#San Domino

[queerographies]

[L'isola dei femminielli][Aldo Simeone]

Un giovane fiorentino viene confinato sull'isola di San Domino nel 1939 a causa dell'accusa di omosessualità. Lì, forma legami con altri "femminielli" discriminati. Nonostante il regime fascista, nasce tra loro una comunità solidale.

Un racconto di discriminazione e resistenza tra omosessualità, confino e libertà a San Domino Titolo: L’isola dei femminielliScritto da: Aldo SimeoneEdito da: FaziAnno: 2024Pagine: 312ISBN: 9791259675996 La trama di L’isola dei femminielli di Aldo Simeone Settembre 1939. Aldo, ventenne fiorentino, giunge a San Domino, l’isola delle Tremiti scelta dal regime fascista come confino per chi era…

[spotaus]

So that one trend...? But DustedAfterDeath instead ♡

(Gif version below the cut. Flashing lights warning!!!)

GUYS

I couldn't help myself. I just think that some electronic posters would still work in the city and like...

Idk guys, I just love these funky lil guys!!! This is Geno (pre-injury) in the poster, with Dust (center) and Reaper (right)!

Canonically, Dust met Reaper years before the plot of the main story in Ec-4o.verse. In a city. Where there would very likely be posters and signage showing mantras from before the downfall.

I think it'd be interesting if Geno (one of the head programmers of the Ecto-reprogramming) got put up as the poster child for the initiative. A new upstart programmer with the people in mind would sway hearts, right? Well, it did. Geno's lucky he got so many prosthetics, because a *lot* of survivors blame him for the incident thanks to how often he was publicized, even when he didn't want to be.

And idk. I think it's a cute fate moment, where Reaper just saved Dust and they're traversing the ruins of the wastes of the city, and Reaper shows clear distaste for the sign, but Dust stops and stares for just a second longer. Somewhere inside he recognizes that the guy in the ad is someone who was responsible for all this, for all the destruction and bloodshed. He's not sure how to feel about it. He seems larger than life.

Interesting how Reaper's seen it a hundred times and doesn't even look back (despite how he'd gaze at that face, changed but yet the same, every day with love later on) and how Dust takes a moment of the life he nearly just lost to stare at the image of someone he's never seen before (and wouldn't recognize for ages again, because Geno isn't who he was back then anymore). Interesting too how Geno's face was seen by both of them before he could see them in person and prove himself to be larger (than them both, he's tall, but not larger than life) and more of a character than either of them could've ever dreamed. Someone with enough heart to hold both of them.

And for context:

The composition of this is so good and I fell in love just a little ♡

[polysyndetonaddictsupportgroup]

First off, the way you write Tsumiki is so beautiful and makes so much sense and I would die for her. Also, Tsumiki/Maki is fucking inspired. It fits so perfectly within the story and fleshes out both of their characters and I have so many feelings about it.

What you wrote about the cause of the no-contact fits so well with the Zenin how do you even come up with this!! And it also reframes so many scenes in sea glass gardens (specifically, I went to double check bc I just realized that Tsumiki still refers to Megumi’s dogs by their names and they still reapond to them. I am going to cry Megumi deserved so much better). Nanami is absolutely insane in the best way for demanding half custody like he seems like he’d be willing to throw hands over it regardless of the cost to himself and it’s so perfect with how much he (like Gojo) believes so much in protecting children. I have more words to say but not the brainspace to say them bc it is late at night for me. But! I would die for you and your writing thank you so much for getting into jjk

I’m soo glad that y’all liked Tsumiki/Maki too. The versions of them that live in my head just fit together like puzzle pieces. They were each other’s foil and they understood the other all the more for being what the other had chose not to be. Tsumiki had chosen her sibling and Maki had chosen herself, and both of them know what it means to have those be mutually exclusive.

Also the version of Tsumiki that lived in my head violently hates the Zenin and I could not imagine anything more attractive to Maki. Tsumiki would firebomb their compound without hesitation or regret. Maki wants to kiss her on the mouth.

Tsumiki very purposefully was designated as the character who would keep calling the dogs by their names, because she’s the one who most aggressively tries to insulate Megumi from the effects of the jujutsu world on him.

Tsumiki knew Kuro and Shiro longer than anyone. She remembers when Megumi first summoned his puppies. She knows exactly how much he loves them and she knows exactly how badly he must have been hurt to push him to never call them by their names again. Those dogs mean the world to him, and she knows it.

In her mind, what Megumi lost wasn’t his love for his dogs. If he lost that, she thinks he’d be more willing to call them by their names—names are just easy ways of distinguishing them, after all. They’re already named. He’s only inconveniencing himself by never saying their names aloud.

She thinks Megumi stopped calling them by name as a way of protecting them from the Zenin clan.

He never saw his family again, is the thing, but the Zenin have always existed on their periphery. They know that the Zenin haven’t lost interest in him. Gojo tries to shield them (but mostly Megumi) from as much of the Zenin as possible, but they know that the Zenin have been prodding them for more contact and information on Megumi ever since Gojo cut them off. And they know that the Zenin have a lot of contact with the jujutsu world. They both assumed that, over the years, plenty of people have reported back to the Zenin on Megumi.

They trust Gojo, Nanami, Shoko, and Ijichi to not leak information to the Zenin. No one else.

She’s always suspected that Megumi stopped calling his dogs by their names because he didn’t want it to get back to the Zenin that he loved them like pets still. They’d be safer if the Zenin didn’t realize how much he still loved them. Maybe if he hid it, they’d assume they scared him off, and they wouldn’t hire someone to kill a dog when he’s on a mission or something. And that’s what she’ll never forgive the Zenin for taking from him.

They took away Megumi’s safety in his love. It became something he didn’t feel comfortable showing, ever, because it was something he would be hurt over. They made him hide it. And it kills Tsumiki to see, because her brother loves more fiercely than anyone she’s ever met. He loves in a way that terrifies her, sometimes, because she thinks it will kill him one day, she really does.

He loved those dogs enough to be beat within an inch of his life to keep them safe. He wouldn’t just suddenly start treating them like they’re impersonal weapons. They’re still Kuro and Shiro to him, she knows it. They’re still his puppies. And she doesn’t want the Zenin to get to take that from him.

She doesn’t want Megumi to just… succumb to what the jujutsu world did to him. She doesn’t want him to just take the beating the way he took it for his dogs. And she doesn’t want him to just sacrifice himself for her and call it a day. She wants him to fight for himself and for his right to live on his own terms. And she’s not sure if he’ll do that.

So she’ll fill in the gaps where she can. His dogs’ names are Shiro and Kuro, and they’re her brother’s puppies. They’re her best boys and she’ll treat them like pets all day long if she pleases, because the Zenin had no fucking right to take that from her brother. She’ll spit in Zenin Naobito’s face if she ever gets half a chance.

[g4zdtechtv]

THE PILE PRESENTS: X-Play - Sisterhood Going Right Out the Window | 11/2/04

Featuring a boatload of good games!

(GIVE TO FORMER G4 2.0 STAFF IN NEED)

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[threadmonster]

Anyway my dog was at the vet today and is both certified floof and certified good boy (⁠◡⁠ ⁠ω⁠ ⁠◡⁠)

[satyricplotter]

(suggestive, slightly explicit content at the end)

Even though you’ve been expecting the visit for most of the night, the Red Hood knocking at your balcony door at 1 in the morning still catches you off guard. You scramble off the couch in a sleepy daze, book falling off your lap and cracking open on the floor. For one long second, the only thing you can think of is that whoever your last assignment was has managed to find you, that you’ve finally been too sloppy and left a trail with which to track you.

That’s your first thought. Your second thought is, of course, Barbara. But before you can reach your phone to shoot your boss a SOS, or, at the very least, an alert, a second rasp at the window panes freezes you on the spot.

“Will you open the damn door?” Red Hood’s unmistakably robotic voice grits out. “It’s raining cats and dogs out here.”

