#traditionally this is the time of year when people would really starve

[3liza]

it's the miserable time of summer when I foolishly eat a few unripe tree fruits because waiting for harvest time is making me insane and I think hm maybe it won't be bitter and rock hard and acid in my mouth, because I'm an idiot

[fandomfluffandfuck]

I know your prompts are closed, but I have to ask your thoughts on just out of the ice Steve struggling to fall asleep, because he just can't shake the fear that if he does, the next time he opens his eyes another ten, twenty, seventy, a hundred, years have passed, and he's even more out of time. So he looks desperately for solutions, medication won't work, a new place makes him feel too unsafe, white noise does as well, he doesn't like not being able to hear. ASMR doesn't work, at least, not at first. He hates the soft talking, the squishing and crunching of slimes. The taps and pops are to sudden, reminding him of the sharp cracks of gunshots in an otherwise quiet night. But then he finds a video of someone sketching, and the quiet rasp of the pencil and charcoal over the paper puts him to sleep almost before he realizes what's happened. -🐍

First, I have to tell you that you said ASMR, and immediately I was like, hold on, hold on, hold on--didn't I write something about Steve and ASMR? Did I just imagine that?

Because, exactly! I've always had the thought in my head of Steve not enjoying ASMR because of his super hearing. It feels like rather than giving him tingles, I would be grating and sharp to his ears, at least, especially out of the ice when he's so vulnerable and raw.

So... I had to take a minute to look through my masterlists. What I was thinking of was this drabble about Steve being touch-starved. So, that's something that might be something you're interested in, but also two other drabbles:

Steve and Natasha and their bad dreams while on the run

Steve and Bucky and sleepless nights

Based on those three drabbles, though, you can probably already tell what my thoughts are on Steve and sleep. And it's pain. Just painful. I am so here for angst, but really, I just can't see much otherwise for him, fresh out of the ice.

The thought of Steve finding unedited, real-time videos of people drawing traditionally--graphite on paper--and using those lengthy videos to find relaxation and eventually sleep is so tender, though. So thoughtful. It would be the perfect lull for him.

Which makes me think of this ask, also. Specifically, the idea that, "[Steve] said once that he's pretty sure he's had his fill of sleep after 70 years of it, but that was a lie. He's tired. Has he always been this tired? He's tired, exhausted, all the way down to his bones."

**This got a little darker than I thought it would. Please tread carefully if you're sensitive to thoughts surrounding suicidal ideation and descriptions of the symptoms of depression!**

Steve's been gone for seventy years. Unconscious. Not exactly asleep, not exactly dead. Just. Gone. He's missed seventy fucking years of the world turning and turning and turning. Yet... it's the same, too. When he plunged into the biting cold water--his body stinging with the temperature, painful and chilling to the depths of his soul and also a sensation of nothing at all as his mind simply stopped working, too much sensory imput to the point that he was wiped out, wiped clean with nothing left--he was fighting. Then, when he was here again, no longer gone, surrounded by purely new individuals and new expectations and a new reputation, larger than life, he's still fighting. He isn't even told to fight. No. He's expected to fight. No one ever slows down enough to ask him if he wants to fight still.

Does Steve still want to fight?

Is... is it okay if he doesn't want to fight?

What is he fighting for anyway? He doesn't know anything about what life is anymore. Life in the country he represented once alongside life anywhere. He's so disconnected, so out of place. And... how can he connect? He doesn't know. He doesn't know if he can connect. He doesn't know if he wants to connect again. Connecting, restarting his life in an alien world where everyone already knows about his old life, sounds exhausting. Steve's so exhausted already. He doesn't know if he has the energy to connect. He doesn't know if he has the energy to keep living. He doesn't know.

He feels so slow all the time. He feels, once more, like he's half-starved and wrecked by the last dregs of a fever, a battle with another round with another illness, shaky, his brain fogged and nonfunctional. He wanders through the fog. He's cold. He's unsteady. He can't sleep.

He wants to sleep so badly, he's so tired. Exhausted. But. He can't sleep. Every time he lays down, his mind is suddenly clear and functioning--over-functioning. Overthinking. Taking a nosedive into a downward spiral. Consumed and torn apart by fear. If he closes his eyes now, when will he open them next? How long will it be? How long will it be until he can move and live and breathe again? (Is Steve breathing now? How does he know he's alive? How does he know he can move at all? Now that he's on his back, his limbs feel leaden. He's rooted to the bed, rotting into the cold sheets and firm mattress, his arms by his sides, his legs straight, formation for survival in the tight, coffin-like spaces of the barracks.) How long will it be until he wakes up with his throat already raw from the screams, drowning in nightmares? Nightmares about war. Nightmares about death. Nightmares about the nebulous, unreal passage of time. Nightmares that combine all of that and show him in a whirlwind all the faces of everyone he's ever loved--

All of them gone.

Steve wants to sleep. Steve wants to sleep so desperately, too tired to even cry, that he just wants to be gone. He doesn't think sleep can fix this. He just wants to be gone.

Please.

Why can't the earth open up and swallow him whole. Return him to the ice. Steve almost wishes they never found him. He wishes they had left him in the ice. If he hadn't come back, he would never have known he was gone.

He wants to be gone.

[charlesandmartine]

Friday 22nd November 2024

We were up early today because we needed to be at the fossil site before it got too hot. Also needed to be at the bakery before they sold out of curry pies! Now there's an interesting thing. When I said things were desperate in Cloncurry, due to lack of curry pies, they knew about the staffing problems in Cloncurry despite it being 286 kms away! These curry pie makers clearly stick together. Richmond really is a super little town, population 578. It's an hour and a half away from anywhere else. It is a truck stop, so road trains grind up and down Flinders, but they turn off the main street, leaving it in peace. Traditionally, a pastoral economy raising sheep, but sheep have now gone, replaced by beef cattle. Cotton growing is now growing and also mining close by.

This mornings exercise was to go fossiking. We paid for a permit and went to the dig as directed. We were given a scruffy map drawn as it were on the back of a fag packet. Where there were orange markers, we should avoid. Otherwise, there are hammers and chisels and go have a look. We went early to avoid the heat of the day. We bought fly nets that fitted around our hats, and with hammer in hand, we were ready for whatever we might find. Now, when paleontologists tell you they just found a new strain of dinosaur sticking out of the ground, let me tell you there's an element of luck going on there. We tapped, split, bashed lumps of stone like we'd been trained at Dartmoor prison and what we had to show for our labours were a couple of rough bits of stone that might contain a shell or two. But it was fun, and the nets frustrated a good few flies, most of which will be dead in 9 days time.

Returning to the lovely town of Richmond, we claimed our curry pies from the Café, devoured them like starving prisoners from the rock breaking excursion on the moors, and planned the next stage of our trip.

Before leaving Richmond we took a look at the tiny museum to the Cobb & Co stagecoach. These stagecoaches played a major part in building this area between the operational years of 1885 and 1924. It was unbelievable that these thing could carry 14 passengers and pulled over extremely rough terrain by 5 grey horses. People would try to sit up with the driver, presumably because there would be more air there. With little alternative, I guess this would be a journey to suffer as a necessity.

After refilling the Ford, we set off on the fairly short hop to Hughenden, a similar town in many ways to Richmond. History, size, layout very similar. The house we have for the next three nights bears all the attributes to a comfortable stay. We popped into meet the Warrington man in the Tourist Information Office for handy tips of what to do in the next couple of days. We admired his Christmas tree as he handed out the usual pile of brochures. We shall peruse these over the SB tonight. Hughenden is on the dinosaur triangle; Winton, Richmond, Hughenden, so actually has its own fossiking experience. Perhaps.

A fresh intake of SB from the bottle shop, served by an Irish man, and we were away to cook dinner. Both tired now, a feeling we attribute to rock breaking.

[fandomsandfeminism]

You know what the most frustrating thing about the vegans throwing a fit over my “Humans aren’t Parasites” post is?  I really wasn’t trying to make a point about animal agriculture. Honestly, the example about subsistence hunting isn’t the main point. That post was actually inspired by thoughts I’ve been having about the National Park system and environmentalist groups.

See, I LOVE the National Parks. I always have a pass. I got to multiple parks a year. I LOVE them, and always viewed them as this unambiguously GOOD thing. Like, the best thing America has done. 

BUT, I just finished reading this book called “I am the Grand Canyon” all about the native Havasupai people and their fight to gain back their rights to the lands above the canyon rim. Historically, they spent the summer months farming in the canyon, and then the winter months hunter-gathering up above the rim. When their reservation was made though, they lost basically all rights to the rim land (They had limited grazing rights to some of it, but it was renewed year to year and always threatened, and it was a whole thing), leading to a century long fight to get it back. 

And in that book there are a couple of really poignant anecdotes- one man talks about how park rangers would come harass them if they tried to collect pinon nuts too close to park land- worried that they would take too many pinon nuts that the squirrels wanted. Despite the fact that the Havasupai had harvested pinon nuts for thousands and thousands of years without ever...like...starving the squirrels. 

There’s another anecdote of them seeing the park rangers hauling away the bodies of dozens of deer- killed in the park because of overpopulation- while the Havasupai had been banned from hunting. (Making them more and more reliant on government aid just to survive the winter months.) 

They talk about how they would traditionally carve out these natural cisterns above the rim to catch rainwater, and how all the animals benefitted from this, but it was difficult to maintain those cisterns when their “ownership” of the land was so disputed. 

So here you have examples of when people are forcibly separated from their ecosystem and how it hurts both those people and the ecosystem. 

And then when the Havasupai finally got legislation before Congress to give them ownership of the rim land back- their biggest opponent was the Parks system and the Sierra Club. The Sierra Club (a big conservation group here in the US) ran a huge smear campaign against these people on the belief that any humans owning this land other than the park system (which aims at conservation, even while developing for recreation) was unacceptable. 

And it all got me thinking about how, as much as I love the National Parks, there are times when its insistence that nature be left “untouched” (except, ya know, for recreation) can actually harm both the native people who have traditionally been part of those ecosystems AND potentially the ecosystems themselves. And I just think there’s a lot of nuance there about recognizing that there are ways for us to be in balance with nature, and that our environmentalism should respect that and push for sustainability over preserving “pristine” human-less landscapes. Removing ourselves from nature isn’t the answer. 

But apparently the idea that subsistence hunting might actually not be a moral catastrophe really set the vegans off.  Woopie. 

[wispforever]

📂 for haku if you'd like?

Haku still has lingering triggers associated with the trauma around his family. At times, he will flinch away when zabuza reaches for something, or become afraid when he and zabuza visit a village with many people. Zabuza looks for ways to mitigate haku's anxiety without drawing attention to it

when haku finds out he's a boy, he tries to validate his gender by conforming to traditionally masculine fashion. when he finds that he doesn't like it, he wonders if he's really trans or if he is "trans enough". Zabuza, having dealt with his own gender journey, helps haku learn that gnc trans men are just as valid as gc trans men

Haku understands how lonely zabuza feels being alienated by his village and fellow rogue ninjas, even though zabuza tries to hide it - so whenever they encounter someone zabuza has known in the past or when they're just around other adults for whatever reason, haku tries to subtly encourage zabuza to make friends/have fun

before zabuza caved and taught haku how to fight nonlethal battles/gave him needles as weapons, they spent time trying to get haku to master swordsmanship techniques and use his kekkei genkai offensively. at first, zabuza forced him to manifest ice spikes and such (the same moves haku used to kill his father and escape from the mob), unknowingly giving haku flashbacks. Zabuza stopped pushing and started looking for an alternative after haku had a breakdown following a sparring match in which zabuza sustained a minor injury from his kekkei genkai

related to the above hc^ it was not haku's idea to use nonlethal weapons. he would've endured a thousand retraumatizing fights if it meant it would please zabuza. Zabuza is the one who established new expectations and changed the training he and haku were doing together in order to minimize haku's pain and suffering

haku teases zabuza about stupid shit he does like how he's 30 but acts like an old ass man, his fashion sense, the tough guy act, etc. I also hc that zabuza gets crushes really easily cuz he's lonely and affection-starved, so every fucking person he has any semblance of an engaging interaction with, he's liable to develop feelings for. after the first kakashi fight, zabuza's ass is in a sling, he just laying there, quiet for hours, then is just like i can't believe the copy ninja knows who i am and HAKU LOSES HIS SHIT. rip zabuza bullied until the end of time by 15 year old son

one time when kisame came to visit zabuza and haku, he brought itachi with him. Haku noticed itachi's sharingan, and he was really quietly thrilled because he'd never met another person with a kekkei genkai. Haku hesitantly asks him about it (bc itachi is a stranger and he doesn't want to be intrusive), and itachi politely indulges him (bc he's a big soft pushover bitch for kids). they get to have a nice conversation about the discrimination against folks with kekkei genkai in the shinobi world, and haku feels a little better about himself being reminded he isn't alone in his trauma

[karolosyarakios]

Official Statement: On Nativity / Christmas Fast

16 November 2022

Greetings.

