#2017 Japanese Nationals

[figureskatingcostumes]

Kaori Sakamoto performing in the 2017 Japanese Nationals gala.

(Source: sn_figure)

[rabbitcruiser]

On August 10, 1942, incarcerees arrived at the Minidoka War Relocation Center. The number of incarcerees reached 7,318 at its maximum population.

[rabidline]

Japanese Skaters' Favorite Shoma Uno Programs and Their Reasons

This was in the Figure Skating Team Japan Fan Book for the 2024-2025 season, which had Shoma on its cover along with both a pretty substantial Shoma interview and Stephane interview about Shoma.

For Shoma's retirement, the magazine made a special column to include the active Japanese skaters (and Satoko) messages to Shoma, as well as their favorite Shoma programs. A friend helped in sharing and translating just the favorite Shoma programs part:

Sota Yamamoto: I love so many programs. Loco is the best for me because it’s unique and cool. Turandot 2.0 (2017-2018), when I had a difficult season because of my injury, this program encouraged me. Stairway To Heaven... brushing his hair upward is so cool. Great Spirit and Dancing On My Own (2019 Nationals) He graduated from Grand Prix Tokai and struggled but he could be National champion. I was so moved and almost cried. I love Bolero. Gravity and Air On The G String, he could perform not only powerful but loss of strength and I could learn from him.

Yuma Kagiyama: I love so many programs. Loco is the best. I love Great Spirit so I chose Believer last season (2022-2024 SP). I watched and watched Great Spirit on YouTube and I can skate its step sequence.

Shun Sato: Of course I love Ladies in Lavender. And Great Spirit.

Kazuki Tomono: I love Legends (2015-2016) so much because it’s first SP as a senior skater. His image as a skater changed a lot and it was impressive.

Koshiro Shimada: I love Loco at Helsinki Worlds (2017) the best. And Everything Everywhere All At Once and Bolero. At first Shoma mentioned about Bolero, “It’s so difficult and I can’t.” Finally he could do great performance and win at Worlds (2022) and it was what Stephane wanted to see I think. I was so moved and I almost got goosebumps.

Kao Miura: I love Loco the best because the balance of powerful and sensitive movements is good. I love Bolero because he seems to reach his limits. Not only jumps but each movement were so great and the last he seems to collapse because he skates so hard. I love it so much.

Nozomu Yoshioka: I love 2019-2020 season Great Spirit and Dancing On My Own. Nobody skates for such a number like Great Spirit and it’s so exciting. I like a stop before step sequence and before 3A and it’s so cool program. He struggled first half of the season so I was so moved to see Dancing On My Own at (2019) Nationals.

Tatsuya Tsuboi: I love Turandot 1.0 the best. When I was novice skater I saw his senior debut GPF (2015) and he got a bronze medal. It was so impressive and I was so moved.

Kaori Sakamoto: I love Moonlight. This season he won 4CC title. Second year 4th place, third year 3rd place, fourth year 2nd place, and finally he got gold medal. He seemed very happy on the podium and both program and costume were great. Everything was perfect.

Mone Chiba: I love the last season’s SP, Everything Everywhere All At Once, because I love the atmosphere. His step sequence expresses powerfulness and gracefulness. It’s great program so I feel it too short.

Rinka Watanabe: I love Moonlight because I’d like to express like that. His skating is like a clear (not hazy) night and it’s great.

Rion Sumiyoshi: I love many programs. I love Air On The G String because I sometimes skate it for skating lessons. It’s a very simple music but he can tell a story and he can bring a joy to audience. His technique is great.

Mai Mihara: I love many programs and each has a charm. If I choose one program, I’ll choose Turandot 2.0. Especially cantilever is really great and I was so moved and I almost got goosebumps. Both skating and expression were great.

Hana Yoshida: I have two programs in my mind. If I choose one program, I’ll choose Bolero. I forget the name… small pattern…Great Spirit? I love the step sequence and I’d like to rewatch it.

Yuna Aoki: Turandot 2.0 is so impressive because I love princely costume and I feel his powerfulness from this program. I love it so much.

Wakaba Higuchi: I love Bolero and Turandot so much. I could see Bolero at ice shows many times and it’s impressive.

Satoko Miyahara: I love Bolero the best. Turandot 2.0 is impressive. I also love gala program Padam Padam and I always think it great.

Rino Matsuike: I love Bolero. I used to skate Moonlight, so It’s so special for me. When Mihoko-sensei choreographed this program, she said “When the music started, audience was so focused on his performance from the first moment. (He could bring audience to his world.) When I am training, I think “I’d like to perform like him.”

[jaeyunkisser]

🦢 . . . ENHYPEN EIGHTH MEMBER DR

─────୨ৎ─────

excuse me, has anyone seen the white rabbit? no? well i guess i can tell you about myself while we wait!

let’s go back to the beginning shall we? my name is rei but my full name is rei iris evermore. i was born in brisbane, australia on march 1, 2002! around the age of four my parents enrolled me in swimming lessons. growing up in australia i was naturally drawn to the water as my family would always go to the beach on days off, for vacations, or whenever we felt like it. swimming was almost an everyday thing for me no matter the season. when i was nine, i begged my parents to let me join my schools swim team and they agreed. this is when my dream of becoming an olympic swimmer began.

swimming wasn’t the only thing that sparked my interest while i was growing up though. i grew a love for baking, cooking, singing and dancing. my love for baking and cooking was mostly brought upon my father and my aunt sookie. for a short time i had a dream to become a chef but i realized it was just a hobby. singing and dancing really intrigued me from a young age as my parents were always playing music and dancing together. my siblings and i would put on concerts for my parents at least once a week so it’s no surprise that me and three of my siblings are involved in music somehow. one of my biggest inspirations surrounding music was taylor swift. i started writing songs about the age of nine, though they weren’t very good my parents alongside my siblings were my biggest supporters.

