#anyways. aya appreciation time

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

If no one else is going to tell Aya they're proud of her then I WILL

Actually, it's pretty obvious Bram appreciates her. So yeah, Bram and I are going to throw an Aya appreciation party please rsvp

[thedrotter]

as a little treat i am sharing with you little Aya doodles I've done over the last few days to unwind ww just little expressions based on lines in-game because those are always fun to draw. nothing too special just biscuit

it's Aya because upon doing bizarrely throughout playthroughs of the game for still unspecified project purposes I've gained a soft spot for her she's my daughter now my mental tier list on my favorite characters is so confusing right now

[hioriri]

-twins-

featured character ☆ itoshi rin (rin is over 18, so is reader.) 

tag(s): fluff! ☆

divider @cafekitsune

just imagining rin as a father 🥹

        Rin was in standing front of the two twins, Ritsu and Aya, whom were sitting together on their highchair and had just finished eating. The two probably played with their food, since their faces and small hands were covered in sweet mashed potato. You were in the kitchen, preparing to cut some fruits for your two beloved toddlers. Now, perhaps Rin was feeling a little jealous since Aya and Ritsu both said "Mama" first. Somehow, Aya started saying "Mama" first but sooner than later, Ritsu also started saying "Mama". Rin tried his best not to show it, but deep down, even you knew he was a little envious. Although you had tried to get the twins to say "Dada" they were far too stubborn and would often just speak gibberish.  

        "Mama!" Aya called out randomly. "Yes, baby?" you reply "Mamaaaa!" Aya screamed. Whilst Aya was screaming and laughing, Rin happened to get Ritsu's attention. "Say 'dada'" "Ma...ma" Ritsu proceeded to utter out. Rin sighed, then smiled. "No, say 'dada'." "Mama!" the two of them giggled. Ritsu was sticking out his two tiny hands in front of Rin, surely it was a sign of something. Rin's right hand approached towards Ritsu, and he happily held onto Rin's index finger tightly, with two of his small hands and smiled. Out of the blue, he started bursting into tears and wailed "Mamaaaaa!!" Rin tried his best to calm him down by grabbing a turquoise bunny and waving it towards Ritsu, he smiled again. Sure, it stopped his tears for a few minutes, until Aya started to whine and kick and cry, and of course, was soon joined by Ritsu once more. Rin was panicking, he had no idea how to calm them down and he knows the two of them absolutely hate pacifiers. After their hearing troubled wails, you quickly rushed to the dining table. The moment the twins saw you, they just stopped their tears in an instant. The expression on Rin's face was just in shock, it was a little funny.

        You head back to the kitchen when the twins calmed down and gave them both a bowl with berries in it. Aya kept squashing the blueberries with her fingers, (perhaps she doesn't like them very much), and Ritsu just stared at her, laughing. Suddenly, Aya slowly looked up. She kept staring at Rin and finally uttered out a word. "Da...Da!" you looked at Rin with a smile, "She finally said it!" you exclaim and at the same time, clapping your hands together. A smile creeped up on Rin's face. "You said it!" At last, when the two of them finished their bowl of berries and after Aya squashing all of the blueberries, they were both tired and almost dozed off. You and Rin carried your adorable toddlers to their bed so they could sleep. Ritsu, who was still a little more awake than his sister, said one word; "Da." 

༊*·˚ 

        As soon as the two of you tucked them in, they were sleeping soundly. You hugged Rin tightly for a long period of time, and gave him a peck on the cheeks. "I love you, Rin." "I love you too." You and him both quickly fell asleep afterwards. \

omg, just imagining this had me giggling so much. anyways, i hope you enjoyed this short drabble.

-fuyuko

©fuyukohasnocreativity do not copy, repost, or translate. likes and reblogs are accepted and appreciated!

[seuonji]

彡 uncomfortable shoes.

notes ๑ headcanons! you wore uncomfortable shoes on your date with your bf, how did they react?

genre ๑ fluff

warnings ๑ non

word count ๑ 0.4k

from aya: please reblog if you enjoyed! feedback is always appreciated<3

seungcheol/jun/minghao scolded you as he was taking off the shoes he was wearing so that you could wear them.

“i told you were were going to walk a lot today yet you still wore them!” he calmly scolded as he pushed his shoes towards your feet before helping you take off the shoes you were currently wearing.

“babe, what are you going to wear?”

“i’m sure well find a store nearby. i’ll buy sandals there but gosh, buy comfortable shoes next time.”

“but these looked cute!”

jun would definitely exaggerate, “you need to take care of your feet, what if the apocalypse comes? youre going to be wishing you wore comfortable shoes.”

“that’s an abnormal thought…”

he ends up buying you new shoes instead of himself just cause he knows you’d never buy it yourself.

+

jeonghan/mingyu/minghao/chan would probably just nod as he sees you wince in pain. i feel like they’ve pushed the ‘style over comfort’ agenda before so as much as they do feel bad, it’s a ‘it is what it is’ situation— anyways, you can rest at home!

+

jeonghan/jihoon/seungkwan doesn’t do anything for the first two hours just so that you learn your lesson but after a while, he’ll eventually lend you his shoes until you find a store that sells footwear.

+

joshua carried a pair of sandals in his bag in the case something like this occurred. he tends to analyse your habits and so when he happened to notice your grimace every time you wore those specific shoes, he started to make a mental note to bring backups so that you don’t suffer the whole date.

+

soonyoung/mingyu/chan def threatens to carry you the whole date. he claims ‘it might be romantic’ but you both know damn well it would become uncomfortable after a few blocks. eventually he offered to go back home to get you better shoes or he just buys you new ones.

