#i don't think i have translation notes for this one it flows very well

[claire-starsword]

Bloodline of the Sacred Dragons - Chapter 1-4 & 1-5

They only boarded a ship three days later.

It wasn't because Camallia took time to recover. Fortunately, it took her only a day to be able to walk on her own. Perhaps because she had undergone harsh training as a battle priest. Her gorgeous body had no flaw or weakness.

The issue was not the people, but the ships.

The monsters who apparently attacked Camallia's ship had stayed in the waters. Many small fishing boats were attacked and lost. The island country of Waral had sent an official warning to both Uranbatol and Rudo, urging them to be careful.

Because of that, no sailor was moving an inch away from the harbor. None of them could stand the thought of their precious ship getting destroyed, especially after seeing the last shipwreck. Of course they had lost their nerve at that sight.

However, Karin's father, the leader of Rudo Village, had given them a real lifeline. Levering his position, he got the captain of the ship that brought Krin back to action. What they agreed upon was to sail southwest through the bay, and then head to the town of Rindo. That way, they would circumvent the dangerous region.

Bleu, Camallia, Krin and Karin boarded the ship. Marron insisted to the very end that he would come along, but he couldn't find anyone he trusted to do his gatekeeping duties in his place. Until the day they departed, he kept telling Cerberus to protect her master well.

The ship set sail safely, and took the sea route to Rindo's harbor. Should everything go well, they would arrive in a few days.

There was a rowing boat up in the deck, covered with a grey cloth. Karin was sat on its edge, entertaining herself by kicking her feet in the air, swaying dangerously. Bleu warned her a billion times that if she fell and got knocked out, no one would find her there until they reached land. She replied that she wouldn't mess up like that.

"It's my first time going to West Rune. Could it be, that it's the same for you too?" She asked Bleu as she puffed her chest, taking in the breeze.

"Yeah, it's a first for me too. That's why I'm a little bit scared."

"Oh c'mon. With your wings, you could cross between the lands any time you wanted. Aah, I wish I had some of that."

She stared at his wings, a bit envious.

"Don't be silly. Not like I can lend them to you if you asked. Besides, it's very hard to keep flying for that long. I won't say it's impossible but it's so absurd I don't feel like trying."

"Oh, but birds seem to do it just fine," Karin narrowed her eyes at him, as if that meant dragons had to be capable as well.

"That's because they are lightweight. I'm bigger and heavier, so it's more trouble than you think."

"Hehe, how much are you stuffing in that belly, I wonder."

Karin said he should try it.

"Well, I guess today it will be a bunch of fish."

Bleu smiled a bit, and Karin joined him. They tried to understand each other's feelings through those smiles.

Bleu had some regrets. He needed Krin and Camallia to come along. But he did not plan for Karin to come as well.

Of course, he objected to it. However, taking her as a representative of Rudo was one of the conditions the village chief had agreed to when it came to getting the ship, so Bleu could do nothing about it. Of course, it was also clear that Karin had convinced her father to help behind the scenes. By persuading or intimidating him, Bleu wasn't sure which.

Bleu questioned himself on why didn't he object more to her coming along. Starting from the fact that demons were attacking the Sacred Dragons and Camallia, this journey wasn't going to be without danger.

He didn't want to involve her, who was not a Sacred Dragon, in the problems surrounding the Manual. He was plagued by self-reprimanding thoughts on getting her wrapped up in this. He was a Sacred Dragon. And protecting the Manual was a Sacred Dragon's one and only duty. It was not something they could burden anyone else with.

With that, Bleu began to get determined to cross the great ocean and save his fellow brethren. Whether bringing the Manual with him or not, he could not let them die without doing anything.

But, perhaps that was a form of escape for him. To run away to others of his race. And once he got to them, would he ever come back? From a land of Sacred Dragons, back to where humans like Karin were…

Karin would never forgive him for that. Maybe crossing the ocean would be their parting of ways. So, he wished she hadn't come along. He didn't want to hear her protests.

Bleu wanted to set out without saying anything. But Karin wouldn't take that quietly.

Looking at her, he saw both her current smiling face, and her angry face from back when they were kids. Her once soft and plump face changed to a slender adult one. What else had time changed, and what did it leave untouched…?

Once a child scared of everything, how much had he grown up as well?

"Why did you come along?" Bleu decided to ask her.

"Because I won't let go of you," Karin answered. "I've known you since I was a little girl. I can see through you, always. You're planning to leave me behind, and there's no way I'm accepting that. Things are different from ten years ago. I hate to stay behind waiting, that's why I became strong enough to follow you."

Bleu was at a loss on how to respond to that.

"It's not like I wanted to leave you behind."

Karin's face scrunched slightly, wondering how true that was.

"If I let you go like before, you don't know when you'll come back to Dragonia…"

"I'm no vagabond," that's all Bleu said.

"But do you know how long it took for you to come back when you went with the Shining Force? It was way more than it should have been to just cross back to the north. So don't tell me you never thought of leaving."

Bleu found the determination to join the Shining Force because he wanted to protect Karin, with all his heart. He thought he could bring peace to the world before the danger reached her.

At the time, he thought Karin had been happy to see him off. But maybe that was just what he wanted to think. He couldn't imagine how she had felt while waiting for him to return. This grown up Karin was not a girl contented with just waiting around. She had become stronger of her own volition.

Having said everything she wanted to, Karin became quiet.

"Sir Bleu."

Going around a pile of rope near the mast, Camallia approached the two. She still had her circlet with the red jewel and her long black hair, which seemed to be faintly tinged with blue, and wore a deep blue tunic, with a lustrous purple surcoat over it. The golden embroidery in it was likely Volcanon's insignia. She also wore long leather gloves and boots the color of cinnamon.

"Have I interrupted something?" She asked, looking at Karin. Karin smiled at her and said no.

"Seems you two have something to talk about, should I give you some space?"

As she said that, Karin hopped off the boat's edge. Her lace-up boots made a soft noise as she hit the deck. The unbound cloth covering it turned over with the wind, exposing the emptiness inside for a moment.

"Please do, if it's not a bother. I have something to discuss with the Sacred Dragon," she politely dismissed Karin.

Karin herself had offered to leave, so she had no excuse to refuse. Against her will, she left.

"What you're going to say is something Karin shouldn't hear, I guess?"

"No, it is nothing like that. I just wish to speak with you, Sacred Dragon."

Confirming with the corner of her eye that Karin was gone, Camallia began to speak.

"Just call me Bleu," he said, frowning at how formal she was.

"There is something I wish to verify… Sacred Dragon — that is, Sir Bleu, I hear you are the youngest Sacred Dragon, born not long ago to your parents. Is that true?"

"Of course," Bleu answered, and then asked back, "what's the problem with that?"

"It is not a problem, but it is the first time I see a descendant, a Sacred Dragon of a new generation. The Sacred Dragons of Parmecia are said to be immortals with no successors. I was, how should I say, very surprised at you being a special case."

"That sounds very different from us. Though it's true that I am a bit of a strange case."

Bleu laughed a bit at how she had struggled to say that. She added that she wouldn't word it like that.

"It took a long time until I was finally born. Maybe the Sacred Dragons of Parmecia just didn't have the same time yet."

"You needed time, to be born?" Camallia asked. The feeling that such a thing wasn't all it took lurked deep in Bleu's heart as well. Why had he been the only one to be born? What kind of creatures were the Sacred Dragons, what kind of creature was he?

"Once we meet the great Sacred Dragons of Parmecia, perhaps the mystery of your birth will be unraveled as well, sir. There might be answers within the Manual as well. As of now, we can do nothing but hope."

Having inquired what she wanted to, Camallia left.

She figured more time was needed until she could find the answer.

5

The eastern wind continued to carry the ship with no issues through the night.

"Yes. I couldn't believe it, but he is truly a second generation Sacred Dragon," Camallia, alone in the deck, watched the reflection of the stars in the ocean, whispering low so that no one could hear.

"…Certainly, he might be able to fill the place of the lost warriors. That one is without a doubt, obsessing about number and power."

Within the reflection of the stars in the waves, there were two notable lights shining. They were like eyes, one silver and one crimson, blinking in the water's surface.

"However, I feel something about that Sacred Dragon that has gone beyond the gods' expectations. Perhaps that one also cannot conceive of someone like him. We should keep him under our control somewhat."

The stars blinked once more.

"…Understood. As you desire, our great leader. I will bring the Sacred Dragon to Parmecia, and to you, my lord…"

Camallia pressed hard on her head.

The lights of those stars in the ocean faded away and disappeared, as if their face had moved away from the surface.

She let out a heavy sigh, brushing away her dark hair as if trying to cool off her flushed cheeks.

The wind blew, caressing her neck as her hair fluttered.

Camallia rested her back on the ship's edge, bending to gaze at the stars above.

The night had just begun. The journey had just begun. Yes, everything would begin from here onward. And who knows what the ending would be.

She grinned widely, excited for what she also couldn't predict.

To next part>

[late-draft]

Hello, Dema here!

First off—I have fallen desperately in love with your artworks. You have a very particular style, strong and fluid all the same, and I can't help but admire the way you draw and how you approach character design.

And talking about character design...

I saw your post about Zuko's bold design in S1 when compared to what we got in S3 and—as much as I love S3-Zuko—I completely agree with you. Something I've always loved about Zuko in S1 is just how striking he was, how much of a presence he had, even when he was being tossed around by a twelve-year-old. That being said, I love Zuko, I love him in armor and pointy shoes and with a ponytail, and I loved your alternative design for him.

What do you think about his S2 character design? How does it flow with the story beats and his overall character arc? Much has been said about the Hair-Growth-Means-Character-Growth (and I find it interesting, also, that he cut his hair again before joining the Gaang), but I'd like to know your opinion on how that translates to character design and how the decisions made in the show could be either good or bad in that regard.

Sorry about the long ask! I've just been thinking about this a lot, lately, and would like to know what you think. Hope you have a good day ❤️

AAAA Dema hii!!! I'm so happy I got a message from you, I didn't expect it!!

I'm super glad to hear, I'll wear it as a badge of honour and I must tell you that I also love your art, you wonderfully do volume and the shading done through a contrast of sharp and soft areas! Super solid anatomy too and I'd be lying if I said I didn't look up to your art!

Yess the character designs in the show actually are rather strong, I like a good balance between memorable and functional. Zuko is just *chef kiss* but, considering just how many appearance changes he goes through, some are bound to be weaker than the starting one. That said, I'm gonna go through a few of his S2 looks and make this reply long, ha!

The starting one when he ends up huddling with uncle Iroh with other poor refugees, fits extremely well for the narrative at the moment. It's actually one of my least liked looks for him, and that's great!! It's precisely how it should be, because he's also arguably at one of his two lowest moral points in the story - he basically lost almost all hope, no clear goal, nothing to fight for, he's desperate precisely because of the lack of orientation and thus his morals degrade and sink veeery low. He gets on my nerves so goddamn much in this period LMAO I want to beat him up, he looks like a recovering drug addict... annoying, entitled whiny jerk stealing food and anything shiny for his uncle, but even then he just does not cross the moral event horizon. Excellent characterization. He just looks atrocious and it's great because it fits this low point.

Next he gets the standard boyish square of a hair, no notes here...

But theeeen, he arrives at one of my favourite looks of his, and it's not just because the clothes fit him very nicely (I've seen fandom say they look too big for him which, maybe?? But it doesn't look like he's swimming in them to me) And a thing I've noticed which, maybe it was just an accident on design part but I'm not sure considering they colour coded the entire cave scene; in this part his clothes match the shape of Katara's, first one in bottom then the one in top. The collar is the same haf-circle design but I don't know, maybe there was a limited pool of clothes designs guide which they cycled through. Or, he really is meant to come close but miss Katara by a beat, like sine and cosine chasing each other.

But besides this outfit fitting the inconspicuous Earth Kingdom customer service persona, it also (perhaps inadvertently) does this VERY cool thing:

It makes his shape look closed off and guarded, supposedly non-threatening. It's most visible in his fight against Jet, whose shape is open and goes in many directions like an aggressive star. But then look at what Zuko's shape does:

When he attacks, it opens up to reveal the hidden aspect, again the aggressive star shape shows up! The same thing happens in "Zuko alone" episode but I think it's most clearly visible in this fight against Jet because here he has a direct contrast and comparing with Jet. I think this is an example where the outfit, whose similar design exists irl, overlaps with a great visual metaphor and enhances the narrative at that moment in story. He's still that combative firebender but he has to keep that aspect concealed most of the time. Plus it just looks badass as hell!!

Animators really knocked it out of the park with many frames. I think Jun was too early and missed his better hairstyle, but Katara was just in time.

I agree it's super funny how his hair in the Beach is awfully long, covers his face to an uncomfortable degree and then he apparently shortens it before joining the Gaang, insane behaviour Truly an "I'm so angry and depressed I won't show my face nor be capable of seeing anything because there's nothing nice to see in my life" look...

I guess all his appearances in S2 cover his mental states, but only one of them is extremely Extra (the tea server, doesn't even take the apron off and goes to fight) and I don't see any spot where a similar tier design could be shoved in, narratively speaking. So all in all, S2 did as much as S2 could have. More tea server arc please though, the Guru episode really feels like it skipped 800 km of plot and everything that happened in it is so crammed and pretty sus in terms of character behaviour.

[jokeroutsubs]

[ENG SUB] Bojan Cvjetićanin and Nace Jordan on 'Na sceni', Val 202 (19.11.2024)

Bojan and Nace discuss the process of making the new album, 'Souvenir Pop', the songs 'Mesto duhov', 'Muzika za decu', 'Stephanie', 'Ako toga više neće biti' and 'Lips', and the therapeutic note Nace brings to the band.

The original audio, including the songs which are cut out here for copyright reasons, can be found here.

Transcript and translation by a member of JokerOutSubs, review by IG 10_anja, proofread by IG GBoleyn123, subtitles by @vesdagrem and a member of JokerOutSubs.

