#Our anniversary is actually on the 10th BUT I wanted to get this all out of the way a few days before

[americana-sims]

Here's a few sims me and my girlfriend made together to celebrate our anniversary!

I know that sounds a little strange; we collaborated on these over the past few days on little "Sims dates!" He mostly worked on Dexter and Lilly, while Cheyenne and Dustin were mostly my work. Josie says hello and that he hopes you enjoy the sims we made!

[saintvainglorious]

My First Fanbind! A Black Sails Fic Anthology Series

It took me a year (and a lot of anxious research) before I worked up the courage to bookbind fanfiction, and after months of on-again-off-again work, my first fanbind is finally done!

I knew that if I was going to bookbind fic, I had to bind something from the Black Sails fandom, aka the fandom and show that have had the biggest impact on my life. Y'all, I almost went into academia to study slavery in the 17th-18th century Caribbean because of this show - when folks say this show rewires your brain chemistry, they are NOT kidding. THEE show of all time. Happy 10th anniversary to Black Sails! This fandom is small but mighty. May we continue to get our hearts and souls blasted to smithereens by this show for many years to come.

Ao3 abounds with magnificent Black Sails oneshots, so I decided to put together an anthology of my favorite Silverflint fics under 20k, which I split into two volumes. Included are works by @justlikeeddie, @vowel-in-thug, @balloonstand, @annevbonny, @francisthegreat, @nysscientia, and more! Thank you, thank you all, you brilliant wonderful people, for gracing the Internet with such amazing writing. When I read the fics in these anthologies I want to fling myself into the sun.

More on the design and binding process below the cut!

Vol. 1 Page Count: 270 (12 fics) Vol. 2 Page Count: 248 (11 fics) Body Font: Sabon Next LT (10.5 pt) Title Font: Goudy Old Style Other Fonts: IM Fell English, pirates pw

The typeset (which I did in Word) took a while, mainly because I'd never done it before. Manually adjusting the hyphenation line-by-line was especially tedious. After making these books, I abandoned Word in favor of InDesign, in large part because InDesign gives you way finer control over your justification and hyphenation settings.

Regarding my actual design choices, I'm happy with how the ocean motif on the title page turned out (it's not the same pattern as my endpapers, but they're complimentary) and I'm very fond of my divider dingbats, which are little swords! Goudy Old Style was a fun title font to use, since it's the font that Black Sails uses as its logo. The stories in Vol. 1 are divided into parts based on what Silver WAS at that point in the show (cook, quartermaster, or king), and Vol. 2 is split up into comedies, histories (AUs set in the canon universe) and tragedies - befitting Black Sails' Shakespearean ~vibes~.

I stuck to a flatback binding, as I wasn't feeling quite ambitious enough to try rounding and/or backing. I've learned that I ~Anakin Skywalker voice~ hate sanding, enjoy folding/sewing, and don't LIKE edge trimming but enjoy the results enough to make it worth it.

The real adventure was decorating the cover, which remained bare for months. After agonizing over Illustrator and experimenting unsuccessfully with HTV and lokta paper embossing, I ultimately turned to using stencil vinyl to paint on the designs. There was a bit of seepage under some of the stencils, but I was able to scrape off the excess with my Cricut weeding tool without damaging the coated surface of the bookcloth (probably Arrestox Blue Ribbon from Hollander's). Even though it was very time-consuming, I'm so happy with the end result of the stenciled paint job and I intend to stick with stencils for my foreseeable future binds.

Are there things I would change? Sure. It was humid out when I printed, so the pages have got a wave. There’s an extra two pages in Vol 2. that I have no idea how I missed, and I got a line of glue in the middle of one of my Vol. 2 endpapers. I’m pretty sure I didn’t case in quite right, since my endpapers pull away from the case at the spine. I think the inner margins are a bit too big, and despite going line-by-line there’s still some wacky justification spacing in the typeset. But man, am I proud of these books! It is so satisfying to learn a new skill - MANY new skills, if we’re being honest - and to make something both beautiful and practical. If I’m still binding in two years or so, I can see myself redoing the typeset in InDesign, cutting out the existing text block, and reusing the cases. I’m also already planning for Vol. 3, which will be Silverflint Modern AUs.

Thanks for reading!

[flanaganfilm]

Hey, Mike! Did moving to Los Angeles at the start of your career turn out to be all that you thought it would be? It’s a big step that a lot of people take, and I’ve never really heard you talk about those early years before. Did you ever contemplate quitting? And if so, I’m glad you stuck to it - we love your work!

Oh, I contemplated quitting many, many times.

I moved to Los Angeles in January, 2003. I had just graduated the previous summer from Towson University, and a group of five of us moved out together. Some wanted to be filmmakers, some wanted to be actors. We shared a 3-bedroom apartment in Glendale. The adjacent apartment was occupied by four other Towson alums. Between the two apartments, we called it "Little Towson." I didn't own a car at the start. I had no health insurance. I'd saved a few thousand dollars to get me through the first six months, but none of us had jobs at the beginning. I remember applying (and being rejected) for a job at Walmart. I combed Craigslist looking for non-union editorial gigs.

I had told myself I'd give it five years, and if I hadn't gotten any traction, I'd move back to Maryland.

People started dropping out pretty quickly. One of my roommates (and one of my best friends) had moved out here to be an actor, and only lasted a few months before he decided to go back. It's overwhelming and terrifying to take a leap into a city as expensive as LA, and you're surrounded by people who all want the same career that you want. But it feels like there is a thousand foot wall circling the industry, and it seems impossible to scale it.

I found work doing odd editorial jobs before working as a logger, than an assistant editor, then an editor on a few reality shows. I shot and cut those local car commercials you see on late night cable. And I frequently ran out of money and overdrafted my account. As more and more of our original group gave up and moved back East, I started to feel more and more crazy. A lot of my friends from school were getting married, buying houses, having kids. I felt pretty delusional as my 5-year deadline came and went, and I still hadn't found any way over or through that wall. When we started to talk about making Absentia in 2010, I had been in LA for more than 7 years. I was working two jobs as an editor. I found out I was going to be a father. It felt very much like whatever I'd wanted to happen by moving to LA was not going to happen. Absentia was kind of last-ditch effort. Ultimately, the five year plan I'd allowed myself when I moved to LA turned into a 9-year plan. I started shooting Oculus - my first "real" movie - in the fall of 2012, just shy of my 10th anniversary in Los Angeles. That movie wouldn't come out for a while after that, so by the time I actually had a career as a filmmaker, well over a decade had passed struggling in LA.

For most of that time, my refusal to move back to Maryland looked (and felt) like a delusion. Only afterward did it start to look like "tenacity." And it never felt like "persistence" or "determination"... it felt insane. It felt like constant, daily frustration and rejection. And when I couldn't pay the bills, or couldn't land a job, it felt downright embarrassing.

For what it's worth, the only difference I've seen between people who "make it" out here and don't are that the ones who made it all stayed long past their expiration dates. I've seen wildly talented people pack it up and head home. Talent helps a lot once the door is open, but really the only thing that opens the door is persistence. To the point of feeling insane.

[urrockstar-xe]

six months - j.m x gn!reader

posted april 10th, 2023 11:31 pm

i've been on hiatus for quite some time now, and my birthday was a few days ago and that inspired some writing. I finally fell down the jj maybank rabbit hole and decided to test this out, lmk if you enjoyed xx - xe

masterlist

wordcount: 0.6k

You didn’t think anything of it when you made it to John B’s and was greeted by JJ with nothing more than a hey and a quick kiss on the cheek. 5 minutes afterward though, when JJ followed John B out to the pogue, Kie sat by you on the couch.

“Isn’t today your anniversary?” She asked, pulling her knees to her chest. 

“Yeah, six months, why?” You watched as Pope got up and went to go catch up with the boys. 

“Are you guys doing anything for it? To be honest, I didn’t think JJ could last in a relationship this long” Kie jokes, nudging you a little while you laughed.

“No, I don’t think so, I mean, I didn’t plan anything. I don’t know I guess it just flew by so fast it doesn’t feel like its been that long you know?”

And besides, you always thought that six months isn’t even that impressive. Not for you and JJ anyway, he was already your best friend before you got together, now it just felt like he was your best friend who got kissing privileges. 

“Do you think JJ is planning anything?” you shrugged in response. 

It didn’t seem very JJ to do something for an anniversary 

But just maybe a little part of you hoped he had. Or that he’d at least mention it sometime tonight.

Kie stood up, making a comment on how long it was taking the boys to come back just as the three of them came into sight. 

“Hey, what took you guys so long-” you were cut off by John B.

“We have to go get some supplies to clean the pogue,” You gave him a confused look before responding, “Clean the pogue? I don’t even think I’ve seen you hose it down before.” 

Pope piped up, “It’s filthy, here take this rag and go start wiping down the outside,” he tossed you a grease-covered green rag as John B grabbed his key and signaled for Kie and Pope to follow him.

You saw Kiara nod at JJ before she smiled at you and followed the two boys as they rushed to the old van. 

“The fuck’s that about?” You asked, standing up and making your way to your boyfriend.

“No idea but it looks like we got stuck with the outside job,” You looked at JJ, even more confused than before.

“What? You’re actually gonna listen to them?” 

“The pogue is practically our safe haven, good to treat her nice by keepin’ her clean.” You scoffed in response, giving JJ a lighthearted glare before he laughed. “C’mon,”

Reluctantly, you followed him to the pogue, playing with the dirty rag in your hand as you walked, occasionally hitting his shoulder and laughing at how he’d tried to grab it from you.

As the boat you spent so much time on came into view, you noticed it looked completely different. 

“What the hell?” JJ smiled in response before turning to face you and opening his arms in a “Ta-da!” form.

Inside the pogue was an old picnic blanket from John B’s porch, Kie’s cooler, and some fake candles scattered around the boat. 

You pouted, looking back at JJ to see him still smiling proudly. “Happy anniversary, mama” 

“Did you guys just do this?” You asked, staring in awh of the setup.

“Yeah, you like it?” “course, I do, I didn’t think you’d want to do something like this,” JJ furrowed his brows at you before throwing his arm around your shoulders.

“Seriously? I’ve been spoken for, for 6 whole months, that’s a new record for me” You laughed in response before asking, “What’s in that cooler?” 

Once again that ever so proud smile returned to his pretty face before he happily told you he and Kie made sandwiches and John B stuffed the cooler with beer. 

“So it’ll be just us, on the pogue, all night?” you asked, stepping inside the boat and watching as JJ copied your actions. 

“All night, baby.”

[jokeroutsubs]

[ENG SUB] Joker Out on Slušaj 'vamo, Radio Beograd 202 (31.10.2024)

Joker Out was interviewed by Radio Beograd 202 during their programme Slušaj 'vamo ('Listen here'). The interview was screenrecorded from their website.

Transcript by @moonlvster, IG irenalemajic, translation by @moonlvster, review by IG marija_rocen, proofread by X klámstrákur, subtitles by @vesdagrem

Full video and transcript below the cut 👇

Transcript:

Host: That was the band Turisti. There, we visited Rijeka briefly. I love the show 'Slušaj 'vamo' ('Listen Here'), especially when we travel around the Balkans or Serbia. Currently we're travelling around the Balkans, actually the Balkans came to us. Welcome, guys, the band is Joker Out.

Bojan: Thank you. Happy to be here.

