#i could really talk about music and how both my parents played a role in my love for music- but my mom is the one who taught me

[blizzardfluffykpop]

Hey Honey! Happy Serotonin Sunday!

I hope that your day has been going well so far!

I am currently letting out a grateful side of relief because the power was able to finally come back on for my dad's house. I got the urge to do a happy dance and ended up pulling up Sing A Song by Earth wind & fire lol

I lovingly blame my dad for helping me have a good taste of music because he has been able to show me a wide variety and always encouraged me to keep an open mind when it comes to music and life

And since Earth wind & fire is one of his favorite groups, my dad also ended up pulling up the song and we basically had a long distance happy groove party! ❤️

I hope you are able to have a good day, love, as well as a fantastic week 💞 pretty please feel free to share something that's helping you smile. If its a little hard right now, I totally understand and it's okay.

(also I just realized I already shared mine so I sorry and hope it is okay :o :x ) pretty please take care!! Love you bunches!!

Happy Friday hun! Congratulations on getting through the week! I hope that your weekend is able to be relaxing and fun! Love you lots 💞 <prev ask>

I'm just gonna combine both because my weekend was packed too much for me to write on Friday night! Anyways! I hope your week went well too!

Omg?!?! Earth Wind & Fire!? Oh, I love their stuff!!! My mom is a big disco queen, so I grew up listening to them!! I'm so glad you got the urge to do a little happy dance!! Esp after the power went out- that must have been hard at your dad's house- And "Sing A Song" is just such a good one to dance too 🥺 I'm so glad your dad got you into good music~ And encouraged you to love and keep an open mind when it came to music and life! That's so cool! And aww I love that you two got to groove to that! That's so fun!! I'm so glad!!

I hope you have/had a good day!! And that monday is easy on you! (I had to wait til my migraine cleared to answer but I have something from Saturday to share about my mom and music!) And feel free to share about your day/do wtv on Serotoin Sundays! Wtv comes naturally is totally cool!!

Anyways~ I'll share mine here too~

I actually have a few- but on Saturday when my dad left for a car show- I kept singing "Monkberry Moon Delight" cause they were talking about mulberry bushes on the tv- and she didn't know the song- and I was confused cause her fav beatle is paul- and so I got to show her- And then I got to show her my favorite track currently by him which is "Kiss of Venus" featuring Dominic Fike. And she got to show me her favorite- "Figures of Eight" by him. She had seen him in '91 with my dad- and he got her that cd it's off of at the concert. And she used to play that song over and over and over on that little cd- bumping in her tiny car (a ford escort)- Make the poor car's windows rattle- and it's so cute because I grew to be just like her when my favorite songs play- I have em up- She raised me to enjoy music to the fullest-

And I had taken her to see Monsta x- and she told me- 'Paul and Monsta X are the only two concerts I thoroughly enjoyed myself at' and idk it was just endearing to me that she holds mx up to the height of Sir Paul McCartney hehe

Also, fun little rabbit hole cause I cannot resist myself: But if it wasn't for Changkyun getting me into Dominic Fike- three yrs ago almost (I just checked on my youtube history). I would never have had tiktok suggesting to me the "Babydoll" cover The Boyz did in January- (I had loved them before during different cbs but that was nothing in comparison to now). And thus, I get to connect it back to Paul Mccartney now~ because one day I was listening to a Fike song called "The Kiss of Venus," and I kept thinking "why does this sound like a beatle song??" and I checked and it was featuring Paulie~ And I gasped- so thus- in a way- The Boyz are one person away from the beatles hehe~ So, it all connects~ (Changkyun was the catalyst to an inevitable fall)

Anyways! Let's enjoy this week to have a good Serotonin Sunday!! We can do this! Take care! Love ya lots!

[commsroom]

happy birthday! ive been meaning to ask for a while if you have any spare minkowski thoughts, just in general. if not, are there any other characters in w359 that you see as trans or queer?

thank you!! sorry for not getting to this one on my birthday; i've been trying to come up with some minkowski thoughts for you, but i'm not sure if they'll be new!! one of my favorite things about minkowski is how much she really, truly has "guilty pleasures" in the most typical sense. when emma sherr-ziarko said the track name "minkowski watching 50 shades of gray with a tub of ice cream and enjoying it nonironically" informed her perception of the character, etc. i love that. all of the best characters are self-contradicting in very real and human ways, and minkowski has a ton of that. her love of musical theater gives us such insight into her interior world; she treats so much of her life like these separate, practiced "roles" to play, as if there can be clear divisions between them.

minkowski is a great leader, but she's not a natural leader, and - in fact - everything that does ultimately make her a person worth following is completely at odds with how she tries to lead, or how she thinks it's supposed to be done. i think she was in a dozen different clubs in high school, but didn't really have friends. i think she could get really into historical reenactment (and i would love for eiffel, hera, and minkowski to go to a ren faire - i think they'd all enjoy that, but for very different reasons.) i think minkowski earnestly believes in the concept of a "cheat day" and marks when she allows herself to eat a whole bunch of ice cream on her calendar - this is horrifying to eiffel, but she finds it sincerely motivating. i think minkowski's interior decorating sense is at least 30% more "live, laugh, love" than anyone else around her would be able to take seriously. she's the kind of person who needs everything in her house properly labelled and put away in the same place every time. eiffel is the kind of person who leaves everything out, all over the place, and forgets it exists if someone puts it away. making them live together is hilarious. i think minkowski likes romcoms and hallmark christmas movies; she's easily moved by very sappy media, and very defensive / embarrassed about that. she's used to being mocked for her taste, and for how it goes against her image as a career military woman. i do not think hera would share her taste in movies at all, but minkowski + hera girls' night is very important to me.

what else... oh!! i've talked to my friend @hephaestuscrew a lot about minkowski's parents, and i agree with the assessment that they are probably... pretty laid back? like, the kind of people who encouraged her to be whatever she wanted to be - the pressure she puts on herself to make something of herself is the kind of person she is, and a message she got from the world at large more than her parents, i think. her dad's first name has an anglicized spelling as well, so i think there's something kind of... well, there's something that rings true about minkowski trying to hold onto these parts of her heritage that her parents aren't as concerned about. koudelka's a czech name; we don't know anything about him, but i wonder if maybe she made that connection with him at least partially because they were both american children of (at least one) eastern european parent(s) in paris. and her mother is french, she learned french before she learned english, but we don't really know if she spent time in france before that. there's a sense of displacement to that.

(as for the other part, well... i'm not sure! obviously jacobi is gay, and i would generally agree lovelace and maxwell are as well. i think eiffel is technically bi, but he's straight culture bi. i think it would be difficult to get minkowski to really examine her sexuality. whatever kepler's sexuality is, i think he's done his best to close himself off from any sincere desire. my thoughts on hera's sexuality would require a whole other post, but obviously i read her as trans. there isn't really anyone else i think of as trans, but that's not to say it's impossible - they're mostly military or military-adjacent people born in the 70s and 80s; by and large i think they're coming to these topics of identity from a different perspective from those of us on tumblr dot com. but i think doug eiffel is one of the most cis characters i can imagine.)

[stereopticons]

Random but I'm curious! What are your favorite moments from Schitt’s Creek?

Thanks, anon. I hope you've got lots of time because there are just SO MANY.

In no particular order (i.e., in the order in which they occur to me):

The Grad Night kiss. Perfection, all around.

2. Speaking of kisses, the forehead/bicep kiss moment from Moira Rose. I think I've made it clear that I'm very weak for forehead kisses. (There are SO many good moments from that episode honestly).

3. The whole Open Mic through Olive Branch arc. It's my emotional support television arc lmao. I mean we go from this:

to this:

TO THIS:

Bookended by simply the best????

4. Speaking of the Barbecue -- the best friend moment with Stevie in the Jazzaguy

5. And also Start Spreading the News. I think the conversation that David and Stevie had on the car was SO IMPORTANT and I don't think it's something he could have had with Patrick. There are several fics about how things go horribly wrong when this conversation doesn't happen (my only quibble with this moment is that David would NEVER sit on Stevie's dirty ass car in white jeans)

6. Just like, the whole of the housewarming party. Amazing. Hilarious. but also Patrick (and David!! because that isn't talked about enough) getting to have all the queer high school experiences he never got to have!

7. All of Singles Week, but especially this conversation:

8. The whole Cabaret arc. I can (and HAVE) gone on extensive rants about how Moira knew what she was doing casting Patrick in a role that is nearly always played queer when he was auditioning for the "straight"/closeted character. What it MEANS for Patrick and Stevie both to get to play these roles. The impact of Patrick in the Cabaret finale given that David is both queer and Jewish??? I know these things are mostly only hinted at and only really if you know Cabaret but it's one of my very favorite musicals (NOT movies though, good god) and I have like, a lot of feelings about it? man, I should work on that community theatre au again

9. The end of Happy Anniversary

10. "Out................side." (getting railed)

I'm going to stop at 10 because I could go on until I've listed the whole series (minus Roadkill) and OMG I CAN'T BELIEVE I FORGOT MEET THE PARENTS??? Just like. The whole thing???

Anyway have these bonus moments that make me go HANNNDSSSSS

(I can't find the gif from the wedding I was looking for but BLESS THE GIF MAKERS)

Anyway I hope that's what you were looking for, anon, I have to post this now because I've already remembered like 19 more that I can't believe I didn't list

[omarera]

So so proud of Omar. I am so happy he is let in to new types of media. SvD and DN are the biggest national morning news papers in Sweden. He has been in evening papers and might be silly but I am glad he is covered in these papers. And now also Hellenius Hörna and Så mycket bättre. Thank You TV4. Now let’s hope national radio stations let his music in as well.

Here are some bits of the interview in SvD. It resembles his Sommarprat and nothing new for us really but a really nice interview with a nice tone in it and it will reach many households in Sweden that still has morning papers…

He talks about where he was a few years ago from the interview and I think it’s beautiful that he opens up about feeling lost, experimenting and on his journey to get to know himself and feel confident being who he is and that he also dares to vocalize his dreams. Remember that Jantelagen is strong in Sweden and vocalizing such big dreams is not usual. His journey continues!! I so want for him to reach his goals❤️

They start off with his FO&O and talk a out his bringing and his mom and dad and moving to Sweden.

One thing he hasn’t touched so much on before is how being known so young affected him:

“It was the sickest thing I've ever been through. It was both a kick and very scary to break through, especially when you were alone in town or going home on the bus. I was up in Stockholm and felt very watched. It was an emotional rollercoaster.”

He takes a deep breath.

“Every single person my age has known about me since I was 14 years old. It has been very intense and probably affected me in different ways. I've probably become more shy and stick mostly to my friends that I've had for many years.”