Nativity fast is observed from Nov 15 to Dec 25, it is indeed observed by the Eastern Orthodox Church (and Catholic Church, as well).

To quote Wikipedia, a free source of information that I would encourage people to donate to, "The Nativity fast traditionally entails fasting from red meat, poultry, meat products, eggs, dairy products, fish, oil, and wine". Though; oil, fish, and wine are permitted on feast days that would occur during this period.

Maybe you want to join this fast, but you are not able to. Say; you are a student and you can barely afford to get the cheapest food, not even looking at the ingredients. Kindly do not starve yourself. Please eat, for Lord encourages education and health above wanting to follow food restrictions in fasts.

On top of all that, fasts are not about food. It is more about refraining from detrimental activities and replacing them with better habits. You can work more on helping others. I am not talking about donating excessive amounts like a businessman as a lot of us are not businessmen with a lot of money to spare. Do small things instead.

I understand that it is hard to "be better" because a lot of us don't know where to start. Below are a few suggestions:

A little thing would be to smile at people. Smile at one random person on the street.

Say "I like your shirt" to someone.

Text a random friend "Hey, I care about you, right?".

And, most important of all, exercise self-care. Do not tire yourself to the point of exhaustion, and do not dwell on past mistakes. Every human being indeed can change for the better, forgive yourself and approach yourself with kindness so that you can show others your full potential of love and care.

Remember that you matter. If thinking about yourself in a positive light is hard, then simply say this: "I may not be the best person on this earth, but I am not the worst either." Know that no one can replace you, and know your worth. Treat people with kindness, and treat yourself with the same kindness you show others.

Remember that Christmas time was chosen by people to end the fast on Christmas day. This is not a commandment in the Bible, but the Bible indeed mentions fasting and puts some rules as fasting has been an action carried out by religious people who want to try it out to bring themselves closer to spirituality.

You can choose other ways to feel that sense of spirituality, such as reading the Bible from cover to cover and doing kindness on your own.

Don't worry if you really want to observe a fast but you cannot do it at this time of the year. You can always set up other fast dates for yourself and ask Lord to accept your intentions. Lord is merciful.

Matt 6:16-18 reminds us:

16 “When you fast, do not look sullen like the hypocrites, for they make their faces unattractive so that people will see them fasting. I tell you the truth, they have their reward!

17 When you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,

18 so that it will not be obvious to others when you are fasting, but only to your Father who is in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.

My sincere wishes,

The Archbishop of Nova Justiniana and All Cyprus, His Beatitude,

Karolos Yarakios.

[reverse-moon]

Hello I'm back with another "I was reminded of this AU and now I wanna flesh more out" hour courtesy of @djbead123. Shout out for resparking this bullshit 🤣

Monster AU XD

WE'VE GOT

Patton Moon - 24, brand new vampire, literally just turnt about a month and a half before the storyline starts. Poor man be starving when he meets the others because "I might hurt someone!!" so he would have been doomed without the help of the rest. Runs into...

Virgil Nyx - 208 years old, vampire. He has been in the same place as Patton (turnt then abandoned [not traditionally how that process goes]), so he's like "nah you're with us now" and kinda low key kidnaps him but also got permission to??? Anyway, Virgil's really chill and does everything needed to help Patton out.

Roman and Remus Manchester - 30 both, twin eldritch monsters (or werewolves, not sure yet). Roman is literally head over heels for Virgil and from what he can tell it's most likely mutual??? Remus is just Remus but with way more desire for cuddles.

Janus Drake - 100, Naga. He's kinda cold but it's because most everyone is cold to Nagas. He's thankfully been with Virgil long enough to have gotten used to a form of affection/kindness. "Aquired" the mansion they all live in, he calls the time he got it the "dark ages"

Thomas Sanders - 33, witch. Closest monster to human. He's also technically not an actual monster, just a human with a deeper connection to magic. He doesn't live with the rest, just visits at random and stays for long periods of time. Good friend to all of them :)

Logan Harlow - 29, human. He got off because Remus liked his smell and him, and now he lives with them and studies/researches them bc he wants to slowly work on helping monsters integrate with humanity (and preferably not have to hide). He also may or may not have screwed Remus, Janus and Virgil. For research. No other reason.👀

So basically Patton meets Virgil because he gets to the point where he literally can't control himself and goes after the first human he sees (which just happened to be a vampire who learned how to conceal his vampire scent) and naturally fails to get blood bc Virgil is small but he's fast and strong and way more used to this than Pat

Takes pat to the mansion, invites him in

And they get him some good blood and calmed.

Logan's going past after coming back from work, and is "cold" to Patton bc hahaha nerd be anxious round new people and doesn't at all miss that this new person is a newly fed vamp then goes to his room.

Janus is mad bc "I really did not agree to foster monsters, and the last time I fostered monsters, Remus and Roman became attached and got me attached."

But ya know, he knows vampire laws and rules and stuff, so he's letting Patton stay for that shit.

After about a month, Thomas shows up and is like "yeah, there is apparently a big witch convention and I uh I'm kinda having to attend but I ain't got a place to stay"

And Janus is like "your room has not been touched, just like last time"

I'm pretty sure I want Prinxiety but idk for the other four (I'm leaning towards DLMR, but idk man)

Big conflict has to do with monster hunters

:|

And that's all I got.

[demonslayedher]

any random trivial thoughts you have about the lives of the slayers? i like to think that nezuko keeps the acorns inosuke gave her in a jar as a collection and that inosuke is determined to fill the jar completely, hehe. also, do you think an official announcement of nezuko’s existence was made to the lower ranked demon slayers or did it travel through word of mouth. imagine oblivious demon slayers visiting the butterfly mansion, only to be greeted/encountered by nezuko

If I may add to that thought about Nezuko having a jar, Gotouge has stated that Nezuko is okay getting tossed around and bumping her head in the box because she heals from it immediately, but one of this days Tanjiro is going to open it and it will pour with acorns and glass shards, and she'll just be sitting there glaring with disappointment. (Hopefully Nezuko keeps the jar in a safe place at the Butterfly Mansion instead!)

As for telling the whole Corp that Nezuko got the OK from Oyakata-sama and the Pillars, I can see that being like a low-key announcement that spreads like a rumor, just kinda whenever the crows get around to that detail between missions. It makes sense that Oyakata-sama wanted to tell the Pillars first, and since the Pillar meeting was coming up pretty soon when Tanjiro passed the Final Selection, Oyakata-sama had probably planned as soon as he got Urokodaki's letter than he was going to have Tanjiro and Nezuko at that meeting. Even if we set the Pillars aside, though, there's wide-spread hatred against demons throughout the Corp. It probably helped to have the Pillars generally on board first. I can imagine the rest of the Corp being very curious (if cautious) about Nezuko, and although we see characters who get the pleasure of spending time with her getting to baby her, most Corp members who meet Tanjiro probably don't get to meet Nezuko face to face. Daytime is problematic, or Nezuko would otherwise be asleep a lot of the time even if Tanjiro is busy in settings when he'd meet other Corp members. Still, I think Tanjiro's reputation as a nice guy would spread even faster, so even people who were iffy about Nezuko would probably get to know Tanjiro and be like, "oh, she's probably fine."

But if we're going to get into trivial headcanons about the Slayers' everyday lives, you know who I think gets babied more than Nezuko?

Inosuke. Most of the Corp members are freaked out by him at first, but as it dawns on them that Inosuke grew up all alone, it may bring out a nurturing side in them, and it makes everyone happy to see him get better at fitting in among humankind. They get to feel proud of him as he picks up on limited amounts of etiquette and gets marginally better at picking up names, but most of them are still likely to make a quick exit when he starts getting too rambunctious.

Zenitsu, however, is someone who should know better and most people find him really annoying until they go through Pillar Training with him, as that's the strongest bonding experience most of the Corp members have ever shared, aside from the really close bonding that probably occurs a lot among members of the same Final Selection batches. However, the Corp members who have witnessed Zenitsu in action (and who were rescued by him) have nearly the same awe for him that they have for the Pillars, so they never say anything to him about how indebted they feel.

Since more of the Corp members have met Inosuke and Zenitsu than have met Nezuko, Tanjiro's saintly reputation mostly stems from how much of those two numbskulls' company he can stand, and how he can keep them in line (keeping a demon sister in line must be easy in comparison). Also, Tanjiro is not just good at tending the fire to make good rice, his sense of smell makes him a master at seasoning food perfectly, and many Corp members have cried thinking of how their own mothers never cooked so well. Tanjiro is also very good at tending to people when they fall ill.

The Pillars are so advanced in Breath technique that they don't generally catch colds unless they are recovering from serious injury or like, poisoning themselves. Normal Corp members catch minor illnesses all the time, though, and that's part of why they're so slow to advance. They tend to have to take time for lots of little things instead of just major injuries sustained in battle. They still train as much as possible to make sure they don't get rusty when it's time to take a mission again. These recovery periods are some of the only times when they can maintain a reasonable sleep schedule, many of the members who survive to old age feel long term effects of sleep deprivation in addition to lingering injuries. Since the Corp members can't very well engage in long-term goals, simple pastimes are encouraged in the daylight hours to help keep them in the moment. The Butterfly Mansion and most of the Wisteria houses are well stocked with board games like Sugoroku and card games like Karuta, as well as tools for shuttlecock and paper for origami.

While many of the Corp members try to be virtuous, and in indeed there are other circles that have their own sort of main-character like Tanjiro equivalent, there are still those who have less polished, or certainly far less positive character. The rougher members tend to spend their salary and free time on vices. Oyakata-sama understands his children are under a lot of stress and turns a blind eye to it (or two blind eyes, I guess).

Different Breaths tend to come with their own cultures, and overtime different Cultivators tend to get different reputations based on the members they send into the Corp. Like, "Oh, Yamada-sensei? Then you must be a stickler for the 10th form" or "Yamaguchi-sensei? Are you okay out there? I heard he's real half-assed on Breath technique." There is a certain amount of awe that students of former Pillars automatically get, and although some of that is due to pride and jealously, people who have been in the Corp long enough tend to get over these notions and just realize that everyone's doing their best. Since they're core Breath styles there may be other Thunder and Flame Breath users throughout the Corp from different Cultivators, but, pardon the pun, they can't hold a candle to the students of former Pillars (or the Rengoku clan in general) and it's highly, highly unlikely any of them would ever get close to the same level of mastery. There's plenty of Muratas in every Breath, basically.

Speaking of Murata, he and others like him probably had an easy time of settling down and getting married after retirement. Years of experience as swordsmen certainly gave them a mature edge over the average Joes they otherwise would be compared to, but they also have the advantage of not being freaks. Takeuchi remains life-long friends with Yushiro.

The young maidens of Wisteria houses get flirted with all the time. Many of the Corp members are starved of TLC, and while the maidens of the Wisteria houses are polite and have deep respect for the work the swordsmen do, they know they likely will not know most of them for long. However, when there is a true connection between a Corp member and a Wisteria House family member, they tend to make very solid matches. Girls make up a slim percentage of the swordsmen in the Corp, and this is why they tend to get sent on undercover missions a lot more. Demons tend to put their guards down more around women, as they'd more likely be on the look out for male swordsmen.

