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holycow99 · 2 years

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Ishida Sui & Takahashi Kunimitsu 20/12/21 Stream Translation (requested) Part 5

This is not the full translation of the stream. I only translated the parts I could understand & interpret or parts I found interesting/important. I’m still a beginner in Japanese, so the translations may not be accurate. I apologise for any grammatical errors.

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notes:

I = Ishida Sui, K = Takahashi Kunimitsu

* = Translation may not be accurate

Ishida Sui and Takahasi Kunimitsu on responsibility

C: Sensei, honestly speaking, have you ever thought newbie mangaka are inspired by you when you read their one-shots?

I: I don’t know about that since I’ve never had the chance to read one. However, there are a few people around me that have become mangaka and following my style. When I saw that, I thought they’re copying me.

K: (laughs)

I: I asked my staffs’ opinions about it. I did have that kind of thought. Other than that, I’m not really familiar with the current manga, let alone the chance to read newbies’ works. People who judge their works might have the opportunity to do so. They did ask me to be the judge for new manga when I was doing TG, but I rejected it since I was a shitty bastard.

K: That’s a big responsibility, after all. Someone’s life could be changed because of that.

I: That’s right. I did think it might be worth it, but the me at the time was just a novice and felt unqualified to judge. I might get hated, so I rejected the offer. I still am to this day.

K: Would you accept if they offer you now?

I: I might reject it due to different reasons. I want to use the time I have to do other things. I want to concentrate on myself. If the same thing happened to you, would you accept it?

K: I could give my opinion on whether it’s good or bad, or whether I like it or not. But I wouldn’t know how that person’s gonna turn out in the future. So, it’s hard to give judgment whether that person’s qualified or not. I could only judge them based on the quality of their submitted song.

I: I think that’s absolutely fine. After all, evaluation requires your current judgment.

K: Then, it’s not an evaluation of the person because I only rely on that one song.

I: Well, that’s the way it is. It’ll be too much to handle if we think about their future. We can only judge their capabilities through the works they submit. It’s like an exam.

K: That’s why, I think it’s too big of a responsibility.

I: Yeah, it is. There are things that could help us prepare in taking such big responsibility. We could train ourselves, in the first place. I did think I might’ve run away from responsibility too much. Maybe I should’ve looked at them.

Ishida Sui and Takahashi Kunimitsu on self-love

K: I wanna be good at love.

I: Are you (laughs)? I see, you wanna be good at love.

K: Seriously.

I: (laughs) There’s no good or bad in love.

K: I wanna get along with myself. I wanna love myself more (laughs).

I: (laughs) Why? But I get you (laughs). Ultimately, you can’t love another person if you don’t love yourself.

K: I’m really bad at loving myself, so I wanna be good at it.

I: Which part of you, you don’t like? Go look in the mirror (laughs).

K: (laughs)

I: Tell me. Which part? You have two eyes, a mouth, and a pair of ears. So, which part of you can’t be loved (laughs)? What is it you don’t like about yourself?

K: I’d feel worthless.

I: Everyone feels that.

K: They do. However, I can’t become stronger if I told myself I’m not.

I: People think before they act about a lot of things. But when they think too much, they can’t have a wrestling match with the other party.

K: (laughs) So, I’ve been doing Sumo all by myself.

I: The other party might wanna have arguments. When you guys argue, you might realise the other party doesn’t think of you the same way as you do. You might be able to love yourself more, right? That way, you can destroy the labels you’ve put about yourself one by one. Then, you’d gradually love yourself. **

**t/n: Just to make it clearer in case it’s hard for you to understand what he said. He basically meant Takahashi Kunimitsu cares too much about what people think of him, so he often being cautious of what he says or does. However, if he just be himself, he may realise that people are actually okay with it.

K: I had been doing sumo alone all this while. I was the one thinking badly about myself.

I: You’re like that sometimes.

K: Me? Then, I’ll be careful from now on (laughs).

I: (laughs) Try to do it.

I: There’s a lot of things where we think too much. After all, it’s terrifying to be hated because you did something or say something weird. It’s okay to say something weird once. The other party might not give a damn about it. You’d realise it’s not something bad. Of course, there are times when the opposite happens.

K: Then, tomorrow I’ll buy a cake (laughs).

I: (laughs) Why are you buying cake?

K: I wanna spoil myself.

I: That’s good. Go buy some cake.

K: A reward for myself.

I: That was funny. Buying cake seems like a happy thing. People only buy cakes on joyful days, after all.

K: It’s like a symbol of happiness.

I: Everyone, go buy a cake precisely when you’re down. Buy the one from cake shop.

#ishida sui #choujin x #tokyo ghoul #takahashi kunimitsu #osterreich

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pekotranslates · 3 years

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Traces of Two Pasts: Episode Tifa - pgs 40-52

Disclaimer: Also, I started this for fun so that my friends who don't have access can read it. I'm just another fan like you. With that said, I do try to be as faithful to the original source material as possible, and for those of you who can read Japanese, please support the author by buying his book.

Not everyone agreed with Chief Zonder's decision. The elderly—a major force in the village—began to make noise. They seemed to take a liking to Zangan's longevity exercises, and regretted not being able to memorize what was taught to them. They wanted someone to check if their poses were correct, and wished to learn the remaining exercises he was supposed to have taught them.

The village chief paid a visit at dinnertime.

"Hey, Tifa..." he said with a sullen expression. "Will you teach the old folks how to do Zangan's exercises properly?"

"Why Tifa?" her father asked. She just knew he would ask.

"Because Zangan named her. Told me that if we ever needed someone to mentor us, Tifa would be qualified. Said that she had the most controlled form* out of everyone who gathered there that day.

Kata, which means “form” in Japanese, is the term used to describe specific sequences of motion that are used to practice technique and execution in martial arts

It pleased her knowing that someone spoke of her like that when not in her presence, but it also caused her to be slightly embarrassed.

"Zonder, don't get my family involved."

"Aw, c'mon! I'm already in big trouble as it is. The old folks just won't let it go!"

"Hmph!" Brian Lockhart snorted. He enjoyed seeing the village chief squirm. She couldn't tell whether or not they actually got along with each other.

"Tifa, what do you think?"

"I'd just be teaching the elderly people those exercises, right? If that's all there is, then I'd like to try."

"Tifa..." her father began, but he swallowed back his complaint. He knew that it wasn't good for her to have too much time on her hands. "Well, if you're gonna do it, then do it right."

While preparing breakfast, Tifa heard a knock at the door, and opened to a woman’s face she barely recognized. It was an elderly woman called "Mon Amie" who was an aunt of sorts to Chief Zonder. Her hair was pulled back into a bun so tight that it looked like her eyes were being pulled straight up!

"Good morning to you. It's been a long time, Tifa. I heard that Zonder told you all about it. How about 2 gil per hour?"

"Sorry?" She had not heard about any renumeration.

"Well, you are thirteen now. Not a little girl anymore, so that doesn't cut it for you, eh? Alright then, how about 4 gil?"

"No, I don't want any money."

"That won't do. We are taking this very seriously, and you will be properly paid for your work."

No matter how much Zangan trusted her, would she really be up to the task? But, being able to earn her own money sounded very appealing, as if a whole new world had opened up to her.

Mon Amie took Tifa's silence as her wanting to bargain for higher wages.

"6 gil."

"Alright. 6 gil it is then."

"Brian never did leave the village. He wanted to keep Thea all to himself." Mon Amie suddenly brought up her parents during their exercise routine at the public square.

"Really?" said Tifa, adjusting Mon Amie's arm posture. She needed to get her to straighten her back and push out her chest a bit more for the desired result.

"She was quite the popular one, that child."

It wasn’t very pleasant hearing her mother being called "that child", yet Tifa encouraged her. Listening to the elderly tell old stories was a part of her job. The responsibility she felt from receiving wages tempered her patience.

"You should leave the village," said Mon Amie suddenly. "Doesn't it sound like fun going around to different places with Master Zangan?"

"It sure does."

"Alright, you don't have to play along with me. No need for you to learn things like that. Just think about it carefully, okay? Something needs to change for women here in Nibelheim."

Tifa silently nodded as she propped up Mon Amie's arm.

"There weren't any women around in my day who held this kind of thinking. But that Strife girl”—she was speaking of Cloud's mother—"tried to leave. Not sure if it's because she hated it here, or if she dreamed of going to the big city."

Mon Amie abruptly altered her pose, ruining her base form.

"To the traditional Nibelheim women, she seemed pretty unconventional. We all refused to accept her ways, but secretly felt the same. Even though we scolded her, deep down inside we were cheering her on. We even felt jealous of her for carving out her own path. Perhaps she changed something in us, little by little.”

Tifa lifted up Mon Amie's knee. "Up high like this. Thank you."

She supported Mon Amie as the woman’s body rocked back and forth.

"But Claudia remained in the village, didn't she?" said Tifa.

"Well, that’s because she fell in love. You see, a man traveled here. Claudia was helping out at the inn at the time. She must have been taken in by the outside air he brought with him. And he was a pretty fellow. I’m sure you see it when you look at Cloud. That boy got the best of both his parents!”

“Right…”

“But, just like the wind, he just couldn’t keep still. Not sure if Cloud learned how to walk yet, but around that time he told her he would go to the mountains, but never came back. They found his belongings though. His body probably got eaten by monsters. You were lucky you didn’t meet the same fate.”

Tifa braced herself. Was she going to bring up that incident?

“Cloud egging you on to climb Mt. Nibel… Maybe that was in his blood.”

Mon Amie’s body began to sway. Tifa had stopped holding onto her causing her to lose her balance. She couldn’t regain her footing in time, and fell flat down on her backside.

“Alright then," said Tifa. "Now let’s use the opposite leg. Please lift up your knee.”

Tifa held out a helping hand to her, but Mon Amie refused and got up on her own.

“Quite strict for a pretty face.”

“That’s because I get paid 6 gil to be.”

Before long, she became more attentive. She noticed Mon Amie lifting up her other knee, but it was at the wrong height again. While Tifa helped her to adjust, Mon Amie said, “You really don’t remember anything? You know, about that accident you got into?”

She was eight years old when she got into that accident on Mt. Nibel. Cloud was with her. The villagers chose to believe the story based on Emilio and the others’ testimonies, and nothing else could be said about it. Tifa really couldn't remember what happened.

"No, unfortunately not..."

Whether the elderly came to her for exercising or just to chat, it was tougher than she had imagined. Her father laughed at her and said he wouldn't have anything to do with them, even for 100 gil.

They never listened and were set in their ways, even the ones who kept away and smiled modestly at her. They just had a different view on things, and sulked if nobody paid them attention.

The topics they discussed also surprised Tifa, and sometimes hurt her too. She disliked whenever they brought up how her body looked so grown. There would be someone who sensed her discomfort or resentment, and would try to change the subject, but then it would turn into whom she should be with and things of that nature.

So, all things considered, Tifa preferred hearing them going on about herself rather than her father’s failed romances, or whom her mother used to hang out with before she got married to him. To the elderly townsfolk, her father and others his age were still “the village youth”.

After her day finished and she was about to go to sleep, she thought to herself that maybe there would be a time when she would be the one telling someone else about what happened today, or about some news she heard from another person. Telling the same stories over and over again, everyday just like the next, until she, herself, became just a relic of an era in village history.

※

“They confused me at first, but I got used to being around them, and then it wasn’t so bad anymore. That feeling of wanting someone to talk to—Everyone has that,” explained Tifa.

“So that’s where you learned to entertain guests? From spending your time talking to old folks?” asked Barret.

“Possibly. Maybe that did me good. More and more of the elderly signed up, and they started calling their morning gatherings the ‘Calisthenics Club’.”

“It’s like that at Seventh Heaven too,” said Barret with some intensity.

Aerith urged him to talk.

“It used to be just a small shop owned by this one gramps, but when Tifa started working there, the business picked up. Men crowded the place. Know what I mean, Red?”

“What I’m more interested in is what happened to Zangan afterward? I can sort of imagine based on your fighting style, Tifa...” said Red XIII.

“You’re right. There was a little more that happened before I got to where I'm at.”

※

A month passed after the start of the Calisthenics Club. All morning Tifa would teach the exercises and set aside time for her reading and arithmetic. The afternoon she'd go to the mountains and work hard towards building up her strength and stamina, and then would return home before sunset so her father wouldn’t worry. At night she would examine Zangan's writings and practice her form, reviewing the materials over and over again so as to not overlook anything.

One day, she received a letter from Emilio. He wrote about the fast-paced lifestyle in the big city, and told her about everything he found perplexing: arguments he had had with people, things he ate, the social inequality, and their differences in moral values.

“But whenever I get discouraged, it’s you I think about, Tifa, and then I imagine that day when I’ll come and get you. I'll write to you sometimes and teach you about the city, so you won't be so confused when that time comes.”

Who do you think you are? That's how she honestly felt reading the letter.

Zangan appeared, acting as if nothing had happened. He knocked on the door just in time to greet her father and asked for his permission to call Tifa out, and then led her to the river where they first met.

“Master Zangan, please let me be your student. I want to be stronger.”

“That’s exactly the answer I was looking for, but what’s the matter, Tifa? I sense your impatience. Why are you in such a hurry?”

“That’s not it!” she replied, but felt self-conscious. “No… It’s because I got that letter from my friend.”

“What kind of letter?”

“I think it’s because I don’t want to lose. I don’t want to lose to anyone who left the village.”

“Hmm. My hand-to-hand combat techniques are not meant to be used to make you feel superior to others.”

“I know.”

“No, you don’t. But the answer to that can only be found through diligent study. All right. I will acknowledge you if you pass my test.”

“Test?”

“Show me everything you’ve learned from Volume 1. You’ve been practicing, haven’t you?”

“Yes.”

Tifa performed a sequence of forms from the physical training method.

“One more time, from the beginning.”

“Okay.”

This time Zangan interrupted with instructions.

"Check the book to see the direction your palms should be facing."

Tifa crouched down over the book and flipped through the pages. The form was wrong from the very start. Should have been above not below.

“I was wrong.”

“Try again.”

When she extended both hands and slightly shifted the direction of her palms, she felt a different set of muscles tingling.

“Everything from the Book of Secrets must be obeyed. Don’t try to interpret it another way or decide that your way is better. While disciplining your body, you must learn to be faithful to your decisions. If I take you in as my student, you will become stronger. So, you must cultivate your mind to control that power. The greater and stronger the power to handle, the greater the responsibility of its owner. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

The second time around, Zangan pointed out any minor mistakes she made. Each time she would have to go back and confirm with the Book of Secrets before advancing, which made things take twice as long. Fatigue built up in her arms and legs.

“Alright, now relax and close your eyes. Focus your attention and check the condition of your body. Does it hurt anywhere?”

“My upper back… I wouldn’t say it hurts but it feels like it’s burning...”

She slipped her right hand underneath her left armpit until it touched the lower part of her shoulder blade. Digging her fingers into it felt good.

“Hmph!” Zangan gave a satisfying nod. “That’s your shoulder blade. What you’re pressing into is the trapezius muscle. Surrounding it is your deltoid, infraspinatus, psoas minor and other muscles. The second volume will teach you how to train each one of those muscles on your back,” he said, while holding out a booklet to her. It was Volume 2.

“If you want to live your life with pride then pay close attention to your back. Squeeze your shoulder blades together, chest out. Walking through life with a beautiful posture is also part of your training.”

“Got it.”

“Let’s get started. Well then, onto Volume 2, No. 2-1-1, scapular push-ups.”

Zangan immediately prostrated himself on the ground, and lowered his chest. Tifa hastened to follow his example.

“All you're doing is supporting your whole body with your arms. Concentrate on your shoulder blades. Rotate them outwards—protract, retract, protract.”

It was her first time experiencing those movements. How was she supposed to move to protract her shoulder blades? She couldn’t picture it in her mind. Glancing over at Zangan she noticed he was rotating his shoulders outward, something her cat, Maru, often did.

“You look like a cat,” she said.

“Right. There’s a lot we can learn from cats.”

She focused her attention on her scapula, going up and down, until the repetition of movements were drilled into her body. Zangan rose and watched over Tifa for some time before clearing his throat.

“Good!”

The movements were subtle but still made her perspire.

“That’s because the muscles across your back are wider. Moving them increases the blood flow and raises your temperature, so that’s why you’re working up a sweat.”

After completing Volume 2, Tifa was sweating profusely. She felt unthinkable pain throughout her whole back.

“Alright, any questions? If you do, now’s your chance.”

She wanted to say, yes, but nothing came to mind at the moment.

“If not, then we’ll move onto Volume 3.”

“Huh?” she couldn’t help but shout. Her whole body was screaming in pain. Zangan ignored her and continued.

“Volume 3 is for chest and abs. We’re going to train your front body. The pectoralis major muscle is roughly divided into three parts: upper, middle and lower. There are several different ways to effectively train it, but I’ll teach you the basic concepts.”

“Alright…”

“At your age, your overall motor skills are complete, and in that regard, you excel. You haven’t had any special training, have you? If so, then you must have been born with this. Treasure it.”

“I will.”

She felt energy pour into her body. Perhaps listening to Zangan talk with a relaxed mind helped her to recover from fatigue.

“After a while, we’ll concentrate on building your muscles. But you will not be using any equipment except your body. We won’t be using barbells or dumbbells until you’re much older. Besides, our Zangan-ryu hardly finds them necessary. That is because I prescribe individual fighting styles that suit each of my students. You don’t need arms built like logs or a bulky chest. What you need is to build up a fighting style that will utilize those reflexes, that body, and your speed. Well, what do you want to do? Shall we call it a day?”

“No. Please go on.”

She didn’t want to disappoint the first person who had managed to earn her respect.

“Yes, that’s the spirit! Alright. But we’ll stop here for today. Let’s call this current level of fatigue your limit. Keep it in mind. You have a long way before you can try to challenge that limit to surpass it. Continuity is more important now than ever.”

On their way back, a realization came over Tifa regarding Zangan’s test. It didn't annoy her. If her father tried to make her work like that she’d probably stop talking to him for three days in a row. With those thoughts in mind, she walked her teacher back to the inn.

“Say hello to your father for me.”

As she stood in front of her house she could smell the scent of spices in the air. Spices that her mother liked to use in her best recipe. It was her father’s favorite dish, but since Tifa didn’t really like it, it was hardly ever served at the dining table.

She opened the door and said, “I’m home.”

“Welcome back.” Her father, dressed in an apron, peeked out at her from the kitchen.

“This smell… Huh? Is it mom’s?”

“I was really craving it... Oh, but I made something else for you.”

She was filled with remorse. She didn’t like the way he looked or the tone of voice he used when trying to gauge her mood, but it was all her fault for making it that way.

Novel by Kazushige Nojima

Translated by pekotranslates

Proofread by Eerie

#ffvii #ff7r #tifa lockhart #traces of two pasts #aerith gainsborough

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phoenixyfriend · 4 years

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For Karin's backstory, do you usually go for anime one? I prefer datebook backstory, even though it's not detailed. Because manga showed one panel of Karin being experimented on with her arms showing bite marks. So I always believed that healing bites ability is result of Oro experiments. It makes more sense to me. Also, I am uncomfortable of anime backstory. And grass village confuses me. Didn't they still exist after the fourth war? I guess in fic, we could just say it no longer exists.

I love this question.

Okay, so the short version is that I usually do a mix of the two. I’m going to do a quick rundown on the differences between the two backstories for anyone who isn’t familiar. This means we’ll be touching on some very questionable subjects, because the anime went to some very concerning lengths. It’s going to be under a cut, because... yeah. Long.

