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Audio + CC link: https://youtu.be/ulyrcg0Fmqw

ENG SUB: JokerOutSubs x RADIOAktivno collab: 'Umazane misli' Album Presentation

We are very happy to have been able to collaborate with Boštjan Najžar from RadioAKTIVNO podcast (Facebook, YouTube), who very kindly reuploaded the removed video on YouTube again and agreed to collaborate with us by adding subtitles!

Below you can find the transcription of our translation of the interview, which originally aired on 23.11.2021, on Radio Prlek/RADIOAktivno YouTube channel.

Everyone: We are Joker Out.

Bojan: And you are listening to RADIOaktivno.

Boštjan: We've heard 'Gola' by Joker Out, from the album 'Umazane Misli'. Today with me on the RADIOaktivno show on Radio Prlek all the members, Martin, Jure, Kris, Bojan and Jan.

Everyone: Hello.

Do you have any dirty thoughts?

Jan: Every day. Yes, more and more. That's what connects us, that's what's always stuck with us. I think we're born with dirty thoughts. We've just released that on a CD.

Now you have finally made them public.

Bojan: Yes, it took a while, but these dirty thoughts have changed in the last two years, since the album should, in theory, have been released originally, they have evolved a lot. And they have evolved in such a way that we are now really very happy with them. So, yeah, the physical form is finally with us.

Anyway, Joker Out, you've been playing your cards successfully for a few years now. Are there many Jokers in the game?

Kris: Yes, there are exactly five in the game, right? Each one special in their own way. That specialness and dirty thoughts, as they say, unite us, too, don't they. I don't know what else to add to that.

Do you play cards?

Jure: Do we play cards? No. Socially, we don't play cards. No.

Bojan: We’ve actually never played cards.

Jan: We were at the casino last time.

Bojan: Hey, we were. And on average, I think, we were in a deficit, just two euros in total, or four.

Jan: Something like that.

That's a good result.

Bojan: Really good.

Kris: So kids, don't go to the casino.

Bojan: Yes. You will always lose.

Five Jokers, well connected.

Martin: Seems pretty well connected to me. We kind of complement each other nicely in what we create and what we do. What else can I say? Well, if there are only two Jokers in a deck, here we have five. Kind of.

Bojan: Like the Power Rangers.

Jan: Yes. Power Rangers. Power Rangers. Power Out. Joker.

Bojan: Is there a pink Power Ranger?

Jan: Joker Rangers.

Martin: There's a pink Power Ranger.

Bojan: I am the pink Power Ranger. Bojan.

So does each one choose his own colour, or is it assigned to a particular member?

Kris: Yes, I think basically the colour is assigned based on his character and temperament. So maybe pink really suits Bojan, yes.

Kris, which one for you?

Kris: Yes, I don't know which Power Rangers are left.

Bojan: Red, yellow, green.

Jan: You can have one of your own.

Bojan: Black.

Kris: Is Jan the black one?

Bojan: Jan is the black one.

Kris: Jan is the black one, right.

Bojan: Jure is the yellow one, right?

Jure: Am I the yellow one, or what?

Kris: Is he the yellow one?

Martin: Nooo.

Bojan: Yes, I don't know, is it?

Kris: I would say, the green one?

Jure: Green.

Kris: Jure is...

Bojan: Green.

Jure: Well, come on.

Kris: Hey, what's left, red and blue still, Jurko?

Martin: Yes, yes.

Jan: Jurko is more…Martin is more the blue one.

Kris: Well, I'm the red one and Martin is the blue one.

Power Rangers are always in action, are you always in action too?

Martin: Yes, especially lately, I think, that we're pretty much in action. Well, from all points of view, musical and others, socially. What else can I say on this topic?

Jure: There's a big thing in the works right now. So, we have to split up the tasks and that's it, yes.

But there's a lot of "sweet" work now?

Jure: Yes, yes and no, right?

Bojan: If you interpret it that way, it's much easier. If you tell yourself that it's "sweet" work, then many things that originally are not directly related to music, but are just things that we have to do along the way, to be successful, it could work, after all. We have a lot of "sweet" worries, we often have worries that we would like to or be able to give to someone who tolerates them better than we do, or just not have them.

Kris, were you going to add something else?

Kris: I just wanted to say that there's a lot of sweet powder as well. To get this, the context of one of the songs will come in handy.

UMAZANE MISLI

Gola' was the opening track, the second will be the title track for the album, 'Umazane misli'.

Bojan: Yes, 'Umazane misli' is one of those extremely upbeat, good-mood songs, which was kind of our attempt at Brit pop and we feel that it was very much the beginning of a certain vibe that we would like to maintain. It's also a very particular song because it was sung by one of my classmates from college, who had never sung or stood in front of a microphone in her life, so it has that touch of naivety. So yes, a very beautiful song that I hope we'll listen to.

Umazane misli' by Joker Out's album with the same name. You are a five-member band, I read online, you started from the ruins of Apokalipsa, in 2016.

Bojan: Yes, on the ruins of Apokalipsa and then Buržuazija (Bourgeoisie). These were the two bands that kind of broke up and then formed this current whole. Except for Jurček, Jurček joined us this January from the ruins of many other bands where he was forged.

But Buržuazija is still active. So you have taken away a member from them?

Jan: Yes, they got replaced. I mean, no matter what, Buržuazija always finds a way to its position.

Kris: True. The class struggle continues.

Jan: But, yes. I mean, this is a band that's replaced every member five times, at least, so...

Bojan: They're really a living organism.

Jan: Resilient. They're resilient, yes.

Martin: That's the question, right, if you replace every part of the boat, is it still the same boat?

Bojan: No, it's not the same boat, but it is a very good thing for Buržuazija, because I would say they are in the best possible shape right now. Maybe I dissed Jan and Kris with that, because it wasn't so good when they were there, but yes... Great band, still, or rather now.

Kris: Yet I 'Still' ('Vedno') enjoy it.

Jan: Yes, that.

Then today, Jure, you are actually the youngest member, joining the band?

Jure: Oldest member but youngest in the band, yes, I think.

In experience with Joker Out, I mean.

Jure: In experience with Joker Out, yes.

Bojan: He's the only one with a sweater on, so actually, kind of, the levels balance out.

Jure: I try to get on your level.

Have you received him nicely?

Kris: Absolutely. He's fitted himself in so perfectly into our band that I actually sometimes forget that we've been together for... - Just... - ...less than a year.

Bojan: He still has to adress us formally and eat at a separate table.

Jan: He did make us a really great roast once, so that's when we finally accepted him into our band.

Bojan: True, yes.

So you also have entrance exams in the group?

Bojan: Informal ones.

Given that Jure is cooking a roast to enter the group, what did the others do then to get in?

Martin: That is only for the members of Joker Out to know, right? Something like that.

Anyway, we first got in touch in 2017, Kris texted me then that you had a song, if it could be presented on the radio. If we could do an interview, but then Kris immediately left Bojan holding the bag.

Kris: Yes, that's when I, I don't know, I think I got lists from my mum of 30 music editors and we wrote to everyone when we released our first single 'Omamljeno telo' and I was genuinely surprised and I thank you, for even answering, so thank you very much. I really did, however, leave Bojan holding the bag at the time and still, I would do it again. That's just the duty of the frontman, or how should I say it? He has privileges and duties.

Usually the frontman is the most exposed member of the band.

Bojan: Yes, that's just kind of how it goes generally, but I will say that we have, especially in the last few months and in this final process of making the album, greatly expanded the public exposure of the whole band. And I personally would like to see this be brought to the maximum level, if possible, so to say, to be as exposed as possible. Not only because I find it to be right, but because I also sometimes feel like not going to every single thing.

VEM DA GREŠ

The next song will be 'Vem, da greš'.

Kris: What can I say about this track, listen to Bojan's sufferings.

Bojan: No, we have one interesting thing about 'Vem, da greš'. Vem, da greš' had three forms. It was a very slow balladic song at the beginning, but it kind of got on our nerves during the recording process and we didn't know what to do. We ended up speeding it up a lot. Mark Pirc, our video producer, had to edit the whole video again and shorten it by one minute, because we'd also shortened the song. Jan recorded the last guitar parts two hours before we sent the song to be mixed, so two months of work was practically in the trash, in such a bombastically short time before the mix itself.

Kris: May I add, it doesn't look to me like it was all garbage, because we would never have come up with this in the last four hours if we hadn't done that two months before.

Bojan: But Žarko clicked 'move to trash', 'delete'.

But then it was left in the bin anyway?

Bojan: It was left in the bin, yes. And also on his old computer, so we'll never hear that stuff again, even if we wanted to.

You've been accumulating experience on stage for quite some time, from various competitions and things like that.

Kris: Yes, it's true, as soon as we formed as a band, we also started looking for gigs, because we knew it was the only way for people to actually hear our music and feel it. Because what you see on YouTube, maybe doesn't capture you as much as live music. And there are, basically, at least for young bands in Slovenia, quite a lot of opportunities to show off, various competitions and bands battles and so on. And we've entered everything. Even when we weren't playing well, we thought we were better than everybody and we went to play. And basically, well, apart from showing off to the audience, you also get to know a lot of the young music scene, with whom it's very good to link, and I think that this has also helped us a lot in the long term.

What has it given you?

Martin: First of all, I think that these opportunities make it possible for young bands to come out of some kind of closed space, where they feel comfortable since they practice in front of each other and create some music to perform and show what they've been creating for the audience and let's them see how the audience reacts or, especially, how they don't react to your music at the beginning and it gives you some first experiences that are very important for then performing in front of larger audiences on bigger stages.

How is it, being in such competitions or opening for a more famous band that has stage experience behind them?

Jan: The first time we played as the opening act for Big Foot Mama in Domžale, I kind of felt so privileged, I was, I think, so privileged to be able to take part in it. So without going through that and being an opening act to bigger bands, also you can't become what they are now. So, 25 years ago, yeah. So, yes, it was interesting to feel a really big stage for the first time, right. And now we're kind of almost used to it, I think.

Kris: Do you know the song 'Garbage Hip Hop?'

Today it's different when you're the one on stage.

Jure: I don't know, I don't know if it's different. I think you have to make the same effort. You have to make the same effort. Maybe, okay, now people, people maybe percieve the opening act and the main band a little differently. But still, if you play what you what you agreed on, if you have good energy, communicate with people, it doesn't matter whether you're the opening act or the main band.

Bojan: Are you going to tell me that you don't feel a thousand times sexier on stage right now, than you did then? Don't lie.

Jure: No, no, I don't know if I do. No. I mean, I'm at the back, I'm the drummer, it's the same to me.

Bojan: Drummers, poor drummers, they never see the crowd and they can't even be seen on stage. But we'll buy you a pedestal, my dude, three metres high, dude, for everybody to see.

Jure: Lights.

Bojan: Then you're gonna see.

How do you feel as a singer now, when you're the frontman in a band and you have an opening act, compared to when you were the opening act?

Bojan: Yes, it's really one of those interesting leaps that we actually can't believe has already been made, I will say, honestly, as if we were just now realising that we had come to this point that someone is our opening act. We really do have a lot, a lot of work to do. But we are very happy to do a concert and there's somebody else before us. But we know that this role was ours, literally, for the last four years and we have always welcomed it with the greatest joy and pride. And it's a must on every musician's journey, so, yes, we're looking forward to a lot more opening acts, and hopefully as many as possible, that then will be back as the main ones, in the future.

To make the competition fiercer?

Bojan: Absolutely, I think that without good and healthy competition, there is no scene at all. So the more musicians we have, that are growing and that people are listening to, the more we will have an audience that wants Slovenian music.

PROTI TOKU

Is 'Proti toku' next?

Jure: Proti toku', that's a new song, yes. We finished this one together, right? After I joined the band. So, this is one of the latest ones. I don't know what else to say, 'Proti toku'.

Kris: Okay, so 'Proti toku' is the first track, you're going to hear from our new album and it's brand new. It's actually fairly well known amongst our audience, because we've been performing it for at least three years, I believe. But it's in a completely new format because we turned it upside down three times in the studio and we hope you like it.

Considering your music, are you a rock band?

Martin: We're definitely a rock band. By the way, we discussed this just yesterday, how as young performers, well, we are still young performers, but in the early days, we didn't know exactly how to define our genre. When we were asked what our genre is, and we were maybe a bit thoughtless, or you could say thoughtful, when we replied that our genre was 'Shagadelic' rock and roll, which is still what we all agree on.

And if we translate that, what is that supposed to mean? We know that there are many different kinds of rock.

Martin: I don't know how to translate that, as somehow...

Bojan: Fuckable is a literal translation. Fuckable.

Then we know which audience you are targeting most.

Bojan: Yes, everyone who is looking for...

Kris: Middle-aged males.

(laughter)

Jan: I mean, yeah, yeah, we are rock, right? I mean, rock isn't just leather trousers and beer, it's also smart clothes and beer.

Bojan: It's the eternal question of defining who is rock and who isn't. In our band there are three electric guitars, a bass and drums and I think the sound of our guitars is distorted. I don't know what else people want from us. Now, the fact that we're young, obviously, objectively speaking, girls find us charming, obviously degrades us into not being rock or something, according to many people. But sorry, not sorry, Guns N'Roses will never be on our setlist.

Were you in a dilemma at the beginning about what to play and which direction to follow?

Jan: We definitely were. I think we have quite different musical backgrounds. At least I was a little bit more metal at the beginning, which didn't really suit the other members, because Bojan doesn't sing "raaah". His voice is more delicate. Then, yeah, we explored a little bit, experimented some more with funk, but it didn't work out, because we just aren't... that funky, well, but... So, yeah, in a bit of a roundabout way we've reached this Shagadelic style, which we still hold on to.

How many adjustments were there at the beginning then? And brainstorming, different ideas, ways of looking at where to go and how to move forward?

Kris: Ugh...

Others: We still do that a lot. - It still happens.

Kris: That's constant. It's always present. It's a shouting match and the loudest one... No, no...

Bojan: And if you shout the loudest, you win.

Kris: Yeah, yeah. No, but seriously usually we had very different ideas, but somehow we at least let everyone speak their mind, and if it was really bad, it was just... Like that, the rest... But if anybody had a half decent...

Jan: Why are you looking at me now? (laughter)

Kris: Sorry... (laughter). But if anyone had a half decent idea we were like, okay, let's go and try to develop it and somehow we've always found a joint thread, invariably.

Would you also take a vote when you create then? To vote, like in a democratic fashion?

Jure: No, we don't, we don't take votes.

Bojan: Žare has this...

Jure: Yes, we do understand and know each other enough, so we know exactly which buttons we can and can't push.

Bojan: Our opinions don't really count, because in the end, Žare has the last word.

The producer has it then.

Bojan: Right, yes. We often bring the arrangement and then after 25 seconds we're faced with dissaproval and a horrified look on the face of Žare Pak, so we have to get back and rehearse ASAP.

The expression says it all.

Bojan: It tells it all. All of it, all of it.

Jan: And the vowel, right?

Bojan: He uses a vowel, ə... - əəə...

Several members: əəə...

Martin: Which we hear quite often in the band, right?

