#there you go sonson

[thuganomxcs]

“Urameshi-chan, thank you soo much for visiting us again.” An older homeless man spoke out after receiving his boxed meal and walking away rather happily.

“Don’t worry bout it gramps, might not show up every night but when I do, I bring the good stuff you guys love.” Yusuke spoke with a smirk on his face as more homeless people approached him wanting a boxed meal as well. This was something Yusuke often did after shifts where the nights were just slightly slower than usual. He would visit the homeless park with his truck and share out his leftovers for free, if he’s lucky he manages to feed at least fourty people. Granted, the sight of a new face causes his brow to raise. “Huh, don’t mind me fr sayin’ this princess but you’re lookin’ a little too clean t’ be homeless. Though if you’re still hungry guess I can give ya a meal..how’d you feel about shrimp fried rice?”

liked for a starter / @rage-reloaded

[ofrandomthought]

this is so cute yona is so cute choose me queen ill never cheat on you hypothetically or otherwise

[iimexpensiive]

✧ @rage-reloaded ✧ — Watch out old man that's a dropkick ambush from the granddaughter coming from up above!

This was just another typical interaction for the two celestial monkeys. Probably one of their more pleasant ones at that even if from the outside it looked anything BUT pleasant. He always encouraged his granddaughter to test her skills after all — it not only helped her practice what he had taught her but it got out some of that restless energy she had. Plus, it was always fun to mess around like this.

Blocking the sneak attack from overhead with ease, having paused in his stroll to the nearby kitchen to grab a quick snack. The all too familiar metal rob that he was often fiddling with was now being used to hold back Xiaomin's attack. An amused note leaving him in the moment.

"Mhm, almost had me that time sweetie — "

" — buuut still a little noisy with the approach."

His wrist flicking lightly, sending the young girl flying back — making sure to ease up just a bit on the force behind it. This wasn't training after all and he wasn't about to hurt his beloved granddaughter. Oh no, he never wanted to hurt her — disappointment was enough and even he beat himself up for that when she wasn't around. Going back to leisurely scratching his neck with the metal wand in his hand. His smile lazy but showed his fondness in the moment, she was improving after all and it made him proud.

"You want a snack or you wish to try again?"

[siixkiing]

“You know I think they mistitled him when they said ‘Intelligent Stone Monkey’...”

[rockofeye]

A death rite in Haitian Vodou

Here is a rare look at the publicly viewable portion of desounay/desounen, which is the first rite after a houngan, manbo, or other vodouizan passes. Unfortunately, this was a rite done on behalf of the death of a very well known and well respected houngan in Jacmel, Haiti who died unexpectedly this morning. This is difficult to watch, with lots of crying and expressions of grief.

The video begins with the procession, which has likely started at the home of the houngan (Woodson Antoine, ki di Gwètòde Plenipontansyè), where he passed, and is leading into the temple where Houngan Sonson was initiated. The procession ends as the rest of the desounay is completed behind closed doors. After, folks who have arrived gather to hear Houngan Woodson's papa kanzo speak, and then the videographer shares the news that Houngan Woodson has passed and shares what details were available; that he has been in ceremony just hours earlier with many of the people present, had not been well and had many health issues, had been encouraged to go to the hospital, and then went home, where he passed due to breathing difficulties. By the time an ambulance was found, he had already gone. The videographer compares desounay to the Catholic rite of extreme unction, which is aimed at allowing someone sick to pass to eternity with the blessings of their God and forgiven of their sins. Desounay is a little different than that, as it is only completed after death.

The desounay is completed as soon as possible after death is realized; this is the first ceremony that begins to separate our various soul pieces to go where they must so that we, our lwa, and our descendants can have peace after we pass. It is preferable that this ceremony is done before the body is taken from the home to the morgue or funeral home. In this case, you can see how quickly it was put together; it is happening very early in the morning, pre-9AM, and folks have clearly come directly from ceremony or their homes in a rush, you can see that they have put their white clothes on over other clothes or black and purple clothes from the Gede ceremonies they were attending. This has happened so quickly that there has not been time to prepare the temple or really even the community; Houngan Woodson was extremely well known in Jacmel and in Haiti at large due to his position as gwètò and not everyone was able to come in the moment to share in the grief. His bowoum and traditional internment will undoubtedly be huge.

