#hundreds of thousands of japanese people are dead. many more die because of the cold war and the arms race

[puzzledemigod]

Ok I did the whole Barbenheimer thing and let me tell you, Barbie wasn't revolutionary or anything, but it did come up ahead. It did what it was supposed to do and, since I managed my expectations before going in, did it in a fun silly way that still left a bunch of possible deeper readings, even if they were sadly left unexplored (and were maybe unintended). Oppenheimer on the other hand left me very angry and disappointed, even if I went there knowing it was an usamerican warfilm so I wasn't expecting much.

I think Barbie and Oppenheimer were equally superficial and obvious with their intended messages presentations, themes and characters, and equally inconsistent with their story threads. But Barbie was about Barbies, was intentionally silly, and had more going for it than the story itself... and Oppenheimer was about one of the real life creators of the atonic bomb, about the ones responsible for the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, and about the subsequent cold war and the mess it left us today in regards to the existence and threat of atomic and H bombs.

I think I can safely say one had the responsibility to be a bit more nuanced and careful than the other, and that just did not happen. And no, i do not think there was any actual anti USA sentiment in Oppenheimer, as someone who lives in a Developing Country (TM)and is used to seeing usamerican propaganda all the time there was barely even a scratch of criticism buried in there; our knowledge of history and our own modern sensibilities and morality did all the heavy lifting in that front without the movie having to risk saying anything. Oh did he feel bad while the bombs were being dropped? Did they villanize a guy who went after him for uhh being better than him at public speaking? Did they say he was against the H bomb and was a pacifist now, actually (without showing it much but who cares, tell not show right)? He was still the hero. Not one Japanese person was shown. Not one civilian protest, not one appearance of the communists they were talking so much about after the scenes in the past, doing anything but talking the whole time. He still ended up with a "I love my country" tirade, there was still a haha nod to fucking Kennedy being the one to be on our hero's side. They still showed more scenes of women naked, drunk, cheating on their husbands and being negligent towards their kids than of them doing literally anything else.

The "nuance" and "anti-usa messages" was just a bunch of misplaced and inconsequential internal conflict that did not feel earned in any way, misogyny and random, boring and inconsistent jury scenes (sorry, "hearing" scenes or whatever they called so there wouldn't have to be consistent rules to follow). And the main character was so damn boring. And they didn't even represent the actual science parts well. And the editing was so weird and the flashing scenes didn't fit and were repetitive. And there was a happy ending for some reason?? It was a whole bunch of nothing with music building momentum that never went anywhere in the background of every scene for 3 hours and I wanted to leave the room for how angry it made me that this subject was treated that way and would probably get praised for it.

#barbenheimer #this isn't the most well though out criticism but i just saw another post saying how surprised they were about the usa criticism in that #and like. where? seriously where was it? oh that mccarthyism was kinda bad for people who did nothing wrong? that bombs are violent? #they barely even said that bombing hiroshima and nagasaki maybe wasn't necessary #everybody everywhere in the world knows that jfc are usamericans in general so behind in these discussions that this was some kind of #revelation? was that surprising of a movie to state? because oppenheimer barely scrathed that #they gave a shoutout to jfk in the end like he was some kind of mcu easter egg #like it was funny #and then it used that random idk sennator? as a scapegoat just so they could have a villain like the good basic usamerican film it is #so the hero could fight against the system by defeating this one guy! in uhh being promoted (?) happy ending for all!! hurrah!!! meanwhile #hundreds of thousands of japanese people are dead. many more die because of the cold war and the arms race #but oppenheimer got his fancy card back! isn't that great? aren't you glad you spent the last 30 minutes in these trials? the last 3 hours #watching nothing be developed? #god it left me so mad #and it will probably win an oscar (probably multiple even) and a lot of other people who think oooh boy look at that nuance :0 it even has #black and white parts! when the whole movie is black and white (like most usamerican movies) (but it's so EASY to make it grey with this #subject) (of course they didn't tho this is much easier) #tags #anyway nobody's gonna read this probably #I'm just angry #“oppenheimer” #“barbie” #this js barely even about barbie #sorry

[korkisobsessions]

The Oath

XIV. Hyung (part 1)

“Hyung, please...” His little brother whimpers.

“I will be back sooner than you think.” He lied. He lied badly. He will probably never come back.

“We can run away and hide in the mountains...”

“You really want to be a brother of a coward, who runs away?” 

his brother whimpers again and shook his head.

“Hold still.” He made knot on his bandage and examined his work. His brother needs new and clean bandages, but Yeong shin had no time to get them. Soldier who came to get him to army was standing just behind the fence, just like Byung Chul was, several years ago.

“You just came back.” tears were soaking to dirty bandages covering his face. Hiding ugly wound where his nose used to be. Leper was agonising whole Sumang village. There were just few lucky ones, who stay healthy. They were taking care of others and burying the unlucky ones.

“I will be back, I swear.”

He made his way outside, his heart tearing apart. This was thousand times worse than the first time he left. Today he had dreadful feeling that he will never see his brother again. He will die in the war and his little brother will be alone in this world. But his brother was running after him making it difficult to leave.

He turned back to him, kneeling before him and hugging him for the last time.

“Hyung, please don’t leave me.” He cried desperately. “Please don’t leave me. Can you please stay?”

Yeong shin was trying not to cry. To have hope. But it was hard. His throat was tight when he spoke.

“Go back inside. I will be back, I promise.” At least, I will do my best to come back.

“Hyung!” desperate cry was tearing his soul and heart apart when he made his way out of his village.

Soldier just nod and walked by his side. He was probably glad that Yeong shin wasn’t resisting.

“Please do not go!”

~°~

“I really wish I can say I’m glad to see you kid, but not in this shit hole.”

