#and for me personally and some other girls there was def a felt hierarchy

[midwestgender]

for every sports team in a highschool they should have two. one for the people who are actually good at it on competitive level and then one for people who just want to do it for fun/exercise. i think Fuck Around teams would be immensely popular actually

[the-council-of-new-york-vampires]

A Council For New York

Bloodbound Fanfiction

Summary: Get your 1920s dictionaries ready: Gaius’ former underlings meet to discuss the new idea of a Council!

Characters: Adrian Raines, Kamilah Sayeed, The Baron, Lester Castellanos, Adam Vega, Priya Lacroix

It was a dark night in the 1920s when Adrian and Kamilah were sitting at a table in a restaurant, in their minds debating whether this was a mistake. Regardless, it became plain that the answer didn’t really matter: As soon as they saw The Baron and his men enter, they knew there was no going back anymore.

He approached the two, his dead eyes set on them. Yet, he didn’t greet them, just sat down at the opposite of them on the padded bench that was surrounding the table. His men followed, wearing suits and emotionless faces, and sat down close to their boss, quiet as well.

Immediately, Kamilah scowled at his companions. “This is supposed to be a peaceful meeting.”

The Baron’s neutral face turned into an angry one... Not that there was much of a difference. “You won’t let me bring my thugs?”

“It was said explicitly that only future Council members are welcome,” Kamilah responded in anger. “I demand you send them out!”

The Baron’s eyes narrowed at her as he began to growl, showing nothing but disgust and hatred towards Kamilah with just this reaction. Obviously, he was quite unsure what to do next.

“Now!” she added angrily. Kamilah was two millennia old - she could fight a newly Turned vampire in her sleep.

He continued to stare at her in anger, before deciding to play it safe by turning to his thugs and sending them out. The next few minutes he spent eyeing Kamilah and Adrian with an angry face, his arms crossed over his chest.

The uncomfortable atmosphere was temporary stopped by Lester approaching the table.

“Good evening, Lester,” Adrian greeted, obviously attempting to lighten up the mood at least to some extent.

“Good evening, Adrian,” Lester merely replied when taking a seat as well. “And hello, Kamilah.”

“Hello, Lester.”

It was plain that everyone knew each other rather well... Except for one. Lester faced The Baron, who was sitting the farest away from the others, and asked, “You here, too?”

Before The Baron could get in any way offended, Adrian revealed, “We thought it was a good idea to invite The Baron as well, since he has defeated Gaius with us.” The last bit of the sentence ‘...And is too powerful to have as an enemy’ was something he left out on purpose. The Council would be an alliance that was supposed to work as smoothly as possible.

“That’s alright with me,” Lester answered, seeming as if he hadn’t had a horrible day at his plant... Unlike sometimes when the men he was constantly oppressing were rebelling against his ways of unfair payment and dangerous work.

Minutes passed until it was the right time once again for Lester to ask his favorite question. “Where’s Vega?”

“I don’t know,” Adrian answered, “but let’s not order until we are complete.”

Slowly but surely, even Lester was seeming to get angry. “We said 9 pm. He’s almost twenty minutes late!”

“I’m sure he has his reasons,” Adrian merely replied coldly.

“He’s never on time! Seriously, if he isn’t here in five minutes, we will rule him out!” Lester predicted angrily. “No Clan for him, then!”

“We won’t,” Kamilah decided in a voice that was calm, yet displaying absolutely no interest in debating her words.

Lester scowled at her. He was obviously angry, yet didn’t seem willing to debate Kamilah on the topic.

It was then that Vega approached the table, wearing a polished smile on his face, Priya pulled close by an arm he had wrapped around her waist. “Hello, friends!” he greeted them, suddenly bringing positive energy to the seemingly upset table. “We’re truly sorry for the delay!”

“Couldn’t stop the barneymugging,” Priya mumbled to herself with a smirk.

