#like I’ve tried to teach her some piano stuff and she was like no ill never figure that out

[platypusisnotonfire]

I NEED TO BRAG ON MY FRIEND HERE FOR A SECOND

Holy crap

Context for the video she has No prior musical experience, has never played any other instrument, and has never even touched a harmonica in her life.

Based on the text message timestamps she went from “my harmonica just arrived in the mail” to the following video in about 17 minutes:

8 billion standing ovations I am clapping and crying in the audience lets GO.

[millenniumfae]

Black Jack And Pinoko - Cute Headcanons

its canon that Black Jack goes abroad a lot, and is forced to eat out. but he grew up eating homely food like simple curry, chazuke, porridge, etc. and there’s only so much full-course dishes he can stomach before he begins to crave simple cuisine. once Pinoko learned to cook, she learned all of Black Jack’s favorite dishes and always tries to prioritize the meal on his preferences. Black Jack knows Pinoko doesn’t like some of the foods he does, so he never asks her to cook them - but sometimes she does, for his sake.

the original comic has Pinoko and Black Jack sleeping in the same room, while the 2004 anime has them in separate rooms. i like the idea of Pinoko having her own little girly bedroom - Black Jack’s old cottage isn’t huge, if there’s only three bedrooms, then surrendering one means less room for him to work, and one less room for patients to rest. but Black Jack loves his daughter and she deserves her own room.

the anime moves up the timeline and places the Black Jack serial during the early 2000′s. and Pinoko has a cute little pink flip phone, which definitely means Black Jack bought it for her, along with a data plan. he buys a lot of stuff for Pinoko, sometimes because she asks, and sometimes just because - her books, most of her toys, some of her clothes, her cute furniture and room dressage were all bought by Black Jack. he tends to wander into a shop and whimsically buy a toy she thinks she’ll like, or a book he thinks she’ll enjoy. for her clothing, on the other hand, he sets aside time to take Pinoko to a boutique or a mall and she’ll pick out stuff she wants.

and Black Jack is rich, no doubt. he puts aside a lot of his ridiculous funds into his secret revenge plot, or to buy islands to preserve the environment, but once Pinoko came into the picture, he’ll easily relinquish money on her. but he’s still a parent, so he won’t buy everything she asks for. no, Pinoko, you can’t have that giant chocolate teddy bear, that’s way too much sugar. no, we’re not taking first-class to London, business class is just fine. that floor-length cocktail dress isn’t gonna even fit you, Pinoko. if you want a fancy outfit, you gotta check out the kid’s section. 

he knows that Pinoko likes to emulate what she believes is a woman of 18 years, even if she doesn’t particularly enjoy it, or understand it. she wants to buy a bottle of Chanel no. 5, because that’s what adult businesswomen wear. but look, Pinoko, it’s making you sneeze. “you can afford it, can’t you?” that’s not the point, Pinoko. Black Jack doesn’t want to dissuade these coping methods of hers, exactly. he can see that it’s tough for her. if its not actively destructive, or dangerous, then what’s the harm? when he comes back from another job abroad, he hands Pinoko the traditional souvenir; this time, its a small bottle of a girly perfume intended for teenagers. Pinoko sniffs - smells like sweet flowers. Black Jack gets a hug for his trouble.

people who read the original comic tend to say that the animated adaptations don’t make Black Jack angry enough. true, there’s a lot of panels where Black Jack shouts his head off at every turn, but everybody’s emotions are exaggerated in the comic. in the animated adaptations, Black Jack loses his temper only on occasion. and rarely with Pinoko. he doesn’t get angry when she throws fits, he gets angry during surgeries when lives are on the line. because that’s worth getting riled up over. not tantrums.

its canon that Black Jack doesn’t want Pinoko to know about some of his surgeries. such as ones where he’s paid to alter animals for the owner’s own entertainment. Black Jack emphasizes that its animal abuse. Pinoko’s asleep right now, i don’t want her to see what i’ve been talked into doing. she can withstand the blood and gore of surgeries, she bounces back from being kidnapped or threatened, but ill protect her from the darker, twisted sides of mankind for as long as i can. she deserves better.

one of his favorite activities to do with Pinoko is to teach her. she struggles a lot with the formal school system - being 18-years-old in a child’s body - so she has to learn everything from Black Jack. he rarely has time to sit down and tutor her, but sometimes he can put aside time to do it, and its so important to him. helping her read and write, introducing her to science and literature, teaching the piano, correcting her math, it makes him feel like he loves someone. loves his daughter. 

