#bleach 556

[thrillerhark]

BLEACH by Tite Kubo

Chapter 556 - the wolfsbane

[littleeyesofpallas]

Okay, so.... going back over the wolfmen stuff in the final arc, Kubo talks about "beasts"/"animals" depending on what english translation you're looking at, but there's some specific terminology that gets glossed over.

[538.Standing On the Edge] [539.Prob-less, Progress] [556.The Wolfsbane] [558.狼の心臓]

The phrase [復讐の獣]: "Beast of Revenge," appears but only the once, and this uses the more conventional word for "Beast," [獣] Kemono. (This is also the one he uses when talking about Hollows in slightly strange terms that one time.) But otherwise he actually uses a different word for it:

chikushou[畜生]

(oh boy this got stupid long after all... cutting preview here for space...)

It's written with the kanji [畜]: "Livestock/Domestic animal" and [生]:"Life/Genuine/Birth." One common use of this is kind of what you'd expect, where it refers to someone as a "beast" or a "brute" with an implicit moral judgment to it. (And frankly this is also how [獣] is typically used in the nonliteral sense, but maybe with a slightly stronger undertone of violence to it.) This is also just really similar to how we use "Beast" or "Animal" as a kind of derogatory in English.

But this particular construction comes from its use in Buddhism where it actually refers very specifically to a human who has been (re)born, via the wheel of reincarnation, as an animal. And in fact the term [畜生道]:"The Beast Road" refers to the Buddhist concept of "The Animal Realm," which is part of [六道]"The Six Roads*" or "Six Realms":

*Yes, this is the same "Six Paths" referenced in Naruto. No, Kishimoto didn't put any actual Buddhist ideas behind it, because he's just boring like that.

The Realms of...

Deva - The divine figures of Buddhism, free of sin and consequently without desire, and at the highest levels without any physical form or interaction with the rest of the physical world at all.

Asura - Opposite the Deva they are similarly immensely powerful but consumed entirely by mortal passions in excess

Human - The world we live in where people are tempted away from the path toward enlighten by sin

Animals - Like the world we live in but spiritually set apart by lack of human intelligence

Preta/"Hungry Ghosts" - These are the tortured souls of the dead, they persist with the same kinds of desires that makes up Human, Animal, and Asura existences but are fated never to fulfill them

Naraka - And I've actually mentioned it in relation to Bleach before but these are what are often considered the Buddhist "Hell*" and this realm is itself divided into 2 sets, hot and cold, of 8 layers each where sinners serve penance for their sins in mortal life. Hitsugaya and Komamura's bankai each reference one of these.

Deva and Asura exist together in a realm of the formless, Humans and Animals in the realm of the physical, and the Hungry Ghosts and Naraka in the realm of desires.

Anyway, point being, the heaviest implications here being that the entire wolf clan aren't just arbitrarily cursed by some kind of magic spell, they're cursed by the nature of the universe and the wheel of reincarnation. The bad karma of their sins as humans caused them to be reborn into the world as animals, as subhumans, a new life they're meant to live in penance if they want to be reborn properly again.

And given the context of other Buddhist cosmological elements in Bleach, this is ostensibly what happens to souls like Shrieker after they've sinned as humans, been unable to be purified by a shinigami like normal Hollows, and then taken to hell.

It's a wild idea that Komamura was at some point a criminal, that he suffered through an entire other life in Hell, died there, got born into Soul Society(?) as a wolf faced dude, and then manifested his innermost truth through his zanpakutou only for it to be a giant monster from the hell he lived through previously. Initially it read like Komamura himself was the Wisdom King (another figure of Buddhist mythos) and his role was to punish criminals, but in the new context of the wolfman clan, the fact that his spirit reflects his time in hell suggests that his more core, fundamental personality trait is actually his penance itself. It's like a reflection of guilt; he has become his own jailer, administering punishment unto himself. If he had even been given an inner world for us to see, like Ichigo's, I wonder if it wouldn't be a recreation of Hell itself.

Also super interesting is how the old mandog doesn't care about "The World" being destroyed. It's weird because at this point it's not super clear what either of them mean when they talk about "the world." Komamura seems to be talking specifically about Soul Society and how they accept him despite his appearance, but the plot at large involving the Quincy started with the threat to the balance between living and spirit worlds. And as we know, Yhwach unseating the king of Soul Society does start to breakdown the division of worlds. So which one did the great elder care about? Not caring if Soul Society, as in the Shinigami, were killed and replaced? Or he literally didn't care if the entire structure of reality got rewritten?

Going back to the 6 Paths for a second, the Deva's status as beings without desires and in some cases without even physical form, seems to strongly point in the direction of the King of Soul Society himself; trapped unmoving in his crystal, seemingly unthinking or feeling. but despite their powerful status they are counted among the six paths of suffering because they are complacent in their realm of bliss and thus fail to progress onward toward full enlightenment. And the Hollows themselves aren't so dissimilar from the Asura, possessed of singular desires. They are said to envy the Devas as they are to Devas as Animals are to Humans.

There's a lot more to all this than I can rightly get into here, but it's interesting to know that Kubo came back to these influences after spending, quite frankly a very long time away from these themes by this point in the manga.

There's also the curious revisiting of the power and importance of Heart in Bleach. Giving it yet another role in things as part of this sacred rite. The heart is where the Hollow masks come from, it's where the zanpakutou come from, it's what Kaien believed tied people together, it's what Ulquiorra sought to understand, and now it holds the key to the wolf folk's powers...

As animals reincarnated from people and condemned for their human sins, the idea makes sense that by giving up the heart, and thus giving up the capacity for human desire, they are unshackled from the sin that ties them to their animal form. But of course they also can't exist without a heart for long so it's a death sentence. But curious that the elder gains longevity by consuming Komamura's heart.

In particular he tells Komamura to indulge in his base human sinful anger and bitterness and resentment and pain, which under the circumstances presumably funnels all those negative emotions back to the severed heart. So why does consuming this sin benefit the elder? By taking Komamura, and implicitly other wolf folk's sin unto himself, does the elder lengthen his sentence as an animal so that he has to wait longer to reincarnate? Is that what he wants? To stay an animal forever and not be reborn as a human? It's not something we'll ever really have answered, but it's a neat pocket of the universe left open to explore.

I think it's also worth noting that Komamura tried to differentiate revenge from duty, as he framed his need for power as a matter of fulfilling his life debt to Yamamoto. He is very noble and classically samurai-like in that way. yet in the heat of things in the end, he doesn't fight out of duty to debts owed, he fights out of pure personal gratification of vengeance. He doesn't fight because of propriety, he fights out of personal anger. And I feel like we didn't actually get to see enough of that play out, it's actually realy similar to how Ichigo's relationship with his inner hollow worked for most of the series.

The elder also calls Revenge the true form of the wolf clan. I don't even know where to dig into this, to be honest. There's a lot of history behind japan's indigenous wolf population, now extinct, and some of the spiritual relevance to them. but I don't know if that's being referenced at all here? Also there's the Shinsengumi, ever popular subject of the waning days of the samurai. They were a band of militarist extremists, fighting on behalf of the shogunate and against the efforts to restore the Emperor to power. They were in effect fanatical loyalists, and they were derogatorily nicknamed the Wolves of Mibu(referring to town that housed their head quarters) for their ferocity. In general there's a lot of historical drama and intrigue involving revenge in there...

another small detail but the torii gate, the shimenawa rope hanging from it, and the theme of stone liondog gaurdians are all distinctly Japanese and shinto, rather than Buddhist specific. I wonder if there was any intention to contrast the two or not, like if shinto animism would've been more egalitarian towards animal spirits, where as the buddhist's segregated realms and hierarchical cycles innately devalue them from the perspective of characters like the wolf clan.

