#this is all my posts in a nutshell

[sysig]

Starkly, sparkly (Patreon)

[ms-all-sunday]

east blue and adult polycule are simply the most utilitarian shipping choices

[fancycolours]

[shallowseeker]

Is yours the kind of chronic illness you'll recover from? You definitely don't have to answer or give personal details, but I really hope you feel better!

No, it's okay. It's likely that I won't fully recover, but in the past decade, there have been WAY more treatments available that turn down the immune system and combat scarring. And yes, I'm much better, thanks!💖 In a nutshell,

my immune system malfunctioned after an infection, and now it attacks my body in big, big ways—with a tendency to damage the muscles and lungs!

My situation got even weirder because it started attacking my nerves and heart from 2020 onward, which ... usually ppl with my diagnosis, get respiratory failure, not overt heart issues. (Long story, but I got undiagnosed, then rebiopsied, then rediagnosed the same thing *with extra notes.) Anyhoo, the new developments impacted my mobility and stamina in even crazier ways than I was used to. (I have until recently worked a full-time job and pretty much spent ~5-6 days in a gym with an expensive physical therapist just to keep my body functional. Before, I had an acquired skeletal myopathy, but I was able to run a 5k in 42 minutes... I trained like an Olympian and while had to rest a lot more than most, I could do it!)

Now... I can't even manage one day a week of light activity. It's a big adjustment, even for me! I'm having to noodle on how to best manage it going forward. It's always this confusing situation of "Is this the primary illness, secondary damage, or the side effects of toxic medications?"

I'm doing a pretty good job if I do say so myself.

[asterdeer]

wanna make a post about megamind and nimona so bad. not gonna do it. but i wanna

[frau-wilhelm-klink]

I'm a purple reader! Everything here tracks, honestly.

have you guys done that “what kind of reader are you” quiz and if so what did you get

[putrefacion]

LUTE HAS A LONG & WELL-DOCUMENTED HISTORY OF DISREGARDING CELESTIAL WAR PROTOCOLS DURING EXTERMINATIONS; THOUGH SHE'S CONSIDERED ONE OF THE MOST EFFICIENT OPERATIVES ON THE FIELD, SHE HAS BEEN FORMALLY REPRIMANDED MULTIPLE TIMES FOR VIOLATING THE TERMS OF HEAVEN’S TREATY WITH HELL,

SOME OF HER VIOLATIONS INCLUDE: FREQUENTLY DISOBEYED CHAIN-OF-COMMAND ORDERS, IGNORED TACTICAL FORMATIONS, EXERCISED EXCESSIVE FORCE [ EVEN AGAINST TARGETS DEEMED NON-PRIORITY OR OUTSIDE THE AUTHORIZED KILL RANGE ], PURSUING TARGETS AFTER CURFEW, CROSSING INTO RESTRICTED ZONES, & ONCE ELIMINATING A FIGURE THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE PRESERVED FOR DIPLOMATIC LEVERAGE [ PROBABLY AN OVERLORD ]

SHE'S CALMED SIGNIFICANTLY OVER THE YEARS [ DUE IN PART TO HER BEING THE LAST OF THE PROTOTYPE GENERATION & OF COURSE BEING RECONDITIONED ] & NOW FOLLOWS ORDERS MORE CLOSELY, BUT ONLY BECAUSE SHE’S LEARNED RESTRAINT IS THE BEST WAY TO KEEP BEING DEPLOYED. LEFT TO HER OWN JUDGMENT, SHE STILL BELIEVES ANNIHILATION IS CLEANER THAN COMPROMISE & WILL ENACT ON THOSE BELIEFS IF GIVEN THE CHANCE

[penwrythe]

aaaaaaaaaand I'm suddenly hit with a blast of inspiration (also mild distraction), thank you Secession Studios.

[bravesung]

Hanamaru: Love thy neighbor.

Catherine: Fuck thy neighbor.

Evangeline: I will kill thy neighbor if his name is Vega, Balrog or Bison.

Evangeline, also: But if his name is Claudio Serafino I will happily do the first two.

[gay-for-the-snz]

Sicktember 2024

Here it is, gang! Links will be added as the days are reached, and then from then on it will be updated as prompts are filled! This is my first Sicktember, so very excited to participate for once c: keep your eyes peeled

Day 1: “I’m not hungover, I’m just sick” (Or vise versa) | Florence! | waking up to the start of an illness, and forcing Rhoda to deal with the brunt of her moodiness [modern!AU] (≈1600 words)

Day 2: Too Much of a Good Thing/Overindulgence | Elliott! | the office Christmas gets a bit out of hand, but good times are had by all [modern!AU) (≈3350 words)

Day 3: Campus/Con Crud | Joseph! | the annual fresher's flu claims another victim in Joseph [modern!AU] (≈2200 words)

Day 4: "Great. I got a cold for my birthday." |

Day 5: Rogue Organ (tonsils, spleen, appendix, gall bladder, etc...) | Joseph! | the good doctor and an unfortunate case of laryngitis [modern!AU] (≈2250 words)

Day 6: Dizziness/Vertigo | Florence! | a feverish evening at a party, and the evening that follows with her newfound hostess (≈1850 words)

Day 7: Borrowed Hoodie | Florence! | intentional contagion between two weird little freaks. ft. Sicklyfruit's Sasha! [modern!AU] (≈2100 words)

Day 8: "The closest doctor is probably hours away from here!" |

Day 9: Overdramatic Patient/Caretaker | Despair! | this one's exactly what it says on the tin. The beloved warlock is sick and now it's everybody else's problem, too (≈2400 words)

Day 10: The Sniffles™️| Elliott! | a discussion of health and his predilection towards taking ill [modern!AU] (≈2000 words)

Day 11: Medieval Treatment "I didn't mean to wake you up." | Elliott! | a sleepover is interrupted by a cold [modern!AU] (≈1800 words)

Day 12: "You're not fine, you're throwing up/coughing up a lung." |

Day 13: Mononucleosis First Aid Kit | Joseph! | heat exhaustion at a University event, and weird coworker bonding. ft. xghostlightx's Claire! [modern!AU] (≈2450 words)

