NATLA Episode 8 - Legends (2/4)

[Masterlist of my NATLA thoughts]

Of course, full spoilers ahead.

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I really enjoy how Zhao (Azula) is a much smarter villain in the live-action than he was in the animated series. While I do love them both, leaning into the Fire Nation not just working off brute force, but rather being strategic and clever with their attacks was a great choice. The Ice Moon caveat for the spirits and Kuruk's spirit knife made the world feel bigger to me than just having the moon and ocean spirits conveniently always sitting there to kill by any means. I don't think the live-action team went in with the idea that the ocean and moon spirits being mortal was 'a plothole to fill' like some claim (yet again, always jumping to the least charitable interpretation of the live-action rather than spending three seconds to think about what it ADDS to the story to flesh that part out), I think they used it to seed a lot of lore and worldbuilding while also giving reasons as to why events played out the way they did.

Like I said in my post about episode 6, it makes a lot more sense to me that Zhao would have easy access to the info (and weapon) needed to kill the Moon Spirit rather than that shlub somehow finding the super hidden library that an archeologist spent YEARS searching for. While it was a cool foreshadowing of the library in season 2, having Zhao discover the moon and ocean spirit stuff in Avatar Roku's temple in the live-action I think makes more sense.

The fire sage being the one to explain the spirit oasis and the origins of waterbending to Zhao was a really cool change! It shows Zhao formulating his plan rather than having it just told to us like in the animated version - it includes the lore behind the ocean and moon spirit without making it so obvious that that's the solution to their problem, it introduces it as the problem and we have to work our way to the solution instead of it just being given to us. The fact that the sages still know and revere (even though they're using it to form an attack plan) the histories of bending is a nice touch. Especially the older sages, they remember the old ways and stories and don't discount the power of the old tales like younger people might. It doesn't stop them from falling into fascism (it stops some, but not all), but it does add layers and nuance to their world view rather than the very surface-level 'all others are bad, we don't pay attention to them' view that was shown mostly in the animated version.

Kuruk appearing to Aang to warn him was super cool!! I like how past Avatars can appear to their current iteration (not to mention they were right outside his shrine) to warn them of something and having it be Kuruk's knife that he can feel added a lot. It's another instance where the Fire Nation can turn anything into a weapon against the world - the weapon Kuruk forged to PROTECT the world from evil spirits and keep the world in balance is now being twisted and used by the Fire Nation to hurt the good ones and throw the world out of balance. Just as Zhao and the Fire Sage took a beautiful story about the creation of the Water Tribes and twisted it into something to harm them, they're taking a weapon of protection and making it a brutal weapon against the light.

UUUGGGHHHH Zhao and his twisted 'justifications' as to why killing the moon isn't actually all that bad. "Killing the ocean would deprive people of their lives - I'm not a monster!" of course he wants a world to rule, so he can't kill them, only fully subjugate them and wipe out their culture! See, they will get to live under his amazing rule, why would he deny them that opportunity?? Watch closely, everyone - that's the reasoning a lot of fascists give when they start trying to eradicate cultural practices - they argue that they're leaving the people alive, so it's not actually bad! We're just stripping away their identity and replacing it with our own! Save the man, kill the savage and all that.

"The Avatar's power is great, but it pales in comparison to the elemental spirits" SUCH GREAT FORESHADOWING WITHOUT GIVING IT ALL AWAYYYY!!!!!!! Also a great way to show the power scale of the world - as powerful as Aang is in the Avatar state, the spirits are the OG - especially the elemental ones. Aang ISN'T the most powerful thing in this world. It sets up how they're going to defeat the fire nation army without Aang in control of the Avatar state really well! They're leaving breadcrumbs rather than telling you the plan in a monologue or just randomly deciding to join with the ocean spirit - a power that hadn't been discussed at all in the animated show.

That Momo fake out death was CRUEL!!!! He just saved a girl's life and we think he gave his life to do it!!!! But it was a great way to introduce not only the spirit oasis, but also the healing properties of its waters. In the animated show, that's not mentioned at all until Pakku gives Katara the water vial and tells her it can heal - it's actually SHOWN in the live-action that it's powers are beyond normal healing. Yue's story about her being healed in these waters makes a lot more sense here as well rather than in the animated series where she tells the story once the moon is in trouble. At the time, it seems like it has nothing to do with the immediate danger, it's just a way to set up that she'll give back that life in the end - a quick lore set-up break in the action. In the live-action, it's directly tied to what's happening - she's doing the same thing to Momo that was done to her to save her life. Her connection with the moon isn't relevant yet, so that part of the story is held till later when it is relevant.

Honestly, I think the spirit oasis is much more impressive in the live-action. In the animated show, it's just a small island of grass with a pond - in the live-action, it's a whole valley filled with life. And I love how NO adaptation can resist showing Zuko fire-blasting his way out from beneath the ice - it's just too damn cool to leave out! I like how Iroh is still playing his loyalties close to the chest - he's not going to outright attack Zhao yet, but he'll definitely stall and not help out as much as Zhao wants him to.

Zuzu!!!! Like always, huge shit is happening all around but Zuko still thinks him capturing Aang is the most important thing in the world. I like that they're keeping that narrow focus for him - one of his biggest flaws - that blinds him to everything around him. He's not concerned about saving Agna Qel'a, he's not concerned about saving the spirits, he just wants to capture Aang and restore his place in the Fire Nation.

His face as Katara says she's gonna fight him and Aang agreeing - oof. Here he is thinking he's Aang's biggest threat and Aang is just handing his battle off to Katara. And Aang's sly little 'go easy' that wasn't to Zuko - the poor thing. So we begin Zuko v Katara round 2!!! Back in episode 2 on Kyoshi Island, Katara stood against Zuko - untrained and terrified, but knowing she needed to protect Aang. She was beaten easily, but now, she's had training. She's had experience. She's forged herself into a warrior and she's ready for everything Zuko can dish out. Well, not EVERYTHING as even in the animated series, Zuko does win due to his extensive training, but she puts up a wicked fight!

I am good with the siege only lasting one day rather than several like in the animated version. Though I do miss the 'you rise with the moon, I rise with the sun' line, it does kind of feel like Zuko kidnapping Aang was more to provide a cliffhanger for the end of The Siege of the North: Part 1 rather than a necessary narrative choice. In a 2-part finale, yeah we want a cliffhanger, but since this is all one episode, like I mentioned in my post about how episode flow has to change given the new format, that just wouldn't have worked out as well as a smooth single-night attack. Aang seeking guidance before the battle rather than getting kidnapped mid-meditation I think was a smart move. (I've always felt like that cliffhanger was a bit of an odd choice anyways because they make this huge deal about Aang not being able to find his body if it isn't right where he left it, but then it's…not a problem at all - his spirit just zooms back to his body - conveniently showing the Gaang where to find him and Zuko and nothing actually comes of that 'threat' of him not being able to re-enter his body. I'll talk about Zuko's speech about Azula later when it's brought up and altered in the live-action).

I LOOOOOVE Zhao's little speech here - his ambition to gain status - to become a legend, has led him to more and more dangerous things. He truly believes he could become the new Fire Lord. Iroh pleads with him not to do it, but Zhao is too filled with the desire for power that he's not listening to reason. Even after Iroh's threats, Zhao isn't concerned in the least - he views the threats 'empty' and is so smug about how 'this could still work out for you'. As if Iroh is like Zhao and would cave to any opportunity for power.

Like always, Aang tries to talk his enemy down - he tries to appeal to their better nature, an idea that they wouldn't want to throw the world into chaos. The exchange here is SO FREAKING GOOD. Aang pleading with Zhao that this isn't power, Zhao so drunk on his own importance that he can't imagine why anyone would give up the chance to wipe out an entire race of benders - and Aang knowing exactly what that's like, how horrifically awful it is. But for Zhao, those are only stories - he's never known a world with airbenders in it, but Sozin went down in history for that 'accomplishment' he, himself, can be in the history books along side such a 'legend' with no thought to the actual real, human hurt necessary to get there.

Aang finally tries the last thing he can - making Zhao the same offer he made Zuko: leave the attack behind and he'll go with them peacefully. But Zhao isn't Zuko - he wants more than just the Avatar. He wants to cause pain and suffering and have people look upon him with fear. I think it's such an interesting take to have Zhao, like June, not view the Avatar with reverence. He's bought into the Fire Nation propaganda that the Avatar isn't actually all that powerful - the Fire Lord has taken that place. Even the legitimacy of the concept of the Avatar itself is called into question - after all, the Fire Nation wants all the power and the Avatar would stop them. That's not helping  them, so the Avatar must be useless.

Unknowingly, Zhao has just struck at Aang's biggest fear: while Zhao thinks the Avatar doesn't matter on its face, Aang is afraid that he's not good enough as an Avatar TO matter.

I've seen people confused about Iroh's loyalties and his true goal in the live-action - is he really working against the fire nation or not? And some criticism that it seems like he's helping Zuko capture Aang TOO much/ doesn't stop Zhao soon enough from killing the moon spirit. I'd point them, yet again, to the animated series where he very clearly, in The Waterbending Master episode, tells Zuko "once we get to the north pole, the Avatar will be yours". At the moment, animated Iroh is fully on board with Zuko capturing the Avatar. If he plans on trying to influence him not to turn the Avatar in to the fire lord, it's not even hinted at yet, so I think keeping it up in the air for the live-action is staying true to Iroh and Zuko not being 'good guys' - their goals are still to capture Aang. Live action Iroh even attacks Zhao BEFORE the animated Iroh does! In the animation, Iroh threatens Zhao, but doesn’t make a move until Zhao has killed the moon spirit - in the live-action, he attacks in an attempt to save the spirit. Yet another example of people criticizing the live-action for something even more apparent in the animated series - often because they're thinking of the character 2 seasons from now and what they think THAT version of the character would do and trying to apply it to season 1 when that's not even the characterization the animated show gave them in season 1.

I think the subsequent fight in the moonless night is even more emotionally intense in the live action than it was in the animated series. You can FEEL the terror and SEE people dying as the waterbending fails and the fire nation advance. The way this sequence was shot is honestly amazing - it's not gruesome or violent for the sake of it - it's showing the truth of war and the horrific cost of such an assault. Letting the warriors of the Northern Water Tribe have a heroic stand against the firebenders even when their best resource was taken away was great to see. Giving Hahn and Chief Arnook their moment showed that it truly wasn't just about Aang and his friends - this story is about every single person who stands up to fight against tyranny, no matter the weapon they might wield or power they have.

Bear with me while I brain-dump some hard polytheistic thoughts for a second

In fandom, the way we interact with characters goes something like this:

We first get to know a character through their original source material.

Then we workshop that character through independent thought and fandom interaction, through which we pick up headcanons we like and discard those we don't.

Eventually, we create an image of the character we like and can connect with.

Now, the Norse gods and spirits can't actually be approached this way because their source material is not actually their stories, but the world itself. Contrary to what we're taught in North America, the Norse stories are just the byproduct of the experiences people have had with the world. In Sweden, these stories are called sägner ("legends").

Let me give an example with one such legend: Jötnar, or giants, inhabit the uninhabitable wilds and are largely inhospitable towards humans. We know this because they'll try to throw rocks and boulders down on the heads of unsuspecting travelers trying to pass through their wild domains.

This legend was told to me as I passed through the mountainous region of Jotunheimen in Norway. It makes sense when you consider the mountains look like this:

The Scandic mountains are extremely old. Hundreds of millions of years have eroded their once-jagged peaks down to domes, leaving behind only dark, hard granite. The gray color of the rocks makes it hard to distinguish the mountains' features, especially on overcast days. Their peaks are constantly shrouded in clouds and fog, giving them an otherworldly and mysterious appearance. When a rockslide happens, it's as if it comes out of nowhere.

The giants' legends are the result of physical and metaphysical experiences people have had with the mountains over the centuries. In a way, the giants themselves have told us who they are. Sure, we can create a story about giants who aren't hostile towards humans, but that would fall into the realm of saga ("fairy tale") as opposed to sägen, which serves a different function within the cultural mythos.

As a culturally Calvinist nation, North Americans are largely taught that religion is an interpretive exercise of old stories, devoid of anything to do with the land and transcendent of all Earthly activities. This gives us the impression that religion is basically an exercise of thoughts and feelings, as opposed to something we create based on what we see, touch, taste, smell, and hear, be it physically or astrally.

(This is probably why Americans haven't known what to make of Heathenry for the 60-odd years its been here.)

Character and fandom interaction is also largely an exercise of thoughts and feelings. When the same mechanisms are applied in Heathenry, we begin to remove it from the context it was built upon from the start—animism.

It's very much why I encourage everyone to formulate their own UPGs via direct interaction with the entity they want to know about.

Petition to make an AU where Stetriol has its own bond token and we get to see the original water-holding frog/toad legend.

Netflix officially confirms cast + authentic adaptation

A bit under a week after my initial report, Netflix officially confirmed the main cast of the live-action adaptation of ATLA. The announcement included some new information as well:

Albert Kim, previously already reported as showrunner/executive producer, will also be a writer on the series.

Michael Goi, previously already reported as a director, will also be an executive producer.

Roseanne Liang, previously already reported as a director, will also be a co-executive producer.

Jabbar Raisani is a newly announced director on the series! More on him in my next post.

Rideback was also announced as the production company, and from it Dan Lin and Lindsey Liberatore as executive producers (all previously already reported).

Lastly, a pretty extensive mission statement of sorts written by showrunner Albert Kim was released. The main thing is that it “confirms” that the show won’t be modernized or changed fundamentally from the original, probably addressing the assorted viral fake news that has been going on for years. If you follow Avatar News, you’ve already seen me debunk this ten thousand times, and never report it in the first place. :) Well, now it’s OFFICIAL official.

Key takeaways:

They’re confident about the bending VFX.

The story will be more streamlined and expanded compared to the original episodic format.

The worldbuilding will be expanded.

Concerning the following three pillars, it will be an “authentic” adaptation: story, characters, and cultural influences.

They’re specifically using that word “authentic”, and “authenticity”, a lot.

Here’s the full thing (bolding mine), as well as official descriptions of Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Zuko after it (no surprises there):

“This is all my daughter’s fault. She’s the one who got me hooked.

When Avatar: The Last Airbender first aired on Nickelodeon, she wasn’t quite old enough to fully track the narrative. Yet I’d still find her glued to the TV every week, captivated by the adventures of Aang and his friends (who would quickly become her friends).

I began watching along with her with the thought of helping her understand what was going on. But my Dad-splainy duties quickly fell by the wayside as I found myself sucked into the world and characters, and soon we were watching side by side, both of us swept away by the singular mix of action, humor, and epic storytelling.

It also wasn’t lost on me that this was a world that drew from Asian cultures and legend, which is a rarity to this day and something I appreciated as an Asian-American father. That my daughter was able to see characters who looked like her on screen was more than just entertaining. It was a gift.

Flash forward 15 years. Netflix offers me the opportunity to develop a live-action remake of Avatar. My first thought was, “Why? What is there I could do or say with the story that wasn’t done or said in the original?” A:TLA had only grown in popularity and acclaim over the last decade and a half, which is a testament to how complete and resonant a narrative experience it had been. So if it ain’t broke, why fix it?

But the more I thought about it, the more intrigued I became. VFX technology has advanced to the point where a live-action version can not only faithfully translate what had been done in animation — it can bring a rich new visual dimension to a fantastic world. We’ll be able to see bending in a real and visceral way we’ve never seen before.

Also, Netflix’s format meant we had an opportunity to reimagine a story that had originally been told in self-contained half-hour episodes as an ongoing serialized narrative. That meant story points and emotional arcs we’d loved in the original could be given even more room to breathe and grow.

Finally, a live-action version would establish a new benchmark in representation and bring in a whole new generation of fans. This was a chance to showcase Asian and Indigenous characters as living, breathing people. Not just in a cartoon, but in a world that truly exists, very similar to the one we live in.

I also knew what I didn’t want to do. I didn’t want to change things for the sake of change. I didn’t want to modernize the story, or twist it to fit current trends. Aang is not going to be a gritty antihero. Katara is not going to get curtain bangs. (I was briefly tempted to give Sokka a TikTok account though. Think of the possibilities.)

Don’t get me wrong. We’ll be expanding and growing the world, and there will be surprises for existing fans and those new to the tale. But throughout this process, our byword has been “authenticity.” To the story. To the characters. To the cultural influences. Authenticity is what keeps us going, both in front of the camera and behind it, which is why we’ve assembled a team unlike any seen before—a group of talented and passionate artists who are working around the clock to bring this rich and incredibly beautiful world to life.  

But in the end, the reason I decided to do this came down to one thing:

Somewhere out there, a young kid is sitting glued to their TV, waiting to be taken on an incredible journey. And I want to take them on it.

I hope you’ll come along too.”

Character descriptions:

“GORDON CORMIER (he/him) is AANG (12), a fearless and fun-loving twelve-year-old who just happens to be the Avatar, master of all four elements and the keeper of balance and peace in the world. An airbending prodigy, Aang is a reluctant hero, struggling to deal with the burden of his duties while still holding on to his adventurous and playful nature.

KIAWENTIIO (she/her) is KATARA (14), a determined and hopeful waterbender, the last in her small village. Though only fourteen, she’s already endured great personal tragedy, which has held her back from rising to her true potential, though it’s never dimmed her warm and caring spirit.

IAN OUSLEY (he/him) is SOKKA (16), Katara’s sardonic and resourceful 16-year-old brother. Outwardly confident, even brash, he takes his responsibility as the leader of his tribe seriously, despite his inner doubts over his warrior skills… doubts that he masks with his wit and deadpan sense of humor.

DALLAS LIU (he/him) is ZUKO (17), a skilled firebender and the intense and guarded Crown Prince of the Fire Nation. Currently roaming the world in exile, he’s on an obsessive quest to capture the Avatar because he believes that is the only way to reclaim his life and live up to the demands of his cruel and controlling father, the Fire Lord.”

Source: Netflix

Of rupees and Koroks

my first LU fanfiction! I am horrible at endings so...yeah. i definitely went off the rails from my original plan (ADHD my beloved) and I am SO SORRY in advance if any of the characters are OOC.

“Okay, and that would come to…200 rupees, Mr. Captain Hero Sir!” Ravio cheerfully stated, holding up the bottle of shimmering red potion for War to admire. The warrior actually scoffed upon hearing the intended price.

“Something wrong, War?” Legend asked, his back leaning against a rather large crate.

“No, no, it’s just…really cheap.” War pointed towards the potion. Both Legend and Ravio blinked blankly. Legend’s face soon turned into one of severe confusion, whereas Ravio’s eyes lit up with excitement.

“200 rupees? Cheap? Were you hit in the back of the head by a bulbin?!” Twilight almost shrieked from his side of the Barnhouse He stopped playing with the cows and quickly jogged over to Ravio’s makeshift shop.

“Back home, a red potion would cost around 10,000 rupees. Isn’t that the case here?” War stated eyebrow raised as Twilight began twitching at the mention of the rupee count. Ravio’s jaw practically dropped.

“My wallet can’t even hold that!”

“Hey, I heard screaming. Who’s dead?” The barn’s door creaked open to reveal Wind, accompanied by a sweating Sky and an unfazed Four.

“War said a red potion would cost 10,000 rupees in his world!” Legend blurted out, almost barking at the heroes. Four huffed for a second, then walked up to Ravio and snatched the red potion.

“Hey, 200 rupees, y’know!”

“This. Costs 20 rupees.” He pointed at the potion, as War soon broke down in a fit of laughter.

“What’s so funny, pretty boy?” Legend folded his arms.

“You guys must be broke! 20 rupees? That can’t buy you shit!” He managed to get out before banging his fist against the hay covered ground.

“Hey, watch your language!” Sky shouted, moving to cover Wind’s pointy ears. “There are children here.” He lowered his voice as Wind swatted his hands away.

“Okay, okay, I’m trying to run a business here. Let’s go…2,000 rupees, Mr. Captain Hero Sir!” Ravio clasped his hands together, only to realize the item he was selling was nowhere on the table.

“Um…Mr. Smithy? My red potion?”

“Oh, sure.” Four passed the glittering potion back to the purple-haired hero, acting as if he wouldn’t be committing a crime if he didn’t hand it back.

“Here you go, Mr. Captain Hero Sir! Please come again!” Ravio smiled gleefully, having 2,000 rupees handed to him like it was nothing.

“Pfft- I guess War really is a rich snob.” Twilight sniggered, shaking hands with Legend in a mutual agreement.

“Hey, you take that back, farmers!” War shouted, fiddling with his glove as if preparing for a fight.

“War, you realize you’re saying that on a ranch?” A voice called from outside. The door was already opened (Wind forgot to close it) so it was easy to tell that the voice belonged to Time.

“Oh, hey, pops, wanna help us take on pretty boy?” Twilight greeted happily, only making Warriors more enraged.

“No, I’m quite fine. But thank you for the offer anyway. Hyrule asked me to collect you all. He’s having trouble with something. And for Nayru’s sake, behave yourselves.” Time explained to the group, trying not to bring up the fact that he almost locked them in the barn to keep them out of trouble.

“What do you mean “something”? I thought nothing happens on this ranch!” Wind protested, running his hands through his hair, obviously trying to make himself more presentable.

“I have no clue what the deal is myself. Wild and Hyrule are already investigating.”

“Those two? They were better hosts than us?” Warriors looked almost horrified at the idea of being upstaged by Wild of all people.

“Do you want to be cooped up in here all day?” Time asked, almost laughing at War’s sudden reaction.

“Come on, let’s get moving now!” Warriors announced, starting to direct (push) the other heroes out of the barnhouse.

Hyrule was ecstatic. He’d been picking up stray rocks for weeks in hopes to find the small beings called Koroks. Wild had told him all about the strange little creatures that hid under rocks and in trees, and Hyrule soon became intent to find one. At last, at the gates of Lon Lon ranch, Hyrule mindlessly picked up a rock and proceeded to shout in happiness.

