#joe hisashi piano

[loverbot-9000]

Muse Playlist, Spinoff Edition!

Main: Temptation Stairway - METAROOM

Silly: icosa - Oliver Buckland

Determination: Undyne - Toby Fox

Battle: Unnecessary Tension - Toby Fox

Sad: That Funny Feeling - Bo Burnham

Relaxed: Merry-Go-Round of Life - Joe Hisashi

Contemplative: It's Raining Somewhere Else - Toby Fox

Happy: Hey Lover - The Daughters of Eve

Hard Work Montage: Holding Out For A Hero - Bonnie Tyler

Love Theme: I Hate Everyone but You - Elita

Breakup / Heartbreak: Kill Bill - SZA

Failure / Defeat: She's Playing Piano - Toby Fox

Final Battle: The Ballad of Jane Doe - Emily Rohm

Tagged by: yoinked from @13urningstars

Tagging: take it if you want it!

[donuts4evry1]

🎶❗️

"Ponyo Ponyo Ponyo is a fish child She came from the top of the cliff"

- "Gake no Ue no Ponyo" (Ponyo, Joe Hisashi but it's a cute piano cover by Sumi Shimamoto)

[chiderilas]

The song that will always and never fails to make me chill down. The tingling nostalgic sensation and the feeling when your lungs are filled with the whimsical air. The moment when you feel your blood surging through every single capillaries on your body and warm you from the inside, as if you’re standing on a forest of fireflies.

[jjuzoir]

Random Kageyama Tobio HCS

Word Count: 1851

Warnings: just... me being in love with a m*n other than masumi 😔 also! these are my headcanons as in,,, what i personally i think he’d be like ‼️ also me projecting my ideal man into him (as if he wasn’t it already 😋)

A/N: i... i love tobio so much it’s literally unreal... i couldn’t wait for a request (i’m still working on the remaining 4 too lolol) so take me projecting my love for tobio >:(

— Kageyama normally wears loose fitting clothes or athletic-style clothing. His favorite go to outfits tends to be a loose tee, some loose pants with an obnoxious Nike logo he swears are super cool but look like two garbage bags sewed together, and running shoes. Throw a hoodie in there for colder weather, even then he still manages to look good.

— He takes very good care of his hair, like freaky good care, because of Miwa. Once she enrolled in cosmetology school and she saw Kageyama use the same baby shampoo from when they were kids she freaked out (if she’d been any later he’d start using 3-in-1) and chewed his ear off about hair care. His hair is super shiny and there’s literally no freeze, he uses nice smelling shampoo and conditioner too. Ugh, I love him.

— He has a very sensitive nose but it gets clogged easily so he doesn’t notice much unless it miraculously unclogs itself and he’s complaining about everything.

— “Eh! Hinata, why’d you smell like a fucking axe bottle?!” “Why does no one say anything about Tsukishima smelling like strawberries?” “Yamaguchi smells like... milk.” “Hah?! Sugawara smells bad-?!”

— He says he’s a picky eater to appear cool but as long as you don’t say what’s in the food he’ll down it. He’ll say he doesn’t like carrots but if you give him a salad with carrots he might even say “it’s the best salad he’s ever had”.

— He’s a hot sleeper, and not in the “oh he’s sexy” type of way. I’m talking, he’ll sweat buckets if he sleeps with anything other than a flimsy white t-shirt and his underwear.

— Might be me projecting my love for bunny teeth but he has bunny teeth, his front teeth are a bit bigger than average (not to the point it’s super noticeable but it’s still something Miwa teased him about), his aunties probably squeezed his cheeks and called him “baby bunny” when he was younger.

— He doesn’t go to sleep later than 9PM, he thinks if he does it’ll ruin his schedule (which it will) and fuck up his body - he’s seen Miwa screw up hers after she pulled a bunch of all nighters in her third year in high school and has been afraid since.

— The type to forget people were coming over and come out of his room shirtless asking for his clean underwear.

— His sister forced him to let her cut and style his hair which led to many questionable hairstyles. Tsukishima is genuinely so grateful to Miwa, especially when she was first starting - he’s got some pictures of Tobio with the shortest most embarrassing bangs ever saved in his phone in a file for blackmail if the need for it ever presented itself.

— Likes pissing people off on purpose sometimes, during one of the training camps he probably walked into the bath with socks on and was made fun of but out of spite he just… never took them off. Said he’d done it on purpose and all too. Tanaka cried out of fear for like a hot minute when he saw him standing under the shower with Iron Man socks on.

— He’s so petty too, if you make fun of him for messing up he’ll remember until you embarrass yourself to make fun of you. And when I say he remembers, I mean it - he can’t for his life remember when to use make and do in english but he remembers when Hinata made fun of him for wearing different socks back on their first year and yes he will bring it up on their second year when he did the same thing what are you going to do about it?

— Probably got scouted for a modeling agency once and began running away because he thought they were trying to kidnap him.

— If he had Tiktok… he would’ve gone viral after posting a video of him practicing, he posted for a while for fun and to flex on people that he was hot but then he saw a comment saying they wanted to drink his milk under a video of him drinking milk and he deleted his account, he can’t buy from that brand for a while.

— He’s got a video of a gorilla walking in two legs saved on his phone for when he’s feeling down and watches it whenever he’s not going well. People think he’s texting his S/O but no, he’s just watching a gorilla walk like minecraft Steve.

— He can’t pose for pictures to save his life, his default pose is an NPC stance with his arms stiffly hanging down and his eyes wide in surprise, don’t ask him to smile or else he will look like a serial killer.

— He’s got a bit of baby fat on his cheeks that won’t disappear no matter what. It’s become a pre-game ritual to pinch his cheeks. He’s also got dimples you can really only see when he smiles naturally but he doesn’t know and he’d get shy if he knew and try covering his face so don’t tell him, that’s a fact he told me so himself.

— Cannot dance to save his life. He’s so long (?) his limb control is non-existent, it appears in game and vanishes when he steps out of the court. He really just bounces on his heels and moves his arms like a t-rex, don’t ask more of him.

— Buys his clothes one size bigger just in case and Miwa teases him saying he’ll need them when he gets old and fat.

— Gets asked out often but always rejects, then has the audacity to complain he’s never dated anyone like he hasn’t turned down half of the school's population.

— Can’t sing. He’s got a nice speaking voice but ask him to sing and he’s out of tone, out of sync, out of breath, and out of the room in 5 seconds.

— Sugawara joked about having him singing as his alarm clock and Kageyama actually believed him, probably sent him a new recording as a gift after he annoyed him during practice.

— Surprisingly funny when he wants to but most jokes fly over people’s heads since he seems so serious most of the time, it annoys him to no end. Yachi still struggles differentiating when he is and isn’t joking because his tone literally doesn’t change at all and she doesn’t want to offend him.

— When he was younger he liked to collect rocks, not even the pretty ones he’d pick the most average, raggedy rocks off the ground and clean them up and tuck them to bed because he saw Miwa play with her barbies like that. Still owns his first rock, he named it “Johnson” after Dwayne Johnson, aka the rock (he’s had to explain it so many times he’s exhausted).

— Accidentally drank expired milk once and didn’t notice until his stomach began hurting and he thought he became lactose intolerant and he was inconsolable for days until he realized it had expired like a month ago - he went on a milk shopping spree and the milk sales that week saw a 20% rise from the last few months.

— Tobio had bad handwriting until he was in Junior High because his teachers couldn’t understand him and had him practice calligraphy, his handwriting is now one of the prettiest ones in the team and he’s the official inker of the VBC posters (as designated by Goddess Yachi Hitoka herself).

— His biggest fear for a long time was getting eaten by piranhas because he saw it happen so often in cartoon shows he genuinely thought it was going to be a bigger deal than it turned out to be but for like a solid 6 years of his life he avoided suspicions puddles just in case.

— Kageyama has a habit of rolling and unrolling his sleeves when he’s deep in thought, it soon made way to a habit of checking his wrist watch (he absolutely has a wrist watch, you cannot change my mind on that) but not actually reading it.

— His nails are very pretty, like most setters, he takes very good care of them. They’re filed down to a perfect length and he puts oils and creams, his hands in general are so nice. He takes a lot of pride in them, you know his cuticles are pushed back and trimmed and he could absolutely be a hand model. Kags’ hands are calloused, he’s a volleyball player of course they are, but it’s not to the extent of Ushijima or Daichi’s hands.

