#gao lion

[weirdmarioenemies]

We localized the names of all the Super Mario Land enemies, too!

Yeah! If you don't remember, a few years ago, we came up with localized names for all the Super Mario Land 2 enemies as a sort of Christmas gift from us to you! But did you know? There's a Super Mario Land 1 also, and very few of its enemies have localized names either...! With another holiday upon us, we're making this the gift that keeps on giving, with a whole new set of clever enemy names just for you! I hope you enjoy!

Goombo -> Goombie the Shroom Fish

While "Goombo" has always been a fine name, it lacks a certain je ne sais quoi that other localized Goomba relatives like "Galoomba," "Goombrat," and "Goombud" have. With this new name, which is a clever homage to Hootie & the Blowfish, now it should fit right in!

Bombshell Koopa -> Koopie the Boom Fish

Another enemy that technically has a localized name already, but once again, this fairly boring name lacks the ceci n'est pas une pipe that truly great localized names have. It might seem weird to call a turtle a fish, but when you think about it, all tetrapods are fish, so it's fine!

Bullet Biff -> Shootie the Bullet Fish

You know the drill by now! A name that lacks Allouette, je te plumerai turned much more memorable by one simple yet effective reference! Bullets look kind of like fish, you know!

Since we've spruced up all the enemies with actual localized names, now it's time to Get Creative! The rest will be under the cut!

Fly -> Fruity the Fly Fish

While not explicitly a fruit fly, we figured that for the sake of the homage, this name gets the job done. And don't worry, I checked. He's allowed to reclaim it.

Bunbun -> Stabyoutie the Bee Fish

The Japanese name is an onomatopoeia for the sound a bee makes, but because we couldn't think of an English equivalent, we decided to name it after what it does instead. Watch out! It's gonna stab you!

Gao -> Mewtie the Lion Fish

"Mew" is a common onomatopoeia for a cat, which fits Gao pretty nicely, given a lion is a type of Big Cat! Of course, to remind people this is a lion rather than your typical housecat, we've appended it with "the Lion Fish" for good measure.

King Totomesu -> Roary the Zebra Turkeyfish

I'm pretty sure one of my siblings once had a plush lion named "Roary the Lion" so I've decided to rename King Totomesu in their honor. And see what we did with the descriptor, eh? Eh? Pretty clever, huh?

Honen -> Hootie the Bone Fish again

Yeah, I know we used "Hootie the Bone Fish" for Honebon during our Super Mario Land 2 project, but can you blame us for the repeat? It's a good name! And since none of these names are official, either one can have it. I don't mind.

Yurarin Boo -> Hottie the Blow Fish

Yurarin Boo is a seahorse that blows fire at you, and you may not know this, but fire is Hot! I know it's a seahorse and not a pufferfish, but since it's a fish that blows fire, I figured "Blow Fish" would be a good pun still.

Mekabon -> Rebootie the Bot Fish

As an enemy in the Muda Kingdom (the game's signature water world!) with a fish-eyed stare and arms that look more like flippers than anything else, this enemy's fishy appearance was not lost on us, and we figured we should reflect that in its name.

Torion -> The Blue Fish

I know I said some of the already localized names lacked omelette du fromage or whatever, but some enemies really do just deserve a name that's simple, straight, and to the point. Torion is one such enemy.

Yurarin -> Nottie the No Fish

As a relative of Hottie the Blow Fish without the ability to blow fire, we decided to give it a similar name, but this time specify it can't really do anything special at all. Serves as a nice parallel to the Yurarin/Yurarin Boo naming convention, huh?

Gunion -> Octootie the Blue-Ringed Fish

"Oh, those rings are clearly yellow!" I hear you say, but consider: Super Mario Land was in black and white. Or. Dark green and lighter green. Maybe the official art made a coloring mistake, huh? Huh??? Some people would object to me calling it a Fish also, but at this point it's been well-established that every sea creature is some kind of fish.

Tamao -> Tammy the Jelly Fish

See what I mean? The English instruction manual called this thing a jellyfish, and I'm sticking by it!

Dragonzamasu -> Haughty the Boss Fish

As the boss version of Hottie the Blow Fish, I figured to give it a name that parallel's Hottie's as well! As a boss, you'd expect it to be pretty haughty, huh?

Bataon -> idk man give me a break the Flying Fish

this is really hard you guys

Ganchan -> Cheeky the Stone Fish

What a Cheeky fellow we have here! I think it's fun they decided to give this rolling rock a personality with eyes and cheeks, and we've decided to emphasize that with the name we came up with for it!

Tokotoko -> Scooty the Dude Fish

Tokotoko looks like it's running very fast, but it doesn't even have legs, so it kinda just. Scoots all over the place. And I'd be foolish not to call this guy a Dude, what with the Cool Cool Glasses! And since Batadon is a Fish, Scooty shall be too. Simple as that!

Suu -> Suutie the Arachno-Fish

Decided to stay pretty faithful to the Japanese name with this one, but I figured a clever reference to Hootie & the Blowfish would make it more relatable to the American youth of today.

Kumo -> Kumootie the Arachno-Fish

oh man do i really have to name two separate spiders in a row

Hiyoihoi -> Brutie the Rude Fish

Hiyoihoi has always had sort of "cool delinquent" vibes to me, hence calling him rude, and as a boss, you gotta assume he's a bit of a brute. The name also rhymes with "Scooty the Dude Fish," which this is the boss version of!

Pionpi -> Spooky the Boo Fish

This frightening fishy fiend is sure to give you the heebie-jeebies!

Pompon Flower -> Rootie the Grow Fish

Plants are pretty well known for having roots and growing, and thanks to Hootie the Blue Fish helping us learn that plants can, indeed, be considered fish, that makes every part of this name legally Clever!

Nyololin -> Spewtie the Blow Fish

Look, I know this is the second enemy that we've named "the Blow Fish," but it blows poison at you, and on that note, it is poison like a real blowfish! It all comes together flawlessly!

Chicken -> Tweetie the Crow Fish

Yeah, I know we technically changing its species, but it looks nothing like a chicken! Can you blame us? And the Mario franchise has a long-running tradition of connecting birds and fish (see Cheep Cheep!) so calling it not just a "crow," but a "crow fish" makes it fit in better.

Roketon -> Grutie the Banana Fish

minion joke

Chikako -> Floatie the Glow Fish

Hi the Mod formerly known as Mod Chikako! I hope you like your new legal name going forwards...!

Pipe Fist -> Punchyoutie the Pipe Fist

This one may seem like we're grasping at straws, but being a big hand, I think Punchyoutie the Pipe Fist can grasp straws very easily, thank you very much.

Biokinton -> Cumulootie the Atmosphish

This one's self-explanatory.

And last, but certainly not least...

Tatanga -> Evil Mario

That's it for Super Mario Land! "Like" and "Subscribe" and "Hit the Bell for Notifications" if you want to see us localize the names of every enemy in Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3!

[pianokantzart]

The Super Mario Bros. Redux (Pt. 4)

What would happen if, in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, after Mario and Luigi are separated, Mario was the one who ended up in the clutches of Luigi’s eventual arch nemesis, while Luigi teamed up with some of his own close allies to go rescue him?

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8

________

Luigi and E. Gadd get off the train at a station in the middle of a massive desert kingdom where the ground is covered in intricate, ancient stonework pathways, and the sky filled with enormous floating pyramids.

Birabuto Kingdom, while bustling, is not quite as crowded as the coastal circuit, so Luigi finds it far easier to keep up with E. Gadd's hurried pace as they move toward a sandstone palace in the center of the city that reaches so far into the sky it overlooks even the floating pyramids.

The whole time they are traveling, neither realize they are being followed at a distance by the ghost dog from the train. Turning invisible and slipping into walls to remain undetected, it seems to be paying close attention to Luigi in particular.

As E. Gadd and Luigi arrive at the doors of the palace they're stopped by two large Gao who, after evaluating the duo, allow Professor Elvin Gadd to enter– as they had been expecting him– but tell Luigi he must wait in the courtyard.

E. Gadd reassures Luigi it shouldn't be long, and enters the castle with The Poltergust on his back and a bunch of paperwork tucked under his arm. Luigi obediently finds a quiet, shady spot in courtyard, and waits.

While waiting, he holds his hat dejectedly in his hands, running his palm over the "L" stitched into the front, when he's startled by a loud bark. He turns, and is terrified to see a little white ghost dog bounding directly toward him.

He fall over backwards in a panic, whimpering in fear, but to his surprise the dog doesn't attack. Instead, it licks his face, then pushes its forehead under his hand in a less-than-subtle demand for affection.

Luigi nervously gives the ghost dog what it wants, then starts scratching the sides of his neck, and eventually can't help but smile as it leans into him in an adoring nuzzle.

"Heh... not so scary for a poltergeist. Not even very scary as far as dogs go. You're just a friendly little pup, aren't you? A silly little polterpup..."

