#it also helps me to supplement the show with what i know from the books

[misterbrekker]

I've just been posting on my main because it's kinda hard to keep up with sideblogs now but I will say I loved season 2

[woodlandwizard77]

A Step by Step Guide to Losing Your D**k

I recently wrote a series of messages to my aunt talking about all the steps I need to do to get bottom surgery, a penile inversion vaginoplasty at Mt. Sinai, in the next year or two. Its a long list. And everytime I added something she had a sort of “wow thats rough” reaction, but to me its just the to do list. So I decided to write them all out.

Start transition DONE

Most insurance companies and surgeons require you to have socially transitioned and have done HRT for at least 1 year at the time of operation

For social transition, this was March of 2024

For HRT it will be January of 2025

Get a referral to a surgeon (I am here)

In my case, Mt. Sinai in Manhattan

My Doctor referred me, but Mt. Sinai takes self referrals

Start laser hair removal

Book a consultation (I am here)

Go to laser frequently enough to satisfy surgeon

Convince Mom and Dad to help out DONE

Get 2 letters

Social Worker (1)

PCP's Office

Social Worker (2)

Mt. Sinai

Get a gender affirmation loan through the local credit union

Work two weeks so I can take in pay stubs

Get a letter from anybody (probably my HRT prescriber

Meet with representative and either open a line of credit or take out a loan

Consultation with Mt. Sinai’s team

Wait 3-6 months (I’m here)

Bring letters

My insurance only requires 2, less than Mt. Sinai thinks insurance will need, and Mt. Sinai provides 1 of them. Meaning the other is through IHS Behavioral

Schedule Social Work pre surgical consult appt

Schedule Mental Health and Medical Clearance with Registrar

Go to NYC for 1-2 nights, maybe for each, hopefully just once

Maybe also for Social Work thing

Consult with Surgeon

Wait until I’ve worked about 12 months to get short term disability

Probably summer (ASAP) and when Mom has time off

Do logistics

Book an airbnb, hotel, etc for recovery

Starting a few days after OR date and lasting a little over a month

Within a 90 minute drive of Mt. Sinai

Rural enough that Mom is comfortable to help and can go home if someone else shows up

Probably New Jersey, maybe Hudson Valley

Has at least 1, preferably 2, separate bedrooms

Has 2 beds

Has ADA accessible entry

Has a kitchen

Has a full bath, preferably and a half

Has internet and preferably a TV

Lodging for Mom + Dad/care team while I’m in OR

Probably 5-7 days

Preferably with a 1-2 day buffer period before OR date (included in the 7 day estimate) so I can enjoy the city

Either within a short walk from Mt. Sinai or on the same subway line as Mt. Sinai

RW, 1, or ACE

Someone to help me get from recovery location to Mt. Sinai while not in NYC

Develop and get list of items needed for recovery

Dilator

Pads

Gowns/loose clothing

Comfort food

Coordinate missing 8-9 weeks of work

Take care with who knows what before I leave

Inform HR, department manager, and work friends whats up

Get cleared for surgery and get an OR date

Probably a 6-12 month date from clearance

Get pre clearance testing through PCP or a lab in hometown

Go to NYC for that if need be

Week Before Surgery

No alcohol, no aspirin, NSAIDs, herbal supplements, or fish oil

Consult for other non aspirin blood thinners (which I am not on)

No alcohol for 3 weeks after as well

Tylenol/Acetaminophen is okay

Go downstate

See friends from NYC?

Bring Mom/Dad?

Do something fun in Manhattan

Get a COVID test

Take an anti-bacterial bath

Day before surgery

Breakfast before 9am

Last meal

Drink Golytely bowel solution around noon

Chemically induced diarrhea

Clear fluids only after golytely

(includes coffee, tea, water, broth, some juices)

Nothing goes in the stomach after midnight

Some medication okay with a sip of water

HRT???

Get surgery (a penile inversion vaginoplasty)

1 to 1+½ days

I’ve heard of as long as three

3-5 day hospital stay

Mom and Dad probably stay in Manhattan then

Go to recovery location

Drive with seat reclined

Stay for 4 weeks, pretty much bedridden

Go to follow ups

Dilate

Go home

Continue recovery for another 2-4 weeks at home

Follow up with PCP

Return to life

[swan2swan]

I know you said the sources are unofficial but can you please let me know what they are?—the ones that suggest Mai may have helped Zuko in the aftermath of their mother's disappearance?

Oh, you mean when Ursa disappeared while Zuko was a kid?

This is old Forum Talk. Back in the day, when Livejournal thrived and there were individual message boards devoted to topics, you sometimes got little fandom discussions. Sometimes, you'd have people who talked to writers and crew members, whether in person or on message boards.

Also, you had some freelance or part-time writers who would be fans of the show would then be pulled into supplementary work. One of them was Alison Wilgus (writer on Kids Next Door, also, please don't go bothering her, this was ages ago, just trust me), and she helped co-write some of the comics for the Avatar magazine between Book 2 and 3.

The word is that there was a black, heart-shaped stone that Mai gave Zuko when he was feeling down (obviously, we can assume that it was probably when his mom vanished). He was supposed to reveal that he'd held onto it the whole time he was banished-- a cute little keepsake.

This was probably just a draft for the "Going Home Again" comic, and thus has no True Canon Power; something from supplemental information that Aaron provided, or that they brainstormed in a writer's room. They just wanted some way to show that Zuko was always thinking of Mai. But it probably became too difficult to justify him still having it after his whole ship blew up (IT WOULD RULE IF HE'D FOUND IT IN THE WRECKAGE THOUGH) and him going through all of his adventures...and it was just easier to have her play with Jin and express herself verbally.

Bottom line: it's a concept that could be canonized at any time, burt also may just be in the scrap heap with all sorts of things like Equalist Asami and....didn't someone have a sibling or something? Guy Toph, I guess, though that's more extreme.

Again, don't hunt 'em down or bother them. You've just gotta have some faith in me as a Fandom Elder. This is part of the writing process, part of fandom growth. Feel free to use it as fuel, though! Fanart. Fafic. Whatever you want. But overall, it's probably just deleted material that was considered to show connections and just couldn't be organically worked in. Would have added some weight to the end of the Boiling Rock episodes if we'd seen Zuko holding it--showing that he took it with him. But they kinda did a little too much ZK ship-baiting and leaned away from the Maiko melodrama (and I do think it was a little to the story's detriment, but that's My Opinion). This is all just part of the writing process, though...you've gotta find things to streamline.

It's also just easy to assume that Mai probably got closer to Zuko after Ursa's disappearance. Whether through hugs and comfort or just bullying him a little harder to keep his mind off things. Becoming a proper Nemesis. Who knows?

And that's just what I picked up. For all I know, there was a whole deleted plotline where Mai and Zuko fell down a hole or something. Did a Fire Nation Goonies. Again. That's writing. You gotta come up with Stuff and sometimes the Stuff doesn't Stick. Asami was supposed to hook up with Iroh Jr. in early drafts. Things change. Have fun. Life's short.

