#ささくれUK

[vsynthbday]

happy anniversary to "39" by sasakure.UK (ささくれUK) & DECO*27 (デコニーナ)! this song came out 12 years ago today.

art by Ousaka Nozomi | youtube upload | july 27th, 2024.

[Image description: The official cover art for the song "39". It features Hatsune Miku holding a red camera with both of her hands while happily looking at the camera. Behind her are various scenic images from the music video that represent memories. The background is white. Overlayed over Miku, underneath the camera, is large white text that reads the name of the song, and underneath it, with smaller white text, are the names of the two producers that worked on the song. End image description.]

[kiseki-no-robotto-translations]

しゅうまつがやってくる！ / Hafta Sonu Geliyor! - Türkçe Çeviri

Shuumatsu ga Yatte Kuru!

Orijinal - Çevirili video

Sasakure.uk (ささくれUK) feat. Kagamine Rin 鏡音リン

国のエラい人こぞって机とにらめっこ

Ülkenin büyük insanları masalarına bakıyor.

何も進展（かわら）ないよ

Hiçbir şeyi değiştirmiyorlar.

知ってる現実（こと）だけ知らんぷり

Sadece gerçek olduğunu biliyorlar.

偶然だね、とウソをついて

Bugün de sokağın köşesinde, bunun bir tesadüf olduğunu söylersem yalan olurdu.

きみのひだり　キープ

Soluna doğru saklıyorum.

5分と笑顔が宝物

5 dakika süren mutlu gülümseyişin hazinemdir.

“世界が”どうなっちゃうとか

“Dünya”ya neler olacak diye düşünsem

全然実感わかないよ

Hiç nasıl hissederim bilemiyorum.

ただ君との距離が今、肌と両手に伝わる

Yine de senin yanındayken ellerim ve tenimdeki his

幸　福　感

beni mutlu ediyor.

終末がやってくる！

Son geliyor!

そんなこと別に　興味ないんだ

Bu tür şeyler beni ilgilendirmiyor.

週末がやってくる！

Hafta sonu geliyor!

今度こそ想い　伝えなくちゃ

Bu kez, duygularımı iletmeliyim.

世紀末の大予言も

Yüzyılın sonundaki büyük son kehanetleri

オオハズレ　人類ビックリです

yanlış çıktı ve insanlık bu duruma şok oldu.

シュウマツロンだって　きっと

Bunlar SON hakkındaki tartışmalar tabi ki.

宇宙人？かなにかのイタズラでしょ？

Uzaylılar mı? Şaka yapıyor olmalısın?

国のエラい人こぞって机とにらめっこ

Ülkenin büyük insanları masalarına bakıyor.

何も進展（かわら）ないよ

Hiçbir şeyi değiştirmiyorlar.

知ってる現実（こと）だけ知らんぷり

Sadece gerçek olduğunu biliyorlar.

君は　突然さ

Sen, ani bir şekilde

『遠く』に行ってしまったんだ

『Uzaklara』 gittin.

大人たちのヒトコトで

Yetişkinlerin söyledikleri şeyler

幸福論なんてチリ紙で

kalan umudumu kağıt gibi parçaladı.

“世界が”なんて知らないよ

Daha "Dünya" nedir bilmiyorum.

「戦争？」「天災？」知らないよ

「Savaş？」mı「doğal nedenler？」mi bilmiyorum.

ただ君との距離が今、肌と両手に伝わる

Yine de senden uzakta olunca ellerim ve tenimdeki his

喪　失　感

Seni kaybetmiş gibiyim.

終末がやってくる！

Son geliyor!

そんなことホント　興味なかった

Bu tür şeyler beni ilgilendirmiyor.

週末がやってくる！

Hafta sonu geliyor!

どうしよう気持ち　伝えなかった

Ne yapmalıyım, nasıl hissettiğimi sana söyleyemedim.

抑えきれない想い

Bastıramadığım duygularımı

願い　夢　うたをつめこんだ

Dileklerimi, hayallerimi, şarkılara boğdum.

✉（てがみ）　一つじゃ足りないの

Bir tek MEKTUP yeterli olmayacak.

どれだけ書いても　伝わんないんだ　もう

Ne kadar yazmış olsam da artık sana anlatamayacağım.

両手じゅう想いのピース

Ellerimde tuttuğum, hislerimin parçaları

『送る相手？』知らないよ

『Gönderilecek kişi kim？』Bilmiyorum.

それならば　いっそのこと

Eğer öyleyse yapılacak en iyi şey

世界中にばらまいてしまおうか？

Onları Dünya'ya mı yaysam acaba？

しゅうまつがやってくる！

Hafta sonu geliyor!

愛のうた　ひとつ　いかがですか

Bir aşk şarkısı nasıl olmalıdır acaba

どこかのだれかがちょっとでも

Bir yerde, birisine küçük bir

笑顔になれるよな　世界なら

tebessüm getirebilmeyi sağlayabilirsem bu dünyada.

終末がやってくる！

Son geliyor!

君はもうやってこないのにな

Sen artık geri gelemeyeceksin.

週末がやってくる！

Hafta sonu geliyor!

君はもうやってこないのにな

Sen artık geri gelemeyeceksin.

終末がやってきても

Son geliyor olsa bile

もう二度とこないで　大嫌い

(Senin) Bir daha gelmiyor olmana nefret ediyorum.

週末がやってきても

Hafta sonu gelse bile

もう二度とこない　だれかの笑顔

Bir daha kimsenin gülümsemesi gelmeyecek.

しゅうまつがやってくる...

Hafta Sonu geliyor…

しゅうまつがやってくる...

Hafta Sonu geliyor…

しゅうまつがやってくる...

Hafta Sonu geliyor…

しゅうまつがやってくる...

Hafta Sonu geliyor…

終末(Son) ile 週末(Hafta Sonu) kelimelerinin okunuşu shuumatsu olduğundan kelime oyunu yapılmıştır.

Şarkının sonundaki mektupta きみときみの　あいするひとへ yazılıdır.

“Sen ve Değer verdiğin(Sevdiğin) kişiye...”

Vocaloid'ler Felaket Gününü Düşünürler mi? isimli seriden.

İlgili şarkılar(Türkçe çevirili videoları ile birlikte):

*Merhaba, Gezegen.

16bit SavaşlarımıZ (Bu videodaki çocuğun bakış açısından.) Orijinali

↑ Çeviri @translations-of-alexandra tarafından yapılmıştır.

Son düzenlenme tarihi 23 May��s 2024.

[nordic-language-love]

IRL Japanese 2: Things the kids I teach say all the time

If you're planning to work as an ESL teacher in Japan working with kids, this vocab is gonna be super useful for you! You'll pick up a lot as you go along, but it's good to have an overview from the start.

できた = done, finished (whenever they finish an exercise I've set them. The older kids will use the ます-form, but kids under like age 8 will use this one)

かえる？= is it time to go home? (lit: go home?)

わかった = got it (again, the older kids will use the ます-form)

わからない / わかんない = I don't get it (idk if わかんない is just dialect or if it's common overall, but I hear it more than わからない. Usually from the kids who don't wanna be there and are making zero effort)

ちがう = wrong / different (when they give an answer but realise it's not correct. It's basically like "wait, no")

ばか = idiot (sometimes boys say this to their friends)

全部？（ぜんぶ）= everything?! (asked in disbelief when I ask them to write more than one word)

やめろ = stop it! (used with friends when they're teasing each other)

いたいよ = that actually hurts, you know! (used with friends when they're rough-housing)

よし (more like 'yoshhh') = right then (filler word indicating the start of an activity or a change of activity)

水筒（すいとう）= water bottle (most kids bring one to class and frequently forget to take them with them when they go home)

忘れた（わすれた）= I forgot (usually in reference to the text book they left at home)

トイレに行きたい = I want to go to the bathroom

先生、大好き！（せんせい、だいすき！）= I love you, Sensei!

Other useful classroom/school vocabulary:

サイコロ = dice

トランプ = playing cards

ごろごろ = onomatopeia for the sound for rolling (I found the kids got confused if I just mimed rolling a dice/ball and said "roll!" but if I did the gesture and said "gorogoro", they understood)

ビリビリ = onomatopeia for ripping (useful for when you have tear-apart crafts in class)

ケシケシ = onomatopeia for erasing something (useful when you try to explain to a kid they spelled something wrong. Because it's easier to just say "A kesh-kesh, E" than "Not A, E. Okay great you wrote E, but A needs to go. No no no not the whole word, just A. Oh my God. Okay. Let me write it and you copy.")

ちょっと = a little, soon, wait a little (useful if the kids are getting a bit antsy and ready to go home a bit too early/don't want to wait their turn. Don't use it with parents though!)

がんばれ = do your best / you can do it!

あぶない！= dangerous / look out! (useful if a kid unexpectedly runs in front of me while I'm carrying a table)

せえの！= Altogether now! (When I need the kids to repeat something after me)

だめだよ = Don't do that (for when the kids repeatedly do something I've asked them not to do)

少々お待ちください（しょうしょう　おまち　ください）= polite form of "please wait a moment". Useful if you have a parent talking to you and you need to go get something (e.g. a communication sheet for them to point at so you know what they're trying to say)

授業参観 (じゅぎょうさんかん) = parent observation (PO). A couple of times a year, parents are invited into the classroom to watch the lesson (absolutely not a thing in the UK, not sure about other countries). The past two months I've had POs at my various schools, and so the parents come to the door and ask me if it's PO week. I don't understand most of the question, but I can pick out this one word and a question particle and figure out what they're asking.