Welcome to the Beograd 202 studio for the second time. You're all free to answer, we'll see who will speak later. We have the entire team here, all five of them. Bojan was the loudest here – obviously you have to show who the frontman is - then we have Kris, Nace, Jure and...

Bojan: And...

Jan: Jan.

Jan, yes. Bojan and Jan, great, excellent. Next we should have 'An'.

Bojan: And 'N'.

Last time we chatted - actually, when we talked over the phone, Bojan, that was sometime before you came to Belgrade - it was, I think, before you played at Arsenal Festival. So many things have changed in the meantime. Who could've thought?

Bojan: Yes. A lot of things have happened since we talked, but this album, which will come out in November, we already started working on it back then, at least mentally.

Yes, and we were announcing your concerts, and we had this question. You knew people here love you, you knew they couldn't wait to see you, but I know you couldn't expect that kind of reaction. Not at Dom omladine, not at Arsenal Fest. I mean, I was there, so I know what I'm talking about.

Bojan can answer, the rest of you can also join in, how did it all seem to you?

With all of those toys and everything that flew onto the stage and so on, the euphoria.

Bojan: I mean, the concerts at Dom omladine and Fabrika in Novi Sad were truly phenomenal, but at Arsenal Fest we got a kind of, let's say, a prediction of what we can expect - but that was something more, when it's your own concert and specifically in that kind of intimate space, you can really feel the people who are there and... there were many things that flew onto the stage, but I think we gave it our all from the stage, so that was some kind of 'you get what you give' love.

And somebody- do you have the impression that everything happened kind of quickly, I mean, in comparison to Eurovision? I'm not talking about what happened before that, you have your history before Eurovision, but you're kind of new to people. It's inevitable, when somebody takes a leap they say: "Oh, they're new", but you have 10 years behind you. That's a long story. This past year and a bit more has felt like you have - that it went really quickly.

Bojan: Well, it has, I think that in the past year and a half, 10 years have passed, really. So many things happened that we haven't experienced in the 8 years we've existed, and just today we were joking that when we celebrate our 10th anniversary, we come to Serbia and say like: "We're celebrating two and a half years since you met us."

You know what they say you were lucky. Lots of bands here only become popular on their farewell tours. All around our area, I'm not just talking about Serbia, it happens everywhere. We take in new bands slowly, but when they do, it's long-term love, you know? It's like that in your case.

Bojan: Well, I hope so.

Who's next? Does anyone want to add anything? Come on, Kris, for example?

Kris: Well, Bojan already said everything.

Did he?

Kris: Bojan already said everything.

I'll ask you this, so, last year, when you sold out Dom omladine - and Arsenal went well too - that was your prime time, which is always kind of a risk: you don't know how it'll go when you step onto the stage. Now that you're coming here for the second time, did you have the feeling that, ah, we have to repeat that and success and do even more now?

Kris: Well, I think we didn't, and I think we confirmed that later, considering the fact that Dom omladine - that tickets for Dom omladine sold out in a few hours.

But you didn't know they would sell out in a few hours when you scheduled it.

Kris: Well, we didn't know, but we knew.

But you hoped so?

Bojan: Kris knew.

Nace: Kris knew.

Kris: We assumed. And it's always like that, I mean, we knew that we wanted to go smaller than we realistically could, because we wanted it to be like... For the third album, we wanted a gig that's more intimate and for the biggest fans, so from that perspective we kind of knew they'd sell out fast, but we were still surprised by how fast it sold out again.

Bojan: We couldn't decide between Belgrade Arena�� and Dom omladine.

Dom omladine is ten times better - for example, you know what, Johnny Štulić² was there 7 times a long time ago, at Kulušić. To this day fairytales are told about the seven concerts at Kulušić.

Bojan: Yes, right.

And second, you have those dedicated fans who will come to all seven concerts.

Bojan: True.

Can we listen to 'Bluza' now? That's your new song.

Bojan: Let's listen to 'Bluza'.

Is this your latest song? A new single, announcing the new album.

Nace: It is.

Bojan: Well...

That is, your latest single.

Bojan: It's our latest single,but something interesting about 'Bluza' and 'Šta bih ja', those are the two songs we managed to prepare in London in January and February. We played them on our European tour, before they came out. And really, during our European tour everyone already sang those two songs, so when 'Bluza' came out, it was already old news.

Okay, let's hear this old song, that's actually still new.

[Bluza cut]

This was a song called 'Bluza', the latest single from Joker Out, yes, yes, they're those Slovenian boys. If anybody is maybe wondering if they are, yes, they are. We've heard from Bojan, we've heard from Kris, little by little we'll hear from the rest. Come on, can we hear something from Jure, Nace, Jan, come on. A "good evening", even if you say it one by one.

Nace: Good evening.

Jan: Good evening, Belgrade, how's it going?

Are you excited for the concerts in Belgrade and Novi Sad?

Bojan: Come on, Janči. Are you excited?

Are you excited for the concerts in Belgrade and Novi Sad?

Jan: Yeah, every time we've been here, the concerts were phenomenal, the audience was on fire and I hope it will be the same at the next one.

Bojan: On fire.

Well, do your best, they'vealready bought the tickets in advance, so they expect it to be exactly... Will there be an additional concert? Probably...

Bojan: There won't.

No?

Kris: The additional concert is the day before, in Novi Sad.

Bojan: Yes.

Anybody who didn't get tickets on time, come to Novi Sad.

Bojan: True, we haven't sold out Novi Sad yet, so we have to... We have to...

Hey, we haven't told them the dates yet.

Bojan: Ah, yes. The 26th of November in Novi Sad, Fabrika. The 27th of November in Belgrade, Dom omladine. And come on the 26th if you still haven't bought the tickets.

Even if you have bought a ticket, come on the 26th, why not.

Bojan: Come.

You have fans, people who follow Eurovision, Eurovision obviously has its fans, it's faithful electorate, as you'd say in political jargon. Do European fans follow you, do they come to your concerts when you're in the Balkans or only when it's near them?

Bojan: No, people come to our concerts from literally all over Europe, and even further. When we had a concert at Stožice Arena, I think people bought the tickets from...

Kris: 34 countries.

Bojan: There you go, the tickets for our concert in Stožice were sold in 34 countries. And... often it happens to us that somebody is, says: "I came from Texas", or something. In Koper in Slovenia, a girl - actually, two or three girls - told us they came from Texas on the day of the concert and they went back home the next day, like...

Nace: To Ljubljana from Tokyo.

Bojan: Oh, to Ljubljana from Tokyo, right.

Jan: To the Netherlands from Malaysia.

Metallica did that thing, you know, they had a meet and greet...

Bojan: Yes.

...but they randomly picked fans, and they didn't look at where the fans are from, so there were times when they picked someone from the US, where they are from, to come to their concert at Partizan Stadium (Belgrade), and after that they hang out with them, so people came. So, think about it, it's not a bad idea, they're even founding their own agency to drive fans to concerts.

Bojan: Great.

There you go.

Bojan: We can become a travel agency, when we get bored of the band.

Here, Joker Out. You mentioned Stožice Arena, is that where you recorded the album, the live one, or?

Bojan: It is, it is.

Ah, so that was it, that was that opportunity. So, featuring all the guests from abroad,from all over the world.

Bojan: That's right. We heard voices from all over the world on that album.

Two albums, a live album right away. Well, nice, considering the kind of fanbase you have, that was... It was kind of a logical next step, to... That's the only arena we have in our country, and it seemed to us that after all these concerts we've done, and after Eurovision, which changed everything, that we should have one live concert in that arena. Like, so we can be completely sure it happened, since when you're on stage, I know that at Stožice we weren't 100% present, so it's nice to have some kind of... a vinyl to play on a record player and say: "Hey, we were actually there."

I can't wait for us to see that vinyl and play it on our record player, we still play...

Bojan: You'll receive one, we promise.

...songs on a record player. I don't know if they still use gramophones for the radio in Slovenia.

Bojan: They do.

They do? There we go, we can play a bit of it too. When you said you have one arena in the country, so you played at that one, I can say, when you add up all of the arenas of the former Yugoslavia, there's a lot of them, so you filled one, now you can fill the rest...

Bojan: Let's go!

Let's go, Zagreb Arena, Belgrade Arena, Spaladium Arena (Split), and so on, so, who knows.

Bojan: We hope so. Maybe we'll celebrate our tenth anniversary in arenas.

Yes, yes, in arenas... stadium concerts and arena concerts.

Bojan: Exactly.

Kris: You mean our two and a half year anniversary?

Bojan: Two and a half.

Two and a half for our region! When will the new album come out? There's these two singles so...

Bojan: The album comes out on the 15th of November.

So, right before the concert.

Bojan: Yes, I mean, we're used to our audience not needing more than a few hours to learn an hour and a half's worth of lyrics. So for the whole album, we said that 7 days is more than enough time until the start of the tour, so yeah.

Well, they catch something you play live and then learn it.

Bojan: Everything, everything.

Yeah? Great. What are your plans for when these concerts are over, the album is out, you'll do these concerts practically alongside the album, usually there's a tour when an album comes out, so what's your plan for the future?

Bojan: Well, this album will have a smaller tour. We're starting in Ljubljana on the 22nd and 23rd of November, then we're in Novi Sad and Belgrade, Skopje on the 1st of December, Zagreb on the 3rd of December, on the 6th we're in Maribor and on the 9th we're closing the mini-tour in Vienna. And honestly, that's about it until the end of the year for us, we'll probably do a concert or two, but nothing spectacular... And in January and February, a holiday awaits us.

Really?

Bojan: After two years, we're gonna have our first real holiday.

Somewhere in the Alps probably, or something like that?

Bojan: No, I think we're going to the seaside!

Seaside, seaside.

Bojan: The boys are going to Thailand, so, there, for the first time after a while, for 2 months we won't think about some, our next project. And afterwards we're returning to Europe, we're returning to the Balkans, we'll perform some more. And also create, I hope.

Now, are the fans who followed you during Eurovision still your fans or not? I mean, do you still plan to have someconcerts around Europe, for example?

Bojan: Of course, of course. Next year...

But not for the Balkan diaspora there, you know how it goes.

Bojan: We never performed, it's interesting, at our concerts in Europe, and we've had a good amount of them this year and a half, we've had 5 tours, I think, altogether... the Balkan diaspora actually doesn't attend our concerts, which saddens me a little. I'd prefer it if, I mean, I wouldn't prefer it, I'd love to see more Balkan people at our concerts, but we're not a part of that Yugo-nostalgic generation and the generation that moved out of the Balkans. We are their kids' generation, but that part of our culture probably doesn't get to them, so we actually don't perform for the Balkan diaspora. But, if you do listen to us and are part of the Balkan diaspora, come, please.

Yes, one by one, you'll gather them slowly. First, you'll have concerts for those who are from the places you visit, and then next time you'll have a tour only for the Balkan diaspora.

Bojan: Only the Balkan diaspora!

You know what I'm interested in... I've asked some other artists the same thing. What was that moment where you felt like... like it's going somewhere? Eurovision happened, you got there, suddenly there was a hype around you here and I can simply remember that moment when you appeared in the competition. I'm wondering when you felt that this is going somewhere and that you're getting on that train and...

Bojan: Here, Nace answered.

Nace: The gig in Dublin!

