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ghoulodont · 5 months

Text

β-Lactam

Getting sick on the road is a well known phenomenon in the touring world, but only a folktale for the newly summoned ghouls — up to this point. Dewdrop gets hit particularly hard by whatever illness the roadies are passing around, but the show must go on. Rain considers the nature of his relationship with his bandmate in light of subsequent events.

Relationship: Raindrop Characters: Dewdrop, Rain, Aether Words: 6846

Sickfic, Hurt/Comfort, Prequelle Era, Pre-relationship, warning for vomit and needles

Read below or on AO3

A plague is spreading among the production’s cast and crew.

For the more experienced members, it’s to be expected. Having that many people in close proximity for enough time is bound to encourage contagion, and they know from experience that it will. For many of the musicians — the ones who are freshly summoned from Hell, tailor-made to fill that role — it’s something they’ve only been warned about. Their ability to perform is the top priority, and they are expected to take care of themselves.

So illness prevention becomes part of their daily routine. Immune fortifiers and remedies of all kinds start showing up on the bus and at the venues, added to the hospitality rider, fetched by staff on errands, picked out themselves during their downtime.

Understandably, the vocalists are all extra concerned about how this situation might impact them. Copia keeps his distance from anyone he deems a potential disease vector, usually squirreling away to his dressing room before and after the show. Cumulus swears by a tea that purports throat soothing properties. Swiss eats cough drops nonstop, though it’s later determined that he just thinks they taste good.

Mountain hands out tiny bottles of vibrant yellow-orange juice one afternoon before the concert. The blurb on the label is packed with scientific-sounding words about vitamins and antioxidants. Rain reads the ingredients — he doesn’t recognize any other than lemon and ginger — and knocks his bottle back all at once like a shot of alcohol, as suggested. The back of his nose burns for the next two hours. Upon searching the internet he learns that “cayenne” is a type of pepper. Several other ghouls fall victim to this as well, excluding Dewdrop, who sneaks away with the bottle and passes it off to an unsuspecting roadie, and Aether, who drinks the juice but seems to genuinely enjoy the taste.

But, otherwise, it’s business as usual. As showtime approaches everyone focuses on the task at hand. They’re warmed up, soundchecked, costumed, ready to go.

And after the performance, the ghouls can relax again, for the time being. Most of them usually end up in the green room while the crew is tearing down, and tonight is no different. At some point they’ll all head to their dressing rooms and get ready to get back on the bus, and then the cycle will repeat. For now, they can revel in this brief low tide in their ebbing and flowing responsibilities.

It’s nearing the time that the party inevitably dies down when things go awry.

Dewdrop has been subdued since coming offstage. He’s always more reserved day-to-day than he is in front of a crowd, but his behavior tonight, by Rain’s assessment, is uncharacteristic. He had gone straight to a couch near the corner of the green room and barely interacted with anyone, even when Swiss pelted him with a grape from the catering table, something that on any other day would have warranted a ruthless counterattack.

At one point over the course of the evening he ventures away from his outpost to retrieve a bottle of water, but he brings it right back to where he had been sitting.

Later, out of nowhere, he drags himself up from the couch and staggers to the big commercial-grade plastic trash bin next to the door. He grabs the edge of it with enough horizontal momentum that it hits the wall with a hollow thunk before he leans his whole body over it and retches. This sudden series of actions makes everyone still in the green room pause. The sound of whatever was in his stomach — just water, presumably — hitting whatever else is in the trash can is stark in the now quiet space.

Rain is the first to react; he stands from his seat and promptly freezes in place. Aether is the first to actually get up and walk over towards the door. It snaps Rain out of his daze, and he follows behind.

Before they can get there, Dew is already on his way back to his spot on the couch. Aether recalibrates their trajectory to meet him there. Dew flops back onto the seat, his head tipped back against the top of the backrest, legs extended out in front of him, arms limp at his sides.

“What’s going on, you okay?” Aether stands over Dew, and Rain stands next to Aether. Dew doesn’t respond. His eyes are unfocused.

From this distance Dew is visibly shaking, his entire body inundated by a fine vibration that itself pulses in intensity, like a modulated wave.

“Hey,” Aether tries again, “you okay?”

Dew groans and puts his hands over his eyes. Then he jolts upright, the soles of his costume shoes squeaking against the laminate tile floor. He takes short, hitching breaths.

Aether immediately anticipates what is about to happen and drags over the trash bin. Dew leans over it, gripping the edge, and releases a tendril of saliva. He gags.

Swiss runs out of the room, hands over his ears.

The trash bin is so large compared to Dew’s seated form that it looks like he could fall into it and disappear. Rain finds a small plastic-lined wastebasket by one of the other seating areas and swaps it with the big bin. Dew relinquishes his grasp on its folded rim as Rain pulls it away. He relaxes somewhat, slumping forward with his elbows on his knees and the wastebasket between his ankles.

He heaves again, unproductive. Aether and Rain hover over him like if they look at him long enough the power of their concern could will him to be better somehow.

After a few more dry heaves, Aether prompts again, “What’s going on?”

Dew responds this time. “My throat hurts so much.”

“Your throat? Are you sick?” Aether puts the back of his hand against Dew’s forehead. Dew tries to lean away from him as he approaches, but his dodge is ineffective and Aether makes contact anyway. His gesture is so maternal, but as far as Rain knows, Aether is just as experienced with this kind of situation as he is, which is to say not at all.

“For how long?” Rain asks.

“Just today.” Dew pauses, amends his statement. “Just since the show.”

“Maybe he has what all the roadies had?” Aether wonders out loud.

"It hasn’t been this bad for anyone else, though, right?" Rain mentally tallies the casualties so far. It’s only been crew members, none of the musicians, and none of them have had to take any time off.

Aether's brow furrows. "Do you think he needs a doctor? We probably have enough time to get one here before bus call."

"Why are you asking him? I'm right here." Dew directs this comment to the wastebasket.

"Do you think you need a doctor?"

"No."

"And you're going to be better for the show tomorrow?"

"I was fine for the show tonight."

"Sure, but it seems like you're not fine now."

Rain isn’t sure whether Dew's tight-lipped expression is indicative of the nausea or the denial. Dew might not be sure himself, either.

"I think you should let a doctor look at you, at least, just in case," Rain suggests. He’s never seen Dew this sick before, or anyone else, for that matter, and it’s scaring him a little.

Dew actually always seems to be the most likely ghoul to throw up — repeatedly, even — when they're all hung over on a day off. He’s prone to motion sickness as well; Rain wasn’t there, but he’s been told it gets bad enough that on Dew’s first tour he had to swap bunks because the top one swayed too much whenever the bus took an exit on the highway. But he never really seemed bothered about any of those incidents. He certainly wasn’t trembling like a newborn fawn. So this feels different.

“Fine.”

Aether nods. “Okay, I’m going to go find someone who can help.” He briefly places his hand on Dew’s hunched shoulder before leaving.

—

Rain leans against a nearby table for a few minutes while Dew drools occasionally into the wastebasket. He’s stopped outright dry heaving over it at this point, but he doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to part with it. Then he suddenly moves to get up.

“I need to go shower.” Dew has to brace against the couch with his hands as he stands.

He sways in place as he rearranges his feet to avoid kicking over the wastebasket. Rain steadies him with a hand on his upper arm.

“Okay, yeah, let me walk you there.”

Dew is already walking toward the door. Rain keeps his hand on his arm and follows, letting him lead the way to his dressing room. At some point in the hallway Rain adjusts his steadying hand to hook around Dew’s waist instead. He isn’t supporting any of Dew’s weight, and only applies any pressure at all when the two of them start to veer from their intended bearing.

Dressing room situations varied between tour stops, depending on what the venue offered and what the management requested. Usually the ghouls ended up sharing them, in groups of two or three. The worst so far was actually when they had individual rooms — each room was so small that Rain could almost touch both sides at the same time if he extended his arms all the way. By the time they were all on the bus that night, there was at least one dent in the drywall that hadn’t been there before.

This time, Dew is sharing a dressing room with Aether. When they get there, it’s empty and quiet. Dew rifles through his bag for clothes and toiletries and heads for the ensuite bathroom, closing the painted steel door behind him.

Now Rain is alone in a dressing room that isn’t his. He checks the time on his phone. There’s still plenty of time before bus call. He should shower too. His shoes are glued to the worn low-pile carpet. He listens to the shower turning on in the bathroom.

Aether shows up a couple minutes later.

“Oh! Hey,” he greets, looking a little surprised to see Rain there. “I explained what happened and they’re calling a doctor to come out.”

Rain nods. “Here?”

“Yeah, and then hopefully he can be on the bus in time.”

Rain nods again, checks his phone. Aether stands there.

“You should go shower,” Aether offers.

“Yeah.” Rain doesn’t move.

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he’s okay in there.”

This finally unglues Rain’s feet. He nods, thanks Aether, and heads for his own dressing room.

He ends up pacing around the room, and later up and down a segment of the hallway, while he waits an eternity for Swiss to finish showering. He takes his own shower as quickly as possible — normally he would be in there at least as long as Swiss was, if not longer — and finds himself drawn back to Dew and Aether’s dressing room when he’s done.

When he gets there, the door is propped open. Aether isn’t there, but Rain can hear the shower running. Dew is slouched in an armchair, curled up with his feet on the seat. He’s changed from his costume into jeans and a hoodie, and his hair is damp. As Rain steps through the door, he’s in the process of forcing down a minuscule sip of water. Dew looks up at him and offers what he thinks is supposed to be a polite smile but ends up more like a tight-lipped grimace.

“Are you feeling any better?” Rain leans against the makeup counter along one wall of the room.

Dew shrugs.

The two of them sit in relative silence for a few minutes, Rain tapping his fingers rhythmically on the laminate countertop and Dew fiddling with the lid of his plastic water bottle, before Dew leans over a strategically placed wastebasket — if Rain hadn’t walked him here himself he would have assumed Dew brought this one from the green room — and throws up the tiny mouthful of water from earlier. He sighs, quietly, turbulent air rushing out through his nose, and leans his head back against the chair.

Eventually a member of the venue staff arrives outside the room, knocking politely on the doorframe. She explains she’s here to escort Dew to where the doctor is set up. Rain hovers next to him as he stands, ready to steady him if he needs it.

The three of them zigzag through the backstage hallways. The trip isn’t far, but Dew is moving slowly, still wobbly. The staff member, seemingly stuck in a state of haste, has to stop and wait at each intersection for Dew and Rain to catch up.

Their journey ends at a door propped open by the tour manager. He waves them into a dressing room, the larger kind that might be used by an ensemble cast. It is devoid of everything but furniture, clearly not intended to be occupied tonight. There is a couch against one wall; two others are lined with makeup counters and mirrors. The doctor stands at one end of the counter, picking through a hefty bag of supplies.

