#now i am full of japanese food (and tea)

[sleep-nurse]

THE RESTAURANT WAS AWESOME I ATE SO MUCH GOOD JAPANESE FOOD,,,,,,also @zorbs64 's birthday gift came JUST IN TIME when we were leaving our house SO THEY FUCKING ATE WITH US TOO HEJKGHEHGJKEHJKHJKHEG

i will post pictures of that but i also wanna put this drawing she made here,,,,, i love you so much maddie /p YOU'RE THE BEST

[lurkingshan]

Japanese QL Corner

The fun continues with three currently airing gems, a new show entering the fray, and an animated story so good I am reading a manga to keep up with it. Four of these are on Gaga and one is coming to us via fan sub. Jump on in to the weekly watch, we're having so much fun and not feeling at all overwhelmed by the deluge of amazing content! *chuckles nervously*

Takara's Treasure

I continue to love this quiet little show. This week I desperately wanted someone, anyone, to answer Taishin's earnest questions. He is doing his best to figure this out but no one is helping him! I like that despite wanting him to figure out his feelings for himself, Takara continues to reach out to Taishin to let him know his attention is welcome. This week we also met Emiri, an instant fav who taught Taishin all about stanning. I appreciate that this show joined other recent jbls in making a clear distinction between being a stan and being in love. Real love is not fanaticism, and the former is what Takara seems to want from Taishin--once he's ready.

I Hear the Sunspot

Ugh this show just gets me right in the heart. As I hoped, we got to sit with Taichi this episode as he worked through his confusion and worry about Kohei. It makes sense for Kohei to back off in the wake of his ignored confession, and it also makes sense that Taichi didn't hear him (metaphorically). And even after having it repeated in a way he can't misunderstand, he still doesn't know what to do with it. He just knows he likes Kohei and wants to be around him, and he seems okay with just leaving it at that for now. I loved, too, that we got to spend time with Kohei as he's coping with his worsening condition and get to know his mother, who is a delightful person who loves Taichi just as much as her son does. I'm so glad we are getting to see this story told properly in full in such a great adaptation.

Ayaka is in Love with Hiroko

Finally, the truth!!! Ayaka is a menace and Hiroko is fighting for her life. Like hanging out with a niece, my ass! Most of the office misinterpreting Ayaka's behavior as crushing on Yuya instead of Hiroko continues to be hilarious, as are all Hiroko's friends trying to push her to cross the line. I was sad to learn that Risa has her own unrequited love going on; I want all the girls to end this story happily! I did love their conversation about identity, and that the show gave some space for Ayaka to consider whether lesbian is the right label for her. Checking out the lesbian bar together was a great way to test things out, and I was dying at the other girls hitting on Ayaka. Can't wait to see what happens next now that Hiroko has no more denial to cling to.

Mr. Mitsuya's Planned Feeding

Shoutout to @isaksbestpillow for picking this show up, because it’s an instant fav! Ishida and Mitsuya are fantastic characters, and man are they GAY. This is a food drama and a story of queer men of different generations seeing something unexpected in each other and forming a surprising bond. I was pleasantly surprised by how immediately the attraction and sexual tension arrived in this story, and I want to know so much more about Mitsuya and why he seems to be holding a desperate sadness alongside all his wisdom about life. Very excited to see these two nourish each other. You can find Sirii’s subs here.

Twilight Out of Focus

I don't watch anime (do not @ me, many have tried), but @bengiyo liked the story for this one enough that he told me I can’t skip it, so I am reading the manga along with the show. And I gotta say, I loved this first story with Mao and Hisashi (this is a multi couple series so not sure how the next one will go). Ben is on vacay so I'm tagging @twig-tea to talk about the episode that aired this week.

[esamastation]

Shizuroth, part ten.

(previous parts: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine)

-

So much for his day off! Well, maybe expecting to get a day off so soon into a new transmigration was a bit of a big ask, but still - he'd been geared up for a day on the couch, catching up with his emails and reading through the whole tutorial section on his phone!

Which, it turns out, was actually useful once you got past the glaringly obvious and downright condescending parts. It actually explained to him where to pick up the orders he'd been making - and he'd learned a whole bunch about the SOLDIER program and the Wutai war and stuff like Materia. Very useful, and he was only halfway through it - he'd gotten distracted by the mailing lists, which were actually really interesting! Very informative in the terms of lore!

There was so much to catch up on, and he'd been looking forward to a whole day of reading and meditating, now that the Feng Shui wasn't quite so rancid. If he'd known he'd end up having guests, he would've put on some actual clothes too! 

Ugh, he would really miss the convenience of having disciples. Having a barrier between himself and guests let him make himself presentable, whenever his me-time got distributed. Never mind he could just tell them, no, this master isn't accepting visitors at this time, and they'd politely sent them away without him having to do anything! So useful! 

And now he's here, inhabiting a Big Bad - reduced to making his own tea and everything.

"What are you doing?" Genesis asks, watching him dubiously.

Isn't it obvious? "I am making tea," as you should be able to tell, from the tea pot!

His guests share a pointed look, and he suppresses the urge to roll Sephiroth's eyes. Like he can't see them. 

"Here, let me help you with that -" the big beefy one, Angeal, begins to say, only to stop at his scoff.

"If your tea making abilities are on par with Genesis, no thank you," he says in a tone that probably has too much Qing Jing Peak Lord and not enough One-Winged Angel in it. "I got it."

"What's wrong with my tea making?" Genesis asks. "It's tea. You dunk it in hot water until it becomes brown, and then you drink it."

Genesis-bro, you're lucky it's not Shen Jiu you're facing - you'd be wearing the tea. "Hm," the version of Shen Qingqiu that is there answers wryly and pours the first cup into the sink before carrying the pot and cups to the kitchen table.

Note to self - trays, he needs at least one tea tray.

There's an awkward, confused silence as he serves the tea. "Apologies for the lack of snacks," he says and adds, pointedly, "I wasn't expecting company."

"You never are," Genesis mutters, giving his teacup an aggravated look.

"Thank you, Sephiroth," Angeal says and accepts the cup. It looks tiny in his hands, and he doesn't seem to know what to do with it. "Is this… a Wutai practice?"

Hell if he knows, though seeing as Wutai was a sort of mishmash of Chinese and Japanese aesthetic, they probably had some kind of tea culture.

"Perhaps," he says and sips his tea. "So, what can I do for you two?"

Another look shared between them. They sip their tea and then look insultingly surprised when it's not awful.

"...I heard about what happened in the labs," Angeal says, turning the cup in his hand. "Genesis told me. Are you… alright?"

Well, his core is still a puddle of cement, and by his estimation it will be weeks of cultivation before he can work on something useful. He's stuck in the body of another villain doomed to die - and resurrect, and die, and resurrect, and die… but at least it comes with a built-in excuse for inconvenient amnesia plots! This world still doesn't have the internet - but it has fast food and online shopping! He still has a wallet full of hefty, big numbers! And, one can't forget, he's an incredibly hot beefcake of a man, strongest in the setting… at least until Cloud Strife would come along!

Compared to Shen Qingqiu, Sephiroth doesn't have much to complain about. At least he doesn't have to look forward to being torn limb from limb and tortured to slow and agonising death!

He thinks briefly of Binghe and then shakes his head.

"I'm fine," he says.

Another shared, pointed, knowing look. 

"You know that's not going to cut it, right?" Genesis says, setting his cup down. "Have you figured out how much you've forgotten?"

Everything and nothing. Once more.

Awkward.

"Sephiroth," Angeal says, looking at him seriously. "We're here to help you. Please, trust us - it's our duty, as your friends, to help you."

The man looks and sounds a lot like Yue Qingyuan in that moment. Sans the guilt and indulgence, but the vibes are very familiar. And, like with Yue Qingyuan, they kind of rub him the wrong way.

"Pretty sure friendship isn't supposed to be based on duty," he says, giving the man a look.

"Well, it's quicker and easier to say - and a little less likely to give you hives than the actual truth," Angeal points out.

"... Which is?"

Angeal dons on a very serious and very sincere expression. "Sephiroth," he says. "You're our friend, we're your friends, and we care about you. We're worried about you. Please believe us, we're here for you."

He instantly recoils away from that utter anime bullshit, and then glares as Genesis laughs at him. It's just so - ugh! "Next you will be telling me with the power of friendship I will regain my lost self," Sephiroth mutters. "Or that the first step to healing is accepting I have a problem. What is this, a damn intervention?" Oh, shit, maybe this is the Kingdom Hearts version after all!

"Goddess, don't give him ideas!" Genesis snorts. "His lectures are bad enough already!"

Angeal looks a little relieved, for some reason, and leans back. "And so my point is made," he says, satisfied, and folds his arms. "And my question still stands. Are you, really, alright?"

Ugh. "I feel fine."

"But are you? Are you fit for duty? If they send you to Wutai, will you be alright?"

Oh. Oh, that would be convenient, if he could use this whole thing as an excuse not to go! "If I say no, they won't send me to Wutai?"

Angeal frowns, hesitant.

"Oh, they'll still send you. But maybe not alone," Genesis says. "Probably one of us, or a bunch of Seconds, will be sent as your backup. But we'll still need to know what we might be covering you for."

He's not sure what that means, and it must show on his face, because Angeal explains. "If you, for example, have forgotten certain protocols… whoever goes in as your second will need to know when to step in."

Oh. "That seems…" he's not actually sure. Kinda bad? "If I don't know the protocols, then I shouldn't go, surely?"

"Oh, to see the day when reason and logic will find footing in Shinra military," Genesis sighs and shakes his head. "You could've had your brain completely fried, and they'll still send you, so long as you can still fight. Hell, they'll send you just to look pretty, even if you can't!"

… well, great, that's just great.

Angeal looks worried. "Can you still fight?"

Fight? Yes, probably. Fight like Sephiroth? Hmm…

He looks at the sword in the stand, now placed strategically so that it directs the room's energy properly. It has at least half a metre on Xiu Ya, and it's curved besides. And, obviously, it's not a spiritual sword.

"Perhaps we should find out," Genesis suggests, a gleam in his eyes. "Right. Who's up for sneaking into the company training room?

-

SY of the Wife Beam: oh no, Anime Friendship Speeches, this is so unrealistic.

[kenkaodoll]

Kamiya Dojo Monogatari Tale 77 (JUMP SQ 24/06)

About Kamiya Dojo Monogatari:

Tales of Kamiya dojo is written by Kaoru Kurosaki and published along with the “Rurouni Kenshin Hokkaido” arc in JUMPSQ. The tale involves the Rurouni Kenshin character in daily life that takes time between Kenshin and Kaoru marriage until the epilogue chapter in the original manga before the Hokkaido Arc. Until this month (May 2024) there are a total 77 chapters in Tales of Kamiya dojo. This is an unofficial translation. 

Previous Story: https://www.tumblr.com/kenkaodoll/747021286034849792/kamiya-dojo-monogatari-tale-76-jump-sq-2405

“Hey! Your wife and her student are helping. As a husband you should help too!” Mikio threw an apron to Kenshin.

“Oro!” Kenshin accepted the apron thrown to him with a confused expression.

“I’m really sorry…”, Tsubame apologized deeply from her heart, she looked really sorry.

“If you help us, you don’t need to pay for the tea and sweets you had earlier,” Mikio oppressively said to Kenshin and went to help the customer who wanted the rabbit.

“What am I supposed to do?” Kenshin pondered, first he tied the apron that Mikio had thrown to him. Kenji was still secured on his back, so he could put on the apron with ease. 

“Oh my, Kenshin is going to help too?” Kaoru called out

“I was told that if I help, I don’t need to pay for the food.” 

“I'm glad to hear that!”

“Ah!” Kenji, who was on Kenshin's back, also raised his voice.

“Kenji also looks excited. But even if he's a good boy now, I don't want him to get upset.” After pondering a bit, Kaoru left the building and led Kenshin to the waterway at the back of the building.

“Here you can wash the tea cups and the plates that our guests have used.”

A washing area was built beside the waterway. This was a place for the people who lived in the neighborhood to share.

“Wash the dishes, that I should?”

“Please use this,” Kaoru handed something round to Kenshin.

“The western teacups are white, right? So if you don't wash them one by one, the tea stains will stand out. And also, Western pastries are made with dairy products, so I hear that it is hard to remove the sticky stains if you don't wash them carefully.”

“Is it like that?”

“When we started preparing the Rabbit Cafe, Usagawa-san told us about it, and I was surprised.”

At that time, it was not common to have a convenient indoor water supply system where one could just turn on the faucet and water would come out. Nor was it customary to wash dishes with detergent and a sponge. After finishing a meal, one would fill the bowl with hot water, rinse it, and then dried it before putting it away in the box.

“Imported goods are handled differently from Japanese goods, I see.”

“Please take care of it then.”

“I got it.”

“Da—” 

Smiling at Kenshin's approval and Kenji's good response, Kaoru flipped up the hem of her dress and walked back into the Western-style house.

In turn, Shino came with the dishes to wash.

“Oh, Kaoru-san's husband.”

“I was asked to help, that I am”

“Au—”

Kenshin and Kenji slightly bowed to Shino.

“I'm sorry if my husband was rude.”

“No, no, everyone is busy, we should help each other, as we are”

“I'd appreciate it if you said so,” Shino smiled bitterly. “He’s going to be a father soon, so I need him to be firm, but it's hit-or-miss,” She grumbled and handed Kenshin a tub of dishes.

“Well, please take care of this.”

The cafe was busy, so Shino quickly went back inside.

“It's quite a lot, isn't it?”

“Aua—!”

Kenshin earnestly washed the teacups while exchanging some not-so-conversational words with Kenji on his back.

Because it was probably an expensive imported teacup, He could not let it get damaged or broken. Even if it takes a little time, he was careful and finished washing the teacups thoroughly.

“Here, there’s more!” Shino came again with a bucket full of used tea cups.

“Oro? I already washed that many dishes, there‘s more?”

 “Many guests ahead, prosperous business,” Shino smiled at Kenshin.