[ivesambrose]

𝓜𝓪𝓻𝓬𝓱 𝓜𝓲𝓷𝓲 𝓜𝓮𝓼𝓼𝓪𝓰𝓮𝓼 🪴

1. 2. 3.

Astrologically March 2023 is an eventful month, make the best of this one too 💚

To book a personal reading with me DM or email me at jovescorpioreadings@gmail.com with your name and query 🌙

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Gif 1

You will be realizing how exhausted your body is from the stress you've been putting on it for the past 10 weeks or couple of months and actually give yourself a break otherwise your body will do it for you. Take care of your back and joint health. Try investing in some calcium and vitamin D supplements and do full body stretches accordingly. There will be realizations in regards to overextending yourself towards activities that bring you less happiness and more anxiety and towards people that won't even give you the bare minimum of what you give them. When the realizations hit try not to guilt trip yourself and wallow but take accountability and treat yourself with kindness. Some of you will likely leave a boring job. Your mindset in regards to money also needs to change and it will. Have faith in your intuition when it comes to the offers in romance or any other creative opportunities you receive this month. As well as what and where you invest your money into.

Gif 2

Realizing your self destructive habits and finally learning to say no. Also preferring self validation over the validation of others. Preferring your privacy and opting to gatekeep. You may want to post on socials less in regards to your life too. Some of you are likely giving yourself health goals or personal business or artistic goals and you'd prefer to keep everything to yourself. The scrutinization from others isn't helping and likely comparing yourself to others isn't helping either. So you'll choose to move on from that mindset and cater to yourself. I feel you'll be needing more rest this month at the same time learning to criticize yourself less. It could be that some of you might struggle with body dysmorphia or some health related concerns that aren't making you feel at your best, please know that if you go easy on yourself, take it slow and simply affirm and focus on your desired manifestions results will show in no time. Another reminder for you, time is not running out. Allow yourself to dream and know that if you can imagine it you can have it too if you stick to the vision.

Gif 3

Booked and busy! In your own world, doing your own thing. It's like you know what you want and you know you'll have it so in the mean time you're just going with the ebb and flow of it all. I see recognition and achievement for you. You'll be sharing less yet turning heads. Try to avoid arguments mainly because some won't be able to handle your sharp tounge or you won't be liking theirs. Focus on talking to people that don't test your patience honestly. And learn to communicate with tenderness. Financially things are looking spectacular, like I said booked and busy. Might get overwhelming in between but all that work will pay off in the long run. You'll be receiving gifts from admirers or loved ones as well. Likely you'll keep a journal or write a lot this month, so continue writing the script of your life.

[findafight]

I just don't trust any of the additional media with Steve because it just keeps reminding us that he was an asshole.

The Robin book reminds us that he was an asshole. The Lucas book reminds us that he was an asshole. I'm almost certain that the Eddie book will remind us that Steve was an asshole, possibly make him out to be a bigger asshole than the show.

And that's on top of the way we get no backstory to him or his family. Between the show and the additional media we at least have the names for the parents for pretty much every other main kids/teens and even some non mains. The show has made a point of showing us the parents of Barb and Heather, but they can't even mention Steve's parents by name once anywhere?

Supplemental material is always sort of...half canon to me? If it includes minor stuff I like that doesn't mess with established canon I accept it (Robin's parents being Melissa and Richard and also former hippies, scoops troop playing dnd to cheer Erica up, Steve and Mike having an awkward talk about what happened post s1 where Mike cries at him), but when it has things I don't like or are contradicted by canon I ignore it lol.

It sucks because Robin tells us in the show exactly why she thought he was an asshole. The girl she had a crush on liked Steve, he didn't know who she was, he ate bagels messily, he asked what Robin perceived as stupid questions. Literally petty teenage shit!! I only have knowledge of the additional media via Tumblr but I saw that apparently in the Lucas book Lucas specifically doesn't go to Steve because he thinks (for some reason that isn't given) that if Steve plays sports again he'll revert back into an asshole (who was just a normal jerk teenager level let's be real) even though Steve, at the time he helped Dustin and then helped save Lucas, was still on the basketball team!! That's so sad and I'm glad it isn't official canon because no :( Lucas deserves to have his mentor on the basketball team and also bond with Steve practicing!!

The Eddie book better not make Steve anything other than mildly frustrated or annoyed at Eddie's loud lunchtime rants. They never spoke before! Maybe Steve bought weed from him a couple times but they never had meaningful interactions! Eddie's whole thing about Steve was that he made assumptions based on facts (big house, girls love him) he had heard about Steve, not anything Steve had directly done. It'll be so stupid if they fake retcon that!!

Steve deserves literally SOMETHING telling us a little about his parents though. Like their names. Or maybe if they're from town or not...just. something more than we have.

[nikethestatue]

Since the last few books (ACOSF, HOSAB, HOFAS) a lot of readers, including myself, have felt a drop in quality and storytelling from SJM. Do you feel like this might continue into the story for ACOTAR5? I feel like a lot of us have a lot of expectations for the book, however there’s a part of me that feels like the book won’t live up to our expectations/ will be poorly written. I know she seems to take her time writing these books, but I feel like it’s not really helping her. HOFAS took longer to write and we know how it turned out, and ik ACOSF had been written for a while before she released it. I hope that since Elain is a slightly different heroine than the ones she’s written lately it’ll reflect well in the writing, but I hope she doesn’t fumble it.

Definitely there's been a drop in quality, however, I think with HOFAS specifically, SJM shot herself in the foot. She talked about her plans too much, she made promises, she described what she was writing. So we all based our expectations on that. Theories were written based on what she said in that interview. Everyone was waiting for cute Nyx moments, and the differences between the old vs new worlds, and for the IC to be a lot more involved, and a real crossover. Instead, we were left with a shadow of what she had promised. That was disappointment #1.

And I think that overall, disappointment #2 was that she info dumped in CC like it was a full time job. She started off with a massive amount of info dump in CC1, she eased up a bit in CC2, though there was plenty of that too, and then literally the first 1/3 of HOFAS was a massive info dump.

Because she created this super complex--maybe needlessly complex world--with so much history, also history that converged with Prythian's, 3 books just wasn't enough. The delivery was hamfisted. CC should've been at least 5 books, and that would've given her the opportunity to develop all these storylines that she threw away in HOFAS, plus develop the love stories--especially Day/Night--and develop the crossover.

CC probably has more lore than TOG. Yet she crammed it all in 3 books, whereas TOG had 7 books plus a number of supplemental novellas.

IMO, the entirety of the crossover should've been a separate novella and not part of HOFAS. That would've allowed her the opportunity to explore the crossover better, NOT switch POVs all the time, breaking the narrative, and really delve deeper into Prythian's history without resorting to a hologram--silly--and taking more than 15 min to kill an Asteri.