You trip in your rush to open the doors, limbs loose and clumsy with relief. Hood shoulders past you with a grunt, fingers prodding at the back of his head to get at the latch of his helmet. He takes it off in a smooth motion, his hot breath forming a white cloud against the cold air of your running AC. You lock the balcony back up after him as he goes around your apartment, setting his helmet on your dinner table and shrugging out of his jacket. He means to stay apparently. You could’ve lent him an umbrella if he wanted to go back out there. Probably would’ve been best.

See, you don’t like the Red Hood much.

He invites himself over to your kitchen, opening cabinets here and there until he chances upon the dinnerware and pulls out a glass. The Gotham public infrastructure is in such state you have never once attempted to drink out of the tap, but you don’t stop him when he does. It is, technically, allowed. And he had the pitcher full of filtered water right under his nose, so. You wait impatiently as he downs two whole glasses of tap water and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand (there is a perfectly usable kitchen towel draped over the oven handle).

He glances over, notices you staring. The corner of his lips quirks up. “How obedient,” he mocks. He pats at his sides, pulls a folded envelope from somewhere in his body (the Bats have endless pockets, you’ve come to learn) and tosses it on the table. “There’s your file. You better be fucking thankful. Traipsed through half the city in this shit storm just to get you these.”

“Thank you, Red Hood,” you say politely, picking up the rumpled envelope and eagerly flipping through the files. “Much appreciated.”

Red Hood rolls his eyes at you, eternally put off by your insistence on following the proper channels of conduct. “Whatever. You got anything to eat?”

“Help yourself,” you tell him.

You walk back to the couch with the file in hand and leave him to make himself whatever he will, already too distracted by the information within to care that you’re gonna have to make a second grocery run when he’s done with your fridge. Red Hood rummages through your cabinets, pulling out far more stuff than he should for a midnight snack. At one point, he asks if you’ve had dinner, and you respond him with an absentminded (and truthful) negative. The files he’s brought are the latest Robin’s swiped from the team’s ongoing investigation on a dicey arms exchange deal that may or may not involve three out of four of Gotham’s biggest conglomerates (sans, of course, Wayne Enterprises). It’s your job to process the info—a task too menial and too tedious for Oracle and Red Robin, respectively, to handle. Besides, Tim’s far more useful on the ground.

It must be about twenty minutes of you pouring over the pages scattered over your coffee table when the man speaks up again. “Dinner’s ready,” he says.

You look up to see him setting two plates of steaming stir fry on the table. He’s taken off his gloves, his utility belt, the domino mask and rolled up his sleeves—the whole nine yards. Only missing the apron. The food looks lovely, but of course it does. Cooking is listed as a specialty in Red Hood’s file, right along with marksmanship and hostile takeovers.

Your lips quirk up at the unexpected kindness, but you shake your head. “None for me, thanks.”

“I said,” Red Hood says, placing his gun on the table menacingly. “Dinner’s ready. Come eat.”

Well. So much for kindness. You’re about as dumb as Red Hood’s subtle, which is to say only at your benefit and very much at will, so you only sigh and push the papers aside. He watches you rise and sit, and pick up the fork, before he does the same. You eat in silence.

After a few bites, you stop being disgruntled at his coercion and grateful that he’s got something other than a protein bar in you because you were, in fact, quite hungry. That’s not something you can say—or at least not in any way which he would accept, so you just shut up and eat your meal happily. That seems to be enough for him, as he watches you finish the whole plate with a satisfied expression.

“Good?” He asks.

“Yeah, actually,” you beam.

Even when he stands and brings the dishes over to the sink to wash, you are reluctant to leave your spot at the table. You watch him rinse and sponge the plates and pan, the knife and spoon and cutting board, and your afternoon tea mug. He washes his hands thoroughly and rinses his mouth with the dubious tap water again. A thorough, judicious man. He’s played remarkably nice this evening. You wonder if Oracle’s been pulling his ear to leave you alone.

When he finishes, he walks slowly the remainder of the narrow hallway of your kitchen back to the dinner table and leans against the threshold. The long line of his body catches you off guard, always so unexpectedly graceful despite his musculature, his brutality. You hold his gaze serenely, trying not to cave under his scrutiny.

This is why you don’t like the Red Hood. Every time he looks at you, he sees you wholly. As you are. Not, crucially, as you want. It has been this way since the first time he laid eyes on you—a single glance and he had taken the measure of you. No further explanation, no time to make amends. And what’s worse: he expects you to be honest. He expects you to say what he can read in your face. He doesn’t let it go when you deflect, when you coat your truths in niceties. He wants it raw and open.

You can’t play dumb with Jason Todd.

He breaks the silence first. “Were you expecting Grayson this evening?”

The non-sequitur catches you so off guard you break eye contact accidentally. What’s Nightwing got to do with anything?

“No?” You say, evidently baffled. “Nightwing’s been off-world all week. Why would he be coming around?”

He cocks his head to the side, sucks in the bit of flesh below his lower lip. "So you knew it was me who'd be coming around?"

"Obviously?" What is he going on about? He clearly doesn't believe you, either. It's childish when you stomp your foot and whine, but he always brings out the worst in you. "I'm serious, Hood. I've been waiting for you all evening. Just you."

Jason pushes off the wall and approaches, staring you down with slightly raised eyebrows. “Then, if you knew Dick wasn't coming with, what are you looking so fuckable for?”

Despite how much it bruises your pride, you cannot help but sputter. The staring is one thing, the passing brushes are another—even the stupid pulling at your pigtails like you’re both in kindergarten is… permissible. But this? Coming at you so straightforwardly when all you know how to do is circumvent and hide? Desperately, you respond to the one thing in that sentence you can make sense of: the accusation.

“I don’t like Nightwing,” you whine. Jason fixes you with a look of dry incredulity. You huff. How you despise him. He can’t even let you lie. “And I don’t dress for him either.”

“Hm.” He reaches over to pull at the neckline of your admittedly skimpy top, his knuckle brushing against your chest. “Sure.”

You bat his hand away, and stand up, but that leaves you much closer to him than you expected. Or wanted. “This is not fuckable,” you grit out. “This is… pajamas.”

Jason cranes his neck to take a close look at you, every bit as assessing as the first one had been. One of his large hands comes to play with the hem of your shorts, pushes it up just a smidge, and the pads of his fingers are rough and calloused against your outer thigh. Your eyelids flutter, and he has the nerve to smile.

“That’s a blatant lie, you know,” he says, dipping his head low so the words brush against your lips. “Try a little, huh?”

“This seems like a you problem, my guy,” you snap, so close you might as well be speaking into his mouth. You need to get away. You don’t.

Jason’s smug when you gasp after his hands close around your ass and bring you forward, flush against his body. The hardness in his pants trapped between you, a pressing weight just below where it should be. Should be? What are you—but Jason adjusts before you can scold yourself, lining up your crotch with his and grinding. It feels bigger this way, which is insane because it's already pretty fucking huge, and a hot flash of desire runs through you lightning-quick and just as obliterating. You slump against him, head on his shoulder.

“That’s my problem,” he murmurs against your ear. His thumbs press just under your asscheeks, playful. “You gon’ do anything about it?”

[galedekarios]

references in gale's banter on selection

just thought i'd go through a few of his selection lines that stuck out to me.

