#usa fancy style

[fridayiminlcve]

if i dont move to nyc or london or paris by age 27 what is the point of anything

[kotori-mochi]

Can't afford art school?

After seeing post like this 👇

And this gem 👇

As well as countless of others from the AI generator community. Just talking about how "inaccessible art" is, I decided why not show how wrong these guys are while also helping anyone who actually wants to learn.

Here is the first one ART TEACHERS! There are plenty online and in places like youtube.

📺Here is my list:

Proko (Free, mostly teaches anatomy and how to draw people. But does have art talks and teaches the basics.)

Marc Brunet (Free but he does have other classes for a cheap price. Use to work for Blizzard and teaches you everything)

Aaron Rutten (free, tips about art, talks about art programs and the best products for digital art)

BoroCG (free, teaches a verity of art mediums from 3D modeling to digital painting. As well as some tips that can be used across styles)

Jesse J. Jones (free, talks about animating)

Jesus Conde (free, teaches digital painting and has classes in Spanish)

Mohammed Agbadi (free, he gives some advice in some videos and talks about art)

Ross Draws (free, he does have other classes for a good price. Mostly teaching character designs and simple backgrounds.)

SamDoesArts (free, gives good advice and critiques)

Drawfee Show (free, they do give some good advice and great inspiration)

The Art of Aaron Blaise ( useful tips for digital art and animation. Was an animator for Disney. Mostly nature art)

Bobby Chiu ( useful tips and interviews with artist who are in the industry or making a living as artist)

Sinix Design (has some tips on drawing people)

Winged canvas (art school for free on a verity of mediums)

Bob Ross (just a good time, learn how to paint, as well as how too relax when doing art. "there are no mistakes only happy accidents", this channel also provides tips from another artist)

Scott Christian Sava (Inspiration and provides tips and advice)

Pikat (art advice and critiques)

Drawbox (a suggested cheap online art school, made of a community of artist)

Skillshare (A cheap learning site that has art classes ranging from traditional to digital. As well as Animation and tutorials on art programs. All under one price, in the USA it's around $34 a month)

Human anatomy for artist (not a video or teacher but the site is full of awesome refs to practice and get better at anatomy)

Second part BOOKS, I have collected some books that have helped me and might help others.

📚Here is my list:

The "how to draw manga" series produced by Graphic-sha. These are for manga artist but they give great advice and information.

"Creating characters with personality" by Tom Bancroft. A great book that can help not just people who draw cartoons but also realistic ones. As it helps you with facial ques and how to make a character interesting.

"Albinus on anatomy" by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coyle. Great book to help someone learn basic anatomy.

"Artistic Anatomy" by Dr. Paul Richer and Robert Beverly Hale. A good book if you want to go further in-depth with anatomy.

"Directing the story" by Francis Glebas. A good book if you want to Story board or make comics.

"Animal Anatomy for Artists" by Eliot Goldfinger. A good book for if you want to draw animals or creatures.

"Constructive Anatomy: with almost 500 illustrations" by George B. Bridgman. A great book to help you block out shadows in your figures and see them in a more 3 diamantine way.

"Dynamic Anatomy: Revised and expand" by Burne Hogarth. A book that shows how to block out shapes and easily understand what you are looking out. When it comes to human subjects.

"An Atlas of animal anatomy for artist" by W. Ellenberger and H. Dittrich and H. Baum. This is another good one for people who want to draw animals or creatures.

Etherington Brothers, they make books and have a free blog with art tips.

📝As for Supplies, I recommend starting out cheap, buying Pencils and art paper at dollar tree or 5 below. If you want to go fancy Michaels is always a good place for traditional supplies. They also get in some good sales and discounts. For digital art, I recommend not starting with a screen art drawing tablet as they are usually more expensive.

For the Best art Tablet I recommend either Xp-pen, Bamboo or Huion. Some can range from about 40$ to the thousands.

💻As for art programs here is a list of Free to pay.

Clip Studio paint ( you can choose to pay once or sub and get updates. Galaxy, Windows, macOS, iPad, iPhone, Android, or Chromebook device. )

Procreate ( pay once for $9.99 usd, IPAD & IPHONE ONLY)

Blender (for 3D modules/sculpting, animation and more. Free)

PaintTool SAI (pay but has a 31 day free trail)

Krita (Free)

mypaint (free)

FireAlpaca (free)

Aseprite ($19.99 usd but has a free trail, for pixel art Windows & macOS)

Drawpile (free and for if you want to draw with others)

IbisPaint (free, phone app ONLY)

Medibang (free, IPAD, Android and PC)

NOTE: Some of these can work on almost any computer like Clip and Sai but others will require a bit stronger computer like Blender. Please check their sites for if your computer is compatible.

So do with this information as you will but as you can tell there are ways to learn how to become an artist, without breaking the bank. The only thing that might be stopping YOU from using any of these things, is YOU.

I have made time to learn to draw and many artist have too. Either in-between working two jobs or taking care of your family and a job or regular school and chores. YOU just have to take the time or use some time management, it really doesn't take long to practice for like an hour or less. YOU also don't have to do it every day, just once or three times a week is fine.

Hope this was helpful and have a great day.

"also apologies for any spelling or grammar errors, I have Dyslexia and it makes my brain go XP when it comes to speech or writing"

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: Abbreviations

Abbreviations, one of the most noticeable features of present-day English linguistic life, would form a major part of any superdictionary.

6 Types of Abbreviations

INITIALISMS

Items which are spoken as individual letters, such as BBC, DJ, MP, EEC, e.g., and USA; also called alphabetisms.

The vast majority of abbreviations fall into this category.

Not all use only the first letters of the constituent words:

PhD, for example, uses the first two letters of the word philosophy.

GHQ and TV take a letter from the middle of the word.

ACRONYMS

Initialisms which are pronounced as single words:

NATO, laser, UNESCO, and SALT (talks).

Such items would never have periods separating the letters – a contrast with initialisms, where punctuation is often present (especially in older styles of English).

However, some linguists do not recognize a sharp distinction between acronyms and initialisms, but use the former term for both.

CLIPPING

A part of a word which serves for the whole, such as "ad" and "phone".

These examples illustrate the two chief types:

The first part is kept (the commoner type, as in demo, exam, pub, Gill).

The last part is kept (as in bus, plane).

Sometimes a middle part is kept (e.g., fridge and flu).

There are also several clippings which retain material from more than one part of the word, such as maths (UK), gents, and specs.

"Turps" is a curiosity, in the way it adds an -s.

Several clipped forms also show adaptation, such as:

fries (from French fried potatoes), Betty (from Elizabeth), and Bill (from William).

BLENDS

A word which is made out of the shortened forms of two other words, such as:

brunch (breakfast + lunch)

heliport (helicopter + airport)

smog (smoke + fog)

Eurovision (European + television)

Scientific terms frequently make use of blending (as in the case of bionic).

As do brand names (a device which cleaned your teeth while you used the phone might be called Teledent)

And fashionable neologisms.

AWKWARD CASES

Abbreviations which do not fall clearly into the above 4 categories.

Some forms can be used either as initialisms or acronyms (UFO – ‘U F O’ or ‘you-foe’).

Some mix these types in the one word (CDROM, pronounced ‘seedee- rom’).

