#100th National Sports Festival

[seungyoun-updates]

191004 Cho Seungyoun at 100th National Sports Festival‬ © woodz like do not edit, crop, or remove the watermark

[rabbitcruiser]

Canada Day

All those who celebrate Canada as their home and native land celebrate Canada Day on July 1st. The day commemorates the anniversary of the Constitution Act, which consolidated three territories into the single nation of Canada,  way back in 1867. That’s right — Canada celebrated its 150th birthday in 2017!

When is Canada Day 2024?

“O Canadaaa!” The country and all things Canada are celebrated on Canada Day on July 1.

History of Canada Day

Until 1982, Canada celebrated Dominion Day as their national holiday. The day was then renamed ‘Canada Day.’ The history of Canada isn’t splattered with a ton of wars and bloodshed, unlike many other countries. Throughout the mid-1800s, the possibility of unification between the British North American colonies was discussed. On July 1, 1867, the British Parliament brought the British North America Act into effect, leading to the creation of independent Canada. The territories within the dominion consisted of Upper and Lower Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick. Through this act, Canada was divided into Quebec and Ontario, allowing provisions for neighboring colonies to join in the future. This is how present-day Canada came into formation. The British North America Act served as the constitution for Canada until 1982.

Dominion Day was established in 1879 but wasn’t celebrated by many Canadians, as they still identified themselves as British citizens. This changed on the 50th anniversary of the confederation in 1917, when Dominion Day started becoming more popular. A bill was forwarded in 1946 to rename Dominion Day, but the passing of the bill was stalled due to disagreement in the House of Commons over what the new name should be.

In 1967, on the 100th anniversary of the nation’s creation, there was an increasing interest in Canadian patriotism, and celebrations really took off. Even before it became official, citizens would refer to the holiday as Canada Day, and the name was finally adopted in 1982.

Canada Day timeline

1867 Canadian Independence

Britain grants Canada its national independence.

1879 Dominion Day

A federal law makes July 1 a statutory holiday as the ‘anniversary of Confederation,’ later renamed ‘Dominion Day.’

October 27, 1982 It’s Official

Dominion Day officially becomes Canada Day.

2017 Canada turns 150!

The 150th Anniversary of Confederation is celebrated jubilantly.

Traditions of the day

Is it possible to have a patriotic celebration without a grand parade? We think not. Big and small parades are held in villages and cities all over Canada. Other traditions include wearing the national flag colors, having outdoor picnics, sporting events, festivals, and fireworks.

Canada Day FAQs

Why is Canada Day celebrated?

Canada Day commemorates the anniversary of Confederation in 1867 when the British North America Act was passed.  

How old is Canada this year 2020?

Canada turned 153 years old in 2020.

Is Canada Day like the Fourth of July?

Similar to how Americans celebrate the Fourth of July, Canada Day celebrates the country’s independence and its unity.

Canada Day Activities

Bust out the Canadian flag!

Whip up some Canadian delicacies

Get out to a Parade

No Canada Day celebration is complete without the Canadian flag, be it hung from a window, draped from the shoulders, or painted on the face!

Canadians love to celebrate Canada Day with traditional Canadian foods, whether it be Poutine, Baklava, or beaver tails (deep fried bread dough with cinnamon and chili).

Many Canadian cities will hold Canada Day parades, complete with fireworks, street food, and full marching bands. There's nothing more Canadian than getting out and celebrating with your neighbors.

5 Unbelievably Cool Facts About Canada

Canada has more lakes than you think

Canada has the world’s longest coastline

Canada has an abundance of trees.

Quebec produces the most maple syrup.

Canada can get as cold as Mars!

The stereotypical thing associated with Canada is maple syrup, but the country has more surface area covered with lakes compared to any other country in the world combined.

If one were to walk the entire length of the Canadian coastline at a pace of 12 miles per day, it will take 30 years.

Canada boasts 30% of the world’s boreal forest and 10% of the world’s total forests.

Quebec supplies almost two-thirds of the world’s maple syrup.

A temperature of -63℃ (-81.4℉) was recorded in the small village of Snag on Feb. 3, 1947 — that’s colder than the average temperature on the surface of Mars!

Why We Love Canada Day

It coincides with personal freedom

It's the perfect excuse for a cold one

It kicks off History Week

Canada Day roughly correlates to America's Independence Day — but many Canadians get the additional gift of personal freedom, as most leases in La Belle province expire on July 1st.

British Columbia alone guzzles 1.2 million—yes, million—liters of beer over Canada Day weekend (all purchased from official government run liquor stores, of course).

