#the november of 2009 chapter | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

xyurishux · 2 months ago

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CHAPTER 1 - AS A WHOLE, TOGETHER

Word Count: ~1.7k

Tags: GN!reader, Mentions of family disputes

Summary: You begin to tell Sebastian how deep UrbanShades rabbit hole truly goes, starting with yourself.

Pardon any writing errors, they may happen!

“ oh sweetie, you’re not ugly, society is,”

“So,

When I was younger, life was as normal as can be. I was in mediocre family, it was me, my mom and my dad. I’d only see my mom in the morning, and when I was back from school my dad would be home for dinner. It wasn’t until way later I learned about his job, but that isn’t relevant right now. My dad was a mystery to me, he’s my dad but I didn’t know much to anything about him. I saw him everyday when I got home but it’s was for such a small period of time, did it even count?

Life was so mundane and repetitive. Go to school, pass tests, summer break then restart it all over again. Life was boring but it wasn’t difficult.

I would do anything to be back there…” You paused looking out into the ocean, it was dark you could mistake it for the above, only simply at night. You breathe out from your nose continuing on with your story.

“Anyways, it was back in September of 2009 when my father got a promotion. Seeing his face 4 to 5 hours per day dwindled down to seeing him once every two weeks or so, usually on Sundays. He became an enigma.

“You see, something I couldn’t see at the time was that as I grew older, his need to be in my life lowered, and sadly, that same fate fell too with my mother by default.

His job already took a toll on their relationship. Only spending 4 to 5 hours with your partner every day over the span of five years isn’t so great.

My mother would see him as much as I did and now, he just wasn’t there. The signs of a falling relationship presented themselves beforehand, but now it was obvious to anyone that the only thing keeping them together was me. At least, for my mom that was the case.

“The house was more silent than it ever was empty…”

You looked to the side with your eyes to see Sebastians full attention on you, perhaps it was the story? Or maybe he didn’t have anything better to do or it might have been the way your voice spoke with full sincerity and no sarcasm. It was like someone else took control but it was undoubtedly you and he was fully enthralled.

Your eyes met and you looked back down at the cold tile as you carried on.

“Ether way, it was in November of that same year where things would shift. My mom would realize the steady money flowing in and at growing amounts. Now you have to understand that my mother isn’t of the suspicious type nor is she a person who comes up with wild conclusions. She was (and still is, I hope) a reasonable and sensible woman. She knew that this wasn’t a simple ‘promotion’, but to know where all this money came from, well…she didn’t have the slightest clue. She didn’t know and she would never know. Well, truly know…

“The first snow started to fall as December began and Winter break freed me from my studying. Shockingly, dad came home for the holidays and New Years. Funny anecdote, I remember getting my first iPhone as a gift from him that year. It was an iPhone 3GS, God the memories…my mother was not pleased in slightest.” You laughed silent tilting your head to the side as your reminisced, it was good and loyal phone…

“Continuing on, after Christmas as a family and with the family the next day, my parents had the only disagreement I’ve ever witnessed (only a disagreement, it wasn’t enough to count as a fight).

I think it was about 2 am and the only light that was on was the one above the kitchen table. My dad was sitting facing my mother who standing up, the last of the family who came over for the party had finally left. Chip bowls and wine glasses were still scattered on the coffee table, only barely visible by the outside Christmas lights. I watched as my mom tapped her nails against the wooden chair she was partly leaning on as she took a deep breath. I could tell she was tired, exhausted even but I could also tell she had something bugging her and she needed to let it out. I watched them from the darkness that the staircase provided, I was undetectable. I listened to them talk, leaning my upper body to the wooden railing trying not to miss a single word. I don’t remember much; it was about the money at first but it was nothing compared to what my mother said next.”

“Samantha, look- “

“I’m breaking up with you”

“My mother broke up with my father. I sat upon the steps dumbfounded, I didn’t expect that from their conversation but even then, I didn’t know what to expect. The last of the conversation consisted of my father staying silent and staring at the table as my mom talked important matters to him. She told him that she would stay for the New Years and then move in with a friend in an apartment she found. After that she finished the glass of wine my dad poured for her at the start and left the kitchen when he didn’t have anything to add.

I’m pretty sure that night was the only time I saw my dad cry. He was still in love with her, never ever once thinking of ending their relationship. Never ever once thinking of loving another woman.

Most children would walk down the stairs they sat on and go comfort their weeping father or at least ask if he was okay. But our relationship was so estranged to the point where I felt no reason to go down and comfort him. He simply was just my father, nothing else nothing more.

I watched him cry silently with his head in his hand as I sat on the steps with my legs close to my chest. I sat there for a few more minutes. I don’t know why I sat there watching for so long. Maybe I was intrigued with the sight, it was something new. A man I’ve know all my life was a mystery to me and now the last sight I might ever see of him is him crying his heart out. But soon enough I got tired, I walked back up to my bedroom and fell asleep to noise of the on going shower my mom was taking downstairs.

The next morning felt cold and unbalanced. The floor was cold to the touch and it was actually closer to noon then morning. The hall was silent as I walked down it and saw at the end of it that my mom was packing a suitcase and a large duffle bag. They were both placed on the bed with an equal amount of folded and unfolded clothes thrown around the two. It was enough to be unable to see the white and blue floral comforter underneath (or I remember it to be enough). I walked into the room and as if I didn’t witness the scene at the kitchen table last night I asked, “Are we going somewhere?”

She was so concentrated with her packing that she jumped startled when she heard my voice. With her hand over her heart, she turned to me with a forced smile (I knew that it was) and spoke words that I will never forget.”

“What were they?” Sebastian asked quietly, his full upper body now laying against the desk where you two sorted files on together almost an hour ago.

You smiled, “Well,

“Sweetheart! You scared me there,” She said, her smile faltering, “No, mommy is going somewhere, alone, but not forever. You’ll have to stay with dad for awhile.” She turned her head away as she folded a few pants and placed them into her suitcase. Then she squatted, and I had to look down to see her face. Her eyes were bloodshot and her lashes wet. I felt her hands on my upper arms as she continued to talk, “Mommy, mommy needs to go find herself for a bit, okay? Not for long but mommy needs this…I love you, eternally and always”

She left the same day with kiss on the forehead, her phone number seared into my mind and a “Be good while I’m gone, I’m a single phone call away”

And then I was there, at my door step, cold and watching as my mom entered her friend’s car with one last kiss blown to me. I caught it and placed it onto my cheek as she drove off. Now it was me and my estranged father and a lot of complex emotions I didn’t know how to decipher or begin to understand at the age of ten.”

You finished, pausing to take a breath for a second while also stretching your aching muscles.

“And then what? What does this have to do with us? With me?” Sebastian asked harshly as he raised himself from the desk.

“Give me a second, I need water and a snack, I’m a bit peckish,” you joked, smirking to him, before continuing, “Ether way, we’re barely getting into the meat of the story. I was just explaining how I got stuck with my father. Now will be getting into what he was doing

behind closed doors…”

And we start rolling, ~

@splatting-stampede

#pressure roblox #roblox pressure #sebastian solace #sebastian solace x you #sebastian solace x reader #sebastian solace roblox #roblox sebastian solace #projecteternity

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hungergamesbookclub · 11 months ago

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A List of Suzanne Collins Interviews

A list of interviews Suzanne Collins has given over the years, specifically related to The Hunger Games series and movies. Please use as a reference or to explore. If I'm missing any, please feel free to send me a link and I'll add it in!