Incidentally I was also really disappointed that for all the build up to it, and the rhetoric around the revenge, Komamura didn't even get to help in fighting Yhwach.

Anyway, I think that covers most of my thoughts on the matter. As with most of the arc none of this really goes anywhere or actually builds toward anything concrete... It does feel less like Kubo did this to fill space and more like he crammed it in because it was some note he'd had in the margins that he knew he'd never get the chance to work in any other way; if it'd been random last second jargon to excuse a random power up, I feel like he'd have aimed for something less complicated than what we got. But again, we'll never really know.

[sonichkkaaascreams]

Mountain with a flower crown

As inspired by a post made by @bleachhaven I made a bleach OC. I am very proud of her. This post is her full bio as I laid the ground work of who she is and next post coming in sometime tomorrow or the day after will be a oneshot of this wonderful lady and her partner. Maybe even turn into something more.

The request and the head cannon it resulted were as followed:

Headcanon for Zaraki Kenpachi with a S/O that’s bigger than him (fluff and smut) 

wordcount: 5816 ~ 

it’s a lpt so i hope you’re patient with me. i like going in depth with my OC’s but also this time i tried to keep her simple and leave some space for the oneshot to come. also i already apologize for any possible errors that i might have missed. my eyes are stinging at the time of posting this.

again special thanks to @bleachhaven​ and also a thank you to @shadowsnlace who also inspired me with their headcanons and i will be using tid bits from their combined effort (they worked seporatly.) in the oneshot of the same name as in the headline. 

Verse: bleach manga – bleach anime property of Tite Kubo

Motto: Chop your own wood, it will warm you twice.

 Name: Yasu (assertive child, ヤス) Yamase (Yama = mountain ,山 – se = back / spine / stature / ridge , 背 )

Reason or meaning of the name: she was a very large child since birth – and her last name was given because of her large stature that resembled a mountain in comparison to her peers and the fact that she carried the livelihood of an entire village on her back.

Nickname: 1. Ushi-oni (Ox/cow demon - 牛鬼)

                   2. Yama-0nna (mountain woman/ mountain lady)

Reason for nickname: 1. This nickname bears the weight of an insult and is what she is called by those who have crossed her path and met her as an enemy. They call her that to convey how beastly large and powerful she is and by the extent how unbothered by their attacks she was.

                                      2. This endearing nickname is given to her by the new children of her village. They call her that because she is very large, like a mountain, and also because she has the word mountain in her last name.

Birth date: Oct 1st

Her birth: she was born on the first day of autumn, around 2 A.M (the hour is known as the ox hour) it was a quiet and peaceful night with the owls hooting as the only noise outside.

Place of birth: a small secluded beachside village named “Momo Niwa” (peach, garden/field - 桃,庭) located in district 35 of east Rukongai

Species: soul

Occupation: formerly the hunter, farmer gardener, shepherd, fisherwoman, and the primary breadwinner of her village

                      Later on: Shinigami (soul reaper)

Age: 556 years old

How old does the OC appear: mid to late twenties (maybe late twenties to early thirties if you account for some significant facial features)

Weight: 363.4 lbs = 164.83 kg

Height: 8’8 = 264.16 cm

Body build: she is 363.4 lbs of pure muscle accumulated by eating a bear (or 3 entier boars down to the bone) a day and shaped with everyday hard labor since she was old enough to have a grip on a tool. She is bulky and strong, able to wrestle with a grown male bear easily, carry multiple three trunks on her back, and if needed pull a tree out of the ground. She is perhaps the single largest soul living in soul society.

The shape of her face: her face is not very feminine, she has a sharp jawline and strong chin. High cheekbones and gentle brows. Her nose while proportionate has been broken twice. The skin of her face while still soft has been wiped with direct sunlight for long periods of time. Her lips are thick and plump with a downward curve that makes her seem constantly annoyed. A small horizontal scar on her right cheek from where she was attacked by an angry wild cat as an inexperienced hunter. A scar on her upper left forehead near her hairline from when she fell off a three as a child (there is a very small bald spot there due to the scar tissue) and a thick but short diagonal scar under the right corner of her lip leaving it slightly misshapen.

Eye color: light gray – almost white if looked at from afar.

Eyesight: exceptional

Skin tone: as a child, she had fine pale skin, but as the years went by and time spent on the field or the beach her skin changed, and now it’s rough, leathery, and tanned – however, some parts of her body that have never been under the direct sunlight are still moonlight pale.

Distinguishing marks: the scars on her face. Her physique. Scaring around her feet and hands due to hard labor and occasional fights.

Predominant features: the sheer size and height of this woman.

Hair color: a dark reddish-brown with a few gray streaks amidst them. The gray parts make her seem older than she is.

Hair type: wavy, wild, and unkempt. She rarely has enough time or patience to properly care for them.

Hairstyle: the majority of her hair is usually either in a high ponytail or a bun to keep out of her face with a simple old blue ribbon that’s almost ragged by this point due to extensive use. The gray streaks are kept in small braids decorated with beads, feathers, and animal teeth or bones. (insisted by her village elders as hair decoration speaks of position in her village)

Voice: surprisingly has a soft and gentle voice that seems unusual for her throat. Make no mistake she is not quiet nor meek. She has loud booming laughter that is guaranteed to shake the house and her voice can easily be heard over others in a loud crowded room. But her speech pattern is gentle, polite, soft-spoken, and calming. She speaks with a reassuring sense of confidence that will make everyone listen and heed her words.

Overall attractiveness: she is not considered conventionally beautiful nor attractive; especially by feminine standards. She is simply too large, too tall, and too muscular to be the image of the traditionally graceful innocent flower petal that women are perceived as. Instead, she is considered rather handsome. In a manly, reliable kind of way that makes a woman to be attracted to her more than men. As most men don’t like courting girls that tower over them both figuratively and literally.

Physical disabilities: due to her height and weight, her knees and ankles are prone to joint pain and are in need of getting an ointment and herbal massage every once in a while. She may be very strong but the same muscles that made her so, also take away from her speed and she usually is more of a slow and steady kind of worker than the speedy type. She also used to have a difficulty in controlling her strength and had very loud and heavy steps and as a hunter that was a disadvantage. She has long since corrected her steps and is now as quiet as a wild cat while hunting and is quite good with her hands now but she is still rather slow.

The usual fashion of dress: as a child, she would wear normal clothing but as she continued to grow at an abnormal rate her clothes began to consist of multiple Yukatas and Kimonos sewn poorly together to make one dress that is big enough for her to wear comfortable and decently.

Favorite outfit: an utilitarian Yukata that is made of multiple dark-colored and green-colored fabrics that she uses for hunting and a winter coat made of only white rabbit skin.

Jewelry or accessories: No earrings, necklaces, or rings only hair decorations made of seashells, feathers, carved bones, and teeth.

