#Niru speaks

[dearestakaria]

This will be my first post like this and hopefully the last since i don't really like posting things like this anymore, but these people are truly getting through my nerves it's crazy, and I feel on the need to speak about it so please forgive me

Really long yapp warning

I seriously cannot believe that, even after chapter 8 there are still people believing that Shadow watched Pure since he was a kid, because there's no way that you can't be that blind, just to try and have a (dumb) reason to hate on something. And the fact that that person was literally replying to people whom were rightfully telling them that info had already been disproved with "Well, that's not what I have shown in here/that's not what I'm talking about?", literally saying that an IMAGE that mind you was translated by GOOGLE TRANSLATE, (a service that can be so bad it has been memed to death bc of how untrustworthy it can be most of the time) IS MORE CANNON AND MATTERS MORE, MORE THAN WHAT THE OWN GAME AND IT'S CHARACTERS SAY, I just don't get it.

I'm not gonna get into details on who this person exactly is, but I'm just gonna say that they're a PureLily shipper, but as a fellow enjoyer I'm just gonna tell you that not even PV and WL's relationship is safe from it's own sprinkle of toxicity, from someone who loves that shipp, and that's completely normal, not everything in media has to be squeaky clean and wholesome, but the problem comes when you become a hypocrite about it, yelling at things because they're bad in your eyes, just to completely feel offended that people are telling you the same exact thing about the thing you enjoy (this is something that has actually happened with them), and even if this is not your goal, in the long run you're just gonna make all PureLily shippers look as negative toxic people who attack others, even making me, someone who actually enjoys the pairing as i said, dislike it because of the correlation with these kind of people like you.

This is something that I have always repeated over and over again to people that I have debated with for things similar to this, but just because you don't like something, it doesn't mean that it gives you the right to hate on it for no reason at all, and even make up reasons for it, for more justified you feel you are A actual friendship I had ended just because that friend couldn't understand something as simple as this, if you like something just do that thing, don't become obsessed over something else just to shit talk about it, because as I just said, you start to look more obsessed with that thing/shipp, more than the own people who do enjoy it.

Please, just shut it and actually talk about the things you enjoy rather than this, be better, don't go that low.

[vivi-mire]

[evilresidentz]

I miss them always

[mvsicinthedvrk]

hwevent19 starter for daro niru & kaul shae // @masqce

"I'll grab you a drink first, if you'd like one?" he offers Shae, taking her coat to pass off to the coat check. They had shared a bottle of wine at dinner already; but that was an hour ago, by the time they'd eaten and followed it up with dessert, and then taken a cab over here. (It's been an out-of-body experience of sorts, since Niru almost can't believe that she'd agreed to come with him in the first place. Him, at a masquerade ball in another world, with the Weather Man of No Peak. Or: former Weather Man, at least. He's not fully clear about whether the title still applies now. Other than what she's freely offered, he hasn't asked too many probing questions about what her clan's working on in the city, or how involved she is at all-- beyond quickly learning that bringing up her family is not the best way to continue any given conversation. He hadn't expected, necessarily, that they'd have so much else to talk about or how easy it would be. Part of the time, he'd forgotten that their meeting had been built on a false pretense in the first place, and it's difficult to force himself to continue keeping that on his mind-- especially when she looks like this. No one, Mountain or not, could blame him for the distraction.) "And then I think it would be a shame if we didn't dance," he adds, taking in the sight of her again with another appreciative glance as light from the sparkling lights hanging from the ceiling glints off of the edges of her mask. Although it's probably best to warn her in advance: "I may not have any rhythm on the dance floor, but we can pretend I'm allowed to blame it on this kind of music."

[frraum]

The OurCats team

(a play on "outcast") unites characters bound by a common trait: rebellion against established rules.

OurCats is more than just a team; it's a group of unique fairies united by a desire to break the rules and live on their own terms. They are linked by a rebellious spirit and a yearning for freedom, a pursuit for which each has paid a price.

Kuro (20): (Silhouette in the art) For now, a mystery shrouded in darkness. Soon we will learn what brought this fairy to the ranks of OurCats.

Its founder is Alisa, a former angel, a fairy of cold flame.

Alisa (20): Alisa was Niru's guardian angel, but, demanding freedom, she went against the heavenly system. Alisa's banishment caused Niru's misfortune – an accident that cost him an arm and part of his memory. In the world of Magix, Alisa became Niru's caregiver, striving to be his true friend, sister, and protector.

Alisa reluctantly speaks of her past. Before life in the mortal world, she lived in the spirit world, born to a mortal mother – a keeper of cold flame. War destroyed their kingdom, and only those with magical energy entered the spirit world, gaining an angelic form. In Magix, Alisa finally unleashed her magical abilities.

Alisa is a hyperactive and cheerful girl, yet surprisingly modest. Her emotions bubble, bursting out in bright flashes of laughter (often nervous), irritation, or sudden embarrassment. An inability to control herself leads her to accidentally overstep boundaries or say something inappropriate, after which she instantly retreats into silent awkwardness. This expressiveness is her defining characteristic: Alisa expresses joy with leaps, and irritation with a torrent of rapid speech and clumsy jokes.

Sometimes an evening's joy is followed by a whole day of worrying about looking foolish. She sincerely strives to connect with everyone and is deeply upset if she fails. Awkwardness is her constant companion: falls, clumsy words that make her self-conscious – all part of her character.

Alisa's paradox lies in her love for brightness and brilliance: she adores cartoons and horror movies, hates fashion, but enjoys creating her own unique looks, using glitter and pastel eyeshadow, drawing patterns underneath, while avoiding full makeup.

She loves 2000s fashion but hates stilettos.

Her transformation outfit is pink and coral.

Emberly (19): A blue-eyed blonde with a bob haircut, a fairy of jewels and an heiress to the royal family, but she has no desire to be a princess.

This glamorous and active busybody, who adores dancing, dreams of becoming a dancer on a television show. Her cheerful and friendly nature is sometimes hidden behind a mask of arrogance – a tactic developed in childhood to protect herself from pressure. Despite this, Emberly respects herself and her freedom. Her wardrobe is an explosion of blues and pinks: trendy tops, mini-skirts with short leggings, bracelets, earrings, and sneakers.

Emberly can be too loud, although she tries to follow etiquette – childhood traumas prevent her from always controlling this. She's squeamish, afraid of insects and reptiles, loves gossip, horoscopes, and elaborate schemes.