+

soonyoung/wonwoo/jihoon/seokmin puts so much effort into finding a bench for you to sit on. if there really isn’t any he’d stop walking for awhile so you can rest. he would offer that you sit on his feet if you’re really that affected.

while you two rest, he’d give a lecture about why you should wear comfortable shoes like how seungcheol/jun/minghao did. however, they’re a lot more nicer and gentle with it.

+

minghao/seungkwan/vernon helps you not put much too weight on your feet so he’d either hold you by your arm which gives some support or he’d place your arm around his shoulders allowing most of your weight to be on him. he’d hope it’s actually helping but anyways it’ll only last until he buys you some ugly slippers at a random store you guys find along the way as a way to make you learn from your mistakes.

[pekoeboo]

ghfdgnjfgn some Antony scribbles because I can't be bothered to clean up anything I draw rn. was thinking about some of the stuff that happens in Act III of HIWYA and hurting myself over it :c so I had to get some rough arts out.

poor boy ends up getting kidnapped upon first arriving in Bocca and it takes some time before he's eventually reunited with Khalan and Aya;;; all of that just hurts my heart so much ughhhh ;n;; some important story beats happen as a result of that situation that I don't feel like explaining right now because I just don't have the brain power for that >n<;; but I hope u guys can still appreciate the Emotional Pain™ anyway.

lower left sketch is kinda random, tho. mostly just wanted to draw his eyes again because I like adding the little eyelashes :'0 yeyeee~

please do not repost. (reblogs are okay) also on deviantart

[qballqueue]

I haven't watched anime (or any show, really) for a while, but fuck man, Undead Girl Murder Farce really got me hooked, and I think it's mostly down to its two lead characters.

Like, yeah, the premise of the show itself is good. It's fucking excellent; a pair of Japanese yokai travel to Europe to solve Monster Crime™ is an instant grab for fans of horror, paranormal, and mystery (of which I am all three), but from episode to episode I keep finding myself drawn specifically to the main duo and their antics.

First you have Tsugaru, a man who, thanks to being half-oni, will have his life cut prematurely. But rather than him being mopey, he's decided to just have a good time while it lasts. If the candle is burning twice as fast anyways, he's going to make sure it burns twice as bright no matter the circumstance.

And on the other hand you have Aya. Unlike Tsugaru, she's immortal, but has decided--now that she's a severed head--that life isn't worth living without a body. It's a cold and logical decision that she only changes her mind about once Tsugaru convinces her that there's a chance to get her body back.

And despite their very, very different circumstances and methods of thought, what makes them the most entertaining to me is how similar they are.

Both of their perspectives give them a sort of detachment to the world, because for both of them (for different reasons) anything that happens, no matter how shocking or tragic, is only temporary. Which leaves them free to react to almost any situation however they want. This is best demonstrated through their shared interest in gallows humour.

That last one in particular is of note, because that bit they're doing happens in the middle of them questioning a man about his dead wife.

And it's not just that they make jokes in dire circumstances; they laugh at each other's jokes too, showing appreciation for the other's sense of humour.

We're only seven episodes in at the time of writing, but it also seems so far like they're both good examples of static character arcs. In other words, they're characters that don't necessarily develop a lot over the course of the story, but do develop the world around them through their actions. Another good example of a character like that is Sherlock Holmes, which is a hell of a coincidence because he's also a character in this show. But it makes sense for Tsugaru and Aya because of their detachment. They can't really be shaped by the world if they're rarely affected by anything in it.

The issue that typically arises from characters like that (at least I find) is that, without becoming interesting over the course of the story, static characters need to start their stories by being interesting, which Tsugaru and Aya both do extremely effectively. We haven't gotten a ton of their backstories yet, but it's pretty clear from everything they do and everything they say what kind of people they are and how they think, and that is fantastic character writing.

TL;DR: watch Undead Girl Murder Farce (or Undead Murder Farce? The anime seems to have dropped 'girl' from the title) because it's really fucking good.

[dawneternal]

The Benevolent | Bonus Scene | 7.5

☁︎ notes: so this chapter wasn't in the original outline but I wanted to write it anyways. It takes place the morning after the High Lords meeting.

the next full chapter should be out in the next few days:)

no warnings, but minimal editing.

☁︎ word count: 1.2k

☁︎ Ao3 Link / Masterlist

☁︎ taglist: @cauldronblssd @teddyhoneybear @tele86 @mybestfriendmademe @imma-too-many-fandoms @allyjoe755 @milswrites @shadowdaddies @zenkindoflove @landofpetrichor @secret-third-thing @bookwormysblog @mal-adaptive-dreams @daycourtofficial

Aya woke to the tapping of tiny, rough feet on her arm. It had been a long while since Svala had woken her with a message. When she did not immediately roll over, Svala squeaked and tapped at Aya's head with her beak. Not enough to hurt, but enough to be plenty annoying. 

"Yes, Svala, fine," Aya sat up and faced the little bird, her feathers gleaming like copper in the morning sun. Aya took the message from the tiny pack and unrolled it. 

Tea with Zoren and I please. 

Aya chewed her lip. It had also been a long time since she'd had morning tea with Thesan. She ran through scenarios in her mind, thinking of anything he may want to speak about. He couldn't possibly know...could he? 

Svala gave another squeak and Aya realized she'd been waiting to be pet and she couldn't help smiling as the bird melted into her touch. Like Svala had missed her, too. 