I don't know if it's declining quality or just bad decisions about length and pacing. I don't know. I think the fact that her editors are sitting back, doing nothing, drinking tea and eating crumpets, really shows. They are doing an awful job.

[quillpaw]

okay listen it's five in the morning and i should be asleep but the manic energy got me so instead i made this diagram and i'm now going to explain it to you. don't bother getting up, i've locked the doors.

okay so like an ogre, there are layers of engaging with a work, and i think a lot of disagreement in fandom comes from fundamentally misunderstanding which layer of engagement someone else is working in. so let's break it down. under the cut because fuck dude this got long.

LAYER 1: CANON. this is the core layer. this is the work itself. this is everything contained within the book, the show, the movie, the podcast, the interpretive dance, whatever. the thing itself and only the thing. if it is shown on screen, written in the text, heard with thine own ears, it is canon. i hope you guys are staying with me so far.

LAYER 2: EXTENDED CANON. this layer contains other media that is explicitly connected to the canon work. this is the cinematic universe, the spin-off comics, the tie-in novels, what have you. any work that is not the original canon thing but is clearly, explicitly connected to the canon thing is here, okay? so if we're talking about the avengers, then this is the rest of the mcu. depending on what is being discussed, this might also include sequels and prequels. if you're talking about star wars as a franchise, this layer is legends, but if you're talking about star wars: a new hope, then this layer is star wars: the empire strikes back. general consensus is that extended canon is still canon, but sometimes it sucks real hard and it isn't. i know that makes this a little fuzzier but just try to remember that this is just the shallows as we wade out beyond the original work.

LAYER 3: WORD OF GOD. here's where the arguments start. (unless layer 2 is already where the arguments start, which, god help you.) word of god is anything stated outside the original work by the work's creators or people who can otherwise speak authoritatively on the work. this can range from statements by the author about intent, to interviews with actors about their mindset while playing a character, to supplemental material containing details about a character or setting not specified elsewhere (unless that supplemental material is considered extended canon, which people can and do and will argue about). by the strictest technical definition, word of god is NOT canon, BUT it is commonly folded into interpretation of the canon work with the knowledge that the creators want or expect it to be canon. unless it sucks ass and everyone agrees the author doesn't know what the fuck they're talking about, but that's something else to argue about.

LAYER 4: FANON. ooookay. i could probably divide this layer into like four different layers but i don't wanna so this is the murky, terrifying deep end of the canon spectrum. fanon is interpretations of the original work that incorporates elements not present in the original canon but does not openly contradict it. this ranges from in-universe explanations for plot holes to fan theories about future events to guesses at what a character's favorite food is based on a photo of their actor snacking in costume. fanon is not canon. fanon can be great, fanon can be more coherent and thoughtful than canon (hello danny phantom enjoyers) but it is NOT canon. the interpretations that exist here do not exist within the original work, and that's okay. fanon can be meaningful and inspiring and a wonderful addition to how you engage with a creative work, but none of that makes it canon, and that's okay. fanon can also be absolute reeking dogshit and that is also okay because- if you guessed this already you get a cookie- it's not canon.

okay thank you for coming to my deranged ted talk, my assistant has unbarricaded the doors for you have a good day.

[itwasthisorthemilitary]

April 7th, 2024

Yesterday I went into the city. First to get my packages from Chorrera and lemme tell you, it was like Christmas. I successfully got both packages and now i have a phone case and enough caffeine supplements are least for the next month. It was so successful that i could’ve been happy just going home to Los Mortales right then. But i didn’t. Instead I went to Casco Viejo with Sophie. Casio Viejo is the most touristy part of Panama City and although beautiful, kinda a waste of time. It’s so expensive and there are American tour groups everywhere, and i know I’m American…but I’m not that kind of American. But altogether, pretty successful Saturday.

Today we did a limpieza in town. A limpieza is just a town wide clean up. The idea was to organize it and hopefully community members would join to help. No one wanted to listen to me when i said that no one in their right mind would go to a limpieza at 7 am on a Sunday 🙃 but WHATEVER.

Organizing these things are hard! Where do we get trash bags? Where do we get gloves? What the fuck do we do with all the trash once it’s been collected? On top of that, Momma Bielca telling us that we need to feed the people who do show up. So now we also need to find/buy food with no budget and secure somewhere to cook it. We put very little energy into this limpieza.

All things considered, I’m stunned it turned out as well as it did. Granted it was mostly trainees, but at least 10 community members showed up to help. We filled 24 bags with trash, and another couple wheelbarrows full of glass. Absolutely gnarly, it rained so hard last night so everything was wet and muddy, starting early was good because there was less heat but “less heat” is still like 90° with 100% humidity. It was great to see the difference we made, even if only for the next 24 hours.

After the limpieza i went home and did absolutely nothing for the next 4 hours. It was phenomenal. I started a new book today and im 300 pages in already.

At 4:30, Audrey and Caitlin came over to my house while the moms played bingo. We had told them that this Sunday we would be making all of them dinner to say thank you. Initially it was going to be lasagna but when i saw that 12 oz if ricotta was going to run me $11, we changed gears and made baked ziti, salad, and chocolate chip cookies. I was so nervous because Audrey and Caitlin both told me that they would help however they could, but the ziti was my domain. Also, cooking for 17 people??? Really hard to do in an oven that I’ve never seen used. I’ve been really stressed about not knowing if i got the right quantities, or if they would all hate it. It was hard! Everything just takes so much longer to get organized. But once it was all said and done, we had plenty of ziti, enough to give everyone seconds. And more importantly, they WANTED seconds. Xavier told me i need to teach Audrey how to cook lol. We even had enough to invite some of the neighbors over (I may have overestimated). It was really exciting because other trainees have made their families dinner and

1. 1 Person found their meal hidden in a cupboard the next day

2. Olivia’s family called her dinner “sopa de gringo”

3. Sav saw her family feeding it to the dogs.

Felt really nice to cook with Audrey and Caitlin and the family was so happy.

This week I’ve noticed a very distinct change in the weather. It’s raining more, almost always cloudy, not any cooler, and somewhere more humid than before. But the wind is a lot stronger and feels amazing.

One more week in Los Mortales.

[don-dake]

Hi! I was wondering if you could recommend any apps / online resources for learning Cantonese as an English speaker.

Oh hi! Very flattered you'd choose to ask me of all people but…I'm afraid I may not exactly be the best person to ask this…especially if you're asking as a beginner?

You see, I didn't exactly start from scratch. I come from a Cantonese background (can speak and understand average, conversational Cantonese) and had schooling in Mandarin for more than a decade (which helped, even if my Mandarin is still not great either LOL), so my “learning” was largely based on…how shall I say it? Heritage instinct…in a way (I hope you get what I mean), gut instinct, passive learning, you know? Not from conventional language books or apps.

