​Hunter x Hunter: An Honest Review
By Andie Smiley
 
If you’re a fan of shounen and looking for a new anime, my best recommendation would have to be Hunter x Hunter.
 
Officially pronounced “Hunter Hunter” despite the Twitter threads arguing for different pronunciations, Hunter x Hunter revolves around four main characters: Gon Freecss, Killua Zoldyk, Leorio Paradinight, and Kurapika, as they strive to become Hunters and enact their own personal agendas with their Licenses.
 
Hunter x Hunter’s first arc is a unique and immediately gripping premise: people have come from around the world to take the Hunter Exam, which will grant them a Hunter License. Hunters have no real job description, but have a special passport, privileges related to enacting and enforcing the law (or their own laws), and a substantial salary. Despite the innocuous name, it quickly becomes apparent that the Hunter Exam requires superhuman strength, stamina, speed, and intellect to be able to pass, and has no qualms about killing examinees who aren’t up to measure, not to mention allowing them to kill each other. Through it all, our main characters don’t seem to be struggling or even surprised, only adding to the mystery of the world and the inhabitants within it.
 
HxH’s fascinating world is filled with, for the most part, palatable violence, owed mostly to the nature of the storytelling. Killua rips out a man’s heart with his bare hands, only disappointed by how much messier he is at it than his father, and the takeaway is not, “Wow, that was horrible,” but instead, “Wow, I’d like to know more about Killua.” Hisoka, one of the recurring antagonists, is surrounded by death, almost at all times, and he, too, is more intriguing than the violence that surrounds him. Death is commonplace in Hunter x Hunter, from the very beginning, but the anime refuses to take itself too seriously, making it easy to ignore in favor of the much richer events surrounding the main characters and their past.
 
Part of the appeal is the undeniably pure friendship between the two most prominent main characters, Gon and Killua. Both are twelve, strolling through the Hunter Exam with ease when even most experienced adults fail or die. Both seem unfathomably strong. And yet, where modern shounen heroes seem angsty, like they were forced to grow up too quickly, Gon and Killua remain at heart twelve-year-old boys. Their first meeting is not momentous or prophetic, but rather Gon admiring Killua’s skateboard and asking to try it out sometime. Later in the Hunter Exam, after panning across each of their older companions’ increasingly frustrated expressions, the scene cuts to Killua teaching Gon how to do a kickflip. They may be incredibly powerful young boys, but Hunter x Hunter always makes time for them to be young boys, whether it’s staying out late playing in the woods together or bickering over who owes each other what food from the vending stall nearby. Is it unrealistic, given that both of them suffered through childhood trauma ranging from an absent father to outright torture from their family? Yes, absolutely. But it is, without fail, charming.
 
While their age provides a lot of Hunter x Hunter’s glow, it also opens HxH up to darker avenues than its more adult-focused shounens: notably, Hisoka’s pedophilia. Hisoka is, apart from this, an extremely compelling villain. His character design follows a Joker-like, creepy carnival theme, with a hint of magician. He kills with a deck of cards and transforms things into rose petals. He is powerful, but not untouchable; he’s eccentric, but not cartoonish; he’s just strange enough to be interesting but not so strange that he becomes impossible to understand. In a word, he’s cool. But, particularly later on, Hisoka’s scenes become more and more tainted by what appears to be a sexual attraction to the 12-year-old main character. The show explains this away as an attraction to power, and Gon is simply a very powerful person. But knowing it’s Gon’s power Hisoka is attracted to does not make it easier to stomach the way that Hunter x Hunter will, instead of skirting around this, lean into this perverse attraction: to put it in video game terms, it seems to consider Hisoka’s pedophilia a feature, not a bug. The one saving grace is that it is all implied, and never once does Hisoka actually make a move. But still, it cannot be ignored. In the scenes where it’s present, it sticks out as harshly as a run in an otherwise smooth stocking.
 
Luckily for us, these scenes are few and far between. Otherwise, Hunter x Hunter flows well from story arc to story arc, each character is allowed their moment in the sun, and Gon, Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio are compelling without being overly cliche. A spiritual predecessor to shounens like My Hero Academia, if it’s a fast-paced and unique action anime with a likeable main character you’re looking for, Hunter x Hunter is impossible to ignore.
 
