#really excited to share this one :} i have been fermenting it for a while. in my puter

[riding-with-the-wild-hunt]

"There was a lady Inzilbêth, renowned for her beauty, and her mother was Lindórië, sister of Eärendur, the Lord of Andúnië in the days of Ar-Sakalthôr father of Ar-Gimilzôr. Gimilzôr took her to wife, though this was little to her liking, for she was in heart one of the Faithful, being taught by her mother [...] No love was there between Ar-Gimilzôr and his queen, or between their sons. Inziladûn [later called Tar-Palantir], the elder, was like his mother in mind as in body; but Gimilkhâd, the younger, went with his father, unless he were yet prouder and more wilful. To him Ar-Gimilzôr would have yielded the sceptre rather than to the elder son, if the laws had allowed." - J.R.R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion, "Akallabêth"

@tolkienofcolourweek day 4: cultural identity + growing up || INZILBÊTH & INZILADÛN

[ID: an edit comprised of four posters in shades of teal and cool beige.

1: A rectangle image taking up most of the poster shows Advina Ratnaningsih, an indonesian model, sitting holding her young child in her lap. They both have brown skin and black hair, and are draped in variously patterned batik fabrics. The room is richly decorated with rugs and brocade hangings. Large teal text up the left side of the image reads "inzilbêth" in all caps, and small text in the bottom right corner reads "she was secretly of the Faithful, for her mother was Lindórië of the House of the Lords of Andúnië." Teal lines flush with the text frame the photo / 2: A small image of traditional indonesian stone carvings on a beige background. A thin teal frame surrounds the picture, with text at the top reading "mother & son," and text below reading "faithful to the valar," with "faithful" in a large gothic font / 3: Same format as Image 2, but the small image shows green mountains in mist, and the text reads "queen & king" and "flowers of númenórë" / 4: Same format as Image 1, but the picture is of a young indonesian man dressed in a patterned sarong with other pieces thrown over his shoulder and wrapped around his head. He is surrounded by green leaves and looks seriously at the viewer. Text on the right side reads "inziladûn" in all caps, and the smaller text reads "he took again a title in the Elven-tongue as of old, calling himself Tar-Palantir" //End ID]

[sockeye-run]

I'm sure I've mentioned it before but I've been getting into mead making! It's simple and fun and helps me practice patience and long term time management lol. Plus it allows for so much creativity and is flexible with mistakes.

Anyway last night I bottled my second mead ever and started a third. My first ever batch was a basic hydromel, just orange blossom honey, water, and yeast. I used a beginners kit. Since then, I've bought more advanced tools and ingredients and have done more multimedia research. I made my second mead, a honeycrisp apple cyser, with fresh pressed apple juice. I bottled it yesterday and shared some of it with my DND group and they loved both batches so far! It's been so fun to share and experiment with.

I'm splitting all my batches in half, and aging half of them for six months to see how they change. One bottle of each is the control, unchanged from initial fermentation. The remaining bottles are back-sweetened with honey and water for a sweeter finish. I'm excited to see what happens!

Yesterday I made a stonefruit mead with peaches, plums, and dried apricots. I read that peach flavor gets lost in fermentation and that dried apricots have a peachy flavor and are a good support. I want to give this one a 'you are my peach, you are my plum's type name lol. I overfilled the carboy a bit, but I don't really mind. It's another lived experience in the process of learning. This morning the plug and airlock were forced out by the built up gases and it had leaked, but thankfully I've always been storing the meads in a large plastic storage bin on the floor for just this occasion. I cleaned it up and installed a larger air lock, and asked my husband to babysit it while I'm at work lol. The initial gravity reading was off the charts lol, so I expect this to be a strong one!

I don't know what I'm planning to do with all my meads and experiences from this point, if I'm just enjoying a hobby or trying to monetize it or what. But it's a good thing for now. 💙

[onwacollective]

while I’m up from a histamine flare that I caused experimenting with supplements…

I’ve been learning about the connection between histamine intolerance (MCAS) and estrogen dominance leading to conditions like fibroids and endometriosis. Learning about the role of histamines in these conditions has been a health game changer for my highly sensitive body. I’ll write more about this as I learn, but in the meantime, some support for those with highly sensitive bodies:

https://whatthebleepcanieat.com/ makes it easy to filter for different food sensitivities. If you believe you are having an issue with histamines, you can create a food list filtering them out and experiment with elimination of histamine triggering foods. You can also filter for FODMAPS and gluten and things. It’s really an amazing site.

nettle and holy basil herbal infusions have been changing my life. Apparently, 3 months of consistent use of herbs like nettle is the magic number for histamine relief (I’ve been using it for around 2 months and experiencing a difference in sleep, estrogen, and mood). Holy basil works its magic pretty instantly.

binders (clay, charcoal, etc.) have also been providing a lot of relief. It’s important to use binders wisely as many of them pull out excess estrogen and histamines while also kicking out essential nutrients. I’ve been using them topically instead of internally (will share more about this later on) and it’s really improved my sleep

FREEZE YOUR FOOD. histamine intolerance is triggered by bacteria. Anything canned, fermented (alcohol, chocolate, yogurt), and older than a day can be a trigger. Leftovers do not work for highly sensitive bodies (I could never understand why a food I was excited about one day would make me feel nauseous the next). So, I’ve been cooking protein and broth in batches and freezing it after it cools. Game changer.

[gracelaramusings]

Day 1 (Part 1): Off to South Korea!

I’ve travelled great distances to eat good Korean food. Perhaps the longest to date: about three hours somewhere between Banff and Jasper, in Canada. This is before the days of internet, so the Korean place was probably listed in some flyer we picked up at a rest stop as we drove northward. “Let’s go to a Korean restaurant!” And as the navigator, I probably did not mention the fact that it was a three hour ride away… I don’t remember if it was good or not, but I know I loved going there.

You must understand, it’s hard to come by good Korean food in Israel. There used to be an authentic restaurant down a dark alley in Tel Aviv, which later closed down. Now another has opened, and while it satisfies my craving for some fermented Korean pickles, it still does not make me go wild. I’ve ordered from a wonderful vegan Israeli who, like me, loves Korean food— so much in fact that she perfected the art of making and selling it. I’m the buying type. But the fact that she is located way down south makes me need to plan any kimchi cravings in advance.

So now I’m going a bit further for some good kimchi. Flying Ethiopian Air, first to Addis Ababa from Tel Aviv, then Seoul. All together, I think about 18 hours.

OK, I admit it. It’s not just for kimchi. I am DEFINITELY not a K-pop person, nor do I know much about Korean culture. I do love roasted barley tea, and just ordered another batch to be sure I don’t run out. There is something so very soothing about roasted, fermented, barley tea. (If you haven’t had it, do try!) Actually, not to belittle the fact that South Korea is an exciting destination… technically, it is a stopover for our central journey to the Philippines.

The credit for the route goes all to Yuval, who posed the idea of cool stopovers there and back. So, that is precisely what we are doing: two days in Korea before heading off to Puerto Princesa on Palawan island in the Philippines. On the way back, Singapore, here we come!

I write this from the plane to Addis. When I heard the cheapest, best, shortest flight for the route would be via Addis on Ethiopian Airlines, well, let’s say I had reason to rejoice. Yup, I love Ethiopian food even more than Korean food! But rest assured, I have found extraordinary, local cooks in Israel who prevent the need for long plane rides to satisfy that food craving. The fact that I’ve worked with the Ethiopian Jewish community for some 25 years, but have not yet been in Ethiopia, is somewhat of a sore spot for me, and even a slight embarrassment (How can I be an expert on Ethiopian Jewry without seeing first hand where they’ve come from?) So now, too, I can say… I’ve been to Ethiopia! (OK, just the airport, but still… one day, for sure I’ll come back. Really.

So I’ll share my travels of the next three weeks with you, as I discover what lies ahead. I’ve had no time to plan much of anything, nor to do any homework. Can’t wait to see what I learn and experience! Who knows, maybe I’ll do a course in vegan Korean cooking?

South Korea, here I come!

[tenfoldtranslation]

On series titles!

In a move ever so characteristic of tumblr, it let me create this blog in a fit of functionality between two outages, so I wrote this over on my 'real' blog (tenfoldtranslation.weebly.com), but I'd like to start sharing more casual thoughts and updates here!

I was recently assigned to a new series (the third title of my professional career) and I'm very excited about it, so I'm hoping to start documenting my thoughts as I go! It hasn't been announced yet, so I'm keeping things vague, but I wanted to get what I was thinking down on paper before it got lost to the mists of time. Here goes!

For [redacted], the main choices were between leaving it as-is in Japanese, and trying to turn it into English. The title itself seems casual, like it's not meant to have much specific meaning to it* (unlike your typical light novel title), and one of the terms it references is not only going to be familiar to many readers who know even a few words in Japanese, but the term itself is series-specific, so it makes sense to preserve that since we'll be preserving the term in Japanese in the English translation (using it as a loan word, if you will).

*From what I can tell at this point in time, it's a play on the word [redacted] which means "to kowtow (to bow from a kneeling position such that the forehead touches the ground); to prostrate oneself; to give a deep, reverent bow​" –I think that's in reference to MC [main character] and reader reactions to the theme of the manga– and also potentially [redacted] meaning "pickles made in brine and fermented rice bran (esp. vegetables, also meat, fish, eggs, etc.)​". In all of these cases, I think what's important isn't necessarily that the meaning and references come across, but that the short, sweet, cuteness resonates with readers.

So anyway, now that we're deciding to leave it in Japanese, there's one more issue: how to romanize づ. "Du", "Dzu", and "Zu" are all correct and acceptable options (in fact, I was wondering about this same choice in あづき for both the manga service (Azuki) and in a prose translation I was reading (Adzuki). The final decision is extremely important for marketing reasons, so it's a tough choice. Mangaupdates.com uses 'du', while MyAnimeList uses 'zu' (though using 'du' still brings it up in search results). Mangadex also uses 'du'. While personally I prefer to romanize words as they sound, so in this case as 'dzu' or 'zu', the second thing that gives me pause in this case is that using 'du' makes it look like 'duke', which is its own word with its own meaning in English. Even so, I think using 'du' is a good final decision. For one, the series seems to be most known under this spelling, which I'd say is of prime importance. Second, 'du', 'dzu', and 'zu' are all technically correct, so it doesn't really matter. And finally, pronouncing 'duke' wrong (as in, the English pronunciation) makes the title as a whole really fun to say~~ Which I think is really important! I think it fits the spirit of the manga. (Even if it means English speakers tend to pronounce it wrong... hey, at least it'll give the readers who know Japanese an excuse to show off their knowledge ;D )

[bastart13]

I’ve had a lot of fun recently coming with with female mercenary characters for TF2. I really liked where the concept art was going with making them all individual characters rather than simply “if the characters were women”

The design style is fantastic for distinct simplicity so I tried limiting myself to basic colours and shapes to make these

and I’m pretty confident they pass the silhouette test!

Character names/bios under the cut!

Heavy

Name: Marie Jarrett

Age: Mid 30s-40s

Height: 6’5

Nationality: American (Hawai’i)

Bio: Raised in Hawai’i, growing up she developed more and more drastic measures to fend off the tourists swarming her home. Land mines, electric gates, guard dogs, none could stop them for long until she picked up her trusty minigun to send her message. But even still, she hears the click of cameras in the night.

Eventually, she left her home to explore the world. Enthralled with the image of seeing different wonders across different countries, she’s always disappointed. She’s travelled every continent and still finds nothing that lives up to her expectations. No place, no person. She’s outgoing and open to new experiences, only she usually hates them.

Mercenary life is a great opportunity to earn money, see sights, meet new people and kill them after they don’t meet your expectations. She hates New Mexico and takes every opportunity to destroy the buildings and insult her employer’s tastes. She finds some people she tolerates within the mercenaries as she hasn’t yet visited where they live. However much she hides it, she has a deep, instinctual fear of the Engineer.