Just as Luigi seems to be warming up to the ghost dog, it spots his hat and playfully snatches it away, turning to Luigi with a play bow and a wagging tail. Luigi meekly asks the dog to give the hat back, but Polterpup takes that as a cue to initiate a game of chase.

Luigi tries his best to retrieve his stolen hat, but Polterpup proves very good at keepaway. The two bound past the guards into the castle, with Luigi offering a quick "SorryI'llberightback!" over his shoulder.

Pandemonium soon follows. Polterpup's recklessness and Luigi's clumsiness knocks over people and furniture alike as they rush through palace corridors, and Luigi's numerous apologies do nothing to quell the slowly growing swarm of guards chasing after him.

Meanwhile, in a grandiose meeting room, Professor E. Gadd is speaking before The Four Kings of Sarasaland: A great water dragon (King Dragonzamasu), a hovering cloud (King Biokinton), a giant sentient stone head (King Hiyoihoi), and an enormous sphinx-like lion (King Totomesu). The Professor is explaining The Dark Moon, the dangers posed by its absence, the current state of Evershade Valley, and the looming threat of King Boo.

When E. Gadd pulls out blueprints of all the inventions that were destroyed when his lab in Evershade Valley was attacked and starts listing off all the materials he'll need in order to rebuild, King Totomesu silences him.

King Totomesu reminds Professor E. Gadd that he was promised sanctuary and a new place to live, nothing more. E. Gadd tries to insist that he has the knowledge and the tech necessary to nip the ghost invasion in the bud if he only had some help, but all four kings seem to doubt him.

King Hiyoihoi suspects that the ghost invasion isn't as nearly a big of a threat as E. Gadd is making it out to be, stating that Sarasaland can fight off King Boo's forces the same way it has the thousands of other armies that have threatened their lands in centuries past.

King Dragonzamasu reminds E. Gadd that he had a bad habit of losing his inventions– making mention of Bowser Jr.'s Magic Brush– and states they have no intention of funding anything they couldn't trust would stay out of enemy hands. On that same note, King Biokinton comments that King Boo was using Professor E. Gadd's technology– The Portrificationizer– as a means of holding hostages at that very moment.

Overall, the four kings seem to agree that however big the encroaching threat, they didn't quite trust E. Gadd when it came to how he handled his own tech.

That is when Luigi barges in, leaping upon Polterpup and finally retrieving his hat as the ghost dog disappears into the floor. Luigi places his hat back on his head, reveling in a short-lived sense of victory before he is slammed to the ground by roughly a dozen guards while another dozen try to explain the situation to their kings.

Amidst the pandemonium, Professor E. Gadd asks for Luigi's release. The Kings oblige, but not without demanding an explanation. E. Gadd's face slowly brightens as he cobbles together a story: "This is my new assistant! You are right, in my age I've started losing track of things, and that is why I hired Luigi here to take charge of all my new tech! The whipper snapper is strong as he is quick, and a real wiz with The Poltergust!"

The Kings seem skeptical, but can't deny that it's impressive he managed to get so far into the palace before being apprehended. They look Luigi up and down. Luigi stares vacantly back at them like a deer in the headlights.

King Totomesu, noting the man's obvious nervousness, decides to strike a deal: that evening they would hold a match in The Battle Stadium, in which Luigi would wield his Poltergust against Sarasaland's own reigning champion. If he proved himself worthy, they would give Professor E. Gadd everything he requested.

Luigi wrings his newly-recovered green cap in his hands as he tries to come up with an answer based on the little he knew. Looking at The Professor... who seems to sincerely believe in him... and looking down at the hat in his hands and remembering his brother, he ultimately agrees to the king's terms.

Luigi is rethinking the decision by the time he is at The Battle Stadium, being ushered to the arena doors by E. Gadd. Luigi is barely holding it together, shakily insisting that he doesn't know how to fight.

E. Gadd dismisses these fears. He tells Luigi to let the machine do all the fighting, explaining to him the two new features he added (the strobulb and the suction shot), before unceremoniously shoving him through the doors into the bright light of the crowded arena.

When Luigi's eyes adjust he finds himself in an arena more colorful and complicated than any he'd ever seen, full of obstacles and intricate moving parts. A strange turtle creature riding on a cloud holds a camera up to Luigi's face, and next thing he knows his own perplexed stare is repeated across giant screens all around The Battle Stadium.

As the overstimulation of the new environment wears off, Luigi realizes he's being booed. He nervously pulls his hat over the sides of his face to hide himself from the jeering crowd, and only dares look up when the audience is silenced by the twang of an electric guitar.

The upbeat rock music continues and the crowd's energy shifts, turning from an excited murmur to uproarious applause as a figure bursts onto the scene from the opposite end of the stadium. For a moment, Luigi can't make out more than the flutter of a bright orange dress until the arena screens brighten with a very different face– a bright, beautiful, cheerful, confident face.

"Hi! I'm Daisy!" his opponent declares, striking a victorious pose for the camera as the crowd goes absolutely nuts.

[quitealotofsodapop]

Imagine what would happen if, somehow, Wukong could meet his mother? And I don't mean in the way that Guanyin is both the reincarnation of his mother and his adopted mother, I mean if he could meet the actual version of her who laid his egg? What would she think of him?

Ok I got a little carried away and made a wee ficlet/idea for how this could happen;

--

It was the Qingming Festival - a time for the living to focus on the departed and tend to their resting places.

Pigsy wasn't a religious man, but he had made a point of visiting his ancestor's burial plot in Gao Village each year - bringing his adopted son MK along to help sweep the site and burn offerings. Tang typically joined in, leaving pomergrante seeds or sprigs of willow on any grave left untended to show good faith to the departed. Those who lived by the water ways set out lotus-shaped lanterns to guide the visiting souls back to Diyu.

Wukong had found the festival rather morbid in the past, especially since for such a long time it was a time of great sorrow for his people. Monkey demons had no formal burial grounds for their ancestors, only the Mountain of Fruit and Flowers itself. In the centuries following the Burning, it had been a tradition for those on the Mainland to return to their island home to as pilgrimage. They would land on the beaches and set ceremonial bonfires, offering fruits and prayers to the statues of the Bodhisattvas.

This year, MK had insisted (rather forcibly) to join in on this tradition. He had never attended such an even before, but he clearly saw his own connection to the island upon learning that he himself was a monkey demon.

As a consequence of his involvement, MK's family and friends decided to insert themselves amongst the festivities.

"They have certainly earned their places at the table," Ma agreed, now far older than she had been in her Marshal days, "And they've helped so much in repairing the island after that Brotherhood fiasco."

Wukong had agreed with a nervous chuckle.

Azure Lion's defeat had come with a heavy cost. When MK had unleashed his own hidden mystic monkey power against Azure Lion; the force of his blow had cleft the island in half - almost reminding Wukong of how a certain god he knew cleaved a mountain open to save his mother.

Thankfully only the main peak had been split, though insurmountable damage had been done to Water Curtain Cave. Wukong called in a few thousand favours from surrounding tudis just to move the rubble and clear the area around his hut. He didn't want his subjects nor his little troop to be in danger of a falling cave ceiling any time soon. He had enough things to be worried about.

For now he was to enjoy himself.

The bonfires had started just before the sun went down. MK and the rest of the "noodle troop" (as Mei had dubbed them all despite Red Son's objections) had arrived some point in the early evening. Pigsy and Tang looked positively green at the MK-operated flight from the mainland, and required some rest before they could get started with festivities. Sandy had of course offerred his services to the monkeys on the mainland to ferry them across to the island, free of charge. In turn the fishman found himself swarmed with elderly cooks and grandmothers making sure he was eating his fill of the banquet.

Wukong could only smile at his little troop. His family.

"Are you content Sun Wukong?"

Wukong nearly jumped at the warm voice of the Bodhisattva as they appeared at his side without fanfare. A concious choice for the goddess.

Looking forward at the dancing and laughter, Wukong sighed

"I am."

"Your mind is busy though."

Wukong nodded. Guanyin had always been so perceptive of his emotions.

"I'm thinking you know, about the ones who came before all of us."

"Not uncommon, given the holiday."

Wukong hummed in thought. The fires of the party were still strong enough to hide them both amongst their glow.

"My mo-... the one who made me." he hesistated despite knowing that the goddess likely knew his thoughts. "I just wished I had a way to have known her. I know that she... she sacrificed everything to make sure I made it here today. But I don't even have a gravesite to sweep for her."

The Bodhisattva gained a slyness to their smile, the sprig of willow in their fingers hiding their amusement.

"You know... Qingming isn't just a time for us to remember our ancestors. But also for us old souls to recall our past lives."

Wukong had been looking away when the goddess said those words. So he replied in jest "So what? Are you going to turn yourself into a monkey to get the feel of it?"

"No, but I did invite some very important persons to witness the festivities this year. With permissions from Kshitigarbha."

The Bodhisattva of the dead? Why would she need to -

"By Houtu he's lovely."

The new voice stopped Wukong's thoughts in their tracks. Turning to where Guanyin once stood, his Gold Vison revealed a new figure.

