#but the fish is sooooo pretty and the colors match up pretty well!!

[ailurocide]

What is Talma’s name? I tried to look it up but I can’t find anything that it may be lol

It’s another word for the butterflyfish!! ^^

[jeanslongschlong]

a-z fluff alphabet for connie springer

requested by @squidonmywall​ !! i hope you enjoy <3

warnings: some swearing

word count: 1871

A = Admiration (what do they absolutely adore about you?)

Your sense of humor! Connie is a really funny guy, so it means a lot to him that you can match his energy at all times. He doesn’t believe in soulmates, but he’s starting to think that maybe, just maybe…

B = Body (what is their favorite part of your body?)

Your cheeks! Connie LOVES to pinch them, caress them, kiss them, and so on. He makes it his life mission to make you blush, as seeing the red tint on your cheeks makes pride swell up in him over the fact that he made you have that reaction. He also loves when- jk, we’re keeping this PG here. I’ll expand more on this when I do his NSFW alphabet.

C = Cuddling (how do they like to cuddle?)

Under lots of blankets and on top of lots of pillows. But he will cuddle with you anywhere and everywhere; Connie is not shy about PDA with you.

D = Dates (what does their ideal date with you look like?)

I get extremely romantic vibes from Connie, so probably some sort of mountain getaway, during which you spend time in a sauna, go skiing, and have a candlelit dinner with the breathtaking view of the snow-tipped mountains in the background. I can assure you he will do everything in his power to make you swoon, and (more likely than not) CRINGE at some of his cheesy attempts at flirting. He may be a romantic, but I never said anything about being smooth. That is a whole other story.

E = Emotions (how do they express emotion around you?)

Connie is pretty open about his emotions with everyone, but even more so with you. You just make him feel so comfortable, he knows that no matter what he’s feeling you won’t judge him; you’ll try your hardest to sympathize and help him work through it. That’s another thing he loves about you, your empathy.

F = Family (do they want one? If they do, when?)

CONNIE WANTS LIKE FIVE KIDS AND YOU CANNOT CHANGE MY MIND. In any case, he only wants them if you want them of course. He isn’t going to force you into something you don’t want. However, I would say that it could be a deal breaker for him…but it just depends. If you do want to have kids as well, I’d say he wants to start having them around 24/25.

G = Gifts (how do they feel about gift giving? What are their habits when it comes to this?)

HE LOVES GIVING GIFTS. I don’t think he has a lot of money so they probably aren’t expensive ones, but expect a bunch of small things randomly. He doesn’t need a holiday to buy you a gift, he just does it whenever he feels like it (which is almost always LMFAO he’s such a sweetie I am in love).

H = Holding Hands (when/how do they like to hold hands?)

All the time. Everywhere. Everyday. He holds onto your hand like it’s his fucking LIFELINE. (please I simp for this man so much he is so precious help)

I = Injury (how would they act if you got hurt?)

Simply put, he would cry. Similar to Eren, he would most likely shut down, overwhelmed by the panic and regret that washes over him when someone informs him of your injury. He would be so patient and loving during your recovery period, though. If you were staying in a hospital room he would give you his pudding cups during dinnertime.

J = Jokes (do they like to joke around with or prank you? how?)

Obviously Connie likes to joke, he’s one of the funniest characters in AOT. However, pranks? Nah. Not alone, at least. Teamed up with Sasha is a whole other story. But I don’t think they’d be anything serious. If he did prank you, it would be like…hiding a whoopie cushion on the couch where you normally sit, not a breakup prank or a cheating prank. He thinks those are too cruel and he would feel wayyyy too bad about it.

K = Kisses (how do they like to kiss you?)

Lowkey…I feel like he gives wet and sloppy kisses. But the type that make you feel warm inside. Kissing him brightens your whole day, they’re so infused with love that you could faint.

L = Love (how do they show you they love you?)

Words, gifts, kisses, random hugs, cuddles, you name it. He makes it VERY KNOWN in every way possible that he loves you. He is not embarrassed about it at all, and he makes sure you don’t forget it.

M = Memory (favorite memory together?)

Your first date. He stuttered so bad and yet you didn’t make fun of him. That’s when he knew that he had it BAD for you. He went home and literally couldn’t sleep he was so overwhelmed with affection for you.

N = Nightmare (what is their worst fear?)

He’s afraid that his forwardness will eventually scare you away. He’s so open about everything, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you are, so he’s afraid that one day he will overstep his boundaries and drive you away permanently.