  Soldier

Name: Linda Smith

Age: Early 40s

Height: 5’10

Nationality: Canadian

Bio: Canada’s perfect woman… or so she claims. The star of war propaganda posters and clearly decided for the role because of her great tactical assets. She’s there to motivate people into the fight. To spread the glory of Canada and inspire her allies. She believes she has higher orders than anyone else she’s working for (ignoring the fact she hasn’t heard from them for a good few years) and is determined to follow them to the letter. She may have lost the letter but she remembers it good enough.

She represents the ideals of Canada: polite, friendly, apologetic, and pacifistic. None of these are contradicted by how she throws around rockets. That’s not what Canada means. She’s superior to everyone around her and graciously educates them on how to improve through example. She loves her French and British allies and will kindly tell the Americans how to be better.

She’s motivating and actually fairly competent, it’s just that competency might be misdirected. She’s damn good at rocket jumping, shooting her shotgun, and supporting her team, it’s just that you really need to get it in her head when she’s meant to be doing it.

Scout

Name: Patricia “Pat” Herald

Age: 50s-60s

Height: 5’4

Nationality: English

Bio: In her years, Patricia has learnt fear… and she’s learnt to laugh in its face. She wakes up at the crack of dawn, ready to leave at the drop of a hat, boots polished and laced the night before. Her years have taught her that with a gun and Jeremy by her side, she can survive!

The postal route of Appleby-in-Westmorland.

She’s been chased by geese, dogs, cows, elderly ladies, and when her postal route had her delivering post during the war, she developed a taste for blood. Nothing will stop her from delivering her post on time. Every day before 6am, every postbox will have their letters and parcels. One chucked across barbed wire, another house jumped over a river, another house miles into the country with dogs on her heels, she WILL get there and she’ll get there FAST.

But after a couple of decades, she needs a change of scenery, and the Gravels wars are just the holiday she’s needed. With her trusty black and white cat by her side (ignoring the yowling and scratches) she reckons it’ll be great time to enjoy herself.

Quotes: “Oh, hello, Human Jeremy.”

“Bloody fucking Ethel! Building her house out in the country… surrounded by bloody hills and rivers!”

Pyro

Name: Nikephoros Papadopoulos

Age: Late 20s

Height: 5’11

Nationality: Greek

Bio: Survival of the fittest. Nature gives and nature taketh away. If you’re not prepared for that, well, Pyro is more than happy to teach you the lesson. They embody the old values of the Greek gods: f*ck or fire. She indulges her every whim and unfortunately for the people around her it often involves arson.

One year for the Olympic games, she was given the noble title of torchbearer. On complete coincidence, the Olympics shifted to primarily water sports. Underwater sprints became the hot new trend!

She’s merry and chatty, never missing the opportunity to talk to other people about herself and her world view. She can’t wait to spread her gospel to help other people improve themselves (though she always gets a laugh out of those who go out screaming in the flames). She can’t help it if she has a sadistic side.

Engineer

Name: Mikawo Kojima

Age: Early 20s

Height: 5’0

Nationality: Japanese

Bio: Japan’s early-rising industrial revolutions in technology are best exemplified in Mikawo, a young upstart determined to rise to the top, learning everything she can and building the best of the best. Unfortunately, she’s never been the most creative but when you happen upon other people’s blueprints and happen to construct them first, what does it matter who came up with the “concept”?

At first, she appears to be every bit the quiet and demure young woman people expect, only when silk hides steel, that steel is a massive automatic sentry gun. She’s motivated by a distinct contempt for the people who get in her way. Especially those who try to be better than her. She enjoys the flexibility of English, especially the cusses, and she has no reservations about swearing up a storm, even if she still refuses to give a straight rejection, preferring instead to give a small “I’ll think about it.”

Quotes: “This GUN is fair use on your head!”

Demo

Name: Qingzhao Zeng

Age: Late 40s

Height: 5’3

Nationality: Chinese

Bio: The Zeng family has a long-standing family trade in demolitions and explosives, traced down the line all the way to the Song dynasty. Luckily, Qingzhao has sisters so, you know, it’s not all that important. She doesn’t even have to stop smoking and drinking. She hasn’t blown herself up (that much) so clearly, it’s working. Precision is for other people to worry about. She’s apathetic to a T, having seen everything. Measurements come from the heart. A pinch of gunpowder there, a splash of paint there.

Her family has a deep-seated rivalry with the DeGroots. Long ago in ancient China, a Zeng matriarch woke up in a cold sweat, a message from the stars to let them know of their Scottish rivals. Due to being a continent away from each other, the families have actually met each other only a handful of times, but the hatred needs to be kept up because, what if?

Turns out, Qingzhao has met Tavish even before finding employment under the Mann brothers. One drunken night, the two of them had a short, whirlwind friendship, sharing secrets and declaring each other to be their best friends. Luckily for them, they both forgot the night, merrily hating each other as tradition dictates. However, headaches and flashes of this terrible night haunt them both. Could they really get over centuries of hate and become friends?

Absolutely not.

Sniper

Name: Ansa Aaltonen

Age: 27

Height: 6’2

Nationality: Finnish

Bio: Snow. Sugar. Cocaine.  Her life is run by many white powders. Ansa is a professional sniper, with a sharp eye and a steady hand… when she isn’t also high as a kite, lost in the snowy wilderness of Finland and screeching to the sky. When you’re up in the dark and cold, you need something to give you a little pep in your step. It just so happens Ansa liked having a bit more pep than most.

She’s there for a THRILL. There’s nothing better to get your heart pumping at 200 beats per second than a good headshot, embracing the chill, and a hit of sugar. She no longer feels the cold or heat or even pain, shrugging it off until she collapses. It just makes her feel alive. She’s efficient, fast, and determined to get her kicks.

She has an unusual taste, living off fermented fish and tree bark. To most people around the Finnish wilderness, she’s nothing more than an urban legend, but she’s very real and she’s looking for some excitement, happily found in employment in the Gravel wars.

Spy

Name: Yvonne Pleshette [Real name N/A]

Age: 30s

Height: 5’8

Nationality: American (California)

Bio: The silver screen calls to his woman and she’s happy to answer. She trains herself to act in every possible role she can, having a wide range of accents, body languages, and backstories. To truly test herself, she gave up her identity long ago. Lately she’s been going by the name “Yvonne.”

The world of Hollywood is cutthroat and full of backstabbers so she learnt to cut throats and stab backs. While some people tell her the terms are metaphorical, nothing else has given her more roles. Living the mercenary life is simply gathering research for her roles (and earning some much-needed money in the process).

She presents herself as a classic film star, despite being a minor name at best, mostly because she’s always changing it. She has high standards but a cheapskate personality. She’s a bit of a bitch, happily criticising others, especially if they’re working with her. What can she say? She’s a diva.

[Slutshames other spy]

Quotes: “Ugh, actors these days, they know nothing about getting into character. They still have names.”

“’AHHHHH—’ Wait, no. Once more from the top. Scream in agony.”

Medic

Name: Susan Monks

Age: 30-40s

Height: 5’7

Nationality: American (New Jersey)

Bio: The American Healthcare system. Is there a more glorious sight? The exploitation of pain. The money. The debt. The fear it strikes into the entire population it’s designed to help. To Susan, there’s nothing better. She squeezes every last drop from the people she helps, working on a purely transactional lifestyle. She’ll never help someone unless she has all of their insurance information and the payment secure in her bank, and god forbid she ever accept help. It’s not like she can afford her own prices.

She’s very self-aware of her own corruption and proud of it, though she refuses to be exploited in the same way, suspicious of anything “free” but also doing her best not to pay for anything.

That said, she doesn’t much care for how good a job she does. In her eyes, asking for surgery is one thing. Asking for successful surgery is another. She has a variety of skills in both cosmetic and military medicine. She just wishes the license board would stop sending her “malpractice” letters. Ugh, stick to your own business. “Disappearing” all their messengers is becoming a pain.

Quotes: “Why get someone else to do something for you when you can scrounge a way to do it yourself?”

[tofueggnoodles]

Saiyuki Reload Blast Drama CD 3 – Track 3: Free Talk

Summary: Aside from his usual trolling of Hoshi Souichirou, Hirata Hiroaki griped about Gojyo’s ‘falling quality’ while A-san ‘revealed’ some scandalous bits from his past....

Note: As Soto pointed out, free talks aren't scripted, so the voice actors often interrupt each other, talk over one another, and mumble. I’m pretty sure I did not get everything right, so I’ll really appreciate any correction.

--------

Hoshi: It’s time for the cast round-table discussion of the third volume of the Saiyuki Reload Blast Drama CD. Thank you for your hard work, everyone.

Hirata: Thank you for your hard work, too.

Hoshi: Even though it’s gradually getting colder these days, everyone’s excitement warms up the recording site.

Hirata: Is that so?

Hoshi: Yes, it is.

Hirata: Was everyone excited?

Hoshi: Yes they were. Listeners who are drinking their tea–

Seki: Are they drinking tea as they listen to us?

Hirata: Yeah, are they?

Hoshi: Yes, I imagine they’re doing so while sitting at the kotatsu and eating mandarin oranges. [A kotatsu is a low, wooden table frame covered by a futon, or heavy blanket, upon which a table top sits. Underneath is a heat source, often built into the table itself.]

Seki: Ah, I see.

Hirata (to the listeners): Everyone, is that true? You’re listening to us while sitting at the kotatsu and eating oranges?

Hoshi: Perhaps with a radio cassette player–

Everyone else: Radio cassette player?

Seki: Are we talking about the Showa era? [The Showa era ended in 1989.]

Hoshi: Okay, it could be a CD radio-cassette player.

Ishida: The important point is that it’s something that can play CDs.

Hirata: That’s a valid topic for our discussion. **

Hoshi: Well, we’ve finally wrapped up the recording for the third volume. This time too, the stories were fun.

Hirata: Fun? It was not fun for me.

Hoshi: Admit it, you had fun too.

Hirata: Hey, we recorded two tracks for this third volume, didn’t we?

Seki: Yes, we did.

Hirata: Why did I have to play okama roles in both tracks?** [Gojyo played the Queen of Hearts in Track 1 and briefly impersonated an effeminate celebrity in Track 2.]

Hoshi: Ah ha!

Seki: That’s true, he did that in both tracks.

Hoshi: In the end, indeed.

Hirata: The rest of the characters kept bringing up the past.

Hoshi: I didn’t think it would come to that point.

Hirata: Furthermore, the quality is gradually decreasing–

Hoshi: It was superb, though. A success on the first try.

Hirata: In what way?

Hoshi: You succeeded on the first try, didn’t you?

Hirata: Did I? Oh well, I suppose it’s okay.

Hoshi: All right. Here is the theme for today’s discussion: For idols, there are many rules in place for the sake of preserving their looks. Do you have personal rules of your own? For example, a rule of eating pork cutlet rice on the day before a contest. [The first two syllables of the Japanese term for pork cutlet rice, katsudon, is a homonym for the verb ‘to win’ in Japanese.] If you have such a rule, please share it. Let’s start with Seki-san.

Seki: Yes! This Seki Toshihiko, who plays Genjo Sanzo. It’s not a firm rule and may sound uncool, but I like natto [fermented soybeans]. Whenever I eat natto, first I’ll add butter to the tea, then hot rice. Around the time the butter starts to melt, I’ll put the natto on top of the rice and immediately add the soy sauce.

Hirata: Sounds delicious.

Seki: This is tasty. It’s always been my rule.

Hirata: I have a question.

Seki: Please go ahead.

Hirata: By natto, did you mean the stuff made from ground soybeans?

Seki: Yes, soybeans.

Hoshi: Ah, soybeans, is it?

Hirata: Soybeans, right? You stir them round and round before eating them.