Edited by Emelyn Ehrlich

​Writer's Block: Defeating the Invisible Enemy
Jenna Fults
 
 
There are many names for the mental state of being unable to write or lacking creative ideas – being stuck, brain-fried, coming to an impasse, throwing your laptop at the wall, and of course, as it’s most commonly known, writer's block. I once heard someone from my university writing society describe this infamous writer's syndrome as "writer's cube." I always thought that that humorous twist was an appropriate way of describing something almost indescribable, as if chasing a word that's right in front of you but as if standing on the edge of a cliff without falling one way or the other. And I haven’t even broached, of course, the frustration, anxiety, and exhaustion that accompanies it.
 
But, as the name suggests, we can become "unblocked"—an almost utopian state of being assaulted with a hundred ideas at once and free to let the words flow from our pens and keyboards. Of course, there is no one cure-all method, so I've compiled a list of strategies that have helped me and others to overcome this mysterious condition.
 
 
Get Outside: Having a change of scenery or a breath of fresh air could be all it takes to jumpstart your brain. A walk through a park with trees changing into their fall leaves or strolling on a beach beside a calm sea can be a relaxing, and even inspiring, experience. Stepping away from the blank page can help relieve stress and frustration, and leave you feeling fresh and ready to take on the challenge anew.
 
Map It Out: For some writers, it's crucial to know where they're going before they put words down on the page. Do you find yourself stuck thinking about what will happen next? Then it might be time for you to map out your story with a basic (or intensive) outline. Write out the plot on computer or paper and have it somewhere accessible so you can reference it whenever you get struck. Mapping is a good visual method and reminder for remembering that your story always has "somewhere to go."
 
Change the POV: What might this story look like from the perspective of the side-character? The villain? 1st person? 3rd person? Changing the POV of a story may help get some creative juices flowing and force you to re-visualize your story and unblock your mind in the process.
 
Use a Prompt: Sometimes we need a little "kickstart"—some help to get going. Find a website of prompts (such as reedsyprompts: https://blog.reedsy.com/creative-writing-prompts/) or look for prompts in real life. E.g. Write a piece about your favorite song or that painting hanging on your wall. What's happening in it and why? Who are the characters? What's the setting? Description can often be a source of inspiration.
 
Read: Sometimes I find reading a book that uses a similar style or genre as what I'm trying to write helps "unblock" my brain. My go to sources of writer's "inspo" are Outlander by Diana Gabaldon and The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss; I grab them, flip to a random chapter, and get to reading. Reading reminds me how to keep prose moving and more importantly, why I write at all. It can also lead to more inspiration or enthusiasm for the art of writing that jolts you back into creativity mode.
 
Think About the Source of the Problem: It's important to think about the root of the issue. At times, realizing what it is that's holding you back and how you can overcome it may be enough. Is it perfectionism that's holding you back? If so, it's crucial to remind yourself that you can't edit a blank page. Is it fear? Write something nobody else is going to read, something solely for yourself. In the end, you might just decide it's worth sharing. Or is it simply procrastination, in which case you just need to get yourself to the desk (maybe grab a mug of your preferred choice of caffeine as well!) and write.
 
Free Write: And we come to at last the final, perhaps least desirable, method. This involves "grinding through" the process—writing whatever comes to your mind. Granted, this doesn't work for everybody, but sometimes it's simply necessary in order to get the words out—no matter how unpolished they may be.
 
And of course, remember those famous, ubiquitous words: You can only overcome writer's block by writing. You can do it!
 
Edited by Becca Masch

Available in paperback and ebook now!

Amazon  purchase link: 
https://www.amazon.com/Sin-Eater-Amanda-Denham/dp/1947381423/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=sin+eater&qid=1618768227&sr=8-4

ABOUT THE BOOK: Two years ago, Jayde Holloway discovered that she had the power to erase memories in the worst way possible: by accidentally wiping her best friend Jenny’s at the end of their senior year. Now, shut off from the world, Jayde exists solely for her role as the Sin Eater, an entity who can take away a person’s every bad memory if they so wish… for a price. Jayde hates the lonely life that she’s dealt, especially under her strict boss Jak, who consistently keeps her under his watchful eye through blackmail: a constant reminder of all of her mistakes. When she must travel back to her hometown, Jayde secretly befriends two siblings with a haunted past of their own. As her own painful memories begin to overwhelm, Jayde must make a choice: remain chained to a familiar but hurtful past, or reveal all of her darkest secrets for what could be a better future.