— Talking about hands, it’s probably one of his favorite features on people. He loves holding hands with his S/O and tracing the wrinkles in their palm, being able to interlock fingers with them and feel the bumps in them.

— Mumbles to himself when in thought too! Very nonsensical if you’re not informed on what he’s thinking about, if he’s thinking about you he’ll mumble your name or something like “pretty eyes”.

— Has a very healthy diet, like extremely healthy and thought out. He won’t eat anything too sugary or that could throw off his body, but he does have cheat days (which are rare but exist). He also doesn’t drink much soda or alcohol (once he’s of age).

— Things like smoking are a big no, he takes so much care of his body he wouldn’t even touch a cigarette or be near a smoking area, lowkey paranoid of ingesting the smoke too.

— When he’s older I can see him having a dog and a cat, the dog would be a big dog; if they stood on two paws it’d be the same height as you, he’d name or something like Tobias and think he was super clever and funny, the cat would probably a small cat he’d name Milk (it probably would be a black cat too but he does not care).

— Probably tried baby formula because he heard it was a substitute for breast milk. No further comments on this.

— I feel like he doesn’t listen to music, but if he had to choose something he’d pick instrumental music - not orchestral music or anything like that - but more of a chill, no deep meaning just guitar and piano track. I could see him listening to Shego Sekito or Joe Hisashi on occasion, he might even listen to some 2000’s pop if he wants something to pump him up during training (he works out to Brittney Spears’ “Womanizer”).

— A cuddle-bug when he’s sleepy, he’ll throw himself across his S/O and not move at all, he just wants to stay there and not move ever again (or at least until he’s not feeling like passing out). He’ll like to wrap himself around them and cuddle their neck, he’ll attach himself to their arm like it’s a lifeline.

— In other words, Kageyama Tobio… b-boyfriend material.

[divergentsucksass]

Piano

Joe Hisashi

Merry-Go-Round Of Life

[yo-samu]

21 questions tag

tagged by ; @masterninjacow

nickname ; fasya

zodiac ; sagittarius

height ; prob around 155 cm

hogwarts ; ravenclaw

the last thing i googled ; haikyuu manga

favorite musician ; joji & aesthetic boi & daniel caesar & exo & got7 & wanna one & joe hisashi

song(s) stuck in my head ; inferno by mrs.green apple & mr.brightside by the killers

following ; 8

followers ; 7

do you get asks ; nah

amount of sleep ; like prob 6-7 hrs

what are you wearing ; leggings & pj t-shirt & brown fluffy jacket & underwear

dream job ; architect

dream trip ; japan & korea

instruments ; saxophone & piano & guitar

languages ; english & indonesian & french (barely, even tho I took it for 3 years)

favorite songs (atm) ; kizuoato by centimillimental (the op for given) & fragile by tatsuro & fantasy by khai dreams & blood by kendrick lamar & are you bored yet by wallows ft. clairo

if you were an animal, what would you be ; prob a cat (I just wanna sleep and chill)

favorite food ; ngl, rn everything that isn’t school canteen food

random fact ; in real life I’m pretty emotionless but when I’m watching a movie/tv show or reading a book, I get emotional very easily

my aesthetic ; silver chains/jewelery & manga panels & slightly dirty air forces & black and white stickers & unmade white bed & messed up vans & sweatpants & film cameras & turtlenecks layered under everything & iced coffee & rain sounds

tagging ; anyone who wants to do it

#about me

[kuromikoneko]

tagged by @liho907lilo

Name: Miko (that’s all you get, if you get my real name, you’re special

Sign: Cusp of Aquarius/Pisces so both fit

Height: 5′5″

Hogwarts House: Ravenclaw

Last Google: Anti-nausea meds (I think?)

Song Stuck In Head: Whatever’s playing currently “tabiji (wakare)” from Mr. Dough and the Egg Princess (cause I adore Joe Hisashi’s music!)

Following: 267

Followers: 511 (haven’t weeded out the obvious sexbots in a while though)

Sleep per Night: I hope for 9hrs but usually get 7-6 I think

Lucky Number: I dunno

Dream Job: Oh my gosh, Vi, a cat sanctuary would be awesome! But nah, I’m pretty settled as a stage manager who sometimes gets to sound design and act!

Wearing: Joggers, dragon teeshirt, comfy hoodie, fuzzy socks

Favorite Song: Stealing Vi’s answer, idek anymore

Instruments: I can teach myself the right hand of piano songs my keyboard retains, but not much sticks... :(

Random Fact: I’m not just a stage manager but I adore singing and acting too! And I’m going to very shortly! Charlotte’s Web in November (Mr. Arable, Sheep, Carter (the reporter), President of the Fair) and Gilbert and Sullivan’s Gondoliers in February (Inez!)

Aesthetics: Vi and I are too similar “jeans, pop culture tees, all of ‘em baggy, super casual” but also like fall foliage, rivers, waterfalls, lakes, calming scenery basically.

tagging @musetotheworld @theitalianscrub @broadwaybaggins @themcwrathofsean @bauerfanstraten @sapphicteaparty and the last few in my notes: @lesbian-valerie @theblackandviolet @jbthegift @tallsoftlesbianmess

[writer-and-artist27]

Miyako-bachan

The theme for this thing is Egao to Kimi ni, or, when translated, “To the Smiling You,” by Suzuko Mimori. The original version for Washio Sumi is A Hero or the shorter piano version done by YouTuber Hiumann works just fine. Because it’s such a nice song, and I couldn’t resist. -///- Even with the Yuki Yuna franchise being flawed like all heck with the ableism present in its magical girl system, the music and voice acting is still great.

Anywho.

The other song I’m going to mention here is actually My Neighbor Totoro’s Path of the Wind by Joe Hisashi, since Lang and Os both apparently see it as Tomoko’s theme. I’m surprised I totally missed that, but it works with all the classical orchestra cues! Hehe. ^_^

Copyright stuff. I don’t own anyone except Tomoko. Kei and Miyako belongs to @langwrites​ and Otoha to @owlsofstarlight​.

And to Os? This is my first time writing nonverbal cues and the like for Otoha, so feel free to correct me on anything.

Canonically takes place after How to Kill a Slimy Snake Man.

“To-To, you feeling better?”

Kuroha-san again. I was lucky. I really was. I wanted to hug them so much, if not for the fact that we had just finished what could be the biggest Group Hug out of all Group Hugs, and it was all out of thoughts of killing a Resident Snake.

What had the world come to. What had it come to, indeed.

Leo and Josh would probably be proud. I think.

Hisako simply shrugged when I leveled a questioning mental stare in her direction. Ninja world isn’t the best world, dear. Just take what you can get.

…Fair enough.

I wiped at my eyes as much as I could, trying not to sniffle. Crying for the entire day was not on my agenda. “Y-Yeah, better. A bit shaken, but better. You?”

A soft and reassuring dinosaur roar was my answer.

A giggle left my lips. How cute. At this point, I couldn’t think of a time where I would get tired of hearing replies like that. It was better than the ninja silence, so woo! “Of course, Osie. Of course.”

I didn’t have to look up to know Otoha was beaming and Kei was smirking. “‘Osie,’ huh?” Kei said softly, the smirk already seeping into her voice. “That was fast. Though, Tomo?”

“Hm?”

“Don’t you think you’re forgetting something?”

I wiped at my face a bit more with my hands to get rid of any remaining tear trails before trying to keep a level frown in Kei’s direction, because the warm fuzzies had already gone somewhere. “Forgetting what? We just talked about our latest Conspiracy Plot of killing a Creepy Slimy Snake Man, Kei, what else is there for us to do?”

“It’s not really something for us, but more you, Tomo,” Kei said with a small shrug of her shoulders, pointing at the hanging clock behind her with a thumb. “The Snake Man was way too distracting.”

“Um,” I said instead to fill in the silence, and over Otoha’s confused mumbling, I glanced at the clock. The seconds-hand was moving as usual, so what was the problem—

Wait.

Hisako nearly fell out of her chair and onto the library floor. You have training today, don’t you, Tomoko-chan? And it’s…

“It’s…after…1…in the afternoon…” was the slow response leaving my lips, and the hot coals were already flooding my face as butterflies started emerging from unseen chrysali in my stomach. “OH GOD!”

MIYAKO’S GOING TO KILL US!

