring from your school, you go on and “bid” on the employer by submitting whatever they ask of you (usually, a resume, cover letter, writing sample, sometimes references), and the employer decides whether or not they want to accept your bid and interview you.

An interview does not equal a job. I repeat, an interview does not equal a job. During my 2L year, I had probably 27 interviews, got 2 callbacks (the firm wants you to come to them and meet the rest of the office to see if you’d make a good fit), and wound up with 1 offer (the firm I’ll be working for after graduation, which is why a summer job is so important!).

There is so much competition and not enough jobs in the legal field, so your character should not automatically get a job unless they have some really good connections in the legal field.

Usually, if you impress your summer employer, they’ll give you an offer to work there postgrad and you can spend your 3L year knowing that grades no longer matter! Otherwise, it’s back to the drawing board and OCI, plus websites like Monster.com, will be your new best friend.

The Bar:

The Bar exam is administered in July and February, though most graduates will take it in July.

You do not need to stress out about the Bar until May, usually after you graduate, at which point you should be treating studying for the Bar like a full time job. Bar prep courses are highly recommended.

The Bar exam is two days, with one day dedicated to the multi-state laws (federal) and the second day dedicated to your specific state.

This is really all that I can think of at the moment, but if you have any specific comments/questions, if you’re interested in hearing about my experience at law school, or if you’re actually interested in attending law school and want an unbiased, honest opinion on what it’s like, feel free to message me!

[hedwigofrph]

The Trans Experience Guide  ™  by HedwigofRPH

Hello, I’m your host, Hansel, and this is the first in a series of articles specifically designed to help RPers who write or write with trans characters understand a little more about them. I consider myself uniquely qualified over the majority of roleplay helpers in that I am trans (I identify as genderqueer.)

Disclaimer:  At no point am I claiming to know all the answers or that all trans people will agree or disagree with what I’ve written as the trans community is one of many varying opinions and peoples. If you disagree with something written here, please send me an ask explaining what part you take umbrage with and why and I’ll do my best to correct the misinformation and/or explain myself.

Without further ado: the first on Identities.

Most people, when they think about trans identities, think of them in a strict binary: either male or female, trans or cis, pre- or post-op. This is a problematic way of thinking about trans bodies (and people in general, to be honest.)

Why Binary Thinking Is Problematic

Because people falling under the trans umbrella not only can be one of any number of identities along the trans spectrum, considering someone to be either one or the other ignores the vast majority of identities in between and outside of the traditional gender binary. In addition, even people who are happy with their birth identified sex may have chromosomes that fall outside of a strict binary of male/female or XX/XY.

Additionally, this can invalidate trans people who are currently “between” in their presentation by implying that they can only be male or only be female, as well as intersex people who may or may not fit nicely into the binary. To create a more compassionate and understanding world, binary thinking needs to go.

Some Identities

binary (aligning with the gender binary of male or female.) trans male — in common parlance, this person was designated female at birth and is transitioning socially, mentally, and/or medically to a male presentation that is more in-line with who they are. Traditionally, this person would use he/him/his pronouns, but ask anyway. trans female — in common parlance, this person was designated male at birth and is transitioning socially, mentally, and/or medically to a female presentation that is more in-line with who they are. Traditionally, this person would use she/her/hers pronouns, but ask anyway.