“Wild! Wild! I found one!” He cried, perking the ears of the long-haired Hylian. Wild rushed over, practically throwing the Cucco he was holding. He jogged over, only to stop a few feet away from the brown-haired hero.

Hyrule’s eyes were alight with glee, his smile looked like an innocent rabbit’s. He tossed the rock aside, unfortunately landing on Wild’s foot, as he winced. He placed the rock to the side and crouched down to the Korok’s level.

“Yahaha, you’ve found me!” The Korok excitedly squealed, Wild rolling his eyes as he heard the line for the 400thtime. Hyrule nodded in response, too glad to speak and ruin the moment. Before he knew it, Hyrule was handed a small, foul seed. He looked confused for a second and looked up to Wild.

“Yeah…not that impressive, is it?” He sighed, snatching the seed from Hyrule, and adding to his collection. Hyrule blinked as he saw Wild open to pouch to see a mountain of the horrid smelling things. “Gotta get these back to Hestu sometime.” He casually stated, closing his pocket again.

“Buh-bye!” The Korok exclaimed, waving his small, rounded hand towards the two Hylians. Hyrule was not having this. He had spent two weeks searching for the little creatures, and when he does, he’s just supposed to say good-bye after minutes of meeting one? He reached out his arms and took the Korok up to his torso in one swift movement.

“I shall name him Peppers and he shall be mine!” Hyrule proclaimed loudly, much to Wild’s shock. He tried to wrangle the Korok out of Hyrule’s embrace, but the Korok spoke up.

“Actually, I’d love to be Mr. Hero’s friend!” It chirped, sinking into Hyrule’s green tunic. “Aw, see? He likes me!” Hyrule cuddled the Korok, adding a whiny tone to his words. Wild groaned, as he almost felt like Time, having to take care of someone like this.

“You’ll have to ask Time if we can keep it.” He sighed, poking the pointy nose of the leaf faced spirit. As if from nowhere, armored footsteps approached the two Hylians. “Keep what?” The firm voice spoke, making Wild jump for a moment.

“The Korok…?” Hyrule trailed off, still clutching the forest spirit. As the chain came into sight, some stood dumbstruck, whereas Wind’s eyes widened drastically. “Korok!?” The pirate pointed; mouth open wide as he bolted to Hyrule. “What in Din’s name is a Korok?” War groaned; his breath slightly hilted from jogging across the ranch.

“I’m not sure myself…but it definitely looks cute!” Time let slip a small remark of childish nature, a warm smile creeping up on his face. Legend soon ran up to his descendant and grabbed the Korok out of his hands.

“Where’s this little bugger from anyway?” He mumbled, turning the spirit face down to have a proper look at it. He furrowed his brow, then turned to Ravio, gestured to see if the rabbit hero had any clue about the creature. Ravio simply shrugged at him. “Hey! He isn’t some toy to be held like that!” Twilight shouted, scooping up the Korok from Legend’s hands. He held it carefully on his shoulder as one would a cat, as the Korok began playing with Twilight’s hair.

“I’m the best at dealing with animals here. I say we keep it,” Twilight nodded as the Korok’s hands started folding braids into his hair. “Peppers.” Hyrule quickly added, placing a hand on the little Korok’s back. “What’s this about p-peppers?!” Four almost leapt out of his skin after hearing “peppers”. Wild simply laughed and wrapped an arm around him.

“His name is Peppers!” Hyrule said once again, a smile dawning on his face. “Why peppers, though?” Four protested, his disdain for the food clear as day. Wind coughed a bit, trying to hold in a laugh. Sky gave him a light pat on the head and shook his head, mouthing “don’t”.

“Well, I think it’s a great name! Did…Did Wild pick it out?” Sky laughed wistfully, trying to discourage Wind from making fun of Four. “Nope, completely ‘Rule’s idea.” Wild answered, causing Four to instead eye Hyrule suspiciously. Legend folded his arms and let out a huff as Ravio giggled behind him. “Perhaps he’d be interested in renting?” Legend twisted around as Ravio flatly suggested.

“No one in their right mind would be interested in renting, Ravio.” He scoffed, turning back to face the rest of the chain. “I, personally, don’t want it. What if it steals our items and flees in the night?” War accused, pointing a finger towards the creature. A paranoid Warriors, Time couldn’t help but laugh.

“No, the Korok’s come from the Lost Woods. They’re the children of the Great Deku Tree, so I’d doubt they’d do that.” Wild explained, peaking the attention of Time. If the Korok’s were from the Lost Woods, he would have seen some by now, wouldn’t he? Or maybe they only showed up far after his era…

“Wait! You’ve met the Great Deku Tree too?!” Wind’s small figure jumped up, tugging on Wild’s tunic. Twilight eyed the older hero for a moment, he seemed…off. Korok still in arms, he strode up to Time and placed his free hand on his shoulder. “You alright, dad?” Time snapped out of his state of thought and quickly waved it off.

“I’m fine, just…glad that the Deku Tree still exists to them, I guess.” Time replied wistfully, his gaze trailing to the two blue-clad heroes, sharing their experiences with the ancient talking tree. “He was the…closest thing I had to a father.” His next comment caught Twili completely off guard. Does that mean he was related to a tree?

“Wait, your dad was a tree?! Are you joking?” Twilight exclaimed a bit too loudly, catching the attention of Four and Sky, who had been watching the unfolding chaos. Sky’s eyes widened immensely, full of curiosity as he quickly trotted over.

“Time’s father? A tree? My, that must be an interesting story!” Sky clasped his hands together in delight, eager to learn more about the mysterious Time.

“No, the Deku Tree was the closest thing to a father I ever had. I am not part tree.” Time had to hold back a snicker as he clarified that he was not of leafy descent. “I doubt that. Your hair is a very light shade of green.” Four pointed out, raising a hand to his chin in deep thought.

“I think that colour’s called yellow, dumbass.” Wind called from where he stood. Sky growled for a moment then proceeded to shout back: “Watch your language!”

For the rest of the evening, the chain shouted and argued, but settled on to keeping the Korok, naming it Peppers, much to Four’s disgust.

@bokettochild I hope you don't mind I borrowed Ravio's nicknames for everyone :)

What is a Fairy?

I suppose they probably need some explanation, especially nowadays. Fairies (Faeries, Fay, Fey, Fae, or even Fair Folk) could be considered a type of mythical being. Some have described them as spirits, others as ghosts of the deceased, some deified ancestors, prehistoric precursors to humans, personifications of nature, pagan deities, or even angels and demons in the way of Christian traditions. Often they encompass a metaphysical aspect, being depicted as spirits or beings who transcend the physical universe and world that we know. Or given features of the Supernatural, such as magic or extrasensory perception, which allow them to violate or go beyond the laws of nature. Even sometimes Preternatural, which something abnormal or strange and explainable but still within the boundaries of the natural laws of the universe (for example I could say someone is a preternaturally good cellist, and mean that they are impossibly good beyond expectations or even belief, but I’m not saying that they are actually magical...just that their apparent abilities and how they gained them are unknown and very strange to me.) But what is a fairy? Well you already know what some of them look like. Many people might immediately picture Tinkerbell from the animated Disney feature film, or even from the original Peter Pan novel by J. M. Barrie. And they would be correct, in part. Tinkerbell is a depiction of a Pixie, a specific type of fairy. But there are lots of fairy types, I don’t actually think there’s a complete list. (I should probably try to make one at some point, but no promises.) During some points in history the label of fairy was used to mean magical beings who had a mostly human shape. Gnomes, leprechauns, goblins, pixies, dwarfs, elfs, etc etc etc. And at other points it also included non humanoid magical creatures such as Unicorns, Dragons, Kelpie, Basilisk, and more (Sometimes these were referred to as Fairy Creatures). So where did they come from? Well the funny thing is that Fairies don’t actually come from only one area or set of myths. They are a strange combination of the folklore from all over Europe (and possibly beyond) and include ideas and stories from Celtic, Scandinavian, Nordic, Germanic, French, and English Folklore and Mythology. As these stories were passed around and intermingled and changed they brought about the collective creatures we know today as the Fae or Fairies. The Renaissance, Romantic Era, Victorian Era, Edwardian Era, and even the Celtic Revival Movement of the 19th and 20th centuries all had their influences on the stories and ideas connected with the Fairy folk, some significantly less helpful than others. Even the Fantasy Literature Genre, with Tolkien at its forefront, has added and changed much about people’s view on these creatures. So lets talk about some basic things you’ll want to know when dealing with Fairies. The first thing you might want to remember is that many people view the Tuatha Dé Danann (Supernatural gods, goddesses, heroes, and kings of Irish Mythology) as being the source for Faeries, or at least one of the strongest influences. Celtic Folklore and culture is easily one of the most visible bits of Faerie lore that you can find these days, but there’s a lot more that starts showing up when you begin to dig. Another thing to note is that the Renaissance, Romantic Era, Victorian Era, Edwardian Era, and the Celtic Revival Movement had a massive influence on how people saw fairies. They would mix folklore from different areas of Europe, attempted to prove the existence of fairies through scientific means, created artistic depictions of fairies, and much more. Often they sanitized and shrunk the fairies until they were mostly harmless or relegated to the outskirts of human life as a curiosity. Which brings me to the next point. In a lot of older folklore, from all over Europe, fairy beings are often depicted as being incredibly dangerous. Kidnapping humans or human babies, causing crops to wither, water to dry up, food to rot. They could lure people in with magic into a fairy ring of mushrooms and make them dance forever or make them forget their life. Sometimes they even played with time itself. A person could dance with the fairies only to find that they’ve been gone a hundred years when they try to go home. And many beliefs have depictions of some kind of Otherworld, a world apart from our own, or layered over it like an extra dimension we are unable to perceive or directly interact with. Sometimes its a land of the dead or a hidden underground kingdom, other times is a strange and fantastical country with its own laws and ways of doing things. As these stories meshed together we got what is known as Fairyland. The land which the fairies dwell in. Though some believe they simply live on Earth, hidden in the wild, or among us. Some reoccurring ideas are often connected with fairies, though not all have stayed the same as the original lore they were born from. The idea that Faeries, for whatever reason, are unable to or will not lie. This is a very important idea because the Folk are also simultaneously depicted as deceptive. Like particularly vicious lawyers they will play with words, never quite lying, but purposefully leading you astray or tricking you into a bad deal. They will often obey an oath, promise, or deal exactly to the letter, but ignore the intent behind it in order to twist it to their own benefit or amusement. Whether or not fairies are immortal depends entirely on where you draw your folklore from. Sometimes they are immortal; deathless, not mortal. Unable to die in spite of starvation, terrible wounds, age, or anything else. They are bound to life for all time. But some stories depict the stranger Fae Folk as being Eternal. Beyond time, always having existed and always existing, sometimes cycling, sometimes directionless and boundless and everything. Some tough concepts to get your head around, but nobody really agrees which one fairies are. In some folklore they’re even depicted as mortal, same as you and I, but a lot longer lived and harder to kill. A reoccurring motif in older Folklore is the need of humans to try and ward off fairies with charms and totems. When they were not depicted as outright malicious and dangerous, sometimes being thought to cause illness and death or bring about disastrous misfortune or steal a person’s name and voice, fairies were still mischievous and valiantly unhelpful. So people had all kinds of lucky charms to protect from them: like four leaf clovers, various plants, or actions like wearing your clothes inside out to confuse them. Iron is said in many beliefs to burn them, and certain herbs they view as sacred and will refrain from touching the bearer. A few more things. Christianity plays an important part in this discussion, though many people don’t like that. In many places myths and legends were wiped out by Christianity, either intentionally or simply by the very fact that it was trying to convert people in Europe and old pagan beliefs were seen as nonsensical. But still stories persisted despite this. Many old Myths and Folkloric beliefs were recorded for posterity by Christians, and some stories were altered and we are unable to see exactly how much (Beowulf). A lot of fairy stories remained too, only Christianity painted them as fallen angels or even demons of a kind, who could be kept away from Holy Ground, or were forced to kidnap humans to pay a tithe to Hell (or be taken themselves if they couldn’t pay). So folk beliefs, though generally discouraged by the church as superstition, remained quite strong all over Europe for a very long time. The last three things you need to know. One, there are many people who still believe in Fairies, though their beliefs often vary, sometimes wildly. Witches who claim to work with them. People who believe in them through their religions (usually pagans and other non christian groups). People who claim to have encountered or been abducted by them. And many others. While I personally do not believe in Fairies (though I like to keep an open mind, just in case), I do believe that the beliefs, cultures, and and rights of these people ought to be respected. Which leads me to other mythical beings that are similar to Fairies but hail from cultures and peoples outside of Europe. It might be tempting to label some of the spirits from various Native North American Tribes or from Chinese Folklore (or many others) as fairies. Don’t do that. If Fairies are real, you have to consider that there might be other mythical beings who fall under different categories and groups. And even if they are not real, it is extremely disrespectful to the people of those cultures to take their stories, myths, beliefs, and folklore and try to mesh it in with European Folklore. (this is exactly what the Victorian and Edwardian Era were guilty of.) And finally... Some people might tell you that they know everything there is to know about Fairies. Don’t believe them. Even I, who have spent years and years studying European Faerie Folklore, find new things about them every day. I have sources I’ve found and haven’t yet had the time to look into, areas of study I’ve had to neglect. There is so much about Fairies to explore that it’s quite literally impossible for any one person to know all of it. Personally I’m doubtful that a single person can even know an eighth of it all, you can hardly imagine how much there is. And while there is a great deal of it buried on the internet, there is even more offline. Books which are out of print or have never had their contents uploaded, cultural stories passed down in various European groups which are saved from oblivion only by the oratory tradition, and the remains of all kinds of long dead or vastly changed civilizations who believed in the Fairies and tried to work with or avoid or appease them. All the misinformation and personal gnoses out there also make it a lot harder to find accurate information about traditional folklore. And that’s not even counting the multitude of inventions and ideas spawned by fictional literature surrounding fairies. There is simply too much. But of course... Since when has something being impossible ever stopped a human from trying anyway? If you’re still interested, then who am I to discourage you? Go, jump right in. There’s so much to learn about the Faerie Folk.

‎ I decided to do something different... I'm going to write down some stuff that was in my head for a while. Let's start with some questions I myself had about the Japanese media and researched later: "Why do anime characters have strange hairstyles and large eyes?" Well, in Japan there is a form of theater called Kabuki, where gestures, costumes and paraphernalia are exaggerated. This is so that everyone in the audience can recognize the actor from a distance.

‎Everything we see in Japanese entertainment has roots in some element of the country's ancient culture. For example: ‎

‎ A lot of people think Godzilla/Gojira is a metaphor for atomic bomb, but that's only half true... He is a symbol of nature's power and fury against those who disrespect it! He resembles the dragon god Ryujin who lives under the sea‎

‎What about pokémon? The inspiration behind Pokemon, the superheroi Ultraseven, modeled on American science fiction superheroes, had monsters inside capsules that thought for him. And before that, Japanese sorcerers Onmyojin, practitioners of Daoism controlled and even created their own little monsters with their spiritual powers! Onmyojin were part of the imperial court and were important political authorities.‎

‎ How about a little horror? The "Yurei", a tormented soul of a woman who died so horrible that she came back as a vengeful spirit is a theme we saw a lot in Japanese movies. Sadako's film Ringu is a modern version of a yurei.‎

 ‎The Legend of Princess Kaguya, about a magical princess who came from the moon to escape a celestial war. This ancient legend inspired the origin of Sailor Moon, magical princess reincarnated on Earth.

‎ Have you ever noticed how in anime and games, certain characters get magical tattoos or some brand that turn them into monsters? This may be a reference to the Yakuza mafia stood out from the rest of society with tattoos. It was a mark of exclusion for them, to show that they are not part of society, but it was also a symbol of pride and power.‎

‎Giant robots are rooted in Frankenstein's monster and World War II, when Allied planes devastated Mitsuteru Yokoyama's hometown. He created Tetsugin-28, manipulated by remote control, the first mecha.

Trese: A Review

As claimed, this is the first ever Filipino Anime and this is a proud moment for most, if not all, of us Pinoys. A lot of my friends have asked me about this anime and I have seen a lot of postings online too. Not to point the obvious, but it is also #1 on Netflix's top 10 list. My friends who were asking me about this are the same people who knows that I handle these kinds of cases in real life. Yes, I am a supernatural consultant and I accept such queries depending the severity and if it had gone the correct process. I decided to make this quick but objective criticism on our beloved first-ever Pinoy Anime called Trese.

THE STORY:

In all fairness, for a 6 episode series, it was fairly good. It involved a handful of urban legends and local myths that separated the series from others and it gave it a certain distinction. There are several things that it can improve on in terms of story and plot such as:

1. More character build up: I understand that it only has 6 episodes. Although, there were some parts in the series where key characters could have been given more light on too. Such as Hank and Captain Guerrero. Even mayor Santamaria, you know, to give us more understanding on why they are who they are in the current scenario.

2. Timeframe: Since it was only 6 episodes, there is a feeling that the story was a bit rushed. This is of course if you do not appreciate the script behind each episodes. As a writer myself, I can attest that it is not that easy to make one. This point of improvement is something that I took in account with a general viewer's point of view.

3. The Baybaylan Family Origin: I noticed, especially in episode 5 and 6, that Alex's family background shows, or gives the impression that their family is a rich family. I was just wondering, what made the creators decide to make our main character's origin a rich family instead of a middle-class or even some native Babaylan instead of a rich kid character? It may just be me. Let me know if you had any similar thoughts.

For now those are the things that I can think of for the story per se. To be honest, it was a very good take on the lore and it gave an impression that in case the creators would decide to continue to build it, we have our very own universe of Trese... Treseverse as I want to think of.

THE ANIMATION:

This aspect gave me a foreign vibe (as it should), but not the usual anime vibe like Dragonball Z, Bleach, or even One Piece. It gave me a Jackie Chan adventures animated series vibe. If you don't know what that is, you can check it here click that and you'll see the intro. You'll see what I mean. I bet they can definitely make it better if they go into a 2nd season. Again, this is a first, but definitely something we can be proud of.

EDIT-IN: I almost forgot one thing that the creators might already have considered for the second season. Since this is an anime, they can go and exceed reality at its finest and be as extra like the animation concepts for Bleach, Dragonball Z, One Piece, Gintama, and even Prince of Tennis. You do know what I am trying to describe here right? Let me use Prince of Tennis as an example. It is about tennis but the way the signature moves are executed by the characters and the way it is animated, that's what I am saying. *wink*

THE VOICE ACTING:

I was a voice actor too, don't worry I am well aware of our popular actors/actresses and I have worked with some of them. This is an unpopular opinion, but I will say this, kudos to Liza Sobreno for delivering. It may not be as expected with a professional voice actress, but do pause for a moment and take this into consideration. She is an actress, NOT a voice actress. This is her FIRST official voice acting product and she did a good job on it. Reminded me of our days with Bleach. I was supposed to be Ichigo Kurasaki, but the network decided to replace all main characters with the Starstruck cast, yes and it was done after we already dubbed the full pilot episode. Marky Cielo did a good job in simulating my voice sample for Ichigo, and so did the others who followed. This is almost the same as how Liza did. It is not easy transitioning your acting to an animated character as you hold your dramatic skills to give life to the character. Not life but justice to the essence of the character. So, yeah cut her some slack. You'll never know, she can be better on the 2nd season if she decides to disprove your not-so-constructive criticisms.

THE LORES:

This part right here is very crucial. I bet they made their researches, although of course as someone who had been exposed to these things, there are some that may need more research. Although, I bet that the creators already took note of it and may have already planned to address those in the next season. There are just some aspects that may need to be more accurate at some point. Small details but very crucial. Like dead-ghosts being seen by the crowd of NORMAL people. Case on point, if I recall it properly it is the first episode where Alex Trese was called by Captain Guerrero who found the white lady of Balete Drive "dead" in a sigil. In reality, people who have higher threshold of atmospheric pressures are the only ones can see this kind of instance. The normal ones would not, except for the following conditions:

- The sigil itself emits an energy that allows normals to see what is in it.

- The ghost wanted to be seen and manifested into the human realm

- The crowd is in an area with a person/spirit of high capabilities and these normal people are in a radius getting the AoE of the said person/spirit

I think that is all for now. All in all, I can say that this is something that we can be proud of. Always remember this was a first for our fellow Pinoy creators and it is in Netflix too. IF and IF you did not like anything that the creators or even the cast had done I suggest you be as constructive as you can. Thanks for taking your time in reading my review about this series. I appreciate you and your time. For those who have not watched the series, I suggest that you do. By the way, the artworks are really good too.

Game Review — Blue Fire

One of my all-time favorite game series is The Legend of Zelda. My favorite game of all time is The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. And my second favorite game of all time is Hollow Knight. So it would make sense, then, to think that a combination of the two would be the most amazing thing the world had to offer me.

Overall Score: 7/10

Well . . . it could have been better. It also could have been worse, absolutely, but it also could have been better. For more detailed thoughts, jump below the cut (and view on blog due to formatting).

The Pros:

The graphics and animation are beautiful. The specific Zelda game the graphics brought to mine (despite the color palette, which was clearly more Hollow Knight inspired) was The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. Whatever reason the developers had for going the cel shaded route (maybe they had an artistic vision in mind, or maybe it was easier somehow) it was a good one to make. In particular, all of the glowing and flame effects were lovely, the shadows all fell in the right places, the characters were charming to look at, et cetera. Everything worked well with the acrobatics as well. Visually, the game is beautiful.

For the most part, the platforming is fair and even platforming challenges are doable with enough practice. This is particularly true for the overworld / main dungeons, rather than the Voids, which are more extra dungeons that you don’t have to complete to beat the game (although doing so certainly makes the game easier given that each completed Void gives you another life heart). While there were some areas where the game lagged for whatever reason and threw off crucial timing, as well as some Voids that were definitely more Platform Hell than simply platforming, the platforming puzzles were very well put together for the most part and were enjoyable to play.

