#how do those features translate into a real person?!?
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Momo i-HAKE! Rabbit TV - Part 1: i-HAKE! ~Momo’s episode 1~
Episode 1 - Episode 2 - Episode 3
Please note that I am not a professional translator and I'm only doing this to share the side materials to those who cannot access them, if you notice any mistakes please let me know nicely. Enjoy!
Momo: Yahoo, everyone~! It's Momo from Re:vale!
Momo: Today I'm visiting a community center in Momoharu Town for the “i-HAKE! ~Idol dispatch~" project!
Momo: This town has a big port nearby and is famous for its seafood bowls~
Staff: Momo-san, you sound like you know a lot about this town. Have you been here before?
Momo: I saw its market featured on TV before and thought it looked nice. The rumors were right, it sure is a lovely town!
Momo: Don’t tell me, is the request related to “that”?
Staff: What do you mean by "that"?
Momo: Fish! I could try my hand at butchering a tuna fish for example!?
Staff: Ohh! That would be worth witnessing…!
Momo: Oh, that reaction… Did I actually get it right!?
Momo: Ah, but wait, don’t you need a certificate to process tuna?
Momo: In that case, if Momo-chan needs one... does that mean I’m gonna be shooting here long-term!? Then I’m gonna guess my support guests are either the intelligent Iori or Sougo!
Staff: Momo-san, your deductive skills are sharp!
Momo: Fufu, you can call me the Great Detective Momo-chan!
Staff: Well then, let's call your two support guests on stage to answer your question!
Nanase Riku: Hello, I'm your support guest, Izumi Iori. I like cool and sharp things.
Yaotome Gaku: Likewise, I'm Osaka Sougo. Nice to meet you...Is this how Osaka acts...?
Momo: Yay! bingo! ...or not, it's Riku and Gaku!
Momo: You two found your groove right from the start!
Nanase Riku: Ehehe, that was a good Iori impression, wasn’t it? I’ll introduce myself properly, I'm Nanase Riku! I'll do my best to support you, Momo-san!
Yaotome Gaku: Ahaha. Sorry my impression didn’t go through as well. I'm Yaotome Gaku, I’ll be your support guest.
Momo: Thank you for being here with us today! I feel like I have the strength of a hundred men with you two here!
Momo: By the way, is the request to process tuna...
Nanase Riku: No it’s not!
Yaotome Gaku: Definitely not that.
Momo: You shot it down immediately!? You junior idols are ruthless...!
Yaotome Gaku: Personally I'd like to try it, even if it sounds challenging.
Momo: Seeing Gaku dismantle a fish on screen sounds exciting!
Nanase Riku: I wanna see that!
Momo: Let me know if you decide to take on that!
Yaotome Gaku: Ahaha!
Momo: Alright, let's get back to the real request... What is it?
Nanase Riku: Alright! On the count of three...
Nanase Riku & Yaotome Gaku: "We want you to perform a traditional Japanese drum dance at a festival!"
Momo: A Japanese drum dance!?
Staff: Yes! Now, let's call the leader of the local youth group who made the request! Please come in!
Youth Group Leader: Heya, nice to meet you! ...Whoa! It really is Momo-san from Re:vale! Amazing! Your idol aura is off the charts!
Youth Group Leader: Woah, Riku-kun and Gaku-kun look so cool too! Can I please take a picture later?
Nanase Riku: Wah... Y-Yes! Sure thing!
Yaotome Gaku: Haha, aren’t you quite energetic.
Momo: He's so friendly!
Youth Group Leader: Thanks! It’s not just me, all the guys in our youth group pour their souls into this festival!
Momo: Wow! And you’re inviting us to a festival this spirited? I'm even more excited now!
Momo: Riku! Gaku! Let's make it more exciting together!
Nanase Riku & Yaotome Gaku: Yeah!
Momo: First of all, could you tell us what kind of festival it is?
Youth Group Leader: It's an annual festival in our community! It's called the "Autumn Leaves Festival," and it's a traditional event we hold in autumn.
Momo: What, the day after tomorrow!? So we only have two days left!?
Youth Group Leader: I'm sorry it's right around the corner...!
Yaotome Gaku: We can handle it. Men burn brighter in the face of adversity.
Nanase Riku & Momo: So cool...!
Youth Group Leader: Everyone in town looks forward to the Autumn Leaves Festival even if it’s not a huge one with fireworks. The Japanese drum performance is the highlight of the event and it gets the crowd excited every year!
Momo: Sounds awesome! But can we really be in charge of such an important part of it?
Youth Group Leader: That's exactly why! This year is the Autumn Leaves Festival’s 100th anniversary so we wanna make it even more spectacular than ever.
Youth Group Leader: Momo-san, you're great at hyping up the crowds either at concerts or on TV. So everyone’s energy is surely gonna skyrocket if you’re there performing at the festival!
Youth Group Leader: We'd be very happy if you could help us...!
Nanase Riku & Momo & Yaotome Gaku: ...!
Momo: I can't help but get fired up when you put it like that!
Nanase Riku: Yes! And a Japanese drum performance sounds like it’s gonna be a lot of fun anyways…!
Yaotome Gaku: yeah, I’m pumped!
Momo: Alright then, let’s give it our best for the big performance the day after tomorrow! Let’s fire up the Autumn Leaves Festival with the best performance!!
Nanase Riku & Yaotome Gaku: Yeah!!!
Momo: Oh, these outfits look really cool!
Momo: Don’t they look like we could put on a live performance wearing them?
Nanase Riku: Wow...! Momo-san, it looks so good on you! You too, Yaotome-san!
Yaotome Gaku: You too, Nanase. I think it’d be quite the artistic portrait to play Japanese drums in these fits.
Youth Group Leader: Everyone looks great in those outfits! So cool!
Momo: Thank you!
Youth Group Leader: Wow... I felt my heart race when you winked at me...! I’m kinda nervous...!
Yaotome Gaku: As expected of you, Momo-san. Your fan service is top-notch.
Momo: Wearing this outfit activated my switch.
Youth Group Leader: The outfits are fantastic, but the drums over there are what’s making me really excited!
Momo: I'm itching to practice already!
Youth Group Leader: I’m glad to see you so motivated, Momo-san! I’ll call the drum instructor right away.
Youth Group Leader: The Autumn Leaves Festival would be nothing without him! He's been playing the drums for 50 years! Here’s our instructor, Gen-san!
Gen-san: Nice to meet you all. I'm looking forward to working with you.
Nanase Riku & Momo & Yaotome Gaku: Nice to meet you!
Nanase Riku: The fact that you’ve been playing for 50 years is seriously impressive…!
Gen-san: No, it's nothing. I just happened to pick up the drumsticks at my first Autumn Leaves Festival, and before I knew it, I reached this age.
Youth Group Leader: Everyone who performs the Japanese drum in this town learned the basics from Gen-san. I was still a kid when he first taught me...
Nanase Riku: It has quite a long history...!
Youth Group Leader: Of course! It's a traditional performance that’s been passed down through generations during the festival after all!
Yaotome Gaku: It's a big responsibility...
Momo: Yeah, but it makes me even more motivated. We'll put our hearts into playing the drum!
Gen-san: Thank you. I'm glad to hear that.
Gen-san: By the way, have any of you played the Japanese drum before?
Momo: I played a little during an elementary school sports festival... But I’ve never been taught properly.
Yaotome Gaku: I'm on the same boat over here...Oh, I did practice while playing a few rounds of taiko games before though…
Momo: I'm good at those games!
Yaotome Gaku: You like playing games, don’t you?. ...But this might be different from the real deal…?
Momo: I seeeee! Yuki is complete ass at playing racing games and often ends up driving in reverse, but his real-life driving skills are top-notch…
Nanase Riku: I used to play with toy drums we had at home when I was little...
Gen-san: I understand. Let's start by learning how to stand.
Gen-san: Each one of you stands in front of a drum.
Gen-san: Momo-kun, you stand in front of the large drum in the center. Riku-kun and Gaku-kun, please stand in front of the medium-sized ones on each side.
Nanase Riku: Momo-san's drum is huge...!
Yaotome Gaku: It’s really impactful! It really feels like the main one.
Nanase Riku: Momo-san is in the center!
Momo: The center, huh! Re:vale doesn't really have that so it’s refreshing, I’m kinda happy!.
Nanase Riku: Well, us three are a special unit right now so we'll support you, Momo-san!
Momo: Thanks, Riku! Since I have you two supporting me, I need to do my best too.
Gen-san: Hmmm... I was going to teach you how to stand but you already look graceful. Maybe you should pull your shoulders back a bit to open your chests?
Momo: Opening our chest, huh…Like this?
Gen-san: Ah… Yes, exactly. Your posture is good and so is your intuition. Riku-kun and Gaku-kun have a very upright standing posture, too.
Gen-san: And now, first bow to the drum before holding the drumsticks...
Nanase Riku & Momo & Yaotome Gaku: ...
Gen-san: ...Oho. You've already done it.
Nanase Riku: Ah...! I’m sorry for doing it without your instruction...!
Yaotome Gaku: My body moved on its own...
Momo: Ahaha... I just wanted to greet the drums properly since they'll be helping us at the festival.
Gen-san: Fufu. No need to apologize… There's nothing more to say about your readiness.
Momo: ...Thank you very much!
Gen-san: Well then, you can finally pick up the drumsticks and start playing.
Gen-san: I apologize for the lack of practice time, but I'll teach you everything I can. So please look forward to the Japanese drum performance.
Nanase Riku & Momo & Yaotome Gaku: Yes! We're looking forward to working with you!
Momo: I'll pour my heart and soul into it so that the townsfolk can also call this year's Autumn Leaves Festival a good one!
End of Episode 1.
#idolish7#i7#ainana#idolish7 translation#sunohara momose#momo re:vale#nanase riku#yaotome gaku#i-hake#rabbitv
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Every time i read eruri fanfic i have such a hard time picturing erwin because literally no one can be that majestic looking in real life
#erwin smith#he's too pretty#no real person looks lije that#which makes reading fanfics too difficult#like what do i picture him as?!!?#how do those features translate into a real person?!?
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Been thinking recently about the goings-on with Duolingo & AI, and I do want to throw my two cents in, actually.
There are ways in which computers can help us with languages, certainly. They absolutely should not be the be-all and end-all, and particularly for any sort of professional work I am wholly in favour of actually employing qualified translators & interpreters, because there's a lot of important nuances to language and translation (e.g. context, ambiguity, implied meaning, authorial intent, target audience, etc.) that a computer generally does not handle well. But translation software has made casual communication across language barriers accessible to the average person, and that's something that is incredibly valuable to have, I think.
Duolingo, however, is not translation software. Duolingo's purpose is to teach languages. And I do not think you can be effectively taught a language by something that does not understand it itself; or rather, that does not go about comprehending and producing language in the way that a person would.
Whilst a language model might be able to use probability & statistics to put together an output that is grammatically correct and contextually appropriate, it lacks an understanding of why, beyond "statistically speaking, this element is likely to come next". There is no communicative intent behind the output it produces; its only goal is mimicking the input it has been trained on. And whilst that can produce some very natural-seeming output, it does not capture the reality of language use in the real world.
Because language is not just a set of probabilities - there are an infinite array of other factors at play. And we do not set out only to mimic what we have seen or heard; we intend to communicate with the wider world, using the tools we have available, and that might require deviating from the realm of the expected.
Often, the most probable output is not actually what you're likely to encounter in practice. Ungrammatical or contextually inappropriate utterances can be used for dramatic or humorous effect, for example; or nonstandard linguistic styles may be used to indicate one's relationship to the community those styles are associated with. Social and cultural context might be needed to understand a reference, or a linguistic feature might seem extraneous or confusing when removed from its original environment.
