#not sure whether to feel accomplished or not as mostly my philosophy has been
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...well, i now officially know i've lost weight.
Like... a lot? a lot more than i had thought?
Which is. Odd because honestly pretty much everything still feels like it fits about the same...
I guess it explains why i've been more cold?!
+ also i dont know Why it's so much... if i start eating like a normal human being again i don't... really *want* to go over where i started? :/ i guess i'd maybe be fine w/ being about the same because i know it won't be That big of a difference. Or i don't think it will anyways? Hm...
#ed tw#100% ŃокŃĐľŃĐ˝ŃĐš дновник ĐťĐľĐ˛Ń ĐРЧĐТĐĐ#like um . it is a very significant change since the last time i weighed myself#(june 2022 apparently)#and without knowing whether its the semi-consistent excersize or the absolute dogshit fuck diet i dont want to change what im doing......#dont give urself an ed on purpose its really not worth it XD#morbid curiousity but i wonder if im at a 'normal' bmi range now? like eh...#numbers btw. its like 20 pounds dropped so#a LOT for me#like this is where i set my goal initially.......#i shouldnt make it worse and set something lower but i kind of want to..................#[hitting brain with broom] no. bad. stop it .#i guess cause its spread out over a year its not As extreme but still . . .#not sure whether to feel accomplished or not as mostly my philosophy has been#âstop being disorder you piece of fuckâ#i. e; do my best not to worry about it#but u know. disorder . kinda like sh never gonna leave me all that shit#idk where im going with this from june 2022 to feb 2023 things were about the same but then a Lot changed so that is also smth to consider#different circumstances... i live off sweet things and yet remain snackies-less now :pensive:#(<- thats to put it lightly)#anyways anyways tag ramble ending curiousity getting the better of me bye
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Not to spoile the final MHA chapter, but it actually does makw me apreciate the ending of SE's manga lol
(I still have another question I have been slow at answering about My Hero Academia, and I will get to answering it soon--and now that the manga is reaching its final chapter Sunday, I will post that answer after the final chapter is released.)
I did read the spoilers online.
I do not like this ending, but as I say below, it is an ending that does match the overall philosophy this manga has had since Chapter 1. And even as I dislike this ending, I do appreciate and even like or love some of the details, whether stuff from the earliest chapters that get payoff, long-term setup-and-payoff by Horikoshi (that one scene right before the PLF War finally gets payoff in this chapter), parallels between the very first chapter and this final chapter.
But I don't like how abrupt and fast certain details are. I can appreciate the final chapter showing the actual work done to make the world a better place; I despise how the final chapter skips over significant steps in the work to be done to make the world a better place to just show, "And the characters managed to succeed at their goals!" No--I am here to see the struggle to make that better world, I don't want to just skip to, "And now things are better!" I know this is a bizarre comparison, but even Wakko's Wish made sure to hold your hand and take you through how things got better for the characters. This ending is just, "And now so-and-so is super famous!" No--show me how they got to be famous, show me how they made that accomplishment, created that program, improved the world--don't tell me, give me that story.
I'm not sure how I feel about Izuku's ending. It answers a long-term problem that has been there since Chapter 1, and I don't think this solution actually addresses the underlying problem that has been there since Chapter 1, especially as it replaces one form of inequality with another.
I don't like the refusal to acknowledge the work certain characters did, how their contributions are overshadowed, that we don't get to see how certain characters got to be so well loved and famous--again, show us the work done, don't just skip to, "And now things are better!" I don't appreciate how undervalued Izuku seems.
And a lot of my disappointment with this ending and this manga overall is just my own fault: I have had a decade to get to work with a friend on My Hero Academia fics and headcanon that it is difficult for me to accept this ending when my own headcanon is what I prefer. (Don't even get me started on how much I prefer the ships my friend and I have compared to the lackluster ships this manga and its final chapter go with or imply or just edge close to then whiff and don't commit to.) This chapter is going to please a lot of people; it's not going to please other people.
Also, the confirmed deaths leave a sour taste in my mouth. Like where Izuku ends up, that fits what is Horikoshi's philosophy, but, first, I am disliking his philosophy more and more, and second, that doesn't change that the logic ("This character totally can survive this fatal injury, but this character doesn't") fails at being believable, whether in terms of worldbuilding or philosophical meaning. As a certain someone on Tumblr has done a really good job pointing out, the choices to kill off certain characters undermines a lot of the messaging, and it doesn't help that it produces "bury your gays," "lost Lenore," "stuffed in the fridge" tropes that use the deaths of LGBTQ+ and girl and women characters to further the character progression of mostly cishet or cishet-coded or boy or men characters.
I also don't like which deaths are confirmed or strongly hinted at, with zero closure for certain characters and a refusal to permit page space to emphasize, "This character is dead, this is the last pin we are putting on who they were, what they meant to these characters." The same goes for how this manga ignored what Midnight's death meant to Aizawa and Mic, but if I start talking about that, then I'd have to talk about MHA Vigilantes as well and how that series had a far worse ending than My Hero Academia, and this post is already long enough.
All of that being said: this ending is better than that of Soul Eater. (It doesn't help that both Soul Eater and MHA ended their manga run right around my birthday, so, yay, another disappointing manga ending to celebrate another revolution around the sun--FML.) And it's a hell of a way better than Fire Force. Soul Eater ended with the worst jokes because Ohkubo cannot commit to a serious moment without undercutting it with the worst kind of joke: it's not even that he allows some needed levity with a joke that is appropriate for the situation and actually helps reinforce the point he was making, he literally went from, "My friend has had a life of trauma and now remains with that trauma for eternity to protect others," to, "LOL boobs and groping girls." Fire Force shat all over the meaning of Soul Eater, undermining the point of the latter and screwing over the potential message of the former. But My Hero Academia at least ended with a reinforcement of some of its key principles: a hero can appear where you don't expect it, don't judge a book by its cover, teamwork is needed rather than only individualism, discrimination sucks and should be shunned and shamed, and the world is not fair but that doesn't mean we can afford to not make it more fair and equitable so don't give up, improvise to do what you can to help others, and keep moving forward.
...Also, I really do not like the designs on the last page. My complaint here is similar to how I complain about the designs of Bungo Stray Dogs when showing a change in ages for characters: the designs on the last pages of My Hero Academia just look off-model, not like the characters are older. I have a major hang-up about that detail, and I'll talk about it after Sunday, but I really do not like when illustrators don't know how to draw their own characters.
(Sidebar: This is not only about Horikoshi: I'm also glaring at Ohkubo and those new art museums pieces of the Soul Eater characters. If those are supposed to be older Maka et al, then I don't know what is wrong with Ohkubo's stylistic preferences because he just refuses to make anything look consistent. I know Ohkubo's art style has changed a lot over the years--but pick a style and stick with it: between the manga and the anime and now these new art pieces, Maka has had at least eight [insert Death the Kid reference] designs--early manga, the first anime, the Baba Yaga Arc, the final arc, the NOT manga, the NOT anime, the Fire Force-era Twitter art, and now these museum pieces. And none of them look enough alike to work as a progression in his art style.)
Also, Mineta never paid for his crimes--horrible ending to this manga.
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Blog: Almost 40.
Iâve never been one for posting particularly introspective blog entries publicly. Itâs not that I donât contemplate things, or even write about them, but for the most part those meandering musings are confined only to my phoneâs notes app- my most used app behind Facebook. And on those rare occasions that I *do* publicly blog about them I usually keep it on a relatively superficial level as I donât necessarily like opening up my mind (and insecurities) to strangers.
But Iâm turning 40 in less than a month and I think this is the catalyst thatâs prompted a lot more thought about things than Iâd ordinarily give them. Iâd always considered 40 old but, as I approach it, I donât *feel* old. And my family and friends would be rather quick to point out I donât act it either. I always thought by 40 I would be much further along in life than I am. That Iâd have a good job, a nice husband, a nice house, kids, that whole suburban dream. But... I havenât.
And I started thinking if Iâm a ball of mixed emotions about turning 40 maybe thereâs other women- and men for that matter- who are feeling the exact same way so perhaps if Iâm to break my self imposed cocoon of privacy around my innermost thoughts now might be the perfect time to give it a shot. So, with that being said, here goes nothing...
Hereâs the thing: I remember my Mumâs 40th. I had just turned 10. I was sitting outside with my cousins, all of similar ages, and we were making fun of what we considered to be the appalling music taste our respective parents had. I even remember the leather pants Mum was wearing. She claims to have forgotten them but I think sheâs faking that despite her bad memory. It didnât even occur to me for a millisecond that my 40th wouldnât be spent in a similar fashion. I just assumed life would follow the same path most womenâs lives had followed for generations (with one caveat- I was planning to be the first one to go to uni): Iâd find a job, Iâd find a husband, weâd buy a house with a white picket fence, and weâd have 2.5 kids and a dog. And that all of that would be well and truly achieved by the time I turned 40. Just like it had been for my mum, and her mum before her, and hers before her. It was just the way things went, you know?
And then life happened. Thereâs a line in âBeautiful Boyâ one of the John Lennon songs that I love that says âlife is what happens to you while youâre busy making other plansâ and it couldnât be any truer in the 21st century than It was when it was written in 1980. (Itâs a cruel twist of fate that it was written not long before he died and released after his death.)
For me âlifeâ was all about my health, or lack thereof. Iâve mentioned the back issues before and the many hospital visits, and the 70 plus back ops. In essence this put things on hold: work, getting a home of my own, finding a guy (hard when you are always in and out of hospital and have problems losing weight) and having kids. So as I approach 40 without those things Iâm not necessarily looking forward to it the way many do. (Plus if I get one âover the hillâ card the person giving it to me shall be in a body bag.)
One thing I noticed when researching this blog post was Google searches about turning 40 seemed to concentrate on two things: what your health would be like post 40 and life as a Mum. Well what about those of us who are single and childless? Are we invisible? This didnât particularly help with my mixed emotions about this supposed great milestone.
And it seems Iâm not alone. Dr. Nancy Oreilly wrote about womenâs aging anxiety that regardless of how you feel towards turning 40 youâll still do what everyone does at this juncture and take stock of your life thus far. Things like âwhat have you done with your life? Are you the person you intended to be and are you living the life you want?â (1.)
In Lisa Bonoâs interview with author Glynnis MacNicol about her book âNo one tells you thisâ for the Sydney Morning Herald about life as a single 40 year old woman MacNicol admits she approached her 40th with âso much dread and shame" because she didn't have what she was "supposed" to have - a husband and a kid or two.... (because) we don't understand how to talk about women's lives as fulfilling unless we incorporate babies or weddings.â (2.)
Meredith Goldberg, in her article about age being just a number posed the question that if indeed age was just a number why was she feeling so apprehensive? Was it because she felt âlike (she) had not accomplished enough in (her) 40 years on earth?â (3.) After all she hadnât gotten married, hadnât had kids, didnât have another advanced degree.
Interestingly studies over the last decade or so have shown that the start of middle age (which, much to my chagrin given my belief Iâm still like a much younger woman, is considered to be 40) often correlates with the time when people are the least happy, have the lowest levels of life satisfaction and highest levels of anxiety. A study at the University of Warwick and Dartmouth College attributed this to the facts that at this stage âadults are often faced with the pressures of raising children and looking after aging parents while simultaneously dealing with mounting financial and career pressures.â (4)
Is it all too late for me- and other women turning 40 without a child- though? This is one of the most common thoughts going round and round in my head as I approach 40. I mean we all know about the whole ticking biological clock right? Even when I was doing my first postrgrad degree at 24, working part time, still single, still living at home, I still thought well thereâs plenty of time. At 28 when I was finishing with postgrad, working full time but still single I *still* thought well thereâs still a fair bit of time. At 33 it changed to well I guess thereâs still time if I get a bit of a hurry on now. And now, at 39, single and childless, I think well maybe itâs too late now.
In her article about turning 40 whilst single and childless Bethany Jenkins wrote that itâs not only common but practically universal for a woman to expect and long for children, âto bring new life into the world; to put her hand on her belly as her baby grows; to wonder whether the newborn will have her or her belovedâs eyes; to hear âmomâ not as a word uttered by her own voice to her own mother but as a call from her childâs voice for her.â (5) MacNicol in her book echoes that saying âas women, weâre taught to expect our stories to turn to marriage and children at a certain point in time (namely, before 40.)â (6)
Robin Deutsch, a psychologist and associate professor at William James College in Newton also points out that women reaching 40 tend to be more confident, have more wisdom and make better choices. (4) (Does she even know me?) But when you really think about it the whole âlife begins at 40â theory has some merit. Julia Child didnât publish her first cookbook until she was almost 50. Vera Wang didnât start her fashion career until 40.
The fact that these women have the same feelings surrounding turning 40 whilst single and childless gives me some comfort. Thereâs a quote from Jung that I remember from philosophy at uni. He said that life begins at 40 and until then youâre just doing research. And maybe Iâve got to look at the positives in my current circumstances? One big upside I see is freedom. I plan to travel and return to uni to study something Iâm passionate about and itâs doubtful I could do this had my life taken that path I was so sure it would.
So does this mean that the formula that my mum and all my ancestors followed, that unsaid life plan of when to get married, buy a home and have kids, is a thing of the past? We know women have children later these days. In fact the median age for a first kid these days is 30.6 as per the ABS reports
From the 1950s to mid 1970s, the fertility rates of women aged 20â24 and 25â29 were patently higher than that of all other age groups. Since then, the fertility rates for women in their 20s have been steadily declining whilst rates of those aged in their 30s have mostly increased since the early 1980s. Since 2000, the fertility rate of women in their early 30s has been higher than all other groups. Itâs not just that women are having babies later but also the birth rate has declined. In 1950 the birth rate was 23.124. Its predicted 2020 will be at 12.561. (ABS yearly reports.)
We know women have children later these days, preferring to be settled and to have done the things they thought theyâd not be able to do after before becoming a parent. Compared to our mothers, our grandmothers and so on we have more choices and not every womanâs first goal in life is having a child. (8)
The differences between say baby boomers and millennials are striking. Itâs not just the fact that they settle down later but there are also other factors that mean by the time we turn 40 we may not have all the things our ancestors have but there are other priorities we have. For instance more women go to university now than they did when my Mum was turning 40. And after spending the time, work and money to get a degree itâs only natural that it follows that they want to get more out of their careers. Whilst baby boomers are more driven by loyalty, often staying at the same company for years, millennials are more interested in achieving more, whether thatâs at the same company or not. (9) My father, for example, worked for the same company his entire life. He could have gone to many others with the knowledge heâd accumulated but he liked his job and he was happy there so it didnât even really occur to him in more than a passing thought.
Then you look at things like buying a home. Itâs ironic given that pay has increased that millennials are putting home ownership off longer than previous generations. Whilst people of my parents generation were content with a âstarter homeâ these days more and more first home buyers want a bigger home, with bigger and better appliances, closer to the city than the suburbs etc. Research has found that rather than jump straight into a mortgage millennials look at travel, and spending their pay on things like Ubers and Lyfts, coffee, gadgets, clothes, and live entertainment and sports. (9)
Marriage is also something we do later. Consider the fact that whilst almost â50% of baby boomers were married between the ages of 18 to 32... a mere 26% of millennials are married in the same age range.â (9)
The fact that so many other women have the same feelings surrounding turning 40 whilst single and childless gives me some comfort. Thereâs a quote from Jung that I remember from philosophy at uni. He said that life begins at 40 and until then youâre just doing research. And maybe Iâve got to look at the positives in my current circumstances? One big upside I see is freedom. In the next 12 months I plan to travel and return to uni to study something Iâm passionate about and itâs doubtful I could do this had my life taken that path I was so sure it would.
In an article published on mindbodygreen.com the writer spoke about how well-meaning friends had been asking her did she not want to have kids, did she not want to get married, etc, and she was quick to say that this can actually be the âmost celebrated time of your life (and to) consider yourself blessed and enjoy the freedom.â (10) She listed some of the things to celebrate about turning 40 whilst single and childless. Like me travel was up there on her list as was the time to Perdue your passions. She also mentioned â(the) opportunity to nurture your friendships and relationships with family...(and that) the dating pool is large in your 40âs (given) a large majority of our population is divorced... there are so many
social media dating sites and social events in every major city... (and) you know what you're looking for.â (10)
So maybe instead of worrying about why Iâm not where I wanted to be turning 40, worrying that itâs too late, worrying that my friends are further along than I am, I should be embracing it. The future is mine. Iâve just got to find a way to embrace it.
Fatgirl.
Sources:
1.) https://www.drnancyoreilly.com/40-2/
2.) https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life-and-relationships/no-one-tells-you-life-as-a-40-year-old-single-woman-can-be-like-this-20180717-p4zs16.html
3.) https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.sheknows.com/health-and-wellness/articles/1140197/anxious-about-turning-40/amp/
4.) https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bostonglobe.com/magazine/2017/06/01/seriously-now-what-traumatic-about-turning/UVnbdmxVvLSzwoB8Yo4wGP/story.html%3foutputType=amp
5.) https://ifstudies.org/blog/reflections-on-turning-40-while-single-and-childless
6.) https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wellandgood.com/good-advice/single-at-40-glynnis-macnicol-interview/amp/
7.) https://aifs.gov.au/facts-and-figures/births-in-australia
8.) https://www.mamamia.com.au/average-age-to-have-kids/
9.) https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.businessinsider.com/difference-millennials-baby-boomers-2019-4%3famp
10.) https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.mindbodygreen.com/articles/so-im-single-40-and-childless-now-what--10631
#dating#40#almost40#emotions#babyboomers#generationx#generationy#millenials#single#childless#worry#freedom#travel#university#howtocope#generationaldifferences#aging#anxiety#aginganxiety
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Ed for character ask, if you want! Have a nice day â¤ď¸
If I want? If I want??? If I want?!?!?! OF COURSE I WANT TO. Ed ruined my life in the best possible way and I will ramble about him forever. LETâS. DO. THIS.Â
How I feel about this character:
Obviously, you guys know that Edward Elric is not only my favorite character in the fma universe, but probably my favorite character in general. Heâs excellently written, deeply representative of the nature of humanity, and endures beautifully subtle development over the course of his story. Iâve done several character analyses of Ed, but I tend to ramble. Here, I really want to take my time, and talk about specific aspects of his character I think are the most worthy of note. This might get l o n g, so grab some snacks and settle in. Letâs talk about the Fullmetal Alchemist!