“It must be very tiring to have to wash the dishes every time, that is it.”

“It can't be helped. The white skin of the teacups is easily stained, you know. Like a woman's skin, it should be spotless, shouldn't it?

“I see, is that how it is?”

“If it's too hard, I'll help you.”

“No, no, I can let a pregnant woman work at the edge of the waterway. It will make your body cold,” Kenshin gently refused Shino's offer.

“Well, please take care of this. One of the customers spilled tea on the tablecloth, so please wash that too.”

“Yes, I got it.”

Shino handed him the bucket, Kenshin took it with both hands, and then Shino quickly went back inside.

“It looks a lot more than before, that it is.”

“Na—”

From Kenshin’s back, Kenji suddenly grabbed the tablecloth that was placed on the top of the bucket. Both of Kenshin's hands were holding the bucket, and before he could even think about it, plop! Kenji dropped the cloth into the waterway.

“Oroo!”

“The tablecloth quickly flowed down in the waterway. Seeing this, Kenji laughed out loud and was very pleased with himself. But for Kenshin, it’s no laughing matter. He didn’t know a lot, but that tablecloth must be an expensive imported one. It would have been a disaster if he had lost it in the water!

Kenshin placed the bucket on the ground and approached the tablecloth which was running alongside the waterway.

The current was surprisingly fast.

And with Kenji on his back, he was afraid to enter the waterway.

Would he be able to catch up?

Kenshin looked at the terrain ahead of where the tablecloth was flowing.

There was a bridge over it.

If he could pick up the tablecloth using the bridge pier as a foothold, he would be able to retrieve it without entering the water with Kenji.

The question was whether Kenshin would be able to reach the bridge before the tablecloth drifted onto the piers.

“…”

Kenshin ran faster and faster.

The tablecloth drifted close to the pier...

Now!

Kenshin leapt and jumped onto the pier. With one hand on the pier to support himself, he reached into the water with the other hand to scoop up the table cloth that had drifted down.

He successfully picked it up!

Kenshin took a sigh and was relieved. He still remained attached to the piers with one hand, then he heard several people coming at the bridge.

“I wonder if anyone from the rabbit cafe will see us this far away. Then again, let's get down to business. Nagaoka-kun, give me the clay!”

Mikio and Suwa came over. And perhaps a few of Suwa's terrible fellows.

“Um… That's…” Mikio stuttered.

Mikio didn't want Suwa to think he’s a useless guy because he couldn't get a key mold on the clay. However, He didn't want to betray Usagawa, who had given him a position as manager in the Rabbit Cafe when he was unemployed, and Usagawa was also concerned about his unborn child.

“You went to the Usagawa residence yesterday, didn't you? You're the brilliant Nagaoka-kun, aren't you? Of course you were able to get the mold. There's no way you would fail at something like this, right?”

“…”

Before, if Suwa praised Mikio for his accomplishment, he would have been elated. This time, Suwa's praise did not bring him the elation that came with pride. Instead, he felt like he bit the dust.

“Put it here…” Suwa smiled and stretched out his hand.

“....” 

Mikio hesitated with a depressed look on his face.

“What's wrong with you? Give it to me!” Suwa moved his hand toward Mikio.

“…”

Mikio sighed and took out the clay, then slowly held it over Suwa’s palm.

“Don't be such a pompous ass,” Suwa smiled at him.

“...”

Mikio crushed the clay with all his strength just before he passed it to Suwa.

 “!”

Suddenly, Suwa's smile turned into a look of anger.

“What are you doing?” His tone was polite, but it was filled with a lot of anger.

“I can't do it… Even Suwa-san has asked me many times…” Mikio was pressured by Suwa's anger, but resisted.

“We don’t have any choice now. Then, we must make a surprise attack on Usagawa’s residence. A damn job! It’s your fault.”

“Can’t you stop the raid?” Mikio persisted. 

“Huh? What are you talking about now? It's a total waste of time. Since we're going to do the damn job anyway, let's just seal Nagaoka-kun's mouth right here and now, shall we?” Suwa signaled with his eyes to the fellows he had brought with him.

Two on the bridge. Three bouncers were on the road in front of the bridge, flanking Mikio and Suwa. Each was wearing a sword, and when they looked at Mikio with glaring eyes, clink, they started to loosen their sword slightly in the scabbard.

Kenshin, who had been listening to this scene under the bridge, jumped to the bridge railing.

“It's a very busy road, even in the middle of the day, and it's quite noisy, that is it.”

”!”

The sudden intrusion startled everyone.

Mikio knew Kenshin, but for the others, it was a babysitter with a wet tablecloth who suddenly appeared from under the bridge.

“What is it with you? Even a babysitter can’t be allowed to live after he knows about us. Everyone, come here! meet me!

 As Suwa gave the order, a large group of men appeared from the shadows of buildings everywhere. All of them had their swords ready and were filled with a murderous intent.

Suwa had originally planned to kill Mikio and had stationed a large number of people around this bridge to execute him.

Kenshin leapt from the bridge railing and swung a wet tablecloth from his hand at one of the bouncers on the bridge.

Notes:

…..to be continued in chapter 78….. https://www.tumblr.com/kenkaodoll/754631321416089600/kamiya-dojo-monogatari-tale-78-jump-sq-2407?source=share

TLnote(1): translating Japanese is so hard because the sentence structure is very different compared with English. Also the style of writing is different, plus there’s a lot of figurative, poetic language and things that don't make sense if it’s directly translated into english. So forgive me if this is very weird to read, and please tell me if you want to give corrections. 

TLnote(2) I will provide the original Japanese text for correction if any of you who read have better knowledge of the Japanese language. Just dm and I’ll send the file.

TLnote(3) Dtninja had translated some earlier chapters on his website. You can go and check on there

Read the rest of the story here: https://at.tumblr.com/kenkaodoll/kamiya-dojo-monogatari/5dqxxnmq29m0

[lisutarid-a]

[Gakuen K] Munakata Reisi Route Translation

A heap of red bean paste

LIST OF CHAPTERS

[Translation under the cut]

Saya: Munakata-senpai, I brough the documents from the staff room.

Munakata: Thank you for your hard work. I'm sure you have your hands full with so many documents. I'll get the door for you.

Saya: Thank you very much.

Munakata: No. It's a very good timing.

Saya: Eh?

Awashima: Hello, Konohana-san.

Saya: Awashima-sensei! Hello. C-Could it be, that you are having tea with Munakata-senpai?

Awashima: Yeah, I drink it with him from time to time.

Munakata: How about you? Revenge for the other day, I mean.

Saya: Is it okay?

Munakata: Yeah, of course. This time I also have some sweets brought by Awashima-sensei.

Saya: Wow, I'm looking forward to it. Please take care of me.

Munakata: …

Saya: (This is the second time I've seen Munakata-senpai making tea, but it's really beautiful…)

Saya: (So that's what they mean when they say "picturesque")

Munakata: …

Saya: (…)

Saya: (…I'm pretty sure the Japanese sweets that Awashima-sensei brought is that pile of anko (red bean paste))

Saya: (I wonder if Munakata-senpai eats bean paste…He surprisingly likes sweets)

Munakata: …

Awashima: Excuse me for starting to drink first.

Saya: P-Please go ahead!

Awashima: It was delicious.

Munakata: …Thank you for the compliment.

Saya: (The way Awashima-sensei drank tea was elegant and very beautiful…)

Awashima: Well… Now that I've had my tea, I'm going back to the staff room.

Awashima: Please eat the leftover sweets together.

Saya: Okay! Thank you very much.

Awashima: Now, if you'll excuse me.

Munakata: …

Munakata: Is this…for both of us?

Saya: Munakata-senpai? What's wrong?

Munakata: No, it's nothing. I'll prepare some tea for you, too.

Saya: Okay! Thank you very much.

Saya: (It's good to eat Japanese sweets before drinking tea. But how should I eat this…)

Munakata: Please take only the portion of sweets that you are going to eat on that plate.

Saya: Okay, I got it.

Munakata: There are Japanese sweets buried under the bean paste, so please do your best to dig them.

Saya: (Huh, that wasn't just bean paste!?)

Saya: Okay. Well then…Thank you for the food.

Saya: (Uhm! Sweet and delicious. This gonna be okay, even if the tea is bitter, it will leave a sweet aftertaste in my mouth)

Munakata: Okay, here is your tea.

Saya: (Em. Am I supposed to bow when they put the tea bowl on the table…?)

Saya: (…)

Munakata: …

Saya: (I feel like Munakata-senpai is looking at me all the time…I need to drink quickly)

Saya: …I-It was delicious.

Saya: (It was still a little bitter, but it tasted better than before)

Munakata: Fufu, thank you. By the way, how are your legs, they're not fell asleep, are they?

Saya: They're all right this time.

Munakata: That's good to hear. Well, then, your revenge was successful. Congratulations.

Saya: Thank you very much! It's all thanks to senpai who taught me so much.

Saya: (I still can't do it like Awashima-sensei, but I'm glad I didn't fail…)

Munakata: …By the way, do you like sweets?

Saya: Yeah, I do.

Munakata: I see... Well then, please eat.

Saya: Eh? You mean, all of it?

Munakata: Yeah. All of it. I already had some earlier.

Saya: T-Thank you. But I don't know if I can eat this much…

Munakata: You can take it back to your dorm. Ahh, you'll need a container to take it with you.

Munakata: I'll prepare it for you right away, please wait a moment.

Saya: (Senpai looks kinda happy…I wonder if he might not be a fan of anko)

[Prev chapter][Next chapter]

[poupeesdecirque]

Travel Blog Polaris Hamburg! - 14. October 2023

As another rather local-ish convention I decided to check out the Polaris in Hamburg this year. It's a travel of 2 hours by train but a rather convienent route with only changing trains once and I was in Hamburg quite often, therefore Ticket was booked for a day quickly even though I was going there alone with not knowing anyone there. I had some brief contacts who were supposed to be there but didn't end up meeting.

For the full day:

It started super early for me as - like mentioned - the travel time by train was 2 hours and I wanted to get there quite early as autumn break just started and I feared the trains would be filled to the brim (which would be turn out to be true later on). The overall ride was quite relaxing, I had time to read further into the book I started earlier this year. I went into the train in full cosplay as I didn't want to change later on, I didn't want to travel with a wig head and all that.

As I arrived in Hamburg gladly the dear mahein.design (insta) had spotted me in the train before and asked if we would go to the Convention location together, I was full on lost Allen mode and agreed. We took another train and walked a bit. Lost each other then though as he had to change into his cosplay attire and go through the weapony check, I just had Timcampy with me.

The first (of two) Halls I went to was the one with Muchi Markt - the food theme was all over here, you had different food vendors like Bubble Tea, Japanese Crepe etc, also the fitting stage to go with different workshops/events.

Then Valdhaym a roleplay/tabletop based part of the hall, merging with Neo Taki which had also a bigger stage for Quiz and Anime themed presentations. All over you had TONS of artists showcasing their work, no matter which themes, Anime, Manga, Series, Comic, Cute etc. you had different other Content Creators and Photographers, even a Stage for Just Dance performances, vendors with merchandise and pottery. it surely was a lot. Also there was the possibility to book Meet&Greets with bigger names of the german YouTube/Twich Community.

What I really loved was that you had SPACE to walk around even when a lot of people were around, the artists had space to move around, you always were able to navigate around.

The other hall had the Sandbox and the Cyberdome.

The Sandbox was all about gaming, they had vendors like Nintendo and Capcom, an exhibition about consoles and games, a fleamarket for games and more photo corners.

The Cyberdome was all about PCs, from Modding to anything else. They also had a Parcour you could use to show off your skills and a huge stage for the program. As you can see it was a lot of room.

The only downside I saw here truly was: there was only two (three if you counted outside) sanitary spots and ... you basically had to decide 30 minutes prior if you had to pee :') some more toilets set up outside would help greatly, especially if the day is sold out.

I mentioned photo spots! There were some set up like in the first pic here but also bit pop up spots and some were set in containers with differend themed to take photos at, that's a super cool idea! Sadly I didn't have a photographer with me therefore I skipped on taking pics there.

I was able to make some people smile with my Allen Cosplay and even able to talk a bit about the fact that the series is indeed still on going!

Also I'm very proud of myself to ask every cosplayer of DGM I came across for photos. You might now I suffer from severe social anxiety and usually need a safe person to push me forward. That's why I was a bit nervous in regards of attending the whole convention alone. Usually I get to a point in which I space out and then am overstimulated and it's just dead end for me, either mental breakdown or braindead.

But I managed super well. I went slow through the con, over and over again, taking breaks here and there. And I actually bought things I was eyeing for a while, commissioned a drawing and even bought food (yes that has been an issue too, like actually talking to people and ordering food, like a normal human? Gasp nope.).

My personal highlight and the first thing I got was this japanese crepe by Mimi's Crepe, a store I wanted to visit for a while and just had learned they would vendor at the con! What a great coincidence, they even had a convention special, with Matcha and Azuki Bean Paste.

The little foodie that I am I decided to try more later on, I am still super proud I ordered so much and just went for it. One is a falafel bowl with salad, sweet potato fries and Mango Chutney, as the serving was super small I got a Matcha Latte Bubble Tea as Desser, never had one with Tapioca, super chewy and fun.

With another 2 hour ride upon me I decided to head back to the train around 5 in the evening and said good bye to the convention, it was getting a bit empty anyways.

This time going back to the train station all by myself. Adventure underground here. Hah. but I remebered that line from a doll meet years ago luckily. It was easier than before as I arrived directly at the main station this time.

I had a few minutes left at the main station before boarding my train and wanted another little something .. I got a yogurt with berries but look at those pretty donuts. German Donuts are expensive af though and I felt like I only lived off sugar the day, therefore i only snatched a photo.

The train back was incredibly full... the security personell even dared to evacute the train if people wouldn't remove their bags from the seats (wtf why is that still a thing?) - I got a single seat at my first train.