My idea of “studying” Cantonese is more or less just, install a Jyutping (Cantonese Romanization) keyboard after a read-up on how to use Jyutping, expose myself to lots and lots of Cantonese content (TV series, movies, songs, etc.) and just wing my way through with trial and error LOL by listening to and matching the spoken Cantonese against the Standard Chinese subs (can be read in Mandarin) that often come with Cantonese shows and eventually figuring out any more differences that I didn't already know.

So I've only really needed a dictionary app to help with vocabulary. I don't really know what are the best language apps (the kind that introduces you to sentence structures, the really basic stuff and all?) to use out there for Cantonese.

I've seen people throw out names like ‘Anki’, ‘Duolingo’ and if I recall correctly, something called ‘Drops’? But I can't ascertain on how good they are, haven't felt the need to try them. LOL

For dictionary apps, I will strongly recommend Pleco, it's geared for Mandarin mainly, but it also has allowance for Cantonese if you add the Cantonese extension packs (some good, free ones available) that can be found within the app itself.

Online sites I use to supplement Pleco are mainly MDBG, and cantonesesheik.

There used to be an interesting language account here for Cantonese language stuff called language-obsession. Even though they don't seem to be active anymore, the account still stands and has quite good advice and links to Cantonese learning resources. Would be a good idea to check them out.

Then there's also YouTube and/or Instagram, which seem to have a more active Cantonese language community and content than here, also a good idea to check those platforms out for starters.

You can find a fair bit of Cantonese language creators there who offer content in bite-sized pieces, often with Jyutping and/or English subtitles.

Off the top of my head, I can think of mslinchinese, hambaanglaang, Cantonese with Brittany, inspirlang, poeticCantonese, to name a few.

I'm sorry I can't be of more help, but hopefully someone more able to will see this post and be willing to offer better advice?

Anyone? I know there are at least some Cantonese speakers/learners here but as “everyone is shy on Tumblr”, and I don't wish to unintentionally pressure specific individuals into a reply, not using the @.

[cosmicjoke]

Do you think it is possible for some Va to understand their own voiced characters? characterizion, views, etc.

Or is everything they say confirmed by their authors?

I was reading Va's interviews in Attack on Fes and the interviews with Kamiya and Ono caught my attention. Kamiya, as usual, talked about Erwin, as if he had nothing else to say about Levi.

When he speaks directly about Levi not considering himself the most powerful of humanity, he immediately shifts his orbit to Erwin, saying that he has complete trust in Erwin and that he faithfully fulfills his duties. And he spoke of seeing a sense of trust in the way Erwin understood and followed the intention in his words, even though he had his own ideas.

Ono spoke of Levi's loneliness after Erwin's death, despite his deepening ties to his close allies, and how the shadow deep in his heart grew darker.

I find it annoying why they talk about Levi as if Erwin is the only character building when there are other aspects of Levi that need to be mentioned (seeing his fallen comrades, Hange's sacrifice, his relationship with other characters, etc.). He could have specifically mentioned Hange, his best friend besides Erwin, and Levi's view of them sacrifice. There is a reason why many people have taken strength from these interviews to say that most of Levi's focus was on Erwin and that he didn't care enough about Hange not to mention them.

I find that most fans accept what these Va's say as canon (I have my doubts about taking some of what they say as canon myself). After all, they bring these characters to life with their voices and we know these characters through their voices.

Speaking for myself, as someone who loves and appreciates Levi's voice, sometimes when I recall Kamiya's views on Levi, and some of the creepy and reductive things he has said in this and past interviews, I think of the Levi he wants to portray and involuntarily become cold.

Maybe that's why fans see everything Va says as canon. And they can also interact and talk to the writers and in their fangirl way they can tell the writer their views and blur the writer's views in their mind or they can change their mind about that character or that character's relationship with another character.

Really none of what the voice actors say is canon. It's just their personal opinions, their own, personal interpretation of whatever. I've said over and over that the only thing that matters when evaluating AoT or any piece of media is what the actual author puts down on the finished page. Nothing else, including supplemental materials like interviews with voice actors, or guide books, or even interviews with Isayama himself, should really be taken too seriously, because ultimately, again, what we see on the finished page of the story is the only thing that counts, and one can only really make an accurate and objective assessment of what the story or the characters mean by looking at that. And, after all, the VA's are speaking lines that Isayama wrote, and what Isayama wrote is all that matters.

With that said, I wouldn't be so harsh on what Kamiya or Ono say here. It just seems to me that they're referring to the fact that, in many ways, Levi looked to Erwin as a guiding light, which I've spoken about before too. And when he lost him, he lost that guide. He trusted in Erwin implicitly to show him what he was meant to do, or how he was meant to use his strength to help the most people. He believed in Erwin's leadership wholeheartedly, and in his vision, and after Erwin died, he no longer had that. I think with Ono saying Levi felt "lonely", he probably means he felt directionless, like he wasn't any longer sure how he was supposed to use his strength, or what benefit he could be, because before then, Erwin had always told him how.

We also have to remember that Levi really considers himself a weapon to be wielded by others. His view of his own strength is that it should be used by others to fulfill their hopes and dreams, as a sword and shield, as protection.

Of course I think Levi's own view of himself is skewed. Because of course he's much more than just a weapon, much more capable and much more vital than he gives himself credit for. He thinks of Erwin as the ultimate leader, but Levi himself is a better leader than he realizes, and in some ways, I think, it's Levi who truly embodies the greatness that he tended to view Erwin with. Levi saw Erwin as this embodiment of duty and dedication and selflessness. But it's actually Levi who embodies those qualities, far more than Erwin ever did. Because where Erwin was a great visionary, to be sure, and a great motivator, and a great leader, Levi is the one who, ultimately, always fought for the right reasons. Levi's intentions were never corrupted or dubious or selfish or colored by impurity. He never wanted anything for himself, or needed a self-serving incentive to drive him to fight. He only ever wanted to help others. That was his only incentive. That the lives of other people were invaluable, and thus, worth his own life.

But Erwin was a very important person in Levi's life, because he basically showed Levi a way to cope with his grief.

It's important to understand Levi through the context of his childhood and growing up in the Underground. He was constantly surrounded by meaningless death, starting with having to witness his own mother die in front of him, and then later taken in by Kenny, a literal serial killer, who submerged Levi into a life of pointless and cruel violence. On top of that, the Underground itself is such a poverty stricken place, that death from things like starvation, disease, suicide and violence was undoubtedly a common, every day occurrence that Levi bore witness to. Again, meaningless death everywhere. Meaningless death that Levi could do nothing about.

So understanding Levi's relationship to Erwin through this context is vital, I think, to understanding why Erwin was so important to him. It's not because Levi was in love with Erwin, or because he was obsessed with him, or beholden to him in some way, or only cared about him and nobody else, or above everyone else. That's such a stupid, simplistic reading of Levi's relationship with Erwin, and of Levi as a character in general.

