#this was written in two completely different mindsets

[bixels]

You know what, enough time has passed and I've given media reviews/reccs in the past, so I'm gonna recommend Pixar's Win or Lose as seriously worth a watch.

I came into the show with zero expectations a few months ago and was pleasantly blown away by the writing, art direction, and character dramas.

Win or Lose is an original drama mini-series created by Pixar that follows a co-ed middle school softball team and the week leading up to a big championship game. Each episode picks one character, either a kid or an adult, and focuses on their perspective/storyline during that week. So in the first episode, we notice a lot of weird mysteries or threads in the background (Why is this character crying uncontrollably? Why are these two fighting?). As the show progresses, we get to see each character's sides of the story and how they interconnect with and affect each other. It's very, very well written and well crafted.

Each episode also tackles a pretty mature and at times distressing theme about growing up and parenting, similar to Inside Out. Here's a one sentence synopsis of each episode's general conflict and theme to give you an idea. Spoilers ahead:

Laurie, who's terrible at softball, desperately wants to impress her father, the team coach, but is dragged down by anxiety, visualized by a growing blob that whispers intrusive thoughts.

A geeky, middle-aged middle school teacher tries to get over a break-up with online dating.

Rochelle, who's the eldest "forced-to-grow-up-too-fast" daughter of a struggling, social media-obsessed single mother, must raise money on her own to pay for her team fee, falling into dangerous situations with older teens.

Following the perspective of the single mother during the events of episode three, we see her side of the story and the complicated ways she works to fend off judgmental parents and support her daughter.

An imaginative but lonely little brother of a softball player becomes friends with a group of teenage outcasts, for better and for worse.

A boy and a girl on the softball team begin dating, but undergo relationship troubles when the boy's insecurities about coolness, honesty, and masculinity cause him to lash out.

Kai, a Black, trans-coded girl on the team, must balance her self-confidence and love for softball while appeasing her sports-loving father, who pressures her to always be her best.

The culmination and climaxes of each episode's arcs and conflicts collide in the big championship game, with a main focus on the team coach/father from the first episode, who's ready to burst from the stress and tension of an impending divorce, his anxious daughter, the game, and mid-life feelings of worthlessness.

Each episode also features a creative way of externalizing and visualizing emotions, concepts, or mindsets like anxiety, e-dating, and pride. Rochelle transforms into a tall business woman with shoulder pads when she goes into money-making-mode. Gravity flips and disappears when she feels like she's losing control of her life. Some episodes even feature completely different animation styles. As a result, each storyline is presented through an unreliable and exaggerated perspective that prioritizes the protagonist and skews reality, often shown through the eyes of a child.

These screenshots really don't do the animation justice, you need to see it in motion to get the appeal. The dialogue is snappy and fun too, and the characters are immediately charismatic and likable. Here's a clip from the first episode.

The two biggest controversies this show had were 1. its art style and 2. the censorship.

The art style was ridiculed and criticized online for looking "grub-hub commercial-ish," which has been said about previous Pixar movies as well (Luca and Turning Red). The characters are extremely cartoony, with sometimes weirdly exaggerated proportions. And admittedly, some of the designs are not it (the noseless barista...). But I think a lot of people and artists will agree that even if the art direction looks strange to you, it grows on you quickly. Pixar knows how to animate and they know how to work with their own models. Plus, given the limitations and labor of a 7-episode show, it makes sense that things had to be simplified. With the gorgeous lighting, textures, and colors, the show's style really reminded me of stop-motion or Nintendo games. It's just fun.

Secondly is the report that Disney made Pixar censor and re-write Kai's episode, which was originally supposed to be an explicit exploration of her trans identity as a young girl and an athlete. The animatic of the original version of the episode was leaked online. The news and decision is extremely disappointing, worsens the final show, and really reveals how careless and conservative Disney is about representation. But if you watch the actual episode, you'll notice all the ways the crew tried to circumvent Disney and maintain Kai's trans identity through coding and nods to gender dysphoria/guilt/expression/affirmation/euphoria. (Her storyline made me cry too.)

I don't want to come across like I'm defending the censorship. An episode dedicated to a POC father-daughter relationship as they navigate Kai coming out as trans while playing sports on Disney+ would have been so powerful and important for family audiences. And they try to supplant the trans storyline with a clumsy softball vs. baseball edit. But I've seen talk about how this storyline was completely erased or how this show is straight up transphobic, and that's just not true. The crew did their best with a truly shitty situation.

If you like shows like Craig of the Creek or Bluey or Steven Universe, you'll probably like this one too.

[masoncantthinkofaname]

Some information about my home reality part 1

As some of you have probably seen by now, me and my husband recently respawned to another reality to put it in your terms. The goal was never to stay away forever, it was to restart, a new home, a new life, and let go of some of our past burdens and mindsets, created by our, at that moment, 'original' realities.

I'm putting it like that, because at this moment the reality we come from feels like our original one. It's where we were born, raised, and spent hundreds of years before we even knew about shifting.

I will likely make a couple of posts with some information on this reality, but in this one I will break down some of the basics, and explain some things about the language I speak there.

The basics:

I'm not human there, neither is Daeron. I'm from a species called Li'rael, he is a Jthe, specifically a Nyjthe. Obviously, that's how it would be written down in what you call English here, where we come from it's a bit different.

Both of us are forest people. Although our purposes in life are not the exact same. This world is completely different from the one you know. Many species exist. Common folk, humans, are around as well, but they're not the leading species. Some are very human-like, others not as much.

Similarly, some of them live in secret societies, hidden away from most other species, whereas others live in villages or towns, some of them ruled by someone.

The world is not divided into countries, but more something like territories. Some areas are widely unclaimed, in some many groups of beings live together, others do have a ruler.

There is magic, and a lot of species wouldn't be able to live without it. But there's also a balance. Magic that gets exhausted in an area, or completely used for the wrong purposes, leads to something called scka, or rot.

Magic mainly comes out of nature. Whether it be magical beings, or plants, trees, roots. There are forests more ancient than many, many things in your reality. Keep the balance, and the flow of magic stays healthy. Disrupt the balance, rot forms.

This sounds scary, but it's natural. The balance is constantly moving. Rot is a natural occurrence, just the amount of it can get dangerous. Rot doesn't only disrupt the magic, it also leads to manifestations of dangerous creatures and poisons.

Species like mine and Daeron are part of the balance. Li'rael are healers, watchers. We fight, when necessary, but we mainly heal. We talk with the trees, we soothe them. Our communities are private and secretive, often based around places where the magic is strongest, and keeping them healthy and strong. Jthe are protectors. They're even more secretive. They don't prevent the rot, they fight it.

Neither of our species is human, and although we might have similar features, there are many differences. Daeron, for example, has two hearts, he has many markings, pointy ears. A lot of myths say that Jthe are the physical manifestation of nature. Not just forests. Where rot is, Jthe exist. Some of them can shapeshift or get into states where they're completely unrecognisable as a human-like being, which is only the start of it.

Li'rael are part of the forest in a completely different way. Differently, my species does only exist in the woods, but we do live in all different kinds. Li'rael are one race, our genes are the same, but there are many different skin colours (and other physical features) among us. From ghostly pale skin to deep, bark like browns. We have double lidded eyes, allowing us to rest while still keeping an eye out, our skin can camouflage, making us able to match the colours of the forest around us, the leaves, the trees. (Which is useful until it happens when you're flustered and it is, for obvious reasons, even more clear than blushing), and much more.

Not only our species are part of this balance, but many others are. Some as small as a ladybug, others the size of small giants.

I could talk about this way more, but this post would get way too long. Instead I'll explain some things about Li'shal, my language.

How my language works:

Li'shal is, in theory, quite a simple language. Many expressions are poetic and have multiple meanings. It gets used in two main ways, and sometimes in a mix of both.

The first way is almost a more modern version. It sticks to the structures of the common tongue, mixed with Li'shal words, except written by the Li'shal alphabet. Which makes it easier translatable and understandable. Some words in the common language are also really hard to translate or express in Li'shal.

The second one is an older version of Li'shal, that is way harder to understand if you have not grown with it. Although some words stick to the Li'shal alphabet, there are also many symbols and fused letters that are harder to read if you don't know their meaning.

And example would be this:

The first one is understandable, I assume. the second one, not that much.

Now, most Li'rael will stick to a mix of these two. Some use more fused symbols in their writing, others use an almost completely understandable alphabet that many of you would be able to read and understand as well. But majority of us will be somewhere in the middle.

Old Li'shal mainly gets used for rituals, healing, chanting, or true names. Names have a deep meaning for species like ours, and are often not easily shared, especially with outsiders. I won't share mine or Daeron's either. But most of our kinds have so called 'casual' names that they will use in day to day life, that somewhat resemble their true names, but don't carry that same weight. Which is where you get Mason and Daeron.

Like I said, Li'shal itself is relatively simple, which can make it hard to figure out meanings of certain phrases, especially if you haven't grown with them. I'll give an example here:

This is, probably the closest to an ''I love you'' that we have. It means something like ''You are part of my soul,'' or ''I carry you in my soul.''

The first version is how it is usually said, the second one is is how many would write it.

If you'd directly translate it, you'd get something like ''You soul my,'' which is exactly what makes it hard to translate our language.

Let me know if there are any questions, that's it for now.

I wish everyone a good day :)

[miscellaneousdae]

WOULD THEY DATE A PLUS SIZED PERSON? | SKZ⁸

ᝰ.ᐟauthors note: raise your hand if you’ve been victimized by a tik tok video regarding who in skz would date a plus sized person! 🙋🏻‍♀️ in honor of that, here’s my take on this lol. these were written with reality in mind, but sprinkled by delusion on some. you’re all gorgeous and we don’t know these people personally, so delulu is the solulu.

p.s: written by a plus sized girlie

౨ৎ — BANG CHAN 🐺

Yes.

see source one, source two, and i had another video that i cant find, but chan talks about how saying “you look fine as you are” can sometimes give a negative impression, and how people say “you look good when you’re skinny” but he (at the time) didn’t like how skinny he was, and wanted to gain weight. he just…gets it, in a way, and i’m standing on that! can you tell he’s my bias?

i feel like his is so straightforward that there’s not a lot to elaborate on. he understands that bodies are different, for many reasons, and has always been so open about struggles. be it his own struggles or others, he’s always so kind and open minded. he also definitely gives me the vibe that he’s not actively seeking out romance when he meets someone, so he’s not even considering what’s attractive and what’s not attractive. people become attractive to him when he learns their personality and gets a good grasp of their energy and vibe. so, yes, chan would definitely date a plus sized person <3

౨ৎ — LEE MINHO 🐈

Yes.

now, i don’t have a lot to back me up here other than straight vibes. he’s another one who doesn’t immediately consider romance when meeting other people, and i think he’s probably experienced being physically attracted to someone and then their personality completely throws him off, so he’s just stopped considering looks as a whole. even if looks are considered, he seems like he doesn’t understand why he’d go out of his way to comment on someone else’s body, or why anyone else would. he’s very demure, very minding his own business, very whatever comes his way is what he loves. he’s just a chill guy.

౨ৎ — SEO CHANGBIN 🐇

…do I even need to say it?

for a number of reasons, yes. first and foremost, he just has that vibe that he loves the look, and secondly, he knows what it’s like to not be accepted because of how you look, and therefore, would never want to be that way to other people. he’s a sweetheart, and very much just wants someone who dotes on him and that he can dote on in return. changbin is a strong yes and you’re incorrect if you disagree.

౨ৎ — HWANG HYUNJIN 🥟

indecisive

genuinely, the only thing keeping me from saying yes is how firm some other people’s ‘no’s have been. from my perspective, hyunjin seems like someone who’s open minded and more focused on the ways he can connect with people rather than worrying about judging them. not to mention, he’s an artist. one could argue that he’s more critical, but i also feel like because of that, he wants to really know someone before making any judgements. plus, given the forbidden bullying scandal, i feel like he might be terrified to find himself in another situation like that but i digress

so like…if you ask me? yes, but i am delusional and hyunjin is one of my bias wreckers so who knows

౨ৎ — HAN JISUNG 🐿️

YES GAWDDD

look, i’ve seen mixed opinions on him as well (most of these opinions i’m referring to are old tumblr MTL posts or tik toks and the comment sections on them) BUT i feel like he’s very curious and open minded. so, say a plus sized person shoots their shot? han’s got that “you know what? hell yeah.” mindset. ANNDDDD the video where felix mentions gaining weight, and han immediately reassures him that gaining weight is okay, and that he’s pretty. plus, han spends a lot of time working with chan and changbin, to which i feel like they all probably have come to similar conclusions due to their influence on each other. plus han also gives me the energy that if you’re pretty, you’re pretty, regardless of size, shape, etc.