Bojan: Now we can write a book called 'The Thousand and One ə'. And Žare, we'll basically take Žare's, we'll write a whole book out of one ə.

After all, the Slovene language also has several e's.

Bojan: There are more, but believe me, Žarko probably knows even more of them.

DOPAMIN

Next up will be 'Dopamin'.

Martin: Dopamin' is a very exciting song from the album, because it's quite different from the others but it's still Shagadelic and it's ours and you can hear that. Although we kind of went out of our comfort zone creating it and what's particularly interesting to me, it's how well the fans have embraced it. So let's listen to 'Dopamin'.

Kris: Dopamin' is actually the best song to play after this whole rock 'n' roll debate we just had. It's a song that was essentially created two weeks ago, let's say, to completion. We had already been working on it with no real progress for a year and a half, because we, I had lots of different lyrics, this is actually a song I wrote, lyrics and melody for the most part, the only one on the album, and there was constant back and forth between Bojan and me, who's going to give in and when will the final version of the song be good enough.

Bojan: Yes, I would like to say that I am extremely happy, that Kris's debut made it onto the album and I'm not apologising to him one bit for any rejections that may have come his way, because they've led to a great song.

You have ten songs on the album, is there more material, is this a selection?

Jan: Yes, we've written at least 70 thousand songs in our life, but...

Martin & Bojan: They're cherry-picked.

Jan: They're cherry-picked, right. It's the cream of the cream of the crop. Well, yes, there is already more material coming up for the next album, which will be released at some point we've written at least one song.

Bojan: And a half.

Jan: One song and a half, yes.

Martin: Which won't pass the ə-test, right. The ə-test we were discussing earlier, so we'll see what happens.

Bojan: People always want to know how many E's are in their food, but we're interested in how many ə's are in Žare's answer.

There can be a lot of ə's in the studio with this technique.

Bojan: Loads.

Although I do miss some songs from your ealier period on the album. Have you separated then those perfect beginnings from the more recent period?

Bojan: Yes, actually we said that we would like this album to sound cohesive and represent our choices for example which period defined the Joker Out people know now. We have many songs that were part of our beginning, and we're not ashamed of them at all, but we feel that maybe they stylistically and sonically don't belong on this tangible product we have in front of us now. But we're discussing how and in what way we can put them into, if possible, physical form, and present them to the whole of Slovenia.

How do you go about creating then? Do you have a dedicated person who does the music? who writes the lyrics, or do you work together?

Bojan: I mean, people from the label usually come in, bring all the material...

Jure: And the money.

Bojan: We go to the photoshoots, pose and smile, do some interviews.

That's what most listeners think, but I know that's not the case.

Martin: I have one comment. Yes, this, this label is the Cultural Arts Association Joker Out, isn't it?

Bojan: Yes

Martin: Kind of. This label takes care of the whole creative process, finance and everything else, really, so we're pretty much the ones to blame for our own fate.

Kris: Right, in fact, this is how our creation process flows, as far as music is concerned, we all work together. You can start a song by, let's say Bojan or I can start making a framework for the song, with the lyrics and the melody, or someone could bring a melody on guitar to the rehearsals, a groove on the drums, like, a chord progression and we just build from there and then usually Bojan will write some lyrics over it and the melody and then we build it up until the producer screws it up, as we've mentioned a couple of times today and then we try to glue the pieces back together somehow.

Bojan: We're doing a mosaic, through and through.

Kris: Yeah, yeah, right, right. But in the end, the suffering is always worth it, obviously.

So gluing is popular with you, too.

Jure: Gluing is popular? Yes, it is. I mean.

You take a little bit from this song and cut up the other one.

Jure: Exactly. We can't do without it, yes. But it's more Žare's job, it's what he does.. We put together some stuff when we rehearse, we think it's nice, we record it, we're like, okay, smashing, let's go to the concert and let's promote it. And then we get to the studio our plans crumble..

Martin: As a label we have everything ready, but then we're just not on the same page as our producer.

Bojan, then you're the one who's responsible for the lyrics?

Bojan: Yeah, most of the lyrics on the album are mine, yeah.

Jan: Or the main culprits for the lyrics are the girls, who captivated Bojan in our favour.

Are there many of them?

Bojan: Well, you know how, I'm fascinated by, not only by the girls, girls as well, of course, but I'm fascinated by everyday things, a glimpse of... Every single glimpse of the world can fascinate you or disappoint you. When I write it's more often out of disappointment than out of fascination. But yes, I think there is a lot of inspiration around us.

BARVE OCEANA

Next up will be 'Barve oceana'.

Jan: The next song is 'Barve oceana', yeah. It's a song which has the colours of the ocean. Well it's also a song, that's undergone quite a lot of changes. At the end we added one genius synthesizer sound.

Bojan: We used this weird organ belonging to Žare from the '70s.

Jan: Žare's organ from the 70's, pardon me.

Martin: From Sweden.

Jan: Yeah, does anyone else have anything to say?

Bojan: Was that all you had to say, because...

Jan: I don't know, dude. What would you add?

Bojan: Yeah, 'Barve oceana' is one of those songs, that conveys, I'd say, not discontent, but more of a concern about the direction our society is heading in. Our consumption is increasing and very few people ask themselves what they can give back. It's about a certain desire to distance yourself from the material towards, let's say, the more elemental realm.

You've won several music awards recently, in the last two years, I believe?

Bojan: Yes, in 2019 we were awarded the Golden Flute for Newcomer of the Year. In 2020, we received the Golden Flute for Artists of the Year. This year, our song 'Umazane misli' also won the Radio Maribor and SI Frišno Award the favourite song by audience vote in the previous year. I don't know, did we win any other awards? Except...

Martin: Yes, there's one coming up. So, the publishing house Cultural Arts Association Joker Out, will be honouring Joker Out with the most Shagadelic record of the year award, so we're expecting it and looking forward to it. (laughter)

And you'll probably get a plaque as well, a gold or diamond record for record sales.

Martin: That's right, because that's what the label would give to the band. So we haven't decided on the colour yet, we're considering platinum, diamond. But we're going to discuss it at the label and then present it to the band, something like that.

What do such high sales mean?

Martin: Yes, it means that basically the CD as a product is not just for listening to music, it's also an experience for the listener. We've put a lot of effort into the design of the CD and I think it's a good looking tangible product. But at the same time, the listeners support us by buying it, so we're very grateful.

Is it just storefront sales or does it include digital sales as well?

Bojan: Digital sales as well. Actually there are some standards applicable, in terms of how many streams count as an album sold. We, of course, do not follow them in any way, because we're self-published and we can totally get away with it. So when Martin said, we're going to give ourselves one award, I believe we'll be handing out many. It is because when people come to our place, it will look like we've already got decades of awards behind us.

Earlier, you also mentioned that you participated in the Frišno Fresh festival and played with the Big Band. How did that feel, when your song actually got a whole new arrangement?

Bojan: It was phenomenal, because we, I'll say, we're all fans of the musicians, who were in the line-up. Maybe Jan's words after the concert or during the concert would best describe what it meant to us.

Jan: Yes, I listened to the band perform this song and I've been a long-time fan of Primož Grašič and Blaž Jurjevčič. And when I watched Grašič, let's say, as he played my piece, I got... It was just a special, special feeling. It was just... Yes, exactly.

Bojan: Emotional.

Jan: Emotional.

Bojan: Please don't cry Jan, it's okay. We're wiping away tears, it's okay.

But overall, all the compositions sounded very good.

Jan: Yeah, really, I mean, those are really world class musicians, kudos to the arrangers and the mothers who gave birth to them. So, yeah, basically, I just didn't see it coming. But it was refreshing to hear these songs, we hear on the radio on a regular basis in a slightly more jazz-like style.

Did you have a part in making the arrangements?

Bojan: No.

Kris: Yes, in fact, technically speaking we did, because we noticed that they took the original arrangement and incorporated certain harmonies into the new one. Which is actually quite an honour for us. That such accomplished jazz musicians...

Bojan: They weren't above it.

Kris: ...incorporated our amateur harmonies into their grandiose compositions.

METULJI

Metulji' is next.

Bojan: Metulji' is a song that was written, let's say, at the same time as 'Omamljeno telo'. In 2017, that is. Our biggest issue with this song was, that it had a very Yugo-nostalgic rock feel to it, which was not the sound we wanted. We just didn't know how to manifest what we heard in our heads. and that's why we decided at the time not to record the song. And that's why we only recorded 'Omamljeno telo'. But now this song has got, as far as I'm concerned, exactly the sound I always imagined, and I didn't know how to recognise it or explain it. Daniel Bogataj joined us for the arrangement, and another violinist (f) who... Daniel did the arrangement for strings and also recorded most of the string sections. So the song is very special, I'll say, as far as our album is concerned, it has a slightly more classical feel to it and it's also my personal favourite.

The promotion is already behind you, as you can read online, the response has been great.

Kris: Yeah, in fact it's hard to believe, that it's really all over. I, I believe, I speak for all of us here, when I say that I haven't really gotten down to earth yet from the whole thing. It has been quite an incredible experience. Both nights, the energy was high, Cvetličarna was packed. Who would have thought? Certainly not us five years ago.

Jure: We had no idea even back in September. In the middle of September we were, we were like Cvetka, we know it's happening, we can start renovating our place now. So we started to renovate the place, all of it, and then it was the end of September, okay, we were clearly lagging. So we had to find a new rehearsal place, so we were able to rehearse at all.

Bojan: Because of how many metres of timber we do now have in our place waiting for us?

Jure:Yes, far too many cubic metres of timber. We installed drywalls, the whole thing. We were filthy and then we had to sit down and pick up the instruments. And we had to rehearse and work for the whole month. It was really exhausting.

Now then, while you're renovating the place, or your rehearsal space, do you have dirty thoughts as well?

Jure: We had dirty hands.

Bojan: Hands, yeah.

Martin: And everything else.

Bojan: Sweet powder and white dreams. The was a lot of dust, because we had to sand the drywall, it was all over the place. And we ended up painting it white so it became a kind of... a shiny white space, our white dream. So, yes, we will also have a new rehearsal space soon and we'll personally and we'll personally invite you to the opening, so we can talk a bit, record something, you can see all these mighty accolades.

That's what I'm interested in, yes, to take a photo and release it to the public, into the world.

Bojan: Absolutely. I think the world needs to see it. It's imperative.

Do you already have a designer(f) for the awards?

Martin: Actually, we don't have one yet. But I promise we really will do our best with these awards, so maybe another band will join our label eager for the awards. We can also make some additional plans with them.

Jure: But that would mean some serious money, you know.

Others: Money talks.

Martin: Money talks, let's just put it that way.

Kris: When we sign the contract, we can go for a beer together.

Bojan: The only negative thing, I have to add, about applauding yourself in self-publishing, is that you pay for the awards yourself. So, we borrowed a lot of money as a band for these awards, but it's all worth it for the glitz and glamour.

Will the other band coming to your label, be called Joker In then?

Martin: Yeah, we'll see about that.

Jure: A wedding band, you know?

Martin: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Bojan: That's what they are, for weddings. A medley of Dalmatian songs, yeah. A six-hour repertoire, no biggie, and you can hire us from next April onwards, thank you.

Martin: Kidding aside, we've already received these kind of requests. For Dalmatian songs, weddings and stuff.

Bojan: Oh, yeah. I once made a joke on Val 202, when the host asked us about our repertoire, how many songs we performed, and I jokingly mentioned, that we also play a medley of Dalmatian songs, and then we received a couple of requests in the mail for birthdays and weddings.

Martin: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Jure: Oh, my.

When you're conditioning, you need to get as fit, as, let's say, the musicians out there on the rafts in Belgrade who play for eight hours straight without taking a break.

Bojan: But for the moment, I'll just say, that as far as the rafts go, we only ever go there to party. Otherwise, yeah, we've played once or twice with other bands at the same event and when the guys told us, how long their setlists were, we realised, that with one gig, they actually perform as much as we do in month, so...

Martin: But the guys also benefit financially, don't they.

A SEM TI POVEDAL

The next one will be 'A sem ti povedal'.

Kris: A sem ti povedal' is another exciting track from our album.

Bojan: They're all exciting...

Kris: Come on, they're all exciting songs, especially the exciting ones. It's special because it perhaps has the hardest sound...

Martin: It's dark, dark.

Kris: The hardest, darkest amongst all the songs on the album and for an extra touch of eroticism Erazem Grafenauer has recorded a classical guitar intro.

I've read somewhere that this is the most anticipated album of the year.

Bojan: Yeah, for us it is.

Jan: Yeah.

Bojan: We've been busy making it.

And last but not least, for the fans.

Bojan: There's absolutely a lot of people who couldn't wait for this album to be released.

Jan: Amongst others, the five of us.

Bojan: Amongst others, the five of us, most of all, definitely our parents. But, unfortunately, there were, unfortunately, the circumstances didn't allow us to get the album out sooner than we did. And we're glad we've released it now and that we have been able to introduce it to the world with these two concerts. So we have no idea if it's the most anticipated one. For us it was absolutely the most anticipated. But we hope that if this one wasn't, the next one will be.

You've placed yourself on the cover in colours.

Jan: Yes, in the colours of the ocean and the Power Rangers. Yes, we went to shoot that cover or the cover photo to a mansion.

Bojan: To Rogaška Slatina..

Jan: In Rogaška Slatina, yes. Jan Pirnat took the photo. So, yeah, basically this light beam represents our path as it bounces off various walls and eventually finds its way to the top.

Bojan: Plus, there is another explanation, that this beam basically represents the dirty thoughts that confront us, penetrate through us, and are then projected out into the world.

To the audience.

Bojan: That's right.

Otherwise, you also invest a lot in video production. In fact, you seem to support every single with a video.

Kris: Yeah, it seems to me the only right thing to do is to support every single with a video. Even if you don't, if we didn't want to, it's the modern standard. And many people might disagree, that we invest a lot in video production.

Martin: But we do.

Kris: We are making a huge effort. And the main thing is when we do videos, we also like to be involved in the actual writing of the script. and deciding what it's going to be about.

Jan: Every time we draw straws to see who's next, who's going to sacrifice a kidney for the production.

Bojan: Exactly. That's exactly it. We are missing a few kidneys in the band because of these videos.

Can your music be accessed via Facebook or in another way, through your website?

Martin: Our music is actually accessible, we've tried to make it accessible, it's virtually everywhere on the internet and through Facebook, Instagram, now even on TikTok. Maybe the label will consider, if it's worth releasing a TikTok single, because that's supposedly popular right now. Anyway, it's something to think about, but it's exciting. And we have a website, we're putting a lot of effort into it ourselves, to make it as organised as possible and appealing to everyone. Since the other day, you can also buy our CDs, T-shirts and sweatshirts and everything else to support the band, so we don't have to sacrifice as many kidneys in the future.

Kris: If not, there are also Russian torrent sites. Everything is available there as well.

Bojan: Besides, we sing in the Cyrillic alphabet,right?

But with advice like that, there will actually be one golden or platinum record less.

Kris: Yeah, what can I say, we have ourselves to blame.

Martin: Well, we also have one more record for torrent listeners, So basically, we are on trend, it seems to me, in this respect.

Kris: The ones from the Russian websites, are in this red and gold, very communist style, this...