Day 14: Clean Sheets/Fresh Pajamas | Elliott! | fluffy caretaking of a cold with his coworker and his wife [modern!AU] (≈2350 words)

Day 15: "Who decided ___ is sick people food?" | Joseph! | meal prepping with a cold and personal reflection [modern!AU] (≈2100 words)

Day 16: Toxin/Poison | Despair! | a tampered gift, and a failed assassination (≈1750 words)

Day 17: Brain Fog/Spaced Out | Florence! | a feverish lunch date, and subsequent drive home [modern!AU] (≈2000 words)

Day 18: "My body is one big ache." | Elliott! | part two (paired with day 25), the follow-up of the workplace flu, and the realization of what it is [modern!AU] (≈2250 words)

Day 19: Hypochondriac Tendencies | Despair! | an evening in the inn, dreading illness, and an allergic reaction (≈2200 words)

Day 20: Medication Bribery | Elliott! | Elliott's allergies are wearing his coworker's patience thin, and they take matters into their own hands [modern!AU] (≈2150 words)

Day 21: Anaphylactic Response Flushed Cheeks | Joseph! | finals week stress, and a psychogenic fever to go with it [modern!AU] (≈2150 words)

Day 22: "You didn't use my cup, did you?" | Elliott! | drunk snz at the bar, and a nasty cold to go with it. ft. Sicklyfruit's Sasha! [modern!AU] (≈2650 words)

Day 23: Under a Spell | Despair! | an unexpected bit of magic during an encounter (≈2000 words)

Day 24: Tales From the Waiting Room |

Day 25: Summer Flu | Elliott! | part one (paired with day 18), a birthday celebration, and the very beginnings of a bout with the flu [modern!AU] (≈2750 words)

Day 26: Heart Condition/Cardiac Arrest Doctor's Note |

Day 27: "This is non-negotiable." | Elliott! | a late night meal with his horrid wonderful cat son [modern!AU] (≈2200 words)

Day 28: Pulling a 'Ferris Bueller' |

Day 29: Sick on a Road Trip | Joseph! | snowed in on a work trip, and dealing with a blossoming cold [modern!AU] (≈3200 words)

Day 30: Past prompt of your choice! "Patient Zero" (2023, day 30) | Elliott! | Elliott's first plane ride in a decade, and the preparation for a little family adventure [modern!AU] (≈2550 words)

[someone-elsa]

Afternoon Tea set

The perfect outfit for enjoying a cup of Earl Grey and scones ☕

Tanja dress // Tarja dress // Tarja top // Tilda necklace // Tilda earrings Swatches under the cut

Patreon (free) // SFS

👉 More clothes by me 👉 More earrings by me

TOU in a nutshell: I’m pretty chill about people using my content to create something new, just credit and tag me but don’t put the new stuff (or my original) behind any kind of paywall or sketchy links.

I don't do Early Access, but you if you want to leave a tip, you can buy a one-time donation from my Patreon shop <3

All reblogs, likes etc. hugely appreciated ♥ @maxismatchccworld @mmoutfitters​​​ @mmfinds @public-ccfinds @alwaysfreecc

If you post a picture of your sim using this dress (or my other cc), please tag me, I’d like to see (and reblog ♥)

[ugly-bug-starscream]

Adoring your art and all the sky loving the stars tidbits! Out of curiosity, who's Skywarp paired with?

Thank you so much!!! <333

SO KJDSFJSD this is a bit of a crackship of mine.. but skywarp is paired with wingsaber.

so some might not know who the fuck he is and i dont blame you. but hes from the transformers cybertron show (unicron trilogy and hes in energon too but this version of him specifically is who i want.) and we originally made a crackship with him and like skywarp in general for funsies.. cause of their similar vibes. so heres a little doodle of what wingsaber's design will most likely is gonna be, my attempt of incorperating him into tfone. i had planned doing more drawings to this post but got impatient so MORE DRAWINGS COMING

so to sum wingsaber up, hes a short loser in the high guard whos function is to be heavy attack flier. he managed to bag THE goth baddie and he doesnt know how he did it. hes the kind of guy that wants a goth girl to yell at him-

ive been kind of nervous to reveal this pairing for the au cause its so out there but i hope you guys may like them... they are very stupid together and i love them.

heres a little taste of how wingsaber is in a nutshell

[lost-in-the-land-of-stories]

So You're New To Takarazuka (2025 Edition)

This is a slightly revised and updated version of my 2022 post, because with Castlevania it seems we might be seeing a lot of new takarazuka fans, which I remember as being kind of overwhelming.

This post will share a lot with my previous one, except that it is up to date ^_^ So first of all: Hi! Welcome! Hope you enjoy the musicals and like the glitter!

Second of all, I know this fandom can be very different, a little bit (sometimes a lot) confusing, and definitely overwhelming, so I thought it might be helpful to make a bit of an introduction post, for if you’ve mostly seen memes or clips. So with that, here we are!

So You’re New to Takarazuka, what do you need to know?

(images: posters for Castlevania and Rose of Versailles)

Takarazuka in a Nutshell Takarazuka is a musical theatre company in Japan which only has female performers. It’s kind of like a reverse kabuki that way. It’s located in the city of Takarazuka (hence the name) and is over 100 years old! Which is awesome!

Takarazuka’s actresses are generally known as Takarasiennes (sienne or jenne for short), and are divided into women who play men, and women who play women. This division is made when they first enter the company based on the performers preference as well as their height (there is a minimum height for male-players). Many siennes come from ballet or theatre backgrounds and they audition for the company quite young, and can stay there for a long time.

The siennes who play guys are called otokoyaku (male role players) and ones who play women are known as musumeyaku (daughter role players, yes we know it sounds uncomfortable) and sometimes within the fandom and by other siennes onnayaku (female role players).