⋆｡˚ ☁︎ ˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆

Aya landed on Thesan's balcony, shivering as she passed through his layers of wards. Thesan and Zoren were sitting at his mosaic tea table, Thesan looking solemnly at some report, and Zoren looking half asleep. 

"Morning," Aya mumbled, plopping down into a chair and grabbing a muffin from the array of breakfast foods. She'd stayed in her pajamas, wrapping a silk robe around herself and slipping on some comfortable shoes. 

Zoren hummed in response, his eyes closed as he rested the back of his head against his chair, basking in the gentle sun. For a Dawn Court citizen, Zoren did not appreciate the morning very much.

"Long day yesterday?" Thesan asked, not looking up from his report. 

Aya paused, muffin halfway to her mouth. Zoren popped one eye open, looking back and forth between Thesan and Aya. 

"What do you mean?" Aya asked. But she knew exactly what game he was playing and it was one of her least favorites. 

Thesan shrugged, eyes sliding up from his paper to meet his gaze.

"I just thought maybe we should catch up."

Aya let out a long sigh, taking a generous bite of pastry to stall for time. He wanted her to say it first. She took her time chewing, letting the quiet settle. Thesan took the challenge, also refusing to speak. Zoren hated when they engaged in these silent battles, shifting uncomfortably in his chair. But he had learned that even if he intervened and broke the silent streak, they would just ignore him. Neither of them would talk until they were ready. 

Aya finally swallowed and took a long sip of tea, savoring the taste.

"You didn't tell me I couldn't mingle," She started, setting her cup down with an authoritative clink.

Zoren opened his eyes at that, waiting for Thesan's reaction. Thesan looked up from the papers, brows drawing together.

"And Tarquin was a gentlemen," She continued, "But even if he did go a less-gentlemanly route with his attention, I don't think that's any of your business-"

"Tarquin?!" Thesan sputtered, papers fluttering to the table. Zoren hid his amused grin behind his hand, fooling absolutely nobody. 

"That's not what you're grumpy about?" Aya asked, shrinking in her chair a little. This is why she hated this game. If she guessed the wrong reason for Thesan's mood, she ended up telling on herself. 

"You slept with Tarquin?" Thesan demanded, a hand flattening on the table, sloshing tea from it's delicate cup. 

"No," Aya cried, "That's what I was just saying. And that even I did, it doesn't matter because you didn't say anything about the parties, only the meeting-"

Thesan held up his other hand, closing his eyes and heaving a deep breath. Zoren flashed Aya a look, one that thanked her for adding interest to his morning. And one that suggested he'd find her later for the details. Aya pursed her lips to suppress a smile. 

"Okay, that's not why I asked you here." He opened his eyes, a mask of calm in place, the protective older cousin in him still raging under the surface. 

"Then can you just tell me, Thesan?" Aya sighed, resting her chin in her hand. 

"Can you tell me why the guards found a thermos in a secluded spot above the meeting room?"

Aya’s heart stuttered. Was it worth it to try and lie? 

"Um, no, I have no idea," Aya brought her gaze down to her muffin again, suddenly transfixed with picking out every chocolate chip. 

"Aya, please be honest. Because if it wasn't you, I will need to launch a full investigation and inform the other High Lords about a potential spy."

So Eris was right, then. That fact did nothing to calm her terrible mood. 

Aya swallowed hard. "It was me."

Thesan's nostrils flared and his lips flattened into a thin line. Aya suspected that he was at a loss for what to do next. This was not the first time she'd caused a mess for him to clean up, but she had never directly disobeyed him before. She didn't dare look at Zoren, unsure if she'd find disapproval or pride in his eyes. From the very beginning of their relationship, Aya wondered if Zoren saw her as anything but another burden that Thesan had to carry. 

"Why?" Thesan asked, his voice hard. 

Aya continued picking at the chocolate chips, voice hoarse as she stammered, "I just wanted to see...I wanted to...."

She trailed off. Last night had illuminated many things, but she still did not have the words to explain it, or the will. Especially to Thesan. 

It was Zoren who spoke next, his own voice soft as he placed a hand on Thesan's arm and said, "There was a time when I joined the council in my city, not for the interesting subject matter of the meetings, but for the appearances of the High Lord."

Aya's cheeks burned, mouth twisting to hide her embarrassment. Zoren had read her perfectly. 

Thesan studied his lover's face for a moment, expression unreadable. Finally, he turned back to Aya and watched the way she averted her eyes to the fidgeting fingers in her lap.

"Aya, I can't punish you. I never have and I'd rather not start. But you must understand that what you did was a great risk. You can't do something like this again. You might not get so lucky twice."

"I know," Aya whispered, "It was foolish. Nothing good came of it, anyways."

She missed the look that Zoren and her cousin shared, one of curiosity and concern.  Neither had any answers. 

"Thesan," Aya said suddenly, her face serious as she looked up at him.

Thesan nodded for her to continue. 

"You will not keep me from the war, right?"

The question shook him. It was the first time he had realized that a war meant sending healers. And sending healers meant sending Aya. He stared at her for a moment. 

"I don't think I could, could I?" He whispered finally. 

"I have to," Aya answered. 

Thesan did not have the chance to say anything more. Svala arrived with another note for him, and he read it with a sigh. 

"I have to go. Please, finish breakfast." He waved a hand toward the spread as he got up and headed inside, Svala perched on his shoulder. 

After a moment, Zoren cleared his throat. Aya looked at him and the grin spreading across his face. 

"So," He began, "Tarquin. Tell me."

"I didn't," Aya shook her head, but she couldn't help her own wry smile.

"You didn't sleep with him, but that doesn't mean nothing else happened," Zoren shrugged, giggling.

