Not the Creepy Crawlies You Think They Are

 Spell-checked by Vinette

We paid just over $2 for all of this?!!?

Why Am I Writing This?

Centipedes are kind of scary with all those legs and that they bite. But I caught one with my bug catcher's kit to look at and learn about. It was a tiny centipede but I didn't touch it with my hands. I have a bug catcher kit from Dollar Tree that lets me catch them without getting hurt or hurting them. 

So, I caught the centipede and when I couldn't find out what kind it was for my worksheet, I decided to research all kinds of centipedes. This is what I found.

About Centipedes

I started with the kid-safe search engine called Kiddle. They have a kind of Wikipedia that is for kids and fact checked. Not just anyone can change it. 

According to Kiddle's wiki, all centipedes are venomous. This is kind of scary. I don't think all their venom can kill you but it wouldn't be fun to be bit by one. They also eat meat. I just hope there's never one big enough to eat a person.  According to AZ Animals, there are some that CAN kill a person. That's scary!

A lot of centipedes don't have eyes and I didn't see any on mine. They have a bunch of legs, but I was too lazy to count them while he was moving around so much. According to Kiddle, they can have between 15 and 191 pairs of legs. That's way too many to be a cute bug. 

Different from Millipedes

Dylan once told me that the easiest way to see if it's a millipede or centipede is to look at it from the top. If you can see the legs, it's probably a centipede. Kiddle says that millipede legs are connected to the bottom of the body, not the side like centipede so this is probably true. 

Millipedes are usually not meat eaters. They prefer already dead or decaying things and some even eat plants. There are some meat eaters, but not many.  

My Centipede

You can make out the tiny legs by the snail.

Dylan printed me out a bug identification sheet that asked some questions about the bug I caught. It was tiny, and could probably curl up on my thumb nail comfortably. I found it when I moved a flower pot. It was in the dirt. 

It had a lot of legs, but no wings and I didn't see any eyes. It had a lot of separate body parts but probably less than 50. It was hard to count with how much it was moving. The body looked soft because of how bendy it was, but I didn't touch it because I knew they could bite and the poor guy was probably scared enough. 

It was a really light tan color with darker brown lines on the body. I drew a picture but it wasn't good, so I am just going to put the picture I took on my phone when I let him go.

My Sites

https://a-z-animals.com/blog/incredible-centipede-facts/

https://kids.kiddle.co/Centipede

TL;DR Ovid's Metamorphoses | Book 1

This is the copy of the book I had to get for school.

 Introduction/Invocation

Ovid's Metamorphosis is the story of many myths of the ancient Greeks and Romans. He claims that he knows the story, through divine influence, from the beginning of earth to his current time (about 8 AD). Each book is kind of long, and contains many stories, so strap in for the long haul.

In his invocation, he states that he has stories of bodies changed into new forms (hence the title) and that the gods inspired him to write a poem that goes from the very beginning to the time of writing. 

Note: My version is translated by Stanley Lombardo and may have slight differences to other translations.

Note #2: There are 15 books so this may take a while...  But I need it read by June 29th so maybe not. It just depends on how I want to take notes, either through this blog or in a notebook.

Note #3: Sorry if my verbiage changes from past to present a lot. This is basically my notes for the class and  I'm not paying a whole lot of attention to tense.

Origin of the World

A Redditor's rendition of Khaos

 The origin of the world, according to Ovid, is pretty similar to the Christian version. At first, there was nothing. Just Khaos (the entity). But there was still "land impossible to walk, unnavigatable water, [and] lightless air". There was no shape or form and everything was kind of fighting for space, taking turns crowding the others out. 

So, some unnamed god fixed the problem. He (I don't know if the original translation uses male pronouns, but this translation does, so I will too) split the earth, water, sky, and atmosphere and gave them each their own space. The sea kind of decided it was going to settle on earth and envelop her (keep in mind, for the ancient Greeks/Romans, earth was Gaia/Mother Earth.)

Question: Should I do the Theogony as well? It's an in depth story of the creation of everything from the Hellenistic point of view. It's by Hesiod and I have the translation by M.L. West. It's another book I had to read for class.

 The god in question decided earth should not be asymmetrical, so he made it into a giant sphere (take that, flat earthers) and told the sea to swell until it "lapped the planet's shores". How you can have shores before having water is beyond me, but to be fair, no creation myth makes sense to me. 

This god decided to reign in the winds, as not doing so would allow the winds to wreak havoc on the planet. And he decided to separate the earth into 5 zones, the middle being too hot, the top and bottom too cold, and the other two sections just right. 

"The sea allowed itself to swarm with glistening fish" is a hilarious statement to me. Even the sea says consent is important. Anyway, the earth got land animals and the air teemed with flying creatures. But the god decided that wasn't enough. He wanted a smarter, finer creature that could rule the rest, so man was born. 