Despite her craving for attention, she doesn't put herself above others. Her mischievous and goofy nature unexpectedly combines with the ability to roll her eyes and point out someone else's foolishness, making her resemble a typical princess (it's best not to mention this!). Sometimes she's a total tomboy!

Emberly's magical outfit is a blue shorts and mid-sole boots.

Sylvia (Syl, 19): A fairy of liquids, with blue-green eyes and red hair accented with yellow streaks. A former witch, banished from Pixieville for experimenting with blood magic on pixies. This experience, however, gave her a unique bond with the elf, Uni, who shares her love of mischief and adores fashion.

Syl is an intelligent high-achiever, but her sharpness and penchant for sarcasm hide her loyalty to her friends. She dreams of completely controlling her magic, including manipulating liquids and the blood magic available to her during the full moon. Her everyday look is a sleeveless rainbow sweater and a denim skirt.

She adores toads and frogs, constantly bringing them to her room after walks and training in the swamps. However, they invariably escape, and Syl loses them.

The girl is quick-tempered, but tries not to cross the line, limiting herself to barbs and cutting remarks. At other times, she might unexpectedly crack a joke, consult with her friends, or sincerely share something personal. She treats those close to her with respect, genuinely ashamed of her outbursts, although admitting this is difficult for her.

Sylvia strives to achieve maximum power to prove to everyone that she's not crazy or weird, as many believe. Although… maybe she is a little weird, but also powerful!

Her transformation outfit is emerald green, with a short skirt and boots.

Arian (18): A fairy of nightmares, a dark-skinned girl with white and coral hair. Unlike the others, Arian is the most level-headed member of the team. A former royal guard, she was banished because of the power of her magic, capable of harming those around her.

Arian is straightforward, kind, responsive, and sometimes amusingly pedantic. Her love of glamour contrasts with her rationality.

From a wealthy family, Arian adores luxury and glamour, yet remains sincere and natural. She's ready to support and advise, although she rarely asks for help, considering herself strong and without weaknesses. Her pride and joy is a pink limousine, which, however, she can't drive. When nervous, Arian heavily applies lipstick.

Brave and responsible, she isn't squeamish unless it threatens her expensive dresses and impeccable manicure; her hair is always perfectly styled. For Arian, a true beauty is someone who can stand up for themselves.

Therefore, she rejects any advances. Her goal is to be glamorous for herself and everyone, not for someone's attention. Even in critical situations, she strives to maintain calm and composure.

A former royal guard, Arian was banished after her powers were deemed too dangerous and traumatic for others. Skilled in combat, she prefers to fight with her feet to avoid damaging her manicure. At night, Arian accumulates the nightmares of those near her in her amulet. The stronger the nightmare, the more powerful the monster she can materialize from it in reality.

The presence of witches in her family has resulted in a partially dark nature to her magic, considered light only due to her fairy lineage. Arian herself doesn't want to be a witch, despising the mundane magic and tasteless fashion of witches.

Her transformation outfit is a vibrant purple suit with long boots.

Together, these five fairies form the unique OurCats team, ready to challenge the world, protecting their freedom and friendship.

[george228732]

MEMENTO AMICIS

It was a cloudy, rainy day, with Popstar still recovering fully from the attacks produced by Fylass, Cosmounse and Niru, so it wasn’t surprising that some harsh weather was going to follow, although by Magolor and Susie’s research, it shouldn’t be too bad, just a minor inconvenience - it was so minor in fact, that Dedede and Meta Knight decided to start their relationship officially with their first date; they confessed their feelings for eachother as a couple the night after the battle that saved the Galaxy and the Universe. Kirby, Bandee and Fylass are being taken care of by the Waddle Dees, since they still have proper recovery to follow, Kirby especially, since he lost his copy abilities. The King and his Knight still needed to take care of themselves for a bit, but they felt healthy enough to go out to a fancy restaurant before the rain catched them up on the way through.

Meta felt awkward to willingly go out without a mask, not only with people around, but also when he’s just starting his romantic life with the King of Dreamland, nonetheless - even then, it was a choice he did himself, even Dedede asked him if he was okay with going out maskless, since he knew that he’d be uncomfortable without it, but the knight thought that it’d be a necessary step to take, since he didn’t need to hide anything anymore, he just needed to take more time with it…

''Wowie…! Look at us! We got here in time…! I can already hear the rain behind us, and we just entered…!'' Dedede sputtered, breathing in and out after running before the rain reached both.

''In…Indeed. Nova, we should have asked Fylass to lend us his umbrella…'' Meta spoke back.

''Oh well! We can’t do anything about that now. At least we’re not soaked wet for it now! Here, let’s pick a seat…!'' He walked towards one of the free tables and sat down in a ''kingly'' manner. Meta followed after, trying to hide his flustered expression with the hat he brought along for the occasion.

''Ah… Perfect…'' Dedede may seem excited and relaxed about what he’s doing, but it was clear that he was nervous that he could screw up the date in any moment, wagging his tail awkwardly and having difficulty with keeping eye focus on his significant other, and so did the other, they were pretty much in love with each other but at the same time it was awkward that they were actually doing this together - they didn’t know that they’d be dating someone in the first place, let alone dating each other, so it was a start…

''...Sooooooooo… Any movies you’d wanna watch when we’re done here?'' Dedede asked awkwardly.

''...I am not sure… In fact, I don’t know what movies there are for today…'' Meta responded.

''...Riiiiiight. We could watch, uh… Uh… Man, I dunno. I guess we’ll figure out when we go there eventually, today is OUR day! …Yeah!'' The king was doing his best to make Meta feel welcome but he’s not sure if he’s either ruining the date or somehow making it better.

''I mean, yes, this is what the day’s all about.'' Meta said. ''...Sorry if I still seem too serious for me to be dating, I am still not used to these romantic activities… I do wonder if my father did have the same problems… He’s a very kind man, and very charming to the eye.''

''Oh! Speaking about that! I’ve never got to see this, but your eyes are so beautiful! Such a bright yellow glimmer! I could look at them all day.'' He said, either complimenting or flirting, or even both.

''A-Ah… Thank you, kindly.'' Meta slightly blushed. ''That Memento Mori given by Morpho really gave out more perks than expected…''

''...Memento?'' Dedede asked.

