#LOOK AT MY TAPIRS BOY

[happytapir-art]

If you dream it you can achieve it.

[infectiouspiss]

look at my tapir boy

a mimir.

is he meant to be lying down

[ikemen-translations]

Mugenro & the Sleepless Butterfly: prologue 4/10

Warning: this game is +18 so if you are minor do not interact! English is not my native language and the translation was made with Google Translate and modified by me but I don't not know Japanese and English is not my first language so there may be errors.

This is a fanmade translation, please support cybird buying their stories, if we are lucky we will have this game in english.

Sweet scented flower boy: "What? Do you know her?"

Even though he was being given a piercing gaze, the young man simply narrowed his eyes.

Young man with a bold face: "Yeah. Probably."

Sweet scented flower boy: "Probably... what do you mean? If you're curious, why don't you chase after her?" 

Young man with a bold face: "Hmm? It's fine, we'll meet again soon." 

He speaks as the same time he heads out of the store, his helmet under his arm.

Young man with a bold face: "Then you too... see you tonight."

He got on his motorcycle parked near the store, put on his helmet, and the young man smiled fondly, as if reminiscing.

Young man with a bold face: "... She hasn't changed at all.

At 6pm, I successfully opened the cafe bar "Tapir".

MC: "Okay, let's do our best today too."

(To someday rebuild the coffee shop that belonged to my late grandparents...!)

The reason I work at a regular company during the day and as a store manager here at night is because of this "dream."

I'm currently renting this shop from the owner and I'm sacrificing sleep to learn the know-how.

MC: "--welcome"

As I was arranging the camellia roses I had just bought, my first customer arrived.

???: …

The chilly air and the cool eyes that are not turned towards me are the same as always.

I don't know how many times I have thought that perhaps the word "solitude" was created for this person.

MC: "I'll prepare the usual today as well."

Quiet customer: …

I called out to him, a regular customer, but as usual there was no reply.

He always orders a whiskey on the rocks here and spends his time without talking to anyone.

I don't know why he choses us, but I'm glad he thinks it's a comfortable place.

MC: "It's a nice, quiet night today."

Quiet customer: "………………That's right."

(Oh, that's unusual...)

When I get a reply to a casual tweet, I feel a little happy.

(Maybe I'll be lucky today)

I felt warm and fuzzy as we enjoyed another peaceful time together today.

And before I knew it, it was closing time.

While cleaning the store after the customers have left, I stop in front of the glass doors.

MC: “You did a great job today as well.”

I called out to myself in the glass door, but…

I looked more tired than yesterday.

MC:  Ah…

(Sigh... Leaving something at work... that's a serious lack of attention.)

Returning to the area around the station in the opposite direction from my house, I let my shoulders slump.

Contrary to my gloomy mood, the streets of Shibuya were bright and bustling, even after the date had changed.

(Hmm? This is...)

Previous / Next

[aishangotome]

Oiran IF Event: Reverse Mugenro - Onio Ryo Chapter 2

Chapter 1

♡———♡

(To think I'd be doing that with my first love...)

I was about to recall Ryo's sweet, lingering kisses, and I frantically shook my head from side to side.

Yumeka: W-work, work!

-

After finishing my daytime job and my work at 'Tapir', I used the employee incense, which is essential for humans, and came to the Mugenro as an oiran again tonight.

Ryo: Well then, let's have another "date" tonight.

Yumeka: Yes!

We smiled at each other and walked through the Mugenro, close like lovers.

This was all part of the plan to wander around the Mugenro without arousing suspicion.

Ryo: It's lively as ever, no matter when you come. As expected of the Mugenro.

Yumeka: It seems there are many Yokai who come here not just for a night of pleasure with oirans and male courtesans, but also to hold banquets.

Ryo: That's probably why information gathers here. ...It's hard for a lightweight drinker like me to get in.

Ryo: But I could mingle freely if I was on the serving side.

As we talked, we walked through the intricate Mugenro.

(Who is Ryo looking for...?)

Whenever I asked Ryo who he was looking for, he always evaded the question, so I never found out.

(A man? Ah, but women come to the Mugenro too...)

No matter how much I thought about it, of course, I couldn't come up with an answer.

(Ryo is a very secretive person. I really want to know more about him...)

When I looked up at his handsome profile, Ryo noticed my gaze and turned to me.

Ryo: ...What?

Yumeka: Um... no, it's nothing?

Ryo: For someone who says that, you've been staring at me the whole time.

(He noticed!?)

I hurriedly averted my eyes, but Ryo smiled and took my hand...

Ryo: This way.

Yumeka: Eh!?

We were pulled into the shadows beneath the staircase.

Yumeka: Ry-Ryo... ah...

My chin was lifted, and my heart pounded at the sight of his handsome face so close.

Ryo: Tell me what you were thinking. I'm curious.

Yumeka: I told you, it's nothing.

Ryo: Is that so?

Ryo smiled playfully, tilted his head, and gave me a pecking kiss.

Yumeka: Mmm...

Ryo: This mouth isn't being honest, is it?

My half-open mouth was gently pinched, and I stared at him, my ears burning red.

(Wow... this face.)

I almost forgot where I was, looking at Ryo's youthful, carefree smile, which made him look like a boy...

Yumeka: Ah... mmm...

With my mouth still pinched, his tongue darted between my lips.

Yumeka: Mmm... mmm...

My body, now accustomed to Ryo's kisses, reflexively accepted his tongue.

Ryo: That's the punishment for keeping secrets.

Yumeka: Mmm, come on...!

(He's the one with all the secrets...)

As I was swept away by his kisses, I couldn't help but think about him.

(If I told Ryo I wanted to know his secrets, he might stop coming here...)

The thought suddenly popped into my head, and a small pang of pain shot through my chest.

-

—Some time had passed since my relationship with Ryo began.

I was summoned to the Master's room.

(Am I going to get scolded? Did I do something wrong...?)

I tensed up at the feeling of nervousness.

Master: You don't have to be so tense. I just have a request for you, Yumeka.

Yumeka: A request?

Master: Yes. It seems you've only been attending to one butterfly lately, Yumeka.

Master: I'd like you to attend to other butterflies for the sake of the Mugenro.

Master: ...Although there haven't been many lately, there are other butterflies interested in humans.

Master: To be a bridge between Yokai and humans, after all.

Yumeka: Ah...

Master: Let me know when you've made your decision.

-

I walked down the hallway with heavy steps, the Master's words echoing in my head.

(I owe the Mugenro and the Master, and it's not right to only see Ryo... is it?)

(Besides, if we keep seeing each other, I'll only end up liking Ryo more and more...)

(I'll want to uncover his secrets. I'll want him to reciprocate my feelings... that's the worst.)

(Before that happens--)

Reaching my room, I took a small, deep breath and stepped inside.

There, waiting for me in the room, was Ryo.

Ryo: Welcome back. You were summoned? Was everything alright?

Yumeka: Yes. Everything's fine.

The warmth of his kindness made my heart ache, constricting my chest.

Unable to look Ryo in the eyes, I closed the door behind me.

Ryo: Yumeka?

(I have to tell him now...)

Yumeka: Ryo, I... this is sudden, but...

And then, I announced the end of our arrangement.

Yumeka: Tonight will be the last night we can be oiran and butterfly.

Ryo: ...........

Although I announced the end of our relationship, Ryo said nothing.

Yumeka: I'm sorry for the suddenness... the Master told me to start attending to other butterflies...

Yumeka: You've helped me a lot, Ryo, but I also owe a debt to the Mugenro.

Yumeka: ...Oh, don't worry about the person you're searching for. I'll secretly put in a good word with Gasha-kun for him to help.

Ryo: ........…Understood.

After a long silence, I heard Ryo's voice. His tone, lower than usual, made my eyes well up, though I hated to admit it.

(It's really over now...)

Still, as an oiran of the Mugenro, I forced back the tears that were threatening to spill.

Yumeka: That's good. Then I'll go consult with Gasha-kun right away...

The moment I tried to leave the room, my sleeve was tugged.

Ryo: Wait. Don't go anywhere.

Yumeka: Huh...?

When I turned around, Ryo was holding my sleeve, stopping me...

Ryo: I said I understood. But... I want to continue this relationship.

Yumeka: W-why?

Ryo: I didn't say I agreed, did I?

Yumeka: ............

There wasn't a hint of falsehood in Ryo's direct gaze, only strength.

His true feelings shook my heart, which I was desperately trying to suppress.

(Even though I know I have to end this...)