O = Oddity (what is one quirk they have?)

French kissing is a no-no. Even though his kisses are wet and sloppy, I really think that the thought of your tongues in each other’s mouths gross him out. I think the same goes for Levi, too, if I’m being honest.

P = Pet Names (what do they like to call you?)

Angel, my love, my dearest. THIS BOY IS SO CHEESY BUT IT MELTS YOU

“You’re so pretty, angel. How the hell did I manage to get a girlfriend as heavenly as you?”

(And then you probably made fun of him and you two double over in the type of laughter that makes your stomach cramp. Oh, to be loved by Connie.)

Q = Quality Time (how do they like to spend time with you?)

A lot, quality time is his love language, second to gift giving. If he had it his way, the only time he would be away from you is when he was at work, at school, or going to the bathroom. Otherwise, he wants to be all up in your business. But, he respects your space so he tries to refrain from asking you to hang out every day. Key word: tries.

R = Rhythm (what song reminds you of them?)

“Two” by Sleeping At Last. No explanation needed.

S = Secrets (how open are they with you?)

He tells you everything, even things you think ‘god, why did he tell me that?’ afterwards. SO, he tells you everything. He keeps nothing from you, which makes surprising you SUPER hard for him LMAO. He just wants to tell you as soon as he possibly can.

T = Time (how long did it take you to get together?)

Not very long. 3 months at most. This boy can’t wait LOL he has 0 patience. He knew he wanted to make you his even before you had your first date, but he waited to give you time to think about what you wanted. (Although how could you not want him??? FR)

U = Upset (how do they act when you’re upset?)

Super supportive. He will be whatever you need him to be. If you need to scream at him to let out all of your frustration? He’ll let you. If you need him to hold a pillow for you to punch while you’re angry? Consider him your new punching bag. If you need him to just hold you and stroke your hair while you cry? He’ll do it. Anything for you.

V = Vaunt (what are they proud of? Do they like to show you off?)

He’s honestly just so happy that you love him. He loves to show you off; he tells anyone who will listen how amazing you are, how beautiful you are, how he’s convinced that if soulmates did exist, you’d be his.

W = Warrior (how do they feel about you fighting? Would they fight for you, beside you, etc?)

Like Eren, Connie would lay down his life for you in a heartbeat. He gets a little scared when he thinks about you fighting, but he knows that you’d be fine, so he never really voices that fear.

X = X-Ray (how well are they able to read you?)

Pretty damn well. He’s not dumb, he can tell when you’re actually mad and when you’re just crabby because you haven’t eaten. He’s memorized all of the indicators that point towards how you’re feeling, and he’s always prepared to deal with it.

Y = Yes (how would they propose to you?)

SOOOOO ROMANTICALLY PLS IM GONNA SOB THINKING ABOUT IT.

This is the only secret that I feel he would successfully keep from you; he wants to make it as special as possible (which is quite the opposite of Eren LOL). He would take you on a walk near sunset, and would time it so perfectly that you would end up at the place you first met right when the sun starts to set.

The sky is filled with picturesque shades of pinks, yellows, reds, and oranges, and you stop for a moment to gape in astonishment at its beauty. He admires you as you stare at the sky, your hand held to your forehead to shield your eyes from the brunt of the sun’s mighty rays, your eyes filled with such bewilderment that it warms him from the inside out. He takes this moment to kneel down onto one knee, reaching back to fish out the black ring box he had put in his pockets a few hours before.

“Y/N…” he says softly, trying to get your attention. You turn around, expecting him to make fun of you for being so infatuated with the colors of the sky, but instead let out a strangled gasp.

“Holy shit, are you-“

“Yes,” he smiles up at you and reaches out with his left hand to grasp your right. He gives your hand a loving squeeze, sucks in a breath, then continues, “I knew from the moment we met here all of those years ago that I was going to marry you. You know how I knew?” You shake your head no. “The moment our eyes met, I was filled with such a sense of completion that there was no other way to explain it. I’ve told you many times that I don’t believe in soulmates, that I think it’s just a shanty created by the romance genre to create unrealistic expectations when it comes to love. But…I’m now thoroughly convinced that you are mine.”

“Connie, I-“

“Marry me.”

“Yes.”

Z = Zen (what makes them feel calm?)

