#archie asks

here’s a very old prompt thats also being used to introduce archie >:3

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Nate was pretty sure he couldn’t have met Dick’s estranged little brother on worse terms. Okay, that wasn’t entirely true. He could’ve been dead. But still, something about saving the kid from certain destruction wasn’t exactly how he wanted to introduce himself.

Archie Grayson, full name Archibald because his parents probably hated him, had to be rescued from juvie, which was probably the best case of situational irony Nate had ever experienced. 

Nate didn’t even remember to introduce himself until he was unlocking the kid’s handcuffs.

“Who the hell are you?” Archie asked, as Nate hummed to himself, trying to listen for the footsteps of the incoming guards.

Archie awkwardly craned his neck to get a look at him and Nate grinned. 

“Hi, I’m Nate. Your brother’s boyfriend, and also the guy who’s getting you out of this shithole.”

Archie blinked three times in rapid succession, obviously trying to process all of the words just spoken. Nate let out a whoop as the cuffs opened.

“Why are you rescuing me? Did Dick ask you to?” Archie asked. He sounded weirdly hopeful.

Nate hated to crush his spirit. “Nope. But I’m here to get you because there’s a hit on your head.”

“What do you m-”

Hi there!

This isn’t something I’ve explicitly talked about before, but it is actually somewhat of an underlying drive of both this blog and the corresponding Insta account as well.

Don’t get me wrong; the first and foremost intention of this blog is, and always will be, providing info, advice, and community to current and prospective architecture students. That’s the heart and founding purpose, and will remain so even as I now prepare to move into the workforce full time. However, I also view these accounts as networking and showcasing opportunities, and have both listed on my resume. I do this for two reasons:

1. It gives me more opportunities to showcase my work, especially work that, while I may be proud of it, I may not include in my actual portfolio. Things like process sketches, non-architecture art, and photography.

2. So many firms are starting to interact with social media on a larger scale. Building up your social media skills gives you yet another selling point, especially if applying for firms that are trying to build a stronger online presence, but maybe don’t know exactly how to go about it. It also shows your communication and presentation skills. It shows leadership skills. It shows your ability to sell an idea with just a few images and some words.

Granted, firms might not ever look at those accounts, at least not based on it being in your resume or portfolio alone. You may have to find other ways to draw their attention to them. For instance, I originally started my Insta to post my drawings for Inktober 2018. I chose to put a few of the better and/or more architectural drawings in my portfolio, making sure to add a note of where more similar work could be found. Another way of grabbing attention is by simply following the accounts of firms you’re interested in. A lot of times, that opens the doors for communication.

And ultimately, I think if you’re going to go this route, it’s important to not just post your work, but really build your own personal brand. "The Studious Archie” is my brand, built on my own personal effort and content. It shows who I am, and what my style is. I believe being true to those qualities is what will draw potential employers to you.

Now as far as content being copied/stolen, I do recognize how big of an issue this is on Instagram. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to know whether your content has been copied unless you see it for yourself, or if someone else lets you know. However, using techniques like watermarks (which can easily be layered on in Photoshop) can ensure that your work is still easily recognizable as yours, even if someone does repost it without your permission or proper credit.

WOW JESS THIS IS ACTUALLY SO RUDE HOW CAN YOU COME INTO MY HOUSE AND ASK ME A QUESTION LIKE THIS!? So first of all, imagine poor Archie having to live through the death of his very best friend, not only would that absolutely destroy him but then he would know that he had to come home and tell Gennie and he would have to break her heart - which would destroy him because wow he loves his cousin so god damn much. Like, Gennie would crumble absolutely  C R U M B L E  and Archie would catch her just before she hit the ground and they’d just hold each other and wow it would be horrible. Oh Jess honestly why…why would you do this to me?

Ooh this is a good question, I would like to think that he’d end up with a quiet girl but one who would be there for him to listen to him and she would hold him when he had flashbacks and she would care for him and make him feel safe. She’d have to be fun too, and willing to take a joke because even after the war I do think Archie Lock would be prone to making or playing jokes - he is always a little bundle of light even when his own life is dark because he likes making other people smile.

I’m crrryiiiinnnngggg

Aww, thanks!

Believe you me, I am scouring Glassdoor and Indeed on almost a daily basis. The only thing is with our state still mostly shut down, there isn’t much open, so there aren’t many job listings within architecture or design right now other than senior positions, which I obviously don’t qualify for being a fresh grad.

I’m not too worried about it yet. With the pandemic bonus for unemployment, I’m still bringing in a decent amount of income until I can get something. It’s just weird, in the past four years, I’ve not gone more than a month at a time without active employment (and most of that was timing leaves so I’d have a few weeks off between work and the start or end of a school year as a break), so so much time spent at home feels odd.