The fast travel system, when unlocked, is incredibly convenient and takes a lot of the headache out of traveling around the world, particularly given that you use the shrines for a number of things (fast travel, saving, char—spirit equips) and there aren’t any maps present in this game whatsoever. It does take some time to unlock fast travel and you’re not exactly pointed in the direction to get it (in fact I had to look up to figure out where I was supposed to go to get it), but once you have it it’s a well-developed system that took a lot of pain out of playing that would have otherwise been there.

A minor thing that I liked, but (just like in Hollow Knight) when you die, your spirit or soul is left behind. Also like in Hollow Knight, it keeps all of the money you had on you when you died. Essentially, it is the exact same thing as the Shade from Hollow Knight, but white instead of black. Anyway, the minor thing I liked about this is that if you die in a boss fight, your spirit waits for you directly outside the boss arena, meaning that you don’t have to try to reclaim it while the boss is trying to kill you. It was a nice bone the developers threw the player.

While no tracks in particular standout, and while the OST doesn’t live up to the OSTs of the inspirations behind this game, there were times when the music was very nice, which is always a plus.

While the main quest is very short, there are numerous sidequests you can do even apart from the Voids that give you things to do in each area, making them feel a little less small and giving you a bit more time with the game, as well as unlockables as rewards (mainly in the form of new costumes, but still). There are lots of little secrets hidden around in each area too, which is nice to discover if you’re someone like me who loves exploring in games. 

The Neutrals:

The story. The story is . . . how do I put this . . . okay. So, it’s clear the developers wanted to write a story with the aesthetic of Hollow Knight (ruined kingdom, lots of shadow / light dichotomy, fallen kingdom, et cetera), but with an overt storytelling style like The Legend of Zelda. So you get a lot of exposition about what happened in the past, and what you as the main character are supposed to do now . . . but the thing about the exposition is that not only is the same thing repeated about fifteen different times (such as the constant harping on about how the main character contains both light and shadow within them), but also there are huge chunks of seemingly important detail that are just left unexplained. Like for instance: we know that the Fire Guardians from the Fire Keep were one of the last strongholds against the Shadow (who was also the sixth god and has also corrupted the queen yadda yadda). And we can extrapolate that the Fire Guardians were specifically trying to create a warrior that was both light and shadow based on the fact that the game starts with the main character breaking out of a test tube with a bunch of corpses that look just like the player scattered around, seeming to be failed experiments (i.e. just like how the Pale King created the Hollow Knight in Hollow Knight). But the only Fire Guard that we see around is Von. I think he mentions briefly once that the Fire Guards were trying to make the warrior, or had made the warrior, or something like that, but we’re never told why, exactly. We don’t know what processes led to that. We don’t know who was in charge. We don’t know why this specific type of warrior was needed except “since you have both you may be the answer.” And the fact that there were apparently a bunch of failed experiments is never really touched upon either. Furthermore, we’re told that the five gods had lifted Penumbra (the world) into the sky to protect it from the Shadow (a la Hylia raising Skyloft to protect the people from Demise), but that it didn’t work and the Shadow ultimately got to them anyway. So allegedly this is a post-apocalyptic land. But the only thing to really be ravaged is the Temple of Gods, where apparently the corrupted queen sleeps. Everyone else seems mostly fine as long as they avoid the monsters? It’s like they were going for what Hollow Knight did, but didn’t quite want to go the full route of having corpses literally everywhere on-screen at all times. Although weirdly enough, there is also a distinct lack of NPCs which makes the world feel more empty than Hallownest despite the circumstances . . . What I’m getting at here is that there definitely is a story, but it was told in a way that was pretty sloppy. It’s not so sloppy that it detracts from the overall experience, but it’s like too much was piled on in some areas and not enough was explained in other areas. Or like they took some things they liked from other games (e.g. making the creation of the “warrior of light and shadow” reminiscent of the creation of the Hollow Knight) without following through on what made those things work. Like it wasn’t just that there were a lot of failed Knights and that their corpses were tossed into the abyss and that The Knight had to try to claw his way out (as did Broken Vessel and others) while the “successful” Hollow Knight was raised by the Pale King. It was also that we know that the entire reason why the Hollow Knight was created in the first place was to contain the Radiance / the Plague. It was also that these hundreds or thousands of corpses were the Pale King’s children. It was also that the Pale King has a monologue over that segment saying, “no mind to think, no will to break, no voice to cry suffering” as requirements for the Hollow Knight to be considered successful. The horror didn’t come just from the corpses being tossed down the pit around you as you had to climb up in an attempt to get out, but also at all of the surrounding context, which was left entirely out of Blue Fire’s version with the warrior of light and shadow. Not that they should have copied it (although if they had it really wouldn’t have been surprising), but it’s clear what they were trying to do and where they failed because they didn’t have the follow through to go with it. I feel like the above paragraph is so critical I should move it to The Cons, but I do want to say that I don’t think the story itself was terrible. It borrows so much from both Zelda and Hollow Knight that it really isn’t original and it doesn’t follow through on things that made those stories work, but overall it doesn’t ruin the experience, even if all of the repetition gets old pretty quickly. Although as a final note, I’ll also add another thing that bugged me, which is that we never learn what the people of Penumbra are. Like we know the Shadow is bad, but they all look like Shadow people. We know there are creatures called “onops” but we don’t know what they are, or if everyone is an onop. Whereas in Hollow Knight we know that all the characters are bugs. It’s just another little thing that wasn’t explained but probably should have been.

On a less long note, the combat is also pretty mediocre. Again, it’s not bad. There is a parry system that, if you learn to time it right to actually pull off the parry, is pretty cool. But although you are given magic, which is useful for killing long-distance enemies, the magic can’t do a single thing for you in boss battles no matter how many times you upgrade your mana. Additionally, it is very much a “mash Y to win” type of game, where Y is the button you use to attack and you just mash that while jumping around. There’s no complexity to the combat at all or any strategy that is really required. It’s not bad, per se, but it’s nothing to write home about either.

The charms in this game are called spirits, and while you can buy a majority of them from shopkeepers, you can also “capture” your own by coming across the spirit of a dead person and trapping it to use its power for yourself. This is made apparent when you go back to a young child who is dead the second time you go to see them, and capture their spirit for use. Also when you literally murder an NPC for a sidequest and then later capture their spirit to use for your own use. And aside from the sidequest giver being horrified you killed the NPC and telling you to keep it hush-hush (without even knowing that you can and will capture the spirit of that murder victim for your own use) this . . . is never really remarked upon. Ever. And the thing is, it creates a sort of dissonance, because your character is treated as a hero in this game. No one seems horrified by you, there’s never any question of whether your existence is moral or not, nor any reason to think that your character would be amoral. In Hollow Knight, the Knights were created to be soulless husks who were there to be vessels for the Radiance / infection. Hornet in particular calls out your cursed existence and how she does not like you because of it. But although you can learn “emotes” from statues (which is teaching your character either actions or emotions, it’s unclear), no such deal is made here. So this aspect of the game is strange, even if I can at least appreciate that they tried to make their spirits a tiny bit different from Hollow Knight’s charms. Though with that said . . .

The Cons:

It’s one thing to be inspired by other games, but the sheer amount that this game cops from The Legend of Zelda and Hollow Knight is, at least to me, incredibly distracting. Just a handful of examples off the top of my head: — In Hollow Knight, you have a Shade that lingers where you last died and keeps all of your money from when you died. In Blue Fire, you have a spirit / soul (again, it’s unnamed) that lingers where you died and keeps all of your money from when you died. You have to retrieve them before you die again to get your money back. — In Hollow Knight, you have different circular charms that each have a different design, name, and grant you different abilities. You can only have a certain amount equipped at a time (though you can increase how many you can equip at once) and you can only equip them at save points. In Blue Fire you have different spirits that are contained in circles that each have a different design, name, and grant you different abilities. You can only have a certain amount equipped at a time (though you can increase how many you can equip at once) and you can only equip them at save points. — Everything I explained above about how the main character breaking out of a test tube at the beginning, surrounded by corpses just like them, felt like an echo of the Knight’s creation in Hollow Knight (but again, not as effective for reasons outlined above).  — The default tunic has a hat that is exactly like Link’s from The Legend of Zelda. This is made even more obvious with the dyed green tunics. — The story segment detailing how the five gods created Penumbra was copped from how the golden goddesses created Hyrule from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. To compare the dialogue: Ocarina of Time: “Din. With her flaming arms, cultivated the land and created the red earth.” Blue Fire: “Dina, God of Land. With her mighty body of stone, Dina carved mountains, deserts, and landforms in the earth.” It’s in the exact same cadence, to the point where I half expected the artifact they created at the end of the story to be the Triforce (instead it was called the Oath of Sarana).  — In Hollow Knight, the titular Hollow Knight is housed inside the Temple of the Black Egg, and is in fact locked inside that Black Egg to seal the Radiance / infection. There are three locks on the egg, and each one will only be broken when one of the three Dreamers dies. You have to break all three locks to face him, a corrupted “final” boss. In Blue Fire, the corrupted queen is housed inside the Temple of the Gods. There are three locks on her door, and each one will only be broken when one of the three Shadow Lords dies. You have to break all three locks to face her, the corrupted final boss. — It’s implied that, especially in places like the Temple Gardens, that the humanoid enemies that attack you are not monsters, but are people who were once completely normal and even forces of good who were corrupted by the Shadow. This is exactly like how all of the enemies you face in Hollow Knight (with the exception of, say, Hornet) were also once normal bugs before they were turned into zombies by the infection. I could go on. The point is, it’s perfectly fine to be inspired by something. Hell, it would be hard to find an action/adventure game that wasn’t inspired by The Legend of Zelda at this point. But it’s one thing to be inspired by something, and another thing to completely rip-off your inspiration to the point where the similarities are distracting to your audience. And it’s not just me; when I was looking up the exact dialogue for the story of the gods from Blue Fire, I found others who were pointing out just how similar everything was to Hollow Knight in particular, including someone who, like me, realized that the Temple of the Gods was essentially the Temple of the Black Egg. When things are this blatant, it feels a whole lot less like inspiration and a whole lot more like plagiarism.

The Voids all have a star rating to indicate how difficult they are. These star ratings are completely meaningless. Granted, partly it’s because everyone is going to have different abilities and so it will be hard to create an overall difficulty scoring that will be accurate for every player, but it’s also telling when a four-star course is miles easier than a two-star course, which I found to be the case on more than one occasion due to level design that was, at times, kind of bullshit. 

Although there are NPCs, there are none who are memorable or standout, despite the fact that most of Penumbra’s populace is (maybe?) still alive. Unlike in Hollow Knight, where there were characters like Elderbug, the Last Stag, Hornet, Quirrel, and so forth that were memorable and lovable, all of the NPCs in Blue Fire feel rather the same and are pretty easily forgettable.

The world itself is incredibly small. While the fact there are no maps makes this kind of a good thing, on the other hand it’s a bit disappointing that there are a total of two towns and then a few small connecting areas. It doesn’t really make it feel like the kingdom that it’s supposed to be. 

On that note, why aren’t there maps? The fact that there is fast travel is really more of a necessity than mere convenience because there are no maps to help lead you around. If you put down the game for a while and then go back to it, you might not remember how to get to different areas in the game, and if you haven’t unlocked fast travel yet (since it is something you have to unlock) you’re going to be pretty much boned due to the lack of a feature that is in basically every other game. 

Overall, while this is not a game I think I would ever go back to, it also isn’t one that I regretted purchasing and playing. It could definitely have been better, but it also could have been worse. My only hope is that the next game this studio makes is more original, rather than copying so much from other, more successful titles. (Or at the very least, that they study why certain things worked in more successful titles, instead of just copying at the surface level and calling it a day.)

The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck: The Last of the Clan McDuck!  Review “It Was Worth THE Dime”

This is one of my faviorite comic book stories of all time. Given i’m a massive comics nerd, for both books and strips, that is the highest praise I can give this wonderful, epic, beautifully drawn and deeply emotoinal story. I first discovered it in the local library that had the second volume, and found the rest online at a now long dead fan site. And while it took me longer than I care to admit to really dig into Duck Comics, and even now i’ve only scratched the surface, I can say without a doubt this story is the reason I’m so deeply attached to Scrooge as a character, and that I was excited as  I was for Ducktales 2017. This comic showed me just what Scrooge McDuck should be at his core as a character, and showed me what a wonderful character that is. So with all that glowing praise as you can guess i’ve been wanting to cover this for years, and even considered though back when I was more primarily a comic book reviewer last year. Any time i’ve reviewed stuff before now, i’ve considered it, and with Scrooge’s Sisters Hortense and Matilda presumably and definitely debuting on Ducktales soon, and it’s about damn time, the timing could not be better or clearer to dig into this utter triumph.  But before we can take a look at the story itself we naturally have to take a look at the man behind it: Writer and Artist Don Rosa. Don Rosa is easily one of the best Duck Comics writer out there, seen by many as only second to his own faviorite duck comics writer and God of Ducks, Carl Barks. For those 1 of you who do not know, Barks was the man who created pretty much everything in the duck universe comics wise and a bit in animation too: He created Daisy, Scrooge, Gladstone, Magica, The Beagle Boys, The Junior Woodchucks, Gyro, Little Bulb, Glomgold, Rockerduck, and the list goes on. While he didn’t make EVERY duck, he made so many that it’d be impossible to imagine either version of Ducktales being possible without him.  So of course Rosa was a fan and while he took up the family buisness, he was also an artist and duck comics fanboy on the side. So when, even if it meant a paycut, the opportunity to actually write and draw them came up, he lept at it and thus became one of their publishers go to guys, even if said publisher published the stories overseas where the Duck Comics are far more popular and still going to this day, and ironically where most duck comics printed nowadays get their stories from. Rosa was known for his meticous historical research and gorgeous art that he took his time drawing to get just perfect and showed on the page. The man has easily some of hte best and most detailed duck art around and I still haven’t found a duck artist that can match him.. and if you have or found one close i’d genuinely love to see that. He is a genuinely talented, spirited guy who was sadly mistreated by disney and that, coupled with tragically failing eyesight, eventually ended his career. He’s still around and I genuinely hope to meet him some day as he still does conventions.  The man is not without fault: I don’t get his hatred of superhero comics, as while I get them overshadowing funnybooks and that around the time of his career they were in decline, but it’s just as unfair to write off Superhero comics as mindless.  garbage as it is for people to write off the Duck Comics as “only for kids” and I genuinely wish he’d see that and see how the medium has evolved so much since then. I also grumble a bit as his refusal to allow anything besides barks into his bubble, and having to be forced to include fethry on the family tree, but that’s more personal preference. I like using as much material as you got. IT’s why i’ve wanted to, and hopefully will eventually get around to, write a sonic fanfic using bits of all the various universes that for legal, ken penders being an absolute waste of a human being, and sega being stupid reasons can’t be used anymore. I like taking everything in a franchise and putting it in a blender and it’s why I love the reboot. But there’s nothing wrong with taking things as is, not stepping on toes canon wise, but still being awesome. We’re just diffrent people and that’s okay.  And a lot of his fanboy showing actually lead to REALLY good things: Goldie O’Gilt was a one off character, and while used ocasoinally overseas, didn’t really pick up as a character again until a combination of Ducktales 87 and Rosa’s work with her, as he always loved the character, and fleshing her out lead to her being used more, and gaining a sizeable fandom. He also gained the Cablleros an even bigger fandom by giving them two stories of their own, and fleshing them out a bit more.  And this very comic is the peak of that, taking EVERY mention of scrooge’s past from various backstories to set up adventures, every tiny scrap, and to his credit going to both Barks Himself and various other Barks Experts Rosa was friends with to check his work, especially difficult given he likey had to find these stories in issue or pullt hem from disney archives, and complied it into one long epic that not only uses all this info effortlessly, but spins a compelling story that gives us a clear vision of what Scrooge should be, how he became the man he is, and how he lost himself only to find himself again with the help of three precocious boys and a cynical 30 something duck. So taint all bad is what i’m saying.  As for how this got started, thankfully rosa himself provided the origin story for this project in the back of the volume of his works that contained the first 7 chapters of life and times, as well as detailed notes for every chapter. At the time Rosa was working for Egmont, the big european publisher who handles Disney’s much larger european comics market, hence why most of his stories appeared years earlier in Europe before debuting here. The american publisher at the time , and an old friend of his, called Rosa with an idea: A 12 issue Maxi-Series focusing on Scrooge’s history, since at the time they were all the rage.. and really even today mini series are still a viable market and many indie titles just have several minis instead of an ongoing. So it wasn’t a bad idea, Rosa just simply offered a tweak: He’d tell his publisher at Egmont about the idea, and let her get a crack team of writers and artists to do this proper, and thus Disney could publish it for free once it was done and for no extra cost. Rosa gave his publisher a fax detaling both the idea and the fact that it needed to be done right, given to the best person possible, and done with the greatest care. She agreed.. and naturally handed it to him, as he admits he hoped. She made the right call, a legend was born and here we are.  One last bit before the read more and before I get to the first story itself at last: Since barks wrote a lot of side stories that fit into the canon, I COULD slot them in between chapters, but have instead chosen to review the original 12 part story as was, and do the various side stories and two epilogues, the utterly fantastic “Dream of a Life Time”, easiliy one of my faviorite comics ever, and the also really great “Letter From Home”, which will likely on some level be the basis for the upcoming at the time of this review “Battle for Castle McDuck!”, after completing the story. In other words i’m probably going to be at this for years. so join me under the read more won’t you as I begin the journey of a thousand miles with a single step as we look at the humble start of a legend. 

We begin, after a fun short teaser with present Day scrooge saying his past is no one’s buisness only to get hit with an oh yeah?,  with a scrap book title for the issue, something I want to bring up since while I got that’s what it was what I never got, and  must’ve glanced over when I first read rosa’s notes when I got this copy, was that it isn’t SCROOGE’S scrap book, but his sister Matilda’s who dutifully and happily catologued her brother’s adventures. It’s a really sweet moment.. and something that will hit VERY hard when we reach Chapter 11. If you haven’t read this story or heard of it.. .that’s this story’s equilvent of “Last Crash of the Sunchaser” and clearly Frank and Matt drew from that story a bit for it, but we can get more into the parallels when we get there. A smaller but fun note is that Rosa had specific coin drawing templates, for different indentions and what not he used, and used them for the coins in these intro bits. Yes he admitted he has a problem and yes that’s damn impressive anyway. 

It’s Scrooge’s 10th birthday, and his father Fergus has taken him up to see the family land, Dismal Downs to tell him of the mighty Clan McDuck and show him the ancestral lands, graveyards and Castle. He admits to having taken this long because the Clan McDuck currently lives in Glasgow so it’s kind of a long trip just to show your son “Hey look at the decay and rot that’s our ancestral homeland”. The Clan is on hard times, as a bad shipping deal, the backbone of a rather good barks story and I wont’ be interjecting for every barks reference as it’d get rather tiring though for what it’s worth Rosa provided tons of detailed footnotes in the back of each Fantagraphics collection, so good on him. Speaking of which though they do include 10 pages of Mc Duck family history that was supposed to open this story.. until Rosa’s editor wisely pointed out the story isn’t about them but scrooge and having read his roug draft, yeah.. there’s a good gag here and there, as well as “Dirty” Dingus McDuck, scrooge’s Grandpa and the reason Dewey is cursed with that middle name. Why anyone thought Dingus was a good name is beyond me, nor why Donald thought that was a good middle name back in 2009 is again, beyond me. Good on Don though for getting that past the censors.  But yeah with no money they can’t buy the land back and they were scared off it years ago by a mystical ghost dog, the hound of the whiskervilles. There is treasure in the castle, Sir Quackly’s gold, but he accidently sealed himself into a wall while sealing his treasure in there. Their interrupted by the town assholes, the Whiskervilles who have been grazing sheep on the land and are naturally behind the hound, using the sound of it to scare off Fergus once they realize he’s a McDuck. Because apparently you can keep a Scooby Doo style hoax up for Centuries if you don’t have meddling kids around. Who knew.  Back in Glasgow, we meet the rest of Scrooge’s family: His Uncle Jake, his sisters Matilda and Hortense, and his mother Downy. Jake hasn’t really been mentioned at all in Ducktales and I know next to nothing about him, which given I share a name with the guy you’d THINK I would. I mean I know a decent amount about this Jake. 

But nothing about who the hell Jake McDuck is or why he lives with his brother and his family. Here, you guys watch the dancing Jake, i’m going to probably do that for hours after this review is done, i’m going to go sort this out.  Okay one google and finding the Scrooge Mcduck wiki page on him, Jake shows up here likely because he was referenced in the story “A Christmas For Shacktown” and apparently borrowed from Scrooge and never paid it back. Otherwise.. there’s not a lot about him and unlike the rest of Scrooge’s family he really dosen’t do much that I can remember. Except like 2017 Scrooge, he apparently has become extremely long lived, as Scrooge and Donald STILL think he’s alive in the 1950′s.. and likely is STILL alive in some form in the Don Rosa stories, given his take place after Barks and thus in the 40′s and 50′s where Barks stories were set. Hence why unlike the Reboot, Scrooge isn’t inexpecilbly over 210. But Jake McDuck sure as heck is. Maybe this highlander is a highlander.. you know the movie and tv show type. Maybe someone cut off his head. That’s what i’m going with.

This does bring me to another point about this story: While Barks gave all of scrooge’s family their names, it’s where Rosa got them after all, it’s Rosa who really made them into characters. Fergus as a loving father ashamed his family legacy has fallen and wanting his son to do better than him, Downy as an equally loving wife and mother, Matilda as his sweet and caring sister and later her brother’s moral center, and Hortense.. well here she’s just a babbling baby but her character will become clear and glorious as we go. She is adorable here though and we do get some great bits with her.  Getting back to the plot now i’ve made my points, Jake is riled up wanting to understandably kick the Whiskerville’s asses with Scrooge, who even as a sweet innocent ten year old still has the family temper already, agreeing.. but Downy gently shoots them out pointing that two middle aged-ish men and a 10-year old just aren’t enough to fight an army of them and while she doesn’t mention it the fight would just tire them out for work and accomplish nothing as while it is the McDuck’s land the combination of the hound and the lack of money to move back means it’s pointless. She also mentions their younger brother Pothole, who went to America. This will be important later. 