It's also obviously a good idea to learn vocabulary related to stationery (eraser, pencil, crayon, pen, notebook, textbook, pencil case etc) because kids forget/lose their stuff all the time and will inevitably ask you if they can borrow something.

[bnhaobservation]

Quirk counseling: canon, the cultural references and what we can guess from this all (now with the bit about Chap 431)

So, a recent ask I received pushed me to dig more into Quirk counseling, in hope I could offer better information about it.

Also thanks to @poppy5991 who helped me to expand the overmentioned ask adding to it things I forgot to mention. Hopefully this time I've covered things better. If not, I apologize.

2024-12-05 edit: As Horikoshi added a bit about Quirk counseling in Chap 431 I've expanded this post to include that too. You can find it at the bottom of the post under the title "CHAPTER 431 AND WHAT IT TELLS TO US".

LOOKING AT CANON AND WHAT IT TELLS US

There’s not much about Quirk counseling as it gets mentioned, as far as I know, exactly 6 times in the whole 42 volumes (and the anime).

The first time Quirk counseling comes up, is after Shigaraki’s attack in chap 22... and not much is said.

MIDNIGHT ‘Shōgaku-ji no “issei ‘kosei’ COUNSELING” uke tenai no kajira...’ ミッドナイト「小学時の『一斉〝個性〟カウンセリング 』受けてないのかじら...」 Midnight “Didn’t he receive “universal/mass/simultaneous ‘Quirk’ counseling” in elementary school?” [Chap. 22- Ep. 14]

From what Midnight says we can infer that ‘Issei “kosei” COUNSELING’ [一斉〝個性〟カウンセリング “universal/simultaneous/mass ‘Quirk’ counseling”] is given in elementary school as kind of a group activity or class lesson as ‘issei’ (一斉) generally is used to say “simultaneous”, “all at once”, which should imply all the kids at elementary school (or more likely, all the kids in a class) get it at the same time.

For contest, Midnight brings this up because they think Tomura has too much power and was never taught to ‘control’ it (as in not to use it to do what he wants). So we can guess Quirk counseling would, in their mind, have given Tomura a better grasp of what was allowed to do with his Quirk and what wasn’t (with becoming a Villain being definitely on the ‘Don’t do it’ list).

The discussion about Quirk counseling won’t progress any further.

The next time Quirk counseling is mentioned is in chap 165.

Ikoma Komari ‘Hai… shōgakkō teigakunen wa jinkaku keisei ni oite taisetsuna jiki desu...〝Kosei〟 no chigai ga ōkiku eikyō suru tame COUNSELING o okonai. Sukoyakana seishin o hagukumeru yō SUPPORT suru no desu ga... COUNSELING mo bannōde wa arimasen. Kono CLASS no ko-tachi wa watashi-tachi ni kokoro o tozashite shimaimashita. Watashi no sekinindearu koto wa shōchi shite imasu...! Desuga...! Yume ni mukatte hagende rassharu minasama to fureau koto de massuguna kimochi o omoidasa sete age rarereba…’ 生駒小麿里「はい…小学校低学年は人格形成に於いて大切な時期です...〝個性〟の違いが大きく影響する為カウンセリングを行い。健やかな精神を育めるようサポートするのですが...カウンセリングも万能ではありません。このクラスの子たちは私達に心を閉ざしてしまいました。私の責任であることは承知しています...！ですが...！夢に向かって励んでらっしゃる皆さまと触れ合うことでまっすぐな気持ちを思い出させてあげられれば…」 Ikoma Komari “Yes... the early years of elementary school are an important time for personality development... differences in “Quirk” have a big impact, so we provide counseling. We support them in developing a healthy mind... but counseling is not a panacea. The children in this class have closed their hearts off to us. I know that it is my fault...! But...! I hope that by interacting with all of you who are working hard towards your dreams, we can help them remember their honest feelings...” [Chap. 165-Ep. 79]

Here we don’t talk specifically of Quirk counseling, just of counseling and of how ‘differences in Quirk’ have a big impact on personality development, also adding that counseling is not a fix-it-all. Ironically though, all the kids in the class seems to be the same according to their teachers, ‘mondaiji’ (問題児 “problem children”) who’re always ‘hanko-teki’ (反抗的 “rebellious”/“defiant”) no matter what she does despite them all having very different Quirks, children who have ‘closed their heart’ to them (aka they aren’t listening to them anymore) and feel they’re better than anyone else and it’s clear with this class counseling didn’t work at all.

We jump at chap 226.

CURIOUS ‘Inō no yokuatsu ni yotte jibun o koroshita fukōna shōjo, sore ga anata nandesho? Toga Himiko. ‘“Kosei” COUNSELING’, jita rikai no yugami o kyōseishi shakaisei no suri awase o hodokosu jōsō kyōiku (read: PROGRAM). Mochiron, kanpekina PROGRAM de wa naishi, kojinsa o yori tsuyoku kanjite shimau to iu mondai o kakaete imasu. Chi o nomi henshin suru, umaretsuki motsu sono inō ni yotte anata wa “chi” ni tsuyoi kyōmi o hikareru yō ni natta. Shikashi shin no fukō wa “akogare” to iu dareshimo ga daku futsū no kanjō. Chi to akogare kamiatte shimatta nitsu no yōso wa tōtei shakai ni ukeire rareru MONO de wa nakatta. Dakara, anata wa FUTA o shita. Jishin o yokuatsu shi kamen o tsukutta.’ キュリオス「異能の抑圧によって自分を殺した不幸な少女、それがあなたなんでしょ？渡我被身子（トガヒミコ）。『〝個性〟カウンセリング』、自他理解の歪みを矯正し社会性の擦り合わせを施す情操教育（プログラム）。もちろん、完璧なプログラムでは無いし、個人差をより強く感じてしまうという問題を抱えています。血を飲み変身する、生まれつき持つその異能によってあなたは〝血〟に強い興味を引かれるようになった。しかし真の不幸は〝憧れ〟という誰しもが抱く普通の感情。血と憧れ噛み合ってしまった２つの要素は到底社会に受け入れられるモノではなかった。だから、あなたはフタをした。自信を抑圧し仮面を作った。」 Curious “You’re an unfortunate girl who killed herself by suppressing her supernatural powers, aren’t you? Toga Himiko. ‘“Quirk” counseling’, it’s an emotional education (read: program) to correct distortions in self-understanding and other things, and to adjust for socialization. Of course, it’s not a perfect program, and it has the problem of making individual differences even more apparent. Your innate ability to transform by drinking blood has made you very interested in “blood”. However, your true misfortune is “admiration”, a normal emotion that anyone can have. The two elements that go together, blood and admiration, were never going to be accepted by society. So you put a lid on it. You suppressed your confidence and made a mask.” [Chap 226]

Episode 109 should be the one in charge to transpose this scene in animation but episode 109 cut the references to Quirk counseling.

CURIOUS ‘Inō no yokuatsu ni yotte jibun o koroshita fukōna shōjo. Sore ga anata nandesho? Toga Himiko. Umaretsuki motsu sono inō ni yotte anata wa chi ni tsuyoi kyōmi o hikareru yō ni natta. Shikashi, shin no fukō wa akogare to iu dareshimo ga daku futsū no kanjō to chi e no kyōmi, kono futatsu ga kamiatte shimatta koto. Sore wa tōtei shakai ni ukeire rareru MONO de wa nakatta. Dakara, anata wa FUTA o shita. Jishin o yokuatsu shi kamen o tsukutta.’キュリオス「異能の抑圧によって自分を殺した不幸な少女。それがあなたなんでしょ？渡我被身子。生まれつき持つその異能によってあなたは血に強い興味を引かれるようになった。しかし、真の不幸は憧れという誰しもが抱く普通の感情と血への興味、この二つが噛み合ってしまったこと。それは到底社会に受け入れられるモノではなかった。だから、あなたはフタをした。自信を抑圧し仮面を作った。」 Curious “You're the unfortunate girl who killed yourself by suppressing your supernatural powers. That's you, isn't it? Toga Himiko. The supernatural power you were born with has made you very interested in blood. However, your true misfortune was that your fascination with blood and your normal emotion of longing were intertwined. This is something that could never be accepted by society. So you put a lid on it. You suppressed your confidence and made a mask.” [Ep 109]

It’s a bad decision as Quirk counseling was meant to become important later but that’s what they decided to do.

Anyway in the manga there’s something we can work with, if before we were told Quirk counseling helps in developing personality, here it’s clarified the help is aimed at helping people to act ‘normal’, so that they can have a correct perception of themselves as well as socialize and interact correctly, the problem is it suppresses whatever is judged ‘not normal’ in a person and Quirks often generate wild differences between what’s normal for a person and what’s normal for another.

The result of this is that Quirk counseling ends up remarking in an even stronger way the differences between people, by forcing them to suppress feelings that are dictated by their Quirk.

We then jump to chap 370.