Personality: Hardworking, steel true, and blade straight, Yasu is the primary breadwinner of her small village and responsible for the care of many elders, pregnant women, and many children along with many injured and otherwise incapacitated souls. She not only hunts, fishes works on fields, collects herbs, fixe tools, and homes, and guards the village against potential harm, but also she teaches everything she was taught and learned herself to the next generation ensuring the survival of her small village. She is primarily a noncombatant as her imposing sight alone wards off any potential threats and due to her size and strength she rarely needs to exert herself and to this day she has not been physically challenged (not since the first time she wrestled a bear as a child, but then she was mostly unprepared than weaker. Ps. She cried when she accidentally killed it, stopped crying when she realized how tasty the bear is.).

                      Unless necessary she rather not partake in violence, as a hunter she was thought that a kill must be clear and clean sparing the pray from unneeded misery and pain. If forced, however she is not a pushover, and while still does not partake in needless violence will effectively and immediately remove the assailant from her and her associates' vicinity by picking them up and throwing them away over her head.

                      She grew up in a village that predominantly had many fragile and weak people and thus not only she gained mastery over her strength but also was raised with the duty of the caretaker. She may have been one of the younger children of her village at the time, but since she was the largest and strongest many of the manual labor was placed on her shoulders and so she grew to have a habit of being everyone’s mother, to care for their well-being, eating habits, if their sleeping well, fixing their clothes if it’s untidy and even bathing them. (She was strong enough to safely carry the pregnant women to the bath, wash them safely and carry them back with no problem, or help those that had injured arms or legs in bathing)

                      She is, as formerly mentioned, very soft-spoken and quiet and never feels the need to yell or raise her voice as her sight alone demands unwavering attention. She is well respected as the breadwinner of an entire village as is dutiful to be deserving of that respect. She rises early morning before the birds – the elders' joke that she wakes up the sun every morning ) and goes to bed later than everyone on the nights that she doesn’t stand guard all night (again the elders' joke that she either stays up to make sure all the stars are accounted for or that she keeps guard of the moon as well.)

                      She knows there’s a time and a place for everything, a time to be respectful, a time to be playful, and a time to be forceful. She put her duty as the caretaker above all else.

                      She hates it when people think she’s older than she is because of her hair and battered face.

                     She holds on to a very old superstition that drinking boar blood mixed with milk makes children grow to be strong, completely ignoring the parts that the superstition is about “sons” and not daughters and that she is not a “CHILD” anymore.

                    She may act humbly, but secretly she loves how large she is. The only time she ever hated her height is when she entered Shino Academy and all the doorframes were too short for her and her dorm room was ridiculously small for her built. And for that, she prefers to sleep on the rooftop.

                    She genuinely enjoys hard labor and will always offer to carry items for others and if she senses that someone is getting tired she will carry them on her shoulder With delight.

                     While she is a well-spoken person, if she meets someone she is annoyed with or particularly have done something to warrant her contempt towards them, she starts calling them a very specific insult she never normally uses and only reserves for those she dislikes. “Puny/tiny man” for the men and “ladybug” or “little caterpillar” for the woman. (Ex: *smiling politely* be careful little ladybug/puny man, it would be a shame if I accidentally stepped on you. – She has only ever used this insult twice to this day) and on the other hand, she particularly likes someone, she will make them flower crowns and jewelry made of bones and teeth of animals if they are girls (or they like jewelry) and make hand-carved hunting knives and fur coats for the men.

                   She prefers to bathe in a cold lake as oppose to use warm water or use an Onsen.

                   When she finally partakes in combat, she is without a doubt both an unmovable object and an unstoppable force. she prefers to detain her opponents with Kido or Hakudo and if forced break their bones with the hilt or the dull side of her sword and avoid having to cut them down. (She says: a blade is for slaying and not for playing.) if due to specific circumstances; she were to aim for her opponent's death, they will die as quickly and painlessly as possible within a day – if the numbers are high – she makes it seem as if her opponents are mere animals that she needs to put out of misery as quickly as possible and not prolong their suffering. (on one specific occasion where she was disarmed, she held her opponent in a tight hug and crushed his entire spine and rib cage, killing him. – She was miserable and depressed for days afterward, and proceeded to dig an honorable grave for the man.)

Moral: she is dutiful and puts it above all else. When she mush kills, she will make it as fast and painless as possible. And only when it’s necessary. She rarely becomes physical with anyone. she believes she’s stronger than anyone she knows and doesn’t see the need to assert herself in such away.

Self-control: fairly high. She is a very disciplined individual both physically and mentally.

Motivation: the satisfaction of achievement through hard work. By the sweat of her brow and the strength of her mountain-like back.

Discouragement: realizing her size may prevent her from perfecting an action. Or realizing she may have to resort to violence.

Intelligence level: she may not be the most intelligent, but she is wise for her age and has great life experience. Her intuition and deduction skills have saved her from many sticky situations.

Confidence level: she is not arrogant or boastful but she is without a doubt very confident and assured of her capabilities. Of her strength, skills, and intuition. As well as the leadership skills that she acquired through the years.

Mood the OC is in most often: peaceful and relaxed yet focused on the task at hand.

Sense of humor: she has heard every tall joke and buff girl joke there is and is bored of hearing them but she will use at least 1 a day. Lesbian and butch jokes annoy her. She has heard every crude joke an individual can think of. Personally, associates with dark humor. Will hopelessly laugh at shitty puns.

The greatest joy in life: once in her life she had nothing to do so she sat by the beach and laid on the sand listening to the sound of the waves and allowed the children to braid her hair with flowers and colorful ribbons, and that is the greatest feeling she ever had.

Greatest fear – why: to grow old and die in the same village she was born into without ever leaving it. While she is grateful to the people who raised her she doesn’t want her life to have begun and ended in a secluded village by the beach without ever having seen much beyond the woods and the shore.

What would throw the OC’s life in turmoil: the times where she had to kill, especially if the death was A) unintentional due to her uncontrolled strength as a youth and B) done with inappropriate weaponry that caused a slow death and prolonged suffering.

Most at ease when: surrounded by children or people that are younger than her. When surrounded by loved ones. When hearing the sound of running water that reminds her of the shore she grew up in.

Enraged when: insulted, annoyed for too long regarding petty things, teased for her graying hair or size for too long, if someone decides to attack someone smaller and weaker

Trauma: this goes back to when she was a very young child. At the tender age of seven, when she was all but a doe-eyed child, she would eat as much as 3 times a grown man – by that time she was about as tall as a teen – so it’s understandable that on a specially cold winter the village became short on rations. Instead of telling the child to eat less, the villagers lessened their rations for the children and Yasu. For that reason that winter 5 of the older and weaker villagers passed away. Yasu was not told this until she was a good 200 years old, and when she realized this is the reason why her “Yuudai sofu” (grandfather Yuudai) passed away. she was traumatized to a point of losing her appetite and starving herself for the next two years that she grieved. then she returned, vowed she would repay her family every grain of rice a thousand fold and every drop of milk ten thousand. 

Prejudice: a general disdain for those who are physically capable but refuse to “cut their own wood” or “pull their weight”. She came from a village where it was an unspoken rule that the youth – and generally those who are capable – must look after those who cannot do so/ the old. and also a disdain for those who take the hard work of others for granted.

Favorite activity – hobby: when she doesn’t have anything particular to do she likes to sit down under a tree and either carve wood and bones into hunting knives or make flower crowns.

How does the OC feel about herself: she is comfortable in her own skin. Never really thinks about her appearance nor does she compare herself to others. She is content with who she is and the work she does.