Also we had another announcement which was "It's nice to know none of you likes to move but there is plenty of seats in wagon 5, 6 and 6! You know this is a train, it's hollow from the inside, you can walk through it" .. I had to laugh.

Drew a bit and enjoyed my little snack. Later as I had to change trains I stood next to a non german speaking family and their kid pointed fingers at me and laughed, I was seriously too tired to begin a fight against a full family but please teach your children some manners. Also kid: at least be brave enough to insult me in the native language of the country you are in. I have the courage to live my life to its fullest and walk around in a costume in a train full of people, I don't hide behind a full family to be an asshole about not understanding why people dress differently like you are used to see. No I tell people they should move aside and stick to the rules, even with severe social anxiety. Suck it up.

As I then changed trains I .. met Mahein.Design again and we shared the space in the other train, chatting along a bit until I had to get off. Thank you for the nice hour it was a pleasure to meet you! I also read and sketched a bit more.

[karmas-chameleon]

Vacation stuff time!

I'm now on the main part of my long vacation: a cruise! The trip to Istanbul was kind of just a detour lol

I don't have a lot of pics from yesterday since that was mostly just getting on the ship, but I do have stuff from last night's dinner which was amazing

This is the food I got, all four courses of it which I could barely finish even after offering bits of each to my family so I don't fill up too fast

I got a summer roll as an appetizer, and a duck and watermelon salad, and lamb, and a steamed ginger cake for dessert, and they were all so good

But

Somehow all of that wasn't the best part of the meal. This was:

I got a teapot full of white ginger pear tea. I have never had white tea before, so I dunno how good most of it is, but I can say without any exaggeration that this was the best tea I've had in my life, ever

It had an amazing flavor, and not only that, but it had this delicious aftertaste that would linger in my mouth for a good minute after taking a sip. I could just savor the taste of this tea for so long, and the only thing stopping me is that it would cool off faster than I could enjoy it like that

It was so good that I had my whole teapot, and some of my brother's, and started looking up where to buy it myself before I finished eating there

Anyway I managed to find it and here it is:

(also you can buy it on Amazon for even cheaper, it's like $40 a pound for a bulk container and I am absolutely buying that lol)

[nihkol]

Reflections on Life, 05/21/2024

I’m afraid of drinking my nightly catnip tea because somehow, just somehow, it’s going to propel me back into that murky state of unconsciousness, of unknowing, and then it’s suddenly lights on and repeat.

Sometimes it’s like I want to cry, but there’s a blockage somewhere – does anyone else feel like that? Like the tears are right behind a glass wall, you can see them piling up and you can feel the pressure against the glass on the opposite side. You watch the waves rise and ebb, rise and ebb, and suddenly it shatters-

Sitting in a dark room full of shadows. No light for miles. The last light left half an hour ago, speeding in a red Prius down the highway. Darkness again, for the next 18 hours in purgatory until a brief crack of pleasure appears just for me.

Is it worth staying for such a brief spark of life?

I wish I could stomach alcohol. I wish the water that just slid down my gullet burned and numbed the neural pathways working overtime in my brain. Somewhere in there, a little girl sits with her elbows on her knees, face buried deep. Silence.

I could dig up memories of hatred and longing just to feel something again. Just to break that glass, in case of emergency. The emergency is that I can’t let the tears go. They cling to my soul heavy, viscous, like maple syrup. Sweet in a sickening way.

Please, let anything numb the numbness away. Please let it be free. Drowning in a puddle of my own sorrow is better than letting it fester within, a malady of lostness. I look upwards, to the sky, and see clouds drifting by. They mind their own business. They have no bills to pay. The woods are closing in on me, and I can no longer run away. It is all on me now.

Sometimes it feels like there is another young woman who has come to replace me and is sitting down, typing out these horrid things on a laptop that never really existed. Sometimes it feels like the real me is in a state of limbo somewhere, somewhere no one can reach, only I can. My own personal hell. I wallow in the fog and linger at the restaurants where my old friends used to be – I ride a bicycle down the roads I grew up on and eat from trash cans. The food is forever edible. I sit down, exhausted from the endless trips I take during the day. I sit down on a park bench and lie down to rest. No one will harm me.

Dreadful things like this can’t happen to a person like me. My soul is being torn in two, copy and paste. She lands here in front of the laptop typing furiously like let it all out and I look up, I see the clouds moving without a care in the world and here I stand, a little ant in the middle of little trees in a dollhouse for unseen powers. They move my pawn two squares back and I lose my mind in a cold bathroom. They move my pawn one square forward and suddenly I am floating on cloud nine in a Japanese restaurant. Who is doing this to me? Can you stop?

How do I believe what’s real anymore? I wake up and feel as if I’m living the same day, every day. It suffocates me. It’s a boa constrictor slowly getting closer to my last breath – it salivates over the thought. The thought of destruction, of death. Of my death. I salivate at the thought of- I can’t go that far. It wouldn’t be marketable.

It wouldn’t be who I want to portray myself as to the world. Did that make any sense? No? Too bad. It’s art. It’s what keeps me alive. It’s a wild animal nestled in my chest that has taken flight in earlier years and sat in a cage, frothing at the mouth, during college. It’s clawing for freedom again and I can’t deny it what it wants. Who would I be to do such a thing?

I picture all of the negative things in the world manifesting themselves in my own life – disease, pain, sorrow, misfortune, bankruptcy, failure, disappointment. I would be used to such a world. I would survive, hopefully. And then it’s back to it again tomorrow. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

I take the dream of living in the mountains, breathing the mist of angels, between my pointer finger and my thumb and just extinguish it like that. Fuck that. It’ll never happen. And then I sit at my laptop and four hours have passed, I haven’t done a goddamn thing but escape. Escape what? When did I choose this life?

When I sat through endless college promotions in high school and gave up. When I stepped foot on my first college campus and brewed biodiesel in a big container. When I sat in the library and listened to his name on repeat for the first semester. When I hid my fears, my dreams, my humanness in the little cold bathroom and poured it onto many pieces of folder paper without a breath in between. Just me and raw emotion. No one to protect me anymore.

I chose this life and now it feels like I’m running from such an awful thing, a monster it’s become after I neglected it and tore it to shreds day after day out of some twisted sense of control. She looks out the window twenty-seven times a day because it reminds her of the world she’ll never see. Deep down, it’s punishment. But she’s not supposed to know. Can you keep a secret?

Tuesday, May 21, 2024 12:00 am - 12:19 am

[tofufactorynightschool]

滔滔不绝; Chatterbox

好久不见！It's been a while; my bad! Things have been so busy here I can barely find the time to finish my homework, text my friends/family/etc back, check emails, and get a good night's rest. Several times, I meant to write an update, but I guess I never found the time til now--over a month! Oops. So here goes!

The update I wanted to write almost a month ago was:

It's been a crazy first week in Taipei! During the first weekend, I (along with five of my other housemates) got locked out by another housemate. (She deadbolted the door by accident.) Call after call did nothing to awaken her, but the program director got us hotel rooms for the night. Then the next day I almost got heat stroke, I was so dehydrated and overheated and sleep-deprived. I met my language partner (the first and so far the only time I've met her, which will hopefully change soon), and we walked around Taida's campus, darting into AC-bubble after AC-bubble. It was graduation season, and we saw swarms of black-cloaked grads with their colorful hoods on campus, drifting between the palm trees and the stone buildings. The heat and the light makes the memory feel hazy, light-dappled.

Then I had my first Chinese classes, which were a huge wake-up call, because I could barely keep up (or more simply/accurately, was not keeping up). I almost changed out of the class after the first test, but I decided to hang in there. We're now about 4 or 5 tests in, still not sure if I made the right decision! We're almost at the 期中考 midterm point (worth 20% of the final grade), so I guess we'll see soon. (Though I'm writing this post instead of studying for the midterm ...) My 老师 is a funny, charming Japanese woman, who seems to be a little harder on us than my housemates' 老师 are on them ... but I guess maybe that's for the best for my learning style.

I've had some embarrassing language learning mishaps: saying 准备奶茶 instead of 珍珠奶茶 in class, accidentally ordering two milk teas, 什么的。。。In my day to day life, I can get by okay; but to be fair, I mostly talk with my housemates, all of whom are either American or speak English very well. (Not sure how much good that's doing for my language learning, but I think it has made it a less lonely experience--not being fluent, you really feel the gap between what you want to, or need to, express and what you are able to express. It is a fundamentally lonely feeling.) But sometimes I think I've been too busy to feel lonely...there's a few things I miss, sure, a few people I miss intensely, but I feel like I am surprised by how little I feel the urge to go home. Rather, I am nervous for the day that time comes.

There's so much to love here. Almost every morning, I bike to class with a YouBike, which is a convenient bike rental system. The campus is gorgeous; it's like a tropical forest is embracing the school. The birds, turtles, butterflies ... The food ... I feel like anything I say might come across as understatement. It's so delicious. It's also very affordable. I've had so many different things here: qingrenguo, danbing, sooo much milk tea, etc. etc. I can count on one hand the number of times I've even glanced at the stove since arriving. Taipei is so exciting and, somehow, peaceful at the same time -- I don't know if that makes sense. People have been so friendly, things are so beautiful, even the metro has all these cute little cartoons (Taiwan is big on cute culture, and I can't lie, I do love it). Convenience is the order of the day: the transit system, the 7/24 (to use the local notation) convenience stores, the air conditioning, etc. I overall feel incredibly safe here, even at night. There's a lot I wish we had in the states like this There's a lot to do, too. (I'm going to write a list of my activities in another post, otherwise it might get too long.)

To be honest, my days are so full I can barely introspect (my most common pastime back home) and I've also hardly thought about research at all; I'm a little nervous. I can hardly believe that we're halfway through...

滔滔不绝 (tāo tāo bù jué) - unceasing torrent, a torrent (of words)

[looye29]

Diabetes – a disease that is gripping more and more people worldwide. Over 30% of the American population is either already diabetic or pre-diabetic. This number is slated to rise to 50% within the next ten years! There is no known cure, but the good news is that it is manageable. Research has shown that people have overcome diabetes by correct lifestyle changes and the right eating patterns. However, achieving that balance is not easy. Understanding the way our body reacts and responds to different types of foods and different meal timings is a detailed study in itself. Marketplaces are now full of diabetes control supplements and programs. It's quite a mind-boggling choice! Which one works and which one doesn't is a challenging question – and you will never know until you try! I tried the Diabetes Freedom program, and here I am, giving you my unbiased view of what this program is and does. Let’s find out! The Diabetes Freedom Program The Diabetes Freedom program is a two-month online program to control Type 2 Diabetes. It consists of fixed nutrition plans, rules to follow, and meal timings. It aims to help reduce and remove the symptoms of diabetes using natural methods only – a healthy mix of dietary plans and exercise. Following the program will help control sugar levels and insulin levels. Created by George Reilly, a 61-year old family man from Wisconsin, the Diabetes Freedom program is a result of years of research combined with Reilly’s own fight with Type 2 Diabetes. How Does It Work? The Diabetes Freedom program is purely digital, which means that you will be granted access to a member’s area after the purchase. It consists of the main program, which is in the form of video presentations. There are some bonuses also which are in the form of ebooks and manuals, which you can download. The main program is a three-step approach: Step 1: The Pancreas Restart Nutrition Plan – This is explained in 5 short videos accompanied by a nutrition plan. The initial aim is to break down the white fat cells, improve the function of your pancreas, and help your body regular blood sugar on its own. Step 2: The Metabolism-Boosting Blueprint – This is a 2-minute video showing you a fat burning exercise routine to follow which can easily be done at home without any special equipment. It also gives you three recipes for blood sugar-lowering power drinks. Step 3: Meal Timing Strategies to help reverse Type 2 Diabetes – A video guide explaining how to time your meals, the right time of the day to eat your carbs and desserts, and so on. Here is a list of bonuses that are included, which I especially found useful: Meal Preparation Guide – Lots of excellent tips and recipes included Stay Young Forever – It gives out secrets the Japanese use to look and feel young 33 Power Foods for Diabetics! Fat Burning Blueprint – It you are starting out with some extra pounds, its best to try this first! Pros The members' area is very well organized. You do not have to spend time looking for the right material. It's all arranged in order and by type. The videos are short and to the point. I am really not into long videos that have people rambling on and on – that just gets me yawning! Here the videos are all 2 minute to 5 minute ones, which really get straight to the point. There is no fluff to beat through. A time-saver for sure! There is a list of healthy recipes and detox teas included. These are all easy-to-make items, and having tried several, I can say that they taste delicious! The detoxifying teas were an eye-opener for me. I have switched to these teas completely and given up my coffee. This program helps aid weight loss. This is a direct benefit to diabetes. With a reduction in body weight, the blood sugar levels are positively impacted. A significant side effect of the program is the boost in your energy levels. Controlled blood sugar levels, better metabolism,

and overall, better body functions all result in you experiencing higher levels of energy. The feeling of lethargy and drowsiness all go away. There are no upsells in the member's area. This is a big plus for me. The initial payment is a one-time fee with no extras that you need to pay for later. There are also no recurring fees. From a buyer point of view, the sixty-day money back guarantee doubles as a testing period for the program. You can give it a try for two months, and if it does not start showing any results, you can simply ask for a refund. Cons The program is a digital one only. There are no physical CDs or books mailed to you. However, the member's access is a lifetime one, so you do have access to the online material at any time you want. As it is an online program, you would need an internet connection for any time access. If you do not have the internet, you cannot access the program. The program is available for purchase only from its official website. You cannot buy it off any other marketplace like Amazon. The program takes a little time to show results. To be fair, any natural remedial course takes time – there is no instant change in your body’s sugar levels. You will need to be a little patient. Final Verdict The Diabetes Freedom program seems to be an effective online diabetes control program. It is backed by research and experience. The program follows a natural approach that is obviously healthy and devoid of any side effects. Following a healthy diet plan and regulated exercise is a recommended lifestyle option for everybody today, not just those with diabetes. This program looks at correcting faulty lifestyle choices and thus ensures not only a healthier you but also, a healthier family (needless to say, if one person in the family starts adopting better eating habits, others will soon follow!). Priced affordably, the one-time payment is well worth it. If the other alternative is to keep spending money on and taking diabetes medicines throughout your life, this seems like the better choice! Just ensure that you stay committed to the program for its full two-month course, and you will definitely see the positive changes in your body.