From 2013 onwards, Canada Day has marked the beginning of Canada History Week—which encourages citizens to learn more about their nation by visiting museums, monuments, and memorials.

Source

[fy-chajunho]

191004 X1 Cha Junho at 100th National Sports Festival © delight do not edit, crop, or remove the watermark

[x1updates]

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[tsukikoayanosuke]

Behind the Fic: Canon and Beyond - Temporary Timeline until Pomefiore

I FOUND A SOLUTION! ... sort of.

So, after the short post about Pomefiore Arc that apparently happens during the annual School Festival Arc, I went back to my timeline draft and sort of trying to fix it. I still sort of want Pomefiore, Ignihyde, and Diasomnia in Book 2, mostly to avoid very long hiatus and just in case we don't get Season 2 right after Diasomnia Arc.

There are also something I want to keep, like Scarabia Arc 2 and Ramshackle Arc, mostly world/character-building points, like using the Winter Break as an excuse to show Riddle's family or have Ace & Deuce spend Christmas together.

Which means, after the full adaptation of Octavinelle Arc, this will be a full on Canon-Divergence Fic. It's kinda unavoidable knowing I'm writing this when the game is still updating.

As for the timeline, this is the temporary result until Ignihyde and Diasomnia destroy it once again

Special Note:

Christmas Special will be covering the characters in Book 1, which means Heartslabyul, Savanaclaw, Octavinelle, and Scarabia. Plus some character like Vil and Rook since they have the same homeland as some characters. Vil in particular (probably Cater too) will play on Jonah's story since I kinda made him has some relationship with Crowley that I hinted back in The Rebel of the Wilderness.

Wish Upon a Star event changed from Tanabata (July) to a New Year Event (January) instead to fit in the plot.

The School Festival "National Magician Training General Culture Festival" will be held at the end of March.

First Week of April is the Spring Break, Scarabia Arc is moved to Spring Break (hopefully Ignihyde happens during Spring Break... IF THEY HAVE ONE!)

Pomefiore Arc happens in Book 2. The temporary time is during the Magishift, mostly because I don't want to write another Sports Scene yet.

About NRC vs RSA, the Interschool Magishift that happens in the Book 1 is the 99th, unlike canon. Meanwhile the event in Book 2 is the 100th, which will include an actual Sports Tournament

Speaking of Royal Sword Academy, form this point on, I won't be using the canon RSA. Instead I'll be using @animenightmarenation‘s reimagining. I've already use their back in The Rebel of the Wilderness, so why not keep it? Especially since RSA will be appearing more in the fic.

I'm acknowledging other fan school, but the two major ones are Diamond Crown Academy by @phoenix-manga​ and Three Wishes Institute @chessdaze​ . At least, in Book 1, there will be cameos of the OCs, along with some more hints about Jonah’s past.

Also, this is basically the ingredient for a perfect Disney Squad:

Royal Sword Academy: Princes and Heroes Diamond Crown Academy: Princesses and Heroines Three Wishes Institute: Sidekicks Night Raven College: Villains

I’ll be keeping this save for two books first. Depending on how canon goes, I will either adapt Year Two or not.

[fywheesa]

191004 100th Korean National Sports Festival © 그림스타 (do not edit, do not crop logo)

[fymoonbyul]

191004 100th Korean National Sports Festival © Winter Star (do not edit)

[btsybrkr]

2020 Vision: What To Expect From The Next Decade (By Someone Who Has No Idea, Obviously.)

Happy New Year, all!! I had planned to do a little run-down last week of everything that happened in the 2010s, but instead succumbed to the existential struggle that comes with the week that follows Christmas Day, in which your time becomes largely swallowed up by asking yourself ‘what day is it?’ and ‘at what point am I supposed to stop living on a diet of alcohol and Quality Street?’. It’s festive purgatory, and you’re literally powerless to do anything other than sleep, eat, and moan that the shops are still playing Christmas music. That’s my excuse, anyway.

So, instead, I thought we’d say a collective “cinnabit, lad” to 2019 and a collective “what is UP, dude?” to the Roaring 20s 2.0, the only sequel that humanity has waited a whole 100 years for. Apart from Avatar 2, which I imagine will come out at some point in the 3020s.  What do we know so far about what the 2020s have in store for us? Obviously, not a lot, but as someone who successfully predicted the outcome of the last election, and the UK’s last four Eurovision losses - two things which I’m sure absolutely nobody ever saw coming - I thought I’d give out my own valuable speculation. Here’s what the 2020s might look like, according to me.

