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tl-notes · 4 years ago

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Kobayashi’s Maid Dragon S2 Episode 3 Notes

Sparrows! Specifically the Eurasian tree sparrow, known in Japan as the suzume. You can just about see them all over Japan, all year long—but that doesn’t mean they aren’t a season word!

Depending on their depiction, they can be used as a season word for most times of the year, but a major one is “late spring,” as that’s when they’re out and about finding food for their baby birds. You can also see in the art they look a little floofy, indicative of the winter coat they haven’t fully shed yet; suzume in summer have a more sleek look. Here’s a shot of them from late summer last season:

And from closer to winter here↓. Quite fluffy.

As a quick refresher, 季語 kigo, or season words, are words/phrases/concepts used to give a sense of season to a haiku (or other poem/work of art), which is what part of what differentiates them from a senryuu. They were used pretty frequently in a lot of episodes last season, but a bit less so this time so far.

Where Lucoa and Ilulu are talking about a “right” here, the Japanese word is 資格 shikaku. While this usage is similar to “right” in English, the connotation is a little different as the word actually means more “qualification.”

Whereas a “right” is generally something you have innately in some sense (e.g. if you make art you automatically have copyright over it, you have human rights just for being human, etc.), a shikaku is something you earn (e.g. if you study and take a test for certification program and pass, you’re rewarded with a shikaku.)

Ilulu’s response to the question here is

そういうのは違う。小林がくれたあの言葉はなかったことにはできないから。

One way in which this differs from the English is that she’s not saying it would be right or wrong, but rather not the solution she’s looking for—because it would also mean undoing the words Kobayashi gave her, and that is something she doesn’t want to do, no matter what.

In contrast the English feels more like she thinks it would be wrong to do that, and even if she did it wouldn’t let her escape what Kobayashi said to her. (That would make more sense if Kobayashi had called her out on being evil, but that’s not really what went down.) An alternative wording might be something like:

“That wouldn’t solve anything. Besides, I don’t want to erase what Kobayashi gave me.”

This line is: 小林さんのようにはいかないなー

This is perhaps just my interpretation, but the English here sounds like Lucoa once convinced/helped Kobayashi in some fashion previously, is trying it again with Ilulu, but failing this time. (I don’t that’s ever happened though.)

In contrast, I think the Japanese is saying that Lucoa is trying to be like Kobayashi (e.g. when helping alleviate/solve Tohru’s various worries), and it’s not really working for her. I.e. “It’s not working like when Miss Kobayashi does it.”

Ilulu’s line about “I don’t want to ask Kobayashi about it because she’d probably solve it too easily" seems to support that reading; the dragons know Kobayashi as worries-solver.

The English here has Lucoa saying she’ll go talk to Kanna/Saikawa, and casually telling Ilulu to wait in the bathroom. But Lucoa doesn’t actually talk to the kids, and even if she was planning to, why would Ilulu waiting in the toilet do anything?

The answer is that Lucoa is actually telling Ilulu to talk (to an unspecified subject, assumed to be Saikawa, since she’s a human and thus someone Ilulu feels guilty about interacting with; Kanna she’s more fine with, as a dragon). And instead of “Go ahead and wait in the bathroom,” it’s more of a “Go wait in the bathroom and see what happens,” with the implication Lucoa is going to set something up.

And she does!

“I won’t lie about X, but Y is a different story.” This seems to imply she will still lie about Y? That seems a bit odd to me, especially when she just lied about X (those feelings) to Kanna/Saikawa minutes ago.

The Japanese says something a bit different though.

The core of the middle line here is 気持ちに嘘をつかない kimochi ni uso wo tsukanai. Because the に, the particle indicating “direction,” is attached unadorned to "feelings,” it is saying not “lying about X” but “lying to X.” This construction, to say one is lying to a feeling, is fairly common in Japanese media. It’s basically equivalent in English to lying to yourself about those feelings.

(for “lying about X” you’d change the に into a について or similar)

So basically she’s saying she won’t pretend, to herself at least, that she doesn’t want to play. But that’s a separate issue to whether she has, as she said before, the “right” to play after what she did.

You could maybe put it sort of like this:

“I won’t lie to myself about my feelings anymore. But that doesn’t mean I can act on them after what I did.”

I feel extremely silly even pointing this out, but the beam here is 尿意 nyoui, which is the urge to pee, not necessarily actually needing to pee. Hence why she seems to stop needing to as soon as she gets to the bathroom and walks straight back to the living room with Ilulu after they talk.

“Be deceived” here is not 騙される damasareru, lit. “be deceived,” but 騙し討ちにあう damashi-uchi ni au, which is like being hit by a sneak attack, being stabbed in the back, etc. In a fairly literal sense in this case too, as they’re talking about actual combat.

I mostly bring it up because it feels like there is not much difference between “being deceived” and “being tricked,” despite those being portrayed as polar opposites (deceived by hostile dragons, tricked by kind Kobayashi), so it might have been wise to differentiate them more in the translation.

E.g. perhaps “She had to change to avoid a knife in the back.” (though dragons don’t use knives, so maybe a claw?)

Another pretty minor point, but the “doesn’t know right from wrong” is 分別のない funbetsu no nai, where funbetsu means not so much “knowing right from wrong,” but a more encompassing sense of discretion and maturity.

I mostly bring this one up because it struck as me awkward to say Ilulu explicitly shouldn’t know right from wrong, since that would be going backward to her be okay destroying the city again. Instead it’s more that she shouldn’t need to feel weighed down by what’s “correct” or what she “should” do. One possible alt example:

“So go back to being a kid, and worry more about what you want to do than ought to do.”

(Lucoa also changes from a narrative tone to a more conversational tone at the end, in conjunction with the visual shift away from the flashback, so swapping the “she” to “you” might be appropriate.)

Note how Kanna shuffles the cards here. Depending on where you’re from, this may seem like an odd way of doing it (unless you watched Yugioh maybe). A lot of places with majority English speakers tend to use the overhand shuffle or riffle shuffle, but in Japan (and many other Asian countries) the most common shuffle is the one on display here, known as the Hindu shuffle.

~The More You Know~

The act of handing over a piece of candy like this has been used as imagery in other places in the show as well, though I’ll leave thinking about what it represents to you.

“Blanket” is futon, which is used to refer to both the “mattress” part and “blanket” part of a full futon, the traditional Japanese bedding (not the same thing as the sofa/couch mattress you might hear called a futon in some places).

I mostly mention because just “a blanket” kind of sounds like they’re going to leave them on the floor, but they’re actually going to get the equivalent of a guest mattress (+blanket) to put them to sleep in, as it’s late enough for this to turn into a sleepover.

Just as a bit of trivia, the word she uses for “onlooker” here is the same term as the “spectator faction.” In the manga Tohru interjects with “Aww, come on, why not Chaos faction instead?”

Also as a side note to this whole bit about Kobayashi wearing a maid outfit; recall this scene from early in season one, where Tohru found an outfit Kobayashi had bought and stuffed deep in a closet:

Relevant! Anyway, back to the actual episode now:

If you felt like this exchange felt a little disjointed, especially given Tohru’s tone of voice: the idea is that Lucoa is saying Tohru really goes to extremes when it comes to matters relating to Kobayashi, which is implying that it seems excessive to call so many people over for a relatively mild issue (not that she necessarily minds though). Tohru’s response is a slightly defensive “yeah I know, but thanks for coming over anyway.”

(They’re saying it in ways such that you have to read between the lines a bit though, so it may not come across as easily in a translation.)

The word for “cold” here is 水くさい mizu-kusai, basically meaning “watered down” (like beer etc.), and used frequently to refer to a person/actions/words that the speaker considers too reserved for the relationship they have with the other person.

So it’s similar to cold, but cold in the context of already warm relationship. If talking about a stranger or someone you don’t get along with normally, you shouldn’t use 水くさい; you can just say 冷たい tsumetai (lit. “cold”) or similar.

In this context you could probably have her say “No need to apologize, Kobayashi-san.”

Also I like how they swap around the honorifics (Miss, Lady, -san, -sama, etc.) based on the speaker (I think differentiating between dragons and native-Japanese-speaking humans?). I would say it works given the setting, but that’s just me.

The text there says “Money Street.” It’s probably obvious, but it’s based primarily on Monopoly, which is semi-popular in Japan (though not to the extent as say in the US).

Just some trivia, but the “sales pitch” for the game in the Japanese market is more that it’s an educational game that teaches investing and negotiation skills. (The origin of the game in general being an educational tool about exploitation of tenants by landlords, so not quite the same thing.)

Japan also has Momotarou Dentetsu (”Momotetsu”), which is a video game series that’s been around since the NES and is broadly similar to Monopoly rules-wise.

I just want to point out, amid all the riches, the bag of potato chips and other junk food in the back there.

Mini-trivia: the cardboard boxes in the background there seem to be a mix of the Amazon logo and the Seino Transportation logo, a Japanese shipping company with a kangaroo logo.

You probably noticed it without me pointing it out, but I enjoyed the fact Elma got corn starch* all around her mouth from the daifuku and then immediately got told to go play with the kids while the adults are talking.

*It may seem like powdered sugar if you’re used to donut holes, but daifuku, like most Japanese sweets (wagashi) generally, is not heavily sugared and not even particularly sweet by the standard of most “sweets” (which is part of the appeal for many). The skin of the daifuku is powdered with corn starch or similar simply to make it less sticky.

Kobayashi’s “do that” here is やろー yarou, which can mean “let’s do X” (which is a construction often used to tell/suggest someone to do something, without really including yourself in the “us”).

However in this case—especially given Kobayashi’s pronunciation and tone of voice—I think it’s actually a homophone of that, a form of 野郎 yarou, a word for “guy” with often negative connotations, like saying “son of a” or “asshole” etc.

The idea, I think, being that his immediate agreement of “Oooh, right I didn’t think about you wearing it,” comes with a heavy implication of “yeah you’re right, you couldn’t pull off something cute like that,” so she’s replying with a (mostly good-natured) “oh you fucker.”

This giant 完 kan means “the end,” used like “fin” at the end of a story or game etc. It’s also frequently used in “fake end” jokes. E.g. a show about a sentient zombie might start with the main character getting hit by a truck and dying immediately. The end! ...Except not, and they wake up as a zombie.

So here, the original goal was “make a maid outfit for Kobayashi to wear.” Then Georgie convinces Kobayashi that anything is a maid outfit as long as you are a maid at heart, so really, she’s already wearing one! The end! ...Except not.

Here’s some extra, probably needless, context on this “annoying”: it uses the word 面倒くさい mendokusai, which is basically used to describe something as annoying, a pain, etc. When used to describe a person like this, one of the ways it can be taken is specifically that the person is really fussy about details that others wouldn’t really care about—which describes Kobayashi about maids pretty well.

So just for clarity, it’s not necessarily “I became an annoying person who is a maid otaku,” and can be more of a “within the context of my maid otaku-ness I became annoying.” Just to kind of shed some light on the extent of her self-deprecation here.

The word Kobayashi uses for “helping with the housework” is 家事手伝い kaji-tetsudai, which is a noun* that means “a housework helper”... here, basically a more bland way for a native Japanese speaker to say maid.

Hence why Tohru reacts with “Oh, don’t call me that, call me a maid!”; Kobayashi went as far as to acknowledge her clothes as a maid outfit, but not quite as far as calling her maid outright. That’s our “annoying maid otaku” doing her thing.

*It can also be verbed.

These neighborhood notices, 回覧板 kairan-ban, ~lit. circular notice, are a method used by local governing organizations to distribute information or forms etc. For example, about an upcoming neighborhood event to pick up litter.

The general idea is that one person gets the notice, reads it, signs it, then goes and passes it to the next household in line. It saves paper versus sending everyone a thing in the mail, encourages interaction between neighbors, and is more likely to be read than a flyer/email, though some people consider them a pain and they generally feel a little dated.

The phrase for “piercing noise” is 劈く金切り音, tsunzaku kanakiri-on, ~lit. “ear-piercing sound of tearing metal.”*

“Was it that loud?” in the Japanese is a little different, そんな音してた?, meaning “was it making a sound like that?”

I’m mostly just bringing it up to say that the “Sasakibe’s cooking isn’t just loud, the sounds don’t even make sense” gag is alive and well this season.

*The “sound of tearing metal” phrase can also used idiomatically for some types of high pitched sounds, but I imagine it was chosen very deliberately here.

It’s probably obvious, but this is a reference to the music video of the OP for season one. You can see it on the official channel for the band, fhána, here.

The season two music video is here, and it seems to have decent English subtitles for the lyrics if you’re curious what they are.

The adjective here is ニヒル nihiru, an abbreviation of nihilistic. It can be used as actually “nihilistic” like in English, but it can also be used more colloquially to describe a person with dark vibes. It can almost be a compliment!

“Sleeping” here is 惰眠をむさぼる damin wo musaboru. Damin is not just sleep, but “worthless” sleep—not like a nap because you’re tired. Musaboru is a verb for ~gorging upon on something (often metaphorically, not just food).

The two words are somewhat frequently used together for, basically, lying around the house doing nothing all day. And not in a particularly flattering way, so it’s pretty funny for her to just be like “yeah I do that as a hobby I guess.”

It doesn’t mean the same thing, but it’d be like saying your hobby is loitering. Maybe could have translated as like “Hobbies? Vegetating.” or “Procrastinating?” or something, though I don’t know if those would have the right impact...

Kanna’s word for “idol” here is アイドル aidoru, i.e. idol in the pop culture sense.

Tohru’s word is 偶像 guuzou, or idol in the religious sense.

(Tohru swaps to the pop culture “idol” when she starts talking about Kobayashi though.)

Kanna’s “lost it” it here is 大変 taihen, a pretty common, almost generic word used as an intensifier (greatly, immensely, seriously, terribly, really, etc.) in both positive and negative ways. E.g. “thanks, you really saved me!” or “that was extremely rude.”

When used alone, like here, it usually implies something bad has happened, like something has befallen Tohru and/or she’s in some sort of trouble. Hence why Kobayashi immediately rushes home worried and bursts through the door like this—and loses her tension when she sees Tohru is fine, just... extreme(ly annoying to Kanna and Ilulu).

You could maybe say e.g. “Something’s wrong with Tohru!” to keep that double meaning open.

(”Lost it!” also makes sense for Kobayashi to be worried about, but the type of worry is somewhat different in that case; “oh god what is she going to do” vs. “oh god what happened to her.”)

The “lick” here is べろ bero, an onomatopoeia for licking that’s also used as slang for "tongue” (noun).

A bero chuu, as in the chorus here, is slang for a French kiss/deep kiss/tongue kiss.

~The More You Know~

The text here says “If your total assets are above one billion, proceed towards goal.”

Only billionaires can win...

Here is 私のものはカンナのもの, lit. “What’s mine is Kanna’s!”

This line is a reference to a catchphrase of the bully/antagonist in Doraemon, Gian: “What’s yours is mine, and what’s mine is mine.”

His line, and character, is so well known it’s spawned the term “Gianism” to represent that sort of self-centered philosophy: everything is rightfully mine to take, even if you think you lay some claim over it.

It’s interesting that the inversion of Gianism, i.e. “what’s mine is yours,” is the only way Kanna and Saikawa are able to overcome the rules, beat the billionaire, and win the game.

Solidarity forever.