A painfully familiar figure. One he could almost indentify in the mirror.

The soft, sunset warmth of her smile broke through the haze of the other realm. Her orange-gold fur bright against the reds and greens of her clothing. Large jade bands decorated her arms and tail, her form made bigger by a large red cape the King could swear he recognised.

Wukong felt the words die in his throat.

"Mo...ma."

The figure nodded and broke into a twittering laugh at her child's reaction.

"Yes love."

"You... you are. Her." Wukong pointed to a statue, one recently uncovered in the clean up efforts and placed in an area where the subjects could see her safetly. "Shíhuā."

The Last Stone Matriarch of Flower Fruit Mountain.

"I am. Though my subjects just called me Matriarch, my dearest called me Stone Flower." The female monkey stepped forward with the grace of a Queenm placing an air-light hand on her son's face.

"Oh my. Your title serves you well. Beautiful Monkey King. You can thank me for that."

Wukong felt tears running down his cheeks as he smiled at her words. Oh how he wished he had known her as a child. Perhaps he would have grown up with her wit and charisma lightly teasing and guiding him through his journey of cubhood. A voice that would have kept him out of trouble.

One detail of her nearly-identical body stood out to Wukong above all else though.

She was a good half-foot taller than her son.

Wukong narrowed his eyes at the peal of her hair, making a childish pout, "Not sure where your height went though."

At his comment, the Matriarch laughed once more, now near tears with joy, "Yes! Yes! You are your father's son alright! I was wondering where his dao rubbed off on you!"

"Father?" the thought was as alien as the situation happening before him. Did she mean her mate?

Sensing his confusion, the Matriarch replied with a delightedly-exasperated sigh, "Yes, my Consort - and the one you should thank for the extra dao that paints your body. Please forgive his tardiness, he's distracted as always."

"My love! Have you've seen him yet? He looks just like you!" A louder, joyous voice broke through the crowds of dancing monkeys. The ghostly form of a short pudgy male bounded unseen by the living towards the three, "I just saw the little ones! Looks like his heir got cursed with my looks!"

The male monkey demon's fur was a earthy chestnut brown that hid him in the dim light. Big intelligent yellow eyes shone through his butterfly-shaped facial mark.

Most embarassingly he stood exactly level with the less-than-tall-Monkey King. And he seemed extremely proud of it!

Wukong was about to say another word when another voice came at the heels of the Consort.

"Monkey King! Have you met these guys yet? They're so cool and they know everything about you and the island!" MK ran forward, his eyes shining with Gold Vision. In his hands many a half-eaten pomergranate spilling with seeds. Little baby monkeys clung to his jacket and pants legs as he came closer.

Wukong's face finally broke into a wide smile as he laughed.

Looks like his cub had ancestors to tend to afterall!

--

Pls enjoy, wasn't sure how to insert Yuebei or Luzhen in yet. Just wanted to focus on Wukong and his mom interacting for the first time.

[zaffiri-saffici]

Can we just….talk about this scene for a second please because I am having a right freak out. Before Chrisjen enters the UN SG office where this scene takes place, Arjun told her he will stay on Earth rather than join her on Luna and walks away. The whole convo with Arjun is so cold (I don’t know if it was just the actor’s choice but there was no love there after the damage was done from her campaign. He also decided to be involved so buddy, you kind of have to accept the consequence of that choice for your wife) and Chrisjen is rightly hurt by it. She feels their marriage is strained. Actually, she knows it is. And who knows how long she’ll be on Luna separated from him. I think she questions at this point when the next time will be that she sees him. Simultaneously, she just lost to Gao and though defeated, sends her off with a message of advice (the “I believe it’s you but I hope it’s me” thing needs a whole separate post, it’s so good). So we find Chrisjen, post-Arjun convo, post advice send-off, at a low point in her life personally and professionally in the same office, and all of a sudden the tone of this scene shifts. And I really have to thank the costume department for putting her in this elaborate, silk gold nighty and furry robe (and barefoot???) for this whole sequence because in spite of all this and the vulnerability we see on screen, the woman is a fucking rock. She is a rock that weathers any and all storms, and she is layered — and she is a lion, and a lion that endures even the harshest of droughts. And there’s hope because then here comes Bobbie Draper. Bobbie who at this point is so lost (bby girl I’m so sorry about your dreams of water on Mars please accept this hug from all of us). Her whole identity, everything she believed in for Mars, is shattered. Like someone took a piece of her and ripped it away and she has no idea what to do, or how to cope. She’s learned how corrupt Mars is and it has put her on a path of destruction, tested her moral code, and taken her to some pretty dark places. And at her lowest, instinctually, when there might be some inkling of hope, she reaches out to Chrisjen to share it with. And of course it’s Chrisjen, when she’s also at an emotional low in her life. And of course it’s Bobbie; it can only ever be Bobbie coming to her rescue. That’s just what they do for each other. They save each other. And excuse me, I know I’m gay as shit but….LOOK at the way Chrisjen walks towards the screen as she listens to Bobbie’s video message. This is a recorded message, we know it’s not live, so Chrisjen knows Bobbie can’t see what she’s doing BUT - the woman stalks towards Bobbie like the fucking lioness she is on a prowl. Why do that? What is the purpose of this walk if not to demonstrate her intrigue and interest in Bobbie in a deepe way than we’ve already seen on screen? Chrisjen never walks without a purpose. The woman is intentionality in human form. And here her steps are calculated, slow, evaluating — her arms are open at her side gripping the edges of her robe… fuck, they’re longing as she listens to her message. And of all things and in all the ways Bobbie can lay up the information she’s gathered, Bobbie tells her she needs her. Bobbie tells her as much as she tries to convince herself, that they need each other. And Bobbie’s voice is timid and unsure, but as much as there is loss on her face - a loss of Mars and home - you see her pondering something like maybe home is with you too. Maybe home is Chrisjen and the hope she has for them to succeed together, and what they can maybe build though they’re worlds apart. And Chrisjen responds to an empty room, “Bobbie, your timing sucks.” Like Bobbie, I need you too, I think I need you more than you know in a way I am having difficulty coming to terms with. And I just can’t stop thinking about this whole thing and Bobbie’s small but mighty words, and Chrisjen’s purposeful, barefoot strides, and “I think we need each other.” And I’m sorry, but this is queer as shit and I’m here for it.

[dragon-fly34]

After the Mushroom Kingdom and Koopa Kingdom, we have...

✨Sarasalnd and the royal family✨

1) Princess Daisy and inhabitants

Honestly, it was difficult to find the inhabitants of Sarasaland, I went to several websites but I managed to find some and I made them, I have the Gaos and Piondis just like in Mario Land, but there are also other species, in this AU Sarasaland has many species like the Koopa Kingdom, but they were born there in the desert kingdom

Princess Daisy is the princess of Sarasaland and Princess Peach's BFF, unlike her BFF she is brave, fighter and happy, most of the time she loves to play different sports.

Gaos are a species of lion in Sarasaland, they protect the kingdom and castle from invaders.

Piondis are inhabitants and also bishops in the desert, they are great attackers.

Sarasas are like Toads, but they are flowers, they are even smaller than Toads.

FUNFACTS:

-> The official language of Sarasaland is Spanish, but they also speak English. {The fact is that Daisy's mother was Spanish and her father had already been born in Sarasaland, just like Peach's father }

-> Sarasaland is not exactly a kingdom, but rather an empire {This is based on this image here} it is divided into 4 parts: Birabuto, Muda, Easton and Chai, Daisy's adoptive father, King Totomesu rules Sarasalnd.

-> Gaos are a species of lions, but they have the same customs as other inhabitants of this kingdom, they normally walk with all four paws on the ground and 75% speak in pounds.

-> Sarasaland is one of the kingdoms that plays the most sports in this AU, they usually like golf more because of its revelations!

2) King Totomesu , King Richard, Queen Diana and Queen Holly Floral.

King Totomesu is the current king of Sarasaland, he is of the Gao species, and Princess Daisy Floral's adoptive father.

King Richard Floral is the ancient king of Sarasaland and the true father of Princess Daisy Floral, he was known as one of the best rulers of Sarasaland, even after Tatanga and Taylor's family.

Queen Diana Floral is the former queen of Sarasaland and real mother of Princess Daisy Floral, even though she is not royalty, she is very kind and very helpful.

Queen Holly Floral is the first queen after Tatanga and Taylor's family and is Daisy's paternal grandmother, was the best housekeeper in Sarasaland after the Tatanga and Taylor family war.

Honestly, I didn't have many plans and ideas for Daisy's parents, after many days of thinking, I had an idea: I took Classic Daisy to play Daisy's mother, the only thing I changed was her hair, eyes and way of dressing, Richard took inspiration from Daisy's father from @artycomicfangirl.