BELE SANJE

Next up is 'Bele sanje'.

Kris: Yeah, that song, when we perform live, Bojan always mentions that it's about nightlife horrors. So, listen up.

To conclude, will you be applying for EMA?

Bojan: Hey, is that a girl, or what?

Bojan knows the girl quite well.

Bojan: Honestly, there hasn't been serious consideration of applying for EMA. Maybe if we ever get carried away. But it seems to us that now that Måneskin has won it would be a bit, how do you say, tacky, imitative, for us to give it a try now. Like, now it's an obvious recipe for victory. So we are waiting when the next extreme will emerge, that's totally the opposite of our band, and win Eurovision, and next year we'll apply.

Jure: Well, we would need some support. No, not for going to EMA...

Bojan: 100 million euros.

Jure: You've got a new piece of music and... You put on a show... and that's where it ends.

Bojan: That's it. Let's say 100 million euros of support would be lovely. If we can manage.

Martin: We'll ask the label to pay for it.

Jure: Or if you buy the merch, well, maybe. Or if someone... [inaudible]

Anyway, as I understand you are already creating new material?

Jure: We are creating new material. If not with guitars, then at least in our minds. So... It's forever bubbling in the depths of our ever-dirty minds.

Anyway, I guess, now you're aiming for as many stages as possible, and the listeners are welcome to check the schedule on all the social media sites...

Martin: And on the website

... because it can vary from day to day, right?

Kris: Yeah, at the moment, we have a lot of interest for our gigs up to the end of the year and we hope we'll be able to have I'm knocking on wood, 10 to 15 concerts more and it will basically serve as...

Bojan: A mini-tour.

Kris: A mini-tour for the 'Umazane misli' album launch. We begin... a couple of days ago we performed at Rakičan castle, it was awesome.

Otherwise, again, as Martin says, we should mention the website, because you're one of the few bands that still maintains it.

Martin: Right, but it's interesting that we set up this website as some kind of vital inconvenience, and it turns out that people really like to visit the website where you can always find information, where in your vicinity we are going to perform in the near future, and all other relevant news.

OMAMLJENO TELO

We will end with the song 'Omamljeno'.

Jan: Its full title is 'Omamljeno telo'. It's basically our earliest track on this album, which you can tell from Bojan's slightly more boyish voice.

Bojan: And Tomi Meglič impersonation.

Jan: Yeah, right.

Jan: ♪ For you ♪

Bojan: ♪ to conjure up... ♪

Jan: But yeah, I think this song is excting because, it is the same now, when it is released, as when it was created, on one of the first ever rehearsals.

Bojan: It's the only song actually, we brought into the studio and that's exactly how we recorded it.

Jan: We knew exactly what it should be and that's how it remained.

This is our final song. Jan, Bojan, Kris, Jure and Martin, thank you, for being guests on the RADIOaktivno show at Radio Prlek. Have a successful and most productive future.

Jan: Thank you very much for inviting us.

Others: Thank you.

Bojan: Thank you very much for the invitation, we wish you the same.

Kris: We will come again sometime.

Martin: We hope to be back with you soon.

I hope so.

Martin: We do too, thank you.

-~-~-~

Transcript + translation by: drumbeat and @varianestoroff, ENG review by IG Gboleyn123, CC by drumbeat, Tumblr transcript by @kurooscoffee.

DO NOT REPOST, and if you quote, please link back!

#joker out #bojan cvjetićanin #kris guštin #jan peteh #jure maček #martin jurković #jokeroutsubs #collaboration #RADIOaktivno

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pharaohbean · 1 year ago

Note

Please talk more about how Touya's writing has been neglected. I Need to hear your thoughts this is Urgent

anon you sent me this last night and it's been like 12 hours and I've done nothing except write this for like. 5 hours. there's so much I haven't done and I'm running tech for Good Friday tonight. I went and finally watched Toya4 just to hone my points (actually it broke quite a few but wHATEVER) and reread SO MUCH and finally. after writing an ENTIRE ESSAY. i think i can answer your ask.

so, dear anon, may i present to you: Aoyagi Toya and his relationships in the form of Kizuna Ranks (roughly): his lack of them, the neglection of ones he does have, and why The first concerto redeemed Nocturne Interlude and Toya's Colofes story.

Let's start off with a simple Kizuna Rank counting: Toya has 14 kizunas: 6 VS, 3 VBS & WxS, 1 L/n & 25ji, and 0 MMJ (as of time of writing this). While that’s technically on the high end (he’s beating half of l/n, 3/4ths of wxs and 3/4ths of 25ji) the problem is where most of his kizunas lie: he has full VS (the first of his group, actually), full VBS, and almost-full WxS (it SHOULD be full); that accounts for 12 out of the 14 he has. He has so little diversity outside of those three groups, which compared to Mizuki (who has the same amount of kizunas as him) who has 4 VS, 2 MMJ, 3 VBS, 2 WxS, and the obvious 3 25ji, isn’t a lot!

Toya’s only two “unique” kizunas are Saki and Mizuki; Saki, who he’s known since childhood and has a lot of respect for her and even more so her brother, and Mizuki, who they got the kizuna with I think through a combination of KAMIYAMA HIGH FES and Summer Festival. The problem isn’t that Toya has so few kizunas (he doesn’t, really, I counted) it’s that his kizunas are almost indicative of his friendships.

Fun fact: Toya has not had a new kizuna in over a year. His last kizuna on JP was October 2022. Over a year.

(Just as a side note, I’m not going to be talking about his lack of appearances OVERALL. Around this time last year, his VA started voicing Dan Heng in HSR, and considering that that man is in like… 6 Trailblazer Missions, I would assume with scheduling that he wasn’t really able to voice anything else for a while. We’re talking about that when he was on outside of group focuses, he never really talked with anyone outside of those he already knew. But Dan Heng has also been put to the wayside after 1.3, which was in August, so after that I’m not cutting Toya slack.)

I went through his cards after Never Give Up Cooking! to present day because cards are usually indicative of a presence in an event, and outside of group focuses, he has…. 2 (excluding Sanrio which I'm 99% sure he didn’t talk with anyone outside of his group). Yup, just two! The first one is… the Kamiyama Fine Arts Festival. Where he knows everyone in Kamiyama (day classes) and has a kizuna with them. Just great. The other event is Valentines3, where he meets with a bunch of new people, but I’ll get back to them. Let’s talk about L/n, 25ji, and their relationships with Toya.

Toya has one from both of them, as mentioned previously: Saki and Mizuki. But Toya (as far as I know) has basically never met the other members of their groups. Sure, his teammates have (Kohane attends Miya with L/n and was classmates with Shiho, and Akito is siblings with Ena and has met Mafuyu more than once, even in his own home) but Toya has not. And do you want to know something truly terrible? He could!

He’s childhood best friends with Saki! He’s classmates with Mizuki now! There are so many possibilities for Toya to meet them! Personally, I want an Ichisakitoyakana event where Toya learns to songwrite a little more from Ichika and Kanade (especially considering his newest focus where he accidentally[?] works himself to the bone to compose a single song). That wouldn’t be hard considering that he has an in with both L/n (through Saki) and 25ji (through both Mizuki and partially Ena, whom he can get to through Akito)!

But for reasons beyond my understanding, they just. Haven’t. Have they been waiting for Toya4? Maybe, and that’s valid. But that doesn’t mean that he couldn’t have spoken with them earlier anyways, especially considering that he’s been grueling over composing for what seems to be months. Also, it’s Saki, why wouldn’t she introduce her cool younger brother to Ichika, who is also a songwriter? Heck if I know!

But I digress. Let’s talk Valentines3, where Toya talks with Ena and Haruka quite a bit. Ena and Toya have known each other since… like, forever. Roughly 3 years, if we assume that Ena found out about Toya around the time Akito partnered up with him. While they don’t talk a lot, they’ve definitely had multiple chances to: Summer Festival, 2nd Anniversary, maybe 2nd New Years but admittedly I didn’t read that story so who knows. But their first shared card set is… Valentines3.

Both Toya and Ena have a solid connection with Akito, Toya consistently hands off plushies to Ena, and yet the two just… never talk. You’d think they would! But they just… haven’t? And I don’t know if that’s bad writing or just something? But Valentines3 is their first big interaction, which is three years since the game started.

Now, let’s talk Haruka. Compared to his teammates, Toya has a very isolated kizuna community (as a side note, Saki and Nene are the only kizunas that he doesn’t share with someone else in his group excluding VS), and it’s obvious if you look at his lack of MMJ kizunas. But everyone in his group has a direct connection to someone in MMJ: Kohane was first-year classmates with Minori, An is childhood friends with Haruka, and Akito and Airi at the very least know each other well. At ANY point, MMJ could’ve been introduced to Toya--and let’s face it, they probably were. Toya I’m sure has heard about them.

…But why has he never talked with them? Again, wouldn’t have been hard (although he’d have less of a reason to than he would’ve with someone like Ichika, Kanade, and Ena) but he just hasn’t? And I remember correctly he does know who Haruka is in Val3. I’m not sure if that’s the writers just straight up ignoring him for a while (which they totally did) or that’s Toya’s personality, but I really don’t think it’s the latter with how well Toya just. Takes new people.

One other person I’ll talk specifically about is Mafuyu. There’s not a super clear connection for Toya and Mafuyu to interact, but they’ve definitely met in passing. I love Toya and Mafuyu’s parallels (especially with their fourth rotations being huge for them) and wish they’d properly interact, but Colopale won’t let them because that would screw over Mafuyu’s progress entirely. In a good way. Mafuyu would realize so much. But you wanna read more about them and their parents, there’s this amazing post about it that I think does it well.

Now, let’s talk about the relationships Toya does have. I’m just going to briefly gloss over most of them, then talk about the ones with a little more influence in Toya’s life (which is basically just VBS and Tsukasa).

Let’s start with VS: Miku and Luka are the two who really click with Toya the best. Miku is the one who went with Toya to his Fragment SEKAI (which we’ll be touching upon later) and inherited his terrible cooking. VBS Miku, although not a large force at play in recent stories, is still a valuable voice of reason. Luka literally showed up during Toya’s event, got him to do stuff he’d never do, and is just generally his hype man. She’s great.

Now, let’s talk the twins. Rin I feel like, when with the boys (who is all I really read, sorry girls), doesn’t have much of a character aside from being Len’s fellow corgi sticking her head into boxes ‘n such (cookie if you get this). Len, however, can be mostly found with the boys, trailing after them like a younger brother… well, he trails after Akito. He doesn’t really trail after Toya, and Len more so sticks around with Akito a lot (learning soccer, was in Summer Fes with them, etc.). So ironically, I would say Len and Toya don’t have a strong connection, at least compared to Len and Akito.

Finally, let’s talk the adults(?). MEIKO, for the most part, has kept her nose out of music, but she’s been there since the start. She and Miku both play the VS in Toya1, and she, Miku, and KAITO are typically the ones to get Toya’s head back on straight. Most recently, MEIKO helped Toya pretty significantly in The first concerto (which we’ll also be discussing later).

Now, the rest: I thought about this for a while, but although Toya and Saki are close, I don’t think there’s any actual record of Toya going to visit Saki in the hospital, either with the Tenmas or his own family? So although they’re close, they’re definitely not as close as Toya and Tsukasa or Toya and Akito. But correct me if I’m wrong.

Toya and Mizuki are more recently classmates, and although they seem to have had something during Kamiyama Fine Arts Fes, I’m not sure what that is. But the two of them have had something for a little while, but it’s been pretty loose.

Toya and Nene are both gaming buddies, and actually get along pretty well. Toya and Rui also get along pretty well, Rui even going out of his way to taste test for Toya (although he definitely didn’t realize how. Terrible Toya’s cooking skills are) and help him repay the Tenmas.

Finally, let’s talk a little more about Toya’s deepest (and shallowest) relationships: VBS, Tsukasa, and his father---in backwards order because I’m like this.

Toya and his father have had a pretty shaky relationship, one that is always perpetually a few steps away from being entirely burned. But it’s a relationship that both are interested in keeping alive, but feel that they can’t, primarily because of their different beliefs in music. Again, I highly recommend you go read the relationship between Harumichi and Mafumom I linked above to get a better understanding of both people, but most recently, Toya’s father does go somewhat out of his way to give Toya some advice in The first concerto. Although some people believe it doesn’t make up for the child abuse, I feel like I strongly need to say something:

Toya explicitly continued classical for TWELVE YEARS.

That kid picked the piano up at 3! 12 years he played! He was 15 when he ran away! Teenagers get moody about this stuff! And I would know, because I had the exact same relationship with my parents about religion at his age. I’m not going to get into depth about my own personal life, but I’m not gonna call handling someone harshly after they themselves treat themselves the same way as child abuse. Is there child abuse? Oh probably definitely, Toya should’ve gotten more hugs as a kid. But Toya (explicitly in The first concerto flashbacks) pushes himself to be better at classical. There’s a whole bunch of other stuff here which I can talk about in another post (including Toya fixating only on the bad parts of his past, which is something I also do) but let’s leave it here for now.

Now, let’s talk about Tsukasa. If none of you are aware, Tsukasa is the one who gives Toya the push to quit classical music (from the PJSK fandom wiki in Toya’s relationships page: “it was Tsukasa who told him it was okay to do the things he wanted, even if others disapproved. This gave Toya the courage to quit classical music, and he says if it weren't for Tsukasa, he wouldn't be the person he is today”). Toya holds Tsukasa in high regard, even just as high as Akito (he defends Tsukasa from Akito on multiple occasions) even if he won’t let go of the “-senpai” honorific. Toya has gone out of his way multiple times to support Tsukasa in some way (taking his spot during Wedding1 when Tsukasa gets sick, taking a 2hr train ride just to see his performance as Thorpe at the end of Tsukasa2, learning how to cook just to repay the Tenmas in Never Give Up Cooking!) while also never asking for anything in return, and will probably continue to do so because he just holds Tsukasa in such high regard. It’s about the same regard that Toya holds Akito in, but Toya repays that by standing by Akito’s side and singing with him because that’s all Akito asks for.

Then, the Vivids. Despite being teammates, Toya doesn’t have much of a relationship with them (especially compared to Akito, who’s got a distinct one with both of them). Toya and An both respect each other, but the only mixed events they have cards together for are Wedding1 (where An really only shows up at the end) and Kami Fine Arts Fes, which I haven’t read so I can’t speak on that. Toya and Kohane have a 1-on-1 moment in An1 and… not again until Valentines3. Three years after An1. THREE YEARS!!! Toya’s relationship with the girls I feel has been especially neglected, but also partially for a good reason: in An1, both Akito and Toya let the girls talk themselves through. Sure, Akito gives An a harsh talking-to, and Toya gives Kohane some advice, but the two of them keep their noses out of the girls’ business. And the two of them do take a while to get on their own two feet (which I won’t go into depth about here, but maybe in another post).

But also, you’re teammates. I’m willing to overlook shallow relationship writing with people like Saki, Nene, Rui, and Mizuki because they’re not super close, but An and Kohane? That’s just straight up ignoring their relationships. There are so many opportunities for this sort of thing--which the writers definitely capitalized on in the beginning--but nowadays most of the cast goes to the VS for help. Which isn’t bad, it just means you’re developing relationships with other people. But having an arguably stronger connection with the VS than your own teammates? Really? You could put in a little more effort, writers.