#maidragon #Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid #kobayashi-san chi no maid dragon #translation notes #anime

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guessimjoiningthespidermanfandom · 4 years ago

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No One Lives Forever Not Even God

Peter Parker x bisexual!reader

Peter Parker x fem!reader

Peter Parker x black!reader

Peter Parker x villain!reader

Warnings: Language, Insomnia, mentions of antidepressants, mentions of drugs, drug use, mentions of addiction, mentions of nazis, parental neglect, mentions of the dead, cemeteries, mentions of meltdowns, corrupt government, mentions of cancer, low self esteem, self destructive behavior, medical testing, thoughts of murder, mentions of injury, and mentions of knives,

Word Count: 6.1k

Songs: Mother- Pink Floyd, He Can Only Hold Her- Amy Whinehouse, A Pearl- Mitski, Me and My Husband- Mitski, Saint Bernard- Lincon, Why Didn't You Stop Me?- Mistki, Nuestro Planeta- Kali Uchis, You Know I'm No Good-Amy Whinehouse, and Love Is a Losing Game- Amy Whinehouse.

"I’ve been in a very poetic mood lately. I think it’s funny how anything could be considered poetry and something you relate too. Like Twitter or any other social media and the ongoing gag of people feeling the need to announce the fact that they’re making moves in silence. But that’s what I’m doing, making moves in silence. If anyone is in my business now I’m politely asking you to remove yourself from it before I make you.”

A/N: I only did one proofread so sorry if there are typos and this is just more of an infodump to set up other chapters so enjoy ig. I almost gonna start another series a social media AU let me know if you'd want to be tagged in either of these series.

Series Masterlist Previous Part Next Part

Nightmares come while I’m asleep but, when I’m awake the nightmares of the day just come for me then, so really I’m just stuck. I would like to say the antidepressants are working, it's just the insomnia that comes with them isn't working for me. I’m honestly starting to think mood stabilizers would do me better.

Mother, do you think they'll drop the bomb?

I’m not sure I could blame this all on the pills though. I’d have to give some of the credit to the massive bombshell that a certain ex Avenger had dropped on me.

It's almost like every five seconds a new giant secret about my mom is unveiled to me. Like sure I saw from the video that she’d left me that she had associations with some bad people like Kingpin but nazis?

SHIELD had apparently collapsed because it was infiltrated by Hydra but it was prevalent while my mom was still alive. Seems like she had worked for or with everyone who was anyone. I’m just gonna give her the benefit of the doubt and assume she didn’t know because up until two weeks ago I didn’t either.

Her and Natasha had been recruited at the same time and worked together but for someone who claims to have been so close to her you’d think she’d know that she was dead. “She went off the grid and that was the last I heard from her,” is all she gave me with a smile that even I could tell was fake and I’d just met the woman.

You know when grown folks come up to you and expect you to remember them because they met you once while you were like in the womb that’s kinda my relationship with Natasha. She knows so much about me and I know absolutely nothing about her save for the fact she's a spy meaning she’d be a great liar.

She used to babysit me sometimes if I could trust what she says that is. Apparently I called her “Auntie Nat”. For some reason no one ever thought it was a good idea to inform me that I had a godmother. Maybe they did and I just forgot.

I thought they were supposed to take care of you when something happened to your parents. And the one who’s alive is about as useless as the other. It might be fun to have another person that was considered family. Just maybe not a spy at least I’d know she’d walk out of my life so I won’t get attached.

Mother, do you think they'll like the song?

“Hey mom,” I sighed sitting down in the light dusting in front of her tombstone. “I know it’s been a while and I’ve got a lot to catch you up on,”

It took a bit of digging before I found what I was looking for in my bag. I ran my fingers along the cold surface of the small jewelry box. There was puffy white glue holding the larger pieces together.

I placed the box in the grass sitting next to the tombstone. I removed a purple coiled bracelet and sat it next to the box.

I tucked my legs under my body admiring the piece of jewelry.

“I brought you a bracelet,” I spoke. “It’s kinda like a friendship bracelet cause I have the other. I don’t know if I should leave it here in case someone steals it,” I laughed. “You’d have to be a real shitty person to steal from a cemetery though,”

I curse so often I didn’t realize I did it until I had already done it.

“Ah sorry! Excuse my French,” I chuckled.

“I met Natasha Romanoff and she said she knew you. She said she knew me too. I don’t remember her though…” I trailed off.

For someone who claimed to have a lot to say I sure was at a loss for words. I just didn’t know how to get any of them out.

“Oh! You’re not gonna believe me if I tell you but I got to meet some of the Avengers. Most of them were new though. You’d know some of them. Like Captain America I wanted his help but he couldn’t provide it,”

I had a bit of an episode when I was told no one knew where Thor was. I think it was justified though.

How the fuck do you lose two Avengers let alone the ones that can’t possibly be hidden. One is green and huge and the other leaves lightning bolts everywhere they go.

Mother, do you think they'll try to break my balls?

“The other is Natasha but I don’t think I really knew that yet. She went by Black Widow. I’m sure you knew that though. You probably know a lot,”

I wonder how many secrets she never told me about. I mean I could only imagine all the secrets working for the government would let you in on. Like she probably knew about big stuff like the Tesseract and aliens maybe she could’ve known about that.

“Okay I have a question. I have a lot actually but I think if you answer them I’m gonna get up and run out of here,” I joked.

“Number one is my middle name Natalia because of your SHIELD buddy? Like it might just be a coincidence but it could also be a godmother typa situation or something,”

It was a running theory. She would’ve known my mom before I was born. And if what I was told is true they’d be pretty close too and Natasha translates back to Natalia and I know she’s Russian. It makes sense.

Ooh

Mother, should I build the wall?

“Uh… there’s this boy,”

When was there not? It seems like there was always someone in my life. Carmen in therapist mode said it’s because I put my self worth into my relationship status.

“He’s really nice. Like really really nice. Nicer than anybody I’ve ever been associated with. It’s just he’s like…” I didn't know how to put the next part into words. “He’s just too nice. Too nice for me at least. Like he’s such a good person and I’m just me,”

“And it’s I feel bad,” I sighed. I was getting myself too worked up over this. “Like I keep playing like a game of tug a war with him where I let him in and kick him out again it’s tiring. I don’t even do it on purpose. I feel like we could be something maybe. But I can’t let that happen. I won’t let that happen. It’s a self defense mechanism. At least I think.”

I do it with everyone. I shut them out before they can get it. The less people you let into your life the less people that can walk out.

It’s a bulletproof tactic. At least I used to think it was. Never realized people could get hurt including myself.

“I saw dad,” I informed myself? I guess I’m not sure how healthy it is to have a conversation with someone you know can’t respond and isn't listening. “Like two days ago actually I didn’t say anything I freaked out and ran away. It made me think though,”

Mother, should I run for president?

Made me think about how I’d done so well on my own. Well I’m not gonna take all the credit, most of it was Carmen keeping my ass in line. I haven’t talked to her in a while. I haven’t talked to anyone in a while.

”I found a small studio apartment in Queens. It was the cheapest one I could find. I’m just renting it like an Airbnb right now. I need to find a permanent place and a job,”

I couldn’t find a permanent place at my age unless I had full autonomy which leads me to my next topic.

“So I was thinking about getting emancipated which everything would’ve been a lot easier if you were here then we could just go to court for custody cause you’d win for sure.”

Mother, should I trust the government?

“I know you never got to know how corrupt SHIELD was but do they like keep tabs on everyone who does anything to them or related to them? Because like I did a little snooping and I know they had files for all the Avengers and other people like Kingpin.”

I knew I was going to have to do more than sit here and ask a dead person what to do but ranting to someone who couldn’t spill my secrets was a start.

“I was just wondering how deep it went or if they had hidden stuff on me,”

Mother, will they put me in the firing line?

It’s probably common knowledge that if you mess with the government they’ll mess back. I’d like to think they were like bees. You leave them alone they’ll leave you alone. Only stinging when provoked.

But every branch of the government is like a wasp. They don’t die if they sting and they’ll sting you for no reason at all. They just like to see people in pain.

And I’m sure the energy research branch of SHIELD would probably be more than interested in a walking fire bomb that can move things without touching them.

I mean I’m not going to stop poking things around until I figure out what’s wrong with me. So might as well not complain.

“So I don’t have many things figured out right now and the whole you and SHIELD thing only confused me more so if you could just like come tell me what to do just this once that’d be great,” I laughed.

At first I was contemplating if this was weird or not but hearing me say that I now know this is pathetic. It always has been.

Ooh

Is it just a waste of time?

But I didn’t know if I should keep searching. Maybe I should just pretend like I’d never gotten introduced to the world of powers or mutations at all. For all I know Peter, Carmen, Felicia, Wade and I are just normal people who do normal people stuff.

Sure I wanted answers but I didn’t want to end up like those people who spend their whole life searching for an answer they won’t find any and end up never living at all.

Like a quote my mom used to say all the time “The brave may not live forever but the cautious do not live at all,”

She really just used it so she didn’t have to listen to being put on bed rest but it obviously had a deeper meaning and she knew that.

I keep finding myself stuck on that phrase. That and the whole when the dust settles poem.

I’ve been in a very poetic mood lately. I think it’s funny how anything could be considered poetry and something you relate too.

Like Twitter or any other social media and the ongoing gag of people feeling the need to announce the fact that they’re making moves in silence.

But that’s what I’m doing, making moves in silence. If anyone is in my business now I’m politely asking you to remove yourself from it before I make you.

“Uh I don’t know if I should even tell you this cause you died before it was even a problem in the first place but…” I blew out a breath digging my feet deeper into the ground.

“I’ve been clean for like two weeks now. Which is actually a thing I’m pretty proud of right now.”

I’d stopped using everything except weed, nicotine because those weren’t drugs and even then I used it way less than before. Oh, and my antidepressants too but that’s obviously okay they’re prescribed.

I hated the word clean made me seem like an addict which I wasn’t. I’m many things but I wasn’t an addict. I just didn’t know of any other words to use.

I wasn’t an addict but I’d say the lines between recreational use and dependency were blurring just a bit. I had gotten it straight though. I’m good now. The antidepressants are helping.

Hush now baby, baby, don't you cry

“You have a superpower of just making people feel better immediately. I don’t know if it was the fact you were my mom or what but if you even just put a bandaid on a stab wound it’d probably stop hurting and disappear,”

I wasn’t even exaggerating there was this one time I got hurt at the zoo and she just kissed it and I forgot about the fact that I even fell.

I’m not sure how true that is though because I couldn’t actually recall the memory I was just told about it by my mom a few years after it happened. So I guess I remember not remembering then being reminded. Weird.

“I wanna see the giraffes!” Aaliyah cried, stomping her feet down on the concrete.

This was one of the only times mom didn’t have to work on the weekends and Liyah had to have her way like always.

“Mom!” I screamed “Tell her you said we could see the lions first,”

She just sighed. “Well since she’s the youngest do you think you could be nice and let her go first please?”

“Fine,” I huffed. I wasn’t doing it for Liyah, I was doing it for mom. Even a blind person could see how tired she’d been lately.

Liyah laughed at me sticking her tongue out. She’s such a brat.

“You’re so dumb.” I rolled my eyes at her.

“I know you are but what am I ?” She teased hitting my shoulder before running away.

I took off after her. She may have been fast but I knew I could catch up to her.

I almost had her when my foot got caught on something. It launched me towards the ground and I put my hands down to catch myself but I still hit my knee.

I slid on the concrete scuffing my leg. I didn’t scream because that would make me weak and it didn't hurt that bad. I just bit my lip and stood up.

I didn’t want to limp but it hurt too much to put pressure on my leg.

Liyah had beat me back to mom and when I reached them she was already apologizing.

Fake.

She was just scared to get in trouble. I wasn’t gonna snitch on her anyways.

“Let me see it,” Mom asked, grabbing my arm, pulling me to sit down on a stonehenge.

She reached into her purse and pulled out a first aid kit. She always had everything in her purse. It was kinda like a super power. The black Marry Poppins.

She wiped the scrape with an alcohol wipe and I just barely hissed. It didn’t even really hurt anymore.

She placed a bandaid on it, smoothing her hands on top of it before placing a kiss there.

“There,” She wiped her hands on her thighs before standing up “All better?”

I nodded my head and we went off to see the giraffes because I’m nice like that.

“In case you were wondering, Aaliyah still always gets her way even now. I’d say she’s got me beat on the manipulation game honestly,”

It’s fine though I taught her everything she knows not everything I know. I could still get one over on her if needed.

Mama's gonna make all of your nightmares come true

“I found your pendant, the SHIELD one. Which I guess makes all of this real no matter how much I want it to be fake. I just want this to be a poorly written book where I wake up and the past five years were all a dream,”

God knows how much I meant that. Well maybe I didn’t mean it too much because some people I’ve met in the past five years are people I don’t think I could survive very long without. Even though I kinda exploded on everyone so maybe I’m gonna have to test my theory on how long I can really survive.

“Hey Doc,” I greeted pushing up the door of the restaurant.

“Hey sweetheart, how ya been?” He queried.

“I’ve been better,”

“I hear ya,” He nodded.

Once we were in the back of the restaurant aka his office. I pulled out the diamond. Doc knew everything about everyone and anything. He could also make a duplicate of anything you gave him.

“Whatcha got for me?” He asked, rubbing his hands together.

“This, I’m not sure what it is,”

I placed the bird pendant on the desk. I found it in a shoe box filled with my mom's stuff.

“I was wondering if you knew,”

He lifted it up to his eye to get a better view, His eyesight so bad that his glasses were practically a magnifying glass.

“It’s a crest, I don’t think I’ve seen this before it’s most likely from a government branch,” He placed it back down on his messy desk. “I can do some more extensive research for you if you’d like,”

“Yes, that’d be great,”

“Stop by again tomorrow and I’ll fill you

I wish I never went back to Doc’s place or found out about flash drive, Vulture, SHIELD, any of it. Just when I thought my life couldn’t get anymore fucked up the devil came out the woodworks and spit in my face.

Mama's gonna put all of her fears into you

“I remember all that testing they did after I agreed to do whatever Stark needed me to do sooo badly. I still don’t really know what he did- or he’s doing with all that DNA and other stuff he’d gotten from me,”

Aren’t the Avengers and by default Tony Stark products of SHIELD so wouldn't that mean whoever’s behind all of that could’ve been the one to tell Tony about the fire thing in the first place.

That had been the main thing about the whole Stark situation that I still couldn’t figure out. Someone needs to tell me how he found out and they better tell me now.

“There are multiple lacerations 1-2 inches lining the upper and lower abdomen,” The doctor lady announced to her assistant. Before moving her cold hand away from my side pushing my shirt back down.

Okay that’s chill nothing I haven’t had before.

“We’re gonna have to do another X-ray is that okay?” Her assistant asked. I wasn’t going to bother to learn their names. I was planning to stay that long anyways.

What’s the point? They’re just going to come back and say the machine is broken and then do another blood test.

“Yeah sure,”

I was led into a much bigger room than the last. There was much more machinery too.

I was strapped down to a cold blue cushioned table by leather straps. Straps weren’t really necessary, not like I was planning on lashing out and mauling anyone.

I closed my eyes when the flashes of the machine went off. Apparently I had fractured three of my ribs and bruised my sternum.

You’d think they’d let me go now but noooo they need more blood and then when they were done drawing blood.

They had to hook me up to a machine to monitor- I don’t even fucking know what they were monitoring.

I just know I had all the pads with wires on my temples and chest and everywhere else. It reminded me of that one time I had to do a sleep study.

Except they didn’t have holographs to read off and fancy probably government funded tech then. They sure as hell didn’t have all this whispering either. Or maybe they did and I was just unconscious.

Still I didn’t even want to actually be here and I was cold for once.

“How much long do we have here?” I groaned.

“Not much longer. We just have and MRI left,”

Yeah right. I was gonna be in here for the rest of my life

“I could probably go back there if I wanted answers,” I spoke quietly.

“But I don’t want the government in my business like that well at least just not more than they probably are already at least and the tests are so invasive,”

Mama's gonna keep you right here under her wing

That’s not the only invasive thing in my life. Or should I say was in my life? I don’t fucking care really.