To put it briefly, even without knowing exactly how the human brain processes and produces language (which we certainly don't), it's readily apparent that boiling it down to a statistical model is entirely misrepresentative of the reality of language.
And thus a statistical model is unlikely to be able to comprehend and assist with many of the difficulties of learning a language.
A statistical model might identify that a learner misuses some vocabulary more often than others; what it may not notice is that the vocabulary in question are similar in form, or in their meaning in translation. It might register that you consistently struggle with a particular grammar form; but not identify that the root cause of the struggle is that a comparable grammatical structure in your native language is either radically different or nonexistent. It might note that you have trouble recalling a common saying, but not that you lack the cultural background needed to understand why it has that meaning. And so it can identify points of weakness; but it is incapable of addressing them effectively, because it does not understand how people think.
This is all without considering the consequences of only having a singular source of very formal, very rigid input to learn from, unable to account for linguistic variation due to social factors. Without considering the errors still apparent in the output of most language models, and the biases they are prone to reproducing. Without considering the source of their data, and the ethical considerations regarding where and how such a substantial sample was collected.
I understand that Duolingo wants to introduce more interactivity and adaptability to their courses (and, I suspect, to improve their bottom line). But I genuinely think that going about it in this way is more likely to hinder than to help, and wrongfully prioritises the convenience of AI over the quality and expertise that their existing translators and course designers bring.
#alright getting off my soapbox now#apologies if this is not particularly coherent - i was very much working through my thoughts as I was writing#but yeah tl;dr i am not huge on LLMs especially for language education and am deeply disappointed by the way things are trending#anyways if anyone knows any learning tools that are similarly structured i'd appreciate the recommendation#being able to easily do a little bit of study on a regular basis helped me a lot and i've yet to find anything similar#duolingo#language#language learning
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Hey, I'm really sorry for asking this, but do you and how do you deal with any guilt for liking Hazbin Hotel? I think the controversies and antis have got to me because I can't watch it or any content without thinking about those.
I love the songs (both the show's and PARANOID DJ's because they're bangers) but I also can't help but think "am I a terrible person with bad taste for liking this?"
Parts of this show also just make me happy, especially Angel Dust. He became such a comfort to me after I went through a similar situation. Not as extreme, but it messed me up. And Alastor is just the best character to ever be created. He sings and dances and kills and eats people, what more could you want in a man? But yeah, I just want to enjoy the silly demon show without feeling gross afterward and I don't know how to shake that feeling off.
First of all, I don't have any guilt watching anything I enjoy.
Second of all, neither should you. And this is the problem with antis and "critics". No one should EVER be made to feel bad about liking anything. Hell, I'll even extend that thought to those who like Velma. I'll never understand it, but I can't hate you for liking something.
I know Vivzie is tied to a lot of controversies, but so what? More than half of them have been debunked or shown to have changed as she grew older. Even if you still feel iffy, Hazbin is more than just Vivzie. There's an entire crew attached to this show and they should not suffer bc of one person.
I mean, you've most likely played a game or watched a movie that has had a problematic person connected to it. Yeah, that person is scummy, but you can still enjoy the content that has them featured or they created bc...that doesn't define you as a person. What you like in fiction does not translate to real life.
It's different when it comes to someone like Onision, who's content is nothing but his life and about him. I'd be more disgusted if you liked him vs you liking Hopper from A Bug's life, despite him being played by Kevin Spacey. Awful person, but Hopper is disconnected from Spacey other than voice. Or liking a song by a problematic artist. You like the song, not the person.
Once again, YOU SHOULD NOT FEEL GUILTY FOR ENJOYING SOMETHING! NO ONE SHOULD EVER FEEL GUILTY FOR ENJOYING MEDIA THAT'S MEANT TO BE ENJOYED! VIVZIE MADE THE SHOW BUT SHE IS NOT THE SHOW!
Anyone who dares to feel self-righteous over a cartoon needs to get that tree branch out of their ass.
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How I teach the Iliad in highschool:
I’ve taught the Iliad for over a decade, I’m literally a teacher, and I can even spell ‘Iliad’, and yet my first instinct when reading someone’s opinions about it is not to drop a comment explaining what it is, who ‘wrote’ it, and what that person’s intention truly was.
Agh. <the state of Twitter>
The first thing I do when I am teaching the Iliad is talk about what we know, what we think we know, and what we don’t know about Homer:
We know -
- 0
We think we know -
- the name Homer is a person, possibly male, possibly blind, possibly from Ionia, c.8th/9th C BCE.
- composed the Iliad and Odyssey and Hymns
We don’t know -
- if ‘Homer’ was a real person or a word meaning singer/teller of these stories
- which poem came first
- whether the more historical-sounding events of these stories actually happened, though there is evidence for a similar, much shorter, siege at Troy.
And then I get out a timeline, with suggested dates for the ‘Trojan war’ and Iliad and Odyssey’s estimated composition date and point out the 500ish years between those dates. And then I ask my class to name an event that happened 500 years ago.
They normally can’t or they say ‘Camelot’, because my students are 13-15yo and I’ve sprung this on them. Then I point out the Spanish Armada and Qu. Elizabeth I and Shakespeare were around then. And then I ask how they know about these things, and we talk about historical record.
And how if you don’t have historical record to know the past, you’re relying on shared memory, and how that’s communicated through oral tradition, and how oral tradition can serve a second purpose of entertainment, and how entertainment needs exciting characteristics.
And we list the features of the epic poems of the Iliad and Odyssey: gods, monsters, heroes, massive wars, duels to the death, detailed descriptions of what armour everyone is wearing as they put it on. (Kind of like a Marvel movie in fact.)
And then we look at how long the poems are and think about how they might have been communicated: over several days, when people would have had time to listen, so at a long festival perhaps, when they’re not working. As a diversion.
And then I tell them my old and possibly a bit tortured simile of ‘The Pearl of Myth’:
(Here’s a video of The Pearl of Myth with me talking it through in a calming voice: https://youtu.be/YEqFIibMEyo?sub_confirmation=1
youtube
And after all that, I hand a student at the front a secret sentence written on a piece of paper, and ask them to whisper it to the person next to them, and for that person to whisper it to the next, and so on. You’ve all played that game.
And of course the sentence is always rather different at the end than it was at the start, especially if it had Proper nouns in it (which tend to come out mangled). And someone’s often purposely changed it, ‘to be funny’.
And we talk about how this is a very loose metaphor for how stories and memory can change over time, and even historical record if it’s not copied correctly (I used to sidebar them about how and why Boudicca used to be known as ‘Boadicea’ but they just know the former now, because Horrible Histories exists and is awesome)
And after all that, I remind them that what we’re about to read has been translated from Ancient Greek, which was not exactly the language it was first written down in, and now we’re reading it in English.
And that’s how my teenaged students know NOT TO TAKE THE ILIAD AS FACT.
(And then we read the Iliad)
#man this week has been hard for classics teachers#Iliad#greek mythology#tagamemnon#greek myth#odyssey#homer#greek myth retellings#comix#greek myth comix#classics teacher#teaching#myth#history#ancient greek history#horrible histories#the idiots#teaching resources#teacher rant#Youtube
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ARGENTI AS A RIVAL
How would hsr boys react on it? Argenti, Blade, Gepard, Luocha.
Translate or reblog is alright, but only if you remember, that I may ask you to delete if I would not alright with your blog. Thank you.
The place I live most of all.
MASTERLIST.
Argenti smiles when he notices you, and he has no choice but to compliment you externally and internally:
''I really like your appearance today'', you weren't in a close friendship, which made his remarks seem more intimate, more romantic, but of course it couldn't please your man. ''if I asked you out, I think I wouldn't be able to tear myself away from the mirror in the hope that I wouldn't succumb to your beauty - it's already a playful wink.'' Argenti doesn't mean anything vulgar, it's a way for him to say that the person is pleasant, but…
✦ Blade
…But it evokes cold hatred and disgust. The only question is, which way will Blade wrap his feelings around it? He may well give up on himself in an impulse to match your happiness, and if he sees and thinks your life's journey with Argenti will be satiated with pleasure…all the inner nastiness will spill out into the mirror image. Matching Argentina's opposing features, Blade will hate his face and body, he'll start to feel nauseous, seasick; too strong, unnaturally destructive feelings for you will cause his stomach furnace to duel.
✦ Gepard
…but it brings out the rivalry. The very real desire to win your heart and prove to everyone - no, to himself - that there is no partner more worthy than the knight Gepard.
He, of course, bewilderedly asks questions reminiscent of greedy jealousy:
"What do you find attractive about him?" - If nothing, Gepard settles down a bit.
"What do you think of his combat stats?" - if you tell me something, Cheetah will do his best to hear that he's better at it.
"And why did you choose me?" - a primitive desire to feel… warmth. Respect. Mutuality. Don't deprive him of such warm feelings.
✦ Luocha
…But this leaves Luocha in a stupor: what to do…? Yes, those compliments are true, there's no point in clinging to them in any way or overthinking anything, so Luocha probably won't notice a major change. Any rival, not just Argenti, would have to violate your boundaries for Locha to interfere, and to get jealous, you shouldn't have to give up that contact.
It will, in fact, kill Locha. He'll dislike the very idea of feeling for someone who betrayed his trust, so he'll forget about Argenti, focusing primarily on you. What the hell does that have to do with someone who helped open his eyes to the truth…?
#headcanon#drabble#honkai star rail#hsr#angst#Argenti#Blade#Gepard#Luocha#fluff#blade x you#blade x reader#hsr x reader#hsr x you#hsr headcanon#hsr headcanons#argenti x you#argenti x reader#luocha x you#gepard x you#gepard x reader
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Animage January 2024 Issue
Kamen Rider THE WINTER MOVIE: Gotchard & Geats
Gotchard Main Cast Interviews
(translations below)
Publication: December 8, 2023
Clear it! The strongest Chemy catching game!!
In order to seal the 101 Chemies released into this world onto cards, Houtarou Ichinose (Kamen Rider Gotchard) searches for Chemies every day with his friends from the Alchemy Academy. One day, he meets Ace Ukiyo (Kamen Rider Geats) fighting against some Jyamato monsters. Behind the scenes is Chemy X Wizard, a level number 10 supreme wizard.
Kamen Rider's Winter film will be released again this year, featuring a dream collaboration of Kamen Riders from different series. The main highlight includes Houtarou and other Gotchard members, and Ace and other Geats members being divided into teams to take on the ultimate Chemy catching game. It's the unique charm of this work that features the familiar search for Chemies from Gotchard, and the characteristics of Geats, where Kamen Riders do challenging games, which have been "combined!" The dialogue between the characters of Gotchard and Geats that you can't normally see on TV is a must see!
The presence of Geats Chemy, who looks exactly like Kamen Rider Geats, is also a point of interest. Centering around X Wizard and Geats Chemy, the drama between humans and Chemies, which is the real appeal of Gotchard, is depicted on a scale that only a film can provide. What will the encounter with the new Chemy and Ace and his group bring to Houtarou and his friends?
Junsei Motojima (Houtarou) x Reiyo Matsumoto (Rinne)
Fujibayashi Yasunari (Spanner) x Abe Oto (Renge)
Rikiya Tomizono (Sabimaru) x Kumaki Rikuto (Minato)
"Double" the expected chemistry!
-Is Spanner, a mood maker, the complete opposite of the person playing the role?-
"The first quarter has passed since the broadcast started, what has the response been?"
Motojima: I feel that the number of messages of support have gradually increased. At talk events, there were those who would say to me, "I'm cheering for you," and those who brought support fans (uchiwa), and I think I'm starting to actually realize it myself. It makes me incredibly happy.
Matsumoto: I have the feeling that I'm gradually getting used to being on set. I'm now trying to expand my range of acting by taking on new challenges every day, and reviewing my own performance to see how I can improve it.