Finally, let’s talk about Akito and Toya. Let me preface this by saying I’m biased and weak for partnerships, but I’ll try to do my best. Akito and Toya’s relationship is one of the few relationships we see prior to canon that isn’t a sibling relationship or having broken down; the only ones who are standing are the entirety of 25ji and maybe Rui and Nene (L/n broke off prior to canon, and Airi and Shizuku, although knowing one another, seem to have had most of their relationship deteriorate by the start of canon). But unlike the other two, Akito and Toya’s pre-canon relationship isn’t really discussed. All we really know is that they joined up not long after meeting (I think it’s implied it was in the same meeting) and are so close to one another by the start of canon that they trust each other to an insane degree. That’s not to say they haven’t had their fights (they have) but the big thing is that Akito and Toya’s RELATIONSHIP isn’t toxic. Both of them have their own personal issues (self-worth for Akito, guilt/burden for Toya) that they do often hide from each other, but as soon as the other notices, it doesn’t take them much to open up. I think the only time Toya didn’t tell Akito what was on his mind was that one time in his Toya1 card story where he refused to tell Akito that he was the best partner---and let’s be real, that’s Toya being cheeky and cheesy because he can; Toya’s not that open with many people (the only others excluding VS I’d say would be An, Kohane, Tsukasa, and Saki).

I will add, the writers do like to place quite a lot of emphasis on their relationship and bond, but it’s not bad yet or anything, especially with the current direction VBS is taking making it that there’s not much of a position for that to happen outside of mixed events. But again, I’m a sucker for that sort of thing, so.

To close out, let’s talk about a couple of things I said I’d talk about, and why The first concerto fixed so much. So let’s simultaneously talk about Toya1, Toya’s Colofes story, and the redemption that is The first concerto.

For me, Toya1 felt a little weird (rereading it for this post, you’re welcome) because knowing what little I did of The first concerto (which was nothing) at the time, I was confused because in Toya1 he moved past his classical burden, didn’t he? And also, you wanna talk Colofes? They dropped a huge character detail and L E F T. FOR TWO YEARS! But finally, when I actually watched The first concerto (like, earlier today) I had so many thoughts, but eventually decided on the following things:

Toya1 was Toya getting over his classical burden for singing, while The first concerto was dealing with his burden for composing. And as for his Colofes story… Toya is cut off in his words when the Fragment SEKAI disappears. Considering that, and what Toya says in chapters 6 and 7 (referencing his Colofes), I think that despite what Miku said about forgiving himself, Toya didn’t. As we also learn in The first concerto, Toya has a very hard time not fixating on the bad events of his life and instead focusing on the good, especially after quitting classical. Sure, he can think of the good like being with the Tenmas, but that was always tainted with the rest of his history.

The first concerto just. Redeems so much that was left to the side in Toya’s progression, and in a good way. Toya already removed the shackles from his wrists and ankles back in Toya1, but left them to the wayside. Now, here, he’s picked them back up and is slowly, surely, turning them into keys to unlock the door to the future. The event gives Toya the courage and ability to finally forgive himself for his past (something he didn’t do back during his Colofes, which is roughly just after Kohane2) and use it to move forward.

(Also, if you’re wondering why I, a Toya kinnie, was reading it so late, shameless plug to my 4k Toya-centric fic roots in the snow, where it's explained there.)

Anyways, those are my thoughts. I’m sure I have more which I might add on to later, but I’ve literally just been writing this for like 3 hours straight and I need to vacuum before I leave soon because if I don’t my mom will have my head.

(i hope you were expecting an essay anon LOL)

#zero thoughts #zero asks #project sekai #proseka #pjsk #prsk #toya aoyagi #aoyagi toya #and so many other people i could tag but i wont

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twilightknight17 · 2 years ago

Text

"Guys, holy fuck" - Part 2

Hit the image limit on the other post so I broke it up so I could scream more. XD

So where were we?

Right, right, Shadow Toshiro.

Once the shadow goes down the first time, he goes one-winged angel and turns into a god damn horror monster version of Eri that is GIANT. And that, my dudes, was a fight. That thing had so much health. It was great. :D

Now for some info:

Okay, that makes sense.

Yep, all that, we’ve seen and understood already. Still good.

But why, though? What makes her different? Why can she switch forms? Why is she still basically a separate entity from him? Did you just not want to lose your new character? I almost feel like I’d rather have had a P4 boss fight that ended with Toshiro getting his persona, and have Erina just be his cognitive Eri, based on his memories. Because this is… confusing. Nothing has worked like this in the past, unless I seriously overlooked something.

Yeah, I know, Aki and Mai and Ideal Maki were a thing, but Maki was a Wild Card and also had the DEVA system bolstering her cognition. No one else’s persona has been able to turn into a person and just chill with everyone after their awakening. Erina is basically her own fully-formed person. Like… I don’t know. It’s weird. I’m having trouble wrapping my head around it.

All right, yeah, let’s go with that for now.

There’s like, a slight implication here that Toshiro’s shadow wasn’t actually his shadow, but just something pretending to be his shadow? Especially since he never like, reconciled with it. After the giant Eri, it just disappeared. But I only pinged that after the fact, because while we’re just standing here trying to figure out what the hell is going on with Erina, god shows up to yell at us.

“Be not afraid” and all.

I kid you not, I was internally screaming, “YALDABAOTH? IS HE POSSESSED BY THE REMNANTS OF YALDABAOTH TRYING TO SEIZE POWER AGAIN?” But no, doesn't have Yald's stupid feet. This is:

Who the fuck is you, and why does it look like your head exploded off your neck? Are you sure you’re not Yald?

Anyway, this bitch keeps calling us “children” and “lambs” and “pathetic” while it explains who the fuck it is.

I don’t like it, and it doesn’t like our persona abilities. It calls them a “mask of madness, one which will assuredly drive man to ruin.” So it offers a deal: It can remove our powers, and along with them, our memories of this whole horrible adventure, and in exchange, it will put us safely back in the real world. It’s nice like that, even though we’re “infidels who had the audacity to defy a god.”

Hey. You. Got some bad news about all the other gods I’ve met. Wanna know what happened to them? :3

But we shouldn’t answer now! We’re high off a lucky win and our emotions are compromised. We should think it over and tell it our answer when we’re ready. And then Salmael fucks off into the sky. Are we sure that’s not a weird misspelling of Samael? Are you connected to Shido somehow?

Toshiro gets like a thousand points for being completely chill about a god falling out of the sky to tell us we suck. Zenkichi was a lot less calm about the whole thing. XDDD The Thieves, Toshiro, and Erina agree that they’re not giving up their powers, so we’re gonna have to kill god again. But how? How do we follow god into the sky? Whatever shall we do?

Oh, guys. Do you hear that noise?

CHOO CHOO, MOTHERFUCKERS.

Lavenza is here in the Velvet Room Train to pick us up and take us to the sky. No, she doesn’t know why it’s like that all of a sudden. We DO NOT CARE. THIS IS GREAT. Toshiro almost manages to offend her, but we’ve got things to do, so we just put another pin in that.

And that is where I had to stop. It asked me if I wanted to save and I was like “yes, I cannot handle any more Epic right now.” My GOD. I’m so excited Lavenza gets to be more involved, because that’s how I tend to characterize her. She wants to be more hands-on than her siblings or Igor. And she’s not afraid to snark at the others. It’s nice to have the whole team in the Velvet Room again. ^_^

Never change, Yusuke. :P

Actually, isn't this a good thing? If Akira's Velvet Room is now manifesting as a train, maybe that symbolizes him moving forward into the future? Scramble put him back in prison, but this game hasn't. Maybe this is the Velvet Room's final form for him?

Next time: Into the goddamn abyss to once again dethrone god, I guess????

Final note: I’m constantly amused by the one-off poses the sprites have. One single use of the sprite where Makoto’s hugging Morgana. One of Toshiro holding Erina/Yuki. And now apparently one of Makoto throttling Ryuji so he can’t interrupt Futaba and Toshiro. X’D Wow. Pls stop picking on Ryuji, Atlus.

#Li plays P5T #the T is no longer for Tactica it's for Train

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yellow-dress-basil · 8 months ago

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I’ve seen a lot of posts talking about how scared women are and how scared BIPOC are and how all men and all white people should be basically making up for it and giving all their money to mutual aid and doing xyz thing instead of expressing any fear or grief.

Here’s the thing - Intersectionality exists. While many of the actions suggested (if there are any at all) are so important and helpful, it will not help anyone to double down within a single identity and shut out other people who are afraid. It will only divide us.

I am a White immigrant in the US. I’m not a citizen but I’ve lived here since I was 7 or 8 months old. I have a green card which is a privilege right now but may not matter in the times ahead. I’m White so I’m less likely to be questioned about my immigration status, but it’s pretty easy to find out.

I’m a gender fluid, polyamorous, lesbian. I’m not straight or cis. I have no privilege in this area except perhaps “passing privilege” which honestly doesn’t feel like a privilege. I have “passing privilege” because I don’t appear visibly queer to everyone.

I’m AFAB and gender fluid and tend to present femme. Because my gender is fluid, I haven’t gone through any form of medical transition because my feelings may change from one day to the next how I want my body to be.

Because I am AFAB and haven’t had any medical conditions in this area, I also have a uterus. I am, as far as I know, able to get pregnant. I haven’t been sleeping with anyone who could get me pregnant, but its still there.

My wife and I are poly and my wife’s girlfriend is part of our family. If we have to get out, my wife and I can use my citizenship, but I could never leave her or any of my found family behind.

I’m disabled and chronically ill. Who knows whats going to happen to health care and disability rights?? I literally see no one talking about that so it’s hard to find information. I’m AuDHD, heavy emphasis on the Autistic. I have been trying to get my physical conditions diagnosed for years and we still have no idea.

I may appear to be a White Woman with Voting power. I am one of those things and many other things that make me afraid. I want to share space with everyone else who is afraid, but it feels like I’m being shut out left and right. Please can we come together, feel the feelings, and then get to work together?

I’ll leave you with a quote:

“If you have come here to help me you are wasting your time, but if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.” Lilla Watson

Let’s come together, realize all marginalized communities serve the same purpose to a White Supremecist, Christian Nationalist, Colonialist, Capitalist system and fight back. Together I bet there are more of us than there are of them.

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lunapwrites · 1 year ago

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Last night I won two games of MTG with my new deck and I'm still cackling over how they both happened.

These are both lengthy explanations so. If you don't care, don't click below lol. Short version though is that I pulled some dumb bullshit to come from behind in both games in spectacular fashion.

Game 1:

I place Curse of Echoes on the player to my right. Basically, any time he played a certain type of card, everyone at the table could copy the effect with a new target. Fun stuff.

Several turns later, he played Tempt with Vengeance for 11.

For the uninitiated, that means he suddenly had 11 little elemental creatures on his board, and was giving us all the offer to ALSO create 11 little elemental creatures. If we chose to do so, he would create another 11 little elemental creatures.

For those following along at home, this also triggered Curse of Echoes, and the short version is that we all ended up with a whopping 101 little elemental creatures.

And then it was my turn. and I had a whopping... I think 16 life left? Wasn't having a good time since my partner whooped everyone's ass. But I had A Plan.

I threw 20 little elemental dudes at each of the remaining (4) players. That should have left me with 20 but I miscalculated a bit and forgot one of them had an effect that buffed up anything attacking him, so I ended up with 40. Still, fine.

I used Claws of Gix, which I hadn't had much opportunity to use until then, to basically eat 13 of them - this left me with 29 life, and 27 creatures on the board.

And then I played Rakdos Charm, and triggered the ability where everyone's creatures deal 1 damage to them. 100+ damage to the table, with me left laughing my ass off in the smoking crater. Success.

Game 2:

My partner had pissed me off mightily and I was having trouble with mana, so I just kept throwing Ghoulish Impetus on the biggest baddest thing on the board so it would do my dirty work for me. The good side of this is that it kept my opponents slapping each other and not me. The downside is that everyone kept healing for the amount they were slapping each other for, but... well, that was a problem for Future LP.

So after my partner was summarily wiped off the face of the board, I started trying to figure out how I was going to unfuck my game. Because uhhhh I had 23 life left, and everyone else had like double or more that amount. Additionally, I had a time limit, because once everyone else was out, the guy with Ghoulish Impetus on his commander (haha) was going to be allowed to start aiming it at me (oh no.)

And then, somehow, the answer fell into my lap in the form of the unlikely combination of Tree of Perdition and Brash Taunter.

For the uninitiated: Tree of Perdition can swap its "toughness" with an opponent's life total. This effect does not have a duration, it just is like that now. I checked. Brash Taunter is indestructible and throws any damage it receives back to a target player. I can also pay some mana and tap it to make it exchange damage with any other creature.

So. The player to my right (with the big bad) ends his turn. At the end of his turn, I tap Tree of Perdition to switch his life total (69) with its toughness (13.) I then paid the cost to make Brash Taunter fight my own creature, which did 6 damage to him, leaving him at 7 life with no defenders. On my turn, I swung at him for 8.

Once he was out, Ghoulish Impetus bounced to another creature, this time the player to my left's commander, which unlike the other's did NOT have flying, so when she was forced to swing at me, I just kept blocking her with Brash Taunter and reflecting the damage back to her. Brought her down from 43 to 0 in like. 2 turns? 3? Slower than I would have liked, but still. Success.

Much bullshit. Many shenanigans.

#mtg #edh #lp plays magic #my partner is still salty at me #he deserved it though #don't play the “no one draws and everyone discards” card #if you don't want the entire table to descend on you #anyway #curse deck #more like cursed lmao

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jeweled-blue-eyes · 2 years ago

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Hey, so I have a suggestion for you: not sure if you will like but at least it is an interesting idea.

Comic "Bride of Obisidian" basically is a mix of poor girl who suffers with those reality shows of "I want to find romance"

So the mc is in a bad marriage and the dude is clearly in to abuse her...and she has no friends or family to help bc of course not. She (TW: suicide) contemplates suicide but ...a mysterious card asks if she wants to be whisk away to a fairyland where everyone can find love.

Turns out it was an annoucement of the show all royals and even peasants watch "the jewerly"(sorry forget the name but the people in there show are called jewerly) and...

Plot twist: the original candidate, pink diamond (not that one) is missing. Oh she was mega popular and even married a king (had affairs and seems people were ok with that) she divorced and was supposed to appear in this new season of the show...but is gone.

A deal is make...if mc menages to convince people she is pink diamond...she will get what her heart's desire. Also, the mc and the candidates are put on a spell so...they can see their real forms "all smokes and mirrors"

The concept is cool...I admit, even more as they do have to look friendly to gain points with the audience. Its a reality show in an isekai.

I've read up to chapter 13. A dating show that can control your communication and traps you on an island until you've fallen in love with a participant sounds like a perfect setting for a psychological horror. I had hopes that the manhwa leaned more into that trope. It's a refreshing concept. Lying is permitted even encouraged, people can create fake personas in order to appeal to the audience and the heroine is forced to impersonate a missing person who is petending to be someone else. How is anyone able to find their true love under these circumstances?