Some can form part of a larger word, using affixes (ex-JP, pro-BBC, ICBMs).

Some are used only in writing (Mr, St – always pronounced in full in speech).

FACETIOUS FORMS

TGIF - Thank God It’s Friday

CMG - Call Me God (properly, ‘Companion of St Michael and St George’)

KCMG Kindly Call Me God (properly, ‘Knight Commander of St Michael and St George’)

GCMG God Calls Me God (properly, ‘Grand Cross of St Michael and St George’)

AAAAAA Association for the Alleviation of Asinine Abbreviations and Absurd Acronyms.

NOTES

Often thought to be an exclusively modern habit, the fashion for abbreviations can be traced back over 150 years.

In 1839, a writer in the New York Evening Tatler comments on what he calls ‘the initial language … a species of spoken short-hand, which is getting into very general use among loafers and gentlemen of the fancy, besides Editors, to whom it saves much trouble in writing …’.

He was referring to OK (‘all correct’), PDQ (‘pretty damn quick’) – two which have lasted – GT (‘gone to Texas’), LL (‘liver loafers’), and many other forms introduced, often with a humorous intent, by society people.

Source ⚜ More: Word Lists ⚜ Notes & References ⚜ Basics & Refreshers

[theoutcastrogue]

8 Fancy Pocket Knives

Etched pocket knife from Eskilstuna, Sweden

Silver / mother of pearl Victorian fruit knife, England

Damascene Toledo knife, Spain

Inlaid Toledo knife, Germany

Silver-plated fruit knife, USA

Damascene Toledo knife, Spain

Etched pocket knife from Eskilstuna, Sweden

Mother of pearl pocket knife from Eskilstuna, Sweden

@victoriansword [details after the cut]

1) Swedish pocket knife by EKA (Eskilstuna Kniffabriks AB), c. 1980-2000. Model 6 GS (1967-2010), with main blade, bottle opener/screwdriver, pen blade, and nail file. Tang stamp "EKA / SWEDEN" (from 1967), etched handle, 7 cm closed.

These were very popular in the 2nd half of the 20th century as gift knives or advertising knives. They were manufactured by many cutlers in Eskilstuna, and widely exported. The decorative pattern appears, with variations, on Swedish knives from at least the 19th century, and is inspired by Norse / Viking art, which often features twisted serpents/dragons. The interlacing perhaps also borrows from Celtic knots.

2) English fruit knife by Martin Bros & Co, 1848. Silver blade with 4 hallmarks (for Queen Victoria, the year, sterling silver, and Sheffield) and maker's mark, mother of pearl scales, 9.5 cm closed.

This is the posh version of what used to be an incredibly useful tool, a knife (and sometimes a multi-tool knife and fork) for eating on the road. The fancier ones were also status symbols, and very popular gifts – millions of silver fruit knives were manufactured in Britain from the 18th to the 20th century, mostly in Sheffield, Birmingham, and Edinburgh.

3) Spanish Toledo knife, as it's sometimes called, a damascened penknife of recent manufacture. Two pen blades, tang stamp "TOLEDO", 6.7 cm closed.

Not to be confused with Damascus blades! The handle is damascened – decorated with gold inlaid into oxidized steel (see here for details). Reminder that gold is a highly ductile metal (you can stretch it real thin before it breaks), so that impressive aesthetic result comes from a tiny amount of gold. It's a cheap knife, is what I'm saying, for tourists basically.

4) German pocket knife, confusingly also called Toledo, by Hartkopf. With main blade, pen blade and nail file. Brass handle inlaid with oxidised steel. Tang stamp "Hartkopf&Co / Solingen", 8cm closed.

It's "damascened" in the broad sense of inlaying, hence the name "Toledo": it supposedly emulates the Spanish style, and perhaps pretends to be Spanish, but both the metals and the geometric patterns are different. Knives of this type were popular in Germany all through the 20th century as gifts and advertising knives.

5) American fruit knife by William Rogers Mfg, made in Hartford, Connecticut c.1865-1898. Main blade, seedpick [also called nut-pick or nut-picker *snickers*], silver-plated nickel silver, decorated with flowers and apples. Tang stamp: an anchor logo and "Wm ROGERS & SON AA", 8.2 cm closed.

Sometimes fruit knives like this were bought by fruit shops/groceries (relatively fancy ones, presumably) in bulk, and sold or given to customers as gifts.

6) Spanish Toledo penknife (another one). With pen blade and damascened handle, different pattern, probably a bit older. Tang stamp again "TOLEDO", 6.8 cm closed.

7) Swedish pocket knife by Emil Olsson, c. 1920-1950. Blade, pen blade and corkscrew. Tang stamp "EMIL OLSSON / [star logo] / ESKILSTUNA", 9.2 cm closed.

Another etched serpent pattern on the handle, though by now you have to squint to see it. This knife has seen some shit. Until ~1940, pocket knives were widely sold and used in Sweden because they came with corkscrews, and all the bottles had corks, and everyone needed to open bottles. After the war, bottle caps replaced corks for everything except wine, and the pocket knife's utility plummeted, and cutleries started closing. There used to be hundreds, and by now only EKA's left. So statistically, if it's from before ~1950 it saw a lot of use, and if it's after ~1950 it did not, it was a gift or something.

8) Swedish pocket knife by EKA, c.1935-1965. Model 38 PB, with blade, pen blade, flat screwdriver, and corkscrew. Handle with mother of pearl scales and nickel silver bolsters, tang stamp "E.K.A. / ESKILSTUNA / SWEDEN", 8.3 cm closed.

The corkscrew is a quirky one, known as Gottlieb Hammesfahr patent: it pivots on the pin and opens perpendicular to the handle, not pulled downwards as in most pocket knives.

[historia-vitae-magistras]

Character Profile - America

Character Name: USA, Murica, Alfred, Alfie-come-lately, Al. 1585-1775 - Alfred F Kirkland. 1775-???? - Alfred F Jones.

Age: 16 as of 1775, 18 in 1789, 21 mid 19th century. 25 by WW2 and still generally in that range.

Height: 6'0/183cm in 1775, 6'2/189cm after 1850ish.

Physical Description: This child was born a tungsten cube and grew into an adamantium adult. He's tall, broad-shouldered and strong. USDA Grade-A corn-fed BEEF right here. He's muscle as fuck with a good inch of fat on him every which way. Really putting the dough in doughboy. He's athletic, with the shoulders of a linebacker but is shockingly graceful and easy in his body. Arthur loved him enough that the confidence and good nature he exuded in his posture and looks are 100% genuine 80% of the time. He was an absolute cherub of a baby and grew into the kind of good looking that would really be described as more beautiful than handsome if he wasn't as broad as the baptist definition of sin.

Eye colour: Pacific, deep water navy, NASA mission blue. Dark, dark blue. Almost black, if not in good light.

Hair colour/style: Amber waves of grain. Two or three shades darker than Matt's and less red than Matt's or Jack's. Imagine all the wheatfields of America at the reaping, find the average tone, and that's Alfred's hair colour. Rich, harvest grain gold. It has a good amount of wave to it that shows even with its being short. He's generally worn it short and to one side to show off the wave he can get. Had some wicked curtain bangs in the 90s tho.