However, Ovid basically states that it happened in one of two ways. Either man was fashioned out of "immortal seed" by the god or Earth was baring seeds of Sky and it was mixed with rainwater and molded into the gods' image. One of the two. 

Anyway, Ovid states that while animals stay looking at the ground on all fours, the god wanted man to have an upturned face and told them to "lift their eyes to the stars". Then Earth, who was still without much form, shaped herself for the "unfamiliar figures of men". 

The Four Ages

So, first was the Golden age. It was trusting and safe without any laws needed. No one needed protection from anything or anyone. These men stayed in one place. They "knew no shores but their own." There was no military. They didn't need one. 

They also didn't have to work. They lived carefree while Earth produced fruit all on her own for them. Men gathered, but it wasn't much work at all. Rivers and streams flowed with milk and nectar respectively. They really didn't need anything else. 

A sharp divide of the seasons

After Saturn/Kronos was sent to Tartarus by the gods, Jupiter/Zeus saw the coming of the Silver age. Jupiter decided that it shouldn't always be spring for these people and gave them the other seasons. People had to take shelter in caves, dense thickets, branches bound together, and other forms of primitive shelter. These people started working the fields, raising oxen for the yoke. 

Next was the Bronze age. These people don't get much in the book, but it says they were "harsher in genius and more ready to arms, not wicked however." That's literally all these people get.

Finally, we get to the Iron age. People were more shameful and veracious. They brought forth treachery and greed, force and fraud. They decided to sail across uncharted seas and expand. They mined for ore in addition to working the fields. They brought war. They kind of suck.

The Giants

This section is very short. Just a paragraph. In it, Ovid says that the Giants of Earth tried to take over the kingdom of heaven by piling mountains Babble style. Well, the gods didn't like this and Zeus/Jupiter sent a lightning bolt and struck Pelion from Ossa. The giants died, but Earth didn't like that. She reanimated them "to preserve the memory" and made them look human. 

However, this version of the giants also hated the gods and suffered blood lust for them. They were violent. "You could tell they were sons of blood."

The Council of the Gods

 In this section, we learn that the Milky Way is the road the gods travel to get to the royal palace of Jupiter. Anyway, Jupiter had called a council of the gods. He decides that the human race needs to go. He swears he's already tried everything, but mankind is threatening the other demigods, rustic deities, and sylvan spirits and he just can't have that. There's this dude named Lycaon who is even trying to ensnare Jupiter, so of course the others aren't safe.

Lycaon

 This is still Jupiter telling the story of Lycaon.

A vase depicting Lycaon

He slipped down form Olympus in the guise of a human. He gave a sign that a god had come, and everyone came out to pray. Well, everyone except Lycaon. Lycaon started mocking them, saying "I'll find out if this is a mortal or a god." To do so, he planned on murdering Jupiter while he was asleep. 

Not content with that, Lycaon instead killed a hostage, cooked him, and tried to serve it to Jupiter. As soon as Lycaon set the dish down, Jupiter brought the house down with lightning on "its master and his all-too-deserving household".

Lycaon ran off in terror and let loose a howl in the fields. He tried to speak, but found he could not. He turned his "usual blood lust" against some sheep. His clothes turned into a pelt and his arms into legs. He became a werewolf.

Jupiter says this is enough to damn the entire human population, because if one is this bad, how can we know they all aren't? Jupiter promised a new race, but he needed to destroy the current one.

The Flood

Neptune causing the flood.

 Originally, Jupiter wanted to strike the world with lightning bolts until everyone was dead. Fun guy, I know. But he recalled that one day, the land, sea, and heavens would catch fire and everything would be destroyed, so he went with rain instead.

But his rain wasn't enough for him, so he called on Neptune (Poseidon) to call up the waves and put everything underwater. 

Birds fell into the sea with nothing to perch on. Mammals swam, looking for shore. But there was no shore. Most animals drowned, but those that survived slowly starved to death.

Deucalion and Pyrrha

 This married couple, Deucalion and Pyrrha, were able to find a tall mountain that stuck out of the water and landed their tiny boat there. 

(I keep wanting to put the Greek names, so if you see on pop up I'm sorry, but it's a Roman text so technically I should keep using the Roman names. It's just hard haha)

Anyway, Jupiter saw that these were literally the only two people left and saw that they were pure and innocent. So, he decided enough was enough and told Neptune to  recede the waters. So land started cropping up and the two humans mourned in the revelation that they were indeed the last of the species. 

Deucalion and Pyrrha throwing stones.

So, they went to an oracle to ask what the hell they were supposed to do. The oracle said to loosen their robes, veil their heads, and toss their mother's bones behind them. They didn't like the idea of desecrating the bones of their mother and refused.

With some careful thought, Deucalion realized that an oracle is "holy and never councils evil" that the mother he must be talking about is that of Mother Earth. So, they loosened their robes, veiled their heads, and started tossing stones (Earth's "bones") behind them. 