Full video with transcript below the cut 👇

Host: Good evening, welcome to Val 202. You're listening to Radio Slovenia, the second programme. The 'Na sceni' ('On the Scene') broadcast has just begun and today's guests are from the band Joker Out. Good evening.

Bojan: Good evening.

Nace: Good evening.

Nace Jordan and Bojan Cvjetićanin have come to our studio. They've taken precious minutes out of their probably too-full schedule. Bojan, what's that been like for the past year and a half?

Bojan: The schedule is nicely full, but an interview like this one today, these are nice notes on the calendar, so...

Thank you.

Bojan: Thank you for hosting us.

Nace, how have things changed after the second album, 'Demoni', has anything changed at all?

Nace: That'd be hard for me to comment on, since I only joined the band with the second album.

Bojan: Well, has anything changed for you?

Nace: A lot of things have changed for me. I became a member of a band. I finally have a band with my peers, kind of, and we've created a new album. We suddenly saw a big part of Europe, by playing concerts in... how many countries did we visit, I don't even know. Well, in most of Europe. And... I hope we'll go somewhere outside of Europe as soon as possible, too.

And that would be only right. You're one of the few Slovenian ensembles, performers, who have even managed a feat like that.

Bojan: I mean, we managed to do something really nice. Basically in one night, I'd say, from that... if we think of it as the final night of Eurovision flowing into our new band era. We really went from a band that performed practically exclusively in Slovenia to a band that, in the past year and a half, performed, I would say, exclusively outside of Slovenia. So we definitely had a 180-degree turn happen to us, but I'd say that we really took the proper steps on this path too, even though it happend, I'd say... well, very quickly, but we didn't get ahead of ourselves. So I'd say that, as a band, we're still held together by nice foundations and roots.

The album is called 'Souvenir Pop', so it'll forever be written down somewhere as a kind of memory, right?

Bojan: That's right!

A pop one, even though a few songs are quite, let's say, well, significantly harder.

Bojan: Yes...

How come, it's a live experience, right?

Bojan: Yeah, you know what it is? We're children of a generation of parents who always said that you should bring a magnet home when you go somewhere. It was always like that for me. You absolutely had to bring a magnet from a trip. And these songs are actually, with all the memories and all the emotions they pull, they're magnets that we've all brought together and collected in a bag and they will forever remain very tangible souvenirs for us, I'm sure.

First up was 'Mesto duhov'. Bojan?

Bojan: Yes, 'Mesto duhov' is actually, I'd say, the first absolutely pessimistic song I've ever written. I have to say that I'm pretty sad and unhappy every time I wake up from the slumber of everyday life and realise that there is constant injustice and inequality and basically impossible living conditions around us. And... I also started to feel that in the general climate for the first time. I feel that people have a different aura around them, that we're all on some kind of high alert. There's a lot more of a negative whiff in the air. Young people are pretty pessimistic. That's how I perceived the current climate, not only at home, but basically wherever we went. So I think that 'Mesto duhov' was a very clear reflection of how I felt when I first walked through the streets of Ljubljana when I came home after a longer period of time, which never happened to me before, I was never away for that long.

Nace, the next one is called 'Muzika za decu'.

Nace: Yes.

How did you fall into... I won't say the Joker Out machine, but into this creative process of yours, or, how are songs generated?

Nace: This song actually has a very interesting origin. That is, if I remember correctly, in the six weeks that we spend in the studio in Hamburg, we were kind of waiting for Bojan to write and bring another song which we would then put our instruments over, and in one moment, Bojan said: "We're not doing it that way anymore. We'll do a song here tomorrow and that song will be a hit, will be the best." And I have to say he wasn't wrong because we grabbed our instruments and... That was definitely one of the highlights of those six weeks in Hamburg. I think that was when we lived like a band the most, or felt a kind of mutual energy the most, we took the instruments and played that together. And I think Bojan had an idea in the back of his mind.

Bojan: No, I had... I had something on the piano. Pa pa pa pa pa pa pa pa pa pa.

Nace: That idea.

Bojan: But it was called 'Zlatna kosica' ('Golden Hair') initially, I have no idea what it was, something like "how I'm drawn by your golden hair", which just, I didn't feel like constantly drilling the piano, so Kris did it on the guitar...

Nace: That's right.

Bojan: Then it was very clear where the song was going, even with that busted guitar. But it had an attitude, and just bam, 'Muzika za decu'.

Nace: I think it has, the whole song captured exactly that energy.

Bojan: I came up with the lyrics while singing. The idea was that because I was recording on, I don't know, an SM58 or something, which is a microphone that you generally use for live singing, not recording. And I was in the place with them while all the instruments were rattling, and the plan was just that... Okay, the lyrics work, even if I came up with them more or less on the spot, but I'd record the vocals again in Ljubljana. I came to Ljubljana, I recorded with a proper studio microphone, it was a catastrophe and then poor Žare had to clean all those vocal channels of all the noise surrounding it. So this song is truly, the way we did it at our place there, that's how it came out, from start to finish.

Great, so Joker Out, the album is 'Souvenir Pop', the third album in a row, this will be 'Muzika za decu'.

You're listening to 'Na sceni'. Our guests on Val 202 are members of Joker Out, they are Nace Jordan and Bojan Cvjetićanin. The album is a bit of a mix of languages, right? On purpose. Three Slovenian ones, four Serbian ones and a few English ones.

Bojan: True.

Did someone from your headquarters recommend that you do that?

Bojan: The soul. The soul recommended it. The songs are written in the language in which they came up when I started writing them. With the exception of 'Mesto duhov', which was initially a song called 'Wembury Mews', which was our street in London that we lived on. But I then ended up writing it in Slovenian because I had a story that resonated with something I wanted to tell, and I think it also coincided very well with the music. But no, like... We travelled a whole lot, I thought and spoke in those three languages a lot and that just came out of me in the way of songwriting. I think that it was a very clear, at least clear to me, reflection of parts of me that come out completely differently when I think about them in a different language.

Anyway, the team is now that you've joined as the last one, Nace, still the same, right? Who are the other three matadors?

Nace: The other three are Peteh Jan, guitarist, Kris Guštin, guitarist, and Jure Maček, drummer.

And if you spend six weeks together in the studio and live somewhere together, like some kind of football team, do you ever argue?

Nace: Of course we do, it's normal to have a moment when you disagree with someone. But I think that now we've spent so much time together, we know each other well enough to spot which one of us might be in a not-great mood in that moment and give him some space or sometimes agree with him for the sake of mutually good energy.

Bojan: But I was thinking that we've actually never argued in the sense of fighting. There have absolutely always been many disagreements as far as creating and logistics and all that stuff go. But there was never a moment of something blowing up. Genuinely. I don't remember that happening. So that's very good. But that's the consequence of us constantly clearing things up, and... We don't allow anything to inflate that balloon and for everything to end up exploding, but... Nace, for example, is the most important, let's say, member of this relationship. Especially because he brought this "filtering" dynamic into the band, because he's actually the only person who always calls all of us the moment he feels that there's a bad mood in the air. You always get a call from Nace: "Is everything okay? Today I sensed that things were a little off, what happened? If you want to talk, you can hit me up." So I'd say that Nace also brought a very healthy therapeutic aspect to this band.

Commendable, of course. You need that too, you'd probably have a hard time without it. Up next is 'Stephanie', so an English one.

Bojan: 'Stephanie' is actually an interesting song. I wrote just the line "Her name is Stephanie, she lives about a thousand miles away from me" about three years ago, but it didn't actually have any kind of story, except the melody and this line that sounded nice to me. But by now, things have already happened in my life that actually gave it its story so the song wrote itself very naturally after that. It kind of has a slightly different sound. Because we didn't really know what to do with the song, Žare Pak and I kind of patched it together with his famous Reason programme for creating percussion. And then Nace played around with programming for an hour or twelve.

Nace: The song is interesting because most of us don't play our primary instrument in this song.

Bojan: That's true.

Bojan: Jan...

Rotation.

Bojan & Nace: Yes.

Bojan: Jan and I are on the bass.

Nace: Kris and I are on the guitars.

Bojan: Yes. I played the keyboards.

Nace: I also played the keyboards. I mean, like, it's something completely different.

Yeah, that must contribute to the vibe.

Nace: Yes.

Bojan: Yeah, I mean, making this album was quite the sandbox. Sometimes you had to fight for the toy rake you liked the most.

So, 'Stephanie' and Joker Out. Tonight's guests in 'Na sceni' are Bojan Cvjetićanin and Nace Jordan, Joker Out, of course. 'Souvenir Pop' is the third album, Jernej Vene is with you. There are two concerts in Cvetličarna coming up, both sold out. You're not going to a bigger place on purpose, right? Because you like proximity. What does the audience give to you?

Bojan: We're not going to a bigger place, or a different place, on purpose because we presented the first album twice, in a twice sold-out Cvetličarna. That was absolutely, if not the most beautiful, then one of the most beautiful moments of our lives. This year, when we've been away from home so much and played in clubs so much, we saw what a good effect that club energy truly has on us. How much of a reciprocal "give and take" moment it is, meaning, you give your all and the audience gives it all back to you and the same thing happens for them. So we said that we wanted to play at home, somewhere we also feel at home. That is definitely home to us.

There's actually a bit of a problem now since you have three albums. How do you pick the songs for the concert?

Nace: I mean, we just started that this week, when Bojan wasn't here, putting it together a bit already, what should be played, and it's actually a real problem because there are a lot of songs that are "the juicy ones", as we call them. Those are the songs we have to play or that we like to play or that...

Bojan: For a 'Greatest Hits' album.

Nace: Yes. The juicy ones. And alongside the new album, which we'll play in its entirety at the upcoming concerts, there are too many of these songs to fit into a two-hour concert so we'll definitely...

Bojan: Oh, we have such horrible problems.

Nace: No, no, no. I mean, it's a problem because some fans want to hear one song, others another, so we'll probably change the playlist a bit between the concerts so that we can play at least something for everyone.

Moving on. 'Ako toga više neće biti'.

Bojan: I don't know, it's probably my favourite song from this album. One of my favourites in general, as well. I think we feel it. It was a bit weird initially. I remember that when I showed the boys a rough idea, they weren't really sure what, basically... What the poet wanted to say¹.

¹It is a phrase commonly used in Serbo-Croatian speaking area, meaning that it is hard to understand what the author of the original piece of art wanted to say, the meaning isn’t transparent or clear right away. This phrase also has another word used sometimes, it’s pisac instead of pesnik; in that case it translates as ‘What the writer wanted to say’. Pisac is a writer, but the meaning of the phrase is the same.

I'd say that this is where we sound the most like a band. Well, maybe here and in 'Muzika za decu'. But purely from the sound aspect and from a kind of vibe aspect, this recording makes me feel the most like I'm listening to a band that's playing in the same space. Because most of it actually was played together, as well. I like it. It's organic, it's very close to my heart.

So, 'Ako toga više neće biti' and Joker Out.

Joker Out in 'Na sceni'. The album 'Souvenir Pop’ is their third one. Bojan and Nace are here. After Ljubljana, you're on the road again soon, or what?

Bojan: That's right.

Nace: True, true. We're going around the Balkans for a bit, that is, I think we're starting in Novi Sad², continuing in Belgrade, Skopje, Zagreb, then we're returning to Maribor and finishing in Vienna.

²The concert in Novi Sad was later rescheduled due to a tragic event that happened in the city when a canopy at the railway station collapsed, killing several people.

That's still for this year.

Bojan: That's for this year, yes.

We continue with another Slovenian one, titled 'Sonce'.

Bojan: Yes, 'Sonce' is a song that came about as basically my direct response to what's currently happening in Palestine. I actually kind of had a story in my head of a son who's saying goodbye to his mother from the afterlife and is basically addressing his mum with those words. So I'd say it's a pretty atypical song for us, seeing as there's no repeat chorus, or that it doesn't have the kind of classic song structure. And I absolutely have to say that Jan did an incredible arrangement, and wrote his own piano part and recorded it as well, which really added even more dots to the 'i' for the song. So I'm glad that it's basically... what I wanted to say with my voice, Jan completely encompassed with the piano as well, so... It's a heavy song to listen to, at least for us, I'd say, but still beautiful. It fits onto this album.

Joker Out on 'Na sceni'.

Bojan and Nace are still tonight's guests. We won't ask about plans because they happen on their own, right. Are there any days that aren't planned?

Bojan: Absolutely.

Nace: Definitely.

To clear your heads, right?

Bojan: Yes, yes, yes. I mean, in general I think that Nace and I in particular are not really the type of people to... When...  Yeah.

Nace: To set up schedules for ourselves.

Bojan: Yes, we're not the type of people to have a schedule, especially for free days. And, I don't know, for me, even with days that are planned, I often happen to wander off somewhere. And it's by accident, but... I don't know.

Nace: I mean, everything is definitely organised so that we at least have mornings free. So, if we do want to seize the day, we just wake up a little earlier.

Bojan: Yeah, right. Stop it.

Nace: Well, look, it happens, stuff happens. You go to sleep too early...

Bojan: Yeah, okay.

N: ... and you seize the day.

Bojan: That's right.

Nace: Early.

For the end of the broadcast another English one, 'Lips'.

Bojan: 'Lips' is truly a song that had many forms. It started out as 'Je t'aime'. A Franz Ferdinand-esque rock song with French and English. It ended up as... what kind of genre would that be, if any?

Nace: I'd call it cinematic rock

Bojan: Cinematic... wow. There you go, a cinematic rock song. It's also, I'd say, a departure from our traditional sound. This is in large part thanks to Nace on my right, because he arranged practically the whole song as well as put it into its sound form. He really put in the effort here and spent a whole lot of time on it, so we really have to say "Thank you!" to Nace here. Or, if you don't like the song, tell him to get lost, but...

Nace: I'm the one at fault, yes.