They walk single file through the doorway, Dew first and then Rain. The doctor glances up at them through the mirror, then turns and introduces herself. She’s wearing inconspicuous, casual clothes, nothing that would explicitly indicate she’s a medical professional.

“Please have a seat.” She gestures toward the couch.

Dew settles onto one end of the couch, but doesn’t relax. He folds his arms loosely around himself. Rain considers his own seating options and decides to perch next to him on the couch’s padded arm in a pose somewhere between sitting and leaning.

At the counter, the doctor drapes a stethoscope around her neck and picks up a small collection of equipment.

“I’d like to start by checking your vitals,” she says.

“I’ll leave you to it, then,” says the tour manager, taking a step toward the hallway while holding the door open. Rain realizes it’s a cue for him, that he is expected to leave as well.

He suddenly also realizes there was no real reason for him to have followed Dew here in the first place. The venue management had been considerate enough to find him a private room, and Rain had invaded that privacy without even thinking. He stands up from the couch arm, turning back towards Dew to tell him he’ll see him on the bus and —

Dew is looking back with his eyes wide and his shoulders tense. One of his arms is extended toward Rain from where it had been wrapped around his body, his hand resting limp on the couch in a noncommittal, minimal energy version of physically reaching out to him.

Dew has his mouth slightly open like he’s going to say something, but he doesn’t.

“Should I stay?” Rain finally asks.

“If you want to,” Dew counters, not ready to admit that he’s the one who wants it.

“I don’t mind.” Rain settles back down on the arm of the couch.

Dew looks away from him and deflates, compressing back in against himself.

The tour manager just nods and waves goodbye, then lets the door swing closed.

—

The doctor crosses the room from the counter to the couch and hands Dew a digital thermometer. “Hold this under your tongue, please.”

Dew complies, holding it in place with one hand. She clips a pulse oximeter on the other.

The shrill beep of the thermometer breaks the silence in the room. Dew removes it from his mouth and hands it back to the doctor without looking at it.

She takes it and reads the glowing screen. “You have a fever. Are you having body aches? Chills?” She reaches to collect the pulse oximeter as well.

Dew lifts his hand slightly so she can unclip it from his finger, the minor exertion causing it to tremor. He shakes his head. Rain thinks about how he looked when he was flopped on the green room couch and wonders if they have different definitions of those words.

The doctor checks the measurement, hums quietly, then places the device on the couch and picks up a blood pressure cuff. She wraps it around Dew’s upper arm and then squats next to him, donning her stethoscope. She takes his forearm and flips it so his hand rests supine on his knee.

The room is quiet except for the rush of air as she inflates the cuff, then lets it slowly deflate again. The sound of the velcro ripping apart when she unwraps it echoes in the still room. Dew tucks his relinquished arm back around himself. The doctor stands and removes the stethoscope from her ears and drapes it over her shoulders again. She replaces her other equipment in her bag.

When she returns, she sits down next to Dew on the couch, perched close to the edge so she can turn to face him.

“Can you tell me more about your symptoms? The sore throat started tonight, after your performance?”

Dew nods. “I felt fine during the show. But then it was like I noticed…” He pauses, considering, as if he’s trying to string together the events. “My throat hurt a lot and I tried to drink water and I threw up.”

“Your body is full of adrenaline when you’re performing. It masks your symptoms and gives you energy, and then when it wears off you suddenly feel worse.”

Rain nods at this. It makes sense. He’s accustomed to that feeling after every show — being hit by a sudden wave of exhaustion when the excitement of the situation finally falls away. It’s absolutely never been this dramatic before, for any of them.

“Have you been drinking water since then?”

“Trying to,” Dew answers. When she raises her eyebrows, he elaborates, “It keeps coming back up.”

The doctor nods. She holds out her hand toward Dew’s. “Can I see your hand for just a minute?”

Dew offers her the hand that’s closer to her, which because of the way he’s folding his arms is actually the one from the other side of his body. She takes it and gently pinches his skin, then presses on his fingernail and watches it change color.

“You don’t seem too dehydrated right now, but it’s something to watch out for.” She releases his hand and he tucks it back against his side.

“I need to look at the inside of your throat.” She picks up a tiny flashlight.

Dew unwraps his arms from around himself, resting them in his lap instead. He sits up a little straighter, tilts his head back slightly, and opens his mouth.

She shines the light into Dew’s mouth. Rain can’t see what she sees because Dew is facing away from him. Whatever it is, her face doesn’t reveal anything. She doesn’t look for very long. Seconds later, she clicks off the light and places it on the couch. Dew closes his mouth and drops his shoulders.

“I’d like to feel the outside of your neck.” She’s paused halfway though the motion of reaching out to touch him. Her hands are palm-up, fingers curled loosely, nonthreatening. The gesture reminds Rain of someone holding their hand out for a cat to sniff before petting it.

Dew nods, staring over her shoulder at nothing.

She presses her fingers into both sides of his neck where it connects to the underside of his jaw. She walks them forward from beneath his ears towards his chin. As she feels, she asks, “Is that sore?”

“A little.” His brow is creased slightly and his mouth is drawn into a straight line.

She lowers her hands to her lap. “Have you been coughing at all?”

Dew shakes his head.

“Still nauseous?”

He pauses, then nods.

“Alright.” She sits back slightly. “Based on your symptoms it sounds like you have strep throat, but I want to run a test to confirm. It takes about ten minutes, and if it comes back positive I’ll give you an antibiotic which should have you feeling better within a day or two and also prevent you from spreading this to anyone else. Regardless, I can give you something for your symptoms so you get through your performance tomorrow night.”

She pauses. Her unasked question hangs in the air — is that okay? She’s giving Dew a chance to say no, or request another option, or do anything other than drift through this situation like an unmoored boat.

“Okay.”

“Great.” She stands up from the couch and returns to her bag on the counter. As she comes back to the couch, she peels open the paper package of a sterile cotton swab. She sits back down next to Dew, facing him like before.

“I’m going to take a sample from your throat. I need you to open your mouth and stay as still as you can.”

Dew sits up and opens his mouth again. This time, he closes his eyes.

The doctor pulls the swab from its packaging and inserts it through his open mouth and all the way to the other side of his head, rubbing it against the back of his throat. He gags, but doesn’t close his mouth. He reflexively lifts one hand from his lap like he’s going to grab her arm; it hovers for a moment before he pulls it back down.

“I know.” She keeps rubbing.

Dew lets out a tiny sound, a round, open-mouthed “ah,” and squeezes his eyes tighter shut. The flush in his cheeks spreads.

“Done, I’m sorry for that.” She stands and returns to her supplies, holding the swab upright like a lit match.

Dew slouches forward. His eyes are still closed. He sniffs once, quietly.

Rain rubs his hand back and forth along Dew’s shoulder blade. He feels the tension in his muscles ease just a little under his touch. His breaths are slow and intentional.

Rain pulls back his hand when Dew leans back on the couch, pulling his feet up in front of him. The two of them watch the doctor performing some alchemical ritual with the swab, combining reagents and swirling them in a plastic tube. When it’s complete, she pulls a laptop from her bag and types on it, which is less interesting. Rain lets his eyes drift shut.

He opens them again when Dew speaks.

“I’m sorry for making you stay. You didn’t have to.” His voice is quiet. He’s curled up now, with his arms draped loosely around his knees, leaning one side of his body against the back of the couch so he faces Rain.

Dew, in fact, didn’t make Rain do anything. He didn’t even ask him to do anything, really. But Rain knows what he’s trying to say.

“It’s okay, I wanted to,” is how Rain decides to respond. He cringes inside at the implication. He did want to stay, but it feels creepy to say it outright like that, like he had been selfish to intrude on Dew’s vulnerable situation, even though Dew just claimed he had asked him to. They’re both talking about an imaginary interaction instead of what actually happened.

If Dew hadn’t stopped him like that when he went to leave, if he had wanted privacy, Rain would have understood. He probably would have gone back to his dressing room and paced around, or made himself busy doing something useless. He would have been worried, but he would rather be worried than make Dew uncomfortable.

And if Dew hadn’t stopped him despite actually wanting him to stay, hadn’t been able to ask for what he needed in even the most subtle, minimal way — it makes Rain’s chest ache. He imagines Dew sitting in this unfamiliar room being touched by a stranger, wishing he was there with him.

But Dew looks almost comfortable now, all things considered. He’s resting the side of his head against the back of the couch, eyes closed. His face is relaxed except for a single crease between his eyebrows. Rain is nearly overpowered by a sudden instinctive desire to reach out and touch him again, to feel his forehead like Aether did, to press his hand against his flushed cheek, to tuck a strand of mostly-dry hair behind his ear. But he doesn’t want to violate the trust Dew is putting in him by simply allowing him to be here. Instead, he counts Dew’s steady breaths.

—

Rain shifts his attention to the doctor when she closes her laptop and moves back to her makeshift alchemy lab. She barely glances at the test before she’s on her way back towards the couch.

She sits next to Dew again. He pivots so he’s facing forward, but leaves his legs tucked up in front of him.

“The test is positive for strep,” she explains, “which is treatable with antibiotics.”

Dew nods.

“Because of the vomiting I would recommend an antibiotic injection. Given your schedule, I think it’s the most reliable choice. The other option is pills, but if you can’t keep them down you won’t see any benefit.”

Dew is staring at the carpet somewhere near the middle of the room. He nods again, slowly, like he’s on autopilot.

“It’s just one dose and it will start working right away. I really do think it would be the best way to ensure you’re feeling better by tomorrow night.”

Dew glances at her and nods again, a little more present this time.

“Does that sound okay?”

“Yeah.”

“Good. I can also give you a corticosteroid to help with the inflammation in your throat until the antibiotic starts working.”

“Okay.”

She nods. “I’ll be right back.”

She stands and crosses the room once again to the counter. She picks an assortment of sterile packages and medicine vials out of her bag. She unwraps empty syringes and plastic-capped needles.

Rain has gotten shots before — each of the ghouls had been vaccinated against earthly diseases soon after being summoned. He didn’t mind them. They hadn’t really hurt, though his arms were sore afterwards. The idea of something being injected into him makes his stomach turn, but he had made sure not to look when it was happening and the actual experience ended up being uneventful.

These syringes are significantly larger than any he’s seen before, though. He watches the doctor fill one of them at least two thirds of the way full in a single motion. It makes his stomach drop.

Dew, on the other hand, has never been squeamish about anything. Blood, gore, and other stuff like that doesn’t phase him whatsoever. He isn’t really averse to pain either. Rain wouldn’t expect needles to be an issue for him. Looking at him now, Rain can’t place the expression on his face. It’s not one he would have imagined.

