#ITS ALSO WHAT YOUR CHILDREN ARE SURROUNDED BY. WHAT THEY ARE ENCOURAGED TO DO VS WHAT GIRL ARE

[thevillagedyke]

ripping my fucking hair out "boya acting like boys isn't just misogyny, it's like embedded in DNA" IM THROWING CHAIRS AT YOU .

[nerdygaymormon]

What do you think about the possible excommunication of Natasha Helfer?

Before this week, the only thing I knew about Natasha Helfer is I’d read an article she’d written about masturbation being part of normal sexual development, and she doesn’t see it as sinful. I agree with her. 

Because of the publicity surrounding her summons to a membership council, I now know much more about her. 

She made a video about being summoned to a membership council scheduled for April 18th. For starters, a stake where she hasn’t lived since 2019 has decided to do this, which seems strange to me. 

Here’s the things the summons letter cites as “misconduct”:

Support for same-sex marriage

Teaching that masturbation is part of a normative sexual-development journey and should not be seen as “sin” or as a reason to keep our youth from being considered worthy to serve or church activities

Her stances on sexually-explicit materials, aka pornography (she believes this is because she educates about using a values model vs an addiction model in the treatment of such concerns)

She’s been critical of Church leaders

Concerns she has encouraged people to leave the Church 

—————————

I went to section 32.6 of the General Handbook which lists the things someone may face a membership council. Frankly, the things listed in the letter sent to Natasha Helfer are not found in the Handbook. 

I suppose these could fit under the charge of “Apostasy,” because she publicly declares opinions different from the Church. Here’s what the Handbook says constitutes apostasy:

Repeatedly acting in clear and deliberate public opposition to the Church, its doctrine, its policies, or its leaders

Persisting in teaching as Church doctrine what is not Church doctrine after being corrected by the bishop or stake president

Showing a pattern of intentionally working to weaken the faith and activity of Church members

Continuing to follow the teachings of apostate sects after being corrected by the bishop or stake president

Formally joining another church and promoting its teachings (Total inactivity in the Church or attending another church does not by itself constitute apostasy. However, if a member formally joins another church and advocates its teachings, withdrawing his or her membership may be necessary.)

—————————

Natasha Helfer is a well-known LDS marriage counselor and certified sex therapist in Utah. She’s written several articles that have been widely read. She’s been a recurring guest on the Mormon Mental Health podcast, Mormon Matters and appeared on many other podcasts. 

She’s particularly sought out because of her training & expertise and her experiences in helping members of the Church overcome their sense of shame regarding sexuality. 

As a marriage counselor, she helps couples where one or both goes through a faith crisis, she says she doesn’t encourage anyone to leave the Church but honors their choices and helps them work through their thoughts & feelings, and also the effect it has on their marriage.  

Because of the news about her being summoned for a membership council, I’ve learned more about her positions. Here’s a list of some of the things I’ve seen in her writing: 

Sex Ed in Utah public schools should be comprehensive and accurate

Sexual assault is a crime & should be talked about as such

The LDS Church should know how to address sexual misconduct and sexual assault much better than it currently does

We should embrace and minister to our trangender neighbors, not fear them and make church difficult for them

Excommunication is cruel and unusual punishment which often is a traumatic experience used by the Church to silence its critics

Service Missions should be setup to be meaningful and seen as equal to proselyting missions

LGBTQ+ members should be affirmed and included in their faith community

LDS teachings & messages to LGBTQ+ members is akin to bullying and has real-world consequences on their mental health & lives

Fear of the BYU Honor Code actually causes many to not seek repentance for fear of academic punishment

The Church teaching that only certain families that fit the mold will get to enjoy the afterlife together is harmful. Mormon Heaven = Sad Heaven. She lists many groups who are harmed by this teaching, including: mixed-faith families, LGBTQ+ individuals & their families, families where someone struggles with addiction, single-parent families, families trying to deal with abuse & trauma, families dealing with mental health conditions such as bi-polar or impulse-control, family survivors of someone who died by suicide

When the Church rescinded the policy of exclusion against gay couples and their children, it should have been accompanied by an apology, not just a brief statement of the announcement with no explanation for the change

Social media isn’t the problem, how we use it is. If we’re keeping in touch with family & friends with whom we otherwise wouldn’t because of distance, accessing support you wouldn’t find in your area, obtaining ideas & resources, these are good. Comparing ourselves to others’ “best selves”, debating others, writing mean comments and such are not helpful. Too often people behave differently online than they do in person

We should wish people well when they leave our church and faith community and wish them well on their spiritual journey. We do a good job at celebrating newcomers even though many of them had to say goodbye to something in order to say hello to us

We need to speak of abortion more than as if anyone who gets one is evil. Even the Church’s position makes room for abortion in certain circumstances and we should be more nuanced in how we speak of it

Biological sex and gender are not binary. This may be LDS doctrine but the sciences of Biology and Psychology say otherwise

She supported the law ending conversion therapy in Utah of LGBTQ+ people

Racism is a public health emergency in the USA, racism is more than hate, it’s in our systems. It’s in our scriptures, our folklore, our culture, our history

Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself. It’s acceptance and moving forward

She also has many articles & podcasts about improving marriage relationships, how to talk with your child about sex, tips for a mixed-faith marriage and similar topics directly related to her job as a marriage counselor and sex therapist.

I’m very impressed, from what I see. She is a tremendous force for good in our LDS community. We need people willing to speak the truth. 

————————���

Here’s two articles that especially impressed me. 

First is one is about masturbation, how it’s a legitimate way to meet one’s needs and some of the many benefits associated with sexual release. 

Second is one about pornography, the LDS culture gives pornography more power than it deserves with our blanket bans, secrecy & shaming, and calling virtually all porn viewing an addiction.

—————————

Frankly, based on what I post on my blog, I could be charged with all the same things that Natasha Helfer is being charged with.

Do I support same-sex marriage? Yes. Absolutely.

Do I think masturbation is a sin? No, and I think many Church websites, publications, and the General Handbook back up this view. 

Is masturbation a normal part of sexual development? Yes. And it has many benefits for individuals, especially singles like me, and even within a marriage

Is porn always wrong? I definitely can think of ways porn can be included inside a healthy marriage, perhaps as a way to help a partner get “in the mood,” or for someone with a higher libido to use along with masturbation, as part of foreplay, or even getting some ideas to spice up their love life. 

Have I been critical of Church leaders? You betcha. I think they’re wrong on LGBTQ+ topics and I say so. 

Do I encourage people to leave the Church? I don’t view myself this way, although I wouldn’t say that I try to get them to stay, either. It’s their path to walk. I know most LGBTQ+ people leave the Church, it’s the way our journeys normally go. I feel God has told me it’s fine for me to leave this church, so in no way do I think poorly of people who leave. This church isn’t ready for queer people and I don’t think God requires us to remain some place that harms us.

My understanding is we’re allowed to have beliefs that differ from the Church, as long as we’re not recruiting people to our side. Simply sharing your opinion or some differences in how you view things shouldn’t be something we can be punished for.

I suppose the difference between her and me is she’s seen as a high-profile individual and she’s using her credentials to give weight to her opinions, and I’m just some rando gay guy who has a blog.