I'm curious about what happened to the person our protagonist is supposed to impersonate. Pink Diamond/Marianne interests me more than any love interest does. She was the most popular woman in the show and should have gotten her happily ever after, but then her husband died? Did she kill him and then run away? Was she perhaps killed? She was said to have had engaged in a promiscuous lifestyle even while married. Doesn't sound like the love lasted long with the man she chose. And now she's missing but the show is desperate to conceal it. Does her family know? If the heroine succeeds in tricking everyone else is she supposed to continue the charade even into her married life with her new husband who will think he married Pink Diamond? What if Marianne does reappear? Will they try to get rid of the fake? I'm expecting some great secret that the show is hiding. Maybe Marianne discovered it and she was silenced. She could be participating as another contestant. Would be fun if she went as one of the men and our heroine chose her. I just hope she doesn't become a villainess because her characteristics are the ones typical of a villainess (doesn't like boring men, is spoiled, hates working) but the spoiled princess character could just be another persona she had assumed in order to become the most desired woman. I'm half expecting that she was nothing like the show painted her to be and she was just a girl who was desperate to be loved.

I find MC's relationship to her current husband poorly despicted. You say he's abusive, but to me he just seems like an asshole. He doesn't hit her or psychologically tortures her. We don't know if he forced himself on her during their wedding night. The sheets look normal and the protagonist doesn't seem like she was in pain. I kinda doubt they did the deed tbh. The taxidermy stored in the library...yeah weird hobby but is that a reason to commit suicide? Unless he also stored his dead wife there it looks like an overreaction of mc to me. The author didn't bring the desperation across in a convinceable way. Don't misunderstand he's awful and I think she was in the right to run away from him but it doesn't look like the peak of an abusive relationship. It looked more like the beginning of it. The never talked until their wedding night when he complained that she tried to postpone the sex and insulted her. That she gave up so early and tried to kill herself after one day into the marriage was strange to me. She seemed to be used to bad treatment for example her sister pushing her into a lake almost drowning her. In comparision to that her current life wasn't half as bad. The artist could have tried a little harder.

If the manhwa wento into a detective/"prison" break direction that'd be great. Right now I'm rooting for none of the love interests. I just don't want it to be the owl guy. Plus point that there are female characters and they treat MC nicely but don't worship her. The show could have benefitted from a bigger cast in my opinion. All the men (3) fighting over the heroine while the others would be only second choice feels unfair towards the other women.

#notanon #answered asks

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flushed-for-the-trolls · 3 years ago

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Boyfriends Webtoons Discourse

The more I read this ‘controversial’ webtoons, the more I’m convinced that the people that are so offended by it have NEVER even read a single chapter in full.

I understand not liking it, that’s fine, the issues people have with the creator are personal and if you can’t forgive X thing that he did, then that’s with you and I won’t bother arguing, since it has the potential to be personal/hit close to home for some.

But, like, when it comes to the ACTUAL webtoons??? Like, have any of you read the basic introductory chapter?

“It’s not serious!” “It’s cringe!”

Literally the FIRST BF profile card says “Epic Gamer Skillz” “Tweetch Subs” and “D’ARKNESS LV.” Could it be any more obvious??? Of course it’s not serious, of course it has cringey dialogue, the majority of these chapters have memes in them. The point is that it’s NOT serious, and it NEVER pretended to be in the first place. The damn characters speak like personified Discord Servers. “WTF” “EZ”. In a close follow-up chapter one of the characters literally says “OWO Choco?” Like???

So of course it’s not serious, of course it’s over the top and cheesy, to be over the top and cheesy IS THE POINT. But it seems like no one has actually read the comic, they’ve simply seem a few reactions and out of context clips from the comic and decided they know how everything works... Disregarding the fact that they’ve never read it...

Next is people claiming that the comic “fetishizes gay people”.

First of all. The Author is gay. Second of all, literally who cares? If someone is dumb enough to gather all their opinions of gay people based on a webtoons comic that’s basically a longstanding meme, their opinions never mattered to begin with.

Lastly, I get an icky feeling in my stomach whenever I hear this talking point. I remember feeling it back when I was in the hell that was the MHA fandom.

It was during shipping wars when an eerily similar point was made concerning gay couples. “They’re fetishizing gay people!” “All this shipping is because of the Fujoshis!”

You know who was saying all this? STRAIGHT PEOPLE.

Yes, for whatever reason which is beyond my understanding, when the topic of gay couples is brought up, it’s always Heterosexual people who think they know what’s best for the LGBTQ+ community. They often talk over gay people, and what happens when gay people don’t agree with them? “I bet you’re just a Fujoshi!” They say, unaware that this stranger they’ve never even seen the face of, is, in fact, gay and male.

So even now, I have to wonder if the people that are declaring this as sexualizing gay people are even gay themselves, if they’re not, do they realize that THE CREATOR is gay himself? Not only that, but as a personal account, I can recall many open and proud LGBTQ+ people (primarily gay) that act like stereotypes. There’s NOTHING wrong with how these characters act, nor those very real people. It’s an insult to these people’s real expressions.

Tell me, would you go up to a gay person and tell them that their form of personal expressions are “wrong”? Who on earth would any of us be to talk down to others like that?

That is also to say that LGBTQ+ people are under NO obligation to act “normal”. We should not be expected to suppress our real forms of expression for the sake of “not letting everyone else down”. If we all had to act normal, if no other depictions of being different were allowed, life would be worthless and meaningless.

This partially off topic tangent is to Segway into the talking point (or implied talking point) that this webtoons is publicizing unflattering stereotypes and is therefore bad.

Firstly. If you think this story is some sort of blow to LGBTQ+ Pride, the problem is with you. There’s nothing wrong with how you express yourself so long as it hurts no one. If you think this makes everyone under the rainbow banner look bad, you should look inward and wonder why you need to gatekeep how others express themselves (and to be clear, yes, I know I am referencing fictional characters with no will or mind of their own, but I believe the general point still stand firm when transferred over to real life).

Two, as I covered, these aren’t mythical stereotypes, there are actual people who live like this, and they’re valid and entitled to living how they see fit.

But you know what? I hear you, in spite of the numerous arguments I’ve made, You still have your objections, but here’s where my secret Uno Reverse Card kicks in.

My final argument.

It’s Refrainbow’s webcomic.

It’s as simple as that. Any content creator is not beholden to their audience and their whims. You can not like the comic, that’s fine, but you’re NOT entitled to changes made at your say-so. People frame their points like they deserve changes made so it can personally appeal to them, but that’s just not the case. If you don’t like the webtoons comic, rewrite it. Make it into something you like, but posting about how all the BFs are going to hell and how you want to run them over with a truck isn’t helping anyone or anything, you’re just being incredibly childish and whiny.

Once again: This is a FREE Webcomic made by a small set of people (I think just two? According to the Webtoons chapter outros at least). This webtoons is not going to revolutionize gay relationships, nor is it reasonable to expect it to. It’s a personal passion project, and it has every right to stay that way and not branch out like so many seem to want it to.

A final few disclaimers.

1. If you’re a straight cis person, just don’t argue. I’m gay, and I’m not about to have a straight person try to talk down to me and tell me I’m wrong, or worse, claim I’m a Fujoshi/Yaoi Loving Fangirl, there’s a reason I stepped away from the MHA fandom ya know.

2. I’m not a dedicated fan of this fic (although I do admit to having a bias, as I enjoy it and find humor in it) or of the author. I personally don’t care about the past controversies, and as I’m not affected by any of them, It’s not my place, duty/obligaton to forgive them on behalf of the people they harmed, that’s not the goal of this conversation. I simply am tired of seeing all this hate, both from arrogant straight people, and this senseless infighting from a section of the LGBTQ+ Community. To me it all seems like trumped up claims that don’t align with the reality of the situation.

Finally: If you like this webtoons, you’re valid. If you don’t like this webtoons, you’re valid, if you harass fans or the creator, you’re invalid, and if you talk over minorities while not being a member of said minority, your opinions, in that situation, are invalid.

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sweetcloverheart · 3 years ago

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Clover Rants Miraculously

I think I’ve complained about this before, but MLB has a terrible habit of telling you to hate a characters instead of simply letting the dislike form naturally.

Like, take Chloe for example - it was easy to hate her in season 1 because she was being the stereotypical bully and causing Marinette (and the rest of the class and city) problems while acting in a way that earned negativity from the audience. There was no need for the show to go out of the way and make her hateable because she did that well enough on her own while making her an interesting and dynamic character. Then the season 3 finale happened, and it, along with season 4′s portrayal of her, her previous arc as a temp hero, and Thomas’s responses to (genuine and bad faith) questions about it on twitter saw a surge of Chloe defense because hell if Thomas and the writing crew were not determined to shout from the rooftops about how Chloe was the spawn of Satan with a pitchblack soul of coal and you had to think this too or else you likely ate puppies. Every scene she was in was basically the audience constantly being berated with “Hate Chloe Bourgeois or else!” signs while trying to enjoy the episode that just caused them to roll their eyes because really? The dumb blonde girl who’s entire modus operandus is “Threaten to call daddy mayor” is supposed to be seen as an utter monster who’s within the same ranks as the man who, in an alt-timeline, beat his son and then tried to brainwash him into being his magic servant to hurt his girlfriend (“Chat Blanc”)? I mean, outside of the near traincrash she caused as Queen Bee (Which they had her show remorse for, even if they didn’t handle the aftermath all that well) and her actions as Miracle Queen, Chloe is just an entitled bully with a superiority complex. Just get the girl some therapy and cut access to her credit cards and problem solved.

Felix’s entire intro episode is about how he’s such an awful conniving little brat in comparison to our beloved blonde angel Adrien - which he was, and we all loved him for it! and the fact that Thomas and co. didn’t want this just made everyone love him more out of spite. Probably helped that he absolutely seemed to revile Gabemoth and helped move along the Agreste side of the plotline by uncovering important secrets/lore Which should have been happening for our Deutagonist seeing as how this involves his father and mother but you know what let’s move on as well as him being based off the PV!Felix whom Thomas openly hated - so that just meant the fandom should definitely love him more and create thousands of AUs where he gets the Black Cat (or Butterfly) miraculous instead. (Of course, now that he’s on his way to redemption, he’s definitely going to head straight into base-breaking territory, though I feel the writers are just going to sour him on everyone if they play this the same way they did his intro)

Lila was fun to dislike and theorize about after her debut in Volpina - like, the amount of recurring villain Volpina, antihero!Lila, and Butterfly!Lila fanart I saw back then was immense. That’s how much of a splash she made. Then Thomas shuffled her off into the void and left her there for a majority of the show until “Heroes Day/Catalyst”, and when she finally got another focus episode (“Chameleon”), the entire thing spent so much time harping about what an awful and terrible liar she was and how “evil” it was to deceive everyone that people started hating her less for that and began hating the class and Bustier more for being stupid enough to fall for such obvious fibs (though in their defense, that’s more fault of the plot twisting itself into pretzel shapes so that Lila schemes can work when they really shouldn’t), and it worsened with “Ladybug” because everyone was so quick to turn on Marinette in it (and that the school apparently doesn’t have security cameras or bothered to call Lila’s mom considering her daughter was apparently assaulted on school grounds) that it just worsened the class salt the previously mentioned “Chameleon” brought upon. The final nail in the “Hate Lila or else” coffin ended up being the bible spoilers, which just made almost everyone stan her out of spite because when you have the show creators claim a lying teenage girl is more capable of greater evil than the magical emotionally manipulative terrorist, that tells me a lot of things except what you’re trying to claim.

Even Su Han, who isn’t a villain, is victim to this - he’s basically supposed to be representative of the fandom criticism of the show and Fu, who’s only purpose is to yell at Ladybug for “not doing guardianing right” before either being proven wrong (“Furious Fu” and “Ephemeral”) or admitting he’s the actual screw up (“Evolution”). Naturally, fandom responded by either making him the replacement mentor for Fu in their fics/AU that actually helps Maribug and Adrichat and proves a competent ally, or actually make him a decent opposing force.

Meanwhile, the characters they want the fandom to like are immediately hated because they’re just put off by how obvious they are about it - Poor Zoe was hyped to heaven and back, ultimately causing her to be immediately reviled by a lot of the fandom (mostly by those who were still bitter about losing out on Ally!Chloe) in her debut, and disliked even more when her temp hero episode had every character and their mother praising her on how nice she was and how she was so much better than icky Chloe. The constantly being told about how “good and pure” Emilie was despite being given nothing on her life before the Peacock miraculous and Gabriel has caused a number of people to create Evil!Emilie aus where she’s just as much of a self-centered megalomaniac as old Gabemoth. And Gabriel himself is basically the #1 hated villain not just because he’s, as stated, a magical emotionally manipulative terrorist, but also because the show is trying so hard to make him out to be this “sympathetic grey character” who “just loves his family” when he’s done nothing to show this (Hell, his actions the past 4-5 seasons basically showed the exact opposite), not to mention how inconsistent he seems to be with his goals and the lack of competence he’s shown despite apparently being so “smart and sophisticated” (Like my man, you had a time traveling miraculous and have one that can give you any superpower you want - Emilie should have been out of that magical cryocoffin and tap dancing right now)

tldr; Don’t “tell” your audience to hate a character. They can do it fine on their own.

#Miraculous Ladybug #Clover Rants Miraculously #ML Salt

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thebindingofpillo · 2 years ago

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Belial

Despite looking like a run of the mill demon (and a pretty weak one at that!) Belial is actually a fallen angel.In his angel days, he was very peculiar, being some sort of double angel, like a weird French playing card. They had four wings, two halos and four arms, and were, by all intents and purposes, considered a single entity by everyone else. While types of angels and choirs are pretty standard, outliers are still possible! Like humans, angels come in all shapes and sizes, so even very unusual angels like Belial can exist. They’re not treated any differently (as long as they stay true to their purpose and continue to serve God). Some angels might be born without body parts, or with extra body parts. I might need to update the angel lore post aaaah oh no what have I done.

Before falling, Belial was a Dominion, and as such was tasked to watch over human civilisation, and aid where necessary to help humans evolve towards the best version of themselves (civilisation-wise, biological evolution was another thing entirely) BUT while helping humans was permitted, directly interfering with their lives (even to make them better!) was strictly prohibited. Belial could, for example, inspire a human to do the right thing (with a prophetic dream, or a vision), but he couldn’t outright push them in that direction. And, not being an archangel, he couldn’t directly speak to humans either. This displeased him to no end, but while one half of him understood that humans were creature of free will, and he couldn’t force them to follow the path of God, the other half was not having it. If humans didn’t have free will, then they wouldn’t engage in wars, or made eachother’s life worse! There would be no hate, no cheating, just good little sheep, following God as they should.

The two halves fought constantly, and this caused them to split in a pretty gruesome way. This is also what caused Belial to fall: his insistence of steering humans in the right direction and interfering with their free will caused him to lose his status as a Dominion but he didn’t fall like a normal angel! His wings were given to his other half, as well as his halo. While his halo wasn’t broken into horns, this still severed his connection to God and limited his powers. In the fight that preceded the split, he also lost an arm, that was later given to his other half as well.