My dad was somehow the strictest and the most lenient person ever. I think he just wanted control.

I used to blame his alcoholism for everything he did but no really he’s just a shitty person. A shitty person who likes to beat on women and take doors off the hinges.

“You are so pathetic!” My mom screamed at my dad.

They had been at this all night. For so long that I’m seriously contemplating jumping out of this small window right now.

Sapphire had no qualms sleeping on the cold tiles of the bathroom floor. Aaliyah and I however were still wide awake.

I’m not sure exactly what was going on in her head but I’m assuming we're still up for the same reason. To kill our dad if he even touches our mom.

I had a kitchen knife in hand as I sat on the bathroom sink. I always had a knife every time my dad started yelling a little too aggressively just in case but this time felt different. Like I was really prepared to stab him this time.

I didn’t know what it was but something felt off.

“Are they done?” Aaliyah asked, rubbing her eyes. The apartment had fallen silent.

“I don’t know. Stay here,” I hopped down off the sink.

I should’ve known she wasn’t gonna listen to me. The kitchen was empty which means they must’ve moved to their room.

The next moment was the sort straight out of a family sitcom except the family was falling apart and the kids were going crazy but otherwise it could’ve very well been an “oopsie” misunderstanding moment. Where the younger child asks “Are mommy and daddy getting a divorce?”

Then the oldest child pulls them into their body and whispers “I dunno kiddo,” or “No they’re just going through a rough patch,” anything like that.

Except it wasn’t that. That wasn’t what she said and that wasn’t what Aaliyah asked me.

God how I wish that was what she asked me.

I have a bad habit of acting before I think. I opened the door opening my mouth to let out the words in my brain.

“You’re dying? How are you dying?”

They both turned to look at me like they were just noticing they weren’t alone.

My mom sighed moving closer to me grabbing my arm.

“I’m- Im not no ones dying,”

The door creaked as Aaliyah pushed her way into the room.

“But you said ‘I need you to step up you need to know how to handle it when I’m dead’,” She paraphrased cleaning out the cuss words.

“It didn’t mean literally dying right now,”

Now I could see how this could be us just jumping to conclusions from like two sentences but she had been weird lately. Like she’s always traveled a lot and been secretive but lately she’s been extra secretive.

And I could tell the secret wasn’t to protect herself so whos to say it wasn’t the fact she was currently dying. It actually makes perfect sense.

I’m starting to wish I wasn’t always right. Stage 4 Lymphoma. Basically we should go coffin shopping pretty soon.

If only she wasn’t so selfish and would get treatment for it. She couldn’t leave me here by myself. Who’s gonna take care of us if she dies.

I’d thought about it before and I decided I’d take on the role of caregiver for my sisters but then it was only a what if situation.

Wade has cancer and he’s not dead but that’s only because he got pumped with like super drugs shit.

Now I just needed to find some super drugs and figure out how to get her to take them.

Fuck Cancer and fuck my dad. Why couldn’t he have gotten the diagnosis instead of my mom. A life for a life type beat.

I guess that wouldn’t have made for a good tragic backstory would it. And what fun is life without a tragic backstory.

My only question is when does the backstory end and when does the actual plot begin because clearly I’m not there yet. It’s only tragedy after tragedy.

Maybe that is my story, just pain and suffering. Someone has to be the butt of the joke.

She won't let you fly but she might let you sing

“You always told me to surround myself with people who you could block out the rest of the world with. Peter’s like that so was Olivia she was one of those people for me. When we weren’t yelling at each other or crying, I mean. Still wish you could’ve met her though,”

“AH YES!” I exclaimed, pumping my fist. “I found it,” I waved the joint in the air.

“Alright come sit down then,” Olivia laughed, patting the seat on the couch next to her.

“Shit,” I muttered. “Where’s the lighter?”

She just laughed at me again. Before reaching into my pocket and slipping it out. I couldn’t help but smile at how intimate that action felt for no reason at all.

I quickly and lightly pressed my lips to hers muttering a quick “thank you,”

About three minutes had passed and I could feel the weed taking course through my system.

My head was in her lap until I abruptly shot up gasping at the beginning of Super Rich Kids by Frank Ocean.

“Dance with me,” I pleaded it didn’t take much convincing because here we were twirling around. Although it was much more giggling than dancing.

I bumped my leg on the glass coffee table and immediately apologized making Liv and I laugh so hard I almost peed my pants.

I was laid out on the soft white fur rug with Olivia laying her chin on my chest. I ran my hands through her hair.

It was actually very easy there were no knots my fingers just glided smoothly through.

“I mean shit,” I breathed “I know I can’t run from the rest of the world forever but until then? Bitch you can call me Flash cause I’m zoomin’.”

She giggled at that before speaking up.

“You don’t have to run you can just stay here with me forever,”

Her words were so genuine it made me want to cry. She basically just said “I love you” in more or less words.

“You know what? I think I might,”

She gave me a tired smile, turning her head to place a kiss on the top of my breast.

I smiled back at her and how adorable she looked right now. I just want to kiss her for the rest of forever.

When I glanced back down at her I could hear her breathing slow and her eyes had fluttered shut. She was asleep.

I felt all warm and fuzzy and at peace and I couldn’t tell if it was the weed or if it was just being in Olivia’s presence.

I wasn’t ready to say these words to her when she was conscious yet maybe I’d never be ready but I’d say them now. Just to get them off my chest.

“I love you,” I whispered.

I never really felt comfortable saying that to anyone. Probably a result of not hearing it enough as a child or something. My family’s never been affectionate anyway. That’s fine because I wasn’t my family, I was my own person.

Stroking her hair gently before drifting off to the land of dreams myself.

So much for forever huh?

It’s funny to think how I took times like that for granted if only I knew those were some of the only moments of normalcy I’d get for a while. I’d spent too much time thinking about what could’ve been with almost everything.

So much so that I didn’t take much time to actually be. Now I feel like I’ve made it to the point of no return. Not mentally but like with everyone else around me. I think I pushed people too far away this time. Not so sure I could get them back.

“Uh I can't really remember what I’ve already told you so I’ll run through it all. This vigilante or superhero Spiderman started doing his thing then I got caught up in his mess.” That was most definitely an oversimplification but what do I look like telling my mom I was a well known thief. “Then his relation to Tony Stark got extended to me so now I kinda do stuff for him but I don’t work for him.”

I don't work for him he might think I do, but in reality he works for me. I had almost everyone at the compound wrapped around my finger.

“I don’t think I really wanna work for anyone. I was offered to be an Avenger in training but that isn’t really my style. I will use his gym though.” I rambled on.

It was kinda weird how easy it was to rant to my mom like this because not like she could voice her opinions about anything. I guess I hadn’t visited in so long that I forgot what it was like.

Mama's gonna keep baby cosy and warm

“Oh!” I exclaimed remembering a very important factor that I left out. “Then we have the whole Staten Island fiasco that I told you about. I remember telling you that. I’m still searching for answers on how I did that too,”

Like some real answers not that radiation BS.

“Your phone’s broken,” I pointed out the cracked screen sitting on the wood.

“Oh shit!” Peter cried “May’s gonna kill me this is the second phone I’ve broken this month,”

I came off way calmer than I was feeling. I’m surprised I wasn’t running around screaming right about now. I was probably just paralyzed in fear.

How do you react in a situation like this in the first place.

“Okay how long are we going to be sitting here? What are we waiting on?” We’d be up here looking down at the fire crackling underneath the pier for like 15 minutes now.

“I don’t know actually,” He sighed.

“Uh…”

How was I supposed to respond to that? That was the driest response to anything in the history of the world.

“Well since I’ve already pinky promised I won’t spill your secret can I ask some questions while we wait for you to figure it out?”

“Sure, go ahead,” He nodded, shaking his arms.

“Okay number one did you think I had died or something because if someone burst into flames in front of me I’d probably think Satan was coming for me. I’d cry too,” I laughed but had to stop myself as the stabbing in my ribs ran through me.

“No, I didn’t think you were dead, you had a pulse,” He pointed out “Maybe I could’ve thought you were dying though. And I wasn’t crying,”

Liar. He so was crying.

“Aw you don’t have to lie I think it’s cute,” I teased if I didn’t feel like my body was falling apart I might’ve poked his side.

“Alright, second question: do the webs like come out of you? Cause that’s kinda disgusting,”

“No, I make them with chemicals ‘n stuff. I’d explain the science to you but I’m not sure how much you’d care.”

I let out a small laugh knowing what feeling would come if I laughed too hard.

“I mean you could explain it ‘m just not sure how much of it I’d understand,”

We both laughed at that.

“On the topic of the webs what’s there integrity like how well do they hold up or like how long,”

“Uh…” He blew out a breath running his hands over his face “As far as I know they last up to two hours. That is unless someone cuts them or something,”

I couldn’t help but wonder if Thorn was one of those someone’s to cut the webs maybe I was the only someone. I didn’t really need to ask the question. Aaron had already answered the question for me when he told me about the deal at the ferry. I just wanted to see what Peter would tell me honestly.

I spent the rest of the night asking questions and cracking jokes. I was talking for so long I didn’t realize how late it’s gotten.

It should be a world record how fast I managed to fuck up 5 friendships. Well it’s my personal best at least. Only took like 4 minutes.

I feel like that’s all I do is just fuck up everything. I used to believe there was a difference between being fucked up and being a fuckup but the older I get the more I realize that there isn’t.

It’s like someone built a self destruct button in my head and every time something good happens to me I feel the need to run away.

Like Peter he’s literally perfect he's smart, respectful, adorable, and selfless. He’s literally a fucking superhero for godsake.

I was trying so hard not to fall asleep. I really was but all the Trigonometry chapter was doing was mixing with the sound of rain outside and triggering the urge to fall into a deep sleep.

“Okay,” Peter tapped his textbook with his pen. I wish I could be confident enough to do math with a pen.

“So sin is equal to the opposite of whatever angle you’re trying to find so first you have too…”

He droned on, I knew he was talking about the math problem lying on the bed in front of me but I wasn’t listening. Maybe if I sat at the desk I could actually be paying attention right now.

“Y/N?”

“Hmm?” I sat up on my elbows yawning.

“Are you tired?”

I just hummed again. Until I realized what the question was. I reached for my phone and it was already 9:03 that woke me up for sure.

“Oh shit! I gotta get back,”

Not like I’d get in trouble or anything but Carmen would get on my ass about the fact I didn’t come back when I said I would then she’d make something out of nothing.

I scrambled around trying to find all my things to put them back in my bag.

“Wait it’s raining though,” Peter pointed out.

“Yeah,” I chuckled “It’s New York it’s always raining,”

“Yeah but it’s cold and wet and dark so if you tried to skate you’d probably get hurt,”

I knew what he was doing and it was working because frankly all his excuses were shit because one I don’t get cold and two I could just walk and there are lights everywhere but I was gonna stay anyway. I was too tired to argue right now.

“May!” Peter shouted.

“Yes?” She called back.

“Can Y/N stay for the night?”

“Yeah if her parents are okay with it,”

That’s how I ended up wearing some shirt with some dumb science pun sitting on the couch watching Aladdin for like the millionth time ever. I was singing along to One jump ahead when I felt eyes on me.

I turned my head but before I could make eye contact with Peter he acted as if he was watching the movie the whole time.

“What?” I giggled. Fuck, I hadn’t like genuinely giggled in the longest time.

“Nothing,” He replied, turning back towards the TV again.

This time I was the one to stare at him wondering what was going on in his head. Not even the fourth song in and I was already yawning struggling to keep my head up.

This goes to show how much willpower I had because I couldn’t even stop my eyelids from falling shut. I deserved to sleep though I’d been exhausted lately.

There’s only like 6 people on this planet that I trust enough to fall asleep around and surprisingly Peter had become one with like 5 months of knowing me.

I would still trust him if given the chance I’m just not sure how much he trusts me right now. I understand though. I don’t deserve anyone’s trust.

Taglist:

@tomdiddlyumptious

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mint-8 · 4 years ago

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Yo.

I lied again.

So, I thought of this when I saw a post of an “AU?” for Animal Crossing.

Basically Redd is a good and nice fox, and not the con-artist that he is known for.

I decided to make an AU for Animal Crossing.

Why? Why not.

I don’t know a lot about the series, so I’ll stick with New Horizons for now.

Before you keep reading, some warnings:

1. Feedback, corrections and more ideas are greatly appreciated.

2. I’ll do a couple of head canons. I might add more as time goes by.

3. If you don’t like any of this ideas, well, I’m not sorry- Nah, joking. Tell me your reasons and the changes you would do.

4. I will do some extreme changes. From the objective of the game, some mechanics and characters, etc.

That’s it. Enjoy I guess.

* The Animal Crossing series focuses more on developing a goal and trying to work with the obstacles that might come your way.

* In New Horizons you have your own island that was “gifted” to you and must be developed to become a sustainable and good place to live for your villagers. This includes having shops, schools, police station, workplaces, etc. Like building your own city.

Mechanics:

* The player must build and set each building and any extra decoration they might want on their own, just like in the original game. They can also terraform.

* DIY exists but they can only be made by your villagers. For this you must ask them, (sometimes) give them the items to craft and (if your friendship level is too low) make a task for them beforehand so they are willing to make them for you.

* If you don’t have the items you can go to the shop and buy it, but it will cost you bells.

* You can grow trees, flowers, fruits, etc., on your own.

* The fruits and vegetables can be used to make dishes that you can eat or give them to your villagers to increase your friendship level.

* Flowers and anything that you purchase can be used as a gift.

NPCs (oh boy...):

* Blathers runs the museum in your town. He is relatively normal, but he hates anything that has to do with fish but loves bugs (surprising, I know). You can also give him flowers, vegetables, fruits and even trees (he will give you some data about it). If you give him art he will accept it unless is hunted.

* Redd is the main vendor in your island. He likes making silly jokes and will buy anything that you give him (even hunted artwork, but he will be sad). Always has a relax expression in his face and is willing to give you tips about what to do and how to progress in your island.

* Tom Nook, Timmy and Tommy are the “troublemakers” in your island. They will arrive and place their tent somewhere randomly and will start to take the decoration and move it to different locations, destroy your trees, crops, flowers, etc., vandalize your buildings, make your villagers angry, etc. You can buy art and some artifacts from them, but the art could be hunted (never fake, in Tom Nook words’s he has “way too much pride to go as low as that!”) and might be overpriced.

* I don’t know about Isabelle.

*The able sisters basically switch roles. That’s it. Ah, but Label is in a bad relationship with her sisters and it will be the player’s decision to help them or not (this will affect the gameplay) and their parents are alive! They send letters every other day.

* The dodo brothers (can’t remember their names) send and deliver letters. The dodo airlines is now a post office.

* The pelicans trio (can’t remember them either) run an airline now. One is the pilot, the other is the receptionist and maybe the third will tell you about the island you are send to or something like that.

* Flick and CJ also switch roles. Try to think that their personalities and color pallets are switched but their outfits stay the same (they might have some changes as well). Also, Flick is still an artist, but he loves fish and bugs not-so-much.

* Daisy Mae is the one who sells turnips. No change. She might have a different personality and outfit, but that’s it.

Villagers:

* You can talk to your villagers, send letters and gifts, do tasks for them, etc. Not much changes.

* The male villagers personalities can be Normal, Peppy, Brotherly(?)/Uchi and Snooty.

* The female villagers personalities can be Smug, Jock, Cranky and Lazy.

* Their names and faces don’t really change, as well as their color. But their outfits can.

* The villagers tend to be a bit passive-aggressive, especially the “pretty ones” (Marshal, Merengue, Raymond). But the most kind and sweet are the “ugly villagers” (Barold).

* The villagers are the only ones that can craft and depending on their personalities and your level of friendship with them you might have to give them the items to craft, wait more or less and do a task for them.