Ryo: Come on. Say something.

Words caught in my throat.

Forced to choose between leaving the room and ending our relationship, or staying in the room, I—

.

.

.

.

.

Premium Ending

If you��d like to support my translations, feel free to leave me a tip here or buy me a coffee through the "Leave a Tip" button on my navigation bar!

[elieowlsclownery]

Incomplete Draft of Tapir and Me Talk

I feel like I'm on the verge of reaching JJ burnout so before that happens I'm going to slow down my work involving this game. So no new overanalysis this week, it'll be done when it's done! When I am finished it'll definitely be posted on a Friday, the day with the most sparkle.

Until then here's what I had so far for discussion of The Dream-Eating Tapir and Me. I didn't get around to Neji's part because that was when the gears in my brain started to get jammed. I might slowly post more pieces here as I finish them instead of making you wait, but I don't want to make any promises because I don't know what my noggins gonna be like half the time.

Until then!

"The Dream-Eating Tapir and Me"

This feels like the "Man and the Sea" of Neji's work. It's short, short, very short but also I feel like I could talk about it even more than the play he's written for both newcomers' and summer combined. It's dense with implications and has room for many, many different interpretations, which is why it was a good script for the class to practice with.

Before we get to the variations lets look at the premise.

Tapirs Eat Bad Dreams

This is what's been Haunting me the most about this story. When Neji explained the premise, Soshiro questions it. Tapirs are supposed to eat bad dreams aren't they? And Neji...moves on without answering that.

In regards to the short short very short story I feel this was a very intentionally brushed aside, because it's one of the questions meant for the actors to answer. Me's dream is the most important thing in Me's life, but it also causes his girlfriend to lose her dream and leave him. Is this dream worth it? Was it worth costing her girlfriend's dream and them being together? Did Me care for his dream more than his girlfriend? Is Me better or worse off by holding onto his dream?

In regards to the story of Jack Jeanne as a whole though...dreams are what led Kisa to Univeil in the first place. Kisa didn't just dream of going to Univeil, Univeil is her dream. The reason she's working so desperately is to make sure she can continue staying in Univeil, continue living her dream. But this story about a dream being endangered by a Tapir who usually only eats bad dreams, a dream that cost the dreams of someone else and also costed them their love...It puts Kisa's dream into question. Is what Kisa's doing worth it? Is it worth the toll it could take on her and the people around her? Is it even a good dream to have?

What is Kisa willing to lose for the sake of this dream?

Just like how the actors in "The Tapir and Me" have to contend with Me's dream, Kisa's going to have to contend with what it means to carry this dream. In fact there's a scene later in the training camp that already shows how her dream takes a toll on her.

In a much simpler story none of this would be questioned. Dreams would be an unquestionable Good and should be followed at all cost. But here the concept of dreams, set in a place whose whole thing is giving students the freedom to follow their dreams, is being questioned. To really annoy my old art teacher, I'll just say I think that's neat.

Me and Tapir, "Boku to Baku"

I don't want to go "Well in the Japanese version...!!!" in these analysis because I want to base things on just what we got in the game, but since we still hear the voice-acting in Japanese I thought I'd get away with sneaking this in here.

When Neji talks about the characters Me and Tapir you'll hear him say, "Boku" and "Baku." Boku is a 1st person pronoun, so "Me." Baku is the Japanese word for both the mythical dream-eater and the animal tapir, so "Tapir." So in Japanese Tapir and Me sound much closer together. It also sounds a lot less like a mouthful than in English.

I find it interesting that none of the characters have names. And that while the Tapir is more gender-neutral as a Jeanne, Me is specifically a Jack who's dreams are questioned. This is a boys only drama school, and if you had your ears perked you may have noticed that Kisa started using "boku" for her role as Mukai last season. So by naming the Jack Me, the boy who plays them might have to contend with themselves and their dreams as I mentioned before. Me being about me, what a twist right.

Another interesting thing is that Neji specified the Tapir is specifically a gender-neutral Jeanne...still a Jeanne to Me's Jack, but whose gender isn't as important to the role...or maybe there's a reason why Neji didn't want the character who tries to eat Me's dream to only be a girl. The gender-neutral nature of the Tapir gives the actors play them room to interpret who the Tapir is in different ways.

The Girlfriend

In this short short very short play there's only two roles, the Tapir and Me...but actually there's three characters. Me, Tapir and the Girlfriend. The Girlfriend is spoken to by Me, and mentioned by the Tapir, but is never shown, and the only words she has are in the letter she left behind. Her conversation with Me begins the play, and the letter she leaves behind ends it. It's a critical role without anyone to play it. So the actors who play the other two roles need to fill this gap somehow.

Her letter is about her dream of becoming a wife, a mother, ect...There's a couple of ways to interpret this. One is that these dreams are very "normal" compared to Me's. They're simple, mundane dreams, but that doesn't make them any less important to Me's. They're the dreams she had to set aside for Me's and losing those dreams are what caused her to leave.

Another is...they're very heteronormative dreams for a female character to have. That's why I put "normal" in quotations. It's "normal" for girls to dream about getting married and motherhood. Part of this I think is that all of the Girlfriend's dreams require Me to be involved. In order for them to work she needs Me to participate in them, to share these dreams. But so long as Me continues to pursue his own dreams, hers were always going to be on the back burner. Even if Me's dreams come true that would only mean less time to be with her. Her losing these dreams are the direct result of Me.

This makes it so everything goes back to Me. Even when it's about the Girlfriend, it's about Me. Maybe in a short short play instead of a short short very short play we'd find more to discover about the Girlfriend, why she initially loved and supported Me, and what caused her to give up her dreams. Maybe giving up her dreams meant she simply thought those dreams weren't for her. Maybe she'll find new dreams. Like going to theater school disguised as a boy or whatever else girls do nowadays I don't know.

Variation Time!

So why does the Tapir wants to eat Me's dream? Who is Tapir and who is Me? And what is the Girlfriend's place in this? The stuff I pondered above are what the actors will grapple during the play, and each person has different answers.

Incidentally the variations line up with what routes Kisa might take, and the answers the different love interests come to and how they go about their role can foreshadow things that'll happen in their route. The bones are the same in that the routes all have the same plays, but the focus and tone changes for each person in the lead. But for now let's actually dig into what versions of this short short very short story we see.

Suzu and Soshiro

If Kisa thinks she wants to be a Jeanne, Neji will read her mind and pair her with Suzu. She'll be the Tapir and Suzu will be Me. When paired one of the Quartz students will comment how Suzu and Kisa really stand out, which Soshiro notably goes quiet.

Suzu's Me is full of hope and determination. He never doubted his dreams or his ability to make them come true. In his mind dreams are unquestionably good. Suzu's a simple guy, and if this story ended with just the tapir disappearing Suzu would make this a much brighter, simpler story.

But it doesn't end there. It ends with the girlfriends letter about losing her dreams in the process of supporting his. This devastates Suzu's Me. Because for Suzu the girlfriend was the reason why Me stayed hopeful. It was her support that gave him strength. So what'll happen now when the girlfriend's gone? Will Me still have the strength to continue his dream without her? Suzu doesn't have an answer to that.

Then the pairs are shuffled, and Kisa's paired with Soshiro. Soshiro's Me is immediately different from Suzu's. He's hesitant and uncomfortable. When he's telling his girlfriend not to worry and that his dreams are near, it's not because he believes in those dreams, but because he wants to comfort his girlfriend. Suzu's Me is shown to be supported by his girlfriend, but Soshiro's Me wants to be the one who supports his girlfriend. But he can't, not when he's already given up on his dream.

That's why when Soshiro's Me finds the letter, he's not surprised. In fact...he's relieved. Maybe he dreaded this scenario, repeating it over and over in his head, that when it finally happens its not as painfully. The worst has happened, and it's over. He no longer has to cling to that terrible hope. The tapir in this version does eat a bad dream. Because in this version Me's dream became a nightmare.

His girlfriend will be happier without him, and he can finally be free to let go of his dream. Me is smiling, but there's even less hope here than in Suzu's.

Speaking of Suzu this is the first time we really see Soshiro's acting. It's subtler than Suzu's, but is also more in-depth. There's more layers to Soshiro's, and Suzu is drawn to this more complex version of me, feeling like his Me is phony in comparison. We've already started to see Soshiro's envy of Suzu and how he and Kisa are good partners, but this is the first time we see this mixture of envy and admiration isn't just one-sided.