౨ৎ — LEE FELIX 🐣

…yes. and hear me out,

i’ve seen almost everyone who’s done this sort of thing say that felix is a hard no because of his own struggles with his body and how his perception of beauty is warped. while i can see that, i don’t think that translates to how he views other people. if anything, he wouldn’t want to put someone else through what his own mind puts him through. not to mention, i think he could find a lot of comfort in security in being with a plus sized person who’s confident with themselves, and could implement better ideals to felix. that’s just my take <33

౨ৎ — KIM SEUNGMIN 🐶

YES.

i don’t think i’ve seen anyone say he wouldn’t, and i stand with that because hear me out:

“but i’m fat”

“…okay and i’m seungmin?”

this man does not care. he acknowledges it and appreciates it. he’s very much in the “if i like you, i like you” category. case rested.

౨ৎ — YANG JEONGIN 🦊

indecisive pt. 2

in theory, yes. i think he’s probably taken some influence from chan, or maybe even seeing how changbin has been affected and treated by media would alter any negative views he might have had. to be fair, i just don’t even see jeongin dating LMAO like he’s content as he is, and if the person that happened to come his way was plus sized? if he likes your personality, he’s down.

[vettelsvee]

Hear me out- (for the seb teacher fic you mentioned) student favorite science dork seb x student favorite fun history teacher reader. Their shared students ship the hell out of them and it's revealed that they've been together for like 2 years. 🩷🩷✨️✨️

THE SECRETS OF US | Sebastian Vettel

High School Science Teacher!Sebastian Vettel x High School History Teacher!Reader ↳ Teacher AU ⋆ Part of CLASSROOM GOSSIPS

SUMMARY: Seb, the dorky cool Science teacher and you, the also cool History teacher, are truly shipped by your shared students. You're way too obvious, but they can see all the signs to the point you end up having to tell them that you've been secretly dating each other for 5 years ↳ REQUESTED: Yes! Hope you like it anon! 💖

WORD COUNT: 2969

WARNING: Curse words, sexual intimate jokes between Seb and you (established relationship guys!), mentions of oral sex (female receiving) and pregnancy

TAGLIST: @koalapastries @blushmimi @herdetectivetheorist

VEE'S NOTES: Haven't written Teacher!Seb in a while and honestly, I missed it a lot! Writing Teacher!Seb fics has become my favourite thing in the world and I'm already planning a whole Teacher!Seb series. Also, I'm gonna start focusing on writing AUs since I absolutely love them, so feel free to give me your opinions in this! Hope you're doing great (or better than I am), and hope you like this one too! Remember that comments and reblogs are truly appreciated <3 ↳ TALK TO ME! | FORMULA 1 MASTERLIST

© VETTELSVEE (2025). please, do not steal, copy or translate my works. thanks for reading!

While students at Berlin Brandenburg International School constantly worked to get the best grades possible and secure a bright future, there was something they dedicated even more time to: figuring out whether Mr. Vettel and Ms. Y/L/N were secretly dating.

The truth was that you and Seb being together was an open secret. Though it hadn’t been confirmed, conspiracy theories spread from class to class, reaching everyone from the youngest students to those just months away from graduating. Saying that everyone shipped you two was an understatement, especially when there was plenty of evidence suggesting that maybe, just maybe, you were more than just coworkers or even friends.

Seb was the Physics and Chemistry teacher every student wished they had, even those who hated science. While Seb thrived on calculations and a logical mindset, you were the complete opposite, you lived to tell stories from the past and sometimes even the future. Like Seb, your goal was to make your students interested in your subject, even if it was considered… well, quite boring.

The truth was that you were quite different, yet you were always together, finding any moment, any excuse, to exchange even a simple “hello." Even your classrooms were next to each other, despite belonging to entirely different departments.

And that closeness, that understanding between you two, was because you had been dating for nearly three years… and you were even engaged.

The problem? No one, not even the other faculty members, knew… or at least, they didn’t until you started being less careful with your secret, thinking that no one suspected anything, only for the exact opposite to happen.

The first problem? The sweater incident.

It was a day like any other. You and Seb arrived at school together and, as always, went to your respective classes not before sneaking a quick kiss in the teachers' lounge, making sure no one was around.

Your first class of the day was with your senior students, and you knew it would be a tough lesson because you had to teach them about World War II, a topic they often struggled to grasp. You began writing outlines on the board as your students trickled in. You greeted them and continued with your task, trying to ignore their murmurs until their whispers grew loud enough that you had no choice but to turn around.

When you did, they were all staring at you, wide-eyed and slack-jawed, as if they had seen a ghost.

"Is something wrong, guys?" you asked curiously.

No one answered.

Emma, one of the most outspoken students in your class, was the one who finally broke the silence. She raised her hand hesitantly, and when you nodded at her to speak, she did:

"Ms. Y/L/N…" she began, uncertain. "It’s just that… your sweater…"

You frowned and glanced down at your clothing. Yes, it was a navy-blue sweater, one you had worn quite often over the Christmas holidays, and one that had quickly become your favorite ever since…

As soon as it hit you, your eyes darted to the sleeves. The initials “SV” were perfectly embroidered in red.

Panic set in immediately when you realized you were wearing the exact same sweater you had embroidered and gifted Seb for Christmas, the one he had lent you a few days later when you went for a walk together, and that you had since claimed as your own.

“Oh, well…” You let out a nervous laugh. Crossing your arms, you began pacing around the classroom, pretending to check your notes to start the lesson. “It must have been a mistake. It’s probably my dad’s, or my—”

“But Ms. Y/L/N,” another student, Oliver, much more mischievous than Emma and well-versed in getting information out of people, interrupted with a sly grin. “SV just so happens to be Mr. Vettel’s initials, right? You know… Sebastian… Vettel…”

"What?" You let out a sharp but brief squeal, loud enough to make even the distracted students pay attention. "No way, no, no… That’s not what it means."

"Then why was Mr. Vettel wearing it yesterday?" Sophie, another student, added with a teasing smile and an amused glint in her eyes. "Do you two go shopping for clothes together now, or do you just share them?"

“Are you wearing his sweatshirt because you live together?!”

“Are you wearing it because you're pregnant?! Are you pregnant with Mr. Vettel’s baby?!”

The murmurs in the class grew louder. You tried to speak, but couldn't; you made noise with the chalkboard erasers, the markers, the class bell, and even shouted, but nothing could make your students quiet down once and for all.

Finally, you walked up to the still-open classroom door and slammed it shut, startling all the teenagers who would spend the next hour with you, making them go silent immediately.

Even Seb, who was in the classroom across from yours, peeked out to see what was going on. You simply leaned your face against the small glass window in the door and murmured a "Nothing, I’ll tell you later," which he didn’t understand, but responded by blowing you a kiss and winking, making you blush more than you probably already were.

“None of that, guys!” you said once you managed, or at least tried, to regain your composure. “Now, get your stuff out. Let's start the class, we've wasted enough time…”

You turned around and continued writing the outline on the board, but you knew that the small chatter still going on in the class was just the beginning of not only a day but a very hectic week until your students figured out what was really going on between their two favorite teachers.

You sighed, tried to stay calm, and prayed that things wouldn’t escalate.

However, you didn’t realize that this was just the beginning.

A few weeks later, when you had already told Seb about the incident you had in class with his sweatshirt, and he told you that you were forgetful and absent-minded (which was true), he started being even more careful. The kisses you once shared in the teachers’ lounge were now exchanged in the car, well before entering the school, making sure a thousand times that no one was around to see you.

Seb and you, but mostly him, denied any kind of gossip that not only your "adoptive children," as your students referred to you both, were spreading, but you also had to do it with your colleagues until, well… they told you to stop hiding that you were together because it was obvious, but they’d help you keep the secret with the rest of the students.

Although, well, the main problem in keeping it a secret was you and your slip-ups.

The next problem happened during a break.

Normally, each teacher had a routine depending on whether they had to supervise the break or not. That day, it was your turn to be in the staff room, and Seb was on duty, so when you walked in and saw his coffee cup, you didn’t hesitate to take it and take a sip, leaving a small kiss mark on it, making your lipstick perfectly visible.

What surprised you was that, when you looked in one corner of the room, two of the best final-year students in Sebastian’s Chemistry class were there, with their notebooks open, filled with exercises… and with Seb himself.

“Hey, guys…” you said shyly, playing with your hair.

The students said nothing, and neither did Seb.

Instead, your fiancé simply looked at you, gave you a small smile, and made his students focus back on the exercises they were working on, while he couldn’t stop shaking his head and quietly laughing.

“Did you see that, Jason?” you heard Seb's student ask his classmate while you were preparing photocopies and Seb had gone to the bathroom.

“She didn’t even flinch!” said the boy. “And Mr. Vettel... Oh my God, Anna, he just looked at her and smiled like an idiot.”

“And she blushed like crazy! And let me tell you, it’s pretty strange for someone to drink from your coffee, especially when you’re just coworkers. And on top of that, Ms. Y/L/N left a kiss on his coffee cup, the same one he always uses and loves! She probably gave it to him and…”

“Wait, wait…” Anna interrupted. “What are you saying? Are you implying that they’re…”

“At least they live together. I’m convinced, Anna.”

You decided to stop listening and almost ran out of the staff room, heading toward your class, when you bumped into Seb.

You tried to ignore him, but much to your dismay, he gently grabbed your arm and forced you to stop.

“Y/N…”

His blue eyes were fixed on you. He hadn’t said anything more than your name, but you knew exactly what he was referring to.

“Yeah, okay, got it…” you replied, succumbing to the look he was giving you, which was far from friendly. “We’re just coworkers, Mr. Vettel,” you emphasized the last part.

“You know you don’t need to say that here, Y/N. For you I’m Sebastian, your coworker,” he replied with a playful tone. Then, he leaned close to your ear, making sure once again that no one was watching, and spoke. “Although I wouldn’t mind if you called me Mr. Vettel in bed while I’m eating you out…”

“Okay, okay, enough, stoooooop it!” you yelled, flustered, as you pulled away from him and continued on your way. Seb, however, couldn’t stop watching you move from side to side, with an angry stride, holding onto the folder where you always carried a million different photocopies that made it impossible for you to find the one you wanted.

Weeks passed, and so did the rumors. Now that the other teachers at the school knew not only that you were a couple, but also engaged, they helped you quite a bit to silence the gossip surrounding you both.

The only thing you could hear in the hallways, classrooms, and even at parent meetings was how much your students shipped you two (with ship names included). Months had passed since they caught you wearing Seb’s sweatshirt in class, and although you’d had a few more slip-ups (like calling Seb “Sebu” in the middle of class, something he hated but loved hearing from you, or talking about your weekend plans when you thought your students weren’t listening), the talk about you two and the secret you seemed to share never stopped.

The climax of it all, much to your dismay, happened during one of the end-of-year field trips.

It happened at a museum in Berlin, specifically in the Medieval section. You were so focused on explaining the pieces your students were looking at, and relating them to the material you had covered in class, that you moved around so much, glancing at Seb every now and then, who had decided to accompany you “so you wouldn’t be alone,” that you didn’t notice the irregular shape of the floor right behind you.

It was then that you took a step back and twisted your ankle, falling to the ground suddenly while your explanation was interrupted by a scream that alarmed both your students and your fiancé.

“Y/N!” Seb shouted as soon as he saw you, running toward where you were.

Your students held their breath, not so much because of the accident, but because of the scene they were witnessing right in front of them.

Seb knelt down in front of you, going straight for your right ankle, which was clearly more swollen than normal.

“Are you okay, love?”

The word love was a whisper, but not soft enough one for your students not to hear.

Obviously, they began to make small, muffled exclamations, jump up, and tell each other they knew it, that it was obvious there was something more between you than just professionalism and maybe a friendship.

“I think I just twisted it,” you responded to Seb, grimacing in pain while trying to get up. “It’s… fine, I guess.”

“Y/N, you really need to start being more careful, this happens to you all the time…” Seb replied, sighing, running his hand through his hair in frustration.

“You say that as if I trip every day.”

“You do, babe,” he replied, shooting you a playful but stern look, signaling for the kids to guide you. They didn’t say anything. Instead, they just stood there, stunned. “Last month, you fell in class while trying to erase the board. Last week, at home, you almost broke your wrist picking up a book I had hidden to gift you. And now, look, a little more and—”

“Okay, okay, I get it,” you replied, giving up. “I’m clumsy, but you still love me, I guess.”

“Stop talking nonsense, Y/N. You know I love you more than you can imagine, no matter what you’re like.”

Seb shook his head at what you just said and did something that sent your students into an internal meltdown.