It's because Erwin showed Levi that it was possible to give meaning to death. That Levi could imbue the sacrifices of others with meaning if he just continued to fight on in their name, and for their dreams. So really, Levi's drive isn't anything to do with Erwin specifically, but with the philosophy that Erwin imparted to Levi. This concept that death doesn't have to be meaningless, and why that's so important to Levi, ultimately, finds its roots in Levi's innate compassion and desire to help others. He wanted to use his strength to help other people, and Erwin showed him how, by showing him that, even if he couldn't save everyone, he could still prove the worth of their lives by giving their deaths purpose.

For a kid that grew up surrounded by meaningless death and no doubt often felt powerless to help anyone, for a man who cares so innately about the lives of other people, but was often in a position where he couldn't do much to relieve the suffering and hardship around him, to be given that kind of gift, this belief that he could use his strength to genuinely help, to carry on for those people, even if he couldn't prevent them from dying, to be shown a path in which the death around him didn't have to be pointless, to be shown a way to honor the lives of those who had died, to acknowledge the worth of the lives they gave, and thus honor and acknowledge the worth of life in general, must have meant the world. Because there's nothing more important to Levi than life itself, and to protecting life. To Levi, life is a sacred and invaluable thing.

That's why Erwin is so important to Levi, outside of just being his friend and comrade, of course. It's because Levi was grief-stricken by death, by the illogical existence of pointless death, when he felt in his bones how much life was worth, when he believed in that worth so wholeheartedly. Erwin gave him a way to reconcile that. To take away the component of meaninglessness and replace it with meaning. To make the deaths of others less intolerable to him.

It's also why Levi is so distraught at the notion of meaningless death. Because he values the lives of others so completely. It's why it's so important to him to be able to say and prove that the deaths of his comrades weren't in vain. Not Erwin's death, his comrades. Levi says this himself "At last, I'll be able to prove your deaths had meaning". He's talking about all of them. His vow was to ALL of them. The same way he promises the dying soldier at the beginning of the story, when Levi holds his hand and tells him he's given him the strength to keep fighting. That's a promise to that soldier, a vow to ensure that soldiers life is recognized as important, as having value, by refusing to let his death be pointless.

And it's so important to Levi to be able to fulfill that vow, to give their deaths meaning, because he values their lives too much to simply accept that those lives were lost for nothing. He can't bear that thought. He can't abide that possibility. To Levi, life is too precious, and meaningless death goes against everything Levi feels and believes in his core about that. It doesn't make any sense, for death to be meaningless, when life holds so much value for him.

[pancake-breakfast]

I should be sleeping, but I'm not known for my wisdom in that particular field, so on with Trigun Book Club!

Archive

Trigun Volume 1: Covers + 1-3, 3 Detailed Thoughts, 4, 4 DT, 5-6, 5-6 + DT, 6 DT, 7-8, 9-10

Trigun Volume 2: Covers + Extras, 1, 1 Supplemental Research, 2-4, 5-6, 7-8

TriMax Volume 1: Covers + 1-2, 2 DT, 3-4, 3 DT, 5-6

TriMax Volume 2: Covers + 1, 2-4

Stream-of-consciousness thoughts for TriMax Vol. 2, Chapter 5 below.

Chapter 5: Desperado

Oh, no. They're coming for Vash's friends on the sand steamer.

Wait, that's the girl from the end of the last chapter, huh? That means they can't be far from Milly and Meryl.

Nico-oniisaaaaaaan!!!

"Did your work go well?" Heh. I'll note he does not answer this question. Nicholas D. Wolfwood. The "D" is for "Deflection."

Gods, his hands. This is so much more traumatic in context.

NIGHTOW, WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING HERE, LITERALLY ON THE SAME PAGE AS THAT NIGHTMARE?!?!

NM, it's just Vash's bad driving. Or maybe he noticed WW wasn't sleeping so good and decided to unsubtly wake him up?

LOL, I have SO MANY THOUGHTS about what's going on in WW's head here, but they're all spoilers, so I'll keep them to myself.

LOLOLOLOL, WW dragging unconscious Vash into the inn and demanding two rooms is just so funny to me. Like, no wonder these people are staring at him like that. They must have SO MANY QUESTIONS.

I assume there will only be one room. And one bed. Edit: My assumption was wrong.

LOL, nothing wakes Vash up quite like the sound of someone else in need, trying to do the right thing against impossible odds.

He's so cute when he's semi-conscious.

WW, what the hell life have you been living? I'm so sorry, my guy. No wonder Vash is giving you such a headache.

I wish I could find a suitable picture to show just how much this building looks like the old Spanish missions dotting the landscape in certain parts of the Southwestern U.S., but it seems like 99.9999% of the pictures are of the buildings inside the walls... or of the ones that have been extensively renovated rather than having crumbly bits like so many of them do. (Also, it's late and so I can't be arsed to do a detailed search. Maybe this will help get my point across? IDK, I'm not writing an essay on Spanish missions right now. I already did that back in 4th grade.)

If I had a son who was recklessly hellbent on getting himself killed alongside me as I defended the town/inn/whatever, I'd tie him up and lock him away, too.

LOL, dehydrated Vash. Gods, babygirl is in baaaaad shape. He's trying, though.

I dunno, a half-dead Vash is still probably pretty competent.

Is now a good time to point out that the word "Desperado" means "The Desperate"? (Also, apparently it's not actually Spanish. We're learning things today in Trigun Book Club.)

"What was that, Vashie?" *Vash barks insistently* "You think you can come up with a plan?" *Vash barks enthusiastically* "Ok, I trust you, boy!" *Vash wags his tail.*

Some quick Spanish notes on page 134 here for those who may not hear these terms so frequently: Mi Amigo = my friend (may not actually indicate a friend; can also be used to create a mock-friendly tone in a situation where intimidation is coming into play) Jefe (pronounced "heh-fay") = slang term meaning "boss" or "leader" (can also be used sort of like "man" or "dude" in English, or in a mock-friendly tone to kinda rub in that the person being called "jefe" is not in charge of the situation) Comprende? = Do you understand?

This guy has too many teeth. And a weird way of standing. Is... is he wearing metal underwear?? What kind of weirdness do you have to go through to get this kind of anatomy? How does he close his lips??? M... maybe it's a mask of some sort??

Holland en Flambe sounds like a dessert.

Rest in peace, vodka. I'm sure someone out there misses you.

Hahahahaha, this kid. He's having to hold the whole weight of intimidation because Vash looks like a rag doll someone left out in the rain too long. Wait. Does Wolfwood know Vash is here?? Heheheheheheheh.... BF's gonna be maaaaaaad....

I love Vash's expression through this bit. He's trying, but he does NOT have the energy for this right now.

FWOOM

Listen to your father, Rob.

Ohhhhh, shit.