Kris: That was our first gig in... Our first real solo gig abroad. But yeah, for three years I've felt like we've been catching this train. Now is the moment when you should catch... In Slovenian, we say, "Kuj železo dokler je vroče" ('strike while the iron is hot').

Yes, yes, yes, "Gvožđe se kuje dok je vruće" ('strike while the iron is hot').

Kris: Exactly! I've had the feeling for 3 years already, and it all began with our first album showcase in... 2021, in Ljubljana, in Cvetličarna, we picked it right now as our moment where we knew that this was something that will... be our profession for the next few years, maybe our whole lives.

Maybe your whole lives! Do you know how many artists thought they'd last 10, 12, 13 years, but in the end, they celebrated their 30 year anniversaries?

Bojan: Yeah, yesterday we met Novi fosili, who are celebrating 55 years of their band and...

Tonight and tomorrow YU Grupa, who will soon have their 55th anniversary, are performing in MTS Dvorana, so...

Bojan: Exactly, those stories exist, I mean.

They're real!

Bojan: They're real, and we received some nice words, he told us... (laughter) Well, not those words! (laughter)

Don't keep it to yourselves, come on, say what you wanted to say!

Bojan: No, well, okay, we received some nice words that we should continue making music and that we have the best job in the world. That we truly, when we go to work, we hang out, make new connections, create new things, and that this is something that can last forever, so...

The thing you said, "When we go to work..." That's what I think of my job. They say if you want to not just work your whole life, but also enjoy [it], pick a job you love. So, guys, I wish for you to have this job for decades, even!

Joker Out: Thank you! You too!

Whether I'll be here, I don't know, but come here after 20 years, even. Here, it's like we knew 'Carpe Diem' is up!

Bojan: 'Carpe' is up!

Right, it fits right in. Shall we?

Bojan: Let's go. By chance!

Thank you so much, thank you for going around Belgrade for the whole day today and still finding time  to come visit us in a good mood.

Bojan: Thank you for finding the time and for inviting us.

And we'll see each other soon, I hope!

Kris: Thank you.

We'll surely meet at your concerts, I'm not completely sure about Novi Sad, but in Belgrade I'll be on the balcony.

Bojan: With the high-speed train it's 30 minutes, easy peasy.

I know already. So, see you, bye!

Kris: Thank you.

[when-gravity-has-fallen]

Background details/me blabbing about my askblog yaaay!! Mostly because it's difficult for me to get motivated as it is! Plus maybe after being inactive for 2 years (rip 💀) this will help pique interest? Idk I just wanna talk about my sillies tbh. And the Axolotl needs a break you know? My guy's watching over an entire multiverse.

First off. The post about my LGBTQIA+ headcanons here: https://www.tumblr.com/craycray-wolf/737090570384703488/while-in-wait-for-the-book-of-bill-already-hard?source=share

It's still accurate to how I feel about the characters...mostly. In the time since I made this post, I have since been converted to "Grunkle Stan is bi" and I'm now preaching the Good Word 🤟

Anyway with that now amended, here's some stuff!

I originally made the majority of the posts about where everyone is now back in 2022, when I intended to have the blog launched as part of the 10th anniversary of Gravity Falls airing.

Well clearly that didn't pan (🩷💛💙🍳) out but maybe it was so it could instead coincide with all the revelations from TBoB! Life is kinda a beautiful thing sometimes.

Anyway point being, I'll have to tweak the timeline a bit. Which is fine because I wanted Dippin Dots and Mabes to hold some jobs before college anyway so really my lack of updating is just an excuse for this. That's the major point I could think of but if I didn't properly consider others please sound off 📣 (yes I'm a cringe emoji user AND I'M PROUD)

Soos and Melody are still attempting to conceive because they want at least one bio child if they can but they're working on adoption.

Many assume Gus Burnside to be missing or worse dead. But maybe... he's still out there somewhere...with his physical body fulfilling a deal. But y'know! No one can say for certain!

To be completely honest I'm still figuring out my interpretation of Bill's backstory. Sorry about that.

Though the reason the Axolotl has contacted our dimension to begin with has to do with his concern...about a certain someone. And who better to give a helping hand than the fandom and the Zodiac?

Since Stan taught Wendy how to hot wire vehicles and whatnot, they one day found a fairly intact Harley motorcycle in the dump. They fix it up together and Stan declares it hers. This is where her Harley previously mentioned in other posts comes from.

When did this happen? I've always assumed the Stans come back to land from time to time, including some summers. So likely during summer but a holiday could work too!

Mabel loves being a passenger. Dipper not so much unless he clings tight. Wendy installs a seat back at some point and this helps ease his anxiety. A little. He likes seeing the scenery though so he'll bare through it if asked to ride. Not to mention he cares for Wendy and thus doesn't want to deny her sharing her joy.

Robbie probably figured out he wanted to be an anime artist while doodling in college classes he wasn't paying attention to. Either he was in generals or some other degree at this point. He only drew in private during high school.

THIS NEXT SECTION WILL BE SHIPS 🚨 YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED

Pacifica during her high school/diner years thought she like liked Dipper. And well, she was Dipper's rebound crush so at around 15 or so they dated for a while. Pacifica however eventually realizes she's actually a lesbian and was misinterpreting her care for Dippin Dots, as well as thinking she only had so many options initially. Dipper realizes it was to cope with Wendy.

Therefore they cut off romantic ties on good terms and continue to be good friends.

(I have nothing against Dipcifica, it's cute. I'm just personally a Mabcifica person and enjoy my lesbian Pacifica hc)

In their early college years Mabel and Pacifica become girlfriends, LET'S GOOOOOO

Candy and Dipper have began to catch each other's eyes... they've healed from the events of Roadside Attraction in the years since and now they can have a healthier relationship in several ways. I WILL DIE FOR THIS SHIP OKAY

Fiddleford and Ford are sweet old man boyfriends. Though romance baffles Ford it makes enough sense with Fiddleford.

Stan is Stan. Though maybe all of his family coming out awakes something in him... something new to explore about himself...

Past Billford will likely be discussed at some point, though they haven't been a thing for decades and it was toxic to begin with.

Grenda and Marius are of course married ❤️ Candy, Mabel, and Pacifica were her bridesmaids. Mabel and Candy were piling over each other trying to get the bouquet, though Wendy catches it. Uninterested in marriage she throws it back out and reflexively Dipper catches it. After confused for a solid moment he tosses it and finally Pacifica then catches it.

_________

SHIP SECTION FINISHED ⚠️

The Pines Twins revisit Gravity Falls every summer until their high school graduation. Well *maybe* they go one more after graduation but then they have job schedules to contend with.

One of those summers (probably when the Mystery Twins are 15) their parents surprise them with a visit! But then they start to question everything because y'know. Weird town.

Eventually the truth comes out about everything, and they better understand their kids.

It wasn't the easiest summer but an important one.

They let their children return because they know how dearly they love their time there, albeit with ground rules established.

As for their jobs, Mabel was a barista and Dipper restocked shelves at a grocery store.

Dipper now has come to care for his birth name and birthmark. He still likes going by Dipper but he insists that only those close with him use the name. The only reason he still wears bangs is that his hairstyle is just comfortable and familiar. This also keeps his birthmark special as only some get to see it (in full).

Mabel still loves knitting and sweaters, but she's experimented a lot with fashion throughout the years. She now has more variety in her wardrobe than sweaters and skirts.

The twins live in dorms with a couple roommates and return back to their childhood home during holidays and summer. They intend to live in Gravity Falls once they get all their education/credentials.

Waddles is an old man but still kickin'. The parents were initially upset with his presence but were convinced by Stan to begrudgingly keep him. They grew to care for the piggy as well.

The family cat (Sniffles) has since passed :(

They have a dog (Honey) now though! She was a puppy from a dog Dipper once dogsat. The owners didn't realize said dog was preggo. It was a whole thing. Anyway Mabel loves putting her in cute outfits that match Waddles, something she used to do with Sniffles.

Mabel is a k-pop multistan (originating from Candy and Grenda introducing it to her) and absolutely loves drinking boba/jelly milk tea. Dipper likes the sound of k-pop music but isn't a fan the same way his sister is. He likes milk tea but the boba pearls themselves freak him the heck out.

There's a lot more but I'm blanking 🤪

[myobsessionsspace]

I felt the need to write this in light of soo many asks I’ve seen throughout Chapter 2

The crux of the asks that got me here are “I don’t see many moments around Jikook anymore” “We need more Jikook moments” “I don’t think Jikook are close anymore, xx/xx have more moments than them”

*credit to all original owners of art & media

I just want to share *my thoughts*...

How did we meet Jikook?

Some of you may have known of them since debut, some since Blood Sweat & Tears, HYYH era, Dynamite, Butter or even most recently in Chapter Two.

However you became aware of them, you would have also been aware of their group. The reason for their current status. To know Jikook you must in some capacity know Bangtan.

I say this because to have gotten to know Jikook, it would have been through the group using videos, Bangtan Bombs, Bon Voyages, In The Soops, concerts, all of the above, some or none at all.

(I won't mention those that only know Jikook through fanmade edited Tik Tok, fanmade YouTube edits etc.)

We learned more about them as idols, as members, as friends and as brothers. All of what we learnt we learnt with the approval of either the members or their company.

The only other ways to have learnt about them without either theirs or their company’s approval, would have either been through paparazzi, stalker/sasaeng info, fictitious YouTube videos, rumours, guesses and assumptions.

Unless it came from the members directly, from their company, interviews, their music or their filmed content, it wasn’t meant for public consumption. It was most likely not in the members best interest and not in their control.

Now I’m not going to judge our consumption of the above mentioned ‘unapproved’ content. I myself have enjoyed and shared many sighting photos, concert videos, stories from people that had met them etc.

For example when Jikook were spotted heading to Tokyo, prior to that, their private schedule had actually been released, allowing some to know that the two of them had indeed planned to travel alone. They're private concert viewings of other idols & groups, their private cinema and dinner outing and more. This was enjoyable information for jikook fans, supporters and shippers to know but also scary information for the two’s safety, when in the wrong hands.

After their return from their private Tokyo trip that Jungkook organised and paid for as a gift to Jimin, Jungkook published a beautifully directed, edited and produced video of their trip. His first ever Golden Closet Film. On his terms we got full in colour, with meaningful (the permission to use Troye Sivan's song, again paid for by Jungkook) background music, a glimpse of their private trip, through Jungkook’s artistic eye. He shared with us his perspective of what he saw and how he felt felt during their private trip.

I give GCF Tokyo as an example, when we wait for THEM to show US, we get soo much more than 144p blurry images, mistranslations etc.

We get it straight from them, exactly how they see it or how they want us to see it, exactly how they feel it, or how they want us to feel it.

How do we stay with Jikook now?

They are on group hiatus, meaning we just had the last of the Run Bts’ for a while. Bangtan Bombs are now focused on solo endeavours not the group as a whole, to see the group dynamics at present, no group concerts, videos, interviews etc.

Therefore we no longer have company approved content. We still however get member approved content, such as when they go on live, Weverse interactions, music etc.

We still get ‘unapproved content’ such as stalker/sasaeng footage, paparazzi pictures & info, fictitious YouTube videos, rumours, guesses and assumptions.

However with the group just recently celebrating their 10th year anniversary, they are no longer new to idol life, they have learnt from their past, they have reduced their circle. They have increased their security, they are internationally known and more recognisable even with hats, masks & baggy clothes. They also have more money and access now, access to private jets, private rooms, private villas or even just getting whatever they want or need to the privacy of their own homes, no longer shared with a 7 member team.