Still, Fumi makes sure to tell Suzu there's no "right" version of Me. And Kisa doesn't show a preference for one Me over the other, instead is just fascinated by how different the same story could be. Both Suzu and Soshiro like Kisa's Tapir a lot too.

Mitsuki and Fumi

If Kisa thinks she wants to be a Jack Neji will once again read her mind and partner her with Mitsuki. She'll be Me and Mitsuki will be the Tapir. While rehearsing Mitsuki ponders what the Tapir really is, and he and Kisa come to the conclusion that it could be Me himself. That's why the Tapir knows all his fears and doubts. Mitsuki's surprised he bothered to think about his role in such a way, since usually he just waits to be directed.

Mitsuki's Tapir is sharp and to-the-point. Their words are believable because nothing they say is overstated, like they're simply stating facts. It's leaves Kisa's Me without any room to argue against the Tapir.

Then the pairs are shuffled, and Kisa gets paired with Fumi. Like with Suzu and Soshiro, the difference is immediate from Fumi's first words. Then the Tapir laughs. Kisa freezes, which happens when people act with Fumi unprepared. This Tapir isn't Me, they're something entirely different. Fumi's Tapir is haunting, cruel and beautiful, and their words wrap around Me like a vice. But when Me finally declares his dreams are everything to him, the Tapir's viciousness vanishes. Instead they look sad before departing.

This Tapir wasn't a manifestation of Me's doubts, they were a manifestation of the Girlfriend's sadness. It paints the Girlfriends letter in the end differently. Even without a role, this Tapir gave The Girlfriend a voice to express her feelings before the end. And it makes me wonder; Kisa's Me couldn't fathom what the Tapir was until the end...did he ever really know his Girlfriend?

This version has so much intrigue and emotion...and was also completely adlibbed by Fumi. Because it turns out before the shuffle his Tapir was actually the same as Mitsuki's! He changed it up on the fly to make things more interesting. Mitsuki caught onto this quickly, showing off his observation skills. Fumi's ability to recreate such an intuging Tapir also gives us another glimpse at how powerful an actor Fumi is.

Kisa thanks both of her talented upperclassman, which Fumi happily accepts while Mitsuki brushes it off thinking he didn't do much. Could Mitsuki feel a little bashful at being complimented hmmm....???

[damonikelly]

July 9th-Taipei Zoo

Yesterday has got to have been my favorite day of the entire trip thus far. That’s because my classmates and I got to visit the Taipei Zoo! My mom actually came to visit me and Justin in Taiwan for a week before the program started. While she was here, we really wanted to take her to the zoo because that is one of her favorite things, but sadly the zoo was closed for maintenance for the duration of her stay.  We took her to Capybara Paradise in the south of Taiwan instead, and that ended up being pretty fun, but I still really looked forward to going to the zoo during class because I love the zoo just as much as my mom does!

We took the bus to the zoo, and it was a gloomy, rainy day. It was saddening at first that the sun wouldn’t be out, but after awhile, I realized that the conditions were perfect for viewing the animals! Because the sun was away, it wasn’t too, hot so most of the animals we saw were not hiding and were pretty lively!

I really enjoyed looking at the night monkeys in the rainforest section of the zoo because they kept trying to get closer to the glass to look at me! I also liked seeing the tapir and I had no idea they were so big! We had to leave the zoo after awhile to continue class, but Justin and I came back later in the day so that we could see all of the animals in the zoo!

We headed to Shenkeng Old Street afterwards which is known for their stinky tofu! Of course, I wasn’t ecstatic since everyone knows at this point that I cannot stand the smell of it! When we got there, I immediately started breathing through my mouth to avoid the odors, and Justin would occasionally give me the clear to breath through my mouth.

We ducked into this place selling wood crafts, kind of similar to the one where we bought our roll out fans from. We weren’t really looking for anything in particular and we were mostly killing time, but boy am I glad we went in. They had swords! They were all so cool and reasonably priced! I couldn’t decide which one that I wanted, but I put a pin in the location so that I can come back and buy one at the end of the trip! Going in that place totally made up for the fact that I was surrounded on all sides by stinky tofu! We decided to keep walking so that Justin could get something to nibble on. He eventually settled on spicy stinky tofu. I grabbed winter melon tea, quail eggs, and a Taiwanese sausage for myself.

While Justin was eating the stinky tofu, far away from me of course, he said that it was actually really good. As I’ve said before, I trust his tastes, so I creeped a little closer to smell it. The spiciness had definitely dulled the smell some although I still didn’t like its odor. It happened fast. I leaned in and I ate a piece of stinky tofu. I said I wouldn’t do it, but I finally did. I hated it! And of course, no one took a picture for my extra credit, so I had to eat another piece so that my feat was officially documented! I found the texture to be no different from regular tofu, but it tasted just like it smelled, disgusting. 0/10 would not recommend, nor try again! I do admit that it could have been worse though. No matter, I used my Taiwanese sausage as a chaser so the nasty stinky tofu flavor wouldn’t linger in my mouth. Ye Laoshi was really happy and proud that I tried stinky tofu even though I didn’t like it, so I guess the experience was worth it!

After the old street, we all went to a tofu making class! The process wasn’t too difficult. We heated the soy milk until it reached 80 degrees Celsius. Then after it reached the right temperature, we poured in this mixture of water and some mystery powder, and turned the heat off. We stirred the pot some and then let it sit for ten minutes. After the time was up, we ladled the soy mixture into the tofu mold. It took all five of the people in my group to collectively press down on the tofu in the mold to get it all nice and firm! After the tofu was complete, it looked like a waffle and it tasted wonderful, 8/10!

That class officially concluded our instructional time for the day, and that is when Justin and I went back to the zoo! We saw penguins, pumas, snakes, elephants, hippos, giraffes, zebras, and camels on our second trip, and I am really glad we made the decision to go back! Justin and I took the MRT back to Nanxing Fuxing, grabbed some 10/10 crispy milk donuts from the station, revisited the Taiwanese restaurant near the hotel for some dinner, and thus concluded a really eventful day!

Academic Reflection

Yesterday’s reading was about night markets and the importance of them to promoting not just the Taiwanese economy but promoting Taiwanese culture among foreigners. I know that night markets are an integral role in Taiwan because before I arrived, I looked for many different activities that were must tries for the trip. It didn’t matter if it was Google, Youtube, Reddit, or TikTok! Every platform praised the night markets for its delectable food and impeccable vibes.

I have gone to many different night markets in Taiwan, some of them multiple times. To name them, I have gone to the Shilin, Raohe, Ningxia, Shida, and Ximending night markets. Like the reading stated, each night market shows off its location’s specific culture often times by specializing in different foods. Raohe for example, had long lines for pepper buns. Ningxia on the other hand had the best beef skewers I’ve had. Ximending, however, reeks of the many stalls selling stinky tofu haha!

The reading mentioned some of Taiwan’s most notable street foods. It listed oyster omelets, stinky tofu, gua bao, bubble milk tea, scallion pancakes, grilled squid and fried chicken cutlet. After I tasted stinky tofu yesterday, I am proud to say that I have tasted every single one of these different foods. It means a lot to me that I have not just touristed in Taiwan, but by trying all of these different foods, I really feel like I have learned a lot about Taiwanese people’s tastes, and feel like I have achieved a level of emersion in Taiwanese culture.

[animehouse-moe]

Suruga-Ya Art Book Haul

It's crazy. I made this order Friday night, and it's at my doorstep Wednesday afternoon. And I didn't even pay for shipping thanks to the campaign that Suruga-ya was running. The average cost of a book here is under 10CAD, all said and done, so I really can't recommend giving it a shot if you're looking for art books.

Anyways, these are the ones I grabbed, and I'd love to take a walk through each of them and why I got them.

Prince Universe - Mutsumi Inomata

This is the first, and oldest art book in the haul, and that age and position comes with reason. Inomata is an insanely tenured animator, dating all the way back into the end of the 70s. They've worked on series like City Hunter, Saint Seiya, Maison Ikkoku, and many many others. One of the best things about the art book is the age of the style, and not in a bad way. No, these drawings have aged like fine wine over the years and are very beautiful.

Hydrogen - Tsuruta Kenji

Need I really say anything? It's Tsuruta Kenji, incredible art and a healthy side of nudity are present in everything they do. Really though, I think what I like most about Hydrogen is its range, opening with a short manga and ending with a large amount of black & white line art. Though who am I kidding, his works that are done in color are still incredible, and there's something that I just love about his character designs.