One word to describe herself: reliable

One paragraph of how would she describe herself: “I think I’m reliable. I would like to think that I am. It’s my duty as the capable one to look after the others. I do enjoy working, I never seem to be able to sit down idly. Makes me fidgety. (Chuckles.) By the way, you seem tired! Need me to carry you? (Bends down) come now don’t be shy the weather is nice up here!” (Points at her shoulders making a tall joke)

Her best and worst personality trait is based on herself: “Oooooh, I’m not sure. I think my best trait is that, well, I’m reliable. And very sturdy. (Laughs.) my worst trait? I don’t know. I work too hard? Don’t take as many breaks as I should? I feel like I’m bragging.”

Her best and the worst physical trait is based on herself: “Hmmm. I never thought about that. I guess I do like that I’m tall and strong. I can take care of everyone like that. Reach the high shelves for them and pick them up when they're tired. I guess I don’t like my graying streaks? Makes people think I’m older than I actually am. “

How others perceive her: Villiger child said. ”Yama-Onna- san is the best! She picks us up and swings us around and around until we get dizzy and then she brings us fresh peaches every afternoon. She saved Aki-chan from a mean boar once. We love Yama-Onna- san sooo very much.”

                                             Villager woman: “Aah, yes. I do know Yasu- chan. She is wonderful. A dutiful, wonderful, kind person. I remember when I was with child and couldn’t walk. She would always pick me up so gently and take me to bathe and take very good care of me. Not to mention she'd always make special rabbit soup for me to make sure I was well fed. She fixed my room when it was broken too. Such a handy girl she is. If only she were a man, I think I wouldn't mind a husband like her.” (she laughs as a man’s grumble comes from inside her home.)

The opinion of other people in general: “seeing her for the first time she may look frightening and imposing but in truth, she has the gentle heart of a bunny. Give her a chance to show you who she is rather than what she looks like. She may look like an imposing beast; but she’s about as harmless as a sweet little chipmunk. “

Does she hide her (true) opinion on other people: not particularly.  Even when speaking the truth she will make sure to phrase it politely and gently.

The person she hates the most: lazy people in general – or that least lazy people who are ungrateful

Best friends: Hinamori Momo, Kotetsu Isane, Ise Nanao

Persons she avoids: Kurotsuchi Mayuri, Soi Feng

Person, she feels awkward with: Hitsugaya Toshiro (so small), Hirako Shinji (that weird smile), Soi Feng (so loud for someone so small)

The person she openly or secretly admires: Zaraki Kenpachi (he is up to my chest, very tall), Ise Nanao, Kuchiki Rukia

How she thinks others perceive her: Ushi-oni, imposing and scary (which makes her a bit sad)

One thing she would change about herself: the gray hair, maybe make herself a little shorter – just a little – enough that her head wouldn’t hit the door frames all the time.

Her main logic of the world: Chop your own wood, it will warm you twice.

                                                   You can either dream or work to achieve that                                                           dream.

                                                  You won't always be motivated, you must learn                                                       to be disciplined.

                                                    By the sweat of your brow and the strength of your back, and the blood in your veins. Anything can be achieved.

                                                      When there’s a will there’s a way.

Depressed or sad when: she does something she deems cruel. doesn’t have anything to do. Her friend is in the middle of something she can’t help them with. When away from Kenpachi for too long. Sometimes she misses her mothers, father figures and her village.  

Priorities: duty first. And not just work duty. Her duty to herself. Her duty to her romantic partner/ spouse. Her duty to her friend. Her duty to nature, her duty to her conscious. Her duty to her mothers.

Life philosophy: hard work pays off. Always. Not always in the ways, we want or we think we want. But always pays off in some way.

Soft spot – is it obvious or not: she has a giant soft spot for children and people who are physically very small even by normal standards. (namely, Hinamori Momo. Hitsugaya Toshiro, Kuchiki Rukia) – it couldn’t be any more obvious – she makes them flower crowns every day without fail)

Greatest strength: other than her bulging biceps? Her great leadership skills and hard-working nature.

Vulnerability or weakness: deep down she does feel weird and vulnerable about her size, after all, she is still a girl, and about the time she was 150 or so she was deeply sensitive when a guy would call her Ushi-Oni. Just because she was taller than everyone else. Although now she knows logically she shouldn't feel bad about herself and her appearance there are still times she feels embarrassed when she knows she can’t wear a beautiful Kimono because A) they don’t have it in her size and B) she realizes it wouldn’t be good on her as it would on someone like Ise Nanao or Kuchiki Rukia

Biggest regret: accidentally killing that bear, not realizing her eating habits were putting a strain on the village sooner

Minor regret: not learning feminine skills (sewing, tea etiquette, etc.)

Biggest accomplishment: becoming a Shinigami

Other accomplishments: mastering the sword, archery, trapping, fishing, tracking, and finding her way based on stars – making a full garden of peaches from only 3 peaches she bought – building a small fishing boat (albeit a flimsy one) – raising the number of the village livestock exponentially.

Past failures: she failed many times in almost everything she started. It’s not important how many times she failed in what, what’s important is that she is now more skilled than the average souls and Shinigami.

Embarrassing moments: her first 3 weeks at Shino Academy they didn't have a uniform her size so until they make one her size she was heavily underdressed. (the pants were only to her knees and the upper half was more like a tight short-sleeved vest. She preferred to wear her usual clothes but wasn’t allowed to. The moment Captain Hitsugaya who had come to the Academy on work-related matters saw her state of indecency he threw a fit and demanded appropriate clothing for a lady. – Yasu wanted to die at that moment.)

Darkest secret: she secretly, very deep down, is annoyed that no one else is half as strong as she is. And wishes there was someone she could find that she didn’t have to hold back for.) (*wink wink* foreshadowing *wink wink*)

Skills: life skills: 1. wielding a club

                            2. archery

                            3. trapping

                            4. pathfinding using stars

                            5. fishing

                            6. trapping and hunting and skinning animals

                            7. wood carving, bone carving, and tool building in general

                            8. cooking

                            9. farming, gardening

 Incompetence: 1. Sewing

                                  2. tea brewing

                                  3. anything to do with speed or agility

                                  4. patience in anything other than hunting

                                  5. strategizing in anything other than hunting

 Strength – talent – powers: Shinigami based: 1. professional Zanjutsu

                                                                            2. advanced levels of Kido

                                                                            3. unrivaled Hakudo

                                                                            4. passable Hoho

                                                                              Habits: 1. she stubbornly sticks to the superstition of drinking mill mixed with boar blood is good for health and strength. (even though the superstition says it’s good for little boys to grow strong and healthy and she is neither a boy nor a child.)

            2. She prefers to take cold bathes even in midwinter.

           3. Sleeping outside – unless provided with a big enough room.

           4. Braiding her hair and making flower crowns when she is bored or nervous.

 The organization involved: Gotei 13, Squad 10. (as the third seat officer)

Income: standard seated officer Shinigami income + overtime

Job satisfaction: doing all the paperwork as fast as possible (even those that aren’t hers… LOOKING AT YOU MATSUMOTO RANGIKU)

Health: as is expected of someone her size she is very healthy seldom gets sick. Her knees and ankles need a herbal and ointment massage now and then due to the pressure of caring for her weight.

 Childhood life: on a particularly warm summer evening a woman by the name of “Hatsume” comes across this small village begging for a small room so she can have her child in peace. The villagers of course all this and the woman spends the next two months peacefully waiting for her child. The villagers assumed she must have multiple sons as her belly was greatly swollen but by the time the child was born, it was revealed that “Hatsume” was right and she only had one child. One little girl.