“Master!” he bow to Byung Chul, but was surprised when his master pulled him to his arms and patted his back.

Yeongshin looked around and tried to hold back nervous twitch. They were in camp in the middle mass of people. He wasn’t used to it. His home was woods with just his master by his side or little village and his brother.

“Lot of people, you think?” Byung Chul tossed him his flask with alcohol and he sips it. Today he needs to calm his nerves too. “Still I’m afraid it’s not enough.”

He raised his eyebrows with disbelief. He never saw this many men in his life. There can be five hundred soldiers.

“It’s time to go kid. We were sent to spy on our enemy. Group of or brothers went from south and we are going from east. Lord Ahn wants report as soon as possible.”

“It doesn’t even start jet and I wish it’s over already.” He held tight grip on his rifle. After years of being chakho, gun became his other hand. He found himself calmer when his hands held smooth wood and heavy iron, his thumb tracing familiar shape.

Yeongshin always thought about himself like patient man. He could sit in one place for hours and wait for his prey. He could stand in pouring rain just to get the right information. He could track wounded animal for miles to end its misery.

And he spend years with Byung Chul and stayed alive and sane.

But today he found himself patting nervous rhythm with his fingers. They were in territory of the enemy and he didn’t saw Byung Chul for hours.

“Wait here and watch my back.” That was all, his master said, before he disappeared in undergrowth.

Yeong shin almost started counting minutes, when he heard rustling of twigs and leaves.

“I almost thought that you got lost...” he laughed, but his lips froze when he saw that it wasn’t his master who walked out of the bush.

It was man almost same height in Japanese armour. He looked surprised as Yeong shin was. It was obvious, he wasn’t ready to battle. He was probably looking for place to piss. He could be just a bit younger than Yeong shin, his armour looks bigger than he really was.

There was a spark in Yeong shin’s mind. Spark of mercy. Just for a blink of an eye he wanted to lift his hands and beg him to not to scream.

But he remember, long time ago. Chakho brothers beat him almost to unconsciousness, because he let go tiger’s cubs. If he let them go, they will grow up and kill someone.

If he let that man go, he will alarm the enemy and Yeong shin will die. Byung Chul will die. They will probably find other chakho spies and kill them too.

He cannot let that man make a sound.

He grabs his knife from his sleeve. Man opened his mouth, but made just silent gurgle sound, when Yeong shin’s knife pierced his throat.

Just a second later second knife flew from undergrowth and stuck in his forehead. Byung Chul came back with hard face sooner than soldier’s body hits the ground.

“You were slow.” He said dryly without his usual teasing tone.

Yeong shin didn’t say anything. Just pulled their knifes from, man and masked the body as best as he could.

He wanted to ask his master, what he found, but when he saw Byung-Chul’s face, he changed his mind. His master looked suddenly older than he was and his face was pale. He lost his sarcastic grin he always had.

“Let’s go kid.” He took his knife from Yeongshin’s hand and left.

Yeong shin followed him, until he realised that they changed his way. They weren’t heading back to Sangju.

“Master...?”He stopped and looked around. Byung Chul stopped too but wasn’t facing him. “Sangju is that way...”

Yeong shin watched him open his bag and took out heavy pouch.

“You are not coming back with me Yeong shin.”

He didn’t know, what scared him more. That empty tone of his master’s voice, or that he used his name, instead his usual ‘kid’ or the idea of not coming back to Sangju.

“What do you talking about master?”  He whispered with tight voice.

Byung Chul pressed his pouch with coins to his palm and squeezes his shoulder.

“Sangju doesn’t stand a chance. There is too much of them.”

Yeong shin felt like someone kicked air out of his lungs. He blinked few times, until he realised, what is Byung Chul doing.

“I’m not leaving.” he breathes tightly, trying not to panic.

“Yes you are, you fool!” Byung Chul bark. And for the first time was Yeong shin truly afraid of him. “You will take this money and run as far as you can!”

“No...” he shook his head, but his master held his shoulders.

“We cannot win this war. Ahn Hyun is great leader, but this is madness.”

“I can’t...” he was still trying to refused. But just little piece of him wanted to grab the money and run. But it was very small part of his soul that was quickly suffocated. What he would be, if he runs away? Just a coward. Someone who left his village, his family. Someone who left weak innocent boy to die by hands of enemy.

“Yeong shin...” Byung Chul’s voice was suddenly full of emotions and calm. “You are like my son. I just can’t let you die for nothing.”

He felt empty and almost apathetic when his master held him in tight embrace. But his heart aches.

“My brother is there. I must protect him, no matter what it takes.” he found courage and straightened his head. “I’m his only family”

Byung Chul shook with his shoulder with desperation. “You want to die for already dead boy.”

It was like a stab wound right into his heart. “Don’t say that!” he growl like a wild animal. “He will be all right!”

“When?” Byung Chul raised his voice. “When the rest of his face fall apart?”

“Don’t...” Yeongshin felt his chest raising and falling with fast and shallow breath. Red curtain clouded his vision and cold sweat was running down his spine.

“It’s leper you fool. What do you think? That king will send his best healers to that shithole? That your brother will magically heal? No!”

“Shut up!” he screamed and made two steps towards his master, his fists tightly clenched. He didn’t want to punch him, but he was losing his sanity.

“Your brother is like Sangju. Lost case.”

“He’s not!”

“Death in battle will be better than wait until his body will be rotten enough to kill him...”

He didn’t even know he punched him. He just suddenly felt sharp pain in his knuckles. It probably shocked him more than Byung Chul. His master was holding his mouth and between his fingers was running tiny rivulets of blood.

“I’m heading back to Sangju. Don’t try to stop me again.”

“You are stubborn bastard, kid.” He mumbled with sadness in his eyes.

“I will not die! You said it yourself. We are living against all odds.”