Print Interviews

2008 School Library Journal Interview

May 2009 "An Interview with Suzanne Collins" by James Blasingame

September 2009 Interview by Deborah Hopkinson

2010 Entertainment Weekly Interview

August 2010 School Library Journal Interview

March 2012 Entertainment Weekly Interview

Scholastic Interview

2018 10-year anniversary edition interview

May 2020 TBOSAS Interview

Video Interviews

Scholastic Interview

2009 Bibliostar Interview

2009 Borders Interview with readers

2010 Scholastic Interview

November 2023 TBOSAS Interview

Bonus!

Suzanne Collins reads first chapter of Mockingjay

Suzanne Collins reads from TBOSAS

#suzanne collins #the hunger games #tbosas #thg book club #reference #interviews

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tootoomanycats · 5 months ago

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CHAPTER 1 - That Bastard (A Kakashi x Reader Romance)

Summary: Kakashi is tasked with investigating a visitor whose peculiar behavior reveals deep grief over Jiraiya's recent death. Over three days, Kakashi discovers you are the beloved author of a series he has eagerly awaited updates on for over a year. Struggling with writer's block since losing your friend, the unexpected interaction sparks a connection that rekindles inspiration. As you both navigate the shared sorrow and newfound romance, its stands to be realized that healing and creativity may be closer than you imagined.

Warnings for THIS chapter: None

Master List

Pairings: Kakashi/Reader hinted at past Jiraiya/Reader

Word Count: 1,965 Words

Ao3 Link

Warning for this Story:

Reader is a smutty romance author

There will be smut

There will also be hate on Icha-Icha, trust me its for the plot

Please note that mention of Jiraiya's death is talked about, but its not super angsty. Think more comedy and light heartedness.

It is not specified what sexual power dynamics will happen during the smut.

Authors Notes: I want to start off by saying that the death date for Jiraiya is not something I just randomly chose, but is the date that “Episode 133: The Tale of Jiraiya The Gallant” was release on October 29th 2009 for viewers to be absolutely heart broken over. As hard as I tried to hunt for a last name, it seems that The Great Toad Sage was appropriate at coming up short for a real last name. Secondly yes there is smut in this story and it will have its own entire chapter. I am practicing on writing short stories and I hope to make this story happen in three chapters! So hold on to your hats folks because chapter two is where the fun and tension begins! Also please remember that fanfic authors live off of Likes, Kudos and Comments filled with conversation and praise. Have you fed your author today?

Chapter 1 - That Bastard

The receptionist nervously pushed her glasses back up the bridge of her nose, the lenses reflecting the harsh fluorescent lights of the office. Her fingers trembled slightly as she handled the certificate, her eyes darting between the official document and your anxious face. The confused expression you wore made it clear that the news you were about to receive was entirely unexpected.

“I’m sorry, miss,” she said softly, her voice tinged with sympathy. “He passed just last year.” With a sad sigh, she extended the document towards you, her gaze dropping to avoid your eyes.

You scoffed in disbelief, gripping the certificate tightly, your knuckles whitening as you shot an exasperated look at the young woman behind the desk. Sure, it had been months since you last received a letter from him, but for him to go through all this just to avoid his work and you? It seemed absurd, even for him. He had always been elusive, skirting responsibilities and commitments, but faking his own death? That was a new low. You could already imagine the confrontation: finding him and giving him the earful of the century for this elaborate ruse.

But as your eyes drifted down to the neatly typed words on the paper, a chill ran down your spine, freezing you in place. The breath caught in your throat, and the room seemed to blur around the edges as you read the stark, unyielding truth.

There it was, in bold, unforgiving letters accompanied with the coroners official stamp sealing the grim reality:

Jiraiya ‘The Great Toad Sage’

Birth: November 11 Death: October 29th

You read it, and then reread it.

Your hands clenched the edges of the stiff paper, the rough texture and filigreed corners confirming its authenticity. The coroner's red stamp and the doctor's signature beneath it further solidified the harsh reality. Desperately, you scanned the document for any clue, any sign that it wasn't real, that this was some elaborate mistake.

In the end, it was fruitless.

He was gone.

Your muscles twitched, starting with your upper lip, causing the skin on your nose to wrinkle slightly. Your eyebrows furrowed harshly, deepening the lines you so hated in the middle of your forehead. The sound of your teeth clenching and the click of your jaw echoed through your head, reverberating painfully in your mind. In a swift motion, you looked up at the ceiling, refusing to let the stinging tears fall. As the square and dotted ceiling tiles came into focus, you took a long, deep breath before screaming out.

"THAT BASTARD!"

It was the receptionist's gasp that jolted you back to reality. A quick glance over your shoulder revealed a line of people had formed, their shocked expressions mirroring her own. Embarrassment burned at the tips of your ears as you handed back the paper, mumbling a quick apology before turning to leave the office building. If asked, you would lie and say you walked calmly to the doors you had entered through, but the truth was you ran so fast you were sure an outline had been left behind where you had stood.

The sliding doors opened to reveal a sun glaring down from its high, centered position, large, beautiful white clouds climbing into the stratosphere and sprinkling across the sky. A cool, light breeze carried the scent of blooming wildflowers planted around the streets, where butterflies fluttered lazily. It really was the most perfect-looking day.

"What a shit day to find out your friend’s dead," you grumbled, kicking at a loose pebble on the sidewalk. "Should be raining, dark, and freezing cold. How is someone supposed to mourn in this?"

—

It had been hours since you found out he was gone, and in that time, you had managed to get quite a few steps in. You walked the entire perimeter of the village three times, wandering into multiple retail shops like an apparition. Dragging your feet around and back out to the streets, you missed the uncomfortable glances from shop workers each time you reentered, your pale skin, swollen eyes, and red nose telling the story of your grief.

It was only when the ache in your feet grew too loud to ignore that you finally looked up from the ground. The moon had started to rise, casting a soft glow as the sky darkened into night, and a few stars blinked into view, timidly announcing their presence. Throughout the long walk, you had oscillated between softly sniffling and bawling your eyes out, depending on how populated the area was around you.

A particularly large sniffle brought a warm, aromatic smell wafting into your numbed senses, causing a growl to resonate from your stomach. With that one sense coming back to life, it felt as though the rest of your body seized the opportunity to make its grievances known. A headache, born of dehydration and hunger, throbbed from the base of your shoulders up into the juncture where your neck bones met your skull. The pressure in your sinuses only added to the headache's intensity. Your knees creaked with each step, and sharp pain shot through your shins.

Turning your head, you followed your nose toward the source of the enticing smell. You found a small ramen stall with only six bar seats, all of them empty. Your body moved before your mind registered what was happening, and you found yourself sitting in the low light of the intimate stall. The ache in your feet lightened as you settled onto the soft, well-worn cushion of the seat, the leather creaking gently under you as your hips adjusted to a more comfortable posture.

Having a moment before someone from the back noticed a customer, you took the opportunity to lean both elbows on the bar and unceremoniously plopped your tired, puffy face into your open palms. A groan formed in the back of your dry throat as the pressure from your hands helped alleviate some of your persistent headache. You rocked your skull up and down, the motion dragging and pulling at the overly tight muscles of your brow, cheeks, and jaw, coaxing them to relax slightly.

“Welcome In!”

An overly cheerful voice caught you off-guard. Peeking between your index and middle fingers, you saw a simple menu being held out for your perusal. It listed only three basic ramen bases, accompanied by a longer list of sides and extras that could be added on. Sitting up straight, your back popping and cracking as it straightened, you gently reached out to accept the menu and examined it further. Glancing up at the older gentleman who had handed it to you, you offered a grateful nod. It must have been painfully obvious how exhausted you appeared, judging by the sympathy in his smile before he turned back to his ingredient preparations.

Returning your focus to the menu, your shoulders slumped at the reflection staring back from its laminated surface. Raccoon-like makeup streaked from runny mascara, with red, puffy eyes peering out from beneath the smudged lines that once neatly adorned your eyelashes. Lips cracked and parched from dehydration framed a deep-set frown that seemed permanently etched on your face. Dear god. Even the meticulously styled hair you had spent hours on that morning now resembled a rat's nest.