This is a huge loss. While Haitian Vodou professes no central authority figure(s), a gwètò is a sort of regional coordinator that takes on the responsibility of watching over the community/communities in his or her region. A gwètò might mediate disputes, help a new temple start up, and represent the region throughout the country. Houngan Woodson took his position seriously and attended just about every ceremony in the area, even if he could only go for awhile. I personally benefitted from his intercession when there were local issues my husband needed help with, and I knew Houngan Woodson to be a kind, thoughtful, and caring individual who was always pleased to see me and hear how I was.

This has been a very introspective Gede season for me; Gede has had me sitting and reflecting on things that I will write about soon. What I have thought about today in thinking about this particular death is that access to healthcare is a liberation issue. While only Bondye knows our time and we ask to only be taken at our right time, had Haiti had more equitable access to both emergency medical care in that someone could have called for help and Houngan Woodson could have gone to a hospital that was staffed and had medical equipment, and regular healthcare that could have provided ongoing support for his medical issues as we know in many other parts of the world, perhaps his death could have been avoided. If liberation was fully realized in Haiti, deaths from things we take for granted as minor annoyances, like asthma, strep throat, high blood sugar, and similar, would be a thing of the past.

Woukoukou, yon gwo pyebwa te tonbe. May Houngan Woodson awaken in the company of his ancestors and his lwa in Alada, and may his friends, family, and loved ones find comfort in his memory.

[final-fantasy-as-literature]

Japanese Cultural Context and Its Dismissal With Regards to My Preferred Study of Final Fantasy VII

Shouldn't be any spoilers under the split, but the split is there for length.

Something that frustrates me when I point out that Journey to the West, Xiyouji, acts as a Bloomian precursor to Final Fantasy VII, intentional or not, is that a lot of people who are absolutely convinced that's impossible seem to fail to realize that Xiyouji is the major precursor to much of the most popular and influential Japanese media. When you think of the spikey-haired anime, manga, or JRPG protagonist who isn't quite human but loves or respects (usually coming to love or respect) his companions enough to use his immense power to protect them on a journey while negotiating the contradictions in his own being, you're thinking of an archetype laid out by interpretations of Xiyouji common to Japan from the '50s to the '80s. Popular examples of this archetype are Luffy from One Piece, Son Goku from Dragon Ball, and Naruto from Naruto. These range from adaptation (Son Goku), to negotiating with the work without relying on it (Luffy), to simply being inspired by so many works based on it that it recreates elements of the work anyway (Naruto).

Modern, popular anime, to continue discussing that sphere, came into being because of Xiyouji. When Osamu Tezuka's manga based on Xiyouji and heavily inspired by the 1941 Wan brothers' film Princes Iron Fan, My Son Goku (Boku no Son Goku, 1952-1959), was adapted into the film Alakazam the Great (Saiyuki, or Journey to the West in English) in 1960, it sparked Tezuka's interest in animation and directly led into Astro Boy's (Tetsuwan Atomu, 1952-1968) adaptation into an anime of the same name in 1963.

Ignoring that Tezuka's Astro Boy shares a lot of abilities and beats with Son Goku (from his bright eyes to his ability to discern good and evil to advance the plot, and begins to cement the archetype I mentioned above), My Son Goku and Alakazam the Great were popular and compelling enough to have their own influence outside of Tezuka's work. A lot of the metatextual humor and criticism in anime and manga can be traced back to My Son Goku, with even the title commenting on the story itself. Even Bowser, a villain from the Mario series that is distinctly not in a Bloomian precursor relationship with Xiyouji through the authors, was inspired by the Bull Demon King in Alakazam the Great before adopting a shell to go with his horns.