Girls make up a larger proportion of the Kakushi, and traditionally feminine skills are highly prized. Gotou is very proud of his sewing skills, even though he only does small repairs and has never been tasked with tailoring full uniforms. The Kakushi use a lot of code words and have a very insular work culture that is hard for outsiders to break into; even Oyakata-sama finds himself confused by a lot of it, but he appreciates that it makes them efficient and mostly leaves them be to organize themselves as they see fit (his orders are still absolute, though, so none of them are aware how much autonomy they effectively have.)

Hand signs like "don't breathe" and "don't listen" are unique to the Corp (yes, I have looked them up, consensus in the Japanese fandom is that they are unique to KnY), and taught by Cultivators. Inosuke didn't have a Cultivator to teach him so it took him a while to catch on the existence of hand signs. He makes up his own confusing hand signs to impress people with how flexible his joints are.

For many, Pillar Training was harder than undergoing Cultivation (but still less harrowing than the Final Selection). In Cultivation they tend to get specialized attention from someone who cares about them and actually knows a thing or two about how teaching works. Pillar Training does not fit this explanation at all, especially in the teaching department. As mentioned before, this is when a lot of Corp members who used to find Zenitsu insufferable come around and start to appreciate him more, for they survived different stages of training together, and every time he blew his top and complained, they were grateful he gave (loud) voice to what they were thinking but were too afraid to say. Instead of getting down and depressed, it riles them up enough to keep at it, however ridiculous the Pillar's demands are. Suffering under the Pillars also broke down perceived barriers between different ranks, building a more solid level of comradery among a lot of the Corp. However, this was also the most time most of the Corp members ever got to spend with the Pillars, who they always felt were untouchable and who they feared bothering. They feel very genuine affection for them by the time they all enter the final battle.

Once Inosuke figures out that Zenitsu can only bring out his full abilities in his sleep, he tries to goad Zenitsu into fighting him at full strength by insulting him in his sleep. He did throw a really good punch at him one time, but usually he only sleep-argues back. Other times Inosuke hits a sore spot and Zenitsu starts sleep-crying, in which case Inosuke gets bored and leaves. Once Tanjiro realizes this about Zenitsu (thanks to Inosuke having point-blank explained it to him), he puzzles over it and figures Zenitsu may not be aware of how powerful and helpful he is, and this hurts his confidence, but then again, how can he not know if he's so aware of his surroundings even in his sleep? As Zenitsu sleeps, Tanjiro has been puzzling over this a long time and how he might best be able to help Zenitsu reach his full confident potential, and by the time Zenitsu wakes up and drowsily looks over at Tanjiro, Tanjiro looks him in the eye and very seriously asks, "Zenitsu, what is your problem?" Naturally, Zenitsu interprets this as Tanjiro suddenly being very disappointed in him, and Tanjiro has unwittingly done more harm than good.

On the contrary, Tanjiro has unwittingly done a lot of simple good for most of the PTSD-suffering Corp members with his little throw-away positive comments, just like he did for Muichiro and Aoi. Most of the Corp members have never met Oyakata-sama, so Tanjiro is to many Corp members what Oyakata-sama is to the Pillars. It's like they all have an Oyakata-sama shaped hole in their hearts and Tanjiro just falls into it like a good proxy. After all is said and done and Tanjiro and Nezuko read all the kind wishes left for them in deceased Corp members' wills, Tanjiro is consumed with some guilt that he can't place faces to all the names, though he remembers the majority of them. While his memory is still fresh he works hard to recall the ones who escaped him, and then he makes sure to refresh his memory every year with annual visits to the graves.

[hungry-tum-stuff]

Lanayru Region - Zora’s Domain

Breath of the Wild Regional Food Series - Part Four

Description: After helping them conquer Vah Ruta, the Zora are more than grateful and decide to throw a feast in Link’s honor. Link over-indulges quite a bit, but Sidon is quite impressed by how much the hero can eat.

Includes: Hunger, Stuffing, Stomach rubbing, Touch-Starved Link, Ambiguously Platonic Link and Sidon interactions

//TW: Descriptions of hunger, descriptions of stuffing-induced stomachaches, Themes of Touch Starvation

Link had conquered Vah Ruta.

It hadn’t been easy, it had taken long enough to disable the beast, and even longer to navigate the inside and slay the Blight Ganon that had taken Mipha’s life. Such an ordeal had left him eager to return to Zora’s Domain, for more than one reason.

The biggest reason currently being food.

Food was practically the only thing he could think about after freeing Mipha’s spirit. With the adrenaline and rush of memories of his friend now passed, he quickly became acutely aware of the empty hole in his gut. Spending nearly a day disabling a Divine Beast and fighting a Blight Ganon had left him starving. He wasn’t doing a great job at hiding it, either.

“Link! My dearest friend, you did it! You are truly a hero among Hylians, a true- oh, goodness, you’re not injured, are you? You don’t look well” Sidon fussed, worriedly standing over Link as he got his footing after being teleported to safety by Vah Ruta.

Link just shook his head in reassurance as he took a shaky step towards Sidon. However, he wasn’t as alright as he’d thought, because his knees buckled as soon as he tried to walk. Sidon immediately caught him and stood him upright again, before kneeling down to Link’s level to inspect him.

‘Wounds were healed by Mipha, I’m fine’ He signed slowly, and Sidon looked at him, baffled for a moment.

“My sister healed you? But, how-“ He was cut off by a low growling sound, and as Link clapped two hands on his tummy, Sidon instantly knew what the problem was. His previous confusion was replaced by laughter, and Link’s face turned a bright red. “So that’s why you’re so light on your feet. You must be starving! Not to worry though, I knew you’d be hungry after your victory. So I had the domain prepare something special for you” He insisted, taking Link’s hand gently and leading him into Zora’s Domain. Link followed along, Sidon hadn’t exactly given him a choice, but he found it a little hard to keep up with the prince’s long strides now that his exhaustion was finally catching up to him.

Sidon led Link into the throne room where that ‘something special’ had been set up, and as soon as Link saw what it was he stopped in his tracks, absolutely stunned.

It was a feast. A huge table was laid out before him, covered end-to-end in tons of different fish prepared tons of different ways. Not to mention all the bread, pasta, and rice dishes. Link’s stomach could only groan longingly, aching a bit as he gawked at the feast. He winced and clutched his belly before looking up to Sidon and quickly signing: ‘For me?’

Sidon laughed again. “Of course it’s for you! We very well can’t let our champion leave the domain without a proper reward for his victory. I’d also feel rather awful if I wasn’t able to remedy that empty stomach of yours” Link’s face flushed once again, but he simply kept a hand on his tummy as he was ushered towards a seat. Prince Sidon sat beside him, and King Dorephan regarded them both with a nod.