Fujibayashi: As the story progresses, there'll be more scenes that delve deeper into each character's individuality. My desire to see the stories we've filmed, including this film, as soon as possible has become stronger since the broadcast started.
Abe: Up until now, I haven't appeared regularly in dramas, so I was really happy, and when I heard a kid next to me on the train talking about Gotchard, I thought, "What a great response!"
Fujibayashi: Did they realize that you were Renge?
Abe: I don't think they noticed (laughs). I'll do my best to get them to notice!
Tomizono: At first, when I played the role I thought, "Who is Sabimaru…" But, as he interacts with Houtarou and the others, I gradually felt that I was building up my own image of Sabimaru's character. I'd like to carefully build up Sabimaru's growth in the future, and I want to do my best to make tablets more popular (laughs).
Kumaki: It seems that there are events at kindergartens and other places where they hand out Gotchard cards, and my friends send me pictures of their children receiving the cards. When I see this, I realize that I'm creating these children's dreams, and that joy is my driving force.
"For the photo shoot, we got the impression that Fujibayashi-san was at the center, and that everyone else had a relaxed mood, but is Fujibayashi-san also "in charge" of things on set?"
Fujibayashi: No, I don't think that's the case.
Tomizono: He's got so much energy, and I feel like he raises everyone's spirits.
Abe: That's for sure!
Motojima: Even when we greet each other at 5 a.m., I can't believe how energetic he is.
Kumaki: It's so early in the morning that everyone else isn't fully awake yet.
Fujibayashi: Lately, I've been paying attention to everyone's mood and greeting them in a calmer manner.
Everyone: (laughs).
Kumaki: You've become an adult, huh?
Fujibayashi: I've become an adult (laughs).
Motojima: But, when we're filming early in the morning, having Yasu-kun (Fujibayashi) around makes me feel more energetic.
-Appearing together with Geats, filming was peaceful from start to finish-
"In this work, Houtarou and his friends split into teams together with the members of Kamen Rider Geats to take on the ultimate Chemy catching game."
Motojima: It's interesting that we're teamed up with those who have similar personalities. Houtarou and Tycoon, Rinne and Geats, Spanner and Buffa. I think that because of our similarities, we can relate to each other, and there's some good "chemical reactions."
Matsumoto: I've been working with Kan Hideyoshi-san for a long time, and I was trying to take in things from Kan-san's acting that I could apply to Rinne. Also, Houtarou falling into a trap so fast was so funny, that I laughed during the test takes (laugh).
Motojima: When I read the script, I thought to myself, "That's just like Houtarou….." (laughs). I thought it was charming because he has a childlike quality that's different from the Houtarou in the TV show.
Abe: When we were filming, I remember that it was very windy (laughs).
Tomizono: The sandy beach scene of our capture game was the first scene filmed of the movie. The wind was strong and it was raining quite abit. Furthermore, Na-Go Chemy gets covered in seaweed (laughs).
Abe: That's right (laughs). I feel like alot of the scenes with Na-Go Chemy were filmed with lots of imagination.
Tomizono: There was also something about jet planes. It was fun to film.
Abe: We were the imagination team (laughs).
Fujibayashi: In that sense, Buffa Chemy and I were both part of the imagination solo team.
Tomizono: I guess so (laughs).
Fujibayashi: Both Spanner and Buffa's theme color is purple, and they also have slightly stuck up personalities, so when the film was announced, there were many people on SNS who were looking forward to us appearing together. The interactions between the two of them are very interesting, so I hope you'll look forward to it.
"In a scene with Kugimiya Licht, Minato was depicted in his teacher's attaire."
Kumaki: I remember well the first time I greeted Motomiya Yasukaze-san, who plays Licht. Despite him being about 4-5 meters away (13-16 ft), I felt an overwhelming aura that made me feel like he was right in front of me.
Everyone: (laughs)
Kumaki: I was alittle nervous (laughs), but once I gathered up my courage and greeted him, he was very kind to me. I felt a sense of security all at once, and performed with the intention of receiving advice from my senior.
"What's your most memorable experience working with the Geats team?"
Abe: There was a part where I could feel the experience of working on a project for a year. In a scene where a drone is used, Mokudai Kazuto-san noticed a mark (for where to stand) and asked the staff, "Is this okay?" We weren't paying attention to it, so it's amazing that he noticed it instantly and acted accordingly.
Tomizono: We'd never met before, but they created an atmosphere where we felt comfortable talking to them and had alot of fun. During breaks, we'd play games where you have to hold back your laughter. Kan-kun is also from the Kansai region, so we got along really well, and were able to film in a really friendly atmosphere.
Matsumoto: Everyone was very kind, and I remember that they talked to us alot.
Abe: It was easy to talk to them.
Fujibayashi: The two of you had a girls night out with Tsumuri (Aoshima Kokoro) and Neon (Hoshino Yuna).
Matsumoto: That's right.
Abe: We had some girl talk.
Tomizono: I'm sure you did.
Fujibayashi: What did you talk about?
Matsumoto: Things like painting nails, perfume and other stuff.
Motojima: To be honest, I've been paying alot of attention to my appearance lately, and I've been asking Matsumoto-san and Abe-san alot of questions.
Matsumoto: It's true
Motojima: When Tsumuri-san heard about this, she set up a prank for the makeup artists to teach me fake beauty info. I was completely fooled.
Everyone: (laughs).
Motojima: I also felt that everyone from Geats did things very freely. They included adlibs, and there's a scene where Ace says, "I'm glad I was turned into this," but it was interesting to see Ace say things in a way that he'd never do during test takes. I thought he was very good at keeping the atmosphere on set peaceful.
Tomizono: But, when it was a real take, it was really cool.
Motojima: That's right! There was an incredible difference.
-Becoming a level ... Chemy?!-
"In this work, the Geats members are turned into Chemies, but if you could become a Chemy, what would you want to look like?"
Fujibayashi: Because It's obvious what I'd be, I probably don't need to say it.
Motojima: What do you mean?
Fujibayashi: I could only be a spanner.
Matsumoto: Ah!
Tomizono: If not a spanner, what Chemy would Yasu become instead?
Fujibayashi: None, I can't think of anything else.
Tomizono: You've become Spanner Chemy. What do you do?
Fujibayashi: Loosen the screws in people's heads.
Everyone: (laughs).
Fujibayashi: Everyone becomes so stupid, that they forget how to transform and can no longer speak Japanese.
Abe: That's terrible (laughs). That'd make you the strongest, wouldn't it?
Tomizono: What'll happen if you combine with another Chemy?
Fujibayashi: Valvarad uses it, not Gotchard.
Tomizono: I see.
Fujibayashi: Sabimaru would be a tablet, right?
Tomizono: (laughs). As Tomizono, I'd like a Chemy that's really cool. Like a dragon, but softer.
Fujibayashi: Like something you'd find on a souvenir from a school field trip?
Tomizono: Right, like something on a keychain.
Fujibayashi: I think children would love that.
Tomizono: That's good. I want to appear like that as a level 10 Chemy.
Motojima: I want to become a level 100 Chemy.
Everyone: (laughs).
Motojima: I want to be treated like a legend.
Matsumoto: What would I be? Maybe a bird?
Abe: Ah!
Tomizono: Is that what you wanted?
Abe: I've been beat.
Fujibayashi: But, it depends on the type of bird.
Matsumoto: Hmmm…a crow?
Fujibayashi: A crow, huh? I'd like to own one atleast once.
Tomizono: People say they're smart.
Abe: They're said to have the intelligence of 5 year olds.
Fujibayashi: Well then, they're smarter than me.
Everyone: (laughs).
Tomizono: Is there a reason why you went with a bird?
Matsumoto: I think it'd be nice to fly across the open sky. The wind would feel great too.
Abe: You get it!
Matsumoto: And crows are cool, aren't they? That's why I want to be Crow Chemy.
Fujibayashi: Oto-chan, what kind of bird would you like to be?
Abe: I want to be a black kite.
Tomizono: A black kite?
Abe: When I was little, I remember them because they used to attack me alot when I went camping. When I’d be eating a meal, they'd suddenly snatch it away. They're agile, can fly, and they can enjoy scenery that we can't normally see.
Fujibayashi: I want to steal someone's food.
Abe: Right, right.
Tomizono: Really? (laughs).
Abe: I think black kite's are the strongest.
Fujibayashi: What about Kuma-san?
Kumaki: Because of Bumblebee, I like cars.
Fujibayashi: Ah, from "Transformers."
Kumaki: I think it would be cute if I were a Chemy that looked like Bumblebee.
Tomizono: Would you be a transforming Chemy?
Kumaki: Yeah, I'd transform.
Motojima: I think that'll be in the show sooner or later.
Kumaki: When will it appear?
Fujibayashi: It'd be alot like Golddash.
Kumaki: Ah! That's right!
Motojima: Then, it'll be like a car version of Golddash!
"We would love to hear more, but we'd like to conclude with a message from Motojima-san to our readers on behalf of everyone."
Motojima: I think the highlight is that the character's charm, which is different from the TV show, is brought out by interacting with the Kamen Rider Geats members. Many of the strongest level number 10 Chemies appear, and the development where humans turn into Chemies is also unexpected, it's unexpected plus unexpected twice expected…….it's like unexpected x2.
Tomizono: So double expected?
Fujibayashi: Are you saying…it's going to turn out to be more than expected?
Motojima: Ah, that sounds good.
Fujibayashi: You just said it yourself. You bite your tongue?
Tomizono: Did you mispronounce something?
Motojima: Well uh, it turned out to be more than I expected…
Everyone: (laughs).
Motojima: The unpredictable development of the story is appealing, and the fact that it features Chemies that can talk is also a key point.
Abe: Agreed.
Motojima: Please watch out for how Houtarou and his friends will interact with the talking Chemies, which have yet to appear in the TV show!
#everyone is insane (cute)#kamen rider gotchard#kamen rider geats#kamen rider#houtarou ichinose#ichinose houtarou#hotaro ichinose#ichinose houtaro#rinne kudo#kudo rinne#spanner kurogane#kurogane spanner#ace ukiyo#my scans#my translation#animage#toku cast#motojima junsei#kr gotchard#tokusatsu
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Dead & Dreaming
Pairing: Darth Maul x Reader (AFAB, no pronouns)
Rating: Explicit
Summary: An archaeological investigation of post-war Dathomir reveals that the spirit of the world is very much alive, and it wants you to know it personally: He has a name he does not remember. He has a desire for something particular. But the only way he speaks to you is when you’re most susceptible to his dark influence… in your dreams; in your nightmares.
Word Count: 2,863 words
Notes: Ghost!Maul meets Incubus!Maul yes I had to.
Warnings: CNC (sleep paralysis fucky time but Reader consents before going under), night terrors, weird Dathomiri kinky supernatural shit, some primal references, choking/throat grabbing, biting, liberal use of both “c” words
Read it on Ao3 > or below.
Twin moons have barely risen as you drink your tea, your sheets pooled in your lap, damp clinging to the mattress leaving everything cool beneath your skin. This is Dathomir, where the secrets belong to the dead, and they are so eager to share with the one living soul who will listen.
What do the dead want?
This is the question you’ve asked yourself since coming here. You think you have a few answers… to be known, to relive what they lost, to take revenge on those who wronged them, perhaps.
Others only want to be remembered. Memory confers a certain type of immortality, after all, but that is a lesson hard-earned when the distance between you and them is a gulf.
You’ve given them your ear, among other things. Your work has become transcription: spells, incantations, histories of the people, translated hieroglyphs, and little anecdotes of those who grew up with a bit of the ichor in them — from the soil, from the plants, from the rain. Restless spirits, and those who came back because Dathomir was always a part of them.
You think that maybe it has something to do with the Force in this place.