This is all for now.

I might add more details and even more characters but this is all for now.

Thanks for reading and “enjoying”? Maybe?

See you next time.

#animal crossing #animal crossing new horizons #new horizons #tom nook #timmy nook #tommy nook #Redd #isabelle #blathers #headcanon #alternate universe #animal villagers #animal personalities

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chaoparty · 6 years ago

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animal crossing switch wishlist

everyone’s doing it so why not!! these aren’t necessarily things that can all realistically be in the game but things that would be enjoyed none the less!!!

SO HERE’S THE WISHLIST NO ONE ASKED FOR DLKFGNJDKLGDFGL

more villager species! in new leaf we got the hamster and the deer, let’s have some more! bats have been a popular request, maybe more sea animals & reptiles?

more personalities! likewise, we got 2 new personalities last game, smug and uchi. maybe we can have a always in the books type? keep to themselves but act like a know it all sometimes? could call it bookworm! they’d get along well with normal due to the more quiet side, and maybe snooty because of their superior attitude.

BRING IN EVERYTHING FROM HAPPY HOME DESIGNER this is a given really. they started to do that with the new leaf welcome amiibo update BUT IT WASN’T ENOUGH I TELL YOU!!! the absolute customizing was TOP NOTCH!!! so in addition to that...

character customization from the start they can still make it to change we have to go to shampoodle to get it changed afterwords, but being able to pick your eyes, hair and skin from the start is IMPERATIVE! i mean who doesn’t look up the guides to get exactly what they want anyway?

bring in aspects from pocket camp! they introduced so many great things with pocket camp, and though i know bringing that all into the switch version would ruin sales for the mobile game, the idea behind a camper, amenities, crafting, (will touch on that) fufilling requests, and all the events, it’d be nice to see some of these fun things brought into the main game. ... ESPECIALLY THE FURNITURE HHHH;;;

crafting! now before you panic, in no way do i want what’s in pocket camp, but the idea of having materials to craft specific items or as an alternative to purchasing them or just incorporated in some way sounds like a lot of fun!

villager house decorating! not in the same way we could do it willy nilly and whenever in HHD, but say it’s a random event when you’re closer to a villager, or there’s a building where you can at least offer your services once a day maybe through nook. it’d be a nice inclusion and bring more customization to your experience!

better town customization i think by now they realize the absolute joy we get out of having control in customization! being able to have more public work projects and being able to have a proper interface like in HHD or pocket camp so that we know exactly where we’re putting something down. new leaf i believe was testing the waters of customization, and i think we’re really in for a treat as far as town decorating goes. THIS INCLUDES PATHS DFKJGDKFG

more activities! imagine if we had mining, a cave entrance in the map, similar to harvest moon/ story of seasons where everyday you can mine a certain amount and get random gems or materials! depending on your picaxe level, you can get better things! COOKING OR BAKING! LET ME MAKE FOOD god can you imagine a grocery store i just... oooh my godd dDDdd...

the ability to influence where a villager moves in this is pretty much a given...pls reggie..... pl s.......................

more interactivity! LET ME EAT THE FOOD LEMME EAT IT LET ME DRINK THAT TEA I’M SO THIRSTY REGGIE PLS

FRIENDSHIP GIVE ME MORE FRIENDSHIP let us do more things with our little animal friends!!! invite them to coffee!!! invite them to the museum!!! invite them to go shopping!!! invite them to gO BUG CATCHING OR FISHING!!!!!!!!!!! HAVE A FRIGGIN SLEEP OVER, CALL AND TEXT THEM ON THE PHONE!!!! PLS GIVE ME FRIENDSHIP OH GOD

animal crossing amiibo compatibility! GIVE THESE GODFORSAKEN PIECES OF PAPER PURPOSE I BEG YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

more plants! FLOWERS AND BUSHES AND TREES OH MY

LET BLATHERS BLATHER IT MADE ME SO HAPPY YOU DO UNDERSTAND I LEARNED THINGS

pls let me write mom back pls god i love her so much

I WANNA BE AN ANIMAL GIVE ME THE OPTION LET ME BE A FURRY REGGIE

#animal crossing #animal crossing switch #wishlist #acnl #hel p #spongebob meme about not needing it

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no-no-no-ahhhh · 5 years ago

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I'm having bad anxiety so I'm just going to answer these questions rn

Okay so when having anxiety I over think and I barely have any friends so I thought if using these questions to keep my mind off things and it kinda works it's also why some are long because I'm trying my best to think about other things then my stress. Maybe some of yall can try this if you want. Could help idk

Questions belong to @tr33-g1rl

1. coffee mugs, teacups, wine glasses, water bottles, or soda cans?

Soda cans

2. chocolate bars or lollipops?

I LOVE chocolate bro

3. bubblegum or cotton candy?

Cotton candy because let's all be honest bubble gum doesn't even tast good so that just leaves texture and cotton candy dissolves abs you could always have normal gum

4. how did your elementary school teachers describe you?

Some would say nice hard working smart and dyslexic but that's what they say not actually think

5. do you prefer to drink soda from soda cans, soda bottles, plastic cups or glass cups?

I've never really had the soda bottles but for now Ig soda cans because I feel like it keeps it fresher then the plastic and plastic is bad

6. pastel, boho, tomboy, preppy, goth, grunge, formal or sportswear?

Umm out of all these ig tomboy my style that I try to go for more rn is kinda like bille eyelash baddie style

7. earbuds or headphones?

Def earbuds cuz headphones if left on too long start hurting and squeezing my head

8. movies or tv shows?

TV shows 100% I cant consum media for long (my anxiety)so cartoons are the best for me because they're usually 11 minutes and light hearted

9. favorite smell in the summer?

Hmm this is good question in my head summer looks so good ahh but I've never really had a sent for it cuz the past few years I've been in my room but I love the sun oh and you know when your about to go in the pool and you can smell the Clorox mixed with the sun block and that smell just smells like a soft nice energy and there is this one tropical sent havent really smelt it in years I remember the one time I got to smell it was in middle school in the girls locker room so ig it was a perfume idk if it was really associated with summer or it was just tropical perfume my mom could spray on anytime of the year

10. game you were best at in p.e.?

Lol none I hated p.e I was also pretty tall at the time so people expected me to play but I just wanted to hide in the corner

11. what you have for breakfast on an average day?

Well I don't really like breakfast that much I think food in the morning makes me nauseous but I have to eat it cuz I can't eat school lunch food cuz that shit is nasty but breakfast school food is 😉 so I usually get banana bread and good ass duch chocolate milk

12. name of your favorite playlist?

Por Vida is one of my favorite albums if that counts

13. lanyard or key ring?

I hate things being around my neck so key ring

14. favorite non-chocolate candy?

Mexican candy

15. favorite book you read as a school assignment?

The outsiders

16. most comfortable position to sit in?

Your butt relaxing ig and not hunched over idk how some people do their work not hunched over like how do you see what your working on

17. most frequently worn pair of shoes?

These white Adidas with 3 halo strips and tan boots

18. ideal weather?

To wear you can soak in the sun but not have it burn you right when you go outside and kinda breezy not a fan of the cold and whatever weather that isn't effected by global warming is the best

19. sleeping position?

I always try not to sleep on my back cuz then they say that the demons come for you

20. preferred place to write (i.e., in a note book, on your laptop, sketchpad, post-it notes, etc.)?

I have a lot of journals and books to write

21. obsession from childhood?

My little pet shops, barbies, fnaf, teen titans, monster high dolls, beanie babes, never brats or the ever after high dolls cuz I had a fear of big heads as a kid

22. role model?

Em their are not many people to look up to these days but Quenlin Blackwell is even though she struggles with depression and seasonal depression she still is a qween love her

23. strange habits?

24. favorite crystal?

Hmm maybe amethyst one of the only ones I have

25. first song you remember hearing?

No idea

26. favorite activity to do in warm weather?

Be in the sun

27. favorite activity to do in cold weather?

Not have the seasonal depression come for me

38. lemonade or tea?

Lemonade bro tea is kinda weak and for BrItish blocks , but today I did have a bunch of lemons and they got me sick cuz I dont have a healthy balanced diet if anybody knows simple healthy recipes that have little to no cooking pls share

39. lemon cake or lemon meringue pie?

I've never actually have had lemon pie but I have been thinking about making pie. I've had peacon pie and water burger apple pie and McDonald's apple pie and I think another fast food pie but I can't remember the flavor. I know the other flavor exist because my mom order a different pie flavor from me once and she said we can both try each others. Maybe it was lemon. I think lemon tast is quit forgettable thow idk I always put other things on my lemon and lemonade has all that sugar and speaking of Britain I think they carbonate their lemons . But I think I've only had lemon cake 2 times , so if the cake

40. weirdest thing to ever happen at your school?

School is lame and that's on period pooh

41. last person you texted?

Umm this girl I barely know and I'm going to leave it at that cuz this story makes me kinda sad and worried and I'm answering these questions to avoid that

42. jacket pockets or pants pockets?

Hmm good question , I think jacket because they are bigger and girl Jean's have the pockets different to make the booty look better and sometimes that leads to uncomfortable pockets and front pockets barely exit for girls and jackets sometimes have those secret pockets only you have assess too like the ones on the inside and jacket pockets are bigger

43. hoodie, leather jacket, cardigan, jean jacket or bomber jacket?

1. hoodies are good for when you dont have a bra on and they come with one BIG pocket and you dont need to worry about a shirt

2. Leather jackets are for cool kidz and carry a nice vibe and still thick enough to keep you warm , but you can't really get them wet I think so you can't wash em , but they can come with cool designs on the back but their better fitted on perfectly on a person and if you grow they just look odd on you then you have to buy another and that's not fun

3.Bomber jacket , it's a whole style but one I try to pull of but just cant do it well

4.Cardigans kinda umm not a fan but good if your wearing a dress that's shows your shoulders and you are insecure about that being shown. Remember when somewhere in the 2000s they told us that cardigans where so easy to put on and throw more into your outfit so people bought quit a few. I do

5.I feel like jeans jackets aren't warm enough maybe their more for the summer?

44. favorite scent for soap?

Hmm maybe something tropical or just those cool lavender ones that have oats that's cool I like oats in my soap

45. which genre: sci-fi, fantasy or superhero?

I hate sci-fi uhhhg and super hero kinda ties in with that so fantasy and when reading fan fic just sweet simple domestic fluff

46. most comfortable outfit to sleep in?

Hmm not sure but the shirt has to be soft. I only experience soft shirts like that few times in my life

47. favorite type of cheese?

Mexican cheese and blue cheese uhg and mozzarella with that crust, yum🤤

48. if you were a fruit, what kind would you be? Errrum maybe a watermelon cuz they are very hydrated. Oh and watermelon with the big black seeds is better then that soul less watermelon

49. what saying or quote do you live by?

None dawg I really need to find one but I do have a lot written down In a book

50. what made you laugh the hardest you ever have?

Omg my aunt had some funny looking ass dogs I couldn't stop laughing. One of her dogs hate me tho now

51. current stresses? I dont want to talk about it cuz I dont want to worry but I was crying for more then 6 hours probably 8 when I think about it and then today as well and it's so bad I'm not even going to school

52. favorite font? I like the one kali uchis uses in one of her albums I think it's called fairy tell or something

53. what is the current state of your hands?pretty dry cuz I wash them alot and kinda long nails cuz of genetics

54. what did you learn from your first job?

I havent had a first job

55. favorite fairy tale?

Hmmm something with the tooth fairy

56. favorite tradition?

Idk holidays cuz I get school off

57. the three biggest struggles you’ve overcome?

Depression and I would say anxiety but no

58. four talents you’re proud of having?

I dont have any talents

59. if you were a video game character, what would your catchphrase be?

Uuuuyg idk too stressed to really think that I dont even know what type of video game I would be in

60. if you were a character in an anime, what kind of anime would you want it to be?

nothing stressful maybe something calm like a farm anime, some light magic, pokemon things like that

61. favorite line you heard from a book/movie/tv show/etc.?

I was never ment to live life like a sim - megan the stallion

62. seven characters you relate to?

Anybody with anxiety, kinda pearl from Steven universe, the nerdy part of dipper from gravity falls , Roman from sander sides if virgil too sense he has anxiety okay and that's all I can think of I think early I said I dont really watch media or stuff so yeah

63. five songs that would play in your club?

Gosolina kali uchis songs and bank account that's all I can think about rn

64. favorite website from your childhood?64. favorite website from your childhood?

Y8 brooo oh and there was Disney or Nickelodeon websites you know that show with the hands and they had the googly eyes they had a g as new for that loved it and for Disney they had zack and cody games on their website and it's not a website but the one thing on windows that would work without wifi you know and you could make cakes and give them faces and try matching the cards

65. any permanent scars?

One time a cat scratched me more the like 8 years ago and I can still faintly see the mark

66. favorite flower(s)?

The one that grows on the cactus

67. good luck charms?

I know a rabbits foot is one and 4 leaf clovers,and markipliers flannel. I sadly dont have any personal good luck charms

68. worst flavor of any food or drink you’ve ever tried?

I don't want to talk about bad foods rn cut the cameras

69. a fun fact that you don’t know how you learned?

idk I think I can vaguely remember every facts orgin that I know

70. left or right handed?

Basic right handed but my dad used to be left but then the school forced him to be right

71. least favorite pattern?

Anything 80s uhg that shit is disgusting and terrifying

72. worst subject?

Chemistry but I just got out of that so that's fun

73. favorite weird flavor combo?

People day hot cheetos and sour cream is odd but I like it . I would wat some rn but I think I got sick cuz of my poor diet so I'm not. Someone pls suggested simple easy foods for your girl who can cook

74. at what pain level out of ten (1 through 10) do you have to be at before you take an advil or ibuprofen?

1 I am big baby

75. when did you lose your first tooth?

I dont know

76. what’s your favorite potato food (i.e. tater tots, baked potatoes, fries, chips, etc.)?

Tater tots are good and fries

77. best plant to grow on a windowsill?

Idk no green thumb

78. coffee from a gas station or sushi from a grocery store?

Idk ig coffee

80. earth tones or jewel tones?

Jewel tones

81. fireflies or lightning bugs?

Theirs a difference?

82. pc or console?

Console it's just simpler

83. writing or drawing?

Uhhheg ig drawing I'm bad at grammar

84. podcasts or talk radio?

Podcast, podcast are just more plans out then talk radio and talk radio is a morning thing and I'm not the biggest fan of mornings

85. fairy tales or mythology?

Fairy tales mythology kinda ruff ya know

86. cookies or cupcakes?

Cookies their just more sturdy and their is always normal cake

87. your greatest fear?

Tooo many things and I'm having an anxiety attack right now so like no

88. your greatest wish?

Well it's cute and all idk to live peacefully is one part the other parts a secret for now

X.o.x.o gossip girl ya know ya love me

89. who would you put before everyone else?

Umm maybe myself Idk

90. luckiest mistake?

One time my mom ordered a foam sord for my brother and a real one came. It was some anime sword

91. boxes or bags?

Bags cuz they look cute and you can take em every where with you. Disposable I would have to say boxes tho because its less damaging to the environment

92. lamps, overhead lights, sunlight or fairy lights?

Sunlight is so warm and it fills something inside of me makes me feel cozy

Lamps are great for when sleeping and your scared of the dark

Fairy lights are cute but are they neccessary

Overhead lights are good for when you just need light in your life

Am I the only one who gets sad and sometimes cant clean if it's dark in the house?

94. favorite season?

Summer I think. I know it's harder for me to function in the winter cuz depression but then summer is anxiety sometimes ya know

95. favorite app on your phone?

Littetly no idea I don't really love/like the things on my phone if their more distractions or time wasters but I do love how I can search up useful things on YouTube to try to calm down my anxiety and I was definitely not a fan of tumblr at all but I kind have made it my safe place a bit

96. desktop background?