? ‘“Kosei” COUNSELING!” Kosei” kyōiku! Kore ga nise (read: mayakashi) de aru koto o! Wareware wa “katachi” o motte shitte iru!.’ ?「〝個性〟カウンセリング！〝個性〟教育！これが贋（まやかし）である事を！我々は〝形〟を持って知っている！」 ? ““Quirk” counseling! “Quirk” education! This is phony/bogus/sham (read: fake/deception)! We know it due to having this “shape/form”!” [Chap. 370-Ep. 152]

At this point we’ve a nameless heteromorph guy claiming Quirk counseling (along with Quirk education) is basically a sham, it’s not it didn’t work with that class of kids by coincidence, it’s just something that doesn’t really work with Heteromorphs.

While there’s not really an explanation we can guess that, if the point of Quirk counseling is making people ‘normal’, Heteromorphs, who in Japanese are called ‘Igyō’ (異形 “abnormal”), have a hard time with it, since they’re not normal by definition and can’t really change/suppress their ‘not normal’/‘heteromorphic’ traits.

We aren’t told what Heteromorphs are told during Quirk counseling, and the thing is made more complex by how somehow in big cities there’s no discrimination, while in rural villages people still go for ‘chiharai’ (血祓い “blood cleansing”), beating and scarring Heteromorphs who dare to come into contact with not-Heteromorphs, no matter if it’s to save them.

We then jump to chap 392.

? ‘HAI kyōsei shite ikimashou “futsū” ni. A HAI mō chotto matte kudasai. Sugu sotchi ikimasu. Etto… ē daijōbudesu. Sō desu ne… tsuyoi “kosei” o motsu ko niarigachi na tōsaku desu yo. Kono shakai de wa yoku aru koto desu. Tadashite keshite ikimashou.’ ?「ハイ矯正していきましょう〝普通〟に。あハイもうちょっと待ってください。すぐそっち行きます。えっと…ええ大丈夫です。そうですね…強い〝個性〟を持つ子にありがちな倒錯ですよ。この社会ではよくあることです。正して消していきましょう。」 ? “Yes, let’s correct it and make it “normal��. Ah, yes, please wait a moment. I’ll be there right away. Um... yes, it’s okay. Well... it’s a common perversion among children with strong “Quirks”. It’s common in this society. Let’s correct it and eliminate it.” [Chap. 392]

Here we see a person talking with Himiko’s parents. We aren’t told this person is a Quirk counselor but, I guess, that’s the idea. It’s hard to say if she’s Himiko’s teacher or an external figure, however it makes clear Quirk counseling is more or less what Curious said. That person thought Himiko being fascinated by blood was wrong, she actually calls it a ‘tōsaku’ (倒錯 “perversion”), albeit one she labels as common, and tried to force Himiko to suppress her feelings so she could perceive herself and socialize with the others in a ‘correct’ way.

An interesting difference between the manga and the anime is that in the anime that person’s talk is more streamlined... and we see her also talking with Himiko's parents.

? ‘Hai kyōsei shite ikimashou futsū ni. Sō desu ne… tsuyoi kosei o motsu ko niari-gachina tōsakudesu yo. Kono shakaide wa yoku aru kotodesu. Sei shite keshite ikimashou.’ ?「ハイ矯正していきましょう普通に。そうですね…強い個性を持つ子にありがちな倒錯ですよ。この社会ではよくあることです。正して消していきましょう。」 ? “Yes, let's correct it and make it normal. It's a perversion that is common among children with strong Quirks. It's a common occurrence in this society. Let's correct it and eliminate it.” [Ep. 158]

This might imply that in the manga that person is actually busy with more things at once, she doesn’t have a lot of time to dedicate to Himiko’s parents and therefore she doesn’t have a lot of time to dedicate to Himiko.

Back to the conversation though, regardless of the source, the person talking makes clear that what Himiko does isn’t just something that’s “rude”/“inappropriate” to do in society but that it’s a “perversion”, a common one, yes, but a “perversion” and she says so to her parents who were already worried she wasn’t human.

Chichioya ‘Mō nekko ga!’ 父親「もう根っこが！」 Father “Her core/roots is/are already– (gone/rotten)!”

Hahaoya ‘Ningen ja nai ko un jatta!’ 母親「人間じゃない子産んじゃった！」 Mother “I gave birth to a child that isn’t human!” [Chap. 392-Ep. 158]

And later

Hahaoya ‘Watashi-tachi ga waruin desu. Mō… tsugunai kirenai desu… ganbatta kedo damedattan desu… ano ko ha… akuma no konan desu.’ 母親「私たちが悪いんです。もう…償い切れないです…頑張ったけど駄目だったんです…あの子は…悪魔の子なんです。」 Mother “It's our fault. We can never make up for it. We tried our best but it was no use. That child is a demon's child.” [Chap. 226]

So Quirk counseling didn’t really reassure her parents nor solved Himiko’s problems. They weren’t going to accept that Himiko could have different feelings from the norm and help her to cope with them correctly, they just wanted to eradicate them from her. As she couldn’t, she was forced to suppress them… and since she couldn’t keep them bottled up forever they eventually exploded and lead her to hurt Saito.

The last time Quirk counseling comes up is at the end of the manga.

? ‘Tsudzuite wa TEAM-UP NEWS. INGENIUM, FROPPY, CREATI soshite URAVITY ga zenkoku no shōgakkō o megutte imasu. Teki (read: VILLAIN) hasseiritsu no genshō ni tomonai katsudō no haba wo hirogeru “HERO”-tachi sono naka demo-- URAVITY no uchidashita “kosei” COUNSELING kakuchō keikaku wa ima mottomo hitsuyō fukaketsuna katsudō to iwa rete imasu.’ ?「続いてはチームアップニュース。インゲニウムフロッピー・クリエティそしてウラビティが全国の小学校を巡っています。敵（ヴィラン）発生率の減少に伴い活動の幅を広げる〝ヒーロー〟たちその中でもーーウラビティの打ち出した〝個性〟カウンセリング拡張計画は今最も必要不可欠な活動と言われています。」 ? “Next up is team-up news. Ingenium, Froppy, Creativity and Uravity are touring elementary schools across the country. As enemy (read: Villain) occurrence rates decrease, the “heroes” are expanding the scope of their activities. Among them, Uravity’s “Quirk” counseling expansion plan is said to be the most essential activity right now.”

In this bit it seems that expanding Quirk counseling became a key factor in lowering the occurrence rate of Villains… which, of course, doesn’t seem to be possible since in almost all the other cases in which Quirk counseling was mentioned it turned out it either didn’t work (with the Masegaki elementary school kids) or made matters worse (Himiko and the heteromorphs). Is it a typing mistake as apparently the program already reached all the elementary schools so it didn’t need to be expanded and, anyway, didn’t work? Or does ‘expanding’ refers to actually put more resources and people in Quirk counseling so they can actually devote more time to the kids and help them better? Hard to say.

LOOKING AT THE CULTURAL CONTEST AND WHAT IT TELLS US

Counseling in Japan

While, of course, there’s no Quirk counseling in Japan, by 2006 Japan had school counselors (スクールカウンセラー) available in all the public middle schools. Prior to it though, this work was entrusted to the homeroom teacher (担任教師 ‘Tannin kyōshi’) and often also the school nurse (看護教諭 ‘Kango kyōyu’ ) who were meant to dispense discipline, encourage better conduct, increase motivation, provide career guidance, and offer advice. Those teachers though, were not trained in counseling, and it was often a duty they disliked, often choosing to use their classroom hours for something different than “moral education” depending on their personal educational agenda. Now instead, when problems arise, the teacher or the students or the students’ parents can ask help to the school counselor, which would also offer the plus of being a third party figure, so that they would be people not involved in evaluating students (and therefore have no conflict of interests with them) and would be professional in the field of psychology so as to offer better help to them.

Currently in Japan a school counselor visits a school about once a week to give children advice about various problems they face. School counseling is provided by clinical psychologists, psychiatrists and other professionals with expertise in mental health issues. In addition to advising children, the counselors can advise parents and teachers about how to handle their own day-to-day. A school counselor stands by in a counseling room where he or she listens to children’s problems one-on-one. Children can seek advice about whatever may worry them, such as relations with their friends, their family problems and uncertainties about their future and the counselor will advice them about how they should handle their problems while also talking with their homeroom teachers about what would be the best solution to each problem.

The problems with this system are often that the Clinical Psychologist isn’t also trained as a school counselor which leads with problems of interaction with the teachers, that there is confusion about the role of teachers and school counselors, and that there’s a HUGE stigma of shame at the idea of students or parents seeing a counselor. Much of the counseling that is now conducted in the Japanese schools is remedial with the individual as the focus; an approach that is contrary to the Asian interdependent view of self, an approach that seems to further exacerbate the student’s reluctance to see the school counselor.

It’s possible Horikoshi went for a mix of the above, with Quirk counseling given both by the class homeroom teacher and by a specialist… and the improvement was that the specialist was better prepared for the job or that he were to spend more time than once a week in the school… or that Quirk counseling originally was given by the homeroom teacher and then, Uraraka’s expansion program improved it by having it being given by a third party figure who was more competent than the teacher. Hard to tell.

Honne, Tatemae and Giri

Honne (本音 “true sound”) refers to a person's true feelings and desires.