Oh, what a tangled Weave we web!

reference to: "oh what a tangled web we weave" from a poem by sir walter scott:

"Like so very many of Shakespeare’s lasting observations, it’s  a beautifully expressed aphorism that uses just a few words to describe one life experience so perfectly, and is so true, that it enters into the English language and becomes one of its most powerful idioms – one that will last forever. ‘Oh what a tangled web we weave/When first we practice to deceive’ means that when you lie or act dishonestly you are initiating problems and a domino structure of complications which eventually run out of control. The quote is from Scott’s epic poem, Marmion: A Tale of Flodden Field.  It’s an historical romance in verse, published in 1808."

the next one is is a play on a line from a shakespeare play:

All the world's my stage and you're just a player in it.

the play is titled 'as you like it' and the line appears in the following monologue:

"All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely Players; They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts, His Acts being seven ages. At first, the infant, Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms. Then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel And shining morning face, creeping like snail Unwillingly to school. And then the lover, Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier, Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard, Jealous in honor, sudden and quick in quarrel, Seeking the bubble reputation Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice, In fair round belly with good capon lined, With eyes severe and beard of formal cut, Full of wise saws and modern instances; And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts Into the lean and slippered pantaloon, With spectacles on nose and pouch on side; His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide For his shrunk shank, and his big manly voice, Turning again toward childish treble, pipes And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all, That ends this strange eventful history, Is second childishness and mere oblivion, Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything."

the next one appears to reference a poem:

The path less travelled.

i think this is in reference to the well-known poem by robert frost, 'the road not taken':

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same, And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back. I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.

i think this ties in well with gale's wanderlust, his wish to explore different worlds and planes of existence.

the next one is a waterdhavian saying, which i already took a closer look at in one of my metas:

'Doth thy mirror crack?' Apparently not.

Early on in his learning of magic, the long-dead and locally famous first Lord (revered in Waterdeep for his role in establishing the city as it is today) Ahghairon said, "I am no wizard. I am a dabbler but no master of magic; it seems no mastery burns within me." These are famous words in Waterdeep, still known by most Waterdhavian children and all adults, and are oft referenced, as in the dry comment "No mastery blazing forth yet," or "A dabbler but no master, eh?" (Comments applied to skill trades and crafts, not just to magic use.) Tuezaera Hallowhand was a famous "lone cat" thief of Waterdeep in the 1200s DR who disappeared suddenly and is thought to have come to a violent end. She once robbed a wizard, and wrote this on his wall with a fingertip dipped in his favorite red wine: "I take things. You take freedom with your spells. Which of us is the greater thief?" This statement, too, is well remembered, and usually echoed in Waterdhavian speech by someone using the last (questioning) sentence of Tuezara's inscription.  Laeral, Lady Mage of Waterdeep for some years (when married to Khelben "Blackstaff" Arunsun), once publicly rebuked an overambitious wizard of the Watchful Order of Magists & Protectors thus: "If I hurl spells but think not of consequences, I am nothing. If I take lives but count not the cost, I am nothing. If I steal in the night and see not the faces of the devastated come morning, I am nothing. If I make decrees like a ruler but undertake none of the responsibilities of the throne, I am nothing. And if I do all these things in the name of the Watchful Order, I am less than nothing. Doth thy mirror crack?" These scornful words are remembered and used almost daily in Waterdeep even a century later, though almost never as the full quotation. Rather, someone will ask scornfully, "Doth thy mirror crack?" or "Hurl but think not?" or "Take but not count cost? Be nothing, then!" [source: waterdeep: dragon heist]

i think this one is very neat:

No gloom, all doom.

because i believe it references xan of evereska from baldur's gate 1. xan is infamous for his gloomy nature, often talking about his doom, the folly of the quest, etc. some of his lines include the following:

"We're all doomed! Run while we're still able." "If we are doomed to fail, could we at least do it faster?!" "Eh. Onward, to futility!" "We're all doomed." "Life is so hollow."

i think it's not so unlikely because gale also references other characters from the baldur's gate series and the forgotten realms overall, like elminster:

Elminster's not around, so might as well.

as well as halaster blackcloak, a mad mage residing in the undermountain in waterdeep:

I hope Halaster takes good care of Tara while I'm away.

as well as another character from the games, edwin odeisseron:

Don't make me go all Edwin Odesseiron on you.

edwin, a red wizard of thay, was a companion in baldur's gate 1 and 2.

No rest for the wicked, I see.

a common idiom that originated from the bible:

No rest for the wicked begins as no peace for the wicked in a 1425 rendering of the Old Testament’s Book of Isaiah 48:22: “The Lord God said, peace is not to wicked men.” The sentiment is echoed in Isaiah 57:20, which in the King James Version reads: “But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.”

another bible reference may be:

Seek and you shall find me.

You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. 

from jeremiah 29:13.

more folklore than an idiom, but:

The witching hour.

Origins. The phrase "witching hour" began at least as early as 1775, in the poem "Night, an Ode." by Rev. Matthew West, though its origins may go further back to 1535 when the Catholic Church prohibited activities during the 3:00 am and 4:00 am timeframe due to emerging fears about witchcraft in Europe.

i couldn't find the poem in full, but i was able to find the line that references the witching hour:

Along whose banks at Midnight’s witching hour (So wayward Fancy dreams) aerial Beings pour!

another shakespeare reference is:

What fools these mortals be.

which is a line from a midsummer's nights dream:

“Lord, what fools these mortals be!” is used in Act III, Scene 2 of A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare. The line is spoken by one of the best-loved characters in the play–Puck. Here is the short quote in which the line appears in:  Captain of our fairy band,  Helena is here at hand,  And the youth, mistook by me,  Pleading for a lover’s fee.  Shall we their fond pageant see? Lord, what fools these mortals be! Puck speaks this line to his king, Oberon, while the two are watching the four Athenian main characters lost in the forest. These four lovers, whose love affairs are at the center of the play, are behaving in a way that Puck finds foolish and amusing. It should be noted that Puck bears some of the responsibility for the complicated relations between Helena, Demetrius, Hermia, and Lysander. 

this one is, i believe, a dnd reference most likely:

May the dice roll in my favour.

i did however have the immediate association with alea iacta est:

Alea iacta est ("The die is cast") is a variation of a Latin phrase attributed by Suetonius to Julius Caesar on 10 January 49 BCE, as he led his army across the Rubicon river in Northern Italy. With this step, he entered Italy at the head of his army in defiance of the Senate and began his long civil war against Pompey and the Optimates. The phrase, either in the original Latin or in translation, is used in many languages to indicate that events have passed a point of no return. It is now most commonly cited with the word order changed ("Alea iacta est") rather than in the original phrasing. The same event inspired another idiom with the same meaning, "crossing the Rubicon".

Gone with the Weave.

this is a reach, but my mind always went to 'gone with the wind' (margaret mitchell's novel and the 1939 movie adaptation of said novel) when i heard it in the game.

nothing in depth here, i just wanted you all to know that, haha. (((':

A rough tempest I will raise.

this may be another shakespeare reference and this time it's from 'the tempest':

Prospero: Now does my project gather to a head: My charms crack not; my spirits obey; and time Goes upright with his carriage. How's the day? Ariel: On the sixth hour; at which time, my lord, You said our work should cease. Prospero: I did say so, When first I raised the tempest. Say, my spirit, How fares the king and's followers?

on researching, i found a reddit post that also discusses this likely reference.

the last one i want to end the post on is:

Your knight in magic armour.

this line is still bugged and thus i couldn't find it on the wiki, but it's an assist line for a romanced protag.

it obviously referenced the knight in shining armour:

The present-day use of this phrase is, of course, figurative and refers back to the notion of gallant knights saving fair maidens in distress. The reality behind that imagery is dubious and it no doubt owes much to the work of those Victorian novelists and painters who were captivated by the chivalrous ideal of an imagined court of Camelot. Nevertheless, knights did wear armour and that worn by royalty and the high nobility was highly polished and did in fact gleam and shine. The earliest reference that I’ve found to the phrase in print dates from the late 18th century – in The British journal The Monthly Review, 1790, in a poem called Amusement: A Poetical Essay, by Henry Pye: No more the knight, in shining armour dress’d Opposes to the pointed lance his breast

but it also features heavily in art, across various periods in time, like these from john william waterhouse:

i did see someone on reddit also discussing the creator and destroyer line in reference to various deities throughout history, which i thought was interesting as well.

anyhow, thank you for reading! i may have overlooked something so feel free to add your own thoughts!