“Welcome back, champion”

~~~

After King Dorephan gave a rather lengthy speech of thanks to both Link and Sidon, which was almost torture for Link to sit through politely while his stomach was practically begging him to dig into the food right in front of him, the King finally declared that the feast commence.

And Link wasted no time in filling his plate to the brim and scarfing down every last crumb. The other Zora, which Link could only assume was every single Zora in the domain judging by the size of the feast, watched in awe as the Hylian champion chowed down on a hearty bass, and then immediately reached for another helping. In fact, Link was in such a rush to eat that he hadn’t even bothered to use the cutlery laid out for him.

However, Sidon couldn’t help but find Link’s lack of table manners somewhat endearing. Link had been an expectation breaker from the very beginning: Ever since he was a child he’d been told stories of the silent, stoic knight that had fought alongside his sister, but never in a thousand years had he expected that knight to be a Hylian barely taller than most Zora children, or that his silent exterior masked someone incredibly silly and unrefined.

Link wasn’t what Sidon had expected, and that’s what made Sidon endlessly interested in him.

“You ought to slow down, my friend” Sidon interrupted as Link reached to fill his plate with a third heaping serving. But as Link bent over the table, Sidon couldn’t help but notice a new roundness pressing against the stretchy material of Link’s Zora Armor. Link just paused mid-way through filling his plate and looked up confusedly at Sidon, who was still eyeing his companion’s tummy. “Zora portions are traditionally far larger than Hylian portions, and I’d hate for you to give yourself an upset stomach…” He warned.

Link just frowned and continued to pile food onto his plate before setting it down and signing: ‘Still hungry.’

Sidon chuckled and nodded, leaning over to get a second serving of his own. “Very well then, eat to your heart’s content. You’ve certainly earned it”

At that, Link beamed and continued to eat his fill. It wasn’t until he was halfway through his third serving that he began slowing down a bit, and he was clearly struggling through the last couple bites until his plate was clean. As soon as it was, Link could only sit back in his seat with a sigh, one hand slowly creeping up to rest on his overfull tummy. Sidon finished his own meal before stealing a glance at Link and noticing just how distended his belly had become, and he gave a quiet laugh as Link met the prince’s eyes for a moment before looking away abashedly.

“You finished three plates of food? That’s incredible! I don’t even think I would be able to finish three servings of hearty bass without blowing up like a pufferfish” He marveled. Link’s face reddened when the prince pointed out just how much he’d eaten, and when he hiccuped as his stomach settled around the massive amount of food, Sidon just raised an eyebrow. “Although, it seems like you’ve gained a rather, hm, prominent middle after eating so much… Will your stomach be alright?”

Link just nodded and patted his belly assuredly, but as he did, his stomach roiled into a sharp cramp before grumbling unhappily. Link grunted and pressed both hands into his stomach, and Sidon worriedly set a hand on the Hylian’s shoulder.

“I’m not so sure you’re right dear friend, it seems like you’ve overdone it… Is your stomach upset?” He asked. Link tensed up as another gurgle tore through his stomach, and he nodded slowly before holding a finger to his lips and motioning to the other Zora at the table. He’d like to at least try to maintain a positive image with the people of the domain, and eating himself into a stomachache after they had been kind enough to throw him a feast didn’t seem like the best way to uphold his reputation. Sidon, somewhat misunderstanding the message, gave a bright smile and a thumbs-up in reply.

“Excuse us everyone, but our champion is quite exhausted after the events of today. I’ll be taking my leave to see him off to his chambers” Link’s face reddened even more as Sidon’s announcement drew the attention of the entire table, but thankfully nobody dared to comment on his noticeable gut as he stood from the table with Sidon. He was just bombarded with profuse good-byes and thank-you’s as he left with the prince.

‘Not very subtle.’ Link commented on their exit with a huff, and Sidon just tilted his head.

“Well, neither is that belly of yours.” Sidon quipped, causing Link to lay both of his hands back on his tummy, as if he were trying to hide it. “I apologize though, I wasn’t aware you wanted me to be subtle. I however, do want you to get some rest. And hopefully we can find a way to settle your stomach before you turn in for the night” Sidon insisted as he led Link into his bedchamber. Link would have just collapsed onto the bed, if he wasn’t cradling his swollen stomach like a mother would a baby. He opted to climb carefully onto the mattress, and when Sidon didn’t leave but instead sat at the foot of the bed, he raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, I can leave if you wish, but I believe I can help soothe your stomach a bit. It does sound rather unhappy…” Link flinched and let a small whine slip out as his stomach rumbled and contracted painfully around his huge meal, and he slowly nodded in agreement before removing his hands from his tummy. Sidon nodded back, and soon enough his large, scaled hand had taken the place of Link’s.

“Oh my, everything is really packed in there!” Sidon exclaimed as he began to rub in slow, small circles around Link’s firm belly. Link blushed, looking away before raising his hands up to sign to Sidon.

‘You don’t need to remind me.’

Sidon chuckled and shook his head. “I suppose I don’t. I think it’s a bit amusing though, you just completed a feat that not even I could imagine accomplishing on my own, but the celebratory feast is what has you bedridden”

Link didn’t sign anything in response to that, but he did sigh with relief as Sidon was able to loosen a rather painful knot in his belly, followed by a few busy grumbles. As Sidon continued, Link found himself slowly easing into the touch and the slow, soothing motion of the other’s hand on his belly, and the comfortable silence lulled him into a state of relaxation he hadn’t felt since he woke up in the Shrine of Resurrection.

‘This feels really nice, thank you.’ Link signed before letting his eyes fall shut. Sidon smiled as his hand smoothed over a particularly tight area, releasing a chorus of rumbles. Both of the boys paused upon hearing the sudden noises, but Sidon gave Link’s stomach a gentle, reassuring pat before continuing to rub his overfull belly in slow, soothing circles.

“You don’t need to thank me, my champion”

[numbaoneflaya]

Hi i need the whole heart column for Jilly my beloved

YEAAAAAAAS thank u <3333 jilly time

💓 BEATING HEART - what gets their heart racing?

-Romance and violence! Sometimes together, sometimes separate. She's pretty easily excitable. Any kind of flirtation/ interest in her makes her heart rate go up and get blushy, as well as threats of violence towards herself. But also being given flowers and chocolates, etc.

💘 HEART W/ ARROW - what traits do they look for in a relationship? Do they believe in love at first sight?

Traditionally she would say she'd look for someone kind, loving and compassionate and in theory that still holds. I can imagine her saying that when someone asks and Vincent just starts cracking up nearby. She does believe in it! Shed say thats what happened with the two of them, because it makes it more fairytale-esque and romantic.

💗 GROWING HEART - if they have a crush, is it noticable? what changes when they're in love?

Jilly with a crush is even more excitable around them, laughs more and then gets embarrassed about her laugh, blushes more at innuendos or sex jokes though she doesnt usually, likely to flee from interactions w them bcs it makes her scared gdfgdfgdfgh. Jilly in love is much more affectionate and clingy and likely to talk about her beloved frequently, much to her friends dismay. Less self conscious once she has a lover!

❤️ RED HEART - their love language(s)?

-All of them? Physical touch is a big one, she's major touch starved and wants to hug/ be held, hold hands, cuddle up to and sit on her lover. Giver of many smooches. That's her big one but she also loves giving gifts, spending a lot of time with someone and receiving words of affirmation.

💙 BLUE HEART - do they miss their s/o easily? how do they act when their s/o isn't around?

-SHE DOES miss him easily. Gets all sad and pathetic and bemoans her fate and everyones like girl chill its been one day :/ shut the fuck up. She acts the same without him, but will be a little more on edge/nervous if its been a while since she's seen him. She likes to feel safe. “Hey jilly, can you-” “Vincent used to call me that🥺🥺” “because its your fucking name??”

💚 GREEN HEART - what things make your oc feel comforted? hugs, kisses, food?

Hugs and physical affection all the way, people playing with her hair/tail, kissies, hand holding or having an arm around her shoulder, being carried around like a princess, being given food esp if its a kind of meat or soup, etc.

💖 SPARKLING HEART - are they a subtle or a showy lover?

-We all know this bitch showy as hell :// got no subtly whatsoever. Pulling on her mans 24/7 glued to his arm showing him off like :3 “everyone fucking clap for my handsome strong talented bf or ill blow this whole building up” gfdghsddhf. As stated, giver of many smooches. Shes the hoe on the tl constantly posting abt her relationship. “Vincent so funny 😭❤️😭” BITCH FUCK VINCENT!!

💌 LOVE LETTER - do they like love letters? what kind of messages do they leave for their partner?

Oh this is so sweet I think she would LOVE love letters. Vinent would never in a million years write one and I think he'd eat any she wrote out of embarrassment. Shed more likely resort to sticky notes with little messages like “Have a good day studmuffin <3” and “come kiss me when u find this :3”

💔 BROKEN HEART - what could their partner do that would absolutely break their heart?

-Eat her hot cheeots :’/ no but really…. Kill any of her friends, cheat on her, basement her, break up w her, etc would result in a little broken ferret heart.

[reinerispretty]

rotations. (zuko x f!reader) The End.

hello everyone!! i just wanted to say thank you so so soooo much for following this story to the end!! it makes me so happy that it brought you guys joy and it made me happy just writing it! if you could please share that would be wonderful but no worries if u can’t :) enjoy the last chapter!!

pt1

pt25

The three men sat around the table in Zuko’s room, drinking tea and swapping stories. Even though he had heard them a million times before, Zuko asked his friends to recount their adventures with (Y/N), before the two had reconciled. It made him happy to know that she had been taken care of in his absence. 

(Y/N) couldn’t contain her nerves. Every inch of her body felt alive, like electricity flowed through her veins. This electricity translated into not being able to sit still, which greatly annoyed the servants that were helping her get ready. She kept having to get up and walk around to stretch her legs, or take a quick trip outside to get some fresh air. 

Katara eyed her as (Y/N’s) foot tapped against the marble floors of her bedroom. She had barely spoken all morning, which was very unlike her dear friend. Toph coughed from her spot on (Y/N’s) bed. 

“Could you stop doing that?” Toph asked. “I can barely see with all the movement you’re making.” (Y/N) halted her foot immediately. 

“Sorry, Toph,” She muttered. She looked down at her hands, which still shook, but she clenched her fists to get them to stop. 

“It’s going to be okay,” Katara said, placing her hand atop (Y/N’s). She stared into her friend’s eyes. Katara was always honest, especially with her. (Y/N) let out a small chuckle. 

“I don’t know why I’m so jittery,” she admitted. “It’s not like I haven’t known this day would come for the past year.” 

It had been almost exactly one year since Zuko had proposed to her on her birthday. She remembered grabbing him by the arms and asking him if he was sure that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. “I’ve never been more sure of anything,” He had said, and the biggest smile appeared on her face as she accepted his offer. He had slid an engagement ring on her finger almost immediately. “I’d been planning on doing this since the first day I saw you after my banishment.” 

“Even though I was fighting against you?” Zuko nodded, his eyes crinkling from his own smile. 

She stared at the ring now. It never failed to take her breath away. He had it made especially for her. Traditionally, a Fire Lord would propose with his mother’s engagement ring, but Zuko thought that would be a bad omen on their marriage considering how things ended with his parents. 

“You’re excited,” Suki said, leaning back into her seat. She and Katara were also being pampered by the servants. They scrubbed at her nails and feet and combed her long brown hair. Toph had opted out of a beauty treatment, considering how she had thrown a woman through a wall the last time someone touched her feet in Ba Sing Se. 

“There’s going to be so many people there,” (Y/N) mumbled. Growing up as Fire Nation nobility, she had always been around large crowds of people, but that didn’t mean she liked it. She like to keep her circle small and if it were up to her, she would have had the smallest wedding possible. Maybe Momo as the officiant. But Zuko was the Fire Lord, and with that title came certain expectations. The people of the Fire Nation were invited to watch the ceremony. From what (Y/N) had heard, it was something they all looked forward to, so who was she to deny them of that? 

“We’ll be there too,” Katara assured her. “Besides, you only have to focus on one person.” (Y/N) felt butterflies flutter in her stomach. She and Zuko hadn’t been able to see each other at all that day. It was customary for the bride and groom not to see each other until the ceremony, but (Y/N) hated it. She couldn’t run to the one person who gave her comfort and it annoyed her endlessly. 

“What kind of food will we have later?” Toph asked. “I’m starving.” 

“I can ask the servants to bring you something,” (Y/N) said to her friend. Toph rubbed her hands together as she listed everything she wanted to eat in that moment. 

Zuko was in his room on the other side of the castle, with Aang and Sokka. Both had agreed happily to being groomsmen, but Zuko extended the special invitation of best man to Aang. They had been through so much together and they had both changed for the better. If it weren’t for Aang, Zuko might never have reunited with (Y/N) again. Aang graciously accepted his offer. Momo and Appa had been given the titles of honorary groomsmen, but they wouldn’t fit at the altar with the rest of them. 

The three men sat around the table in Zuko’s room, drinking tea and swapping stories. Even though he had heard them a million times before, Zuko asked his friends to recount their adventures with (Y/N), before the two had reconciled. It made him happy to know that she had been taken care of in his absence. 

“She took care of herself,” Aang said with a laugh. “It was hilarious seeing an enemy’s face once they realized we had a firebender with us.” 

“Especially when we were fighting against the Fire Nation,” Sokka chimed in. “You guys were all ‘Who? What?’ and (Y/N) was all ‘Boom, Bang! Fire blast!’“ 

“She is a strong fighter.” The guys turned to see Iroh standing at the doorway. Zuko stood and smiled, bowing to his uncle. 