non-binary (outside and/or in between the strict binary) Agender — this person is without a gender. Ask about their pronouns. Androgyne — an identity that is both male and female at the same time, but not necessarily in the same amounts. Some androgyne people may feel more male than female whereas others may feel both genders in question in equal ratios. This person may or may not identify with another term as well. Other related and more specific terms include femandrogyne (feminine androgyne), mascandrogyne - (masculine androgyne), versandrogyne (versatile androgyne, a person whose mixture of male and female changes), and neutrandrogyne (neutral androgyne, a person who feels very little or no amount of male or female.) Ask for pronouns. Bigender — someone who experiences two genders, either simultaneously or varying between them. This can include binary and non-binary genders. Persons who use this term could use it in conjunction with others such as ‘multigender’ or ‘genderqueer.’ Ask for pronouns. Demigirl — this person identifies partly, but not fully with womanhood/being a woman/girl/feminine. This person can be designated female at birth or male at birth. Ask for pronouns. Demiboy/demiguy — this person identifies partly, but not fully with manhood/being a man/boy/masculine. This person can be designated male at birth or female at birth. Ask for pronouns. Drag queen/king — this person is not necessarily trans but while drag is a topic for another article, this person could identify as any number of ways out of drag and can be used as a transitionary step between someone’s assigned-at-birth gender and their true gender, but is not necessarily/always so “drag queen” and “drag king” should not typically be considered to be trans identities. Genderfluid — this person can identify or present as more than one gender and moves between identities, presentations, and pronouns depending on any number of factors unique to that person. Ask about pronouns Genderqueer — someone who is not male or female, but may identify with parts of either or both. From Merriam-Webster “of, relating to, or being a person whose gender identity cannot be categorized as solely male or female.” This term can be used as an umbrella, a standalone, or in conjunction with another gender term. Ask about pronouns. Intersex — this person is not necessarily part of the trans community, but intersex people are often mentioned in relation to trans people to either justify our existence (don’t do that) or as a complimentary identity. Ask for pronouns, but do not by default group with trans people unless you intend to address intersex issues as well as trans issues. Multigender — people who identify as multiple genders. This can include any of the other terms on this list or ones that have been left off and can be at the same time, concurrent, or a mixture of both. Ask for pronouns. Non-binary — someone who exists outside of the male/female dichotomy for whatever reason, be this because they are a mixture of both or because they’re neither. This person may or may not identify with this term as well as another. Ask for pronouns. Neutrois — a person with a neutral or null gender. This term can be used in conjunction with or instead of agender in that both describe someone who is neutrally gendered or genderless. Ask for pronouns. Questioning — a person who is not currently fully certain as to how they identify. This person may try out different identities while trying to find the one that suits them or they may be reluctant to take a label until they are certain which one is for them. Whether or not they eventually find the one that is right for them or create one wholesale for themselves depends on the person. Ask for pronouns, don’t be surprised (and don’t be a shit!) when/if they change or get amended. Third Gender — usually used as a catch-all term for all identities outside of the binary of male/female and wherever possible, the specific gender identity should be listed instead. Can mean one (or more!) of any number of trans identities. Two-Spirit — this term can describe one of many Native American gender identities. This term should only be used for Native Americans and/or First Nations persons as this term was created specifically for use by those communities. More research into which Native American or First Nations gender identity this person identifies with is highly encouraged as is asking for pronouns.

Closing Notes

For the most part, this guide encompasses common Western trans identities. There are others, such as hijra, that are culturally specific that may be used by muses from that culture, but should not be used by muses outside of that culture. The identities outside of what most Westerners would come in contact with have been left off as they are not for non-Western muses and should not be used by Western writers without extensive research into how those people are treated within their society, whether or not that term is offensive to the people it may apply to, and/or what cultures use what terms vs. what cultures do not (i.e. it is not acceptable to use a term from India for your Somali muse unless your muse shares a culture/heritage/background with India or the specific term in question.)  When in doubt, outside research is always encouraged.

While some identities such as “genderqueer” are a compound word and should be styled as such when correctly talking about a person who identifies as such, others such as “trans man” are not compound words and should always be styled as separate words. Why? Because “trans” in this case is a qualifier to “man.” A trans man is always a man just a cis man is always a man with “trans” being a qualifier as to what type of man such as “blue eyed” or “brown haired.”

Despite the fact that all of these identities fall under the trans umbrella, not all people who identify as one of these terms identify as trans. This can be for a variety of reasons from feeling that “transgender” has become either too vague or too specific of a term to never feeling like “transgender” is a word that applies to them. There is no right or wrong way to be trans.

Other Sources/Readings:

http://gender.wikia.com/

https://www.reddit.com/r/asktransgender/

http://www.slate.com/blogs/outward/2016/10/12/answers_to_all_the_rude_questions_about_transgender_people.html

Think something’s off? Want to tell me that my definition for one or more of these is wrong? Let’s talk about it.

[idinaofrph]

If you are a fellow RPH and would like to be tagged in my upcoming RPH guide on ASD, Aspergers and Autism please reblog or like this post.

[handofhonor]

Here’s a guide on what exactly a traumatic brain injury is, what it does to the individual, and how it affects the family. The most important thing to know is that it does not affect every person the same. Each person is going to react differently to it, have different life long side effects. Some people may bounce back to almost 100% of who they were before, others might never come close to it. It all depends on the individual.

Why am I writing a guide on this? I truly do not believe that the media, such as TV shows, movies, books, and even roleplays accurately depict what it means to be in a coma, how you are afterwards, and how much work you have to do. I do believe that it can be fixed if people just understand a little bit more about what they are reading, seeing, or writing.

As for myself, in May 2011, my dad suffered from a blow to the head after falling off his bicycle. We were unsure if he was going to live, we almost lost him once on the operating table. 9 days after the initial fall, he woke up from his coma. 5 days later, after spending an entire 14 days in ICU, he left for a rehab facility that helped him, with numerous intensive therapies, come back home. If you have any more questions about what happened, or if you need someone to talk to about it, feel free to message me! I’ll gladly answer as many questions as I can!

Often times, in my own family, we look at the time differently now. It’s always Before Accident or After Accident. These times are vastly different for reasons I will explain below.