Taking a nap with you under a thick blanket. He loves to be held by you, so preferably with him on top of you, your arms wrapped tightly around him and him using your stomach as a pillow. Prime sleeping position for Connie Springer.

[dudeandduchess]

Kyōjurō x F!S/O, and Ran: Orihime and Hikoboshi (Family Fluff, SFW Scenario)

Summary: Kyōjurō and his wife take their daughter to the Tanabata, and while there Kyō tells Ran all about the story behind the festival— while, of course, embellishing a few details. After all, it was for the sake of entertaining the brightest star in the Flame Hashira’s life.

Note: I had baby fever, so this was inevitable. 😂 Also, here are two amazing art pieces of Ran which were drawn by @captain-roomba 🥰 I love them so much and were high key my inspirations for writing this.

If you bbys have any Ran art or anything like that, please don’t hesitate to send them my way. I love seeing them sooooo much. 🥰🍉

***

The sound of the festival being in full swing colored the mildly humid night, bringing life and excitement to the otherwise stifling setting around the youngest member of the Rengoku family.

Ran held tightly to her father’s right hand, looking up at him expectantly as he brought the hashimaki up to his mouth and took a bite out of the lukewarm— and savory— treat. “Papa, don’t eat everything!”

His daughter’s quiet outburst had Kyōjurō laughing— making a few people look over at him, before dismissing him as another one of those happy-go-lucky festival goers. He then decided to humor his little princess, stooping low enough to that he could bring the snack down to her lips. And, in a heartbeat, she took a huge bite out of the savory treat— making sure to get as much of the katsuoboshi as she could.

The four year-old’s actions had Kyōjurō’s eyes widening, as he watched his tiny and adorable daughter fit the huge bite of hashimaki in her mouth. Her cheeks even puffed up with how much she’d eaten, yet she still shot him a wide grin that could only make him chuckle.

Then, with a sigh, he tried not to eye the half eaten taiyaki that was still in Ran’s right hand— not to mention the tiny bag that hung from the crook of her arm, which still had five more of the fish-shaped sweets.

When his wife sees just how much food they got, he had no doubt that she would get mad at him again. All because he liked to spoil Ran.

In his defense, she was his little angel— so he wanted to dote on her as much as he could, and it wasn’t like he didn’t have the means to do so. If Ran wished, he could buy out all of the food stalls in the area; but he wouldn’t do that, all because of his wife (Y/n).

Kyōjurō had faced so many tough demons in his years of being a Slayer, but none of them could match up to (Y/n)— especially when she started wielding her sandal around. Once that came off, it was time to hide; that was for sure.

A chuckle bubbled free from his lips at the thought, and it had Ran looking up at him once more as she continued to chew through the food in her mouth. However, when she swallowed it, she instantly brought the taiyaki to her lips and took a bite out of it— before offering it up to Kyōjurō. “Does papa want some?”

The plastic bag that hung from the crook of her arm made a crinkling sound as it swung with her movements— hitting the top of the Flame Hashira’s knee as Ran held it up as best as she could.

“Maybe later, princess,” Kyōjurō answered with a grin, just as he finished the last of the hashimaki on the stick and tossed it into a trash bin. “Thank you.”

He didn’t miss the minute frown that briefly graced his daughter’s lips, however; and it had Kyōjurō chewing faster before swallowing what was in his mouth. And in a move that he’d done so many times before, he scooped Ran up into his arms and grinned at her.

Just as he’d intended, his little girl let out a peal of laughter that warmed his heart— tapering his grin down into a soft, satisfied smile that he didn’t even bother to hide from her.

“On second thought, can I have some? Papa’s already hungry again.” He really wasn’t hungry, but the bright expression that graced Ran’s face made the white lie worth saying in the first place.

She didn’t fail him; holding up the red bean filled pastry to his mouth, and holding it there as he took a generous bite out of it.

“Umai!” The Hashira cried out with a grin, as he held his daughter tighter— especially when she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

The rest of their walk was wordless after that, filled instead with the sounds of taiko drums in the distance, as well as the quiet sounds of them going through most of the taiyaki that they’d gotten earlier.

Kyōjurō was sure of the probability that he’d stained his yukata with the red bean filling, but he paid no mind to it as he looked over his daughter’s pink one— which had the same flame patterns as his red one had— and deemed it clean enough to pass his wife’s muster later.