The company is divided into 5 troupes - hanagumi (flower troupe), tsukigumi (moon troupe), yukigumi (snow troupe), hoshigumi (star troupe) and soragumi (cosmos troupe) that perform to a schedule you can see on this page on the company’s website. They each have a speciality and character, and generally consist of anywhere between 60-80 members. There is also senka (or senior members), which is a group of some 20 older siennes who no longer perform in a troupe or in every show, but are specialists that are sent along to the other troupes as needed. You can find profiles for all of the current (and many, many past performers) on the fan-made website takawiki.

The Topstar System Each of the five troupes have a Top Star and a Top Musumeyaku, who perform the lead roles in most of the plays their troupe puts on. This couple is the ‘main’ couple of that troupe, and they tend to stay anywhere between 1-5 years depending on a variety of factors, before they retire and are replaced by the people “next in line” – this is a very hierarchical system in which performers climb up the ranks starting from their time in the Takarazuka Music School. Siennes can climb up the ranks by being given important roles, given leads in smaller theatres, or otherwise gaining prominence and popularity through stuff like fan engagement, merch sales, etc. This means also that casting is not generally done by audition and that there is a very limited pool of performers available for each play; you stay in your troupe (unless you're transferred) and you perform with them. Roles are assigned primarily by rank, as well, so you will not soon see a very new performer have a bigger role than someone who has been there for a long time (this is oversimplified, but that what it's an intro for).

Last and current top combis (topstar and topmusumeyaku) & troupe vibes:

Hanagumi Current Topcombi: Towaki Sea and Hoshizora Misaki Previous: Yuzuka Rei and Hoshikaze Madoka

Hanagumi is the oldest troupe of the company (established in 1921), and often considered it’s most traditional because of that. They are specifically known for the coolness of their otokoyaku, and their general aesthetic. Under Yuzuka Rei a lot of focus was placed on dance, and now with Towaki Sea we see a focus on darker stories.

(top: Towaki Sea's 'Castlevania', bottom: Yuzuka Rei's 'Top Hat')

Tsukigumi Current Topcombi: Houzuki An and Amashi Juri Previous: Tsukishiro Kanato and Umino Mitsuki Tsukigumi is just about almost as old as Hana (also 1921), and known for their comedic and western musicals, as well as their strong vocals. They were also the first troupe to perform ‘The Rose of Versailles’, which is one of Takarazuka’s flagship shows. Tsukigumi has multiple topmusumeyaku that started out as otokoyaku and switched later in their career (including current topmusume Amashi Juri, and previous topmusume Manaki Reika)

(Top: Houzuki An's 'Golden Liberty', bottom: Tsukishiro Kanato's 'Great Gatsby') Yukigumi Current topcombi: Asami Jun and Yumeshiro Aya Previous: Ayakaze Sakina and Yumeshiro Aya/Asazuki Kiwa*

Yukigumi is the troupe that focusses most on acting, and that is known for their performances of more traditional Japanese shows (nihonmono). In the modern era, they are also most often the troupe that does Manga adaptions (such as Lupin III, City Hunter and recently Berubara). *Ayakaze had two different topmusumeyaku partners, each for 3 shows, and Yumeshiro Aya stayed on with the next topstar after Ayakaze retired.

(Top: Asami Jun's 'Robin the Hero', bottom: Ayakaze Sakina's 'Bonnie and Clyde') Hoshigumi Future: Akatsuki Chisei and Uta Chizuru Current Topstar: Rei Makoto Previous Topmusumeyaku: Maisora Hitomi** Hoshigumi is known for their strong drama and stars with a lot of personality, as well as their focus on aesthetic and costuming. They do a lot of dramatic big-budget musicals and are currently very much the French Musical troupe.  **Hoshigumi is currently in the middle of Rei Makoto's retirement (she just finished her final run in the Takarazuka Grand Theatre and will still perform in Tokyo), but her topmusumeyaku Maisora Hitomi left before her. The next topcombi has been announced, but they have not yet performed a show togeter, and because there is currently no Topmusumeyaku, Akatsuki Chisei is playing a female role in Rei Makoto's final show.

(Top: Rei Makoto and Akatsuki Chisei in 'Ashura', bottom: Rei Makoto and Maisora Hitomi) Soragumi Current topcombi: Sakuragi Minato and Haruno Sakura Previous: Serika Toa and Haruno Sakura***

Soragumi, the youngest troupe by far, is also the most experimental. They have the tallest siennes and also often the most non-traditional shows. Their musumeyaku are often considered slightly less traditionally feminine.

*** Haruno Sakura is staying on as topmusumeyaku. They have only just switched topcombi, so Sakuragi Minato's first show has not yet started.

(top and bottom: pictures from Serika Toa's 'Razzle Dazzle/Takarazuka Love Songs')

The Sumire Code Something which you will run into fairly quickly when you get into the Takarazuka Fandom is the Sumire Code, which is an unwritten set of rules or guidelines for both siennes and fans regarding how to interact with one another. I have a longer explainer of this here.

The basic gist of it really is about respect, specifically for the performers, and also regarding their safety. There are a lot of differing opinions on certain aspects the Sumire code that I won’t get into now, but in general the foreign Takarazuka fandom does try to keep it in mind with regards to their online behaviour. One of what I personally think is one of the most positive aspects of the Sumire code (regardless of any of my other opinions) is the fact that it is intended to protect the privacy of the siennes, and that we as fans are not supposed to bother them or dive into their real lives. Those are their own, and we have no rights to them.  

One important aspect of the Sumire Code that is relevant to online fandom, is that the Hankyu Company is extremely diligent in controlling and protecting their copyright. The blurays are very expensive to buy and if material is posted in public places online, fans can get into a lot of trouble if stuff gets shared around. This can include takedowns on video platforms and other ways in which fans are locked out of being able to engage with the company. This doesn’t only go for video material, but also for the various types of print items the company produces. This results in all of us being careful with what we share, where we share it, and with whom. I know that to some, that can feel a little gatekeepy, but it’s important to understand that it’s really not that we want to keep new fans out, on the contrary, a lot of people here on tumblr and other platforms are doing their best to reach out, it’s just that the way this works limits the easily publically available material for new fans. 