                          Actually no, she had one big girl. A girl so big, that she broke her mother’s hips as she was coming out resulting in the death of her mother. Originally the midwife –“ Obba-chan Harumi” – deemed it a bad omen and wanted to drown the child but was convinced otherwise by the rest of the women. Thus the newborn was given to “Riko” another woman who had recently lost her weak child due to heatwave. She named the child “Yasu “ and accepted her as her own child and fed her until she no longer could.

                         Apparently “Yasu” was a very hungry child and drank her mother dry within a few months, and so she was given to another woman named “Natsuko” who also raised her as her own alongside her son named “Tadashi”.  And so, until Yasu-chan was old enough to eat solid food she was cared for by the collective effort of 10 women. (Riko-san, Natsuko-san, Haruko-san, Kaede-san, Usagiko-san, Amaya- san, Yuria-san, Ikuko-san, Minako-san, Sakue-san) and as a child, she grew to eat 3 times a grown man and as an adult, she eats 9 times the average man as a moderate ratio (she can eat more)

Best memories: 1. sitting by the ocean with her 10 mothers and their other children making flower crowns and listening to the sound of waves.

                            2. Learning how to carve knives and sitting next to her        “Yuudai-gi” and making hunting knives.

Worst memories: 1. sitting at the grave of “Yuudai-gi” now knowing why he died

                                2. Barring her mother “Kaede-san” after she fell ill

Alignment: bounces between lawful chaotic and chaotic lawful – sometimes lawful neutral

Short-term goal: accomplish daily duties to the best of her abilities.

Long term goal: live her life to the fullest and learn to relax and have fun without worrying

The most defining moment in her life: deciding she’s prepared the kids of her village enough and leaving them to become a Shinigami.

Type of childhood: certainly eventful, but all in all nurturing

First memory: her first and oldest childhood memory is being surrounded by many women cooing at her (her motherers) and one in particular saying something about giving her boar blood with milk.

Most important childhood memory: her first successful hunt, an old limping stag.

Childhood hero: Yuudai-gi

Education: thought by the rest of the villagers. Mostly focused on practical information – learned how to write and read when she had nothing better to do by her mothers.

Family: mothers: Riko-san, Natsuko-san, Haruko-san, Kaede-san, Usagiko-san, Amaya- san, Yuria-san, Ikuko-san, Minako-san, Sakue-san

             Father figure: Yuudai-gi, Kaoru-gi, Manzo-san, Ikemoto-san, Gihei-gi, Sotaro-san

              Siblings: Tadashi-kun, Ekiken-kun, Toyozo-kun, kenji-kun, Hachigoro-kun, shigeru-kun, Akeno-chan, Euki-chan ,Mizuki-chan, Mami-chan, Romi-chan, Shizue-chan, Chieko-chan, Asaji-chan, Ochiyo- chan

                  +the rest of the village.

Relationship with parents: she was well-loved by all of her mothers.  

Relationship with siblings: there were arguments as children and there were teasings as children but the older they got the better their relationship became and with her size she became everyone's protector and the helping hand of her mothers.

Spouse – lover – the person of interest: Zaraki Kenpachi, the second Kenpachi and the 11th captain of squad 11 of Gotei 13.

Children: none

Relationship with children: very well.

Other important family members: (her father may or may not have been a member of a branch family sworn to the Kuchiki clan but Hatsume never confirmed anything and died before revealing anything about the father of the child.) later on Yasu says she has no interest of ever finding her father since she already has 6 father figures and an entire village as family.

Favorites

-color: light ocean blue

-music: the sound of waves – the sound of branches moving in the wind – the sound of owls Hooting at night.

-food: Bear, boar, shrimps

-literature: she doesn't read much. The Academy textbooks are the closest she got to literature. That being said the book of Seireite Laws is her somewhat favorite.

-form of entertainment: making flower crowns, carving knives, going to the woods to watch the wildlife as they are, watch Kenpachi fight, watch captain Hitsugaya yell at Rangiku.

-expression: 1. You won't always be motivated, you must learn to be      disciplined.

                        2. Chop your own wood, it will warm you twice.

-most prized possession: 1. her ragged old ribbon she uses to tie her hair up.

                                             2. Her hair decorations.

                                             3. The old hunting knife made of bear bone that once belonged to her Yuudai-gi

-weapon: old hunting knife that belonged to Yuudai-gi,

                     Her Zanpakuto (it’s her first and only appropriate and professionally made weapon)

-pastime: watching Kenpachi fight as she makes flower crowns or carves knives.

Poetry describing – quote describing: “she may not have been the innocent cherry blossom, nor the alluring lotus. She may not have been the moon goddess nor the lady sun. she may not have been the enchanting vixen nor the oblivious doe. She may not have been gentle river nor the cherishing wind. She may not have been a princess nor a noble jewel.

Instead, she was unconventionally alluring. She was the reliable oak and the sturdy pine tree. She is the north star guiding travelers home and the early morning twilight, the very beginning of a gentle, warm touch waking you up. She is the dangerously alluring owl and the coyote that mates for life. She is the iron shield you carry to war and the rock you lean on. She’s the hard-working peasant girl in the rice field and The silver O-Choko cup, the only thing the beggar refuses to sell.”

Playlist: 

I have a dream – Abba

“I have a dream, a song to sing

To help me cope with anything

If you see the wonder of a fairy tale

You can take the future even if you fail

I believe in angels

Something good in everything I see

I believe in angels”

My same – Adele (Yasu and Kenpachi)

“I don't know who I'd be if I didn't know you

You're so provocative

I'm so conservative

You're so adventurous

I'm so very cautious

Combined you think we wouldn't and we do”

  Into you – Ariana Grande

“So, baby, come light me up, and maybe I'll let you on it

A little bit dangerous, but, baby, that's how I want it

A little less conversation and a little more "touch my body"

'Cause I'm so into you, into you, into you

Got everyone watchin' us, so, baby, let's keep it secret

A little bit scandalous, but, baby, don't let them see it

A little less conversation and a little more "touch my body"

'Cause I'm so into you, into you, into you, oh yeah”

Are you ready – the Disturbed

“That's enough already now

You don't want to take it

All your reservations have been taken away

They've been taken away

So you think you're ready now

For the revolution

Yeah, they can't control you

Once you've broken away

You've got to get them out of your mind

When they stand before you they will find

A force they aren't ready for

***

Are you ready?

They aren't ready for you to be strong

Are you ready?

They aren't ready for you to prove them wrong

Are you ready?

They aren't ready for you to be turned into someone

Who cannot be preyed upon”

  The greatest thing – Cher Lloyd, lady Gaga (Yasu and Kenpachi)

”I hope, that you can see,

you are the greatest thing to me.

And when, you' feeling like you're not enough.

I'll give you wings, i'll lift you up.

I hope, that you can see,

you are the greatest, greatest thing to me.”

   Out of control – lady gaga (Yasu and Kenpachi)

“I need a love that's crazy don't you see?

***

“Give it up, Put it up, Not enough, Not enough, Not enough, I need it Out of control.

 Give it up just let your body Out of control”

 Rival – Ruelle

“The tide is high

It's sink or swim

My only rival is within

Giants calling round the bend

My only rival is within

I won't let my demons win

My only rival is within

I will fight through thick and thin

My only rival is within”

 The one thing – Shakira (Yasu and Kenpachi)

“You are the one thing that I got right

It's a fickle world, yeah, it's a fickle world

You turn the darkness into sun light

I'm a lucky girl, yeah, I'm a lucky girl

And if I mess up everything someday

I would hide my head in shame

Cause you are the one thing that I got right”

aesthetic: (disclaimer: non of the photoes and art works used in the grid bellow are mine i acuired them from pinterest. i do not take credit for any of these pieces.)