Tatemae (建前 “built in front”, “façade”) refers contrastingly to the behavior and opinions one displays in public.

Giri (義理 “duty”, “obligation”) refers to the social obligations each person have.

Okay, fine, why should we care about these three words? Because Japanese people go to great length to hide their honne (true feelings) and show their tatemae (facade) so as to fulfill their giri (social obligation). They must do everything they can to avoid the disapproval of others, to avoid direct confrontation or disagreement. They’re completely justified in telling white lies to hide their true nature and present their Tatemae, so completely justified they can lie even in trial, that they’re expected to do so (remember when, in chap 306, a guy said Enji should have just lied in regard to what Touya declared?).

Part of the Quirk counseling plan is clearly based on this, on teaching children how to show a socially acceptable tatemae and hide their own honne. This is what Himiko was taught, that her own fascination for blood was an unacceptable honne and needed to be buried inside herself if she wanted to be ‘normal’. That it was her duty to present herself as ‘normal’ and therefore show solely an acceptable tatemae.

Tōsaku (倒錯 “perversion”) and double meanings

As said before ‘Tōsaku’ means “perversion” and it’s used to describe how Himiko is fascinated by blood… but this is a word also used to describe sexual deviances… and Horikoshi clearly had fun with using words with double meanings in Himiko’s case, for example the onomatopoeia for sucking blood (ちうちう ‘chiuchiu’), sounds also like the onomatopoeia for kissing, Himiko is referred as a ‘ijōsha’ (異常者) which can be translated as “deviant” but also as “pervert” and so on. In short Horikoshi subtly create parallels between Himiko’s love for blood and the fact that Himiko’s way of loving people is not what in Japan is labeled as normal (she also loves girls and not just boys and would like to hurt people she loves). So, while Himiko’s problem of being fascinated with blood might seem distant from the audience as people in real world don’t have a Quirk that makes them fascinated with blood, the parallelism with sexual inclinations bring Himiko back into someone with whom people can relate and, in a way, someone that stands in parallel with Magne.

Heteromorphs, how ‘not normal’ they are meant to be and blood impurity

In English the word ‘Igyō’ (異形) had been translated as “heteromorph” but a better translation is “abnormal” or, more literally “not normal shape”. In a Quirk counseling program that aims at making everyone ‘normal’, who already starts with a name that states they’re not with a normal shape is clearly cut out of the race.

When Shouji talks of what was done to him he mentions ‘chiharai’ (血祓い “blood cleansing”) [Chap 371] and, in the previous chapter, he was told he had ‘imi chi’ (忌み血 “cursed blood”) [Chap 370].

Japan is very invested in blood purity, in pre-Meiji era Shinto and Buddhist traditions considered blood (血 ‘chi’) a source of symbolic pollution or ‘kegare’ (穢れ “uncleanness”, “defilement”) with elaborate rituals of avoidance and purification, however, in the Edo period (1603–1868) blood gained the positive meaning of “lineage”/”life force”, overtaking the preceding key metaphors for heredity. This though ended up causing the solidification of a hereditary status system that placed certain groups of people as being permanently “polluted” because they had works tied with blood, like executioners, undertakers, slaughterhouse workers, butchers, and tanners called ‘eta’ (穢多 “great filth”) as well as beggars, street performers, prostitutes, convicted criminals, and the physically disabled among others called ‘hinin’ (非人 “not people”) which together form the group called ‘burakumin’ (部落民 “village people”) and were considered outcasts. Their own blood was considered permanently impure, they were subject to increasingly stricter sanctions that prohibited their contact and mixing with the rest of society by means of restricted residences, economic activities, special clothing, hairstyles, and tattoos and since now blood also was a term used to define lineage, its polluting property also came to be regarded as inheritable and permanent which is why people still don’t want to marry (aka ‘mix blood’) with people whose ancestors were ‘burakumin’.

This was also made worse from the 1900 eugenicist obsession with blood as a medium to modernize the Japanese race and nation.The pure Japanese blood, or “Yamato blood,” was now heralded as a refined superior substance to be protected or enhanced through social programs of reproduction and health also through eugenic marriage counseling services.

This ultimately expanded to include people who had mental illness or familiar with mental illness but also with people who are of not pure Japanese ancestry. We would probably talk about genetics. In Japan it’s referred as blood.

Blood type is, in Japanese mentality, also tied with personality and discrimination can be so high that some would just discriminate people with blood type B or AB as negative stereotyping credits the B types as selfish, and ABs as eccentric and unpredictable and therefore more prone to have a loose morality.

As a result even if Shouji being a Heteromorph is tied to his Quirk and his genes, the story talks about his ‘cursed blood’… and people could refer to it also in relation to how the Todoroki are related to a criminal, Touya/Dabi.

(Plus this also tells you why Himiko's fascination for blood could NEVER be accepted since things related to blood lead to impurity)

While all this doesn’t tell us much about Quirk counseling, it helps to get a better perspective on why blood is mentioned when Heteromorphs are discriminated and how strong discrimination can be based to blood ties, clearly making it something that can’t be overcome with just the discriminated person in question trying to ‘act normal’ by presenting an acceptable ‘tatemae’.

The series leaves unclear what exactly falls into the Heteromorph category because, if the problem is just the shape being not normal, things like having tapes in your arms or engines in your legs, or horns on your head also give you an abnormal shape. Overall we can assume that the more the shape is abnormal and hard to ‘disguise’ as normal, the more one ends up being considered as an Heteromorph (Shouji’s arms are a much more visible ‘abnormal’ trait than Iida’s legs or Sero’s arms).

Just so you know currently Japan lacks any law which prohibits racial, ethnic, or religious discrimination nor has any national human rights institutions. Although racism exists it’s a taboo topic. In the past in the name of national unity, the Japanese government identified and forcefully assimilated marginalized populations, which included indigenous Ryukyuans, Ainu, and other underrepresented groups, imposing assimilation programs in language, culture and religion. Japan considers these ethnic groups as a mere “subgroup” of the Japanese people and therefore synonymous to the Yamato people, and does not recognize them as a minority group with a distinct culture. This is why in the story Heteromorph discrimination isn’t punished but it could also be the basis for why the Quirk counseling doesn’t keep into consideration how Heteromorphs are different but tries to force them too to act ‘normal’.

Quirk

We’re all familiar with the term Quirk that in Japanese is ‘kosei’ (〝個性〟 always written between quotation marks) which, translated literally means “individuality” or “personality”. In a country that is group oriented, values uniformity and thinks standing out is bad, Quirks that instead grant an even more marked ‘individuality’ and that are unique to each person, should feel like a big deal… but also it you tie a superpower with your personality you might get some unpleasant combo that aren’t really meant to be. For example thing at Tomura and at how his Quirk destroy/decay things. If you think that his Quirk is his ‘personality’ or tied to it, you get the idea Tomura is someone who can only destroy/decay, that has a destructive character or that who has an animal Quirk has an animal character.

WHERE ALL THIS LEAVES US?

Japanese youths have been fighting so as to have their individuality recognized in various subtle ways but it’s still an ongoing battle. The same goes for the descendant of the Burakumin and for people in the LGBTQ+ community. Sadly most of those topics are kind of considered taboo to discuss in Japanese culture so it’s possible that Horikoshi’s attempt at saying that Quirk counseling would be improved is a subtle message that’s meant to say that in the BNHA world steps would be taken to improve the acceptance of those people and the recognition of each person’s individuality, implying more a change into mentality/education than a change into some institutionalized thing called ‘Quirk counseling’, hence he didn’t need to develop much how it would work.

Of course mine is purely speculation.

Ultimately, if we solely look at the story, how Quirk counseling work/is administered is hardly well explained in the story, and how is reformed is explained even less (saying just it underwent an expansion) as well as why Uraraka, who had no idea of Himiko’s problems with Quirk counseling, decided to focus on it. But it’s likely the cultural context that’s meant to make it work for Japanese readers using solely what little is explained as reference and, for them, improving it, is likely a big step.

For whose of us who are instead cut out from the whole cultural context, there’s just too little to work with and it feels forgettable and confusing.

Okay, my analysis originally was meant to end here but then chapter 431 was released and it talked about Quirk counseling and so I added this extra bit.

CHAPTER 431 AND WHAT IT TELLS TO US

In the volume version only chapter 431 we have a last mention of Quirk counseling, which ‘shows us’ a bit how it’s done now.

Uraraka Ochako ‘Masaka senpai-tachi no tsugō ga tsuku to wa‼ Kitto minna yorokobimasu!’ 麗日お茶子「まさか先輩たちの都合がつくとは‼きっと皆喜びます！」 Uraraka Ochako “I never thought my seniors would be able to make it! I'm sure everyone will be happy!”

Tōgata Mirio ‘Ore nankade ī no kana‼’ 通形ミリオ「俺なんかでいいのかな‼」 Tōgata Mirio “I wonder if I am the right person for this?”

Hadō Nejire ‘Nande sonna koto iu no? Fushigi!’ 波動ねじれ「なんでそんな事言うの？ふしぎ！」 Hadō Nejire “Why would you say that? Strange!”