Politics

Let’s get it out of the way - we’re in a terrible state. At this point, every important issue is so divisive, that the nation is divided over everything, including whether we’re actually divided or not. Do I think we’ll become any less divided in the coming years, in a United Kingdom where the conversation is so often dominated by things we can absolutely never seem to agree on? Yes. We will have no choice. Why? 

All-out war.

Yes, I said it. In 2021, there will be all-out war. With America, probably. I don’t know why. Maybe Trump will get into an argument with Boris Johnson over who can manage to effortlessly look the most like a Viz caricature of themselves - they both already do somehow, I���m just saying they might disagree on which one of them is the best at it. Could be that, or possibly a more serious cause, to do with nuclear weapons or something, but I’d rather not think about that, because it’s not as funny as the Viz thing. And it’s more likely. So, we’ll pretend for now that we’re on the verge of the first pantomime, slapstick war the world has ever seen.

Anyway, while Trump and Johnson are beefing up a storm - picture Punch and Judy, except the puppets are in suits and have thinning, bright yellow hair - previously all-encompassing issues like Brexit will fall by the wayside, until Boris Johnson eventually decides to hand his notice in to focus on more important things, like beating Trump with a wooden spoon and chasing after the dog that stole all his sausages. After this, we’ll all come together to realise that if actual elected officials can’t do the job, then maybe we, the people, deserve our chance to test our political metal. Obviously, we can’t let just anybody have a go, but at the end of the year, Cosmopolitan magazine puts the traditional democratic process at number one on its ‘Leave It In 2021’ list, so we have absolutely no choice but to come up with something else, which brings me to...

Television And Film

2022 will start with a bang, with the debut of Simon Cowell’s new talent show format, So You Think You Can Be The Prime Minister?, hosted of course by Ant and Dec, with the aftershow on ITV2 being hosted by Jeremy Paxman. Contestants will line up in huge crowds to give judges Russell Brand, Susanna Reid, and, of course, Jesus S. Cowell himself (forgot to mention, Simon Cowell has been elected as the new Christ in this completely non-hypothetical universe, alright?) their opinions on hot political topics such as Brexit, the NHS, and, of course, whether a Jaffa Cake can really be classed as a biscuit or not. Each episode, contestants will take part in a live debate, themed around a different issue with every passing week. The two least popular contestants after the weekly phone vote will go head-to-head giving their own rendition of Running The World by Jarvis Cocker, with the worst performer being eliminated. I know a sing-off isn’t exactly relevant in a politics programme, but it’s Saturday night primetime so it’s still got to be at least somewhat entertaining, yeah?

Love Island will be back, of course - and not just with a Summer and Winter edition, but with an additional Spring and Autumn one for the 2024 schedule! This will be a win-win situation for the series producers, and for its viewers, as by 2027, ITV will run out of attractive under-35s to appear on the show, and members of the public will begin getting called up to appear - like with jury duty, except that ITV pay for you to have extensive cosmetic surgery first, so that you’re aesthetically pleasing enough for people to want to tune in, and so that you can maintain a successful career selling Bootea on Instagram afterwards. 

Films will also go through a renaissance in the 2020s, as the Hollywood big boys come to a conclusion that everything has just become a little too… blockbuster. To remedy this, they make the joint decision that, 100 years on, we should take ourselves back to the silent film era, which will surely create hundreds of jobs for mute people, therefore solving Hollywood’s problems with a lack of diversity in film. It’ll also give well-known TikTok creators a chance to make the leap into mainstream entertainment, as they’ll have spent so long lip-synching over the years that they’ll now be more qualified to star in these new golden age pictures than actual trained actors. Obviously, that sounds absolutely beyond comprehension, but look at Count Orlok in 1922’s Nosferatu. See his slender limbs, blank stare, gothic dress sense - in a way, he’s the original e-boy, and there’s plenty of them out there on TikTok now that could play the titular vampire just as well in a 100th anniversary remake, just with less neck-biting and more lip-biting. Trust me, it’ll be a hit.

Technology

Throughout the 2010s, there’s been a lot of talk about everyone spending too much time on their bloody phones, so, in 2024, Apple will try to combat this issue when they unveil perhaps their most innovative product to date - the iPhone XZ+, a phone which exists solely in the mind of its users. Not in a Black Mirror, chip-inside-your-brain sort of way, either. It is literally imaginary. It’s a phone that, instead of being a phone, is actually just the concept of a phone. Yes, for the small cost of £1,500 and six units of your own soul, you, too, can block the rest of the world out. How amazing is that? No more wasting hours of your day keeping in touch with friends and family. No more accessing a wealth of information, wherever you are, with a quick Google. No more blocking out the sound of cackling pre-teens on the bus by putting in your earphones and listening to music. These things are bad and must be stopped, before we become an entire species of communicating, bopping, learning zombies.