The others watched their arrival with neutral faces, Lester with an angry one, as the couple sat down as well, thereby completing the Council.

Immediately, The Baron asked, “The girl, too?”

Even Kamilah was surprised. “Apparently?”

“Priya here did a great job helping us to take down Gaius, so we figured it would only be fair if she received her own Clan in return,” Vega explained smoothly.

Kamilah faced the rather young vampire critically. Honestly, she had already disliked her the first time she had seen her, weeks ago. Her careless party girl personality mixed with her ridiculously incorrect slang language... Naturally, Kamilah had her doubts about Priya’s responsibility. “And she is able to lead an entire Clan?”

“Absolutely,” Vega assured her. “Priya is a very intelligent woman with truly superior leading qualities. Isn’t it so, doll?”

“Banana oil!”

He nudged her, scowling, apparently unhappy with the answer.

“Err, totes! I’m no Dumb Dora!”

Kamilah raised a very sceptic eyebrow. While Vega had seemed convincing enough, Priya had somehow managed to take that security away with words Kamilah hadn’t even understood.

The six were interrupted by a waitress who was - after creepy flirting coming from Lester’s side of the table - taking their orders. After she left the table, Adrian and Kamilah could see that private conversations between both Lester and The Baron and Adam and Priya had come up.

Adrian looked to the left...

“So, Baron, when were you Turned?”

“Just a few weeks ago.”

...Kamilah to the right...

“Babes, I think I forgot my wallet.”

“Doll, you own a wallet?”

...as they met each other’s glances again, and Kamilah cleared her throat loudly.

Then, all eyes were on her.

“Excuse me, but we came together to discuss the new Council,” she reminded them calmly. “As the Senior member, I will be leading the discussion, as well as future votes and the like.”

An age-based hierarchy was something The Baron seemed to dislike as he asked in anger, “Senior member?”

“Yes. I am by far the oldest, so it is the most logical solution for me to lead us. But that’ll be all. We’re a democracy, and my voice won’t count more than yours.”

“So what do I get?” Lester asked, unafraid to hide his selfishness. “I’m the second oldest.”

“You’re my backup,” Kamilah decided, “in case I will ever be missing.”

“And I’m the backup’s backup?” Vega asked, apparently not uninterested in this chance of power and authority over the others.

Kamilah tried not to roll her eyes. “Yes.”

“So, if I kill both you and Lester, I’ll rule over the Council?” he asked, suddenly wearing a smile.

Priya laughed, but Kamilah scowled at him immediately.

“I’m just kidding,” he answered, trying to calm her down with the exact same trustworthy smile. “Just trying to lighten up the mood! What’s the next point?”

“Sectors,” Adrian threw in. “Sectors and brands.”

“It makes sense for every Clan to have an own sector, something to specialize in,” Kamilah explained. “For example, Adam, you’re a politician, so your sector could be politics, The Baron’s crime, since he’s a crime boss. However, the sectors don’t need to be certain so soon. The more fields we cover, the bigger our benefits will be.”

“With crime, I could fight you all,” The Baron claimed.

“We work together, not against each other,” Kamilah explained, scowling for what felt like the hundredth time.

“Sure,” The Baron answered, not seeming to care that his answer sounded less than convincing.

“Enough about the sectors,” Lester demanded. “You were saying something about brands?”

“Well, yes, we all need a brand for our Clan members,” Kamilah elaborated.

It was then that Priya spoke up. “Can my friends be my Clan members? ‘Cause I won’t allow ugly people in my Clan.”

Kamilah felt the sudden urge to roll her eyes. A single stupid question and, of course, it had to come from Priya. She answered, “If you brand them, sure. It’s on you to decide who to let into your Clan, but remember that you only have 29 open spots.”

“And what if Vega gifts me Clan gifts?” she just asked.

Lester turned to Kamilah, immediately wanting to know, “What are Clan gifts?”