Bojan: Yeah, I mean, I like it, I think I had a very determined vision of how I wanted the vocals to work in this song. Whereas what would happen around it was kind of a mistery to me. So Nace, with his cinematic rock, hit the nail on the head with me too.

Nace: But as a fun fact, well... this song was happening in the studio, we were in a bit of a hurry, honestly.

Bojan: At the end, yes.

Nace: We were in a bit of a hurry at the end, and one evening, I was like: "It can't be like that." I got...

Bojan: Yes, Žare and I made the basic beat and stuff, but it was very bland. And then Nace, in five hours or so, put something together and sent back something that, if we put it as a trailer for, I don't know, James Bond or something, it'd be awesome.

Nace: As a fun fact, I did all that while lying in bed.

Bojan: Well, there you go.

Nace: On my laptop.

Bojan: Such hard work, that you can do it in bed on your laptop.

Fun. Gentlemen, thank you for visiting us.

Bojan: Thank you for the invite.

Nace: Gladly.

And good luck on all the roads ahead of you in the next year and beyond.

Bojan: Thank you.

Right, to finish off, 'Lips'. The album is 'Souvenir Pop', Joker Out is the band, you know all that. Nace Jordan and Bojan Cvjetićanin were with you. Jernej Vene, signing off. Until next time, to plenty of good music. Goodbye.

Bojan: Goodbye.

Nace: Goodbye.

[tainbocuailnge]

Another thing that's... kinda odd about the English translation is in the DRK quests, Myste says "A reckoning will not be postponed indefinitely", which is a big line in basically a secret route of the browser game Fallen London. and yeah, it is a cool line and neat to hear it in FF14... it also doesn't really work for Myste? In it's original context, it's about the remains of a dead demi-god-like being, which was cast into a well, seeking a reckoning and leading the player down a route which will irreversibly destroy their character in pursuit of dark secrets.

Which is not what the Myste sections of DRK were about at all, lol.

oh I could rant for hours about dark knight translations. that questline is actually why I first went to scope out the german script, because I heard drk wildly differs between english and japanese and that german generally stays closer to japanese than english does. I translated some of the fray parts here actually, though you'll note I'm a lot more forgiving of the english script in that one because i hadn't reached sidurgu's parts yet löl

german fray and myste are just completely different characters from english. german myste is upbeat and energetic. he loves people who help others and feels a strong urge to help them in turn. he spawned from the dark knight crystal in response to the loneliness of countless dark knights stored within it so he could console them and be their friend, he's basically the will of the soul crystal itself. he tries to alleviate that loneliness by facilitating reunions with lost loved ones but grows frustrated that this only leads to more partings, so he tries to expand his powers to maintain his illusions forever, because more than anything he just doesn't want to leave his dear friends the dark knights alone. he represents the childish wish at the core of every dark knight for a world where nobody has to lose anyone again.

in the part of the quests where you take myste to the sea of clouds there's this bit where in english he talks about his guilt complex and lets slip that this is also your guilt. in german he tells you that he was always with these people who fight hard for others, watching from the sides, until one day he heard a cry of loneliness and since then he's been trying his best to help people too. that's the moment that for me really hammered it in that these languages fundamentally disagree on what it even means to be a dark knight.

in english myste is desperate to atone for everything he's ever done and fray is your self preservation instinct who is kinda mad that you let it get this far, but they have to forgive him because you're all you have as you walk this lonely and bloody path that you have to believe is right. in german myste is your ideal, the desire to comfort those who have no-one else, crying that maybe it's better to forget altogether if partings can't be avoided and fray is your human heart who agrees that parting will always hurt but that is exactly where you find the strength to continue the fight, because it is worthwhile even if it never ends, and the path may be lonely but you will never walk it alone when there are people who came before you and who will come after you who all share this same dream of a kinder world. of course you won't have to leave us, you're our ideal, you're what we do it all for, as long as we remain dark knights you'll be with us. this all flows very naturally into drk-as-shadowbringers-class and ardbert's deal too but since I haven't reached shb in german yet I don't want to say anything extensive about it yet

i still think english drk was cooking with even your repressed feelings being repressed + the part of yourself that wants to protect itself obviously trying to protect itself and thus not wanting to show vulnerability so en fray postures as the stronger one who will protect you instead, and that fray writing in the journal (and only being able to be honest in a place where you're unlikely to look unless you don't know where to go) is incredibly clever. but in the context of how english treats sidurgu and just the way they handle the entire rest of the game really i also don't think that they were intentionally going for this kind of subtlety, it feels to me more like they just thought sincerity is cringe like usual and decided to make everyone cool and edgy (and thus needlessly mean to each other) instead.

and yeah english fucking loves to just yoink lines from other media whether it's appropriate or not. they turned zenos' final words to wol into a hamilton reference in english, "my first friend, my enemy" is a hamilton line, he doesn't ever call you his enemy in any other language (in german he calls you his hunter though which yes is incredibly horny of him). I'll admit I'm not in a good position to judge whatever epic references the german script makes because I'm unfamiliar with german language popular media so I won't spot them unless someone else points them out but I do know that when german fray quotes fight club it just enhances their characterisation as trying to sound cool and intimidating but failing because they're really kind of lame and awkward and can't hide how stoked they are to hang out with you.

[yuri-is-online]

Any Hc's for Rook!Yutu? I'd imagine Rook would have an inkling of what was going on due to this child's abnormally heightened senses.

I did write a bit about Rook's Yutu in this post about artistic dad's and their sons. In it I mention that Rook says he was very shy as a child, which is something I don't think twst writers capitalize on enough. Rook's Yutu is very shy and does not have the same confidence boosting idol realization that Rook did.

Also, we will be taking something from this idea from Grim OB anon, thank you very much for sending it in!

This is a two part hc, please read this first and then go to the second part linked at the end.

notes: they/them used for Yuu, for context on the fyuuture kid au can be found here and here. This post contains some additional angst to the other Yutu posts, CW for discussions of child neglect, starvation, and extreme isolation.

The wind flutters through the tress as Yutu sits and tries to focus on the few strains of birdsong he can hear. The wind chimes he bought for your last birthday makes the task harder, but he can't say he minds. If it helps him hone this talent of his, maybe one day he can use it for something, something other than sneaking out of the house or looking through that box of things that causes you too much pain to look through but not enough to throw away.

"This world is filled with beauty, and it wraps itself around you begging you to lay your head within its bower. Stay and intertwine the melody of your breath with mine and never know how weary it is to wander again..." He is uncertain if this translation is satisfactory, the language used is familiar to Yutu but the words and some of the grammar is off. It's a beautifully written letter, the paper's maintained a specific perfume through the years thanks to how well you have kept it packed away. A branch snaps up as Yutu's eyes open and center on the thrush he's been tracking as it soars into the early morning sky, finally he leans back against the side of the house and lets out his breath. Someday he will find the thread that connects all of this, he's sure of it.

And somewhere across the universe, another child looks up at the sky and has as similar a thought he can without the words to form it.

Yutu is a quiet kid. Like his father was as a child, he's very shy and finds it difficult to connect to the other kids around him. They find his uncertainty annoying, and while his teachers enjoy having him in class they sometimes find his perspectives difficult to connect to. This is not helped at all by how keen his senses are, hiding things from Yutu is difficult and he tries to use what he sees to make friends, but he often comes off as creepy. Much like Rook he is very insightful in his media analysis and blunt in the way he puts things, but unlike Rook he does not find someone like Vil who vibes with him. Instead he finds teachers who take him aside and tell him to stop answering so many questions in class, peers who refuse to interact with him and openly call him weird, and a community who whispers loudly about where he came from behind his back as if he cannot hear them. It's exhausting.

Yuu has some letters from Rook that made it across worlds with them, long flowing things written in a language that takes him a while to figure out. Most of them are written in something similar to English, but there are bits and pieces of French in there. The letters spark an early interest in linguistics for Yutu, he feels like the letters have enough clues for him to learn who his father is and if anyone has answers for him about why he is the way he is it has to be his dad, doesn't it? He's the only Yutu who manages to isolate his father's name long before Yuu remembers, but he assumes that Rook is a pseudonym because who the hell names their child Rook? Not someone from France (which is where he assumes his dad is from... or maybe French Canada?)

Yuu tells him of his father's appreciation for the beauty of the world and his eagerness to encourage it in others. They speak of his protectiveness, and loyalty to his friends so often that Yutu wonders, why isn't he here? His parent calls him a "hunter" so often that Yutu wonders if they connected over hunting, he can't really see you doing something like that. Where do the poems fit into that, they cause you a lot of pain to look at so he tries not to ask about them and focus on the things you say he has in common with his father, such as his love for literature and nature.

His love of nature is much less, violent? Than his father's... as in he is not one for the hunt, at least not in the same way. He does not find the fight or the chase thrilling or beautiful, though he does deeply admire the skill it takes to thread the needle through danger. You aren't so strict about his trips into the woods that he feels like he can't go but you do try to encourage him to stay safe in a way that feels restrictive to a kid. He's very interested in wildlife photography, and enjoys darting through the wilderness to take pictures of animals in their natural habitats. This does not help his reputation at school, his teachers are proud to note his talent while his peers spread rumors about him because of how much time he spends alone in the woods or a darkroom.

While he does enjoy his alone time, sometimes he begs you to come with him, especially after he's found particularly beautiful place that he wants to show you. He takes a great deal of pride in being able to provide his parent with a sense of peace, especially when it's through something he enjoys. Given that Yuu was the owner of the Ghost Camera I like to think you would feel a sense of familiarity in taking photos of things, and Yutu would beyond overjoyed if it was an interest you could share with him.

As for how you remember... I like to think that what triggers the memory is that one day Yutu comes home sadder than usual, and confesses to you that he took a picture of you for a school contest but only managed to win second place with it. When he shows it to you, it triggers something:

"Oh now this is a funny coincidence." You were in the process of trying to pick which magnet you wanted to use to put it up on the refrigerator, a perfectly normal thing. A perfectly normal day, "I lost to Rook with a similar picture during Portfest, he'd love to have a matching set-" And then you had dropped the magnet, dropped your line of thought and turned to look at him in a way that screamed you were afraid, afraid of something he couldn't see and sorrowful in a way he couldn't describe. "Wait a moment, where is Rook, he was just stepping out for a moment and I was getting the letters together..." And then his world is upended as he is tossed over the rift into a group of people in dark robes, impressing them all with how he literally lands on his feet.

Rook! Yutu is left numb by Yuu's death. He doesn't speak much, it's not at all what Crewel expected of Rook's son given how odd and exuberant his student was. He tries encouraging him to open up by telling little stories about his father to him, about your time in Twisted Wonderland, anything to fill the empty space and help him form a connection with the child. He feels foolish when he realizes that Yutu is in shock, but once he does and gives him some genuine familial affection Yutu starts to perk up. The gift of the Ghost Camera makes Yutu actually speak, though one of the first things he says is that he doesn't think he's ever going to be himself again. Crewel's been mourning how he never got to know that boy for years now, hearing him say he's missed the chance out loud doesn't hurt as much as it perhaps should.

I kicked around what house I thought he would be in a bit, Rook was initially in Savanaclaw as we all know but Yutu... he's quiet. Withdrawn, still very intense about his passions and pursuit of beauty but not able to really speak about his interests openly. Pomefiore... it is meant to be based on the unrelenting effort, the tenacity of the Fairest Queen. It's very intense, and despite his quiet attitude this Yutu is very intense so I do think he would be placed in Pomefiore by the mirror. Something that would make Grandpa Crewel very proud.

Grandpa Crewel tells him bits and pieces about his father, but Yutu can just tell that he's keeping things back. The stories are always so odd, like he's very willing to tell Yutu his dad used to name the plants he grew for the science club and read them poetry but when he asks about the poems he wrote for Yuu, Crewel dodges the subject just saying it "sounds like something he'd do." When he asks about his friends he tentatively mentions that Rook's best friend is still alive, but that he's not in the best mental state so he probably won't want to talk to him. Which is of course, not true at all Yutu is very interested in speaking with Vil and that much more determined to do it the less information Crewel gives him.

It's "me and the boys looking for classmates" round 2, Idia has a heart attack when he sees ANOTHER HUNT on a broomstick outside his super secret island yoo-hooing at the security cameras asking to see Vil. He can't with this fucking family what is WRONG with you people. Vil doesn't exactly get a lot of visitors so he's surprised to hear he has one and unable to hold back his laughter when he finds out who it is. He can't even pretend to be strict or upset with the boy, though he does give him a scolding for being so reckless.

Most of the questions Yutu has are answered; his father was eccentric but well loved, he was very much a hunter, had nicknames for most everyone based off of things he noticed about them and claimed he himself as the "hunter of love." He was not from the City of Flowers he just really liked the culture and a play that was set there so that's why he talked like that.

"His nickname for Yuu was 'trickster' for reasons he never fully explained but I'm sure there were a mountain of them." Vil has a beautiful smile, even as haggard as the man now is it shines through giving Yutu some understanding of why his father was so willing to change dorms and swear some oath of loyalty to him. "He got it into his head it would be 'romantic' to send them secret admirer letter, we had to endure him writing pages of them and opining how his feelings would never be returned-"

"They didn't like him at first?" Yutu can't really picture that and Vil's smile twists in amusement.

"They thought he was odd but I don't think they ever disliked him. You and your brother came from somewhere-" and the rest of what Vil says is drowned in the hum of that last little bit of information as Yutu's world is flipped once again.

