#and also it was a translation that i already own in physical format (see above pictures)

[maggiecheungs]

Illustrations by Tai Tun-Pang from the FLP edition of Dream of the Red Chamber

#dream of the red chamber #hongloumeng #hong lou meng #story of the stone #dream of red mansions #chinese literature #chinese art #books #Tai Tun-Pang #cao xueqin #ellis reads #i found another edition of hongloumeng in a charity shop yesterday but then jo reminded me that i'm poor :/ #and also it was a translation that i already own in physical format (see above pictures) #but if it's still there when i go back i'm going to get it #bc it's a 4-vol massmarket paperback version & thus much easier to read/carry around than the hardback edition of the yang trans that i own #and i've been feeling the urge to reread it lately <3333

[translations-by-aiimee]

Mistakenly Saving the Villain - Chapter 7

Original Title: 论救错反派的下场

TW for this chapter: Suicide Attempt

Genres: Drama, Romance, Xianxia, Yaoi

This translation is based on multiple MTLs and my own limited knowledge of Chinese characters. If I have made any egregious mistakes, please let me know.

Chapter Index

Chapter 7 - Panic in the Medicated Bath

Song Qingshi searched the warehouse all night and finally found old robes made of red ice silk. He dismantled the decorative formation above, handed it over to the valley servants, and asked them to modify them to look like inner robes overnight. Then, he quietly put them on the bedside of Yue Wuhuan along with the new cotton gown.

The next day, Yue Wuhuan was shocked when he saw this ice silk robe.

Song Qingshi has urged him up from outside the door: "Hurry up, let's go for a new treatment."

"Yes, Master." Yue Wuhuan knew that he had changed masters, so he didn't dare to think too much. He put on his clothes and went out in a hurry, feeling much more comfortable in this outfit.

Song Qingshi took him through the corridor and went to the alchemy room next door. This was originally a forbidden place in the Medicine King Valley. A place where the original body used animals and humans to experiment with various medicines. It was also the place where the valley servants were most afraid of entering. Song Qingshi complied with the "Declaration of Helsinki" and rejected any human experiment that violated ethics. Fortunately, when he took over being the Medicine Master, there were not many test items left by the original body. He immediately released what he could release and helped those that needed help, and then changed it to a treatment room. The remaining specimens and general teachers are placed in other rooms - these were the big treasures of medicine, and he would study slowly when he had some free time.

Yue Wuhuan was walking towards the alchemy room and found that more than one valley servants cast sympathetic glances his way, and he became a little nervous. After entering the alchemy room, when he saw Song Qing take out a medicine vat big enough to fit a person in, he became more paranoid.

Song Qingshi didn't notice his anxiety. He threw the various medicinal materials that had been counted ahead of time into the tank, then poured water and used the alchemical fire in his body to control the temperature. After the water in the tank turned red, he turned back and said: "Take off your clothes and get in."

Yue Wuhuan stood still, his eyes stiffened when he looked at him.

"Don't be afraid," Song Qingshi finally remembered that he had forgotten to explain. "The Prince’s Plume Expelling Decoction is a medicinal bath. It won't cause discomfort."

Yue Wuhuan hesitated for a moment before stretching his hand to the belt and untying it.

Song Qingshi turned around, sat down with his back to him, not peeking at him entering the bath.

Yue Wuhuan breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly removed his clothes, and stepped into the bloody medicinal water. The hot liquid medicine penetrated into the skin, causing a slight tingling sensation, but there was indescribable comfort. He took a deep breath, relaxed completely, and suddenly sank his whole person into the water. He didn't expect that the water would overflow because it was too full. It splashed on Song Qingshi’s neck, ears and hair. A pale red flower blossomed on his white robe.

For most Daoists, the robe was a very important thing and any damage would cause heartache.

Yue Wuhuan realized his mistake and sneaked out of the water quietly. He hid in the tank and peeked out, worried that he would offend Xianzun.

Song Qingshi didn't care what happened. He stared at the bluestone on the ground in a daze. After a while, he discreetly shook the water droplets on his hair.

Yue Wuhuan picked his words carefully and asked cautiously: "Master, will you turn around so that this slave can clean you?"

Song Qingshi lowered his head and looked at the bluestone more attentively: "You are bathing, you can't peek." In his world view, it was reasonable for doctors to check the patient's physical condition during treatment, but if the doctor peeks at the patient trying to take a bath, it was morally corrupt and shameless.

Yue Wuhuan pondered these words for a long time, and guessed: "Does Master dislike that this slave's body is too dirty?"

Song Qingshi shook his head and whispered: "You don't like being watched."

"Master jokes." Yue Wuhuan's eyes hardened, and he was silent for a moment, peeking out of the water. His long hair wet sat on his shoulders, just like a mermaid who just came out of the sea. His body was otherworldly, and his muscles were perfectly proportioned with no hint of fat. His waist was slender enough to be held with one arm, but there was hidden power inside. He leaned against the edge of the bath, approached Song Qingshi’s ear, blowing lightly. His phoenix eyes were extremely charming, the red tear-shaped mole was so gorgeous that it could charm people’s hearts, and his voice was as tempting as the devil. "What is there not to see on this slave's body? The people who have seen it. . . there were too many to count. They all say that the slave's body is very beautiful and defined, and it can stop a man in his tracks. It was made to be adored. . ."

Song Qingshi quickly interrupted him, repeating: "You don't like being watched."

After Yue Wuhuan watched him for a long time, he said hoarsely: "This slave doesn't care anymore."

Song Qingshi didn't know how to explain, but insisted: "You don't like it."

Can he refuse just because he doesn't like it?

Yue Wuhuan thought this was ridiculous. In the years when he was just sent to accompany guests, he was coaxed to say that he didn't like it and didn't want it. The result was only meant to find his weaknesses for their amusement.

He didn't like to be seen, so that meant he was forced to show the most unbearable postures to everyone in the square and at banquets time and time again.

He doesn't like saying those lewd things, so he was tortured by various drugs and instruments of torture until he learned to use his voice to add to the excitement. . .

Until he abandoned his sense of shame, gave up his dignity, and pretended to enjoy these things.

He had known for a long time that in the eyes of these stupid cultivators, he was just a beautiful toy, without emotions, existing just to be moulded into whatever his master wanted. He often wished that he could go mad and be stupid, like most slaves, and lose his ability to think. He could mindlessly live a dog-like life and using his body to please his master.

It's a pity that there was always a trace of clarity in his heart, coldly examining his embarrassing self, and then cutting him to pieces. . .

Maybe he had already gone crazy. . .

He couldn’t tell when the fire rose slowly. The temperature of the potion was getting hotter and hotter. Yue Wuhuan’s face also became hotter and hotter, but he couldn’t feel the scorching heat and dipped his head into the bloody-red potion until water flooded up his nose and he couldn't breathe. He didn't want to get up, hoping to just stay submerged forever so that the hot water could clean the filth off his body, preferably right down to his bones.

Song Qingshi noticed something was wrong from the quietness behind him. He turned his head and found that he had been distracted when they were speaking and did not control the Red Lotus fire well. The water temperature rose several degrees and it was so hot that Yue Wuhuan had disappeared beneath the surface of the water. Song Qingshi didn't move cautiously, got up and rushed over, reaching into the tank to get the person out.

The wet beauty was dragged into his arms. His eyes were closed and his limbs drooped feebly. His long curling hair clung to his fair skin, dripping onto the ground, making the Acacia Seal on his back shimmer. Song Qingshi's mind was clear. He quickly laid the person on the ground, confirmed he still had a pulse and started CPR.

Yue Wuhuan spit up water and opened his eyes. He was surprised to find that Song Qingshi’s face was so close to his. He could even see his own reflection in his clear, black eyes. Because of the heat from the tank, Song Qingshi's eyes were heated and red, with water droplets clinging to his long eyelashes. He looked like a naive and innocent boy, nothing like an ancestor of the Nascent Soul sect who had practiced for nearly a thousand years, deceiving and cheating death itself.

He hadn't recognized the other party's true identity by the river at the time. He had wanted to sympathize with a man who would never experience an unjust death.

Yue Wuhuan's thoughts became more and more chaotic. He curled up subconsciously, and all kinds of messy memories flashed in front of him. The tenderness in his chest and the remaining warmth on his lips made him a little confused between reality and his memories as if he had returned to when he was punished by his masters.

Scholar-Tyrant Song almost failed his class, so scared that his soul almost flew away. His movements were as fierce as a tiger, relying entirely on instinct. After Yue Wuhuan woke up, he breathed a sigh of relief. However, he realized that there were many ways to treat drowning in the world of cultivating immortals, and there was no need to use modern first aid at all.

He wouldn't be able to clearly explain this. . .

It was standard for medical students to perform CPR on a drowning victim. Regardless of whether it was someone beautiful or ugly, a child or an old man, he would do it without hesitation. Song Qingshi was a little embarrassed that he hadn't figured out the best first aid technique for the immortal world ahead of time, but he can worry about that later. He just had to figure out how to explain it.

Yue Wuhuan had lost the focus in his eyes. He slowly unfolded his body, no longer covering it up, like a fish that was forcibly dragged ashore to die, preparing to be slaughtered.

Song Qingshi quickly turned his face away, closed his eyes, and apologized honestly: "I'm sorry, I made a mistake with the temperature of the water."

"It's not Master's fault," Yue Wuhuan's eyes were open, but he couldn't make out anything around him. He was listening, but he couldn't understand what was being said. He repeated his standard answer, "It's my fault, it's my fault. . ."

This is the truth that he had paid a heavy price to learn and had been instilled in him over and over again, always reminding him how to live.

"Wuhuan, you are so beautiful, you were born to be played with."

"Wuhuan, it's your body that seduces men, so it must be abused."

"Wuhuan, it's because you are so aloof that it makes me not want to stop."

"Wuhuan, you are a monster born for sex."

"Yue Wuhuan, it's all your fault."

"Yue Wuhuan, it's all your fault."

. . .

"My fault, my fault, my fault. . ." Yue Wuhuan kept repeating numbly, "It's all my fault."

Because he was the wrong that existed in the world.

Song Qingshi took off his robe and put it on Yue Wuhuan, and suddenly realized that the mental state of the person in front of him was very fragile, as though he were caught in a terrifying trap. He thought for a while and gritted his teeth. He stretched out his hand to slap him but hesitated, so he got up and brought a bucket of cold water next to him. He used the freezing technique and poured it down suddenly over his head. Yue Wuhuan was shocked by the cold, and his mind cleared somewhat. Song Qingshi took the opportunity to give him the Tranquil Mind Spirit Calming Pill to take.

"Master?" Yue Wuhuan came to his senses, a little confused.

"It's okay." Song Qingshi took the towels and clothes he had prepared earlier, wrapped him up layer and layer like a dumpling, and then gave a rational explanation, "You were hallucinating because you almost drowned."

Yue Wuhuan nodded blankly.

Song Qingshi determined that he had wrapped the dumpling tight enough. He stopped, satisfied, and ordered: "Wear more in the future."

Yue Wuhuan looked at him and asked anxiously: "This slave can wear more?"

Song Qingshi eagerly educated him: "Autumn is coming soon. It's going to be cold. You must wear more to avoid catching a cold."

"Thank you Master for your pity." Yue Wuhuan responded softly as soon as he was sure that he was not toying with him. He clutched his clothes tightly. For some reason, he suddenly remembered that when he first entered Golden Phoenix Manor, he was forced to take off all his clothes and was reduced to being a plaything.

Now, this seemingly deceptive man had personally helped him put on his clothes piece by piece, as though he were trying to convince him of something. . .

Because the medicated bath had been interrupted, the effect had not been fully achieved.

Song Qingshi busied himself adding water to the medicine tank and re-adjusting the temperature.

Yue Wuhuan sat quietly on the ground watching him work for his sake, lost in thought. Suddenly, he later realized that the never-ending burning sensation in his body had died down. He moved his body slightly and was surprised to find that the sensitivity caused by drugs had also greatly decreased, and the friction of the cloth was no longer causing him discomfort.

He tried to find an answer, but couldn't understand it. He finally plucked up the courage to ask, "Master, what is the purpose of the Prince's Plume Expelling Decoction. . .?"

"Huh?" Song Qingshi stopped and froze for a while. He found that he had again fallen into the scholar-tyrant's bad habit. His mind was moving too fast. He always felt that others would understand as long as he gave a name or an answer, regardless of whether others were following his thoughts or not.

Song Qingshi was a good academic who knew how to accept his mistakes and correct them. He reorganized his words several times in his mind and chose the simplest explanation, "Your body has been corroded by many drugs, so it causes great discomfort. The Prince's Plume Expelling Decoction can be used to remove the drug residues in your body. This medicinal bath needs to be taken five times, and the last two times will be taken with Muscle Generating Flower and Snow Toad Cake added to help repair the old wounds. When that happens, it might be itchy and uncomfortable but we can't use anesthetics. Don’t worry, you just need to endure that stage, and the body will return to its original state. . ."

Song Qingshi couldn’t bear to say it: Those people didn’t care about whether Yue Wuhuan lived or died. All kinds of aphrodisiacs were used uncontrollably on him, causing conflicts of various drug properties in his body and residual excess. If the drugs had continued to be used, he wouldn't have made it another few years.

"I was overdosed on drugs. . . Yes, they thought I was boring," Yue Wuhuan wrapped his clothes tightly around his frame, reluctant to let go. He hesitated for a long time but decided to control the unwillingness in his heart and explain clearly what Song Qingshi would figure out sooner or later. He was so confused that he once again forgot how he was supposed to address himself, "Master, without the medicine, my body will not respond to men. You won't be able to find pleasure in me. I-I'm not used to those things, only with the help of drugs. . ."

Song Qingshi interrupted his incoherent speech: "Don't do things that make you uncomfortable."

"You don't need to be nice to me." The more Yue Wuhuan opened his heart, the more fear he felt. He was like a bewildered child, desperately saying, "I have nothing, the only thing I can give you is this body. . ."

Song Qingshi realized that he wasn't in a good emotional state right now and turned away. He knew he should do psychological intervention now, but the words in his heart that he had practiced thousands of times all disappeared the minute he opened his mouth. He couldn't say anything sweet and comforting. He was clearly extremely upset, but in the end, his thoughts could only be condensed into two words: "You have."

The Yue Wuhuan in his heart was the kid who had practiced his swordsmanship under the peach blossom tree, the boy who dreamt of becoming a cultivator with a mortal body.

The Yue Wuhuan he saw in his eyes was a soaring phoenix in the heavens, the brightest star in the night, but with its wings broken and covered in dust.

Song Qingshi walked step by step, firm in every step.

Yue Wuhuan tried to force himself to calm down, but he couldn't stop his body from trembling, and he wanted to retreat.

Song Qingshi squatted down on his knees and looked meaningfully into his eyes.

Yue Wuhuan felt that he couldn't retreat.

Song Qingshi promised word by word: "I will and return to you whatever you had before, and I will give you everything you want."

Yue Wuhuan's breathing became short. He still couldn't understand what this promise meant, but he understood the seriousness and determination in Song Qingshi's eyes. He asked carefully: "What do you need me to do?"

Song Qingshi asked: "Don't try to commit suicide again, okay?"

Yue Wuhuan thought for a long time and finally nodded.

#mistakenly saving the villain #mistakenly saving the villain translation #chinese bl #chinese novel #english translation #yaoi novel #song qingshi #yue wuhuan

[tl-notes]

Kobayashi’s Maid Dragon S2 Episode 2 Notes

Here’s some notes for episode two, too, if you’d care to join me.

The “stay quiet” here is 大人し[い] otonashii, which takes the word for “adult” and adjectivizes it. It’s a common word with a variety of meanings, such as  when something is “behaving” properly and not raising a fuss (from children to computer code to a chronic disease to political forces, all sorts of things) or when something comes across as “mature” (like a clothing design or a young person). 

In this case the idea is that the dragons had chosen to “behave” and mind their own business, which (they seem to assume) led the humans into underestimating them and deciding to attack. (”Stay quiet” probably does a pretty good job of getting that across, but just to fill it out.)

This is 残念ながら zannen nagara, or “unfortunately...”. 

The reason I bring it up here, is that it’s not a particularly intimate way of speaking and leans somewhat formal—potentially implying Ilulu has no more close relatives left to give her this news (and/or maybe her family’s social position is one where other dragons had to treat them with respect).

The second line here is 平常心を保つよ、私は, which is a fairly strong declaration of intent. I kind of feel like “I need to keep a clear head” sounds less confident, like convincing herself “ok bad situation, but if I just do this I’m fine.” In contrast, the Japanese imo is more of a “[Ilulu can do what she may,] but it won’t get it to me either way.” Just a mild point of characterization I suppose.