🖤

[makingqueerhistory]

Queer history fact: From 1938-1939, San Domino in Italy was designated an internal exile exclusively for queer people. What began as an attempt to exclude any men who didn’t fit the fascistic ideal of perfect masculinity, ended as a glimpse of the queer community in an impossible time. Equally a prison and a carved-out space where queer people connected in hostile circumstances, San Domino proves the past and continued resilience of the queer community.

[tommykinard]

Hello! Just popped into say your gifsets are soooo stunning!! Thank you so much for making them!! 💕 I was also wondering if you have any resources/tips for text layouts. I feel like the text on my gifs never goes together well, but I absolutely adore the way it does in your gifsets. Appreciate your efforts!

Hi hi! This is so sweet omg thank you for the kind words 🥺💖 I'll try to articulate everything as best as I can but to be completely honest a lot of what goes on in my head when planning out typography is just ~vibes~. Putting some tips and resources under the cut because this got long oops (and has a lot of examples)!

Some tricks I use often:

Pick 2-3 fonts per gif: 1 simple small font (either serif or sans serif, but I usually lean towards sans serif), 1 decorative/fancy font, +bonus: 1 more decorative/fancy font

Here are some gifs I did using 2 fonts (with a sans serif small font on the left, and a serif small font on the right

And here are some gifs using 3 fonts. Whenever I use 2 decorative fonts in the same gif I usually make one of them a cursive font to contrast the blockier font

2. Figure out which words to emphasize: I usually use song lyrics as the text, so it's easy for me to place emphasis on words that the singer/instrumentals emphasize, but this also works for poetry/other types of writing. The important part is realizing that you can only have a few emphasized words/phrases per gif, so sometimes a lot of your text is gonna be in your "simpler" font, like I did in this gif

3. Using multiple decorative fonts per gifset: So one thing I enjoy doing is matching fonts to the ~vibe~ of each lyric, like I've done here, here, and here for example. I still use the rule of 2-3 fonts per gif, and the common thread between each of the gifs are my small font and my layer styles on the decorative fonts. It's honestly just a lot of trial and error until I end up with something I'm happy with.

4. Using the words to guide the layout: I've never been original a day in my life so here are some examples of what I mean

Left: Lyrics say "reverse" and "symmetry" so I make the typography reversed and symmetrical

Middle: Lyrics talk about dominoes so I try to make the text look like falling dominoes (inside a clock because the lyrics talk about... clockwork)

Right: Lyrics talk about a labyrinth so I make the text look like a maze path, and so on. Like I said, not original lol

5. Play around with font size, text warping, rotation, and glyphs: So this gifset used only a single font throughout, but I played around with both the font sizing and text warping to not make it feel monotone

When you use the text tool on Photoshop to type out your text, text warping can be accessed by clicking this icon on the top toolbar

Making sure you have your desired text highlighted, you can play around with the style, horizontal/vertical warp, and the values to your liking. I usually go for flag, wave, rise, or twist, but you can use any of them to get your desired effect.

Here are some more examples of where I used different warp styles

You can also use command + t (or ctrl + t) to rotate your text and place it at an angle (make sure you're not on the text tool)

You can also get cool alternate versions of letters when you go to the glyphs tab on photoshop (go to window > glyphs, and make sure it's checked, and you should see the tab in your photoshop workspace). This is how I got the cool loops on the letters in this gifset which also guided how I placed the small text.

6. Use shapes to make your small font more interesting: You can put rectangles or ripped paper shapes with layer styles on them behind your text to make the words stand out without having to user your decorative fonts, like I did here

7. Fit your text together like lego blocks (+ overlap text): One of the biggest things for me is finding spaces within the text where other text can fit. I usually do this by laying out my decorative fonts first, and then seeing where my small font can fit within it. So below are some examples of layouts I've done with the red circles showing potential places for text to go, and this was after I figured out my decorative text layouts.

The tails of letters like "y", "g", "p", and "q" are good for guiding layouts, as well as the tall points of letters like "l", "t", "h", "b", and "d". Sometimes you'll have to apply the slightest warp/angle/change the font size by 1 pt to make the text fit nicely. Also don't be afraid to let your text overlap a little! I especially like doing this when I have a delicate font and a blockier font, like I did here

Also make sure you have your different phrases on different text layers! Sometimes each word will need to be on a different text layer if that's how your layout goes, but doing this will help you move the different pieces around until you're happy with it (just like legos!)

6. Get inspired outside of tumblr: People are paid to make album art, lyric videos, posters, etc. Use these things as inspiration!

This gifset mimicked the back cover art of Taylor's Swift's ttpd album

This gifset used Noah Kahan's stick season album title layout

And this uses Big Time Rush's lyric video as inspiration

Some other resources:

Get inspired by other gifmakers and their layouts! Some that come to mind are @eddiediaaz @cal-kestis and @nataliescatorccio, and @usergif is also a great place to find amazing gifmakers who do cool typography

@usergif also has typography resources, font recs, and font pairing guides which are super useful

There are some typography layout guidelines floating around tumblr, here's one that I have saved and is a good way to start thinking of typography layouts, and here's a follow up to that

This got super long and may be more than what you wanted anon but I hope this all helps!

[queerographies]

[Gli scordati][Emanuele Firinu]

Gli scordati di Emanuele Firinu è un esordio che lascia il segno, un romanzo sull'amore incondizionato e la ricerca della propria identità, ispirato alla vera storia della prigione dell'isola di San Domino.

Due ragazzi innamorati in un’Italia dilaniata dal fascismo. Il regime a dividerli, l’amore a renderli liberi. Catania, 1939. Il sogno di Sasà, ventun anni, garzone in una falegnameria, è quello di lasciare il quartiere di pescatori dove vive insieme alla madre, partire per mare e vedere il mondo, magari insieme a Michele, il ragazzo di cui è innamorato. Ma lui, al contrario, ha piani diversi per…

[reality-detective]

32 ARMED ILLEGAL Venezuelan immigrants have apparently taken over an apartment building in Chicago.

It will be a domino affect. First Aurora Colorado, now Chicago, where will be next? Baltimore? Philadelphia? Seattle? Los Angeles? San Francisco? Houston? Miami? New York City? Boston?

It is going to get ugly before it gets better. If you don't think a war is coming to this country I recommend you stop and think again. 🤔

[forgettable-au]

Hi, I have few questions about your AU.

First, Did Sans like ketchup when he was working with Gaster? If so, What did Gaster think about Sans drinking ketchup?

Second, What would happen if everyone regain memories about Gaster?

Anyway thank you for doing this AU. I like it.

Uhm, first question is so silly lol and I don't know if you literally mean Sans drinking ketchup or if you mean the popular headcanon that ketchup is kinda like him getting drunk?

Uh- if you just mean literally ketchup, I don't think it matters that much? It's so silly, but like! If he likes ketchup good for him! Personally, I think he was joking around with it and then maybe he actually liked it? But that could have been at any point in time!! I don't think Wingdings would have cared lol

Second question! It would be messy,, but I don't think I can fully answer that,, just because it would be a huge domino effect D:

Also thank youu!

[g4zdtechtv]

THE PILE PRESENTS: X-Play - I ❤️ Wolverine | 10/28/04

Three big 2004 games in one big show!

(GIVE TO FORMER G4 REBOOT STAFF WHO NEED HELP)

(HELP SAVE THE GIANT G4 NES CONTROLLER)

[miochimochi]

Got those update pictures! 11 new patches and 19 new pins!

Patches

2 Hollow Knight patches

The Casualties

A band patch (Counter Cult) (lino cut)

A big RIIIIIIIP! covering, yes, a big rip

Copying is not Theft - punk Mickey Mouse

Never Surrender as 2 patches

Harley Poe

Freedom Fighters - a mockery patch of the military (lino cut)

E!E a Polish punk band

Pins

Hanabie. 花冷え。 as 4 pins, a Japanese kawaii metal band

Celtic knot

1312

Orange bear hoodie from Himouto! Umaru-Chan

Against All Authority

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Jerry's Kids

Squatting symbol, also dual use for Days n Daze

Ghoti Hook

Pennywise

Crass

14th black domino, a reference to an Ozma song

Star Fucking Hipsters

The Exploited

System of a Down

San's mask from Mononoke Hime

Also broke down and got some carabiners to clip things to the belt and more easily take them off (like the pin sash), put a paracord bracelet on the belt, and tied some cloth that could be useful on the go.