''Oh, yes, I forgot to explain that… I might explain it later, since it’d be probably very heavy to explain it during a romantic date with you.''

''Ah, ah… Understandable…!'' Dedede was invested in what Meta was planning to say, but overall knew that this was a date, not a place where he probably was going to get depressed afterwards. ''...Hey, uh…''

''Yes…?''

''Do you… uh…. like this? Do you love me? Am I, uh, doing something wrong?'' He was getting pretty insecure about all this - he loves Meta, that’s obvious, but he feels like if he’s acting like this, maybe because he’s doing something wrong.

''...What kind of question is that?'' Meta answered. ''Of course I do…! I said it in front of you.''

''I mean, yes! But… I mean, why would you love ME out of all people. Just look at me! I am messing this date up! I dunno what I am doing wrong, but I am doing SOMETHING wrong, right? I’m truly sorry if I am making this worse than what it was planned. You deserve something big, something great! And I feel like I am not delivering what I should…''

''...Listen, my King. Please, erase those thoughts from your head. You are not doing anything wrong. We just still need to get used to this. I can do nothing but promise that I’ll always appreciate your company and love you, because that’s what I feel… Don’t feel like you’re doing something bad because it’s slow, at least this time.'' Meta responded.

''...Wow. Uh… I… I guess you’re correct. I can also promise that I’ll always, ALWAYS, find a way to love you - I did all this in the first place because I love you. We love each other…! Right?''

''I couldn’t have said it better myself.'' Meta chuckled. ''I love you, my King. I’ll always support you, even if this all seems awkward.''

''I love you too, my knight. I’ll do the same for you. For us…!''

''I am sure.''

It was still awkward, but maybe now, it wasn’t that bad, from there, other small conversations happened. Soon enough, the conversations became longer and longer, and they felt more comfortable with talking about… just about anything.

''Ah! Hello, King and… Meta…!'' A Waddle Dee suddenly came into the scene, apparently being a waiter. ''Sorry for the delay, Marx has been making a mess on the other door about his meal not having a kids toy, even if this is a high class restaurant. Should I take your order?''

''Oh, yes! I forgot about that… Yeah, we’ll take…''

[feli026]

What puffle would fit Viperian?

Viperian

A Brown Puffle would be fitting for Viperian!!

Brown Puffles are very smart, they know a lot about science and engineering, like Viperian.

They also tend to have failed inventions because of the fact that they keep getting distracted by other ideas. Much like Viperian, who would throw out a current project he's working on if he thought of a better idea. My man keeps getting distracted by his own thoughts 💀

Speaking of inventions, brown Puffles LOVE to invent and experiment and like to build things. Similarly to Viperian who uh. Instead of simple gizmos he's straight up body modifications. And experimenting on humans. If a brown Puffle is that evil enough, it and Viperian will be VERY quick in becoming besties.

(friendship ended with Niru now this little one is my best friend -Viperian probably)

Although digging treasure is a very general Puffle trait, brown Puffles dig them by using their laser invention. I imagine if Viperian were to adopt a brown Puffle he would tell it to dig up corpse for him solely because of its invention LMAOOOOO

Send an ask of your fav afkj character and I'll assign them a Puffle!!

[orginllazyblog]

Been playing AFK Journey and honestly...I'm loving it so far

So here we go with some headcanons and silly interactions

:D

The player, either male or female, can attract beautiful women or be beasties with them

With my player and with the interactions with the characters I meet so far, she is most fond of women

Haven't really thought of a name for my player, so I'm going with "Magister" even tho their name is Merlin. Plus, they forgot half of their memories

Meeting with Valen, the character who everyone falls in love with him. Yeah... I don't really see him that way 😅

Other people: "He is so fine 😏"

Me: "He's my beastie. If I die, he's dying with me, ain't no choice."

He's my emotional support friend

Also, I'm glad that there were characters from the Afk Arena such as Antandra, Satandra, Rowan, Niru, Brutus, Thoran, Lyca, Silvina, Arden, Lucius,Mirael, and Eironn I'm surprised how Lyca is playable but not her brother Lorsan 😭

There are only a few celestials and hypogeans in the game (so far)

The side quest I've completed, Romeo and Juliet, I find it quite funny as the group read the letter Romeo wanted to give tk Juliet. Yeah, it was a bit cringe, but luckily, Lorsan is the guy who knows romance 👍🏼

And with that, we become a trio: Valen, the friend everyone has a crush on. Lorsan, the friendly one, and me the player and the great mage everyone thinks but just a chaotic gremlin searching for treasure chest. And then there's Rowan, the rich friend.

I go straight to the npc monsters to get goodies and resources for my heroes. I make sure my team is at a higher level than them.

Yesterday, I just figured that you can interact with the animals like a cat or dog, and it was just...so cute. It show hearts and even sounds of them.

As for the guild party, I haven't decided on which one and more focus on the story mode.

Speaking of which, I actually got asked on a date by none other than...Mirael. Yeah, that got me by surprised 😮 Fun fact, Mirael was my first crush when I started playing afk arena bc she could wield fire, but that was when Lilith introduced Talene. So getting asked out by her was like... a dream to me 😌

But then she left 😭 like what did I do!?!?!? Did I choose the wrong answer? Don't leave 😢

Back to the story, the group has to sneak into the old man's mansion to investigate more of the grape situation, and that's where I left on bc I was playing late at night

It is such a beautiful game with the graphics, the weather changing, and new heroes. I'm very happy to be able to play when it got released for mobile. Also, I was wondering if the devs would add heroes from the Afk Arena

[zeherili-ankhein]

The most normal conversation between me and my 2 year old cousin sister be like*

Me- “Niruuuuu” :D

Her- “Didibhaaaiiiii” :D

“Niruuu~”

“Didibhaaaii~”

“Niru” :>

“Didibhai” :>

“Niru” :)

“Didibhai” :)

“Niru” :)

“Didibhai” :)

“Niru” :3

“Didibhai” :3

“Niru” XD

“Didibhai” XD

“Niru” XDD

“Didibhai” XDD

Yesss I call her Niru as a nickname because... I can T_T and it's always like this XD whenever we'd call or irl that's the only thing we speak yet somehow we both understand eachother so much 😭🤌 goshhh I love that baby so much

[vivi-mire]

sorry about this one

[rockislandadultreads]

More Book Club Recommendations: Immigrant Experiences

Brown Girls by Daphne Palasi Andreades

This remarkable story brings you deep into the lives of a group of friends--young women of color growing up in Queens, New York City's most vibrant and eclectic borough. Here, streets echo with languages from all over the globe, subways rumble above dollar stores, trees bloom and topple across sidewalks, and the briny scent of the ocean wafts from Rockaway Beach. Here, girls like Nadira, Gabby, Naz, Trish, Angelique, and many others, attempt to reconcile their immigrant backgrounds with the American culture they come of age in. Here, they become friends for life--or so they vow.