Dew is watching the doctor closely. He looks exhausted, which is expected. His eyes are lidded and rimmed with dark circles. He still has that single crease between his eyebrows. He’s frowning, just barely, a slight deviation from his usual neutral expression that you might not notice if you didn’t know him. There’s something else in his face that, if Rain had to put a word to it, he would guess it was nervousness, or apprehension. It’s visible in the way he tracks the doctor’s every move despite his eyes clearly wanting to be closed. He seems to be carrying more tension than he can afford to right now.

The doctor has gone back to searching for something in her bag. “Okay,” she instructs, “can you lower your pants a couple inches and lie facing down on the couch for me please?”

Dew’s eyes widen just a bit, just for a moment. But he stands, unbuttons his jeans, and slides the waistband down slightly. Then he lowers himself back onto the couch.

He doesn't actually lie all the way down; his hips and legs are flat against the couch, but his head and shoulders are propped up with his elbows. Rain imagines he's ready to fling himself up from the couch and scuttle away. It’s at odds with how sluggish his movements have been since he came offstage tonight.

Dew turns his head to watch the doctor cross the room but looks down at the couch when she gets close. She squats next to the couch and places her supplies on the seat near his leg: two prepared syringes, two adhesive bandages, a few alcohol swab packets and some small gauze pads.

She pushes the edge of his hoodie up to expose the bare skin of his hip. She tears open the wrapper of an alcohol swab, saturating the air with its sharp smell.

“I’m going to start with the steroid.”

Dew nods without looking at her, plucking at a loose thread on the edge of the couch seat cushion. He flinches slightly when she wipes the back of one hip with alcohol. She picks up one of the syringes, pulls the cap off the needle.

Dew glances up at Rain with that same inscrutable expression — tired, apprehensive. He’s blushing, or maybe it’s just because he’s feverish. Rain smiles, tries his best to look reassuring. Dew’s flush deepens. He breaks away from the eye contact.

The doctor places one gloved hand on Dew’s sanitized hip. “Try to relax your leg as much as possible.” She taps her fingers against his skin a few times. Dew’s body is lean and wiry, but this is one of his softer places.

Dew wiggles his feet a bit to loosen the muscles in his legs.

“Good. Here we go.”

She sticks the needle in quickly like an animal striking its prey. Dew doesn’t react to this, but the sudden motion makes Rain flinch.

She presses down on the plunger of the syringe painstakingly slowly. Rain decides he can’t watch this part. He watches Dew’s face instead. His eyes are closed but he looks mostly the same as before. A muscle in his jaw flexes.

When the doctor withdraws the needle she immediately flips an attached plastic cover over it. She presses a folded square of gauze over the tiny puncture wound on Dew’s hip.

“Well done. One more.” She’s praising Dew for doing absolutely nothing, but Rain supposes that must be the point. He still looks like he’s considering in the back of his mind that he could get up and run away.

She removes the gauze and smooths a band-aid over the puncture. She selects another alcohol swab and unwraps it, renewing the lingering smell in the room.

“Relax,” she reminds him, rubbing his other hip with the swab.

She picks up the other syringe and removes the cap from the needle. This one seems bigger. Not the needle, but the contents of the syringe are greater. Rain is trying not to think too much about details like that.

She repeats the same procedure — hand on his hip, needle through his skin like a predator, slow pressure on the plunger. Rain looks away from it again.

Dew’s eyes are closed again, and his jaw is still tense. His fingers curl slightly against the flat surface of the couch seat cushion. He cranes his neck to look behind him at what the doctor is doing. The plunger has barely moved. He turns himself back around and lets his head hang forward between his shoulders. He pushes a slow breath out through his nose.

Rain watches Dew's hands close fully into fists.

Rain offers his hand to hold instead. He’s not sure if Dew would accept it. His understanding is that affectionate touch is a gray area for Dew. It’s more likely to be okay when it’s playful and unserious. And onstage, anything goes; it’s all a game. Rain would place hand holding firmly in mushy, lovey-dovey, serious territory, completely off limits. But his other supportive and even comforting touches tonight had been uncharacteristically tolerated, and it's not like anyone else is here to see them besides this doctor — who he's pretty sure they will never encounter again. Plus, it’s not necessarily romantic at all. He would do this for anyone, he tells himself.

Dew grasps his hand immediately, without looking up. He doesn't squeeze it tightly, but his grip is firm. Rain presses back with just as much force. He glances up at the doctor, unintentionally making eye contact. She looks away, back to her task, without saying anything. Rain looks back to his and Dew’s hands.

Dew is still looking down, motionless. It makes Rain think of the way a sick wild animal will shut down and hide from predators in some secluded place. Or, more broadly, the instinct of fight or flight. He already observed Dew’s desire to flee in his body language, and there’s clearly no fight in him right now. All that’s left for him to do is accept what’s happening.

Rain ventures a glance to the syringe again. It’s probably about halfway emptied. Which means half of what was in it is now deposited inside Dew’s flesh. He snaps his gaze away from it and tightens his grip on Dew’s hand — just sympathetically, he justifies, not because that makes him feel queasy.

Dew squeezes back a little tighter too.

“Keep breathing slowly,” the doctor encourages. “You’re doing great.”

This first comment makes Rain notice his breathing sped up just now, and he has to glance up at her to see if it was actually directed at him. It doesn’t seem to be — she’s looking at Dew — but he realizes that Dew’s breathing has been mirroring his. So maybe it was, in a roundabout way, an instruction for him. He focuses on setting a good example.

He counts eight measured breaths before it’s over.

“Good job,” the doctor says as she removes the needle. “You’re all done.”

Dew’s shoulders droop. Rain releases his hand. The doctor continues with the rest of the procedure from before — needle cover, gauze, band-aid. Then she gathers her discarded items and returns to the counter.

Dew rolls himself onto his side and gingerly sits up. He runs his hands over his face, pausing for a few seconds with both palms cupping his jaw, eyes unfocused. Then he stands and shimmies up his pants and fastens the button. Rain stands too, ready to support him if necessary.

The doctor is digging in her bag again.“You’ll be contagious for the next day or so, so try to avoid close contact as much as possible.” She returns to the ghouls with a small stack of disposable face masks and offers them to Dew. “You should wear a mask at least until your performance tomorrow.”

Dew nods, taking them and putting one on right there. The pastel yellow contrasts with his otherwise all-black outfit.

“Try to keep drinking fluids and get as much rest as you can. The steroid will give you a bit of a boost, so don’t overdo it.”

“Okay.”

“Okay? Anything else I can do for you?”

Dew shakes his head.

“Well, if you think of anything, you can have your tour manager get in contact with me. I won’t be able to see you again but I can answer questions or consult with any other providers you see."

Dew nods. He’s thumbing through the stack of masks like the world’s most boring flipbook.

“Alright, take care. Feel better.”

“Thank you.”

“Thanks,” Rain echoes.

—

With that, the two of them wordlessly split to their separate dressing rooms to retrieve their bags.

After packing, Rain backtracks down the hall to Dew’s dressing room instead of heading straight to the bus. He checks the time on his phone. He’s cutting it much closer than he would ever consider doing on any other day. Their schedule is usually strict — the shows are the top priority, of course, and everything surrounding them is carefully arranged maximize their success — but maybe illness would be an extenuating circumstance. Regardless, he’s already decided he won’t let Dew risk getting left behind alone. If the bus leaves without Dew, it will leave without Rain as well.

In his dressing room, Dew is haphazardly throwing items into his bag. He startles slightly when he notices Rain through the mirror, but goes right back to packing his luggage. When he’s done, the two of them head for the bus.

Thankfully, the bus is still there when they get outside, parked just past the back door of the venue. Dew wobbles on the first step of the steep staircase, and Rain steadies him with a hand on the middle of his back. They proceed up into the warmly lit front lounge.

Everyone else is already there, and so everyone’s eyes are on them as they get to the top of the stairs. Swiss is the first to greet them.

“Hey, look who made it!”

Dew glares at him. “Back off, I’m contagious.”

“I see how it is,” Swiss says, looking pointedly at Rain, who is still following Dew closely.

Dew tugs at the top of his mask like he’s going to pull it down. Swiss raises his hands in surrender.

Dew and Rain continue through the tight space of the lounge into the aisle between the two rows of bunks. Rain lets the door swing closed behind them. It’s quiet, and darker than the front lounge.

Dew hurls his bag at the closed curtains of his bunk. It ends up halfway on the mattress, halfway on the floor of the aisle. He nudges it with his foot, to no effect, wobbling as he tries to balance on one leg. He grips the platform of the middle bunk to steady himself and kicks at it again. It remains stubbornly on the ground. He crouches and shoves it all the way inside.

He groans quietly as he stands back up, one hand against his hip and the other clenched into a fist. The sound makes Rain pause where he’s stowing items in his own bunk. He watches Dew stand there, unmoving except for the heaving rise and fall of his chest.

Then Dew moves the hand on his hip to one belt loop of his jeans and yanks the waistband down slightly. He hitches up the hem of his hoodie with the other hand, exposing the band-aid there from earlier. He cranes his neck so he can look at it. Rain isn’t sure what Dew was expecting to see, but it’s just a plain, unmarred band-aid, looking like it could be covering up nothing at all.

Dew prods at the flesh of his hip with one finger, pressing into a spot an inch above the band-aid. Facing away, masked, head tucked behind his shoulder, it’s the only part of him Rain can see.

Rain isn’t sure what comes over him, but this image of Dew metaphorically licking his wounds, with his frustration simmering over, pulls at his heart. He reaches out and places his hand over the band-aid.

Dew’s sharp inhale hisses through his teeth.

“Sorry.” Rain snatches his hand back.

“It’s okay. It actually feels nice. Your hands are cold.”

Rain lays his fingers over the spot again, touching as lightly as possible. Dew exhales, almost a sigh.

“Does it hurt?”

“No, it’s okay,” he answers, too quickly, a question Rain wasn’t asking. “But yeah, more than I expected. Feels like I pulled a muscle.”

Dew turns around so they’re facing each other, but doesn’t make eye contact. Instead he looks down at the hem of Rain’s shirt, pinches at it, worries it between his fingers, not actually touching him but bridging an indirect connection between their bodies.

Rain lets his hand fall away when Dew moves, but puts them back, both of them this time, on Dew’s hips. He strokes his fingers up to his waist under his shirt, then back down again. The skin there is so warm.

“It’s not that bad. Everything is just, a lot. Right now.” Dew’s voice is so small. “My brain is frying.”

It sort of is, in a literal way. Dew leans forward and rests his forehead against Rain’s shoulder. Rain can feel the heat radiating through his shirt.

“And my throat really fucking hurts and now my ass hurts too and I still feel like I’m going to throw up everywhere.”

Rain thinks his chest might crack open and swallow him up.

“Oh,” is what he manages to say to express this feeling. “Can I get you something? Water? Tea, maybe?” He thinks. “An ice pack?”

Dew chuckles, or maybe scoffs.