You were definitely not looking forward to trying to untangling that later.

Another growl rumbled from your stomach, louder this time, making its presence known to those nearby. Sitting down seemed to intensify the sensation of hunger, especially being so close to the source of that tantalizing aroma, which only amplified your craving.

Turning back around, the worker asked if you were ready to order, and without hesitation, you placed your order: an extra-large bowl with double portions of ramen, soaked eggs, cheese, and noodles. The man nodded approvingly and swiftly went to work, knowing you needed the food desperately.

Once the steaming bowl of nourishment was placed in front of you, you attacked it with ferocity. The hot broth warmed your insides, and the new influx of calories and nutrients began to revive your depleted body. As you ate, tears welled up once more, dripping into the broth below, mixing with the savory flavors.

Kakashi remained perched in the tree just behind Ichiraku Ramen, silently observing the individual he had been ordered to track. The briefing with Tsunade had been brief and to the point, providing minimal information gathered so far. A few shop workers had voiced concerns about a suspicious person entering their shops multiple times throughout the day, raising fears of a potential thief. Additional updates from the front gate security confirmed sightings of a woman walking the village perimeter around the same time as the suspicious guest at the shops.

With most other ninja occupied on missions or assisting with preparations for a possible attack, there were only a few available to gather more intelligence and determine whether this person posed a threat to the village's safety. Kakashi sighed, recalling how the Hokage had emphasized his role in handling this assignment. The others available were still in training, yet to embark on their first mission.

So far, the person in question had appeared to be a mess, but Kakashi had yet to observe any signs of truly worrisome behavior other than the constant crying.

Even while eating.

Kakashi watched from his perch as you placed a significantly larger sum of payment onto the table, easily three times the price of the meal. You were speaking with Teuchi, the owner of Ichiraku Ramen, who bowed repeatedly and tried to return the excess money. With an exhausted smile, you shook your head and instead asked a question that the ninja couldn't make out. Teuchi responded while pointing in a specific direction, waving kindly as you began to walk down the empty, dimly lit street as directed.

The night had settled over the village, casting long shadows and a quiet stillness broken only by the occasional rustle of leaves in the breeze. The usual night time sleepiness made itself know as he adjusted his position in the tree, body starting to protest keeping still for too long. All while keeping a careful eye on you.

The empty streets amplified every sound – the soft shuffle of your footsteps, the distant hoot of an owl, the creak of a sign swaying in the breeze. Kakashi shadowed you discreetly, blending into the darkness with practiced ease. He noted the way you glanced around nervously, as if expecting shadows to come to life.

As you turned another corner, Kakashi's keen senses picked up on a faint murmur of conversation ahead. He narrowed his visible eye, maintaining a safe distance while ensuring he didn't lose sight of you. Whatever your mission was, Kakashi knew he had to remain vigilant. As odd as this stake out was becoming.

Following closely behind, he watched as you turned back and forth through multiple blocks until you came to a stop in front of one of the few hotels in Konoha. Ringing the front desk bell, you completed the transaction with the attendant and received a key. Luckily it was easy to observe through the few windows of the stairwell as you ascended to the top floor. Luck again on his side as the windows of the room you had chosen, faced the tall tree where Kakashi was already positioned.

Entering the room in total darkness, it was easy to follow where you walked inside when a lamp was turned on next to the single bed. He chuckled when you unceremoniously fell onto the bed, passing before your head even hit the pillow. The bedside lamp, clothing, and shoes were still on as you drifted off. Peacefully unaware, the ninja outside disappeared from thesite for the evening.

#kakashi smut #kakashi x reader #kakashi sensei #hatake kakashi #kakashi hatake #kakashi

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black-arcana · 1 month ago

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NIGHTWISH's FLOOR JANSEN Announces September 2025 'Music And Spoken Word' Tour Of The Netherlands

NIGHTWISH singer Floor Jansen will embark on a 10-date solo tor of her original home country, the Netherlands, in September 2025.

The 43-year-old Dutch-born vocalist, who resides in Sweden with her husband, SABATON drummer Hannes Van Dahl, shared the news of the upcoming trek in a social media post earlier today (Monday, October 14). She wrote: "Big news, everyone! I'm thrilled to announce something very close to my heart – my first-ever theater tour, 'Strijdlust' (Fighting Spirit),coming to the Netherlands in 2025!

"This is a dream come true and a new chapter in my journey. From metal stages to intimate theaters, I'm taking a leap to share my story with you in a whole new way.

"'Strijdlust' isn't just a show. I'll be opening up about my battles with cancer, the joy of motherhood, and the whirlwind of my music career — all through music and spoken word. And yes, it'll be in Dutch!

"Life has thrown some curveballs my way, but each challenge has only made me stronger. This tour is my way of sharing that strength with you. From NIGHTWISH to my solo career, you've been with me every step of the way. Now, I invite you to join me for this intimate, powerful experience. Let's celebrate life, music, and the fighting spirit that connects us all.

"Tickets are on sale now! Can't wait to see you there and share this special journey with you all."

In November 2022, Floor revealed that she was "cancer free" after undergoing surgery to have a tumor removed following a breast cancer diagnosis.

In October 2023, Jansen and Van Dahl welcomed their second child, Lucy. Jansen and Van Dahl also have a seven-year-old daughter named Freja, who was born on March 15, 2017.

In April 2023, NIGHTWISH surprised fans by announcing that the band was not going to be playing any live shows for the foreseeable future and would be not be touring in support of the group's latest studio album, "Yesterwynde", which arrived on September 20, 2024 via Nuclear Blast.

Floor's debut solo album "Paragon", arrived in March 2023.

As part of NIGHTWISH, Jansen has landed two No. 1 albums in Finland, and Top Five albums in Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.

Born in the Netherlands, Jansen joined her first band, one of the world's first symphonic metal bands, AFTER FOREVER, when she was only 16 years old. The group went on to release five albums from 2000 to 2007, before they broke up in 2009.

Jansen's next band, REVAMP, released two albums in 2010 and 2013, before she joined NIGHTWISH as a full-time member.

NIGHTWISH's first album with Jansen as the lead singer was 2015's "Endless Forms Most Beautiful", which landed in Top 10s around the world. This was followed by 2020's "Human. :II: Nature." , which was also an international success.

Jansen has toured extensively with the band and appeared on three of NIGHTWISH's live albums "Showtime, Storytime", "Vehicle Of Spirit" and "Decades: Live In Buenos Aires".

In 2019, Jansen participated in the popular Dutch TV show "Beste Zangers" where she scored a big hit with "Phantom Of The Opera" together with Henk Poort. She was recognized with a Dutch Popprijs award — a prestigious accolade for artists that has made important contributions to Dutch music. In the same year, her first solo tour sold out in less than 24 hours.

Jansen performed live with NIGHTWISH for the first time on October 1, 2012 at Showbox Sodo in Seattle, Washington following the abrupt departure of the band's lead singer of five years, Anette Olzon. Jansen officially joined NIGHTWISH in 2013.

Photo credit: Tim Tronckoe

#floor jansen #news

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yuzukahibiscus · 6 months ago

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Takarazuka Flower Troupe Top Star Yuzuka Rei bid farewell to Takarazuka, "Today, I will be departing from my feathers" and spoke about her feelings of gratitude and relief

(Source from Hochi)

Takarazuka Revue Flower Troupe Top Star Yuzuka Rei embraced the closing performance in the Tokyo Takarazuka Theatre on May 26 in their graduation performance "Arc en ciel~The Rainbow Over Paris", bidding farewell to her 15 years of Takarazuka life.

