[Putting stuff pertaining to this unfortunate date in the Instructions. For an update on what's going on with me, read the N&C.] Soundtrack: Wake Me Up When September Ends (Green Day) Not so fun fact: while the song is often associated with 9/11, it also commerated the lead singers' father, who unfortunately passed in September 1982. Even though I'm pretty sure all of you are familar with the events of September 11th, I'm still going to recap what sadly happened that day. (Warning: sensitive topic matters are discussed.) At around 8AM, the original World Empire centers (colloquially known as the twin towers, and were originally the tallest buildings in the U.S.A), were both struck down by 2 planes. The towers collapsed about 2 hours later; the attack damaged a majority of the surrounding buildings and killed over 2,900 people, including the firemen, workers, and plane passengers. It was just horrid and left an impact on so many people of the country, even those born after the disaster. The planes had been hijacked by a Islamic extremist network known as Al-Qaeda. The organization began n 1988, and the attacks were lead by a man named Osama Bin-Ladin, in Afghanistan. It was mainly motivated by blaming the U.S.A for conflicts in the Muslim communtiy. Bin-Ladin and most of Al-Qaeda fled and avoided their capture. The rest were arrested, charged, and imprisoned. Bin-Ladin managed to avoid capture for nearly a decade after the original incident, but on May 8th, 2011, he was caught living with a family, and the FBI took fire on him, leading to his demise. Frustratingly (but also realistically), that wasn't the end of Al-Qaeda, as the remaining members who evaded capture regrouped, and they got a new leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri. Like clockwork, he was most wanted by the FBI as well. On my 2021 9/11 project (head to https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/568955844/), the story initially ended there, with him still being wanted. However, it wasn't for too long; on July 31, 2022; he also ceased during a U.S. drone strike. Of course, that definitely wasn't the end of the network. There's been another leader now, Saif al-Adel, and of course he's a wanted fugitive as well. We'll have to wait and see if anything comes up. Originally I said I hoped the FBI would manage to end this monstrous group, but depressingly, I doubt that'll happen any time soon, as more leaders unite. The best we can do is be aware. To be bittersweet, I am so thankful for all the hard workers that day, who helped as many victims they could. And thankfully, there was an impact from the disaster- airport security is less relaxed, in hopes of preventing another similar attack like this happening in the near future. In general, I want people to grow from unforeseeable things like this. Terrorism, shootings, kidnappings, cults, and other enormities will probably never cease- but we should focus on identifying and preventing them as best as we can. And even though we can't always stop stuff like this, we should be grateful for everything that the workers I mentioned earlier do for us. Take a moment to appreciate them, and all the lives taken from us that day. I think it's best if I end this off with another important lesson I think people need to know (and I'm requoting this from 11 year old me): The monsters who held out this plan were Muslims, and sadly, because of this, prejudice has been put against the Muslim community. It bothers me how people continue to treat people of that origin like criminals. Here's something I need more people to understand: just because someone had bad intentions doesn't mean EVERYONE related to them is also bad. This is probably just paranoia from the incident, but still, you can't go out blaming people randomly for it. It only causes fear-mongering, and more panic. I hope this can improve in the future. Never forget this date.
So, time for a bit of an update. [press the q key to see stuff pertaining to the first half. why q? idk.] Last major time you saw me I was struggling with a broken wrist. I have good news: after 4 weeks from my original injury, my arm is showing good progress. The pain is slowly decreasing, my fingers are actually flexible, and the x-rays show healing. It's left the soft callus stage and entered the hard callus stage. Once that sets, my arm will essentially be mended! Hooray for not only my body, but also doctors! You may recall (if you checked the update of the previous project) that about a week after my injury, I had to get a surgery to get a pin placed in my arm. If you look at the before x-ray, you can see the bone is actually significantly displaced. While bones can heal themselves, my bone had to set really straight to ensure flawless function. So, two pins had to be slit into my arm, and a new cast was applied. It was my first offical time having surgery as well! Now, today, I got dismissed from school to head back to the doctor and check on my arm. Miraculously, it was time for my cast to be taken off! I was so grateful. However, as you recall, PINS. I actually was able to see what my pins looked like for the first time, and it was kinda uncomfortable. I was astonished however when I found out I would be AWAKE for the removal. They'd just slide the pins out, with me fully conscious. And...it actually wasn't too painful. It was a bit of a tight pull for 2 seconds, then a stabbing bleeding sensation emerged, but I felt fine. Now, for another 3 weeks, I'll have this brace and bandage over my arm. Still bulky, but not as frustratingly itchy as a cast. Btw, I kept my 2nd cast! It's now stored in a bag. And other than that, my broken bone tale is soon to end! [Now I can focus on other injuries...like that tooth my mom still plans on getting pulled. Or flossing. Yeah, I should floss more regularly.] With that out of the way, I guess it's also good to discuss what might be next for me. If you didn't already know, I started my freshman year about 2 weeks ago. Thankfully all these annoying "icebreaker" activities are put to rest and I can actually learn geometry rather than names. Of course though, what does this mean for my productivity? Well obviously, I'll probably be less active and release less major projects. I actually have been mostly releasing projects with a piece of art and my discussion of a topic...like this. I think they're nice. However, I will nonetheless try and get a bit of progress on some of my projects over the next few months. I can't guarantee you'll see another animation from me soon, but stay tuned! Right now I think two projects I can confidentially say will be coming are a project for @Fun_Cupcake_i81's birthday at the end of the month and a 3rd fart domp. (No, I will never call them art dumps. I'm obnoxious like that.) As for bigger projects, I'll probably be private about that sort of matter to avoid any false promises. I still have some animations I may release in the next few months, primarily my shorts, The Void, and MAYBE Thanksforgetting. However, assume as of right now they're not coming out. Not to mention, it's not only animation- Scratch School has been in hiatus for over a year, and I want to resume work on it soon, especially because of how much my art has evolved over that time period. However, it's also very unpolished and unoptimized, and I'm getting invested in animating over games at the moment. I estimate I may resume work on it during winter. But once again, assume it's not coming out. I'll announce if it's resuming at one point or another. One last thing...I may actually be moving to Flash animation soon. I'm trying to download Flash right now, and if I succeed, I'll likely practice animating on that software. Scratch is a good place for beginners, but it really isn't fit for my more ambitious, longer animations I post. Did you SEE how off sync JtC was?! [Of course, I probably won't be moving immediately- maybe until late 2025.] Other than these updates aside, I'd just like to thank you all for sticking with me for the last few months. To be honest, things have gotten overwhelming in my life. I may be moving soon, I still have clubs to worry about, all the projects I just mentioned, and more. However, seeing all your support for my injury, mental health, and latest animation is boosting both my confidence and happiness. I'll be working on making myself proud in the future. Cya! [Side note: OMIGOSH FOURTH PLACE IN TSACCC] - 97Scratch, 2024