“I don’t know,” Rain backpedals. “I’ll get you anything on this bus. Or I’ll make the driver stop somewhere before we get on the highway if you want.”

“I mostly just want to sleep right now.”

“Okay, well, text me if you need anything.”

Dew pulls back from his shoulder to look up at him. He’s smiling; the mask is covering his mouth but Rain can tell by the way his cheeks are raised near the corners of his eyes.

“Maybe an ice pack would be nice.”

#ghost band fanfic #raindrop ghost #fic i wrote #sorry this is an old fic again but i just need it on my blog #i almost made one single-word edit but i kept it as is #and did i change my fic posting format again? yes i did

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yuzurujenn · 3 days

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2024.02.29 Yuzuru Hanyu, World Figure Skating magazine 100th issue

Now, as a famous figure skater, what range does he aim for as a performer? A long interview with Yuzuru Hanyu who just finished his "RE_PRAY" Saga performance!

Yuzuru Hanyu, a figure skater who has won two consecutive Olympic Games championships and achieved a Super Grand Slam has achieved many great achievements. In July 2022, Hanyu held a press conference to express his decision to retire from competition and enter his professional career. Since then, he has successively held solo performances in which he skated the entire show, the first Tokyo Dome performance in the history of figure skating, a performance full of requiem and prayer, and his first tour, showing the world his versatile and active figure. The figure skating performance that Hanyu puts his soul into is opening up a new dimension of figure skating with specifications that far exceed expectations. Yuzuru Hanyu, who continues to challenge himself as an athlete, once again talked about his sincere thoughts on figure skating.

[My mission as a figure skater]

Q: On the occasion of the 100th issue of "World Figure Skating" magazine, we are very honoured to invite Yuzuru Hanyu for an interview. This magazine was founded in December 1999, and Hanyu probably started his figure skating journey at the same time.

Hanyu: I started skating around 1999. I started skating when I was 4 years old, around the summer of 1999. Wow~I miss it so much! I have the first issue of this series of magazine. The cover at that time was Michelle Kwan, and the back cover was Yagudin. I miss that Piano costume (of Yagudin's) very much. And (after turning the page) wow ~ Plushenko! I loved figure skating at that time. Oh, and Timothy (Goebel).

Q: That was when you first started skating. What did you like about the skaters of that era?

Hanyu: The players at that time had very distinct personalities. Although I like figure skating very much, when I was a child, I only watched the athletes (performances) that I really liked and was interested in, so at that time I only watched Plushenko, Yagudin, Honda (Takeshi), and occasionally Timothy. In a sense, I just look at the figure skaters that I like. The top players of that generation all have their own unique personalities that make them shine. Although they all have their own unique characteristics, they have different styles, different ways of expression, and extremely outstanding personalities. In this sense, I still like that era very much. That is also the generation I admire most.

Q: I see. Hanyu: I first started getting into figure skating, not because I had a figure skater that I admired and thought, “I want to be like that,” but because I just wanted to follow my sister and do the same thing as her, so from a certain point of view, my initial contact was not with figure skating. But when I watched the Olympics, those athletes made me think for the first time, "I want to be like that." Although their personalities are very strong, they are not offensive and they are really skating in their own pure way.

Q: What started out as a pure dream has led you to revolutionize the sport of figure skating.

Hanyu: Where, where?

Q: In the meantime, you continue to be at the forefront of figure skating. First of all, please allow me to ask you about the "notte stellata" performance held in March. It can be said that Hanyu has been a symbol of revival after the Great East Japan Earthquake, but this year, due to the Noto Peninsula earthquake that occurred at the beginning of the year, I think this performance will become even more meaningful.

Hanyu: Please allow me to express my condolences to the victims. Although I have lived for 29 years, in recent days, I have once again realized that Japan is a place that frequently encounter disasters. There are many natural disasters in Japan. In addition to earthquakes, there are also many natural disasters such as heavy rains. This is probably the fate of living in Japan. However, this also made me feel again that injecting prayers for various natural disasters into my figure skating and skating with full prayers is probably my mission in this era.

Q: Hanyu’s love for his hometown, Tohoku, really runs through most of your figure skating career.

Hanyu: I think many people living in Japan have personally experienced the tremors of the Great East Japan Earthquake, but I myself did not witness the tsunami. I have also thought about what position I should stand in relation to this disaster. Even so, I continued to figure skate. When I was sixteen or seventeen years old, especially during the season after the Great East Japan Earthquake, I attracted everyone's attention. Since then, I have been conveying a lot of information including my experience in the disaster. In this process, Yuzuru Hanyu and the Great East Japan Earthquake gradually became inseparable. So, both in my competitive life and in my current professional activities, I feel like I have to keep that earthquake in my mind. The experience of that earthquake is central to my life experience. For example, when I win a gold medal or achieve good results, the first thing that comes to my mind is the smiles of people in my hometown. I know that I have contributed my own strength to my hometown. Therefore, including "notte stellata", I want to continue to do various activities through skating (to continue to contribute).

[Why "ICE STORY"]

Q: Since turning professional, you held your first solo ice performance "Prologue" from November to December 2022, and then held the Tokyo Dome performance "GIFT" in February 2023, and will hold the "RE_PRAY" tour as the second part of ICE STORY from the autumn of 2023. Can you tell us why you want to present figure skating in the form of a story?

Hanyu: When I was skating as a kid, I wanted to tell stories in the show. And I also like to create and imagine stories. Everything originates from this. If a program can present a story, will everyone see any difference in the various elements presented in the program? This has always been the core of what I want to express. How to describe this - during the competitive period, I will get an objective result after the game. But there are exceptions, such as the 2014 Cup of China. It was because of that collision that the "Phantom of the Opera" was created at that time, and it was also because of that the “Phantom of the Opera” in the Grand Prix Finals was created. The story that I felt through the show became completely different. The story of the show itself has not changed much, but from the viewer's perspective, with the superposition of various factors, the show looks and feels completely different. This is what I felt inside when skating this program. I've created a lot of shows so far, but if I packed them all into one big story now, I think it would look completely different. During the competitive period, I will get results, be reported by various media and other additional circumstances, but this time I want to tell a bigger story so that everyone can see different ways of life and gain different insights through the program. This is my original intention of creating ICE STORY.

Q: Is this affected by the transition from a competitive player to a professional player?

Hanyu: As I transitioned from a competitive skater to a professional skater, the position of figure skating in my heart has also changed a lot. During my competitive days, I started out thinking about winning for myself. My motivation also comes from the fact that if I can skate well, people around me will be happy about it. I think it may be this sense of accomplishment and the joy of receiving praise that keeps me motivated and engaged in figure skating to this day. Later, due to experiences such as earthquakes, I no longer only wanted to win for myself, but also began to want to win for more people. Now that I have left the competitive scene and become a professional skater, winning or losing itself no longer exists. I think in my mind, figure skating has become "wanting to do something for others." I hope my figure skating can become a part of everyone's life. On the basis of presenting figure skating like this, I hope to convey certain information to everyone more concretely in the story.

Q: So, is this a story about Yuzuru Hanyu?

Hanyu: No, no, no, there are all kinds of lives, and we exist in all kinds of life. If we want to write, each of our lives can be written into a story. Everyone will be moved by various stories, and also feel sad and painful for them. Under such circumstances, I have distilled and presented a large part of figure skating like this. I think "Yuzuru Hanyu's story" exists in each of you to some extent. So, from everyone’s perspective, the perception of my show will also change. But I actually don’t just want to present my own story, because everyone has their own story in their life. I want to be a small piece of everyone's life story. I often think so.

[Study body language to present new expressions]

Q: In order to present new expressions, you are currently expanding your expression methods through new body language such as dance, imaging technology, and writing scripts in your own words. Do you think your figure skating has undergone a qualitative change as a result?

Hanyu: I originally thought that by creating an ice performance with the specifications of "GIFT", I had already expressed everything I wanted to express, but I had to create "RE_PRAY" immediately. I really tried my best to do what I could. Everything that I know was used. (Laughs) That’s why I have to learn more.

For myself, I want to create more words, show more areas of dance, and broaden the range of my movements. And I think in order for professionals in every field to think that I'm doing a good job at this, I have to keep working hard.

I am currently struggling with my lack of knowledge when it comes to technique in dance and performance. I think I hit the wall more often than people think. In terms of expressing and presenting through words, I am not a liberal arts major, and my major in university was not written language. When it comes to dance, I have not always studied ballet or hip-hop. Everything I try is my own style, but I want to work hard for it and stand on the stage as a professional.

As a professional figure skater, I have the performance skills, mentality and expertise that I have developed over the past 25 years. I wanted to apply these and connect them to discourse and dance. At present, I am in a state of exploration. I have explored a lot, but I cannot integrate these explorations into words. My brain is about to explode. I am currently in a state of being exposed to all kinds of new things and trying to absorb them.

Q: We are deeply impressed by your production integration capabilities in "RE_PRAY" stage art. The "save data is damaged" at the end of the first half is really shocking, and how the story is unfolded from there. This kind of narrative ability really seems to be from the hands of a professional screenwriter.

Hanyu: You're welcome, that part is very dark, right? (laughs)

Q: If you receive an invitation to make a movie, would you be interested?

Hanyu: No, I don’t think so. I don’t think so at all (laughs). For me, everything I do is for figure skating. I want to learn various things for figure skating, and I think it will help deepen my figure skating. Whether it is writing scripts or creating and organising, I need to master more expression skills and learn more things.

Q: I think coming up with ideas is also a challenge. "RE_PRAY" is based on the theme of the game world, isn’t it?

Hanyu: It was after the end of "GIFT", or during the "Fantasy on Ice" ice show to be precise, that I started thinking about the next ice show. During the planning process, the staff learned that a certain venue can be rented during a certain period, so we have to start creating new ice shows quickly. I really wanted to continue using the story format, so I had to start writing (laughs).

When I was very worried about "what should I do?", I suddenly realized that my origin is games. Therefore, when I started writing the story, I had already decided to use the music of the 8 BIT series, and the characters would be pixellated villains, and using pixellated style to build a worldview of the game world.

Not everyone is familiar with games, so I thought a lot about how to convey the worldview that I wanted to express to the audience. At the same time, I had complete trust in MIKIKO-sensei, and I believed she would find a way. MIKIKO-sensei also said to me, "You can go as deep into your creation as you want," so I was able to make a breakthrough and write this story.

Of course, as the production director, I completed almost all of the performance arrangements and stories myself, but I also have complete trust in the production team, and they really devoted themselves to the production of this ice show. I first created what I wanted to do, but I couldn't just think about my own self-satisfaction. In order to let everyone feel and understand the story, I worked with the staff together to create the ice show. This is how it felt like. To be honest, I didn’t feel that whatever I chose to do would definitely go well. I just felt that because everyone worked together, we were able to create a good work.