Traumatic Brain Injury ( TBI ) : defined as a blow or jolt to the head or a penetrating head injury that disrupts the function of the brain

Causes:

Falls (35.2%)

Motor vehicle-traffic crashes (17.3%)

Struck by/against events (16.5%)

Assaults (10%)

Unknown/Other (21%)

Blasts are a leading cause of TBI for active duty military personnel in war zones.

Who is at the highest risk for a TBI?:

Males are about 1.5 times as likely as females to sustain a TBI

The two age groups at highest risk for TBI are 0 to 4 year olds and 15 to 19 year olds

Certain military duties (e.g., paratrooper) increase the risk of sustaining a TBI

African Americans have the highest death rate from TBI

TBI can cause a wide range of functional changes affecting thinking, language, learning, emotions, behavior, and/or sensation. It can also cause epilepsy and increase the risk for conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and other brain disorders that become more prevalent with age.

Affect on cognition:

Short-term memory loss

Long-term memory loss

Concentration on the task at hand

Sustaining attention

Loss focus or are unable to keep focus easily ( ie, wandering around the house, unable to get ready for work, forgetting what they were doing, etc)

Impulsive actions, no longer thinking things through

Unable to understand abstract principles

Unable to understand jokes

Unable to plan ahead

Unable to keep track of time

Mood and behavior:

Personality changes after the injury, losing a sense of who they are and having to find the “new them”

No filter, blurting out whatever comes to mind ( similar to a drunk person saying what they want to say )

Emotional mood swings

Lack of motivation

Irritability and aggression, can become very violent

Unable to modify behavior to fit varying situations

A lot of people with TBI’s are in denial of what’s happened, they don’t look at what’s happened to them and what’s changed, thinking they’re the same person as before

Changes that are likely after a moderate/severe TBI:

Vision ( lack of, blurry, unable to track visual material, loss of parts of vision, reduced depth perception, etc )

Taste, smell, touch, and hearing can be affected

No longer feel hunger pains

Problems with balance, vertigo, and ringing in ears

Seizures ( a small percentage and the further away you are from the initial injury date, the less likely seizures are )

Paralysis ( depending on if the motor control section of the brain is injured or not )

Speech and walking

Chronic pain, including headaches ( these can sometimes knock people down for a day or two similar to migraines )

Loss of control of bowel or bladder functions

Sleep poorly

Fatigue easily

Lose appetite for food or unable to control eating

Unable to regulate body temperature within normal boundaries

I want to leave with with something for those who live in the family with those affected. It’s a short bullet point list of seven items. It is so true and something that people should keep in mind when writing these kind of situations:

Brain injuries don’t affect the person with the TBI. Brain injuries happen affect the families.

The person living with a brain injury is a different person than previous.

The person living with a brain injury often loses their sense of identity, until they have adjusted to their new “self.” The adjustment process can take up to two years before they “start” to feel comfortable with who they now are, and often times longer to accept their new “self.”

Persons with a brain injury grieve their loss of “self.” Family members and friends grieve the loss of the person they knew and loved previous to their brain injury. Each person grieves in their own way and individual time frame.

A person who is in a state of “crisis” can become self-centered and focus mainly on their personal loss and how it affects their life. Because their personal loss was so great, the person who suffered the brain injury can fail to recognize that family and friends also suffered a loss. Family members and friends might feel guilty whenever they focus on their losses, because the loss of the brain injury survivor was so much greater.

Often, self-esteem and self-worth are based on our abilities and accomplishments. When we lose our ability “to do,” or when we mess up most things we try to do, we feel like failures. We begin to think that our loved ones would be better off without us, because we don’t want to be a burden nor an embarrassment to them. This is our perception, not theirs. When we learn how to separate “who we are” from “what we do,” we can laugh at our shortcomings and accept our flaws, instead of making fun of ourselves with put-downs and damaging our self-esteem.

Belief in God and belief that the person living with a brain injury survived for a specific purpose provides a strong catalyst for acceptance and speeds recovery for survivors and loved ones.

Sources:

http://www.brainline.org/content/2008/07/facts-about-traumatic-brain-injury.html

http://www.brainline.org/content/2008/07/what-impact-will-moderate-or-severe-tbi-have-persons-life_pageall.html

http://privatehealthcarereports.com/never-ignore-the-seven-truths-about-ripple-effect-of-brain-injury-in-families/

[mae-helps]

Mae presents you with a guide on → Getting into a canon character

*This guide is merely made up of my own ideas and opinions. These may not apply to every roleplayer.

Taking on a canon character can be a nerve-wracking task. Whether the setting be AU or canon, every character has their own way of being, that should be showcased, no matter the scenario.

This guide is going to act as a foundation in aiding you in feeling more comfortable with getting into and playing canon characters. Instead of focusing on one canon character from a specific verse or fandom, this guide can be applied to any and all canon characters in general.