For King Totomesu, I transformed him like a human, but he is still a Gao, I took his design from Mario Wiki and added some green details like Daisy's dress

HEADCANONS:

-> Before Holly ruled, Tatanga & Taylor's family ruled Sarasaland for many years (this is based on a comment I saw on Pinterest where someone said they had a theory that Tatanga had been ruler of Sarasaland, then Daisy became ruler and then there were a few more things I don't remember), in fact it didn't even have the name "Sarasaland", that was until Tatanga's grandmother became a housekeeper, she literally ruined the empire that her family had built over the years, she spent the empire's treasure to spend on herself and her daughter, Tatanga's mother, she ignored the people of the empire.

-> Holly had Richard in Sarasaland, she always helped all the neighbors where she lived, while the queen spent on herself, Holly helped everyone in Sarasaland, giving food, money and even letting her stay in her house, while Richard grew up, they had many people living in their house and leaving.

When Richard was 13 years old, a lot of Sarasas where he and Holly lives start got sick, It didn't take long for the Sarasas to ask the queen for help, but she refused saying that it wasn't her problem and that they had to manage, soon some inhabitants stole money from the castle to buy medicines, the queen discovers this and gets angry and orders kill those who had stolen, but Holly protested saying that it was her fault that the Sarasas had stolen, because if the queen had not given help to them there would have been no reason to steal, the queen became angry and ordered to kill her, but many inhabitants agreed (INCLUDED RICHARD) and thus managed to make the queen and her family leave the territory.

Soon after the wars, Holly became the first human governess and one of the best among all of the Tatanga family, Richard became prince and soon everything changed, Holly demonized that empire of Sarasaland.

-> Richard and Diana met after a small accident, Richard was walking through the gardens when he saw a brunette girl lying with her injured leg in the garden, they were scared, but after finding out what had happened to her leg, Richard helped her and took her to the nurse, after that the girl said her name was Diana and soon she and Richard became friends.

Diana told Richard everything about the real world and humans, she also taught him another language that he knew was the Spanish language, it turned out that Diana was Spanish, she taught the prince the language and they soon fell in love.

Holly had a good relationship with Diana, they both liked bravery, the queen was very happy when her son and the human started dating, soon she also learned to speak Spanish. After a few months, Diana ended up getting pregnant with Daisy, this was when Richard had asked her to marry him, she was desperate because she didn't know if the baby would be royalty, Richard and Holly came to her saying that the baby would be a princess/prince even though it wasn't Having married the prince, Diana soon had Daisy and married Richard and they became King Richard and Queen Diana.

-> When Daisy was 2 years old, her parents had made many changes to the empire, that was until someone arrived, that person was the FORMER PRINCESS OF SARASALAND, the mother of Tatanga and Taylor, it turned out that she had come back for revenge after what Holly did to her mother, with this a war started, Richard and Diana discovered that the princess started an empire on a planet in space, became the queen, her mother had died and that she had two children, Tatanga and Taylor(I honestly have no ideas of names for Tatanga and Taylor's mother so I'll call her Sabrina or Stella), one night Sabrina tried to kill Holly the elderly woman defended herself, but one eye was left blind, Richard tried to kill Sabrina, but also got a mark on his face, but they managed defeat the queen, until one night...

One night Totomesu found a letter in the king's room, Holly, Richard and Diana disappeared and did not appear, the kingdom was desperate, but Totomesu dealt with everything, helped those in need, gave food and home to the Sarasas and took care of Daisy (Just like Holly), soon Sarasaland decided that Totomesu would become king, he became king and adopted Daisy and raised her as if she were your own daughter.

-> Richard and Totomesu had been friends since they were teenagers, after he became king, Totomesu became Richard and Diana's right-hand man and still helped the kingdom like Holly.

-> We don't really know what happened to Daisy's parents and her grandmother, sorry but I don't make the rules ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

---------

And that it guys! The next is going to be Mario and Luigi family's headcanons!!!

[reversemoon255]

Brave Gokin GaoGaiGar

I had been looking for the GaoGaiGar stuff from the Brave Gokin line for some time, but I always wanted to get most of them in a single order. Luckily, they apparently released a limited edition box set that comes with GaoGaiGar, the Goldymard and Star accessories, Dimension Pliers, GaoFightGar, GaiGo, and a gold figurine of Guy. It was also surprisingly cheap for being unopened 18-20 year old toys, with the entire set coming out to less than $50 a toy. I mean, shipping something that big wasn't cheap, but at least I saved on the products. I was super happy with the deal I got on these guys.

Too bad they suck.

The Good: It does all the things. Lion Mode, Robot Mode, Combined Mode, weird alternate combinations. It also has a bunch of accessories, like the Hell and Heaven hands, effect parts to recreate Broken Magnum and Protect Shade, the Dividing Driver, a Zondar Core, and a few other small things. On the surface, it looks like everything you'd want out of a GaoGaiGar.

The Bad: Except age has not treated this thing well. Heck, I'm not sure it was good to begin with? One of my Galeon's knees was broken out of the box, and the other broke as I was finishing up taking photos. (It was a small mushroom peg? This thing has a bunch of diecast; why didn't they make it bigger?) Its joint tolerances are also bad, often being super tight or way too loose, and very little in between. And it doesn't hold together very well. The chest additions as GaoGaiGar don't even peg in. It's the most disappointed I've been with a toy since I accidentally got a Korean Kyoryujin instead of Brave Dino King. It's such a bummer.

But we're not done yet. I said this was a box set, and I plan on getting all these disappointments out of the way, all at once. Strap in, folks.

Goldymarg and Stealth Gao II Upgrade Set + Dimension Pliers

Still hoping they eventually do these parts for the RG kit they did. I know it's been a while, so it's unlikely, but I can dream.

The Good: It looks nice.

On the note of Dimension Pliers, I was surprised to find it was a model kit, but because of that, it's the most solid of this set of releases, mostly because the tolerances are technically new. It's not perfect, but all the individual robots look good, the combined mode is both solid and huge, and it also has a wrench configuration that I show off in a later photo.

The Bad: Tolerances on Goldymarg are bad, and the hand has no tension, so it can't hold the hammer. The new parts for Stealth Gao are also weak connections and fall apart easily.

Brave Gokin GaoFighGar

I'll say this, I wasn't aware of how different the new Gao Machines were until handling them. There's actually a lot of differences between them.

The Good: All the armor parts are swappable between all the bodies, so if you want to use Stealth Gao II, Drill Gao II, Broken Gao, Protect Gao, and Galeon, you can, which is a really cool bonus to collecting the line. I mean, don't, but if you did. The drills also do this cool expand-contract thing.

The Bad: FighGar has very weak tolerances. It also has a number of parts that just pop off, and the armatures for the chest/shoulders are too tough, so I'm worried they'll bend. The vehicle mode is also kind of crap; doesn't hold together and isn't easy to transform.

The Gao Machines also feel much more rickety than FighGar, since a lot of FighGar is diecast, and none of the Gao Machines are.

Brave Gokin GaiGo/GaoGaiGo

So the reason I specifically wanted the Brave Gokin versions of the GaoGaiGar crew was specifically because of this release. To my knowledge, this is the only DX-style release of GaiGo, and I really wanted a GaiGo. I think GaiGo is really neat. And, luckily enough, it's the best release of this set, which is crazy because this came out way before the manga did, and GaiGo became prevalent. This was designed based off the few second teaser it got post Final.

The Good: The GaiGo transformation is simple, but pretty cool. My favorite part is that the cover for the heads are based on gravity, so just turning it upsidown reveals the new head. The tolerances are also better here than the other two bodies.

It's also almost entirely diecast, which is cool.

The Bad: The shoulders don't attach as well as with the others; they lay closer to straight than the v-shape the others have. The waist comes apart pretty easy. And the neck guard that I like as GaiGo gets in the way of the helmet. It just doesn't wear the armors as well as GaiGar and FighGar.

Overall, don't buy these. They have aged very poorly, and they will more than likely be a frustration for you than anything else. There are plenty of better releases for most of these machines in other lines, though I believe GaiGo only has a Super Minipla as an alternative.

[the-monkey-ruler]

How many kingdoms and realms exist in JTTW, could you give us a short explanation of these please? I understand there are like three realms according to Chinese mythology

How many kingdoms and realms exist in JTTW, could you give us a short explanation of these please?

There are many kingdoms that are visited in Xiyouji on their path, but I cannot say how many were during the Tang dynasty in general, you might wanna do some personal research for that case

The dragon prince was spared from death and banished to Yingchou Stream (鷹愁澗) in Shepan Mountain (蛇盤山), in the region that belongs to the Hamil Kingdom of the western barbarians.

Zhu Bajie found in Gao village and find that a daughter kidnapped in the the territory of the Kingdom of Qoco.

Yellow Robe Demon (黃袍怪) is based in Moon Waves Cave (波月洞) on Bowl Mountain (碗子山) in the Kingdom of Baoxiang (寶象國)

The Lion-Lynx Demon (獅猁怪) is actually the Azure Lion (青毛獅子), the steed of the bodhisattva Manjusri. He drowns the king of Wuji Kingdom (烏雞國) and took his position.