Q: There are new discoveries every time you perform. Hanyu-senshu's expressions seemed to be different between the Saitama performance and the Saga performance.

Hanyu: Really? I just threw myself into it regardless. But I feel like I have more energy now than when I was in competitive era. But still, my physical strength reached its limit at the end of the first half, and at that time I thought, "What am I doing? I'm so stupid…" (laughing)

[The unforgettable scenes]

Q: With the launch of new programs, your previous programs have also been re-interpreted and integrated into the ice performance story. During this process, I think you have also reviewed your competitive career. So what scene is etched in your mind when you look back now?

Hanyu: The first one should be the 2004 All-Japan Novice (Novice B = Champion). I was very impressed with my first All-Japan Novice win. First of all, this is my first time to participate in an All-Japan competition. Although there were training camps to discover new athletes and regional competitions before this, and I also had the opportunity to meet and get to know many different athletes, I am still new to the All-Japan competition. The number of people coming to watch and the number of referees are also different from before. To me, my performance was perfect under the circumstances and I ended up winning the event and scoring more than I thought I would. The buzz of excitement at that moment, the cheers of "Oh~" from the audience, and the feeling when I jumped 2A beautifully, it was really… I think that was my greatest success experience. It is no exaggeration to say that that success made me love figure skating even more. Then I got a little too confident because of that victory and got carried away. (Laughs) But then the ice rink was damaged in the earthquake, which pained me very much. After that, it was a dark time that I didn’t want to think about…

After that, the most important thing for me was Nice (2012 World Championships in Nice = 3rd place). When I did the free skate in Nice, it was the first time I had the opportunity to really feel like I was being supported. Before that, all I had been thinking was, "After all, I'm the one skating on the rink." In the past, I have always believed that the key to winning a game lies in whether I work hard and whether I can display my true strength on the field. But in Nice, I felt for the first time the power of everyone’s support for me and the power of the staff who supported me. This power was reflected in my figure skating. I realized that the support and assistance I received was not something I could take for granted. So that was a very important moment for me. Q: Sorry to interrupt you, but this competition in Nice is also the first time you have appeared on the cover of our magazine.

Hanyu: (Holding the 53rd issue in his hand) Ah~ I was so young back then. Nice is the origin after all. That was really the kind of figure skating that could only be shown at that time. I can no longer reproduce "RoJu" exactly as it was at that time, but this is also the fun part of figure skating.

Q: What about after Nice?

Hanyu: Hmm… Actually, it’s not the Olympics period that is deeply etched in my mind. The most impressive thing after this was the Helsinki World Championships (2017 Helsinki World Championships = Champion). Even now, when I watch the scenes, hear the cheers, and recall my state of mind at that time, as well as the completion of the program at that time, I am still very excited and have tears in my eyes. It was a really difficult season for me. The short program didn't go very well, and I had some jumps that I never succeeded in. Contrary to the cheers in the venue at that time, there was a complete quiet space in my heart… I feel that such a special feeling has surpassed figure skating and has become a very special space and time in my life. I now feel that the World Championships in Helsinki are more important to me than the Olympic Games.

Q: Was that the moment when you felt connected to everything?

Hanyu: Yeah, yeah. That's what I need most… The space I want to stay in most, the most joyful moment in my life, is that moment. I want to cherish moments like that, that’s what I’m thinking now.

[I still want to get better]

Q: Having enjoyed your current professional activities, I am reminded of some of the words you said in interviews many years ago during your competition days that connect to the present. So what is this unwavering core of yours?

Hanyu: That would be, I still want to get better. The root of my desire to be better, to be stronger, and to continue to challenge myself is that I want to be praised, and I want everyone to think that I'm doing a good job.

In addition, in my own words now, I hope it can be an opportunity for everyone to have some sort of emotion. There are many factors involved in this, and these factors become more numerous as we age. So it’s impossible to make a simple generalization, but what is always consistent to me is my determination to get better. I want to become better, stronger and more capable to present to everyone the things I want to express and create. This has never changed.

Q: Previously, Hanyu-senshu mentioned in an interview that Mr. Nomura Mansai has always been at his peak. Mr. Hanyu, you yourself too, despite the passage of time, you have always kept the audience looking forward to it. I think that in order to achieve this, you have also undergone many changes in your heart, right?

Hanyu: Indeed. The kyogen that Mr. Mansai engages in is a bit difficult to describe for people who love traditional arts. I think in their eyes it belongs to the genre of folk art. In the field of kabuki, there are also kabuki based on game themes, and Mr. Mansai also uses various techniques to try to launch modern kyogen and Noh dramas that are completely different from the past. Some viewers are looking forward to this. For those who value tradition, or those who simply want to see a Noh play at a Noh theatre, this performance may seem a bit offbeat.

But in a sense, from my perspective, this alternative is the charm of "Nomura Mansai". The modern Nomura Mansai has such a unique quality. He not only appears in TV series, but also has a multi-field acting career. In my opinion, maintaining such style all the time is the unique charm of Mr. Mansai.

I believe that for the figure skating world, "Yuzuru Hanyu" must also be a very different existence. But precisely because of this uniqueness, those viewers who have always followed figure skating competitions and like the Yuzuru Hanyu in the history of figure skating will think, "Ah, figure skating can still be expressed in this way." Maybe some people may also think, "No, I still hope he skates more traditionally." Everyone has various opinions and ideas.

But at the end of the day, I feel like figure skating alone cannot fully express everything I want to express to everyone. Mr. Mansai was born into a family where Kyogen was passed down from generation to generation, but he loved rock music and even formed a band, which was later reflected in his Kyogen. So for me, I want to express myself through figure skating, but figure skating alone is not enough.

In other words, the so-called form is still figure skating, but now with imaging technology, various technologies, stage settings, etc. can be completely separated from the ice. This is especially obvious in "RE_PRAY". Extend various expressions in silence. Some people may say, is this still figure skating? but I feel that integrating everything I want to express into figure skating is a natural and suitable way for me at the moment.

So, I think this is probably the "Yuzuru Hanyu" in everyone's mind. Although my inner thoughts have changed and what I want to express has also changed, the reason why people feel that "it's still Yuzuru Hanyu" is because what I want to pursue has not changed from the competitive days.

As a person, what I present from my soul is always the same and has never changed. Therefore, although my thoughts continue to change, in everyone's eyes I remained the same. I place what I want to express on figure skating. Now, I am learning various things and getting in touch with things in various fields. I want to continue to improve myself. This is because I feel that figure skating alone is no longer enough to meet my needs for expression in figure skating. However, it is still difficult for me to describe in detail what is needed.

Q: We all enjoy watching Hanyu’s performances. Hanyu: I’m very happy that everyone likes to watch it. It’s not easy to perform though.

Q: Through various channels such as your YouTube channel, TV broadcasts, live viewing, and online broadcasts, your performances will be widely disseminated to various places.

Hanyu: Got it. As a Japanese, Tohoku and Sendai person, I think there is a unique rhythm cultivated by the culture of this land and water in my heart. This should also be reflected in my figure skating performances. I will continue to hone myself so that everyone can feel the charm of my performance when it is translated into English language or taken as a photo. At the same time, I cherish and am full of pride for figure skating as a stage for my expression.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Editor’s Note: Yuzuru Hanyu’s words are full of spirit to constantly expand figure skating and update the concept of figure skating. Every detail in the interview reflects his deep affection for figure skating. Carrying the fate of the chosen one, he moves forward tenaciously, peacefully, and firmly. —There is no doubt that he will continue to promote the development and deepening of figure skating.

(End of full text· Interview/WFS Editorial Department)

Credits: https://weibo.com/5437806211/OaN8SCn0A

Info: https://worldfigureskating-web.jp/news/6196/ BTS: https://worldfigureskating-web.jp/news/6632/2/

#羽生結弦 #yuzuru hanyu #hanyu yuzuru #figure skating #translation #interview

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allamericansbitch · 4 months

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Hi everyone! Here’s the newest addition to my Creator Shoutout Series ( january 7 - january 14)! I want to appreciate editors and their creations that i love from the past week. To track this series or look at previous shoutouts, please check out the tag on my blog *creatorshoutouts.

the ballad of songbirds and snakes gifset by @thecoveys

the hunger games: catching fire gifset by @midnighthangintree

jeremy allen white golden globes 2024 winner gifset by @experienceandobservation

the hunger games: catching fire gifset by @deadringers2023

the ballad of songbirds and snakes gifset by @kitconnor

taylor swift: the eras tour gifset by @h-f-k

the hunger games: peeta mellark gifset by @jakeperalta

paramore: you first graphic by @dulcevenganzaa

orville peck: birthday gifset by @allicansay

the hunger games: catching fire gifset by @elizabeth-sherman

saltburn soundtrack gifset by @madeline-kahn

gilmore girls: rory gilmore gifset by @clarkgriffon

the hunger games: catching fire gifset by @thepunkpanther

olivia rodrigo: pretty isnt pretty gifset by @kiimtaehyung

paramore: crave graphic by @syladelphia

the hunger games: catching fire gifset by @miss-lauryn-hill

yellowjackets: jackie taylor season one costumes gifset by @eightynines

paramore: thick skull graphic by @cellphonehippie

the hunger games gifset by @mockingjay-sings

the ballad of songbrids and snakes gifset by @saws2004

bottoms 2023 gifset by @rosamundpkes

the hunger games: catching fire gifset by @danburys

the ballad of songbirds and snakes gifset by @annabeths-chase

maisie peters: history of man graphic by @its-tortle

the hunger games: catching fire gifset by @ravenclairee

paramore: talking heads tribute teaser gifset by @userparamore

taylor swift: eras tour reputation gifset by @thatwasthenightthingschanged

the ballad of songbrids and snakes gifset by @andtosaturn

yellowjackets: shauna and jackie gifset by @natscatorrcio

the hunger games: catching fire gifset by @cardvngreenbriar

friends: monica and chandler gifset by @chandler-monica

the ballad of songbrids and snakes gifset by @arabellas

high school musical trilogy + blue gifset by @clubglee

the hunger games: catching fire gifset by @clairesbeauchamp

assorted 2022 album releases gifset by @antoniosvivaldi

halsey: i am not a woman, im a god gifset by @tolerateit

the hunger games: katniss and haymitch gifset by @bi-alinaoretsev

the menu gifset by @h-f-k

severance gifset by @sheryl-lee

the hunger games: johanna mason gifset by @bixcaleen

the office: jim and pam gifset by @bellamysgriffin

talk to me gifset by @thesoldiersminute

saltburn gifset by @irlvernon

the hunger games: catching fire arena gifset by @alexisrosemullens

yellowjackets gifset by @wickedhawtwexler

#*creatorshoutouts

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jennyboom21 · 6 months

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Before Taylor Swift was sparking headlines about "squad goals" or attracting throngs of Hollywood stars to The Eras Tour, she and Dianna Agron were nearly inseparable.