REVIEWERS/BLOGGERS: Email Kristi at Dreamingbigpublications@outlook.com to request your free PDF review copy today! A writen author interview is also available by request. 

​Thousandfurs: A Cinderella Story
By Emelyn Ehrlich
Everyone knows the story of Cinderella. It is a favorite bedtime story for most and a famous Disney movie for all. Now, with the popular movie Into the Woods, even more people know at least the basics of the Grimm version of Cinderella. A girl wants to go to the three-day ball. Her evil stepmother agrees to let her go if she can pick lentils from the ashes into a pot. Cinderella enlists the help of the birds and completes the task, only for her stepmother to go back on her word. Cinderella goes to the tree where her mother’s grave is.

This is where things get a little tricky.

In the original Grimm fairy tale, Cinderella actually gets three dresses: one the color of starlight, one of moonlight, and one of sunlight. Into the Woods only features one such dress, so many people are probably unfamiliar with that aspect of the story.

Nonetheless, I digress. Cinderella goes to the ball, the prince falls in love with her, birds pick out her stepmother and stepsisters’ eyes, and they all live happily ever after. Everyone knows the story.

But how many people know the story of Thousandfurs?

Not many, I would presume. And yet Thousandfurs actually shares a lot of the same features as Cinderella. Here is the story of Thousandfurs:

A king and his extremely beautiful queen have a young daughter. The queen becomes very sick. For reasons unknown to us (maybe greed or jealousy), the queen makes the king promise that if he ever remarries, he will marry someone as beautiful as her. The queen dies, and the king attempts to find someone as beautiful as his late wife, to no avail. No one could possibly compare. Except for one person. And this is where it becomes apparent why Cinderella was made into a Disney movie, whereas Thousandfurs remains relatively unknown.

As the king’s daughter grew up, she began to look more and more like her mother. The king noticed. And he decided, instead of simply giving up on the search for a wife and not marrying anyone, it would be better to marry his daughter. The daughter, understandably grossed out, tries to delay the marriage. She demands three dresses: one of starlight, one of moonlight, and one of sunlight (see the connection?). She also requests a cloak made up of a thousand different types of furs.

The king searches the land far and wide to find someone who could create the items his daughter demanded. Somehow, he succeeds. The daughter packs her dresses in a walnut, puts on her cloak, and runs away. She ends up in another king’s court where she works as a servant. Her face is incredibly dirty, so no one can see her beauty, and everyone calls her Thousandfurs. Eventually, the king of her new home (who we will refer to as the “new king” for clarity) holds a three-day ball, which, sure enough, Thousandfurs attends in each one of her dresses. After each ball, Thousandfurs drops an accessory into a bowl of soup for the new king, such as a ring. Eventually the new king catches on and finds out Thousandfurs is the beautiful maiden with whom he’s been dancing. He marries her, and they live happily ever after.

Cinderella and Thousandfurs do share a lot of features. There is a mother’s death, three spectacular dresses, and a three-day ball. However, Cinderella is the story that exists in our mainstream culture. Which begs the question, why is Cinderella more popular?

In short, because the Cinderella story was easier to “Disney-fy.” One can just cut out the part about the birds pecking out the evil family’s eyes, and it is a child-friendly story. It’s harder to do the same to a story about a father trying to marry his daughter.

It is a reflection of our culture’s values that Thousandfurs has faded into the background, while Cinderella thrives, and will likely continue to for many years. So why write about it at all? Putting aside the deeply uncomfortable incest, Thousandfurs is actually quite an interesting story. Don’t get me wrong, it will NEVER be child-friendly, nor would I ever expect it to become widespread. But a princess dressing in a cloak of a thousand furs? Leaving in order to find herself a better life? Actively seeking out the love of her life by dropping “hints”? It’s exciting and new and more importantly, the princess doesn’t just sit back and wait for happiness to find her. She finds it.

So, yeah, it’s kind of a cool story.
​
…The incest will never not be creepy, though.
 
Edited by Becca Masch

11/14/20
The Art of the Infrequent Hair Wash Day
Liz Eike

Which do you value more: sleeping or looking good in the morning? When it comes to hair and makeup, one usually has to sacrifice an extra hour or two of shut-eye in exchange for the time it takes to look presentable for the day. Some of this schedule can be adapted: while it is never a good idea to sleep in a full face of makeup, outfits can be laid out ahead of time, and hair can sometimes be preserved overnight as long as it is dry and carefully prepped for pillowcase friction by bedtime.