though swimming was my dream for many years i began to question if that was really my dream after watching bts perform at the ama’s in 2017. i was amazed by their performance and started getting into k-pop afterwards. i’d been enrolled at a dance studio since i was ten and i found myself learning more and more of my favorite groups choreographies than focusing on swimming. in early 2018, i decided to quit the swim team altogether because i wasn’t enjoying it anymore. i focused on school, singing lessons, and dancing for the whole next year and a half until i had my first audition.

in april of 2019, i auditioned for JYPE and waited for my callback for a months before getting anything back but by that time, august 2019, id already auditioned for bighit entertainment and decided to train under them instead. i packed my things and moved to seoul at the age of 17 which was quite nerve wracking. my parents and little sister stayed with me for the first week but since my parents both own businesses in brisbane so they had to get back home.

i trained from august 2019 until may 2020 and it was a unique experience to say the least but i made multiple friends through my trainee process which alleviated some of the stress. during late may i was told i would be working with seven other trainees to make the newest group and during this process we would be filmed for a documentary. on june 1st, i met the members and trained together until september 18th when our debuted was announced. we worked for a little over two months before we debuted on november 30th as ENHYPEN.

you know me as rei but what about REI of ENHYPEN?

known as the vocalist of the generation and the best songwriter and producer of 4th generation k-pop, i set the bar very high as do the other members. we aren’t grammy winners for sitting around! along with those titles i have many others such as the face of calvin klein, miu mius princess, brand collector, nations visual, fashion icon, and 1000 year idol.

besides being in the studio 24/7, my favorite thing to do is connect with the fans. i do this by going live often and speaking to the fans in the multiple languages i learned while growing up which include: english, korean, japanese, spanish, french, mandarin, auslan. i’ve always been intrigued with language and will probably learn more in the future! while it’s not often used because i usually call fans by our group fandom name, engene, fans that bias me have called themselves reinbows which i think is very cute and very ga— hmmm what happened there?? idk

i hope to be someone my fans can look up to and not only be proud of but inspired by as well. this is one of the many reasons my motto is “die with memories, not dreams.”

with a title like the nations visual, you know my visuals are like no other.

i love many things but my favorites would probably be…

songwriting, journaling, writing poetry, reading, listening to music, collecting vinyl, cds, and dvds, drawing, playing the guitar, baking, watching tv, spring, summer, ice cream, swimming, the color pink, organizing, shopping, posters, cats, squiggles (my guinea pig), mac & cheese, ramen, chocolate milk, makeup!!!!!

things come and go just like people but these people are my forever aka my family and friends plus my children (pets)!!!!!

lorelai evermore (mother) born 1980

lucas evermore (father) born 1979

tucker evermore (oldest brother) born 1997

rory evermore (oldest sister) born 1999

alexis evermore (older sister) born 2001

nicholas evermore (younger brother) born & adopted in 2002

hayley evermore (younger sister) born 2004

june evermore (youngest sister) born 2006

sookie st. james (aunt) born 1980

jackson belleville (uncle) born 1980

david belleville (cousin) born 2003

danny belleville (cousin) born 2005

emily gilmore (grandmother) born 1954

richard gilmore (grandfather) born 1955

tate mcrae (childhood best friend) born 2003

rivera quinn (best friend) born 2001

reverie voss (best friend) born 2002

z (best friend) born 2002

lily morrow (best friend) born 2002

yoon keeho (best friend) born 2002

lyevia park (best friend) born 2003

sabrina carpenter (best friend) born 1999

sunny evermore (male pitbull) born 2016

paul anka (male polish lowland sheepdog) born 2018

squiggles (female himalayan guinea pig) born 2020

layla (female border collie) born 2017

whatever souls are made of, his and mine are the same…introducing my lover!!!

jake sim, also known as sim jaeyun, was born on november 15, 2002 in seoul, south korea. (he’s also my princess but we don’t talk about that)

in january of 2012, our eyes locked on his front lawn as he and his family were moving into their new home which sat right next to mine. he looked up from the box of toys he was searching through and nervously smiled at me as my mom told me to introduce myself to him. we didn’t speak for long before my mom said we had to go back home to eat dinner but the next day at school, he entered my classroom and i raised my hand almost immediately when the teacher asked if any seats were available. i mostly spoke and he listened because of our language barrier, but by the end of the day, i knew we’d be best friends forever.

as the years went by and we became closer and closer, i noticed i’d developed feelings for him in 2017 and hid them to my best abilities cause what are you supposed to do when you have feeling for your best friend ever??? tell them??? no thanks im not ruining our friendship!!! jake realizes his feelings in july of 2019 and we go through a Rough patch of mutual pining from july 2019-june 2020 after he moves back to seoul to become a trainee but we get together on june 1st, 2020 and we’re together forever ^O^!!!!! our shipname is reiyun btw >_<

─────୨ৎ─────

🐇 OH, THERE HE IS! for now the basics will have to suffice unless you’d like to go down the rabbit hole with me…you ask, she tells aka enhypen dr posts & asks!

[the-jewel-catalogue]

Four Row Japanese Pearl Choker

In her book on Britain’s royal jewels, Leslie Field writes that the necklace was made “from pearls in [the Queen’s] collection.” The pearls were reportedly a gift from the Japanese government, possibly acquired during the 1970s, when she made a state visit to that nation. The necklace was constructed for her by Garrard.

A four-stranded pearl bracelet with a coordinating clasp was also made to accompany the four-stranded pearl choker necklace. Leslie Field speculates that the clasp of the necklace is large enough to accommodate an additional strand of pearls, should the Queen ever choose to make this a five-stranded choker, but it seems that both pieces were intended to be four-strand jewels.

The entire Japanese Pearl Suite was worn by someone else before the Queen ever debuted it in public. In November 1982, the Queen loaned the necklace and the bracelet to Diana, Princess of Wales, who wore both pieces for a dinner at Hampton Court Palace during a state visit from Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands.

Queen Elizabeth II would also later loan the suite to another member of the family: the current Princess of Wales. Kate wore the pearls for the first time in November 2017, when she was still Duchess of Cambridge, for the 70th wedding anniversary dinner for the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh at Windsor Castle.