Scrooge storms off and Fergus laments, in a scene that’s more painful the more I think about it, how his clan has fallen, with he and his brother lamenting their chances at glory are long gone.. but Fergus has hope his son can do better, and for his son’s birthday makes him a shoeshine kit in the hopes of inspiring him to greatness. This scene still resonates since many of us are poor, struggling and not doing so good money wise. I’m sure many parents have doubts and regrets about not being able to do more for their kid.

 Not only that but the story carefully avoids the trap of Fergus accidently being abusive by you know, pinning his family’s future on one 10 year old. While yes he is asking a lot of Scrooge, to restore their family name.. it’s very clear he mostly just wants his son to do better than him. Even if Scrooge was just slightly more successful, Fergus would likely be happy with that. He’s not using the legacy as a “This what you must be” like say the Gems in steven universe did for Steven with Rose’s Legacy, the kind where it sort of suffocates you till youc an make it your own. He’s just saying “this is what you can be” He believes his child can be great and simply once him to reach his full potetial and is simply giving him a means to hopefully do so, a simple home made shoe shine kit. While Jake scoffs, the narration notes the idea isn’t worth a dime.. it’s worth THE dime. The dime that would set Scrooge’s destiny in motion. 

The next morning, Fergus goes to check up on his son and his new buisness but Scroogey’s having no luck and about ready to just quit, the poor child. Also Matilda is dragging her baby sister around like a doll and it’s entirely precious as it is funny. 

But as for those Dorty Boots, Matilda wonders why her dad dosen’t just tell Scrooge that Burt the Ditch Digger is coming. Fergus tells her to quite and then explains his plan: he’s sending Burt to scrooge, with an American dime Fergus and Matilda found, to teach his son a lesson: By giving him a hard days work, he’ll teach him what hard work truly means.. and by having Burt “cheat” him with the American dime, it’ll give him the motivation to keep going and to nto be as wide eyed and trusting. It’s a well meaning if harsh lesson, and the kind you’d expect from 1900′s parenting and fits the origin well: Scrooge still earned his first money square, as he still did work.. but his getting cheated being a lesson dosen’t diminish what it taught scrooge, and helps flesh out what I talked about above, Fergus knowing his son has great potential he just needs inspiration to reach it. And instead of just telling him that he does a con job but it’s the 1900′s. This orign, and Fergus’ part in it would be entirely untouched in Ducktales 2017, the first scrooge based adaptation since this comic came out, and I bless them for it. Frank even said this comic was used as a bible by the writers and while theirs clear deviations, and we’ll get to that, they were mainly done for good reason, and it’s very clear that while scrooge’s history is very VERY diffrent in the reboot, the core of his past is still there. 

So the plan is on and young scrooge spends half an hour killing himself to get Burt’s shoes clean before getting his dime.. and realizing he’s been had, makes this proud decleration that will be the bedrock of his entire life and character. 

Scrooge being naturally stubborn as you can see takes his cheats a leson: There will always be hard honest work, and he will be there to do it and he’ll be tougher and sharper than anyone trying to cheat him out of his pay. Fergus’ plan has the intended effect, and Scrooge having learned a hard lesson now has the drive and determination we know him for. As for why it gives it to him.. I had to think on it a bit but it makes sense: For some a setback like this would make them quit.. for Scrooge it’s just proof he CAN find customers, he CAN do this job, or any at his hardest and instead takes this as a lesson to be prepared ot out think and outfight anyone who dares cheat him again, and to not earn his money by being the kind of guy who cheats a kid out of an honest days pay, but as a good honest duck like his father and his father before him. =He will make his money square so he can be the kind of person this seeming stranger SHOULD have been. Granted we’ll see Scrooge doesn’t end up as the best person at times but .. we’ll get there.  So with the fire inside turned from a spark into the flame Scrooge soon got to work, and by the next panel we see he’s eventually worked his stand up from a small box given to him by his dad, to a three seater shoeshining bench, who he wipes all at once by stretching one of his mother’s girldes over a light pole, a detail I didn’t get the first time around but now love. Naturally being a good kind boy much like his Nephews, Scrooge always gave his proud father a portion of his earnings, if with a full receipt for tax purposes. Because he’s still scrooge after all. His dad wonders he did too good a job while Hortense glxbit’s in agreement. 

As the years go on, a now tween Scrooge is eventually able to save up for a horse cart, and starts selling Fire Wood up in the city. He eventually realizes Peat, an earthy subtance found in bogs I only know about because I had to look it up for this review, is more profitable and with some snappy marketing moves into selling Peat for the rich instead, also showing the young lad already has a grasp of how to sell to obnoxious rich people. 

But while his business is booming, our young hero can’t resist visiting his family’s ancestral home and longing for it, hoping one day to have it for himself and in a nice show of how despite his temper and tenacity forged over the last few years he’s still at hear the kind, sweet optimistic lad he was just a few pages ago, he decides to tidy up the Clan’s Cemetary while he’s here. 

Unfortunately as proof that Donald and Della’s terrible luck comes from both sides of the family the Whiskervilles are sub-glomgold levels of human beings.. or Dogfaces in this case, and are digging up the McDuck Clan’s graves to hunt for treasure. Scrooge tries to simply do the smart thing and flee, but the asshole brigade catch sight of him and mistkaing him for a peat burgalar chase after him.. and spend WAY too much time and energy chasing a teenage boy over some fucking bog grass you clearly aren’t selling yourselves. I mean spare a thought for how dumb this is: They could easily sell of of that peat to put up a fence or chop down some trees to get the material if their really that concerned about someone getting in the bog. Then again this isn the 1800 and 1900′s where the child death toll was simply “Yes”, so they likely thought whose gonna notice one more dead child on our property?

Scrooge heads toward the castle and is gestured in by a friendly mystery duck who gladly shows him around and can tell he’s a McDuck just by look, showing the castle is still in glorious condition as the whiskervilles are too spooked to go in, hence why they didn’t chase Scrooge inside. I’d say being afraid of ghosts but not murdering a child is weird but these are the same guys who thought murdering a child was plan A. We’re not dealing with a brain trust is what i’m saying.  So the mystery duck shows Scroogey around, showing off some colorful stories about his ancestors recycled from that scrapped prologue I mentioned. THe mystery man, who brushes off Scrooge thinking he’s a McDuck asks Scrooge what he’s doing to restore the family glory and while Scrooge points out he’s already working on it, Mystery Duck points out he’s still missing something: He has the drive and the dream, but peat and shoeshining, while getting him good money for his family, aren’t the thing you can build a fortune or a future off of. He then points out where Scrooge’s dime comes from: America.. and that gives the boy the idea to head to the states. As for what he could possibly DO there to start, the mystery guy mentions his uncle pothole. So Scrooge has the dream, the drive.. and now a plan: Go to america, work for his uncle on the riverboats, and work his way up from there till he finds his fortune and restores his family name.  But while his future is settled, the present is still an issue and Scrooge wants to teach the child murder club a lesson and thus borrows, though MM wisely points out it’s all his property a horse and some armor, and stuffs the armor with peat. As for what his plan is.. welllll

That.. is fucking awesome. And far from the last fucking awesome moment in this thing. It also shows off even as not quite a teen yet, Scrooge is still a badass already, and while he doesn’t have his trademark strength or fighting skills quite yet, his ingenuity is already there.. and that will always trump both. The Whiskervilles run away and into some quicksand and Scrooge vows to return one day as laird and reclaim his family land. But that’s a story for a few chapters down the line. As for who the mystery duck is, he’s naturally Sir Quackely himself, or rather his ghost, who was simply guiding Scrooge and didn’t give him the treasure as simply handing him the money wouldnn’t restore their family’s good name or continue their bloodline now would it? 

For now Scrooge returns to work for a bit before finding his way to America: A cattleboat to New Orleans looking for a Cabin Boy. And so Scrooge bids farewell to his family. His Dad, feeling bad he can’t even give his boy shilling, gives him the family pocketwatch with jake pitching in with the family gold dentures. While Scrooge naturally refuses to sell the watch, he does plan to sell the teeth as soon as possible for good reason. We then get some sweet goodbyes with him, his sisters (With hortense uttering her first words to everyone’s astonishment) and loving mother as he wonders just what awaits him in America. 

And there he stands on the bow of a ship, heading for a new land, in New Orleans he can be a new man. And we’ll see just what kind of man he becomes as this series continues. For now this is the end of a chapter but the beginning of a lifetime. 

Final Thoughts on Last of the Clan McDuck:

This story is excellent. While there are even better chapters to come, this one is still one of the most memorable and most joyous, showing just how Scrooge became what he is, where some of his values come from, others will be instilled along the way , and beginning to flesh out his family. We see Scrooge’s love of wealth comes from starting from the bottom, growing up with a family that barely had anything and badly needed everything, but was loving and instilled fine morals in him. We also see a Scrooge far removed from the bitter old man he is in present day, an optimistic naïve young lad who only wants best for his family. It’s a nice stark contrast to who he’ll become, good and bad, and a nice way to both compare him to Huey Dewey and Louie and break your heart as his own hardens before briefly turning black later on.  The art, as is standard for this series and Rosa, is breathtaking, and the story isn’t lacking in good jokes, their just downplayed so the story itself can take center stage. There’s nothing really more to say: it’s an excellent start to an even more excellent tale and stands proud among an already stellar story as one of it’s finest outings. 

NEXT RAINBOW: Scrooge goes down to the mighty Missipi to work on the riverboats and meets one of his signature Rogue’s for the first time in their first form, as well as Gyro’s dad.. or grandpa.. or possibly both I don’t know his family tree. Point is, tune in next time for some riverboat hyjinks.  Until then if you’d like to comission an episode of any animated show, especially ducktales and the various other duck related disney shows, or another Duck Comics story you really like from Rosa, Barks or whoever you want really, I take commissions for 5 dollars a review, with 5 dollars off your full order when you put in for more than one episode or issue. You can also follow me on patreon.com/popculturebuffet and for just two bucks a month get access to polls (which i’ll start once we have at least three patreons), and my exclusive discord server. And if you liked this review be sure to reblog it to show off. My self promotion done until next time: There’s always another rainbow. 

Our Nightly Confidant 7

Send your prayers to the Sky

With a vast array of different quests and experiences, it was no surprise that between the nine of them, the Links could cover most essential skills. For example, if you needed a tactician, look no further than Warriors. If you had to solve some puzzles, Legend had seen them all. If you got stuck out at sea (a very unfortunate experience for Twilight, who discovered that day his lack of sea legs), Wind would be happy to talk your ears off about sailing.

But if one needs a partner for a one-on-one fight, then Sky is the hero you'll need.

For proof, look no further than the deformed lizard and giant eye corpses they've left behind them. After the third such ambush in a day, one might decide to change their tactics. Those monsters, untouched by whatever corruption is plaguing their current quests, don't. They simply come in waves and waves, as unthinking as they are exhausting.

Twilight, wiping his brows, hears a faint chime, though he can't identify its origins.

Sky's face changes. From relieved to worried, brows drawn together and his eyes scanning the horizon for one sign or another.

“What is it?”

“Fi, the spirit of the Master Sword... she advises us to find shelter for the night. She says there are high probabilities that monsters lurk nearby.”

No shit, Twilight thinks. Ever since the portal spat them out away from the rest of the group, the two of them have been fighting constantly to make any sort of progress. He regrets not having told Sky his secret earlier. They might have gotten a better deal if Wolfie had detected the attacks early or led them back to the others.

“Can she tell where the portals threw our companions?”

Again, the chime rings, and the Master Sword almost seems to pulse in sync with it.

“She senses the existence of a few other sacred weapons, but they're too far away for her to tell me more.”

Twilight glares at the red sun lowering itself over the hills. “We'll try and find them tomorrow then. No time to lose. I think I saw some house westward before the ambush.”

                                                   ***

It wasn't a town.

Broken houses lay here and there across some rock hard dirt road. Shutters hang limply from open windows. Tombstones litter one corner of the hidden vale, most broken or too weathered by elements for the epitaphs to remain. There are hints of small gardens behind collapsed walls of stone. Upturned soil in little rows. Both of them know the traces left by harvesting.

It's no town anymore. There's not a soul left.

The sign, somehow, had survived whatever cataclysm had struck here. For all the good it did. Sky can't read it, and Twilight... it looks vaguely familiar, he said. Not enough to hazard a guess about it.

Sky resolves to ask Hyrule about it. He's aware it's probably a futile and maybe even cruel thing to do, but... he has to. He isn't certain yet, why the idea weighs so much on his mind. A nameless town, a place that should have been home to dozens, maybe hundreds of Hylians, gone and forgotten.

His mind turns back to the first time he mentioned Skyloft to the other heroes. The way his heart squeezed when he realized that none of them had ever heard of it, that the closest he ever got to news of his hometown was a nomadic tribe of sky people from Four and, after an apologetic grimace from Twilight, a ruined city in the sky.

For so long, Sky had lived with the notion of Skyloft being the only town in the world. The essence of the world of Hylians, distilled and preserved by the kindness of Hylia. His adventures on the surface had stripped him of the notion, but not the tenderness and longing he felt for his home above the clouds. How could he, when half his soul is bonded to a sacred bird?

Hyrule should not be a kingdom of ghost towns and miles spread graveyards. That sight alone had brought tears to his eyes. Nothing had ever made him doubt his and Zelda's dream of founding Hyrule together before that.

“Sky!” rings Twilight's cry, and he wastes no time, spinning with Fi in hand.

He slices the air in a flawless, textbook motion, and the strange red keese fell in two distinct halves before disintegrating.

Twilight rushes to him, placing a grounding palm on top of his shoulder. “You okay, Sky? That thing was diving straight at you.”

He fights the growing weight of the Master Sword in his grip. The out-of-body feeling. His chest pangs with pulses of heat, with a loathing turned inward. He shouldn't be a burden this way. Not on top of everything else.

But he can't find the words in front of Twilight's earnest worry. “I, sorry, I guess I was too out of it. Thanks for the warning.”

He gets a pat on the back, strong enough to be a bit startling. “Don't give me a fright like that. Leave it to the Champion.”

Sky chuckles softly. “I'm not usurping his role, I promise. I can't take this much roughhousing.”

The smirk on Twilight's face looks terribly smug. He gives Sky another pat, then marches on through the deserted street. “We'll need to be rested for tomorrow. Best we wake up at first light to get as much time as possible to link up with the others.”

Sky nods, even though the idea of closing his eyes makes him nauseous.

You dreamed of a new kingdom, Zelda. I'm sorry I ruined it before we even started.

                                                      ***

The dog's barking chased him through the ruins. The others are gone. He can't remember- no, he doesn't want to remember. It's too painful.

“Lucky you,” Legend's voice rings behind the crumbled remains of some statue. There's no one there. “Must be nice to have a choice.”

“That wasn't-” he tries to say, but the barking swallows his words. They are close. So close.

For all his Courage, he knows he stands no chance. He can't even lift his sword. Fi looked at him and, coldly, without ever speaking louder than a dull monotone, told him he was no longer fit to wield her. There was a zero percent chance he would ever prove his worthiness again.

He has to step over the bodies. So young. Too young. One's missing an eye, an accusation forever etched into the blank gaze. His apologies are sobbed. He knows. He knows. They tell him to stay. To die. To atone.

But somehow, he stumbles forward up the steps to the Temple of Time. He knows that the place is safe. That it must be. It's the only thing that keeps him going.

The doors slam right behind him. And he breathes out a sigh of relief, walking into the moonlit shadow of Hylia's statue. Despite everything, the pain, the grief, the despair, he musters a smile for the benevolent face looking over him. “Thank you, Hylia.”

“Hylia? Who's that?” Wind asked, scouting closer. “Some woman you know?”

“The Goddess Hylia? Protector of Hyrule and the Triforce?”

The doors rattle. Again. The barking is muffled.

“Never heard of her,” Wind said. “All that's left of Hyrule lies beneath the Great Sea. Why didn't you stab Demise in the head? That's what I did. They can't speak with a sword in their brain, you stupid scallywag.”

Sky reached out, but his little brother was suddenly too far, miles away, and he couldn't run fast enough to catch up. He never could. Always one step behind. Always too slow for when it matters. Even when it came to killing his enemy. He doesn't save, he just deals with the clean-up.

Or leaves it to his descendants and reincarnations.

The doors are threatening to come off their hinges. At every hit, he sees the gap between them widen a little more. He sees glimpses of fangs. Of blue eyes staring. Of drool splattering when dark muzzles try to push through.

“I had so many hopes for you.”

He bolts upright, a strangled scream on his lips, Fi raised to strike.

For a moment, Sky doesn't move. His mind is slow to catch up. It notices the darkness first. The faint flicker of the near dead fire they lit up earlier. The soft, weakened planks under him.

There is no temple. No goddess. No-, wait, there is a wolf.

Sky blinks a few times, hands rubbing at his eyes. Right. The ghost town. Him and Twilight. He... where is his brother?

“Why are you...?” Sky starts, before letting out a sigh. Does that truly matter? “Say, Wolfie, how do you keep finding us?”

The wolf grunts, his ears folded back on top of his head. He proceeds to take a step backward.

Sky's sigh is gentle, soft. The same way he ran his fingers through the fur on Wolfie's head, behind his ears. He doesn't want to spook his friend.

“I know you can't exactly tell me the answer to that,” Sky says, his smile idle as his gaze goes back to the shutters. “It's okay if I make up a way, isn't it? I won't tell the others even if I get it right.”

Wistful. That's the emotion inside him. He needs to feel it, he believes. After that nightmare. After... not the memory, but something close to it. What he knows might happen.

His fellow heroes have all suffered so many hardships. He wouldn't blame them if they turned their anger at him. (He'd deserved it.)

A quick lick of a rough tongue brings Sky back to the present, and he forces himself to focus.

“You're no ordinary animal. That mark on your forehead, those soulful blue eyes...” Familiar. A reflection of what he's seen in the others. Heroic. “Hylia sent you.”

The grumble isn't loud enough to be threatening. It's actually more in line with the noise Legend makes in the morning or when Warriors is rejected in a tavern.

“A sacred beast to guide us heroes on our journey.”

The screams of his nightmare ring back through his memories. The accusations. The hate on the face of his brothers.

His smile starts to slide off.

“An envoy, to help lessen the aftermaths of my mistake... maybe...” he chokes out.

The sacred beast – he knows in his heart – lets out a quiet whine, and buries his muzzle against Sky's shoulder. Sky's arms latch onto Wolfie's fur as if it were a loftwing's reins. He is in freefall.

“Wolfie... I know I'm supposed to be a Hero of Courage, but... how do I tell them?” The corner of his eyes burn. Wolfie's face blurs, then clears when Sky blinks. “They've all overcome such odds, so many trials, and they... they wouldn't have had to, if I hadn't failed.”

The way he expects Wolfie to react ranges from a betrayed yip, to a silent embrace to even a sudden mauling.

A flat look wasn't one of them. It oozes skepticism and Sky's emotional outburst sputters like he had been making a stormcloud out of a nimbus. Do... do wolves really do that? That wasn't what he had in mind talking about how this wolf friend is special.

“I... ”

“Woof?” Wolfie woofs, annoyed.

“On my journey, I faced off against Demise, the demon god. A cruel being imprisoned for millennia before his subordinates managed to free him. I... I fought him. I dove through a portal and brandished the Master Sword and killed him. But... with his dying words, he cursed me. Us. The ones with the Hero's Spirit and the blood of the Goddess. There would always be an incarnation of his hatred to destroy everything they sought to build.” – The growl is steadily growing in intensity. – “I should have stopped him. It's me. My fault, Wolfie.”

That's when the shutters on the window rattle.

Sky is on his feet, sword drawn, even faster than Wolfie is. That, he later realized, is the problem. Fi might have brushed against his friend's fur. Not with the edge, never, but he had not thought the flat of the blade might have been a cause of concern. A blessed weapon wouldn't harm a sacred beast, right?

Shadows swallow Wolfie, who lets out a startled yelp, before out of the cocoon of darkness emerges a scowling Hylian.

“Twilight?!” he gasps, a whisper-shout that feels like his chest would explode. Twilight is Wolfie. Oh, Hylia, Twilight is Wolfie. He... he told...

This can't be real. His head spins. Oh Hylia. He needs to brace himself. To stand. (To run.)

The shutters swing open.

“Goshess darn it,” Twilight spits.

He makes a grab for something under his armor – what, Sky couldn't see – and the shadows return, swiftly giving his brother the form of the companion beast that they assumed was stalking their progress throughout the eras.

Wolfie (Twilight) barks at the open window, and the darkness of the night. The flutter of a moonless breeze.

Sky, despite the past few months having just turned on their heads, is alert enough to keep his focus on the threat at hands. What probably helped destroy the town. Those lost Hylians deserve some vengeance. It's too little, but he has to give them that.

There is nothing there.

But Twilight lunges, his fangs glinting in the hearth's light before he latches on something. Sky can only watch in horror as Wolfie-Twilight-brother hangs and scrambles against an invisible enemy, snarling, scratching, biting. He hears the inhuman shriek right as Twilight drops back on the ground, blood splattered over his fur and a fading purple light in his mouth.

Sky waits in tense silence, knuckles tight over the handles of his sword and shield. Beads of sweat roll on his cheeks, his heart hammering.

He doesn't react when Twilight stops and sniffs the air. Doesn't, when the change happens.

Twilight, ever practical, crosses the meager main room in a few strides and forces the shutter shut. Then lift a broken table leg and use it to ram the whole thing locked, or as good as it got in these circumstances.

When he is done, Twilight does not turn back right away. He lingers about the window, his shoulders tense and the wolf pelt (how had they not made the connection?) ripples in the low light when he lets out a defeated sigh.

“I shifted the first time because I thought I'd heard something, and my senses are much sharper as a wolf. I... I didn't mean...”

