#i also listened to some songs from it and the translation is surprisingly good

[pardonmydelays]

where in poland are you going to watch in the heights?

koszalin!

i found out about it last week and i bought the ticket the same day, it's polish version tho, but you can check out the trailer on yt, it looks so good :) it's in Teatr Muzyczny Adria. the tickets are still available if you are interested <3

[4ranghaes]

park sungho x reader [smut, fem!reader, MAJOR breeding kink, reader is hinted at speaking english and korean]

a/n - completely inspired by an ask to another bnd blog on here about sungho hearing reader sing juno by sabrina carpenter so credit to them!!!! ALSO cut short because i didnt want to make it too long but lmk if you want a full version!!

15:49 - “y/n, my baby…” sungho sang, waltzing back into his bedroom, where you were sprawled out across the bed. a towel was wrapped around his waist as he shook out his wet hair, dragging a brush through it. some droplets dripped from his hair onto his broad shoulders and down to his toned torso.

“hey handsome,” you smiled, taking your headphones off, letting the music you’d previously been listening to by yourself play across the room. juno by sabrina carpenter.

sungho started bobbing his head to the music and humming along as he rubbed moisturiser into his face.

“what is this song about, anyway?” he asked, turning to grab some underwear out of his drawer. “i’ve been meaning to ask you.”

you giggled, tilting your head to the side as you looked at him. you sat up on the bed.

“what?” he scoffed, giving you a confused glance.

“i know you want my touch for life. if you love me right then who knows? i might let you make me juno,” you spoke, translating the song as it played behind you. he nodded casually, thinking you were done. “one of me is cute but two though? give it to me, baby.”

sungho smiled, chuckling slightly at the way you were looking at him. “what?! so, it’s kind of sexual. are you embarrassed?!”

“yeppi, it’s all about a breeding kink,” you laughed, “juno is a film about a pregnant girl.”

sungho’s hand paused on his towel as he was about to undo it. you saw his adam’s apple bob as he swallowed. you giggled, laying down, resting up on your elbows.

“what? are you embarrassed?” you teased, repeating his words back to him.

“n-no!” he stuttered, forcing out a laugh, “wow. more— more sexual than i thought, huh!”

you smirked, calling out for him. “yeppi-ya. what are you thinking about?”

“me?” he breathed shakily, “nothing. just getting dressed.”

“yeah?” you hummed, “hard to do so with a boner, isn’t it?”

sungho swore, rolling his eyes as he turned away. you giggled, “don’t be shy, handsome! come here. it’s not like we have anything to do today, anyway!”

sungho sighed, turning round so you could see the outline of his boner, making his towel stand up. you smirked, swallowing back a laugh as you crawled along the bed, undoing the towel at the side. it fell to the floor with a heaping noise, sungho breathing shakily as his cock slapped against his stomach. his pretty cock was always surprisingly wet and today was no different, pre-cum constantly leaking out the top, small droplets dripping down his length.

“what’s got you so worked up, yeppi?” you spoke innocently, knowing full well what is was. he was never exactly subtle when you guys had sex. “all over a song?”

sungho sighed as you started trailing a finger up his cock, scooping one of the drops of precum before pushing your finger past your lips and licking it off.

“i can’t help you if you don’t tell me, sun—”

“oh my god i need to breed you so badly—,” he spoke as fast as you’d ever heard him speak before, taking you in his arms and shoving you back against the bed, crawling over the top of you. “god even when you said the words ‘breeding kink’ and ‘pregnant’– fuck, look at what it did to me! pretty girl, please let me fuck a baby into you, please.”

he pulled away from where he’d been kissing along your jaw and neck, looking at you with nervous big brown eyes. looking back, straight into his eyes, you moaned and gave him a frantic nod. sungho smiled, going back to kissing your neck, trailing further down and peeling off your clothes as he went.

“yeah, you like that, pretty girl? you want me to breed you? make you all big and round with my baby?” sungho muttered, driving himself crazy with his own words, “god. you’d look so good pregnant. i need to cum in you right now–”

[aventurinemylove]

Let me see ya move!

Fyodor x fem reader

Based on this post _

Warning- ooc Fyodor?, Reader wears a dress..(she/her coded im sorry..), Google translated Russian (I'm sorry), suggestive content(?) , established relationship.

Based off a song “let me see ya move”

…

You were assigned a mission with Fyodor, Throughout the years you and him have always been a duo so it wasn’t uncommon for you guys to be on missions together. Even though you've known Fyodor since you were children you never knew what exactly was going on in his head, You've always known he was smarter than most people but sometimes you want to know what's going on in his brain, especially during this mission.

Doa was having a meeting going over the mission, who was the target? Well, it was a wealthy man Fyodor decided he needed in his deck of cards who was also a traitor of the doa sent by the opposite party. The meeting was mostly about how to break into the party, which was pretty easy since you could just use Nikolai's ability to break in. That was until Fyodor realized he needed a distraction…someone who didn't look suspicious at all. Of course, he could use Sigma to grab some information on him but a part of him wanted the man gone right after he got his information. But of course, you being the only woman on the team he needed someone as smart and beautiful for this mission so he had no other choice but to take you.

The room was silent for about 10 minutes while Fyodor worked on the plan, so when he spoke up it took everyone by surprise did he already figure it out in such little time? “[name]” he spoke making you look up at him in curiosity, “Yes sir?” you spoke “I will need you in this mission as a distraction” he spoke rubbing his temples, making you slightly confused why did he look so displeased with this decision? “Got it, sir” you say nodding slightly, “but who will come with me? Or is it a solo mission,” you say looking at him. He looked at you and sat back in his chair a bit “I will come with you but I will need you to buy an exquisite dress for this occasion” he said firmly. But before you can respond he already turned around to his computer “Meetings over don't forget it takes place in 2 days.” All you can do is nod and walk out of the room.

“She— she— she— she said I'm a criminal”

It was the day of the mission You picked up your dress and finished your hair, but now you were doing your makeup when you heard a knock at your door you slowly got up and opened the door to your surprise you saw Fyodor but before you could ask him why he's here- he hands you a box and insists “it's a surprise”. You look at the box a little confused but neither the less you give him a smile before closing the door. When you opened the box, they were new knives with a note stating “For self-defense”. You let out a pleased hum before taking out your old knives from your thigh belt and adding the new ones, surprisingly they matched your dress perfectly.

“Her moves, her moves, she is mythical”

When you and Fyodor got there he handed you an earbud so you could communicate while he was listening to the conversation, “ будь осторожен, любимый (Be careful love)” he said while pushing you into the crowd so you can both start your mission. While you were pushing into the crowd you felt a tug on your arm, You slowly turned around to see your victim smiling viciously at you making you a bit uncomfortable but also giving you an idea of what a man he is. He shifted towards you “Hey doll what's a pretty thing like you alone?” he said while looking you up and down. You could only smirk if only he knew what was coming- if only he knew you weren't alone. You let out a sigh and say “I am very alone”you say with a slight pout “Why don’t you show me a good time” you say sending him a wink. The man in front of you looked pleased while he let out his hand indicating for you to take it you let out a giggle and took his hand. Meanwhile, you were dancing with the enemy Fyodor was on a winning streak gambling with the targets subordinates, but during the time you were dancing with the enemy he couldn't keep his eyes off the way your dress swayed and the way you moved, to him it was an irritating sight..

“Can't wait, can't wait to get physical”

All Fyodor can mumble is “удачливый ублюдок” (lucky bastard), Fyodor wanted you all for himself and no one else. So excused himself to the bathroom and whispered into the mic “отведи его в спальню” (bring him to the bedroom) he knew it was going to take you a while to guide the target to the room the time, you were buying him was already too much than he needed So it's better to move into the next phase of the mission. When you heard that through your earbuds you invited Target over for some drinks with a smile, he smiled and took your hand but what he didn't know is that his drink was tampered with, You slightly added a drug to make him more sleepy, and unaware so it can make your mission easier.

Goddamn that ass, unforgettable (Let me, let see ya move!)

The man took a sip of his drink letting out a pleased hum. “So how long have you been a bartender darling?”, you felt disgusted with the man but only smiled at him. “Oh you know just been a few years”, you say slightly turning yourself to face the men gambling and letting out a sigh as you start drinking a bit of your drink. The man chuckled letting you know the affect of the substance you used in ongoing. You chuckle as you grab his chin and make him face you…”how about we take this to the bedroom?” you smile at him innocently. The man could only follow you like a lost puppy…”pathetic” is all you can think about while walking to the bedroom.

She-she-she, she said I'm a criminal

You lend out your hand to him as you give him seductive look as you start leading him to the bedroom…you look back as you see him start tumbling on his steps, you can only let out a laugh as you ask “feeling tired dear?”. The man can only look at you as he struggles to let out words letting you know that the drug has taken affect. You press your earpiece as you whisper “fyodor the target is near the bedroom”. You let out a pleased hum as you hear from the other line “хорошая работа, дорогая” (good job dear). You grab the man’s hands as you lead him to the room with fyodor and the rest of the doa agents,fortunately for you the man was too far gone to even question a single thing.

“Her moves, her moves, she is mythical (let me, let see ya move)”

The room was dark with a little dim light to help you guide your target to the bed. “Come here let’s put you to bed alright?” You say in a soft tone as the man walks towards the bed but before he can lay down one of the agents grabs him by a chokehold. The man stares at you in a confused and scared impression which causes you to let out a giggle as fyodor makes his presence known, the man’s expression turned into straight horror when fyodor showed up.

“Can't wait, can't wait to get physical (let me, let see ya move)”

Fyodor Can only let out a chuckle as he looks at the man, he lets out a sigh as he slightly crouches to look the target in the eyes. “Now we couldn’t leave you be with the information you stole from us, now can we?” He says as he looks at him with a sadistic look. The man could only let out a cry as the agent holds him tighter before he speaks up… “P-Please I’ll tell you anything you want!”. Satisfied with his answer Fyodor lets an out a hum as he says “alright then? Who do you really work for?” He says eyeing the man. The man could only freeze and look away “I’m afraid I can’t tell you.” Fyodors expression turns cold “Oh..really? But you just told me you’ll tell me anything…what a shame I was about to let you out alive.”

Goddamn, that ass unforgettable ('able, 'able)

You knew it was a trap Fyodor would never let anyone with such valuable information out alive. The man could only look at him in horror “I-I work for the port mafia!” He says in a heartbeat. “Oh? Really did mori himself send you?” Fyodor says unamused. The man could only let out a shaky sigh “y-yes he did…” he says grunting. Fyodor could only smile at the ridiculous antics of mori he extends his hand to the man for him to take. “Cmon shake my hand and I’ll let you out free.” He says with a cocky undertone. The agent lets the man go as he slowly backs away, the man desperately takes Fyodors hand and before you could blink the man was dead on the floor. “Oh what a shame and here I thought he could be trustworthy.” He says amused.