[insatiabletc]

Ventura County Jane Doe

02/12/2020 Update: 

The DNA Doe Project is getting closer to Identifying who the Ventura County Jane Doe is! Read their update here: https://www.facebook.com/DNADoeProject/posts/2521508688107901?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARB9Tw8eqm8dLenGCd9E14eZNdABw5ehCO0zv8hAQ_oQW73h3Y_IMbUAui8_Z5qJo7UEHGcFRrxRcXiNBhJXdToLgg8Orest9rF3erffvRaNrACMy1ZLp38OkKeo2hL83VXrzqtTkMOk6yGZtb_wN1onSz5g1dChbtA7pWnLzBFc3NS8MufsjlN52X4WZ53X1Ze4j5CZURhc8v0SjIn6hYKQotGPn404LAz9CT5hU0gKVzVwjxie6YEBN-TME7F3fn6WPYMw2GJ2PChW40WZ6vHvb3YZkKO4mefIP4AJKfvB1f9UvOKan86-8_ha1JmA97CS30eViGHoIvzAODf6Ug5ujdYY&__tn__=K-R

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you google image search the Ventura County Jane Doe, you will see autopsy photos. If this is too disturbing for you, we have pulled together a couple of different artist renditions so you can still see what she looked like.

On July 18, 1980 Jane was found in the Westlake High School parking lot, stabbed to death. While we know who her killer is we don't know who she was.*

We have also included another artist's portrait of her as we want her to be recognizable to anyone who may have known her.

Here's the run-down on a physical description:

- She was vaccinated and had scars from it

- She was 4 -5 months pregnant when she passed away

- She is indigenous or Latina

- She had given birth before and had evidence of an episiotomy incision

- She had black hair with bleached tips

- She had a large amount of dental maintenance done

- Her height is between 5'1" and 5'3"

- She weighed about 110 lbs

- The generally accepted age range is 15 - 30 years old

Investigators put out more than 500 information requests to different counties, but were unable to turn up a matching missing persons report.  

Some investigative discoveries and inferences:

- Due to the lack of blood where she was discovered, police believe she was murdered somewhere else and brought to the parking lot.

- It is accepted that she passed away within 12 hours of being discovered, which narrows down where she may have been from and killed.

- Investigators believe she could be from Tulare, Kern, Ventura, or Los Angeles counties.

- Her fingerprints were intact, but she did not have a criminal record.

- DNA was extracted from her unborn son, but his DNA did not match anyone in the criminal justice system.

- Her dental work was determined to be of American origin, so investigators believe her to have lived in the United States.

Now, we have some questions (that we aren't exactly sure how to Google, so bear with us as we work on this profile):

- Were any of the 500+ inquiries to tribal police? Looking at a map (included here) there are quite a few tribal communities in southern California. We are wondering how communication worked between county police and tribal officers in the 1980's.

It just seems crazy that a woman who was pregnant and potentially had a child/partner/family waiting for her at home hasn't been identified yet. This makes us think that perhaps she was part of a community that was either remote, insular, or didn't speak English as a majority language.

- Considering her dental work being American, we do wonder if investigators were able to determine the age of the hardware. For example, were there changes in dental work and practices between 1950 (the earliest she could have been born according to the age range) and 1980. Even if it's something as small as a screw! That could narrow down when exactly she got her dental work done.

Then, was there a huge difference between dental practices and hardware between Mexican border towns and American dentists? Tijuana is only 3 hours from Ventura county, for example. Did dentists and orthodontists have any kind of conventions or technique exchanges in the 1980s between the United States and Mexico? Investigators have ruled out the possibility of being a migrant worker based on the dental work.

- The  episiotomy incision. From the ACLU Website**:

"Q: Can the police get my medical information without a warrant?

A: Yes. The HIPAA rules provide a wide variety of circumstances under which medical information can be disclosed for law enforcement-related purposes without explicitly requiring a warrant.[iii] These circumstances include (1) law enforcement requests for information to identify or locate a suspect, fugitive, witness, or missing person (2) instances where there has been a crime committed on the premises of the covered entity, and (3) in a medical emergency in connection with a crime.[iv]"

Ok, so did police request medical records on women who have had this incision done between 1964 (the year she would have been 14 had she been born in 1950, not ruling out a teen pregnancy) 1975? We aren't sure if they would be able to do a blanket ask for this information, rather than pulling individual medical records.

- Did she live on tribal land? We started looking at reservations in the counties indicated by investigators and found that there is a Yokut reservation named Tule River in Tulare county. It has a population of 556, and more importantly it has a community health center,  Tule River Indian Health Center, that was opened in 1973 and offers dental services. We called to find out when they first introduced their dental services, but unsurprisingly we weren't able to get an answer.

- DNA! The DNA Doe Project*** has taken available DNA from Jane and have confirmed that they are currently working on a genetic family tree for her. They have already found a 3rd cousin and are still working on finding more relatives.

- This article  https://www.kget.com/news/kern-county-and-ventura-county-jane-doe-may-be-closer-than-ever-to-being-identified/  indicates that police now believe that Jane was abducted from Visalia close to  the College of the Sequoias after hitchhiking, similar to one of the killer's living victims. Where this information came from is not specified, but we wonder if it was from Chouest? If anyone has any additional information on this, please feel free to message us! We would love to include an update if there are sources.  It is still unknown if she was a student or a resident. We wonder if any students from that time (or living victims) ever saw Jane?

There are SO MANY QUESTIONS, but we are immensely hopeful that the DNA Doe Project will return her name to her and allow her to return home to rest.

* A man named Wilson Chouest. We're not going to waste anyone's time talking about him and his other crimes -- he's already stated he didn't know who Jane was when he killed her and thus is worthless  in determining who she was. We'll talk more about him if he decides to provide helpful information.

** https://www.aclu.org/other/faq-government-access-medical-records#_edn3

*** http://dnadoeproject.org/  

[lovecrazysaladcollection]

“

ガンダムはすでにマニアの間では知られていたものの、その前にTV放送されていたロボテック（マクロス、サザンクロス、モスピーダ）に比べれば一般知名度は劣っていた。 そこで北米で初めてTV放送されたガンダムが、「ガンダムW」。 （一応オリジナルのGセイバーはあったけど） この「ガンダムW」は北米でどれほど人気あったのか。 「人気」の測る基準としては関連グッズの売り上げも一つであろう。 現在では「二次創作」の量というのも「人気」のバロメーターの基準の一つとなりえるのではないか。 というか、実際にそれが大きな基準であるのは間違いないかと。 そこで二次創作超大手サイト「fanfiction.net」 ここでファンフィク「anime/manga」ジャンルでの投稿数ランキングを見てみよう。