The Princess of Wales notably wore the pieces to both Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth's funeral. Her most recent outing in the choker was in December 2024 for the arrival during the Qatar State Visit.

[en-eunhee]

─── 𝑾𝐇𝐎 𝓲𝘀 𝓢𝗛𝗘 ! ⠀𓈒 ◌⠀⠀ 𓍼 ⠀𝅅⠀

STAGE NAME : eunhee BIRTH NAME : kim eunhee NICKNAMES : kpop's all-rounder, fourth gen royal princess, standard of kpop, kitty, eun, sunshine BIRTHDAY : may 17, 2004 ZODIAC SIGN : gemini BIRTH PLACE : los angeles, california NATIONALITY : korean-american FAMILY : younger brother, mom , step-dad LANGUAGES SPOKEN : english (native), korean (native), japanese (82%), spanish (60%), chinese (40%)

𝑷𝐇𝐘𝓢𝓲𝐂𝑨𝐋 ֺ ✦۫   ִ 　·　　 ̮ ̮　

HEIGHT : 167cm (5'7'') BLOOD TYPE : A FACE CLAIM : seulgi from red velvet VOICE CLAIM : seulgi from red velvet DANCE CLAIM : seulgi from red velvet RAP CLAIM: chiquita from babymonster

𓂃𓆩⠀⠀ ⊹𓈒⠀ 𝓟𝐄𝐑𝓢𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝓲𝐓𝐘

MBTI : enfj MBTI TYPE : ENFJ personality type are often described as warm, outgoing, loyal, and sensitive. POSITIVE TRAITS : caring, social butterfly, enthusiastic, positive, open-minded, friendly, funny NEGATIVE TRAITS : too trusting, overwhelmed easily, pretty sensitive

୨୧ㅤִㅤׄ 𝓗𝓲𝐒𝐓𝑶𝑹𝓨 ⠀݃⠀ ✣ ⠀۪

STAGE NAME : eunhee AGENCY : SM ENTERTAINMENT (2017-2018) BE-LIFT ENTERTAINMENT (2018-NOW) GROUP : enhypen DEBUT DATE : 30 november 2020 POSITION(S) : lead vocalist, lead dancer INDIVIDUAL FANDOM : angels REPRESENTATIVE EMOJI : 🐱 OCCUPATION(S) : singer, dancer, model, composer, lyricist, producer TRAINING PERIOD : 4 years and 2 months SIGNATURE :

𝓣𝐑𝐈𝐕𝓲𝐀 𓈒 ♡  ۫ ۪ ⟡ ⌢  ꒱

eunhee participated in musical theater and dance in the u.s. from a young age, which gave her early exposure to performing on stage.

she taught herself how to play guitar as a teenager, often writing her own songs and performing them at small school events.

her parents divorced during her time in i-land, a difficult moment for her, but it pushed her to work even harder to achieve her dreams.

eunhee’s first acting gig was a cereal commercial when she was just 7 years old, and she still laughs about how she had to pretend to love raisins.

in i-land, eunhee was ranked second with 1,229,204 votes

eunhee is known for picking up new choreography faster than the other members, often becoming the "unofficial dance captain" during rehearsals.

eunhee is the second member of the group that has perfect pitch along side heeseung

BEHIND THE SCENES WITH EUNHEE

[beehunni62]

Fishskin Robes of the Ethnic Tungusic People of China and Russia

Oroch woman’s festive robe made of fish skin, leather, and decorative fur trimmings [image source].

Nivkh woman’s fish-skin festival coats (hukht), late 19th century. Cloth: fish skin, sinew (reindeer), cotton thread; appliqué and embroidery. Promised gift of Thomas Murray L2019.66.2, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minnesota, United States [image source].

Back view of a Nivkh woman’s robe [image source].

Front view of a Nivkh woman’s robe [image source].

Women’s clothing, collected from a Nivkh community in 1871, now in the National Museum of Denmark. Photo by Roberto Fortuna, courtesy Wikimedia Commons [image source].

The Hezhe people 赫哲族 (also known as Nanai 那乃) are one of the smallest recognized minority groups in China composed of around five thousand members. Most live in the Amur Basin, more specifically, around the Heilong 黑龙, Songhua 松花, and Wusuli 乌苏里 rivers. Their wet environment and diet, composed of almost exclusively fish, led them to develop impermeable clothing made out of fish skin. Since they are part of the Tungusic family, their clothing bears resemblance to that of other Tungusic people, including the Jurchen and Manchu.

They were nearly wiped out during the Imperial Japanese invasion of China but, slowly, their numbers have begun to recover. Due to mixing with other ethnic groups who introduced the Hezhen to cloth, the tradition of fish skin clothing is endangered but there are attempts of preserving this heritage.

Hezhen woman stitching together fish skins [image source].

Top to bottom left: You Wenfeng, 68, an ethnic Hezhen woman, poses with her fishskin clothes at her studio in Tongjiang, Heilongjiang province, China December 31, 2019. Picture taken December 31, 2019 by Aly Song for Reuters [image source].

Hezhen Fish skin craft workshop with Mrs. You Wen Fen in Tongjian, China. © Elisa Palomino and Joseph Boon [image source].

Hezhen woman showcasing her fishskin outfit [image source].

Hezhen fish skin jacket and pants, Hielongiang, China, mid 20th century. In the latter part of the 20th century only one or two families could still produce clothing like this made of joined pieces of fish skin, which makes even the later pieces extremely rare [image source].

Detail view of the stitching and material of a Hezhen fishskin jacket in the shape of a 大襟衣 dajinyi or dajin, contemporary. Ethnic Costume Museum of Beijing, China [image source].

Hezhen fishskin boots, contemporary. Ethnic Costume Museum of Beijing, China [image source].

Although Hezhen clothing is characterized by its practicality and ease of movement, it does not mean it’s devoid of complexity. Below are two examples of ornate female Hezhen fishskin robes. Although they may look like leather or cloth at first sight, they’re fully made of different fish skins stitched together. It shows an impressive technical command of the medium.

