Starting The New Year With A New Opportunity

Hello and welcome back to my ramblings.

I wanted to do a little bit of self-promo, but since it's the last day of December, I wanted to say I hope you had a great Christmas and a happy holiday, depending on what you celebrate. Personally, I am not one for Christmas. I hate the Christmas music they blast in every shop, it's way over commercialised, and the suicide rate goes through the roof, because people get depressed, and it all gets too much as Christmas is about being with family, giving and receiving presents.  I like the gathering of family and having a nice meal together, but something always seems to go wrong in my family's Christmas; someone gets upset or yelled at. It always seems to be a similar occurrence. I don't like the pleasure of trying to keep the peace. I have known Santa wasn't real for the longest time; I knew it was my mum putting all the presents under the tree and things in the stockings. The part that makes Christmas so sad for me is knowing my mum goes overboard because she didn't get Christmas when she was younger. Her mum was a Jehovah's Witness for many years, so my mum wasn't allowed to celebrate this holiday, so I try to show I'm enjoying it when she brings out the copious amounts of decorations to decorate the house. Every year, I can remember there was always something to start yelling about when it came to putting up the tree. Last year, I said I'm not helping because I'm over all the arguments. I don't think we ended up with a tree at all, and I'm probably to blame for that. There was just so much furniture to move around. Getting a plastic tree out of the loft (attic) and putting plastic decorations on it isn't my idea of fun. That's probably enough Christmas talk, as you may also be burned out from the holiday. 

My point of this post was to tell you all I have a podcast coming out on January 5th, the link will be linked in my last few videos on my channel if you want to check it out. It might be good if you are struggling to find something that covers a wide range of topics. Most of the editing is done by me, but this podcast isn't owned by me; it's one of my closest friends' whom I met in college. His name is Leo, and he has a calm, soothing voice that you may find great for winding down to. He gives the vibe of an old vampire/wizard, and as soon as I met him, I thought, vampire. We will talk in the podcast about how we all came to know each other. For now, the podcast is just myself and Leo. As the podcast progresses, we will expand our topics, but I will give you a sneak peek. We have our first episode as a sort of get-to-know-us episode. I know it may not sound like a very interesting episode, but trust me, it gets better.

There was a podcast I was starting with another group of friends but it didn't end up turning out quite the way I had happed so I have my fingers crossed that this one goes better than the first one did (none of the episodes ended up being posted from the last attempt). We may end up having a few guests on but that depends on who is free on the days we are recording. 

Tune in every Monday for Ink and Ashes. It's going to be a rollercoaster. ~ Lilly

Loss and Greif

 So far this year I have lost two family members one wasn't so sudden but the most recent was. The first was my nan that I moved into my dads house to help take care of her and keep an eye on her so he could get a little slice of his life back and in a way he did. We knew she didn't have much time left with us when she was refusing to eat and drink, so in a way we were a little more prepared. 

This death was so sudden, shock hit everyone like ice daggers to the heart. You can never really prepare yourself for the loss of a loved one however when you know its coming there is always that little part of you that knows time is short. When it is someone that hadn't been struggling with their health it can be really hard to digest that they are actually gone. 

You will never hear them say anything they used to again, eventually all you have is the memories. They used to say to me is the pope roman catholic when I asked if they wanted a cup of coffee, there was another but its not so pg so that one will stay in my memory. 

Once someone is gone you think of all the little things they would do, they would put my diamond art paintings on some wood so it wouldn't bend and it would keep the gems on. They took me to vet and doctor appointments. They did my shopping because it was easier to do it all in one trip. There are so many little things and they all add up. Of course a person isn't all the little things they would do for you, if you thought of someone like that, some might say you are a shallow person. They were more than the little things they would do. 

They were a chef, a bus driver, a handyman, a husband, a dad, a stepdad. They will be missed by a whole group of people. I know its a horrible thing to say but it shouldn't have been him. Life was taken from him too soon, he had years of life left and yet he is gone. 

My other nan is looking more fragile every time I see her and she is dying slowly because her throat is closing up and there is nothing anyone can do about it. I do not want to see her suffer but honestly with the way this year is going it seems like she might be next. 

I am sorry this is a sad post but not much seems to be going right with my life right now, I will try to come back with a happier tone but we will have to wait and see what the rest of the year has to offer. 

When you loose someone its hard to find the motivation to keep going especially if you are very close with the person who is gone. Remember them, share stories, keep going because they would not want you to live in such a state of pain. Your memories of them will keep them alive in you. Spare them a thought from time to time but don't let the pain over take you, let it out if you need to, eat a tub of icecream. Whatever will make you feel better.

Thank you for reading, Lilly signing off for a little while take care and be safe, live like today is your last.

Anime Review - Demon Slayer - Season 5 - Hashira Training Arc

 

 (insert review here when finished)

*** SPOILERS BELOW ***

• Episode 1 - To Defeat Muzan Kibutsuji
• The season starts with a group of the Hashira at an old abandoned castle, taking on multiple demons. Is this the Infinity Castle from the human realm? IT IS IT IS! WHEN THEY FELL INSIDE IT, THEY COULD SEE ALL THE DEMONS INSIDE. They don't seem to be thrown off by it though, not as much as I would be though. 
• How do the demon slayers know that the first demon is going to want to come and kidnap Nezuko? I don't remember them learning that that was his motive. 
• I wonder what Tanjiro's rank is now? They all keep mentioning that they took out two higher ranks in one night. 
• The Hashira have a meeting and discuss what has happened recently. The head demon slayer guy can not appear in front of them again, is he dead then or just about? They discuss the fact that Nezuko has conquered the sun and that the first demon guy will be trying to get her. They then address the marks the Demon Slayer people got while in the swordsmith village; apparently, they had never gotten them before? How come Tanjiro has been getting on from the beginning then? OH. THEY GET THEIR MARKS BECAUSE TANJIRO GETS HIS AND THEY ARE CONNECTING WITH HIM. I don't know if Pinkie Pies explanation is much better than Tanjiro's on why the mark appeared. So the Hashira are then tasked with learning to manifest the mark like the first two have done but they were informed that everyone who manages to manifest the mark will .... and then silence. I assume that is meant to be that they will die but who can really know? 
• The swordsmith brings Tanjiro his special sword back. Yellow kimono kid and boar head come back as well. Everyone starts to prepare for Hashira training, even the Hashira who have their own training to tackle. 
• Tanjiro gets a letter from the master about the one Hashira not participating in training. 
• Apparently, the master sent a crow to find the Doctor Demon. This is the crow meeting her and trying to plea his case to make a connection with her like Tanjiro. He asks her to join the Demon Slayers and continue her research in conjunction with the butterfly master to study Nezuko and what the properties of her blood truly mean.
• Episode 2 - Water Hashira Giyu Tomioka's Pain
• I wonder if the first demon and the head demon slayer guy are connected somehow. 
• Tanjiro goes to meet up with the master who is stuck in his own head. I almost forgot that this is the same demon slayer who saved him at the beginning of the series. He seems upset that Tanjiro didn't get as "good" as him to take over his role. We start to get some insight into his background and why he feels as though he is not worthy. He claims his friend is the only reason any of them survived, and unfortunately, his friend died. Half of his kimono robe is actually that of his friend's. 
• We already kind of knew Butterfly Master wasn't going to do the training because she is going to be doing research with the demon doctor lady, but what do you think the significance is of her sister's killer?
• Episode 3 - Fully Recovered Tanjiro Joins the Hashira Training
• We watch as Tanjiro starts tackling tasks like hurtling over logs, running with folks on your back, eating too much food, etc. He even talks about fighting a top 12 with the other demon hunters doing the training, and it kind of scares them off from wanting to train because he is already so much more powerful than they are and is training to do better. 
• The first training session was about stamina and was conducted with the retired jewel band master guy.
• Episode 4 - To Bring a Smile to One's Face
• In this second section of training, we work with the seaweed hair guy to improve swordsmanship. We also find out that one of the swordsmen has been invited to stay at the demon slayer temple to keep the blades sharp enough to cut through paper without any effort. 
• The Hashira are training new members during the day and themselves during the nighttime. The Snake and White Hair Hashira are also very excited to be able to train Tanjiro and put him in his place because they don't think he is stronger than them. 
• Tanjiro is getting to move on to the next Hashira. Where are the yellow kimono and the boar head guy?
• Such a cute little break with the paper airplane duel.
• Episode 5 - I Even Ate Demons
• So I guess the third training session is with Pinkie Pie? She put them into leotards and is having them do gymnastics to become more limber.
• Wait, Pinkie Pie training is over before we even get to see anything? Now he is moving on to the snake guy. He literally tied up the other trainees and is having Tanjiro hit the targets while avoiding the tied-up trainees. 
• Once Tanjiro was able to imagine it as actual fighting instead of just training in the hut, he was able to master whatever skill Snake Man was trying to teach him. We then move on to the next one and finally run into the yellow kimono boy. Our next training session is with the white hair master. 
• So, apparently, Kenya (the demon kid) is related to the white hair master and doesn't have the ability to use any techniques. Wait, why is it such a big deal to eat demons? He did it to survive. Is that how he turned demon, by eating the demon flesh? 
• Tanjiro got banned from training under the Wind Hashira. xD
• Now they are headed to the stone Hashira, which is apparently the guy with permanent tears.
• Episode 6 - The Strongest of the Demon Slayer Corps
• While training with the stone Hashira, they had to endure the freezing temperatures (they would use the rocks to warm their bodies back up), and then once they could sit under the water for 2 hours without collapsing, they moved on to the log task. It was after that when Tanjiro moved on to moving a giant boulder, that a number of the trainees decided to leave and accept that they are also just meant to be support slayers instead of Hashira slayers.
• So the lesson throughout all of these smaller sessions is that repetitive actions can make the actions easier to endure? They chant for their repetitive technique. 
• Tanjiro finally moved the boulder!
• Episode 7 - Stone Hashira Gyomei Himejima
• Why doesn't the stone Hashira have pupils? I noticed it before, but I didn't want to question it because I assumed it was a recent thing...
• We got a back story for the rock Hashira, and he was originally an orphanage director and he ended up in the corp because he was going to be executed in prison after a child whom he had saved mistakenly said that he had been the one to kill all the other orphans, when in actuality, it was a matter of a demon coming around.
• I thought the Mohawk demon kid had moved his boulder? Why did he just say he hasn't? Also, poor yellow kimono kid hasn't moved his either. Yellow kimono kid got a letter? Where is he being sent off to? 
• Tanjiro went off by himself to the next training session, off to the guy who originally saved him. The wind Hashira is there though, and I thought he wasn't allowed to be near him. Is Tanjiro going to end up being the only one to actually become a Hashira? How is he only just now picking up on the fact that they were sparring and using wooden swords rather than actually fighting? 
• Demons have officially found the Hashira training grounds. I also just realized that the doctor demon lady never showed up to do the research with the butterfly girl. We also did not get to hear the story of how her sister was killed by a demon. 
• Episode 8 - The Hashira Unit
• The first demon has found them; he is coming for the head Hashira. The head Hashira really does look like he is dead. Maybe he should do like Nezuko and become a demon and then burn in the sun to become stronger. Wait, what do you mean the head Hashira and the first demon are related? Aww, he is sick because the demon exists in his bloodline? I guess Nezuko ruins Tanjiro's chances then. Same with the yellow kimono boy having kids. 
• This is a really long dialogue between the head Hashira and the first demon... DUDE. I THOUGHT THAT EXPLOSION WAS CAUSED BY THE DEMON! YOU'RE GOING TO TELL ME THE HEAD HASHIRA SACRIFICED HIS OWN WIFE AND KIDS TO TRY AND TAKE OUT THE DEMON?!? That's wild. 
• THE DOCTOR! Why did they keep all this a secret from us?? This is wild. WAIT! She got the cure to turn him human?? IS IT GOING TO WORK?!? Oh baby! I doubt it will work, but it would be crazy regardless. AND NOW THE STONE HASHIRA IS INVOLVED?!? BRUH THEY DID SO MUCH PLOTTING AND WE DIDN'T GET TO SEE ANY OF IT!!
• So they need to keep the first demon busy long enough that he will burn in the sunlight because cutting his head off doesn't kill him. All of the Hashira are gathered to help. They aren't going to kill him though. What else would the movie be about if they managed to kill him? We watch as all of the demon slayer corps are dropped into the infinity castle by the drum changing thingy. 