Exuberant and wild, they sing Mariah Carey at the tops of their lungs and roam the streets of The City That Never Sleeps, pine for crushes who pay them no mind--and break the hearts of those who do--all the while trying to heed their mothers' commands to be dutiful daughters, obedient young women. As they age, however, their paths diverge and rifts form between them, as some choose to remain on familiar streets, while others find themselves ascending in the world, drawn to the allure of other skylines, careers, and lovers, beckoned by existences foreign and seemingly at odds with their humble roots.

In musical, evocative prose, Brown Girls illustrates a collective portrait of childhood, motherhood, and beyond, and is an unflinching exploration of race, class, and marginalization in America. It is an account of the forces that bind friends to one another, their families, and communities, and is a powerful depiction of women of color attempting to forge their place in the world.

Speak No Evil by Uzodinma Iweala

On the surface, Niru leads a charmed life. Raised by two attentive parents in Washington, D.C., he’s a top student and a track star at his prestigious private high school. Bound for Harvard in the fall, his prospects are bright. But Niru has a painful secret: he is queer—an abominable sin to his conservative Nigerian parents. No one knows except Meredith, his best friend, the daughter of prominent Washington insiders—and the one person who seems not to judge him.

When his father accidentally discovers Niru is gay, the fallout is brutal and swift. Coping with troubles of her own, however, Meredith finds that she has little left emotionally to offer him. As the two friends struggle to reconcile their desires against the expectations and institutions that seek to define them, they find themselves speeding toward a future more violent and senseless than they can imagine.

Dominicana by Angie Cruz

Fifteen-year-old Ana Cancion never dreamed of moving to America, the way the girls she grew up with in the Dominican countryside did. But when Juan Ruiz proposes and promises to take her to New York City, she has to say yes. It doesn’t matter that he is twice her age, that there is no love between them. Their marriage is an opportunity for her entire close-knit family to eventually immigrate. So on New Year’s Day, 1965, Ana leaves behind everything she knows and becomes Ana Ruiz, a wife confined to a cold six-floor walk-up in Washington Heights. Lonely and miserable, Ana hatches a reckless plan to escape. But at the bus terminal, she is stopped by Cesar, Juan’s free-spirited younger brother, who convinces her to stay.

As the Dominican Republic slides into political turmoil, Juan returns to protect his family’s assets, leaving Cesar to take care of Ana. Suddenly, Ana is free to take English lessons at a local church, lie on the beach at Coney Island, see a movie at Radio City Music Hall, go dancing with Cesar, and imagine the possibility of a different kind of life in America. When Juan returns, Ana must decide once again between her heart and her duty to her family.

The Bad Muslim Discount by Syed M. Masood

It is 1995, and Anvar Faris is a restless, rebellious, and sharp-tongued boy doing his best to grow up in Karachi, Pakistan. As fundamentalists in the government become increasingly strident and the zealots next door start roaming the streets in gangs to help make Islam great again, his family decides, not quite unanimously, to start life over in California. The irony is not lost on Anvar that in America, his deeply devout mother and his model-Muslim brother are the ones who fit right in with the tightly knit and gossipy Desi community. Anvar wants more.

At the same time, thousands of miles away, Safwa, a young girl suffocating in war-torn Baghdad with her grief-stricken, conservative father will find a very different and far more dangerous path to America. These two narratives are intrinsically linked, and when their worlds come together, the fates of two remarkably different people intertwine and set off a series of events that rock their whole community to its core.

The Bad Muslim Discount is an irreverent, dramatic, and often hysterically funny debut novel by an amazing new voice. With deep insight, warmth, and an irreverent sense of humor, Syed Masood examines quirky and intense familial relationships, arranged marriage, Islamic identity, and how to live together in modern America.

[mvsicinthedvrk]

starter for daro nirulun & shang qinghua // @irresistiibles

Niru shrugs on his coat as they step out beyond their office building into the chilly evening air. "Where do you have in mind?" he asks agreeably. After all, the idea to go out for a post-work drink is a good one. It's only mid-week, and he can't make it a daily thing, but-- it already feels like it'll be a long week especially since he's still finding his footing at the office, and going out gives him an excuse to unwind a little before ending up back at his house (which still needs a lot done before he would consider himself fully moved-in, despite having been painting and moving and organizing for weeks now). "I still don't know many places, around here."

[heartfeltgram]

𝟎𝟎𝟐 𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐂 𝟏 — 𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐄

Song: Tricologe (Niru Kajitsu ft. Flower)

Key: Lyrics in blue, romaji in bold, descriptions in black

CWs: Body horror.

I’ll be a prisoner of this life, Lady kono seikatsu no toriko ni nacchau yo Lady

[ Choko stands on a lone stage, the spotlight on her. She is wearing a long black dress with purple trim and long sleeves. In front of her is a microphone, which she’s singing from. ]

This cast-off jewel has already lost its light hikari wo ushinatta osagari no houseki wo

[ The camera shifts to focus upon a purple jewel around her neck. ]

But I'll wear it forever tokoshie ni matotteku

[ In this shot, the jewel becomes tainted, stained with blood. ]

[ During the instrumental interlude, her performance ends, and the curtains close. ]

Since the day I was saved, salvation has become my duty sukuwareta ano hi kara sukui ga gimu ni naru nante

[ Flashes of an even younger Choko, wearing tattered clothes, being approached by the woman who would soon become her adoptive mother. The girl is sitting alone on a swing, and the woman approaches, sympathy on her face. ]

It's like a fiction, I feel as if I have undergone the trepanation marude fikushon torepaneeshon uketa kibun ni nattenda

[ Choko, in her current state, stands backstage after her performance, clutching the purple gemstone and forcing a smile. ]

