November: Loss & Life

From the cooling weather to the turning colors of the leaves, Autumn is a time of transformation and reflection. Of mourning and celebration. It's a bittersweet season; the falling leaves remind us that in the sorrow loss, there is also great beauty in letting go.

Accordingly, the All Valley Skills Challenge theme for November is:

Below, you will find this month's prompts. Our mods have created a series of moodboards, each inspired by a Festival of the Dead from a culture represented in the Karate Kid and Cobra Kai universe. We've also included a short description of the unique traditions of each:

(Moodboards by @idontknowkaratebutiknowcrazy, @desolateice and @wicked-jade.)

Dia de los Difuntos - Ecuador Celebrated on November the 2nd, and coinciding with All Souls Day, Ecuador's Dia de los Difuntos (Day of the Deceased) is a holiday that combines Catholic tradition with the death rituals of the indigenous Quechua people. On this day, families gather to honor and celebrate the lives of loved ones who have passed away. Traditionally, they visit cemeteries to clean graves and to bring gifts of flowers and food to share with those they've lost. The belief is that the food will help give souls strength for their journey to the afterlife. Stalls selling guaguas de pan (bread babies - a sweet bread piped with colorful icing, shaped to resemble a doll or baby) and colada morada (a thick, dark purple corn drink, served hot) line the streets, along with vendors selling other treats and grave decorations. In rural areas, it is common for families to dress in their finest clothes and share a picnic together in the cemetery. The festivities also often include carnivals and parades.

Kyu-Bon (Obon) - Okinawa/Japan The Obon Festival, also called Kyu-Bon in Okinawa, is celebrated throughout both Okinawa and Japan. While the holiday is based on the solar calendar in mainland Japan, in Okinawa, it follows the lunar calendar. This means it can fall anywhere from mid-July to early September. Always starting on a Monday, the celebration lasts for three days. It is customary for Okinawans from all over to Japan to return to their hometowns, in order to observe the holiday with their families. On the first day (Unke), families hang glowing lanterns outside and leave their doors and windows open, to guide and welcome the spirits of their ancestors home. They also leave offerings such as sugarcane sticks and uchikabi paper (money for the afterlife) on the family altar. On the second day (Nakanuhi), families prepare food, visit other relatives homes, and exchange gifts. The final day (Ukui), is a time for feasting, celebrating, and sharing stories. Prayers and goodbyes are said before sending the spirits back to the afterlife. Food, handwritten notes, and uchikabi paper are placed in a large bowl as a gift for the ancestors. The contents are then burned, so the spirits can take the offerings with them when they go. Over the course of the festival, colorfully clad Eisa dancers march through the streets, entertaining both the crowds and the spirits by dancing, chanting, drumming, and playing folk songs on the sanshin.

Chuseok - South Korea Celebrated on the full moon of the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar for about a 3 day holiday. People return home bearing gifts, visit and clean grave sites, and share a feast. Parts of these feasts include songpyeon (a type of colorful rice cake), types of Hangwa like the honey cookie yakgwa, fruit, baekju (a type of alcohol), jeon (savory pancakes), japchae, bulgogi and more. Food will also be set out at a in-home memorial for the ancestors and those who've passed. Games are played like Yut Nori, as well as sports like Ssireum (a type of wrestling), and Taekkyon (a type of martial arts). There is also a dance, Ganggangsullae.

All Souls Day (Il Giorno Dei Morti) - Italy Also coinciding with All Souls Day, Il Giorno Dei Morti is the Italian Day of the Dead. While November 1st (All Saints Day) is the day to honor the Catholic saints, November 2nd is reserved for honoring dearly departed loved ones. On this day, families flock to cemeteries in order to pay their respects to the dead by lighting candles and laying flowers - customarily, bouquets of chrysanthemums - on their graves. In Sicily and other parts of southern Italy, parents will hide small gifts, such as toys, sweets and Pupi ri Zuccaru (sugar puppets) around the house for their children to find. The children are then told that the gifts were left for them by their deceased relatives, who came to visit them in the night. Traditional foods vary from region to region. Pan dei morti (bread of the dead) is consumed in almost every part of the country. Other treats include Frutta di Martorana (marzipan sweets from Sicily), and Ossa dei morti (bones of the dead - crunchy, almond-flavored cookies that are shaped to resemble bones.)