“Let me see ya move”

You walk out of the casino please that the mission went well,but before you can get into the car fyodor taps your shoulder. “Good job love you did excellent work today” he says as he opens your door. You could only smile as you get inside “couldn’t have done it without you dear.”

[I was suppose to finish this 10 yrs ago.😀]

[tumblydovereviews]

Primos Was Okay (And That's Okay!)

On Thursday, after over a year of controversy, delays, and pushback from the general public, Primos finally premiered on Disney Channel, to a surprisingly stable reception.

First of all, congratulations to the cast and crew for the premiere! For a show that was on such unstable waters just a year back, it's great to see that Primos has seen the light of day and not simply became a tax write-off.

As anyone involved in the animation community in June 2023 may recall, Primos' initial response was not great in the slightest, and for good reason. Based on solely the theme song alone, the show featured grammatical errors, unintentionally insensitive names, and was dismissed by others as Disney's cheap copy of The Casagrandes. Comments from cast members such as Tater's voice actor herself only added fuel to the fire. The show, initially set to drop in the fall of that same year, was delayed to January, then June as a precursor to the Big City Greens movie, and finally, July of 2024.

I personally didn't care for the Primos drama too much. Sure, I liked the theme song's beat and for a while it became an earworm, but I wasn't looking too closely at being a consistent viewer on the show. I was mixed on the artstyle, the characters, and the plot, which, while not awful by any means, weren't anything amazing as well.

But, with nothing else to do, I ultimately decided to view the first episode of Primos on YouTube the day after the big debut.

And, the show was serviceable.

The characters weren't annoying, and there were some moments that made me chuckle a bit. The songs were serviceable, and the themes on self-discovery are unique. But, ultimately, I don't see myself with any reason to really engage with this show outside of just watching a few episodes. The story of Primos is all there, but on its own, it's just there.

If there's any character I truly hated, it was Tater and Nellie's mother, Bibi. Knowing fully well she didn't have the time or effort to efficiently take care of twelve kids on top of her two daughters and baby son, yet inviting then over anyways for the sake of 'memories' instead of listening to her kids. No wonder they address her by her first name.

As for characters I liked, I honestly enjoyed the three most 'normal' Primos in my opinion: Lita, Scooter, and Lucita. They get along well and have acceptable personalities. I can especially relate to Scooter and his anxiety, as a person who gets quite nervous themselves sometimes. Also, shout-out to Lucita, who's deaf and actually communicates through ASL on the occasion. Deaf representation is lacking in media, and I love how this show is helping us move one step further in that regard.

I also enjoyed Nellie as a character as well; it is admittedly a but weird how she's an eight-year-old with a Luisa-deep voice but her chemistry with Tater is great.

As for Tater herself, she's okay. She server her purpose as the disgruntled almost ten-year-old trying to find herself. Nothing too much or too little. I can relate to her in the sense of needing peace and quiet away from cousins; my cousins actually moved into my own house temporarily last year for a few months,

i talk about characters a lot in this show, because I believe that it's Primos' best achievement. In a way, each of the characters work off of Tater in their own way, keeping the show fresh and upbeat, but not being afraid to scale things back when needed. I thought that the Primos would act as nothing but plot devices whose only merit is to ruin Tater's life, but, thankfully, that's not the case.

Now, what about this show being mediocre? It can't be all that good, right?

Well, like I said before, the animation and art designs are not my favorites. I can't push back too much since the rough, earthy tone translate into the series as a whole, but personal preference is also a factor. The music and songs, while good for what they are, don't add anything too much to the series and I personally would have preferred if this show wasn't a musical al all; Disney Channel admittedly has plenty of those nowadays.

And, that essentially encapsulates my feelings on Primos as a while. On its own, it works for what it has, but compared to shows with similar plots such as The Loud House, it only holds a candle compared to the latter's sun.

And, you know what? That's okay. If anything, it's a miracle that a show detested so much by the general public during its initial preview became nothing but a mediocre addon at worst.

Maybe I'll tune into a few more episodes to fully solidify my thoughts on this show. But, for now, I'll only be an occasional onlooker exploring the world of Tater Ramirez Humphrey and company. I'm okay with that, and I'm sure you'll be okay too.

[jokeroutsubs]

[📝ENG translation] The Big Comeback - Joker Out about their new album, inspiration, and returning to Tvornica

Original article by Maria Tušek, published 19.11.2024, photos by Matej Grgić.

Translation by IG irenalemajic, review by IG marija_rocen, @moonlvster, IG mia_djordjevic_ig, proofread by @flowerlotus8

Joker Out, the Slovenian five-piece band, best known for their Eurovision performance that conquered our region, are returning to Zagreb with a new album and an even fresher sound.

After winning the hearts of the audience with their infectious hits and energy, they're ready to showcase the best they've created over the past months and also years. We spoke with Bojan, Jure, Kris, Jan, and Nace about their inspiration, creative process, and everything they have in store for us at their new concert.

It was one of those scenically beautiful, yet surprisingly sunny days. The so-called "toothy sun"¹, because no matter how beautiful it looked, it was just as cold. I dusted off my last season's coat, put it on, quickly got ready, and headed to Tvornica, where Joker Out were waiting for me, ready for their concert on the 3rd of December.

¹In Serbo-Croatian, the expression "zubato sunce" (literally translated as "toothy sun") is commonly used to describe the winter sun, whose coldness "bites" with its fictional "teeth".

I sit down at Tvornica Kulture's café and order a coffee by default, slowly preparing for the interview. As I take my third sip, out of the corner of my eye, I catch a glimpse of Bojan entering the café with the rest of the team. They're busy, as usual, they had to record a hundred other things even before my interview, so I tell them everything's okay and I have time (at least I managed to go through all the questions once more).

"We’re finally done, we can sit down," they said smiling. We arranged six chairs in Veliki Pogon and started the interview. Since they’re Slovenian, I was a bit nervous, because I have this theory that it’s all some kind of reverse Google Translate - they understand us, but we don’t understand them. Luckily, a good part of the band speaks Serbo-Croatian, so we managed to understand each other.

Joker Out have been around since 2016. Do you think you’ve evolved since then, or have you stayed true to your genre?

Bojan: When I listen to the first and the second album in retrospect, I can see there’s a lot more change than I would've thought while we were in the process of creating them. I think the second album already had quite a bit of divergence and growth from the first one, but I’d say the leap now is much bigger than it was before. On this third album, for the first time, we had, I'd say, a discovery of new worlds with different instruments and samples. So, yeah, it’s been a journey, but somehow we’ve still managed to maintain, at least I think, how could I say, we didn’t go to some other world, but we kept the foundation, the sail that makes sense, while things around it changed. Same shit, different packaging.

We all burst into laughter, breaking any awkwardness, if there was any. I decided to dance through the questions a bit, so I turned to their new latest single at the time, 'Bluza'.

You recently released the single 'Bluza' from your upcoming album 'Souvenir Pop'. What was the inspiration for the song?

Bojan: 'Bluza' is a love song, practically written as a story describing a night out of a man looking for, not necessarily looking for the love of his life, but he finds it accidentally at the opposite table and, of course, I think for most people, in most cases, such love doesn't exist or evolve into something more than that first moment when you dream about what could happen, and maybe in the end nothing would happen, maybe it would be a disaster, but in that perfect dream and perfect moment, it feels like when the café lights come on, you’ve lost everything in the world, but actually you had nothing, so that’s the feeling we wanted to convey.

At this point, Kris adds onto this: “That’s the story for the general public, but actually we had a concept for the music video involving a kafana fight², so we just needed to come up with a song for it,” he jokes.

²Kafana is a distinct type of local bistro, common in some former Yugoslav countries, which primarily serves alcoholic beverages and coffee, and often also light snacks.

Speaking of writing, who writes the lyrics and what does writing a song look like for you?

Bojan: I write all the lyrics, it's always been like that. Writing a song, hmm. Well, honestly, I started writing the lyrics for 'Bluza' in 2018 and then nothing happened with them. When we came to London for a concert, I played it to the boys on my acoustic guitar and it kind of clicked, so quite quickly the song developed into a story which now feels complete and that's it. Some lyrics are born in 15 minutes, others take a few years.

How come you write songs in multiple languages, do you think it makes it easier for you to reach your audience?

Bojan: I think I can get in touch with myself even more when I write in multiple languages, it turns out that I think differently in different languages, so some stories literally come out in English in a way I would never think in Slovenian or Serbo-Croatian, and vice versa. So, I really enjoy having a bigger palette to create with.

Bojan, how does it feel to write a song in English, Serbo-Croatian or Slovenian, is there any difference in the whole process?

Bojan: Well, each language is like a different instrument to me. I’d say that in my head it's like sitting down at different types of pianos - each one has its own specific sound and triggers different thoughts.

You’re returning to Tvornica soon, precisely on the 3rd of December. Last time you were here, you sold out two concerts at Tvornica, what does such support from the audience mean to you?

Bojan: I think the first time we played in Croatia, at Šalata as the opening act for Buč Kesidi, we were really surprised by the audience’s reaction and that really changed our perception of what we could try to achieve in Croatia, and that’s when we dared to play at Tvornica. Before that, it hadn't even crossed our minds. Both concerts were awesome, and the audience was phenomenal, really warm and "energetically right", it matches our energy on stage, so we love coming back here. I’m sure that this third time will be even better because we’re a little more rested. With this new album, we’ve mixed everything that happened before, because the first two concerts were still in that post-Eurovision cycle, when we were still kind of half-asleep, so now we’ll be able to experience everything better, at least that’s what I think.

And the others agreed with him.

What are you preparing for the upcoming concert, do you have any surprises?

Bojan: A lot.

Kris: At the concert, you can expect that we’ll play the whole album for the first and possibly the last time. After that, we’re not sure if we’ll have the chance to play the whole album again, so if people want to hear it, they’d better come.

Bojan: Our opening act is the second-best band in Slovenia - they say they’re not preparing any more surprises because, they jokingly add, they have too many members in the opening act as it is.

Let’s focus again on you and possible collaborations. You filmed the music video for 'Bluza' with Buč Kesidi, with whom you’ve also performed. Is there a possibility for a joint project?

Bojan: There’s definitely a possibility, but we haven’t talked or thought about anything yet - he paused and looked at the other band members - actually, maybe a collaboration is already happening, it’s just awful, but maybe one day it will see the light of day.

In one interview, you mentioned that Senidah, among others, was your role model. How come you haven’t collaborated with her yet, and can we expect such a project in the future?

Bojan: I think Senidah³ changed the perspective, let’s say. The Balkan audience didn’t really accept Slovenian artists, let's put it that way, at least not in the mainstream sense, and she changed that. It’s true that she performs in Serbian, but for a Slovenian artist to become mainstream, even one of the biggest, if not the biggest at one point, that hadn’t happened before, and it certainly opened a lot of doors for us, at least in terms of mentality.