That’s all Real Fun Info, but I Want to Watch Some Shows! Right, so you’re really here to watch some shows, fair enough! Where do you go? I know this in particular can be quite confusing, and sometimes a little difficult.

DVD/BLURAY First of all, you can buy a lot of the discs (dvds or blurays) of musicals that you like, which is imo kind of amazing since we’ve all been collectivel begging broadway/west end to do that for YEARS, so that’s cool. Of course, you don’t just wanna drop a ton of money - but in order to get an idea of whether or not you might like them, you can go to the Takarazuka YouTube channel (see link below) and watch their trailers, info videos, and clips. However, of course you might not have the money to spend on an expensive Bluray or DVD, not everyone has that kind of disposable income, so what else can you do? If you want more detailed info on where to purchase blurays or dvds, there is another explainer for that on @eralkfang's page right here.

SKYSTAGE Takarazuka also has its own TV channel called ‘SkyStage’. Here, they broadcast shows from their vast library of content, and produce a number of behind the scenes features which can be very fun, but unless you live in Japan this is pretty hard to access. Luckily there is, nowadays, a pretty good solution for this! If you ARE however in Japan, I can sincerely reccomend it.

TKZ ON DEMAND You can use Takarazuka On Demand, an online service through which you can rent shows quite cheaply and easily. You do need a credit card and probably a VPN, which I know can sound a little scary, but it doesn’t have to be. The process is relatively simple, and if this is something you want to set up there’s tons of people around that are happy to help you (but don’t ask me, I am technologically challenged and a friend had to do it for me).  Takarazuka On Demand also has a good deal of SkyStage stuff, which means you can find behind the scenes material here too!

FAN STREAMS Finally, if you don’t want to do any of these things, there are a number of us here on Tumblr who are happy to answer your questions, or if you want to see something that you don’t have access to - stream our shows for you. This is generally done in private locked stream rooms, for our own safety, as the company is specifically very strict on content sharing and we would rather not get in trouble. However, if you dm someone politely they will almost certainly be happy to help and to try and arrange a stream in your timezone if at all possible. I know dming strangers can be scary, but I promise we don’t bite. 

However, when you do talk to us, please do so respectfully, and please respect the space you are in. As much as we would love to shower you in glitter, we are not slot machines that can give you content, and we are careful because the company has nuked accounts in the past.

Peoples files and their translations have also been stolen in the past, and when things get spread across the internet nilly willy that can have seirous reprecussions for us.

TL;DR Welcome! Here’s a whole bunch of Takarazuka resources that I bundled so you can find them in one place, please have fun. Please do know that everyone is welcome here! We want people to come hang out, join us, watch things. That’s why we like to stream, we just ask that you treat us with kindness.

Takarazuka is a really fun hobby to have, even if it seems a little complicated. You’ll get the hang of it, and there’s lots of options to watch things in various ways! 

All that to say: Welcome, and enjoy the glitter

Resources https://www.takawiki.com/tiki-index.php Takawiki is an absolutely fantastic resource where you can find information on shows, performers, terms, and a variety of translations!

https://www.takawiki.com/tiki-index.php?page=Glossary+of+Terms Takawiki’s glossary of terms where you can look up a lot of really helpful info to help you wade through all the random Japanese people toss into their posts here.

https://www.takawiki.com/tiki-index.php?page=Sumire+Code The summary post for the Sumire code.

https://www.youtube.com/user/TRCofficialchannel Takarazuka’s official youtube channel, send them some love!

https://kageki.hankyu.co.jp/ Takarazuka’s official website! Here they post news, you can buy tickets if you’re in Japan, ad find out a variety of other pieces of information. They have an English version of the webpage, but the information is a little more limited on there.

https://kageki.hankyu.co.jp/schedule/index.html The yearly performance schedule.

https://www.tca-pictures.net/ This is the Takarazuka merch store online, you can buy merch for shows, programs, magazines, photos and other stuff here.

https://www.tca-pictures.net/skystage/ This is the website of Skystage, you can look around here a bit to kind of see how it works.

https://www.tca-pictures.net/vod/ This link will send you to Takarazuka On Demand, where if you make an account you can legally watch shows for as much as 5 dollars if you want to. https://www.tumblr.com/eralkfang/785974587264548864/how-to-buy-takarazuka-castlevania-on-bddvd And again Eralks how to buy a show explainer! Other Fun Stuff Here is again the link to my Sumire Code Explainer. History Post about Takarazuka's past. Propeganda about my favourite performers. Show Reccomendations for beginners.

[bts-trans]