Boogiepop And Others - Koji Ogata

Despite its relative popularity for the era, Boogiepop isn't something that really ends up talked about all that much. But I'm a big fan of it and its style/designs, so I had to pick up the art book from the illustrator for the light novels.

Nostalgia - Tsukiji Nao

Admittedly, I'd not heard of Nao before finding this art book. But I saw the cover and knew I wanted it, and now I'm in the middle of reading Adekan as its got me in its grips, and for good reason. Nao's art is incredibly beautiful, and I'd say the "best" out of this batch of art books.

Mix Noise - Misaki Saitou

Saitou is just a damn good artist. Their style presents a discernable age, and a very palpable edge that I just can't get enough of. They're not on the level of Nao, but it's a style of art that I could look at all day long. Side note, the art for the second was for the cover of a manga. Yeah, imagine seeing art like that on a manga. I'd immediately pick it up.

Okamarble -Okama

Despite my excitement and interest in the artist, I don't know if I'm the biggest fan of this art book. Okama is known for having storyboarded some pieces of the stunning Kubikiri Cycle ONA as well as doing some art for Arakawa Under The Bridge and even character designs for some other SHAFT series. I do think their art is pretty, I'm just not a fan of the more erotic nature of the book at large (which delves into full on nudity towards the end). So yeah, I don't think this is an art book for people that aren't die hard Kubikiri Cycle/SHAFT fans, but the art within is still really good.

Step2 - Hisashi Eguchi

Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely a fan of Hisashi Eguchi. I love their design sense, and am a massive sucker for their color design and style of shading/lighting. Buttttttt I got this art book because of the Sonny Boy art in it. I know, sue me, but this is just about the only art book out there that has Sonny Boy art in it from a staff member on the anime.

World of The Tapir - Shizuku

In a world where it feels like there's a near unlimited amount of great artists, how do you separate yourself? Well, what separates them for me is color design. Having fresh and unique art that plays on color and provides a strong sense of individuality is a surefire way to get my attention like World of The Tapir did. Not that the art itself isn't pretty, but the color design is what really singled it out for me.

Kaleidoscope - Keiko Takemiya

Being a part of the Year 24 group is introduction enough, I feel. But I'll keep going. Being a pioneer not of just shoujo manga, but manga in general, Takemiya has a pretty impressive bit of history behind her, which this book details. Not so much "art book" as it is "visual memoir", it's a very interesting piece that I'll be slowly digesting over time alongside it's timelessly pretty art.

1017 - Toinana

I...don't have anything to write for this art book. Toinana is an illustrator that I found on pixiv and so I stumbled across this art book. I love their character designs for how busy and creative they are, but I don't really have any sort of history to explain with them because I don't know too much, really.

Asai Genji / Kusanaga Rin Artworks

I've been a fan of Kusanaga Rin's artwork in The Faraway Paladin since I first laid eyes on the covers for the series, so imagine my surprise when I found out they had a penname. Even further, imagine my excitement in finding out they've done art for Fate (among plenty of other video games). If you want art closer to the video game side of JP culture then I can definitely recommend this one.

And so finally that's the end of the list. There's a lot of art for me to enjoy in these books, so I'll certainly be taking my time with them. But not too sow though, have to make sure I've got a clean slate for the next time suruga-ya has a free shipping sale. Seriously, even with the minor price differences between the JP and global website, the free shipping makes books like these a steal. Absolutely love art within books that are in outstanding or even borderline amazing condition, there's not really a way you could go wrong if you're looking for this stuff.

Also, for those that have read this far and want just a little more (literally a single image more per art book) I will have a video up on my TikTok account (yes I caved and made one, largely for art books) tomorrow morning EST, so feel free to check it out.

[confetti-cat]

Hi hi! I've never played an ask game before; is there a limit to the number of asks you can send? I'd like to know these: 10, 15, 16, 20, 21. Thank you!

Hello and welcome! I'm honored to be a part of your first ask game! Nope, I've never heard that there's a limit—Tumblr etiquette would suggest that anywhere from 1-6 is a good range so the post doesn't get too long, but that's totally up to the asker. Thanks for sending! 💖

10. name a song with impeccable vibes.

I already used My Love Has Gone Across the Sea for my recommended instrumental track, but I love it a lot and will use it here too. It has some awesome fantasy/"love creates joy amidst sadness" vibes that I think are really cool. Another one—that I'm thinking of after answering the last set of asks—that has absolutely fantastic vibes is the Mithril Disco Phial music from LEGO Lord of the Rings. It's the music that plays when you use the mithril disco phial, the best video game item ever created. It makes everyone around your character dance so hard they can't attack you. 10/10, super great.

15. tell me about a childhood memory you’ll never forget.

When I was younger, my family traveled to Central America and was considering moving there. (We didn't end up doing so, but it was a very cool experience!) While we were there, we visited a small zoo. The regulations for having a zoo there seemed less stringent than they are here in the US—i.e., most of the animals were just in enclosures with one layer of regular wire fence. I saw a tapir browsing for leaves near the front of its pen, so I walked over, crouched down, and held out my hand to see if it would sniff it through the fence. It actually walked up to me, put its huge tapir elephant nose through the fence, and licked my hand a few times. I thought that was so cool.

16. what is the first “big kid book” aka chapter book, that you remember reading after learning how to read?

Answered previously! Another early one I remember was the Henry and Mudge books, about a boy and his mastiff. There was one about "a happy cat that was always purring, whose fur looked like mashed prunes" that stuck with me for how striking that imagery was. 😂

20. if you had to pick a country to live in outside of your own, which would it be?

I've always thought it would be super cool to live in Iceland or New Zealand—they're both beautiful places in environments I haven't experienced before. Pros of Iceland include: volcanoes, glaciers, and the possibility of riding an Icelandic horse at a tölt (a special gait) - pros of New Zealand includes general beautiful farmland, being slightly less rugged, and, of course, Hobbiton! (And at least two mutuals! As opposed to Iceland, which I don't think I know anyone from.) Also up there are Ireland or Israel. Travel has never been something I felt drawn to do much, but I'd like to visit those places at least for a while!

21. tell me about your pet(s)! (if you have one of course. can also be a past pet, or family pet.)

I have two sweet, fluffy Ragdoll cats, many assorted chickens, and a few dairy cows! I've always loved animals and enjoy living on a farm.

[tsyllaes]

This is almost entirely unchanged from the original, I've just gone over them all with watercolour to fit the rest of my wildlife fact file pics. I will therefore copy-pasta all the text from last time.

Makakis came about because screw horses. Horses are way too finicky. Horsey people are very knowledgeable about horses; I couldn't give a shit about horses. I give up trying to make my horses realistic.

Also, on a side note after seeing a bandicoot digging at Mum's lawn yesterday, I had the idea that most mammals in Tsyllaes should really be marsupials, what with it being based pretty heavily on Australia and all.

I decided to try combining these ideas, starting with real marsupials, the extinct megafauna. Honestly the only one big enough to ride is the giant wombat, which absolutely bloody exist in Tsyllaes now, but not overly convenient as a steed. I looked then at extinct mammals to see if anything else might be useful, and came across the macrauchenia, some weird South American creature which was its own evolutionary branch, unrelated to anything else that currently exists. The closest they've got is the tapir/horse/elephant branch. PERFECT. Also I can find virtually no info about this thing.

The common makaki is the one people think of whenever they think of a makaki. In keeping with their not-horse origins, their patterning is generally anything that a horse can be, as well as in keeping with their being marsupials, anything marsupials can be. They're about 2m tall at the shoulder, so significantly bigger than horses, but they're also very chill with sitting, most often lounging like kangaroos. I wanted to draw one lounging here but I needed to show the heights, so I'll do that when I eventually draw the Own's makakis. They have three toes on each foot, which makes them more agile and gives them stronger ankles than horses so the sodding things don't break their ankles. They live mostly in the mountains and hills of Kazin, Llayad and northern Raykin, where they use their snoots to pull leaves off of trees for food, occasionally fruit if they can get it but they're fine off leaves. They're suited to Kazin's open forests and the plains of Llayad, not so good in full desert with their comparatively small feet and need for water. Those from tropical forests and the Llayan savanna have no mane while those from the colder mountains have manes all the way down their back. The particularly cold border between Llayad and Kazin also breeds them with floofier coats. Llayans call these ones Kazinian makakis, because Llayad has their own 'common' one.