That is the working hypothesis. This is how you’re testing it:
They come to you in dreams. So you’ve been doing a lot of… sleeping.
Mostly.
But some things… some things you’re not recording in your holovids.
The spirits sit so near on this planet that the nightly visitations leave you going to bed earlier each evening just to see if maybe, this will be the night he returns.
He’s not like the other warrior spirits, though he wears the Nightbrother markings, and he moved with the ease of a shadow to pool at your feet atop the covers when you were deep in slumber. How something of such little substance could spill like smoke across your body and ease a sigh from you by barely touching made little sense at first, but you remember that those introductions were just a tease.
He wanted you to see him —
Whole and fearsome and watching for minutes before all that darkness fell away from a face carved from your second most insistent nightmare.
You don’t remember his features, though they were chiselled and handsome. You don’t remember how many horns crowned his head, though they were sharp enough to leave scars the next morning.
A phantasm.
A dream so real you believe there might be some magic in it —
He never offered his name. Maybe he doesn’t remember.
But you remember the bright eyes of the dead.
— What it felt like to burn beneath his stare as shadow became substance and he pinned your wrists, the raze of his teeth as you tried to scream, and his laughter —
Silk and shivering and satisfied that you could feel everything. Muscles moving. The heavy drape of his torso above yours. Claws pressing into flesh to edge your pleasure with the bite of pain.
Your nipples pebble at the memory, wanting to recall the feeling of his teeth clamped around them, but those details are misty.
You screw your eyes shut, frustrated.
You want to remember his cock.
Something trills in the night beyond your window. A ghast or a ghoul or one of those bird-like creatures that roosts in the cliffs.
Yes, Dathomir is haunted.
That’s what the archaeological datalog said, but you expected —
Well, maybe coming here for the first time back too many rotations to count, you expected something different: Monsters. Maybe Nightsister remnants. A record that stretches into the near-history before the war, something you could study and report.
That wasn’t how it went, not after you lost your tent to a wayward rancor and took shelter in the caves where it was safer from the elements but not the nexus’ influence: down in earth where the ichor is the strongest, and those who lived here used the waters to boil their roots and herbs and —
You just had to try the tea yourself once you found the recipe.
A little sip to welcome vivid dreams, but hardly enough to induce visions.
That’s right.
That’s all this is:
Scientific experiment.
Because research.
You look down at yourself, touched by the blush of the fading day, ready to surrender to one dream or another, to see where they lead because hope is a strange catalyst, even if the circumstances are just figments because you can’t stop remembering in bits and pieces, lucid and fraught with the memory of calloused palms pulling down the sheets.
That’s why your breath catches, and your palms leave damp marks on the bed. That’s why you’ve chosen to wear as little as possible —
A thin shift, no panties, bared from mid-thigh reveal plenty to the shadows. In the mid-dark, alone in your cave hut, you’re already a little wet.
You gulp back the last of the brew, setting down the cup with the dregs, and ease into a more comfortable position when the memories threaten. Those aren’t true — they are just after-images of a sensation that you’ve dissected and analyzed, the pressure and the heft of a man’s body not unlike a night terror from the data records, but while you remember the inability to move beneath him, you also remember… pleasure.
You shut your eyes, and when the weigh of your body shifts into nothing, you imagine a stirring somewhere in the place between where the living and the world between hold conference: the dead making promises they can’t keep when their demesne can only ever be observation.
“Let’s bend the rules, my dear,” you hear him whisper, but the shiver that chases in a trickle from your ear to your collar like the cold glide of a finely-edged blade is only the breath of the wind through a split in the ceiling.
There’s no one there when you slit your gaze across your room, checking one more time in case he’s come.
You’re alone.
There’s no one and nothing save for a flicker of disappointment.
Sleep takes you swift and sure, pulling you down into the meandering gloom of unconscious with little effort. There is only the tunnel of your vision and mussy dark, and then nothing but grey shadow.
Your sleep is not dreamless.
You are running through a forest — a gnarled tangle of overgrowth that catches and snags at your ankles, gravethorn branches tearing at your dress with insistent fingers and raking over your skin to nick and sliver and raise your blood.
This is a hunt.
And somewhere in the distance, you think you can hear over the snap of breaking branches that crack like little bones beneath your bare feet, you imagine the firelight gaze of a predator whose attention narrows to your body as you crash along.
So clumsy.
So desperately wanting to be caught.
To be put to the loamy floor face first, knees scraped raw, stuffed solidly with the thick weight of a cock stretching you open to your limits as he ruts. No quarter. No mercy. And you, held in place by the hand on the back of your neck, just a body, spasming helplessly around the ripple of ridges that light the dark behind your eyes with each slap of his hips.
That’s not how it happens.
Because what you dream is not what you get:
He’s far too big, a forearm bracing your wrists over your head one-handed, the body across yours so heavy that you can’t even squirm. But you feel him:
Every hot breath against the side of your face. Every dip and plane of his stomach muscles, pressing you deeper into the mattress with each exhalation. A rumble of appreciation when you try to shift, but find yourself trapped beneath a hard chest, your thighs opened around too-wide hips, the brush of flesh against your slicked cunt leaving you clenching, involuntary desperate, as your moan.
This close, you can taste his skin:
Hot and as hard as the rest of him, the tendons along his neck stark from straining.
Is he holding himself back from just taking what he wants?
Is this restraint?
“At last,” he says, and you feel the weight of sinking relief stiffen against your clit. He doesn’t move, but his cock grows as it stiffens, pushing hard against your centre with the sort of insistence that wakes your body beneath his.
Like heated metal.
Hard flesh dripping.
So intimate, to be held like a lover, to be spread so easily in sleep that you can’t resist a roll of your hips or how the feeling of him against you makes your sex throb from pressure absent stimulation.
His purr of contentment to find you writhing is all the assurance you need.
“We meet again, my sweet, sleeping plaything.”
You scent fire and woodrot against your tongue, cut with the bitter dark of his musk.
He nuzzles your pulsepoint, and you see a glimpse of a diamond marking on his nose. A little detail that isn’t at all endearing. The rest of his facial marks paint a skull from his eyes and mouth.
You shudder, a trickle of fear mingling with desire.
A murmur, “Did you miss me? Or were you yearning for something specific, in all your somnolent wandering? I felt your stirring — your searching. Your need. An interstice aspect of the Dathomir’s affinities, the Dark of this nexus welcomes malleable boundaries — the living, the dead, and those in-between. All of us bound together by tethers wrought through the ichor. Thank you for indulging me by drinking the waters. It makes these meetings so much easier for me.”
You can’t speak. You don’t have the ability.
“Ah, yes. The perils of dreaming: you find yourself at the mercy of one who does not possess the ability to grant it. Pity. Though I do appreciate your company — your welcome heat. I have been alone for so many years, and with no one to appreciate the body returned to me in so few pieces. I do love how responsive you are to my —” His cock brushes your slit, slicking through your folds with a deft roll of his hips that leaves you open-mouthed and gaping. “Ministrations.”
His lips brush your temple, and he pulls in a breath that terminates in a shudder so profound that you crumple beneath him.
“And I do enjoy the feeling when you strain against me. How you buckle so easily when I hurt you a little bit. I won’t stretch you open, but I can make it fit.”
He tastes you. A long lick from your jaw to your temple, and as you shudder away from the feeling of how much you want that mouth doing the very same thing to your weeping, empty cunt, he smiles at you —
A mouth full of sharp teeth.
And you catch a glimpse of triumph in that burning gaze.
He likes it when you squirm.
“You can try to scream, if you prefer.”
You try to open your legs further, trying to take the rub of his length as the first flicker of his weight starts to cut off your circulation. Unmoving, he makes it hard to breathe, and with your hands starting tingle from the pressure of his forearm across your wrists, discomfort becomes a steady, warning peal.
His lips brush across yours, mocking. “If you can manage it.”
You want to remember this.
You want to remember every inch of him pressing into your hole, stretching you out so you can feel the burn and sting of taking someone so much bigger than your own species without breaking. You want to show him how hard you can squeeze when he hilts himself deep —
As if he’s not the only one who can break things.
You can’t explain these things. You don’t have the ability to express your desperation by begging, so you do the one thing you can —
You catch his lips in a kiss, and you bite him.
Hard.
Hard enough that you can feel the pop of skin.
His snarl like music when he responds by snapping you down by the throat and sinking into your cunt in one deft, sure stroke that whites out the dark with brilliant light for all of one moment, and he groans like it’s the one comfort he’s forgotten.
He stutters a moan, and mouth open, you’d join him, but you —
Pant in your desperation, clawing at his wrist as he withdraws, and your pussy makes a sucking noise of protestation.
“Now now,” he grits out, licking his lip. “One must savour every moment when time is finite. Enjoy it, my dear — every last bit of it. I want you to remember come morning — remember me, remember this moment, remember this feeling, because none living will ever offer the same.”
It’s easier when he puts it back in, like you’re better fitted to the notch and heft of his girth, the press of his balls tight against your ass.
“Ah, yes. Let me feel you clench.”
Rooted again, he grinds his hips, stretching you in all directions to better take him. It doesn’t hurt, but it’s too dark to watch the ripple of his ridges when he pulls out, glistening with your slick, and buts the tip against your clit — rubbing it in little circles to make you squeeze on nothing.
He sinks back in, palm to your chest to hold you in place as he starts to move.
“That’s it,” he soothes. “That’s good.”
Fuck me, you mouth, but his rumble of laughter drowns out the movements of your gaping, open mouth as he fucks you with slow, long strokes stopping just shy of where you need him.
You mouth words.
You make promises without sound.
But his indifference to what you want is part of his entertainment.
“Open,” he commands, but he pushes past your teeth before you can take a breath.
Fingers trap your tongue — his hands taste like salt, and the press of his claws against the back of your mouth are nearly enough to make you gag, but you obey when he tells you to, “Suck,” while he fills you up. Moving them slowly in and out like he’s considering fucking your mouth but he wants to be certain of the performance.
Over and over until you’re pliant and splayed, lips wrapped around calloused fingers and your hips are dragged up his lap. Spit down your chin. Your nightgown split open down the centre from sharp claws. Breathing hard, and wanting anything he might offer if it could satisfy him.
It doesn’t.
He scoffs. “Maybe next time.”
Wet smears mark your thighs. He daubs your clit with your own spit. Rubs it slow and sure, your nightgown pushed up so he can watch the contractions of your stomach as his touch brings you closer to finishing.
But you don’t want it to end.
You don’t want him to ever stop.
“There are other more pressing matters at hand.”
You lift your arm, reaching for that stern, scowling face — to let him know with a gesture that he’s not so alone. That you are here.
With a jerk of his chin, he pulls away.
He watches you, hunger and determination mingled with an unhappy twist of his mouth. Maybe he knows that this won’t last. Maybe he knows that when morning comes, once again, all you’ll have are echoes of the experience — sweat on your sheets and an impossible account of a dream that might’ve been real in another life, at another time.
“This is Dathomir, my dear,” he tells you in a lower register. “Do not despair. If you do not remember me come morning, I will only remind you again the next evening. Over and over in the depths of unconsciousness when the veils between us are thinned.”
He presses a thumb to your clit, unmoving. Just holding it there so that the overwhelm of his thrusts and the intensity of his stare is enough to sear a mark into your skin —
Something to remember him by.
“I will not be forgotten,” he says.
What’s your name, you would ask him, if speaking was still your friend, and your body wasn’t shuddering at the slap of his hips, pushing you over into depths where the dark is darkest and the stars wink out overhead.
Then there’s just oblivion, and the burn of your pleasure when the torrent breaks, leaving you to unconsciousness and the trailing drift of a ghostly lover who seems to have lost everything. Even you to the morning, where nothing is certain about the encounter, save the weakness in your body and the feeling that something is missing.