[ladyhoneydarlinglove]

USOPP – pike from an autumn island and other fish of the season

This one actually kind of confused me at first (and is also where I started getting really in the weeds with this whole exercise), because here in the US, pike refers to Northern Pike, which for eating purposes usually falls under the category of fresh water fish. My initial thought was to say Usopp likes all kinds of fresh water fish, but when I went to double check the geographic range of Northern Pike (which is a perfectly normal thing to do when validating your own headcanons, trust me), I realized it didn’t cover Japan. 

So I did some digging and realized what Oda is likely referring to is pacific saury or mackerel pike, known in Japan as sanma. This is further supported by the fact that sanma is considered a quintessential fall food under the Japanese tradition of shun, which is seasonal eating (thus the ‘from an autumn island’ qualifier). 

Sanma is most often served salted and grilled, so now my thought is that Usopp likes all kinds of smaller grilled fish: things like sardines, herrings, anchovies, and mackerel. I also think he’d be a big fan of fried white bait, which are tiny immature fish that can be eaten whole.

SANJI – spicy seafood pasta, anything that complements black tea

I’m gonna guess what Oda meant by this was Frutti di Mare, which in Italian means ‘fruits of the sea’. It’s a catch all term to describe dishes that have multiple kinds of shellfish in them (think mussels, clams, shrimp, scallops, squids, cuttlefish), but it’s not technically specific to pasta; insalata frutti di mare (seafood salad) and risotto ai frutti di mare (seafood risotto) are also pretty common in Italian cuisine. 

The pasta version of a frutti di mare dish is actually called pasta (most commonly spaghetti) allo scoglio. It gets its flavor mainly from the variety of shellfish liquors (i.e. the shellfish juices) that its cooked with, so the pasta ends up covered in a silky coating (it’s not really a sauce but it’s sauce-like) packed full of briny seafood flavor; it also has white wine, cherry tomatoes, and parsley. The addition of chilis to make it spicy seems to be optional, which is important because I assume One Piece Italians are even more cutthroat than normal Italians and would hunt Sanji down like a dog if he dared to add an ingredient to a pasta dish that wasn’t supposed to be there.

I also think he’d love spaghetti alle vongole (spaghetti with clams), a specialty of Naples that also seems to be optionally spicy.

‘Anything that complements black tea’ is honestly incredibly vague, but since Sanji’s supposed to be ‘French’, I think it would be funny if he had a preference for an English style afternoon tea. Biscuits, teacakes, and English scones would be his go-to tea snacks, or if he’s feeling really indulgent, Victoria sponge.

CHOPPER – cotton candy, chocolate, and other sweet foods and drinks

This is where you can really start to tell how fundamentally different I am from Oda, because while he’s all chill like ‘haha Chopper is supposed to be like a little kid, of course he likes cotton candy and chocolate’, I am over here screaming into the void because chocolate is, and this is true, toxic to deer.

Now, most people obviously don’t care about that little discrepancy because it’s easy to say 'oh, the Hito Hito no Mi gave him a human digestive system'; but the thing is, Chopper never goes fully human even with his Hito Hito no Mi powers, and that makes me question how much his digestive system would actually end up changing. Because presumably other Zoan type devil fruit users still have fully human digestive tracts, so why would Chopper be the odd one out in not keeping his reindeer digestive system?

Anyway, this is a very long way of saying: I think it would be objectively hilarious if Chopper was an obligate vegetarian because his stomach literally cannot digest meat. I think having a compulsory vegetarian on a crew that also includes Luffy is a deeply hilarious concept, and it probably gave Sanji an aneurysm when Chopper first brought it up.

His diet includes a lot of leafy greens and other fresh vegetables, as well as things like alfalfa sprouts and wheatgrass. I know technically the garden on the Sunny is supposed to be Robin’s flower garden, but I like to imagine Sanji also keeps a vegetable and herb garden up there in part to help feed Chopper. I also think a hydroponics system somewhere on the ship would be a neat idea.

All that said, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to think that cotton candy would still be his favorite food, because cotton candy is just spun sugar and deer, like pretty much every other animal on earth, really like sugar even though it’s not good for them. But I also think as a doctor, Chopper is smart enough to know that cotton candy is supposed to be an indulgence, not like, his main food source.

ROBIN – sandwiches, not too sweet cakes, and food that complements coffee

This is kind of an interesting one because it touches on the fact that reading between the lines, you can see that Oda's views on food tend to be pretty Japan-centric. While ‘sandwiches’ here in the US could mean anything from good old fashioned PB&J to a full New Orleans muffuletta, based on what was in the bento Sanji made during WCI, I think what Oda means when he says sandwiches are Japanese 'sandos'. These are sandwiches made with a soft, pillowy white bread known as shokupan (also called milk bread) and can have a variety of fillings ranging from egg salad to pork cutlets to even fruit and cream. 

The not too sweet cake could be referring to a couple things but is most likely castella cake, which is a light and airy sponge cake first introduced by the Portuguese during the 16th century. It’s extremely popular in Japan and often eaten with tea or coffee. 

Both of these are fine, but in the spirit of making the crew (and thus their food preferences) a little more international, I like to think that Robin actually loves classic French baguette sandwiches the most because while on the run, a baguette sandwich always seemed like an indulgence to her. Classic flavors include jambon-buerre (ham and butter), saucisson sec (French salami), and pate and cornichons (meat paste and tiny pickles) among others. I also think she would adore all types of bahn mi.

I also think instead of ‘not too sweet cakes’, what she’d probably enjoy most with her coffee would be classic French style pastries like croissants, pain au chocolat, canneles, madeleines, etc. In the interest of continuing to bully Sanji (it’s fine it’s how I show my love), I also think she would have a particular fondness for macarons, which he flat out isn’t skilled enough to make pre timeskip and still struggles with post timeskip because of how damn finicky they are. They are the bane of his existence, particularly because he thinks they are the world’s dumbest cookie (projecting? who, me? never! #macronsaretheworldsdumbestcookie2024).

hello ! i just read your fic “the bright green taste of soap” it was such a fun read and i really loved how much thought was put into the descriptions for food , do you have any ideas about the other strawhats’ favorite food or maybe the kind of food their home islands had :0?

oh man, i cannot thank you enough for sending this question in, because i have SO MANY IDEAS about the Straw Hats favorite foods.

I'm using what's been officially listed in the SBS content here as a starting point because I think it's more fun to play with than just choosing my own, but as you'll see there's a lot of variation and interpretation that goes on in my head. I'm also gonna have to split this ask into multiple parts because of the character limit, so bear with me!

LUFFY – all kinds of meat

‘Meat’ is such a broad term that it could apply to almost anything, so I’m taking further context from the fact that most often when we see Luffy eating meat, he’s chowing down on one of those comically large ‘meat on a bone’ dealies. To me this means Luffy loves the taste of meat in and of itself, so he’d be more partial to preparations that showcase that full meaty flavor: think things like standing rib roasts, butter basted steaks, whole legs of lamb, etc.

We also know he likes big pieces of meat, so in my opinion his favorite would be meat prepared in an earth oven, a common technique world over used for cooking whole animals. Large pits dug into the ground and filled with smoldering coals/wood that are then covered, allowing the meat to cook low and slow.

Notable examples include Hawaiian kalua, which often involves roasting a whole pig, and Mexican barbacoa, which can be used to roast whole sheep, goats, and even cows. I also think he’d really enjoy Central Texas style barbeque brisket, which is known for being minimally seasoned (salt and pepper only), instead getting its flavor from being slow smoked over post oak. I also think he’d be very into Filipino lechon.

ZORO – white rice, sea beast meat, food that complements sake

I’m gonna ignore the ‘food that complements sake’ and just focus on the other two because ngl chat, I don’t think Zoro really cares if what he’s eating pairs well with his sake.

Sea beast meat I find interesting because it’s more specific than Luffy’s just plain ol’ meat. With sea beasts being ocean dwelling creatures I imagine their meat is generally more reminiscent of fish, which leads me to think that if given the choice between animal meat and seafood, Zoro would choose seafood.

Specifically I think he’d be a fan of things with full flavor and a firmer texture; think swordfish, bluefin tuna, mahimahi, Pacific salmon, chilean sea bass (which is where the idea for the ceviche request in The Bright Green Taste of Soap came from!), etc. I also think he’d love raw oysters and would eat them in the dozens.

As for the rice: knowing that Zoro is originally from a village founded by immigrants from Wano, I think Zoro grew up eating a lot of the short grain rice known in the US as sushi rice. I think rice is a comfort food to him, and I also imagine he has that Asian thing where no matter what he’s eating, he has to have a little rice with it or his mind won’t comprehend it as a full meal.

It seems like most of the fandom has already pegged his favorite iteration of rice to be onigiri, which honestly? Hard to argue with, onigiri are delicious. His favorite fillings would be salmon and tarako (salted cod roe); he also enjoys yaki onigiri (grilled onigiri). I think he would hate tuna mayo flavor because he thinks mayonnaise is an affront to the gods he doesn’t believe in.

I think he’d enjoy other kinds of plain rice too, such as jasmine and basmati (both of which are long grain rices known for having more floral, aromatic notes), and Thai-style sticky rice, which holds together so well you can eat it with your hands.

And I think he’d like rice derived foods like rice noodles, rice paper wrappers, chueng fun (steamed rice noodle rolls), mochi, dango, etc. Probably the closest he’s ever come to liking a dessert is mochi filled with shiroan (white bean paste).

(Side note: I've always thought the fact that Zoro's least favorite food being chocolate because it's too sweet was weird because chocolate rather famously has a very wide sweetness spectrum, so I like to think Zoro doesn't know that dark chocolate is a thing until Sanji introduces it to him, at which point he becomes enamored of it. He's one of those freaks that likes the 85%+ dark varieties.)

And finally (Zoro has more headcanons because I’ve got fic in the works that deal with a lot of this lol), I think Zoro would absolutely hate arborio rice, i.e. the kind of rice used to make risotto. I think he would find the texture (which is famously creamy) completely incongruous with what he thinks of as rice in his head and he’d be like, physically unable to eat it. Like it would make him gag and very possibly throw up. So Sanji makes risotto whenever he’s mad at Zoro.

NAMI – mikans and other kinds of fruit

(First a quick note: the official English translations have mikans listed as tangerines, which is incorrect; they’re actually satsuma mandarins, which are even better than tangerines. I refuse to put up with this blatant citrus erasure!)

Honestly this one is deeply hilarious to me because can you imagine how crushed Sanji must have been when he realized his darling Nami-swan’s favorite food was one that required absolutely no preparation from him? 10/10 for comedy gold Oda, love it. 

That said, I think Nami would enjoy any food that could use fresh mikan segments or fresh mikan juice, like a mikan salad or a regular greens salad with a mikan vinaigrette, or for something sweet, mikan juice popsicles. 

I could also see Sanji getting really into juicing as he strives to create new refreshments for the crew and making a lot of mikan juice drinks or cocktails.

[violettelueur]

— ITADORI YUJI + FUSHIGURO MEGUMI + GOJO SATORU + RYŌMEN SUKUNA || HOW THEY DEAL WITH THEIR STRESSED S/O

↳ featuring : itadori yuji + fushiguro megumi + gojo satoru + ryomen sukuna from jujutsu kaisen

↳ warnings : grammar issues

↳ form : headcanons

↳ published : 16 february

↳ pronouns : non specified in headcanon

↳ request : Hello~ recently i just deal with my school math test, It's stressing me out since i didn't manage to pass it. Seems random but can I ask for Yuuji, Megumi, Gojo, and Sukuna dealing with their s/o that is stressed? Maybe because of the same reasons as I did while helping them study?Sorry if I'm asking a bit too much （；￣д￣）

↳ barista’s notes : this one is going to be the last one for tonight since i am really sleepy  ʕ ﹷ ᴥ ﹷʔ but to who requested this, don’t worry it wasn’t too long and i hope you all are doing well whatever time it is over where you are and have a nice day/night eveyone! i hope you enjoy your cup of classic black coffee (jujutsu kaisen request!) and come again soon ╲ʕ·ᴥ·　╲ʔ

When Itadori sees that you are really stressed out, he will first try to make you get away from your books but there is no luck on that since you are really adamant about studying.

During those times when he is brainstorming on what he could do for you to de-stress, Itadori will just slide some small snacks to you like packets of crisps (chips if you are not from the UK), sweets/candy, maybe even a bottle/can of your favourite drink.

If the snacks don’t help with your stressed self, Itadori will drag your textbooks away from you and close it before mentioning you to take a break, even a small one if you had to really study.

No matter how much you try to reach out for your book, Itadori is obviously stronger than you and will make the book out of your reach.

He will test you since you are adamant but please know it will take a while for him to ask a quiz question and will take longer for him to find the answer - if you have flashcards, that will be extremely helpful.

After like 10 questions though, he will give up and drag you away from your studying station to somewhere where no books and notes can be seen.

When he manages to take you away, he will make you sit on the kitchen counter before he starts to make you some food - since I know he is a chef, don’t question me on it.

While that is happening, he will start talking about random things like what he has been watching recently, how his day has been, what dates he has been planning, he is just rambling to make sure studying is not on your mind.

He will give you a few kisses here and there to make you smile since you haven’t been for a while and if you giggle at his jokes/antics, that is a bonus for him.

When the meal is completed and eaten, he will continue to make you be away from studying and will probably play a few games with you, online or board games, it really doesn’t matter - anything to make you get away from the stress you were previously in.

In conclusion, when you are stressed out, Itadori’s main priority is to keep studying out of your mind and make sure something else is since he doesn’t like seeing you stressed at all - he actually hates it.