The destrier is the one bred for battle. Bigger than the common makaki and with very strong legs, especially the back legs for springing forward from a stationary start. They have the longest tusks of all makaki breeds which can be an extra weapon in battle, and longer trunks, too, cos. I dunno. I felt like playing with the trunks. I'm sure there's an application for that. Also, side-note, this one's Mongrel! After drawing all the boys' makakis, I've better figured out how their anatomy goes, so I've tweaked this one a fair bit from the original, giving him longer, thicker legs and changing how the back legs kink to be more like how I've been drawing them, a bit more strength and spring to them.

Oooooh he's a big, beefy boy, this one. The draft makaki has been bred for pure strength, huge forequarters for pulling heavy carts and plows, big feets for digging, strong trunk and tusks for pushing over trees and hauling branches.

By complete contrast, Assiraz's makaki is bred purely for looks. The more snowy white, the pricier the animal, except their swishy gorgeous tail which has all the colours. Long, elegant legs and slender, curving neck. They're named after Empress Assiraz, who was the one to start breeding them in the first place. Literally their only use is to keep nobility's skirts clean and elevate them above the plebs, so in that regard they're highly practical. For anything much else, they're kinda useless.

Native to the tropics and bred for its meat, the stocky little tapi has patterning on its back like a giraffe and range from grey, like the above, to dark brown with black spots to better camouflage. They taste like camel. I've never eaten camel so just roll with it.

DONKEY. Or more technically a mule, but I just wanted to call it a donki. It's a hybrid between a tapi mare and common stallion to make a smaller makaki, less fragile in the legs giving them greater endurance than the common makakis, but because they're much smaller they're cheaper for the average Kazinian. More than half the donkis are sterile, which makes those ones nice and cheap for the poorer Kazinians, and even those which can breed are still significantly cheaper than common makakis and WAY cheaper than draft makakis.

The two Llayan makakis, first one just called the 'Llayan makaki,' but, as mentioned before, Llayans call this one the 'common makaki' and the other one the 'Kazinian makaki'. She reach! And she has a foal in her pouch :D Llayan makakis are a bit smaller than the Kazinian ones. Also, because they're not actually zebras, the dark stripes can be any colour, though herds are mostly all of one colour.

Secondly, the rigaffe! Tollu girl is tollu, though I did shrink her a bit from the original. I think they also have colour variations, too, but always with the giraffe-like patterning. If you're wondering how the joey gets back in the pouch, it doesn't. Once the joey has left the pouch, that's it, it's out for good.

[breadboylovin]

You seem like the person to ask this type of question. If not, feel free to banish me from this realm. What might you recommend for someone who wants to have a fursona with antlers, but doesn't want to be just another deer? Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I'm interested in being a special little boy and I'm unfamiliar with both animals and fursona trends.

hello my friend! sorry for the late response, i was watching last night's timberwolves game (WOLVES WON!!! AWOOOOOOOOOO) and then i was asleep.

antlers are actually exclusive to cervidae (the deer family), so by definition you will have to be another deer if you want an antlered fursona. however there are a lot of fun deer that AREN'T the usual white-tailed deer that you could choose for your sona :3

the first ones i'll point out are elk, i like them because they look like deer but buff. horse deer. second pic is some elk i saw in the rocky mountains ^__^

chital deer are another beautiful pick. i have oft lamented about how so many spotted baby animals (deer, tapirs, lions, etc) lose their spots in adulthood, but chital deer don't and also have that beautiful black dorsal stripe <3

reindeer are obviously a commonly known deer but they're different enough from regular deer that they make a unique choice of fursona. also there's a LOT of subspecies to choose from if you look at their wikipedia page.

now cervidae may be the only family with antlers, but there is one animal with branched antler-like horns that i know of, that being the pronghorn:

i saw many of these guys while working in colorado over the summer. that job was... a lot but i did enjoy seeing them running through the plains. fun fact they are the fastest north american land mammal because they evolved to avoid the north american cheetah which is now extinct!

these are my favorite antlered guys that i can think of right now, but i encourage you to check out cervidae on wikipedia for yourself and see what speaks to you! i have a little more familiarity with animals because It's My Degree but this info is available to everyone and i love a good wiki deep dive ^__^

[gkathleenk]

BELIZE

DAY ONE

I landed in San Ignacio, Belize on Tuesday, March 12th. I started my day off by checking in at my Airbnb. The place I stayed at was called "Bird Nest" and it is run by Terry who has been hosting for a year. The cost is 90 BZD (45 USD) and since I will be staying for 2 nights, my total ended up being 273 BZD (136 USD). The Bird Nest is located in the by the Mopan River, so I was only a 7-minute drive away from the city of San Ignacio.

After getting settled, I took a 10-minute drive to the Katun Ahau Belize Culture Tours. They offer 4 different types of tours along with the ability to customize a tour of your choice. I chose the A.T.M (Actun Tunichill Muknal) Cave Tour, which is a 2 1/2 to 3 hour tour that takes you all along the cave. We started off the tour by driving to the Tapir Mountain Reserve so we could take a 45-minute hike to the cave entrance. In the hike, we had to travel through knee height streams by using a rope. Once we got to the cave entrance, we swam across a spring pool for 15 seconds to get into the actual cave. We traveled through underground mazes, tunnels, chambers, and more, we ended up in a ceremonial chamber which housed the "Crystal Maiden" (a skeleton of a 17-year-old boy whose bones have been calcified which makes him look like he was made of crystals). In the same chamber, you will find "The Cathedral" this is the driest part of the chamber, and you will be asked to take your shoes off at this point. The cave is made of limestone and shoes can damage the floor. "The Cathedral" houses Mayan artifacts and 13 skeletal remains. After "The Cathedral" we kept walking and soon found our way out of the cave after spending around 2 hours there. The shuttle bus then came to pick us up and take us back to San Ignacio.

After flying this morning and going on this cave tour, I was completely drained, and I needed to sleep this instant. On the drive back to my Airbnb, I was fighting back yawns and trying to keep my eyes open. I unfortunately had to skip dinner. As soon as I got back to the "Bird Nest" I flopped on my bed and immediately crashed.

*Due to the cave's no camera rule, I could not get any photos of me in the cave. My apologies.

DAY TWO

After the huge adventure that yesterday brought, I decided to relax and just tour the city of San Ignacio for day two. I started off my morning by reflecting my time yesterday. If I'm being honest, I did not like it. The cave was beautiful and seeing all the ancient artifacts was amazing, but it took the life out of me. I have never been more out of breath and exhausted in my entire life. And on top of that, I traveled alone, so I had no one to talk with and complain to during the walk-- and I am not the one to talk to strangers. But, today is a new day that will not feature any heavy travel, and hopefully I will get to actually eat today.

I got out of bed, dressed for some warm weather due to their moist and tropical climate, and drove into town. It was around 11:30 AM, meaning The Guava Limb Restaurant & Café just opened. I was debating between getting breakfast foods and lunch, but I ultimately ended up on lunch. I chose to get the Sesame Pork Panini, which is a shredded pork sandwich with mozzarella and herb cheeses with a side of french fries. My meal ended up being 52 BZD (26 USD) but I tipped my waitress 10 BZD (5 USD). Tipping in Belize isn't mandatory, and it's not a shitty thing to not do, servers do not get offended if you don't tip.

After my amazing meal at Guava Limb, I took an 11-minute walk over to the Sacred Heart Parish church. As mentioned in my 'about me,' I am not religious, but I find religion fascinating, so I popped over to the church just to look around. The main religion in Belize is Roman Catholic. The Catholicism comes from the 16th century when Spain took over their country. After Spain, they became ruled by Great Britain. Because Belize was controlled by Britain from 1798 to 1964, their second-highest religion is Protestant, making it the country in Central America with the highest Protestant population. Before Britain took over, the Maya and Garífuna population practiced a mix of shamanism and Christianity. The main language of Belize is English, due to England's colonization.

After my look around Sacred Heart Parish, I took a 5-minute drive to the Cahal Pech Museum, which is a museum located right next to the Cahal Pech Mayan ruins, which are the oldest known Maya site in Belize (10 BZD/5 USD entrance fee). The museum itself features all sorts of Mayan artifacts, such as, pottery, sculptures, paintings, and pieces of clothing. The ruins site is about 10 square miles and has 34 separate buildings you can tour. The largest building is 78 feet tall, and it's been rumored to be a sweat house.