On any given morning, the shower tends to be the most hassle. While the act of showering itself does not have to take very long, the next step – namely the hair drying process – can be obnoxious and time-consuming. There are a few options for this step: air dry, towel dry and then air dry, or blow dry with varying degrees of heat. These options are listed in descending order by time requirement, which unfortunately doubles as ascending order of damage risk. My personal choice is to gently absorb most of the water with a towel and air dry the rest of the way. Unfortunately, this can take a good few hours, hence the hassle.

While there is no way to completely avoid this step – regular showers are a necessity – there is a way to cut back so that it needn’t happen every day. All you need to do is refrain from washing your hair every day.

Training your hair to cooperate between washes can take a while to adjust. Start by washing every other day, and after a few weeks, add another day between washes. Keep doing this to mold your hair wash schedule to fit your fancy.

It may take a while for your hair to stop overproducing oils between washes, and depending on its thickness, this may never even happen. However, if you can get it to work for you, it’s definitely worth it. Washing less frequently is better for your hair, as you are not stripping your scalp of its oils as often. This method also saves money on shampoo and conditioner, and – my personal favorite  – it allows for another couple of hours of sleep.
​
Mind you, you can and should still shower. Just keep your hair out of the water via shower cap or tying it out of the way.
 
Edited By Emelyn Ehrlich

​Next Level Writing: Four Ways to Improve
By Victoria Pippins
 
Ever since I was young, I've had the brain of a writer. I fell so easily in love with books that didn't have sequels—and some that had sequels that I didn't know about—that I began writing my own. I remember the first one, too. As a small child, Diana Wynne Jones' Castle in the Air sparked something inside me that has spent almost two decades manifesting.
 
I wrote constantly, pulling inspiration from every single thing that happened around me. When I was too young to focus on large projects, I wrote short stories that I thought were books. As I got older, I became so absorbed into the worlds of the novels I read and the shows I watched that I wrote an incredibly embarrassing amount of fanfiction—like, an incredibly embarrassing amount. When I hit high school, I finally tried my hand at sitting down to write real novels. I thought I wanted to become an author, but I quickly decided it wasn't for me. Instead, I’ve chosen to use my college years to pursue my passion in a different way: editing and publishing books. I enjoy writing though, and continue to do it for fun.
 
In all these years, I have picked up a tip or two on how to improve your writing. I am definitely no professional, and I have certainly written some bad stuff, but for new writers looking to improve or for college students trying to take their creative writing papers to the next level, here I am, ready to share what I’ve learned over time. From the perspective of a lifetime writer and aspiring editor, here are four important tips that I wish I had known when I first started out all those years ago.
 

1. Become comfortable with grammar

Unless you're writing for children, it's not enough to understand the basics of grammar. While it may sound like a lot of boring work, becoming comfortable with things like sentence structure and punctuation can not only make the writing and editing process much easier on you, but will give you more brain power to focus on the content of your story. In addition, you'll become a better self-editor, which will help ensure what you've written will be better polished for other people to read. This is super important if you plan to submit your writing to school contests or publishers. However, this doesn’t always mean memorizing various grammar rules and rigidly sticking to them. Sometimes, it just means developing and honing an instinct that tells you something just sounds or looks off, and needs adjusting.
 

1. Mindful Practice

The idea of practicing is obvious, and I'm sure you've heard it a thousand times about a thousand different skills. I don't mean that you should just mindlessly write until you get better, though. I wouldn’t completely chuck that method out the window, but what I mean is to sit down and make the conscious effort to improve. Take a look at the books you love, and try to figure out what it is about the writing style that really captured your interest. Was the vocabulary engaging? Were the characters well developed? Did the scenery come with very detailed descriptions? Take note of these types of things, then try writing a few paragraphs using similar methods. When you first start, stick to scenes of people doing everyday tasks like walking across the room to pick something up, making dinner, getting ready for bed, etc. before you move on to the more complex scenes of wizards casting spells or horses galloping through forests.
 