It didn’t take long for the adrenaline to start coming in, and wearing a skirt was definitely not in this afternoon’s schedule. My cheeks were burning, but I needed to change, like now. Combat skirts were not a thing in Narutoverse, and I was not going to start making it a thing! Even if it was tempting! Mama would kill me first, all for ruining good clothes. “K-Kei, why didn’t you say it sooner?!”

Her only response was a quiet and perplexed, “I meant to say it earlier?” Emphasized with a raised pointer finger.

“THAT DOESN’T HELP!”

“T-To-To?” Otoha yelped. I couldn’t blame them for the reaction, since I ended up jumping to my feet before running over to my closet, narrowly avoiding accidentally kicking them. It took all I had to not slam the door open, instead putting in the least amount of force my emotions could allow while glancing over every single drawer and hanger I had in the area, because skirts could not become a thing in kenjutsu practice. Practice that I forgot about entirely. Frig.   

Aaaand without even being a sensor or looking behind me, my gut already knew that Kuroha-san was totally caught off guard. Aaaaaah, I needed to be better about this shit. Scheduling and sleeping late was one thing for Vy, a new life should’ve meant improvement! But nooooo, emotions had to be something else. Gosh darn it.

I probably could have worded it nicer, but what left my mouth instead was a rushed, “Oh gosh, I’m so sorry, Kuroha-san, think you could look away with Kei while I change? I need to run over to meet Miyako-bachan for afternoon training with Hayate, and I still can’t believe I’m the doofus who got too emotional over an overpowered, useless snake and totally forgot about it in all that shit!” Because my closet was big and I still needed to find a good pair of sweatpants. I couldn’t even help letting out the loud and pitiful, “Baaaaah!”

Otoha’s only response was a yelp caught between a squeak and another dinosaur roar.

“And that’s why I meant to say it sooner if not for the Orochimaru issue…” Kei trailed off. Probably because I unintentionally let out a loud and mortified hiss. Cat-like, too. Aaaaah. Closet, closet, give me glass slippers and then I’d be off, so cooperate!

Tomoko-chan, breathe. Remember to breathe. Cinderella references aren’t going to help you calm down.

Aren’t you terrified too, Hisako? This is Miyako-bachan we’re talking about!

Who, last I checked, has never seen you late until now. And it’s only been… Hisako raised her left hand to count off fingers. Well, an hour, so it shouldn’t be too bad! First time’s for everything!

Welp.

Sure, the advice was nice, but bleh. The smile she was giving me didn’t help anything. It only made the butterflies in my stomach mutate into loud and angry vultures, hungry for my anxious entrails. I was lucky that Miyako-bachan wasn’t as hard on me like some other people, but still. Anxiety did not help anything.

Um, Hisako, it’s still an hour. And it’s MIYAKO-BACHAN.

…Point. Hope she won’t be angry?

In my haste, I ended up grabbing the nearest pair of pants I could find, being baggy blue shorts before pausing. Oooookay, this specific pair wasn’t in my best interest, considering the flecks of dirt covering the pockets from my last Gai-related training session, and considering my nearby…full laundry basket, um. So…

My gaze fell down to my bottom half, my hand tugging at the hem of my shirt. “Er, Kei? Silly question, but is Miyako-bachan okay with skirts? Because I forgot to do laundry.”

There was a pause as a hand made hard contact with a forehead behind me. It was obvious who it was. “Tomo, we have training gi. You could just go as you are right now.” She paused before adding, “Or I could just piggyback you back home?”

Uh. That was nice, but the stomach butterflies could beg to differ. Heavily. I did my best to swivel my head back to meet her questioning stare without rolling my eyes. “If not for the fact that I worry about throwing up over your shoulder, sure! Anyone have a magic cure for motion sickness?”

There was a soft crow caw as a response as a hand flapped in the air. Of course it was Otoha. “To-To, no. That’s not how chronic sickness works.”

“My point exactly, Kuroha-san. My point exactly.” I smoothed out my blouse, dusted off the back of my skirt, and glanced over my closet again before grabbing the nearest pair of clean exercise socks. Why, oh why, did I forget to do laundry today? Oh right. Snake man. Sucked ass. “Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate you two very much,” Kei and Otoha glanced at each other and shared a chuckle at that, “but I don’t want to get bile on you two! I set myself up for this, so I have to reap my mistake! Even if it means facing Miyako-bachan’s wrath!”

Maybe the fist pump was a bit much. Still, it was a good way of getting myself in the spirits to face the future, and once I grabbed a spare hair band for exercise, it was turning back and fully facing them. My best friends. There was one thing left. “So, uh. Well, you two can still follow me?”

Kei grinned widely before getting up from her seat cushion. “I still have to head back and look after Hayate, so that’s a given, Tomo.”

On the other hand, Kuroha-san blinked before letting out what sounded like a combo of her usual happy dinosaur trill and something more nervous. Huh? “I’m coming too!” The remark was said rather loudly too, so I couldn’t help but jump.

…What just happened? Hisako filled in for me.

Kei gave Otoha a confused glance. “Os? You okay?”

“Um. Yeah. Just fine!” Otoha gave us both a thumbs-up when it became obvious we were staring in her direction. It seemed alright, but Hisako’s quirked eyebrow was more than enough to express my concern. After the snake man, I had more than enough of an excuse to be fussy.

Staaaaaare.

“Uh.” Otoha waved their hands in the air vigorously, shaking their head all the while. “To-To, Kei-Kei, really, I’m fine. Promise!”

I closed my eyes, doing my best to not clench my jaw. Teasing and prodding wouldn’t get us anywhere, and the clock was ticking. Way too ominously. Gosh darn it. Miyako-bachan wouldn’t let me hear the end of it at this rate. “Well, the tables are turned now. But time is precious. Talk later, run now?”

Otoha nodded just as Kei snapped her fingers. “Yep. Still up for a piggyback, Tomo?”

Um. The answer was obvious. “Please, Kei. No.”

“It was an idea.”

“Again, no. Let me handle your mom’s anger, please?”

“You sure about this, Tomo?”

My hand was already resting on the doorknob when the question was posed. I took in a breath to steady myself. Running had become easier, considering I wasn’t sweating this time, buuuuuut. “...50% sure.”

Behind my right shoulder, Otoha interrupted with a quiet and vibrating, “Why 50%, To-To?”

Because she’s Izumi Curtis in a yukata and longer hair?

Instead of saying that, I blurted out a high-pitched squeak of, “Because Kei’s mom is a badass swordswoman and a wonderful teacher, but she’s still scary?”

Kei’s stare was already starting to burn holes into the back of my head. I couldn’t tell if it was worry or suspicion or both, considering how her stare was still unreadable sometimes. It almost felt like I could burst into flames alone from her stare. Aaaaah. “Tomo, I can handle Mom for you. You don’t have to worry.”

Sweet idea…buuuut.  

I turned back to shake my head, feeling the familiar heat flood my cheeks, this time of shame. “Kei, I’m an hour late. Even if I had emotional issues,” she gave me a raised eyebrow at this, but I continued, “that doesn’t change the fact that I’m late by more than an hour!” It took almost everything I had to not pace back and forth and keep my grip on the door handle. “I promised Miyako-bachan, and I missed it. I-I’m a bit scared, but I have to deal with it.”

Otoha and Kei’s stares in my head, from what I could see past my bangs anyways, spoke volumes of their disbelief. “To-To…” Another soft dinosaur trill graced my ears as soon as a hand reached over to squeeze my free left one, and I turned my head to meet Kuroha-san’s brown eyes. “It’s okay. Kei-Kei wouldn’t lie. We got your back.”

“Besides, Tomo,” Kei said softly, poking the back of my head with a finger, “Mom’s been fond of you for years. I don’t think she’s going to explode on you.”

“…I hope?”

Another poke to my head. Aaah. Kei was giving that same unimpressed look again. She wasn’t buying it. “Tomo. Just relax.”

I gulped, nodded, and turned back to the door. It didn’t take much to open it, but once the visage of a lavender yukata registered in the new space, I was already freezing.

She was standing right behind the door.

“Hello, Tomoko-chan,” Miyako-bachan said coolly, hands hidden away in her yukata sleeves. From what I could see of her face, she was completely stoic, giving away nothing as her gaze was level with mine. “I see Kei-chan is with you.”

Tomoko-chan, breathe. Breathe.

Of course my Nobody would notice that my lungs stopped taking in air first.