Amajiki Tamaki ‘URAVITY no “kosei” COUNSELING ni kyōryoku dekiru nante kōei da yo.’ 天喰環「ウラビティの"個性"カウンセリングに協力できるなんて光栄だよ。」 Amajiki Tamaki “It's an honor to help Uravity’s ‘quirk’ counseling.”

Uraraka Ochako ‘Kono gakku no jidō no shiryō-me o tōshite moratta to omoundesu kedo nani yori daiji na no wa COMUNICATION desu. Ikken nan no mondai mo nai ko demo nayami o shimaikonderu koto ga ōi desu. Daishō towazu toku ni katei kankyō nanka shotaimen no otona ni hanaseru hito wa ōkunai desu. Demo jikan o kakereba kanarazu SAIN o dashiteru koto ni kidzukeru node shiryō ni tayori sugizu! Meyasu wa ikkagetsu teido desu ga naiyō shidai de zenzen hendō shimasu. Kazu wa ishiki shinaide otomodachi ni naru tsumori de!’ 麗日お茶子「この学区の児童の資料目を通してもらったと思うんですけど何より大事なのはコミュニケーションです。一見何の問題もない子でも悩みをしまい込んでる事が多いです。大小問わず特に家庭環境なんか初対面の大人に話せる人は多くないです。でも時間をかければ必ずサインを出してる事に気付けるので資料に頼りすぎず！目安は一か月程度ですが内容次第で全然変動します。数は意識しないでお友だちになるつもりで！」 Uraraka Ochako “I think you've looked through the materials about the children in this school district, but the most important thing is communication. Even children who appear to have no problems often keep their worries to themselves. Not many people, can talk to adults they meet for the first time, about problems big or small, especially about their home environment. But if you take your time, you'll definitely notice the signs, so don't rely too much on the materials! The guideline is about a month, but it can vary greatly depending on the content. Don't worry about numbers, just try to make friends!”

Amajiki Tamaki ‘Taihen da ne.’ 天喰環「大変だね。」 Amajiki Tamaki “That's tough.”

Uraraka Ochako ‘Zenzen! Jin'in no SUPPORT wa jūbun desu shi minasan sugoku teinei na oshigoto o sarerun desu yo. HAWKS ga monkashō ni kake attari kakusho ni kyōsan o tsumettari shite kurete “kosei” kyōiku no kankyō wa daibu kaizen sarete kiterundesu.’ 麗日お茶子「全然！人員のサポートは十分ですし皆さんすごく丁寧なお仕事をされるんですよ。ホークスが文科省に掛け合ったり各所に協賛を積めったりしてくれて"個性"教育の環境はだいぶ改善されてきてるんです。」 Uraraka Ochako “Not at all! There is enough staff of support and everyone does a very careful job. Hawks has been negotiating with the Ministry of Education and providing support from various places, and the environment for ‘Quirk’ education has improved considerably.”

Amajiki Tamaki ‘Jā ima wa jibun no tame no jikan mo torerunda?’ 天喰環「じゃあ今は自分の為の時間も取れるんだ？」 Amajiki Tamaki “So now you have time for yourself?”

Uraraka Ochako ‘Gimu toka… sekinin toka nai wake ja nai desu kedo ato kara tsuitekita mono desu. Yorokobu kao o miru no ga suki nandesu. Watashi ga yaritaikoto shitemasu. Tsuyu-chan mo hobo zutto TEAM-UP shite kureteru shi tomodachi to mo aeteru shi zenbu jibun no tame no jikan desu yo!’ 麗日お茶子「義務とか…責任とかないわけじゃないですけど後からついてきたものです。喜ぶ顔を見るのが好きなんです。私がやりたい事してます。梅雨ちゃんもほぼずっとチームアップしてくれてるし友だちとも会えてるし全部　自分の為の時間ですよ！」 Uraraka Ochako “It's not that I don't have obligations or responsibilities, but they came after. I like to see people's happy faces. I'm doing what I want to do. Tsuyu-chan has been teaming up with me almost all the time, I've been able to meet up with my friends, and so it's all time just for myself!” [Chap 431] Now, I’m not 100% sure if the idea is to always involve Pro Heroes or ‘the supporting staff’ can be composed also of ‘not Pro Hero’ people, but we get a general idea of what the people who decide to take part to the project should do. They read the documents about the kids, they’re encouraged to make friends with them, possibly/likely involving them in a game in which they use their Quirk which will allow them to receive what we can call ‘Quirk positivity’. All this in order to help children to open up and talk about their (Quirk related) problems. This last for around a month then, if no problems are detected (or if they are but they’re solved by that time), the people involved move to another school.

Now… maybe it’s just me but this is basically what was done during the ‘remedial course’ arc with the kids from the Masegaki school, only, they’re given documentation about the kids and, instead than lasting one time, it last one month and it involves Pro Heroes, not Heroes in training who might not be interested in interacting with children but are forced to do it if they want their license.

In this sense the whole ‘expansion’ thing of chapter 430 finds it’s explanation. Heroes are expanding their activities (aka also taking part to other activities like Uraraka’s Quirk counseling program) and the Quirk counseling program is being expanded as well as now its scope isn’t anymore to just help children to fit into the standards of normalcy society created but to offer them Quirk positivity and to create a connection so that THE CHILDREN will be willing to talk about their problems with Quirk and with their family.

Storywise it’s a pity the original characters involved in the ‘remedial course’ arc aren’t mentioned as being involved in all this, especially Shouto (who not only had an extremely troublesome Quirk related family situation plus a brother with problems with his Quirk who almost killed himself, was targeted by a Villain, became a Villain and eventually died). Yes, we can picture they are, but, as far as canon is concerned, he isn’t mentioned AT ALL, not even as one of the sources of inspiration for how Uraraka’s project is structured (canon also didn’t show Bakugou or Shouto talking about their remedial course with classmates) but okay, this isn’t really related to Quirk counseling.

Now with all those additional info I can talk a bit of something else aka:

REALITY CHECK

Uraraka’s project is nice and well meaning but it’s also very fairytalesque, in the same way as Hawks claiming that Heroes having free time would be a good thing. It’s all well and good and, since BNHA is a tale, I’m sure it’ll work like a charm and if you want to stop reading here and enjoy such a happy world I’ll understand you.

However if you want to know if this will work in the real world…

In the real world, if the request for Heroes were to decrease because there are less Villains (and having less Villains would surely be a good thing), it wouldn’t mean people would hire the same amount of Heroes and keep on paying them just the same, we would simply have more unemployed Heroes or society would self regulate itself by simply giving out less and less Hero licenses. In short, society would NEVER allow Heroes to have more free time, it would just hire less Heroes or, in the very best case, pay them less. Sure, the problem can be solved with Heroes reinventing their job, for example volunteering to take part to Uraraka’s Quirk counseling project so as not to lose their job and their source of income.

With this though, comes a worsening of the main problem I see in Uraraka’s Quirk counseling project.

There is no mention whatsoever that the people involved are TRAINED to spot (Quirk related) psychological problems. Kids with psychological problems (due to their Quirk and family environment reacting badly to their Quirk) aren’t necessarily always showing a villainous behavior or a transgressive behavior (which is what Heroes are trained to spot), they can be acting as ordinary well behaving kids, or be meek or be people pleasers or vivacious but apparently harmless kids.

While it’s true that elementary school kids are generally more direct in their actions and reactions, some of them could have already mastered the fine art of hiding/masking things for fear of repercussions or due to them being educated to lie about certain things or even being made believe in such lies so they don’t even know they’re lying anymore.

Quirks, it’s worth to mention, don’t necessarily manifest at 4, they can manifest as early as their childbirth (see the luminescent baby or AFO himself), and sometimes a child can be born in a house where the ‘Quirk problems’ are caused by the parents’ expectations (think at how Enji wanted his children to have a certain Quirk and inherit his place). In short they might have been forced BY BIRTH to interact with ‘unpleasant’ situations and might have also been forced to learn to cover them up.

Fuyumi for example, lived in a toxic environment but, likely, masked that up well. Himiko took longer at learning to mask it up well, but her Quirk manifested when she was 3/4 and gave her a really strong instinct, for which she was left with zero family support (actually her parents’ reaction is completely out of proportion, kids at that age do plenty of stupid and gross things and then can grow up perfectly normal provided they’ve normal parents to guide them, there was totally no need to beat Himiko up and panic like that) and yet she learnt to mask it perfectly by the time she was in middle school, possibly even sooner as the journalists couldn’t find early signs and they likely searched for them like starved piranha.

In truth even professionals might miss the signs or might approach children in the wrong manner, causing more troubles than good because it’s a HARD job… so the idea that if completely untrained adult people who just read some data about the children (which might have been written by who already missed the signs or is misinformed about the real situation of the children) were to make friends with them, they would surely get them to open up or would surely notice signs that something is wrong and act in the appropriate manner to fix it is… well… very naïve.

It’s well meaning and it can surely help in some cases but, unless Japan had a REALLY ABNORMAL PROBLEM so that the TINIEST help would make a BIG difference, don’t expect the big change the press is talking about… especially if Heroes who have no more Villains to capture and zero interest in helping kids will be ‘forced’ to join the program so as not to become unemployed.

On the other side the lack of psychological preparation in people can be very well explained with how there’s a strong stigma in Japan regarding psychological problems.

