I’m working on a coffee bean plant I rescued from a Starbucks display a few months ago. It’s ready to brew, but I don’t drink caffeine. I heard you may have experience with the beverage, however. Up for a taste test? -Ivy🌿

timdrakespeaks:

Sure, as long as you don’t plan on feeding me to a plant like last time.

Stay away from Tim, Ivy. Tim you can control plants now right so if she tries anything you can fight back. 

Why a katana isn’t the perfect sword

dragonwarrior125:

In this essay, I will actually try and explain this. I’ve seen a lot of people who tote a Japanese katana as the epitome of swords, and it bothers me on a number of levels. Ignorance of culture, and ignorance of metallurgy being the two big ones. (There’s also one person in particular this is aimed at, but they don’t matter.)

Let’s start with the metal. Historically, katanas were made from ironsand, which is a very impure source of iron. And because of this, it meant that to make a blade with any kind of reliable strength, swordsmiths had to develop painstaking techniques to make up for the poor quality materials. They did this in two ways: varying layers of hardness to act as shock-absorbers so the blade didn’t simply shatter, and continually folding the individual layers in an effort to purify them. (And no more than 20 folds, since by that point it becomes homogeneous and nothing changes. No 1000 folds, folks.) 
So basically, the only reason a katana is anything more than glass compared to other swords is the craftsmanship involved.  Which is why a cultural ignorance is important, because it’s fairly disrespectful to put the sword on such a high pedestal; it’s the craftsmen that make the sword, not the sword that makes the craftsmen. Don’t think for a moment any of the legendary blacksmiths wouldn’t love to have the level of quality metal we can easily get now. Or that any of the blades they have made could stand up to even simple plate armor. They were made for slicing, not piercing armor. They aimed for the vulnerable areas; armpits, face, legs, and groin. 

A katana is simply a tool, and even in the hands of a capable swordsman, it’s still just a tool. It has physical limits.
And for the guy who says only a Japanese blade can cut a bullet in half; you can do it with a simple wood axe.  (And yes, that’s a pretty metal jacket too. It’s almost like the copper is thin and lead is FREAKING LEAD. IT’S SOFTER THAN STEEL FOR CRYING OUT LOUD. This is basic Minecraft logic, c’mon!)