The only solid canon, as in from the manga, that we have for pre-Orochimaru Karin is the Chuunin Exams flashback, wherein she is in a Kusa (Grass) headband, and is saved from a bear by Sasuke, which kicks off her crush on him.

The first backstory we received from Karin was in the databooks; this backstory came out prior to the Exams flashback in the manga. It stated that Karin was living in an unspecified village, sensed an army coming to destroy it, and tried to warn the rest of the town. Nobody believed her, so she ran to hide (I think in some nearby foothills/forest?), and everyone else was killed. Orochimaru then came by, tried to recruit her, and then let Sasuke convince her. Sasuke didn’t really have to do much beyond saying he was Oro’s student in order to get Karin to come along.

Now, given that Kusagakure still exists post-timeskip, at least in the Blood Prison movie, the village that was destroyed wasn’t Kusa. Either Karin was in a different village, or Karin’s backstory doesn’t include the village destruction element. I tend to go with ‘a different village,’ but I’ll get to that later.

The anime gives us a different backstory, one that takes Karin’s Kusa headband from the Exams as fact.

IMPORTANT TO NOTE: Karin’s backstory is not presented as a backstory, but rather an alternate timeline from her Eternal Tsukuyomi dream. I don’t know what the animators were thinking, deciding to use this hell as her dream of a ‘perfect world,’ but at this point the dream is treated as her default anime background so like??? Sure. Sure. We’ll use it, but we’ll also judge Studio Pierrot for it, because there’s “I don’t like this character” and then there’s “I’m going to have this character’s dream of a perfect world include over a decade of violating her health and bodily autonomy on a level of systemic abuse that is truly horrific, edging on fucking csa” because fuck you I guess? I’m still mad. I’d have been okay with the backstory as backstory because it fits her personality, but why the hell was it presented as her Eternal Tsukuyomi dream???

Listen LISTEN Eternal Tsukuyomi is supposed to be a perfect world for each individual You DREAM WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPIEST and they gave her a decade of physical and medical abuse, bordering on extended csa, only to die at sixteen because they'd 'used her up.’ like???

When I say SP had a grudge against Karin...

Anyway. Anime backstory:

Karin’s mother (unnamed) came to Kusagakure following the destruction of Uzushiogakure, and was granted refugee status in exchange for working at the hospital, having a similar ‘bite me and you’ll heal’ power as Karin does in canon. We don’t know who Karin’s father was; he may have been a Kusa citizen, or an Uzushio man who died prior to Karin’s mother’s arrival in Kusa.

Karin’s mother dies at some point during Karin’s childhood, having been used as a chakra healing battery to the point of dying of chakra exhaustion. At this point in the anime, Kusa orders that Karin must take over her mother’s duties as a healer, because such a technique is too useful to just leave alone. The bites start out on her forearms, eventually going all over her body, including areas that, despite the intent not being sexual in nature, do qualify as child sexual abuse.

She is bitten on the chest and thighs, by people she barely knows, with minimal consent on her part. She is a minor. This is csa and I hate that people forget this, or choose to exclude it to more easily vilify her.*

(Manga canon also has her with bites on her chest, at sixteen, most of which we can assume are not Sasuke since he seems to not know that biting her chest is provides better healing when she tells him to do it. Again: underage, coercion, chest bites, violation of bodily autonomy. It’s long-term csa in every canon. It may not be explicitly stated, but this is the most explicitly shown example canon has of this particular kind of trauma.)

Now, again, this is her Eternal Tsukuyomi (for some fucking reason), and not her technical backstory, and in that context she just... never gets out. She keeps getting used and abused, the bites eventually even covering her face, and then she dies before hitting twenty.

...so how do we reconcile this?

Elements we have:

Kusagakure headband during the Chuunin Exams (manga canon)

Saved by Sasuke, causing her crush; implies she was very poorly treated by the people around her prior to their meeting (manga canon)

No visible bite marks on her arms during the Chuunin Exams, but with the caveat that the marks are also not visible during Boruto, so it’s possible that Kishi, and in turn SP, just didn’t feel like drawing the scars. (manga canon)

Karin’s healing abilities were present at some point prior to Sasuke recruiting her to hunt down Itachi, but it’s unclear if it is a Kekkei Genkai or something nurtured by Otogakure. (manga canon)

Kabuto’s abilities during the Fourth War include Karin’s ‘rejuvenation’ and ‘life force,’ which implies that it may be a Kekkei Genkai but leaves it frustratingly ambiguous.

Experienced a village destruction, followed by Orochimaru taking her on, due to a Cassandra Truth incident, using Sasuke to convince her to join Oto (databook)

Her mother came to Kusa at some point post-Uzushio destruction; iirc Uzushio fell when Kushina was a teenager, so Karin’s mother either spent a decade or so wandering around prior to deciding Kusa was better than nothing (possibly when she got pregnant), or lived in Kusa for a period of time prior to becoming pregnant. (anime)

Karin was forced, via coercion, to use her healing abilities while in Kusagakure following her mother’s death (anime)

Kusa still exists post-timeskip (anime)

Here’s what I usually go with:

I do think Karin was a Kusa genin. The databook and anime both state that she joined Orochimaru after Sasuke, so she’d have no reason to wear the headband during the Exams other than actually being a genin of Kusagakure.

I err towards the biting being a Kekkei Genkai, which means that it fits with the anime’s suggestion of Kusagakure having used her as a chakra healing battery prior to her arrival in Oto. THIS IS OPTIONAL in other people’s readings, because it’s not manga canon and it’s obviously an incredibly hard subject to work with.

So, Kusa kid, dead mom, chakra healing battery, genin at the Chuunin Exams, then... Otogakure. In order to work in the databook’s element of the destroyed village, we either have to wipe Kusa off the map, or it’s another village.

I’ve generally gone with stating that Karin was on a long-term mission as a healer in a larger civilian village, or possibly the country’s capitol (though that’s less likely). Kusa was obviously willing to send her away temporarily, as with the Exams, so if the price was right, they’d probably send her out on out-of-village missions as well. Would she have a team? Maybe.

Given her poor treatment in this scenario, and the implied distrust/abuse of refugees in the anime, it’s possible that any teammates she had either didn’t trust her as a person, or didn’t think her skills were as good as she claimed. Possibly they assumed that they’d be able to fight off a smaller attacking force, and that Karin was exaggerating or mistaken when insisting that they evacuate. In any case, whoever was with her, if anyone was, also died in this attack.

The army was very likely sent by Orochimaru, and it’s plausible that Karin was actually the main target. I imagine that a spy would have gotten word to Oro about a redhead with extreme healing abilities, and Orochimaru going “Gotta catch ‘em all, Ooh! An Uzumaki!” and deciding that the healing abilities played well enough into the immortality plan to be worth sending an army (and then going in person, with Sasuke) for.

Given how canon played out, she was worth it.

------------------

* Okay the reason I harp on the CSA thing in particular: there was a significant period of time where two headcanons were prevalent: that Sasuke was sexually abused by Orochimaru in his time as Oro’s student, and that Karin was a wannabe rapist.

The Sasuke thing was based on a manga cover and one of the anime openings, but had no actual textual basis beyond Orochimaru being a queercoded villain, which is a whole different problem. The Karin thing was based on a fan’s mistranslation of a single panel, along with later arguments failing to take slang into account and often had by people who don’t actually speak Japanese.

Ultimately, I’m furious that a large portion of the fandom painted a canon CSA victim as a wannabe rapist while pushing that same backstory element onto a different character which they often put as her hypothetical victim, oftentimes just to get her out of the way for shipping purposes. This is a long-standing grudge.

#Uzumaki Karin #Karin Uzumaki #Karin #Naruto #Team Taka #Phoenix Posts #character analysis #text analysis #screen analysis #csa mention #coercion mention #medical abuse tw #physical abuse tw #violation of bodily autonomy #child death mention #systemic abuse #Anonymous

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fyeahkarenchen · 3 years

Link

Karen Chen’s figure skating issues had nothing to do with her graceful glides across the ice. Nor was it about her ability to land artful triple jumps when she felt confident.

But since winning the 2017 U.S. championship, Chen had been on a downward spiral that just about pushed her out of the sport.

Then came the season disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic that ends this week at the World Team Trophy competition in Japan.

Chen, 21, has been one of the major comeback stories a year before the Beijing Winter Olympics by vaulting to the top of U.S. skating.

But don’t expect Chen to celebrate her revival. As good as it feels, Chen said she knows it will take an even bigger effort to earn an Olympic medal next year.

“Wanting to be a medal contender I do need a triple axel, and hopefully more,” Chen told the Bay Area News Group.

Chen concludes the season at the World Team Trophy competition starting Thursday in Osaka, Japan. The competition involves the six best figure skating teams of the 2020-21 season — Canada, France, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States. Each team includes two women, two men, one pairs team and one ice dance team.

Chen and Bradie Tennell will represent the women while world three-time world champion Nathan Chen (no relation) leads the men.

Karen Chen heads to Japan three weeks after a clutch performance at the World Championships to help the United States earn a third berth to the Beijing Games in women’s singles.

Chen succeeded in finishing no worse than fourth place after U.S. champion Tennell struggled with a boot issue and was ninth.

Skaters needed a combined total of 13 or fewer points to be eligible for a third spot. Now, a U.S. skater other than Chen or Tennell must confirm the berth in September at the Olympic qualifying event in Oberstdorf, Germany.

Chen had performed a similar feat in 2017 at her first World Championships when taking fourth after American champion Ashley Wagner struggled.

Chen, the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants, has been crucial to the United States’ Olympics fortunes at a time when Asian American and Pacific Islander demonstrations have highlighted racial injustice faced by those communities.

“It has been heartbreaking,” she said. “I just hope that being Asian American and going out chasing my dreams and goals can inspire other people. Maybe shine some light in the darkness that has been around.”

Chen said she does not recall facing racism while growing up in Fremont. She said having 1992 Olympic champion Kristi Yamaguchi as a mentor helped.

“Her being able to accomplish so many things, off the ice as well, gave me hope If she can do it I can do it,” Chen said.

Nathan Chen, the son of Chinese immigrants, was more forceful in speaking with reporters after winning his third consecutive world title.

“I’m disgusted by the amount of hate and violence that has occurred [against] Asian Americans in the U.S. It’s just unacceptable,” he said.

Karen Chen performs best when shutting out the world. So it’s not surprising she is more comfortable discussing her journey back to the ice than political issues.

Chen has enjoyed her first-injury-free season since competing at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games in South Korea where she finished 11th. Chen said she also has solved equipment issues that exacerbated the problems.

“I do think people thought that Karen’s time is over,” Chen said. “I definitely felt that way, too, after the Olympic season.”

Chen said she still wanted to compete but a recurring foot injury stopped her progress. It also took months to find reliable skating boots.

“Honestly, there was a time when I thought, ‘OK, maybe it is a time to move on with my life,” Chen said.

She enrolled in Cornell in 2019 and began life as a young adult while also dabbling in training near campus. Chen said the situation left her conflicted because she did not want to end her career with that frustrating Olympic ranking.

Chen said she learned how important skating was to her while a student.

“That’s when I realized I am addicted to this sport,” Chen said.

Also, figure skaters have a narrow window before it becomes too difficult to compete on the international level because “all these Russian girls and Japanese girls, they are all so young and doing these quads and amazing triples,” Chen said.

Not to mention Richmond’s Alysa Liu, who landed triple axels three years ago to win her first U.S. title at age 13.

Chen took two years off from Cornell to try to qualify for another Winter Games. Afterward, she said she plans to return to the Ivy League school to pursue a major in human development.

Chen said she has enjoyed skating more this go around. She said she was overwhelmed with stress, anxiety and pressure as the 2017 national champion heading into the ’18 Olympic season.

“It was a roller coaster of mental breakdowns,” Chen said.

Chen said she has matured since living away from family at Cornell and now at Colorado Springs, Colorado, where she trains.

“I am skating from my heart and I am skating for myself,” Chen said. “I know there are all these expectations. I know I want to make the Olympic team. But at the end of the day what I care about is how I skate.”

Chen’s ambitions are big for next season. She wants to master a triple axel, a 3 ½ rotation jump that gives her more points. American women also might need to start landing quadruple jumps for any chance of ending an Olympic medal drought that began at the Vancouver Games in 2010.

Chen said she plans to focus on a triple axel after the competition in Japan. She also said it is more difficult to try something so demanding as a young adult.

“When I was younger if my coach said to go do something I would do it,” Chen said. “I didn’t have a brain. Now, if someone says try this, I’m like, ‘Oh, I don’t know. It seems kind of scary.’ ”

Chen said she wants to do land the axel regardless of what it means for her Olympic chances.

“I want to know what it feels like to land a triple axel,” Chen said. “I don’t know what that feeling will be. I really want to know.”

#karen chen #season: 2020 2021 #news #interviews #good article with good insights

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the-roadkill-cafe · 3 years

Text

Fic Writer Interview

I was tagged by @phoenixyfriend

Tagging: @stormwind13 @elenathehun @hiruma-musouka @kendochick-moor

Remember to make a new post!

How many works do you have on AO3?

What’s your total AO3 word count?

75,290

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

One fandom - Naruto. In the past I’ve written for other fandoms, but not on this account.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

The Company of Trees, Throwing a Stone in a River, If The Bird Doesn’t Sing, Tree Branches, the devil and the deep blue sea

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I try to respond to everything, though it can be quite some time before I get around to replying. I like to respond to comments to say thank you and to interact with people. While I don’t think fic writers are owed reviews or comments, I do think mutual interaction helps make fandom go ‘round, and to that end, I want to interact with people who leave me comments.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Considering my fics are all pretty much WIPs, there aren’t really endings, per se. But the one with the angstiest planned ending is Throwing a Stone in a River.

Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

At the moment, no, I don’t really write crossovers or fusions.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Not...really? I’ve had some rude comments, but none that I say really qualify as hate. I have really kind readers.

Do you write smut? If so what kind?

I do write smut! I write all kinds of smut, from non-con to fully consensual. However, the vast majority of it is not published, mostly because I haven’t actually finished anything.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Yes. About...three times now, someone has plagiarized The Company of Trees. I’ve always been told by someone else, and luckily, the issue has always been easily resolved.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

A long time ago, I had someone start translating one of my fics on another account, but the website shut down and I don’t know whatever happened.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

A few times, but nothing that was ever published. I’ve written a lot with jaycrowind and @stormwind13.

What’s your all time favorite ship?

Pretty hard to say. My favorite ship depends on my mood and what fandom I’m currently reading in. I will say that my first OTP was Sesshoumaru/Kagome in Inuyasha.

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Sorry to say, but probably all of them, hahaha. The three posted on my AO3 accounts are behemoths and I write pretty slowly. I haven’t given up on them! I just don’t know if I’ll actually finish them.

What are your writing strengths?

I like to think that my writing strength is characterization.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Dialogue. Sentence variation. Pacing.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

Oh boy do I have thoughts about this. When it comes to anime, I’m actually a bit nitpicky, but then, I’m nitpicky about a lot of stuff in general, hahaha.

Presumably, in the vast majority of anime, everyone is speaking Japanese. There are exceptions, but I won’t get much into those. For things like suffixes (-san, -sama, etc), I prefer to leave those untranslated because they are very revealing of the speaker’s personality and the hierarchical nature of Japanese culture. They also don’t really have good translations in English. There are ways to translate them, but in my opinion, they don’t convey both speaker personality, social status, and also social+emotional distance the same way, because English speaking cultures (typically) just aren’t as stratified as Japanese culture.

I also leave familial terms of address untranslated (Okaasan, niisan) and certain titles and positions (In Naruto, Hokage, Shodai, Nidaime, etc.) untranslated because again, they’re difficult to translate. For familial titles, it feels incredibly awkward to type “Brother” in dialogue when directly addressing someone. Again, not only does it leave out the nuance of the relationship between the speaker and the addressee, but in English we just don’t directly address people like that, generally speaking. In Japanese, you do, because you try to avoid using someone’s name.

I don’t like to translate attack names because I just think they sound silly in English, that’s why.

For things that aren’t anime, I generally try to avoid outright writing whole sections of dialogue in another language. Instead I prefer to indicate a different language in the dialogue tags or something (The two men started speaking in Spanish blah blah blah) or italics. There are really only a few times where I would write dialogue in another language, usually to show that someone was previously not understood but through magic/a translating device/etc suddenly they are now understood.

Can I put a pet peeve here? I’m going to put a pet peeve here. In Naruto, Hashirama is not the Shodaime, he is the Shodai. Shodaime is grammatically incorrect and you can even check the wiki, he is literally not called the Shodaime. Basically, the -me suffix in Japanese makes a regular number (one, two, three) into the ordinal version (first, second, third). However, Hashirama’s title Shodai is written not with the kanji for “one” ( 一 ) but with the kanji for “beginning” ( 初 ) which means it can’t take the -me suffix because it isn’t a number. Essentially, Shodai translates as “starting generation” or “beginning generation”, therefore Shodai Hokage is “starting generation Hokage” (or Fire Shadow, if you prefer). But Tobirama is the Nidaime, because his title uses the number ( 二 ), so translated, he is the “second generation Hokage”.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Inuyasha, a long, long time ago.

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

Mmmm. Either The Company of Trees or Throwing a Stone in a River. However, although they’re my favorites, I’ve been finding my SI/OC (more OC than SI) fic very compelling.

#replies #ask meme #phoenixyfriend

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thealphabetmurders · 4 years

Text

Irises

Pairing: Prinxiety

Word Count: 2522

Summary: Virgil knows exactly 3 things: 1. He is stressed about finals more than a normal person would 2. Impressionists are the worst 3. The barista at this new coffee shop has the prettiest eyes

Triggers: anxiety, insomnia, implied/referenced drug-use, lack of self care

Authors Note: I wanted to challenge myself and write a fic with a pairing that I don’t normally do. I am definitely more privy to Logince, Analogical, and Moxiety, but I gotta love Prinxiety, how could you not?

(Read on AO3)

Virgil tugged off his earbuds as he walked into Monet’s, an unfamiliar coffee house and a new experience for Virgil. Virgil hated new experiences. The smell of vanilla filled his senses as he walked in a dream-like state to the counter (standing a little bit away to let the employees know he wasn’t ready), rubbing his eyes from exhaustion, getting his fix here because he did not have the energy to go out and buy more grounds. He knew that it was most likely extremely unhealthy for him to have only consumed Takis, coffee, and Adderall the past couple days, but it was finals week, which meant it was crunch time.

Virgil tells people he is a bit more anxious than most people, and by a bit, he means a fuckton. So, of course, finals week has him questioning everything in his life, from his study methods to his career path. Virgil is a smart guy, so he doesn’t actually have anything to worry about, as long as he studies, right? Wrong. As a fine arts major, not all of his classes are just knowing that the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell, you have to apply the skills you learned into a creative piece, and while Virgil is a talented artist, he was always second guessing everything he created. Which is why, in the 11th hour, Virgil decided he hated the medium he was working in, completely scrapped it, and had 48 hours to create 3 completely new “transformative” pieces. Sleep was not an option until it had to be. Which, it seemed it had been, when he fell asleep on the bus after class, missing his apartment by 11 stops. Coffee seemed necessary at this point.

Pulling his hoodie off his head, smoothing out his hair, he looked at the pretty standard local coffee shop menu with some lunch items as well, and just looking at those made his stomach grumble.