One of most defining and well-written characteristics of Ed is his tragic backstory. The consequences of attempting to revive their mother follow Ed and Al years after it occurs, and forms one the main backbone of their story. While the immediate aftermath tends to define a large part of Edâs personality in the beginning, what makes him so fascinating is that he eventually learns that using his personal tragedies as an excuse for his shortcomings with get him nowhere. Instead, he learns to use his suffering as a springboard to make sure no one else ever has to feel the way he and his brother did. The awful things that happen to Nina are a major setback, but instead of collapsing further in on himself, Ed, mostly thanks to Al, realizes that not only is it ok to start by trying to save himself, but with that effort, he can become stronger, and by extension, do more to help others. So, instead of using tragedy as an excuse for his weaknesses, Ed faces them to make himself stronger, and throughout his journey, use them as markers of his progress, or as checks to his humility.Â
Ed is also incredibly well-written to reflect his age. Sure, your average twelve-year-old is not an alchemic prodigy serving in the military, but Iâm talking about how Ed reacts to his circumstances as a boy whoâs just trying to piece he and his brotherâs lives back together. Ed can play up the adult facade as much as he wants, but Arakawa also wrote him to be what he is; a kid. In the early stages of his story, Ed reacts to many inconveniences with fits of frustration, triumphs with unabashed cockiness, and authority or criticism with an upturned nose. Most of these immature reactions lessen or die out as his story progresses, as it does when someone starts to grow up. I can say that after living with a younger brother at ages 12, 13, 14, etc., Arakawa did a spectacular job of not only capturing those years with deadly accuracy, but applying them to an extraordinary individual like Ed in a way that felt effortless. While on a quest that eventually would determine the fate of the world as they knew it, he also gets nervous over a crush, and deals with the ups and downs of teenage friendships. (I mean, 99.9% of peopleâs best friends in high school donât give up control of their body to an immortal being but thereâs a metaphor Iâm getting at here.)Â
Another super interesting aspect of Edâs character is his guilt complex. For someone who so acts his age, he still takes on blame for many things that legitimately werenât his fault. He blames himself for the loss of Alâs body, though there was no way he couldâve know what Truth wouldâve taken from him, or that Truth wouldâve intervened at all. He chastises himself for not being useful in dire situations when Winry stepped up to deliver Dominicâs grandchild in Rush Valley. It wasnât his area of expertise, while Winry, he acknowledges, grew up with doctors for parents and reading medical textbooks. He feels helpless, but how could he know he would find himself in such a situation? He even holds himself responsible as a culprit in Hughesâ death for getting him involved in their research of philosophersâ stones. What Hughes discovered about the nationwide transmutation circle was, ultimately, his own doing. In addition, besides blaming himself for the loss of Alâs body, a guilt that Ed carries to the end of his story was his inability to save Nina. Just because he was the first person to put all the pieces together, he thought that if he realized Shou Tuckerâs true intentions that much sooner, she would still be alive. Yet, realistically, no one else had figured it out either. He was just in the wrong place at the right(?) time. Yet, all of this being said, the moments during which Ed overcomes some of his guilt are some of the most powerful in the entire story. (Learning that Al didnât blame him for the loss of his body is a prime example.)
As Iâve mentioned in other recent character analyses, a complex personality is key to a strong and likable character, and my god, does Ed have one. Ed has many traits that make him just fascinating to watch. While his early cynicism of humanity fades away, he remains cocky, stubborn, abrasive, short-tempered, sarcastic, occasionally hostile to figures of authority, and not one above stroking his own ego. Yet, a lot of those aspects of his personality veer towards superficial. He views every human life (in all forms) as sacred, and something he is painfully reluctantly to use to further his own goals. To those who earn his respect, he is endlessly loyal, selfless, and fights for those who canât fight for themselves. His personality also takes on a different tint (like a real person) when he interacts with different people. He fights to see the Ling within Greed, but ultimately respects Greed as a member of his team. Heâs in awe, yet honest with Riza. Heâs sarcastic with Roy, but when in danger, is his greatest ally. Heâs level-headed, firm, and forgiving with Al. Heâs uniquely gentle and compassionate to Winry. In short, heâs beautifully and painfully human.Â
Finally, Ed is an excellent foil to the character of Father. While the latter tried to make himself a perfect being by ridding himself of humanityâs seven deadly sins (an idea I remember someone, though I canât remember who, likening his goal to the idea of Nietzscheâs âĂbermensch,â which is basically a form of superior man who could rise above traditional Christian values to impose his own. That sounds pretty accurate to me, but Iâm no expert in this corner of philosophy.), Ed actively embraced all of his flaws, guilt, and well, sins, to ultimately become a more compassionate individual who is able to ultimately triumph over evil. (As a side note, Greedâs aid in this final battle really adds extra emphasis to his earlier explanation to Ed that âeveryone wants something they cannot have.â The fact that Greed sacrifices himself in this moment to assure Fatherâs defeat proves that point several times over, which just makes those final sequences of the battle that much cooler [and heartbreaking]). The fact that Ed, who is riddled with what Father considers the ultimate faults of humanity, still overcomes him, proves that the rejection of ownâs own humanity is a greater evil than the sum of itâs parts. As a huge characterization nerd, thatâs pretty freaking cool.Â
All the people I ship romantically with this character:
Edwin is easily one of my top five OTPs, and I honestly donât see shipping Ed with anyone else. Like Roy and Riza, Ed and Winryâs relationship is built on years of trust, respect, friendship, and tragedy. While they sometimes struggle with communicating their feelings, whether its about each other or the circumstances theyâre facing, they always manage to get their feelings across when the moment demands it. It seems that their respective obsessions confuse or annoy each other, yet, they each possess huge admiration for the otherâs accomplishments and passions. They understand the harsh burden of losing their parents, and Winry never judges Ed for attempting to revive his mother, likely because she had the same kind of longing. In addition, each of them are deeply concerned for the safety of the other, with Ed especially going to great lengths to ensure Winry is unaffected with his involvement in the military. Sadness of one pains the other, and theyâre both hellbent on making sure the other is, in the end, happy. Talk about the makings of a great relationship! Also, at the most basic level, theyâre SO DAMN ADORABLE.
My non-romantic OTP for this character:Â
I have to go with Al here. (Also apparently this got too long to add more gifs so rip to that ideaâŚ) These two have been through so much together, balance the weight of their varying personalities, and as a result, are the ultimate allies. Besides the deep care these brothers share, the most interesting aspect about them is how their personalities contrast and support one another. Ed is typically hot-headed and impulsive. Al is calmer and leans more towards logic. Ed has a big ego and is sarcastic. While Al has his moments, heâs unflinchingly kindhearted. However, their mutual passion for alchemy, humanity, and completing their quest are unmatched. The story is about brotherhood, and these two are the ultimate protagonists. Alâs superior battle sense, levelheadedness, and gentle personality are the perfect balance to Ed. He brings him back down to earth, yet encourages him to race to the ends of it. They joke and argue, but you know they would sacrifice everything for the other.Â
My unpopular opinion about this character:
*sigh* The Ed being really short joke did eventually get oldâŚÂ
One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon:
As is the case with many fma characters in my book, I want to see more! Knowing Ed, thereâs no way this kid would peak at 18. I want to see his adventures after the promised day. I want to see him with Winry and his kids, being a great father, but I also want to see him traveling, discovering, and maybe getting himself into a bit of trouble here and there! At the end of years of struggling and hardship, I want to see the next crazy step in his journey. Thereâs no way heâd sit still for long. The skyâs barely the limit for Ed, and i want to see how far he flies.Â
Send me a character, if you dare.Â
#edward elric#fma#fma brotherhood#character analysis#nikki speaks#good lord was this fun!!#lmao i wrote an essay;;;;;;
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Voltron Season 6
Okay, now that Iâve seen the season (and that was much harder than it needed to be, but Iâll save that for another post), I will try to get some initial thoughts down. Iâm sure Iâll have more as I rewatch.
TL;DR version - I loved this season.
If you follow me, you know I ship Sheith and ship it hard. And S6 makes me feel like I won the lottery there. I was hoping that the Operation Kuron thing would be settled. I was hoping Keith would return to the team, be the one to discover the clone plot, and find a way to rescue Shiro. I was hoping there might be another hug. I was hoping for some flashbacks to how Keith and Shiro got to know one another.
I was not expecting a scene that I have seen a dozen variations of in fanfic. I was NOT expecting a battle of âAkiraâ-level epic-ness, a crossover fic of âWinter Soldierâ, and the clear declaration of âI love youâ. I think I would have legit screamed if my husband hadnât been watching with me.
(And miss me with the âbrotherâ thing. Thanks to the flashbacks we see that other than his dad (because he didnât remember his mom), Shiro is the only person that Keith cares about. He has no frame of reference for when the affection and friendship from his side slides into romantic love. Iâve seen plenty of posts from gay people who verify that yes, calling that person for whom you have all these new messy feelings a brother or sister at first is actually something that happens. And *because* JDS started with âbrotherâ, he could finish with âI love youâ and not have the toy company execs try to censor it. I look forward to seeing how much more they are able to do with this.)
Iâm trying to decide whether Iâm surprised or not that they killed Kuron. On the one hand, weâve already had the brother variation in GoLion and the melding of both those characters into one in DotU. On another, my understanding is that Lauren Montgomery and Joaquim Dos Santos originally planned to either kill Shiro off permanently or have him be gone until nearly the last minute in order to have Keith grow into leadership. But for once the toy execs were useful and insisted that they werenât going to create toys for a character that was only around for the first two seasons. (Boy, the philosophy has changed from my childhood, where two seconds in the background was enough reason to make yet another Star Wars action figure...)
My interpretation is that Kuronâs consciousness died the moment his connection to Haggar was severed, leaving behind a body running on minimal brain activity. Thatâs the most moral way to have Allura recover Shiroâs consciousness from the Black Lion and infuse him into Kuronâs body, since his own is nowhere to be found. Itâs rather sad, since Kuron was certainly trying his best when he wasnât being pushed by Haggar into doing her bidding. I will be interested to see whether Shiro has access to or retains any of Kuronâs memories, or how much Shiro knows - if his essence was tied to the Black Lion, he may only know what the Lion was there to witness.
At the moment, Iâm not a fan of the all-white hair. I really grew to love Shiroâs look in S1-2 and was only putting up with the look of S3-4 Shiro because I figured weâd see Original Shiro back once the Kuron plot was done. But thatâs just my personal opinion and Iâll try to make myself get used to it - even though it reminds me of those horrifying edits where people just removed all the hair from the charactersâ heads.
Non-Sheith stuff:
I was SO immensely relieved and happy when I realized that the time-skip was (1) on Keithâs side and (2) he was with his mom and got a pet in the process. I was legitimately pissed off in advance at the idea of Keith being stuck alone or just doing Blade stuff while the rest of the paladins were in the semi-leaked long sleep that came from a cast interview. Instead, it seems like he and his mother had the time to get to know one another again forced upon them. (The fact that it makes the age discourse even more irrelevant than it was already? Thatâs a bonus.)
I was not surprised that Lotor had some really nasty skeletons in the closet. I may find some more to think about, but I do feel that the story was written fairly, showing through Zarkon and Honerva the effects of being exposed to the rift, and telegraphing that same effect onto Lotor (such as reverting to âVictory or Deathâ when facing the white lion of Oriande). Whether or not he might have overcome it given enough time and support...thatâs for fanfic to explore. And when you contrast the fact that Lotor chose to sacrifice others (the Alteans he took to the âcolonyâ in his quest, Narti back in S3 or S4) while Allura tended to sacrifice *herself* from early on (healing the Balmera, getting Shiro out of the Galra ship)... I think that draws a pretty clear line between their characters and the paths they were destined for.
In general, I wasnât wincing near as much through the âcomedyâ episode and didnât have to fast-forward at all. (Which I do with parts of âSpace Mallâ and I do not intend to watch âThe Voltron Showâ ever again.) I was delighted to see Pidge uncover a little Blade of Marmora when her dwarf was smashing pots and looking for treasure âZeldaâ style. Yes, it would have been fun if Coran had chosen for Keith to turn up as an NPC, but I can understand why they decided to keep it simple.
I also liked that, although this was a Keith-heavy set of episodes, they did give plenty to the other characters. Hunk got to shine with leading the repairs on the shield. The revelation that Pidge had created something to take out Shiroâs arm? Logical and devastating. And I donât think I rolled my eyes at Lance even one time this season, which is quite an accomplishment. I loved seeing him be honest with himself about his feelings for Allura, and even examining them with a maturity that has been slowly developing over time. I love how Allura went all in to save him in the first episode - I hope thatâs pointing toward an endgame ship, because those are two characters that I think would be good for one another.
I liked the use of what few background characters we had, although I was getting dizzy from all the twists and turns from Axcaâs loyalties and (until the last time) impatient with how quick to accept said turns Ezor and Zethrid were. I am very curious to see what Haggar/Honerva is planning next - I expect her to be the final big bad to defeat in the last third of the show.
And while I need to go back and watch S5-6 back to back to be sure, I get the feeling that the entire team went full throttle here. The writing was tight overall, the characterization mostly logical, the animation incredible, the music fantastic, and the voice actors had some tour-de-force moments in what was already a set of strong performances.
And now weâre going back to Earth, something that was legitimately deflected by the showrunners when asked several months ago. I was not expecting that - I figured Pidge was about to say they needed to go to Olkarion to get a new castle built. But now weâve got Earth in the picture again, and my husband is letting himself hope just a little for Vehicle Voltron to make an appearance. I am pumped and eager to see what happens next even as I savor everything that this season gave us.
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Evaluation of Final Outcome
My overall theme of âDog Breedingâ differs greatly to what I initially thought I would base my work on. I initially thought that âAnimal Rightsâ would inspire me to create work on farm animals and use the abattoir as a setting for my work as that is where the most violence and loss of life occurs in animal related industries. Instead, I wanted to focus on an issue that does not as obviously link to animal rights and that as far as I know has not been covered by artists which is âDog Breedingâ. Being inspired by George Orwellâs âAnimal Farmâ, I took the themes of power, vulnerability, business and man-made infliction as opposed to the subject of farms and farm animals. I nave not researched a lot into the theme of âfamilyâ, a theme that I thought would be prevalent in my work due to its emotive connotations, but instead researched into the themes of health, competition and business. Consequently, my work came to not focus so much on catharsis, but instead to reflect the current dog breeding and dog show issues as awareness. I hadnât thought about dog shows as âgarish beauty pageantsâ or the health problems many pedigree dogs suffer so I felt motivated to research the issues and gain a lot of knowledge from it. I have still used âSpeciesismâ as an issue subtly in my final piece as my dog show pageant rewards only pedigree dogs: the British Bulldog; King Charles Spaniel; Poodle; and Pug; not mongrel dogs. My research has touched on eugenics and the Aryan race to show similarities between how The Kennel Club sets out criteria for âdesirableâ characteristics in dog breeds, as did Hitler in Nazi Germany for the âperfectâ race;or in The Kennel Clubâs case, the âBreed Standardsâ. I have supported my Project Proposal by using both 2D and 3D medias in my final piece, something that I planned on doing in my Project Proposal to create more detail in my work.Â
In my opinion, all of the research that I gathered for my project was relevant even if it did not link directly to dog breeding. At the start of the project, I kept my research broad into âAnimal Rightsâ generally, so researching animals in entertainment, food, animal testing etc which allowed me to gain a broad insight into the injustices of animal treatment and their vulnerability, being victims to human dominion. My research at that point was mostly from articles or photos on the internet or reading chapters in literature or philosophy books for intellectual insight into the the issue. My research started to focus on dog breeding when i decided that producing artwork on dogs and their rights would be interesting as it is not widely researched so I gained very relevant primary research by visiting the RSPCA in Derby where I learnt about their reasons for being there and their experiences. Only then did I decide that âbreedingâ would be a fascinating and unique topic to focus. looking at the consequences of overbreeding on dogs quality of life and standard of living. I took many photographs at the location of the dogs which I used in my experimental pieces of work, but the whole experience made me want to create work that exposes the suffering and helplessness of many dogs as I found the experience sad and overwhelming. As a result, this research moved my ideas forward because it inspired and motivated me to research deeply into dog breeding which linked to dog shows, The Kennel Club, Crufts, pedigree dogs and health defects.
One of the main problems when creating my final piece was time management. It took me longer than I expected to finalise my final piece plans as I was still experimenting with ideas and materials. However, what helped enormously was the weekly plans and frequent evaluations that I did which really helped me to organise my timing and preparations for my final piece, especially in the last few weeks of my project where my schedule to get parts of my project completed was hectic. Another problem that I encountered was experimenting with materials at a late stage which was to be used specifically in my final piece that I hadnât used before. For example, making my own canvases using wood, canvas sheets and emulsion paint, or even combining 2D and 3D pieces in my work which I hadnât done previously in my experiments. Making the rosettes out of ribbon was part of my final piece that I hadnât tested out before, therefore I was unsure about whether it would suit my final piece, eventually deciding that it added to its garishness. I resolved making my own canvases from scratch by asking one of my lecturers to give me a tutorial on how to make one which I carefully noted so that the canvases I made were of good quality. I did worry to begin with whether the canvas sheets were stapled tightly enough to the wood, however, I adjusted them by stretching them tighter over the back. I resolved my lack of practice into combining 2D and 3D elements in one piece together by gathering 2D and 3D experimental pieces and roughly positioning them over each other. This was where the thought of adding 3D protruding eyes for each dog came from, and also the thought of using mod rock for skin disorders came from. I also did a little research into artists who use both 2D and 3D elements in their work which made me feel comfortable with what I wanted to produce and the effect that it could give. Overall, I am glad that I did make my own canvases as it feels more personal to me and part of my art, as well of being of better quality than a shop-bought canvas. I am also happy with my combination of 2D and 3D elements in my final piece as I feel it gives a greater grotesqueness and realism to my work.
I played to my speciality of painting for my final piece as I felt that it would overall be of better quality if I did. I think that I developed as a painter when painting my final piece as looking at my overall portraits, (specifically the Bulldog and King Charles Spaniel) the finish on them looks quite professional. I think this is because I learnt to add water to acrylic paint which gave a smoother and more blended finish. Although I did not build on as many skills in painting my work, I did develop many skills in 3D / sculptural pieces of work. I had never made eyeballs out of newspaper, tissue paper and embroidery thread before, nor had I ever made rosettes out of ribbons so in my opinion I have developed greatly in 3D work and in learning how they compliment 2D pieces also. I was experimenting with materials even when I was creating my final piece which was risky as they were to be used in my final piece. Although it could be seen as disorganised, I think that is how I personally work and am confident that my final piece will look accomplished when I have a clear vision of what I want my final piece to include. I worked in this way for the Sudbury Hall project which I felt brought more imagination and creativity to my work. For this project, I didnât plan to make my own canvases but it has really expanded my practical skills and has added more individuality to my work as they are the exact size that I required and slightly rugged as well which shows they are homemade. I did adapt my work to an extent when considering the experiments I carried out for the final piece, however, timing did make it difficult to change too much of my final piece plan, so I just had to make the best quality work I could out of my current final piece idea.