They no longer have to leave the dorms for a change of scenery, after touring the world, after sharing a form for years, staying home could be said to be their change of scenery at times.

So it’s understandable that the ‘unapproved content’ would be massively reduced in comparison to if they had embarked on Chapter Two 5 years ago.

So we no longer have a lot of company approved content (yes of solo endeavours but rarely of more than 2 members at a time and rarely repeatedly), we don’t have as much ‘unapproved’ content.

What do we the consumers have left?

What the members show us and what the members tell us.

What have the members have shown us/told us?

Since Chapter 2 Jungkook has shown us that he had initially been enjoying down time. Rightfully deserves after training and working since the age of 13/14!

He went through puberty working in the public eye, away from home, away from his parents. Most westerners know how that turns out for some child stars. Bleak. Jungkook has shown the strength of his character by being able to maintain his humility, joy, humour, care for others & love for ARMY.

We know about his down time due to him sharing this with us through his weverse lives. Straight from him, not the company, not sasaengs but him. And we enjoyed it! We love our hours long late night lives with Jungkook. We’ve gone boxing with him, eaten fried chicken with him, sang & danced with him and even most recently had him fall asleep with us TWICE!

Isn’t content straight from the members soo much sweeter?

Jimin, whilst Jungkook was having his down time, was flying all over the globe and in and out of the company's studios & offices. He was having intense music camp like periods with producers and practicing for his solo debut. He didn’t share with us more than a couple of pictures here and there with different producers, but when he did launch his FACE promo and subsequent videos & album, we were and still are GAGGED. Jimin KILLED K-POP in 2023 and DOMINATED (and still is) the industry.

The wait well worth it and we LIVE still!

Jikook

Though the loss of official content for some feels like a Jikook drought, some feel like the loss of official content somehow now means the loss of Jikook’s bond, relationship, whatever you may believe it to be.

Some feel as though the lack of official Jikook means they never were all they felt them to have been. There are a number of things I have seen and heard in regards to Jikook since Chapter 2.

But what have JIKOOK themselves shown us. As I said before, aside from ‘unapproved’ content, which is severely reduced as the members are older, smarter, richer and wiser, we can really only truly rely on the members themselves.

Jungkook

With his downtime, as I said earlier, shared his boxing training, his eating, drinking, watching tv and sleeping with us.

However what did Jikook share with us when Jungkook was boxing?

What did Jungkook share with us when singing?

What did Jungkook share with us on white day?

How sweet was it to see his face light up with each of his interactions with Jimin? How fun was it to watch him stan over Jimin’s music? How cute was if to watch him uwu over Jimin’s interviews?

Jimin

We know had been super busy in being involved with every aspect of his solo debut.

His solo music was and is soo important to him. It was his priority in Chapter 2. However he never failed to show his support with his presence via the comments on MANY of Jungkook’s lives.

Not only that but the biggest gift to ARMY, Jikook supporters and Jungkook was Jungkook’s presence on an album that Jimin clearly stated in multiple interviews had no features. Jungkook’s name is in the credits and his do ring voice cannot be denied, but apart from the credits and the vocals, Jimin has never mentioned Jungkook’s participation.

I guess they really mean it when they say ‘You are Me & I am You’

Letter to *me* is Jimin’s GCF Tokyo. A labour of love, showing us the thoughts, feelings and emotions, this time not through video but through song.

What Jungkook & Jimin have shown us in Chapter two is MORE than enough for me, it’s just as sweet and even sweeter than any ‘unapproved’ or approved content.

If you still need more from them, that is not for their benefit, with their interests in mind or to cement their bond/relationship. That is your issue to deal with.

Whenever you feel like you need ‘more’ from Jikook than they’ve already allowed you to have, go back and watch their labour of love GCF Tokyo (heck pretty much all of the GCFs including Saipan), go back and listen to their labour of love ‘Letter’, go back and read their interviews.

If all of that is still not enough, it’s a you problem.

Not a them problem.

🖤🤍

[ladyiristheenchantress]

Anniversary Witchcraft

As you all may or may not know, I am a married witch! I have spoken about my husband before in our motorcycles and car magic post, however I felt now would be an amazing time to talk about some of the rituals we do on anniversaries coming up! (September 17th to be exact) First of all, Happy 7 years darling, I am so proud to be your wife every day, and I am so grateful you have been my raven, my rock, and my partner in crime. I so adore you, and I cant wait to spend the rest of our time on the Tellus Mater together. Till death do us part, but even then we will remain ghosts on our record player. With that said, lets get started!

What is magical about an anniversary?

Much like any holiday, we create personal celebrations like birthdays, celebrations of life, and anniversaries to keep track of the time that has been spend together. It should be a celebration of love and strong living together! The first instance of a wedding anniversary comes from ancient Rome, where on each year of marriage the spouses would crown each other with things (more traditionally, the husbands to their wives) and on their 25th anniversary they would be crowned with a wreath of silver.

Later on, in 18th century Germany, people started a tradition of gift giving, and eventually created a yearly symbol you gift to someone as a tradition each year to ward off spirits, people looking to harm the bond, and even in some cases death itself!

Today we celebrate anniversaries around the world, whether you are recreating Armenian balance bread, or trying out Japanese senbazuru, however you choose to celebrate may it be unique and full of love!

Magical Ideas

Now we may need some spell and divination ideas for our anniversaries so here are some of the ones my husband and I love!

Follow the yearly gift guide! - This fun tradition is actually celebrated and honors world wide cultures because a lot of them had their own yearly traditions adapted into one! The old saying goes on your first year you give paper, the 5th you give wood, 10th you give aluminum, 25th you give silver, and 50th you give gold! These guides are a fun way to get connected to your relationship but also honors tradition which can strengthen your relationship magically!

2. Create a protection ritual for the year on your anniversary - when you start thinking about how to preserve your relationship you get a lot of factors you have to plan for. Every year my husband and I put obsidian arrowheads in the corner of our bedroom as a way to protect our sacred relationship! this process can be as simple or as complicated as you want it to be

3. Petition and honor deities of marriage - Each year my husband and I honor 3 gods, Hera, Aine, and Zepar! This is because we wanted to honor our pagan practices and heritage in our marriage, so we picked one hellenic for my history, one irish for both of our ancestoral line, and one infernal for my husbands history! We do also petition elemental spirits, and update them as we do our yearly river walk

4. Create a shrine to your relationship - We created an altar to dedicate all our gifts to each other, and important works of art we have created, when we put together a shrine for our love, it really helped up to feel connected, so we like to renew it every year

5. Do some divination about the year ahead - Feel free to use this custom spread I use each year! Its awesome if you can do this together! Additionally, you can use cafe astrology to create a free "birth chart" for the day and time of your anniversary

Other ideas?

For my 18+ friends, design a sensual ritual that involves all 5 senses to link yours together

Create a magical meal together to protect and honor the relationship

Create a joint journal or scrap book for memories

Exchange cards, gifts, and sweets to make the other person feel special

Enjoy a nice time out getting coffee or exploring a garden

Make the bed together, and do chores together during the day, then rest and relax at night

In general anniversaries are special! I will be making an age restricted post about sexual magic very soon so stay tuned for that! I hope all of my friends have enjoyed this post, and from our family to yours, happy anniversary!

Tip Jar

[traincat]

Random question but do you know if the 616 Coffee Bean gang and Felicia have canonical birthdays?

Oh, this is a tough one. Superhero comics birthdays are a little rough -- sometimes there's no information, sometimes there's contradicting information, sometimes there's a birthday but it's for one Eisner winning miniseries that is about the fictional "real people" who, in the comic, inspired the superhero characters. (And even in that example it was two different birthdays, one in the single issues and one in the trade.)

I don't think there's an "official" canonical birthday for Peter. I've seen a lot of people use Spider-Man Day -- August 1st -- as his birthday, because it's the anniversary of Amazing Fantasy #15, Peter's very first appearance. Even though it isn't, actually, the anniversary -- there's conflicting dates for the release of Amazing Fantasy #15. Some information says it actually came out June 5th, other information says August 10th. So you can see how we're getting tricky already. I don't think there's anything wrong with using any of those dates for Peter's birthday, but if you're someone who wants one specific date -- there just isn't one. I know his passport is flashed in Spider-Man: Far From Home, although I can't remember if the date is shown (and I'm not looking at that movie again), so it's possible there's a concrete birthday that could be pointed to for MCU!Peter. But would it apply to 616!Peter? Shrug. That's the kind of thing people need to decide for themselves. Personally, I think the Amazing Fantasy #15 dates (all of the various ones) are really interesting if you wanted to run an astrological chart to look at the impact of the character on our world -- his continued relevance, the shifts in characterization and tone throughout the decades, how he reflects and is reflected upon by our real world. But that's a different thing than an in-universe canon birthday.

And it's difficult to use first appearances as birthdays for the other characters in the gang -- you could for Mary Jane and Felicia, if you wanted, but Harry and Gwen appear for the first time in the same issue, which would give them the same birthday by that rule, and the same goes for Flash, who appears for the first time in Amazing Fantasy #15 alongside Peter.

Harry does have a birthday listed in canon -- Dark Web #1 says his birthday in December 13th. I don't have any particular feelings on this or reason not to just go with it, aside from my deep and burning hatred for the whole Dark Web event. It's a little cute if Harry Osborn, given the sliding timescale, was born on the exact same day as Taylor Swift. He has the energy.

For Gwen and Mary Jane -- we don't have birth dates in 616. We do have issues that contain birthday parties. And I really need to get my refs folder back on my laptop because this would go so much faster if I could just look it up that way. (If you google "Mary Jane Watson birthday" it will tell you August 19th, but that's from someone's wiki for their fan project. There seems to be a general September birthday for Gwen from ITSV, but I don't know if I would choose to use that for 616 Gwen, personally. That's another "you gotta do you" situation.) Spectacular Spider-Man #9's backup story, Sweet Revenge, features a surprise birthday party for MJ, explicitly on her birthday. Again, the older comic dates screw us a little bit -- the cover date is September. The information I can dig up says this was actually released May 16th. Gwen has a birthday party in Amazing Spider-Man #87.

Again, I have conflicting dates for this one, but it's a little funny -- the two dates I've found are August 1st and August 10th, two of the dates given for Amazing Fantasy #15's release date. I kind of like the idea that it's actually Gwen's birthday that the grand Peter celebration falls on. There's something very starcrossed lovers about a date assumed to be Peter's birthday actually being Gwen's. Something something how intertwined Gwen is with the text, long after her death.

For Felicia -- I have nothing, unfortunately. I can't think of anything that would even give us a reference to get close to a month, let alone a date. The same goes for Flash. If anyone knows differently, please let me know!

[reminiscentbelle]

Rejet recently did a public fan voting for their characters for their 10th anniversary with specific prompts on their website here. I thought I'd share where each of our Dear Vocalist boys ended up!

[* Using a translation app so translations may be inaccurate]

[* Indents are fan comments! They are only included for the top ten]

Guy you'd like to have as a boyfriend

Reo: 6th

Because he is very stoic at work, always aiming high, strict with himself and the members, and charismatic, but in front of her, he is a cute boyfriend, and the gap between the two is irresistible. He is serious about music, but kind and caring to her at all times. He is cute when he is in front of his cat and strawberry shortcake. His singing voice is superbly handsome. His face is also very handsome. He is the best of handsome men.