Yeong shin head to Sangju with his master following his footsteps. Now it was young chakho who leads the way.

They walk much faster, avoiding conversation. Yeong shins blood was still boiling. He felt somehow betrayed. How could Byung Chul thought that he will accept the money and run away. Did he really think he is coward?

He found himself stopping with clenched fists and tightly clenched jaw. Byung Chul stopped too and spit on the ground remains of blood from his busted lip.

“How many?” Yeong shin spoke, not looking at his master.

“What?” Byung Chul barked.

“How many Japanese soldiers, you saw?” he was losing patience. He knew that his master know what he was asking.

“You don’t want to know, kid.”

“TELL ME!” angry shout escape his throat like a thunder. He never fights with Byung Chul, and never yells. He always felt strong authority towards older man who teaches him everything. But today he felt heartbroken.

Older chakho stood there like a statue. There was long silence between them, before he took deep breath.

“It was around thirty thousand men.”

Yeong shin loose balance and stumbled backwards, catching thick branch to not fall completely. For a while he thought he will lose consciousness.

There were barely five hundred men to protect Sangju. To protect Sumang and his brother.

“That cannot be...”he stuttered, feeling his hands shaking.

“You still have a chance...”

“How could you think that I will leave?” He shouts at Byung Chul. “You have so low opinion...”

“No, I have not.” Byung Chul shook his head and lean on his long walking stick. “I knew you will refuse it.”

“Then why you insisted that I should leave?”

“Because I must at least try to save you.” He bows his head with silver short hair and released long breath. “I tried, so I can die with piece of mind.”

~o~

“My lord, spies are back...some of them” Deok Sung bow his head when he walked into commander’s tent.

Lord Ahn Hyun lifted his eyes from the map and let out tired sigh. He already knew that the news will be bad. He felt it deep in his bones.

“Let them in.”

“It’s two chakhos my lord.” Deok Sung spoke nervously. He didn’t want to insult his lord with inappropriate presence of those men.

“There are just us, or enemy. If they are on our side, we are equal. Let them in.” His eyes were tired from long studying of maps and counting men power.

Deok Sung returned with two men in blue canvas shirts. One of them was older, with short silver hair and nasty scar over his left eye. Ahn Hyun knows that man, but said nothing. Second one was young fierce man with sharp eyes.

“My lord” they said unison

“I heard your brothers didn’t come back...” he pours two cups of water and gives it to them. Older accept it without hesitation, but younger one looked surprised and bow his head. “They are dead or run away.”

“Probably second option, my lord.”Byung Chul sighs and drinks his water. “There is too much of our enemies. I count thirty thousand men. They are very well organised and ready to conquer the city. We should warn Hanyang.”

Lord Ahn Hyun sat back behind the table and hides his face in palms.

“Byung Chul...are you sure? Can your apprentice count?” commander sounds almost desperate. He hoped that it’s mistake. But old chakho shook his head.

“I saw it with my own eyes...I mean eye.” he tried to laugh but he was the only one. “And yes, my apprentice can count. He is smart kid, my lord.”

Yeong shin bow his head and felt his ears getting warm with embarrassment.

“Why are you two come back, when all of other chakhos run away? Why you want to die for this city?” Lord Ahn Hyun pierced them with his deep wise eyes.

“Because it’s my home. ”Yeong shin spoke for the first time.

“You are from Sangju young man?”

“From Sumang, my lord.” He felt cold sweat running down his spine, it was first time he spoke to someone of such high rating.

“Sumang is now leper colony.” Deok Sung looked at him like he was searching for symptoms of the disease.

“I’m healthy. But my little brother is sick.” he raised his chin and looked into Ahn Hyun’s eyes.

“So, you have something to fight for?” something sparks in commander’s eyes. Maybe spark of hope.

“I have.”

“And I got bored, so I thought its perfect time for try not to die.” Byung Chul smiled with his weird sense of humour.

~o~

War was bad thing, nasty and cruel thing. He saw so much pain and brutal things; he thought he will never sleep again. Maybe when he will be dead and it will be probably very soon.

But he was good.

He hated how good he was. Good at killing and fighting. How good duo with Byung Chul they were.

They were tracking enemies and putting them down clean and fast. Sometimes he thought that their victims die without even noticing it. Japanese didn’t know this land. Yeong shin knew every boulder and branch and when he didn’t know, he quickly adapted.

He was good killer, but he didn’t enjoy it. He accepted it like unnecessary thing. Maybe it was what made him be chakho. Spilling blood to stay alive.

They were coming back from the hunt. Hungry and tired, with new trophies for Lord Ahn Hyun. He always gave them to Deok Sung and leave without a word. But today commander’s right hand stopped him.

“There comes message from Sumang. Your brother is doing well. Don’t worry.”

“Thank you.” He bow his head

“Do you want to send message to him?”

“No, thank you.” He looked Deok Sung in the eyes and saw something that scared him. It was like he wanted to say ‘Send message to your brother because soon we will be all dead.’ But Yeong shin can’t simply accept it. “I will tell him everything face to face when this will be over.”

“I hope you do.” Deok Sung murmured and released him. But Yeong shin turned to him once more.

“Is there any healer? My master is wounded...”

Deok Sung nod and looked around. There was few soldiers, talking and playing dice close to one of the fireplaces. “Sang Ho. Can you find master Lee Seung-hui?”

Young soldier stood up with confusion in his face. He was watching Yeong shin with distrust.

“Captain? You want master Lee to treat some chakho?”

Deok Sung had hard face. “Last time, when I was checking, you were just a soldier Sang-Ho. And soldiers follow orders.” It was hard, but that jerk deserved it.

“Yes captain.” He murmured and leaves.

Yeong shin was watching angry soldier disappeared and then turned back to captain. “It wasn’t necessary. It’s just scratch...”

