writerkatsblog

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2 sentences in so far but WOOT, CHASE'S BACK! He's sure missed a lot, probably more out of the loop than Jack for once!

He's been busy.

#asks #fragile things

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New chapter of Fragile Things is out! Feel free to come take a look if you'd like!

#xiaolin showdown #fragile things #fanfic #my work

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AAAAAAAAAAAA WHY IS GUAN THERE ALREADY ARE THERE TWO GUANS?! …THREE GUANS IF WE COUNT ACTUAL GUAN?

WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH THE STRANGER, WHAT'S IN HIS NECK, WHY IS HIS HAIR ALL RED NOW, WHAT ARE THESE POWERS AND WHY DOES IT GIVE HEYLIN MAGIC VIBES?! GREEN FIRE? RED HAIR AND GREEN FIRE?!?!!?! DOES HE HAVE WEIRD EYELASHES/EYELINER ON HIS FACE? AND WHAT'S JACK GONNA DO AT THE LAB? HOW DID GUAN (BUT NOT THAT GUAN OR THAT GUAN, THE OTHER GUAN) PUT IS HEAD BACK ON LIKE IT WAS A MILD INCONVENIENCE?! WHAT IS HAPPENINGGGG

Ahem

Good chapter! Great chapter! I'm really, really invested in Jack and the stranger's friendship now. His friend who he almost called "D-…" Not his name… Not even a letter in his name… But his brain is a little fried from what happened last time, and they're in the desert, prime time for brain farts! Jack could've brought back a second soda for him. Not that he'd take off the mask toe drink it, but still, he could've!

Those kids are relentless in their chase, they're really determined to get their friend back! So determined that they missed all the hints and were blindsided and caught off guard once heads started rolling! And things only got more violent and gory from there! For all the kiddy battles and gamey showdowns they've been in, I don't think the Xiaolin monks are built for the type of animosity and violence that these two strangers are about to unleash on everyone right now. Or the powers they're gonna do it with. Are these guys on par with the big players and magic users like Wuya and Chase themselves? Is that glove and the things in advanced tech or secret Shen Gong Wu? Does He-Who-Is-Not-Guan's bracelet work the same way? Does this Guan even have the bracelet or is it with other Guan that's not really Guan? Are the kids going to be okay?

This chapter just leaves me with so many questions!

But I gotta list off some non-question parts that I liked while I'm still coherent! Here: Raimundo: Why is he talking like Clay?! Kimiko: Why did his head just come off?! Clay: Why are you guys not dodging?! LOL! Love those kids!

Guan tried to get his lick back in the more direct way possible and complained about fairness. An eye for an eye, a head for a head, eh?

Whatever Guan tried to do with that glove, it didn't work, because of whoever the Stranger thanked, I guess. I'm confused but the math is starting to math, I think this is one part of the mystery we're going to watch unravel real soon!

And the Stranger is in so much pain that those descriptions made me wince! I hope we get to see his face soon so we get to know how expressive he actually is through all this!

And the ambergris from waaaaay back when Wuya was raiding Chase's lair is finally about to come into play! Now that's what I call a Chekov's gun! I'm going to comb back through the earlier chapters to try and see what other Chokov's guns might be firing off soon! Whatever Keiko's mom did first sure, and those lotus flower petals, and and, um…

I guess I'll wait and see!

Oops! All Guans

Masked stranger has a lot of stuff going on, not the least of which is this tenuous situation he has going on with the monks right now after this reveal. Poor guy, he's been dealing with a lot. Including Jack Spicer.

The dragons are very determined to get their friend back. But now they have to deal with this nightmare. So they're dealing with quite a bit right now. And sadly, yes. They're more used to Xiaolin Showdowns, which have rules and are usually set up as games. Not what fresh hell is going on in this latest fight. They're not quite ready for all out brawls and body horror like they're seeing here.

Many many questions, which shall be answered in their own time I assure you!

They're all such goofballs and I love their collective dynamic. Even if it's still not quite the same without Omi.

That ambergris was always gonna come back into this one way or another! You'll just have to wait and see in what way!

I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter so much! And hope you'll be looking forward to the next one!

#xiaolin showdown #asks #omi #ocs #kimiko tohomiko #clay bailey #raimundo pedrosa

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To be fair to the Shambhalans, they don't encounter much illness by the way of viruses and bacteria (they wouldn't have to boil the river water before drinking it), but they can still get basic mechanical unwellness. Broken bones, sore muscles, arthritis, maybe some indigestion or what have you from not chewing well enough.