[sevenboarproductions]

[IDOliSH7] [Part 6] Chapter 11: Hectic days

6.11.1. - A town where sound falls

Takanashi Tsumugi: Heading towards “New Black or White”, hectic days had begun at Takanashi agency.

--

Ousaka Sougo: …How about this?

Rokuya Nagi: Hm… That’s a little too dark. 

Ousaka Sougo: Dark…

Rokuya Nagi: It might also be a little too aggressive

Ousaka Sougo: Aggressive…！ Really… I was trying to give off a sense of velocity, though…

Rokuya Nagi: Sougo, aren’t you overthinking it a little? Relax, relax.

Ousaka Sougo: Relaxing…

Rokuya Nagi: Close your eyes and think of an animal, anything is fine. 

Ousaka Sougo: I thought of it…

Rokuya Nagi: What animal came to mind? 

Ousaka Sougo: A stonefish.

Rokuya Nagi: OH, how warlike… We are happy, happy, cutie idols! Let’s make it a sweet feeling like shangri-la!

Ousaka Sougo: Shangri-la…  Happy, happy, cutie idols…

Rokuya Nagi: OK, close your eyes… Try to think of an animal once more. What came to mind? 

Ousaka Sougo: A frilled shark.

Rokuya Nagi: OKOK…That’s the way…

--

Yotsuba Tamaki: If we do it like this… what if we do something like this?

Oogami Banri: Isn’t that nice? And the formation is 3 + 4?

Yotsuba Tamaki: What about a V shape? Would it be strange? Starting from a V formation like this… 

Oogami Banri: Aaah, isn’t that good? From V into 3 + 4. 

Yotsuba Tamaki: We could have only one side move like this, like dominoes… 

Oogami Banri: Aah, yes, yes. Then like that, they are divided into 3 and 4 again…

Yotsuba Tamaki: Ooh, that’s cool!

Oogami Banri: It is cool.

Yotsuba Tamaki: IDOLiSH7 is cool, isn’t it~.

Oogami Banri: IDOLiSH7 is cool!

--

Momo: For the new song, I wanna sing about how we felt when we debuted.

Yuki: Isn’t that fine?

Momo: Really?

Yuki: Really, really.  Like, “can’t you sell yourself from the time you were fresh”?

Momo: I get that! Like overcoming ourselves!

Yuki: Did we overcome ourselves? Momo, you were earnest. You were hardworking and everyone likes you. 

Momo: Is that so? I was so desperate I couldn’t afford to relax. People like IDOLiSH7 are cute, aren’t they?

Yuki: They are. Thinking about it now, I was an irritating newcomer.

Momo: I’m telling you, that’s not true! I wanna protect such an awkward person. Yamato and ŹOOḼ are like that, too. 

Yuki: That’s true. But, freshness, huh… 

Momo: Is there a difference in freshness? Between idols and those wanting to be idols. 

Yuki: Momo, what is being an idol to you? Last time, you said it was to make me win. 

Yuki: But that isn’t all, is it? Since you’re kind, Momo. 

Momo: I wonder…

Momo: Because I met you during a difficult time, Yuki, because I was able to find new happiness, I want to be that kind of person for someone else. 

Yuki: Happiness?

Momo: Yeah. Being glad, being happy, a feeling of fulfillment… Like I’m glad to be here.

Momo: At that time, I was very happy, I felt like I’d been saved, how do I put it… I felt like I wasn’t wrong. 

Yuki: About coming to Re:vale’s live?

Momo: Not… Not just that; everything.

Momo: Like when you see something amazing, when you see something wonderful, it becomes a feeling like you’ve been given a miracle. 

Momo: It became a feeling of being loved by a godlike person. 

Momo: That night, seeing Yuki and Ban-san, that’s what I thought. Thank you for letting me meet you. And… 

Momo: I thought that with such a wonderful thing, even I who was able to see it cannot be all that bad. Like I wasn’t thrown away.

Momo: I had the feeling I could love myself again.

Yuki: …I’m glad… That you would think of me that way… It was worth singing that desperately.

Momo: Ehehe.

Momo: That kind of thing, I want to give it to everyone. They met us, right? So they’ll definitely be happy.

Momo: So they’ll definitely be happy in the next year, too. I mean, they were with us in the same space and heard our sound, after all!

Momo: I’m sure we’ll be able to meet the ones who couldn’t be in the same space as us, too! When that time comes, I’ll be the happiest person in the world!

Momo: I will definitely, definitely make those who saw me on camera as well as those who will come to see me happy! 

Momo: I’ve never been so happy! Everyone, cheer up! Look at my Yuki! 

Yuki: Ahaha! That’s nice, isn’t it?

Momo: I’ll be the happiest in the world!

Yuki: Seems so.

Momo: Let’s make the best live in our own way. The customers like our cool side the best.

Yuki: That’s true.

Momo: I am the happiest when Yuki is cool, too. Above all, I want Yuki to win! 

Yuki: I’ll do my best. But I am happy even if we don’t win. 

Momo: I know… But I wanna do my best! 

Yuki: I understand. Let’s do our best.

Momo: Yeah!

~ to be continued ~ 

--

6.11.2. - Good City

Staff: So you’ll have a meeting with the owner.

Kujou Tenn: Understood. I’ll be in your care.

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: This is a specialty store for manual coffee brewing. I’ve improved quite a bit.

Yaotome Gaku: Me, too. I was told I could open a store anytime.

Kujou Tenn: Me, too. I like to make espresso using a moka pot*.

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: I like it, too! It’s the one you don’t have froth on, right?

Yaotome Gaku: Maybe I should buy an espresso maker sometime.

Kujou Tenn: It might be good to have one…

Student: Uhm…

Kujou Tenn: Yes.

Student: Uhm, I, well…. I am the son of this store’s manager.

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: Aah! Thanks for having us today. It’s a nice store.

Kujou Tenn: It’s nice to meet you.

Yaotome Gaku: Nice to meet you. I’m Yaotome Gaku.

Student: Uhm, that hand of yours… May I hold it?

Yaotome Gaku: If you don’t mind a handshake. Sorry to impose on you today. Sorry about causing so much noise, too.

Student: No, uhm, as a TRIGGER fan, I watched your show and found out you were looking for filming locations, so I asked my father to apply.

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: So that’s how it was! I’m glad. Your name is…?

Mage Takara: My surname is Mage, and my given name is Takara! Also, I had my mails read out loud at the TRIGGER radio!

Kujou Tenn: So that’s how it is. I am glad to meet you, Mage Takara-san.

Mage Takara: …Uwaaah, Kujou-san shook my hand, too! Would you do it, too, Tsunashi-san!?

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: Of course! Takara-kun, thank you. Thanks to you, we are able to work at a wonderful shop.

Mage Takara: No, that’s not… My father will be happy. He’ll be glad to have opened a coffee shop…

Yaotome Gaku: Ahaha, that’s cute. Who do you like, Takara?

Mage Takara: Uhm, within TRIGGER-san?

Yaotome Gaku: Yes, that.

Mage Takara: Is it okay to say it…? In front of the actual people involved…

Yaotome Gaku: Don’t hold back. I’ll take a picture of you with the one you pick. Gimme your phone?

Mage Takara: Is that fine!? Uhm…. Uhm, uuuuhm, I’m sorry! It’s Kujou-san!

Yaotome Gaku: Tenn, huh…

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: It was Tenn, huh…

Kujou Tenn: Yay.

Mage Takara: No, well, I really like him… I think he’s the best idol! He’s a star who’s even better than Zero!

Kujou Tenn: I’m happy. I might cry.

Mage Takara: Uhm, you’re the type of people who don’t cry, right!?