“Um,” I said instead, because a lump had surfaced in my throat and I could vaguely make out some shocked noises behind me that I knew wasn’t from Kei. Panic was already bubbling up in my gut like a volcano. Aaaaaaah. What was I supposed to say in the face of that? My mouth moved without thinking as I ducked my head.“Yeah. Um, Miyako-bachan, I’m sorry. I’m so, so, so sorry! I met up with Kei and another friend—”

“Tomoko-chan.”

“We were talking for a long while, andIkindagottooemotionalandlosttrackoftime, soI’msosososorry—”

“Tomoko-chan.” A hand landed on top of my head, stopping the ramble right in its tracks. I tried not to flinch, closing my mouth in time to look up. Miyako-bachan only smiled serenely. “I am not angry.”

“…Oh?” was the rather intelligent answer from me.

“Surprised, but not angry,” she added in the same quiet voice, brushing a stray strand of hair back before glancing past me. “From the situation, I am assuming you and Kei-chan have made a new friend in your unexpected absence?”

“Yep!” Kei answered for me, rather proudly too. She had wrapped an arm around the now apparently frozen Otoha in the time it took for me to ramble like a dolt. “This is Kuroki Otoha, Mom! Our friend, fellow ninja and bookworm. Otoha, Mom. Mom, Otoha!”

“A-Also known as Kuroha-san?” I added sheepishly. “To me, anyways…” My voice cracked again.

If Miyako-bachan was surprised, she didn’t give off the impression of it. Instead, she lifted her hand from my head to smile broadly in Otoha’s direction. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Otoha-kun. Would you like to come in?”

“A-Ah,” Kuroha-san said simply, jaw clenched before putting up what looked like a crooked smile and a shaky wave of her hand as acknowledgement. The vibrating nod was hard to miss, and from the looks of it, it seemed like Otoha had lost all sense of words. Her mouth was on the edge of saying something affirmative, but with the wind behind us, nothing came out of it.

I glanced at Kei in question, but she only shrugged and squeezed Kuroha-san’s shoulders all the while, almost as if to steady her. Kuroha-san was still staring in Miyako-bachan’s direction with wide eyes and that clenched jaw.

Meanwhile, Miyako-bachan glanced between the three of us with that same smile. She wasn’t fazed, I’m guessing? “How about the three of you come in? I can prepare tea and some snacks.” She turned back around with a dainty step into the Gekkō household, and paused. “Tomoko-chan, be sure to talk to Wataru about training gi, alright? We will start as soon as you are ready.”

Hisako let out a small sigh. Of course. …Yep, knew she wasn’t going to let us out of this.

I still couldn’t stop myself from smiling because Miyako-bachan wasn’t angry. Thank the gods. Or Buddha. Or whoever. Because good luck was good luck. “O-Okay!” Maybe it was the stress. Or the fading heat of my cheeks. Still. I don’t even know where the name came from before it was already coming out of my mouth. “Thank you, Miyako-shishō!”

I could already feel Kei and Otoha’s surprised stares boring into my back. Aaaaaah, what the fuck did I just say. Sure, Miyako-bachan was pretty, awesome, and really well-off for a woman in Konoha, and I just respect her, okay?! Aaaaah.

Miyako-bachan visibly paused her walking pace back in the house. “Shishō?” Without wasting a single second, she turned her head to face me again, long black ponytail brushing her neck all the while, a smaller smile on her face. “Tomoko-chan, you don’t have to call me shishō.”

Oh gosh. “B-But you teach me a lot of things, Miyako-bachan, so you’re shishō to me too!”

Miyako-bachan’s smile broadened. “Oh, Tomoko-chan, come in and take off your sandals already. You will catch a cold if you stand out in the wind all day.”

More embarrassed heat. Aaaaah. I was so cheesy. My feet were already sweating. “Okay! I-I’m coming!”

Kei simply chuckled softly behind me. Otoha was still silent.

“Strike-one! Block! Backstep! Tomoko-chan, you are faltering! Keep a steady breath!”

“Hah! Hah!” The snap of a shinai in the air. “R-Roger that, Miyako-shishō!”

“Block again!”

“Hah!”

“Backstep! Backstep! Backstep! Strike-two! I did not hear a snap of the shinai, Tomoko-chan! Swing harder!”

“H-Hai, Miyako-shishō!”

“You can do it, Tomo-nee!”

Otoha was still staring out towards Miyako with wide eyes as Kei drank some of her green tea. Tomo was doing fine based on chakra alone, even with her iffy endurance, so it was time to focus on the other person in the vicinity. Miyako could take care of Hayate. “Something the matter, Otoha?”

The enby startled before turning to her with a sheepish smile. She waved her hand in the air as discreetly as she could, shaking her head to the previous question. “Okay. Just really really really happy, Lang-Lang,” was the mouthed response, and Kei nodded. It was a nonverbal moment. Alright. “You have—” Otoha paused at this, glancing back at the training session still going on between Miyako and Tomoko for a moment.

A moment of silence, aside from the snapping of shinai, Hayate’s cheering, and Miyako’s barked instructions, passed between the two.

“Os?” Kei whispered.

Otoha turned back to her with a big, shaky grin, vibrating in place on her seat cushion. “You have a really awesome mom, Kei-Kei.”

Kei grinned back. “Mom is awesome. I’m glad you like her.”

Otoha nodded vigorously, opening her mouth again. “I-I wanna cry, just a bit,” they mouthed. “Could I come here more often?”

“No one is saying no, Otoha,” Kei replies, the grin already making her cheeks hurt from how big it was on her face. “It’s always nice to have company.”

Otoha’s shoulders tensed just as her smile broadened, nodding hard again. “Th-Thank you, Lang-Lang,” was the silent, mouthed reply. Accentuated with another wave of a hand in the air. “Thank you.”

“No problem, Otoha,” Kei turned back to the training session with that same smile, holding back a snicker at the latest event going on. “No problem.”

“Tomoko-chan, your stance is too loose! Tighten your muscles!”

“H-Hai, Miyako-shishō!”

“Strike again!”

“HAH!”

Even with the hard swipe of Tomoko’s shinai in the air, Kei didn’t miss the small and happy dinosaur trill nearby. It was peaceful. Just as it should be.  

[anazen333]

Answer 21, Tag 21

Tagged by the wonderful @a-lighthouse-a-man-a-city

2. Zodiac Sign: Leo (Greek), Horse (Chinese)

1. Nicknames: Ana, Princess Leia (back in the day when I had hair long enough to do her cinnamon roll buns for real)

3. Height: 5′5 and 3/4

4. Hogwarts: Hufflepuff

5. The Last Thing I googled: Star Wars summer outfit (anyone ever notice no one in Star Wars wears shorts?)

6. Favorite Musicians: Within Temptation, Imagine Dragons, Lindsey Sterling, anything written by Joe Hisashi

7. Song Stuck in My Head: Red Right Hand by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

8. Following Now: Depends on the site (I have a lot of art sites)

9. Followers: Same answer as before 

10. Do I Get Asks?:  Not recently T^T

11. Amount of sleep?: 8-9 hours

12. Lucky Number: 3 or 9

13. What I’m Wearing: My white Chinese flats with blue embroidery and ankle frog ties, dark forest green jeans, a white tank top with porcelain teapot pattern (delicate vintage florals), an electric blue cardigan/throw with matching lace decal down the back, and silver jewelry (dangling drop earrings, a white gold necklace depicting the Children of Leer from Ireland, a lotus and Ankh ring from the King Tut tour, and a ring that says ‘We’re All Mad Here’)

14. Dream Job: Writing YA novels full time

15. Dream Trip: A river cruise down the Nile in Egypt

16. Favorite Foods: Chocolate hazelnut anything, Chicago pizza, and Japanese Royal Milk tea

17. Instruments: Piano, voice (that so counts as an instrument - I had voice lessons)

18. Languages: English, Spanish, a little Japanese, working on Ancient Egyptian

19. Favorite Song: No Light, No Light by Florence + The Machine

20. Random Fact: I have petted a manatee in the wild (which is illegal, but I didn’t know that at the time!)

21. Aesthetic: Asian, Art Deco, and Art Nouveau inspired patterns and designs set on white backgrounds. English cottage decor with dark woods, butterflies/bees/dragonflies, roses, and skeleton keys. Vintage 1940-50s dresses paired with ballet flats in jewel tones or iced pastels.