Well the computers my dad's so it has deadpool on i

97. how many phone numbers do you have memorized?

Barely 2 ,I am kinda a dummy sorry unggv

98. favorite historical era?

Well idk heehaww cowboys?

#trifle utters #misspelling because ya girls pretty stressed #im just trying to cope rn so dont cap on me

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three-of-swords · 5 years ago

Text

Animal Crossing Countdown

I didn’t find this post until today, so I have to do a LOT of questions in a very short span of time, namely for my own amusement and the two people who care. But I’m gonna put it under a read more because no one needs to see a post this long in the actual ACNH tag.

1: Do you prefer making up a new name for your villager, or using your own name?

I tend to use my nickname, because I share my name with one of my favourite villagers, so it gets confusing and annoying.

2: Do you use the first map you’re given, or do you reset for layouts?

I reset for layouts, but I’m not terribly picky. I reset more because of fruit than layout.

3: Do you use the face you’re given, or do you wait for guides and choose your favourite?

Guides. Me not knowing that your face is dependent on some arbitrary questions was the cause of me immediately restarting my first town.

4: Favourite town/island name?/Have you a name picked out for your town/island?

I’ve only ever played New Leaf, and my town’s name was Wishfall. I’m not sure what I’ll name the island yet, but Wishfall is definitely one of the options.

5: Will you be sharing with friends/family, or is your island going to be all your own?

No. Mine. Though I will be inviting people over, no one will have a house but me.

6: What’s a new feature you’re excited about?

Redirecting rivers. Terraforming. Placing villager houses. Anything that will help me maintain and mold the island into what I want it to be.

7: Favourite fruit?

Apples. Second favourite are cherries, but only for looks.

8: Least favourite fruit?

Probably pears, which is funny, since Wishfall’s town specialty were pears. I don’t like how they look, and I’m also allergic. Second least favourite would be oranges.

9: Favourite area? (Beach, campground, shopping district etc, from any entry in the series.)

The museum.

10: Where do you like to like to put your house? Do you like that level of customization, or do you prefer to have some things decided, like in older entries?

I don’t have experience with the older entries, but I know I’d prefer to make a choice on where my house goes. I like it to be a little away from other villagers, usually backed up against a cliff.

11: Favourite grass pattern?

Triangle.

12: Least favourite grass pattern?

Circle, but it’s not that I don’t like it. I just prefer it less.

13: Favourite villager/s?

Whitney. Julian. Pashmina. Drago. Merengue. Bam. Merry. Apollo.

14: Least favourite villager/s?

Jambette. Cobb. Chops. Frita.

15: Did you like doing Tom Nook’s chores, or did you find those to be a pain?

I mean. I like tasks. But having only played ACNL, I can’t say I HAD any chores besides “Pay your loan!”

16: Favourite NPC/s?

Kicks. Blathers. Crazy Redd. Katrina. Isabelle, obviously.

17: Least favourite NPC/s?

Zipper. Chip. Pave.

18: Do you use paths? Are you excited about the new path tool?

Yes, and fuck yes.

19: Favourite feature from an older entry?

I would have liked to see what the Celeste constellation thing was about. I’ve heard about it, but I don’t know any details. But I like the idea.

20: What was your first Animal Crossing game?

New Leaf was the first game I played in depth and actually owned, but I did play a little of a game on a DS when I was in high school. Probably Wild World. I really only remember shaking trees.

21: Favourite activity (fishing, bug catching, fossil hunting, other)?

Collecting museum donations.

22: Least favourite activity?

The arbitrary rules for the bug or fish tournaments, or the randomization of rewards given in any events at all. The events themselves would be fine, if they made any damn sense.

23: Favourite bug?

Emperor Butterfly. Birdwing Butterfly. Orchid Mantis. Oak Silk Moth. Walking Leaf.

24: Least favourite bug?

Fucking Mole Crickets. Not a fan of the House Centipede or Tarantula either.

25: A quarter of the way there! How’s the wait?

Impatience. So much impatience.

26: Favourite fish?

Goldfish. Sea Butterfly.

27: Least favourite fish?

Giant Trevally. That thing is fucking ugly. Napoleonfish, too.

28: Favourite fossil?

Fern Fossils or any skulls, but I actually don’t have any strong feelings one way or another.

29: Least favourite fossil?

Coprolite. ...Why.

30: Favourite furniture series?

Don’t really have one, though I’m partial to the Regal and Exotic series.

31: Least favourite furniture series?

Lovely. Don’t like it. Don’t like Kiddie much, either, though it’s cute for certain villagers like Kitt or Stitches.

32: Favourite soundtrack? (Gamecube, DS/Wii, etc)

New Leaf, since it’s my only experience.

33: Least favourite soundtrack?

None.

34: Favourite wallpaper?

Lunar Horizon. The Forest Wall, too.

35: Do you have a nice memory of the games/community etc you’d like to share?

When Pashmina moved in next to me, I was irritated. I’d specifically placed my house next to Re-Tail, but not too close, and she moved in between the two buildings. ...But now she’s my favourite goat, my favourite uchi villager, and honestly, I love her to bits. First impressions apparently don’t always matter too much.

36: Least favourite wallpaper?

Industrial, probably.

37: Favourite carpet?

Palace Tile, I suppose? Though it doesn’t go with everything.

38: Least favourite carpet?

Closed Road, probably.

39: Favourite furniture item?

Whichever grasshopper it is that goes in a cute little bamboo cage.

40: Will you be buying a Switch for Animal Crossing, or do you already have one?

I have one already, sadly. I’m sending it out for repairs, though.

41: Least favourite furniture item?

There are some uuuugly ass furniture items, but it’s impossible to remember them, so I don’t.

42: Favourite flower?

Black or pink lilies, blue and purple violets, and blue and purple roses.

43: Least favourite flower?

Meh. I like them all okay. If I had to choose, I’d say I’m not overly fond of the Cosmos.

44: Favourite hybrid?

See above.

45: Least favourite hybrid?

I don’t care much for the orange pansies.

46: Favourite shirt?

Night-Sky Tee.

47: Favourite dress?

I don’t wear them.

48: Favourite accessory?

Feathers.

49: Favourite hat/helmet?

FEATHERS.

50: Halfway there! How’s the wait going?

IMPATIENCE.

51: Favourite shop?

Kicks, I guess. Even though I don’t go in there. I love him. And the sign squeaks.

52: Do you collect amiibo cards/figures? Would you like to see them used in the new game?

I have a good amount of cards, both real and fake. Some figures, too. I wouldn’t say I collect them, but I try to have them just in case. I’d like them in the new game.

53: Fishing Tourney or Bug-Off?

Fucking neither, but if I HAD to choose, Fishing Tourney. At least in New Leaf. I like catching bugs more, but it seems totally random if they’re lackluster or not. I don’t prefer fishing, but at least all you need is the damn size to tell you if it’s a good fish or not.

54: Do you like making your own clothing patterns?

Nope.

55: Did you streetpass with many other ACNL players, or is it a feature you didn’t get much use of?

I streetpassed a bit but eventually turned it off after getting too more undesirable villagers from other people. Frita and Chops will always be two of my most despised villagers for this reason.

56: Favourite villager species?

Wolves.

57: Least favourite villager species?

Gorillas.

58: Favourite nickname from a villager?

Darling, but I liked that Merry called me Pop Star. It was charming coming from her.

59: Least favourite nickname from a villager?

Big Y. Indeed. Big why.

60: Do you try to collect everything in the game, or just try to get your favourite bits and pieces?

I try to collect everything eventually but I’m not insane about it. I like to fill my catalog.

61: Favourite villager personality?

Smug. But it looks better on some villagers than others. Cute on Julian or Lopez, AWFUL on Chops.

62: Least favourite villager personality?

Jock, but again, while it’s cute on Bam, I loathe it on Cobb. It really depends on the villager, somehow.

63: Do you “plot reset” for villager house placement, or do you let them move in wherever they want?

I plot reset a bit, but only if they moved somewhere particularly undesirable.

64: Are you excited to wear any of the new accessories (like the bags etc shown in the E3 trailer)?

Of course I am!

65: What season are you most looking forward to seeing in New Horizons?

Fall. The mushrooooooms.

66: What’s your favourite season?

Fall, though I loved how the cherry blossoms were carried on the river in spring.

67: Least favourite season?

Probably winter, just because it starts to look uninteresting after awhile.

68: Which game’s events/holidays do you like the most?

I’m partial to Halloween. Also, I have to cheat during April Fool’s Day, but the villagers’ reactions to Blanca are cute. I also begrudgingly like Bunny Day, but I can’t say I love it because Zipper creeps me out. I love collecting the eggs from all over the place, but he gives you totally random items, so. Eh.

69: Which game’s events/holidays do you like least?

Love feathers. Hate Pave. Seriously. Can’t stand him. He’s super annoying to me. I like the feather-catching portion and that is IT. I also believe I’ve already expressed my dislike for tournaments.

70: Do you have another nice AC related memory you’d like to share (in-game, of the community, etc)?

Weirdly, this is related to Pashmina again, but once I visited her after I got my face destroyed by bees, and she gave me medicine. I know now that uchi villagers in particular are likely to do this, but I’d never seen it happen before, and I was touched.

71: Do you prefer the “live” versions of K.K. Slider’s Songs, or the airchecks?

Yes.

72: An NPC you’d like to see more of?

Kicks. Sable. Katrina.

73: An NPC you’d like to see less of?

Chip.

74: If you could have any piece of AC merchandise, which would it be?

I dunno. A big comfy hoodie, maybe? A mug? I’m not particularly materialistic. I like useful things.

75: Only 25 days left to go! How’s the wait?

You know, I’m really glad I spent the last few months hyped for games that came out over time. It’s been bite-size chunks of releases that were only a little ways away. Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Concrete Genie. Pokemon Sword. The Cindered Shadows DLC. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon. I can’t imagine this having been the only game I was looking forward to, or I would have died by now.

76: Will you be downloading the game, or getting a physical copy?

Physical copy. As much as I’d love to play it right at midnight, I like not having to wait for download time, or take up a lot of space in storage. I’m hoping my GameStop does a midnight release, but I’m not counting on it.

#THAT TOOK FOREVER #acnh #julian rambles #about me

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allthingsaredivine-blog · 3 years ago

Text

9/23/21

Where do i even begin?

I have been streaming semi consistently for about three months now. since the middle of june i want to say.

First thoughts first, why do i always begin paragraphs with a question? is it a peek into my ever curious nature? or am i just fucking annoying?

Kali Uchis is everyything for me right now. She puts into words the things i cannot say.

TO FEEL SOMETHING and Angel by her specifically. Tomorrow is my Monday, I hate this feeling. as the days go on the only thing i hate more than this feeling is the fact that i even let it get to this point. *Streaming has entered the chat* Its scary. Its fun. Its rewarding. Its challenging. Am i making too much of it? Or am i seeing what was always there, clear as a summer day in california to everyone else?. Am i exceedingly ahead of the curve, or so far fucking behind that im just disillusioned and wrong...? The thing about streaming is you cant really build something long lasting on phoniness, or on a rocky foundation. to *me* at least. and what do i do? take something that could have been great for me and managed to fuck it all over before it even gets the chance to leave the ground....

Number ONE mistake. I should have disclosed my relationship status from the absolute jump. It would have vetted a lot of the stupid shit im feeling right now. sure, to be less popular would have sucked. to have my business out there isnt something im comfortable with, ever anyways. All of that notwithstanding, i would have none of this without anthony. he absolutely deserves to be part of this. for us to do this together. how could i leave him behind?

well this hasnt even skimmed the surface of the things im feeling. yet i have been thinking of writing, getting my thoughts down, or my feelings. being able to reflect and look back and maybe have some fucking perspective instead of just residing in my own fkn head. how do we live like this? fumbling through reality, feeling so in control, yet an innate feeling of having absoulutely zero control over the things that affect you or can change the entire trajectory of your life? how does it not drive us to the brink of knock your noggin crazy? who even fkn knows. how does it not drive me crazy lol. i have so much more to say. i feel so stupid. i feel like i have done things that i wish i could take back. but then would i be the same person?

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pavlovers · 7 years ago

Note

music asks: 5, 9, 10, 14, 17, 20, 25, 32, 35, 41, 43, 49, 50, 56

5. what do you think the best popular song of the year is so far?

i rarely listen to top 40 anymore but uhh i thought the finesse remix with cardi b and bruno mars was really good. oh and this is america by childish gambino is easily one of the best songs of the year so far.

(apparently humility by gorillaz also charted on the hot 100 so that too i guess)

9. album of the year?

hard to say yet but contenders include: virtue - the voidz, isolation - kali uchis, tranquility base hotel and casino - arctic monkeys, always ascending - franz ferdinand, dirty computer - janelle monae, and 7 - beach house

10. what are the best songs your parents have gotten you into?

really the extent of my parents’ knowledge of music is cambodian music that they never remember the name of and my dad’s love for old 80s hits so: sweet dreams - eurythmics, just be good to me - sos band, little lies - fleetwood mac, the tide is high - blondie, and hungry like the wolf - duran duran

14. if someone asks you what music they should check out, what are your go-to recommendations?

it really depends on what im feeling at the moment and what i know about the other person’s music taste. i usually don’t like, casually recommend someone to listen to one of my favorite bands of all time or something unless they ask specifically about it or im confident that they’d like it because like idk i guess i find sharing stuff like that to be very vulnerable.

17. what are your favorite songs that have ever been popular?

somebody told me - the killers

someday - the strokes

friday im in love - the cure

common people - pulp

blue monday - new order

20. what was your first concert? if you haven’t been to one, what do you want your first concert to be?

it was the 1975 at mohegan sun arena on november 5, 2016, which was the day after my fourteenth birthday. i cant remember much from it now but it was a ton of fun, god the light set up was phenomenal and my mother seemed to enjoy matt healy’s dancing a lot.

25. what is your singing voice like? what singers do you remind yourself of?

oof i kinda hate my singing voice so uhh idk. i usually like making my voice as loud and commanding and bright as possible so i tend to sing a lot more in a chest voice when im alone. idk i think i sound very much like what your average 15 year old girl who happens to not be tone deaf would sound like. i guess make of that what u will because to compare myself to other singers would be doing a huge disservice to them.

32. how do you feel about musicals?

oh i definitely used to be a musical person. i very much used to be that 13 year old who was into heathers the musical and hamilton and stuff like that. i guess ive grown out of being so invested in them, and i havent really properly listened to one in quite a while but im definitely not like against them or anything.

35. what are your favorite songs/soundtracks from movies?

i dont watch movies too often and my memory’s the worst so all i can think of is the trainspotting soundtrack. the best songs off of that imo are sing by blur, temptation by new order, and 2:1 by elastica.

41. do you prefer songs that have good melodies or songs that have good lyrics?

i mean ideally i’d like both of course, but i guess lately ive been kind of finding myself more invested in the sonic side of things. if a song that has a great hook has some mediocre lyrics, i’ll more often than not let it slide i guess. which doesnt mean i dont care at all about lyrics or dont appreciate them, it’s just as ive been consuming more and more music my overall enjoyment of a song has started to depend less and less on whether a song has the most quality lyrics or not.

43. name five songs you like that were released at least 50 years ago.

the night before - the beatles

venus in furs - velvet underground

this guy’s in love with you - herb alpert and the tijuana brass

the times they are a changin’ - bob dylan

hush - deep purple

49. what are your favorite album covers?

pretty odd, wpsiamtwin, definitely maybe, sgt peppers

50. any cover versions that you think are better than the original?

katy on a mission - arctic monkeys

start today - fall out boy

hallelujah - jeff buckley

i am the walrus - oasis

56. if you had a stage name, what would it be?

actually my full name’s relatively short and simple (it’s the same # of syllables as something like “sandra dee”) so i always figured that if i ever decided to become famous i probably wouldnt have to do anything to it

#ask #thanks diana for puttin up w me taking forever

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bersonwriter · 7 years ago

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Uchideshi at Integral Dojo, in the city of Tel Aviv, Israel, Middle East. Month 1 of 2 / May-June 2018

I think it’s time to write again.