He took your hand, and you didn’t hesitate for a second to intertwine your fingers with his, just as your fiancé had no problem giving your hand a warm kiss.

Not to mention that when you almost fell again, Seb didn’t hesitate to hold you by the waist, and he had no qualms about picking you up in his arms to take you to the small emergency room in the museum while telling those chaotic teenagers, fangirling over you both, to wait outside to see what happened to you.

By the time you both returned to the school, the rumors had reached their peak, and there was nothing you could do to avoid your students confronting you, especially when Anna, Jason, and a few others who were closer to you both cornered you after class when you were heading to the parking lot to grab your car and go home, hand in hand.

You barely had time to react when they stood in front of you, their faces revealing shy smiles while they fiddled with the straps of their backpacks and kept looking at you both.

Seb and you exchanged a glance, and you both knew there was no turning back, no excuses left.

“Guys, whatever you want to ask us, go ahead,” you said calmly, crossing your arms and leaning against your fiancé.

“Mr. Vettel, Ms. Y/L/N, we have something to ask you,” Jason began.

Seb sighed and looked at you. This was exactly what you both had thought.

“Let me guess, now we’re like your… best friends, and you’ve decided to play truth or dare with us or something like that?” your fiancé said in a teasing tone.

“Exactly, Mr. Vettel!” answered Camila, one of the girls.

“The thing is… are you two dating?”

“Excuse me, what did you just say, Jenson?” you asked, trying not to give anything away, just wanting to see where this conversation was going.

“Oh my God, Ms. Y/L/N, don’t ignore us!” Anna replied. “It’s so obvious you’re wearing Mr. Vettel’s oversized sweatshirt…”

“And you drink from his coffee mug and leave him really cute kisses,” Jason continued. “Oh, and you also call Mr. Vettel Sebu. Who calls their coworker Sebu? What the fuck is even a Sebu?”

“And you also flirt in the hallways! Mr. Vettel always leans in to whisper in Ms. Y/L/N’s ear, and she turns super red!” intervened one of the guys.

“Not to mention that at the visit to the museum you held hands and called each other love and all those sweet things parents say to each other!”

You and Seb kept looking from one student to the next, the difficulty in holding back your laughter growing with each passing second.

“With everything they’re saying, it seems like we’re already married,” Seb commented, turning to you with a wide grin.

“Well, we do live together and we’re three months away from getting married, so they’re not far off,” you replied, bursting out laughing.

And that’s when the silence fell.

The students exchanged looks, glancing at each other for a moment before they started shaking each other, shouting "I told you!" while continuing to bombard you with even more intimate questions about your relationship.

“So, is it true?! Are you two really dating?!”

“Actually, we’ve been together for 5 years,” Seb replied proudly.

“And, as you’ve probably heard, we’re getting married in three months,” you intervened. “We’ve been planning the wedding ever since Seb proposed to me almost a year and a half ago…”

“Do you know how long we’ve been shipping you two since you were already canon? And secretly!”

Jason shouted, looking the most shocked by the revelation.

“We demand some sort of compensation after all the lies you’ve told us this whole time,” Anna replied, crossing her arms and making her friends agree with her.

You looked at Seb, and he looked back at you.

He knew exactly what you meant with that look.

“Should we tell them, love?” you asked quietly.

Seb didn’t answer, but a wide smile, even bigger than usual, and a sparkle in his eyes lit up his face.

“Of course. After all, it’s just a matter of time before they find out.”

“What will we find out?!” they all screamed in unison.

Instinctively, you placed your hands on your stomach while Seb wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled you close to plant a kiss on your forehead.

“That soon, you’re going to have, as you would say, a little adopted sibling,” Seb replied, squeezing you against him, feeling like the happiest man in the world.

“I’m pregnant, guys, so you better not say any swear words in class because the baby can hear you, okay?”

If you like my content, and would like to support me, you can do it here <3 Thank you so much for reading until the very end! <3

[draurer]

Someone has already posted about this, but the Oliver and Percy dynamic is not the classic "sun x moon". It's "a dude obsessed with one thing" x "a dude obsessed with another thing." In fact, sometimes we miss this important detail, which is built into the foundation of their love as a supporting structure.

Because, well. It literally shows how Oliver and Percy look alike. Oliver is obsessed with Quidditch, for him it's more than just a school sport: he searches for new strategies, studies rivals, studies the weaknesses and strengths of the players in his team, trains them as often as possible, supports, inspires. He literally burns with it, for him it's more than flying or playing – it's his inspiration, his way to realize himself.

Percy, in turn, is obsessed with studying / rules and the desire to build a career – it sounds generalized, but I see (or invent, lol, because I love Percy, don't blame me) what lies behind it. The magical world is an unstable, chaotic place, even at Hogwarts you will NEVER be completely safe (do they even have a fire system or evacuation plans? I don't think so). Through his increased commitment to the rules, Percy is trying to find stability, and his boiler bottom standardization project is literally an attempt to create that stability himself. By the way, ALL of YOU underestimate this project. If there were no different types of dishes for chemical experiments in our world, then every time something would explode or spill, hello chemical burns, so Percy is right about everything, I am his lawyer.

And yes, commitment to the Ministry is also about finding stability. For a long time, the Ministry was one of the few "normal" magical organizations, and YES, it is DIFFICULT to give up such a thing, as well as admit your mistakes.

I just see Percy as a rule-obsessed person because no one seems to care about rules anymore. A friendly reminder – the rules are written in blood and exist for a reason.

And when Oliver and Percy are together, they're just.. two obsessed men. And they LOVE each other's obsessions, they UNDERSTAND each other.

Oliver is literally one of two or three people in the whole world who understands why Percy's projects exist in the Magical Transportation industry, how they work, and what they change. He listens to all Percy's stories about how difficult it is to approve them, all the stories of failed launches or stories of how people refuse to use them because they are used to the old. He knows all his colleagues in the Department only by stories, and he asks over dinner, "well, how is Millie, did she break up with her fiance or not?" or "seriously? Kingsley tell you to finalize the report for the THIRD TIME??". When one of the Weasleys asks him "you don't have to pretend to be interested, Percy left the room anyway," Oliver looks at them with an expression of bewilderment, because he's really interested.

Percy, in turn, also relates to Quidditch. He understands teams and players, knows about famous matches, and has literally studied the most frequent opponents of Oliver's team. He has an analytical mindset, and he can roughly predict how a match between certain teams will go. He's completely on Oliver's side in his crazy love of Quidditch, and he gives the best gifts related to the game – a personalized, custom-made broom, a dragonskin breastplate enchanted to reduce the force of a bludger hit, and the autobiographies of Oliver's idols.

Well. Yeah.

Love is loving your husband's obsession.

[velvet-wishes-candy-dreams]

Could I get some headcanons for the eddsworld boys with a submissive s/o (gender neutral pronouns plz) who's into petplay and the boys reactions to their s/o telling them about their kink for the first time

Rubbing my palms with malicious intent as I'm writing thissss, it's been a while since I've written anything saucy and I'm ready to serve!! May or may not be indulging in some hidden fantasies of mine that I just can't wait to exploit!! (＾་།＾) It's about time since I popped this blogs NSFW request cherry~

Warnings: NSFW ASK!! THIS IS SOME NASTY STUFF!! ALL WILL BE UNDER READ MORE!! Petplay, Nasty Talk To Give It A Layer Of Spice, Specific Roles Mentioned For Each One, Degrading + Rough Stuff For Tord's Area, Use Of They/Them and You/Your/Yours/Etc. Gender: Gender Neutral

Edd

"Y-You're what..?!"

Surprisingly, albeit extremely flustered upon request, Edd was someone who was instantly into the idea when you first brought it up to him.

Now, he's not as much as an undercover pervert as you'd think; it was just easy to get into the mindset since he already compliments your features, somehow always being catlike. Whether it's from your eyes, the way you bonked your head on him for attention, or the way you'd stretch, how your rear swayed as your walk...

Of course, he'd never point it out!! But that didn't stop the gears in his partners head from turning...

So it's no wonder he adjusted so quickly, and saw you as his pretty kitty~

Of course, he'd sheepishly try to accommodate to your desires, doing some...research, as well as getting things to help with keeping the idea in mind; you'll never forget the shy, flushed look on his face after wordlessly showing you how he got you a beautiful green collar, with a small "Edd's Kitten" engraved on the silver tag.

But to say he was into it was a huge understatement.

Any time he knew that his partner was in that certain mood, he'd come back home after grabbing something quick at the store and just embrace them, a breathless "There's my pretty kitty.." being whispered out. This was all the warning they needed before they're on their knees, looking up at Edd with those longing eyes as he'd gently get their collar in place around their neck.

It was those moments, really, where you'd see a different side to Edd. He was more primal, and took plenty risks in the means to treat you in the way you deserved. His rewards were always the best, punishments only feeling as if it were a rewards.

Even without fully registering it, the brunette would have a harder time with keeping his hands to himself in the moment; often running his fingers through your hair, letting his hand rub soothing circles from your shoulders to the small of your back, all while cooing his affections and praises for being such a good kitty for him, always willing to please.

Especially when he's got you sitting between his legs, hands on the back of your head while yours rest on his thighs as he gently guides your mouth to slobber and drool all over his shaft.

Is definitely someone who you wouldn't expect to become extremely bold when it mattered. It never fails to send butterflies fluttering to the stomach when his finger would hook under the collar before you could even react, getting up close and personal as he'd mutter the filthiest things for only the two of you to hear.

However, most of those big talks of a 'punishment' become long forgotten the longer you bounce on his cock, causing the poor guy to melt into a uncontrollable mess as his hands wander your body, leaving various marks you can fondly look back on from the amount of times he'd nibble into your shoulder or neck to hold back his noises.

"F-Fuuuck, so good..! S-Such a good kitten..MY precious kitty...! Hnghh, y-you're so perfect, love..!"

But he's not completely helpless...The moment your hips even stutter for a moment, Edd will quickly take the opportunity to push you back down into the cushions, gushing about how cute it was for you to try to take control; allowing you to wrap your arms and legs around him as you melt deeper and deeper into that sweet, little subby space that he loves to spoil you in.

....There was only one time, though, that this little kink between you two got out of hand. All because he made the mistake of calling out for Ringo when he couldn't find her on that one particular day that she was hiding while his other roommates were around.

How was he supposed to know that not only would she pop up around the corner, but you'd follow soon after when he lovingly called out "Hereeee, kitty kitty...Where's my sweet kitty at?"?

Which would have been something he would laugh at...if his companions weren't in the same room as the three of you during it. Which, of course, garnered mixed reactions; including hysterical laughter from the one in the red hoodie, furious yells of disgust and annoyance from the one in the blue hoodie, and straight up confusion of what was so crazy to cause a reaction like this from the one in the purple hoodie.

Matt

"Oh? Oh!! Oh.. Oh..."

It may or may not had taken a bit of educating to get Matt to fully understand the whole kink in itself. Sometimes, you'd think you finally gotten it through to him; which of course he'd be the cause of by nodding his head constantly as you explained it...before he'd hit you with a single "Ohhh...I don't get it."

However, once the lightbulb finally went off in his brain, the thought did get him a lot more flustered than he expected it to.

Though, he's nothing if he's not a showman; and when he gets into it, he can really commit to the role of being his partners owner.

So it's no wonder when the redhead went out of his way to dress his partner up! He may be consumed with his looks constantly, but that just means his little bunny's looks must be to the nines.

Even as a dom, he acts more like a spoiled prince, which works out well in your favor as he gets to order you around.

Some nights, Matt would have you laying across his lap, letting you fall back in the pillow placed kindly under your head while you cry out as his fingers skillfully toy with you. And if that night, he chooses to collar you up, he'll use the ring of it to yank your head back towards him so you can look him deep in the eyes when you finally cum, that smug grin on his face as he studies the way your face contorts in pleasure.

Other nights, he'll have you on your knees before him, using a leash if needed to drag you closer as he trains your throat to take every inch of his cock; cause good pets have to prove they're worthy to get on the bed.

"Ohh, look at you..! Aren't you such a good little bun-bun for me, hmm? Y-Yeahhh, fuck..-!, you're a-all mine..! My precious, s-sweet little bunny..."

Takes full advantage of having you play into the role; even going as far as limiting any talking for you, often telling you that you only get to nod or shake your head if he addresses you.

The one thing that will kick him down a few notches from this little persona he puts up is if you introduce wearing ears or plugs; especially plugs into your sessions.

It's not that Matt doesn't enjoy it, but more that he enjoys it a little too much.

And of course, those nights would usually follow through with bending you over any surface to get a better look at it as he pounds into you.