TAKE IN THE ORIGINAL CONTENT - Read/Watch/Play whatever content (TV show, book, movie, etc) the specific character is involved in. Try and solidify that interest and inspiration you first felt to play them. This will help you through working and editing your muse. Secondly, note as much as you can about the character. How they talk: Do they swear? Put more emphasis on certain words? Speak with confidence or timidly? How they move - Fluid? Stiff? Clumsy? Some of these may be easier to note than others depending on the content but make sure to take in as much as you can. It will make your writing of the muse a lot easier later on.

FAN MADE CONTENT - Viewing fan made content can aid you in recognising key traits of a character. For example, fan made videos usually highlight key scenes and moments the character has been through and how they have reacted and developed. Recognising these areas is pivotal to understanding the character and why they act in certain ways. Understanding the why behind your new muses’ actions can help in writing how they would react to the new situations you will be putting them in. Well written fanfiction can be a wonderful tool in gaining a better grasp on the canon muses' voice, while also helping explore how character would react in certain situations that maybe weren't explored in the canon verse. (Helpful ways in finding what could be well written are looking at the amount of comments or ‘hits’ a story has).

PLAYLISTS - First, look for those already made, by fellow players or just other fans, and see what kind of music they have chosen. Do the songs match up to issues they have had to face? Or do they just represent the character’s music tastes? Listening to these kind of playlists allows you to get into the character’s mind. Whilst listening, start brainstorming why these pieces of music may resonate with the character. Then, when you think you’ve got it, make your own. Put everything you’ve learned about the backstory of this character into music. (Try pages such as Spotify, 8tracks, youtube, etc).

OBSERVE OTHERS - Scrutinise how other players take on the character. Plagiarising another person’s work is always frowned upon and in no way should you be doing this, but merely watching someone whose characterisation inspires you can definitely help in your own portrayal. Pinpoint what it is about the writer’s depiction that you find to be ideal to the character. Is it the way they have them speak? The way they write their movements? Whatever it is, take note and work on emulating it in your own writing.

READ GUIDES - If the character you're attempting to play is popular and widely-played in the RPC then there should be at least one guide created by a fellow player with hints and tips about to play them (Try searching through tumblr for ‘character name’ guide, asking RPHs for such or googling it). If you're able to find a pre-written guide, read it, but with a grain of salt. While these guides can bring ideas you might not have thought of before, they're still just the ideas and advice of one player, and may not completely align with your own personal understanding and representation of the character.

That should work as a general foundation for playing a canon character. I hope that this was able to help a few of you. Thanks for reading and a big thank you to @rewritwriter for her help! 

[bpclvins]

A GUIDE TO UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE LIFE IN THE UK

most of the college rps on tumblr are typically situated around greek life or, in general, the higher education system in the US, so i thought i’d write a little guide up to educate people on the system for the UK instead !! hopefully this will encourage more rps that take place in britain and/or offer character help to anybody who has a muse that originates from the UK. please note: some of this may seem like common sense, but i’m just doing my utmost to write a comprehensive and fulfilling guide here !! if there is anything you think i may have missed, please do let me know. notes are always welcome, so please like or reblog the post if this was useful at all, and any requests can be directed here

APPLYING FOR UNI

here in the UK, all if not most applicants will typically apply to universities through a website called UCAS. in most cases, the applicant is allowed to choose five potential universities that they are interested in attending, and eventually that will be whittled down further into the process !! grades achieved in high school (GCSE’s, A Levels and Scottish Highers) will be added to your UCAS application, along with a personal statement. this personal statement is a chance for the applicant to show off their personal skills, experience, achievements and ambitions. it’s really the selling point of the whole application for a lot of people, and can mean the difference between getting an offer or not.

based on expected grades and this application, each applicant will find out whether their prospective universities are going to offer them a place or not sometimes before their finals. offers can be conditional or unconditional- conditional offers are those that occur when the university in question offers you a place, providing that you achieve the grades that they desire from you. these are the most common type of offers !! if you have received an unconditional offer, then lucky you- because that means you have been accepted to that university regardless of the outcome !! once you have received all offers/rejections, then the applicant must whittle down their five choices to two- their ‘firm’ choice (which is the top choice and the one they will go to if successful) and their ‘back up’ choice.

FUNDING FOR UNI

it is important to note that the majority of students in the UK, in my experience, are able to attend university. funding is a non-issue, simply because the UK has various student finance systems in place and nobody is rejected an application. students who originate from wales, whether they attend university outside of the country or not, only have to pay £3k per year of their degree, whereas students from england will have to pay £9k per year. however, don’t fret !! this money isn’t actually paid by you in the beginning (unless your parents are fairly wealthy and they want to pay the fees upfront)- student finance pays all fees until the student has left university and is earning the average minimum wage. then the fees are paid back in installments. furthermore, depending on your family’s financial status, student finance also offers a maintenance loan (payable back in a similar manner as the course fees) and a grant. how much is available depends on the country and is judged on a means test basis (so financial status of your family), but mostly i think they are around the same and is usually enough for the student to afford rent with a little extra (depending on how much you get and where you attend uni etc) !! many students do get part-time jobs or are supplemented by their parents. it is also important to note that various universities offer scholarships and bursaries depending on financial status and academic achievement.