I'm bound by shackles and corruption Only to see the light once ashikase to kusari ni shibararete tatta ichido no hikari deau tame

[ We see her strung up by puppet strings, head lowered and eyes closed. ]

A prisoner in this room waiting For something long forgotten kono heya de zutto wasureta nanika wo matsu shuujin

[ She reaches out her hand, but the light she’s reaching for fades. ]

I ate everything that was served to me, without leaving anything behind An honor student, or a corpse, more boring than anyone else dasareta mono wa manbennaku nokosazu tairagete yuutousei na shibito dare yori mo mukosei datta

[ The scene changes. Choko is standing and preparing to sing during practice, but seems to become more and more annoyed the more the teacher speaks. Whatever the teacher is saying is inaudible, but she seems to hold contempt towards his words. ]

A sad song, "To every bird, his own nest is beautiful." Again and again, I spit it out sumeba miyako tte kurai uta mata nandomo nandomo hakisutete

[ Choko falls silent as the other students in her classroom seem to praise her. ]

And after all that, the act of eating... I'm not good at it anymore ageku no hate taberu koui ga sore jitai ga nigate ni natta

[ She walks out of the classroom, much to the protest of her classmates and the teacher. ]

In the middle of the night, I suddenly saw A glittering masquerade ball yonaka futo me ni utsutta kirameku kamen no budoukai

[ A younger version of Choko looks up at her older self performing in adoration. ]

It was ridiculous, it was crazy I was drawn to it, unbecoming to my age, and… bakarashii hodo ni kuruoshii hodo ni toshigai mo naku hikikomaretara

[ Younger Choko reaches out towards her current self, who has fear in her eyes. ]

I’ll be a prisoner of this life, Lady kono seikatsu no toriko ni nacchau yo Lady

[ Choko is back to singing on stage, singing her heart out. She’s clearly pained to do so. ]

They say, "It suits you." "It's perfect for you." "yoku niatteru" tte sa "oatsuraemuki" tte sa

[ Shots of the audience applauding her performance. ]

They don't care about what comes after sono go no koto wa mimuki mo shinai kuse ni

[ Choko backstage kneels, crying her heart out. ]

I’ll be a prisoner of life, Lady, Lady seikatsu no toriko ni nacchau yo Lady Lady

[ Another performance of Choko’s; this time, she has black cracks forming all over. ]

Even the pain, and even the unhealed wounds, itami datte sa ienu kizu datte sa

[ The cracks begin to bleed purple, and Choko seems to notice. ]

All of them are the ordeals I have to go through to survive subete ikiteku tame norikoeru shiren

[ Choko shakes her head and continues to sing. ]

It's just nothing taai mo nai koto deshou

[ She closes her eyes and the camera cuts to her smiling lips. ]

[ During the instrumental interlude, we see Choko in her bedroom. While there is no light on in the room, the moonlight gives enough glow to see the room in full. The walls are pink, covered head to toe in music scores. Some music scores are scattered on the floor and even on the bed. Choko is hugging her knees, crying. The places where the cracks were during her performance are now bandaged in white. ]

A little chipped "pink opal” A lost "iolite" A "topaz" covered in dust And a lonely "ametrine" sukoshi kaketeru pinkuopaaru maigo ni natta aioraito hokori wo kaburu topaazu kodoku na ametorin mo minna

[ During this set of lines, Choko stands in front of a mirror, preparing herself for another performance. ]

All dressed up in their own way and became cloudy and heavy Even though they're sinking into the prison of the abyss sorezore kikazatte nigotte omoku natte tte naraku no soko no rouya ni shizunde iku to shite mo

[ Her teacher pokes his head in the room to remind her that she’s about to go on stage. She seems to smile about this, giving him a nod. ]

Oh, the happiness that came to me, like a national holiday It's already set in stone, as scheduled aa otozureta shiawase ga hora shukusaijitsu mitai ni sude ni kimerareta yoteichouwa de

[ Choko walks onto the stage, taking a deep breath. Her smile grows when she sees her best friend, a girl with short white hair and blue eyes, sitting in the crowd and watching. ]

I don't care if it's a placebo that'll go away in an instant I become dependent... dependent on hopeful despair isshun de usete shimau nagusame demo kamawanai yo to kibou ariki no zetsubou ni sa izon izon

[ Choko’s face becomes determined, and then… she starts to sing. ]

I’ll be a prisoner of life, Lady seikatsu no toriko ni nacchau yo Lady

[ Instead of focusing on her performance this time, the scene changes to the classroom where Choko was practicing before. This time, she and the teacher are alone in there, and she’s seen begging her friend to play the piano one more time. ]

"Someday your efforts will bear fruit." "You’ll be accepted." Fooling yourself with comforting spells "itsuka mukuwareru" "mitomete moraeru" kiyasume no jumon de onore wo damasu no

[ The teacher shakes his head, frowning at her. He tells her that she’s doing alright, and that she can go home to be with her family and rest up for the concert. ]

The end of this life is just around the corner, Lady Lady seikatsu no owari wa sugu soko Lady Lady

[ Choko falls to her knees, begging, but the teacher walks away. ]

Envy, jealousy, onlookers, inferiority, even the honor, netami sonemi yajiuma rettou mentsu datte

[ Choko looks heartbroken. ]

All of them are the ordeals we have to go through to survive We have no choice ikiteku tame norikoeru shiren shiyou ga nai koto deshou

[ Those cracks from before appear, this time they’re worse than before. ]

[ During the instrumental interlude, Choko walks home, downtrodden. ]

I’ll be a prisoner of this life, Lady kono seikatsu no toriko ni nacchau yo Lady

[ Choko’s best friend agrees to play the piano for her. The two are alone in the music room once again. ]

I don't need anymore of that bland, generic jewelry Now, even the cloud is beautiful atarisawari nai you na taishuuteki na houseki wa mou hitsuyou wa nai nigori sura mo kirei

[ Choko is practicing, but winces every time she gets a note wrong. Her friend encourages her to try again. ]

Let’s be the prisoner of this life, Lady Lady seikatsu no toriko ni nacchau yo Lady Lady

[ Choko shakes her head and keeps trying. ]

"Old-fashioned..." "It’s not worth the money..." Words that don’t strike a chord with me are useless "furukusai" tte sa "kane ni naranai" tte sa kinsen wo kanadenai kotoba wa muyou

[ She keeps hearing voices of other students, jealousy ever present. She covers her ears. ]

I’ve become a prisoner of life, Lady Lady seikatsu no toriko ni nacchatta Lady Lady

[ Choko’s eyes widen, and blood splatters across her face. ]

It's okay to have pain and secrets you can't tell itami datte sa ienu himitsu mo atte ii nda

[ The scene switches to her point of view, and we see that the piano is also stained with blood. ]

Those are what we wear to live, right? sou ikiteku tame matou mono daro 

[ The camera focuses on Choko again just as more cracks appear on her body, even worse than the other two times. ]

They're all not that hard taai mo nai koto deshou

[ Choko struggles to keep herself together, but she’s falling apart piece by piece, even throughout the interlude. ]

You're a prisoner too, aren't you? anata mo toriko deshou?