To trick you, Sky completes the thought. And it's unfair, cruel, but – despite his failure – he still thinks it (like he has the right to).

“You heard. About how I cursed the lineage.”

“I heard that you killed a demon god for what he threatened to do to your world, to your Zelda.”

“Twilight... I'm sorry,” Sky pleads, his throat hoarse. “I'm sorry! I know it'll never weigh enough for what my failure did to you and the others, but I'm so, so sorry, Twilight. If I hadn't... if I had just... Demise would have never had the chance to curse Hyrule.”

“And yet, with that 'chance', he went about it in the worst possible way. I know he predates the Triforce an' all, but that guy sure was no champion of Nayru.”

Sky's self-loathing melts into a slosh of confusion. “I... I don't...”

Twilight, strangely, is not winding up a punch or a kick or even a swipe of his sword. He's walking up to him. Sliding next to him, and, with an arm around his shoulder, getting them both sitting by the hearth.

“Think about it,” Twilight replies with a small smirk. “Coulda forced his reincarnation at any point he wanted, but he went 'fuck it' and made sure that there would always be a Champion of Courage and a Princess of Goddess' Blood around at the same time it showed up.”

Sky... considers. Tries to recall the wording. The exact thing, but he's forgotten half the words. He's spent one too many nights trying not to remember for his memories to cooperate now. He just knows what he felt then, the doubt and horror at war within. How many people might suffer if the curse was real? Had he truly earned his title, his love back, if it had come at the cost of the future?

And if he only knew of Hyrule's broken kingdom, the answer would be easy then.

“What was he like? That Demise guy? Did he give you the speech?”

Sky huffs. “Does trash talking count?”

Twilight's eyebrow game is quite on point there, wagging so fluidly. “Does it ever?”

“He thought me unworthy. Destined to die in a realm of water and storm. He promised the destruction of everything I hold dear, once my corpse lied at his feet.”

“Big talker,” Twilight deadpans. “No wonder he got so pissy about his defeat. Must have been humiliating.”

To his amazement, Sky bites down on a laugh. Demise had been imprisoned before, hadn't he? Who had done the deed the first time around? And if he was such a threat, would they not intervene again if he went too far?

“If it were me... well, not that I'm the revenge-type or anything,” Twilight adds suspiciously quickly, “I'd wait till they were both long gone and just destroy everything they ever built. Render their whole lives pointless. But that's his type, isn't it? Doesn't count if the victim isn't there to see it.”

“Alright. Demise would never be Nayru's favorite, I'll grant you that,” he says, sobering. “It's just... It hurts to hear Time and Legend insult Hylia. She's not...”

Not the one that deserves their blame.

Twilight runs a hand through his hair. “Can't speak for 'em. Much as I'd like to pretend, it ain't my mind and I ain't them as sure as they ain't me. The questing took its toll on their hearts and souls. I don't even want to imagine what Hyrule and Wild's doubts are like.”

Sky knows, though. He's heard Hyrule asking Legend once. He doesn't even understand what faith is meant to be. And, he thinks, gaze to the broken village outside, not without reason. What have the goddesses done for this kingdom that worshipped them?

“But I ain't about all that chosen talk... Chosen.”

Sky snorts. That was so terrible Time would be proud. The old man, somehow, relishes in their agony. The stupider the joke, the better, he said.

“I told you guys it was too pretentious for me.”

Twilight looks back to the flames. “It's too bad for the City Boy that he hasn't gotten that title. Would have flaunted it, the bastard.”

The image is amusing, until it's not.

“Do you think... do you wish it would have been him instead of me? Do you think Warriors could have done it right?”

Twilight stills. Sky sees him clench and unclench his fists a few times, then let out a long exhale. There's a hint of weariness in his gaze. Hard and walled in stone.

“You think your goddess could put up with Fancy’s hair flips? He'd turn her mad after just one of his rants about the standards of beauties of men.”

There's no hesitation. None whatsoever. “Yes. She would. She loves every incarnation of the Hero. Every single one of them. With all her heart.”

Twilight's lips twitch. It could be amusement. Or bitterness.

“Funny thing from a woman I've never met. Ain't ever heard of the gal till... well, Wild. I was grown on the worship of the Golden Trio, personally. Already chosen by Farore before I was found in Ordon. Can't imagine what made her think a two years old was especially brave when lost in the woods, but what I remember of it is just me crying and wondering about and getting stung by mosquitoes the size of my hands.”

Sky's silly bleeding heart cries for the image of a young Twilight, just a toddler with tear tracks on his face, stumbling out of a forest. Burns, then, when his brain reminds him of all the monsters that take residence in the woods of most eras of Hyrule. Stops when he recalls the other important detail: Twilight never found out who his parents were. Not their names, not what they did, not why he had been wandering alone.

Sky grabs his brother's hand and locks gaze with him. “I think you were brave then. Farore knew it too.”

Twilight’s face flushes red. “If... if you say so. But, that wasn't my... Urgh. Back home, I prayed to the Golden Trio because that's what Rusl and Uli did. I thanked Farore for wind on a hot day, Nayru for rain that irrigated the fields and Din for the fire in the hearth during winter. It wasn't much more than that.”

“We... we celebrate Hylia on Skyloft. She is the one that lifted the land in the sky to protect us from an unending war with demons. We have festivals in her name. Coming of Age happens before her most well-known statue. There's not a person in Skyloft that doesn't believe. All my life, I was told to show her gratitude. And I did, even in the pits of that damned temple, with shambling corpses trying to drag me under. Even when things looked lost, I still... I still had faith. I felt her love with me the whole way.”

He pauses, letting out a shuddering breath.

“Did you have that?” he asks in a whisper so quiet he couldn't tell if he was even heard.

Twilight, not helping matters, only glances around the broken furniture, the spilled wardrobe and the rags inside. “I had someone else talking over my shoulder,” Twilight says with a wicked grin. “I wouldn't have called her a goddess though. The impact on her ego that would have had, oh man. The Chosen Hero stuff though? Honestly, I forgot all about that until Princess Zelda mentioned it. Destiny didn't mean much to me then. I didn't even hear of Ganondorf until I was like, past the midway point.”

“He's the curse,” Sky confesses, hanging his head in shame. “He's the one that incarnates Demise's Hatred. You can't tell me that he never affected you. I saw your face the first time I said I never met the man.”

“Oh, yes, him I hate. Nearly killed everyone I loved. Doesn't mean I hate you though.”

“But-!”

“My Ganondorf is the same one the old man stopped. The same person.”

Sky's jaw drops. The same Ganondorf? Not a reincarnation?

He thought... he thought Twilight and Time had lived in different eras. Their bond has always seemed a little special. Older on Twilight's part as well. Like he had known Time before Time could become aware of him. It only made sense if one was the other's successor, but now he ponders. Are they... are they father and son? Had Twilight taken up his sword to finish what Time had been too old to do? He knew Demise's Hatred wasn't truly a man, but he had had the failings of one.

“H-how?”

“The ghosts of sages past pretty much confirmed it. Before my time, Ganondorf was accused of plotting a coup and trying to steal the Triforce from the kingdom of Hyrule. He was eventually arrested and scheduled for execution in the newly built Arbiter's Grounds.”

The name, for a reason he doesn't understand, sends a shiver down his spine.

An odd light glints in Twilight's eyes as he rests his sword over his knees. “But right as they thrust the sword in his chest, Din gave him the Triforce of Power.”

What the fuck, Sky thinks, and he'd chastised himself over such a blasphemous thought, but he can't muster the brainpower to do it. Din. Din of the Golden Trio. One of the Three. Why?

“What the fuck, right?” Twilight smirks, very much aware of Sky's bafflement. “The sages couldn't explain it either. They said... it must have been a divine prank.”

Something searing hot curls into Sky's chest, ugly and dark. His eyes fall on Twilight's form again. On his brother's scars, both on and under his skin. The self-deprecating smirk, growing sad as memories of his adventures must be surfacing. The horrors he saw. The battles he fought. The one he lost. Everything.

A. Prank.

Clarity is burnt into him. He knows, in the moment, what Time and Legend feel. Right down to his bone marrow, bitterness fills his thoughts and heart.

Demise. Demise, he can grasp. He can understand the shape of him and his evils. The motives, lacking as they are, feel so much smaller with that perspective. Petty, based on passion and emotions. Almost like a Hylian. But this? Is betrayal. The Goddesses he was taught were the benevolent makers of the world. The bastion upon which the world rests. Why then, Sky wonders. Why would Din indulge the incarnation of Demise's hatred just as the sages put him down without a struggle?

Why empower evil right as good triumphs?

Do they truly know anything about the gods?

“I don't get it,” Sky says, the only thing he can think to say at all.

Twilight's arm hooks around his neck.

“I don't understand either, and I've decided not to care. Din condemned us, Nayru granted us respite through my queen and Farore...” He looks down to the back of his left hand, where, under the gauntlet, Sky knows the Triforce of Courage lays. “Farore marked me from birth for salvation. I don't know how they work. It sounds almost like a balancing act. Did they each choose separately? Together? And if they didn't, was Din the first one to act or just the one that made the biggest impact? Maybe it was a prank. A big great game between three sisters having fun with their toys.”

The corners of Twilight's mouth lift up an inch, and Sky has the fearful impression that Twilight knows exactly the impact of his words.

“The worst pain I've ever endured... was inflicted on me by Farore, by the way.”

“Twilight! You, what are you even... the fuck?!”

Twilight's hand lands a solid clap on his back, and his snicker is boisterous. “The first time I turned into a wolf, that was due to this.” He rubs the Triforce of Courage on the back of his hand. “But that first change? Like my body had been left to dry during the hot season just in time for a wildfire. I swear to the Goddesses... nothing could ever compare. And that helped, in the face of monsters I'd never seen before.” And Twilight looks up to the ceiling, half caving from rot, and his eyes spark. His voice thrums with an unusual intensity. “No threat of pain ever made me pause. I never missed a beat from fear. I knew, on some deep level, that the worst would always be behind me, and I'd made the source of it my own tool for battle. I'd overcome Farore's test, in some way.”

Sky realizes he is holding in his breath a moment later. That his brother's words cast a spell of silence on this small dilapidated home. There's something empowering to the idea.

He remembers his own adventure a bit differently. He'd found Courage on a path more traveled, he feels. “I didn't have time to be afraid. I was chasing a demon lord after my Zelda. I knew I couldn't be scared of the monsters, because I had to face their master to free the love of my life. So I refused to be.”

And, it's some strange irony that he suddenly sees salvation within reach.

“For the record, Hyrule likes his country,” Twilight muses, like he's sorting through his memories.

Sky feels the burn of shame on his face. He doesn't mean it like an insult! “It wasn't...”

“No, sorry, let me rephrase that. He loves this place. He sees everything wrong with it, and he loves it anyway. He's working on improving it. He'll take the grueling tasks, the down and dirty, and he's gonna keep improving it until the rest of the country sees it the way he does. I say, it's a brave man that walks through broken ruins and still fights for the one wild flower he finds blooming there.”

“Please tell me you told him that,” Sky begs. Because he knows Twilight is Time's protege and Time is a man of few words. It works for them, but Hylia, he hopes...

“Why? It's pretty obvious, isn't it?”

Sky groans.

“Just... tell him, alright.”

Twilight looks a little bemused, but shrugs. “Sure, first thing when we see him tomorrow.”

That's a tempting thought, actually. Just getting it over with. To throw it at them, but that's another form of cowardice. To unload such a weight on people he loves without giving them a proper chance to prepare. He had to do this right. He owed them at least that explanation. If the constant heartaches had a purpose... maybe they'd be easier to bear.

'Why couldn't you just do it right the first time around?' echoes the voices from his nightmare.

Twilight's hand grabs his and squeezes. Concerned. “We can't force them to be reasonable right away, but we can knock their heads on straight.”

Twilight would. Somehow, despite the admiration for Time that Twilight never bothered to hide, Sky is certain that he would indeed slap him upside the head if the situation calls for it. And protecting one of them would definitely be one of those circumstances.

“They can be mad,” he says. “With what Ganondorf wrecked, they-”

“In Wind's time, the Goddesses saw Hyrule burn and doused it with an ocean. Do you think it's better than this era?”

Ravaged by fire. Swallowed by water. One, the act of a demon. The other, that of three goddesses.

He can't tell the difference. He can't tell the difference!

Hylia, Sky's head is spinning. Instinct latches on memories well-loved. Hylia cared. Hylia was one of the lesser divinities. One to guard the Triforce, not grant it. She, who loved the Hero so much, stepped into the world of mortals to forever be with him and help him protect the creation of the Three.

“Sky, I swear I don't resent Time over Ganondorf surviving his era. I don't resent the Twili for not stopping Zant before he could usurp the Twilight Realm. Not the guards that failed to prevent the invasion, not the Light Spirits that couldn't protect the very provinces they were meant to guard. Sky, hate is so hard to live with, I don't want to waste my heart raging about people that never deserved it. And maybe we're all different people, but we share the Hero's Spirit and I know that false blame has no place in it.”

The fire in the hearth sputters and embers are sent flying a few feet. They burn out entirely in midair, and with a sigh, Twilight rises to tear off another leg from an old chair and feed it to the flames. It's a simple, domestic gesture, not unlike the sort of things Sky remembers from Gaepora at the academy, when it was just him and Zelda, just children huddling together under a blanket.

The headmaster would tease them, and Zelda would laugh, unimpressed. She'd claim that it was only right, because she had decided they would be married, and not even Hylia could disapprove.

Even now, he blushes at the memory, his heart light in his chest.

Another log is stirred lazily through the hearth. He can see the headmaster's shadow over Twilight's.

Until he notices that Twilight's lips are moving silently. The words, Sky's unsure, but there's a faint impression of practiced in his brother's body language. Rehearsed. And, he can't quite stop himself from asking.

“... Who are you praying to?”

“Din.”

“Din? You're praying to Din?! Even after all that?!”

Twilight gives him one of those 'I'm-a-simple-man' shrug and Sky has the most troubling, greatest revelations of them all. Twilight is fucking with him.

“The fire's still there, isn't it?”

They might lose a finger to frostbite through the night without the fire. They need it. And there the pieces fit together. The picture of who Twilight is, and the value of being an earnest man. They need the fire, and the flames are there, and that's enough. The Goddesses might drown the world tomorrow, but tonight they allowed the flames to burn, through passion, through logic, through love.

Sky lifts a finger to the clasp that holds Zelda's sail around his neck. Then, deliberately, pulls the cloak of his shoulders to wrap them around both their shoulders.

Twilight blinks in surprise for but a moment, then grins back and shares his own wolf pelt. “Who needs gods, huh?”

Yes, Sky thinks. The fire is still here, but the warmth is all you.

AN: I have *opinions* about this fandom conflating all the Links into Hylia believers and I do not like it. Hylia is a very recent addition to the Zelda lore, and I hate that everyone acts like she's always been there. It's not even needed! There are thousands of years of hystory to go through. The worship of ONE goddess dying out and coming back (with Wild) shouldn't be such an impossibility. And the others meeting Sky and Wild shouldn't be enough to turn all their beliefs on their heads to include Hylia right away and make her the scapegoat for all the issues. Seriously, look at what the Triforce trio did before Hylia's inclusion. Don't they make more interesting figures to wax philosophy about??

OR.

Sky: *dealing with Hero Complex and impossible standards*

Twilight: *fresh out of a conversation with everyone else* You too? *pulls up sleeves, cracks his knuckles* You're on, skyboy.

Sky: *angst about Demise*

Twilight: He was a dumb shit.

Sky: *having a theological crisis*

Twilight: How about I fix that by making it even worse?

Todoroki x Reader

~~~~~~~~~~

Okay, okay, just hear me out. What if, in the fantasy AU- we switch shit up? Like instead of Dabi "dying" or, being cast out or cursed, Todoroki is the one to... disappear, or be cast out instead? This story was originally for my friend, but then I thought, "why not post it on tumblr?" So here we are! I'm not sure what the title should be yet, If anyone has any suggestions feel free to tell me :D But until then it's just going to be that title. This is a X reader story, with Shoto Todoroki and a mix of Dabi in there too- mainly todoroki though.

~~~~~~~~~~

The starry night sky glimmers like fairy dust. Harsh winds blow past the walls outside, angel tears pounding down onto the windows. The clap of thunder and a flash of lightning shocks the youngest occupant of the castle with a startle. His shaking, shivering form huddled in the corner as he slaps his hand over his mouth to muffle his small cry for help. Not like anyone would be able to hear him, it’s well past the dead of night.

“Shoto.. I know you’re here somewhere…”

the deep, scratchy chuckle echoes throughout the empty corridors. Frantically looking around, breath hitching with the streams falling down the small boy’s face. His unoccupied hand grips his shirt over his chest, willing desperately for his heart to calm down. Heavy footsteps get closer, the thumping in his ears get louder with the rain pouring harder outside.

Wide eyes look over to the sight next to him, letting out a louder cry. Everything, from the walls, floors, curtains, and flowers. The very world he grew up in slowly starts to decay right in front of him. Gasping when two hands wrap around his throat, squeezing threateningly. Quickly looking up he notices the white hair and bright eyes.

“Found you~...”

Before it goes dark. Hiccuping as he hits a floor harshly, water splashing around him. Shaky eyes look around the new room, mind racing over taking any form of coherent thoughts to form. It’s pitch black, nothing in sight. The water below him feels warm, warily bringing his hand up to his nose. His shaky hands cup his face, screaming out bloody murder in fear.

A smell of a sickening familiar smell fills his senses. From many days and nights since his young age of training, he knows this scent just like his older sister’s touch and soft words. Blood, everywhere. Iron permeated his mind with horrors from his father’s abuse. Standing up on quivering legs like a newborn fawn, his cries echo in this endless room. Bringing both hands to his chest in search of a form of comfort.

His bottom lip trembles when a scarred hand reaches out to grab his neck as before, electric blue eyes coming in view. The manic grin of the male stretches, causing blood to seep through the ruined and healthy skin. 

“Why’re you running from me shoto! Am I that scary to you? Maybe I need to teach you how to respect your elders!” 

The echoes of the male’s laughter surrounds him, not allowing any escape. With a wink the virile man slowly retreats, his gravelly chuckle everywhere. 

“Please! Why are you doing this to me?”

He yells, his feet moving before he could stop himself to run away. A sudden intense heat pulls another yell from him, moving away from the bright red flames. Tripping over what seems to be a root, tumbling down like jack and jill.

The light burns his eyes while laying on his back, whimpering at the stinging and pain from branches and thorny bushes. Helpless, he lays there while watching the blinding sun above of him shine into his eyes. The only bit of comfort being flush green leaves, the soft grass under him, and the birds singing into the atmosphere.

“Hello?”

Silence. Then ringing. the only sound his ears could pick up, loud enough to drown out everything other than that voice. He freezes for a second, breath stopping at the sound of an unfamiliar voice. Yet his body relaxes at the tone of it, so soft and sweet. Surely this… voice, is from an angel sent to him from the heavens to save him from this hell.

Shade covers his vision, looking weakly up at the goddess above him. He can't see her face, though, the sun behind her shading her face. Her hair and surely soft skin glowing, yet unable to see the features of her face.

“Do you need help?”

The worry in her voice is evident with the way she bends down, holding her hand out for him to take. Cautiously he grabs her hand, shivering at the sudden warmth after being left out on his meadow’s floor for seemingly hours. Unable to look her in the eyes, too scared what she’d say about his bandages and mixed eyes, his focus stays on his lap.

“Here, take this”

He can almost hear the sweet smile in her voice, unable to see it. She gently places a small basket on his lap, the weaving of it simple yet enough for it to work. He first picks up the bread, freshly baked and chows down on it, the growling on his stomach loud enough for the little girl to laugh a little.

“You must be really hungry…”

She crouches down, pulling the satchel off her shoulders and grabbing some wraps and medicine.

“This should help with those cuts.”

Stating matter of factly, she gently grabs his arm which was injured during the fall, and places some of the gooey medicine on. The young boy flinches at the sudden touch of cold, yet calms down quickly after. It feels nice against his skin, he decides, and lets her continue. She soon deems it on enough, grabbing the wraps and wrapping them around his arm to make sure the medicine doesn’t wipe off.

“There you go!”

Her sweet voice fills his ears, making a small, soft smile to show on his face. He realizes it’s the first smile he’s had in months, and it warms his heart.

“My name is…”

The sound of her name in his ears creates a ringing sound, he asks her again what it was, or tries to as his voice seems to not be working. He tries again, touching his throat but nothing comes out. His eyes close shit as panic starts to set in, the ringing getting louder and he has to cover his ears to block it out.

Snapping his eyes open he frantically looks around, to notice it’s black out. The sun has settled past the trees, sleeping for the night. The moon has risen high in the sky, casting a blue and beautiful tone to everything. The stars are out again, twinkling in the sky. A fog has spread through the place, causing a chill to run down his spine.

Shivering he stands up, calling out to the seemingly empty place. Silence. The trees look young and beautiful, almost mysterious yet frightening with how the dark envelopes the ones further away. Glancing down he’s taller, has gained more muscle, and wears leather clothing. A teenager. He distantly wonders where he is, bringing his hand up to mess with his lock of hair, smooth and soft to the touch.

Just as he’s about to take a step further, he hears footsteps not from him. His eyes snap towards the direction of the footsteps, bracing himself in case he needs to fight. Yet instead of an enemy or animal, a younger boy around his age walks forward with firewood. He looks up, and smiles brightly at the bi-color haired male. His green hair bouncing as he rushes over.

“Sorry I took so long, todoroki-kun! It took a little longer to find firewood than expected” 

he chuckles nervously, finding a firepit and throwing the wood in it. A brown haired girl follows after, their water pouches once again full of water. Once the wood is lit, it gives the boy, Todoroki, a chance to look around better. The memories of what happened before he got here comes rushing back, now able to think after his nightmarish dream.

“Todoroki-kun! Hurry up!” A cheerful voice ahead of him calls, causing him to glance up at the two in front of him. Izuku Midoriya, is a bit shorter than him yet all the more cheerful. He always has a bright smile on his face, eyes big and filled with wonder at every new plant and animal the three of them come across.