(We know he always pick stay home and that he is very close to his friends and has a circle of friends he feels safe with. And then about after FO&O)

“I released a few singles, but then the pandemic came and everything was put on hold. That's when it started.

Omar Rudberg puts one hand in his baggy leather jacket pocket and looks out through the Connection Hall in the Slaughterhouse area, where we met on a cool autumn afternoon.

“I was incredibly lost. Both in my professional role and in myself. I had no idea who I was or what I was going to be, what I liked and didn't like.

He set out on an experimental journey.

- I tried to find myself and started hanging out very intensively with friends. We hung out every day and became almost like a collective. It was incredibly fun and above all nice to see people who were in different ways.”

(I also liked this part where he talks about his creativity: )

“In the new homeland, the song and dance continued to be palpable, as did Omar's wild imagination. By the age of eight, it was so intense that his parents took him to a child psychologist.

- What they reacted to was that I didn't need toys. I could just enter another world, be chased by dinosaurs or have the worst action movie in my head. But I wasn't crazy, the child psychologist noted, just a child.

The creativity and musical gift can be traced to the grandmother and the mother. Early on, the latter ensured that Omar participated in talent competitions, often with success.

(And then more in creativity and using it to find yourself)

- My friends and I started trying different types of clothes. We played music and got dressed up. Some tried to put on makeup and nail polish. I really experimented. Those who are not in the know immediately think that a guy who wears make-up is gay or transgender - that bothers me. Make-up should not have to have an orientation, it should be for everyone. Now I wear black eyeliner when I feel like it without being ashamed.

Playing with the outside became a way to find home more in one's inner self, and the fact that Omar was named Best Dressed Man of the Year by the magazine Café this spring is something of a receipt for that.

- I have realized that I have to feel comfortable, stable and free with who I am if I am to be able to move forward in life. Clothes clearly play a role in that. They can also help me get into a certain character more easily.

(There is more text in YR and Karusell but he gets back to: )

“Although it is as an actor Omar has become known in recent years, it is the music he wants to focus on the most in the future. A few days ago, the new single Off my mind was released and tonight is the premiere of this year's So much better on TV4, where Omar is one of the participants.

Perhaps the participation will also be revenge for Omar as a solo artist.

- Yes, I hope people are reminded that I'm actually a singer at heart, it's music that I love the most. I'm looking forward to releasing an album eventually and especially to playing live.

A decade has passed since Omar Rudberg first broke through, when I ask what he thinks life will look like in another ten years, he first laughs at the thought of being 35. Then comes the answer:

- I want to have done the sickest gigs, have had several hits and be out on a world tour. I want to be in a Latin American TV series or movie and for my own company to be worth an incredible amount of money. I will not buy a Lamborghini, but a nice apartment for my mother so that she can be free as a bird. I want to give back everything I got from her.

He runs his hand through his slightly wavy hair and walks over to the mirror to get ready for the photo shoot.

- I would never have dared to have it this way a few years ago. Thankfully, I am much more confident in myself now.

You're not as lost anymore?

- No, I have grown a lot in recent years and now I feel stable enough to take myself forward in life. But I'm probably not quite there yet, the journey continues …

Translated bits from: Elin Liljero Eriksson - 23 oktober 2023 SvD Magazine.

[salemshotspot]

please tell me your mankind + goldust + taker thoughts because i watched your amv and was interested and intrigued i wanna know how you perceive them in your mind

OMG I'VE BEEN WANTING SOMEONE TO ASK ME THIS FOR SO LONG! I'LL TRY MY BEST TO EXPLAIN IT IN A WAY THAT MAKES SENSE [for a bit of context all the clips I'm going to be talking about are from 1996 + I have them saved if anyone wants to see a certain one!] So when mankind's debut was being teased he would always be alone in dark places talking about how he's a 'freak' both physically and emotionally [my favourite quote from these teasers is 'on the eight day God created mankind, why was he having such a bad day?'] and he later goes onto talk about how both of his parents grew to resent him due to either his anger [he says something about how his father thought he was too out of control and needed to be 'numbed'] or his deformity [he says his mum used to always wake him up so her friends could hear his music but once it stopped she started to resent him or something like that] and I believe that because of that not only does he have parental issues [like hell he frequently calls Goldust 'mommy' and says he's her little boy who needs to protect her] but further more I hc that he has a twisted kind of religious guilt which is why he's so 'crazy' [trying to destroy himself and possibly end up dead because God clearly made a mistake with him which you can either read as him trying to deform himself sm he's unrecognisable and therefore nothing like what God created him to be or you can read it as he feels if God couldn't love him then there's no point in living because he was created as pure evil and pure evil must be punished/cleansed from the world.

Now as I've stated before mankind sees Goldust as a mother figure and I think it's for two reasons; one, his own mother rejected him for being a 'freak' so he believes no 'normal' person could love him so he finds comfort in someone else who is, as Vince McMahon always puts it on commentary, 'a bizarre one' but also because Mankind's mum 'always woke him up for the music' which made him feel wanted, he clings to Goldust's theatrical nature as it reminds him of his mum [and side note, Goldust clearly takes on the role really well, there's footage of him literally in Mankind's boiler room, a place he feels safe and grounded, a place he calls his home being so tender with him, comforting him like every child wants their mother to do.]

Before I go onto The Undertaker, for context, in '96 the three men had a feud; from his debut Mankind always attacked The Undertaker and then when Goldust and The Undertaker began feuding Mankind would frequently come to his rescue [clearly closer with Goldust, playing into the stereotype of a 'mamas boy.']

I feel like there's two ways to view The Undertaker in this dynamic; one being as Goldust is a mother figure to Mankind he could view The Undertaker as a father figure [in his debut teasers there's light implications that Mankind's mother and father weren't on agreeable terms, especially when it came to how to raise Mankind so the conflict could remind him of that and as his mother was implied to be more tender, even if she was still rejecting him, he would be more inclined to 'protect' her and in turn protect Goldust from The Undertaker] but also you could argue his religious guilt could absolutely manifest in a hatred for The Undertaker because, as previously mentioned, I think that Mankind would be drawn to death and self-destruction as an attempt to either defy God or cleanse himself from the world and as The Undertaker is very much symbolic of death [he's literally 'the dead man'] he could be angry at death for refusing to take him and the closet he can get to attacking death realistically is via The Undertaker.

Also this is exclusive to the amv but I do hc Goldust and The Undertaker as a couple and the 'and your dearest fantasy is to grow a baby in me' was intended to be a way of saying that Mankind is a monster, a creature, he was never seen as a human even as a baby and deep down The Undertaker wishes he could start again and have a family with Goldust and have a baby rather than a creature. I'm sorry I'm weird and have weird little hcs but I really hope that made sense and I explained everything properly! If there's anything I didn't explain properly/anyone has any other questions about my hcs for *any wrestlers* please lmk [either via dming, commenting, asking etc] and I'll be more than happy to answer/re-word anything :)

[emeritus-fuckers]

Heyy

So I woke up and decided to not stay in my room looking like a feral possum✨ do you think you could write something about a self care day with nihil (old cause old him is superior 💅🏽) and primo? Just a ton of cuteness and simping 😩💙

Bold of you to assume I know anything about self-care - Jez

Self-care day with old Papa Nihil and Primo

Papa Nihil

Old man can barely take care of himself at this point, so this was probably your idea.

He's gonna be sceptical about it first. Don't take this personally, he's always sceptical at first.

"Listen, I'm already old and covered in wrinkles, I don't think a facemask or some silly massage is gonna do much about it."

Gives in eventually because he's a fucking simp and he needs your approval.

He's a "Walk him like a dog and he'll beg you to let him bark" type of guy when it comes to you. Of course he gave in.

You have no idea what grip you have on him. He's wrapped around your finger completely.

He sends you to whatever store you need to go in order to buy everything you wanted for this "self-care day" you came up with.

Send a few Ghouls with you. For protection and so they carry your bags.

You're obviously spending his money, not yours. Go all out, old man's got stacks.

When you return, you find that he had some Siblings of Sin help him arrange a little spa area in his chambers. And by help I mean they did everything while he stood there complaining it wasn't perfect enough for you.

Only the best for the love of his life!

Now, Nihil has no idea what any of the products you use do. He used to be fairly knowledgeable when he was younger, but there was way less stuff back then and he stopped using all that years ago. Too much effort.

He lets you organize everything.

You've got an old music compilation playing quietly in the background while you both lay there in your facemasks, relaxing as you talk about everything and nothing.

You go through any procedure he's willing to sit through.

He only has three conditions, really. He needs to be able to use his oxygen machine (obviously), he needs to be able to move his face properly and it can't hurt.

You make a neat little plan of all the facial stuff you two do, making sure to take reasonable breaks between them. He's over a hundred years old, his bladder ain't what it used to be.

You take a movie break when it's time for dinner, ordering take out.

"You see, Papa, on days like this, we're being bad." you winked at him before making the phone call to order your food.

Oh, how he loved the way those words sounded when you said them...

After you two finished eating, you insisted on doing his nails. And once again, he couldn't refuse.

You worked diligently while he got to watch a movie.

Okay, let's be real, he watched you work while he movie played in the background.

When you were done, he tried doing your nails, too. It was a disaster, but you just laughed it off and kept your messy, uneven nail polish for as long as you could.

Primo

Primo has his own definition of a self-care day, but he's willing to compromise if what you want is very different from what he usually does when he has the rare opportunity to take a day off.

When he's not busy working, he spends his free time tending to the garden. His age sadly limits what he can do, but he has a group of young Siblings of Sin help out. They all look up to him, seeing him as a father figure (he has a unique sort of aura that brings in people who didn't have good parental figures in their lives and he always ends up filling that role for them), so they love helping him, even if in small ways.

He enjoys reading, too. And knitting. You know, the typical cozy old people hobbies. He likes the idea of being able to relax in his life, after everything he did both for the Ministry and for the people in it.

However, he tends to overwork himself. Put the people before him. He's a good soul, one that yearns for a family, even if he couldn't have one. He threw his youth away to raise his brothers and while he doesn't regret that, he wishes he could've had at least a bit more time to himself.

He was happy when you offered a self-care day just for the two of you. He left a list of things to do in the garden and let you plan the day.

He adored how well you knew him, even if he wasn't a very open person.

You two planted some flowers in new pots in his room first. He guided you through it, teaching you about the plants.

You baked a nice cake, too. And made tea (once again, from scratch. Primo makes his tea from scratch and I will die on this hill - Jez).

You enjoy what you made in his greenhouse, the butterflies flying around and sitting on the both of you as you took a walk together after eating.

Just like the taught you about plants, he taught you about the butterflies, showing you their eggs and teaching how to tell the difference between their chrysalises.