[galaxytale]

whats also unhealthy is the continued push to consider therapy the only place or way a person can “get help” for their problems.

firstly, this reinforces the idea of mental health as an individual responsibility and ignores the impact that a supportive and loving community and surroundings can have (as well as the impact of a toxic community/surroundings). mental health is similar in some ways to physical health. healthy communities are to mental health, as healthy surroundings are to physical health.

secondly, it serves to reenforce classism, ableism, ageism, and racism, and a whole lot more interconnected and systematic issues. pushing mental issues as an individual need that can/should only be dealt with between a therapist and a patient/support group relies on so many factors. got the money for it? got transportation to get to and from there? got the potential ability to go up stairs or maneuver through tight spaces? got the spare time for it? can the therapist even effectively treat you for some of your issues due to your race/ethnicity vs theirs? what if youre a child whos parents wont take you? what if youre someone being forced into therapy even though you dont want or think you need to go? what if youre a senior being pressured into it by your children or else they wont help you pay for things necessary for you to live (ie. medical devices, medicine)? what if the only therapist in your area - lets not forget about rural and small towns here folks - cant/wont treat you? what if theyre abusive?

people DIE because they dont get help for their mental illnesses. but “help” doesnt always mean therapy. sometimes therapy will actually make a situation WORSE.

thirdly, it re-enforces capitalism. this should be obvious but like. pushing mental health into a place where its considered solely an individual’s private responsibility is dangerous because it similarly plays into how capitalism benefits off of, and encourages, individualized thinking over collective thinking. you have to fucking pay for therapy visits. if you cant then youre shit outta luck. much of mental illness stuff is just a product of the suffering inflicted upon us by the capitalist system we live in and therapy literally has you PAY to learn how to cope with living with it instead of questioning why you accept this system when it is making you suffer.

i do not want to “learn to cope” anymore. i want change. i know how to cope already, how to make it to the end of just one more day and then be ready to repeat this process over and over again ad infinitum. ive been doing it as long as i can remember. i dont want to cope with being alive anymore. i want to be able to look forward to being alive. i want to be able to enjoy being alive in the moment, for more than a few hours, days, or weeks at a time.

for me, and many, many others, therapy isnt whats going to help us. what’ll help us is change, and a community who will help and support us as we actively work toward and (in some cases) have to wait for change.

i am not against therapy (in its many forms) at all, and i would recommend it to those who wish to go and have the ability to do so. but it is not the end all be all solution to mental health, and it is not the solution to many of the problems people face. in fact, therapy isnt even all that accessible to many people.

[mrsmaan]

Effective Vocabulary Instruction Q & A

Q: How do I tackle the daunting task of teaching new words to my ELL students?

Most students learn new words by encountering them incidentally through conversations at home/ school and texts (The Importance of Vocabulary Development, n.d.). Wide reading is strongly related to students’ vocabulary knowledge (The Components of Effective Vocabulary Instruction, 2020). Therefore, as a teacher, you should encourage reading and motivate the readers. Provide ample time for independent reading in the classroom. Read to and with your students. Encourage reading at home by providing a list of recommended books for your ELL students to take home. Additionally, encourage discussions about the books which are being read in your classroom (The Components of Effective Vocabulary Instruction, 2020).  

Q: How can I motivate my students to read?  

Students have their own personal journey when it comes to learning and loving to read. As a teacher, you should incorporate a variety of methods to meet each of your students’ needs when it comes to motivation for reading. 

Here are some suggestions: • Read to a partner or stuffed animal brought from home • Use movement: ask students to act out parts of a story • Use read alouds to model excitement and interest in reading • Use a variety of different texts in lessons • Teach reading strategies to encourage comprehension • Set up a book club to involve social interaction in reading • Give students choice in reading what they would like • Use technology- allow students to read online on iPads or tablets • Allow students to dislike books and explain why (e.g. book reviews) • Introduce reading challenges (possibly for some extrinsic reward)(Wilson & Conyers, 2017) (Cox, 2014)

Q: What kind of books should my students be reading to expand their vocabulary?

You should encourage students to read books at a variety of different levels in order to help them get the most out of their reading (The Components of Effective Vocabulary Instruction, 2020). If students are constantly reading books that are too easy for them, they won’t encounter new words or challenges (The Components of Effective Vocabulary Instruction, 2020). Students should read some books which are below their reading level for enjoyment and fluency. They should also read books which are at and above their reading level to challenge them and expose them to new words.

Q: How do I ensure my ELL students who cannot yet read at grade level are still being exposed to rich, academic language?

You can do this by increasing the quality of oral language which your ELL students are exposed to in the classroom (The Components of Effective Vocabulary Instruction, 2020). A great way to do this is through read alouds and discussing the vocabulary in the text as a whole class (The Components of Effective Vocabulary Instruction, 2020). You can also use “buddy reading” in which lower level or new readers are paired with more fluent readers. Another suggestion is to allow students to listen to reading through audiobooks or apps, such as Epic! Or Raz-Kids. Listening to reading helps children process new words they may not have been able to independently. It models fluent reading and motivates new readers by giving them a taste of how fun reading can actually be (Kelleher, 2020). Additionally, storytelling and pretend play also involve rich language use which can be incorporated in the classroom (The Components of Effective Vocabulary Instruction, 2020).

Q: How can I best teach specific words/ vocabulary to my students?

Explicit instruction of vocabulary should be dynamic and use a variety of techniques in order to be most effective (The Components of Effective Vocabulary Instruction, 2020). Specifically, there are three characteristics of effective vocabulary instruction: 1) The use of both definitional and contextual information 2) Active student involvement in word learning 3) Discussion to teach the meanings of new words and to provide meaningful information about the words (The Components of Effective Vocabulary Instruction, 2020)

Q: What are some examples of definitional and contextual vocabulary activities?

Definitional Activities: • Teaching synonyms/ antonyms • Rewriting definitions • Providing example sentences • Provide non-examples • Discuss difference between new word and related words

Contextual Activities: • Creating sentences that contain the new word • Use more than one new word in a sentence • Discuss the meaning of the same word in different sentences • Create or act out a scenario • Create silly questions (The Components of Effective Vocabulary Instruction, 2020)

Q: How can I teach students to be autonomous when it comes to vocabulary learning?

There are techniques which you can teach students that help them figure out word meanings on their own. The first of these independent word-learning strategies is dictionary use (The Components of Effective Vocabulary Instruction, 2020). Show your students how to use the dictionary to find words they may not know the meaning of. More importantly, model for your students how to transfer the definition into useable word knowledge (The Components of Effective Vocabulary Instruction, 2020). The second of these strategies is word parts. Show students how they can use parts of a word (e.g. prefixes, suffixes, roots, compounds) to unlock its meaning (The Components of Effective Vocabulary Instruction, 2020). Additionally, you can teach your students to use context clues to find the meaning of a word. Model the use of surrounding text, definitions, examples and restatements to derive word meaning (The Components of Effective Vocabulary Instruction, 2020). Lastly, cognate awareness may also be useful for ELL students whose L1 shares cognates with English (Diamond & Gutlohn, n.d.).

Q: How can I encourage my students to be word conscious?

Word conscious students know and use many words, enjoy learning new words and engage in word play (The Components of Effective Vocabulary Instruction, 2020). To help students become conscious about words, they need to be aware of how written English is different than every day spoken English. You can teach this by drawing attention to the unique characteristics of written language, such as: descriptions, metaphors, similes, play-on-words, etc. (The Components of Effective Vocabulary Instruction, 2020). Furthermore, you can use oral and written word games in the classroom to engage and promote word consciousness (The Components of Effective Vocabulary Instruction, 2020). 