Some part of a dream left to a spilled cup, overturned on the bedside table and the twist of sweat-soaked sheets.
A little dapple of blood on the pillow, but you’re uninjured.
Body aching.
Satiated.
The bed around you is cold in the pre-dawn gloom, and only wisps of your unconscious wanderings linger, drifting farther away the longer you try to hold onto them:
Dream or nightmare, you don’t remember.
But tonight you can try again.
#Darth Maul#Maul#Darth Maul x Reader#Darth Maul x You#Maul x Reader#Maul x You#AFAB Reader#Darth Maul Smut#Star Wars Smut#Dathomir#Sith Smut#Nightbrother#Nightbrothers#The Clone Wars#The Clone Wars Smut#The Night Market of Dathomir#hoo shit that's a big gif
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The Goblin Emperor 5/5: I’m Bored and I’m Having So Much Fun
5/5 stars
446 pages
Contains: an emperor that doesn’t know what the fuck he’s doing; kindness as like a plot point; court intrigue!!!
The Goblin Emperor has been on my TBR for years, now. I’d heard someone say, a long time ago, that it was a weird book, and that “you’ve never read something like this before”. Of course, my curiosity was piqued. I love weird, funky little books, that turn you upside down and shake you a bit, especially if they’re speculative fiction. So The Goblin Emperor went into my TBR, until this month, when the mood to read it finally struck me and I sat down with it.
But The Goblin Emperor is not best described by “weird”, in my opinion, nor is “uneventful” a good descriptor, either. I think those of you who have read the book will agree with me that there are several big events throughout the story that capture your attention and are major turning points for the characters. However, it’s impossible to avoid, when recommending this, the fact that it is… boring?
Let me be clear: I don’t mean this in a bad way, at all – I had so much fun reading The Goblin Emperor. Nor am I using it to suggest that Ms. Addison’s writing choices were inadequate. I’m using this word because I think it’s the best way to describe what happens here.
I’ll explain myself: it’s not that nothing happens in The Goblin Emperor, but the pacing is slow. And not in a bad way – things just take their time. We follow our main character in an almost day-by-day basis. We watch him wake up, have breakfast… And at the end of the day, we are with him as he puts on his pajamas and goes to bed.
And then there is the fact that Ms. Addison takes what I called an “almost anthropological approach to describing culture” in my review of the Teixcalaani Duology, by Arkady Martine. Much like Ms. Martine does in her two books, A Memory Called Empire and A Desolation Called Peace, Ms. Addison takes her time to consider every move in its cultural context. If, in A Memory Called Empire, the most striking element of this approach is the Teixcalaani smile, which differs from how other parts of the world chose to do so, here we see this attention to detail in the elvish language.
In this world, “we” is the default first person singular. It’s the formal “I”, and “you” is the formal second person singular. Watching these characters drop this formality barrier or decide to put it up makes for a beautiful addition to the dialogue and character relationships throughout the book. It also, of course, tells us much about this world and this culture, which is bound tightly by strings of formality and tradition. (And is also a reflection of how other languages work, in the real world. French, Italian and Spanish, for example, have formal yous, as I’m sure other non-European languages do, too. This makes me super curious to see how this quirk was translated in languages that already have this as a feature. If anyone knows, please tell me!)
This almost-anthropological lens, however, adds a stillness to the story that makes it move slower, taking more time in each of the character’s movements. Which, in turn, makes this book a little more boring.
But, like I said, this is boring in a good way. This stillness, this slowness, allows us to spend ample time with our characters, really getting to know them. And the world sparkles around them, made so vivid by this attention to detail, this approach to a fictional culture. It feels alive outside of the pages, like we’ve only popped in for a visit, and the clock will continue ticking when we’re not there.
But the crux of the story, and the reason why it needs to slow down, the most, is our protagonist, Maia. Maia is the youngest, half-goblin son of the elvish Emperor, who scorns him. He is secluded to a remote location with his cousin Setheris, until a messenger arrives – the Emperor and all his other sons have died in a freak accident, meaning Maia has inherited the throne. With no education in politics and no friends, Maia journeys to court, where he will learn to rule.
And although he’s put in this position of power, and finds himself, in several ways, helpless and dependent on others, Maia never loses his kindness. He’s a generous soul who strives to make decisions for the good of others, and this is the axis around which the rest of the plot moves, slowly, forwards.
To really understand this kindness, to dig into it and be aware of its various implications, its causes, it’s necessary to spend quite a while in the company of Maia, as he blunders forward. And what a journey it is! I’ll tell you, “boring” might be a good word to describe this book, but so is “compelling”. When it hooks you, it hooks you, and it leaves you wanting to bury yourself further and further into this world, to know more, to spend more time with Maia, and find out all the intricacies of his language.
Thank you for reading this review! I’m working on a list of similar books, which will be called something like “Books for Humanities Nerds”, so if this sounds like your cup of tea, keep an eye out! Have a nice day :)
#the goblin emperor#tge#sff books#books books books#currently reading#fantasy books#cozy fantasy#book recs#book recommendations#book reviews#booklr
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Blue Exorcist Chapter 140: Notes
The Future is Depressing....y'all.
We start off with Rin as the "Demon King." He has a pretty amazing character design upgrade. A really dark, grungy cape and a scary mask that hides his cute little elfin features. But our Rin has changed; he's now a killer of humans. He wears a mask and hides his soul away.
In this chapter we see Rin is attacking an exorcist.
I'm not sure if this woman he battles is human. The best way to describe her is an Angelic Legion Sailor Scout. Her outfit is covered with angel wings and all kinds of tacky bling and details (plus, who chooses to fight in heels? No human, I know.)
Arthur the Paladin has totally designed this outfit.
Plus, the exorcist, or whatever she is, looks like a Lucifer clone. It makes me wonder who controls the Knights of True Cross? I think all the clues are pointing at Lucifer. Anything Angelic looking, things with little pretty wings, cherubs and light, point back to him. In this case, the perfection and heavenly details tend to be the evil ones. Isn't that the way the world works now? Anyway, I digress.
Her name is...or was, Malchidael, which translates into angelic messenger. Just an aside, remember when Shura was so embarrassed to be part of the Angelic Legion? She wouldn't be caught dead in an outfit like this. The legion was too square; this is proof that Angel is in charge..or Lucifer. You don't get more square than those two.
I think I've seen a version of this female character before....it was like an action figure on Mephisto's desk. I'm not quite sure if she's real or not.
Things that bother me about her...she looks like Shiemi but wields a weapon with Armumahel powers like the Myoda. Is she related to Shima? A sister? Ooof.
Getting back to Rin.
Rin has changed...he's still our Rin but tired and dark. We see it in his eyes, the sad resignation. Plus, he looks much older. As he uses his demonic powers, his hair changes from white to black. He seems in complete control of his inner demons.
Unfortunately, Rin is also capable of killing humans. So much has changed, and we don't know the back story. Yet, we know he seems to only be killing exorcists that are threatening him. When Paku calls out his name from her hiding place, he doesn't raise his sword to kill her or threaten her in any way. Rin regards her as an old friend from a past life. But an old friend he no longer has time for.
His personality reminds me more of Yukio now, worn out and saddled with some huge responsibility he can't talk about.
(Just an aside, he looks like my friends and me when we came out of covid...we felt ten years older and unsure how to talk to other humans, Kato is making this parallel to our current world...remember calling the terrible event Maga. Yeah.)
Whatever has happened, Rin has been left alone, and he's trying to survive in any way he can. He is now like Satan, ruling over demons and making them do his bidding. But...he's still got his empathy. He doesn't send the hobgoblins to their deaths but tells them to retreat. He's accomplished his mission, killed his target and left.
One thing we do know...all of his friends are missing.
Did they die? Paku doesn't know, and it's heartbreaking.
She runs away and is so torn. She's happy to see Rin but is beyond sad at what has happened to him. And, as soon as she remembers the past, something happens....she finds a glowing door suddenly in front of her. The door is a rip in space-time, and maybe she caused the rip. This is a very strange situation considering the Paku doesn't seem to have any powers, temptaint or exorcist ability, yet somehow Paku connects between worlds, connects to Mephisto. She gives the demon king a glimpse into something he's never seen before.
Mephisto.
This part, of course, was great. Mephisto still has those fucking crazy eyes. He's on the edge of sanity. When Paku opens the door, he jumps into action and seals the portal closed. Of course, he does it with style and conjures some milk chocolate crazy glue. Which is fittingly weird with the rest of the upside-down we are experiencing.
Mephisto is weak but has enough power to stop the universe from imploding. But for the first time, he's seen past the end of times. He can see the future and knows there is one. Mephisto is so fucking excited because it's new.
A new place for him to play, new chess moves for him to work with.
This future might come to pass but hasn't yet. Mephisto can still change this....this is a possible future.
At the very end, we get this troubling sketch by Kato. Yukio survives as well as Rin, back two years ago, which he does because he's got Satan's temptaint. But the others were not so lucky. All around him are bodies...
Hopefully, Mephisto can fix all of this. This future is no future at all for our favourite characters.
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Mika Kagehira 4* Feature Scout: An Irreplaceable Place of Belonging
Season: Winter
Characters: Mika, Yuzuru
Translator: taiyaki-translations
Mika: (I remember the meetin’ place is in front of the bulletin board. I’m pretty sure there’s supposed t’ be others here waitin’ for me so we can clean the school grounds together…)
Yuzuru: Kagehira-sama, are you here to do a part-time job, by any chance?
Mika: Ah, it’s Yukkun ‘n Anzu-chan. Are the two of ya the ones workin’ together with me today?
Yuzuru: Yes. I was just talking about it with Anzu-sama.
We were discussing the possibility that the last person joining us would be you, Kagehira-sama.
Mika: Ya got that right~♪ Since both of ya do this kinda work often, I’m sure we’ll get this done real quick.
Though, even though yer close t’ graduatin’, you guys are still doing part-time work, aren’tcha?
I know I’m one t’ talk, but ya sure have interestin’ tastes fer doin’ these jobs even though they barely pay much L$.
Yuzuru: In my case, it’s not an issue of making money, as this is mostly a hobby for me.
Lately, the young master has been preoccupied with the student council, so I have a lot of free time on my hands.
Therefore, until I graduate, I intend to enjoy my hobby of cleaning to the fullest ♪
Mika: I thought that was the case fer ya, Yukkun. You did say you like cleanin’~
Is it the same for you too, Anzu-chan? I kinda doubt you are doin’ this ‘cause you got much free time, though…
Hehe. Since yer graduatin’ soon, yer doin’ all these part-time jobs as a way to thank the school fer all the support ya got?
Nnah~ Anzu-chan is a kind girl after all~ It’s true that the school’s been lookin’ after us from the moment we enrolled.
Yuzuru: Even though Anzu-sama and I are both transfer students, we share a similar sentiment.
That’s enough to show that the days I spent at this school are some of the most profound moments of my life.
Mika: I see... But, it’s a bit sad I’m gonna be sayin’ good bye t’ it soon~
Nnah~ When I think about it, it’s kinda lonely. What to do...
Cleanin’ the school, washin’ those dishes, soon I won’t be able t’ do jobs like that anymore, right?
Then, I wonder how I’m gonna spend the free time I’m goin’ have in the future?
Yuzuru: A better way to think about it is that when you have more free time, you also have more opportunity to do the things that you want to do.
In the case of Kagehira-sama, you can focus on your artistic pursuits.
Mika: That’s true, but… Nnah~ Without part-time work, it will still be kinda lonely.
Yuzuru: Fufu, for Kagehira-sama, working part-time here has already become a part of your daily life.
Mika: Yeah. Fer me, they make up a lot of the memories I have of this school.
I got to become friends with Anzu-chan ‘cause we were washin’ dishes together fer a job once.