I think those must be bad things anyway, since you can rarely go a few seconds scrolling through social media without stumbling across a ‘woke’ meme about how the use of smartphones is destroying us, one notification at a time - memes which I’m absolutely sure were created and posted from a book or a potato or something. Otherwise they’d just be hypocritical, wouldn’t they?

Anyway, the iPhone XZ+. It’s the only thing you need inside your head this decade. Apart from a very real ever-growing sense of fear and doom, which you can get for free.

Sport

The next decade will see the Olympics and Paralympics take place in 2020, 2024 and 2028, as well as the Winter equivalents to both in 2022 and 2026. You’d think we’d be all Olympic-ed out with that, but in the absence of anything else that gets people feeling remotely patriotic in a purely nice way, the world will decide to come together to throw scaled-down, low-budget Olympic games in all the off-years this decade. 

Summer 2021 will see the start of the first ever Not-The-Actual-Olympics. Marked by a glamourous opening ceremony in a field in Loughborough, the opening will feature a series of performances from stars such as H from Steps, and will be attended by some people who aren’t the royal family, but really do look like them. Taking place over the 10-week long games will be thumb wars, arm wrestling, staring contests, and an exciting event in which competitors try to eat the most HobNobs they possibly can without the help of a glass of water to combat the extreme dry-mouth they end up with. It might sound underwhelming now, but if there turns out to be any truth in the other predictions I’ve made here, it might be just what you need to restore your faith in the everyday.

Happy New Year, Everyone

In all seriousness - not that the rest of this isn’t serious, because it is, and is definitely all going to happen - whatever the coming years bring, it’s important to remember that we have to take the good with the bad, to look after ourselves and each other, and to enjoy each day as much as we possibly can, even during the bits of life that leave us feeling a little less Gangnam Style than we did way back in 2012. Thanks, everyone, for reading my blog. I’ll be back again in a week or so to talk absolute arse about something else. Until then, I hope you all had a great 2019, and have an even better start to 2020. Cheers!

[seungyoun-updates]

191004 Cho Seungyoun at 100th National Sports Festival‬ © woodz like do not edit, crop, or remove the watermark

[rabbitcruiser]

Canada Day

All those who celebrate Canada as their home and native land celebrate Canada Day on July 1st. The day commemorates the anniversary of the Constitution Act, which consolidated three territories into the single nation of Canada,  way back in 1867. That’s right — Canada celebrated its 150th birthday in 2017!

When is Canada Day 2022?

“O Canadaaa!” The country and all things Canada are celebrated on Canada Day on July 1.

History of Canada Day

Until 1982, Canada celebrated Dominion Day as their national holiday. The day was then renamed ‘Canada Day.’ The history of Canada isn’t splattered with a ton of wars and bloodshed, unlike many other countries. Throughout the mid-1800s, the possibility of unification between the British North American colonies was discussed. On July 1, 1867, the British Parliament brought the British North America Act into effect, leading to the creation of independent Canada. The territories within the dominion consisted of Upper and Lower Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick. Through this act, Canada was divided into Quebec and Ontario, allowing provisions for neighboring colonies to join in the future. This is how present-day Canada came into formation. The British North America Act served as the constitution for Canada until 1982.

Dominion Day was established in 1879 but wasn’t celebrated by many Canadians, as they still identified themselves as British citizens. This changed on the 50th anniversary of the confederation in 1917, when Dominion Day started becoming more popular. A bill was forwarded in 1946 to rename Dominion Day, but the passing of the bill was stalled due to disagreement in the House of Commons over what the new name should be.

In 1967, on the 100th anniversary of the nation’s creation, there was an increasing interest in Canadian patriotism, and celebrations really took off. Even before it became official, citizens would refer to the holiday as Canada Day, and the name was finally adopted in 1982.

Canada Day timeline

1867 Canadian Independence

Britain grants Canada its national independence.

1879 Dominion Day

A federal law makes July 1 a statutory holiday as the ‘anniversary of Confederation,’ later renamed ‘Dominion Day.’

October 27, 1982 It’s Official

Dominion Day officially becomes Canada Day.