All they had to do at that point was to wait for her by the river— since she had to get the mini silk bags that she so adored from the merchant stalls on the other side of the bank. They had decided to split up, since there were much more people there— and it wasn’t really ideal to bring Ran to a much more crowded area.

And so, without anywhere else to sit, Kyōjurō set Ran down on the fence that lined the edge of the river— not once loosening his arms around her, and even leaning forward so he could press a kiss to the crown of her head.

“Papa?” The little girl asked softly.

In response, the Hashira pulled a little bit away from her so he could see her face beneath the dim glow of the paper lanterns above them. “Hm?”

“What’s Tanabata?”

Kyōjurō had to really stop and think about it— all while thinking if he had already told the story to Ran. But when he concluded that he had never told her the story before, he answered confidently, “Well, it’s the story of how me and your mama met.”

The little girl gasped at that, complete awe in her features; looking as if it was her father whom had hung up all of the stars in the sky just for her. It had him feeling a little out of sorts, yet extremely content as he smiled down at Ran.

“Really? How! How did you and mama meet? Please tell me, papa!”

The young man chuckled at that, then answered indulgently, “Well, back then— a long time before you were born— your mama was a princess named Orihime. She loved to weave, and it was her job to make pretty clothes for all of the gods in heaven. She would always weave by the river called Amanogawa, and she was happy for a while— until she got sad, because she felt lonely. Orihime wanted to get married and have a family, but she couldn’t do that because she didn’t have any new people to meet.”

Ran was so engrossed in the story, hanging on to her father’s every word and nodding along as Kyōjurō continued his tale.

“Then one day, Orihime’s father introduced her to me. Back then, people called me Hikoboshi; and my job was to herd cattle,” He smiled at that, then picked up the story once more, “Your mama was the most beautiful lady I’d ever seen in my life. Her smile was so warm and breathtaking, and everything about her was so perfect. So I asked her to marry me then and there.”

The Rengoku patriarch suppressed a laugh at the memory of him actually proposing marriage to (Y/n) the first time he saw her, and shook his head to clear out the memory of the humorous rejection that she had answered him with. Still, he couldn’t help but smile at the adorable way that she looked as she stuttered out her words.

“We were so happy with each other that we forgot to do our duties. Orihime stopped weaving, and Hikoboshi stopped tending to the cattle; so all of the cows were loose up in heaven. The gods didn’t like that at all, so Orihime’s father separated us,” He sighed wistfully at that, remembering his own struggles when his father-in-law tried to take (Y/n) away from him; all because of his dangerous occupation. “We couldn’t see each other, because I was put on the other side of Amanogawa— but your grandfather agreed to let me and your mama meet on the seventh day of the seventh month of every year. Only, there wasn’t a bridge to let your mama cross over to me.”

“Oh no, papa! Did you swim?” Ran sounded so troubled by it, which made Kyōjurō feel a little bad for stretching the truth as far as he did. But it was too late to take it back at that point, so he just continued, after shaking his head.

“Your mama was crying so much, that it summoned a flock of crows. And they became a bridge that let us meet every year; but when it rained, your mama and I can only look at each other— and wish that we were together.”

“But it’s different now, right? You and mama live together now! Right, papa?” There were tears building up in the corners of Ran’s eyes, which Kyōjurō made disappear by pressing butterfly kisses all over his daughter’s cheeks and forehead— as well as her eyelids, when she’d closed her eyes to will her own tears away.

“Yeah, it’s different now, because we have you,” He reassured softly, all while pulling away the tiniest bit and smiling down at Ran. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me and your mama; our little Ran-chan.”

At that, Kyōjurō pulled his daughter into his arms once more; tucking her head beneath his chin and taking comfort in the way that her tiny arms hugged him in return. He’d thought that moment couldn’t have gotten any better, yet it did when he looked up and spotted his wife crossing the bridge from the other side of the river.

The smitten smile that made its way onto his lips was inevitable; all he could do was succumb to the butterflies in his stomach that fluttered up to his chest, which had his heart feeling so full of love— both for Ran and (Y/n).

And when (Y/n) smiled at him as she stood at the very middle of the bridge, the Flame Hashira found himself whispering, “I love you” right as he looked into those eyes that he loved so much.

(Y/n) couldn’t suppress her answering grin as she read her husband’s lips; watching him as he patted down their daughter’s unruly hair, while his gaze stayed right on her.

