Tesh

Okay so

I wasn't on here for a bit.

And I came back and had over 90 notifications. 

Basically all of which were status updates.

So I'm gonna turn off my notifications for status updates so I'll just see if people mention me and stuff. So if you need me to see a status update for some reason just mention me. 

Also I'm Quirrel now.

I think this was @DramaQueen's old pfp on Discord.

It's trippy.

But I'm keeping it for now.

Sorry if it's confusing.

You should play Hollow Knight.

*zooms away*

Well it's 9:57 in the evening and I want to go to bed.

But it's also May 16th.

Again.

Somehow.

And, somewhat unfortunately, this takes precedent over sleeping a reasonable amount.

First and foremost.

AHHHHHHHH WHAT THE ACTUAL FREAKING HECK HOW HAVE I BEEN ON HERE FOR FIVE YEARS????

I've been on here for five years.

I uh... technically joined when I was 12, but we don't talk about that. Or any of my early posts. 

A whole hecking lot has changed over those five years, and a lot of it in no small part thanks to this site and the amazing people I've come into contact with. You all got me through a really rough patch (AKA middle school) and then about two years ago I got onto Discord and just got to know some people even better.

You all are amazing.

Time to start the list. 

@The Awakened Salad SALAD. Thank you for being the other half of STAELSAHD, for putting up with me despite all of my many erm... moments of being a crummy friend, and for forgiving me. Every time I look at the moon I think of you and your 42 elbow-ed arms reaching down to pat me on the head. You're one of my best friends and I don't know what I'd do without you. And I know that I most certainly wouldn't be where I am without you at this point. And thanks, of course, for watching Barbie movies with me in the ungodly hours of the morning. Honestly, those are some of my fondest memories. Dragons!!!

@AonEne Eeeeeeeeeeeeene. I can't even put into words how awesome you are. Like dude. You ROCK. You're one of my closest friends, and the FAB squad just wouldn't be the same without you. I mean, then we'd just be the AB squad, and that'd be weird... But you're just so kind and amazing and funny and I love you so much. Hanging out with you in person is always a joy, and VCs are always an adventure. Thank you so much for coming to the anthology release, and putting up with my weird ramblings about stuff. You're amazing. Avi!!! Also I've been on the Shard longer than you so HAH. 

@Knight of Iron Koi. I gave you your nickname and I'll be forever proud of that fact. You're such an amazing, kind, considerate, and thoughtful friend. I love talking with you so much, and just... You're amazing. Thanks for the help figuring out Hollow Knight, and for talking about random stuff. You're one of the best people to talk to about Random Stuff. Honestly, you're just a really cool person and I really really value our friendship. 

@Ed Venture Vennie! I LOVE YOU. I love talking about musicals with you, and often times the more serious aspects of life and stuff. You're honestly just one of the kindest people I've ever had the pleasure of interacting with. I can't wait for the day when we'll be able to watch a musical together. It will happen some day, and it'll be so much fun when it does. 

@Channelknight Fadran Fadrinooooooo. THANK YOU for going to all those awesome writing things with me. You're so much fun to hang out with at them, and your chaotic energy is infectious. Thanks for yelling at everyone to play Hollow Knight. I suck at it, but it's fun, and I wouldn't be playing it if you didn't talk about it all the time. 

@DramaQueen Have I ever told you that you're just a really really cool person? You're such an amazing friend and I just love talking with you. You and Fadran are adorable and I can't wait to be your basement gremlin. We'll go see musicals all the time and drag Fadran to all of them so that he will actually have to listen to them.  Tell Petri I say hi! 

It's not letting me tag people anymore for some reason so I might just have to do that in comments. 

@Condensation I love talking to you and hanging out with you and just... you're cool. It was so much fun to hang out with you that night in March. I don't have much that's very specific to say, just I love you and you're such a good friend.

@Vapor VASPIE. You are the bestest bowl. And, once again, hanging out with you that night in March was one of the best nights ever. It was just a blast. I love you so much. Tell Chowder I say hi.  

@Mist I haven't really talked with you much lately, but you're such a cool person. Meeting was really cool, and I hope we can see each other again before too long. 

@Doomstick Shortie. Thanks for coming and visiting me this winter! That was such a fun day and I'm really glad I had that opportunity to hang out with you. You're a huge fricking nerd and just an all-around cool person. DFTBA!

@Hentient ALSO DFTBA. Thank you for being the cameraman at Fadran's birthday party! I really hope I can meet you in person some time soon. (Wait I just realized that you'll be at the same school as one of my IRL friends from where I live.) You're also a super cool person. Tell Toto I say hi! And DFTBA!

@S4S You're one of my oldest friends from here. You've been there since the beginning. And I'm so sorry you were there at the beginning.  You're also a super cool person (is it just me, or am I friends with a lot of really cool people? Maybe I have a knack for finding you all.) and a super talented writer. Talking to you again after two years was amazing. I can't even tell you how cool that was. All I can really say is thank you. 