Other distinguishing physical traits: He has never worn a beard in his life, but it tends to come in redder than his hair. Aunt Bridgie's genes really start flexing there. He's got a mostly faded scar over his heart from Matt's pyromaniac-ass burning down DC. And probably more I'll have to add here later.

Personal Appearance/Style: Alfred loves looking good. The first thing Francis taught him was how good he could look and he's been following it ever since. He prefers blue suits, but he'll wear warm greys and black. He knows he looks like a ten-course meal in just grey joggers and a NASA t-shirt against those golden guns of his though. Also, the uniforms he picks are the ones that look good on him. Does he look like shit in one shade of olive drab? He's swapping it out. He showed up in Japan on the Black Ships in the most flattering cut of the Navy officer's uniform there was and it looked fucking good on him, all that dark blue with gold accents. He likes brown leather over black because the warmer colour looks better with his golden boy looks, and he knows it.

Verbal Style: He uses a neutral American or a less broad New England accent when overseas but slides in and out of any possible American accent at home. He got shot at during the Civil War because even in blue the whole goddamn time, he would slide into his original Virginia accent and have to duck rifle fire. Fucker probably sounded slightly transatlantic for a while in the 20th century. He doesn't purposefully code-switch from culture to culture; it's just automatic. He speaks several languages fluently and without an accent if he wants to, but he uses a southern accent speaking Japanese or a Kennedy Accent when speaking German. He knows it's not a jelly doughnut, Deutschland, promise! The more Arthur annoys him, the thicker his American accent gets.

Level of Education: Arthur educated him at home, got him, tutors on literally anything that Alfred fancied, apprenticed him out to any trade that interested him; printing and gunsmithing were the big ones, and then sent him to Harvard when he got bored with that. He graduated from West Point just before the Civil War and personally shot a few of his classmates who sided with the south :) but turned more to engineering, commerce and math after the war. He didn't reappear in the east until the 1880s, so he did a lot of mail-order books and self-study during that period. He also got another degree from The University of the Pacific in that period out west.

Occupation: The government is always trying to rope him into shit, but the boy's heart is in the stars, and something the government did has to be a big deal before he gives a flying fuck. His main squeeze is NASA, but he occasionally shows up to DC to steamroll some favours out of congress, especially when he has the urge to fly something experimental or a particular issue has been bothering him.

Past Occupations: Soldier, sailor, airman, astronaut, gunsmith, printing press operator, mechanical engineer, heiress, physicist, chemist, biologist, anthropologist, archaeologist, mechanic, railroad engineer, cowboy, blacksmith, cook, construction worker, gamekeeper, welder, a gold miner. The boy has some restlessness, okay? He's had many jobs.

Skills, Abilities or Talents: Alfred, even amongst nations, is quite freaky. Super strength, damage resistance, resurrection power that's faster than almost anyone. He can fly, drive, handle or otherwise operate any vehicle without training. He knows how they all work. He's also highly gifted in math and physics. He has been known to make California tremble a wee bit when he's genuinely well and fucking pissed. He'll get his ass lost on a boat or on foot, but in the air, he's possibly the best navigator on the face of the earth. But literally, he can do almost anything he sets his mind to. It's unnatural.

Admirable Personality Traits: Optimistic, idealistic, brilliant, generous, confident, fair.

Negative Personality Traits: Self-righteousness, recklessness, thoughtlessness, arrogance,

Sense of Humor: Silly, slapstick, observational.

Physical/Mental illness or affliction: He's sometimes just shy of narcissistic but usually pulls himself off the brim. Arthur's sons might be eligible for an ADHD diagnosis, but I did that on accident before I got diagnosed rifp. He's not the anxious or depressed type. He has had periods of pretty acute PTSD.

Hobbies/Interests: Computers and tech, filmmaking, archaeology, camping, hiking, adventure sports, surfing, paleontology, working out, protein foot products, star gazing, listening to audiobooks and podcasts. But, like, literally everything interests this kid.

Favourite Foods: BBQ; he can't pick a favourite style tho. Burgers, cheese fries, pizza, strangely flavoured novelty chips. Apple pie with ice cream and blueberry maple ice cream is his and Matt's favourite. Paw-paws are a very rare treat. Huckleberry-flavoured anything will make him absolutely grin.

Most important personal item: He expected to inherit Arthur's pocket watch like other sons did their fathers in the 18th century, so in 1976, when Arthur did give him the pocket watch and a very expensive wristwatch because the pocket watches had gone out of style, he has worn it everywhere since. To Mars and the Mojave, he'll wear that thing everywhere and get it repaired if it takes any damage.

Person/friend close to character: Matt's his best friend. He and Maria are also close but belligerent. Arthur is also in his top 5. Kiku, Ludwig, Tolys, Romano, Mai, etc, are all on his very close friend list. Of older nations, he and Brighid are very close, if complex.

Brief family history: He was born in 1585 or so in Virginia. Arthur said, "finders keepers," From that moment, he was the man's firstborn child. In his childhood, he mainly had Arthur and Rhys, and Alasdair and Brighid, somewhat less until later. He's never met his grandmother or her ghost. He was an only child for about 20-30 years and spent a lot of his childhood functionally an only child with Matt in Francois' care. The two youngest 'siblings' he's got he's not quite sure what to do with them. The relationship isn't precisely sibling-like, but he's pretty fond of them, and he has some trauma from being ditched in New England during the British Civil War, so he saved their asses in 1941.

Most painful experiences in the character’s past: I don't think anything can top the Civil War because he represented the Union, i.e. the United States. It took him years and years to recover, especially because he was living a rough out west lot of the post-war. He got consumption while personally marching to the sea to burn the fucking shit out of the Confederacy. :)

Their Song: Babylon by Barnes Courtney.

[hccn-overseer]

Issue 18, 8/16/2023 - The Overseer

Issue Masterpost About the Overseer

Affiliate Happenings

By Roo

Grian: Old buildings? Moldy bread? Pterodactyls? What do the Grian affiliates not have?

Joe Hills: (This is never going to end, is it?) Joe Hills.

Mumbo Jumbo: More like Mumbo Jellyfish, am I right?

Pearlescentmoon: I think the day that the Pearl affiliates are not wet cats in the rain is the day we should all fear.

Now onto other news below the cut!

Remembering TFC One Year On

By Corundumcat

TW: Mentions of death. 

I think 2022 was really hard for the MCYT community, especially the Hermitcraft community. We as a community lost one of the most dedicated Hermits. One year on, not much has really changed and yet a lot has changed. TFC was one of the quieter Hermits who had a distinct style of gameplay and editing. 

TinFoilChef was born on June 29, 1959, and was aged 63 when he passed away. He lived in Tulsa, Oklahoma USA, and was a true Hermit. In the 1970s, he went off grid for about 10-20 years and was found working as a Pizza Hut employee. 

TinFoilChef joined Hermitcraft during Season 2, and played up until his death in Season 9. While many people did not see him interact with the other Hermits, he was always involved in the background. 

May he rest in peace. 

Helplines:

Guestbook for TFC

Obituary 

Grief Support

International Suicide Hotlines

Words on grief

Beyond Blue

Weekly Weather Report

By Lydia

Temperatures are represented using Celsius. Sorry, Americans!