1. Plan like your life depends on it

When inspiration strikes, I always have a difficult time convincing myself to pause long enough to formulate a plan. When I get excited, it feels like I’ll lose that sudden burst of genius if I don’t get my ideas down on paper right now. The problem with this method is maintaining interest in the project long enough to actually complete it. It also means that I sometimes write stories that have one or two choice scenes, but the rest could be considered mediocre at best. While I’ve mostly kicked this habit, I still sometimes realize too late that my idea isn’t fully formed. Taking the time to plan out the setting, characters, and plot has so many advantages, you’ll wonder why you haven’t been doing it all along. It’s always best to over-plan, too. While it may never come up that your main character’s family used to take picnics every Saturday morning, having these kinds of details will help you get in tune with the people you’ve created, which in turn will allow you to truly bring them to life.
 

1. Stick to what’s relevant—if you want it to be relevant, make it so.

Do the details included in the story add to it, or distract from it? Learning to separate what actually brings a scene to life and what clutters up the page can keep your readers interested for the long haul. Another way to think of this is that there’s a time and place for everything. Unless it contributes to the story in some way by showing us what our characters are like, moving the plot along, or helping to develop the scene, don’t spend too much time on it. We don’t need to hear a long, drawn-out story about your main character and her best friend unless it is relevant now, or becomes relevant later. You don’t have to thoroughly describe the barista that makes your character’s coffee unless they interact in an important way, whether it’s now or later. If you’ve decided that a piece of information is worth including, develop a way to make it feel as if it’s occurring naturally. For example, if you for some reason want the audience to know that the love interest can do sick kick-flips, create a scene in which they have a reason to be doing them, like a skateboard competition. Don’t just interject, “Oh yeah, and they can do sick kick-flips too.”
 
Lastly, and probably most importantly, have fun with your writing. Enjoy it, and don’t be afraid to show it to other people. Be patient with yourself, dedicate what time you can, and write what you want to write. Who knows—maybe you, too, will come to love writing the way I do.
 
Edited by Keeley Catarineau

​My Favorite Fitness YouTubers
By Elizabeth Dubos
 
Disclaimer: I am not a healthcare professional, licensed fitness instructor, or licensed nutritionist.
 
Before COVID-19, I was going to Planet Fitness five days a week, for two hours a day. I did a mixture of cardio and weights. I wanted to lose weight to improve my health, have my clothes fit better, and improve my self-esteem. Then, quarantine hit, the gyms closed, and my fitness goals were halted. When the gyms partially reopened, the atmosphere was completely different. People were not social distancing nor wearing masks, therefore I could no longer go because it wasn’t safe. I gave up on working out because I lost my motivation. Home workouts are hard because it’s more than watching a video. You sweat easily because it’s not air conditioned like a gym, you don’t have the proper equipment, and you can get sidetracked with other things like laundry. Fast forward a few months, I gained weight, felt sluggish, and I didn’t like the way I looked. This was crushing because I lost 40 pounds and gained 15 pounds back. I was so close to achieving my 50-pound weight loss goal.
 
I helped myself get back on track by having a food journal to monitor my food and water intake. I also dedicated time to researching and watching fitness YouTubers. I watched numerous channels to find which ones I liked the best. I looked for weight loss and low impact workouts. Plus, I wanted to have fun to encourage myself. Here is a list of my favorite fitness YouTubers that have helped me on my journey.
 
The Fitness Marshall. Caleb Marshall creates original dance workouts with popular songs like “I Love Me” by Demi Lovato, “Truth Hurts” by Lizzo, and “My Head & My Heart” by Ava Max. Each of the fitness videos are labeled as warmups, main workouts, and cool down videos. You can choose your favorite songs to create a playlist of your favorite dance workouts. The videos feature three people to demonstrate beginner, intermediate, and expert levels; So, anyone can follow them. The Fitness Marshall is a great fitness channel if you’re looking for a different kind of workout. I have a dedicated Fitness Marshall workout playlist with over 30 of Caleb’s videos.
 
Blogilates. Cassey Ho is a certified Pilates and Fitness Instructor. One of my favorite things about Blogilates is the monthly workout challenges. If you’re subscribed to the Blogilates newsletter, then each month you’ll receive a calendar that features different workout videos. This was super helpful because it’s organized and time efficient. Each of the days are playlists on the Blogilates YouTube channel. Additionally, Cassey features nutrition recipe videos with breakfast, dinner, dessert, and snack options.
 