She came down in the grand staircase in hakama. "Today, I'm departing from my feathers. Because of everyone's support, there's this someday when I've become able to start liking myself more."

In the press conference, when we asked again how she felt when mentioning the feathers, "I'm grateful and relieved. The weight of the feathers is not related to the number of grams, but rather I'd say because it's very important."

And then when looking back in her four years and a half of becoming a Top Star, she said, "I've also been asking myself questions about being a Takarazuka otokoyaku and a Top Star, but to me what's important to cherish is character and personality and love."

She also explained for the rare colour tones of flowers she received on stage. In the homebase in Takarazuka, she got white flowers, and on this day she got protea flowers in red. "I want to make it "red-white"*. That's the little highlight I want in the bouquet."

She had this incident in the morning today, when she usually set up a smartphone alarm to wake up, "but when I woke up today, I realised how I ran out of smartphone battery, and thought "Fortunately I was able to wake up. I will remember the fans, and want to improve without disappointing you. I will also look forward to Flower Troupe in the theatre."

Yuzuka Rei entered the revue in 2009 and became the Flower Troupe Star in November 2019. She not just shouldered the responsibility of leading the troupe, but also fought against the panedmic and was known for her great popularity.

* "red-white" may be related to the Red White Song Battle in Japan. White is for male teams, red is for female teams. White flowers in Takarazuka represent the culmination of her otokoyaku. Red flowers mean the starting of a new life chapter as a woman.

#yuzuka rei #flower troupe #hanagumi #takarazuka #takarazuka revue #hoshikaze madoka #retirement #graduation #hibiscustranslation

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cherrylng · 4 months ago

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Matthew Bellamy Interview - Muse [CROSSBEAT (November 2009)]

The Resistance Goes On MUSE First cover story! In-depth look at the new album and its trajectory!

"I think this album represents the way the MP3 generation listens to music, because it's so fickle and inconsistent."

When you think of Muse, there's bound to be a 'Muse verse' that rings in everyone's head. What's great about them is that they never betray that 'Muse verse', but constantly update it with fresh and innovative ideas. There is always a Muse that you like and expect in each new album, but there is also a Muse that surpasses it. That is their greatest strength. With "Black Holes and Revelations" in 2006 and "HAARP", which is a condensed version of their appeal, they are finally showing signs of a big breakthrough here in Japan, and with their new album "The Resistance", which is also self-produced, their appeal is like a fireworks display. This issue of the magazine is the fastest in Japan to feature Muse on the cover, and will thoroughly dissect their appeal with interviews and articles on their material! And for the first time ever, the supplement "MUSE BOOK" provides a comprehensive look at all the interviews from the past! Muse, the eye of the typhoon in the scene in the second half of 2009, will be pushed all the way!

Text: Hidefumi Harima / Interview: James Nicholas Joyce / Translation: Sumi Imai © James Nicholas Joyce/IFA

Muse were, after all, a tremendous band. On their new album "The Resistance", the most anticipated album in the band's history, they have delivered an unmistakable "Muse-esque" sound with intensely emotional melodies, a sound that swings from static to dynamic, lyrics that present grandiose images, and Matthew Bellamy's full-bodied vocals that carry them through. The band has successfully sublimated to the next level of "Muse-ness" by maintaining the "Muse-ness" while challenging various new things so that it does not end up sounding the same as it has in the past. In fact, when I first heard the album, I felt like it didn't have any killer tunes like "Plug in Baby", "Stockholm Syndrome", or "Knights of Cydonia". But I realised on the second listen that it was just the lack of strong, fast guitar riffs, but the melodies, hooks, sounds, and beats were all full of elements that grabbed the listener firmly. There were so many elements that were firmly etched in my memory, even though it was only the second time I'd heard it. And yet, every time I listened to it, it felt fresh. This is an album that will definitely satisfy previous Muse fans, and will definitely blow away new listeners.

Take the grandly titled "United States of Eurasia". The song opens with a graceful piano, followed by Matthew's restrained tone, and then a thick chorus straight from Queen ("legendary champion"!) cuts in, and before you know it, the Arabic phrases are flowing. Immediately after the climactic big part, Chopin's "Nocturne" is played over a background of children's voices, jet fighter engines, and what sounds like communication with the ground, bringing the song to an end, before the next moving and beautiful part of the song, "Guiding Light", is played. The band's ability to combine so many elements into a single song with a natural flow is something no half-baked band could ever hope to achieve.

The whole structure of the album consists of an opening with a fun, thumping rhythm, leading up to a synth-heavy section of "Undisclosed Desires", the big song "United States of Eurasia" and its continuation "Guiding Light" (reminiscent of Presley's "I Can’t Stop Loving You"), the solid, fast rock number "Unnatural Selection" that could only come from Muse, followed by "MK Ultra", a bluesy/classical duality that calms down and leads into the final chapter. The trilogy of "Exogenesis Symphony", which boldly incorporates orchestral elements, carries on in a perfect flow with a significant change in musicality.

After all this, there was no moment when I personally felt astonished or bewildered when I first heard the album. Rather, I must have listened to it with a grin on my face, thinking "Oh my God, they're doing whatever they want". And sometimes I even laughed out loud. (It was a trial listening session where everyone listened with headphones, so I was lucky that no one noticed……). In other words, Muse's openness has been there for a long time, and it is not at all surprising that Muse would do a symphony, slap bass, and use a pipe organ or clarinet. I'm sure they did this because they were self-produced and, in a sense, 'unstoppable' (in a good way), which means they put everything they had into it in a total package.

Where will they go next after this? With their unchanging core and sincere inquisitiveness for music, Muse can always continue to grow, shedding their skin while still remaining being Muse. There is no doubt about that. Still, where is the snare sound that Dom (Dominic Howard: Dr) was seen in the pre-released teaser video, strumming while listening to the clicks on his mobile phone (probably) with a flock of sheep in the background in a wide meadow? (laughs). I'd like to examine that carefully from now on. And of course, I can't wait to see what kind of show I'll be able to see next time.

"Thom Yorke once said something like this: 'We're run like the United Nations. But my position in that is the US.' I can relate to it a lot."

When interviewing Muse, journalists always interview all three members separately, rather than meeting and talking to just one of them, which is a unique approach, isn't it? How did this happen? 「When the three of us were being interviewed together, they [the journalists] would often direct questions to me personally. And I'm pretty quick at answering. And Chris (Wolstenholme: B) would get left behind, and he'd be like, "What the hell am I doing here?" But then I thought it would be better to communicate the idea of the band as a whole, rather than just me doing the promotion on my own. When it comes to the sound-making process and the arrangement of the songs, it's actually very democratic. Songwriting is undemocratic. Thom Yorke of Radiohead once said: 'We (Radiohead) are run like the United Nations. But my position in it is the US. It's an interesting analogy. I can relate to it a lot. Our other two members are not as confident as I am when it comes to songwriting. They're very shy [when it comes to songwriting]. But I'm always encouraging them to write songs and I want to open up new avenues. Chris gives me all sorts of ideas that he has and asks me to finish them. But I'd rather he finish them himself. That way he can feel more like it's his own song. So I'd say we're a very democratic band, but at the moment we're quite dictatorial when it comes to songwriting (laughs). But I rely on both of them to help me sift through all the ideas. Because sometimes I come up with ideas that don't really fit with Muse or aren't very cool. And they help me sift through all those ideas and they end up being just right.」

Can you give us some examples of "not so cool ideas" that you've come up with? 「When we were working on the last album, I wrote a song called 'Soaked', which sounds like an Elton John song. It's like an 80s number, like 'Nikita' or something like that. Our publisher says it's Adam Lambert-esque. He's a male singer who was runner-up on American Idol (an audition programme aired on US television), which means it was that kind of music. I want to write songs in a variety of genres, whether it's classical or pop. But there's a clear line in Muse that I'm not allowed to cross, and as a songwriter I sometimes step over it. So, with Chris and Dom's help, I can clarify those boundaries. The last three songs on The Resistance are the ones I've been trying to push for the last two years. But it wasn't until I added bass and drums that they really started to sound like a real band, and I'd say they're songs worthy of Muse. Dom and Chris have helped me tremendously in that respect. They added beats and rearranged things that had been more freeform in terms of speed, and it became a Muse song. There are always different genres of music around me. It can be more abstract or classical. When I'm working on Muse, it's not just the goofy songwriting that I try to keep aside.」

"The first part of this album is about 'political unrest', which is a bit influenced by the opposition protests that have been happening in the UK recently."