Wednesday: Temperatures will reach a high of 25 degrees and a low of 12 degrees. Skies will be mostly cloudy throughout the entire day and evening.

Thursday: Temperatures will reach a high of 32 degrees with a low of 17 degrees. Skies will be rainy throughout the entire day and clear up around the evening.

Friday: Temperatures will reach a high of 30 degrees with a low of 19 degrees. Skies will be partly sunny.

Saturday: Temperatures will reach a high of 27 degrees with a low of 15 degrees. Skies will be mostly cloudy with scattered showers throughout the day and brief stretches of sunlight.

Sunday: Temperatures will reach a high of 29 degrees with a low of 16 degrees. Skies will contain brief thunderstorms throughout the morning and clear up around the early afternoon.

Monday: Temperatures will reach a high of 33 degrees with a low of 21 degrees. Skies will be mostly sunny, but humidity will be very high throughout the afternoon.

Tuesday: Temperatures will reach a high of 31 degrees with a low of 19 degrees. Skies will have heavy downpours throughout the afternoon and evening after a clear morning.

Wednesday: Temperatures will reach a high of 26 degrees and a low of 13 degrees. Skies will be partly sunny and very windy, though the evening will be mostly cloudy.

Lost and Found

By Lydia

All of the following items have been brought to The Overseer staff’s office for safekeeping until they are claimed. If you recognize one of these items as yours, please visit us to receive your items, or contact us at lostandfound@thehermitnews.org. Lost items will be sent to Twinkly Trash if not picked up after two weeks. Thank you! *Not a real email address.

Item 1. A clock made with jade and diamonds This clock, made with jade and diamonds, has four hands: one for the hour, one for the minutes, one for the seconds, and a fourth hand that seems to point in a different direction each time one sees it. An attempt was made to locate Bdubs to ask if it was his, however, he was not found.

Item 2: A brooch made from sturdy bone depicting a seahorse This brooch appears to be partially made with whalebone and depicts a seahorse made of pearls. It was found not far from Atlantis and shimmers in the light. It also appears to have been made approximately six years ago and was found covered in redstone.

Item 3: A very fancy journal This journal looks like it would belong in a library in an RPG. Inside of it are contents divided into three sections: travel logs, an unusual shopping & to-do list, and finely detailed architectural sketches that almost look like monochromatic photographs. In the middle of the book lies an elegant quill with a violet-midnight-blue gradient with a gold tip.

Item 4: A jar of blackberry and pomegranate jam This jar contains jam made from blackberries and pomegranate and has a label pasted over it depicting a very muscular, pale man with a small bowler hat, a white button down shirt, a rusty orange vest, and a band-aid over his nose. The label also advertises that the consumer will feel an intense increase of focus upon eating it.

Item 5: A case of dark blue lipstick This was found in Pearl’s Alien Base in a small treehouse among several notes regarding “Moon Magic,” a concept as part of a tabletop roleplaying game based upon Pearl’s biome. Aside from the basic premise and a few statistics concepts, no other notes were found.

Item 6: A round jewelry box filled with magenta powder This powder, rumored to enhance taste, is stored in a very light purple round jewelry box adorned with emeralds and citrines. It was found inside of Welsknight’s cathedral in a confessional booth. Parts of the booth itself were also covered in the same magenta powder.

Issue 7: A pair of brass knuckles These brass knuckles were found in the middle of the desert and appear to be very old with various marks of wear and tear on them.

Item 8: A chiller box of noodle kits This box contains a monthly supply of frozen noodle kits with many variations, including Frozen Soba, Pad Thai, Mie Goreng, Pho, Japchae, La Mian, Spaghetti Carbonara, Ramen, Kuay Tiaw, Cincinnati Chili, and many more. The box also comes with noodle toppings. The finder of this box has taken the extra copy of the recipe booklet.

Item 9: A TIE fighter drone This drone wields a knife, but the laser fires are fully functional. The controls are stuck on maximum sensitivity. It might be someone’s custom free cam.

NOTE: Lost items will be sent to Twinkly Trash if not picked up after two weeks. We are also in need of window and wall repairs and the dodo is missing.

Fun and Games

This week's fun and games are brought to you by Lydia and Azure!

Word Search and Crossword by Lydia

Brain Teasers by Azure

And that's all for this week folks! Thank you for reading and have a lovely week :D

[motsimages]

After watching Vic Fontaine, it is clear to me that Bashir's interest in spies is an adjacent topic to his real interest: the 1960s showbiz in the USA of Earth. And I think it is this way and not from Spies to the 1960s because he likes the Spy Vibe of the first James Bond movies and the cold war. He doesn't play 1990s Bond, he stays with the Russian lover, the fancy costumes and the tuxedo.

And he looked for the Vic Fontaine program for the sake of it. There is no spying involved, only party and flirting and glamour. So it is very specific but also wider than just "spy vibe".

All in all, the same way someone now may have a deep interest in the Versailles parties, the Jane Austen Regency life style or any other 10-20 year period of a very specific group of people, but likes to LARP one type of character (Marie Antoinette at the court, Young Rich Bachelor falling in love with a governess...).

[artsystudiofinds]

Recent addition in my @Etsy store, natural raw moldavite ring handcrafted in silver in tribal bohemian style using traditional silversmithing hand tools.

For more information about this ring, please follow the link. Thank you.

Now avail Labor Day DEALS, flat 15% off with Free USA Shipping

[pitchperspective-23]

India's T20 World Cup Triumph 2024

 "Dhoni finishes off in style, It's India who win the World Cup." These lines said by Ravi Shastri had gone old with respect to India's World Cup Trophy drought. The most dominating team in bilateral series could not win an ICC Trophy and this was the biggest disappointment for ICT fans. After losing the 2023 world cup final, the first thought which came into my mind was that most probably 2024 t20 wc would be the last world cup Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will play together. So, this was their only chance for a world cup glory and they did not gave us a feeling of dismay, sadness and disappointment but an year full of cherishing memories, joy and happiness

India won the T20 World Cup 2024 happening in the USA and West Indies. They became the only team to win a world cup staying unbeaten. Their journey to the final was a happening one from the high pressure game against or the game against Australia. Especially, the game against Pakistan was a sheer representation of the evolution of Indian team's pace battery in the last decade. From 98 percentage of winning the match with Pakistan our pace battery broke their dreams of winning a game against India as they took the game from them in the last 10 overs. From the first game to the last one, India never looked a under confident or worn out team as they dominated everybody they faced badly. One such win was against Australia in the Super Eight which was personal for every Indian citizen ( If you know what I am talking about). Rohit's knock in that game was the indication of the frustration he had in himself after every knockout loss in every world cup in the last 5-6 years with more respect to 19th November. Then comes the Semifinal against England and that transition from 10 wicket win to 10 wickets out was outstanding. The game was one sided as soon as England completed their powerplay during the batting stint. Every cricket in the team was hungry of that silverware. So, they never looked back to the losses they had been facing but focused on their race to the unmatched legacy of winning a World Cup Trophy. The final was the best which could happen in an ICC tournament. It was not a cricket match a display of every emotion one can imagine in a game of cricket. India set a target of 177 and defend for India seemed easy until Klaseen smashed 24 runs in the 15th over and his team needed just 30 of 30 balls. India's pace attack pulled off a blinder from that stage by first Bumrah giving an economical over and then Hardik took the wicket of Klaseen to shift the momentum of the game on his side. The hidden hero was Arshdeep Singh who also pulled of two brilliant overs at the right - one in the middle and the other in the death. Last over consisted of South Africa requiring 16 runs and Hardik had to defend them. The first ball was a full toss indicating the pressure Hardik had with respect to his last 6 months. Miller swung his bat so hard but could not get the middle and it was the sticker that touched his bat but it was enough to go to the boundary but not above it as Suryakumar Yadav caught the ball and fancied India's chances to get the silverware. 