EDIT: from september 2016 the maintenance grants will be scrapped and replaced with a loan. some grants may still be applied for.

EDUCATION AT UNI

students experiences with the education system at university can differ greatly, but for the most part it is considered to be fairly liberal in the UK !! lecturers are typically referred to by their first name, and are much more laid back than high school teachers. in terms of actual classes, most people will have seminars/workshops alongside their lectures. usually, there will be work that has to be prepared for these and it means taking a more in-depth look at the things you have learned about in the lectures that week. timetables can vary a lot; some students may only have 6 hours a week, whereas others may have 10. it really depends on the subject that the student is learning. in my experience, whilst my seminars have always been registered, my lectures haven’t, but i am fully aware that the case varies- lectures are often registered in other uni’s and even just for other courses. whilst uni life is more laid back than high school, attendance is taken seriously and if you miss a few registered sessions a semester, then you will likely receive an academic warning and have to account for the absences; at worst, the university can decide to withdraw you. studying at university requires a lot more independent work and research than high school.

as for the actual degree courses, the UK does not operate on a major/minor basis as the US does (although some uni’s may offer something akin to this). typically, most students will undertake a single honours course of one subject; e.g. law, history, english literature etc. but some universities do offer other types of courses. a major/minor course may be offered where one subject is worth more than the other subject you take in terms of overall mark and you will usually have more lectures and seminars for that subject. there is also a type of degree known as a dual honours degree, whereby you study two subjects but both are worth equal amounts towards your overall degree.

certain universities also offer foundation years; these are typically taken before an actual degree and allow the prospective student to have a taste of what the university and course has to offer before deciding on a final degree subject.

for the most part, degrees are typically three years long, but some (such as medicine) do tend to extend to about five years.

SOCIAL LIFE AT UNI

so, the majority of students attending university will be eighteen and over and the legal drinking age within the UK is eighteen. therefore, whilst there is a lot of the similar sort of social activities as the US offers (e.g. flat parties, house parties), depending on the university attended, many students will be spending a lot of time at nightclubs and bars. this is especially specific to city universities where the nightlife is renowned (think london, manchester, birmingham, cardiff). however, most universities also have a student’s union (the SU), and whilst some of them are pretty poor (typically at city universities where there is less need for them), if you choose a university that doesn’t have much in the way of nightlife/clubs around the area, then the SU will likely be very good at providing this.

universities in the UK do not have a greek system and so there aren’t sororities and fraternities. however, there are a lot of societies and athletic clubs that a student can join and most of these will hold frequent ‘socials’ which typically involve going out as a group, participating in drinking games, and getting quite slaughtered (if you’re into that; although i know a lot of societies who provide sober socials too) !! the majority of students at uni, at least in my experience, are members of at least one society or sports club and they really are a major part of social life at many universities. there is something for everyone- quite literally. i’ve heard of harry potter societies, bake off societies, and even beauty societies !!

LIVING AT UNI

there are various different types of universities, but i’ll be focusing on campus universities and the opposite. campus universities are uni’s that, as the name suggests, have a set campus, and thus they usually are able to provide accommodation for first year students at the very least. however, other universities (mainly in cities) do not have set campuses and can be spread out across many buildings all over the city. a lot of these universities may not offer much in the way of accommodation. however, if you attend a campus university, for the most part you will be given accommodation in first year (usually sharing a flat with other students in a block) and third years are also often offered priority due to the fact that the last year is the most strenuous and library access is a must. depending on how much you’re willing to pay, you may live in a total shack, or you may have the largest room on campus and an ensuite !! in some cases you may have a room-mate, but this isn’t very common as far as i am aware.

in second year (or if you don’t have uni accommodation at all) you will usually find yourself having to move into a rented house with friends (or people you don’t know, if you’re first year). again, the kind of property you rent will depend on the amount of money you and your friends are able to afford !!

[psychictwinsrph]

A Guide to Trigger Tagging

TW Warning: So, normally I would individually tag each trigger (as you should), but since this is a guide exclusively for triggers let me assure you, if you have a trigger, it’s in here. I don’t care how obscure it is, it is likely in here. So please proceed with caution.

Now, on to the guide.

Why should you tag?

Hopefully because you’re a decent human being. But also because you don’t want anyone to have a panic attack and you at the very least want people to be respected. Trust me, even if someone sees the triggering posts, it helps a lot to know people made the attempt and respect you enough to tag it.

Format

Let’s get the super basic stuff out of the way first. Tag “trigger tw”. This seems to be the most agreed upon format working for most blacklists and really, it’s the simplest. Here’s a more thorough list along with the reasons why other tags don’t work.