Black Holes and Revelations was influenced in part by the Neapolitan folk songs you were listening to at the time of recording. But there's a curious lack of that influence in 'The Resistance'. Why did that kind of music drop out during the process? 「I think if there's something you're exposed to in your day-to-day life in the months before you start making an album, whatever it is, people naturally absorb it. Originally we wanted to start working on this album earlier. It ended up being delayed until now. We first started thinking about actually recording something last January. But then we got a couple of offers to tour. One was in South America. Then we did a couple of shows in Dubai [United Arab Emirates] and South Africa, and a couple of shows in England. We ended up staying in Dubai for four or five days. I remember listening to all sorts of things, especially the music on the radio in the taxi. You can hear those influences in the middle section of "United States of Eurasia". I think people absorb different things as they go through different stages in their lives. It means that it sparks an interest in something different from what they were used to. In addition to that, the MP3 generation is very used to listening to a wide variety of music from different genres, eras and styles, in no particular order, in the same row. I think our album represents that way of listening to music. It's very fickle and inconsistent. Another key thing was that we recorded part of the last album in a studio in Milan. There I met a string arranger called Mauro Pagani. He was the one who introduced me to the music of southern Italy. This time I didn't get to meet him, because I'm arranging the strings myself. So maybe that made me less influenced by those things. But this time I made a conscious effort to reintroduce some classical sounds, and I also wanted to experiment a bit with electronica. Well, it only ended up settling in the song "Undisclosed Desires". There was a time when "Uprising" was going to be more electronic. But in the end, we ended up with a more live, glam, guitar-oriented version. I thought it sounded a bit more modern that way.」

Of all the current British bands, Muse in particular seem to be the closest to continental Europe, both melodically and aesthetically. You are based in Italy, and have built a studio in Como (A city in northern Italy, famous for its scenic Lake Como). Where does this affinity for the European continent come from? 「Ah, that's a good question, because it's difficult to answer. It probably has something to do with the history of music. Most classical music was born in Europe. Russia, Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, and Poland, all these countries have produced many great composers in their history. So I think my appreciation of European music came from my interest in classical music. But also, interestingly enough, a lot of the music that we were into as boys was by bands from Belgium and the Netherlands. Deus, for example, or Evil Superstars. Or, if we're talking about younger bands, like Millionaire. I personally always thought that European bands had a more creative and futuristic approach to rock. There's great stuff in American music, but what we were aiming for was something different and individual, and we found more of that individuality in European music.」

Regarding classical music, "Exogenesis" is placed at the end of the album. Would the three-movement symphony have worked better if you had divided it into three parts and placed them separately throughout the album, instead of putting them together at the end of the album? 「Maybe in concerts we'll get creative and incorporate things into the set. For example, you could play part one first, then part two in the middle of the show, and part three towards the end of the show. If you listen to them all at once, you'll probably get a bit full. But for the recording, I wanted to record the orchestral part all at once, for 13 minutes straight. Because we wanted to capture the whole sound in there, including the in-between sounds, the 'sound' of a lot of people not doing anything. We wanted that kind of continuity. The feeling of a breather before moving from one thing to the next.」

On a completely different note, the beginning of the album develops a George Orwellian theme. That's not reflected in 'Exogenesis', though. 「Musically, lyrically and conceptually, that part is certainly quite different from the rest of the album. At one point we were even talking about not including that part on the album and releasing it as a separate, independent EP. The first part of the album stands on its own as a separate thing and is about 'political unrest'. It's a bit influenced by the recent protests in the UK. I've also been influenced by the G20 summit, the parliamentary scandals, the economic crisis and of course the anti-war protests that have been going on for years now. My flat in London is very close to the US Embassy, so almost every weekend I look out the window and see demonstrations going on. That's what really struck me. So the first part of the album is like a love story that emerged from the current political unrest. There are quite a lot of similarities with '1984' (George Orwell's futuristic novel about the inhumanity of a totalitarian state under a one-party dictatorship). Before I started working on the album, I went back and read '1984'. So I put the love story between Winston (Smith: the protagonist of 1984) and Julia (Winston's girlfriend) at the centre. When I was in doubt about the lyrics, I used '1984' as a reference. Not all of the songs are about that, but the song "Resistance" is. There are terms like 'Thought Police' (the police force in '1984') and things like that.」

Muse are not generally regarded as a political band, are they? For your part, are you okay with being perceived as such? Or can those labels be a burden? 「I don't care how other people perceive us or what they think, and I'm happy for them to say whatever they want, really. There's no point in me worrying about it. It's impossible to control the aftermath of what I do. So it's more important to just concentrate on what you're doing. At the same time, I don't think politics is an influential factor in the direction of the band. Well, maybe it's a factor that's slowly being brought up. I mean, there may be things that go in that direction in the future, but… I think as I've gotten older, I've developed certain views and certain opinions and I've started to incorporate them into the songs. But I wouldn't say the whole album is political. Of course, there are some very direct love songs on the album that don't have any political commentary in them at all.」

Perhaps a more accurate description would be that Muse is a band of twists and turns. Up until now, the companies Muse has fought against to prevent the use of their songs and names without permission have been large companies and big names, such as Nestlé or Celine Dion, for example (see column under p. 27). 「I think that's true. I think people of my generation, and the younger generation who are now becoming adults, have a very strong rejection of the commercial corporate structures that have been there since they were born. If the parliament is run on a proportional representation system, the MPs are supposed to represent the views of the majority of the people, but in reality they are influenced by people like lobbyists from large corporations. With the internet, there is no longer any reason to stifle the expansion of pure democracy. Decisions on major issues, such as whether or not to enter the war or to enact new laws, should not be made by a very limited class of people who spend more time in London than in their own constituencies. There should always be a referendum, in which the general public can participate. The internet has given people access to an awful lot of information. There are far more sources of information now than there were 30 years ago, when there were only a few newspapers and a few TV channels and it was easy to control public opinion. Thirty years ago, if the BBC said something, everyone believed it. But now with the internet, it's much more possible for people to have a genuine free opinion.」

And people are also willing to make an effort to collect information and increase their knowledge, because it's now seen as cool to gather information. 「I agree. I think we should move in that direction, and I'm definitely in favour of that happening. Apart from the demo, the album's opener 'Uprising' is an overview, so to speak, about being fed up with someone else making decisions about us. That's a political view that's coming up in my mind at the moment, and it's something I hope to express more and more in the Muse album.」