Yutu is meant to be a pseudonym, and I did say I wanted his name to be Oliver. And as Vil informs him, with care because Crewel really should have been the one to do so but he understands why he didn't, Yutu has an older brother named Roland, though not by much. The two of them are what Yuu had called "Irish twins." Rook had simply called them beautiful which does give Yutu a bit of a laugh but raises the question of where his brother is. Shouldn't he have been at school? Well no, as Idia decides to cough and remind Yutu he is in fact still in the room (he is being very brave and keeping all of his opinions on Rook to himself) they don't really know what happened to his brother. They know Rook is dead, transformed into a phantom by the Fairest Queen and closing off the Shaftlands hunting down mages with extreme precision, but no one really knows what happened to Roland. Vil is technically the last person to have both seen a living Rook and Roland. "He was depressed about you and your parent disappearing, but very convinced he could find you. Your brother seemed happy too, not that I understood what he was saying on account of him being an infant." No one says the word dead. Vil and Crewel are too depressed to think about it and Idia- well he has some suspicions. He doesn't have evidence yet, but he does (after yelling at Yutu for breaking and entering again) tell him to keep his ears open for a message from him because he might have a job for him.

So Yutu waits. He starts up the school newspaper again, makes some friends finally who are intrigued by the ghost camera and certainly met weirder people, and trains both his body and his magic in the hope he can maybe find a way through his father's defenses. "Into the Woods" is what he names his spell, it allows him briefly to move extremely quickly by becoming a shadow. The more he uses it the more magic it costs, but if he only uses it occasionally he can get away with using very little magic. He's proud of it, certain it will convince Idia he's strong enough to put his father to rest. Instead he's met with a different proposal: he and his friends go back in time to before any of this happened, before his parents were together, before he was even born to stop this future from ever happening.

He does not agree at first. Vil has to to talk him into it, though it is less of a talk and more of a lecture. Yutu does want to see you again, more than anything really, but his father is still a phantom. He has no idea what happened to his older brother, his friends have family too asking them to go back in time when some of them still have people worth fighting for in the here and now. Vil hears all of this of course, but he knows better than anyone how limited the time this version of Twisted Wonderland has. "There here and now cannot exist without the then and was" he's right of course and Yutu admits as much. He promises, much less flamboyantly but with just as much seriousness to create a world in which Vil can achieve his dream and for one small moment he allows himself a smile that would cause a wrinkle. It's like Vil has both of his best friends back, wrapped up into the tiny shining sapling that is their son.

The past is a strange place to Rook! Yutu. He has heard a decent bit about his father, and he likes to think he knows you pretty well but everyone else is just so... weird. Ace and Deuce are almost too normal, Kalim feels like a fairy tale prince, and he is worryingly interested in studying Azul under a microscope. The twins too if he could figure out appropriate caging techniques, everyone here is just so odd. Good thing you have such a normal son like him here to look out for you, he has no idea how you handled this in the original timeline. His shyness does a lot to cover for his eccentricities, though you do pick up on how familiar he is with some of your habits after a while.

He develops a new interest in movies and an enjoyment of watching them with you; neither of you know anything about this world's entertainment industry. It is pretty much dead in the future but hearing how excited Vil got about his work made him interested at least in those movies. The two of you end up taking notes and discussing the various ways the stories would or would not work in your world and Yutu finds himself surprised at how much praise he's getting for his insightful commentary... and that's before a certain someone joins and starts cheering his enthusiasm for Vil's catalogue.

Rook is someone Yutu tried to make a game of avoiding. Not that he did not want to get to know his father, but he was curious about what being a phantom did to his technique. His magic made him best suited to being a scout (bait if he's being realistic) when dealing with his father so he likes to think that he is well practiced at avoiding him but no. He thinks he has given the hunter the slip only to find he's been beaten home as Rook opens the door for him so they can hang out with you together. Rook picked up on this little game fairly quickly and it delighted him. It's similar to how Jade deals with him but with none of the obvious malice.

Rook does not think too much about this habit of Yutu's at first. He tells him that his dedication to his craft is truly beautiful; perhaps teases him a little to keep up the competition but the thought of "there is something slightly sinister about Yutu being here" does not come until he realizes what he feels for you is a bit more significant than normal. Rook, to me anyway as I kick around how to write for him romantically, is someone who does not fall into romantic love particularly easily. Or I suppose to be more specific, the line between platonic and romantic love isn't one he tends to cross over too often because he prefers to dance on it. He's a little bit in love with all of his friends and has no problem telling them as much or acting like he is, and he sort of thought that was the way he would be forever so to find the feelings he has for you spending more and more time across that line- it scares him. He's shy about it, not that you see his behavior as shyness exactly, he's still Rook but there are moments where he isn't as long winded in his praise as he typically would be if he was talking about Vil. It might make you think he hates you when nothing could be further from the truth. He's at risk of saying too much if he does.

There are certain habits Yutu has that once Rook finds himself unable to stop thinking about you start to stick out. Little ticks that suggest the boy knows you, and knows you in a very specific sort of way... but the information is just off enough to suggest that his information is not wrong but out of date. And then there are all the little ways that the boy acts like he did before he discovered Roi de Neige, it's like looking at an alternate timeline version of himself that has traces of you woven into him. And that gives Rook a thought that he knows by instinct must be dangerously close to the truth. So he does the only thing he can think to do: he hunts.

Yutu is pushing his magic to the limit, it hurts Rook to think that he might be the cause but it is clear the precious one has no idea what his signature spell is, otherwise he would know there was no point. But still, Yutu runs closer to the strange blot like clouds, stopping abruptly under what looks like the portal that brought him to this world. Ink drips out of it, dark and familiar as Rook swings down from the treeline to an unsurprised Yutu and readies his pen.

"Do you know what we are fighting, Monsieur Caneton." He tries to be gentle as he speaks, you have told him his voice is soothing and reassuring but still the boy bristles.

"No." He's run himself ragged, Rook would step in front of him on instinct even if he was in fighting shape. Even if it wasn't his fault that Yutu wasn't, surely he wasn't such a failure of a father that he doesn't know that? "You never do until it cracks." Like an actor who knows their cues the sygil breaks with a sickening noise akin to the groans of a dying boar as slick ink plops its delivery onto the ground. It groans, deceptively human before rolling itself up to stand, shaking the ink off its body like it was a nuisance and not vital for its continued existence. Rook readies himself, begins to prepare a spell and swells with pride as Yutu does the same until

"Fuck!" The person spits, away from both of them he notes after the shade. Red. Bright. Oxygenated this isn't a monster at all, it's a human, shaking himself like a dog to rid the ink that's practically soaking himself the whole the way through. "Hey!" he turns rubbing just enough ink out of his face to reveal an eye, familiar in shade and shape as Yutu finally untenses behind him and Rook feels tears begin to well in his eyes. "Dad! What'er you doing dressed all funny, give me a- hand?" A smile, or he thinks it's a smile spreads across the older boy's face when he finally looks past Rook. "Oh thank the seven!" Blob boy tracks ink across the pristine forest floor, everything else forgotten in a rush of genuine excitement that shatters Yutu's entire perception of reality enough to force his exhaustion to the surface.

He hears Roland calling him by his name as he falls.

pt. 2

[hunieday]

Iori, Yuki, Touma 2024 Shuffle talk RabbiTV Episode 1

Episode 1 - Episode 2 - Episode 3

Please note that I am not a professional translator and I'm only doing this to share the side materials to those who cannot access them, if you notice any mistakes please let me know nicely. Enjoy!

*Door opens*

Izumi Iori: Good morning...Uh. What are you doing, Yuki-san?

Izumi Iori: Wrapping your hands around Inumaru-san's biceps…

Inumaru Touma: Good morning! Izumi!

Yuki: Good morning, Iori-kun. Touma-kun said he’s been really into muscle training lately, so I was just checking him.

Izumi Iori: C-Checking him...?

Yuki: If you're aiming to be like Ryuunosuke-kun, maybe you still have ways to go.

Inumaru Touma: That’s right...! I'll work even harder!

Yuki: Yeah, keep it up.

Izumi Iori: What kind of conversation is this... I thought I walked into the wrong room for a second…

Yuki: This is the planning room for the "Monthly World Travel".

Izumi Iori: I am aware.

Inumaru Touma: Oh man, I'm looking forward to Taipei! It’s interesting that we’re going sightseeing and challenging ourselves on a mission at the same time.

Inumaru Touma: We decided the members for this project by drawing lots, but the combination of the three of us seems a bit unusual, doesn't it?

Izumi Iori: Yes, it does. We’re different types of people...

Izumi Iori: ...I'm starting to feel anxious.

Yuki: What's making you anxious?

Izumi Iori: Just, overall.

Inumaru Touma: Huh? And here I thought that a trip with the dependable Izumi and Yuki-san would be good…!

Yuki: I’m dependable?

Izumi Iori: Please don't ask me that question.

Inumaru Touma: You really are dependable! I’ve been recording and watching "NEXT Re:vale" a whole lot!

Inumaru Touma: Also, I saw the way you looked at us when we were on the show together. You were looking as if you were watching over us, and it made me straighten my back!

Yuki: Is that so. Thank you.

Yuki: Maybe because Momo was there.

Inumaru Touma: Momo-san?

Yuki: Yeah. Momo isn't with us this time so I'll have to make sure I don't space out.

Izumi Iori: ...Inumaru-san.

Inumaru Touma: Huh?

Izumi Iori: Let's do our best. We should cooperate.

Inumaru Touma: Y-Yeah...?

Yuki: We’ll have the power of a hundred people with IDOLiSH7’s brainiac Iori-kun and ŹOOĻ’s leader Touma-kun in here. (1)

Inumaru Touma: Hehe, thank you very much...! I hope I’ll be able to communicate with the locals in English at least? That's the only thing I'm a bit worried about.

Izumi Iori: I think you'll be fine. Do you have confidence in English, Inumaru-san?

Yuki: Your rap is usually so cool after all.

Izumi Iori: We have members who are fluent when they sing but completely terrible at speaking, though...

Inumaru Touma: Well, my English is just about average, but I can manage somehow! It's all about the flow and momentum!

Izumi Iori: It's really strange, but it seems like it...

Yuki: That's hilarious. Our group shouldn’t have trouble communicating with the locals then.

Inumaru Touma: Yeah! Since everyone here can speak English, I'll learn a lot of things!

Izumi Iori: ...Looking at Inumaru-san’s positive attitude is making me believe everything will work out fine.

Yuki: I'm counting on you, children. (2)

Yuki: Now let's hope it's not too hot.

[Cut to Taipei]

Izumi Iori: As expected… Taipei is bustling with tourists.

Yuki: That's right. 

Inumaru Touma: I was a little worried about the weather since the rainy season is right around the corner, but I’m glad it’s sunny!

Yuki: That’s right.

Izumi Iori: ...Are you okay, Yuki-san?

Yuki: I might not be right…

Inumaru Touma: Are you tired, Yuki-san? Want me to give you a piggyback ride?

Yuki: ...ŹOOĻ’s Inumaru Touma giving me a piggyback ride doesn’t sound too bad.

Izumi Iori: You don’t have to do that. This isn't "NEXT Re:vale" after all...

Yuki: You're right. But I'll suggest a segment where we carry someone and run to the finish line next time.

Inumaru Touma: Sounds fun! I think Tora would be the only one in ŹOOĻ who could carry me…!

Accompanying staff: Once again, thank you for joining us today! Here is the card containing the missions with hints written on it. We'll also give you a map of Taipei to explore around!

Inumaru Touma: Thank you very much! ...Uhh, the mission is... 

Inumaru Touma: "Make your way to the flower carpet!", or so the card says!

Izumi Iori: A carpet... in a flower field, perhaps. We should be able to narrow it down quite a bit this time of the year...

Yuki: The hint says "popular tourist spot," but the map we got doesn't seem to have anything that hints at it.

Inumaru Touma: Yeah... Then how about we go somewhere we can ask the locals?

Yuki: Good idea. Sounds like a task that fits Touma-kun's high communication skills.

Inumaru Touma: Thanks! How about Yongkang…jie? It says there are many restaurants to enjoy and walk around, there might even be some shopkeepers who know something!

Izumi Iori: ...I see, it’s Yǒngkāng jiē (Yongkang Street). I've heard that there are many stores here where Japanese is spoken because of the amount of Japanese tourists who visit, so we might be on the right track.

Yuki: Amazing, Iori-kun's extensive knowledge is coming into play now.

Yuki: Momo, our children are growing up splendidly.

Izumi Iori: What are you mumbling to the camera?

Inumaru Touma: Well then, let's go there for now! Yuki-san, you feeling better now?

Yuki: I'm fine. Let's just take it slow. It's hot.

Inumaru Touma: Yeah! Slow but steady wins the race or something. Izumi, if you’re in trouble, let me know right away! You look like the type who doesn't show that kinda thing on your face.

Izumi Iori: Oh, thank you...You truly are the one who keeps ŹOOĻ together, aren't you...

Yuki: Fufu. I'm glad we have this group after all.

End of Episode 1.

This is a pun on Momo’s name (Hundred), as he has a combination of Iori’s wits and Touma’s communication skills and leader status. 

Yuki says “kouhai-kun-tachi”, which sounds like a more endearing way to refer to his juniors with the addition of the “kun” honorifics commonly used for younger people, so I chose to translate it as children. You can still interpret it as “little juniors” if you wish!

[rainedragon]

What’s up with the black and white cat on old Emily temple cute ads ? Does he have a name?

Sorry, I realize this has been in my queue a while, but I had to go track down what I think this is in reference to because I couldn't remember which Kera it was in. So, in Kera 056 (May 2003), there is a ETC photoshoot. There are a few of these in Kera around this time, and it's pretty common around this time for Kera and the GLB to have themed photoshoots either all of one brand, or using multiple brands with a very light little story line to connect the photos. It's worth noting the vast majority of these stories are basically nonsense vaguely based on some theme or story. I have articles like this back in 80s and 90s fashion magazines as well, and it's just a way to do an interesting photoshoot that flows. This particular photoshoot is called "ETC Special Feature: Hanako-Chan and Kuro". I can't read it, but the rough gist from auto translate is that the cat is named Kuro, and he's magical, and the girl is home alone that day? (Kuro being the Japanese word for the color black because he's a black cat). Then we go into a sequence of story events that are essentially the eat me / drink me part of the story from Alice in Wonderland. She magically becomes to big for the house and might break it! Then she becomes so big cars are like toys!