As the Bowser example kinda shows, people who make things don't do so in isolation. It would be difficult to do so, and it would be exceedingly difficult to be a fan of any kind of art in Japan from the late 1950s to the 1990s without coming into contact with something inspired by, adapting, or retelling Xiyouji.

Goku no Daiboken from Mushi Productions came out in 1967. NTV's Saiyuki aired from 1978 to 1980, but they also aired other Saiyuki media like their 1994 release. Akira Toriyama released Dragon Ball in 1984 and it received a Toei adaptation in 1986. In 1997 Enix was about to release its own Saiyuki manga.

That doesn't even include board game adaptations or uses of Xiyouji, card games with Xiyouji-themed cards or rules, reproductions of ehon adaptations of Xiyouji, Xiyouji children's books centered on Sun Wukong, use of Xiyouji in classrooms, video games like Capcom's SonSon in 1984, and on and on.

I think a big part of the push back I get on pointing this precursor nature of Xiyouji with Final Fantasy VII out over the past year is the wave of people playing Black Myth: Wukong or watching Overly Sarcastic Production's Journey to the West series and doing that "Guy who has only seen The Boss Baby" thing. Pointing out anything like the capture-rescue-recapture plot device, the focus on limits and breaking them, the spirituality inherent, or the ambivalent and multivalent nature of the protagonists connecting Xiyouji and Final Fantasy VII gets drowned out by people's feelings of being sick and tired of people going, "So I just got done watching the new BM:W trailer/playing BM:W and I was thinking..." Can't even start talking about Bloomian precursors or Bakhtinian chronotope before people disengage because of BM:W or the feeling that I'm being pretentious.

The other major part, that pretentious part, is that a lot of people have a dual-hatred of finding any depth in media they consider to be for children or for media from Japan in general. I don't have much to say about that, and I think that's a battle that's only just started in media. Just frustrating that saying, "I think this thing is doing something academics haven't really talked about much in Japanese media yet!" is drowned out by thought-stopping clichés becoming popular on the internet. "This is a Wendy's." "Put the fries in the bag." "Curtains are just blue." "Not that deep bro." "Just a silly JRPG."

With that said, I personally believe a deeper reading of Final Fantasy VII can be found in acknowledging this context. Cloud and Tifa can be read as sharing an expression of chronotope with Monkey and the Monk, with Cloud and Monkey moving and existing outside of the physical, human bounds of Tifa and the Monk. The capture-release-recapture structure is a huge part of both stories and is subverted to a degree with Tifa rescuing Cloud from self-capture on more than one occasion. There is even exploration of what can be read as heart-mind monkey in Final Fantasy VII with Cloud struggling against an indecisive and fractured mind, and I suggest that Cloud, Sephiroth, Zack, and Roche make up the elements of this heart-mind monkey in the same way that Monkey, the Sixth-Eared Macaque, the Bare-Armed Gibbon, and the Red-Buttocked Baboon do in Xiyouji with similar conclusions.

Oh well. As much as you can't stop people from writing fanfiction, you can't stop people from applying literary theory to the media they like. That is to say, I cannot be stopped unless I magically develop a platform and suddenly have academics in related fields telling me I am wrong. If M.J. Gallagher can suggest myths from across the globe impacted the game, I can suggest the narrative structure, characters, and even the UI itself (every character has a gold band of limits, something new to the series at the time) are deeply interacting with a text that has been immensely popular for readers and scholars in Japan since the late 1800s. That isn't a dig at him, but a confidence booster for me. I'm not even selling a book or speaking authoritatively to a large audience.

I'll probably return to more academically-minded posts after this, focusing more on the game than offhand discussion of discussion.