The Immortal of Tiger Power (虎力大仙), Immortal of Elk Power (鹿力大仙), and Immortal of Antelope Power (羊力大仙) are three demons who disguise themselves as Taoist magicians to deceive the ruler of the Kingdom of Chechi (車遲國).

The Ruler of Women's Country (女兒國國王) is the ruler of a nation in Xiliang (西梁) in Western Liang Kingdom with an all-female population in Women's Country (女兒國).

The Wansheng Dragon King (萬聖龍王) is based in Emerald Waves Lake (碧波潭), Rocky Mountain (亂石山), Kingdom of Jisai (祭賽國). He marries his daughter, Wansheng Princess, to the Nine-Headed Beast.

Sai Tai Sui (賽太歲; literally "Equivalent to Tai Sui") is a demon king based on Qilin Mountain (麒麟山) in the Kingdom of Zhuzi (朱紫國). He is actually the Golden Haired Hou (金毛犼), the steed of Guanyin.

The White Deer Spirit (白鹿精) is actually the mount of the deity Old Man of the South Pole (南極老人). He stole his master's staff and escaped into the human world. He accepts the White-Faced Vixen Spirit (白面狐狸精), a female Fox spirit, as an adopted-daughter, disguises her as a beautiful maiden, and presents her to the ruler of the Kingdom of Biqiu (比丘國).

The Ruler of the Kingdom of Miefa (滅法國; "Miefa" literally means "destroy dharma") hates Buddhists and once made an oath to slaughter 10,000 Buddhist monks. He realizes that he has done wrong in persecuting Buddhist monks so he repents and renames his domain "Kingdom of Qinfa" (欽法國; "Qinfa" literally means "respect for dharma").

The Grand Saint of Nine Spirits (九靈元聖) is actually the Nine-Headed Lion that Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun rides on. The lion seizes the opportunity to escape. He builds his base at the Jiuqu Panhuan Cave (九曲盤桓洞) at Bamboo Links Mountain (竹節山) near the Kingdom of Yuhua (玉華國).

The Jade Rabbit Spirit (玉兔精) is actually the moon rabbit that pounds a mortar and pestle in Guanghan Palace (廣寒宮) on the Moon. The fairy Su'e (素娥) once hit her and she bore a grudge against her. Su'e was later reincarnated as a princess of a Great Kingdom of India (天竺).

Su'e hid in the Monastery of the Anathapindika Garden in the Kingdom of Sravasti.

Honorary mention: Surya Kingdom is the place where the sun sets, and that's why its popular name is 'The Edge of Heaven.' During the time of late afternoon each day, the king will send people up to the battlements to beat the drums and blow the bugles, in order to dilute and weaken the sound of the sea boiling. (mentioned by Bajie)

Honorary mention: In years past, barbaric tribes of all four quarters came to pay us tribute: to the south, the Yuetuo Kingdom, to the north, the Qoco Kingdom; to the east, the State of Western Liang; and to the west, the Benbo Kingdom. (mention by Kingdom of Jisai).

Honorary mention: The state, Flowing Sand, was my ancestral home. My father was Flowing Sand Kingdom's king. Illness plagued me at the time of youth, A victim of a baleful natal star. (mentioned by Yellow Brows Demon).

Honorary mention: The spot releasing black vapors over there is the Lion-Camel Kingdom. (only called kingdom once by Sun Wukong).

Honorary mention: Master, my home is located in the Bimbana Kingdom, some two hundred miles from here. (mentioned by Lady Earth Flow.)

I understand there are like three realms according to Chinese mythology

There are three domains in the cosmos — Heaven, Earth, and the Underworld — and each domain is populated by a host of important gods and goddesses. The Heavenly Domain is ruled by the Jade Emperor, who presides over a court of important deities who are worshipped throughout China. Three Realms (三曹) – the belief that Heaven, the living and the deceased exist side by side; heaven is a place for saints or rested souls, the Underworld for the criminous deceased. Three wun seven pak (三魂七魄) explains a person's existence. The three realms is where a person exists, and the seven states are what makes a person exist.

Also suggest reading JTTW's article with just how Xioyuji uses these domains in regard to the 36 heavens and the 18 hells as well.

accompanied by my realms question, are the six realms something canon in JTTW or are the six realms something completely separate from JTTW and considered a different religion than the three realms mentioned in JTTW?

The Six Realms in Buddhist cosmology are the six worlds where sentient beings are reincarnated based on their karma, which is linked to their actions in previous lives. These paths are depicted in the Bhavacakra ("wheel of existence"). The six paths are

Hell (地獄道)

The Hungry Ghosts or pretas (餓鬼道)

The Beasts (畜生道)

Humans (人道)

The Titans or Asuras (修羅道)

Heaven, or the realm of the gods (天道).

Above these lie the four holy states: the Śrāvaka (声聞), the Pratyekabuddha (縁覚), the bodhisattva (菩薩) and finally completely enlightened Buddhahood.

We know that the wheel of reincarnation is very much real in Xiyouji and that the novel has Hindu and Buddhist mythology it wouldn't be out of the question that they have this specific cosmology, even if most of the time the novel is within more Easten heaven and dealing with Taoist gods.

There is a more modern take that is seen more fantasy novels where these 6 relams but that is far more used for the sake of fantasy where they are Gods (神界), Immortals (仙界), Spirits (妖界), Demon (魔界) Mortal (人界) and Ghosts 冥界(鬼界). Again this are more used for a fantasy setting in modern terms so this is a far more modern idea.

(heaven, mortal realm and diyu), like, the Demon realm and spirit realm are a thing in JTTW?

Demons and yao do not have their own realm. Demons are rather animals, plants, or other spirits that they to escape Hell (地獄道), The Hungry Ghosts or pretas (餓鬼道), or The Beasts (畜生道) and move on the human form. Or even celestials that abandon their posts and turn into demons as well. It is because they don't have their own realm that they are considered unnatural and going against the laws of nature.

[babybaikals]

welcome to @babybaikals! here i will update on seals (and sea lions) from several different aquariums, share new pictures of them, and translate them (through an app) so you dont have to!

current aquariums i take articles and pictures from are: oga aquarium gao, kaiyukan, and the tokkari centre! i will ALWAYS put my source in my posts!

and abt me -- i am 15, use he/him and my favorite seals are niko and jumbo!

[pearlsephoni]

Spiking Heartbeats: Team-Building

Can also be read on AO3!

Rating: T

Fandom: Haikyuu!!

Relationships: Platonic Karasuno First Years, platonic Hinayachi (Hinata & Yachi), pre-relationship Tsukkiyama (Tsukishima/Yamaguchi), pre-relationship Kagehina (Kageyama/Hinata)

Characters: Shoyo Hinata, Hitoka Yachi, Tadashi Yamaguchi, Kei Tsukishima, Tobio Kageyama

Word Count: 2.9k

Summary:

“Ditch?” Yachi repeats, looking extremely unsure of herself. “Ditch,” Shoyo confirms.

In April 2010, Hinata Shoyo and his childhood friend Yachi Hitoka leave Miyagi Prefecture to attend university in Tokyo. Shortly thereafter, an attempt to avoid compulsory hazing during their medical school orientation leads to an unlikely new friendship with three fellow first years

A/N: Written by @r0mantic-era as part of our collaborative series of Haikyuu Hospital Playlist AU fics, featuring the Karasuno first years as the 99s! Originally published on AO3 on March 25th. Further author's notes can be found there.

***

Hinata Shoyo sits with his back pressed against the wall of a crowded room, clutching his abdomen and gritting his teeth.

While an off-key rendition of Katy Perry’s Hot and Cold warbles through the cramped space, his stomach churns the overabundance of food he’d eaten during dinner. Eager to please his new seniors as they piled meat on his plate, Shoyo had shoved down piece after piece, constantly replaced in a never-ending stream, and ignored his body’s growing protests.

Now, he’s paying the price.

Beside him, Yachi gnaws on her fingernails, free hand twisted into the fabric of his tee shirt. “Hinata,” she mumbles. “I can’t do this.”

“Hurghh,” Shoyo groans in response, battling a wave of nausea as it rolls over his body. Although he prides himself on his stomach, he’s never been able to eat like Yachi. Bile rises in his throat.

Noticing the telltale signs, Yachi hurriedly presses her water bottle into his hand. “Drink,” she urges, glancing nervously over to their left. When Shoyo follows her gaze, he sees cases upon cases of alcohol stacked against the wall. The thought of getting hazed with alcohol in this state…Shoyo chokes down a gag and immediately looks away, back towards the front of the room.

“Wonderful performance! Everyone give a big hand to Hakuba-kun!!” announces Yamamoto Akane, one of the older med students running the retreat. “Who’s next?” The upperclassman’s eyes gleam while she scans the crowd, like a lion surveying a herd of antelope, as Hakuba Gao—one of their fellow first years—hurries off the stage, cheeks flaming.

“Hinata, I will pass away if I have to sing in front of the whole class,” Yachi hisses in his ear, pure dread plastered across her face. “Please!”