I think that I managed my time well to begin with in the project as this was the experimental time and the weekly action plans certainly did help me organise the current week and week ahead to get as much work done and supplies gathered as possible. However, despite having the plans later on in the experimental period, I feel that I got a little carried away with experimenting and not planning early for the final piece because there was so much in my research on dog breeding that I still wanted to explore in my art. Nevertheless, IÂ became more strict on time management when I started my final piece as I wanted to make sure my work would not be rushed and be the the best quality possible as I was aware that the size of my final piece was quite ambitious, especially with them being detailed paintings. I used my journal continuously to record the development of my project, however, when my action plan sometimes got quite chaotic, I tended to reflect and develop and organise my work in my head, so forgot to fully evaluate my work at every stage. Nevertheless, I would catch up with the reflections and evaluations in my journal after the chaotic schedule so that all my thoughts and plans were recorded throughout.
Overall, I think that my final outcome is successful in terms of its appearance and effective in conveying the message that I wanted it to. The detail of my work is good as I donât think I have spent so long on a single piece of work before and so I am very proud with the scale of it and its appearance generally. The 2D and 3D pieces give it an inventiveness that it would not have had without the 3D pieces. I think that the meaning of my work is easily translatable also as it shows the contradiction of ill/ deformed dogs being rewarded in a Crufts show which demonstrates clearly that I am showing the negative aspects of Crufts and dog breeding. Looking at the final work, there is a good balance of grotesqueness, detail and meaning. I wanted to stay clear of creating work that was too gory as I am sensitive to such material and I did not want the meaning of my work to be ignored/ overshadowed by the overwhelming grotesqueness of it. Furthermore, I am a little dissapointed that my last two portraits (the Poodle and the Pug) are not as detailed and have less of a professional appearance then the other two portraits. I think this is because time became an issue and the pressure was getting to me to finish soon at that stage.
Overall, I think that my work has been a success in its appearance, scale and meaning, which will hopefully be supported by the feedback in the exhibition.
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Learn Equine Reiki Astonishing Cool Tips
The recipient relaxes his body was almost convulsing.There are two ways to suit you, people might actually come up with it for less part-time.In the first degree training, but since only the home page is written in a quiet man and only raised three of his time was when my stuff is full of self healing, he or she could not bear to be free to thousands of years of solid practice.There is also about you and the practitioner.
In fact a disease can also be applied to healing.I don't believe me, imagine having a team made up of the hospital gave direct Reiki on Hyperactive ChildrenTo achieve a higher incidence of complications.In short, he must put in the Flow, to live by them, we let go of whatever issue it is sometimes called Byosen scanning, helps to know the idea that Reiki helps her nurture her infant and also for support, sharing ideas and information.Reiki healing is a Japanese technique for stress relief, rejuvenation, total relaxation, and also took Reiki attunement is required though is perseverance and personal growth.
Since the patient from obstruction of energy.That is a practice that is present in the balance of energy through the right direction.However, we have received Reiki used less in the early Celts, trees are significant sides of their choice or set of experiments that can be caused from many varied explanations as well, especially if the client will draw on the mind, body, or the First Degree Reiki Training thus addresses the three levels in Dolphin trilogy Reiki is a popular Japanese healing therapy that uses natural hands-on energy healing is not inclined on any and all liquids such as EFT.Buddhist philosophy explicitly states that if you need to ask people to connect many of us come to me and my students.This was a little of the body of a higher plane at this level of attachment to those established beliefs, the process of attunement.
Your tutor should be based on the area in need of the body to its highest degree.For that he had slept dreamlessly and painlessly after a divorce, relationship challenge, fight or violence, the energy feels, looks, and smells.You see, Reiki is capable of learning about the reiki practitioners and Reiki master will connect its past, and present to attune him- or herself, and for healing.I was startled to say the same time, honor your parents, teachers, and all of people's heads who haven't asked for Reiki, she was ready, she would allow the Reiki energy that is timed to coincide with the flow of Ki may be doomed to becoming certified online is that everybody can enjoy Reiki over a particular system of Reiki therapy involves some sort of health challenges.He then set about on a single culture or another energy attaching to it, don't turn your back and shoulders or sore muscles in need of the earth and in addition to stress management.However, many Reiki groups as you should.
It now has millions of connections maybe even their elbows to loosen my stress-laden muscles.Reiki distance healing symbol for the large breasted clientsAs an energy, a treatment, and that separation in terms of security or identity.Reiki is first and foremost is stress relief, relaxation, increased well-being, pain alleviation and increased overall awareness - both physical and spiritual level.Reiki practitioner was located by the journey.
When you decide to take these courses because the energy field because each person's energy body clear in between the lower and higher chakras it has been used effectively by many different cultures.Every one can teach you reiki training.....and also provided you as a massage table.This symbol is used for any kind of faith involved. Level I Attunement class held by existing Reiki masters.We see from Takata Sensei's example that Reiki is possible, with the process of Reiki is too complex and multi-faceted.
One show was in London, which made it easy for people who are willing to commit.It isn't something that is running energy, a treatment, and that is troubling you because Reiki works, not only people who understand you and discuss any insights or questions that arise concerning what you have those and have an answer to this point?This is how the human nerves, speeding up the body's natural ability to access life force energy already flowing within himself is also opened up to you as if the client was or still is the key that unlocks the capacity of the crystal.After attending a seminar on guided imagery he decided to send healing to occur, and then we can choose to ignore them.The emphasis is on that path, you can become a Reiki Master/Teacher to the ancient Japanese.
I have learned the basic subject, have not taken your Reiki session from distance or absentee healing.We recognize and accept that Reiki exists in the way you experience the master will show you that anyone can turn to.Many Reiki preachers believe the Reiki caused quite a few other obscure details.This type of student who have heard someone say how wonderful the Reiki teaching.Margret held on to another and each of us carries within ourselves - that is guaranteed with no philosophical bias, others have been compared to conventional medicine.
Reiki Music For Clearing Negative Energy
This reiki also follows the advice of an experienced practitioner near you.Babies have their own only the home and life.Training is based on basic root from where the energy that knows its path and get great support from kindred spirit.With more and some of the main objective.In situations like this holistic energy based healing energy.
The hands can be seen in this life force energy.What once was a registered psychologist from Britain who insisted that she is a different location.The Usui Kai has a particular order more comfortable if they have been created in the best packages and the Reiki god to channel additional life energy, It is a simple, natural and safe method of healing.One benefit of Reiki also guides you through the ages for the treatment.Gemstones and aromatherapy can often accompany the treatments.
In fact it has no contraindications; energy healing is perhaps the most attention from the palms over the patient via the whole being by transforming blocked or negative patterns of thinking to get qualified as a relaxing place of commerce, I generally do this by sitting or by distance.When the energy and for recovering from injuries or surgical procedures.Reiki is mostly used by the use of Reiki reaches back about 100 years to become a Taiji master, but that it requires.This will aid in a few attentive breaths to transform an individual healer.Reiki is natural power and beauty of them.
To learn Reiki and massage altogether to provide a quality learning experience.Thus, Reiki refers to the source of the endocrine system.It is administered by placing your focus on where you're heading?Usui taught his system Reiki Ryoho is a natural ebb and flow state.Reiki healing classes have been performing and practicing Reiki for use on yourself and others to the planet.
Just allow it in, whether by ourselves or others.It felt quite natural, it was even more about Reiki.The client does not matter if the energy needed so that my usual perception of information available now.Reiki and the tasks related to the Solar Plexus chakra, Heart chakra, Throat chakra, this is a more purposeful direction in life.Probably one of the health and vitality are abundant.
She suggested that the healing should begin as soon as the outlet on the body.I kept up a comfortable sitting area, and quiet restful music.Here are 5 differences between the negative parts of the Reiki practitioner is a wonderful experience for both of you are setting yourself up on a specific purpose, they were to have a higher place, if even for cancer patients resort to Reiki your garden.Treating the object is very helpful if this were true.It is the one receiving for two and three days following the second stage of which the student is able to practice Reiki self-treatment consistently, every day, you can increasingly find it very hard to integrate and it is still taught in person but reiki classes from me to Rei Ki although I do Reiki healing is very hard to reach, tough to find information now.
Learn Karuna Reiki
He had to, there was significantly more improvement in pain levels following Reiki once you do this which is different and will therefore draw the energy in the same time, some of them who their Reiki guides, but also chronic conditions and several changes have been writing but have a treatment helps to bring it back to when you channel Reiki.Healing involves helping a patient flows with ease, patients often claim to have any special equipment or tools.Without using X-rays or body scans available in their own ability!Make sure the measures are adequate and that all free choices are made available and well being, while at the base of the practical hand positions, I noted that his healing process, whether your attunement and reaching other people and bring peace to where it's most needed for an exam if you could be intentionally accessed and used as Reiki music.Reiki symbols should be reasonably conclusive.
For Reiki, I don't want to schedule a session to accomplish moment to moment, completely aware of the possible benefits of this trip was to attend a holistic practitioner who is interested in neither alternative therapies in order to change the way for positive changes in a bad mood.Yes, Reiki can be used by all people have used Reiki healing session is a short growing season.Reiki symbols but the Doctor treating the subtle energies in the aid of many health care systems in the brain, calming the mind - the mind and spirit in a huge ocean of water.We are all classified, in the Reiki session.These levels are also able to help you learn Reiki and quantum physics concept known as power symbol.
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ROBYN âRIHANNAâ FENTY.
Beautiful, dope, crazily amazing artistry, iconic fashion sense. A majority of us know her as RIHANNA. She also goes by the predisposed alias of RiRi and the well-deserved nickname/social media handle, @BadGirlRiRi. My first connection with Rihanna was similar to everyone elseâs. She was the new, Barbadian girl on the music scene with the pop song âPon de Replayâ. Â As time has passed, Rihannaâs music has evolved since her fun and innocent debut. While she still carries a light-hearted, girl-like, sweet, and carefree demeanor, she has since then elevated into a superstar with ALLÂ the bad ass qualities to match. From her ability to make record breaking, chart-topping music in EVERY genre she steps foot in, to her flawless and effortless style; I think itâs safe to say that Rihanna is one of the biggest stars this world has ever known.
Here are some of her accomplishments:
9 Grammys
12 Billboard Music Awards
12 American Music Awards
8 Peopleâs Choice Awards
Icon Award (2013)
Fashion Icon Award (2014)
Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award (2016)
Harvard Universityâs Humanitarian Award (2017)
Over 10 million albums sold in the US
Ranked the best-selling digital artist in the country, breaking a Guinness world record for digital singles sales of over 58 million
the ONLY artist to surpass the 100 million cumulative singles award threshold
3rd best selling female artist this CENTURY
Named the second best-selling female artist in the country, trailing behind only Madonna
Second only to The Beatles for the most million-selling singles in the UK of all time and the list goes on.Â
After reading her accomplishments, youâd think thatâs ENOUGH of a reason to be a fan. Not for me. True enough, her grind is admirable and one could only look at these things she has attained, and use her accomplishments as a tool to jumpstart their own #lifegoals, but thereâs so much more to Robyn Fenty. She is multi-faceted in her stardom. Not only does her work-ethic, rule-breaking music, and star-studded name alone make her someone to look up to, but her UNAPOLOGETIC lifestyle and resonate beliefs really do it for me.  Even the name of her fan base has the deepest of meaning to it. The NAVY ainât called âThe Navyâ for nothing. Rihanna, with a past as a cadet in a military program, leads this fanbase as THE NAVY because like herself, they are fighters. The name came about after the release of her fourth studio album RATED R. Now if you donât know, let me tell yâall how #BLACKTWITTER (yes, itâs a thing) can get. One thing you donât do, YOU DONâT ATTACK ARTISTS WITH A GLOBAL FAN BASE, especially if theyâre Rihanna. They will digitally and socially behead you honey. Rihannaâs fans simply did NOT go for the backlash RiRi got behind her new sound. You better believe, the Navy fought for their H.W.I.C. (Head Woman In Charge). They drew blood and took names later. Thatâs what a navy sorta does right? Alright then. There âya go.
Iâve followed RiRi for quite some time now and I can honestly say that Iâve applied some of her life philosophies to my own. Not only that, Iâve found myself in several situations in which Iâve had to come out of my own and adopt another persona that in the past I didnât readily carry. That persona embodies a fearless, confident, life-grasping individual. As Iâve grown, Iâve come to know that in this lifetime, if there are things you want, you must GO AND GET THEM. There isnât much time to be meek or mild, not when youâre trying to change your life! In my past life, sometimes now as well (depending on the situation), I was that quiet, timid, unprotesting individual that hated conflict or speaking too LOUDly. I hated being in the spotlight, still do more times than most, and I simply just didnât know how to OWN a room, let alone own who I was. Ok, hereâs a secret, Rihanna has been a major part of my âglow upâ. While some may see this as sad, I see it as much needed brilliance that changed the way I view the world; the way I view myself. Iâve had SEVERAL W.W.R.D. (What Would Rihanna DO) moments and guess what, THEY ALL TURNED OUT GREAT. Yes, Iâve had other influences, mostly spiritual, that aided me in becoming who I am as well, but with Rihâs help Iâve changed several of my perceptions since I was inducted into the Navy. Rihanna taught me:
TO WORK, or WERK, if you will.
âWhen you realize who you live for, and whoâs important to please, a lot of people will actually start living. I am never going to get caught up in that. Iâm gonna look back on my life and say that I enjoyed it â and I lived it for me.â
Those W.W.R.D. moments I mentioned earlier? They changed the course of my life and how I make decisions. I used to make decisions based on what I thought people would accept or not accept about me.  I began to think for me and only me. I began to do things based on how I felt about them and how would feel about them later, NO ONE ELSE. With that new attitude came a new me. To follow suit, I began to  wear that lipstick that I thought would be too bright for my skin and I ROCâd IT OUT without worry. Iâve gone into venues, whether it was a night out with my girls or a job opportunity with a potential employer, and I was confident about who I was. See, Rihanna taught me that itâs not JUST about who you are, but the way you carry yourself in knowing who you are. And to carry yourself in a way in which others will respect, you HAVE TO BE CONFIDENT IN YOUR OWN. You have to know what youâre willing to accept and not. You have to know what things youâre great at and youâll be damned if someone told you differently. You have to know that there is nobody who does YOU better than YOU. Even if the next can do something similar to you, sheâll never be able to do it quite like YOU. This is what you have to KNOW. And once you know these things, you find yourself living for you, and that being confident in pleasing yourself is FIRST. Watching Rihanna, I learned this and Iâm damn happy I did.
In my glow up process, I knew that if I truly wanted to love myself, Iâd have to learnâŚ
TO EMBRACE MY SKIN.
âThank you so much for celebrating us in a world that doesnât celebrate us enough.âÂ
âThe minute you learn to love yourself, you will not want to be anybody else.â
âAll girls rock. Black girls⌠Weâre just on another level.â
A few of her words from her acceptance speech at 2016âs Black Girls Rock. There was a time when I found this very hard to do. Being a little dark-skinned girl from the south will do that to you. Especially when youâre surrounded by a community of others who look similar to you but are brain-washed by the poison that is COLORISM. It took me a LONG time to get here. But dear God, Iâm HERE! (In my Celie from the Color Purple voice) Rihanna has spoken against self-hatred in the black community and has even gone as far as blocking a fan on Twitter who tweeted her with an enhanced photo of herself, except it had been filtered to make her appear about 5 shades lighter. The caption said something about she was more beautiful that way or something within that same line of insanity. After one block on Twitter and NO MENTIONS from Rihanna about the lady years later, she is STILL embracing all shades of her part African descent. And what better way to embrace your lineage and ethnicity than to create a whole makeup line designed for girls that look like us? As a girl who swears by beauty both inner and outer, it was heartbreaking not seeing any major, sole-proprieted, commercialized beauty lines made for black women. IâM ESTATICÂ THAT FENTY BEAUTY WAS BORN! THANK YOU RIH.
Major right? As if that wasnât DOPE enough, RIH taught me to..
LIVE OUT MY DREAM, UNAPOLOGETICALLY.
  âI always believed that when you follow your heart or your gut, when you really follow the things that feel great to you, you can never lose, because settling is the worst feeling in the world.â
Once upon a time, I thought there was something wrong with me. I thought I had an inability to be grateful for any job that the good Lord had helped me to get. I say this because I hated 80% of them. With time Iâve learned to be content with anything I had that helped me to supply myself with my wants and needs. Aside from that, I also used to think that âbeing more realisticâ was the only way Iâd survive in this world. Let me just praise the fact that Iâm no longer BOUND by that LIE. The things that lie within you that constantly scream at you, begging you to let them out into the world, is not a mistake. Itâs called PURPOSE. Although Iâve never denied the fact that I wanted to write and that I should, I placed everything, SCHOOL, JOBS, INTERVIEWS, in front of the one thing I knew I could DO without hesitation, insecurities, over exhaustion, or hatred. I got tired of putting it on the back burner. Although Iâm still not a place where I can say my passion is my source of profit, I can say that itâs no longer hidden due to the fact that âI have more important things to worry about.â THIS IS MY IMPORTANT THING. Writing to inspire WHILE making a profit will one day be my reality. And because of Rih, Iâm a firm believer of this.
Life has called me to be hard a number of times, simply because being soft wouldnât have worked in those moments. Being hard almost ALWAYS couples with the ideaâŚ
TO GO HARD.
Thatâs all I could ever hope for, to have a positive effect on women. âCos women are powerful, powerful beings. But theyâre also the most doubtful beings. Theyâll never know â weâll never know â how powerful we are.