“You can go. Take rest and eat something.” Deok Sung disappeared in tent and left Yeong shin in confusion.

He was missing something. He noticed it the first time that Lord Ahn Hyun knew Byung Chul. And now this exaggerated care...

He made his way back crossing paths of other soldiers.

Byung Chul sat on the cot in their tent pressing dirty rug to his bleeding arm.

There was so little of space that his head was almost touching ceiling. He had already prepared some herbs and his stinky potions he always used.

“Healer is on his way” Yeong shin spoke when he walked in. He had two cups of weak soup, that stink probably worse than Byung Chul’s medicines.

“I don’t need him. I choose to live.” He made a face when he touches his wound again.

“Don’t be like that. It’s real healer, not butcher like last time.” Younger chakho laugh bitterly with memory of his fresh scar. Japanese soldier cut his side. It was just scratch, but that man sews him with thick needle and thread and made it worse. When his master saw it, he was furious.

“That man was animal. He wasn’t good even for fixing these damn tents.” Byung gestured to hole in the roof. “One more rain and we are done.”

“Master, can I ask something?” Yeong shin sip his soup and made himself as comfortable as possible. “Who you were, before you became chakho? What is your real name?”

Byung Chul froze with bloodied rug halfway to his wound. Drops of his blood were dripping on his pants and bed.

“Why you want to know, kid?” his voice was weirdly serious.

“I’m just curious. Lord Ahn knew you, even though he saw you for the first time. And when I said you are hurt to captain, he send one of soldiers for this master Lee Seung-hui.”

Byung Chul was quiet for a while like he was thinking.

“It doesn’t matter kid. Trust me. I’m just old tiger hunter and that’s all.” He took his soup.

“But I was....”

“Leave it, kid!”

Yeong shin shut his mouth and hang his head down. He didn’t want to make his master pissed, especially when he was hurt.

“I’m sorry, master.”

Through the camp rang loud bell. Yeong shin felt cold shiver run down his spine.

“Attack! We are under attack!” scream and loud sound of running men fill the air.

“Fuck me!” Byung Chul spit on the ground, and grabbed his rifle. “My soup will get cold!”

#kingdom #kingdom netflix #kingdom 2019 #kingdom2019 #yeongshin #yeong shin #chakho #fanfiction

[you-are-my-neverland]

Book Recommendations (1)

Lost in the Sun by Lisa Graff

Summary:  “ Everyone says that middle school is awful, but Trent knows nothing could be worse than the year he had in fifth grade, when a freak accident on Cedar Lake left one kid dead, and Trent with a brain full of terrible thoughts he can't get rid of. Trent wants middle school to be a fresh start, if only he could make that happen. It isn’t until Trent gets caught up in the whirlwind that is Fallon Little—the girl with the mysterious scar across her face—that things begin to change. Because fresh starts aren’t always easy. Even in baseball, when a fly ball gets lost in the sun, you have to remember to shift your position to find it.”

Personal thoughts: It’s definitely a book geared to more younger audiences, but I think it’s a good read for all ages. I actually haven’t read it in a while, but Trent is a character I think lots of people can relate to. He struggles with anger and rage; emotions he has no idea what to do with. Fallon is a quirky character that you can never quite get a hold of, and she makes for a spectacular story. 

Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman

Summary:  “ A half-Japanese teen grapples with social anxiety and her narcissist mother in the wake of a crushing rejection from art school in this debut novel. Kiko has always struggled with saying what she’s thinking, and an overbearing mother makes things even harder. Her one hope and dream is Prism, a fancy art school. But then Kiko doesn’t get into Prism, at the same time her abusive uncle moves back in with her family. So when she receives an invitation from her childhood friend to leave her small town and tour art schools on the west coast, Kiko jumps at the opportunity in spite of the anxieties and fears that attempt to hold her back. And now that she is finally free to be her own person outside the constricting walls of her home life, Kiko learns life-changing truths about herself, her past, and how to be brave.”

Personal thoughts: ‘Starfish’ is a book that touches on a lot of sensitive issues, such as emotional and verbal abuse, presumed sexual assault (my memory isn’t that clear on what exactly happened so djkadhf), and Kiko herself is a very complex character. She’s a survivor who has to face every survivor’s worst fear; the abuser returning. Art is her only escape, but when that too fails, she feels like she’s spiraling. On many levels, she’s a character so many people can connect to, and the story really shows the reality of life. 

Turtles All the Way Down by John Greene

Summary:  “ Sixteen-year-old Aza never intended to pursue the mystery of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Russell Pickett’s son, Davis. Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts.”

Personal thoughts: You’ve probably either read or heard of this book, but if you haven’t yet, this is a definite book you should read. Aza is really an intriguing character, and one of the things I like about her is that she doesn’t really get a happy ending. The book is her trying (and sometimes succeeding, sometimes failing) to find a way to cope with her disorder. It’s a really deep book (lots and lots of good quality quotes). It’s not supposed to be a positive or negative book; it shows the real struggles of dealing with mental illnesses and trying to balance your normal life along with it.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Summary:  “Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price–and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone…A convict with a thirst for revenge. A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager. A runaway with a privileged past. A spy known as the Wraith. A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums. A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes. Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.”

Personal thoughts: This book is genius. It’s part of a duo-logy, and is set in the same universe as the author’s Grisha trilogy. In my opinion, you don’t have to read the Grisha trilogy (I didn’t), though it would probably be helpful. You’re able to figure things out pretty quickly though. I’m serious about this book being spectacular though; it’s one of those books where the main character is so clever that you wonder how the author possibly wrote them. Kaz is a trickster and a conman, and makes the book filled with twists and turns that leave you shocked. The other five main characters will grab your heart just as much though; wily and clever and heart wrenching with every page and every new thing you learn. It leaves you holding your breath-but don’t hold it for too long, because there is a sequel, Crooked Kingdom (I...sobbed).