You will have one month from today to create and submit fanworks inspired by this theme. This is your chance to show off your creative skills, whatever they may be. From writing, to art, to everything in between. Our goal is to encourage all forms of creative expression within the TKK/CK community. All pairings and ratings are welcome.

This round will officially close on Monday, November 30th at noon, CST, so if you would like for us to share your works, make sure to submit them before the deadline. Tag us @allvalleyskillschallenge and #allvalleyskillschallenge, to make it easier for our mods to find and reblog your works!

We’ve also created an AVSC Collection on ao3, if you would like to add your works there. We highly recommend that artists who wish to share uncensored, NSFW content do so on ao3, to avoid violating tumblr’s guidelines.

Please check out our FAQ for more details. If you have any further questions, feel free to contact us at @allvalleyskillschallenge, our asks are open.

seriously starting to get annoyed by people equating sad and tragic endings with meaningfulness. happy and/or hopeful endings don’t mean less. they’re not silly or less impactful. i'm just really tired of people telling me that the tragic ending is more romantic or beautiful or interesting or that the main character needs to "learn" something from the loss of a loved one.

im literally shaking with adrenaline i cant believe you guys had me convinced it was bad. what the fuck.

Father!!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥

Getting into Frieren sucks because the story is great but the fans are reprehensibly horny about it

Just finished the atlas complex and thought I'd pop in to revel in some dark academia done good tragedy but um. Nope. Seems that is NOT the general vibes around here. Rip to my hopes of finding fanart

I love thinking of Jack's relationship with Fredbear as catholic devotion esp when his relationship with him is Bad. Something about having met god and being an atheist because you hate him, you know? Also so I have more songs to think of Jack to, yeah.

I'm fascinated that Vash, Knives, and Wolfwood don't know their birth families and how that plays out with their guardians.

Vash's philosophies are shaped by Rem; Knives rebels/reframes Rem's words to suit his own agenda ("There's so much we have to do to make sure it [Tesla's death by human experimentation/callousness] doesn't happen again." To me, it's a "I learned drinking at my father's knee" v. "I saw my father drinking and resolved not to be like him" relationship, and many people have written amazing metas on this!

Wolfwood has had two prominent guardians in his life—Melanie and Chapel (depending on which version, Chapel actually raised Wolfwood for a bit). It's pretty formative in that Wolfwood before the Eye of Michael is a caring individual but also hard-nosed to a certain degree (becoming a caretaker figure, knowing the orphanage is struggling, etc.), while Chapel teaches him that connections drag you down and that you must make an immediate decision (as the world/job is harsh and unforgiving). His experiences with Melanie and Chapel also shaped his self-sacrificing nature: to help with the greater good, whatever that means—but Wolfwood rebels against Chapel as Knives did with Rem, which (unlike Knives and Rem) is a good thing.

Again, none of these characters know their birth origins or express a lot of curiosity about finding out more, and that nature/nurture dynamic fascinates me because they're a) very much their own individuals but b) still burdened by who raised them.

It's a compelling theme in Trigun that it's not necessarily how you start out; it's the experience and guidances (or lack thereof) do. There are a lot of self-determination/fate interpretations among Vash, Knives, and Wolfwood—what path are you on? Did you create it? Is it shaped? Can you go without a path or make a different one? How does it all end? Can you truly escape where you came from? (More thoughts in the tags lol)

I GOT A QUESTION, FIRST OF ALL IM SORRY BECAUSE I WANNA EAT YOUR ART AND YOUR OC LORE, AND I HOPE ME ASKING STUFF DOESNT DISTURB YOU

SECOND OF ALL, THE QUESTION, DOES THE TRIO REMEMBER ABOUT SNEAKY AND MKB

AND OTHER QUESTUON ARE THEY STILL ALIVE????? WHERE ARE THE MOTHERFCKERSS

So in my au, the war that Flippy was in happened OFF the Isles. Meaning outside of the trios curse.