“Suppose you cannot create on an empty stomach.” Virgil thought. “And while I’m here…”

As he was reading, he noticed each combo had a quirky name relating to Monet’s works. Berry spring salad with bagel was Luncheon on the Grass, sesame soba was The Japanese Footbridge….

“Give me a break…” Virgil muttered, before finally deciding on what to get. The shop was completely empty, so Virgil didn’t feel too bad about taking his time, though he did feel a bit nervous looking like a mess in front of the handsome barista.

His olive colored skin tone with black wavy hair made Virgil feel a bit woozy, but he became dazed when he looked into his beautiful emerald eyes, almost forgetting why he was there, until he asked, “What can I do for ya, man?”

“Uh, yea, can I get the tomato soup and grilled cheese with a medium espresso frappuccino,” He looked around the empty store, “For here, I guess,”

The barista turned around and looked at the two other employees behind him, one on their phone and one inspecting their nails absentmindedly, “Does anyone want to make a frap?”

They both looked up and looked at each other before turning back to the one taking Virgil’s order. The one with a large scar on the left side of his face put his thumb down while the other one who looked very similar to his cashier blew a raspberry, shaking his head. The handsome cashier turned back to Virgil, and shrugged, “Sorry, gonna have to pick something else, no one want to make it,”

Virgil sighed, rubbing his eyes, “Okay, whatever, is an iced flat white with some espresso okay?”

The three looked at each other then back at Virgil, before the cashier said, “Dude… It was a joke,”

“Yea man,” The barista with a scar said, “We can’t just say no to what you order,”

“What kind of business would that be?” The third one piped up.

“Are you okay?” The barista, Virgil looked at his nametag, Roman, asked.

Virgil merely sighed, “I’m kind of going through it,”

Virgil pulled out his card, but Roman put his hand up. “On the house,” Normally Virgil would protest, despite the cheesy food names it was still a local business, but being so stressed and depressed he honestly could bring himself to care. He choked out a thanks and sat down by a window, leaning his temple against the it, cool condensation comforting and making him a bit more awake.

His food and his coffee eventually arrived, Virgil thanked Roman, who then proceeded to sit down across from him, elbows on the table and hands folded.

“Can I help you?” Virgil asked, probably being harsher than intended, it was just his natural speaking voice.

“Probably not, I wanna see if I can help you,” Roman shrugged.

Virgil frowned, “Help me?”

“I have been told I am good company and good at advice, and you, Brad Pitt-iful, seems like you are falling apart at the seams,”

Virgil chuckled dryly, “Trust me, I hardly think you are qualified to handle hearing about all my problems,”

Roman sat up straighter, looking into Virgil’s brown eyes against his gorgeous green, “I work as a barista by day with a bunch of dysfunctional idiots and I am a bartender at night, there is nothing I haven’t seen before, I am probably more qualified than some therapists” He crossed his arms and cocked his eyebrow, “Try me,”

Virgil, intrigued, took the bait, and spilled. He talked about his anxiety, the insomnia, the fear of failure, the days where he debates dropping out, his nerves going into overdrive everytime he thinks about what he is going to, how he abandoned his final project, how he has to start on a new one- essentially everything that has been swirling in Virgil’s mind the past semester.

“Hmm, okay, so you are pulling all nighters to finish all your work, and you only had one piece to do before you were completely finished with your final, and you then decided it looked all wrong and scrapped it?” Roman recapped and Virgil nodded, “Might I give you a suggestion?”

“You can try,”

“When you get home, go to sleep. Sleep for at least 9 hours, in a row, look at your old project again, and see how you feel,” Roman shrugged, “Maybe with a clear head you will feel differently about your project, maybe even get some inspiration,”

Virgil gripped the bridge of his nose, “Roman, I do not have the time to sleep for a full 9 hours, that is ridiculous, I have to do so many projects,”

“You’ll have one less to start from square one in if you end up actually liking what you did,”

“It is a nice thought, I appreciate it, but I probably won’t be able anyways, not after the coffee,” Virgil took another sip, as to prove his point, but Roman just smirked.

“That’s actually just a frozen hot chocolate with coffee flavoring in it,”

Virgil eyes flew open wide, “Really?” He stared at his drink for a bit before looking at Roman, “They taste exactly the same, I cannot believe I let you fool me like that,”

“Janus, Remus, and I made an executive decision, you do not look good,” Roman frowned, concerned, most likely looking at his swallowed out skin and circle under his eyes.

“Well-” Virgil half-chuckled, “Not a lot of people look good compared to you,” Virgil would later wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat because of his flippant flirting that he never engages in, but for now he doesn’t care.

“Charmed.” Roman said, a fond smile present on his face, “I am sure you are a catch as well, when you don’t look like a skeleton” The door opened and a gaggle of people walked in, dressed in the local high school’s uniform. Roman sighed, “That’s my cue,”

He stood up and frowned, quickly patting his front and back pockets before pulling out a sharpie. He grabbed Virgil's arm, the other one yelped, blushing slightly at the contact. “I would do the cliche ‘write my number on a napkin’, but now I know if you don’t text me it’s because you don’t want to, which is okay too.” He capped his pen, “Message me about what you decide to do, if you want. Would love to see your art,” And with a flourish of his hand, Roman walked away to the counter to take the many orders of the teenagers.

Virgil looked down at the 9 numbers on his arm, swallowing thickly, feeling a bit sick, though it is not just from Roman’s number in bold, black ink. God, he was tired.

His body was not attached to his brain as he walked to the bus station, got off, and walked up to his studio, unlocking the door and banging his head against the wall (not too hard, though, these walls are so thin they might as well be made of rice paper). Virgil looked at the numbers on his arm, remembering what Roman said.

Virgil shrugged off his jacket and jeans, throwing them on his ‘stuff’ chair and pulled on a pair of sweats, collapsing on his bed. He looked at his phone, the time reading 3:35pm.

“9 hours from now… That’s midnight. Is he mental?” Virgil muttered to himself. He attempted to pull himself out of bed to get started to study for his history of art final, but his body would just not cooperate. How long has it been since he has had a proper sleep.

If you have to think about it, it’s been too long…

That tomato soup and grilled cheese combination was beginning to make him sleepy. Virgil groaned, face-palming. He went on his phone and set an alarm for 6:00pm.

“Fine, a short nap,” He said to himself. He hit the lights and it took maybe two minutes before he was sleeping, dreaming of impression paintings and emerald eyes.

***

this is Virgil.

i didn’t end up sleeping for the 9 hours like you asked

i ended up sleeping for 13.

i hate you.

And how do you feel, now?

……….…

much better actually. you were right. after my coma i looked back at my final and realised it was a lot better than I remembered.

i even ended up finishing it.

That is fantastic! I am soooo glad I could help. What did you end up doing?

Can you send me a picture?

oh uh

idk if that is a good idea

i don’t want you to think i am weird

Virgil.

I beta read my twin’s fanfiction.

I am so desensitized, I do not think I am allowed to be weirded out.

ok...

img.cm/1029483

Incoming call (Roman- Monet’s)....

****

Virgil yelped when he saw the incoming call. He doesn’t like phone calls at the best of times, but especially not now, not after he showed Roman his final piece. Stupid, stupid, STUPID! He should have just said no, people don’t press about that kind of thing. But Roman is clearly a liar because he said he wouldn’t be weirded out and he is, and Virgil just met this guy and he already messed everything up, why does he have to be such a fucking weirdo all the time, goddamnit, everything is falling apart, Virgil may have gotten sleep but he can’t fix himself. He groaned and snatched up the phone on the last ring, attempting to put on his best, most positive voice.

“Hey, Roman, wha-what’s up… Bro?”

“Hello!” Roman answered the phone, not sounding angry or upset, which calmed Virgil a bit, “I apologize, I should have prefaced that I loved the painting. I understand why you might have been worried, but it is absolutely wonderful.”

“Really?” Virgil let out a breath, “I was really worried that-”

“Are you kidding?” Roman almost shouted through the phone, Virgil having to pull it away from his ear, “A profile of just my eyes surrounded by roses and irises, in the style of the impressionists, even though I know you hate that style,”

“I don’t hate it,” Virgil muttered.

“You ranted about Renoir, Degas, and Monet for longer than anyone I have ever met, and one of my closest friends is a curator at the art museum,”

Virgil sighed, “Yea, you’re right, they suck. Sorry about that…”

Roman laughed, “Ha, are you joking? That was the highlight of my day. But all that aside, how could you even fathom me not liking the piece?

“I mean,” Virgil rubbed the back of his neck, “I just met you yesterday, it’s not exactly something people do for someone when they do not even know their last name.”

“My last name is Perez, my middle name is Thomas, my twin brother is Remus who you met yesterday, I am left handed, my favorite food color is red, and I love attention, it’s why I have done theater for 20 years. Does that help?”

Virgil grumbled, “I guess it does,”

Roman laughed, “I love it, Virgil, trust me, it is now my phone background,”

Virgil’s heart swelled, “Really?”

“Really. Honestly after us talking for like, 45 minutes yesterday, I would have been more offended if I wasn’t your muse, I mean, what about mean isn’t inspirational?” Both Roman and Virgil laughed at that, “But I could have told you all this over text, I called because I don’t like texting to ask pretty boys out on dates,”

Virgil’s heart leapt into his throat, he felt as though someone dropped a ton of bricks on his chest. How was he supposed to respond to that? Roman first impression of him was a literal dead man walking and he still wants to go out with him?

“A date?” Virgil responded, still shocked.

“Unless the pride pin on your jacket was just as an ally, and you just spent hours painting my eyes in a straight way, I would like to, if you want,” Roman said simply. Before Virgil could respond, Roman started speaking again, “And don’t say no just because I saw you at your rock bottom, I can see where this is going,”

Virgil smacked his lips together, “You got me,”

“What do you say,”

Virgil smiled, genuinely, for the first time in a while, “Let’s do it,”

Virgil was only speechless for a full minute when Roman laid out an entire romantic picnic, scheduling it perfectly to watch a matinee Shakespeare in the Park production of Much Ado About Nothing, both of them happily munching on the brownies and sandwiches Roman had made that morning. Virgil only complained for 3 minutes when Roman wanted to take him to the art museum, the blushing lasted for 4 times that long when Roman confessed it was because he wanted to hear Virgil about the paintings, his voice being one of the most pleasant he has heard. When Roman grabbed Virgil by the waist, pulling him in for a kiss, Virgil responded with equal passion and emotion that Roman was, not even noticing they were in front of Monet’s Irises.

#my writing #sanders sides #thomas sanders #prinxiety #virgil sanders #roman sanders #coffee shop au #should do the write something that isn't a college au challenge

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seirity · 5 years

Text

Chihaya 3 episode 23 reactions and thoughts on Taichihaya: Part 2 - The Confession

This is the second part of my post regarding episode 23 of Chihayafuru 3. If you would like to read the first part of the post please go here.

So after all that build up, it finally happens. Taichi finally gets his opportunity to confess to Chihaya right before the start of the new school year.

Honestly, I think it’s beautiful how meticulous Suetsugu-sensei was with Taichi’s confession. While Arata’s was short and sweet, but completely fitting for his personality, Taichi’s was incredibly detailed.

First and foremost, Taichi’s confession coincides with spring and is done with the cherry blossoms in full bloom. Spring is a special season in Japan, since it is a time of new beginnings, of change, of life, and for people to come together to celebrate the start of a new year. Unlike the west, Japan’s school year starts in the spring. It’s also a period of time that is associated with love and I’ve also seen many references of love blooming between couples during this time period. Coincidence? I think not.

For those of you that would like to learn more about this, here is a very nice blog entry regarding love and spring in Japan.

On the flip side, those of you that are being devil advocates are probably asking me: But what about the fact that spring is also associated with the transience of life? Honestly, I think this meaning of spring is more associated with what comes after the confession and how it signifies that Chihaya took Taichi for granted. She took for granted how he was always a part of her life. He was always there for her. He was always with her.

Anyways, I digress.

To be honest, in my opinion, Taichi’s confession felt more genuine and more heartfelt than Arata’s because of the way he went about it. He actually confessed that he was the one who took and hid Arata’s glasses back then before telling Chihaya that he’s loved her all these years. Taichi didn’t have to, but he did it because he wanted to prove that he too has changed or grown as a person since his elementary school days. For him, this means he has to come to terms with the fact that he took Arata’s glasses back then, no matter how much Chihaya may possibly hate him for it or how it may change her opinion of him. It’s no coincidence that Suetsugu-sensei follows his revelation with this statement:

“I’ve always.. always... wanted to be someone who wasn’t a coward.”

Then he confesses to Chihaya that he loves her.

Taichi tells Chihaya that ever since they were children, he’s loved her fingernails that she never grows out, her fingers, her hair, her mouth that is always wide open like an idiot, and her smile. Yet before he even tells her this, he’s repeating, “Just kidding, Chihaya. That was a joke. Just a joke.” like a mantra in his mind. Almost as if he was going to give himself a way out before he takes the plunge and goes all in. It’s beautiful because the audience can feel the moment when he realizes he is at that tipping point: the point of no return. It’s heartbreaking and it pulls at your heartstrings.

It’s at this exact moment that Suetsugu-sensei chooses to bring up how Taichi doesn’t like the person Chihaya becomes when she’s thinking of Arata. Suetsugu-sensei chooses this exact moment to give the audience a look into Chihaya’s mind and reveals Chihaya is recalling Arata’s confession. It’s such a beautiful juxtaposition of how each of them have chosen to tell Chihaya how they feel about her.

I’ve always been confused about this ever since I read the manga, but it’s never made sense to me why there are two different version of Arata’s confession.

After the Meijin/Queen qualifying matches:

While Taichi is confessing to her:

The last part of the confession is completely different and it makes me wonder if what Arata says at the Meijin/Queen qualifying matches is what actually occurred, while what Chihaya recalls during Taichi’s confession was her own interpretation of what Arata said when he told her that they should play karuta together in college if she wants to.

Kana-chan did allude to this earlier in the series:

Anyways, it is this beautiful juxtaposition that makes it clear that there is a difference in the depth of their feelings for Chihaya. For me, Taichi’s confession is much more sincere, but honestly, this could also be because he had time to prepare for it. Arata simply blurted out his feelings for Chihaya in a spur of the moment kind of thing simply because of what she said at the moment. He didn’t have the time or foresight to really think about what he wanted to say in his own confession.

For me, Taichi’s confession was a lot easier to understand in the anime than in the manga, since I had the Japanese audio. I’m forever grateful for those who do the scanlations and I know they try their best, but sometimes things don’t really make sense since a translation is done based on the translator’s interpretation of the scene. Chihayafuru is a difficult manga to translate since the subject of the lines are usually not included and it’s not clear to whom some of the thoughts are directed at or from. Animating a series clears up the vast majority of the issues that arise from translating Chihayafuru, not to mention the amazing music and voice acting that comes with it. Speaking of which, both Miyano Mamoru and Seto Asami truly outdid themselves in this scene. The voice acting and the music were both superb and matched the scene perfectly.

Finally, we are now at the most controversial part of Taichi’s confession: Chihaya’s response.

Honestly, 「“感じ”悪いから、聞こえね－よ」or “’Kanji’ ga warui kara, kikoeneeyo” is a really hard line to translate. Kanji or 感じ here is in quotation marks because it’s not the normal definition of 感じ, which is feeling or sense. 感じ here refers more to the ability of being able to understand the flow of a match because you have extremely good senses, which in karuta’s case is hearing. So in this case, Taichi is essentially saying he was unable to hear what Chihaya said because his hearing isn’t as good as Chihaya’s or good enough to hear what she whispered.

For me, this just makes my heart break because it’s just another layer of misunderstanding between these two as their actions/lack of actions tear each other apart.

While this card did not appear in the manga, I will say I do like how it made an appearance here in the anime. It is the second part of poem #46:

‘Where, over the deep of love, The end lies, I do not know “

行く方もしらぬ恋の道かな

The entire poem is actually this:

Like a mariner Sailing over Yura's strait With his rudder gone: Where, over the deep of love, The end lies, I do not know.

由良のとをわたる舟人かぢをたえ行く方もしらぬ恋の道かな

It’s a beautiful poem and I actually really like how the translator for the anime chose to translate the last part as “I do not know where this love will take me.”

The English translation done by the University of Virginia is beautiful and echoes the same sentiments as a Japanese explanation for this poem that I found here:

由良の門を渡る船頭が、櫂がなくなって行方も知れず漂うように、将来どうなるとも知れない恋の行方であるなあ。 Yura no to wo wataru sendou ga, kai ga nakutemo yukue mo shirazu tadayou youni, shourai dou naru mo shiranai koi no yukue de aru kana.

Just as a mariner does not know where he is going as he drifts down the Yura strait without his oar, what will become of this love in the future and where it will go is unknown. (disclaimer: 将来 or shourai means future in the sense of what will happen soon and not in the far out future/long term.)

The poem is perfect for this scene because Taichi does not know how Chihaya will actually react to his confession or where his love for Chihaya will take him, just as the mariner does not know where he is going as he drifts down the Yura strait without his oar.

For me, the 「ごめん」or “I’m sorry” that Chihaya whispers isn’t a response to Taichi’s confession, but more her apologizing for never realizing his feelings for her were the reason why he couldn’t tell her everything and why he did things alone. This is due to the fact that the first thing she thinks of after hearing Taichi’s confession is this particular scene:

After her flashbacks, Taichi’s confession plays again in her mind and then it finally hits her: Taichi loves her.

I alluded to this in part one of my post, but I would like to reiterate the same sentiments here. I REALLY liked how they animated this particular scene and the timing of the close up has such a beautiful impact. The audience can really feel the moment where it hits Chihaya.

As Taichi leaves the room, the camera pans to Chihaya and we are left with this scene:

The way this scene was beautifully animated further drives this point home because she is shocked to learn that Taichi has been silently suffering all this time because of her. She feels she is the reason why he hasn’t been happy. or hasn’t been smiling. She’s also shocked to learn that the person who has always been a constant in her life loves her. Now for part 3: The aftermath.

#chihayafuru #ayase chihaya #mashima taichi #wataya arata #taichihaya #chihaya x taichi #taichi x chihaya

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courage-a-word-of-justice · 4 years

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HypMic 7 - 9 | Maou-jou 5 - 6 | Akudama Drive 6 - 8 | I7 s2 6 - 9 | Taiso Samurai 5 - 6

HypMic 7

I will never not laugh at the content advisory, haha.

I like Kazuha already. Too bad he’s probably evil…

Oh, is it the day of the DRB in the series already…? Or maybe, because it’s the qualifiers, BB and MTC’s match is on a different day to FP and MTR’s.

Oh? Does Tom know Jakurai well enough to call him “Jakurai-sensei”? (<- middle ground between “Jinguji-sensei/Sensei” and “Jakurai”) Also, Tom uses “ore”.

Ooh, Iris is a motorbike rider, eh? Interesting. I thought they (<- not sure if Iris is a “she” or “he” with a really weird name) were more of a Saburo-type and didn’t bother with things like that, based on their appearance. Update: Someone on Yahoo Answers said based on Iris’s watashi, she is a woman.

Typo fixed! Good job, anime staff! Update: I’m referring to “…darkest hour is just before the down” (sic).

…bukkorosu = “f***in’ slaughter ‘em”. It’s not wrong…it’s just the subbers really like to abuse the F word for MTC. But you knew that already if you got this far…right?

LOL, Ramuda wants to “scratch [Rex’s] back” (figuratively) to…get SNS views? Hahaha.

This Studio Alita is probably a reference to Shinjuku Alta.