The second friend of his, Uraraka Ochaco, is always just as bright. How brown hair bounces with each step she takes, looking forward to the next part of their adventure. Her eyes are always on Midoriya-kun though, Todoroki has realized. He hasn’t brought it up to her yet but he wonders why she’s always glancing at him.

“Sorry, Uraraka” he says in a monotone voice, walking a bit faster to catch up to his two only friends.

“Don’t be sorry, Todoroki-kun! I just want to make it to the next village soon!” she giggles, looking ahead again once Todoroki is walking besides them.

The three make an excellent team, Midoriya always ready to fight others if they do his friends wrong. Uraraka has her own fighting spirit, knowing some sort of fighting technique from many years of being poor and having to fend off the disgusting people in the world. Then of course the tallest of the three, knowing how to use a sword and ride a horse from his days at the castle.

The three traveled days on end, this time ending in a peaceful place, surrounded with trees before setting up camp. Uraraka set up their places to sleep, Todoroki looking to find some food while Midoriya went to gather camp wood.

After finishing up they enjoy their time telling stories, sometimes scary sometimes of legends. Of course Midoriya spoke about legends the most, always fascinated with both the dark and light of the stories. After having their stomachs full and get tired, they settle down for the night. Todorki is the first to fall asleep, unaware of the other two giggling and going off into the night to have more time together.

Todoroki blinks and nods after noticing Uraraka waving her hand in front of his face, sitting down on the rock he sat on earlier during their story times. Leaning towards the fire he warms up quickly, looking around again. Midoriya and Uraraka are chatting quietly, trying not to disturb Todoroki’s peace too much.

The fire’s light doing little to hide the red on both of their faces, apparently one of them said something embarrassing, both of them being affected by it. He looks to the ground, kicking up some dirt while standing.

“I’m going to head back to sleep”

He says quietly, the two of them looking over and nodding at him before continuing on with their conversation, this time more calmly. Laying down on the make-shit bed of leaves and blankets, he stares up at the sky again.

This time the fire’s smoke and embers swirling into the sky above him. It almost reminds him of the older days where he would sneak out with all three of his siblings, before something happened with the oldest making him turn cold towards everyone. They would dance and laugh around a fire, pretending to be part of that one legend of the fire demon, once creating the magical flame, giving warmth to the humans and the ability to cook meat.

Their father would always get mad at them the next morning after finding out from the tracks of dirt they let in, though the eldest would always protect the other three. Closing his eyes to try and rid of that memory, he falls into yet another slumber, this time staying asleep until the morning and bright blue sky shows again.

The Fire Nation Awaits 🌺 An in-depth look at the ever-elusive islands in the era of Korra and when we will finally pay them a visit

[Artwork by Avatar News; not official.]

Note: This article was published before the official announcement of Avatar Studios at the Paramount+ investor day.

“Water. Earth. Fire. Air. Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked.” We’ve all heard those words a million times. The four elements, and the power to control them bestowed by four subspecies of giant lion-turtles, are at the very heart of the world of Avatar. The balance between them was once upon a time broken by one of the four, the Fire Nation, forming the main conflict of Avatar: The Last Airbender. For much of Aang and the Gaang’s quest at the close of the Hundred Year War, the Fire Nation was a forbidden, far-away location, until the curtain was finally drawn back in the aptly-named Book Three: Fire when our heroes entered the inferno, undercover behind enemy lines. A dramatic tropical destination! New outfits! Culture shock! Needless to say, it was a big deal.

→ 🌺 The big reveal of the Fire Nation in Book Three: Fire had its own marketing push, matching public anticipation.

When the Hundred Year War ended, the newly-instated Fire Lord Zuko dedicated his life to righting the wrongs of his forefathers and working with Avatar Aang to bring the Fire Nation back into the fold under peace. By the time Aang’s successor debuted as the next Avatar in the titular The Legend of Korra, Zuko had abdicated the five-pointed crown and his daughter, Fire Lord Izumi, took the stage leading a reformed, rebalanced Fire Nation.

There was no more war, no more enemy lines, yet the Fire Nation became more distant and mysterious than ever before.

Korra’s close encounters with the land of fire

To this day, Korra has never visited the Fire Nation, nor has it been seen at all, nor do we know anything about it in her era. In fact, practically the only thing we do know is that its leader is a noninterventionist, which conveniently gets it out of the way of making an appearance in Korra’s journey as the Avatar so far.

The closest we have come to seeing the Fire Nation in The Legend of Korra was in Book Two: Spirits, Chapter Five: Peacekeepers. In the midst of the Water Tribe Civil War, Korra sets out across the sea to get help from the royal family, however, she is intercepted by a dark spirit and never makes it to her destination. In the next episode, she washes up on a secret island home to the Bhanti sages, which probably technically counts as Fire Nation territory, but as we know from The Shadow of Kyoshi (more on that later), this faction predates the Four Nations themselves so it doesn’t really count.

→ 🌺 Korra washes up on the beach of Bhanti Island in Book Two: Spirits, Chapter Six: The Sting.

No, as cool as that location and the events of the Beginnings two-parter that happened there were, it wasn’t the main draw of seeing the Fire Nation that we’re still waiting for: seeing how the Fire Nation, which was already industrializing in Aang’s time, changed over the decades, compared to places like Republic City and Ba Sing Se; meeting new characters; visiting new and familiar locations; worldbuilding both new and expanding on what we already learned.

After this aborted tease in Book Two, we never come close to the island country again (at least not with this Avatar and in her era; yes I’m leading up to something...). Instead, the focus turns strongly to the Earth Kingdom in the third and fourth Books, and beyond.

Keep in mind that The Legend of Korra aired for about two-and-a-half years total from 2012 to 2014. Since then, the story has continued in comics. The comics era has lasted from 2015 to present-- seven years to the animated series’ two. In that time, there have only been two comic trilogies due to various production troubles, and neither have touched the Fire Nation. Instead, they directly continue the Earth Kingdom-focused threads started in Books Three and Four of Korra, both originally airing in 2014. Or, in perspective: we had a focus on Republic City in 2012, the Water Tribes in 2013, and the Earth Kingdom from 2014-2021.

Will we finally see the Fire Nation in the next graphic novel trilogy?

This question comes to mind every time new Korra content is supposed to roll around, and the powers that be know it-- it’s a pretty obvious gap in the world of Avatar right now. This franchise is iconically built around four elements and the Four Nations based on them, so one of them being MIA is quite glaring, and for that reason everyone is understandably always asking about it.

The most concrete confirmation we’ve gotten was this AMA answer from franchise co-creator Michael Dante DiMartino in 2016, two years after the show ended and a year before the first graphic novels did come out:

“Yes, hopefully in the [Korra] comics, we’ll have a chance to go to the Fire Nation and see how it has changed since A:TLA.”

Since then, as previously discussed, two comic trilogies have come and gone, obviously not getting closer to the Fire Nation-- and I would actually argue entrenching themselves further away from it.

I want to make it clear that I’m against fan entitlement. Creatives telling the tales they want to in service of the story and the artform is how the industry should run. I’m just hoping to offer some perspective on how we got to where we are almost a decade into the era of Korra and the metatextual pacing of the franchise itself.

Either way, the next Korra comic trilogy has been official confirmed by the editor for Avatar at Dark Horse Comics in this informal statement on Twitter:

We’re not ready to announce any details yet, but we are working on the next trilogy. I really appreciate your patience and hope it’s worth the wait! ✨

There’s currently some kind of holdup for which we really have zero context or information, and we of course have no idea what this next trilogy will be about. (I do speculate a bit on what it could be a few paragraphs down.)

But, like what turned out to be Ruins of the Empire before it, I faithfully made a mockup graphic for my post announcing the confirmation of the next The Legend of Korra graphic novel trilogy. And like before, I chose to completely speculatively and blindly make it Fire Nation-y, as if the next comic could/would(/should?) feature it. This is mainly because I feel like that’s what most people’s eyes would be caught by and thus result in the most successful post (hey, at least I’m honest), but also because it’s just fun.

Here are both images, from 2018 and 2020 respectively:

→ 🌺 Speculative edits I made for my posts on the announcement of previous and upcoming Korra comics before we knew anything about them.

In both cases, the response was huge, and people were super excited about the prospect of Fire Nation content just from my quick speculative mockups. I am of course hoping that the new artwork I made of the Krew for this post will have a similar effect (it’s the first time I just straight-up drew it instead of editing existing images) but again it’s really mostly just for fun.

Anyway, until the next trilogy is properly revealed, we’ll just have to wait and see.

However, that’s not the only place this could happen.

Are they saving the Fire Nation for an animated movie?

With Avatar’s HUGE success on Netflix last year, interest in the franchise rocketed to an all-time high. The streaming wars have begun, and Avatar’s owner and its parent company, Nickelodeon and ViacomCBS, have finally started to notice.

ViacomCBS is launching Paramount+ on March 4th, a relaunch of its existing streaming service CBS All Access. Paramount+ is meant to be a big expansion and refocus to compete with the big hitters: Disney+, HBO Max, and, yes, Netflix. (There’s quite an entanglement there, with Netflix being the home of Avatar’s big year and the upcoming live-action series.)

One of the keys to a successful streamer today is high-profile originals to drive new subscribers. ViacomCBS knows this and they know Avatar has just become among the highest profiles a property can have, breaking records and going toe-to-toe with other big-hitting sci-fi/fantasy/genre franchises. This knowledge goes right to the top of the food chain: the CEO of ViacomCBS mentioned Avatar by name when discussing potential originals for Paramount+.

I have previously discussed how The Search relates to this. The Search was the second ATLA comic trilogy, focused on the search for Zuko’s mother in the thick of the Fire Nation, and if you didn’t know, it was originally pitched by Bryke as an animated movie after the original series ended.

I just want to be clear that what I’m discussing here is purely speculative, but this is the only other piece of the Avatar franchise that we know was optioned for animation besides the shows themselves. It’s possible they would be interested in going back to this idea as a Paramount+ original (and it would certainly be popular among audiences), but it is of course set during the era of Aang and thus covers both a time period we’ve already seen, and also by nature of already being released as comics, events we’ve already seen too.

However, the whole point of this article is that there is one major, huge thing we haven’t seen yet, with massive anticipation building for a decade behind it: the Fire Nation in the era of Korra. So, again, this is just speculation, but it’s also possible that they could return to the very smallest seed of the original idea for a The Search movie, and do a Fire Nation-focused Korra movie now.

→ 🌺 ATLA’s Fire Nation-focused The Search was originally pitched as an animated movie.

You can skip this next part if you don’t want to see me embarrassingly promote my fan idea 😆 but this is where the artwork I made for this article comes into play. The general idea for it, and the reason I tried to replicate the show’s style as much as possible, is that it’s what a Fire Nation-focused movie could maybe look like. Something as standalone and unrelated to Earth Kingdom drama as possible, with fresh new looks for the Krew to get people excited for something fresh and new! I really feel like the Avatar franchise has so much potential for expanded content like this, that’s why I have high hopes that Paramount+ will make the most out of it! You can see the individual characters’ artwork in larger size here. Ok I’m done back to business.

If the idea of a movie seems too impossible to you, we can also take a deeper look at Bryke’s involvement with upcoming comics instead.

After Korra ended, they officially each went their separate ways. They vaguely consulted on Avatar stuff, and Mike of course wrote the Korra comics, but Bryan was planning on writing and drawing his own original non-Avatar comic series and Mike was releasing his own non-Avatar novels. This all appears to have come to a stop when they signed on to showrun the live-action retelling of ATLA at Netflix, officially reuniting the partnership and committing to Avatar again in a big way. Of course, they ended up leaving that project over creative differences, but it did result in a big, lasting change: this time they remained official creative partners and have indicated they’re still working on Avatar now, together. This is a far cry from the official breakup after Korra, so it begs the question what exactly they’re working on. I of course have my fanciful predictions of a sprawling expansion of the Avatar franchise at Paramount+, but what if it’s actually a combination of the ingredients from before the live-action series...

More speculation, but what if the reason for all the mystery behind the next Korra comics is because they will be made by Bryke, with the two of them co-writing and Bryan doing the art for the first time? If that’s the case, they could want to make them a bigger deal than the other Avatar comics have been so far, and maybe that’s why it’s taking so long to iron everything out, have a more significant story, have more of a marketing push, etc. If they’ve been saving the Fire Nation for something big, this could be it.

I personally think this is less likely than a show or movies or something, but it is possible. Anything is possible right now since we know so little about the large-scale direction of the franchise moving forward, just that it’s gonna get big.

⛰️🌋 The Fire Nation in the era of Avatar Kyoshi

We’re not done! Despite everything I’ve written here, believe it or not, the Fire Nation was actually the star of the show in the last year.

With the debut of the Avatar franchise’s first original novels, Kyoshi made a huge splash (in a way only she can). If you haven’t read them yet, you NEED to-- they’re some of the best Avatar content EVER. The Rise of Kyoshi hit shelves in 2019 and The Shadow of Kyoshi followed in 2020. The latter is of particular interest here, because it was almost entirely set in the Fire Nation and featured practically everything and anything you could want from a visit to elusive islands. Though obviously set in a historical period some four hundred years before Aang’s time, Kyoshi’s sojourn in the Fire Nation gave us a huge amount of new information, a depth and breadth of worldbuilding, culture, and character we’ve never really seen in Avatar before. It truly makes the most of the literary medium, so hats off to author F. C. Yee for the passion and effort he put in.

In The Shadow of Kyoshi, we learn about the era of the previous fire Avatar before Roku, Avatar Szeto. Through Kyoshi and her own Team Avatar, we learn about the different clans and islands of the Fire Nation, as they experience the fraught early reign of Fire Lord Zoryu and the conflict between the Keohso and Saowon clans, culminating in the Camellia-Peony War. We get a multitude of fleshed-out perspectives from the upper crust to the flea-bitten underworld, matching the heights of the worldbuilding quality of Republic City. It’s such cool, intricate stuff, and really shows Avatar’s potential (and that’s all just the worldbuilding-- the character work is also top-notch).

That’s not the only place the Fire Nation has shone recently. One of Insight Editions’ awesome scrapbooks, Legacy of the Fire Nation, gave us a tour through the royal family’s history, including never-before-seen looks at young Iroh and Ozai and much, much more.

All this just goes to show that the Fire Nation has been a hot ticket throughout the ages and there’s one conspicuous gap in that history: the era of Avatar Korra. With so much recent expansion and development of the Fire Nation in our world, it would be perfect to see the culmination of it all in the current time period in the world of Avatar too.

If this made you excited for the potential of what the Avatar franchise could look like in the coming years, same boat!

The next concrete date where something could be announced is February 24th, when ViacomCBS will host their investor day and present their streaming strategy, including Paramount+ originals. There’s no guarantee Avatar is mentioned, but I’m keeping a hopeful eye out.

As for comics, Dark Horse’s schedule marches to its own beat, so there’s no way to know when the next drop of information is coming our way.

Could this finally be the comics that take us to the Fire Nation, or could the much-anticipated visit be in another medium like animation? Stay tuned-- as always I’ll post as soon as we learn anything new!

Live Watch: Guardian  Episode One, Part One

It's Guardian!  The show that got me interested in this genre!  I love spooky things and I love mysteries and fantasy!  I simply adore it so much!  When I can't sleep I just put on a playlist of Guardian in the background.  I was aware of censorship before - every country has some version of it, but to some degree this was my first deep dive into how it might effect a piece of media.  Guardian is exceptionally acted and incredibly written, as well as suffering from obvious dubs where the dubbing voice actor sounds nothing like the previous actor and odd cuts that are disrupted.  In some ways it's the little drama that could fighting its way past their studio going bankrupt while they were filming, reshoots, and being taken down and altered several times.

In some ways Guardian's struggle fits the spirit and aesthetic of the show. Worn in like an old pair of jeans but still making an effort.  Putting emphasis where things count and hoping the kindness of the universe will make allowances for the rest.  Attention to detail where the story really matters.  It has the charm of a community production put on out of love with actors and crew who would not be anywhere else in the world for any amount of money.  That feeling of love comes through, and whether or not I'm barely literate I have so many words to share.

Part of why I love it as well is it has that feeling of 80s and 90s fantasy, like Moomin, Xena or Condor Heroes. Everything feels lived in, nothing's been spit shined except for Shen Wei's suits. It's an old city street of a show, it has history and character built in. 

*After all that I don't know that I have a tonne to say about the intro.  It's very good but it's also full of spoilers.  I think having the intro song be in English does make a difference in making it appealing to English speaking audiences as well as standing out as different and interesting, which the show is. Speaking of Spoilers!  Spoilers below!

* The obligatory beginning narration is beautifully animated, I have another post that will be done some time before the heat-death of the universe talking about the fascinating world building options.  Unlike some Make It SciFi plots, this one has legs and implications.

* Remakes rarely are able to meet the original on equal ground - and I struggle to believe the actors would Fit as well - but part of me really wants to have a chance to have the Dixingren worldbuilding really leaned into.  The writing is good enough we get implication but no real follow through.  I want fifty episodes of how Dixing functions, give me more pseudo-science behind the mutations, what are the biological differences.  I'm hungry for more!

* I love the cameos of later characters, and the way there was some effort to be discrete with spoilers.

* It's Ya Boy!  I love Shen Wei.  With that music cue and that sinister turn around they really set him up as dubious.  I wish they went with something a little different with the intro so his character wasn't spoiled.  The writing, directing, and acting was so good and spoiling who Shen Wei is kind of took the teeth out of that.

* Also cheers to the costume designer who outfitted Zhu Yilong so well and made him look jacked with the fit of those clothes.

* Also you can tell this is a real university because the staff has to sit in tiny student chairs.  I'm not joking, please be warned if you're going into academia.  Unless you have tenure life is An Adventure - and even then.

* Also shout out to Shen Wei's Prized Cabbage and the Queen of our hearts, Li Qian.  Why is this actress not in more things?  She has such an expressive and lovely face and she really goes all the way in with her acting.  I respect an artist that acts from their chest. Also that windbreaker, white skirt combo is chic and fun all at once, it draws the eye and makes her melt into the background all at once - perfect for the character.  I love her so much.

* Here's another one of Shen Wei's coats, it's a lovely color for him but it also is so thin that it looks like it crinkled up just from being worn.

* I'm being distracted by details and missing plot stuff.

* Story of my life.

* I love Li Qian hovering along behind Shen Wei like a duckling following their mother.  A) Mood and B) it quietly informs their dynamic.  Shen Wei has like one person he can trust but no one he can really confide in and it's the same for Li Qian. A ship will find a port in a storm and Shen Wei has Big Da-ge Energy. My fanfic heart hopes they found comfort in the pseudo familial relationship with each other while it lasted.

* Even in episode one we receive foreshadowing, we love and respect some excellent writing.  For those of you who missed it - Professor Ouyang is talking about Lin Jing who I love partially because he's so outrageous large but has the total opposite of intimidating energy.  

* What did they feed you Lin Jing? He is so tall and wide, but they do a lot with camera work to try to make him not quite as big.  Side note, I would really love to see the actor who plays Lin Jing (Liu Minting) both in more dramas but more specifically in a role where he was like a minister or scholar - someone intellectual.  I think the combination of being such a big gentleman and also someone who like plots or plans would be really dynamic if it was written well.  

* Also I like the exchange where without a word Professor Ouyang indicates he has one last thing to say, it's private and that he would like Shen Wei to ask Li Qian to leave. That's What You Can Do With Good Actors!

* Li Qian is just so pretty and the actress emotes so well!

* Shen Wei totally understanding what's going on with this shady research immediately and wanting to stay as far away as possible.  We see one of the first examples of him being aggressively polite to remove himself from a situation.

* "i'M jUST aN oRDINARY sCHOLAR." No one buys it Shen Wei.

* Angy Thinking Face

* One thing the show is really good at is using establishing shots really well so you always know where everything is and everything is going

* Guo Changcheng, all around good boy and angel.  We stan a nervous legend

* Zhou Yunlan Arriving.  Why is everyone on this show an Absolute Legend

* Guo Changcheng protecting himself with his certificate is too cute.  This young man is trying his best and I support him.

* Also that coat is Young, Pure, Stylish; I love it

* Zhao Yunlan, what's wrong with you? You are amazing!

* His irreverent style and disregard of usual policy makes him fit in really well with his band of misfits and special cases

* Guo Changcheng's OO face is too good, elastic face

* Da Qing my love!

* Jin Ling, I think he has an all seeing eye on his hoodie thing. Illuminati Confirmed.

* Also they filmed the shots so well, so you always know where everyone is in relation to everyone else

* Our Prized Cabbage!  I love her!

* Great handheld work: shaky and unhinged, but not migraine inducing

* Foreshadowing in the form of a shadow and reaching for the necklace

* Da Qing's cat behaviours. I really want behind the scenes of the actor discussing how cat was he going to cat

* We get our first real example of how Zhao Yunlan doesn't feel safe emoting negatively and so he uses a super sunny mask to hide his feelings, except with Da Qing who he lets his anger show with because he trusts him.

* I'm not even halfway through and I've written so much, peace and blessings to the readers of this.

* Zhao Yunlan's swagger, after his childhood having a little power must feel comforting and good

* I love how Da Qing is talking as a cat less than a meter from the medical examiner.  Does the examiner not care or does he know?  Is he deaf?

* Harassing Guo Changcheng is the new team sport

* Zhao Yunlan Realises Something Music

* Also, Lollipop Measurement

* It's nice to see Zhao Yunlan just being himself with Da Qing, he's able to really be honest and genuine with him

* Slow Look Moment

* This moment is so fascinating!  Shen Wei doesn't know what's going on yet.  He just sees an old friend who winces when he sees him and disappears.  We mostly see things from Zhao Yunlan's point of view, but from Shen Wei's perspective this is a first part of just some Odd and Confusing Happenings

* This cat though!  I love him!