Just for clarity, she does use the word 雄 osu here, which is the more biological term for “in a sexually reproducing species, the one that produces sperm,” rather than a more gender-based term.

The TV show, シャシャシャシャキーン Sha-sha-sha-shakiin, is a combo reference to irl Saturday-morning kids’ variety show じゃじゃじゃじゃ～ン Ja-ja-ja-jaaN and weekday-morning シャキーン! Shakiin!. 

The former’s name comes from the Japanese equivalent of ta-dah!, while the latter’s comes from the ”sound” for becoming alert, going from relaxed/sleepy/bored/etc. to “wide awake let’s go.” (though not necessarily sleep/wake related)

If you’ve seen these two emoji:

(´・ω・｀)  (｀・ω・´)

The one on the right is the “シャキーン” one, and is the contrast to the gloomy one on the left (ショボーン shobon). Or these, going from asleep to awake:

( ˘ω˘ )ｽﾔｧ…  (｀・ω・´) ｼｬｷｰﾝ

In manga and stuff you’ll also see it used for e.g. someone drawing/brandishing a sword, striking a cool poses with a lens flare, things like that.

I think it gets translated to metallic-y sounds in English fairly often in those cases (like drawing a katana, or a mecha pose), hence the translation above. 

The verb for “frolic” here is じゃれる jareru (no relation to jajaan above), which is like to play/mess around, typically in a physical sense. For example it’s used in the compound word じゃれ合う jareau, which is often used in the same way English might say “playful wrestling” about kids or animals.

Though the word Kobayashi uses is actually a different じゃれる compound, じゃれつく jaretsuku, which is like playfully/affectionately grabbing/cuddling up/etc., (also primarily regarding kids or animals). There’s a bit of overlap with some of the uses of あまえる amaeru mentioned in the last episode’s notes.

Assuming I had the visuals, I’d probably just write this as “Please not on my lap...” or similar. (Kobayashi also uses a different verb conjugation for Tohru vs. Kanna in this scene, ~つくな vs. ~つかないで; Kanna’s being more plead-y compared to Tohru’s more “cut it out!” feel, hence the “please.”)

“Contact” here is “skin-ship,” a portmanteau-esque combination of skin and kinship or relationship. It’s primarily a Japanese word (you won’t find it in English dictionaries typically), but it was apparently coined by an American speaker at an international WHO seminar in 1953 (from which a Japanese attendee brought it back to Japan and it was later popularized). 

The original use of the word was in reference specifically to parent-child physical intimacy, but as it became more widespread in usage the meaning extended to all sorts of relationships, from the platonic to the romantic. 

One reason, presumably, that the term caught on so powerfully in Japan is that it has historically been a very touch-adverse culture (at least compared to say the US), and this extends even to parents with their children after the first few years. You’d see (and still see) psychologists recommend “more skinship” to people, for example.

The relative lack of skinship may partially explain the head pat thing mentioned in last episode’s notes (e.g. when you want to touch your kid, but hugs aren’t on the menu) and things like the old “hand-holding is lewd” meme. (Note this isn’t just me getting all orientalist here; there’s been a good bit of research on the skinship gap, and how it may be shrinking, by Japanese scholars.)

This line is also a bit of foreshadowing that Tohru has realized Kobayashi’s... situation already.

The Japanese here is 心と心でつながった後は体ですよ, which I only really mention because I kinda felt like the English’s “Now...” implied she was saying they only recently ‘connected their hearts,’ which I don’t feel from the Japanese wording and would say is probably not how Tohru thinks. E.g. more of a “Our hearts are already connected; now it’s time for our bodies!” kinda thing.

This 3/3 is March 3rd, which “equals” ♀ because that’s the date of Hinamatsuri, sometimes also referred to as Girl’s Day. The third day of the third month was originally a holiday brought over with the Chinese calendar, and it morphed from a more spring/peaches holiday into it’s more girl-oriented version at some point in the Edo period.

One of the highlights of Hinamatsuri is the doll displays, as pictured in this short bit with the Saikawa sisters. There are various types of displays, but this sort of staircase arrangement is the most common I believe. Each level has a certain type of doll that goes on it, with the top level having an “emperor” and an “empress” doll—which is the pair Riko replaces with dolls of herself and Kanna.

There’s some similarities between these doll displays and stereotypical Christmas trees: a family is likely to have a set of ornaments/dolls they mostly reuse each year, you put them up some time in advance of the actual holiday, then get lazy and leave them up too long put them away for a year after it’s over. A lot of businesses and such will put up displays as well.

“The judge in the underworld” is left vague here and isn’t a specific reference to anything, but is generally in line with the typical “image” of what happens after you die (setting aside actual religious beliefs) in Japan. 

Please see the documentary series Hoozuki no Reitetsu for more info.

As of right now in the anime, Ilulu has only shown up twice, and only once of those when Kobayashi was alone. The implication seems to be that there have been other Ilulu encounters that we haven’t seen. 

Also, for clarity, the Japanese is 私が一人の時にいつもイルルは来るから, which is more of a “whenever I’m alone Ilulu shows up” than a “she only shows up when I’m alone.” (The English could sorta be read either way I think?)

This bit is それだけじゃないって、争い以外もあると思ってくれているからだ。私はそんなトールを信じているから…　だからその為にイルルと和解したい

The main point of contention I have with this English is that it implies Kobayashi wants Tohru and Ilulu to make up. However, I’d say this is more Kobayashi wanting to come to terms with Ilulu herself (and just by extension Tohru/the other dragons/maybe other humans). 

That is, by making peace between herself the human and the “hostile” dragon Ilulu, she’d be helping prove Tohru’s belief correct—and she has faith in Tohru that it is (see also last season finale).  

(Notably while Tohru is Chaos faction herself, there’s not really been another Chaos dragon yet to be convinced like this. Kanna is no-faction, Fafnir is technically no-faction even if Chaos-ish, Quetzalcoatl is an observer, Elma is Harmony, and Tohru’s father is an exception on multiple levels.)

Without getting too deep into the “why,” one quick thing I’ll point out is that she says 和解したい wakai shitai, not してほしい shite hoshii or させたい sasetai etc., meaning it’s something she wants to do herself, not want/make someone else do. Generally speaking you can’t use the ~たい “want to” form for anyone but yourself (you don’t know what anyone else is thinking, after all), unless quoting them, asking, or in the ~がる “seems to want to” form.

This is a 防犯ブザー bouhan buzaa, a crime-prevention buzzer, also known as a personal or self-defense alarm. They emit a very loud sound when activated. The idea is you, well, use it like she does here, when someone is trying to do a crime to you.

Since most Japanese children walk to school, it’s extremely common for these devices to given to students (either by parents or a gov’t body). It’s technically recommended for adults to carry them too, though the advent of the mobile phone has driven down carry rates.

This particular one was probably purchased in episode four of season one, if you want to rewatch and see why!

This is 私にぶつけたい気持ちでもあるの？in the Japanese.

The verb for “tell” is ぶつける butsukeru, an evocative word meaning ~to slam against (somewhat similar to “vent” in English when used with emotions/feelings). 

The “something” is 気持ち kimochi, ~emotion/feeling/thought.

So the Japanese here feels a lot more expressive than "something you want to tell me,” I would say (that could just as easily be a translation of 話したいこと). That said it’s not an easy thing to express in English within the confines of the format here, especially if you want to keep the “target = ‘me’” part.

It might feel somewhat like “You got something bottled up you wanna hit me with?”, though I doubt if I’d use that either.

As a side note, the manga has Kobayashi say an extra line after this, about being the “main tank” to take her “hate” (Japanese for “aggro” in MMOs). 

A small note that “that girl and that boy” is あの子とあの子 ano ko to ano ko, so no gender specification in the Japanese (it’s a good language for talking about people without specifying a gender!).

“Next time” here is 今度 kondo, which is an interesting word because you can situationally use it for “recently,” “this time,” “next time,” or “soon.” 

The reason I bring it up here is the English “next time,” personally, leaves me thinking “Was there a previous time? What ‘next’ do you mean?”—just a heads up that that’s not really an issue in the original line.

Also: this whole extended scene with Kobayashi saving Ilulu is one of the “many senses” mentioned in the episode title. (see also episode one notes re ikemen)

As an aside, this "play” is じゃれ合い jareai, the noun form of the jareau that was mentioned in the above “frolic” note.

If you were wondering: “Do dragons use paper?”, the word here is 形骸化 keigai-ka, (almost) lit. ~reduced to bones, meaning something that once was strong/effective is now basically just a formality. It’s similar to the phrase “dead letter” in reference to old laws that aren’t really enforced anymore.

So two potential points of ~lore relevance~ here: 1) the rules probably used to be enforced, 2) we have no evidence (either way, from this) that they actually have them on paper somewhere.

こりゃトールの父ちゃんは本格的に優しかったみたいだな

This might just be me reading too much into the English (again), but one difference in nuance between these two lines is that the English has Kobayashi implying Tohru’s dad “seemed” kind (which implies he’s not really kind, just kind in contrast to this villain), while the Japanese is more taking this as evidence that Tohru’s dad was actually being kind (see also last season finale).

For those wondering if the みたい in that line would imply a “seems”: it sort of does, but it applies across the whole observation here. I.e. “seems Tohru’s father was genuinely nice” vs. “making Tohru’s father seem genuinely nice” (which I’d guess would probably use 優しく見えてくる or something). 

When you see “underestimate” in anime, most of the time it’s なめる nameru. It comes from the verbified archaic adjective 無礼し nameshi, meaning a combination of looking down on, acting rude towards, etc., and uses the same characters as “rude” (though often written in hiragana/katakana).

It also is a homonym of the verb “to lick,” so “Don’t underestimate humans” sounds identical to “Don’t lick humans.”

“Functional member of society” is 社会人 shakaijin, ~lit. person of society, which is a very commonly used word to refer to basically anyone who is an active member of society. It includes homemakers, so it’s not strictly “has a job at a company,” but in many contexts it’s used like “people with jobs” versus “students and NEETs.”

(Not that there’s anything wrong with the translation, just some extra context.)

A technique reminiscent of this shadow puppet silhouette style was also used in Hyouka, another Kyoani show and one directed by the late Series Director Takemoto Yasuhiro. 

I kind of feel like yelling “Stay with me!” at someone injured is something you do when they’re in danger of fading away, not when they’re waking back up? Maybe that’s just me.

The Japanese is お気を確かに o-ki wo tashika ni, a polite (since Tohru almost always speaks kinda formally to Kobayashi, as part of the maid thing) way of saying “pull/hold it together,” and is used in a variety of situations.

Kanna’s line is a question (e.g. like “are you okay?”) in the Japanese here, whereas the English sounds more like something you say to someone who’s injured to try to reassure them. 

This line is その子離れようとしないんです sono ko hanareyou to shinai n desu.

The English is a pretty literal translation: hanareru is the verb for leaving/separating (in some senses), and the ~you conjugation means “try to ~”. However, that conjugation also has a second use in just indicating intent—especially when used in the negative, like here—so e.g. “She didn’t want to leave your side,” or “She wouldn’t leave your side at all.”

（◎Д◎）

Just in case: this is an emoji for expressing shock. 

One thing that is left out of the English in this line is the だけ dake, “only.” 

So Kobayashi’s not necessarily surprised at this by itself, but in contrast to the fact that Tohru says she probably can hide her claws/tail (so why not this too?). 

The base phrase Tohru is saying here is 私たちの仲じゃないですか, which roughly means “that’s just our relationship,” and is used commonly when being thanked for doing a favor for someone close. It’s similar in meaning to something like “hey of course, no problem, I know you’d do the same for me.”

Tohru puts a little spin on it by adding the “eternal” to make it 永遠の仲, which is a separate phrase that means probably what you’d think it means.

This quick cut to Tohru’s feet and the light “foot pop” motion... I have a hard time believing it’s anything but the director trying to give some subtle “goodbye kiss when leaving for work” vibes, even if they aren’t literally kissing. Just me?

Here she says あのトール ano Tohru, lit. “that Tohru,“ which in this sort of context carries a meaning similar to using an italicized “that” in English: not just any Tohru, but that Tohru, the famous one. The implication is that yes indeed Tohru is well-known among other dragons—and known to be quite strong and merciless.

It’s not a particularly big deal, but technically this is 人間と, i.e. Living with.

The ball hands thing is generally thought of as “Doraemon hands” in Japan. Doraemon gets the name from the food “dorayaki,” but “Dora” is also how you pronounce the first two syllables in “Dragon” (ドラゴン doragon).

Keep this in mind.

挨拶 (あいさつ) aisatsu, often translated as “greeting(s)”, is a lot bigger of a thing culturally for Japan than it might be for where you live. Though translated as “greetings” it also includes farewells and more. Basically a general term for “in X situation, say Y” style semi-set phrases.

In more traditionally minded companies, for example, employees are often expected to give a rote ohayou gozaimasu when they arrive (even if they think no one is around to hear it), and may get chewed out for not doing so or half-assing it. Then when passing someone in the hallway etc., an otsukare-sama desu, and yet another phrase when leaving for the day. Also the ittekimasu and itterasshai (when leaving home/saying bye to them) or tadaima and okaeri (returning home/welcoming back) that probably many anime-watchers are familiar with. Even itadakimasu is an aisatsu. 

Obviously every culture utilizes “greetings” like this, but in Japan they’re pretty heavily ritualized and treated as a cornerstone of human relations, a key part of showing respect for your fellow humans (even people you hate!) and ensuring the smooth working of society. It’s not the thing they chose to have Tohru put first in her “living with humans [in Japan]” notebook for nothing!

The English “the” is a popular word to use in Japanese as an intensifier, similar to how it’s used in a sentence like “this isn’t just an [example], it’s the [example]!” 

It’s usually pronounced “za” and often written that way in katakana (ザ) for this usage. (If you type “za” in a Japanese IME, most will offer up “the” as one of the options to convert the text to, even.) 

The word she says here is 喝 katsu, which, in this sense, is a stereotypical thing for a Zen teacher to say to a student as a stand-in for explaining some deep Zen concept that words can’t describe. So here, it’s kinda like “Yes this may seem contradictory, but really it’s just too complicated for you! No more questions!” 

Obviously that’s oversimplified and it’s used in other ways too (see Saikawa’s father during the sports festival), but just for the purposes of this joke, there you have it.

The word used in the Japanese here is 建前 tatemae. If you’ve ever studied any Japanese, you’ve likely heard about honne vs. tatemae, your inner feelings vs. the front you put up for social reasons. 

People new to the language are sometimes prone to approaching that distinction with “well why doesn’t everyone just honne all the time, why play games?”, but of course almost everyone splits themselves like this. You probably hate your boss, but you also probably don’t tell them that to their face to avoid getting fired. Or maybe you have some family members you can’t stand, but act nice around anyway because it’s not worth the trouble to start fights. 

Japan just put names to the idea, and maybe leans a little more toward encouraging tatemae in more situations.

This is せいぜい悩むんですね.

せいぜい seizei as an adverb means doing something to utmost extent one is capable of. You’ve likely heard it from a villain somewhere saying something like “Struggle all you like, wahaha!”. 

Though it’s not necessarily down-talky like that, in modern times that is the trend (you can use it for yourself no problem, but if used to talk about someone else’s actions it may come off as belittling). Tohru, as one of the strongest beings in the setting and with the pride to match, uses it a lot.

悩む nayamu is to worry, fret, ruminate over (some difficulty etc.).

The sentence in general is one that is highly context dependent, but here it’s Tohru thinking to herself, somewhat impressed, that Ilulu is actually putting serious thought into the question of what she wants to do with her life. 

And, as the background suggests, finding it surprisingly adorable/admirable; up until just a few days ago, Ilulu was known as one of the most extremist Chaos faction dragons obsessed with nothing but destruction, yet look at her now. In a way, Tohru’s taken over an older sister kind of role for her.

(For the curious, if the ね was dropped or swapped to a よ here, that would imply she was directing the comment “at” Ilulu, rather than saying it in observation.)

The word here is 契る chigiru, which usually means to swear/pledge (e.g. swear a pact, pledge your love), but can also be a somewhat fancy word for having sex, especially of a married couple.

I feel like I personally would have used more of a euphemism for the translation.

The phrase here is ダメの助 dame-no-suke, where dame is no/bad/can’t do/useless, and (no)suke is a common ending to first names; both actual names and sort of on-the-spot nicknames; someone looking sleepy might be called a 寝坊助 nebou-suke in the same way as “sleepyhead.”