The reason why real life normal counseling is often not used in Japan is because Japanese people don’t want to talk with a Clinical Psychologist (as said before now that’s the specialization a counselor needs to have) so Horikoshi’s ‘hey, but those people are normal, well meaning people, possibly even Heroes kids admire, not psychologists so talking to them doesn’t mean you’ve psychological problems so you can totally open up with them safely’ is meant to address this fear and, of course, it’s better to talk to an untrained person than not to talk at all so in this vein, this could be seen as an ‘improvement’.

I don’t know but I guess this is now really all we have about Quirk counseling.

Said all this, which is likely still an incomplete overview, I hope my ramblings will help people to understand Quirk counseling better. If not, I apologize.

[yoga-onion]

Legends and myths about trees

Celtic beliefs in trees (18)

T for Tinne (Holly) - July 18th - August 5th

“Tree of Sacrifice - 8th month of the Celtic Tree Calendar (Ref)”

Colour: red; Star: Mars, Saturn: Gemstone: ruby, bloodstone; Gender: male; Patrons: Taranis, Jesus Christ, Thor, Lugh; Symbols: discord + humanity, blood + compassion, endless love

When it comes to holly, there is no one who doesn't know the prickly leaves and red berries. The evergreen holly tree has dense branches, and thanks to its glossy evergreen foliage, the holly tree remains unchanged through over time and throughout the year. 

Since ancient times, holly has represented the robust vitality and masculine strength of nature. It was closely associated with birth and rebirth rituals and the transmission of esoteric knowledge, and was particularly linked with unconditional love, and eventually came to symbolise all gods dedicated to sacrifice. The holly is also known as a tree that protects fairies and, as with all 'fairy trees', legend has it that cutting it down will bring bad luck. People in the past planted holly near their houses because it was said to ward off evil and stop lightning from striking.

It is said that long ago, when the island of Britain was still called Albion, prehistoric Britain was protected by a giant called Gogmagog. This giant who covered his entire body with holly branches and leaves, primeval god Gogmagog, eventually became known by the name 'the Holly King'. The giant held a holly bush as a club and is said to be the twin brother of the 'King of Oak'. In the medieval story 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight', the Holly King appears as the immortal Green Knight and Sir Gawain as the Oak King. 

The Holly King, who rules over the six months leading up to the summer solstice and winter solstice, takes the throne after the Oak King dedicates himself to the summer solstice bonfire. Then, in a cycle of death and rebirth, he sacrifices himself to give way once more to the Oak King on the winter solstice. Hence, Oak King and Holly king represent two phases of nature's guardian deities.

The Celtic festival of Lughnasadh (Lughnasa) takes place at the end of the holly month. This celebrates the rebirth of Lugh, the god of light (the sun) and crafts, and is celebrated on 1 August in the UK, Ireland and Europe at the Harvest Festival. This is also the Anglo-Saxon festival of Lammas.

The evergreen holly, which does not die out even when all plants have died, symbolises a strong life force and is a 'good omen' tree. The druids (Ref2), who regarded holly as a particularly sacred tree, proceeded to bring holly into the house during the winter months. The holly, with its red berries and bright foliage, which exalts the soul, was a protector of elves and fairies from the harsh cold. So, during the winter, they do not misbehave.

Any holly brought into the house must be returned to the outdoors by 'Imbolc Eve'. It's because if holly leaves remain in the house after that, misfortune will befall them.

This was retained in Christianity as Twelfth Night (also known as Epiphany Eve). In Christianity, which teaches that holly eventually grew from the ground on which Jesus walked, the thorny leaves and red berries of holly represent the Passion and shed blood of Jesus.

木にまつわる伝説・神話

ケルト人の樹木の信仰 (18)

TはTinne (ﾋｲﾗｷﾞ) - 7月18日～8月4日

『犠牲の木 〜 ケルトの木の暦（参照）の第8月』

色: 赤; 星: 火星、土星: 宝石: ルビー、ブラッドストーン (血石) ; 性: 男性; 守護神: タラニス、イエス・キリスト、トール、ルー; シンボル: 不和＋人間性、血＋憐れみ、限りなき愛

ヒイラギといえば、棘のある葉と赤い実、知らない人はいないだろう。常緑樹のヒイラギは、び���しりと枝を張り、またつやつやとした常緑の葉のおかげてヒイラギは、時の移ろいにも変わらぬ姿を見せている。

昔からヒイラギは自然のたくましい生命力や男性的な力強さを表してきた。古代では、誕生や再生の儀式、秘伝の伝授などに縁が深いものとされ、とりわけ無償の愛と関係があり、やがて犠牲に捧げられたすべての神々を象徴するようになった。ヒイラギは妖精を守る木としても知られ、「妖精の木」がすべてそうであるように、伐採すると不幸をもたらすという言い伝えがある。昔の人は家の近くにヒイラギを植えていたが、それは魔除けになり、雷が落ちなくなると言われていたからだ。

その昔、ブリテンがまだアルビオンと呼ばれていた頃の、太古のブリテン島はゴグマゴグという巨人が守っていたといわれている。このヒイラギの枝や葉で全身を覆った巨人、太古の神ゴグマゴグはやがて「ヒイラギの王」の名で知られるようになった。その巨人はヒイラギの茂みを棍棒として持ち、「オークの王」の双子の兄弟であるといわれている。中世の物語『ガウェイン卿と緑の騎士』では、ヒイラギの王が不死身の緑の騎士として、ガウェイン卿はオークの王として登場する。夏至かた冬至に至る半年間を治めるヒイラギ王は、オーク王が夏至のかがり火に身を捧げた後、王位につく。そして、死と再生を繰り返すサイクルの中で、冬至の日に、自らを犠牲にしてふたたびオーク王に道を譲る。オーク王とヒイラギ王は自然の守護神の二つの局面を表している。

ヒイラギの月が終わる頃にはケルトの祭典、ルーナサが行われる。これは、光 (太陽) と技芸の神、ルーの再生を祝うもので、英国、アイルランド、ヨーロッパでは、8月1日に収穫祭が開かれる。これはアングロサクソン人のラマス祭にも当たる。

すべての植物が枯れても死に絶えることを知らない常緑樹のヒイラギは屈強な生命力を象徴し、「吉兆」の木でもある。ヒイラギを特に神聖な木として崇めていたドルイド（参照2）は、冬の間はヒイラギを家の中に持ち込むように進めた。赤い実と鮮やかな葉が魂を昂揚させるヒイラギは、厳しい寒さから妖精やエルフを守ってくれる存在だった。だから、冬の間、妖精たちは悪さをしない。家の中に持ち込まれたヒイラギは、「インボルクのイヴ」までには必ず屋外に戻さなければならない。その後にも家の中にヒイラギの葉が残っていると、不幸が訪れるからだ。

これが十二夜（エピファニー・イブとも知られる）としてキリスト教に残された。イエスが歩いた地面からはやがてヒイラギが生えてきたと教えるキリスト教では、ヒイラギの棘のある葉と赤い実は、イエスの受難と流し血を表している。

[leomacgivena]

Xユーザーのtomo-uk🇬🇧さん：「これからはa little bitではなくa skoshを使いましょう」

[wakkayamawheels]

road hub for triplet spoking

またしばらく間を開けてしまってご無沙���しています。<(^_^;

以前、ロード バイク用の車輪のトリプレット スポーキングについて書いた事があります。

少し前、久しぶりにリム ブレーキ用の車輪の相談をいただいた時に使われたハブが丁度トリプレット向きなデザインでした。

比較的安価だったり軽いなどの理由で選ばれる事が多いトライスポーツさんのTNiパーツ類でSix60というロード バイク用ハブです。

入手性が良いというのも大切な要素の一つかもしれません。

このハブ、前用はフランジや中のカートリッヂ ベアリングの径が多少、小さめなくらいで、特別変わったところはあまり感じなかったのですが、後ろ用の寸法を見たところ、なかなか面白いデザインになっています。

The Cycle Clinic UKのBORGやBlackcat Wheelsのトリプレット専用ハブほど振り切ってはいないですが、簡単に言えば左右のフランジ幅が広くとってあり、上手く構成できれば横側の剛性を確保しやすいデザインになっています。

一般的にハブの左右フランジ幅が広くなる程、スポーク ブレーシング角度が大きくとれる様に車輪を構成できる為、同じ構成部材を使うのであれば、横方向からのストレスに対して、より変形しにくい車輪を作る事ができます。

ただ、左右幅の比率が多少極端な寸法の為、普通に構成すると元の個性を活かせず残念な出来上がりになりそうだったので、何通りかのスポーキングを考えてみました。

採用するリムのデザインにもよりますが、まず普通の700cサイズで左右対称の断面構造を持つリムを使う前提で、普通に24穴のハブで左右12本づつのスポークを使って構成するとして、これまた普通に左右どちらも2crossで構成すると、左右の張力比率が凡そ40:100前後になります。

これだと駆動側の張力が120kgfの場合、左側はいいとこ50kgf未満、まぁ正直なところ左右差が大き過ぎてスポークの断面積を左右で極端に変えたとしてもちょっと厳しい感じです。

これでも車輪の形にはできますが、ちょっとバランス良くないので多少工夫して、リムを左右非対称型、スポークの交差も左右でちょっと変えて、それで何とか張力比率が凡そ50:100くらい。