Anime Review - Demon Slayer - Season 4 - Swordsmith Village Arc

 

 (insert review here when finished)

*** SPOILERS BELOW ***

• Episode 1 - Someone's Dream
• We are getting our first glimpse of the infinity castle and what it means for the demons. Apparently, they all get summoned to the infinity castle when a member of the top 12 is killed. We obviously also get to see all the demon lords who remain including a psychic demon, the lined face demon, a demon with splatter on him (supposedly number 1?), a demon who plays a guitar... the actual number 1 demon who LOOKS LIKE TANJIRO'S FATHER, and then of course the first demon who is not part of the top 12. 
• When the heck did the first demon guy rip the head off the psychic demon? Why did he? Because his intel is unconfirmed? What was his intel? Oh, jeez, all the demons are starting to fight amongst one another.
• Okay, so like his father is a carbon copy of him literally, but who the heck is this demon man who is also a similar look to him, and honestly has more in common. But also, that father figure is not who we saw doing the dances. 
• We are getting dialogue from one of the cleanup guys xD
• Butterfly girl feels bad because the guys went in her place, but can you imagine her trying to fight those high-ranking demons? 
• We are getting another montage of the recovery process for Tanjiro.
• Tanjiro can't get another sword. But he can go visit the swordsmith village, so this entire season is going to be him visiting? Wow. The village location is meant to stay secret, so a guide must carry Tanjiro there with all of his senses blocked. And he is swapped from guide to guide, so none of them know either. Something tells me he will still figure out where the village actually is. 
• One of the other Hashira people is in the Swordsman Village. I wonder if that one had to be carried there as well. 
• Imagine if his swordsman knew he called him cute lol.
• Pinkie Pie is a very airheaded bobble-head type of personality, and I do not like it. 
• There's another Hashira there. Why are they all here? Is this near their headquarters? 
• The red-haired mystery man shows up again. At this point, I am convinced there are like 5 different versions of him, and each one has a different reason for existing.
• Episode 2 - Yoriichi Type Zero
• OH! The red-haired mystery man in this case was not a man at all! It is a bot that was made to replicate a real person. The Hashira guy finished and broke off one of the arms. Meanwhile, Tanjiro is cheering up the little swordsman kid, and that kid has decided that Tanjiro must train with the robot now to become better than the other Hashiro guy.
• Tanjiro trains with the robot for many days, many days without food or water, and he eventually unlocks a new sense of smell, which he uses to finally land a very weak blow. He then manages to get a real blow and chop off its head, unveiling a 300-year-old sword inside the robot.
• Episode 3 - A Sword from Over 300 Years Ago
• They open the sword, and it's rusty. But then his sword master guy comes out of the forest to fix it. He gives Tanjiro a temporary one in the meantime. 
• Awwwwww, Tanjiro is braiding Nezuko's hair to look like the pinkie pie Hashira <3
• How the heck did one of the demon guys get to the swordman village?!? Tanjiro needs to take them out ASAP. Wait, the second demon split into two, so now there are three demons present? It split and multiplied again! How many are there?!? 
• I think Tanjiro got to the Hashira guy; he was discussing how his focus is the town elder first and foremost, but he still stopped to help save the little kid swordsman from a fish demon.
• Episode 4 - Thank You, Tokito
• Is that why he is generally emotionless? Because he can't remember his memories? 
• Why does the demon seem to care about how the Mohawk kid dies and if he is feeling pain? 
• Nezuko really likes to use her blood to burn the demons. Is it weird that the one demon slayer guy has a gun for his weapon of choice? I honestly didn't even think that guns existed in this world. Why don't they have some of the demon slayers stay in the village to protect it? Did they really think something like this would never happen?
• Episode 5 - Bright Red Sword
• What do the demons want with the 300-year-old sword? Is it the sword that the original, real red guy, the robot is based on, used when he was alive and not a demon? The frig is up with her wavey sword? And how is love breathing a thing?? Swords can just grow like that?
• Does this psychic demon like to create things? Is that why he lives in a pot? Also, I still wonder why he has little baby arms. Why did the other guy's sword turn red? The old demon slayer did it himself, not with the help of Nezuko, as one would think. But also, is his blade actually red or just on fire? His scar changed again? Now it's a flame like the other demon slayer guy from before, the one that supposedly isn't his dad but is totally his dad. ...His scar changed back... I don't understand.
• Kenya turned evil?
• Episode 6 - Aren't You Going To Become A Hashira?
• Does Mohawk Demon Slayer not realize he is a demon? 
• So Tanjiro was correct, there was a fifth demon, not the fifth one I mentioned before, more like a sixth one. This guy is connected to the 4 that are senses. And the other demon slayer guy, who became a demon himself, retained his humanity and is helping try to kill him. Why did his sword break trying to slice the little tiny demon? We get more of his backstory and why he comes off so cruel. Rough childhood, just like all the others. Kind of a common theme in this series. 
• How am I only just now realizing that Tanjiro's blade is legitimately red and not just the flames?
• Episode 7 - Awful Villain
• Did the little demon become a full-size demon? This big demon has the power of 5 others? He is gonna be a tough one to take out. Wait, did the demon just call them villains? Aww, the Hashira guy can't break out of the water vase prison. DON'T GIVE UP SEAWEED HAIR! Tanjiro really impacts all the lives he touches. Even the seaweed-haired man is dreaming of him as he gives up and accepts death. 
• We got a face reveal of the sword man!
• Aww, the kid swordsman died, but not before giving his last breath to the Hashira seaweed hair man
• Episode 8 - The Mu in Muichiro
• We get to learn more about the seaweed-haired Hashira and his heritage. His father was a wood gatherer, for instance. His mother died of an illness. You would think their medicine would be more advanced with as many people as they have dying, but I guess not. And his dad died getting herbs for her. Oof. Orphan status. HE HAD A TWIN?! One of them is stone cold, and the other is like Tanjiro. They got attacked by a demon, and he hulked out to kill the demon and save his brother, but he was too late to save his brother, unfortunately.
• We snap back to current events, and he has patterns that form on his face for the mist breathing. Do the patterns forming signify mastery of the skill? 
• Okay, I am lost now. Is he the brother who went Hulk, and his brother is talking to him, or is he the one who lost his arm? He has to be the Hulk one, but the dialogue there confused me.
• Episode 9 - Mist Hashira Muichiro Tokito
• Is the psychic pot demon supposed to look different? 
• We get a flash to seaweed hair Hashira almost dying back when that demon attacked him and his brother, but the white haired lady came and saved him. He made it his mission to train and be the best demon slayer ever. Ooooooo, his mist-breathing form lets him create illusions of where he is. Man, he is strong strong. Maybe even stronger than the fire Hashira and the jewel band Hashira. He is crazy strong AND HE JUST DICED THAT DEMON'S HEAD IN THE AIR. 
• Dude, when did the demon Tanjiro was fighting turn into a dragon? More precisely, 5 dragons... I don't remember that in the previous episode. Tanjiro got eaten by the dragon. Time to pull a hercules and cut it from the inside. Or have Pinkie Pie do it, that works too, 
• Episode 10 - Love Hashira Mitsuri Kanjori
• We get some background on Pinkie Pie in this episode. Her betrothed declines her because of her weird hair color. Oh, also, apparently, she did not always have pink hair; it was originally black. They don't actually tell us why it changed though. Aww, she is hiding her true self so that she can marry somebody. She dyed her hair and forced herself to eat less and pretend to be weak. It's very sad. I want to know what made her decide to give up on hiding herself after all. Aww, snake master has a crush on her and got her stockings as a gift. In the current time, she uses her crazy long blade to keep the wooden dragons away while the other three run to get to the main body to kill it. She has her own version of the marks the others got on their faces; hers is on her clavicle. The demon guy called it a demon crest though. Does it give them extra strength like a demon? 
• A clip after the credits for the episode hinted that the reason her hair changed was that she ate so many sakura rice cakes.
• Episode 11 - A Connected Bond: Daybreak and First Light
• Aww, he's thinking of his friends who aren't there to help him and the advice they gave him. That's cute. Why is it so hard to cut through a tiny demon? HE GREW. Teamwork makes the dream work guys. Good job. 
• Dude, you not only ate demon flesh, but you are a demon? Aren't you? 
• Why is the sun taking so long to come up?
• Tanjiro got a special sword to finish cutting off the demon's head. Did he not finish cutting off the demon's head? No, he did, but it isn't dead. Nezuko was trying to tell him and risked her own life to help save others. She starts to burn in the sunlight. Tanjiro starts to shade her to try and stop the burning.
• Oh, I guess Kenya isn't a demon... why did he look like a demon then? 
• Nezuko makes the decision for Tanjiro when he can't decide to save her or the swordsmiths, and she kicks him toward the demon. We get a flash of everything they have been through while she lies there burning to death in the sun. Glad their whole journey was for nothing...(I actually had this bit spoiled for me, I knew that it was just burning off her demon portion and that she lives, but it's still a sad moment.) 
• How come Nezuko is burning really slowly as a half-demon, but the full demons are burning even slower? Is it because they are the top 12?
• Oh, little demon didn't get bigger; he just shielded himself with another demon. Rude.
• We get the flash of the demon's origins, seemed like he was a bad person in real life too, so I feel no remorse for him like the others. 
• I love how he tries to tell us she was turned to ash in the sun without even running to where she fell. Like bruh. You had the wrong reaction.
• Wow. Not them flashing us back to Pinkie Pie as she is about to get eaten by the dragon, and she is literally in its mouth when it disintegrates. 
• The first demon guy made the comment that they finally found somebody who could stand in the sun. Does that mean Nezuko is still a demon? That would explain why she still has some demon features, like the sharp teeth and the weird eyes. So what burned off her then if not all the demon aspects? Can she still Hulk out and get the flower tattoos?
• So our first demon was human and was too weak to survive, so a doctor made him a medicine that restored his health, but turned him into a demon that eats human flesh and burns in the sun. It's bold of him to assume that consuming the other of his kind that can walk in the sun will give him the powers.
• Nezuko still seems to retain the childlike qualities she had when she became a demon. Her original human form was definitely a lot more mature then she is now. 
• WE GET TO SEE THE DOCTOR AGAIN. They should go update her on that Nezuko can go out in the sun now. ...Especially since she just predicted it...
• Are they really still going to keep her in the box even though she can be out in the sun? 