Examples of word games: • Hangman • Scrabble • Scattegories • Pictionary, Charades • Crosswords, word searches, word scrambles • Jokes, riddles, puns, limericks • Vocabulary Bingo

References

Cox, J. (2014, July 23). How to Motivate Students to Love Reading. Teach Hub. https://www.teachhub.com/teaching-strategies/2014/07/how-to-motivate-students-to-love-reading/

Diamond, L. & Gutlohn, L. (n.d.). Teaching Vocabulary. Reading Rockets. https://www.readingrockets.org/article/teaching-vocabulary

Kelleher, E. (2020, October 13). Audiobooks vs. Reading: Is Listening to Books as Useful For Kids? Fatherly. https://www.fatherly.com/health-science/audiobooks-vs-reading-listening-to-books-help-reading-kids/

The Components of Effective Vocabulary Instruction. (2020, January 29). Colorín Colorado. https://www.colorincolorado.org/article/components-effective-vocabulary-instruction

The Importance of Vocabulary Development. (n.d.). Read Naturally. https://www.readnaturally.com/research/5-components-of-reading/vocabulary

Wilson, D. & Conyers, M. (2017, July 17). Motivating Students to Read. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/blog/motivating-students-read-donna-wilson-marcus-conyers

[heartfeltheart]

Alchemy: Magic Vs. Science

Chapters: 10/25 Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist/Harry Potter Rating: T Relationships: Edward/Winry, Lan Fan/Ling, and May/Alphonse. Primary Characters: Edward Elric, Severus Snape Additional Tags: Crossover, Teacher!Edward, BrOtp Edward/Severus. Sassy beyond measure. Series: Part 1 of 9. Summary: Magic and Science, are they the same or are they completely different? It just takes one person to point out all up and downs. Along with breaking the stereotypes that come up with being a wizard, alchemist and most of all being human. Thank you, @amynchan! D/C: I do not own Harry Potter or Fullmetal Alchemist. Discord: La Red(Mesh Mash of… stuff.): https://discord.gg/KYjmVAb Alchemy Series: https://discord.gg/DejEYNJ

“English and Edward’s accented voice.” “Amestrian or another foreign language.” “Written notes.” ‘Thoughts.’ First Name: Informal Last Name: Formal (Or used to annoy others)

"...You want me to get you a stand?"

"Hoot!"

"Fine."

-.-

Edward resisted the urge to slam his head against his desk. After looking through several applications, he decided it was not worth his time. Everyone will be getting the same test and be tested equally. Now that decision was the easy part, now the hard part is creating the test. What many would have perceived it to be easy to create, that depends on who you are asking. Edward keeps remembering that exam he took when he became a State Alchemist. If he was dealing with kids from Amestris, he would expect each one of them to know the basics and understanding of Alchemy it would be no problem. No, he was dealing with brats that have no knowledge of what Alchemy is or even common sense for that matter.

The test will have to be basic, far more basic than Edward wanted it to be. But still easy enough for people to understand and pass. What worries Edward more is that the test could still be difficult for the students to understand. After all, he is dealing with kids that have no formal training in learning Alchemy.

"This is going to be a disaster." Edward muttered under his breath, he stood up and stretched his arms out. Xerxes, who was perched on a coat rack, quickly flew over and landed on Edward's head with a soft hoot. The Golden Blonde reached up and nudged the owl absentmindedly as he walked towards the entrance that leads up to his room. The moment that Edward placed his hand against the brick wall, the bricks started to shift and move away to allow him through. "To bad, I can't leave them all on a deserted island for a month."

Once Edward was back in his room, he headed toward a leather chair that was placed in the corner of the room next to a couple of bookcases. Xerxes, in turn, flew off towards her cage, which was on the other side of the room. She watched Edward plop himself on the leather chair and look up at the ceiling with a vacant expression. This wasn't new, he has been doing that a lot lately and it got worse every time it seemed like the human was down on his luck or on his wits ends with humanity. After looking at the ceiling with that expression for what seemed like forever, he should now be picking up a book that is in a night table next to Edward. The same book every time. There were times that he treated the book like it was invaluable and precious, while other times he treated it as if a curse or an abomination.

'Shitty father...' Edward thought, reading the book his father had wrote. It was, begrudgingly, a respectable book about Alchemy. Everything that is needed to know about the subject and so much more. Unknown to him, Xerxes suddenly flew out his room through an open window.

-.-

"How am I going to send him all of this?" Alphonse Elric said to himself, standing in front of a Xingese style trunk that is filled with notes, books and everything else Edward had asked him for. Now gathering all those items was the easy part, the hard part is getting said items to him. He hasn't seen the owl, which sent him the letter from his brother. Even if with the owl, it would nearly impossible for it to carry it to who knows where. With a sigh, Alphonse walked over towards his desk, he needed to write a letter and wait for that owl to come back.

-.-

Today is the big day that everyone came to anticipate. The day to take the Alchemy Exam, it has been over a week since its announcement and students asking, begging or even demanding to take said exam. Now it was time to take said exam, to see if they are able to learn the Ancient Art that is called Alchemy.

For one second-year Hufflepuff, he sat with his fellow second years from all four houses. Everyone that had signed up to take the exam were separated by year and are in different classrooms. They had a total of 90 minutes to finish the test or get as much as they could get done with. He watched the Alchemy Professor hand out the test on paper he had never seen before. It wasn't writing on a scroll and on the corner of the papers is something metallic which held them together. A muggle thing? He had heard rumors that Professor Elric is a muggle, maybe this was a muggle thing. Along with the exam, he also gave out a wooden stick stating it was a pencil. A device that is used to write with and on the other end of the pencil is something pink which could erase your writing!

Taking in a deep breath, the Hufflepuff wrote his name on the top right corner of the exam, as instructed before he glanced through it. What he read caused him to tilt his head side to side, scratch said head and mentally wonder if he even could answer any of them. Some of them were like the following...

Which is heavier, a kilogram of bricks or a kilogram of feathers?

A little girl kicks a ball. It goes 10 feet and comes back to her. How is this possible?

If you were to put a coin into an empty bottle and then insert a cork into the neck, how could you remove the coin without taking out the cork or breaking the bottle?

Questions that has the Hufflepuff thinking outside the box, at first they appear simple and straightforward. However, the more the look at them, there is more than what meets the eye. Those are however the easier ones. The next set is giving him a headache, never in his life had he seen this before...

Name the following elements:

H

K

C

O

Fe

Complete the following equation:

_CO2 + _H20 (equals) _C6H12O6 + _O2

Never in his life has he ever seen such things. With a shake of his head, the Hufflepuff continued looking through the packet hoping to see something familiar. There were two more questions after that. The first one has him wondering how he should answer it.

All is one, one is all.

Then the final question, the easiest one by far.

Tell me why you wish to learn Alchemy. (Note, this counts and if you lie, I have military experience to make you suffer!)

The part that was written next to the question has the Hufflepuff gulp nervously. That quickly went away when he saw there was more written on the back of the final page of the paper.

From Minerva: He will not make you suffer. I will remove you from his class if such an event occurs.

From Edward: Shut UP!

From Severus: Mr. Elric is entitled to make the students suffer in the time it takes you to remove the said student from his class, Professor McGonagall.

From Edward: HA!

From Severus: Likewise, Mr. Elric may not do any lasting damage that Madame Promrey cannot reverse overnight.

From Minerva: Justice...

From Edward: Whose side are you on!

From Severus: The side that allows me the most enjoyment within the parameters of the school.

From Edward: Meaning?

From Severus: My own.

From Edward: ...I knew we were going to get along just right.

From Minerva: I'm surrounded by children.

From Severus: Of course. You are an instructor.

From Edward: HA!

From Minerva: Don't encourage him.

From Edward: I don't need encouragement!

From Severus: Agreed. Mr. Elric's enthusiasm is entirely his own.

From Minerva: -.-

It appeared the three professors were arguing on the original copy of the exam and it was copied out on every exam. This did not help the Hufflepuff, not one bit. If anything, he stood up from his seat and speed walked towards the Alchemy Professor's desk. He placed the unanswered test on the desk before dashing off in complete freight.

Edward watched the young boy with an eyebrow raised wondering what got into him. With a snort, he reached over towards the exam to see who it was.

"Cedric Diggory? Hm, he didn't write anything. Less trouble for me then."

-.-

"Hm...?" Fred chewed on the eraser of the pencil he was given for the test. He was taking his time answering the questions to the best of his abilities. The questions were pretty much straightforward; he wondered why Mr. Elric placed them in the test. It was the last question that got him to stomp. An idea struck him and he began to answer that last question.