You spend the day there, time flying like the butterflies around you.

In the evening you both read in bed when the evening came and then cuddled to sleep, Primo wrapping his arms around you and humming quietly to soothe you.

[rebelrayne]

Can't believe I thought of The Wizard of freaking Oz first & not this one; really, it should be a crime!

Gossip Girl: LITG edition - who is who?

I nominate either Hamish (mostly because it's funny to imagine, I want to see that man in everything), Erikah or Summer for the role as our gossip sneezer

Hi Saga! Thanks for the ask!

Yes, I loooooooove OG Gossip Girl and I have had a thought on it, though many people may not completely agree with my casting. No one is fully, exactly going to fit here but I tried to use the more affluent Islanders to cast it. I do have 'xoxo' in my drafts, but I doubt it'll ever see light of day. I put the other characters under the cut but left Blair and Serena visible. I don't think there's a perfect match for either and if I were to write this, Blair and Serena would both be OCs. Again, I don't think any Islander fully matches any of the GG characters but mostly because they're so ruthless at different times.

Blair Waldorf - Honestly, no one can match Blair. She is her own level and she's amazing, but if I absolutely had to cast her: Lexi. Lexi is so self-conscious and has a bit of low self-esteem. Though hers is her sister, Blair compares herself to Serena.

Serena Van Der Woodsen - Serena is so bubbly and captivates everyone. I would say Chelsea, but Chelsea is so much of a people pleaser that I don't think she would do a lot of the manipulating Serena did. Now it may be because I didn't do a female route in S8 but I could see Claudia being similar to Serena. She's sunshine and everyone loves her, but cross her and she won't let you forget that she could take that crown away from you before you could even comprehend.

Chuck Bass - Oh Chuck. Probably the best and worst lay of your life. Whoever could fit this super rich business guy with Daddy issues? Obviously this one is Hamish.

Dan Humphrey - Sadly, Dan is sneaky and the most manipulative of everyone and because he's a writer that wrote himself into the story...James. I hate it, too. Sorry.

Jenny Humphrey - This one was hard. I'm obviously going by personality here and not by how I have Dan casted so the Islander that fits Jenny the best and may spiral the way she did would be Jen. They both love fashion, a little edgy, have bite.

Nate Archibald - Again, I'm using affluent Islanders that would actually, possibly be apart of the UES (sorry Lewie you're not affluent). Nate is so boring to me and has no personality except for the fact that he's so perfect that he does no wrong and has this like, exceptional moral compass. He's always pushed by his parents to do things he's not really in favor of doing. Hmmm who else has that problem....Tom.

Georgina Sparks - Georgina is a whole ass mood. She's diabolical and is probably the smartest out of all of the UES. If I had to pick someone to be casted as Georgina, it would probably be Hannah. She flips a switch pretty quickly and doesn't seem to mind getting her hands dirty and pissing off that people she previously thought of as friends.

Carter Baizen - Sorry it's Eddie. I don't make the rules lmfao and I am a Carter apologist. I would have loved to see Serena end up with Carter in the end (yes, even over Nate).

Prince Louis - Youcef would so turn around and be a petty bitch. I do think Louis was actually a good guy but Blair played him the fool too many times for him to let that last one slide. Honestly? Justice for Louis because he was actually so good for Blair despite the little fit she pitched when he acted like he was just a driver on that date.

Lily - Oh come on! This one was so fucking easy. It's Juliet. I don't think I need to explain this one.

Rufus - This one was not easy. He talks about waffles a lot, but is also a good dad (okay, not always when it came to Jenny). Since he's really big into music...I don't know. I can't say Rocco, even though the hair is there, you know? Some part of me wants to say Max, but I don't know why. I think it's because I imagine that Max was similar to how Rufus was when he was young.

Eric Van Der Woodsen - I almost forgot Eric!!!!!! But he's just so special, I can't actually pick someone for him. Literally no Islander fits Eric, but I guess we can say Rohan or Tim. I just think Eric is so specific and the issues his character tackles are so important that you'd need an OC for him too.

Vanessa Abrams - In my GG x LITG universe, she doesn't exist. Bye.

[the-east-art]

Musing on JRPGS

Just like some stuff I've been thinking about. This will mostly talk about Tales of games that I've played and Final Fantasy VII (kind of reviews of these games?)

I'm putting it under the readmore because this will probably be long and rambly!

SO quick background. I love video games but I don't actually play a ton of them, I get busy with a lot of other stuff so while I have a passion for games I would never call myself an expert. Growing up my parents did not want us playing video games, and we only ever had consoles or games because of my rogue grandparents and uncle I believe. I grew up with a Gamecube with no memory cartridge, so games I played we always started over, or had to keep the GameCube on for weeks at a time. Eventually we got one, but that was in middle school.

Most of my experience with JRPGS has been in the last six years. I met a lovely friend with a passion for Tales of games and have slowly been making my way through the catalogue with them. (they're @mewnia and do awesome art!)

Anyways JRPGS! So I have noticed a couple main ideas that guide a JRPG. Most of them are defined by their lead characters story, the world building/magic system, the fighting system, and the cast of supporting characters. Different games are stronger or weaker in the various areas.

The Tales of series and the Final Fantasy series are like sister franchises to me. They both are a long line of titles, all mostly standalone, that deal with the same general magic concepts of spirits and stuff but play around with the rules these elements play by and the role they have in the story itself. My first JRPG was really Tales of Symphonia, and while I remember really loving it, I also played it way back in Middle School. I could talk about it, but not in a way that's analytical enough for this discussion. There is also kind of a classic JRPG mid game twist, where we discover that the world is not what we thought and reveal the 'true' plot of the game.

The Tales of series while not the most popular series in the west I really love the general design elements that they choose to go with. I feel like they're just stylized enough to stand out (with the exception of Arise, which makes me worry for the future of the franchise) and their designs walk an interesting line between complex and and just approachable enough for an artist.

Tales of Vesperia - This was the first one I played with my friend. The overall story isn't anything special in my opinion, but where this game really shines is the the side characters. This may be one of if not the best JRPG I've played so far that has the characters dynamics not only feel so good, but has each characters narrative arc integrate into the main story in such an intuitive way. Many JRPGs I've played will have the main plot basically come to a standstill in order to address the side characters stories. However each character in this game has a significant relevance to the main plot, and while circumstance brings them together, it's their choices that keeps them together. Because you connect so much with the characters, this game made me have some real emotions during its' various character twists (I'm looking at Raven here) Although this games mid game twist isn't anything crazy.

Tales of the Abyss - Boasting some of my favorite character designs, this games overall plot is definitely one of my faves. I think it does its' musical motif really well in the worldbuilding. The main character specifically has some of the best written progression and development over the course of the game, which does a good job at feeling real. Both this game and Vesperia has a relatively simple battle system, but I especially like how I feel like I'm really in control of how I play my character, and that I'm making choices in battles. Again I think most of the credit to this game goes to its' good world-building.

Tales of Xillia - This one boasts some of my least favorite character designs! congrats! I just felt like the designs are too complex and as a group not harmonious. When all the characters in Abyss stand together I was very happy. When all these characters stand together it looks like a mess. That being said the mid game plot twist in this game KICKS ASS. I LOVE IT. The issues in this game are one of my faves in the moral complexity, with lots of attention put towards how we prioritize certain people in our societies. I recall enjoying the fighting in this game too, and this is the first game I think I played with a really unique ability to customize your characters with little silly props. 10/10 all games should have this.

Xillia 2 - I will just touch on this one briefly. I have big love for the protag in this game, and it has good world building. I love alternate universes. Getting to see the paths the main characters took after the events of the first game is nice, although I would have appreciated a couple more new characters in the team. The affinity building dynamic was unique to this game and something I particularly enjoyed. Ludger is also very hot. there I said it.

Tales of Zestiria - This game is, uh, fine. Designs are fine. Character dynamics range from really good to just meh. The story is pretty vanilla, which I think is on purpose? Since its like a King Arthur retelling. I feel like this game has a really weird battle system where your attacks are judged by combo rather than direction button presses, which made me feel less in control of my characters fighting. However the magical girl merge mechanic in this game made up for it. Despite being such a vanilla story, I also found myself really confused a lot? Like the names and stuff for some reason were really hard to follow? But that's okay because this game sets the stage for....

Tales of Berseria - a prequel to Zestiria, but best played after it. The vanilla tone of Zestiria perfectly sets you up for the INCREDIBLE story of Berseria, where you play as not only a morally grey character, but in many ways an actual villain. The character dynamics in this game are really fun, as most characters are also leaning into the morally grey archetype, versus some of the characters that are kind of trapped with the group but are more archetypical good characters. It ends up really making you look at the story from a lot of different angles. The designs can be hit or miss in this game, ranging from awesome to 'I know you could do better'. The fighting in this game is one of my faves, requiring some real thought and the ability to have unique abilities taken from enemies spices things up a lot. This game is, without a doubt, a tragedy. And while by this point I was kind of tired of Tales of games never giving it's protags happy endings, I can't deny that this ideas was a theme throughout all the game and all the characters arcs.

Alright so, Final Fantasy VII

So, because I have played so many Tales of games, it is with the eyes of a tales of player that I analyzed Final Fantasy when I finally played it a month or so ago. Final Fantasy VII was an archetype game, defining a genre. That means that it is both very good, and also very lacking in the quality of life additions that we take for granted in more current games. So I won't belabor you with those critiques, just know that they're there. The designs in this game are good! very different from the Tales of series that I know, these character designs are a little more grungy looking, but overall I think the team looks good all stranding together and in the world, which is what matters the most. The magic system is something very unique, with the idea that the lifeblood of the world is also the knowledge of the past, and the materia system is simple enough for a beginner but also complex enough that if you should choose you can really dig your teeth into it. I personally really love the story of this game, both as it played with trials of the main cast, and the political power of Shirna in the face of the apocalypse. I think it's particularly telling and realistic that even in such a circumstance, the government will attempt to fight both the apocalypse AND the main cast rather than uniting. Character arcs are VERY hit or miss. We have some arcs that incorporate perfectly into the main story such as Aerith's, some that are only there to support the main characters (Tifa), some that stop the main plot in order to be pursued off to the side (Red XIII, Barret, Yuffie), and some that are barely there is at all (Cait Sith and Vincent). Luckily we have the remake in the form of future hope that some of these characters will get the spotlight and attention I feel they need.

Anyway uh if you read this all thanks! Mostly I wanted to get some of my thoughts down so I wouldn't forget it. IDK if I'll ever make a JRPG of my own, but I do really love JRPGS. I find the large cast to always be very fun, and the different ways that the games build up a world around similar building blocks to make unique stories is really interesting. Sometimes these worlds are the main focus, and sometimes they are just a beautiful backdrop for the plot.