Aya indulged him, launching into gossip that would send her cousin into a tantrum if he were still present.

[radvimes]

As long as I'm venting about Phinabella, here's a couple more thoughts:

I appreciate that Dan and Swampy and co. took the time to give us the Phinabella moments that they did in the season 4 specials, particularly AYA. They didn't have to, especially given that they had to know that not every fan would be happy with the results. I tip my hat to them for going there anyway, and the kiss at the end of AYA really was wonderful.

Having said that, the rest of my thoughts may be a tad less complimentary.

Phineas and Isabella deserve a quirky love song (or even just best friend song) duet where they get to be happy. As affecting as What Might Have Been was, it was so depressing! It was a whole meta duet about how they had both squandered their teenage years by not focusing on each other enough and not telling each other directly how they felt sooner. It hurt so much to hear and see, and frankly doesn't fit their characters. Particularly the part where Phineas sings about his summers being misspent, while we watch him focus on gadgets instead of on Isabella. This had the feel of the jerk boy who focuses on video games instead of his girlfriend, when in actuality, every one of his inventions was created to help or entertain his friends and family, especially Isabella herself!

What if they had a duet where they explain to each other how much they mean to each other, and talk about all the things they have done for each other over the years, revealing the love they had tried to show through action, that wasn't recognized at the time? What if that happened in the context of wondering why Phineas has the emotional bravery badge?

If AYA stays canon, something like the fic Pairing Up Time is the retcon Phineas and Isabella deserve. Also if they are doomed to not figure out their relationship on their own, if someone has to meddle, plenty of fics out there demonstrate quite compellingly that Ferb or Buford or even Candace would be excellent choices for who should be the catalyst in making Phinabella reality. Not Baljeet. Not in an offhand comment. Not like that.

I love the idea of Phineas and Isabella both confiding in Candace and turning to her for advice as they grow up. I love the idea of Ferb being both of their ultimate wingman and agent of chaos/man of action as he gets tired of their emotional flailing, such as in the fic "this is about a girl, isn't it?" I like the idea of Isabella confiding in Buford, and him providing tough yet tender counsel and perspective. Any of these 3 characters would provide a much more compelling and meaningful catalyst than Baljeet did in AYA.

With what I'm describing above, I feel like this could be turned into something of a slow burn story, and it would be wonderful. I know this is incredibly unlikely to happen, but would anyone else watch a spinoff show or miniseries just following these kids growing up? I'm imagining something in the vein of Boy Meets World. I would watch the heck out of that series!

[teawizard]

For a person who said that everybody should publish their wip's more and not be afraid to post works even if they think they're far from perfect I seem to be too caught up in my mind about 'not having anything worth to post'. And it's bullshit. I have and I will

Here's a part one of my 'sketches I did in a span of roughly a month' featuring the Encanto oc's both mine and not mine! :)

1-2: Miss Esme created by @emi-g 3: Leandra created by @foggyfanfic 4: Angela created by @overly-dramatic-artist 5: Razili created by @impossiblefangirl0632 and @optimistic-violinist 6: Efi created by @sassmasterintraining 7: Aya created by @aeshnalacrymosa

All wonderful creators, many of them artists AND writers at the same time!! Can you believe that!? You guys are very special and I love you and your oc's very very much

Putting the rest under cut, because I have quite a few more sketches to share!

So, here, we have a section where I was figuring out how to draw Leandra ';D I still am, somehow I can't seem to 'get' her features but I hope I will eventually!

The last picture features my two oc's: Dioselina and Daniela. Dioselina is the one challenging Leandra to an arm wrestling match and Daniela is at the back with Augustín both rooting for their respective friends :)

A quick jump to look at some things I did inspired by @foggyfanfic's fanfic Mirabel's Super Secret Adventure (I am insane at this point honestly, I wish I would draw more sketches inspired by this work but here we are, 'this is all I got' T_T) Putting a link to the first chapter just in case you would want to read this masterpiece. And a link to the main story where Leandra comes from. You know. Just in case

First picture is like a sneak pic for an, I hope finished, piece with the Bruno x Leandra family!

And here we are, look at this! We are here to look at my oc's again! Look at them having fun time! LOOK AT THEM-

Bonus! Me, playing with other people's and my oc's like dolls in my mind

So! Hope this maybe helps someone? At least me. To not be afraid

Cause being afraid sucks

Anyways thank you for your attention and I would really appreciate a reblog or a comment about which sketch you liked more than the others and why!

[soleillunne]

mutuals appreciation post!! bc i checked my mutuals list the other day and i was like woah

if i didnt tag you here, we havent talked that much so idk what to say but just know i appreciate you nontheless<3

@https-furina : PERSE!!! i don't know how to start this but thank you so much for being in my life. you've been nothing but encouraging since the first time i met you and i love you so much. words cant explain how much i care about you, but i'll find a way to make you know in some way soon hehe

@lucid-lilium : lili my fellow xiao kisser :3 i love talking to you so much you have such a colorful personality and you're so kind and so so so sweet <3 thank you for feeding my angst delusions.