2017 Canada turns 150!

The 150th Anniversary of Confederation is celebrated jubilantly.

Traditions of the day

Is it possible to have a patriotic celebration without a grand parade? We think not. Big and small parades are held in villages and cities all over Canada. Other traditions include wearing the national flag colors, having outdoor picnics, sporting events, festivals, and fireworks.

Canada Day FAQs

Why is Canada Day celebrated?

Canada Day commemorates the anniversary of Confederation in 1867 when the British North America Act was passed.  

How old is Canada this year 2020?

Canada turned 153 years old in 2020.

Is Canada Day like the Fourth of July?

Similar to how Americans celebrate the Fourth of July, Canada Day celebrates the country’s independence and its unity.

Canada Day Activities

Bust out the Canadian flag!

Whip up some Canadian delicacies

Get out to a Parade

No Canada Day celebration is complete without the Canadian flag, be it hung from a window, draped from the shoulders, or painted on the face!

Canadians love to celebrate Canada Day with traditional Canadian foods, whether it be Poutine, Baklava, or beaver tails (deep fried bread dough with cinnamon and chili).

Many Canadian cities will hold Canada Day parades, complete with fireworks, street food, and full marching bands. There's nothing more Canadian than getting out and celebrating with your neighbors.

5 Unbelievably Cool Facts About Canada

Canada has more lakes than you think

Canada has the world’s longest coastline

Canada has an abundance of trees.

Quebec produces the most maple syrup.

Canada can get as cold as Mars!

The stereotypical thing associated with Canada is maple syrup, but the country has more surface area covered with lakes compared to any other country in the world combined.

If one were to walk the entire length of the Canadian coastline at a pace of 12 miles per day, it will take 30 years.

Canada boasts 30% of the world’s boreal forest and 10% of the world’s total forests.

Quebec supplies almost two-thirds of the world’s maple syrup.

A temperature of -63℃ (-81.4℉) was recorded in the small village of Snag on Feb. 3, 1947 — that’s colder than the average temperature on the surface of Mars!

Why We Love Canada Day

It coincides with personal freedom

It's the perfect excuse for a cold one

It kicks off History Week

Canada Day roughly correlates to America's Independence Day — but many Canadians get the additional gift of personal freedom, as most leases in La Belle province expire on July 1st.

British Columbia alone guzzles 1.2 million—yes, million—liters of beer over Canada Day weekend (all purchased from official government run liquor stores, of course).

From 2013 onwards, Canada Day has marked the beginning of Canada History Week—which encourages citizens to learn more about their nation by visiting museums, monuments, and memorials.

Source

[lageografiademicamino]

100 years of Finland

Even though I left my country in hope to make a home for myself in somewhere else I am still inspired and fascinated by Finland’s character, history and beauty. Finland has been discussed widely this year because of our 100th anniversary of independence. Lonely Planet recently ranked Finland as the third best travel destination and the country gets credits for safety and education among others.

Below I’ve listed some destinations which I haven’t yet seen but would love to someday. Leaving out most of the capital Helsinki, charismatic and growing Tampere and snowy landscapes of Lapland (you’ll find your way there anyway), doesn’t mean I wouldn’t appreciate them but I just wanted to add here some less known attractions. They don’t come in any particular order.

YYTERI BEACH

When you think about the beach destinations or even warm travel destinations, Finland might not pop in your mind. However in the city of Pori, west coast of the country, there lays the longest beach (6km) of Finland and Nordic countries. The dune area stands out with its size in the whole of Europe.

KOLI NATIONAL PARK

There are 40 national parks in Finland situated in different parts of the country. Many of them which I’d like to visit. But to choose one I reperesent the one in North Carelia, near the city of Joensuu. Koli has a heavy cultural heritage background and despite of its beautiful landscapes its purpose is to protect the traditional agricultural heritage. This area in particular has been inspiration to famous Finnish artists such as Jean Sibelius and Eero Järnefelt.

OLD RAUMA

One of the Finnish Unesco World Heritage Sites (7 in total) Old Rauma is located in west coast of Finland. The wooden city center represents a typical nordic city with its buildings going back for 200 years. For the same atmosphere or a city scene, there’s also Old Porvoo which is somewhat smaller but still a worth a visit and probably easier to reach within one hour drive away from Helsinki.

ÅLAND

Åland islands are almost 7000 islands conisting archipelago at the Gulf of Bothnia. It’s an autonomous and the only monolingually Swedish-speaking region in the country. It has only one town, Mariehamn. This is a popular destination for cycling and boating but having been situated between Finland and Sweden it has also interesting historical sights regarding the two nations. We did a school trip here when I was twelwe years old but clearly I was too young to appreciate the oppurtunity.