[onsunnyside]

sonson!! i just learned that boxers have to lose weight before some of their matches? do u think mma!curtis has to? 🥺👉🏼👈🏼 i dont want him to go without food tho 😖

when he’s working, he’s pretty good at staying in his weight class (cruiserweight) with a very disciplined workout routine and diet !! after he took a break to spend more time with his family, friends and you, he got thicker and beefier 😵‍💫 (yummy). although he had to get back into the game, so you helped by cooking his meals, and keeping him on track. don’t tell his coach but you also sneaked him treats bc how could you deny his puppy dog eyes when he’s begging for a muffin🥺 !!

p.s. me has decided to change their weight classes bc i am a mathematician and Ari = undefeated heavyweight champion 🫡

[technodromes]

Memories of my childhood

Bold all that apply to your muse. Repost, don't reblog ! TW: contains mentions of abuse / neglect / death / trauma

scraped knees, silent tears in a locked room,  slamming doors,  pervasive loneliness,  a dog barking, rain on a metal roof, ��flinching at movement,  the creak of an old house,  forced laughter,  wandering in the dark woods,  wondering how you made it through,  sudden loss,  trying to make sense of the noise,  hiding what you love to protect it,  trying to explain but your words falter,  invaded privacy,  confusion at the pain,  running barefoot in the grass,  wondering what you did wrong and coming up with nothing,  realizing you aren’t a priority,   grass stains on white clothing,  trying to earn love you will never have,  being threatened over the smallest mistake,  secrets you are warned not to share,  the feeling of never being good enough,  the hope things might someday get better,  grief that aches in your bones,  childish dares and pranks,  the sense that your body isn’t yours,  shame and guilt that aren’t yours to carry,  sledding down a frozen hill,  absentmindedly following snakes through the grass,  punching a tree until your knuckles bleed,  tears over every dead creature you find,  searching out small places you can hide… just in case,  climbing the tallest tree so they can’t touch you,  the feeling of something tainted under your skin,  a curious child told to stop asking,  floral dresses,  body tensing at approaching footsteps,  anger with nowhere to go,  brief escapes from the chaos,  the purr of a contented cat,  taking the blame to keep the peace,  being told you’re too sensitive,  the creaking springs of a trampoline on a sunny day

tagged by: @countlessrealities (Thank you<33) tagging: @rage-reloaded (sonson), @blackwldcw , @falsewolf , @shiningsilverarmor (Sterling), @championofdarkland , @phantomfibers (Ryuko) , @sayonaradumbass (Badou)

[stxnekxng]

It's wordless, it's sudden, it's probably not the most well thought out thing she's ever done. But when has she ever put all that much thought into her actions?

Sonson wrapped her arms tightly around him, brow furrowed in anger on his behalf. Why was he just taking this so easily? Why didn't he say anything back

●﹁🍑﹂○ ❝ You know they're just trying to get to you, right? That's not all true. ❞

She squeezed tighter.

●﹁🍑﹂○ ❝ And even if it is I don't care. When I got here one of my goals was to meet you. The real you, not just from stories. And if some of that does suck I don't care, that's still part of what makes you...what makes me. ❞

And if there's one thing that's certain right now is that she's down to step up for him when he cannot. What do they have, some words? Worthless to a blockhead!

A soft choked note escapes him. Almost about to protest. The silent plead for her to release him, to run while she still can from him being an omen of inevitable death as he slowly listens. Slowly brushing a single claw through her hair as she speaks to him. Get to him? But those voices always spoke some type of truth in the end. All he'd done was hurt, kept hurting. Didn't thst mean he needed to leave so everyone would stop?

But she brings some clarity. She came to find him? Not what the stories said? That makes the man pause for a very long time. Before finally after minutes of standing there he ruffles her hair.

"Thanks Sonson...i...I need to go apologize to someone first. I'll...come back soon."

[bowsnbots]

⭐️ [[ If you're still taking them :') ]]

Bashing Our Muses Together Like Action Figures [Accepting!]