If any of you have been visiting this blog/site from time-to-time to see if I’d posted, and seen that I had not, I’m sorry about that. A lot has been happening and up until the last few days, I’ve had fairly low-energy and have been sort of exhausted, or at least fairly worn out, most of the time, In fact, I haven’t really felt that good for the most part the last couple of weeks. There’s a shift happening though in my time here for the better, and I’m starting to feel it again. And so, I thought I’d use this new energy and spirit to return to the internet and write my time here.

Being an “uchi deshi”, which like I said last time is a Japanese term for “ inside student,” or “live-in student,” is hard. The following is written about it on the website for the place I am living and studying in and through my time here.

“As an uchi deshi you are making a greater commitment to a developmental life through Aikido and related practices, in a full time, total emersion environment. This residential apprenticeship program is designed to develop your Aikido and deepen your understanding of the art.”

“If you think you are ready to immerse yourself in the art of Integral Aikido and walk the path of practice, embodiment, and meditation, then you are welcome to apply to our uchi deshi program, and come to train and live with us in the Integral Dojo, in Tel-Aviv.”

It is basically 2x a day classes 6 days a week, with one class only on Friday the exception, and no class on Saturdays. It’s hard. Sometimes it’s been amazing and focused and other times I’ve felt like resting or reading a book or taking a break. And to be straight, he has been open to me missing a class if something comes up or I need it, as long as I’m also communicating about it. There’s also the ongoing maintenance and cleaning of the dojo, somethings daily and others weekly. Like I said, it’s not easy. That being said, it is very, very much worth it. I still know I am exactly where I want to be right now in life.

Part of that has to do with the last few days and meeting some people and a local community space, that has group dinners and workshops and yoga classes and music events. And its not far from where I live, maybe 10-15 minute walk from here. I want to know some of the people more, I really like some of them. I’ve really liked the people I practice/train with here at dojo too, but I haven’t really spent time with them outside of that environment. These people are also committed to well-being, connection, and embodying a sort of humanistic and even loving intention (to try and use a few terms that might describe the sort of ethos or spirit of the people I seem to connect to most in a depth-way). And they’re almost all Israeli. And, on of them is a Scot.

That was fucking brilliant. I’ll write more about that later, but I met a guy from Glasgow, 35 and living here in Israel for a few years, a Jew but most definitely Scottish. I wasn’t expected that. I’m still trying to figure out how making it to the UK is going to work and what will happen there. It was sort of synchronicitious (word? of a synchronicistic quality) to meet a Scottish person here. And he’s a climber. And does yoga, too. And after a night learned about “Pele”, the community space and learning how to become a volunteer which I think I’ll do for the rest of my time here, I found out he used to do Aikido too. We’re exchanged contact information and he said when/if I make it to Scotland, I can stay with his “mum” (as they say in that part of the world) for dinner if want a place to go. I think we’ll be meeting up again soon... I’ve always wanted to know a Scot, and I’m looks like that is happening which is really something.

Okay, this isn’t going to be as uber-long as the last one. The frequency of these writings seem to not be happening as much as I thought, but I want to try and keep to the lengths. I know people are interested in following this, but I also want to make it work with people’s limited time, not against it. And so I’m going to take a minute to sit here in front of my laptop, close my eyes, breathe... and be with the where I’m at and how the last month has been here. Then I’m going to open them, and like I did last post/entry, start writing out some images and moments of the last 4 weeks in this city and what I’ve seen and experienced here. And then I’ll finish it off, and you can all go back to living your lives. Which, I hope, is going alright, wherever you are and whatever it is your experiencing. All of it.

Okay. I’ll start with what just happened, as it does about if not everyday in the mornings, and go from there:

A man yelling outside my window coming from the garage body shop down below, which seems to be happen at exactly 9am throughout the week, who’s words are still unintelligible to me. Something like “bira shratav hestratif! Behema destrev asafif!” Again, not that but maybe close to it. Its muffled and not that clear, but I can’t make out any Hebrew words I know. If anything it sounds more Arabic. Who knows.

Walking down through the neighborhoods of Montefiore, the area of Tel Aviv I live in here. Loud and noisy filled streets or honking and buses are not too far away to one side, the main Ayalon highway (route 20) a few streets to the other side, but here it’s relatively quiet and nice. Residential apartment buildings alongside with auto body shops, mechanic garages, an office building or two, an AM:PM (the 24 hr convenience store here, sort of like Israel’s 7-11 or C-Stop), a music store, synagogue, and some other corner stores, cafes, and food places.

Bus Stop at HaChashmonaim, Hamesger, and Derech Manachem Begin, always different people, a diversity I only somewhat expected to see here:

- Middle-eastern-looking young men of different build more often than not very fit and athletic looking, in T-shirts and jeans around my age, maybe sunglasses, very short hair maybe some facial hair, usually not a lot of it. Also more “white” looking men, that is more “Ashkenazik,” or Jews of European, as opposed to those more middle-eastern “tsefardi” or “yemenite” in background.

- Israeli women of all heights and ages, seemingly from my own, (20s) all the way through 30s and 40s, less commonly older, in anything from professional business clothes to light dresses to jeans and blouses and t shirts as well. And its hard not to walk the streets of Tel Aviv for more than a few minutes and not see an attractive woman somewhere around you.

- Occasionally a religious Jew, either wearing ordinary clothes with a kippa, maybe tzit tzit, and sometimes too dressed fully in black and white as is often the way of the very orthodox here and elsewhere in the world.

- To put it descriptively, “black people.” That’s the term an American would use, because that is who they most resemble from our own culture and country. That is, both men and women, usually young or middle-aged, who look very much of African descent because, well, they are. Though they are a wide range of black people here, from all different countries of origins and appearances too. Some are Ethiopian Jews who came here for refuge, though because I’m close to south Tel Aviv, which is very much an immigrant area, many came for jobs as migrant workers from places in Africa such as Eritrea, Somalia, and other places. Apparently their are some tensions with this minority and the the majority of the population of Israelis there.

- Bicycles, with any of the previous demographics, riding by all the time.

- And motor-scooters, too. So many damn motor-scooters. It’s very characteristic of Tel Aviv, I’ve seen. They’re everywhere. Its a little ridiculous. More so are the little scooters people ride around on everywhere, where upright handles and all, on the sidewalks. They’re like as common here as long boards in California.

All of those types of people could be seen at the closest bus stop 5 minute walk from the dojo where I live, where the main streets of Hamesger and HaChashmonaim and Derech Menachem Begin all converge in one place, a hub of sorts.

There’s so much else I could write, but it’d take hours. Pages and pages of descriptions, let alone if I want to write reflections on it. I can tell you about the night I walked down Meir Diezengoff street, full of its well-known Tel Aviv night life of cafes and bars and stores open until really late, maybe 2, 3am.

It was like 9, 10pm and I walked alone passed countless restaurants and food places packed with young Israeli’s crowded at outdoor tables watching the world cup and eating and drinking together, and then looking over and seeing a homeless man laying with his head away from people on the pavement behind a bus stop with a box in front of him for money. I remember looking at this and stopping myself to see it and feel it, because I realized that although I noticed and it did effect me, there was a thought of acknowledgement and empathy but not deeply felt compassion... which is what I think people like that need most... not the ignoring and not looking that most people do to have it not ruin their night out, but still not where I know I to be and exist from in this world.

I recall looking at him asleep there, and this beautiful girl walked by with a friend, and buses flew past, and the air had cooled off because it was evening and was full of activity and sound of people having a time, and there I was walking alone, so much where I wanted to be doing in my life, but also with a “hole in my soul” to quote that song, which I hope and believe soon will be finally taken care of as well. As I walked on I saw two religious Jews next to each other on a bench, intensely conversing, while girls overly dressed up to go partying walk by in tall heels, and others, others, so much stimulus, so much humanity, so much dichotomy of both the lively and exciting and sad and painful and for me, freedom and as some know its occasional companion, loneliness.. is there too.

All part of this existence on earth, now in the 21st century, as people in this world. It’s not all good. So much of it is, and I’m experiencing that more and more. And here in Tel Aviv, this urban center in the middle of the opposite side of the planet from home in the United States, I’m developing myself to really be able to sustainable and with centeredness and well-being navigate it all, right now and when I return home, into and through the future.

To finish off I’ll say this, somewhat in reference to my comment in the last paragraph; if things happen the way I hope, not only will I be cultivating the abilities I am here with being an Uchideshi of centeredness, focused mind, open and relaxed but alert body, and embodied awareness and intent, but also find someone and people to open my heart again. That’s the one thing that’s missing from this picture, and there are possibilities there. I sense it happening soon. Maybe. Possibly. For sure maybe.

Hope you all are having an okay time back home. My parents reminded me recently its the 4th next week there. I hope you find a way to not just have a great time but develop in someway, even work on as some of the language is the Sensei’s words here, “evolve”. The idea of really working with life, and conflict, our experiences good and bad and neutral, and ourselves.. and developing into better and better humans, both for our own well being and longevity, but for that of all people in our lives and the the ones we continuously encounter throughout our days and weeks through time.

Final note: I am immeasurably grateful and appreciate to have the opportunity to do this trip and experience what I am here. I am from time-to-time aware, as I focus on the intensity of my training and self-development, that most of the people in this world will never have an opportunity to do something like this, even if they really wanted to and it could be really something for them and their life, too. It’s either because of time, or money, or both. I think of all the people I pass on the streets, everyone going to work, here and back home. I think of people from all classes back in the States, both the 40 year old working class parents who work two jobs just to pay the rent, or the more middle-class and affluent ones like my own parents and background, who might live more comfortably but only at the cost of non-stop working, frequent stress, and not a lot of time for themselves. I think of all the people pursuing advance degrees and further education, from people my peers, millennial in and finishing graduate school, in academics or in trade schools trying to secure financial security and a reliable future.

I from the soldiers my own age on the streets everywhere here, in uniform and looked very much like ordinary kids- kids, listen to me. They’re younger than me, that’s clear. They’re very much not kids though. 18, 19, maybe 20. They’re my sister’s age, and very much young adults. They are committed to this duty, and some of them might never live to be my age and live the rest of their lives. Most will. There are no wars happening here, only ongoing tension and conflict on and off. Still.. I thought of this as I passed a cafe with a few eating together yesterday not far from here.

All of this again makes me so fucking appreciate to be here. To be focusing on my being. So much of it is really honing my consciousness, making my my body supple, flexible, and even powerful, and the idea is in this process, create a form that is me that can handle anything, throughout the rest of my life. It’ll be an ongoing process endlessly, of knowing myself and who I am, and the world and other people, but this existential effort... to know oneself, and hone oneself too... it’s all about being more “on point”, as I and others sometimes call it.

This and hopefully soon more fully opening my heart to the vast array of emotions and human feelings that are possible that even now are still not really a part of my experience of life... it’s like that overused mission statement used these days, from the Y to other business and non-profits and education and medicine, somewhat cliche but based in truth so its actually valuable “for the body, mind, and spirit”.

If body is our physical form and its external strength and flexibility as well as internal processes and wellness, and mind is cognition and emotion, identity and personal history/memory/life story, as well as thought... I think “spirit”, or maybe “soul”, is that “somethingness” that holds it all together. It’s the ethos and life-force, the sort of half consciousness, half heart, that love and truth and connection come from, both our awareness of ourselves, and that which we base our ethics, and therefore our choices, on each moment of our lives. The reflection I’ll leave you with is this; I’m not in graduate school, and I’m not working. I have 2 jobs back home, but no career. And yet, I have a vision. I really believe now that if you strive to optimize and enhance your being, your spirit/body/mind connection of who you are, things can and likely will fall into place. To be both fully in life, and in yourself, integrated and focused and open and with intent, is to be really alive and in touch with things. From there, each conversation is valuable, each time you’re with someone it has meaning, and each breath is “life-spirit” entering your lungs and blood and running through you with all the molecules of energy and sustenance from the environment and earth itself.

Alright, I’m really finishing now. Breath. It’s so important. Breath. Breathe. Inhale, exhale. “Life-spirit” might be a poetic term I just came up with in writing, but there is more truth to it that most realize. It is the difference between going through your days, and really living. Being. It nourishes your internal organs, and opens your body, if done right and full as often as possible. It can clear the mind and help navigate emotional states and feelings of all kind. It can return us to center.

It is the only link between the mind and body that is both voluntarily, and involuntarily controlled. It is the foundation of meditation practices, though you never to meditate to know its truth. If you can’t having a sitting practice or do yoga, or even if you do, make life your meditation.

Breathe. It’s the link. When you, I, we, are with it... we’re really there. Here.

Josh Berson, alonaryk.

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deadcactuswalking · 4 years ago

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REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 06/03/2021 ("BED”, Digga D, Kali Uchis)

It’s finally a really short filler week on the UK Singles Chart but not one without its importance as we’ve got some real interesting stuff to talk about this week, even if there are only six new arrivals. Olivia Rodrigo’s “drivers license” is at #1, and whilst I may not be able to post this on Twitter because I’ve been locked out – don’t ask why – this is still REVIEWING THE CHARTS.

Rundown

So, a lot of our debuts are gone, including “test drive” by Ariana Grande as well as other bigger hits dropping out of the UK Top 75 – which is what I cover – including “Burner on Deck” by Fredo featuring the late Pop Smoke and Young Adz, “i miss u” by Jax Jones and Au/Ra, Taylor Swift’s re-recorded “Love Story”, “Before You Go” by Lewis Capaldi, “Shallow” by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper and “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran. There are also a handful of fallers across the chart like Fredo’s continued drops as “Money Talks” with Dave is at #28, “Let’s Go Home Together” by Ella Henderson and Tom Grennan off of the debut to #34, “Love Not War (The Tampa Beat)” by Jason Derulo and Nuka at #36, “34+35” by Ariana Grande at #40, “Good Days” by SZA dropping hard with the streaming cut down to #46, “Mixed Emotions” by Abra Cadabra at #54, “Watermelon Sugar” by Harry Styles at #60, “Didn’t Know” by Tom Zanetti off of the debut to #68, “Siberia” by Headie One featuring Burna Boy at #71 and “willow” by Taylor Swift at #72. What’s probably more interesting are our gains and returning entries, as for returns, we’ve got “ROCKSTAR” by DaBaby featuring Roddy RIcch back at #75, Wilkinson’s 2013 drum and bass track “Afterglow” featuring uncredited vocals from Becky Hill back at #74 for whatever reason, “Higher” by Clean Bandit featuring iann dior at #70 and “Goodbye” by Imanbek and Goodboys coming back strong at #59. Our gains are also pretty unique, as we have some second winds for “Looking for Me” by Paul Woolford, Diplo and Kareen Lomax at #67, “Loading” by Central Cee at #61 and “Roses” by SAINt JHN and remixed by Imanbek at #55. We also have a handful of climbers within the top 40, like “All You Ever Wanted” by Rag’n’Bone Man surging up to #33 off of the debut, which I’m pretty happy about as it’s a really good song. I’m less over the moon about “Little Bit of Love” by Tom Grennan at #27, “Believe Me” by Navos at #25 and finally, “My Head & My Heart” by Ava Max up to #19. There’s not much movement above that however, so let’s get into our new arrivals, starting with something I didn’t think I see here this soon.