³Senidah is a Slovenian singer-songwriter, often dubbed the "Balkan Trap Diva" by the media. She rose to popularity across the former Yugoslavia upon the release of her single "Slađana" in 2018 and she sings in Serbian.

Kris: It gave us hope.

Bojan: It absolutely gave us hope, and that’s a big deal for us. We’ve never really interacted with her because, honestly, I don't know if we've ever really met. I feel like it’s harder to get to her than it is to get to the president. But we’re definitely open to collaboration with her, Senidah is cool.

Do you think that you as a band have become a role model for other Slovenian performers and that you give them hope?

The mentality of young bands in Slovenia has certainly changed, they certainly think differently about where they can go and what they can try, we’ve received similar feedback from various artists. People from abroad contact me saying, “We discovered a new Slovenian band through you,” and that’s a very, very important and amazing thing.

Speaking of projects and collaborations, would you ever return to Eurovision?

Everyone at once: NO.

Me: Why not?

Kris: Go to Eurovision and you’ll find out.

We all laughed, and it became clear from their answer - Eurovision is something you do once, and there’s no real reason to go back. Unless you’re representing Sweden.

One basic question, what is your favorite song?

Many of them agreed with the song from the new album, 'Ako toga više neće biti', some were also in favour of 'Muzika za decu', while Kris added 'Sonce' as his favourite.

Do you listen to your songs, for example, in the car or at home?

Bojan: No! If it’s on the radio, I immediately switch it, because the most beautiful moment for me is when I haven’t heard the studio version of a song for a long time and by then, I’ve forgotten everything we wanted during the whole process and what bothered us, and when I hear the song after a year and a half, only then I can finally enjoy everything that song actually delivers, I’m not burdened by technical things, I don’t care, I just listen to the song.

When you look back, what is the most memorable moment in your career so far?

Kris: For me, it was our first concert abroad, after Eurovision, our first solo concert after Eurovision.

Bojan: For Jan and me, it was the presentation of our first album, somehow we had the highest level of euphoria and sincere childlike joy then.

Jan: The biggest adrenaline boost!

I looked at the paper and realised I didn’t have any more questions to ask, and we really went through all the topics. Joker Out are slowly releasing songs from their latest album, so be sure to follow them, and I definitely recommend the concert on the 3rd of December at Tvornica, where they’re announcing a huge spectacle!

[semi-firstgradesorceror]

Oyasumi Nakigoe, Sayonara Utahime

(CreepHyp, 2013)

In which I present to you a song that has not at all been stated/hinted on by Gege in his work with regards to Utahime nor Gojo (nor anyone really), but surprisingly perfectly encapsulates gojohime of JJK.

I saw tweets about this, and I thought I'd give the song a listen. (It's a banger, btw.) And woah...the lyrics are just...woah.

This is an attempt to explain the canon gojohime relationship dynamics through this song (with HC based on canon since Gege could only tell so much, and this is merely a miniscule dot of the whole story of JJK...still, it's fun to do).

NOTE: This post is in no way trying to impose itself as canon because I am not Gege. I repeat: I am not Gege. The song is just...well, interesting.

ALSO:

For the purpose of discussion, I will be retaining some Romanji instead of using the literal English translation.

Uta = Song

Utahime (Uta + Hime) = Singing Princess / Diva

GoUta (For Japanese) = 5 + Song

***

First Verse

Good-bye, Utahime

This is the last song, right?

I really love your song

Again tonight, Utahime, you're so beautiful

I really love you

I will be deliberately skipping this verse for this discussion/analysis (might include this in the next post).

The lyrics start strong though, immediately conveying the speaker's feelings towards "Utahime".

One interesting detail to note is the amount of times the name "Utahime" and the word "uta" is mentioned in this uta.

Another interesting detail to note in JJK canon is the amount of times Gojo has mentioned Utahime's name EVEN as he was talking to Utahime herself or talking about Utahime. It is also canon that Utahime is the only person Gojo calls by her first name without honorifics besides his classmates and his students. (Panda is unfortunately following suit.)

Second Verse

Good-bye, Utahime

Are you going to give an encore?

Since it's up to you, probably not

According to Gege, Gojo honestly thinks that their banter is just that..."banter". (Meanwhile, Utahime absolutely hates Gojo. The reason being? ...) Despite this, it has been shown how Gojo tiptoes around his interactions with Utahime. He even calls her "scary", whether it be a joke or not or both. (Note: In JJK 0, Gojo notes how "women sure are scary/scary" in reference to Rika. Just a random, completely unrelated fun tidbit.)

If that's the case, Utahime, how about some alcohol?

Even though I'm a lightweight

It is canon that Gojo accompanies Shoko (+ Ijichi and Nanami?) to drink regularly (although Gojo orders other sweet drinks instead). It is also well-established that Shoko and Utahime are good friends.

It is also canon that Utahime loves beer and is a bad drunk while Gojo doesn't and is a lightweight. At the same time, Gojo prefers sweets while Utahime dislikes it. Gojo's sweet tooth extends to his drinks as seen by him adding sugar cubes to his coffee during his call with Utahime. It is also implied that Utahime prefers other bitter drinks such as tea, which she serves Gojo during the Goodwill Event. It is interesting to note that Gojo accepts this drink.

The song begins with the first verse, giving a gist of the canon relationship dynamics Gojo and Utahime have, especially during Season 1 of the Goodwill Event.

Chorus

Singing, singing

But you were crying, weren't you?

Crying, crying

[Gojo, I wasn't...!]

I didn't even realize it

Gege initially wanted Utahime to belt out and do some karaoke as part of her CT. (Although, this might still happen in the future.) If it's also not obvious enough...I mean, her name literally translates to song.

What I do want to focus on is aside from the established fact that Utahime was/is a scaredy cat and a scream queen, Gojo sincerely thought that Utahime would be crying in this scene. This is either because: 1) Utahime is weak and the weak cry easily, or 2) Utahime is also...a cry baby.

Judging by what we know of both Gojo and Utahime, the idea that we can lean on is that Utahime does cry easily, irregardless of her being weak.

WHICH is interesting...considering of how much emphasis Gege has put on Utahime's expressions during the Shibuya Incident where Utahime looked like she's just about to cry any minute but never does. Even with the recent arc, Utahime looks quite...sad. Whenever the students are brought up in the equation, Utahime always has the same sad look on her face. But she was never shown to cry actual tears.

This verse opens up to Season 2 and its iconic "You cryin'?" scene. Utahime even attempts to insist that she wasn't crying (such a cutie sore loser lol). We will see the changes in Utahime in the last chorus.

Third Verse

Just for now, Utahime, can we start over?

I've also grown up a lot and thus have gotten pretty sentimental

Over 12 years worth of memories...both have grown a lot. Gojo himself has been quite sentimental as established by his own Blue Spring arc where his own youth was lost from him. Whereas the year prior to the current arc, he had to kill his one and only best friend.

I BELIEVE just as much as Gojo wishes to be given back his own youth, he is a realist and protecting the current youth is his priority. He wants to start anew, to look forward to the future (re: Give it Back, Special MV).

With regards to Utahime...

Utahime is someone who has never left and never changed with regards to her relationship with Gojo. She is a constant in his life as he is hers. But this dynamic also means that there exists a constant barrier and distance between them. Gojo is, in canon, a constant source of stress in her life.

But does that mean Gojo doesn't try just a little bit at least?

I would say so...as Gojo's infinity is almost always ON except in certain situations (Gege did encourage us to play detective).

Whether or not Gojo's infinity was actually off here is still a ???, which is fair! since the other contenders (Yaga, Nanami, and Itakugi) were in actual PHYSICAL contact with him. Utahime is the only one at a considerable distance. Again, that distance.

His infinity being OFF here could mean a proof of wordless trust and sense of safety.

His infinity being ON here could mean a sense of hesitation and wariness despite the trust he places on her for helping him out with the mole.

Either way, it's a distance that Utahime doesn't dare overstep, but instead retorts with the usual reaction that has been automatic for her and for both of them.

It's also a distance that Gojo doesn't dare take another step forward to because she doesn't. He has first-hand experience of trusting someone too much and then getting betrayed, after-all. Although he tries...only to an extent, though.

HOWEVER STILL, in order to actually take a step forward, it's necessary to start fresh and start over, which is hard when it's automatic and has been a habit of over a decade. Not only that, as per the MechaMiwa panel, is it actually worth it?

[Why can't they just get along?]

[They must get it from you, Utahime.]

[You're the only one I have a problem with!]

You always do whatever you want

It has been quite established in both the anime and manga that nothing (not her scarred face, her "gutlessness", her being weak and a semi-first grade sorcerer despite years, her CT that takes time, her being in close proximity with Gakuganji who directly answers to the higher-ups, not Mei Mei, not even Gojo, etc.), absolutely nothing stops Utahime from doing what she believes she should do. Utahime always does whatever she wants. We see it when Utahime goes to check-up on Miwa (despite knowing she doesn't have to) and when Utahime rushes to protect Miwa (despite knowing she shouldn't).

(((Funnily enough, I did not plan for this discussion to follow the flow of the manga/anime, but it does. So here we are...)))

Chorus

Utagoe, utagoe

But you were crying, weren't you?

Nakigoe, nakigoe

I didn't even realize it

[A look back to the chorus]

I believe that it has been established quite enough in the manga/anime that Gojo's quite a self-aware person. He's in tune with his feelings, thoughts, capabilities, etc. He is also quite aware about others' but still acts accordingly because he's Gojo.

Despite this, as stated in the Second Verse discussion and canon, he's not aware of what Utahime actually feels about him (perhaps because Utahime herself is in the forbidden zone?). Gojo doesn't realize that Utahime, in fact, hates him even though every time he strikes a conversation with her, he always seems to check up on her emotions.

[Are you mad?]

[I'm not mad, actually.]

[Are you crying?]

[I'm not crying!]

It's some sort of confusion, isn't it? Befitting emotion from someone who sees himself as "the honoured one" and who thinks differently from the rest, yet is still human.

If it isn't clear enough, this song is definitely from Gojo Satoru's POV.

Bridge

(a literal bridge to both POV)

The last 4 beats, your mouth moves

The last 4 beats, you sing

The least 4 beats, your feelings move

Sa-yo-na-ra

At this point, the bridge seems to capture the panel beforehand. Words, gestures, dance, music — all leading up to the four beats of Goodbye.

The number 4 is also quite relevant. In Japanese, it's an omen for death after-all. However, what comes after 4 is just as relevant (*ehem* 5 *ehem*). (4 is also relevant for Akina Nakamori. That's for another post, maybe.)

Final Chorus => JJK 223 + Utahime's CT

Singing, singing

But you were crying all along, weren't you?

Nothing, nothing

I didn't even realize it

Uta's CT is related to music and includes chants...thus, singing, singing.

Note that as of JJK234 and Gojo's unsealing, Utahime has not explicitly spoken a single word in the panels...thus, nothing, nothing.

[But you were crying all along, weren't you?]

[...I didn't even realize it.]