What once was one, now was two: Belial is now both the shadow that roams Hell, longing for the power he once held, and the weird half angel with two halos and three arms, still watching over humanity.

More lore under the cut and his connection to Judas.

Once fallen, Belial found himself extremely weak, even more than an average demon. Most of his time was spent trying to survive in Hell, and trying to find a way to get to the human world. Belial still felt a twisted love for humanity, and if those stupid angels were so hellbent on stopping him, he would find his own way to get those stupid humans on the right path. He just needed people. A whole army of them, to spread his message and push humanity on the right path. And who knows, even change those angels and God’s stubborn ways. ANYWAY since he’s basically half a fallen angel, he’s too weak to do basically anything. He can manipulate shadows, but it’s more an illusion thing, he can’t really fight with them, and even his brimstone is weak as shit. To acquire power he needs a host to possess - and that’s where Judas comes in (and others too, but Judas is important and we’ll talk about him at length later). Finding a host is usually easy - he targets vulnerable people, outcasts, people in desperate situations etc. so he can get close to them and possess them at once in a moment of weakness. While Belial is a fallen angel, a possession works differently for him, he can actually bind himself to a human (like a demon does) and physically get inside their body to control it (this is also because he doesn’t have a traditional physical form like all the other fallen do). Anyway why would Belial need to possess humans? Even a possessed human is no match for a powerful enough demon. The only way for Belial to acquire any sort of power is to have a big enough army of followers, and this is where the Children of Belial come in (I swear I’m not gonna make this weird, bear with me).

The phrase “sons of Belial” (beni beliyaal) is used in Hebrew to mean “worthless people” such as idolaters or the people from certain cities or groups. Just know, that whenever I’ll refer to the “children of Belial” it’s actually a metaphor for the people who follow him, and not his actual children. The Children are basically a massive cult of brainwashed people. Belial is not powerful enough to actually take away a human’s free will, so he just resorts to indoctrinate people the old fashioned way. The indoctrinated humans are then sent on their way to recruit more and more people into Belial’s army, and by using the powers of their human souls combined, one day he’ll be able to take down both Heaven and Hell and establish a new way of life. In his eyes, he’s already doing something good by bringing people to his side. His followers do not fight with one another and he’s convinced they’re living in perfect harmony, without crime and violence. And while harvesting their souls will mean killing all his followers, that’s a necessary sacrifice to make. The first army of Children of Belial was wiped out (I don’t know if I should attach a biblical event to it, but maybe maybe Jericho) so now he needs a new one and THAT’S WHERE Judas actually comes in!

Judas was already on Belial’s radar since he was Jesus’s best friend, and Belial still held a huge grudge against God because he killed all his children and set his plan back by centuries SO getting closer to Judas was a no-brainer. He first tried to entice him with promises of knowledge and riches, but what Judas really wanted was to get together with Magdalene (HAHA sappy), since he was jealous of all the time she spent with Jesus, which was even better for Belial! He could get Jesus’s two best friends, getting back at God in the best way possible. So Belial struck a deal with Judas, and bound himself to Judas’s soul. Now he just had to get the girl and get to work. Betraying Jesus was just the icing on the cake. Only that Judas hung himself, mad with grief for having caused his best friend’s death, so Belial’s grand plan to rebuild his army went to shit real fast.

BUT while Belial needs Judas’s soul to gain his powers, he can’t really harvest it yet, since his plan is far from being over. Judas’s soul doesn’t belong to Belial yet, and this is why Judas can still get to Heaven! (that, and being God’s best friend. We will also get to that). Sadly Judas is a little bitch, and still feels unworthy of heaven after all these years, so he keeps coming back to life (I need to elaborate on that too, and actually explain why the cast keeps getting reincarnated but I’ll do it in a later post). Anyway, God keeps giving Judas new chances at life because He loves him very much and wants to see his friend happy for fucking once, and Belial is caught in the middle, always trying to get his way in the meantime. He wouldn’t even need Maggy to get his plan in motion, but over the millennia he’s become slightly obsessed with her, as a point of pride. What better way to get back at God than using His two dearest friends for his plan? She’s THE Mary Magdalene, like come on. He needs her to be the first follower of his new army, as a last fuck you to God. Only then he’ll move onto other people, she has to be the first. And it’s gonna work this time, for sure! He’s been preparing for this moment for millennia, nothing is gonna stop- Wait, Judas killed himself before he could even start thinking about his plan? GODDAMN-

Note: as being said, Judas can still get to heaven because his soul doesn’t belong to Belial just yet. This could change if he were to harvest Belial’s powers, even to do good (or maybe not, I still need to think about that). This also puts Judas’s suicides over all his lifetimes in a new perspective, since now he doesn’t kill himself over and over again to escape Belial, but also to protect Maggy.

Very small tangent on the Book of Belial The BoB is basically the sacred text of Belial’s new religion, but also a collection of magic formulas, spells and dark, forbidden knowledge. He put it together himself the first time he possessed a human, and since it’s all blood magic (the same kind monster use!) it taps directly into a human’s life force, and can be therefore used by humans too. Belial usually entices his prey with promises of infinite knowledge, and then works his way into their minds. Now that Judas has made a deal with him, the book is his property, and Belial always finds a way to make him find the book, in every single life. The book itself is incredibly old, and has been copied over and over again to preserve its knowledge. Only the first 100 pages or so are actually written by Belial tho, the rest of the tome is actually written by Judas, like some sort of fucked up diary. Judas is a nosy little shit, so he kept taking notes and writing down any weird supernatural occurrence he’s seen and occult creature he’s come across. Kinda like the three diaries from Gravity Falls, Judas is Stanford.

#reincarnation AU (working title)#tboi reincarnation #tboi belial #tboi oc #belial oc #tboi #binding of isaac #the binding of isaac #binding of isaac oc #tboi rebirth #tboi repentance #tboi fanart #pillart #lore post

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alexandraswords · 2 years ago

Text

F*CK NORMAL

An overdue ending to a (un)well decorated drinking career.

Introduction

Friday, June 9, 2023 9:28 AM

Today is one of those days where I am just tired, and a bit bored, but mostly tired. I am exhausted. Mentally at least. I have really been putting my all into my sobriety to the point where my day revolves around meetings but im starting to lose momentum. I have a headache, the dog wont stop barking, i'm trying to pop the zits on my face. Basically being alone with my discontented ass self is not something I'm great at... yet.

I should meditate or journal or text another AA member. But I just want to sleep and be normal and relax. But fuck normal.

I thought drinking was normal. I thought my diet of vodka and water and the occasional box of cheez-its was adulting. I thought I was mature and well refined and socially acceptable because I drank, just like everyone else, because, you know, drinking is normal... right?

Wrong. Not for me. I am NOT normal. So I have to do abnormal shit to keep my addictive eating disordered alcoholic riddled ass self sober and happy. I have to keep listening to other people because me making my own decisions landed me in a crack den sharing a room with a friend I would consider a sibling, whom which a fought with constantly to the point where I dragged the mattress from our third floor apartment (if you consider that uninhabitable shit hole, an apartment) down out side below out kitchen window so if I jumped maybe the universe would send me a sign saying that it is or isn't time yet. Okay so I didn't actually do that, but I sure as shit thought about it... a lot. Like a lot. I mean i couldn't even barely walk to the bathroom let alone haul some shit down the stairs. Hell, I wouldn't even walk across the street to get my own liquor. I would bribe my roommate by telling him if he went for me and took my card he could buy something for myself. I just didn't care anymore. I hated everything. I hated that I had to be loaded to be able to walk because my shakes were so bad. I hated that I had to drink to even feel sober and functional and not hallucinate and vomit and dry heave bright green bile. And worst of all I hated that I had lost control.

My eating disorder and my alcoholism made my reality disappear. The food temporarily until my life became a cage, and the nicest word I can think of to name it would be a vomitorium because it was actually that repulsive if you could see inside the walls of it. The alcohol took control over me so I didn't have to deal with food, but also made it so I didn't worry or care about ANYTHING.

So I guess this is how I'm going to start this ... whatever rant of words form a book. Where I'm at right now. Because right now is all I have. Yes, I am in full self pity mode, but if there's one thing I've learned from AA it's that I need to take action, and never have I ever felt worse after going to a meeting. So,lets go fucking make our bed, and meditate or some shit and get ready for today. So, yeah, Fuck Normal.

So, Why the fuck not?

I got most talkative in fifth grade. The english section of my English SAT’s, I aced. People (my boyfriend) seem to like my writing and have told me If I don’t do something with it, then they’ll publish it themselves… which I’m pretty sure falls into the lines of plagiarism but lets be honest here. I am probably one of the biggest procrastinators when it comes to doing something that is actually good for me. Why? The fuck if I know. Maybe because all I’ve known has been chaos and panic since, like, forever, that when it comes to the real things, like happiness and joy and pride in work that I’VE DONE… well, I'm just not used to that type of thing. But I figured, fuck it. I can write a book. All i have to do is elaborate on how awesome I am at self sabotaging and add in some very few lessons I picked up and am still learning day by day. Basically I’ve decided its time to just put all my shit in one bound piece of parchment instead of having to explain my life story to everyone as if its my first day with a new therapist.

But alas, melodramatic Alex is bored and avoiding meditating, to keep her shit together and be healthier, obviously, because that would actually be beneficial to my well being. So for now i’ll just throw it in one of the corners in the back of my mind while it slowly simmers into a pot of anxiety attack soup while I try and explain to you (briefly before the pot starts boiling) how fucking insanely delusionally fantastically fucked my life is, and how I got here, and why I wouldn’t change one second of it for anything. But I mean, there’s forwards and shit in books right? So can this be like a PS after the main intro forward? ‘Cause This sober bitch has to go meditate before a meeting so I can stay mindful in my sobriety and not add homicide to my list of criminal activities. (That was a joke) So for now, just for today, Namaste Sober.

P.P.S- enjoy the buffet of garbage that hopefully is not similar to mine. But if you can and most likely will relate if you’re reading this (most likely because my clever title struck a chord in your twisted little heart) then just know, you're not alone in this shit show, but no one ever really puts the shit show on the ‘gram now do they?

#sobriety #clean and sober #addiction recovery #sobercommunity

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dreamkidddream · 4 years ago

Note

I’m the Doll!MC Anon and I just wanna say I’m so glad that you enjoy a soft/delicate!MC and I really didn’t expect it to get so much love!

Since I kinda want to be evil and see the boys be overprotective, can I request hc’s of them seeing Doll!MC getting hurt by some lesser demon that bumps her into the ground and she gets a bruise? 🌚

Omg Doll Anon I wasn’t expecting it to get so much love either (here’s the original Doll!MC HCs if anyone wants to read)!! So I actually had your request saved for when I was done with the prompt special bc it’s so good, so I decided to combine them and I have definitely been waiting to write this 😈😈 Reader is gender neutral!

CW: mention of blood (nothing graphic) and spoilers for Lesson 16 (Lucifer, Mammon, Beel, and Belphie’s part)

The Brothers and Diavolo with Doll!MC who Gets Hurt

Lucifer

Okay whoever is dumb enough to hurt you in front of him deserves this 100%

The air around this man is already more than intimidating, so whoever tries this is a poor, stupid soul

When he saw you fall down the stairs, he felt his stomach turn. He already caught you before you could injure yourself further, but after seeing the blood coming down your face, the damage was already done

Now, Lucifer is the brother who always has control over himself and what he does. But, we also know that how his temper can get, especially when it comes to his family

This demon is dumb enough to push you but not dumb enough to crack a smile in front of him, especially with how tense Lucifer is getting right now

He sat you up and tried to remember some first aid techniques to stop the bleeding. You’re on the verge of losing consciousness, but you’re okay right now. He’ll take you home, but first-

His glare is making the demon freeze in place right now, and the anger radiating off of him is petrifying

How dare- how dare this fool harm you, in front of him no less?! Did they think that he wouldn’t do anything? That Lucifer, the Avatar of Pride, one of the strongest demons to ever grace the Devildom, would just idly stand by and let this happen?

He’s stalking towards them, and he can feel his fangs showing and his diamond appearing on his forehead, growling out how they will pay for this-

But he’s stopped by Lord Diavolo, who was shocked by the scene. You’re unconscious, and Lucifer has this poor student hanging in the air by their uniform, claws ready to slice through them. Needless to say, he understands why his close friend is upset, but for everyone’s safety he should just take you home like planned

You thought Lucifer was a helicopter parent before? You haven’t seen NOTHING yet

He would start inviting you more to his room to sleep in his bed while he works away, and it started happening so much that he didn’t even ask anymore and started expecting you to always be in there

So instead of him being glued by your side, you’re glued to his. It’s obvious that he can’t let you out of his sight without something happening (again), so hope you’re ready to see experience Lucifer’s daily routine from sunrise to sunset and a whole new set of rules. Basically playing follow the leader, but with a lot more handholding and kisses

You had to practically beg to be back into the kitchen, and he only relented when he could be the one to supervise you, and even then he still didn’t want to hold anything sharp or be near anything that could injure you (which is pretty much everything)

The main one to put a stop to his brothers’ schemes, handing out harsher punishments than before each time they try to involve you. This man is not playing any games with anyone

You know he means well, he was already overprotective from the start, and this is just his way of showing that he cares about you. You can tell every time he gives you that soft look in his eyes, and the regret that he shows every time he catches sight of your bruise. He may not like to be vulnerable, but he couldn’t hide his emotions from you too long. You’re like a weakness to him, one that he isn’t against indulging in

And he hasn’t forgotten about that student, oh no. He made sure to have a nice lengthy chat with them when you both returned to RAD. You didn’t question it when he informed you that the student had been rightfully punished and no longer an issue, and you tried to ignore the red dots splattered on his shoes, or that sadistic gleam in his eyes...

Mammon

This isn’t happening, this isn’t happening, this isn’t happening-

The blood is pouring from your head, and your eyes are closing too fast for him, and his heart stops

You look lifeless, like when Belphie killed you, when he was too late to save you-

He’ll never forget that image, it’s drilled deep into his mind, forever a reminder of his failure to protect you. And now he failed again-

This demon is gloating about this, and that’s when he snaps

He was already in his demon form and beating the life out of them when he was restrained. Many people were shocked that he was capable of this, that Mammon the scumbag, Mammon the dummy, Mammon the punching bag was capable enough to be this dangerous, this deadly. He’s the second born after all, and he’s the strongest right under Lucifer himself, and he holds a lot in

He could- he would do a lot more because they deserve it, but just seeing you so still, it snaps him out of it. You’re more important to him than getting his anger out, and you’re the one he needs to be focusing on right now. But rest asssured, this isn’t over

You thought he was attached to you before? He is glued to your side 24/7 and will not be leaving anytime soon. Ever since you woke up he never let go of you, calling you “his human” and just hugging you tight

Also if you have to go down the stairs you guys are FLYING no exceptions! The stairs are the devil in his eyes (how ironic) and he will not be risking anything with you

If you guys aren’t out and about under his careful and watchful eye (and I mean very careful, he’s like your very own bodyguard but with a lot more growling and snapping on strangers than usual), then you’re in his room doing whatever. Watching movies, playing cards and somehow beating him every time (he swears that he isn’t letting you win! Lies), whatever you wanna do. As long as you’re with him, giggling and safe, he’s happy and stress free

You mean so much to Mammon MC, he can’t even tell you if he tries. Under his tsundere traits, he really loves you, like really loves you! He’s just so scared of being rejected and losing you a second time. But now that he knows you’ll always be there for him, he’s going to do the same for you (but he already was even if you didn’t like him) He hates looking at that bruise right now, but it’s set as a reminder to not let something happen to you again

Also, another thing that people forget about Mammon is that he can talk to crows. So it wasn’t much to have them track down the person who caused you pain, and it didn’t take long for him to find them either. He thinks that the aftermath will set a good lesson for everyone else who continues to underestimate him when it comes to you: don’t

Leviathan

See, this is why he never leaves his safe haven AKA his room!