Or, as here, sticking to the end of things for comedic effect or as indication of a panicked/confused thought process.

（ ° ρ ° ）

Just in case: this one is also expressing shock, but a kind of dumbfounded shock. The ρ is a drooling, slack-jawed mouth.

In the next episode preview they talk about where Ilulu will sleep, since they don’t have room for another bed. Ilulu wants to sleep in the closet—or more specifically, the 押し入れ oshi-ire, which is a particular closet layout you’ll find in many Japanese bedrooms. 

The typical difference is that an 押し入れ was originally designed for 和室 washitsu, traditional-style Japanese rooms with tatami floors, primarily as storage space for folded-up futon/blankets/pillows, as you would put those away during the day to free up space. Thus they typically are rather wide, mildly deep, and have a waist-height, solid horizontal divider capable of supporting a lot of weight. 

They actually are pretty okay for sleeping in if you’re not claustrophobic or tall.

Anyway, I bring this up because you know who else very famously sleeps in one of these? That’s right: Doraemon.

#maidragon #kobayashi's dragon maid #kobayashi-san chi no maid dragon #miss kobayashi's dragon maid #anime #translation notes #season 2

[quickspinner]

Shifting Tides

A little offering for MerMay! @mangoes-n-cream​ threw out the idea some time ago of a merman Luka based on a betta fish, and we tossed ideas around and this is what I came up with. Betta fish have an extremely strong bite force for their size, so I translated that to physical strength. I still enjoy lionfish mermaid Marinette, so we’re just going to ignore the fact that betta are freshwater fish and lionfish are saltwater fish. It’s magic, just go with it.

Marinette had known Luka, not forever, but for a long time. He’d been her confidant as a confused, frustrated youngster in the throws of first love and unexpected responsibility, and though she’d never been able to read him as well as he read her, she’d learned a lot over their years together. She knew his patterns and how they shifted with his moods, she knew his habits, and she knew when he was putting up a front.

So when he asked her in his gentle, unassuming way if she would spend the day with him, but wouldn’t tell her why or what they would be doing, she had known him well enough to see the thread of tension in his body, the faint suggestion of stripes along his face that weren’t normally visible, the slight tightness around his eyes, though their expression was as soft and admiring as ever. 

It sent a thrill through her that she couldn’t entirely explain and didn’t want to examine too closely, she also knew how still looked at her, even all this time, when he thought she didn’t see, or wouldn’t mind. And lately, she was minding less and less. Marinette teased him for a bit in their usual way, and then agreed to meet him at morningtide. 

When morningtide came, Luka still wouldn’t tell her what was going on, but when he asked her to follow him, she did so with only minimal complaint. Just enough to keep up appearances. 

Really, she would have followed Luka anywhere he asked with even less information than he gave her, but he didn’t need to know that. Not yet, anyway. 

She was close enough behind him that she almost crashed into him when he stopped and turned to face her. He flitted out of her way with an indulgent smile that became a grin when she made a face at him. A quick flip of his tail sent him circling around her. 

“We’re almost there,” he said, possibly more excited than she’d ever seen him. “Will you close your eyes?”

Marinette gave him a suspicious look but he just shot a hopeful, excited one back to her. “Please?” he said softly, floating near. “You can trust me.” 

It was more a question of him trusting her, actually. Luka was many times stronger than she was, but much less likely to accidentally injure her with his strength than she was to injure him with her venomous spines.

She did trust him, though, to know what he was doing, and he trusted her to mind her spines as best she could. 

Tucking her spines close, Marinette closed her eyes. She felt Luka take her hands and place them around his neck, his back bumping into her chest. “Just hold on,” he told her. “It’ll only take a moment.” Marinette joined her hands and let him tow her, trying not to think too hard about the brush of his fins against hers or the rhythm of the current he sent against her as his tail drove them both through the water. His hands stayed on her forearms, strong and reassuring, thumbs rubbing lightly over her skin. 

She could feel the sun through the water and knew they must be fairly shallow. The warmth felt good. Luka stopped and removed her arms from around his neck. “Wait here one moment, I just want to make sure no one’s here that shouldn’t be.” 

Marinette suppressed a smile at this typical territorial caution, though she didn’t like being left behind like this, blind and vulnerable. Luka placed her hand on something—it felt like a rock formation. He’d placed her on its sheltered side so the current didn’t push her. “I’ll call to you when I come back,” he said, and Marinette took this as her cue to let her spines rise into a defensive position, which made her feel a little more comfortable. She set her senses to feeling the water about her, but it was calm and she felt no danger. 

“I’m coming back,” Luka called from somewhere slightly above her, and she flattened her spines again. In moments she felt the press of water from above, and felt Luka’s hand cover hers again. “All clear.”

“I’m shocked,” she teased. It took a special type of brave, or a special type of stupid, to invade Luka’s territory. He was sweet and gentle and relaxed most of the time, but fierce when his family or his territory was threatened. 

“I’m coming behind you,” he warned, and she flattened her spines a little further until she felt his warmth behind her and his hand settle on her waist, just above where her scales ended. HIs touch made her shiver and his hand shifted immediately a little higher, away from the sensitive spot. “Sorry,” he said, but his voice went a little deeper and Marinette didn’t completely believe him. Lips twisting in a slight smirk, Marinette let him guide her toward whatever it was he was so intent on showing her. He was a tactile person, but rarely as openly flirtatious as he had been today, and she was very much intrigued. 

She felt the difference in the light and the change in the current as he lead her inside a shelter of some kind, though she didn’t brush up against any barriers. 

They were in a sort of cavern, but the ceiling was broken in several places, sending shafts of light filtering down through the water. In the spots of sunlight dotted on the walls, the natural outcropping and shelves of the cavern were piled with sea glass, reflecting the light in many different shades of green and gold and white and blue and making shifting patterns of color against the rocks. 

It was a sculpture of light and it was beautiful. 

“Do you like it?” he asked, his voice warm and low and not...hesitant exactly, but tense somehow.

“I do,” she said fimly, and then turned towards him, lifting her hands to his face. “It’s lovely, Luka.” 

“Good,” he said, covering her hands with his own, and the relief in it was palpable. 

“It must have taken you so much time to collect all this,” she said, looking around again. 

“It did,” he admitted, holding her hand to his face, his fingers curling over his, and when Marinette met his eyes, she felt a wave of heat pass through her body as her heart began to beat faster. “You know I’m not an artist, not like you, but...I wanted to do this for you. You make so many beautiful things and I just...I wanted to make something beautiful for you.” 

“For me?” she asked softly. 

“Always for you,” he answered just as softly, taking both her hands in his and tugging her closer. “It’s always—” 

He paused and looked around, expression suddenly wary. “Something’s wrong,” he murmured, letting her hands slip out of his. “Stay here.” 

Marinette watched him in surprise for a moment as Luka swam to the entrance and stopped just inside of it, fins fanning out in a full threat display that made Marinette’s heart flutter for entirely different reasons than intended. He was stunning with his blue-black fins spread to their full extent, the muscles of his back and arms rippling with tension as he scanned for the threat.  

Marinette shook herself and fluffed out her own fins, unfolding fans of black spots on red that contrasted the bright stripes of her tail, the bold pattern declaring a warning as her venomous spines lifted into a defensive position. Ignoring his instructions to stay put, she swam to Luka’s side, careful to stay far enough away not to risk ripping one of his beautiful fins with her spines. He motioned for her to stay back, but she ignored that too. Luka was strong and brave and beautiful but when it came down to practicalities, she was the best equipped to actually incapacitate an enemy. 

After a few moments Luka sighed, and drifted back to her, though his fins remained flared. “I don’t see or sense anything. Perhaps I was mistaken.”

“You checked for danger already,” Marinette reminded him. 

“Yes,” he agreed. “I’m jumpy, I guess. I’m sorry. This was important to me and I don’t want anything to ruin it.” He turned his attention back fully on her, and Marinette’s pulse, which had begun to slow, jumped back into overdrive again. Luka just smiled, amused, she supposed, by her sudden fluster. He knew her as well as she knew him, after all. Possibly better. He had certainly been watching her longer.

Marinette tried to find somewhere to look that wasn’t at the impressive display of fin and muscle before her. “Aren’t you going to put those away?” she asked, swatting playfully at a streak of blue trailing elegantly from his arms. 

“Not if you like them,” Luka said with a slow smile. “Do you, Marinette?” He flicked his tail, sending a little wave across her own flukes and setting the lovely trailing fan of his tail fin dancing. 

“I like yours,” he added, boldly reaching a finger to stroke along the edge of one fin. 

She flicked it away from his finger and he drew back quickly.

“Sorry,” he said quickly, furling his own fins. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have—I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” 

“Luka,” Marinette said, flipping in the water and sending a pressure wave across his face. “Shut up.” She circled him once, and then again, close enough for her fins to trail across him, and then swam up to where the light poured in again, admiring his collection of treasures. She turned lazily on her back, and then upended to swim down again. 

“Luka,” she asked, facing him upside down in the water, curving her tail over to block the sunlight from her face so that she could see him clearly. “Are you courting me?” 

“Yes,” he said softly, and the simplicity of it set her heart racing. “Are you going to come down here so I can continue? Or would you rather I didn’t?” 

He sounded perfectly calm but she could see the flutter in his gills, the slight differences in his coloration that let on he was not as comfortable as he wanted her to believe.  

Slowly, deliberately, Marinette completed her loop and twisted, letting her momentum carry her against him. He caught her with the infinite gentleness that had always intrigued her, in such contrast with his strength, and his arms went around her as his forehead rested gently against hers. “By all means, continue,” she whispered, stroking slender fingers down his jaw and across his lips. 

“Marinette,” he murmured, “You know I’ve been in love with you for years. There was a time when it hurt you to hear it—” Marinette tried not to wince visibly, though she knew the way she ducked her head betrayed her thoughts to Luka, who had always seen her so clearly, even when her own vision had been dazzled by blinding yellow fins and an even brighter smile. “ —But I was hoping, lately, that you were becoming...less opposed to the idea of me loving you?” 

“Less opposed,” Marinette giggled. “That’s one way to put it.” 

Luka grinned slowly. “Feel free to rephrase it for me.” 

“Must I?” Marinette countered, and then, softer, feeling the crimson creeping up her face, she added, “You’ve never needed words to understand me before.” 

“No,” he said, his voice lowering as he reached one hand up, brushing the backs of his fingers along her cheek before sliding them into her hair to draw her close. 

Marinette let him pull her near and seal his mouth over hers in a kiss that started off soft but became bolder as she responded to him, pressing close and parting her lips for him. She didn’t dare tell him how long she had been hoping for this moment, when they were both finally in synch with each other and their own feelings, after all her foolishness. 

Lost in his kiss, she began unconsciously to match the rhythm of his lightly swaying tail with hers, and Luka moaned softly into her mouth, his hands slipping down to that sensitive area at her waist. “Marinette,” he murmured, nipping at her lips and down her jaw as he pulled her gently closer, blowing a small stream of bubbles against her neck in a way that made her shiver and giggle all at once. “Would you—” 

Something crashed suddenly through the ceiling of the cavern, and Luka threw his body recklessly into Marinette, driving her back and away from the disturbance even as she screamed and pushed him away, flattening her spines so she wouldn’t kill him by accident.

She surged away to get some distance from Luka where she could defend herself without risking him, and saw the source of the disturbance—a burly figure she knew well. 

“Kim, what are you doing?” Marinette screeched, moving towards him. The brown and gold merman fixed his attention on her and made a feral sort of growl that brought her up short, even more so as she caught sight of his face. 

Marinette had known Kim since they were tiny, and she had never seen the ugly purple pattern that was spread on his face before. Nor had she ever seen him look so...angry. Kim wasn’t the calmest of people but he had never looked like that before.

“Kim!” Marinette gasped, and then yelped as her old childhood friend snarled and leapt at her. 

Marinette was more than capable of defending herself but the surprise and desire not to kill one of her oldest friends paralyzed her for a moment. 

Kim was knocked aside as Luka crashed into him, fins on full display and rage in his face. 

“Don’t hurt him,” Marinette screamed, as Luka drove Kim into the wall of the cavern. “Something’s wrong. He won’t talk to me!” 

Luka gave her a quick look that said he would do his best and then he had all he could handle as Kim fought back. The water inside the cavern churned and seaglass leapt and skittered across the wall and sank as they thrashed and struggled, hitting the walls of the cavern. Marinette flitted about in a panic, wanting to help but not sure how. 

Luka’s eyes met hers as he shot her a desperate look over Kim’s shoulder. Marinette understood his dilemma at once; he couldn’t hold Kim off for long without seriously hurting him. Marinette didn’t want either Kim or Luka hurt, but her own venom was deadly; if she intervened, she would kill Kim. For a moment she hung in the water paralyzed with indecision, not sure what to do as her eyes darted about looking for a solution.

Suddenly she spotted something dark on Kim’s neck, just behind his gills, a fluttering bit of darkness that looked attached to him like a remora. No, it was a remora, but it was pitch black, tinged purple when the sun hit it. 

“Luka,” she called, propelling herself forward. “Luka, hold him still.” She bit her lip, watching for her opening. She was going to have to be quick.

After a tense struggle Luka managed to pin Kim down against a rock for a moment, tail working furiously to hold them there as he glanced back at Marinette with a now what expression.

Marinette darted in, skimming past them and slashing out with the spiny fins along her arms, far closer to Luka’s neck than she really felt comfortable with, but there was no time to think of it. She sliced the remora from Kim’s neck and flung it down onto one of the spines at her waist, pushing off from the wall of the cavern to get away from Kim and Luka before one of them flailed against her and hurt themselves.

It turned out to be a needless worry, because as soon as the remora was gone, Kim went limp, and Luka sagged with relief and exhaustion.

Marinette went to him immediately, spines folding down as Luka cautiously released Kim, who just hung limp in the water, the odd pattern fading from his face even as they watched. Luka turned him on his back and checked him over. “Is he all right? Are you all right?” Marinette asked, hesitating as she hovered around them. .

“He’s alive,” Luka said, leaning his hands back against a rock. “He doesn’t seem to be hurt, other than where that thing was attached. Doesn’t look like it even broke the skin, though, just...stuck there.” Satisfied that Kim was all right for the time being, Marinette moved toward Luka and he smiled as she fussed over him, cupping his face and running her hands over him. “I’m not injured.” 

“Are you sure?” she fretted, looking up into his face, and the soft look he was giving her made her face heat. Luka’s widening grin told her he could see the red flooding her cheeks, bringing out the pale spots that were normally nearly invisible. His own pattern flashed at her in response, jagged blue stripes traveling up the angles of his face, and she wanted to pout that his own markings complimented him so nicely, but the world was just unfair to females. “Thank you for trusting me,” she said, dropping her gaze, idly tracing a finger over his collarbone. “I could have hurt you if you’d flinched.” 

Luka chuckled, and kissed her softly. “You are dangerous and strong and beautiful and I adore you,” he told her. “And I would love to pick up where we left off, but…I think we’ll have to have that talk a bit later.” He looked at Kim, still unconscious. “I think we need to consult your father and the Guardian about...whatever this was.”

“Agreed,” Marinette said, shaking her head slightly as her brow furrowed in puzzlement. “This can’t be good, and people will get hurt if it happens again.” 

Luka hummed ascent, caressing her waist gently and then letting her go as he went to pull Kim onto his back. “Let’s go.” 

“Your nest,” Marinette fretted, looking at the scattered seaglass littering the bottom of the cavern. 

“I’ll build another one,” Luka said, sending a comforting wave of current over her with a flick of his tail. “I wouldn’t feel safe here after this anyway. We’ll make it beautiful together.” He caught himself and the stripes flared a little brighter. “I mean...after we talk. If you want to.”

Marinette returned the smile he gave her over his shoulder, and followed him out of the cavern. “Yes, we will,” she murmured to herself, incandescently happy despite the odd and ominous turn the day had taken. 

#quickspins #across all realms #mermay #lukanette #endgame lukanette #i am lukanette trash i admit it #lukanette endgame #luka couffaine #marinette dupain-cheng #miraculousladybug #miraculous ladybug #mermaid au #fantasy au #ml fics

[rpgsandbox]

A special kind of magic happens when kids gather around a table to play a fantasy role-playing game. Legends are born, friendships are forged, and they begin to experience real-world personal growth.

For the past seven years, we have been using tabletop games as therapy to help kids become more confident, creative and socially empowered. We're ready to help thousands of children around the world, but we need your help!