[frozenmikan]

Aoyama Nagisa's Life Until She Became a Voice Actress for Love Live! Superstar!!

Header image provided by Young Jump Weekly. Photography: Sato Yuichi

In her first ever essay, Aoyama Nagisa, a voice actress from the Love Live! Superstar!! franchise, details the path she has taken to get to where she currently is from the very beginning.

A photo from a ballet recital during early elementary school. Taking a closer look, you can see that my front teeth are missing since I was in the midst of growing adult teeth.

Aoyama Nagisa, known for her role as Hazuki Ren in Love Live! Superstar!!, is a voice actress with many young fans. Besides working as a voice actress, her work ranges from serving as the “Imadoki Girl” on the TV program Mesazhi Television to appearing in magazine gravure photoshoots with the tagline “Voice Actress Most Wanted as a Girlfriend”.

Even as she devoted most of her early years to ballet, she joined a band in middle school in blatant defiance of her teacher’s wishes. Today, we bring you an autobiographical essay detailing her unexpected route to becoming a voice actress for the Love Live! franchise.

A mother sends her daughter to ballet class upon seeing her dance to Love Machine

When people meet me for the first time, there’s a high probability that they’ll compliment me for my good posture. I spent thirteen years learning classical ballet, so it actually feels more natural for me to be sitting perfectly upright. In fact, it’s to the point where people constantly tell me to relax, that I don’t have to be so tense when talking to them.

Now that I think about it, I remember my teachers saying something like “There’s no need to be so nervous” almost every single time I attended a parent-teacher meeting. I wasn’t actually nervous at all, so I got accustomed to responding with, “This is just how I naturally sit”. It’s been eight years since I quit ballet in my first year of high school, so I’m really glad that I’m still being complimented for my posture.

I started ballet because of my mother. When I was two, she saw me singing and dancing to the rhythm of Love Machine by Morning Musume on the living room table. Apparently, that’s when it struck her that I might have a talent for dancing.

Apparently, she played music from all kinds of different genres to find out whether I had a good sense of rhythm and a natural affinity for dancing. When I learned about this incident, I could not help myself from thinking that parents can be quite scary… By the way, I have an older brother, but he’s terrible at dancing, so he didn’t pass my mother’s dance audition.

My mother also started dancing from a young age, though it was something other than ballet. But, she thought nothing could beat the expressiveness of an experienced ballet dancer, so she decided she’d make her daughter learn ballet if she gave birth to one.

Thankfully, I was the kind of girl to break out into song and dance every time I heard music playing, so I attended ballet school according to my mother’s wishes. The expressiveness I developed from my years of ballet still helps me in my work to this day, so I have nothing but gratitude towards her for introducing me to ballet.

In both elementary and middle school, I had to attend ballet classes right after class. The ballet school I attended was very strict, and some girls broke into tears while practicing. Obviously, we barely ever got praised for our performance there. Because of that, even now, I’m still not accustomed to receiving praise or hearing words that make me happy, so I tend to react rather unnaturally when it does happen.

A photo from my school's cultural festival during my third year of high school, in my club outfit together with my friends.

A transition from ballet to volleyball, which she hated

Because I grew up thinking that being in a tough environment was a given, I joined the girls volleyball club in high school, which was famous for being the toughest club there.

I knew several upperclassmen who ended up at the same high school, and when I told them that I’d be joining the volleyball club, every single one of them told me to reconsider. Not a single one of them told me it was a good idea, and that actually made me all the more curious to find out what kind of club it was.

I wanted to join the volleyball club precisely because I hated the sport! Receiving made my arms hurt and would sometimes even give me scabs, and volleyball was the one sport that I felt like I was bad at during gym classes, so I wanted to overcome that. I myself have no idea what I was thinking. Not even now.

That incomprehensible line of reasoning gave me the idea of joining the volleyball club, but there was actually another incident that cemented my decision.

On the day of my high school entrance exams, just as I was nervously walking towards the examination venue, a current student called out to me and asked, “Are you okay? Just nervous? Don’t worry, you’ll be fine!” It was as if a kind goddess had just spoken to me, which immediately filled my heart with warmth.

It turned out she was an upperclassman from the girls volleyball club, and she had been tasked with guiding candidates to their examination venues. The way she handled the situation was so incredible that it made me decide to join the volleyball club so I could become just like her.

Besides just playing volleyball, the girls volleyball club at my school was a club that expected its members to not fall behind on their studies while also proactively taking part in the school’s activities, such as organizing tours for potential students and patrolling the school during our cultural festivals. That was precisely why all of my upperclassmen told me without hesitation to quit the volleyball club if I wanted to enjoy my life in high school.

As I expected, it was really tough and there were indeed people who quit, but I felt like a tough environment like that actually suited me better.

Having loved singing from a young age, I went for karaoke sessions with my family.

Joining a band to spite her middle school teacher?!

This happened a little earlier, but during the new year break in my first year of middle school, I heard the song Kimishidai Ressha by ONE OK ROCK for the first time. That song got me completely hooked on rock music, and I joined my school’s rock band club as a guitarist and sub-vocalist.

I was still doing classical ballet at that time. Just imagine it. A middle-school girl in her school uniform, a guitar case on her back, and her hair up in a bun for ballet. Quite the sight, isn’t it?

I was also right in the midst of my rebellious phase back then. I was trying to recall what made me decide to join a band, and I happened to hear something interesting from one of my relatives. Apparently, I had even written about it in my graduation essay.

The middle school I went to was rather strict and strongly emphasized traditional values. I had a teacher there who didn’t have a good impression of band activities.

At that time, I was also the class president, so this teacher of mine constantly mentioned their high hopes for me and praised me for being an upstanding student. I started wondering why I was the only one being told that despite everyone else also doing their best. That incident made me feel very strongly about how my teachers really ought to treat every student fairly.

Of course, I was glad that they had high hopes for me, but as someone who has had a strong sense of justice ever since I was a child, I could never ignore what I perceived as injustice.

The very teacher who had high hopes for me mentioned something about how they thought a rock band wasn’t appropriate for the school’s image, which made me decide to join the band just to spite them. I decided that it was my duty to change their impression of the club, to show them that there was nothing wrong with it.

I even wrote about the incident in my graduation essay. Reading it now, it was so edgy that it’s actually quite funny. I’m really surprised that it got approved.

Although I do think it’s a good trait, every once in a while, my strong sense of justice would bring me into conflict with the people around me. For example, I never tolerated bullying, no matter the reason.

When I was in middle school, I became the target of a group of bullies after defending a friend from their bullying. Because of that, there was a period of time when I was so frustrated with the situation that I just curled up in bed crying, not wanting to go to school. But, because I knew full well that breaking into tears at school or in turn saying bad things about them was precisely what the bullies wanted me to do, I pretended to be fine no matter what they said to me.

Me when I was a child, feeling happy after eating ramen.

An unforgettable phrase from a friend that quit school because of bullying

Perhaps because my bullies got bored of me not reacting at all no matter what they said, they eventually stopped. Most of my classmates just pretended not to notice the situation, for fear of becoming their next target.

I can put up with it when people are giving me a hard time, but the one thing I cannot stay quiet about is when someone else is being given a hard time. When I see someone in need of help, I would confront the group of bullies alone, telling them to knock it off.

Around that time, a friend of mine, who always said “I’m fine” with a smile no matter how much she got bullied and how many unreasonable things happened to her at school, decided to quit suddenly. She told everyone around her that she was quitting because of something that was completely unrelated, but every once in a while, the sadness at not being able to do anything for her still gnaws at me.

What was on her mind when she said “thank you” to me, when I last met her? I will never forget the times when she forced a smile onto her face as she talked to me.

To write this essay, I asked my mother for stories from when I was younger. Apparently, a similar thing also happened in elementary school. I had a friend with a disability, which got them into conflict with my classmates quite often. Let’s just say that my other classmates did not take very kindly to them.

I don’t remember what I did back then, but apparently, my homeroom teacher told my mother something like “I’m very grateful to Nagisa-chan, who’s always on their side.”

Besides that, when I saw my grandfather blow up at my brother for not finishing his homework quickly enough, I went up to my grandfather and started hitting him, saying, “Don’t bully my older brother!” I was three at that time. By the way, I was the only person in the family ever to hit my grandfather like that. At that time, my grandfather was what you would call the supreme head of the family, so even all my relatives were speechless. They were like, “What on earth is this kid doing?”

Apparently, seeing what I did also emboldened my mother. “If even a three-year-old kid thought the situation didn’t make sense, I have to do something too. I need to get it together.”

Because of my personality, I’ve definitely had to spend a lot more effort than necessary to maintain my interpersonal relationships. But, because of my personality, I also naturally became surrounded only by people with kind hearts. I will forever pray for nothing but happiness for the people who truly care for me.

Image provided by Young Jump Weekly. Photography: Kuriyama Shusaku

Header image provided by Young Jump Weekly. Photography: Sato Yuichi

This is an essay penned by Aoyama Nagisa, best known for voicing Hazuki Ren from Love Live! Superstar!!. In the first half of her essay, she talked about spending most of her childhood learning ballet, and how she fought against bullying when she was a student. In this second half, she talks about the setback she faced after enrolling at a university with the goal of resolving problems in conflict zones, her beauty pageant days, and how she became a voice actress for the Love Live! franchise.

A selfie from when I was in university.

A privileged child’s encounter with reports of war

I was given the opportunity to attend classes for the things I liked from a young age, and was brought to visit any place I wanted to visit, so I am well aware that I grew up in a privileged environment.

Due to my father’s influence, I developed a habit of watching the news on NHK almost every day, ever since I was in elementary school. News about conflicts would particularly hurt me. I constantly thought about the people who were born into war, people who knew nothing but war. How would they live after the war eventually ended?

Watching news stories and documentaries about children who lost their parents and, because they are left without anyone to support them, fall into a life of crime made me wonder whether there was anything I could do for them. In middle school, I started thinking about working in a job that would help protect the human rights of the people in active conflict zones.

I then found out that the place to learn about the field was the Faculty of Policy Studies at Chuo University, so, in my third year of middle school, I decided that I’d work towards enrolling in Chuo University.

When I was in high school, I had the chance to read the book Disarmament is My Job by Seya Rumiko, which left a strong impact on me. The book made me realize that peace wasn’t a natural consequence of the end of the conflict and that the sadness and hatred of the people involuntarily involved in the conflict do not just vanish without a trace once the conflict ends. Collecting weapons from the populace to prevent a conflict from happening again, giving vocational training to former soldiers who knew only how to fight, and teaching them how to live, was a process known as “disarmament”.