@idyllic-affections : aph my beloved <3333 your works are very nom nom but also youre so sweet and i love brainrotting with you sm bc you never judge me <//3 the friend everyone needs fr fr

@mikacynth : mikaaaaa aaaaa i love your vibe sm you're so cheerful and interacting with you is like taking a deep breath on the first hours of the morning when the air is still cold but you stay out anyway because you dont want to miss the beautiful view <33 mwah mwah

@kisthes : KAZU HI FELLOW TSOA LOVER !!! i love talking with you sm but we've both been so busy lately so i couldnt interact as much as i wanted <//3 i appreciate you sm mwah mwah

@anonbinaryweirdo : OLIIIIII HI OMG the chaos child <3 i love talking to you sm bc you always have sth fun to say and its never boring (not that thats a bad thing but,,, you get what i mean) mwah mwah kisses

@zhongrin : MISS RIN!! i love dropping by in your teashop so much, theres never a dull moment there (be it crazy anons, or events, or anything-) and i love love love seeing you on my dash <3

@floraldresvi : vi, you are so precious!! i know you think otherwise sometimes but thats not true and i will bite anyone that makes you think otherwise >:( you deserve the world mwah

@akiayama : AYA HI HI we became moots not long after i started being into genshin and i remember being so shy to interact with you but you were so kind to me and you still are and i cant thank you enough for being with me through all these times :3

@kopivie : CINNA HI!! you're one of the first mutuals i made here and you're actually the reason i started playing genshin. back when i was trying to write for genshin myself you kept encouraging me so i want to thank you personally for being the reason why i'm here today :3

@i23kazu : ying!! you're so so so kind and talking with you is so fun, i dont even notice the time slip when im chatting with you! i know we dont do it often (which is a crime) but its still lovely to see you on my dash<3

[occasionaltouhou]

IT'S TIME FOR THE OCCASIONAL SURVERY RESULTS (8/1/24)

for reference: survey

did you know google forms jsut lets you copy entire chunks like this? really useful. i suspect that means it will die soon

anyway. a lot of you joined in 2023....... it turns out posting regularly actually has an effect! well, don't get used to that

for both favourite art questions, i actually got a lot of different answers than i was expecting. lots of renmerry.png ofc, but also a few votes for double burger. fear not. 2024 will be the year of double burger (i will draw bread wynn at least once). a lot of different responses makes me really happy though... i'm glad there's something for everyone out there

--

a fairly even spread of favourite longfics (with red/unread being most popular, of course, despite not really qualifying). only a few responses for the short ones though... shout-out to whoever said the akyuu/ellen one though. i also think about that one a lot

--

no comment on favourite lines other than that there's the expected amount of "it's really bad, renko" (which, in fairness, is also one of my favourites)

--

anyway. time for the real meat

#YUMISWEEP

i may or may not do something with this information. i have kind of felt like doing more oc comics lately

--

i have taken your suggestions with regards to video essays into account. some of my favourites:

The Problem With Minoriko Aki: A Deep Dive

Why oil fire is the peak of fiction

masked fairy's jungian symbolism, obviously.

seto kaiba (yugioh)'s similarities to reimu hakurei

How I Made Aya Worse (lengthy apology video, starts with Youtuber Sigh™, does not contain any apologies)

Why Touhou Lost Word owes [me] money

Is Touhou an Orwellian nightmare? Uncovering GENSOC

in five years time, you will discover the lucky winner. please wait warmly.

--

--

i basically only put this question in to say that i am actually still planning to do more of that. turns out trying to draw s/t unrelated to anything else every week means you have less time for your big projects. whoops!

--

the general feedback question actually gave me a lot of really nice replies which i honestly appreciate. and also multiple people telling me to do the deepsea fangame or offering to help. we'll see what happens with that (i do at least plan to draw the cast more this year). there's a couple of specific things i might answer in another post.

--

and finally, thank you all for the credit card information. with your aid, i am going to buy myself a large yacht and never do anything ever again. goodbye

[margridarnauds]

Hi! I have loved Toho Elisabeth since May, and I want to find other musicals they’ve adapted and done but I have no idea where to find them, aside from a version of Phantom I found on Bilibili. Any help would be MUCH appreciated!

Hi!

So, first of all, my apologies for the length of time to reply -- I've been busy dealing with professional things the whole month and can only now be a human being. In relation to that...for the last three or so years, I haven't been able to follow Toho musicals like I wish I could. It's a shame, but. Well. Grad student. (As well as various developments in terms of my personal life and Toho that have made me a little less likely to follow it.)

I'll take this in three parts -- First of all, the adaptations I personally recommend, second, how to keep up to date on announcements (which I'm woefully behind on, do as I say, not as I do), and third, how to get ahold of them once you've found the musical of your dreams.

(Some) Recommendations

Romeo and Juliet (ミュージカル 「ロミオとジュリエット」)

The myth, the legend. One of the most legendary French original musicals, translated to Japanese for the purposes of the wildly successful Takarazuka production (which has had like. A *ton* of productions. I'm not inclined to do the research on how many, because this is the Quick and Dirty Guide, not the research paper, but there have been a Lot) and then totally reinterpreted for the Toho stage, including staging it in a post-apocalyptic setting and updating and expanding the libretto to fit that setting. (#1 way to piss off a Toho Romeo and Juliet fan? Say that it's just like the Zuka.) I personally recommend the 2019 production, specifically Black Cast with Furukawa Yuta, but you can form your own preferences.

Lady Bess (ミュージカル「レディ・ベス」)

If you came for Kunze and Levay, there's nothing better than...MORE Kunze and Levay. This was my very first Toho musical, I got the DVD back in....2018, God, that was five years ago. ANYWAY. It tells the story of a Young Elizabeth I of England and her struggle to survive under her sister's rule while contending with her mother's complex legacy while embarking on a youthful romance with the spirited poet, Robin Blake. While I do have some issues with the libretto, the music is strong and the production is gorgeous. If you can only get one, get the Star Cast with Aya Hirano and Kazuki Kato.