I want to be given a chance to learn something new with my twin brother...and perfect our pranks.

On the other side of the classroom, George wrote a similar response to the last question. It was all about the pranks and how to perfect them. If Mr. Elric wanted the truth then he is going to get it.

-.-

Alphonse held Xerxes in his hands examining her at every angle. He wondered how the little owl could transverse long distances and know just where to go. Xerxes seemed not to mind, she made a type of almost purring type of noise, content especially flying through the harsh desert. "Do you know where Big Brother is?"

Xerxes gave Alphonse a look that did not settle well for the Alchemist. It reminded of the same look Edward would always give him before he did something devious or idiotic. It is usually a combination of both. "Big Brother always complains that I shouldn't have a pet, but here you are."

"Hoot, hoot, hoot." Xerxes huffed out smugly.

"Did you just mock me?"

"Hoot."

"You did!"

Tag List Below:

Permanent Tag List: @runestarchild @princesskitomi @fanfictionpromptsblog @souleateralicestein @vixen-uchiha @okami-knight @legendaryneckjudgestudent @weird-homosapien @justafanwarrior @vivilakitty @ravennightingaleandavatempus @if-you-give-a-chat-a-cookie @moonwatcher04 @darkshadowguardian @two-faced-biatch @kris-pines04 @mewwitch @edwardhatori​ @kuroko26​ @tall-and-angry​   @bloody-no-kissu​ @crazylittlemunchkin​ @tbehartoo​ @worlds-tiniest-spook-pastry​ @melicmusicmagic​

[recentanimenews]

Anime vs. Real Life: The Beautiful Locations of Your lie in April

  It’s April, and that always means one thing: the start of a new anime season! And so far it’s been looking very promising with highly-anticipated shows like Tower of God, and stellar surprises like SING "YESTERDAY" FOR ME, as well as several high-profile continuing series. And as always, I’m already looking forward to all the new real-life locations we’ll be getting to see and explore this season, but while all the current shows are still getting off the starting blocks, why not use this chance and take a look at an older title in this edition of Anime vs. Real Life? And I think I have just the one for the start of this month: Your lie in April! 

It definitely is not a lie in April, that Your lie in April is an absolutely beautiful show. The anime’s tragic story, as well as its thoughtful score are undoubtedly the show’s greatest strengths, but its lush, pastel-colored outdoor background shots are also quite a sight to behold. So it definitely was high-time for the show to get some coverage in my column, and during my visit to Japan last month, I finally had the time to take some pictures. So in this installment, and a possible second one, let’s take a look at some of the show’s key locations!

So let’s start where the events in the anime kick off, the Towa Hall, which is the Nerima Culture Center in real life. The hall is just a bit north of Nerima Station, located in the west of Tokyo, where you’ll find all of the anime’s locations. The Nerima Culture Center doubles as a classical music venue in real life, as well. 

In the first episode, Kosei is supposed to meet up with Tsubaki at the cultural center for a double date, which was actually set up for his friend Ryota. 

But while Kosei was waiting for his friends to arrive, he gets captivated by a girl playing a melodica while children, birds, and cherry blossoms alike seemingly dance around her. It’s a gorgeous scene in every way, but it has a major flaw. The weird igloo-like structure actually does not exist in real life; in fact, there isn’t even a playground at all. 

However, the surrounding structures and the exterior of the Nerima Culture Center match up quite nicely.

But then again, even the elephant slide is missing...

Let’s move on to the next location, which is the Doryo Bridge, actually called Maedori Bridge in real life. The small pedestrian bridge is fairly hard to reach to be honest, with the nearest station being Hibarigaoka Station, which is a half an hour walk away from the bridge.

The bridge gets shown several times throughout the show, and can even be seen in the opening and ending sequences. 

It’s also the same bridge where Kosei randomly encounters Kaori after she was hospitalized. In the scene, Kaori encourages Kosei to finally enter another musical competition, inspiring him by fearlessly jumping off the bride. But be sure to not try that out in real life, since the water is actually very shallow. 

Honestly, it was a bit of a walk to get here, but the quaint atmosphere and view really made up for it. 

And that’s it for this installment, in a later one we’ll be looking at some more of the beautiful real-life locations of Your lie in April, including that one special train crossing. Special thanks to my good friend Mike Hattsu, whose blog was a big help in planning out my trip!

➡️ Watch Your lie in April right here on Crunchyroll! ⬅️

What did you think of the real-life locations of Your Lie in April? Let us know in the comments below!

---

Wilhelm is an anime tourist, who loves to search for and uncover the real-world spots he sees in anime. You can talk with him on Twitter @Surwill or on Instagram wilhelm_donko.

Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features! 

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[haleighdennis]

Petscop Scared Me. Here’s Why…

At this creepy time of year I made it my business to research and create some creepy artwork inspired by games such as #bendyandtheinkmachine

View my Insta for art-related content: https://www.instagram.com/dennis.haleigh/

I had never really been interested in the #horror genre before, and #bendy was a flippin’ good game to start with. I strongly recommend it. (Bonus points if you watch #razzbowski ‘s lets play. Super, super entertaining.)

After learning about bendy, I wanted to research some more of that scary goodness, but honestly, I can’t handle gore or gross stuff. I figured, if I stuck to the cartoon-y stuff, I wouldn’t be scared crapless.

I don’t think I could have gotten things more backwards. I couldn’t stand #fnaf for instance. Too scary.

Jeez. Who’d-a thought!?!?!?!?!??????????

Then, I dug into #dokidokiliteratureclub and its various mods. Big mistake.

THEN I heard that if you like #dokidoki you should check out [insert various other foreign and obscure meta game titles here]. These effectively terrified me. But there was something wrong with my fears. They were just that – fears of the “what if,” with no real grounding in reality.

“What if my stuffed animals are evil?” A question I hadn’t seriously considered since watching Toy Story 2 in elementary school.

“What if cartoons are out to get us?”

And worst of all: “What if game characters can manipulate the world around me?”

Studying game lore led me to creepypasta, which is by far some of the most baseless fearmongering, jumpscare-driven clickbait that exists on the internet. Also some of the finest entertainment for those such as myself who astonishingly lead dull lives in the real world. 

Studying the creepy led me to discover a deep dark secret of moviemaking, gaming and creative industries in general: turns out, my darkest fears were true. Entertainment has the ability reach directly out of our screens – be they VR headsets, phones, computers or TVs – and effect the real world. Your drawings can peel off of their paper and effect the environment around you.

Don’t believe me? Well today, grasshopper, I want to talk about #petscop

I would strongly recommend viewing this series if you are 13+ and like a good scare (warnings for language and disturbing content). If you’re like me and you want to explore the lore and the alleged basis of media, Petscop is richer than deep dark hot chocolate and an engaging book by the campfire in the dead of winter.

There’s one catch: The alleged basis in reality I referenced above will make your blood run cold, not due to a well-placed jumpscare or frightening imagery, but because the game forces you to do the following:

1) Look beyond the game

2) Look past yourself

3) Challenge yourself

Seriously. That’s the scary part. Allow me to explain…

****MILD SPOILERS FOR PETSCOP BELOW****

The “dark secret” of Petscop is that this series that looks cute on the surface is really a cautionary tale about #childabuseawareness (#abuseawareness ). The fictional player in Petscop accumulates information over time relating to several cases of abuse and murder. The player is shocked by what he learns and sees. Some internet theorists assume that the entire game of Petscop is supposed to demonstrate an #AI training ground, where an unknown individual is attempting to re-create the scenarios surrounding these deaths of various children. Play testers like our fictional guide are AIs involved in this experiment.