The "Style" singer and "Glee" star became close in 2012 and were quickly identified in the media as "blonde BFFs." However, the following year, Swift and Agron suddenly seemed to lose touch. They haven't been spotted together since 2014.

Keep scrolling to see everything we know about the once-close pair.

They became friends while Swift was working on 'Red'

It's unclear how and when Swift and Agron met. In 2010 and 2011, Swift became friendly with "Glee" stars like Cory Monteith and Chord Overstreet, so it's possible the women were introduced by Agron's castmates. They both attended the 2011 Vanity Fair Oscar Party, but there's no evidence they interacted.

Swift and Agron were spotted in public for the first time on September 4, 2011 at a flea market in Los Angeles. Swift was between shows on the Speak Now World Tour, while Agron had recently wrapped a series of Glee Live! concerts.

By this time, we know that Swift was in the process of creating her fourth album because she had already written "All Too Well."

According to her diary excerpts (released alongside "Lover" in 2019), the beloved song was conceived in February 2011. She decided to name the album "Red" in September 2011.

Dianna Agron and Taylor Swift in 2012.

January 7, 2012: Agron tweeted that Swift looked 'beautiful' on the cover of Vogue

Swift was photographed by Mario Testino for the February 2012 issue of Vogue, for which she was given retro-style bangs. According to a behind-the-scenes video, the photoshoot took place on the eve of her 22nd birthday.

"Taylor looks all kinds of 70's beautiful....and love a hat! Great job," Agron wrote on Twitter, tagging both Vogue and Swift.

March 25, 2012: Swift and Agron went to see 'The Hunger Games' together

A group of fans snapped a photo with Swift and Agron at the theater during the movie's opening weekend.

April 12, 2012: Agron shut down rumors that she was in a 'love triangle' with Swift and Tim Tebow

For some reason, in early 2012, tabloids ran wild with a theory that Agron was dating NFL quarterback Tim Tebow while Swift was harboring a "puppy dog" crush on him.

During an appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," Agron quashed the rumors. She clarified that she had a "10-minute chat" with Tebow and hadn't seen him since.

Kimmel also asked her to address her relationship with Swift: "Are you dating her? That would be great."

"Wouldn't that be juicy?" Agron replied, blowing a kiss to the camera and adding, "Hi Taylor."

April 24, 2012: They wore vintage gowns and flower crowns to celebrate Shirley MacLaine's birthday

Swift, who costarred with MacLaine in the 2010 film "Valentine's Day," played dress-up with Agron and two more friends in honor of the actor's 78th birthday. The small group shared photos of the occasion on social media, though most have since been deleted.

"We dressed up full-time fancy and went out in celebration of Shirley MacLaine's birthday," Swift wrote on Twitter, per E! News.

"Had a long day & don't know what to celebrate later…? Because you need a moment to be young? Find your moments," Agron added in her own tweet.

April 28, 2012: Swift celebrated Agron's 26th birthday

Swift wore a tiger costume for Agron's circus-themed birthday party, which she called "the most magical night" on Twitter.

"The blonde BFFs have been spending a lot of time together as of late," E! News wrote.

May 15, 2012: They dined together in Los Angeles

Paparazzi caught Swift and Agron leaving Dominick's, an Italian restaurant in West Hollywood, after a Tuesday night dinner.

July 4, 2012: Swift and Agron spent the holiday in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts

Swift was spotted in the famous East Coast town during Fourth of July weekend, mostly hanging out at the Kennedy compound. She was accompanied by Agron and their friend Claire Kislinger (neé Winter), according to the Boston Herald and Us Weekly.

Kerry Townsend, the granddaughter of Ethel Kennedy, tweeted at the time: "Arrived at my Grandma's house to find her chilling with Taylor Swift and Dianna Agron. I hope I'm this cool when I'm 83!"

October 22, 2012: Swift released 'Red,' which includes a dedication to Agron

Swift is known for leaving coded messages for fans in the liner notes of her album. The secret message for "22" was four names: "Ashley Dianna Claire Selena."

In addition to Agron and Kislinger, these most likely refer to stylist Ashley Avignone and Selena Gomez. The song is about spending a carefree night with friends, though hints of ill-advised romance are sprinkled in: "You look like bad news / I gotta have you."

There could be another reference to Agron in the liner notes for "Everything Has Changed." The song's secret message is "Hyannis Port," where Swift spent some time with green-eyed Conor Kennedy that summer. ("All I've seen since 18 hours ago / Is green eyes and freckles and your smile," Swift sings.)

However, many fans have noticed that "Hyannis Port" is actually misspelled in the liner notes as "Hyiannis Port," which mirrors the spelling of Dianna (who also has green eyes).

The day that "Red" was released, Agron congratulated Swift on Twitter with a screenshot of her phone playing "Everything Has Changed."

December 3, 2012: Swift and Agron both attended the Ripple of Hope gala

Swift and Conor Kennedy reportedly split in October 2012 after a few months of dating. However, later that year, Swift was still honored with the Ripple of Hope Award from the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice & Human Rights.

The annual gala was held at the Mariott Marquis in New York City. According to E! News, Swift had Agron "by her side" throughout the event. She also performed "Starlight," a song from "Red" that was inspired by Ethel and Bobby Kennedy.

"Was a beautiful night last night. The RFK foundation provides help to so many truly deserving," Agron tweeted. "Plus @taylorswift13 was truly lovely."

April 2013: A fake artice, which claimed Swift and Agron were dating, went semi-viral

Shortly after Swift embarked on the Red Tour, a doctored screenshot from a fake tabloid began circulating on Twitter. The headline from Stars Daily, which does not exist, said "Taylor Swift is in a new relationship...but it's not what you expected."

"Country pop singer Taylor Swift has confirmed being in a relationship with Glee star Dianna Agron," the fake article continued. "Lesbi-honest! Right after the rumors were confirmed, the two were spotted out on a dinner date." (The attached photo was from Swift and Agron's dinner at Dominick's in 2012.)

On April 23, 2013, "Skins" actor Dakota Blue Richards tweeted about the rumor: "So apparently Taylor Swift and Dianna Agron are dating. Sorry Brangelina, you just got taken over as the worlds hottest couple."

Neither Swift nor Agron publicly responded to the rumor. But Richards' reaction seemed to increase its virality, and the following day, Agron deleted her Tumblr.

"Thank you friends for following the journey," she wrote in her final post. "But as an old chapter closes, a new chapter begins."

September 4, 2013: Swift, Agron, and other friends went to a Fun. concert

"Modern Family" star Sarah Hyland shared a video from backstage at the Fun. concert, which took place at the Greek in Los Angeles. Swift is featured in the short clip, while Agron is briefly shown standing off to the side.

"Watching @OurNameIsFun live tonight at the Greek was unforgettable," Swift wrote on Twitter, per Taste of Country. "Such incredible musicians and showmen. It was just SO good."

Two days later, Agron also tweeted an inside joke about the concert, tagging Swift.

This seemed to be the last time they intentionally hung out (at least in public).

October 27, 2014: Swift released the deluxe version of '1989,' which includes a breakup song called 'Wonderland'

The lyrics of "Wonderland" clearly reference "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," the 1865 novel by Lewis Carroll. When Swift performed the "1989" deluxe track as a surprise song on The Eras Tour, she said it was a "twisted" take on the fairy tale.

In the song, Swift describes her muse as having green eyes and a "Cheshire Cat smile." She says they "fell down the rabbit hole" and got lost in Wonderland, all without considering the consequences.

"Haven't you heard what becomes of curious minds?" she sings in the pre-chorus, a reference to Alice's observation that "curiosity often leads to trouble."

Swift concludes in the bridge: "In the end, in Wonderland / We both went mad."

Some fans have drawn a connection between "Wonderland" and Agron, who has repeatedly tweeted about her love for Alice.

"I love 'Alice in Wonderland' and 'The Hobbit,'" Agron said in a 2011 interview with Elle. "Those books got me into reading and storytelling — I could escape to a different world."

Indeed, Agron reportedly had a Tumblr, deleted in 2013, that was called "felldowntherabbithole."

She also had a reference to "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" tattooed on her ribcage: "We're all mad here," which is a quote from the Cheshire Cat. Fans noticed that Agron was in the process of removing her tattoo in 2017.

November 23, 2014: They had a brief interaction at the 2014 American Music Awards

Although she spent most of the evening with Karlie Kloss, photographers did catch Swift having a moment with Agron at the 2014 AMAs, where she also performed her single "Blank Space."

This was the last time Swift and Agron were seen together in public. Notably, Agron did not appear among Swift's many celebrity friends in the 2015 "Bad Blood" music video, which seemed to confirm they were no longer close.

October 5, 2019: Agron went to 'SNL' when Swift was the musical guest

Agron was photographed leaving 30 Rock after "Saturday Night Live" finished filming. Swift was that night's musical guest — she performed "False God" and the title track from "Lover" — but there's no evidence she interacted with Agron inside.

May 7, 2023: Agron was asked about rumors that she and Swift were 'in a relationship'

During an interview with Rolling Stone, Agron was asked about her influence on Swift's music, specifically "22."

"Me? Oh, if only! That's more because of a friendship than being the inspiration for the song," she replied. "But I would not be the person to ask about that. I cannot claim that!"

The reporter also asked how Agron felt about being "shipped" with Swift, which he explained as, "You two were made out by the media and some fans to be in a relationship."

In response, Agron described the speculation as "so interesting."

"I… I mean, there have been many stories about my dating life that are so wildly untrue. That's funny," she said.