[ The very last shot, she’s on stage, as if part of another performance, just as she completely falls apart. ]

[sonarsunbeam]

they are so pretty oh my god

[meatiors]

Wtf they put crack in ironina

[x0401x]

NicoNico Douga Anniversary Interview with Jin

Summary of a three-way interview featuring Jin, sasakure.UK and Niru Kajitsu from a livestream celebrating NND’s 15th anniversary. Original video here. Mostly focused on Jin’s part. Done on commission.

Just like the previous livestream interview that Jin participated, the hosts are Kurita Shigetaka and Hyakka Ryouran. It begins with lighthearted greetings and introductions, as well as individual messages from them to the viewers. From that point, quite a lot of corners ensue before Jin actually shows up. He’s one of the three VOCALOID producers who were invited to the livestream to talk about what it’s like being a creator on NicoNico, because, as Ryouran comments, VOCALOID and NicoNico had been walking this journey hand-by-hand and it’s impossible to separate one from the other.

This joined interview is actually a video that was played for almost half of the livestream’s duration. It had to be pre-recorded from a different studio – the same studio where Jin was interviewed before. Apparently, this was a measure taken for the creators’ convenience, as they are quote-and-quote “very busy people”, implying that there was no other timing when all three of them would be available for the segment. Ryouran then calls out to “himself from the other studio”, which he responds to in the recorded video with, “Hello, me from the future!” and begins the interview introducing the three participants.

Just like the last interview with Jin, the three aren’t really in the studio. It’s a call conference and none of them is showing their faces. Instead, we see their Twitter icons on the screen behind the two hosts. When the guests are speaking individually, only their icon shows up on-screen, but when they’re silent, their icons appear lined-up, with Jin’s in the middle.

The content creators are called one by one and reply in identical ways: “Hi, I’m [insert name]. I’ll be in your care~” and Jin is no exception. They’re welcomed with applause all the same. Ryouran informs that there might be people who are seeing them for the first time and introduces the guests briefly with facts about them, such as their birthdays, places of origin and occupations. He finishes all of them saying, “In short, he’s an amazing person!!”

Once the introductions are done with, Ryouran asks if the trio had ever come together like that, and they say no. However, both sasakure and Niru had already met Jin. In sasakure’s case, he had met up once at night just to talk about music. Ryouran and Kurita tease, “So that’s your relationship?!”, to which sasakure jokes that he couldn’t take it back after making the offer. He adds that this had happened years ago, so they hadn’t talked in a while. As for Niru, he and Jin had hung out for meals and gone on drives together in Jin’s car. Ryouran and Kurita joke that the three of them are pretty clingy with each other. To make things better, Jin comments that they once went to a park and watched the nightscape while walking around and having a nice chat, and there were only couples around them, which instigates a lot of laughter from everyone.

Ryouran comments that he’s relieved the three had a deeper relationship than he had thought, as it did not seem that any of them would clash. Niru clarifies that it was not their first meeting as a trio, as they had already met up before, just never had a three-way convo. They had only greeted each other and were not able to talk much. Ryouran jokes that, if so, this was their chance to go for a meal together and have a car ride date, which has everyone laughing. sasakure tips in, “Let’s go on a car ride” and Jin plays around, “I hope we don’t fight”.

Ryouran goes on to ask what the name of each creator was taken after. Both sasakure and Niru gave their own explanations, while Jin merely said that his name had no meaning in particular, and that it was just an alias given to him by his friends back when he used to play baseball in elementary school. Basically, they took a part of his first name and made a nickname out of it, and before he realized, everyone was calling him “Jin” and continued to call him that ever since. If Jin’s real name is Jintarou, I’m calling bullshit.

Ryouran and Kurita comment about Jin’s Twitter account name, “jin_jin_suruyo”, which sounds similar to “chin-chin suru yo”, meaning something along the lines of, “I’m gonna do the nasty” in a playful-sounding way. Ryouran was wondering if the account name had anything to do with his artist name, but Jin says he actually wasn’t thinking of anything when he created it and just chose a random username. He argues that he was just 19 back then and didn’t think things would turn out like this.

Ryouran: So you’re not Jin because of the “jin-jin”! It was the opposite!

Kurita: We thought you wanted to jin-jin with everyone but we were wrong!

Next, they ask the creators what made them start their careers as musicians. Jin explains the same as he has been doing in every other interview: he went to a vocational school after graduating high school and formed a band during that time. One by one, the band members got themselves formal jobs and left the band. He was then introduced to VOCALOID by the older brother of a classmate, who showed him Hatsune Miku for the first time. The older brother taught him all sorts of things about VOCALOID during a time when he didn’t even have a computer, so he didn’t understand much. But then he listened to sasakure’s “Tiger Rampage” and had an epiphany, which is a detail he had never mentioned before.

Jin: That’s what put me in my place... I realized that my existence was truly meaningless.

Ryouran/Kurita: *lose their shit*

He goes on to explain that the song felt like music he had never heard before and knew nothing of. The composition was monstrous and really broadened his horizons. And so, one or two days after that experience, he got hyped up and decided to make Kagerou Project. He started using the eye-related idioms that appear in his songs and began planning it out at an extremely high speed, which was how “Jinzou Enemy” came to be. He half-jokes that it was like “an awakening” for him, like, “What have I been doing until now??”

When Ryouran asks Niru the same question (as to what made him begin making music), Niru replies that his trigger was “Kagerou Days”. Ryouran and Kurita swoon about the fact that the three of them were connected.

Niru: That’s right, I was also put in my place.

Jin: It’s the put-in-place baton!