Then she gets in trouble (for basically running around like godzilla?) and she gets made tiny and trapped in a bottle. Then she's sitting on a teacup and she's happy because she's tiny so she can eat as many doughnuts and as much eta as she wants (I assume they mean like, the food is so huge in comparison that it is a ton).

What if we trade bodies with Kuro? Look we totally changed! Meow that's fun, this is delicious... oh no mom and dad will be back soon. (and then it's assumed they switch back).

Generally speaking, these types of articles are really more about showing off the clothing and advertising than about writing the brand's lore, though it's not impossible. There have been some cases of brands talking about their mascots in magazine advertisements, but it's a lot more common for it just to be generic magazine-generated content.

There is a ~fancy~ little black cat that shows up in several prints around this time, but in the catalogs and item names they just use "cat print" or "stylish cat print" to describe those items / prints, and it doesn't seem to be the same character.

So, I guess in summary, the black and white cat's name is Kuro, but I don't know if he shows up anywhere else beyond this one photoshoot. But I probably posted this to tumblr broken apart because I didn't even register it was a story at first, which would have made it seem like he was everywhere. (Though, if any you know of other adds or photoshoots from ETC with this character, I'd be really interested in seeing them!)

[1000sunnygo]

The Three Captain's Interview (2021) : Hiroshi Kamiya as Law (Translated)

Awfully late to the party again. Here's a partial translation of the "Three Captains QnA" interview conducted in 2021 to celebrate the 100th volume of One Piece. I think most readers already accessed the translation via auto translator, or maybe someone translated already (in that case, ignore this)

I didn't find any available translation so I'm putting all of Hiroshi Kamiya's answers here. Just in case you don't know, Kamiya san in Law's voice actor. His answers were particularly long and informative, so I focused only on him.

Starts below the cut!

-

Q. How did you feel when you got the role?

- The casting of Namikawa san (Eustass Kidd) and I was triggered by the work "Ilya no Sora, UFO no Natsu", in which Namikawa san played the role of a timid boy in junior high school and I was a sharp-tongued senior. Hiroaki Shibata, who was the producer of that work, later became the producer of One Piece and then approached us.

I understood the flow of the process and was grateful for the offer, but both Namikawa san and I were good at giving higher pitched voices at that time. So, to be honest, we had absolutely no idea what he had in mind when he cast us. But since I was approached and I had no choice but to give it a go, I gave the character a rough, low-pitched sound that didn't go well with my personal style but matched the character's appearance; and they gave me an OK...

But, adding a personal note, I voiced an unnamed role 'Pirate A' all the way back in the first episode. I had a few more roles afterwards, and eventually I was given the role 'Eddy' in the Sky Island Arc. After a short interval, I was very happy to be chosen for a major role with the name 'Law' and as a rookie with over a hundred million bounty like Luffy.

By nature, the sounds I make don't have a distinct quality, so I didn't have much of a chance to be cast in "ONE PIECE" filled with unique characters. But thinking about it, Law doesn't really have any outstanding feature either (laughs). Regardless, I am very grateful that I was selected out of all other choices.

(T/N: I made a separate post about Kamiya san's roles in one piece here.)

-

Q. Did you have any specific thoughts or feelings while playing in One Piece?

- I really wanted to play Law as a child. The past with Corazon is inseparable from the present Law, isn't it? Since Law at the moment is here because of that past, I really wanted to incorporate the childhood Law into my character.

Also, in the long history of One Piece, Luffy is the only male character who is played by the same actor for both his adult and child versions. There had never been a male voice actor who had the chance, so I had a personal ambition to set a precedent. The moment I found out that Law's past was going to be portrayed, I made a blunt confession that I absolutely wanted to play the (child Law) role. I later auditioned and was selected.

When the time came to record the episodes of Law's past and I was given a script with "Law, Hiroshi Kamiya" right next to Luffy, it meant a lot to me. Seeing the senior members of the One Piece cast team playing the main characters and monopolizing the studio microphones, I had always wanted to play as a main character in the same place someday. Unfortunately, I never had the chance, so, that time it felt like a dream come true.

I think this, too, was possible because it's a story created by Oda sensei. To begin with, it's rare for me to raise up my hand and take an initiative by myself. The possibility of trying out a role and then people thinking "Totally off, this shouldn't be their voice at all" - is terrifying, isn't it? I'm a person lacking self-confidence, yet, Oda sensei created a work that moved my heart and made me feel like I wanted to express my tone, and thus I was able to have such a joyful experience. So, once again, I think One Piece is amazing.

(T/N: Kamiya san talking about voicing young Law in a different interview can be found here.)

-

Q. Impression of the character you're currently playing?

- I think he's a man with a deep sense of responsibility. After all, the alliance was originally formed to defeat Doflamingo by taking advantage of Luffy's desire to beat the 'Emperors', and now even after defeating him, they're still working together. That makes him an honest guy who keeps his words.

That said, he's the captain of the Heart pirates. I think he wants to reciprocate the feeling to the crew that follows him with a belief that he's the best in the world. That's why when he said "I hate breads!" and the Straw hats kept pulling him like "you're one of us too!" (laughs), he kept holding his stance, "I'm NOT gonna go that way!"

-

Q. Thoughts on Mayumi Tanaka as Luffy?

- I saw Mayumi san leading the anime like a boss from the moment Luffy came out of the barrel shouting "I SLEPT WELL!" in episode 1. The fact that it continues to go strong and become more popular with the viewers to this day - is truly amazing.

-

Q. Thoughts on Daisuke Namikawa as Kidd?

- I think Namikawa san is ridiculous! After all, back at that time he would only play characters with meek voices, I really thought he didn't have the voice range to be entrusted with such a dynamic role. I think he threw his own persona away to play Kidd.

-

Q. Do you think it's possible to win against Kaidou?

- It has to be. I think Luffy would be able to beat him with something beyond Law's strategy. To Law, Luffy is the one person that can create unexpected circumstances. I believe their actions would blossom meaningfully in future.

-

Source: @Eiichiro_staff (search up the hashtag #三船長QA on Twitter)

[del-stars]

author interview!

thank you for the tag @ecstarry <33

total works: 10 until recently but now 8 lol total wc: 194,468

your top 5 stories by kudos/likes?

a way that will destroy you (my 2021 zukka fic mwah)

never have i ever been straight (2018 drabble that i HATE but it still does numbers so i havent killed her yet)

surrender to the sound (2021 zukka persists)

dreaming of after

preacher's dog

do you respond to comments? i try to! but not always as i'm very awkward lol

what's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending? i betray you like a man which ends on the prank

what's the fic you've written with the happiest ending? dreaming of after's ending makes me so soft to this day.... i wont spoil but i wrote the entire fic about this ending

do you write crossovers? no!

have you ever received hate on a fic? when i was like 11-12 and publishing on ff.net i got a lot of (deserved) hate

do you write smut? unsuccessfully

have you ever had a fic stolen? actually, yes??? some account reposted the first chapter of preacher's dog a few months ago

have you ever had a fic translated? no

have you ever co-written a fic before? no

what's your all time favourite ship? wolfstar!! or andreil

what's a wip that you want to finish but don't think you ever will? surrender to the sound is a wip that will stay that way forever... but she had tea </3 the trauma from that has led me to not upload wips unless i have a plan for finishing them

what are your writing strengths? hmm i like to think that i can capture complicated relationships between people well

what are your writing weaknesses? i constantly forget little details so continuity probably

what are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic? one of my biggg pet peeves is when we're in the perspective of character a and character b says something in a language that character a doesn't understand but the dialogue is written perfectly... i think it flows better to say for example "sirius said something in french that remus couldn't understand," or they're having a full conversation in another language, just make a note of that. idk having translations in the endnotes really bothers me (unless we're intentionally not supposed to know what they're saying voulez-vous coucher avec moi?) especiallyyyy if it's clear the author google translated

what's a fandom/ship you haven't written for yet but want to? bitchkiller!! i'd also like to do jayvik maybe

what's your favourite fic you've written? preacher's dog. that's my baby. i birthed her.

np tags: open tag! + @v7lgar @major-toast @katakosmos @starzzmissthesun

[mirai-e-jump]

Uchusen Vol. 182 (Autumn 2023) Kamen Rider Gaim 10th Anniversary Commemorative Book: Muso Interview with Series Producer and Designers (other pages and translations below)

Publication: October 2, 2023

Producer Takebe Naomi Interview

-Recruitment of Main Writer Urobuchi Gen-

"One of the major points of Kamen Rider Gaim, was the recruitment of Urobuchi Gen-san as the main writer, someone who's worked on video games and anime."

Takebe: That's right. Looking back, I'm amazed that he was able to do it. Currently, due to Urobuchi-san's schedule, I think it'd be difficult to have him on for a whole year, so I think it was a very important year for us.

"What were some of the characteristics of Urobuchi's scripts?"

Takebe: The dialogue was heavy, wasn't it? Each one was long and contained difficult expressions. Also, I remember saying something like, "New actors can't speak more than 3 lines" (laughs), but the choice of words in their dialogue was amazing, so I don't think it would've made a big difference even if they were made alittle shorter.

"Speaking of which, in an interview at the time, you said, "I’ve learned to write shorter lines after working on Kamen Rider Gaim" (laughs). We think it was also adventurous for you to treat dance as one of the important themes that make up the show."

Takebe: In the beginning, that was the initial setting by both Urobuchi-san, and Director (Ryuta) Tasaki, who was in charge of the pilot, and it made me think, "Wow, this is an area I'm not familiar with" (laughs). It wouldn't have been a problem if it was an anime, but as a live action show, the cast has to practice, and it's time consuming to film them dancing, so it was very difficult.

"Come to think of it, the flow of the story until the end of the show was already decided in the beginning."

Takebe: From the world of the kids on the dance team, to the adult world……the interactions with Takatora and the others, and then learning the truth from them, was all set up like chapters. When I met with Director Tasaki and Urobuchi-san for the second time, we had notes on the overall flow of the show, which was roughly divided into four parts. The final setting was established, and it ended up being almost unchanged, so it was a new experience for me because I hadn't worked in that way before. Usually, I think about what to do next while working on a show (laughs).

-Impact of the fruit armor-

"In contrast to the serious and hard hitting storyline depicted by Urobuchi-san, we think the catchy appeal of the fruit themed Kamen Rider characters were a key point of the show. The transformation sequence where the fruit falls from above, covers their heads, and transforms into their armor left a great impact."

Takebe: Since it's fruit, the colors are vibrant. The design is very interesting, and the characters stand out from the outside. I think the fruit were incorporated very well, including the gimmick of putting it on the head and having it expand into armor. However, you wouldn't know Baron is a banana if you weren't told, and Gaim is an orange, but we still tried to create a cool Rider image.

"We think that the tasteful styles of armor incorporating Japanese, Western and Chinese, also contributed greatly to expressing the individuality of the characters."

Takebe: That was a last minute differentiation. If you change the armor with a form change, you lose the identity of the character, or rather, the more you change the armor, the more you'll lose track of what makes Gaim look like Gaim. That being the case, we decided to classify the armor, with Gaim being a Japanese style, Baron in a Western style, and Ryugen in a Chinese style. Also, we decided not to lend or borrow armor to anyone other than Gaim. It might be better to play with toys by using armor that can be used by alot of characters, but that would make it hard to tell who's who.

"It was also interesting that the Lockseed transformation item had a lock motif."

Takebe: As an item, I think we made the locks very cool and cute. It's just the right size, with a nice fit in the hand, and a slightly responsive weight. In fact, I'm glad to hear that the Lockseed toys sold well.

"What other Riders or items were particularly memorable to you?"

Takebe: The introduction of the adult team (new generation Riders) who transform with the Genesis Driver. It was nice to have a group of 4 Riders on the enemy side. The bow weapon (Sonic Arrow) was also cool, and the production of Kanada Osamu's team (episode 12), which appeared for the first time, was also good. Apparently the Genesis Driver sold well, which when you think about it, is amazing, considering it's the enemy's Belt.

-A wide range of casting oddities-

"As a multi Rider show, many characters appeared, so what did you pay special attention to when casting?"

Takebe: Rather than conducting a general audition like we usually do, we called on potential candidates, and narrowed our selections considerably. The dialogue written by Urobuchi-san is difficult, so we were thinking of someone with experience rather than a total newcomer. For one of the main actors, (Yuki) Kubota-san, he was a good choice. We had an interview with him, and I think it was more like casting, rather than an audition.

"So the cooperation between the new cast members, who played the main roles, and the supporting cast of skilled actors, helped to create the multi Rider story, huh?"

Takebe: I think that Producer Mochizuki's casting of Namioka Kazuki-san, Yoshida Metal-san, as well as other adults were well balanced. (Tsukui) Minami-san and (Aoki) Tsunenori-kun were also casted rather than auditioning, but I think the casting of the 4 new generation Riders really worked well together. It was abit of an adult world, in contrast to the childish world of the main characters. So, when I think about it now, it was interesting to see the wide range of ages, and the unique characters played by everyone, including the young cast members. Of course, that was created by Urobuchi-san, so I can only say that I'm very impressed with him.

"According to Suit Actor Takaiwa Seiji-san, Gaku Sano-san, who plays the leading role is, "The most mobile of all the leading Rider actors in history," and he showed off his pre transformation action moves, taking advantage of his physical strength."

Takebe: That's right. The Action Director, Ishigaki Hirofumi-san, incorporated alot of action. Gaim had many episodes by Director Kaneda (who came from an action background), so that may have been one of the highlights of Gaim.

"Overall, we think the casting was fascinating."

Takebe: I think Urobuchi-san also enjoyed that part. By working with real life actors, things will gradually change. Actually, I think that the character of Mitsuzane changed quite abit. Mitsuzane was played by Takasugi Mahiro-kun.

"At first, you had planned to have Mitsuzane leave the show with 3 months left. However, as he was writing the story, Urobuchi-san thought, "Isn't it wrong to have Mitsuzane disappear?," so he changed the direction of the story."