Yotsutsuji!!! That was the one big spoiler I got before watching the episode today and I’m so happy I got to see him animated!

(One of) Irihatoma and Degarashi refer to Jakurai as “Jakurai-sensei” as well. Hmm, I never noticed. Update: That’s Degarashi, because Irihatoma speaks to Jakurai alone later this ep.

There’s 50% chance I’m getting this wrong, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say Kazuha is voiced by a veteran VA…one I already know about.

Doppo calls Kazuha by his first name…That upgrade means their relationship escalated quickly (or this is a quirk of HypMic in general, since I noticed most characters are on first name basis with each other). Also, it’s cute Doppo finally has someone in his corner. No other part of the franchise has one, to my memory. Update: It might actually be “Kazuha-kun”…but I’m still surprised though. Update 2: It’s both, actually.

I’ve listened to the phrase “some random guy” several times from Hifumi’s mouth and all I can figure out is the “yatsu” at the end. (Doesn’t help my ears blocked themselves up again, although it’s less than it used to be.)

Harumi Wharf.

R? On a helicopter landing pad?

…uh oh. I was right when I thought Kazuha was going to be evil. Also, Doppler shift/effect. Update: “Doppler” is clearly a pun on “Doppo”.

Hmm? “Hey, Doppo” from “yaa”…it doesn’t have a name referred in there. It’s a small but odd thing to do. (I remember a professional translator was complaining that people with intermediate Japanese were giving them flak for translating things “wrong”, but what I do here is analysis for my future and edificiation. I’m not here to knock down pro translators’ doors and demand a refund, because I’m trying to go pro to atone for my sins as a scanlator.)

The soundtrack’s slightly sinister tone, plus the fact I figured the culprit well before Doppo did, makes me slightly scared…for MTR.

I realised they skimped on the budget…this “hot off the car chase” line seems more like an MTC line, doesn’t it…?...Yeah, it’s almost word for word for MTC in DRB+. Maybe the subbers rushed and used this translation (this link I put here) rather than their actual lyrics…? I will have to get to the bottom of this. Update: Turns out the translation is slightly different, but…yes, there is reference to a car chase in the start of Shinjuku Style. (Sorry, I don’t know every lyrics of every song off the top of my head.)

…wow, this got really Doppo-centric. I’ve never seen the leader relinquish their position when it comes to “leading into battle” before. It just goes to show the staff really do pay attention to how popular Doppo is.

Note “Doppo” means “walk alone”, roughly speaking, hence the “solitary” line.

This song is very, very faithful to its original lyrics, because I was trying to look at Hifumi’s “mixing paint” line and it pretty much matches.

Hifumi’s “my men”, LOL.

Kazuha = “one leaf”, hence the “leaves” in one of Jakurai’s lines.

I cringe every time I hear screaming coming from this episode, y’know…?

…oh dear. MTC’s plot actually bled into MTR’s.

I already knew from browsing Twitter earlier today that Kizuna was going to become FP’s today, but hearing it is another matter entirely.

Kosuke Miyoshi is Kazuha. Apparently, this guy also voiced Mashirao Ojiro (the tail guy) from BnHA, but that’s his only major role…so I was right in that I knew him, but wrong in that he was, again, a relative rookie in comparison to most.

Apparently FP’s sign is a peace sign sideways to represent an F, but…it’s just a sideways peace sign to me…

…how is Dice’s bead ornament attached to him? Is it on his hair, on his ear, on the skin behind his ear…? I was trying to replicate his outfit and got stuck on how to represent it, so I ended up opting for trying (and failing) to do a small braid on the right side.

IWGP shows up this season…it’s the song with the “hoo!” noise BB perform in this episode.

LOL, “Dead men tell no tales” is a perfect saying for MTC.

Akudama 6

Is there a movie called “Brother”…? There’s apparently one that’s the plural of that, but not that itself.

If HypMic likes the F bomb, then Akudama like the S word.

I-Is it just me or is the choreography sped up at some points in this episode…? It’s a bit disorienting to come back to.

I thought the kid was a robot…but close enough.

Oh no! Why does the teacher always have to die for the student to become stronger???

Kairaku/shugi -> pleasure/doctrine (if I didn’t somehow misunderstand the shark’s kanji combo),

The part after the ED looks a little too long…keep watching.

The Japanese says “Lost Children”, but the English says “The City of Lost Children”, probably referring to this French sci-fi film.

I7 s2 6

I like how Gaku is taking special offence to Yamato’s comments about him being a playboy.

Re:vale-san. I never noticed until now.

“I’m already looking forward to it.” That’s how I would translate Tsumugi’s “I’m already excited”.

“…who could possibly complain?” – I think Mitsuki might.

The pun in the MEZZO show is that tai (group/squad) sounds the same as tai (want to ~). Rabbinsta is obviously Instagram + Rabbit (Chat?).

Oh my gosh! It’s the Yotsuba sister!

Mitsuki’s shopping trip OST is nice, man. This piano.

This episode has a really great sense of danger and foreboding for the future.

I7 s2 7

Perfection Gimmick. Never heard it in the anime before.

Even the ramen house’s name is a play on “Idolish7”.

LOL, Yamato sure turned that comment around.

The sign talking about beer says something about coupons below it. (It went by too fast and my CR app’s kinda fiddly, so I can’t really go back…)

Kimi to Ai na Night (pun on Idolish7, aka “AiNana”, again).

Mitsuki, no one hates you! You’re just imagining it all!

I7 s2 8

Momo hugely resembles Sasara, right down to the highlights on the hair…

“…you’re so handsome…” – I’m dying on the inside here, people! *laps up the BL pandering with a derpy smile on my face*

Banri and Tsumugi haven’t been focussed on lately…they’re clearly doing something regarding Banri’s ties with Re:vale, but I can’t quite figure out what that “something” is.

Why is there a basketball and a football in the back of the Takanashi office…?

Please don’t run in heels, Tsumugi…

“I love Idolish7!” - Ah, despite my quibbles, Tsumugi is good after all.

“making one’s best exertions” – Why do those words on the cup worry me a bit…?

Isn’t “I’m watching you” a creepy statement…?

Apparently Tamaki’s symbol is mp (mezzo pianissimo), hence Sougo’s words.

…my gosh! Aya’s foster father is Kujou?!

I7 s2 9

If I heard it right, Tenn’s line was “I can be your idol”, not “your prince”.

“Older Izumi” - …ah, poor Mitsuki.

“Damn you, sexy beast…” – LOL!

…aw, I think this is the first time my heart has been lightened by Tsunashi’s laugh. He’s a good boy.

The chibis…I’m still trying to get used to them…

As a song once said, “You can’t please everyone so you just gotta please yourself.” (Blah blah blah, something about garden parties…)

Takao what now???...okay, Takao Dayuu.

…You’re lucky that wasn’t Tenn doing Takao Dayuu. It would’ve been very “Gentaro does his courtesan voice” if it was.

Nagi doesn’t overpronounce things as much in this season. It’s…pleasant, actually. Give me more of that.

Nagi’s “Oh my god!” was hilarious.

Taiso 5

Ra (ら) and ro (ろ) look kinda similar in hiragana.

Even without the audio, I can guess the words were “yarubeki koto” (things you should do) -> shachihoko.

The texts are written in gyaru-moji. Gyaru-moji is basically indecipherable to anyone who doesn’t know how it works – kind of like the common teen vernacular, to be honest (LOL…?) – and so the subs actually kind of ruin the confusingness of it all, but they did slightly better when they went “UR”.

Movie shiritori! But…has it really been half a year since Leo started? I feel slightly robbed about that plotline with the Men in Black right now…(then again, HypMic is just as bad about important plotlines, if not worse, so…I’m going to be patient and not complain.)

July 5th…Rei is a Cancer…?

They’re…finally moving on this Men in Black plotline! I only complained two points ago! Thank you, staff, for listening to my complaints (…?).

Moon Land finished recently, so I wonder if I’ll lose interest in this anime from here on out…? There was a Pommel Horse Prince in that.

Moon Land taught me that gymnastics has a lot of skills named after their creators, much like the Aragaki previously. The score is out of 10 for both D (difficulty) and E (execution), meaning a 20 is the best you can do, but the judges can get really picky...

The word for “vault” literally means “leaping/jumping horse”…makes sense.

Some of these names are names I’m familiar with from Moon Land already…but I never remember what the skills look like.

…welp, Leo just proved he really is a ninja after all.

Dr Stone’s s2 had its ED announced to be “Koe?” by Hatena and “Yume?” here really makes a theme…does Hatena give all their song titles question marks on the end?

Taiso 6

Colour gangs? Like in IWGP?

It’s nice to see they’re (Jotaro and Rei) communicating properly for the first time in possibly this entire anime.

On the wall, that thing is an evacuation map…of some sort.

…I’ve always wondered: if a bird eats chicken, does that count as cannibalism?

This is like thw Makkachin incident all over again (in YoI).

“…there’s no reason for you to grin and bear it.”

…Leo and Jotaro, both are so dense! Boys *shakes head*.

BB? More like ET (LOL)!

Maou-jou 5

…I didn’t even notice the cast was all dudes bar the princess at this point.

Tatakau Onnatachi. It could mean “fighting women” or “female warriors”.

I’m still vaguely pissed that Kirito is here under my nose…darn Demon King!!!

One of the harpy’s recent worries was that she wanted to become friends with the princess…That’s kinda cute…

Didn’t Syalis already get the coffin that one time? Or did it get confiscated?

*eyes sparkle* Cloud…I’d like to sleep on a cloud…*dreamy look on face* Cloud.

This is basically Princess, ‘Tis Time for Torture in reverse.

Is it “make do” or “make due”…?

I don’t think I need to explain the joke where the harpy is happy.

Gendo pose!

I wonder if the bed or the sheets will talk to her (Syalis) someday?

Maou-jou 6

The New Gearbolt’s quote is “guruguru dokkan”, which is just a bunch of sound effects. It would translate to something like “whir-whir-thud”.

Underwear episodes are some of the worst episodes ever…they’re so juvenile…I dropped at least one series based on the underwear episode alone.

Ah! The seal on the ice monster’s shoulder! Too cute!

How can a mechanical princess mecha (…thing?) have worries?

LOL, never underestimate the hilarity of the teddy demons ganging up on the Demon King.

I like how the Japanese pointed out the demons only moved the princess.

HypMic 8

I thought the robberies were Kazuha’s doing…? Or is this a separate case?

Samatoki answering his phone with his feet up…LOL, there’s just something funny about it. It shows he’s just so badass, he can get away with it.

Riou’s hacking (?) skills come to the fore again. (Or is that listening to enemy intel?)

Ooh, Iris is sassy. I love her already.

…er, Samatoki? Blowing cigarette smoke into Jyuto’s face is just rude…

“…don’t hang up your gloves.” – Considering Jyuto has his red gloves…LOL.

What the heck is that backing track when the 2nd car moved out? That’s a cool track.

Ah! Iris is a Saburo-type…LOL, Saburo’s fake identity.

“a cop who’s in with the yakuza” - Wow, way to diss your own teammate, Samatoki.

For a guy who was only just in the water, Riou doesn’t even look wet.

“2 DIE 4” – Hmm? So did the anime staff know what Riou’s 2nd round song title was at the time…? Update: Judging by the name “Requiem” dropped in the next episode, I would say yes.

“…f*** the police…” - Wow, way to diss your own teammate, Samatoki. X2

Hmm? In Riou’s rap bit near the end, he goes “mad warrior” and that rhymes (in a very loose way of speaking) with “Mad Trigger”. The English didn’t keep that.

I remember seeing a spoiler which said that line (the one about slaves)…but seriously, Jyuto is such a “sexy revenge cop” (as someone once said – I think it might be Slug, or an anon to Slug) that literally nothing else seems to matter about him.

Why do they subtitle the laughing??? I still have no idea.

“Sgt. Iruma”? The guy just says “Iruma-san”. Is he a sergant or some other rank? Update: Yes. (As in, he is a sergant.)

I’ve never actually seen Ramuda sleep in a bed before, come to think of it. Does he not have a bed?

I would assume Gentaro is going…but he said he won’t be going, then negated that and then negated it again. Unless the 2nd time was him admitting it was a lie the first time…is he going or not???

“shinsetsu no human” – (Spoilers for later on/manga)…Yes, that’s actually what Ramuda says. It’s as if Ramuda subtly admits, right there, he isn’t human.

Nodo = throat…If this were translated more literally, it would sound pretty clunky.

“…rappa no inochi…paa!” – Yep, the subbers got the gist of the joke there.

Dice is basically a worm at this point…He’s squirming like one, anyway.

That “number of pips facing up” thing has got to be foreshadowing for something, y’know? Nothing in a story ever goes to waste. Also, it’s likely the dice are weighted or something…

…yep, there you go.

That voice Gentaro used for “I despise lies” was amusing…because it’s so different to his normal voice, and because Gentaro is a serial liar.

The 2nd song…which I already know is called “JACKPOT” from browsing Twitter earlier today…was a bunch of fun.

Udagawacho.

Hmm…emphasis on the candy. I wonder what that means? (<- already knows, I just want to keep it a secret from you, dear reader, if you don’t know it too)

ANIME SHOP is so clearly a pun on Animate, including the colours, that I can’t even…LOL.

FP’s Kizuna sounds distinctly different to the others…probably because of Ramuda. It’s mostly Ramuda carrying the tune there.

“Life is what you make it.” – Hmm, an interesting quote for sure.

HypMic 9

…welp, they don’t call it Fling Posse for nothin’.

I didn’t believe my ears, so I went and listened to it again. Sure enough, Ichiro calls Jakurai -san, not -sensei.

Ramuda’s normal voice! Things are getting serious~!

“Hifuming”? Is that a deliberate choice on the translators’ part? Or is it a mishearing?

…I’m laughing at how Samatoki called Ichiro a “hypocritical piece of s***”. I know the “s***” part is correct at minimum from the audio.

I believe Samatoki said -san, not -sama when he asked for an honorific. Hmm, interesting.

I knew this would get animated, but…I still can’t believe I’m watching it! Amazing…absolutely amazing.

If you’re wondering…yes, that long thing is her entire title and name. It’s said the name “Kadenokouji” is the longest Japanese surname in existence.

I remember reading a tweet earlier today that said somebody wanted “Altercation! Altercation! Altercation!” as a song title…and now I LOL, because the subbers made Gentaro say the exact same word.

Hmm…I only just noticed BB are the only ones with bags. They probably came last, but who took the others’ bags into Chuoku…? Update: Some of the others did have bags, I just never spotted them. For instance, Riou is carrying a large black rectangular bag, but Samatoki and Jyuto don’t have any. Jakurai has the bag from his TDD days.

The 2nd DRB brackets got announced today. BB vs DH, MTR vs BAT, FP vs MTC, rolling out across Japan (and Japan only due to COVID) in 2021.

“What happened between you and him?” - I was going “who?” in Cantonese (as I sometimes do), but turns out they’re just referring to Samatoki.

This is exactly as it played out in the drama tracks and manga…exactly what I was waiting for all this time! So good, dangit!

LOL, in the future, we will have camera drones working our concerts like they do in the DRBs…I think (?)

I wonder what Dice is thinking right now, seeing Otome on the screen…hmm…

…gah! Airhorn! Airhorn to the ears! *tilts to side due to sound*

I still kind of remember Slug’s take on the final battle…”The popo? More like the poopoo!” (or something like that). *sniggers*

The little barking bit after Jiro’s verse was…kinda cute, actually.

…ow, these are some burn-ass words. See? This is the power of the DRB!

…eh? Riou’s mic has his MC name on it. Don’t think I’ve seen that in any other part of the series.

Hoh, Riou even made references to Saburo’s character songs.

You can see “Hc” on Samatoki’s mic too…probably another case of his MC name, but partially obscured by his hand.

Aw, “Samatoki no sabaku toki” is a good lyric. Why couldn’t you try to keep that, instead of translating it literally to “judgement day for Samatoki”?

You can hear a thumping beat in the background when Samatoki prepares himself. That seems to be a similar way to how ARB treats this stuff.

“I’m THE Samatoki” – “Samatoki-sama da”.

I think it was really cool to show Samatoki handing the song over to Riou, but it also indicates there’s a disjunct in the lyrics that would cause such a thing. From this, maybe Riou is MTC’s weak link…?

Skeletons with katanas! Is that not cool?!?

…hey, that joined words thing Ichiro does…I would assume that’s what Rhyme Strike looks like in the HypMic universe?

Notice Samatoki took the word “signal” from Ichiro’s part and put it into his own one.

“Today is a good day to die.” – *eyes bulge* Oh…gosh. What a quote. Update: Someone theorised Ichijiku wrote these titles (the last 2), but someone else – like me – theorised this quote was what FP and M fans thought for this battle.

Akudama 7

…that’s one twisted kid.

Never threaten to kill a kid who can regenerate far better than you, Hoodlum.

Brawler is still in the OP…it’s kind of saddening to see him now.

I noticed a certain character appears on the Executioners’ hands if you pause at the right moment in the OP. It’s the first character in shori (management).

Bunny: set meal/Shark: roasted meat (yakiniku)

…This sounds a heck of a lot like the genbaku dome (Hiroshima Peace Park).

Bunny and Shark’s shirts together: Idiot -> Shark: Bone

Actually, this also reminds me of the Osaka Expo held in 1970. I loved writing about that event – it was just so fun to write about.

This anime is like Appare-Ranman’s sequel, except without the racing and crazy racial stereotypes (although there are still crazy stereotypes).

…whoa! This scene is going on the end of year list for sure. Just…have to remember this scene, where all the children disappeared, exists.

…”The City of Lost Children” is an apt title for this episode.

(HypMic spoilers!) I wonder if they’ll reveal that Ramuda is a clone in what’s left of the HypMic anime?

…oof, Doctor’s a filthy traitor!

Rule number 1 of fighting: never yell out “Smokescreen!” when the smokescreen is meant to cover you.

…LOL, dark censorship bar. Please wait for the Blu-Rays to see this scene uncensored.

What the heck?! The countdown went from 7 to 0 so fast!

Akudama 8

Black Rain, huh? *checks* It’s a movie about a pair of New York policemen who have to save a Japanese gangster from his death.

…don’t jinx it, Swindler!

Your brother isn’t on the moon, Sister. It’s just your dreams on there.

Notice “Neo Lake Biwa” actually has “Reiku” in its name, as opposed to, say, “mizuumi” or “ike” (the Japanese equivalent).

You can still see where Doctor stitched herself up.

What did Doctor “hold on to”?

Way to monologue through the whole morality thing… (<- not as satisfied as they would like from this scene)

I wonder if the seal is electronically tracked…

Tsubo = pot, vase…*thinks about drugs* (Not that pot.)

“…I’ll make you into a real man.” – More like a eunuch, LOL. (partially sarcastic)

I recall from Sarazanmai that “pair look” is the term for “twinsies” in Japanese.

Oh! Swindler kind of looks like the Executioner Boss now.

…I find it ironic that Swindler had long hair up until not too long ago.

Can to the eye! Ouch! That’s gotta be worse than a lightsaber…er, jitte to the eye!

This makes me wonder…was Courier a rich kid once…?