When Fushiguro sees you stressed out, he will notice it the second it builds up since like I said on many occasions, he is an observative person and notices the frowned look and wrinkles on your forehead.

When he comes up to you, he offers to help you study and, of course, you accept because it’s nice to have his company, and just allow him to help you understand what you are confused about.

Of course, like Itadori, Fushiguro had placed down many things for you to make sure you were eating/drinking like a glass of water/tea/coffee, maybe a plate of cut up fruits or maybe a simple sandwich - he wants to make sure that you are taking care of yourself.

Fushiguro will quiz you in the end to help you reassure yourself that you are done studying and that you are going on a break no matter what he says - if you get a question right, he will go out of his way to give you a kiss.

When he thinks you are done studying for the day - or like a month - he will neatly put away your books, notes and stationary for you before preparing you a bath to help you relax.

If you both are really late into your relationship and really comfortable with each other, Fushiguro will sit beind you outside the bathtub and wash your hair for you to relax - it’s like playing with your hair but also a massge to help you relax.

Once again with the act of service vibes, Fushiguro will help you change into one of his jumpers and help you dry and comb your hair - to be honest, it's really therapeutic for him.

If you apply any cream/moisturiser after a bath/shower, Fushiguro will apply it for you - but please know that he will blush since skin to skin contact, but it feels nice.

When you are done with your show bath/shower routine, he will make you lay your head on his chest, while he has an arm around you to comfort you.

Fushiguro will read a book to you since you have mentioned once that you loved the sound of his voice - I feel like you both have a book that you read together and you both take turns, just a thing I have in mind.

In conclusion, Fushiguro since the beginning will make sure that your stress levels are kept to a minimum since the beginning of your study session and if it goes way too high for his liking, he will act upon his concerns.

When you are stressed out, Gojo will notice instantly since you are ignoring him and not responding to his jokes/childish antics.

Gojo will sit in front of you with his hands on his chin (acting like a flower) and will just stare at you until you notice that he is there

If you still don’t pay attention to him, he will place his hand over your work or textbook to obscure you from carrying one - you know when a cat just puts their paw on your work like it’s nothing...yeah, that’s Gojo.

Gojo is also the type that will dash the book away from you and let it drop to the floor while you stare at him with widened eyes like “what the hell was that for?”

Once your attention is now on him, he will quickly grab your things and put them in an extremely high place where he and only he can reach it.

After that, he will carry you bridal style to the couch where the both of you will cuddle and probably eat some cakes/sweets he had organizsed on your coffee table before he decided to disturb your studying session.

Gojo will feed you like you are a baby - like I can imagine him saying “here comes the train”...personally, I will smack the fork away from me if he did that.

When you are done snacking on some cakes/sweets, best know that for the next few hours, you are trapped in his arms in a cuddling position - probably you on top of him.

If he feels more playful than usually and if you are ticklish, he will tickle you like there is no tomorrow so he can hear you laugh andsee you smile.

If he feels romantic, he will continuously kiss you everywhere on your face to ‘melt the stress away’ since he doesn’t want to see you look so misable.

In conclusion, if you are stressed while studying, Gojo doesn’t even give you the chance to say anything, matter of fact, he doesn’t even help you study. Gojo is the type of boyfriend that is spontaneous and if he doesn’t want you to study, he will not let you study at all.

When you are stressed, Sukuna would have no idea why you are stressed on something so minor in your life - it is not minor, but still this is Sukuna we are talking about.

He will look over your shoulder to see what you are doing before scoffing since it looks like nonsense to him - like I don’t think Sukuna would know that quadratic equations are.

I feel like he will laugh at your misery for a second.

If it is an ancient Japanese text you are working on, Sukuna might feel like helping you understand because you are the person that he loves and only loves.

When he is helping you, he expects your full attention - of course - and if you get something incorrect, he will look at you weirdly and will tell you that you are wrong - but he will continue helping you until you are right.

Once he thinks you are done for studying, just know you are done...no questions shall be asked...no argument shall be said….Y/N, you are done.

He will burn your stationary, books and notes if he has to, he will not hesitate one bit.

If you dare refuse to stop studying, Sukuna will just carry you like a snack of potatoes - basically over his shoulder - before dropping you onto your bed.

Before you can even move, he would just keep hold of you in his arms and threaten to burn your study stuff again and demands you to keep still.

To ease your worries or stresses away, he will start to leave kisses on your neck - maybe a few bites - in a way to make you focus on him.

He will also start to get a bit handsy and will begin to caress your body - meaning like putting his hands under your shirt and all that.

In conclusion, Sukuna will make sure you stop studying if you become stressed and he will do anything to make you listen to him - if he knows something really well, he will help you after laughing at your misery for a quick minute.

© violettelueur 2021 : written and published by violettelueur - do not steal or repost

[shinonometrash]

Jasper Lane’s Main Story: English vs Japanese version, full summary, comparisons & thoughts. Part 1 of 3. (TW: rape, sexual assault, drugging)

So! Jasper’s route has finally been released in English as of August 31st, 2021. It seems that Voltage is following the same release order for consorts and events as how items were released in the Japanese version. I spent wayyy too much money to binge the entire route in a day...and get all the premium content...(honestly the hardest part about binging a route isn’t the love passes, it’s getting all the spirit points. Ugh.) I took note of a lot of different things in this and wanted to make a post going over all this information. Sorry this post took me so long to make, I had to go back and reread a lot of Jasper’s story in Japanese to refresh my memory as well as make sure I didn’t miss any big details since I had read it first back in May, and my Japanese has improved a lot (I think) since then. It was unfortunate and I didn’t really want to, lol. But! Now it’s his birthday (9/11)! I get to post this on his birthday! Happy birthday, asshole! This post is why you and your route suck! I’m probably only going to be able to post this first part today though, because honestly this post is taking much more time than I expected.

The biggest thing is going to be that 

Jasper’s English (Court of Darkness) route does NOT contain any major triggering content. You’ll probably still want to punch him, though.

So, if you’re looking to find out about that, there you go. Anyways.

I’ve broken this into four posts, three that contain summaries of each chapter, regardless of changes, and one that only contains the changes. 

(As of the date of posting, 9/11/2021, I have not completed all the posts yet. Please check back later and I will add the links to the rest of  them as they are posted.)

This post is part one including the summaries. Part two in currently progress. Part three in currently progress. Post with ONLY comparisons and thoughts currently in progress. 

Since I had contacted Voltage about the triggering content in Jasper’s route (and made a very lengthy Tumblr post about it) and they told me they prefer to remove potentially triggering content from stories in the localization process, rather than simply adding trigger warnings, I was more or less expecting this. Although...I didn’t really expect it to be to this extent, nor did I realize how I was actually going to feel about it...! Of course, the CoD did a fabulous job with the content they were given and what they were told to do, as always, and I completely understand why they changed what they did. Like. Seriously. They did the best they could do with the absolute mess of a route they were given. But, like, the route was an absolute mess to begin with. So there’s only so much that can be done to fix it...💀 Anyways, please know that any of my complaining is not directed at the CoD team because they’re wonderful!! Support them by buying in game content if you’re able to!! They recently released a special VIP pack that’s honestly an AMAZING deal. This is just a criticism of the route itself and my thoughts on it, not on the CoD team.

Now, onto the main point of the post...the English and Japanese versions of this route are very different. 

Warning: This post contains major spoilers about Jasper’s main story as well as potentially triggering content including but not limited to rape, sexual assault, and drugging.

In addition, I am not including any CGs in this post as I’m not trying to break Voltage’s policy.

Please click under the read more to continue.

Okay, so first off this is probably going to sound incredibly self centered of me, but I sort of get the feeling that my post about his Japanese route had some sort of influence on the changes in his route...? Not sure how big of tabs Voltage keeps on Tumblr...but it seems like nearly all of the main points I was specifically really mad about got changed--and I’m sure they must have definitely seen my post...? Also, this too probably sounds silly, but I was kinda happy reading some of the dialogue that was nearly the same as the way I had translated it. Part of me was still afraid that I had no idea what I was talking about and just looked stupid writing a long post with misinterpretations of lines💀

Pre-notes: 1. For those who named their cat something else, Robin = MC’s cat.  2. In the direct quotes, anytime you see “---” it’s just me cutting out a part in the dialogue that I deem unnecessary for comparison purposes. 3. I bolded whether there’s differences in the chapters or not in each chapter summary, in case you only want to read the summaries for the chapters with the differences. It’s pretty much going to be the same as reading my other post, then, but I explain more of the chapter here, usually.

Chapter 1-3

Literally so dull. Nothing really of note. Pretty much the same between the English and Japanese. Jasper asks about her hands and she’s like “omg he’s so nice he was worried about my hands!!”, she meets Sherry and they become friends, the headmaster tells her she has to learn magic if she wants a chance at going back home. They go to the runes and learn about the history of Saligia. Guy grabs her again, she escapes.

Chapter 4

It starts to get a little bit more interesting here. Overall, nothing seems too different between the two stories yet. Jasper invites her to the rooftop for a tea party. Jasper is desperately trying to get MC to interact (in a positive manner) with Guy, she asks Jasper to have tea with her instead. Sherry and Rio mention a ball. Toa and Guy get into a glaring match. Toa leaves. You know, the usual. Jasper whispers something in Guy’s ear and they leave, and everybody follows them because...you know. They discover that Guy’s room has been trashed. Toa walks in and asks what’s going on, and then falls silent when he sees Guy’s room. Guy is like “Toa, you left before me, did you not?” and Toa is like “What are you trying to imply?” then they glare at each other until Lynt is like “Are you trying to say that Toa is the culprit? He would never.” Fenn agrees. Roy says they should investigate, and Toa says he will also investigate, since he is the dorm prefect after all. Afterwards, Jasper asks Guy if he thinks Toa did it, Guy says “No, Qelsum isn’t that stupid.” Guy says they need information. He sends Jasper out to investigate, tells Jasper to be sure not to be seen. Fenn, Violet, and MC go out for food or something, and MC runs into Sirius, literally. Fenn is like “what are you doing?” and MC says she ran into somebody but turns around and there’s nobody there. I guess it’s trying to imply that Jasper is stealthy and can hide away into the night or something?? But then that’s it.

Chapter 5-6

No overall noticeable changes. It’s time for the ball! Sherry lends MC a dress and they head to the ball. She sees Jasper in the hallway closely inspecting wine, without Guy. She calls his name and he startles. He tells her he’s selecting a wine for Guy because Guy is very selective and will not consume anything that Jasper has not prepared. Jasper essentially says that Guy is his reason for living. Then they go into the dance hall. And Guy is all like “why did you come in together?” then they say they ran into each other by chance. Guy goes to take a sip of the wine, looks  startled, and then ends up spitting it out into a handkerchief. He claims he choked on the wine. She finds Jasper in the hallway again, looking at the wine, and calls out. Again, he startles. She wonders why. She tries to ask, but then he dodges the question by telling MC that the dress looks good on her. He invites her to dance and says he’ll teach her. They head back to the ballroom, she asks him some various questions and they all basically end with him saying that he serves Guy or whatever, and she’s thinking all like “work, again...?”. Jasper then tries to make her dance with Guy instead of himself, and when she says she’s going to leave he grabs her arm. There’s a few choices you can make, but one of them is “Please let go of me.” And then! And then! This man literally looks at her and asks “Why?” Yikes!! And she asks why he’s asking why, and he says he doesn’t want her to go, so she agrees to stay a little longer. (Mistake #1) Then he shoves her off onto Guy again. After dancing with Guy she goes out to the balcony and runs into Aquia, and Aquia pricks his finger and it starts bleeding. She tries to look at it and it somehow brushes her lips and at that moment Guy and Jasper come out and ask what’s going on. Aquia apologizes (he did nothing wrong!! >:(  ) They then discover that Aquia’s wound has magically healed somehow. Then here’s the scene with  Guy: “That girl, I want to know everything about her.” Jasper: “Oh my, have you fallen in love?” Guy: “Something like that” Jasper: “Congratulations! We must celebrate this wonderful occasion!” Guy: “That’s enough now. Investigate that woman’s power.”

Chapter 7

No major changes between versions. But...Ughhhhhhhh. We’re gonna meet Sirius in this chapter. But first some humor. They go to the S rank lounge, I believe after the ball. Jasper offers to make coffee. Literally ALL the valets suddenly RUSH to Jasper’s side to ask him to teach them how to brew coffee. So there sitting in the S rank lounge with Jasper brewing coffee while all the other valets are like 👀👀👀👀 lmaoooo. Aight and so the humorous part ends there, sorry! That’s it! Now we must move on.  Fenn says he wants to go out drinking and asks Jasper if he’d like to join, Jasper declines saying he has other matters to attend to. We learn that Hawke, Jasper, and Lance are all drinking buddies. MC is all like “oh thank god, that means he does get time off!” -_- So then Toa laughs and comments how close Jasper and MC are, and is like “wow imagine using your valet for something like that” and then tells her that she’ll be a tool for Avari if she sticks with them, and that it’s not too late to switch to Qelsum’s side instead. (She does not switch. Mistake #2. Arguably her biggest mistake in this entire route, if you ask me.) Guy interjects and tells Toa that MC is his, and Toa is like “lmaooo then why does she seem closer with your valet than you?” and then they glare at each other. MC gets annoyed and leaves. Jasper asks where she’s going. She says she’s going back to her room to see Robin. For some reason, Jasper seems disappointed about this? Afterwards, she goes to her room for a bit but then decides to go explore the town with Robin. Uh oh! Robin goes missing.

She starts looking for Robin and runs into this sketch looking dude. He asks her where’s she’s going, she says she’s looking for her cat. He’s like “oh that flying thing?” and she’s like “Yeah!” and then is like “could you just tell me which way he was headed? I can get there myself.” but the guy insists that she should follow him instead, because the streets are dangerous and she might run into dangerous men. The man is then like “I’m Sirius.” (which, when I first read the Japanese, I thought he was saying “I’m serious” lmaoo) and then he frickin grabs her hand and drags her off!!! Yikes! 