Err on the Side of Caution

Not sure if something should be tagged? Tag it anyways. Even the briefest, barest mention because you don’t know much it takes to trigger someone. It’s better to be safe than sorry. For example, tag abortion when talking about pro-choice topics or tag assisted suicide/death when reblogging gif sets of Me Before You. The gif set may not mention the topic directly, but it will still probably trigger someone.

Preface on Resources

If you create a gif hunt, gif pack, guide, or any other resource with a trigger, preface it. Why? Because some people don’t think to tag them when reblogging. So, how is anyone else supposed to know they’re there? It doesn’t take a lot of time and it’s really helpful.

Tag Before People Ask

You may think it’s easier just to tag stuff that people ask for specifically. After all, what does it matter if you tag babies or not? If your followers don’t mention anything, they clearly don’t care right? Wrong. They’re probably busy having a panic attack or are afraid to confront you. Tagging after the fact is usually too late because by then, the person is already triggered. So, tag beforehand.

Tag What People Ask of You

Triggers can be really obscure. I think this post right here (Rape TW) probably explains it best. You never know why something can be triggering for someone and it doesn’t matter anyways. You should tag it. The best way to deal with slipping up is apologizing and agreeing to tag your posts. Then going back and tagging the posts in question.

Tag Individuals, Shows, and Movies

People can be triggered by certain celebrities because they have a negative experience or are problematic. People approached me with triggers towards Star Wars (which when you think about it is actually pretty triggering with the material it deals with) and I myself am actually pretty triggered by Me Before You (I did not know about the ending when I read the book, so very traumatizing). Imogen Poots brings me back memories of bullying. You have no idea how things are connected in people’s minds. So, when possible tag what something’s from or the specific celebrity.

Let’s Talk NSFW

Don’t use the fancy tags only. Also use plain NSFW because it doesn’t block it on xkit if you just use a fancy tag. Don’t do that to people.

Now, on to a more obscure problem with the NSFW tag. NSFW covers a myriad of things like gore, nudity, sex, and many other things. However, some people are triggered by certain aspects of it and not others. While I still think you should use the NSFW tag, I think it would be beneficial to also be specific. So, tag nudity tw, gore tw, or sex tw depending on why the post is NSFW.

A List of Triggers

So, here is the most thorough list of triggers I have been able to come up with, some obvious, some not. I’ve also included some popular movies/shows that might trigger people (since individuals asked me to). Feel free to message us if you think something else should be added.

Ableism

Abortion

Abuse

Acephobia

Alcohol

Alcoholism

Animal Attack

Animal Death

Animals in General (Phobias come in all forms, so tag specific types of animals)

Anorexia

Anti Semitism

Anxiety

Assault

Assisted Death/Suicide

Autism

Babies

Beastality

Bees

Biphobia

Blackmail

Blood

Bombing

Bows and Arrows

Brainwashing

Broken Neck

Bulimia

Cancer

Cannibalism/Cannibals

Cissexism

Colorism

Clowns

Corpses

Dead Celebrities

Death

Decapitation

Depression

Disability

Discrimination (there are tons of way to discriminate so look for the specific word for discrimination of each group)

Disease

Drowning

Eating Disorder

Epilepsy

Euthanasia

Fire

Flashing

Food

Game of Thrones

Gender Dysphoria

Gore

Graveyards

Guns

Holocaust

Homelessness

Homophobia

Hunting

Illness

Incarceration

Incest

Injections

Insects

Individuals (Tag individuals whenever possible, some people are triggered by certain celebrities)

Intoxication

Islamophobia

iZombie

Jump Scares

Killing

Kinks

Knives

Manipulation

Me Before You

Mental Illness (look up individual ones)

Miscarriage

Murder

Natural Disasters

Nazis

Needles

Nudity

Panic Attack

Potential Phobias

Pedophilia

Pregnancy

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Queerbaiting

Queerphobia

Racism

Rape

Rape Culture

Religious Discrimination

Self Harm

Serial Killers

Sex

Sexism

Sexual Abuse

Sexual Assault

Shows/Movies (tag specific shows/movies whenever possible)

Slurs

Smut (I’d also tag “NSFW” in this case and always place it under a readmore, please)

Snakes

Spiders

Stalking

Star Wars

Strangulation

Suicide

Suicidal Thoughts (I’d recommend also tagging “suicide tw” in this case)

The 100

The Fault In Our Stars

Terrorism

Torture

Transphobia

Trypophobia

Violence

War

Wasps

Weapons

Wounds

Zombies

[brittanykatie]

Guide To: Las Vegas, NV 

Hello Roleplayers! Welcome to Sin City!