The stones began to soften. The soft parts became flesh. The hard parts became bones. The veins just stayed veins but this time for a human. They were crudely formed at first, but eventually, the stones thrown behind Deucalion became men and the stones thrown behind Pyrrha became women.

(To me, this is a much better story than Noah, where eventually there would have to be implied incest if they were the only family to survive. )

 Earth then spontaneously spawns various animals and the seeds begin to sprout. She decides to bring back some of the old animals, but a lot of them are completely new creatures.

A gorgeous snake

Python

 Another short section...

Basically, a giant serpent named Python, who was half a mountainside long, terrorized the newly made mankind. Apollo (I guess he doesn't have a Roman name?) shot it down, and to make sure his deed would never be forgotten, made a series of sacred games called "Pythian". 

Everyone who won would receive a crown of oak leaves, because laurels didn't exist yet.

Apollo and Daphne

 In this part, Apollo ticks off Cupid by saying that a bow is a man's weapon and Cupid should not be wielding it. So Cupid, in his anger, shoots Apollo with a love arrow and a nymph named Daphne with an anti-love arrow. And so the chase began.

Apollo, while chasing her, tried to smooth talk his way into her heart. This didn't work. He tried an appeal to the fact that he is a god. Didn't work. So he continues his chase.

Daphne gets to a stream and calls out to her father, asking him, if his stream has any divine power, to remove her beauty. So she's turned into a tree. 

Apollo, still infatuated, says that while she cannot be his wife, she will at least be his tree. And he created laurels from her leaves. Kinda weird, but okay. Love makes us do weird things I guess.

Io

TW: Sexual assault. I do censor the word, but it's there. So, if that upsets you, skip to the next header. 

 Jupiter, unfaithful as he is, was down on earth trying to woo a girl named Io. He told her not to run, and that he could protect her, but she was already running. Eventually, the god had had enough and covered the earth in a blanket of mist and r*ped her. 

Juno, his wife, got suspicious of the sudden mist and went down to look for Jupiter after not finding him in the skies. Afraid to get caught, Jupiter turned Io into a cow. 

Cow Nose :)

Now, Juno isn't dumb. She suspected something was going on and asked for the cow as a gift. He couldn't really say no without giving himself away, so he gifted Io to Juno. She put a man with a hundred eyes taking turns to nap in charge of watching the cow. 

Io's father found the cow, and while she could not speak to him, she managed to use her hoof to write out her plight. He was super depressed to find out what had happened to his daughter and the hundred-eyed man took her back to the pasture where he was watching her.

Eventually, Jupiter was kind of upset and sent Mercury to kill the hundred-eyed man and rescue Io.

Pan and Syrinx

 Here, Mercury begins to tell the tale. 

Syrinx was a gorgeous naiad. She caught the eye of Pan, who wanted her for himself. He chased her and when he thought he had caught her, in his arms was only a bundle of reeds. He sighed, and the breath caused one of the reeds to sound. 

Pan liked the sound and dedicated the newly formed instrument of various length reeds bound together by wax to Syrinx, giving the instrument her name. 

Mercury ends the tale and looks up to see all hundred eyes have fallen asleep. He quickly grabs his sword and lops off the head. Juno was ticked, taking the eyes and setting them in the feathers of peacocks with "starlike jewels". 

Io bellows up to the heavens, begging Jupiter to give her her former shape. Jupiter pleads with Juno to lessen her anger, promising that the girl would never trouble her again. 

Juno chills out and Jupiter changes Io back to her bipedal self. Io, afraid her voice will come out as moos again, slowly and carefully pronounces her words.

Phaethon and Clymene

So Io bore a child, probably of Jupiter. And he had a friend, Phaethon, a child of the Sun who wouldn't ever stop bragging about it. Epaphus (Io's kid) shot back and rejected the claim, saying "You're crazy to believe all that your mother says, and you're swellheaded about your imagined father." Fair enough.

Phaethon went to his mom and asked for some kind of proof that his father is who she claims he is. She hugs him and basically says "if he's not your father, and I am lying, may I never face the sun again" or something similar. (I don't want too many direct quotes in here...)

She sends him off to the Sun's house, which he happily goes.

Citations (And Image Credit)

The Book:  

 

Ovid. Metamorphoses. Translated by Stanley Lombardo, Hackett Pub. Co, 2010.

 

The Pictures:

 

Shervico. “My Rendition of the Greek God Chaos,” Reddit, 2021.

Rubens , Peter Paul . “Deucalion and Pyrrha,” Wikipedia, 1637.

Sams.Wild. “Drone Shot of Trees,” Pexels, 2022.

Smith, Kat. “Close up Photo of White and Black Animal,” Pexels, 2017.

Solis, Virgil. “Le Déluge,” Wikipedia, 1581.