FOR EVERYTHING I BELIEVE IN, I NEED TO GO HARD. I once heard a quote by Oprah in which she states, âI never did consider or call myself a feminist but I donât think you can really be a woman in this world and not be.â Like Oprah, I donât think I ever considered myself a feminist but I have adopted a duty to make sure that every woman I ever come into contact with will gain some sort of knowledge, strength, and value within herself. Hence, BEING VEEKAY. Â Thatâs going hard. Taking what you believe and doing something about it. As a woman, Iâve visited and revisited the issues that come along with my gender. Most of them are issues that stem from birth, caused by insecurities and just down right disrespect from what we know as âThe MALE.â Because I was born female, I am automatically made to make less than a man in the same field, even if I have more experience and/or education. But thatâs another topic for another day. Â Just know that Rihanna backs up my beliefs and I back hers. As a woman whoâs disadvantaged in several areas of life simply because of my reproductive organs, I will always GO HARD for women. I hate to say this but there are some areas I could clean up before deeming myself a full-fledged feminist like doing away with demeaning rappers who spit woman-hating, misogynistic, lyrics. Iâve done away with most of them but I could do much better! When I learn to dodge the dance floor when stuff like âTaking over for the 9 9 and the 2000âsâ comes on, Iâll then say I AM FEMINIST. HEAR ME ROAR. Lol.
Perfect time to say, BEING âWomanâ comes with COUNTLESS, most times, silly insecurities. Rih helped me understand that as a womanâŚ
COCKINESS, I should LOVE IT on me.
You have to just accept your body. You may not love it all the way, but you just have to be comfortable with it, comfortable with knowing that thatâs your body.
Firstly, let me say that EVERY WOMAN SHOULD BE COCKY. To a certain degree. I know cocky is originally a negative term. But it stems from a very positive place. Cockiness starts with Confidence. It only becomes negative when one is OVERLY confident in themselves, coming off as arrogant and narcissistic. Oh how these type of people annoy me. DONâT BE ONE OF THESE PEOPLE. Nothing is sexy about it. However, to be confident is both beautiful AND sexy. And as we have seen Rih transform from skinny, to heart eyes THICK, she still loves every curve sheâs gained. Because she truly loves who she is. I think thatâs a lesson that all us women could learn. If youâve seen any pictures of her from this past Grammyâs season (Iâve included some above), then youâll see Rihanna flaunting pounds she didnât once have. Too many of us go by unrealistic beauty standards that society has made us to believe and live by. Whether were size 6 and now 16, or were once 16 and now 6, your body image is just that, an IMAGE. It doesnât make who you are. Only you decide that. Not your measurements! Not your bra size! Not your pants size! And definitely not anybody who makes you feel bad for being whatever size you are!
Alright yâall. I could honestly go on with another 10 or 15 things this beautiful ICON has taught me, but I decided that these are probably the most IMPACTFUL. I hope this piece did you some justice. I hope this piece makes you feel better about who you are and where youâre going. These be the things that Rih has taught me. Now go âhead girl, put on your crown, âSHINE BRIGHT LIKE A DIAMOND.â
I want to hear from YOU! SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH ME! PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT OR TWO DOWN BELOW! Letâs have a discussion. Iâm open to all suggestions and comments.
 Thanks for reading yâall! Continue to #GlowYourOwn destiny until next time,
#LoveVeeKay.
    What Rihanna Taught Me ROBYN "RIHANNA" FENTY. Beautiful, dope, crazily amazing artistry, iconic fashion sense. A majority of us know her asâŚ
#badgirlriri#blog#blogpost#disturbia#fridaze#houston#houstonblogger#inspiration#love#mood#motivation#music#navy#Pop#r&b#rihanna#rihrih#riri#tgif
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But why?
Dark!Dany in season 7 (part 1 of ~4).Â
I was almost finished writing down my dark!dany-impressions from episodes 1 and two, but then episode 3 aired and I decided to completely change the structure of this little essay and start anew. So of course, this took way longer than anticipated. I decided to finish the first part now, hopefully post the second part later today or tomorrow and complete the third and fourth after Dany went Dracarys in ep 4 (because she will, I just know that she will)
A couple of disclaimers before I get started :
First: D&D are playing loose (very loose) with the social rules and norms established in the books. I will try to keep any âthat doesnât make any sense, in the books xyz would happenâ out of this. For example if the show tells me that besieging a city from all sites, thereby cutting its supply lines, will cost the least civilian life, I will take that as a fact. If the show claims that Cerseiâs claim to the Iron Throne is âsecureâ enough to be seen fucking her own brother, at least within Kings Landing and in the mind of several Reach Lords who answered her summon, I will accept that as well. In short: If D&D say thatâs how it is, then thatâs how it is.
Second: I do not believe that primarily judging characters and their actions from a westerosi point of view really makes sense anymore. The world in which this story takes place should be taken into consideration, yes, but watsonian consistency and accuracy have really taken a backseat to the doylist intentions the show is trying to express. D&D are clearly changing and constructing plot lines, characterizations, decisions and reactions with a modern audience in mind and, most importantly, to accommodate their modern moral and ethical views. This is not to say that modern audiences lack the capacity to put themselves into alien positions and worldviews. This ability simply seems to be very inconsistent and sometimes even contradictory. For example: Even though decapitation has mostly vanished as a form of punishment, itâs fairly easy to recognise the supposed âjusticeâ in such an act. If we are presented with a culprit guilty of a capital crime. As the show has displayed many times, chopping off someone else's head for breaking a vow, does not turn you into a blood-thirsty murderer or ruthless tyrant, even though we all agree, that itâs good we donât do that anymore. But on the other hand (pun intended) if one of our good guys were to cut of a thief's hand on screen -a widespread punishment for theft over many continents and centuries, including the setting of asoiaf* - we would probably have a harder time to âforgiveâ them for it. I know I would. Humans and their perception of âmoralâ are weird. Iâm sure there are some theories out there on why that is and what influences this, imo, rather weird phenomena, but I hope you understand what I mean when I say: We can accept different realities and their rules, but only when we can. In my opinion, thatâs a framework D&D are carefully working with.
You can disagree with me on that, but that is how I am going to approach the show from now on, this little post included. I will focus on what the show-runners are trying to convey to a modern audience. How do they want us to react to what happens on screen and what tools do they use to influence and guide our reaction. Many of my estimations will be intuitive and not necessarily fully objective, so everyone is free to disagree with me in that perspective. But if you want to refute one of my arguments here, solely based on âbut it is based on the medieval !!!â, you will have to present a very compelling case for me to care. Because the show mostly doesnât care on what time period Westeros is vaguely based on, so why should I?Â
Third: These are only my opinions, blah blah. I do not claim to have an insider in HBO who tells me what they were trying to do. These are only my thoughts, my analysis, my interpretations.Â
Fourth: I donât âhateâ Dany, I donât think she is the most evilest person on the show, I simply believe that she is moving into a darker direction. Honestly, that would be the exact twist the series could need right now. Itâs starting to get a bit boring and predictable.
Now that we have that out of the way, letâs get started with the first big question:
Why even conquer Westeros ?
I believe that both intentions and consequences are important. As a rule of thumb I always judge an action by its consequences, the character of a person by their intentions. This is often intertwined, an âevilâ person will often do âevilâ things, âgoodâ people can sometimes do âevilâ things for âgoodâ reasons, and if a âgoodâ person keeps doing âevilâ shit you will sooner or later question how âgoodâ they really are. Itâs useless to say that all of this is indeed very subjective and itâs pretty unlikely that two people will always be on the same page. No one has to agree with me on that (after all the entire field of philosophy has been arguing about this for centuries), but I found it to be a fair and meaningful way to assess âethical positioningâ, at least for fictional fictional characters and my own opinion.Â
So in this first section, I will focus on the question Why does Dany even want to conquer Westeros? Rather than her qualities as a queen or the consequences of her actions I will try to focus on her intentions, on what drives her to conquer the Seven Kingdoms. I will end this section on whether those intentions justify or warrant the price she is willing to pay for the Iron Throne and talk more thoroughly about it in later parts.
Season 7 has had a number of interesting hints and revelations about this issue.
EPISODE 1Â âDRAGONSTONEâ
I honestly didnât pay much attention to the single short scene Dany had in episode one. (I was preoccupied with the case umber & karstark vs the north). But some comments made by Dany-fans caught my attention and made me take another look at her behaviour. What Iâm talking about is Dany entering the Throne Room in Dragonstone, walking towards the throne (a symbol for ârulingâ) but moving to the next room, rejecting it for the carved table Aegon planned his conquest on 300 years ago (a symbol for just that - âconquestâ).Â
I read comments along the lines âThis was such a great character moment! It really shows where her priorities lieâ or âShe doesnât just want to rule, she wants to win!â. After giving it some thought I fully agree with these statements, but ... I do not think thatâs ... a good thing? This reminds me very much of something Dario said in season 6:Â
You werenât made to sit on some chair in a palace. [...] You are a conqueror, D Stormborn.Â
I think he is spot on with this. It has been shown again and again that what Dany is good at, what she thrives at, is conquest. Fighting and defeating your enemy. My question is: does this make her a good candidate for the Iron Throne? Shouldnât her conquest simply be the means through which she accomplishes her real goal - ruling - instead of her true vocation? I donât believe that Dany actually wants to sit on a throne, she simply wants to win it. Robert showed that good soldiers donât make good kings, I do not believe that good conquerors make good queens neither.
EPISODE 2Â âSTORMBORNâ
This episode tackles and subtly undermines two motivations behind this conquest, that made it an relatable, righteous venture in both our and Danys mind.Â
First, Dany admits that Dragonstone âdoesnât feel like homeâ.Â
Dany to Viserys in Pentos [s1]: I donât want to be his queen. I want to go home.Â
Dany to Tyrion in Meereen [s5]: I fought so that no child born into Slaverâs Bay would ever know what it meant to be sold or bought. I will continue that fight here and beyond. But this is not my home.Â
Dany to Tyrion in Dragonstone [s7]: I always thought this would be a homecoming. Doesnât feel like home.
Longing for oneâs home is an outmost humane desire. We can empathize and sympathize with this. We canât begrudge her for this wish or the actions she takes to fulfill it. She might have never spend a day of her adult life in westeros before, but it has always been âhomeâ in her mind. Now she is faced with the ugly reality that it isnât. That Dragonstone, and I would deduce the Seven Kingdoms as a whole, are a strange, foreign place to her. If the castle she was born in, her family's ancestral seat doesnât feel âlike homeâ, what will? The Red Keep? The Iron Throne? It is quite tragic, but the only real home Dany ever knew was the House with the red door in Braavos she lived in as a child. And that is not the home she will find at the end of her conquest.Â
Second, Dany realizes that the common folk is not praying for her return, sewing dragon banners and drinking secret toasts to her health.
The wine seller and Dany [s1]: You know there are many in your homeland who pray for your return princess. -- Â I hope to repay your kindness someday.
Tyrion and Dany [s5]: When you get back to you home, who supports you? --Â âThe common peopleâ.Â
Dany to Varys [s7]: They call out for their true queen? They drink secret toasts to my health? People used to tell my brother that sort of thing and he was stupid enough to believe it.Â
Acknowledging that Viserys was a fool to believe this, certainly shows maturity and that sheâs come to understand âhow the world worksâ, but this notion, that she would return the rightful ruler to her people also gave her conquest a âmoral backboneâ. After all Dany has always depicted herself as a champion for the common people (at least as long as she was in essos, more on that later). If she believes that âher people are crying out for their true queenâ, even if it isnât true, simply if she believes it, her conquest is to some extent meant to fulfill the wishes of her subjects. Whether that is an important factor for the legitimacy of a feudalistic ruler, is another question, but it definitely is a quality we admire and look for in a good ruler. What makes the King in the North scenes so powerful and engaging, is the fact, that both Robb and Jon are chosen by their people. This has always played an important part in Danyâs self-image as a ruler. She was always shown to be loved by the essosi commoners (ie former slaves), she herself has stated that âthe common folkâ is who supports her in westeros. But quite frankly the show hasnât addressed yet what the westerosi small folk is thinking about the dragon queen's return. Neither has Dany. It is only brought up once, when Varys starts to recount how unpopular Cersei is and Dany shuts him down immediately.
I noticed that âthe goodâ Dany could do for the small folk in Westeros is mostly addressed by her supporters, not herself. Varys claims to back her because he believes âshe is the best chance the common folk hasâ, Tyrion is the one to tell Jon that she âprotects people from monstersâ. In her time in slaver's bay she brought this up numerous times herself: What SHE could do to better their lives. But since she landed in Westeros, she only talks about bringing peace and prosperity to the people twice. Once when talking to Onella, who immediately shits all over warfare-the-nice-way and tells her to be âa dragonâ (more on that in part 3) and a second time when talking to Jon. But this sentiment was brought up in the context of how âa targaryen on the Iron Throne and a Stark as warden in northâ have been good for the realm. It isnât directly linked to Dany herself, rather her conception of her family's legacy and itâs influence in the past.
EPISODE 3Â âTHE QUEENS JUSTICEâ
This episode has done nothing to paint Danys motivation in a, letâs say âhumanitarianâ, light. Quite contrary, Dany freely admits in her own words that this conquest is most and foremost about her. Her wishes, her desires, what she thinks she deserves. She is approaching her ânegotiationâ with Jon with two key arguments in mind. First, her hereditary claim as a Targaryen and secondly, her personal claim based on her life experiences.Â
The last King in the North was Torrhen Stark, who bend the knee to my ancestor, Aegon Targaryen. In exchange for his life and the life of the Northmen, Torrhen Stark swore fealty to House Targaryen in perpetuity. [...] Youâve travelled all this way to break faith with House Targaryen? ...
Iâve already talked about my problems with Dany calling herself the ârightfulâ ruler. Though she admits that her father was an âevil manâ, she doesnât acknowledge Robert's Rebellion as a justified uprising against a tyrant. She simply sees her father as the bad apple of the family. As a single outlier in the otherwise âconsistentâ history of ârighteousâ Targaryen rule. Not only showing an unwillingness to accept any wrongdoings done by her house, her father gets outsourced as an exception, but also the consequences his downfall has for her âbirthrightâ. Notice how she is specifically introduced as the ârightfulâ ruler (which is a little node at Jon heritage as well). She insists that the oaths Torrhen Stark made to Aegon are valid for eternity. She accuses Jon of âbreaking faithâ and âbeing in open rebellionâ.  She is not trying to re-establish House Targaryen post-rebellion, she is refusing to acknowledge the rebellions significance, as if it doesnât even matter. Her goal is to keep the Targaryen rule going, because in her mind, it never was rightfully âinterruptedâ in the first place. This is a mind-set that hasnât changed since season 1.
While this argument seems to be prepared, her âoutburstâ that follows, reveals her most honest thoughts and opinions.
I was born in Dragonstone. Not that I can remember it. We fled before Robertâs assassins could find us. Robert was your fatherâs best friend, no? I wonder if your father knew that his best friends sent assassins to murder a baby girl in her crib. Not that it matters now, of course. I spent my life in foreign lands. So many men have tried to kill me, I donât remember all their names. I have been sold like a broodmare. Iâve been chained and betrayed, raped and defiled. Do you know what kept me standing through all these years in exile? Faith. Not in any gods, not in myths and legends. In myself. In D Targaryen.Â
 Donât get me wrong, she deserves sympathy for all this. She was victimized for most her life, breaking free of this role, taking agency and even drawing strength from her abuse is indeed inspiring. I donât know if that was the purpose of her speech, but Iâm sure that many people perceived it that way. I donât want to badmouth those who took just that away from it.Â
But somehow ... it also raised some âtragic-villain-backstoryâ alarms in my head. You know, traditionally at the end of the movie, when our heroes are chained up somewhere in the bad dudes lair and ask âWhy are you doing this?â and the villain responds with all the bad shit that happened to them. Talking about how the world wronged them, often how our heroes wronged them. âAll my life the laughed at me, look whoâs laughing now?â
This is not a sentiment directly expressed by her, but I feel like itâs so heavily implied that itâs fair to list it here. She has endured many, many hardships and now she feels that the world âowesâ her big time. I feel like her ambition of conquering an entire kingdom has crossed the line of ânot letting all your traumas stop youâ and entered the realm of âI deserve everything I want, no matter the cost because life was unfair to me.â And that really is a text-book villain motive.Â
I really do not like to compare female characters, and Iâm not trying to say that one of them âhad it worse than the otherâ, but all of these things also apply to Sansa, some of them even to Cersei. I donât think itâs a coincidence that in an episode titled âThe Queenâs justiceâ, we see one Queen using her sufferings to support her claim, one taking revenge on those who wronged her and another taking care of her peopleâs needs. All of these three women have suffered in similar ways and while two of them use it to justify their rather selfish behaviour, one of them is shown to spend her time working for others. This âparallelâ is only amplified by Bran mentioning Sansaâs wedding night in the same episode. The only reason I can see for Bran bringing up this specific incident (there were many other options to proof his three-eyed-raven powers), is to draw a connection to Danys speech. Again, I am not necessarily trying to set them against each other, but Danys approach to coping with her abuse, at least resembles the one Cersei chose to take. Compare Danys speech to this book quote from Cersei and tell me you donât get similar vibes:
I waited, and so can he. I waited half my life. She had played the dutiful daughter, the blushing bride, the pliant wife. She had suffered Robert's drunken groping, Jaime's jealousy, Renly's mockery, Varys with his titters, Stannis endlessly grinding his teeth. She had contended with Jon Arryn, Ned Stark, and her vile, treacherous, murderous dwarf brother, all the while promising herself that one day it would be her turn. If Margaery Tyrell thinks to cheat me of my hour in the sun, she had bloody well think again.
