#i had to draw this thing I said to rou today

[momentary-moss]

this is how that scene goes right

[evieismol]

Chapter Five of BIG Bend

A/N: it finally has a very obvious, kind of cheesy title, given that it’s set in big bend national park. Next chapter, this one from John’s POV. Fun fact, I’m posting this from a tent in the middle of nowhere Montana! (Its very cold)

Word count: 1057

Warnings: language (curse words)

Previous Chapter

John pulled into the first empty parking space he saw, glad he’d chosen to wear sunglasses today. The sun was still nearly blinding as he stepped out of the black SUV. He took a moment to look around. So this was Alpine. He’d been given some information about the area surrounding Big Bend, and done more research on his own. This was his first time actually stepping foot in the town, though. It wasn’t very memorable, to be honest. It looked similar to any other small town he’d been to. He headed into the grocery store.

He stepped onto the canned goods isle. It was empty, save for a woman about his age. She had messy brown hair pulled back in a low ponytail, and wore a simple cotton blouse. When he rounded the corner, she was trying to balance on her tiptoes to grab a can on the top shelf.

“Need some help?” John asked. She looked over, a sheepish expression caught her face.

“Honestly, I’d appreciate it. Seems like they all got pushed to the back of the shelf,” the woman said. John smiled, reaching up and grabbing a can. He handed it to her.

“Thanks. I was about to start trying to climb it,” she said with a laugh.

“No worries,” John replied.

“Are you visiting the park?” The woman asked.

“I work there, actually,” John said. “Just started.”

“Ah! I guess it is about that time of year. Spring always seems to bring in some new folk,” the woman said.

“You sound like you’re pretty familiar with the area?” John asked.

“Born and raised here. For better or worse. I’m Hannah, by the way.” She stuck her hand out. John shook it, introducing himself in turn.

“Mind if I ask what you’re doing at the park? Ranger, tourism?” Hannah asked. John wondered if people in this beck of the woods were normally this talkative, or if it was unique to her. He’d had very little conversation over the past few weeks that was related to work, and with Easton or Dan, though, so he couldn’t say he was opposed.

“Operations oversight,” John replied. A hopelessly vague description, as it was intended to be. “IMA Agent assigned to oversee an Aphirial working in the park” was both wordy, and not something management had thought was a good thing to lead with. Of course, the plan was to have Easton work in a public-facing role, which John suspected was at least partially to draw visitation. They had yet to actually make an official announcement regarding that. And John suspected that even once they did, they’d probably still adivse him to keep his role fairly quiet.

“Hm, like for one of their new projects? We’ve all heard a bajillion rumors about that,” Hannah said. John shrugged casually.

“I’m sure most are more interesting than the truth,” he said.

“I suppose it’s always that way. Well, if you ever have any questions about the area, I work at the thrift shop just down the road. You can’t miss it,” Hannah said. She smiled, and turned to leave. Before she’d made it five steps, they were interrupted by someone yelling. Angrily, by the sounds of it. Hannah turned around, towards the commotion. John raised an eyebrow. He walked to the end of the isle slowly, hoping to get a better grasp of what was going on without being spotted. He felt himself relax as he realized it was someone yelling about an expired coupon. Bit of an overreaction, he thought. Hannah stood next to him. She rolled her eyes.

“Sounds like Joy’s at it again,” she said.

“Joy?”

“Yeah, she’s-“ Hannah stopped as a tall, lanky woman with bleach blond hair stormed into view. She stopped when she saw Hannah.

“Would you believe they wouldn’t let me use this coupon? Like they weren’t the ones to give it to me!” Joy shouted the last part over her shoulder.

“That’s, uh, rough,” Hannah said, tone decidely noncommittal.

“Yeah, whatever-who’s this?” Joy asked, turning to John.

“John O’Riley,” he said, extending a hand. She ignored it.

“He works for the park,” Hannah explained. That seemed to catch Joy’s attention. She raised her eyebrows.

“That so?”

“Yes ma’am,” John replied.

“You wouldn’t happen to know anything about the park’s supposed plan to employ an Aphirial, would you?” Joy asked, gaze glimmering with sudden interest.

“I’m not at liberty to discuss park-“

“Oh, cut the bullshit,” Joy said. “My family owns a ranch near the park. We know there’s a plan.”

“Then you’d be better off directing any questions to Dan,” John replied evenly. “I’d assume you know how to contact him already?”

Joy glared at him, but seemed to realize she wouldn’t be getting anything else from him. “Thanks. I’ll do that.”

She walked - no, stomped - off as quickly as she’d appeared. John and Hannah stood there for a moment in silence. Then, Hannah burst out laughing. John gave her a look as if to ask ‘what’s her deal’.

“That,” she nodded towards the door Joy had just disappeared from. “Is what happens when spoiled kids grow up. She’s the daughter of a local livestock magnate, thinks that makes her the second coming of Christ. Most people in town are kind of terrified of her.”

“Not you?” John asked.

“We went to highschool together. Unless Jesus also pukes in the girl’s locker room on prom night, mean she may be, but divine she is not.” Hannah responded. “Sounds like this might be the exception to the whole rumors are always more exciting than the truth thing, though?”

“I really can’t speak further on that,” John said.

She nodded. “Can’t blame a girl for trying.”

“Well, I’d best be getting back to the park. Long drive,” John said. “It was nice meeting you.”

“And you, mysterious operations guy-I mean, John,” Hannah said jokingly. He chuckled, and headed out, making a mental note to tell Dan about Joy’s inquiries.

[the-musical-cc]

 The Anotherholic novel has quite some tidbits of randomness that I sadly haven’t seen anyone commenting so here I go (And keep in mind I don’t know how much you can rely on this one as it was written by someone other than CLAMP? But it seems they were involved.) :

Yuuko mentions ‘English gentlemen are the most honorable ones out there, they’d never be up to anything suspicious’ which is funny considering the one British guy she’s shown to know is precisely the opposite.

She’s also apparently really good at breaking codes- not magically, either. There is also something to how she’s apparently a really fast texter but in ‘Rou’ Watanuki says pressing the keys gets on his nerves, like- it’s funny the senior of them is better with tech than the junior.

She’s CONSTANTLY MAKING PUNS (They’re untranslatable most of the time but still.) much to Watanuki’s chagrin. You don’t understand, Yuuko making silly puns that make Watanuki want to murder is one of my favorite headcanons.

Watanuki can sense when people are having rude thoughts about him. It’s for comedic effect, I think but there ARE some hints to his sealed powers being still present in aspects where they’re there to warn him of things that could be bad for him, so it may be part of that (Which makes the whole thing with Himawari so much more WORSE.) 

Going back to the rude thoughts- he usually pins it on either Yuuko or Doumeki.