For the first time, Kamilah seemed mentally exhausted. “I don’t know. I think she just invented that.”

Laughter came from Vega’s and Priya’s side of the table, and she said “Y’all, we def need to make Clan gifts a thing.”

Kamilah felt like losing it with her, but, finally, the food was served, saving her from explaining that probably no one would ever gift the other’s Clan anything, and therefore ‘Clan gifts’ were a baseless concept.

When everyone was either eating or complaining about the food, Kamilah, who had been observing the scene, was addressed by Adrian. “Are you enjoying the night, Kamilah? At least, partly?” he wanted to know, as caring as always.

“I will have enjoyed it if no one ends up dead,” Kamilah just answered coldly, eyes particularly on The Baron, the tone of her voice so serious that Adrian couldn’t tell whether she was joking or not.

“Just... try to socialize,” he advised her. “I mean, we know Lester and Vega, but there are two faces we don’t really know and maybe, just maybe, could befriend.”

She looked at him, an eyebrow raised. “Befriend? Brother, are you asking me to befriend that ruthless gangster to my left? Or this brainless party girl to my right?”

He couldn’t hold back a chuckle. “Let me start a conversation for us.” He turned to his right, preferring a girl that smelled like smoke and too much of expensive perfume over a guy that smelled like blood sausage and cigar ash. “Priya, is it?”

She looked at him, Vega as well, both of them smiling like usually. “Pos-i-lute-ly,” she answered, apparently in a good mood.

Adrian wanted to say something back, but Priya was faster, pointing at him and Kamilah and asking, “Sheik and Sheba?”

Adrian raised both eyebrows. “Excuse me?”

After uttering a laugh, Vega turned to Priya and told her, obviously amused, “They’re not.”

“Oh.”

Adrian shook his head, perplexed, but wanting to keep the conversation going. “You’re... an interesting couple.”

“He’s my daddy.”

Adrian just gaped. “Uh...”

Even Vega seemed embarrassed, mumbling to his girlfriend, “Doll, you should stop with the slang... They don’t quite understand it...”

Priya presented him a sad face. “Rhatz! I love slang.”

After a few seconds of silence, Adrian cleared his throat, and asked, “So, Priya, do you work in politics, too?” Obviously, the answer was no, but straight up asking if she was employed at all seemed rude.

As expected, both of them laughed, and Priya just said, “Ew, no. I hate politics.”

“Priya is more of a free spirit,” Vega told them happily with a smile that was slightly different, somehow more... sincere. As if he really did feel something for that woman.

Suddenly, Kamilah asked exactly what Adrian had assumed to be too bold: “So, she’s unemployed?”

Vega’s expression darkened immediately. He seemed honestly angry. “No, she’s not unemployed. Please don’t judge her without knowing her at all. Thank you.”

Kamilah doubted the truth of his statement, but asked anyway, the question directed at Priya. “Fine, then, what do you do for a living, Priya?”

She looked up at Vega, as if unsure what to say, who looked at her, then back at the two as he answered, “Priya works in the artistic field. Like I said, she’s incredibly creative. You should see her drawings, they’re fantastic.”

“Fair enough,” Kamilah judged coldly. “Can she also speak for herself, or do you do that for her?”

“She can, if I allow her.”

Priya nudged her boyfriend playfully, grinning, just like him. “Oh, shut up.”

Kamilah rolled her eyes at their dynamic.

Their conversation was interrupted by Lester who asked, directing it at everyone, “So, about the brands, can we just... decide them, or what?”

“Someone would need to come up with the designs,” Adrian answered. “But besides that... Sure.”

“And who’s gonna do that?” The Baron asked, somehow even seeming angry when calm.

Kamilah raised an eyebrow. Maybe she was underestimating Priya. If this wasn’t one of Vega’s made up stories, designing brands for each Clan could actually be a way for Priya to prove that she was in fact underrated. So, Kamilah asked, willing to give her a chance, “Priya, maybe?”