Chapter 8, 1st Interlude, and Chapter 9 

Okay so we’ve got the most significant changes in these chapters. Like. A LOT. This is what the majority of my previous post focused on: the drugging, sexual assault, and morning after.  They basically did their best to make this consensual. It went very similar to what I had predicted, although played up a bit more cringe-y than I had expected...or maybe I just hadn’t thought about how cringe-y it would be. There’s literally so many changes that it’d be a bit of a pain to summarize all of them between the versions, I’m just going to put the actual dialogue/stuff from the stories for a lot of this so you can see the differences more directly. (The Japanese will be roughly translated by me, of course.)

Chapter 8

So Sirius starts walking and walking and walking and she asks where they’re going but he keeps insisting it’ll only be just a little longer or that it’s a shortcut and stuff. Ughhhhh...Then she’s like. This man clearly has no idea what he’s doing, I’m going to run away after all. But then he suddenly tells her they’re going to take a “break”. He drags her into the bar before she can protest or try to run. She tries to say no to a drink, but then he asks if she does drink and she’s like “well I do, but...” and you start seeing the differences here. In English she makes a comment of “Ugh, if only he wasn’t so charming.” Sirius further insists only one drink, even though MC tries to say she needs to go find Robin. He then just straight up orders drinks for them, despite her protesting. She then agrees, and then mentally apologizes to Robin. (Mistake #3) And we start seeing the biggest differences about right here...

For this chapter, let’s play a guessing game on which one is the Japanese version and which one is the English version, shall we? :)

Away from the table, Sirius plants a palm on the counter. Two of the usual are set out before him, bubbles frothing over the top. Sirius glances back and finds MC staring at the patterns in the wood grain. Sirius: Much obliged. Tavern Keeper: Mm-hmm. Scooping up the fizzing, popping tumblers, he tosses a wink at the tavern keeper. Then, he strolls back to spend time with his new friend. - Away from the table, Sirius plants a palm on the counter. Immediately two of the usual shot glasses are set out in front of him. Just to make sure, he looks back at MC, who is staring at the table. Sirius: Ah, thanks. Tavern Keeper: Mhm. Sirius skillfully drops the tablet he had hidden between his fingers into the shot glass of the opposite hand. Then, feigning a nonchalant look, he returns back to the table.

Did you guess which one was which in this part? :) And yes, my friends. In the fucking CANON MAIN ROUTE, it deadass has a line saying that our love interest puts a drug in our drinks. And yet...the Japanese fans still love him! Ugh. Also, that “skillfully” bit really concerns me. That kinda implies that he’s done it multiple times before, does it not??? Honestly I’m not really sure why it says it was a shot glass in the Japanese, though. I thought they were drinking like cocktails, not taking a shot. Maybe that’s why they changed that bit...? Now the stories are the same again for a tiny bit. Some time has passed that they’ve been in the bar/tavern and MC chugs her drink and slams it down on the table. She seems drunk. She’s rambling about Guy and Jasper. Like “I’m not an object!!” “and he’s like “Yes, yes, you aren’t an object.” then like “Who goes around saying stuff like “you are mine” and “give me your power”?? Like seriously! Who says that sort of stuff! It’s so messed up!” and he just listens along, amused. He then says that it’s good to drink sometimes, and she agrees, and then he asks what she wants to do. She notes how she’s only had one drink, yet her head feels a bit fuzzy already, and how it made her very talkative. She says she wants to go home. She reveals that her family died, and that she has a hair clip in her hair from her mom that’s very important to her. She mentions how there are still good people in this world, though.  Sirius tries to order her another drink, and here’s where stuff deviates again.

Sirius: Another of the same, if you please. MC: What, no! I’m fine MC: So hey, you’ve been fantastic company but I really need to go find Robin. (Man I got way too into that conversation.) (Robin must be out there looking for me.) MC: Thanks for the drink, though. You’re a really good listener. And also...really, really pretty. MC: It’s been great meeting you. Maybe I’ll see you around sometime? MC: Like...when I’m not looking for my cat. That’d be...nice.” (I have no filter. No filter whatsoever.) MC: Right, so...Bye... He stands up right as I do. The rickety old table wobbles between us and I pitch into his arms. Sirius: Steady on. Sirius: I might almost think you’ve fallen for me. (Fallen for him? But I’ve only just met the man.) Sirius holds me steady as I smile up at him, feeling silly but bold. He’s even more handsome up close. MC: Like I said, very attractive but...gotta go. Sirius: Hold fast. MC: Haha. Did you just pick me up?! Sirius hefts me into his arms like I weigh nothing, and for a moment I feel like I’m being carried off into the sunset. An electrifying thrill runs through me as I sway against him, adn then I realize we’re moving. MC: Where are we going? Sirius: ... MC: The look he gives me then makes my eyebrows shoot up. I nod and let him carry on. (English version, Mistake #4) When I next open my eyes, I’m being placed down on something fluffy. (I can’t believe I’m actually doing this. I should leave well enough alone but there’s something about him...) I peer at the unfamiliar ceiling overhead while Sirius stares down in my eyes. Sirius: No need to hurry. Sirius: The night’s just begun, after all. (Wait a second, aren’t you...?) The seductive smile on his face comes closer. For a split second he reminds me of someone, but it must be my imagination. - Sirius: Bartender, another of the same. MC: Ah, no, I’m good! MC: I really need to go find Robin. (Yikes, I got totally absorbed in that conversation.) (Surely Robin is looking for me, too) MC: Thanks...for talking with me...and listening... MC: Thanks to that I’ll be sure to...remember this... MC: From now on, I’m going...to study...more seriously...for sure.... (Wha...I’m so dizzy...) MC: Sorry...I’m...leaving now... Sirius: Whoa, hold on. MC: Ah... Unsteady on my feet, Sirius picks me up and holds me in his arms. I feel swaying and I open my eyes slightly. I’m being carried somewhere. MC: Where...are we going...? Sirius: ... Strangely, it feels like the ceiling has gotten awfully high... The next thing I’m aware of when I open my eyes is being placed down on something fluffy. (Where am I...?) I gaze at the ceiling above me and Sirius looks into my eyes. Sirius: Let’s take it slowly. Sirius: The night has just begun, no? (Huh...?) Laughing mysteriously, the man’s face comes closer. For a second, I think he looks similar to someone. But it’s just my imagination, right...?

I’m sure you can guess which one is which. One is extremely alarming, the other is cringe. It’s clear they did the most they could to try and make it consensual between them, and ended up doing exactly what I thought with having her make several comments about how attractive he is and then add some playful flirting between them. 😖 Alright! Ready for the next part? 

1st Interlude

I just read the normal first interlude in Japanese before typing out this post and...god, I thought the premium interlude was bad. So, one more time, trigger warning for sexual assault. Damn I really don’t want to write this part, I’m so tired from writing the rest TT (I saved this for last, unfortunately.) I’m not translating all of these so I’ll do a mix of translating exact lines and summarization. In all the stories, first she calls out Jasper’s name at first, confused, and then Sirius looks shocked. And she’s like, how weird, why would I call him that...he’s clearly Sirius...and then they all start to deviate. ><

Normal Interlude

Japanese version (this is the worst one): MC: I’m sorry...I must’ve gotten drunk, sorry for the trouble... Sirius: So you’re apologizing in this situation. (This...situation...?) He kisses her. (Wha...I’m being...kissed...) I’m aware of it, but my body feels so heavy, I can’t resist it. With my arms pinned to the bed, I’m forced to accept the kiss. He says “what is this power?” and then she sees an aura flare up around him. She asks if it’s magic, and he says that it’s interesting, and then asks if it has to do with the length of time or the type of physical contact. -- Sirius: Is it only your lips, or...? His finger runs along my knee, tickling it. With his other hand, he skillfully slips his hand into my shirt. Sirius: No need to be alarmed. Sirius: I simply wish to confirm. (Confirm...?) Sirius: So soft and smooth, you feel nice to touch. Sirius: But, I don’t feel anything from just touching you... Sirius: Is it different depending on where I touch? The sensation of him stroking my skin falsely spreads through my whole body while his fingertips make their way down to my lower limbs. I move my shoulders to try to tell him “I don’t want you to touch me!”, but it doesn’t matter as his fingertips continue to try to uncover something. MC: St...stop it... Yelling out makes him stop--at least, that’s what I had thought. However,  the thing that stops him isn’t my voice. He removes his hand that was feeling around in my shirt and then starts to think about something. (Is he...searching for something...?) Sirius: ...so it can’t be transferred through the skin, hm. (W-what...?) It’s finally over--is what I thought, at least. This time, he drops kisses on my ears and collarbone. When he puts his hands on my thighs again, I want to run away immediately. (Why...? Why is this happening...?) MC: Is this...is this a dream...? Sirius: Yes. It’s a dream. So, goodnight. Sirius: You’re about to reach the limit, aren’t you? (Limit? What is he talking about?) Even if I wanted to think about it, my head is too fuzzy and I can’t think of anything. I don’t like it, but...what is it I don’t like? Surely it was something important, but I can’t remember. Before I could say “I’m sorry, I’m really sleepy” my consciousness blacks out. She passes out and Sirius says something about how interesting it is, and that he must report his findings to Guy.

English version: MC: Sorry, I can’t believe I called you by the wrong name. Sirius: Is this the time for apologies? (I guess not...?) He kisses her. (We’re kissing. I’m kissing Sirius...) He’s certainly attractive enough. I’m not attached to anyone here, and yet...Why is it that I keep thinking of Jasper? He says “what is this power?” and then she sees an aura flare up around him. She asks if it’s magic, and he says that it’s interesting, and then asks if it has to do with the length of time or the type of physical contact. -- Sirius: Is it only your lips, or...? His fingers walk along my knee, tickling me. I shiver and grin as he gives me a considering look, then slips his hand inside my shirt. -- Sirius: I only wish to see what you’re capable of. (Strangest bedroom talk ever.) Sirius: You’re exquisite. Soft, smooth, perfect to the touch... Sirius: But I seek other responses. Sirius: Tell me, is this where you want to be touched? He peers down at me expectantly, hands petting along my skin as if to encourage me to speak. I squeeze my thighs together, hoping he’ll continue without the need for words. He raises an eyebrow. MC: Sirius, I need... At first I think the sound of my voice has given him pause. Then I realize something else has happened. He tidies my open shirt a little and frowns thoughtfully. (What is he doing? What is it he’s looking for?) Sirius: Hm, no transfer from the skin. (Uh, what?) My mouth falls open. Has the moment been ruined somehow? If so, what’d I do? But then he plants tiny kisses over my ears, neck, and cheeks. His hands sweep over me once more, but far more soothingly. Still, I can’t get the image of Jasper out of my mind. (I can’t be doing this. It’s not fair to be thinking of one man when I’m with another. I need to sort my head out.) MC: Sirius, I can’t do this. I’m...I think I’m developing feelings for someone else, so it wouldn’t be fair to you to do this... Sirius: Well, well. There’s an unexpected turn. ...All right. We’ll think of this as nothing more than a passing dream. Sirius: This never happened then. Good night, MC. (Good night? But we’ve only just...) Suddenly I feel very drowsy. A second ago I wanted nothing more than a crazy, one-night romp with a man who has crystalline red eyes. Now I can’t think of anything but how comfortable this bed is. She passes out and Sirius says something about how interesting it is, and that he must report his findings to Guy. --

Yikes!!!!! I was so shocked when I read the normal interlude!! Especially the Japanese version!! Now for the other one...

Premium Interlude

Japanese version:

MC: I’m sorry...I must’ve gotten drunk, sorry for the trouble... Sirius: So you’re apologizing in this situation. (This...situation...?) His voice is close.  But besides that, I don’t understand the situation very well. Sirius: Is it hard to open your eyes? MC: Yes... Sirius: I’ll make you feel better right now. (Feel better...?) She sees him put in eyedrops. She tries to ask but her voice is really quiet and her throat is dry. MC: Excuse me, could...could I have some water?”  Sirius: I’ll give you some right now I felt something cold touch my lips and water poured down my throat. MC: ...nng (No...it’s something else. I’m...being kissed...) I understand that, but, but I feel too drowsy to be able to resist.  With my arms pinned to the bed, I’m forced to accept the kiss. He says “what is this power?” and then she sees an aura flare up around him. She asks if it’s magic, and he says that it’s interesting, and then asks if it has to do with the length of time or the type of physical contact. (What...this kiss...) It’s a kiss that makes me feel as if I’ll be swallowed by the torrent of pleasure. (I’ve never experienced something like this...) Sirius: Ha...ahh... MC: ...mm, Sirius... His lips pull away with a wet sound and I sigh. Sirius: It’s as I thought... MC: Stop...it...already... Sirius: Shhh... Sirius: Be quiet. I’m going to make you feel better. He wipes his finger along my wet lips and pushes it inside my mouth. My shoulders jump and I shiver and inhale sharply, feeling like I’m being bitten on the neck by Sirius. MC: Mnn... Sirius: Suck... He moves his finger around my mouth and I move my tongue as I’m told. Sirius: That’s it good girl... Sirius: ...so it can’t be transferred through the skin, hm. (What...is he talking about...?) Sirius: How about...here? He removes his finger from my mouth and strokes my knee. MC asks if it’s a dream, and the rest of the interlude ends the same way as the normal Japanese interlude ends.

English version:

MC: Sorry, I can’t believe I called you by the wrong name. Sirius: Is this the time for apologies? (I guess not...?) I can almost feel his voice vibrate against my skin. Shivering at the sensation, I let my head fall against the pillows. Sirius: Would you rather keep your eyes closed at the moment? MC: Mm. yeah. I like the sound of your voice. It...reminds me of someone... Sirius: Then keep them closed. Sirius tells her to hold on a minute and puts in eyedrops. MC says her throat is dry and asks for some water. He gives her water, but she realizes that it’s not a cup but rather him giving her water from his lips. -- They kiss. (Who taught him to kiss like this?) It’s like some dam has burst within me and a tide of pleasure is threatening to sweet me away. (I’ve never experienced anything like this. Is this magic, too, or just him?) Sirius: Mm..Yes... MC: Ah...Sirius... A wanton moan escapes me as he gives me space to breathe. The thing is, in my mind’s eye I keep seeing someone else. Sirius: Quite as I suspected. MC: That was incredible. What was-- Sirius: Shh. Hush now. I’ll fufill that yearning of yours. He rubs his thumb against my dampened bottom lip then slips it inside my mouth. My shoulders jump as he moves his lips and teeth over my neck. Sirius: Suck. I obediently swirl my tongue over his thumb, taking it in further. Sirius: Good girl. -- Then she says she can’t do it because of having feelings for someone else, just like in the normal English and the rest of the interlude continues the exact same way.