Takebe: It's similar to Isuzu Daichi of "Geats," where people like that are allowed to be in a world where everyone can be happy. So, I wasn't aware of it, and I don't think Takahashi Yuya (Geats's Director) has watched Gaim either, but I thought Gaim and Geats were similar. For example, with Gridon, we thought about, "Wanting to make a lock from a nut instead of a fruit," so we'd say, "Then let's also make a nut Rider," but Geats also has small buckles including hammers, don't they? It started with the idea of creating a buckle made of wood or stone, so we were thinking the same thing, just like Urobuchi-san had already done before (laughs). I thought of this when I was rereading books related to Gaim for this interview. I didn't remember much about it while I was working on Geats, but I thought it was following a similar path. It's also the same that he becomes a god in the end (laughs).

-Various developments due to multiple Riders-

"Overall, what was the most memorable episode of Gaim?"

Takebe: After the TV series ended, we did two V-Cinemas (Gaim Gaiden: Kamen Rider Zangetsu/Kamen Rider Baron and Gaim Gaiden: Kamen Rider Duke/Kamen Rider Knuckle). It was impressive. When I was working on "OOO", I was approached to produce a V-Cinema version of "W", but I turned it down because I thought at the time that a spin off of Ankh, for example, would never be possible. However, I decided to work on Gaim just in case there were people who were looking forward to it, and all of them turned out to be impressive works. One of my favorites among them is "Kamen Rider Knuckle." Of all the Gaiden stories, Knuckle is the only one that takes place after the conclusion of the TV series. It's a positive story that continues into the future, and it's still one of my favorites.

"We think the key to Gaim's success was that it had so many sub Rider characters and was so popular that side stories were made. As a result, 6 years after the main show ended, a spin off featuring Gridon and Bravo (Kamen Rider Gaiden: Kamen Rider Gridon vs. Kamen Rider Bravo) was distributed."

Takebe: During the second Gaiden, we were talking about whether to use Knuckle, Gridon, or Bravo, and we decided on Knuckle, but Metal-san commented something like, "Hmm~, I wasn't chosen." When I heard that, I was surprised to see that he was so eager to work with us (laughs). In that sense, I'm glad I was able to do something I had left undone.

"As a project unique to Gaim, the year before Gridon vs. Bravo, a stage play adaptation was also produced with Zangetsu as the lead role."

Takebe: That was made possible when Nitroplus told us that they wanted to turn it into a stage play, but I do agree that it's something that doesn't happen very often. The casting was done by Nelke Planning, and it was great to meet such charming cast members, such as Mashiko Atsuki-kun (Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger) and Goto Dai-kun (Kamen Rider Zi-O), who would later be cast in other productions. The screenplay and direction by Mori Nobuhiro-san was also very good, and the idea of retracing the story of Gaim in a setting where Takatora has lost his memory is very appropriate for reconstructing Gaim on stage. I think it was an extremely rare success story in that Kubota-kun's Zangetsu was able to successfully tell Gaim's story in a way that was truly unique and without the original cast.

-Looking back on Gaim-

"Looking back on it like this, it was a show that covered many different topics. There were also many collaborations with other works. There was a history of collaborations with Super Sentai (Ressha Sentai ToQger Vs. Kamen Rider Gaim Spring Vacation Combining Special), and even Kikaider appeared in the TV series (Episode 30: The Red and Blue Kikaider) in conjunction with the "Kikaider Reboot" film."

Takebe: There was also a film (Heisei Rider vs. Showa Rider: Kamen Rider Taisen feat. Super Sentai) where all the Kamen Riders gathered. That's when the number of Showa Riders (Kamen Rider Ichigo-Kamen Rider J) and Heisei's main Riders (Kamen Rider Kuuga-Kamen Rider Gaim) were the same (15). I think it was created as a result of hearing about it from the staff, and conveying it to Shinichiro Shirakura. Actors who have played Kamen Rider in the past, including Fujioka Hiroshi-san also appeared in the film….It was certainly a work that did alot of different things. We had a cooking showdown as a bonus video for the TV series, and since we had multiple Riders, we had a large cast, so we were able to do alot of different things. That's why I remember the event being so popular. As an artist, I think I appeared at the "Super Hero Festival (Kamen Rider x Super Sentai Live & Show)" 2 years in a row (2014-2015). Kobayashi Yutaka-kun and Shida Yumi-chan, who were active as idol artists, were good at talking, so the final stage was very lively. And then, Sano-kun cried through the whole thing. He was crying for the very first time, and we all said, "Eh? This is the first time?" (laughs). But, I felt that he had worked very hard for that whole year.

"We've reached the end. Now that 10 years have passed, we'd like you to look back on Kamen Rider Gaim and say a few words."

Takebe: It was great to work with Urobuchi-san and to be able to challenge myself in various ways, including with V-Cinema. The content was abit challenging and mature, but I think Rider is able to pull these things off well in a Rider like way. Of course, it's good to have a work where each episode is complete. However, I think it's good to have this kind of show once in a while. Personally, I like Taiga dramas, and I think it's something that can only be done in a production that lasts for a year. Looking back, it's been a long time since we've had multi Riders. Currently, it's not unusual to have a large number of Riders, but it was interesting to see the development that came from having a large number of Riders, and in that sense, I think Gaim has expanded the variety of the series. Urobuchi-san and Nitroplus also found it interesting to work on Kamen Rider for the first time, and I think it was a truly valuable and interesting show that'll never be replicated again.

Designers Tanaka Sojiro x Tsurumaki Takuya Interviews

"A year after the TV series ended, the spinoffs, "Gaim Gaiden: Kamen Rider Zangetsu/Kamen Rider Baron" and, "Gaim Gaiden: Kamen Rider Duke/Kamen Rider Knuckle," were released as V-Cinemas, featuring new forms of the main Kamen Rider's from each title and many new villain Riders, but basically, they're recolored existing suits to create clever variations."

Tsurumaki: Gaim was originally a multi Rider series, so you can change the color of the forms in an infinite number of combinations (laughs). However, the inner suit is tied to the identity of the person, or rather, to the one transforming, so when it comes to a new form, we did them according to Gaim's rules, that you can change the color of the armor to some extent, but not the base.

"Zangetsu's Watermelon Arms (Kamen Rider Zangetsu) is a successful way of turning Melon Arms into a Watermelon by just recoloring it."

Tsurumaki: I think it was quite the discovery to make them look like other fruits just by repainting them. For Zangetsu, we used a melon pattern and painted it with a watermelon pattern to give it a completely different appearance. Everyone has their own impression of the fruit, so we were able to successfully create it by working backwards from that impression. In that sense, I think it's more meaningful to recolor in Gaim than in other series. That's why, because it's that fruit, it's that color.

"What about Kamen Rider Idunn (Kamen Rider Zangetsu) and Baron's new form (Kamen Rider Baron), both using Ringo Arms?"

Tanaka: In the beginning, we thought of using an apple as a Lockseed because it was a "forbidden fruit," but we couldn't find the right time to use apples, so we decided to use it in the film (Kamen Rider Gaim: Great Soccer Battle! Golden Fruits Cup), and Kamen Rider Mars and Kamen Rider Kamuro finally used apples. However, Toei still wanted to use the apple in the form of a "forbidden fruit," so it was decided that the apple would once again appear in Gaiden.

"Kamen Rider Tyrant (Kamen Rider Baron) has a design that's unpleasant to look at."

Tsurumaki: That's true (laughs). We first used dragon fruit in the film (Kamen Rider x Kamen Rider Drive & Gaim: Movie War Full Throttle), but even before that, it was a fruit that we wanted to use. The shape is distinct and the colors are flashy. So I'm glad that we were able to use them in the film and also in Gaiden. They also released a figure of Duke's Dragon Energy Arms (laughs).

"The second wave of Gaiden was "Kamen Rider Duke" and "Kamen Rider Knuckle."

Tanaka: Duke is a new generation Rider who transforms with the Genesis Driver, right? However, Gaiden (Kamen Rider Duke) was a story that also depicts the past, so we thought there should be a previous version of Duke, so we designed Duke as a Rider who uses the same lemon Lockseed as Lemon Energy Arms and transforms with the Sengoku Driver.

"In "Kamen Rider Duke," the villain Kamen Rider Saver has a unique design."

Tanaka: Definitely, when I saw it, I thought that we made something amazing (laughs).

"Since it's called Blood Pomegranate Arms, the association of Pomegranate and Blood (Orange) makes it one of the most sinister in the series."

Tsurumaki: It gives off a dangerous image (laughs). As a slightly irregular villain, he does alot of things that go against Gaim's design rules.

"Also, in "Kamen Rider Knuckle," you designed Black Baron as a color change of Baron (Banana Arms) with the other being Knuckle Jimber Marron Arms."

Tsurumaki: Knuckle was originally going to be Walnut, right? How did he become Marron?

Tanaka: Wasn't it to group him up with other nuts?

"We think the fact that Knuckle's signature fist weapon as a chestnut burr also left an impact."

Tsurumaki: That's true. And, it has a two layered structure where the burrs peel off, and the gloves come out (laughs).

"After that, in 2019, "Stage Play: Kamen Rider Zangetsu Gaim Gaiden" was performed, and a new form of Zangetsu appeared."

Tsurumaki: It was designed by Tanaka-san, right?

Tanaka: That's right. Since I was the person who designed Zangetsu, I was asked by the leader of the Rider team at the time. It was decided that the Zangetsu would be powered up with Kachidoki Arms, so we rearranged Zangetsu as Kachidoki.

"The following year, Gaiden (Kamen Rider Gridon vs. Kamen Rider Bravo)" was revived as a miniseries, with Gridon and Bravo unexpectedly playing the main roles."

Tanaka: Come to think of it, Bravo (Durian Arms) was the first Rider designed by Tsurumaki, right?

Tsurumaki: The first Rider I worked on was Kamen Rider Sorcerer in the film "Kamen Rider Wizard in Magic Land," but I think Bravo might've been the first Rider I worked on as a regular TV character. I also worked on Knuckle and the Black Shadow Troopers in Gaim, so I think it was one of them.

"Bravo's King Dorian Arms is basically just a recolor, but the addition of the cape was a major one. By the way, the cape played an important role later in the series."

Tsurumaki: That's right. It's a cape that looks quite evil.

Tanaka: If you want to make something look evil, just add a cape (laughs).

Tsurumaki: An all purpose evil cape (laughs).

"What about Gridon's Lychee Arms?"

Tanaka: That was an issue.

Tsurumaki: Should we talk about it? (laughs).

Tanaka: I originally designed Gridon (Donguri Arms), so I'm very attached to it. The design of a Kamen Rider is completed after receiving opinions from different people, but for Gridon, I was able to quickly draw it from the beginning and get the OK immediately. I was so attached to it, that I even named my cat "Guri" after Gridon, and when I heard that Gridon would be the main character in the next new production, I suggested 2 rough patterns that I would've liked to have used. However, after that, a rough draft that Tsurumaki had drawn the day before the meeting was added, and that ended up being used (laughs).

Tsurumaki: At the time, I was on assignment at Bandai, and when I looked at the design proposal that Tanaka-san sent me the evening before the meeting, it looked like a samurai, or rather, Japanese styled, but didn't Gridon use a Western style? (laughs).

Tanaka: I intended to include a Western styled design, but it didn't work out (laughs).

Tsurumaki: So, I added one Western styled proposal and it was chosen…..(laughs).

Tanaka: Well, it was frustrating, but when I saw Tsurumaki's design later, I thought for sure that it would be chosen (laughs).

"We see (laughs). By the way, what are some of the design points of Lychee Arms?"

Tsurumaki: There were very few fruits left that we didn't already use. So, I thought that the only way to make this work was to take advantage of the base of Gridon's armor, and thought about what fruits I could apply to it, and by process of elimination, I settled on lychee. Also, since Gridon isn't that strong, I think I designed it based on how I could make him look strong while still retaining Gridon's armor.

"What about the other one that appeared, Kamen Rider Sylphi?"

Tsurumaki: When we first received the concept, we were told it'd be a female Rider, and that it'd be a good idea to use the fruit of the Helheim Forest as a way of presenting the Lockseed, which would probably be the final one of the series. So we decided to design a new Lockseed, not a recolor, and Bandai decided to commercialize it with a new mold. The design of the Rider itself is reminiscent of a witch who presides over Helheim.

"However, even after the show ended, you continued to design quite a few Riders."

Tsurumaki: That's true. It's not so unusual these days, but I think it was the first time I've drawn so many variations.

Tanaka: Rather, I think that Gaim was the catalyst for the spin offs that became the norm after the main show ends, and for the trend of designing many Rider variations.

Tsurumaki: In Gaim, the Rider transformation itself was the system that easily created variations, so I think that was a big deal too.

Tanaka: I think it was a good idea to create a format where the body and armor can be switched around.

Tsurumaki: It's like a puzzle (laughs).

"Finally, please look back at Gaim's design works and say a few words."

Tanaka: I've participated in a few Kamen Rider projects, but Gaim is the only one I worked on from start to finish, so I have particularly strong feelings for it. Gridon was initially intended to be a mass produced Rider, but when I saw the actual situation, I was glad to see that they made him into a proper character…..This is a story about Gridon, not Gaim (laughs).

Tsurumaki: Today was alot of fun looking back on Gaim after such a long time. Like the Lychee Arms stuff (laughs).

Tanaka: I still hold that in my heart (laughs).