OLAVINLINNA

Olaf’s Castle, built on an island, is one the several castles from Middle Ages in Finland. It’s located in the city of Savonlinna in the eastern part of the country. Today it’s the northernmost medieval stone standing being founded in the 15th century. The site is famous for hosting annually Opera Festival since 1912. The location is handy because you can add to your trip a visit in the lake Saimaa (the biggest lake in the country) and in the national parks near by. Similar destinations would be the Castle of Turku and Häme.

 PETÄJÄVESI CHURCH

Also one of the Finnish Unesco World Heritage Sites, is the old wooden church situated in Petäjävesi in the central part of the country. It’s a masterpiece of what comes to buildings made out of wood being built in the 18th century. It was forgotten for decades since the new church being built in the area but today the church is a popular site among tourists and weddings. Represents typical eastern Scandinavian but it has details containing gothic style also. We visited once here with my folks when I was a kid but the church was closed so couldn’t get inside. So still on my bucket list!

TURKU

Turku, the oldest city of Finland, founded on the 13th century on the southwest coast of the country. Once a capital during the Swedish era is a still significant center of growth in Finland. Praised as the official Christmas city and summer city with a great atmosphere and ferry connections to Stockholm and Åland islands. The former European Capital of Culture (2011) is a venue for several events for all sizes and tastes. Famous for its riverside, mediaval sites the church and the castle, also the achipelago is worth of a visit! Despite of all these merits I just haven’t got in to the Turku mode and haven’t seen its uniqueness besides the medieval attractions so Turku is definitely on my bucket list!

ISLANDS OF HELSINKI

Many tourists only see the most famous attractions such as the city center and Suomenlinna but the city has these great island destinations which I just adore! Some of them being opened pretty recently and offer get aways from the busy city life with their beaches, restaurants, charming cafes, sport facilities, nature and sea landscapes.

[x1updates]

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[chemicalperfume]

Sagiri Seina x Rika Masumi x Souno Haruto farewell talk (Kageki 2017.07)

Chigi’s last talk with the kumichou and fukukumichou of Snow Troupe. Equal parts heartwarming and heartwrenching. If you read, read until the end.

Special thanks to @zukadiary for being an overall champ and also helping beta it

Sagiri: Mito-san (Rika) and Niwa-san (Souno), you have always taken care of me since before I became Top Star, and now, be it on or off stage, I can lay everything bare to you, and you accept everything graciously. Your presence is huge to me, and I thought I’d like to take this opportunity to have one more discussion with the two representatives of Snow Troupe, so I requested you.

Rika & Souno: Thank you very much.

Rika: My connection with Chigi goes back to when I performed with Snow Troupe in “The Man in the Iron Mask” as a member of Senka.

Sagiri: Yes. Even though it was the first play we performed in together, Mito-san fixed d’Artagnan’s wig for me.

Rika: Yes indeed, and we’d also often be in close proximity to each other at standby, so we’d talk to each other in the left-side stage wings.

Sagiri: That’s how we came to talk to each other often. Since then, including Oscar’s wig in the national tour, you’ve helped me with anything and everything… even now you still fix things for me. *laughs*

Rika: *laughs* Back then, my impression of Chigi was that, she’s an otokoyaku and very diligent (about her work) yet sometimes kinda cute too.

Souno: You can’t take your eyes off her.

Rika: Yes. Because there’s the serious and hardworking side of her, and then moments when the “is this person alright?!” side pops up *laughs*. Even now, just when I think she’s being imposing, she shows us some very cute, almost never-before-seen sides of her.

Souno: It’s like an animal at the zoo. One moment it’s standing there gallantly, and the other it’s running around in the corner.

Rika: Yesyesyesyes.

All: *laugh*

Sagiri: Niwa-san, you’re 2 classes older, so of course I knew who you were but…

Souno: We’d never been acquainted. But there was one time, during your Cosmos Troupe era, when you were one of the Eight Charmantes[1] (Dancing for You), that I told you “I can’t hear your voice at all” and gave you some criticism. You looked delicate and I had the impression you’re a kid who would answer with “ah… I’m sorry…”, but instead it was this person, all skin and bones yet passionate and dripping sweat all over, who replied like “Yes! Excuse me!”. So when it was decided that kid would come to Snow Troupe, she was still a mystery to me.