Yaotome Gaku: We’ve become quite amicable lately.

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: But I don’t think we’ll show you our crying selves.

Mage Takara: Eh~!　I don’t really get it, but you’re cool…!!

Yaotome Gaku: Then I’ll take a picture now.

Mage Takara: Uwaah… To have the shutter pressed by Yaotome Gaku… I wanna become a smartphone, too…

Kujou Tenn: Is it alright if I stay like this? What about poses…

Mage Takara: When it comes to poses, is it okay to just decide that the way I want???

Kujou Tenn: Of course.

Mage Takara: Oh my god, what should I do…! I’d be fine dying right now… Aah, uhm, then let’s shake hands…

Kujou Tenn: Yes.

Mage Takara: Ah, I’m, I’m sorry for having sweaty hands…

Kujou Tenn: Mine are, too. It’s fine.

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: Well then, I’ll fan you with this menu.

Mage Takara: Thank you very much. To have Tsunashi-san fan me… I will never use an air conditioner again!

Yaotome Gaku: Use it. The recent temperatures are crazy. Because of global warming.

Mage Takara: Yes! I will use it…!

Yaotome Gaku: Let’s go, one, two…

Kujou Tenn: Smile, Takara-san.

Mage Takara: I’ll smile…!

(click)

Mage Takara: …. Ha…

Yaotome Gaku: I’ll take another one. One, two…

(click)

Kujou Tenn: Thank you very much.

Mage Takara: Thank you very much! Ah, ah, uhm… Can I get your autograph, too!?

Kujou Tenn: Of course. Is it fine if I write “To Takara-san”?

Mage Takara: Uhm, I think my father will be mad, so please address it to “Café MAGENTA”…

Kujou Tenn: Understood.

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: That’s a wonderful name for a store. Do you like the color magenta?

Mage Takara: Ah, ‘our surname is Mage, so let’s add a little to it’, is what my dad said!

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: Ah, I see. You did mention him earlier. Mage-san.

Mage Takara: Yes!

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: My ‘Tsunashi’ is rare, but ‘Mage-san’ is also quite rare.

Mage Takara: Yes! Ehehe…

Yaotome Gaku: We’re lucky to be meeting friends at work. Please continue to support us, Takara.

Mage Takara: Yes! I’ll always support you! Or rather, I will on TRIGGER-san’s radio…

Staff: Please get ready soon!

Kujou Tenn: Understood. Takara-san, you sent us a radio message, right.

Mage Takara: Yes! Lately, I’ve been busy studying for exams, so I couldn’t listen to it, but I’ll send you a message again…

Yaotome Gaku: I get it. I’m looking forward to it.

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: Thanks, Takara-kun. Here, have TRIGGER’s autograph.

Mage Takara: Uwaaah…! It’s me who’s really thankful to you!

Kujou Tenn: Thank you very much.

Yaotome Gaku: Thank you.

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: Thanks!

Mage Takara: …Haa… Amazing…

Mage Takara: …

--

Staff: Well then, let’s begin with an explanation of a simple arrangement.

Kujou Tenn: I’ll be in your care.

Mage Takara: Uh, uhm…! Excuse me!

Staff: Ah, excuse me. We have to start preparing for shooting soon…

Kujou Tenn: Excuse me, give us just a moment. Takara-san, what happened?

Mage Takara: Excuse me! I got in the way! I won’t bother you anymore, but…

Mage Takara: Could you write “To Magechon” next to “To Café MAGENTA”!?

Staff: Magechon? Is that your nickname?

Mage Takara: Yes! It’s a band name, and if I can be on TV in the future, I’ll definitely use it…!

Staff: Ahaha! How about it, TRIGGER-san?

Staff: TRIGGER-san…？

Kujou Tenn: …Magechon…？

Yaotome Gaku: Magechon…

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: Is it possible that, Magechon…!?

Kujou Tenn: The one who made ‘BE AUTHENTIC’!?

Mage Takara: Uwaaaaaah…! TRIGGER knows my song! I don’t mind dying ten more times…

Yaotome Gaku: For real…!! We’ve been looking for you forever!

Mage Takara: Eh…!?

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: We listened to ‘BE AUTHENTIC’! It’s the best song!

Mage Takara: Eh, eh…!?

Kujou Tenn: We want to take on ‘New Black or White’ with ‘BE AUTHENTIC’.

Mage Takara: Eeeh……!?

Kujou Tenn: Can we have permission?

Mage Takara: (crying) What’s this, it’s like a dream… No way TRIGGER would…

Kujou Tenn: Hey, don’t cry. Does that mean ‘no’…?

Mage Takara: …It’s the feeling of having achieved the biggest affirmation in history! I lovingly permit, permit, super permit you to use it!

Mage Takara: Please sing my song…!

Kujou Tenn: …Thank you!

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: Thank you, Takara-kun! To meet you this way, it’s like a miracle!

Yaotome Gaku: I see it wasn’t just just ‘(lol)’. I’m glad you told us seriously.

Mage Takara: Gaku-san…

Yaotome Gaku: We’ll sing it seriously, too. Magechon, that song is the best.

Yaotome Gaku: Thank you for bringing this song into the world and letting us listen to it.

Mage Takara: …You, too… I love TRIGGER…!

Mage Takara: Please win “New Black or White”!!

TRIGGER: Yeah…!

~ to be continued ~

--

6.11.3. - Storyteller

Cameraman: Good morning, everyone.

Takanashi Tsumugi: Good morning.

Anesagi Kaoru: Good morning. Oh, you’re holding a camera. That means you’re from “Backyard Magic”, aren’t you?

Cameraman: I have some questions for both of you, so…

Anesagi Kaoru: You should have told us about that earlier! My makeup is terrible right now, so don’t film my face! 

Cameraman: Ah, I won’t film your face, so is it okay if we just talk?

Takanashi Tsumugi: What kind of questions do you have?

Cameraman: I want to ask you about what you think is special about IDOLiSH7 and TRIGGER’s lives.

Cameraman: How do things look from a manager’s point of view? How do things come together the way they do? 

Anesagi Kaoru:  Well, IDOLiSH7 is like… It really feels like a school festival, in a good way.

Takanashi Tsumugi: Oh, I understand that.

Anesagi Kaoru: Rather than just strictly sticking to doing their job cleanly, it feels like they’re freely doing it and having fun.

Anesagi Kaoru: Not that they don’t have a sense of professionalism, of course.

Anesagi Kaoru: Even though they have sung these songs countless times and rehearsed everything seriously, it still feels like a school festival. The atmosphere is always free.

Anesagi Kaoru: That fact itself is really amazing I think and… Ah, sorry, I talked a lot just now.

Takanashi Tsumugi: I was really happy to hear that! I’m glad you think about them like that. 

Anesagi Kaoru: It wasn’t like that from the start. I thought those kids seemed more like a school club who debuted just for fun.

Anesagi Kaoru: But they have properly done their work up until here, without getting too used to it, while still feeling fresh. I think that’s a great thing. 

Takanashi Tsumugi: Thank you so much!

Cameraman: What about IDOLiSH7’s manager, then? What is your opinion?

Takanashi Tsumugi: Let’s see…

Takanashi Tsumugi: IDOLiSH7’s lives are kind of like a party between friends; there’s a feeling of closeness and warmth…

Takanashi Tsumugi: I think that’s what makes the lives special.

Anesagi Kaoru: Yes, yes! That’s what I meant when I said it’s like a school festival. Their performances are like a party between friends. 

Takanashi Tsumugi: Thank you so much!

Cameraman: How do you think they managed to preserve that atmosphere?

Cameraman: Of course, everyone’s friendly personalities are part of that, but…

Cameraman: Usually, you would expect the group eventually gets used to it, but they are giving their all every single time to create a fresh live experience for everyone. What is the reason for that?

Takanashi Tsumugi: …

Takanashi Tsumugi: I think there are a lot of factors to it, but I think the main reason is Riku-san. 

Cameraman: You mean Nanase Riku, your center? 