Anime Review - Demon Slayer - Season 3 - The Entertainment District

 (insert review here when finished)

*** SPOILERS BELOW ***

• Episode 1 - Sound Hashira Tengen Uzui
• We open up season 3 to exactly where season 2/the movie ended, with the fire mentor guy being dead, and Tanjiro and Boar Head Man crying. A crow goes to notify the family of the deceased. 
• After that, we jump to a new setting, a city environment. They are discussing a child who suffers from a skin disease that stops him from going out in the daylight, is this a story about the first demon king? It appears so. The demon from the train comes to visit him. Is this a flashback though, or a current event? He mentioned killing a Hashira, I assume current. How did the first demon lord guy turn into a child? The same way Nezuko does? Does he have mind control capabilities, and that is how he gets these elaborate background stories with families and such? 
• Tanjiro ran off to fulfill the duty he was asked by the fire mentor guy to do; the others think that he is off training though. Did Fire Mentor Guy's dad really not recognize the uniform of the Demon Slayer Corps? Well, the dad seems to know about the sun breathing at least. But Tanjiro knows nothing about what his power could actually be, just that his family were coal burners and his dad was weak and had a special dance. And then Tanjiro goes and headbutts the dad. 
• The younger brother gives Tanjiro a book meant to help explain the sunbreathing; unfortunately, the father has gotten so upset with their culture that he ripped the book to shreds. 
• The three of them healed their wounds, continued to train, and went on any missions given with very few complaints. We didn't get to see much of any of them though. We do, however, get to see one of the 12 demon slayer corp leader people trying to kidnap two girls, and our three mains stepping in to save them. I really didn't like how the leader-type guy smacked the one girl's butt, she is like 12, and he has to be like mid to late 30s. Gives major perv vibes.
• Episode 2 - Infiltrating the Entertainment District
• I will now be referring to the guy who tried to kidnap the girls as the jewel head master guy. 
• Is told to stay in the carriage, jumps out of the carriage. Can he really expect the three of them to know exactly what he is expecting of them without a better debriefing? 
• I love how he doesn't want them to be so flashy and wants them to blend in, but he made them look absolutely ridiculous. Tanjiro sold off fastest, and then the boar head guy caught the attention of somebody else, leaving just blondie to be sold last. 
• We figured out where one of the wives is, well, sort of. She supposedly ran away, but more likely, she was captured by the demon or went off to fight it herself. I vote for the first option. And then we get a lead on a second wife's location. She claims to be sick in her bedroom. And then the episode cuts out. 
• Episode 3 - What Are You?
• Boar Head Man is a good sleuth; he found the room that belongs to one of the wives and figured out that there was a demon hiding in the ceiling that he then chased around the building, but I would go ahead and say his cover is officially blown. HE EVEN PUNCHED A PATRON IN THE FACE. The yellow kimono guy then happens to stumble upon a demon by accident when he tries to help a little girl in distress. I don't know if his discovery is related to the missing wives or not, but at least he found a demon. There certainly are a lot of them in this city; it's amazing more people aren't missing. Do you think they are all related or just a coincidence? Or is it all the same demon just moving between locations? Are the houses close enough together for that? 
• Y'know, they need to get some better detectives or science or something because there's no way those wounds are the same as jumping from the roof, which is like maybe a third of the height as where she actually fell from. 
• This episode had after-credit cut scenes. The yellow kimono man got wrapped up in the demon's kimono things. 
• Episode 4 - Tonight
• The yellow kimono man has "disappeared"; we obviously know she was wrapped in the kimono tentacles from the cut scene. The other two and the jewel head master meet up on the rooftops to discuss, and the master guy dismisses the other two. It's funny that he thought they would just leave like that though, when one of their friends went missing. 
• I love how it's the voice that gave Tanjiro away when in reality, it could have also been how strong and independent, and just otherwise non-feminine he was. 
• Why did the little mice minions have jewel headbands like the master? 
• So every person this demon devours becomes a photo on the belt? Is there a way to save the people in the belt thing? 
• Episode 5 - Things Are Gonna Get Real Flashy!
• So Tanjiro is trying to take on the demon, and he has a lot of self-doubt in himself and is struggling to pull off even one of his moves successfully. Although he doesn't seem to be actually trying his well-known moves, instead, he keeps trying to use the sunbreathing moves and fire moves because he seems to think they are stronger, even though it's more than just the strength of the move; it's also the strength of the warrior. How does having a higher body temperature help you perform more moves in a row? 
• If the humans are trapped in the belt, how is the demon actually devouring them? Is the demon the lady or the belt? I don't understand. Also, taking a step back for a second, how did Boar Head Man get into that tiny crawl space? His calling it a worm makes me think of tapeworms, which is definitely legit what it is. So they are both demons then? One is part of the higher-ranking six demons, and the tapeworm one is not even top 12. The wives are assassins and yet can't even protect themselves? What?? Jewel head master has come to take back his wives. No tapeworm belt will stop him. 
• Episode 6 - Layered Memories
• At this point, we are halfway through the season, and we are still fighting the same demons, but we should finish them off in an episode or two. What will the rest of the season be like? Also, if all the people were kept in the ribbon but weren't actually devoured, how does the demon actually get the extra strength? I thought you had to kill the human to gain the power from them. Why did her appearance change? 
• WE GOT THE REASONING BEHIND HIS SCAR. It was a burn mark originally from saving his little brother, and then it changed due to injury during the final selection. But according to the fire mentor's dad, it's a mark that symbolizes users of the sun breathing technique. AND THEN WE GET A GLIMPSE OF HIS FATHER KILLING DEMONS. He is bleeding out of his everything, but is using the sun breathing skills perfectly? How did he learn them? What caused time to slow for him? Is it the breathing technique? ...why did he see a vision of one of his sisters telling him to breathe? What happened? Was he not breathing this entire time? Couldn't he have finished that slice of her neck first? This is why it's only halfway through the season, isn't it? I mean, unless Nezuko wants to come and decapitate the demon herself lol. Oof, never mind, Nezuko is getting cut into pieces herself. "Barely eaten any humans", little does she realize she hasn't eaten a single one. Double oof. Nezuko is going through a metamorphosis to save her brother. 
• Episode 7 - Transformation
• We continue the battle between Nezuko and the pink belt demon; Nezuko is stated to be even more powerful than the pink belt demon, and she can regenerate her limbs in the blink of an eye. Not only that, but when the pink belt demon cuts all her limbs and head off, Nezuko can hold them together with what I can only describe as blood-bending. We then see Nezuko struggle against the urge to drink human blood, which is understandable considering how much demon power she used. Aw man, the pink belt demon isn't dead even though Nezuko burnt her. 
• Aww, Nezuko remembered her mom and cried herself to sleep!!
• Theres another demon inside the pink belt demon?!? Her green hair became her brother? 
• Why does jewel band master want flashy so bad?
• Episode 8 - Gathering
• The brother has some type of poison that he thinks is affecting the jewel band master. Speaking of, that master slices off the pink belt demon's head for a second time, and then our three main heroes barge in to help him finish severing the brother's head off. The booger bubble on the yellow kimono guy is so funny. 
• Episode 9 - Defeating an Upper Rank Demon
• We start out with a flashback to the jewel band master guy at a grave site with his wives. I would love more backstory on why he insists on being so flashy and why he paints his nails. This episode honestly feels mostly like we are just dragging out the beheading, and it's making me bored. The fighting is semi-cool but still boring. 
• Boar head guy sawed off pink belt demon girl's head xD
• Uh oh ... the brother jumped up and poisoned the boar head kid, and now they're all gonna die
• Episode 10 - Never Give Up
• This episode is largely just the brother demon bad-mouthing Tanjiro and telling him how horrible he is. 
• He's channeling Deku from My Hero Academia with his two broken fingers. Tanjiro starts to see himself in the brother demon and how he could have just as easily ended up a demon with Nezuko himself.
• Episode 11 - No Matter How Many Lives
• Nezuko is awake already?
• Nezuko healed the jewel band master.
• Tanjiro goes off searching for the demon heads to ensure they are dead for sure, and finally manages to collect some demon blood for the demon doctor lady, like he promised. Sometimes, I feel like he forgot about that promise.
• The demon sibling heads are arguing xD 
• We get insight into another sad demon origin story and how he was just dealt a really bad hand as a kid with no roof over his head and no food to eat all day, doing everything he could just to take care of his precious sister.
• Jewel headband master guy retires and tells snack master that Tanjiro should become his replacement.