Virat Kohli was in tears and Rohit Sharma lied down to celebrate their undermining hard work in the last decade and the last time in this format. The pair decided to announce their retirement from T20I's together after getting their hands on the silverware. Looking back to their world cup triumph I see a roller coaster ride filled with emotions of joy, happiness and satisfaction. The trophy weighing 12kg which they lifted had made 1.3 billion people happy back home which they expressed through lighting firecrackers and doing individual parades. India became the first cricket team to win a T20I world cup unbeaten displaying their want to get hands on the trophy badly and they gave everything for it. We also gave everything for it and got the result back paying the debt of our worshipping to the team from the last 17 freaking years.  

Ravi Shastri's lines were replaced by the ones - Long on, Long On and what a catch, Suryakumar takes it and Miller's gone !!!!!!!!

[ofanswereddreams]

NIGHT TRIUMPHANT. A private, selective RHYSAND from Sarah J. Maas' ACOTAR. 21+ only. Written by Amy (she/her/hers.) Established May 2024.

carrd | memes | pinterest

There are different kinds of darkness. There is the darkness that frightens, the darkness that soothes, the darkness that is restful... there is the darkness of lovers, and the darkness of assassins. It becomes what the bearer wishes it to be, needs it to be. It is not wholly bad or good.

MAINS: @firehcart, @stareternyl and @wickedpeachie

All graphics by @unknownfaed

A Note for Personal Blogs: Please DO NOT reblog my posts. It clogs up my notifications, and since this blog is for roleplaying, I need those free for thread replies. I'm cool with liking or commenting, but please don't reblog.

A Note on Politics: I'm just going to state this plainly right off the bat so no one misinterprets where I stand. I have never voted for Donald Trump, and I am angry and worried about the politics of the USA. However, I also do not want to discuss politics on the dash or see a lot of political content. You won't find me posting about it here either. The reason is that, due to my particular upbringing, the MAGA cult has already infected and torn apart my family relationships and caused stress to my in-person friendships. I'm already politically active in my personal life, and I discuss politics all the time on my other, personal social media. Tumblr has been (until recently) my one place of retreat from the stress of the USA's crazy, turbulent politics. I believe everyone has the right to express themselves and to set their own boundaries. I am not here to judge anyone for making different choices than I have. This note is merely to clarify my own perspective and set my own boundaries.

Content & Age Requirement: I'm well over 18, so this blog will have NSFW themes. (Given Rhys' background of SA, that's... unavoidable.) I usually just match the limits of my writing partner, so if you want to do a fade to black, I'm good with that. Since I'm over 18, I won't be writing with anyone UNDER 18. If you don't list an age on your blog, then we're not writing together. End of story.

Activity: I work full-time in an office, so my activity is usually limited to weekends (for replies at least.) I'm in Pacific Time or Mountain Time depending on time of year. I'm on Discord every day, so feel free to ask for my username. I actually prefer to plot/chat there vs in Tumblr DMs.

Writing/Formatting Style: I default to multi-paragraph, but I care MUCH more about the quality of your reply than the quantity of it, so DO NOT WORRY about length. As far as formatting goes, I don't do anything fancy. I likely won't be able to use GIFs or icons, because I'm a brat who chose an unusual FC for Rhys. Vivek Dhiman hasn't done any movies that I can find, just modeling, so photo resources for him are slim.

Plotting & Shipping: Y'all this is one of my fave things about the RPC!! I love to trade headcanons, discuss plot ideas and just generally squeal over our muses. Feysand is one of my all-time favorite couples, so... they will be endgame for me on this blog. I don't see him as having had other serious relationships in his 500+ years in Prythian, but if you want to be a past fling, feel free to toss it at me.

Interpretation & Lore: I've read all 5 ACOTAR books (the middle 3 multiple times), and I just finished the Throne of Glass series. I read CC1 and the first part of CC2 before giving up, but then I read all the crossover scenes in CC3 just so I can understand the Prythian lore. I subscribe to the theory that all 3 worlds are connected/are in different points in time. I adore all the theories and regularly consume them on TikTok. Can't wait to consume and contribute to them on Tumblr too muahaha. ANYWAY specifically for my interpretation of Rhysand, I... find the ACOSF pregnancy plot line to be unreasonably illogical (you can regrow wings and raise people from the dead with kernels of power, but you can't handle a fucking c-section?!) It strikes me as a way to sideline Feyre in the plot and a cheap "redemption" for Nesta with regard to the sister she has now spent decades abusing. I also find Rhys' character arc (bending back towards secrecy and keeping major revelations from Feyre) to be odd and confusing. However, since the ACOSF plotline for Feysand almost entirely revolves around things happening with Feyre's body, I will accommodate my plotting and interpretation around it to the particular Feyre I'm right with. Her body, her choice, after all.

Mains, Dupes, Exclusives & Selectivity: I'm open to having mains or affiliates. I'm not ever going to practice exclusives. If you're a single muse Rhysand blog, I won't be following you, but I don't care if you follow me. If you're on a multi, and Rhys is one of them, I'll follow if I plan to write with you. I AM selective in who I write with, so if I don't follow you back, it just means I don't see our muses being able to interact.

Interacting with Me: If you're interested in writing with me, don't be shy! Send me a meme, like a starter call, or come chat with me on Discord. I actually prefer to do a little bit of pre-plotting for a starter call response.

[desolateice]

Fashion time: Kariyushi wear aka an Okinawan style shirt. USA peeps think Hawaiian shirt. Lightweight, cooling, kind of an island uniform. “Kariyushi is a word made up of “kari” and “yushi” in Okinawan (Ryukyu) Dialect and means auspicious or happiness. Kari means lucky and yushi means come near.  Kariyushi wear was named in a wish that wearing it will bring you fortune.” - OkinawanHai

This is what Chozen almost always wears. No matter the age.

These button up shirts are supposed to be super versatile, dressed in them you’re ready for an occasion, hanging out at the beach, work, going dancing or a fancy event in the brutal summer months.

And Chozen’s not the only one who wears them. While Mr. Miyagi also lived in Hawaii for a short period of time (or a wonky confusing period of time because the time frame of the entire series is wacky.) and this could be a Hawaiian shirt I like to think that it’s either Kariyushi wear or at least something reminiscent of home.