What spread through Shambhala at its end was much more subtle because thats what it was intended to be. A slow spread under the cover of the quiet and unknown until it was too late to stop it.

What the Masked Boy felt was something Intended to hurt him right away.

I had forgotten that lotus flowers could be eaten! Great source of protein, apparently?

I hear they're also used for some medicinal purposes. Were the Shambhala River lotus flowers used in medicine? Did the Goddess's blessing make them even more effective?

The Shambhalans loved to put it in stir fry or soup!

Yeah they did probably also use them in medicine, just not very often. Not because they were especially powerful, but because they wanted to keep certain numbers of them at all times. If they had excess they'd be more likely to use them for food than medicine since the people of Shambhala tend to be pretty healthy.

Illness wasn't very common among their numbers even if they leave and were exposed to outside sickness, so it's not very often that they would've had to make use of them that way. They could be made into good medicine by normal standards, but they're not magically medicinal. The most common use seen would be eating a few lotus seeds during pregnancy.

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If you're living in California and are concerned about the recent passing of the minor social media ban in Florida, then I urge you to write and call in to your state senators and assembly members in rejection of CA Senate Bill 976, the Social Media Youth Addiction Law.

While this law doesn't go specifically as far as the Florida law of outright banning anyone 14 and under from using social media and requiring a form of ID in order to have access to an account within the state, the law does pose troubling potential future legal repercussions.

This bill's primary focus is on the "protection" of young people who use social media from "addictive" features for the sake of their mental health. However, it intends to do this by implementing strict features such as parental controls which would require all minor users to have parental controls overseeing their accounts to limit their access to "addictive" feed features, as well as enforcing time periods where minor users will not receive notifications as well as mandatory time limits on how long minors can access social media that are restricted by the parents.

I need not tell you that this is a dangerous undertaking considering the only way that companies under this regulation could 100% ensure this level of compliance would likely be to follow the same ID verification systems which are feared to come about in Florida within the next year.

So if you live in California and don't want us to fall into the same trap which could strip away social media privacy and writes, I'd urge you to find your state representatives (state senators especially) and urge them to vote NO on CA SB 976, the Social Media Youth Addiction Law.

Source 1

Source 2

Website to help you find your CA state reps

[writerkatsblog]

New chapter of Fragile Things today! Thank you for your patience, and sorry for the long wait!

From now on, this will be an every 3 week update schedule rather than 2 in order to keep up with other life things. Thank you again for your understanding and patience.

#xiaolin showdown #fanfiction #fanfic #my work #fragile things

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What was the most festive time of year in Shambhala? Was there a somber time of year in Shambhala, like a holiday devoted to remembrance of lost love ones?

Without a doubt the most festive time of the year was the 23rd day of the 3rd lunar month, when the village held a festival dedicated to Granny Mazu on her birthday. Lots of partying and festivities were held in honor of their patron goddess (Omi was born shortly before this festival on his birth year!)

For remembrance they observe the Qingming festival where they clean their ancestors' graves and payed them respect.

#asks #shambhala

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Who would be angrier about one of their pets/henchmen being messed with or kidnapped, Tubbimura or Ashley? (Or Chase I guess but it's hard to imagine someone taking one of his tigers?)

Definitely Ashley.

As we saw when Jack threatened his dog, Tubbimura would be far more distressed than angry about the kidnapping. He'd be basically willing to do anything to get his pet back safe and sound.

Ashley, on the other hand, would go on a warpath and would not stop until her cat was returned to her.

#xiaolin showdown #asks #katnappe #tubbimura

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Do you think Dashi knew Chucky Choo?

At the very least by reputation if Dojo ever went on a rant about Chucky Choo and the whole debacle with his pilfered yo-yo.

#xiaolin showdown #asks #chucky choo #master fung

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I just learned that peanut butter and mayonnaise sandwiches are a thing. Would Clay eat that?

If he grew up with them, maybe.

They appear to have been popular mostly in the 1940s, so if he had any exposure to them I imagine it might've been from his granny serving them to him and/or Jesse.

So really it would depend on the balance of if Clay associates them with nostalgia or if he doesn't like them on account of negative interactions with his granny.