Seki: With the butter, they form a combination that tastes superb. [YMMV.... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natt%C5%8D]

Hirata: Perhaps I should try it.

Seki: Please do.

Hoshi: Let’s make it our rule too, Hirata-san.

Hirata: This does not sound like rule, as in something that Sanzo would say, like “I decided to do this today,” before going off to a match.

Hoshi: That could be a single-repetition mantra.

Hirata: What you described is just a favorite dish, isn’t it? It’s not really a rule, right?

Ishida: It’s a rule for when he’s eating natto.

Hirata: So it’s a rule, as in (doing an impersonation of Sanzo), “When I eat natto, I must add butter.” Understood.

Hoshi: I see. All right. Next, would you tell us your rule, Hirata- san?

Hirata: Me? I have none in particular.

Seki: What’s that?

Hoshi: Eh? Hirata-san’s– First, please introduce yourself.

Hirata: Ah. This is Hirata-san, er, Sha Gojyo. This is Hirata-san. Thank you for always looking after me. Recently, I’ve been playing okama characters–

Hoshi: He’s joking around.

Ishida: You’re pleased with it, aren’t you?

Hirata: I’m not.

Hoshi: You’re extremely pleased with it.

Hirata: My rule is the following: Whenever I have to play an okama character the next day, I won’t be able to sleep the night before.

Hoshi: Is that a rule?

Seki: You sound just like Osugi. [Osugi is an effeminate Japanese celebrity.]

Hirata: I can’t sleep. I feel like everyone’s thinking, “Here comes the okama again.” Is there anything else that would count as a rule? Something like superstitions? For example, making sure to step into the studio with the left foot–

Hoshi: Ah, I see.

Hirata: I don’t have that sort of rules.

Seki: Ah, yes, Hira-chan’s rule.

Hirata: Seki-san knows my rule.

Seki: Whenever I asked him if he had such a one-rule, he always answered he never had one.

Hirata: That’s my personal statement. But, did I once said something different to someone else?

Seki: Really? Something different?

Hirata: Ah, no, that’s not it. Another director absentmindedly told me off, live on the radio: “That’s it from my side. From your side – none!”

Seki: That’s probably during the early days.

Hirata: It was when I met Takakuwa-san for the third time at the recording site. [Takakuwa Hajime was the sound director for the various Saiyuki anime series and Drama CDs. https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=12967] He absentmindedly–

Seki: Absentmindedly–

Hoshi: Good opening words from him.

Seki: That’s a painful experience.

Hirata: To be told “none from your side” like that, I was like “heh” – it was that kind of [awkward] mood at the time. If I’d left, I wouldn’t be in Saiyuki today.

Seki: If you were not here, it’d have been tough for us.

Hirata: Therefore, the rule that I mentioned just now, it only applies in case of Saiyuki.

Hoshi: Ah, I see.

Hirata: It’s now become my personal rule.

Hoshi: I’m glad. Well then, Ishida-san, please tell us your rule.

Ishida: Er, my rule– this is Ishida Akira, who plays Cho Hakkai. This is a tough one. Nothing seems to come to mind–

Hirata: Somehow, it feels like you’d have tonnes of rules.

Seki: You probably have lots of them your whole life.

Ishida: Do I?

Hirata: Yes, you seem like an orderly person.

Hoshi: Yes, indeed.

Hirata: You give off the air of a model student.

Ishida: Do you think so?

Hirata: Yes, I do.

Seki: First of all, whenever you ride your bicycle, you obey the traffic rules, don’t you?

Hirata: That’s a given.

Ishida: Well, I’m a man who’s broken every rule.

Seki: Oh? That’s the opposite [of what I expected]!

Hoshi: The opposite!

Ishida: Yes–

Seki: While you’re on the road?

Ishida: Yes. From the standpoint of being an idol, I’ve broken all of the love ban rules and conducted many debauched love affairs.

Hirata: Debauched love affairs?

Seki: Hey, stop it, stop it! Akira-kun, you mustn’t go on with this topic!

Ishida: Why, at this point I have lots of regrets.

Hoshi: What kind of talk is this....

Seki: Wait a minute–

Ishida: Let’s see... medical fees, child support payments and many other–

Hoshi: Eh?

Hirata: Where are you going with this?

Seki: Stop it.

Ishida: Whenever I consider the future, it sure seems tough. How long will I have to continue paying for everything? When I think about this sort of things, life seems difficult, so–

Hirata: Hold on for a second. It’s not just one or two persons you’re talking about, is it? The thing about the child support payments.

Hoshi: That’s crazy.

Ishida: That’s why, since at this stage there’s no point regretting what I’ve done, my rule is to live harshly by myself, even if I feel like I can’t go on any longer.

Hirata: I see. That’s a bit depressing.

Hoshi: That was a depressing topic.

Hirata: We should’ve cut out a portion of this volume to make space for this topic. Akira’s talk about his depressing situation has been dominating this free talk. For an omake, it’s–

Ishida: It’d be a pity to remove such an interesting drama.

Hirata: Understood. This free talk is not the place for such a drama, so let’s make a track dedicated to it. An omake Drama CD track like the Urasai sections. The title would be something like Akira’s Murky** Past–

Ishida: Even if we were to make such a Drama CD track, it’d be wasteful if it featured only the things I’ve said just now.

Hirata: It wouldn’t be, if the rest of us were to act out the various roles.

Hoshi: Act out....

Hirata: I’ll act out this part: “Akira, this child is yours!”

Seki: That’s right!

Hoshi: Hey, hey, is everything all right?

Seki: It’s just a joke.

Ishida: Well, there are many kinds of jokes.

Hoshi: Then, what’s the truth, Ishida-san?

Ishida: The truth... are you still trying to dig into it?

Hoshi: I won’t feel satisfied until I get to the truth.

Ishida: The truth is, it’d have been great if I’d done all those things.

Hoshi: Ah-ha! So it’s the opposite.

Seki: Oh, that’s how it is.

Ishida: It’d have been great if I’d done all those things, because I’d be able to give an amusing talk about them at times like this.

Hoshi: Is that so?

Hirata: That was an extremely interesting and amusing talk you gave anyway.

Seki: You definitely look happy.

Ishida: Regrettable, how regrettable.

Seki: Really.

Hirata: Haa.

Hoshi: So you made that your rule?

Ishida: Yes.

Hoshi: Ishida-san and Hirata-san have told us how their rules came to be.

Hirata: Then, how about you, who live your life in a jovial manner?

Hoshi: Jovial? Do I? Well, this is Hoshi Souichirou, who plays Son Goku.

Hirata: I know that.

Hoshi: Yes, thank you for hard work. Fundamentally, I don’t really have a rule, but if I have to call it a rule, I think it would be to eat a lot after putting in a great deal of work.

Seki: Eh, so that’s how it is.

Hirata: Then, you shouldn’t be eating at all.

Hoshi: What do you mean? What do you mean?

Hirata: You should be losing more weight.

Hoshi: Yes, I should be, but the rule I have is whenever I do my best at work, I say to myself, it’s okay to eat.

Hirata: That only applies if you do your best, right?

Hoshi: Which I do.

Hirata: Well then, you should definitely be losing more weight.

Hoshi: As I said, whenever I do my best....

Hirata: Ah, is that so. Have you been doing your best?

Seki: Say, he’s the one to decide for himself whether he’s been doing his best or not.

Hoshi: That’s right.

Hirata: So he’s using the minimum standard, isn’t he? I see.

Hoshi: That’s because we’re never told things like, “you’ve done your best today,” are we?

Ishida: We don’t get told that a lot.

Seki: We just do our work as normal.

Hoshi: Right? When we get off work, the staff members don’t go out of the way to tell us, “Ah, it’s great that you’ve worked hard today.”

Hirata: You want to be told that?

Hoshi: Well, yeah....

Hirata: To the ladies who are listening to this CD, please write he’s done his best in your letters to this guy. Otherwise, he’ll grow fat.

Hoshi: That’d be the outcome of my self-pampering rule. Right, so we’re done with the topic of personal rules.

Hirata: I wonder if our answers are useful to anyone.

Hoshi: We’ve gained extremely valuable insight from everyone here. All right, so the third volume of the Saiyuki Reload Blast Drama CD has come to an end. Does this also mean that we’ve come to the end of the series?

Hirata: Isn’t it a good thing?

Hoshi: Ah, I know–

Hirata: It’s about time. It’s been interesting, but it’s all over the place.

Hoshi: Yes, it’s rather all over the place.

Ishida: It sure is.

Hirata: Also, there’s this pattern in which the tracks end with Gojyo shouting. Isn’t it about time we got rid of it? **

Hoshi: You’re getting tired of it, aren’t you? We’ve done a lot of that.

Hirata: From the start, there’s the constant fights between Gojyo and the monkey.

Hoshi: Yeah, there’s those.

Hirata: Surely everyone’s had enough of that pattern.

Hoshi: Whenever we did a comic story, it always ended with Gojyo [getting the short end of the stick].

Hirata: Let’s make space for something new.

Hoshi: Make space for what?

Hirata: Even if we were to make a fourth volume.

Seki: Yes, we can try to create a new pattern.

Hirata: Yes, something refreshing. Don’t make Gojyo shout [at the end]. Also, don’t make him act out effeminate characters so much. How about it?

Hoshi: Got it. Well, let’s gradually discuss such a matter some other time–

Hirata: But, it’s fun.

Hoshi: It’s fun, isn’t it?

Hirata: Especially for me, who like the Urasai sections the most.

Seki: Which one is it?

Hoshi: That’s true. That’s why, the various [comic] CD Dramas are the type Hirata-san likes.

Hirata: Indeed, I enjoy doing those.

Hoshi: Well then, with everyone’s support for the CD Dramas and of course the main story as well, we look forward to seeing you again in the Saiyuki Reload Blast series. Everyone, thank you very much for listening to the end. See you again!

Seki and Hirata: Yes!

Hirata: See you again!

The other three: See you again!

Ishida: Goodbye.

--------

Translations of the Drama CD tracks referred to during their conversation:

(Round brackets): actions and sound effects. [Square brackets]: translator’s notes and clarifications. Double asterisks **: Stuff I am really not sure of.

[twyam-if]

I can't explain why, but I'm very excited to play a domestic character and make our friends some packed lunches before they go out demon hunting 🥰

Honestly, I couldn't resist doing this. Please, packing lunches for everyone sounds extremely cute!!

Lana will have the brightest smile on her face the moment she sees the lunchbox. No really, her smile is extremely blinding and she really, really wants to hug you for the food. It’s filled to the brim with a bunch of different food she likes; pork cutlet sandwiches with a spicy mustard and mayo spread, cucumber and cheese rolls wrapped in ham, and small tomatoes as a side. She always liked the kind of food that you can just eat with your hands. It’s quick to eat and she can go on a run afterwards. In return, she’ll offer some of her favorite dried apples with you!

She can cook, but she’s been banned from using the microwave or any tools if William is within six-feet of her. Somehow, the two of them cause a lot of trouble when there’s food and the kitchen involved.

William will stare at the lunch box and laugh, saying that 'Obviously, you had to provide me the daily nutrients needed to survive!' and take the lunch box. Despite his more rich upbringing, he adores everything you make. He means it, even if he says it in the most roundabout way possible. He isn’t picky with his food, but there’s one thing that he does love: instant ramen. It’s quick, efficient, and if you made it with your own little editions, such as adding in cheese or vegetables on it, he loves it even more. He’ll bring you to a five-star restaurant afterwards because he can’t cook at all.

The last time he cooked there was a huge fire and he was laughing maniacally while shouting how fun it is to cook. He has been banned ever since. He can’t even touch any frozen foods to microwave after the ‘Jeans’ incident.