Apparently, at one point Watanuki lost all of what he’d fared in Yuuko’s shop thanks to his big mouth- he made a gamble that if shiritori ever saved his life, he’d happily give away what he’d earned thus far.

Yuuko keeps calling him ‘My Watanuki’. (Not sure if it’s a different translation from the ‘Our Watanuki’ used in the manga to imply his ‘Belonging’ to the shop, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t fucking melt.)

She also calls him ‘My adorable Watanuki’ but I’m not sure how serious she’s being there.

The single best exchange between them, hands down: ‘Now you’re starting to scare me.’ ‘I exist to scare you’.

There’s this joke I’m not sure I understand where she says two times in a row that she ‘Won’t give him a raise’, but the second time ‘Raise’ is in italics and my perv ass mind immediately went to the gutter. Looking up the word for ‘Raise’ and whether it had alternate meanings didn’t help much as it apparently has a ton, ranging from ‘To give someone an updo’ to ‘To bear a child’ going through ‘To fry’. In any case it seems like she’s implying something improper. Watanuki’s reaction being that he’s uncomfortable she’s making it sound ‘Real’ makes me lean towards that even more.

Yuuko owns a ten-gallon hat... and wears it indoors. To lay around on her sofa.

Apparently, the reason she smart-mouths him so much is she doesn’t want him to get a big head- which if we consider how powerful he’ll become in the future, is not entirely a bad call.

Another exchange ‘If I am forced to eat something besides flowing somen today, I may well die.’ ‘Glad to hear it.’ Kid. KID. I don’t know if the writer knew back then where this was going but oof those words are gonna haunt you.

Watanuki vowed to himself never to become like her at some point. I can’t tell if it’s more sad or funny.

The ‘Aerosol’ chapter of the novel is where the thing about his dislike of Doumeki on first sight being because the spirits were influencing his mood and keeping him away from the one thing that could help him draw them away came from. I’d seen that mentioned by fans before but wasn’t sure where it had come from. Though in terms of his character and furthermore the ‘Curse’ placed on him by Fei Wong , it made sense for Watanuki to reject someone that might save him and be attracted to someone that might kill him instead, so I accepted it.

There’s also a thing about how his beef with Doumeki is ‘He has what Watanuki wants and doesn’t have what Watanuki doesn’t want.’ but that one sounds like he’s just rationalized the visceral reaction.

‘Had he ever felt that keenly about anyone? He had good friends, and he had a family. He had a girl he liked. But were his feelings for them so powerful that he would make them into ghosts if they died? He might have eyes that could see spirits. But that did not mean they could see who was important to him.’ OK nevermind the writer KNEW.

Add ‘You think I’d be involved in anything GOOD?’ to the golden Yuuko quotes list.

Also apparently Watanuki thinks if he were to stop coming to the shop she’d starve. She does make a comment to that effect earlier on so he’s not entirely being sarcastic.

For a moment there, Watanuki thinks he’s paid enough to be able to stop working for Yuuko and just like in my wildest fanfiction dreams, he’s not happy.  He gets sad that he’s never going to see her again and that he couldn’t even get to thank her, feed her one last time and say goodbye properly and can you tell I’m dead? ‘cause I am. 

In the same instance, he finds he no longer finds Doumeki repellent and getting to know him better sounds like ‘A dandy idea’. Which I guess is because this seems to be timed BEFORE the ghost lady that made him sick and they aren’t really all that close just yet. Otherwise I think he’d try to stick to status quo a bit more.

The fact that he sees spirits bothers and terrifies Watanuki not because of the spirits themselves but because it makes him different from everyone else and he DESPERATELY wants to feel he belongs. Am I crying? Yes.

Around the end, it seems to also be the first instance where Watanuki asks Yuuko if there is any wish he wants him to grant for her. Followed by her asking jokingly (Or not?) if this is his first step in a campaign to take the shop from her?. Um. Ouch.

Also, Yuuko hints at Watanuki’s wish of losing the ability to see spirits ultimately not making him happy if it’s granted. Which we now know is probably right.

[salandition]

Wear it Like a Jacket

Raihan x Reader

A/N: This started off as a request that someone sent me, but i noticed i was straying very far away from the initial idea and prompt so I made it into it’s own post. 

Word Count: 3,700+

---

Raihan wears a big, fluffy, comfortable hoodie over his gym uniform- and he almost always wears his gym uniform. The gym clothes don’t really suit him, and the shorts show off too much of his legs, in his opinion- but the fans love his legs, so he guesses there’s at least that.

But Galar is known for it’s fickle weather, and Hammerlocke is built smack-dab in the middle of the Wild Area- you know, the place with several different climates that rotate daily? Yeah.

So Raihan takes what he can get with his uniform- using the hoodie as his one solace during the cold weather as his legs shake from being so naked and bare during literal snowstorms.

That being said, at least the uniform is nice for when the sun is determined to blast literal heat rays onto the city that create a fuzzy haze in the air. That’s the only time that he takes off his big hood, tying the article around his hips instead. Still, the hoodie doesn’t leave him. It’s always on him.

A shame that it’s been used against him. He wore it at first because he didn’t like his clothes, and he didn’t like showing his skin, and he really didn’t like having so many eyes on him and admiring him. Despite the selfies, the attitude he showcases out there- there’s truth to it, of course, but only so much. It was nice, but stifling. Raihan brought the hoodie with him originally to feel more secure, to ground him with something familiar and something that belonged to him.

Raihan was ignorant when he did such a thing- he should have predicted that people would leech everything they could get. The hoodie became his staple- a part of his image. It was his uniform now, just as much as the collared shirt and shorts were. And he just had to live with that.

That’s fine. It’s comfortable, it’s soft, it’s snug. He’s not complaining.

But he doesn’t wear it outside of work anymore.

No one has ever commented on it, though. No one really pays attention to Raihan like that, honestly, so he’s not surprised. He hardly even realizes it himself- it’s not something noticeable. Not really.

You were different, though, apparently. His eyebrows raises in surprise and interest as you ask him one day-

“Why don’t you wear your jacket?”

His lips pull up as his brow furrows, just a bit confused as he looks down at you. “What do you mean? I wear it all the time.”

“At work,” you look away from him as you look ahead, shuffling on the bench you sit on. Your hand ruffles through a plastic bag, taking out a handful of crumbs before you throw it out on the grass and several bird Pokemon flock down to get a bite. “You never wear it out of the gym.”

Raihan hums, watching the birds and how they flap their wings and one of the bigger ones puffs out its chest as it tries to get more than the rest. “I guess. Never really thought about it. Does my current outfit not do it for you?”