Another thing he'll enjoy doing is pampering you in front of one of his larger mirrors he owns, wanting you to look at yourself while he plays with you in so many ways...and maybe even also to not just look at you, but to also look at himself as he pushes you deeper into a more dazed state.

Okay, maybe he likes the way he looks when he's controlling you like this, but it's not his fault that you look so delicious, that it makes him look phenomenal as he brings you to the edge as well!

Tom

"Ah...Wait, WHAT?!"

Out of all the crew, Tom is definitely the one who takes a bit of time to really warm up to the idea of petplay.

Sure, he's not a prude, and he's willing to try things you might be interested in to see if he's into it as well for the experience, but there was just something that didn't feel all too right when thinking about treating his partner like a pet; especially in the bedroom.

Ironically, it didn't take him long when he finally started opening up to the idea of it, which was helped by you acting more and more like a needy puppy around him, starting off innocent as you'd play around with Tom more before it started getting more spicy.

Only when you were on his lap, grinding against his thigh did he make one (slightly annoyed) comment about it feeling like you were in heat before the dots connected, which made him turn around and change his previous opinion about petplay.

Before he even realizes it, Tom is already playing into the character, finding it cute how you'd always greet him when he'd come home on your hands and knees, rear swaying from side to side in excitement before you pounce on him. And, if you really butter him up into getting it, one of the most intimate moments the two of you can share would be when he finally puts your collar on; commanding you to sit and wait before slipping it on, never breaking eye contact with you as he does so.

Often times, he'll even forget about the whole petplay thing, going about his day and treating you like a normal pup; giving you pets and treats, letting you lay across his lap while he plays a couple songs on Susan...

The line was drawn, though, when he tried to teach you how to fetch him a bottle of Smirnoff, which you immediately caught on to what this was turning into before shutting it down (to his dismay).

Only when you'd start 'acting up' did things get more...interesting, which was when things started getting a lot more spicier.

Unlike some of the others, Tom is not afraid to discipline you when needed, choosing to tease you and edge you all the way till you're close to spilling, before releasing from you, not caring if you whine and whimper over it.

Not even your throat is safe if you act up more than usual; causing a proper throat fucking to take place in order to teach you a lesson.

"S-Shit..! That what you f-fucking get for, nghh..!, acting like a f-fucking brat..! Hahh..! What's wrong, puppy, h-huh? Can't talk back now, c-can ya..?!"

One thing you can rely on, though, without fail, is how sweet and affectionate Tom can be with you when he's especially tipsy.

He'll treat you like a sweet puppy but with even more love; gushing and cooing over you while you just lean into his affections, which cause him to melt even more over you.

If he's not already close to falling asleep yet from the liquor in his system, you'll have enough time to either sit between his legs or sit on his lap, his praises falling like a river as he calls you a good puppy for the way you moan and cling onto him as he steadily fucks his cock into you or dotes on you for sucking his cock just the way he likes it.

Tord

"Mm, is that so..? Faen, that's hot."

Out of all three of his comrades, Tord was the first one to immediately be on board with it the moment you brought it up.

Come to think about it, it was kind of almost like a double Spiderman moment, since he'd been thinking about bringing it up as more things to do in the bedroom.

....Was the idea maybe inspired by a few sources of his numerous hentai collection? Guilty!

Will definitely go all out the nine yards with you; finding the perfect collar and leash for you, the prettiest outfits for him to tear off of you, matching ears and plug/tail for you to wear, just to be prepared depending on the time of day.

And with Tord? It's more often than you'd expect.

He's flexible with any type of vibe you're feeling, but his favorite has to be when you're in puppy space, often finding it hard to be a lot more gentle than he usually (tries) to be.

Especially if you know he's had a difficult day; there are ways your mind works to help him find the outlet for his pent up frustrations.

Even when he's not irritated, he'll still manhandle you anywhere in the house when he can; finding it extremely hot knowing that he can just fold you wherever and whenever he wants, and you just have to take it like the good pup you are.

Is one of the most primal out of the others when it comes to you in your more submissive state, often pushing you on your hands and knees, a soft, larger pillow resting under your chest while he moves your ass up in the air to give the illusion of you presenting yourself to him. And he'll lose his fucking mind the moment you start swaying your hips, muttering curses in his mother tongue and talking down on you for being a little slut for enticing him in such a way.

"Hahh, fuck, Elsklingen Min...You look just like a needy little animal...Mm, begging to fucked and used over and over again...That's what my stupid mutt wants, huh..?

He gets a lot of usage out of the collar, often using it to pull you back into his hips while the leash is wrapped up tight around his hand, or yanking your head up to look at him from your place on your knees; his fingers gripping the back of your hair as well, dragging you so you can fit every single inch of his cock down your throat, or just pulling you in if you even try to pull away from him.

In all honesty, in a perfect world, he'd take you everywhere with him with the collar he got specifically for you clasped on the whole day. But of course, because the world isn't perfect, Tord just settles with a choker instead, since it pretty much has the same effect when he wants to drag you close to his face to either give you a kiss or to whisper just exactly what he's going to do when you two get back home in Nynorsk to you. Whether you understand him or not, it doesn't matter, because you'll always be shown what he was saying anyway later on.

Knows of eternity collars, but it's not exactly his style, since his mindset is "Why would I need to put something like that on my partner so they know that they belong to me?". Regardless, he'll always have his hands on you in public anyway; be it having you sit on his lap when he's having a conversation, also letting you lay your head on his lap as he runs his fingers through your hair, acknowledging your existence if you bump your head against his arm by rubbing circles into the small of your back.

Those aren't the only ways people would know that you belong to him. The amount of times you'd walk around the house with a slight limp, unaware of the dark marks littering your skin until you either get a good look in the mirror or have too many eyes on you.

Tord would swear on his life that he'd be gentler, honest! That he wouldn't bruise you up that much!

But all those promises would fly out the window the moment things get heated between you two, and you're too fucked stupid to even protest when he bites down on your shoulder a little too hard or smacks your ass so much until you're both left with that warm sting that lingers for the rest of the night.

It's just something that doesn't occur to you until it's all over, and he's helping you come back down from such intensity to bring you back into that soft, subby space with sweet kisses and gentle forms of cleaning you up; praising you for being such a good puppy for him, and even thanking you for letting him use you like this.

[jokeroutsubs]

[📝ENG Translation]: Souvenir Pop Through the Eyes of Joker Out Members

Original article written by Boštjan Tušek, published 27.11.2024 on 24ur. Photos by Miro Majcen. English translation by @kurooscoffee, review by drumbeat, proofread IG GBoleyn123.

Full translation under the cut 👇

We visited Joker Out in their rehearsal space, where the band members shared their thoughts on their new album and explained all the songs from their third full-length album, Souvenir Pop, in their own words. The album has already been released on digital platforms and CDs, and they are promising a vinyl edition as well.

About the Title SOUVENIR POP:

Bojan: We were sitting here in the rehearsal space, struggling to find a short, universally understandable way to summarise everything that happened to us during this time. After some serious thought, we realised that the music is essentially a collection of memories—“souvenirs”—that we’ve gathered. For the first time in our lives, we traveled so much and spent so much time away from home. Everything was very “pop,” and we lived out all the pop star dreams we used to admire. We shortened this journey into “pop,” making it a souvenir pop journey.

Photo: Joker Out recently unveiled their third album, Souvenir Pop. Together with Bojan, Kris, Jan, Nace, and Jure, we analysed all the songs on the album. PHOTO: Miro Majcen.

On the Cover Photo Taken in Bed:

Jure: The cover photo was born long before the album got its title. It was captured on the morning of the semifinals last May in Liverpool. We kept it under wraps for almost a year and a half. We liked it already back then and immediately thought it could one day work as an album cover. When we started looking for a cover, it still best reflected our feelings.

Bojan: It was taken on an iPhone during the filming of a promotional video, so basically a completely randomly captured moment.

On the “Circus” Surrounding Them Because of the New Album:

Kris: What's particularly noticeable is the mental and emotional fragmentation. The songs are quite diverse and colourful, and at first glance, they didn’t seem to belong on the same album. But as Bojan said, they remind us of fridge magnets, which perhaps reflects that we were “all over the place,” and that we were exploring ourselves on a broader musical, lyrical, and instrumental level than usual.

Nace: You can tell the songs are “hyped up” because we were in that mindset. Different things influence you, and it would have been quite different if we had stayed home for a month before that instead of being on tour.

PHOTO: Miro Majcen.

On Lack of Time:

Kris: We had to intentionally carve out time to write and record songs. We spent two months in London, a month in Hamburg, and last year we took a week in Kočevje to work on 'Everybody’s Waiting'. Carpe Diem took 14 days. We were maybe even under a bit of pressure, knowing we had to produce something.

On Three Languages on the Album:

Bojan: We spent a lot of time with all three languages; speaking, listening, and thinking in them. The stories naturally emerged in all three languages, and we didn’t resist that because it would have been truly foolish.

I see language as just another tool for conveying information, like how a specific guitar effect suits one song but not another.

PHOTO: Miro Majcen.

On Egos:

Bojan: Egos have to clash because they’re an important part of our drive. I wouldn’t say our egos fight; they occasionally disagree, but everything generally moves in the same direction—to create something the five of us like. We have a healthy dose of competitiveness, and we’ve never truly had a fight. We separate the person from the musician, which I think is important.

Kris: There was never much ego, but for this album, we threw out what little was left. On this record especially, we faced moments where someone else did something on your instrument that you should have done. But that opened new possibilities and ideas—a fresh perspective. This happened to all of us except Bojan with vocals.

Kris: Today, a friend sent me a message from Venice; they were playing 'Carpe Diem'. Last year, we made it onto the top 40 charts of a Lithuanian radio station. PHOTO: Miro Majcen.

Comments on the songs from the album SOUVENIR POP:

1. MUZIKA ZA DECU (Serbo-Croatian):

Bojan: When the idea came to me, I was thinking about how much I liked what was coming out of the speakers; quite grown up. Then I had a flash of cynicism and sarcasm: it’s all just for girls, for kids. Hence, “muzika za decu” (music for children). Initially, it was called Zlatna kosica (Golden hair), haha. I wrote the intro, then improvised the rest of the lyrics in Hamburg while we were playing it.

Nace: You might have changed two words.

Kris: The intro I play on guitar was originally done by Bojan on the piano. While recording, I was strumming along, imagining a piano intro. But when we listened to it later, everything felt so wrong that we started liking it. That’s how it stayed. We recorded it all together in one room, in one go.

Bojan: Žare was thrilled that he had to “clean up” the vocals (laughs), which we recorded in the kitchen.

Jure: This is one of the songs which features guest performers; a children’s choir at the end.

Nace: The kids from our crew and their relatives sang. The first group sang too in tune, so we recorded another group that was a bit less perfect. In the end, we combined the two recordings, and it turned out just right. There were about 15 to 20 kids altogether.

Jan: The guitar sound came from my Whammy pedal, which the producer Žare Pak didn’t always like, haha.

Nace: We have to commend Žare for producing in such a way that everything unnecessary is stripped away. He never hides anything like some other producers might.

PHOTO: Miro Majcen.

2. ŠTA BIH JA (Serbo-Croatian):

Kris: This was the first song we created in London. Within a week, we already had the structure, though it initially resembled Bijelo Dugme. Some elements were later removed.

Nace: Yeah, Žare came in and said, “Guys, this is unnecessary” (laughs).

Kris: His reaction was hilarious. When he heard it, he said, “Did I send you to the UK to make yugo music?!” (laughs). It was our first Balkan reaction to being foreigners in a foreign country, and it just poured out of us. Bojan already had the lyrics “šta bih ja u ovoj crnoj noći bez tebe radio” (what would I do in this dark night without you), and we recorded it.

Bojan: I actually prefer hearing my voice in Serbo-Croatian over Slovenian, the position of the voice seems more natural.

Jure: It's interesting how the colour of Bojan's voice changes with different languages, which is actually quite normal.

Kris: Yeah, Bojan, in a 'Balkan language,' your rocker alter ego comes out even more, I think.

PHOTO: Miro Majcen.

3. CARPE DIEM (Slovenian):

Bojan: This is the original souvenir. And pop. It’s hard to believe how one song can change everything for you like that. It’s literally just one of our songs; not necessarily better than the others, maybe not even one of my favourites. But as our Eurovision entry, it perfectly conveyed our message. The whole story and image of the band are captured in those three minutes. It’s an excellent channel for our energy, which got people to believe in us and become interested.

Kris: Today, a friend sent me a message from Venice; they played 'Carpe Diem' there. Last year, we were on the Lithuanian radio top 40 charts.

Bojan: The most bizarre thing I’ve ever seen in my life was when an older Mongolian singer and his band played and sang Carpe Diem live at a reception for our president, Nataša Pirc Musar, in Ulaanbaatar. We also received a recording from Zanzibar, where someone played it on a hotel terrace.