Going back to the music, can you tell us anything about the advantages and constraints of being a three-piece band? 「With our first three albums, we felt constrained by our line-up quite early on. So we were trying to cram all these other ideas into our playing as a three-piece. There's a certain simplicity in the three-piece framework that I don't want to lose. But at the same time, I think we've opened up the possibility of playing live synth and sample parts by having a fourth musician on stage when we play live. But in the case of this album, the last three songs are impossible to play live without making some dramatic changes. The whole thing has to be played on synths. An orchestra is impossible. But we think the majority of the album should be played live with a fourth musician. For us, there's always a fine line between 'we want to be a three-piece' and 'we want to be more than a three-piece'. It's a bit contradictory, but we like both. We like the simplicity and roughness of the straight rock that only a three-piece can give off. Three people can actually sound more powerful than a five-piece, because you can clearly hear the three distinct instrumental parts. At the same time, we're very much into more carefully crafted, complex music. Music with more depth. And unfortunately, three-piece bands are very good at straight-ahead rock stuff. Like the Jimi Hendrix Experience or the Police, for example, they had a lot of energy. But of course we're influenced by other music as well. So we try to do both. I don't really know which is our essence. We're not sure if we should get more musicians involved or not, and we've been wondering for a long time now.」

Earlier in the interview, we asked you about the division of roles when it comes to promoting Muse, and it's interesting to hear that you've adopted a democratic approach when it comes to the music aspect as well. Just earlier you were talking about instruments with clearly assigned roles. 「Maybe with 'Exogenesis' we broke that rule for the first time. But I'd like to think that the three instruments we're each responsible for are the most important axis on which the song depends. The bass riff is usually as important as the guitar riff, and the drums are usually the first signal. In terms of playing, I think we're a genuine, really democratic band. Chris probably plays as many lido riffs that get the crowd going as much as I do. And Muse are not a guitar hero band.」

"Words like 'over-the-top' and 'too much' that were used as insults in the early days are now used as compliments in a positive way."

Aside from the added flourishes added by the arrangements, some of the songs on The Resistance seem more curvaceous and graceful than on previous albums. Is this related to the fact that Muse have started playing live at arena venues in recent years? In other words, were you influenced by the fact that you learned what works well and what doesn't in such large-scale venues? 「That's an interesting perspective. When I started the band, it was definitely to play shows. I didn't form the band to make recordings. I started the band because I wanted to get on stage and tour the world with my friends. It's like being a teenager who dreams of touring. I see playing live shows as the end result of what we're doing. Most of the time, I'm making this kind of music to play live in some way. But as the venues get bigger and bigger, I've noticed a phenomenon happening. In the bigger venues, there are grandiose, flashy parts that get things going. Those parts didn't work in the smaller venues. In the early days, the reviews about us used to swear by words like 'over-the-top' and 'too much'. But when we started playing bigger venues, those same words are now used as compliments in a positive way. They say it's great because it's 'over the top' and 'flashy'. It's like that part of the band has been capitalised on and we've been able to get the audience more involved. If you listen to songs like 'Uprising', you can hear that we want the audience to sing along with us. We want to feel at one with the big audience. I want the people at the back of the room to sing along, not as me, but as each of us singing about ourselves, in a chorus. I use the pronoun "we" a lot, like at the end of "Knights of Cydonia". I think the fact that we're playing bigger venues has definitely had an effect on the way we use the word 'we' a lot.」

But apart from that choice of words, would you say that your music has not been 'adapted' to larger venues, but that you have found the right size venue for you? 「Sometimes you suddenly realise that there are things you've always wanted to do that are better suited to a bigger venue. We've always had this idea in our heads that we've always wanted to push the boundaries, but when you're playing a bigger venue you can be a bit more open than you normally would be. I'm not worried about doing that at all anymore. The third album['s song], 'Blackout', is one of my favourites, but it didn't work out so well back then when we were mainly playing hall-sized venues. I was a bit disappointed that people didn't like these graceful songs as much as I did. So for a long time I left it out of the set. But when we played it at Wembley Stadium, it went down a storm and everyone said it was one of the best songs at the concert that day. I was really moved by that. So, I thought, maybe I have to make it over the top? Otherwise, I won't be able to show my best qualities. When we used to play in smaller clubs, when we played this song, people would go and buy beer or look at their watches and wonder when we were going to play a rock song next. But in the big arena venues, when we play this song, people are holding up lighter fires and shaking to it. People listen to it more intently now. I don't know how it works, but there's definitely a key to it.」

Translator's Note: In case some of you are too lazy to click on that link that I put there, here's the video of Dom playing a snare drum in a sheep field while listening to his phone. You're welcome.

youtube

#Matt Bellamy #Dom Howard #Chris Wolstenholme #Muse #The Resistance era #Muse band #my scan #translation #interview #CROSSBEAT #CROSSBEAT November 2009 #Youtube

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goodluckclove · 7 months ago

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For 150 followers, you voted on it - here's three chapters from Carnation, the novella I wrote at age twelve in 2009! It was my first attempt at NaNoWriMo, started about five days into November, and finished at the end of the month with just over 10k words.

It's not good. it really isn't. I make fun of it a lot, and I cringe a lot, and at the thought of posting it publicly is rough. But I'm doing it, because this is what got me writing. I didn't finish NaNo that year, but I tried again the next year and got to 50k. And then I did the same thing for years afterwards. And now I'm at the point where I don't even need the program to write a long-form project.

This was my start. It's self-indulgent as hell, and it's also poorly-paced and terribly characterized. I mean, I was twelve. But it's imaginative. There's a lot of imagination and just a severe lack of capable structure, but why would I be capable trying a new skill for the first time? It takes practice.

I don't know. You've all seen what I write now through my other excepts posted here. I figure anyone who thinks that there's no room in the artform for people working on getting better could benefit from this.

I left editing status on so you're welcome to roast young me alongside myself. Please, I welcome you.

Thank you for following my content and hearing my words. I hope you write or rest or find a cool bird or nice rock. I love you dearly.

#writing community #writers on tumblr #writeblr #writing #authors of tumblr #on writing #writing inspiration #writing inspo #personal growth #personal

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archivist-crow · 1 year ago

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On this day:

THE WILLING GHOST AND HIS WILL

On November 16, 1905, in North Carolina, the reasonably wealthy James L. Chaffin made a mistake he would have to come back from the dead to fix. With his wife and four children as witnesses, Chaffin drew up a will that left his entire estate to his third and favorite son, Marshall. Understandably angry, the disinherited eventually grudgingly accepted the circumstances as one of the old man's many idiosyncrasies, like his constant wearing of a ragged old overcoat. Sixteen years later the elder Chaffin tripped down a set of stairs and died. After a short probate, the uncontested will was executed.

One night four years later, the second son, James, was disturbed by a vivid dream in which his father appeared at his bedside, gesturing emphatically to the inside pocket of his shabby overcoat. When James told his wife and his mother about the unsettling apparition, they remembered that the coat had been given to the eldest son. Soon after they went to his house, and the coat was retrieved from the attic. The inner pocket had been sewn shut with large and awkward stitches. James cut them with his knife and retrieved a tightly rolled piece of paper from inside. It read: "Read the 27th Chapter of Genesis in my daddie's old Bible."

Mrs. Chaffin recalled that her husband had tucked away the deteriorating book years ago. Due to the strange circumstances, James fetched the neighbors, Mr. Blackwelder and his daughter, to join them as they went to Mrs.Chaffin's house to examine the scriptures. Unwrapping the battered missal, the groups watched as Blackwelder discovered two pages that had been glued together. He pried them open. Inside was another will dated only two years before Chaffin's death, directing his estate to be divided equally among his children and wife. The new will stood up in court and went uncontested.

Text from: Almanac of the Infamous, the Incredible, and the Ignored by Juanita Rose Violini, published by Weiser Books, 2009

#on this day #november #paranormal

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cable-knit-sweater · 2 years ago

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Countermoves

Pairing: Chris Evans x Sebastian Stan

Word count: 11.6k

Rating: E

Summary: Sebastian knows about Chris Evans, has to take his shot when he sees him. Chris doesn’t have a clue who Sebastian is, aside from being a pretty guy he meets in a club. The attraction is instant, and Sebastian takes Chris home, with a little detour or two. Chris thinks it’s just a one-night stand he’ll be thinking about for a long time, cursing himself for not getting the guy’s number. Until a couple of months later, he starts filming on Captain America: The First Avenger, and he meets him again.