Ok, I LOVE LOVE LOVE this. I love the absolute chaos of the top part taking over the whole page, with this guy's shouting bearing down on Vash and the family from the top, claws sweeping in from the left with a motion so fast and deadly it leaves motion lines going all the way up the page... and then, cutting in at the bottom, in a panel that's practically pure-white serenity, the soft but definite *click* of the Punisher's machine gun opening. Beautiful.

And, of course, we turn the page into a two-page spread of Wolfwood letting 'er rip, adding a more controlled and entirely different type of chaos to the scene.

LOL, BF's mad. Just a little, though. Confusion has tempered his anger.

Ok, this, though. How the angle goes from him carelessly tapping Vash on the head with his gun (while practicing shit trigger discipline, I might add) to us looking up at Wolfwood from a perspective very close to what Vash's would be if he could lift his head. How, in the second panel, Wolfwood looks like a desperate man about to pull an executioner's trigger out of fear and confusion for the unknown before him. How, even so, he's debating if Vash is actually the monster he's heard of when there's so much evidence that, despite superhuman skills that Wolfwood has witnessed multiple times firsthand, Vash seems so kind and cares so much for people he ends up in this situation even while half-dead.

Meanwhile, Vash seems to be taking well-deserved nap....

[triflesandparsnips]

My gf is doing a research project on sixteenth century recipe books (building a tool to help people read/understand them) and this weekend she was telling me about an ingredient that showed up in one of them that she could not figure out what it was. I have read the soap post (which is SO COOL, btw, I am so excited to see how the wash balls turn out) and I’m wondering if you might know what it actually is.

She first saw it written as venus bolearmonack, but we found several different spellings for it when we both went down internet rabbit holes: bolearmonack, bolarmonack, bolarmonicke. We think it’s maybe some sort of dirt or clay? But it keeps bothering me that we couldn’t figure it out, and reading your post made me wonder if you would know.

OKAY SO:

From Charas's The Royal Pharmacopœea, we know that:

By Minerals I understand all Metals, Half-metals, and what belongs to Metals. All sorts of Earths, and Bole-Armoniack; all Stones, Marbles, Flints, Porphyries, Jaspers, Chrystals, Jacinths, Emraulds, Saphirs, Granats, Blood-stones, Diamonds, and all sorts of Jewels: Sulphurs, Vitriols, Allums, Sal Gem, Bay-salt, Water, Rain, Snow, Ice, Hail, Thunder-bolts, Dew, Manna of several sorts, Morter, Lime, Brick, Oyl of Naphta Amber-griece white and yellow; Jet, Sea-coal and all Bitumens. Talk, Chalk, Bismuth, Zink, and all Marcasites, the ordinary Earth, Sand, Clay; and in general whatever is drawn out of the Bowels of the Earth, or Sea; or descends from the Air, being without Life.

This is Moyse Charas telling us what a shorthand (Minerals) means -- so apparently, Bole-Armoniack (another spelling!) wasn't a shorthand for something else the way, say, "the four greater Cold seeds" are. I also included the full paragraph because that also gives a hint as to what Bole-Armoniack isn't -- or at least, they didn't think it was... which means nope, not clay or dirt.

Later we find out in the same book that it's something you gotta crush the shit outta in a mortar before you can use it, but when you do it'll reduce to an extremely fine powder the way precious stones and amber will.

Lémery's A Course of Chemistry clarifies for a recipe for, ta da, gonorrhea, that:

Litharge, which is a Lead Calcined [a heated lead], Alom, and Bole-Armenick, are so many considerable Astringents, that do no hurt in this composition.

Which is to say, bole-armenick (ANOTHER SPELLING), when powdered, can be heated up to be used in this mix and was added because it was thought to draw together or contract skin tissue. It's also interesting that Lémery bothered to define litharge (which is fairly common in recipes I've seen), but, again, not the bole-armenick.

Finally, on a hunch, I did a search for just "armenick", and hit enough paydirt that I suspect y'all can dig further using it to confirm the results-- Pettus's 1683 glossary supplement to Ercker's Fleta Minor lists the following:

ARMENICK▪ See Armoniack.

ARMONIACK, T. gives it the Latine Name, Bolus Armeni, and we Bole Armoniack, and I find these words of kin, both in their Orthography and Pronuntiation, viz. Amoniack Armenick and Armoniack. The first Pliny tell us, is a Gum which he calls Gumma Amoniaci, of a glutinous nature (like other Gums) and so may be used for Metallick Vessels. The second viz. Armenick; I find the word Sal always joyned with it, and so called Sal Armenicus, and this Salt was antiently accounted a natural Salt, but that being now unknown to us, we use the Armenicus, which is made of the Urine of Elephants or Camels (as 'tis said) boyled to a Lixivium or Salt, and called Sal Armenius or Armeniacus, and this is of great use for purifying and refining of Metals. To the third Armoniacus the word Bole is added, I suppose for distinction sake: Pliny, c. 35. mentions a Stone, which he calls Lapis Armeni, of which he counts several sorts, but the best of those he saith, are of a blew colour, and calls it verd de Azure (being of great price and esteem with Painters, but the common Armoniack he calls Synoper (and we Synople) from a City of that name, where it was plentiful, and 'tis probable this is the same which we call Bole Armoniack, being of a reddish colour, and this is oft used by our Author, and for distinction the word Gum is put to the first, Salt to the other, and Bolus to this: which I write to prevent Errors in Medicines or Metallick Experiments.

So with Pettus's definitions, triangulated with Charas's shorthand notes and Lémery's preparation instructions, we arrive at your "venus bolearmonack" probably being sinople, a "ferruginous quartz that is blood-red or brownish red sometimes with a tinge of yellow" which "occurs in small but very perfect crystals, and in masses that resemble some varieties of jasper."

All that being said, though: always try and get at least one other source to confirm a definition. My beloved Simon Barbe says that benzoin is also myrrh, and that's... that's not right, babe. So double-check, but-- here's a reasonable direction!

[zquill]

2024 Resolutions

I can't deny the blend of eagerness and trepidation I felt (and feel) at moving to a remote area of Alaska. On the one hand I fear giving in to my isolationist tendencies, using my setting as an excuse. On the other, I'm really looking forward to having time to myself to focus on reading, art, and languages (I'm one cut Internet cable away from complete self-realization/utter insanity).

Complete my Calligrapha journal. Self-explanatory.

Develop steady habits. This is more vague, but there are a host of things, like yoga and embroidery, that I'd like to work on more consistently than I have. I'll certainly have the time for it given my new situation.

Improve my posture. Also self-explanatory.

Read as many of these books as I can, with a goal of 95 total on Goodreads, not including Kirkus reviews:

(I do have a small bookshelf ordered that should be arriving soon to help contain this sprawl.)

To supplement the above desire for sustained habits, I'm also going to try doing themed days/nights:

New Movie Monday. Compensating for what I know will be a complete dearth of motivation on Monday nights, I'm going with a softball that will nevertheless challenge me to consume new (to me) media once a week rather than just watching the same films and shows over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. I may expand this category to include shows.