Vega leaned forward immediately, taking his hand away from Priya’s waist and folding it with the other one on the table. His voice seemed calm, yet there was a hint of anger Kamilah couldn’t help but notice. “Sure, what’s your offer?”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “Excuse me?”

“Well,” Vega answered with a laugh, “Priya here is not going to work for free.”

“I will not pay her for a brand design,” Kamilah stated coldly.

“Me neither,” The Baron agreed. “I could as well throw my money directly into a fire.”

“I’d pay that sexy lady for something else,” Lester said, presenting a flirtly smile to Priya, “...But not for a design.”

“Fuck y’all,” Priya said angrily, her angry expression immediately becoming a surprised one when she felt Vega's knee nudging hers, hard, under the table. “...Ow!”

“Then it’s settled,” Kamilah stated, simply overhearing her comment, but noting it in the back of her mind, “Everyone will come up with their own designs.”

Adrian turned to her and asked, “So, shall we come to the most important part?”

Kamilah faced him, and they nodded. Then, she focused back on the four pairs of brown eyes looking at her. “Right. Rules.”

It was as if The Baron’s and Priya’s shoulders slumped down just a bit in that moment, displaying disappointment.

“We will design a Pact and all give a signature. Any violation against the Pact will get punished,” Kamilah stated coldly.

“Like, by giving up a fancy Clan member?” Priya asked.

“No,” Kamilah answered, looking her dead in the eyes. “By death.”

She just gaped. “Oh!”

“And in that case?” Lester asked, apparently not halfly as surprised as Priya.

“The dead member’s possessions will get inherited by the rest of the Council,” Kamilah explained. “Details we should develop later.”

“And what if only one Clan is left?” The Baron asked. “Assuming, one Council member kills all the others.”

Suddenly, Priya was the only one laughing.

Kamilah looked at The Baron in anger. “Is that a serious question?”

The face he presented her was not less angry. “Do you think I’d ask a joke question?”

Before their conversation could escalate, Adrian answered, “We should decide that there always have to be six Clans, meaning a dead member would get replaced by a person of another Clan.”

“’Kay, and what are the Clan names?” Priya asked.

Adrian told her, “It’s up to you to decide-”

...But got interrupted by Kamilah. “Surnames. We will all use our surnames.”

“Then what’s his surname?” she asked, pointing at The Baron.

Kamilah was quiet, actually waiting for him to answer, but he just said, “Baron. My Clan’s name is Baron.”

“I asked for your surname, not your Clan’s name, gramps,” she said rudely.

Lester laughed. “Gramps.”

....But The Baron gave him a look so angry that he shut up immediately, excusing himself to the restroom rather quickly. Then, The Baron turned to Priya. “Can you say that again, you cheap ass whore?”

Vega almost choked on his drink. “What did you just call her?!”

“A cheap ass whore. You wanna fight me about it, pretty boy?”

“Don’t!” Kamilah’s incredibly quick reflexes came to a use when she jumped up in a heartbeat, positioning herself between Vega and The Baron, and shoving Vega to the back.

“Get out of my way!” he demanded, unwilling to hurt Kamilah.

“No!” she said back to him, as unwilling to use violence. “Sit down!”

“He insulted my girlfriend!” Vega uttered, still somehow trying to reach The Baron behind Kamilah.

“Bump him off, Addy!” Priya cheered, both angry and entertained at the same time. “Give it to him!”

Her words animated him even more as he shouted, “Move, Kamilah!”

“Sit down!” Kamilah finally used her superior strength to push Vega away, who was then grabbed and pulled back by Adrian. That, before anyone else had to get in the way.

“Let go of me!” Vega demanded, still fully enraged.

The Baron simply shook his head. “That’s it, I’m leaving. Had my thugs been allowed to stay, they would have taken care of him.” Then, he got up and left, as rudely as he had entered.