この場合、駆動側張力を120kgfとすると、左側は60kgf前後、左右でスポークの断面積を極端に変えれば、まぁギリでバランス確保できるけど、対応できるサイクリスト体重や出力の範囲が狭かったりするので、そこまでいい感じとは言いにくいかなぁ…。

どうしても左右同本数のスポークで構成が必須などの縛りがあれば、多少リスクのあるスポーキングによって左右差を更に減らす事もできなくはないですが、一般的な車輪とは言い難い構成になってしまいます。

…で、どうせ左側フランジまでの横幅がた��ぷりとってあるし折角なのでトリプレットで構成してみると、上記左右張力比率のアンバランス加減がほぼそのまま半減して、左右対称型のリムを使っても左右でスポークの断面積を多少変えるか変えなくてもいいかくらいの張力バランスを得られます。

こういった場合、常にトリプレットで構成する事が最善という事でもないですが、全体として構成するスポークの断面積の選択肢を増やせる様にできる考え方の一つとして使えます。

ただ、トリプレットで構成する場合、モダンな造りの既製品でトリプレットに適したニップル孔を開けられたリムはほぼ皆無です。

必然的に専用のニップル孔角度を全数、前後左右の角度を指定して（いわゆる4D）穿孔する必要がある為、トリプレット スポーキング用のリムを用意しなければなりません。

ニップル孔の角度が全て専用に穿孔されているという事は「ニップルからスポーク ヘッドまでがほぼ一直線にできる」という事なので、ニップルやスポークが局所的に無理な曲げストレスにさらされる事も少なく、折れたり切れたりしにくくなる、という事でもあります。

もちろん全てのニップル孔の穿孔方向を算出、指定する事になるので特注費用が多少余分には掛かりますが、近年いただくご相談では4D穿孔の指定をかけるケースが大半です。

因みに今回の場合は24本のスポークを使う前提だったので、左右で32孔のハブの左だけ半分、8+16孔を使って合計24本のスポークを通して構成する事になりました。

もし左右24孔のハブでトリプレットにすると、左を半分にするとして、6+12孔で合計18本にしかならず、700cであれば相当大きな断面積、あるいはかなり内径の小さなリムを使わない限り、よほど軽量小柄な乗り手でなければ適合が難しい車輪になってしまいます。

言い換えると、一般的に市販されている完成車輪製品では過剰な剛性になってしまって、無駄にしんどい思いをされている軽量サイクリストの皆さんにとっては、より少ない総スポーク断面積の、より小さな体重や出力に最適化した車輪を構成しやすくなります。

ただ、トリプレット18本のスポーク構成をする車輪用リム単体だと、おそらく既製品として存在していないと思うので、必然的に特注になってしまうとは思います。

また、同様に一般的な体格であっても、極端に大きな断面積の700cリムや、ミニベロなどの小径車輪などの内径の小さなリムでも車輪の剛性は高くなりすぎる場合があり、そういったケースでも長時間の快適な乗車に対応させる為に張力のバランスを崩さず総スポーク断面積を減らす事が可能になります。

この様なちょっと変わった車輪にも興味を持っていただける皆さま、よかったらご相談ください。 よろしくお願いいたします。(^-^)

[cafelatte-night]

ここにはわたしを黙って見守ってくれる人(理解はできなくていい)が現実世界や他SNSよりもたくさんいると思っているから、本当のことを書ける。

婚約した数時間後に、前の彼(UK)からメッセージが来ていた。約1週間経ってようやく気づいた。彼の癌(と思われる影)の検査結果の報告と、わたしの癌予備軍の心配のメッセージだった。

彼からメッセージが来ることはもう二度とないと思っていた。別れる前、結構わたしを嫌っていたからだ。正直、この半年は彼を忘れるための半年だった。彼のために入学した日本語教師の学校もちょうど明日で終わる。

そしてようやく執着が消えた頃、素敵な人が現れて、その人から結婚してほしいと言ってもらえた。だから人生って気味悪いな・・・って気持ち。神様が万事把握していて、イベントを起こしているような。つまり、私たち人間は神様のおもちゃだ。

2023.11.29

[vsynthbday]

happy anniversary to "S∀MPLING MΘNSTER" by sasakure.UK (ささくれUK)! this song came out 7 years ago today.

youtube upload | august 29th, 2024.

[Image description: A screenshot from the official music video for "Sampling Monster". It features Hatsune Miku looking at the camera. She's wearing a futuristic-like black, white, and pink dress with black gloves and black and pink socks. She has large black and pink wings. The background is a black and green image of spaceship-like interior. Flying around her are two robot-like black and green and black and pink eyeballs with wings. End image description.]

[guitar-ijiri-house]

【カナダ製】Perri’s LPCP-8177 レビュー：ギネス柄な激エモEd Sheeranオフィシャルストラップ | ギターいじリストのおうち

美しい青が映える Perri's LPCP-8177 Ed Sheeran オフィシャルストラップをレビュー！3つギネス記録を更新したアルバム『÷(ディバイド)』をイメージ！実質ギネス柄な激エモブルーカラーが超おしゃれ！

÷(ディバイド) は2017年3月3日に世界同時発売されたアルバムで、2024年現在収録楽曲も含めて3つのギネス記録を樹立!!

・Fastest-selling pop album in the UK by a male artist / 全英最速で売れた男性ソロアーティストポップアルバムギネス記録

・Most simultaneous UK Top 20 singles / 全英シングルチャート最多同時ランクインギネス記録 (÷収録全16曲同時ランクイン)

・Most streamed track on Spotify in 24 hours / Spotify歴代24時間で最も多く再生された曲 (÷収録曲：Shape Of You)

https://guitar-ijiri.com/blog/review/accessories/strap/perris-lpcp-8177-ed-sheeran/

[holespoles]

Season. Traditionally, spring in the UK begins on 6 March and lasts for 93 days. March is particularly interesting as it is said to arrive like a raging lion and leave like a docile lamb. The capricious, strong winds that change their appearance from one day to the next are a fascinating feature of the month.

季節。伝統的に英国の春は3月6日から始まり、93日間続くとされています。とりわけ3月は荒れ狂うライオンの如く到来し、おとなしい子羊のように去るとされていて面白うございます。気まぐれな強い風がころころ表情を変えていくのが魅力であります。

[flamingo-rex]

2024.11.13

昨日、発売になったアイリッシュシングルモルト

SEXTON

これを押さえてるBARって何件あんだろ？

そんな日に2年振りにカナダからR氏が再び尾道へ

前に来た時は初めて尾道に来て

めちゃんこ気に入ったらしい。

彼はドラムをやったことがあるらしく

前に来た時に、ドラム叩かせたんだよね（笑）

気軽にドラム叩いたり、セッション出来る店、

Cat ch.22は、音楽人には最高の遊び場な筈

今回、彼とは久々に話したが

90年代のUKロックに精通してるから

なかなか楽しかった🎸

偶然、外国人ばかりの来店で

ワールドワイドではあるけど

英語しか喋ってないが、ずっと離してないと

出て来ないな…言葉

勉強し直さないとな…

[mamedorilabo]

My exhibition & Kakishibu dyeing

こんにちは。 この地に引っ越してきて半年、もうすぐ秋になろうとしています。

まだまだ暑い日は続きますが（日本の夏は本当に暑い！）、柿渋の染まり具合を見ていると秋が近づいている事を実感します。

Hello. It's been 6 months since I moved here and it's almost fall.

Although the days are still hot (Japanese summers are really wet & hot!) ), I can feel that autumn is approaching when I look at the dye process of the persimmon tannin.

My lovely friend purchased a my works' gown made of linen and dyed with persimmon tannin.

These are called myoga, Japanese summer herb, eaten pickled in vinegar. It can also be eaten raw.

私は本当に柿渋染めの色が大好きなので、布をどんどん染めなくてはと焦ります。 そしてこちらは最近の制作風景。柿渋が鉄と反応すると黒くなる事を利用して模様を描いています。

I really love the colors of persimmon tannin dyeing and I am in a hurry to dye more and more fabric.

And these pics are recent work in progress. I draw patterns using the fact that persimmon tannin turns black when it reacts with iron.

The deep black charcoal color, which is not just black, is very beautiful.　And it seems to have a very strong water repellent effect. さて、展示に向けてラストスパート！ 国内ではこちら。

MAMEDORI LABO. solo exhibition

「いままでも、これからも」10/7~10/27

ギャラリー水巣 新潟県柏崎市松波３丁目3-3-28

Next my exhibition in Japan is

その後、イギリスのセレクトショップ Beautiful fashion freal lab. さんへたくさんの作品を送ります。Beautiful fashion freak lab.とMAMEDORI LABO.の限定コラボ商品も制作中。 イギリスの皆様、何卒よろしくお願いいたします。

After that, I will send a lot of works to a select store Beautiful freak fashion lab. in England. I'm also working on a limited collaboration product between Beautiful freak fashion lab. and MAMEDORI LABO. Thank you very much for your kind attention to me in the UK.