Bojan: I wouldn’t say our egos fight; they occasionally disagree, but everything generally moves in the same direction—to create something we all like. PHOTO: Miro Majcen.

4. STEPHANIE (English):

Bojan: Of course, Stephanie isn’t really Stephanie, but these are real people who exist.

Jure: I didn’t have any part in this one since there are no drums; everything is programmed (laughs).

Nace: Yeah, everything was done by Casio, haha.

Kris: For many songs, we had a sample beat to practice with, and in some cases, it stayed in the final version. 'Stephanie' is one of those songs as well.

5. AKO TOGA VIŠE NEČE BITI (Serbo-Croatian):

Bojan: You believe in Santa Claus until you realise he doesn’t exist. It’s the same with love; until something destroys everything so thoroughly that you simply stop believing in it. This is a song about very raw disappointment with love.

Nace: I’m in a long-term relationship, and when you leave home, it’s a sacrifice both partners make. In the spirit of it being good for both of you and your partner supports it, everything is okay.

Kris: Full respect to your partner for enduring how you went from ‘zero to a hundred’ in six months.

Nace: We have to commend Žare for producing in such a way that everything unnecessary is stripped away. PHOTO: Miro Majcen

6. BLUZA (Serbo-Croatian):

Bojan: I wrote 'Bluza' a long time ago, up to the chorus, about three years ago. For a long time, nothing happened with it until I presented it to the guys on an acoustic guitar. From there, it developed quickly, in a day or two. We even played it on tour before its release. Initially, it was more guitar-driven than it is now. The title, 'Bluza', literally just comes from the lyric “u ritmu tvoga bluza” (in the rhythm of your blues), but I quite like it.

Jan: A lot of our songs are titled after a phrase from the first verse that has no connection to the chorus.

Bojan: Similarly, back in university, my friends kept nagging me about 'Gola' (Naked), why we gave it that title, but nobody thought of the phrase “za naju” (for us), haha.

Kris: It’s probably because, during the creative process, we repeat the first part a lot, and that phrase naturally becomes the title.

Bojan: The story of a song always takes shape in the first verse.

PHOTO: Miro Majcen

7. LIPS (English):

Bojan: We heard there’s a lot of money in music for films, so the song sounds like an apocalyptic ballad (laughs). Initially, it was quite Franz Ferdinand-esque. We even considered a duet with a French singer but didn’t have a clear vision, so we dropped the idea. Later, Žare and I restructured it, and then Nace tied everything together into a cohesive piece.

Jure: The song went through quite a few iterations.

Nace: Originally, it was a completely different song called 'Je t'aime'.

PHOTO: Miro Majcen

8. MESTO DUHOV (Slovenian):

Bojan: Trumpeter Luka Ipavec collaborated on this track, adding trumpet parts to the choruses. We created it in England and named it after the street we were living on; it had quite a dark vibe. Initially, the song was about a girl who cheated on me, leading to my suicide. Then we introduced the “papapapa” part, creating an atmosphere of a funeral, a procession. When we decided the song should be in Slovenian, we tied it to how the current social climate feels incredibly negative overall. People are always ready to quickly react to something negative. It’s no longer pleasant to go outside; everything reflects the weight of what’s happening around us. There’s unfortunately an air of superficiality around us.

Jan: The solo came to life in Hamburg. Later, when we were finishing the songs, I had the idea to rhythmically slice the solo so that it spells out “baby boo” in Morse code.

Jan: A lot of our songs are titled after a phrase from the first verse that has no connection to the chorus. PHOTO: Miro Majcen

9. SONCE (Slovenian):

Jan: I play the keyboards on this one. Bojan had already outlined the song on guitar with chords. The idea was to create something orchestral, like in 'Novi val'. I, however, approached it differently and arranged the piano part. I showed Bojan a melody that, in my view, reflects the essence of the song.

Bojan: This song is a direct reaction to events in Palestine. It’s the story of a deceased son speaking to his mother. It’s undoubtedly the most emotionally heavy song on the album. The structure is also unconventional; no part repeats, and the chorus appears only once. Jan captured perfectly what the vocals are saying with his piano part. It’s like a haiku, a single thought; not a classic pop song. Jan nailed the final take on his first try.

Kris: We could quickly get stuck creatively if everyone only insisted on their own instruments. Many songs only broke through when someone pressed something different. There were many moments where we needed that kind of freshness.

PHOTO: Miro Majcen

10. EVERYBODY’S WAITING (English):

Kris: This was a song we didn’t know what to do with until Žare offered the most basic beat, and Jan started working with the Rhodes electric piano, which set the direction for the album.

Bojan: Jan picked up the Rhodes out of nowhere and according to Žare, he plays better than 90 percent of Slovenian keyboardists (laughs).

Kris: Žare’s modus operandi is to break your conventional thinking and enhance your intuition. He believes intuition is superior to thinking.

PHOTOS: Miro Majcen

[rodolfoparras]

if any of this makes you uncomfortable feel free to ignore it, you’re comfort comes first

I’ve been seeing so many male character x bunny hybrid readers and don’t get me wrong, I love a good hybrid reader cuz they’re either really hot or really funny to think of.

Butt every time one is written, it’s always ‘Bunny reader is bottom and small, petite little man/woman that gets railed’

How about a dominant hybrid bunny reader?? Like imagine just fucking Price till his legs are shaky and he’s begging for you to slow down. The bunny traits giving you strong, well built thighs and legs which helps to fuck him so roughly.

Barely giving him a break between climaxes as his ass gets sore and numb from being fucked for so long. Using his pretty ass as you bend him over any surface, barely able to hold back.

Being able to go multiple rounds and recover quickly, so horny for that old man. Sometimes just straight up dry-humping him. Even in the kitchen on base, where anyone could walk in and see their beloved captain getting his ass humped by his horny boyfriend

I’m so normal about this <3

This is my first time attempting to write about hybrids/ shifters even though I love reading about them but anyway I present to you bunny shifter male reader and bear shifter price !

Thinking about Price being an unmated bear shifter and no matter what he does he can never find an appropriate partner for him.

Every partner he’s ever encountered had expected him to be the dominant one in bed and to be completely honest Price had been more interested in being dominated himself.

That’s why, despite his old age, Price had stayed unmated, had even accepted his fate to be unmated all the way to his grave.

However that mindset quickly changed when he set his eyes on you. Because of his big shifter form there were rarely times when he felt like he was in danger, but there was something different about you, something that evoked an instinct to flee, and in the same breath made him want to get closer to you.

Logically Price knew you wouldn’t actually hurt him, hell the two of you are so close people tend to ask if the two of you are mated.

But something about your watchful gaze lit a fire inside of him while simultaneously urging him to run away, something about your touch made him feel like he was stuck in your grasp while every cell in his body was pushing him to get impossibly closer and something about your words made his insides purr while also urging him to bury his teeth into your neck.

Despite the instincts you awoke inside him, he never tried to initiate anything. The two of you were colleagues and anything past that would be deemed as inappropriate.

However the line seemed to blur one night after a successful mission, when one too many drinks had entered Price’s system and instead of hanging out with 141 he had ended up standing in a corner with you, talking no -flirting.

Because it had started off as talking, brief comments made about the mission, a pat on the back for a job well done until your fingers seemed to clammer onto his shoulder and your tone turned much lower as the conversation switched to discussing the different shifters on the team.

Soap is suited as a wolf shifter, according to you, because he acts like an overgrown puppy.

Gaz is suited as a lion, for his dedication and loyalty to those close to him.

Ghost is suited well as a lynx for his elusive nature.

However when it came to discussing Price, you paused for a moment, before looking at him with a small smile.

“And you captain? What kind of shifter are you?” You ask because at the end of the day you don’t know what type of shifter he is and he doesn’t know what type of shifter you are either.

Price feels himself tense, before he clears his throat and awkwardly shuffles in place.

“Bear shifter” Price says while closely eyeing your reaction.

Many times when he’d revealed his true form, people’s view on him had changed, quickly regarding him as the more superior of the two and therefore ruining any potential of forming a relationship with him.

But you did none of that, instead you seemed more intrigued with this reveal.

“Bear shifter?” You say, the smile growing bigger on your face while eyeing the group of rowdy men standing a couple of feet away . “Suits you” is all you say before you turn your gaze back to the older man.

“Yeah? Why?” Price says, feeling heat creep up his neck, ears and cheeks, slightly fearing what you’ll say about him but also feeling intrigued.

“You are very gentle and tolerant with those you love”

His eyes widen in surprise, brows almost dipping past his hairline as a soft gasp escapes his lips.

“You don’t find me intimidating?” He says almost in a whisper.

“Do you want me to think that?” You say in a playful tone while raising a brow at the older man.

“No” he says, so quickly , a chuckle escapes your lips before you turn your gaze back to the rowdy group of men steadily drinking themselves half to death.

“So what are you then?” Price says after a moment of silence passes as he too now watches the group of men.

“Guess”

“Something of the feline sort?” He says, recalling then many times he’s seen your sharp smile.

“Nope” you say with a big smile on your face, showing off the very same sharp teeth that seem ingrained into his memory.

“A reptile?” He says, thinking of the vivid color that usually paints your irises.

“Mm not quite right” you say, now turning to him, chest flush against his as you crowd him up against the wall. “Let me give you a hint” you whisper in his ear and he feels goosebumps rise across his skin, gaze still trailed on the men in front of him who seem none than wiser to what’s happening “We’re said to have a high sex drive and many of us are much fast and way stronger compared to most feline shifters”

Recognition paints his face as a gasp slip past his lips. “A bunny shifter “

When he hears the sound of your chuckle he realizes just how ridiculous his reaction must’ve been and he feels the heat creeping back into his face as he apologizes profusely. “I apologize I-“

“It’s okay” you say, still chuckling “ You’re not the first one to react like this but you don’t think I’m weak because I’m a bunny shifter, do you captain?” You say amusement stripped from your tone and voice sounding much sharper.

“You want me to think so?” He says, voice breathy and strained repeating your words from earlier with a small smirk on his face

“No “ you say before you lightly nibble on his ear, hearing another gasp tumble past his lips

“You know what I want though?” You say, pushing away from him a bit to meet his gaze with your colorful irises and a sharp smile on your face.

Price swallows hard, feels himself shift in place, cock stirring in his pants as he eagerly awaits what you’re about to say.

“I want you to run.”

“What?” Price says, face pinched in confusion.

“I want you to run”

The confused look disappears from his face as Price realizes what you’re really saying.

You want to chase him.

You want to catch him

For the first time in his life someone wants to court him.

And it doesn’t take much before he’s slipping out your grip and running out the bar like his life depended on it, all while your laugh echoes behind him.

[beeslibrarycorner]

Imagine dating Oliver and Felix but there four years older and they think they know what’s best for you

A/N: I wrote more on the idea

They adore you, you give them purpose every day.

Felix has someone to coddle and Oliver had someone to adore everyday.

Here is all the details on what it would be like.

When your upset:

Felix likes to hold you and shush you and rock you when you’re upset. Holding you close as he reassures you that what you’re feeling is completely normal and that you should let it out.

Oliver on the other hand coos at you, brushing the tears away and pressing kisses to your damp cheeks. He tells you about all the different things he’s done to feel better when he’s extremely sad.

They bundle you up and keep you away from doing any work for the rest of the day. If they catch you trying to do anything during this special time they will carry you off and keep you where they can see you.

_____________

If your in school and stressed:

Felix would definitely become your rock when everything becomes too much to handle, especially during exam season. He shows you different ways to get work done without experiencing burnout.

Oliver would help with whatever you become overwhelmed with from essays to math he’s there to support you. Sometimes you just need a hand to hold other times it’s a hug, whatever it is Oliver doesn’t mind.

The both of them insist on listening to all your written assignments and essays, telling you that they are so proud of you and smart you are.

“You’re such a clever girl darling, we are so proud of you.

_________________

They like to make sure your dressed appropriately for the weather:

“As cute as you look that cropped shirt is not for the winter honey, you’re going to catch a cold” Felix says to you while walking to the closet.

“How about this one?” He holds up a chunky light pink sweater and Oliver who had just walked into the room gasped. “That would look so much better on you darling, you would be a lot warmer” he said.

“We don’t want you catching a nasty cold” he says walking towards you, Felix following right behind him. They helped you get redressed with Oliver taking the offending crop top off and Felix gently putting the sweater on.

“Now that’s much better” Felix said and Oliver pressed a kiss to your cheek and said, “now we can go out!”

————————-

They set up a bedtime routine for you:

Oliver read somewhere that having a routine before bed helps the body relax before sleep. They become very insistent on sticking to the routine, no matter what you’re doing.