I became convinced that this was what I wanted to do in life, so I started to research what I needed to learn in university to achieve my goal.

I found out about a political scientist, Prof. Mekata Motoko, who conducted lectures on international cooperation at the Faculty of Policy Studies at Chuo University. I came to the conclusion that if I managed to enter Chuo University, I’d definitely take her classes because it would lead me towards my goal. Before enrolling at Chuo University, I attended trial seminars conducted by Prof. Mekata, and the thought of joining her research group after enrolling and spreading my wings overseas filled my heart with anticipation.

After I managed to successfully enroll in the Department of Cross-Cultural Studies at the Faculty of Policy Studies, I immediately started searching for an upperclassman in Prof. Mekata’s research group to find out what I should do to join her research group. I went to see my upperclassman, eyes sparkling with anticipation for taking the first step towards my new life, with a face full of hope and a spring in my step. But, that was when I was told the shocking truth.

“Oh, apparently Prof. is going overseas next year, so her classes won’t be offered.”

What…? Indeed, that was the bell signaling the end of my life.

Me performing The Last Night of the World in the musical Miss Saigon during a university festival.

What kind of expression does one have on their face upon realizing that their hopes and dreams have shattered into pieces?

Students could join Prof. Mekata’s research group starting from their second year in university. But, just when I was supposed to start my second year, she’d be going overseas.

I was devastated. My future was pitch black. I enrolled at Chuo University because I wanted to join Prof. Mekata’s research group, but she wouldn’t be here?! You might wonder if something like that could really happen to a person, but it really happened to me. I had prepared myself to study hard in university and immediately head overseas to contribute to the field of vocational training after graduating, but my dreams were shattered the moment I stepped foot into university.

Now, what was I to do?

Though I wasn’t completely sure, I had heard that she’d only be away for a year. Some of my coursemates already mentioned that if Prof. Mekata would be returning after a year, they’d take a leave of absence for a year just so they could join her research group. What should I do? Taking a leave of absence… That would work… Right? But that’d trouble my parents. I decided to give up thinking about the research group. The moment my dreams vanished before my eyes was not one of sadness or disappointment, but one of determination.

Because of that single event, the direction of my life changed completely. I wanted to find something that I could completely immerse myself in during my days at university, so I decided to join the musical and acapella clubs without too much thought. I got into musicals after performing in The Sound of Music at the cultural festival during my last year in high school. That got me completely hooked, and during university, I’d sometimes watch a musical every week.

Also, when I was in high school, I frequently looked forward to singing, harmonizing, and playing the guitar together with my friends on the school roof. That made me think that the acapella club would be a good fit for me, and I decided to join.

I found that I enjoyed myself and derived a greater sense of satisfaction the more I improved in both activities. So, I practiced almost every day. I soon got accustomed to that pace of life and started wanting to aim even higher. However, in every club, there’s usually quite a distinct split between those who took club activities seriously and those who prioritized having fun. I was in the former group.

I knew that I couldn’t force anyone to come along with me given that it wasn’t their job to participate in club activities. So, to make it to the environment I desired to be in, I knew I had to take myself to an even higher level. That was when I decided to aim to become a professional.

Me wearing a wedding dress for the prize-giving ceremony of the beauty pageant I took part in.

Throwing the envelope containing job fair pamphlets her mother prepared at the door

When I was still learning ballet, I made it through the auditions for the well-known Tanimomoko Ballet Company and had the chance to perform at the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan.

It was my first time in such a large venue, with lights so bright that I could barely keep my eyes open, music performed by a live orchestra, and cheers and applause louder than I could ever imagine. That moment left such a strong impression on me that I still remember it vividly, even now. I could never forget how amazing the view from the stage looked, and I’m sure some part deep within me longed to return to the grandeur of the stage.

With my future path set, I decided to challenge myself to take part in a beauty pageant near the end of my second year of university. There’s a stereotype that beauty pageant participants all want to become news announcers, but I constantly emphasized my desire to become someone who sang and danced on stage for a living instead.

During the beauty pageant, I conducted livestreams at seven in the morning every single day of the week and put all my effort into maintaining my social media presence. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that I spent all twenty-four hours of my days on it. In the end, I was crowned the runner-up. I didn’t manage to win the beauty pageant, but I was sure that the experience I gained there would definitely be useful for my future activities.

I knew that the path leading towards my goal would be full of challenges, but I continued doing my best even after the beauty pageant ended. Because I was treading on an uncertain path while all my friends were in the midst of job-hunting, my parents constantly fretted about my future.

One day, I found an envelope containing information about a job fair on the living room table when I got home. I thought that was of no use to me, so I threw it out without even taking a look. A few days later, my mother once again tried to offer me brochures for a different job fair, but I told her I didn’t need them, not even bothering to read them.

A few days after that, I found another similar envelope on my desk. When I saw that, I threw it at my door, saying, “I don’t need this!”. Why aren’t you supporting me, even though I’m taking this so seriously? Aren’t you supposed to be the ones who know that the best?

I was so frustrated that I broke into tears. I knew full well that my parents were just concerned and completely understood that they were suggesting that I take a different path because they didn’t want me to lead a difficult life. Even so, I didn’t want to give up and continued with my singing and dancing lessons with the determination to take hold of my dreams.

Messages I received from my relatives during the last day of Liella!'s first live tour. Next to me is my cousin, who is a huge Love Live! fan.

The first-ever Love Live! open auditions

Around that time, I received a message from my cousin that read, “Love Live! is having an open audition! Wanna go for it?”. My cousin is a big Love Live! fan, and thanks to her telling me things like, “Go watch the anime!”, “This song is super good so go listen!”, and “Yazawa-senpai is the best!!” I too became a Love Live! fan. A role in the Love Live! series would have everything I wanted to do: singing, dancing, and acting.

When I found out that Love Live! was holding its first-ever open audition, I immediately decided to apply. After making it through the many rounds, which included singing, dancing, acting, and self-introduction rounds, I somehow managed to make it through!

As the judges for the audition evaluated everything that I’d been through up till that point in time, I was almost crushed by uneasiness. But, I also found myself thankful that I managed to give everything I had. That was also the first time I fully acknowledged myself and the effort I put in. I was also relieved that I had finally managed to soothe the worries my parents had over my future career.

I debuted as the voice of Hazuki Ren in Love Live! Superstar!!, and have been given many opportunities to perform live as a member of the school idol group Liella!. Since starting my career as an artist and voice actress, I’ve also been offered new opportunities such as being involved in activities related to sweet potatoes, which I love, as well as recitation plays. It may not be much, but I believe that I’ve managed to achieve something worthy of note.

Perhaps because I finally managed to give them peace of mind, my parents now fully support my activities. When I get home, they watch the television shows I’ve appeared in over and over again, and listen to my new songs until late at night. Their actions make me realize just how much I’m loved, which really reassures me.

I’ll do my best to challenge myself to do all kinds of things so that my parents, who have always been there for me, can stay happy forever.

Image provided by Young Jump Weekly. Photography: Kuriyama Shusaku

Author: Aoyama Nagisa Editor: Nishinaka Kenji All photos were provided by the author herself

Aoyama Nagisa was born on May 16, 1998 in Tokyo Prefecture. She is 155 cm tall and graduated from Chuo University. Her hobbies include watching musicals and playing with little birds. Her specialty is classical ballet, and loves sweet potatoes. Currently, she voices Hazuki Ren in Love Live! Superstar!!. She's also currently serving as the “Imadoki Girl” on the TV program Mesazhi Television airing on Fuji TV, and holds regular livestreams on her Niconico Channel "Aoyama Nagisa no Katte ni IMO Kyoukai".

Nishinaka Kenji, a free writer, editor, and commentator, was born in 1978. Besides working as a news reporter and penning interviews, he is also in charge of editing gravure shots for weekly comic compilation magazines. His non-fiction book Hinatazaka46's Story, which follows the path taken by the idol group Hinatazaka46, is a hit that has sold more than 100,000 copies. He is also a contributor to the independent review magazine ARAZARU.

Translator: xIceArcher Quality Check: Yujacha (@yujachachacha)

[kolbisneat]

MONTHLY MEDIA: April 2023

The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling | ContraPointsOkay big movie month! And excited to keep going in May. Are movies back? Did they ever leave? Here’s all the stuff I watched, read, heard, and played this month!

……….FILM……….

Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves (2023) Yes my brain lit up every time I recognized something. I can’t come into this without bias but maybe that’s okay. As a fan of D&D, this worked! Does it work if you’re not a fan? I have no idea. But the story was compelling with some clever callbacks and something I always appreciate: a platonic friendship between a man and a woman! Love to see it. My only hope is that the inevitable sequel has the same actors playing different characters in a different setting. Strahd spooky vampire movie COME ON IT'S RIGHT THERE.

John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023) Incredibly beautiful both in fight choreography and cinematography. I really want more movies to be...heightened again, you know? I’d need to go back and watch the previous ones but this was the first time I felt like the fights (and nearly every one) went on for like...30 seconds too long. With that said I really can’t complain about a good movie having too much in it.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) It looked great and moved along at a good clip. I was really stoked by the “commercial” at the beginning and thought “oh wow they sound great!” and then that turned out to be a misdirect. What else could this movie have been?

Renfield (2023) Everything I loved about this and everything I didn’t love can boil down to this: the movie felt like a student film with a bigger budget. It was fun and seemed to really enjoy the stunts and gore, but ho boy was the plot and script secondary to all of that. Really enjoyed it.

The Last Waltz (1978) Knowing very little about the Band going into this, they seemed like cool cats. Joni Mitchell really stood out as a bright, weird light and you can really feel Robbie Robertson’s sadness/melancholy in the interviews. 

Taylor Tomlinson: Quarter-Life Crisis (2020) and Taylor Tomlinson: Look At You (2022) Hey both very good. Watching these specials after knowing my parents had already seen (and enjoyed) them gave me a new perspective. Did I laugh? Sure. Did I think “Oh I’m glad she’s talking about this and I hope my parents took note”? Absolutely. She has a bit where she talks about how she does well with moms so why not use that skill to talk about mental health, therapy, and why “sex worker” is the preferred term? 

……….TELEVISION……….

Ted Lasso (Episode 3.04 to 3.07) These last few episodes have really given me comedic whiplash. The bike-training stuff was great, but then the next episode the team has their junk tied together? What is happening? The saving grace, for me, is the consistent character growth that the show pushes. Really great actors in really great roles that rise above some questionable premises.

BEEF (Episode 1.01 to 1.10) Stressful to watch but after the first couple of episodes, I found the stress was overshadowed by the joy of watching these complex characters further tighten their tangle of knots. Incredible writing and acting and it all really left a lasting impression. 