Black Jack is canonically fluent in english, and knows some spanish, too. so he teaches Pinoko some, and her young mind picks them up quickly. they’d just be walking home from an op, and Black Jack’ll ask her something in english so she can practice. after just a couple of years, and the occasional time spent abroad in english/spanish-speaking countries, Pinoko can fluently speak english and spanish, just like Black Jack. many point out how talented she is, being trilingual at such a young age. Inside, Black Jack is glowing with pride.

Black Jack and Pinoko share a kinsmanship when it comes to bodily struggles. Pinoko’s body goes through the occasional high-risk complication due to her special circumstances. Black Jack’s scars ache on a regular basis, not to mention many of his organs being weak and delicate due to being blown apart and stitched back together. they take a lot of the same medications. sometimes, both of them end up having simultaneous abdominal pains, and spend the day resting on the couch - Pinoko curled up in Black Jack’s lap as they watch the latest Bob Ross.

they canonically live on a island, with their cottage a good fifteen minutes away from town (in Japan, that counts as quite a ways). its one of those islands that’s connected to the mainland by a ayre, meaning they can drive to the bigger city. their local town, meanwhile, is a port suburbia with no big department stores or skyscrapers, just streets of vendors and the occasional blocky office complex. Pinoko loves going to the nearest city, but she prefers living in a quieter place. Black Jack, meanwhile, would spend all his free time shut in his cottage if he could, but he knows Pinoko needs more socializing and he’ll accompany her.

Black Jack didn’t intend to be a father. but when Pinoko was abandoned right on the heels of her agonizing rehabilitation, he saw himself in the girl - how his parents had left him bandaged and aching, stuck in a wheelchair for the rest of his childhood. Black Jack had Dr. Honma to save him from darkness, and he’ll act the same towards Pinoko. 

he knows her favorite desserts, her preferred bath water temperature, how she likes to drink orange juice for lunch and apple juice for dinner, her current obsession with that particular american boyband, how she’s saving up money to buy a laptop like his (he’s still not sure if he should allow her that), or how she’s getting more and more interested in makeup and cosmetics (he’s definitely sure he’s not gonna allow that), how she hates using a kids toothbrush but loves her kiddie apron, how she struggles with literacy but grasps math surprisingly well, he knows her birthday, the sound of her footsteps, her entire medical record, her laughs, her cries, her shouts, her hopes and dreams.

like, edgy gorified medical dramas are ... nice and all, but the Black Jack series is best when the story is about being pure and good and thats the hill ill die on

[enbyleighlines]

Favorite Female Characters Meme

I was tagged by @pyropelove413

Rules: list ten of your favorite female characters from different fandoms, then tag ten people!

1. Terezi Pyrope from Homestuck

I have so much love for this dragon lawyer lady. I developed depression around the same time as she did, on the meteor, and her experience was a huge source of comfort for me. Plus, I just enjoy seeing a girl character who is shown as smart and confident and deeply flawed, but still a hero, rather than a villain or plucky love interest.

2. Midna from Legend of Zelda

I very much adore her for similar reasons. I just really like girls with shit-eating grins, fuzzy codes of ethics, and sharp tongues, I suppose. Plus, I love how Midna went from being chiefly concerned with her own kingdom, to being terribly emotionally attached to Zelda and Link. Midna is the embodiment of that meme: “You have befriended X. X will now die for you.”

3. Hiroko Katsuki from Yuri!!! On Ice

Hiroko wins the award for best anime mother, hands down. She is such a bright, cheerful woman, but my favorite thing about her is how strongly she supports her son. I also love that, when a decorated five gold medalist shows up at her inn, she immediately starts calling him by the cutesy nickname Vicchan. For her, it doesn’t matter that Viktor is the most famous male ice skater in the world. His name is Vicchan now.

4. Ange from Princess Principal

Also called “Princess” by everyone in the show, Ange is a spectacular character who has had it hard since day one. Born in poverty, and then inexplicably being mistaken for the true princess, Ange has to teach herself to read, write, play the piano, along with many, many other skills a royal is expected to have. At first it was just out of neccesity, but later Ange does it because she wants to fix the broken kingdom. Ange’s brilliance and work ethic are only half of her greatness, though. Ange is perpetually kinder and more compassionate than all the other characters, making her the heart as well as the brains of the group.

5. Pearl from Steven Universe

Deeply and hilariously flawed, I can emphasize a lot with Pearl. Her need to be in control, her pride, and her air of superiority are all traits that are generally demonized in female characters. But while Pearl is prone to doing some pretty bad stuff, she never stops being relatable or lovable. I always want the best for her, and I love watching her grow and learn to deal with her grief in healthier ways.

6. Sakura from Fire Emblem: Fates

I know it’s bad to pick favorites, but Sakura is my favorite of all of Corrin’s nine siblings. Not only is she a powerhouse after her class upgrade, she is a sweet, compassionate girl who struggles with social anxiety. It is always so rewarding to see her stepping out of her shell. Her support conversations are always a delight to read, and honestly, I hardly ever go into battle without her. (Also I paired her with Kaden, and her relationship to her daughter Selkie is absolutely too adorable.)