Rin will slowly get down on one knee, hold up the lunchbox reverently towards the sun, sunset, moon, or anything that’s high up in the sky, and thank you with a straight face. Rin loves to eat fish, especially salmon or tuna. They like how rich the flavors were at that one restaurant that William brought them to, but your cooking makes the fish taste even better. If you packed some grilled salmon with rice, and a bunch of fruit like pineapple, mangoes, and apples on a bed of lettuce, they’ll be extremely grateful. They’ll share with you some of their Swedish fish snacks!

Rin is the one who primarily cooks, and sadly, is often borne witness to the many incidents that are between William and Lana. To them, it’s sad to see that they know where every fire extinguisher is in the dorm.

Hanami will let out a grateful smile and reveal his own lunch box, saying that he made one for you too. Hanami has a huge sweet-tooth, so he’ll be extremely happy by the fact that you packed him something that has a few sweets inside. He loves steak, so if you managed to make that, his tail will start wagging from how happy he is. By the way, remember that lunch box he made? You see those small, glazed donuts that have a small, wolf face made of red-icing on them? It's his handiwork! Do you like them? If you don’t like the donuts, how about his favorite strawberry-flavored candy?

Hanami has become the designating cook in the group, next to Rin. He has a look of horror on his face whenever Rin tells him about the tales of their ruined kitchen from time to time.

Muzik will simply stare at you as he holds the lunch box, and from there, he’ll ask if you’re trying to negotiate for a smaller price on his wares. If you are or aren’t, Muzik...won’t be listening as he’s already taking out a chunk of his wares to sell to you, all for the low, low price of another lunchbox! He likes healthy foods, so if you make him something similar to spinach seasoned with tsuyu, fermented beans with rice, or even a vegan burger, he’ll be extremely thrilled! He’ll share with you some grilled vegetables that he’ll sometimes cook when he has a craving or two!

Muzik can make concoctions that will help your health, but he can guarantee you that they’re so disgusting that you’ll pass out! Lana was the first victim.

[thepriceofbeingaroseisloneliness]

Kaoru (DIR EN GREY) & Hazuki SPECIAL INTERVIEW 1/2 Translation

Notes before reading: This is the first part of the special interview broadcasted on Hazuki’s Youtube channel, you can still watch it there. The special interview is 45 min long, this part covers until minute 24. I will upload the second part in a day or two.

You can watch the interview here  Please watch and support Hazuki’s channel!

Feel free to correct me if you spot any mistakes or any confusing parts. Links or credits to this post when the content is reposted or captured in other SNS is appreciated :) ----- Hazuki: Today’s guest is already here! Kaoru from Dir en grey! Kaoru: Thank you (laughs) Hazuki: Thank you for being here! (laughs) Kaoru: Well, somehow as the tension is different than usual, I got a bit surprised…(laughs)  *he means the program started suddenly* Hazuki: (The program started) In a single blow…I cut in with a single blow…. I’m sorry… Well, I’ve been on Youtube since last year….I already had Ryuichi Kawamura (Luna Sea’s vocalist) and an acquaintance who is a death metal/death growls instructor….being able to do talks like this it’s a bit special so I want to do more and more….like for example, telling everyone stories about Kaoru they’ve never heard before….I would like to see that more and more….I asked you (to come here) and you agreed immediately so thank you so much… Kaoru: No,no…you don’t need to (thank me)…. Hazuki: I’m really thankful…. Kaoru: But, the first time we talked about this was last year…. Hazuki: It was actually a while ago, that’s true… Kaoru: But somehow, I wondered if there was something good we could talk about here…. Hazuki: This time, “Oboro” will be released on 28th April….so I’d like to talk about that as well…there are also a few things here *pointing at the table* so it’s not just that…. I often met Kaoru but there are times we meet from the beginning but sometimes we meet in a second or third different stages…. Kaoru: After eating… Hazuki: There are some patterns about coming together, like sometimes it’s the two of us at the beginning…. Kaoru: Yes Hazuki: Or both of us staying until the end…..to this day, I haven’t get used to that situation at all….*laughs* Kaoru: At those times, you are a bit…..like this…..*starts imitating Hazuki, making awkward movements* Like this…..*Hazuki laughs, Kaoru too* At that moment I feel like  “ohh” *ego boost gesture lol* Hazuki: No,no…. (laughs) It feels exactly like that to me…..yes….I feel it…. So, before these talks, I get a drink for the guest that is here. I brought a lot of things but for the time being, let’s open a beer and after getting some alcohol in our bodies… Kaoru: That’s right… let’s start with this, right?.... because if you don’t drink, you won’t say anything…. Hazuki: I’m sorry….as there is a little distance between us…. I’m nervous so I need to drink alcohol…because you are a big senpai for me….cheers! Kaoru: Cheers! They both toast with their beer cans. Hazuki: It’s good…everyone is curious about one thing…. It’s really in the way….*Hazuki puts his hand on a bottle that it’s on the centre of the table, covered by a cloth* It’s really an object that stands out but,  the drink that I want to serve for Kaoru today is….well, for me this…..how long has it been?  I think 15-16 years… but in this long time there is especially one drink that left an impression in me…. Kaoru: Is something we drank together? Hazuki: We did….I get to know this type of alcohol/sake from Kaoru…. I couldn’t drink it at that time… Kaoru: I wonder what it is… Hazuki:I couldn’t drink it but as you were really into it and drank it….I was like….”I want to drink it with Kaoru”, so I tried  and it was delicious….so I was able to drink it that’s why today I brought it…do you know what is it?...*pointing at the cloth* Kaoru:*Laughs* I wonder… what can it be?.... Because of the size I would say it’s whisky… Hazuki: Ah yes the size…..but it’s not….it’s another thing…. Kaoru: Sweet potato shōchū? Hazuki: Ah, you are quite close….it’s a type of shōchū…. Kaoru: Eh? Hazuki: It’s not Sweet potato shōchū Kaoru: Is it Tantakatan? * Tantakatan is a shōchū made with perilla leaves. It is produced in Hokkaido, Japan. Hazuki: *screams* AH!...that’s it…..*Kaoru and Hazuki laugh* That’s amazing *Hazuki starts clapping* You knew it so well…*Hazuki takes off the cloth of the bottle* Kaoru: It’s been a long time! Hazuki: It’s Tantankatan…. Kaoru: This makes me feel really nostalgic…. Hazuki: How many years ago? Kaoru: A lot…. Hazuki: I think it was 23 years ago…. Kaoru: I used to drink this a lot…. Hazuki: Drinking this kind of alcohol on the rocks…. I was still young at that time, I’ve only drank beer, shōchū and highball shōchū. I thought “I should really try this”. When you asked me to join you, drinking this, I drank a lot and got really into it. After this, there was a boom in potato-fermented drinks *Kaoru laughs* But because you asked me to drink it together, I got to like it. *Kaoru laughs* *On the rocks” means serving an alcoholic beverage in a cocktail glass with ice. I think Hazuki means is “a fancy drink”. Kaoru: How nostalgic….I barely drink this anymore…. Hazuki: I drink it…. I thought “this is definitely the drink I want to share with him”…..after drinking this beer…. Kaoru: Let’s drink it….let’s finish the beers… Hazuki: You don’t need to hurry….we still have time…. Hazuki seems to be amazed by Kaoru’s reaction towards the Tantankatan. Kaoru: This makes me feel really nostalgic! Do they sell this at convenience stores? Hazuki: They do. Hazuki wants to know when Kaoru had the first chance to try Tantakatan. Kaoru: Maybe on tour… Hazuki: I see, because it was popular/a trend…to drink it with everyone… Kaoru:  Maybe the first time I drank it…. It was with Mr Ito, from the security company of X (X Japan)….that person’s face looked like a gorilla….*Hazuki laughs* when we started going on tour together, I started drinking it with him…. *Mr. Ito was popular for being in charge of the security of  X Japan and Luna Sea. He worked later with other bands like Dir en grey. He is said to be the saviour of many fans as he worked sometimes in the front lines. Hazuki: He gave it to you and you drank it together….I see…. Actually, it’s not the first time you appear in a program I’m doing…. Kaoru: You mean the radio one? Hazuki: Yes, the one called 「Weekly lynch」. When was it? 8 or 7 years ago. At that time, you were about to release “The Unraveling”. You were releasing “The Unraveling” so you came to the program. Since then, probably most of the people who are watching this haven’t heard that radio program, especially Lynch fans so, roughly I’d like to talk about how we ended up here….I would like to talk about this again…our first encounter….do you remember it? *Hazuki starts laughing softly but ends up laughing loudly when he sees Kaoru struggling to remember it* *Kaoru appeared as a guest in「Weekly lynch」in NACK5 FM on March 2013. Kaoru: It was because of Reo, right? Hazuki: That’s it, that’s it…. Kaoru: I remember it was Reo (Lynch’s guitarist)  who introduced you to me…. About where it was…..I think it was at some hotel lobby… Hazuki: That’s it, that’s it…at that time you were staying at a hotel in Nagoya…. Reo and I went to the lobby to meet you and we went to a shop…..I was really really nervous…I was thinking “finally I’m going to meet Dir en grey”,  as I knew the band since I was in high school…I was really nervous about meeting you for the first time but….at that hotel lobby there were many fans showing up as well…like waiting for the members….I was thinking “as expected from stars/famous people” when you were getting off quickly…*Hazuki laughs* Kaoru: I see….it was at a hotel…