赫哲族鱼皮长袍 [Hezhen fishskin robe]. Taken July 13, 2017. © Huanokinhejo / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 [image source].

Image containing a set of Hezhen clothes including a woman’s fishskin robe [image source].

The Nivkh people of China and Russia also make clothing out of fish skin. Like the Hezhen, they also live in the Amur Basin but they are more concentrated on and nearby to Sakhalin Island in East Siberia.

Top to bottom left: Woman’s fish-skin festival coat (hukht) with detail views. Unknown Nivkh makers, late 19th century. Cloth: fish skin, sinew (reindeer), cotton thread; appliqué and embroidery. The John R. Van Derlip Fund and the Mary Griggs Burke Endowment Fund; purchase from the Thomas Murray Collection 2019.20.31 [image source].

Top to bottom right: detail view of the lower hem of the robe to the left after cleaning [image source].

Nivkh or Nanai fish skin boots from the collection of Musée du quai Branly -Jacques Chirac. © Marie-Lan Nguyen / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 [image source].

Detail view of the patterns at the back of a Hezhen robe [image source].

Read more:

[candypalace]

Translation: Heterodoxy Pamphlet. Music Writers Reflect on 20 Years of the GazettE, Part 1/6 (2002-2004)

Hello friends! As promised long long ago, I'm starting the Heterodoxy series where music writers reflect on their work with the band in the last 20 years. This might take some time since not all the texts are ready just yet, but I will do my best to finish them as quickly as I can. This is Part 1/6, hope you enjoy it!

scan credit: @rad-is-more

Text by Hiroko Yamamoto [1]

the GazettE was born in March 2002. The band was formed by Uruha and Reita, who were dear friends from elementary school, Ruki, who they crossed in the previous band (back when he was a drummer) and who later changed to vocals, and their first drummer, Yune, who also invited his buddy from a previous band, Aoi. Two months later, they played their first show at Meguro Rokumeikan, a live venue that can be described as a gateway to success for visual kei bands. Their first maxi single "Wakaremichi" has a melancholic, catchy melody and an impressive fast-paced sound. During the encore of their 20th anniversary live at Yoyogi National Gymnasium in March this year, Ruki looked back on the beginning of the band: "We are the GazettE, and 20 years ago we got together thinking this would be the last band of our lifetimes”. It was during those young days when the band was standing on the stage with recklessness and foolhardiness when such strong headbanging songs as “Kantou Dogeza Kumiai” and “Waifu” were created, yet they continue to stay popular to this day. The band's forward momentum is best represented by the time when they had to play “Kantou Dogeza Kumiai” over and over again because they didn’t have many original songs yet. While they were firing the audience up with their so-called "violent songs", they also had an amazing ability to write emotionally rich compositions with Showa-inspired melodies, such as "Juunanasai" (later included in the pamphlet with CD for their first Nippon Budokan concert). Everything in the GazettE of those early days, up to their make-up and costumes, was elusive and funny in a good way, as conveyed by "Sentimental na Onigokko", a song about bullying, which presents the listeners with a droll world view of a locked room.

The band’s first turning point came the following year. In 2003, when their first drummer left the band, Kai, with whom they had played together in session shows, quickly took his place. This made the current five members, and the band moved to a new office. It was Ruki who made a last-minute call to Kai, and the drummer had to join in right from the next day's show. From this point on the band’s rapid progress officially began. the GazettE of those times actively participated in organized taiban [2] events. They were even nicknamed “taiban killers”, as their heat-packed shows helped them steal away fans who had come to see other bands. In the next three months they released three consecutive four-track mini-albums, "COCKAYNE SOUP", "Akuyuukai" and "Spermargarita", which increased the number of their fans in geometrical progression. Incidentally, at the time they called themselves "Dai Nippon Itan Geisha Gazetto" [3]. The name derived from the thought of what the word “Visual Kei” would sound like if it was a Japanese word [4]. On their 15th anniversary in 2017, the band held a concept show at the Yoyogi National Stadium. On that stage today's the GazettE performed songs from the Dainippon Itan Geisha era, so hopefully fans who didn’t know their early days got to know them. The sense of unity between band and fans that rose steam from the live house, the "Jump to us!" screams, and the band's stage presence all developed during that exact period. Back in September of 2003, the band sold out a two-day one-man show at Takadanobaba AREA, and only four months later, in January 2004, their one-man show "JUDGMENT DAY" at SHIBUYA-AX was sold out. On the day of the show, the venue was overflowing with fans, and the venue’s doors were barely closing. The band was not informed that the tickets had been sold out until the day of the show, and how they were surprised by the scenery in front of them and the crowd’s enthusiasm almost seems funny today.

Particular about every aspect of their performances, videos, sets, playing their music live, even coming up with their own ideas for photoshoots and never stopping the work until they are satisfied – this is the GazettE. When I was covering them in a magazine for the first time, I felt that a band of an entirely new generation that took over from the royalty of Visual Kei (although there was no such term back in the day) had entered the scene. I remembered their down-to-earth attitude, in which the live show and the fans who attend it are the most important thing. I also remembered that young the GazettE had a simple goal of keeping the band going, rather than becoming a band that was listened to by a certain number of people. Come to think of it, that hasn’t changed a bit. Truly an ironclad band.

[1] Hiroko Yamamoto / Born in Tokyo. Impacted by glam and punk rock as well as blues in her college days, she started a band and spent her life immersed in music. After working for an entertainment editorial production, she became a freelance writer. She covered the GazettE for the free papers and visual-kei specific magazines like Neo Genesis. She was particularly impressed by the band’s stance with its emphasis on live performances and believing in their music and their fans without being influenced by trends or critical opinions. Currently writes columns on music, as well as films and doramas. (From the pamphlet’s credits)

[2] 対バン (taiban) - A live with several bands performing. Usually those are beginner bands that split the venue and equipment rent as well as other costs.