Sagiri: Which one is the real me? That kind of thing? *laughs*

Souno: Yes *laughs* After you transferred over, I immediately realised that even though you do look delicate, you have some unexpected fire inside. Once, right after you’d scolded a junior, I happened to catch you apologizing to them and crying, holding a rubbish bin and tissues and going “I’m really sorry, I’m so inadequate…”; but I completely understood how you felt, and the fact that you were willing to show that side of yourself without hiding it made me think “she truly is a passionate person”.

Sagiri: Nah… What I remember the most after my transfer, is Niwa-san being my partner, I guess *laughs*  

Souno: We were paired up often, weren’t we *laughs* First off, in “The Dawn at Solferino”  I was the old man who helped wounded soldier Chigi sit up, right? and then in “Roget”, although I played a man who gets murdered by Chigi, our interaction had lines that were kinda like two lovers…

Sagiri: And in “Hyperbolic Chart” you played the professor who was also my teacher.

Souno: Oh right. Through that, we grew accustomed to each other, so much that I’d forget Chigi used to be in another troupe.

Sagiri: Later on, as my classmates and other otokoyaku close to my age left, I sought your advice on all sorts of things, the otokoyaku art included. We also moved to the managing room[2] backstage at the same time.

Souno: Chigi, Hime and I all went together into the managing room to greet Mito-san, like “please take care of u~s”. At that time Chigi’s top inauguration and my debut as fukukumichou also happened simultaneously.[3]

Rika: Yes. I can’t say Chigi changed drastically since becoming top, but with a stronger sense of responsibility than ever before, she started talking to us more, realising she needs to oversee not only her own surroundings, but also the entire troupe. I think that during the National Tour she led, before becoming Top Star, she developed a much stronger sense of responsibility.

Souno: She didn’t change suddenly, but rather the change happened naturally, with the flow of things. Your debut as Top Star was, amazingly, the 100th anniversary Great Sports Festival..

Sagiri: The Sports Festival really played a huge role. We were split into two shows, and since this was the first time everyone in the New Snow Troupe gathered together for an event, I felt everyone’s drive to win, and I really wanted us to get the trophy myself… In the end, we came in 4th, but I am content.

Rika: We gave it our all, fair and square, so it’s alright.

Sagiri: We all rehearsed together, and in the process of doing so became united as a troupe, so I think it was a very important event for us.

Souno: Yeah. Another thing is, Chigi absolutely never cuts corners even at the troupe party side shows[4]. When I told her, ready to do or die, that it’d be too much for her now so we should probably stop doing it, she replied “What? You’re quitting?”, like I was some kind of traitor *laughs*

Rika: She’s really enjoying the sideshow comedy. She’s preparing for the skits in the managing room.

Sagiri: But it’s fun. During rehearsals, I can see everyone (all the time), but during the performance run there are some people who I don’t get to see at all; so the root of this is probably my desire to make some time, even if it’s short, to communicate with everyone, and interact with everyone. If we don’t get to talk, it’ll just be over without us talking, but that feels sad.

Souno: While it might indeed be better just to do the plays/performances, wanting to communicate with each other like this is probably a characteristic of the entire Snow Troupe.

Sagiri: That’s right. We don’t have time in the morning, but after the show when we’re all relaxed, we tend to inadvertently hang around the dressing room.

Souno: That’s why Snow Troupe is haunted by a namahage[5].

Rika: When I tell everyone “It’s time to leave no~w. Go ho~me!”, everyone responds, “it’s the namahage!” *laughs*

Sagiri: You’re keeping us all in check. *laughs* That way, we have our own unique (disciplinary) rules, and we can enjoy ourselves while also doing everything properly. Mito-san has always scolded me too, since way back. When I’d lounge around the dressing room and stuff… Somehow, I’m the kind of person who gets caught even when I’m hurrying to avoid it.

Rika: You’re very conspicuous.

Souno: She’s keeping you in check right now *laughs*

Rika: You’re always sitting around in your stage makeup and you take forever to get in the bath.

Sagiri: *laughs* Even when you are being considerate not to say things when the situation might not call for them, you can put that aside and bluntly remind us when something is wrong it’s wrong no matter who does it; this makes us trust you and we can relax.

Souno: Chigi, do you keep anything in check yourself?

Sagiri: I keep Yuumi-chan (Sakihi) in check *laughs* Although there are times when she keeps me in check instead.

Souno: There really are times when Yuumi looks at Chigi with a “Mother at the Wharf”[6]-like expression.

Rika: Yuumi’s motherly instinct is always up and running.