It'll be quite interesting to see a circle back to the first scene of young Gojo and Utahime at the near end of the manga.

Based on the song used to interpret canon (skipping the first verse), doesn't this actually convey Gojo's thoughts and feelings towards Utahime? A person he cannot convince, a teacher who loves drinking, a senpai who sings and cries, an accomplice who does whatever she wants, a sorceror who executes her CT through words and feelings, and a woman who he expects to bid farewell...

Yet he's the one bidding Sayonara, Utahime despite not knowing how she actually feels on 12/24.

***

***

***

Enter Utahime's CT: Solo Forbidden Zone, Akina Nakamori and Kinku...I might create a separate post for this, but I will end it with these lyrics from Kinku that ties well with Oyasumi Nakigoe, Sayonara Utahime:

You plan on making me say goodbye

But that’s advice I just can’t take

...

This confusion is love, isn’t it?

Soon I’ll be in the forbidden zone

***

***

***

Utahime is good-natured and yet stubborn. She tries her best despite all the odds stacked against her. She also loves and is loved by her students. That's quite easy enough to see in canon, right?

At the same time, Utahime hates Gojo...just as much as she is his Accomplice (re: JJK Chapter 63 title). For someone who seems so stringent with rules and doing things the "proper" way (confusion with Mei Mei's promotion proposal and CT which requires to commit to ALL steps), Utahime plays along with Gojo's baseball game (for the students, yes, but mainly for her, let's be honest here...she's the one into it the most), Utahime partners with Gojo to find the mole BEHIND the other superiors' back (for the students' safety), and Utahime aids Gojo in his most important fight despite the death of the higher-ups (for the youth and for the future of JJK).

She says one thing but does another. Love is confusion, isn't it? [Not saying anything romantic here. I'll leave it up to you all.]

[If a sorcerer asks another sorceror for help, it basically means, "Please, risk your life with me."]

Can't wait for Ch. 235 and the rest to come!

(have had this on my drafts for a while)

[ystk-archive]

[TRANSLATION] The story of how capsule formed (from Interview File Cast vol.24)

The following is the first page from capsule's interview with Interview File Cast, published in the summer of 2001 while promoting their second single Hanabi. Translation by ystk-archive; rest of the interview will be done...hopefully someday! (It's ten pages long.)

▼ᐃ▼

– Since this is your first interview with us, I’d like to start off by asking how you two got to debut as capsule. I heard you met at the 1997 Hokuriku Teens’ Music Festival…

Nakata: That’s right. We knew of each other’s existence before then, but we’d just say “hey” and that was it. We might’ve spoken properly for the first time at that festival. She was doing some kind of acoustic pop music there with a girl who played the keyboard. Koshijima was the one who did the singing.¹

– Was the type of music they were doing pretty simple compared to what you do now?

Koshijima: I’d say so. Nakata: She just sang ballads and that was it. I had met all kinds of people doing music before I even went to the festival, but at the time I was a soloist and the songs I performed were all instrumental. I’d been thinking I wanted to make vocal music, so I was wondering if I should be looking for a singer… And she just happened to be there. Koshijima: Uh-huh, I just happened to be there. It was entirely by chance, me being there (laughs). Nakata: (laughs) It was a little while after that before we actually formed the unit, but in the meantime we recorded a demo tape.

– Together?

Nakata: Yes. To be honest, my goal was to record a demo tape. We didn’t particularly want to do performances.

– You only recorded a demo tape?

Nakata: So when I talked to her, I asked her if she could do me a favor. I went like, “I was wondering if you’d wanna try singing a song for me…” The track that she sang on was pretty good, lots of people who listened to it told me “it’s amazing!” – even the staff members liked it.² That put the idea in my head to do more songs with her, and while we were working on those we started wondering if it’d be a good idea to try performing live. Then it was like, well then, let’s think of a name for the unit. So that’s the reason why capsule formed. That said, it did take a while from when we recorded that song on the demo tape to actually create the unit; I think maybe two months or more.

– The fact that all this started from just wanting to record a demo tape makes for a rather interesting story of how you two met. But Koshijima-san, what was your first impression of Nakata-san, when he approached you like that?

Koshijima: He was kinda intimidating because he seemed like he didn’t want to have anything to do with anyone, but once I started speaking with him he was surprisingly easy to talk to.

– So you had no problem agreeing to record the demo?

Koshijima: Even though I was already involved in a music duo with another person, I also felt like I wanted to work with other people… I thought it was good timing, so I said “OK.”

– On the other hand, Nakata-san, what kind of first impression did you have of Koshijima-san?

Nakata: My first impression of her? …To put it nicely, she was very interested in what other people were doing? Koshijima: That sounds kinda bad (laughs).

– (laughs). How so?

Koshijima: It’s like saying I’m nosy? Nakata: You were popping up all over the place (laughs). Like anywhere that there were people, you would show up... Or at least that’s what I noticed. It wasn’t even humanly possible, the way you managed to be everywhere. You’d be there before I even realized it. Koshijima: (laughs)

– Promoting yourself is important though.

Koshijima: That’s right. Nakata: She’s the type to show off when she does anything even remotely fun. I would take photos with my friends at concerts and stuff, and she’d show up in the background even though I didn’t know her at all. I was like, “Why are you in this picture?” (laughs) Koshijima: Like you were thinking “who the hell is this?” (laughs)

– Would you say that the reason you ran into each other so often was because you were both pursuing music?

Koshijima: That, and the live houses were reeeally small. Nakata: Plus we were in the same grade level.

– Did you go to the same high school?

Koshijima: We went to different schools. We met by chance at local venues.

¹ The duo Koshijima was in with another girl was called “chick.” ² I’m not sure what staff members he’s referring to here.

[esc-is-holding-me-hostage]

Okay, I'm finally done with the annual quick reviews. Overall opinion: it's 2020 all over again but the lows are not so low (and the highs are not as high either). The competition is very open, which is refreshing after last year's one-horse race disguised as a two-horse race. There are no songs I would listen to after the contest but as a Eurovision lineup it's pretty entertaining and varied. Also, the girl-bopocalypse of 2021 was much better. Albania The decision of translating the song into English is already questionable but did we really need a fucking dance beat in the last chorus?

Armenia I love how fun it is, but I wish there were, you know, lyrics in the chorus

Australia You couldn't have made a more unsettling music video if you've tried.

Austria I don't know why they've decided to go with bloody eurodance this year. It does not feel updated for the modern times, it's not a cheeky pastiche either. We Will Rave feels like it's been lying around in a vault for the past 20+ years and then the Austrian delegation accidentally stumbled upon it and decided that yes, it will be a perfect Eurovision pick. I still don't hate it though? It might become my guilty pleasure of the year even.

Azerbaijan Why would you bring a guy with such a charismatic moustache just to do a little 10-second chant near the end? He deserves better!

Belgium I should love it. It should've been my number 1, it's Belgium going back to Dark and Moody™, it's what I always want from them. And yet I only like it. The last minute or so is great, but the lead up to that is whatever and doesn't do anything for me.

Croatia The chorus is weak and kinda generic, but the verses are so good they make up for it. The "please meow back" line receives the award for the best lyric of the year.

Cyprus For a twice (or possibly thrice) recycled song it's surprisingly okay. Nothing groundbreaking, it's still a dance-pop song from Kontopoulos, but it's fine.

Czechia I have a complex love-hate relationship with this one. The melody is great, it's exactly the kind of music I listen to outside of ESC. But good lord, do I hate the repetitive self-empowerment lyrics in the chorus.

Denmark Ehhh... She's a good singer I guess.

Estonia I think it's my favorite song of the year? Similarly to Trenulețul it just activates some primal dance spirit in me. Suit jackets on the naked body are still a crime against humanity tho.

Finland Yeah, I'm sorry, but if you hate No Rules, then you hate fun.

France France keeps trying to hide from us what's actually popular in their country.

Georgia It's another generic girl-bop ESC song, we've got half-a-dozen of these this year, but goddamn Nutsa is a fucking powerhouse.

Germany Imagine Dragons-ass production aside, the elephant sounds are such a bizarre choice.

Greece ... I'm sorry but Zari sounds like a bunch of noises with no melody to me, I'm very much not the target audience for this one and I don't get why everyone seems to love it so much.

Iceland Yeah, it's dated and kinda lame but in a very charming way.

Ireland Doomsday Blues is great, but because of all the layering and vocal distortions the live version will always be very different from the studio one. What I'm trying to say is that the live version sounds like an off-off-Broadway villain song.

Israel It's boring as fuck.

Italy It's nice but similarly to Greece I have no idea why is it so beloved by the fandom.

Latvia The song is so boring, that the most talked about part of Latvia's entry is Dons' lack of hair.

Lithuania After I've reassured myself that no, Luktelk does NOT sound like a Ruki Vverkh song it became pretty good.

Luxembourg So much potential in Luxembourg's comeback and yet they went with the most mid(tempo) song ever.

Malta Another generic girl-bop, and the closest we've gotten to an actual SloMo copycat, but it's okay I guess.

Moldova I almost forgot to write anything about Moldova before posting it, which is all you need to know about my opinion on In The Middle.

Netherlands I hate to say it, but I kinda love it? Yeah, Joost has the most punchable face in the history of humanity and I've made several references to my comedically exaggerated hatred of 90s dance music, but Europapa just keeps getting better the more I listen to it.

Norway I like it, but can't really say anything about it other than that.

Poland Very "topped at number 37 in Billboard hot 100 in 2019 and then was featured in a couple ads"-coded

Portugal One of the Portuguese entries of all time (i still like it tho)

San Marino Not as good as Arcadia but I'm happy Megara have made it to Eurovision anyway :)

Serbia It's fine.

Slovenia Similarly to Belgium, I wish I loved it more than I do.

Spain Really fun entry, iconic journey to ESC, but the weak vocals will be the reason the juries will murder Zorra in the Grand Final.

Sweden Not as forgettable as everyone says it is but it's still polished Swedish pop entry #569328

Switzerland From testing the limits of my attention span two years ago to making the most ADHD song of the year, huh. The Code is so many things at once and yet it works without feeling like a disjointed mess.

Ukraine I miss the times when Jerry was making funny meme songs, now we're stuck with her religious awakening era. Alyona's verse is the highlight of the song, everything else is good if you don't think about the lyrics too much.

United Kingdom I don't know how, but the UK has managed to make a decent song that I kind of hate yet again. The production in Dizzy annoys me to no end, I fucking hate the bells and the synths in the chorus, why are they so fucking annoying.

[blazescompendium]

Blaze's Compendium entry #2: Zhu Tun She: A pig? A snake? Both!?

This is a very mysterious creature, that supposedly has been spotted during the Song Dynasty, in China. (This being between 10th and 13th century)

Zhu Tun She (which means literally something like ''Snake Pig'' in Chinese) was described as a demon or monster snake, but it had four legs and behaved like a pig but violently, making squeaking noises. Some sources say it was covered in scaled and hair.