Wikipedia/Public Domain. “An Ancient Greek Vase Depicting a Man in a Wolf Skin, circa 460 BC,” Greek Reporter, 2022.
‌

Shervico. “My Rendition of the Greek God Chaos,” Reddit, 2021, preview.redd.it/01r22ib0jqu61.jpg?width=1080&crop=smart&auto=webp&v=enabled&s=5fd6e99e32eee450a55a2c4723ceeaf95827424e.

Ovid. Metamorphoses. Translated by Stanley Lombardo, Hackett Pub. Co, 2010.

Rubens , Peter Paul . “Deucalion and Pyrrha,” Wikipedia, 1637.

Sams.Wild. “Drone Shot of Trees,” Pexels, 2022.

Smith, Kat. “Close up Photo of White and Black Animal,” Pexels, 2017.

Solis, Virgil. “Le Déluge,” Wikipedia, 1581.

Wikipedia/Public Domain. “An Ancient Greek Vase Depicting a Man in a Wolf Skin, circa 460 BC,” Greek Reporter, 2022.

‌

Shervico. “My Rendition of the Greek God Chaos,” Reddit, 2021, preview.redd.it/01r22ib0jqu61.jpg?width=1080&crop=smart&auto=webp&v=enabled&s=5fd6e99e32eee450a55a2c4723ceeaf95827424e.

Ovid. Metamorphoses. Translated by Stanley Lombardo, Hackett Pub. Co, 2010.

Rubens , Peter Paul . “Deucalion and Pyrrha,” Wikipedia, 1637.

Sams.Wild. “Drone Shot of Trees,” Pexels, 2022.

Smith, Kat. “Close up Photo of White and Black Animal,” Pexels, 2017.

Solis, Virgil. “Le Déluge,” Wikipedia, 1581.

Wikipedia/Public Domain. “An Ancient Greek Vase Depicting a Man in a Wolf Skin, circa 460 BC,” Greek Reporter, 2022.

‌

TL;DR Much Ado About Nothing | Act 3

 ❤ Scene 1❤

Hero, Marg, and Ursula start us off

Hero tells Marg to find Bea, who is talking to DP and Claudio. Marg is to tell Bea that Hero and Ursula are gossiping about her in the orchard. Marg promises to make Bea come to the orchard to eavesdrop.

Marg exits

Hero then turns to Ursula, telling her to dote on Benedick and only talk about him. She is to talk about how in love with Bea Benedick is. 

Bea enters from behind

The go towards Bea so "that her ear lose nothing" and begin saying how in love Benedick is and how he's just beside himself, but they can't let Bea know because she would make a joke of his love.

"It were a better death than die with mocks, which is as bad as die with tickling." (I would hate to die by tickling. Holy cow that would be terrible.)

Hero and Marg exit

Bea says that if Benedick truly loves her, she will return the favor.

❤ Scene 2 ❤ 

We open with DP, Claudio, Benedick, and Leo

They are talking of Claudio's upcoming marriage. DP says for Claudio to stay in Messina while he goes back to Aragon with Benedick, but Benedick says he's changed. They argue whether or not Benedick were in love. Benedick says he has a toothache (which is apparently associated with being in love), but Leo says it's probably a worm. They continue bickering about Benedick being in love.

We learn that Benedick has shaved his beard. He's wearing makeup and perfume. They conclude that he must be in love.

Benedick and Leo leave to talk. Enter the bastard aka DJ.

DJ completes his part of the plan and tells DP and Claudio that Hero is unfaithful. He says that if they don't believe him, they can follow him and see for themselves.

❤ Scene 3 ❤

Dogberry (DB) & Verges - comic relief to propel the plot forward

Watchmen - officers that patrol the city at night

(I'm just going to start by saying that these two are idiots. They keep saying the opposite of what they mean.)

DB and Verges are talking about the watchmen and if they're loyal enough to serve DP. They try to figure out which watchman is deserving enough to be constable. They choose George Seacole, because he can read and write. 

"This is your charge: you shall comprehend (he means apprehend) all vagrom (vagrant?) men." (See what I mean by idiots?)

They talk with the watchmen and decide that sleeping on the job is fine, so long as their "bills" not be stolen. They're also supposed to go to the taverns and tell anyone who's drunk to go home. If they won't go, they decide, they'll be left alone until they're sober.

If they meet a thief, they're to not touch them, lest they be defiled, and "let him show himself what he is and steal out of your company." (They really are terrible police.)

Finally, if they hear a child crying in the night, they're to tell the nurse to get it quiet. If she's asleep, then they'll just leave it alone and let the crying wake the nurse. 

Dogberry and Verges leave. Borachio and Conrade enter.

Borachio admits to earning a thousand ducats (money, I think) from DJ. One of the watchmen hear and tell the others to stay while he investigates.

Borachio also admits to carrying out his part of the plot, making out with Marg in Hero's window, causing DP and Claudio to think she was Hero, cheating on Claudio.