However, just as she was about to answer, the wind picked up and had her hair whip around her face— causing her to lift a hand up and tuck the unruly strands behind her left ear. And, instead of answering with a verbal reply, the young woman merely took the hand that she’d used to tidy her hair up, then pressed a kiss to her fingers before blowing it right towards her husband.

Of course, in typical Kyōjurō fashion, he pretended to catch (Y/n)’s kiss with one hand— right before pressing his own fingers to his lips.

Theirs was not a story exactly like Orihime and Hikoboshi’s, but it was something that was much better; much more intricate, and much more special since they were the ones that had tailored it, after all. And they wouldn’t have it any other way.

[echesgora1979-blog]

First off, don feel stupid. This is what those emails are for. Bringing you in with "good deals". The only thing I didn't like about it is that it can "cut in" your breast if you have soft tissue/tall roots/full on top shape. The Panache Ana/Ava could be a good one as well, but I read it gives a more natural shape, so depends on whether you like that or not. I haven't had a chance to try that one out yet!. I was in Walmart once super early in the morning and there weren't very many people around, just me and one other guy in the produce section. I glanced at him and he was pretty attractive. I turned and walked a couple steps down the aisle so I had my back to him and he's like "Hi!" in a super cheery voice. So kind of the other end of the spectrum I went to Grand Valley State. You probably haven heard of it if you live outside of Michigan, but it a public school with a predominantly conservative/Christian student population. Well, anyways, we always these very "fire and brimstone" type preachers telling all kinds of stuff about how we need to repent or we going to hell and shit at our quad and all the students would be SO PISSED about this. I have mixed feelings about this month box. The retail value is high, the brands are spot on, and I love the product types. Sadly, shortfalls with profile matching and performance left me with a low personal value. I was 23 weeks so people had known for a while even though I started telling people at like 6 8 weeks. With my youngest we didn't tell anyone until about 10 12 weeks because I was really nervous and high risk. I think it just depends on the person and their level of comfort telling people but I don't think either way is necessarily wrong or right. I made posts regarding the direction of the sub in the past. The problem is growth, we can expect everyone to keep up with my history of rants. One of the last things I want to do here is make it self post only, but I refuse to let it get any worse so I willing to try anything. Mother of pearl seashells, fish and peacocks are just a few examples of animals with this quality, but it is most pronounced in the butterfly family. It happens when light passes through a transparent, multilayered surface and is reflected more than once. The multiple reflections compound one another and intensify colors.. Topical anesthetics such as Solarcaine may offer some temporary relief from pain and itching. Look for products that contain lidocaine, which is less likely than some of the other topical anesthetics to cause an allergic reaction. Because some people do have allergic reactions to such products, test a small area of skin before using it all over.. Frustrated at the un picturesque distance between the great landmarks of the Roman ruinscape, artists like Panini began placing them in more pleasing arrangements. This gave rise 진해출장안마 to the trend for capriccio, imaginary scenes of buildings and ruins that bore only slight relation to reality. The early association of ruins and dreams had reached a natural conclusion: artists simply began imagining their scenes.. Dude, chill out. I offering my opinion on the book as someone who actually read an ARC and can speak to the content. And yes, as I 진해출장안마 alluded to above, there was a thread of racism in addition to potential plagiarism. And theres SOOOOO much you could do in this sand box. You could make a mission where you have to defeat another freelancer in a javelin flying race to make him join whatever cause you are fighting for at the moment. You can have a mission where you go and blow up a cave hideout for the dominion and fly out as it explodes.

[monsterpie]

OOAK A Day: Day 31

The twins! They’ve been an ongoing project, tbh, for at least a year now. 

Hybrid, outfit: Both hybrids by me, using Disney Palace Pets River heads and Lagoona bodies (normal body and 13 wishes/freshwater body). River Styxx dress on the left, Howleen Wolf Creepateria skirt and scrap fabric shirt. 

Name: River ((left)) and Ripley ((right)) Wolff

Age: 16 years. That’s 112 years in dog years! We look pretty good for our age, don’t we?

Monster Parent: We have genes from sea monsters and from werewolves, but we were actually created in a lab by scientists! Weird, right?

Killer Style: River usually dresses more tomboyishly. Ripley usually dresses girly and sophisticated, so pretty! (I wouldn’t say it’s sophisticated....) 

Freaky Flaw: You know how twins usually have their own sort of language? Well take that and multiply it by 100 and that’s us. We have an entire language that only we know! We also can read each other’s minds! Literally! (River! Hush!)