1789, Les Amants de La Bastille (ミュージカル 「1789 - バスティーユの恋人たち」)

If you know me, this musical doesn't need an introduction. It's changed my life. The Toho production in particular. It's quite bittersweet from where I'm standing now, for various reasons, including the tragic death of Sayaka Kanda, who was the lead actress for one of the casts, which...God, we're almost approaching the anniversary...but the fact remains that it was a gorgeous production, the music is gorgeous, and, plot-wise, it probably did the best job of exploring the characters and the nuances of the plot of any of the productions, including the French, and it perfectly suited the darker style usually associated with Toho musicals. I love both casts and recommend them, but of the two, I personally recommend the d'Espoir cast, which had Teppei Koike and Sayaka Kanda, not just out of pity, but because they were were both exceptional in the roles.)

Marie Antoinette (ミュージカル 「マリー・アントワネット」)

While I would say that Lady Bess introduced me to Toho and 1789 cemented my love for it, Marie Antoinette...defines it for me. It's probably my favorite Toho musical of all time. It would require a long, long rant to discuss everything I love about it, but to put it simply: It's a gorgeous production, you got some of the best actors currently working on the Japanese stage together to give some of the best acting of their careers, and the music is great. The dynamics between the various characters -- Margrid and Antoinette, Margrid and Orléans, Orléans and Antoinette, Antoinette and Fersen, Antoinette and Louis -- are some of my favorite in any musical I've seen, not just limited to Toho musicals, and the little bit of sexism that usually seems to follow Kunze and Levay's stuff...I don't want to say it's GONE, but I think that the fact that the female characters behave like people -- sometimes flawed people -- bumps it up a couple of notches, so if you like Elisabeth and you like its style...it's not a guarantee, since MA doesn't lean on the gothic tradition as much as Elisabeth, but you will PROBABLY like it. I personally recommend the A Cast with Sonim, Furukawa Yuta, and Rena Sasamoto.

This is, imo, a good starter pack -- there are other Toho musicals out there, but these are the ones that I recommend to capture some of the range of what Toho can do as a company and to introduce you to some of the best of the best on stage.

Now, Part 2:

2. R's Quick and Dirty Guide to Toho Musicals and How To Get Into Them (if you need links, let me know):

First of all: Follow the official Toho Channel on Youtube + Twitter. This is your best guide for keeping up to date on which projects they're working on. Also follow Umeda Arts while you're at it, and since there's a not-insignificant overlap between Horipro's business and Toho's, follow THEM as well. This will also keep you up to date on things like DVD + BluRay releases, since they tend to announce them on Twitter + Youtube.

Follow some of the stars on Instagram! Japanese celebrities tend to be very much into Instagram (okay, so are American celebrities) -- this is your best bet at following which projects they're working on. Since you mentioned Elisabeth, for example, Furukawa Yuta maintains an active Instagram presence *and* is an immensely bankable star. Likewise for Manaki Reika, Hanafusa Mari, etc., and they often will take pictures of musicals they're attending, or stars they're working with, so you can hopefully get a web of stars constantly posting updates about new projects.

And for the grand finale....

3. Getting ahold of them.

I recommend using a proxy if you're not in Japan. Do NOT, for the LOVE OF GOD, go for Ebay prices -- with how low the yen currently is, just about anything you pick up on Ebay is either going to be highway robbery or something you could get for the same price using a proxy. I use two services -- Buyee for when I want to do a broad search of everything on the Japanese market for something I can buy myself, MyFavoriteThingsJapan for when the thing that I want requires a little bit more...negotiation. (I am very aware that the way I just phrased that makes it sound like I have a personal hitman I use to get ahold of Japanese theatre merch.) (Not yet.) Sometimes, you will find items, DVDs, BluRays, CDs, etc. that Buyee doesn't cover. And, in those instances, if you don't speak Japanese, it's to your benefit to have someone who can negotiate on your behalf with the buyer. It's a little bit more costly, but worth it. Japanese theatre is frustrating to be in, because, unlike, say, VBW for German language musicals, the Japanese industry has never seen the need to overly cater to its international fans (though this has been improving with, say, Takarazuka.) Western...or even non-Japanese Toho fans are an exception, not a rule. So, we have to be a little bit more creative. That being SAID, there are so many proxy services available now VS even five years ago, and the price of the yen is still so low compared to where it was, that it has never been easier to buy these things. (And, in some ways, it's easier than, say, getting ahold of specialized French merchandise. Or, God help us all, Hungarian.)

You'll notice I'm not making any suggestions of websites to find these things -- due to how oppressively underpaid Japanese theatre stars often are (with a couple of exceptions at the very top of the industry), there is, traditionally, a very strong taboo around sharing websites that you can get ahold of these things for free. Japanese theatre fans are often stereotyped as being incredibly parasocial with their stars of choice -- there's absolutely truth to this and there are a number of cultural factors why this is the case, even among western fans (though, frankly, as someone who survived the Tveitpocalypse, I wonder whether we really want to argue that that's unique to Japanese or Korean theatre), but at least part of it is that, frankly, the fans often protect the stars better than their own companies do (the Japanese theatre industry is...an industry. Mix some of the worst of Japanese work culture with already-crushing expectations of the theatre industry and BANG you have the Japanese musical theatre industry in a nutshell, at least among the major companies). There's a feeling of protectiveness, in other words. My relationship with that taboo is a long and complicated one that's gone through many phases over the years -- at the moment, I'm, frankly, too tired to actively scold anyone for it, especially given how much hypocrisy often surrounds that taboo, but I'm still not willing to publicly share that information or to share my own personal links. You know one that you can find material on -- I also know that you can find things on archive.org and VK. I won't point you to them directly, but they exist, even if there are, in general, fewer Toho musicals posted to both than, say, Takarazuka, and I know that @emptymasks has compiled a list of both Takarazuka and Toho Elisabeth productions here. Beyond that, I can also stream any of the aforementioned musicals, so long as you give me a little time to plan since my schedule is really, thoroughly, not what it used to be.

