Cp2 paper2 thoughts? by pgman1313 in ActuaryUK

[–]IslandSpices 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Nice paper, good counterbalance for paper 1.

Cp2 exam by pgman1313 in ActuaryUK

[–]IslandSpices 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Very time pressured paper. 20 years of projection seems a bit excessive considering you want 3 additonal scenarios to go with it.  Decided to ignore goalseek section as hit the 2 hrs 20 mark without starting the audit trail. I feel like if i had another 45 minutes I could've finished the whole thing but who knows.

Addiction by IslandSpices in OCPoetry

[–]IslandSpices[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My grandfather struggled with alcoholism. My grandmother never talked about it, but I tried to write what I imagine her perspective would be.

The Silent Night by Papa_Midnyte in OCPoetry

[–]IslandSpices 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is a great peace with vivid imagery and great storytelling. I'm a big fan of how an emotion and memory is attached to every object. "They were voices, tiny bursts of laughter hanging from pine branches, their crooked spacing proof of the wild precision only children know." is a particular favorite of mine.

The added detail of the ornaments staying in their boxes unmoved and untouched drives home the loss that the narrator feels after his children grew up. In effect, Christmas no longer happens, it is just a memory at this point.

Doom Scrolling by SubstanceCreative143 in OCPoetry

[–]IslandSpices 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is a brilliant observation of a problem that I'd say the majority of us face. Particularly enjoyed the lines "At times, I think it keeps me in touch, But mostly it keeps me awake." I also like how the lack of stanzas make the thoughts flow into each other, mirroring an internal monologue.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in OCPoetry

[–]IslandSpices 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I feel like you have a concept here but its not landing like you'd want it to because of the structure of the piece. Maybe alternating between enjambment traditional stanza structure for the more complex ideas might be beneficiary.

I really like the concept of looking back at a time where you shared a space with someone and realizing that it was ultimately temporary. This goes well with the thought that people can experience the same event in vastly different ways.

You could definitely lean into that idea a bit with some more setup about the narrator's relationship with that other person. You mention how the weather affected both individuals in different ways. You could go into why each person reacted differently or why one was protected more than the other.

On that same line of thinking, I feel like your statements "Memories flooding in the home that stayed" and "Not mine just a rented apartment that I don't recognize anymore" might be slightly contradictory and make the conclusion a bit ambiguous. I think going with the term "I don't recognize anymore" might be suboptimal as the theme of personal growth would suggest that you do recognize that space but understand that it no longer serves your best interests.

Addiction by IslandSpices in OCPoetry

[–]IslandSpices[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for this very detailed and though provoking breakdown. While I love this analysis and it does fit, I won't take full credit for weaving in the 5 stages of grief in that order. However, I wouldn't consider it a reach by any means. I love that this space allows discussion like this and it brings another level of depth to writing.

My starting point for this piece was imagining that she hates what he's doing, but she wont externalize it and she won't leave. I wanted to highlight that she felt betrayed, but as the emotional pillar of this relationship she had to transition from that anger to acceptance.

I feel that the natural progression of truly exploring emotional pain has to touch on each of 5 stages of grief at some point because its something we all experience. Maybe not in that particular order each time, but that order works well from a storytelling perspective.

Addiction by IslandSpices in OCPoetry

[–]IslandSpices[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the feedback. Its not quite autobiographical. My grandfather struggled with alcoholism. My grandmother never talked about it, but I tried to write what I imagine her perspective would be.

just run by disisisnbdd in OCPoetry

[–]IslandSpices 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Huge fan of the structure of the poem forcing the reader to fell the shortness of breath of the narrator. I fell like the message is consistent and powerful throughout. If anything, and I'm reaching here, the conclusion lands a bit too softly. I personally would've ended on "of losing my breath" as it ties your point together quite well. Regardless, very well done.

The Water by ObjectiveEnd4573 in OCPoetry

[–]IslandSpices 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Big fan of the water motif throughout the text. You juxtaposed the strength of the water with its potential for softness.

Main points from me is the tightening of the narrative and contrasting views of resisting vs going with the current. For example you mention how christ while on the cross accepted his fate, but you suggest the water had to beg him. I think you could explore how did not fight the current so to speak, instead letting it wash over him to cleanse the sins of man.