Pet: We aren’t allowed to have any pets where we live.... 

Favorite Activity: Running and jumping and playing around! I love physical activity! I would run all the time if I could! Hmm.... Honestly, I don’t really do much. I like dressing up all nice and fancy, though! Oh, and going to tea houses and having tea parties!! 

Biggest Pet Peeve: When people say they’re going to hang out with me and then cancel at the last minute! I agree, that’s a real bummer every time it happens. 

Favorite School Subject: Physical Deaducation and Mad Science! I like Home Ick! I think it’s important to learn how to make food and take care of yourself. 

Least Favorite School Subject: Any history class, and also Dead Languages. They’re painfully boring sometimes! More often than not, actually... I don’t like Study Howl! All that sitting around in silence, having to be still and do nothing, it’s sooooooo boring!!!!

Favorite Color: We both like blue, honestly. And pink, too! 

Favorite Food: I’m a fan of fish! Raw fish is best, I think. Kebabs are sooooo tasty. The more meat, the better, too! 

BFFs: ((Day 32?))

Bonus: River and Ripley were actually unofficially sanctioned government experiments, made to see if warm and cold-blooded animals/monsters could hybridize together because, you know, instead of just ASKING monsters if there were any hybrids like that, the gov’t had to spend millions of dollars creating children just to find out. River actually is the older one, but has more health problems due to genetics problems from when she was put together; Ripley is healthier because any problems River had were seen and fixed for Ripley. The fur/scales on River’s body are mostly due to the problems with her genes. Although River was “created” first, they were both born/hatched/WHATEVER at the same time. Also, they actually CAN read each other’s minds, thanks to the experimentation, but the scientists have made it very clear that that is supposed to be a complete secret. ALSO they live on a gov’t base, and are still watched/supervised by scientists p. much all the time. 

I don’t know how genes and health work, don’t @ me I just like having monsters and hybrids and not knowing what the hell I’m talking about. 

River actually is the oldest one! I made her at least 8 months to a year before Ripley. Also, the color disconnect between her head and body isn’t actually as bad as it looks! Her body actually matches the color of her face really well, but since the darker teal of the head is surrounding it, you can’t see how well it matches. Ripley matches the head color more but River matches the face color more. 

[kimonobeat]

aiko bon “Profile Interview” Chapter 5 (3/3)

ーDoes that ‘no barriers’ approach also show the way you interact with your fans? I’ve seen your fans say hello to you many times during interviews. It almost surprises me just how frank you are with them.

aiko: Maybe so. I guess, like… I’m a strange kind of shy person, aren’t I? I chat very casually with my fans whenever they call my name. I just feel like it should be special because I don’t know if I’ll ever see them again-- or maybe I won’t ever again, you know? One time I even waited about 5 minutes for a fan. This guy stopped me on the road and said, “Excuse me, are you aiko?” I said yes, and then he said, “My girlfriend’s younger sister is such a big fan of yours that she made a whole website about you on her computer. Do mind if I take a picture to send to her?” I said, “I’m sorry, my management won’t let me take pictures with people.” So then he asked, “How about an autograph!” I said, “I don’t mind doing that for you!” But then he was like, “I don’t have a pen or paper on me though. What should we do?” I said, “Oh, I don’t have one on me either… What indeed… Um… Oh, you could buy them at the convenience store over there!” He said, “Ah, I don’t have my wallet on me either right now. My girlfriend works in a store just over there and she’s got her wallet. I’ll go get it from her. Do you mind waiting for me? Do you have the time?” I said that I did, and waited for 5 minutes.

ーI know of people who’ve waited to GET autographs, but this is the first time I’ve ever heard of someone waiting around to GIVE an autograph. (laughs)

aiko: For real though! (laughs) Anyway, I did an autograph for him with the colored paper and a pen he bought. And then he said, “Um… My girlfriend’s on her way over right now too, so if you have the time… if you don’t mind waiting…” I told him I didn’t have the time and then went home. But yeah, I really do just talk to my fans like normal when I meet them on the street. Like, I almost feel like people might just mistake us for acquaintances sometimes. (laughs) I especially end up talking to my girl fans because they’re just sooo cute. You know how you can have a totally different impression of someone just from talking to them once? That’s why I put so much care into every single encounter I have with my fans, and why those moments where people were particularly unkind really stick with me. I’ve got a good memory for people who said certain things back then but treat me completely differently now.