Kamilah approached Vega in anger, who seemed to be slowly calming down without being forced to look at The Baron. “Adam! What was that?”

“Did you hear this guy? How does he have permission for a Clan? He’s a crime boss!”

“We don’t want him against us. Do this again and I won’t be as lenient!”

“You? I should have killed him!”

“That’s against the Pact,” Adrian said as calmly as possible. “Forgot?”

“Frick the Pact!” Priya cursed, grabbing her tiny designer bag when getting up from the bench. “Come on, babes, let’s blouse!”

Adam turned away from them, as Adrian let go of him, and within a few seconds, the couple left, each a cigarette in their mouth and an arm around the other’s waist.

Adrian and Kamilah could only shake their heads. As half of all people had left, the meeting could officially be labelled as ‘failed’.

When Lester came back from the restroom a minute later, he was surprised to find an empty table.

It was then that the waitress approached him.

“Hello, cutie. How’s it going?” he asked, smirking at her yet again.

“Good. Are you ready to pay?”

“For your body? Sure.”

“For the food.” She suddenly reminded him, “Your companions left. The bill is on you.”

[juunshua]

Fashion anon here. Used to be interested, bought a slew of fashion magazines every month. Now I'm out of touch, but I still remember my basics. It helps that these are European brands and I'm an European girl who studied in an upper-middle class private school. You profiled people by what they wore, both in and out of school. In terms of wealth, age of that wealth, political opinion, popularity status etc. 😒. (to be cont.)

With idols what's interesting is the level and deliberateness of choice. If and when not dressed by stylists. Are they showing off a fangift? (gotta flaunt that Gucci, given how much it costs) How much are they trying to look the part, adhering to their role or current trends, paying for prestige? How much is personal taste and style? How much is comfort? How much is looking hawt? How much is paying for quality and timelessness when you can afford it? How much of that is a conscious choice?Hao is interested in fashion, Mingyu too. Hao seems to care about all aspects, but is more about achieving a final look. Wears those ugly-ass Balenciaga sneakers with all the aplomb in the world, and it works for him. Just like that mullet that should've been demonic. Mingyu's thing seems to be looking like a stylish, expensive snack. The two of them wear and wield expensive brands both for aesthetics and clout. And some of Gyu's things are classic investment pieces, which seems very him to me.I'd say the most obvious, distinct personal style is Vernon's. Bold colors shapeless sk8er boi, no fear combining or just doesn't care. Woozi has stylist friends he gives instructions to. Oversized tops and graphic tees but fitted bottoms, basic sneakers, easy young adult look...When they wear big-name brands it's incidental. They like, they buy , don't mind the price much(srsly all of these kids have mid-tier brand 100€ tees🤦‍♀️), personal preference comes first. Etc 4 the rest (rant again😅)

response under the cut!!