“That’s not it,” you tell him, “I just noticed. I guess I wondered if there was a reason behind it. You used to wear it all the time- your dad gave it to you, right?”

He had no idea you would remember such a thing.

“...Yeah,” Raihan says. “That’s true.”

He doesn’t say anything else and neither do you. The two of you once again sit in silence, simply just being in each other's company as you spread out food for the wild Pokemon around the park. It’s a beautiful day out- the sun is shining but not in an overwhelming way, a breeze flits through the air and through his thick hair, leaving little bumps on his neck.

For once, he’s wearing pants, so he’s not as cold as he’d usually be. It’s pleasant.

“But you do look nice,” your voice cuts through the silence eventually and Raihan turns his head lazily to look at you. Surprisingly, you look him in the eye- something you tend to avoid doing, so it almost catches him off guard how confident you are and how your eyes shine so brightly with the sun behind your head. “You always do, but I like what you’re wearing now, too.”

“Oh, yeah?” Raihan smiles as he lets out a soft breath, his back slouching more as he relaxes against the hard bench. His head tilts just barely as he tries to look at you from another angle-

Hear your words from another angle. But he doesn’t see or hear anything except for everything that was already there.

“Thank you, then,” he says simply and you smile at him as you nod, your eyes squinting and nose scrunching in the cute way it does whenever you smile.

It’s not much longer after that when the two of you part, both having another thing to do while the day was bright and shining. You comment that you should do this again, and Raihan hums an agreement- and that was that. The walk back to Raihan’s home is relatively peaceful, besides the few times that a fan sees him and waves eagerly from across the street. But no one wants pictures today or conversation- it’s a rare day that happens, especially during such nice weather, so Raihan appreciates it. He appreciates the rare silence he’s given, especially when he’s busy trying to pull your words apart in his head.

When he opens his front door, closes it behind him, Raihan finds himself torn by how simple you are. Simplicity has never been so confusing. He shouldn’t really be wondering why you say the things you say- why you noticed such a trivial detail about him, that surely everyone else has noticed too, probably- it’s not a big deal.

Still, when Raihan wanders into his room and sees that same, familiar hoodie sitting clean and neat on it’s hanger in his closet- he can’t help but draw his eyebrows together and feel odd. He reaches forward without even realizing it, feels the material of something he’s felt hundreds of times between his fingers.

Your dad gave it to you, right?

Raihan hardly remembers telling you such a thing. 

Frustrated, he lets the sleeve go and shuts his closet in an act of defiance, though Raihan has no idea what he’s even defying. A jacket is a jacket- and it’s hardly even that, anymore. It’s a uniform. 

It wasn’t supposed to be a uniform. 

---

Raihan’s been feeling stranger lately. It’s not bad- but it bothers him that his jacket feels itchy all of the sudden when he goes to work- and it bothers him that he doesn’t know why he feels strange in the first place. It’s irritating, honestly, but Raihan is a relaxed guy and he doesn’t get irritated. 

So everyone hardly has anything to say besides what’s routine, because Raihan isn’t any different. Not really. 

But when you come to visit him at work, you confuse him again. “What’s wrong?” You ask, eyebrows furrowed. He does the same as he looks down at you. Again. You’re really short. 

“What do you mean? I feel fine.”

“You’re acting different,” your lips purse as you mumble and your arms cross across your chest. You look away as you ponder. “Maybe I’m wrong though,” you say, quickly taking it back- Raihan doesn’t know why you’re so quick to doubt yourself. “I guess I thought you were a bit tense. You’re itching your arms a lot.”

Raihan doesn’t know what to say to that. He looks at his arms- the sleeves of his jacket pulled up to his elbows- and he’s confused when he finds lines there. Lines his nails left from scratching too hard. 

Why didn’t he notice that?

“Maybe I’m allergic to something,” he says, putting his hands in his pockets. Raihan knows he isn’t allergic to anything but soybeans.

You take the bait though, murmuring that maybe that was it, and the conversation moves on. The two of you talk about a variety of things, and then Raihan has to leave to work more with his gym trainers. You leave after you wrap an arm around his thin waist, pulling him into a side-hug and successfully confusing him further as you bid him goodbye and let him go. 

You didn’t even let him hug you back- but that wasn’t it. You’ve never done that before. Hug him? No, not really. He’ll hug you sometimes, as much as he hugs everyone else. But Raihan remembers distinctly how you often shy away from affectionate things like that and you’ve told him that you don’t really feel comfortable initiating contact. 

It’s flattering that you would hug him. That’s what he should be feeling. But instead he’s just...

He doesn’t know. 

---

The next time the two of you meet, Raihan isn’t wearing his jacket. He wears a faded purple hoodie, a black collared shirt beneath it, and once again he hides his long legs behind some grey jeans. You invited him out for breakfast- of all meals. 

Raihan didn’t even know people went out for breakfast. It was always lunch or dinner. 

The morning air is refreshing though when he walked to your apartment and picked you up, and the conversation is equally as refreshing. He’s glad you invited him out since he’s been feeling odd ever since the last time you talked. Thankfully, he doesn’t feel that way anymore. 

As you both eat your fruit and pancakes at the diner, Raihan feels light and relaxed. He breathes easy. 

You confuse him sometimes, but he doesn’t think it’s really your fault. Nothing you do is wrong or weird- it’s just Raihan. He’s the weird one. 

You’re the bright, beautiful one with the same shining eyes you had in the park. You haven’t changed, and that’s nice. 

So when you ask him, “are you feeling better?” Raihan tries to keep breathing easy. 

“I don’t know,” he says honestly and takes another bite of his fruit. “But I feel good right now.”

“I’m glad for that,” you smile. Raihan doesn’t try to hide his stare. “If you need to talk about something or vent, I can listen. I’m not nearly as busy as you, so I’m sure I have the time whenever you need me.”

Raihan hums as a reply. 

---

It’s around six A.M. when he calls you. Raihan doesn’t expect you to answer, but you do, so he doesn’t take that for granted. 

“Do you think gym leaders are allowed to play hooky?” He asks you. He sits on his bed, naked besides his boxers, and he’s staring at his closet. 

Your voice is rough and groggy, probably from just waking up. “I don’t think so, but the Gym Challenge isn’t really happening right now...” You hum and Raihan can hear shuffling on the other end. “Why would you want to? You have a plan?” 

“Not exactly,” Raihan says. “I guess I just don’t want to go.” 

A few silent beats pass until you talk again. “...Do you want to come to my place?” 

“Yeah.”

“Alright,” you grunt- Raihan thinks you’re proabably getting out of bed, “I’ll make some tea.”

---

When Raihan arrives at your place, he’s got a bag around his shoulder and skinny jeans on, which feels ridiculous because of how early it is, but skinny jeans are warm. 