[3] 大日本異端芸者 (Dai Nippon Itan Geisha) can be translated as “Heretic people of art (professional performers) of the Great Japan”. We know Ruki never chooses names for anything without putting a lot of meaning into it, and I’d say there are many layers to this title as well. 

大日本 (Dai Nippon) initially referrs to the Japanese Empire (大日本帝國 Dai Nippon Teikoku, 1868–1947), which embraced the Meiji, Taishō and Shōwa eras in Japanese history, though nowadays it is considered a nationalistic way of referring to Japan. Dai Nippon expressed the overall aesthetics that the GazettE (then - Gazetto) was working with at the time: Japanese flags on the Wakaremichi cover, the silhouettes of children wearing Imperial Japan school uniforms on the COCKAYNE SOUP cover, lyrics (Oni no men) and the use of traditional melodies (Back Drop Junkie [Nancy]), their iconic indie photoshoots with lots of elements clearly inspired by Japanese culture and so on.

異端 (itan) means heresy. This word is also clearly important for the GazettE’s vision and positioning since we see it literally everywhere: in the fanclub name, 20th anniversary live name, merch etc. If we look up the meaning of the word “heresy”, we’ll see the following: “an opinion profoundly at odds with what is generally accepted”. Not only “being profoundly different” is a key principle of Visual Kei, it is also one of the grounds the GazettE exists and continues to work on.

Finally, 芸者 (geisha, “a person of art”) is a pretty well-known word internationally. While most people associate geisha with professional female performers, the Japanese word itself doesn’t have any gender markers, and the first geisha, which appeared around the first half of the 18th century, were actually male. At the same time, it might refer to the androgynous nature of Visual Kei.

[4] “Visual Kei”‎ is partially a gairaigo — a word that came from a foreign language. The question they asked themselves was “if the concept of v-kei had to be translated through the prism of Japanese culture and values, what would a Japanese word describing it sound like?” And the answer is, apparently, “heretic people of art”.

[livelybutterflyy]

the nowhere girls club members

MEMBERS : these 6 girls were all handpicked by ceo Lee Hyori , meaning all 6 are extremely talented. The two started picking the debut team in early 2017 and finalized it in late 2019. 

Manon Meret Bannerman ୨୧

Birth name : Meret Manon Bannerman

Age :  21

Birthday : June 26 2003

Nationality : Swiss

Idol Info  ꔫ

Positions :  Vocalist, dancer , center

Emoticon : Deer 

Instagram : meretmanon 

Trainee time: 1 year

Facts : 

Former instagram influencer

worked as a model

Huh Yunjin ୨୧

Birth name : Huh Yunjin 

English name : Jennifer Huh

Age : 21

Birthday : october 8 2003 

Nationality : Korean

Idol Info  ꔫ

Positions : Main vocalist

Emoticon : snake

Instagram : jenaissante 

Trainee time: 4 years

Facts : 

Former Pledis & SM trainee

Placed 1st on MIXNINE

Participated in Produce 48

Naoi Rei ୨୧

Birth name : Naoi rei

English name : Rachel Naoi

Age : 20

Birthday : february 3 2004 

Nationality : japanese

Idol Info  ꔫ

Positions : main rapper

Emoticon : chick

Instagram : reinyourheart

Trainee time: 3 years

Facts : 

she has her own variety show named 'follow rei'

Former starship trainee 

Kim Chaewon ୨୧

Birth name : Kim Chaewon

English name : Anna Kim

Age : 20 

Birthday : August 1st 2004

Nationality : Korean

Idol Info  ꔫ

Positions : lead vocalist, leader

Emoticon : tiger

Instagram: _chaechae_1

Trainee time: 3 years

Facts : 

Former woolim ent trainee

Participated in Produce 48

Youngest leader in kpop history

Moon Sooyoung ୨୧

Birth name :  Moon Seulbi 

English name : Jelly Moon

Age : 20

Birthday : october 8 2004 

Nationality : korean

Idol Info  ꔫ

Positions : main dancer, lead rapper, center

Emoticon : jellyfish

Instagram : girlonthemoon

Trainee time: ~4 years

Facts : 

Former JYP trainee

Former member of kids gg DEARLIE under JYP from 2013-2016

Sister of Moon daah (actress) & Moon Intak (P1harmony) & Cousin of ENHYPENS Jungwon

Participated in Sixteen , produce 101 & idol school

Skiendiel Megan ୨୧

Birth name :Skiendiel Meiyok Megan

English name : Megan Skiendiel

Age : 18

Birthday :February 10 2006

Nationality : american

Idol Info  ꔫ

Positions : lead dancer, vocalist, maknae

Emoticon : puppy

Instagram: meganskiendiel

Trainee time: 2 years   

Facts  : 

former model who has walked on many runways

former actress

[flagwars]

Second Place Flag Wars: Round 1

This tournament features the second place winners of every Flag Wars tournament I’ve held! So many amazing flags have made it to second place and have come so close to winning. This is why I’m giving all of these flags a second chance to win a tournament. Let me know in the comments which flag you want to win!

Round 1:

1. Aroace version of Gilbert (Gilbert, West Virginia Pride Flag Wars) vs. Bisexual People’s Flag of Milwaukee (Bisexual Fusion Flag Wars) vs. Wales (Dragon Flag Wars)

2. Inuvialuit (Native American and First Nations Flag Wars) vs. Lesbian Seychelles (National Pride Fusion Flag Wars) vs. Chuhuiv redesign by Горіхус (People’s Flag Wars 2)

3. Moscow, Russia (Olympic Flag Wars) vs. Rockville, Maryland (Maryland Flag Wars) vs. Commune of Revachol (Disco Elysium) (Video Game Flag Wars)

4. Rägavere Parish, Estonia (Historical Flag Wars) vs. The Federation Flag by The-Hill-Billy (Australia flag redesign) (People’s Flag Wars) vs. Pocatello, Idaho (2001-2017) (Worst Flag Wars)