Niru says the same as Jin – that he felt he was listening to music he had never heard before. The universal experience of listening to VOCALOID songs for the first time. Ryouran asks if his speed also increased after that, which he responds with yes. Jin jokes that being put in their place gives people a boost.

Ryouran: So sasakure-san put Jin-san in his place and Jin-san put Niru-san in his place. That’s kinda funny!

Kurita: It is! But now Niru-san has to put someone in their place too...

Jin: No, he already did. Pretty much.

Niru: Well, if I did, then I’m very happy.

Ryouran asks Jin what it feels like to be on both sides of the spectrum (being put in his place and putting someone in their place). Jin says he had been recommended to listen to Niru by Ryuusei (Ryuusei-P, AKA Minato) before he actually met Niru. Ryuusei told him that, according to rumors, Niru listened to his songs a lot and had received quite a lot of influence from him. The song Jin listened to was “Wozwald”, and his innitial reaction was, “Eh, w-what part of this was influenced by me?? There’s definitely a mistake here!” but then he realized that “Kagerou Days” has nothing to do with “Tiger Rampage” as well. He says it’s a “spiritual thing”, which sends Ryouran and Kurita into a laughing fit.

Ryouran asks Niru if this whole situation (Jin being influenced by sasakure and then influencing Niru, only for Niru to influence him as well) isn’t food for thought. Niru says it is, as he knew sasakure before he knew Jin and was influenced by him as well. He then comments that this segment of the livestream is pretty good and Ryouran doesn’t miss a beat, “Now everyone’s gonna be tweeting that they were put in their place after watching this!”

Ryouran asks the creators about the reasoning behind their creation process. Jin explains that he mainly wants to convey his thoughts and feelings, but that he doesn’t want them to be conveyed in a way that’s too simple or too direct. He wants people to understand, but he doesn’t want to make it too easy for them to understand.

Ryouran: So like, “Come and get it”?

Jin: Yeah, yeah, yeah! I’m a real pain in the ass.

On a more serious note, Jin says that probably all musicians are like that – if they create something, the listeners will walk themselves through it on their own. Therefore, he doesn’t use simple words and conceals the meaning behind the songs a little bit. And when people understand them, he’s able to think, “Ah, so they decided to come closer. They weren’t half-hearted about it”, which makes him happy. He adds that he’s normally anxious when he talks to people, wondering if they aren’t lying to him or putting up a front, so when they react to his works like this, he has a clear proof that they were truly thinking the same way as him. He also points out that he puts Easter eggs in his songs, believing no one will notice, but they do, and it always leaves him wondering how they notice. He says it feels like leaving a mystery that was sure to never be solved out there, and watching it get solved in no time. He comments that he gets a bit sad when the secrets are disclosed so quickly and really wishes we were a little dumber (lol).

Later, Ryouran reminds Jin that he had talked about how difficult it is to create songs and asks how hyped he is to make music nowadays. Jin jokes that his hype hasn’t been going up lately. He believes each person has their own reason to make music and that it’s a matter of artistic expression. He explains that, while people are alive, they’re oddly bound to doubt others when it comes to word usage. In times like that, what he does is to nestle close to music he likes. He says it feels like far-away Morse code, as if the composer is resonating with him from somewhere.

As for why he makes music, he says that if he were a tall, handsome and guy who excelled at sports and socializing, he probably wouldn’t be a composer. He has always felt that he makes music exactly because he’s not that kind of person. To him, music is something he makes because there are things he could never obtain. He says it’s pretty painful, but in spite of that, he continues making music, and it’s through music that he’s able to connect with people such as sasakure and Niru, which makes him insanely happy. He jokingly calls it the “baton of pain”.

Niru then asks both sasakure and Jin if there’s any song from each other that they deem as the best one, saying he wants them to choose just one and talk about them. He was hoping to hear their takes and relate to them.

Jin was the first to reply, claiming it would’ve been easier to answer the question if it had been asked a while earlier, so he would’ve easily picked “Tiger Rampage”, but since they had talked about “Tiger Rampage” already, he had “used up that card”. Therefore, he decides to choose a different song – one that he had never talked about before, “Tig-Hug”. He liked it so much that he bombarded sasakure with DMs about it. He says that sasakure’s way of capturing sounds is terrific and that he loved the way the short beats overturned. He also says that the discussion would get too long if he talked about the lyrics, so he only talks about his favorite verse: “I won’t make you into the bad guy”. He thought it was a wonderful sentence and wondered if there was anyone who had ever said that before. They were very powerful words and he wished he could’ve listened to a song like this when he was in high school. He jokes that he was put in his place once again by sasakure.UK and reveals that he cried back then.

Jin adds that he also likes “Tondemo Wonders” and jokes that someone like him shouldn’t be making music after listening to it. He goes on to explain that he loves sasakure’s view of the world, his way of expressing himself and the atmosphere of his worldbuilding. He likes that it’s not too direct and has realism to it, not to mention that it was a song with a completely different kind of context in comparison to what sasakure usually makes. While saying this, Jin refers to sasakure very respectfully as “sasakure.UK-shi”.

Ryouran and Kurita are eager to see how sasakure will respond to being complimented so much. He is indeed a bit at loss at first, but picks Kuusou Forest. He comments that he played it during a rehearsal due to liking it so much and says he loves how balanced the song is, as the melody and arrangement are excellent. He points out that the lyrics have really good content. However, he had already talked about it before, so he jokes that he has also used up this card. Therefore, he decides to exchange Kuusou Forest for Project SEKAI’s “Stella”. He says the song pierced right through him and that he had listened to it during the time when he was composing “Tondemo Wonders”. He reveals that he remade the song’s demo after listening to “Stella”. Jin is very humbled by it all and thanks sasakure many times for the words of praise.

Ryouran: Whoa, amazing! He was put in his place!

Kurita: He was put in his place as retribution!

sasakure: I was!

Jin: The “put in my place” count is going up!

Ryouran concludes that all three of them are linked by respect for each other’s works. His next question to them is if they had any new encounters through VOCALOID. Firstly, sasakure says that about half of the relationships he currently has were people he met through NicoNico and Jin follows suit, saying that the same goes for him. He also comments that he’s appalled by how famous he is. Lately, he’s been learning time and time again that he’s well-known, which leaves him dumbfounded. He’s been going after people to make art for him, and the response is always, “I’m so happy! Yes, I know you”, and it never fails to make him go, “Ah, you know me??”