#Swiftgron x msm mention #gaylor swift x dianna agron #mainstream media x Swiftgron #Swiftgron 2023 #Swiftgron 2012 #Swiftgron 2013 #Swiftgron 2014

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evermoredeluxe · 1 month

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The one I wish she would do an interview, video series, or documentary of more than anything is on the eras tour. The songs she chose, the era she didn't include, the story behind the costumes, set designs, stage design, choreography, rehearsals, everything. It's so fascinating if you think about it!

think re-recording doc is much more likely than eras doc, but i’ll take both any day! would love love love to see the behind-the-scenes. will literally eat it up

#anonymous #replies

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jakeperalta · 9 months

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hi! this is the latest instalment of my creator shoutouts, showcasing some of the wonderful creations i've seen in the past few weeks 💗 it's another long one so i apologise but i hope lots of you can find some things you like here! everything featured throughout the series can also be found in my creator shoutout tag 🥰

1. taylor swift folklore gifset by @mammamias

2. taylor swift eras tour lover costumes graphic by @sadbeautifulttragic

3. taylor swift "timeless" graphic by @cruellesummer

4. taylor swift speak now tv redesign graphic by @wastlandsbaby

5. taylor swift "i can see you" gifset by @dearreader

6. taylor swift speak now tour gifset by @borntoruns

7. taylor swift "last kiss" gifset by @cametotheshowinsd

8. taylor swift "last kiss" art by @notmuchfordancing

9. taylor swift eras tour art by @arteliisa

10. taylor swift speak now as books gifset by @reputayswift

11. taylor swift speak now tv poster by @thehopeofitart

12. taylor swift folklore gifset by @cametotheshowinsd

13. taylor swift folklore gifset by @holygraund

14. taylor swift folklore gifset by @loseyoutoloveme

15. 911 couples gifset by @911verse

16. 911 buck & eddie soulmates gifset by @bilosan

17. 911 buck & eddie stages of saying i love you gifset by @captain-hen

18. 911 + speak now tv gifset by @eddiediaaz

19. 911 buck & eddie "electric touch" gifset by @jamiettart

20. 911 eddie diaz "better than revenge" gifset by @jamiettart

21. 911 maddie & chimney gifset by @stationoneeighteen

part two because it's too long for one list:

22. period dramas regency era gifset by @lady-arryn

23. gilmore girls rory & logan "when emma falls in love" gifset by @lavenderhazed

24. brooklyn 99 jake peralta gifset by @jakeyp

25. brooklyn 99 jake peralta gifset (2) by @jakeyp

26. brooklyn 99 character discord profiles gifset by @jakeyp

27. brooklyn 99 jake peralta gifset (3) by @jakeyp

28. red white & royal blue alex & henry "glitch" gifset by @roseapothecary

29. red white & royal blue book vs movie gifset by @userstede

30. the hunger games katniss & peeta in stages gifset by @padme-amidala

31. the hunger games katniss & peeta gifset by @padme-amidala

32. marvel rocket raccoon art by @rogertaylorswift

33. mamma mia costumes gifset by @barbiexken

34. barbie "hits different" gifset by @reputayswift

35. barbie "mirrorball" art by @thehopeofitart

36. asteroid city colours gifset by @cara-gee

37. pride & prejudice elizabeth & darcy gifset by @prideandprejudice

#i really need to get back to doing these each week so it's less of an undertaking to compile so many at once lol #especially now the new post editor makes editing text soo much more difficult and fiddly (whilst making everything a text post by default??#cso #csopost

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omgthatdress · 2 years

Photo

Bodices

Issey Miyake, 1980

The Victoria & Albert Museum

The Kyoto Costume Institute

“Beautiful woman's torso becomes a bodice. This super realistic expression was realized by taking a cast of a body with the help of a mannequin manufacturer. Although it covers the body, at the same time it makes us conscious of the body's existence, and it even stirs a feeling of voluptuousness engendered by the contrast between the inorganic plastic and the suppleness of the wearer's body. This is one of Miyake's best-known works.

This work was shown at the finale of the autumn/winter Paris collection in 1980, marking the start of the body-conscious fashion at that era. Miyake introduced a series of works including a bustier made of rattan and vinyl in 1982 and his "Silicon Body" in 1985. These works were the main exhibits in the "Issey Miyake Bodyworks" exhibition, which toured worldwide from 1983 to 1985.”

#Issey Miyake #1980s

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raininyourbedroom · 5 months

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Eras Tour Costumes: Versace Lover Bodysuit in blue and gold

#taylor swift #tswiftedit #taylorswift #swiftie #tscreators #tswiftedits #lover #eras tour #eras tour edit #tsedit #tsedits #tseditor #tswift #my edits #my edit #mine #eras tour costume series #eras tour costume

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nerdsleaze · 1 year

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Street Fighter™ 6

Release Date: June 2, 2023 Developer: Capcom Publisher: Capcom Platforms: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, PC Rating: T for Teen Genre: Fighting Number of Players: 1-2 Format: Digital/Physical Price: Standard Edition - $59.99, Deluxe Edition - $84.99, Ultimate Edition - $104.99

GAME OVERVIEW

Here comes Capcom’s newest challenger! Street Fighter™ 6 launches worldwide on June 2, 2023 and represents the next evolution of the Street Fighter™ series which has sold more than 47 million units since its debut 35 years ago. Powered by Capcom’s proprietary RE ENGINE, Street Fighter 6 spans three distinct game modes, including Fighting Ground, World Tour and Battle Hub. The experience also includes innovative new gameplay features, plus enhanced visuals for every aspect of the game.

Standard Edition ($59.99; Digital/Physical) – Includes the base game of Fighting Ground, World Tour, Battle Hub, and the 18-character launch roster

Deluxe Edition ($84.99; Digital/Physical) – Includes base game, Year 1 Character Pass (containing four characters), colors 3-10 for each of those Year 1 characters’ Outfit 1, and bonus of 4,200 Drive Tickets for in-game purchases

Ultimate Edition ($104.99; Digital) – Includes base game and Year 1 Ultimate Pass which contains content from the Year 1 Character Pass, two additional costumes and their alternate colors for the four Year 1 characters, two more stages, and a bonus of 7,700 Drive Tickets

FEATURES

Classic Experience Built for a Modern Era: With all core gameplay modes present, plus two brand new modes and enhanced visuals, Street Fighter 6 redefines the classic fighting game genre.

Distinct Fighting Styles to Master: 18 diverse characters including legendary World Warriors and exciting brand new

characters add their own flair to the game at launch, with more to be added post-launch.

Brand New Game Modes: The Street Fighter franchise continues to hone its skills and redefine the fighting genre with the introduction of three new foundational modes – Fighting Ground, World Tour and Battle Hub.

Fighting Ground: Street Fighter 6 unites core fighting modes from previous titles – including Arcade Mode, online matches, Training Mode, local versus battles and more – to the Fighting Ground experience.

World Tour: World Tour is a single-player immersive story mode that pushes the boundaries of what a fighting game is and allows players to leave their own legacy with their player avatar.

Battle Hub: Battle Hub is a destination that provides players with new and unique ways to engage, communicate and interact with fighters from around the world.

In-Game Commentating: Street Fighter’s first-ever Real-Time Commentary Feature, supported with subtitles in 13 languages, incorporates the voices of popular Fighting Game Community (FGC) commentators and personalities like Vicious and professional wrestler Thea Trinidad directly into the game to narrate what is happening on-screen just like a real tournament.

Two New Control Schemes: Classic Controls returns alongside two brand new options:

Modern Controls allow you to perform special attacks with simple button combinations and are designed for players who want to fight without memorizing and practicing special move button combinations first.

Dynamic Controls only require a press of the Auto-Attack button to perform attacks and is a great control type to use when you have friends and family over for a quick, casual game.

#street fighter #street fighter 6 #cammy #lily #kimberly #zangief #juri #capcom #fighting games #playstation #psn #xbx #xbox #pc #steam #video games #fighting video games #sf6 #cammy white

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princesssarisa · 1 year

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Sleeping Beauty Spring: "Cannon Movie Tales: Sleeping Beauty" (1987 film)

For children of the '80s and '90s, the Cannon Movie Tales are cult classics much like Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre. Filmed in Israel, released direct-to-VHS, and shown frequently on the Disney Channel too, these nine fairy tale movie musicals are a memorable blend of '80s camp and sincere, innocent charm, performed by casts filled with celebrities. Sleeping Beauty, the second film in the series, is no exception. It stars Tahnee Welch (daughter of Raquel Welch) as Princess Rosebud, Morgan Fairchild as the Queen, musical theatre actor David Holliday as the King, Oscar-nominee Sylvia Miles as the villainous Fairy of Red, rock singer Jane Wiedlin as the kindly Fairy of White, Nicholas Clay as the Prince, and dwarf actor Kenny Baker, best known as R2D2 in Star Wars, as a friendly Elf.

This Sleeping Beauty blends details from both Perrault and the Grimms' versions of the tale, while adding creative touches too. The Elf – a character inspired by a briefly-mentioned dwarf in Perrault's version – serves as the chief viewpoint character. At the beginning, he makes so much mischief that the old Master Elf threatens to banish him unless he uses his magic for good instead. He soon sees a chance for a good deed when he finds the Queen yearning for a child; he brews her a potion, resulting in the birth of Princess Rosebud. Eight good fairies are invited to the celebration of her birth, each with a different signature color for her hair, wings, and dress, and who give Rosebud their magical gifts in a dance set to the Garland Waltz from Tchaikovsky's ballet. But the Fairy of Red goes uninvited, because as in the Grimms' version of the tale, there aren't enough golden plates. Of course, the fiery, flamboyant fairy comes anyway, and the Fairy of White has to soften her curse from death to sleep.

Sixteen years later, Rosebud has grown to be an inquisitive maiden, fascinated by the stories her nurse tells her of far-off lands with charming princes... and where strange contraptions called spinning wheels are used to make cloth. In a unique, comic portrayal of the repercussions of the King's ban on spinning, the entire kingdom, including the royal family, is forced to wear old, tattered rags, because no new fabric can be made. When the castle servants finally complain and threaten to quit, the King and Queen set out on a tour of other countries to buy cloth. Unfortunately, the day before they come home, Rosebud is exploring the castle grounds when she finds a mysterious tower, and glimpses an old woman with a spinning wheel inside. That night, when everyone else is asleep (including the Elf, who had promised the Queen he would guard her) Rosebud sneaks back to the tower to meet the old spinner... who of course is the Fairy of Red in disguise.

The next day, the King and Queen come home and are distraught to find their daughter in her enchanted sleep. But the Elf travels with seven-league boots to bring the Fairy of White back to the castle. With almost funny nonchalance, the good Fairy puts every mortal in the kingdom to sleep, then enshrouds the castle with vines to ensnare any would-be intruders – as a hundred years later, several skeletons reveal. When the Prince comes along, traveling in search of a cure for his loneliness and longing, he learns the tale of Rosebud from the now-elderly Elf, but his companions convince him that it must be a trap. Yet just as they ride away, the castle magically appears on their map where it hadn't been before. The Prince gallops back to battle the vines, enter the dark castle, and wake Rosebud with his kiss, restoring life and joy to the kingdom.

In terms of artistry, this Sleeping Beauty is a mixed bag. The budget is fairly low, although the sets and the medieval/Renaissance-era costumes are handsome, and the special effects are decent, but far from sophisticated. The whole production has an air of campy theatricality much like Faerie Tale Theatre, but without the same self-aware humor. Yet flawed though it may be, this is a charming Sleeping Beauty all the same. The starry cast does a fine job with their roles, particularly Kenny Baker's likable Elf and Sylvia Miles's shamelessly hammy evil fairy. Tahnee Welch is a bit stiff and stone-faced as Princess Rosebud, but she compensates with the striking beauty she inherited from her famous mother. And apart from a few corny lyrics, the songs by screenwriter Michael Berz and Max Robert – "Spin, Spin, Spin," "Queen's Lament," "Life Looks Rosier Today," "Rip," "Dare Me," "All to Sleep," "Slumber," and the joyful main theme, "How Good It Is" – are tuneful and endearing.