I spent around 3 hours looking around the museum and ruins, making the time around 6:30, meaning it was time for dinner. A 5-minute drive away from the ruins, I found Yoli's Pizza and I stopped in for a bite. I was feeling especially hungry, so I bought a whole pizza instead of just a slice. I got the Mediterranean Pizza which has sausage, bacon, olives, and onions, and it cost me 64 BZD (32 USD). Because it was only 7:45 PM, and I wasn't tires yet, I decided to do some exploring of the nightlife in San Ignacio. I took a 3-minute walk to San Ignacio's most famous nightclub, Revolution Nightclub. At Revolution Nightclub, I heard some live music and danced with the people of Belize. Performing at the club was DJ LYAN who is the main performer at Revolution Nightclub. Because the drinking age is 18, and I am still 17, I was unable to drink here. At midnight, the club closed, and I decided to head back to my Airbnb, so I can get some rest before my flight out tomorrow afternoon.

DAY THREE

My final day in Belize! My flight to Panama is at 5 PM and the airport is an hour and 50 minutes away from San Ignacio, so I decided to leave now and find something to eat in Belize City. The flight cost around 571 BZD (284 USD) and it should be around 2 hours and 20 minutes. I left San Ignacio around 11, meaning I ended up in Belize City around 12:50. I chose to eat at Midtown Restaurant & Bar located on the coast. Midtown specializes in lobster, but I chose to get the Jack Daniel's Burger. The burger had Jack Daniel's sauce, cheese, onion, tomato, and I chose to remove the lettuce and pickles. The burger came with french fries and onion rings, and it all cost me 64 BZD (32 USD). After lunch, it was around 2 PM, so I thought it was time to take the 23-minute drive to the Sir Barry Bowen Municipal Airport and say goodbye to Belize.

I had a phenomenal time in Belize, learning about the different culture here and eating the amazing food. I loved all the exploring and tours I went on, and I highly recommend coming if you ever have the chance.

[all-the-heart-you-cannot-see]

Things about Encanto only a colombian can tell you.

I love how ethnically diverse the cast is, considering colombia is one of the most ethnically diverse countries of latin america (i think only after brazil) the ambiance of the movie is of the zona cafetera, where most people are white so im really pleased to see they included brown and afrocolombians.

I also like that the costume design is inspired by different colombian regions, the kid with the hat is wearing a Sombrero vueltiao, typical from the colombian coast, as it is the rest of his outfit, then the boy next to him is wearing a ruana, and I inmediately think of Boyaca and the little girl next to him with the dress is more typically dressed like someone from El Eje Cafetero, where the movie is set. I've seen the blouse the little black girl is wearing before but i cant remember where and finally the little boy next to her is wearing a guayabera, which is a formal shirt also worn in the Colombian coast. update: Maribel’s outfit  colorful skirt specifically reminds me of Santander and the little black girl’s outfit is a typical cundiboyacense dress! (i don’t know if dress is the right word, im fighting against the lenguage here) 

There is a chiguiro with baby chiguiros and a Tapir and a Colombia Guacamaya and it watered my crops, improved my notes and cleared my skin. I fucking love it.

When the Vallenato started playing i fucking cried, its a rythm originated in Colombia as a mish mash of our african, indigenous and spanish ancestry and the sound of the acordeon gave me CHILLS. (Would recommend Todo de cabeza from Calet Morales if you speak spanish and are heartbroken)

The white cumbia dress is very recognizable, i wished they had used a San Juanero dress, which is way prettier and would've fit right in with the aesthetic, but since the soundtrack seems to be heavely composed of Vallenato it would look out of place, at least for us Colombians. Look for videos of San Juan ero on Youtube is a beautiful dance, my grandmother's dream always was for me to compete on the San Juanero pageant but ummm...I've never had the amount of grace and poise those ladies have lol.

The entire house is colombian inspired, but this is a detail inspired specifically on my hometown, the flowered balconies of Cartagena.

And the alpargatas 🥲, typically worn on the interior of Colombia

[haitherecaringmonke]

Other NRC students meeting Lucille’s Pokemons

Sorry this took so long but writing has been difficult for me these days.

Cater Diamond - Ampharos

“You’re so cool! Can you do that trick again so I can post it on my Magicam?”

Moves: Thunderbolt, Flash, Iron Tail, Dragon Pulse

Cater first met Ampharos back in Chapter 4, when he came to Ramshackle to pick up Ace, Deuce, Grim and Lucille for the Unbirthday Party.

He thought that the Light Pokemon looked rather goofy and adorable and tried to took multiple pictures of her.

Unfortunately, Ampharos is rather shy and bolts at the sight of him. Lucille had to comfort the saddened third year.

However, Ampharos does love the Rose Maze of Heartslabyul and would occasionally sneak out of Ramshackle to admire the flowers.

Cater was on rose painting duty and he spotted the Light Pokemon at the corners of his eyes as she sneakily watches him paint the roses.

It took some effort, but they eventually became friends.

One day, a frantic student ran into the Dorm Lounge saying they saw a yellow monster in the maze, causing Trey, Cater and Riddle to run over to check.

They didn’t find anything and went back to their dorm. When they returned, the three were rather shocked to see Ampharos eating Cater’s spicy ramen, her mouth covered in spicy broth.

He only laughed as Cater wiped the broth off of Ampharos’ mouth and made her another bowl of spicy ramen.

Floyd Leech - Eelektross

“Eh~ Shrimpy has an eel of her own~”

Moves: Headbutt, Discharge, Crunch, Thunder Wave

Floyd was just skipping class as usual when he saw this large eel like creature with a sucker for a mouth playing around in the school fountain with some smaller water type Pokemons

So, being himself, Floyd jumped in the fountain and turned back into his merman form.

The smaller water types saw this scary looking merman with razor sharp teeth and quickly get out of the fountain.

They did the right thing for the very unhappy Eelektross unleashed a powerful Discharge, shocking the eel boy in the progress.

When the other students and Lucille came out of the classroom, they saw Floyd wrestling with this large electric eel like monster in the water fountain.

Eventually, Floyd got bored of fighting the EleFish Pokemon and left. But to his surprise, Eelektross shows up to Mostro Lounge the next day and Headbutted him.

Turns out Eelektross is very protective of his friends and hold grudges for a very long time.

Lucille had to fix the electric circuits in Mostro Lounge and work there for about two weeks as a compensation.

Silver - Munna

“I didn’t think there would be a monster capable of eating my dreams”

Moves: Hypnosis, Psychic, Moonlight, Dream Eater

Silver was looking for Malleus (who had wandered off again) when he fell asleep into a bush (again).

However, when he woke up, the second year discovered that he had only dozed off for a few minutes, unlike he usually naps (which can last for hours or until Sebek woke him up).

He looked down on his chest to see this pink colored tapir looking monster with flower patches on its body staring at him in the eye.

Silver vaguely remembers her being one of the Prefect’s monsters so he carried the little monster back to her trainer.

Lucille thanked him and explained how Munna tends to wander off to who knows where and eat other people’s dreams, surprising Silver.

Whenever Munna eats Silver’s dream when he dozes off, he would wake up a lot faster and a lot more focused, and the boy is forever grateful for that.

Plus, when Munna does that, the time between Silver’s last nap and his next one would be a lot longer, so he can do more tasks during that time. This was noted by Malleus, Lilia, and Sebek as they are somewhat concerned when Silver can stay awake for so long, until Lucille and Silver explained to them.

And it appears that his dream is delicious to Munna as well, because she can be seen being near him a lot of the time. Silver usually brings treats for her in his pockets because of this.

Grim - Chimchar

“Fgnna! Stop pulling my tail!”

Moves: Scratch, Ember, Flame Wheel, Taunt

Chimchar is one of Lucille’s baby Pokemons, given to her by Professor Rowan as the newly hatched Chimp Pokemon grew attached to her.

Like many Chimchars, this one is no exception for he is rather mischievous when he occasionally pranks Lucille and the other Pokemons.

Grim is, unfortunately, Chimchar’s favorite target, because his reactions are his favorite.

The fire cat absolutely hates this fire chimp, especially when he pulls his tail for fun, startling him in the process.

Sometimes these two get into fights, scratching each other and kicking up a cartoonish dust cloud with stars over the place.

Lucille has been scratched and slightly burned everytime she tried to separate the two fire monsters.

Grim also hates Chimchar because he would get attacked whenever the cat tried to sneak into Lucille’s Berry inventory or her bag for something valuable so he can pawn them off for money to buy tuna cans.

Despite them always at each other’s throats, the two fire monster deeply cares about Lucille, and will burn anybody that messes with their henchman/trainer.