NEW ARRIVALS

#65 – “SugarCrash!” – ElyOtto

Produced by ElyOtto

I love doing this show because I find out more about genres I’d usually tend to avoid. I’m not the most knowledgeable person about Afroswing or really, a lot of the house that ends up charting on the UK Singles Chart. I think I know my fair bit about at least the mainstream of a lot of the UK drill stuff, but what I really would consider myself somewhat specialised in is hyperpop. I’m probably too old to enjoy any of it as much as I do but that may just be why I have a connection to this overly online, digital scene of SoundCloud producers and rappers making pretty obnoxiously mid-2000s-influenced electropop, as it really does feel like a retreat to a simpler time with all of the angst of the emo-pop being made around the same time. The hyperpop scene and bubblegum bass as a whole has always felt inclusive, which I think is one of the main reasons why it’s big with teenagers nowadays, because there really isn’t much of a limit in the genre or at least the scope that we’ve found as of yet, whether it be integrating elements of ‘hexd’ or brostep or trance or what have you. Whilst companies may want us to be nostalgic for the 1990s, I think most people are taking a couple steps forward here, and it’s creating some genuinely great music – some of the time, at least. Hyperpop has birthed many SoundCloud-based sub-genres, or I guess micro-genres, including one of which being glitchcore, a glitchier, more off-the-wall brand of cloud rap with a lot of high-energy trap production and nightcore-esque pitch-shifting. I see some brands of infighting amongst people who listen to hyperpop and glitchcore seeing as glitchcore has arguably taken off a bit faster than other more electronic or pop-focused scenes, but I see that as evolution of a scene more than anything. 100 gecs sounds nothing like A.G. Cook, anyway, it’s pointless gate-keeping at this point, especially when TikTok gets their hands on this random kid from Canada. In a genre full of pioneers, this young Canadian guy’s debut single is what gains traction and for what it’s worth I’m happy for the guy but I’m not a fan of the song at all. This does feel like a parody if anything, with its fast-paced gecs impression and admittedly pretty ethereal synth patterns pretty drowned out by lightweight trap percussion and this ElyOtto guy who really isn’t a presence at all, especially if he’s going to pitch himself down and further into the instrumental on the outro... of a song that’s already only one minute and 20 seconds yet runs through two choruses and a verse, of which nothing really is said of substance. People like blackwinterwells and osquinn make similar music especially in terms of lyrical content but there is something to be said about their honesty and somewhat paranoid tones that creep in, whilst there’s nothing really emotionally convincing about this guy’s delivery or content, as while he may make the same semi-ironic references to self-harm, pain medication and Gen Z culture as they do, he doesn’t really have any tact and it feels overly self-aware to the point where I refuse to believe anyone outside of ElyOtto can really enjoy it fully. It makes perfect sense that this started off as a “short soundfont test” and really, it probably should have stayed that way. There’s a lot to be enjoyed in hyperpop but if this isn’t a satire and is a genuine attempt at approaching the scene, I’d be genuinely surprised. That said, his song “TEETH!” is legitimately good with the exact same length, so maybe I’m just full of it. Either way, I’m not a fan. Sorry.

#56 – “AP” – Pop Smoke

Produced by 808Melo and Rico Beats

Another posthumous Pop Smoke single, except this was actually recorded well before his death and probably finished before to boot, as it’s attached to a film, Boogie, that he will actually star in. With 808Melo on production, it’s guaranteed to have at least some hard-hitting drill production and, yeah, I mean, it’s fine. It’s got a pretty eerie vocal sample behind all the murderous lyrics and pretty busy drill percussion with some great 808s, even if it and the sample feels a bit too loud in the mix when Pop Smoke’s rich voice feels buried. It’s just gunplay, really, and a bit of flexing and references to his older songs, as he makes a call and it’s war and he’s off that Adderall. It’s sad that from now on, any material we get from Pop Smoke will be his leftovers and throwaways. That said, this is fine, perhaps a bit too long, and it could be worse – I mean, it originally leaked with a Rich the Kid verse, it REALLY could have been worse. Once again, RIP Pop Smoke and I hope 808Melo gets his YouTube channel back if he hasn’t already.

#50 – “Pierre” – Ryn Weaver

Produced by benny blanco, Ryan Tedder and Michael Angelakos

The UK Singles Chart is changing, and I think that’s what makes this such an interesting week as there is genuinely some stuff here we’ve never seen debut on the chart before – or anything like it – and that’s exciting to me. You probably know Ryn Weaver from “OctaHate”, a brief 2014 viral pop song written by Charli XCX and produced by Cashmere Cat that led to a debut album the next year and thanks to presumably TikTok, a deep cut from said album has now debuted in the top 50. Now I hadn’t heard of her before looking at the chart about an hour ago, so I can’t tell you much of anything at all about the California singer. I’m not really a fan of “OctaHate” but I do have a fondness for that janky electropop production from the mid-2010s – “Gold” by Kiiara is a hill I’d die on – so with production from Michael Angelakos of Passion Pit, I’d hoped “Pierre” would be pretty cool and, yeah, it’s pretty odd, actually. It seems like a pretty ballad but with a very fast-paced, raspy delivery from Weaver and some choppy production that soon tenses in the chorus and I’ve got to say, while I’m not 100% on the mixing, I can get behind the concept here, especially with some multi-tracked vocals from Weaver. The song itself is about trying to run away from her feelings for a lover that never really went away, particularly as she hooks up later with a man called Pierre who speaks in broken English, which gives a lot of reason for the tense pace of the song, even if that is undercut by the production being muddy and awfully willing to kill its momentum in the outro as there’s never really a proper climax. That said, it’s fitting for that final line, “I’ll come around”, which can be interpreted as about moving on or complacency – just coming back to that guy after years of searching for someone else. I do like this – or at least what it’s trying to do – but I feel like it’d enjoy it more with less clutter, particularly in that chorus, which could really elevate this but as it is, it’s fine.

#45 – “telepatía” – Kali Uchis

Produced by Albert Hype, Manuel Lara and Tainy

Okay, so alt-pop all the way from Latin America, that’s also a first... except not really, as ROSALÍA has charted before, if only off of the back of Billie Eilish. Regardless, this is a really high debut for a global hit from Colombian-American critical darling Kali Uchis, someone I’m always glad to hear from. Admittedly I did not check out that last project that was a return to a lot of the Latin American music, including reggaeton, she took early influence from. That debut studio album is mostly an English-language neo-soul record so I appreciate the risks taken, even if I personally didn’t check it out. I probably should though, because this bilingual streaming success “telepatía”, is pretty damn smooth with some of the signature fuzzy keys you’d hear from any Kali Uchis song, somewhat reminiscent of Tyler, The Creator in all of the elegant piano ambiance and soul drums that cut the line thin between live and programmed, but sound quite either way. I especially love the flushes of Latin guitar in the chorus but really, Uchis’ silky voice is what shines here, especially in the subtle, seductive double-tracking and how smoothly it switches from Spanish to English. It’s not perfect, I mean, the transition from chorus to second verse and back again is somewhat awkward, and it does feel like it runs a little short. I was honestly expecting a guitar solo or something but we get very little of anything after that final chorus. Given that I know Tainy mostly from his work with J Balvin – and I’ll admit, also mostly from his work on the Sponge on the Run soundtrack – I’m pretty pleasantly surprised with how this has meshed together and I do really hope this sticks around.

#23 – “Bluuwuu” – Digga D

Produced by Glvck

We didn’t get an album bomb from Digga D, bless the Lord, but we did get this one single and... do American rappers make genuine death threats on their top 40 singles? Just wondering, because this has several references to rival gang members and how he’s going to hurt them in one way or another. That would be fine if it were convincing, but this guy really isn’t, especially if he’s going to do the silly “bluuwuu” ad-lib in the chorus over one of the least interesting drill beats I’ve ever heard. The 808s don’t slide notably, the percussion is like a template and there isn’t any energy to this... which is fine, because it’s very much just about gang violence, half of it censored. That said, it crosses the line from intriguing detail to possibly too detailed in a way that’s just unwarranted over a boring beat and with the tendency to go off-topic with his flexing ever so often. I’d probably rather listen to the posthumous Pop Smoke single over this if I had to choose, at least that beat is, you know, good.

#20 – “BED” – Joel Corry, RAYE and David Guetta

Produced by Giorgio Tiunfort, New Levels, David Guetta and Joel Corry

I thought these guys were literally famous for just being producers, why does a song by two producers need two extra producers and if it really needs them, why aren’t they given a lead artist credit as well? Oh, right: name recognition, even though neither Corry or Guetta have ever made anything worth recognising. This song with RAYE, personality-void guest singer, relies on the line, “I got a bed, but I’d rather be in yours tonight”, because it’s a sex jam in one way or another, even though there are no stakes to that chorus line at all. Yes, I know RAYE has a bed; she probably sleeps very comfortably on it. She probably bought it from Premier Inn. Maybe they were having a sale. There’s no point in clarifying that you have a bed – in fact, a more interesting lyrical turn would to maybe bring some stakes into it by saying that RAYE does not in fact have a home, and the intimacy with unnamed man keeps her afloat in times of hardship. This is really just me stalling because this may be our highest debut but that does not mean it’s worth talking about. “BED” doesn’t really do much more than it’s supposed to. It’s got some vaguely 90s keys, fake hand-claps, a checked-out performance from RAYE and an anti-climactic deep house drop. Do you care? Does that description make you want to hear it? It’s not a negative critique, it’s an unbiased description of what happens. Are you intrigued with that? Do you want to check this out? This’ll go top 10 next week because of the music video, but God, this is just soulless, and that’s coming from someone who talks almost purely about the pop charts. I do like the post-chorus vocal melody for what it’s worth, but, yeah, no, I don’t care.

Conclusion

I don’t even care enough to give it Worst of the Week, as that’s going to “SugarCrash!” by ElyOtto with a Dishonourable Mention for Digga D’s “Bluuwuu”. Best of the Week should be obvious as Kali Uchis’ “telepatía” is the only good song here, but the Honourable Mention I guess goes to the late Pop Smoke for “AP”, even if that’s mostly because of 808Melo on the production. Here’s this week’s top 10:

I predict a lot will change next week, as we’ve got new songs from Justin Bieber, James Arthur, Bruno Mars (with Anderson .Paak!) and an EP from Drake... follow me on Twitter @cactusinthebank if you want in the event that I can use that again, and I’ll see you next week for that snoozefest.

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geimei · 7 years ago

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Hi ! Just a quick question... it's about umechie of umeno okiya in kamishichiken, I was very curious as to why she still wears a kanzashi bridge in her hair, even though she's the most senior maiko in her district (and even girls junior to her aren't wearing it anymore) I don't know why but I found this quite interesting, also she hasn't started tying her obiage and I'm worried that maybe she won't become a geiko, also if you could give us any details about her career than that'd be great :) !!

That’s a question that has been discussed by several people before, and there was a small “discussion” going on on missmyloko’s blog just yesterday, and there is no conclusive answer. The fact that she’s wearing a kanzashi-bridge is even more confusing when you realize that she had already been wearing a kushi instead of a kanzashi-bridge in June and July and seems to have gone back to it in September or October.

Maiko in Kamishichiken start tying their obiage about a year prior to their Erikae and Umechie had her Misedashi on the 2nd of October 2012, so she has been a Maiko for over 5 years and 1 month, so it seems like it’s about time. She can stay a Maiko until August 2018 max, because that’s when she’ll turn 22, the latest cut-off point for becoming a Geiko.

Why she still isn’t tying her obiage or went back to wearing a kanzashi-bridge, nobody outside of Umeno really knows, but it’s starting to make some people uneasy.

It was always assumed that Umechie was kept as a Maiko for longer because she was always very popular, looks very young and only turned 21 this August, and a person running a hostel in Kamishichiken also stated that she would have her Erikae this year. However, some people are starting to think that she might not want to have her Erikae, or that she might not be able to have it due to the financial situation of her okiya.

Umeno has been doing much better recently and apart from their successful Maiko Umechie and Umehina and newly-debuted Umetae, they also have a partnership with Toyota and Geiko Umeha and Umechika are still affiliated with them, so they do also earn some money for managing their engagements and finances. They have also bought a lot of new kimono and obi this past year, so they do seem to make profits.

It’s also possible that Umeno doesn’t have enough Geiko-ensembles to outfit Umechie for the 3 years max she will still be dependent on them after she would have become a Geiko, but usually the vast majority of okiya always keeps enough for at least one Geiko on hand, and if they could afford Maiko-kimono, they could also afford to buy some Geiko-kimono.

It’s also not impossible that Umeno doesn’t want her to have her Erikae, as okiya make significantly less money of Geiko than off Maiko. A Geiko can choose to how many engagements she goes to, while a Maiko can’t, and the okiya also keeps the bulk of what a Maiko earns, while it’s handled a little differently with dependent Geiko. Also, Erikae are very expensive. They need to pay for sashigami, uchi iwai, new geta, new hanameishi, gifts to ochaya and okiya they have ties with, a katsura (although I think the Geiko pays for it herself?) and maybe even a kimono and obi, depending on if they have enough (and many Geiko in Gion Kobu also pay for an ensemble themselves, as they’ll need their own formal ensemble within a year). That’s a big sum of money, and not every okiya is able to pay it or wants to pay it.

However, I really want to emphasize that these are just speculations, as no one knows what exactly is going on and I don’t want to make Umeno look bad or anything. We’ll just have to wait and see, as we have to so often. Umechie is definitely a very special Maiko to me and has always been one of my absolute favourites, so I really hope that we get some happy news from her soon!

#ask #umechie #umeno okiya #kamishichiken #karyukai #geisha #geiko #geigi #maiko #erikae

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tuchimuchibrainvomit · 7 years ago

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EPISODE 3:

Aloha, fellow Sakuga Seedlings!

Welcome to my case study series, Brain Vomit.

Name’s

Tuchimuchi Yoshinori – or just Tuchi…

And I enjoy animation. Especially animation from the eastern archipelago of Japan, also called “Anime”!

In this series, right here, I’ll be exploring Japanese Animation Production and enlightening this growing community and myself to the power they have in this expansive animated medium.

For today’s episode, I’ve chosen to discuss one of our most important topics that I’d love to talk about in great detail. And I want to be as sensitive and open-minded as possible, so please do not take what I say as any standard or absolute. This series is meant to enlighten, not to judge or criticize. But today, I want to discuss character design -- !!

I hear you, I do, but there is a reason why. Hold your horses, guys!

So, Character Design---We understand the basic logistics, yeah? A character design is simply that, how a character is designed. What aspects of the character give them individuality and what aspects help relate to the world/culture they live in.

Are they young? Old? Human? Furry? Tentacle Monster? Whatever.

These are just the basic ideas...

Character Design is something some people understand it well and others… not so much. I refrain from putting up examples of bad character design as not to offend anyone. But, often things can get lost, over done or just a bit... lacking creativity.

Hence why today, I want to focus on breaking down character design--and not Character Design in a broad spectrum, but Character Design with the Animators in Mind.

Animators in mind meaning...?

Oh yes, character designing for an animator -- streamlined, easy to animate consistently and efficient.

So. let’s start broad and narrow it down, to help reinforce the points I want to explore…”

Q: What makes good character design overall?

First of all, I hate the idea of “good” or “bad” character design. It’s less about being good or bad, as those are more opinionated, rather more of a design being “successful”.

Depending on your perspective, design can be merely the aesthetic choices or a solution to a problem. But in reality, it’s a marriage of the two.

A: Since this is more opinionated than definite and I am not a professional by any means. Based on a multitude of different opinions across the net and through some readings that I’ll like below, these are the main 5 factors that in my opinion make for a successful character design:

1.) Silhouette

2.) Aesthetic and Style

3.) Reproducibility

4.) Exaggeration

5.) Fungibility

Let’s break all of this down…

Silhouette: The most straightforward. A silhouette is the basic structure of your character, most easily expressed when put into shadow or overlaid with a color that gets rid of lineart and detail.