 Kariyushi wear is done in a few different styles. Colorful island prints like Mr. Miyagi’s and the first few earlier (not Mr. Miyagi’s go to really) or bingata

“Bingata (Okinawan: 紅型, literally “red style”) is an Okinawan traditional resist dyed cloth, made using stencils and other methods.  It is generally brightly coloured and features various patterns, usually depicting natural subjects such as fish, water, and flowers. Bingata is worn during traditional Ryūkyū arts performances and historical reenactments.” - My Okinawan Story

While this might be a stretch and I don’t know if the costuming department was trying to go for it, there is also an Okinawan fabric called “Bashofu” or banana fiber. It tends to be this light weight tan color like the clothing Mr. Miyagi tends to almost always be wearing. I like to think that it is in fact Bashofu and sometimes this is made into Kariyushi wear which can have long sleeves or quarter sleeves. “Kijoka no Bashofu are a woven cloth produced in Kijoka, Ogimi Village in northern Okinawa. Bashofu is made from the fibers of the Japanese banana plant called Basho, and has been used to make kimonos in Okinawa since ancient times. Kijoka no Bashofu is characterized by its smoothness, lightness and air permeance. The firm and thin cloth, also described as “wings of a dragonfly,” are less likely to stick to the skin even in a humid climate and have been highly valued by people in Okinawa.” - Kogei Japan

[lees-chaotic-brain]

hooray!! congrats on the good news, i hope the streak continues!

okay i'm glad you won't be uncomfortable with the stuff i interact with. i didn't bother with any warnings on my blog bc i'm mostly here to consume things and don't expect too many people to wander by lol. but! since i have been coming out of my lil lurker basement lately i finally at least added a color scheme to it so i look less like a bot.

oh man oh man where to start on tea and jackets? what are your go-to's for either? i'm kind of a tea purist-i prefer tea the east asian (chinese/japanese/korean) way, just pure tea leaves and occasional aromatics with no additional sugar or cream unless i'm specifically making a milk tea. i don't really like herbal teas. i want that camellia sinensis in my shit. my default tea rn is probably hojicha. i made a sunrise burnt basque hojicha cheesecake and though the layers didn't come out as cleanly as i wanted it tasted lovely. a tumblr friend on here inspired me to try out the burnt basque with a FANTASTIC green thai tea i have next! (if you're in the market for the green thai tea and are usa-based i cannot recommend it enough. it's so unique bc green thai is uncommon in the states already, and most of it comes from the powder packets but the one i have is all whole ingredients, no extracts or dye or flavor enhancements and it is DIVINE. sooo fragrant with pandan and vanilla and mint. i will scarf down anything with pandan in it but this is especially lovely)

i basically only own leather jackets or blazers, i have an embarassing amount of both. i did just do a closet purge with a friend's help though and i am proud of say i got rid of like, 16 college-era (p)leather jackets and blazers that had seen better days/are no longer in style

ty for sticking around for my D1 yapping!

dw abt it LMAO. it's not super apparent, but if you look close enough you can see my inner hoe poking through in my tags, so yes. i definitely consume smut and dark content and am looking forward to seeing your stuff on my dash 🤭

omg and for tea? i literally drink any and all kinds of tea. so again, if you've been on my blog long enough/look closely i'm pretty sure i've mentioned it before but i'm half korean, and i while i love all kinds of tea, the tea my mom made for me are nostalgic and bring me comfort. i almost always drink my teas plain (chai being the only exception) or with a little bit of honey.

i LOVE herbal teas. i can't really drink a ton of caffeine with my adhd meds or i genuinely start tweaking. like twitching and all that shit, so i normally drink other teas even though i really enjoy green and black teas :')

THAT TEA AND CHEESECAKE BOTH SOUND SO GOOD OMG

i'm a sucker for jackets and boots, and while i don't have too many, i definitely own a few, but i'll probably reblog this post and rant about them later lmao

if you're interested, here is a comprehensive list of my top ten favorite teas (in no particular order), how i drink them, and why. thank you for attending my lecture.

1. you are so right about hojicha. i love green tea, but my absolute favorite variation of green tea is nokcha. i love the extra flavor the brown rice brings to it. i normally drink it plain, but if i'm feeling fancy i'll steam a little milk and add a drizzle of honey

2. this definitely isn't korean, but when i was little my mom would make me this tea and it was so, so, so, good. it's basically just a stick of cinnamon, some apples slices up, orange and lemon peel, and a little bit of honey boiled together for like an hour. it's literally my favorite thing to drink in the fall bc it just warms me up from the inside

3. oksusu-cha. it's basically a korean tea made from roasted corn kernels and i really, really, like it. it's different from a lot of teas in the sense that it's almost savory, but its taste is very unique and almost earthy? idk how to describe it but i highly recommend trying it. i always drink it plain, but pouring it over heukmi bap (korean purple rice) and eating is also amazing

4. earl gray. i know this one is very british and different from the rest of the teas i drink, but i love having a cup of it once in a while! i drink it black sometimes, but i'll also drink it with either lemon and honey, or a little milk and honey

5. chamomile my love. i love love love a nice cup of chamomile before bed while i'm reading a book! i almost always drink it plain, but if i'm on my period i add a spoonful of honey

6. hibiscus tea. while this isn't necessarily my favorite taste wise, it brings back a lot of memories from when i was little and would go to a cafe with my mom. not to say i don't enjoy the flavor, it's just a little too sweet and a little too tart for me to drink a lot of

7. gyulpi cha. it's a korean citrus peel tea (not unlike #2) and it's really, really, good. i always drink it plain.

8. chai. this is the only type of tea i drink with a ton of stuff in it. i'm currently boycotting starbucks, but i love their iced chai latte with sweet cream foam. during fall i normally get it with some pumpkin flavoring lol. however i barely consider the drink tea at this point lmao

9. lavender tea. i absolutely love a cup of lavender tea before bed. i always drink it plain, and think the scent is so calming!

10. and finally lilac tea. i love lilacs. growing up we had a massive lilac bush and the smell always brings me back. i really enjoy its subtly sweet and floral flavor, and always drink it plain.

anyways, that's it for the tea lmao.

[tinyozlion]

Addressing the Troubles: Part 2 / 3

A Brief History of Gundam in Japan and the USA:

Here is my go-to analogy: The Gundam franchise is to Japan what Star Trek is to America. And Gundam Wing is to the Gundam franchise what Deep Space 9 is to the rest of Star Trek.

Wing was part of an experimental phase in the franchise’s history; when they were intentionally trying to break away from the usual modus operandi. Wing, along with the earlier G Gundam, was intended to boost flagging viewership and sell model kits– like, expressly, openly, just to sell model kits. The plan was to start from a blank slate that would allow new viewers to hop on board, without having to be caught up on the sprawling canon of the UC timeline (Universal Century).

In Japan, audiences were already familiar with the general premise of A Gundam Show; rather than spend any extra time re-establishing details that an already Gundam-savvy audience would know, it skipped right to explaining on how this particular series was departing from the established material. In this case, the noteworthy information was that Wing takes place in the After Colony timeline, and is set wholly in its own universe– we have a different sinister organization with a ‘Z’ in its name, a different mysterious blond man who wears a mask, a different conflict between Earth and Space, and no mention of Newtypes. 