7. Rachel Amber from Life is Strange: Before the Storm

Honestly, I could put any female character from this game on this list. Kate, Max, Chloe, Steph, even Victoria... they are all precious to me. But Rachel is a special girl. She reminds me of a friend I used to have. Rachel is chaos incarnate, always restless, always striving for her best, always longing for adventure. There is something deeply human in Rachel’s insatiable need for something, anything, beyond the ordinary and familiar. She is the type of girl you can love from afar, but who will never belong to any one place or person, and so you have to appreciate every second she allows you entrance to her heart. I’m so excited to see where her story goes.

8. Valencia Maria Perez from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

I’ve definitely ranted about this lovely lady before, but I will happily do so again. Valencia is first portrayed as the mean girl, the Regina George of the show. She is cold and self-centered, humorless and deeply distrustful of other women. However, the show makes it impossible for the viewer to hate her — Valencia is just too sympathetic. You can’t help but feel for her, when Rebecca tries repeatedly (and eventually succeeds) to steal her boyfriend from her. Even after Rebecca repeatedly sabetages her life, Valencia keeps returning to Rebecca, and even helps Rebecca plan her wedding to her own ex-boyfriend.

9. Joan Watson from Elementary

I absolutely love this show for many, many reasons, and Joan is at least three of those. Like most Watson’s, she is meant to be the heart to Sherlock’s brains. And Joan is definitely that: she is shown doing charity work, especially with people who are homeless and/or suffering from mental illness and/or drug abuse. But just because Joan is a kind character doesn’t mean she isn’t smart. Her brilliance is second only to Sherlock’s, and that’s probably only due to the fact that he’s been a detective longer than her. Joan is wonderfully written, a character that you can always rely on to be the voice of reason. She is Sherlock’s most treasured person in the world for a reason.

10. Peggy Carter from the Marvel Universe

Peggy deserves more than she got. She really was the best written female character in any Marvel movie. Her tenacity, wit, and dedication to justice made her my favorite superhero, even though she didn’t even have any special powers. Even with her flaws, Peggy never stopped being lovable. She was the best thing to happen to the Marvel universe, and I will never stop being bitter over the Agent Carter tv series being cancelled.

Thank you Rez for tagging me! That was fun

I tag @kiwisoap @abstracttheworld @quillyfied @amateur-autist @zv3 @jeremytheblack @gamzeeshumanbonebulge @katolilly @glocktor @thingsandstuffbutmostlystuff

[dandelliongirl]

It’s May!

And I’ve been so sick.

So basically it started on the 16th of April when I went in to get a mole on my back looked at. I thought they were going to just examine it and we’d book a different time for the actual operation if it needed to be removed. Well, they said they’d remove it immediately and it wasn’t until the knife was on my back that the doctor cared to mention that I couldn’t move my back for 2 weeks until the stitches get removed. Well, I had a bunch of ballet rehearsals and a recital and my own students had their recitals so yay? Obviously I had also gone to the doctor’s office by bike and with a backpack so coming back was quite difficult. I managed to make my way to work for a few hours until the local anesthesia wore off and it started to hurt a lot. I cannot believe how people go through liposuctions or breast lifts and live to tell the tale.. I only had a tiny 5cm scar with a few stitches and it hurt so bad. I also didn’t want to take painkillers because I was afraid I would tear my scar open if I forgot about the pain. Anyway for the next four or so nights I had to sleep on my stomach and that wasn’t great.

I guess the stress from the mole removal combined with the lack of sleep made a flu flare up. I had a practical training for understanding and supporting motor development difficulties the next day and that was also interesting with an aching scar on my back. On Wednesday I started getting fever aches but had meetings and work to do so I relied on flu medication and kept going despite feeling miserable. Naturally that was a horrible idea since my flu kept getting worse and it dragged on for almost 2 weeks. On Sunday the 22nd I lost my voice completely after teaching my dance classes. I know I’ve “lost my voice” in the past but that just means you sound croggy and your throat hurts. This time literally nothing came out of my mouth even if I tried to scream. Naturally I had a job interview the next day and with gargling salt water, steam breathing with herbs and eating honey with a spoon I managed to cough out a few words for the interview. Probably won’t get the job though but at least I got interviewed out of a total of 80 applicants - which is amazing considering my age and experience. Regardless after that interview I had to go bring some printouts to a course that was starting and make sure everything was okay with them, and after that I cancelled everything for the rest of the week. I didn’t go to ballet on Monday but had to go on Tuesday because I’ve already missed 3 weeks of spring recital rehearsals. I had to cancel a meeting and office work from tuesday, another meeting from thursday and a substitute gig from thursday evening. I stayed in, drank insane amounts of ginger tea and laid on the sofa feeling miserable. On Wednesday me and mum went to visit grandmum in the hospital because she fell and fractured her spine.. Luckily she can walk and everything so no mobility was lost but she’s in a lot of pain and obviously the quality of physiotherapy isn’t great over there and she’s already old and has a hard time moving around so it isn’t looking too great.. If only she managed to keep moving despite the pain and didn’t get completely stuck in bed. I brought her some of my favourite books to keep her company while she recovers.. Poor grandmum ♥