(Sadly, I don’t have 21 people to tag, so I’m just going to skip that step ;P )

[thesunlounge]

Reviews 227: Kankyō Ongaku

In 2017, Light in the Attic initiated an ambitious project, one seeking to survey and contextualize the modern musical history of Japan. The first release in their so-called Japan Archival Series was Even a Tree Can Shed Tears: Japanese Folk & Rock 1969 -1975, an extensive celebration of Japan’s “New Music” scene. One of the artists that emerged from this era was Haruomi Hosono, whose discography the label visited during 2018 as part of their Haruomi Hosono Archival Series (which I covered extensively here), taking a slight detour from the more general overview of modern Japanese music to celebrate one of the world’s most enigmatic and creative sonic minds. And now, at the start of 2019, Light in the Attic’s Japan Archival Series resumes with the stunning Kankyō Ongaku: Japanese Ambient, Environmental, & New Age Music 1980 - 1990. 

An introductory essay by project mastermind Spencer Doran (and a complimentary Vinyl Factory interview) paint an incredible picture of unique moment in history, when the lines between pop art, science, corporate capitalism, and new age healing all seemed to blur together. Heady modern philosophies inspired by Eno, Satie, and ancient musical traditions such as Hosono’s “oceanic feeling” and “sightseeing music,” Satoshi Ashikawa’s notions of passive environmental ambiance, and Hiroshi Yoshimura’s modes of silent tranquility all came to life within a period of great economic prosperity and technological advancement, which afforded the myriad artists and sound designers new methods and experimental avenues to display their vibratory art. This was a time when corporations, exhibition curators, theater producers, fashion designers, and advertisers all sought out musical explorers, both popular and obscure, to create wonderfully experimental compositions in conversation with the environments that surrounded them….a time when you could walk through a museum or department store and hear deeply mystical or adventurously cosmic music spilling out into the air. As well, the essay traces how Japanese environmental music, or kankyō ongaku, adapted and expanded over time, specifically its folding in of new age textures and natural field recordings as people sought an escape from the frantic energies of modern life. 

Visually, the collection is adorned with gorgeous photography of the Fumihiko Maki-designed Iwasaki Art Museum, a location and architect that both play a large role in this musical story. And beyond the introductory essay, there are well-researched descriptions and bios by Spencer and Yosuke Kitazawa that provide context and history for each and every track, with contemporaneous photos, fliers, and album covers accompanying the words. Musically, the set comprises a completely immersive and beautifully sequenced experience, one that features glowing electric piano dreamscapes, minimalist organ psychedelics, aquatic synth experimentations, spiritual stone meditations, tropical fusion glides, kosmische sound baths, underwater ambient adventures, and so much else besides. In this way, the compilation is also positioned within a larger context…a sort of global movement of space music, new age, and ambient that Light in the Attic has been exploring via their I Am the Center and (The Microcosm) collections, with Kankyō Ongaku seeking to do for Japan what those releases did for America and Europe, respectively. 

Kankyō Ongaku: Japanese Ambient, Environmental, & New Age Music 1980 - 1990 (Light in the Attic, 2019) Though his life was tragically short, Satoshi Ashikawa looms large in the world of kankyō ongaku, not only for his compositions and philosophies, but also due to working at the influential Art Vivant book and record shop, a sort of cultural hub and early importer of avant garde, ambient, and minimalist music within Japan. His “Still Space” sees crystallized FM pianos moving through starlight note clusters and atonal chord bursts, with a backing of vaporous string swells. The sounds evoke leaves blowing in the wind and slow motion ripples on the surface of a pond and Satoshi is just as interested in silence, with chasms of empty space sitting between the patient, methodical, and meditative melodies. Yoshio Ojima’s “Glass Chattering” is taken from Une Collection Des Chainons: Music for Spiral, his 2xCD masterwork created for Wacoal’s Spiral building…another important architectural space within the environmental music scene designed by Fumihiko Maki. Underwater computer sequences sound like seafloor vents letting out streams of liquid glass while space flutes swim overhead. The dazzling electronics briefly recede, leaving synthetic woodwinds to intertwine and flow freely. And once the vibrant sequential patterns return, melancholic orchestrations are discernible within their movements, only obscured by watery percolations. Pale synth streaks drift on echowaves then fade away during a false ending, with the silence soon replaced by a looping vortex of polychromatic music boxes and shimmering chimes with gentle pads walking underneath…their spacious notes decaying through reverb caverns.

One of my favorite aspects of this compilation is how it goes out of its way to pay tribute to Hideki Matsutake, the un-official fourth member and sound programmer of Yellow Magic Orchestra and expert synthesizer technician who rarely gets his due. “Nemureru Yoru” was originally conceived as a novelty sleep aid and is presented here in its instrumental form. Wavering pads and whistling sequences generate playful vibes of childlike wonder before fading into a phaser-blasted drone expanse, wherein pillowy 808 kicks sit below synthetic approximations of traintrack clicks and dripping liquids. And as heatwave static mirages create psychedelic patterns that wrap around the body, dreamtime arps constructed from filtering feedback flutters lull the mind into relaxation. Then comes a track by Ayuo Takahashi, who spent his teens jamming with Ryuichi Sakamato and those lords of molten psychedelia Fushitsusha before embarking on an adventurous solo career marrying modern electronics and ancient and medieval musical traditions. “Nagareru” is intensely beautiful and starts with gentle piano arpeggios intertwining with waterfall solo cascades as shimmering bell strands and twinkling chime vibrations suffuse the background. String synths and kosmische organs swell with majestic orchestrations while Ayuo’s piano journeys into the clouds…all setting the stage for the introduction of Koharu Kisaragi, a radiant goddess whose cosmic angel voice soars through gaseous fx layers and star ocean expanses.

Of all the artists appearing here, Joe Hisashi has one of the most storied careers. He’s a musical polyglot, equally comfortable exploring anime and video game OSTs, classical music, and vocal pop. But for Kankyō Ongaku, we focus on Joe’s more obscure and psychedelic side with Wonder City Orchestra’s “Islander.” Owing to his early interests in American minimalism, “Islander” is deeply indebted to Terry Riley, with bubbly organ patterns moved over by ring modulated steel drum sequences and aquamarine pad swells. Rainforest drum panoramas work into the mix with rolling finger motions and sunshine rhythm energies while kosmische organ smears swirl like a galactic gas cloud. And best of all, psychoactive organ pulsations fly through time-lag accumulators, creating rapid motion dreamspells and hypnotizing crystal cascades. Yoshiaki’s Ochi “Ear Dreamin’” is another piece closely associated with Wacoal and the Spiral Building, though it was originally written as part of a stage performance entitled Natural Sonic from 1983. Layered mbiras, balafons, bell-tone shimmers, and lullaby chimes work together as whistling melodies fly through the sky…everything coming together for a polyrhythmic dance of idiophonic magic. Mermaid choirs float up from deep sea depths as wooden planks vibrate, metal tines oscillate, and bulbous gourds rattle and dazzling solo flights occasionally break-free from the Afro-minimalist dream weavings.

The liner notes cast Masashi Kitamura as somewhat of an outsider, one more involved with Japan’s prog, punk, and noise scenes than anything overlapping with kankyō ongaku. However, “Variation·III” from 1984, which was released with his band Phonogenix, fits nicely within this compilation’s larger sonic aesthetic, as triangle chimes ring out over waves of water and static. Bleary ambient tones drift in…as if funereal choirs and swells of synth and guitar ambiance have been submerged within a viscous gray fluid. Thunderous drum smacks sit loudly in the mix while mutating vibrato waves and currents of burning noise wash over the mind and at some point, bowed string instruments scream into the void. One of several Haruomi Hosono-produced tracks here is “Park” by Interior. Clicks and snaps background impressionistic smears of synth brass while drunken sequences dance through fragile melodies. Time flows in nonsensical ways and everything cycles according to a hazy dream logic as the track builds towards a climax of whip-crack drum fx and heavenly organs playing spring meadow hymns. The next track was produced by Sankai Juku dance troupe director and SCI Prophet-5 wizard Yoichiro Yoshikawa for a documentary series called The Miracle Planet (NHK, 1987). In “Nube,” galactic revolutions of aquatic synthesis surround massive bass waves and obscured male choirs that mutate through tremolo breaths. Thrilling filter ascents are immersed within sea-blue vortices and currents of black fog while elsewhere, feedback wisps and spiritual drone baths circle together.