Kurita: What is this man talking about?!

Ryouran: Says the guy who created a whole new era!

Jin says that when he thinks back about what he’d been doing, all he recalls is being at home, typing furiously. Therefore, he didn’t just meet people. He came in contact with them through the avatar “Jin”. To elaborate, he says that he and sasakure, for instance, might have passed each other in the streets before, and they were only able to get to know each other through being “Jin” and “sasakure.UK”. He says it’s a different kind of meeting, which could only happen in the current times, and that’s what’s most meaningful to him about it.

Ryouran then asks how the three usually start off their music creation process. Jin says that he simply has things he wants to convey, so he thinks about the characters and subjects that match with such things and imagines a film-like scenario with them. Then, he plans out a background music for that film, such as the end credits’ soundtrack, insert songs or opening themes.

Ryouran: So you make a big story and the songs are small parts of it.

Jin: That’s right. That’s why I have such a hard time with them! I really want this to be easier! I wanna make them instantaneously!

When Jin jokes that he wants to make the full course as soon as possible but “his soul won’t let him”, Niru says that it’s always like that when people create new things, and sasakure tips in with “I totally get you”. Jin says that, in the end, if it weren’t like that, the lyrics would come to a halt. Niru elaborates on what he means by explaining that when they decide to make something lightheartedly, they become unable to finish it, and in the end, they don’t make anything.

When the question is relayed to sasakure, he says he always takes a lot of time and even just coming up with the song title takes him about three months. Ryouran and Kurita are surprised but Jin and Niru say that’s normal and that it also happens to them. Jin comments that the “Douga” in “Nico Nico Douga” has a lot of weight, so they very much have to first plan out a video experience and then come up with a song, and that’s what makes it such a high hurdle. He muses aloud that perhaps the way they grew up and modern culture might have influenced that as well.

Next, Ryouran asks what they do when they are in a slump. Niru says he tries to have fun and read positive feedbacks on his work in order to feel better, but Jin says he’s the opposite of that. He instead tries to bring out the most human parts of him that can be accepted, telling himself continuously, “Why’s it that you’re making music again? If what you’re doing is so easy to give up on, you wouldn’t be going through all the trouble of involving so many people in it”.

Jin adds that he tries to beat some sense of responsibility into himself with that kind of thinking. He goes on to say that, although his melody is completely different from Niru’s and sasakure’s, it’s equally important for all of them. He describes the moment when he’s matching the melody to the lyrics as a “moment where he’s possessed by an unfathomable power”, and says it’s a moment where he has no choice but evolve. It’s something very painful and always makes him want to quit, but he doesn’t.

Jin says that it depends on each person, but if he allows himself to have fun, he ends up avoiding music. He finds himself not wanting to think of anything, so he runs away from music. He worries that he won’t be able to come back to it at some point, so he makes sure to stay in line.

Ryouran summarizes their responses: Niru tries to lift himself up, Jin tries to corner himself and sasakure also tries to lift himself up, so the next person would definitely go with the “Jin-ism” as their answer. Jin jokes that he’s nothing but a sad monster that was born for no other reason than feel sadness, a reference to one of his songs. Ryouran and Kurita immediately pick up on it and start laughing.

Kurita mentions that one of Niru’s songs had gone past a million views last year and was amongst seven other VOCALOID songs that had reached the same milestone in the year 2021. It has been thirteen years since the last time this had happened, so he asks the three what they think of the VOCALOID scene now and how they imagine it will be like in the future.

First, sasakure says that he believes people are getting along better than before, each making their own thing in peace. His impression is that VOCALOID is something everyone enjoys indiscriminately nowadays, no longer an underground subculture. In agreement to this, Jin recalls that “Senbonzakura” had been released two weeks before “Kagerou Days”, and currently, he gets the exact same sensation from the VOCALOID scene as he did back at that time. As of late, he feels the same as when he heard the news and thought to himself, “Oh, yeah, ‘Senbonzakura’ was released” and went to check it out, meaning that the VOCALOID scene now feels to him like just about the same as when it was at its peak, which has both Ryouran and Kurita taken aback.

Jin goes on to explain that people seem to be enjoying VOCALOID in more positive ways now, but that he believes something “edgy” (said originally in English) will happen in the future and instigate change. He senses that they can’t cut through a path to the future unless something of the sort occurs. He says he can’t predict the future at all but thinks that new things will surge and raise everyone’s hype (because let’s be honest: VOCALOID has been stagnant for a long time now).

In accordance to all of the above, Niru says he also believes the future is bright for VOCALOID, since so many people have grown up with it and more and more people are being born into a world that has had VOCALOID for a long time now. Not to mention that people who like VOCALOID now have children of their own, to whom they are most likely introducing VOCALOID songs.

After that, Ryouran announces their time is up and asks one last question: what the trio’s respective activities will be from that point on. Niru would be releasing a new song and doing a collaboration café, while sasakure would be taking part in Comiket. Meanwhile, Jin announces his first mini-album and asks people to listen to “Guru”, a song that had already been released by then.

Ryouran then asks for them to leave a message to the interviewers. Just like before, sasakure and Niru go with words of affirmation while Jin takes a darker route. He says that creating content is very painful for him and it’s not all just fun and games, but when people have tried all sorts of things and yet feel lost and hopeless, the path of creation will definitely open for them. He expresses that he would be happy if the number of creators increases and finishes the speech by admitting that there is actually no other way for people who enjoy making content.

Ryouran and Kurita burst into laughter, jokingly saying that Jin is cornering newbie creators. Ryouran comments that he’s clearly conflicted as to whether or not to give them a taste of the pain and suffering they’re going to experience.

Jin, in a not at all serious voice: It’s not painful by any means. Don’t mind me. Do your best!

Ryouran and Kurita applaud the trio’s replies and thank them for their participation, then ask what each of them thought of the interview. They all say it was fun, with Jin adding that, although this was a boring answer, he wouldn’t have said it was fun unless he had genuinely had a good time. Niru completes this by saying he had the best time ever with two people he admires a lot.

Jin: Good thing that Kajitsu-kun was last.

Ryouran and Kurita: *lose their shit again*

The trio then each say their goodbyes and the recorded interview ends with Ryouran passing the baton back to his present self in the other studio.