The watchmen come out and arrest Borachio and Conrade.

❤ Scene 4 ❤

The next moring, we see Hero, Marg, and Ursula.

Hero tells Ursula to go wake Bea and tell her to come here. Ursula leaves.

Hero and Marg talk about Hero's dress, saying how beautiful it is. 

Enter Bea

Bea is sick, so Marg suggests distilled carduus benedictus to make her feel better. Bea accuses her of a double meaning in benedictus. 

Ursula enters and asks them all to come to the church for the wedding.

❤ Scene 5 ❤

Leo enters with DB and Verges

They tell Leo that they have apprehended two suspicious characters and that they will meet him at the jail after their "excommunication" (I think they mean examination.)

 

TL;DR Much Ado About Nothing | Act 2

 ❤ Introduction ❤

So, when we left off, Don John was getting ready to crash a wedding proposal. But who even are all these people? There's just so many characters.

• Beatrice (Bea): Leonato's niece. Constantly at a war of wit with Benedick.
• Benedick (Mr. Been A Dick): A soldier fighting under Don Pedro and friends with Claudio. Very witty, always making jokes and puns.
• Claudio: A young soldier who has been greatly honored by Don Pedro. He falls head over heels with Hero.
• Hero: Leonato's daughter.
• Don Pedro (DP): Nobleman from Aragon and longtime friend of Leonato. 
• Leonato (Leo): Noble in Messina, Italy. His home is the scene of the play.
• Don John (DJ): The bastard brother of Don Pedro who seems to be hella depressed, only finding solace in others' unhappiness.
• Borachio: Associate of Don John 
• Conrad: Another Don John associate
• Antonio (Tony): Leonato's elderly brother. Beatrice's dad.

That's everyone we've met so far, but there's a few others we haven't met yet. I'll introduce them as we come to them.

❤ Scene 1 ❤

New Characters: 

• Ursula: One of Hero's waiting women
• Margaret (Marg): Hero's serving woman
• Balthasar: Waiting man and musician

The scene opens with Leo, Tony, Hero, Bea, Ursula, and Margaret (Marg). They note that they didn't see DJ at dinner. 

Bea notes that DJ is always sour, Hero adding in that he's very gloomy. 

Bea states that the perfect man would be halfway between DJ and Benedick, talking half as much as Benedick but more than DJ.

Leo clarifies that she means talking half as much as Benedick and being half as melancholy as DJ. Bea says that if he were handsome and rich, too, he could have any woman in the world. 

Bea continues talking about how she doesn't need a husband, saying she'd rather lay in a wool blanket than marry a man with a beard (agreed), but if he doesn't have a beard, he's less than a man. (Make up your damn mind. Is a beard good or bad? My vote is on bad. Too itchy.)

"He that hath a beard is more than a youth, and he that hath no beard is less than a manl and he that is more than a youth is not for me, and he that is less than a man, I am not for him."

She then says she'll go to the gates of hell, meet the devil "like an old cuckold with horns on his head" who will tell her to get up to heaven. She says once she gets there, Saint Peter will show her where the bachelors sit and there she will live "as merry as the day is long". (What even.......)

Leo says he hopes one day he'll see Bea with a husband, but she responds "not till God make men of some other metal than earth." She says that if Adam's sons are her bretheren, then incest is a sin. 

Pretty much everyone enters masked. I guess it's a masquerade.

Everyone starts dancing. DP asks Hero for a dance and they converse.

Balthasar and Marg move forward.

Balthasar says that he wishes Marg liked him, but she says she's glad she doesn't for his sake. (Stop talking down on yourself. 😕) They continue dancing

Ursula and Tony move forward.

Tony for some reason, is trying to convince Ursula that he is not himself, but Ursula is smarter than that. 

Benedick and Beatrice move forward.

(Why are you two dancing together? I ship it. You need that witty banter in your life. WAIT THEY DONT RECOGNIZE EACH OTHER BECAUSE OF THE MASKS. DO YOU NOT RECOGNIZE VOICES????)

Benedick is also not revealing who he is, instead asking who this Been a Dick fellow is. She says he's the prince's jester (and a dumb one at that).

All exit except DJ, Borachio, and Claudio

DJ says that DP has the hots for Hero and plans to take her for himself. Claudio pretends to be Benedick because for some reason no one can recognize voices in this play. He asks how DJ knows DP loves Hero. He and Borachio both say they heard him say it. This destroys Claudio. He unmasks and gets understandably sad.

Benedick approaches and asks if he really thinks DP would do that to him, but Claudio just wants left alone. When Benedick refuses, he says that if Benedick won't leave, then he will leave.

Claudio exits. Enter Don Pedro

DP looks for Claudio, but he's already left. Benedick tells him he left because DP had won Hero's heart. DP says that he is only teaching her love, so that he can "return" her to Claudio. Benedick says that we'll see if he's telling the truth.