Sagiri: When we’d just become a combi, I’d told her so many times that she comes off as motherly and she needs to stop *laughs* From there she became a younger sister character, and then an old man character who treats me like a grandkid.

Souno: Right. …….Eh!? What? *laughs*

All: *roaring laughter*

Sagiri: I thought we really can’t seem to forge a lovers’ or couple’s relationship after all, but before I realised, we’d found a good balance there.

Souno: It really is an extremely good balance. Hearing the two of you talk to each other, one can’t help but grin.

Rika: Even when Chigi is scolding Yuumi, one moment you hear her coldly lecturing her, and the next she says sheepishly, “you haven’t eaten anything, right? Here, food. Now, eat it.” The way she gives her the snack all curt and blunt.

Souno: “You don’t want it? If you don’t want it I’ll eat it myself!”

Sagiri: Even during our scolding banter, I can feel you two watching over us from an appropriate distance, and I am grateful for that.

Souno: ‘Cause sometimes we think you’re right in what you say.

Rika: And other times we can offer advice.

Sagiri: Both of you are always unwavering in your opinions, and that gives me peace of mind. Thanks to that, I feel like I can focus on the things I need to do...

Souno: After all, we want to do all we can so you can stand on stage at ease, Chigi. Now, it is evident that you pay a lot of attention to every last junior member; and I think the words you say affect everyone deeply. The fact that no one perceives these things as someone else’s problem, is because you’ve created such an atmosphere within the troupe.

Rika: Everyone loves this current atmosphere in Snow Troupe that Chigi has built, so we want it to pass on to the next era too. We see it as our mission to send you off on this last show, so you can graduate with no problems. But since enjoying it is the most important thing, it would be nice if we could make this a run where we laughed heartily every day and before we knew it, we reached the final performance.

Sagiri: Thank you very much. Mito-san, Niwa-san, and the rest of the senior members act with the good of the troupe in mind, and this feeling gets across/conveyed to the juniors, who, in turn, start working in their own way; this is a good cycle which I feel is creating this great atmosphere within Snow Troupe. I took advantage of the kindness of each and every person who keeps Snow Troupe together with their positivity and humor; and I am most grateful I was allowed to live every day with fulfillment, as a top star, as an otokoyaku, and as a simple person of the stage. It would be boring if Snow Troupe stayed dyed in the exact same colours, so I want the audience and the troupe members alike to enjoy this change, in a good way. I am looking forward to seeing a Snow Troupe that grows more and more beloved, and relying on everyone until the end *laughs*, I aim to graduate so I can say with my head held high that I, too, was part of this once. If I may say so myself… this is a good troupe.

Rika: There it is *laughs*

Souno: Yeah. I was vaguely aware of it, but no doubt, I agree. *laughs*

Sagiri: *laughs* I am truly happy to be a part of this Snow Troupe, a troupe that makes us feel this way. Please take care of me until the end!

Notes:

[1] Eight Charmantes: a classic number in Takarazuka revues where 8 up-and-coming otokoyaku dance and sing in leotards, with feathers on their backs and hips.

[2] In the Takarazuka theatres’ backstage there’s a huge dressing room with ~70 seats and mirrors in the same space, and a separate managing room (kanbu heya) used by the 4 most senior actresses of the troupe.

[3] With Sou Kazuho’s graduation show, 3 out of 4 actresses who were using the managing room at the time left (Sou herself, Asaki Yumemi and Misuzu Aki). Following that, Maisaki Rin, Souno Haruto and Sagiri Seina all moved into said room to replace them.

[4] enkai / troupe party side shows: comedic skits and numbers performed during private troupe parties held during a show’s run.

[5] namahage: Akita perfecture tradition. A kind of ogre that goes around houses looking to punish loafers who sit around idly. [wikipedia article]

[6] “Mother at the Wharf” (ganpeki no haha): Nickname given to Hashino Ise, a woman who stood every day, for 6 years, at the Maizuru wharf, waiting for her son to come back from the Soviet Union after WWII. (spoiler alert: he never did) Her story inspired a classic folk song, a movie and a tv series of the same name.

[fywheesa]

191004 100th Korean National Sports Festival © 그림스타 (do not edit, do not crop logo)

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191004 100th Korean National Sports Festival © Winter Star (do not edit)

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MAMAMOO and X1 to perform at the opening ceremony of the 100th Korea's National Sports Festival https://t.co/CXBqIF6sLz https://t.co/Qcvbd9QUId (via Twitter http://twitter.com/allkpop/status/1171520686864523265)