5. Raseborg, Finland (Finland City Flag Wars) vs. Lesbian (Flag Wars) vs. Kyoto Prefecture (Japanese Prefecture Flag Wars)

6. Jewish Autonomous Oblast (Russian Federal Subject Flag Wars) vs. Amphibious Amigo by pinchemijita (Animal Crossing Flag Wars) vs. Byhalia, Mississippi (2023 New Flag Wars)

7. Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine (Regional Flag Wars) vs. Stráz pod Ralskem, Czechia (Sunflower Flag Wars) vs. Lesbian recolor of Salem (Salem-Verse Flag Wars)

8. Denobula (Star Trek Flag Wars) vs. Inverted Queer Chevron (Inverted Pride Flag Wars) vs. Bechlín, Czechia (2023 New Czech Flag Wars)

[monsteracademia]

yooooo love ur blog!!! thought i'd ask bc i didn't know if there was a way to search: do you have any recommended reading? definitely interested in theory, but also movies/shows/etc that have stood out to you/that you've had fun analyzing in your studies! basically....hi can i have Your Dream Syllabus Reading List

Well hi there! I'm glad you enjoy my blog.

I have my monster theory 101 reading list here in a post that goes into a bit more detail about why those particular readings. But there are definitely some other readings that I personally have really enjoyed and that have been really helpful to me. So here's a list of theory stuff that wasn't included in the 101 reading list;

Undead (A Zombie Oriented Ontology) by Jeffrey Jerome Cohen

Maternal Horror Film: Melodrama and Motherhood by Sarah Arnold

Birth Traumas: Parturition and Horror in "Rosemary's Baby" by Lucy Fischer

Monstrous imagination by Marie-Helene Huet

Ex(or)cising the spirit of Japan: Ringu, The Ring and the persistence of Japan by Nicholas Holm

Posthuman Teratology by Patricia MacCormack

Evil Children in Film and Literature by Karen J Renner

Well-Travelled Female Avengers: The Transcultural Potential of Japanese Ghosts by Elisabeth Scherer

The Birth of the Clinic and the Advent of Reproduction: Pregnancy, Pathology and the Medical Gaze in Modernity by J Shaw

There's probably a lot more but these are ones that I remember very clearly and that made a real lasting impression on me.

In terms of fiction texts that stand out to me for their monstrous potential or that I've had a lot of fun analysing in my work;

Ringu (1998) and The Ring (2002)

Splice (2009)

Interview with the Vampire (1994)

Let The Right One In (2008)

Brightburn (2019)

Sinister (2012)

The Exorcist (1973)

Resident Evil Biohazard (2017)

Prometheus (2012)

Alien Covenant (2017)

Alien Resurrection (1997)

Like all of the Alien Franchise really but those three in particular. Even if I'm still upset that Alien Romulus came out after the cut off date for texts for my thesis and my supervisor won't let me include it because it is a Masterpiece

Dead Space (especially the recent remake holy shit I love the idea of decay as an extant form of life)

Not technically a movie or a show or any form of traditional media but I highly enjoy and recommend The Mystery Fleshpit National Park also

[rabbitcruiser]

The Presidential Proclamation 2537 which required that Americans from Germany, Italy or Japan must register with the Department of Defense, was issued on January 14, 1942. Proclamation No. 2537 permitted the arrest, detention and internment of enemy aliens who violated restricted areas, such as ports, water treatment plants or even areas prone to brush fires, for the duration of the war. Roosevelt reluctantly signed Executive Order 9066, which sent many Japanese-American families into internment camps, on February 19, 1942.

Source

[snspice]

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ NA MINJUNG

　　　　ೃ⁀➷ NAMI is a member of south-korean fictional girl group SUGAR N' SPICE. she made her debut in the group on april 30th, 2024 under MYDOL ENTERTAINMENT after a previous member left the group to live a regular life. she has been in the public eye twice before, with her original experience coming from participating in the survival show IDOL SCHOOL, where she finished the show in 16th place. after the show she joined WM ENTERTAINMENT and then was sent on another survival show, PRODUCE 48. she finished this show ranked 11th and made her debut in the final temporary girl group, IZ*ONE, in 2018. after the group disbanded, she went back to training before the opportunity to redebut was given to her.

・❥・⠀ exploring the story of being a known but unknown face, never feeling like she fits in, found family, rough family life, constantly feeling inadequate, extreme jealousy, trying to overcome trauma, and wanting to show who she really is to the world.

　　　　˚ ༘♡ BASICS

ღ BIRTH NAME : 　 na minjung⠀ [ 나민중 ] ⠀ ღ ENGLISH NAME : 　 maddie na ღ STAGE NAME : 　 nami⠀ [ 나미 ] 

ღ DATE OF BIRTH : 　 january 16th, 2000 ღ ZODIAC SIGN : 　 capricorn ღ CHINESE ZODIAC SIGN : 　 dragon

ღ ETHNICITY : 　 korean ღ NATIONALITY : 　 korean ღ LANGUAGES : 　  korean [ fluent / mother tongue ] .  english [ fluent ] . japanese  [ conversational ]

ღ HEIGHT : 　 168 cm  |  5'5   ღ BLOOD TYPE : 　 O+ ღ MBTI : 　 ENFP-T

ღ FACE CLAIM : 　 huh yunjin  [ le sserafim ]

　　　　˚ ༘♡ PERSONAL LIFE

ღ BIRTHPLACE : 　 suwon, south korea  ღ HOMETOWN : 　suwon, south korea

ღ BIRTH FAMILY : 　 na soojung [ mother / 76' ] . choi jitae [ uncle + adoptive father / 79' ] . na yoojung [ aunt + adoptive mother / 80' ] . choi junghee [ cousin + adoptive sister / 04' ]

　　　　˚ ༘♡ CAREER

ღ PROFESSION : 　 idol .  model ღ COMPANY : 　 mydol entertainment  [ 2024 - present ] . wm entertainment [ 2017 - 2024 ] . off the record entertainment / axs  [ 2018 – 2021 ] ღ TRAINING PERIOD : 　 three years & two months  [ 2017 – 2018 , 2021 - 2024 ]