Writing an essay for class? You can finish it tomorrow with there help, it’s bath time.

You’re reading a book? The two of them can read to you when you get into bed.

You just don’t want to go to bed? Well that’s too bad, you’re getting carried off by one of them to start the routine.

Sometimes they say certain phrases to you to get you in the mindset that it’s bedtime:

“Let me help you get ready for bed”

“Let me help you wash your hair lovey”

“Let’s get all the make up off your face.”

“I got your pjs all set and ready to go darling”

“Let’s get some socks on your feet, it’s going to be cold tonight”

“It’s time for bed”

They love to tuck you into their sides and press kisses into your skin and watch you fall asleep.

[knaveumineko]

Umineko Episode 7 Blog: Earth to Earth

Let's try to get to Episode 8 some time this century.

Even though I had absolutely no concept of what the story was actually about at this point, I've decided that this means I was Right The Whole Time back in Episode 1, which means I officially win at Umineko.

Almost as soon as the "true" sequence of events is revealed to us, Ryukishi throws it into doubt again by interrupting Bernkastel midway through her red truth that might have confirmed it. Still, the story as told feels more realistic than the episodes that preceded it. The adults aren't intimidated by a childish riddle and solve it easily. Beatrice's elaborate plan falls apart immediately. The killings are opportunistic and have a straightforward motive. Sayo's despondency makes her look for the first time since Episode 4 like a girl wearing a witch costume, rather than an actual witch. It's reinforced by Will's loss to Bernkastel, too. He keeps trying to bring up rules and clues and she doesn't even know what he's going on about. This is not a mystery. It's not even a story. It's just a series of events.

On the other hand, the anti-Umineko themes in the Tea Party's fragment draw attention to those areas that still employ significant artistic license. Rudolph and Kyrie are presented not just as bad people, but as Villains, to the point where the story itself points out how Rudolph is basically LARPing. Such things are not unheard of, I'm sure you can find plenty of examples of gun nut types who convince themselves that they're the main character in an action movie as a pretext for violence, but then you have Eva's miraculous survival and Kyrie's dramatic irony bordering on breaking the fourth wall.

Despite what Bern implies, there is still some suggestion that the events she's showing are a fiction, but a fiction of a fundamentally different sort. If it's not reality, then it's still mutable. Battler promises that this is not a sad story, and his complete disappearance after being called out to meet Rudolph offers enough wiggle room for another Devil's proof.

One of the ways Ryukishi lends the Tea Party fragment authenticity is by reintroducing narrative elements from previous Episodes. Rudolph's references to Westerns are a callback to Episode 3, as is Eva shooting the other adults. The phonecall to lure out the children is from Episode 4. The adults all going to the chapel while solving the Epitaph parallels the adults all meeting with the witch in the chapel in Episode 2. There's an implicit suggestion here that the events we're seeing in the Episode 7 Tea Party are the prototype for the episodes, that these stories literally contain "fragments" of the truth.

But this creates a paradox. The first two episodes were written by Sayo before the killings even happened. The rest were written by Tohya Hachijo. I'm willing to believe that someone smarter than me who works as an author and became fascinated by the mystery could solve Umineko's major plot twists just from the first two bottles. You could probably even guess Shannon/Kanon in Episode 1 if you metagamed it, the way I did with Kinzo's death, and realised that Battler never sees them in the same place at the same time. I am not willing to believe that Tohya is such a genius that she managed to randomly guess specific events like the phonecalls that were not alluded to anywhere in the original bottles, and, indeed, could not have been alluded to, because they weren't part of Sayo's plan and they hadn't happened yet. As much as I like the idea of Tohya as this mysterious stranger who happens to have just the right kind of mindset to understand what Sayo was getting at, she really does need to have a source for some of what she's writing. Admittedly, the story is deliberately vague on whether Ange's meeting with Tohya ever happened at all, but someone has to have written the forgeries in any case.

This ties into Battler's disappearance, and his promise to Ange that he wouldn't let the story have a sad ending. I think the twist is going to be that, even though Battler's death seems like the most plausible turn of events, it is still possible to construct a theory in which, by some miracle, he gets off the island. Maybe this will finally resolve that Chekhov's gun about Battler being afraid of falling in the water. How else do you escape the island if you don't know about the hidden passage? Maybe it will be a case where they never confirm if Battler is actually dead or not (otherwise you have to get into why he didn't contact his family), and Tohya guessing parts of what happened really could be a coincidence, but Ange gets something out of the construction of a story with a less bleak ending? That would be one way to pay off the magic angle.

One more Episode to go.

[etherealspacejelly]

ok so i just watched star trek the motion picture for the third time and this time it was the directors cut with the extra scenes, and i have some Thoughts™️that may or may not be entirely coherant but i need to share them

here is my in depth literary analysis of why star trek the motion picture is the greatest queer love story ever written (/hj). buckle up because this is gonna be a long one

so our story starts (after the klingon cold open ofc) with spock on vulcan, during the final ceremony in which he is supposed to acheive kohlinar, the purging of all emotion. now, right off the bat, i want to make a comparison to conversion therapy/being closeted/repressed here. spock is trying to repress an entire side to himself, a part of him that is inherantly different to those around him, in order to be accepted in society. spock is already a very queer coded character, and i think reading this scene through that lens is a valid interpretation, especially considering everything else that happens in this movie.

the ceremony stops before its completion. because spock has Not purged all of his emotions. a consciousness calls to him from the sky. now, i think this line could be interpreted one of two ways. either this 'consciousness' is v'ger, or its jim. i think the writers intended it to be v'ger, but in the context of the scene it sounds a lot more like jim. of course jim would be the one preventing spock from purging his emotions: jim is the reason for many of spocks emotional slip-ups throughout the series. he fears for jims life when he is in danger, he feels friendship for jim but also shame about those feelings (that shame is also queercoded, but thats not the point of this post so i wont get into it here). he feels compassion for jim. he feels loyalty and a sense of duty to him. these feelings are so strong that he cannot purge them fully.

so what does spock do? he off goes in search of something that he feels will help him achieve his goal. he wants peace within himself, to find a balance between his two opposing mindsets, that of logic and that of emotion. purging all emotion was unsuccessful, so what else can he do?

he feels that v'ger is a being of pure logic, and wants to understand it, in hopes of achieving that for himself. in the process he meets up with jim again. now, you would think, that a vulcan nearing kohlinar who has been training for years to purge all of his emotions and act purely logically would not stop to change clothes and cut his hair when on his way to acheive LITERALLY HIS LIFE GOAL that is super important to him. and yet. when spock turns up on the enterprise hes wearing his nicest black robes and has his classic bangs back. why is that mr spock?? why would you take the time to do that?? especially when he then immediately changes into his uniform.

and while we're on the topic of clothes, what does jim do immediately after spock boards the enterprise? thats right folks, he changes into a shirt that shows off his arms and has a v-neck to show off his chest. any. particular reason for that jim? when you said just a moment ago that every minute counts and the earth is in danger? hmm. interesting.

and then of course we get that exchange between jim, spock, and bones. where jim 'needs' spock. just like he needed bones. theres a desparation in his eyes, he wants HIS spock back, and hes not seeing that spock in front of him. the conversation ends with jim looking dejected, since spock only seems to be there out of convenience and not because he Wants to be. wonder why that is...

of course then spock mind melds with v'ger. and to do so he has to. go through a very sphincter-like opening. and says he has 'penetrated' the next chamber. now im just saying. if anything is a metaphor for gay sex, this has to be, right?

anyway.

spock mind melds with v'ger and is flung back into jims arms. because of course he is. and what did he learn from the whole experience? that v'ger is pure logic, and therefore cannot experience beauty, imagination, and "this simple feeling". wait. hang on. what simple feeling would that be, spock? the one you're talking about while holding jim's hand (HANDS?? VULCAN HOLDING HANDS?? HELLO???) and staring into each others eyes? what feeling would that be, i wonder?

and then. SPOCK CRIES. for v'ger. he 'weeps for v'ger as he would for a brother". v'ger is 'empty', as spock was when he came aboard. "incomplete, and searching. logic and knowledge are not enough," he says. bones asks if spock has found what he needed, and v'ger hasnt. spock says that v'ger wants to know what it was meant to be, to reach out and touch its creator.

spock is crying because he empathises with v'ger. v'gers journey parallels his own. they were both empty beings of pure logic. spock found his fulfilment in... what exactly? its not explicitly clear. but if we continue the spock/v'ger parallel to its conclusion, what do we find?

v'ger has taken ilia's form, and decker decides to merge with v'ger not only to save earth, but also to reunite with the woman he loves. v'ger becomes satisfied only when this happens. so... spock found his fulfilment by reuniting with someone he loves? if we take this in context with the 'this simple feeling' scene, the queer subtext is right there.

at the end of the movie, spock is offered to return to vulcan, and he refuses, stating that his business there is finished. he has achieved his goal of finding peace within himself. not by purging all emotion, but by embracing emotion, alongside logic, and allowing himself to feel what he has repressed his entire life. he resumes his place at jims side, which, as edith keeler stated, is where he belongs.

this movie is a queer story, and i will die on this hill. all of the evidence together stacks up that way. it is a story of repression, self acceptance, and love.

ALSO THE POSTER IS A RAINBOW-

[arttsuka]

Because I've seen people who liked the new season saying things like "people are just hating because they didn't get a happy ending, the season was fine". No it wasn't. I can guarantee you, most people who didn't like the new season have their reasons that lay beyond 'I wanted a happy ending'.

It was poorly written. Despite taking their time and splitting s02 and s03 apart as two different seasons, everything felt rushed. Most of the characters didn't get a satisfying conclusion, and their deaths felt unimportant and unemotional (unlike every death in s01 and most of the deaths in s02). The interactions between the characters were rushed too. Instead of getting emotional, impactfull moments we got 'let's speedrun this'. Not to mention how characters had to act ooc for the plot to progress at points. Some much deserved moments and interactions never even happened.

They rushed everything, it felt like the cash grab it is. Only to set up the foundations for an American squid game (which makes no sense because we see them playing ddakji but I digress). It's clear that not much thought went to some things.

So yeah. I didn't not like the season because it had an unhappy ending (I was expecting that). I disliked it because it was not good. S01 and s03 feel like completely different shows with different characters that just share the same names.

You have as much of a right to like the new season as everyone else has to dislike and criticise it. The whole 'you're just being a hater' mindset and 'people are hating for no reason' is just an excuse to close your eyes and ears, to not want to engage with critical thinking and not be open to hear what other people think. It's killing media literacy.

[paganimagevault]

Tomb of An Bei 589 CE. Sogdian tomb.

I couldn't find the translation for the epitaph for this one.

"Differently from the other tombs quoted in this paper, Anbei’s tomb was not excavated by archaeologists, but found and looted by the robbers, therefore the archaeological context of this tomb, even the date of this accidental finding are lost. Until now, all we know is that this tomb robbery happened someday between 2006 and 2007. Several stone figurines, a funerary couch and Anbei’s epitaph stone were found in the tomb. Two stone figurines, parts of the base of the couch and the epitaph are now exhibited in the Tang West Market Museum in Xi’an (Fig.20), four panels belonging to the private owners, including two processing and two banqueting scenes, were published, too (Fig.21).

Although owning the typical Sogdian name An, which means his ancestors migrated into China from Bukhara, his homeland was described in a completely different name, the state of Anjuyeni, which was never recorded by any source before. An’s family moved to China during the Northern Wei dynasty, some of his family members once served in the Bureau of Tributaries. For the court, it’s also an usual way to adopt expatriate immigrants to work in the diplomatic system. Anbei’s father, An Zhishi, served as a middle-rank commanding officer among the honour guards of the court.

As a, likely, third generation immigrant, Anbei’s life depicted in the epitaph was very brief, too. Except for the usual eulogies commonly written in every epitaph, two main parts of his experience were emphasized: his mercantile ability and simple bureaucratic career. The one who wrote the text made a metaphor, assimilating Anbei with two famous ancient Chinese merchants, Baigui and Xiangao during the Eastern Zhou Period (approximately between 8th c. - 3rd c. BC); After that, Anbei’s only short official career as a very lower status clerk of the military headquarters of vassal leader Xuchang was recorded, probably happened in 575 AD when he was 20 years old. Soonafter the Northern Qi was replaced by Northern Zhou dynasty in 577 AD, Anbei returned home in Luoyang, the place where he died and was buried in 589 AD at the age of 34.