After he saw your head hit the ground hard, he was freaking out. He doesn’t know what to do, he wasn’t prepared for this! He tried shaking you to keep you awake, but your eyes were steady closing

Everything is happening in slow motion. You’re slumped over on the ground while the person who did it is laughing at him

If anything, the person who did it should be the one on the ground, not you, not his Henry. It’s not fair, it’s not fair, it’s not fair!

The demon stopped laughing when their windpipe was getting crushed by the second. They couldn’t even try to loosen the grip, Levi’s tail is rather strong, and so is he. He is the third strongest out of his family and the Grand Admiral of the Navy, yet people tend to forget that

Everyone knows how bad Levi’s tantrums can be, but this isn’t just a tantrum, it’s much worse. Had the brothers not intervene, he would have done much worse than summoning Lotan (which he was on the brink of doing anyway)

When you did wake up, he was so upset. Of course he let this happen, he’s just a worthless otaku who couldn’t even keep his crush safe-

OMG why are you hugging him and patting his head?! Quit it- well wait, this does feel kinda nice...Ugh you’re such a normie! Getting hurt so easily and still trying to put a smile on his face. But it does make him feel better

He rarely left his room before, and you guys are definitely not leaving it now. It’s like having a sleepover, but it never ends. That sounds great, right MC? Endless marathons of TSL and other anime, co-op video games, trying on his cosplay outfits that he made (some even made just for you and he needs to cover that bruise somehow), it’s going to be so fun and you’ll be safe with him! Who wouldn’t want that??

We all know that Levi is very self conscious. He knows that he isn’t confident like Lucifer and Mammon, or attractive like Asmo, or smart like Satan or Belphie, or physically fit like Beel, he knows. But every time you listen to him ramble on about this new anime show that he wants you guys to binge, or when he rants about a stupid move his teammate did in an online match, he feels valued. He feels loved. And while it’s hard for him to express his feelings, it’s no doubt in his mind that you’re important to him, and that he’s beyond happy that someone like you is his best friend

One day he’ll get the courage to say those three words, but he hopes that you already know with everything that he does for you

For example, Levi is an aquatic demon, and he has the ability to communicate with all types of sea creatures. Granted, he knows right from wrong, but in his eyes he’s taking care of the problem. So it wouldn’t be a huge issue if he used them to clean up the remaining mess of said problem, right? I mean, his venom can only do so much, and he doesn’t need anyone questioning him, and Lotan does get hungry...

Satan

He could only see red. Both from his anger surfacing and from the fact that you’re bleeding

He had his claws wrapped around the neck of the one responsible before they could even think about running. This- this filth dared tried to escape after he hurt you? And they thought that Satan would just let them get away with it?

They must forget that he’s the Avatar of Wrath, the one who doesn’t show mercy

He just kept pounding the demon into the ground, over and over and over and over. He didn’t even care about the blood splatter it was leaving on the lockers or on him

He was this close to finishing them off when he heard you call out for him, and it took everything in him to drop them. He squeezed their neck a final time, not even close to being satisfied with the whimper he heard, and growled out a promise of that he will find them and will make sure that they suffer before he threw them down. They better count themselves lucky that they get to crawl away in one piece (for now), because had you not been there-

Oh, he is seething the more he thinks about it

But you bleeding is a distraction from it, even if it is making his stomach turn, it’s helping him know that he needs to help you now

He didn’t have to let his brothers know as they came to see what the commotion was, and Lucifer (even if he didn’t want to believe it himself) was anxious that he was the cause of it. But after he saw the hold he had on you and another demon barely clinging onto life, he knew otherwise

It was decided that you two going home would be the best course of action (which it didn’t matter to Satan, you both weren’t going to stay here whether it was demanded or not), and he calmed down enough to properly treat you

You didn’t leave his room for the rest of the day, and he even gave up his bed for you to lie in so that he can do some research. The human body is a complicated thing, but Satan can learn it like the back of his hand just for you. So just go ahead and rest for now MC- or maybe not, you might have a concussion according to this book and if you do he needs to monitor your condition!

Even after you were healed, he didn’t let you out of his sight and daily checkups were a must. Dr. Satan is in the building!

You eventually moved back into your room (you would have stayed longer but he’s a little nervous with his towering stacks of books and doesn’t want anymore accidents), but he practically moved in with you with how much he comes over, either falling asleep at your desk reading a book or falling asleep in your chair right next to your bed

Very reluctant to have you around stairs, it makes the hairs on his neck stand up. He’ll let you go down the stairs ONLY if you’re holding his hand. If you’re upset with those conditions (spoiler alert you’re not), then you better be ready to learn some teleportation spells (but even then he’s still not leaving your side)

He doesn’t hold his temper back with the others when it comes to you for the time being. If he even senses that Mammon, Asmo, or Levi is coming to you with something that can cause trouble, he’s growling at them to leave you alone, horns slowly coming out and tail whipping furiously

However, he tries not to lash out in front of you. He realizes that he lost control with that demon, and how it could have terrified you had you been fully conscious, but he doesn’t want you to think that he’s just a monster. He wants you to continue to treat him like you do now, and not have the image of bashing someone’s bloody body on the floor repeatedly

Speaking of bashing someone, Satan made well on his promise of coming back. The demon thought that avoiding coming back to school would save them, but Satan is a genius, and has many associates that he can sweet talk to get what he wants. It didn’t take much to figure out where they went, and he made sure to get out all of his pent-up frustrations from that fateful day. He felt better when he came home, but he needed to take a shower before he went to see you...

Besides from that, he does appreciate the peace that you do bring him. You just have this aura around you that’s so calming to him, and he needs to steal you away more he realizes

Also you make better cat-themed desserts than the cafe and he can’t risk Beel eating them all again

Asmodeus

He’s shook, and not in the good way

He just had your hand in his, complaining about how you cuticles look so good and his is lacking and how guys have to go to the nail salon after class, and then your hand is jerked from his, your form at the bottom of the stairs

The blood staining your uniform is alarming, but he can’t worry about that now. He’s trying to keep you talking, but you’re already on the verge of passing out

“MC, you can’t sleep yet! We have plans to go to the nail salon remember? And I need you awake so we can talk about what matching color we’re getting! So what color should we get now, MC? MC? MC!”

He’s trying to keep himself from panicking, but he can’t help it! You’re suppose to be smiling and laughing with you, loving him, but you’re unconscious on the ground, and he’s scared

Quickly dials Lucifer and tells him the whole situation, and he’s surprised to find himself blinking back tears

The demon who did this is long gone by the time Lucifer and Diavolo come, but he remembers the face, and he has something exciting planned when he comes face to face with them

Obviously you have to go home, but Asmo is so distraught that he has to go home with you. But when you wake up, prepare to be tackled to the bed with him crying his eyes out. All you can do is try to comfort him and tell him that okay, giving him little kisses on his cheek

But now that the sadness is out of the way (all this crying and worrying is causing him stress wrinkles), it’s time for a makeover/stress relief!

Fashion shows, makeovers, painting nails, face masks, the whole nine yards. All in the comfort of his dazzling room!

It’ll make you both feel and look better, and honestly you two need that right now. It also gives him the opportunity to cover that unappealing bruise. Your beauty outshines it but it’ll be best to cover it up for your and his sake (mainly his)

Every time Asmo sees your bruise, he gets upset and he’s tired of being reminded of what happened. He knows that he’s only loved for his looks, his vanity, but you see more in him than that

You’re...you’re the first person that loves him for him entirely, not because of his features. And when he tells you that he loves you, he honestly means it. He would have never thought he would fall so deep for someone, let alone a human, but...he’s glad that it’s you. He’s happy that it’s you

Which is why he wants to keep you safe and injury-free. Plus, your skin is too pretty and doll-like to be roughed up!

You guys still go out of course, he just has a better eye on you now. This one incident isn’t going to hold him back for picking out new cute outfits for you!

And don’t think he forgot about that demon who caused all of this in the first place. He actually waited by their locker, and convinced them to come with him. But what should Asmo do with them? He could always have them steal Beel’s food, annoy Lucifer, say something horrible about Ruri-Chan, the possibilities are endless! As long as they don’t cause him to get dirty, of course

Or maybe they should do something so severe that they have no reason than to leave RAD forever, or even leave the Devildom forever, depending on how far he’s willing to take it. He’ll do anything if it means you’re safe and he gets to keep you all to himself

Beelzebub

He thought it was an accident at first, you get so excited about things that you stumble over your own feet sometimes, but he’s always there to catch you or pick you up

You keep saying that you’re okay as he’s holding onto you, and after he sits you up he’s confused because he smells blood. His heart is beating a little quicker, and you’re not talking anymore, and your head is drooping, and that’s when he sees the blood running down the side of your face

He’s starting to panic, and he’s so scared that if he tightens his hold against you he’ll just make things worse, that he’ll just hurt you more. But he needs to go find Lucifer, he needs to get you help, you’re feeling so light in his arms and it reminds him of the Celestial War when he witnessed his sister dying-

He hears someone snickering behind him, and that’s when he loses his temper

You’re a part of his family now, someone that he loves and cares for more than he can describe, and they did this to you? Someone who wouldn’t even squish a bug, someone who made him late night snacks without even asking, always there to give him hugs after his games no matter how sweaty, someone that put his family back together and they did this to you?

Lucifer and Mammon struggled to hold him back after they found the demon flung through the wall, laying under the rubble. Beel just kept growling, fangs bared and wings buzzing. He won’t stop trying to get out of their hold, and he keeps inching closer and closer to the demon, and it’s only a matter of time before he finishes what he started

You were already in the infirmary getting treated, and Beel isn’t calming down anytime soon so you were both escorted home

You woke up to Beel upset and pouting. He’s so worried about you that he couldn’t even eat. Beelzebub could not eat, that’s how you knew this was a something serious

Poor Beel was so terrified of hurting you himself that he failed to protect you from the people that do want to hurt you, or worse

But this won’t happen again, he swears, both to you and himself. Move over Mammon, Beel is officially your new bodyguard!

Wherever you go, Beel is right behind you, literally. He’s like your shadow, just bigger and a lot more...menacing. Also isn’t taking any chances with Mammon’s schemes, just carrying you away before he can even open his mouth about another get rich quick plan

Speaking of carrying, you are not allowed to walk down the stairs anymore. As soon as you step near some you find yourself in his arms like it’s nothing. Both at home and at school, it doesn’t matter to him

Also he’s very cautious to have you around people besides his brothers, and the exchange students (but he’s still hesitant about Solomon, anyone who can cook food like him is automatically getting the side eye)

Also you practically moved in with the twins, and it’s nothing compared to the sleepovers before. Belphie sleeps easier, Beel’s stomach is satisfied (eating your homemade sweets with you is better than everything combined at Hell’s Kitchen, and trust me he knows) he feels all warm inside, and you’re protected. Everyone’s happy!

Beel is a sweet guy, just don’t come in between his family or his food. After that whole incident with the demon, everyone has come to understand that, especially after seeing just how much damage he caused both to the demon and the school in so little time...

Belphegor

If he was sleepy before, he’s completely awake now

You’re holding the side of your head, and he can see the blood seeping through your fingers, groaning in pain. You keep trying to say that you’re okay, but your words are starting to slur and he’s getting nervous, he’s getting scared

It’s reminding him too much of his worst mistake, of what he did to you, when he murdered-

No. He doesn’t need to be thinking about that right now, especially when the person who did this is bragging about it while your body is slumped over. Right there, he knows what exactly needs to be done

Belphie was already in front of them before they even registered it, and didn’t give him any time to form an excuse. His claws were already at their throat, inching deeper and deeper the more they swallowed

“I should just slit your throat now, it’ll be easy and not a lot of work. But you deserve much worse than that. You’ll wish I did by the end of this.”

After a tap to the demon’s forehead, they just collapsed before him, unmoving. He didn’t even look down when he stepped over them (or rather stepped on them) to get to you. You’re passed out, but still breathing. You can’t stay here like this, and he refuses to tell Diavolo or Lucifer. He’ll figure something out, maybe Satan has some books in his room on what to do...

When you woke up, you found yourself wrapped in blankets and Belphie sleeping beside you, arms wrapped tight. You were confused, when did you get home? You remember walking with him down the stairs, but everything was blurry after that. What happen-

“You’re always thinking so hard MC, you’ll never be able to get good rest if you keep that up. But Satan did say to check on you every couple of hours, so I guess it’s fine. And quit touching your head!”

“Oh, sorry Belphie, I didn’t mean to-”

“Tch, how annoying...”

But he’s lying. Even as he’s carefully re-wrapping the bandages, he’s relieved that you’re awake, that your eyes are still full of life, not like the dullness that he saw that fateful night

When Lucifer finds you he is not happy with Belphie, but he doesn’t care and tells him that everything is already under control and that he isn’t needed. Belphie didn’t miss the scowl that he sent his way, but he just smirked in response. You didn’t need Lucifer as Belphie is already taking care of you, as it should be

You know how he always carries around his favorite pillow? Yeah he’s doing that with you basically, minus the carrying. You’re practically attached to his side, wherever he goes you’re either right there with him or in his room, which is mainly just you two lazing around or sleeping (as usual)

Honestly, the only demons who he’s okay with disturbing you two is Beel and maybe Satan. Beel because that’s his twin and it’s his room too, and Satan only if he’s checking on you medically or if he has some new ideas to mess with Lucifer. Everyone else is just trying to bother you and be annoying, and you don’t need that

Of course he blames himself for this! How is he suppose to keep you safe, to make up for his mistake? But then it clicks

It’s not the fact that he’s weak, people think that he’s weak. But he realizes that this is fine, he’ll use that to his advantage.

Diavolo is upset and Lucifer is running out of excuses for him, but Belphie just plays stupid and says he can’t remember how to remove it (even though he does). Let the demon lose some more sleep until they learn their lesson, whether it’s from the constant nightmares or from sleep deprivation trying to stay awake to avoid said nightmares. He’ll remove it when he feels like it, and he doesn’t see that happening anytime soon

Let people think the Avatar of Sloth is weak, that he’s not a threat, and he can show them exactly how wrong they are. Better yet, this demon can be the perfect example, and many more if they become a bother to you (and him)

You’re too nice MC, too delicate. You treat him so good, like he’s not a demon, like he’s not the monster who took your life, and he has to thank you for that somehow. He feels like whatever he does won’t be enough for the kindness you give him, but protecting you from others who used to be like him could be a good start

Also now he can hog all of your head pats and cuddles for himself, and he doesn’t feel bad at all. Everyone else had their time with you when he was locked up, so he’s finally got the opportunity to be selfish

Diavolo

First of all...this demon is dumb enough to harm you in front of him??? The Demon LORD???? The FUTURE KING OF HELL??!