[missmonstermel]

Baby Baku waiting for their stripes! I am painting these to look like baby tapir, boy are they CUTE. This group of finished and painted 3.5” figures will be available in my shop this Friday at 2PM PST along with a large batch of blank versions. #missmonster #missmonstermel #babybaku #baku #tapir #minifigure #sculpture https://www.instagram.com/p/CZhpY-ZvaXa/?utm_medium=tumblr

[clayanddust]

A Swashbuckle in the Mist (Bobbi +Clay)

Location: Finney Docks

Characters: Bobbi (Elle-Huxian), Clay (Tapir-Hunter) 

Summary: Clay and Bobbie fight off a raiding party from the lost fleet

Trigger Warnings: Genital Mutilation, Head Trauma 

Clay sat on a pier of Finney Docks watching the sunset spill oranges and violet across the blue sea, the water a murky mirror of the sky above. He leaned against the wooden piling, ignoring the bite of barnacles against his back, unfocused dark eyes staring past the dark forest of ship masts bobbing in the harbor, silhouetted against the evening’s roseate glow. The bustle of the docks had subsided with the waning hours. Docking cranes and fishnets lay idle while dockworkers and sailors murmured and smoked on the pier. Dockside bars were lanterns of light and laughter in the darkening evening, but Clay just kept his eyes on the horizon. 

Watch that old fire as it flickers and dies

That once blessed the household and lit up our lives

It shone for the friends and the clinking of glasses

I'll tend to the flame, you can worship the ashes….

The voices of Robin, Yates, Darley, and Sattin mingled with a practiced resonant harmony. The sailors mended nets, whittled, and gutted fish long after others had quit the pier. Sea Shanties flowed from their lips and memories, the crewmen having practiced together since a childhood of listening to their parents sing these same verses, a line of legacy that threaded the lives of hard-working people together across generations. 

Heave with a will boys and heave long and strong

Away Rio!

Sing the good chorus for 'tis a good song

And we're bound for the Rio Grande, and it's

Away Rio! Away Rio!

Sing fare thee well, my pretty young girl, and

We're bound for the Rio Grande…

The sailors noticed the fifth fellow that’d stayed with them, but Clay just listened and made no trouble. Robin had raised his eyebrows to his crewmates between shanties and gestured with a filet knife in silent inquiry if this stony faced lad was sober or ‘all there’. Sattin rolled her eyes and quietly implied that this one poked around in shipwrecks looking for some of the …strange sights…that seasoned hands knew it was trouble to ever talk about openly. The Hunter, whose mutant senses made the whispers as audible as if the conspiring crewmates were talking directly at him, just smirked and contentedly watched the sun sink beyond the waterline. 

Yew that is old, in churchyard mould, he breedeth a mighty bow

Alder for shoes do wise men choose, and Beech for cups also

But when you have killed

And your bowl it is filled, and your shoes are clean outworn

Back you must speed for all that you need to Oak, and Ash, and Thorn

Sing Oak, and Ash, and Thorn, good sirs

All on a midsummer's morn

Surely we'll sing of no little thing

In Oak, and Ash, and Thorn…

Fog rolled in after the last gasp of evening had faded, as if it were a living thing that the sun had kept chained. Sheets of thick vapor snuck over the pier and slithering amongst the ships at anchor. Clay stirred for the first time in his vigil, as the Slayer had been patiently tracking the approach of something unseen that’d shown itself at last. He stood and started doing stretches against the piling without any self-consciousness as sea shanties defied the fog. 

There once was a ship that put to sea

The name of the ship was the Billy of Tea

The winds blew up, her bow dipped down

Oh blow, my bully boys, blow 

Soon may the Wellerman come

To bring us sugar and tea and rum

One day, when the tonguing is done

We'll take our leave and go…

The song ceased as Clay interrupted after so long in companionable silence. The Slayer told the sailors, for their sake, that they needed to get inside right now and keep their doors locked.  The four sailors looked at each uncertainly before Clay slapped down money for drinks on a barrel beside the crewmates. His advice was heeded immediately. 

“I once knew an emperor, and this was almost two thousand years ago, who was obsessed with the idea of mapping out all the land that he ruled.” Bobbi heaved a sigh at the memory, sniffing at the recycled air within her houseboat. She leaned back on her makeshift hammock, a gift from one of her boys, the descendants of her once great pirate crew that now shares the struggle of mundane fishing with her, all because they knew the true value of the seas. None of them envied their peers, for they had none. “He had recreated his entire empire on an island he spent a great deal of gold, and lives, constructing… Would you believe that this was all in a lake in his imperial estates?”

Bobbi received no answer, which she had expected but could not be troubled to come to terms with, so she scoffed at the silence instead. “On this island of his, each molehill was turned into a mountain, each river a smaller rivulet. It takes him half an hour just to walk around the perimeter of this island.” She smirked as she looked up at the ceiling, eyes squinting at the artificial light that served as a beacon not only against the darkness of each cold night but also against her loneliness. In her head, she likened it to the pale light before dawn, when a hundred men would wade and swim out to carefully repair any damage wrought by the weather or the wild fowl. “Such futile attempts… But futility doth maketh purpose.”

In the silence that surrounded her and the prized katana on display, to which she was speaking, she had almost fallen asleep, her eyes heavy with the baggage of a long life lived to the fullest, only to be shackled by the loss of her soul. For any huxian, that would mean their last tail, or even just the first, but for Baozhai? Her soul was her ship, the Jade Wind, that which the Lost Fleet had taken from her, ripped from her very hands, along with the few unfortunate crewmates that had followed her to their doom. “So dramatic…” She murmured in her daze, until something woke her up, stirred her upright. “Hmm? Is that…? No, it can’t be…”

As if on a spell, Bobbi bolted from her respite and into the arms of a familiar fog, loathing rising from within her as did sparks of electricity from her own body, what remains of her huxian nature, eager to claim justice and vengeance for what had been taken, what had been lost. “Well, well, well… If it isn’t the assholes who owe me a ship… I’ve seen this movie before. You better not have a monkey with you. There’s no one here named Jack.” With a sprint and a lunge, Bobbi fearlessly jumped into the fray. For any huxian, conflict was something to avoid, but for Baozhai? She has already lost all her tails, plus her ship: She has nothing left to lose.

Clay let his sixth sense take over, each of the rising corpses registering as a blot of undeath on his awareness, a cold toxicity that called to him through the roiling fog. Thick vapor drowned docks, turning tall pilings and ship masts into lone islands in a sea of blue-white. Firearms would’ve been a liability with this much obscuration and civilian presence. So, the Slayer drew a machete from a sheath and plunged into the haunted fog. 

Corpses scaled piers and the sides with a fervor born of starvation. Sea life flourished in undead bodies that swelled with drowned bloating. Corals climbed up some of the bodies like lichen, blooming with vivid colors against cadaverous flesh. Eels and crabs gnawed in the constantly regenerating chest cavities of a few of the zombies, while barnacles and mussels had turned some of the walking dead into mollusk encrusted statues. Kelp and seaweed trailed from many undead like ragged capes. A wet misma of briny rot filled the air as Zombies emerged from from the water, like noxious gas bubbling the surface of a mire. 

Clay jumped from the pier, landing into the prow of a harboring vessel. A heaving swing severed the head of a corpse clawing its way up the anchor chain, sending the decapitated remains tumbling back into foggy depths. “Hello everyone.” Clay said to the crew of the vessel he’d just boarded from above, “might want to find some cover.”

If Mrs. Gao was here right now, Bobbi had no doubts she would rethink her business ventures. Finney Docks was, on paper, a great place for renting houseboats, especially if you have too many and none of which you’re actually interested in. The old woman’s late husband was the one with all the zest when it came to houseboats that it almost seemed an obsession. When he passed away, Mrs. Gao could not find it in her to dispose of them all, whether by sinking or selling them. So here we are.

“Here we fucking are indeed.” Bobbi scowled as she swiftly sliced the head off of a misguided zombie that tried to come near her, using only a cutlass that had been one of her favorite weapons. Back in the good old days, which was of course decades ago, perhaps even a century or two, the huxian, who intentionally lost her tails to pursue a life of adventure and some would say villainy, became a master of the cutlass. Considering she could actually shock a private’s privates off, it should have been more of an accessory, but there was something about the weapon, how it felt in her hands, how graceful she was with it, that it became her more favored tool to get things done. “What perfect timing… Just when the boys are passed-out drunk.” 