250303 Weverse Translations

RM's Post ❇️ with V's Comment 💬

바깥은 봄인가요 화천은 눈이 17cm가 왔습니다 전북 어디는 영상 20도가 넘는다는데 확실히 사계절이 뚜렷한 나라, 멋진 대한민국 맞습니다 음 갑자기 후임 하나가 생활관 앞에 이글루를 만들고 있습니다 여기서 추억이 참 많을 것 같아요 예.. 세상은 요지경 이제 대학생들은 개강을 하고 초중고딩 친구들은 새학기가 시작되겠군요 저도 드디어 군생활 앞자리를 떨궜습니다 로빈 훗마냥 달력에 하루하루 X자를 치고 있답니다 저 조���된 걸까요 아마도.. 그럴지도 야간 점호를 하면 늘 독서 연등을 가는 게 습관입니다 최근엔 미루어왔던 에리히 프롬의 '사랑의 기술'을 읽고 있습니다 사랑에 기술이라니 이게 웬 말일까요 사랑을 노력한다는 게.. 말이 되니? 요는 이렇습니다 우리는 그림을 잘 그리려고 기타를 잘 치려고 공부를 잘 하려고 수십 수백번 숙달하고 연습하면서 사람의 삶에서 가장 중요한 '사랑'은 왜 아무 연습도 숙달도 없이 그냥 하려는 거냐는 거죠 날로 먹으려는 그 마음! 현대 사회에서 사랑은 미디어나 자본주의에 의해 강렬한 감정과 드라마만 강조되어 오고 있지만 사실은 비장한 결의의고, 약속이며 결심이라는 것입니다 사랑엔 종류도 온도도 표정도 많겠지요 일대일이 아닌 일대다나 다대일인 우리는 어떤가요 음악을 만드는 사람은 무엇을 만들고, 듣는 사람들은 무엇을 듣고 있는 것일까요 우리는 무엇을 바라보고 무엇을 사랑하고 있는가요? 저는 어떤 결심으로 여러분 앞에 11년을 서 왔을까요 그런 말랑한 생각들을 해 보았습니다 결론은.. 한 번쯤 일독을 권합니다 (출간된 지 50년이 넘어 좀 낡은 관념들이 있긴 합니다만.) 세 달 정도 남았습니다. 퍼센트로는 18% 그 전에 죽기야 할까요. 건강하게 인사드려야죠 정신과 시간의 방.. 갈수록 중력이 무겁네요 짝대기가 네 개라 그런가 드럽게 안 가긴 합니다만, 국방부 시계는 거꾸로 매달아도 간다니까요. 거꾸로도 매달아보고 돌려도 보고 540도로도 달아보고 그럴랍니다 제 사랑도 마음도 잘 재정비해서 돌아오도록 하겠습니다 음악으로도 언어로도 들려드릴 이야기가 많네요 이제 봄입니다 봄이 오고 있습니다! (17cm 제설을 하며) 아 쫌 덥나? 싶으면 나가서 제가 저희가 계속 귀찮게 치근댈 예정이니 그전까지 갓생 사시길 바라겠읍니다 그럼 저는 보던 웹툰을 마저 보러 가보겠사와요 사랑합니다 오늘도 이건 결심이고 약속일 터입니다 보고싶슴다 초여름과 메뚜기떼 이놈들아 빨리 와 ! - 남준

V: 잠만 이 글 너무 명석해보이잖아 (https://weverse.io/bts/artist/0-156513041)

Is it spring outside? Hwacheon just got 17cm of snowfall. But I heard somewhere in Jeonbuk it's been above 20 degrees. South Korea truly is a country where the four seasons are all so clearly present, such a cool nation.

Umm Suddenly, one of my juniors has started making igloos in front of the barracks. I feel like I'm going to have so many memories to take away from this place Yeah.. It's a strange world.

At around this time, college students are probably going back to college, and school kids are probably starting a new semester. For me, finally, my days in the military have fallen to the double digits I feel like Robin Hood, crossing out the days on my calendar. Have I become a castaway? Maybe.. I might have

After we do the evening roll call, I always spend my leisure time reading. Recently, I read Erich Fromm's 'The Art of Loving', which I'd been meaning to read for a while. The art of loving, what on earth could that mean? Love as something that you have to work for.. that doesn't make sense. In a nutshell, this is what the book talks about: In order to be good at painting, or playing the guitar, or being good at studying, we practice hundreds of times to develop our skills. So then why, when it comes to love, the most important thing in a person's life, do we just try do it, with no skill, no practice?

In our modern world, love is something that's intensified by the media and capitalism, and only the drama of it is emphasised but, in reality, love is a determined resolution, a promise and a decision. There are probably many different types, and temperatures, and expressions of love. What about us? Not a one-to-one love, but a one-to-many or many-to-all love, what could we be? What does the person making music make, and what do the people listening to the music hear? What are we gazing at, what are we loving? With what resolution have I been standing in front of you for 11 years? I spent some time with these tender thoughts. The conclusion… I recommend reading the book. (It was published over 50 years ago though, so it does have some old-fashioned ideas)

Three months left now. In terms of percentages, that's 18%. Will I die before then? I'll be sure to greet you in good health. This hyperbolic time chamber… the further I go, the stronger gravity feels. Maybe it's because I have the four lines now.² They move so disgustingly slow, but the hands on the military clock do move, even if you hang the clock upside down. I'll try hanging it upside down, and turning the hands, and tilting it 540 degrees, I'm trying it all. I'll do my best to come back to you with my love and my heart reset.

I have so many things to tell you, both through music and through language. It's spring now, spring's coming! (After the 17cm of snow has been cleared) Right when you start to think "It's gotten kinda hot, hasn't it?" We'll be out and bothering you so much it gets annoying. Until then, I hope you guys are killin it. Okay, I'm gonna get back to the webtoon I was reading. I love you, today too, as always. This is both a resolution and a promise.

I miss you. Early summer, grasshoppers Can you guys please hurry up?!

-Namjoon

(T/N: *A reference from Dragon Ball Z

Referring to the stripes on his uniform, which indicate the rank of a sergeant.)

V: Wait this post sounds so intelligent

Trans cr; Aditi @ bts-trans © TAKE OUT WITH FULL CREDITS

V's Post ❇️ with RM & V's Comments 💬

눈이 왔습니다 제설 했습니다 눈싸움했습니다 눈싸움 잘합니다 병장 2호봉 됐습니다 이제 여기서 2위입니다 곧 서열 1위 최근에 특급전사됐습니다 운동 열심히 했습니다 열심히 하다가 갈비뼈 한번 나갔습니다 돌아왔습니다 지금은 다이어트합니다 70입니다 책 많이 읽었습니다 이나누나가 책 많이 주셨습니다 너무 많이 주셨습니다 다 못 읽겠습니다 여기서는 불면증이 없습니다 누우면 그냥 기절합니다 그래도 아침에 일어나는 건 도저히 익숙해지지 않습니다 아미 많이 보고싶어서 콘서트 영상 많이 봅니다 춤추고 싶습니다 노래 부르고 싶습니다 후임동생이 블랙스완 안무 다 땄다고 봐달라고 했습니다 제가 안무를 모릅니다 까먹었습니다 요즘 보물섬 봅니다 박형식 배우님 멋있습니다 정호석님 나 혼자 산다도 봤습니다 정호감입니다 콘서트 못가서 많이 아쉽습니다 아미 볼 수 있는 기회인데 어 음 아무튼 보고싶습니다! 사랑합니다!🩶