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

Summary:   “Jude was seven when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King. To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences. As Jude becomes more deeply embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, she discovers her own capacity for trickery and bloodshed. But as betrayal threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.”

Personal thoughts: For once, we meet a main character as twisted and cutthroat as the ‘villain’-who also happens to be the love interest, if you can call them that. Jude is vicious and bitter after surviving for years as a human in Faerie. The Fey are cruel, tricky, deceptive, especially towards her. This whole book was just awesome, really, but in a dark way. Jude goes past just trying to save herself; and in turn endangers so many people.

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvator

Summary:   “An unlikely group stumbles across ancient magic in Virginia: Blue, the daughter of the town psychic in Henrietta, Virginia, who has been told for as long as she can remember that if she ever kisses her true love, he will die. Gansey, who seeks the Welsh magic he believes saved his life. Adam, who searches for a way out of the circumstances he was born into. Ronan, who seeks to recover the magic of his childhood.”

Personal thoughts: Another series I give my heart too. The first book in The Raven Cycle series, this book is rich with mythology set in a realistic world. Rich boys with backstories, headstrong girl with physic abilities, ley lines-what could go wrong? It’s a story about youth, mystery, romance, friendship, fantasy-a little bit of everything thrown in between. Each character is unique, from your perfect rich boy Gansey to scholarly Adam, cold Ronan and spunky Blue. Even if the book doesn’t sound exciting, I can guarantee that you’ll probably be completely absorbed in one way or another. 

Conviction by Kelly Loy Gilbert

Summary:   “Ten years ago, God gave Braden a sign, a promise that his family wouldn’t fall apart the way he feared. But Braden got it wrong: his older brother, Trey, has been estranged from the family for almost as long, and his father, the only parent Braden has ever known, has been accused of murder. The arrest of Braden’s father, a well-known Christian radio host, has sparked national media attention. His fate lies in his son’s hands; Braden is the key witness in the upcoming trial. Braden has always measured himself through baseball. Now the rules of the sport that has always been Braden’s saving grace are blurred in ways he never realized, and the prospect of playing against Alex Reyes, the nephew of the police officer his father is accused of killing, is haunting his every pitch. Braden faces an impossible choice, one that will define him for the rest of his life, in this brutally honest debut novel about family, faith, and the ultimate test of conviction.”

Personal thoughts: Honestly, this is a book I can reread over and over again. Maybe because it’s a book that focuses on Braden’s faith and his struggle as one of the main topics, but it really pulled me in. I practically devoured this whole book in one day. Braden really struggles internally on what is the right thing to do, as well as externally when his brother, Trey, returns to be his guardian. It focuses a lot on their brotherly relationship-in which of them have two very different perspectives of what their lives have been like-some romance, but mostly it’s a book about Braden himself. When the line between right and wrong is blurred, what path do you choose?

#books #book recommendations #i paraphrased the summaries from goodreads #because i suck at my own summaries #lost in the sun #lisa graff #starfish #akemi dawn bowman #turtles all the way down #john greene #six of crows #leigh bardugo #the cruel prince #holly black #the raven boys #maggie stiefvator #conviction #kelly loy gilbert #tw: mentions of abuse

[idonthaveanaccent]

Xylion is definitely not ready to hear about nuclear warfare

He most definitely is not.

Xylion was sitting in the break room, drowning out the cries of the humans as they played that sickly game known as Grand Theft Auto V. The occasional explosions and screams from pedestrians was terrifying.

However, after thirty minutes, the sound seemed to stop. Xylion was confused, so he took a glance at the Humans, only to see them playing a different game.

Fallout 4.

 Xylion carefully made his way over to the TV and sat down next to Human Jenny, who was carefully watching Human Fredrick as he navigated the world around him. Xylion was confused about the way it was put together. It was mostly destroyed, and was clearly not the Earth he had seen the one time he went down there. “What is this place?”

“Diamond City.” Human Fredrick said, absentmindedly.

“And what happened to it?”

“The world got nuked.”

“’Nuked’?”

Human Fredrick sighed as he paused the game. He turned around to face him. “I’m going to assume you’ve never heard of a Nuclear Bomb before, huh?”

“What is a ‘Nuclear Bomb’? I know what a bomb is, but those aren’t typically used nowadays.”

Human Isaac held back laughter after hearing that. Xylion looked towards him, but Human Jenny was the one who refocused his attention. He nodded, apologizing to Human Fredrick for losing focus.

“It’s alright. We humans do it all the time. Anyways, a Nuclear bomb is similar to a normal bomb, except way worse.”

Xylion was confused. A bomb was already terrible. When activated, it could kill hundreds to thousands of people. How worse could a Nuclear bomb be?

Before he could ask it, Human Jenny stood up. “Let me go get my textbook.”

He watched her run off. Xylion sighed, and began to knot his tentacles together. Human Isaac seemed transfixed on it. “Woah, now that’s some cool shit.”

“Thanks?”

Human Jenny came back moments later, carrying a few textbooks. She dropped them on the ground before grabbing one. “This one talks all about World War II.”

Xylion attempted to throw his tentacles in the air, but he only tightened the knot, and ended up crying out in pain. “World War II?” He managed to squeak out as Human mason helped him untie his tentacles.

“Yep.”

“More than one?”

“Yep.”

Xylion looked down as Human Fredrick grabbed the textbook from Human Jenny. He flipped through the book before showing a page to Xylion. There were models of some weird shaped objects labeled ‘Little Boy’ and ‘Fat Man’. “These are the two nuclear bombs used at the end of World War II. Little Boy was dropped on a city called Hiroshima in Japan, and Fat Man on Nagasaki.”