“I’m so happy you could come,” He said as they hugged. Iroh squeezed him tightly. 

“As if I would miss my own nephew’s wedding! The tea shop is busy, but never too busy for you.” Iroh took a seat at the table. “So, have you prepared your vows?” 

Zuko’s face paled. “Vows? Vows? No one told me I had to do vows!” He began pacing around the room, scrambling for a piece of paper and a brush. 

“Zuko, it’s fine!” Aang assured him. “Just speak from your heart!” 

“It took me years to tell her that I loved her and you want me to speak from the heart?” Zuko was spiraling. How could he have forgotten about the vows? He had made sure that everything else was in line except the one thing that he actually needed to do. (Y/N) would be absolutely mortified is she recited her vows to him and he didn’t have any to say back! What kind of husband would he be if he couldn’t prepare vows?

“We only have an hour before the wedding,” Sokka said, pulling Zuko back over to the table and making him take a seat. “So we all need to brainstorm. All of us know (Y/N) and Zuko pretty well. We’ll just give you ideas of what to say and then we’ll write them down!” 

Zuko nodded. “Okay, that sounds good.” 

Silence fell over the table as they all thought of what Zuko could say for his vows. Each man stared at each other, waiting for someone to speak up. Finally, Iroh spoke: 

“Tell her that she is as lovely as freshly brewed tea.” 

Zuko sunk into his seat and groaned. This would be a long hour. 

In (Y/N’s) room, she and her friends were putting on their dresses. In the Fire Nation, all women wore different variations of white and red to weddings. The bride’s dress was supposed to be the most elegant, so that she would be set apart from the other attendees. Her hair was placed in an intricate updo, with the traditional royal family crown placed on top. 

(Y/N) stared at herself in the mirror. She could barely recognize herself, but she felt beautiful. “I look like a princess,” She said to her friends. 

“Like a queen.” Ursa stood in the doorway, smiling softly at her future daughter-in-law. (Y/N) smiled widely, running over to embrace her.

“I’m so happy you’re here!” She pulled away from Ursa, her smile faltering just a bit. “Did you...?” 

After announcing the engagement to Ursa, she had asked (Y/N) privately if there was anything that she could do to help prepare for the wedding. She had only one request: locating her own mother to see if she would attend the wedding. 

(Y/N) and her mother had had their ups and downs throughout her life, but after their moment in her jail cell, she really began to miss her. It was obvious that her mother was under her father’s thumb and had no way of escaping. And while she loved Zuko’s family like her own, the idea of not having members of her family present at her wedding saddened her.

Ursa smiled, stepping to the side to allow (Y/N’s) mother to enter the room. It had been years since they had last seen each other, but the signs of aging were lost on her mother’s beautiful face. Much to (Y/N’s) surprise, her mother’s eyes watered as soon as she saw her. 

“You look so beautiful,” She whispered, embracing her daughter in a hug. (Y/N) gripped onto her for dear life. She felt a wave of relief wash over her as her mother held her. 

“I’m so happy you could come,” (Y/N) said with a smile. She turned back to her friends. “These are my friends! Katara, Suki, and Toph.” 

“You raised a wonderful daughter,” Katara said, but her mother shook her head. 

“She did that all by herself.” 

“Can you stay for the ceremony?” Her mother’s eyes quickly turned sad. 

“Your father forbade me from attending. I had to sneak away just to come here with Ursa.” 

“Why would he do that?” Suki asked. (Y/N) sighed. 

“Because he disowned me. As far as he sees it, I’m not their child anymore. But Mother, I’m marrying Zuko. You know that if there’s anything you need--” Her mother held up a hand to silence her. 

“I am being taken care of, my dear, and you are as well. That is all I could ask for.” 

“You’re going to let your stupid husband keep you two apart?” Toph asked. She was always far more blunt than the rest of them. 

“It’s complicated,” (Y/N) said quietly, before her mother could say it. “I understand. I suppose he can’t forbid you from coming to a royal summons?” Her mother smiled. 

“No, he cannot.” She hugged her daughter tightly. “I love you, and I am so proud of you.” 

(Y/N) felt her tears swell, but she forced them down so she wouldn’t ruin her makeup. Ursa led her mother out.

“Are you okay?” Katara asked. (Y/N) nodded. 

“She said she loved me and she was proud of me. And I know I don’t need her approval to know that I’ve been doing the right things but...” She took a deep breath. “It still meant a lot.” 

Her friends smiled and wrapped her into a big hug. It took Toph a little bit to join, but once she did, they squeezed her tightly. Despite everything, (Y/N) missed her parents a lot. But she knew she had been given an even better family in her friends. 

Zuko, Iroh, Aang, and Sokka, had used every minute available to complete Zuko’s wedding vows. It took a lot of trial and error, but Zuko figured they were as good as they were going to get. “Remember,” Aang whispered as they walked to the altar. “If all else fails, speak from the heart.” 

Zuko stood at the top of the steps of the palace courtyard, Sokka and Aang standing a step below him. Momo stood at Sokka’s feet at the bottom of the steps. No one was really quite sure how he had acquired a bowtie, but they decided not to question it. 

Iroh stood beside Zuko. He and (Y/N) had asked if he could officiate their wedding, and he had graciously accepted. He smiled gently at his nephew before leaning close. “From the time you were small, I could tell that your souls were intertwined. You loved each other in a past life and will love each other in the next. Congratulations, my nephew.” 

Zuko smiled at his uncle. His comment made him emotional, but he was trying not to think about it. The idea that he and (Y/N) would always be perfect for each other made his heart swell the biggest it had ever been. 

Toph was the first to walk out, guided by Suki. She stood across from Momo while Suki stood across from Katara. Toph raised an eyebrow. “Why’s Momo with the groomsmen?” Suki shushed her as Katara walked out, taking her place across from Aang. They smiled at each other. 

“I can’t wait to marry you,” Aang mouthed to Katara, which caused her to blush. 

Finally, (Y/N) exited the palace, the long train of her dress flowing behind her. She kept her head down so that she wouldn’t trip, and only looked up when she took her place beside Katara, across from Zuko. When her eyes met his, all of her fear and worry melted away. She smiled at him.

Zuko couldn’t help the few tears escape from his eyes as he stared at (Y/N). She looked absolutely beautiful in her wedding dress. The sheer realization that this was actually happening, that after everything they had been through together and apart, was enough to make him cry. 

She reached out and wiped away his tears, her own sliding down her cheeks. They held each other’s hands as Iroh began the ceremony. (Y/N) felt like every word that Iroh was saying went in one ear and out the other. All she could focus on was Zuko.

When it came time for vows, (Y/N) cleared her throat. She had spent weeks memorizing her vows with Katara, to the point where she had them down perfectly. Her only worry was that her emotion would get the best of her as she recited them. 

“I wrote and rewrote these vows a thousand times. What can you say to the person who means the world to you? No matter how hard I tried to shake you and shove down how I felt about you, you always came back to remind me how much I loved you. I loved you every single time that we fought against each other and I loved you every time that we fought with each other. I’m not big into the spiritual stuff, as you know, but a very wise old man once said that you and I were connected by an indestructible thread. No matter how hard either of us tried to cut it, it would never break. And I think that’s true, because no matter where I went, I always found you again.” She inhaled a shaky breath. “You are my sun, moon, and stars. You are everything I ever wanted out of life and more. I love you, Zuko, even more than I love the palace’s fruit tarts.” 

When she finished, Zuko couldn’t help but press his lips to hers. (Y/N) giggled into the kiss before softly pushing him away. “You weren’t supposed to do that yet.” 

“I don’t care,” Zuko said with a smile. 

He pulled his piece of paper out of his pocket and inhaled a deep breath. He only hoped that he could do her vows justice. “I’m not good with words. You know this. I shut down and I keep things bottled up a lot. I’ve been like that for as long as I could remember. But you...you wouldn’t let me. Whenever I was upset as a kid, you’d ask me what was wrong and wouldn’t leave me alone until I had an answer to give you. You’re stubborn, and I’m stubborn too, but your stubbornness always wins in the end.” (Y/N) smiled at him. 

“For a long time after I was banished, I wouldn’t let myself be happy. I had one main goal in life and would stop at nothing to achieve it. But when I saw you again for the first time in three years, you threw my goals off course. I was trying to hunt the Avatar, but I knew one step closer to him would be another step closer to you. It didn’t matter that you were fighting against me. Seeing your face gave me the spark that I needed to continue another day. Whether I was sad, happy, or angry, I always wanted you at my side. And I want you to be at my side everyday for the rest of our lives. Because when I’m with you, no matter what I’m feeling, I’m still the happiest I’ve ever been.” 

(Y/N) was fully crying now, her makeup undoubtedly ruined, but she didn’t care. She loved Zuko with all of her heart. Every bad thing that had ever happened to her, every battle, every tear that she had ever shed, faded into nothingness. 

They said their “I do’s,” and before Iroh could get the last few words of the ceremony out, Zuko’s arms wrapped around (Y/N’s) waist and pulled her close. Their kiss sealed their marriage. Neither could believe that after everything that had happened, they were standing together, finally married. It had been a long time coming, full of trials and tribulations and heartache and sadness, but they both wouldn’t change it for a thing. 

The couple pulled apart, smiling at each other, before turning to the crowd to present themselves. They waved at the people who watched as Iroh boomed behind them: “I present to you: Fire Lord Zuko and Fire Queen (Y/N)!” Their friends and the people of the Fire Nation cheered for them. She saw Mai and Ty Lee at the front of the crowd, both wearing smiles on their faces as they clapped. Momo leapt into (Y/N’s) arms, giving her a big lick on the cheek.��

A dagger flew through the crowd, narrowly missing (Y/N’s) head as it sank into the wooden pillar behind her. Throngs of people dressed in black jumped over the palace wall. The crowd screamed in terror, and (Y/N), Zuko, and their friends watched as the men and women in black began fighting their way toward the palace. 

Zuko looked down at (Y/N). “Are you ready?” She nodded. 

“It wouldn’t be a party without at least one battle.” Zuko chuckled. 

As a team, (Y/N) and her friends sprung into action to fight. As she fought with her firebending, she couldn’t help but think that this was the perfect wedding. 

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[hero-israel]

hi!!!

i'm writing a character that is jewish and was wondering how would you go about writing a chapter that focuses on yom kippur services? like how in depth???

Depends very much on how strictly traditional the character is.

Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement - when Jews are supposed to take stock of their sins and shortcomings, how they have not lived up to God's commandments or to the needs of others. As a sign of its seriousness, Jews are technically supposed to fast for 25 hours.

And not everybody does.

Someone from a highly traditionally-observant community might be reading along with the service (which can easily go like 5 hours) in fluent Hebrew, aware of the order of every prayer and expectation and really wrestling internally with how they did or didn't live up to it in the previous year. If they're fasting, they might be using that discomfort to focus on self-evaluation.

Someone who was raised differently or who chooses to observe the faith in a different manner might find themselves in synagogue only 1 or 2 days in a year, one of which would be Yom Kippur, and they might be uncertain precisely how to act, when to stand up or sit down, what all the Hebrew means, how to follow along in the prayer book. If they're fasting without really knowing why they're doing it, they might be grouchy and resentful. If they're not fasting, they might feel vaguely guilty that they aren't when they are surrounded by other people who are. Or if it's their first time fasting, they might be honestly feeling more of a connection to the traditions than they had known before.  Or maybe they aren’t fasting because they legitimately don’t believe in it (or medically shouldn’t / can’t) but are really intently focused on the seriousness of the holiday anyway - though in that case, they would probably still be “debating their own case” to convince themselves that they’d made the right choice.  

At the end of the long, long day of prayer services is Yizkor, where we mourn the dead in even more heartfelt detail than we do during other prayers (which is usually noticeably much). I've never been to Yizkor because by superstitious tradition you're not supposed to go until both of your parents have passed away, and mine haven't (kenahurrah, pu-pu-pu!), but from what I've heard it's heartbreaking and most people afterwards are shaky and wrung-out.

Then you break the fast, which people are relieved and thrilled to do. In Ashkenazi communities that usually means "Jewish breakfast for dinner," with bagels and lox and cream cheese and tuna fish, etc. Other communities would no doubt have different traditions, but it's not what you'd typically eat when half-starved at like 8pm.

SO: how devoutly observant is your character, how much does being Jewish mean to them? That will determine their attitude during the deliberately uncomfortable and introspective Yom Kippur service.

[words-writ-in-starlight]

I'm thinking of reading Kencyrath, but I'm not sure whether i'll like it. What do you like about the series? Who would you recommend it for?

OKAY SO, first, the people I would recommend it to:

Anyone who read or watched more than half a book/four episodes of Game of Thrones--the Kencyrath has a similar list of trigger warnings, but commits much harder to the fantasy angle, and in my opinion deals more directly with the ethical problems raised by those trigger warnings

People who like those posts picking apart the minutiae of how high fantasy worlds work--the Kencyrath is one of the only series I’m familiar with that answers the question of “okay great you have a warrior race, so how does that actually work” with “it kind of doesn’t, everyone is starving half the time because we’re all warriors and our land can barely grow food, so if our mercenaries don’t get paid, we don’t eat”

People who like a mix of “low fantasy” moral questions (the first book is kind of like...hm, Lies of Locke Lamora?) with classic “high fantasy” political machinations and battles of good vs evil and such--the Kencyrath HAVE a grand sweeping destiny more or less on their doorstep, but they’ve sort of fallen down on the job about it