This specific creature caught my attention some years ago, and was one of the first Megaten Demons that i wanted to research by my own, because i found it very interesting. I ended up going to a Chinese Book Store in my city to research it, but it was relatively unknown even for natives. The internet has surprisingly few information about this demon, and since i do not speak Chinese, there's a huge language barrier. Still, i went on.

The most widely spread tale about Zhu Tun She in the west and Chinese web, is that it appeared during the Song Dynasty attacking peasants and soldiers, and (maybe) sometimes eating them. It was supposedly defeated by an officer who was also a magician, and managed to kill it.

From my initial superficial research in the topic, as well my more detailed one, it seems this creature is not a recurrent one. They are different from more recurrent characters, that have their own tales and whatnot. As far as i could pinpoint, at least, Zhu Tun She had just a small tale from a very specific time period. It's valid thought, that i affirm once again i am not a Chinese speaker, so if the creature appeared in other literary works, i was not able to read nor find it.

Zhu Tun She in Demi Kids. Sorry i stacked them...

The origins of the beast came from the Yijianzhi, a collection of folkloric and fantastic tales written during the Song Dynasty. This series of tales contained originally hundreds of chapters, which were complied by Hong Mai, a prolific writer from the time. Its believed that the first chapter was from around 1161, and the other ones from around 1198.

Hong Mai (1123 - 1202) was an author that decided to collect this old stories in a book. He gave the name Yijianzhi in honor to the author Yijian, which wrote according on tales he himself heard, according to Taoist Texts.

The Yijanzhi by itself is very interesting. It contains multitudes of texts, that travels around a lot of topics. From gods, to ghosts, to revenge stories, kings, fantasy, some bizarre stuff, and most important: Fantastical creatures that inhabit those legends.

In case you want to read the book... I have good and bad news: The good news is that it received a partial translation to English in 2018, i have read this version. It's called Records of The Listener and it's a simple and very rewarding read. There's also a 2007 version of partial translation. Both are properly archived and you can read it online.

The bad news is that, they are just a partial translation, many tales are missing and the Zhu Tun She one is among those missing. We do, however have a summarized version, this version was extracted from me from Chinese sources, but you can also find it on the western web. I used software to translate it, so please forgive me if i get something wrong. (See below)

But before, let's discuss it's origins a bit:

While the source mostly associated with the story, was the elusive Shigeru Mizuki book ''Dictionary of Chinese Demons'', and probably the same Kaneko took it from. There's hardly English sources about this demon, which made it very hard to research about it not being a native Chinese speaker, or at least knowing a bit of the language.

Me and some friends even pondered about it being made up by Mizuki, since it has happened before with other creatures. But with the help of the Chinese Web, i could pin down exactly where this tale was originally from:

-This was present in the book Siqu Quanshu. It's a compendium from the Qing Dynasty that contained some chapters of the Yijian Zhi including this one, you can read in it's entirety online here. (If you can read Chinese. If you can't, i will provide a translation below do not fear.)

The indexation in this book is as follows:

Siqu Quanshu -> Yijian Zhi -> 戊卷03 ( volume 3) - It's unclear how was it's original index in its original source.

(Thanks u/storiesti for helping me finding it)

The compendium in question was commissioned by the emperor Qianlong, and it's how this tales survived. That's important, because many Yijian Zhi chapters simply did not survived to the modern age, and the way some of them did was being republished in works such as that. So, at the very least it was not made up by Mizuki or anyone in the internet.

So... What was this story about then? What was our little piggy's tale?

Here's a brief version of it, translated via software, sorry it was the best i could do:

In the stationed army at Jiankang, there was a officer named Cheng Jun who was very experienced in the "forbidden spells" technique, especially in subduing demon snakes. This incident seems to have happened in the 23rd year of the Shaoxing period. (1130 AD) One evening, when the army was training outside the south gate, a snake suddenly appeared in a bamboo woods. The snake was as thick as a pestle, about three feet long, covered in fur, with four legs, just like a demon. When it appeared, it would make a sound like a pig and chase after people while making this noise, running as if it were going to devour them. People could only panic and flee with no way to deal with it. At this moment, someone nearby found a horse stable and quickly used it to trap the snake, then reported the matter to the commander. The commander immediately sent someone to investigate and also commanded Cheng Jun, who was famous for subduing spirit snakes, to take care of the snake. After a while, Cheng Jun arrived; as soon as he saw it, he recognized the shape of the demon snake under the horse stable. He said, "This is called 'Zhu Tun She', a type of demon snake that kills people once they get entangled by it." After that, Cheng Jun blew air from above the horse stable and began to use his spells. Soon, Cheng Jun commanded someone to open the horse stable, and they saw the demon snake curled up and motionless. Cheng Jun then closed the horse stable again, deeply inhaled as if he was absorbing moonlight, and then blew air from above the stable three more times. Afterwards, Cheng Jun commanded someone to open the horse stable again, and they saw that the demon snake had turned into a puddle of blood.

A.. lot happened here as you can see.

Shigeru Mizuki's depiction of the Zhu Tun She.

It's unclear how common this demon was supposed to be in that tale, since Cheng was able to identify it pretty easily, and was known to defeat monsters like that all the time.

But that is how far it goes, the creature was (to my knowledge) never mentioned again, and made brief appearances in popular media. I don't know how it ended up in Mizuki's table, but he helped to popularize it since most of sources end up in his book. This is of course because it's way more accessible to read a book from the 1990s than an old scroll from 1130s.

Zhu Tun She differs from other critters i'v researched about, because there's few to no nuance in its existence. There's no moral to the tale, there's nothing to explain it as well, it seems like a cryptid from the old world, or just an elaborated fictional tale to amuse the emperor.

My personal theory is that: If it was not made up to amuse the Emperor, it was probably a very weird capybara or something like that. Who knows?

Still it's a very fascinating demon, a creature that would be terrifying to find alone in a bamboo forest for sure. But the best part of this study was to find more about the work where it came from, the Yijian Zhi. This books are simply amazing.

It's a collection of tales from old China, some supernatural, others just common tales. Still, they are very brief and entertaining also shedding some light into old China, full of myths and stories. As i said, there's a partial translation to English available to buy, or read online! Go check it out.

As for our pig friend, i could not find out if it had other apparitions in Chinese folklore, as mentioned before. It seems Zhu Tun She was an very isolated incident, and has only known by us because someone republished the tale many years later.

You see, snakes are beings very present in Human collective consciousness. Snakes were natural predators to early humans, many of us are born with innate fear of snakes. Snake monsters, demons and gods are part of lots of cultures around the world. The Quetzalcoatl in Central America, the Hydra in Greek Mythology, Orochi in Japanese mythology. In Northeastern Brazil there's a tale of a Feathered monster Snake called ''The Lapa's Feathered Snake''. This is just some of them, while many other exist.

As our ancestral predator and a very dangerous creature, snakes ended up taking a lot of space in our minds.

It's possible that other creatures similar to Zhu Tun She have been written, but could be lost to time. Who knows? There's indeed many other snake demons around the world, so our pig friend here is not alone!

I'd like to thank sorenblr for helping me getting attention to this research, and also Atmaflare for literally accompanying me during this research. @sorenblr and @atmaflare thank you!

Hope you all enjoyed!

Sources: -Siqu Quanshu: Some Yijian Zhi tales (Original Chinese book where the tale is currently available, brought from the Yijian Zhi books)

-The Dictionary of Chinese Demons (Shigeru Mizuki, could not find it for buying but its the source parroted throughout the web.)

[osachiyo]

Hi beautiful! ^^  

I'm not flattering I'm just stating obvious facts! Your cuteness is praticly radiating from you and I've seen how many people wrote how much they missed you as soon as you came back. We all love you too and can really count ourselfs as lucky to have you<3  

I recomend listening to music or half watching a video while cooking if it's bothering to you. I always do that while I'm cooking to not be bored (poor mama sometimes hears me hum or half sing the songs while I'm making dinner) and a strawberry smoothie sounds good! o: strawberries are my favorite and i already nom them in masses so that will be another way to satisfy my strawberry addiction. I can't wait for it to be strawberry season and to maybe go strawberry picking! ^^  

Playing with dough it too much fun. I don't care if they lose all their air and are over kneeded it's not our fault dough is nice to hold (it reminds me of atsushis cute cheek) 

I'd need to ask for the name of the movie again but it was about the sceario that aliens came to world with giant space ships and landed but don't seem to do anything. So some the goverment seeds people there to investigate but also try to translate their language. So our main character is very good with languages and gets pulled with to try to learn the aliens language. I'm only sad we didn't got to pat the aliens. I wanna pat everything i shouldn't pat for some reason. This movie had one cool plot twist we liked ^^  

The hear play i listed with my sister to is also great it's called "hail marry" or "mission hail marry" where our main character wake up not knowing who he is and we slowly find out in what situation he found himself in. There are barely any other characters there but his monologs are entertaining and very sciency i like that one can actually understand all the science and you always can follow each plot twist perfectly with no "come on i knew this for an hour how do you know only now?" Or an "wait how did you get to this??? This makes no sense!". This story just carries itself good and is surprisingly very accurate altough being a sci-fy hear play. I love it alot (just like i love you >:D ) (and don't worry i didn't mind that you added both things together) (this one is very long i'm sorry) - 🥒 anon that thinks you're very cool

HELLO AGAIN NONNIEEEE !! so good to see you again :D and thank you so much ! you’re very very cute yourself, and you’re too kind pls 🥹 im the lucky one to have so many sweet supporters like you <3

and that’s a good tip, i’ll try playing some music or like play a video in the background the next time i cook :D

strawberry picking sounds so funn omg :< i wish i could go with you ! i love all strawberry flavored things — without ice cream HELP but if it’s made with like fresh strawberries then i don’t mind !

that movie sounds interesting, i actually love anything alien related so <3 and about the play, it sounds pretty cool :D i might give it a shot when i can ^^ AND I LOVE YOU TOOOOO !!!! 💖

[wet-bread-owner]

Hello, long time no see eh?, well I wanted to make

Another song review that is, this time is Dedf1sh

Pretty cool sanitized octoling DJ with what I say is

Pretty good lore behind her character, and good,

You know, songs, anyways let's get into it now

Dedf1sh

Splatoon 2 Octo Expansion

#0 Shell: All I can say is that the I see with most Dedf1sh songs is that most of them might not sound like they could fit in a level but they actually do, at least that's how I hear them, this one for example, it's really calm, it has this weird tone to it that honestly I really like, during the levels it makes you feel more concentrated, that's what it did to me actually, the way the sound goes to side to side, really neat stuff

#1 Progress: Not gonna lie, I like this song because of how otherworldly it feels, it also sounds very simplistic if you can call it that, the beat of the song sounds like a really generic beat and honestly I like that in a weird way, it's like, a weird demo of a song of some kind, which is what I like about Dedf1sh, all of her songs are really different and weird and that's what gives it a lot of charm