#xiaolin showdown #asks #clay bailey

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Sibini fought really well when he was controlling Clay. Do you think Sibini knows martial arts himself or is he able to tap into the muscle memory of whatever body he possesses?

Considering Sibini literally goes inside peoples' heads, I assume that he's able to tap into peoples' natural abilities and make use of them when he's taken control. Maybe even push the host further past their limits than they'd normally go to the point of hurting themselves since it's not his body and he doesn't care what happens to it.

#xiaolin showdown #asks #sibini

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For the occasion of Saint Patrick's Day, can you tell me which of these green outfits from Kimiko was your personal favorite among them? (Hannibal's Revenge, Screams of the Siren, Return of Pandabubba, The Evil Within)

Definitely number 3. Love the Perky Goth vibe to it.

#xiaolin showdown #asks #kimiko tohomiko

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I had forgotten that lotus flowers could be eaten! Great source of protein, apparently?

I hear they're also used for some medicinal purposes. Were the Shambhala River lotus flowers used in medicine? Did the Goddess's blessing make them even more effective?

The Shambhalans loved to put it in stir fry or soup!

Yeah they did probably also use them in medicine, just not very often. Not because they were especially powerful, but because they wanted to keep certain numbers of them at all times. If they had excess they'd be more likely to use them for food than medicine since the people of Shambhala tend to be pretty healthy.

Illness wasn't very common among their numbers even if they leave and were exposed to outside sickness, so it's not very often that they would've had to make use of them that way. They could be made into good medicine by normal standards, but they're not magically medicinal. The most common use seen would be eating a few lotus seeds during pregnancy.

#asks #shambhala

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Guan: Every time your trainees yell at each other, put a quarter in your No Yelling Sock and soon you'll have a weapon to beat-

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The Indiana Man by American Murder Song

The Beast Is Out There by The Blasting Company

As promised for this interlude week, here's a little something special. One of two other Playlists that will be developed alongside the Masked Stranger's! So the playlists will be rotated in how they update.

This one is about someone who hasn't come out into the open yet, but has everything to do with what's been going on.

Murder by American Murder Song

Edward by American Murder Song

I Can't Decide by Scissor Sisters

I'm Always Walking As Somebody Else by American Murder Song

And, as a bonus song, one that isn't directly in the Playlist, but one that I think fits this character on a very deep level.

From A Place Of Love by Mili

[writerkatsblog]

His Shimo Staff, the Orb of Tornami, the Changing Chopsticks, and the Mind Reader Conch. This assortment of Wu weren't exactly his first pick from their armory; rather, each of his friends had handed him something that they had grabbed before they all took off and dragged him along to hop onto Dojo.

I wanted to ask this for a while!! I'm curious! In chapter 8, when Omi mentions the assortment he got from his friends, which one gave him which Wu?

Not a problem!

The Shimo Staff Omi already had on hand, as it's his personal weapon, so that's the only one no one gave him directly.

Raimundo handed him the Orb of Tornami. It's the other weapon that's pretty signature to Omi and also packs a wallop in the right hands. Raimundo's seen Omi kick tail with that thing more than once, so he'd probably be pretty certain that if any Wu could be useful for Omi to protect himself with, it would be that one.

Kimiko gave Omi the Changing Chopsticks. She figured that if worst came to worst, Omi might be able to shrink himself down and hide in order to evade a potential assailant. Like darting into an animal burrow or something. Can't get to him if they can't reach him.

Clay gave him the Mind Reader Conch. Clay didn't know that Omi would end up being shrunk down and held in a ball, but he figured it might be good to have something on hand that might let them figure out what such a mysterious figure could have on his mind.

#asks #fragile things #omi #raimundo pedrosa #kimiko tohomiko #clay bailey

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Do the lotuses and the river goddess and surrounding legends have a lot of influence on the fashion and aesthetic design in Shambhala? Are there any taboos that a borne of those legends?

Oh for sure. There were a lot of weavers and embroiderers in Shambhala who incorporated lotus flowers into their designs. Water and lotus flowers definitely make up a lot of repeated imagery that shows up in art and their nice clothing.

No real taboos honestly. The people of Shambhala are generally pretty free to do as they may as long as it doesn't involve hurting anyone.

They're also very tasty in cuisine! Though the inhabitants only eat a few during certain holidays. Like the Qixi Festival

#asks #fragile things #shambhala