V: 어떤데 명석하나 RM: 누우면 기절? 개부럽다 RM: 김명석으로 앨범하나 내줘 (https://weverse.io/bts/artist/3-193728755)

It snowed. I cleared the snow out. I had a snowball fight. I'm quite good at snowball fights. I became a level 2 sergeant. I'm now the second highest rank here, soon I'll be the first. I recently became a special forces officer. I worked out really hard. I went so hard I broke a rib, it's fine now. I'm on a diet now. I'm 70 kilos. I've read a lot of books. Lee na nuna gave me lots of books. She gave me too many. I cannot read all of them. There is no insomnia here. I pass out as soon as I lie down. But I still find it so hard to get used to waking up in the morning. I miss ARMY a lot so I've been watching a lot of concert videos. I want to dance. I want to sing. A junior of mine said he learnt the whole Black Swan choreo and aksed me to watch. I don't know the choreo. I have forgotten it. I've been watching Buried Hearts lately. Mr. Park Hyungsik is such a cool actor. I watched Mr. Jung Hoseok's I Live Alone episode. I am now Jung Appreciation*. I was very sad that I couldn't go to the concert. It would have been a chance to see ARMY. And uhh yeah anyway I miss you! I love you!🩶

V: How was that, did it sound intelligent?

RM: You pass out as soon as you lie down? So jealous.

RM: You should release an album sometime as Kim Intelligent.

Picture translation: All I have is you

(T/N: A play on the words '호감', 'appreciation', and '영감', inspiration, which was mentioned during J-hope's 'I Live Alone' episode.)

V's Comments 💬 on ARMY's Post ❇️

💜: 김병장님… 제설 아닙니까..? 재설….? 제설이 아니였습니까 병장님 병장님이 이렇게 귀여워서 되나요 V: 그만하지? V: 실수였어요 (https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/1-156530407)

💜: Sergeant Kim..is it not spelled 제설*..? 제설….? Wasn't it supposed to be 제설? Seargeant, seargant, are you allowed to be this cute?

V: Okay you can stop now.

V: It was a mistake.

(T/N: V initially misspelled the word '제설', 'snow clearing' in his Weverse post.)

💜: 거짓말 ㅋㅋ

V: 아 진챠로 ㅋ (https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/4-193725419?anchor=4-370356021)

💜: Liar haha

V: It's trueee heh

Picture translation: All I have is you

Trans cr; Aditi @ bts-trans © TAKE OUT WITH FULL CREDITS

[emeraldcity1900]

the history of animation in a nutshell

Early 1900s: hey what if comic strips could like move?

Late 1910s early 1920s hey what if we mashed this up with live action people?

late 1920s: hey what if this thing had sound?

Early to mid 1930s: hey what if this had people actually talking and also color?

late 1930s: hey you know that super cool movie that one lady animated with paper cut out silhouettes? What if we did that with painted cells? Would people even pay to see that? Never mind it turns out the answer is yes.

1940s: ah shit most of our animators got drafted and/or hate us now cause we weren’t paying them. IT’S PROPAGANDA TIME BABY. Also haha hitler got hit with a mallet and also the most racist depictions of Japanese people ever.

1950s to 1960s : oh what’s this newfangled thing? Television? What if you could air cartoons on it? Oh fuck no I ain’t paying that much to get the charecters to have different backgrounds and for the charecters to like, move fluidly. Also manga and anime are steadily growing more popular.

1970s: (Ralph Bakshi walks into a comics store and finds a furry comic) X rated animated movie? *cue the screams of mothers and their unsuspecting children now being introduced to the revolutionary idea that cartoons don’t equal kids stuff? WHAT IS THE WORLD COMING TO?

1980s to 1990s: we can have full on animated Broadway musicals? Wait, what do you mean animated movies can count for the Oscar’s? What do you mean now they get their own catagory because the academy still thinks their for babies? Anime and manga are taking off in the west. SWEET JESUS WHAT DRUGS ARE THE JAPANESE ON SHOWING THIS SHIT TO KIDS. But also why is it so fucking good. Maybe some of these aren’t even meant for kids? Wait We can sell toys to kids with cartoons? Wait we can actually put effort into these cartoons on television? The fuck to you mean we can animate in 3D now? What do you mean we can have well animated, well written sitcom shows like the simpsons? What do you mean you can make cartoon charecters say fuck? What drugs are creators at Nickelodeon on? Do I even want to know?

2000s: oh my god, there is this one show that I really like cause it’s really well written and genuinely funny but I can’t talk about it because it’s animated and we all know cartoons are for babies right? Oh look it’s the transformers movie, look how far CGI has evolved so we can make the transformers in a movie.

2010s: holy shit I know these shows are for kids but they’re just well written and have so much meaningful things to say about the world. Wait, it’s cool to like cartoons now? They they have fandoms for this? Fuck yeah I’m in. (Enters one of the most notoriously toxic fandoms of all time) THEY HAVE GAY PEOPLE IN THESE SHOWS NOW? AND COMPLEX EMOTIONAL STORYTELLING? AND ADULT ANIMATED SHOWS CAN BE MORE THAN JUST SITCOMS WITH THE SAME JOKES AND STYLE? WHY IS IT THAT EVERY DISNEY CARTOON SINCE GRAVITY FALLS INCLUDE THINGS THAT GET MORE AND MORE FUCKED UP? WHY DO I FUCKING LOVE IT? WHY THE FUCK DID DISNEY DO THE OWL HOUSE DIRTY LIKE THAT?

2020s: I got this show I wanna pitch but it dosen’t fit into any box that the networks want and also I’m afraid that they’ll just randomly cancel it before I can finish the story I want to tell. Wait, I can just post the pilot on my YouTube channel, see if anybody actually likes this thing I made and just make the show independently? FUCK THE NETWORK! I AM THE NETWORK

[corgoship]

Fandoms vs. The inconceivable goodness of fictional cultures

It's strange and a bit worrying how (often adult) fans look at fictional marginalized cultures (in kids media) that are by default written to be virtuous, and they twist themselves into knots to try to prove how they were horrible people all along, and I'm left wondering: Why? Not to mention it's often coupled with apologism for the actual, textual bad guys, who are often straight up fascists.