In fact, the truth is, the characters in this goofy game has a life outside of their code. And, no, I’m not talking about creepypasta Sonic.exe materializing as a plushie to kill you dead.

I’m talking about references within the game to real child abuse and murder. It’s not a pretty thing to research. Oh. You thought you’d just come for a quick scare and then you’d be merrily on your way? Fat chance. Turns out, there is heavy implication suggesting that Petscop was created as more than just another creepypasta clickbait thrillride. It actually tries its best to make its viewers *over-dramatic gasp* think.

How does it do this, you ask? By alluding strongly to a true story about a young girl who was abused and murdered by her adopted parent and several “therapists” and “professionals.” This was all part of a shockingly vain (and I mean doomed from the start) attempt to make the child feel natural love her new mother. When the girl reacted like anyone would to blatant abuse and bullying, she was murdered in cold blood. I won’t post the full story here cause its some heavy stuff, but see the below links if you want to learn more. WARNING: disturbing content. 13+ only please.

Game Theory: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oC88jsc-wpg

ADVOTI: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrODA-ybqdE

No, I don’t think I’ll be watching a Let’s Play of #thebindingofisaac any time. Ever.

Now, I look back on ALL the above-mentioned fear-filled games and can’t help but thinking that they are dealing with serious topics a bit too lightly. Don’t’ get me wrong. No one is going to blame you for enjoying some haunted fun this #halloween but I would ask you to consider – and remember – the truehorror stories of our age. Be solemn for those who have suffered and pray fervently for those who inflict the suffering (forgiveness and second-chances are not always a popular opinion, but hey). Pray for those who have a duty to pass judgement – that they would help make wrongs right – and that the stories would of victims be told and paid attention to with the same viral awareness of the poor-audio, one-off indie art project that viewers of Petscop have become obsessed with.

And, most of all, don’t dwell in the dark. With #Christmas and #Thanksgiving just around the corner. Make a change in yourself. Reach out. Become that stereotypical charitable little old lady who encourages the downtrodden, picks up the fallen and loves the lost ones of this world. Who knows? You, dear reader, may have been lost on your journey once upon a time. Can you remember who came alongside and helped you? No? News flash: we all need someone like that at some point in our lives. The meaning of life is to be that person constantly. It’s not easy. It’s not always fun. But it has its rewards.

And if you are of religious conviction like myself, your love and kindness – choosing to forgive vs. hold a grudge; offering a smile instead of being just another frown – has an eternal impact because 1) right and wrong exist, 2) God exists and 3) the people you interact with will literally exist forever.

BRB ya’ll. I need to check out another horror game.

#adoption #fostersystem

[holocron-inthe-restrictedsection]

Okay it's a lot but: 1, 2, 11, 12, 13, and 19 for Lethaa and Naras? (Feel free to substitute/add any questions you'd like to answer!) 🌺💕

Yesssssss I was so excited to get this! Thanks, Mercedes! 💛

So, this got reeaaaally long and rambly. My bad. I just have a lot of thoughts about these two, and I’m excited to share. Click “keep reading” to see my response! 

(also, sorry if it formats weirdly - I copy-pasted from a word doc, and tumblr mobile doesn’t like that for some reason)

*

Ask me questions about creating my OCs!

*

 1.      What was the first element of your OC that you remember considering (name, appearance, backstory, etc.)? 

For Lethaa, it was her name and position. For Naras, it was the descriptor “the Togruta senator’s wife” 

They popped into my head at about the same time. I created them to be throwaway characters in a short story I wrote called “Shall We Dance” (I may someday go back to it and add a few chapters. No promises). There was some dialogue between Anakin and Obi-Wan about different controversial viewpoints in the Senate, and I just needed a senator or two to mention in passing. – 

“But these are some of the most outspoken public figures in the Republic. Take Senator Lethaa Daal.” [Obi-Wan] flashed a smile in the direction of the Togruta senator and her wife as they passed. The women returned the smile and made their way arm-in-arm into the grand hall. “She has been very scornful regarding the Senate’s tendency to dedicate resources to systems that are strategic to military movements, as opposed to who needs it most.” 

It might have ended there, but I received feedback from a few different readers saying how they appreciated the mention of Senator Daal’s wife. There seemed to be an interest, so I sat on the idea of them for a while. 

 2.      Did you design them with any other characters/OCs from their universe in mind? 

Since Lethaa was fully fleshed out first, I made Naras with Lethaa in mind. I knew I wanted her to have her own objectives and life – she couldn’t continue to just be “Lethaa’s wife”. So I tried to give her a profession that was critical in its own way, which is why I went with healing, so that their “importance” (for lack of a better word) was equal to each other.

I guess Lethaa was partially created in response the frustrating politics of the galactic senators. They all make their alliances, play the game to get the upper hand, all while gaining very little ground. I wanted to make a character that found the subtly of politics maddening, and wasn’t afraid to get in someone’s face and tell them exactly why their policies or views were dumb or harmful. I wanted to make someone who could be aggressive without calling into question their moral alignment. 

And while it’s not a character, I really really wanted to design or add to a culture that doesn’t get explored much in the Star Wars universe. I took what elements I could find about Togruta culture from Wookipedia, but it was rather lacking, so I made up the rest. I already loved Togruta designs, and wanted characters that could interact within their own culture.

 3.      How did you choose their name?  (Added this because it was Relevant)

If my memory is right, Lethaa Daal’s name came from combining a few names I found on the Togruta name generator (which I HIGHLY recommend btw). I decided to keep it after I finished her design because the first name reminded me of “lethal”, and by that point I knew that was a good descriptor of her. ‘Daal’ came about because I tend to put way too many A’s in my togruta names, and I was for some reason thinking about Roald Dahl at that time, but I also found that I liked how it could be mispronounced as “doll”. I was highly amused by the idea of a “lethal doll” – woe unto anyone who looked at Lethaa and only acknowledged her for her beauty.

Naras Tyn came about because lots of my female ocs tend to have names that end in A or E (IE/I/Y, etc), and I didn’t want to do it again. I wanted a short last name, and I just liked how “Tyn” sounded – it was concise and melodic. ‘Naras’ I think also came from the name generator. I remember being bummed when I realized it sounded so similar to Barriss and Maris (already existing characters), but by that time I was attached. Her first name just sounds calming, and it just sounded right imagining Lethaa calling for her.

 11.  Did you know what the OC’s sexuality would be at the time of their creation? 

       Heck yes I did. There really wasn’t any hesitation. The thought process went: Senator –> Togruta Senator –> female Togruta Senator –> has a spouse –> a wife, cuz why not. And that was that.

 12.   What have you found to be most difficult about creating art for your OC (any form of art: writing, drawing, edits, etc.)? 

       Everything.

Lol, jk. I mean, as much fun as I have with all the colors and markings of the two, my own drawing ability is kinda limited in terms of body positions. So some things I’d love to draw (Lethaa vs. the rancor, Naras on a medical mercy mission during the Clone Wars, etc.) are taking a long time for me to sketch out. It can be frustrating, but it’s a work in progress.

       And writing is hard too. The story ideas in my head play out as nice little movies. Getting it all down on paper while conveying emotion without overloading, describing setting, and making it engaging – that’s all trickier. 

But overall, the most difficult thing is trying to figure out what exactly I’m going to do! I have other OCs I want content for, and canon characters I want to explore – and then I have to decide between drawing and writing. There’s not enough hours in the day for me to draw and write everything I want, so I have to pick and choose.

 13.   How far past the canon events that take place in their world have you extended their story, if at all? 

       Still a work in progress. I jump from one event to the next without writing it in chronological order. I’ve started their story before the start of the Clone Wars, sometime between episodes I and II. Might write some earlier snippets about their childhoods (though they didn’t meet until they were adults).