Read Chapter 1: New York City, November 2009 on AO3

Read Chapter 2: Pinewood Studios, July 2010 on AO3

Read Chapter 3: London, August 2010 on AO3

They make it back to Chris’s hotel room, but not to his bed. They talk (sort of).

This fic is now finished.

(But I might turn it into a series 😂)

#maya tries to write #evanstan #rpf #I know it’s been 3 months since I updated this #but writing is hard #also #life.#also PINEWOOD studios????#had to use that 🤣

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nadiuu · 3 days ago

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First time this has happened to me: on November 11, I’m writing the chapter of my longfic that takes place on November 11, 2009. If you’re following me for Death Note and Matt and Mello, you must know what I’m up to... I think it’s funny. What are the odds? 😆

#voy a cerrar el pico por si alguien aquí está leyendo el fic...#I feel like a time traveler or reality-fictional-universe-traveler or whatever hahaha

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knotatwink · 3 months ago

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— PROFILE ˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

˚₊‧꒰ა ꣑ৎ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

ʚɞ

「 ✦ HEAVEN IS A PLACE ON EARTH

WITH YOU✦ 」 — Lana del ray

ʚɞ

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.☘︎ ݁˖ STAGE NAME ── .✦ kiko

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.☘︎ ݁˖ BIRTH NAME ── .✦ Kyung-Mi Tsukiko

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.☘︎ ݁˖ ENGLISH NAME ── .✦ Atticus tsukiko

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.☘︎ ݁˖ NICKNAMES ── .✦ kiko, tsu, cus cus, bae, prince, honey, pretty

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.☘︎ ݁˖ ZODIAC SIGN ── .✦ libra

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.☘︎ ݁˖ CHINESE ZODIAC ── .✦ pig

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.☘︎ ݁˖ POSITION ── .✦ visual, N/A

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.☘︎ ݁˖ BIRTHDAY ── .✦ October 16 2000

.☘︎ ݁˖ AGE ── .✦ 24 — 2024

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.☘︎ ݁˖ HEIGHT ── .✦ 181.5 cm (5’11”)

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.☘︎ ݁˖ WEIGHT ── .✦ 62 kg (136 lbs)

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.☘︎ ݁˖ BLOOD TYPE ── .✦ A+

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.☘︎ ݁˖ INSTA ── .✦ PrInCe__.kikoo

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.☘︎ ݁˖ SPOTIFY ── .✦ txt : kiko

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.☘︎ ݁˖ FACE CLAIM ── .✦ baekseung (epex)

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.☘︎ ݁˖ DANCE CLAIM ── .✦ Han jisung (skz)

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.☘︎ ݁˖ RAP CLAIM ── .✦ Han jisung (skz)

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.☘︎ ݁˖ BIRTHPLACE ── .✦ Tokyo Japan ( 2000 to 2004 ) — Seoul South Korea ( 2009 to 2024 )

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.☘︎ ݁˖ LANGUAGES ── .✦ English 10/10, Japanese (mother tongue) 11/10, Korean (fluent) 10/10, Chinese 6/10

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.☘︎ ݁˖ HAIR COLOR ── .✦blonde

.☘︎ ݁˖ PAST ── .✦black — brown

.☘︎ ݁˖ EYE COLOR ── .✦ light grey

.☘︎ ݁˖ BODY MODS ── .✦ 6 — angel wings on the lower half of his back, pink star on the back of the shoulder, three stars on right hipbones, three tiny hoops on right ear lobe and star piercing on top right of ear, tiny star piercing on right nose, belly pierced with big star

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.☘︎ ݁˖ GENDER ── .✦ male

.☘︎ ݁˖ PRONOUNS ── .✦ he/they

.☘︎ ݁˖ SEXUAL ORIENTATION ── .✦ pansexual

.☘︎ ݁˖ RELATIONSHIP STATUS ── .✦ taken as of 2022 (disclosed after being caught by paparazzi)

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.☘︎ ݁˖ GROUP NAME ── .✦ txt

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.☘︎ ݁˖ DEBUT ── .✦ march 4th 2019

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.☘︎ ݁˖ DEBUT AGE ── .✦ 18

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ʚ ɞ TXT DISCOGRAPHY ʚ ɞ

ᨳ The Dream Chapter: STAR (1st Mini Album)

Release Date: March 4, 2019

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ᨳ Cat & Dog (English Ver.) (1st English Digital Single)

Release Date: May 3rd, 2019

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ᨳ Our Summer (Acoustic Mix) (1st Digital Single)

Release Date: May 21st, 2019

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ᨳ The Dream Chapter: MAGIC (1st Full Album)

Release Date: October 21, 2019

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ᨳ Magic Hour (1st Japanese Single Album)

Release Date: January 15, 2020

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ᨳ The Dream Chapter: ETERNITY (2nd Mini Album)

Release Date: May 18, 2020

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ᨳ Drama (2nd Japanese Single Album)

Release Date: August 19, 2020

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ᨳ Minisode 1: Blue Hour (3rd Mini Album)

Release Date: October 26, 2020

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ᨳ Live On OST Part.1 (OST Single)

Release Date: November 24th, 2020

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ᨳ Still Dreaming (1st Japanese Full Album)

Release Date: January 20th, 2021

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ᨳ Doom At Your Service OST Part.2 (OST Single)

Release Date: May 24th, 2021

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ᨳ The Chaos Chapter: FREEZE (2nd Full Album)

Release Date: May 31st, 2021

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ᨳ 0X1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You) ft. pH1, Woodie Goodchild, Seori (2nd Digital Single)

Release Date: July 4th, 2021

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ᨳ The Chaos Chapter: FIGHT OR ESCAPE (1st Repackage Album)

Release Date: August 17th, 2021

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ᨳ 0X1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You) ft. MOD SUN (3rd Digital Single)

Release Date: September 10th, 2021

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ᨳ Chaotic Wonderland (1st Japanese Mini Album)

Release Date: November 10, 2021

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ᨳ Minisode 2: Thursday's Child (4th Mini Album)

Release Date: May 9, 2022

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ᨳじゃない誰かの愛し方 (Ring) (2nd Japanese Digital Single)

Release Date: August 24, 2022

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ᨳ Good boy Gone Bad (3rd Japanese Single)

Release Date: August 31, 2022

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ᨳ Free Falling (The Star Seekers OST)

Release Date: September 19, 2022

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ᨳ The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION (5th Mini Album)

Release Date: January 27, 2023

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ᨳ Goodbye Now (Love Revolution x TXT (OST))

Release Date: February 22, 2023

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ᨳ Sugar Rush Ride (Japanese Ver.) (Pre-Release Single)

Release Date: June 28, 2023

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ᨳ紫陽花のような恋 (Hydrangea Love) (Pre-Release Single)

Release Date: June 30, 2023

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ᨳ SWEET (Japanese Album) Release Date: July 5, 2023

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ᨳ Do It Like That with Jonas Brothers (English Collaboration Digital Single) Release Date: July 7, 2023

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ᨳ Back for More with Anita (English Collaboration Digital Single) Release Date: September 15, 2023

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ᨳ Back for More (More Edition) (English Collaboration Digital Single) Release Date: September 18, 2023

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ᨳ The Name Chapter: FREEFALL (3rd Full Album) Release Date: October 13, 2023

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ᨳ minisode 3: TOMORROW (6th Mini Album)

Release Date: April 1, 2024

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ᨳ minisode 3: TOMORROW (Remixes) Release Date: April 5, 2024

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ᨳ誓い (CHIKAI) (Japanese Single) Release Date: July 3, 2024

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ᨳ Open Always Win Collaboration Single (Samsung) Release Date: July 17, 2024

｡ﾟ ꒰ঌ ✦໒꒱ ༘*.ﾟ

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#oc #kpop oc #txt #choi yeonjun #choi soobin #choi beomgyu #txt taehyun #txt kai #male oc #6th member #first time writing here

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lboogie1906 · 7 days ago

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Chiel Petty Officer George W. Gibbs, Jr. )November 16, 1916 - November 7. 2000) was the first person of African descent to set foot on Antarctica. He was a civil rights leader and WWII Navy gunner. He was born in Jacksonville, Florida. He moved to Brooklyn, where he enrolled in Brooklyn Technical School and received his GED. He served in the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s.