ーIt must be a big shock to experience someone treating you differently between then and now, I’m sure.

aiko: Oh, it is. Like someone being blunt and kind of potty-mouthed when we first meet, but then halfway through they start talking politely-- like, calling me “Ms. aiko” all of a sudden. There were some people I met for the very first time who said things like, “Oh, you’re that one girl who thinks character is sooooo important, aren’t you?” But then I released “Kabutomushi”, and “Sakura no Toki”, and then when I release “Boyfriend” they started speaking very politely to me. They’d say, “Long time no see!” and I was like, “YOU… !” (laughs)

ーYou’ve always been pretty straightforward deep down though, sort of like a man.

aiko: That’s true. I think my personality’s sort of boyish because was I always surrounded by boys when I was little. I’m still pretty boyish to this day. (laughs) There’s a lot of times where, feelings-wise, I sort of turn into a guy. For example, I’m definitely a ‘guy’ when I’m in love with someone. I’m not the kind of person who would say, “I can’t believe you’d cheat on me!” If that happened to me, I’d just say, “HEEL!” (laughs)

ーBy the way, about the “Teens Music Festival” contest you entered when you were in junior college. Did you think of that as getting your foot in the door to becoming a pro?

aiko: I did, but only vaguely. I went to go see a underclassman who was in it the year before. “Aw, that looks like fun,” I thought to myself. ”Oh, so ‘teens’ means you can only be in the contest if you’re in your teens? Guess I’ll give it a try too!” So then I put my name in. You didn’t need to record a demo tape to send in for that contest either. They had this system where you paid 20,000 yen for some tickets and had to sell them yourself. Basically if you paid the 20,000 yen, you got to sing on stage. (laughs)

ーThat was in January of ‘95, right?

aiko: Yeah, when I was 19. The “Teens” contest started off with a competition in my hometown, then after than it was progressed to a prefectural competition, the Kinki regional competition, then a national competition at Shibuya Park. I sang in the “Miki Gakki Umeda Shop Competition”-- the Great Hanshin Earthquake happened earlier that morning. I didn’t actually win first place in that store’s competition; I got the runner-up prize or something, I think. But only the person who won first place got to move on in the competition. “Guess I lost. Oh well,” I thought to myself. “It is what it is. It’s still a nice memory!” Then the next day, I got a phone call that they were doing try-outs.

ーWas it some kind of secondary try-out?

aiko: I’m not sure what to call it. I guess you could say it was a consolation match. I was asked to sing in it, and this time I managed to make it to the Kinki competition at Miel Parque Hall. Two people got the grand prize in that competition. Me and these girls from Okinawa were the ones who were chosen. Then when I went to the national competition in May of that same year, I won first place. Degawa Tetsuro, Morikawa Miho, and producer Sakuma (Masahide) were on the judge’s panel for that one, I think. I met Shiina Ringo and Taniguchi Takashi there for the first time too.

ーWhat song did you sing at the “Teens Music Festival”?

aiko: My own original song. They didn’t mind if you did a cover song, but since it was a contest and I didn’t know who would be watching me perform, I figured I’d might as well give it a shot using my own songs. Plus my friends were all singing their own songs, so it just felt normal to me to use an original song for a contest. Then I wrote my very first song, “Aitsu wo Furimukaseru Houhou (How to Make Him Turn Around)”, the coupling track on the single “Sakura no Toki”.

ーSo you’re saying that you won your very first contest with the first song you ever wrote?

aiko: Yup! I sang “Aitsu wo Furimukaseru Houhou” from the local store competition all the way to the national competition. I sang it with a friend accompanying me on the piano.

ーThat’s also a pretty huge comeback there, considering you went from competing in a ‘consolation match’ all the way to winning the national  competition.

aiko: You’re right, now that I think about it. I got pretty lucky.

ーI also find it pretty amazing that you sang the first song you ever wrote. You’d really never written your own song up until you decided to compete in that contest?

aiko: I really hadn’t ever made anything before that, not even in music school. It was only after I joined that contest that I thought about writing a song for the first time in my life.

ーYou never even thought about writing one?

aiko: Never! I’d never even tried. I’d never come up with a melody, or a rhythm to go with it, or even written lyrics before then. I’d just generally never thought to write one.