ღ GROUP : 　 sugar n' spice  [ 2024 – present ] . iz*one [ 2018 - 2021 ] ღ POSITION : 　 lead rapper .  lead vocalist . face of the group

ღ REPRESENTATIVE DESSERT : 　 cupcakes  ღ REPRESENTATIVE COLOR : 　 pear green [ #C4DE78 ] ღ REPRESENTATIVE EMOJIS : 　 🧁 / 💚

　　　　˚ ༘♡ SOCIAL MEDIA

ღ PUBLIC INSTAGRAM : 　 @ nanamimi

ღ PRIVATE INSTAGRAM : 　 @ jung___na

[boxboxblog]

Driver Profiles: Yuki Tsunoda

Updated December 2024

Name: Yuki Tsunoda

Age: 24

Nationality: Japanese

Years in F1: 4 (AlphaTauri/VCARB 2021-Present)

Number: 22

WDCs: N/A

Driving Style: One of the newest drivers on track, Tsunoda is known for his aggression, raw speed, and temper. He drives in an extremely modern way, compared to many of the older drivers who still drive with traces of more classic styles. He tends to pull bold overtakes and does a lot of late-braking maneuvers, and this allows him to be very assertive in wheel-to-wheel situations. On the negative side, Tsunoda's temper and aggression leads him make mistakes, and he has been criticized for his lack of consistency. This aggression also means he pushes the car very hard, and wears out his tires fast.

History:

Tsunoda was born to a racing family, with a father racing in the Gymkhana Car Competition in Japan. He grew up around the track, and started karting when he was 5 years old. In 2006 he won the series championship at the Nakai Inner Circuit, where he had watched his father race. He started professional carting in 2010, joining the JAF Junior Karting Championship, before moving to the regional class in 2013 (winning that series) and to the national class in 2014. In 2015 he placed second in the All Japan Karting Championship FS125 Class.

(Young Tsunoda in his karting days)

In 2016, Tsunoda graduated from Honda's Suzuka Circuit Racing School in the advanced formula class and became a member of the Honda Formula Dream Project. In the same year he made his single-seater debut in the F4 Japanese Championship  in a one-off event in Suzuka. At this race he earned his 1st podium. 2017 was when he started his first full season in the F4 Japanese Championship while also competing in the regional championship. He would go on to get 1st in the regional and 3rd in the national championship. 2018 Tsunoda would continue in Japanese F4, and win the championship with 7 race wins.

(Tsunonda in the F4 Japanese Championship series)

2018 Tsunoda would join the Red Bull Junior program after Honda became engine suppliers for the F1 team. He joined the FIA Formula 3 Championship that year, winning one race in Monza and achieving 9th in the standings. Tsunoda also competed in the Euroformula Open Championship during this time, and finished 4th in the standings. Early 2020 it was announced that Tsunoda would be moving up to Formula 2 for the 2020 season. Before that, he competed in the 2020 Toyota Racing Series and placed 4th.

(Tsunoda on top step of podium during F3, along with future RB teammate Liam Lawson, left)

His 2020 F2 debut was a relatively positive for a rookie, with some high points finishes and podiums, but also a few races where he scored very low. He finished his season in 3rd. During that season he test drove his first F1 car, for Toro Rosso/AlphaTauri. He would go on to be announced for the 2021 AlphaTauri lineup.

(Tsunoda during F2 days)

His first year at AlphaTauri was a mix between good and bad. While he had some fantastic results (highest being 4th) he also had some very poor ones, often finishing outside of points and being our paced by his teammate Pierre Gasly. However, he was near universally praised for his rookie season, with the F1 Technical Director calling it the best rookie season he had seen in a few. 2022, however, was a difficult year for Tsunoda, usually finishing outside of points position. His best finish was 10th, and this race ended a streak of zero points finishes. He was outpaced by his teammate once again, and would finish 17th in the championship

(Tsunoda and Gasly in their AlphaTauri's)

He would be retained by AlphaTauri for 2023, partnering Nyck de Vries (who would be replaced by Daniel Riccardo halfway), and would have another difficult year. He would score low points a handful of times throughout the season. the most positive moment for Tsunoda was in Abu Dhabi, where he led the race for a short time, his first lead ever. Unfortunately he would drop down to 8th, but still showed improvement.

In 2024 AlphaTauri rebranded to RB (often called VCARB) and Tsunoda was retained. He has had a more positive year, outpacing teammate Daniel Riccardo (who was replaced by Liam Lawson after the Singapore GP), but still regularly ends up outside of the points. In the 2024 Japanese GP he would happily finish in 10th, becoming the first Japanese driver since 2012 to score points on home soil. The most positive aspect of that year for Tsunoda is that his qualifying pace has been stellar, regularly making it into Q3. He finished the season 12th in the standings.

He is set to remain with RB for the 2025 season.

(Tsunoda with the 2024 VCARB car)

Major Races:

2021 Bahrain GP - His debut race in F1, he finished in 9th scoring some points for his team. He made some fantastic overtakes during the race, including a memorable last-lap one on Lance Stroll. It was an impressively confident race despite his inexperience.

2021 Abu Dhabi - His highest finish ever of 4th, he took advantage of the chaos, overtaking on his teammate to take the higher finish of the two AlphaTauri's.

2022 Emilia Romagna GP - One of his strongest race performances yet, he finished in 7th after multiple bold, yet crafty, overtakes. He showed his evolving race craft and willingness to push the limit in a lesser car.

2022 Spanish GP - While his finish was not fantastic (only 10th) he showed remarkably improved composure compared to previous races. This displayed how Tsunoda was evolving as a racer, and how he overcomes his main weakness to make his race craft better.

2024 Japanese GP - A happy race for Japan after Tsunoda became the first points scorer on home soil since 2012. While he did finish just inside the points (10th), it was a monumental day for Japanese fans and Tsunoda.