Anime Review: Demon Slayer - Season 2 - The Mujen Train Arc

 

The following is a review of the Season 2 rendition of what was also the first Demon Slayer movie, The Mujen Train Arc. I find it funny, in our last review involving Demon Slayer, I complained of the fact that we spent what seemed like six episodes taking on a single demon which was one of the weaker of the 12 high ranking demons, and yet this entire season is all about a single demon except for the first episode which is a precursor to the previously mentioned demon; and I did not mind this time around. Maybe it was because I had it in my mind that I was actually watching a movie, and therefore it's okay that it was only involving a single demon. This show provides a lot of insight into what kind of people our three main heroes are. Tortured souls who want to help the world, but also crazy loons who probably shouldn't be provided a weapon. Overall, I would give it a 4 out of 5-star rating just like the first season. I may even consider giving it a 4.5 star because I didn't end up disliking part of it like with the first season. I would definitely consider watching it again if I were given the choice.

*** SPOILERS BELOW ***

• Episode 1 - Flame Hashira Kyojuro Rengoku
• We start the season off with a slight jump from where we left off, but not much, I don't think. We left off getting onto a train, here we are already on the train, but with different characters, and they are enjoying odon. We do get a little backstory into a train that had a murder occur on it, and rumors about it being kept in a secret spot. 
• I love that we can accept a mass murderer slasher guy existing and being scared of it, but we will not accept that a demon could exist and be said slasher. 
• So, apparently, just as the blood can smell sweet from certain folks, the blood of some folks can be just as revolting to demons. Wow, he grew back his hands almost instantly! 
• Flame breathing - first form - unknowing fire.
• The fire demon slayer guy gives vibes comparable to Almight from My Hero Academia.
• OH! It's not a time jump at all! We got a preview before the end of the last season! This episode ended with our main characters getting onto the train.
• Episode 2 - Deep Sleep
• The fire demon slayer guy really has an appetite! We learn that, like there are 4 elements in the Avatar, there are 5 types of elemental breathing techniques in this show: fire, water, air, rock, and thunder. 
• There was not one but two demons on the train, but that felt almost too easy for it being a plot of an entire movie... Also, the flame guy agreed to mentor all of our mains in using swords. I WAS RIGHT! Everyone on the train was put to sleep. ... There's an army of demon children waiting to awaken? Or are they just regular children being influenced by a demon? No, they have to be demons because they were told to be careful so that the demon slayers would not notice the stench of the demon when being tied up. 
• We get a glimpse into each of their dreams; Tanjiro dreams of his family. The demon kids are tying themselves to the demon slayers, not tying them up. Why? Are they trying to enter their dreams? To kill them in their dreams? 
• Episode 3 - Should Have Been
• The yellow kimono man dreams of drowning, but then it changes to dating Nezuko instead? Oh, maybe they are literally drowning because boar head guy is drowning too, and his dream makes Nezuko his bunny companion, and the other two are a raccoon and a mouse taking care of whatever he tells them to do. Fire mentor man dreams of telling his father all he has accomplished, but it seems like he knows something is off. Can you really just quit being a Hashira? I thought once a demon hunter, always a demon hunter. So the demon kids can rip into the spiritual core of a being and kill them by entering into their dreams and ripping through the corner of that dream. The girl failed at killing the fire mentor man, but he doesn't seem awake either, just super protective. I wonder if it's because of using total breathing around the clock? I wonder if the spell affects demons or if Nezuko is secretly awake in her box... where is her box? THERE SHE IS. I have a funny way of saying things a little too early. Not Nezuko hurting herself by headbutting her brother. But she is helping wake him up, so that's good. Tanjiro's soul is a beautiful and peaceful blue sky with fluffy white clouds. 
• Tanjiro sees a figure in the woods in his dream, his father, maybe? An older version of him? Who knows. But the comment is made that what he must cut is within his reach, and we as the viewers know it's the edge of the dream, but Tanjiro thinks it's his OWN FRICKEN HEAD THAT NEEDS TO BE CUT OFF?!?
• Episode 4 - Insult
• Tanjiro has little baby sun blobs in his core. I feel like they could be his siblings. It seems that cutting off his own head worked, though, so that's good, I suppose.
• Boar Head Man found the demon kid in his dream, so she failed. And the yellow kimono boy has pitch black in his core because he is crazy?
• Why is Tanjiro starting to rush toward the demon on his own? Shouldn't he have tried harder to wake the others first? So while fighting this demon, he is apparently being put back to sleep over and over, and every single time he cuts his own head off to reawaken and take out the demon. So the demon gives him a nightmare instead to throw him off. But Tanjiro still prevails. The demon then turns into some weird big blob monster. Except the blog monster is not the demon either, the demon is the train. The train needs to be completely destroyed. Boar head man woke up! Yay! Now Tanjiro won't be alone!
• Episode 5 - Move Forward!
• The tentacles are taking over the train, gross. Beast breathing, fifth form, crazy sword slash. I don't think Demon Train Man was expecting another demon to be on the train. Is it weird that he couldn't sense her? The sleeping yellow kimono man came to Neziko's aid. Fire mentor man fully woke up and lit the whole train on fire. Boar head goes back and forth between being chill and working with the group, and being a butt face and being rude, and I really don't like it. I get why he was tough to begin with, but I really thought he was coming around to the teamwork thing by now and was going to be chill with them the rest of the series. Maybe it's just the dream that made him act this way. 
• They are struggling to stay awake; every time they wake up, they look into one of the Demon's eyes, which puts them right back to sleep. Good defense mechanism though tbh. Also, Tanjiro just almost got tricked into cutting his own head off in real life because he thought he was asleep again, but he wasn't. 
• Beast breathing; 4th form - slice and dice. 
• Tanjiro used his father's technique again and severed the head of the demon off by severing the entire front end of the train off. 
• Episode 6 - Akaza
• The demon is going through an existential crisis.
• The fire mentor guy taught Tanjiro how to heal himself using total concentration. Another high-ranking demon comes to try and take out Tanjiro, fire mentor man slices his arm in half in the protection of Tanjiro, but the demon makes it whole again without a second to delay. The rest of this is just a fight ... 
• Episode 7 - Set Your Heart Ablaze!
• Fire mentor guy puts up a good fight, even gets Tanjiro's scar as a wound himself, but unfortunately, he dies. Having the fight music stop while they are fighting is kind of weird and gross, not going to lie.
• We get a flashback to Fire Mentor Man's mom telling him to only ever use his strength to protect those who are weaker, and then we come back to him mustering up as much of his remaining strength as he can to try and cut off the demon's head. He unfortunately failed. Debatably because Tanjiro and the Boar Head kid tried to help, and the demon said I'm out. And Tanjiro then sends his sword flying toward the demon as he is running away into the woods, he manages to pierce him very well, but now he is down a sword again. 