@Firerust You've also been around for quite a while! Thank you for carrying on KotC for so long. You're also a very talented writer, and a very good friend. And, like with S4S, talking to you again after those two years was an incredible experience. Thanks for hanging around.  

@King Aragorn of Gondor You're also super cool!!! Talking to you is always so much fun and I always tend to stay up later than I mean to when I do.  Thanks for being awesome. Tell Bucky I say hi! He's such a good birb.

This is by no means everyone. I'm missing a ton. However, if I did miss you, this is for you: YOU'RE SO COOL AND SUCH AN AMAZING HUMAN AND THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. 

The Shard has honestly been a huge part of my life, and generally for the better. Thank you all for being here with me for it. Thank you, thank you, thank you. 

It's now 10:36.

AND NOW I'LL LEAVE YOU WITH A QUOTE FROM THE ANTHROPOCENE REVIEWED BECAUSE IT'S AMAZING AND EVERYONE SHOULD READ IT. 

"I think two of the fundamental facts of being a person are 1. We must go on, and 2. None of us ever walks alone."

Thank you for walking with me.

It's that time of year again!

Happy mental health awareness month!

*is totally not reading tWoK for the twelfth time in five years*

Hahahahaha guess who's having urges to reread the entire Cosmere literally two weeks before AP tests hahahahaha definitely not me.

SCUDDING STORMS AP TESTS ARE IN TWO WEEKS.

DANG IT.

*dies*

Well

I missed my Sanderversary. 

Because I've been very busy.

I saw a sea turtle today.

Anyways.

Five years ago, I bought and began reading my first Sanderson book. It was The Way of Kings, and I cannot tell you how much this changed my life. It's still one of my top three favorite books of all time. (The other two are The Anthropocene Reviewed and The Book Thief, if you were wondering.) 

But... Yeah! 

After I finished tWoK, I got halfway through WoR and then joined the Shard, so thanks to that, my Shardeversary is in less than a month. 

Alright I'm going to bed now. Night!

1. I can now crochet tiny octopi and they're amazing and I love them. @King of the Oreo send me the pattern. I have now made ten of them and I am planning on making far more.

2. Kaladin's adorable.

3. I got stabbed last night at fencing really hard and now have a giant bruise but it was a whole hecking lot of fun.

4. I'm planning on rereading a few classics that I love (and maybe a few new ones or maybe just Frankenstein), then rereading the whole Cosmere because I FEEL LIKE IT.

5. Y'all. The Frankenstein musical. Is AMAZING. I've listened to it three times today alone.

6. AP tests in a month. Hahahahahahahahahaha

*dies*

Guys.

I got to use an arming sword tonight.

I mean it was a synthetic one, but STILL.

I did also get to hold a metal one, which was fun. We didn't swing those ones around much, though, cause they only had one metal one. 

It was so much fun.

Hello hi yes I'm back with another book recommendation.

If you are in the US, you have got to read Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen. (If you're not in the US, it'll just show you how incredibly racist and biased the US history curriculum is in US high schools is! So It could be fun for you guys as well.) 

You have to read it.

The author takes the twelve most commonly used US history textbooks in high schools and analyzes them for the things that they leave out or lie about. And then he also talks so much about super interesting things and it just adds so much nuance to what's usually taught in schools and it's just so good.

He also talks a lot about why this is such as issue (racism and whitewashing history are a couple big ones) and why this leads to a lot of people finding history boring.

Stuff like this is why I personally love history. I have had an awesome teacher who was willing to dive deep into things, go beyond the curriculum, challenge common misconceptions, made us question, think critically, and just AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I love it so much.

Just, please, take the time to at least look into this book. It's written in a super entertaining way, it's jam-packed with information, and it will honestly make you a better person.

(Oh also, I love the term "whitewashing history." It's so interesting. Cause there's the "whitewashing" where you cover up the "blemishes" or the "imperfections." The things that make (in this case) the US look bad. Then there's also another meaning. "White"washing history. Focusing on history from the white European perspective. Ignoring or invalidating other points of view. (I've had people recommend to me An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States although I haven't read it myself yet, so that might be worth looking into if you guys are interested in this.))

So yeah.

PLEASE READ IT.

If you find history boring this might change your opinion.

At the very least it will leave you a better informed citizen.

Lies My Teacher Told Me, James W. Loewen.

(Also my psych teacher (he used to teacher world history as well) said this is one of his all-time favorite books, my AP World History teacher uses this to help teach Columbus, and my AP US History teacher listens to the podcast.)

(A few other history books that I've read and that I've loved are Flyboys by James Bradley, Becoming Evil by James Waller, We Wish To Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families by Philip Gourevitch, and Asperger's Children by Edith Sheffer.)

(Also I'm only about 70 pages into Lies My Teacher Told Me and this is how much I'm already loving it.)

PLEASE READ IT.