Shoyo chugs the water and finishes in several gulps before wiping the back of his hand across his mouth with a sigh. Sweet relief hits his system when he swallows, easing the pressure in his stomach just enough to respond properly. “I’m in no shape to perform, either,” he whispers back. “Let’s ditch.”

“Ditch?” Yachi repeats, looking extremely unsure of herself.

“Ditch,” Shoyo confirms, holding out his hand to his oldest and dearest childhood friend with a grin. Clearly conflicted, Yachi stares at him, torn between her fear of getting in trouble and her obvious desire to leave. 

After a minute, Shoyo makes the decision for her. “We won’t get caught,” he asserts confidently. Momentarily grabbing her hand, he climbs to his feet and leads her out the back door. Yachi follows without protest, stage fright more anxiety-inducing than any punishment their seniors can deal out.

The fresh night air kisses his lungs when they slip outside, clearing away his food-induced queasiness until it is nothing more than a faint, dull ache. Creeping across the porch of the inn, Shoyo makes to turn the corner when Yachi grips the edge of his tee shirt.

“Hinata, wait! Look!” Yachi warns under her breath, gesturing ahead.

Sure enough, he spots two other seniors leaning against the exit of the venue. Shoyo can’t remember their names, but the scowls on their faces are more than enough of a deterrent. “Damn it!” he curses quietly. 

Their department orientation retreat is located high in the mountains at a walled inn with only one entrance: in short, there is no escape.

“The toilet?” Yachi suggests, pointing at a very sad port-a-potty a little ways away.

Shoyo wrinkles his nose. “We’d reek something awful if we went there.”

Yachi pales at the reminder. “And then we wouldn’t be able to make any friends for the rest of medical school!” she concludes, whisper rising in pitch. 

Shoyo flicks her on the forehead. “You’re doing it again.”

“My bad.” Yachi rubs the spot with a small blush, embarrassed by the call-out. “Um, well, what about that shed?” She raises one finger to point toward the back of the courtyard. Sure enough, there’s a small shed there, with blue paint peeling off the door and a rusted tin roof.

“Great thinking!” Shoyo praises, dashing towards the back. Yachi follows after, inching along the side of the inn pressed to the wall like some sort of secret agent. Once she joins him by the front of the shed, Shoyo grabs the door handle and wrenches it open with a loud creak.

“Eep!” Yachi lets out a tiny shriek, which Shoyo barely manages to muffle with his hand.

Two pairs of eyes stare back from the far end of the tiny supply shed, which is actually the size of a small closet. Shoyo vaguely recognizes the pair from the day’s earlier activities—they’re fellow first year students. 

An outdated SONY portable CD player sits on the ground, bracketed by their shoes. The cord of a pair of wired headphones travels up the space between them only to diverge at their shoulders, an earbud traveling to each ear.

“Oh, great,” says the first guy—he’s clearly huge, even though his frame is hunched and folded into itself in an attempt to make himself small. “This is what I was afraid of.”

His friend, similarly big but not quite as colossal, sits squished beside him with his arms wrapped around his knees. He’s a little mousy despite his big size, with a smattering of freckles across his face and jittery knees. “Tsukki… They can hear you.” His voice is soft and a little sweet.

“That’s the whole point, Yamaguchi,” replies ‘Tsukki’, who rolls his eyes behind square-rimmed glasses. “This shed is occupied. Go make out somewhere else.”

“Make out?!” Yachi squeaks, horrified.

“We’re running away from compulsory Karaoke,” Shoyo corrects, face flaming. “Yachi is my childhood friend!”

‘Yamaguchi’ perks up at that. “Tsukki and I are childhood friends, too!” he offers excitedly. “And we also came here to avoid performing!”

“Shut up, Yamaguchi,” Tsukki mutters.

Shoyo frowns at that. What’s this Tsukki guy’s problem?

“Sorry, Tsukki!” chirps Yamaguchi, flashing a toothy smile, completely unfazed by the fact that his friend just told him to shut up.

Shoyo exchanges a glance with Yachi that says, These guys are weird. She meets his eyes in agreement, lifting a hand to chew on her fingernails.

“Well, Tsukki—,” Shoyo begins.

“That’s Tsukishima to you.”

“Well, Tsukishima,” he amends. “You don’t own this shed, so you can’t complain if we join you.” Without waiting for an answer, he steps inside, extending a hand to pull Yachi in after him. She closes the door hastily and leans against it awkwardly.

“It was already cramped in here,” Tsukishima huffs.

Shoyo appraises him, squinting to see under the dim light bulb. “You’re really whiny, aren’t you?”

“Don’t say that about Tsukki!” Yamaguchi retorts immediately, uncurling his spine abruptly. His lanky limbs practically vibrate with defensive intensity. Tsukishima sighs through his nose.

“Whining is all he’s been doing since we met!” Shoyo points out, squeezing into the spot beside Tsukishima and bumping the boy over to the side with an aggressive scoot of the hips. “Yacchan, come sit here,” he instructs, patting the newly vacated space.

Tsukishima plucks the earbud from Yamaguchi’s ears and rolls up the headphones before tucking them and the Walkman into his jacket pocket. “We’re only letting you stay here because you’re both tiny,” he mutters, now pressed up against Yamaguchi due to the narrow dimensions of the shed. Yamaguchi looks rather uncomfortable, contorted awkwardly against the wall to make more space. Tsukishima’s hands are tightly clasped in his lap, his face oddly redder than it was just a minute prior.

“Tiny?!” Shoyo jabs Tsukishima in the ribs with his elbow, sensitive about his height. “I’m a very respectable height, you know. You’re just…freaky!”

Yamaguchi snickers into his hand. Shoyo is starting to think that he’s not quite as nice as initial appearances had suggested.

“Shhhh,” Yachi interjects worriedly. “You two are going to get us caught! Can’t we all just be quiet?!”

Shoyo can’t really handle awkward silence, though, when he’s not preoccupied by a task. “My name’s Hinata Shoyo. She’s Yachi Hitoka,” he tells Tsukishima and Yamaguchi. “Yacchan and I are from Miyagi Prefecture.”

“I’m Yamaguchi Tadashi from Tokyo,” Yamaguchi tells Shoyo, twisting his torso in an attempt to find a better sitting position. “And this is my best friend Tsukishima Kei! Tsukki scored in the top percentile on the entrance exam for this program,” he announces proudly, puffing out his chest like he’s sharing his own scores and not somebody else’s.

“Shut up, Yamaguchi,” Tsukishima groans, burying his head in his hands. Shoyo thinks he catches a glimpse of pink cheeks peeking through Tsukishima’s fingers.

“Sorry, Tsukki!”

“Shhhh!!” Yachi begs, hushing them all again. “What if—”

The door to the shed swings open.

“Ahhh!! We’re sorry!!” Yachi yelps, immediately getting to her knees to beg for forgiveness.

The person standing there stares down at her, eyes wide. “Huh.” And then he looks up.

Flat black hair cut like a bowl sits above piercing eyes, cobalt like the blue of a Mikasa volleyball. Shoyo traces the stranger’s small nose down to his deeply set frown, lips curved like Cupid’s bow. The boy is tall, hands shoved into the pockets of a black Adidas tracksuit.

The first coherent thought that Shoyo manages to formulate is: Cool.

“Oh, it’s this asshole again,” Tsukishima states, matter-of-fact. “The one who was trying to boss us around during the games earlier today. Kageyama, right?”

Kageyama’s face clouds like the sky before a storm. “You were the reason our team ate lunch last,” he mutters. “All the yogurt was gone by then. Jerk.”

“So you’re not an upperclassman?” Yachi asks, relief blossoming across her face. She scrambles to her feet and grabs Kageyama’s sleeve, pulling him inside before quickly shutting the door. “Phew… Now everybody be quiet!” she orders. “I don’t even want to think about what they’ll do to us if they find us.”

At her command, the shed falls silent for a while. Kageyama shuffles his feet awkwardly before crouching on the ground in a flat-footed squat. Shoyo watches him with intrigue; he can’t help it. Kageyama is…he’s eye-catching.

“What are you staring at?” Kageyama grunts after a little while, breaking the quiet.

“Nothing,” Shoyo says immediately, a flush crawling up his neck. Caught red-handed. “Iwasntlookingatanything!”

“What?” Kageyama prods, leaning closer. “Are you even speaking Japanese?”

“O meu nome é Shoyo Hinata,” Shoyo jokes, feeling his skin grow sweaty under his clothes.

Kageyama stares at him blankly and tilts his head, clearly confused. Shoyo stifles a laugh. This Kageyama guy has some pretty cute behaviors, he has to admit.

Yachi swats Shoyo’s arm gently. “His name is Hinata Shoyo. I’m Yachi Hitoka. We’re from Yukigaoka in Miyagi Prefecture,” she says timidly.

Kageyama nods, looking rather solemn. “I’m Kageyama Tobio. I’m from Sendai, so I’m from Miyagi, too.”