oof that sounds harsh, the profiling that is. but now that you mention it, the most knowledge i have of brands is due to middle/high school where there seemed to almost be a certain hierarchy attached with certain clothes (and i never wore what the ‘cool kids’ wore lmao ahaha or not even like just the ‘cool kids’ i straight up didnt wear the common brands that everyone seemed to wear? i had felt kinda left out and self conscious about my clothes a lot back then so i unintentionally paid a lot of attention to brands back then...) but the profiling youre talking about seems a lot more...damaging so to speak, i dont remember much of that going on where im from but then again...i guess it may also depend on who u spoke to? who knows if there were groups of people judging people for what they wore and profiled them that way (alskdjf the fact that u bring it up is kinda scary bc thats exactly what little me was terrified was happening when i felt super conscious about my clothes)that is true!! there are so many layers to idols’ fashion. interesting what you say about hao, i always found him to be a rebel of sorts, so i always felt part of his fashion had to be something just like not as societally ‘acceptable’ so to speak, and pulling it off in a way thats almost as if hes saying ‘and so why do you hate suchandsuch thing so much society? when it looks this good?’ ahaha idk? bc yeah he def does wear the big brand names and flaunts it off A LOT which i always found curious. hao to me is a curious enigma of going with the trends and the norm but also going against it. what would define ‘classic investment pieces’ in terms of fashion? can’t think of anything other than maybe watches? do watches count as investment pieces? unless this term means something way different in fashion ahah. the gyuhao fashion dynamic was so interesting to me, esp when you see them in svt club trying to dress up dino. hao is a bit more extravagant and extra, whereas mingyu goes for the classic, simple looks. i think the both of them have the ability to go way off into one direction (too simple or too extravagant), but when they come together perhaps they could balance each other out. like minghao suggesting that piece of accessory to go with mingyus chosen outfit for chan? i really liked that overall final look. i mean, to each their own! not that overly simple or extravagant stuff is horrible! but i think gyuhao together could do really cool awesome fashion things together‘easy young adult look’ alskfj why is that me ahah. its so interesting though how fashion can reflect an individuals personality, which is almost kinda given? but the fact that it does is still really cool to me. like ur comments about vernons fashion and him having ‘no fear combining or just not really caring,’ thats his whole persona literally!! thank you for your commentary anon!!! i really appreciate it !! im always curious as to what other people have to say, especially those who are more learned in a specific topic that could be applicable to seventeen! do you have a personal fav svt member style? 

[yungtokyomami]

Rui wa tomo o yobu 類は友を呼ぶ (birds of a feather flock together)

Today officially marks one month since landing in Japan--two official weeks of freedom post-quarantine! 

Here’s my first-day-of-freedom-face, right before leaving the quarantine hotel on my first day of work at a private middle/high school in Bunkyo City (don’t worry I always wear a blazer/jacket to cover those tattoos lol) 

Honestly these days have been flying by--filled with 10-24,000 steps/day, navigating through whizzing trains and subway stations, breezing past millions of people (all so stylish and beautiful!), adjusting to the fast&furious Tokyo life, experiencing massive workplace culture shock and trying to establish some sense of stability/home amidst all the chaos. We’ve been staying at a business hotel in Shibuya (paid for by our schools) until our apartment is ready for moving in!

Each day is truly filled with high highs and low lows--the joys of meeting sweet & generous Japanese folks eager to practice English together and the lows of feeling incompetent & clueless when ordering something at a restaurant or even just trying to buy something at a store (98% of menus have been entirely in Japanese, but I finally understand how to say “takeout” or recognize that they’re usually asking if I just want a plastic bag lol) Bless google maps and google translate, I honestly don’t understand how people moved anywhere without this technology beforehand haha Slowly but surely a lot of the Japanese I learned in high school is coming back to me, I can at least read/understand most of what’s going on around me and it’s always reassuring when the sweet lunch lady tells me nihongo ga joozu! miya-chan wa meccha kawaii!” (your Japanese is really good! Miya is super cute!) 

My first couple of weeks at work have been super chill which has been so nice, they gave me a handful of days off so that we could get some basic life things together for the apartment. Another English teacher from the Philippines met me at the quarantine hotel for my first day and we rode the subway together to my school. It really felt like a movie because everything moved so quickly and was a total 180 from my sloth life in quarantine. She’s super nice and has been living in Tokyo since the year I was born! I just kept telling her it was so nice to finally breathe fresh air and chat with another person in the flesh :)  She was kind enough to remember to take photos for me on my first day, also because I was so nervous about having my phone out at work so I left it in my bag all day haha. 

The school prepared an awesome welcome lunch for me, traditional Japanese sushi from one of the top 5 sushi restaurants in Tokyo! In true Japanese fashion, I knew I had to eat everything even though I didn’t know what it all really was/the wasabi was so strong I was def fighting back the tears haha

The vice principal & head of school office joined me and I somehow managed to get them to laugh although I was super intimidated (something about the hierarchy in workplace culture in Japan stresses me out in a way that I don’t necessarily feel in the US!) They were actually both really nice and one of them has been helping me translate a bunch of things/helped show me how to get around on the confusing subway system, my true hero!