Cheers,

-B

[kim-areum]

╰┈➤ ENHYPEN (엔하이픈) is the final 8 members of the survival show I-LAND under BE:LIFT Lab, a subsidiary label under HYBE. The group consists of Heeseung, Jay, Jake, Sunghoon, Areum, Sunoo, Jungwon, and Ni-ki. They debuted on November 30th, 2020 with the mini album, “BORDER: DAY ONE“. The group made their Japanese debut on July 6th, 2021.

╰┈➤ Group Name Explanation: ENHYPEN is a mix of an en dash and a hyphen that connects different words to create new meaning, members of ENHYPEN will connect, discover each other, and grow together.

ENHYPEN Dorm Arrangements: Dorm 1: Heeseung, Jay, Sunghoon, & Ni-ki

Dorm 2: Jake, Sunoo, Areum, & Jungwon

All of the members have their own solo rooms

STAGE NAME: areum (아름) (a•room)

NAME: Kim areum (김아름)

BIRTHDAY: January 2 2003

ENGLISH NAME: Celestia

JAPNESE NAME: izumi (いずみ) (i•zoom•e)

POSITIONS: Face of the group, Visual, All Rounder

ZODIAC SIGN: Capricorn

CHINESE ZODIAC: Rat

REAL HEIGHT : 176 cm (5’9”)

OFFICIAL HEIGHT: 174 (5’8.5”)

WEIGHT: 51 kg

NATIONALITY : Japanese-Korean

MBTI: ISTJ (previous ESFJ)

EMOTICON: 🪼

FACTS:

Training period: 2016-2020

She ranked in 5th in the final episode of iland

Her microphone is pink

Her name areum means beauty

charming point: her 2 moles on her right cheek, voice, eyes (self-revised profile), nose, neck(?)

she is into archery 🏹

Habits: Sticking her tongue out, smiling with closed eyes, spacing out, side eyeing, flipping her hair, crossing her legs, touching her collarbones, touching her necklace (self-revised profile)

Aerum’s favorite color are pink and black

she has her own instagram and twitter @/areumdawo0 @/ENHYPEN_AREUM

According to Jungwon she is the most calm and easy going in the group and listens to him the most

she auditioned for JYP entertainment but she was rejected

she was scouted in SM in (2016-2017) while she was eating in a restaurant with her father

she left SM entertainment to be in bighit and trained there (2018-2019)

According to her members she’s the tallest girl they have ever met

Nicknames: pretty girl, princess, areumie, reumi, princess swan, mierum (Self-Revised profile)

Areum and jungwon met in SM (mentioned in ILAND)

she wrote Enhypen’s Blossom Blind Chaconne Le sserafim’s blue flame and swan song, impurities

Likes: sour candies, mint chocolate, sleeping, listening to music, Niki, enhypen, coffee cakes, skinship (Self-revised profile)

She helped Choreographed Le sserafim's smart and their song Still Monster

Dislikes: Mud, sasaengs, people who bash her members, messy tables, dusty floors (Self-revised profile)

She is close friends with IVE’s rei Le Sserafim Members BOYNEXTDOOR’s Jaehyun &Team’s Harua NMIXX’s sullyoon ZEROSBASEONE gyuvin and ricky TXT’s beomgyu ILLIT’s wonhee

She was chosen as #1 visual in iland a tie between her and sunghoon

Her role model is Twice’s Chaeyoung mentioned in ILAND

her favorite quote is “don’t let others bring you down with simple criticism, in the end it only benefits them”

FACE CLAIM: Nakyoung (triple s) and Karina (aespa) Bang Jeemin (Izna)

VOCAL CLAIM: jiwoo (RUN contestant ) Yunjin (Le sserafim)

DANCE CLAIM: sujung (ILAND 2 contestant)

RAP CLAIM: Chanelle (RUN contestant) and koko (ILAND 2 contestant )

border creds: @/saradika

[mizldrizl]

Some pieces of information -- mostly about Dong Sik and Joo Won -- I've learned from the scriptbook.

(Note: The content of the scriptbook might not be 100% same with the canon facts.)

- Dong Sik was born on May 30, 1981 at 7 AM in Manyang. Joo Won was born on August 13, 1994 at 7 AM in Seoul.

- Dong Sik is good at Taekwondo and boxing.

- Dong Sik started his military service in November, 2000, shortly after Yu Yeon went missing. He was still serving when his father died. Dong Sik received a special leave to arrange his funeral.

- Dong Sik started working as a police officer at Munju Station in November, 2007. He was transferred to RIU of Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in May, 2015 and worked there till October, 2017. He was on leave for the whole year of 2018 before he started working at Manyang Substation in January, 2019.

- Dong Sik killed Song Ji Oh, the murderer of Lee Sang Yeop, at the scene. He told this to the EMT and later in his report, but Nam Sang Bae got rid of the statement from the official documents and took the responsibility himself. As a punishment, Nam Sang Bae, who was soon to be promoted to be a Unit Leader, transferred from Seoul to Manyang and became the Chief of the substation.

- Joo Won's apartment is in Mapo-gu, Seoul. The room number is 2701, which means his place is on the 27th floor.

- Joo Won graduated from Westminster Under School and Eton College. He finished high school in Korea.

- Joo Won was exempted from military service as he got admitted to Korean National Police University. (He got into the university in 2013. For that year, the number of places was 120 and 7,641 people applied, which makes the admission rate approximately 1.57%.)

- Joo Won started working at Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in March, 2017. (Meaning, he and Dong Sik technically worked in the same building for about eight months.)

- Joo Won speaks Korean, English, Chinese and Japanese. He is also good at Judo and Kendo.

- Manyang Garden (만양가든) was a kalbi (갈비) restaurant.

- Chief Nam was alive when he was attacked in the junkyard, all the way to the port. In the trunk of Lee Chang Jin's car, he sang, almost whispered, the song to himself. "I feel lonely leaving without you, I feel so lonely... Don't cry, don't cry tonight..."