You let him in without question, though, letting him close the door behind him as you wander to the kitchen. He follows behind, lowering his head when the doorway to the kitchen gets in his way. 

He’s too tall. 

“You like black tea?” You smile and sit at the table where two glasses sit. You take your spot, and he takes his. 

“Yup,” Raihan says, but when he looks down, it’s definitely not black tea that sits in his cup. He gives you a look, and you smile wider as you put a spoon in yours and stir. 

“Everyone knows that about you,” you say. “But I know you like green tea, too. With a blend of white.” Your head makes a nod as you look at his bag, gesturing to it. “Are you going to put the bag down?” 

Raihan slowly removes the strap from his shoulder, looking at you strangely as he puts the bag down to rest on his chair. “I didn’t realize you knew so much about me,” he says, selecting the words carefully. 

“I don’t know anything you haven’t told me,” you tilt your head in curiosity, still stirring your tea. Raihan sighs and frowns, looking back at his cup. 

“I guess I didn’t realize that, either.”

“Does it bother you?”

“I don’t know,” He frowns more. “I think I tell everyone the same things. My friends the same details. It’s never really brought up, though.” When he finally sips his tea, it’s full of flavor but burns his tongue. 

Raihan drinks some more and he doesn’t even wince. 

You hum as you take in what he’s told you. “What’s in the bag?” You ask him instead of questioning him on the other topic further. Raihan looks across the table at you, your face surprisingly calm. 

“...I wanted to ask you something,” Raihan stands from the table, and you follow suit, waiting beside him as he ruffles in the bag and brings out his hoodie. The familiar, iconic one- clean and warm from the dryer. He hands it to you, waiting for you to take it as you stare at the article wide-eyed. “Could you put this on?” 

You look at him, utterly confused.”Why?”

It’s six A.M. That fact is somehow really solidified in his head at this moment that he stands in your kitchen, feeling oddly desperate as he gives you something that is precious. 

“I... Whenever I put it on,” his hand lowers, holding the jacket tightly between his fingers, “it feels weird. No matter how many times I wash it, it makes me itch. I checked for bugs, all that- but there’s nothing. So I want you to put it on and just- tell me if it itches.” He’s aware that the idea is weird, and Raihan is ready for you to call him crazy and that he needs to go to work- 

Instead, you take the hoodie from his hands as you tell him, “okay.” Your head nodding in a resolute way. 

...Okay. 

Raihan can’t do much but watch as you unfold the jacket, shaking it out and then move it behind you as your arms slip through the sleeves. You fumble for the zipper and struggle to latch it and pull it up, because the hoodie goes all the way down to your knees- if Raihan wasn’t feeling like a bit of his soul was riding on this, he would have laughed. 

But he doesn’t, and he thinks you noticed that. 

“...Itchy?” He asks after a few moments, once the hoodie is zipped up and securely around you. You lick your lips and purse them, nose scrunching up as you think- cute- and then your arms fall to your sides as you look up at him. 

“...Not really. It feels soft and comfortable- I’m not feeling anything itchy, besides maybe the tag on my neck.” 

Raihan sighs- his body practically falling into your kitchen chair as he sits down and lays his head on the table. “What is it, then?” He groans, dragging the words longer than they need to be as he feels like he’s losing. Losing to what- he doesn’t know. But he’s losing. 

Your hand places on his back, rubbing gently until eventually you ask, “why don’t you put it on?”

He looks at you as his head lies on the table, cheek squished, and he rolls his eyes. “You know, I hadn’t tried that.”

You snort and pinch his back. “Just do it for me. I want to see something, too. I did it for you, so do it for me.”

Clearly, you have an idea. So Raihan groans some more as he sits up, watching you with half lidded eyes as you take off his jacket and hand it over to him. Raihan shrugs it on as he does nearly every morning, the jacket fitting him the way it always does. 

“How does it feel?” You ask. 

He waits. 

His face falls, and you fall down to squat beside him, a hand on his thigh as you balance on your toes. 

“I don’t get it,” he says, “it’s been bothering me all week.”

“Okay,” you say, taking a breath as you look up at him from your spot on the floor. Your hand starts to rub his leg- not in a way that’s suggestive or crude. It’s comforting- at least, it’s supposed to be. Raihan’s not sure how he feels at all in this moment. “But let’s think about it. Usually, you only wear it at work, right?” Raihan nods. “Right now, you’re only with me.”

He purses his lips, eyebrows furrowing. “That still doesn’t make sense.” You give him a look. 

“Raihan,” you sigh, “You’ve been acting off all week. Ever since we met at the park- do you think that’s just me? Or is it true?” 

His silence is enough of an answer. 

“I think there’s something bothering you, but I can’t tell you what it is. It’s impossible for me to know that,” Raihan almost scoffs. He’s not sure that’s true. 

You seem to know more about him than Raihan himself does, these days. 

Your hand around his knee, you shake him a bit. “So, do you think you can tell me?”

Raihan looks down at you again- and it’s odd. You’re odd- even if that goes against what he said yesterday. He doesn’t think that’s true anymore. Because here you are, squatting beside him and talking him through something- whatever this is- at six o’clock in the morning. With his favorite tea on the table- getting cold, if he might add. 

Who does that?

He sighs, an elbow on the table as he sits up to prop his face in his palm. His fingers scratch at his cheek. “You mentioned how I never wear my jacket outside of work. And I guess I was thinking about how that’s true. And a variety of other things.” 

You shake his leg again, and Raihan smiles as he huffs out a breathy chuckle. 

“So many people stare at me,” he closes his eyes, “so many people are looking. The appreciation for it comes and goes. I like the attention, and I like my job. But it’s... it’s like my life is impersonally personal. Like no matter what I bring to the screen, to the people watching me- it’s Raihan, right? The great gym leader, Leon’s ultimate rival- Raihan who goes feral, Raihan who uses the weather, Raihan who takes a bunch of photos.” 

“Who wears the sweater?” You add, and Raihan’s blue eyes open and stare ahead of him. 

“...Yeah.” He snorts. “I’m not even making any sense, but yeah.” 

You shrug from below him, but don’t offer him any words. You just keep looking at him- so Raihan guesses he isn’t done explaining himself. 

“I guess...” Raihan starts, the words taking their time to come out as the gears in his brain process. “I like my job, but I don’t like... when the things important to me lose their meaning because of all the people looking at me,” his free hand wanders to his jacket then, once again feeling the material between his fingers. 

Soft and warm. Unstained, despite everything it’s been through. Raihan made sure of that. 

“I think I get what you mean. I can’t say I wholeheartedly understand, because I’m not in your position,” your other hand grabs his hoodie too, making Raihan once again put his focus on you as you smile so gently at him. “But I can make sense of it- I can tell why you’re feeling bothered. So do you know what I think?” 