TOP20（カッコ内は投稿数）※2012.9.23現在 1) Naruto (311,372) 2) Inuyasha (104,774) 3) Hetalia - Axis Powers (70,049) 4) Bleach (67,706) 5) Yu-Gi-Oh (60,618) 6) Fullmetal Alchemist (40,944) 7) Gundam Wing/AC (40,926) 8) Dragon Ball Z (37,853) 9) Digimon (37,646) 10) Sailor Moon (36,580) 11) Death Note (31,528) 12) Card Captor Sakura (25,195) 13) Yu Yu Hakusho (24,027) 14) Katekyo Hitman Reborn! (21,996) 15) Prince of Tennis (21,286) 16) Beyblade (20,005) 17) One Piece (17,620) 18) Ouran High School Host Club (17,347) 19) Fruits Basket (17,305) 20) Rurouni Kenshin (16,430) ガンダムで並べるとこんな感じ Gundam Wing/AC (40,926) Gundam Seed (6,928) Gundam 00 (777) G-Gundam (765) Gundam UC (523) Gundam AGE (4) Turn A Gundam (1) 圧倒的なガンダムW人気。 ガンダムシリーズでもぶっちぎりのトップだけど、総合でも7位の上位。 しかも、数年前の当時だけではなく、現在でも投稿され続けている。 （というか、ファーストは皆無？） ちなみに「Robotech/Macross」は (556) ネット上で、「ガンダムW」人気あるなとは多少は実感していたけど、ここまでの人気とは思っていなくて、かなり驚いた。 単純にこれだけ見れば、海外での人気TOP10に入るどころか、それはドラゴンボールZやセーラームーン以上。 人気が無いところではなく「海外ではガンダムは超人気」という結論に。 一応分析してみると・・・ 突出しているのは「ガンダムW」で次いで大きく下回って「ガンダムSEED」 ガンダムWのみが特別に人気がある。 そしてファンフィクは女性の投稿が圧倒的に多いことから、女性からの人気が高いと判断できる。 （他の上位陣も女性人気ランキング傾向が強いのがわかるかと） 現在でもこの数というのは、放送当時はどれほど人気があったのか、想像を絶する。 また、このガンダムWで男同士のカップリング（オブラートに包んだ言い方してみた）に目覚めた人が多く、北米腐女子界では記念碑的作品とされている・・らしいです（笑） ここから推測するに、ガンダムWで盛り上がったものの、ミリタリー色が強いファーストや08小隊で減速。 また、玩具もガンプラにこだわったバンダイの不振。（女性向けグッズが出なかった） そして新作を上陸させようとも、CNが日本のアニメから撤退することによっ��、ガンダムシリーズそのものが北米TV界では消えることとなる。 （現在はweb配信として続いているが、TV放送されるのとWeb配信では一般への浸透率に大きな差がある） 市場としては、バンダイの戦略ミス。 TV番組としては北米の日本アニメ離れ。 （残ったのは玩具と直接連動するポケモン、遊戯王、ベイブレード、爆丸など） そしてそれゆえ、こっち方面にアンテナ向いてない人にとっては北米でのガンダム人気は見えない状態に。 て、感じかしらん。

” - ReadMe!Girls!の日記・雑記: アメリカではガンダム大人気？　北米の「ガンダムW」 (via petapeta)

[wayneooverton]

Green Fins International Year of the Reef Campaign: #RedefineTheDive

For those of us connected with the ocean through work or leisure, each year is a rollercoaster of emotions when it comes to the news. The climate is getting warmer and bleaching events are lasting years — plural. The seas are getting more acidic; environmental protection laws face repeal; and the colossal volume of plastic infecting every part of our ocean continues to grow. Issues at a global scale and the glacial pace of action at the government level can lure you into that dark place. What’s the point if nothing is changing? Will this ecosystem be dead in 50 years no matter what I do? Why bother? The International Coral Reef Initiative launched the International Year of the Reef to bring attention to these global threats.

Working together

At the heart of every major change in society is someone who decided to take action, however small, to address something within their control. That’s one of the reasons that the Green Fins initiative exists. Conceived by the UN Environment and internationally coordinated by The Reef-World Foundation, it leverages the passion the diving industry has for the oceans to create positive change. Green Fins helps dive and snorkel operator members find pragmatic solutions to local environmental threats. One by one, each member makes solid changes to their business practices to protect reefs and collectively this helps us effect global change.

But why work with divers and snorkelers in the face of bigger, more intense global threats? It’s not about pointing fingers or shifting the blame. Any human interaction with the sea has an impact. It’s about leading by example. Remember, one of the best things we can do to protect the reef is to address what we can control.

Do your part

A study by Medio and colleagues in 1997 found that divers came in contact with the reef an average of 5.79 times per dive. Imagine each dive site has two moorings, and there are two boats for each mooring during a day. If each boat carries 12 divers doing two dives per day, that dive site could experience 556 diver impacts a day or 202,882 a year. An errant fin kick here or there makes a small impact, but over the year it adds up to immense damage. As one of the fastest-growing leisure sectors, the dive industry must address the scale of impact and, more importantly, the fact that we can do something about it.

By alleviating local threats, we help coral reefs remain more resilient to those major threats out of our control. The more we learn about coral reefs, the more we realize how adaptable they are. Certain coral species can switch out their zooxanthellae for more heat-resistant strains and avoid bleaching in the first place, and reefs with high biodiversity can recover faster from bleaching if it does occur. In the face of an uncertain future, every reef user has a vital role to play in keeping the reefs as healthy as possible.

Green Fins celebrates the International Year of the Reef 2018

Reef-World is releasing the Green Fins International Year of the Reef 2018 campaign. In doing so, the organization aims to cultivate a positive behavior change within the diving community. Everyone from recreational divers to dive-equipment manufacturers can make a difference. The campaign will cover four simple action areas for the dive industry:

Redefine the dive: From errant fin kicks to poor photography techniques, this action point delivers new tips and tricks guides can use to “redefine” how their guests dive. Dive tourists will gain a deeper understanding of what to expect from their dive shops and dive guides.

No anchoring: while the impacts of anchoring are well known, the practice remains pervasive in many locations around the world. The program will clearly outline alternatives.

No fish feeding: Fish feeding is a highly popular tourism activity around the world, but its impacts remain long after that bag of bread is empty. Tourists will learn the issues surrounding this practice.

Healthy oceans mean a healthy business: any business related to divers has an inherent interest in healthy coral reefs. Equipment manufacturers have a unique opportunity to lead the way into a circular economy and protect the oceans from a plastic tide. Different stakeholders and individuals will be invited to pledge for coral-reef protection in the long-term.

Redefine the dive

The first campaign action point will be released from February to April 2018 on Green Fins’ social media channels. An average of 70 percent of divers contact the reef while diving. But why this is considered a threat, and why is direct diver damage so relevant to marine conservation? What can you do? This campaign will answer all of these questions and more.

We’ll gather all the relevant information in one “Redefine the Dive” infographic, created especially for the campaign and to be released in April. Here you can get all the tips you need as dive professionals to #RedefineTheDive and learn how to be a zero-impact diver.

Follow the different Green Fins social media platforms to get involved and make a change. Because if you don’t — who will? #Redefinethedive and help #saveourreefs 

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Deepblu

For more information on the International Year of the Reef 2018 follow this link:  www.iyor2018.org

Want to be part of the movement? Share. Print. Post. Hashtag

By guest author Samantha Craven, The Reef-World Foundation

The post Green Fins International Year of the Reef Campaign: #RedefineTheDive appeared first on Scuba Diver Life.

from Scuba Diver Life http://ift.tt/2HmLr3B

[mrbobgove]

Green Fins International Year of the Reef Campaign: #RedefineTheDive

For those of us connected with the ocean through work or leisure, each year is a rollercoaster of emotions when it comes to the news. The climate is getting warmer and bleaching events are lasting years — plural. The seas are getting more acidic; environmental protection laws face repeal; and the colossal volume of plastic infecting every part of our ocean continues to grow. Issues at a global scale and the glacial pace of action at the government level can lure you into that dark place. What’s the point if nothing is changing? Will this ecosystem be dead in 50 years no matter what I do? Why bother? The International Coral Reef Initiative launched the International Year of the Reef to bring attention to these global threats.