They have more than just a death wish

It all happened so quick, he just crossed paths with you in the hallways and started to ask about your day (and maybe invite you for a small tea date after school) but he didn’t even get the chance to open his mouth

One second he saw your eyes light up and hand extended to excitedly wave, then he saw your fragile form tumbling down the stairs

Barbatos was soon called to his side as Diavolo saw the red coating his palms and you barely staying conscious, trying to say that you’re okay and not to worry

See...he feared that this would be a problem. While Diavolo is a very kind and understanding ruler, there are still some demons out there who think he’s too lenient, too soft. But that’s where people are mistaken. Diavolo is kind, but do not mistake his kindness for weakness

He felt his anger rising, his demeanor starting to crack, but he set aside his emotions. You’re his first priority, and he needs to make sure that you’re okay! He’s still a ruler, and you’re his responsibility (and first love)

However, he made sure that Barbatos took the demon who did this and kept them in the dungeon until he was done treating you. He won’t let this go unpunished, he can’t and he won’t

You’re an important part of the exchange program, and you’re most important to him, and he’s upset with himself that you got hurt. You’re so delicate, and you don’t deserve any of this happening to you, but what can he do? While he trusts the brothers to keep you safe, he wants to keep an eye on you personally, but how?

Then it struck him

You liked to stay in the castle, always smiling and having fun whenever you spent time with him there, so why not relocate you there?? It’ll be like an extended sleepover/retreat with just you two!! You guys can do all of your favorite activities and won’t have to worry about going home because you won’t have to leave!! Why didn’t he think of this sooner?!

The brothers are very upset with this incident, and even more so when he announced this. Diavolo decided that your condition needed to be monitored closely, and since he’s the person directly in charge of the exchange program AND the ruler over the Devildom, there was no room to argue. You weren’t going to stay in the castle forever, just until he deemed it right to return to the HoL

Which would be...some time soon, maybe. He’s not really worried about that now, his number 1 concern is you after all!

You’re getting the royal treatment, literally. This is the chance that he gets to pamper you without interruptions and he is not wasting it!

You kept trying to convince him that you’re fine, but he wasn’t hearing any of it, especially after he sees the nasty bruise that was left. “MC, please! You still need to rest. How about I have Barbatos bring us some tea to help, and we can even have the royal staff bring us some outfits of your choosing if you like? Oo, we can even have our portrait painted!”

“Dia, I promise that I’m fine, you have more things to worry about than me-”

“Nonsense, MC. You’re what’s important to me, now and always. Don’t ever forget that.”

Even finished it with a hand kiss, UGH he really is a Prince Charming

Once you did return to RAD bruise free, Diavolo, being the gentleman that he is, walked with you everywhere in the beginning. Coming into the building, walking to class, lunch, even to the student council meeting, he was by your side. But he couldn’t avoid his duties forever (unfortunately), but he always made up for lost time afterwards

You never realized that when he wasn’t with you, someone else always was. Whether it be Lucifer who miraculously had spare time, or Barbatos who decided to escort you back to the castle to try a new recipe for his Lord, it was always one of them that stayed with you

Also, it never dawned on you why people were starting to be so nice to you. You thought it was because of what happened, not paying attention to how tense they would get, the fear in their eyes. You did notice that the demon who caused your fall never came back to class, and their desk is starting to collect dust...

When you did ask Diavolo about it, he just pat your head and said that what happened was unacceptable and that the demon has been dealt with accordingly.

You don’t need to hear about what really happened to them, he doesn’t want to scare you or taint your innocence! But he doesn’t mind if anyone else hears it, he’ll be more than happy to explain in full detail what happened and what will happen to demons that even think about attempting to harm you or think that he’s “too soft”. They won’t think he’s a soft ruler after that

Diavolo is a very sweet man, one that treats you as if you’re ruling by his side as his partner and one that you never have to be scared of, but even you didn’t miss the deadly glint in his eyes whenever he spoke about that demon...

But enough about that, he wants to try that new recipe that you made just for him!

He enjoys the time that he gets to spend with you, and after this, you’ll be in his company a lot more. He can’t risk having this happen again to his love- I MEAN favorite exchange student right?

#obey me x reader #obey me reader insert #obey me #obey me swd #obey me lucifer x reader #obey me mammon x reader #obey me levi x reader #obey me leviathan x reader #obey me satan x reader #obey me asmodeus x reader #obey me asmo x reader #obey me beelzebub x reader #obey me beel x reader #obey me belphegor x reader #obey me belphie x reader #obey me diavolo x reader

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skamenglishsubs · 4 years ago

Text

Subtext and Culture, Young Royals, Season 1, Episode 2

Episode 2 picks up the morning day after the initiation party, the girls are having breakfast lunch at their dorm, the boys at theirs, and everyone wants the juicy details about what happened at the party...

Culture: Tell me more, tell me more, did you get very far? Although, it's pretty funny how the roles are reversed, Maddie is all "meh" about it, while Nils tells a different story. Then again, since when do you get together after a blowjob?

Culture: I actually have no idea why Simon is having breakfast at Skogsbacken, since regular schools only cover lunch for students, everyone eats breakfast at home, and then goes to school. Then again, it allows a scene where (Never mind, they're having lunch, thanks @kamand !) Blink and you miss it: Wilhelm casts some nervous glances at Simon after having been called out for disappearing at the party and almost forced to confess to making out with someone.

Culture: I know Felice is trying to put August down, but don't knock a proper Swedish pizza! As much as I like living in the US, they can't fucking make pizzas here, and the first thing I eat every time I go back to Sweden is always a real pizza. With pineapple and shrimp as God intended pizza to be made!

Culture: August is namedropping ski resorts in the Alps, which is where you go skiing in Europe if you have money, although Saint-Martin-de-Belleville is actually near Val Thorens in France, while Verbier is in Switzerland. It does have a three-star restaurant, though. Sweden and Norway have a couple of decent ski resorts, but the Scandinavian mountain chain is simply not as impressive as the Alps.

Subtext: Remember Wilhelm getting up and hurrying to math class in the beginning of the scene? It was so he could grab the other seat next to Simon, because he knows Simon is gonna sit next to Sara, since no-one else does.

Culture: Formally greeting your teacher before class is very uncommon in Sweden, but since Hillerska is all about discipline and tradition, of course they do it. Note that they're again using the formal Swedish title for male teachers, Magister, which in a regular school would be kind of a joke, since teachers and students are on a first-name basis with each other.

Subtext: Wilhelm is exposing how the world works if you have money. At Simon's old school, studying alone would result in good grades, but Hillerska is slightly corrupt and almost expects the students to essentially pay for getting a good grade.

Subtext: Simon is lying to his teacher, he absolutely hasn't talked to his parents about paying for private lessons.

Subtext: No, Sara absolutely does care about what other people think about her, and when she directly tells Felice that she would actually like some friends, that's when Felice gets it and starts making an effort to become real friends with her.

Culture: They're all bilingual at Simon's home, they're all speaking Spanish and Swedish, although Linda has a very noticeable accent to her Swedish. Based on demographics and statistics, the most likely scenario is that Linda immigrated to Sweden from Chile, met Micke, and started a family. In real life, Omar Rudberg was born in Venezuela and grew up in Sweden, while Carmen Gloria Pérez was born in New York, and grew up in Puerto Rico.

Subtext: Remember how I talked in the intro post about how distant social classes know nothing of each other? Ayub and Rosh are either working class or lower middle class like Simon, and since rowing is a typical upper class sport, they know nothing of it, they don't even think of it as a real sport. Unlike football, which is a proper working class sport, they know all about that!

Subtext: Scandinavia has Jantelagen, and everyone there thinks it's uniquely Scandinavian, but all countries have some form of Tall Poppy Syndrome. In this scene, Simon is starting to make a class journey, he started rowing, he started trying to fit in with the other upper-class kids, and getting into a relationship with someone as upper-class as Wilhelm would definitely move him all the way. But going on a journey means leaving things behind, which is why Rosh and Ayub are cutting him down and literally turning their backs on him. They like it in the small town of Bjärstad, why can't he be happy there too? Why is he betraying his roots?

Subtext: This comment from August nicely foreshadows a later episode when August does something traceable on a School computer...

Subtext: What August means is that he's not sure Wilhelm has the same desire to be accultured into the upper class, to play the part of a proper prince, in the same way that he and Erik have accepted their roles and are even enjoying them.

Culture: Although it's impossible to read the name of the medicine, the paper tag on the bottle indicates that it's some kind of prescription medicine. From the conversation with Vincent, we learn that it's some kind of ADHD medication, probably some kind of Dextroamphetamine since those improve athletic ability and cognitive functions in healthy people.

Culture: Birkenstock sandals are associated with hippies in Sweden as well as in many parts of the world, so August is actually saying that the school counselor isn't really part of the same upper-class society as the rest of the staff. And again, his use of the word sosse drives the point home.

Subtext: Consequently, the counselor sees right through August and refuses to immediately prescribe him the medication that he wants...

Subtext: ...even though August tries to both bribe him and threaten him into giving him the medication he wants.

Subtext: A big theme of this episode is class journeys, and in this scene and a previous exercise scene, August gushes about how good a thing that is, how proud he is of Simon for going on one, and spouts some crap about how everyone can make it if they really want to.

Subtext: Thankfully, Madison says what we're all thinking: August is full of shit, life isn't fair, and they're only at the school because they were born into privilege.

Blink and you miss it: After Wilhelm has nervously texted his crush for the first time, he starts to bite his fingernails, but quickly stops himself, because why would he be nervous? He's just texting another boy about rowing practice, there's nothing more to it!

Subtext: Simon's texting game is on point though, he knows exactly what he should write to get Wilhelm to go on a totally-not-a-date with him.

Subtext: In the same way that August couldn't convince the counselor about being sick, I don't think Wilhelm's atrocious acting here convinces August that he's sick either.

Culture: Public transport in the greater Stockholm area - or wherever we're supposed to be - is of course cash-less, and you pay by either charging a special card, or by signing up in their app and buying tickets through there. The point of this scene though is to drive home how Wilhelm has never ever had to take the bus before in his life, and therefore has no idea how it works.

Culture: The totally-not-a-date starts at a Circle K, which in Sweden is just another gas station, but it is actually a Canadian multi-national convenience store corporation. The price of gas is of course posted in kr/l, and 13.98kr/l corresponds to roughly $6/gal.

Subtext: Throughout the totally-not-a-date, Wilhelm is trying to reach for common ground with Simon, trying to show him how he's just a regular guy...

Subtext: ...but then real life intrudes, Wilhelm is recognized by some local girls, who call out to him and run away giggling, which shows how he's not a regular guy, he's going to get recognized wherever he goes.

Culture: Kokt eller grillat, boiled or grilled, are the two ways you can get your hot-dog at pretty much any hot-dog place in Sweden, and ketchup and mustard is always offered. The correct answer to this question is of course grilled, with ketchup and mustard, and this just shows that Wilhelm is a man of culture and good taste. Unfortunately, they were out grilled ones, so they all got boring soggy boiled hot-dogs instead. Is there a metaphor here? I don't know.

Subtext: Again, the show drives home the point that absolutely no-one has a problem with people being gay. Simon is clearly out to Ayub and the rest of his friends, and Ayub immediately picks up on the fact that this is totally a date.

Blink and you miss it: Ayub nudges Simon with his elbow to tell him that he should make a move on Wilhelm.

Culture: What we're looking at is just the local junior/high school football team, Bjärstad, playing a match against some other unnamed junior football team. Since the stakes are super low, the audience basically consists of whichever parents and friends of the players that could be bothered showing up.

Culture: Driving age is 18 in Sweden, and even then getting your own car at that age is extremely uncommon. However, you can easily get a license for a moped when you turn 15, so these are the vehicles of choice for teenagers to get around.

Subtext: August found out about Wilhelm's trip to town, but his main problem with it is that he wants Wilhelm to stop slumming it with lower class people, and to start hanging out with everyone at school instead, so that he can be properly accultured into the upper class. Again, sosse in this context means working class, not socialist.

Subtext: Although Simon felt really great about his first date with Wilhelm, the text message reminds him that Wilhelm isn't a regular person, and that even this innocent little trip generates interest and scrutiny, and can't be posted publicly.

Culture: As everyone should have noticed by now, Madison keeps speaking English, while everyone speaks to her in Swedish, so clearly she understands it. But here she gives her motivation for sticking to English, and that is that she doesn't feel she's good enough at speaking Swedish. Boarding schools like Hillerska attracts international students that have some kind of connection to the country, so a likely scenario is that Madison grew up in the US with a Swedish parent, and she's being sent here to experience Swedish culture and get immersed in the language to learn it better.

Cinematography: This shot of August drives really home all the pressure he is under, he's out of drugs, the headmistress just hinted that he's out of money, and he's literally being weighed down by books and work-out weights.

Subtext: Simon has kept his visits to Micke a secret from Sara, so here he has to intervene to make sure August doesn't accidentally reveal this to her. He also wants to protect his sister, so he's redirecting August's search for drugs onto himself.

Subtext: And on the flipside, Simon isn't really telling his dad that Sara still hates him and really doesn't want to see him, so he's vague when Micke asks about Sara and Linda.

Culture: Finally a bottle of medicine where we can read the label! Unfortunately for Simon, this is Tramadol, an opiate prescribed for pain relief, which is the complete opposite of the kind of drugs August wants.

Subtext: If you haven't figured out yet that this episode is about class journeys, August spells it out for us here. However, the reason he's "congratulating" Simon in front of everybody is because Simon just supplied him with more drugs, so this is his way of thanking him, since he can't really pay him.

Blink and you miss it: For a split second, Wilhelm grabs Simon's leg during the scary scene.

Subtext: The entire dialogue of the movie works as subtext for what's actually going on between Wilhelm and Simon at this point, and Wilhelm is getting a little freaked out by this sneaky display of affection.

Subtext: The movie also puts words on the implications of Wilhelm getting together with a boy, what about having kids in the future? Can you carry on your family name and traditions, or will they die with you?

Lost in translation: The plaque actually says "FEEL YOUR RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE HERITAGE". Even though the plaque means the heritage and legacy of the school itself, Wilhelm is thinking about his legacy, his heritage, and how getting together with Simon would threaten that.

Lost in translation: Wilhelm actually says "jag är inte en..." - "I'm not a..." before he stops himself. So it's not possible that he was trying to say "I'm not gay", because that doesn't work grammatically in Swedish either. He could be trying to say "I'm not a guy like that" or "I'm not a guy who likes guys", that would work.

Cinematography: The framing and silhouetting of this shot is just chef's kiss. The outline of their hair allows us to see who is who, and we can see from their poses that Simon is welcoming a kiss, while Wilhelm is still hesitating.

#young royals #young royals subtext #young royals analysis

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