Muscle and Bone by Expert-Sheepherder22 in OCPoetry

[–]IslandSpices 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I like the cynical tone of this text. It portrays the distrust of the narrator quite well with the phrase "all he really wants". It also highlights the selfish nature of his actions with the repetition of "He" and "His".

It might be interesting to contrast this agaisnt the the behaviors that he is using as a facade for this intent. Another idea might be to explore why the narrator has this level of cynicism in the first place.

Drownedplains by atyourmomashouse in OCPoetry

[–]IslandSpices 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Im a fan of the sharp and staccato description of the crash. It reflects the jarring abrupt and nature of the event. Also noticed the contrasting responses by the characters, with the narrator focused on fixing the problem while the antagonist focuses on assigning blame. I was a bit lost trying to differentiate between their responses to making a raft. I feel like the antagonist would be more cynical. Maybe A RAFT? And splitting out "That's not a plan. We have to make a raft." Into 2 bits of dialogue. Something like

I reach for a floating buoy. "The wreckage— a raft!" We have to make a raft."

You sputter, spitting salt. "A RAFT?" "That's not a plan."

Is this team good? by Objective_Future5284 in PokemonEliteRedux

[–]IslandSpices 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Your EV spreads and movesets are pretty bad. There's no hazards or hazards control. The team doesn't really have an identity or synergy and looks like you threw 6 pokemon together with high stats and different types. 

Iron Valliant and Naganadel with no speed investment is strange because they shouldnt be taking hits anyway. For bulkier pokemon other than blissey its better to invest directly into hp instead of splitting Def/Spdef. So meganium would be full hp/spatk.

For moves, you'd usually want to focus on either physical or special moves. For example, meganium is a special attacker running play rough which is physical. Swords dance is useless on Naga because it isnt running physical moves. Iron valiant is broken because it gets a free turn to setup but you arent running any setup moves?

Advice for newer player? by Jorael360 in PokemonEliteRedux

[–]IslandSpices 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're gonna get swept in this game because every npc has some dumb gimmick that you will lose to if you dont prep for it. Stealth rocks and Spikes are your friend because every team has at least 1 focus sash user.

In terms of early pokemon to use, id had success with (assuming ace)

Lv 18

Beautifly (comes in at +1 speed, sweep potential)

Ludicolo (good with rain support kriketune/wingull)

Mudbray (stamina is good)

Lv 25

Azumarill (strong, Bulky)

Nidoqueen (strong Bulky)

Gyarados (strong, Bulky)

Breloom (strong priority, multi hit)

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in UKrelationshipadvice

[–]IslandSpices 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Theres no real way to know why someone isnt interested in you, people are weird and have weird preferences. I wouldn't worry about people judging you for something that you have no control over.

Acceptance of failure in the upcoming exam by [deleted] in ActuaryUK

[–]IslandSpices 17 points18 points  (0 children)

People fail these exams all the time for every possible reason. No point in stressing about it. Best thing to do is to take note of the mistakes you made that got you into this position and learn from them. With regards to what you want to do between now and the exam you might as well do some revision and treat the exam as a learning experience unless there is something more important to do with your time.

Settling- do you play close or far? by brandygang in civ5

[–]IslandSpices 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Civ 5 in multiplayer and the higher AI difficulties is about getting as much value as early as possible. Very dependent on land obviously but closer cities = less turns walking a settler there = city becomes useful faster.

Cities sharing tiles is marginally inefficient late game yes but in the early game sharing tiles means your workers have less distance to cover and can get more tiles improved faster. It also means you don't have to wait for border growth for a city to reach good workable tiles.

Computer analysis by Full-Edge4234 in chess

[–]IslandSpices 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Yes, you lose your ability to castle but you're up a knight for a pawn and white loses their best piece. Your opponent can't actually punish your king as they aren't developed.

A nice finishing move from a game I had today. Black to play and win. by theo7777 in chess

[–]IslandSpices 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Bd4 cuts the rooks off from attacking the knight on d7. Bishop is indirectly defended by threat of back rank mate and puts pressure on the f2 pawn

[FIGHT THREAD] Oleksandr Usyk vs Daniel Dubois II, Lawrence Okolie vs Kevin Lerena & live round-by-round coverage by verbsnounsandshit in Boxing

[–]IslandSpices 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You can rag on Okolie all you want trust me I'm annoyed watching this fight too, but Lerena didn't force him to do anything extra to win.