Severance (Episode 1.01 to 1.09) Started strong, had a brief dip in pacing, and then really ended strong. Though I won’t go into details, I found the nature of the finale to be deeply unsatisfying. Too much cliffhanger not enough resolution. Sure the series builds great tension and I loved the stress throughout, but you gotta give us something at the end, you know? Some sort of reward for making it through. Still highly recommend.

……….YOUTUBE……….

Music Supervision by Karsten Runquist A light introduction into why some licensed music just doesn’t click in movies. VIDEO

How This Woman Creates God of War’s Sound Effects | Obsessed | WIRED by WIRED I love foley and seeing it all come together at the end of the video was very satisfying. VIDEO

The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling | ContraPoints by ContraPoints I understand not everyone is online, but it seems like even the most luddite of millennials can’t ignore Rowling’s politics. Great framing and full of undeniable evidence that confirms just how much harm the author is actively doing. Hey I loved the books as a kid but when supporting something is directly benefiting a bigot, you gotta let thing go. Go pick up a Discworld novel.  VIDEO

……….READING……….

Hogfather by Terry Pratchett (Page 366 of 445) Pratchett’s writing is so good that reading a “Christmas” story in April doesn’t feel out of place at all. There’s a genuinely terrifying assassin named Teatime that gives me real chaotic and evil vibes and I always enjoy reading Death-related stories. Such a fantastic world.

Ultimate Spider-Man - Volume 7 Hardcover by Brian Michael Bendis & Mark Bagley (Complete) You know I never liked the designs for the Ultimate version of Green Goblin and Hobgoblin. I’m fine with bulky but I like the pointed hats. Into The Spider-Verse really nailed the balance of the two. Anyway the two collected stories in Volume 7 never really worked for me but that’s the beauty of ongoing serieses...something good might just be around the corner!

Cosmic Ghost Rider: Baby Thanos Must Die by Donny Cates, Dylan Burnett, & Antonio Fabela (Complete) Another reread and I really love how much this just goes for it. I didn’t realize there was more story before and after this so I think I’m going to pick up the omnibus! I don’t assume it’ll maintain this level of momentum but if it hits the same highs at least once more during the run, it’ll be worth it.

Doctor Strange: The Oath by Brian K. Vaughn and Marcos Martin (Complete) I remember not loving this the first time I read it and I have no idea why. It’s tightly-paced and does something I rarely see Doctor Strange comics do: lean into his life as a surgeon. Really great story and just enough mystical stuff to satisfy. Really glad I reread it.

……….AUDIO……….

10,000 Gecs by 100 Gecs (2023) This feels like music I’m not supposed to be listening to but I sure do love it. I liked maybe...half the songs on my first listen but each one is growing on me to the point where I think Billy Knows Jamie is the only track I don’t mind skipping.

60 Songs that Explain the 90s (Podcast) I’ve only listened to a handful of episodes but they’ve all been great! The beginning always feels a little padded and I prefer the episodes with interviews, but I recommend just finding eps about songs you like and going from there. 

……….GAMING……….

Oz: A Fantasy Role-Playing Setting (Andrews McMeel Publishing) Both of my groups are back in Oz! My Tuesday group is busy exploring tunnels and fighting rock creatures to save a castle (campaign diary is here), and the Mof1 crew is actively escaping the crew that was about to bury them alive. We have fun.

Anyway that’s it. See you in May!

[draculas-husband]

15 questions/Get to know me!

1. Are you named after anyone?

Sort of actually, haha. As a transman I chose my own name. I sort of named myself after King Richard from the TV series Galavant! (That everyone should watch btw because it is a criminally underrated comedy fantasy musical.) But there were definitely other people and characters that influenced my choice... As well as all the cool nicknames you can use when named Richard such as Dick, Rich, Ricky etc.. etc..

Also the name and nicknames comes with so much pun potential!

2. When was the last time you cried?

It was rather recently.. It was an rp moment that really got to me emotionally, touching me to tears. Though it would be even more recently if we count laughing so hard you cry. Either way I blame @nikyri-ninky for both!~ 😘

3. Do you have kids?

Does my cat count? Cause I call him my son, my baby boi, my sweet child.. If so yes. My fur baby named Major Flumph. I also have fictional children as well as a few friends who refer to me as their dad.

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

I would not say that I do, no. On occasion for sure. Especially if I am teasing my boyfriend. Though that is mostly payback for him doing it to me.

5. What sports do you play/have you played?

I played a bit of soccer, did gymnastics, and played a lot of floor ball (a sport that was invented in Sweden) as a kid. But sport rarely interests me these days.

6. What’s the first thing you notice about other people?

That is a damn good question that I struggle to answer. I genuinely do not know for I notice a good number of things but could not tell you what the first thing is even if I wanted to.

7. Scary movies or happy endings?

Both. Both is good. If I had to choose however: happy endings. I love me some scary movies but I also struggle with anxiety and stress enough that happy endings are usually more healthy for my mental health in the long run.

8. Any special talents?

My coworkers, parents, partners and several friends would all kick my ass if I didn't mention drawing and painting. Also baking and gift giving (more specifically finding things for people that is based on their genuine interests).

9. Where were you born?

In Stockholm, Sweden!

10. What are your hobbies?

Playing gaymes, drawing, baking, gposing, role-playing, talking with my friends. The list is long hahaha but those are the main ones.

11. Do you have any pets?

Ah whoops, mentioned him already but oh well. Yes! A super fluffy, handsome tuxedo cat named Major Flumph. I've only had him for a few months but I love him with all my lil' gay heart! He turns 1 the same day I turn 28!~ 💖

12. How tall are you?

I am 5'9" / 175cm

13. Fave subject in school?

Art and English.

14. Dream job?

Something where I get to be helpful or creative. Doesn't have to be something super specific as long as I earn enough to live comfortably and have lots of fun. But then again I believe in universal basic income so... I def want a job that mainly allows me to grow as a person while also letting me have fun.

15. Eye colour?

Grey!~

Tagged by: @mirrim-the-moonfaerie and @mimble-sparklepudding , thank you both! 💖

Tagging: @nikyri-ninky , @slumberingslothfully , @elizabethrobertajones , @sosei and anyone else who wants to do it!~ 💕

If anyone would like to get to know me even better just shoot me a dm, despite my name I do not bite! Not at first at least...

[nonbigalmari]

[This is a therapy ordered video transcript of my time at my mom and her boyfriend's Thanksgiving party, written in third person because that's easier.]

[The camera is facing a room full of people, Mari the one holding the camera drops to the floor. Making only the peoples legs visible.]

M: [Whispered.] Jesus christ why are there so many fucking people.

[The camera jolts as Mari looks around, moving their hand as they do. After a while they stop, loud music is heard in the background as people start dancing.]

M: Fucking hell, I wish I could just leave. [Whispered.] I swear if Sarah or Ness are here.

[Mari looks around again, the camera again following their movement. After a while they spot someone wearing a light purple shirt sitting in a corner, they begin slowly moving towards the figure. Noticeably having short brown hair and blue eyes.]

M: Hi… Uh… I'm Mari?

[The man jumps, before hiding his face in embarrassment.]

?: Jesus Christ, you scared me… Sorry about that. Hi.

M: Uh… What's your name? I uh, told you mine. I think.

Jer: Uh. Jeremy. Hi.

[He reaches out for a handshake, then puts his hand back down.]

Jer: Nevermind, too formal. Uh… hi.

M: Hi, can I sit against the wall with you?

Jer: Sure… I mean, I don’t know anyone here, so it’s not like the spot’s taken.

M: Cool, and uh… Ignore the phone? Therapist asked me to record potentially stressful moments so.

[Jeremy nods.]

Jer: Ah, makes sense. My therapist used to try to get me to do that, but I kept forgetting.

M: Yeah uh… Yeah.

[Mari moves over to the wall, the camera now again facing the rest of the party.]

M: Funny story, only reason I'm here is because my mom's boyfriend bribed me.

[Jeremy laughs.]

Jer: I’m here for the food, honestly. I didn’t really have any plans, so… here I am.

[He thinks for a second.]

Jer: Oh, also, did you want a drink? I meant to bring one out to my friend, but she didn’t want it, so…

M: Sure. Uh wait, is it alcoholic? I only drink alcohol on some occasions.

[Jeremy raises an eyebrow.]

Jer: You look awfully young to be drinking. But no, it’s not, it’s a can of Dr Pepper.

[He offers it to them.]

Jer: Careful, also, I dropped it a bit ago.

M: Oh cool.

[The camera shakes as Mari grabs the can of soda.]

M: Also uh yeah. I'm only 21.

Jer: Oh, my bad. I thought you were under the age for stuff like that.

[He pauses for a second.]

Jer: … So…

[He doesn’t know what to say.]

M: You like video games?

[Jeremy’s eyes light up.]

Jer: Shit, man, do I! What kind do you like?

M: I mean, Role playing games are fun, and I also play some wrestling games too… Besides that I don't really own a lot of games. Hard to afford them.

Jer: That’s fair, I only have some because my parents got them for me a while back. They’re pretty messed up now because of how old they are. But personally, I’m a fan of uh… I like horror a lot actually. And uh… apart from that, I don’t play much. Other than, like, Minecraft.

M: You hear about that beta testing gig? Opening up next month? I hate to sound like every person in town but like… We're talking about games so.

Jer: I did! I’m actually considering trying that out, since like… it’s Freddy’s related, I think. That place always seemed weird, so I was curious.

M: Wasn't there a location that burnt down here in town a while ago?

Jer: Yeah, and if I’m right, there was even one before that that burnt down. Weird shit, I’m telling you. Some people are saying it’s haunted and stuff too.

M: I don't believe in a lot of that stuff, honestly seems like connecting threads that aren't there. But it is what it is, I'm gonna try out just for the money.

Jer: Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if that place was haunted, but I get where you’re coming from. I’m also doing it for the money, ha!

M: Yeah, my uh… My mom is actually paying so I don't get kicked out of my apartment currently so…

Jer: That’s fair, my friend and I are both working to try to deal with the apartment situation, but we’re behind a couple payments… But shh, don’t tell anyone.

[Jeremy makes a shushing noise, bringing his finger over his lips, trying to hide a playful grin.]

M: Don't worry bro, I won't tell.

Jer: Thanks, you’re a real one. So… do you know like… any of the people in this room?

M: I mean, my mom and her boyfriend. I think some of my old high-school friends are here. Hence why I'm in a disguise. Blue hair instead of red, uh… Actually wearing makeup outside my house.

Jer: That makes sense. Bad memories and stuff, or…?

M: Yeah uh… Less anything they did just, very traumatic things tied to them y'know?