#2 Ripped: Now, I really like the weird vocals on this one, not only that but the beat it has, if I remember correctly the stations where this plays, it adds up to that weird feeling each station gives off, because if you stop and look in your surroundings you see some interesting stuff floating around, I really like that, especially during 8-ball levels since I find them the most relaxing out of the others

#4 Dunno: I must say that I have no idea what this song is, it sounds really strange, I must say I don't really like it a lot, it has weird tones and other stuff that make it difficult to find something that I can like, but while I may not like it, I'm sure it's good and some other people might like it, it all comes to personal preferences, I must say the first time I heard this I thought something happened to my switch because it sounded really strange, with all the noises just going everywhere

#5 Thirsty: Very few songs actually give me this feeling of just kind of like, bliss, I don't know what this song might have but honestly the way it sounds like the Central metro song and how the beat is, it just kinda makes me sit there and listen to it, while playing I remember really liking this song, and overall I still like it, I listen to it from time to time, I must say it also has this feeling of loneliness to it, which is honestly amazing considering the way the metro is, really adds up to that feeling

#6 Frisk: Eh, while I don't like this song I also don't really dislike it (all that much), it sounds ok, I really like the ending of it with the whole like, otherworldly sounds it starts to use, it uses them in the middle of it as well, so that's what makes it a lil bit better for me, I don't like the weird beat it has to it, Dedf1sh songs are really hit or miss for me

#8 Regret: Really interesting song, I like how calm it is, during the game I must say this song made me almost fall asleep, I must say I stayed up all night playing but like, I feel this song helped that, anyways, I would like to mention how there's this theory that the song names represent the way Ahato (Dedf1sh) felt while being sanitized or something like that, and I would like to clarify that this theory is actually like, not true, during an interview it was revealed that the song names are just like, named after the feeling each song gave, which honestly makes a lot of sense when you look at it, this song for example, does give off a feeling of regret, if you are wondering where I got this information from uhhhhh, pretty sure it was from a Rassicas video, I think it was from the Nintendo magazine they translated

#9 Party: Surprisingly enough this song reminds me of my childhood, I'm not kidding when I say this, it reminded me of a song that for some reason has been engraved in my mind that I listened to when I was younger on some YouTube videos, so honestly I really like it because of that lmao, and I must say it does convey the feeling of a party so overall good song I like it, I really liked the stations where this played

#11 Above: All I can say about this song is that I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT, it's my favourite Dedf1sh song, the first time I heard it I immediately fell in love with it, I adore that one station with the ink rails and this song, I forgot which one but it was really cool it made the whole experience 10x better, the weird guitar (idk if it's a guitar) sounds really cool and the way the song be never really changes beat is honestly what made me like this song so much, overall my favourite Dedf1sh song as mentioned

#12 Awake: Really don't have much to say about this song, it's good but definitely not for me, It feels like waking up in the morning and staring at the sun as it raises while it's kinda cold outside, idk why it just reminded me of that, it's very calming I must say, might try to listen to it even more to see if I like it

#13 Shade: Yeah, this song is kinda, not my type as well, I can't really find anything to say about this other than I don't like the vocals, they sound really strange but in a bad way, and the instrumental is kinda eh, makes me feel kinda, like, not knowing how to feel about the song, I can definitely see people liking it tho, but not me; during the game I remember wanting to beat the level this was on fast because I didn't want to listen to it a lot

#14 Crush: More songs should have trumpets honestly, I love this song, possibly my third favourite Dedf1sh song (I won't make a tier list) and I'm guessing it's the same for most people because I've seen a lot of love for this song, and it's well deserved, the trumpet, that feeling of old music it has, everything about it is perfect and I love it, this song as well as #11 Above are songs that I'll definitely listen to again

#16 Salty: Oh, yeah this song sounds like a boss song lol, I like how frantic this song sounds, and honestly I was surprised when this was used in other stations and not the stations with the bosses, but eh, it's ok, I like hearing it a lot on levels because it adds up to that stress some levels give you

#19 Bless: Xylophone....... Why did I start this with that word? Don't question it, anyways, so, this song plays in the stations where you get the thangs, and honestly I was kinda disappointed when I first got to them, I expect something to happen before I could get the thang but, you just kinda grab it and that's about it, this song makes it feel like it's something extremely important (I mean it is but like if something might happen) the dialogue in game also hints that something feels off about the place, and then nothing happens, I don't know I just felt disappointed because of that, but eh, I liked the song it feels like, kinda like a military song, idk

Splattack (Octo): I HAVE TO SAY THIS IS MY SECOND FAVORITE DEDF1SH SONG, it's honestly so cool how she remixed a song from Squid Squad and how it plays while you fight Sanitized Agent 3, makes the battle feel like, 100x better, and I absolutely adore how everything is like, broken up and how it changes in speeds and everything, it makes the song feel more uhhh intense? Idk if you can call it that but yeah, I adore this song with all my heart, I hope they do something similar in Side Order, even if the one that makes the music isn't Dedf1sh, I just want another remix of a song

Escape(?): Ehhhhhhh, I don't really know if this is a Dedf1sh song, but it's the one that plays during the final levels, when you are going up to the surface, well only the first part, then shark bytes starts playing, anyways, all I can say is that it makes the whole section feel more tense with how you have to evade being seen and it also has a nice rhythm to it, so yeah I kinda like it

BYE

So that would be it, Dedf1sh is definitely an interesting character not only in the splatbands but also in the lore itself, she has such an amazing story so far, and for what it seems she returned in Splatoon 3 with that Octoplush song (#35 Caught), I must say her songs made Octo Expansion a lot more interesting and enjoyable, which I may add my Girlfriend bought Octo Expansion for me which I really appreciate, I can't thank her enough for that and I love her, but yeah, other than that this is the end of the review, I'm definitely not a music critic but I like typing out how the songs make me feel, it's nice, I like sharing my thoughts around, so anyways, I'll see you next time with uhhh I don't know but it will be another splatband with an Octoling or Octarians, see ya!

[browngurl99]

Day 7 - Faith/Rituals of love

"Come on! Say it, Nikita. It's a ritual."

"But I don't know how to make one on the spot. You just happen to be good at that, Aai."

Nikita and Trisha held a post-wedding get-together exclusive to certain relatives and close friends. They had come a long way since their first meeting at a jogging park 5 years ago.

Although Trisha was a couple years older than her, they got along very well. Trisha loved to make others laugh and sometimes Nikita laughed at her unfunny jokes just to see her proud smile. She was also a great friend. She always looked out for others, including Nikita. She always checked up on Nikita when she did not come to the park. One time, when Nikita came down with a fever, she came to her place by herself and then took drove her to a doctor.

It took them a six months-long friendship for Trisha to confess that she is bisexual is to Nikita. Nikita could not help but immediately come out to her at the very moment. Ever since then, they started slipping their presence into each other's lives more often. Then the obvious happened. They slowly realised what they felt for each other from a long time, was not one-sided at all. The confession was kind of a mess as it happened due to a playful flirting session between them that ended up with them kissing. But they worked it out in the end. Nikita could not even believe how quickly the time passed since their confession. And now, they were married.

"Ukhana doesn't have to be perfect. Just try it. It's the ritual that matters." Aai said.

It took some time for Aai and Baba to accept her fully. She came out a couple years ago. That time, they were shocked and worried. But later on, their daughter's happiness became the top priority for them. They still seemed hesitant some of the times as they were still not very used to the whole concept. But they were still learning. They were trying their best and that was enough for Nikita.

Surprisingly, Ashish was present at the gathering too. When Nikita came out to him, his reaction was positive. He stated that he forgave her 'betrayal' because he completely understood her situation. They got divorced for the better. But ironically their friendship got stronger after the divorce. He had been one of the few people who wholeheartedly supported Nikita's identity.

"Okay. I will try to say it." Nikita said nervously but also with a hint of excitement. Trisha winked at her ; To motivate her or to wish her luck? No one knows.

Nikita took a deep breath. It had been a long time since she said an ukhana. The last time was during the Satyanarayn Puja after her marriage with Ashish.

This time Nikita had to say ukhana for her the person she truly loved, Trisha. It was a little confusing. "How could I describe my wife in just some little poem?". She thought. Trisha deserved a thousand poems written about her. And Nikita would write those thousand poems but she would not want the world to know a single word of it, as if it was only reserved for Trisha.

Nikita pushed her too-many thoughts away and started reciting the poem

"Tujhya premachi challi ashi jaado

Prem geet aiktana tu lagli disu

Kontyahi phula peksha jaast sundar

Aahe Trishacha hasu"

[Translation: Your love had such magic on me

I started seeing you everytime I listen to a love song

No flower in the world can compete

The beauty of your (Trisha's) laughter]

"Waah! Waah! Kya baat hai!" Yelled Nikita's friends enthusiastically, as if they were attending a poetry recital.

Nikita gasped "You guys are trolling me. That was cringe. "

Then, Nikita heard a laughter to her side. Her wife was laughing. Her usual stern voice sounded very light. Her cheeks were brushed with a shade of pink.

"Oh my god!" Trisha said between laughs "That's the cutest thing I have ever heard. I loved it, Nikita."

Nikita's ukhana was completely true. In fact, not only flowers, but the beauty of the entire nature could be seen Trisha's laugh. She was truly lucky to have this woman as her wife.

...

@desi-lgbt-fest

[dearfuturehusbandblog]

Another Song (and Some Dark Thoughts)

Dear Future Husband,

My last post was about this song L'man Achai by The Chevra, but that's not the only song that I listened to over Chanukah that ended up as an earworm for me. One of the other songs that's been kicking around my brain, one which wasn't as much on the forefront of my mind as L'man Achai, but which has still bobbed to the top on occasion, is the Six13 acapella version of L'Cha Dodi.

My brain tends to pick certain lines of a song and just repeat those over and over (surprisingly not always the chorus), so I rarely have the whole song on repeat in my head, and instead it's just a few bars.

And this time the part on repeat was primarily the end of the zemer:

So the line "Toch emunei am segulah" has been floating around my brain for a couple of weeks. And again, my Hebrew skills aren't that amazing, so I'm pretty bad at knowing the translations of the songs that I sing unless I think reeally hard about them. And I didn't really think too much about what this whole zemer means.

But I was just on a forum reading about the Jews as the "chosen people" and it occurred to me I don't know where that reference actually comes from. So I went to chatgpt and asked for the source (viewable here), which is apparently from Devarim 7:6.

I tried Sefaria, but I think chabad.org has the better translation for this passuk. (Although you can see some consistencies in the various translation options on Sefaria)

The word used for "chosen" appears to be bachor which usually refers to an oldest son who is given the choice portion of an inheritance. Which in this case would refer to the fact that every nation of people on planet earth are God's children and are all loved by Him, regardless of race, gender, religious affiliation, etc, and that the Jewish people are just the "oldest", the ones who are supposed to lead and teach the rest of the world, and with that responsibility comes additional requirements, and thus additional rewards.