I’ve got some ideas for what they do during the Empire era (some of which was influenced by one of the Star Wars D&D games I play), but I haven’t written any of that out yet. I do know they live to see the fall of the Empire, and the emergence of the New Republic. They pass away peacefully of old age on Shili.

 19. What is your favorite fact a fun fact about your OC?

I had to change this from “favorite” to “fun” because I like everything about them and I’m still developing them. So I thought I might drop a little trivia that I haven’t managed to work into any stories or art yet.

Lethaa was on a hunting trip with her father – Barin – and a few others in her twenties. After her cousin killed their prey, Barin asked her to prepare the meat for dinner. She did her best with it but waaaaaaay overcooked it, and when Barin asked about it, she said, “I… never actually learned how to cook meat.”

Bewildered, Barin said, “But we’ve been on dozens of hunting trips! How could I have never taught you??”

And Lethaa’s just like, “I was the one to kill the prey on most of those trips.”

And Barin and the others can’t help but laugh, because according to tradition, the one who kills the prey while hunting in a group is served the first piece, but never is the one to prepare it. So it makes complete sense that she never had to cook it, because she was always served the first dish. Her cousin actually liked his meat overdone, though, so he was perfectly fine with his meal.

Also, I just came up with this so I have no idea of the context, but there is a 100% chance that there was an instance or two where Lethaa – tall Amazonian though she is – couldn’t reach something. Unable to climb to retrieve it and without a stepstool, muttering darkly, she would disconnected her prosthetic arm and used it as an extender to pull it towards her.

 *

Naras can fall asleep anywhere. Even before she became a physician/healer, she had the uncanny ability to close her eyes and be asleep within minutes. Lying down, standing while braced against something, sitting, lounging between skyfaring silks (she’d gotten bored waiting for her Gatalentian friend to come back from the holocall he’d had to take). No nap is too short – she wakes feeling rested even if it’s only been five minutes. She wakes easily, fully alert.

 Naras sings and hums to her plants and patients. It’s not uncommon to walk into her clinic and hear her singing a folk song or a current hit. She definitely encourages sing-alongs anytime nervous children are brought in, and at night broadcasts spiritual songs important to Togruta culture over the PA system – at a very quiet volume, of course. Naras has a garden at home – a singfruit tree surrounded by flowers and bushes, some of which are not native to Shili – and the plants routinely get hummed and sung at as she tends to them. Lethaa loves waking up in the morning to hear her wife’s singing voice drifting in from an open window. 

*

Thank you again so much for the ask!! This was a lot of fun!Also, I really do appreciate your interest in my OCs (especially these two). It means a lot to me 🌺🌷

[46ten]

Henry Knox and Lucy Flucker Knox, part 1

Mini-summary of The Revolutionary War Lives and Letters of Lucy and Henry Knox by Phillip Hamilton. 

Historian P. Hamilton has transcribed and published the approx.150 remaining letters between Henry Knox and Lucy Flucker Knox, his wife. Part of the Gilder Lehrman Collection, the letters most extensively cover the period 1776-1778, with a few more from 1779 and 1781. Hamilton notes that alongside the letters between John and Abigail Adams, the Knoxes letters to each other provide one of the few opportunities to observe a written dialogue between spouses during the revolutionary war period.  If one wants to imagine the language in the letters Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton wrote her fiancé/husband, Lucy Flucker Knox's letters are a fantastic resource. There was only a year age difference between the women, and both grew up in established, wealthy families (Albany vs. Boston).  

Henry Knox was born in 1750 in Boston. His father was a financially struggling shipmaster who sailed to the West Indies and died in 1759. With the additional deaths of his two oldest brothers, Henry had to abandon his formal education and support the family at an early age. He got a job as a clerk in a bookstore; with an interest in books on military science and artillery, he joined Boston's Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company in 1768. Hamilton (the author) describes him as, "ambitious, eager to rise above the hardships of his youth, and supremely confident in himself....he always dressed in the most elegant suits he could afford, and he remained fastidious about his appearance throughout his life." Henry lost two fingers on his left hand in a 1773 hunting accident, but concealed this injury throughout his life with a silk handkerchief.  

In 1771, Knox opened his own bookstore, the "London Book-Store," possessing "a large and elegant assortment of the most modern Books in all branches of Literature, Arts and Sciences" according to an advertisement that year in the Boston Gazette.  He regularly engaged his customers with discussions on the topics of the books within; he especially liked to discuss military science and engineering, but he also began to learn other languages and kept himself au courant with the knowledge and ideas of the day.  As one can see, he was largely self-educated. He was also a "gentleman."  After his bookstore was raided and destroyed by British soldiers, he nevertheless made the final 1000 pound payment for a shipment of books from London that he never received, out of his sense of propriety and duty. 

Thomas Flucker Sr was the Royal Secretary for the Massachusetts Colony and a wealthy merchant who married Hannah Waldo, daughter of Brig. Gen Samuel Waldo*, in 1750. Lucy was born on August 2, 1756 (making her only a year and a few days older than Elizabeth Hamilton).  

It's not certain when the teenage Lucy Flucker first laid eyes on Henry Knox - she may have seen him in military demonstrations or at the bookstore, but in 1773 she began spending so much time at his bookstore that a relative commented that it seemed she was courting him.  

As Hamilton writes, "[t]wenty-three-year-old Henry Knox cut an impressive figure - physically large and fit, and officer in the city's elite militia company, and a witty and knowledgeable conversationalist on most subjects. Thus he seemed to be a dashing and attractive catch...Like most young couples in the mid-eighteenth century, love and physical attraction were increasingly important - indeed, vital - to a courtship's success...As [Lucy] most likely realized, the emotional and material quality of a woman's life was largely determined by the decisions she made during courtships. Therefore, beyond her obvious infatuation, Lucy surely considered Knox's ability to support her and any future children they might have together." Henry was industrious, ambitious, intelligent, and a gentleman - qualities that mattered more than being "well-bred." "Nor could [Henry] help but notice her family's lofty social position and considerable wealth..." Henry let Lucy take the lead in getting her father's consent to their marriage:

HK to Lucy Flucker, 7March1774

What news? Have you spoken to your father, or he to you upon the subject? ...I am in a state of anxiety, heretofore unknown. My only consolation is in you, and in order it should be well grounded permit me to beg two things of you with the greatest ardency. Never distrust my affection for you without the most rational and convincing proof. If you do not hear from me in a reasonable time do not lay it to my want of love, but want of opportunity; and do not, in consequence of such distrust, omit writing to me as often as possible. My love is, as it were, in its infancy. It will increase to youth, it will arrive at the most perfect manhood, it will grow with such a steady brightness that if the youth of both sexes do not esteem it their chiefest glory to come and light their tapers at it, want of discernment must be the reason...

Henry was 24 and Lucy was 17 at the time of their marriage on 23 June 1774, at Henry's house. Although her father had eventually consented (after encouragement from her other relatives), neither of her parents attended. Lucy and Henry fled Boston in April 1775; Henry joined the militia army, and the rest is history. (Or rather, if one is interested in Henry Knox's participation in military campaigns during the AmRev, wikipedia is a start.  One note though: Knox's famed artillery train from Ticonderoga occurred when Knox was a mere 25 years old - certainly such feats were in AH's head when he was approaching 25 and had no comparable glorious accomplishment.) Lucy's family fled to Britain shortly afterwards and cut off all contact with her. 

Henry wrote that Lucy made him, "the happiest of mortals" (to his friend, Henry Jackson, following his wedding to Lucy).  Lucy was also, "the animating object of my life." Besides being "My dearest Lucy," she's also addressed as: “My dearest hope, My dearest friend, My dearest tender friend, my dearest love, my lovely love, my best beloved, My dear dear wife, my dearest blessing of heaven, my charmer,” though once he writes, "I leave [off] the usual address at the head of my Letter because I can fix upon none the thousandth part strong enough to convey the Idea of the strength of my attachment & love to you,” HK to LFK, 6Apr 1777.