Yoshio Suzuki has a rather impressive jazz background, having worked with titans such as Art Blakey and Sonny Rollins during the 70s before exploring softer sounds in the 80s via the use of synthesizers. Taken from Morning Picture, which was produced as part of series of ambient home listening releases by JVC, “Meet Me in the Sleep Meadow” finds hallucinatory synth pianos swimming through a thick haze, with all sorts of magical modulations added via tape warble and wow’n’flutter. And as Yoshio’s gentle Oberheim fantasias move above wispy swells, I’m reminded of the spaciousness and meditative wonder found in Satoshi Ashikawa’s work. Ryuichi Sakamoto needs no introduction and his “Dolphins” (from a dance piece by Molissa Fenley called Esperanto) is utterly beguiling, with aqueous swells of heaven bringing in reverb-smothered piano chords that seem to decay from infinite clifftops. Backwards flowing noise hazes and sea-form delay sprays sit above cut-up voices, skittering cyborg loops, staccato conversations, and droning machine breaths, all while Yas-Kaz’s improvised marimbas dance on sunbeams. One of the most interesting pieces here comes from Toshi Tsuchitori, originally a jazz drummer who drifted towards archeological musicology and ancient instrumentation. His “Ishiura” is played on sanukaito stones and sees earthen energies flowing forth from vibrating volcanic rocks. A tambourine rattles softly as Toshi creates vocal tremolo waves and overlapping resonances from stone, with his soft taps and violent bursts sometimes evoking wind chimes, other times a gamelan ensemble.

Shiho Yabuki is yet another figure who started in the world of jazz and then opened up her sound via synthesizers and research into traditional musics. In “Tomoshibi,” which is part of an album dedicated to the 1200th anniversary of the Enryaku-ji monastery, gemstone feedback fluids waver through the void…as if hallucinatory streaks of sonic mesmerism are flowing forth from a string instrument made of pure crystal. Soft plucks generate massive rainbow wavefronts while celestial zithers cascade on echo-currents and as it progresses, the track evolves into a hypnotic dance of purifying feedback melodics and Laraaji-style deep sea new age. Toshifumi Hinata produced “Chaconne” with his brother Daisuke, who was a member of Interiror. The song comes from Toshifumi’s first album Sarah’s Crime and presages his breakthrough as a TV and film composer.  We begin with sirens calling out from an island of dreams…their voices flowing through pearlescent clouds of self-oscillating delay magic and constantly threatening to spill over into resonant feedback chaos. Cosmic harpsichord sequences dance through asteroid fields and melodious bass pads flow out from the center of the cosmos with lush symphonic movements and shadowy dream transitions. Klaus Schulze-style key changes swim within a kosmische sound bath…the sequences and melodic fogs sweeping upwards through minor and major key ecstasies as pianos splash through tide pools of ether.

The adventurously far-out career of Yasuaki Shimizu intersected often with the world of kankyō ongaku, many examples of which were collected on 1987’s Music for Commercials. “Seiko 3” comes from this release and sees Yasuaki scoring a Seiko watch commercial alongside sound designer Seigen Ono. But this seemingly shallow corporate concept betrays the deep mysticism of the music, as starlight sequences and ever-flowing chime strands descend across universal expanses. Pulsing brass pads blare out and gentle submarine pings float through the ether while breathtaking polysynth movements swell in strength…the soul floating towards a cloud paradise of unimaginable color before it all cuts away. The krautrock and kosmische inspired synth fantasias and pastoral prog dreamscapes of Inoyama Land caught the attention of Haruomi Hosono in the early 80s, whole then produced and released their stunning Danzindan-Pojidon LP. “Apple Star” comes from that album and explores sunshine minimalism as played on alien sequencers. Filtering and morphing synths dance in each ear with hypnotizing patterns of futurist psychedelia while  Solina string orchestrions fly through ecstasy phasers. Hosono’s water tank delay system gives the whole track a sort of mystic sic-fi aura, as ancient earth materials are used for space age purposes. Sparkling chime strands work into the mix…these thrilling descents up and down the scale that weave fairytale polyrhythms and seascape panoramas, all while the ever pulsating keyboard patterns induce paradise trance states and interstellar string melodies swell the heart.

Like Satoshi Ashikawa, the influence of Hiroshi Yoshimura on kankyō ongaku is hard to overstate…an intrepid pioneer and cultural historian who wrote extensively about sound art and whose music found its way into “prefab model homes, train stations, public pavilions, cosmetic companies, and fashion shows,” in addition to traditional avenues of release. “Blink,” taken from Music for Nine Post Cards, is built around dreamy electric piano conversations that flow across the stereo field. Inspired by the view from Hiroshi’ss window, the music evokes cloud shadows moving over serene landscapes, hypnotic snowfall motions, grey waves crashing to shore, boats rocking gently in a paradise lagoon, the growth of grass, and the fluttering of butterfly wings. And ever so often, the hazy piano dream weavings are back by softly swelling strings and ambient orchestral gases. Cosmic prog and stoner psych legends Far East Family Band proved to be fertile breeding ground for new age music, with Kitaro, Fumio Miyashita, and Akira Ito all going on to have long careers of exploratory sonic healing. Fumio Miyashita’s “See the Light” appears here and begins within a world of soul-cleansing sonic mesmerism. Smeared out pads hover on the horizon and bass synths waltz though a forest clearing…the warm and enveloping notes moving through dew-soaked meadows while flowers open to the sunrise. As regal french horns stretch into a mystical haze, airs of Indian classical music start suffusing the harmonious drones…the track evolving into a sort of sunrise raga colored over by relaxing modulations.

As just mentioned, The Far East Family band also launched the career of new age nature healer Akira Ito, who spent a long and productive career exploring the theme of yasuragi (translated in the liner notes as “peace of mind”). “Praying for Mother / Earth Part 1” sees a Floydian space prog ceremonial hovering above a mystical river. Rick Wright-style synth brass meditations and luminescent black hole drones recall “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” while bell-tone sequences fade in and out of the galactic ether. Frogs, birds, and insects grow increasingly ecstatic while helicopter oscillations swarm within a dark sonic mist and moving towards the end, celestial pads and angel voices join together for enchanting songs of sadness. Perhaps my favorite piece here comes form Takashi Toyoda, something of a child prodigy with an incredible range as evidenced by his participation in both the New Japan Philharmonic and the Taj Mahal Travellers. In “Snow,” trance inducing minimalist patterns swim through an astral sea of dreams as flutey synth bubbles dance around dreamworld melodies of overwhelming beauty. Majestic key changes sweep the spirit away to cloud castle utopias where pure white snow falls onto the slopes of an eternal mountain....the whole thing strongly evoking Emerald Web. And the ethereal vibes of harmony are pushed over the edge by Takashi’s lonely violin fantasias while golden gloss drops of feedback descend onto the mix like shooting stars. It’s one of the most magically transportive tracks I’ve ever heard…the kind of music that could heal the world...with pure starshine flows of light and love immersing the soul.

Jazz fusion and synthesizer master Jun Fukamachi appears with “Breathing New Life,” which was originally produced to accompany a fashion show. Ritualistic drums move side to side as ceremonial metals swell. Space winds blow over bubble-synth sequences…these softly squelching dream patterns flowing beneath feedback streaks and joyous drum clatters. Marimba solos dance on tropical clouds and bring vibes of island balearica and solar fusion, while swelling choirs radiate shadow energies. And as golden glitter hazes rain over the mix, ethereal voices and epic atmospheres wrap the heart in hues of sky blue and sunset orange. The inclusion of “Loom” by Yellow Magic Orchestra is another tribute to Hideki Matsutake, as this is the only YMO song co-written by Hideki. Based around the Shepard-Risset glissando illusion, the track keeps the mind and body in a constant state of anxious anticipation as interlaced sine waves continually ascend. There is a powerful yearning for melodic alignment...some sort of heavenly convergence of harmony and sonic power and indeed such a moment eventually arrives as massive pipe-organ dronewaves fly forth and recall the score of 2001: A Space Odyssey. All the while, ping-pong balls made of electronic energy bounce through infinite hallways and as the towering organ chords recede, they leave behind a contemplative weaving of blurred synthesis, with springtide orchestrations reso-filtered into glowing phaserfluids.