#simulcast commentary #hypnosis mic #HypMic #hypnosis mic -division rap battle- rhyme anima #Akudama Drive #taiso samurai #Maou-jou de Oyasumi #sleepy princess in the demon castle #idolish7 second beat #Chesarka watches HypMic #Chesarka watches Akudama Drive #Chesarka watches Taiso Samurai #Chesarka watches Maou-jou #Chesarka watches I7

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maki0725 · 5 years

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Klavquill 1-8

The more I write, the more difficult it’s become to make dialogues. In Japanese edition Klavier was in the U.S. to study and he got the prosecutor’s badge in there, but he uses few English words in dialogues (the only phrase I remember is “Let’s rock!”, maybe it is replaced with “Achtung, baby!”). I might have to put in more German words but I don’t know German language at all and it’s quite difficult to write their dialogues in English (also in Japanese...)

By the way seeing first sunrise is popular in Japan, it feels special but it’s cold outside in winter, there are fewer people who go to see it actually than first visit. Though it feels more special if you go to see it actually with someone special.

*************************************

Athena gets off the car in front of a rather old apartment. It is located so much far from the train station but she doesn’t mind the distance, she rather enjoy it for the physical training.

“Have a good night! Apollo, take care of yourself, please come back again soon!”

She goes actively, it’s bliss for Simon that Athena is fine and happy.

The large-sized car starts going again with the engine sound. It takes some time to drive to the suburb airport even through the highways.

The seat is warm and shaking comfortably, a mysterious female voice song is playing. Simon’s conscience is just like floating and he realizes he has never felt relaxed in these days when he rides in a car. A little alcohol from the bottled Sake helps him to fall half-asleep though he can hear Apollo’s controlled voice.

“Don’t you play your music?”

“You don’t like it, I think”

Gavin replies calmly.

“This is Lamiroir’s new album, have you listened?”

“Oh, I didn’t know it was released”

“I’m not sure if it’s available in Khura’in, you can take this. I’ve already done the digitalization”

“......Thank you”

Simon doesn’t know “Lamiroir” but Apollo seems to know the musician(Simon assumes).

“......And, thank you for giving me a ride”

“Don’t worry, It was me who just wanted to stay with you”

It’s been ages, Gavin says. He and Apollo Justice have an old score to settle in a way though they seem to have built a kind of friendship.

“Well......as long as you can say”

Apollo’s voice is lowered.

“I’d like to know how the phantom case is going”

Simon is given a start like being grabbed his heart.

“I’ve heard that the trial won’t be held in Japan though I don’t know where. In the Hague?”

“......I don’t think ICC deals with it”

Gavin replies that he doesn’t know well quietly.

“You know prosecutor Von Karma takes that case”

“......Yeah”

“Then, I can say nothing more. It is a top secret and actually I don’t know about it”

“So does prosecutor Blackquill?”

“I don’t know but......should we ask?”

Simon’s heart gets pounding.

“Well......no, he doesn’t know or he can’t say about it, I suppose. I’m not even a member of the bereaved family”

Apollo is right, Simon wants to know for anything. Apollo exudes his chagrin. How the unreasonable loss of his bestfriend suffer him? Gavin’s voice sounds gentle but a teasing tone appears.

“By the way, do you think he’s sleeping?”

“Oh is he awake!?”

Apollo looks back in a hurry and Simon pretends to be asleep. He doesn’t care Apollo’s bracelet notices.

Though it might be cheat, he can’t talk about the phantom case to Apollo right now. If he could have believed Athena and the whole judicial system enough in the UR-1 case, the phantom might have been arrested at that time and Clay Terran ——and Bobby Fulbright—— might be alive now. One year ago, the world he had believed collapsed and his self-consciousness could just let the revealed truths and the radical change of the environment go past, but he has started suffering from the regret and the guilty consciousness after some time. He shouldn’t get stuck in there but he doesn’t know what to do exactly. He decided not to hide the truth never again but it should have been a matter of course for prosecutors. He feels himself not to be qualified to be a prosecutor in a way.

Luckily, Apollo and Gavin continue talking without noticing what Simon feels.

“If I had known you went abroad, I should have seen you more, even if a little bit forcefully”

“I think you tried hard enough, Trucy said that she felt lonely as you didn’t come often like before since last summer”

“...... I was just a little bit busy”

It was true, the prosecutor’s office has been a shortage of prosecutors so he and Simon are always very busy. Though it hadn’t changed around Apollo’s leave.

“......I certainly feel it is not as easy as before to go to the office without you”

“There are only girls and Mr. Wright. But I think you are good at treating girls”

“I don’t know, Fraulein detective still hates me”

It reminds Simon of the event a few days ago. She meant not to insult Gavin seriously but he couldn’t keep silence.

“Ema often complains about Nahyuta in Khura’in”

“He likes her so much, doesn’t he? I’ve heard that she is there today, it’s ideal for her to be able to improve her scientific skill as much as she wants”

“I saw her for a short time today in Khura’in, I didn’t tell her that Nahyuta said he planned to have her come to the new year ceremony at the top of Mt. Poni-poni”

Apollo sounds sympathetically.

“Oh, I assume she’s on the top of the mountain right now”

Gavin chuckles, he might be imagining Ema astonished.

“By the way, con priests get married?”

“Yeah, they can......what, Ema and Nahyuta? Hmmm......”

Apollo seems to be sunk in thought but he shakes his head like he shakes it off. He might not want to imagine his brother’s love life.

“By the way, why is Blackquill coming with us? He doesn’t look like a type who wants to say goodbye at the airport”

“He is going to come to my place and stay”

“Really!? You......you are actually close”

“I’m not sure we are close, but, have you heard of the event a while ago?”

“Y-Yeah”

The members seemed to tell him as Simon thought. There is nothing to worry when Apollo knows it but it’s a little embarrassing.

“Well...... I’m sorry”

“What?”

Gavin’s voice is always calm.

“I said...... I hate your music”

“Oh that’s it? No worries, some people don’t like my music, it’s quite natural. I don’t like being lied about it”

“Though...... I might be able to choose a manner of speaking that hurt you less”

You have been always kind to us like this.

Apollo’s voice lowers. He is always kind, to everyone, anytime——

“Why do you say such a thing suddenly, are you scared of Prosecutor Blackquill?”

Gavin laughs teasingly.

“No, it’s not that”

I......just a thought, Apollo says, his voice is quite but clear.

“Hmm, it’s a little boring, you’ve grown up Herr Forehead?”

He says that like nothing and laughs.

Though, he cried certainly when Simon protected him.

“I’m glad that you have a friend now”

“You’ve thought I’m so lonely?”

Of course Gavin has so many friends. He and Simon rarely join the same gatherings because of the pressure of business and Gavin’s estrangement from the WAA as Apollo said, but he talks to Simon casually when they happen to meet in the prosecutor’s office in spite of Simon’s intimidating appearance and they have exchanged phone numbers before Simon knew by Gavin’s high social skill. They must be all usual things to Gavin, even inviting Simon to his house. He can’t take it as a big deal.

Although, why is it painful to him that Gavin is kind to everyone?

The airport is crowded but it gets rather empty way past the midnight. Maybe because there are few flights that depart around the same time as the one to Khura’in.

They have some time before Apollo heads to the departure gate but they can’t find affordable coffee shop or something, they sit on a bench with cans of coffee in their hands.

“How’s your hometown?”

“Well......I think nothing has been changed as for the nature and food......or something. I’m too busy to go around”

“I’m happy to hear your business is going well.

Though I think you’re working so hard”

“Ah......I’m sorry not to keep in touch”

“It’s okay with me but contact the girls more often, they looked so happy today”

“......I see. Then, I got to go”

“Take care”

After seeing Apollo off, Simon and Gavin are just two of them. Simon tries to ask him a kind of question.

“That’s unbelievable to have refrained from drinking, what did you do if Justice-dono had rejected your suggestion?”

Gavin smiles brightly after a few blinking.

“Then, I was planning to go to see the first sunrise with you”

Simon doesn’t feel bad about his selfish decision. Has he foreseen that Simon would think so?

“To be honest, I haven’t seen it properly. I searched some places though”

Gavin leads Simon to the large glass window side.

“We can see it from here”

The clouds is taking on the glow of the sunrise.

“Beautiful”

Gavin admires the sunrise. Several golden hair are sticking out of his beanie.

(To see the first sunrise together!)

(Like having him all to yourself)

Simon sounds Trucy again. He should look at the sunrise, not Gavin, Simon tells himself.

******************************************

いささか古びたマンションの前で心音を降ろす。鉄道の駅からはかなり遠いが、彼女の健脚にかかれば何も問題はないらしいーーむしろ、「足腰の鍛錬になる」とのことだった。

「それでは、今日はありがとうございました！　先輩、どうかお元気で！また帰ってきてくださいね！」

元気よく心音が去る。彼女が健康で幸せであれば、夕神としては無上の喜びだった。

大型のSUVはエンジン音を立て、再び走り出す。最寄りのインターチェンジから高速道路に入り、郊外の国際空港まではそれなりの距離がある。

座面の温もりと程よい振動に意識が浮遊する。カーステレオからは神秘的な雰囲気の女性ボーカルが流れていた。車に乗って寛いだ気分になった覚えが近年まるでないことに改めて気づく。ちびちびと舐めていたコップ酒のアルコールも手伝い、いつにないことに、眠りに落ちかかっていた夕神の耳に、王泥喜の抑えた声が届いた。

「……アンタの曲、かけないんですか」

「だって、好みじゃないだろ？キミの」

牙琉が穏やかに答える。

「ラミロアさんの新しいアルバムだよ、キミもう聞いた？」

「えっそんなの出てるんですか」

「クラインでも買えるのかな？良かったらこのCD持っていっていいよ、ぼくデジタルに落としたし」

「……ありがとうございます」

夕神にはラミロアなる人物ーーどうやら歌手らしいーーが誰なのか分からなかったが、王泥喜には馴染みがあるようだ。

「あと……ありがとうございます、乗せてくれて」

「気にしないで。ぼくが、もう少しキミといたかっただけだよ」

本当に久しぶりだね、と感慨深そうに牙琉が言った。王泥喜と彼とはある意味因縁の相手であるはずだが、一種の友情すら築いていたらしい。

「あの……言える範囲で、いいんですけど」

王泥喜の声のトーンが下がる。

「亡霊の事件って、どうなったんですか」

心臓を掴まれたように、夕神はギクリとする。

「日本じゃ裁判しないって聞いたんですけど、どこでやるのかも分からなくて。ハーグですか？」

「……ICCの取り扱いじゃないんじゃないかな」

ぼくもよく知らないんだよ、と抑えた調子で牙琉が言う。

「狩魔冥検事が担当してるのは知ってるよね」

「……はい」

「そうすると、ぼくが言えるのはここまでかな。極秘で、ぼくも本当に知らないんだよ」

「ユガミ検事もですか」

「……分からないけど……聞いてみるかい？」

心臓が跳ねる。

「いえ……知らないか、言えないかのどっちかでしょ。オレは遺族でもないですし」

実際その通りだった。夕神とて知れるものなら何を差し出してでも知りたかった。王泥喜の口調には悔しさが滲んでいる。親友を理不尽に失った悲しみは如何ばかりのものだろう。牙琉の声にも労りが感じ取れたが、ふと悪戯な揶揄いが混じった。

「ところでキミ、彼が寝てると思ってる？」

「えっ、起きてます⁉︎」

王泥喜が慌てて後ろを振り向く。夕神は眠��ているふりをする。こうい��ことに例の腕輪が反応するのかは知らない。

卑怯だとは思いつつ、王泥喜と亡霊の話をする自信がなかった。あの時、夕神が心音を、司法を信用していれば亡霊は直ちに捕らえられ、葵大地も——番刑事も、運命は変わっていたかもしれない。一年前、自分の信じていたものが崩壊し、引き続いて明らかになった真実や環境の激変に耐えることが精一杯だった夕神の自意識は、ある程度の時間を経て、悔恨や自責の念に蝕まれつつあった。それだけに浸っているわけにはいかないが、そこから脱する術が分からない。二度と真実を隠さないと誓ったものの、本来、そんなことは検事なら当然なのだ。夕神はある意味検事としては落伍者のように感じていた。

幸いと言うべきか、王泥喜と牙琉は夕神に構わず会話を続けていた。

「キミが海外に行っちゃうって分かってたら、もっと無理してでも会っておくんだったよ」

「……十分、無理してたんじゃないんですか？　みぬきちゃんが、夏からあんたがめっきり顔見せなくなったって、寂しがってましたよ」

「……ちょっと忙しかったからね」

それは確かだ。検事局の人員不足で、彼も夕神も多忙を極めていた。だが、それは王泥喜の出発前から変わりはない。

「……確かに、成歩堂弁護士さんのところ、少し行きにくくはなったかな。キミがいないとね」

「成歩堂さんと、あと女の子しかいませんからね。でもアンタ、女の子のあしらい得意でしょ？」

「さあね。刑事クンにはすっかり嫌われてるけどね」

数日前の出来事が夕神の脳裏をよぎる。彼女とて、本気で牙琉を侮辱する気ではなかっただろう。それでも、黙っていられなかった。

「アカネさん、クラインではよくナユタの愚痴言ってますよ」

「気に入られてるんだろう？　彼女も、そっちで科学捜査の腕を磨けて最高じゃないか。今日もあっちだろ？」

「オレと入れ違いでちらっと会いましたけど、ナユタがポニポニ山の上で年越しする行事に参加してもらうって言ってたことは伝えてません」

王泥喜の声には同情が滲んでいた。

「そうか、じゃあちょうど今山の上かな？」

愕然とする茜を想像してか、牙琉が少し笑う。

「ちなみに僧侶って妻帯できるの？」

「できますよ……って、ナユタとアカネさんがですか⁉︎ うーん……」

王泥喜は考え込んでいるらしい。しばらく無言だったが、彼としては義兄の恋愛沙汰をあまり想像したくなかったのか、考えを振り切るように首を振る。

「ところで、なんでユガミ検事もいるんですか？わざわざオレを送りたがる気もしませんけど」

「これから、うちに泊まりに来るんだよ」

「エッ⁉︎ ほ、本当に仲いいんですね」

「仲いいかは分からないけど……もしかして仕事納めのこと聞いたの？」

「え、ええ」

やはりあの事務所の連中が王泥喜にも伝えていたらしい。別に知られて困るわけではないが、少しばかりの気恥ずかしさはあった。

「あの……すみませんでした」

「何がだい？」

牙琉の声は、いつも穏やかだ。

「アンタの曲……嫌いなんて言って」

「何だい、そんなの……仕方ないじゃないか、そりゃ嫌いな人だっているよ。嘘つかれたらその方がイヤだよ」

「でも、アンタを傷つけない言い方だってあったかもしれないのに」

——アンタはいつだって、こんな風に親切だったのに。

王泥喜の声がくぐもる。そう、彼は親切だ。いつだって、誰にだって————

「どうしたの、夕神検事が怖くなったの？」

からかうように牙琉が笑う。

「いえ……別にそういうわけじゃありません」

ただ……ふと思ったんで。王泥喜の声は小さくも明瞭だ。

「へえ。オトナになったおデコくんなんてつまらないな」

何でもないことのように言って、笑う。

それでも、夕神に庇われて、彼は泣いていた————

「……良かったですね、友達ができて」

「キミ、そんなにぼくが孤独だと思ってたの？」

それはもちろん、牙琉にはたくさんの友人がいるのだろう。多忙と、王泥喜の言うとおり、彼の出発以降牙琉が成歩堂の事務所に出入りしなくなったことを合わせてか、集まりに同席することはほとんどなかったが、検事局内で顔を合わせた際には夕神の出で立ちに臆することなく気軽に話しかけて来たし、牙琉の社交スキルにつられていつの間にか連絡先も交換していた。それもこれも、夕神を家に誘ったことだって、おそらく彼からしたら何でもないことなのだろう。大袈裟に取る方がおかしい。

それなのに、彼が誰にでも優しいことが苦しく思えるのは何故なのだろう。

年越しとあって空港は賑わっていたが、真夜中となれば多少落ち着きが出ているようだった。クライン行きと同じ時間帯の出発便が少ないせいもあるだろう。王泥喜が出発ゲートをくぐるまでには少し時間があったが、入れそうな店もなく、飲み物だけを買ってベンチに腰掛ける。

「故郷はどう？」

「そうですね……変わってない、ような気がします。忙しすぎて、あちこち行く暇もないんですけど」

「千客万来なら結構なことじゃないか。といっても、色々立て直しで大変なんだろうけど」

王泥喜はコーヒーを啜る。

「そうですね……連絡、全然できてなくてすみません」

「ぼくはいいけど、お嬢さんたちには連絡してあげなよ、今日は本当に楽しそうだったね」

「……そうですね。それじゃ、そろそろ行きます」

「達者でな」

出発ゲートに向かう王泥喜を見送ると、牙琉と二人になる。夕神はささやかな疑問をぶつけてみることにした。

「おめェさんよォ、禁酒までしてご苦労なこったが、泥の字が断ったらどうする気だったんだ」

数度瞬きをして、牙琉がにっこりと笑う。

「その時は、キミと初日の出でも見に行こうかなって」

勝手に予定を決められていても、何故か悪い気はしなかった。彼は、夕神がそう感じることまで見越していたのだろうか？

「実は、あんまり見たことないんだよね。一応、場所もいくつか調べてはみたんだけどさ」

牙琉はそう言って、空港の大きな窓際に夕神を導く。

「ここから、見えるね」

滑走路の向こうで、山の木々と、空の境目が橙色に染まっていく。ちょうど日が昇るころだった。

「綺麗だね」

牙琉がうっとりと呟く。黒いニット帽の際から、金色の後れ毛がいくらか覗いている。

（初日の出を一緒に見ることです！）

（独り占めって感じですよね）

みぬきの声が蘇る。彼ではなく、日の出を見るべき時だと、夕神は自分に言い聞かせた。

#klavquill #klavquill 1 #klavier gavin #simon blackquill

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smokeybrand · 4 years

Text

Let Freedom Ring

My grandpa served in the Air Force back in the early fifties. He wanted to be a pilot but they said he had bad eyes. He didn't. He had the wrong skin tone. He settled to become a medic. My Grandpa's dream was to be a surgeon when he got out of the Air Force. There was a program that would put him on the fast track to developing those skills. He was denied again because that was a Whites Only program. When he returned to the states, after his allotted deployment, he became a Bus Driver. That was the only option available to him at that time. Far cry from being that surgeon he dreamed of becoming.

My Mom's uncles, my grand uncles, all served. The older ones saw time in WWII. I have two Japanese grand-aunts and a bunch of half Japanese and quarter Japanese cousins. One of them was my mom's other mamma. She was dope. She smoked reefer, tempura fried chitterlings, and cussed you out in the Nippon. My younger grand uncles served in Vietnam. Those cats saw horrors. A few of them got doused with Agent Orange. The US denied that sh*t for years while they dealt with the after effects and PTSD. The VA did what they could to help but it wasn't much. My uncle gave up their youth and innocence to serve in a war that wasn't necessary, only to be abandoned and treated like less than people when they got back because they were black.

My mom's kid brothers served as well. One was dismissed on a bullsh*t "Don't ask, Don't tell" situation so he was honorably discharged but didn't get any of the benefits. My uncle is dying of pancreatic cancer and the government is nowhere in sight because he chooses to love freely. The other served and was exceptional in his role. He became a sniper, one of the best in his class. They would send him on missions no one else could accomplish. He was discharged with honors. He died last year, from lung cancer that had metastasized throughout his body so badly, he couldn't walk. We found him, laying in a field, legs riddled with bone tumors, literally waiting to die. It wasn't until he was on that deathbed, that the VA decided to "pay him a visit" and even that was after WE called about his benefits.