I've been eyeballing all of the MvC characters since I got here. I don't even... know MvC2's story very well, I don't know why Mega Man would be meeting Sonson, or Ruby Heart, or Hsien-Ko, but I know that I want it. Despite not knowing MvC2 very well, I love the series as a whole (I think MvC3 is my best fighting game, don't mind that I play Vergil) and I'd love to engage with it (and I will, the moment that collection drops BABYYYYYYYY). Let's beat up Abyss together.

In a similar vein, I'm not against X meeting these characters either! He's not in the same game as Sonson or Ruby, and he's only technically in 3 (as a Zero skin) alongside Hsien-Ko, but, uh! Capcom Buddies! He was in Infinite with Morrigan and Jedah. He's in Teppen with Hsien-Ko. Don't let me get started about Teppen, we'll be here all day. Point is, I think it would be cool!

Hi, Paula. Remember Pokey? That guy that tried to kill you? Ever wonder what happened to him? Do you wanna find out? There's an orb you can visit whenever you want. Go say hi! See what happens!

[regulus-regent]

❛  can you tell me more about your adventures?  ❜ [[ throws sonson at him…monky time…]]

🐝  *  ―  𝑭𝑶𝑹𝑻𝒀 𝑹𝑨𝑵𝑫𝑶𝑴 𝑸𝑼𝑬𝑺𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵𝑺.

"Do I look like some sort of bedtime story book to you? Go find a way to entertain yourself. Away from me."

[siixkiing]

“ i just don't want to be alone tonight. “ [[ a certain monkey's feeling homesick :') ]]

☯  hurt comfort prompts  ☯

“You don’t have to be sweetie.”

As much as it would shock many, the Great Sage understood the feeling of loneliness quite well — even more than one would expect. Odd given he lived like a hermit and rarely left the mountains that he called home. That didn’t mean he didn’t feel alone at times and ached for companionship some days, but building new bonds and opening up to others was hard. Especially after so many centuries building up walls and barriers after so much hurt and pain. Trying to keep himself safe from that emotional turmoil that came with such intimacy — hiding from the inevitable as best as he could.

There was no hesitation as he pulled his granddaughter into his embrace, wrapping his arms securely around her and holding her close. Not about to turn her away when she needed this — not when she needed him. Wanting to comfort and care for her in the moment. Let her know that he was here for her and that she wasn’t alone tonight. Sonson didn’t have to be alone tonight, he’d be here for her. 

It wasn’t long before he hoisted her up into his arms, cradling her against him and holding her close as he headed to the area of his little hut that served as his living room. His full attention was going to be on making sure that Sonson was taken care of and ease her feelings. Nothing else.

“I’ve got you, 爷爷 got you — “

“ — I’m not going anywhere.”

Resting his head against her as he settled them down gently on the couch, tail wrapping around her now and keeping her held close. Using his free claw to pluck a strand of golden fur from atop his head as they poofed into a plush warm blanket. Wrapping it around them both in the moment as soft chirping and gentle trills filled the room now, using them to help ease Sonson in the moment.

Tonight Xiaomin‘s care was all he was focusing on. Nothing else matter in that moment but her.

[brandycranby]

BESTIE BRANDY HI HI I MISS YOU LOADS

!!!! sonita wonita!!!! i missed u too sonson 😚💕💕 i hope you've been having a good summer hehe i know u go back to school soon (me too 🥲)

[rainsmediaradio]

