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GREETINGS REBELLION!! I am Wraiven but those whom know me well call me Mitch Jnr. I have been working on leveling up my life and developed my quest log in a way to grow, not only for me but for the benefit of those all over the world. Since I can remember I have always been a very giving person and gathered joy from tasks that not only helped me be a better man, but also to help others grow too. Since my Father (Mitch Snr) passed away started really struggling with depression and anxiety in recent years and it's truly effected my growth and attitude towards what I always believed of myself. It could be chemical or it could just be my mind trying to avoid the pain of failing... But that's not gonna happen! Since joining the Rebellion I decided to dedicate a whole year to trying to change some lives and it's really had an Impact on me too. 17 has always been my favourite number soooo I decided in 2017 I was going to do a Charity Challenge called 'Songs and Smiles' to help raise funds for Kids with Cancer, Mental Illness and Poverty/Famine. This requires me to do a song a day to bring smiles and provoke thought/nostalgia every single day and then people could share and possibly donate if they could. A simple premise but alot of people seem to like it. So far we have raised over $5000 and had 250,000 views on Youtube. My Dad always wanted to help kids with cancer because when he had it he always beleived he had lived and they deserved a chance to aswell, so I am doing this all in his memory and I hope all of the rebellion can join me too and become a SMILE SAVIOUR! DONATE: http://bit.ly/2iRw2vO GOFUNDME: http://bit.ly/2jXoQ5f FACEBOOK: http://bit.ly/2hFp6UY TWITTER: @MitchJnr Mass <3 Mitch Jnr

...and decided to share it outside my blob of close friends. It's a few months old, now, but remains the first thing (as far as poetry) I've written in a long time. Don't actually have a reason for posting it, especially considering it's probably cringe-worthy having only been edited twice. *Shudders* _____________________________________________________________________________________ ~ One Day ~ Oh, you who weep for a past full of dreams, watching your young love grow old; days drag on, wretched, made slow by your pain, but even so, there's a faith you can win. Sleep, though dark storm clouds blanket the moon, rest while cold rain beats the window. Thunder might shake you, trapped deep in your bones, but even so, you will come to no harm. One day, one day, your woes will all fade; lift up your eyes to this small, feathered hope. One day, your grief will melt in the air: suffer to cry for now without shame. Offer your tears to the One Who will keep them, Who knows you and won't let you go. Hold fast to courage; there's a light on the water, and it's a good light that ever will glow. Oh, you who weep for old pleasures fled, lost in a world of regrets and despair. Peace can be fickle, and joy can be vain, but even so, there are things that remain. You stumble blindly through shards of stained glass, heartsick from a lifetime of unending care. Your feet bleed rivers, your body is spent, but even so, your spirit goes on. One day, one day, your woes will all fade; lift up your eyes to this small, feathered hope. One day, your grief will melt in the air: suffer to cry for now without shame. Offer your tears to the One Who will keep them, Who knows you and won't let you go. Hold fast to courage; there's a light on the water, and it's a good light that ever will glow. Oh, you who weep for a corrupted embrace, clear vision tainted by thick crimson mist. Poor innocence, it never was meant to last, but even so, there's a little bit left. There is a pathway that's guarded by giants, stretching narrow and steep across a bleak land. All the flowers are dead, no birds can sing there, but even so, paradise waits at the end. Sorrow will pass as a harsh winter snow, as famine-swept fields or fire on a green meadow. Take heart, take heart, for ghosts linger long, but in time, they'll grow kinder, and one day, will be gone. One day, one day, your woes will all fade; lift up your eyes to this small, feathered hope. One day, your grief will melt in the air: suffer to cry for now without shame. Offer your tears to the One Who will keep them, Who knows you and won't let you go. Hold fast to courage, there's a light on the water and it's a good light that ever will glow. And it's a good light that ever will glow. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ If parts of this sound familiar, ("Oh you who weep for a past full of dreams", "grief...melt in the air", "offer your tears...") that's because they come from the character Aramis in Alexandre Dumas' "The Three Musketeers"...for some reason, I decided to have a go at expanding it, and this was the result. I think the original intention was to use it in a fanfiction, but haven't actually got around to it yet.

Actual video footage of the event from last year at my school. The guy wearing the bandana and doing flips is my instructor. >.< For this challenge, I’m going to shift focus temporarily from the standard and usual foundational quests to prioritizing my capoeira training. I’ve signed up for the Winter Games event; a three-day string of capoeira workshops and rodas, which also includes the batizado. In capoeira, the batizado is the initiation ceremony where a new student is tested on their basic knowledge (in the regional style). The prize is the first belt/cord ranking, which is solid green. Since I only started learning at the end of December, I’m going to need some supplemental training and practice to prepare for the belt test. This will be my focus, as I want to do my best. Changing things up, Ranger style! Main Quest: Do my best during the batizado test on February 20th and become proficient in the basic moves of capoeira. Goal One: Practice capoeira every day. Duh. I should be putting in practice time on non-class days (classes are on Monday and Wednesdays). Obviously, if you want to get better at something, then you should do more of it. Practice should consist of two of the three following parts: basic move practice, sequence practice, and movement drills. The sequences are going to be important; they are similar to katas in other martial arts and are what I will be tested on during the batizado. I’ll focus on the basic movements that are in those sequences (meia lua de frente, armada, queixada, martelo, bênção, aú, rolê, cocorinha, negativa, and rasteira) and practice some drills from class on my own. Goal Two: Do bodyweight training three times a week (specifically on non-class days). Capoeira is filled with bodyweight movements; the esquivas are akin to squats and lunges, there’s a lot of pushing yourself up off the floor (I foresee burpees in my future *groan*), and my back is always screaming after extended practice sessions during class. I’m going to be strengthening my weak points with this, combining capoeira movements with standard bodyweight exercises into a basic routine (following the NF exercise template). I believe this means that I'll be taking a break from my Olympic lifting, but once this test is over, I'll return to it and figure out a new training schedule. Capoeira-Inspired Bodyweight Routine: - 20x cocorinha - 10x push-ups - 20x esquiva de baixa (from ginga) - 10x inverted rows - 15sec. static cabeçada - 30 ginga Goal Three: Practice the songs and instruments at least once a week. This should be easy to achieve, but it’s necessary. I need to know one song and how to play one of the instruments at the batizado. I already know the basics of the pandeiro, atabaque, and agogô de castanha, I just need more practice. I have the opportunity to practice them after class and on open-gym Fridays. I will be taking them. Songs will be easy. We practice songs during the roda on class days, and I’ve got a collection of songs that we learned on Youtube; I need to make a CD so I can listen to them outside of class. That will definitely help me become more familiar with them. Goal Four: Eat Good Food. Ain’t givin’ up on this. I’m going to follow the W30 Good Food standards for the time being, so that I’m in peak condition for this training regimen. The only thing I plan to reintroduce during this time will be whey protein powder. I’ll gauge where my reaction is to it (positive or negative), and plan accordingly. This should also help keep my stress and Sugar Dragon in check, so I can focus on training. Even though the Winter Games/Batizado will take place during the third week of the challenge, I’ll keep this going for the full four weeks for simplicity and more practice. Can’t hurt, right? This challenge will start on Monday for me, the official start date, but it’ll roll in straight from the end of my Sugar Dragon quest, which I ain’t stoppin’ ‘til Sunday.