[system-of-a-feather]

Sometimes I forget just how much of our system DOES NOT use this blog. I always think of this blog as like "most of our system" and this being a "group thing" but its really like... four or five parts of an ambiguous idgaf number of parts (though we say our number is 30 ish as an ambiguous guess at how many core parts* we have)

And that really doesn't even encompass "the regular fronters" or "key members" cause like... Ray and Aya - our primary gatekeepers - are here A LOT and Lucille and Aderis play huge roles in our system, but none of those four really frequent this blog at all

It's very much just the Riku Subsystem's main parts (which I don't even know if Id use that term anymore other than as a denotation for where the parts originated from this far in our recovery)

I very much forget that this blog is run by a very specific corner of our system and a lot of the others don't really care that much XD Like I love being online and chatting with people but like... thats not actually nearly as universal of a thing in our system as I superficially think it is a lot of the time.

Like, in the limited vision of our life that this blog captures, Ray I think is kind of like a cameo character but like... Dude is the backbone to our recovery and system and basically provides the entire structure, internal planning, and coordination of parts. Most things are mediated by him and / or advised by him and hes a really fucking S tier communicative gatekeeper and we all mad mad mad appreciate and respect him even if hes asocial and prone to bouts of extreme laziness if hes not motivated by an interesting puzzle or crisis situation

He's honestly also one of our most like... elaborated parts for a large number of reasons - so its just funny sometimes for me to remember and realize that he REALLY posts on here like, at most once every like three months. It makes him look like a fragment or an infrequent fronter when that is like UBER not the case.

Not at all upset about that and I know he absolutely doesn't mind that, its just a funny thing to notice XD

Anyways this is also just a small appreciation post again for Ray. I'm always appreciating Ray.

*core parts = just a term for the this post with the intent of counting parts that are common on their own here as our system largely fuses and divides regularly as a part of our version of Functional Multiplicity/Final Fusion which we call the Wishiwashi Recovery; meaning we tend to vary in system size from 1 all the way to "idk how many cause fragments are weird"

[strawsoldier]

Summer 2023 Anime-Round Up

A pretty mediocre season of anime tbh. But still some hidden gems to be found and appreciated. RIP to Zom 100 btw lmao. Anyway, here's the round up!

Anime of the Season: Bungou Stray Dogs 5th Season

Best Opening: Ao no Sumika (Jujutsu Kaisen S2)

Best Ending: Akari: (Jujutsu Kaisen S2)

Drops: Tenpuru, Liar Liar

Plans to Watch at a later date: Bang Dream! It's MyGO!!!!! , Dark Gathering, Spy Classroom Season 2

Completed:

Jobless Reincarnation: Season 2 - (6/10)

They told me that this season was just Rudeus trying to cure his ED. Too bad I didn't believe them. Not a fan of the "Solve my heartbreak over one of harem girls dumping me by finding another one of my harem girls" narrative that went on for 5 episodes more than it needed too. Unsure if I'll come back for more of this. After 3 cours of this show, I think I can confidently say I just don't like Rudeus.

Horimiya: Piece - (8/10)

Not every side-story worked for me, but most of them were pretty good. I just love how stupid and honest these kids are. Sometimes, the way anime glorifies high school life can be overbearing, but I can't help but wishing I enjoyed those days more whenever I watch this show. Gonna miss it.

Remi best girl.

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Arc Part 2 - (7/10)

Definitely felt the exhaustion I remembered when reading the manga. I'm not sure what's Kubo fascination with long strings of fights while the plot stands completely still. Didn't enjoy it during the Arrancar arc, not enjoying now. At least Squad 0 redeemed themselves (somewhat)

My Happy Marriage - (8/10)

Still believe this show would be better if it didn't have all that supernatural stuff. Nevertheless, still enjoyable romance. Mio is a great lead and her development alongside Kiyoka was really good. We will be there for Season 2.

Reign of the Seven Spellblades - (6/10)

Remember when "Magic High School" was the genre that was oversaturated? Me neither. This show was enjoyable but had some weird moments. Also for once, I'd like a magic show that doesn't obsesses over the reproductive system. Probably won't watch any foreseeable sequel. Still rooting for Nanao to get that kiss.

Bungou Stray Dogs 5th Season - (9/10)

Actual Peak Fiction. Igarashi and his team at Bones just know how to make this show as stylish and cool as possible. Also this arc is by far the best one we've gotten so far. Could feel the tension at every episode where crazy shit happened. Shame I can't read the manga to find out what happens next lol.

Undead Girl Murder Farce - (8/10)

Now this is a show that had style in every corner of its being. Undead Murder Farce with just so fun to watch. The trio of Aya/Tsugaru/Shizuku is one of my favorites in recent times and the side characters we very memorable. I think the last arc when one for 1 or 2 episodes more than it needed too, but still enjoyable nonetheless

EDENS ZERO 2nd Season - (7/10)

This season was a lot more darker than what I usually expect from Mashima. Wish the presentation wasn't so exact to Fairy Tail, but it has some high points that exceeds it's sister series. Probably will check out the manga if a third season isn't announced sometime in the future.