The motivation for me to list this robbed tomb here, together with the other tombs which have detailed background obtained through scientific archaeological excavation is, however, mainly not for its elaborate funerary couch, but because of his distinctive identity depicted in the epitaph. Prior to the discovery of Anbei’s tomb, the deceased of all five tombs which constituted the most important foundation of the studies of the foreign immigrants in early medieval China, namely the tombs of Lidan, Kangye, Anjia, Shijun and Yuhong, owned high-ranked official positions such as head of a prefecture or Sabao, which may result in a misconception that only aristocrats of the foreign immigrants could be buried with such elaborate funerary furniture. However, Anbei’s tomb provided an additional possibility about the status of the tomb occupant who used the stone funerary furniture. What is expressly shown in the epitaph, during his 34-year-long life, Anbei was just a very ordinary person, without any notable ancestry from homeland, neither held any high-ranked post, nor received anyone as a posthumous reward.

Except for the basic information above, there is also a remarkable narration during the introduction in the beginning of Anbei’s epitaph, which may reflect the collective mindset among most of the foreign immigrants in China and their efforts in social integration, ‘Although he is a foreigner, after a long life in China, there is no difference between him and the Chinese’.

-Yusheng Li, Study of tombs of Hu people in late 6th century northern China

[kingkaisen]

I’ve posted and deleted my first Sylus fanfic twice because I know it’s going to flop :(( How do you get over this fear??

Hi my love! Sorry for the late response! This is long, I'm sorry, but I had lots to say!

It's definitely normal to want your story to do well! Writing takes time and effort and I understand feeling discouraged when something you worked hard on and you're proud of doesn't do as well as you hoped it would note wise. But honestly, you should continue to write and post anyway because even if it gets three notes, that's still three people who liked your story!

I've had two instances where someone would pop into my inbox attempting to be rude over fics that "flopped" by their standards, but I blocked them and moved on because I was incredibly proud of those stories. One of them was about my first real fic with character I had hardly written before prior, I was experimenting with different tropes and ideas for the first time, and it was VERY fulfilling! The other was about a series I had so much fun writing, I genuinely mourned the project once it was complete, and I still think about it on a daily basis.

I think the only way to get over your worry is by writing something that excites you so much, it overpowers the need/want for validation!

At this point, I can kinda predict what will and won't do well notes wise, but even so, I've been working on a potential "flop" fic for months. It's a long, drawn-out mess and is certainly not everyone's cup of tea, but it's for me first. I'm writing it because I love the concept more than anything. If people like it and it does well, that's great! If only 2 1/2 people interact and one of those interactions was an accident, oh well! Because I'm writing it for me first.

Some tropes, characters, and genres attract more readers than others, but please don't let that stop you from writing something you're excited about. A lot of fanfic writers write for themselves first, and posting/sharing it with others is just a bonus. I think that's the mindset you just have to have. Tap into what motivates you to write your story beyond wanting to see a certain amount of notes! What made you want to write your fic to begin with? Was it because you came up with an idea that excited you? Did you listen to a song that reminded you of that character? Did you discover a trope that you wanted to take on yourself as a writer? Is the character just that gorgeous to you that you just had to write something?

Whatever it is, tap into that and let it drive you, so much so that even if your story "flops" it is still something you are proud of and happy to have written! Write for yourself first!

[aushina]

I'm rereading Sword Art Online: Progressive and found myself thinking about how reticent everyone is about sharing IRL information which, combined with some rather boring work I had to do today, lead me to overthink the reason for it. Spoilers for book 4 of the series.

Kirito explains it as a taboo to talk about personal stuff online because, like, doxxing and stuff, presumably. But I feel like that goes out the window when it's no longer a game but your reality. And, also, I get not sharing stuff with Lind or Kibaou or even Argo, but you and Asuna ain't gonna talk about y'all's lives? You've both been held by the other while trying not to cry (Asuna after losing her sword and coming across the PK-ers in the dungeon under Karluin and Kirito at the end of the same book when the weight of bearing the beta tester hatred at 13 gets to him). Come on, y'all are close enough to talk about personal stuff now. Also, like, in the original run of the story, they got married and only thought to exchange information when Aincrad was crumbling and I'm pretty sure they both thought they were going to die. Guys, really?

I get the initial thought of it. I know SAO was originally written for a competition and so was much shorter than the released version (the contest version didn't have the stories about the Moonlit Black Cats, Liz, or Silica, I'm pretty sure) and so maybe finding a natural place for them to discuss their real lives was hard. And, waiting until the end like that makes it feel like they're saying good-bye to their lives in SAO. It's thematic. But it's still kinda ridiculous.

Now, onto why I made this post in the first place. I like to write and, as a writer, I often look at stories and go, "How would I write this?" as a bit of an exercise. Even with stories that I'm absolutely in love with, I'll find parts where I can't help thinking, "Okay, but it would be cool if this happened in a different way." That's the whole basis of fan fiction, after all. So I'm looking at this odd bit of world building and thinking, "You know it would make more sense, to me, if this no IRL talk was a taboo because of the mindset needed to beat the game, not as a holdover from when it was a game."

Now, what do I mean by mindset? Kazuto Kirigaya is a socially awkward 13/14 year-old who hides in his room and in games because the real world is scary. Kirito is a veteran swordsman who can face any monster with intelligence and courage. Kirito has enough leadership ability and charisma to rally 10 other players to beat a floor boss. Kazuto could never. And I'm sure it's the same for most people there. They're all roleplaying as their characters because their IRL selves wouldn't be able to handle their new reality. They're compartmentalizing. (I think I'm using that right.) This would be why it's taboo to talk about the real world and your real life. Reminding Kirito of Kazuto is stripping Kirito of his armour of nonchalance. It's reminding him that he's really just a scared kid who misses his family and regrets pushing them away. It's reminding him that he has no idea what he's doing half the time.

Here's where I go into full on AU territory and start rewriting bits of the story in my head. What can I say? I was very bored.

This compartmentalization will, of course, bleed into real life once the game has been beaten. Suguha, Midori, and… whatever the dad's name is get to see their family member wake up, but in his place is an entirely new person. They would probably try to rationalize it as Kazuto having changed and grown over the two years. I mean, it's not like he was asleep the whole time. He was doing stuff. He was gaining traumas they probably don't even know about. But no, it's not Kazuto who came back, it's Kirito. And it stays Kirito until he manages to complete Kirito's mission and rescue Asuna (and the others) from Sugo. Then, he finally returns to Kazuto. Not the Kazuto they lost, of course, but the Kazuto who survived SAO. Kirito's still there and he always will be, but Kirito and Kazuto are no longer separate entities. They are part of the same person.

Kirito, having been born as a coping mechanism, will still sometimes take over. In GGO, for instance, when the game gets too real. But now Kazuto gets to take over on occasion too. Now, I don't know Kazuto pre-SAO very well and the Kirito we meet in the first episode of the anime isn't treated like his game persona but like he's always like this, so I couldn't say what it would look like when the more Kazuto personality traits comes out of our main character, because I don't know which personality traits can be attributed to him. But I think it would be fun to explore that. If GGO is where Kirito comes out as a trauma response, maybe Kazuto comes out during Alicization or something, since the virtual environment there is less game and more simulated life. Since we the viewer only really know Kirito or the Kirito/Kazuto hybrid that came out of SAO, this would be our first real chance to see and understand the boy who turned into our main character.

Or, maybe we could see Kazuto come out in his Alfheim character. After two years in SAO, the mask of an avatar now feels more comfortable to him than his actual body and he has no one around him that he has to pretend to be okay for.

Continuing on from this, Asuna is Asuna both IRL and in game. She literally uses her own name as a username! I wasn't even doing that in elementary school. But, anyway, Asuna states early in Progressive that she chose to leave the Town of Beginnings and fight because she wants to be herself until she dies. (Which, I understand vibe-wise but is a bit of an unclear motivation. What if who you are isn't someone who fights monsters?) So Asuna is always genuinely Asuna. She's never playing a character. She used to, because of her upbringing, and is sick of it. This sets her up as a foil to Kirito and also shows him that it's okay to not just be the Black Swordsman. That it's okay to be Kazuto, too.

[cherrylng]

Green Day in Nagoya interview [INROCK (May 1998)]

GREEN DAY

Punk rock is our body odour

INTERVIEW: YUKO KATO

“If you ask a question that they don't like, it's going to be a big problem later. They'll blow away other interviews for 2-3 days without a second thought…” Even without that, Green Day never ends normally. What's the point of scaring people before they even start?

When I entered the waiting room, the three of them were sitting around a table piled with boxes of family sushi. Tre Cool was the only one who had a bite. But it was not to Tre's taste, and he shoved the box into the trash can with his hand. Billie crossed his arms and stared at me with a glazed look. I thought I was being observed… But then, suddenly, he smiled at me innocently and I felt relieved. But he doesn't stop chatting with Tre even with the recorder going around, rudely throws around disposable chopsticks with his toes, and chasing cockroaches… No matter how old they get, even as fathers, these brats are still going strong.

Billie Joe: Is that your girlfriend? So? Tre Cool: She was a cheerleader in Michigan, but they fired her because she shaved her head. Billie: Wow, that's cool.

Since you started touring in the US, you have preferred club-like venues, but why does a band as big as Green Day bother with smaller venues? There's quite a high demand to see you in concert. Mike Dirnt: We hadn't toured for a long time and we felt like going back to basics. The more we tour, the more demand we get, the bigger the venues get. Billie: At first, we really wanted to play just for the hardcore fans. Mike: If we get 5,000 people, I think that's great. That's our standard size, no different to any other band.

But there's actually a fierce battle for tickets amongst the fans. Mike: Because our fans know that we're coming back and touring again. (Yes, that's right, says the other two) And we're planning to play bigger venues then.

“The best songs are written when you're in the moment.”

You've been away from playing live performances for a long time. Do you think this has made it possible for you to go on tour with a completely fresh mindset this time around? Tre: We've always wanted to tour. Even before we started touring, it wasn't like we were taking long breaks… Mike: We were looking forward to touring. We worked hard at home, wrote new songs, and spent four and a half months in the studio.

That was quite a long time compared to when you recorded your last album. Billie: Yes, it was. And we were working 12-15 hours a day. Seriously. It was quite long. After recording like that, we really wanted to tour. The only thing we were talking about in the studio was that we wanted to get out on the road and play the new songs we're working on live. Tre: We're a great live band, so we're like, BACK! BACK! TO! TO! (says something unintelligible, making the other two laugh).

Before your long break, you were quite frustrated after almost a year of touring, so when you started this tour, did you still plan to tour the same way as you did last time? Or did you change to a slower schedule? Billie: We're trying to slow it down a bit now. I'm aware that I've been working too much for the last few years. I've been touring too much, spending too much time away from my family, and too much time recording. I've neglected my personal time. But the best songs come out when I have a fulfilling life. I can say with absolute certainty that the last time we did the Insomniac tour, the show in Japan was the best of the tour. Absolutely. (Oooh, Tre chimes in beside me.) The reactions were great, the treatment in Japan was so much better than anywhere else, and I was in great shape. The Japanese fans were loyal to the last album. Tre: Goddammit, there's cockroaches in this place. They crawled out from under these rotten chairs we're sitting on (laughs).

It's an old building. Mike: Maybe a cockroach got in my pants? Oh, no. It's my finger.

How many songs from the new album will you be playing at the concert? Mike: Six or seven songs, I think. We've already got five albums out and we don't want to ignore what we've done before. Some fans like the old songs, so we try to play songs from all the albums as much as possible.

I heard that in the US you invited fans up on stage to play guitar. Tre: Yeah. Mike: It wasn't planned from the beginning or anything, it just happened naturally. It's what's called an accident. We only do it once a week or whenever we feel like it.

Don't you do it in Japan? Mike: We do. We did it in Tokyo too.

How do you pick your fans? What kind of fans stand out? Mike: It's random. Maybe the ones who come up when we say, “Who wants to come up!”

On this tour, you ended the show with “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life).” Why did you choose this song? In the past, you used to play The Beatles' “I'm a Loser” after the lights came on, but from now on, you're playing “Good Riddance,” right? Mike: There's no meaning to it. It just happened naturally. It's got nothing to do with the Beatles. Billie: It's a good way to end the show, and it gives everyone a chance to relax for a while, doesn't it? Mike: It's the perfect song to end on. In the end, it's like a breather after the storm has passed, so to speak.

“I don't want to pretend I'm 14 forever.”

The song “Grouch” from “Nimrod” is a very meaningful song. In this song you sing about old people living in cities, but you're still young and have a lot of power in the music industry. How did this song come about? Did you have any model? Billie: Every song I write is about what I feel. That feeling might last two minutes, or it might last a week. One day I felt like an old man. So I wrote a song about how I felt at that time.

Doesn't every person sometimes feel themselves as a boring old person? Tre: If you're Billie you can be a fucking old woman (laughs).

