#finding a purpose

Trailer for the upcoming (airing this Fall) anime adapatation of Kore Yamazaki’s The Ancient Magus’ Bride manga (the latter is also licensed and available in English). Or: a beautifully atmospheric tale of surviving and learning and finding your own place in the world... in heavily Celtic-influenced folklore sauce.

Mostly gently eerie  - yet  gory on occasion - in presentation and imbued with glowing bright colours, but touching on some rather heavy stuff (tw for child abuse and neglect and PSTD depression + suicidal thoughts, one specific manga arc I remember deals with animal violence/pet death). Part survival&healing tale, part love (in the widest sense) story, part fae family slice of life, part ‘ aide the magical case of the week’ adventure, part drama.

TL;DR: a mostly gently told story featuring sometimes tough topics, all delivered in a literally and figuratively enchanting fashion and visuals. The anime adaptation  prequel OVA (by same studio that’s going to adapt the main manga) has a lush... Ghibli x Tomm Moore vibe if you wish for a meatier morsel taste than the trailer.

What happens when the meaning drains out of everything? When success feels hollow, love feels fleeting, and nothing—no career, no belief system, no achievement—feels like it truly matters? This existential void is the realm of nihilism: the rejection of inherent meaning, value, or purpose in life. It’s the philosophical shadow many of us encounter when our identities fracture, our beliefs…

Cataloging another temporary goodbye, as I head back to nowhere in particular, my new home by the beach, on the mountain, or wherever the music is, what I thought was a yawn became a flood of tears as I realized I had said more than goodbye, and less than I should have.

Familiarity of faces and gestures, voices and energy, and the absence of it - well, there's more to it than I thought.

And while this time alone may be exactly what I need, I am struggling not to give the first day to pain as a gift.

"Remember why you're here."

An otherwise calm and beautiful day, all but spoiled by the lack of a parking space makes about as much sense as the lack of a parking space in a city the size of this one. And there is little need for tears this early int othe journey, save for releasing emotional turmoil all at once, so as to clear the slate in preparation for a new try at life.

"Remember why you're here."

And on this first day, as I sit, surrounded by the disorganized left-overs of the less-than-subtle heart attack that comes with letting go of a cherished hand, I must try to remain focused and remember why I'm here;

To build a life at least as vibrant as the one I put down when I drove away from Prague, and start something new. Make some money. Learn a language. Embrace the unknown.

Because all I have to hold right now is that phrase. And as I recall it, some action, surely greater and more worthy than crying over a stinging heart, must be taken.

"Remember why you're here."

I put myself aside for a moment, reluctant to stand, and make my way, the full step, to my new kitchen, to take care of mortal matters, before tending to my mind, as I begin to explore this new place.

A warm meal, some fresh clothes and a camera, to capture moments I don't want to forget. And a mantra. To keep my head above the waves.

By Cole Huber

The curtain falls, all you hear is the applause of thousands of people and the thumping of your heart inside your chest. This is the story of my biggest accomplishment to date in my life.

 In my early years of high school, I took part in a lot of sports including basketball, football and even wrestling. I was a very competitive athlete and my drive was able to get me recognized by the coaches. This drive and focus allowed me to thrive in the athletic environment time and time again until a new injury came around. This process happened over and over, discouraging me from partaking in sports in general anymore.

 I longed for a purpose and group to belong to, and searched for it until one day my theatre teacher asked for me to help her production class with a children’s play coming up. I agreed and was given a black onesie and a tutu to wear and dance for the children who came to the show, making them laugh and holler every time I worked my stuff. Growing up I always liked to perform in front of my parents and I longed to be one of those famous actors in the movies. The first real glimpse I ever felt or saw of that was the when I helped out with the children’s play. Quickly after that play I kept offering to help with any other plays or performances that they might have put on and was quickly pulled in as a member of the ensemble in the musical Cinderella.

 Through the experience of learning dances and songs as well as performing with a large group of people I knew that the theatre was something I truly cared about. So I auditioned and became part of the theatre production class for the remainder of the school year. Once the next school year started we learned that the musical would be The Wizard of Oz and auditions were going to be upon us soon. I was determined to get a lead role as the Tin Man in the musical and prove my worth in the new world of theatre that I had just recently discovered. I spent my nights learning the lines of the audition packet and rehearsing If I Only Had a Brain to sing in front of the panel of directors for the musical. When the audition day came around, I got up on stage and surprised everyone with my singing ability as well as characterization and got a callback for the next day where I learned another song and aced it as well.

 A couple days later the cast list was posted on the doors of the black box theatre and I remember being so nervous to look but when I finally did I was greeted with the sight of my name being next to the role of the Tin Man. I had never felt more proud than in that moment but my journey was just beginning. All throughout the months of rehearsals I was having to prove that I belonged on that stage with everyone else and I found that I thrived in the thespian world just like the athletic one. I was able to dance very skillfully and learn quickly, sing properly, as well as develop my version of the Tin Man and nail the characterization.

 When the time finally came to perform the first show, I didn’t feel nervous, I knew in my mind and heart that I was prepared to perform my heart out for the audience of 1200 people. The show went smoothly and after I was greeted with the hugs and congratulations of children and adults, including my father who had a tear in his eye and told me that he has never seen me so passionate about something and also that he felt like the proudest dad to witness my abilities on stage. I went on to perform 3 more shows for the same size audiences, each being more magical than the last and really sparking my passion for the arts which lead to two state championship UIL titles in narrative short film where I acted and got to see myself on the big screen of the Paramount Theater in Austin.

Hi there, 

High school can be pretty intimidating, especially in the first instance. 

The classes get bigger, the people get older, and the work gets harder. All of that makes it harder to feel constantly happy, and it’s okay that it feels hard, and you feel down a lot more than you used to. 

You may not see your friends as much as you used to, and everyone will be making new friends and it can make you feel like you’re losing them. It could feel like they’re drifting away but friendships do last. 

You are not burden, not to your friends, not to anyone. One of the easiest things to do is build up a wall around yourself when you feel lost, or a little confused. Don’t. Isolating yourself may make you feel worse, spend time with your friends. Remind yourself of the value of their friendship and in turn, you may be reminded why they value your’s, and why they value you. 

Always remember that there is always something to value in you. Simply being you makes you so unbelievably special. I don’t think that its possible for someone to not have anything about them that is interesting and worth getting to know. There is always something because every person you meet is different from another, and that most certainly includes you! 

Your memories, places you’ve visited, your thoughts, your favourite things, your voice, your favourite hobby - they’re all so particular to you and so incredibly interesting. We live for a very particular amount of time and there is always so much to learn and so so many things to love. The people around you, books, words, animals and flowers and everything. Let people get to know you, show them that you are worth something and show them the most beautiful parts of you (which is everything!) - the parts that you are the most proud of. 

Self-confidence is so important in loving and appreciating yourself. Fake confidence for a while, have faith in your abilities and everything that you stand for and love. 

Join some clubs and extra-curricular that you’d be interested in. Take part and get yourself involved. You’ll find a purpose, be it running a column in your school paper or a position on the school council, you’ll find something and you’ll just keep growing from there. Don’t worry too much about finding your purpose just yet, you’ve a lot of time for that, there are people who don’t know for years and years - and there is nothing wrong with that.

Good luck, you are worth knowing.

All the love,

-Find Dory