“Why? What was the point?”

“Well, see, in World War II, there were the Axis powers and the Allies. The Axis was built up of Germany, known as the Nazis at the time and led by Adolf Hitler, Italy led by Benito Mussolini, and Japan led by Emperor Hirohito. The Allies were the opposing team that is considered the good side now. The three main ones, while there were others, is the United Kingdom led by William Churchill, the Soviet Union led by Josef Stalin, and the United States led by President Franklin Roosevelt, at least for a good chunk of the war.”

Xylion rubbed his tentacles together. “And why were the bombs used?”

“I’m getting to that. So, Germany and Italy were eventually defeated, but Japan had different beliefs when it came to war. It was essentially, surrender is never an option and death is more worthy than surrender. So, surrendering was not an option for them. The United States, worried the war would drag on for even longer, turned to president Harry Truman. Truman had to either decide to continue fighting as they had, or threaten them with Project Manhattan. No one really knew what it was, but all he said as a threat was that they would drop a bomb on one of their heavily populated cities.”

“And why would they do that? They could kill everyone!”

“That was kind of the point, Xylion.” Human Isaac said, rolling his eyes.

Xylion sighed, ignoring him. “Anyways…” Human Fredrick said, narrowing his eyes at his crewmate. “Japan refused to surrender, either not believing America or just out of their principle, I can’t exactly remember. So, America sent Little Boy off to Hiroshima. And they dropped the first nuke.”

“A nuke is essentially a large scale bomb. They not only have huge explosions, but they also release a ton of radiation, which is highly poisonous to humans. In large amounts, of course. It can cause different deformities and cancer, which can be incurable in some cases. 70,000 to 80,000 people were killed by the blast, and another 70,000 injured. About 20,000 military personnel were killed and/or injured.”

Xylion couldn’t believe what he was hearing. With that many dead, surely they would’ve changed their principle, right? Accepted defeat?

“So they stopped fighting?”

“No. They refused to surrender, so we were forced to drop another bomb on them. Fat Man. We dropped it on Nagasaki, another Japanese city. The death toll, in it’s entirety, grew to 129,000 to 240,000, though some believe the total death toll could be higher. Japan soon surrendered.”

Xylion felt his body begin to get covered in mucus. He grimaced. “Surely you don’t use them anymore, right?”

“Of course. Nuclear weapons are strictly banned in military wars. Now, it’s used as energy and fuel.”

“At least Japan has moved back into those cities, correct? Rebuilt everything?”

“Well…”

“Well what?”

Human Fredrick scratched the back of his head. “The cities are still uninhabitable.”

“What.”

“See, the radiation is still sticking around, and it will stay there for a few decades, I believe. No one can set foot in there without getting sick or dying.”

“So no one can live there?”

“Unless they want to grow a third eye or die of cancer, nah.” Human Isaac said, grinning at Xylion.

Human Fredrick sighed. “Essentially, yes.”

Xylion shook his head.

Humans were terrible, especially to themselves.

He stood up and carefully made his way back to his cabin. Once he got into his room, he sat on his bed, the horrors of what he heard still replaying in his mind.

Xylion didn’t think he could ever be the same, knowing just what humans did to one another.

I hope you enjoyed that.

I’m a huge history nerd, and I especially love learning and talking about WWII, mainly because of how it showed what humans are capable of, etcetera. I just think it was an interesting time period, because it helped dictate everything that has happened thus far. The Vietnam War, the Cold War, The Korean War, and so on.

Anyways, I especially know a lot about nuclear bombs and energy because we had to do a whole project on it in Chemistry last year. Me and my partner did the Yucca Mountain Power Plant in Nevada, but I still paid attention to Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

So yeah, I hope you enjoyed the-blue-butterfly-effect!

#Humans are weird #humans are space orcs #Space Australia #nuclear bombs #nukes #hiroshima #nagasaki #ask #idonthaveanaccent

[itsiotrecords-blog]

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The sinking of the Titanic was a tragic accident that shook the world to the core. Thousands of people lost their lives and those lucky enough to survive carried with them the terrible memory of that fatal night forever. Women and children were the first ones to be prompted to get into lifeboats. Most men, true to the unwritten code of chivalry, stood aside smoking their last cigarette and bidding their families goodbye. But it wasn’t just men who were courageous. Some wives refused to get into lifeboats without their husbands. And so many couples died side-by-side. The band did not once waver either – they died in their life jackets, playing as the ship was sinking. A priest who was travelling on the ship was said to have been urged twice to get on the lifeboat. Instead, he chose to stay on, taking the last confession of those who knew they wouldn’t make it. And of course, the Captain of the ship, Edward Smith, refused to abandon his ship also. Some claim that after the ship went down he was seen in the cold water, clutching a child, a hero until his last breath. Others say that even while he was floating in the freezing water, he was still urging the lifeboats on, intent on going down with his ship. And of course, he did go down with his ship, and he died alone and cold, just like many others. Amidst all of this courage, there was something else: cowardice. Not all passengers were courageous. In fact, most of them were selfish. True to human nature, they were looking out for one person only: themselves.

#1 Bruce Ismay Was The Highest-Ranking White Star Official To Survive Bruce Ismay was an English businessman and president of White Star, the company that built the Titanic. Ismay was often aboard his ships on their maiden voyage, and the Titanic was no exception. He was the highest-ranking White Star official to survive the sinking of Titanic and subsequently gained the reputation of a coward. Ismay boarded one of the last lifeboats available that fateful night and refused to even glance back at the sinking ship. When the ship Carpathia rescued those in lifeboats, Ismay asked for a private cabin and spent most of his time under the influence of opium. American press was merciless towards Ismay, condemning him for leaving the sinking ship when women and children were still on board. He was called the “Coward of the Titanic” and “J. Brute Ismay”. The public got even more upset when rumors spread that during the voyage Ismay urged the captain to increase the ship’s speed so as to reach their destination quicker and gain free press. It was also discovered that it was Ismay’s idea to limit the number of lifeboats on the ship. The Titanic could have carried 48 lifeboats and yet under the advice of Ismay, it carried only 20, thus condemning most of Titanic’s passengers to death.