Alright, not really, but almost. I'm going to introduce everyone (anyone reading this) to the real Las Vegas. I haven't seen a whole lot of Las Vegas based groups (but to be fair I've also only looked to see what was out there, never to join), but it's a good city and could be a great setting given the right guidelines. I'm going to try to break it up as much as I can, so you can find whatever you might need for your roleplay without needing to wade through paragraphs upon paragraphs.

And for anyone who's curious: my qualifications include being born and raised in Las Vegas for the last 26 years.

Geography

Aright first things first. The Strip, while the icon of Las Vegas and a useful point (much like the North Star which, incidentally, you probably can only barely make out most nights), is not the end-all, be-all to Las Vegas. There is 135.8 sq miles that is Vegas, and the Strip is approximately 5 sq miles of that. So here's a list of major places in Vegas.

The Strip

Vegas' icon, the Strip is widely considered the stretch of Las Vegas Blvd from the Stratosphere to Mandalay Bay. Some people include the off streets parallel to Las Vegas Blvd as "on the Strip" but that's mostly to gain recognition and seem more legit to Vegas vacationers. There is no 'good side' and 'bad side' of the Strip (though the Stratosphere and Circus Circus are really only good for the rides and attractions they offer, not so much the room space.), there are high end hotel-casinos littering the entire expanse of the Strip, and more affordable ones as well. Number of people living here: approximately 5-8% of Vegas' population. Trust me, if you can afford to live ON the Strip, you are either extremely successful, run a hotel, or are living in 500 sq feet of squalor.

Downtown

Also home to an array of hotel-casinos, these are where the oldies-but-(mostly) goodies reside, amoung them the Golden Nugget, Oasis and the El Cortez. Downtown runs about a 2 sq mile stretch along Fremont Street starting at Las Vegas Blvd, the respective icon of Downtown Las Vegas. This include The Fremont Street Experience, a walk-only area filled with bars, restaurants, tacky Vegas-centric shops, bars, rides, street shows, bars, impersonaters, and did I mention bars? It's a great place, but definitely more on the gritty side of Vegas entertainment, and also homes the new(ish) Mob Museum. Living quarters are more affordable here, and range from acceptable to squalid, but there's not much hope for above-average.

Suburbia

The majority of Vegas is made up of suburbia of varying levels of nice to crappy. Basic rule of thumb is that the closer you are to the Strip, the worse the area you're in. The further from the Strip, generally the nicer the area (North Las Vegas notwithstanding). Suburbia includes everything that isn't the Strip, namely Summerlin (nice-nicest), Henderson (average and separate from Vegas), Spring Valley (average), Southwest (nicer) and North Las Vegas (avoid). There's official names for the different areas, found here but you'll find only a few locals that define everything specifically by the map.

Summerlin

Ranging from acceptable to high end, Summerlin is most of the West side of Vegas, from about where the I-95 meets Summerlin Parkway and westward. Older houses range from the 90's and later, and while there are less nice areas (same rule of thumb, the further east toward the Strip you go, the less nice the area gets), most of Summerlin is regarded as an acceptable to desirable area to live, particularly the furthest West near Red Rock (the park and the hotel-casino) where the homes and communities are newest and nicest.

Henderson

The furthest Southeast, Henderson is a range of nice to below-average, and is considered it's own city within Las Vegas. Generally considered on the outskirts of Vegas, if you're friends are in Henderson and you're anywhere west of the Strip, plan to have some nice long drives to see each other, or plan on lots of halfway meetings.

Spring Valley

Not as separated as Henderson, nor as well known as Summerlin to even tourists, Spring Valley is the epitome of average. The houses are nice, the area is mostly decent, the home ranges are affordable, and all in all, it's nothing to write home about in either a bad or good way.

Southwest

Southwest is typically new construction, cookie-cutter houses (which you'll also find an abundance of in Summerlin) with big shiny signs and constant construction. If you find a house that isn't in, next to, or within hearing of a construction site, congrats to you and don't sell that house for anything! Areas are generally nice, if a bit sparse (as new construction areas tend to be before they get their inevitable population boom), and the rampant building of new homes and competition means homes are affordable, but don't hope for good yard space.

North Las Vegas

Don't go at night. Or during cloudy, darky days. Or in a nice car. In fact, maybe it's best to just avoid North Las Vegas entirely. It's safest for everyone involved.

Tourism and Locals

My major pet peeve is when writers make the Strip out to be The Hangout Spot for locals. In reality, locals- even those with major business on the Strip- avoid the Strip like the plague. It is literally a point of pride when you can cite going to the Strip less than a handful of times in a given year. CEO's and other major business owners on the Strip will probably need to be there all of their working hours and- considering how much an owner they are- most of their off hours as well, but this is a necessity, not a choice. If you are a normal person who works as a waitress, a front desk clerk, a valet, a store clerk, any of the more lower-rung jobs, when you are off hours, people had better catch you RIGHT off hours if they hope to get you out, and even then they'd better pick a bar and not a fancy club because f**k anyone who thinks you're going home to change and battling an hour's traffic back to the Strip just to grab an overpriced drink.