“No way!” Shoyo whispers, fighting to keep his voice down. “I’m a huge fan of the Sendai Frogs!”

“The volleyball team?” Tsukishima perks up for the first time since Kageyama entered the shed. “I guess you have some taste, after all, Shrimpy. The Frogs have some of the best blockers in the V-League.”

Before Shoyo can contest the ‘shrimpy’ comment, Kageyama speaks up: “The Frogs have weak offensive power; they only just made the jump from division two to division one. The best team in the V-League is hands-down the Schweiden Adlers.”

“You take that back!” Shoyo protests, seething, right as Tsukishima exclaims, “The Adlers?! The fucking Adlers?!”

“Be quiet!!” Yachi begs.

“I’m just stating facts,” Kageyama retorts, crossing his arms. “The Frogs are shitty.”

“The Frogs are not shitty!” Shoyo declares, heated in a way he only is when it comes to his favorite sport. He played wing spiker for his school team all through high school until it was time to study for university entrance exams—so sue him for being a little overly passionate. “They’re about to thrash the Adlers in their next match!”

“You’re a dumbass if you think—” Kageyama begins, meeting Shoyo’s glare head-on, when the door swings open for a third time.

“Having fun?” asks Yamamoto Akane, standing in the entryway, incisors sharp in her sparkly white smile.

Shoyo fails to suppress his audible gulp.

***

“Our next performers will be a group of five! They specially volunteered to perform this next song and they’ll be cleaning up the whole place once we call it a night!” announces Yamamoto, hitting play on the iPod Nano attached to the stereo speakers.

As the familiar Woaaaah of Justin Bieber’s Baby starts to reverberate through the room, Yamaguchi clutches his microphone like a lifeline, horror-stricken. Yachi’s knees knock together like a baby giraffe. Tsukishima stares blankly ahead.

“I don’t know this song,” Kageyama announces into his microphone, prompting giggles from the audience.

“Just do ad-libs!” Yachi squeaks, lowering her microphone so that she’s only audible to the five of them. “Who knows what the upperclassmen will do if we don’t try!”

“I know you love me, I know you care,” Tsukishima says, completely deadpan, into his microphone in accented English. He sounds like he’s reciting a passage for class.

What follows is the flattest, worst musical performance that Shoyo has ever witnessed, much less participated in. Despite the fact that English was never his favorite strongest subject, Shoyo’s firm grasp on pop culture and five years of playing guitar as a hobby mean that he and Yamaguchi manage to halfway carry the tune, stumbling over the lyrics. Yachi, who Shoyo knows to be an incredibly gifted pianist and lovely singer, spends the verses breathing loudly into the microphone and warbles out the refrain pitchily, halfway hiding behind Tsukishima, who is still doing a monotone robot impression (but somehow seems to know every word, including the rap).

As for Kageyama…he just yells, “Hey!” into his microphone every few seconds, so gruff it’s almost aggressive.

Their rendition is awful, objectively, and their classmates clutch their stomachs the whole time, peals of laughter ringing through the room. Shoyo knows they mean it in good fun; when the song comes to a painful end, the other first years drunkenly hoot and holler with good-natured enthusiasm. Nonetheless, Yamaguchi and Yachi still seem to be moments away from death by mortification.

Thankfully, the event ends shortly afterward, with their fellow students stumbling into the sleeping quarters; everyone is freshly of age and unused to drinking.

Kageyama, Yachi, Yamaguchi, Tsukishima, and Shoyo remain behind, where Yamamoto hands them all trash bags and a few brooms. “Hopefully this serves as a good lesson about being good team players instead of sneaking off to avoid participating,” she tells them. “It was so sweet of you five to offer to clean all this up in place of your very tired seniors!” Yamamoto stretches her arms above her head and yawns, exaggerated. “See you in the morning~”

Once they’re alone, Yamaguchi slumps back against a wall. “I can’t believe we got caught,” he groans.

“We wouldn’t have gotten caught if these two menaces could keep their voices down,” Tsukishima snarks, bending over and getting to work, plucking up paper plates and red solo cups by their rims with two fingers, wrinkling his nose. “God damn it, everything is sticky.”

“You were being loud, too!” Shoyo objects, hands on his hips.

“Let’s just hurry and get this over with,” Yamaguchi interrupts, pinching the bridge of his nose. Abashed, Shoyo joins Tsukishima in cleaning up, along with everyone else.

They finish the job in just thirty minutes, partially because Shoyo and Kageyama somehow end up competing as to who can collect the most trash: it all starts innocently enough, with Kageyama side-eyeing Shoyo’s less-full trash bag with a smirk. Shoyo can’t really even explain how it devolves into the two of them furiously stuffing garbage into their bags as fast as they can.

Shoyo thinks he hears Tsukishima whisper, “single-celled organisms” to Yamaguchi, who snickers in response, but he graciously elects to ignore them.

Once clean-up is finished, the five of them haul the bags out to the dumpster.

“We did it!” Yachi cheers, releasing a huge sigh of relief. Shoyo grins as he watches the tension flow out from her body, fully, for the first time that evening. Without warning, however, she stiffens again.

“What’s wrong, Yacchan?” he asks, genuinely concerned. “Did we forget something?”

“No, no! It’s all okay!” Yachi digs the toe of her converse into the dirt, fiddling with her small purse. “It’s just, um… Um, well, my parents got me a digital camera. To record memories of my time at university. And…I…Will you all take the first picture with me?” she squeaks out, completely pink in the face.

“In front of the dumpster?” Tsukishima raises a skeptical eyebrow.

“Ah, no, um…maybe in front of the inn?” 

“Of course, we can!” Shoyo interrupts, marching over to the front of the main building and shucking off his shoes. “Everyone, stack your shoes here. We can put the camera on top of the pile and use the timer setting!”

Surprisingly, Yamaguchi and Tsukishima and Kageyama all surrender their shoes to the pile without a fight. Yachi’s red converse sit at the very top, flipped upside down so that the little camera can rest on a flat surface. Idly, Shoyo wonders if tonight is the start of something interesting.

“I’m clicking the button!” Yachi announces, pressing down before hurrying to the front steps of the inn, where the others are already waiting. She sits in the very center, sandwiched between Kageyama and Shoyo. Yamaguchi and Tsukishima perch on the step behind them.

Shoyo watches the little green light flash, counting down from ten…nine…eight…seven…six…five…four…three…two…

He raises two fingers in a peace sign and stretches his mouth into his widest smile.

Click.

[shadowthief78]

Going for Dim Sum w/BLLK

I just finished eating i’m so full rn

Just some hcs while i digest.

ISAGI: Good boi, keeps refilling your teacup. Accidentally burns his tongue on xiao long tang bao and whimpers about it. Pretty adventurous, willing to try most stuff, really likes the siu mai and egg tarts (like literally everyone else inthe world does) (egg tart haters dni w/author [lol]).

BACHIRA: Tries to eat at least one of everything even after you warn him that’s a terrible idea. Passes out halfway through one of those huge lotus-leaf-wrapped glutinous rice boiled dumplings and only revives after you dribble half a cup of the degreasing, digestive tea into his mouth with his spoon.

CHIGIRI: Keeps slipping food onto your plate when you aren’t looking. Likes sipping the soup out of the xiao long tang dumplings with the ginger and vinegar. Looks super elegant while doing it as well.

KUNIGAMI: Mouth consistently full of cha sau bao. Eats heartily and keeps reamarking on how well you’ve chosen the dishes. “Here, try this”-es you a lot, like you’re not the one who’s got the most experience.

RIN: Keeps trying to puzzle out what the dishes mean based on their meanings in Kanji. Unfortunately, since kanji and Chinese don’t always match, it leads to some weird questions for you. That’s “beef noodles,” not “beef face” (牛肉面) (yes i know that’s technically not rlly dim sum just let me turn brain off ok?).

REO: Foots the bill. Insists on ordering way too much, probably gets some expensive abalone thing you’ve never tried before. Visibly preens when you refil his teacup or puts food on his plate. Making friends with all the waitresses pushing the carts full of food around by the end.

NAGI: Asks for congee or something since it’s simple and he doesn’t know what he likes (trying new things is a hassle...). Eventually gets entranced with peeling the steamed bao and nibbling on the outsides (aka you hand-feeding him the peels). Asks for dessert soup and pouts when he discovers ginko nut is bitter.

BAROU: Keeps trying to outhost you, the host. You can’t eat all this food. Barou, stop, that’s enough! Have another siu mai or something and let other people have a taste, okay?

KURONA: Munch munch munch. Doesn’t talk much but always chewing when you look over. Gives you the thumbs-up whenever he finds something he likes. Particularly enamored with those super-crispy fried yam balls with mincemeat in the filling.

HIORI: Asks questions about everything and always responds with something along the lines of, “Ah, that’s cool!” Likes the crystal shrimp dumplings (ha gao) the best.

ZANTETSU: Tries to claim the skins of chee cheong fan are something like the remains of silkmaking until you stare at him for too long. No, they’re like a giant steamed rice noodle...