Fate/strange Fake: Whispers of Dawn - (8/10)

An anime series by the team that did all those FGO commercials is any fate fans dream. Cannot wait for the full show of this. I hope Aniplex gives them enough time to animated this (they probably won't)

[seuonji]

彡 i love you all the way. — yoon jeonghan

notes ๑ after getting rejected by your long term crush, jeonghan makes a proposal. little did you know, this proposal is fully a win to him, as long as you say yes.

keys ๑ best friend!jeonghan, crush!joshua

genre ๑ angst, fluff, highschool au — preview

warnings ๑ none

word count ๑ 0.7k

from aya: please reblog if you enjoyed! feedback is always appreciated<3

you were seated at your desk with jeonghan sitting infront of you. he was immersed in a comic he’s been fixated on lately. his legs were tucked under your desk so his knees were hitting yours. you occasionally kicked his shins but he still didn’t move. he wasn’t from your class, he just visited you every lunch break.

“he rejected me,” you monotonously blurted out of the blue.

“hm? joshua?” he peeped over the comic he was reading to see your face.

you bit your lip and nodded, hands fiddling with the comic book you stole from jeonghan’s bag.

his eyes averted back to his comic but he was interested to know more, “do you know why he rejected?”

“said he doesn’t have time for a relationship, what a load of bull,” you eventually placed the comic into your desk and smacked your hands unable to hide your frustrations of the situation. “how much you wanna bet he’s lying?”

“yn, you and i both know he’s not,“ jeonghan tilted the book downwards so you could see his done expression.

it was true, joshua was someone that cared about doing well academically. along with that, he was captain of the track team at school. to top it all off, he offered to teach kids in the music club how to play the guitar.

it was admirable really, plus, it was attractive. he knew how to balance his life amazingly well yet, he didn’t know where to fit a significant other into his schedule. but perhaps it wasn’t something meant to be fit in. at least not yet.

another admiring aspect of joshua was that he knew where his priorities lied however it was something you couldn’t help but resent.

because joshua did like you. you were someone he made exceptions for. he met you through his busy schedules so naturally you thought, this could work.

you planted your face onto your desk. “how could he reject me, we hangout all the time. what was missing?” you sulked.

“nothing was missing, he just has some priorities ynnie.”

your head was still on the table and jeonghan sighed.

“hey, be thankful he thought it through. it’s true he’s busy, you know that. even if he did accepted you, he would be able to only love you halfway, don’t you think?” he tapped your head with the book as he lectured you.

you let out a deep sigh, jeonghan couldn’t be more right. underneath it all, you knew you would’ve gotten tired of meeting him only for a few hours a week. you’d also get tired of the late replies and ultimately, in that list of priorities he had, you wouldn’t even place top three.

it just wasn’t meant to be.

you sat upwards and with a helpless tone, you answered, “i guess.”

jeonghan breathily chuckled as he pinched your hair in between his fingers. just as silence creeped in, jeonghan spoke.

“wanna date me in the meantime?” he tilted his head.

you were apalled, astonished even but you answered and went with it. it was definitely just one of his jeonghan jokes anyways.

“why would i accept, this totally goes against what you said earlier. joshua may only love me halfway but you don’t love me at all.”

“what do you mean? i love you all the way, is it my fault you didn’t notice?”

you sat there amused, his words were yet to register in your head, “you hypocrite!”

but then you finally heard him.

“wait— you what?—”

you were cut off by the bell,

“oh, there’s the bell, i’ll see you later yn,” he slid out the seat, placing it under its respective desk. he patted your head and smiled, “think about it, it might be fun.”

just as he was about to walk to the exit, he bent down and whispered in your ear, “i’ll let you pretend i’m joshua.”

the last thing you heard was his steps descending further away from you. you were left with so much uncertainty but one thing is for sure, this was not one of his jeonghan jokes.

[pekoeboo]

"It's okay, Khalan. I'm right here. You're safe."

some Pain based on a few new developments within the SMP story. got a decently long explanation under the cut, for anyone interested.

so @cookieg122 and I decided that Khalan and Aya eventually find themselves in Aya's home dimension - a world ruled by a race of powerful fairies who are hell-bent on eternal conquest and proudly declare their violent Empire as the strongest in the world. Aya was their princess, having disappeared under mysterious circumstances (aka when she arrived in Drehmal), and her older brother had been searching for her ever since.

her sudden return ended up placing Khalan under suspicion though - as Aya's brother wrongly assumed that Khalan was responsible for "kidnapping" Aya and had him arrested as a result;; the corrupt king also got involved, hearing terrible rumors that were quickly circulating about Khalan and believing that he had hurt his daughter, so he made the swift decision to have Khalan publicly tortured and executed the next morning (multiple times over; since Khalan is immortal) as a way to make an example out of him to the Empire's subjects and remind them of what happens if they step out of line and threaten the royal family.

so of course Aya saves him!!!! she convinces her brother that Khalan is innocent so he also helps out with the rescue, and between the two of them they manage to stand up to their dad and save Khalan from a terrible situation ;n;;

there's like. so SO much more to this concept that I can't really explain, but that's roughly what's going on within the feelsy art here;; I kept thinking of just. the intense emotions happening within that moment, of Aya stepping up and taking on the role of comforter even though that's normally Khalan's thing. role reversal tropes always get me, and tbh Khalan just needs a moment to break down and process just how terrifying that whole situation was before he can help Aya deal with everything too;;

srry this got long, I wasn't sure how else to explain this pic without going into some detail. but I hope y'all can appreciate the feels anyway ;o;

Aya Armas belongs to @cookieg122 also on deviantart