Critical Core is a tabletop role-playing game designed to help kids on the autism spectrum build social skills and confidence. It's a great way for parents to engage with their children at home, and for professionals and experienced gamers to use as a group social skills tool.

Critical Core is brought to you by Game to Grow, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, and co-developed with autism advocates, parents, therapists, and educators.

Suitable for cognitive age 9+, including teens and adults.

2 to 4 players recommended, plus one adult that acts as the facilitator. (Game Master)

Players must have basic listening and verbalization skills.

When running games with young players on the spectrum, parent or certified therapist should be present.

Experienced gamers will be able to integrate Critical Core into their favorite platform: Ruleset is adapted and streamlined from D&D's 5th Edition OpenSRD.

A great introduction to tabletop role-playing games for everyone.

The Critical Core Starter Set has everything you need to play. The game has been tuned to be as easy as possible to get started and stay engaged.

Facilitator's Guide - For parents, therapists, and Game Masters, our best practices on running fun and effective therapeutic gaming groups.

Player & Game Master Guides - Quick-start rules and playing guides for players and Game Masters.

Adventure Modules - Tested and tuned to be challenging and fun.

Dice (4 sets) - One for each player, one for the Game Master. Enough to run a 3 player game out-of-the-box.

Character Sheets - 4 popular hero archetypes, each with their own unique abilities.

Game Cards - Not required for play, but helpful aids for both players and Game Masters - Visualization, quick-reference rules, and spell cards.

Game Tokens - Visualization aids for working with the included map.

Reusable map - whiteboard marker friendly.

Please note: Artwork shown is work-in-progress and may be subject to change!

Critical Core is fit-for-purpose, designed to help neurodiverse players get started and stay engaged. At the same time, facilitators are provided with the right tools to make the experience effective without it 'feeling like therapy'.

Each encounter the players face is targeted to help build strength in areas that are related to challenges associated with autism spectrum disorder.

Critical Core is scaffolded around the DIR/Floortime model, and game encounters map to the FEDC framework. (Function Emotional Developmental Capacities)

But all of this is under the hood. At its heart, Critical Core is simply FUN.

When kids engage in a world of fantasy play they are free to explore new ideas and relationships in a safe and fun sandbox. Skills learned while playing Critical Core can last a lifetime.

Although designed for kids on the autism spectrum, Critical Core is just as beneficial (and fun) for all kids. It's an easy stepping stone into the fantastic world of tabletop role-playing games.

Critical Core is built on established developmental frameworks and distills seven years of practical gaming therapy experience into an easy-to-use format. It is an amazing tool that can be used at home, at school, in a therapist’s office, or out in the community. And above all, it's great fun.

Game to Grow - Adam Davis (MA Ed) and Adam Johns (LMFT)

Critical Core is brought to you by Game to Grow, a 501(c)(3) organization that runs tabletop RPG therapy gaming groups every week. Founders Adam Johns and Adam Davis are distilling 7 years of experience and best practices into the Critical Core project so that the benefits of intentional gaming can be spread to an even wider audience.

Virginia Spielmann (MSOT) - Executive Director of STAR Institute for Sensory Processing Disorder in Denver, Colorado.

Virginia is a British trained Occupational Therapist with more than 20 years experience working in pediatrics. Virginia co-leads the development of the Critical Core Project, defining the system within the established DIR Floortime™ framework of developmental intervention.

mcgarrybowen Greater China - creative agency

The Critical Core project was initiated and co-created by creative agency mcgarrybowen Greater China as part of an ongoing program to provide creative solutions for social good.

ICDL - The Interdisciplinary Council on Development and Learning

A not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting each person's development to their fullest potential. ICDL was formed over 20 years ago to be the official home of DIR® and DIRFloortime, recognized as the next generation of evidence-based intervention for autism and other developmental challenges.

Your passion and support can make Critical Core a reality. Please, pledge now and then get a friend to do the same. Together we can bring the incredible benefits of intentional gaming to those who need it most.

We're committed to getting this right. The majority of our time will be spent improving and refining the Critical Core Starter Set with the feedback from beta testers and testing groups. We also have some final artwork and design work to take care of, and of course there is the physical production. We'll be keeping you informed throughout the process, and probably asking for some help and advice along the way!

Game to Grow is a not-for profit 501(c) company, and our donations are allocated to helping run game groups for kids across the Seattle region. Kickstarter is important for two reasons:

First, you are an amazing community, and if anyone can help spread the word about the incredible benefits of role-playing games, it's you!

Second, there are costs involved in developing and manufacturing Critical Core, so Kickstarter helps us to produce this amazing project!

Perhaps you already have a favorite role-playing game and are wondering how Critical Core can fit into your gaming life. Like many of you, we are avid gamers and have many games we’ve loved for years.

Critical Core can improve the games you’re already playing.

If you’re already playing an established RPG with your kids, your students, or your community, Critical Core can still help you improve your game and boost your outcomes.

Critical Core contains a rule system, designed to be easily accessible to a neuro-diverse population as well as new facilitators, but that’s not all! If you are already established using a game that you enjoy and find effective, you’ll be able to use the other components of Critical Core that are designed to support a game facilitator in helping their players learn and grow.

Critical Core contains a unique module design where in-game scenarios are targeted to real-world development outcomes. This can be translated to most established role-playing games. Additionally, the Critical Core kit includes a facilitator’s guide which contains the learnings of the past seven years of facilitating role-playing games for social growth.

Do I need prior experience with role-playing games to run Critical Core?              No. Critical Core is a 'rules-light' tabletop RPG, and the instructions will be designed to help brand new Game Masters quickly learn how to facilitate games that are enriching and fun. We are also planning to release video guides and tutorials to help you out!

I'm already playing tabletop RPGs with my kids!

Awesome! You already know the amazing benefits we're talking about. You also know from experience, that tabletop RPGs can be easy to pick up and play, but learning how to be a great Game Master can be challenging, especially for new players.

Why not use an established role-playing game platform?

Critical Core's rule set is adapted from D&D's 5th Edition Open SRD. We have taken out some of the complexity for new players and Game Masters. Think of Critical Core as an entry-level platform: easier for parents, schools, and clinics to pick up and play.

Are you trying to replace my favorite game?

No way! We see Critical Core as a stepping stone to the wide world of RPG gaming. Actually, we hope that as kids grow familiar and comfortable with the system, they can move on to your favorite platform. If you're already using some of the great games out there, then more power to you!

So how is Critical Core different?

We have applied our experience and best practices to help children (and caregivers) have the most effective and fun experience possible.

Meticulously designed adventure content to help empower kids with social and problem-solving challenges.

Game encounters, guidebooks, mechanics heavily influenced by established developmental frameworks (DIR/Floortime).

Rules have been adapted to be easier for new players and Game Masters to pick up.

Adventures divided into 'one-shot' chapters that can be completed in 90 minutes.

Goldilocks Content'  -  not too complex/scary and not too easy/cartoony. Just right.

I've been GM'ing for years, what's in this for me?

For starters, you'll be able to pick up the Critical Core system in minutes. We have had inquiries from organizations from across the globe who want to start using Critical Core. You could be a great mentor or GM partner for Critical Core games. Please contact us for more info on how you can help!

Kickstarter campaign ends: Fri, April 26 2019 8:00 AM BST

Website: Game to Grow

#RPG #kickstarter #Critical Core #Game to Grow #autism

[eclecticanalyst]

Studying “A Study in Emerald”: Fourth Post

Part 5: The Skin and the Pit

We return to “Emerald’s” main trajectory of mirroring A Study in Scarlet’s plot beats with the detective, the narrator, and Lestrade lying in wait for the culprit(s) at Baker Street. In the original story, Holmes does intend to capture the murderer by having him come to Baker Street under false pretenses, but the police presence there is a coincidence. Here, the police have been deliberately called for. We finally learn what counts for high treason in this world—challenging the Old Ones (of whom the assorted royals like the prince are the descendants), which from our perspective is a decidedly good thing, thereby causing us to side with the so-called criminals and against the so-called heroes of this story.

While the three men wait, the detective summarizes his findings and conclusions about the case, which are references to Holmes’s own deductions in A Study in Scarlet—his determination of one of the culprits’ height by assuming he wrote on the wall at his (the culprit’s) eye level and the other’s height by his stride, his identification of the smoking substance of choice for (one of) the murderer(s), as well as his observation that the culprit and the victim walked into the room together (in this case, of course, there was a third person already in the room). We also get the true significance of “Rache” here. In the original story, the culprit writes “Rache” merely to confuse the police, being inspired by a previous crime in which “Rache” was written above the victim and the newspapers subsequently speculated the German word to be an indication of insidious secret societies (specifically, ones that supported socialism) at work. “Rache” is apparently also a word used to refer to a hunting dog, and that is the significance in the “Emerald” version of this story. The “rache” revelation also serves as yet another example of how well-crafted and intricate the Holmes tributes are in this story. While the word was written on the wall on a whim in A Study in Scarlet, revenge really was the motivation for the man to kill his two victims—so Holmes’s initial factoid about the literal German translation of the word was actually quite apropos. In “Emerald,” although Holmes’s self-identification with a creature on the hunt is the reason he writes the word on the wall, the fact that he is a Restorationist means that a secret society trying to upend the established socioeconomic structure is actually at play here—exactly like those feared to be at the root of the original “rache” crime in Scarlet.

Just as in the original story, Wiggins enters the Baker Street apartment to announce the presence of the culprit(s), but instead of bringing the murderer(s) himself, he has only a note from the man. Apparently in this world Wiggins and the others who would have formed the Baker Street Irregulars are free agents, not associated with the detective of Baker Street. There is the possibility that they are under Holmes’s employ and hiding it, but if Wiggins really is being truthful then he just happened to be a convenient messenger.

We haven’t had a blatant Moriarty reference yet in this story—the previous hints have been more subtle and/or require more analysis—but here we finally have our “Emerald” detective incontrovertibly linked to the canon Napoleon of crime with the note’s mention that the detective was the author of The Dynamics of an Asteroid. This particular reference comes from The Valley of Fear, which was written several years after “The Final Problem” but ostensibly takes place before it...which causes problems for the canon in an odd way that I won’t get into. Amusingly, in canon The Dynamics of an Asteroid is so analytically sound that “no man in the scientific press [was] capable of criticising it,” but in this story it is apparently not quite as perfect—Rache points out that there were some theoretical anomalies, furthering the theme that things in this world aren’t as they are supposed to be, that everything is just a little bit off. The “theoretical anomalies” could also be because Old Ones propaganda has warped scientific theory and therefore Moriarty doesn’t have as precise a grasp of physics as he would otherwise, as seen by his dismissal of the mass-energy-light relationship posed by Holmes. By noticing the detective’s imperfections in his astrodynamics paper, Rache/Holmes shows that despite being the criminal in this world, he still has a slight edge over Moriarty in terms of abilities. In canon, Moriarty makes some unspecified minor mistake in his operations that allows Holmes to finally take down his organization, and Holmes later just barely manages to escape Moriarty’s fate of death-by-cliff-fall via special martial arts. Holmes being just a hair more capable than Moriarty is present in “Emerald” as well—Holmes can match Moriarty’s deductions (correctly concluding that Moran is ex-military late from Afghanistan) and also one-ups him by giving him some pointers as to where he erred (didn’t do his research for the “theater agent” part he was playing, didn’t pay enough attention to the cabbie). And, of course, in canon Holmes succeeds in the “capture the culprit at Baker Street” gambit, while Moriarty in “Emerald” does not.

Speaking of cabbies, we have a reference to Moriarty’s debut story “The Final Problem” with Rache pointing out that one should not take the first cab that comes along when attempting to escape someone—Holmes instructs Watson not to take the first or second cab when he sets out to join him on their Moriarty-evading trip to the continent. A suspect cabbie is also the crux of A Study in Scarlet.

The pieces continue to fall into place as the note goes on—Rache confirms that his doctor friend wrote the plays at the theater, and says he “has some crowd-pleasing skills.” Our narrator told us he was not a very good writer from the jump—“not a literary man,” in his exact words, and yet another hint that he was not who we thought he was—but Watson, of course, is quite a capable writer, and the fact that his writing is popular among everyday citizens is acknowledged in the canon (often by Holmes complaining about how he writes for the masses instead of just recording the cases as scientific treatises). Watson is later identified by the police as a former military surgeon, although they are not quite certain of his first name—a gag that is a reference to the fact that Watson gives his first name as “John” in A Study in Scarlet but his wife refers to him as “James” in “The Man with the Twisted Lip.” Rache apparently wrote under the pseudonym of “Sigerson” when corresponding with Moriarty about asteroids, the very same pseudonym canon Holmes used in his travels post-Reichenbach.

The bit where Moriarty speculates where Rache is, reasoning that “If our positions were reversed, it is what I would do” is doubly significant. First, it’s a reference to how Holmes discusses Moriarty’s probable actions in “The Final Problem”—especially when he and Watson are attempting to escape Moriarty by train and Holmes correctly assumes that Moriarty will do what Holmes would do in his place, and acts accordingly to avoid Moriarty catching them. Secondly, of course, Holmes and Moriarty’s traditional positions as detective and criminal are literally reversed in this pastiche.

Despite usurpers having taken their place of first meeting, their residence, their occupation (in the case of one of them), and their police friends, Holmes and Watson are still the heroes we know them to be. They may be on the wrong side of the law, but we see how they are working to rid the world of evil just as they do in their original incarnations (albeit in a more brutal fashion), as Rache describes just what the Prince of Bohemia had in mind before he was killed, and how the rest of the royals are much the same—which is why he and his doctor friend are dedicated to putting an end to their rule.

Meanwhile, Moran (who does not quite reveal his name at the end, and is interestingly only a major here, not a colonel), having written up an account of this case, plans to tuck it and Rache’s note away in a strongbox at the bank, much as canon Watson keeps his papers in a dispatch-box in the bank of Cox and Co. He also seems to have a sort of sixth sense regarding the intertwined fates of his friend and Rache, intoning that “it will not be over until one of them has killed the other”—evoking our knowledge as readers of the fall at Reichenbach.

You might notice that Moran resolves that no one else will see the papers until “long after anyone now living is dead.” As this story is formatted as pages from a newspaper, we can assume that Moran’s prediction of events in Russia bringing on worldwide catastrophe came to fruition, which is why this tale can now be published. June 28, 1914, the specific date of the newspaper, is the date of Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s assassination—the event which sparked the outbreak of World War I. We can only imagine how World War I plays out in this Lovecraftian world. The reference to World War I is one last nod to the Holmes canon as well—although ACD continued publishing Holmes stories well after WWI, the events of those stories take place before the war. Chronologically within their universe, Holmes and Watson have their last canon adventure in 1914, just as war is breaking out. So just as the beginning of this story matched the very first story of Holmes and Watson, the (implied) ending of this story corresponds with their epilogue.

#sherlock holmes #a study in emerald #a study in scarlet #neil gaiman #analysis #in depth

[hanschenrilow]

spring awakening movie thoughts

The “song universe” aspect of the musical will NOT translate well no matter how they go about it. If they just have them singing it ruins the impact of the symbolism… Like Mirror-Blue Night for example; any way they choose to convey that scene (and many others) won’t translate well. If Melchior is explicitly singing that song while he… dances? masturbates? it won’t work. At the very least they’ll somehow change it to where it DOES work, but then that… ruins the meaningfulness of it. Like the girls singing Mama Who Bore Me together… they aren’t physically together, what are they gonna do, have a 4-screen montage of all the girls?? It’ll be ugly. The songs “staging” for a film would have to be changed thoroughly which would… fuck it up. Only a handful of the songs could work playing them as they are.

I could make examples and explain why none of the songs would work but here’s just one more example so you get the gist: The Dark I Know Well. It’s implied that she’s technically telling the girls what happened, but also thinking about it in her own mind; the scene can’t just end abruptly with Martha singing a song, and Ilse couldn’t just appear out of thin air... because they aren’t ACTUALLY singing together. It can’t be a flashback because that’s too heavy-handed. So much of the show relies on emotions and abstract references/portrayals they just wouldn’t be able to convey it properly.

The cast would all have to be over 18 because of the content involved, and they would likely try to age up the characters. That would automatically destroy the core principle of the show and the play. They are 14-16. That’s the whole point.

Melchior/Wendla would become romantic. There’s no denying this; no way would they make Melchior, the leading male, into the one-time rapist that he is in the play/musical; they would make it a cutesy innocent romance. 

Related to above: they would make Moritz and Ilse shippy. I know some people ship them, but I hate it and think it goes against their entire relationship and the actual meaning of the Don’t Do Sadness/Blue Wind scene… if they get romantic subtext it throws the whole vibe off and changes their intentions. 