Hazuki: That time we hardly talk…. Kaoru: That’s true….I talked to Reo mostly… Hazuki: But I was listening to you in the sideway….at that time I already liked to drink…. But Reo doesn’t drink right?...*Kaoru nods* I guess he can’t drink…. I don’t know though….but he didn’t drink…the next time you came to Nagoya, I find the courage to invite you, I was like “tonight I’m going to invite Kaoru!”, but at that time you have another plan with other person so you told me “I’m sorry”…so I went back home…. The next day, you contacted me by email to meet in the afternoon… Kaoru: Suddenly? Hazuki: Suddenly…I thought it was weird because it was your day off… I got super excited….and we went to “Mountain”… Kaoru: Aaaaaa Hazuki: (Mountain) in Nagoya….I want everyone to google it….it’s a pasta place among other things… Kaoru: I’m sure your fans know it well….I get to know this place from you…. Hazuki: Is that so?-….*laughs*.. I was the one who introduced this place to you… Kaoru: That’s it, that’s it…. Hazuki: Well….since that moment….. each time that Kaoru came to Nagoya with Dir en grey…we would usually drink together….it was almost like a perfect attendance award, right? Kaoru: Right…. Hazuki talks a little bit more about attending Dir’s live when they came to play at Zepp Nagoya even though he lived in a rural area. Hazuki: At that time, I lived at my parents house in a really rural area of Nagoya.  As going by train to Nagoya was hard, coming back was also hard, manga cafe… Kaoru: *cutting in* That’s it! They both starting laughing. Kaoru: I asked you if you were ok (staying there)…. Hazuki: The first  time after the live was over….at the first after party…..the other members were there….there were many people gathering there… every one was talking and I didn’t do much there… the second time you told me to wait for you….when we finished drinking it was past midnight….early in the morning…. There wasn’t a night bus and I didn’t have money to come back by taxi….so I came to the manga café, slept a bit and came back by train in the morning… Kaoru: That’s it…. Hazuki: For me, that you came to Nagoya and we could drink together….it was something really valuable for me….it makes me feel nostalgic….those days have kept going these 15-16 years….it might feel a bit like “why a vocalist and a guitarist *laughs* but you are really a big senpai that I respect…that’s right…this program….for this talk corner….nothing has been decided…*Kaoru nods* I really didn't decide anything….what could be the first topic?....mmm…I think we could talk about the moment you got into rock music…. Kaoru: Like when I started playing? Hazuki: That’s right….for example, I only listened to kayōkyoku ( Japanese popular music from Showa Era) when I was an elementary student….at that time it started to sound “Rosier” by Luna Sea and I was like “what is this?” so I got into the rock world…is there something like that for you? Something like “oh that’s amazing!” or so…. Kaoru: The first time I listened to something and thought “that’s rock” was BOOWY. Hazuki: Eh?? Is that so? Kaoru: I think it was a thing for my generation…..everyone listened to BOOWY. Hazuki: They were still active? Kaoru: Barely….it was before their disband.…. Hazuki: I see… Kaoru: But at middle school everyone listened to them….but the band I listened to before them was Seikima-II…. Hazuki laughs. Kaoru: Singles at that time were records (LP), right?.. Hazuki: Yes… Kaoru: I bought it and listened to it….even at that time, like when it comes to bands and rock music it was like…..something amazing and flashy… Seikima-II felt like “this is it”….that’s how it felt when I listened and looked at them….I didn’t listen to them with the image of “this is rock” or a “band”…. But when I heard that kind of band, the guitars, the bass….everything together I thought “this is cool”….as expected, BOOWY’s (activities) at that time were decreasing but there was also bands like Barbee Boys and Ziggy…. But among all those bands I listened to….when I was in middle school, a transferred student came to my school to my class….he looked  very serious…in that class he felt like the calm type….he sat next to me….and once we were going back home he invited me to hang out with him…even thought he was a middle school student….his room was full of records…..he had everything….an amplifier, record player, tapes…he also have CDs that were a recent thing at that time….he also had this huge speaker…of course he had a bed as well as it was his room…. Hazuki: But it was your friend’s stuff? Not his father’s? Kaoru: It wasn’t his father’s stuff, all belonged to him… Hazuki: Ehhhh Kaoru: It was amazing….it looked like an unknown world to me….I went to his house often to hang out after school…we would listen to the records that he had, he told to listen to the music he liked….one of the things he made me listen to was metal…. Hazuki: Western music? Kaoru: There was a lot of western music as well…like Iron Maiden and Judas…also Japanese metal and so but….it was like a “no way, no way” for me…. Hazuki: At time it wasn’t your cup of tea? Kaoru: At all…. Hazuki: Eh… Kaoru: I liked music in English….like Michael Jackson…I like Pop….music from the UK…..I listened to new wave bands for example….but that kind of hard rock or metal….I have this image of muscular guys playing in shorts jumping around energetically while playing….with those things in their shoulders that made them look like Saint Seiya….*Hazuki laughs* I had that kind of image… Hazuki: This is after BOOWY? Kaoru: It’s after BOOWY….I still was listening to BOØWY’s all the time….*Kaoru mumbles something about BOOWY’s CD covers?* Hazuki mentions Japan ( A new wave band from the Uk). They also mention again BOOWY’ and finally, X Japan appears. Kaoru mentions X’s Vanishing vision and that he didn’t like it at first because of the fierce and fast tempo songs. Hazuki: Eh? *laughs* I really can’t believe what you are saying right now… Kaoru: It was like a “no,no” for me…but among them, there were one or two songs that I liked… Hazuki: Yes, yes… Kaoru: Then, at high school…..I graduated from middle school and I started high school on April…and the 21st of April “Blue blood” was released…. Hazuki: Oh! Kaoru: At the bookstore and so there were X stuff there, I already knew them….and I preordered the CD…. Hazuki: *Laughs* How did that happen? Kaoru: I don’t know….I just did it… Hazuki: But you didn’t like them at that time….*laughs* Kaoru: But somehow for the first time, I was interested in them so I went the day of the release to buy the CD, I went back home,I listened to it at the radio-cassette and I was like “what on Earth is this?” *Hazuki laughs* Hazuki: That wasn’t too fast and fierce for you… Kaoru: It wasn’t….at all… Hazuki points out that the song called like the album “Blue blood” is fast and fierce but Kaoru seems to not care about that as he was amazed by the album. For Hazuki, it was too fast and fierce so it was a “No” for him at that moment. Kaoru: I was like “what’s this”?.... Hazuki: And because of that opportunity, even though it was fierce and fast, as you bought the CD yourself… Kaoru:  For me, it was the feeling of the whole “Blue blood” album….it was like listening to something amazing… Hazuki: But you got interested in that album when you saw that add (at the bookstore)…. Kaoru; That’s it, That’s it…. Hazuki: From there, you got into that world-view…. Kaoru: Certainly…that’s it, that’s it…at first, as expected, I didn’t know much about instruments and their sound….but the songs…and the atmosphere when I listened to the songs….I saw there was a live at the medium hall of the Kousei Nenkin Kaikan in Osaka but the tickets were already sold out. I feel like going to the venue at that moment…. Hazuki: But you didn’t have a ticket…. Kaoru tells next the story about how he got the ticket after walking around the venue. It seems  he was first offered a ticket by a old guy who asked for 5000 yen for the ticket (the real price was 3000 yen) but Kaoru didn’t have the money for it as he needed some for the train back home. Kaoru gave up about getting a ticket and he was wondering if he should buy some merch as people started to gather for the concert.  Then, another old guy guy approached him and offered him a ticket, that was a seat in the last row of the first floor, and Kaoru got it. Kaoru adds he was kind of careless for doing that? ( getting a ticket from a scalper) And Hazuki starts laughing nervously. Hazuki: Well, well it’s ok…..because  it’s an old story…. Kaoru: Then at the live I was on the right side…. Hazuki: That was Hide’s…. Kaoru: When I saw him….I was shocked…. Hazuki: Like it was something you shouldn’t see…. Were you a middle school student at that moment? Kaoru: A High school student…. Hazuki: Ah, you were in high school…. Kaoru: After seeing him, I just could see this person… Hazuki: But you are Dir en grey’s leader, right? Everyone…that fast and fierce songs were a “no” for you *laughs* Kaoru: It was really a “no-no” for me….for real….no way… Hazuki: And after that, the most intense and fast songs……but you didn’t like that at the beginning….but because of Hide…..X japan at that time was really fierce/violent….*Kaoru nods* With their hair up this way…*makes the gesture of the hair* Kaoru: All of them have their hair up…..but at the beginning, I was a little reluctant to get into foreign metal…. Hazuki: I understand that, it was the same for me….I was reluctant to it…. Kaoru: It was like it felt hard to get into it…. Hazuki: But when I was reading interviews of the artist I liked, they wrote about other musicians they liked, right? I wanted to try to listen to them, but I couldn’t really do it….because I didn’t like it…. Kaoru: That’s right… Hazuki: It was like that….was it the same for you? Kaoru: Like Alice Cooper with all that heavy black make-up…..he looked scary….when I listened to it, I didn’t really understand it… Hazuki: Like “X is better”, right?….it was like that for me too…. Kaoru: Hide was into pop music so I got into some artists because of him. Hazuki: I see… Kaoru: It’s stuff that I still listen nowadays….at that time he introduced these artist to his fans and I got into it. Now I listen to it and I think it’s cool...somehow it became like my roots….but at that time when it comes to rock, it was like “I don’t get it”…. Hazuki: I see….at that time, the members of Luna Sea would talk about Guns N' Roses or Nirvana….I rent some stuff from them but I was like “it’s not fierce, it’s not dark or bright, it’s just different”. Another time I listened to Korn and Slipknot and I was like “Oh, I like this”…until then, I barely listen to anything like that…. Kaoru: So since that time, you started to listen to western music…. Hazuki: Yes, I started to listen to it properly…..you already finished your beer… Kaoru: I did…. Hazuki: Oh, I’m sorry….*Hazuki grabs the bottle of “Tantakatan” to open it* That guy you talked about, the guy with the audio equipment, what happened to him after that? Kaoru: At that time, we graduated from middle school and…. Hazuki: Is that so? Kaoru: I don’t know what he is doing since then at all…. Hazuki: Eh??? Kaoru: Truth is….I would like to try to meet him…. Hazuki: If he is watching this…..if you see this, you can definitely contact us….so,  about music....this talk is because you are going to release  a single and it would be strange to not talk about it… Kaoru: It feels weird… Hazuki: It’s embarrassing for me because I’m not used to this. It’s a bit embarrassing but I really want to ask you about it…. “Oboro”, which is going to be released on 28th April… ....Tbc....

[space-lynn]

I’m back with another Unintentional Gods AU snippet! A big thank you to my friends (Fen and Marcus) for inspiring me to write this. Nash Viseriox and Q’ryxthec are OCs that belong to me. They’ll probably show up more in future snippets.

Just a little fyi, Sasha’s transmasc and transitioned when he was 19, and since the name Sasha is already unisex, no point in changing it. Enjoy reading!