[novelhater]

finished kaleidoscope of death volume one by xi zi xu

the translation leans toward barebones localization rather than preserving exact original meaning which i think is fine, although it's generally not my preference. there's exactly one footnote in the whole volume. as a result, there are a few things that are probably hard to understand if you lack the requisite context, which many english readers probably do. the most unfortunate of these is the discussion around ruan baijie's name which occurs in the first couple of pages and probably comes across as strange to anyone who doesn't get the joke. the fact that it happens so immediately makes me worry that it might be an impediment to getting into the rest of the novel. but then again, it's a fairly minor thing, all things considered, so maybe not. oh well.

i don't exactly have encyclopedic knowledge of the original so i can't speak to accuracy, but the rest of the volume flows smoothly. there are a few distinctly english phrases and sayings that pop up here and there but they don't come off as strange or forced. the use of "all work and no play makes jack a dull boy" was particularly interesting since this has its own horror-specific connotations. even the "hooman," though i resent it in general as a colloquialism, fits the context.

as for the story, i've already read kod all the way through and loved it (though i, like many, have mixed feelings about the ending). it was a first for me in many regards and has a special place in my heart as a result. in particular, it was the first infinite flow novel i ever read. and i love ruan nanzhu/baijie.

(immediate caveat that the following is about the first volume only because my memory of the rest of the series is just not detailed enough orz)

i think it's tempting to judge ruan nanzhu's gender and the way it's treated in the text against contemporary online standards regarding trans expression and discussion, but i don't think that's entirely fair. for one thing these kinds of positive gender presentations are EXCEPTIONALLY rare in bl/yaoi/shounen ai. there is a whole backdrop of casually transphobic "okama" characters that appear behind ruan baijie in the timeline. these characters are often the butt of the joke, and when they aren't, they're almost universally relegated to side roles. on the other hand, ruan baijie/nanzhu is the leading love interest. lin qiushi's perspective adds a somewhat conservative filter - he conceptualizes ruan baijie as a crossdressing man and considers those who view her as a woman as unwittingly deceived - but the narrative runs subtly counter to this construction and lin qiushi subconsciously accepts the gender-swapping as normal fairly quickly. (i'm also uncertain how much of the grammatical gendering is an artifact of translation.)

ruan nanzhu makes it clear from the start that this is part of his identity rather than a deliberately constructed farce (it's his "hobby" i.e. something he enjoys doing for its own sake - he quite literally plays with gender presentation) and only secondarily brings up the fact that it has benefits. the gender-swapping as something akin to bigender identity is further reinforced throughout. for example, an exchange between ruan baijie and another girl is described (free of lin qiushi's perspective filter) as a "mutual exchange between women." and as lin qiushi notes - because he finds himself missing ruan baijie! - ruan baijie and ruan nanzhu behave as if they were very similar but distinct individuals. ruan nanzhu isn't merely putting on a disguise - he's becoming ruan baijie.

well, it's a fairly complex discussion, and ultimately i wouldn't describe ruan nanzhu/baijie as stellar "representation," but his/her existence as an object and agent of desire is honestly pretty unique and radical with the context of the genre and i really think it's wrong to dimiss it because it's not perfect. (my opinion on this is also strongly influenced by the story's conclusion, but more on that amother distant day in the future...)

in regards to the horror elements, i don't find kod very scary, but i'm also aware that my horror threshold is pretty high compared to most people. at the very least, the concepts are distinct and vivid. could the plot be improved from a structural and logical standpoint? yes, undoubtedly. but i've given up in irritation and disgust (and not the good kind) on nine out of ten of the contemporary horror novels i've tried to read in the last five years so i consider this to be batting a thousand. at the very least kod doesn't belabor the point and insist on explaining each and every minor spook, even when explanation only serves to draw attention to their faults.

*deep inhale and exhale as i let go a belly full of unrelated complaints*

[halfadoginatank]

Okay I know im a CoD blog BUT-

A stobin fic idea has absolutely demolished my brain, I think about it constantly. Its about robin and Steve (newly Stevie after a horrible confusing bathroom meltdown) deciding that they need to work through the trauma of starcourt. So what do they do? Well, they write songs. And they're no good at first. They dont flow well and they have no instrumental skills (because "no robin I swear you will never play trumpet over the lyrics depicting my trauma!").

Until robin just says screw it- she takes her dads old guitar and she doesn't know what to do so she just learns and it's awful. Slowly they find their sound. They have no drummer but Stevie is writing more and more and he blows saved money on a cheap bass. Until one day after a horrible PTSD attack caused when robin sees her old Russian notes she thinks Fuck it. She starts translating the parts that dont flow well into Russian and it comes together perfectly.

The hide-out is witness to two girls (robin knows Stevie can't really be herself here but its the thought that counts.) Who have an old electric guitar and a very shiny bass and the guy that runs it just says "don't make a mess" and thats how they start playing shows. They don't have a name they're just two traumatized teens who play decently and sing in English and scream in Russian because screw starcourt, they're taking it back.

They sound like pseudo punk, riot gurls before the two even knew about it.

One day Eddie and the boys come to book a time and the owner just says they're gonna play after another band and out of everything he thought he'd see, known band geek Robin Buckley and the Steve Harrington in a shitty punk band is not what he was imagining.

[nogacheloveka-blog]

The Bad Sanses somehow ended up in the Backrooms. №5

<-Switch to Russian ver.

next 6 prev 4

This is the translation of the another post from Russian to English. I understand English, but it is very difficult for me to write in English, so I asked chat GPT to help me. I have corrected some parts, but there still may be mistakes.

Wow, this is probably the longest and most productive time for me. I don't force myself to do any of this at all. The plot just comes to me, and I am filled with happiness as I embody it. But I think I will still slow down the pace and post the plot development a little less often, so as not to feel bad when I don't feel like drawing.

I'm trying to experiment with the glow of the eyes. It seems to me that it turned out very ok =)

Error got a little carried away with knitting. But it killed two birds with one stone: he no longer needs to constantly tie Cross and Dust with threads, the effect now works without his participation. Thanks to the generosity of the Destroyer, Dust now has a cozy corner of personal safety under his hood.

The Bad Guys found a sewing kit at Kitty's place, so they were able to mend their clothes a little and not look like tramps (well, more than they do now). There were also a lot of sweets and other food in the kitchen, which now fills the inventory of Horror, Cross, and Killer. They managed to find out the properties of some food:

Almond Water Restores 15 HP and sanity. *you can never have too much

Greasy Marshmallow Restores -25 HP. *sometimes there is too much *makes your skin smooth and elastic *follow the recommendations

Fortunately, the recommendations were found in the notebook with some details:

I once saw how one idiot ate 50 of them on a bet and turned into a pile of marshmallow and fat. A terrible sight. Smelled like at Willy Wonka's factory. But wow, this thing is almost like chocolate when melted. Sometimes I'm ready to kill for such a treat. Recommendations: - Melt the marshmallow. - Do not melt more than 30 at a time. - The interval between marshmallow intakes is 40 minutes. - Cook it with Almond Water. - Make sure you are safe during use - its smell attracts dangerous entities.

This food looks dangerous, but they are not in a situation to turn up their noses. And the note about chocolate excited at least half of them.

As soon as Error finished making a knitted doll for Kitty, they all left her house. As the notes said, she moved them back to the halls of IKEA. From there, they found an exit to some underground corridors resembling catacombs. The air there was humid, and condensation had formed in some places.

The local architecture resembled a labyrinth with orange wallpaper and a smelly carpet. The corridors twisted haphazardly, and there were many more doors and stairs than they expected. Some of the doors had signs. Most of them said "Service Rooms", "Storage Rooms", and they found various things in them: cleaning supplies (Dust took some of them without any explanation), mops, knives (Killer took a couple, he didn't need any explanation), rusty muskets, wet gunpowder, bundles of wires, dolls, coins of different countries and denominations, boxes of rotten canned food.

There were also "Room 402", "13", "10". These doors led to living rooms, as if from hotels and inns, but some abandoned ones, with broken and rotten furniture. Nothing interesting.

Finally, the corridors became wider, branched out, and there were rooms with several passages, communications ran along the walls, in which, judging by the sound, water was flowing somewhere. They were both warm and extremely hot.

Finally, in one of the corridors where they decided to stop, Killer found a balloon, which he carried around like something funny. Around the corner, he found another one and a bunch of scattered confetti. There was also a disturbing graffiti on the wall. But the Bad Guys were no longer surprised by anything, having traveled for about a week and a half through constantly changing space. They stopped for a break in this remarkable place.

However, those who decided to flip through the notebook, Dust and Cross, were a little scared, distracting Nightmare from his conversation with the Destroyer with a flash of negativity.

Party people Very dangerous. Do not touch the balloons, poppers, and confetti. RUN WITHOUT LOOKING BACK. Do not let them corner you, and if you see signs of their presence, pray that they don't find you. Smart creatures, constantly hacking our databases and editing texts (be careful with "=)"). Recommendations: - Correct/delete pages created/edited by Partygoers - Run if you see or hear one of them. - Inform others, especially operatives [illegible], about any observations of 'party rooms'. Prohibitions: - Follow the balloons, party sounds, and confetti. - Make tactile contact with the Partygoers

They tried to calm down by the fact that the author of the notebook clearly sometimes exaggerated by calling things "lethally dangerous " and Error said that most things in this place work on them "not as they should have ". But in the main moments, the former owner of the notes was right, wasn't he?

Despite this, the short break went quite normally, no one bothered them.

Nightmare belongs to Jokublog Killer belongs to RahafWabas Dust belongs to Ask-DustTale Horror belongs to Sour-Apple-Studios Error belongs to CrayonQueen Cross belongs to JakeiArtwork

[rikeijo]

Today's translation #662

Pash! 2017/3, Pash! arts history

2016/11 Artist: Kawamoto Mariko

The highlight of this art is 'Yuuri and the others in private setting, that you normally don't see'. When drawing arts for magazines, I always think of composition that you can look on, without getting bored, so in case of this one, my idea was that you can enjoy the art imagining why these three and Makkachin are positioned like this. I've drawn a lot of illustration so far, but this is my first 'all naked sitting in an onsen' art. When I was working on this art, the production of the show had just started, so I wasn't sure if that's the right way to draw it - I was groping around for the right way to draw them, and it taught me a lot.

2016/12 Artist: Hiramatsu Tadashi

It's one frame showing a training session. That Yurio let his guard down is because perhaps it's Yuuko who took this photo. I was working on this art around the time of episode 3., so it was the period when Yurio was very open with his hostility, but this art was to be used on the cover, so I drew him with a soft expression. The highlight of this illustration is Victor's disheveled hair, that flows against the laws of gravity.

2017/1 Artist: Chikaoka Sunao

This show has a lot of female fans, so it was difficult for me to draw an art that they would enjoy [it's a guy, if you haven't guessed]. I was careful not to make an art, where just Yuuri and Victor are enjoying themselves, but you feel bad for Yurio because he's having a bad time (laugh). The idea is that he's not a part of the conversation, but he's enjoying himself.

[Notes: This time, a series of short comments about official arts that appeared in Pash!

A little bit of very interesting YoI fandom history is included in them, imo - these comments are very Yurio-centric. Like with many other things, the context is key. Normally, you would think that well, maybe the artist just likes Yurio the most, who knows? (Or most likely, not even notice, although in the next portion, we will hear about how the artist wanted to make the interactions between Victor and Yurio appear full of love, and somehow, she didn't even mentioned Yuuri's name in her comment, so it's a rather strong '??'). While this is of course possible, there was reaaally a lot of dog-whistling going on during this time period... The overall 'Yurio > Yuuri' tendency made a portion of Jp fandom really hate Yurio and gave rise to such lovely nicknames for him as 'Yellowed Trash' or 'the Nipple'... ]

[karla-the-elemental-dreamer]

🪢 KH-OC Week 2024 🪢 - Day 7 Package 💙💜🧡🐲🐻

Admin note: Due to the absolute trouble my mind is putting me through, Day 7 will be a LONG read due to the multiple (but fun and interesting) processes I've had to go through to get the juices to flow. There will be multiple prompts and ideas addressed, because I will not be capitulating to these blockages 💪🏻 I am finishing @khoc-week strong whether my brain likes it or not XD

---

Unlike the other days that simply had their submission package, Day 7 will be split into two parts:

The actual submission package.

The official revelation of the surprise that was mentioned on Day 5.

---

And... OMG there is no prompt for Day 7!

Well, there is/was one pre-determined, but with poor Terra being tossed here, there and everywhere during the week, Dinh-Yu said to make Day 7 all about him [Terra]... With the centre of it being OC related of course. And looking back in a sense, the connections with Riku have actually already been touched on during various previous days.

So re. Terra and whichever OCs we intertwine, here goes:

---

SECTION 1A: Prompt / Eraqus

This is an extension of Dinh Yu's Day 7 prompt, and to let you guys in on the fact that someone (don't know who) called 'the cavalry'. The reason Master Eraqus is now considered powerful is because he has now passed on in my timeline, due to the assumption of KH3's ending.

Why do I also include this tidbit of exposure? There was apparently a Day 6 prompt called journal. The way my journal works? It's a magic journal. So not only can I write in it, but others can choose to direct their communication into it if they wish. All they have to do is feel in their heart/mind what they want to say to me, and the journal will magically transcribe their words into it, waiting for me to open it and read it, and even respond in kind. It's basically like Email, but through a book and a person's thoughts, instead of the PC and actively typing both ways.

They envision in their minds; their message writes itself into my book [A to B].

I write back in my book, it gets translated into a thought in that person/s head[B to A]:

~9:10 PM (AEST)

Master Eraqus: “Karla… I know you might be uncomfortable with me, and even if so, we may have never spoken before. I apologise for any preconceived notions I may have given to you through my previous actions to Terra, Aqua and Ventus. But if you can allow me to assist you. As you know from 2022 onwards, I have allowed and I even encourage Terra to walk by your side to atone for the immeasurable pain and suffering that I have caused him and his friends… I think they need you to finish what I started, even though you offer a different relationship, not so much their teacher in the realm of light. While Ven was being checked for bad energies [mind blockage/poison], I quickly had a word into the ear of your newest dream guide, Young Cricket, or as you otherwise call him, Dinh Yu. I have been let in on the fact that he is leading you for KH-OC Week, but not even he can seem to navigate you past this energetic block that seems to be tormenting you with regards to Terra. I have asked Dinh Yu to hand his spot over to me for just a short while, and I will guide you where you have always meant to go for Day 7… As Terra’s teacher and someone who now knows him well [after Xehanort]. Dinh-Yu will be back in the driver’s seat at the end to check your balances with you and sign you off.