A': 9th

Because I love CR's youngest genius and handsome vocalist the most in the world. Because I believe he will continue to make me happy by being crazy and not boring me everyday. Because I want to make out with A-tan, an Everest level crazy & special vocalist, forever and ever in the future. [yeah idk either LMAOOO]

Momochi: 19th

Judah: 30th

2You: 35th

Joshua: 40th [robbed btw]

Who do you want to cook with the most?

none of them got into top ten LMAOOOO

A': 13th

2You: 22nd

Reo: 34th

Judah: 39th

Joshua not on here... :(

Who do you want to become your teacher?

Joshua: 15th [i gasped!!!!!]

Judah: 30th

A': 47th

Guy you want to go karaoke with

A': 2nd

It's definitely going to be a lot of fun!!!! I want to do duets and have fun! I also want to mix up the drink bar and order Russian roulette takoyaki and eat them! Do you need a reason to hear a handsome vocalist sing live?

MMC: 6th

Momochi-kun is the only choice for this one! It's too good to have that Momochi-kun's singing voice all to yourself. ......♪ I wish you would sing just for me.....!

Reo: 16th

Judah: 17th

2U: 20th

Joshua: 42nd [ROBBED AGAIN]

Who heals you when you feel tired?

Reo: 12th

A': 17th

Joshua: 31st

MMC: 44th

MMC top 50 and not Judah I actually shed a tear

Someone who will suddenly start singing

Judah: 4th

He is the only one. Inspired by the sounds of everyday life, he seems to compose and sing on the spot. There's no way someone who suddenly starts composing music and saying things like "it suddenly came to me" won't suddenly start singing!

A': 5th

At first I thought I was humming along, but then I started to enjoy the song and I think I'm going to sing it with all my might. I want them to suddenly start singing in the streets and do some guerrilla live performances!

MMC: 31st [this is such a big jump omfg]

Reo: 48th

Someone who will protect you when fighting a powerful enemy

ngl expected that none of them will place super high LMAOOO

A': 22nd

Reo: 31st

Judah: 48th

Guy that you can never betray/cross

MMC: 2nd [LMAOOOOOO]

I don't disobey him because I think he said on the CD that if I left him, he would chase me and kill me. What Momochi-kun says? \ Absolutely! /

Judah: 30th

and nobody else mmc judah we need to do some reflecting

Because I pity him so I want to support him

2U: 3rd [this was completely unexpected like in-between all the vampires who had their entire family killed or something you have a failed idol reject nepo baby LMAOOOOO (lovingly)]

I know there will be a lot of things said about the past, but I want you to look forward and move forward regardless of that! Not only the other vocalists, but also RAT-chans has been at his mercy lately, so I'm rooting for him.

MMC: 23rd

A': 25th [this is crazy how is 2u above both of them LMAOOOO]

Reo: 40th

Joshua: 43rd

no judah his only problem is his older brother

Who would you like to bring onto a deserted island?

A': 11th

Joshua: 18th [he would be my pick]

Reo: 28th

2U: 36th

MMC: 46th

JUDAH NOT ON HERE LMAOOOOOOO YEAH I GET IT

CONCLUSION APPRECIATE JOSHUA DEARVO!!!!!

[sarahjtv]

My Hero Academia Chapter 429 Spoiler Talk: The Penultimate Chapter

So here it is. The second to last chapter of My Hero Academia. Unless Horikoshi gives us a sequel series like Naruto: Shippuden, this and the next chapter is the last we'll get manga content about MHA. Well, at least until Horikoshi gives us another Ultra Analysis book or an art book with extra information. It's still hard to believe honestly. I don't know if I'll be able to accept that our beloved series is ending until it actually does. Let's see what Horikoshi-sensei gives us until then. Also, my health isn't 100% today, so I apologize if my writing sounds messy:

First off is our last Weekly Shonen Jump and Chapter color pages! They are absolutely beautiful celebrating both the 10th anniversary and My Hero Academia as a whole. Everyone is smiling and it's a wonderful sight to see. I won't show them here because I think they deserve to be seen with your own two eyes. Let's just say that I love them and I can't wait to get the HQ versions of them when the official release comes out. Just know that you can tell Horikoshi put a lot of love into these pages.

From here on out, I think I'm just going to talk about what I thought of the chapter because I'm not 100% down to type everything out tonight. Sorry about this:

I think the chapter was another solid one, though it somehow still doesn't feel like the series is ending yet for me.

I'm glad we got to see Ochako and Deku talk about not being able to save their respective villains because we all know how badly this was haunting them. Neither of them would have been able to move on and genuinely smile again until they got that all out to someone who understood. Thankfully, they have each other 💚💖. I'm also really glad Deku told Ochako she was his hero and let her take her hand. This is the closest we'll probably get to an actual romantic confession from either of them unless Horikoshi does something for them in the last chapter. The thing is, it works because this wasn't the time for a love confession. This was a time for two broken people to talk their trauma out and get reassurance from someone close to them.

Really sad to hear that Himiko Toga did die. Granted it was from Ochako's dialogue and we didn't see any panel with her body drawn, but we can really only take her word for it now. Horikoshi could absolutely pull a fast one on us and show a glimpse of her alive in the final chapter. However, I think it's safe to say that she is dead and that honestly sucks.

I love the slice-of-life panels we get of the rest of the kids and seeing Aizawa smile is beautiful! He's so proud of his kids 🥹.

Monoma getting a statue at the school and bragging about it is fucking hilarious 🤣! He honestly deserves it though because the whole world would've been dead if not for him. Deku better get a statue too or else I'm going to throw hands.

Eri excitedly singing at Aoyama's farewell party is the most wholesome thing I've seen in a very long time and I truly hope she achieves her dream someday 🤍! Make her the best idol in the world, Horikoshi!

Finally, there's that mysterious man we saw a few chapters ago. We still don't know his name, but we're told he was abused and abandoned by his family because he has a mutant Quirk similar to how Eri's Quirk in the sense that neither of their Quirks were inherited by their family's DNA. He looked like he was going to walk down a similar path as Tenko, but the old lady who first ignored Tenko many years back found this new man and finally offered him a hand thanks to Izuku's inspiration. This is sort of a redemption for the old lady. I know that she was a catalyst for why Tenko became who he became, but I think this is a start for her to start over at least. Thankfully, I think this man is going to be ok.

I remember reading the interviews Horikoshi did over the past week and one of the things he said he wanted to express was that even someone having your back is heroism. Someone who can do something so simple as reaching their hand out when someone is in need is a hero to that person. You can tell that that is what Horikoshi is telling us here. He also said that making us cry was an important part of the story too because it's how he wants us to connect with it, so I expect to shed tears next week.

So, yeah. That's the second to last chapter of the main My Hero Academia manga. It still doesn't feel real to me. The final page of the chapter left things open-ended, so I would not be surprised if we got a time skip of some sort in the final chapter. I honestly thought that Horikoshi was setting up one more villain for the kids to fight with that mysterious man, but it was wrapped up in a very simple yet poignant way. I will agree that it feels rushed and that there's something missing, but I can't pinpoint what. Horikoshi's been writing and drawing this manga for 10+ years at this point, so I can't entirely blame him for wanting to finish things up. However, I'm a little more nervous about him sticking the landing for the ending. While I think he can still do it, I've seen too many mangaka end their story on a bad note for one reason or another. Our best bet is that he revises or adds some things to make the chapter better in the volume version. I'm going to do my best to keep my optimism alive for the next few weeks.

I honestly can't begin to accurately predict how the manga will end. I could see it ending with the kids continuing their lives at UA, at graduation, or as pro-hero adults maybe with families of their own. Honestly, anything goes. Part of me wants to be here when the chapter might get leaked next Wednesday, but another part of me wants to wait until next Sunday for the official VIz release so I can read and cry together with everyone else. I think I am going to try to do the latter and then write some kind tribute to honor the series, but I may or may not be out of town next week, so I'll have to see about that.

One more chapter left.

[ask-serendipity-sky]

uhm, hello! i've been lurking around some jkk blogs and finally decided to come out of the shadows,,,

one thing i noticed between most of armys collectively, be it jkkrs, tkkrs, ot7, solos, etc, is... that they don't really seem to trust JK very much? take their 10th anniversary for example. just because JK was the last one to post a message about it, people already startes doubting that he'd post anything /at all/, questioning it, wondering why he didn't post anything. but for real, its his group's /tenth/ anniversary, people really think that man wouldn't post a single message about it? JK? the man who is ever so considerate and caring to armys?

i'm using this as an example, but i feel this stretches to everything else. people doubt JK and question his behaviors every time a rumor pops up. people often times take those rumors as being the sole truth regardless of what JK says himself. i'm tired of people thinking he isn't serious about what he does and says.

and obviously, this stretches to jkk too. even to tkk, because many tkkrs love to throw him under the bus to explain their own delusions. why do his actions need to be questioned and explained and scrutinized every single time? why, for everything he does, it must have an underlying meaning, a hidden message, something that he isn't telling us? why do people feel the need to explain his every action and words? why him making a live to see JM content has to be under scrutiny? can't it just be JK watching content of someone he loves and wanting to cheer himself up? and when i say this goes for tkk too, is exactly because tkkrs love to add explanations for what JK does and to tell everyone that "it isn't what you're seeing that is real actually". and i imagine that, a lot of the biggest ot7s blogs and pages being tkkrs themselves, this mistrust spread to regular armys too.

and this is a callout for those jkkrs who throw themselves in a well of despair when JK seemingly acts like "he doesn't care for JM anymore" too. the man himself said a hundred times that he is shy, that he doesn't like to expose himself too much, that he has a hard time taking selcas, etc. how many times people believed jkk just "don't interact anymore" just for us to find out months later that they hung out as they always did, they just didn't post about it or tell us about it in their lives?

why can't people trust JK more? he more than once told he communicate his feelings and thoughts to us through lyrics, is honest and straightforward in his speeches, says lyrics have meaning to him and that he never does anything without being intentioned about it, always makes it clear to say what he means even if he doesn't find it easy or believes he isn't the best when it comes to expressing his feelings. i don't understand why many people see him as this shallow puppet, as this dumb guy who doesn't know what he's doing, who doesn't know the meanings of his /own creations/, be it songs, lyrics, GCF videos, posts, etc. as this guy who isn't to be very much trusted, when JK is so trustworthy and earnest. that's the only reasons i can come up with to explain how some "fans" rather believe in rumors and leaks than JK himself regarding what he does with his life and his art and music.

i know you're JM biased but i also know you're very fair in your judgements and is always defending both of jkk. i hope this ask make through, especially now where there are so many "leaks" and negative rumors spreading again about him.

Hi anon,

I love this. Thank you for taking the time to post this. I'm happy to know that Jungkook has a fan who defends him like this and who loves him so much.

Everything you said is on point.

"Why can't people trust Jk more?" This is my take on this question and I'm curious to know what others think.

I will speak in general terms, ok? I think we doubt Jungkook because:

-We let tkkrs get to our head and therefore don't think all Tae & Jk interactions are only platonic.

-We let the weekly Jk and random woman dating rumors get to our head.

-We believe the "fuck boy" image this fandom has tried imposing on him.

-We believe Jikook is fan service.