To Lucy, Henry was, "My only love, my only friend, My Ever Dear Harry, My dearest friend, My all."  

One of the themes P. Hamilton presents is that the challenges that spouses faced during the AmRev, especially wives with long-absent husbands, led to a sense of greater equality between men and women.  Lucy was left in charge of financial management of what she could obtain of her family's affairs - and manages without Henry.  At one point, Lucy decided on a course of action that Henry disagreed with (so much for the stupid thought that wives were absolutely obedient to their husbands); Henry pleads with her to follow his advice instead as, "your Best Friend, your Lover, and blessed by Heaven to be your Husband..."  They are certainly an example of the companionate marriage ideal: marriage as a partnership between best friends, strengthened by their attraction and physical intimacy. 

There's a lot of great information in their letters about American Rev activity, patriotism and American grievances re. Britain, smallpox inoculations, the ins and outs of other generals and their wives (Caty Greene is mentioned frequently), and eventually their children's education and Lucy's concerns about their financial stability. Henry shared a great deal of information with Lucy not only about his day-to-day life, but about military plans and ambitions (as was prudent - many letters mention the fear of miscarry and falling into enemy hands). There are more surviving letters from Henry to Lucy than the other way round  - Lucy's letters were likely lost by Henry as he traveled with the army. 

The below quote from Lucy summarizes as well as anything I've read why EH likely destroyed her own letters to her husband:  

29 or 30 April 1776. L to H

 I should long before this have indulged myself in the pleasure of writing to him who is allways in my thoughts, whose image is deeply imprinted on my heart and whom I love too much for my peace, but the fear that the language of a tender wife might appear ridiculous to an impartial reader (should it miscarry) has restrain'd me. Is my Harry well. Is he happy. No, that cannot be when he reflected how wretched he has left me. I doubt not, but the please of his little girl, as he used fondly to call me, must sometimes draw a thought from him tho surrounded with gaiety and scenes of high life. The remembrance of his tender infant must also greatly affect him when he considers it as so great a distance from its Father, its natural guardian in a place exposed to an enraged enemy and almost defenceless.  

2 May 1776. H to L 

I sigh for my love. I think of her night & day & I wish her here, but dread the fatigues of the Journey. I am extremely chagrin'd that I received no letters from her by the last post. What can be the reason? But my love did not know I am being at New York, she must have thought me on the road. 

28 Aug 1776 H to L 

Dear Girl, how much I love you. War will bring peace and bye & bye we will live together, enjoying the felicity & happiness of each other's society 'till time walk us to immortal happiness.  Kiss my babe for me & Believe me to possess a sincere affection for you as it is possible for a mortal to do.

In his letters, Henry also asks for, “intelligence concerning the dear pledge of our mutual affections,” [little Lucy Knox], and later refers to their children as, "dear little images.”

After rising to the position of Major Gen., Knox resigned his commission in 1784 and became Secretary of War in 1785, continuing in this position in Washington’s cabinet. Most of his duties revolved around "Indian Affairs."  At some point, he also comes to weigh over 290 pounds (Lucy reached around 250 pounds.) Tied up with his various business ventures (x, x), he did not participate in the suppression of the Whiskey Rebellion; AH became acting Secty of War in Knox's place.  [HK and AH were good friends - well, besides that matter of their rank in 1798. Their wives likely were also, or at least shared the same social circle. The Knox and Hamilton children shared tutors at times. HK is the author of the letter informing AH of EH’s likely miscarriage in 1794.] Knox retired the position in Jan 1795 and he and Lucy settled in the Maine frontier and were hated by most of their neighbors, to the point of armed conflict. (Maine settlers found Knox to be aristocratic - Henry Knox is the inspiration for Hawthorne's Col Pyncheon in The House of the Seven Gables. It's a useful reminder, in this age of Founders Chic, how rapidly the vision of the Founders was rejected by the American people.)  Henry choked on a chicken bone, developed an infection, and died in 1806.  Only three of their 13 children survived to adulthood, and Lucy lived alone in their home until her own death in 1824. 

To be cont’d

*Henry and Lucy eventually became landowners of part of her grandfather’s large patent of land, once called the Waldo patent, in what would become Maine. They later sold it to William Bingham.

[acecademia]

What was the library you did your internship/practicum at like? What ages did they take for volunteers? Did they have a rule that volunteers can't do anything staff do/replace staff?

Hi, nonny!

The library where I did my internship was fairly small. It was one of the locations in the San Antonio Public Library system, which has 30 locations. As a result, most of them aren't that big. Probably 1/3 - 1/2 of our space was meeting rooms, actually. We had a playground outside, a small "amphitheater" (basically a semi-circle of stone bench surrounding a small circular space paved with stones where they could hold little outdoor events, and some walking trails. Inside, you could probably cross the whole library in 30-60 seconds.

That branch is actually celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, so it's fairly new and designed as a more modern-style library. Floor-to-ceiling windows, lots of natural light, very open. I liked it a lot. As far as I'm aware, there were four librarians: the manager, the children's librarian, the teen librarian, and the adult librarian. I have no idea how many staff members there were because I would only come in for about three days a week, but I know there were at least six? So a fairly small staff, honestly.

SAPL takes volunteers ages 14 and up. I have no idea what the rules were for volunteers tbh as far as what they could or couldn't do. When I volunteered, I did everything from shelve books to help out with programming to recruiting for summer reading. Though, also, my duties might have differed from the average volunteer because, as I said, the manager had known me for years and trusted me to do more than a lot of volunteers or interns.

When I volunteered with SAPL as a teen, I was part of the teen library leadership council for one of the branches. We planned programming for the library, ran a bake sale in tandem with the Friends of the Library book sale, planned and recorded summer reading promo videos (ours were actually chosen by the mayor to be used for the whole SAPL system 💅) , started and ran an annual anime festival and an annual winter cultural festival, and more. Our teen librarian fought really hard for us to basically do whatever we wanted, and she very rarely told us no. She really liked to encourage us to come up with ideas and execute them.

There probably are rules as to the distinctions between staff vs volunteer duties/responsibilities, but I never ran into them ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[electronicconnoisseurhideout]

       Best theories for Child Development, every parent should know.

Kids perceive the world way differently than adults do. Their brain undergoes amazing development from birth to when they’re three years old. Children learn at their own pace with distinctive learning styles. They also open a new door to human intelligence. Kids emotionally connect to their surroundings. They don’t pretend to be someone else when they’re being creative, they’re simply being themselves. Ever wondered where does this creativity come from? Learning about your child can be difficult. The need to provide them with the best parenting strives through, especially when they are young. And sometimes we wonder, what goes inside their head? Many factors affect their brain development. Curious about how their mind works? Here are some interesting theories every parent should know about: Erikson’s Psychosocial Developmental Theory: Erikson is famously known for his psychosocial theory. He believes that the personality of a child goes through 8 stages from infancy to childhood. The experiences that occur during these stages determine the positive or negative outcome of the child’s personality. Social interaction and experiences are the driving force behind a child’s development. At each of these 8 stages, the child and the parent face a major developmental phase which is determined as the turning point for the child and their relationship. For example, The first stage of conflict known as Trust vs mistrust occurs during the early infant stage of 0-18 months. During this stage, the child depends on their parents/caretaker for various needs. Children who can rely on their parents for these needs can count on them while those who cannot develop difficulty trusting others later in life.