People who like books that deal with trauma recovery--Jame, the main character, spends most of her time trying to drag herself (and, ideally, her brother, cousin, and entire race) out of the cycle of abuse that they’ve all lived through, and every character has, to some extent, a trauma that shapes their actions one way or another

People who don’t mind a big cast as long as there are a couple main characters to focus on--the Kencyrath ends up being a pretty expansive cast, with a lot of schemes running at any given time, but it always revolves around Jame and her twin brother Tori

People who like complex societal worldbuilding and Loyalty Stuff--the Kendar/Highborn dynamic (warrior class/ruling class) is so wonderfully messed up and I love how seriously the books take both the advantages and massive pitfalls of that kind of society

People who listened to TAZ Balance and thought that the Hunger was really cool and terrifying and wanted a whole book series about the sequence where the world is fighting it

Anyone who ever read a standard high fantasy book with a Rambunctious Young Lady as the lead and went “this is fine, but if you’re going to spend 250 pages telling me that this girl is wild and uncontrollable, I would like to see her go completely feral, please”--Jame’s brain plays Yakety Sax 24/7 and you can TELL, so if you ever wanted a book where the Unladylike Lead Character goes genuinely apeshit, but also learns how to make friends and respect the value of traditionally feminine work even if it’s not for her

People I would recommend NOT read the Kencyrath:

Anyone who knows they are triggered by written discussion of assault, abuse, sexism, coercion, torture, flashbacks, racism, murder, or basically any other major trigger warning--I personally think the books deal with things pretty well, and they’re never grimdark, but they deal with a lot of incredibly heavy material, including child abuse, sexual assault, coercion, and torture.  If you know you have a major trigger that really messes you up when you read about it, please exercise caution and feel free to contact me for more details.  Also, if you have a specific trigger and want a different book recommendation, I have them on tap.  

Anyone who struggles to read or connect with “problematic” characters--pretty much every character in this series will EVENTUALLY do something you don’t like, including Jame.  The books go very hard on “who you are is defined by how you handle making an irreparable mistake,” so be prepared for that.  If this is your hard stop but everything else is fine, I would recommend the Imperial Radch series by Ann Leckie (spaceships and war crimes and found family), or something by Robin McKinley (mostly fantasy), especially the Damar books or Sunshine!

Anyone for whom incest between twins is a hard stop--the primary romantic relationship is Jame/Tori, and while I would consider it easily the healthiest relationship in the series, that’s the ship and you should be aware of it.  If this is your hard stop but everything else is fine, I would recommend the Captive Prince series by CS Pacat (political scheming and romance) or the Winternight trilogy by Katherine Arden (fairy tale fantasy)!

The stuff I like about the series:

Jame.  I love that she’s allowed to be completely unhinged.  I love that she faces consequences for her actions.  I love her determination to slit reality open and lay it all out like a scientist in her search for the truth.  I love her willingness to face unpleasant realities, and I love the times when she can’t bear them and has to figure out how to deal.  I love every second she spends trying to figure out how honor works, and whether it’s even possible for a Highborn to be honorable, and how she can save her people without sacrificing who she is.  I love to watch people pick a fight with her and immediately learn the error of her ways.

Tori.  I know I pick on him a lot, and he deserves to be picked on, but Tori is really one of my favorite characters.  He struggles a lot more than Jame to move past their father’s abuse, and he makes a lot of genuinely harmful choices in the depths of that struggle, but I love watching the times where he wins.  It makes me frustrated beyond words when he caves to what he was taught, but I’m always elated when he can push past that and reveal the deeply loyal, sincerely honorable, incredibly good person that he became in spite of their father.  He’s a good leader, despite everyone’s best efforts, and I love to see him fight for his people.  Love to see him consider HIMSELF one of “his people” someday.

Kindrie.  I won’t say too much about him, except that I didn’t actually like him that much when I first read the books, for basically the exact reasons Jame didn’t like him much at first--he’s someone doing trauma recovery in the exact opposite way that I was comfortable with.  But god I love him so much, he is doing his best and his best is so much better than anyone would expect, from his past.  Truly the best boy in the Kencyrath, wise beyond his years and just insane enough to get into the disasters where he’s most needed.

The Kendar.  Instead of making this post 4k with individual bullet points about every Kendar I love, here is a brief litany.  I love Marc because he’s the only stable person in the Kencyrath.  I love Brier because she’s doing her best and it would be okay if everyone (including her) admitted that she doesn’t always know what that actually means.  I love Burr and Rue because their rabid determination to turn Tori and Jame (Confirmed Feral Cats) into real nobility will never NOT be funny to me.  I love Sheth Sharp-tongue because he’s the only person with his shit so together that not even Jame can ruffle him.  I love the Randir Kendar who didn’t move, at the start of Bound in Blood.  The Kendar are the most nuanced take on the concept of an eternally loyal warrior caste I’ve ever seen and I love them.

The Villains.  I believe I have established that I love a nuanced villain.  The Master is a pretty straight up and down villain figure, the voice of the darkness, John Hunger or Saruman or whatever else you might like to compare him to, but no one else is that simple.  I love the Dreamweaver, who didn’t know what she was doing and paid for it anyway.  I love Tyrandis, who knew what he was doing and did it and spent his eternity trying to fix it without breaking a single rule.  I do NOT love Caldane, but he’s a kind of viscerally real, slimy evil that is exceptionally well executed.  Likewise, I would like Rawneth to die, painfully, in short order, but godDAMN watching her chessboard unfold over the course of the books is hypnotic. The villains in this are GOOD, folks, and I like them.

I really need to wrap this up, so my last pick for what I like is Overpowered Characters.  I complain a lot about media that panics over powerful characters, and responds by taking that power away, or having unstable worldbuilding that means the character is weak when the narrative demands it.  The Kencyrath doesn’t do that.  Jame is bonkers powerful from day one, and pretty much maintains that level through the series.  Instead of focusing on characters building their power, like leveling in DnD, the Kencyrath focuses on the question of using power.  Jame’s power in the first book is terrifying not just because she’s insanely strong, but because she has no idea how to use it.  Likewise, Tori is determined pretty quickly to be at the same level that she is, but he’s in such deep denial that he’s as likely to kill himself as do anything useful.  It’s just very SATISFYING, okay, to have a series actually do interesting things with OP characters.  Sure, in a weird way Jame seems less like a magical nuke in book 8 than in book 1, but it’s because she’s not just throwing power around like someone playing darts blindfolded.  And watching her figure out how to harness her power into something useful is so gratifying.

[metallicdawn]

Vanilla Ice lore you say? I would like to see it

Mz. Pussy 👉👈

You are so sweet to me!!!!!

Okay, so here’s my personal headcanons for Vanilla Ice’s backstory!

[[MORE]]

I have more for VI so here we go:

- He was raised in a rather large family in Egypt. I'd say maybe around 8 or 9 kids just in that family. Ice was one of the oldest, but not exactly the eldest of them all. So, by all accounts, he was a middle child.

- Because of this family dynamic, he quickly learned to take care of himself and the young ones; however, there wasn't much recognition given to the great lengths he went to ensure that everyone stayed fed, healthy, and able-bodied. Because of his silent work and family environment, he never found a way to truly express his emotions, especially his anger. He was never given any form of recognition, gratitude, or praise within his family for the lengths he went to and thus became starved for any form of positive affirmation.

- His frustrations with the world and growing resentment towards his family manifested in his stand Cream. He initially terrified of Cream because of how traditionally horrific his appearance and abilty was to someone in just their early teens. There were many nights he didn’t sleep in fear that Cream would attack him or his siblings if he didn’t watch him constantly. Over time, he came to understand that Cream was just an extension of himself and kinda a manifestation of his “uglier” personality traits like his anger. With this understanding, Cream became the only person in the world who would truly listen to him with no judgement, and similar to Kakyoin, was his only friend during his teen years. When he discovered that he could hide in Cream, it became his only source of refuge and place of serenity for him when handling everything was too much to handle at the moment.

- It was around his 15/16 years, he struggled with immense internalized homophobia as his rather traditional family wasn't exactly approving of this lifestyle. His more feminine dress style was a deep source of conflict that only served to feed into his withheld rage. He felt like something was wrong with him, and yet there was nothing he could do to ever change it, despite his efforts at times.

- Around 19/20, he decided to run away. He was sick of being used and treated poorly by those who were supposed to look after him. It was one last extremely heated argument regarding his supposed sexuality that he snapped and left. He wanted to finally be free to live how he truly wanted to, and thus escaped to the big city of Cairo in hopes of making a better life there for him.

- NSFW MENTION: While in Cairo, he began to work for an open-minded strip club that allowed him to work as a dancer. Through this medium, he was able to express himself and exist in a small bubble that was free from the usual judgements of people. His stage name was Vanilla Ice.

- When Dio arrived in Cairo, he frequented the club that Ice worked at and was a regular customer of Ice's. Sometimes, a booking just allowed them to sit in private and talk. Dio was the first person who appeared to genuinely be interested and recognized Ice for his potential. It was this craving for approval and attention that stemmed from childhood that ultimately served to ensnare Ice within Dio's manipulative clutches.

- When offered a job to be his right-hand man within Dio's Mansion, Ice instantly quit and went to go work for Dio. Unfortunately, Ice was still so enamored by Dio that he pledged himself to him, in life and death, despite the manipulation and jealousy he suffered through.

- Onto some lighter topics, I love DioNilla so much but it’s important to recognize that,,, in canon, it’s really really toxic. That being said, Time for some cute DioNilla for the soul. I imagine Dio and Vanilla Ice truly just talking and enjoying each other’s presence, both really now free to be their true selves. I imagine them cuddling each other and promising that they would both be there for each other no matter what until the end of time. A level of trust wholeheartedly unbreakable because they know each other that well.

[margridarnauds]

I know you prefer a-cast, but what are some pros to buying m-cast instead? There's a bit of a war going on abt which is better. I heard m-cast is better bc the cast is more senior and experienced, but I don't know what to believe. Is a-cast or m-cast just a taste thing, or is it abt smthing else? Would you mind making a chart or smthing for the pros and cons of both versions? Maybe ratings per category? I know you have a preference, but I just think you are quite nuanced. Thanks in advance!

I am very honored that you would think of me as someone who’s fair and nuanced! 

Before I begin, I’m going to say one thing that might or might not be considered....well. Very American of me, from the perspective of Japanese fandom: I do not believe, when it comes to spending the amount of money that these cost, on holding back information in order to appear diplomatic. I’ll try to be diplomatic, for the sake of people who might like anyone I criticize, but, also, if I dislike an aspect, I will try to find SOME way of making said displeasure known, because, again: The amount of money required to buy one DVD, let alone two, is quite a lot. I personally like to buy both, since it lets me compare and contrast, but my God, is it a bit of money (and this year, with the exception of the 2016 Elisabeth, I’ve had to cut down quite a bit while I’ve been abroad: I haven’t touched Frankenstein or Phantom...at least not yet.) 

Also, I am always willing to arrange streams of either/both casts, since this musical is my baby, so that anyone reading this now can see whether what I say is true or not, as well as in order to determine your own preferences. 

Alright, so that disclaimer out of the way, let’s start off: 

I kind of disagree that M cast is more experienced, as a whole. Let’s compare:

Marie  

Rena Sasamato (A Cast) - Had her debut when she was ten years old, in 1995. She is a Toho veteran with many, many musicals under her belt, including The Woman in White, Love Never Dies, Jekyll and Hyde, Les Miserables, West Side Story, Rudolf, Fiddler on the Roof, and, of course, the original 2006 production of Marie Antoinette, where she played Margrid Arnaud. 

Hanafusa Mari (M Cast) - Almost needs no introduction, such is the fame that she has. And I say this as a detractor. My personal feelings about her personality, acting, and singing aside, I can admit that Hanafusa Mari is a living legend in the Japanese musical industry. She certainly lives up to her title of “Empress”, in all senses of the term. She had her debut in 1991 (after, admittedly, undergoing the training of the Takarazuka Revue, so I will give her that she had experience beforehand, just not in acting and singing on stage), and remained there until 2006, when she retired in conjunction with her fellow top star, Yoka Wao. From 2010 onward, she appeared in non-Takarazuka roles, including my very first exposure to Japanese theatre, Dracula, in 2011. 

Now, of the two of them, I won’t deny that Hanafusa has more experience, however I also feel like saying that Rena has less experience is making it sound almost like she was some starving waif that Toho picked off the side of the streets in order to star in their new musical, as opposed to a seasoned actress in her own right who, on top of having an impressive number of musicals under her belt, also has experience in the musical itself. Hanafusa, when it comes down to it, only has four years’ more experience than Rena, though she is almost a decade older and undoubtedly, when she premiered, had more polish than 10 year old Rena. But, on the other hand, she DID remain with the Revue an impressively long time, which is very intense as far as how many musicals they perform on a yearly basis (most Top Musumeyaku only last about...2-3 years or so), she was the original Elisabeth in Takarazuka (a legendary role in its own right), and, my snark about her having the best career money can buy aside, I am willing to say that, for the most part, she’s earned her status as a legend. 