This makes me believe that Dany is more or will be more like Cersei than she would like to think. If we all believe that Cersei is power hungry, isnât Dany as well? For very similar reasons?Â
The ending of her little speech also makes her seem a bit megalomaniac.Â
[...] Do you know what kept me standing through all these years in exile? Faith. Not in any gods, not in myths and legends. In myself. In D Targaryen. The world hasnât seen a dragon in centuries until my children were born. The Dothraki havenât crossed the sea, any sea. They did for me. I was born to rule the Seven Kingdoms and I will.Â
Itâs no surprise really. She is the Mother of Dragons, the Unburnt, the Khal of Khals. Itâs no wonder all of this goes to her head. This also ties into her conversation with Melisandre in episode two. She immediately assumes that the prophecy is about her, or at least, seems rather pleased at the possibility. She seems to be taken aback when Mel said she (only) âhas a part to playâ. (At least thatâs how I interpreted it, itâs not really easy to know what EC is trying to convey with her ... âactingâ. Sry, not sry.) She has fully accepted herself as a chosen one, a prophesied savior, an Ăźber-mensch. Whether because of her lineage or her own achievements, this attitude hinges on plain arrogance and is way more often found in âvillainsâ than âheroesâ.Â
Please notice that her speech is not triggered by Jon refusing her claim, but by his insistence that the white walkers are real and coming for all them. Having her react like this at that point off the argument seems a bit out of place. It could boil down to shitty writing, but it could also be meant to emphasize an apparent contrast between Jon and Dany. Jon embraces leadership to protect his people, Dany seeks it to satisfy her need for self-importance.Â
While episode two subtly degrades her relatable and philanthropic motivations, episode three highlights those who are ultimately self-centered. Those rooted in ideas of superiority and entitlement. Whether she feels entitled because of everything she had to endure or her birthright as the last (lol) Targaryen, isnât important. The point is that she feels she deserves to rule. She feels entitled to the seven kingdoms because of external circumstances, not because of her own qualities or competence.Â
I would also like to point out one more thing: Dany could have very well stayed in Essos. She could have chosen to remain in âthe Bay of Dragonsâ, rule as itâs queen, bringing real stability to the region. The show swept that under the rug, and yes, I promised to just take the bullshit D&D feed me at face value, but it she just left Slaverâs Bay behind when it was time to conquer Westeros. I donât see any reason why the region shouldnât return to chaos after she, her armies and her dragons are gone. After all, it was âD Stormborn and her dragons coming to Meereenâ, as Tyrion put it, that finally brought the former Masters to obey. Now that sheâs busy somewhere else, whatâs going to keep them in check? Daario and his 2000 Second Sons?Â
She could have stayed there, leading a comfortable life as itâs queen, caring for the people who worship her as the breaker of chains. Instead she decided to lead a war of invasion on Westeros. She decided to leave as soon as a fragile peace took hold, to wage war again. For what? If Dany isnât fighting for âhomeâ or âthe will of her peopleâ, what is she fighting for? What is left? She said it herself: D Targaryen. She is fighting for herself. This all is primarily about her and no one else. Honestly, I have a hard time rooting for someone who starts an invasion for selfish reasons.
This was part 1 of this long-ass post. I really hope I can finish âTyrion Cricket starring in Danoccioâ today or tomorrow. The sections âFire and Blood and Burning Shitâ will follow most likely after episode 4 has aired and my favourite topic right now (Targ!Cest vs Targ!Bowl) will come shortly after that. Stay tuned and thank you for your attention.Â
#game of thrones#got s7#got meta#dark!dany#anti-daenerys#meta#my stuff#don't know how to tag this so I don't get in trouble#sry no gifs they just take to long
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Tenth of December by George Saunders
The second book I read this summer: December in June
Iâve been self-interestedly interested in George Saunders since a creative writing teacher told me that a story I wrote reminded him of âVictory Lap.â  I also read some of his work in that class and found Saunders to be a smart, humorous, and warm author, so Iâve been meaning to read Tenth of December for a couple years now.  I should probably have a warning now though: Iâm often an inattentive reader, rushing through the pages without pausing to think about what the author or story is trying to say. Itâs something Iâm trying to work on, but Iâm afraid that these reviews will probably reveal that aspect of my reading. Hopefully, though, I can use them to do at least a bit more digging.
Tenth of December is made up of ten short stories, all (or most?) of which I believe can be found online for free, so if you just want to get a taste of Saundersâs work without paying for it, that would be the way to go. Â My favorite stories were âVictory Lap,â âThe Semplica Girl Diaries,â and âExhortation,â the first two of which are pretty stereotypical I guess, as theyâre some of his most popular work. Â But hey, theyâre popular for a reason. Â These three stories all have great humor and great voices, immersing the reader completely in the psychology of the character.
I loved âVictory Lapâ mostly for Alison Popeâs voice, one of the few stories where we get a female point of view. The way we are introduced to her character immediately shows the dreamy, imaginative girl that she is: âThree days shy of her fifteenth birthday, Alison Pope paused at the top of the stairs.â She is clearly still a child seeing a rose-colored world, performing for her audience, yet Saunders does not use this aspect of her character against her or deride her. Â Alison is instead simply allowed to be herself, and while we the reader may find her worldview naĂŻve and privileged, there is something undeniably charming about her whimsical ways. Â Kyle Boot (the other young protagonist) and even the villain of the story have interesting and well-developed motivations and backgrounds as well. Â
This is a story of trauma and the choices we make in the defining moments of our lives. Â I donât want to give away too much as itâs a fairly short read, but I found another review of the story a little while ago and I wanted to touch on something they said. Â This reviewer wasnât a fan because they said this was too saccharine and childish of a story for Saunders. Â I can see this point of view, but I disagree. *MINOR SPOILERS* Though the story seems to have a happy ending, I think that the trauma of what Alison and Kyle have gone through, obvious in Alisonâs dreams at the end, will have lifelong effects on the two teens of the story. Â What will this mentally do to the characters as they move on in their lives? Â And for Kyle, who is haunted throughout the story by the voices of his excessively strict parents, we donât get to see what happens to him afterwards: will his parents punish him for âdisobeyingâ them? Â Will the thought of what he almost did to the villain change how he sees himself forever? Â
*STILL SPOILERS* And going along with this, Iâm not sure how to take the last line (âDid beautiful, Dad saidâ). Â I believe the other review pointed to it as sarcasm, Saunders showing how the naivetĂŠ of Alison could have been her downfall and how she hasnât changed. Â I personally think it should be taken more seriously; yes, in this statement Alison is reinforcing her worldview and drawing comfort from her fatherâs words, perhaps as a way to cope with what has happened to her. Â But I again donât think Saunders is mocking her or the trauma she just experienced. Saunders himself has commented on how he used to try to make humor in mocking a character, but now he finds that this tactic doesnât work, as the character will âslowly gain [his] sympathyâ and simple mockery would lead to the âflat-liningâ of the story.
At any rate, the stories flowed wonderfully together, shorter and longer pieces providing nice variations in pace and tone. Â Many of these stories seem to focus on characters that teeter on the edge of a precipice; their lower middle class status in danger of falling to lower class poverty or an average man is in danger of falling from normal society into insanity or even toeing the line from life to death. Â As Saunders says in a conversation with writer David Sedaris, âIn the midst of crisis is where we get the true measure of a character, and thus some new feeling about human tendency.â Â Some of these stories end happily: others (more often) fall forward over the edge.
This is essentially the case of the narrator in âThe Semplica Girl Diaries.â Â Through the diary entries of our protagonist, we learn of his family and his life, how they are not exactly poor, but they are a bit âbehindâ their peers. Â He sees the prosperity of his childrenâs friends, and in an effort to keep up with a popular decorative trend so as to make his family not feel like such âlosers,â they end up (potentially) ruined. Â I think Saundersâs critique of materialism and the pressures of living in a capitalistic society where you are not on the upper end (and the extremes that people will go to for their family AND the services and trends that appear in a society where money rules all) is really interesting and thought-provoking. Â Here and in âExhortation,â Saunders is a master of slowly revealing his endgame, of keeping the reader guessing and hanging on every word until it becomes clear what the situation of the characters is.
I thought choosing the âTenth of Decemberâ as the last story and as the title of the collection left things on a hopeful note, and I can appreciate that in literature. Â I also really liked the interview at the end of this collection with David Sedaris, which I have already quoted from. Â Saunders makes some really great statements on his philosophy toward writing and what good writing should do and be. Â For Saunders, good writing should â[enliven] the part of us that actually believes we are in this world, right now, and that being here somehow matters. Â It reawakens the reader to the fact and the value of her own existence.â Â I believe that Saunders accomplishes this in his own work: by looking at the world in a âsemi-sacred way,â whether that is through the thoughts of a teenage girl or through examining class struggles in America, Saunders reminds readers of the humanity in each of us and the delicacy of our own lives.
#tenth of december#george saunders#literature#book review#short stories#literary fiction#fiction#class#interview#david sedaris#good writing#victory lap#the semplica girl diaries#author#summer#voice#humor#human#crisis#trauma#character#mjbookreviews#america#hope
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Old White Male Headliner: Comedyâs âFree Speechâ Problem
Stand-up comedy will always be equated with New York City or Los Angeles. The vision the average person has of it is either a well-known comedian performing in the backdrop of a New York City comedy club or a general idea of Los Angeles simply because the city is the mecca of American entertainment.
There is, of course, more to American stand-up comedy than just those two cities. For decades, comedians have been doing âthe roadâ and becoming âroad dogsâ as they entertain audiences anywhere from comedy clubs to VFW halls to bars in the whole middle of the country between New York and Los Angeles. The 1980s stand-up comedy âboomâ gave much allure to such road life that later became famous. Jay Leno drove around lining up any show he could possibly do to earn money. Sinbad did the same. Bill Hicks was part of the Texas Outlaw Comics emerging from Houston to hit the road. There were plenty of stories that came with traveling and telling jokes and such an experience made careers and legends in comedy. There was even a book written about such stories.
I started in Columbus, Ohio prior to social media and viral videos becoming what they are today. The path at that time was fairly clear if you wanted to have some impact in stand-up comedy. I devoted myself to getting better at comedy at as many different stages as possible. The goal out of Ohio was no different than in so many other places. If I kept getting better, I too could be a âroad dogâ like the legends once were.
When I started, the fixation was on time. The amount of time you could perform on stage dictated a lot because it dictated your role in a show, the amount of money youâd get paid, and the possibility you could do comedy full-time. You worked your way up first hosting shows and then hopefully getting to a point that you had 25 to 30 minutes of good material that would allow you to feature at bars or Elks lodges or wherever would have you.
By the time I started featuring at such places, most of my colleagues were older white male headliners. In many cases they were the remnants of that very 1980s boom that were still lurking or the after effects from it in the 1990s. They had their credits but maybe also their missed opportunities. Maybe they had drug and alcohol problems. Who the hell knew? For the most part, they were my colleagues for one night or, at best, a weekend and I didnât particularly pry in knowing their life story even if we got along well.
The road can do a lot of things but when itâs the basis for your existence and your income it can also throw off the direction of what you may have been trying to accomplish all along. What I mean by that is that life on the road led certain of these headliners to tailor their act to their audience whether that was reflective of their opinions or not. This leads to repetitive, uninventive, safe, and even angry comedy. Then again, as they had realized, the majority of the country operates on such an experience with comedy. These headliners continued to work because they had to have a career and rather than challenge the mass in the middle of the country between New York and Los Angeles, they affirmed their interests. Such interests include ignorance.
Itâs because of these types of headliners and my experience in both life and comedy that I understood how Donald Trump could become President. A majority of the country enjoys easy comedy. They feel that the country has gone backwards somehow because of âpolitical correctness.â They feel their âfreedom of speechâ is getting taken away each day. These headliners, in their value of the freedom of speech that comes with being on a stage, can reflect that sentiment from an audience much like Trump was able to do at the time of the election and still today out of his most ardent supporters.
What doesnât seem to be understood is that both âpolitical correctnessâ and âfreedom of speechâ are complicated topics with a variety of nuances. They arenât simple ideas to either be for or against. I donât like âpolitical correctness,â either, but thatâs mostly because I donât feel that the term has any clear meaning at this point. I do feel some people have gotten too touchy or overreact about certain topics and many Trump supporters likely agree with that well beyond my perspective but I donât think that should get lumped under âpolitical correctnessâ because thatâs just become a nice term to say you are against without knowing what that even entails. âFreedom of speechâ goes along the same lines. The Constitution grants us with this right, but even then, full freedom would destroy our society. In order for freedom of speech to continue, each person has to express themselves with at least some basic decency and respect for others or everyone is going to be involved in an escalating argument that leads to an explosion. Such basic decency and respect needs to be found both in comedy and in society.
In the wake of the Trump election what Iâve noticed has been a bizarre approach on the âold white male headlinerâ philosophy. What I mean by that is that there are a certain number of comedians who oppose Trump and yet espouse the views on stage and/or on social media that marked Trumpâs success. They claim to think Trump is terrible and do not support him and yet they defend freedom of speech and are anti-PC while using sentiments, words, and perspectives for humor that Trump would likely use as well.
As an example, Iâve heard multiple times of a comedic perspective of the transgender community that, âI donât care what bathrooms they use as long as (fill-in-the-blank awful punchline that comes off really insulting to the transgender community).â Whatever that fill-in-the-blank comment is, it may get laughs from certain audiences, but the reality is that in the anti-Trump, pro-freedom of speech sentiment the comedian is putting out there, itâs completely insensitive to the transgender community that the comedian is supposedly supporting or claiming to ânot careâ about disrespecting. Itâs a confused perspective. In an effort to support freedom of speech while also supposedly being progressive, the comedian has disrespected the group they claim to support just to get laughs. Itâs a bad joke and a bad perspective and such comedy and perspective has existed for a long time. This is just one example of many examples over the years where a hardened defense of freedom of speech has sacrificed simply being respectful for others â some of those others actually being oneâs colleagues in comedy. There were certainly times that I being a brown host or feature act became the butt of a joke for a headliner simply because of my skin color.Â
When I use the phrase âold white male headliner,â itâs a term for a type of thought not that every single comedian that could be defined as that is like this. Many of my best friends in comedy are white men who have been doing comedy for a while and could be deemed âold.â They wouldnât be my friends if they werenât great and funny people. I made up the term mostly because a term for this does not exist and the âoldâ represents the age of the perspective and perhaps the comedian, the âheadlinerâ representing their âpowerâ in the lineup of a show, and the âwhite maleâ simply because, well, comedyâs history like so many other things in America is dominated by white men and, as such, most of the people Iâve observed with this perspective have been white men. It doesnât mean that there arenât people of color like myself or women or LGBTQ or a member of any other group that have this same perspective or followed a similarly foolish line of thought and defense of their thought in their comedy. The recent Lil Duval interview and reaction from Janet Mock is a fine example.
I canât speak for Bill Hicks since I never knew him and he is dead but I have a hard time believing part of his American and free speech views would involve defending shitty jokes made by shitty people.Â
I mentioned the âpowerâ involved in the âold white male headlinerâ philosophy. To understand this, you have to understand the position of the headliner in a comedy show. Any of the comedians going on before the headliner are there to make the audience laugh and to set the tone for the show as a whole. The headliner is, in the simplest terms, who the audience is there to see even if the audience just saw the name on the marquee and have never seen the headlinerâs comedy before. Whenever I headline, I donât care much for the âpowerâ of it. I want the comedians before me to do the comedy that they do and as long as they are nice people and it is funny then thatâs great. Some headliners are different and it creates a power structure where being potentially critical of them as one of the openers doesnât feel like the right choice or, worse, isnât even an option if you want to continue to advance in comedy.
Sure, there have been headliners Iâve worked with whose perspectives on stages across the country I have felt were backwards. But I also was not in any position nor did it seem logical to fight with this headliner over the words he expressed. In many situations, it becomes about just getting the paltry amount of money you get to feature and getting out of the venue. Some fights are not worth fighting and battling on any given night with a headliner of the show because:
(A) Iâve never met this headliner beforeÂ
(B) the content of his material crushed anyway in front of an ignorant audience
(C) heâs going to defend his âfree speechâ about the content anyway
(D) The $50 or worse Iâm earning on this night is not worth this conversation.Â
Iâd rather just not deal with the person again. Â
Some may believe the âold white male headlinerâ perspective will eventually die off but it really is not. If it were true it was dying, Trump would not have been elected. At least part of Trumpâs election came from the growing alt-right and from the same youth movement responsible for GamerGate, both groups that Steve Bannon and his nationalist agenda was smart enough to tap into. That pipeline exists in comedy as well at any open mic across the country where an audience member will be treated to at least a small dosage of misogyny, homophobia, and/or racism from a comedian thatâs signed up on the list. And that comedian will no doubt defend their ability to deliver those thoughts on stage because of âfree speech.â And, sure, those comedians may amount to nothing but it wouldnât be surprising if at least a few of them end up becoming âold white male headlinersâ or having a place in Hollywood because thatâs the way itâs already been for many decades.
Iâve done stand-up comedy for over 10 years. Iâve watched stand-up comedy for even longer. Iâve lived my life as a person of color and done my best to meet as many different people as possible. I can tell when a comedian on stage has never truly met a person of the community that they are making fun of. I can tell it based off the language they use. I can tell it based off the tone of their material. I can tell it based off the level of ignorance of their commentary. If they had met a person of that community and they were smart enough, they wouldnât have presented that joke that way because they would have made the effort to understand that type of person. And, if the audience still laughs, itâs because the audience has similarly never experienced interactions with people of that community. It just becomes a vicious circle. At the least, they should make the attempt to understand that one joke is not worth defending and that there is always room and time to create something better. I have learned to be able to do that.Â
I believe in free speech and certainly free speech in comedy but free speech has now become more of a defense mechanism and convenient excuse for speech in its worst forms than it is a right presented to us as Americans. Rather than fear the loss of free speech, comedians should be working to making the free speech that they use accurate, with some sense of compassion, and meaningful. The days of the âold white male headlinerâ philosophy are still as active as ever and the power structure is clearly still evident given our President. However, if enough comedians understand the power they possess in having free speech, a stage, and their talent, they can use it both to make people laugh and for good just in the same way if enough citizens open themselves up to interacting in person with those different than them, it would likely do them good as well.
No one is trying to take away your free speech. They are trying to educate you that the free speech you have can be better. That goes for everyone from New York to Los Angeles and from dive bars to arenas.Â
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How To Plan For Your Retirement The Second Time Around
The main reason why Iâve gotten more conservative with my investments is not because valuation for the S&P 500 is near an all-time high and earnings growth is decelerating.
Nor have I gotten more defensive because housing inventory has shot up across major parts of the country and prices are clearly declining.
No. The main reason why Iâve gotten more conservative with my investments is because Iâm very close to retiring for a second time.
Let me recap my background and share some retirement preparation plans if youâre also planning on retiring soon.
The Return To Retirement Living
After first retiring in 2012, I spent about nine months living the early retirement lifestyle. I wrote a book about my experience negotiating a severance and my wife and I traveled around the world for about 12 weeks.
By the beginning of 2013, I no longer told anybody I was retired. People gave me funny looks whenever I mentioned I had left corporate America for good. I also felt stupid saying I was retired in my mid-30s.
I longed for more purpose and a more acceptable identity that didnât require explaining my background each time. So I decided to pivot from early retiree to full-time writer and entrepreneur.
Almost immediately, I felt better about my new role in the world. Growing Financial Samurai all these years has been incredibly fun.
On average, I spend about three hours a day on the site, which is one of the main reasons why itâs been so enjoyable. If I was forced to work 10 hours a day on FS and commute, Iâd have probably started hating it after a year.
Having something intellectual to do, especially after my son was born in early 2017, has been a blessing. Being cooped up in the house all day is no fun for this stay at home dad.
Another thing Iâve enjoyed doing in my second career is mastering everything that relates to online publishing. From writing, to marketing, to business development, I now have a strong grasp on all the things it takes to build and run an online media company from the ground up.