Raihan smiles back, raising an intrigued eyebrow. “What do you think?” He asks.

“I think you should wear this when we go out for breakfast again tomorrow,” you tell him. “And I think you should wear it when you go to work today.” 

Finally, you stand- groaning a bit as you do and wiggling your toes. Raihan’s eyes follow you, lips forming a pout. 

“You’re not letting me play hooky, after all?”

You laugh, eyes sparkling again when you do, “I’ll make it up to you tomorrow,” you tell him. 

And oddly enough, Raihan believes you. You haven’t given him a reason not to. 

---

He does as he’s told. Raihan goes to work, wearing the jacket as he always does- and things go smoothly. No one knows what happened this morning, because Raihan acts the same as ever. When the day is over and Raihan is back home, he puts the jacket back on it’s same hanger, and the gym clothes back in their same drawer. 

The next morning, he meets you at your apartment again. The hoodie wraps around him like a blanket, providing extra comfort against the chilly morning air. The break in his routine feels strange, but otherwise- not world shattering. You answer the door right away, and the two of you walk back to the diner you had gone to before. 

Once again, in the middle of your meal, you ask him the same question. “Are you feeling better?” 

This time, Raihan didn’t have any fruit on his plate- now it’s bacon, and the pancakes from before is replaced with a sweet chocolate crepe. The bacon crunches just how he likes it when he puts it in his mouth. 

“You know?” Raihan starts, his long legs stretching under the table and bumping against yours as he leans back in his chair. “I think I feel fine.” 

“Things feel a bit better when they’re put in a different context, don’t they?” You hum pleasantly with a smile, chewing on your own meal. “Not as suffocating.”

Ha. He gives you a squinty, wide smile as he shrugs. “Possibly,” he says. 

When Raihan reaches forward to grab his drink, your arm darts out and grabs his. His eyes widen in surprise, and you lift his arm a bit before you let go. “Nearly got chocolate sauce stains. Can’t have that.” You gesture to the plate below him.

He’s never been so careless. 

Raihan grins even bigger than before. “Thanks, mate.” 

His father would never forgive him if he got it stained. Thankfully, though, Raihan has you to help look after it just as much as he does. 

[duratrans]

Satoshi Mizukami Q&A, 3/3

Satoshi Mizukami recently took questions from the editor's desk, and publicly from write-ins, for an interview to celebrate the first volume of Solte going on sale (Jan 9th!). So I translated them all! It’s in three parts, so I’ll post them one by one.

Here is the third and final section, general questions of all kinds.

Q: I heard you were pretty impressed by Masakazu Ishiguro's Hero (note: Debut work in Gekkan Afternoon, 2000), and when you met him you said "You're my rival!" right to his face! Is there anyone that comes to mind you would still consider your professional rival today? A: Oof. I don't think I have that spirit in me any more. But, even while myself and so many of my friends are starting to slow down, when I see them putting out work, I do feel encouraged to stick it out.

Q: I've heard you started working to become a manga artist because you "wanted to live in a fantasy world" yourself. If you really could jump into a fictional world, what kind of work would it be? Who would you be in the story? The main character, or maybe the last boss? A: I want to live in a porno game. Somewhere with no danger or fighting.

Q: From any medium, can you think of one piece that you liked the most or inspired you? And can you explain why? A: There's probably too many to try and pick just one, but in terms of what really influenced me; For manga, late 90's Shonen Sunday and early 2000's Afternoon. Then, 90's new-wave light novels. For anime, Diebuster. In film, La Puta. A handful of Sega Saturn games. Some scifi stories on forums, and a bunch of other works on Shosetsu-ka ni Narou.

Q: What have you seen/read/played more recently that you liked the best? And can you tell us what you liked? A: Manga: Touge Oni. It was the first thing I read in a while that made me jealous. In books, The Three-Body Problem. I liked the second of the trilogy best, but they were just good page-turners. For anime, Karakuri Circus. The manga ended long enough ago that it felt like going in fresh again, so it hit just right. Really liked the OP too. Film: Interstellar. Tenet wasn't great, so I rewatched this again and still good. It's exactly the kind of movie I was wanting. Games: Ring Fit. I had the idea if I got a little bit in shape, I might get some motivation back. I feel like it might be working? Just the teensiest, slightest bit. Light novels: I Am the Only One Who Knows This World Is a Game. It's just the right amount of bonkers.

Q: If you had ultimate freedom to do any kind of manga you wanted, what would it be like? Would you want a long series, or something shorter? -Ruha A: I was going to say I haven’t exactly had any restrictions, but actually a few things did come up with Solte. But even still, I can fit in any ideas I really want to draw, so I think things are pretty good as they are.

Q: If you had to put yourself in a genre, what kind of manga artist do you think you are? Sci-fi? Or maybe romance? -Takeshi A: I'm a little surprised to see "romance", even as an example. If you ask me, you can categorize me however you want.

Q: Which character are you most attached to, out of all of your works? -Habu A: Anima from Biscuit Hammer.

Q: When you're designing your characters, how do you come up with a good balance when it comes to the composition and relationships in the cast? -Yoneko A: Oh, man. I just kinda... Feel it out.

Q: I've been a big fan of your work forever! I really like your drawing style. How do you make your art the way you do? -gum A: I dunno, that's just how it turns out when I draw. I've been telling myself "Wow, I need to work on my art" for 19 years, since the day I was first published.

Q: Has raising a child had any effect on your stories? -Tai A: It means I work less.

Q: I want to draw manga too, but I'm not very confident in my skills. Do you have any advice? -Tai Arima A: First, do you mean you're not satisfied yourself with the quality of your work, or you're just not confident enough to put it out there? Don't worry, this is always a fundamental issue for creators, things rarely come out just how you imagine them. It's like how you can only print out photos at a resolution as sharp as your camera can capture them. I recommend you start by just making something. Sit down, do it, and finish it, and you'll learn a lot from it. It'll be up to you whether you show that around, but when you start, I wouldn't necessarily make a big deal out of it, you can just work on it quietly without making a big announcement. That way, there's no pressure, and if it's not working out, you can still stop or take a break without feeling bad about it. You decide how to use your time the best.

Q: When I went to a promo event for Planet With at Loft, you and Rensuke Oshikiri (Hi Score Girl) both talked about how as you get older, you find it harder and harder to stay motivated. Have you found anything that helps you in that regard? -Tayu A: I listed to some cheerful music for a while last week and actually found it helped my mood a little.

Q: I love how expressive all of your characters are! Is there anything particular in your process for when you are working on faces and expressions? -Arbel A: I have to be careful I don't go overboard making the same expression I'm drawing.