Takanashi Tsumugi: Yes, him.

Takanashi Tsumugi: Riku-san seems like he was born to be a center, but surprisingly he also easily gets nervous. 

Takanashi Tsumugi: All the members are very close, so when Riku-san gets nervous, everyone’s attention shifts to him. 

Takanashi Tsumugi: They’re willing to back him up anytime and want to put his mind at ease… These kind feelings they hold just naturally gather…

Takanashi Tsumugi: And then, when the curtain opens and it’s time for the actual show, Riku-san is also really capable and goes ahead with a big “Wow!”.

Takanashi Tsumugi: Feeling the atmosphere when Riku-san is having fun makes the others really relieved, so they get pumped up, like “Let’s go, we’ll make some noise tonight!”.

Cameraman: So, every time…That tension and relief, it’s like a bow that has been drawn all the way getting released? 

Takanashi Tsumugi: Yes… Maybe you could describe it like that.

Takanashi Tsumugi: “Is this fine?”, “Does he need back-up?”, “If he does, I’ll do anything for that”... That kind of feeling between the members…

Takanashi Tsumugi: When they hear Riku-san’s singing, it just completely transforms in a second. 

Cameraman: “Our center is amazing!”, “Let’s follow him and get this show going!”; to that kind of feeling?

Takanashi Tsumugi: Yes, I think at that point they’re already not really thinking about helping Riku-san out there. Rather than that, you get the feeling that they are having so much fun. 

Takanashi Tsumugi: Once the live starts, Riku-san’s view broadens and he passes that feeling to everyone around him. 

Takanashi Tsumugi: They begin to synergize, and… Because these seven are having so much fun on stage, the audience also enjoys themselves from the bottom of their heart.

Takanashi Tsumugi: And that’s why I think those seven together are the strongest! 

Cameraman: Thank you very much! Hearing an opinion from a manager’s viewpoint was very interesting.

Cameraman: How about TRIGGER? TRIGGER’s lives kind of give the exact opposite impression of IDOLiSH7’s performances, right. 

Anesagi Kaoru: In what way? Please tell me. You keep making us talk the entire time. 

Cameraman: Uhm… well…

Cameraman: Compared to IDOLiSH7, where the audience feels like the idols are their friends, with TRIGGER they get more of a mysterious feeling.  Like they’re waiting for a god to descend…

Takanashi Tsumugi: I agree!

Cameraman: The atmosphere at the venue is truly impressive… All of these people who are waiting for them, they know just how amazing TRIGGER is. 

Takanashi Tsumugi: Yes, that! The atmosphere isn’t strained, but there is that looming excitement that they’ll appear soon!

Cameraman: It’s truly amazing. It feels like if you poked that atmosphere with a needle, it might just burst like a balloon. But it’s never in a bad way. 

Takanashi Tsumugi: Right! The fans aren’t on edge because they’re anxious. It’s because they believe in TRIGGER.　

Takanashi Tsumugi: Their nervousness is because they know they’re about to witness something great and don’t know if they’re ready.

Anesagi Kaoru: Look at you talk suddenly.

Takanashi Tsumugi: I’m sorry, I just…

Anesagi Kaoru: It’s fine! I’m really happy! You make me want to go for drinks with you two right now. 

Cameraman: That’s an honor!

Cameraman: But compared to their debut, TRIGGER’s performances have less of an “exciting party” feel now.

Cameraman: That feeling isn’t completely gone now, but their image has gotten a lot more stoic now.

Cameraman: How do you see TRIGGER’s lives, Anesagi-san? 

Anesagi Kaoru: About the same as Takanashi-san, I’d say. These three are the stoic type, who take their work seriously and don’t cut corners. 

Cameraman: TRIGGER doesn’t talk all that much, so the audience needs the knowledge and imagination to fill the gaps, right? 

Cameraman: It’s not like they just miraculously appeared in this world and got together, looking all cool like they could ace anything… 

Cameraman: Even when they’re not saying anything, you can tell that they’re giving it their all on the inside. You see that they put all their skill into it.

Anesagi Kaoru: You see, they aren’t trying to burden the audience or make them take a guess at their skill at all.

Anesagi Kaoru: It feels like things just naturally lined up that way… People who start to like TRIGGER because of their outward appearance become interested in how they are on the inside, as well.

Anesagi Kaoru: They think about it and then, slowly, little by little, they put in more and more acts of wordless communication. 

Anesagi Kaoru: That alone is enough to open up their hearts and from there on TRIGGER also becomes the fan’s pride.

Anesagi Kaoru: And at the lives, these prides collide.

Cameraman: It’s like the classy kind of tension you feel in a tearoom, right? The servicing side doesn’t say a single thing, yet still delivers the highest class experience. 

Cameraman: And even though the side being serviced just watches, they have deep knowledge and understanding of everything, but don’t talk much. 

Anesagi Kaoru: It is quite a bit like a tea ceremony, isn’t it? Ahaha, that might be true. 

Anesagi Kaoru: TRIGGER’s members are all strong and serious at their core, but they also have their clumsy spots.

Anesagi Kaoru: That’s why instead of saying all of those things out loud, they express them with their performances. That is what makes their lives so strong. 

Anesagi Kaoru: After all, these kids really want to be loved, too. 

Cameraman: Right, it’s touching. Thank you very much! Sorry, I ended up holding you up quite a lot…

Anesagi Kaoru: Don’t worry about it, please continue to do your best.

Takanashi Tsumugi: Thank you for the opportunity!

~ to be continued ~

--

6.11.4. - Conversation

Cameraman: Good morning.

Okazaki Rinto: Good morning.

Utsugi Shirou: Good morning. Ah, you’re from BackMagic.

Cameraman: Nice to meet you. I have some questions to ask both of you. Do you have some time?

Okazaki Rinto: I do, at least.

Utsugi Shirou: Me too. And since we have this opportunity now, is it okay if I also ask you some questions, Okazaki-san? 

Okazaki Rinto: Uh, for example…?

Utsugi Shirou: Like what your type is or something.

Okazaki Rinto: Um, please stop the camera.

Cameraman: I’m interested in that too.

Okazaki Rinto: Why? I mean if you talk about that kind of thing then we should do it when the cameras aren’t running…

Utsugi Shirou: Like their annual income for example…

Okazaki Rinto: When the cameras aren’t running.

Cameraman: Well, then once again: I have some questions for you two, do you have some time?

Okazaki Rinto: Of course.

Utsugi Shirou: Go ahead.

Cameraman: Please tell us what makes Re:vale’s and ŹOOḼ’s lives special.

Cameraman: From a manager’s point of view, what aspects do you think can you leverage in the lives?

Cameraman: Though, the idols’ personalities have a big impact when making a live, too, I think. 

Okazaki Rinto: Ahh, I see!

Okazaki Rinto: Well, both of Re:vale’s idols are entertainers. They really like giving the audience or each other fanservice.

Okazaki Rinto: Yuki-kun used to be kind of unpredictable, but working together with Momo-kun, it seems like he eventually learned how to do things on stage…

Okazaki Rinto: The distance with the guests and the staff as well… dealing with that in a relaxed manner, doing their best. I think that is the kind of atmosphere they have. 

Okazaki Rinto: Obviously, there are exciting parts, too, but that comfortable feeling…

Utsugi Shirou: It makes you feel at ease watching them, right? Kind of like the relaxed beauty of flying business class.

Okazaki Rinto: Yes, that could fit. 

Okazaki Rinto: Generally, both the fans and the staff love Re:vale, so there’s a feeling of unity because they share the same passion.  

Okazaki Rinto: “If you want to try this, how about doing it like that”, “If you’re doing this, what about that”... you end up collecting suggestions like that. 

Okazaki Rinto: Re:vale, the staff, the guests, they all want to enjoy the live. They want it to be a success. So you have amazing teamwork from everyone.

Utsugi Shirou: Ah, that’s thanks to Momo-san, right? Well, Yuki-san’s leadership and charisma are also doing an important part, though, I think. 