Anime Review: Demon Slayer Season 1

Now, the following is obviously my own opinion; yours could vary. Overall, I will say that this has been a good show to follow this first season. We get a lot of different characters, all with their own character development and their own stories to tell; they just all happen to lead to a combined and intertwined path that will lead them to a catastrophic end. Not that we see that catastrophic end in this season, it's just something we can expect and continue to anticipate later on. Some funny little things I have picked up on throughout this season, like the fact that the scar we see on our main character's forehead changes between the first episode and the second, as well as the fact that our art style depiction of the characters adjusts to one more cartoonish and child friendly in the end compared to the crisp animation lines we saw in the pilot episode; make it seem as though there was almost a miscommunication between parties or a switch up on who was in charge, and not just once but twice or maybe more. It was not so big of a difference to make me unwilling to follow along, but it was enough of a difference to notice. The only point during this show that I really no longer wanted to watch included the 6 or so episodes toward the end of the season, when we are stuck watching the same battle drawn out over what felt like far too long a period. I also did not fully understand why we needed the full backstory of how the demon family had come together; just knowing that our main character could see and empathize with his sorrow in the human life would have sufficed, I feel like. But maybe that is just me. Again, overall, not a bad watch, enjoyed the style and the culture mixed into the fictitious storytelling. I would give it 4 out of 5 stars with a high probability of watching again.