This is mostly about the Jedi (Star Wars) and Air Nomads (Avatar: The Last Airbender) but feel free to add more if you know any.

My analysis and observations are under cut! Fair warning, this is a long post, and I'm writing this on the fly, so please forgive me if this isn't as coherent as it was in my head.

(Sidenote: It appears as though both of these cultures were inspired by Buddhism to certain extents, way more blatantly in atla. However, I would argue that the some of the philosophical conflict regarding attachment in atla was pretty heavily influenced by Star Wars: the season 2 finale is emotionally almost the exact same thing as the climax of Empire Strikes Back! But that's a story for another post...)

In a nutshell

Both of these cultures are described as wise and peaceful. They both put a lot of emphasis on meditation and enlightement. The Air Nomads are pacifists and vegetarians. The Jedi preach love and compassion, as per Anakin in Attack of the Clones. Both of them value love, but are discouraging of attachment - which a lot of people wrongly conflate with love in these texts, I believe. It is not specified whether or not Air Nomads could marry, but they lived in monasteries separated by gender, and the Jedi were not allowed to marry. Both of these cultures were victims of genocide by a fascist regime. And both the stories of Avatar and the original Star Wars trilogy are about an individual, who can be considered the last of their extinct kind, and the resurgence of their forgotten beliefs of kindness bringing peace to a war-torn world.

(Sidenote no. 2: they both have Mark Hamill. On the actual opposing sides of the spectrum, too. He went from being the hero electrocuted by the Emperor to... Being the Emperor electrocuting the hero. Which is kind of funny to me.)

With all that said, it will always boggle my mind how people will say these fictional cultures were conservative, arrogant, harmful towards children, dogmatic in their religion, and worst of all, DESERVING of being murdered. This is something I will NEVER understand or agree with.

The many crimes of the elemental monks and the space wizards

Let's dig into the criticisms they often receive, shall we?

To rapid fire list off a few: being too isolated from the rest of the world, indoctrinating children, having strict rules that restrict freedoms, deeming feelings to be inconsequential and a bad thing, considering themselves to be superior, and being too arrogant to notice their coming demise, which some consider to be justified by the aggressor.

Now, I will say not all of it is without merit, and some of these things could be taken as real flaws that were intended by the creators of the respective stories. The Air Nomad elders are dismissive of Aang's fears and that fear is what essentially forces him to run away at twelve years old. The Jedi Council tells nine years old Anakin that his fear for his slave mother could potentially lead him to the Dark Side and make him evil. Both cultures teach their children from a very young age, and the children are raised communally - which isn't in itself a bad thing, but I can see how some people mind find that uncomfortable, especially with the Jedi, who take in children from various cultures. Both Luke and Aang are advised to not only forego attachment towards the people they love, but they are actively asked to stand by and potentially let their loved ones be hurt or killed. (Take this last point with a grain of salt because neither Aang or Luke were ready to do what they did, and they both paid for it dearly, so the advice does have real merit, despite what some people might tell you.)

This is about the extent of the textual flaws I could find. So what do fandoms do? They take these flaws and completely blow them out of proportion. I have seen takes that claim both the AN and Jedi steal children from their families. That they are dogmatic in their religious beliefs, ostracize those who don't conform (or don't have their special powers), and they are condescending to other cultures, even considering themselves to be superior to others. That their ideologies were harmful and that they deserved to be eradicated for it.

How do you make a leap like that? In a story made for children, no less? We are presented with these cultures as being good, and the text never urges us to question their goodness. And this is by design - because again, these are stories for children, so there isn't much moral ambiguity when it comes to the murdered peaceful pacifists and the evil imperial super power threatening the world. So why do people still twist the narrative in spite of this?

Grey morality only gets a story so far

My best guess is that they DO want that moral ambiguity to be present, even if there is none, because that's "more realistic" and "better storytelling". I can agree with both of those statements to a point, but realistic doesn't automatically equal better. Sure, added nuance can often enrich stories and prompt more philosophical questions and more interesting conflict within the story itself, but is it always necessary? Does it always enhance the themes the story is trying to tell?

We are told to take the fact that the AN/Jedi are are a force of good at face value. And why wouldn't we? What is it that makes people question this, despite there existing little canonical information to disprove the innate goodness of these cultures built on love and compassion? Again, I believe that people - mostly adults - crave for things to not be black and white. Real life usually isn't. But stories aren't real life. There isn't some hidden secret that proves these bad-faith right. There are some flaws present at worst, but that is enough to spin headcanons and straight up lies that further the idea that there is no such thing as a paragon of goodness. Because of such a thing not existing in reality, it cannot exist in fiction either.

To love or not to love

The biggest issue people take with these two cultures, as far as I have noticed, is their view on love and attachment.

And then there is the most extreme version of this - the people who claim these cultures were the true evil all along, and that they were deserving of being victims to genocide by the imperial power. This is more rampant in atla fan spaces, and the agenda there is a bit more spite-motivated, because while the Air Nomads didn't hurt anybody (unlike the Jedi who could be seen as hurting Anakin, as far-fetched as that claim is), Aang is an Air Nomad, and a certain part of the atla fandom really doesn't like him (not gonna beat about the bush: it's certain zutara shippers). By painting his dead culture - which Aang loves and holds in high regard - as bad, they either make him supportive of harmful beliefs, or naive and ignorant, unwilling to take criticism, therefore stubborn and bigoted.

This is of course connected to his romantic relationship with Katara, which a lot of people claim is a bad thing. I will not get into the specifics here, but a large chunk of the fandom doesn't understand what the act of "letting go of your attachment" means, and that Aang achieves this in the s2 finale (which is what allows him to enter the avatar state on command), and that he's not, in fact, unhealthily obsessing over Katara. A different shade of this criticism is that in being the Avatar (similarly in Star Wars, a Jedi), Aang cannot love Katara in a full, meaningful way, because he is held back by his duties, and he must put the world over her.