Chloe Ting. Chloe offers numerous free workout programs for beginners, intermediate, and novice participates. Initially, I didn’t watch Chloe’s videos because I thought they were click bait. Her titles seem misleading, however, the YouTube algorithm is tricky, so unless she features certain keywords, her videos will not be recommended. Afterwards, I started watching her videos and thought they were a lot of fun. Chloe makes it very clear that you need to stick to a program and have good nutrition to see effective results. I enjoy watching Chloe’s videos because once you’re done with a certain exercise move, she immediately moves on. Thus, her videos feature 10+ different exercises in each video.
 
Natacha Océane. Natacha’s fitness channel features workouts, nutrition guides, and the science behind her videos. For example, “Bloating, digestion, anxiety + fat loss: THE SCIENCE OF YOUR GUT.” I enjoy watching Natacha’s variety of content because it’s not the mundane, “you have to work out to be healthy.” She explains while working out is important, nutrition is a key player as well. Her nutrition and science videos explained why I needed to stay away from certain foods even if they were considered healthy.
 
Yoga with Adriene. Adriene’s channel is dedicated to creating high quality, free yoga videos for all levels and body types. There are yoga videos for beginners, stress relief, weight loss, and more! I love watching Adriene’s videos after a hard workout because it helps my muscles decompress. Plus, I’ll watch her videos if my day is more stressful than usual to help relax my mind, which in turn produces better sleep.
 
My health journey is far from over. I put away the scale to avoid the temptation. I don’t know if I’m losing weight, but I feel less sluggish, so it’s a start. Everyone has different fitness goals, so it’s important never to judge anyone because you don’t know what they’re going through. Stay strong, I believe in you.
 
Edited by: Emily Stewart

Andy Smiley
 
The new apartment. An empty space, away from the prying eyes and curfews of mom and dad or college Residence Life. For many young adults, this apartment is small, ordinary; the view is dismal, the kitchen has barely just enough room to walk around, and the living room is smaller than their childhood bedroom. It’s a space that balances freedom and fear – the thrill and terror of having no one around to watch over you.
 
For many people, these apartments are also the home of a roommate, or roommates. Whether they love their roommates or can’t wait to finish their lease, they’re a familiar face, someone to bang around in the kitchen in the afternoon or play music muffled by the walls of their bedroom while studying. But for others, like me, the apartment has just one, lonely bedroom – a small issue in normal times, but in quarantine, the potential for disaster.
 
When my school decided to go online, nearly all my senior friends found apartments in the area. The couples, of course, moved in together, but even the single people managed to find places that could accommodate more than one of them. By the time I’d decided to do the same, with the clock ticking down as more and more students crowded an already tight housing market, I had to take what I could get: a cute, three-room unit in a neighboring town. Even then, I’d had my worries about living alone.
 
Before quarantine, living alone wasn’t a huge issue. Several of my friends have cars; lots of them would love to drop by. But my living room is tiny, with only a single couch and one armchair, so there’s not much room for social distancing. The small porch in the front of my house is...well, small. And with many public meeting spaces closed, the weather growing ever colder, and with the looming threat of a difficult COVID winter coming, there’s an increasing hesitance for us to meet inside. My online classes necessitate that I stay home, where I can guarantee quiet, privacy, a charging port, and a good internet connection; much of my online work requires the same. Sometimes, aside from the errands I run to get groceries or shampoo, I’m inside my house for days on end. For my friends, this means they get to cook with each other, watch TV together, and even consider getting a dog. For me, it means that I don’t speak to another person face to face until we decide to do something together again.
 
There are perks, of course, as there always are to living alone, but it still feels like one more level of isolation on top of everything else going on. I find ways to make it better – getting groceries from a farmer’s market has always been a domestic dream of mine, and I buy bouquets of snapdragons to brighten up the living room. A Chinese evergreen named Julian, the low-light plant my friends got for me upon finding out I had almost no natural light, sits on my coffee table, and I frequently do my classes out on the porch, weather permitting, where the changing leaves blow in the wind. But the cold weather and the seasonal depression that hits nearly everyone in New England during the winter months is coming all too soon, and I’m worried that without the steady routine we used to fall into – meeting up in our snow gear to walk to dinner, doing work in each other’s rooms late at night, going to each other’s tutoring drop-in hours just to keep each other company – my living situation will contribute to the growing distance between me and the people I love. I’m already recognized as the most social person in the group. How will I find social interaction when the threat of COVID combines with the 10-degree weather to create an utterly inhospitable winter?
 