My uncle had severe brain damage from a surprise attack a decade and change ago, and survived. His brain was swollen and hemorrhaging for a week. They had to cut out a piece of his skull to alleviate the pressure from all the blood in his head. He was in a medically induced come for weeks, but he lived. Not even an inquiry from the VA. A few years later, he was stabbed in the back several times defending a woman from an assault. He was left for dead and, if not for a passer-by, he would have bled out behind a f*cking Big Lots. They had to carve him open to suture the ruptured artery. I visited my uncle in the hospital and he couldn't talk. They had him doped out of his gourd because his chest was wide open, literally nothing but plastic between me and his beating heart. Not a peep from the government. A few years later, the cancer happened. No help there either. Oh, and my mom got one of those flags, though.

My older brother enlisted after 911. He got deployed to Iraq. He told me once he saw some action. I don't know how much, i never asked, but i imagine quite a bit. He came back early because he blew out his knee but he came back with a drinking problem. My bro always partook of the partaking but it was out of control after he came home. That tells me he saw some sh*t he probably shouldn't have. Or done some things he probably regrets, all in the name of "freedom." He's chill now but dude was mean when he first got back. It took a while for him to mellow. War will do that to you.

One of my little cousin's just enlisted. While I don't agree with that decision, she made it and I respect that. Her ma is stupid proud and she should be. Her baby is grown as sh*t. My little cousin is also pretty as sh*t so I'm mad worried. Sexual assaults are a staple of the military, especially against women of color, and they turn the blindest of eyes to that sh*t. I trust my little cousin to handle herself and her ma will if not, but the fact that I'm more apprehensive about the n*ggas in her barracks, than her seeing an actual gunfight speaks volumes about the entire f*cking Armed Forces.

I don't love the US. I'm not a patriot. Sh*t like this is why. Those are our experiences playing soldier, all because we are darker than others. Never mind the fact i can get gunned by a spooked white person when i go out to collect my Postmates. Never mind that a traffic stop can escalate into my Qualified Immunity Murder, even if I follow every direction given to me, because some pussy with a badge felt I was an imminent threat. Never mind that my fourteen-year-old son can get blown away on his way home from buying Skittles by an overzealous Neighborhood Watch Captain or that my eleven-year-old daughter can get body-slammed by a grown ass man in a uniform because she's "resisting" after taking one too many milks from the cafeteria at school. Even when I serve, do my duty, I'm still forgotten and left out in the cold. All of that 'Support Our Troops” only lasts until you get home and then you're on your own, I guess. That's what happened to my uncle. That's what is happening to my other uncle. No, i don't love the US because the US i live in, f*cking hates me.

When you wave your flags and pound your chest with pride, you're praising a country I don't know. I don't know what it's like not to be hated because of my skin tone. I don't know what it's like not to be seen as a threat at ten-years-old because I have a stockier build than other kids. I don't know what it's like to look back on my history, and not have it riddled with crimes against humanity. Henrietta Lacks. Rosewood. Tulsa. Black Wall Street. Slavery. The Tuskegee Experiments. Jim Crow. The Crack Epidemic. I don't know what it's like not to open a history book and see pictures of people who look like me, strung up from f*cking trees. What does it feel like to know you're innocent until proven guilty or that your charges won't get trumped up depending on how dark you are? What's it like to be able to hold an entire state government branch hostage, visible automatic weapons on your back, threatening officials openly, because you want your florist and Applebee's to open prematurely during a f*cking pandemic, and experience no form of reprimand? What's it like to live in a world where you don't have to open up the f*cking internet, and see another list of people who look like you, killed for sleeping or jogging or playing or selling loose cigarettes or waiting for a f*cking ride. What's it like to not have to witness, over and over again, people who look like you, dying in real time on the prime time goddamn news? What's it feel like not to have to watch your people get lynched for nine goddamn minutes and then listen to people talk about how your justified anger should be tempered in order to be taken seriously?

Our entire history is one of struggle. My mother is three years younger than the first black girl ever to integrate into a southern elementary school. They had to call in the national guard to walk this child into class. My mother lived through Jim Crow. She was eleven-years-old when King was assassinated. My grandpa, the one who served in the Air Force, was five years removed from it's integration. Five years before my Grandpa enlisted, there were no black people in the Air Force. None. And even when they were allowed to enlist, they weren't allowed to fly. They would make up aliments to keep black people out of the cockpits. My kid bother was just out here protesting the same sh*t my mom did when she was young, fifty years later. Five decades and we're still fighting the same fight. My grandpa fought that fight, too. That was twenty years before my mom stood up. Three generations of civil unrest. Three generations of fighting to be acknowledged as human. Seventy f*cking years, for just my family, and we're still trying to get equal. Not more, just equal. Why? Why do we have to suffer so much here? Why do we have to teach out kids not to trust the police or to be as non-threatening as possible around white people? Why do we have to do so much more, and get nothing in return? How is that fair? How is that just? Where's all of this liberty and freedom you motherf*ckers crow about? Even when we do right by this punk ass country, we still get f*cked. How can you expect me to love a place that so obviously, aggressively, hates me?

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variabels · 5 years

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Fictober #5 Mega Man makes an educational video

A/N: Yo, I’m back. Spent my whole weekend obsessing over the return of the King. So proud of M2K for making 5th. This chapter needs no context.

Prompt number: 5 “I might just kiss you.”

Fandom (AU if applicable): Super Smash Bros

Rating: T

Warnings/Tags: Mega Man taking the birds and the bees literally

Words: shrugs

Ships: none

“Oh… I might just kiss you.”

“Cut!” Nana yelled, “Toon Link, you are a terrible actor!”

“Fuck you!”

“You guys really don’t need to help me with this,” Mega Man sighed, “I don’t think this is what I’m supposed to do any way.”

Every tournament, Crazy Hand chose someone to do a sex-ed class for all the newcomers. His choices were always questionable, he’d never choose someone qualified. He insisted it was all random because no one wanted to speak about the topic especially in front of kids.

This year Mega Man had been chosen to explain the birds and the bees to the newcomers. He had asked his friends to help him make a video to explain the topic but no one really knew what they were doing.

“Don’t worry about it,” Lucas told the robot, “You can’t be worse than last time where Marth presented it in Japanese.”

“I’m sure he did an amazing job even if it was all in Japanese. His powerpoint was full of pictures I’m guessing are accurate. I wish I could have understood it, Roy and Cloud really seemed to like it, they participated a lot.”

“The old Link said that Roy told Ike who told Pit who told Palutena who told old Zelda who told him that Marth was just making jokes the whole time,” Toon Link laughed, “You should do the same. When I had to go to that class, Bowser did the presentation and showed weird drawings he made of Peach.”

“And when I had to go, Kirby talked about nothing but food!” Nana remembered, “I think Mega Man’s got a pretty good shot at doing a decent presentation. What happened back in the first tournament, Ness?”

“We learned about sex,” the psychic boy answered.

“Must have sucked. Math’s confusing. Strange to think they didn’t even bother spelling six correctly.”

---

Mega Man didn’t want to bother his friends any longer. They were doing too much work, so he had to put even more effort.

He went on google and did lots of research before writing a script. Once the script was done, he recorded a video with his friends and prepared a presentation to show to all the newcomers.

Two days later, it was the big day. Despite being a robot, Mega Man couldn’t help but feel nervous. It was his first time doing a presentation. He had never been to school after all. Then again, neither had most of his friends.

“W-welcome,” the robot glitched, “I-I a-am h-here to pre-present the b-b-b-birds and the be-be-bees. Please watch this video.”

The room went dark and no one knew what to expect. Newcomers were placing bets on whether they’d get to see Mia Khalifa or Ryan Creamer. No one thought Mega Man would completely surprise them.

---

“Bzz!!!” Young Link smiled as he was dressed as a bee, “I’m a bee and I make honey! Don’t confuse me with a mean wasp!”

“I’m a mean wasp!” Toon Link yelled, “I’m going to ruin your summer meal!”

“Not on my watch!” Ness who was wearing a bird costume smirked, “I’m a bird and I can eat you!”

---

All the newcomers were speechless. Meanwhile, Mega Man was feeling embarrassed. He was sure they hated it. But when the video ended, everyone stood up and Mega Man received a standing ovation.

“Aw, man, that was awesome!” Terry applauded, “Won’t lie, you had us in the first half.”

“I still can’t believe I had to attend this class again!” Mii Gunner complained as she took off her Sans mask, “All because of this costume. But at least, I understood something this year and it didn’t last four hours.”

“Thank you so much!” Mega Man grinned, “I’m so glad this helped.”

---

Despite the positive reception of the class, Master Hand, who had just learned that no one had actually learned about the birds and the bees, called all the previous “teachers” to his office.

“I demand to be excluded!” Kirby yelled, “I can end your entire career by calling Dad.”

“Kirby, you taught everyone about food,” Master Hand argued, “It was out of subject.”

“Well… Some weirdos like food that way.”

“Please stop.”

“I actually taught them the subject,” Bowser protested, “I explained everything in detail.”

“Oh, you’re not in trouble because of that. Your pictures were the problem.”

“And what did I do wrong?” Marth asked, “It was in my contract to do these sort of things in Japanese, so only two people understood.”

“You didn’t hire a translator and made too many inside jokes with your friends. Everyone else felt excluded.”

“A-and me?” Mega Man stuttered.

“You clearly didn’t learn a single thing Marth taught you last year.”

Mega Man left the office feeling defeated. The others didn’t appear to care about getting scolded. But Mega Man had put in so much effort and it was all for nothing.

But all his friends and the newcomers approached him telling him he did a great job and that Master Hand could get fucked in the ass despite not having one.

Mega Man didn’t get it but he was happy to receive support.

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mythicamagic · 6 years

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Terracotta Teeth - Chapter 3

During a long drive to Tokyo, Kagome’s car is totalled by a monstrous silver dog. She now finds herself stranded in a remote village, where the residents appear kind, if slightly distant. However something or someone seems a little too keen on making her stay, permanently.

Rated M for later chapters

Horror/Romance/Drama

You can read this story on Ao3, Fanfiction.net or Dokuga

Chapter One - here Chapter Two - here Chapter Four - here

Under the Guise ~

Nursing a cup of hot chocolate in her hands, Kagome stared at the floor. Kaede was busy talking lowly with Sesshoumaru, having called him over after the distressed screaming and dead rabbit incident an hour or so ago. Kagome barely noticed their harsh whispers and instead felt her need to leave for Tokyo double.

A hand touched her arm, causing her to flinch. Startled blue met calm dark eyes, and Sesshoumaru shifted in his seat beside her. She didn't remember him joining her.

"You will come to stay with me."

She blinked in surprise, "r-really? Isn't that a bit much though? I-I mean I could-"

"You're distressed, are you not?" He asked, gaze fixed on her as usual. He wore a pensive frown, as though mulling over something.

"Yeah...okay, thank you. Sorry for the trouble," she murmured, agreeing without much argument. She hugged her arms, rubbing them slightly. "I just don't understand how it got in. That dog...I know it left t-that thing. But how?"

"Perhaps this is not the work of the dog but a prank from one of the village boys," came Kaede's voice.

Kagome glanced up at the old woman lingering near the living room door. "No. It was the dog," she noticed Kaede open her mouth again and cut her off. "I just know it, okay? It did this. I feel like it's after me."

She hugged her arms tighter, missing the silent exchange between Kaede and Sesshoumaru. His large hand reached over again, this time covering her own. Kagome felt warmth emanating from it and turned frightened eyes up at him. "You're safe. This one will get your things. Rin is waiting in the car if you wish to join her."

Guilt swamped her, "ah geeze, I woke her up so late at night! I'm sorry."

He surprised her by flicking her forehead. She yelped and rubbed it, frowning at him as his lips curved up. "Cease your apologies, they are becoming tiresome."

Kagome huffed, but felt gratitude well up in her chest. Stupid kind jerk.

Soon enough, she'd helped Sesshoumaru with her bags, lugging them into the trunk of his sleek black car. Rin dozed in the backseat so Kagome left her undisturbed and instead turned to Kaede, who watched the whole thing from her porch. Sesshoumaru closed the trunk and got into the drivers seat while she jogged up to the old woman.

"Thank you for letting me stay, Keade. I wish...that thing hadn't happened, but I'm grateful all the same for the nights spent here." She forced a smile, glancing around at the dark bushes with a hint of paranoia. Keade's cold, withered hand took her own, and Kagome fought down the lurch of her stomach. Every fibre of her being rejected that touch, wanting it off. It was like a slab of chilled meat. But she forced herself to hold still, hating her reaction. True, Kaede had been grumpy and a little distant, but she'd shown her care in other ways.

Now that single, narrow eye stared at her. "Girl...you need to be very careful. Do not let yourself linger in these parts longer than another week or so."

Kagome frowned slightly. "Why not?"

"Kagome!" A bright, peppy voice reached her ears. Kagome glanced over her shoulder and smiled, waving at Rin, who beamed at her, leaning out from the window of the car. "Father says you're going to be staying with us now, I'm so happy!"

Kagome giggled, but stilled at the tense form of Sesshoumaru. He appeared to be glaring past her shoulder for some reason. She turned back to the old woman, who removed her hand and drew away inside her house.

"Kaede, what did you mean?" She tried to press, but she shook her head.

"Never you mind. Get gone, you've kept me up long enough." The door closed with a final sounding click.

She blinked, a little confused. Hearing Rin's chatter however, Kagome quickly became distracted and hurried to the car, trying to avoid inspecting the dark woods behind the hotel too closely.

Somehow Kagome was unsurprised by the size of the house, which more closely resembled a traditional Japanese mansion. It was difficult to see the structure properly what with the late hour, but just from what little she could see, the house impressed her. It stood alone in the forest, located away from the tiny village for some reason. It was nearer to the school, perched upon the same hill, but reclusive in comparison.

"It's beautiful, did you inherit it?" She asked, tone hushed.

Sesshoumaru turned off the engine, dousing them in silence. "Hn, in a way."

They exited the car, Sesshoumaru handing her the keys to the house in favour of lifting Rin out, carrying her sleeping form in his arms. Kagome smiled and turned the key, venturing inside. Feeling the walls for a light, she stilled and blushed when Sesshoumaru's free hand grasped hers and led it over to the switch. Flicking it on, Kagome blinked and glanced around at the sparse but traditional decor. There were a few paintings hung on the walls, which seemed to clash a little with the aesthetic.

After taking off her shoes and following him further in, Kagome was shown to her room, which seemed to favour blue tones. She turned in the threshold, lingering and biting her lip. She set down her bags and awkwardly watched Sesshoumaru disappear into a room with Rin, returning a few minutes later and sliding her door shut. He rose a brow at the hovering woman.

"What is it?"

"I-I guess my nerves are still a little frazzled," she murmured, cradling her hand close to her chest.

His dark eyes observed her carefully, before approaching and brushing past her into the room. He knelt by her futon and drew back the covers, gesturing to it like a patient parent ushering their child to bed.

Kagome snorted and huffed, unbuttoning her coat to reveal her nightclothes. She hadn't had a chance to change.

Goosebumps whispered over her flesh as she knelt opposite him and crawled onto the futon. "This feels weird," she pointed out bluntly.

"Hn, you worry much for such a little thing," his tone was equally flat.

Kagome drew the covers up over her lap, blushing. He lingered a little close, but she felt oddly grateful for it. Her foolish heart beat a little faster. "If I could stop having such a run of bad luck maybe I wouldn't need to worry."

"Is it bad luck?"

"I think getting stranded and chased by a wild dog qualifies, definitely."

His expression returned to pensive and quiet, keeping his thoughts locked far away from his tongue. She tried to read him but failed, opting to wear her heart on her sleeve as usual. "You've been worrying about me but, are you good? Seems like something's bothering you."

Their eyes connected, his a touch wider, before he masks his surprise. "It is nothing. This one is merely curious about earlier. What was it that made you so certain the dog was responsible?"

Kagome curled her hands into the covers, glancing at the window surreptitiously. "I don't know exactly, and it probably sounds strange but I can feel this energy whenever it's close." The moment she said it out loud it did sound strange. She expected him to make fun of her, but his eyes only sparked. His attention turned more intense, if that were possible.

"Interesting. Do you sense it now?" He asked quietly.

She tried to focus, waiting for any brush of that rippling heat, but found nothing. "No, there's nothing. Thanks for letting me stay here by the way, I feel much better," she admitted, glancing up at him coyly. "Sorry."

When his lithe fingers came up to flick her forehead again, she grabbed his hand and smiled. "Can you stay here for a little while?"

Sesshoumaru stared at her quietly, slowly shifting to cross his legs. "Very well."

Kagome eased down to lay on her futon, pulling the covers up to her nose. "Du ru funk if coud gu un?"

"I do not speak comforter," he cooly replied.

Blue eyes narrowed, before she lowered the material to under her chin. "Do you think it could get in?"

The taciturn man watched her carefully, and she felt the weight of his heavy, considering stare. "I am here, nothing will touch you." Dark eyes almost seemed to glow slightly in the faint light. Kagome blushed, but after all the uproar, felt herself relax in his presence. She noticed him turn and grab a book, quietly reading by her side as her eyes turned heavy.

The last thing Kagome saw before slipping into sleep were his eyes, lit by the faint glow of the lamp, shining honeyed gold.

Exploring her new lodgings the next day after Rin had gone to school felt a little intrusive. After all, she was staying in a home now, not a hotel. And yet Kagome couldn't quite help her curiosity. A traditional mansion! And it housed so many old fashioned things inside, some seeming like they belonged in a museum. It certainly helped to take her mind off dead rabbits, with their glassy eyes rolled back in their heads, bloodied throats torn open-

"The fuck is your problem? Why won't you just tell me?"

She jumped, having zoned out staring at the ornate sword Sesshoumaru had displayed on his wall. Looking at the window, she shifted, tiptoeing over and peering down. Sesshoumaru stood outside in the back garden, facing who she recognised to be his brother.

The foul mouthed man looked severely pissed off, gritting his teeth. "Did you get her for me or not?"

Sesshoumaru seemed to murmur something in reply, but it was so quiet she couldn't hear it. His body stood tense and still however, almost coiled tight like a snake.

"Because she looks exactly like Kikyo! Smells like her too! It could be her reincarnation!"

"Inuyasha," came the severe, slightly louder reply, a bite in his tone.

The two men seemed to square off for a moment, Inuyasha clenching his hand into a shaking fist. "Shoulda known. Of course ya didn't. Why would you?" He sneered. "So which is it, huh? This for the village? Yeah I bet that's what you told everyone. Keh...or is it for you? Is she for you?"

Kagome frowned, wondering what they were talking about. Kikyo. Hadn't Inuyasha called her that when they'd first met?

She couldn't tell if Sesshoumaru answered, but the younger brother stormed off, disappearing around the side of the house. Sesshoumaru watched him go, before quietly following.

After watching them leave, her attention strayed up, looking further in at the back garden. No rabbits in sight, but a large brown shed was tucked away in the furthermost corner. Upon closer inspection it looked a little...big to be a shed. Maybe a workshop of some kind? Though Sesshoumaru hadn't stuck her as the artistic sort. She supposed the paintings downstairs could be his.

Shaking herself, Kagome reached for her bag and took out some pills to help steady her nerves. She was going back to the school later, hellhound or not. She had a job to do.

Sesshoumaru had told her there was no need to return to work so soon, but Kagome insisted. She'd accepted his offer to escort her the school at least, but had started cleaning early, scrubbing a water-fountain. The work kept her loud mind busy. Children laughed and raced past her, their high pitched squeals making her smile.