ーBut when you DID decide to write one, you were able to.

aiko: Yeah, I was! I had no idea how to go about writing a song, but fortunately for me, the melody and lyrics all came to me at once. I was like, “If I’m gonna be in this contest… I guess I’ll try and write one too!” And it just all came to me. I wasn’t able to use a piano then, so I just sang and wrote it that way. The “I hate~ regretting things~” line just came to me so naturally! “Which is why I’m gonna do what I want~” rolled off my tongue while I was singing too. The guy I was dating at the time said, ��That’s a nice song. Who is it by?” When I said it was mine, he told me, “Well, it’s a great song!” You could say that motivated me to get all done in one sitting. (laughs)

ーDid anything inspire you to make that first line come to mind?

aiko: No, not really… It just sort of popped into my head. In that song, I’m singing about the time I got dumped about a year before I wrote that song. We were both part of the same group of friends, so we hung out a lot even after he dumped me. I might've been dragging things out too, I guess. Anyway, it became a song a year after that.

ーIt sounds as if you took to writing and composing a song for the first time pretty easily.

aiko: Like fish to water! I went about it in a real unorthodox way though. I had no idea what a verse or a chorus was, so the song is structured weirdly. You know how normally, songs go ‘A, B, chorus, A, B, chorus, bridge, chorus’? Or ‘A, B, chorus, A, B, chorus, bridge, B, chorus”? “Aitsu wo Furimukaseru Houhou” goes like ‘A, B, chorus, bridge, key change, chorus’, and then it ends. During the contest, the people from Yamaha paid a lot of attention to that. “There’s no pattern to the way you wrote this,” they said. “There’s a pattern you could follow: A, B, chorus.”  I was like, “Oh, shut up! I’ll just write an even better song then!” (laughs) The things they said to me back then still stick with me to this day, though. I still hesitate when I write songs because of it.

ーAbout making your songs follow that “A, B, chorus” structure, you mean?

aiko: That, and when I’m writing lyrics. One time they tallied up all the times I used the words ‘atashi (I)’ and ‘anata (you)’. They were like, “See how much you use those words?” Oh, they also once told me to keep writing songs with a ‘phone’ motif. “Wait, what? Phones!?” I said. They said, “You’ve got pink phones, pay phones, home phones, cell phones… all kinds of different phones. What do you communicate over the phone? What do you feel, and how you communicate that to the person you’re talking to using that phone? Make that into a song. Heck, you’ll make ALL of those phones into songs.” I’m still sort of traumatized by that. My producer’s told me SO many times not to worry too much about it, but I get hung up on it anyway.

ーThey were putting all this attention on you when you still didn’t know anything and had just started writing songs. Maybe that’s why it’s drilled into your head.

aiko: Maybe. I didn’t have a single clue, back then. Even at vocal lessons I’d sit there and think, “Why do we do this crap?” Entering the contest got me to go to vocal lessons for a little while, but you know those things you do like, stretch, sorta? Like, where you sing “Ma ma ma ma ma, ma ma ma ma ma~” to practice your enunciation? I haaaated that. I thought to myself, “Why ‘ma’ of all things? Ugh, this is dumb!” The one time I went, they told me I had no stomach muscle at all. I was told to come back for my next lesson on a certain date, but then that day I wasn’t able to go because my nose wouldn’t stop running. Eventually I just kept making up reasons not to go, and only ended up going one more time after that. (laughs) My experience with vocal lessons ends there.

ーYou didn’t give it another try when you got signed by a major label?

aiko: No, no I didn’t. My vocal lessons were all those times I did karaoke in high school. (laughs) I didn’t take any classes where they made you do that “Ma ma ma ma ma~” stuff in music school, either. I went to karaoke boxes with my friends and karaoked myself to death instead. I used to sing for the better part of 5 hours. So much that I would’ve been happy to lose my voice. My throat’s always been really strongーit was when I was in the pep squad in high school, tooーso I never once lost my voice. I sang pretty much every single kind of song there was and never had to worry about my throat.

ーHave you ever tried to sing enka at karaoke?

aiko: I didn’t sing any enka. I’ve had to sing it at my dad’s bar a few times, though. Stuff like ”Ringo Oiwake”: “The apple~ petals~” You know, “Ringo Oiwake” or “TAXI”, things an elementary school student would sing. “Raise your hand~ for a~ taxi~” Or “If only you’d hold me~”. I’d sing even though the customers would complain that a little brat was singing. (laughs) You might say that, for me, karaoke has always given me a place to get that enunciation practice. I think that’s where I formed my way of singing.

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