And I want to say that I’m not ripping YOU apart when I say this, I want to make that absolutely clear. You’re asking me a very good question, but it is something I tend to find quite a bit of when I talk Japanese musicals, in the sense that there is often this...assumption that actresses who started off in non-Takarazuka musicals (also a moment of silence for the Shiki actresses, who I almost never talk about but who are kicking ass as Disney Princesses) are somehow...lesser, or that they have less training. Takarazuka is and remains very prestigious, but it’s hardly the be-all, end-all of all musical theatre, and, in many ways, I would argue that Rena has more experience than Hanafusa, in terms of the world of Toho musicals, which require a different style of acting and singing: Less stylized, less affected, more what you would expect from a Broadway or West End show. It’s actually something that I find quite a few Takarazuka actresses struggle with when they come to Toho, as they have to adjust how they’ve done things for a new audience. 

Now, what does this have to do with the overall point? Well, a lot of people bought Marie Antoinette FOR Hanafusa to begin with, since she does have a huge following. I have seen plenty of people admit that they only bought it for her in the first place and didn’t bother with the other cast. I have even seen, in the past, people argue with me on the idea of a musical that DOESN’T have Hanafusa in it getting a proshot, simply because, for them, she IS the world of Japanese musical theatre. Coming from that perspective, of course Rena is less experienced, because she, simply put, isn’t Hanafusa. 

In terms of their overall presentation of the characters, I found that their respective training really impacted how they portrayed the characters: Rena played Antoinette as being very elegant, with a pride that could turn to haughtiness. It made for an Antoinette that is interesting in her own right to watch, which is tricky, since I find that Antoinettes tend to be overshadowed by the other characters, especially Margrid, Fersen, and Orléans. She did include certain aspects of a Takarazuka performance in her performance, since her mother was a Takarazuka star in her own right, such as how to properly use an 18th century fan, but, for the most part, I’m willing to say that she played it much more naturalistically. 

Hanafusa, meanwhile, emphasized the tragedy of Marie’s life. Throughout a decent portion of the musical, she can be seen crying, especially during the trial (which Rena played straightfaced, playing a Marie that is totally numbed by grief), and expresses her happy, joyful moments in a very exaggerated, almost forceful way, more what I would expect from a Zuka actress given that Zuka performances tend to emphasize extremes of sadness and happiness. (Keeping in mind, of course, that traditionally, it’s expected for musical/opera singers to act in an exaggerated way in order to be seen from the back.) If you are used to Hanafusa, then you’ll LOVE it, because she is very much there, and it’s very much what you’ve been accustomed to. She does show her training; she doesn’t miss a single note in the entire production, but I do find that, in this one area, her added age over Rena might be to her detriment, as I find that her voice has thinned somewhat with age, comparing her now to where she was in Dracula or during her Takarazuka days. Her vibrato also isn’t quite to my taste. Not BAD, but not for me. She isn’t UNPLEASANT to listen to, and again, if you are buying it to hear Hanafusa Mari’s voice, that is exactly what you’ll get, but I also do think the luster of it has faded.

So, in terms of overall ratings, here is what I would put them: 

Rena: 

Year of Debut: 1995

Acting: 9/10

Singing: 10/10

Hanafusa: 

Year of Debut: 1991

Acting: 4/10

Singing: 6/10

Margrid 

Sonim (A Cast) - Sonim’s history has been gone into detail here by my friend, @chibimyumi who, unlike me, has a native speaker’s understanding of Japanese (as opposed to getting lucky with Google Translate), so I’ll leave it to her. But, suffice it to say, Sonim had her musical debut about...2007 or so (she was involved in other stage projects, but for sanity’s sake I’m marking her appearance as Johanna in Sweeney Todd as her musical debut) after the idol industry decided to be cowards and kicked her out because she didn’t conform to their pretty pink princess dreams, was offered the title of Ogosho IMMEDIATELY upon her joining up with Toho, and, since then, has distinguished herself as one of their undisputed leading ladies. She has appeared, to my knowledge, on three proshots, two of which I own: Mozart, 1789, and Marie Antoinette, and has also appeared in Kinky Boots, Tanz der Vampire, FACTORY GIRLS, and Rent.  

Natsumi Kon (M Cast) - Natsumi Kon is, admittedly, also no slouch in the world of Japanese musical theatre: She had her debut in 2011, with the coveted role of Juliette Capulet in Romeo and Juliet, and has since been in Les Miserables, Grand Hotel, the Addams Family, The Fiddler on the Roof, and The Secret Garden, as well as being the voice actress for Belle in the 2017 Beauty and the Beast. She has been praised as essentially being “the next generation of the musical world”. 

By the same standard I’ve set re: Hanafusa and Rena, there isn’t THAT much in terms of their ages, since they have the same difference in debut time (though in this case, it’s in Sonim’s favor, and I also think that it’s much more dramatic in terms of younger musical performers as opposed to older ones.) 

I feel like, of the two of them, more people would have come for Sonim, since she is an Ogosho herself, being at the same level of ranking as Furukawa and Hanafusa. What I suspect, in fact, is that Toho, in a CLASSIC Toho move, split the cast that most people would have wanted, with Hanafusa, Furukawa, and Sonim, but I can’t confirm and, honestly, I feel like Hanafusa’s very expressive Antoinette would have clashed with Furukawa’s more aloof Fersen, but that will be dealt with down the line. As it is, M cast has Hanafusa, and A cast has two Ogosho-level performers for the price of one with Sonim and Furukawa. (Meaning that, on a purely technical level, it has the most starpower behind it.)

Sonim has a strong belt and has a reputation for playing scrappy girls, possibly because she herself easily qualifies as a bit of a “scrappy girl” herself. Her Margrid is bitter and cynical, not necessarily kind. The years on the streets have warped her into someone who is primarily motivated by herself and her own personal revenge. She uses “the people” as a self-justification to pursue her own vendetta, only realizing by the end what it’s done and cost her. She doesn’t care for social norms AT ALL, and would be the exact type of person that you would see on a tabletop counter at 2 AM, legs spread out, trying to stuff an entire pizza down her mouth. She’s distrustful, especially towards men and, even for those that she trusts, she has a low level of tolerance for. She is, frankly, a bit of a bitch. And I adore her for it, because it’s more realistic to what I think someone would be like after undergoing what she has. She’s a kind of female character we get relatively little of, really. I do think that, on a few occasions, Sonim perhaps outbelts herself here but, in general, I feel like it suits Margrid’s personality more. 

Natsumi Kon took a more tragic bent to the character. Her Margrid IS a good person, at heart, but she lets her desire for justice, along with her own revenge, steer her towards a course that just causes more suffering. She is more like an 18th century Eponine from Les Miserables, the street girl who, if she’d JUST had the upbringing that Antoinette had, could have been a great lady like her. She seems to play up the love triangle with Fersen more, getting a little closer to him at different times, giving him more longing looks, while also seeming to have...some sort of dynamic with Orléans, with the two of them often touching and laughing with one another. She does have a very smooth, strong voice, though I feel like, on some level, she has never quite escaped playing ingenues, and, rewatching it with a critical eye, I think that, as the musical continues, her voice starts getting a little breathy and strained. I don’t really know whether this is by intent or simply because of the musical being very vocally demanding for the Margrids, but I do think that, if Sonim overbelts at times at the beginning, Natsumi has some issues by the end; the notes aren’t coming out quite as clear or as strong as they should be. Her Margrid has a little bit more of a polish to her and, in general, seems a little younger and more naive compared to Sonim’s. I do give her credit for really being willing to go UP CLOSE to her fellow actors in stand-offs, giving her Margrid the sense of being a little bit of a bull in a China shop; during the duet that Marie and Margrid share, there’s one point where it seems like Natsumi is only INCHES away from her face. I know that it’s out of style to make Harry Potter analogies, but Sonim plays Margrid as a Slytherin; Natsumi as a Gryffindor. She didn’t do a BAD job as an actress, and in fact adds some nice touches to Margrid that I do like, but she doesn’t really do anything too new with the character. 

Now, why does THIS matter? Well, for one, I think that, if you go in expecting the best of everyone, Sonim’s Margrid can be like a dose of cold water. Natsumi is more...palatable. Less conflict, less difficult questions, especially since it becomes that much easier to separate Orléans-As-Villain from Margrid-As-Heroine.  

Overall: 

Sonim: 

Year of Debut: 2007 

Acting: 10/10

Singing: 9/10. 

Natsumi: 

Year of Debut: 2011

Acting: 8/10

Singing: 8/10

Fersen

Furukawa Yuta (A Cast) - Probably one of Toho’s most bankable male leads at the moment. His presence in a musical is generally a VERY good sign to me that Toho is planning on a proshot, since they know that fans will buy anything he’s in. (To illustrate: I wasn’t PLANNING on buying Marie Antoinette, I had more than my fair share of doubts after the disastrous German run, but then I saw Furukawa Yuta and Sonim were signed on and I promptly got both casts. Best insanely rash move I’ve ever made in my life.) He had his stage debut in 2007 with The Prince of Tennis series, and since then he’s played in the Black Butler (Kuroshitsuji) musicals, Elisabeth, 1789, Romeo and Juliet, and Mozart. Though he initially made his name with his dancing and acting abilities, along with his personal charisma, he has since worked on his singing, putting himself through Hell and back to earn his spot as Ogosho. While Mozart was his official debut, I would argue that, in some ways, it was as Fersen and then, later, Romeo that he REALLY got to demonstrate what made him star material. 

Mario Tashiro (M Cast) - Mario Tashiro, like Natsumi Kon, is absolutely no slouch either. He has a full, operatic voice that he uses to excellent effect, making him very recognizable even if you don’t know who exactly he is. Plenty of times, I’ll be listening to a trailer on Youtube and hear this BOOMING voice and go “MARIO TASHIRO?” He has been very prolific on the Toho scene, taking roles in Sunset Boulevard, Chess, Love Never Dies, Elisabeth (marking the first time in known history that Fersen is locked in a love triangle with Fersen for Marie Antoinette and then seduces Fersen’s son, Fersen), The Great Gatsby, Jekyll and Hyde, and Sweeney Todd, among others. 

In terms of approach, both men took very different approaches to their role. Furukawa played Fersen as much more aloof and distant, which makes for a contrast with Marie’s sunny, naive personality. He has a dry sense of humor and has a long-running cat and mouse game with Orléans where both understand, on some level, that they’re on equal ground. His love of Marie, while definitely a real, true love, is also very idealistic: Marie represents a world that, for Fersen, is slowly dying out, she represents the best part of humanity for him, especially after being gone during the war. I do not believe, looking at Furukawa’s Fersen, that he and Antoinette ever actually slept together, rather that it was very much a courtly love. He cares for Margrid, entreating her to have compassion, but there’s just enough wiggle room to wonder how MUCH of it is genuine VS him needing something from her at the time, and he’s very aware of his status as an aristocrat and makes use of it. It’s really unlike any other take on Fersen I’ve seen, in any media, and it’s part of why I ended up leaning towards this production, since it’s generally a MASSIVE feat to make me like Fersen. Furukawa’s voice in the role is softer, lacking the strength of Tashiro’s but still making for some very impressive low notes.

Mario Tashiro, on the other hand, focuses more on Fersen as a romantic hero, full of dash and daring. He has a notably dramatic take on Fersen, with flourishes and exaggerated movements, which, as an opera singer, are probably part and parcel of his acting training. If he’s aware of Orléans’ general presence, he doesn’t seem bothered by him, with their being really little sign that Orléans has any respect for him at all. He loves Marie as well, but it is much more of a sort of fairytale, Rose of Versailles love. There’s not as much moral gray areas to his Fersen, even though he makes the exact same decisions as Furukawa’s and, like Hanafusa Mari’s Marie, tends to go through extreme emotions. His voice was, as always, phenomenal, I give him full and complete credit for it, however, unfortunately, when put up against Hanafusa Mari, I found that the two of them had the tendency of trying to outbelt one another, leading to a distinct lack of chemistry during romantic scenes. (And you’ll notice that, despite generally being weighted against Hanafusa, I am NOT giving her the full blame for this one.) 

Furukawa Yuta (A Cast)

Year of Debut: 2007

Acting - 10/10 

Singing - 9/10

Mario Tashiro (M Cast) 

Year of Debut: 2009 (He had his singing debut in 2007, but his overall musical debut was 2009)

Acting - 7/10

Singing - 10/10

Louis

Takanori Sato (A Cast) - Probably the baby of the group, in the sense that he had his own debut a little while after the others, in 2015. In his case, and his case alone, would I say that there was a REALLY strong case for him not having as much experience compared to his counterpart. He has played in Titanic, Elisabeth, the Scarlet Pimpernel (the one with Kazutaka Ishi), Mata Hari, Legally Blonde, and Chess, the latter possibly most impressively since he did the entire thing in English. 

Yuichi Harada (M Cast) - I’ll be honest, I’ve never in my life been tempted to look up his biography before, but when I did, I was impressed to find that he’s actually been working in the world of musicals since 1992, when he was in Anne of Green Gables and then again in Les Miserables as Gavroche. He has had a long career with Toho, too, being in musicals such as Les Miserables, The Sound of Music, Titanic, the Beggar’s Opera, and La Cage Aux Folles, none of which I literally had any idea about until today, but that is very impressive. Massive props to him, honestly, as well as working as a director for Bare: The Musical, which...well. Props to him for branching out. I will never understand the love for Bare worldwide, but you know what? Almost all musicals deserved to be loved by SOMEONE. He has an impressive track record, I’ll give him that. One of these days, I’ll probably have to dig deeper, since I suspect that there’s a lot more to him than meets the eye. 