Do you have any philosophical memories or thoughts? Billie: I don't want to pretend I'm 14 forever. I think it's important to accept reality in order to grow old comfortably and stay young at heart. Tre: Keep that as an option too.

Do you ever feel like you're going to be a boring old man? Do you ever worry about that? Billie: Everyone feels that way at times. Sometimes you wake up in the morning and you feel so old… Sometimes it's later in the day.

Billie was answering seriously, but Tre's blonde hair hid under the dressing table, and then a strange scream was heard. Tre pointed to a large cockroach. “Oh, my god! That's disgusting!”, said Billie, who also found it amusing and started to wriggle out with a pair of disposable chopsticks in his hand. One minute later, he had captured the cockroach. (←see picture on the left)

Billie: Let's name it Max! Tre: Max the cockroach!! Billie: That's disgusting! Ugh〜.

You were eating sushi. Tre: I love sushi. But this… (he throws most of the remaining sushi boxes into the bin).

“Punk has been around for about 25 years now. It's been conveyed and passed down with very different meanings to different people. It's wrong to try to put it into just one category.”

In an interview with ‘Spin’, you said, “We're a punk band from a punk rock background. Punk helped us get out of our boring hometown. Punk was the best education.” Do you think punk music can be a positive influence on young people? Billie: I can't speak for other people, but for me it is. I lived there, I'm from there, and I couldn't get out of there. It was just a pointless act to pretend otherwise. So…

When I listened to this album, I thought Green Day had surpassed punk. I think you can no longer be pigeonholed as punk, can you? Billie: Punk is bigger than people think. It's not about the Sex Pistols or anything, punk has been around for about 25 years now, and it's been conveyed and passed down with very different meanings to different people. To try to put it into just one category is stupid. And it's up to us to decide what to do next. We don't rely on anything else. We're not trying to prove to people that we're punks. If we're trying to prove something, we're trying to prove the opposite: I don't know what people want from us, but we can write good songs.

So what do you think influenced you about punk? The attitude? Billie: I don't know. I can't even really explain what I mean by the punk I'm talking about. The truth… No, I don't want to overestimate it. Mike: It's not like we're trying to be cool or anything. Billie: It's like trying to describe a body odour that reminds you of your childhood. Smell is not something you can easily describe verbally to other people. Punk rock is our body odour.

But I think that's a good enough explanation. Do you think your music is helping to educate young people? Mike: Music has been an education for me. I don't know. I think it's really cool to be educated by music. But that's my own experience, and maybe it only applies to me. Everyone can learn something from what they want to learn. It could be music, it could be sport. It could be anything. Tre: I'd rather learn English from Green Day than from books.

I'm sure the Japanese people do. Billie: It's pretty hard though.

I asked our staff, who are Green Day fans, what questions they would like to be asked in an interview. They all said they wanted to hear your opinion on society. I wondered why they would want to ask you musicians about your opinion on society, but do you ever feel like the world wants more from you than music? Mike: Vitamins!!! I don't know. Tre: Isn't it better for everyone to wash their faces? Billie: Music is supposed to be an escape from reality for individuals, to isolate yourself from all that shit. It's not that hard for us, you know. It's very simple, man. We've been doing it for years because we love it. Music is an escape from reality for us, but it's also reality. I don't know how it relates to society. Maybe it's because we're escaping from society.

Do you ever get a chance to talk to your fans after a concert? Billie: Never. …Nah, I'm just kidding. Mike: Of course we do.

What do your fans have to say to you? About their situation? Or do they ask you any questions? Mike: Some people just want to shake hands, others ask to meet my parents. It's all kinds. We try to talk to everyone and not be like rock stars. We try to be friendly.

Is it really strange that people feel so close to you guys when you're such big stars? Billie: If you look at any photo and you see them wearing sunglasses, even the viewer can tell that these guys are cold. They're fucking bastards. Sometimes you can't blame them for having those pictures, but when you see all these guys wearing sunglasses… You know what I mean? (Tre immediately interjects and they all laugh).

I mean, it's like the fans feel like they share something with you guys, like there's a connection. Billie: Yeah, they do. They share good rock‘n’roll with us.

Do you talk to your fans in Japan too? Tre: The more shows we do, the more powerful we become. I mean it's our show, but we share something with the fans. It's our show, it's the fans' show, and no third party can take anything away from us. Billie: It's theirs. It's not in anyone else's hands. We talk to our Japanese fans too. And more than any other fans (laughs). I speak fluent Japanese. We are very baka [stupid]!

In one of your interviews, you said that you can communicate with people by writing songs about things that you can't put into words. Is music therapeutic for you? Billie: Of course. I think that's why all our music has a strong autobiographical element to it. If you write your songs with your heart, it will come naturally. If you write down what comes to your mind, it will come naturally.

‘Nimrod’ contains a lot of different flavours. Did you start to add strings and other complications when you went into the studio? Or did you discuss this with each other before recording and decide to do it this way? Tre: It fits the record perfectly, that's all. We made a good album, and it had strings! Billie: We've had strings on all our previous albums. Tre: It's on the guitars (laughs loudly)! Mike: We're always saying stupid stuff like that. Tre: I always wear string bikinis when I play in the studio. It's pretty cool. Billie: It's a G-string, right? Tre: Yeah, a G, a G-string (laughs).

Do you guys feel you've succeeded in different directions? The three of you are together like this as friends and as musicians, but when you spend so much time together… Billie: Who the hell are you talking about? I'm getting sick of these guys, man.

Do you ever want to do anything else while you're still in the band, or do you get offers from elsewhere? Tre: I've got a 13-inch (approximately 33cm) penis, so I could always be a porn star. Billie: Yeah. Tre: I've always wanted to be a porn star. Mike: I want to skateboard. I'm terrible at it. I'm not even good at it. But I'd like to do it someday. For myself. Billie: I've had a lot of offers to be a professional baseball player, but I'm too busy touring at the moment. Tre: I'd like to go to a supermarket or something and just cut the price tag off the bottom with a knife or a box cutter and take it home.

Isn't that shoplifting? Tre: No, it's not. Billie: It's only shoplifting if you get caught. If you don't get caught, you're borrowing it forever.

Did you bring your skateboard to Japan? Mike: Yeah. It's hard, but I try to find places to skate. Like hotel corridors and lobbies.

Other than that, I hear you're into airsoft guns? Tre: Probably. We play with toys when we have them. Any toy is fine. I like toys. Billie: If there's Kiddy Land, I'll play with toys too. Tre: With Kiddy Land toys, they're guaranteed safe. Billie: We try not to give our kids toys that aren't safe. As they get older, we can recommend other toys.

Do you have a message for the readers of INROCK? Tre: Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep… Billie: To all the readers〜 Tre: Look at the pictures. Billie: If you can't stand my creepy face… Tre: Just doodle on it. Mike: You can run it over with a skateboard. Billie: Any good advice on how to look more handsome is always welcome! You can doodle on my face with a beard or whatever you like! Tre: You can erase my eyes with an eraser.

Recorded on March 17th in Nagoya

Green Day - Japan Anecdotes

March 12th (Thur) About half a year after their visit to Japan for the Fuji Rock Festival, the troublesome punk kids have set foot on Japanese soil once again. They arrived at Narita Airport at around 4pm. This time they left the airport smoothly without getting caught up by customs and went to their hotel. Afterwards, Billie and Mike decided to go see the Rolling Stones play at the Tokyo Dome, while Tre stayed quietly(?) at the hotel.

March 13th (Fri) On this day, they were interviewed for several programs, and in the evening they had an autograph session at HMV. The first 100 people were given autographs, but many other fans flocked in to catch a glimpse of Green Day, causing a commotion. The band, who were very service minded, not only signed autographs, but also threw CDs at the assembled fans, saying “It's free,” causing panic in the shop, and even left graffiti on Madonna's billboard. Dinner was at the Hard Rock Café. For some reason, all three of them became vegetarians this time, so we made do with vegetarian burgers, cokes, and nachos.

March 14th (Sat), 15th (Sun) The tour started with two days at Tokyo Bay NK Hall. They left the hotel around noon and rehearsed thoroughly at the venue. They always do some stretching backstage to improve their concentration before the show. The show was a great success, with about 6,000 fans at the venue. If a fan couldn't handle the guitar, they would keep bringing them up on stage until someone who could play came up. Because of this situation, there were times when the performance stopped for a while. Fans, make sure you master the guitar before the next show in Japan. From this time onwards, airsoft guns appeared as their plaything. There were about 30 guns of various types, and it turned into a big shooting contest with the staff…

March 16th (Mon) We interviewed them at the hotel around noon, then went shopping at the Harley-Davidson shop in Shibuya. For dinner, they had sushi, which they always eat when they come to Japan. They have favorite toppings like sea urchin and tuna, and apparently they order in Japanese (I'd like to see that…). They've also had sushi in America, and the three were very satisfied, saying, “Sushi is the best in Japan after all.”

March 17th (Tue), 18th (Wed) We traveled to Nagoya by Shinkansen. They kill time on the train by sleeping, talking, reading, or listening to music. Sometimes they let loose too much, and the conductor noticed them… After arriving in Nagoya, we went to the venue, Diamond Hall, for an INROCK interview with them. Green Day are known for being fan-friendly but tough on the press, so the interviewer was even more nervous than usual. Unaware of her feelings, the three chased around a cockroach that had appeared backstage during the interview, caught it with chopsticks, and happily showed it to the cameraman… Even so, the person in charge said, “They were quieter than usual. Maybe it's because they're starting to get tired?” The photos were taken normally when they were in a group, but when they were taken individually, their personalities came out and they each posed in their own way. Billie did some sexy, silly poses, Tre flipped over on the table, and Mike sat in a lotus position on the table (like the Buddha). The next day, Mike, who has recently become obsessed with cameras, buys a camera lens. After the show, Mike went out with the staff to a club to sign autographs and take photos with the fans who had gathered there.

March 19th (Thu), 20th (Fri) Move to Osaka. Around this time, they started to get tired, and the number of times they fired their airsoft guns increased dramatically. The reason they didn't go bowling, which they love, this time was because they were using it to relieve stress… Apparently. On the 20th, Tre coloured his hair from blonde to green. The show at the IMP Hall was a great success and afterwards all the members went to a club. Mike and Tre were dancing, but Billie didn't drink or dance, he just sat and chatted. Billie was getting more and more relaxed and dignified both physically and mentally. Osaka is actually Green Day's favorite city, and he remembered the bar they went to when they first came to Japan two years ago, so he was able to visit it again after a long time. He also likes takoyaki, a specialty of Osaka. —However, they don't put their mouths on the batter, but only dig out the octopus inside, which is a strange way of eating.

March 21st (Sat) Move to Tokyo. The three vegetarians are so thorough that they even take the meat out of the chicken kamameshi that was prepared for them. Billie says, “There are no vegetarian meals in Japan”, and keeps his favourite Glico Pocky in his hand. Mike went to a music store in Shibuya and focused on his mini guitar, and the airsoft gun was forgotten (happily ever after). For dinner, even though they are vegetarians, they had Kobe beef. On their last visit to Japan, they were thrilled by the tenderness of the beef, but this time they only ate three or four slices.

March 22nd (Sun) Jaguar was staying at the same hotel that day, and since they both have the same Japanese record company, wea, they met. However, they only exchanged greetings and didn't seem to be good friends with them (!?). Tre went to look for a bike that wasn't available in America, but he didn't buy any, probably because he didn't find any good ones. The last performance of the Japan tour was held at Akasaka Blitz on the 22nd and 23rd. During the encore, the three appeared in sailor uniforms. They had previously appeared in school uniforms with stand-up collars, so I guess this was a sequel to that. All three are petite for Americans, so they look pretty good…

March 23rd (Mon) The last day of the Japan tour ended without a hitch. To commemorate the day, the record company gave them a platinum trophy in the shape of a bowling pin, and they were overjoyed, saying, “This is better than a Grammy Award.” In the evening, a wrap-up party was held at the hotel. The three, who don't usually drink, got drunk this time and had a great time.

<Bonus> The shopping was mainly done in Harajuku, where the three of them also bought souvenirs for their families. Billie: Barbie dolls for his wife and other Ultraman dolls. Mike: Several plush toys. Tre: Kitty-chan (Hello Kitty) and Doraemon goods

Translator’s Note: Whenever I need a breather, I translate Green Day interviews because there’s always something silly being said by the trio to make my day. And sometimes I get to find out how the journalists became so unfazed by the antics of other rockstars just by spending a few days with Green Day.

Also, reading what pre-9/11 Green Day shows were like sure showed me what a different era that was. Having 30 airsoft guns with them and their crew is quite the WTF moment of discovery in translating this.

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