Two more charged at her, all looking like terrible extras from the second Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Or was it the third? Come to think of it, Davy Squidward Jones appeared in more than two movies, right? These thoughts filled Bobbi’s head as she gracefully stepped back, made three swings at the first charger that sent it back down into the sea, and basically did the same routine with the other. All she needed now was a pistol and a hat. Maybe a strange gait, almost drunken when in fact still sober. From the corner of her eyes, she saw someone, or was it something, fly aboard another ship, one that she herself was not familiar with. Did someone illegally park their boat again? She didn’t have much time to linger on the mysterious boats and its mysterious occupants, especially that strange man who hopefully didn’t fly down from the skies, as three more of the undersea-mutated corpses began to crowd her. “What is it that they like to say? Dead men tell no tales? Seems very fitting against someone with no tails.”

“Hello ma’am.” Boots slammed on the deck as a sodden figure covered in black ichor hefted his way up and over the railing. Clay dropped to his stomach as a dead man wearing the tattered beige of a World War Royal Navy jacket swung a rusted pipe into the railing the Hunter once occupied. A deceased woman in the blue fleet uniform and ushanka of the USSR used the opening to tackle Clay, the fleet pilot’s rotten jaws opening to dribble seawater and dark spittle on the Slayer’s face as she bore down on him.

“Nice…uh cutlass where'd .,.ugh..you get it,” Clay gagged as he tucked his knees up to his chest and slammed his feet into the chest of the Zombie trying to mail him, sending the dead Soviet pilot careening into one of corpses assaulting Bobbi.

“Ma’am?” Bobbi timed a step back, allowing the dead Soviet pilot to crash into one of her attackers. The forceful momentum sent them both back into the water, first colliding against the hard hull of another nearby ship. The huxian scowled as she spun around to her left, gracefully evading one of the remaining two brainless husks of decaying flesh as it tried to attack her, before swiftly kicking it towards the other, sending both of them back into the water as well. 

“How dare you? I don’t look a day over…” She almost slipped but immediately caught herself. Revealing how old she truly was would surprise the human, though she wasn’t sure if he was indeed just a normal human. His abilities and calm demeanor towards the attacking dead would suggest otherwise, but Bobbi has learned from the lessons of her past and maintained that revealing the truth about her would only lead to more problems than it was worth. “...twenty five.”

The dreary atmosphere in combination with her mood almost made her explain plainly the origins of her most favored weapon. But then she remembered something that the boys always loved to retort, and that made her smirk. Let me just… Before that, however, Bobbi spotted another disgusting ship stealer making its way towards her, so in one fluid motion, she charged towards it with a dropkick from out of nowhere, forcing it back into the fog, whatever was inside it, and then performing a kip-up without much effort. When she turned to him with that same smirk, she was already back to her feet. “...yo momma.”

Stillness had settled over the deck as the unliving things lay in piles of bisected bodies and severed limbs. Clay’s shoulders rose and fell with exerted respiration, gory machete held at the ready as he reached out his Slayer sense to more oily pulses of undeath. But the only pinpricks at the edge of his consciousness were far at sea. The last remaining signal of undeath was falling away down away from him after the definitely twenty-something captain of the vessel did a drop-kick that sent it over the side. 

Ok, fine, that was a cool move. Game must acknowledge game. 

Clay’s bruised features bloomed into a grudging grin through the grime, the quip about his momma teasing out a huffing chuckle. “Ok i’ll admit Captain,” he laughed softly, looking around at the bodies littering the deck. “That was pretty badass.”

[inclineto]

Books, May - June 2021

Tess of the Road - Rachel Hartman [dnf]

A River of Stars - Vanessa Hua

The Sealed Letter - Emma Donoghue

Giant Bones - Peter S. Beagle

Moominsummer Madness - Tove Jansson *

The Beacon at Alexandria - Gillian Bradshaw *

The Phantom Tollbooth - Norton Juster *

Libertie - Kaitlyn Greenidge 

Stay - Nicola Griffith

Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age - Annalee Newitz [Thoroughly enjoyable, but also the sort of pop archaeology book where things like this happen repeatedly, and I’m sorry, but I laughed: “And then, as if by magic, the eminent University of Cambridge archaeologist Andrew Wallace-Hadrill appeared.” (As far as the narrative admits, they did not have an appointment; while they were wandering around Pompeii, collecting information about his speciality, he was wandering around Pompeii, happy to be encountered and become a source.)]

Teach Me - Olivia Dade

The Address Book: What Street Addresses Reveal About Identity, Race, Wealth, and Power - Deirdre Mask

We Are Watching Eliza Bright - A.E. Osworth [“I am not going to read the gamergate novel,” I said, “and especially not when it’s using 1st person plural MFA POV half of the time,” but then I voyeuristically devoured the gamergate novel which is, really, its point: “We are obsessed with what goes on where we can’t see it.”] *

Ivory Apples - Lisa Goldstein [what the hell?!? no.]

The Future of Another Timeline - Annalee Newitz

The Scarlet Seed - Edith Pargeter [the scenes that made me cry as a child still make me cry now, and that’s rather nice]

The Perilous Life of Jade Yeo - Zen Cho [Five books later, I’m prepared to admit that Zen Cho and I aligned for one glorious novel and some related characters (Sorcerer to the Crown; Rollo & Aunt Georgiana), and I’m mostly indifferent to everything else, but I keep trying because there’s always a sentence like this: “Being good-looking and interesting and having the heavy-lidded gaze of a romantic tapir does not excuse writing a foolish book.”]

Elementals - A. S. Byatt

Searching for Black Confederates: The Civil War’s Most Persistent Myth - Kevin M. Levin

What Katy Did Next - Susan Coolidge

Feed the Resistance: Recipes + Ideas for Getting Involved - Julia Turshen et al.

A Duke, the Lady, and a Baby - Vanessa Riley [dnf]

The Sibyl in Her Grave - Sarah Caudwell

Sabriel - Garth Nix *

Outcrossing - Celia Lake [dnf]

Mending Matters: Stitch, Patch, and Repair Your Favorite Denim & More - Katrina Rodabaugh [so I feel like this was a couple of blog posts inflated into a book]

Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake - Alexis Hall [extremely funny, made me want to bake during a heat wave, likely to suffer in reviews from mismatched genre expectations: it’s romantic comedy, not romance (I’ve just looked and yep! this is a major complaint)] *

Tales from Moominvalley - Tove Jansson

Goblin Fruit - Celia Lake [dnf]

Coffee Boy - Austin Chant [trying to do more than its length and thin characterization can carry, but also heartening in the main character’s explicit refusal to embody a limited and patronizing narrative of marginalized suffering; I wouldn’t want every trans romance to do this so overtly, just as I don’t want every queer romance to be about overcoming homophobia, but I want a few of them to (fair also to note that in contemporary settings, I find boss/intern scenarios really unappealing, and no, I don’t care if they talk about it; had it been longer I would almost certainly have bailed)]

Uncanny Valley - Anna Wiener [didn’t really plan to read this; definitely didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did - I thought it would be just another new adult navel-gazing indictment of tech bros, and it is, but it’s got seriously good style to go with it] *

Lord John and the Private Matter - Diana Gabaldon

Behind Closed Doors: At Home in Georgian England - Amanda Vickery

On Juneteenth - Annette Gordon-Reed

Salt Magic, Skin Magic - Lee Welch

Lord John and the Hand of Devils - Diana Gabaldon [read the first two novellas, but my tolerance for Diana Gabaldon’s Diana-Gabaldon-ness is relatively low and the second novel wore it out; dnf]

Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade - Diana Gabaldon

A Seditious Affair - KJ Charles [because once you’re 75+ comments into an increasingly-involved modern AU, the only reasonable thing to do is give in (looking back at the innocence of this mid-June annotation...oh, you sweet summer child)] *

Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America 1619-2019 - edited by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain [in the end, I’m not sure the organizing principles of 5 year chunks and short word counts really allow enough scope for many of the essays, but look for this to show up on Most Challenged lists and as a target of reactionary legislation anyway]

A Gentleman’s Position - KJ Charles [see prev. entry in series]

The Secret Adversary - Agatha Christie [sometimes you should not reread your childhood books]

Fire Watch - Connie Willis

The Ruin of Gabriel Ashleigh - KJ Charles [possibly shouldn’t be an entry, but what the heck, it’s sold separately; see prev. entry in series]

The City of Brass - S. A. Chakraborty

American Quilts: The Democratic Art - Robert Shaw [that subtitle tells you exactly what to expect from the text, but the quilts are lovely]

Engaging Diverse Communities: A Guide to Museum Public Relations - Melissa A. Johnson

Strange the Dreamer - Laini Taylor [dnf]