#2 Daniel Buckley Pretended To Be A Woman Most men who survived the Titanic were dubbed as cowards and rumor spread that they boarded the lifeboats dressed as women. However, only one man was actually caught donned in women’s clothes. His name was Daniel Buckley. Buckley said that once he was on the deck he noticed a group of men jumping into a lifeboat. He decided to follow in their example and also jumped in, leaving the ship behind. However, two officers suddenly appeared with a group of steerage passengers. They urged the men to leave the lifeboat and instead let the women get on. But according to Buckley, six men stayed on, refusing to leave the lifeboat. Terrified, Buckley started to cry and a woman, taking pity on him, placed her shawl over his head. The officers eventually noticed the six men and prompted them to leave once again. The men refused and the officers fired shots over their heads. The men scrambled out of the lifeboat, but Buckley went unseen.

#3 People In Lifeboats Lashed Out At Those In The Water With Oars Those Titanic passengers who were lucky enough to get on a lifeboat did not want to take any chances. As the once-magnificent ship was sinking right before their eyes they could hear thousands of people crying out in fear. The cries terrified those on the boats but also made them extremely grateful for their luck. They knew weren’t going to die – they were safe on board the lifeboats. The twenty lifeboats could have accommodated 1,178 people or about a third of those travelling on the Titanic. But most of the lifeboats were launched with far fewer people. In fact, 472 lifeboat spaces went unused. Some crewmen contemplated returning to collect more people but most passengers were completely against this idea. They feared that the lifeboats would be overwhelmed by desperate victims and some even lashed out at those in the freezing water with oars.

#4 Carter Left His Wife And Children To Perish Mr. and Mrs. Carter had travelled to Europe with their two children in 1911. A year later they were returning to New York on board the Titanic. During the night of the accident, the Carters got separated but were luckily re-united the following day on the deck of the Carpathia. Right after the accident Mrs. Carter claimed that she had kissed her husband goodbye and jumped inside a lifeboat. Since allegedly there were no crewmen in the lifeboat, Mrs. Carter had to do the rowing herself. Mr. Carter on the other hand escaped in the same lifeboat as Bruce Ismay. However, after Mr. Carter and Mrs. Carter divorced, Mrs. Carter changed her story completely. According to her, when the Titanic struck the iceberg, Mr. Carter came to her and told her to dress herself and the children. She didn’t see him again until the next morning on the deck of the Carpathia. He apparently told her he had a great breakfast and didn’t think she would make it.

#5 Hichens Refused To Turn The Boat Around Robert Hichens was a British sailor who was part of the deck crew on the Titanic. He was in command of one of the lifeboats and was accused of despicable behavior. It is said that when those aboard the lifeboat asked Hichens to turn around so as to save others, he refused to do so, calling those that were floating in the freezing water mere “stiffs”. Luckily, the “Unsinkable” Molly Brown was aboard the same lifeboat and forced Hichens to turn back or else risk being thrown overboard. When questioned later, Hichens denied ever calling Titanic victims “stiffs”. He argued that the only reason he did not want to go back to rescue others was because he worried about the suction caused by the sinking ship and by the possibility of getting lost in the darkness.

#6 Masabumi Hosono Boarded A Lifeboat Following The Example Of Another Man Masabumi Hosono was a Japanese civil servant. He worked for the Japanese Ministry of Transport and as part of his job was sent to Imperial Russia to find out more about the Russian railway system. On his journey back to Japan he boarded the Titanic as a second class passenger. His survival seems like a miracle. When the ship began to sink, Hosono was blocked by crewmen from going onto the ship’s deck since they had assumed that he was a third class passenger. Still, despite all the odds Hosono made it to the deck and watched with horror the very last few lifeboats leaving the sinking ship. He did not want to disgrace himself as a Japanese by getting onto a lifeboat ahead of women and children. But as a crewman from one of the boats shouted “room for two more!” and he saw a man jump in, he did the same. In America, Hosono was seen as a disgraceful figure and many assumed that he had disguised himself as a woman to get onto a lifeboat. In Japan, he was condemned as a coward and lost his job. It is even said that school books used Hosono as an example of how to be dishonorable.

#7 Some Survivors Later Killed Themselves Some of those that were lucky enough to survive the sinking of the Titanic later went on to commit suicide. While the tragedy of the Titanic was certainly the reason behind some suicides, others decided to end their life for different reasons. Dr. Washington Dodge, for example, shot himself in the head in 1919 because he was being investigated for corruption. Dr. Henry William Frauenthal (pictured above), who broke the ribs of a woman passenger when he was jumping into a lifeboat, jumped from the seventh floor of the hospital building in 1927, thus killing himself. Juha Niskanen was a third-class passenger who survived the sinking of the Titanic. Sometime after the tragedy of the Titanic, Niskanen moved to California in search for gold. He failed to find any however and in 1927 he set his cabin on fire and killed himself. It is tragic to think that these men who were lucky enough to survive the sinking of the Titanic later went on to commit suicide.

#8 Only One Lifeboat Returned To Try And Save Others Most of Titanic’s lifeboats left the ship half-empty. At the beginning, this was due to the fact that people were reluctant to leave the ship as they did not yet understand the danger that they were in. The first lifeboat to be launched, for example, had only 28 people on board even though it had the capacity for 65 people. Other lifeboats were similarly half-empty even though hundreds of people would later perish in the freezing water. But when people finally understood the danger they were in, there were no more lifeboats around. In fact, only one lifeboat turned around and went back to save others. Near the wreckage, the lifeboat was greeted with countless of dead bodies. Nonetheless, a few more people, both from first and third class, were saved. It is no surprise that other lifeboats refused to return to the wreckage – people were scared that those floating in the water would cause chaos and more deaths.