Perhaps the most significant difference between Wing and its predecessor was its tonal shift. In the original Mobile Suit Gundam (if seasoned fans will pardon my oversimplification), the good guys are a relatively wholesome bunch or reluctant civilian heroes coming together to survive, a found-family supporting each other and trying their best to protect the vulnerable. It’s just ONE Gundam, and a crew of overworked, under-supplied misfits. It’s still very much a complex narrative about the horrors of war, but like, there’s a goofy side-kick robot! Kids run around White Base causing shenanigans! The more the UC timeline progresses, the more complicated it gets, but the point is, it’s a different style of complicated. There's a relatable and familiar flavor to its protagonists and their struggles. 

Pan over to Wing, where we are served right away with the spiciest plate of the spiciest feral murder boys, possibly the LEAST reluctant people ever to get in a mecha and cause harm.

The protagonist pilots are remorseless teenagers who were robbed of their adolescence before the show even began, and thrown into the meatgrinder of revolutionary violence– not the most relatable bunch, and not one audience surrogate amongst them (that honor goes to Relena). None of them work together, everyone is morally ambiguous, and they’re all hyper-competent elite soldiers from the get-go. In MS Gundam, Amuro spends his first fight in the Gundam trying to learn to walk and shoot using a manual. 

Some Gundam fans were quite put off by this change, but in the USA, we had no basis for comparison. Gundam Wing was the only Gundam show we had, and furthermore, it was one of the first “serious” “cartoons” introduced to mainstream television. And it blew. Our. Fucking. Minds.

--I cannot stress enough how influential that early 2000’s Toonami programming block was in introducing anime to American audiences, and by extension, American television producers and toy companies. I recommend checking out this IGN article about the history of GW’s debut on Cartoon Network, and the effect it had on the industry at large: How Gundam Wing Found Its Home On Toonami 20 Years Ago Today . For another take on the phenomenon check out: Found in Translation: How Gundam Wing Became A Global Phenomenon (Opinions are those of the article writer, not mine.) 

For those of you who are of that Toonami-block generation who never encountered the original series: MS Gundam is truly gripping and powerful, and if you’re not already a Gundam fan but found that Wing tickled your fancy, the original line up of shows will probably be right up your alley too. Be prepared for a very different overall experience from Wing though– for one thing, you may be surprised to discover that the original series, with its earlier animation style and dated anime tropes, is absolutely fucking brutal.

Fundamentally, the original Gundam is a series that is steeped to its core in a very somber, distinctly post-war Japanese melancholy that Wing, for all its lofty philosophizing, lacks. I don’t mean to make that a criticism of Wing– it had a much, much shorter run to make its point, and it was intentionally trying to do something different from its parent series.

Gundam Wing may at one point had a reputation for being Gundam’s dark, broody, edgy cousin, but Wing is also as chaste as a Victorian romance novel, and obscures most of its violence in clean, bloodless explosions. In the first episode of MS Gundam you will be treated to first-hand mass civilian death. In the movie and at various points of the shows there are scenes deliberately and uncomfortably reminiscent of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In Zeta Gundam, you'll get to explore a wide selection of Horrible Ways To Die In Space that I suspect would have the same effect on a child as accidentally watching Watership Down (1978) thinking it was a Disney movie. (That's right: It makes you a more interesting person with good taste!) There's also like, nudity. And adults, with messy, adult relationship problems.

The U.C. timeline is just a lot more, I want to say, earthy as a rule. The characters are normal people and they have a wide range of interests and relationships to each other. Even when it’s reaching those philosophical high-notes, the focus is closer to the ground level; you see the day to day struggles of the crew, of civilians, of couples, you see their private lives, watch them evolve over the course of many years, how they fall in love, eat burgers, hook up, make friends, and make bad decisions. It’s a rich, diverse world filled with believable, complex people; the world building has more time to fill out, with its roots firmly in the soil of classic science fiction writing and space exploration; and it does what it sets out to do, which is deliver a gut-punch of an anti-war story.

If you take anything away from this, it’s that developing a tolerance for older mediums and long-term relationships with particular stories will give you access to some of the most rewarding experiences possible. And that’s true of many things, but especially of stories that have had lasting cultural impact and serve as time capsules for the struggles of their era. It’s true of The Iliad, it’s true of Lord of the Rings, it’s true of Akira, it’s true of Gundam. 

“Just Make Us Five Gundams” – Wing’s Famously Troubled Production & Why You Should Read Episode Zero

Gundam Wing was created flying by the seat of its pants from start to finish. 

Hideyuki Tomioka, executive producer on Wing, was still early in his career when he was cut loose on a new Gundam series with minimal oversight.

“Just make us a show with FIVE new Gundams”, Bandai said. “It’ll sell model kits!”, they said. “It’ll be fun!”, they said. And they laughed, and laughed. 

But Tomioka agreed, and set out to assemble his creative team– notably, Masashi Ikeda (series director), Katsuyuki Sumisawa (series composition / head scriptwriter), and Shuko Murase (character designer). Many of his chosen production crew had never worked on a Gundam show before, but everyone knew their stuff, and had been selected for their outstanding work or for showing promise in their respective fields. 

--Please, pour one out for them now.

The production schedule for Wing was apparently one of the roughest in Sunrise’s history. In a 2017 interview, producer Tomioka explains: “With Wing, we delivered the episodes to the TV network a week early. All of them. I was told by the producers at the network that there would be hell to pay if this next Gundam wasn’t delivered a week early like clockwork, and I said sure. I also told Mr. Ikeda and the company that we would maintain a one-week-before-air delivery schedule, and we delivered every single episode a week before air.” 

Head scriptwriter Sumisawa recalls camping in the Sunrise studio and working all night without sleeping in order to turn in scripts on time (something I vividly recall doing with my senior thesis). 

Despite the entire staff being burnt out from the continuous workflow, the team apparently met every single deadline, and still consider Gundam Wing to be some of their best work. 

However, Wing’s trouble didn’t end with just the frantic schedule.

Significant, under-the-table leadership changes at the studio level made a bad situation worse. Just before the production of Wing, parent company Sunrise had sold the Gundam franchise to Bandai, apparently in secret, leaving their creatives and producers like Tomioka in a lurch. The sudden change in sponsors led to an attitude change that would filter through the company, causing significant friction and splintering within the organization.

In fact, creative control of the series was tossed in the air at multiple levels:

 When series director Masashi Ikeda was hired for Wing, he was coming off a few rocky dismissals / resignations from earlier projects due to his disagreements with sponsors. He was new to Gundam, but was known for being a talented, if contentious, storyboard artist / director. Right away he took Wing in an unexpected direction, apparently derailing the series from its original trajectory after only 10 episodes. Signing off on these provocative decisions may have painted a target on his back, but it certainly made Wing stand out from its predecessors! Perhaps predictably, Ikeda either “abruptly resigned” or was fired from the project after Episode 29, and was substituted by Gundam franchise veteran, Shinji Takamatsu. Takamatsu would ultimately finish directing the remaining half of the series, though he was left uncredited.

Sumisawa too withdrew as a the lead scenario writer. He reports having to cope with curve balls thrown in the script by different writers who hadn’t run their decisions by him first, leaving him to struggle with reworking episodes at the last minute in order to accommodate the unsupervised changes. 

All the crunch and chaos, the impossibly tight schedules, the directorial and creative control changing hands mid-series, led to many of the important plot points and connective tissue that had been slated for reveal at the midpoint of the series being severely truncated, or scrapped entirely.