Q: I write for a hobby, but I always have trouble planning out how the story comes together. Do you have any advice or a favorite method for composing a story? -Nigou A: I read and re-read what I've got, and anywhere I think it's getting dull, I change the scene or add some exciting development. Make the last thing you think would happen, happen. And don't worry about how to tidy everything up, that's a problem for tomorrow you. Today you just has to lay it out.

Q: Hello, Sensei. I've read all your works, and I'm a big fan, but what really impresses me is your dialog. I love how it always just flows off the page, it reads so naturally. So, my question is, when you are writing the dialog, do you just hear it unfold naturally in the character's voices, or do you write more deliberately like "oh, here they would probably say this?" That probably sounds weird to people who've never written manga, but I'd like to know about your process. P.S. Good luck with the Ring Fit grind. -Kiki A: First I decide how the dialog needs to play out in order to advance the story in the direction I want. Then, I just let the characters talk among themselves, and if it doesn't turn out right, I go back, shake things up, and try again. And sometimes I get good material, but it just needs to be trimmed or re-arranged just right.

Q: A lot of your stories have some sort of turning point where the back half really kicks it up a notch and things just keep getting more intense. Do you already have these developments planned when you start a manga? -TKO A: I usually have a few ideas but it's always pretty vague. I never know if I'm gonna wind up putting in or cutting certain scenes, so I don't worry about it too much.

Q: Do you have one favorite scene or a particular line from your own work? -yamatozo A: At the beginning of Spirit Circle volume 6, where the bad guy falls down the stairs and goes "I've made a lot of missteps".

Q: Do you have any idea of what genre you'd like to draw next? -Umehoshi A: I won't say no, but I don't want to give anything away (for my next work, or this one).

Q: If you weren't successful as a manga artist, where do you think you would be? -Ayuta A: Jail. But I'd be a model prisoner.

Q: How much longer do you think you'd like to continue as a manga artist? -Ayuta A: If I could pay the bills for the rest of my life with 24 pages a month, that's just what I'd do. At some point maybe I'll get to be unsatisfied with that and start to push myself to work more and more until I get sick of it, but no telling when that might come.

Q: How do you think of your character's names? -Takeshi A: They just come to me. I look at how I designed the characters and just imagine.

Q: I feel like some kind of forgiveness or absolution is something a lot of your characters go through. Does "forgiveness" have a special significance to you? -Bow-wow A: I'm not sure. Maybe it's me who is seeking forgiveness.

Q: Do you have a favorite phrase or motto? A: I like Shigeru Mizuki's (Gegege no Kitaro) 7 Rules of Being Happy. I don't really go around saying them or anything, but it's something I like to remind myself of, and helps me be mindful of other people. Also, I like "fortune favors the bold."

Q: You like frogs enough that you always draw yourself as one. What do you like about frogs? And do you have a favorite species? A: Frogs are cute. I like green tree frogs the best.

Q: You've drawn a lot of different youkai in Sengoku Youko, but out of all the youkai that most people know from stories, which is your favorite? Could it be the Chan Chu (chinese money toad), or possibly the oogama (monstrous giant toad)? A: My favorite youkai is Mizuki Shigeru.

Q: You've been doing Ring Fit, and eating oatmeal, are you doing anything else to help stay in shape? A: I put the Karakuri Circus season one and season two OP on a playlist and listen to it while I walk to work.

Q: If you were stranded all alone on a deserted island, what are the three things you would want to have with you? A: Really? Okay. I would bring two essential tools I can't find on an island, and a map.

Q: Do you have a favorite actor or celebrity? -Umehoshi A: Nope.

Q: What's the best kind of alcohol and snacks you've had? Where did you drink it? -Ikaninjin A: In the middle of a hellish summer and probably suffering from heatstroke at an amusement park with my kid, I had the best beer of my life in an air-conditioned food court. And the delicious spice to top it off was the bright sun knifing through the window that I just knew was tormenting everyone still outside.

Q: What do you want to be when you grow up? -Ayuta A: A youkai.

Q: What does your internal mindscape look like? -Rou A: An empty lot.

Q: Has anything happened recently that you're happy about? -Sanachan A: My son is starting to read and write.

Q: What kind of hotpot are you looking forward to this winter? -Tommy A: I'm not crazy about hotpot.

Q: I'd like to go to another event where we can toast again, would you consider it?

-Uta

A: If current events allow.

Q: How many times have you thought about quitting Ring Fit? -Honyarara A: 2 or 3 times. A week.

Q: I know you call it your "100-day Ring Fit Diary" on twitter, but since you've been taking breaks too, will you be going past 100? Will the illustrations be collected and published anywhere? -The Dieting Gentleman A: I'm going until I clear adventure mode, but it'll probably be finished by the time this article is up. I'll probably do some sets here and there. No plans for the illustrations.

Q: Do you have a favorite panel out of all your works? -Umehoshi A: You guys are really focused on my favorite everything. I have a lot of panels I like, not one in particular.

Q: Hi, I really enjoy all of your works, and there's one thing I think I notice (sorry if I'm wrong), and that's a love of glasses girls. Out of your manga so far, which is your favorite of all your glasses girls? Do you have a particular girl you've become a fan of recently? As for myself, I really like Yoru from Sanjin Sadou, so I'd love to see a story with her and her sister! -Bashi A: Glasses girls aren't particularly a thing for me.

Q: When you're doing authographs or sketches, does it bother you at all if people request characters from your past works? If I get a chance, I would probably ask for Hyou Shimaki from Biscuit Hammer, for instance. -Akasha A: If it's a promo event for a Mag Garden title, and you were to ask for a character from a Gahosha title, for instance, it might technically bump up against merchandising contracts, which makes it a little weird (I'm typically not allowed to to create any merchandise without going through the publisher), but my managing editors are usually cool enough about it. But if it's specifically a Sengoku Youko event, for instance, and I'm constantly getting asked for Biscuit Hammer drawings (let's say more than half), that would probably be an issue and they might make a rule against it for next time. Also, I tend to forget how the older characters actually looked. For personal reasons, I probably won't be doing any in-person events like this for a while, though. There's also the whole "current state of the world" thing, and my profitability and if bookstores actually want to do it, a lot of issues to solve.

Q: You usually draw Anima working out on Twitter, but did you have plans for any other characters to show up doing Ring Fit? (Like from Angel or Sanjin) -RYO A: I did, but forgot.

Q: Will you put together another oneshot collection, like Geko Geko? -Friday A: I don't know.

Q: Question! What is love? -Shirae A: To live is to love.