#9 Sir Cosmo Paid The Lifeboat Crew To Row To Safety Tragically, Titanic’s lifeboats could not carry all the passengers that were travelling on board the Titanic. But even more tragically, while most lifeboats had the capacity to carry 65 people, the majority of them left the sinking ship only half-full. In fact, one lifeboat, which had the capacity to carry 40 people, carried only 12 people. Out of the 12 people aboard the lifeboat, seven were said to be crewmen. Sir Cosmo Duff-Gordon and his wife Lady Lucy Duff-Gordon were amidst the 12 passengers on the lifeboat and a nasty rumor has it that Sir Cosmo paid the lifeboat crew £5 each to not return to the sinking ship but instead to row to safety. The lifeboat that Sir Cosmo was on was dubbed as the “money boat”.

#10 Some Passengers Brought Their Dogs In Lifeboats On its journey, the Titanic was carrying not only humans but also animals, including dogs, cats, chickens, birds and rats. While almost all of the animals perished, three dogs (out of about a dozen that were aboard the ship) survived. Naturally, we may question: how did three dogs survive if there was not enough room in the lifeboats to save all the people? Well, the three dogs that survived were very small. Two dogs were Pomeranians and the third was a Pekinese. One Pomeranian was named Lady and belonged to Miss Margaret Hayes. The two shared a cabin and when the ship began to sink, Miss Hayes wrapped the dog in a blanket and brought it with her to the lifeboat. The other Pomeranian was owned by the Rothschilds, an incredibly wealthy family, while the Pekinese belonged to the Harper family. We can assume that they also wrapped their dogs in blankets or coats, thus rendering them practically invisible.

#11 Edward Ryan Used A Little Girl And A Towel To Board A Lifeboat Edward Ryan was another man who saved himself by pretending to be a woman. While Daniel Buckley was aided by a fellow woman passenger, Edward Ryan came up with the disguise all by himself. And he was not ashamed to tell his parents about it either. He later wrote in a letter home that during the tragic accident he knew that if he could only somehow board the lifeboat he would be all right. Thankfully, he had a towel around his neck and so he placed it on his head in an attempt to fake a woman’s shawl. He then walked past the officers who had previously said that they would shoot any man who tried to board the boat. The officers didn’t notice him. Fooled by the towel, they thought that he was a woman. In desperation, Ryan grabbed a girl standing nearby and jumped thirty feet into the boat.

#12 Some Crew Members Thought Only Of Saving Themselves It wasn’t just the passengers who were selfish in their quest for saving themselves. Some members of the Titanic crew were also only looking out for themselves. For example, Paul Mauge, the kitchen clerk in the Ritz restaurant leapt into a boat as it was being lowered into the water. Another crew member tried to pull Mauge out of the lifeboat as it was passing him on the lower deck but he was unsuccessful. Furthermore, when two wireless operators left their posts only ten minutes before the Titanic sunk, they came upon a disturbing scene: the ship’s stoker was trying to steal the lifejacket of Harold Bride, Titanic’s junior wireless officer. The two men knocked the stoker unconscious and continued making their way towards the deck.

#13 Dickinson Bishop Claimed He Fell Into A Lifeboat Dickinson Bishop was an American businessman who was on board the Titanic with his wife. Having just married, the Bishops were celebrating their honeymoon. Both of them survived the sinking of the Titanic. Naturally, just like other men before him, Bishop was questioned thoroughly as to how he had managed to get onto a lifeboat when they were mostly reserved for women and children. A couple of theories explaining how Bishop ended up in a lifeboat exist.  Some say that Bishop was pushed into the lifeboat. Others say that he jumped into a lifeboat himself, but not wanting to come off as cowardly, he later said that he had accidentally slipped and conveniently landed in a lifeboat. During the inquiry that occurred after the sinking of the Titanic, Bishop contradicted himself in his story. He first said that he was helped into the boat and later corrected himself by saying that he fell into the boat.

#14 Men Of High Civic Standing Were First To Scramble For Boats The crewmen of the Titanic were loud and clear when they said that “women and children” had priority to lifeboats. And while most men complied, including Isador Straus and John Jacob Astor, others were not so quick to accept their duty. In fact, The New York Times later printed an article claiming that Captain Roberts, Superintendent of Docks for the White Star Line, said that the panic on board the Titanic was caused by ‘big men’. The men who would have been normally expected to avert panic and fear were supposedly acting worst of all. According to Captain Roberts, “it was our Congressmen, our Senators, and our ‘big men’ who led in the crush for lifeboats”.

#15 Peuchen Claimed He Was A Yachtsman Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Godfrey Peuchen was a Canadian businessman who survived the sinking of the Titanic. The story goes that Peuchen was standing near one of the lifeboats when one of the crewmen shouted for help. Peuchen stepped forward claiming that he was a yachtsman and was invited to board the lifeboat. His behavior in the lifeboat came under much scrutiny. He was in the same lifeboat as the “Unsinkable” Molly Brown and it is said that at one point he complained of tiredness and even refused to row the lifeboat. Thankfully, Molly Brown goaded him to take up the oars again. American newspapers considered Peuchen a selfish coward. Toronto Mail said that Peuchen “put himself in the position of a man who had to defend himself before the necessity for defence was apparent.” Others claimed that Peuchen had said he was a yachtsman purely to get off the sinking ship and that if there had been a fire, he would have claimed he was a fireman.

Source: TheRichest

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