--And this, friends, is why there are so many instances in the early episodes of Wing where characters make reference to events and concepts that simply never show up in the series– the material got cut for time, and the unexplained anecdotes were left to dangle. 

This includes by far the most unfortunate omission in the series: the pilot backstories. In the postscript of “Gundam Wing: Episode Zero”, the manga prequel released seven years after the series first aired– scriptwriter Sumisawa makes this plea:

“[...] I would like to make a request of those who have read this book. I would like you to watch the entire TV series and Endless Waltz again. By so doing, I think you will be able to fully appreciate the work, Gundam Wing. This series of stories of the past was requested of me by Director Ikeda, and it was supposed to appear in the to the p20the TV series after episode 27. However, it was pigeonholed roduction schedule being the worst ever, and the fact that I withdrew ws scenarist. When I returned to the show, there was no chance to fit in the past, and we had no choice but to table it indefinitely (though we did try in episode 31, The Glass Kingdom). It was able to become a graphic novel through the kindness of the editors at Anime V Magazine and Mr. Kanbe's (artist) cooperation. As one of the co-creators, I am extremely grateful, and this has become a very emotional work.”

In one interview, Sumisawa laments: “Nobody wants to write recap episodes. Episodes 27 and 28 were recap episodes.” Producer Tomioka notes that “Everybody worked some serious miracles for part two. We never would have been able to do part two [of the series] if we hadn’t put in those recap episodes. It really was rough.” 

--This Is why I recommend that people read Episode Zero around the time they get to the mid-series point in the anime, where the backstories were always meant to go. Many, MANY questions and frustrations that I hear from first-time watchers will be cleared up.

It’s a damn good collection of stories, too! As you can see, my own copy is nearing a level of decrepitude that ought to make it Nursery Real at this point. I took it everywhere with me in my school bag as a comfort item.

–A link to the manga can be found in the Bookshelf section!

[southernsparkles]

Feeling fancy but not up for washing dishes during a party, event, or just any large gathering? Consider these! ⭐ Paper plates (and bowls): Printed in the USA with vegetable-based inks on durable paper stock, these are both food safe and fully biodegradable! Available in the following styles: Round (7" and 9"), Square (7" and 9") and Bowls (7" only). Sold in quantities of 8. ⭐ Paper Napkins: These are extra soft, 3-ply napkins that are sold in quantities of 50 (so you can buy in bulk for events and save!). Available in the following styles: standard and coined cocktail (4.75"x4.75"), standard and coined luncheon (6.5"x6.5"), and standard dinner (8"x8") 

Plate designs: Wisteria | Magnolia | Gardenia | Dogwood

Napkin designs: Wisteria | Magnolia | Gardenia | Dogwood

[apelcini]

As a northeast coast gal I am always on board with the Maryland hate but also I want to hear the backstory. why u r so upset with maryland

okay so I’m a midatlantic gal myself, eye of the storm that is the region. i live within day trip distance of baltimore city, the mountains, dc, and pennsylvania. i’ve also always been interested in history, and ever since i could talk i went around trying to dig up the history of every place i went, which was most of the east coast because of family members. and holy shit, were marylanders not happy for me to be doing that. okay here’s the only way i know how to describe it. picture a large antique house, built in the colonial classic style, the oldest house in its suburb. the house is owned by a pta mom named emily who meticulously grooms the exterior in an attempt to make it look brand sparkling new even though the roof is rotting actively and if you look at the windows you can see mold growing on the fancy curtains but if she catches you looking at her window mold she’ll bite your head off about how looking into other people’s houses is rude and she thought you’d have known better. maryland is that house. it is by far full of the fakest people i have met outside california and dc proper. every county in maryland who lives southeast of frederick and carroll wants to pretend that the northwest five counties are part of west virginia so they can continue to make “stupid hick” jokes without having to think that maybe they’re being reductive to people who are actually quite similar to them. every county besides those five northwest counties is also full of incurable phonies, except for baltimore city which everyone outside of the city loves to shit on endlessly as if they actually give a shit about any of the reasons WHY that city is a crab bucket when these takoma park bitches have never even been to baltimore besides the aquarium, they just want to write it off as the lost cause next door. maryland is like those cliche suburban horror movies where the real horror is how excessively normal everything seems. i’ve met people from all over the usa willing to call their states shitholes or at least beloved locations with some real big flaws, but not maryland, the state i have spent by FAR the most amount of time in. when i was fourteen i had a dissociative breakdown over this and I’m still not 100% reconvinced that maryland is in fact a real place and not some liminal matrix bullshit. in conclusion you all can shove your maryland pride right back up your crab hole. also the flag is terrible and i’ll die on this hill like the axeman of stamford fucking bridge.

[scienceoftheidiot]

Tell us about horses! What is your favourite breed?

Ooohh hard question. There are many I love so I'll just make a list, shall I ?

First, this is not my fave breed but my own horse is a french trotter, and while they are primarily race horses they are actually very sturdy, calm and friendly horses you can do whatever you want with and I would not exchange him for anything else even if he's an opinionated bastard lol

Here he is yesterday IN PRISON (separated him to give him food and treat some minor wounds and he was NOT HAPPY)

Then. Other breeds. I have a very soft spot for rustic breeds, the ones who live outside all year and can face anything and are just sturdy little bastards so like. All my kid years I just wanted a mustang, you know (damn now my phone is capitalising the word automatically I wonder why 🙃). They're just awesome! And wild! They have the perfect build and all these cool colours and for someone like me who's more than primarily an outside/trail rider they'd be perfect! But I don't live in the USA so uuuh

(I stop you right here I was too old and already obsessed about horses for too long for the Spirit movie to have had any impact on this. I was born this way lol)

Soooo if I'm french, what do I have ?

The Camargue is a fun little one

They live in the Camargue swamps among the flamingos. Can forget the cool colours though they're all grey. I've ridden a few of them and they're really nice horses. A little on the small side for me but eh. Oh and they're a work breed. They're used to farm the local cows.

I've also ridden a couple of merens, another french breed, which were reaaaaally nice. Very chill horses.

Yeah. They're all black. That's the constant in rustic breeds usually. (Incidentally why I love mustangs so much because they have all I love PLUS the fancy colours I mean YES).

I also have a soft spot for haflingers because I learnt to ride on them (galloping freely in my local mountains. You bet I don't know how to ride in an arena.) You guessed it, they all look like that. This is not a french breed, they are from Tyrol, in Austria. They're also considered ponies sometimes.

Finally and if I'm talking about cool looking sturdy rustic horses... I love an Arab or an Arab-Barb.

Yeah I know. But like. Actual real Arabians can be so chill? They can live outside all year too, they have the sturdiest feet, they have the brains. I've ridden an Arabian stallion that was SO CHILL and nice. I also know a friend whose Arabian mare would scare itself to death when it farted - those are not mutually exclusive lol. Mind you I hate American style Arabs or Egyptian Arabs - they way their head is shaped is way too extreme for me and I do think it's probably not especially good for them.

Bonus :

I've never seen one IRL but I LOVE the Marwari (Indian breed). I don't know about their temperament but they have a great built, cool colours AND THOSE EARS !!! 🥰 Cuties

Thank you for asking !!!! 😊❤️