Everyone at the school has been super nice and welcoming and helpful, I truly feel so blessed to have landed at such a wonderful school! The students are so respectful and work so hard (most of them have classes 6 days/week + 8-10 hour days at school!) and are so so cute and eager to chit chat. Next week I get to start leading my own afterschool English immersion class! Today as I was getting off the train in the morning, a student recognized me from my introduction the day before & we were able to walk to school together and chat the chit. Another teacher told me he was so happy and shocked because one of the girls who asked me a question in front of the class is usually always sleeping/uninvolved during his class. There are about 35 other English teachers at my school, majority are Japanese English Teachers but a few others are from the Philippines & the US. With 1700 students total everyone keeps saying it’s going to be impossible to remember names but I’m going to do my best! Someone out there is truly looking out for me because there’s a Mister Donut close to our school, I was happy to be able to treat a couple of the other English teachers after work!

& the next day I came back to my desk with this beautiful lil art piece from one of them :) Along with a small bag of kiwis from another teacher’s tree! I’ve only been there two weeks and already my coworkers know the way to my heart haha.

Speaking of food...Surprisingly everything here is much cheaper than eating out in the US, especially because gratuity is already included in the prices. The other night we stumbled into a random izakaya after the first two restaurants we tried to go to were both closed--and ended up with having one of the best meals of our lives! A 5-course kaiseki meal + drinks for ~$30/person! The food has been too good to even describe in words so these pictures will just have to speak for themselves! 

We stumbled into a seafood izakaya with some other JETs and there were a bunch of fresh fish tanks at the front where you could choose what you wanted to grill at the table! 

^^the reason for my double chin lol just call me Mrs. Chin 

We went to our first queer bar in Japan and were honestly shocked at how many friendly Japanese women we met who spoke some English, literally all ages/shapes/styles haha & we met the owner who was a super kind Japanese woman who started the bar in 1991--the same year I was born! We made some friends and they invited us with them to another bar nearby (Ni-chome is Tokyo’s version of San Francisco’s Castro District) where we met some more awesome women, some native Japanese, some from Korea and some from the Philippines. It was definitely interesting to chat with them because all of them said that they didn’t feel like it was safe to be openly gay at their workplace and only one had come out to her parents/family. Talking with them made me realize how privileged my life in Seattle was, to have so many queer friends and be accepted by my family, & especially to have worked as a therapist at the oldest LGBTQ-focused community mental health agency in the world! Honestly I was very stressed about moving to Japan with my partner (I put that we would be living together in my application for the program) and was worried that I would have to be super closeted the entire time we’re here. But to have this be our first experience going out to a queer bar in Tokyo was really special because we felt safe and within community, which is a truly priceless feeling and something I was really sad about leaving behind back home. I can definitely say that even in my wildest dreams, I would’ve never imagined that one day I would be sitting in Taito’s City Hall next to my girlfriend along with the head of the English department at my school as we’re waiting to register the address of our first apartment together :) He was really kind, even inviting us out for tea together afterwards, and reassuring Cata that if she needed help with anything to feel free to have me ask on her behalf. I’m not trying to be all out&about in regards to my personal life at the workplace, but it’s definitely been a huge load of weight lifted from my shoulders to know that my coworkers are accepting, respectful, and acknowledging of my partner. Japan and it’s people truly never cease to amaze me! A friend we made that night taught us this Japanese proverb: Rui wa tomo o yobu 類は友を呼ぶ (birds of a feather flock together, good energy attracts good energy) I think it perfectly sums up our time in Japan so far and although each day is truly truly exhausting on all levels, I know that right here and right now this is exactly where I’m supposed to be :) 

Til next time! Mata ne!