Translation Tuesday. To work on the above featured stacks of manga and Japanese novels. I considered making going for the N1 in December a resolution, and I would like to start studying for that, but I'm not quite ready to commit myself. Maybe for 2025.

Embroidery Wednesday (there went the alliteration). To give myself a chance to catch up on podcasts/audiobooks, and to allow me time to return to those visual media I'm already well familiar with, as well as actually pick up this hobby again.

Inupiaq Thursday. There's apparently a beginner/intermediate class that meets Thursday nights right next to the library, so I'm going to check that out starting this week. We also have textbooks at the library and other resources.

Artsy Fartsy Friday (yay, the alliteration's back!). I'm back to a planner that leaves a large blank page every week that needs filling up, so I'll end the work week by doing just that with pencil sketches, ink drawings, and other doodles.

Social Saturday. This is my day to chat with family and friends, and there's a fabric arts group that meets the first Saturday of the month that I'd like to try attending. There's apparently also a thrift store that's open on the weekends if I can find a way to get to it.

Salubrious Sunday. Just a day to chill out before the start of the week while taking care of necessary domestic things like meal-planing and prep (laundry will be on Monday because I've already noticed a rush on the washing machine and dryer on weekends). This will also be the day my reviews tend to come due, so definitely a day for reading/writing.

We'll see how pairing resolutions with an ideal weekly schedule goes.

[screamingwiththewolves]

Even as a kid, I thought vampirism as depicted in the SS books doesn't make sense. Every creature, human or animal, living or undead bitten by a vampire turns into one. If vampires need blood regularly and have existed for centuries the entire world population would've turned into vampires, or they would need to kill every person they feed from which wouldn't be sustainable in the long run.

In the books, vampires that live in GHOUL communities have special pipes alongside water for blood but GHOUL hasn't always existed.

I suppose that hunting animals would solve the problem, but it never made sense to me that even zombies could turn into vampires since they're already undead and don't even have any blood to drink.

yeah, admittedly vampirisms being transmitted by just a bite was never my favorite trope. It can certainly make sense in some stories/plots, like when vampirism is treated like an illness. But when Vampires are treated as a species it doesn't make much sense in my opinion. Same logic with werewolves. The only story I've seen that treats werewolf's like a species, and still gets away with the bite thing, is Wolfwalkers. and that's because it does such a great job of showing that the lycanthropy of that film, is a gift to be bestowed, or a curse to enemies. So it works.

That all being said, I can also appreciate the silliness of vampirisms being transmitted to any creature via just a bite. In the case of the Scream Street books, it creates a situation that is just absurd. But, like, in an enjoyable way? Like it's over the top, camp, chaotic, ridiculous. It's like a tart cherry pie. Usually, I don't like cherry pie because it's so tart. But sometimes I crave a cherry pie specifically for the tartness. You get what I mean?

I guess if you wanted to have your cake and eat it to, one could theorize that such easy vampirism is specifically something of the Negative lineage. Maybe their bites transform others into vampiric minions, where as with most vampires that's not an issue. Maybe that's why their last name is "Negative" because their bites come with "negative" effects. Could even be a reason Resus's ancestor helped found Scream Street. He may have felt that doing such would keep their mutation from causing more harm. (could also be why he stays in a hibernation mode rather than enjoying his undead existence.)

Or, second theory, it could be that it's due to something that Ghoul did to the vampires in their facilities, like experimentation or adding something to the blood supply. They've certainly done far worse. Heck, maybe the thing about the supply coming from the drains of the world is a lie to began with. Making a supplement certainly sounds easier than a complex blood gathering system. After all, if the vampires thought that the blood supply was from a pipe system, when they'd be fully dependent on the Scream Street facilities. And we all know how much Ghoul loves anything that gives them more power over the cryptids. Furthermore, I'd make sense if they were particularly controlling of vampires, as vampires are a more threatening creature, they have a lot of powers. We don't see the Negatives have a lot of powers, but I'm willing to bet that's because they were raised in Scream Street. They've been denied a lot of things, and likely don't know the full extent of their powers.

Idk, just some theories that came to mind while thinking about all of this. (screw Ghoul, they are awful people) :D

[destinygoldenstar]

So I Finally Read 'Quest For Lost Powers' (Commentary Part 1; Prologue)

I knew this book existed for about a few months now, and only now have I picked it up.

I actually don't touch the Ninjago books, cause I just assumed they were all supplemental. But no, there's some canon content in these books apparently. There's The Dark Islands, which I haven't read. And there's Way of the Departed, which I DID read, but is very questionable if its canon or not.

This? 100% it's canon apparently.

Ngl, even if this ends up being the best book ever made, I can't help but hate this book because of what it represents.

Because it's promoting the idea that you have to pay money for a book to understand the context of a TV show. When you could very easily just make this canon knowledge that is VITAL TO THE PLOT, IN THE SHOW. It's not hard!

Or at least, make it a special! Like an hour long special. Like Day of the Departed. I may not like Day of the Departed, but people have better access to viewing that for canon context.

(I mean, it's harder to find in English because... ghosting a canon event, but you know what I mean)

Half of the fans of Ninjago don't even read the books. Because they're usually not necessary.

In my opinion, people who see the show should be able to get ALL the context and plot points they need IN THE SHOW. And the book/other content is purely optional if they're still hungry after dinner. Like dessert.

(My GF had no access to Day of the Departed, so she just jumped right into Season 7. So she missed context on how Cole became human again. So she just assumed it all happened off screen.)

This book's existence contradicts that idea, and I don't like that. Regardless of the book's quality, I don't encourage this to keep happening.

And honestly, I hope they DO make a special of this book. Because stories like this were apparently not good enough for the show?

If you don't read this book, you go from 'the ninja sacrificed their powers' to 'the ninja can still use their powers no problem'. Before I even knew this book existed, I thought it was just a hibernation of their powers that got awoken in time. Like they said in Crystalized.

This kinda goes for my ideas on my Crystalized rewrite, Crystalized Redemption, I don't even like that the thing they had to sacrifice was their powers in the first place. It was overdone in the show and at that point there was no stake to them losing it. Plus their powers kind of burdened them with ninja responsibility for so long that it seemed like a happier ending for them to lose it. (Except for Kai and his whiny self) Plus the lore reason why they lost it was just... left field. Out of nowhere. They literally just CHANGED the established lore rules on how the Golden Weapons work, just so the ninja didn't DIE. Because had they not changed the rules, that's what would've happened.

Yeah I'm definitely changing that in the rewrite to not break rules just to make the happiest ending possible. You want to open the door to a happy ending? You gotta have the key to that fit in the lock. You don't just smash the door down.

In fact, in my first outline, they don't sacrifice their powers at all. BUT since I now know THIS book exists, (Thank you Discord for telling me) I have to read it to question whether or not I SHOULD have this book be canon with the rewrite logic, because that's what the show did.