And even though I’m pretty shy, part-time work gave me the opportunity to become friends with people from different units.
In a way, workin’ at these jobs became a place of belongin’ for me in this school…
Anzu-chan, ya understand what I’m sayin’?
Yeah. Anzu-chan is someone I worked together a lot with, right?
Nnah~... If we don’t clean this mess up, can our part-time job last forever?
Yuzuru: Kagehira-sama, Anzu-sama, it’s best to not entertain such flights of fancy.
Besides, that would defeat the purpose of you expressing your gratitude to the school that has looked after you.
Mika: Yer right! Then we gotta scrap this plan~...
Yuzuru: More importantly you two, if we don’t start working soon, we will get scolded.
Instead of wallowing in our sadness, let’s get started on the job.
Mika: Ah, ‘m sorry, Yukkun. I’m sure ya want to get started on cleanin’ quickly.
Yuzuru: No, no, it’s not a problem. I also feel a sense of loneliness that we will no longer be able to do part-time work together in the future.
But keep in mind that we haven’t graduated yet.
As Anzu-sama said, out of gratitude to the school for everything that they have done for us, I will continue to do part-time jobs until I graduate.
If parting is inevitable, I at least want to leave without any regrets.
Mika: As the sayin’ goes, “A bird does not foul the nest it’s about t’ leave.” (1) Graduatin’ is inevitable, so I gotta prepare myself.
Well then, Yukkun, Anzu-chan. Let’s work together on these part-time jobs ‘til we graduate~♪
Translation Note:
1. Mika is referring to the saying 「立つ鳥、跡を濁さず」, which in this context means putting everything in good order before you leave, as a courtesy.
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Using Jinn /Djinn vs Genie in story
Anonymous asked:
Hello!
I want to write a story where the main character unknowingly makes a wish, the wish granter well-intendedly grants it, but the MC lives to regret the wish. (Note: MC isn't Muslim I learned Islam and Magic are not compatible from other posts)
From what I've researched it seems that wishes granted by Jinn are more like deals with the devil. The wish is granted in exchange for a piece of your soul. I want the exchange to be more like the Genie from Aladdin.
Should I use the term Genie? I think this would make it clear that the character is abiding by western genie abilities/limitations, and I thought it would distinguish that I'm not referencing real life Jinn. Would a Genie be seen as a completely separate mythical creature or would the concept of a Genie just feel like a culturally appropriated Jinn to Muslim readers?
Furthermore, would it be appropriate if the genie appear as an Arab person to acknowledge the cultural roots? Would this be considered good representation or is that harmful? Would it be okay or better to subvert the trope and make them another ethnicity?
Please be blunt and tell me if I should think of another way to accomplish the wish fulfillment!
Thank you for your time
Note: Niki isn’t Muslim and is speaking on the topic of cultural appropriation only.
You want your story to feature a wish-granting character, and you want to base this character on the Genie character in Disney’s Aladdin in order to avoid appropriating Arab/Muslim jinn. Here’s the issue: the Genie in Disney’s Aladdin is already an appropriation of jinn.
The word “genie” is an anglicization of the word “jinni” (جني) which is the singular form of “jinn” (جن). It was coined by Antoine Galland when he translated The Thousand and One Nights from Arabic to French in the early 18th century*. The Thousand and One Nights, a collection of mostly Arab and Muslim folk tales, quickly gained in popularity in Europe and was re-translated, back-translated, retold and adapted multiples times over the next couple of centuries. Disney’s Aladdin is probably the best-known of those retellings, and it certainly did a lot to popularize genies in Western media.
But despite having been absorbed into Western popular culture, genies remain firmly associated with orientalist stereotypes and are frequently portrayed with vaguely “oriental” characteristics. For example, in Neil Gaiman’s October Tale, the genie first appears wearing a turban and “pointy shoes.” Genies may feel like a part of Western mythos by now, but they clearly retain cultural markers that tie them to their origins.
In my opinion, calling your character a genie to avoid having to deal with the cultural and religious context surrounding jinn is not an appropriate solution to your problem.
You have two options:
1) Call your character a jinni
Call your character a jinni and do your best to portray them as accurately as possible to their culture of origin.
This includes faithfulness to the way jinn are portrayed in Islam, and specificity to the national or ethnic group you’re drawing on, as there are variations in different cultures.
You will need to do quite a bit of in-depth research to ensure your portrayal is respectful, accurate, and doesn’t rely on orientalist tropes.
You will also probably need to give thought to the context surrounding the jinni’s presence in your story.
How did they get here?
What circumstances led your human character to encountering them?
And what are the implications for the backstory and future of your characters and world?
2) Alternatively, call them something else entirely
Alternatively, if you would like to have the freedom to use this character as you please, call them something else entirely. There are plenty of wish-granting beings in Western folk tales and mythologies that you could use instead.
Caveat: I’m not Muslim and would strongly recommend seeking out additional advice from Muslim sources if you decide to go with option 1 and portray jinn in your story. You can start by reading the posts by our Muslim mods on this topic: Djinn tag on WWC
- Niki
*A note on The Thousand and One Nights: Antoine Galland’s translation took many liberties with the source material, interpreting and altering some stories, and adding several others which weren’t part of the original Arabic manuscript. Aladdin’s Lamp is one of them. It is believed that these additional stories were written by the Syrian writer Hanna Diyab, who shared them with Galland when they met in Paris. Galland included them in his published work without crediting Diyab.
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[Translation] A Curious Step Forward
From Kohaku’s “Stepping into the World” 4*!
Written by: Chitose Umeda!
Featuring: Kohaku and Nagisa!
Season: Autumn!
Brief Synopsis: After receiving a mysterious letter from someone telling him to meet him in front of the museum to discuss something important, Kohaku is surprised to see Nagisa was the sender...
Kohaku: Looks like they're not here yet.
Kohaku: (This all started out with a letter...I got it out of the blue a couple of days ago. All it said was "I have something important to tell you" and to meet in front of the museum today. The chances of this all being a prank aren't impossible, but it's weird that I'm the only person being called here to this museum.)
Kohaku: I've got no clue who it is, but if I've come all the way out here I'd like to see who--
???: Ah, I found you.
Kohaku: Eh?
Nagisa: --Ya-ho, Kohaku-kun. Thank you for coming today.
Kohaku: N-Nagisa-han? If you're calling for me, then the one that invited me here....
Nagisa: ...Was me.
Nagisa: ....There's a special exhibit for ores and fossils happening in the museum now. I was looking for someone to accompany me...while I was thinking of who, I decided you'd be best since I've shared rocks with you before[1].
Kohaku: Thanks a lot for that. But Nagisa-han, I'm not the only one that's gotten rocks from you before right? Bon also said he's gotten one from you.
Nagisa: ...I suppose. However your schedule is also the easiest to follow. I can just ask Ibara.
Kohaku: Well, that's the Vice President for you. But then, what's the "important thing" you wanted...?
Nagisa:...I'd like you to accompany me in understanding how this ancient earth works through ores and fossils.
Kohaku: ? Why?
Nagisa: ...I believe it'd be easier to see the exhibit than to explain. Let's go inside, shall we?
Kohaku: S-sure.
Kohaku: (I haven't got the slightest clue how to respond! Is it really okay to be following him like this...?!)
Kohaku: ...Wh-what in the world? There are huge bones hanging from the ceiling...!
Nagisa: ...What's wrong? Could it be that the skeletal display surprised you?
Kohaku: Isn't being surprised a normal reaction when something this big is dangling in front of you?! Th-those...aren't real bones right?
Nagisa: ...Well it's a replica, so not really. However these displays' shapes and sizes are meant to get as close as possible to the real thing...same for the colors. Paint is used to show the texture.
Kohaku: Waaa, it's well made. Everywhere I look there's strange things I haven't seen before...I can't even think of what this is used for.
Nagisa: ....Kohaku-kun, is this your first time visiting a museum?
Kohaku: Yeah, I've never had connections to this kind of place. I remember you mentioned before how the "Antique Market" was kinda like a museum[2]. I think that was just limited to telling the history of idols.
Nagisa: ...That's right, but that carries its own value. This here is what a real museum is like...The lineage of Earth and humanity's history and art is all collected, kept, and displayed openly for the public to see...It's with these exhibits that we learn about the evolution of mankind and the earth...Of course, coming for fun is acceptable as well. Kohaku-kun, is there anything you wanted to see?
Kohaku: I wanted to see?
Nagisa: ...While I was talking to you, I noticed you seemed to be looking around you more. So I was wondering if something had caught your eye.
Kohaku: Umm. Not really, how do I put this. I...feel like I'm lost in a strange world. So I'm just looking around me because I don't know where else to look. It's kinda like being lost in a place where you don't understand a single thing around you...?
Nagisa: ...This museum, it's probably completely unfamiliar to you isn't it Kohaku-kun?
Kohaku: Like I was saying, I haven't got any connections to this place. I never did much studying[3], so I don't really get what the meaning of all this history is...When I ran out into the world and became an idol, I thought my worldview had gotten just a bit bigger.
Kohaku: But when it comes to going to a specific place, I'm lost all over again. I know learning is a part of life, but I know that whatever I've learned is still only a little bit.
Nagisa:...You're the same as me, Kohaku-kun. I personally grow by absorbing knowledge and information everyday. But, there's also some fun to be had when tackling things that are unknown to you. Recently for me, it's been cooking.
Kohaku: Cooking? Nagisa-han?
Nagisa: ....Yes. Once I learned how to buy ingredients, my worldview broadened. I found more fun and interesting things...Kohaku-kun, I think your worldview will continue to widen.
Kohaku: My worldview...
Nagisa: ...As of now, your vision is only partially open. With a desire to dive in, chase, and push forward--that tenacity will bring to you an unseen future.
Kohaku: I guess you're right...I still don't know about idol culture or sense, and I still don't know my left from my right...but as long as there's the freedom to, then I might just meet something like that just like you said, Nagisa-han~
Nagisa: ...Fufu. Then, shall we see what you want to see and follow your sense of interest?
Kohaku: Eh, why? I thought you wanted to come here for the special exhibit?
Nagisa: Finding something you're interested in and gaining some new insight today would be the biggest reason for coming to the museum. Fortunately, the special exhibit is still open for a longer period of time, so I can come again another time.
Kohaku: Are you sure? But, when I look at the map I can't tell anything...
Nagisa: ...Then how about we go to the exhibit in the basement? There's space for even bigger skeletal and biological conservation models down there.
Kohaku: Really? They've got bones that are bigger than that? Uuuummm, now that you've said it, I am kind of curious. First we can start with that exhibit room so that we can learn the history and eras.
Nagisa: ...It's just around the corner down the stairs.
Kohaku: Got it. Let's get going...~
[1]: Referring to Kohaku's FS1 story which I've tled here! Nagisa gives Kohaku some amber!
[2]: Referring to the conversation Kohaku and Nagisa had in one of the middle chapters of Antique Legend.