Exceptions

Exceptions to this unofficial locals rule includes special events (bachelor/bachelorette/birthday parties), date nights, and family. Even the most hardcore locals will concede to go to a friends party and tourist it up (with a good amount of complaining about "goddamn tourists WALK FASTER IT'S NOT EVEN THE REAL EIFFEL TOWER FFS") with family. And let's be frank, if someone's taking you to a date on the Strip, they're trying to impress you and unless they try to pull a 'buffet smorgasbord' (which yes, do exist, as do all day buffet passes… don't ask), they're going to pay big for it, and you're getting a helluva nice meal out of it. Beware of the 'nightclub dates', which are usually intended to end in one-night-flings or booty calls.

Work

Not everyone is an employee of a hotel or casino. Let's just put that out there first off.

That being said, few places pay as well as hotels and casinos, nor offer the same benefits, and they are constantly filled with job openings, so if you're looking for a job and you've run out of or are near out of money, you'd better hope for a shot at a casino job. Most get tips, but not all, and most tourists subscribe to the 'everyone has a price theory', which while potentially lucrative for you, can also potentially lose you your job… and the cameras are always watching.

There are thousands of jobs available off the strip, including casino jobs at places like Red Rock, Aliante Station, Texas Station, Green Valley Ranch, The M, you get the idea. There's plenty of hotel-casinos available for working at that are of the Strip, and many more common jobs available in suburbia. Look at any general occupations masterlist and pick at random. I can say with 95% certainty it will be a job in Vegas.

Schools

There's two kinds of public schools in Vegas: crappy and not-so-crappy. Vegas ranks literally last on all education ratings nationally, and it doesn't take a lot to see why. Schools are overcrowded, understaffed, under cared for. My high school ranked not-so-crappy when I went to it, though it was starting to go downward in my senior year, and within two years, my younger brother was laughing at my 'ghetto' school I went to. Public schools are, quite frankly, the bottom of the barrel, not just in Nevada, but in the United States.

Private schools are costly, but somewhat better. Not highly ranked, but you have less a chance of getting injured, maimed, or killed in most of our private schools. But you also won't have time for a life. In an attempt to make up for Nevada's disgustingly low education rating, most private or magnet schools go above and beyond to try to make up for it. Advanced Technologies Academy, or A-Tech, attracts future programmers and IT-majors, Clark High School for teachers, LV School for Performing Arts is a given, and The Meadows School for basically everything (including being unofficially voted Most Likely to Give Your Child A Breakdown and At Least Two Anxiety Disorders). Now, I wouldn't advise using the names of any of the schools, but that gives you a little taste of the kinds of schools you'll be sending your under-18's to if you open a group.

Colleges (Universities to those non-US-ers) include College of Southern Nevada (formerly the community college) and University of Nevada: Las Vegas. There's a few other remote Universities located in satellite offices (Nevada State University and Arizona State University amoung them), but mostly you'll hear about those two. CSN is not as lowbrow as some people would think, being a former community college, and is much more affordable than UNLV, and with three different campuses for easy access. Most locals end up here, earning cheap credits before transferring to UNLV to finish their degree. You'll find two types of local college students: those who love UNLV and those who loathe UNLV. It is either your bread and butter, and you know every building's history and the hours to all the surrounding businesses and every name of every player/performer of your entertainment of choice, or you are one of the eye-rolling, I'm-so-much-better-than-this ones who are using UNLV for the in-state tuition and condescend the fact you even have to go to campus. Most locals live locally- often with parents, don't judge- and it's mostly out-of-staters that make up the dorms themselves. The area isn't the nicest, but it's geared toward broke college students, which is nice, and it's leagues closer to the Strip than most places, so working is more viable and partying as well.

Mob/Mafia

The mafia reign ended in the early 90's, and that was the last dregs of it at that. Fun fact, Las Vegas Mayor Goodman used to be the attorney for a number of the mob that ran Vegas back in the day (the 40's to the 70's, before law enforcement started cracking down), but that's about as close as you're going to get to the mob in modern day Vegas. Well, that and the Mob Museum.

Modern day Vegas doesn't bow down to any mob/mafia bosses, and second fun fact: Vegas' old mob/mafia bosses weren't even Vegas born or bred, they were a melting pot of visiting mobs/mafias from across the country who used Vegas' legal gambling laws to make some good money, New York, Chicago, and Kansas (I know, I was surprised too) amoung them. But few, if any, mobbers were actually Vegas born-and-bred.

Modern day Vegas is much more afraid of card counters and high-end thieves that threaten their numerous security measures, and casinos are owned by corporations and not by well known and feared families with illegal ties.

I think I've covered most of the basics (many basics haha), if anyone has any questions feel free to come on in to my askbox, and I'll be glad to expand on anything! I hope this proves helpful!