DP tells Benedick that Bea is angry with him and that the gentleman she danced with told her he wronged her. (Let's not talk about the fact that it was Benedick she was dancing with...) Benedick tells DP that she called him the Prince's jester and that he was dull. 

"If her breath were as terrible as her terminations, there were no living near her; she would infect to the north star." (Well damn...)

Enter Claudio, Bea, Hero, and Leo

Benedick says that he would rather do anything than exchange three words with Bea, who he calls a harpy.  He leaves.

DP tells her that she has lost Benedick's heart, to which she responds that she once gave him a double heart for a single one, but he "won it over me with false dice". 

But Bea has brought Claudio, whom DP sent her after. 

"Speak, cousin, or if you cannot, stop his mouth with a kiss and let not him speak neither." (Awe that's cute. Not gonna lie.)

Leo sends Bea off to do something and she exits.

Leo and DP continue talking about Bea, saying how she mocks all potential husbands to the point they reject the idea of continuing to pursue. But DJ says that she'd be an excellent wife for Benedick. (I agree). Leo, on the other hand, says that if they were only married a week, they would drive themselves crazy.

 ❤ Scene 2 ❤

Scene 2 opens with DJ and Borachio. 

Borachio says he can spoil the marriage, which DJ says would be like medicine to him because he hates Claudio so much. They start scheming. 

They plan to bring Marg to Hero's bedroom window. From there, it's up to DJ to bring DP by, saying its a terrible idea because Hero is unfaithful. Borachio says the proof would be enough to piss off Claudio, ruin Hero, and even kill Leo. All DJ has to do is tell DP and Claudio that Hero actually loves Borachio.

(Assholes)

❤ Scene 3 ❤

Scene 3 opens on Benedick in an orchard. He calls for a boy and tells him to fetch a book from his bedroom window. The boy obliges and exits. 

Benedick continues talking to himself. He wonders how a man can, at one moment, laugh at something, and at the very next become the very object of his laughter. He is, of course, referring to Claudio becoming a married man. 

He goes on this long rant about how he will never fall in love until a woman is wise, virtuous, and attractive. But at least the hair color doesn't matter.  

He sees DP and Claudio approach and hides (not well). The two, along with Leo and Balthasar enter. 

Balthasar, after being coaxed by DP, plays his music again, singing for ladies to sigh no more. Men were always deceivers, so dont sigh, just let them go. Sing no more sad songs because men have always comitted this form of fraud. So, don't sigh but sing "hey, nonny nonny".

Balthasar exits.

DP and Claudio, knowing Benedick is hiding, say to Leo that Beatrice was in love with Benedick, despite never thinking she would love anyone. Leo is happy about the idea. DP suggests that maybe she is just pretending (Claudio agrees) but Leo is sure that no one could fake love/passion as well as this.

All but Benedick leave.

Benedick is elated at what he has just heard. He says that she is attractive, wise, and virtuous, all things he's looking for in a woman. 

Beatrice enters to get him for dinner. After a short bicker, she says if he doesn't want to eat, then she will take her leave. 

Benedick was sure there was double meaning in her words.

❤ Conclusion ❤

The plot thickens~

Will DJ and Borachio's plot work? Probably, but hopefully not permanently. Will Bea and Benedick get together? Who knows? Well, Shakespeare and anyone who has read the play... But I don't and that's the fun of it.!

I hope you guys like my weird summaries of these stories. They're really fun to do.

TL;DR Much Ado About Nothing | Act 1

 ❤ Introduction ❤

Much Ado About Nothing is a Shakespearean comedy that we're reading in our World Literature class. I have only read Act 1, Scene 1 at the time of starting this post, but I'm loving it and want to do a set of TL;DR posts regarding it.

How I feel reading all this nonsense...

❤ Scene 1 ❤

The stage is set with four characters: Leonato, the Governor of Messina; Hero, his daughter; Beatrice, his niece; and a messenger. Leonato holds a letter. 

He states that the letter is from a man named Don Pedro of Aragon. It says that he and his army will come to Messina. He asks the messenger how many men were lost in the most recent battle, to which he learns the answer is actually none. 

"A victory is twice itself when the achiever brings home full numbers." (Agreed.)

 The letter also states that Don Pedro (I'm just going to use DP from here on out) bestowed great honors on a man named Claudio. Claudio is from Florentine and is said to look like a lamb, but fight like a lion, which is what earned him his honors. 

Beatrice asks the messenger about Signor Montanto, who is clarified to actually be Signor Benedick. She recalls a time when Benedick challenged Cupid to an archery competition, which Leonato's jester accepted on behalf of Cupid. 

She continues criticizing Benedick, but her uncle assures her that he (Benedick) will get even. The messenger also tells her of his good work in the military. This leads Beatrice (hereby referred to as Bea) asking who Benedick is keeping as company now, as he is constantly changing who he's around, wearing "his faith but as the fashion of his hat." 