Although itâs been seven years since I left full-time work, itâs been almost 10 years since I started Financial Samurai in 2009.
Back then, I had told myself that if I could reach various stretch goals by the summer of 2019, I would give myself the luxury of taking it easy once again.
The main stretch goal was to regularly generate over one million organic pageviews a month.
As fate would have it, I have the option to let go this summer and fully retire once more.
The Origin Of Luck And Fear
What I realize now is that whether by coincidence or on purpose, Iâm living my life in 10-year cycles.
I first got a job out of college in 1999. Getting a job at a major investment bank was mostly luck because graduates out of a non-target public school usually donât get these front office jobs in NYC.
Although there was the dot com bust in 2000, the 10-year journey from 1999 to 2009 was an overall positive for my career.
After about two years at the first investment bank, I got my second lucky break when a recruiter placed me at a new firm in 2001 in San Francisco. If I had not changed jobs, I would have been kicked to the curbed after my two years were up.
Then, of course, everything started crashing in 2008 â 2009. I was scared for my future given Lehman Brothers, Bear Sterns, Washington Mutual, and a bunch of other firms had collapsed. Friends were losing their jobs, their houses, and their savings.
Somehow, I managed to escape seven rounds of layoffs in a two year period at my firm. My immediate boss had left the firm to become a client the year prior. Thus, if the firm was to lay me off, it wouldnât have had anybody to run the business. Another lucky break.
I was so worried about my future in 2009 that I decided to finally start Financial Samurai, an idea I had had since graduating from business school in 2006, but had been putting off.
If you look at the chart of when Financial Samurai was started, youâll see that it was started at the exact bottom of the previous financial crisis in July 2009.
To start Financial Samurai at the bottom of the last financial crisis and then have a massive bull market help propel the site forward was also tremendously lucky.
Yes, Iâve spent many hours developing this site, but I fully admit that most of the growth is serendipitous. Living in San Francisco, the epicenter of technology and financial innovation has also helped me develop some key industry relationships.
If you started something in 2009, it would be relatively hard not to have successfully grown your business or your wealth.
The tailwind is like having a mentor who is actually the CEO of your company and also happens to be your dad who wants to give you the company. In such a scenario, how can you fail?
Since 1999 Iâve constantly wondered when my luck will run out. Iâve already talked about experiencing survivorâs guilt after my friend passed away when I was 15. All the good that has transpired since has only made me wonder more about the future.
Donât Push Luck Too Far
Despite the good fortune, 2009 still burns deep in my psyche because of how badly my finances got crushed. Perhaps this is how survivors of the Great Depression felt for the rest of their lives.
I donât want to ever again suffer through a 2009-like experience. I recently got a taste of temporarily losing lots of money in 2018, and that was enough.
Iâm so thankful weâve recovered and I no longer wish to push my luck.
2019 is the year where I plan to retire again after 10 years of running Financial Samurai. Iâll either sell the site, write less, or hire talented staff writers or guest writers to write using the Financial Samurai principles.
Itâs been a great run, and I want to leave on an up note. If you are thinking of retiring for a first or second time, here are some things you should consider.
Retirement Planning Checklist
1) Adjust your risk exposure down.
As with any classic retiree in their 60s or 70s, itâs important to take down risk exposure because you no longer have the ability or the desire to work any longer.
Measure your risk tolerance in terms of the Financial SEER ratio. In other words, how many months are you willing to work to make up for a potential loss in retirement.
Once youâve retired, you donât want to be forced to go back to work. Giving up precious time for money is one thing, but so is the embarrassment of having to go back to work because of poor financial planning.
Debt should be completely eliminated or reduced to a level that will never be able to sink your finances.
2) Calculate your various income streams.
If after taxes, your income streams can sustain your desired retirement lifestyle, youâre golden. If not, keep working or build more side hustle income. To be conservative, itâs best to have at least a 20% cushion above your living expenses.
Plan out a tax-efficient safe withdrawal strategy based on a combination of your pre-tax and post-tax retirement accounts.
Those who want to stay conservative should try to only live off their after-tax passive income and never touch principal. Only when Required Minimum Distributions are in effect should you start drawing down principal.
3) Make sure youâve accomplished all your goals.
When you leave your profession, you want to leave with as few regrets as possible. The best way to leave with few regrets is by fulfilling your stretch goals.
One of the reasons why professional athletes retire after winning the Super Bowl, a Major, or the NBA Championship is because there is no greater glory. During the rare times when such a champ tries to make a comeback, itâs often a sad affair filled with struggle.
If you cannot reach the pinnacle of your profession, one thing you must ask yourself is whether youâll be leaving the place better than when you first started. If the answer is no, then you must take measures to rectify or continue working.
Retiring when your fund or company burned to the ground will make you feel like an unsettled ghost, unable to rest in peace. You want to go out on your own terms, which is why negotiating a severance can be incredibly powerful to your mental well-being.
4) Ensure your legacy will be left in good hands.
The longer youâve worked, often the harder it is to walk away. The transition is made easier if you have someone youâve trained or trust to take over once youâre gone.
The last thing you want is to have all your good work get undone by someone with a completely different philosophy. If this happens, you will feel as if you wasted many years of your life. Find an excellent successor and donât leave until you do.
5) Have a next purpose.
You donât want to retire into nothingness. Going from working 12 hours a day to having all the free time in the world can be very disconcerting. After being so used to structure for so long, you might start wondering what else is there to life. Some of you might even get depressed if you donât have purpose.
Instead, diligently map out your retirement goals months or even years before you retire. You want to retire to something, not from something.
Start talking to people in the fields that interest you when you still have a job. Once you retire, it may be tougher to build relationships because society tends to look down of those who no longer work.
Having a clear purpose in retirement will make your remaining days at work even more meaningful. Youâll also experience a much more joyful retirement life.
Retire As Many Times As You Can
There doesnât need to be only one retirement in your life. Instead, I encourage you to retire multiple times because that means youâre challenging yourself with new endeavors.
Whether you decide to retire for six months or for six years is up to you. Thereâs nothing more professionally fulfilling than mastering a new skill and enjoying its accompanying rewards.
Skills are highly fungible today thanks to technology. So long as youâre able to work hard, communicate intelligently, get along with others, and produce more than you cost, you can do well at almost anything because the rest is learned on the job.
I truly hope we never see another 2008 â 2009, nor am I anticipating a correction of such magnitude. Iâm just not willing to take unwarranted chances given Iâm satisfied with what I have.
With now a wife and son to take care of and potentially zero active income if I sell Financial Samurai, I can no longer afford to take any excess risk. To go through another 40% loss as I did in 2009 at this stage in my life would be devastating.
Our passive income should keep us afloat, but I havenât truly been able to means test it yet due to my severance that paid out from 2012 â 2017 and the active income Iâve been generating from Financial Samurai.
From July 2019 â July 2029, I plan to spend my 40s primarily focused on raising my boy and spending time with my parents. If we relocate to Hawaii, weâll have more than enough activities to keep us busy in our second go around.
Letâs pray the next 10 years are as lucky as the past 10!
Related Posts:
The First Rule Of Financial Independence: Never Lose Money
The Fear Of Running Out Of Money In Retirement Is Overblown
Readers, anybody on a 10-year cycle like me? How do you plan to ensure good fortune for the next 10 years of your life? Anybody retire a second or third time? How long did each retirement last and what did you do? What else should people do to prepare for retirement?
The post How To Plan For Your Retirement The Second Time Around appeared first on Financial Samurai.
from Finance https://www.financialsamurai.com/how-to-plan-for-your-retirement-the-second-time-around/ via http://www.rssmix.com/
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How To Plan For Your Retirement The Second Time Around
The main reason why Iâve gotten more conservative with my investments is not because valuation for the S&P 500 is near an all-time high and earnings growth is decelerating.
Nor have I gotten more defensive because housing inventory has shot up across major parts of the country and prices are clearly declining.
No. The main reason why Iâve gotten more conservative with my investments is because Iâm very close to retiring for a second time.
Let me recap my background and share some retirement preparation plans if youâre also planning on retiring soon.
The Return To Retirement Living
After first retiring in 2012, I spent about nine months living the early retirement lifestyle. I wrote a book about my experience negotiating a severance and my wife and I traveled around the world for about 12 weeks.
By the beginning of 2013, I no longer told anybody I was retired. People gave me funny looks whenever I mentioned I had left corporate America for good. I also felt stupid saying I was retired in my mid-30s.
I longed for more purpose and a more acceptable identity that didnât require explaining my background each time. So I decided to pivot from early retiree to full-time writer and entrepreneur.
Almost immediately, I felt better about my new role in the world. Growing Financial Samurai all these years has been incredibly fun.
On average, I spend about three hours a day on the site, which is one of the main reasons why itâs been so enjoyable. If I was forced to work 10 hours a day on FS and commute, Iâd have probably started hating it after a year.
Having something intellectual to do, especially after my son was born in early 2017, has been a blessing. Being cooped up in the house all day is no fun for this stay at home dad.
Another thing Iâve enjoyed doing in my second career is mastering everything that relates to online publishing. From writing, to marketing, to business development, I now have a strong grasp on all the things it takes to build and run an online media company from the ground up.
Although itâs been seven years since I left full-time work, itâs been almost 10 years since I started Financial Samurai in 2009.
Back then, I had told myself that if I could reach various stretch goals by the summer of 2019, I would give myself the luxury of taking it easy once again.
The main stretch goal was to regularly generate over one million organic pageviews a month.
As fate would have it, I have the option to let go this summer and fully retire once more.
The Origin Of Luck And Fear
What I realize now is that whether by coincidence or on purpose, Iâm living my life in 10-year cycles.
I first got a job out of college in 1999. Getting a job at a major investment bank was mostly luck because graduates out of a non-target public school usually donât get these front office jobs in NYC.
Although there was the dot com bust in 2000, the 10-year journey from 1999 to 2009 was an overall positive for my career.
After about two years at the first investment bank, I got my second lucky break when a recruiter placed me at a new firm in 2001 in San Francisco. If I had not changed jobs, I would have been kicked to the curbed after my two years were up.
Then, of course, everything started crashing in 2008 â 2009. I was scared for my future given Lehman Brothers, Bear Sterns, Washington Mutual, and a bunch of other firms had collapsed. Friends were losing their jobs, their houses, and their savings.
Somehow, I managed to escape seven rounds of layoffs in a two year period at my firm. My immediate boss had left the firm to become a client the year prior. Thus, if the firm was to lay me off, it wouldnât have had anybody to run the business. Another lucky break.
I was so worried about my future in 2009 that I decided to finally start Financial Samurai, an idea I had had since graduating from business school in 2006, but had been putting off.
If you look at the chart of when Financial Samurai was started, youâll see that it was started at the exact bottom of the previous financial crisis in July 2009.
To start Financial Samurai at the bottom of the last financial crisis and then have a massive bull market help propel the site forward was also tremendously lucky.
Yes, Iâve spent many hours developing this site, but I fully admit that most of the growth is serendipitous. Living in San Francisco, the epicenter of technology and financial innovation has also helped me develop some key industry relationships.
If you started something in 2009, it would be relatively hard not to have successfully grown your business or your wealth.
The tailwind is like having a mentor who is actually the CEO of your company and also happens to be your dad who wants to give you the company. In such a scenario, how can you fail?
Since 1999 Iâve constantly wondered when my luck will run out. Iâve already talked about experiencing survivorâs guilt after my friend passed away when I was 15. All the good that has transpired since has only made me wonder more about the future.
Donât Push Luck Too Far
Despite the good fortune, 2009 still burns deep in my psyche because of how badly my finances got crushed. Perhaps this is how survivors of the Great Depression felt for the rest of their lives.
I donât want to ever again suffer through a 2009-like experience. I recently got a taste of temporarily losing lots of money in 2018, and that was enough.
Iâm so thankful weâve recovered and I no longer wish to push my luck.
2019 is the year where I plan to retire again after 10 years of running Financial Samurai. Iâll either sell the site, write less, or hire talented staff writers or guest writers to write using the Financial Samurai principles.
Itâs been a great run, and I want to leave on an up note. If you are thinking of retiring for a first or second time, here are some things you should consider.
Retirement Planning Checklist
1) Adjust your risk exposure down.
As with any classic retiree in their 60s or 70s, itâs important to take down risk exposure because you no longer have the ability or the desire to work any longer.
Measure your risk tolerance in terms of the Financial SEER ratio. In other words, how many months are you willing to work to make up for a potential loss in retirement.
Once youâve retired, you donât want to be forced to go back to work. Giving up precious time for money is one thing, but so is the embarrassment of having to go back to work because of poor financial planning.
Debt should be completely eliminated or reduced to a level that will never be able to sink your finances.
2) Calculate your various income streams.
If after taxes, your income streams can sustain your desired retirement lifestyle, youâre golden. If not, keep working or build more side hustle income. To be conservative, itâs best to have at least a 20% cushion above your living expenses.
Plan out a tax-efficient safe withdrawal strategy based on a combination of your pre-tax and post-tax retirement accounts.
Those who want to stay conservative should try to only live off their after-tax passive income and never touch principal. Only when Required Minimum Distributions are in effect should you start drawing down principal.
3) Make sure youâve accomplished all your goals.
When you leave your profession, you want to leave with as few regrets as possible. The best way to leave with few regrets is by fulfilling your stretch goals.
One of the reasons why professional athletes retire after winning the Super Bowl, a Major, or the NBA Championship is because there is no greater glory. During the rare times when such a champ tries to make a comeback, itâs often a sad affair filled with struggle.
If you cannot reach the pinnacle of your profession, one thing you must ask yourself is whether youâll be leaving the place better than when you first started. If the answer is no, then you must take measures to rectify or continue working.
Retiring when your fund or company burned to the ground will make you feel like an unsettled ghost, unable to rest in peace. You want to go out on your own terms, which is why negotiating a severance can be incredibly powerful to your mental well-being.
4) Ensure your legacy will be left in good hands.
The longer youâve worked, often the harder it is to walk away. The transition is made easier if you have someone youâve trained or trust to take over once youâre gone.
The last thing you want is to have all your good work get undone by someone with a completely different philosophy. If this happens, you will feel as if you wasted many years of your life. Find an excellent successor and donât leave until you do.
5) Have a next purpose.
You donât want to retire into nothingness. Going from working 12 hours a day to having all the free time in the world can be very disconcerting. After being so used to structure for so long, you might start wondering what else is there to life. Some of you might even get depressed if you donât have purpose.
Instead, diligently map out your retirement goals months or even years before you retire. You want to retire to something, not from something.
Start talking to people in the fields that interest you when you still have a job. Once you retire, it may be tougher to build relationships because society tends to look down of those who no longer work.
Having a clear purpose in retirement will make your remaining days at work even more meaningful. Youâll also experience a much more joyful retirement life.
Retire As Many Times As You Can
There doesnât need to be only one retirement in your life. Instead, I encourage you to retire multiple times because that means youâre challenging yourself with new endeavors.
Whether you decide to retire for six months or for six years is up to you. Thereâs nothing more professionally fulfilling than mastering a new skill and enjoying its accompanying rewards.
Skills are highly fungible today thanks to technology. So long as youâre able to work hard, communicate intelligently, get along with others, and produce more than you cost, you can do well at almost anything because the rest is learned on the job.
I truly hope we never see another 2008 â 2009, nor am I anticipating a correction of such magnitude. Iâm just not willing to take unwarranted chances given Iâm satisfied with what I have.
With now a wife and son to take care of and potentially zero active income if I sell Financial Samurai, I can no longer afford to take any excess risk. To go through another 40% loss as I did in 2009 at this stage in my life would be devastating.
Our passive income should keep us afloat, but I havenât truly been able to means test it yet due to my severance that paid out from 2012 â 2017 and the active income Iâve been generating from Financial Samurai.
From July 2019 â July 2029, I plan to spend my 40s primarily focused on raising my boy and spending time with my parents. If we relocate to Hawaii, weâll have more than enough activities to keep us busy in our second go around.
Letâs pray the next 10 years are as lucky as the past 10!
Related Posts:
The First Rule Of Financial Independence: Never Lose Money
The Fear Of Running Out Of Money In Retirement Is Overblown
Readers, anybody on a 10-year cycle like me? How do you plan to ensure good fortune for the next 10 years of your life? Anybody retire a second or third time? How long did each retirement last and what did you do? What else should people do to prepare for retirement?
The post How To Plan For Your Retirement The Second Time Around appeared first on Financial Samurai.
from https://www.financialsamurai.com/how-to-plan-for-your-retirement-the-second-time-around/
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WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER
Hey! Alright so one of the main reasons I decided to start writing on Tumblr at least semi-regularly was to translate some of the thoughts in my crazy and sporadic mind to a concrete format. Sometimes the thoughts build up so much and I never express them, whether verbally or written, so it can become overwhelming. While I am an English major with a Bachelorâs degree, I still find myself struggling to formulate thoughts and reasoning that make sense to anyone but myself and I am even worse about committing these thoughts to memory or paper so I am going to use this as not only a writing tool but hopefully as a self-improvement tool as well.
With that being said, Iâd like to take this opportunity to express some feelings that Iâve been having lately about one of my favorite passions: video games. YO THEY ARE SUPER GREAT. But maybe also super awful at times.
Iâve had a love affair with video games since I was maybe around four or five years old. My dad was a big video game fan when he was my age and carried on this passion throughout early and middle adulthood. He lived through the Atari era so he was basically on the fuckinâ landing grounds of the creation of my favorite past time. I remember him telling me how great games like Pong and Pac-Man were and how he couldnât believe how far they advance in terms of graphics and capabilities every time there is a new system release.Â
The first gaming system I ever had was a Sega Genesis. I have some splendid memories of playing Sonic the Hedgehog, Mutant League Football, Streets of Rage 2 and many more games that I canât possibly remember all at once. And since I was a young and dumb kid, I even got to experience some of the more obscure titles that most older folks wouldnât have played at the time. These would especially include licensed movie titles like Power Rangers and Home Alone, among others. While games based on movies often get a bad reputation, I distinctly remember enjoying these two titles particularly because of my ever-growing love of the source material. The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers movie game was a side-scrolling beat âem up very similar to Streets of Rage 2 so that is likely why I enjoyed this title so much. And man was it a shit ton of fun playing Home Alone and setting traps for Harry and Marv to fall into.
Okay. Letâs get back on track. So my dad started my love for gaming by sharing his memories and experiences and by purchasing me a Sega Genesis. Blah blah blah. Flash forward to my teenage years. By this time, I was long past my 8 bit and 16 bit gaming days and was into 3D gaming systems that were far advanced from the good âol Atari or Genesis days. I watched in amazement as my dad marveled again at âhow good this shit looksâ and forever possessing the âwhat will they do nextâ philosophy and mindset.