* The delicate way they’re both feeling each other out.  This must be so confusing and startling for Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan is trying to figure out if this teacher is going to bust him or what.

* He forgot to let go, way to set off Zhao Yunlan’s suspicions

* “Mark Stewart” Is he though?  Who picked out that English name?

* Li Qian!  I love her and I love that striped blouse. Fashion.  Got to look good when you’re resisting a mental break. *Also she hears a meow and looks around at eye level, I love that for her.

* Zhao Yunlan!  You can’t take pictures of young ladies without their permission.  What is wrong with you!

* I love Da Qing’s very cat attitude of I Will Have Vengeance for These Wrongs

* Two for one! Shen Wei meets two faces from his past.

* Also, I get a little frustrated about people making a big deal about the 10,000 years versus 1,000 years age thing with Da Qing.  a) He has amnesia and b) the thousand years refers to the amount of time needed to cultivate to a certain stage in Chinese mythology - usually by absorbing energy from the sun, moon, or depending on the animal other sources.

* I feel so bad for Shen Wei, who knows what he thinks.  Were his friends brainwashed?  Did they forget?  Can they not say for some reason?  What is happening?

This review is getting a little long, so join in tomorrow for Part Two~~!

Prime 10 Tourist Points Of Interest In Vietnam

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Please have a look at it and let us know if you have some other enquiries. Discover Public Parks & Gardens In Washington, Dc Take a guided or self-guided tour and enjoy the view of DC from one of many city’s highest factors. While the estate is presently closed, members can again go to starting Feb. 16 and Hillwood will be open to the public for visits on March 2. Constitution Gardenswas dedicated through the nation’s bicentennial celebration in 1976. The two hectares huge rainbow flower subject has lavender, cosmos, sunflowers, rainbow snapdragon, and so on. The rose backyard subsequent to the parking lot appears to exhibit romance between lovers. In addition to the beautiful and breathtaking cluster of flowers and grass, different well-liked photo spots include the out of doors landscaping, the crystal church, classic automobiles, carriages and Mediterranean windmills, etc. Shimen Reservoir is reputed for its beautiful lake and mountain views all 12 months round. Connected to over a dozen vacationer sights, the Reservoir presents green parks, bikeways, lake yachts, dam, spillway, wharf, Xizhou Park, Maple Park, Nanyuan Ecological Park, and so on. Dogs as pets are very fashionable in the intervening time in Saigon, so I would suppose that strolling them in these parks is appropriate. (In general, dog-etiquette is in its infancy right now, but there are many them around). Get lost in its magical evergreen or bamboo forests — nicely, not actually. The best way to expertise all of it is to join a tour that starts in Saigon and lasts for two days. You could be even fortunate sufficient to identify golden-cheeked gibbons or civets. Back in the 1980’s, Hillsborough County officials and local veterans got here together to determine and fund growth of a Veterans’ Park facility. The site selected was originally known as Tesawee Park which was later designated Veterans’ Memorial Park located on U.S. 301 along the Cross Channel Canal. A small museum was constructed on the location to show military artifacts and to act as a gathering place for small groups. If the theme park has a water park, don’t forget your swimsuits and swimwear, corresponding to swimming goggles and towels. While Vietnam doesn’t have Disneyland or a Disney theme park, a lot of Vietnam’s amusement parks have Disney-inspired facades and similar themes integrated. The two largest leisure corporations are Sun World Group and Vin Group, so you’ll see many parks hosted by these two. A go to to this website in Lincoln’s historic Antelope Park will take you on a strolling tour of over thirty-seven army monuments and memorials. A place of solemn magnificence, the garden permits peaceable reflection and serves as a permanent reminder of the sacrifices veterans have made to preserve our freedom. The Veterans Memorial Garden is positioned within Antelope Park at 3200 Veteran’s Memorial Drive. Lumpini Park is doubtless certainly one of the largest inexperienced areas in central Bangkok. Educational supplies, together with interpretive signage and printed materials, on plant variety for guests to Bach Ma National Park. We are a promoter and steward of this evolving metropolis and its progressive values, which have the ability to transform the travelers who visit us. Get your monthly guide to Portland's events, sights and news. Don’t let the term zoo put you off — this is one of the best within the country. It is continuously striving to enhance facilities to have the ability to care for the animals as finest as they might. They purpose to conserve and defend regional animals believed to be under risk. Buddhist Temples In Huế The journey to Nikko included a cease for lunch at Lake Chuzenji amid the snow and wild monkeys, on a highway that had 48 hairpin turns. One week earlier than the dawn of the brand new yr, they put together the altar for the Kitchen Gods who will give a report again to the 'Jade Emperor' in regards to the family. Because the family desires the report again to be a good one to ensure luck and prosperity within the upcoming year, they put out particular meals and a hat and shoes for the Kitchen Gods. They purchase a red carp fish and release it in a close-by river as a outcome of legend says that the red carp will assist the Kitchen Gods reach the Jade Emperor quickly and easily. Báo Quốc Pagoda was one of the three nationwide pagodas of the town through the time of the Nguyễn Dynasty. It lies on the southern side of the Perfume River and is roughly one kilometre west of the town centre. The temple is located on a small hill named Ham Long and a spring from the highest of the hill flows down into the grounds of the temple. Bao Quoc Pagoda was founded in 1670 by Zen master Thích Giác Phong, a Buddhist monk from China. During the era of the Nguyễn Dynasty, which was based in 1802 by Emperor Gia Long, the pagoda was frequently renovated and expanded. In 1808, Empress Hiếu Khương, spouse of Gia Long, patronized varied development projects, that included the development of a triple gate, the casting of a big bell and a gong. In 1824, Emperor Minh Mạng, the son of Gia Long, visited the temple and changed its name to its current title. Obviously, I didn’t have the chance to see them all, but I did manage to go to over 50 of them, all of which I’ve marked on my temple-hopping route map. There are no admission charges for the temples and hardly any guests . For essentially the most half, the only folks in the temple grounds are monks and novices. All temple compounds can be entered if the gates and doors are open, but shoes should be taken off if getting into the temples correct. Whichever method you look at it, there’s a lot of complicated historical past between the Vietnamese and the Khmer in this region, a few of it historical, some current. The Temple-Hopping Loop could be ridden on any bike, scooter or bicycle. However, some sections are on very narrow lanes or back-roads with worn, pot-holed surfaces, however this shouldn’t be an issue for most riders. Finally, there’s an opportunity that a variety of the smaller roads might undergo from flooding through the rainy season (May-October). Although the using on this route is enjoyable, very interesting and much from the crushed path, it’s not a route that’s suitable for cruising. Rather, the small and generally uneven back-roads make for a slower, gentler tempo, to not point out the quite a few stops and breaks to have a look at the temples. The pagoda has a base membership, and other people pay month-to-month dues and infrequently contribute to different fund-raising events. People who attend a service can also put cash within the collection boxes or give it to the treasurer who then writes out a receipt. Most members of the pagoda insist that there isn't a requirement to offer cash, and plenty of members contribute via getting ready meals and sustaining the pagoda structures. The pagoda also provides a space for households to return for funeral services and ceremonies to recollect the spirits of deceased ancestors. Most individuals sit on the floor, some with their legs crossed, others with their legs tucked behind. The most sacred days of the month aren't Sundays, but the first and the fifteenth days of the month. On today, some devotees come to the pagoda to chant, and plenty of Buddhists observe vegetarian diets on these days. It’s a huge complex with a quantity of wood halls overlooking a big gravel backyard. It’s rich in historical past, tradition, and artwork together with a replica of the necessary Heart Sutra written by the emperor. Gio-ji is a lovely small temple with a lush moss backyard and a thatched-roof main corridor. Kiyomizu-dera in the course of the special night illuminationsThe large picket primary hall was built with out nails and houses a statue of the eleven-faced, thousand-armed Kannon. On any day, one might even see pairs of footwear left outside the double doors that open to the main prayer corridor. People take off their footwear before getting into the open space, typically leaving them in piles on the small patio in entrance of the constructing. Floor cushions are handed round for folks to sit down on as they follow chanting. On most Sundays about fifty members attend the regular worship service led by Thich Thong-Duc, who was recently put in as the abbot of the pagoda. Adults and kids pay homage to the Buddha in separate providers, each of which are performed in Vietnamese. Tet Fest Many of the festivals, particularly Tet, contain Vietnamese people returning to their hometowns to be with household. This means that transportation is busy during competition time and it is very important guide planes, trains, and buses prematurely. During the full moon in Hoi An, the resorts are very busy, so you will want to make bookings in advance. Thousands of Vietnamese individuals also flock to town presently to honor their ancestors, and it is often crowded. The Perfume Festival takes place on the Perfume Pagoda[Is this the identical as Den Trinh? ], which is a putting complicated of Buddhist shrines and temples positioned near Hanoi. You’ll likely want a facemask to avoid all of the incense smoke drifting around at occasions, but it simply provides to the ambiance of this solemn and essential celebration. Beginning with a dragon dance at Den Trinh Pagoda, members travel by boat to the Huong Tich Cave, for worship. Although the Pagoda could be accessed by land as nicely, make certain to take the waterway route to benefit from the gorgeous landscapes. The 15th day of the 1st lunar month brings together locals at the Perfume Pagoda in Hanoi, an unbelievable web site in Vietnam, to wish to Lord Buddha for an excellent yr ahead. The function of the pageant is the race of Ghe Ngo, a remarkable type of wood boat which is in the form of a Khmer's holy object - Nagar Snake. Different activities organized within the occasion together with Khmer music and dance shows, shows of artistic works, and workshops on horticultural improvement, interesting vacationers from many places. With over half population of the country being Buddhist devotees, Buddha's Birthday is commended on fifteenth of the 4th lunar month to remember the birth, edification, and passing of Buddha. The vacation can also be an excellent chance for guests to get a glimpse of Vietnamese Buddhism, which is totally different from the Thai or Burmese versions. The finest place to rejoice Tet is in the large cities of Vietnam, because throughout Tet the small cities typically 'shut down'. Hanoi is especially good for the festival as it has two impressive pagodas the place locals can be seen lighting incense and praying to their ancestors. The stone statue of Chua Xu at Sam Mountain, Chau Doc, is bathed, and hundreds flock to honour her. Martial arts demonstrations in Tay Son District, plus garlanded elephants on parade. The most necessary pageant is Tet, the Vietnamese New Year, and lasts for seven days someday between the last week of January and the third week of February. No matter how busy individuals are, they will prepare time to go residence to reunite with their families and have fun the start of the brand new 12 months. Families eat a sort of sq. rice dumplings and spherical rice cake, which is an essential traditional food in Tet Nguyen Dan, symbolizing good weather, good harvest and good luck. At the Temple, individuals take pleasure in a sequence of festivities, together with Tuong performances and martial arts performances. The metropolis of Vung Tau commemorates Vietnamese folks perception in “Ca Ong”, or the whale spirit, who rescues fishermen in dire straits. Legend has it that Emperor Gia Long was saved from drowning by whales, motivating him to create a cult of worship for these animals. Asia Highlights welcomes the chance that can assist you design your perfect trip to Vietnam. It is a time for individuals to not solely commemorate the merits of genies, nationwide heroes and their ancestors, but additionally to loosen up after a yr of onerous work. On 音波拉皮 , people typically go out together to enjoy the peaceable and beautiful scenery and the pure environment of spring. Tet Trung Thu, also called the mid-autumn festival, falls on the lunar fifteenth of the eighth month yearly. In Vietnam, the Mid-Autumn Festival can be a kids's day in addition to family reunion, and the child is the protagonist of the pageant. On this day, the adults will prepare varied snacks and gifts for the children, and the youngsters will spend the vacations collectively. The Vietnamese like the lunar calendar because they are often certain of a full moon on the 15th day of each month. For this cause, their festivals may come on a special date every year by our Gregorian calendar. First of all, the event is nearly entirely aimed at tourists nowadays and it seems like the entire pageant is simply accomplished for the sake of selling lanterns and making money. Furthermore, thousands of lanterns end up littering the river and heading out into the ocean damaging aquatic life and inflicting pollution unnecessarily. While we love festivals and cultural occasions, we don’t feel like we are ready to justify this one, due to the detrimental environmental influence. Celebrated throughout 美白 , Reunification Day is one other one of many festivals in Vietnam 2020 which is a nationwide competition in addition to a public vacation. On thirtieth April, South Vietnam got free from American troops and got here under one authorities with North Vietnam. Events are organized in several elements of the country like Ethnic group efficiency and exhibition in Sapa, display of fireworks of international teams in Danang and an amazing parade in Hanoi. You can attend all these festivities and if you are on a vacation in Vietnam on their liberation day. Finest Souvenirs From Hanoi & Shops On Your Purchasing Listing Tourists may not significantly discover them helpful, however sedge products are definitely essentially the most iconic objects in this South East Asia nation. Furthermore, the creativity of native has given start to the special sedge memento like vases, baskets, and animals. For the best place to purchase, try to go to Kim Son Sedge village in Ninh Binh. Embroideries are the popular souvenirs to deliver house from Vietnam. The meticulous handmade products with a wide range of choice include quilts, bed sheets, pillowcases, desk runners, scarfs, baggage, and garments. Dozen handicraft villages are scattering in the nation and manufacturing facility retailers in tourist spots. The large sizes handmade takes months to make, the quality one made by special linen and cotton with well-designed patterns. We got ourselves waterproof jackets and backpacks which we use now. You will find lots of of local individuals in the streets of Hanoi carving conventional Vietnamese and trendy wood stamps. Our Twins Tania obtained one depicting a pirate skull along with her name on it whereas Zoe had a tiger and I received one with a perfect illustration of the logo I used as a photographer. We aim to find truely distinctive method to travel and discover Vietnam & Asia, daring to show the completely different, thrilling, quirky attribute that we love and make our world so special. If you may be keen on items of art, oil paintings ought to be your choice for handicraft souvenirs in Vietnam. Oil paintings often depict four main themes including landscapes, architecture, portraits, and abstract. The small change purses that the Hmong ladies promote shouldn’t value you more than a dollar or two for every. And our absolute favorite place to buy hand-woven luggage in Hanoi is Nunal Boutique. It’s a tiny shop with high-quality baggage at actually reasonable prices. If you journey round northern Vietnam you’ll undoubtedly encounter brightly colored hand-woven textiles on the market, particularly in the Sapa region. I've obtained my first acoustic guitar for around 1,500,000 VND (around $65) which is a nice deal. Anyway, chances you could have someone in the household who's passionate about the music are high, so getting a musical instrument would be a nice reward from Vietnam. You can find actually anything embroidered, including sheets, quilts, pillowcases, table runners, luggage, sleep clothes, and much more. Do Paper is a particular sort of paper made from the inside layer of do trees. Here you should have the chance to buy some unimaginable vases made from Bat Trang porcelain. We understand that most individuals won’t be ready to lug a gigantic vase again to their house nation, that’s why we suggest you take the opportunity to make your own small vase, plate, or cup. However, you can see smaller and easier wall hangings within the various souvenir shops and markets in every metropolis in Vietnam. If you need to buy considered one of these embroidered wall hangings, it’ll price you a few hundred dollars. And you won’t discover any that are this large or intricate in any night time markets in any of the cities. There is one in Saigon called XQ Sai Gon however it’s the only one we’ve encountered outside of the bus cease memento outlets. This information will enlighten you into the most effective souvenirs obtainable for purchase, where in Vietnam to purchase them, and what to expect to pay. Take a piece of the experience home with these well-liked + traditional items and souvenirs. These lovable things usually are not only containers, they are ornaments because they're largely manufactured from silver with many different designs, and in addition are sometimes crafted into animal shapes. These packing containers not solely serve for adornment, but additionally they are the reflection of the owner’s status regarding the scale, the material, and design. The process of producing these packing containers is usually handmade because of the sophisticated and craftsmanship traditional abilities. This is a beautiful and beautiful memento that both adults and children being fond of. Traveling to Vietnam,Nguyen Art Galleryis a should-not-missed destination for travelers to discover essentially the most unique work and artworks which completely catch your eyes at first sight. In addition to the above-mentioned great souvenir, another type that ought to be taken into consideration is silk which could be very popular in Vietnam. Woven from the cocoons of the silkworm, silk is thought to be the image of luxurious and nobility. I guess my pictures and my memories are what I prefer to deliver back with me. Plus, I notice that souvenirs are most likely placed within the high shelf of a closet usually. Since I was a toddler, I’ve at all times admired followers (although I’ve never used one…). I tend to pick up a silk scarf or something tiny that we can simply tuck in our keep on luggage. Cicada Espresso Bar The decor is gorgeous, and there is balcony seating with views of Hoan Kiem Lake. Prices are higher right here, and that’s as a end result of the meals is high of the range and the menu is extensive. Da Nang’s Korean BBQ eating places cater to those tourists by cooking up all kinds of meat and serving them with an array of Korean facet dishes. In our view, Fatfish is a great place to enjoy a western-style, riverside, moderately priced splurge meal. Many Vietnamese eating places in America and Europe have this dish on the menu. If you are new to Vietnamese delicacies but look to taste popular but genuine Vietnamese food, an alternative to pho, attempt Vằn Thắn Mỳ soup. The menu spans a quantity of pages and contains dozens of options including soups and dishes with greens, tofu, eggs, fish, shrimp, pork and chicken. Despite unique elements like fermented shrimp paste and bitter melon, most dishes at Bep Hen are accessible for all ranges of eaters. You wouldn't have to worry about being hungry throughout your go to. This cafe lets you enjoy some Vietnamese fares and spirits. If you love seasonal dishes, this cafe has it all for you. You can even keep for long time here, not endlessly, to get one of the best second with its distinctive inside designs. We were so glad once we discovered Food Street, Tong Tuy Dong. A place we ate at twice is Banh Cuon Ky Dong, and the menu is easy, however is simply what we usually need - noodles, vegetarian choices and a few drinks. We wish to hold our price range small and our meals experience massive, and in Hanoi, the best meals is discovered on the street or in local street-side stalls. This is great for anyone who needs to actually lower your expenses during journey. High 10 Most Popular Local Markets For Shopping In Vietnam The market is each a spot to commerce and an space to level out the delicate culture of every region. Visiting the markets, tourists not only purchase the gadgets they love but additionally explore the unique culture of that place. Souvenirs that vacationers select most at Ha Long night market are items with a sea taste. Lovely key chains, chains created from sea shells, stunning ships, T-shirts printed with footage of Ha Long and Tuan Chau seashores. Foreign guests to Ha Long evening market of Vietnam are mostly Asian, Thai and Chinese visitors. You ought to visit Vietnam to explore the stunning tourist sights, store on the streets and to relish the scrumptious native meals. Some of the best fresh products in Vietnam could be found in Dong Ba Market. To begin your day properly, take your style buds on a curler coaster ride with a Vietnamese breakfast with Pho, and spring rolls topping the record. Follow the mouth-watering aromas all the best way to the back of the market and this will lead you to an excellent canteen where you could spend weeks ‘food-hopping’ from one stall to the subsequent. The meals popping out of this canteen is extraordinary, and this alone is cause enough to go to Bình Tây Market. Hanoi's Old Market is worth to pay a visit, its shops, the individuals, and all the things you could buy. The market is situated on the nort-east nook of Hoan Kiem Lake, you might have just to comply with the people . Located within the Saigon Centre, this Japanese retailer is sort of in style amongst the locals and tourists alike. In fact, not simply Japan, however you can discover one of the best merchandise from Europe and North America right here too. High-end jewellery, cosmetics, fragrances, and apparel manufacturers are spread out evenly on all of the floors of this place. Amongst all of the Vietnam buying areas, the Hanoi Night Market is certainly one of the best locations to drop by in the evening. From the famous Hanoi avenue meals to handicrafts & equipment, yow will discover it all here at actually pocket-friendly costs. Meander along the river, join in on the commerce, or simply watch folks shop, as nicely. Like other markets in Vietnam, Hoi An market has the sections promoting everyday goods and industrial merchandise. Along the streets available within the market area, you'll find a way to see many individuals doing Asian squat to promote and purchase fresh vegetables. The Tay Do evening market is starting to open round 4 pm when small companies rush to organize items. Tay Do night time market with wide paved walkways and well organized stalls is probably considered one of the finest night time markets to walk around when tour Mekong delta. At the market there are many sorts of delicious and still fresh seafood, in order that guests can freely choose the type of seafood you want. After that, the store staff might be able to serve you any other dish you want. Traveling In Vietnam With Children You’ll find extra leases in Nha Trang and Hoi An than wherever else. –no month is a “terrible” time for visiting Vietnam, every interval has its own professionals and cons so don’t stress about discovering the right time. Considering a technique sleeper for fun/ flight again the other. Typically, the wet season (when you’ll be visiting) is extra intense in central Vietnam than within the south – although both can get plenty of rain – so I’d probably do Phu Quoc. Pre-book Trains in Vietnam Great submit – appreciate it. Just one question – did you prebook practice journey or did you wait until you arrived and booked it? I have found a few websites on-line, however it appears fairly expensive compared to some of the finances airlines . This web site makes use of numerous affiliate hyperlinks that make us commission on purchases. We earn commission on these must you make a purchase. All recommendations are real and we aren't paid to incorporate products, motels, and so on. We’ve travelled in Vietnam several times, and once with the youngsters. Phong Nha National Park space and people caves is definitely a highlight for us. We haven’t, as but, created a whole information to consuming in Vietnam, however we've meals, restaurant, and markets in Hoi An, completely lined for you. A actual spotlight was dressing up and trying our hand at conventional Vietnamese Opera. The food in the city is nice and you'll participate in cooking courses to study extra concerning the native dishes. A stroll across the evening market can also be recommended. A smart way for kids to expertise the Vietnamese tradition is thru conventional Vietnamese water puppet present. The areas round Hanoi, towards the northern components of the nation, are in style as the origin of puppetry. This is an opportunity to do anything you might need missed the first time around. District 1 is a superb place to walk around with the family. If you've fallen in love with Vietnamese meals, sample a variety of the culinary delights you haven't obtained around to but – perhaps some grilled cuttlefish or, for the adventurous, street-barbecued sea snails. Enjoy a dragon boat cruise alongside the Perfume River to go to the royal tomb of Emperor Tu Duc. While you are here, take the opportunity to learn slightly extra about this figure who opposed the French involvement in Vietnam. But there could be a lot to get pleasure from in Vietnam with youngsters – the enchanting water puppet theatres, laid-back seashore resorts and islands, pleasant native communities and naturally the trains, boats and cyclo rides. Hire an area information to take you across the floating market and day market to get the most effective food experience. 雙眼皮 had was on the plastic chairs and road meals from a household spot. Spring rolls and Pho soup had been always a success with the youngsters. A should within the metropolis is to go to the War Remnants Museum.It was in all probability a bit much for the age of our youngsters but we needed to go and learn for ourselves extra in regards to the Vietnam warfare. There was a lot we truthfully did not find out about, the history, impacts and so much extra. Jamie and I took turns going in and out of the exhibits whereas the other entertained the youngsters in another space. Popular Culture And Excessive Tradition In Vietnamese History On Jstor In many public areas, nevertheless, folks usually keep away from standing in queues, leading to a chaotic setting the place people touch or press up against one another as they go about their enterprise. While ladies have a robust position within households, their standing in business and government is much less important than men's. The applications they finance and implement embrace poverty alleviation, infectious disease control, contraception, educational assistance, and water purification, among others. The most outstanding contemporary symbols of social stratification are consumer items. Two of the most common symbols are the possession of a motorcycle, particularly certainly one of Japanese manufacture, and a cell phone. Other objects embrace refrigerators, televisions, video players, gold jewelry, and imported luxury goods, such as clothing or liquor. Some individuals additionally assert their status by way of large wedding feasts. But for now, we'll all the time have our Vietnamese hat dance, fan dance, and lion dance as a staple. Nursing homes and long–term care facilities are not acceptable solutions for many Vietnamese families. Here, a musician performs the monochord, a standard Vietnamese instrument utilizing a string and a stick which is bent to change the pitch of the note performed. To end the talk, Nguyen took questions from audience members. One scholar talked about how their mother and father don’t inform them about their previous experiences residing in Vietnam. I wanted to find out about VietNam as a outcome of all the great and hardworking women I really have met in USA. As a part of the critique, I should explain how the movie is really consultant of life in Vietnam in such elements as relationships, faith, tradition, and so on. I am desire to learn about fully Viatnam, relating to individuals, socialwork staff member Name with e-mail Id. and desire to conversation. And want to make good sincere respect girlfriend in Viatnam. The codes mandate that two to 5 p.c of the staff of most businesses be individuals with disabilities. They additionally provide incentives like tax reductions and low–interest loans to businesses that are in compliance. With this new perspective on Agent Orange, most people with disabilities are considered as victims of the war. In the past decade, the federal government of Vietnam has used a paternalistic approach to deal with the needs of this inhabitants. Adopting measures much like these within the United States, the Vietnamese authorities enacted the "Ordinance on Disabled Persons" to supply a legal foundation for protecting individuals with disabilities in Vietnam. The official census of Vietnamese with disabilities in the united states has yet to be made obtainable to the public. The 2000 Census reported there are 1,223,736 self–identified Vietnamese and bi–racial Vietnamese dwelling in the us The most powerful place within the nation is the Communist Party basic secretary. Other necessary positions are the prime minister, the president, the minister of public security, and the chief of the armed forces. Women and members of Vietnam's ethnic teams are nominally represented in the authorities. One of the most sensitive issues the government faces is balancing regional pursuits. Vietnam is home to fifty-four official ethnic groups, the majority of which live in highland areas, though some large groups such the Cham or Chinese reside in lowland or urban areas. In television and films and most of all in well-liked songs, rage against the war was all over the place in the late 1960s and early Seventies. And after all there was a backlash towards the hippies that was instant and simultaneous. The #1 pop single of 1966 wasn’t some antiwar anthem or a Beatles basic or something by the Monkees, the “prefab four” who broke by way of big that 12 months. It was “The Ballad of the Green Berets” by a man named Staff Sgt. Barry Sadler. In addition, I use the movies produced depicting the warfare to demonstrate the methods popular culture can serve as a studying software after a crisis. It is plain Vietnamese American youths get pleasure from American pop culture. They also gravitate toward Japanese anime, Korean pop music, and Chinese Hong Kong movies and dramas. This genre has developed strongly within the South and has unfold out over the North area after the rise of Bức Tường within the 90s. For the final 10 years, steel has become extra mainstream in Vietnam. Ngũ Cung and Microwave are the current high Vietnamese steel bands within the 21st century. Chèo is a form of generally satirical musical theatre, usually encompassing dance, historically carried out by peasants in northern Vietnam. Traditional Vietnamese music has been primarily used for religious actions, in every day life, and in traditional festivals. Nightlife In Hanoi, Vietnam Not to say the enduring Full Moon Party which occurs every month on the Haad Rin seaside on Koh Phangan island. If you’re seeking a spot to enjoy Vietnam nightlife activities, which of them do you choose in your trip? Yes absolutely, you just walk into such a place and a Vietnamese girl in a short skirt will convey you to a personal space upstairs where she takes off your pants and sucks your dick. Located on the twenty first Floor offering the extraordinary view, along with live music and signature cocktails serving. An city and stylish bar that stands out in the center of bustling street of Bui Vien. We bring you a combination of East and West where we serve a range craft beer from Vietnam hand picked by Ong Cao whereas enjoying hip hop and rnb music. We actually love Vietnam, and wish to show you the best Vietnam has to offer. This is a beautiful place for a sundown drink and as quickly as the sun goes down, the celebration continues until late. Sit again on one of the comfortable daybeds or sofas and savour the beautiful ocean views. While it’s potential to navigate this district by yourself, going with a guide provides you with a richer and more satisfying expertise. We have been to plenty of these locations however didn’t realise that so many of those have been additionally good party destinations too! When it comes to nightlife, few destinations can prime Thailand. Festive, cultured, vibrant, and dynamic, this vacation spot hosts a plethora of events, which take place all across the country, from Bangkok to Phuket. One of the best get together seasons in Thailand is from November to March, which is when the sand turns into a dance ground, and seashores get glistering with neon lights, fire spectacles, and music. Thailand additionally has a wide selection of well-liked foam parties, particularly in Pattaya, cultural reveals, pool events, pub crawls, and superb rooftops. Funky Buddha (no website; 2 Ta Hien Street, Hoan Kiem) is doubtless one of the best-known bars in Hanoi. Fancy and upscale, Funky Buddha has stay DJs every evening in addition to a nook for shisha smoking. Another good place for a drink is Spotted Cow (no web site; 23C Hai Ba Trung, Hoan Kiem). A relaxed place to spend time with pals, the bar presents big-screen TVs to look at soccer video games, a place to play darts and plenty of seating to only sit back and revel in a drink. I recently wrote about assembly Vietnamese women in my article about the most effective relationship web site and apps in Vietnam . Online dating in Vietnam works nice , yet I still find it's far more fun to meet women while partying.