@fermented-writers-block Sorry for the mention, thought you’d wanna see this :)

~~~~~

Perfect, everything had to be absolutely perfect for tonight. 22-year-old Sasha Waybright, ever the perfectionist, had to make sure his plans were perfect. It was his and his girlfriends’ anniversary and he had a special surprise waiting for them. He was excited and nervous as he flitted about, making sure nothing was amiss. Once he had finished his 294th inspection, he was satisfied.

“Excited for tonight?” a deep voice asked behind him, chuckling.

“Yes! And nervous,” the blond laughed, turning around to face Nash Viseriox, one of his celestial best friends and a fellow space god. “Thanks for helping me out with this.”

“No problem,” Nash said, looking around. “Love what you’ve done with the place.”

“You think they’ll like it?”

“Oh, they’ll love it.”

Sasha nervously pushed his thumbs together, eyes darting around the area, seeking out whatever thing could be out of place.

“Are the other gods actually fine with this?”

“Y’know they are, you’re not the first to start something like this and you won’t be the last. The three of you deserve a break, Sash. What better way than to give you all a day off on the day of your 6-year anniversary.”

An anxious but grateful smile made its way onto Sasha’s lips.

“Now, I’m no time god but shouldn’t you be heading back to get dressed?”

“Shit. Right! Thanks again, Nash.”

Another chuckle from the draconic god, “Go and have fun tonight.”

Sasha nodded, teleporting away.

-----

He arrived at the doorstep to their home and placed a hand on the doorknob. It glowed red at his touch, the magical mechanism within unlocking the door for him. He opened it and stepped in, calling out, “Hey, girls! I’m back!”

“Hey, Sashimi!” Marcy chirped.

“Hi, Sash!” Anne greeted.

He grinned, moving forward and wrapping his arms around them both, pressing a kiss on each girl’s forehead. They were both dressed up, Anne in a light blue sundress and white ballet flats and Marcy in a green blouse, a black pleated skirt and black flats. “Are you two ready for tonight?”

“Mhm,” Anne nodded. “Food’s all packed. Sorry if that’s my anniversary gift for the two of you.”

“That’s good enough for us, Anna-Banana.”

“Mar Mar is right, as always.”

“Well, I can’t wait to see what you two have in store.”

“Neither can I,” Sasha said.

“How do I not know your surprise? I’m literally a goddess of knowledge.”

Sasha smirked, “I’ve had some help. From certain gods who know a thing or two about keeping things from gods like you. Could you two wait outside? I need to change.”

“You look good enough like this,” Anne teased.

“Kind of sweaty and dressed in messy clothes? Yeah, no,” he snorted.

Marcy laughed, “Go ahead, Anne and I will wait.”

He gave both of his girlfriends kisses of thanks, and went upstairs to change into a red casual button down shirt, jeans and black chelsea boots. He traveled back down the stairs and to his girlfriends outside, fingers twitching as he summoned two pieces of cloth. 

“Took you long enough,” Marcy said and he rolled his eyes.

He offered the cloth to them, looks of bewilderment on their faces.

“Blindfolds,” he said, as if that could answer their unsaid questions.

“Uh, Sash?” Anne asked, her hands fiddled with the boxes of food she held.

“Trust me,” he smiled reassuringly.

The girls looked at one another then nodded at him, taking the blindfolds from him. He held onto their food, willing them away to a safe space. Once his girlfriends’ eyes were covered, without them able to peek through, Sasha warned them before he teleported them to his surprise. It threw Anne and Marcy off but they patiently waited for Sasha as he said, “Hang on a second.”

Their boyfriend moved a few steps in front of them, grinning. “You can take them off.”

And they did, blinking their eyes. Anne and Marcy looked around with awe in their eyes.

“So? Do you like it?” Sasha asked, getting nervous.

“Holy shit, Sash,” Marcy whispered. “We love it.”

Anne nodded, a grin stretching her lips. “This is so fucking beautiful.”

God, he sure hoped it was. He’d spent months on this surprise, hoping his girls would like it.

With the help of certain gods, he’d created a small floating island in space, big enough for what he’d placed there and big enough for the three of them. There was a large tree to the side, a cherry blossom eternally in full bloom, flowers colored pink, blue and green. In front of it was a pond lined with rocks, lily pads floating about and koi fishes swimming within, their bodies made from condensed nebulae, their eyes, fins, whiskers and tail a bright white color. The water ran from the pond, creating a small stream to the edge and to a mini waterfall, disappearing into space. There were bookshelves lined in a semicircle opposite of the tree, filled with tomes, novels and other reading materials. There in the middle was a table with three chairs. In the center of the island was a blue-red-and-green picnic blanket, laid out and ready for them. There were wooden posts that surrounded the entire area, carrying lanterns that held starflies, celestial creatures born from supernovas that were pretty much like fireflies.

He watched as his girlfriends walked around, examining everything.

Marcy turned to him, one hand on the spines of the books, and asked, “How did you… do all this?”

“Had some help. The tree, the pond and the island, got to thank Fen for that. And to Marcus for this being a date night idea.”

“No wonder Fen was occupied in the last few months.” Anne shot him a look. “He was busy helping you out with” -- she motioned around them -- “this.”

“The next time I see Marcus, I’m giving him my thanks,” Marcy said. “And the books?”

“Q’ryxthec.”

“I did tell them my faves from other worlds.”

“And the koi and fireflies?” Anne knelt down by the pond, watching the koi fish swim.

“Nash helped me catch the starflies and I made the koi,” he said shyly. “Boy, did I fail a lot.”

“Well, they're gorgeous. Everything here is!”

For the hundredth time that day, a smile graced Sasha’s lips. He rubbed the back of his neck. “Thanks, I just wanted to make this night special.”

His girlfriends walked towards, lacing their fingers together. A few bouts of giggles escaped them.

“It’s special enough with you,” Marcy said softly.

The blond chuckled. He glanced at the two of them. With a snap of his fingers, their meal was on the blanket, already out of their boxes and on plates with utensils, still warm.

“Now how about we have some dinner?”

-----

After their meal, Marcy’s gifts -- matching necklaces made from a special metal from another planet with gems in their colors -- and a conversation underneath the stars, Anne stood up, stretching her legs and arms. Marcy followed suit, a sigh of contentment escaping her lips.

The goddess of knowledge smiled at Sasha. “This was a really awesome night Sashimi. Thank you.”

“I agree with Marshmallow,” Anne chirped, a giggle escaping her lips. “How long did this take you?”

Sasha grinned at them, “7 months, give or take.”

Marcy’s eyes widened, “Wow. All this effort” -- she motioned around them -- “for us?”

Anne’s smile softened, “You didn’t have to, you know?”

The space god stood up, taking both of his girlfriend’s hands in his. “I wanted to.”

“Dork,” Anne teased.

“Your one and only,” Sasha smirked.

They kissed him on the cheeks and he chuckled.

“There’s... still one more surprise I have for the two of you.”

The happy looks on their faces turned into confusion. It made Sasha gulp, hands sweating at what he was about to do.

“There’s more?” Anne asked, bewildered. Marcy was just as puzzled beside her.

The blond nodded. “Yes. We-We’ve been together for 6 years now, and it’s been the best 6 years of my life. Sure, there were a couple of hiccups in our relationship but we’ve been through them together. I love you both so much that I wouldn’t mind going through them with both of you for the rest of eternity.”

He then got down on one knee, timidly watching his two lovers’ eyes grow wide. He held his right hand out, two black rings materialising in his palm, both with glowing intricate carvings etched onto the surface. One in blue, the other in green.

“Anne Boonchuy and Marcy Wu, my sunshine and my moonlight,” -- Anne sniffled while Marcy choked back a sob -- “will you both do me the honor of becoming my wives?”

“YES!” they both screamed, tackling Sasha into the ground.

Anne nuzzled her cheek against her boyfriend’s-- no wait, her fiance’s cheek, saying, “Yes, yes, a million times yes!”

Marcy grabbed onto Sasha’s shirt, pressing kisses on one side of his face. She pulled back just a bit to say, “Always a yes.”

Sasha beamed brightly at them, sharing a kiss with the two of them and watched as Anne and Marcy shared a kiss with one another, a warm and fuzzy feeling blooming in his chest.

They decidedly snuggled up together to watch the stars above for a few more hours, happy and content on their little island. The future was looking bright for them, and they honestly couldn’t wait.

~~~~~

Just pure fluff. My face hurts so much from smiling when I wrote this. I hope all of you enjoyed reading this! Have a very nice morning, afternoon or evening! Until my next snippet~ :3

[millenniumfae]

Video Game Cooking: Nectar (Hades 2018)

Nectar is one of the in-game items Zagreus can collect. By gifting these bottles of golden liquid to other characters, he raises his affinity with them, which in turn gives him powerup items and advances character questlines. 

Hades (2018) is a retelling/adaptation of the classical Persephone and Hades mythos. All items, settings, and characters are from classic Greek mythology; Zagreus’ foster mother is the primordial goddess of night. Achilles’ personal questline is about reuniting him with his lover Patrocles. Zagreus has spent his entire life sheltered underground in Tartarus, so he doesn’t know what birds are, or what winter is. 

In turn, ‘nectar’ exists in Greek mythology. It’s sometimes interchangeable with ambrosia; both are the legendary foods/drinks of the gods, said to grant immortality to anyone who consumes them, amongst other positive effects. In-game, nectar is the more commonplace counterpart to ambrosia; Zagreus finds nectar as a dungeon drop. But he needs to defeat the champion of Elysium boss to gain a single bottle of ambrosia.

Today, we’re gonna re-create the nectar of Hades (2018) for ourselves! It may be contraband in Hades’ domain, but it’s not like anyone pays attention to that rule, anyways.

Why are we recreating nectar, and not ambrosia? Because there already exists tons of ‘ambrosia’ drink recipes. Maybe not based off of the Hades (2018) version, but there’s nothing new or exciting in making yet another ambrosia drink. Nectar, on the other hand, gives us more room for invention.

Hades (2018) Nectar Recipe  (Makes One Serving)

1 1/3 cups Martinelli's sparkling cider

2 tablespoons orange flower water

1 tablespoon honey

1/4 teaspoon edible gold shimmer powder (make sure it lists all ingredients, and is certified food safe)

A pinch of coarse sea salt

A pinch of lemon zest

A drop of mint extract

The first times Zagreus gifts nectar to npcs, they describe honoring some sort of godhood custom and exchange with him with a ‘keepsake’ - an in-game powerup he can wear. Unlike with gifting ambrosia, their eyes don’t pop out with shock at receiving such a luxurious gift, it’s instead just something nice, even if relatively commonplace. But nectar is still prestigious enough that gifting the actual Olympic gods nectar goes over well.

If ambrosia is the equivalent of Zagreus gifting $30,000,000 Breguet watches to his friends and family, then nectar is the gourmet-wrapped basket of cheese and crackers you see in the ‘gift’ section of the grocery store. Something you spot while on errands, and impulsively buy so you have a hostess gift the next time someone invites you over. It’s a gift borne of societal custom, and implores the giftee to give you something in return, eventually. Everyone from your multimillionaire uncle Poseidon to your humble jailbird neighbor Sisyphus are pleased to receive such a gift, even if they might value its contents differently.

(In the early-access versions of the game, nectar was ambrosia. The final release wrote ambrosia as the coveted, rare prize you earn after defeating the champions of Elysium. True enough, Zagreus can only find ambrosia after defeating the Elysium boss.)

In original Greek mythology, ‘nectar’ and ‘ambrosia’ aren’t two distinct things. Homer describes nectar as the god’s drink, and ambrosia is the food. But in Sappho’s and Anaxandrides’s poems, it’s the opposite. There’s more recorded mentions of ‘ambrosia’, rather than nectar. Some take this to mean that both nectar and ambrosia can be seen as something both food and drink, like honey.

Both share canonical similarities. Ambrosia and nectar are fragrant foods/drinks, sometimes used as literal perfume by the gods. Makes sense that nectar smells good, if in the AD period we’ve taken the word to mean the sweet stuff within flowers.

Other than its smell, we’ve no canonical information about nectar (other than in the Odyssey, nectar is described as either ‘rose-red’ in color, or in scent). Hades (2018) rendered nectar’s appearance as an opaque, warm gold liquid in a cute little round bottle, wrapped with a ribbon to benefit its ‘gift merchandise’ reputation.        

Nobody in Hades (2018) describes the taste/smell of nectar. Ambrosia, on the other hand, is said to be rare ‘vintages’ that you’re guaranteed to like. Sometimes, gifting either results in a cutscene where Zagreus and co. hang out at the lounge, complete with a sound clip of uncorking a bottle and pouring it into a tall glass. You can also see characters drink nectar amongst each other, savoring both the occasion and the taste. Eurydice also offers a ‘Refreshing Nectar’ power up item, which just kinda looks like normal nectar but in a tall glass. 

There’s a clear alcohol equivalence. But nobody references drunkeness in-game. Even original classical Greek culture didn’t have a drunk culture like we do; wine was revered, but it was mixed with water to be savored, not to intoxicate oneself. Maybe nobody in-game can get drunk in the first place; everyone’s either an immortal, or a ghost.

(In my opinion, it’s always a bit weird when videogame characters can nurture deep, trusting relationships purely built upon a system of gifting items. But Hades (2018) does make it clear that Zagreus already has established relationships with most of the cast.)

Ambrosia’s a rare vintage. So what does that make nectar? We need to make something sweet, pleasant, attractive-looking, and also tangibly related to its rarer sibling. So we’re using another liquid that’s distilled and sometimes fermented; apple cider. 

A bit of this decision comes from the soundbite of opening up a nectar in the lounge; it’s a thin viscosity with a slight hint of foam, almost sounding like beer. And the color matters too, since different distillations of apple cider can result in different colors, ranging from dark brown to a light, bright gold.

Apple juice, when fermented, can have alcohol contents going from light apple wine, to brandies that have 10-25% alcohol. As a culinary ingredient, its modest fructose content means a higher temperature tolerance, and its citric acid can be used as a brine. It’s a popular ‘new world’ ingredient in cooking and baking. 

It’s also an ‘old world’ food. Hades (2018) doesn’t take itself super seriously, with its foil-wrapped gyros and french fries as in-game healing items. But any character/worldbuilding they do have, they keep it consistent. 

Zagreus says that Hermes’ symbol “almost looks like a bat wing”, when it’s very clearly a bird wing. Because he’s lived underground his whole life, he doesn’t know what a bird is. Weapons upgraded with the aspect of people like Guan Yu, or King Arthur, are time-bending powers that no one has ever heard of, with hints that these mysterious people live in places with their own gods/mythology. Zagreus catches a trout/bass/sturgeon fish for the first time, and it’s completely foreign to him, but Achilles fondly recalls these Greece-native fish fitting of his Nereid heritage. Characters have discussions about how mortals fear death, despite Thanatos being a gentle god represented by butterflies. There’s no sun, therefore no time, in the underworld. Hades is the god of minerals as well as the underworld, hence gems and diamonds being an in-game loot. 

Apples originated in Central Asia. During the Classical Greek era, they would have resembled what we call crabapples; small, hard, sour, cherry-sized. “At the Sammardenchia-Cueis site near Udine in Northeastern Italy, seeds from some form of apples have been found in material carbon dated to around 4000 BCE.”