*** SPOILERS BELOW ***

• Episode 1 - Cruelty
• When starting the series, our main character already has his scar on his face; what caused his scar? He clearly cares for his family as he puts their finances and health before his own, trying to work through the snowstorm and get down the mountain to the town to earn money. On his way back though, he stops for the night at a kind villager's house, and in the meantime, his family is being slaughtered. Slaughtered by demons, demons that our main character then makes it his duty to seek revenge on. I will note, the main character does appear much older and more mature in this first episode than I have seen him depicted as in later episodes. It could just be that he is cleaner and put together here, and that he is faced with much turmoil that leaves him in disarray. He tries running down the mountain toward a doctor with the only warm-bodied member of his deceased family, but it's too late; his sister is infected. Will this series result in him finding a cure for her? Also, it's weird to think that you can be turned into a demon just as you can be turned into a zombie; are they zombies in some cultures and demons in others?
• The demon hunter that comes and seems to want to turn our main character into a demon hunter himself gives far too much advice and sympathizes too much with them; it makes him weak as well. But it's nice that he decides to let them go and help, especially since Nezuko really seems to still hold onto at least a part of her humanity and wants to protect her brother.
• Episode 2 - Trainer Sakonji Urokodaki
• Our main character stops at a farm and gets a basket so that he can continue to travel with his sister, even though she can not be exposed to daylight, almost like demons are a cross between zombies and vampires? They honestly probably lean more toward vampires; they can't be in sunlight, they can make themselves larger and stronger than their human form when they go full demon, and they are turnt by having their blood come in contact with the demon blood of another. But I don't think vampires can heal like that, so hence part zombie. Along the way to the mountain they were told to go to by the demon hunter, they came across another demon actively eating humans. Their entire interaction is so funny because the demon ends up in multiple pieces thanks to them teaming up, but the demon is still fighting and creeping out Tanjiro... Tanjiro headbutts the demon, and the demon complains ... what is so special about his forehead that it's so hard? HE JUMPED OFF A CLIFF. So the only way to kill a demon is to cut off its head and completely destroy it. Or have him burnt in the sun. Why are some of the graphics so crisp, like they should be in 4k, and others are so completely and utterly obviously animated? 
• So Tangiro is put through a test to determine if he can be put into the demon corp. After getting to a hut at the base of the mountain, he is then taken through the forest and told he must make it back to the cabin on his own before morning. He must face thin air and numerous traps in the darkness. He makes it. 
• Episode 3 - Sabito and Makomo
• We get to know a bit more about the demon corp, and we get to see more of his training in this episode. As the obstacles get harder and new elements get added, like using a sword. That's most of the episode, just him training and getting stronger. His final test? To cut a giant boulder into two. Where has Nezuko been this entire time, you may ask? Asleep. No idea why. They called a doctor and everything. During his time trying to cut the rock, Tajiro is visited by the ghosts of former students (although I don't think he realizes they are ghosts. But also, we don't technically learn that they are ghosts for quite some time; I just happen to know because this is a little bit of a rewatch for me.
• Episode 4 - Final Selection
• We get a brief review of our main character slicing through the boulder, and then we continue the story; we learn that the reason he cut through the boulder is because he could see the threads that connect everything, the thread that is the weak point. It is after this that we learn of the dead children and how the master did not want to lose another student, but he believes that Tanjiro is worthy and will continue to take care of his sister while he is at the Final Selection test. Also, he cuts his hair, THANK GOD. He looked off with his super-long hair. For the remainder of this episode, I would just suggest you picture the Hunger Games. They are all put into the arena and must take out a demon and survive for 7 days. They don't technically need to fight each other, just take out the demons, but they also end up fighting each other. We do get to see some of the different forms of breathing he has learned. Fourth form: striking tide. Second form: water wheel. And this is when Tangiro finally realizes that the kids were ghosts. First form: water surface slash.
• That gross demon boss he is facing has eaten all of the teacher's students and has built up some gross-looking arm tentacles that guard his neck, making it really hard to slice off his head.
• Episode 5 - My Own Steel
• He did it. Tanjiro destroys the demon, or at least his outer layer. We then get to see his inner form and how sad he was to become a demon. We see the humanity that he lost when he became a demon against his will. We also get to see all the dead students who can now pass on because the cycle has ended. It's funny that our main character got bloodied up exactly where the scar is on his head. Wonder what that symbolism could mean. The rest of the week seems to go by relatively easily for him, even though he is searching for a solution from the other demons on how he can turn his sister back. 
• Out of 20 folks who went into the test, 4 of them survived. Only one girl. The yellow-robed guy has a lot of self-doubt, and the purple-robed man has a temper and really just wanted a sword. I don't think there was any reason he should have been accepted. Also, apparently there was a 5th survivor, but we only saw 4?
• Upon his return, Nezuko is awake.
• He gets his sword, and apparently, it changes color depending on the wielder, and they were hoping for red for some reason, and the sword turned pitch black, which is apparently pretty rare. Once he has gotten his sword, he gets a message from a crow with his first mission to help a nearby town where young girls are disappearing.
• Episode 6 - Swordsman Accompanying a Demon
• "I don't care if I'm destined for greatness", as he sets out to achieve greatness by turning his sister back... did his scar change shape? Eighth form: water fall basin. The demon split himself into three, and each form of him can think and speak, and act independently. Even the demons are confused as to why a human and a demon are working together. But you know what, that's fine, together they will obliterate them all. 
• So the teacher guy used hypnosis on Nezuko and made her believe with her everything that all humans are her family and that if anyone tries to hurt any human, she should attack the demon because they are harming her family. This explains why she starts helping her brother fight.
• Episode 7 - Muzan Kibutsuji
• Our main character goes underground to fight the demons, and they think he is going to be slow, but he is even better down in their swamp. My issue is, if he is in their fake swamp, when he kills them, will he still be able to get out? Sixth form: whirlpool. He finally finds a demon who knows who he is talking about when he asks about the first demon, and the demon has been sworn to secrecy. As if he isn't going to die regardless, he should have just told him. 
• Tanjiro immediately gets another quest from the crows to go to a nearby town for a demon, and it turns out he recognizes the scent; it's the first demon, the one who turned his sister. But he has a wife and a child, both of whom are human; this rattles Tanjiro, and the first demon then scratches a passing guy, who then immediately turns into a demon, and Tanjiro must stop him while the first demon guy gets away.
• Episode 8 - The Smell of Enchanting Blood
• While trying to restrain the freshly turned demon person, the first demon got away with his family; another demon, who seems to have quite a bit of experience, then comes to Tanjiro's aid and distracts the police, who do not seem to know what a demon is, and offers assistance because she also wants to get revenge on the first demon. She can use her blood to create hallucinations. 
• The first demon assigns two under demons to attack the main character, and he identifies him by his earrings, what is the significance of the earrings? I assume a family heirloom, what's the power his family possessed that he didn't even realize? Nezuko and Tanjiro then follow the one assistant guy back to the doctor demon's secret hideaway. 
• I thought only the first demon man could turn somebody into a demon? Oh, she is over 200 years old. 
• The extra demons find our main characters in the hidden hospital using their blood skills to track the footsteps. They then destroy the hospital by bouncing a ball. Then the episode ends because why wouldn't there be a cliffhanger?
• Episode 9 - Temari Demon and Arrow Demon
• This episode is the fight between the first demon's minions and Tanjiro. They have some weird ball that acts like a boomerang. Seventh form: drop ripple thrust. We get our first telling of the 12 kubitsi whom the doctor lady wants blood samples from.  Where does the demon girl hide her extra arms? She has six of them and six balls apparently too. Is that part of her blood skill? How do they get blood skills? Third form: flowing dance. I wonder what the medicine the doctor lady gives Nezuko has in it. Second form improved: lateral water wheel. Do you think all demon hunters have these types of moves? Do you think they can all modify their moves to face harder foes?
• Episode 10 - Together Forever
• Tanjiro looked like he had the guy demon taken care of, but then he wasn't, and he had to use all the water forms to escape. He broke his leg and a rib and decided to try and crawl his way to help the others. Meanwhile, Nezuko is playing soccer with the demon girl. xD. Oh dang, if they say the first demon guy's name, then they get ripped inside out by beast arms? At least they have her blood. If the demons were not part of the 12 Kiezuki, then why did they claim to be? 
• How is it that our main character can see the original humans of the demons as they are dying?
• The doctor demon offers to take Nezuko with them a they move to keep her safe, but Nezuko doesn't want to be separated from her brother, and neither does he.
• As Nezuko and Tanjiro are leaving, they get their next assignment, and they also come across one of the guys from the "Final Selection" begging some random girl along the path to marry him. 
• Episode 11 - Tsuzumi Mansion
• We literally just watch the two demon slayers walk along a path together. That is, until they get their combined assignment, and then we are watching them walk to that together. When they finally come across the house with the demon that they are meant to take care of, there are 2 little kids sitting outside. The two demon hunters then go into the house, and the kids follow them in. As they are moving around within the house, the rooms shift, the rooms change to other rooms, and there's a man with a hog mask on. It's just a lot of chaos.
• Episode 12 - The Boar Bares Its Fangs, Zenitsu Sleeps
• We watch as Tanjiru starts to pick up on the patterns of the shifting rooms and as the yellow kimono man continues to be a coward. We also see a little bit more of the hog mask man and his ruined swords that he seems to love because they "cut flesh". Is this the kid who we didn't see but also finished the final test? So yellow kimono man finally stepped up and embodied his actual demon hunter-ness. What changed? Besides his voice, I mean. He uses thunder breathing. The hog, in comparison, uses beast breathing. As it turns out, one of the demons in the house was at one point one of the 12 kusekis, but then he was removed, and the first demon guy put a giant 'X' in his eye over his number. 
• Episode 13 - Something More Important Than Life
• We get to see our main character conquer yet another demon as he still cares about humanity and respects the creations of the demon, including his storytelling. In this episode, we also get a very short look into how the yellow kimono man knew that Tanjiro had a demon with him the entire time, and yet he still opted to be beaten near death by the boar head demon hunter to protect it because he knew it was important to his friend. 
• Episode 14 - The House With the Wisteria Family Crest
• In this episode, we watch as the kids get a chance to go home, and our demon slayer heroes get a chance to relax. It's weird that after sending our main character to place after place after place, fighting demons, and then suddenly the crow tells them that they can relax and heal up. 
• Episode 15 - Mount Natagumo
• The group is fully healed now, and the boar-headed man seems to be chill with the demon sister now. Also, the three of them are all getting sent out on a mission together. On this quest, they come across another demon slayer who is stuck to demon threads in a forest. This mission they were sent on was first given to 10 others who had pretty much all failed. Our mains should definitely get a level up at this point because like tf you mean they are still basics? 
• Didn't the doctor demon lady say that the demons aren't allowed to group up? How do we keep having family units and multiples and all that jazz?
• Episode 16 - Letting Someone Else Go First
• This episode shows the boar head guy and our main work to decipher how literal strings were attached to the demon slayers, controlling their every move and causing them to attack one another, even though it is against their code. Eventually, they get the hang of it though, and they find a way to save their friends by throwing them up over branches to dangle and wait. Except not actually, because the spider lady just gave up on them and killed them all instead. And then she kind of just gave up on living, and that left a big opening for our mains to win the war. Fifth form: blessed water after the drought. 
• Episode 17 - You Must Master a Single Thing
• It looks like our yellow kimono demon slayer found the other demon that was here and needs to be taken care of. This spider demon is like an actual spider though, rather than mostly human, like the lady Tanjiro took care of. How did he not feel a spider bite him? The amount the poison has messed up his hand feels like he should've felt something. 
• We got a flashback to when blondie wasn't blonde... why is he blonde now? ... Oh, he was struck by lightning. So his sleep unlocks his abilities. His single ability. We get a lot of looks into his own training and how he was taught that it's okay to cry and be scared, but to always know you are capable of doing stuff on your own, and that it is okay to only have one skill, so long as you are a master in that skill. 
• Episode 18 - A Forged Bond
• They finally send in some of the higher demon lsayer corp people as they are just about finished taking out the entire spider demon family... how helpful. Also, the characters are Naruto running... why do we call it Naruto running if so many animes use it? 
• Spider brother is killing his own sister. Wait, they get money for killing demons? I knew it was their job, but I didn't realize it was a paying job. There are so many spider siblings, more than I realized. And the way in which they are some mostly human and others mostly spider is really confusing to me. 
• HE BROKE HIS SWORD
• Episode 19 - Hinokami
• The yellow kimono man slowed his breathing, which stopped him from turning into a spider long enough to receive the antidote. 
• Nezuko came out of her box to save her brother, and now the spider guy wants to take her as his own little sister.
• Tanjiro starts to remember the sun technique.
• Episode 20 - Pretend Family
• So we thought that using the remembered sun technique killed the spider brother, but it was a rogue. The spider demon cut his own head off. Spider guy made his own family by turning the people into demons and saving them. 
• We just keep getting more info about their fake family. Honestly, it's kind of boring and repetitive at this point. Just kill them already. Who cares if he wanted a fake family?
• Episode 21 - Against Corps Rules
• ...This is the backstory of the spider demon man... for what? Also, what happened to him getting blood samples? 
• Just as they are going to kill Nezuko, the crows come with a message that Tanjiro and Nezuko are meant to be brought to HQ alive.
• Episode 22 - Master of the Mansion
• They want to put Tanjiro on trial. The highest-level demon slayer person comes out and states that Tanjiro and Nezuko are sanctioned in all their work, that she is helping to take out the other demons. 
• Episode 23 - Hashira Meeting
• This felt like a filler episode where they just discussed how they felt the other demon slayers were weak and not useful in any regard, except for Tanjiro, whom they can use to lure out the 12 kanjiro or whatever they are called.
• Episode 24 - Rehabilitation Training
• All three of the guys have to go through rehabilitation to work on their muscles, and it's the blondie who gets the other two guys to actually start mastering stuff. But then the blondie and the boar head quit on the final task. It's only Tanjiro who keeps at it, and he eventually finds out that the secret is he needs to be able to use total breathing all day, every day in order to be a master. 
• The butterfly lady wants to befriend demons.
• I feel like the graphics of the show just get more basic and childish in style the longer the show continues.
• Episode 25 - Tsuguko, Kanao Tsuyuri
• This one just seems to be them learning to do the total breathing 24/7.
• Episode 26 - New Mission
• The first demon person is a shape-shifter? He sounds male still, but looks female now. Also, he killed off a bunch of his demon minions. 
• How have they never seen or heard of a train, but they have them in this world? Well, here starts their next mission, I guess. As well as the end of the first season, the longest season.

A Moment To Remember

We try to avoid the touchy subjects around these parts, topics such as politics or religion; but sometimes you can't help but discuss something that impacted not only your own country, but all countries around the world.

Today, we take a moment to remember the tragedy that was the fall of the World Trade Centers. There were countless lives ruined on this day 24 years ago. The scars are still felt from those who were there that day and lived to tell the tale of the devastation. The numbers will never be accurate but that day we lost approximately 1,700 lives from the North Tower, an additional 1,000 from the South Tower, 125 lives in the Pentagon, and somewhere around 265 more on various flights that crashed. These casualties were felt that day and every day since then for those families. Since these events, more lives have been lost. As of 2014, nearly 1,400 additional lives had been lost due to medical conditions caused by the collapse of the towers.

Today, in place of the towers are two large craters. Two reminders of what was once a center of business for the world. Two dedications to many of the lives that were lost that day and continue to be lost every day. 

Thank you to all the men and women in every city, in every state, in every country, on every continent, who do their best each and every day to make the world a better place, who strive to help save lives instead of take them. We commend you and your bright spirit that burns like an ember in your soul.

Book Review: Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone

So Rambo made me write about this book because it took me like a year to read, and there was one thing that stood out to me that was very different in the book than it was in the movie. It is simply the line in the scene where the golden trio have to make it across the chessboard to go get the stone. In the movie, it was Ron saying 'Do you want to stop Snape from getting the stone or not? Harry, it's you who has to go on, I know it. Not me, not Hermione, you.' I thought this was a very powerful moment in the movie as it shows Ron will sacrifice himself for the greater good. I really liked the scene, it was very quotable and I think about it often, but in the book it's rather different. 'It's the only way... I've got to be taken.' and Harry and Hermione shout no, to which Ron replies, 'That's chess! You've got to make some sacrifices. There isn't really a big song and dance about how Harry needs to go on. It actually happens that in the book there is a next room with a puzzle that Hermione solves for Harry to progress to the final boss.