Much like in Avatar, in Star Wars, attachment IS an obsessive form of love that impacts people negatively and should be avoided. In the more extreme cases, such as the case of Anakin, it leads to ruin, and it is his inability to let go of his feelings and think rationally that creates problems. In the case of Luke (and Aang in s2) and his love for his friends, he gets punished by the narrative for indulging his fear - he gets mutilated as a direct result of choosing his friends over taking the time to become stronger and have a better chance against his enemies.

Now look me in the eye and tell me where do either of these stories state that love is bad. You can't, because that's not what the stories are claiming at all (there is a reason why Aang ends up with Katara, and why Luke redeems his father through his love), and some people are incapable of drawing that distinction. They would rather claim that the AN/Jedi are dismissive of love and feelings as a whole, than to admit that the sort of love THEY personally value might be unhealthy.

Because I do honestly the believe that most of these detractors are the type to find "i would burn the whole world down for you" to be the truest form of love and devotion... When that, is in fact, the exact thing these stories caution about, and by pointing that out, they're not claiming that love is bad, but that it has the potential to grow into obsession, which we can all agree, is objectively bad.

Lastly, let's look at the other side of the equation...

Long live the empire!

The evil Fire Nation and the evil Galactic Empire are just that - point blank evil. This has never been put in question by either piece of media. There is nuance to be found, sure, with the Headband episode in atla and Zuko as a character, and... I actually can't think of a single not-blatantly-bad thing about the Empire/Sith in the original trilogy + prequels, lol. Maybe that the separatists had a point, and that the republic was collapsing in on itself under bureaucracy and corruption - but that's still no brownie point for the Empire nor Palpatine, lol.

Palpatine's derision and disdain for the Jedi is used to manipulate Anakin to... Become evil. And while his words may have a grain of truth in them, they are deliberately twisting the Jedi ideology and making the Dark Side look not only palatable, but necessary for Anakin to save Padmé, something the Jedi had failed him in (as far as Anakin himself believes). Why would people readily believe the bad guy, who has been lying and deceiving everyone, about the things he deliberately said to manipulate Anakin? Because it makes Anakin's turn seem more... Justifiable that way? It sure did in his eyes, but we as the viewers are supposed to see past that, since we have all the context, and he doesn't.

Atla takes a bit of a different approach and tackles the anti-Air Nomad propaganda head on. In the afforementioned episode The Headband, we go inside a Fire Nation school, and we see how they are being taught lies in order to justify the FN's attack on them (claiming they had an army, etc.). And yet there are still people who claim otherwise, that the FN was indeed right to do what they did, despite canon making it very clear that they are lying about what happened! (Also, let's just throw away the entirity of s1 episode 3 where Aang comes across the charred bones of his people and his mentor... Let's just not touch that, I guess. Don't worry about it.).

In both cases, the common thread is that the FASCIST bad guys are given grace, while the marginalized minorities are demonized. They are excused for their crimes time and time again, because what? Their aesthetic is cool? Their weapons/fighting style are cool? They're badass? You can appreciate these things for what they are, sure, but when does liking how something looks swing over into condoning the very bad things these people are guilty of? Probably when you start preaching how they, in fact, "did nothing wrong", and how the resistance are terrorists, and that people are inclined to be on their side only because the narrative paints them as the good guys... Yeah. You've lost the plot.

Or... Maybe you just like the person committing the atrocities...

It's not my fault my blorbo is a fascist warmonger!

This is the last point I will go over, I swear. There certainly is an overlap between fans who hate said marginalized cultures, and fans who love a certain character... Who happens to be a part of the fascist regime. Respectively for these fandoms, it's Zuko and Iroh in atla, and Anakin/Vader in Star Wars. Now, I am not saying Zuko is a bad person by the end of atla, don't get me wrong, but he spends the majority of the show flaunting the fact that he's a prince, and he's actively oppressing and terrorizing people in the first season. A huge part of his growth is recognising how the Fire Nation is crushing the world in an iron fist and reigning terror - Zuko says as much in his conversation with Ozai before he defects. I feel like the vast majority of people recognise that his words ring true, and that he's become a better person by confronting his father and his evil regime. But there are still some, who will bend over backwards to make the Fire Nation look better, so that Zuko and/or Iroh are absolved of their earlier crimes. Because god forbid my favourite character did bad things in the past, right? It's blatantly clear when people do this, and why they do this. An extended version of this is when they make the FN seem less evil so that Zuko can be shipped with Katara without any hang ups about her becoming the Fire Lady or similar common tropes in the zutara fandom.

And then we have Anakin. To keep it short, a lot of people view Anakin and Vader as two different people (Anakin didn't murder the younglings. Vader did!) and believe that he's not responsible for his actions after falling to the Dark Side. How to deal with his actions pre-fall, you ask? Well, he was justified, because the Jedi were holding him back, because they lied to him and belittled him, and refused to help him. All of Anakin's actions up to that point are the Jedi's fault, of course! I'm not saying their treatment of him was inconsequential to how things turned out, but he was very much in control of his actions and chose to do the things he did. The Empire wasn't going to magically fix the problems of the republic (and by extension, the Jedi) and I have no idea why certain people would think so.

Just kidding, I know why...

So... Where do we go from here?

I don't know man, I don't have a conclusion drafted. I just think this phenomenon is quite sad to see - people are refusing to see past their own biases, and they would rather twist the story to their liking than engage with the text in a more meaningful, constructive way.

I do think this needs to be called out when you see it, because it's a very relevant issue today. Fascism isn't cool just because the people doing it are someone you identify with in some way. Genocide isn't cool because the people affected are someone you disagree with.

It's just fiction, but these problems are present in the real world, too. People are very quick to forgive someone they support, and very eager to stone anyone they disagree with. They are not past creating and spreading misinformation about those they hate, just to get more people to agree with them.

It's quite worrying to me, especially since in these fandoms in particular, it boils down to the same thing - if people can't understand right and wrong when it is being spoonfed to them by a story crafted to be understood by children... Then how will they act in the real world, when met with more complicated matters?

Thanks for coming to my ted talk.