It implores me to find ingredients that fit the setting, as with my other Video Game Cooking recipes. No pumpkins, no corn, potatoes, chocolate, tomatoes, vanilla. Instead, we have things like almonds, lentils, oranges, honey, garlic, onions (haha, suck it Achilles)

To reflect nectar’s ‘sweet smelling’ trait, we’re using an ingredient common in Persian cooking - and later the French royal court of King Louis; orange flower water. I found mine in my local Asian grocery. It’s a byproduct of making essential oil, and it’s colorless/flavorless, but with a strong aromatic smell that affects any food you mix it with. It’s also a known ingredient in modern day Greece, called anthonero (ανθόνερο). 

(Eeurydice is confirmed to use both nectar and ambrosia as a cooking ingredient, and her food is apparently amazing. Maybe one day, I’ll make another Video Game Cooking recipe based off of her Pom Porridge, or Ambrosia Delights.) 

And to really make it look like the food of the gods, we’re adding an ingredient found more and more in swanky bars worldwide; edible glitter powder. Originally, people only used this to decorate baked goods and candies, but come Instagram, people are making these really picturesque cocktails that shimmer rainbow. You gotta be careful when buying these for yourself, though; the tiny tins of decorative edible shimmer power you find at Michaels may not actually be as edible as they claim. I found Bakell-brand Luster Dust at a bake-supply shop. If it doesn’t list its ingredients, or certify itself as FDA-approved, then don’t use it for food.

And since it’s called ‘nectar’, we’re also adding honey. Which has long history of its divine status as a holy food. To take down the intense sweetness a bit, the tinest pinch of sea salt - another holy, pure substance. And to really bring out the brightness of the apples, we’re adding a sprinkle of lemon zest. A tiny drop of mint extract brings a complex depth to the orange flower smell.

To make a glass of nectar; cover the bottom of the glass with mint, lemon, sea salt, honey, and orange flower water. Then, pour the apple cider with the gold shimmer dust together, so that the two mix together a bit, to avoid clumping of the powder. Then you mix the drink a bit, so that the honey, zest, and salt aren’t sitting at the bottom.

It only now occurs to me that this recipe might actually be a rendition of Eurydice’s Refreshing Nectar item, rather than pure nectar itself. But just take my word for it; when you open up a bottle of nectar, you get that whiff of blossoms with the slight coldness of mint, and the sea salt/honey taste goes really well with the apple juice. I imagine that Eurydice’s somehow making a further delicious drink by adding a splash of Bailoni and ice. 

Enjoy! Just imagine that you’re hanging out with Zagreus and his three partners, cracking a cold one open over stories about how crazy the surface world is. Did you know that we have machines called computers that instantly relay information all over the world??

[bestworstcase]

oh you mentioned you watched rwby! How was it? Any fun thoughts to share? :>

salem

i really liked it. it's been generally on my radar for quite a while but dashboard osmosis gave me the strong impression that it was just sort of... ship-heavy episodic slice of life... vague fantasy sci-fi... something? which is why i never bothered before gjkkjbhsn

miscellaneous takeaways:

- i have a lot of thoughts that are eventually going to ferment into a very long canon divergent / for want of a nail au fic and no one can stop me

- why are all the ship names Like That

- salem my beloved

- winter my beloved

- cinder my beloved

- ruby has what rapunzel wants

- zhan tiri would look salem dead in the eye and then swallow the grimm whale whole i have been thinking about this for days

- real excited for the girl who fell through the world: total party kill edition

- all gods are bastards

- it's unbelievably fucking funny that the only adult in the whole world who is even trying to take the burden of fighting the unwinnable war off the shoulders of the child soldiers is the man who literally uncontrollably manifests misfortune wherever he goes. rest in pieces, kids.

- i appreciate that the writing is simultaneously complex and nuanced whilst also being about as subtle as a sledgehammer to the face. 10/10 a delightful combination.

[canyouhearthelight]

The Miys, Ch. 130

I am pretty excited for this chapter, not just for how it turned out but for what it sets up in the future. I don’t want to spoil it by saying anything more, but once y’all have read it, I would love to know your thoughts on it.

That said, I once again want to thank the people, coast to coast, who keep me going on this story: @the-raven-fae for being the original instigator and current podcaster of the story (check it out here!), @anotherusrname for being the best big sister a girl could ask for and for being the first person to publish any of this story in physical form (on a BLANKET no less), @baelpenrose for being my mutual beta and really egging me on more often than should probably be done, and @charlylimph-blog for... well for just being Charly. The real Charly, who is more chaotic than fictional Charly. And really, all 4 of the above for making sure I take care of myself.

“There’s some changes to the vendor list this year,” Hannah greeted as she arrived in my office.

I was still resisting the urge to cough, knowing that Noah had gotten all the chili powder out of me but nonetheless struggling against an imaginary itch in my throat.  Apparently she could tell, because she got a chai latte from the console for me as she took a seat and handed it over without acknowledging it. 

“From this list, I am going to guess that there is a huge fusion cuisine moment happening right now,” Parvati suggested.

“What gave it away? The Greek-Korean vendor, or the Brazilian-Icelandic?” Hannah joked.

I was extremely glad I had stopped sipping my latte as soon as Parvati spoke, or I would have choked on it. Yes! I thwarted the nefarious beverage! I thought to myself. “Do I even want to know how much fermented shark we are talking here?”

Parvati scrolled through her document and back to where she was, head tilted in scrutiny. “Probably not.”

“I’ll make a note to put them on the opposite end from the natto,” Hannah murmured. After doing that, she tipped her head back with a sigh. “This feels… I don’t know, empty?”

“What do you mean?” I asked, scrolling through a list of upcoming cultural seminars that we were considering.  Jokul’s suggestion to more aggressively share cultures had been a  phenomenally well-received one, and the Council had even recognized him for the way it had taken off. At this point, there were more than anyone could attend, and several requests for repeats.

My entire thought process came screeching to a halt when Hannah explained.

“We’re talking about a huge community event while also in the process of planning how to defend ourselves in the event that space pirates try to wipe out the last known members of humanity,” she pointed out. “While also being on a list of phrases I never thought to even consider being something I thought I would never say - it’s that far out there - the fact that we are still facing potential annihilation makes the Food Festival seem more like one last hurrah.  It’s kind of morbid, isn’t it?”

“I’m pretty sure the information Arthur and Charly got us demonstrated that we are more likely to be enslaved than exterminated,” Parvati added helpfully, earning a scowl from both of us. She just shrugged. “I’m just saying.”

“Yes, Vati, because that is so much better, thank you for reminding me,” Hannah quipped. “It still makes the Festival feel insignificant.”

“Maybe we should just cancel it - “

I slammed both my hands, palm down, on the table and surged to my feet. “Absolutely not.”

“Sophia - “

“No. This event is too important, we aren’t even humoring that notion.”

“I know that this is your baby, but hear us out…”

I shook my head vigorously. “I will not. This isn’t about me.” I pointed to both of them. “What you’re feeling right now? That’s exactly how nearly everyone on this ship feels. We are scared, and angry, and tilting ever closer to being despondent and just giving up. And that’s exactly why weeeee…” I gestured to the three of us, “can’t. We need stability, and something familiar, and a reminder of what it is like to live. To have fun.  To be as human as possible and stuff ourselves silly.  So if you think for one second I am going to let our own personal culinary Mardi Gras get cancelled, you are delusional.”

Hannah still looked reluctant, but Parvati’s expression changed so fast that it was actually terrifying. “You’re talking about raging against the dying of the light, aren’t you?”

There it was. The guerilla protester was starting to show.

Gracefully, she flowed to her feet, one finger tapping the side of her chin as she started pacing. “That’s an angle I don’t think we considered.” Without looking, she held up a hand to stop Hannah when the quieter woman opened her mouth to argue. “The Festival has always been about coming together, sharing, being peaceful. But, what if it isn’t this year?” She whirled, hair flying and eyes blazing. “The Festival will be two weeks into the next night cycle. We planned on soft emitters, retro style lamps and braziers for light. And we can still do that for the first two days. But day three…”

“Go all out,” Hannah ventured slowly. “Full on, wild, bright…”

“Yes! Blacklights, glow in the dark, fluorescents… Heavy bass in the music, the kind you feel in your chest more than you hear. Only the best dishes from each vendor, what they consider their finest achievements. Defiantly, loudly human.”

“Costumes encouraged?”

She scoffed. “Of course. Like those music festivals Before, only with food.  This isn’t our last hurrah, it’s going to be our rallying cry.”

Hannah seemed to be coming around to the notion, starting to nod with a focused expression on her face. “That would work. I can completely get behind that idea.  We’ll need Ivan.”

“And Charly Harper,” Parvati confirmed.

“Do tell,” I asked, not seeing where they were going with this.

“Ivan can help us with some of the metalwork we’ll need to reinforce the vendor’s booths. We want it to fit in with the theme, but still be functional.”

“And I don’t know where else to get enough glitter, or blacklight paint that doesn’t show under normal light.”

“Glitter…?” That terrified feeling was returning, and swiftly.

“So much glitter,” Parvati nodded seriously. “The kind that doesn’t set off sensory issues, and I know she has it at all times, I’ve seen it.  And flavorless food color, that stuff she uses in her ice cream and popcorn. I need all of it.”

I rubbed my temples as a headache started just from imagining what this was going to look like. She’s an artist, it will work. She’ll make it work, I know she will. “I put the Festival in your hands, you can do whatever you want except cancel it.”

“Just give Tyche a heads up so she can plan good costumes for you and the guys,” Hannah reassured, enthusiasm ignited at the idea of truly making the event their own.

The frown on my face actually gave me a cramp. “Why does someone else get to plan our costumes?”

“Because you wear really nice scrubs every day,” she pointed out without looking up.

“They’re comfy! But I’ll have you know I actually do know how to put together a costume, much less an outfit.”

Both of them eyed me skeptically, provoking a sigh of exasperation. “I am going to show you two, and you are both going to eat your words. Just wait.”  Deep down, under all the indignation, I was hugely relieved to have averted a crisis, especially since it wasn’t a matter of life and death for once.

I also could not wait to see their faces on night three.

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[doshmanziari]

Musical Offerings for the New Year || What is “Radical Music” in 2021?

Near the end of 2020, a bunch of musicians populating a chatroom, including myself, each submitted ten minutes’ worth of our work to another musician, Chimeratio, who generously compiled it all into a set totaling nearly ten hours.¹ The work didn’t need to be new; just what we thought might best represent our abilities/style(s) and/or perhaps what we were especially pleased with. The set premiered in late January. Since I have some tentative plans for reorienting Brick By Brick this year, while not overriding its emphases, I wanted to share that music with anyone who’s interested.

I compiled the four videos into a playlist, although you can also access them individually: here (1), here (2), here (3), and here (4). If you care to, and are on a computer, you can also view the accompanying chatlog and read people’s responses from when they were listening to the live broadcast.

The compulsion for this project was sparked by excited discussions over and usage of the term “digital fusion”, most helpfully propagated by Aivi Tran, designating a computer-based body of work that for years lacked the rooftop of a commonly agreed upon genre-name. While describing my music has never been a big concern, even if it’s usually felt impossible (what, for example, is this? or this? I dunno!), I’ve appreciated how the spread and application of this term has brought together people who may have felt isolated.²

As “digital fusion” gained designative traction, I witnessed the activity in the aforementioned chatroom explode over the course of a few days. Before, a day’s discussion might’ve been a few dozen messages; now, there were dozens of messages every half-minute. This had positive and negative ramifications, the negative being that conversations often proceeded at a pace of rapidity which precluded concentrated thought. Eventually, I bowed out because the rapidity exceeded my threshold for meaningful interaction; but I was glad that significant invigoration was going on.