So first of all, I see you’ve already put up a pre-commissioned artwork of Terra. Continue to discuss the meaning of that and why you got it done. When Terra was your strongest bridge, what is it that made the Land of Departure feel like home to you? Was it the land itself, or was it Terra’s stewardship? When you’re with Terra alone, how does he make you feel? I have come to understand that you didn’t want to wield a keyblade, but when Terra got involved, the very little keyblade knowledge you gained suddenly expanded greatly. Was it the love between you and Terra that made Riku capitulate from his initial arrogance and annoyance?

I come to hear that you’ve in-fact done numerous artworks of you and Terra in the last year. Share those as well. Not so much as descriptions, or you’ll leave them with a strenuous encyclopaedia. But just a gallery of your art if you will and a sentence or two about those works if you must.

I’m now looking at your Day 5 post in the data, and I see you’ve mentioned Neverland as a favorite spot that you liked to go to with Terra. Maybe now is the time to explain why if you wanted to. Again I don’t recommend you follow on all of my ideas if it makes your work unsuitably long, but I am simply cramming in all these ideas so that this severe energy blockage you seem to have undergone in the past few days can’t disable you anymore. I wish you the best of luck, and please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you need any further help.

And wait! Just one more thing before I go or at least take the passenger’s seat. Say you were out of all energy impairments. You can still address the official Day 7 prompt if you wanted to envision any future scenarios with Terra… But that one may be difficult in your current state. Good luck”.

---

SECTION 1B: Commission / Ventus

First of all, I want to re-show off this beautiful art that was drawn by 'Nexathila' within the last year. She does not have a Tumblr, but you can find her by going to this carrd: https://nexathila.carrd.co/

I knew I wanted an artwork with Terra at the time, but I'm not very good at being organised when asking for commissions 😅 So I thought fast and asked for a drawing at the Land of Departure as we did stargazing...

~9:55 PM (AEST):

Sierra: “She’s going to fail the test!”.

Selvian: “Eraqus has given her the prompts. She just now needs to do them”.

Dinh-Yu: “Ahhhhh”.

Selvian: “Relief huh?”.

Dinh-Yu: “Yes. Such a relief. Has she had that bad a blockage before?”.

Selvian: “They come and they go. But that’s the first one you’ve had to deal with. She’s had the doggie not let go of Riku before, and now it’s trying the same thing on Terra”.

Sierra: “Did Ventus get captured because he was trying to help Terra?”.

Selvian: “Yes, sadly”.

Krystal: “I’ve gotten Ven to help out!”.

Selvian: “You have?”.

Krystal: “He’s feeding her thoughts on the Land of Departure, and Cricket’s [Dinh-Yu's] transcribing them into a document and sending them to her journal”.

Selvian: “Thank the Lord in Heaven”.

~10:00 PM - 12:15 AM (AEST)

Ventus:

“The stargazing, she loved it so much. She tried to pretend she didn’t when Aqua and I were around. But when she was alone with Terra and we had a peak, it was something different. I find it amazing how Terra always got answers out of her that none of the other guardians would ever get. I think it’s because Terra never pushed, and not once did he ever betray her trust by spilling things to other people, at least not without asking her permission first.

So even though SHE thought she was rushing to choose something for a commission, I think she was meant to be shown stargazing with Terra there. I notice the artist put their keyblades in the background. She didn’t want or think she’d be getting them in the image to begin with, but then something spoke to her when they WERE included. She had just finished training with Terra, and that was always an also unique experience in itself. Karla seemed to feel this sense of obligation when training with other guardians, but Terra always slipped her into it in the most subtle ways, and he made it fun for her… Y’know, that feeling of having a job but never working a day in your life.

I’m just getting this abstract thought. So I want to address it while I have it. Terra was originally meant as a distraction for Karla, at least that’s what he came for. We all didn’t know what was up when she asked for Riku in May 2020, and as someone who watched over Riku as it were, Terra had genuine concerns. But you know Terra, he’s not one to be mean to anyone, so he simply tried to divert Karla’s attention but she was one smart cookie. And then as Terra was trying to help Riku, he decided to help her too. Y’know? Starting out as one thing but then diverging into another? Terra wasn’t even Karla’s dream guide to begin with, but he just felt this sudden compassion and need to work her out, like there was more to her than meets the eye.

I guess Terra wedging himself into her life did work out as she needed him in late 2021. Like… As in because he made an effort to connect with her and know her, she knew he was the next best option to add to Riku. But I digress.

Back to keyblade training. Again, what Karla thought was a chore, Terra made it seamless for her. And the way he taught her, I’ve never seen him be so as accommodating to anyone as he was to her. Like his method was brute strength and hard hits, but he knew that he was the only one she’d train with, so Terra made it a point to control his power around her. And like Terra made it his business to watch and learn Aqua’s style so that he could teach that to Karla. With Aqua’s style but Karla’s own magic added, she became a powerhouse and even shocked Terra. But where Terra eventually got her is sometimes she’d spend too long manifesting a spiritual or cosmically powered spell to support her attack, and then Terra would smack her from behind and tell her she’s gotta take the rose-coloured glasses off when reality comes flying at her all of a sudden. I think that’s why her mind isolated her only to Riku these days… Because he’s more head on. So I think it’s about the need for her to find a middle ground and then she’ll be able to keep them both.

Let’s see now. I addressed the art and stargazing, which then led to keyblade training. Oh! I should tell you that Mahna Templestowe is not the first keyblade she manifested. Because like I said, she has universal manifestation and other psychic powers, so with it, the first keyblade she manifested was a clone of Terra’s and we were all shocked. But it just went to show how much Terra meant to her, and I remember a tear falling out of his eye when he saw that keyblade. I heard she got Mahna Templestowe later down the track when her keyblade use became more regular, and at the time, she was doing something with Riku or Terra in the realm of darkness. When she was put on her own to save one of them, rather than relying on them, that’s where she got her ‘personality’ so to speak.

Now I’ve been told that the master suggested talking about why she likes going to Neverland with Terra. I don’t really know the answer, as that’s between her and him. And… Cricket! Don’t peer into her dream journal! That’s an invasion of privacy! Well… I guess we’ve got answers now. So they would always sit on a rock and look out to the sea as Terra held her. They didn’t talk as much in Neverland; that was more just a tranquil moment together, or more recreation as it were. I think as she felt the Land of Departure was her base point, that’s where she’d find herself if she needed to have a really important conversation with Terra. Like she’d seek out his home and he’d give it to her in a sense. In summary, the she’d travel with Terra to all these BBS worlds and each one had a unique feel for a different activity, but the Land of Departure was at the heart of it all, and basically what she associates Terra with.

I’m really sad that Karla’s mind (energy levels) started to attack her in regards to Terra and tried to prevent her from finishing OC Week, but my teddy friend Krystal stayed with me in customs, and she actually managed to talk me out of the astral lock I was put into. So as Terra’s friend and someone who really loves Karla, I’m doing my part to save the day and I’ve been asked by Selvian and Cricket to contribute to her story ❤️"

Krystal running in with Ventus goes to show that the teddies have a mind of their own. Just like I didn't know Sibella wasn't right for Terra, I didn't know Krystal remained with Ventus. I assigned Krystal to Ventus at one point, but never heard from her since. Then when Selvian brought Ventus to 'customs' to try and help me with my severe mind blockages, Krystal came with him! So those two have had a good friendship. And now come to think of it... I have envisioned her doing things with Ventus in the LoD from time to time 🤔

---

I don't have a teddy version of Krystal drawn up (because obvs she surprised me). So here is a human model from January this year:

MISS KRYSTAL LEBAUCHEN (Ventus) - ISFP:

---

SECTION 1C: Art Gallery (KB)

^Official DG 'family photoshoot' done in 2023. Karla is between her KH dream guides here. Riku and Terra's expressions are portrayed so accurately here 😊

^Karla normally doesn't like early mornings, but at the Land of Departure, Terra makes it worthwhile if she's up for it.

^Terra being the gentleman as always. He accompanied Karla to a Christmas photoshoot at the end of 2023. They both have a copy of the photo in their homes.

---

~12:35 AM (AEST)

With sheer patience and shameless intervention from nearly the entirety of my team AND Kingdom Hearts, we beat the energy block even though it presented a Good Game! Thank you for playing lol. In the words of Master Eraqus himself. CHECKMATE.

---

SECTION 2: THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU

Now I did say back in Day 5 that I had a surprise for a certain someone, for putting his hand up and acting as my Jiminy for this event. Thank you for being so accommodating and allowing him to work his magic:

Now sadly, he'll have to bus Natasha and Erika back home, but I hope you had a great time learning about them and getting to know them, and at least they now have a foothold in Kingdom Hearts if they need to do any future field work there. And with that, Sierra and Erika have to go their own ways for now unless they decide to visit each other down the track, but nothing is planned yet.

Natasha and Erika will have their keyblades hung somewhere in Cricket's dojo until they decide to use them again.

---

Thank you to the mods of KH-OC Week itself; for making everyone feel welcome and putting on a successful event (it's still here in 2024 😶). I've loved seeing everyone else's works and where they come from. I think we all deserve to have an inheritance [individual timelines] in KH, hence why I link the user to the OC. Including how I bridge myself.

As much as I have hilariously complained because my mind has been pushing exhaustion on me (and didn't like Terra 🥲) , increasingly leading up to Day 7. Here are some of the benefits that I have received from KH-OC Week 2024, as opposed to if I didn't participate:

It has reminded me to check my lore and restabilise my bridge with Kingdom Hearts.

Terra probably would have remained at the depths of limbo without this event. My mind throwing a tantrum was a good thing IMO because now I know what steps to take to get him back FULLY. Even if it takes more than just a week. KH-OC Week (and Dinh-Yu's unique prompts and instruction) pushed me into awareness and progress. I honestly think Dinh-Yu knew Terra was in trouble beforehand; he's cluey like that.

I would have never discovered that someone wasn't suitable for Terra. We have now introduced someone that he'll have a much better relationship with.

Sierra got to spend time with her sister. And as Erika is an ESFJ, she actually forged connections with some of the Kingdom Hearts members.

We have evidence and a stern commitment from Riku that he isn't the grouch we met back in 2020. His loyalty to us is unwavering, and it even bleeds down to the bears. He is personally thanking Dinh-Yu for doing KH-OC Week with me.

Whenever OC Week happens, new lore just pops up out of nowhere, which is why the Days can change so suddenly from their initial plan.

Admin Edit: I just looked at my clock upon finishing and it says 1:23! The subliminal msg I got when looking at the clock was that despite all the mental battle, KH-OC Week has indeed finished on a positive and strong note.

And...

Thanks Universe XD 💖

[spicysix]

20 Questions for Writers

I was tagged by @missberrycake thank you lovely ♡

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

38!

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

115,027!!! that's so many words

3. What fandoms do you write for?

currently, only Stranger Things. before, i've written for a bunch of RPF - McFly, The Maine, One Direction. don't think i had ever written for a show/movie before

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

crush crush crush - steddie X reader

fuck-marry-kill - steve X reader

it feels like i'm going home - eddie X reader

now i'm ready to start - eddie X reader

love sneaked in with the smell of you - eddie X reader

i find it very funny that my top 5 (actually, my top 9!!!) it's all reader inserts. didn't think they'd be popular at Ao3 hah

5. Do you respond to comments?

i do!!! currently i have a lot of comments to answer to, because i've been a little away from fandom and specifically from writing since last year, and haven't found it in myself to answer them. but i will!!!!! someday

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

me and you (we can't lose) [eddie X reader] definetely. canon compliant. that's all needed to understand lmao but some of the drabbles for my Forever Halloween Challenge are also very angsty and gory

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

basically all my other fics have happy endings, so that's a hard thing to answer lol i think it's relative

8. Do you get hate on fics?

never did, thankfully!

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

i've only ever wrote one smut scene for going home and nothing else in english. in portuguese, i've had a series of three short smut fics that i never finished lol. it's not my thing and it's hard for me to do it because of the language barrier in english, i feel insecure about it. i just prefer writing pure fluff in general

10. Do you write crossovers?

never did, no, cause it's usually not something i like to read as well

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not that i know of

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

also not that i know of but that would be so nice if done with permission!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

also no. i think i'd have a bit of a hard time, but wouldn't be opposed to it

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

i'll say that nothing has ever got me as much as Steddie before. i've always been a reader insert girlie, besides the first fics that i've ever read (Jemi - joe jonas X demi lovato) fics, i'm pretty sure Steddie was the only characters ship that i've read and got completely obsessed over

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you will?

your sweater (up over your head) [stonathan]. this fic is very special to me and a personal challenge in many ways, and i'd love to finish it someday but i'm not sure i'll get back to writing ST, so it's a hard chance

16. What are your writing strengths?

i'd say dialogue! it flows very naturally to me

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

description. haaaate describing things, scenarios, clothes, faces, animals, whatever. i think i'm really mediocre if not entirely bad at it

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

if it's through someone's specific POV, i'm in favor of writing as the character understands it - so if they understand the language, keep it translated and just describe that it was in another language; but if they don't understand, then don't translate either. then you can either put it on a note or make the character who said it translate it. but also, if it's too big of a text, i think it can be annoying. so, mostly short phrases it's good

19. First fandom you wrote for?

McFly rpf reader insert

20. Favourite fic you've written?

ahhh that is such a hard question, i love all my fics so dearly. but i'm gonna go with going home because it's my first and only finished long chaptered fic, and all the research i did for it and everything else involved in writing it that made it a bit more special

Tagging (no pressure): @marvel-ous-m @hbyrde36 @stellarspecter @starryeyedjanai and anyone else who sees it and wants to join in!