[3]: Meaning "I never [had schooling/went to school]", but I didn't want to stray from the dialogue
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Ꭼᥒᥴhᥲᥒtꫀd ੈ✩‧₊˚
ɢᴇɴʀᴇ:- ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ, ᴛʀᴀᴠᴇʟ, ꜱᴛʀᴀɴɢᴇʀꜱ ᴛᴏ ʟᴏᴠᴇʀꜱ,ꜰʟᴜꜰꜰ, ꜱᴇᴘᴇʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ, ꜱʟɪɢʜᴛ ᴀɴɢꜱᴛ, ᴀ ᴛᴇᴇɴꜱʏ ʙɪᴛ ᴏꜰ ɢʟᴏᴏᴍ
ᴘᴀɪʀɪɴɢ:- ɪᴅᴏʟ!ꜱᴀɴ x ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀ!ʏ/ɴ
ꜱᴏɴɢ ʀᴇᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇɴᴅᴀᴛɪᴏɴꜱ:- ᴇɴᴄʜᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ (ᴛᴀʏʟᴏʀ ꜱᴡɪꜰᴛ), ᴏɴʟʏ (ʟᴇᴇ ʜɪ), ᴀɴɢᴇʟ (ᴛʀᴏʏ ꜱɪᴠᴀɴ), ᴘʀᴏᴍɪꜱᴇ (ᴀᴛᴇᴇᴢ)
ᴡᴏʀᴅꜱ:- 15ᴋ
┏━•❃°•°❀°•°❃•━┓🌸┏━•❃°•°❀°•°❃•━┓
All the streets had now started to look alike. With a map in your hand, you tried to read it but ended up regretting not paying attention in geography. Now, it would be easy if only you knew a few people or the language. However, nothing is helping today. Not the weather, not the maps or the Google translator. You took a deep sigh as you ran a hand down your face due to the frustration. It's Brussels, How is it that all the people you find our either tourists or non-English speakers. "I should prepare for the sarcastic comments dad's going to throw on me.." you mumbled, predicting your future because your father had recommended you to take language lessons. But, you were too stubborn and look where it got you. Its better to buckle up to hear the 'Told you so's'.
Not giving up, you walked away from the protection of the awning of an aesthetically pleasing shop. It was still drizzling but it was better than the previous downpour. Your head moved around in every direction and so did your eyes, trying to find someone, anyone! You were so invested in the search you didn't realise you were walking into someone from behind. But, you did realise....after you had bumped.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking.." you turned to apologise, you kept bowing and uttering words of apologies in both french and English. You didn't halt until the feeling of the raindrops hitting your skin stopped. And you looked up to find a black umbrella over your head. It was held by a man...An insanely gorgeous man.
Your eyes fell upon him. A person...no no no, A god if you had to describe him more specifically. Or someone who was sculpted by the gods themselves. The sharp jawline, high cheekbones, chiseled face. Every feature giving balance to his face. His eyes were adorned by spectacles, you weren't sure if they were real or not but his eyes. Sharp eyes, and yet soft eyes started at you and it felt like you were losing your breath just standing there.
"You look like you're lost..." His lips uttered. But you were so lost in his eyes that you hadn't noticed him speaking. It was all in slow motion, and your jaw was open the whole time. Gosh, could you be more of an embarrassment, you thought. "Hey..." The strange man spoke again. "Yes! I'm sorry, I'm just..yeah I'm lost and...you speak English so thank heavens!" The man chuckled a bit at your explaination. "So, how can I help you?" He questioned. "Um...could you help me find the palace? I'm just so confused there're so many street names here and I'm...yeah. I'm muddled."
"Well, that's a coincidence because I'm walking to the Royal palace as well. And, i do know the location...the only thing I didn't have was a companion." The corner of his lips turned up as he said those words. Really smooth huh? You couldn't help but mirror his reaction. "I'd be happy to volunteer." You extended your hand, "I'm Y/n." and he held your hand, "I'm San." You both stood there for a while, holding hands, smiling, a little to out of your minds, staring at each other.
"Ahem." San cleared his throat, "So..shall we?"
The next thing you know is you're exploring the streets that seemed bewildering a few seconds ago. San, seemed to know a lot of things and places. You were curious if maybe he lived here but it turned out he was just another tourist, trying to make memories. But alone. Just like you.
Having a single umbrella was quite the inconvenience. First, the proximity, oh lord. Second, heartbeat. Yes. This has never happened before. Your heart would never behave like this on any occasion let alone meeting a guy. What was different today?...Maybe him? His cologne?...It gave of an earthly fragrance, like when it rains. Or was it the weather? Maybe, it was the weather. Despite excusing your feelings, you were still staring at him. He's even stunning from the side! Your eyes then went down his neck...then to his arms...no, his biceps. Although, the coat he was wearing was thick, it couldn't hide his build.
"Should we stop for an ice-cream?" His honey-like voice pulled you out of your thoughts. "Sure, but I'm paying."
"Of course, you have to pay." San joked as he took out his credit card...a black card?!?! Holy munchkins, he's rich? You wondered. "No no no no. I said I'll pay. You already helped me before. So let me do something for you." You tried to stop him. "Alright..get me a mint chocolate." You cracked ur neck when you turned your head towards him because "mint-chocolate??" You said aloud, unintentionally because sometimes your tongue and brain do not synchronise. "Yes, why?" He questioned with those innocent eyes staring right at ya! "No, I mean...haha. i meant, mint chocolate? I was confirming." You tried to shrug it off with an awkward laugh.
"Oh you're terrible at lying." San burst into fits of laughter as he saw your acting skills. "Were you teasing me?" You pouted. "No, i wasn't joking. I actually like mint-chocolate and trust me, you're not the first person to judge me on this. I have been judged by...a married couple." San replied
You exhaled because of San's chill demeanour. That's how you spent the rest of the evening. Going to museums, street stalls, the palace, random fountains. You were starting to enjoy his presence. Initially, you wanted to travel the world alone. Because you believed, having someone with you would only awaken your mother instincts and you'd want to take care of them instead of enjoying the vacation. Honestly, it was lonely. Until you met this man.
"I am on a vacation as well. So what's the career you're pursuing?" San questioned while sipping on his coffee. "Oh, I'm a doctor." San choked on his coffee. You were greeted with his wide eyes. "What is so surprising about that?" You smiled. "I don't know either. But, it must be tiring right?" He said. You leaned your hands back on ridge of the roof of an abandoned house, "Yeah...it is. You meet with so many people. To some, you deliver good news...and to others, the bitter truth." You replied as you stared in the sky filled with clouds, moon and stars barely visible. The cold wind splashed over your face but you enjoyed it. You found comfort in it.
San on the other hand, couldn't resist gazing at you. Your eyes, especially. How they expressed the emotions you held in you heart. Then, your smile. It did something to him. He couldn't quite point out what this feeling was but whenever you smiled, it was as if flowers bloomed and you shined among them. "So how come you're alone?"
"...i don't know actually. Maybe it's because I want to be alone for once in a while. But..it turned out to be quite lonesome. Honestly, it has always been like this. I want to find something...just for me. I want to cherish that alone time so much and I do...I do very much but in the head i crave for some affection. Doesn't matter what but... affection. You know, it had been such a long-"
You are interuppted by San's arms around you. His hands pat your head. And you realised he was trying to comfort you. You were startled, but it was so warm. His embrace felt like your blankets at home. Fuzzy and warm. However, there was something more to it. His left hand then slid to your back and provided the most gentle rubs. So, you closed your eyes as you nuzzled into his chest. So... comfortable...
You have no idea what happened after that but the next day you found yourself on a completely strange bed and a foreign setting. It was all confusing until San came out of the bathroom. "I almost thought I got kidnapped.."
"Thank you for thinking so highly of me but you passed out." San taunted. "Passed out? Oh please, i had the best sleep in years.." you wondered aloud once again, catching San off-gaurd. "Oh..." And you noticed he had a tank top on..."oh." You were sure he had a nice body but holy banoly this was beyond your imagination. And his messy bed hair were a cherry on top. "So...you wouldn't mind if we hugged again, right?"
There it was again, that feeling of your heart racing like a horse. The surroundings suddenly felt so quite, the only thing you were worried about was if he heard the beating of your heart. "um..." And now you were tongue tied. Great.
"I'll take that as a yes. Well nevermind about that, i have plans for today, so let's get ready. Quick!"
Being with a person was actually much better than you had thought. Or maybe it was just because it was San. Days went by and you guys didn't waste any of them. You could say this was the most you had been outside your house. And about your relationship with San...it was blossoming. From bumping into each other to walking down the streets of Brussels while holding hands to barging into each other's hotels. If you told your parents about it, they'd probably advice to maintain distance from a 'strange guy'. However, that was thing about him. It was the fact that with him you enjoyed things 100 times more and how he was so kind and caring. He didn't feel strange at all. If there was something that you found weird was sometimes people would take pictures of him from afar or ask to take selfies with him. Maybe it was because of how beautiful of a man he is. But...could it be that he is famous?
"No...I'm just a normal guy. Escaping the worries of my world as much as I love and adore it."
So, in a matter of weeks you had made a connection with a strange guy. Where you didn't shy away from holding his hand, or telling him your embarassing stories, eating with him till you were completely stuffed, clicking pictures with the weirdest poses or listening to music by sharing earphones while sitting on a bench in a foreign country.
Should I be worried of this connection?
The next day was rather quiet. Because you hadn't had a single call from San. But you were seriously concerned why you were waiting for him to call you. So you decided to ring up the only person you would trust with this. Your best friend.
"Oh my God you're in love!! Send his picture alright?" She squeled. "oh c'mon this can't be love....maybe a fling?"
"No! It is definitely not a fling. Let me prove it to you." She said confidently.
"Does he make you feel threatened?" She questioned, "what absolutely not!" Your best friend continued, "so how does he make you feel then?"
"...He makes me feel comfortable and...wanted. He always looks at me with those eyes of his, so sharp and yet so soft. He cares for me so much. He makes sure I've eaten, a sometimes he wipes my face when I eat, he values my choices but what truly incites me is when he holds my hand, he tells me how it fits perfectly in his. Or how he thinks I should be casted in movies when I completely disagree....and, he hasn't called me today. In dreading to hear his voice. You don't think he's gone do you?"
"...do you still think it's a fling?"
As soon as your call with your bestfriend finished, San's name shined bright on your phone screen. If this was happiness you were feeling right now, then you were sure you could explode. You obliged to what he had said over the call, to meet him at the same location you met for the first time. And just as you were about to leave, you got back in once again, just to look in the mirror and fix yourself just for the last time. With a deep breath you left.
It was sunny out. No clouds, or wind. A clear sky. Just like your first time around here your head went in all directions, trying to find one particular person this time.
Ah, there he is.
Your eyes fall at the man who was just another tourist a few days ago and now he seems like someone you're not ready to leave. There he stood in a white and black cardigan, a little big for his body which covered his bulk. However, his collarbones were left exposed. His hair were down, and he looked mesmerizing so effortlessly. The sun did him a favour you thought. "Y/n!" He caught you attention as he jogged towards you.
"Hey..." You greeted him with a smile. But something was off today. The atmosphere was somehow more heavy than the usual meet-ups. "Um..i knew this day would come but...this is a little earlier than expected." He chuckled while refusing to make eye contact. You tucked a hair strand behind your ear, "I'm...ready for whatever it is." You tried disguising your fragile hope into strength.
"I have to leave today. My work schedule changed." There they were, the words you knew were coming but begged for the universe to let it be anything else but San leaving you. "So, you're leaving?" You choked out.
"Hey... let's meet again. Here. Let's meet again like strangers who were lost." San said staring deep into your eyes and you know they're being filled with tears because so are yours and no matter how much you try to resist them, they will fall. San's hands came to cup your cheeks, "You know, i truly came here for an escape. I tried to run away from all the things that were bothering me. I thought it'd be okay to leave for once, to enjoy being alone and my company." He paused to take in a deep breath.
"But...you were right, it does get lonely. Even though I'm trying to find the purpose of my life and following what I truly wanted it does get lonely. Even though, i have an amazing family and friends. But you know what that where you come in. You complete the part of 'being lonely'. You fill in that empty space of mine...called heart." He wiped the tears that were now running down your cheeks.
"So wait for me...wait for me Y/n. I'll come back i promise." He extended his little finger and you entangled yours with his and your thumbs touched, "I promise! With a stamp on it." Your voice barely clear, "San, i was enchanted to meet you." You wiped down his tears and kissed him. You were on your tiptoes and his lips were on yours, his hands cupping your cheeks so gently, as though you'd break. The kiss felt like an orchestral climax of a complicated music piece. You were sure you heard the violins and the piano.