"Hi Kagome," Rin chirped, walking over to her. Daisies were tucked into her untamed hair.

She grinned, pausing. "Hey sweetie. How's things?"

"Great, thank you! But um...are you alright? After the rabbit thing?"

A cold feeling washed over her, and Kagome fought to keep her expression neutral, failing. "Rin. Where did you hear about that?"

"Some teachers were talking about it, and then some kids in class." The little girl rooked back on her heels, "um...so, is it true the big dog brought it to you?"

Slowly nodding, Kagome set her sponge down, a little numb.

Rin put her hands into her pockets and hummed, "you know, it sounds like when a cat brings you dead birds. Like a present!"

"It's not the same-" Kagome cut herself off, not wanting to go into detail and scare the poor girl. Cats didn't open windows and deliberately place their kills out like...

Like an offering.

Kagome swallowed and stared at Rin, turning pale. "Why do you think it would bring me a rabbit though? I'm not it's owner."

She shrugged her small shoulders, "maybe it wants you to be, in a way."

With that said, Rin smiled and leaned forward, hugging her. Another chill ripped through Kagome, making her spine straighten. There was no warmth in the tiny body hugging her. She felt like a cushion that had been stuffed with chilled foods. The only sense of comfort came from the familiarity of the clothes she was wearing, but everything else felt alien, wrong. Just like when Kaede had touched her.

Rin pulled away and smiled, while Kagome could only stare blankly in cold shock. The girl's brown eyes flitted over her face, before leaving without another word.

When the sky had begun to darken once more, the students had left the grounds, leaving Kagome alone. Well, almost. Light spilling out from under one of the shut doors on the second floor caught her attention. Venturing closer, she noticed it to be the Library entrance.

Looking through the small glass window of the door, she spied Sesshoumaru sitting at a desk.

Kagome hesitated to knock. By the looks of things, he was deeply engrossed in his reading, but why he was there after hours, she couldn't say. Perhaps he'd come back after taking Rin home to make sure she'd be alright? Kagome smiled at the thought, splaying her hand on the door instead and pushing it open a touch, before pausing. Sesshoumaru's form appeared to be...glowing? The red light curled outwards, looping back into him in waves.

She stiffened when his body began to change. His image rippled and shifted, emanating that awfully familiar heat she'd sensed before. Taking a step back, the door eased shut as Kagome pressed a hand to her open mouth, chocking on a scream. The stifling heat licked at her cheeks through the door, while fur rushed over Sesshoumaru's pale skin. His face elongated into a muzzle. Eyes changed from dark, to gold to blazing red. Kagome gave a muffled cry from behind her hand, causing the large silver dog to look up, ears perking.

Turning on her heel, Kagome madly dashed away, sweat breaking out on her forehead. Her temples pounded. Not him. Not Sesshoumaru. He'd been so kind, so accommodating. She didn't want to believe it, couldn't.

The rippling energy chased her down the echoing hallways, jaws opening wide. Her heart near burst in her chest as she heard the door swing open behind her. Quickly bolting around a corner, Kagome grabbed a random door handle and yanked it open, ducking inside a classroom.

You idiot! Her mind screamed at her. The stairs. Why hadn't she ran for the stairs?

But her rabbit heart wanted a place to hide, to escape and burrow in. Kagome protested against it and dashed over to the windows. She was only on the second floor. If she needed to, she could drop from such a height. Grabbing a pair of scissors since they were the nearest sharp object, she brandished them, pushing the window up, arm shaking.

From behind the door the hallway lay silent, until a rhythmic clicking of nails scraping across the floor reached her. The faint sound of panting joined in. Kagome turned to the window and looked down at the ground. Actually it looked a little far. If she hit it the wrong way...

A shadow appeared under the doorway, accompanied by wild sniffing. The beast took several long inhales and exhales under the door, while her heart beat into over drive. She couldn't move.

After what felt like an eternity, the nose drew away from under the door, but the shadow remained. Kagome stared at it, quivering in terrified silence. Bones locked still. The beast finally moved on, the clicking and scraping of nails growing quieter.

Sinking down to the floor, Kagome trembled, clutching the scissors so tight their blunt edges bit her skin. "W-why?" She breathed, mind in a frenzy. He was the reason she'd crashed- had deliberately jumped at her and crushed her engine. Had he meant to strand her? Isolate her there at the village? And why had he left that rabbit? Fiddling with her phone, Kagome dialled for the Police, but got no reception. Lowering it, hopelessness threatened to sink heavily into her shoulders, and she shuddered alone in the shadowed room.

After shaking in a huddled mess for awhile, Kagome had chanced a look out into the hall. Seeing nothing, she'd made a break for it, right out of the school, the courtyard and further still down the hill. She didn't know where she was running to- and had no plans, but felt the burning, screaming need to get away.

Her feet sounded too loud on the road but she urged herself on, sprinting past the quaint village and following her memory. Sesshoumaru had turned his car off from the main road she'd been driving on and followed a path somewhere into the village. In the fading light of the evening, it was difficult to tell which way to turn, but the pulsing of something up ahead, almost similar to Sesshoumaru's energy urged her on.

She followed a path that her instincts approved of, and glanced up at the branches criss-crossing overhead, their shadows playing wraith-like fingers over her face. Kagome pushed herself on, legs becoming heavy as her heart hammered in her chest, lungs protesting. Coughing, Kagome skidded to a stop, swaying on her feet. Just a little more. The road had to be up ahead.

Forcing a few more steps, Kagome raised her hand, only to lurch back when it met physical resistance in the air. "W-what?" She breathed, pushing her fingers forward again.

The same invisible force resisted her hand, and no matter how much Kagome pushed against it. She couldn't break through. The energy shimmered in her mind's eye like a barrier, and though such a thing felt impossible, after witnessing that hellish transformation she didn't question it.

"Shit- what...what do I do now?" She panted, feeling something flare to life inside her chest. A strange, pure feeling comforted her slightly. Before Kagome could identify it properly, the sound of paws padding closer had her back snapping straight.

Looking over her shoulder, Kagome faced the white beast. He stood only a few paces away, staring down at her. The pale light of the moon bathed him in soft tones, making his fur shine. Those red eyes glowed brighter as they narrowed. His mouth peeled back in a silent snarl, exposing large sharp canines. Her throat tightened. Quickly reaching into her pocket, Kagome grasped the scissors, whipping them out and brandishing them like a knife. She was tired of being afraid, bone weary of it. Shoving it down, she tried to keep her hand and tone steady.

"Let me go, Sesshoumaru."

#sesskag #Sesskag fanfiction #sesshomaru #kagome higurashi #sesshoumaru x kagome #inuyasha fanfiction

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natsthinkitythinkthinkthonk · 6 years

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Happy 32nd Birthday Nobuhiko Okamoto!

Personal Note:

I’ve been preparing for a while because I wanted to make this with a lot more thought. Sorry for the length of this post. I spent quite a bit of time on it, but I didn’t realize it would get so long! He is one of my top favourite voice actors (both English and Japanese) ever. To me, he’s a relatable, awesome, and passionate inspiration. He puts his all into every role he does, and he never gives up no matter who tells him to.

I could probably go on about how much I like many of the roles he’s done, but that would be a whole other essay in itself. I even considered watching Corpse Party (the scaredy cat I am) because I heard he was in it. Yeah, I’m one of those people who gets drawn to anime when I figure out certain studios and voice actors are attached to it. I have watched a few episodes of some really bad anime because I heard he was in it. No regrets! Okay, maybe I have a few... I still haven’t watched them all though! I plan on watching a ton more, and that includes a few bad apples here and there.

Despite all the hurdles and adversity he faces, he overcomes it! He has had so many amazing roles, he sings, he’s good at shogi, and he’s just a good person. I respect him a lot. Honestly, I can’t word stuff too well, but I sincerely hope he continues working, maybe gets married and has kids (since he said he wanted to), and experiences all the happiness he deserves.

Table of Contents:

Top Roles (+ clips)

Trailblazer arrangement

Facts + Q&As

Music Recommendations

Additional Sources + other cool posts

Top Roles:

I watched to include even the ones that I didn’t watch entirely, so I put together a whole list. It’s generally not too strict in order, but I went from his good to his best. If I wanted to put a few words, I just included them in square brackets. In those, there will also be recommended clips if I feel the need to add any in.

* = ones that I haven’t watched completely (or up to its current point)

Rui Tatsumi* - Starmyu

Ivan Karelin* - Tiger and Bunny

Shin-ah - Akatsuki no Yona

[This character didn’t talk much, so he actually got to play a MOB character as well. I found this character kind of charming though.]

Mitsuo - Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou

[He’s the one who dropped the hot dog. Rest in Pieces. This anime made me laugh, and even though this character barely appeared, he made me laugh every time he did. Recommended clip: “Glasses”]

Gladion* - Pokemon Sun & Moon

[He’s actually the perfect choice to play this edgy boi.]

Yumeji Fujiwara* - Yumekui Merry

[RIP the can]

Makoto Kashino* - Yume-iro Pâtissière

[I just started this one]

Mizuki* - Kamisama Hajimemashite

[I watched six episodes of this one.]

Rei Ogami - Code:Breaker

[This wasn’t a very good anime, it’s a mediocre manga, but I still enjoyed it.]

Nikaidou Harunobu* - 3-Gatsu no Lion

[I watched around 6-8 episodes of this one. This character is a pure round boi, and I like the way Nobu portrayed this character. Recommended Clip.]

Io Otonashi* - Acchi Kocchi

[I watched around 5 episodes of this one. His bishounen game is very strong.]

Takeru Fujiwara* - Prince of Stride

[These anime characters run like how I run from my life responsibilities and problems. His bishounen game is also very strong. The strong and silent type is always popular. Sadly, I’m the quiet and extremely frail and weak type.]

Shouta Kisa* - Sekaiichi Hatsukoi

[According to Tumblr, he has never done an R-rated (18+) BLCD, but he has been in some shounen-ai anime.]

Issac Foster - Satsuriku no Tenshi

[My reaction to this anime. Don’t worry, I’m following this to the end.]

Ryousuke Kominato - Diamond no Ace

Ryou Kurokiba* - Shokugeki no Souma

Age - Sakasama no Patema

[Yeah, that’s his actual name. If you name your child something that stupid, I would personally like to have a word with you. This movie was really nice though.]

Accelerator* - Toaru Majutsu no Index

[I had to include his laugh to this]

Jurai Andou - Inobato (Inou-Battle wa Nichijou-kei no Naka de)

[And jail is just a building you live in! I can’t remember the context of this line.]

Kiyoharu Hyoudou - Welcome to the Ballroom

Yoichi Saotome* - Owari no Seraph

Eiji Niizuma* - Bakuman

[Recommended Clip]

Obi - Akagami no Shirayuki-hime

[When he looks into the mirror and realizes he’s missing his eyebrows.]

Takumi Usui* - Kaichou wa Maid-sama

Yuu Nishinoya* - Haikyuu

[Recommended Clip: ROLLING THUNDER!]

Rin Okumura - Ao no Exorcist

[He’s such a likeable protagonist. Recommended clip: Rin x Shiemi because they’re adorable]

Mikoto Mikoshiba - Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun

[This character made me laugh so much. He and Seo are my favourites. I haven’t seen another amazing anime with both Miyuki Sawashiro and Nobu. They’re my two favourites. I hope to see them acting together eventually (even if Mikorin and Seo never really communicated). Thanks to Nobu, we have a voice to this madly embarassed bishounen. Recommended Clips: Mikorin Clips, Mixer Clip]

Katsuki “Kacchan” Bakugou - Boku no Hero Academia

[Bakugou might not always be my cup of tea as a character, but his voice made me like him somewhat anyway whether he’s an asshole or not. There are a few scenes in season three that hit me with mad feels,, but even during season one and two, Nobu aced this role. This role is what shot him up to one of my favourite voice actors. Recommended Clips: Rage moments, Kacchan vs Deku audio segment (scroll down a little for this Tumblr post), Salty Bakugou S1]

Karma Akabane - Assassination Classroom

[While Bakugou is one type of crazy, Karma is another. Honestly, he’s such a sly, cunning, and mischievous character, but that’s what we all like about him, right?]

Trailblazer Arrangement:

youtube

This is my first time transcribing a song and arranging it! I improvised and made up some stuff (mostly guitar solos that just didn’t fit as well logically on piano). I usually don’t like (actually, I kinda hate) transcribing because it’s basically like trying to copy down a book that someone reads aloud (and you can’t look at the text). But it was worth doing this! He’s definitely not my favourite singer, but I’d still listen to him.

I didn't want to go with an original score for this one because I felt like I wanted to improve a lot more as a composer and artist (as if I'm qualified enough to be called those terms). When I make one for him, I want to go all out.

Facts:

I found some other interesting facts online. There are quite a few different sources. I’ll try to list them below all the facts (but I might link them to the actual facts as well. There are a lot, so there’s that.

All [Nat Notes] will be put between square brackets “[these]”.

These are all from THIS POST:

After graduating from secondary school, he entered some voice acting training courses associated with his agency (Pro-Fit) to pursue his dream as a seiyuu.

To be able to pay for his training, he worked at a 7-Eleven and a post office.

His family is very strict and conservative.

He was into video games when he was younger, but his parents were against letting him play video games and ended up limiting him to a one-hour per day time limit [THIS POOR BOI]

[Regarding his gaming] his parents told him, “If you want to play games, you can play shogi.” This ended up being the reason he started playing shogi.

He is a practicing Catholic [ironic since one of his most iconic roles is playing the son of Satan]

He’s a 3rd dan ranked shogi player, and he once aimed to be a professional shogi player.

He has a huge love for sweets. I follow his blog, and a lot of his posts involve sweets.

“His favourite [candy bar] would be Black Thunder chocolate bars (same as Kamiya Hiroshi and Ono Daisuke), and at one point, he always ends up buying Black Thunder by the box, stocking up on it, and eating up to 10 bars in one day, that his agency decided to restrict him into eating just one bar a day.” [let the poor guy eat his chocolate]

He is easily bullied by other seiyuu [check out the original post which has gifs of his mishaps]

“[While recording] …he ran away from the mic, forgetting that he was wearing headphones connected to the mic and ended up messing up the recording room, and the staff had to rearrange everything.”

He’s a big fan of Pokemon [He now plays Gladion in Pokemon Sun & Moon]

These are from “More Nobu Facts”

“As a student, he used to fall asleep on the train and miss his destinations sometimes. He thinks that it’s really comfortable to take a nap there.” [Yeah, you say that until you somehow end up in the middle of nowhere and wonder where you are and why you even exist.]

“He suffers from hay fever in the spring. Said that the symptoms kill him.” [You and me both except mine are year-round and gradually getting worse.]

“He played with Lego bricks when he was a kid.” [If he’s the type of person who left out the bricks and made people experience pain because of it, I will personally leave Lego bricks outside his door. Those things hurt when they’re unexpected.]

“He loves the indoor life.” [don’t we all…]

“He read the Harry Potter series.” [I did too! Not that I remember any of it.]

“His cute, foreign Furby only speaks English. Noburin stated, “English is very hard.”” [HOW DO PEOPLE SLEEP KNOWING THEY OWN ONE OF THOSE? I WOULD BURN IT IF I GOT ONE.]

“In elementary school, the girl he liked gave him chocolate on Valentine’s Day. He said he felt like crying from the shock.” [I haven’t experienced that. Was he happy because it was that girl who gave him chocolate or because he got free chocolate?]

“He was hospitalized before when he was a child due to a bad cold (or maybe the flu).” [Well, that diet sure doesn’t help, and I doubt screaming all the time is good for you. Weirdly, I can’t say anything more than that because I do both too except I scream internally while he does it as his profession.]

He tends to get sick within the first two weeks of October, right before his birthday. [I wish you luck!]

He likes to watch lightning and thinks that it’s cool. [I’M SO SCARED OF THUNDER]

During the summer as a kid, he liked to catch cicadas and dragonflies, and play with water guns. [SAME DUDE]

He was in the badminton club during secondary school.

These are all from his Q&A! [Part 1], [Part 2], [Part 3], [Part 4]:

I’m not going to include quotation marks for this one for the most part. I changed some awkward phrasing. I left out some questions from the original posts as well. Check the sources out!

Nickname: Pikorin

Favourite animal: Dog [Same. I love my dog, Penny. She’s my little sister. I have no shame.]

What are you fond of?: Squirrels [why?]

Description of your personality: Moody [Same.]

Favourite Colour: Black

Health and Beauty Routine: I drink two cups of milk in the morning and do squats two times a day.

First thing you do in the morning?: Rinse your mouth

First thing you wash in the bath: Face

Amount of sleep you get: 4 hours on the weekdays, 10 hours on the weekend [I wouldn’t live with that kind of schedule.]

Rain or sunshine: Rain!

What did you play as a child?: I slid down the slide and got many scratches. [I ran up slides a lot in elementary school]

Something you’re proud of: “I have a shiny legendary Pokemon.” [I ALMOST NEVER GET SHINIES. LET ALONE LEGENDARY ONES. THAT’S AN ACCOMPLISHMENT RIGHT THERE. The chances of getting one kinda vary, but it’s less than 0.1% I think.]

Favourite school subject: Math [Can’t relate. I’m dumb.]

Least favourite school subject: Civics

Best school memory?: I won a badminton tournament. [Can’t relate. I’m a blob.]

Previous part-time jobs: [...]post office, fast food, convenience store and then accounting, I’ve done different jobs.

If you could be reborn, would you be a man or woman? A woman!

Who was your first love?: We were in elementary school, in the same class. [Related post]

Any gesture of women unnerving to you?: My heart skips a beat when ousted or “shooed” by hand. [He gets shooed like a bug XD]

Where would you go for a date?: Tokyo Disney Sea. [You know you’re at the height of luxury when you can afford to take someone there. I want someone to take me to Disneyland or Disney World, or a Disney Cruise.]

Morning person or night person?: Morning person. [Can’t relate.]

If you could drive to any time period, what would it be?: Jurassic Period! [If it just so happens you do, *pats* it was nice knowing you (even though he doesn’t know me). He’ll get eaten by a dinosaur.]

If you were stranded on a deserted island, what would you want there with you?: My Nintendo DS or PSP. [Good luck without a charger or electricity. What games would he bring though?]

Favourite music genre: Anime songs [Me too fam.]

Do you play any instruments? No, playing the F chord on the guitar is my limit. [I like playing and creating music. I’m just not any good at it. XD He should try learning though!]

Favourite sports: swimming and badminton [I’m not good at swimming. I’m not good at badminton. I’m not good at sports.]

Sweets you usually eat: Macarons and chocolate-related sweets [AYE, that’s pretty much my taste too, so we pretty much have similar taste.]

Something you’re self-conscious about: The thickness of my eyebrows. [If his eyebrows were ugly, I would’ve commented on that already. XD (I usually say something along the lines of, “Is that a caterpillar on your face? It’s so thick and bushy! It looks like you took hair from your head and put it on your eyebrow! Maybe you can’t grow facial hair because all of it goes to those eyebrows.”)]

What will you do when and if only you became an invisible man one day?: Secretly observe Sugita Tomokazu-san. [Well, alright then. Fangirls have some competition? More importantly, Nakamura has competition!]

What’s the scariest thing to you?: In a sense, the most intimidating people. [All people are intimidating for me O^O’]

What is the title of the first game you’ve ever played in your life?: “Super Mario World”. [For me, it was Pokemon Pearl]

What would you be if you went into the fantasy world?: A witch. [Nobu, defying gender barriers. He’ll be a fabulous witch. I would similarly want to be a mage.]