[kennak]

イギリスが9 月30日、石炭火力発電を廃止し、142年にわたる石炭への依存に終止符を打った。 1967年から稼働してきた国内最後の石炭発電所のラトクリフ・オン・ソア発電所がこの日、運転を終了した。 これは、石炭による気候変動への影響を減らすという、イギリスの野望において大きな節目となる。 石炭は、燃焼時に多くの温室効果ガスを発生させる、最も汚い化石燃料とされている。 マイケル・シャンクス・エネルギー相は、「我々は、国として何世代にもわたって（石炭に）恩義を感じている」と述べた。 イギリスは石炭火力発電発祥の地だが、主要国で初めて石炭火力発電を廃止した。 イギリスで最も長く環境相を務めたディーベン卿は、「本当に素晴らしい日だ。イギリスは石炭によって産業革命で国力を築き上げたのだから」と語った。 世界初の石炭火力発電所であるホルボーン・ヴァイアダクト発電所は、発明家トーマス・エジソンによって1882年にロンドンに建設され、街に明かりをもたらした。 画像説明,ダイナモ（発電機）のそばに立つトーマス・エジソン（1882年撮影） その時から20世紀前半まで、石炭がイギリスの電力のほとんどすべてを供給し、家庭や企業のエネルギー源となっていた。 1990年代初頭にはガスに押され始めたが、その後も20年間、石炭はイギリス送電網の重要な構成要素であり続けた。 2012年時点でも、イギリスの電力の39％を石炭が発電していた。 イギリスの毎年の発電における構成割合の変化を示した図 再生可能エネルギーの成長 気候変動をめぐっては、科学的根拠が蓄積されている。温室効果ガスの排出削減が必要なことは明らかで、最も汚れた化石燃料である石炭は主要なターゲットだった。 2008年、イギリスは初めて法的拘束力のある気候変動目標を定め、2015年には当時のエネルギー・気候変動担当相だったアンバー・ラッド氏が、イギリスは今後10年以内に石炭火力の使用を終了すると世界に宣言した。 独立系エネルギー・シンクタンク「エンバー」のグローバル・インサイト・ディレクターを務めるデイヴ・ジョーンズ氏は、石炭業界に明確な方向性を示すことで、石炭の終焉（しゅうえん）に向けた 「動きをスタートさせる」一助になったと述べた。 前出のディーベン卿は、イギリスがリーダーシップを発揮し、他国が従うべき基準を示したということでもあると述べた。 「これは大きな違いだ。なぜなら、『あちらはやったのに、どうして私たちにはできないのか？』と言える対象が必要だからだ」 イギリスの再生可能エネルギーによる発電量は、2010年には全体のわずか7％だった。これが2024年前半には50％以上に増加し、最大記録を更新した。 グリーン電力の急速な成長は、2017年に初めて発電で石炭を使用しない日を実現させ、短期間に石炭火力発電を完全に止めることまで可能にした。 1日の発電量における石炭火力発電の割合（％）の変遷を示した図 再生可能エネルギーの成長は目覚ましく、石炭火力発電終了の目標日が1年前倒しされるほどだった。 クリス・スミスさんは28年にわたって、ラトクリフ・オン・ソア発電所の環境・化学チームで働いていた。スミスさんは、「（30日は）とても重大な日だ。この発電所は常に稼動してきて、私たちはそれを続けるために最善を尽くしてきた。（中略） とても悲しい瞬間だ」と話した。 イギリスの炭鉱は、マーガレット・サッチャー政権の時期に多くが閉鎖され、労働者数千人が職を失った。同政権で閣僚を務めていたディーベン卿は、化石燃料産業で働く現在の労働者のために、そこから教訓を学ばなければならないと述べた。 「現在の政府、そして実際には前政府が、今回の変化によってダメージを受ける場所に新しい雇用、つまり非常に多くのグリーン雇用を確実にもたらそうとしていることに、私は特に注目している」 「北海の油田帯は、まさに炭素回収・貯留を行うべき場所であり、風力や太陽光による発電をすべき場所だ」 今後の課題は 石炭は非常に汚染度の高いエネルギー源だが、その利点は、天候によって制限される風力や太陽光とは異なり、いつでも利用可能であることだ。 イギリスの電力システム監督機関「エネルギー・システム・オペレーター」のケイティー・オニール最高執行責任者（COO）は、「送電網の安定性を確保するためには、さまざまな技術革新が必要だ。安全な方法で明かりをともし続けるために」と話した。 オニールCOOが語った安定性をもたらす重要な技術とは、バッテリー技術のことだ。 英ファラデー研究所の研究プログラム・マネージャーであるシルウィア・ワルス博士は、バッテリーの科学は大きく進歩していると語った。 「新しい技術を生み出す余地は常にあるが、最近では、より持続可能で、安価な生産をいかに実現するかに焦点が当てられている」と、ワルス氏は話した。 一方で、これを達成するためには、イギリスはバッテリーを自国生産して中国への依存度をもっと弱めると同時に、熟練労働者を呼び込むことが必要だと指摘した。 （追加取材：田中美保、ジャスティン・ロウラット） （英語記事　UK to finish with coal power after 142 years

イギリスが石炭火力発電を廃止、産業革命以来142年の歴史に幕 - BBCニュース

[dongsofsevotion]

12/01 DR2024

you know what time it is - we're a week out from azuki mayo don at dozen rose fes 🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹

usual deal: post to be regularly updated as the event draws nearer. support your favourite creators!

anthologies

a1 otokomae uke anthology | 毒喰らわば、| sample | mail order | note that preorders have been exhausted, but remaining copies will be added after the event

individual publications

01 冬籠り/yukimi | 光の先へ | sample | mail order | post-final ginhiji who aren't dating, story about pastimes 02 茨道 / 魁 | 夜明けの番 | sample | mail order | fokkuro, dubcon elements 03 SOULⅡSOUL/oko | VSバーサス上巻 | sample | mail order | W fuku, younger gintoki 04 徒桜/elmo | 惚れたが因果 | sample | mail order | post-final married ginhiji 05 薫製/kun | ラブハプニングは突然に | sample | mail order | set after the final x mutual yearning x room you can't leave 06 くろさぎ屋/kurosagiko | ケー番おしえて土方くん | sample | mail order | gag book about gin-san trying to become email friends 07 とやまの美味しい水/toya | ××しないと成仏しない霊 | sample | mail order | light horror and gag book 08 ゆめみる波間/kaise ashita | White Out | sample | mail order | happy ending endeco, death story 09 未確認生命体/UMA | Chill Season | sample | mail order | winter stories feat. original ginhiji, pattsuchi & zessan 10 K点超え / k | ファイナルベイビーリターニー | sample | mail order | post-final ecchi book 11 気のおけない人 / okena | 責任とれよ ダーリン | sample | mail order | under-desk blowjob leads to sex book 12 ジュリエットが待ってる/nori | 俺がきみに会いに行くはなし | sample | mail order | gin-san takes a mysterious drug and is transported to hijikata's past 13 日溜まり / makoto | 手もココロもほどけない | sample | mail order | ginhiji who aren't dating become unable to separate their hands due to an amanto device 14 Eupa/fujimura | せつせつ | sample | mail order | comedy book about rumours of gin-san getting a lover 15 mochiro | 頬をつねって | sample | mail order | ginhiji who aren't dating getting messed with by a gift from sakamoto 16 mochiro | 積年の銀土はたまにまとめないと忘れちゃう | sample | mail order | illustrated stories based on hagaijime's everyday ginhiji posts 17 kara no tamago / isaki | 乳飲み子は寝て育つ | sample | mail order | gin-san is turned into a baby thanks to an amanto drug 18 芍薬吟香/mohikan | 日々、彼是。| sample | mail order 19 くらーーーん/nushi | よろずやトシちゃんvol1046 | sample | mail order | everyday book about W teacher ginhiji | fukutoshi book 20 縁迎堂 / umashio | 腐れ縁の男の看病をしていたら困ったコトになりまして | sample | mail order | hijikata gets sick and gintoki looks after him (feat. suppositories) 21 百点満点/hanamaru | 死後に宛て | sample | mail order | a bromancey story about a will (not a death story) 22 おとなりいいですか？/oto | めぐる季節を きみの隣で | sample | mail order | four short stories (pattsuchi, dks, wfuku, original) about confessing in each of the seasons 23 June/endo | おねがい、ひじかたくん。| sample | mail order | a story about hijikata attempting his first blowjob 24 fujiwara | おとぎ話みたい | sample | mail order | a ropes story about adult hijikata and a sakata who's become smaller 25 初恋薊/kannagi | えっ副長が万事屋箱推しってマジ?!前編 | sample | mail order | tosshi returns as a yorozuya (group) oshi 26 べっこう飴/beko | スケベをさせろ！！ | sample | mail order | three short stories about ginhiji wanting to get down and dirty but being unable to 27 夕待ち/ino | さざめき恋心 | sample | mail order | post-final ginhiji where gintoki inadvertently confesses 28 とぐ屋/togu | お兄さん達は許しませんよ！ | sample | mail order | a story about kondou and katsura following ginhiji 29 yoi | 話は通しておいてやるよ | sample | mail order | a story about ginhiji trying polynesian sex to get out of their relationship rut 30 ふりかけ三昧/goma | 純情パラドクス | sample | mail order | hijikata asks gintoki on a date as a final way to give up his feelings; happy end