He served on Admiral Richard Byrd’s third expedition to the South Pole (1939-41). He was among the 40 chosen in this history-making expedition, sailing on the USS Bear. He was a member of the crew that supported the ice party. He was the first person off the ship to set foot on Antarctica on January 14, 1941.

During WWII, he served as a naval gunner in the South Pacific. He remained in the Navy after the war and served for 24 years before retiring in 1959 with the rank of Chief Petty Officer. He returned to college and graduated from the University of Minnesota with a BS in Education.

He married Joyce Powell (1953). They moved to Rochester, Minnesota, where he worked for IBM. He was a corporate housing administrator and international assignment representative. He managed his employment agency until his final retirement in 1999.

He helped organize the Rochester Chapter of the NAACP and worked for civil rights both locally and nationally. He served as president of the Rochester Kiwanis and the Rochester chapter of the Minnesota Alumni Association. He was presented with the George Gibbs Humanitarianism Award by the Rochester branch of the NAACP.

He applied for membership in the Rochester Elks Club. He made national news when the Club denied him entry. He was the first African American to apply to the local club and helped break the color barrier at service clubs in Rochester.

George Gibbs Elementary School opened in Rochester, named in his honor. Rochester’s West Soldiers Field Drive was renamed in his honor. Gibbs Point in Antarctica was named after him on September 2, 2009. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

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hanszoe · 18 days ago

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main hange gender post

seems there's getting to be too much here for a single link, so here's everything. last edited november 5th 2024

see my gender tag for an uncategorized list of every post i've ever made concerning hange's gender.

for refutations of frequently made arguments about hansi's gender, see my page listing them.

listed inspirations for Hansi's characterization: "Hayato", one of Isayama's childhood friends, Tomohiro Machiyama

everything from the original manga, isayama, editorial and publishers on hansi's gender: -Sep 2009, volume 1 there is a feminine character with light eyes, medium hair, middle parted bangs and a ponytail in the same position as Hansi in the anime adaptation.

-Dec 2009, Isayama first details Survey Corps veteran designs including Hansi with dark messy hair, brown eyes and goggles.

-Feb 2010, Hansi first appears unnamed with the same design in the side story before chapter 10.

~Feb 2011, Hansi appears in the storyboard for chapter 19 with the placeholder name "Yamada Hanako" alongside Micke's "Yamada Taro", the equivalents of "Jane Doe" and "John Doe". My personal speculation is that Isayama couldn't easily remember the foreign names for these characters, and quickly used gendered Japanese placeholders as he said before he struggled to remember the names of his characters.

-Mar 2011, Hansi's first named appearance in the manga. My correct spelling of their name is now relevant, as "Hansi" is a gender neutral diminutive of the name "Johannes". In Germany its association is male leaning, likely due to other male "si" or "zi" ending diminutives and the male association of "Hans".

-Mar 2011, Hansi's gender is first questioned by readers. Isayama responds to these questions on his blog by not giving a clear answer. Worth noting that around this time through 2011, Hansi's gender was of concern to Japanese readers wanting to ship them with men on the condition of them being female. Isayama's comment only contributed to the issue.

-Aug 2011, Isayama includes a fake preview with volume 5 depicting them with female clothing, breasts and a misogynistic trope. It can be taken that this was his answer to the controversy.

~Late 2011 through 2012, not explicitly concerning Hansi, but Isayama first talks about Shinsei Kamattechan online which is my only lead on where he would have learned about gender nonconformity/genderqueer/trans identity.

~Sometime between Apr-Sep 2012 (Dates from some scans of production material with original EXIF I have, I'm unfamiliar with S1 production beyond that), Isayama provides reference material for the anime adaptation, including for Hansi. He notes that their status as otherwise female would be in question from the appearance of their face, and later says in an interview that Hansi "became female" for the anime, which I take to mean "they became obviously female sexed".

-Apr 2013 Isayama's editor replies to a question asking "Is Hansi a woman? I firmly believe that [they're] a woman, but there are people who say [they're] a man because of [their] sometimes masculine appearance and way of speaking" with "I think [you're] unmistakably correct, so I've never even asked Isayama!"

-Jun 2013 Kodansha USA release the official English translation of volume 5, mistranslating Hansi's name as "Zoë Hange" and explicitly gendering them as female.

-Jul 2013 at Anime Expo 2013 S1 producer George Wada is asked why they decided to make Hansi female sexed, he responds (in English) "This is secret"

-Jul 2013 Isayama's editor replies to a question asking "Is Hansi male? Female? Please tell me!!!" with "It's a secret lol"

-Aug 2013 The social media manager of the Kodansha USA Tumblr blog responds to a question about Hansi's name and gender saying that their gender is up to interpretation, and that they gender [them] as female. It is worth noting that this caused a huge controversy. According to my memory the outcome of this controversy was the English speaking fandom canonizing them as nonbinary. I should look back through it in detail to see if there was widely spread misinformation (which seems true, if "Hanji uses gender neutral pronouns in Japanese" and the mess of the Kodansha USA social media manager's response is any indication). I guess I will tentatively put this down to language barrier/mistranslation/widely unknown context.

-Nov 2013 Isayama's editor replies to a question asking "Hasn't Hansi's gender been decided?" with "I asked Isayama before, it seems like either is fine."

-Jan 2014 The Kodansha USA social media manager replies to a question wanting clarification on their gendering Hansi as female that at some point Isayama issued a correction to them stating to use gender neutral pronouns for Hansi. Kodansha USA print they/them going forward, but as of the 19th printing of volume 5 in circulation in August 2024 their pronouns were still not corrected. This is presumably internally a point of contention for Kodansha USA, as in the English release of Attack on Titan Junior High volume 1 a few months later in March 2014 the translator was maliciously compliant.

~Likely late 2014 or early 2015, some months before July 2015, the script for the Attack on Titan Junior High anime adaptation is finalized and includes a joke about Hansi being in the women's bathroom. They are referred to with the name "Hanako" which is the same name Isayama used as placeholder for them in 2011. The broadest reading of it is "Hansi doesn't belong in the women's bathroom", but whether this is commentary on canon or fan reaction is ambiguous.

-Jun 2015 Isayama states that "If there was something like a character song for Hansi, it would have the image of this [song] 'jibunrashiku'" which is about struggling to conform to gender labels by Shinsei Kamattechan. You can read a really good translation of the lyrics here.

-Nov 2015 Hansi's figure for Gekkan Shingeki no Kyojin Koushiki Figure Collection is released with an interview (not my translation) that mentions Hansi is to the best of my interpretation "ambiguously sexed", as he references a drag queen/female entertainment persona, who are both physically obviously and generally regarded as female characters, though much less so in Japan. He also says "I wanted to depict Hansi as appearing 'he'/'she'" (alternatively, "like 'him'/'her'", in reference to Matsuko), "a little away from the real world (lit. 'distant from [this] sad world'; meaning like 'away from (difficult) realities of being alive')", "with a feeling of freedom that [they] cannot be put into a category."

#hange zoe

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