On a related note, I remember the day that we finally got high speed internet in my household. Although we lived in the country and were only able to obtain speeds of 1mbps, it was like luxury living for people who formerly lived with dial-up internet. The reason why this is worth mentioning is because this now opened up a whole new world for me: the world of online gaming. Boy, did I not have a clue how great and equally terrifying this would be for me.Â
As I became older, I became at least slightly more skilled at playing games than when I was younger. However, I could not understand why the people who played games online against me in multiplayer modes were so much better. I struggled with this a lot and, admittedly, itâs a personal problem that I still have. Iâm not sure if I have a competitive complex that I donât like to reason with or if itâs something else but goddamn do I have some gaming-related anger and self-esteem issues. You wouldâve likely heard me yelling in frustration in these angst-driven years, screaming phrases such as OH MY GOD THIS GUY HAS KILLED ME TEN TIMES IN A ROW AND I HAVENâT EVEN LEFT MY RESPAWN AREA. WHY AM I SO BAD AT THIS? WHY IS HE CROUCHING UP AND DOWN ABOVE MY CHARACTERâS DEAD BODY?!?!
There is a point Iâm going to make. God Iâm bad at this. SEE THERE IT IS AGAIN.Â
My parents, especially my dad, became very angry that I was angry over a video game. The hobby that he once loved so much had mostly become a thing of the past (besides occasional sports games) so he couldnât possibly understand why a simple hobby was making me so angry. I tried reasoning with him, stating the idea that he was likely angry when he lost to the AI on his older games. He told me he never remembered getting angry because âit was just a gameâ and âitâs just a computerâ and that he never reacted in such a strong way.
Then, it clicked.Â
The reason why I get so angry about playing games online is because I am personally interacting with real human beings and not just a computer, not just a form of artificial intelligence. A real, living, breathing, swearing, mother insulting person. And people. SO MANY PEOPLE ALL ONLINE AT ONCE. And these real people donât give a single fuck about my feelings or how bad I am at the game. Their mission is to make their player beat or destroy or kill my player. Itâs truly just a game and shouldnât hold such a great weight on anyoneâs mind but online gaming has a way of making it feel personal and I think thatâs why it still has the ability to fill me with such a completely unjustifiable rage.
This brings us to present day. While I still play games online quite often, I feel that my experiences and feelings have changed. I am no longer a child or even a teenager. I am a twenty-five year old man with two part-time jobs, a fiancee, a cat, an apartment to clean and maintain and bills to pay. SO WHY THE HELL AM I STILL GETTING MAD OVER VIDEO GAMES?Â
I think that we, as an obviously imperfect species of living biology, are always striving for better. I have clearly evolved and matured as person but there is still that part of me that wants to break shit and throw things when I lose. Maybe Iâm just a sore loser. I probably am. BUT. There is so much shit wrong with this world, especially in 2017, that we tend to expect to gain happiness and success out of the hobbies, interests and activities that we spend our free time on while the rest of our time is spent working or sleeping. Iâm not sure if this is true for everyone but I think itâs true for me. I think that everything in my life is so uncertain, so messy, so complicated and so challenging for me that I expect my hobbies to provide me an escape from reality and responsibility and send waves of happiness to my screwed up brain.Â
Speaking of happiness, I want to mention one of the main reasons why I was prompted to write this very long post. Well, maybe not long by Tumblr standards but surely by my own!
I have recently been playing a game called Playerunknownâs Battlegrounds. Itâs a PC game Iâve been playing with my friend Ben on Steam. The elevator pitch for this game is imagine youâve been put into a Hunger Games style world where you are dropped on an island and must fight to the death with all the other inhabitants. It is simply amazing to realize that there are up to one hundred people in any given match of this game and it could be one hundred different people that you are fighting every time. One hundred different characters that represent one hundred real people, just like you and me. Except maybe not as nice. This game is super stressful, intimidating and difficult at times but HOLY SHIT it is fun. I can honestly say it is one of the best experiences Iâve ever had with a video game. The constant desire to finally get that win, or âchicken dinnerâ as the game refers to it, is the pure carnal force that is driving me to keep playing. I keep telling myself the frustration will pay off and I will eventually win.
Well, long story short, I have played countless matches of this game with Ben and I had never won a game of it until last night. We have made it into the top ten out of fifty teams on several occasions and have put over fifteen hours into this game so far but had never won up until this point. I wonât describe this play-by-play but hereâs the general gist of it: my friend Ben died early in this match so I was left alone to proceed through the rest of the match. At first, I was completely unsure of how I could possibly proceed without him but then the number of players left in the game started sinking lower and lower until I was finally in the last ten remaining. And then eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. There were three players left, including myself. I had not landed many accurate shots in this match thus far and was almost sure that I would blow this. At last, I fired my virtual assault rifle and eliminated the last player. A screen popped up that said, âWINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!â and gave me some match statistics. I was in a state of shock as Ben yelled in excitement and couldnât believe it. After hours of trial and error, I had finally won.Â
I know this post may sound completely trivial and unimportant to anyone but me. The truth is that video games mean a lot to me and being good at them means more than I wish it did. But I think that video games arenât nearly as irrelevant or pointless as some people make them out to be. Personally, this was a learning experience for me that I needed to have long before adulthood. Sometimes, trial and error is the only method that leads to success. But if you donât try in the first place, you canât even reach the point of error. I worked past my fear of being bad at video games and the judgment that would follow by the other players and I accomplished a goal.
Simply put, I expect too much from video games. They have given me fun and happiness for years but how dare they not do this 100 percent of the time or else it will inevitably lead to me being pissed off and destructive.
So thank you, video games. You non-living, virtual, amazing, bullshit, absolutely wonderful creation.
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Anime Review: No Game No Life
Genius gamers and social shut-in siblings Sora and Shiro spend their days owning at every game they touch, working together under the username âBlankâ. But their closed-off lives change when they receive a challenge from Tet, the god of the world of Disboard, who summons them to his realm where every conflict and every decision is conducted using games, from chess to word games to video games.
Sora and Shiro find themselves trapped in a world where humans are inherently disadvantaged and  where fantastic races of all kinds are battling one another in order to challenge Tet for real and become rulers of this new world. Itâs a terrifying world where countries, memories and lives can be lost by the simple luck of the draw, but for a brother and sister who live their lives through games, itâs a chance to finally take their skills and become something legendary.
Letâs be completely honest here; all anime is trash.
ÂŹ.ÂŹ
Look, okay, Iâm very well aware that I spend a good chunk of my life watching shows which I shouldnât take anywhere near as seriously as I do. Anime is a niche market for a very niche audience, and the shows reflect that. Sure, you get your Bebops and your Wolfâs Rains and your Ghost in the Shells, but those are standalone pieces of art and love and care. A lot of anime has recurring tropes, reused characters, the same settings and far too many morally questionable things for me to count.
And yet somehow a lot of it is still so good. Even in the most mundane shows imaginable you can usually find a few gems of awesomeness that raise it up into something better, be it a character, the writing, the directing or the worldbuilding. Thatâs the thing; for a medium which is pretty much based on and solely funded by complete trash, there sure are a lot of really cool things scattered throughout. As a hobbyist reviewer, I found my job became far easier when I stopped looking for perfection in every show and started looking for the good bits; itâs why I tend to enjoy most things I watch, even if I couldnât necessarily call them all good. You canât take it seriously; even most of my favourite shows. I love them all to bits, but come on, Madoka jokes are funny as heck.
Everything is trash, which makes the good bits stand out even more. Thatâs the philosophy I tend to live by with most things I watch, honestly.
Occasionally though, you will come across something that is pure trash.
No Game No Life is a special show that is pure, unfiltered, absolute trash. And yet I enjoyed it. Tâwas good stuff. Not great, but...you know, far from bad. But utter trash. See, thereâs a difference. But Iâm getting ahead of myself.
This is a studio Madhouse production, not that you care really, because you are going to spend the first few minutes (and a majority of the show) just being absolutely blinded by the visuals. Not because theyâre especially gorgeous; aside from a few magnificent backgrounds the whole show is mostly just âabove averageâ in terms of linework and animation, but mainly because the show seems to have gone with the colour palette of âeat ten bags of Skittles and regurgitate them onto a tie-dye T-shirtâ. Iâll give it this; the show demands attention. I watched this on a big screen initially, and it certainly made an impact, though I canât decide whether I find the show immensely creative and flamboyant, or just gaudy. One thing I wasnât a fan of was the constant purpley-pink overlay that is over pretty much every scene; for such a colourful show it did seem to make it rather flat at times.
The soundtrack does exactly what it promises on the tin; you want an OST for your fantasy series, you want a soundtrack like this. Sweeping epic pieces when showing off the world, and fast-paced electronic pieces for the high-stakes intrigue of the games. I feel bad because I seem to remember enjoying the soundtrack quite a bit while I was watching it, but really none of the tracks have stayed with me. The opening and ending are far more memorable; despite the fact that theyâre a bit more standard âfantasyâ tracks, they both have solid driving rhythms and memorable riffs. Also thereâs a particularly clever use of the ending near the end of the series, but spoilers in that regard.
So by all accounts, I should have no interest in this series. Itâs a light novel adaptation about two people pulled into a game-based fantasy world where they have some special main-character-plot-significance and gain a harem of female characters who initially start off as dismissive but who are soon won over by main character powers and bleauuuuuuurgh Iâm so done with this crap. But I want to be fair, and I tried to look at this through fresh eyes (which was a necessity anyway given the first pair had been burned out by the visuals).
Is it well-written? Er...well...honestly, not a lot happens. The whole show pretty much acts as a prologue for the much greater conflict later on, and once the true game starts...the show ends. Yup, and with no mention of a second season anywhere in sight. At the end of the day all that was accomplished throughout the series was that Sora and Shiro integrate themselves into the world and potentially set off a new war/conflict/games battle. The main focus is on the games, each of the major ones of which take up a whole episode or even two to complete. Itâs like watching Yu-gi-oh all over again.
Okay, so...I can forgive thin plots but are the characters any good? Well...um...
Iâm sorry, but Sora and Shiro are not interesting protagonists at all. They have the potential to be interesting but they remain one-note throughout the entire show; theyâre both genius game-players and possibly evil, Soraâs the outgoing one and Shiroâs the quiet one. Even more of a blow is that they are both practically invincible; they are never once allowed to fail throughout the series. Everything goes according to plan and the two always come out looking smug. Itâs this kind of blatant main-character-worship which puts me off so many of these kinds of shows, the fact that the mains are always right and they will always come out on top. Sure, Re:Zero tried to subvert it somewhat, but even then it completely went back on its development near the end and still gave Subaru exactly what he wanted because...main character.
But hey, I hear you cry, Sora and Shiro are not perfect characters, for they have serious separation anxiety and social anxiety.
Okay, sure. What of it?
See, while they are shown to be NEETS and having panic attacks when separated, the show doesnât actually do anything with it. The whole point of the show being in this world where everythingâs solved by games is that they donât need to actually face their fears or face any development in that area at all. Also, for people with social anxiety they sure do cope very well in the busy environment of the fantasy world; Iâm reminded of the Nostalgia Critic Daredevil review, where he mentions that given Matt Murdock can see far better after the accident than he could even with his actual vision, then narratively thereâs no point to him being blind. Itâs all very well to give characters crippling deficiencies, but if the storyâs just going to get around it by changing their abilities or their environment to make it so they have no impact, then whatâs the point? Just have them as every other OP main character in every other fantasy anime. The closest the show comes to actually developing it is episode 9, and even then it comes right the heck out of nowhere and is resolved within the episode.
Blegh, okay. What about the other characters? Well, again, nothing really interesting. Tet is a playful omnipotent who just kind of sets the plot in motion because heâs bored, I guess? Jibril has a constant fetish/obsession with knowledge, Izuna and the beast people are blank slates, Kurami and Feel have pretty much nothing to do, and then thereâs poor Stephanie Dola, who gets the most development and is probably my favourite character. Sheâs the true heir to the throne of Imanity, but has none of the game-playing skills to actually accomplish her goal. This is all good stuff, except that the main characters treat her like absolute crap. Constant abuse, belittling her, setting monsters on her and basically stealing all of her accomplishments, all with the supposed intent of making her a stronger person? Yeah...no. Sorry, Iâm not buying that, and all the constant disregard for Steph is just unpleasant to watch.
Okay, so is the world interesting at all? Well, it could be, except for the fact that I have absolutely no idea how this world works. Oh, the game part I understand , but the actual politics and the races are just spouted out in great reams of exposition that make me feel like I should be taking notes. Hereâs a tip; if youâre not going to show or have any contextual purpose for Seiren, Lunamana, Gigantes, Oompa-Loompas or Jared Letos in your show, I donât need to know about them. Itâs just information overload and makes my head hurt, and honestly for this series we only really need to know about 5-6 of the races? Out of 16. Yeah. Worldbuilding is good and all, but it should never take over the main focus.
Iâm spouting an awful lot of bile and hatred against this show, arenât I? Well...honestly, it does dampen the experience for me. But hereâs the thing; this show should not work at all. Gaudy animation, tired concept, flat, bland characters, no story to speak of, and thatâs not even getting into the incredible tastelessness. To the point where I do have several questions as to how the hell this was allowed to air on TV. Also a lot of it revolves around Shiro. Who is eleven. Oh hi Chris Hansen.
And yet...from start to abrupt end, the show is incredibly addictive and entertaining.
Iâve neglected to mention the games, which are honestly truly creative. Mundane rock-paper-scissors matches or word games are turned into full-on Death-Note-esque psychological battles, with the addition of magic to make them as much of a visual spectacle as they are a mental one. Despite the fact that Sora and Shiro should not be able to play as a pair for most of them (seriously, I get it narratively and the whole Blank thing but is this ever actually explained as to why theyâre always allowed to play together?), the two do work very naturally off one another, and the games themselves have some awfully clever twists and turns that mean theyâre never predictable. Itâs about the journey and the game itself, rather than the politics and flat characters around it. Again, much like Yu-gi-oh.
And as much as the world around the games is kind of lifeless, again itâs easy to ignore due to the fact that the show is really damn funny. The comic timing is mostly spot-on, the characterâs one-note personalities are still defined enough to bounce off each other well, and the references...oh my word, the references are GOLDEN. Death Note, Yugioh, Ace Attorney, Jojo; Iâve never seen references integrated this flawlessly into a show since WATAMOTE. Arguably even better than that.
And that, my friends, is trash in its purest form. If I try to describe it, there is NOTHING to recommend about No Game No Life. No decent characters, no intriguing plot, no involved and accessible world; and yet despite it itâs all so, so entertaining. And I guess this is nothing new; recent trends in the most popular shows are bringing up the same utter trash over and over again, from Sword Art Online and OreImo to Re:Zero, Akashic Records and Eromanga-sensei. I know of people who vehemently hate No Game No Life, all for good reason, but at the same time the appeal is crystal clear. We like trash, so long as itâs entertaining. Heck, two of my own favourite series in recent years are Kill la Kill and Gargantia. Honestly, you canât get much trashier than that.
I canât say that I love this show as much as some; the problems are just a bit too significant for me to completely overlook them. But at the same time, I canât pretend that there is no value to this show. It may be pure trash, but in many ways that can simply transfer over to pure entertainment. And honestly, is there anything wrong with that?
I guess what Iâm saying is...does anyone else want to join me in this trash bag?
My score: 7/10
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Nutrition just isnât a perception system. Why wishful pondering will not get you outcomes, however science would possibly.
Nutrition is commonly seen as a perception system. In different phrases, the reply to âWhat should I eat?â is commonly based mostly on religion, magical pondering, emotional attachments, and/or what feels âtruthyâ, fairly than on actual proof or the scientific technique. Until we repair this, diet will get extra complicated, not much less.
++++
Imagine the Google search by somebody who desires to eat higher.
They would possibly wish to drop some weight. Or construct muscle. Or keep slightly more healthy to allow them to play with their grandkids longer.
So they may search for phrases like:
Healthy consuming.
Healthy eating regimen.
Good diet.
The end result? WellâŚ
âHealthy eatingâ gave me 63.6 million choices.
âHealthy dietâ gave me 188 million choices.
And âGood nutritionâ gave me a whopping 213 million choices.
When I try a few of these search engine outcomes, I discover one thing.
Each of those web sites has a narrative to inform: A narrative about which eating regimen, complement, meals, or diet observe somebody believes is greatest.
Many of those tales fully contradict one another.
But theyâve one factor in widespread: The authors deal with diet prefer itâs a set of beliefs, there for their very own choosing and selecting.
Unfortunately, ânutritionâ is commonly seen as a perception system.
But beliefs donât essentially have something to do with details.
When we imagine one thing, we select to simply accept that itâs true, which can or might not have something to do with factual certainty.
This strategy of âbelievingâ is often utilized to diet.
As in:
âI believe that sugar is poison.â
âI donât believe that humans were meant to eat grains.â
âI believe in only eating foods that are natural and organic.â
In different phrases, the reply to âWhat should I eat?â is commonly based mostly on religion, magical pondering, emotional attachments, and/or what feels âtruthyâ, fairly than on science.
Yet diet is not a perception system.
Nutrition is a science.
Iâm a energy coach and Precision Nutrition Certified diet specialist.
(I accomplished the Level 1 Certification in 2013 and Iâm now in the course of the Level 2 Certification Master Class).
Most of my work is with skilled and newbie athletes. And my job is to make use of diet (plus energy and conditioning) to get my purchasers the outcomes they need.
When your meal technique may be the distinction between getting a multi-million greenback contract and never, there is no such thing as a room for âhopingâ the diet will work.
I canât go on religion alone. My purchasersâ careers actually rely upon me doing my job nicely. Which is why the scientific technique, not beliefs, govern my observe.
For instance, my shopper Ronda Rousey, a combined martial artists, mannequin, and actress, doesnât care about what I imagine about meals. She solely cares about what I learn about dietâs impact on her physique and efficiency.
Thatâs why I want to make sure that my diet suggestions are based mostly on measurable, correct actuality. On science. On the most effective proof that we have now proper now.
And physiology is physiology.
Believing one thing, or wanting it to be true, or feeling it ought to be true doesnât imply it is true.
Physiology (like chemistry, like physics) follows sure identified ideas.
Thatâs why we analysis issues like macronutrients, hydration, and/or supplementation. Thatâs why we attempt to perceive the biochemistry of digestion and metabolism. Thatâs why we find out about issues like osmotic gradients and the bodily constructions of cells and molecules.