They would probably add or remove songs like many movie musicals do and of course that would be fucking stupid and ruin it instantly. I can’t think of any song that would be okay with it being removed, and any song they added would probably be wack as hell (regardless of if Sater wrote it) and inconsistent. 

Moritz’s suicide would probably become a dramatic money shot with a gunshot sound effect and typical Hollywood bullshit which again ruins the impact of the scene… sigh

They would also probably go hamfisted with the abortion too. It’s supposed to be oblique. Sigh x2

They couldn’t get away with having the entire adult cast be the same man and woman :/ That’s not completely necessary, but it’s an important aspect of the stage musical… which again brings us back to the importance of the character’s ages. Sigh x3

No matter what they mf did, the ghosts of Wendla and Moritz returning to Melchior at the end would be BUSTED in a movie format. It would be so corny and cheesy unless they cut them returning out, which would… again… ruin it.

Not a true criticism but I know the movie will have some awful stunt casting with actors who can’t sing and it will make locals get into it and I can’t handle that :/

I’m all for giving side characters extra content in like… fanfiction but you know they’d add weird ass sideplots and other romances for the ensemble that would make the vibe wack

Anyways my final verdict is the movie won’t work at ALL for people who are already genuinely into Spring Awakening (and if you’re excited then well. idk what to tell you that’s your life) and honestly I can’t even see it working as a standalone lol

IF ANYTHING it would be . interesting to have the play become a movie. The musical doesn’t need to be sigh… but in the end none of this is up to me and I’m just sharing my opinion  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

#spring awakening #this is all i will say i cant do this anymore im not strong enough #this isnt entirely eloquent but i got this horrible news while watching a russian silent film from 1925 full of commie propaganda so #might add more when i get new thoughts

[jinsai-ish]

Welp, I guess I'm gonna start posting all the things. It's all old, from when I actually had, you know, free time. I also have no idea how tumblr works in terms of stuff like cuts so if people want to read the nice formatted stuff it's all up at jinsai.livejournal.com.

Any complaints can be forwarded to the otter.

First up, Pet Shop of Horrors drabbles:

Title: Imprisoning the Elements

Rating: G

Word Count: 100

Pairings/charecters: DxLeon

Notes: Response to challenge #6 (elements).

You can pick up earth, hold it in your hands. You can shape it, toss it into a box. But the wind will flow through your fingers, laughing at you. Water flows, but it will hold shape in a container. It can be imprisoned, remaining water. But fire…

Only one of two things can happen to fire enclosed in a box. It will die out, smothered for lack of nourishment. Or it will burn down the sides of the box, flickering merrily at your futile attempts to catch it. 

There are days when D can’t stand to look at Leon.

Title: Of Lizards and Rats, Mirrors and Hooks

Rating: PG

Word count: 100

Pairings/characters involved: Robin Hendrix, Medusa, Despair

Notes: Cross-over with the Sandman, response to challenge 7, bystander pov.

She looks at her mirrors, the rats scrabbling around her feet. Ah, there. Platinum blonde hair, blue eyes. Rich, handsome, talented, and utterly apathetic save for his reptiles. Drowning in the shadow of the prince, Robin Hendrix is one of her favorites. 

A new development, that lovely young lizard. She sees Robin creeping out of the frame of the mirror, step by dreamy step. Digging her hook into her cheek, she nearly smiles. The rats scamper in fear. 

Nice try little god.

Despair is patient.

When Robin looks into Medusa’s eyes, he almost misses the hook behind the prince. Almost.

Title: The Price

Rating: G

Word count: 100

Pairings or characters involved: the Chief, implied Leon/D

Notes: response to 8 "Beneath the Mask." I wanted to focus on the chief, wondering what his job costs him. Rather understated I think, but please let me now whatyou think.

Wrenching open his door, the chief gestured for the ranting detective to take his leave.

“Out! Leon, it’s Valentine’s Day. All the criminals are off romancing their mistresses. Why don’t you take off a bit early? I’m sure you can think of somewhere to go.”

Leon blustered a bit, a faint red tingeing his cheeks. But he grabbed his coat as he did so, brushing past a winking Jill. The chief humphed.

“Finally, some peace and quiet!” 

Left alone in his office, the chief twisted the gold ring on his left hand and stared at a phone that wouldn’t ring.

Title: Einstein's Truth

Rating: G/PG

Word count: 100 (not including quote)

Pairings or characters involved: D/Leon

Notes: This one was a pain to cut down to 100 words but it's done. Response to challenge 10 on the theme of time. Inspired by raison d'etat's wonderful fic "Unwilling Sleep" and the following passage from "Properties of the Light" by Rebecca Goldstein.

The passage of time is nothing real. It is a chimera spun out of gauzy consciousness, and nothing more, a frightful apparition tossed up by our mixed-up minds. We know this from Einstein's physics, which shows us a time as stilled as spread space. Time is static, the flow unreal: it is Einstein's truth, and it is the truth, falling straight away from the conditions of perfect symmetry imposed on the geometry. The ebb, which seems so terrible and real, which seems to carry off one's every treasure, leaving one like a chest spilled open on the waves: unreal, unreal.

“Einstein’s Truth”

At forty-five, calluses have long since formed on once-smooth palms. This is the choice he made. 

The aroma of hothouse flowers manages to cover the hospital smell, signs of the respect the officers at the precinct held for their chief of ten years. Leon’s resting now, the bullet that had tore through his chest no longer paining him. Eyes shut, D rests his head above a stilling heart. Somewhere he knows that he is pouring tea for a loud-mouthed, loving detective. As Leon drifts away, into past and future, D knows that this time, it is his turn to search.

"The distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion. (Albert Einstein, shortly before his death)

Title: Sakura

Rating: G

Word count: 100 

Pairings/characters: D/Leon (implied)

Notes: Reply to challenge 12 (seasons). Post-series, with D in Tokyo ala Nemuki special. Inspired by the latest "Flowers and the Detective" from volume 6.

It is summer in Tokyo and past-time for some rigorous spring-cleaning. D assigns tools and tasks, arming himself with a duster.

The denizens of the pet shop are winning against dust and dirt when D stumbles upon a box stashed in the corner of his room. Within lay the gifts his grandfather sent from his own visit to Japan: the rake, the fan – and the kimono. D reaches for it, his hand unsteady. Suddenly chilled, he wraps himself in the kimono, trying not to remember widened blue eyes and blossoms falling to the ground in rushes of color and scent.

Title: Just Another Part of the Job

Rating: PG 

Word count: 100

Pairings/characters: The Chief (anyone know his name?), Leon 

Notes: response to challenge 13, waiting. Just a bit of fun at Leon's expense.

Fingers the color of rich chocolate milk tapped impatiently on the desk. The hollow thuds landed in counter rhythm to the ticking of the clock. The chief scowled at a stack of files, then back at the time piece. Ten more minutes. If those reports weren’t in his hands by then he swore he’d – The phone rang, interrupting his mental threat.

Nine minutes and twenty-one seconds later a panting Leon burst in the door, shoving a large folder at the chief.

Orcot was a damn good detective, but he was the absolute worst when it came to completing his paperwork!

Title: Statistics

Rating: PG

Word count: 140 (sorry!)

Pairings/characters: the Chief, Leon (implied D/Leon)

Notes: Response (albeit too long) to challenge 14, numbers. Takes place right after the first "Flowers and the Detective" story. 

Yesterday they had posted the annual report for the 14th precinct: 1,038 cases of robbery, 69 rapes, 700 vehicle thefts, 1,065 aggravated assaults, and 19 homicides. That wasn’t counting the officer who had lost his life in the line of duty.

“Dammit Leon…”

“Chief?” Awakening for the second time, Leon’s bleary vision picked out the chief’s face, focusing on his eyes, red and dry as the Martian surface. As red as the petals from -

“Gattolotto...” Leon winced in pain. “Where’s D?”

“I made him go home; he was here all night.

“We caught the dealers. You’ll probably get a promotion out of this. But don’t think this means you’re not an idiot for getting shot.” 

But the chief smiled. Last night they hadn’t known if Leon was going to make it. And he had already attended one funeral too many.

Long I know. But I did research! lapdonline.org and http://www.losangelesalmanac.com/topics/Crime/cr03ea.htm

I'm assuming the 14th to be under Central of Central Bureau as they service Chinatown, among other areas. And anyone else notice that before getting shot Leon is "Officer" and "Detective" after? Maybe just a translation error but it worked. *shrug*

Title: Selling Vinyl Siding

Rating: PG

Word count: 100

Pairings/characters: Leon, Sofu (implied D/Leon)

Notes: Response to challenge 16, family. 

“Selling Vinyl Siding”

Since meeting D, Leon had suffered a lot of weird-ass dreams. Man-eating rabbits, and all that crap. But that last one had really taken the cake.

“If you leave my grandson alone, I’ll give you anything you want.” 

Leon had recognized the man, nearly a mirror-image of D, save his eyes matched and lacked the glimmer that always hovered in his D’s. 

He had said this out-loud and D’s creepy grandfather glared.

“What is it you want? Riches, power, immortality? Never see him again and I’ll give you an immortal life!”

Leon had never laughed so hard in his life.

Title: Father's Day

Rating: G 

Word count: 100 

Pairings/characters: D/Leon

Notes: Response 2 to challenge 16, family.

“Father’s Day”

Leon only spoke of his father once and he held very still while he did so. His lips moved, but the shadowy blue eyes blinked slowly, the rise and fall of his chest barely discernable. D gently pried the tea cup from his fingers and refilled it, his hand lingering over the Detective’s as he returned it.

D never spoke of his father. But sometime at night, when the darkness seeped from the corners of his room to surround, he’d tremble slightly. That’s when Leon would hold him, clutching D tightly and mumbling soothing words that had no real meaning.

Title: Odile's Spring

Rating: G

Word count: 100 

Pairings/characters: Jeanne La Croix (from vol. 5, Dance)

Notes: Response to challenge 17, cold. I would have to say that of all Count D's one-shot customers, Jeanne and her story "Dance" are my favorite. :)

"Odile's Spring"

March in St. Petersburg is cold in a way that L.A. could never understand. Jeanne clutches the freshly-made bread close to her chest, the warmth soaking through her gloves to chilled fingers. Her parka is thick enough but still she envies the thick fur of the husky that runs past, chased after by laughing children. Jeanne smiles, loving the sound of the language, the thick accent that warms her ears. Her leg muscles loosen and her feet begin sweeping gracefully over the frozen ground. In Russia, Jeanne La Croix dances amid a flurry of snow, falling softer than swan’s down.

Title: "A Token of my Esteem"

Rating: PG

Word count: 100 

Pairings/characters: Leon/OC, implied D/Leon

Notes: With D gone, someone had to try and pick up the pieces. Post-series. (#31, token) 

It was raining the night she met Leon. Drunk as he was, he held the umbrella steady as they walked to her apartment. Sometimes, when she was too caught up in a client’s portfolio, he’d bring coffee and donuts. They were the only sweets he could stomach. He never talked after sex. They never made love. When she told him the company offered her a prestigious job in Tokyo, he shrugged. She left him the apartment.

She recognized him the second she entered the pet store. She strode out, fighting back tears, a red palm print marring D’s perfect complexion.

Title: "And a Pocketful of Raindrops"

Rating: G 

Word count: 100 

Pairings/characters: D, Leon, Chris (implied D/Leon)

Notes: Reply to challenge 33, dance. 

“And a Pocketful of Raindrops”

Walking out of the restaurant, Count D, Leon, and Chris strode directly into the downpour. Puddles dotted the sidewalks and a heavy, slow rain was falling. Chris seized the moment to puddle-jump, soaking the Count and his brother in the process. 

“Christopher!” D glared at him, brandishing an armful of wet silk.

“Aw Count, live a little!” Leon joined Chris, swinging him around in an odd little jig.

“Detective! If you must dance, at least show him how to do it properly.” 

Brushing droplets out of his hair, Chris gaped at a bewildered Leon, roped into waltzing in the rain.

Title: Trick or Treat?

Rating: R

Word count: 165 

Pairings/characters: T-chan/surprise

Notes: #35 -Trick-or-treat. A new pairing for me. Let's see how it goes.

"Trick or Treat?"

Tetsu thrust hard into the pliant body beneath him. Finally the Count had seen the light. Sure, it was a bit sudden and completely out of the blue, but the toutetsu wasn’t about to protest. Not with the writhing body beneath him, the long nails digging into his back. He growled at the scent of his own blood, moving faster and deeper. As the Count arched up his back Tetsu leaned down and licked the sweat droplets off of one blushed nipple. The Count tasted of fresh peaches and cinnamon spice. At climax two cries echoed in the room – a loud howl and a shrill scream.

The toutetsu allowed his lower body to rest against that of his lover. Slowing his breath, he meet the Count’s mismatched eyes, only to stare in shock as black hair grew and shaded into red. A pair of sly golden eyes glittered up at him – a fox’s eyes.

Ten-chan leaned up and nipped the frozen man-eater’s nose. “Trick-or-treat T-chan.”

Title: Kindred

Rating: PG

Word count: 100

Pairings/characters: the Chief, Leon, Jill, other

Notes: Challenge #36, instinct

“Kindred”

Leon depends on his instincts while Jill prefers research. He’s hotheaded, she’s too trusting. Ted’s a joker, Marianne’s a cynic, Phil’s always late. But they’re all good cops. All the men and women who serve under him are. The chief won’t tolerate a dirty cop, or a lousy one. If that keeps him from the coveted promotion to commissioner, so be it. 

As long as officers like Orcot and the others are on the force, he knows he’s not the only one kept up late at night by the dead’s silence, names slipping from his lips in a broken mantra.

To be continued...

#petshop of horrors #pet shop of horrors #fic(let) #antediluvian

[yeonchi]

Sea Princesses Book Review L3: Turtles in Danger

Original title: Tartarugas em Perigo

Release year: 2008

Scans, transcript and translation available on Google Drive

Theme song: Everlasting Sky by Beverly (from Kamen Rider Build: Be The One)

The background to this review series can be found here. Review starts after the break.

Getting this book was, well, an absolute rollercoaster. The merchant, Pure Brazil, was unable to provide this book when I ordered it, then I saw that the Portuguese version of this book was up on Kindle, but I couldn’t buy it from the Australian store, then I finally managed to buy the English version when I saw that I could.

I initially based the transcripts for this book and this review on the English version on Kindle, but when Fabio Yabu finally responded to my email, he sent me the original Portuguese manuscript for this book, so I based everything off that, which I was planning to do in the first place. He also offered to send me his other manuscripts, but by that point, I only had two more books to scan, so I didn’t ask for any more because the time I spent scanning the books would have been for nought.

You might be asking, “Well, why didn’t you ask him for the manuscripts at the start?” A, I sent my first email at the end of April, a week before I ordered the books and he didn’t respond until the middle of July because my email got lost in his inbox. B, I wasn’t going to freeload off him from the get-go unless he responded, which would probably have stopped me from buying the books in the first place. C, things might have gone differently if he sent me everything, for example, I wouldn’t have translated the supplementary activities for the first two main series books.

This book is the first of the literacy series books to be published on Kindle. Initially, while I was getting screenshots and transcripts from the English version of this book, I noticed that the formatting was a bit different to the physical versions of the literacy series books, as the content of two pages would be combined and spread over one page. On some pages, the text goes across the full spread, but that’s not the real problem here since Kindle can show full double page spreads on landscape. The real problem was the grammar and oh my God, it was terrible. Some parts don’t make sense, some words are spelt incorrectly and a couple of words are erroneously repeated. Another problem is that some details or dialogues are cut. I don’t know if it’s because of Kindle’s limitations or whatever, but it just makes the translation even cheaper than it already is.

Without context, I can understand if Yabu isn’t fluent in English, but if it weren’t for him kindly sending me the Portuguese manuscript, I wouldn’t have been as happy with the book. I probably would have been stiffed like the fans of English dubbing in Koei Warriors games. The translations in the Kindle versions of the other literacy series books were better and they were close to how I translated them, even if they weren’t perfect.

You may be wondering why Yabu made an English version of the book in the first place, or why this book was released on Kindle first before the other ones. The likely reason for this is because the book was made into an app in the past. In July 2010, Hong Kong-based branding agency Stepworks released Portuguese and English versions of this book on the App Store under the Kidztory brand, but some time after May 2012, it was presumably removed, with Wayback Machine records for the official site seemingly reflecting this. To this day, evidence of this app’s existence remains on secondary websites, old articles and social media posts. The translation in the below screenshots is way better than in the Kindle version. The app also introduced an English version of the original Princesas do Mar logo, which is different to the one used in the English version of the animated series. It wouldn’t be used again until the release of the Kindle books (which you can see among the covers above).