I spent my birthday on Thursday the 26th silent and miserable but at least I had a friend come over to play ACNL with me for a bit. Needless to say other than that it was a pretty sad birthday..

On Friday I had my voice somewhat return but that only gave way for an insane cough and a near continuous nosebleed. My friend came over again to play ACNL and I had ballet in the evening. The entirety of Saturday was spent at our dance recital for the international day of dance. I went to buy groceries in the morning and then we rehearsed our staging and lights at 14:10, had a dress rehearsal at 15:00 and a show at 17:00. We had to stay until the end because we all got a rose and had to wait for that. We also satyed behind to take lots of pictures so it wasn’t until 8-ish at night that I was back home. And yup, the recital was bad because of my cough but I managed and had fun with my friends.

On Sunday my 7-9 year olds performed their Waltz of the Hours from Coppelia. I tried to save my voice in the mommy and me class before that and somehow managed to address the parents of my little ballerinas and wish everyone a happy summer. It all went surprisingly well though and one of my two groups is now on summer vacation. My other class performs next Sunday.

As my cough started getting better and there was less snot coming out of every orifice of my body the gums on top of my bottom right wisdom tooth got insanely inflamed and sore. It hurt all the way to my jaw bone and I couldn’t swallow or make any facial expressions. Even coughing hurt a lot and I had to constantly be on painkillers. Sunday through Tuesday was very painful but now it’s subsided into a dull ache that flares up when I eat or open my mouth. I just want to be healthy again and this experience has been really eye opening in regard to those with chronic pain or illnesses. I’m this miserable and weak from 3 weeks of stitches, a damn common cold and a tooth ache so my heart really goes out to those people who have to suffer day in and day out...

I woke up early on Monday to wash my toilet and vacuum the house because I’ve had to neglect everything during my sickness. then I went to get my stitches removed and I thought that would mean that I’m in the clear with my back but nope. Obviously now that the stitches are gone it’s at a high risk of ripping open and I still have to spend a couple of weeks not bending my back or lifting heavy stuff. I also need to apply a silicone cream on it for 90 days to help the scar so that it forms normally and doesn’t become a keloid scar since my body tends to do that. Anyway I spent the rest of Monday with my (pretty much only) university classmate and my friend who came to play ACNL with me and go shopping for May Day (Labor day) in the evening.

May 1st was spent celebrating. My tooth hurt real bad and the weather was cold and rainy so that we couldn’t go out for a picnic this year. I didn’t even wear my graduation cap or student overalls, which is kind of sad since it was my last labor day as a university student (unless I go back in for a PhD).. Anyway my ACNL friend and two other friends from high school came over, we made pizza and played Amiibo Festival. We also played some card games and finished off the evening with some awesome cards against humanity shenanigans. I had a lot of fun even though it didn’t really feel like May 1st because of the weather. Spring is super late this year.

Today I’ve written a job application (like I tend to do at least once a week..) and paid my rent. I’m trying to get back into playing the piano and I’m enjoying it a lot. I just feel like I need to revise a lot of my scales and chords because all my favourite songs tend to be in C major and I’ve pretty much forgotten everything else. I also have very little patience for learning new songs which sucks. I keep learning the start of a new song and then getting bored. I want a job so that I can afford a piano tutor or classes again... I want to get better. My guy’s little sister is an insanely talented singer and she plays the guitar really well and so I wish music could be an even bigger part in my life as well. I admire her a lot but at the same time it makes me sad knowing that I have no talent for such (or for anything else for that matter) and even if I did learn something cool I’d never want anyone to hear. It’s like I want recognition but I’m terrified of people knowing about me and this is a bad combination. Anyway for now I just want to play because it’s fun and it makes me feel accomplished.

I’m attending a website training for work tomorrow morning and going to the office after that. I’m a bit scared since it’s been a couple of weeks and I bet there’s a ton of stuff that’s been piling up. I just have to think about the money, especially now that I won’t get paid from my summer job until the end of June, and I need something to pay June’s rent with... Overall this is a pretty chill week and I’m happy about that. I need to make this a chill month since it’s practically my summer vacation.