Q: How about this, do you have any questions you want to ask your readers? -Buriki A: Would you rather have: A. One series a month, from roughs to completion, all done by me B: Two series a month, with roughs by me and final touches by someone else

Q: I know thinking positive is half the battle, but what can I do about people who're determined to get me down? Can I give them a Samidare Punch? -Nondakure A: Your fist, and the choice of how to use it, belongs to you alone.

[syncogon]

[QZGS TL] Butterfly Blue 2015/08/15 Taiwan Q&A

Hello! Bringing another Butterfly Blue fan Q&A translation here today. This one is from August 15, 2015, for an event he was doing in Taiwan. 

This is a translation of a transcription of a recording. Because it was spoken, there’s some filler words and awkward phrasing; I focused more on getting the gist of what he was saying. A few notes have been included in [brackets]. Also, the transcriber said that they lost the recording of the second half of the talk, so this is only a portion of the event.

The transcription was originally found at this link, http://sinstar529.lofter.com/post/3330e5_7e8c0e7, but the Lofter seems to have been purged. To keep a record and some accountability, the Chinese is included in this post. As always, let me know of any major errors.

past BB translations here: /tagged/bb-interview

Please enjoy! As always, BB has some fun and interesting insights.

********

提问：虫爹我想请问，孙翔当年是怎么被发掘的呢？是在网游里被发现的、还是自己报名训练营的？

虫爹：孙翔他是比较有天赋、比较有才华的，我其实没有想过（全场笑），这样有天赋的选手大家都会比较关注的

Q: Bug Dad, how was Sun Xiang discovered back in the day? Was he discovered in game, or did he join a training camp himself?

A: Sun Xiang, he’s rather talented. I actually haven’t thought about this (audience laughter). People will always pay attention to such a talented player.

提问：王杰希的接班人高英杰是怎么被挑选当选手的？

虫爹：这不是跟上一个问题一样吗？ （全场笑）因为表现得比较有天赋就会比较让人看重

Q: How was Wang Jiexi’s successor, Gao Yingjie, chosen to become a pro?

A: Isn’t this the same as the last question? (audience laughter) Talented performance will always attract attention.

提问：虫爹你觉得杜明追得上唐柔吗

虫爹：我觉得难度可能会比较大一点（全场笑）而且他还只是暗恋，还没有比较主动地去表现出来，所以这样看起来……嗯、我觉得他应该是……追不到（全场笑）←小明不哭（Ｘ

Q: Bug Dad, do you think Du Ming can chase down and get together with Tang Rou? 

A: I think it’d be relatively difficult (audience laughter). And plus it’s still a secret crush, he still hasn’t even taken the initiative to express it. So from that… mm, I think he… couldn’t (audience laughter)

提问：那个，孙哲平和韩队都是那种、硬派的、呃、男人（不然是什么Ｘ），所以我想问，谁感觉比较、爷们一点？

虫爹：他们俩个吗？差不多吧，性格上没必要拿出来比较吧

提问：那如果ＰＫ的话，会感觉谁比较有胜算呢？

虫爹：你说真人ＰＫ吗？ （全场笑）

提问：真人ＰＫ也是可以的

虫爹：真人ＰＫ就不要讨论了吧（笑）不过如果是赛场上的胜负的话是很难说的，那怕是叶修这么强的人都没办法保证百分百能胜过哪个人，所以谁强谁弱的这个，我觉得、恩，不太会有结论。因为打得越多胜负出现的次数也会越多，大概是这样吧

Q: Um, Sun Zheping and Captain Han are both that sort of, strong-willed, uh, men. So I wanted to ask, who’s more, manly?

A: Those two? Probably about the same, there’s no need to compare personalities

Q: Then if they PKed, who do you think would have a higher chance of winning?

A: Are you talking about a real-life PK? (audience laughter) 

Q: Real-life PK is fine too

A: Let’s not talk about real-life PK (laughs). But if we’re talking about the outcome of a match, that’s hard to say. Not even someone as strong as Ye Xiu can 100% guarantee victory over another person. So who’s stronger or weaker, I think there isn’t really a conclusion. Because the more matches played, the greater the number of victories and losses, it’s something like that.

提问：虫爹我想请问一下，莫凡以前是做什么的？怎么有办法说来就来兴欣，然后一直被拐带留在那边都不用回家（全场笑）

虫爹：喔你说他现实里的工作是吧？呃依照设定来说我想就是游戏里的那种职业玩家吧，就拾拾荒啊、卖卖装备啊，然后每天换点零花钱这样子，因为他年纪还不算很大，还比较年轻

Q: Bug Dad I want to ask, what was Mo Fan doing before joining Happy? How could he just drop everything and come to Happy, and then get abducted without needing to return home? (audience laughter)

A: Oh you’re talking about his real-world work? Mm according to what I had in mind, he was just a pro in-game player, scrap picking, selling equipment, and then trading this for some spending money every day. Because he’s not too old, he’s still relatively young

提问：请问台湾有可能出巅峰荣耀吗？

虫爹：台湾啊？如果是出版的话还是交给出版社，因为他嫌我现在的字数还有点少（笑）因为大陆那本现在应该是七万七千还是七万八千字左右，但我们这边说至少要到十几万字才有可能出版呵呵

提问：那虫爹可以多写一点番外吗～补上去嘛～

虫爹：这个可能要慢一些，因为一次写两本还是有点吃力，那我写现在的连载，有的时候还是不知道该写什么（惊）所以可能会慢一些

[Q about prequel release in Taiwan - unlikely because too short for the publisher]

Q: Then could you write a bit more prequel content ~

A: This would probably have to be a bit slower, writing two books at once is still a bit of a struggle, and when I’m writing the serialization right now, sometimes I still don’t know what I should write. So it would be slow

提问：虫爹我只是纯粹好奇想请问，沐秋的身高到底是多少？因为我是他的粉丝，所以说很希望可以知道他的身高

虫爹：沐秋啊？这个设定我还没有做到欸，因为我角色设定只做到一半，现在还在做后面的设定，所以这个还没有做到

Q: Bug Dad I’m just curious, how tall is Muqiu? Because I’m his fan, so I really hope to know his height

A: Muqiu? Eh this I still haven’t figured out, I’ve only done around half of the character profiles so far. I’m still working on the second half, so I haven’t done this yet 

提问：那网游时期第一代的大神们有在现实世界中见面过吗？就是在游戏之前，因为有的时候我们在游戏里熟识到一个程度的时候会出来见个面啊、吃个饭啊、聊个天啊什么的，他们有这样行为吗？

虫爹：这个……因人而异吧，我觉得初代的……因为他们后来打到比赛的时候就会见到的，这些活动……我来考虑吧，比如说叶修应该对这些不会有太大的兴趣呵呵

Q: Did the first-generation gods ever meet in the real world? Because sometimes when we’re somewhat familiar with people in-game, we’ll go out together, meet up, get a meal, chat, etc. Did they ever do these kinds of things? 