Unbelievably, this book was republished four times, as shown by the covers at the top. Aside from the Kindle versions and the second version, which was seemingly released in the same vein as Mystery at the Sea School (the difference being a colour change and the logo being moved from the bottom to the top), there is something in the third version (which was used for the Kindle versions) that I’d like to point out. The third version was released in 2013 by a publisher named “Yabooks”. If you didn’t work it out already, this is Fabio Yabu’s own publishing label, as it were. There’s not a lot I could find from a Google search, other than a few mentions in store listings.

But here’s something interesting. There is a website for Yabooks, but it just says it’s under maintenance. Looking into Wayback Machine records, I found that the only working archives are from 2014, meaning that it’s been down and forgotten since at least June 2015. From what I could see though, he had the first and fourth main series books on sale along with the 2013 version of this book, so I don’t know what his plans were in that regard.

The focus character of this book is Olivia, an olive ridley sea turtle. Olive ridley turtles have been listed as vulnerable on the ICUN Red List since 2008 and by IBAMA, also known as the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources. The book also highlights the danger that plastic bags have on turtles and marine life.

Well, this review went a bit longer than usual for a literacy series book. In the prologue, I quoted from a 2013 interview of Yabu by Blablador, which stated that this book was adopted by the Tamar Project in Brazil and the Travel Foundation in the UK, who co-produced Turtles in Trouble, a video highlighting the plight of sea turtles and showing how to be a sea turtle-friendly person. This could be why this book was republished numerous times whereas the others weren’t. On a rewatch, I couldn’t find any references to this series, though the lessons taught in the book were covered in the video along with some extra ones as well. Anyway, I’ll leave you with that to end the review.

Rating: 8/10

#sea princesses #princesas do mar #princesas del mar #el reino de acuatica #sea princesses book review

[scifigeneration]

From their balloons, the first aeronauts transformed our view of the world

by Jennifer Tucker

A lithograph from Gaston Tissandier’s balloon travels depicts falling stars. Archive.org

Near the beginning of the new film “The Aeronauts,” a giant gas-filled balloon called the “Mammoth” departs from London’s Vauxhall Gardens and ascends into the clouds, revealing a bird’s eye view of London.

To some moviegoers, these breathtaking views might seem like nothing special: Modern air travel has made many of us take for granted what we can see from the sky. But during the 19th century, the vast “ocean of air” above our heads was a mystery.

These first balloon trips changed all that.

Directed by Tom Harper, the movie is inspired by the true story of Victorian scientist James Glaisher and the aeronaut Henry Coxwell. (In the film, Coxwell is replaced by a fictional aeronaut named Amelia Wren.)

In 1862, Glaisher and Coxwell ascended to 37,000 feet in a balloon – 8,000 feet higher than the summit of Mount Everest, and, at the time, the highest point in the atmosphere humans had ever reached.

As a historian of science and visual communication, I’ve studied the balloon trips of Glaisher, Coxwell and others. Their voyages inspired art and philosophy, introduced new ways of seeing the world and transformed our understanding of the air we breathe.

The first balloon flights

Before the invention of the balloon, the atmosphere was like a blank slate on which fantasies and fears were projected. Philosophers speculated that the skies went on forever, while there were medieval tales of birds that were so large they could whisk human passengers into the clouds.

A drawing from ‘Astra Castra’ depicts mythic birds that can transport people up into the skies. Archive.org

The atmosphere was also thought of as a “factory of death” – a place where disease-causing vapors lingered. People also feared that if they were to ascend into the clouds, they’d die from oxygen deprivation.

The dream of traveling skyward became a reality in 1783, when two French brothers, Joseph-Michel Montgolfier and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier, launched the first piloted hot-air balloon.

Early balloon flights were difficult to pull off and dangerous. Aeronauts and passengers fell to their deaths when balloons unexpectedly deflated, caught fire or drifted out to sea. Partly due to this inherent danger, untethered balloon flight became forms of public entertainment, titillating crowds who wanted to see if something would go wrong. The novelist Charles Dickens, horrified by balloon ascents, wrote that these “dangerous exhibitions” were no different from public hangings.

Over time, aeronauts became more skilled, the technology improved and trips became safe enough to bring along passengers – provided they could afford the trip. At the time of Glaisher’s ascents, it cost about 600 pounds – roughly US$90,000 today – to construct a balloon. Scientists who wanted to make a solo ascent needed to shell out about 50 pounds to hire an aeronaut, balloon and enough gas for a single trip.

The view of angels

Some of the first Europeans who ascended for amusement returned with tales of new sights and sensations, composed poems about what they had seen and circulated sketches.

A glass lantern slide of a print titled ‘The View of Versailles.’ Private collection, used with permission.

Common themes emerged: the sensation of being in a dream, a feeling of tranquility and a sense of solitude and isolation.

“We were lost in an opaque ocean of ivory and alabaster,” the balloon travelers Wilfrid de Fonvielle and Gaston Tissandier recalled in 1868 upon returning from one of their voyages.

In an 1838 book, one of the most prolific writers on the topic, professional flutist Monck Mason, described ascending into the atmosphere as “distinct in all its bearings from every other process with which we are acquainted.” Once aloft, the traveler is forced to consider the “world without him.”

A drawing of dreamlike clouds from the travels of Wilfrid de Fonvielle and Gaston Tissandier. 'Travels in the Air'

French astronomer Camille Flammarion wrote that the atmosphere was “an ethereal sea reaching over the whole world; its waves wash the mountains and the valleys, and we live beneath it and are penetrated by it.”

Travelers were also awestruck by the diffusion of light, the intensity of colors and the effects of atmospheric illumination.

One scientific observer in 1873 described the atmosphere as a “splendid world of colors which brightens the surface of our planet,” noting the “lovely azure tint” and “changing harmonies” of hues that “lighten up the world.”

And then there were the birds-eye views of the cities, farms and towns below. In 1852, the social reformer Henry Mayhew recalled his views of London from the perch of “an angel:” “tiny people, looking like so many black pins on a cushion,” swarmed through “the strange, incongruous clump of palaces and workhouses.”

To Mayhew, the sights of farmlands were “the most exquisite delight I ever experienced.” The houses looked “like the tiny wooden things out of a child’s box of toys, and the streets like ruts.”

So deep was the dusk in the distance that it “was difficult to tell where the earth ended and the sky began.”

A thunderstorm above Fontainebleau, France, from Camille Flammarion’s travels. 'Travels in the Air.'

A laboratory for discovery

The atmosphere was not just a vantage point for picturesque views. It was also a laboratory for discovery, and balloons were a boon to scientists.

At the time, different theories prevailed over how and why rain formed. Scientists debated the role of trade winds and the chemical composition of the atmosphere. People wondered what caused lightning and what would happen to the human body as it ascended higher.

To scientists like Flammarion, the study of the atmosphere was the era’s key scientific challenge. The hope was that the balloon would give scientists some answers – or, at the very least, provide more clues.

James Glaisher, a British astronomer and meteorologist, was already an established scientist by the time he made his famous balloon ascents. During his trips, he brought along delicate instruments to measure the temperature, barometric pressure and chemical composition of the air. He even recorded his own pulse at various altitudes.

In 1871 he published “Travels in the Air,” a collection of reports from his experiments. He didn’t want to simply write about his findings for other scientists; he wanted the public to learn about his trips. So he fashioned his book to make the reports appealing to middle-class readers by including detailed drawings and maps, colorful accounts of his adventures and vivid descriptions of his precise observations.

Glaisher’s books also featured innovative visual portrayals of meteorological data; the lithographs depicted temperatures and barometric pressure levels at different elevations, superimposed over picturesque views.

James Glaisher charted his balloon’s path from Wolverhampton to Solihull, England. 'Travels in the Air.'

He gave a series of popular lectures, during which he relayed findings from his trips to riveted audiences. Two years later, he published an English translation of Flammarion’s account of his balloon travels.

The trips of Glaisher and others gave scientists new insights into meteors; the relationship between altitude and temperature; the formation of rain, hail and snow; and the forces behind thunder.

And for members of the public, the atmosphere was transformed from an airy concept into a physical reality.

The trailer for ‘The Aeronauts.’

About The Author:

Jennifer Tucker is an Associate Professor of History and Science in Society at Wesleyan University

This article is republished from our content partners over at The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. 

#science #meteorology #atmospheric science #hot air balloon #citizen science #movies #Science Fiction and Fantasy

[2dtcnjspring]

Space

How do we see space? As we move through the world we move through a volumetric space through time. 3D works occupy actual physical space. Architecture encloses actual space. A photograph can only hint to the spectacular feeling of space and volume.

How do we perceive space on a two dimensional surface? Here space is an illusion, for the images rendered on paper, canvas, digitally, etc. are essentially flat on the picture plane. Sometimes this flat picture plane can appear to be a “window” into space.

In thinking about the previous Line assignment, a horizontal or vertical line can create space while a diagonal line is probably the easiest way to create depth on a flat 2D surface.

Ways to explore space:

Overlapping: When one object is positioned in front of another object, blocking its full view; this is called overlapping. The overlapping creates the illusion of space. 

There is no difference in the size of the figures, but we understand their respective positions establish a sense of depth.

Dana Schutz

Position in the Field: Where things are positioned in the field of view also create space. Generally, objects that are positioned lower on the picture plane will appear closer than objects that are positioned higher on the picture plane.

Tom Wesselmann, Still Life #12

Image above: Nancy Gail Ring, Souls 2010

Size: The range in size of an object also creates space. Objects that are closer to a viewer appear larger than objects that are further off in the distance - this is something that we learn very early on in life.

Edouard Manet

Immediately we see the relative sizes of various elements and understand space is suggested. This flat picture plane becomes a window through which we see a 3D scene.

Narmer Palette

Hieratic Scaling: Size historically has been sed to denote some conceptual importance rather than to dictate spacial depth.

Amplified Perspective/Foreshortening: Amplified perspective is used to create a dramatic, dynamic quality. This occurs when an element of the composition is pointed directly at the viewer. The amplified area becomes the most eye-catching area of the composition. Everything else seems to recede immediately.

Andrew Wyeth 

Linear Perspective: Linear perspective is a complex spatial system based on a relatively simple visual phenomenon. As parallel lines recede, they appear to converge and meet on a n imaginary line called the horizon (or eye level). Consider a road or railway tracks that stretch off into the distance. Artist during the Renaissance first introduced the idea of a vanishing point on the horizon to convey this idea on a 2D surface. This is a way artists can reproduce what the eye sees.

There are several different ways to create space using linear perspective. One-Point Perspective, Two-Point Perspective, Three-Point Perspective.

*Again, perspective as an idea and technique is a human invention. It is a technique and tool that can be used to create an incredibly realistic illusion of three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional surface. Renaissance architect Filippo Brunelleschi is credited with inventing one-point linear perspective around 1420, which revolutionized painting and paved the way for naturalistic styles to develop as the Renaissance digressed from the stylized figures of medieval art.

One-Point Perspective: a mathematical system for representing three-dimensional objects and space on a two-dimensional surface by means of intersecting lines that are drawn vertically and horizontally and that radiate toward one point on a horizon line.

Rules of perspective: true shapes, vanishing points and horizon lines In one-point perspective, surfaces that face the viewer appear as their true shape, without any distortion. They are drawn using primarily horizontal and vertical lines.

Surfaces that travel away from the viewer, on the other hand, converge towards a single ‘vanishing point‘. This is a point that is located directly in front of the viewer’s eyes, on a ‘horizon line’ (also known as an ‘eye level line’), as illustrated in the photo below (and above):

...and in photography.

Two-Point Perspective: Two-point perspective is the same definition as above except that the intersecting lines that are drawn vertically and horizontally radiate toward two points on a horizon line. This way we can “view” from an angle. This might feel more true to life.

Three-Point (Multipoint) Perspective: This type of perspective usually shows three sides of object (generally from above or below). Three-point perspective has three vanishing points (a third from above or below). This type of perspective usually shows three sides of object. This is useful to suggest ideas of height.

Atmospheric Perspective: Space is created through the change of value (light and dark) to show depth. As the value decreases toward the horizon line the illusion of space is created. This also creates a contrast in the composition.

This can occur graphically or photographically

Atmospheric perspective can also give the viewer a sense that they are floating or not help down by gravity.

Similarly, Depth of Field: (DOF), also called focus range or effective focus range, is the distance between the nearest and farthest objects in a scene that appear acceptably sharp in an image. Although a lens can precisely focus at only one distance at a time, the decrease in sharpness is gradual on each side of the focused distance, so that within the DOF, the unsharpness is imperceptible under normal viewing conditions.

The change in focus creates space.

The area in focus can occur in the foreground....

....or in  the background.

Equivocal Space: When two forms overlap and both are seen completely and This type of perspective usually shows three sides of object transparency is assumed. Spatial interest is increased by using transparency in many places so that forms can get interpreted (what is on top or behind) rather than the obstructions found with overlapping.

Dana Schutz

Andy Warhol

SPACE PROJECT

For this lesson your classroom practice will be instrumental in producing your homework project. In class we will do a digital story boarding assignment. Your class work will then be analyzed and translated into a Triptych homework project.

Creating Space Story Boarding Classwork

A storyboard is a graphic organizer in the form of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence. For the purposes of this class your story board will be used to create your Triptych homework project.

For todays classwork you are to conceive of a story or narrative. The visual progression of your story will be explored through the story boarding process. You can be an original story OR you can choose to re-tell an existing story. You must adjust your narrative so that you limit the story to SIX spaces.

In order to maximize your story and tailor it to this assignment you will need to potentially edit your story down - perhaps zoom in on one situation from the story. Each particular story board must also specifically apply one of the space creating techniques discussed in class from the above. You are to work out the story board options digitally using Illustrator. You must post each storyboard and describe what type of space you are intending to create.

As the artist you have complete and total control of all aspects of the story; the story line, characters, scenery, location, and events. If you are retelling a story that already exists in graphic, comic, animation or film form you can not copy or replicate any characters invented by another artist. This means that if you are telling part of Disney’s Frozen you can not have a character that looks like Elsa.

You will have to invent your own character.

Homework: Space Triptych Project 

For the homework you are to re-imagine your narrative story board so that the main gist of the story is expressed in three still images (panels). Make sure you apply your space techniques into this project (this project is about space!). All three panels must be 50/50 digital to hand-ons and mounted on bristol. You must kill the white of your composition - fill your entire compositions. Finished work will be turned in for class critique and also posted to your blog. 

No text: How do you convey a story through only image?

In order to understand the homework we first need to take a look at the definition of a triptych.

Max Beckmann, Triptych of the Temptation of St. Anthony,1937, Oil on Canvas

A triptych: is a work of art (usually a panel painting) that is divided into three sections, or three carved panels which are hinged together and can be folded shut or displayed open. It is therefore a type of polytych, the term for all multi-panel works. The middle panel is typically the largest and it is flanked by two smaller related works, although there are triptychs of equal-sized panels.

Robert Campin, and assistant, The Annunciation Triptych (Merode Triptych), Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, about 1625-30

The triptych form began in early Christian art, and was a popular standard altar painting format from the Middle Ages onward, both in Europe and elsewhere, altarpieces in churches and cathedrals were often in triptych form. Renaissance painters such as Hieronymus Bosch used the triptych form.  

Heronimus Bosch, The Haywain, Oil on wood 135 x 190 cm Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain

Although strongly identified as an altarpiece form, triptychs have been also been created by Max Beckmann, and Francis Bacon among others. Modern triptych works have typically been developed as three separate pieces that work together. Modern artists have also altered the triptych by making all panels equal in size.

I would like you all to follow the modern version of the triptych format and make each panel a separate piece (do not connect them). You will need to decide how your triptych will function, will it be three equal size works or will sizes vary depending on your story.

Dustin Yellin’s “The Triptych”

For a detailed video montage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mYqky99i_w

Max Beckmann “Departure” 1932-33 Oil on canvas Triptych, center panel 84 ¾ X 45 3/8”; side panels each 84 ¾ X 39 1/4” The Museum of Modern Art, New York

Francis Bacon, Three studies of the male back triptych 1970, Oil on canvas, each 198x147.5cm Kunsthaus Zürich, Vereinigung Zürcher Kunstfreunde

Student Examples

#space

[historicalfightingguide]

Wiktenauer needs your help! (Not your money, your actual help.)