Enter Don Pedro and a slew of others (Claudio, Benedick, Balthasar, and Don John [called the bastard]).

DP asks if it's any trouble keeping him (& his army) to which Leonato assures him that "when you depart from me, sorrow abides, and happiness takes his leave." (How sweet...)

DP looks at Hero and asks if she's Leonato's (Leo, because I'm getting tired of typing full names) daughter, to which he replies that "Her mother hath many times told me so." 

Benedick, not getting the joke, asks if there's any doubt that she's his, and Leo continues his joking by saying no because Benedick was a mere child, unable to seduce Leo's wife.

Benedick continues talking, but Bea cuts him off, mentioning that no one is even listening. They have a relatively short banter, consisting of each saying the world is better off since the other isn't interested in romance, but Bea backs out early (leading Benedick to complain that she always gets out of arguments this way).

Leo asks DP if he'd like to lead everyone inside. DP responds by asking for Leo's hand, saying they'll lead them in together. (Are gay undertones a thing for Shakespeare? Because I'm reading into hella gay undertones between these two.)

Everyone leaves except for Benedick and Claudio.

Claudio absolutely insists that Benedick tells him what he thinks of Hero. Mr. Been a Dick asks if he wants his honest answer, which would involve "being a professed tyrant to their sex". Claudio says to speak seriously, and when Benedick says he doesn't like her and finds her too small and dark, Claudio assumes he must be joking.

Been a Dick asks if Claudio intends to buy her from her father, and we get this hilarious discourse:

Claudio: "Can the world buy such a jewel"

Benedick: "Yea, and a case to put it into."

Claudio is convinced that Hero is the "sweetest lady that I ever looked on," and Been a Dick is still rude about his thoughts and suggests that if "she were not possessed with a fury", Bea is much more beautiful.

Enter DP

DP asks what secrets the two were keeping and requires Been a Dick to answer on basis of allegiance. Benedick tells him that Claudio is in love, but he does not believe him until Claudio confirms.

DP says it's good because Hero is worthy of Claudio's love, but Benedick insists it's a bad idea, stating that he doesn't understand how she should be loved or could possibly be worthy of Claudio's admiration. DP responds with the idea that Benedick was always an "obstinate heretic" in the face of beauty. (Claudio points out that Benedick was never a reasonable person, either, which I think is hilarious.)

"Because I will not do the the wrong to mistrust any, I will do myself the right to trust none. [...] I will live a bachelor." (What a sad way to live, my man...)

DP continues that Benedick will not always feel this way. Benedick doesn't think so, basically saying "If I ever fall in love, hang me up and shoot at me. The person that hits me will be a hero."

"In time the savage bull doth bear the yoke." (Aka, even the wildest get tamed eventually.)

Eventually, after a lot of DP and Claudio trying to convince Benedick that he will soften up eventually, Benedick gets frustrated and leaves.

DP and Claudio continue talking. Claudio asks for DP's help. We learn that, when he was on the battle field, Claudio liked Hero, but was so busy with the fact of war that he didn't expect that like would ever turn to love. 

DP tells Claudio that he would talk to Leo and convince him to promise Hero to Claudio. 

❤ Scene 2 ❤

Scene 2 opens with Leo and Antonio (Imma call him Tony). They are talking about setting up the music, when Tony divulges that a servant of his overheard DP and Claudio talking about Hero. He says that they plan to act tonight with a dance, and if Claudio wishes, then he would approach Leo to ask for Hero's hand.

Leo says that he will warn Hero so she's more prepared to handle the question and the scene ends.

❤ Scene 3 ❤

 Scene 3 opens with Don John (now DJ) and a man named Conrad. Conrad notices that DJ is extremely sad and tries to help. 

Conrad: "Can you make no use of your discontent?

DJ: "I make all use of it, for I use it only."

Enter Borachio

Everyone is eavesdropping now days and Borachio is no different. He tells DJ of the intended marriage.

"Will it serve for any model to build mischief on?" (Jesus, DJ, just let people be happy)

Borachio tells DJ of all the details.

"This may prove food to my displeasure." (Bad DJ. Just let people do their own thing)

❤ Conclusion ❤ 

So, there we have it. No one knows how to keep a secret. No one knows how to not be nosy. And now Don John wants to crash a wedding. I'll have Act 2 up shortly.

 

 

 

Ideas for Posts

 This post will not have an author in the tags because we're all working on ideas for posts.

❤ Hello! ❤

So, we don't really want to cater to the viewer and kind of just want to post what we like. However, we are looking to focus on the posts people want to see out of our ideas.

Here are some of those ideas:

The World of Kolrador - Lucy and Kara

This would be a description of our Dungeons and Dragons world and possibly have some stories from the current party. It's a vast world that's constantly growing, so we would have a lot to write about.