Let’s perform a -- Silhouette Test-- on some characters, which I believe are all well designed.

(Insert silhouettes here)

What is the Silhouette Test? It’s simple really, take a character -- or a bunch. And turn them completely black, a silhouette. I recommend choosing a pose or a model sheet where the action does not overtake or mask important parts of the design.

Ask yourself these questions:

-- Does your character stand up to the silhouette test?

-- Can you tell which is which in a crowd of silhouettes?

Yusuke Murata of One Punch Man remake and Eyeshield 21 fame is known for having interesting background characters in his work -- fleshing out his world a bit.

Now see if they stand out from each other and that of it’s contemporaries. If you can tell who a character is from the silhouette, congrats. You have the makings of a successful character design.

However, remember context is always important! Silhouette is not the end all be all.

Let’s try it out! Or better yet, let Extra Credits explain it every better with video!

youtube

(Check out their stuff! They have some great videos on Game Design)

There are many things that can help an artist create characters with different silhouettes.

For example:

-- Use different blocking shapes to build your character. Start simple and grow into complexity. Honestly, simple is always better.

-- Use the shadows of other objects to your advantage.

-- Study body types, I hear a collective group groaning--No. You can’t have every girl have the same huge boobs and not every guy can be a bara wet dream, if you want interesting and differing character designs, variation is very important -- OMNI-IMPORTANT -- even, let’s put ‘Omni” in front of it. This not a difference of opinion, this is just the basics of broad character design. I won’t name names, but many artists I love, realistically speaking, may not be good character designers--And that’s OK!

Build with shapes. Understand shapes and how they come across to the eye, I recommend this video by SuperEyePatchWolf to even go into that better than a couple of words from me ever could!

youtube

A bit of a tangent, but more my opinion: Here’s where Furry characters have a strong advantage, they can use animalistic features like ears, tails and muzzles and exaggerate them to make a more interesting silhouette without building up all this detail. Because I’ll be frank -- more detail to clothing and face without changing it’s shape is not gonna make your silhouette any stronger.

So when I see furry designs that are basic with just a lot of color or patterns, it doesn’t really work. As the silhouette test takes out the tertiary details and focuses on the form. If you’ve never heard of a sparkledog -- you are blessed.

Moving on!

Aesthetic and Style: This is where you get to get your creative side on. Be creative and show off your individuality! But focus on the character, think of their background and personality, make sure those are congruent to the world you are trying to build. This is where CONTEXT MATTERS!

Ask yourself these questions:

-- Do your characters have a distinct look? How does it compare to others with similar influences? How does it compare to my influences?

-- Can you tell what style is yours based on how they are drawn?

-- Does my character stand out from other characters I’ve designed?

-- Does my character's identity come through the basic design?

If so, then you passed! You probably have a strong aesthetic, and you may have also avoid plagiarism charges from other artists…

Seriously... I 100% understand having influences, but the “discount this artist” isn’t super appealing. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but at the same time -- most artists want to be seen for their individuality. Quite the double-edged sword. I recommend exploring yourself and your influences and expanding. Find new things in the world that intrigue you. Becoming better as an artist and designer is about exploring the world and yourself.

Always bloom proudly, as I like to say.

There are many things that can help an artist create characters with different aesthetic and styles.

For example:

-- Try understanding body differences and get creative with it. Life drawing. Life drawing is a necessity. Even if you cannot get into a class, sit outside and doodle people and their behaviors. There are plenty of sites with life drawing models with set time limits. I’ll put some links right here!

-- Understand character development. Understand your characters. A nerd probably wouldn’t have a suede jacket, a smug grin and greased back hair, unless the point of that character is dissonance of appearance and personality (And no, not all of your characters need to be this convoluted, most designs to speak for themselves. But in terms of audience expectations -- they should be able to tell some truth from a character’s appearance, Use those aspects in design.)

-- Keep your character simple before building complexity. Starting complex may leave you more in a rut than one would at first think.

-- Study other artists’ styles, study styles of art in general! You may find something that inspires your direction in design aesthetic.

-- And stay passionate about what you do. It’s very easy to compare yourself to others in a destructive way. I won’t be that guy that says “always be drawing” as sometimes we all feel unmotivated from time to time and that’s OK. That’s life. But keep your mind active and be aware of both the self and the outside world. In the age of the internet, it’s easy to forget what fresh air smells like.

I believe every artist has a personal style inside of them that they can use to split themselves off from their inspirations. But in my opinion, when artists begin to blend, it screams red flags about those artists’ potential being wasted -- so the harder you experiment and learn from reality, the better off you’ll be in the long run.

I know, I didn’t hold any examples here -- but there’s no way to define what is a good or bad aesthetic. It’s all subjective, so that’s up for you to discover.

Third,

Reproductibility: Can you draw your character easily -- as in like 5 minutes maximum? This is more of an animation perspective, but if you cannot draw your character over and over again in quick succession, you may want to rethink your design.

(Burnout is plenty possible in any situation. Simplicity is merely a way to keep things moving.)

Is your style easy to emulate, but unique? You may have a style built for animation -- but with that does come danger from plagiarists. I know, I’ve been talking about it a lot today. And while I have never had the first hand experience, I’ve observed the feelings and it’s not a positive one. Maybe it’s out of my own fears in that regard. Who knows...

Character design. It’s a balance, really.

Repetition is key. That’s why simple is always best.

Got it down? Then you can design reproducible characters!

Things that can help you design reproducible characters:

-- Find things that flow with your hands. These characters will be drawn thousands of times, you need to enjoy drawing these characters!

-- Keep things simple, but not too simple that it loses aesthetic and style.

-- Look at model sheets and understand them. These are not tours to drive you to their destination, rather guides to finding the path for you.

Yeah... Reproductibility... This one isn’t too long or complex. Anime, while a bit full of it’s own tropes, tends to have great character at its best. While they may differ from the manga they may be adapted from, it’s all for the sake of animation in the end. As decades go on, anime is only getting better on a technical level.

Simple, cute as hell yet badass in it’s own right! I have a bit of a thing for PreCure, especially Heartcatch PreCure! (This is Princess PreCure, don’t judge me!)

Moving on!

Next up: Fourth,

Arguably the most important in animation (as it is also a PRINCIPLE OF ANIMATION, see Episode 2 for more) is Exaggeration: This is how far your character can go before they become unrecognizable. No matter how they are drawn, you should know which character this is at all times. This is CRITICALLY based on the last three concepts.

How do I know if my character can be exaggerated well?

-- Keep your designs unique, reproducible and simplistic.

-- Learn about the basic animation principles.

-- Experiment, Experiment, Experiment! Get wacky with it, try drawing them in another person’s style. Can you still identify them?

-- Draw them in different poses and angles! You want to be able to draw them from any angle be it worms-eye, bird’s eye, dutch, over the shoulder... These are more filmography terms, but the point still stands. Animation is just film where your camera is imaginary and based around composition.

I may get some heat from this and there is a video that I’ll link that goes into pretty much all the points and go check out their stuff but -- Steven Universe while I love it -- does suffer from composition deficiencies... It comes off as if they cannot draw their characters from experimental angles and foreshorten well. There’s a reason why Mindful Education is such a successful episode composition wise -- Takafumi Hori is miles beyond the level of the Crewniverse in terms of raw animation skill and experience. Most high quality action shows take a lot of inspiration from anime in terms of composition because it set some lofty standards, which dates even further back to Asian action cinema then to American cinema and Disney.

It all comes back to Disney -- my mortal frienemy.

Anyway, got the basics down? Got your character take to the level that they can do anything in any way possible?

Then good, you can exaggerate your design because it’s very strong!

What if I need help exaggerating my character?

-- Don’t be so stiff. There’s a reason why Ash’s design was changed in Pokemon Sun and Moon! This is one of the major reasons why!

-- Imagine how they’d act in different scenarios… Now dial it up a notch! Get crazy! Artistic technique can be taught, but creativity and passion are talents! Animation is not for the faint of heart, but don’t give up if you feel the fire and desire in you! Chase it!! That’s why I’m here, encouraging more animators to flourish.

Lastly and an odd case,

Fungibility.

Fungibility?

Fungibility is the congruence and comparison between an outcome and the effort or resources put into it.

Think of a game for an example, let’s say Pokemon. This game is fungible to me in that the time I got out of it outweighed and exceed how much I put into claiming it. It was about $40-50 for Pokemon Sun and Moon and once the credits rolled and I reflected, I found it a worthwhile experience for how much I paid (and the effort the creators put into it to even have it exist on a shelf.)

It was Fungible.

How does this work in character design? Ask yourself this:

-- Do I like this character?

-- Do I love this character?

-- Do I love this character enough to put hours into drawing them over and over again?

If you said “Yes” to ALL of these, then you understand the fungibility of your characters and aesthetic.

There is no real way to define an individual’s fungibility in a concept or character design. It all comes down to learning about yourself and what you--yes, YOU, find enjoyable in your art. Most animation is made to make a buck--but great animation is made because you wanted to make it and enjoyed it.

That is what makes animation truly fungible.

Now, let’s take these broad concepts and narrow them down to an Animator’s perspective.

Imagine it:

You have to draw this character for a 12-episode anime, each episode 22 minutes working on an average of 24 frames per second (the number of drawing that make up a second of time is 24, but limited animation techniques allow many ways of working with this).

That’s about 31680 frames that you may have to draw this character. Which do you think will be easier and more flexible to be animated. If you don’t believe me, the Canipa Effect had a great video about it that I’m linking down here!

youtube

While both are designed for animation, if you chose the Sun and Moon design, then you better understand character design from an animator’s perspective. While subjectively, it may not be the most appealing (or you are clouded by a sense of nostalgia, which only dillutes creativity.) Thinking about it objectively, animation serves a purpose, even as small as being a stupid comedy or trying to tell a wholly intertwined narrative.

Opinions aside (I F**KING LOVE HIS REDESIGN) -- it is undeniable the success of Ash’s Sun and Moon redesign for OLM’s production of Pokemon. It shows in how the show is animated -- it is an animated series after all with many passionate staff members including Masaaki Iwane and Ken Otsuka to name a few.

Just watch the openings between each Generation.

Even if you think he “looks bad”, these are things to pay attention to and learn in Ash’s Character Design and its redesign:

-- What is the series trying to accomplish?

-- What has this series been notorious for?

-- What does this redesign change about that?

-- How successful has that been?

Character design to an animator is OMNI-IMPORTANT (there it is again, heh) hence why we are hitting this after Animation Principles -- because they need to be able to draw this character in any situation in any view, have them look cool while doing it and make sure that they understand the physics around the world this character lives in.

You may see people bring up poorly drawn in-betweens and the like during a critique of a new animation style (especially in Pokemon and Dragonball Super) but in those critiques, it is easy to tell the person does not understand how animation works. While having every frame be perfect is ideal, the focus in animation is not each still rather how they flow and convey movement. If you want fantastic stills read a comic. They are designed to look good when still.

When designing for animation, think of these:

-- How far can this character look off-model before it’s too much?

Let’s dip into that right quick. Off-model. The statement that a certain image or frame doesn’t match the model sheet. And in my opinion, it’s more contextual. For example, Naruto vs Pain... It may be off-model -- but it’s well animated... You love it or you hate it. But it’s important to understand it.

-- Have much can each piece be exaggerated?

-- What pieces are the most important to keep the overall design intact? This is where simplicity is important. You can warp a scene as a stylistic choice, but you know a character is strong that even when distorted, the character design is still clear. This ties back into silhouette.

The character designer has to be able to not only do all of this, but also know it from just a glance!

That’s crazy, right?

So, make sure when designing your characters for an animation screen, keep these things in mind.

Now then, what problems come from badly designed characters?

Well, let’s look from two design problems that are common in a lot of artists, once again, these are more my opinions than definite fact:

There is Over-Designing -- Where the character’s abundance of details not only make an animator’s job harder, but also shows terrible design sense.

And Under-Designing -- Where character designs blend without detail. Showing that there is not been enough detail in basic form to be unique.

What do I mean by Over Designed and Under Designed?

In simple terms, adding way too much to make a character stand out when the problem is on a design fundamentals level. This is often attributed to very erratic and complex clothing, patterning or other non-silhouette affecting changes.

Note: If characters aren’t supposed to look alike, make them look different. Just changing their clothes or hair without changing facets of their form and silhouette and saying from a stylistic perspective that these characters are very different is bad design. Period.

(I’m throwing the shade at you Negima, but you aren’t the only member of this trope... I honestly enjoyed you when you got to be an action series instead of a harem.)

Look up Six Face Syndrome for a more detailed analysis. TVTropes is an ally.

A good way to fix this is often the silhouette test. Try doing a base silhouette too, removing clothes and hair to the central design. How much is the silhouette different without the clothes and hair?

Now add the clothes back, how much has the silhouette changed?

Now add the hair, how much has the silhouette changed?

If the only differences are seen from the hair and clothes, you may want to rework your design.

Who doesn’t like swag though, but this shouldn’t be the only distinction between characters.

By Under Designed, the context is that not enough detail is there to make characters stand out.

This can often be from a lack of interesting silhouettes as well, but also can be from not enough detail. It’s definitely harder to under design compared to over design, but Six face syndrome is often a sign of Under Design. Once again, if I put up an example of a “bad design” it’d get too subjective...

I knew this episode was gonna be more dice-y...

OK. How can I work on characters that are under designed?

-- Look back at that Aesthetic and Style note from earlier. These are the essentials in adding the right things to an under designed character, taking them from bland and forgettable to great and memorable.

It’s truly a balancing act of not too much detail to become forgettable and frustrating to draw, but not too little detail to make characters blend in with each other.

My best advice is look at artists that truly have mastered this concept as well such as Character Designers in most well received anime.

For examples:

Sushio: Character Designer for Gurren Lagann, Panty and Stocking and Kill La Kill.

Toshihiro Kawamoto: Character Designer for Cowboy Bebop, Golden Boy, Noragami and Kekkai Sensen.

Chikashi Kubota: Character Designer for One Punch Man, One Piece Movie 6 and Robotic; Notes.

Akio Watanabe: Character Designer for the Soul Taker, Bakemonogatari and Popotan.

… And this is only scraping the tip of the iceberg.

All of these artist come in many shapes and forms from Sushio’s ability to exaggerate his designs, to Kawamoto’s realistic, sexy and cool designs, Kubota’s ability to make important features stand out and Watanabe’s soft and moe, yet varied designs.

But something important to notice is: ALL of these designers are veteran animators. So they understand what a design needs to both stand out and look well when animated.

Even in adaptations of existing manga, the Character Designers must be able to adapt characters that looked great in still images to look great in motion. Hence why illustrators and mangaka are most often NEVER Character Designers in Anime, but know that this is not mutually exclusive.

There have been a few healthy exceptions, i.e.) Shirow Miwa, character designer from Kiznaiver is an illustrator for the group Supercell.

“Well, I think that’s enough for one day…

Next week, I think I’ll take a break and just kinda relax a bit. I’ve been hella busy with adult life things. But I’ll be back at the end of the month with Episode 4. It’ll be a hefty one -- Where I can start diving into Sakuga and seeing how liberal I can get with “defining” tropes...

Ho boy -- why do I put this pressure on myself...?

ON THE NEXT BRAIN VOMIT!!

EPISODE 4: LIMITED ANIMATION -- THE BASICS, THE MASTERS AND THE STYLE OR I LEARN HOW TO CREATE ANIME SLANG FOR AN AUDIENCE...

I CAN EVEN DRINK SODA WHEN I WANT TO! JUST WATCH ME!!

Remember: Always bloom proudly,

– TUCHI OUT!!!

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