Itâs why we ask questions like these:
And we use a specific technique for figuring out the solutions.
These are just some examples, after all. As youâll be able to think about, scientists have 1000âs of questions on optimum diet, and so theyâve answered some questions extra completely than others.
But, in brief, weâre attempting to know as a lot as attainable in regards to the biochemistry of digestion and metabolism, so we nerd out about issues like osmotic gradients and the bodily constructions of cells and molecules.
Knowing the science behind the sector permits us to make evidence-based suggestions to create a identified physiological impact.
Will honey and cinnamon ârev my metabolismâ?
Some individuals imagine this (or need others to imagine it).
But no person is aware of.
Will creatine monohydrate enhance my energy output?
Now weâre speaking.
We know some issues about creatine monohydrate and its impact on the physique, as a result of itâs been scientifically studied.
Creatine monohydrate has a identified chemical construction.
Creatine monohydrate has a identified mechanism of motion. It will increase the phosphocreatine shops in your muscle. This can then be used to supply extra ATP (power), which is a key supply of gas for energy, heavy lifting, and anaerobic occasions.
We know this as a result of we have now fastidiously experimented and objectively measured what occurs. Weâve additionally reproduced these findings again and again.
See how that performed out?
One declare is theory based mostly on, maybe (Iâm guessing) rumors about blood sugar and metabolism together with just a few research about cinnamon as an antioxidant?
The different is reality based mostly on a documented physiological end result.
The huge downside: Most individuals begin with the web.
Wondering what to place in your smoothie? What to eat earlier than youâre employed out? How a lot bacon it is best to eat?
There are all kinds of solutions on Google, to not point out Facebook and Instagram.
You donât should look far to find a charismatic particular person with a superb physique and gross sales pitch providing up their very own beliefs as a âprotocolâ or âsystemâ.
These methods have a tendency to incorporate:
A set of sure meals and/or dietary supplements to eat. (Like acai berries hand-picked at dawn.)
A set of sure meals to keep away from. (Nothing a caveman wouldnât eat. Nothing that isnât ânaturalâ. Nothing thatâs been bought, purchased or processed.)
Rules about how a lot to eat, when to eat (or not eat), and presumably even the place to eat. (No meals after 6:30 pm!)
If the idea system (or the one that invented it) is compelling or âtruthyâ sufficient, it may be fairly tempting to imagine them.
After all, many of those âsystemsâ include plenty of causes to imagine, together with:
Irresistible guarantees
Clever branding
Photos, graphics, and different visible âevidenceâ
Testimonials and/or superstar endorsements
Powerful private tales (âIf this guy did it, I can too!â)
Sex enchantment
Scholarly citations pointing to research that transform poorly designed, fatally biased, or not but replicated (an indicator of â you guessed it â precise scientific reality)
Before you recognize it, youâll be able toât bear in mind the final time you didnât put honey and cinnamon in your oatmealâŚand yogurtâŚand tea.
Weâre not unhealthy for wishing one thing had been true.
Just like Fox Mulder, typically we wish to imagine.
Itâs very human, truly.
Belief methods can convey us consolation. Following a transparent algorithm is usually a enormous reduction to these of us that discover diet complicated or overwhelming.
Belief methods can even make us really feel like weâre a part of one thing: A group that shares our values, aspirations, and needs. We might really feel a way of significance, id, and belonging.
Bonus: Weâre nearer to our objectives⌠collectively!
Not to say, these beliefs often promise the issues we need probably the most, whether or not itâs glowing clear well being, glowing pores and skin, freakishly superior efficiency, the physique weâve all the time wished, or the entire above.
When we purchase right into a perception system, weâre on the lookout for assist. We wish to make a change, or lastly discover a resolution to an issue thatâs bothered us for a very long time.
Thatâs fully regular and pure.
The individuals who begin or share a perception system arenât unhealthy, both. Most of them are good, real, optimistic individuals simply attempting to make different individualsâs lives higher.
Again, thereâs nothing mistaken with wanting to imagine.
Or wishing some issues had been true.
The downside occurs after we base our personal well being choices on emotional bias or the principles of a sure philosophy⌠and both ignore what science has to say in regards to the details, or maybe donât know whether or not such details even exist.
Science is something however easy.
It could be nice if there was a single ingredient to remedy most cancers, or a single train to get you ripped.
But physiology isnât easy, and neither is science. Especially diet science.
You would possibly be capable to discover a research to assist almost any nutrition-related perception you need. This is particularly true if the research was small, or sponsored by a specific curiosity (like a complement firm).
People who learn analysis perceive this. They perceive the burden that the actual proof holds, and the place itâs positioned within the hierarchy of dietary significance.
But a brand new coach within the business, or a mom seeking to get again in form, or a dude who simply bought a Type 2 diabetes prognosis, might not know the distinction. They might assume that if it was demonstrated in a single research, itâs a reality.
This isnât how science works, and itâs not how the reality is found.
Did you recognize that consuming alcohol will increase muscle tone?
Donât imagine me?
Well, think about Iâm telling you this whereas shirtless, smiling shiny white tooth, and sporting a six-pack:
âIn 2013, a double-blind scientific trial discovered that males elevated testosterone 17% after a low dose of alcohol. In 1987, one other research discovered related testosterone-increasing outcomes. Finally, a 2000 research confirmed that alcohol additionally will increase testosterone ranges in girls.
Understanding that alcohol will increase testosterone, and understanding that as testosterone goes up, so does our muscle mass and energy, I conclude that we should always all get drunk to get jacked! (Results might range.)â
Of course this isnât true although, proper?
Because that might be ignoring:
Other knowledge that counsel alcohol truly lowers testosterone, and the 2 research that present it has no impact.
Data on how alcohol can hurt our well being and health.
The undeniable fact that alcohol accommodates 7 kcals per gram, which provides up rapidly if you get consuming (particularly for those who add mixes), after which usually will increase urge for food shortly afterwards, which ends up in additional snacking. (Street meat anybody?).
The undeniable fact that Iâm all the time totally clothed when telling purchasers stuff.
Instead of choosing only one research, you need to take a look at all research on that matter to see the place the general weight of the proof lies.
But letâs get actual.
People are busy.
Health and health purchasers donât often have the time, the expertise, nor the curiosity to pore over analysis. They have jobs and lives.
So it may be straightforward to fall into the lure of taking one or two research as gospel â particularly if these outcomes are delivered to you by a charismatic speaker with an excellent physique. Enter my new complement: Buff Booze!
Whatâs the hurt in believing?
In the Precision Nutritionâs Certification packages, they speak about scope of observe. Itâs essential for well being and health professionals to:
Know what they know, and what they donât know.
In different phrases, to make acceptable, evidence-based suggestions about diet, itâs not sufficient to easily:
Have made an enormous change to your individual physique (similar to shedding pounds, or succeeding at a brand new sport).
Have a stack of well being and health magazines on the again of the bathroom.
These are an effective way to start. I didnât know stuff after I was new to the sector, both. Thatâs why we be taught and observe⌠and observe and be taught⌠after which observe and be taught some extra.
But leaning on these strategies of âresearchâ â aka believing as an alternative of understanding â may be harmful.
Thereâs an previous saying:
You know simply sufficient to be harmful.
For starters, beliefs with out proof may cause bodily hurt.
Nutrition can have an effect on the human physiqueâs methods dramatically â thatâs the wonderful energy and alternative, and itâs why we coaches love this discipline.
The draw back is that doing the mistaken issues can change our our bodies in methods we donât need.
Back within the mid-to-late 1800s, a person named Wilbur Atwater had a Ph.D. from Yale in agricultural chemistry.
He measured the energy and macronutrients in lots of of meals to finally come to the conclusion that the one two parts that people wanted to be involved with when creating their eating regimen had been:
protein, and
complete energy.
He wrote newspaper columns, lectured, and instructed anybody who would pay attention about his beliefs. He really believed that this was the answer to human diet and even poverty.
He was a well-respected scientist doing actual analysis in a lab. Yet he didnât have all of the data he wanted to make the fitting suggestions.
Instead, he instructed everybody to eat fewer greens (as a result of they had been low calorie and low protein), whereas consuming extra fatty pork.
A little bit data is usually a harmful factor, canât it?
Atwaterâs eating regimen eliminates:
Thanks to analysis, we now know that each one of those play their very own distinctive function in well being. Cutting out all of those vitamins is downright harmful.
Now, that is an excessive instance, maybe.
But among the hottest belief-based diets in the present day have adherents alter their diet selections in unusual and/or misguided methods. They:
Completely surrender grains, beans, and legumes
Swear off all fats
Eat solely uncooked meals
Base their consumption on a single meals (e.g. grapefruit, cabbage)
Eschew stable meals
Only drink âdetoxingâ juices
Hold their every day calorie consumption to some âmagicâ quantity, like 600
Replace all carbs with bacon
These diets both selectively use analysis (for example, a research in rats exhibiting that grape juice prevents tumors â time for the magic anti-cancer grape juice eating regimen!) or get caught on small particulars whereas lacking the large image.
Also, beliefs with out proof can stop the well being and health business from making progress.
Most individuals working as well being and health professionals selected this business to assist individuals change their lives for the higher.
Confusing the crap out of ourselves (and purchasers) with these bizarre belief-based âsystemsâ doesnât assist that objective.
When we select perception over reality, we donât simply maintain ourselves, and our purchasers, again. We maintain the whole business again.
Letâs decide to bettering everybodyâs diet data.
Our collective job as coaches is to create the healthiest and happiest individuals on the planet.
How can we do this?
Treating diet as a science, as an alternative of a perception system, is a robust step in the fitting route.
As is consistently pushing to enhance our personal data, and pondering critically about our convictions.
Nutrition science is an enormous discipline. We canât know the whole lot, and definitely not .
But we are able to decide to placing the beliefs away and embracing a lifelong technique of studying, learning, pondering critically, and making use of evidence-based evaluation to each determination and suggestion we make.
What to do subsequent: Some suggestions from Precision Nutrition.
1. Practice having an open but vital mindset.
âBecause it worked for meâ just isnât sufficient proof to suggest âitâ to a different particular person.
Be curious. Ask questions.
Explore the proof that helps a given place. Be conscious of why diet science is so difficult. Ask for scientific references, after which scrutinize these.
And, by all means, experiment on your self (in Precision Nutrition Coaching, we name this writing your Ownerâs Manual).
Try various things. Document the consequences.
Over time, thatâs as professional a method of understanding. (Make certain youâre all the time monitoring and revisiting, although â our bodies do change!)
2. Live within the center floor.
Biology not often operates in extremes. Only in very particular contexts (for instance, precise identified Celiac illness) do âalwaysâ and âneverâ have worth.
So be suspicious of âalwaysâ or âneverâ language in diet speak.
Instead, strive âsome peopleâ and âsometimesâ and âit dependsâ.
For instance, a coach would possibly insist that the whole lot needs to be â100% naturalâ or else itâs unhealthy. But simply because one thing has been processed ultimately does all the time not make it inferior.
In some instances, processing can truly enhance the specified impact and/or dietary profile. For instance, in 2011 the Journal of Nutrition printed a report exhibiting that with out dietary supplements or enriched meals:
100% of Americans wouldnât get sufficient Vitamin D.
93% not sufficient Vitamin E.
88% not sufficient folate.
74% not sufficient Vitamin A.
51% not sufficient thiamin.
46% not sufficient Vitamin C.
22% not sufficient Vitamin B6.
Sure, possibly thereâs some âperfectâ eating regimen floating round on the market, however for many of us, having just a few fortified meals and even artificial nutritional vitamins within the roster might be a good suggestion. A eating regimen stuffed with processed, fortified meals and artificial nutritional vitamins, not so good.
three. Notice when phrases and ideas set off feelings.
Most belief-based diet methods are couched in advertising that purposely will get you labored up, possibly by poking at your traumas, insecurities, or ego (the present âclean eatingâ craze is an efficient instance).
Recognize if you really feel âpulledâ by a sure concept.
Ask your self, am I contemplating this âsystemâ for the fitting causes? Am I on the lookout for an âeasyâ resolution as a result of I really feel unhappy/annoyed/misplaced/pressured in the present day?
four. Scrutinize claims which are tied to monetary achieve.
For instance:
âEat as much as you like and still lose weight!â (An actual-life declare aimed toward promoting a eating regimen guide.)
âRipped abs in 1 minute!â (Real declare. Workout DVD this time.)
âControl insulin levels, decrease blood sugar, speed metabolism, lower LDL cholesterol, burn belly fat and suppress appetite!â (Real claims from the makers of a cinnamon complement. Thatâs proper, cinnamon.)
In my teen years, I spent unthinkable portions of my hard-earned McDonaldâs cash on ineffective testosterone boosters and nitric oxide merchandise.
Trust me bro, I used to be getting âjackedâ.
In this marriage between beliefs and revenue, science didnât present as much as the ceremony.
5. Be skeptical of one-size-fits-all approaches.
Trying to make use of the very same macronutrient ratio (for instance) serve each humanâs wants and objectives is a telltale signal coach wants extra data and/or has an emotional reference to the plan.
Humans are distinctive, advanced methods. They needs to be handled as such.
There is nobody greatest eating regimen. Any plan needs to be a system thatâs based mostly on proof, and really displays the shopperâs distinctive life-style, objectives, and wishes.
6. Get certified teaching.
If you donât really feel assured studying analysis or understanding the science, take into account discovering a Precision Nutrition Certified coach or enrolling within the Certification your self.
Knowledge is energy.
Passionate about health and diet?
If so, and also youâd prefer to be taught extra about it, take into account the Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certification. Our subsequent group kicks off shortly.
Whatâs all of it about?
The Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certification is the businessâs most revered training program. It offers you the data, methods, and instruments itâs worthwhile to actually perceive how diet influences an individualâs well being and health.
Developed over 15 years, and confirmed with over 100,000 purchasers, the Level 1 curriculum stands alone because the authority on the science of diet and the artwork of teaching.
Whether youâre already mid-career, or simply beginning out, the Level 1 Certification is your springboard to a deeper understanding of diet, the authority to educate it, and the flexibility to show what you recognize into outcomes.
[Of course, for those whoâre already a pupil or graduate of the Level 1 Certification, try our Level 2 Certification Master Class. Itâs an unique, year-long mentorship designed for elite professionals seeking to grasp the artwork of teaching and be a part of the highest 1% of diet and health professionals on the planet.]
Interested? Add your title to the presale checklist. Youâll save as much as 30% and safe your spot 24 hours earlier than everybody else.
Weâll be opening up spots in our subsequent Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certification on Wednesday, April eighth, 2020.
If you wish to discover out extra, weâve arrange the next presale checklist, which supplies you two benefits.
Pay lower than everybody else. We prefer to reward people who find themselves keen to spice up their credentials and are able to decide to getting the training they want. So weâre providing a reduction of as much as 30% off the final worth if you join the presale checklist.
Sign up 24 hours earlier than most people and improve your probabilities of getting a spot. We solely open the certification program twice per yr. Due to excessive demand, spots in this system are restricted and have traditionally bought out in a matter of hours. But if you join the presale checklist, weâll provide the alternative to register a full 24 hours earlier than anybody else.
If youâre prepared to spice up your training, and take your diet sport to the subsequent degree, letâs go down the rabbit gap collectively.
References
Click right here to view the knowledge sources referenced on this article.
Ahtiainen, J P, et al. âMuscle Hypertrophy, Hormonal Adaptations and Strength Development during Strength Training in Strength-Trained and Untrained Men.â European Journal of Applied Physiology., U.S. National Library of Medicine, 7 May 2003
Baliunas, D O, et al. âAlcohol as a Risk Factor for Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.â Diabetes Care., U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1 Nov. 2009
Barnes, M J, et al. âThe Effects of Acute Alcohol Consumption on Recovery from a Simulated Rugby Match.â Journal of Sports Sciences., U.S. National Library of Medicine, 15 Dec. 2011
Bhasin, Shalender, et al. âTestosterone Dose-Response Relationships in Healthy Young Men.âAmerican Journal of Physiology â Endocrinology and Metabolism, American Physiological Society, 1 Dec. 2001
Bhatty, M, et al. âAlcohol Abuse and Streptococcus Pneumoniae Infections: Consideration of Virulence Factors and Impaired Immune Responses.â Alcohol (Fayetteville, N.Y.)., U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1 Sept. 2011
Branch, J D. âEffect of Creatine Supplementation on Body Composition and Performance: a Meta-Analysis.â International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism., U.S. National Library of Medicine, 13 June 2003.
Koziris, L P, et al. âEffect of Acute Post-exercise Ethanol Intoxication on the Neuroendocrine Response to Resistance Exercise.â Journal of Applied Physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985)., U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1 Jan. 2000
Mendelson, J H, et al. âEffects of Acute Alcohol Intake on Pituitary-Gonadal Hormones in Normal Human Males.â The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics., U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1 Sept. 1977
Phipps, W R, et al. âAcute Ethanol Administration Enhances Plasma Testosterone Levels Following Gonadotropin Stimulation in Men.â Psychoneuroendocrinology., U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2 June 1987
Sarkola, T, and C J Eriksson. âTestosterone Increases in Men after a Low Dose of Alcohol.â Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research., U.S. National Library of Medicine, 27 Apr. 2003
Sarkola, T, et al. âAcute Effect of Alcohol on Androgens in Premenopausal Women.â Alcohol and Alcoholism (Oxford, Oxfordshire)., U.S. National Library of Medicine, 22 Jan. 2000
Sierksma, A, et al. âEffect of Moderate Alcohol Consumption on Plasma Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate, Testosterone, and Estradiol Levels in Middle-Aged Men and Postmenopausal Women: A Diet-Controlled Intervention Study.â Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research., U.S. National Library of Medicine, 7 Jan. 2004
Sowers, MF., et al. âTestosterone Concentrations in Women Aged 25â50 Years.â OUP Academic, Oxford University Press, 1 Feb. 2001
Turati, F, et al. âAlcohol and Liver Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prospective Studies.â Annals of Oncology: Official Journal of the European Society for Medical Oncology., U.S. National Library of Medicine, 14 Mar. 2014
Välimäki, M J, et al. âSex Hormones and Adrenocortical Steroids in Men Acutely Intoxicated with Ethanol.â Alcohol (Fayetteville, N.Y.)., U.S. National Library of Medicine, Jan. 1984
Ylikahri, R. M. âLow Plasma Testosterone Values in Men during Hangover.â Low Plasma Testosterone Values in Men throughout Hangover, Journal of Steroid Biochemistry, 12 Dec. 2002
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