Something noticeable about the book that is different from the movie was another quote from Ron where he says, 'Now, don't be offended or anything, but neither of you is that good at chess.' I don't remember anything like this in the movie, although it has been some years since I last did a re-watch of the Harry Potter movies, and I may have to do so now after I have written this to fact-check myself. 

Thank you so much for reading. I'm sorry it's not longer, but I didn't exactly take notes on when I was reading the book about things I should write about. I hope you all have a great rest of your day, and I will see you in the next one.

Lilly's thoughts and opinions on the recent changes to Dead By Daylight

Hello and welcome to some game talk. I try my best to play a lot of games, but I keep going back to a few favorites every time. Dead by Daylight is one of those games, and if you have seen any of my YouTube content, it is probably something related to Dead by Daylight. I don't quite have 1000 hours in the game yet, but as of me writing this, I have 900 hours in the game on Steam, so I am getting there. Dead by Daylight was my gateway into gaming with friends, as I had played a few games on my Xbox and Nintendo DS that were solo, such as Minecraft, Disney Dreamlight Valley, and Nintendogs. But Dead by Daylight was my first game that wasn't really in my comfort zone, and it was multiplayer. My sister said I should try it, and I did. That very night, after I had downloaded it, I hopped into a VC with her friends and tried the game. I wasn't the biggest fan at first, as everything was new, including these people with whom I was now hanging out. For those who don't know, I am an introvert. I don't really like meeting new people or spending time with people, but it has gotten better through streaming, and I am decent at hanging out with people online if I know them a little. Streaming was a way to take me out of my comfort zone, and it really has! I have met some wonderful people through playing DBD and through streaming. I am so glad I tried both. 

Once I got more into the game Dead By Daylight I then experienced some of the different events that they have started doing more often for example the anniversary events of the game being out turned into playing the game as much as possible and getting all the blood points I possibly could because the blood point bonus cakes were in the blood web at the time so it turned into a whole grind situation. Then they started doing the 2v8 limited-time event game mode, and I absolutely love this, as you can play as a killer with your friends. It's so much fun, but it takes roughly 20 minutes to get a match as a killer, and if you are playing survivor, you can get a match almost instantly. I love this game mode so much that I even made a series on it for YouTube, so if you would like to see what I am talking about, you can head on over and check it out. It's called through the killer's eyes. I am recording the content for season two of this series, as so many people loved it. When Behaviour (The makers of the game Dead By Daylight) brought this game mode back, they had added a new feature for the killer. The feature is that if you are playing Killer, you don't have to wait in these ridiculously long killer queues; you can ready up with your friend you are playing killer with for a survivor game. The ratio ends up being 2:1. You get about 2 games as a survivor before you get 1 killer game. This is okay if you like both sides, and I do. However, it can be a little annoying going back and forth. I have been clicking wrong buttons as the killer because when I load into the killer match, my brain is still in survivor mode, plus with my series hanging in the balance, I would like to get more killer games recorded than survivor games. For the series, I like to have a total of twenty-two episodes, just like a regular TV series. 

Don't get me wrong, I love that they have made it so you can play as a survivor while you wait for a killer game. I  just wish the ratio were a little more balanced. They could introduce some incentives to have new people play the game, such as some free cosmetics for simply playing during the event, and not just a login bonus while this specific event is running. Maybe one day they will fix it, but maybe not. One can always hope.

Thank you so much for reading my mad ramblings. I hope you have a great rest of your day, and I will see you in the next one. 

Words May Not Be Knives But They Still Sting

"You aren't better than anybody."

As if I didn't already know that. Thank you so kindly for pointing it out and giving one final nail in the coffin to end the day.

I was not expecting those words to come out of your mouth. Not out of the mouth of somebody I thought I was on good terms with. Not out of the mouth of somebody who was my mentor. Not out of the mouth of somebody who just a few days ago was sending my Instagram reels about Build-A-Bear, and I was sending photos back because I already had seen and gotten it.

You saying those words, directed at me or otherwise, sent me spiraling. I didn't say anything back to you; it would have been disrespectful. But in my head, all I could think was, I know I'm not. I am less than worthy. I am less than dirt. All I could think about were all my faults, all the wrongs I have ever done in my entire life. How I wish I could take it all back, change every little detail. But then I realize I am not me without these flaws, without these mistakes. Some would even say I am not human without them.

Does it make me less sad, no, but it makes me realize just a little that the tears I held back then, the tears I let stream down my face as I was driving away later on, weren't worth shedding.

I shed them anyway, though, because words do hurt. They leave mental scars that are nearly impossible to heal.

Don't Stress, Know Your Worth

I took some time away from writing to catch up on content creation. 

I really hate to fall behind on anything, but it can be hard to find the motivation. I know personally, I have been struggling to keep on top of things recently, and I wanted to drop everyone a reminder that whatever you have going on in your life that you may be struggling with right now; you have the power to take control and not feel lost out at sea drowning like you may feel from time to time. 

If it's work that is taking over your life, set boundaries. It's not your job to take on more than you can do. Act your wage. I like this phrase because I was doing so much for the last company I worked for; they just kept piling things on me to get sorted on my shifts, and honestly, it was far too much. I think back to those times a lot; it helps me stay on the course I have set out for myself, and you can do the same. The extra tasks I was given were ridiculous since I worked nights, and more often than not, I was on my own trying to get everything done when I was picking up tasks that the staff who worked in the day time should have completed. I loved that job, but the more that was piled on that I couldn't handle, plus some of the staff being hostile, made work so stressful when it really didn't need to be. So only take on what you can handle. Do not overwhelm yourself with a company; after all, they would easily fill your position if you left. If they want to add more tasks to your daily to-do list, speak up, ask what compensation you will be getting for taking on the extra workload. 

You got this! ~ Lilly 

Letters I'll Never Send

Dear mom.

I'm sorry I've been spending so much time out of the house. I know you miss me, and you're probably worried sick, but I promise I'm keeping myself safe. I just don't know how to explain to you that being with him every day feels better than being in this house. Leaving J was a good idea, you know that and you agree with me. As much as you say that you don't care that I'm with T now I see the look in your eyes when I tell you I'm going out. the concern hidden behind the understanding. 

Enjoy the little things

 After my nan passed away it was weird to not have to go downstairs many times in an hour to make sure she was drinking. Looking at the empty bed where she stayed for many months before leaving us alone, was very strange. It felt wrong and still does. There is a few brighter things to think about such as the memories I made with her over my life, my fondest being something I was so embarrassed to think back on until now was me dancing around the dinning room with Christmas music playing to put on a 'show' for her. I was wearing a pink swimming consume covered in different sized poker dots and a bright green inflatable rubber ring. The rubber ring was mean to be a tutu and the swimming costume was as close to a leotard that I could get. I hated thinking back at that memory and always cringed when I did but hey its on the internet now and it will stay with me until the day I die. I do regret not getting to know her better as I got older but she would always spend time with her 'boyfriend' and i didn't want to spend time with the both of them because it was weird. I could not have a conversation with that guy at all, he was a very nice man and every easter he bought me a lint easter bunny. The one with the red ribbon with a bell. It was the same every year but other than the few passing moments with him, I didn't get to know him too well and technically he also electrocuted me. The pond in the garden has always had a bird problem... birds come and go and take fish with them. So this man was an electrician in the navy when he was working because at the time I knew him he was retired. Anyway he decided to put an electric fence around the pond to deter these birds. As a child I loved watching the fish in the pond swim around and it was even better when the frogs had layed their eggs and they would turn into tadpoles. I used to put my hands in the pond and let them pick off dead skin, it was a win win situation. I did it before it was cool to put your hands and feet in water with aquatic things to let them eat your dead skin cells and even better I didn't have to pay for it.

 Back to the original thought, once this fence was up around the pond he said it was safe as long as I didn't touch the wire. I didn't touch it before you think to yourself oh she's going to do that. I did not. I sat on the grass hands on the flat stones around the pond and guess what I could feel coursing through my body. If you guessed electric, congratulations you win. I told my dad and he was like oh thats weird but we moved on so for the few years this electric fence was around the pond I would always feel the electric in my arms while leaning on the stones to watch the fish live their care free lives. 

Many years later I was talking to my dad about it and apparently my nans 'boyfriend' had wired it in wrong and thats the whole reason I could feel it. Its almost like I knew what it should have been like, but no one listens to children. You can say you do but you don't trust in them the way you trust your partner or your parental figures. This is a warning if you are a parent really try to listen to your child/children if they have a concern. 

But for ages I thought i was super conductive. Sad to know the truth now. 

But this is a sort of goodbye post to my nan, I did love her and I hope she is having the very best time in the afterlife and its nice to think she is back with her boyfriend again and I didn't put that in quotations because of the last little story I want to share is that man I mentioned earlier also had dementia and they would still hang out, for years I made the joke that he was her boyfriend and when they both started getting further down the dementia path me and my dad found them kissing in the conservatory. It made me think I was right all those years. I don't know why they felt the need to hide it or if they had only just started a relationship i don't know but he went before her and its nice to think she has joined him.  