-Genuine people don't exist so he can't be genuine.

-We feel a hunch.

-We don't understand that he won't act according to our fantasies because he is an actual human being and not a fictional character.

-We think he plays the parasocial relationship card really well.

Maybe it's a combination of these things?

But you are right. It is unfair to Jungkook because everytime he has talked to the fans, explained, sang, and/or demonstrated his love he has been 100% genuine.

And his actions towards Jimin have been 100% genuine too.

I think the issue is not Jungkook. The issue is us. That simple. And how sad.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

[hit-song-showdown]

Year-End Poll #34: 1983

[Image description: a collage of photos of the 10 musicians and musical groups featured in this poll. In order from left to right, top to bottom: The Police, Michael Jackson, Irene Cara, Men at Work, Michael Jackson, Bonnie Tyler, Hall & Oates, Patti Austin and James Ingram, Michael Sembello, Eurythmics. End description]

More information about this blog here

Today's poll includes multiple songs off the soundtrack for the movie, Flashdance. We've seen songs from soundtracks featured on these polls, with You Light Up My Life and Evergreen coming to mind (plus songs from actual musicals). But instead of just diegetic ballads and showtunes, now we're seeing more songs marketing themselves around their connection to the films they were written for. As music videos are being shot more like movies and movies are being shot more like music videos, the meeting of these two worlds makes sense. Especially when music videos start to include actual clips from the movies, MTV was the place to get a wide audience for your music.

But not everyone could see the benefits right away. While MTV kicked off with a bang, their initial video rotation infamously featured no Black acts. The network's explanation was to insist that the exclusion wasn't based on race, but rather MTV's status as a "rock station".

1983 also marks the 25th anniversary of Motown Records and a television special (Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever) was broadcasted to mark the occasion. While the night is marked by more legends than I can list off, the notable performance for this blurb was Michael Jackson. After performing with the Jackson 5 for the first time since the 70's, Michael Jackson performed his new solo hit, Billie Jean. This number marks the public debut of the moonwalk, the musician's signature dance move that arguably cemented his status as a pop culture icon.

In hindsight, it feels ludicrous that an artist like Michael Jackson was initially unable to get on MTV. Fortunately, people at the time thought it was ludicrous as well. Both Rick James and David Bowie called out the network years before (with James being especially vocal in critiquing MTV for its exclusion of Black artists). But allegedly, Michael Jackson's record company found a way to get Billie Jean on the channel. To quote Walter Yetnikoff, the president of CBS Records at the time:

“I said to MTV, ‘I’m pulling everything we have off the air, all our product. I’m not going to give you any more videos. And I’m going to go public and fucking tell them about the fact you don’t want to play music by a black guy.’” (x)

Whether in response to Yetnikoff or not, Billie Jean aired on MTV March 10th, 1983, making it the first music video by a Black artist to be featured in heavy rotation on the channel. Later this year, the cinematic possibilities of the music video would be pushed further with the 13 minute video for Thriller. Michael was already a star without the push from MTV, and with how popular his videos were, it could be argued that MTV needed Michael as much if not more than he needed them. But while MTV's problems with race and representation were far from over, this moment helped pave the way for many other Black artists who will become iconic figures on the channel.

[charmhmm]

GRAMMATICAL ERRORS AHEAD. THIS IS PURE FICTION. please see the comments for content warnings.

성화.

"silly dates.

movie nights.

morning walks, late night strolls.

that's what we always do before that night the accident happened.

and now, we're just a total stranger.

for him. for him, i was a stranger. i am nobody. someone he doesn't know.

hongjoong doesn't even know who i am.

after he lost his memories due to that accident.

it was during April 10th. our supposed to be two year anniversary. some driver... were out of control that has occurred an accident... and that involves him... that involves hongjoong." seonghwa lets out a deep sigh.

"go on, i'm listening."

seonghwa continues.

"i wonder if we just rescheduled the date just like we planned because our schedules didn't match but he went anyway, because he doesn't want to make me wait... because it was our special day." seonghwa bits his lower lip, looking down at his own fingers, fidgeting them like a child.

"now i am the only one who remembers that." he looks up at his therapist, eyes almost clouded with tears.

"go on, mr. park. let it all out."

seonghwa cried like a child, and the therapist could only listen. their session has ended earlier than expected because sadly, seonghwa isn't in a good shape.

today is a Sunday morning. august 7th. it's been almost four months since the accident had happened. yet seonghwa remained the same, still grieving for a man who's not even gone from his existence. but what pains him is the memories that has been lost from his lover's mind. and seonghwa couldn't even handle that.

now here he is. on his usual spot. or actually, let's rephrase that. on hongjoong's usual spot. seonghwa and hongjoong are currently on a park, where both of them sitting in a bench not that far from each other. hongjoong might have forgotten his memories and relationship with seonghwa, but his love for music is still there.

hongjoong can't see him. seonghwa is facing hongjoong's back, a perfect spot for seonghwa to sketch hongjoong. he has like a half of his sketchbook now, consisting some sketch of hongjoong's back while playing his guitar, in every different Sundays.

seonghwa is contented in this way.

august 14th. another Sunday. same time, yet hongjoong is not on his usual spot. seonghwa tried to look around, yet hongjoong cannot be seen. he takes a seat with a sigh, hugging his sketchbook with disappointment.

not until he heard a soft whisper on his ear.

"hey."

seonghwa was startled. that he almost threw his sketchbook on the stranger's faceㅡ oh it's not a stranger. it's Hongjoong.

it's Hongjoong.

'what do i do? do i run? do i act casual?'

he couldn't even speak, he was just there, eyes wide, staring at his old lover who doesn't even remember he exist.

"i've seen you a lot around here. you're always on my back." hongjoong spoke, now making his way beside seonghwa, holding a case which is probably his guitar case.

"and i can feel you're watching me. i wonder why?" hongjoong faces seonghwa who's now looking at him, tilting his head with a smile.

hongjoong still looks the same. no, he doesn't. his hair got longer, and the scar on his forehead is visible. yet he can't afford to stare, because the man might find him weird.

"well, i just... find you interesting." seonghwa has gotten the urge to speak, finally.

yet his mind says otherwise.

'i miss you, hongjoong.'

"i'm hongjoong. kim hongjoong. your name?"

"seonghwa... park seonghwa." seonghwa couldn't help but to smile, and grab hongjoong's hand when he offered it.

and they talked for the rest of the day.

those sundays were becoming a habit for the both of them.

now, seonghwa isn't just looking for hongjoong's back, they're now looking face to face, sharing every stories they got, as if they're getting to know each other.

but yes, that's not the case for seonghwa.

yet it's a different case for hongjoong.

September 3rd.

"i really like your humor. i should have approached you sooner." hongjoong was in tears, after laughing on Seonghwa jokes.

"you really should. you missed out some part of your life not doing it sooner." seonghwa wiped his own tears, both of them dying from laughter.

September 10th.

"seonghwa, i feel like you should know this."

"what?"

"i actually lost my memories due to an accident. and mom wouldn't let me know some of them... although i remembered this place. this park. seems like i was always here even before i lost my memories."

"probably because this is where you stay the most... they say some memories tends to stay even though you already lost some of them." if seonghwa could only tell him, that this was their usual spot whenever they go on a date.

September 17th.

"seems like we're hanging out too much, i am starting to miss you."

"oh really?" seonghwa couldn't help but to smile like an idiot.

'but i miss you all the time, hongjoong.'

December 11th.

"what are your plans for Christmas, Hongjoong?"

"i will go back to Anyang with my eomma. we're going to celebrate Christmas in our hometown... i am going to miss you, Seonghwa."

"i'm going to miss you too, hongjoong." seonghwa replied with a smile.

January 13th.

"Seonghwa! i thought you wouldn't show up." hongjoong lets out a sigh of relief when he saw seonghwa running towards him on his usual spot.

"dummy, i was waiting for you in here every sunday."

February 14th.

"seonghwa... i have something to tell you."

"what? don't tell me you like me now." seonghwa was laughing, yet he's actually nervous for what hongjoong will say.

"how did you know?" hongjoong replied.

"wait, are you serious?" seonghwa could only stare at hongjoong."

March 13th.

"so this is like a thing for us now, huh?"

"what thing?" hongjoong asks.

"us. meeting every Sunday. here in this spot."

"i guess we're used to it by now. my feet automatically walks it's way towards this place. it's inevitable." after exchanging those words, a laughter can be heard.

March 24th.

"seonghwa... can i...take you out? on a date..?"

seonghwa was flustered. because the man he's inlove with, is currently asking him out on a date. he can't help but to smile.

he's still the hongjoong that seonghwa knew. it's just that he can't remember seonghwa.

"sure... next sunday it is?"

"yes, next sunday... I'll see you by then, seonghwa."

they can't help but to exchange sweet smiles, and those glances as they part ways.

April 3rd.

it was the day for their first ever date. well, at least for hongjoong. because Seonghwa can't even count the days on his fingers.

he and hongjoong always had a time for a date. it can be an indoor date, when seonghwa is cooking their favorite pasta while hongjoong sets up the table, or those silly movie nights that always ends up with them snoring beside each other. ah, how he misses those days. and now, it's about to happen again. but in a different phase, and who knows? a different type of date.

seonghwa has been laying down on his bed with a pile of clothes beside him because he can't choose what to wear not until he hears his phone ringing.

it was hongjoong.

without hesitation, he picked it up.

"seonghwa... i think we need to reschedule. it's raining so hard. i don't want us to get into any accident or something..."

seonghwa was a little bit of disappointed, yes. but he appreciates hongjoong's notice, especially it's raining pretty hard.

"hello, joong. no, it's okay. we can go next Sunday, or at least when the weather's not being a bitch." seonghwa replied, and he can hear hongjoong laughing on the other line.

"okay, hwa. next sunday it is. i'm sorry, i hope you're not thinking that i don't want this date anymore. i just can't risk both of us, you know." hongjoong said apologetically.

"oh silly, i know that's not your intention." seonghwa laughs lightly. "i can wait. there's always a next time." seonghwa smiles, even though hongjoong couldn't even see him.

"yes, there's always a next time. see you, hwa. i miss you." hongjoong said shyly, as he was also the first one to end the line.

"cute. he's still shy like that." that's all seonghwa could say before he gathered all of his clothes back to his closet and chose a decent outfit for next sunday.

April 10th.

today is the next Sunday they had promised to see each other.

oh.

april 10th...

today is their supposed to be third anniversary.

the universe is literally playing with him, huh?

he had to make sure everything goes well today.

he wouldn't want to repeat the same mistake that has happened a year ago, right?

seonghwa fetched his phone on his pocket and dialed hongjoong's number.

after a few rings, hongjoong picked up.

"oh, hwa. are you there? i'm almost at the restaurant, please wait a little longer."

"oh no, hongjoong. i'm running a bit late. can you go there first? I'll meet you there, i promise. i just had to do something real quick."

"promise me you'll show up."