Working together

At the heart of every major change in society is someone who decided to take action, however small, to address something within their control. That’s one of the reasons that the Green Fins initiative exists. Conceived by the UN Environment and internationally coordinated by The Reef-World Foundation, it leverages the passion the diving industry has for the oceans to create positive change. Green Fins helps dive and snorkel operator members find pragmatic solutions to local environmental threats. One by one, each member makes solid changes to their business practices to protect reefs and collectively this helps us effect global change.

But why work with divers and snorkelers in the face of bigger, more intense global threats? It’s not about pointing fingers or shifting the blame. Any human interaction with the sea has an impact. It’s about leading by example. Remember, one of the best things we can do to protect the reef is to address what we can control.

Do your part

A study by Medio and colleagues in 1997 found that divers came in contact with the reef an average of 5.79 times per dive. Imagine each dive site has two moorings, and there are two boats for each mooring during a day. If each boat carries 12 divers doing two dives per day, that dive site could experience 556 diver impacts a day or 202,882 a year. An errant fin kick here or there makes a small impact, but over the year it adds up to immense damage. As one of the fastest-growing leisure sectors, the dive industry must address the scale of impact and, more importantly, the fact that we can do something about it.

By alleviating local threats, we help coral reefs remain more resilient to those major threats out of our control. The more we learn about coral reefs, the more we realize how adaptable they are. Certain coral species can switch out their zooxanthellae for more heat-resistant strains and avoid bleaching in the first place, and reefs with high biodiversity can recover faster from bleaching if it does occur. In the face of an uncertain future, every reef user has a vital role to play in keeping the reefs as healthy as possible.

Green Fins celebrates the International Year of the Reef 2018

Reef-World is releasing the Green Fins International Year of the Reef 2018 campaign. In doing so, the organization aims to cultivate a positive behavior change within the diving community. Everyone from recreational divers to dive-equipment manufacturers can make a difference. The campaign will cover four simple action areas for the dive industry:

Redefine the dive: From errant fin kicks to poor photography techniques, this action point delivers new tips and tricks guides can use to “redefine” how their guests dive. Dive tourists will gain a deeper understanding of what to expect from their dive shops and dive guides.

No anchoring: while the impacts of anchoring are well known, the practice remains pervasive in many locations around the world. The program will clearly outline alternatives.

No fish feeding: Fish feeding is a highly popular tourism activity around the world, but its impacts remain long after that bag of bread is empty. Tourists will learn the issues surrounding this practice.

Healthy oceans mean a healthy business: any business related to divers has an inherent interest in healthy coral reefs. Equipment manufacturers have a unique opportunity to lead the way into a circular economy and protect the oceans from a plastic tide. Different stakeholders and individuals will be invited to pledge for coral-reef protection in the long-term.

Redefine the dive

The first campaign action point will be released from February to April 2018 on Green Fins’ social media channels. An average of 70 percent of divers contact the reef while diving. But why this is considered a threat, and why is direct diver damage so relevant to marine conservation? What can you do? This campaign will answer all of these questions and more.

We’ll gather all the relevant information in one “Redefine the Dive” infographic, created especially for the campaign and to be released in April. Here you can get all the tips you need as dive professionals to #RedefineTheDive and learn how to be a zero-impact diver.

Follow the different Green Fins social media platforms to get involved and make a change. Because if you don’t — who will? #Redefinethedive and help #saveourreefs 

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Deepblu

For more information on the International Year of the Reef 2018 follow this link:  www.iyor2018.org

Want to be part of the movement? Share. Print. Post. Hashtag

By guest author Samantha Craven, The Reef-World Foundation

The post Green Fins International Year of the Reef Campaign: #RedefineTheDive appeared first on Scuba Diver Life.

from Scuba Diver Life http://ift.tt/2HmLr3B

[ariellamartinez]

Sajin Komamura [ 狛村 左陣 ] // Bleach

[mieltheboss]

Bleach 556!

So, that’s about the time to read your favourite blogger’s Bleach review! Give me notes! Give me followers! I’ll give you pain and tears because I’m always late!

But pain is a good price for my reviews ;-)

-

Bambietta’s way of thinking is the best way of thinking! So childish and badass! She remainds me of Grimmjow a little :’D

Also, I don’t think Shinji’s died (I’ve seen some people wondering about it). I guess he’s just injured. That’d give Kira some chances to reappear, what I don’t really want. Also, warning, something shocking is happening right now – Miel isn’t thinking ‘Hmmm, beter if Shinji dies’. Woah! Now you’ve got the proof that I don’t think that everybody should die. I really think about the situation when I say that somebody should die! And it’s not the time for Shinji.

People, I’ve got a new head-canon. That Hinamori would have answered that she’s Aizen’s vice-captain. Not because she thinks that she’s Aizen’s vice –captain. It’s obvious she’s acknowledged the fact that Shinji’s her new captain. Also, I think she likes him as her captain and is surely very loyal, but she seems to still be emotionally attached to Aizen – so I believe that in such a situations, with no time for thinking, she’d involuntarily say ‘Captain Aizen’s!’.

I like her sass.

Her power is great! I like that. The ‘bombing’ thing is quite mainstream itself, but the fact that she doesn’t blow up things, she just make them a bomb is cool and interesting. Also - very powerful.

Nooo, Komamura, nooo. You’re not fluffy anymooooree. I loved you the way you were NOOOOO.

Okay. Calm down, Miel. Remember – plot. It’s good for plot. Nobody cares about your love towards doggies.

I know everybody’s shocked. I haven’t seen it coming too, but somehow, I don’t feel very surprised. Anyway, the fact that he’s become an owner of a human body is good because thanks to his flashbacks we’ve got to know why he was a dog. And until now his doggy appearance was just author’s artistic treatment and the source of gags.

So Komamura is an another person who owes Yamamoto something. Yamamoto was a cool guy after all. You can ship him with anybody. Probably we’re going to discover that everybody loves Yamamoto for a special reason in this arc.

I LOVE HIS NEW BANKAI DESING. JUST LOVE. MAJESTIC. TERRIFIC. AMAZING.

It looks like some kind of a very serious god in a polytheistic religion, like a mythological creature. It can make your opponent be horrified by just looking at it. It’s so much better than the previous one. In a visual sense.

What will be in the next chapter??? Are we going to read Komamura vs. Bambietta fight??? Or is it a cliff-hanger?? Will be Miel late with her review???

The answers for these questions are unknown. Apart of the last one - because Miel is like Ichigo, always late to safe her friends.

[alennahvlogs]

I know all the fighting and other characters are necessary for the plot, but honestly, I just want some Ichigo or Grimmjow.

[jadoreanime]

Bleach 556

Why do I feel like I missed a whole series of information when I read this chapter? Lol.  I have faith in Kubo that he will eventually clear things up but this animal realm thing came waaaaay outta left field.  So did the Wolf man clan.

I haven't done any reaction posts in a while so now might be a good time to start them back up lol

[lumixge]

idk there's something about powerful, hot, and kinda crazy female characters that get to me unfffffff