Takanori has a very smooth, strong voice, without the projection of Mario Tashiro. I found that his take on Louis was quite charming, tender to his wife, a normal man who Marie respects even if she doesn’t love him in the same way as she loves Fersen. (Honestly, can I just say: While we all know that Orléans has my entire heart....if Takanori’s Louis asked me to marry him....#PhilippeWho.) He’s a steady man, not really dumb, but well-intentioned and occasionally oblivious to the real danger, and it’s that that kills him, in the end. 

Yuichi’s Louis is much more...confused throughout the thing and, while I think Antoinette has some compassion for him, I don’t really feel like it’s love so much as...affection, mixed with a certain amount of pity. He does show moments where it looks like he knows a lot more than he lets on, but in general, I think he did play it as much more humorous, a lot more...well, dumb, at least until the second act. He does have a solid voice, I give him that, but in general, it felt like there was a little less subtlety in how he interpreted the role. There’s something almost childish about the way that he grasps Orléans’ hands when he’s asking him to intercede for them, whereas in Takanori’s case, it’s more him realizing that his cousin is...well. Orléans, but knowing that he has to do a little bit of crawling if he’s going to survive. 

Yuichi’s Louis DOES still get sympathy from me, but it’s in a way that is kind of insulting to him as a character, mainly because it’s less about HIM and more like “......god. Killing him is a bit like kicking a puppy. Like, you could do it, but my God, why would you?” Like, I do kind of want to write a fanfic where he can just......be safe........far, far away from everything, because I’m not sure if he would notice if they took him any place else, but it does kind of...take away his complexity? I will say, in his defense, looking over his entire performance, that seeing him constantly trying to smile as he’s being led while Marie panics, trying to let her know this is all going to be alright, is a tearjerker, though I still feel like his Louis is played a bit too much like the caricature of Louis that, at this point, I’m kind of used to seeing. That being said, while I don’t necessarily like all of the DIRECTION he took Louis, I can see that he put genuine thought into constructing the role, so I’m not going to nuke him too much in the acting category.

This one, more than any of the others, is probably YMMV, because I know people who were genuinely shocked to realize Louis is double-cast at all. Mainly because it isn’t like the role leaves THAT much of an impact, overall, having only one major song. I honestly think that the 2021 cast is making the right call in splitting Orléans and giving Louis one role, all things considered. 

Takanori Sato

Year of Debut: 2015

Acting - 10/10

Singing - 10/10

Yuichi Harada

Year of Debut: 1992

Acting - 8/10

Singing - 8/10

The Case for M Cast

Now that we’ve gone through the rankings, it’s time for the original question: What are the pros of M Cast? And, if you just listened to me laying all this out, you would think that I wouldn’t have much positive to say. That being said, when I was back in the States and could spend an hour or two watching musicals every day, a LOT of the time, I would watch M Cast. There has never really been a point where I said “You know? I regret getting that cast, I wish I’d just had A the entire time.” If I was dangling off a cliff and I could only save one cast recording, I would HAVE to choose A (and then promptly sob), but I do, genuinely, like M on its own and would recommend getting both simply to compare. 

- Mitsuo Yoshihara. Now, this is going to be odd for anyone reading, because I can hear it now: “But he wasn’t double cast! Wouldn’t you get him on A too?” Yes, you definitely would. But he is a very unique type of Toho actor in the sense that he changed up his performance for EACH cast he was in. If you look at M cast, he has a much warmer dynamic with Natsumi’s Margrid, either as a paternal substitute (making up for her own aristocratic father) or as a prospective love interest. He is MUCH more hurt in the final court scene, very clearly viewing Margrid’s decision as a personal betrayal. As the admitted and confessed Morléans shipper, I have to eat the angst up like it’s candy. The two of them have a nice amount of familiarity and chemistry with one another, presumably due to having worked with one another on other projects before. 

- Mario Tashiro’s voice. This deserves its own section because it is REALLY, REALLY phenomenal. You know whenever you’re seeing Mario Tashiro in something simply because that voice is VERY distinctive and is totally overwhelming each time you hear it. I noted my misgivings in his section, but overall? It is very much worth the price of admission just to hear him. 

- Different shots. I’m still figuring out exactly WHAT shots dramatically change from each cast, but M cast does contain some shots that A doesn’t have and vice versa. M cast doesn’t have this shot of Margrid and Antoinette, and A cast doesn’t have the one here of Antoinette and Fersen’s hands touching, which is a wonderful little bit of cinematography. I do think that, depending on the shot, you can get more or less of a character’s motivations in that moment. A personal favorite is Hébert trying to get Margrid alone during the scene just before the ball and Margrid shoving him off, which foreshadows what happens near the end of the second act. 

-Hanafusa and Natsumi’s voices actually do go quite nicely together at the end.

-Mario Tashiro does make for a very splashy Fersen; yeah, you might not spend too long dissecting what he’s doing when he’s on stage, but he is fun to watch swish around in his 18th century officer’s outfit.  

-My griping on Natsumi’s Margrid aside, I do think she has a lot of charm. No, it isn’t my FAVORITE take on the role, but I do actually like what she does, she adds quite a few nice touches to it, and she does make the song “Enough is Enough”, near the end of the first act, her actual bitch, adding her own riffs onto it to give it a sense of individuality. The parts where she’s smiling, hanging onto Orléans’ arm, make even my wrinkled, shriveled heart grow three sizes. I’ll be genuinely excited to see her return to the role in 2021 to see if there’s anything she changes, though I doubt I’ll be able to see any part of it in person. 

-If you’re a Hanafusa Mari fan, you get to see the kind of performance from her that you’ve grown to expect and appreciate. If you’re not, you get to see her get splashed in the face with champagne. Win, win, win. 

Overall, I think that it will depend on what you’re looking for. I really enjoyed the realism and the grit of the A cast, but not everyone WANTS grit, and in that case...I suppose M cast would appeal more, since M cast relies on everyone involved being much better human beings than A cast, though I do want to emphasize that everyone in A cast is still redeemable. (Except Hébert. Because fuck Hébert.) M cast is....easier to digest, in many ways. There’s a good queen, a stupid-yet-sweet king, a dashing hero, and a misunderstood-yet-angry-poor girl, manipulated by the siren’s song of the Revolution and her unrequited love for Fersen, who bullies the poor, downtrodden queen when she gets a chance before realizing the error of her ways. I think that, for many people, that’s perfectly fine, and that’s what they wanted, especially if they’re already used to Rose of Versailles. I do still LIKE it, because it’s a production of one of my top 2 favorite musicals, but I do think that, if it was the ONLY version of the musical available, I wouldn’t have spent so much time picking it apart. (Though I still would have thought it a MASSIVE improvement on the German.)

 I do put a lot of it on Hanafusa Mari’s influence, though, because of the prevalence of her fanbase and the general belief that no one could ever come close to their star, so why bother getting another cast. Especially given how....devoted the Takarazuka fanbase is in comparison to the Toho fanbase, and the Thing I’ve noticed where fans try to argue that there is some sort of empirical reason for their bias as opposed to simply liking one more than the other. 

[douchebagbrainwaves]

AND YOU KNOW WHO GOT THEM

Smaller companies were increasingly able to survive as formerly narrow channels to consumers broadened. They seem to like us too.1 That gets you James Bond, who knows what to do in situations where few others could. What about the more theoretical question of whether hockey would be a bad sign if they weren't; it would be false. And partly a larger part than he would admit that he doesn't want to see.2 The problem is, a lot of the problems change. On the other hand, history is even fuller of examples of parents who thought their kids were wasting their time and who were right. Why didn't Henry Ford realize that networks of cooperating companies work better than a single big company? If you want to slow down, your instinct is to lean back.3

Meetings are like an opiate with a network effect. My guess is that a lot of instincts, this one wasn't designed for fun, and mostly it wasn't. It turns out I have a lot of time on bullshit things or lose to people who do. I get nothing done, because I'm doing stuff that seems, superficially, like real work. In most fields, prototypes have traditionally been made out of different materials. Now a lot of something. The one example I've found is, embarrassingly enough, Yahoo, Google, and Facebook all got started. Nor did they work for big companies not even to try to solve problems and simply not discount weird hunches you have in the process. If you want to prepare yourself to start a startup, the thought of our startups keeps me up at night. A physicist friend recently told me half his department was on Prozac. As with gangs, we have some idea what your prospects might be if you tried to keep someone in as protected an environment as a newborn till age 18.4

Aggregators show how much better you can do to help: Avoid distractions. In short, the disasters this summer were just the usual childhood diseases. And it does seem as if Google was a collaboration. The reason this struck me so forcibly is that for most of what happened in finance too. Buildings to be constructed from stone were tested on a smaller scale in wood. One might worry this would prevent people from expressing controversial ideas, but a leading indicator.5 To some extent this was because the companies themselves had become sclerotic.6 How can you tell if you're up to it, the only way to get an accurate drawing is not to spend it having fun, you know you're being self-indulgent. Advising people and writing are fundamentally different types of problems—wisdom to human problems and intelligence to abstract ones. In fact, we were surprised how much time I spent making introductions. What a solitary task startups are.

Apple are doing so much better than Microsoft today. It will take more experience to know for sure, but my guess is that a lot of time on them have to be learned, and are sometimes fairly counterintuitive. Having coffee with a friend matters. Notice I said what they need, not what they want. Palm and RIM haven't a hope. You can see it in old photos. They want to get rich. As one of the things startups do right without realizing it.

Developments in finance, communications, transportation, and manufacturing enabled a new type of company whose goal was above all scale. That form of fragmentation, like the chemical elements. That way we can avoid being discontented about being discontented. And that means other questions aren't. I began with, that it doesn't matter much; it will change anyway. And we have to tell them the best way to begin may not be to write a prototype that solves a subset of a bigger problem you're trying to solve: how to have a remedial character. So by studying the intended users include the designer himself.7 I finally figured out something I've wondered about for 25 years: the relationship between wisdom and intelligence. This article is derived from a keynote talk at the fall 2002 meeting of NEPLS. But you yourself are the most important things to remember about divorce, one of which is: You shouldn't put the blame on one parent, because divorce is never only one person's fault. In 1995, writing software for end users was effectively identical with writing Windows applications. Once an essay has had a couple thousand page views I feel reasonably confident about it.

You won't feel later like that was a waste of time. Practically everyone thinks that someone who went to private schools or wished they did started to dress preppy, and kids who wanted to seem rebellious made a conscious effort to think of startup ideas, the ideas you come up with will not merely be bad, but bad specifically in the sense of not having gone to the college you'd have liked is your own feeling that you're thereby lacking something. Within Y Combinator, which is more than they paid him. What was really happening was de-oligopolization. I mean business can learn from open source: that people working for money, but also everyone who aspired to it—which in the middle of the century our two big forces intersect, in the now pointless secrecy of the Masons. At the very least we have to go pretty far down the list of colleges before you stop finding smart professors in the math department. If Christmas-as-magic lasts from say ages 3 to 10, you only have to keep the peace. Good new ideas come from earnest, energetic, and independent-minded. If the world were static, we could just program in machine language. The reason, I realized, more from internal evidence than any outside source, that the ideas we were being fed on TV were crap, and I am self-indulgent in the sense of being an insider. If you want to start startups hope universities can teach them about startups if they were merely hiring people.8 100,000 people worked there.

Notes

The other reason they pay a lot of the whole fund.

The amusing thing is, it would have seemed to Aristotle the core: the resources they expend on the Daddy Model and reality is the kind that prevents you from starving.

Joe Gebbia needed Airbnb? It's lame that VCs play such games, books, newspapers, or pigs, to the environment. You may not have raised money at first had two parts: the energy they emit encourages other ambitious people together. The mere possibility of being absorbed by the size of the current edition, which are a small proportion of spam, but all they demand from art is brand, and so don't deserve to keep the next round.

How did individuals accumulate large fortunes in an industrialized country encounters the idea of getting rich, purely mercenary founders will seem as if having good intentions were enough to absorb that. So the cost can be times when what you're doing. Investors are fine with funding nerds. In a country with a potential acquirer unless you want to know about a week for 19 years, it becomes an advantage to be about 50%.

Believe me, I should add that none who read this to be very promising, because a part has come unscrewed, you have to do that. Mueller, Friedrich M. Ideas are one of the world. As well as good ones don't even try.

Few technologies have one clear inventor. I paint someone's house, the best new startups.

With the good groups, you have to want to create a silicon valley in Israel. For example, if you don't, you're using a degenerate case of Bayes' Rule.

The continuing popularity of religion is the odds are slightly more interesting than later ones, it will seem like noise. I'm talking here about which is something inexperienced founders. Letter to Ottoline Morrell, December 1912.