I could go into a whole d'var torah about that, but that's not really what interested me...

What interested me, in case you didn't catch it already, is the reference to "Am Segulah" (His "treasured nation") in both places.

We don't really use that term often and it just kind of struck me while reading this passage that this portion that defines the Jews as "chosen" also uses the same term that has been bopping around my head for a couple of weeks.

Off the top of my head I couldn't have told you that segulah meant 'treasure', because we tend to use that term when we refer to a good luck charm (for lack of a better term), which I guess could be equated to a treasure if you think about it like that?

But usually treasure is something unrelated to luck. It's gold and diamonds and anything a dragon would hoard. Or it's sentimental, a memorial to something special with personal significance. To treasure something is to love it and protect it and keep it safe.

According to the wikipedia page for segulah, it's a charm or ritual in kabbalistic practice intended for protection or benevolence. Although over time a lot of kabbalistic practices have kind of become enmeshed with mainstream orthodox Jewish practice, so a lot of these "segulot" are accepted in general orthodox Jewish society without knowledge of their kabbalistic origins. Some refer to these as old wives tales and say to stop attempting these "extra credit projects" and just do the "required assignments" of proper Torah adherence if you want the benefits that are supposedly "guaranteed" by the segulot...

Kabbalah really became a thing during the Middle Ages (aka The Dark Ages), which was fraught with darkness and evil and superstition. Stories like the Grimm Brothers Fairy Tales and our own stories of the Golem originate from these times. It was also an era of mass death, whether inflicted by disease or humans. There was so much hatred and persecution towards various groups, but most especially Jews, who were kicked out of so many countries across Europe, that it makes sense that people would have wanted anything of protection and comfort to hold onto in those dark times.

But most of these modern segulot aren't amulets, they're not technically treasured artifacts, they're more ritualistic. For example:

People pray at the Kotel for 40 consecutive days as a segulah.

People take challah as a segulah.

People drink from the kos shel bracha at a wedding as a segulah.

People recite the entire sefer of tehillem as a segulah.

Etc.

So when I was "translating" the words in my head, trying to figure out what I was singing, "Am Segulah" never translated to 'treasured nation' or 'treasured people,' because that wasn't my association with the word 'segulah.'

And I'm kind of curious if we truly see ourselves as an "Am Segulah".

Do we view ourselves as something to be treasured?

Do we view ourselves as a group that deserves Divine protection and love and care?

I know that I personally don't.

Nothing about my life thus far has even hinted to me that I'm truly loved or cared for or treasured by humans OR God.

And I look around at all the awfulness that has happened to the Jews over the last 3000 years and I wonder how we lose our way so quickly in practically every generation.

Is it a self fulfilling prophesy?

Like in the story of Yoseph haTzaddik that we've been discussing in recent parshios - he told his family his dreams about them all bowing to him and THEY interpreted it as them treating him like a king. If they hadn't interpreted it that way or if he hadn't shared the dreams with them at all, would they have gotten mad at him and tried to get rid of him? Would the famine in Egypt have happened at all? Would Klal Yisrael have ever ended up in slavery in Mitzrayim?

How much of what we go through is predetermined and how much of it is the consequence of our own individual and collective actions?

For the majority of the Shabbossim over the last year I've spent time reading Jewish history books, most of which is stories or overviews of particular Rabbis from various eras, but the rest of it is just one horrid story after another. More in-fighting, more persecution, more exile. It's a never ending cycle that we just can't seem to break.

One story that continuously sticks out in my mind since reading about it earlier this year is the accounts of what happened in Eretz Yisrael globally and Yerushalayim specifically during the Chorban Bayis Sheini. It is absolutely horrific.

In elementary and middle school they dumb stuff down for us, so we end up with the childhood song lyrics that stick with us into adulthood that warp our ideas of the entire situation. Lyrics like:

(TOGETHER BY ABIE ROTENBERG) I am an ancient wall of stone, atop a hill so high. And if you listen with your heart, you just may hear my cry. Where has the Bais Hamikdash gone, I stand here all alone. How long am I to wait for all my children to come home? A house of marble and of gold once stood here by my side. From far and wide all came to see its beauty and its pride. But Sin’as Chinam brought it down, and with it so much pain. Now only Ahavas Yisroel can build it once again. CHORUS 1: Together, together, you stood by Har Sinai, my daughters and sons. Forever, forever, you must stand together forever as one.

And with this "romantic" version of the Kotel longing for a Bais Hamikdash we can't relate to, destroyed in a time and controversy we don't understand, we have absolutely no idea how horrific the actual circumstances were because nobody speaks about it.

"But Sinas Chinam brought it down"

Do we even know what that means?

We come up with so many of our own contemporary examples but those are seriously watered down versions of the appalling and gruesome things that were happening that caused the complete destruction of the Bais Hamikdash.

I'm 35 years old. I've been through orthodox Jewish day schools and I've been to seminary.

And never once did I hear anyone discuss it, even when we visited locations like Massada.

Nobody wants to address the harsh realities.

But how are we supposed to recognize the deeply rooted problems in order to fix them if nobody is willing to talk about it?

Rabbi Berel Wein and Rabbi David Fohrman are two of the few Rabbis I've seen discuss any of this darkness.

Rabbi Wein discusses it in his 1990s book trilogy on Jewish history. Most of Jewish history happens against a complex and continuously active and morphing secular political background, but Jews turning against Jews in the streets outside the Bais Hamikdash was OUR fault.

It was US vs US.

The streets of Yerushalayim ran red as Jewish people slaughtered each other in cold blood over disagreements. All while daily karbanos were still being accepted by Hashem in the Bais Hamikdash.

We literally can't wrap our heads around what that means.

We don't understand what it means to truly despise each other that much over nothing.

We've just exited Chanukah and it's a celebration that isn't taught in full context either.

Whenever we discussed Chanukah in grade school and even in seminary, we never went into deep discussions about the war that was being fought by the Macabees. Everything taught about the story of Chanukah was just so superficial, which is crazy because there's so much more context and nuance that lends insight into who we are as a people and what it means to survive, all of which is never really touched on.

Chanukah was not the end of the war. It was a miraculous respite in the form of a won battle and a small jar of oil. But it was not a won war.

The Bais Hamikdash still stood during the Chanukah story, but it doesn't anymore. The end of that story was not a positive one.

We annually celebrate a momentary victory of such "minor" proportions that the holiday wasn't even instituted until a year after it occurred because the leaders of the time weren't even sure what to make of it right away.

But nobody talks about how and why the Hasmonean dynasty (the Macabee family) died out and has no descendants alive today. One of the descendants became the Kohen Gadol and literally imprisoned and murdered his own family members, including his mother. (I highly recommend the Aleph Beta videos for insight into this with a positive conclusion).

We all just want to white wash history into an "everyone hates the Jews, but we didn't do anything wrong" narrative and that's just not true. We are constantly doing wrong. That's why we haven't earned the 3rd and final Bais Hamikdash yet.

And I've been raised by pessimistic people who suffer from anxiety and depression that has been coded into their DNA by previous generations who suffered from anxiety and depression, and so my outlook has always been more negative and I tend to focus on the negative more often than I should.

And this means that when I talk to friends who have experienced something negative in the frum world or I read accounts online, whether it's here on tumblr or in a frum group on facebook, and when I see some of the disgusting comments left by people who don't care that their name and their family members' names will forever be associated with that comment, I immediately think "well, color me unsurprised. it's cuz we're all horrible failures who treat each other like garbage. we are undeserving of anything good. why are we even here?"

So I'm rarely emotionally effected by this stuff because it just seems unfortunately "normal" to me. And reading these historic accounts and seeing how awful we've been to each other for millennia.... I'm just continually unsurprised by the negative things that result here in the modern world.

I think that's one of the reasons I've been so "unaffected" by this war.

Because in my mind it's "of course this is happening. we've grown too comfortable, too complacent. and that complacency leads to us treating each other like trash, which leads to yet another pogrom."

Because "when the yidden don't make kiddush, the goyim make havdalah."

It happened in Mitzrayim. It happened in Shushan. It happened in Germany.

We like to say "never again" in reference to the Holocaust, but what are we saying?

It seems like more often than not we're saying "we won't let the goyim kill our people" but we have no control over that.

Hashem does.

The only things we have control over are our own actions. And our own actions, when focused on the things we're supposed to be doing, are what will prevent the goyim from killing us.

But it always starts with us.

And I'm trying, dear Future Husband. I'm really trying.

I know most of what I do is wrong. And I'm trying to correct myself. I'm often so stuck inside my own head that my constant failures are all I can think about and it makes positive change harder than pushing a boulder up a steep hill, but I'm trying.

I visited Israel for a short time earlier this year for the first time since seminary and I got pushback from pretty much everyone I spoke to when I told them that, despite having plans to stay in a city outside of Yerushalayim which I had to catch a bus for, and shlepping huge bags with me, I wanted to visit the Kosel first thing.

"You can do that later in the week when you're settled."

"You'll end up missing your bus if you're shlepping all over Yerushalayim when you get in."

But it was important to me and I couldn't understand how it wasn't important to everyone else.

Upon entering the land that even Moshe Rabbeinu didn't have the privilege to step foot in, how could the Kosel - the location of the greatest tragedies in Jewish history, and the holiest place on earth - not be my first stop??

How could tearing kriyah not be the first thing I do?

In fact, when I told people I needed to go and tear kriyah, some of them even asked "oh, you do that?" as though it's not an accepted thing to tear kriyah at the site of ultimate sadness in Jewish life and history. Some people told me I should wait until rosh chodesh so I wouldn't have to tear, because "loophole!"

To me, not visiting the Kosel first thing would be like being away from your parents' house for decades and then coming to stay in your old bedroom without saying hello to them first. Such a slap in the face. (And this is coming from someone who grew up in a family steeped in dysfunction and doesn't speak to her father...)

But so many people wanted me to push it off because it would be "an inconvenience."

THAT is what I mean when I say we are complacent.

THAT is what I mean when I say we are too comfortable.

I know so many people who live in Yerushalayim and when I was there and asked some of them the last time they visited the Kosel, I got numbers ranging from weeks to months. (A few said days, but not most).

Because "life gets in the way" and "we get busy."

And I know I'm not perfect in any way, shape, or form, but that honestly blew my mind and made me feel differently about everyone, and not in a good way.

Which just reinforces my negativity, which is even more problematic...

But I keep trying anyway.

How I wish Hashem would speak to me more clearly than the cryptic messages He sends me like this odd "coincidence" of the term "Am Segulah". Because I don't know what this message means.

Maybe it's a nod to the idea that we are cherished despite not feeling like we are. Maybe it's a message to tell me that I need to think more positively. Or maybe it's something else that I won't understand until the day that I die. I have no idea.

Regardless, wherever you are, I hope that you are trying too.

Because these are trying times. And all we can do is try.