I’m not the only one wondering. Most young adults don’t live alone, but I’ve seen friends who had to live on-campus asking how they’re supposed to see people when they’re confined to single rooms on underfilled hallways. Elderly people, many of whom suffered from difficulty maintaining a social life before they became an at-risk population for COVID-19, will probably suffer the worst effects of the coming winter. 
 
 
Edited by Jenna Fults

I Am a Queen
By Emily Chance

What do you call a queen without her king?

A queen, of course!

Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you’re not an absolute queen. You are worth it. Say it with me:

I am a goddamn queen, and I deserve to be treated as such. I will build my castle from the rubble of my past and glue it together with the hurt I’ve been left in.

I am a goddamn queen, and I don’t need a king to try and rule over me. I will find my own followers who see my worth and treat me as the queen I deserve to be.

I am a goddamn queen, and I will dedicate my life to being kind to those around me, but I will rule with an iron fist those who try to overthrow me.

I am a goddamn queen, and I’m not to be messed with. If you don’t support me or my rulings, I’ll show you the exit door to my kingdom.

I am a goddamn queen, and I will recognize the other queens of the world. Just because our rulings are not the same doesn’t mean I can’t support you. Never be afraid to reach out to other queens for guidance if you are unsure of how to handle certain situations, for true queens will accept alliances.
​
Edited by Jenna Fults

Anime for Beginners
By Emelyn Ehrlich

I know what you’re thinking. Why talk about anime in a blog for die hard book fans? Well, firstly, just because people like books, doesn’t mean they can’t like other things. Besides, there is some intersection between us nerds. Oftentimes, we cross over into each other’s communities. Exhibit A: me, an avid reader AND a fan of anime.

Diving right into anime can be a little hard for newbies. I know that I had some issues when I first started watching it. So, here’s a small overview for people who are considering anime:

Firstly, what even is anime? Anime is essentially Japanese cartoons. It comes from the term Japanese animation. Get it? Anime-tion.

One thing all newbies should know before getting into anime: different anime have VASTLY different art styles. For example, the first anime I watched was Fairy Tail. It’s a show about magic, guilds, adventure, and most of all, chosen family. The art style of Fairy Tail tends to be soft and bright. It’s very colorful overall.

However, because that was the first anime I watched, I struggled to get into anime like Soul Eater, an absolutely wonderful anime with a good plot and characterization. When I first tried to watch it though, I couldn’t get past the art style. Unlike Fairy Tail, Soul Eater’s art style is darker and creepier.

The difference between Fairy Tail and Soul Eater can basically be summed up like this:

Fairy Tail: Cute hearts surrounding the characters

Soul Eater: Laughing crescent moon with blood pouring out of its mouth.

There’s a pretty big difference.

That’s not even considering different genres of anime. Soul Eater and Fairy Tail belong to the same genre: shounen. Shounen is typically targeted at boys (though I myself am a girl that enjoys shounen, so take that as you will) and usually involves themes of adventure, fighting, and friendship. Despite the fact that Fairy Tail and Soul Eater are both shounen, they have wildly different art styles. So imagine how much of a difference there is between genres!

Take Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku for example. Unlike Fairy Tail and Soul Eater, Wotakoi is a slice of life anime. Slice of life shows are generally light-hearted stories about events in a character’s life. There isn’t necessarily a goal; slice of life anime are meant to display funny, everyday scenarios. Wotakoi in particular is extremely funny! The art style is also vastly different from either Fairy Tail or Soul Eater. It’s much softer than Soul Eater, but it also doesn’t have the same soft, bubbliness that Fairy Tail has. Wotakoi is somewhat soft but also clearly defined.

So, in other words:

 Fairy Tail: Cute hearts surrounding the characters

Soul Eater: Laughing crescent moon with blood pouring out of its mouth.

Wotakoi: People in business suits who jump up and down excitedly because of fandom.

So, yeah, BIG difference between genres.

That being said, these are all GREAT anime. There’s a reason they are so popular. The advice I am giving is don’t immediately give up on new anime. If an art style puts you off, pause it, try another anime, and go back to it some other time. There is an adjustment period for new anime watchers and it’s important to understand that just because you don’t immediately connect to an anime, that doesn’t mean you won’t like it in the future. It just means you’re still adjusting to the anime universe.
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Edited by Ashley Ricks