Jer: Ah, I get that. Oh–

M: Wha-

[Mari turns around, the camera following suit.]

[Jeremy is looking to his side, and downwards.]

M: [Whispered.] IS THAT A FUCKIN’ KID?

Jer: Yes, and they’re looking at me.

[The child seen tugging on Jeremy's shirt, has medium length brown hair that looks as if it hasn't been brushed in days, they are wearing a dirty red hoodie, with multiple scrapes on their face and hands.]

?: Pizza?

M: Wha-

[Jeremy glances over at the pizza table, then back at the kid.]

Jer: Uh… Over there?

[The child looks towards the pizza table, then looks back at Jeremy. Their green eyes start to water. When they speak again their tone is finally picked up, they seem sad. As if in pain.]

?: I do not like the adults, they scare me.

Jer: Oh, uh…

[Jeremy seems to be thinking about something really difficult, based on tone.]

M: Do you need a distraction?

[Mari sounds severely annoyed.]

Jer: I can help. I know exactly what I must do.

M: Do you. Want a. Fuckin’ distraction.

Jer: Watch your language, that’s a kid. But yes.

M: Ugh, this is going to suck more than if I had to fight seven evil exes.

Jer: For a good cause. I’ll owe you.

M: Ok, Ready. I'm going to run on that stage and go ham on the drums. This has to be timed perfectly.

Jer: I’ve got this, give me a second.

[Mari throws the phone in the kids direction, when the camera readjusts Jeremy's back is now visible.]

[Jeremy pulls out his phone, sends a quick message, then nods at Mari.]

Jer: Ready.

M: Ok. When I start counting you run to the table got it?

Jer: I’ve got it.

M: Cool. Kid film this.

?: Sure.

[Mari ducks down and begins sprinting out of frame. After a few seconds microphone static is heard.]

M: [Over a microphone.] Um ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR!

[Jeremy scoops up the kid and runs to the pizza table, grabbing a box and, as quickly as possible, sprinting out through the front door of the house.]

S: [From inside the house.] THAT GUY JUST STOLE A KID AND A PIZZA WHILE MARI DISTRACTED US WITH MEGALOVANIA!

?: Should we wait on the person who owns this phone-

[Behind them, the sound of a door being kicked open and someone being chased.]

M: CAR CAR GET IN A CAR!

Jer: GOT IT. GOT IT.

[Jeremy runs in the direction of a white car. It looks a bit old, but he swings the door open anyway.]

Jer: EVERYONE IN.

?: WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO THIS TIME?

Jer: JUST GO. JUST GO.

M: OPEN THE FUCKIN’ DOOR! DIPSHIT!

Jer: I’M CARRYING A KID, ASSHAT.

[The kid crawls over and opens the door out of frame, passing the phone back to Mari as multiple people shout.]

M: DRIVE!

?: ON IT, BUT I SWEAR TO GOD–

[The car speeds off, leaving the crowd behind.]

M: Hi, I'm Mari… Who are you?

Jen: I’m Jenny. A very pissed off Jenny.

Jer: Listen, I–

Jen: Shut.

M: In his defense, he stole the pizza for a homeless… I think homeless at least kid.

?: Yes.

[The woman driving, apparently named Jenny, looks at the kid through the rear view mirror.]

Jen: … Oh, that’s… Okay, that makes more sense.

Jer: See? I’m not a delinquent.

[Jenny raises her eyebrows.]

Jer: … Not a delinquent for no reason.

Jen: That works.

M: I mean… I burnt a mall down on accident once so.

Jen: I’m sorry??

[Jenny almost looks back at Mari, but tries to keep her eyes on the road.]

Jen: I’ll need that story in a bit.

M: Do you use tumblr? I can like… Send it to you.

Jen: Yeah, how could you tell? Just the energy, or the nerdy soundtracks playing right now?

M: Lucky guess.

Jer: The soundtracks.

Jen: Shut up, you.

[There’s a moment of silence.]

Jen: So, based on… everything in this situation, it’s probably obvious I’m not entirely used to being a getaway driver, Jeremy.

Jer: Listen.

M: Yo kid want a free wig.

?: Wha-

M: Cool, catch.

[The sound of something shuffling, and then being thrown into the kids lap.]

Jen: Speaking of the kid, do you have a name, sweetheart?

[Jenny looks at the kid again through the rear view mirror.]

Sp: S- Sparrow… I think? Yeah, Sparrow… Or… Hm, nevermind.

[Jenny pauses for a second.]

Jen: That’s a lovely name… Um. So… Sparrow, do you have anywhere you’re staying, or…?

Sp: The um… The back of the pizza hut.

[Jenny thinks again for a moment.]

Jen: … Do you need anything?

Sp: A roof would be nice.

Jer: Well, that’s… I mean, you may be able to stay with us for a couple nights?

Jen: I think that’s possible… And you too, Mari. If you need.

M: Meh I have my house, I just can't let anyone in for a few days.

Sp: My mom's boyfriend won't let me back in the house, I don't know why. He also kept calling me um… Hm, a name that… Seems familiar. Dunno why though.

Jen: Ah, that’s… You can stay with us for a while, Sparrow. We don’t have a lot, but it’s hopefully better than behind a Pizza Hut.

Sp: They give me free leftovers sometimes.

M: Hey uh… Do you need some new clothes? If uh… Jenny doesn't mind stopping, uh… I'll buy you some.

Sp: Um… Ms Jenny?

Jen: Oh, no need! I do stuff like that all the time for cosplays and stuff, I’m sure I could make something for you, if you want, Sparrow…

Sp: COSPLAYS! WOW! I uh… Sorry, I've seen those before… Never met someone who did that stuff though.

Jen: I have for the past few years, in my spare time…

Jer: Yeah, for Homest-

Jen: SHUT.

Jer: Yes ma’am.

M: What.

[Mari can be heard looking for something.]

M: I FORGOT MY FUCKIN’ CHICKEN STRIPS.

Jen: I’m sorry, you meant to just… bring them on your escape?

M: My mom's boyfriend bribed me to come to his dumb party with 300 bucks and a bag of chicken strips.

Jer: Well, we can bribe you not to tell the cops about anything that has happened here with McDonald’s.

M: You realize if I told the cops, I'd get in trouble too right?

Jer: Just give me an excuse here.

Jen: Fine, we can stop at McDonald’s.

Jer: Hell yeah.

Sp: Hell yeah?

[Jeremy reaches back to fistbump Sparrow.]

Jer: Hell. Yeah.

M: How old are you anyway?

Sp: Thirteen.

Jer: Oh, so you can curse. My bad. Damn, what is with me and thinking everyone’s younger than they are today?

Jen: How old am I?

Jer: Well-

Jen: Answer carefully.

M: Wuh oh-

[Jeremy looks like he’s actually nervous, while Jenny is trying not to laugh.]

Jer: … 23?

Jen: … You pass for now. I’m 24, loser.

Jer: I’m the loser?

Jen: Yeah. Loser.

M: Hey, you're only 3 years older than me.

Jen: Hey, you’re only 3 years younger than me.

Jer: Hey, we’re only 3 turns away from the apartment.

Jen: Shut.

Sp: I am confused.

M: I should probably turn off the video huh? I'm alright to transcribe this and post it right? Tumblr people are cool.

Jen: I mean, as long as none of our, like… super personal information is in there, which it shouldn’t be, so sure!

M: Cool. Uh I'm going to end this now.

[End transcript.]

[mensahjacq]

The Legend That Was Lost Too Soon

I honestly am not a huge fan of Tupac. I do acknowledge that he is a legend in rap and hip/hop history but his music has never been anything I’d personally listen to. He still should be given his credit as one of the most influential artists of all time. However, he starred in one of my favorite movies from the 90s, which is why I dedicated this blog post to him.

Overview

Tupac Amaru Shakur, often referred to by his stage names Makaveli and 2Pac is regarded by many as one of the greatest rappers of all time in terms of success and influence. Shakur has sold over 75 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musicians. Shakur's music has been recognized for tackling many of the modern socioeconomic challenges that inner cities face. Shakur was born in New York City to parents who were both political activists and Black Panther Party members. 

Controversies

Tupac’s legacy was not all sunshine and rainbows. He was arrested and sent to jail multiple times, and actually faced prison time at one point. 

He faced a trial in 1994 for alleged sexual assault of a fan. He and members of his entourage were charged with sexual abuse of a woman named Ayanna Jackson. Throughout the court procedures, the late rapper maintained that the encounter was consensual, and he even pled his case to the public by discussing it on The Arsenio Hall Show. He ended up being sentenced to 1.5 to 4.5 years. After serving eleven months of his sentence, he was released from prison on an appeal financed by Marion "Suge" Knight. 

An article by CBC, written by the CBC Radio, talks about how Tupac did not only release music with a societal conscious message. Shakur shifted away from positive and affirming political music and toward more profitable, but controversial, music when trends began to change. 

Acting Career

Tupac was a master of many cards, as he didn’t stick to just making music. He also pursued an acting career. One of his most famous appearances was in the movie Juice in 1992. This is one of my favorite 90s movies of all time! Tupac played the role of Bishop in the film. The plot foes like Bishop gets a taste of power with the possession of a firearm, he turns into a merciless killing machine who his closest friends no longer recognize. It really is a hood classic and introduced me to how talented Tupac was.

Tupac also starred in the film Poetic Justice in 1993. He played the character Lucky and had an on-screen romantic partner. This role showed how versatile Tupac’s acting style was and how he could truly fit into any role presented to him.

Accomplishments

Before he unfortunately passed away, Tupac made a huge mark on society and had an ongoing list of successes and accomplishments.

Tupac sold over 75 million records worldwide. Rolling Stone magazine named him one of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time."

One of his most well-known songs, "Changes," addresses issues affecting society. The song reuses phrases from "I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto," which was recorded in 1992, and samples Bruce Hornsby and the Range's 1986 smash song "The Way It Is." Tupac had experienced growing up with concerns of poverty, classism, and racial segregation, all of which were addressed in the 1986 song.  Tupac addressed racism, drugs, war, violence, and police brutality in his verses.

Rappers' attitudes about movies have altered since Tupac's breakthrough film, Juice. Bishop, a confused young guy who betrays his friends and grows into a ruthless murderer, was played by him. The film not only illustrates what it was like to live in Harlem in the 1990s, but it was also the first time a rapper gave a truly excellent dramatic performance.

Tragedy

He was killed in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada, on September 7, 1996, at 11:15 p.m. The incident occurred while the vehicle in which he was driving was stopped at a red light. Four shots from a.40-caliber Glock were fired at Shakur. Six days later, he died as a result of his injuries. 