I can’t believe Voltage was really like “hey, pay us and we’ll make the content less rape-y for you! :)” Big yikes lol. I’d only read the premium at the time of my original post, and I thought that was bad enough to write a post about it. That normal interlude though? YIKES. Like...gahhh I know I already said this same thing like three times earlier but I’m just so grossed out!!

Also, a quick note. The CG for this has Sirius laying on top of her while she has her eyes closed. This is because she’s UNCONSCIOUS in the Japanese version. I was wondering how they were gonna get around it, but like not long before it came out I was like “oh they can just have him comment telling her to close her eyes or something” and I guess that’s more or less what they did...?

Chapter 9

Okay so I realize I did make a slight translation error in my original post about the ninth chapter. She does indeed say “I don’t have a headache” rather than what I had thought it said which was “My head hurts, but it can’t be a hangover.”  which is what they went with in the English. “My head doesn’t hurt, though, which suggests I don’t have a hangover.” The rest seems about right, though. Anyways, so this chapter starts the morning after the events of the first interlude with MC waking up in the strange bedroom. While not technically as big of change as in Chapter 8 and the first interlude, this is also one of the most changed chapters between versions. 

The Japanese version:

(Where am I?) I open my eyes and am unable to move at first. ---- (Robin and I got separated in town...so I was searching for him) (And then...ah, yeah, I met Sirius) (He was showing me the way...and then there was that bar on the dark street where I was only going to drink one drink, and then...) .... ....... .......... “Shit, I can’t remember anything...” I’m not sure how I got to this room or what happened after I blacked out. My head doesn’t hurt, so it’s not a hangover.  I only had one drink, that’s the one thing I CAN remember. “No way...” Nervously, I run my hands down my body.  The hem of my shirt was untucked, all the buttons completely undone, and my skirt was rolled up past my thighs.  (I want to think it’s just from how I slept...I really want to think that, but...)  Being drunk can make you roll around and do that. I can’t hide how anxious I am about this unexpected situation. My heart thumps painfully in my chest and my legs shake. ---- (Huh? A tattoo?) I see Sirius taking a shower in the other room, with a tattoo spread across his back. (That would mean Sirius and I...) Looking at the bed with disheveled sheets, I wrap my arms around my body and hug myself tightly. “Maybe...maybe we just slept, that’s all...” (It’s a pitiful excuse, I know.) (Oh my god!! I need to go find Robin!!) Remembering something very important, she runs out of the room. ---- Sirius: “Ha, she ran away.”

English version:

Where am I? I open my eyes and stay perfectly still for the first few minutes. ---- (I got separated from Robin in town and while I was looking for him I, ended up lost.) (And then...Oh right, I met Sirius. Man, he was attractive.) (He was showing me the way, then we paused for a drink, and then...) Then...Hmm. What did happen? I’m drawing a blank here. “What the? I have no memory of last night.” I have no idea where this is or the events that led to me waking up here. There are flashes of groans and sighs, but that’s all. My head doesn’t hurt, though, which suggests I don’t have a hangover. Not that I’d expect to have one over a single drink, but I remember that drink being similar to a potion. “Uh-oh. Did I hook up with someone?” I carefully pat myself down. My shirt’s untucked, the buttons are undone, and my skirt’s hiked up around my thighs. (Then again, I could’ve just slept weird. Here’s hoping.) I’ve definitely rolled around in my sleep while drunk before. Still, I never thought I’d have to do a walk of shame in another realm. My heart pounds as I look around, trying to figure out who I spent the night with. (Did I somehow manage to book a room for myself? With what coin?) (It’s like everything that happened since I got here caught up to me all at once. What did I do...?) ---- “What was that?” (A tattoo? It was a gorgeous one, if so.) (The question is, how acquainted did I become with that tattoo last night?) The rumbled bedding comes back into view as I put my head in my hands. “Maybe we just crashed here together after our drink.” “...” (Pitiful excuse, but I’ll take it for now.) (Wait, Robin! Oh god. I have to go find him.) I run out of the room as soon as I remember. Given how little of the situation I remember, it’s probably better if we put that night behind us. ---- Sirius: “Alas. She has absconded.”

Then after she leaves, it goes about the same in both versions. She finds Robin at the gates, is rushing to Toa’s class, gets stopped by Jasper. His voice reminds her of Sirius. He then teases her for being late and is like “You said you were going to go back to your room last night, but it seems like you went out and had fun instead.” and she snaps at him and says she didn’t. He acts surprised. She apologizes and walks off, embarrassed. He laughs.

So. Yeah. One of them, MC wakes up confused after being drugged and raped and is trying to process that and then remembers Robin, runs back to the dorms, and has to deal with Jasper teasing her saying she went out and had “fun” which triggers extremely fresh, bad memories. While the other one...MC is like. Did I hook up with someone?? Whoopsies! Hm, I wonder how I did that. Oh but that Sirius guy was SO hot. Oh shit! I have a cat that’s missing! Gotta go. And then Jasper teases her but she just gets upset because she feels embarrassed about hooking up with someone. Neat. Also, what is with Voltage and their obsession with using “abscond”???

----

Are you feeling uncomfortable right now? A little horrified that Voltage would write a story like that, and romanticize it? Awesome! Me too! Let’s take a break here before moving on. Thankfully, the next parts won’t contain anything near as triggering as the first interlude and chapter 9. 

(Next post currently in progress, will add link as soon as possible! This is taking much longer than I thought it would to write;;;)

[fukurodaze]

some days

pairing: post-timeskip! oikawa tooru x fem!reader genre: angst wc: 2.4k warnings: cursing, stress, anxiety, homesickness, insecurity requested by @dasighosamu​ <3: “oikawa video chatting regularly with his girlfriend that somehow convinced him they’re okay [...]”

a/n: i.. am.. so so so sorry this took so long... many of the negative feelings here are taken from my own personal experiences as well, so i’m very sorry if this seems a bit impersonal for some people, but i tried to make it feel as y/n-able as possible! enjoy!

special thanks to nat @natszoo​ for beta reading! love u :(

LISTEN TO: blue - taeyeon; through the night - iu

you feel it in your bones. you feel it rumble and twist and turn. some days you feel it more. some days you feel it less. you know what it is today. 

it’s so empty, you think, movements like a crack of sound in silence. you had woken up in the afternoon today, the room still dark yet covers already warm. oh, you feel disgusting.

the least you do is open the curtains, hoping to squeeze in some sunlight for the day you had almost missed. you remember, though, to wake up for today, because it’s saturday. you look forward to saturdays, actually, because it has in store one constant that you hold onto - facetiming your boyfriend, oikawa tooru, at 7pm.

it used to be everyday that you facetimed him, until careers advanced and work took up more and more space in lives. still, you would always watch his matches when they were televised (it was a hassle sometimes, though, to get through to argentinian television channels, but it was worth it) and he would text you good morning and goodnight in your timezone most days (it slips his mind sometimes, but you could never blame him; you like the texts anyways). and it’s okay, really, it’s okay that you don’t get to see him that often. it’s just that work gets a bit harsh sometimes and you live alone and most of your friends live quite a bit far from you and you feel like you’ve cried to them about tooru way too many times and-

okay, you are not okay. but you hold on. you try to hold on.

you get yourself an instant meal in the fridge, feeling well into the shitty weekend when you see the stack of dirty dishes in the sink. you wash them anyways, thinking that it might be a way for you to feel a little bit better. you don’t want to be irritable when you’re with tooru, because then he’ll just worry. he already worries enough about himself - the least you could do is smile. right?

it’s what you tell yourself as you slap on some skincare, hoping that the various products containing tea tree essence and papaya are enough to mask the layer of sleepless nights and early mornings on your face. it’s not like you’re afraid of him seeing you in your dejected state; it’s more like you wouldn’t want the only time you spend with him this week be a negative memory.

now, you settle on the carpeted floor of the living room, laptop placed on the coffee table between the couch and the tv you never really use anymore. you remember when tooru had bought you this apartment right before an off-season with promises of him visiting in the summer. he even insisted on that nice tv screen for netflix nights. 

but alone, you prefer a laptop; so you’re thinking of selling it, yet you don’t want to pass up on the chance that tooru might come back one summer.

eventually, the facetime on your laptop sounds its ringtone, and a smile grows on your face as quickly as you pick up the video call. 

"wait- can- can you hear me well?”

you purse your lips, your tired eyes seemingly so much more eager to stay open. you say, “yeah, i can hear you well. can you?”

he hums, and there’s a loving silence that ensues. you don’t really know what to do with your insides feeling all warm again, so you fold your legs to your chest and let out a light laugh. it’s him.

“wow,” you mumble through chuckles, “hi, tooru.”

“i missed you, pretty girl,” he coos. you see how tooru has his back against his headboard, one arm folded behind his head and the other holding his phone up. it’s seven in the morning there, you reckon, and he looks like he’d just showered. 

“i missed you too. just showered?”

your boyfriend nods, “woke up later than usual today, but it’s, like, hot outside even at six in the morning. or maybe i just sweat too much.”

you giggle, “here, it’s so cold already. i can’t even go anywhere without a sweater - i even sleep with socks these days.”

“are you sure your heater’s doing fine?”

“my heater’s almost on its highest setting. i’ve just been getting so cold lately? maybe i just hate winter...” you trail off as you hear your own stomach grumble. still hungry...? you mutter to yourself, standing up to get a little snack for yourself, “tooru, i’m getting a snack. just keep talking, though, i can hear you.”

tooru’s smile falters a bit when he hears of you getting cold. he knows you’ve never really minded winter, using the season as an opportunity to stack up on cozy clothing and coats. hell, he had heard you say once, during one autumn, that you were so excited for winter because “you could finally wear the hoodies and sweaters since you felt too warm for them even during autumn and spring.” back then, tooru had told you that you were just too warm of a person. 

but maybe he’s just thinking too much into it. he hasn’t been to japan in a long time, anyways. maybe it really is that cold.

you come back with some toast and a glass of water. a crisp, warm bite into the food makes you feel relieved. you tuck your hair behind your ears, putting your focus back on tooru. “so, how’s everything?”

“everything... is... a lot.” tooru makes his way off of the bed, telling you, “seeing you eat just makes me hungry, too. lemme get some food.” he brings his phone with him to the kitchen, propping it against a vase on his dining table, giving you a perfect view of the kitchen. 

“welcome to my cooking show!” he exclaims as he lets go of the phone. it falls immediately, of course, but he takes care in propping it against some more items. it works somehow.

“i just recently perfected my egg poaching technique,” tooru smirks as he takes two eggs from the fridge, “it’s kind of flawless, not gonna lie.”

“can i see?” 

he sets the eggs down on the countertop, making his way to his phone before pausing, “erm, due to camera placement issues and a shortage of hands, i am unable to give you a full view of my absolute skill. is that okay, baby?”

you nod, your lip protruding slightly in a quiet pout. tooru’s pointed it out before, but it seems like every time he calls you baby your body automatically responds with a little pout. he looks at you with calm eyes, “cute.”

as he makes his eggs, you let him go on about the people around his neighbourhood, the results of the ca san juan tryouts from last week, his new team members, and one restaurant he’s found around town. he tells you, “their food is just so good. i’ll take you there someday.”

your cheeks raise slightly at his last statement, “really? tell me more about it.”

“well, it’s a bit expensive, but so worth it. they sell japanese stuff, actually, and i seriously kid you not, it tastes exactly like food from home.”

home, huh? 

“maybe when i visit one day i can bring you some food from home, too.”

somehow, the mention of home stings a little bit tonight.

 it’s an off-day, off-night, off-week, you’ve told yourself, and now that the week is ending with a call from your boyfriend, you were positive that it was going to end on a high. here, you stand corrected, with your throat getting all tied up threatening hot tears from the corners of your eyes. you’ve made it this far in the week, why must you cry in front of tooru, of all people? 

you take a long gulp from your glass of water in an attempt to blink back your tears. you’re glad that tooru’s back is facing the camera as he takes out a plate to put his eggs on. 

you quiet down intensely, afraid that any word out of your mouth will come out as a choked sob. of course, tooru notices, whipping his head around with a faltering smile.

“y/n, are you alright-”

“um, tooru, i think my laptop’s running out of battery, so i’ll reconnect the call from my phone instead, yeah?”

tooru nods, and you hastily stand up, clicking blindly at what you thought was the red hang-up button. your legs carry you to the kitchen, a place where tooru can still hear you even after the both of you thought you had hung up, to get another glass of water. 

but your arms don’t go so far as to reach for the tap, and instead, they only hold onto the edge of the countertop, trembling lightly against the cold marble. 

“shit,” you curse, head hanging as tears flow down your cheeks in warm waterfalls with your breath unsteady, your neck heating up. you see how some teardrops make little puddles on the shiny countertop, and some are swept away when your hand flies over to rid them, swiping in quick motions, angry that your body betrayed you by crying.

“stop crying, goddamnit.” you mutter, “it’s going to be so obvious, and tooru’s just going to worry, and he’ll just find it a hassle to stay with you, and-” you can’t even continue your spoken train of thought when you choke on your own words, your legs not even enough to support you up. 