Utsugi Shirou: He’s great at pulling people along and opening their hearts. 

Utsugi Shirou: Everyone wants to help Momo-san and they’re happy if he depends on them for that. 

Okazaki Rinto: That’s true. Momo-kun truly is the moodmaker of Re:vale’s lives. 

Okazaki Rinto: And yet, something does happen, Yuki-kun who's always with Momo-kun comes forward and speaks up, so...

Utsugi Shirou: It's easy to convey opinions, and it might be easier to coordinate, too. Ah, this will be a useful point of reference.

Cameraman: So basically, Momo-san's team building... his effort in teamwork is working?

Okazaki Rinto: Maybe you have heard about that already, but Momo-kun used to play soccer and was the captain of the team at his school's elite soccer team.

Okazaki Rinto: So he knows that, even if just one person doesn’t have motivation, or feels unhappy, the energy of the team is going to decline.

Okazaki Rinto: And because he knows that, he pays attention as close as he can and does his best to choose and use his words carefully. 

Okazaki Rinto: He does everything in his power to make sure everyone is on the same page so their pace matches. 

Okazaki Rinto: There is the danger of opinions clashing when you exchange ideas, of course, but if you manage to overcome that, you become much stronger as a team. 

Okazaki Rinto: I always learn a lot through that, too. 

Cameraman: But Momo-san is quite busy, he can’t do everything all the time, right? 

Okazaki Rinto: In that case, I go as a representative and talk to the promoters beforehand to properly discuss our vision. 

Okazaki Rinto: If you go on a trip with someone else and you don’t tell them about your plans, you would obviously end up fighting, right?

Okazaki Rinto: And when it comes to a live with several tenthousand people, there’s no way there won’t be conflicting opinions. That’s why it’s crucial to discuss things beforehand.

Okazaki Rinto: With everyone facing in the same direction, you can bring out a great result. Like in soccer when you shoot a goal. 

Cameraman: So on the flipside of the safe and secure Re:vale lives, you find all that careful effort to teamwork… 

Cameraman: So, what’s the appeal of ŹOOḼ’s lives? 

Okazaki Rinto: Ah, I’d like to know that too.

Utsugi Shirou: I thought about that myself, too, and I think it’s probably the gap moe.

Okazaki Rinto: Gap moe…

Utsugi Shirou: Do people still say “gap moe”? 

Okazaki Rinto: Um, probably…

Utsugi Shirou: Usually, ŹOOḼ’s members have a unwelcoming atmosphere, right? 

Utsugi Shirou: And well, our agency also promotes them like that. 

Utsugi Shirou: They’re not easily tamed. And that’s what makes them into a sharp group that offers a new kind of thrill. 

Okazaki Rinto: Yes, I understand.

Utsugi Shirou: But in reality, all of them really want to be loved, so they can’t help but be excited for their lives. 

Utsugi Shirou: You can see that excitement overflow from within them.

Okazaki Rinto: Ah! That certainly is gap moe… They really start to look cute like that, right. 

Utsugi Shirou: They do.

Utsugi Shirou: I know I’m praising our own idols, but their singing and performances are really high level. 

Utsugi Shirou: “I kind of want to support them”, I think it’s really easy to start thinking that. 

Utsugi Shirou: So please, do come to their lives. 

Okazaki Rinto: Certainly… A live is kind of like their own garden, right. 

Okazaki Rinto: Rather than going to someone else’s garden, ŹOOḼ seem to be more lively when they’re in their own domain. 

Utsugi Shirou: Yes, they can be kind of shy… they’re the exact opposite of Re:vale. 

Okazaki Rinto: They love being in other people’s area. Their own garden is comfortable, but they get really energetic when they’re at someone else’s place.

Utsugi Shirou: That kind of characteristic is really strong in show business. Having exchanges with many different people, and that kind of give-and-take… 

Okazaki Rinto: Barging into ŹOOḼ-san’s live, jumping in as a surprise guest at a show and stuff like that is what makes Re:vale really shine. 

Utsugi Shirou: Our members are really weak to surprises…

Okazaki Rinto: That’s cute. 

Utsugi Shirou: It is! But it’s not like they don’t know how to hold out until the end either. 

Utsugi Shirou: Especially Inumaru-san and Isumi-san are actually the type to take the lead and thrive under adversity.

Utsugi Shirou: Midou-san and Natsume-san are more on the cautious side, but once they break out of their shell you really feel things get on a new level.

Utsugi Shirou: Their persistence, the feeling of “we won’t falter anymore, we won't be shaken anymore” really comes out then. 

Utsugi Shirou: Once that happens, their real power comes out. It’s extremely cool. 

Okazaki Rinto: They have that imposing impact of a bare, unsheathed knife, right?

Utsugi Shirou: Thanks a lot.

Okazaki Rinto: But they’re very cute at their lives.

Utsugi Shirou: They are. So please, come visit ŹOOḼ’s lives.

Cameraman: Thank you for the interview. Tying it up with an advertisement… 

Okazaki Rinto: As expected of a Tsukumo employee, you’re shrewd. 

Utsugi Shirou: Feel free to come to Re:vale-san’s lives, too.

– 

Woman: …… The pre-”New Black or White” special issue…… Ahhh, there’s so much info in this article, I’m happy!

Woman: Riku-kun’s comment… “We came up with the setlist with everyone in the group. I think it’ll help us make a live that fits the current IDOLiSH7”.

Woman:  “Our new song is great too, so please look forward to it!”

Woman: A new song… Ahh, I’m super, super excited. I wonder what the costumes will look like. Maybe they go with a different hairstyle or something, too. 

Woman: I can’t wait. It’s gonna be the best New Year’s Ever ever! It feels like I might just skip over two centuries.

Woman: My senpai told me today that I look like I’m having fun lately. 

Woman: She was surprised to see me like that, but said she’s glad for me since it seems like something good happened. That was so nice of her…

Woman: I should’ve said that it’s because of IDOLiSH7’s lives. Maybe I would have gotten to talk about them.  

Woman: Riku-kun’s drama is starting, too, after all. There’s just nothing but good things happening lately. I’m so glad I got into IDOLiSH7! 

Woman: I wonder what Riku-kun is like live… I’ve watched footage of him countless times, but maybe it’s different when you see it in real life. 

Woman: I hope Riku-kun will have fun, he seemed to really look forward to it in the BackMagic videos. 

Woman: I wonder if IDOLiSH7 can win this… No, even if they don’t, being part of this lineup is already amazing. 

Woman: Riku-kun and everyone else are working so hard and earnestly on winning, I want to make them succeed… 

Woman: I want IDOLiSH7 to win, even if that means I never win any lottery in my life… 

Woman: …Ah, the other groups’ fans probably all think like that too, eh. 

Woman: I want my oshi to be the happiest person in the world! All the others are so kind to Riku-kun, too. I love them all! 

Woman: Ahhhh, I’m so excited! 

~to be continued~

--

TL note: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moka_pot ...It's what you use when you're an espresso person and feeling fancy.

...We made it! When we started this project, I told Haruka-kun I was unwilling to do 11.3 and 11.4 under any circumstances because I knew it would be very troublesome to translate, haha. So, thanks, Haruka-kun! I'd cry if I had to do it.

That being said, time flies... thanks for the continued support, everyone!

- Mod Riku

[webshood]

Kind of loosing it thinking about wasian jason. The wasian face type of “looks white, looks very white with sunglasses on” + domino masks. In and out of universe layering of the People who’ve never seen jason out of the robin uniform being like “how could wu-San be his mother?” Thing.

Jason looking like a random white man whenever he's using his sunglasses, but the moment they're off everyone bring like "omg it's Bruce Wayne's asian son!!"

My wasian Jason isn't Cass' brother, but everyone in the crime/capes scene just assuming Bruce Wayne managed to bag Lady Shiva not only, but two times and lied about the kids origin so ppl wouldn't question about Shiva is such a fun concept when you think about it