Sneaky and MouseKaboom are permadead.

But the weight of that is still carried by their surviving companion.

Edit: I love getting questions! This was a good one too! No need to feel self conscious about asking things <3 I’m just sorry it’s probably not the answer you were looking for

🔥 for FE Heroes

I feel like Book... 7?? The one with all the Big Booba Snake Ladies. I feel like that one had a chance to be really interesting in exploring the depths of identity and how one feels they've lost too much of themselves to be considered the same person as who they were before, if, like... it cared to be anything but a Big Booba Lady Who Like-a Da Summoner fest.

Plus the old goat guy who turned evil out of nowhere actually had a pretty banger motivation in starting the chain of the Golden Seer but the execution of his EEEEEVIL nature and his plan were dumb as shit

November Challenge - Reminder

November is halfway over! This month, we're celebrating the CK universe's dearly departed loved ones with the 'Mourning Loss and Honoring Life Challenge'. This is a reminder that there are only two weeks remaining to submit your entries.

For this month's inspiration, our mods have assembled a set of moodboards that depict various Festivals of the Dead from some of the cultures featured throughout the series. You can find them here, along with links to the AVSC rules and FAQ.

All submissions are due by November 29th at noon, CST. We accept fanworks of all mediums, pairings, lengths, and ratings. We look forward to seeing your interpretations of the theme!

Dubliners: A Captivating Exploration of Ordinary Lives

James Joyce's "Dubliners" is a collection of short stories that offers readers a poignant and vivid portrait of life in early 20th-century Dublin. Published in 1914, this seminal work of modernist literature is renowned for its richly detailed character studies, evocative prose, and incisive exploration of the human condition.

At the heart of "Dubliners" is Joyce's keen observation of the everyday lives of the people of Dublin, capturing the hopes, dreams, and disappointments of ordinary individuals with precision and empathy. From the working-class neighborhoods to the middle-class suburbs, Joyce paints a multifaceted picture of Dublin society, revealing the complexities and contradictions that lie beneath its surface.

One of the most striking aspects of "Dubliners" is Joyce's mastery of the short story form, as he skillfully crafts each narrative with economy and precision. From the atmospheric opening story, "The Sisters," to the haunting conclusion of "The Dead," Joyce's stories are united by a common theme of epiphany, as characters grapple with moments of revelation and self-realization that illuminate the hidden truths of their lives.

Moreover, "Dubliners" is celebrated for its richly drawn characters, who range from the disillusioned alcoholic in "Counterparts" to the young boy experiencing his first crush in "Araby." Through his vividly depicted characters and their inner lives, Joyce offers readers a window into the social, cultural, and psychological forces that shape their experiences and interactions.

In addition to its exploration of individual lives, "Dubliners" also serves as a poignant meditation on the broader themes of Irish identity, colonialism, and the search for meaning in a changing world. Joyce's portrayal of Dublin as a city caught between tradition and modernity reflects the broader tensions of Irish society in the early 20th century, as it grapples with its colonial past and uncertain future.

In conclusion, "Dubliners" by James Joyce is a timeless masterpiece of modernist literature that continues to captivate readers with its vivid depiction of Dublin life, richly drawn characters, and profound exploration of the human condition. Through its evocative prose and incisive insights, "Dubliners" offers readers a deeply moving and thought-provoking journey into the heart of Dublin and the lives of its inhabitants. With its enduring relevance and universal appeal, "Dubliners" remains a testament to the enduring power of Joyce's vision and storytelling prowess.

James Joyce's "Dubliners" is available in Amazon in paperback 15.99$ and hardcover 22.99$ editions.

Number of pages: 312

Language: English

Rating: 9/10                                           

Link of the book!