“what a shitty week...” you slide down to the floor, trying to steady your breath. you tell yourself to hurry up with this damned cry, as you told him you were going to call him again on your phone. maybe you could say it was the wifi. 

you look up, wondering why, why do i feel like this?

is it because you just miss him? is work just getting hectic? should you be going out more? but it’s cold... nothing’s been working out lately. it’s just become doubts on top of doubts and you don’t know where to stop.

on the other hand, tooru’s freezing up. he can still hear your sniffles from afar, and as he stares at the warm plate of poached eggs on toast, he wonders if it would be okay to call out to you. 

it’s not like this is the first time he’s ever seen you cry, because you two have seen each other in more ways than one. still, tooru feels his heart crumble at the fact that he had had absolutely no clue as to what you had been feeling all this time, whether it be just a week, a few days, or a few hours. he wants to call out to you, hug you tight, wipe your tears, do something to make you feel better. 

but tooru doesn’t really know how to make his way through this, seeing as the distance is too far for any physical comfort. he’s learned he’s not as good with comforting words as he is with flirting, but now that he doesn’t flirt with anyone other than you, he doesn’t know if he even is good with words at all. he thinks, if you were to be okay with him reaching out to you, why were you choking back your tears? why were you so quick to hide what you felt? why do you not want him to worry about you the same way you worry about him?

tooru likes to think things through, especially when he’s never felt so unprepared with you before, as he’d been used to resorting to physical comfort in the past. but in this moment, through all the doubts and negative thoughts, his mouth moves faster than his brain.

“y/n, i’m still here.”

in this moment, your breath hitches and you make the dreaded way back to your laptop, your eyes swollen and cheeks glossy. 

“y-you heard everything?” 

your boyfriend nods, “do... do you want to talk about it?”

you shrug, swallowing slowly. “i don’t know how to talk about it, really,” a shallow laugh falls from your lips, “some days- this week- it’s just not... it’s been low, for me.”

tooru’s chin leans patiently against his forearms, eyes focused on you. 

“oh god. i haven’t cried in months,” you exhale, “and it just happened to be in front of you. i probably look ugly, or something.”

your boyfriend shakes his head, “you and ugly are words that simply do not go together.”

“you can keep crying, if you want. i’ll be here for you.” he affirms, “we take care of each other at our lows, remember? no matter the distance.”

you sniffle a bit more, your sweater sleeve damp from your tears. his words are new, but it makes you feel much less alone. 

the call fades into you attempting to steady your breathing once more, and tooru reassuring you left and right. maybe it does feel nice, you begin to think, to have someone there with you. to know that they’ll care for you as much as you’ll care for them.

in the midst of your thoughts, tooru calls out, “y/n?”

you hum in response, and he continues, “i wasn’t supposed to tell you this, since it’s not final, but there’s a possibility that i’ve been selected to play for the argentinian national team in the olympics next year. in tokyo.”

you do a double take at him. “wait, you... in japan...?”

he loves seeing you smile like that. “i was called in a meeting yesterday. they were pretty positive about me being a starting setter, but, again, it’s not final.”

your shoulders drop a bit, “but there’s always a chance, right?”

“well, ‘not final’ is just their way of saying ‘don’t tell anyone yet’. and how could i not tell you?”

you giggle a little, “maybe if you come over i might have some use for this big ass tv you bought for me.”

tooru laughs, “i’m coming home, y/n.”

here comes your second wave of tears.

[crystal-in-nagasaki]

otsukimi: the moon-viewing festival

The weekend before last, I had the opportunity to attend a moon-viewing event with some local community members. They helped my friends and I to dress in yukata (light traditional clothing which looks similar to a kimono) and taught us about the customs of Otsukimi and prepared seasonal foods for us to enjoy. They were very patient with us as we talked with them in Japanese. Together we ate and chatted and enjoyed the stunning view of the full moon. At the end of the night, one of the members brought out a saxaphone and played a mix of modern and traditional Japanese seasonal music. One of the songs was about the ending of summer and gave us all a melancholy feeling as we reflected back on our summer memories. 

As you know, I’m a big fan of Japanese traditional culture and history. Moon-viewing has been a common event since the Heian period among the noble courts, which I have a particular interest in. 

As you can probably guess, Otsukimi, “moon-viewing” is an event in celebration of the moon and its beauty. This event is held on the first full moon of the autumn season on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Japanese calendar, which usually falls around September. 

During moon-viewing, seasonal produce is offered in thanks to the moon for a bountiful harvest. Our friend Teruko said it’s called 収穫祭, shukakusai, or harvest celebration. We ate traditional foods like Tsukimi dango, sweet round white dumplings. Teruko joked that round things are loved for their resemblance to the moon, which is why we eat round dango. We also shared a large round pear. Before Teruko cut it, we all passed it around to admire it and show our thanks for the produce. It was very sweet and juicy. After our meal of miso soup, rice, and fresh vegetables, we were served bitter matcha with traditional sweets. We were instructed to drink in the traditional way, rotating the tea cup so that its principle image faces the host, and drinking it down in three gulps. It was really tasty and felt very elegant and courtly.

Eggs are also associated with moon imagery, with the yolk representing the image of the moon on a white sky. One of my school lunches last week contained an “otsukimi” poached egg and McDonald’s offers a limited time otsukimi burger containing a fried egg:

Traditionally during Otsukimi gatherings in the Heian period, noble people would gather together to admire the beauty of the moon and compose poetry of its beauty. In the 100 poems of the Hyakunin Isshu, 12 of them make mention of the moon, often in the context of heartbreak, separation, or melancholy. Here’s a few I particularly like:

秋風に

たなびく雲の

絶え間もり

もれ出づる月の

影のさやけさ

The fall winds

blow the clouds aside

and from that small space

leaks out

the moon”s brilliant light

有明の

つれなく見えし

別れより

暁ばかり

憂きものはなし

The predawn moon

looks on me coldly

at our parting.

There is now nothing so bitter

as the sight of the breaking dawn

夏の夜は

まだ宵ながら

明けぬるを

雲のいづこに

月宿るらむ

Dawn breaks

though I thought

the night was yet young.

I wondered where

the moon was hidden in the clouds

Lovers in the Heian period often were only able to visit each other at night, so the moon often became a symbol of their time together, and the dawn a symbol of their parting. I especially resonated with the last poem, which invokes a lighthearted feeling of “time flies when you”re having fun.” This is how I felt during the evening I spent eating and chatting with my Japanese friends. 

Being the nerd that I am, I joked about composing poetry at our Otsukimi gathering. The community members were delighted by the idea and we made lighthearted attempts at composing moon-themed haiku, trying to use seasonal words representing late summer and early fall. In the end, I composed this haiku:

輝いた

月は笑顔に

映るかな

the brilliantly shining moon,

could it be reflected

on our smiling faces?

It was really fun to be able to take part in this custom which has lasted through generations. Japanese culture is closely tied to nature, so many holidays show thanks and appreciation of the many beautiful things around us. It was a humbling experience to be able to watch the moon in the night sky and just quietly appreciate its beauty, as well as appreciate the harvest which keeps us fed each day. I hope that I am able to notice and become even more appreciative of the nature around me. Thanks for reading!

[holycow99]

石田お寿司 19/7/21 stream translation Part 1

This is not the full translation of the stream. I only translated the parts I could understand & interpret or parts I found interesting/important. I’m still a beginner in Japanese, so the translations may not be accurate. If you want to repost, please repost at your own risk. 

(t/n: Sorry for the late update. I had so many distractions these past 2 weeks. This translation may have a lot of mistranslations as I couldn’t really catch what he said since the bgm was super loud. I tried my best to separate the voice and the bgm so that the voice would be clearer, but I didn’t manage to do that.)

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I: Hello. You guys, are you ready for Ghosts n Goblins? I am.

C: You’re in high spirits tonight.

I: Of course. I’ve been busy with the rough sketches. I’ve spend the entire day fixing the sketches for chp 5.

*Fixing the sound

C: Contrarily, won’t you feel stressed playing this game for a change of pace?

I: I’m already used to this game.

I: I’m stuck in the same place so I’m gonna play this game from the start.

*Choosing mode.

I: I’ve played this game before (referring to the old ver.), so I’ll choose the harder mode.

*Choosing stage.

I: I haven’t progressed at all. I haven’t seen the other stages yet. Graveyard, execution chamber. I played the execution chamber stage for a bit during the stream with Ms. Towada. I progressed a little only. Should I play the graveyard stage?

*Playing the stage.

I: The armour used to get destroyed with just one hit. The armour has a ranking. If you collect a lot of armours, it’ll become a bronze armour. This one is probably a metal armour.

C: Fighting!

I: Kamsahamnida. Is it Kamsahamnida? Thank you.

(t/n: Kamsahamnida means thank you in Korean. He’s talking in Korean.)

C: Have you decided on the date for Kagoshima trip?

I: That’s right. What should I do with the trip? Looks like I can secure 20 buses.

(t/n: Ishida had been jokingly planned on a trip with Japanese fans.)

C: Is the stage different from the old one?

I: It looks similar, but I think it’s a completely different stage. Yeah, it’s completely different. What’s this creature? What’s his name again? Everyone said they didn’t like this boss. I like it. He’s like a friend to me.

C: Russia loves you, sensei.

I: Really? I heard that illegal uploading of manga is widespread in Russia. Haha. I have a grudge against Russia. Haha. Spasiba (thank you in Russian).

C: I like Russian girls. They’re cute.

I: I don’t think it’s because they’re Russians. I heard that their nose tends to be taller due to the climate effects. This isn’t considered as discrimination, right? That’s why they’re good-looking. The same with their white complexion. People adore those with tall nose because their noses are small and cute.

(t/n: I’m not sure about the translation of this part since I couldn’t hear him clearly. He said something more but I couldn’t catch it. Sorry.)

Y****: Are you about to snap?

I: Ah, Y****?! You’re here. You weren’t in the prev. stream, right? I’m not angry.

Y****: I was busy with club.

I: What club are you in? You must be busy. What club are you in as a middle schooler?

Y****: Theatre club.

I: Theatre club?! You’re kidding, right?! Really?! It’s so unexpected, hahaha. Theatre club? I thought you’re in a sports club, like soccer or something. So cool. That’s nice. Seriously? Do they have theatre club in middle school? Amazing.

*Ishida struggling to kill the monsters and then died.

I: I was looking at the comments, waiting for Y****’s to show up, then I became like this.

*Someone commented that they did vocalisation training in theatre club.

I: Vocalisation training? So they do have that. Wait a min, did Y**** say something? Wait, tell me when I die again.

Y****: I’m a high-school student.

I: Eh, Y****, you’re a high-school student?! Didn’t you say you’re 13?! Were you a high school student all this time?! Wait, can I talk to Y**** for a bit? Hahaha. Eh?! Have you been a high-schooler all this while?!

*Continue playing.

I: Hurry up and tell me. I suddenly become interested in human world. Y****, hurry. Did he say something?

Y****: I’m in my first year.

I: I see. A first year student. So, last year you’re 13? I remember you said you’re 13. You’ve enrolled to high school. Congrats for your admission! It must be hard with the COVID-19 situation. Y**** has further modified. His DPS (Damage Per Second) has increased to 1980.

C: I envy the youth.

I: Well, you can become anything as a high-schooler. If you work hard, you can become an actor or a playwright, though I’m not really sure. (inaudible). I think it’s a very good career.

C: What club were you in?

I: I was in volleyball club. I was in the badminton club for 3 months. I joined because of similar reason I joined volleyball club.  I joined because I wanted to be good at smashing. Then, I quit the club after I’ve mastered it. Same with volleyball. I wanted to master spike. I had other stuffs I wanted to do. I wanted to play games all day long. I didn’t wanna go for club activities. I skipped club activities and played Smash Bros. I was a boarding student, after all.

C: Have you read Look Back? (t/n: Look Back is a one shot manga by Fujimoto Tatsuki, author of Chainsaw Man.)

I: Yes, I have.

C: Which console is this?

I: This is switch. I play this because I was tired from fixing the rough sketches for chp 5.

C: Did you go and watch Yamakasa? (t/n: Yamakasa refers to the float carried by men during Hakata Gion Yamakasa festival. You can google it up for more info.)

I: I watch when there’s one. Ms. Towada went and see it. Where did she recently visit?

*Ishida having a hard time defeating the monsters & passing the stage.

I: This is harder than RE. RE is way easier compared to this.

C: Sensei is getting tired!

I: Actually, I should be resting at times like this. It’d be better for me to rest after I did the rough sketches.

*Someone commented they had to work that night.

I: It must be hard to work at this time. Night shift? Nurses and… is it correct? I’m not so sure though, but caregivers also have night shifts. Well, good luck on your job. Take care of your health, eat a lot of delicious foods, and don’t forget to wear an armour. You don’t know when you’ll be absorbed into this game.

C: I need to do excel as my assignment.

I: Must be difficult. I copy pasted the stuffs I found on the internet for my assignments. I wasn’t the only one who did that. Everyone else did the same too.

I: I like summer. If I were to pick a season…but I prefer autumn. Still, summer is great.

C: I have test tomorrow.

I: Then, you should study.

C: I hate summer since there’ll be a lot of Terra Formars.

(t/n: terra formars is a manga about humanoid cockroaches. So, OP referred cockroaches as terra formars.)

I: Yup. They’re in the drawers the other day. They’re always there mostly. 

C: What are you drinking today?

I: Barley tea. I want to drink juice. Ginger ale as well, but I’ll gain weight drinking that. I drink it occasionally. Do you guys know root beer?

*Ishida constantly failed and died.

Comments: Are you getting angry?

I: This is pissing you off, right? I’m pissed off. Of course I’d be pissed off with something like this. The ones who made this game, show yourselves. I’m gonna bring this to court and claim for compensation.

Comments: Please calm down.

I: I’m calming down. Okay, I’ve calmed down.

*Finally progressing a little.

I: Yes, finally! I’m gonna do this calmly.

*Fighting a bunch of monsters.

I: (whispering) Calmly! Calmly!

*Dead again.

I: (whispering) Shit! Just now…It might be impossible without the armour. Let’s do this calmly.

I: This game is more of a psycho break than Psychobreak.

Part 2