TL;DR The Classics - Lucy

I very much enjoy reading things in the public domain. It's why I read them on our youtube channel when I can (I'm a busy full-time student with a part-time job, so I can't post often, but you can find the channel here.)

However, I also can (and want) to give a sort of goofy TL;DR for various works like the Illiad that would be far too long to read on the YouTube channel. 

For Example:

Agamemnon stole a priest's daughter for a prize. When the priest came with ransom, Agamemnon threated him instead. The priest prayed to Apollo... who was pissed. Apollo ransacked the army for 9 whole days, starting with the livestock, but soon moving to the soldiers themselves.

I think this inspires enough interest in people to want to read the text themselves, even if they initially think it too daunting of a task.

Book Talks - Remi

Remi also likes to read, though he likes books that are a bit more fun. He wants to be able to read his books and try to convince others to read them too, in a sort of book talk fashion, setting the scene and the problem, but leaving the conclusion only for those who choose to read it.

Today I Learned - Remi

As stated before, Remi loves to learn new things. This would be a random assortment of topics Remi decided to research. He's already done one on Pyrite and Anne Bonney (female pirate) that he wants to post. 

The GoodBoi Herald - Zuri and Wally

Zuri and Wally have created a world called Zaranda, mostly like our world but with some major differences. In these posts, you would join the citizens in reading their daily news. 

TableTop Journaling RPGs - All

We have several solo role playing games that make for interesting stories. Some of these include "Into the Forest", "The Magus", and, for the kids, "Sweaters by Hedgehog".

And A Lot More

So do any of these sound interesting to you? We'd love to hear. Comment your favorite, or any other ideas you may have, below.

Welcome | First Post

 ❤ Welcome! ❤

What is this blog?

    This blog, is a sort of side blog for AshenBlade, specifically for the AshenBlade system (Dylan Lithehil and company). I can't guarantee any cohesiveness between posts, because we're all different people with different interests. 

    We will still post more academically related content to AshenBlade. This is just for alters to have a little more fun. 

    You can check the tags of individual posts (besides this one) for the individual author.

Who Are We?

    We're a dissociative identity disorder system trying to get diagnosed professionally. We are a group of 38 people, though not all of us will write on this blog. Below is a list of each of our names and some quick facts about us. They're not in any particular order except for grouping protectors, non-humans, and kiddos into their own groups. 

    We're not one to hide our kids, something that many people look down on, but they enjoy being in the spotlight. They want to be as much a part of our world as the "big kids" are. And who are we to try to stop them? As long as they're safe, we're okay with them having an online presence.

Protectors

Zero - Top tier protector. Twin of Ace.

Ace - Second tier protector. Twin of Zero.

Oliver - Third tier protector. Protector from sexual trauma.

Obsidian - Fourth tier protector. 

Sapphira (also non-human) - dragon - Fifth tier protector. Also protective of those outside the system.

Kiddos

Anna - Age 9 

Zuri - Age 5. Loves dinosaurs.

Wally - Age 3

Bell Bell - Age 1

Remi (also non-human) - zombie piglin - Age 1. Subsystem of Bell Bell.

Other Nonhumans

Bea - bumblebee

Dragonfyre - fairy 

Ashe - phoenix - Subsystem of Lucius

Eridan - troll - Homestuck Fictive

Kalistar - drow - D&D Fictive

Vinette - shade

Others

Dylan - We stole his name for the system because we're nonbinary and our legal name is not. Twin of Jayden.

Jayden - Age shifts from adult to 8 years old. Twin of Dylan. 

Penelope - Twin of Lavender.

Lavender - Twin of Penelope.

Lucius - Goes by Lucy. We joke his name is Lucifer. Loves writing and storytelling

Mysti - Male despite the name. Loves coding and all things computers.

Tobias - The "OG" (as far as we know).

Ryn - Real quiet. Think Fluttershy.

Wyntr - Loves music

Dave  - Homestuck Fictive

Sammy - Mute.

Skylar - Selectively Mute.

Iris - Blind in headspace. Sister of Cobalt.

Cobalt/Umbran - Blind in headspace. Brother to Iris.

Phillip - Deaf in headspace. Doesn't like trying to learn sounds out of headspace and communicates via sign language.

Alyxander - Goes by Alyx.

Aurora - Deep connection to our husband.

Nyx - Deeper connection to our husband.

Kara - Our "nerd". Loves school, anime, and D&D

Kamiya - Our main artist.

Elle - Very subservient. 

Ruven - Touch adverse.

That wasn't much about us, but it is up to each alter to decide what they want to share about themselves. 

What Can You Expect?

Like I said before, there's not going to be much of a theme. Zuri likes writing about the world she created. Lucy likes stories. Remi likes learning about new things and sharing what he learned. We all like journaling RPGs like "the Magus" or "Sweaters by Hedgehog".

So if you like a bit of randomness in your life, feel free to stick around.