Review By: King's Cat

i think the witcher makes me feel a profound sadness every night because it’s about all the things we love so much, or that we wish we had, but can never get back. the tragedy of the uncontrollable. the pain of loss.

ciri, despite her youth and innocence, loses her home and family and then she even her adoptive parents, and then she even loses her youth and her innocence, and is left with nothing but a grotesque scar symbolizing her trauma that doesn’t fit her childlike face and a hardened, green glare. and a sword, which is only a burden.

her parents, despite their incredible love for her, despite all of their agony and sacrifice to get her back, despite their own loss of their honor, their pride, their blood — they lose her too. they lose a child, the most tragic loss of all.

dandelion loses his best friend, clutching at his memories like the weeds growing by loch eskalott, trying to grasp the last twenty years to write his memoires.

milva hears her father’s words when she shoots, and his wheezing echoes in her mind.

regis lost himself, his entire life, all the people he ever loved and chased away.

cahir, despite his large family that loves him more than imperial orders, can never return to darn dyffrya, feel the sun on his face in vicovaro ever again.

angoulême wonders if her mother would have loved her had she not abandoned her, imagines what her hand patting her head in praise could have felt like.

and then geralt loses them. all of them, one by one.

and nimue, reading about it all, can never meet the figures of the legend she has obsessed over for years and years… she has her part to play in it, she can know their voices from dialogues and know their faces from etchings, but will never be able to tell them she loves them, tell them how much they mean to her.

even when they find what they’re searching for, even when they find what they’ve desired so — it’s only for a bittersweet moment. they shortly lose it again. everyone in this series is so intertwined together and caught in the same snare of destiny, and at the very same time so very alone and abandoned

characters inspired by songs, part three.

this is a character inspired by: kit chan's 天冷就回来 🎧

for: my friend lettie @violetsinsummer <3

song reqs are open!

introducing: fern.

this is a story for the wistful, a character made on reminiscence.

as fern sits by the window with her cat on what seems like a perfectly normal day, she catches a glimpse of the first snowflake of the season. she finds it funny how even after all these years, something as frail as a snowflake has the power to make all those memories seem not too distant.

the first memory is of her mother - the woman who seemed to find the most joy in listening to songs on the radio. her mother's face while bidding her goodbye to go out to the city to study was still etched onto fern's memory. her eyes were as beautiful as ever, and her voice so sweet when she said, "come home if the world outside is too cold." this conversation with her mother would end up being the last one. it seemed as if her childhood flew away to the stars with her mother.

the second memory is of her best friend. he was ambitious, but he didn't believe in dreams. "don't overexert yourself, don't drive yourself over the edge", he used to say. but who knew that this was exactly what he was doing. "come back home and don't wander outside in the cold", he said, but he never came back home. it seemed as if her adolescence flew away to the skies with her best friend.

the third memory, perhaps the most significant, is of her husband. he felt like spring, he felt like the ray of hope after a harsh winter. "come back home when it's too cold outside, please", she said to him. she didn't hear from him after that. that accident may have taken her husband away from her, but she was still waiting. maybe the day when she would have to go to find him by herself would come soon.

she was awakened from this state of trance by the sound of one of her cats dropping the flower vase and breaking it. oh, how pretty those daffodils looked. she looked out the window and saw that there was already a significant amount of snow outside. she was grateful for winter. the chill, the mist, always helped her to acknowledge the memories of these people who shaped her. surely, she would meet them again. but for now, she was happy for the little things which were capable of giving her this feeling of love she was all too familiar with.

this is a story on reminiscence, a character made for the wistful.

i dont know whats wrong with me but every media i create just HAS to end up being a tragedy -_- like margo is intentionally like that because every character loses everything (due to their own actions!!!!!!!) but i sit down to write silly little fantasy and accidentally add the tragedy to it. it was supposed to be fun! who added the themes of loss and death to this shit!!!!!! it was supposed to be a fun silly fantasy gang adventure with clowns!!!!!!!!

i always wish i could’ve followed through w alexia and adonis’s stories because they r so heartfelt and meaningful to me and maybe one day i will actually be able to tell them but for now they’ll sit and simmer in my brain