Bowlby’s Attachment Theory: According to Bowlby, children are born with an innate need for attachment. How a caregiver engages in behaviors with the child continues to affect their attachment style when they grow up. They form these attachments with the person who responds to their signals correctly, not specifically the person they spend time with the most. The bond with the primary caregiver of our life plays an important role in our developmental years. A secure attachment encourages the child to explore the world, while a weak attachment restricts the child from exploring the world since they are not sure if they can return to their safe place. The basis of this further affects their ability to trust and socialize with others. Bandura’s Social Learning Theory: This theory, suggested by Albert Bandura, emphasizes its focus on observing, modeling, and imitating others. By observing the actions of their parents and peers, children form new skills. This theory proves why children imitate their parents all the time. They observe their surroundings and inherit the behavior accordingly. Some learning may lead to change, while some don’t.For example, Without playing cricket, a child can know how cricket is played by observing others play the sport. A child is slowly learning how to read by imitating someone in their surrounding who reads a newspaper. The learning of the child is influenced by verbal instructions or by observing someone physically displaying those actions.

    4. Piaget’s Cognitive Developmental Theory Jean Piaget’s Cognitive development theory has proved very influential. His theory suggested that ‘Children think differently than adults’ which sums up most of their behavior. According to Piaget, children’s innate capacities by interacting with different environmental events that the child goes through in various stages. Thus constructing their own mental model of the world. During : Sensorimotor stage (from birth to 2 years old)- Knowledge of the world is limited to his or her sensory perceptions and motor activities. Pre-operational stage (from 2 years old to 6)- Child learns a new language. Can neither be logical nor manipulate information. Concrete operational stage (from 6 years old to 11)- Gain a better understanding of their mental operations. Formal Operational stage (from 12 years old to adulthood)- Can process logical thoughts, give birth to abstract thinking, decode information, and so on. The construction of knowledge during these stages influences their cognitive development. The above theories explain why children act the way they do. The theories emphasize the importance of the surroundings of the children. If children are placed in a fun collaborative environment from a young age, it can benefit their developing years. Surround your children where they can focus on developing their skills and let them grow endlessly!

[ramon-balaguer]

The Word and His Written Word

The Written Word & The Living Word

JESUS!!!

 The Holy Bible is the most important book ever written. The One True and Living Almighty God chose to reveal Himself to us through the written word and The Living Word. Amazing and humbling!

 You Have To Know The Word and His word. Impossible to know One without the Other. This way you just won’t have head knowledge but full understanding to Be in Right standing with Him, Rightly dividing (and not merely dividing His word) His word and judge Rightly.

 Sadly, sometimes we get it wrong. We misunderstand or misapply the Truth God has Given us by The Holy Spirit through His Son (The Word) Jesus the Christ. Although there are countless causes, through my lil experience I’ve seen two primary problems crop up again and again.

 Perspective - Too often we read God’s Word with our own purposes and goals in mind. But the Bible is all about God. When we read it with His Eternal purposes in mind, we will better grasp the truth of His Word.

 Context – The Bible may have unlimited applications, but its meaning never changes. It means the same today as it did when it was written. To understand the original meaning, we must pull back and understand the context – of the passage, of the chapter, of the book.

 Many times we hear and say things that some good and Biblical, but are Not… Other times we hear and say things that are Biblical, but are misunderstood or misapplied.

 Many of my haters or critics incorrectly and inappropriately used Scriptures against me because they dislike, hate or disagree with what I am saying in Righteous judgment to either condemn or justify an action by an individual or group because it goes against their own thoughts, ideas, ideals and beliefs of what is or isn’t Right.

 I am Not offended at all by their ignorance, but wouldn’t want them or anyone to remain ignorant; so with that in mind… Let me show or explain some Truth to give Understanding to your knowledge and thereby Rightly apply His word.

 Here are some Bible verses (the first relates to the aforementioned, the second to my favorite Holy Scripture, and the last one with your desires vs God’s will) that are most often misunderstood due to perspective, context, or both:

  1. Matthew 7:1

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.”

Is all “judging” wrong? Jesus did condemn a harsh, critical “judging” motivated by a self-righteous, hypocritical attitude. But in the whole of Scripture, God clearly commands Christians to lovingly point out sin and exhort each other to holiness. It is not our place to determine their motives, but it is our responsibility to gently identify behavior God has already judged to be “sin.” The goal is to reconcile that person with God and others and to keep the sin from spreading (Matthew 18:15-17, 1 Corinthians 5:5-7, Hebrews 12:15, James 5:19-20).

  2. Philippians 4:13

“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

Philippians 4:13 is probably the most misused verse in the Bible. We pull it out of the surrounding passage and hold it out as God’s obligation to empower our plans and dreams. Yet, Paul was writing about being content no matter his earthly circumstances. He could endure any difficulty or physical need through the strengthening power of Christ. Oh yes, Philippians 4:13 is a great promise indeed! Jesus will give us the strength we need to endure desperate need. His empowering presence will be with us through every difficult circumstance.

  3. Proverbs 22:6

“Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.”

Misunderstanding Proverbs 22:6 as a promise has led to grief for many parents. The book of Proverbs is wisdom literature, which offers general principles for successful living. A proverb is not a promise. Instead, let us use it as a tool for wise parenting and decision-making, and entrust our children to our faithful God!

  4. Jeremiah 29:11

“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” 

This verse is definitely a promise. But it’s a promise for a particular people in a particular time. Through the prophet Jeremiah, God promised that after Judah’s pre-determined exile in Babylon, He would bring them back to the Promised Land. We often misappropriate promises. And while God does make a lot of promises to all believers, this particular promise isn’t one of them. 

  5. Matthew 18:20

“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

Considering just this verse, we might believe that Jesus is with us only when we are with other believers. But the context of the larger passage is church discipline. When another believer sins, if he will not listen to one, two or three fellow believers should bring the matter to the church (Matthew 18:15-20). 

  6. 1 Corinthians 10:13

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

Many Christians claim this verse as a “promise” that God will never allow them to experience more difficulties than “they can handle.” Yet, the larger passage (1 Corinthians 10:1-13) deals with temptation and our ability to withstand it. God promises He will always provide a way for us to say “no” to temptation. In fact, Paul learned by experience that God will allow us to face circumstances “beyond our ability to endure” so that we will learn to rely on Him (see 2 Corinthians 1:8-11). 

  7. Habakkuk 1:5

“Look at the nations and watch - and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.”

If we read this verse by itself, we might believe God is going to do something wonderful and glorious before our eyes. Well, He definitely did, but probably not what you’d expect. God sent the prophet Habakkuk to pronounce judgment on Judah for turning away from God. The amazing thing God planned was to send the brutal nation of Babylon to conquer His people and carry them into captivity. This verse should stand as a strong reminder that God does discipline His children.

  8. James 1:2-3

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”

We would think that James meant we could find joy in Christ in spite of our trials. That makes more sense! Yet, James really did say – and mean – because of our trials. While God cares very much about our physical circumstances, James knew He uses trials to refine our faith and make us more like Jesus. That is something to rejoice about! 

  9. Romans 8:28

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Does God control all the circumstances of our lives to make things turn out great for us? Let’s take a step back to grasp the glorious truth of Romans 8:28. First, this promise is not for all people, just Christians who love and follow Jesus. Second, in the larger context, (Romans 8:18-39), Paul reminds us that although we must temporarily endure earthly suffering, God works through it to continuously work out His greater, eternal plan for us (Romans 8:28-30). The “good” God is working towards is not temporary, earthly “success,” but the eternal purpose of us being “conformed to the likeness” of Jesus (Romans 8:29).

  10. Psalm 37:4

“Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

If I find joy in God, will He fill my life with all the things I value and enjoy? Wait – remember context and focus. In this psalm, David contemplated the age-old question of why evil people seem to prosper while the righteous often struggle. David wrote to encourage his readers – and us – to widen our perspective, to live in light of eternity and to set our hope in God’s everlasting purposes. When we commit ourselves (delight) to God’s capable hands, our desire for the righteous to prevail will be realized in His timing.