What if I want to use a weapon to fight monsters?: Bow, crossbow. [I would want to use magic or a sword!]

Favourite season?: Spring. [I like winter because plants are dead (I have extremely bad allergies), snow, Christmas, my birthday, and New Year’s!]

At what spot do you like to linger around?: Starbucks. [Again, the height of luxury is when you’re able to afford Starbucks regularly.]

How’s your tolerance to alcohol?: I can’t drink much. [I don’t drink]

What good books do you usually read?: Original works that are adapted into anime. [I don’t read a lot. I’m an illiterate fool.]

What do you buy at convenience stores?: Fresh premium caramel roll cake. [I wish they had those in Canada…]

Favourite place in the country?: Okinawa. [I gotta go there someday!]

What countries do you want to go abroad?: Italy. [He recently said he wants to go to Italy for gelato and to be honest, I relate. Europe has good chocolate and cheese from what I hear.]

What are the challenges to your trip destinations like?: Pickpockets like to snatch! [He better watch out for those vans that say “Free Candy!” They might be meant for kids, but he might just stumble in.]

Are you nervous in public?: Recently it’s been okay; still nervous during events. [I’m always nervous in public. I would like to attend an event by the end of my life though.]

What would you tell your past-self (10 years ago)?: “Don’t give up and eat your dinner properly!” [I tell that to myself now XD If I were to send a message to myself, it would be something along the lines of, “What you feel, what you think, and what you believe is important. Listen to yourself. At the end of the day, you will figure out what to do. Don’t be afraid of being alone, and don’t be afraid to wander. Loosen up.”]

What would you message to your future-self (10 years from now)?: “The you in his twenties is having lots of fun. Are you having fun?” [Message for me ten years from now: PLEASE TELL ME YOU AREN’T AS DEEP INTO VOICE ACTORS AND ANIMATION. I BEG YOU, GET A LIFE.]

If the world was going to perish in 24 hours, what would you do? Gather all my friends and family, and have a BBQ party. [I would just write something in case it resurfaces. I would want to write my thoughts, opinions, and experiences along with the people around me.]

Where do you want to work?: A place where I could grow. [Same!]

What are your thoughts when you look back at 2010? I issued a sex appeal to play [Usui], and worked hard to reach the targets! [From the amount of screaming fangirls, I think you did just fine.]

What is your current aim?: To be more playful and get more out of acting.

Finally, a message to the world: I’ll work hard from now on to make a voice that everyone will not have a hard time to listen to. Thank you for your support! [Thank you Nobu! You inspire a lot of people (including me) everyday!]

Additional Facts! [SOURCES WILL BE LISTED BELOW!]

He likes watching horror movies (especially with his friends Ryouhei Kimura, Kouki Uchiyama, and Yoshimasa Hosoya. Kouki is a scaredy-cat.) When watching a horror movie, he experienced scary unknown noises and used salt to ward away ghosts.

His birthdate is October 24, 1986

He is 168cm tall

He is affiliated with the agency Pro-Fit

He won: - Best New Actor Award at the Third Seiyu Awards for his roles as Shin Kanzato in Persona: Trinity Soul, Ryuji Kuhoin in Kurenai, and Accelerator in Toaru Majutsu no Index (along with Yuuki Kaji!) - Best Supporting Actor Award at the Fifth Seiyu Awards for his roles as Takumi Usui in Kaichou wa Maid-Sama, Eiji Niizuma in Bakuman, and Accelerator in Toaru Majutsu no Index II

He loves sweets... a lot: - He’s a qualified patisserie - Where his love of sweets came from [I can also say that is a good portion of his blog]

He tried to be rebellious as a kid but got “clobbered” by his mom.

He would purposefully wear long-sleeves while in the hot recording room for “My Hero Academia” so that he would be agitated enough to play Kacchan!

He adds chocolate to his curry sometimes

He gave Ayane Sakura the nickname “Ayaneru”

He often celebrates fictional characters’ birthdays on his blog for series that he’s involved with!

He was once told to give up on being a voice actor!

youtube

Thank you for not giving up Nobu!

Music:

月刊少女野崎君-俺の手でSPARKING!! 御子柴實琴(CV:岡本信彦) - Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun: Mikorin Character Song

Kamisama Hajimemashita: Mizuki Character Song

Welcome to the Ballroom: Kiyoharu Hyoudou Character Song

『サクラメント』By Okamoto Nobuhiko Ending for Vatican Miracle Examiner

Promise - Kaichou wa Maid-sama: Takumi Usui Character Song

Restoration to 0 - Code:Breaker: Rei Ogami Character Song

Tiger and Bunny: Character Song

スタミュ Starmyu S2 Shadow & Lights 「沈黙のディアローグ」Ver. Tatsumi Rui

Blue Flame - Prince of Stride: Takeru Fujiwara Character Song

99.9% Noisy - To Aru Majutsu no Index: Accelerator character song

Oikaze ni Tsugu - Diamond no Ace: Kominato Ryosuke

Trailblazer - Ao no Exorcist

Kimi wa Hitori Janai

List of Links (Sources and other cool stuff!):

Some of the links were included in the actual facts themselves! If a source and other stuff is missing, they’re included above!

Voice Compilations:

25 Anime Characters That Share The Same Voice Actor as Boku no Hero Academia's Bakugou Katsuki

Voice Compilation [ 1 ], [ 2 ]

Wikipedia:

Nobuhiko Okamoto

3rd Seiyuu Awards

5th Seiyuu Awards

Haikyuu Stuff:

Haikyuu Awards Basically, they got the fans to nominate for awards like “Who’s the best dressed?” Then the cast got to comment (and maybe get praised by the two female cast members)

“Imagination Game” - Seiyuu Event Long story short: to win a pair of Karasuno boxers, the voice actors must answer all the same character when asked something like, “Out of the Karasuno team, who’s the most likely to [blank]”

Cast Pictures

Drama CD: Why Noya isn’t popular with women (This one is because I fricking relate because I’m too short for this tall world)

“Who’s Best Girl?” - Cast Comments + Nobuhiko’s comments [video with cc]

Nobuhiko Okamoto & Yuuki Kaji being bros [ 1 ], [ 2 ], [ 3 ], [ 4 ], [That time they challenged a Guinness World record], [Nobuhiko’s message for Yuuki Kaji’s 30th birthday]

Nobuhiko’s athletic ability

Kouki Uchiyama, Daiki Yamashita, Nobuhiko Okamoto: [Comic] BNHA Cast Comments

Daiki lending Nobuhiko his jacket (this can potentially fuel Bakudeku fanfics. I can feel it.)

Nishinoya and Bakugou at Jump Festa

#Nobuhiko Okamoto #HAPPY BIRTHDAY #seiyuu #don't ask how long I spent on this #seiyuu facts #seiyuu songs #seiyuu roles #too many tags too little time

17 notes · View notes

irkimatsu · 6 years

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All right, all right, let's do this... Eurovision rankings! Well, not so much a ranking because I'm putting them in alphabetical order by country, but little blurbs about how I feel about each song after looping the playlist for a couple of weeks, and what category I'm going to place them in. As a refresher:

Love: Top five. My absolute favorite songs, and the ones I'll do anything to see win or at least perform well. Caps and italic for my special, number one love.

Like: Didn't quite make it to the top five, but I still like it a lot! I'll probably keep it even after the Contest is over.

Okay: I can see its merit, and maybe I like an element or two of it, but overall, it just doesn't click with me and I won't miss it if it fails the semi. I’ll get it if it does make it, though.

Indifferent: I just can't bring myself to give a shit about it, and I really don't want to see it in the semi, especially not at the expense of a Loved song. Not so annoying that I can't stand to listen to it, but it doesn't bring me any joy, either.

Surprisingly, three categories won't be used this time - I can finally retire "bias" because there's no goofy/boring songs that I only like because they remind me of fandom; there aren't any songs that I feel make my life worse, so "hate" won't be used (good, after I embarrassed myself last year by putting the eventual winner there); and while there is a song for the "what" category, there always is in Eurovision... well... you'll see.

Okay, let's roll!

Albania: "Mall" by Eugent Bushpepa - Sorry, not feeling it. Indifferent.

Armenia: "Qami" by Sevak Khanagyan - I can tell he's trying, but like the above, this just isn't my thing and I'm not gonna linger on it. Indifferent.

Austria: "Nobody But You" by Cesar Sampson - Meh. There's worse, but there's better. I like the chorus well enough, mainly the way it bursts, but by the time it comes up, I'm bored. I'll say Okay for that.

Australia: "We Got Love" by Jessica Mauboy - After two years of not giving a shit about Australia and not understanding why they're still here, they've won me over again! I like cute, upbeat things like this. Like!

Azerbaijan: "X My Heart" by Aisel - It's cute enough! I don't think it stands out super well, but it still has a certain charm to it. Let's say Okay.

Belarus: "Forever" by Alekseev - Eh, it grew on me. I like synths, what can I say. Like. Maybe on the lower end of Like, since it does get outshone by a lot of other stuff I enjoy, but I don't feel right putting it in Okay, either.

Belgium: "A Matter Of Time" by Sennek - Reminds me of a Bond song. Sometimes I'm in the mood for that, so it's good for then, but "Rise Like A Phoenix" did it way better. Okay, because I'm feeling generous.

Bulgaria: "Bones" by Equinox - A little on the mellow side, but it has a calming effect I do enjoy. There's just better electronica out there, is all. Okay.

Croatia: "Crazy" by Franka - I do like the soulful element of it! It's not quite my thing, but I appreciate it for what it is, and if it has a major fanbase, I can understand why. Okay!

Cyprus: "Fuego" by Eleni Foureira - Something about this song hits me in all the right places. Fun as hell to walk to, fun as hell to sing along to, this one was a latecomer to my top five but now I can't make it leave. Love!

Czech Republic: "Lie To Me" Mikolas Josef - when I first heard this, I thought of it as a combination of "Don't" by Ed Sheeran, a song I like well enough when it's on the radio but never seek out on its own; and "Talk Dirty" by Jason Derulo, a song I can't stand. So why, why did this climb my ranking so quickly? It's such a damn earworm! I love it so much, Love, Love, Love! I think my only real complaints is all the f-bombs - not because I'm sensitive to cursing, but because I'm wondering how he's going to handle that on stage... I found a stage performance where he just went quiet instead of replacing them, and it just sounds awkward...

Denmark: "Higher Ground" by Rasmussen - Oh, this is awesome. Vikings! I had a bit of a viking phase in high school... blame E-type. I just love how grand this sounds, and I'm looking forward to seeing it on stage! Like! (As an aside... Sannie of Whigfield was also in the qualifiers, and while normally I'd be morally obligated to cheer for a Eurodance darling... "Boys On Girls" sucks, even by my cheesy standards. No way did it deserve to win over this. No Dolly Style flavored bitterness here!)

Estonia: "La Forza" by Elina Nechayeva - On one hand, this may not be my type of music... but holy shit, for something that's not my type of music, it's put together well! I'm impressed! I'm gonna say Okay just because I can't see myself keeping it after the Contest, but I wouldn't fault anyone if it won. The woman can belt! It's impressive!

Finland: "Monsters" by Saara Aalto - I kept putting this on and off my top five due to another song it was rotating with, but it finally landed on and hasn't moved since! Of course it's written by the same team that brought us "Heroes" in 2015! It's just one of those songs where I feel the music so deeply, and I love the mental illness awareness (according to another site I read), and I just... yes, yes, go Finland. Love!

France: "Mercy" by Madame Monsieur - This wins the questionable honor of being one of those songs that I can never remember no matter how many times it comes up. There's nothing wrong with it, I just don't care. There's worse, but I'm still Indifferent to it.

Germany: "You Let Me Walk Alone" by Michael Schulte - ...oh. Oh dear. I feel like I should at least be kind to this song, since it's about his dead father... I appreciate that sentiment, I can see it doing well on that merit, it's probably more artistically valid than something like "Lie To Me"... but I don't like it! I can not make myself care about this! Indifferent! Sorry! Don't kill me!

Georgia: "For You" by Iriao - No. I can't even think of anything interesting to say about it. No. I'm sure it's culturally relevant, and that's very nice for it and Eurovision should always have those songs... but that doesn't stop them from boring me to tears. Indifferent.

Greece: "Oneiro Mou" by Gianna Terzi - I'll call it a low Okay because I like it more than, say, Georgia or Armenia, but it's a cold compliment. I just feel bad for typing Indifferent on most of the non-English ones and this is one I felt like being nice to. Um... I like the strings?

Hungary: "Viszlat Nyar" by AWS - Holy shit this goes hard. I'm fussy about my rock, but damn, this is really, really good! There, I'm saying really nice things about a non-English song! I'd love to see this in the final for a change of pace! Like!

Iceland: "Our Choice" by Ari Olafsson - This song bores the crap out of a friend of mine, and god, I understand why. There's nothing here. When she said her least favorite was Iceland, I couldn't even remember what Iceland sent, and when I looked it up... yeah, this isn't noteworthy at all. Except for that screech toward the end, but I wouldn't exactly call that a point in this song's favor. Indifferent.

Ireland: "Together" by Ryan O'Shaughnessy - Ugh, boring. Sorry, no thanks. This doesn't grab me at all; this type of music never has a chance with me. Indifferent.

Israel: "Toy" by Netta - I love you, chicken lady! By all rights, this song belongs firmly in "What", between the chicken noises and all the pop culture references... but god, from the first time I listened to it, I've been hooked! It was the second or third song I listened to, and I got so stuck on it that it took a while for me to move on! This is LOVE, no doubt, and while I'm extremely surprised that a lot of people seem to agree with me, I'm not disappointed! Go Israel! ...isn't there a rule against mentioning copyrighted stuff, though? I remember when they had to change a line in "Cheesecake" because it mentioned Google... I wonder what'll happen here...?

Italy: "Non Mi Avete Fatto Niente" by Ermal Meta & Fabrizio Moro - I have a soft spot for how the Italian language sounds. Is it because I grew up with an Eiffel 65 CD as my first non-English album? Who knows! In any case, I like the vocal track on this a lot, and the music's no slouch, either, so for that, Like!

Latvia: "Funny Girl" by Laura Rizzotto - Oof, this one hurts. It's just so bitter and mournful... it gets what it needs done damn well, and I feel so bad for the narrator. Like, definitely. I like a good, angsty story.

Lithuania: "When We're Old" by Ieva Zasiauskaite - When I first listened to this song, I got hit by such a wave of feelings that I can't shake them even now. If those feelings were for a fictional character, I'd immediately pitch this into "bias", but since they're for a real person I love very, very much... it's a Like, even if I wouldn't say that about a song that sounds like this if the lyrics were about anything else. Leave me alone, I'm gay.

Macedonia: "Lost and Found" by Eye Cue - I like that tropical beat going on in the background, and the way it switches on and off. The whole song brings a smile to my face, and I'll give it a Like!

Malta: "Taboo" by Christabelle - It hits in all the right places, and what i mean when I call a song a builder. I love how it climbs at the minute point. Like!

Moldova: "My Lucky Day" by DoReDoS - I saw someone insult this song by saying it's no longer 2004, but to me, who grew up drenched in 2000′s Europop, that's a high compliment. Like "Toy", this one latched onto me the instant I first listened to it - maybe not quite as hard, but if "Toy" wasn't here, I'd have no complaints about making this my favorite. My... number one, so to speak! Love! (Also, anyone who has known me for more than 20 minutes and who has very basic Japanese knowledge would know why "number one" is one of my favorite compliments)

Montenegro: "Inje" by Vanja Radovanovic - Montenegro and I will never be friends. I've never, ever hoped for them to be in a final, they've always been either criminally bizarre or criminally boring... I just wish they stuck with being bizarre twice in a row. Sorry, Indifferent, this isn't my thing at all.

The Netherlands: "Outlaw In 'Em" by Waylon - If we had to have a country song this year, it could have have been far worse. It's another one that kinda grew on me for what it is. I get weirdly into it sometimes! You know what, I'll call this one a Like! I like it way better than predecessors like "Calm After The Storm" and "Slow Down", at any rate!

Norway: "That's How You Write A Song" by Alexander Rybak - Can I say something controversial here? I like this better than "Fairytale". Now, to make it clear, "Fairytale" is probably better, artistically - but I don't rank by art, I rank by fun, and while I do like "Fairytale" and believe it deserved the record it set, I have more fun with this one. It just barely missed my top five thanks to Finland, but I still really Like it, and I'm looking forward to how it does!

Poland: "Light Me Up" by Gromee feat. Lukas Meijer - A fun little electronic thing! It's nothing spectacular, but I do really like the instrumental break. I'm feeling generous, let's call this one a Like.

Portugal: "O Jardim" by Claudia Pascoal - Portugal could stop competing in Eurovision and I wouldn't even notice. I'm serious - I'm constantly forgetting if they really did skip 2016 or if their song that year just made that little of an impression on me. This year hasn't changed a thing. Indifferent.

Romania: "Goodbye" by The Humans - This is one of those songs that I enjoy eventually, but it's annoying that it takes me half the song to get there, and I don't even find the latter half all that spectacular. It's just interesting enough to carry it up to Okay territory, and then it settles in there.

Russia: "I Won't Break" by Julia Samojlova - Congrats on actually getting to sing this time, Julia! Your song is... all right! It's Okay! Still proud of you for making it, though, even if I'm not overly excited about it!

San Marino: "Who We Are" by Jessika feat. Jenifer Brening - Oh this video is goofy. I love San Marino when they're goofy. It's no "Spirit Of The Night", but I don't think we're ever getting another "Spirit Of The Night", and the song's still fun. The rapping is hard to take seriously, but it adds a bit of cheesy flavor, and I do appreciate that. Firm Like!

Serbia: "Nova Deca" by Sanja Ilić & Balkanika - I have taken a full 90 seconds to think of anything to say about this, at which point the cool beat kicked in. I like the cool beat. Okay. I don’t like being mean to all the non-English ones, I gotta say something nice, all right?

Slovenia: "Hvala Ne" by Lea Sirk - This doesn't sound bad at all at first, but something about it gets old by the time it ends - it's like one catchy sound that wears its welcome quickly. Sometimes I get into it, sometimes I'm just not in the mood and I zone out. Okay.

Spain: "Tu Cancion" by Amaia & Alfred: Bored. Not as bored as when I listen to Portugal, but still bored. Indifferent.

Sweden: "Dance You Off" by Benjamin Ingrosso - Hello, low-rent Justin Timberlake! Okay, more like mid-rent? It's not like it's a bad song. Not the most fun "would fit in on American party radio" song ever in Eurovision, but it somehow clicks anyway. Probably a low Like, but a Like all the same!

Switzerland: "Stones" by ZiBBZ - It's not a major standout for me, but I can't say I dislike it, either. I can see why people like it! But I'm gonna say Okay, in a way that says more about its competition than the song itself. I far from hate it, but I can't quite put my finger on anything specific I love, either, so I'll put it there.

Ukraine: "Under The Ladder" by Melovin - It's a catchy one! I like how much life this one has to it. Like!

United Kingdom: Ah, hell, it's a cute one, so why not! I don't have much to say about it, but I think I Like it.

Songs in Like/Okay/Indifferent are capable of sliding into categories one above or below themselves, based on my generosity levels, mood, and, I dunno, my digestive status or something. My Loves are locked, though. No matter how politely Norway asks.

Looking forward to the show! And by that, I mean I'm looking forward to finding the results after I get home that Saturday!

#irk blubbers about nothing #irk talks eurovision 2018

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