“BACKGROUND

I've put quite a lot of effort over the past ten years into assembling the clearest, cleanest, highest-resolution scans of our fencing manuals that I could find. This approach has characterized a lot of our work on the research side of HEMA—finding or fabricating clean, attractive scans, and transcribing and translating them to be as accessible to modern readers as possible. This work is important, but far from the only way that we can learn from the treatises.

In one sense, a treatise is an abstract entity, a collection of ideas divorced from any particular copy of it. But each individual copy of that text is a concrete, very real object, a *book*, which was owned by *people* and hopefully used by some of those owners for learning or teaching. And it is books *as* books that we are going to talk about today.

Manuscripts, of course, are generally unique works of art, either commissioned by a specific buyer, or created first and then customized and completed to the buyer's desires. The history of printed books begins with similar expectations—moveable type was viewed as a labor-saving device for scribes, and the same level of artistic embellishment that went into manuscripts was applied to books after the initial printing.

The 16th century ushered in the age of cheap, uniform texts sold as-printed, but the desire to make a book one's own continued long after. The way readers customized and used (and even defaced) their books is a fledgling field of study that has only begun to be recognized in academia in the past couple decades.

The first printed fighting manual seems to have been De Dignoscendis Hominibus by Pedro Monte, printed in 1492. There is one other possible 15th century treatise (the Landshutter Ringuch), and then about three dozen in the 16th century. We are familiar with the text of these earliest printed fencing manuals, but we know much less about the context that they existed in and the people who bought and used them.

If these books were purchased by fencers, as some of them must have been, then all manner of treasure might have been scribbled into them. For example, in Göttingen there is a copy of Hans Wilhelm Schoeffer's 1620 rapier treatise which also contains a massive hand-written treatise on fencing against left-handers, starting on the book's 23 blank leaves and continuing onto 22 extras that were bound into it—an 88-page manuscript fencing manual hidden inside a 900-page printed book.

The knowledge that may be lurking in the margins and blank pages of copies of 15th-16th century fencing manuals has been on my mind a lot in the past year. Our early manuscripts have a tragic lack of substantial additions by later owners, as people who have attended my lectures recently have heard me lament. But most printed fencing books from this period have never been systematically examined.

* * * * *

PROJECT

Roger Norling stated in a lecture he gave at Meyer Symposium this year that one of the tasks the MFFG should take on is cataloging every surviving copy of Meyer's work. Afterward, he and I discussed some of what's stated above, and agreed that finding even one extensively-annotated copy of Meyer would be a major game-changer.

So, STEP 1: Find all the Meyers

What we've done so far:

- Sarah Barsness shared with us a spreadsheet she'd been working on for some time, in which she took all of the entries in Worldcat and winnowed them down to actual, physical copies (eliminating more than half of the results). - Several members and friends of the guild helped her expand the catalog to include copies that we knew of outside of Worldcat. - Additional copies were discovered in Thimm's fencing bibliography and the Universal Short Title Catalogue, which were added to the list after being verified in the catalogs of their respective institutions.

Master list: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1TSFg3VQVWrVWYZPwLV_AniN5JjLPngCy37RBZLO0v6o/edit?fbclid=IwAR0J7FHi-qswPCRLE6eVdWTOkiEt3L9wYKoqItgrx79EgEbRTQcyM2aZtII#gid=0

STEP 2: Examine all the Meyers

What we've done so far:

- We've looked through all of the copies on Sara's list that have digital scans available, searching for use marks. - London Darce photographed use marks in the copy in Austin, TX. - I ordered scans of the copy in Olomouc, Czech Republic, whose catalog entry indicates that it has an extra page of "fencing rules" (šermířské regule). - Volunteers from local clubs have agreed to try to gain access to the copies in New York City, Washington DC, and London, to examine them in person.

STEP 3: Write up all of our findings

When we've exhausted all leads and feel that we have enough material to draw some conclusions and lessons from, Roger and I (and probably others) will publish the results (and all of the raw materials) for everyone to study and learn from. The format will depend on how much we find, but anything from an article on HROARR to a paper in Acta Periodica Duellatorum is possible.

* * * * *

HOW YOU CAN HELP

STEP 1: Find all the Meyers

Copies of Meyer have ended up in many unexpected places. There's one in the New York Public Library. There's one at the University of Texas - Austin. There might be one in your backyard. We've gone through Worldcat, but only 72,000 libraries subscribe to Worldcat, and not all of them have put their special collections catalogs online.

Check the catalogs of public libraries and university libraries in your area. Even your state or national libraries, if you have them. A small group of us simply cannot check every library in the world, but if enough HEMAists get involved, we could take a big bite out of the problem.

Meyer was published in 1570 and 1600, and there are historical references to printings in 1610 and 1660 that we've never found confirmation for; any of these might be in your library. Search for "Joachim Meyer" and "Meyer, Joachim" around those dates. Search for keywords like "fechten" and "fechter" (which often also turns up other gems). If the library catalog is not digitized, you may have to email a librarian or even go in person.

Do you have connections to people with private collections of rare books? Ask them too!

And if you find a Meyer not on the list, let us know!

(If you're feeling very ambitious, we'd also be interested to know about copies of Andre Paurnfeindt, Christian Egenolff, and Fabian von Auerswald; if this goes well, that will probably be the subject of a similar project.)

STEP 2: Examine all the Meyers

If you live in one of the cities on the list, then find out if you can access the special collections of the institution that owns the book. Maybe even see if you can go with other interested members of your club, to give everyone a taste of history (and also to avoid overwhelming the library with requests).

If you can get access to the book, go through it carefully. Take pictures of any writing in the book you can find, even if it's just an owner's mark. Write down places with underlining or circles. If the artwork has been colored, that's also useful to know. (If they don't allow photography, note down any pages with writing so that we can order official scans of them.)

If they won't let you view the book, and you don't know anyone who can, then at least try to open a conversation with a research librarian at the institution. They are often willing to go flip through books on behalf of patrons, and might even already have the information you need in a file.

If you have the skills, volunteer to transcribe or translate the pages with writing that we find. There are already a few pages of notes that need to be processed, and hopefully there will be many more!

STEP 3: Write up all of our findings

We'll know more about how you can help with this step when steps 1-2 have proceeded further.

CONCLUSION

We've already found some interesting things just be checking the low-hanging fruit. See the gallery below for examples. With your help, we'll find much more.

Thanks!”

P.S. Happy pride to all!

#lgbt #lgbtq #manuscript #fencing #historical fencing #meyer #wiktenauer

[goodvibesatpeace]

22 Spiritual Things That Have Become The Norm Since 2012

Human collective is in the process of creating new reality and the New Earth, but first and foremost, embodying the new type of being that we presently perceive as the “New Human”. Things are starting to take tangible shape right here right now. We are already observing the signs of what is becoming the “new normal” for many today.

We all know that 2012 was the turning point, the year of the “energetic big bang”. That year represents the moment within the infinite now when the ripple effect finally reached enough momentum to tip the mass consciousness scale, and to shift the course of evolution of our Planet from self-destruction to mass awakening. Yes, of course there were awakened people prior to 2012, but we have to agree that over the last six years the number of the awakened ones has grown exponentially.

My job as a Wayshower is to be a bit ahead of the game. To embody, live it and tell. Here are the 22 things that in my observation and personal experience have become a norm since 2012.

1. Meditation

Meditation is no longer “weird”. It has become an essential part of life. Daily meditative practice is as much a part of our routine as brushing teeth or eating. It is no longer looked at as a “chore” or yet another thing to do that’s difficult to find time for. We now understand all of the numerous benefits and reasons for meditating. Not only that, we actually enjoy and look forward to it.

2. Good health

Good physical health and high energy are the side-effects that accompany the awakening process. The more awakened we are, the higher our frequency, the better the health. Good physical health and high level of energy in awakened community is no longer a surprise to anyone.

3. Amplified senses

When the pineal gland is decalcified and the third eye opens, all of our senses amplify from 25 to over 50 percent. It feels like the “volume” of life’s experience is turned up. This has little to do with the state of the sensory organs themselves. We simply gain access to the mechanism that helps us experience everything around us in the whole new, more pronounced way.

4. Synchronicities

Synchronicities no longer surprise us. Strings of numbers, songs, people, objects, appearance of spirit animals, sequence of words, little personal magical pointers of all sorts that to our great amazement used to come into our awareness only once in a while, have now become a permanent feature of our reality. Synchronicities are simply a part of the tapestry of our everyday lives, similar to the little lines on internal maps we are following. They show up everywhere we look, constantly giving us clues and confirming that we indeed are on the right track.

5. Clear guidance and intuition

We are now accustomed to knowing the voice, or rather the feeling, of our internal guidance. The GPS of our intuition is on at all times. We no longer have to listen hard nor put any effort into receiving that guidance. It is here, it is present, it has become a vital part of us, leading us gently from step to step, from miracle to miracle.

6. Miracles

Miracles are becoming pretty common. We are observing all that used to be rare and “inexplicable” happening every month, every week, even few times a week sometimes. On one hand we understand the mechanism and are getting used to it, on another, we are still mesmerized as these events often show up “out of nowhere” and seem “unexplainable” from any reasonable 3D perspective.

7. 5D manifesting

We are also getting used to instant 5D manifesting. This often ties into the category of occurrences that we still perceive as “miracles”. It’s when you really want something and it just shows up “all by itself”. No more super-human effort is requires, only alignment. Stuff “just happens” and in incredibly short time too. A lot of us might still be working on this one, but there is a solid number of people on this planet who actually got it. This is also called “being in perfect alignment” or living within our flow.

8. Ease of living

“Being in alignment” or within our flow creates the ease of living. Those embodying the flow are living the lives of low drama, low stress and low suffering. They really do always arrive at the right place at the right time. Their co-creation of perfectly aligned reality is near effortless. Given that the whole human experience is about contrast, we still get some of the “discomfort” too, but it is nowhere near what we used to experience in the past. If I had to give an average, I would say that the general ratio of ease to difficulty within the awakened community at this time seems to be about 60 to 40.

9. Freedom from fear

This includes trust in what is and freedom from the Matrix. We are no longer sold on blindly doing what we are told. We no longer live in fear of the system, nor the need to follow its rules out of fear. We have arrived at the state of being where we trust in the flow and the perfect alignment of things. We follow our inner guidance and the true calling of our hearts instead of prescribed ways of the system. Many of the awakened ones have gone mostly or even completely off the grid.

10. Inspired action

Given what we presently know and who we have become, inspired action is the only “to do list” that makes sense for us to follow. Guided by intuition and the calling of our hearts, we know exactly what feels “right” to us and when. We also know that the thread of true joyful inspiration flawlessly leads us on our paths. It also effortlessly creates exactly what we desire for the highest good of our lives and the highest good of all. Inspired action anchors our missions into this reality paving the way of the New Human into the New Earth.

11. Co-creative responsibility and self-awareness

We have awakened. This means we have recognized and accepted ourselves as creators of our own experiences. We have taken responsibility for ourselves, our actions, our choices and lives. Through the process of awakening and intensive self-work, we have grown in every possible way and have become self-aware and conscious.

12. Change in relationships

We are noticing that relationships both with self and people in our lives changed. We have learned much about reasons and ways human beings behave. We have arrived at the state that allows us to receive and understand both others and self from the place of compassion, forgiveness and love. We understand the lessons and the growing process and we no longer operate from reactive space of judgment, blame and victimhood. All of the above makes us more balanced and peaceful in all of our relationships.

13. Authentic and telepathic communication

As we have learned to own our choices, being truly ourselves became easier too. This naturally leads us into open authentic communication. With those on the same wavelength telepathic communication is fast becoming a norm too.

14. Ability to feel, see and work with energy

Our senses and abilities are amplified, our third eyes are on, our DNA is constantly upgrading. We are now able to feel, see, work with, adjust and manipulate energy. We also know we too are just energy condensed. This knowledge has become a fact of life and no one is any longer surprised.

15. Sacred sexuality

Our entire approach and understanding of sexuality has changed based on what we presently know and have become. We are drawn to expand our experiences beyond the obvious and into the space commonly known as “Sacred Sexuality”. The old purely physical ways that did not involve understanding of human energetics are starting to appear more and more out of alignment.

16. Access to the subconscious

Our devoted meditative practice has given us a gift beyond any other: access to the “black box” of our own operating system, the subconscious. We have become able to enter, understand and alter our previously hidden memories, conditioning and patterns.

17. Super-fast emotional processing

Let’s face it: if we are born on Earth and are older than 3, we require emotional processing. That’s just the part of the deal in this density. The good news is: with the access to the subconscious, our emotional processing is now easier and faster than ever. What used to take years, now takes days. We are simply cleaning the basements of our minds and freeing up energetic and emotional resources for new abilities, higher frequencies and knowledge.

18. Altered experience of time

Our perception of time has changed. How did the 24-hour day get so short? What happened to having that extra sense that used to know time at all times? How can three hours feel like five minutes? How can this morning feel like it was a week ago? How can a week ago feel like years have gone by? We are shifting within dimensions where time as a construct is either very different or does not exist at all. And we sure can feel it. We have also learned that we can work with and influence time.

19. Meeting people we know from “past lives”

We are recognizing people we meet for the first time. Not just one rare individual, but entire soul groups. We might experience the sense of déjà vu or have a full-on remembrance of our shared past or parallel lives with them. They might not look anything like what we remember, they might be in a very different role in our lives too, but “somehow” we remember that we know them and the knowing is absolutely certain. This is how our soul family grows.

20. Access to the “Cosmic Google”

Suddenly we notice that we are able to pull answers to nearly all metaphysical questions directly from the quantum field of information. Sometimes we have to focus or meditate, sometimes we just instantly know. The answers come in telepathically and we have to translate them into brain-compatible format. This doesn’t always work yet, and having access to this “Cosmic Google” might still puzzle us, but the very existence of such access has become undeniable.

21. Multi-D Brain Upgrade

Not only our minds but also brains have changed. Human “hardware upgrades” have been installed through DNA and third eye activations. Brain capacity is up and we now possess what is called “multidimensional brain”. This means having awareness of and processing different realities, densities, timelines and dimensions simultaneously while also being fully-anchored in 3D.

22. Active non-physical life

We have entered the state of being where countless aspects of our non-physical lives can be experienced in a way as real and present as our physical reality. Dreamtime has become lucid and conscious for many. Installation of “multidimensional brain” has given us awareness of infinite non-physical life outside of our immediate 3D world.

We have gained access to realms, other dimensions, parallel realities, ancient timelines, multidimensional aspects of our own selves, cosmic worlds. We can experience interactions with “otherworldly”, inner-Earth and non-terrestrial beings, elementals, consciousness forms; even with our own parallel incarnations in multiple, countless simultaneous timelines. The list goes on. We are now able to participate, visit, communicate, interact with and have non-physical relationships within the infinite forever way beyond our wildest imagination or best sci-fi.

Many would read this and say: sounds, familiar. Others would say: no thank you. Some might ask how to get there. All options are a conscious choice. We live in cosmic non-interference zone of free individual will, so our choices and intentions determine the course of our paths, how much we upgrade and what exactly we experience. We have the ability to “customize” our expansion.

If our intention is strong and we are willing to take all necessary steps towards our own ascension, while also maintaining clean lifestyle, high frequency and meditative practice, we will evolve into the New Human and ascend with others onto the New Earth. No one else can do this for us. The choice is really ours.

#greatest versions #spiritual health #meditation #starseed #wayshower #physical health #mental health

[causticausality]

Some Kind of Rescue [Brock Rumlow/Steve Rogers]

For @winters-wonderland Re: Any line...but Rumrogers with Dom!Rumlow pretty please x, line chosen:  ❛  i know exactly what you want and how you want it. ❜

For all the extra power and punch that Captain America can pack, Brock doesn’t go down easy. That’s other people. 

That’s the guy who’s crowbarred in a Memphis back alley and doesn’t get up. Him, he’s gotten up every single time, if only to shoot out a wad of spit. To memorize their faces and one day write them out of existence. Sure. There’d been a time or two, when short stubby fingers had clawed for a helping hand, a shoulder to fall against, but everyone has a few memories they take to the grave with no revisits.  

When he does take a tumble onto the training mats, it’s calculated. Operation Jeddah will go live at exactly 2200, and he didn’t want to head into Saudi with a stretched tendon.

Rolling to cushion the impact, his bare foot kicks aside the hand that tries to snatch at him. A twist of his hips, and he’s out of range for a mount. That grungy smell of high density foam assaults his senses, but only for half a second. Steve doesn’t give him a breather, is on him in a flash, putting that bulk weight onto the back of his legs. Jesus and Mary, what a pit-bull.