-LivelyHeart

[queersekai]

Updated favorite commissions as of Hoshi wo Tsunagu + general commission opinions

Ichika - Made to Order. Overall her commissions are fine, though I prefer the VS versions of both Pulse of the Meteor and Hoshi wo Tsunagu (the tuning man... the tuning). Still not the biggest fan of her

Saki - Teratera/Show Off. Commissions overall are great. Stella is a close second place for me; I prefer the VS version of From Tokyo; and Aioi made me cry, it's beautiful

Honami - Still very close between Stage of Sekai and Flyway. Not a huge fan of Hare wo Matsu, probably because I'm just not big on Orangestar. Then again I'm not super huge on halyosy and then we got Flyway and it blew me away so. Edge still goes to Stage of Sekai though

Shiho - Voices. Yuyoyuppe is one of my favorite producers. However, Shiho literally does not have a bad song. You could put any of hers in the top spot and it would be correct

Minori - Tenshi no Clover. Worldwide Wander is right behind it. Dream Place and Teammate are both fine, but the latter especially really isn't my thing. I'm not a huge HoneyWorks fan. My opinion on Dream Place may go up when the full version is released

Haruka - If. Ai no Material is dragged down by MEIKO, and Float Planner is fine. Don't have much to say about her, but I do hope her next song is better. Her commissions tend to be more just good rather than great imo

Airi - Momoiro Key. Icedrop and More! Jump! More! are also very good. Still don't like Parasol Cider. Something about it just annoys me and I don't know what. It's just not for me

Shizuku - It's between Metamo Re:born and I Am, We Are. Color of Drops is fine, and Luka's tuning is surprisingly good in it

Kohane - Hitsuji ga Ippiki. Very funky, very Kohane. Beat Eater is also fantastic, and I think I'm in the minority of people who actually genuinely like Flyer. It makes me happy

An - Gekokujo/Giant Killing (yes that is the official translated title at least according to Apple Music). So... this song and event leaked around the time of my grandmother's funeral. I'm still grieving the loss, but this song has helped so much. Awake Now and Machi are both fantastic, and Forward is fine, though I want more of the guys

Akito - Kashika. Can't wait for the full version in three weeks (as of posting this). Akito is like Shiho, though; you could put any of his commissions as the top one and they'd be right. Let's hope that continues

Toya - Rad Dogs. Still hasn't been topped. Mirai is good though, and I recognize why people like Utsuro wo Aogu, even though I still don't like it that much. Hoping this Hiiragi Magnetite commission is his and it's good

Tsukasa - Mr. Showtime. I do not like Tsukasa--or WxS, really--that much. It's the character voices that get me most of the time. However, HitoYama made a banger. I can't stand Tondemo Wonders because of the sound effects, and I prefer the VS version of Eighty-Eight

Emu - Hoshizora Orchestra. Yeah I'm revising my opinion there. I cried when I listened to it with the lyrics. Made me feel warm. Once Upon a Dream is criminally underrated, and Niccori Survey Team's Theme is rightfully loved

Nene - Hakoniwa no Coral. Hot take, this is her first good commission. I do not like OSTER Project or kinoshita much, so that really knocks down Nijiiro Stories and Glory Steady Go for me. I wanted to like Hoshizora no Melody so badly because I like Polypho, but I can't stand them speaking in rhythm rather than singing, and I think MEIKO's tuning is some of the worst in the game here

Rui - What Kind of Ending Do You Want? I honestly flip between his songs though. He's like Shiho and Akito; any of them ranked as the best is the right answer

Kanade - Samsa. Don't get me wrong, I love both Kanade Tomosu Sora and Tricologe. But... KAITO. And Teniwoha. But yeah you also can't go wrong with Kanade

Mafuyu - Engeki. This song. I cried. Enough said. Jackpot Sad Girl is one of the best early game songs, Saisei is criminally underrated, and while bug is overrated and overplayed, it earned that. You can't go wrong with any of her songs in my book, though I'm aware I'm in the minority there. Still don't get the hate for Saisei though

Ena - Nomad. Just... beautiful. But her other songs are also great and again you can't go wrong. Do you see a pattern here?

Mizuki - Kitty. So funky. I think you know what I'm going to say here based on the last three though. Also don't get the hate for kimi no yoru wo kure. Like, at all

Can you tell I love Niigo?

[incarnadinedreams]

Getting to Know You - Tag Game

Oh yay, got tagged in a thingy!!! Exciting!!! Thanks @twilightarc-gm

Answer these questions and then tag nine people you want to get to know better.

1. Three ships: Ships that I consistently read in 2022-23

Gosh this one's hard because I still tend to revisit older/slowed down fandoms from time to time... and also am definitely a multishipper for most characters I like.

Since I've been wholly consumed by MDZS/Jiang Cheng brainrot right now it's mostly some flavor of Jiang Cheng/Happiness. I'm definitely an 'AllCheng, AnyCheng, NoCheng, WhateverCheng' enjoyer.

By volume (by availability on Ao3) that means ChengQing, Xicheng, Sangcheng, ChengXian but I'm down for others like ChengSu and ChengNing and various other configurations too! Somewhat limited by being mostly a novel fan so pairings that tend to be heavily based in CQL canon don't always resonate with me as much.

For non-JC ships I've recently gotten way more interested in Xiyao

Outside MDZS I've been occasionally hitting up some old favorites in less active fandoms like HakYona from Akatsuki no Yona, RoyAi & LingFan & AlMei (FMA), Reylo (Star Wars), Shadolin ot3 (Stormlight Archive), NejiTen (rip lol - Naruto... this is again a remnant of long ago, from the manga-is-still-being-published days... but if I stumble across one of them these days I'll still have a go)

2. First ship: probably Ling/Lan Fan or Roy Mustang/Riza Hawkeye (Fullmetal Alchemist)? Orrrr maybe Kyouraku Shunsui/Ise Nanao in Bleach (with the caveat that I was really into it when the manga was just the Soul Society arc (because I'm old) and not. Uh. Later. When uh. Yeah. Information from much much later in the manga killed that ship for me but you know. Thems the breaks. I'd already dropped the manga ages before that info was released so it was a bit of a shock when something stumbled across my path about it!)

3. Last song listened: "Woodbine" by Windhand playing currently!

4. Last movie watched: This was surprisingly hard to answer - I couldn't remember! I usually end up watching shows/miniseries or documentaries rather than regular movies.

5. Currently watching: I've been catching up the most recent season of the Great British Baking Show!

6. Currently reading: Oooh this is a loaded question... my 'currently reading' pile is too big... currently working my way through what volumes I have of the TGCF and 2HA official translations. Also rereading MDZS slowly and taking notes, just started that recently even though I'd planned to read all this over the holidays... and here we are, almost the end of January...

For non-danmei, 'The Goblin Emperor' by Katherine Addison which I'm struggling to get into/stick with which is surprising given the outstanding reviews/raving I see for it. I'm also somewhere in the middle of 'House of Chains' in the Malazan Book of the Fallen series but that's been lingering for a while now... not sure if that's a currently reading or an oopsie at this point...

7. Currently consuming: Mint tea while thinking about what I want for lunch! It's 2:40pm but I'm also lazy so I'll probably still be thinking about it an hour from now...

8. Currently craving: Honestly I have the biggest craving for some good bbq ribs, baked beans and potato salad but am also way too lazy to go grocery shopping + crank up the smoker (especially because it's just above freezing and rainy today!)...

[scratchandplaster]

FEBUWHUMP 2023 WRAP-UP

Now that I finished Febuwhump 2023, I thought about doing a summary of my work. I never wrote anything before, let alone posted it online, so this was all pretty exciting (if sometimes a little stressful) for me 🤫 Thanks to @febuwhump for hosting this event!

Spoilers ahead!

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🏆 My Favorites

The most fun writing I had with DAY 12. The slow change of Henshaw's mental stability was really interesting to explore, especially because of his first-person perspective. The thought of cave diving itself is horrifying to me, but doing that while also being stalked by an eldritch horror seemed too good to miss out on. Even I still don't know what's down there...

Also, I love the dynamic between the protagonists from DAY 6. My sweet boy just wanted to be free and meet new people 😔 At some points I wrote him to be a little too self-loathing, kinda giving him incel vibes... He's not like that, I swear, just very frustrated with himself.

Lastly, DAY 15 was one of the first ideas I had for Febuwhump. Pet whump/BBU is something I avoided for some time, and it took a while to warm up to it, but the basic concept is not that different from any other whump storyline, I guess. I just hope Daniel got his ass handed to him afterward 👀

🏆 Your Favorites

🥇 DAY 15 - Semi-conscious

🥈 DAY 11 - Fever

🥉 DAY 1 - Touchstarved

All very angsty, I love it! My favorite tropes splayed out like that: regretful Whumper, obsessive behavior, Carewhumper, drugging... Especially DAY 1, because that's the first thing I ever wrote ❤ Thanks again for reading, you guys made my month!

🏆 The ones that took the longest

Everything regarding Elliot and Morris (beginning with DAY 8) but especially DAY 20. I sat a whole weekend on that thing, meaning that the other prompts got pushed back and were stuck in my mind during the weekdays. But in the end, it all worked out. I had to take the time, because it is the most important piece to show Elliot's and Morris´ relationship. The writing still takes up the lion's share of the work, but I used to underestimate translating and editing the whole text, whoops.

Also, DAY 6 again. I had to google a lot of cocktails and cities for that one 🥃 Cheers!

🏆 The ones that took the shortest

DAY 15, surprisingly, wrote itself in one sitting. I guess yandere Whumper is my natural modus operandi.

Day 28 was also very quick, just took like four hours with editing. I searched through my bathroom to figure out what Whumpee would use in their daily routine 😬

Last but not least, my lovely shitpost on DAY 5, the woodburning one. I still stand by it, that shit hurts and makes a great torture device. Downside: you'll probably need an extension cord.

🏆 Best Whumper

This one goes to Morris, my little drug-trafficking trash man. He's so dumb it hurts; a real clown suffering through a heartbreak. He and Amber were both abusive to each other, they really do make the perfect couple.

🏆 Best Whumpee

The valet pet, again, I aspire to be as petty as them. Saving an innocent life, getting back at their captor and escaping at the same time (sadly), completely unplanned. It's kind of selfish too, I just have a lot of conflicting feelings when it comes to their situation and choice to handle it. The more I think about them, the better I can grasp what went into this decision 😧

🏆 Category is...

Gore Galore: DAY 1, DAY 4, DAY 21

Fluff and Softness: DAY 2, DAY 11, DAY 28

🏆 Songs I listened to while writing/editing

ミラクルミュージカル - Dream Sweet in Sea Major

Alec Holowca - Astral Coal Town

alt-J - Bane

The Four Winds by The Oh Hellos (Notos, Eurus, Boreas, Zephyrus)

Classical Music Compilations (because I can't focus when people are talking)

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

Feel free to do a wrap-up too, I'd love to see it!

[Febuwhump 2023 Masterlist] [Stack The Deck Masterlist]