Music heals the soul

Today I was listening to music as I often do while working, I was responding to comments on YouTube listening to Disney music. Into the unknown came on it was Aurora's version. I have no idea how I have not heard this before today but wow I am blown away, she always finds a way to make a song airy and soft. To me her vibe is very fairy, she is a little strange and I love it, she is very much an introvert like myself. If you don't know much about her I'm going to give you a crash course and highly recommend her music if you have not listened to it. A little warning I cannot spell and her name is one of those things I struggle to spell without copying it letter by latter so you will see the words her and she a lot I am avoiding putting her name. Aurora is a Norwegian singer and song writer so a lot of her songs are different to the typical music you would hear out in the world and sticks to her roots, I really admire her for that, but I think that is what makes her so unique. I would not consider myself a super fan but I do think her music is very healing so if you are having a tough time maybe put her music on, get in a blanket with a hot drink in hand with some headphones on and tell me you don't feel better after that. I don't think you can. Because her vocals are very freeing and airy you can close your eyes and almost feel totally alone but at the same time know you aren't. No matter what happens in life know there is always someone there for you. Did you know she actually had a part in the version of into the unknown from the movie frozen 2. She calls herself a forest person this could be because she lives by a fjord surrounded by trees and small bumpy roads so not many cars are around making it peaceful.  As I'm writing this I have goosebumps and this will be my newest obsession song to listen to over and over for a while. I do not have a time frame at all but my last few obsession songs have been, pink pony club, hot to do, good luck babe and naked in Manhattan by Chappell Roan. Please please please, Taste and Espresso by Sabrina Carpenter. Running with The wolves, the seed and Runaway by Aurora and Running up that hill by Kate Bush. Thank you for reading, I hope you have a great day and stay hydrated you lovely beans <3

Productivity In Waves, Prepare When You Can

For the past week, I have been basically home alone, which has been great for getting work done but not so much with other things. I look after my nan, she has dementia, she is currently not interested in eating, and I don't want to get morbid, but I think the end is nigh. I have been so behind on work recently, too, so putting in the 5-6 extra hours a day has been great. I have managed to crack on with making videos. At the time of writing this, I think I have made at least 30 new videos for YouTube (I'm stocking up for winter). My dad won't want me on my pc in the winter because he is trying to save as much money on electricity as possible. I will still be on my pc from 8pm to 2am, but not from almost the moment I wake up to the moment I am heading to bed. Moving has its bonuses and its drawbacks. So I haven't worked out how many videos I need to cover me for the winter period. I hope it will be enough by the time it arrives. Yes, I know it's the summer now. Yeah, I know there's a lot of time, but it does creep up on you, and you have to be prepared for whatever life throws at you. I try my best to stay on top of my work, and then the things I take on to help other people out, because I'm like that. If I can help on a non-emotional topic, then I will try my best, sometimes by putting in hours of research. Not everyone I have spent hours upon hours helping has been as kind to me, but we move on, such is life and all that. I hope by the end of summer to have another season of a video series ready and scheduled. I would like to have at least tried 10 new games to sprinkle in, and it's not needed, but preferable to have at least 20 new video ideas that are fully formed. Going back to my whole nan situation, we did have some nutrient supplement drinks show up on the doorstep two or three days ago (as of when I am writing this).

So far, they have been a godsend, and I do not believe in the good book; I have my own thoughts and opinions about all that. The drinks come in four flavours, strawberry (they didn't have any in stock this time round), chocolate, banana and vanilla. Because I have been in charge I have been choosing what flavour each day Banana was day one and she said it was nice I was rather shocked that she spoke to me because it was a very non verbal day for her, Day 2 was vanilla she also said it was nice but drank far less and didn't keep telling me it was nice like she did on day one so I think the winning flavour so far is banana. Personally, I hate the banana one, it smells foul, too artificial for my liking, and the smell is strong, so it's not the most fun time, but hey, at least she is drinking it. We are looking into booking a funeral so we are prepared for the worst, but I might be fearing the worst when in reality, she could potentially outlive me. Better to be prepared for a storm than turn a blind eye, right?

Day 3 I tried my nan on the chocolate drink, I will just call it a milk shake because it has that sort of consistency she didn't say it was nice right way I think it was day 5 that she said it was nice, but since then she has not said a word to anyone, not me, not my dad or any of the carers. I think we are on about day 7 or 8 of these new drinks and they seem to be good for her but she doesn't put the cup on the table she puts it on her bedcover then moves later on and it goes all over the plastic covering the carpet specifically for this reason we have the plastic sheet on the floor, in fact it takes 3 sheets of this large plastic on the floor to protect the carpet from getting ruined. She has in the past poured a whole cup of tea on the floor on purpose and couldn't tell me why.

Edit: My nan died in her sleep on Monday the 23rd of June 2025

Happy Switch 2 Launch Day!

PlayStation 4 (released 2013) -> 1 million units in 24 hours

Sega Dreamcast (released 1998) -> 225k in 24 hours

PlayStation 2 (released 2000) -> 500k in a weekend

PlayStation 3 (released 2006) -> 197k in 2 weeks

Xbox 360 (released 2005) -> 326k in 2 weeks

Wii (released 2006) -> 600k in 8 days

Game releases are always big days for the gaming community. When people can, they enjoy staying up all night long and waiting in line overnight to become the first to get their hands on the flashy new toy. The launch of the Switch 2 has been no different. 

Gamers flocked to stores over 12 hours before the launch of the system and had overnight parties in stores waiting for the chime of the bell signaling the official release of the latest addition to the history of gaming consoles.

Not everyone may believe that this latest release is an actual improvement, but sometimes we set our expectations too high and fail to realize where we started and just how far we have come.

I unfortunately have not gotten my hands on this latest system just yet, but I hope to someday.

Have you gotten one for yourself?

Diet soda is a lie. I am outraged!

I was having a chat with Rambo on one of her streams, and somehow we got to discussing soda. I said I was drinking diet cola, but the conversation progressed to the point that diet soda lies to you. It isn't healthier than regular soda. I went away and did some research, and sure enough, almost every drink brand that markets its diet soda has way more sugar than a regular drink. The specific diet soda I was drinking (and will stop eventually), has 90 grams of sugar. The regular version has 27 grams. I even looked at some bottles of Lemonade my dad has one is full fat and one is diet. Diet soda contains supposedly artificial sweetener and full fat contains normal sugar. If you do enough digging you can find so many articles on how artificial sweetener is actually worse for you than regular sugar. One artificial sweetener is aspartame this has been linked to causing cancer and can be found in many diet sodas. It was discovered in 1965 and is around 180-200 times sweeter than sugar from sugar cain. This specific sweetener was only approved to be used in dry food in 1981. Thats a whole 16 years that it took for the sweetener to be approved for use in dry food by the FDA. Aspartame is marketed to have zero calories but yet it can cause you to gain weight, you can obtain a mood disorder by consuming this sweetener. While there are many articles online telling you it has not been conclusively linked to serious side effects and health issues, these articles still tell you to be careful ingesting this specific substance. Its like they want to lie to you and just give you a glimmer of the truth. Be careful what you put into your body because anything could cause you a problem. If you have any health issues that have arisen since drinking these diet sodas please consider switching. When doing your weekly shop watch out for purchasing anything with the words; diet, low calorie, no calories, low or no sugar. Yes shopping just got a lot harder but maybe something health wise will improve. 

There is not much research on the topic of benefits of diet soda. It does say it reduces fatty liver and detrimental effects of normal coke. However it doesn't list these supposed 'detrimental' effects of regular cola if they wanted us to know the truth you would not have to do so much research on a specific subject to come up with a small pile of answers. You are left with way more questions than you are answers. Does this feel like a cover up to you? 

Thank you for reading my most technical post I have done so far who know I may be more outraged in the future be safe out there peeps <3

Did You Know You Can Control Your Dreams?

Welcome to my very excited segment of how I had my first lucid dream after trying for years to manipulate my dreams. 

A little backstory, quickly, I stopped saying good night to people and started saying sweet nightmares because I would have nightmares way more often than dreams, it felt like a little secret that was mine and mine alone. I was hoping that their nightmares would be sweet and nothing like what my brain was coming up with. 

For years, I had dreams of being chased by clowns, drowning, seeing everyone I loved die in horrific manors, and the worst one SPIDERS. I do not like spiders one iota (one 'bit' for my American friends). 

My first lucid dream was me exploring an abandoned caravan. This place was filthy, covered in dust, and had large cobwebs everywhere. The last location in this caravan I explored was the bedroom. This was where the nest of black widow spiders lived. I went in and found a huge female spider; she told me she was the queen and controlled all her children. She continued on saying I would not get out alive. She tried sending her children to feast upon the meal that stood before them (me), but none of them moved more than a few centimeters. I told her I was in charge and that they would do what I wanted. I controlled them, and it turned out we liked each other's company. I would let her children crawl up my arms and into my hands just to hang out. That's when I realized I was in control of my own dream. 

Spider dreams often end up with me waking up sweating after they have crawled up my body and cocooned me to save for later. But I'm so happy to have finally achieved a successful lucid dream, and I can't wait to see if I will be able to do it again in the future. 

Thank you so much for reading. I know this one was shorter, but I wanted it to have its own time to shine with nothing overshadowing it. 

Have a great rest of your day and stay hydrated, you wonderful beans <3