Sarkodie - Try Me Lyrics

Sarkodie - Try Me Lyrics S3 wonp3mede3 gyai mi Ad3n na wo dada aa mi Wo de Mami me we aa na wode akoma Kwame Ma mani so ataataame S3 wonp3mede3 gyai mi Me ma menkoo Na obi fofro taataa me Wo gya me ho no wankra me Baby girl make you no try me make you no try me I never thought I was gonna be on this wave 'Cause I was ready to take a couple things to my grave First of all lemme clap for you baby you brave But you can’t pick and choose what to say please behave Obiaa ansomawo so ohemaa if you wanna talk You gotto tell the world every other nigga you fuck You can’t just play the victim and paint a picture Like you were looking for love from all the dicks that you sucked I’m not gonna sit here and lie we had a thing First no thought you were cool till I had a hint Na me fiis3 boys a clocki with the baddest bitch Nanso s3na yenyinaa y3 Sesa so s3 Cuban links I was trying to stay away from you but then you came Wo kyer3 me s3 wo nyem and I’m the one to be blamed Ok, of course I thought that you were trying to start another drama Abi boy from the street I know the game Yes I wasn’t ready but then I told you to keep it Wo kyer3 me s3 wo school na wo ko gotto complete it To be very honest till today I don’t believe it Cos me kaas3 Meaa me doctor Mb3 wh3 wo you said you don’t need it After conversation naa then you sent me a text S3 wadanfo bi wo doctor bi hut you know he’s the best So don’t you make it seem like I was the one pushing you for abortion, 'Cause that b the only part wey make I vex S3 wonp3mede3 gyai mi Ad3n na wo dada aa mi Wo de Mami me we aa na wode akoma Kwame Ma mani so ataataame S3 wonp3mede3 gyai mi Me ma menkoo Na obi fofro taataa me Wo gya me ho no wankra me Baby girl make you no try me make you no try me Few weeks ago you try to set me up again Wo hy3 da twer3 me whatsapp s3 you still go through the pain But me knowing you I kinda knew that you were really up to something So I said that we should meet so you explain Me arrange meeting wo Skybar Wo se ho nipa no dooso I’m like ah And then you told me s3 nka mensan bra wo fie na me se me? Na mensan mb3 hy3 wo d3m you lie bad Nea owo aka no p3n osuro sonson Me nsan mmra wo fie biom anadwo nonsoo 3nn3 wiase naa nea 3maa b3 ka biaa Y3 b3 gye edi berma na b3 nom aduro aa 3nyon We know what it is shorty just chasing the bag 'Cause after wei does it really bring happiness back Take the blame cause nobody is the 'Cause for your bad choice in life stop the personal attacks First few hours heard the book is doing well Who is really shocked cause everybody can tell So it’s not because your book is really good But we living in a world where negativity sells I pray you get the healing that you need M3n be claimi good girl, you are for the streets Strategy na hot obaahemaa gye wo 2 Meaa ma gye one copy sharp I’m about to read S3 wonp3mede3 gyai mi Ad3n na wo dada aa mi Wo de Mami me we aa na wode akoma Kwame Ma mani so ataataame S3 wonp3mede3 gyai mi Me ma menkoo Na obi fofro taataa me Wo gya me ho no wankra me Baby girl make you no try me make you no try me Read the full article

[sasster]

Oh, also, Sonny! Do you celebrate wriggling days in the classroom? I was young for my grade, and I remember in kindergarten I realized that for the first time because all the other kids were turning one age, and I was just turning to the age they were

It blew my little mind. I think that was the first time I realized that other people have lives independent of mine. Which actually makes me think of another question!

Do you often see your kids having those sorts of realizations? Coming to understand the world through their time in your classroom? I’m sure that’s amazing to witness.

"Of course I do! I'm no monster. Yes, I love I looove when kids become self aware in my class. It's so fun! They'll just be sitting there minding their business and then boop! Conscious thought. I had one come up to me the other day, they said to me "I saw you outside.. With Mr. [Ducky] and.. Then I was thinking.. Miss Sonny probably has a favorite meal, and a favorite place to hang out! And a favorite color too! I'm going to ask Miss Sonny her favorite color." then they just ran off! They forgot to ask me my favorite color."

"Another time we were working on multiplication tables, we got to 12 before one of my darling little angels said "We probably have to go all the way up to 30 if we want to get Sonsons age." and then another one said "You know how numbers go on forever? I think that's kinda like Miss A. Miss A how old are you?" So I asked them how old they thought I was."

"As old as Ivey, they said. Could be older, they said."