I wanted to share this music also because it intersects with thoughts and talks I’ve been having stemming from the question, “What is ‘radical music’ in 2021?” This was stimulated by a 2014 talk given by the writer Mark Fisher, wherein he contends that, were we to play prominent “cutting edge” music from now to people twenty years ago, very nearly none of it would be aesthetically shocking, bizarre, or revelatory (think of playing house music to an audience in the early 1960s!). Fisher also observes a trend of returning to music which once was seen as the future -- as if, deprived of a shared prograde vision, imaginations turn hazily retrograde; ergo, genres such as synthwave or albums like Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories.

It isn’t my goal here to argue about the “end of history.” Fisher’s time-travel hypothetical, however, rings loud and true to me. Visible musical radicalism has, for at least a decade, been strictly extra-musical, in the sense of songs like “This is America” or “WAP”, where one’s response is primarily to the spectacle of the music video, the performer’s identistic markers, and/or the manner in which the lyrics intersect with (mostly US-centric) ideological hotspots. Musically, there is really nothing radical here. Any vociferous condemnations or defenses of a song like “WAP” deal in moralizing reactions to semantics or imagery: how progressive or regressive is the political aspect? how propelled or repelled are we by the word “pussy”?

It would be a mistake, and simply wrong, to assert that the only music one can enjoy escapes the parameters outlined above; and my inability to coherently categorize some of my own music hardly raises that portion to the status of radicality. But the question here pertains to what is being made, and I think that if we’re going to seriously consider the nature of truly radical music today, we do need to question if such a quality can prominently exist when our hyper-fast consumerist cycle seems to forbid not just sustained, lifelong relationships to artwork but also the local, unhurried nourishment of creative gestation. Now, in my opinion, there are good, even great, examples of radical music still being made in deep Internet-burrows, and for evidence of that I would offer some of the material contained in the linked playlists. Moreover, I’d say that this quality can exist in part because these little artistic communities are so buried.

Let me share a quote that another person shared with me recently:

For culture to shift, you need pockets of isolated humanity. Since all pockets of humanity (outside of the perpetually isolated indigenous people in remote wilderness) are connected in instantaneous fashion, independent ideas aren’t allowed to ferment on their own. When you cook a meal, you have to bring ingredients together that have had time to grow, ferment, or decompose separately. A cucumber starts out as a seed, then you mix it with the soil, water and sunlight. You can’t bring the seed, soil, water and sunlight to the kitchen from the get-go. When you throw those things in to the mixture without letting them mature, the flavor cannot stand out on its own. Same thing with art and fashion. A kid in Russia can come up with a new way to dance, gets filmed on a phone, it goes viral quickly but gets lost in the morass of all of the other multitudinous forms of dance. Sure it spread far and wide, but it gets forgotten in a week. In the past, his new art form would have been confined locally, nurtured, honed, then spread geographically, creating a distinct new cultural idiosyncrasy with a strong support base. By the time it was big enough to be presented globally, it was already a cultural phenomenon locally. This isn’t possible anymore. We’re consuming too many unripened fruits.

The main impression I have here is that radical music today will, and must be, folk music. Our common idea of folkiness might be the scrappy singer strumming a guitar, but my interpretive reference rather has to do with the idea of a music being written, first of all, for one’s self, and then shared with a small-scale community, which in turn helps the artist grow at their own pace. This transcends a dependence upon image, the primacy of acoustic instrumentation, or the signaling of sincerity versus insincerity. It is a return to the valuation of outsider art, so rare nowadays. As someone who I was recently in dialogue with wrote, “Where can you find new genuine folk music? Pretty much just with your friends, imo. Even then, the global world is so influential and seeps into any crack it can find. I think vaporwave was radical and folk for a while. Grant Forbes made that music way before the world knew about it.”

Sometimes, a lot of fuss is made over what’s seen as “gatekeeping” within certain communities. It can be, depending on the context, justifiable to question and critique this behavior. At other times, the effort of maintaining a level of exclusivity, of retaining an idiosyncratic shapeliness to the communal organism, can be a legitimate attempt to protect the personal, interpersonal, and cultural aspects from the flattening effect of monoculture. Hypothetically, I welcome the Castlevania TV series and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate having introduced new and younger demographics to Castlevania. In actuality, stuff like “wholesome sad gay himbo Alucard”, image macros, and neurotic “stan” fanfiction being what’s now first associated with the series makes me want to put as much distance as possible between my interests and those latecoming impositions.

The group-terminology David Chapman uses in his essay “Geeks, MOPs, and Sociopaths in Subculture Evolution” is kinda cringey, but some of the cultural/behavioral patterns he lays out are relevant to the topic. Give it a look. If we cross his belief that “[subcultures] are no longer the primary drivers of cultural development” with our contemporary consume-and-dispose customs, we’re left with the predicament of it’s even worth attempting to bring radical/outsider art beyond its rhizomatic habitat. This is troubling, because it would mean that artistic radicality no longer might not only refuse to but cannot encompass cultural upheaval. It would be like if dance music were invented and -- instead of progressively permeating nightlife, stimulating countercultural trends, and ultimately being adapted as the basis for pop music globally -- only were listened to via headphones by a few thousand people on their own, stimulated a group meeting once a year or two, and never affected music beyond a niche-within-a-niche. That’s a very sad picture to me.

⁂

¹ Chimeratio has also maintained an excellent blog on here dedicated to looking at videogame music written in irregular time signatures, far preceding higher-profile examinations like 8-bit Music Theory’s video on the same topic.

² For myself, creative isolation has had its uses, because it has led me down routes that are highly personalized. The isolation can be dispiriting too. Although a lot of my music is videogame-music-adjacent, almost none of it uses “authentic” technology, such as PSG synthesizers or FM synthesis; and the identification of those sounds is fairly important for recognition.

[imanes]

Hello imane! Because of the pandemic, I still have all my uni classes online & idk ive been feeling v stuck in life like ik everyone has and im v privileged compared to alot of people but just submitting assignments in the same old home environment everyday. Ik we all have to get through this but life feels joyless and dull. Just endlessly depressing. So i wanted to ask u how u idk made life exciting while u were working from home? Like any rituals or a routine or hobbies?

hi angel! tbh i don’t know if i’ve suceeded in making my home life very exciting in the last year, but there are a few things that helped. my desk used to face a wall and it got really old after a couple of weeks of always staring at purple paint all day long so i turned my desk around to face the window, and surprisingly that helped a lot. having the cats around definitely do a lot of good things for my mind too. i decluttered my space, i burn a candle every day, got a lot of comfy clothes to wear around the house. i also take showers during my lunch break lol. i have a thing for fancy drinks so i got myself quite the selection of teas, coffees and various drinks to prepare at different points throughout the day. taking walks got real old bc living in the city means taking ugly street upon ugly street for little pay-off so i don’t really have that outlet akjkfjgld. one thing that really helped me was making my own food and be diligent with my meals by making sure i was treating myself to things i wanted to eat and by trying new meals and prepping my own pickles and fermented foods! i feel proud of myself even when i make a sandwich bc i can put in stuff i pickled myself etc, and it constitutes a highlight of my day even if it’s based on something i made many days ago. i make sure i talk to my friends every day, even if it’s just to share memes. i’d say just little things make a whole lot of difference when you add them up. starting tomorrow i’m going to do that 30 day yoga challenge thing by adrienne something something because to be honest i have a LONG way to go when it comes to my physical health and i really need to start generating happy hormones by working out and involving myself physically into activities. as far as food for thought is concerned i’ve been following a lot of webinars on decolonisation, anti-racism and stuff, it’s a topic i’ve always been interested in and i feel very lucky to be able to assist to so many online conferences where scholars and activists come together to share their expertise.

as far as hobbies are concerned, i’ve taken up playing electric guitar a few weeks ago and i’m getting back into drawing and painting a little, but i wouldn’t say it’s something i’m doing to alleviate the constraints of working from home if that makes any sense, it’s more part of a long-term plan to be more creative. and as usual i read a lot! reading is my favorite thing to do, especially now that life is so boring and monotonous. fiction is literally making me feel alive by proxy as pathetic as it sounds lmao. but i’m not berating myself for that, and neither should you. yes there is a mountain of privilege involved in being able to work or study from home when so many are at the end of their rope. however, it does not invalidate the fact that after nearly a year of repetitive lockdowns, isolation and general threat to mental and physical health, there is a lot of people who feel at the end of their rope and are still trying to find the silver lining somewhere. i think a lot of people have started journaling, which is cool, and jotting down stuff they feel grateful about, which works for some people but for me it’d be counterproductive. it all comes down to trial and error and see what makes you feel alive. lately even doing my laundry has been a highlight of my days bc i love the smell of cleanliness (it’s the virgo in me...).

last but not least u can join our book club~ the link is in the bio. to be honest it’s a book club but it’s not mandatory to read, there are plenty of channels and it’s a nice occasion to chat with people about common interests. if you feel like socialising that is <3 just being able to chat about this or that w/ cool people in a positive space does wonder for my feelings of depression and loneliness.

ok i typed a lot but idk if this has been of any help lol i’m a boring person and i don’t do any spiritual stuff or think about mindfulness at all and i’ve got a laundry list of issues to deal with so i don’t even feel qualified to share advice but at the end of the day i just wanted to tell u that i wish u the best and that u find ur cruising speed, and that if u do and lose it for a bit, it doesn’t mean that u can’t get back on track!! i wish the both of us and everybody else a better future

[dog-teeth]

quick little life/blog update if anyone’s interested:

-i have been gone for a few days in the mountains but have a bit of cool art to share soon, i’m sorry i havent been posting much art lately

-i hit 20,000 followers a few days ago (!!!) & am still figuring out how to celebrate that?? i was thinking an art/zine raffle or something in addition to the type of comic i usually do when my blog reaches a milemark! i’m open to suggestions if anyone has one id like to do something big!!

-ive got some stressful things going on in my life both situationally and mentally so hopefully i can make some comics about it but its largely preventing me from making good art recently, as well as taking a while for me to get back to some people about commissions and zine/print sales but i’m working on it

-i’m trying to set up a shop to sell zines and prints more efficiently but have no idea what to use to set it up, also want to put together a website/portfolio for my work i own a url but need to learn how to code it etc, have absolutely no idea what im doing but hopefully my mom (who is a software engineer) can help me when she gets back into town this week :) if anyone knows a good site to facilitate selling art let me know!

-i love u all thanks for supporting my blog i hope i can show you some cool stuff soon

things not relevant to my blog but i want to talk about:

-mountains were big fun i’ll post pretty pics soon

-gender stuff has been both good and bad, my insurance rejected my claim to get my top surgery covered so i don’t think i can get it before i have to go back to school (if at all) like i had been planning (ive been in contact w a surgeon and everything planning a tentative date in august so it really fucking sucked to get my hopes up even a little bit which i tried not to do). but aside from that ive been more comfortable with being genderfluid, i bought a cute dress at the thrift store i look nice in & i havent bought a dress in years bc i have a complex relationship w femininity, but hrt is making it better. but i got misgendered this entire weekend which sucks a lot, and i found out about the insurance thing right before leaving for the mountains so i put aside my devastation in order to enjoy my weekend but its caught up now that im back. sux

-i get my grades for this semester back in a week and every day i dont have them im just anxious abt it even tho theres nothing i can do at this point, and im stressed about making plans for next semester. like how can i make plans during all of This

-i have a few fwiends coming into town this week so thats happy :3

-this weekend i got to be around people i really love in my favorite place on earth just reading and painting and hanging out with dogs & eating good food & looking at pretty stars and trees and bodies of water; yay

-i started making pickles (maybe u remember my pickleposting last week..) and its going really well they’re fizzing and fermenting and already look much more pickley than when i left a few days ago, very very excited!

-im sorry this was so long it was supposed to be a short update originally