RA Pocket Shrine 119/? – Study Aide

/ May 6, 2016

Three weeks ago I received an e-mail from fellow fan Aquilea. She wanted to know whether I was up for a commission. I always am although I am slow to work through them *ahem*. This one, however, had to be done in a timely fashion. Because Aquilea told me “The end of my degree course is near! I have already submitted my master thesis, but now it is all study, study, study.” For the next two and a half to three months she was going to sit in her university’s library and prepare. And any kind of motivation to keep her on track and do the work was appreciated.

Nothing is better for that purpose than a RAPS. It’s *exactly* the sort of purpose the little shrines are designed for – small enough to fit into a pocket or the pencil-case, discreet enough to allow a quick mood boost when motivation is needed. Off I went and designed a little drool box…

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With “Aquilea” the name of my client, it was pretty clear what I needed to do…

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That’s right – “to the fight”! Attack the books and learn the stuff, Aquilea, Thorin is running ahead, forging the path. He’ll come running out of the uni library with you, he’ll back you up when you are stuck, sitting in front of the examiners. Just remember – he believed in his goal, and he conquered the lonely mountain against a mighty big opponent. So can you. So *will* you.

Should you need a little bit of distraction along the way – let’s face it, *no one* can study 8 hours at a stretch – then give your mind a little bit of rest. This is pretty easy on the eye:

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(Difficult to see, but the red foil background has the word “distRAction” embossed) Just to make sure, there’s both Earth and Middle Earth hotness included here for Aquilea’s pleasure. Both of them – fictional character *and* real man – are great role models. Hottest man or not, Richard’s disciplined approach to his work is pretty impressive, too. You don’t get to where he is without diligence, ambition and hard work. And if he can do it, then we can, too!

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So there we are, a motivational shrine for a diligent student, to give her courage when she needs it, and distraction when she wants it. You may want to refrain from lighting the candles in the uni library, though, Aquilea… Only dry drooling among the books, please, otherwise that fancy library building behind Thorin might burn to the ground… However, that shrine comes with the best wishes from me for an efficient preparation period and a successful exam at the end of it. Du bekâr!

 ˜»❤️«˜

This shrine commission came by way of a creative exchange, btw. And Aquilea was much faster than me with her surprise. Only a few days after we had struck our deal, she sent me a package that contained a fabulous, original gift, straight from the banks of her local river…  A message in a bottle – and a cool tin to boot. Wet Guy is always good – and I love the little Guy ❤ ❤ that are hiding in the sand. Gorgeous! Thank you 😘

If you have read until here, then please join me in wishing Aquilea all the best for her upcoming exams. You can also do so directly on her Twitter, on her WP blog, or on Tumblr where she is Oakenshieldmaiden. 

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51 thoughts on “RA Pocket Shrine 119/? – Study Aide”

  1. Another beautiful RAShrine, my friend. I’m sure Aquilea will feel most inspired by the Majestic Thorin.

    Have a wonderful weekend!

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    • Oh, that’s true. That is RA dressed Plushier-Style 🙂
      Always time for a crafty swap! I’m definitely up for it. Why don’t you call it now and schedule it for the summer? Beginning of July even?

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  3. This is absolutely brilliant!!! wish i had RA behind me when i was taking the exams 🙂 I think this really works and doesn’t he smile encouragingly? 🙂 And he’s a great example, i think.
    Might just pinch the idea since i have yet again to study for another exam in 2 weeks time and with Proctor by my side maybe i’ll convince myself to hit the books in spite of the gorgeous weather…
    brilliant shire idea
    And good luck to Aquilea!

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    • Glad you like it – and you can see, from own experience, how such a motivational RAPS might work as a study aide. Thorin definitely works as a motivation, just the way he led his people into exile and then went on that big journey himself, facing a lot of obstacles, taking the mountain, overcoming his own insanity… Let’s forget that he died in the process *ahem*.
      And hey, pinch away! (What is the exam, btw? Finance related?)

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      • He better be!!! I am NOT waiting 90 minutes like I was last time! I’m hoping Suitor will motivate him to be ready when I arrive so all we have to do is put the suitcases in the car and go!

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          • We were packed, filled up, fed and on the road in 35 minutes!!!!

            And then within 10 miles up the highway, we got stuck in a horrendous traffic jam. It took 90 minutes to go a few miles. Bad bad car wreck – 5 fatalities.

            So I’m responding from a cheapy cheap motel about 2 hours from our final destination. I hate driving this particular stretch at night and Spawn doesn’t like it either.

            So we’re trying to decide if we want to sit down at IHOP for breakfast or hit a drive thru… but we’re getting ready to pack up and head out.

            That’s a lie. I’m trying to get Spawn out of bed. Who knows how long THAT will take!!!

            (I did have a lovely surprise in the mail yesterday. I received a gorgeous Mother’s Day card from my darling!! I was very surprised.)

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  5. Love the idea of Thorin charging out of the library to conquer the world. What great inspiration for Aquilea to win her epic academic battle. You go, girl!

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  6. Da wird mir mal wieder ganz warm ums Herz. ❤
    Hier wird sich aber vorbildlich gekümmert – in allen Lebenslagen! Und Thorin ist eine gute Wahl, was Ausdauer, Hartnäckigkeit und ausgeprägte Zielstrebigkeit betrifft (auch wenn er sich auf dem Weg nach Beutelsend zweimal verlaufen hat…).

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    • Haha, wie gut, dass Aquilea nicht in Geografie (oder Orientierungssinn) geprüft wird… Da wäre Thorin nun wirklich das falsche Vorbild!
      Und klar, ein bisschen Unterstützung muss sein. Schließlich kennen wir uns doch alle 🙂

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  7. Love it! And when that study, study, study marathon is over, I bet Aquilea will be ready to charge out of the library with equal fervor! Best of luck, Aquilea! Enjoy! =)

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    • Ha, I’d love to see Aquilea charge out of the library into the exam room, shouting du bekar at the top of her voice… A sight for the gods 😉

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    • You are absolutely welcome – it was great fun making this shrine, I really enjoyed customising it in such a way that it would have some special meaning for you. If you like it, I am very happy. Glad to hear that it has already been tried and tested in the environment it is intended for. Those librarian will be wondering why this one student is so happy…

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  14. I love the way you decorated the cover of the tin this time. Elegant! Aquilea is sure to ace the examination now 🙂 And what an original idea she had with the message in a bottle!

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  17. Excellent inspiration for Aquilea. I’m sure she’s going to ace her exams with this type of motivation.
    I also loved the design aspect of the charging V formation of dwarfs with the V shape of the library. Very pleasing to the eye.

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