"i promise." seonghwa assures hongjoong. because there's no way he can ditch the love of his life on a special day like this.

seonghwa were pacing back and forth inside his room, overthinking if he should walk, take the bus or ride his bike.

after thinking for almost twenty minutes, he just decided to take his bike because for god's sake, he's taking too long, he doesn't want hongjoong to wait for that long.

seriously, he needs to work on his mind.

after making sure the tires aren't flat and ready to go, he immediately made his way to the restaurant. but still, he was cautious with his surroundings. what if he suddenly hit a cat? that's bad luck.

a few more kicks on the pedals, he's almost there. the restaurant was on the other side of the highway and he can actually see hongjoong pacing outside the restaurant, and he couldn't help but to smile.

poor boy. he thought i wouldn't show up.

the light's still green.

seonghwa waved to get hongjoong's attention, and he didn't fail. he can see hongjoong on the other side of the road, smiling brightly at him.

all of his worries were gone when he saw hongjoong. after the light turned yellow, seonghwa takes a strong grip on his bike, ready to cross the road. yet instead of riding his bike, he went down, and walked beside it. he was too focused on hongjoong that he didn't even notice the car that's going on full speed even though the light's red.

before seonghwa could stop, it was too late.

beep... beep..... beep.....

홍중.

i feel lifeless.

with all these white walls surrounding over me, it makes me weak. how long i have been in here?

hongjoong opened his eyes, yet he can't move. his body felt so numb. he can only move his eyes, and there he saw a woman, crying helplessly.

he could only blink his eyes in response.

"why am i in here?" he starts talking through his mind, the woman can't hear him.

he can see the woman running towards the door, shouting to call someone or anyone to check on him.

ah, i must be in a hospital. but what the fuck just happened?

hongjoong got the strength to remove the intubation, and started speaking.

"who are you?"

that's the only thing he said, yet the woman starts to break down once again.

and that very day that he woke up, he heard that he's currently experiencing a retrograde amnesia, which he can't remember some things in the past. and he has come to know that this woman with him is his mother; who took care of him.

he was asleep. for two weeks.

his mother had told him he got into an accident going somewhere. that he shouldn't remember it ever again, because it's a bad memory.

hongjoong was fine to go. the doctor said that the amnesia will be temporary if his mother would help him remember things.

but that's not the case for hongjoong's mother.

mrs. kim always hated seonghwa for hongjoong. she couldn't accept the fact that hongjoong is gay, and is happily in love with seonghwa.

she couldn't embrace the fact that his son is in love with a man.

as soon as the arrived back in their home, the first thing she did was to take all those photos from hongjoong's room, the ones with seonghwa, so his son wouldn't remember the man anymore.

or that's what he thought.

hongjoong still remembers the fragments of seonghwa in his mind; even though his face was quite blurry.

he was still out of it. all of the betrayal he's experiencing from his mother just because she couldn't accept what his son wants; seonghwa.

now he had found himself every Sunday on this park that they usually go to. and surprisingly, Seonghwa was always there.

on his back. watching him.

he tried to fight himself not to see Seonghwa again, because this is for the better. but oh, who is he to dictate his own heart? it is screaming for seonghwa.

seonghwa. seonghwa. seonghwa.

that he couldn't even help himself anymore and started approaching the older, embodying his amnesia to the fullest.

yet it is true; he can't remember the past he had with seonghwa nor the other events, but one thing's for sure.

this man right there was his other half and still is his other half, memories of them from the past might be gone but his love, his name will never be forgotten.

it went on by months.

every sunday. having their little hang outs.

that especially helped hongjoong to remember, seonghwa's presence makes him remember. that all of those blurry memories became clear; that he can finally remember it all. he's planning to tell this all to seonghwa. on their third anniversary.

and that day has come.

April 10th.

hongjoong was too cautious to go that he had to walk towards the meeting place just to save himself from future harm.

he can't deny that the phone call had just happened made his heart nervous, but he knows seonghwa wouldn't ditch him.

i just hope he won't hate me for keeping this to him for that long.

seonghwa was taking too long that he got out of the restaurant, started pacing back and forth, rethinking his life decisions because what if seonghwa had run away? what if seonghwa doesn't want him anymore?

not until he saw a man waving across the road, and there he is.

his other half, seonghwa.

for heaven's sake he doesn't know why this light's taking too long to turn red, he can't wait for his lover to cross the road and to be finally with him once again.

red light.

he can see seonghwa gripping tightly on his bike, crossing the road with such a big smile.

not until he can see this car going through seonghwa's direction.

everything happened so fast.

now he can see seonghwa, lying on the ground, looking lifeless. blood all over his head.

seems like his world had stopped.

his feet automatically dragged him where seonghwa is, as he scooped his lover up, crying helplessly while screaming for help.

"seonghwa.... hwa, oh hwa. please. wake up... don't leave me yet..."

ㅡ

they're back at it again.

white walls. the small beeps from the monitor. yet it's not hongjoong who's lying, now it's seonghwa.

with a bandage on his head, an intubation on his mouth.

they've been here for almost three weeks. and god knows how hongjoong has been calling him, begging him for seonghwa's consciousness to be back.

hongjoong has been holding seonghwa's hand, never left his side.

it was Sunday.

May 1st.

hongjoong felt a small movement from seonghwa's hands. he thought he was just hallucinating. yet he can feel seonghwa's grip tightening, that hongjoong immediately pressed the buttons from the nurse's office so they can send a doctor on seonghwa's room.

seonghwa's eyes flattered open, and hongjoong felt like a rock has been lifted on his back.

hongjoong was asked to wait outside, which he thinks is unfair but seonghwa would be fine, he assures himself.

the doctors did some checking on seonghwa, that they can finally declare to him that seonghwa is finally conscious. yet there's still a problem.

"you see, mr. kim... mr. park hit his head pretty strong. we saved him from having any brain malfunctions yet this case is inevitable. he's currently suffering from a retrograde memory loss... means he can'tㅡ"

"he can't remember some of his past, i know..." hongjoong didn't even let the doctor finish. he felt numb. he felt his palms getting cold.

after the talk with the doctor, they had finally let him in.

and he can see seonghwa, sitting there, his color finally going back, yet looking so confused.

hongjoong takes a seat beside him, intertwining their hands together.

"hey, seonghwa."

"i'm seonghwa... who are you?"

hongjoong couldn't help but to smile.

"i'm hongjoong.. kim hongjoong. and i'm your boyfriend." hongjoong told seonghwa with a hesitant voice, but he still went for it anyway.

"but.. i don't.... i don't remember you." hongjoong could feel the guiltyness on seonghwa's voice, but he's determined to have seonghwa back on his life.

"don't worry, I'll make you remember." that was hongjoong's words as he kissed seonghwa on the back of his palm.

[cosplayinamerica]

Ger Tysk’s life has taken her all over the world, as a writer, professional sailor, graphic designer, and photographer. Though she’s accomplished so many things, one particular achievement that first drew her to our attention was the release of her cosplay photography book ‘Breaking All the Rules: Cosplay and the Art of Self-Expression’ in 2013. In 2011-2013, Tysk visited 43 different states, including Hawaii and Alaska, and shot with around 120 cosplayers to showcase the diverse diaspora of the cosplay community at that time.

Now ten years later Ejen and Tysk catch up, to discuss the 10th anniversary of her book, her life since then, and her thoughts on cosplay today.

When asked if Tysk recalled what inspired her to create the book, she considered and said “I don’t think there was a moment [I can point to]. Your book Cosplay in America was out, and that was kind of the time everyone was trying to do cosplay magazines. There were a bunch of cosplay magazine startups and people were doing little photo booklets. It was like the wild west of cosplay photography because cosplay photography was just starting to become a thing. I think you were the first person that thought “Oh, cosplay photography. I can actually use this to make a book.” And then everyone else thought I want to do that. So maybe I hopped on the bandwagon, but I also wanted to travel around and meet different cosplayers.

Tysk continued, “I was really interested in what made people cosplay. Because I was in my late 20s, early 30s, so I was old, right? I was an “old” cosplayer at that point. I thought wouldn’t it be cool to talk to younger cosplayers.”

Tysk remembered the landscape was changing quickly in the cosplay community, and that made it especially fascinating to talk to cosplayers at that time.

When asked what her favorite part of the photo book was, Tysk definitely emphasized the interviews.

Tysk said, “[The stories] were the most interesting part to me. The photos were cool, but I really wanted to know the person behind the photo. I didn’t specifically go for well-known cosplayers because people knew their stories already. They were everywhere. So I wanted say a random person from Iowa, who wasn’t going to probably become a professional cosplayer, had a day job, and was just doing it. And I’d ask, “Why are you doing this?” It was really interesting.

Tysk’s goal to seek out underrepresented cosplayers across the country led her to really focus on travel as a key component of her book’s success.

Tysk noted, “I was trying to go to conventions in the middle of the country that [weren’t as popular or crowded]. Everyone goes to Anime Expo. Everyone on the east coast goes Anime Boston, Otakon, or KamiCon which have just become big. Everyone was like, “We have to go,” but I’d go to AnimeIowa.

Tysk relied on crowdfunding to help get the book published, and to cover expenses, and she learned a lot in the process that helped with future projects.

Tysk commented, “I did two [fundraising campaigns] on IndieGoGo. I learned a lot. The first one I asked for way too much money for not a lot of stuff. I didn’t articulate my vision well and what was going to happen and what people were going to get. So I didn’t meet my goal, but the good thing about IndieGoGo is that you don’t have to meet your goals to get the money. So I got that money and I did a second one where I pared down the amount, and laid out my concrete asks. I said ‘I need money to go to these particular conventions because I want to get cosplayers from these particular regions.’ That was much more successful. That led me to a second book that I did, which is nothing to do with cosplay, but was also a photo book, and I did a KickStarter for that. Because of what I had learned on these two crowdfunding campaigns for this first book, I was able to do a KickStarter that was successful.”

After her campaign’s success she began to travel to capture photos for the book. She met so many cosplayers in the community, with one meeting standing apart for her in her memory.

Since her time working on the book, Tysk herself has stepped away from the life of cosplay more and more, as she’s taken up other pursuits.

Tysk said, “I don’t know if I consider myself a cosplayer these days. Some people you talk to they’re like ‘Once you are a cosplayer you can always just come back. It doesn’t matter’. I suppose that’s true. And I don’t have any desire to quit cosplaying forever. If one of my friends really convinces me to go to a convention for a day pass I’ll do something. I mostly quit cosplaying because I started sailing full time. So I was out on a boat for like 9 months out of the year and that really kind of puts a damper on your con going, so I just couldn’t do it.”

Tysk laughs, “I did think about it, but on a lot of the boats there’s no showers and no mirrors and you know it’s not really a great place to wear costumes.”

Though she hasn’t cosplayed in sometimes, she still thinks fondly of her times at cons and in cosplay.

Tysk remarked, “Every so often someone will tag me in a flashback Friday, and they post Ger took this photo. And I was like, ‘Oh, that was a really great costume!’ And then I remember all the fun we had at that con, and how stressed out I was because I was carrying all my light stands around the convention. And I used to cosplay and do photography at the same time, which was hilarious. There was a point that someone had a photo of me once when I was in my Sakura costume from Naruto and I was doing a photo shoot of this other cosplayer and I’m down in heels with my wig and I’m trying to take a photo. It was a little ridiculous. But because I was a cosplay  photographer and I was a cosplayer I didn’t want to miss out on the con just because I had booked some photo shoots.”

We return to the topic of her book’s anniversary, and Tysk remarks about how she’s not alone in her separation from cosplay and the cosplay community, as she sees some friends in her generation and many people she interviewed have themselves stopped cosplaying.

Tysk remarked, “It’s funny because you go through the interviews in the book and one of my questions was ‘Do you think you’ll be cosplaying ten years from now?’ I would say 99% of them were like of course, and most of them don’t cosplay anymore.”