Takashi Kokubo’s Get at the Wave has featured prominently on this blog, and shows up here in the form of “A Dream Sails Out to Sea - Scene 3.” Seafloor choirs diffuse through flowing ocean layers alongside aqueous pinging tones and cascading pianos. The strange asymmetrical floating motions of exotic sea-creatures are evoked by drunken tremolos and warbling delays and eventually, the pianos work into a swooning post-classical love song as long flowing chime strand intertwine with wondrous harp runs. Masahiro Sugaya’s “Umi No Sunatsubu,” like most of his recorded work, comes from a theater production by the group Pappa Tarahumara (called Zoo of the Sea). Plinking upright pianos are close mic’d, with multiple layers drifting over each other. The sounds are old and detuned with no fx or overt production tricks…just strange ivory mesmerisms moving untethered through space and time. Kankyō Ongaku ends perfectly, with an expansive polysynth solo meditation from Haruomi Hosono called “Original BGM”. Here he is…stripped free of the concepts, the ironic humors, the sort of mercurial distance he typically maintains…baring his heart and soul through warm fantasias of synthetic brass. Sometimes he dances through single note dream spells, the decaying tails wavering through balmy modulations. Other times, hovering chord clusters transitions into descending runs that seem to fall over themselves, with occasional flights into soaring resonant feedback. It’s ethereal, exploratory, and deeply entrancing…a relaxing and impressionistic rendering of the cycles of nature.

(images from my personal copy)

[bunnymajo]

Get to know you meme

Rules: tag ten followers you want to know better! Tagged by @hotwaterandmilk!

PUT YOUR ITUNES ON SHUFFLE. WHAT ARE THE FIRST 4 SONGS THAT POPPED UP?

“Substitute Jiji” - Kiki’s Delivery Service BGM (Joe Hisashi)

“Dokonjou de Yansu” - Dokonjou Gaeru (Ishikawa Susumu)

“Both Sides Now” - Love Actually Soundtrack (Joni Mitchell)

“Pretty Witchy Onpu-cchi” - Ojamajo Doremi # BGM (Keiichi Oku)

GRAB THE BOOK NEAREST YOU AND TURN TO PAGE 23. WHAT’S LINE 17?

It seemed the two of them were going to be working separately. At some point, Melville had disappeared. Was she acting solo?  

(Magical Girl Raising Project Restart pt. 2)

EVER HAD A POEM OR SONG WRITTEN ABOUT YOU? .My mom made up a song for me when I was a baby, but other than that, no. 

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU PLAYED AIR GUITAR? I don’t remember when, but I used to it a lot in high school, especially when I was learning how to play actual guitar.

I’ve graduated to air piano now, which I did like yesterday.

WHO IS YOUR CELEBRITY CRUSH? Mari Iijima 

WHAT’S A SOUND YOU HATE + SOUND YOU LOVE? Hate: telephone rings & metal scrapping sounds (knifes sharpening, opening canned goods, that sort of thing)

Love: nature sounds

DO YOU BELIEVE IN GHOSTS? I’m skeptical about it, but I like to think there’s an afterlife of some kind so, yeah.

HOW ABOUT ALIENS? Absolutely. 

DO YOU DRIVE? Yup. I drive more than I’d like to actually, but I like driving when I don’t have to deal with heavy traffic.

IF SO, HAVE YOU EVER CRASHED? People have hit me, but I’ve never been at fault.

WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? The last novel I finished was either “Chasing the Moon” by A Lee Martinez or “Magical Girl Raising Project Restart” pt. 1 by Asari Endou 

DO YOU LIKE THE SMELL OF GASOLINE? Um, no? That shit’s toxic.

But it doesn’t stop me from doing small car maintenance if I have to

WHAT WAS THE LAST MOVIE YOU SAW? Black Panther a few months ago.

DO YOU HAVE ANY OBSESSIONS RIGHT NOW? Magical Girl stuff in general right now, and watching the Dragon Ball series has been fun, but nothing I’m particularly wild about to be honest (or at least ‘wild’ by my standards anyway haha). I guess Magia Record, but keeping up with the daily challenges & characters just seems part of my routine now.

DO YOU TEND TO HOLD GRUDGES AGAINST PEOPLE WHO HAVE DONE YOU WRONG? I try not to, but yeah..

IN A RELATIONSHIP? Just friendship.

And now I tag: hmm @emizels @superamatista @poppun-chan & @vaniilluxe if they want too :’D 

[glebik]

[shibemuses-a]

Send me 🎼 and I’ll answer with an INSTRUMENTAL song that reminds me of your muse [accepting]

@origcmibird​  said:  🎼 bonus: instrumentals that AREN'T from the actual soundtrack 

;; challenge accepted.

1. Setting Out - Joe Hisashi

2. Decretum (Decision) - Yuki Kaijura

3. Confessio (Confession) - Yuki Kaijura

4. Kushinada’s Determination - Rei Kondoh

5. Woods of Mystery (Lost Woods) - Theopany

6. Senbonzakura (piano cover)

7. The Legend of Ashitaka - Joe Hisashi

8. The Sun Rises - Rei Kondoh

9. Korok Forest 

10. One Summer’s Day - Joe Hisashi

[hailqiqi]

Thank you @sparklingpidge for the tag!!  I love doing these because I’m a massive oversharer and I like seeing everyone else’s responses.

Rules: Answer these 92 statements and tag 20 people

THE LAST: 1. Drink: Red Bull.  Current. 2. Phone call: Friend who’s kid I looked after yesterday 3. Text message: Asked said friend when she’s coming to pick up her kid, cause mine was feeling sick. 4. Song you listened to: Kaze no Toorimichi, piano version by Joe Hisashi 5. Time you cried: I do not remember but it was probably in the last week just because I’m tired!

HAVE YOU: 6. Dated someone twice: Yep. Bad idea! 7. Kissed someone and regretted it: Actually, no. Though there are a few I think I should I just don’t. 8. Been cheated on: Yeah, I think so. Never got proof though. 9. Lost someone special: All the time.  The real ones are just far away though. 10. Been depressed: Majorly when I was around 22. Untreated ADHD will do that to you. 11. Gotten drunk and thrown up: Oh God, yes.  Several times. Not for years though, thankfully.

LIST 3 FAVORITE COLORS: 12-14: RED!  BRIGHT FUCKING RED BECAUSE IT’S AWESOME. I also like nice forest greens. And I dunno, like a tropical ocean blue? To be honest I don’t really think much outside of red.

IN THE LAST YEAR HAVE YOU: 15. Made new friends: Yes!  One really good one, too. 16. Fallen out of love: I’m married so I hope not XD 17. Laughed until you cried: Nah, I’ve never done that. 18. Found out someone was talking about you: Don’t think so?  I don’t care much about what people say though. 19. Met someone who changed you: Not yet. 20. Found out who your friends are: I’ve known who they are for a while. 21. Kissed someone on your Facebook list: Again, the whole married thing.

GENERAL: 22. How many of your Facebook friends do you know in real life: Almost everyone.  Which is a scary amount of people. 23. Do you have any pets: I have one clingy cat, who alternates between being terribly clingy and disappearing out the back.

24. Do you want to change your name: I need to get around to changing my surname, but the government wants money for that.  I’m happy with my first names as is, though I did have to get a new one a few years ago for language reasons. 25. What did you do for your last Birthday: Friend babysat, watched half of Captain America Civil War and had lacklustre sex.  Hmmm.  Next year should be better. 26. What time did you wake up: 4am and then I don’t know.  I think I slept for like an hour from 6-7.30 but who knows. Hence the Red Bull. 27. What were you doing at midnight last night: Sleeping. 28. Name something you can’t wait for: This batch of deadlines to be finished. 29. When was the last time you saw your mom: 3 years ago. 30. What is one thing you wish you could change in your life: I wish I had more money. 31. What are you listening right now: The music of the fan.  But the piano version of Inochi no Namae is going round my head. 32. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom: Yep! Several. Have a cousin named Tom and yet the first person I thought of was a guy in high school that my friend had a crush on. 33. Something that is getting on your nerves: HUSBAND STOP WAKING ME UP AT 4AM TO TALK HOUSEHOLD SHIT. IT’S MY SLEEPING TIME. I DON’T CARE IF I’M ALREADY AWAKE THAT DOESN’T MEAN I WANT TO SPEAK. 34. Most visited Website: Tumblr and Reddit.