A perfect film this isn't, but its campy charm, and its nostalgic appeal for those of us who grew up with it, can't be denied.

@ariel-seagull-wings, @thealmightyemprex, @faintingheroine, @reds-revenge, @paexgo-rosa, @comma-after-dearest, @the-blue-fairie, @themousefromfantasyland, @thatscarletflycatcher, @fairytaleslive, @autistic-prince-cinderella

#sleeping beauty spring #cannon movie tales #sleeping beauty #1987 #fairy tale #live action film #musical

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allisian · 7 months

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K/DA Lore

A while ago I impulsively wrote an entire series of lore headcanons for the KDA girl group. It started off with a pre popstar Ahri and I went from there.

I took inspiration from the KDA comics, the bios of the connected skins (popstar ahri) the official websites and the dev interviews etc to form my personal take on kda's story.

So here it is. I'll be posting in parts. Starting with...Ahri.

Ever since she was a little girl Ahri would post homemade performance videos of her singing and playing either the *guitar or piano. After gaining a small following the indie singer went on to entering cover contests when her cover for *"tell me your wish" blew up. That's when talent scouts from (record label) discovered the gumiho and offered to write her a contract. In *2013 Ahri the popstar would release her first hit album and go on her spirit rush tour around America. It was 2015 and Ahri would had go on to sign 2 more annual contracts and was in the production of her third album when she suddenly broke her contract with (record label) and wouldn't return to the music industry until 2018 with K/DA'S hit POPSTARS with another comeback in 2020.

*Ahris use in guitar and piano comes from the kda comics and her twitter campaign: 1 2 3

*"Tell me your wish" is a reference to her popstar Ahri skin which was based of the costumes from this music video. I imagine her doing an acoustic guitar cover of this song for the contest entry.

*2013 is the year popstar Ahri released on lol.

*Ahri's story is inspired by the indie youtuber to popstar trope and the teen popstar.

*Real life celebrities that influenced my take on Ahri include: Taylor Swift and Britney Spears.

*Ahri is Korean in this AU but posted her videos on to American Youtube because she was inspired by both western and Korean pop and is how an American record label discovered her.

*Ahri is a Gumiho/Nine tailed fox from the Korean folklore. As to how a supernatural creature can exist in a modern universe without people questioning it. I've made it that her identity as a fox is a secret and isn't known to the public.

She looks like a normal girl using some kind of magic to hide her ears and tails at will. When she joins the record label they give her a fox costume as her "gimmick" and so she cosplays her iconic pinky fluffy tails and a headband with blonde fox ears throughout her contract with the record label.

When she leaves the record label in 2015 (just like in the comics) she ditches her costume and fully embraces her gumiho form in POPSTARS.

More to be explained in the next part...Evelynn's story.

Art by me (redraw of a frame in Ahri's comic)

Heres a link to my playlist of the music I think suits this era of Ahri

(Edit links to the other KDA girls)

Evelynn

Kai'sa

Akali

#kda #k/da #kda ahri #league of legends

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age-of-moonknight · 1 year

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History of the Vestments (Part II)

Long post incoming! :D Here are the rest of my random thoughts on 616!Moon Knight's costumes up through modern comics. As I was going through the material for this post, it normatively felt like there were a lot more artists drawing Moon Knight around the same period of time but with slightly different styles, so unfortunately this definitely isn't an exhaustive collection; it kind of ended up being a little less ontological and a bit more of a tour of some of my favorite points along the timeline (RIP my academic credibility).

1. The Skinny Peaked Hood Era

Although it was probably more indicative of artist David Finch's style than perhaps how Moon Knight's hood was actually supposed to be perceived, I do find it interesting that the markedly longer and thinner peak in the hood distinctive of Mr. Finch's work started to bleed into other artists' interpretation of Moon Knight around this time.

Moon Knight (Vol. 5/2006), #5

For example, there is this comic with art by Arthur Adams and Walden Wong.

Hulk (vol. 2/2008), #8

Another interesting characteristic that was especially emphasized during this period was the cloak's volume, which was expanded to create such wonderfully dramatic panels as this one by artist Jefte Palo:

Moon Knight (vol. 5/2006), #29

Other artists around this same time period, such as Mark Texeira and Javier Saltares respectively, chose to emphasize other elements, instead adding more prominent crescent details on the bracers, boots, and belt. (This definitely confirmed for me that the correct answer to the question "how many crescents are on Moon Knight's suit at any given time?" is "yes")

Moon Knight (vol. 5/2006), #17

Moon Knight (vol. 5/2006), #24

2. Armored, High-Tech Jake Lockley

With a new series and artist, Vengeance of the Moon Knight and Jerome Opeña respectively, the Moon Knight suit once again got a new look, featuring a new crescent logo design on the chest plate and what looks to be, in my opinion, more "futuristic" armor. The designs of the spaulders, bracers, and boots have been altered to include more elongated crescents and the armor overall appears to be more extensive and intensive to put on (necessitating the very post-Iron Man (2008) suiting up scene hahaha). Furthermore, there's also the addition of the firearm holsters, which is a marked development from the Moon Knight of the 1980's who largely tried to avoid firearms.

Cover for Vengeance of the Moon Knight (Vol. 1/2009), #1

Vengeance of the Moon Knight (Vol. 1/2009), #7

Vengeance of the Moon Knight (Vol. 1/2009), #4

One other interesting detail that I noticed becoming more prevalent around this time is the inclusion of more noticeable seams, especially along the sides of the mask (which frankly reminds me of Fantomex hahaha), as seen in this panel with art by Juan Jose Ryp.

Vengeance of the Moon Knight (Vol. 1/2009), #9.

But to be honest, this period was a bit of a free-for-all when it came to design, with some people like artist Bong Dazo really focusing on the details....

Shadowland: Moon Knight (Vol. 1/2010), #2

....others like Mike Deodato Jr. and Will Conrad going with a more "classic" look...

Secret Avengers (Vol. 1/2010), #10

...and others still sort of splitting the difference, as seen with Graham Nolan’s work...

Captain America: Hail Hydra (Vol. 1/2011), #5

3. Meleev’s Take

Moon Knight (Vol. 6/2011), #8

Maleev’s work on volume 6 leaned more towards the “understated” end of the spectrum, with no decoration on the bracers and boots and a belt that frankly reminds me of the sort of the thing Spider-Man would keep under his suit to carry his web cartridges (and of course, there’s all the other costume weapons/accessories that came with this volume hahaha).

Moon Knight (Vol. 6/2011), #9

4. Precursor to Mr. Knight????

Now this was an interesting (re)discovery: apparently in Secret Avengers #19 (a personal favorite issue of mine) with art by Michael Lark, Moon Knight's undercover stint as a civilian ends with him wearing a combo that is very similar to what Mr. Knight would wear in his debut in an issue published three years later. Just a fun little bit of trivia.

Secret Avengers (Vol. 1/2010), #19.

5. Ladies and Gentlemen, THE Mr. Knight

Moon Knight (Vol. 7/2014), #1

Perhaps one of THE most iconic looks for Moon Knight, Declan Shalvey’s Mr. Knight was described as a respectable public persona who could interact with official authorities, unlike the vigilante Moon Knight, and with such a smart looking three-piece suit, he definitely looks the part. In this particular panel, I especially like the crescent details on the buttons and cuffs.

5. That One Black Suit

Moon Knight (Vol. 7/2014), #2

I uuuuuh actually already wrote a whole post breaking this suit down, so you can find that here, if you like hahaha

6. Ghost Ripper Armor

Moon Knight (Vol. 7/2014), #3

If Mr. Knight is for respectable, above-board business and the Moon Knight armor is for beating up crooks in alley ways, this here armor is for the more mystical elements Moon Knight might need to deal with. While most prominently featured in Shalvey’s work and throughout volume 7, it has popped up in two issues of Moon Knight: Black, White & Blood, first in a story drawn by Akande Adedotun and then in a story with art by Leonardo Romero.

7. Lockley????

Moon Knight (Vol. 7/2014), #8

This one isn’t revolutionary so much as it just haunts me personally. This appearance by an alter only referred to as “Lockley” (Jake Lockley??? although some argue that this may be another alter???) is only found in this issue with art by Greg Smallwood. It features the volume 7 black suit sans the cowl and with the addition of a white mask and honestly, the whole lack of information surrounding this incident just insures that at least I will forever lie awake thinking about it hahaha

8. Bemis Era

Cover for Moon Knight (Vol. 8/2016), #189

The initial artist for the Bemis run, Jacen Burrows, continued the trend of keeping the Moon Knight suit fairly simple in design and monochromatic in color. Some elements I do appreciate, however, are the subtle change in shape of the bracers while the straps across the inner arm still mimic the banding of earlier designs. Furthermore, I just find the use of white lenses surrounded by black, as opposed to the typical glowing blue or slightly less common red, to be an interestingly distinctive artist’s choice.

Moon Knight (Vol. 8/2016), #197

9. MacKay Era

Simply put, I owe artist Alessandro Cappuccio and colorist Rachelle Rosenberg my soul. On my last post about Moon Knight’s suits, there’s a comment about how the body of Marc’s suit was originally supposed to be black while the white was only intended to act as highlights. The classic all-white suit wasn’t adopted until around the West Coast Avengers era due to changes in printing and some readers coming to the conclusion that the suit was white (sort of a Spider-Man 2099 situation where his suit is described in the text as being predominantly black despite looking blue). Mr. Cappuccio seems to be harkening back to that effect and I personally find it very exciting. Depending upon the lighting in a panel, the suit in volume 9 can look almost like the one introduced in volume 7 or it could look almost entirely black…

Moon Knight (Vol. 9/2021), #1

…OR it could look as pure white as people have thought it has been for decades hahaha

Moon Knight (Vol. 9/2021), #8

Add on to that the faint glow effect that’s present even with Mr. Knight's suit and you get a truly otherworldly look perfect for a guy who’s been brought back from the dead a couple times by an Egyptian deity and who will not hesitate to punch a ghost or kill a faery. Or live in a haunted house for that matter.

Moon Knight (Vol. 9/2021), #1

Moon Knight (Vol. 9/2021), #7

Look at this walking glowstick

#Marvel #Marvel comics #Marvel 616 #History of the Vestments #Moon Knight comics #Moon Knight #Marc Spector #Jake Lockley #Lockley #Mr. Knight #yeah this post feels a lot less thorough than the last but eeeeh what am I trying to do here???? Get a good grade in tumblr???#(....I would be lying if I didn't answer with at least '....a little bit' but I am practically yerding that instinct hahaha)#I had some fun and I hope at least someone else enjoys this too :D #I might do a big ol' compilation of non-616 Moon Knight suits #and then it'll be on to all the vehicles that have been crashed in Moon Knight comics hahaha #long post

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