Tysk has not attended an anime convention since 2015, and she has wondered since if cosplay has changed so much that it’s harder to really become a part of the scene as it once was.

Tysk said, “When I made the book, I thought ‘I don’t see why cosplayers wouldn’t cosplay 10 years from now. It’s an accessible hobby.’ Then I think about it, and is it still an accessible hobby? Because the bar is so high now. You go on Instagram or TikTok or Facebook or OnlyFans and you see all these people in their amazing costumes with professional photography. And it’s like, do I have to look like this? Do I have to wear these costumes? Do I have to be on the latest trends of the latest shows? Do I have to have an OnlyFans? Do I have to be a professional? Is the goal to be a professional cosplayer? Do I have to win awards? Because that’s what social media has been telling these kids.”

Tysk then clarified though it’s perhaps more complex, “I’m not going to say it’s good or bad. It’s just evolved. Cosplay is an art form which I still firmly believe in. Art evolves and changes and who am I to say it’s not art or it’s art or whatever. There’s just a lot more options from back then. I think it’s great because a lot of people who are trying to get into cosplay have a bigger platform to get into it. There’s also a lot more shows and games to choose from. Back then everyone was cosplaying the same eight anime that you could find because you were getting [the same few] VHS tapes. I think it’s pretty incredible that you can make a career out of cosplay. That’s awesome! If people are doing this and they’re good at it and they’re making money and they can support themselves by cosplaying, no matter whether it’s companies hiring you, having an OnlyFans, or a million subscribers, good for you. I think the Internet has been really awesome for that.

When I expressed my own uncertainty at how fandom and cosplay has evolved, Tysk said, “I agree with you. I have mixed feelings about this whole change, but I always think about Marty when I interviewed him. He said ‘A lot of people in my generation hate it when people are like ‘Oh cosplay!’, and he’d say you know it is changing and I just think it’s really awesome that younger people are getting into it.’ So I try and remember his words of wisdom because he was a really smart man.’

Now with books, websites, blogs, and social media sites everywhere all about cosplay and fandom, I wondered what Tysk thought might be remembered in the years to come?

“The Internet is like word vomit. You know everyone has something to say and everyone has an opinion. What is actually important and what are people going to remember? I don’t want to say that people who wrote those fan zines from the 60s were the only important people because maybe they were just the people who had access to a publishing studio or a printer or whatever. But in ten years when people look back on cosplay what are they going to remember? And then ten years and then ten years [after that?]”

[jrockmagazines]

Shoxx Vol. 203 (01-2010)

Niya - Bonds of the truth

Even "that" is a loving relationship. As part of a special project to commemorate Nightmare's 10th anniversary, we are irregularly delivering an in-band interview. This time, guitarist Hitsugi and bassist Ni~ya will be appearing! Even within the band, they are the ones who go out drinking together most often, and are also close in private. We wonder what kind of conversations will come up this time...

Do you remember the first time you two met?

Ni~ya: The first time I met Kan, I was wearing full make-up. We were on our way home from a concert, and I still didn't know how to remove it, so I left my hair standing up and just went straight to Bin's house (laughs).

Hitsugi: That's right. We first met at my house.

Why did it end up like that again? (laughs)

NI~ya: It was through Sakito's introduction.

Hitsugi: Sakito and I were going to form a band together, so we were both looking for members. He said he knew someone and was going to go see their live show, and that's when he brought Ni~ya. At first glance, you couldn't tell what she looked like without makeup (laughs). But the music we'd listened to and the music we were listening to at the time were similar.

What artist did you have the most fun talking about?

NI~ya: It's X. I had a poster of X in my room.

Hitsugi: It's difficult to play in a band together unless the music you listen to is somehow linked. I can empathize with people who enjoy the easy life. And, were you able to sing the Petit Koikuni? I was so happy this morning. It was easy to talk to you. I was very easy to get along with. I had long, blonde hair, and I went to a school like I do now, so I couldn't dye it. I thought, "This guy is so free." (laughs) And the people I was dating at the time just dismissed me and were indifferent. But, I was also interested in him, and I thought it would be fun to form a band together. From the first time we met, I had no hesitation in thinking that I wanted to form a band together.

Ni~ya: That's right. And I could see the direction we were heading in.

Hitsugi: I thought we could do something interesting.

So then, when you actually went into the studio, that's why...

Hitsugi: Yes, I think at first I was just copying X, but at first I wasn't sure if what I was doing was right.

NI~ya: It's just so crazy (laughs).

Hitsugi: The performance is all over the place, we’re doing the A-melody now. I'm not sure if they're doing the B-melody or the main part (laughs). But it was fun.

Ni~ya: Yeah, it was really fun. At the time, there were only four of us excluding RUKA, but I guess it was fun just making music with the four of us.

Hitsugi: That's right. It was fun to talk to each other too.

Ni~ya: That was something that we hadn't done before.

From then on, as a band and as individuals, you both aimed to be original, and what did you think was amazing about each other?

NI~ya: But, even at the copying stage, I was amazed when I saw Sakuto and I playing the guitar solo of "Silent Jealousy" (X's signature song. It's a pretty fast number with a high level of difficulty on the guitar) with ease. Up until then, there wasn't anyone around me who could play the guitar that well.

Hitsugi: Same for me.

Ni~ya: So, at that time, weren't there a lot of Histandard songs? A three-piece melodic hardcore band. Released album "GROWING UP was a big hit and GREEN DAY - American three-piece pop-punk band. Hitsugi: The album "Dookie" released in 2007 has sold 20 million copies worldwide.

Ni~ya: It was the time of the Melodic Hardcore boom, so there weren't many people doing Visual Kei.

Technique-wise, visual kei songs are more difficult, aren't they?

NI~ya: Yeah, it's difficult. Kaku: Visual kei, hard rock, etc. There was no one around me who could do it. That's right. So I can play it properly. When I saw ya, I thought, wow!

From the beginning, you were both players.

NI~ya: That's right. Also, I could sense their policy in terms of their visuals. I was like, "I'm so lucky to be in a band with them!" (laughs).

Did you two talk a lot together?

Ni~ya: I often come to Gara's house. I went there. On the way home from school, I had a house nearby, so I got off the train (laughs).

Hitsugi: But it's all just trivial stuff, I think I was talking about.

Ni~ya: Also, movie videos. I was often forced to watch it.

Hitsugi: I've always loved movies.

Ni~ya: Once we turned 20, we were together. I've also started drinking alcohol more often.

Hitsugi: If we were to go drinking together, ~ya is probably the most common.

NI~ya: Me too.

After all, the two of them are on the same wavelength. However, if you've been together for 10 years, you don't fight. Have you ever done that?

Hitsugi: There are fights.

NI~ya: Yes, there is. But... It was a fight. Live shows and bands on tour. We were talking about that and we were both drunk.

Did you have any tailspins after that?

NI~ya: Not at all. We had a fight and then we went to a hotel.

Hitsugi: Sometimes we make up already (laughs).

Ni~ya: I got too worked up, sorry. No, I'm sorry too (laughs).

Hitsugi: It's fine (laughs). So, it's like we're getting closer.

The only way you can do that is because you have a relationship of trust.

Hitsugi: That's right. It's more than just friends. So it's in a different genre than friends, family, or colleagues. You really trust your fellow members. But, for the four of you other than RUKA, it was the first time you did a proper "Gookdetaku Itomea" thing, right? And you've been doing it for 10 years now, and I think it's lame. I'm surprised that our relationship has not developed much in those 10 years. It's something that usually comes out (laughs).

NI~ya, you've always kept a certain distance between you. I don't think it's about love.

But what do you think is the secret? Hitsugi: It's whether you can trust someone. Can you leave it to them, and can they leave it to you? To do that, you need to go out drinking, we talked a lot, including playing games like that. We have to get along well. Ni~ya: In Nightmare, the members have that kind of relationship. So maybe it's not like a work relationship. Hitsugi: That's right. This year, we celebrated Ni~ya's birthday at my house (laughs). Ni~ya: After the live in Niigata, I suddenly said, "I'm going today" (laughs).

Hitsugi: So I invited my friends, and Sakuto came too. We drank until the morning. Ni~ya: After the live ended, right? (laughs) But it was so much fun.

Hitsugi: It's fun to drink with the members. We've been together a long time and we still have things to talk about.

It's amazing that you can have fun with it. Hitsugi: Anything is fine. In the extreme, it's fine even if the topic is at a child's level. Ni~ya: Even so, I can spend 2 or 3 hours (laughs).

Hitsugi: From one word, it keeps branching out. It never ends (laughs). So, are there not many moments of silence between the two of you? Don't you have time?

NI~ya: No (straight answer on Saturday). We're usually laughing at something (laughs).

Hitsugi: Sometimes I'm so hungry I'm crying. The content is so pointless that I can't remember it later (laughs). But when we start drinking, we talk about bands.

NI~ya: From there, how did the work-related topic change? It's divided by "on" and "off". Maybe it's okay because I have time off.

What do you think is "great"?

Hitsugi: For the last four or five years, I've been recording. He can just let himself go and play, even during live performances. It may sound strange, but even if I make a mistake, I come back right away. And it gives me a very safe feeling.

NI~ya: Mistakes... I try to avoid them as much as possible during the actual performance. I try to do that, but in the studio. That's terrible (laughs). Everyone, look at me.

Hitsugi: That kind of warms the mood (laughs).

The fact that you don't become violent at times like that.

Hitsugi: We don't have anything like that. Even if it's difficult, everyone does their best during the actual performance. And by blaming others for their mistakes, I don't think it will do any good. Everyone has their faults, right? But even that is adorable.

NI~ya: He has the generosity of a Buddha (laughs).

Hitsugi: Honestly, I can accept that part of you. I'm dating someone with a feeling that I can do it. And when I did that, it came out. Something like that (laughs). NI~ya: In fact, I find it a little amusing (laughs). Basically, we are five people with that kind of temperament.

Hitsugi: Yeah, I think generally everyone is kind.

Ni~ya: That's why we can become good friends. And then when I actually stood on stage, but when I look at the four of them, I think they're cool.

Ugh. Once again, this group is awesome. It really makes you feel like, "Wow, that's weird."

Hitsugi: That's why I think it's a really good relationship.

What do you two hope for from each other in the future?

NI~ya: What do you mean?

Hitsugi: Well... I hope we can continue our relationship for a long time.

That's crazy (laughs).

NI~ya: Yeah, that's it (laughs).

Hitsugi: They'll break up eventually. Right? Even if that happens, our relationship will remain the same. I hope I can stay that way. If not, keep in touch for a while.

NI~ya: No. I don't think that's the case. It really is a lifetime thing.

Hitsugi: Yeah, totally.

Ni~ya: It's not hard to be with you. Right. I think that's the biggest thing. Drinking. The flow of time is always the same, but I never get bored of it (laughs).I play with other musicians, but I think the members are different.

Hitsugi: It gives me a sense of security.

Ni~ya: I'd rather be with the members. You can go drinking without bringing any cloth.

Hitsugi: Is that the sense of security you get? (laughs)

NI~ya: No, that's not all. But... that's how reassuring it is (laughs). Even with a messy head, the beard keeps growing. But it's okay.

Hitsugi: I can be flatter than flat. Right? Money can't buy these things, they're precious.

[The End]