LOST QUESTIONS. I JUST PUT IN RANDOM INFO ABOUT ME 35. Mole/s: One big one on the nape of my neck. 36. Mark/s: Small tea-stain birthmark on my stomach. 37. Childhood dream: To be a singer. 38. Haircolor: Honey brown 39. Long or short hair: Short, just above shoulders (hurry up and grow) 40. Do you have a crush on someone: Nope, not even a celebrity :( 41. What do you like about yourself: Umm.  I honestly can’t think of an answer for this one. Hmm. Guess I need to start taking better care of myself. 42. Piercings: Ears, but they’re probably half-closed up. 43. Bloodtype: A+ 44. Nickname: None. Nobody ever gives me nicknames. Give me a nickname! 45. Relationship status: Married 46. Zodiac: Capricorn/Aquarius (cusp) 47. Pronouns: she/her 48. Favorite TV Show: Voltron Legendary Defender, ATLA, not sure… don’t watch much TV anymore. 49. Tattoos: none 50. Right or left hand: right hand 51. Surgery: C-Section. 52. Hair dyed in different color: Nope 53. Sport: Yoga, but need to get back into it. 54. (question wasn’t here) 55. Vacation: I always have to visit family. I’d really like to do one of those ‘just laze on the beach at a resort’ vacations though. 56. Pair of trainers: Pink cheap things

MORE GENERAL: 57. Eating: Yes, I do eat. 58. Drinking: water mostly. Have some homemade lassi in the fridge. 59. I’m about to: write out another one of these tag memes and then actually get to work. 62. Want: moneyyyyyyyyyy. Being poor sucks. 63. Get married: Done that. 64. Career: Still want to be a vocalist.

WHICH IS BETTER 65. Hugs or kisses: Kisses, but hugs are awesome too. 66. Lips or eyes: Eyes 67. Shorter or taller: Depends? Are we talking about guys? Hubby is a giant so I suppose taller. 68. Older or younger: around my age. 70. Nice arms or nice stomach: Arms, though a nice stomach would be awesome. 71. Sensitive or loud: Either 72. Hook up or relationship: Relationship. 73. Troublemaker or hesitant: Troublemaker :D

HAVE YOU EVER: 74. Kissed a Stranger: Yep 75. Drank hard liquor: What are we, 12? I’m Australian. Yes. 76. Lost glasses/contact lenses: My glasses constantly go missing. I need new ones and I’m going to buy glitter sparkle rainbow frames this time. 77. Turned someone down: Yes 78. Sex on the first date: No 79. Broken someone’s heart: Yeah. 80. Had your heart broken: Yeah. 81. Been arrested: No! 82. Cried when someone died: Yes 83. Fallen for a friend: Yes, but it was unrequited all the way.

DO YOU BELIEVE IN: 84. Yourself: Yep 85. Miracles: Why not? 86. Love at first sight: Again, why not? 87. Santa Claus: You know, I’m 30, and I still kinda do… 88. Kiss on the first date: Sure.

OTHER: 90. Current best friend name: Kayyyyyyyyyyyla 91. Eyecolor: Brown 92. Favorite movie: No idea. I don’t really play favourites.

Tagging... @pidgepitchu @joeshmoe189 @thecaroliner @mindatworkk @kristallioness @materassassino @madamebomb @dupreerose @purpleplatypusbear21 @justpidgance @s-n-arly @fanwright and anybody else who wants to do it.

[writer-and-artist27]

Sharing Thoughts

I’m not exactly sure if this will be a chapter or not. I had the idea and considering ( @hylianhick ) Eli’s talks with me lately, along with @langwrites and @owlsofstarlight checking in on me, I felt like writing this. Hence, posting on Tumblr for now.

Someone should probably convince me to post this as an actual chapter to Seaside Sibling Train if this works out. Someone. Go ahead and convince me, please, because I feel too stoic to really make the case for myself right now.

Theme is really more of an introspective one, since I’ve been in a stoic mood from so much studying. Kyle Landry’s slow cover of Asian Dream from Joe Hisashi should suffice.

“Tomo-chan?”

Jackie-nee’s voice. Even with my eyes glancing over the various red marks on the newest paper on my pile of paperwork to look over, the dutiful response was already leaving my lips. “What is it, Nee?”

A pause, and then a soft scritch scratch followed, as if she was scratching her cheek. Then again, aside from the two of us in this office, there was no other sound than the folds of paper because paperwork. “Hm, just thinking. You said you knew ninja back at your home, right, sweetie?”

Jackie-nee was still speaking respectfully, but there was something about that last statement that had me raising my head and blinking. This was the first time she ever asked about home in such a direct manner. Most of the time, she never really questioned it, taking me in even as a little sister in this large Marine base.

Something’s up, Hisako said first.

I put my doubts away with all the other paperwork, made eye contact with my caretaker and said, “Um, yeah? Why, Nee?”

Instead of an immediate reply, Jackie-nee swiveled her head away to rub the back of her neck, the part that wasn’t covered by her blue bandana. “Curious,” she said finally, turning back to me with a wry smile. “From the sounds of it, your home seems to be divided into ninja and people like you, Tomo-chan.” Her smile turned more genuine. “Civilians, just like here in the New World.”

“Yeah…?”

Hisako frowned. What’s she getting at?

Jackie-nee’s stare turned into one of quiet questioning. “So, why didn’t you become a ninja then, Tomo-chan?” Mr. Hat atop her head accentuated a soft “WHY”, almost for extra emphasis.

Oh. To ask how you got here, and why you’re the way you are?

I didn’t even know if I had an answer to my Nobody’s question. But my caretaker? Who saw me cry? That was a different story.

“Why, Tomoko?”

Kei’s voice echoed in my head. My heart clenched. No wonder I felt on edge. This was reminding me of that first serious talk Kei and I ever had, and the reasons that separated us in lifestyles.

“Music isn’t going to solve every problem in the world, y’know.”

Hisako hugged me first. Even if it had been a few months, it was still months away from home. Away from the Cafe. Away from Mama, Papa, and Kei.

I missed them. So much. What were they doing now, without me? Did they even declare me dead because of the long absence?

My stomach churned. Outwardly, I took a breath and tried to put on a smile. My caretaker needed an answer. “Because ninja kill and see a lot of violence, Nee, and I didn’t want to be a part of that.”

Her brown eyes widened in my direction. The shock was palpable even from a meter away. “Sweetie?”

“I mean,” now the modesty was coming back, and my face was growing hot from shame, but I went on anyways. “I get that ninja can do a lot of things. Fight, defend themselves, maybe even save people.” Like how Canon Naruto did with the Land of Waves, with Zabuza and Haku. He changed everything. Kei? Kei was already changing things, just by being a part of Team Minato in Rin’s place.

That didn’t change the fact that I couldn’t stop feeling like Kei was hiding some things from me. It didn’t change the fact that I couldn’t hear about mission briefings because of my lifestyle, and how my help was only limited to so much.

“But, ninja back at home aren’t always seen as people, Jackie-nee. They get hurt, they go on mission after mission, they risk their lives and they can die really badly from all the risks, and, and Papa was a former ninja too. He sometimes has a dark face when I’m not looking.” It was easy to parse out sometimes. Even if I was a child physically, I wasn’t a child mentally. And Papa was like my old Dad in how he talked about things with Mama late at night.

Kei wasn’t the only one who got nightmares and couldn’t fall asleep sometimes. Even if it meant I heard some things I probably shouldn’t have.

“I guess…” my voice cracked a little. “I didn’t want to be a ninja because I wanted help out without killing? And, and…” I ducked my head once the staring was starting to burn holes into my soul. “I wanted to help make a place for the ninja to feel okay. Because I like helping people, like—” Like Kei, Hayate, Papa, Obito, Kakashi, Rin, all at home. “Like my family. And I can work around papers and play piano, so…” An unsure smile came up on my face as the paperwork piles nearby looked far more interesting than the cheese I was spouting right now. But I made this bed, so I had to lie in it. “I guess, I just wanted to be me first? Without losing myself in violence, and helping people my way.”

I was not expecting to hear the loud clatter of a chair being pushed back and footsteps. A yelp was already leaving my lips once arms were reaching under mine to pick me up from my seat at my “secretary desk”, and Jackie-nee was looking at me with… tears? What? “Oh, Tomo-chan, you sweetie…” A single second passed before she adjusted her hold, carry-hugging me tightly while walking back to her desk. “You are so precious.”

It was hard to really respond or refute her in any way once she sat back down to pull up another paper, still hugging me all the while. And yes. In a way, I was essentially left with nothing to do but to point out spelling errors in the papers in front of both of us while sitting in my caretaker’s lap.

I never did get around to asking her why she was curious. And why she didn’t let go of me for the next hour or two. It was hard to ask when she was holding me that tightly.