Just recently, Duane "Keefe D" Davis was apprehended on September 29, 2023, a whole 27 years later, after having been charged by a grand jury for the first-degree murder of Tupac Shakur.

This made me happy because society went all these years without knowing who killed such a legend in the making, and now it seems justice has finally been served.

citations used:

[you-can-be-what-you-want-to-be]

Favorite wolf 359 episodes

1) The watch tower

It’s so interesting to see the aliens reasoning and understanding of the universe and why it’s needed, and I love the song that goes with the reveal, and how Doug is both the child and adult in this situation, both asking Bob to give him the kids glove treatment and trying to patiently explain things like an exasperated parent

2) Am I alone now? It’s the episode that made me care about this podcast. We hear from everyone and Heras speech about the solar flair and how she doesn’t know if she’s going to miss them fucking kills me

3) Boléro. Like a better version of team what’s wrong with handcuffs. Effiel is tired, and he hates this, and everyone who’s dead has tried to kill him at least once, but he’ll be fucked if they aren’t going to be people about this, if they aren’t going to treat them as people and loose all control of decency. Heras talk about what the point of this is and why they had to die, and her complicated feelings of getting betrayed by a friend and not knowing how to feel, and Minkowskis feelings of inadequacy…. Girl I am UNWELL

4) Time to kill. Not much to say about this one. It’s a Halloween favorite of mine and the idea of them sitting there for hours after that is chilling. No matter which version it is, there was A Jacobi out there who’s friends let him die. The dread and fear and tragedy in that episode are overwhelming

5) memoria. To feel there is something wrong with you your entire life, to find out the thing tripping you up was your own anxieties? To have to look at that and go “this is a part of me I can’t remove and have to live with, but because I know it’s there now, I can work around it. I’m not okay, but I’m going to be.”

6) Into the depths. Ok listen. The aliens telling Kepler that just because hes violent doesn’t mean he has a say in anything is delicious. Them communicating with Doug who is terrified and has no idea what the fuck they’re saying is delicious. Lovelace saying I’m choosing to be this person? 10/10. Minkowski going even if I think you were wrong you were willing to make a choice? Chef kiss. This episode can do no wrong

7) Wolf 359 live: deep space survival procedure and prodigal. This episode is comedy genius. The voice recording Eiffel going that’s impossible and everyone telling it to shut up, the microwave gag, the role-playing between Effielf and Minkowski? Top teir. Him utterly failing at keeping the meeting cool and immediately giving them away? So good. Loveless being just so fucking pissed and confused? Light of my life

8) Let’s kill Hilbert. Like a diet version of Boléro. Early enough that it could be naïveté but relistening makes you go wow doug really is the moral back bone of the ship, and at the end him offering the different options for Hera and her taking all three gets me every time

9) Mission mishaps: a little night music. 1: it’s funny to hear someone verbally describe that kind of music 2: him having a breakdown midway 3: the fact that hilbert would’ve known about the aliens if he listened to like 10 secs 4: his fake fancy accent

10) Minkowski commanding. Seeing her loose her mind is funny but the revelation that the plant just wanted to not be alone in the dark always got me like 😭🥺🥺🥺

[smolgirlowo]

semi-live blogging riverdale with my friends [S7xE3]

'she claims that the milk man killed her parents' god we are so back

alice and hal fighting about adopting the girl who's parent's just died, normal husband and wife behaviour

oh shit new establishing shot for blossom manor

'mother i am far too busy for boys' 'doing what? painting naked ladies?' 'MOTHER!' *walks away*, love how gay cheryl just is. she is also eating a vagina shaped fruit in this scene.

get dumped ronnie. archie can do better than you

'pta approved sexual reproduction lecture' yeah that's what I want after i witness a murder

i fucking hate julian man. unfortunate for him that archie doesn't know what sex is

'i had a feeling it might razz your berries' i hate the 1950s

playing 'i wish i didn't love you so' over a scene of two gay men flirting, iconic

cheryl can't even pretend to be interested in archie.

MEAT GRINDER MOMENT

'i was mad at my parents for not letting me see The Tingler' [INCREADIBLY LOUD INCORRECT BUZZER]. thought you could put a 1959 reference in 1955 and get it past me, writers? probably, but not this one.

black character: 'a very clear and direct poem about america being racist' white character: 'it's art, it doesn't have to mean anything.' god really hope these kids aren't on a divine mission to solve racism cause the don't see very qualified to do it

HOLY SHIT DOES CHERYL WANT TO FUCK TONI SO BAD

oh no cheryl don't try kissing a boy it won't make you straight, oh god no she's crying

CHAPTER 6: AROUSAL

BETTY IN THE FUCK DIMENSION. EVERYONE IN THE FUCK DIMENSION.

"what the fuck, what am I watching?" "METAPHOR" love my friends

WHY IS CHERYL IN THE BACKGROUND OF VERONICA'S SEX DREAM???

"it's art, betty, it doesn't have to make sense."

kevin has almost learned what racism is, betty is horny beyond belief. glad to see they both had productive nights

"this show is so fucking nothing. it's everything. it's poetry in motion."

me when teaching sex ed with the common American flower.

I am a 6 on the Kingsley scale, apparently.

'i am going to host a make-out party' 'what's that, an orgy' gay men cannot be trusted with language

STOP WITH THE FLOWERS AND BEES METAPHORS

'you wanna have gay sex?' 'i have a boyfriend!' *leaves* I love cheryl so much

iconic jughead behaviour: 'you are an odd duck jughead, aren't you? a loner.' 'I'M NOT WEIRD! I'M NOT A WEIRDO! I'M GOING TO A MAKE-OUT PARTY!'

boner music. boner music. love the boner music.

'hey betty, you know that um... sex book.' i don't think the writers know what the kinsey reports are.

betty and archie already doing role play on date -1

ARCHIE GOT A BONER!!!! BONER CANNON!!!

FANGS DON'T YOU DARE KISS CHERYL! THAT'S YOUR BEST FRIENDS/ex-wife in another timeline's SOUL MATE!

kevin does not know what a kiss is. JUG KISS, JUG DOING A KISS! BUGHEAD MOMENT! THEY HAVEN'T MET BEFORE???

'i think i got you're gum' 'keep it' i would never talk to ronnie every again.

TONI DON'T YOU DARE KISS JULIAN! THAT'S YOUR SOUL MATES TWIN BROTHER! THAT'S NOT HOW YOU MAKE A GIRL JEALOUS!

jughead and veronica moment! they do not know how to speak to each other! it's adorable.

>we have started talking about the tickle porn arc, it has nothing to do with what's going beyond the fact that we are insane and the show is insane<

oh shit ronnie and jughead? are we setting up ronnie and jughead for some reason? they have the same favourite horror movie, how cute.

kevin is scared to even touch a girl, i love him so much.

'you're not excited' *looks at flaccid dick*. god, kevin, stop trying to pretend you're straight, you're really bad at it.

oh god cheryl. OH GOD. oh god, you are much better at faking being straight.

"archie got hot" "archie got hot" "archie got hot"

jesus cheryl. I can't even tell if you're torturing your mom or if you actually had sex with archie.

oh no, betty gave kevin the guide to human sexuality. oh no he's going to learn he's gay. I mean good for him, but i'm so sorry betty.

more ronnie and jughead setup? OH NO, jughead is going to jail for murder.

[ga-yuu]

This thought suddenly just came to me... You know how in old times not just in japan - education wasn't available for everyone. And that some grows old illiterate? I'm curious about the academic background of the ikegen characters. Or simply saying how smart they are, not just the street smarts or relying on luck. But in the academic aspect. What do you think? Do you think you can judge suitors on their intelligence - am I using the right term? I hope I don't sound offensive.

Of course I already know the likes of Yoritomo, Kagetoki, Akihito and Yasuchika are like super smart. But I'm curious about the others.

Education is something that is not very clear about the characters so this is based on what I found when I played through the stories and different story events. Also, note that I don't know much about the Japanese education system now or what it was like during the Heian period, so I'm basically guessing here.

So let's start with Yoshino. Since she is a commoner, she is only provided with basic education like reading and writing. In addition to that, she used to be an apprentice pharmacist (which was mentioned in the prologue) and learned medicine. In the game, I think it's common for commoners to be illiterate because there is a scene in Akihito's route where Ibuki finds Yoshino reading a history book in a library and was quite impressed that she can read. Yoshino doesn't really know that much about politics or arts or even poetry or music (basically these were the things people learned during that time), so usually Kagetoki educates her about war and how they do things. Not only that, but he also educates her about the history of the Shogunate, how samurai came to be, military tactics etc etc etc...you can see that in many routes. So in a way, she is knowledgeable. We don't see her strategizing for war and all like Kagetoki does or playing political games like Yoritomo, but in her own field, she is very knowledgeable. I'm talking about her medical field.

Yoshitsune was raised in a monk temple. He received his swordsmanship and martial arts training from Kurama as they explained in his story but I'm sure Kurama isn't really bothered about teaching him how to read or write. So I guess he got his basic education from the Monk Temple where he was living because Buddhist temples are one place where education takes place in the Heian period. After he came under Yoritomo, I feel like while living with him, he may have learned a thing or two about politics by reading books and consulting Yoritomo. So yeah. Although not good as Yoritomo, I think Yoshitsune is smart in strategizing war-related stuff. I've never seen him do anything politically related, so I can't say how good he is in that department.

Benkei could be same as Yoshitsune. He used to be a monk at first, so he must have received his basic education there. Later I guess he got more experience after he started going to war. He's able to make smart decisions and strategies things. I think 'experience' play a big role for almost all the characters.

In Yoichi and Shigehira's case, I think they both received their education from their own homes and monk temples. I can't think anywhere else. Although, Shigehira to this day, still learns new things about politics and military strategy when gets free time because he wants to revive his clan from the dead. Kagetoki is also his teacher and in return, he teaches Kagetoki how to play biwa (which will make your ears bleed)

Sueharu.....um...I don't know.

Morinaga....it's not so clear tbh. So my guess is again.....monk temple? I'm sorry, I know it feels like I'm trying to escape your question by using 'monk temples' for every single character...but I don't know for sure because they don't make it clear. Every character's past involves them being related to another male lead and that's it. For some characters, they don't even show their own family, for example, Morinaga has a family (parents and siblings), they mention it but they don't show them. Ibuki also I guess, has family. They mention it but they don't show it. Akihito also has a family. They mention it, but they killed his father and....I guess that's good. But that at least show that Akihito received his education in private under his great-grandfather's orders. He also had a private tutor. So yeah. They don't necessarily show their educational background that much. And I'm not going to start talking about the demons. They learned on their own I guess. I'm they have centuries in their hands, they can learn whatever they want.

So my final conclusion is all the characters a basically smart in their own field, including the MC.