Rumlow braces his hands on the sweaty mat beneath him, feints a slip. The next moment, though, his elbow swings in a hard blitz arch and cracks into the middle of Rogers’ face. Fighting is about sound, too, not just the visuals. The slight of wind, timbre of impact, measure of breath.

His opponent lets out a low yelp and takes a step back. A string of blood slants from the man’s nostril to cheek, speed of the backward jerk pulling a splatter of red to one side. Now that was physics. “C-christ almighty, Rumlow. That’s the second time.”

Second time this week is what he meant. He couldn’t be blamed for the first time, though. Strike was running formations in the hyper-gravity wing. Cooperative combat, among other things. In walked one Captain America, fuse lit from a little lip battle. The man had been begging for a trounce down, and they gave it to him, being the professionals they were.

“Shit,” Brock gets out through his panting, though it sounded suspiciously like a chuckle also. “Sorry, sorry. You keep takin’ it. Figured you’d have learned.” He sits up and leans across the armlength of distance. “Hey, you okay?” His hand finds easy purchase on Rogers’ jaw, angling it to assess the damage. There’s zero nursing about, just a gentle authoritative grip.

“Y-eah. It’s my fault anyways,” Steve breathes through his mouth, voice momentarily wheezy from redirecting his intake of air. Brock was like an ice cube on a hot summer day; you knew it’d hurt your teeth to chew on it, and it would be agonizing afterwards, but you wanted to anyways, and the numb was good. “Can’t ever see that one coming.” For someone of his speed and reflexes, the hard elbow always caught him unprepared.

He suspected it was more like a psychological impediment.

“An old dog really never learns new tricks, huh?” Rumlow jokes with a small grin, untwirling his hand wraps to wipe at the blood with sweaty strips of fabric. Not hygienic but Cap’s body system is too robust to suffer from something like a bit of germs. His thumb wipes over a sharp cheek bone, then trails down to the corner of the man’s lips.

Rogers grunts, expression pinched, before smoothing out. A clogged sniffle or two later, the bleeding comes to a stop, broken vessel already plugged by the rush of platelets and fibrin. It’d be one transparent lie if Brock said he wasn’t massively envious of it.

“Everything good?”  

“Better than ever.” That swallow is nearly audible. No subtlety. Then again, when there’s a perfect door to walk in through, Rogers preferred slamming through drywall with his shield. No doubt, that tendency translated across to other things.

Rumlow laughs long and deep, gaze batting across Steve’s like a fly swatter, self-amused. “Yeah?” He prompts, knowing the precipice and pushing towards it easy as someone that’s done it a dozen times. It’s kind of beautiful; if he were the sort, he might call it love. 

His face drops close, mint wash of breath gusting into the features before it. The blooded bandages are tossed to the side, the same hand dropping down between Roger’s legs, nothing remotely hesitant about the way it cups a firm shape there. Hello there. Who doesn’t appreciate a nice, easy thing like that?

”Sure feels like it, eh, Cap?”

“Brock.” A hitch of breath, but no movements to skirt away. Steve’s shirt is all wrinkled up with sweat, his hair of smooth gold locks matted across the top. More than anything, the divot above his lip still carries a lingering smear of blood. He looks old and young. Old in the haunted set of his eyes. Young in the way his entire being wants. So. Desperately.

For someone to wrap an arm around his shoulders.

“Oh. I got you, Steve.” Rumlow smiles benevolently, hand slipping past the waistband to mutual sighs. One of embarrassment, one of satisfaction. “I know exactly what you want and how you want it –” Just like the first time of that very week, when his elbow had caught across the man’s jaw in all to similar a manner.  

“Want me to take you apart. Put you back together, how I design it.” “What’s it like to be alive. 21st century, man. You’re so fucking old, aren’t you?” His own voice cracks as it drops an octave lower.

“You deserve it. Thank you for your service, Captain America,” he whispers against Steve’s temple, chuckling when a hitched whine comes, and two words that would be the first of many like its kind: oh, please.

#brock rumlow #steve rogers #rumrogers #starbones #hydra trash party #writing #hope it's what you requested! @winters-wonderland #tw: violence

[alifeenhanced]

How I Automate My Social Media Content

Having hung on every word of my 'How I Designed My Blogging Setup' article, you must be ravenous for the social media side of this two-part content distribution setup.

So without any more delay, here it is:

  The Background

Being a greedy kind of guy, I wanted to make sure I got the most bang for my buck (within reason) for the content I produced for my fledgling business. 

If you have read the blogging setup article mentioned above, you will see how I am using Content Studio to write my blog articles and distribute them to my own WordPress blog, Medium, and Tumblr.

My intention is to write summaries of those articles and post those on Blogger and Wordpress.com also.

Finally, I am using MissingLettr to produce a 12-month social media campaign for each blog post and publish the posts to Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

This gives you a rough idea of the scale of content distribution I want to create for my business. I am working on the premise that this level of content will give much higher levels of exposure to my business than the average setup. Time will tell.

  My Social Media Content Plans

My plans for the content I post on my social media accounts are of a similar scale. 

I want to get my own content repurposed into different types of media and posted to a wide variety of online platforms in order to maximise impact and draw more eyeballs to my source content.

So that begs the questions, what media forms should I use, and what social media platforms?

Here are my thoughts . . .

Media can be broken down into a variety of forms:

Text

Video

Audio

Images

These 4 media types can then be delivered to the audience in a wide manner of content types. Here are just a few that come to mind:

Blog posts

Ebooks

Training courses

Email

Books (Physical and Digital)

Online documents (Google Docs, etc)

Press releases

Video

Audio

Slides (Powerpoint, etc)

Webinars

Live social media broadcasts

Podcasts

Audiobooks

CDs

DVDs

The list goes on . . .

Different people prefer a variety ways of consuming their content. Personally, I am not too keen on video unless it is part of a training package. If I want to consume information I much prefer a blog post or online article to a video on YouTube.

My logic for this is you can skim through an article and quickly find the relative information much quicker than skimming through a video. 

But I am an old-git who grew up in an era where video content was nowhere near as prolific in its production as it is these days. As a kid, you had the telly or the cinema. The explosion of media outlets since the late 1970's has been astonishing.

So it was obvious I needed to get my content broken into the 4 media types. From there I can decide what format each media type could be delivered.

These were my initial thoughts on how I would use the various media types:

Text

You can read an article in far more places than you can consume video or audio. Not all environments are conducive to sound. Very noisy places or places you need to maintain quiet may be prohibitive to video or audio, but as long as you have adequate light you can read stuff almost anywhere.

Blogging was the obvious choice for text rich articles and is likely to be the source of much of my online ramblings, especially at the beginning of my journey. 

Email would present the opportunity to build a list of like-minded people who I could market to and keep informed of how to access my latest masterpiece.

Ebooks could be used not only for freebies, but also for purchase, part of my membership site, and part of my training packages.

Text-based training is still popular and I intend to use this in most of my training and my membership site.

I need to dig deeper into the benefits of Press releases and physical books, but other people are using them, so they are likely to be beneficial once I know how to use them. These wouldn't be my initial choices though, but something to incorporate in the future.

Video

Video is the new champion of media content. People are consuming more by video than any other form these days it seems.

When you think of video content, YouTube immediately springs to mind, but there is a wealth of other ways available to get your message out using video.

Video training is an obvious choice and can be blended with written material to produce a blend of instructional material.

There is mileage in producing videos from my blog posts. A new video app with the tools to convert text to image and text to speech appears every couple of weeks. The quality of the translation of the text to image and text to audio gets better over time too. Some of the latest speech synthesis programs are getting very close to sounding like a human voice.

One of my tasks this week is to investigate these tools and formulate a video content production plan, incorporated with a distribution plan for that content. Look out for a blog post shortly on my findings and how I set it all up.

At this early stage, I am not going to incorporate 'going live' on social media or use webinars. Both these outlets have strong merits for using them and I will investigate them once I have everything else bedded down. 

Hmmm - TikTok. I have this latest social media craze on my radar. I won't be dancing (such a loss to the world, I know), but there are merits for using TikTok from a marketing perspective. Look out for the TikTok blog post in the not too distant future.

DVDs I just can't see happening, but never dismiss any idea.

Audio

Audio is an easy format to produce these days. Text to speech packages have come on in leaps and bounds and there are all sorts of companies and apps for converting your PDF or blog post into audio or even a Podcast.

Podcasts - At this early stage, I have no plans to produce podcasts, but I won't rule it out entirely, especially if I can produce one easily and regularly from the other content I am creating.

I have recently acquired a tool called BuildBubbles that converts blog posts to podcasts. I am yet to this (see below). 

Audio training - I will be using audio in my training courses and membership site though. Because it is easy to produce, plus people like to listen to audio when driving or exercising, it is a must-have format.

For CDs, see DVDs above.

Images

I will be using images in most of the content I produce, whether it be social media posts or articles.

Even an expertly crafted, absorbing document like this one can still get a lift from a break in the text with some visual stimuli.

At present, I can't see any way I will produce image only content, but I am open to persuasion if the right idea pops in front of me.

  My Social Media Platforms

As I mentioned at the beginning of the article, I am already kicking my blog content out to the following channels:

Medium

Tumblr

Blogger

Wordpress.com

Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

These outlets were chosen because the tools I was using for my blog articles automatically published to these channels.

Some of my other content could also be sent to Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. I also wanted to use my personal Facebook account for some of the content I produce and send most of my postings to a new Facebook Business page.

I had also identified using a Facebook group specifically to concentrate on my journey from no income to a full-time income. Here we could discuss the merits and problems encountered using the tools and techniques I employed in my journey and people could ask advice and get answers.

The next stage was to look at the better quality tools I had for automating and publishing content and the social platforms they could utilise.

This investigation led to the creation of the following social media platforms:

Instagram

Pinterest

Google My Business

I also identified video-based channels I wanted to create:

YouTube

Vimeo

DailyMotion

TikTok would have to wait as I didn't know enough about how to use this channel as yet. It is on the horizon though.

  My Social Media Automation Tools

It was just a case of matching the social platforms to the tools now and then identifying how I was going to use each of the tools and the social channels applicable to that use.

As my blogging setup had already been covered and my video setup was to come shortly, I concentrated on the tools I would use to create, automate, and distribute the remaining content to my social media outlets.

The tools I identified are as follows:

Quuu Promote

Quuu

ResultFlow

Publer

Content Studio

Content Fries

Build Bubbles

This was quite a list to set up, test, and get working correctly.

I break down each of these tools and their functions in the coming section . . .

1) Quuu Promote

This service allows you to put forward your blog posts to be shared by other people who are looking for relevant content for their own social channels.

I have already mentioned this tool in my blogging article, but I wanted it here because it explains how I will use the next tool.

2) Quuu

Quuu is the other end of the Quuu Promote process. I have a lifetime account I purchased a few years ago in an offer on AppSumo.

I can use Quuu to post other people's content relevant to my audience to Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

There is a wide range of niches to choose from, which filters the content Quuu offers you each day. This helps eliminate content that is not relevant to your niche.

My chosen niches are in the grey area on the left-hand side:

  As the content comes from Quuu Promote, it has already been vetted to a reasonable standard, so I am happy to choose articles without reading them first. This can be quite a time saver.

It has a sister posting tool called SocialChief, which is free to use for up to 3 channels. You can schedule unlimited posts with this tool. I have set it up to post articles from Quuu 6 times a day to each to each of the 3 channels Quuu supports.

With my Quuu package, I get up to 30 recommended articles a day to choose from for posting to the social channels. This is more than adequate to pick enough articles to keep SocialChief well stacked with content.

Quuu and SocialChief are a great way to keep relevant content hitting your social channels on a regular basis.

Quuu gives you the ability to modify the text and images you post with each article, but as I am pretty busy at the moment I haven't used this facility yet.

I have been using Quuu for a few days now and it all works seamlessly.

3) ResultFlow

ResultFlow is a new system I am in the process of using. I am 2 weeks into a 4-week training course that instructs how to set up and use ResultFlow to get the best results.

The idea behind ResultFlow is to use Facebook ads to attract people within your niche, then run a second set of Facebook ads specifically targeting these people to bring them to your website or your offer.

ResultFlow automates most of this process, including creating and running the Facebook ads.

  As I am busy setting up all other aspects of my business, I am behind many of the other students on the course. I have my system set up, but I haven't run any Facebook ads yet, although the feedback from people who have looks quite encouraging.

The ResultFlow approach is not the way most people would run Facebook ads, but the principle appears sound.

Once I have finished the training and have some results from running Facebook ads I will produce a review article on ResultFlow.

4) Publer

Publer automates posting to the following social media channels:

Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Pinterest

Instagram

Google My Business

I am already using Publer as part of my blog content distribution to get eyeballs to my articles but I will also use it to publish my other social media posts to the above channels.

  One of the benefits of Publer is its ability to preview the posts as they will appear on the social media channel. This allows you to tweak the content specific to that channel before publishing or scheduling it for posting later.

With the variance of acceptable image sizes and character limitations across social media platforms, this can ensure posts look acceptable on all channels before posting.

5) Content Studio 

Like Publer, I am already using Content Studio as the main component in my blog post publishing.

In addition to the blog post capabilities, Content Studio can also post to the same set of social media channels that Publer does. The advantage Content Studio has is the ability to curate content using keywords or topics that would interest your target audience.

  Having identified great content, you can post it or schedule it for posting on some or all of your social channels.

This process can be fully automated, but when I have used it in the past I found I liked to manually authorise the content being posted first. This led to a higher standard of released material as I was able to filter out irrelevant or less targeted content.

If you already have Content Studio, it would be hard to justify paying for Publer too, but because I have lifetime access to both, I can pick and choose which benefits I employ for which use case.

6) Content Fries

Content Fries is a new tool I am yet to evaluate or use. It allows you to automatically turn your video content into other media forms, such as text or audio. Of course, I need to start producing video content first.

It sounds ideal for what I need in my business, so I will be posting a review of this tool once I have had a chance to evaluate it and incorporate it into my content distribution process.

7) BuildBubbles

This is another tool I have lifetime access to and I am yet to evaluate. 

BuildBubbles turns your blog post into a podcast and posts it to the podcast channels.

Expect a review of this tool in the future also.

8) Other tools

I have a raft of what I describe as 'supporting' tools.  These tools are used for producing memes, editing images, creating YouTube Thumbnails, optimising image file sizes, editing text, creating videos, etc.

I use these tools to create the media I use to build my online content. 

I also have a number of websites I access that provide some of the content or elements of the content. These are elements such as stock photos, stock videos, royalty-free music, icons, vector graphics, fonts, WordPress plugins and themes, etc.

I also have a range of tools online and offline that help store information and media. The ability to have access to and quickly find images, documents, audio tracks, etc is invaluable.

Finally, I have a set of apps on my computers and mobile devices that help keep everything running smoothly and facilitate the production of content. These range from word processors to video editors, document repositories to web browsers.

I have the ability to produce whiteboard videos, top quality PDFs, and high-quality documents.

I have far more tools than I will ever use, mainly because better ones keep appearing. Nevertheless, these smaller tools are what makes the production of my content easier. Without them, I would be lost. 

My Social Media Content Distribution Solution

So my evaluation is complete for most of the tools, social media, and blogging platforms I wish to incorporate into my business.

So what does the final solution look like?

Well, I have a mind map that depicts much of what I am trying to achieve. It doesn't include everything (no Quuu) and the video section is still awaiting upgrading once I nail that part down.

It also looks hellishly complicated as you can see:

The thing to remember is with the tools I am using most of the above are a one-time setup. This applies to both the social media channels and the automation tools.

I have already implemented the core of this system and have it working. I still have the video automation tool, BuildBubbles, and Content Fries still to evaluate and implement.

  The Key Take-Aways

The set-up of a system like this can take some time, especially if you are new to the tools or inexperienced with the specific social media platform.

The benefits of using a system like this are enormous. Having content being fed to a wealth of high authority social platforms is highly beneficial, especially as they are branded to your business. The fact you can do it without much more effort than producing the content is a great reason to implement a solution like this.

In the future, as social media channels wax and wane, it will be easy to add, remove, or swap out social or blogging channels as their influence changes and new kids on the block appear.

The ability to do the same thing with new tools as they appear can not be underestimated either.

There is no doubt that building an automated content distribution system gives you great power and immense flexibility going forward.

The ability to push your content out to a wealth of influential channels should propel you well ahead of your competitors.

Only time will tell if I am right.