I don't want to leave. Please don't leave.
"Stay." Your tongue betrayed you yet again. "I love you."
San touched his forehead with your yours, "I love you too."
You were at the airport, with your luggages ready to leave. A few changes were made in the trip, your wallpaper wasn't a picture of you anymore, it was San. Your wrist wasn't empty anymore, instead, it was adorned with a bracelet, gifted to you by San and your heart wasn't a lonely place anymore because it was invaded by...San.
The other thing that's weird is your best friend calling you for like the 15th time this morning, you couldn't pick up the rest because you were getting ready. So now you had to. "Hello?"
"Why won't you pick the phone up?"
"Sorry, i was getting ready to leave for the airport."
"Are you sure you sent me the correct picture? I mean is he the guy you met in Brussels?"
"Yes...why?"
"What was his name?"
"San."
"....do you know his last name?"
"No...in fact i didn't even get his number."
"...Y/n. The person you met was Choi San. He is a celebrity. A k-pop idol in South Korea. From the boy group Ateez."
"...what?"
┗━•❃°•°❀°•°❃•━┛🌸┗━•❃°•°❀°•°❃•━┛
#choi san#ateez san#san ateez#choi san fanfic#choi san fluff#choi san fic#ateez au#ateez fluff#strangers to lovers#brussels#angst#fluff#[ chaerssss ]#enchanted#kpopff#kpop bg#kpop fluff
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here for questions as it was invited by your post, and thank you because this topic is important to me
i want to focus this on addiction but i want to admit that as a full grown adult who went to collage for psychology, worked in special needs and nursing homes so has seen a wide array of neurodivergencies in very intimate and real ways, AND as someone who has adhd and is partners with someone who was a higher needs autistic in their school days- i feel like i dont fully understand the strict differences between terms like i want to and the grey area really dose make my head spin often
but in regards to addiction and how i experience it differently because in a way i feel an almost "immunity" with how my executive dysfunction can translate to "not able to maintain a pattern regardless if it is a constructive habit or addiction" watching my father struggle with alcoholism and it really takeing its always sunny to wake up to the fact that he even was one, i really want to understand what it means to be addicted better
is it defined by its sunk cost? emotional emptiness? the damage done outward to others? or is it just the pattern.
the way that i experience a hyper fixation with my adhd feels distinctive enough to prove that i can differentiate the two concepts per the entire point of your post, and then there are just paradigm shifts like how the only thing ive been accused of being addicted to has been "the computer" 20 years ago when we still had dial up. but ive been a strong advocate to how web designs especially for cell phones play into addictive tendencies with the biggest being short form content with the slot machine endless scroll feature.
so the dangers TRUE addiction poses a unique threat in the attention economy functions today with tec and also how easy it is to get trapped in a social bubble making traditionally understood as addictive substances form even more tight knit communities to enable people and never realize they could be helped.
its a problem i want to be vigilant of in myself and always help those i love through where it comes so i hope this message wasnt too long or overbearing i just am glad to see someone who knows firsthand about it who might be willing to talk more about it for education.
okay I finished answering this only for tumblr to reload and lose my progress so sorry if this comes across as overly abrupt. I’m not upset at you but I sure am upset at tumblr!
addiction is a complicated and multi-faceted issue. it’s not just the frequency of substance use and it’s not just the impact to life, it’s a lot of different things all at once. addiction tends to be broken into three parts: physical dependency, emotional dependency, and impact on life
physical dependency is your body becoming reliant on the substance. this looks like physical withdrawal symptoms (e.g. the shakes, dizziness, fatigue, nausea, etc)
emotional dependency is the result of extended use of a substance as a coping mechanism. this means that anything the substance was helping to cope with is going to come up in full force (along with added anxiety and anger from not having access to the substance)
impact to life really depends on the person, but this is all the external influences of addiction. struggling with employment, struggling with relationships, struggling to look after yourself and others, etc
all of these things will look different for different people and different substances. I am always wary of people trying to apply an addiction framework to non-substance use addictions. evidence around behavioural addictions is sketchy at best, and just do not have many of the features of addiction that I’ve struggled with the most
out of everything, the mechanisms of addiction are most similar to OCD, but with the additional challenges of physical dependency. for those who don’t know, the obsessive compulsive cycle is:
trigger
intrusive thought
obsessive thinking
compulsive behaviour
it’s a cycle because the more you do the compulsive behaviour, the harder it becomes to cope with that initial trigger in a healthy way. and that’s kinda how addiction functions, too. it just so happens that the compulsive behaviour is substance use. and that’s just not how other behavioural addictions tend to play out
beyond that, we have to consider the ways the word “addiction” is used politically. addiction is heavily stigmatised. addict is seen as a pejorative term, rather than a descriptive one. so even if you could say that phone use is similar in some way to substance abuse….. calling someone an addict for using their phone a lot comes with a lot of baggage and a lot of implications I am deeply uncomfortable with
the terms “phone addict” or “addictive technology” are not literal phrases, they’re metaphors. technology is being compared to substances, and use of that technology is being compared to addiction. and I think everyone needs to have a deep think about why it is that those comparisons are used. until addiction stops being demonised, it is not useful or helpful to be applying an addiction framework to situations where it doesn’t 100% make sense
I hope that helps and makes sense!
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What you guys have been waiting for...my Hitsuhina's Children Headcanon!
Finally I've decided to upload this after a while :'D this is my personal headcanon of how their child would look like.
Early Disclaimer:
It's going to be long
I have limited Japanese ability, but I do understand some lexical context. This is why I never engage myself to do fan-translation works despite have knowledge about it as I prevent sharing misinformation. I learned about translation etiquette during my days as literature student in university, so I did my best to not being biased while creating this, despite people's translation style could be different from one to another. Nevertheless, I accept any critics from those who's much more fluent than me and have more knowledge regarding naming rules and cultures in Japan. I will take it as reflection to deepening my knowledge more with Japanese language, culture, history, and societies since all of this are tied together and can not be separated! Along with taking down this post if any of the content turn out to contain any misleading information.
I haven't made any art for them, but I hope the explanation below could help anyone visualize how they would look like in my headcanon!
Now let's get down to the business!!
1. Hitsugaya Hayato (日番谷 隼)
隼 (はやと) = peregrine falcon
This one was pretty tricky since name 'Hayato' in most case were written like this -> 隼人 by adding 'human' kanji at the end. But since I saw a real public figure named Hayato who have their name being published with single kanji like above, I can say that Hitsugaya Hayato will have the same case!
Birthday: March 17th
Zanpakuto: 青山��� (せい・ざん・ろう || Seizanrou = Blue Specter )
I imagine he will inherit Momo's hair and Toshiro's eye color. His overall features will look like Toshiro uwu. I honestly conflicted to made him having Toshiro's hair with Momo's feature instead of the one I come up with, since on Kazui and Ichika's case, they have their father's hair and their mother's feature. But then I remember Ichigo have Isshin's face and his orange hair were probably inherit from Masaki's side, so I'll make Hayato having that situation too.
He'll wield an elemental zanpakuto with a fire-type spirit. His zanpakuto's name will be 青山郎 (Seizanrou = Blue Specter). This zanpakuto naming idea were inspired by Hyourinmaru itself. Hyourin (氷輪) if translated literally means 'ice ring' but it could also mean ' the moon (that shine as cold as ice)' hence why there's a crescent shaped pendant at the end of Hyourinmaru's chain.
And 青山 ( せい・ざん -> Seizan) if translated literally means 'lush/green mountain', but it could also mean 'grave' or 'burial place'. Adding 郎 ('rou', same as the last kanji in Toshiro's name, means 'boy') at the end of it, I made the equivalent translation being 'Blue Specter' (boy from burial place → 'someone' from the graveyard → a ghost).
//I wonder if it make sense, and if it's appropriate to name zanpakuto this way//
The command will be 蘇れ! ( よみがえ・れ = Yomigaere = (lit.)"Resurrect!" || But my personal translation to make the context a lot sensible in battlefield -> "Rise from the Death!" ), and the shikai technique will looks like blue fire orbs appearing on top of his blade. As Hayato calls its name, the blue flame will rise and change form into what Hayato desire to attack the enemies, as if it was a ghost that raises from its death body beneath the ground.
I'd like to think it's manifestations being a cemetery caretaker/keeper with lantern on his hand. Seizanrou's manifestation and overall concept was also partly inspired by 'Lantern Specter', the ghost in Taiwanese horror game 'Detention'.
I'd like to think it'll be great to have Hayato having a horrifying dream when Seizanrou on its own way to communicate with its master, the way Hyourinmaru did to Toshiro. Hayato will have a great equal portion of training from Toshiro as they experience the same case, but also with Momo as fellow fire-type zanpakuto wielder.
2. Hitsugaya Kanjirou (日番谷 柑蒔朗)
柑 (かん = citrus, orange) 蒔 (じ / ま・く = to sow)朗 (ろう = bright, cheerful) → "Orange Tree"
Birthday: October 3rd
Zanpakuto: 霜咲 (しも・ざき || Shimozaki = Blooming Frost)
This time she inherit Toshiro's hair and Momo's eyes, with overall feature dominant to Momo. She might gonna be daddy's little girl, because I like the idea of Toshiro having daughter, and that he has a soft spot for them :'))))
I was almost thought this name feel a bit too boyish for her, since so far I know, the commonly used ろう kanji was in this form for naming -> 郎. I did further research and find out this 朗 (ろう) kanji could also be used in naming, and have a great meaning. Adding the fact that I just found out 'Kanjirou' was actually A FLOWER NAME.
It's a sub-type of Camellia sasanqua, one of many types of camellia with deep magenta colors that natives to both China and Japan. This flower also blooms during fall to winter, which I think is perfect with my birth date set-up for her. I like the idea of either Momo or Toshiro get the inspiration to name her 'Kanjirou' the moment they saw this flower blooms near Momo's due date, while their home at the time starting to be filled with the sweet-citrusy smell of clementines.
Adding the fact that Momo's name not only refers to the 'peach' fruit itself, but could also be the 'peach blossom', we now have Father-Son duo with animal inspired name and Mother-Daughter duo with flower + fruit inspired name in our Hitsuhina little family! ^q^
For her zanpakuto spirit, she's a wielder of ice-type elemental zanpakuto. And her zanpakuto name will be 'Shimozaki' (霜咲 = Blooming Frost).
霜 (しも || Shimo = Frost)
咲 (さく・-ざき || sa-ku・-zaki = to blossom)
I haven't though so far about her shikai, but I like to imagine the technique will involves around scattering ice particle in form of haze and freeze the enemy in a form of blossoms.
Also I haven't thought about the spirit manifestation form TwT maybe later //forgive meee//
Again, she's also receive equal portion of training from both parents. As she's a fellow ice-type zanpakuto wielder, she practice swordmanship with Toshiro, and taught Kido by Momo (she's good at it!)
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Andddddddd as you all can see, I'm trying my best to have their child looks like their 'literal' child with names and everything. It took me a while to find children's name that would match them, but I'm lucky to encounter 'Hayato' and 'Kanjirou' since I think it'll be a great idea for Hitsuhina's children to have names that rhymes with their parents' names (Toushirou and Momo). One of many things that motivates me to create this characters because I want to have their appearance on my fic :') so starting now, if ever I come up with Hitsuhina domestic stories/art in the future, it's easier for me to just pick them back from this reference and add them to the story/art uwu
The concept art will follows sooner~! Please have this for a while!
I guess this is it from me >< and I hope anyone like this silly little brainrot of mine hehe
#bleach#bleach oc#hitsuhina#rainfestive oc : hayato hitsugaya#rainfestive oc : kanjirou hitsugaya#is it okay for me to give them personalized tags already?#whatever i'm cringe but i'm free
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