IGARASHI: Distracted by the people rolling out, filling, and pinching dumplings shut in the kitchen.

GAGAMARU: No, he cannot try and carve the Peking duck himself. That’s the waiter’s job. Stares too long at the lobsters and fish in the tanks. No, you will *not* be organizing an aquatic jailbreak of any sort today. Does he want to order something else, or...? Uncanny knack for figuring out what food is in which cart by smell alone.

NANASE: Woah, look at all this new food! So exicitng! Cheeks stuffed all the time, looks adorable while doing it, would probably eat a gravel dumpling if you asked him to. (But it really is all super good, don’t worry about him!)

YUKIMIYA: Tries to communicate in gestures to the staff. Resorts to just smiling a lot. Ends up finishing most of the carrot cake even though he’s not super fond of the yammy taste.

NIKO: Looks like he’s not doing much then when you look back, two full steamer baskets are empty. Salted egg custard supremacy.

KAISER: Tries to get you to feed him by claiming he can’t use chopsticks. You flag down the waitress and ask her for a fork. He gets the only fork they have, a tiny plastic one with a cartoon lion on it, meant for toddlers, and a matching teaspoon + plate. Visibly crestfallen.

[wikimediauncommons]

in order

george stubbs- Horse Frightened by a Lion

file: 2010-05-25-Pferde-4.JPG

tori amos- Beauty Queen/Horses

walter crane- Neptune's Horses

file: 2010-05-25-Pferde-1.JPG

pj harvey- Horses in My Dreams

johannes josephus aarts- Perseus and the Sea Monster

q lazzarus- Goodbye Horses

file: 2011-05-26-Pferde-1a.JPG

george jones- Godiva Preparing to Ride through Coventry

file: 2011-05-26-Pferde-2a.JPG

portishead- The Rip

gao qifeng- White Horse

[thevvking]

Rest incoming, I'll do a battle of champions next week.

[popcorn-plots]

if you are like me and are uncultured, here's some stuff about Chinese new year I got from chatgpt (i know some people hate it, but i find it useful under certain circumstances)

for those of you who are as uncultured as I am, may I present to you the major celebrations, cultural significance, and the popular foods/activities of the Chinese new year

Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is the most significant traditional Chinese holiday celebrated at the turn of the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar. It typically falls between January 21st and February 20th, marking the beginning of a new lunar year. The festivities usually last for about 15 days, with each day carrying its own significance and customs.

Major Celebrations:

Family Reunion: Chinese New Year is primarily a time for family gatherings, where people travel long distances to reunite with their loved ones. The emphasis on family reflects the importance of unity and filial piety in Chinese culture.

Spring Cleaning: Before the New Year, houses are thoroughly cleaned to sweep away any bad luck and make room for good fortune to enter.

Decorations: Red is the dominant color, symbolizing good luck and happiness. Homes and streets are adorned with red lanterns, couplets with auspicious phrases, and images of the upcoming zodiac animal.

Fireworks and Firecrackers: Loud noises from fireworks and firecrackers are believed to scare away evil spirits and bad luck, ushering in the New Year with joy and prosperity.

Dragon and Lion Dances: Performances featuring dragon and lion dances are common during Chinese New Year parades and celebrations. These dances are believed to bring good luck and ward off evil spirits.

Temple Visits: Many people visit temples to pray for good fortune, health, and prosperity in the coming year.

Cultural Significance:

Renewal and Rebirth: Chinese New Year signifies a fresh start and the beginning of spring, symbolizing renewal and the opportunity for personal and professional growth.

Honoring Ancestors: Ancestor worship is an essential aspect of Chinese culture, and during the New Year, families pay respects to their ancestors by offering prayers and burning incense.

Warding Off Evil Spirits: Many customs, such as hanging red decorations and setting off firecrackers, are believed to drive away evil spirits and ensure a harmonious and prosperous year ahead.

Well-known Traditions and Their Significance:

Red Envelopes (Hongbao): Adults give red envelopes containing money to children and unmarried adults to impart blessings and good fortune.

Dumplings: Making and eating dumplings symbolize wealth and prosperity because their shape resembles ancient Chinese gold ingots.

Nian Gao (Sticky Rice Cake): Eating nian gao symbolizes progress, growth, and achieving new heights in the coming year.

Spring Festival Gala: Watching the annual Spring Festival Gala on television is a tradition for many Chinese families, featuring various performances and skits to welcome the New Year.

Popular Foods and Activities:

Noodles: Long noodles symbolize longevity, so eating noodles during the New Year is believed to bring a long and fulfilling life.

Fish: Serving fish represents abundance and prosperity. The Chinese word for fish (鱼, yú) sounds like the word for surplus, symbolizing an increase in prosperity.

Tangyuan: These sweet rice balls symbolize family togetherness and unity.

Visiting Relatives and Friends: Making visits to relatives' and friends' homes is customary during Chinese New Year to exchange blessings and well-wishes.

[nugulover69]

Gaoranger first episode watch notes:

The other rangers abduct the red. like knock him the fuck out via gut punch. granted idk how else you would convince some rando veterinarian to join your magical spandex hero squad but goddamn

His first emotion upon waking up in an unfamiliar area with giant robot animals was utter delight (even the other rangers are baffled by his lack of fear) and his first instinct upon seeing Gao Lion was "ooooooo lion!!" and to scale ?? the fucking cliff ??? babygirl you got insatiable curiosity and the self-preservation skills of a lemming you're a perfect fit for leader

Other things of note: White and Red's toe bean gloves and Yellow doing the splits. great start everyone

[des-shinta]

Gao! What started as a "Hey, could I do this?" with the spare Shark/Tiger/Eagle/Bison from the GaoKnight Kit has ended up expanding immensely for me into working to produce custom SMP figures of the Extra-canonical Power Animals Seen in Gaoranger/Wild Force's Final episode and listed in GaoRanger's series Apocrypha, as well as a couple that were color variants officially released such as GaoHunter blue Moon and the Lucky prize Draw DX toys (Panda, Ape, the White and Blue Lions) that the SMP line didn't do. These are all of the ones I've managed to repaint and remodel in the last year, totaling 30 in all thus-far. Coupled with the standard release power Animals and counting the black Elephant released in the GaoKnight set as GaoMammoth, I'm currently at 55 out of the 103. Back Row: GaoOwl, GaoVulture, Gaoligator Blue, and Gaodile (still a WIP for some parts) Second-from-Back: GaoSheep, GaoGaur, GaoUtan, GaoApe, GaoCougar, and Gaolion blue Second-From-Front: GaoRednose, Gaoryx,GaoGoat, GaoCamel, GaoLynx, GaoHowl, GaoCoyote, GaoJackal, GaoCheetha, GaoPanther, GaoFangolin, and Gaohedgehog Front Row: GaoLessar, GaoCrescent, GaoPanda, Gaokark, Gaohawk, GaoCrow, GaoJaws, and GaoCarp. My Next focus when I can get the time is to figure out more leg-type units, as I've got far too many SMP Rhino's sitting around and I'd like to display at least a few more of these in combined form. Also Finger's Crossed for SMP Hurricanger/Ninja storm mechs being somewhere in the near future to pull a Gourai Senpujin/thunderstorm megazord Sword and Shield off with.

[jinanreona]

@fireandfae sent:

He watches as the tiny ghost crashes into the wall for the second time before he peeks under the sheet hiding the tiny lion and giggling. "I found you! Now you gotta give me candy!" (for the delusional baby au uwu)

How this odd game of hide-and-seek/tag had started was beyond anyone in the castle, only watching as the two toddlers chased each other and ran across the cobbled floor. Leona had found himself being the one hunted, creeping along one of the winding hallways before crashing into a wall and giving away his location. The cub had initially given a loud 'gao!' to frighten the boy when the baby dragon had found him. Malleus had been far from frightened though, only answering with a roar of his own paired with a giggle.

With a huff, Leona had tried to make a speedy escape only to run right into another wall, the makeshift holes he'd tried to carve out in the sheet making it difficult to see properly. Rubbing his face with a quiet 'ow...,' he could only gasp in surprise when his sheet was lifted, bright green eyes and a playful grin greeting him as Malleus peered underneath. Sniffling, he wipes away the tears that had threatened to spill, clutching his candy bag closer to himself as his fluffy ears press down against his head.

A pout is evident, Leona giving the other boy a slight squint before he concedes and digs through his bag to pull out a treat. He holds out a chocolate bar for the other, paired with an indignant huff. "Only one!"

The sour mood from earlier seems to be forgotten as Malleus accepts the candy, looking at it curiously. It was one Leona had brought from his home, no doubt unknown by the little dragon. What would the boy think about the spicy chocolate?

It's a question for another day. Before Malleus can open it, Leona gives the boy a slight shove to get him out from under his sheet as he giggles. "Don't eat it now! It's your turn to hide!" Malleus may have caught him quickly, but Leona wasn't going to go easy on him either!