Also, if you need a BOOK to explain an aspect of a show's finale...

Tells me you screwed up your finale.

(At least it's not Star VS level bad, am I right??)

So congratulations everyone, you get a series of posts where I do commentary on this book.

This is also kind of experimenting people's reactions to me doing this. Because I WAS thinking about it for the show. There have been so many reaction channels on YouTube reacting to the show lately, and that's awesome, but the problem with me doing that is that I have already seen the show. Multiple times. So I thought "How about instead I did commentary?" That would definitely set me apart and gain a POV of the show from someone who actually grew up with it, AND can point out some little details you notice the more times you watch it.

Idk let me know if you guys want to see that. (I am terrible with videos though)

I’m just gonna comment on stuff I find interesting. I’m skipping stuff where I just don’t have anything to say.

For now though, I'm just gonna go chapter by chapter with these posts. Starting with a ONE PAGE prologue. FUN.

I will say, this cover art looks great. How they drew the ninja is mwah.

I miss illustrations for books. Books with no pictures just make the story lost for certain people. But no art is ‘professional’ or whatever.

And you all wonder why I do my own art for my books?

Have we ever seen Jay’s lightning be yellow?

I’d say that’s golden power, but nobody else has that.

His lightning is always blue. It’s so weird. Is it like hotter lightning??

Idk how lightning works.

Kai’s… I can say for sure that’s not how Fire works. The core of the flame is hotter than the outer flame. Yellow is usually the COOLEST flame color, temperature wise. So the orange is the hotter part.

It looks cooler this way though.

AS IN IT LOOKS NICE 🤣

Also their knots on their belts are bow ties.

I did not notice that in the show.

They drew Cole’s scar as an actual scar again!

THANK FSM.

I like it whenever the scar is visible. Scars tell stories with your characters. So they’re very interesting and I don’t understand why people don’t like drawing scars on characters.

Because I guess scars make characters ugly??

That’s not true.

Look at Vi! She’s gorgeous!

Even with the scar, Cole is still the hottest member of the ninja team.

Me and my GF BOTH think that, so don't even!

Yes. It’s not TOLD to us.

It’s in text.

So at least the cover isn’t lying.

So the order of these stories in the book are Kai, Zane, Cole, & Jay.

Unless you guys prefer otherwise, I'm just gonna go in order of that. I don't think these stories are connected, so I don't think it matters.

[Thank you for coming to visit, friend.]

"I'M NOT YOUR FRIEND!"

I'm sorry, I had to. 😂

Idk why that popped in my head when I read that.

[If you have time, let us catch up over a fresh pot of tea.]

How about fruit punch? Lemonade? Hot chocolate?

Twelve years later, and Wu still has a tea addiction problem.

He's canonically had a tea addiction since he was a baby.

[These four ninja disappeared from the public. But then they returned, with their powers restored.]

They left...?

Why?

At the end of Crystalized they were rebuilding the monastery, and they talked like they were staying together.

So that is new to me. So I have to ask, why? What happened?

Next you're gonna tell me they left for four years and came back with college degrees.

[The rumors became more and more wild, but the ninja remained silent.] [Silent to most, but not to me. Today I will tell you the stories, as the four ninja told them.]

Wu does not respect privacy.

They remained silent, meaning they didn't want to tell anyone what happened to them.

So instead Wu found a loophole and wrote a book about it.

So now the whole world knows!

Except those who don't read these books. Then yes, it's silent and you have no context.

[Their journeys were very different, but all of them were filled with danger, adventure, and excitement.]

As in, we didn't think these stories were worthy enough of animation.

So exciting that we didn't think this needed to be in the show.

I mean, Way of the Departed is called 'not canon' because it's 'too graphic'. And... can see that.

But for those who read the Sailor Moon books. You know they tear people's faces off ALL THE TIME. And the shows almost never do that.

Yeah the Sailor Moon books are actually kinda violent. Especially compared to the shows.

Okay. I’m gonna like these illustrations. I know I’m very sarcastic, that’s just who I am, but this art is actually great. I love how this looks.

And then in the next post we get to these actual stories.

Continued in Part 2 >>

[haruharuz]

So. You have mentioned that you knew you wanted to be a stripper since 17 but waited until you were 20 currently I am 18 in the Bay Area and I do want to strip not because of tiktok I do have a job (I am a server while I’m school for nursing). I have watched some videos on YouTube. I am also planning on visiting some clubs. what would be your advice to me? What would be some things I should look out for?

I don’t know if dancing is a good idea right now. I know you’re gonna hate me for saying that but there’s a reason we tell you NOT to dance that early. Because at 18-19 you’re so much more likely to be trapped in the industry. I highly recommending waiting until you’re 20 to dance. But I totally understand if you still want to.

If you ARE going to try it no matter what, I want you to take in everything I say and keep it in your head.

Don’t do coke. Don’t even look at it. Stay away from all drugs or you will pay a price for it. Don’t drink. Just trust me. It’s a slippery slope and you will never get out of the industry. And I mean that.

When you get your money, you’re going to do a few things.

Avoid buying luxury and random stuff. Just avoid it.

Open a Roth IRA and max it out every year you dance

Do a savings challenge and have one at all times you’re doing

SAVE part of your money for taxes !

Make weekly goals not daily

I also highly suggest you KEEP your day job while dancing. Don’t do what I did, I started dancing and haven’t had a normal job in 2+ years.

Dancing will make you never want a normal job again. So keep your normal job, dance on the side.

If you’re going to the clubs you’re going to want to watch for family mentality. Stay away from any club that says they’re a family. They are not, you will end up pimped out.

Watch out for the girls. They’re not all your friend they will fuck you over for their bag. Look at the stages and see if it’s more money from stage or if it’s more girls hustling lap dances.

If you do decide to dance fry a book bag or a duffel bag, put these items in it: a lock, baby wipes, first aid kit, tooth care mini travel set, alcohol in a small spray bottle (spray sanitizer works great), hair care tools, a money bag 💰 (emoji is because this is what they typically look like) you want a bag that can hold a lot and one that’s smaller as well. You’ll also need a pair of pleasers, if you get boots that are closed toed size up. Outfits you can find on shein are great and so is Adam and Eve. The one near me gives me a discount as a dancer and I build points. Also put a snack and a small bottle of water + a liquid IV (electrolyte supplement) in there.

Look up some floorwork videos. You’ll want to learn how to move fluidly and sensually, as well as twerk. Stretch every single day! Before you audition there’s a few things that would be great for you to learn just so you feel way more confident! If you can get a pole, those can be amazing for learning and such. But if not, when you get there DONT try to jump on the pole! Walk with the pole in hand up high, body away. Watch a few videos on that like pole stuff without it being obnoxiously difficult because pole HURTS and it’s gonna bruise you.

Show up to any audition dressed nice. You want social security and ID ready. Confidence plays a huge part. Like a simple bodycon dress will do.

Stay safe ! I hope this helped :)