can i get a spirit guide reading too? ): ive been dying to find my own..♎

Hi 👋 hello there pleased to meet you ♎

×JaxDessa×IS YOUR SPIRIT GUIDE CURRENTLY🐠🌏🐚

She is female inter-terrestrial Female-Sea Creature who visits middle Earth and thats about as close as she gets to you personal space other than being able to e a essence that communicates or manipulates your current or future circumstances.

As an etheric being, Mermaid is “out of time” even as magic. She can teach you to walk through different worlds safely. There are spaces and places where all time swirls together, opening infinite possibilities.

If Mermaid Spirit had a mantra, it would be “go with the flow.” Give yourself to the ebb and flow of Mermaid’s ties. This provides you with adaptability akin to how water takes on the shape of its container.

Lightworkers, such as myself, 🌐🐚🐠 believe that Mermaids may have come originally from Atlantis as shapeshifters. Afterward, they moved into the Etheric realm; this is the place wherein we can connect with them and learn their wisdom. Mermaid Medicine supports environmental health and the kingdom of the sea. If you are doing workings for the Earth, they are excellent helpmates.

Like the creature of myths, Mermaid Totems are drawn to water. The ocean, in particular, has healing and energizing qualities to it. The Mermaid Mage often works exclusively with the Water Element; and Jaxdessa is no different she happens to be an elite member of the aquatic Water Mystics in her colony in the ethereal realm of existence....

This Mer-Woman has been with you since your birth and will likely be with you until the END of time; but first let's dive fins deep into her bio and see what she's in your life for?

🦋🌏🦋Being female, the symbolism and meaning of the Mermaid ties to the Sacred Feminine, specifically Goddesses like Venus who rules love, and the Sea Goddesses like Calypso. This is not a woman who can be tamed. The fierce individuality among Mermaids is well known – so much so that they may resist settling down in any one spot. Here Mermaid Spirit appears linked heavily to uniqueness and non-conformity.

Are you looking for a way to express yourself? Trying to find clarity in love matters? Mermaid as a Spirit, Totem, and Power Animal can help! Mermaid teaches to find balance between the heart and mind! Delve deeply in Mermaid symbolism and meaning to find out how this animal spirit guide can aid, inspire, and balance you!

Mermaid Symbolism & Meaning

The myths of Mermaids (and mermen) are enchanting. The rich voice of the Mermaid calls out to us with symbolism and meaning that clarifies the role this Fantasy Spirit Guide plays in our lives. Many stories of the Mermaid tell of enticing beauty, raw sensuality, and humans who succumb to their haunting songs; in this, we see where Mermaid becomes an emblem of balancing our heart and head. We need to think clearly even in matters of love and lust. Additionally, there are times in our lives where its ok to dance to a different, magical tune. Individuality and non-conformity are definitely traits of the Mermaid.

Mermaid Omens: Mermaids seem to be fairly lucky in that, if in a generous mind, they might grant a wish. Having said that, sailors consider them a foreboding sign that the proverbial ship may never reach land again.

Etymology: Mermaid comes from the 14th century term mermayde, meaning Maid of the Sea. The Old English word was similar – merwif, or Water Witch.

Being female, the symbolism and meaning of the Mermaid ties to the Sacred Feminine, specifically Goddesses like Venus who rules love, and the Sea Goddesses like Calypso. This is not a woman who can be tamed. The fierce individuality among Mermaids is well known – so much so that they may resist settling down in any one spot. Here Mermaid Spirit appears linked heavily to uniqueness and non-conformity.

Reach out to Mermaid as a Power Animal any time you work with the element of water in ritual, meditations or magic. There are other goals for which Mermaid can help. When you need inspiration, particularly in song, she can release your self-consciousness, so you really sing from your heart. Regarding sexuality, she removes inhibitions that hold you back from true pleasure.

Mermaid represents transition and transmutation. When you face unique changes in your life, she can help steady the waters around you.

Finally, call to Mermaid when you struggle with your emotions or when your intuition seems to have dried up. Mermaid medicine heals broken hearts and discouragement, then goes on supporting your intuitive self so you can avoid the chaos.

Mermaid as a Celtic Animal Symbol

Celtic Tradition has a long-standing relationship with magical water creatures. Sprites and nymphs often lived nearby sacred falls and wells. The Mermaid, however, lives in the sea. In this culture, the symbolism and meaning of Mermaid is that of the feminine element of the Universe. It is powerful and mysterious. The image of the double-tailed Mermaid adorns many churches represents the ultimate Celtic goddess, Sheela-Na-Gig.

Native American Mermaid Symbolic Meanings

One story from the Mi’kmaq tribe tells of a bird who discovers a pond with five lovely women therein. He noted that they didn’t really look totally human, having silvery scaled skin and hair of seaweed. They adorned themselves with gifts of the sea, and the bottom half of their body was that of a fish.

The Passamaquoddy tales recount the story of how two girls became Mermaids (HeNwas). They went swimming in an area prohibited by their parents. They came to a spot where they were surrounded in slime. Their legs became snakes, their hair black and wearing silver bands on their arms and neck.

Sekani legend talks of the marriage between a human and a Mermaid. By the first winter, the Mermaid yearned for her ocean home. She begged for freedom. It wasn’t until the second winter, however, that the man complied so she could hunt for him. Each day she returned dutifully with food. They became happy and had seven children. After the last child, winter returned, and the man sadly broke a hole in the ice so she could return. When she began swimming, she realized her children could not follow her. She tried to work a spell, placing water on their lips and telling them to follow her. Sadly they drown and were never seen again.

Mermaid Dreams

Mermaids in dreams almost always represent femininity with all its lovely attributes. These dreams often reveal clues to your feminine side. This can be a happy omen unless you fear the emotions and insights Mermaid brings.

A Mermaid swimming in water may represent a girth of emotions that threaten to overwhelm. You feel as if you are going under and giving in to the pressures around. Find your life vest and get some help and support.

Far Eastern Mermaid Symbolic Meanings

There are numerous stories of Mermaids in China. Literature depicts her as similar to western Mermaids with the ability to cry pearls, shapeshift, foretell the future and craft magical items.

One story tells of a Mermaid who asked to stay with a human family for many days so she could weave and sell her cloth. In thanks for the human’s hospitality, she cried a container full of pearls and gave it to the family.

Mermaid Symbolic Meanings Key

Adaptability

Awareness

Discretion

Divination

Emotions

Innocence

Non-conformity

Psychic Aptitude

Shapeshifting

Uniqueness

Artists frequently depict Mermaids with a fish bone comb; this illustration came about due to sailors’ beliefs. If you had fish bones on board a ship, one could know what type of weather was coming through divination and take control of a storm to calm the winds. Another tool of the Mermaid is a mirror. This object has long been used for magic as a “looking glass” much like a crystal ball. Mirrors represent the moon and the intuitive self. Wrap these tools into a medicine bag, and you have future-telling abilities, far sight, sensitivity, and psychic aptitude.

WHAT DO MERMAIDS LOOK LIKE ?🧜‍♀️ 🧜‍♀️

Traditional Mermaids have the upper body of a woman and the lower body of a fish. Images of Mermaids appear as early as ancient Babylon. Sailors considered images of Mermaids as a good luck charm, which is why figureheads were carved with Her image.

Being tied to the Water Element, Mermaid may take on the meaning of a source of life, cleansing, and renewal. Water can also be a fierce foe, with crashing waves that threaten to take us under into the unknown. The ancients found themselves inexplicably attracted to the Mermaid, while also being frightened of their powers.

These “Angels of the Sea” appear most frequently at dawn and dusk. These are “in between” times when the veil between worlds grows thin. Some say they only show themselves to people who have pure hearts, giving he Mermaid the symbolism of discretion and awareness.

WHAT DOES JAXDESSA LOOK LIKE?

Here....She is .. 🧜‍♀️ 7:47 PM(look up the numerology or 747 and 757 , 759)

Those are your times you'll be likely to sense her close to you...

When Jaxdessa swims with you, she brings you into the realm of Water, which also speaks of our emotions. You will be challenged to dig deep inside yourself to understand your fears and scars fully. Only by so doing can you truly heal. Throughout this journey, Jaxdessa offers love and support.The Mermaid animal spirit may also bear a message about reconnecting with your inner child and nature. The innocence and joy of the child dances with the beauty of the world. There is a richness in this relationship building process, and Mermaid is your guide...

When working with your Mermaid guide, it is essential that you remain true to yourself: She will not condone facades. Keep it real and be ready to swim.

Those born with Mermaid imprinted on their soul feel at one with nature. They see the wonders of the world with an appreciative eye, but also know that there is much more going on behind the proverbial curtain. The Mermaid constantly interacts and exchanges various feelings with others including joy, peace, and liveliness. The Mermaid’s language of love is an affirmation.

Greed doesn’t really measure in the mind of the Mermaid. They do not seek to possess others, but rather walk with them in mutual goals and dreams. The Mermaid’s inner child is strong and very active.

More...SpiritGuide bio

The Mermaid person has intense psychic abilities. You see spirits, fairies, Devas, Angels, and other Fantasy creatures easily. Some of the gifts you may have include clairvoyance and hypnotic allure

The Mermaid is an amazing empath, but this can also be her undoing. She feels everything. A crowded room can become totally overwhelming. Thankfully with time and practice, she can learn to detach from others feelings and consider them much as one might watch a movie. This protects the Mermaid from psychic overload and burnout. ((YOU MORE THAN LIKELY CSN RELATE TO THIS AND MOST OF THE MERMAID QUALITIES BECAUSE YOU ARE HER SHE IS YOU;; DO YOU SEE THESE SIMILARITIES YET?))

💘 💜 💛 💚 🧡 💘

Regarding relationships JaxDessa people may not settle down, but they certainly enjoy a good lover. There is raw, unbridled sexuality here that begs for attention. Because they are very private people, however, some of these desires go unfulfilled.

Spirit Guides 3 Messages for me today (current date Jan 11th 2021)

First message: #1

ANGEL NUMBER 833

Number 833 is a blend of the vibrations and energies of number 8 and number 3, with number 3 appearing twice, amplifying its influences of 3, and relating the the Master Number 33. Number 8 relates to self-confidence and personal authority, discernment, higher wisdom, achievement and successes, practicality, consideration, giving and receiving, and serving humanity. Number 8 is also the number of karma; the Universal Spiritual Law of Cause and Effect. Number 3 is the number of affability, enthusiasm, assistance and encouragement, communication and self-expression, growth, expansion and the principles of increase, manifesting, broad-minded thinking, talents and skills, and the energies of the Ascended Masters. Master Number 33 (the Master Teacher) relates to the attributes of the ‘healer’, compassion, blessings, the teacher of teachers, inspiration, honesty, discipline, bravery and courage.

Angel Number 833 is a powerful message and sign that you are being fully supported, surrounded and supported by your Spirit Guides ...It indicates that you are successfully manifesting prosperity and abundance in your life by the positive choices you have made and are currently making. Put your personal attributes and talents to good use and be open to receiving your well-earned rewards and blessings. Trust that all is going to Divine plan.  

Angel Number 833 brings a powerful message of love and support, encouragement and guidance, and your SpiritGuide(s) ask that you maintain a positive attitude and outlook to continue manifesting positive abundance into your life. Remember that what you put out to the Universe comes back to you, so ensure that you use your personal power and talents in a positive manner, always.

Angel Number 833 tells you to take ownership of your own life and discover your dreams. Use your personal creativity in constructive and productive ways, and put your skills and talents to work to achieve your heart’s desires. You get what you expect so make sure you radiate positive energies and expect the highest and best in return. Trust that you will find success in your chosen endeavours.

  

Number 833 relates to number 5 (8+3+3=14, 1+4=5) and Angel Number 5.

Now look up # 5 see what it is ? Thats your next mission .🧜‍♀️.

Second Message : WHAT I NEED TO HEAR RIGHT THIS MOMENT ...

If you were to bite into a piece of cake and think it's awful because of certain flavors or a lack of some ingredient, it would not be pleasant in the moment. Even so, the experience could be beneficial to you later on. Suppose you wanted to bake a special cake for someone. The experience you had with the unappetizing cake might inspire you to do things differently. Every bad experience has an upside, Dear Jaxdessas darling, even if it doesn't seem so in the moment. Remember that today if something doesn't seem ideal.

Third Message: 🌟 ⭐ 💫 🌠 🌃 ✨ 🌟 ♎ January 11 - January 17

A project that is in the final stage of development could get a really big boost this week, dear Jaxdessas darling. This may come out of left field, and the help you need may come from someone you least expected and perhaps you don't even like, but don't cut off your nose to spite your face. This is essential assistance, and you should be grateful for it. Success is possible with a work- or money-related venture that didn't seem to be going very well all that long ago. This is due to your persistence and your optimistic attitude, so let this be a lesson for future endeavors. Some venture that you have put a lot of time and energy into may wind up hitting a brick wall very soon. You may want to proceed anyway, and you may want to figure out how many ways there are to get over the wall that stands between you and success. But before you invest that time, think about whether this will be worth the effort in the end. There could be something else coming along that could take its place, and that could be easier and more rewarding in the end.

&&&

A creak you hear in the dark could be the settling of an old house, or it could be a burglar creeping on the stairs. Loud voices you hear coming in through the windows could be your neighbors arguing, or it could be those same neighbors sharing good news. The lamp going out on your nightstand could be a sign that electricity has shut down, or it could mean you need a new bulb. There is often more than one way to interpret something, and usually there's nothing to worry about. Remember that today, Taurus, if you are tempted to follow worrisome thoughts. It's more likely there's nothing to worry about.

FINAL THOUGHTS?.. THE WISE ADVICE FROM YOUR MYSTIC MERMAID 🧜‍♀️

Step 1) Define Your Core Values

Know what is most important to you by determining your values for your professional and personal life.

These are the principles that are the foundation for your priorities, choices, actions, and behaviors.

You can start by looking at this list of values.

Step 2: Practice the habits.

Pick one or two from this list of positive character traits above to practice for several weeks.

Write down the actions you want to take or the behaviors you define that reflect this trait, and implement them in your daily life and interactions.

Wear a rubber band on your wrist or create other reminders to help you practice these good qualities.

Step 3: Find people with good character.

Surround yourself with people who reflect the character traits you want to embrace.

They will inspire and motivate you to build these traits in yourself.

Try to avoid people who have a weak character and make bad decisions.

Step 5: Take some risks.

Start taking small actions toward a goal or value that involves some level of risk.

When you face the possibility of failure and challenge yourself toward success, you become mentally and emotionally stronger and more committed to your principles.

Step 6: Stretch yourself.

Create high standards and big goals for yourself.

Expect the best of yourself and constantly work toward that, even though you will have setbacks and occasional failures.

Every stretch builds your confidence and knowledge that your positive character traits are getting stronger.

Step 7: Commit to self-improvement.

Realize that building your character is a life-long endeavor.

It is something that is practiced both in the minutiae and the defining moments of your life.

There will be times you step up to the character traits you embrace and other times you falter.

Thank You for taking the time to meet your Spirit Guide today have a nice day 😊 ✨ 💛 ☺ 💗