A: This… probably varies from person to person, I feel that the first generation… Because they’d meet later when playing matches, so these kind of activities… I’ll think about it. For example Ye Xiu probably wouldn’t be very interested in these things haha

提问：虫爹我想请问叶神大大是什么时候开始染上烟瘾这个坏习惯的？

虫爹：呃……这个可能就是在长期熬夜的过程中……这个你问得太细了我没有想过，因为我看我写番外的时候、呃、他十五岁的时候我应该没有写到他抽烟的画面吧？那就是在后面的……离家出走以后吧？

提问：那他有没有考虑要把烟戒掉？

虫爹：我不知道欸哈哈哈哈哈哈

Q: Bug Dad I want to ask, when did God Ye pick up his bad cigarette addiction?

A: Uh… He might have picked it up after many nights of staying up late… Your question is too specific, I haven’t thought about it before. Because when I was writing the prequel, hm, when he was fifteen I don’t think I described any scenes of him smoking? Then it would have been later… after he left home? 

Q: Then has he ever considered quitting smoking?

A: I don’t know hahaha

提问：虫爹我想请问，因为很多人对后面世界邀请赛的部分感到很好奇，那我想请问虫爹会写这个部分的番外吗？

虫爹：嗯我暂时没有想写后面的番外，因为这个结局我个人是觉得非常满意的，如果现在写了我觉得就是个画蛇添足的举动吧，所以我暂时不想写后面，所以我现在写的番外都是之前的，可能把他一些过去的心情啊什么的让他补的更完整一点，那未来的我暂时没有想过要写

Q: Bug Dad I want to ask, because many people are curious about the later world championships, will you ever write about this?

A: For now I haven’t thought about writing any sequels, because I’m very happy with the ending I have. If I write it now, it’d be like drawing feet on a snake. That’s why the extras I’m writing now are all prequels, so I can fill in more details about their past feelings and such, but right now I don’t want to write about the future. 

 提问：江波涛是怎么知道周泽楷在说什么的

虫爹：呃这个问题昨天刚好也有人问过，就是如果大家有玩过网游的话，比如说一些比较常一起玩的朋友，就会比较知道你接下来会有一些什么举动，就会比较有默契，你知道的、呃、默契（全场笑）

Q: How does Jiang Botao know what Zhou Zekai is saying?

A: I think someone asked this question yesterday too. If you’ve played an online game before, for example if you have a few friends you play with often, then they’ll tend to know what action you’re likely to take next, you’ll have that tacit understanding, you know that, uh, tacit understanding (audience laughter) 

提问：虫爹我想请问因为有些同人创作有在写衍生，那我想请问你对衍生的看法是什么

虫爹：因为……衍生可能就是大家对于正篇所产生的脑补，我个人的话其实没有看过，所以我不好评价，没什么可介意的，大家开心就好，我不会太介意的

Q: Bug Dad I want to ask, there are a few fan creators writing derivatives of your work, what is your opinion on that? 

A: Mm… Derivatives tend to come from everyone’s thoughts and ideas about the original work. Personally I haven’t looked at them, so I can’t give a judgment, but there isn’t much to object to. As long as everyone’s happy that’s good, I won’t mind too much

提问：虫爹我想请问一下，孙哲平退役期间有跟张佳乐联络吗？

虫爹：退役、呃、我个人觉得，应该是不会有太多联络的，因为他的退役在我们来说是比较呃、难过的、比较无可抗拒的，这种是最无力的嘛，所以我想他可能会……不太会想继续联络

Q: Bug Dad I’d like to ask, during the period of time Sun Zheping was retired, did he ever contact Zhang Jiale? 

A: While retired, hm, personally I think there wouldn’t have been much contact. Because his retirement was rather sad, as we’d describe it, it wasn’t something he could fight against, it was the most helpless kind, so I think that he probably… wouldn’t really want to maintain contact

提问：老师当初是什么契机之下会想要写《全职高手》这部作品

虫爹：全职这个嘛，我在近战法师写到一半的时候就有想写一个、呃游戏类的小说，但是写一个人整天在那里玩游戏好像有一些、呃、不务正业嘛，唯一的办法就是把他变成职业的、比较正经的，那就是电竞，像体育项目一样的事情。所以我当初就想写一个电竞类的，然后我就加了一点网游的部分，因为这样过渡得比较流畅比较自然一点，也不会像一直打比赛那么枯燥嘛，

Q: At the time, what drove you to come up with this work The King’s Avatar? 

A: When I was about halfway through writing Close-Combat Mage, I wanted to write a gaming novel, but writing about a person playing games all day felt a bit, mm, like neglecting honest work. The only way around that would be to make him a professional, relatively official. That’s esports, like normal sporting events. So at the time I wanted to write about esports, and then I added sections about the game, because this kind of transition felt a bit smoother, and it wouldn’t be as monotonous as just having endless matches.

提问：那如果要用一段话形容王杰希的话，你会怎么写？

虫爹：一段话？我在里面写了那么多字你要我用一段话讲ＱＡＱ我写那么多干嘛ＱＡＱ

提问：那最深的印象呢？

虫爹：呃我一时想不出来，但我想他应该是一个责任心非常重，然后对战队有非常非常高的憧憬，怎么说，就像他对微草战队的期许吧，所以有很高的责任感和（？？？？？？没听清楚

Q: So if you were to use one sentence to describe Wang Jiexi, what would you say?

A: One sentence? I wrote so many words in the book and you want me to use one sentence to describe him? Then why’d I write so much?

Q: Then what’s your deepest impression of him?

A: Mm I can’t think of an answer right now, but I feel that he’s the type of person to take responsibility for things, and then he has an extremely high vision for his team’s future - how to put it - like his hopes and expectations for Tiny Herb, so he has a very deep sense of responsibility. [transcriber’s note: “??? Didn’t hear clearly”]

提问：我想问叶修的家庭到底是怎么样的，让他会那么怕他的爸爸

虫爹：呃我觉得会怕家长这是尊重吧，因为不好、太忤逆所以他干脆不敢面对就离家出走了

Q: I’d like to ask, what is Ye Xiu’s family like, for him to be so scared of his dad?

A: I feel that this “fear of parents” is just respect. Because he wasn’t good, too rebellious, so he just didn’t dare confront them and instead ran away from home 

提问：想请问虫爹在写文章的时候会听音乐或同时做其他事情吗？比如说吃东西

虫爹：呃、呃我没有吃东西，听音乐嘛……就是……尽量写吧（？

提问：那请问在写战斗画面时是想像然后就直接打出来吗？

虫爹：你说我、自己还要、打出来吗（惊）当然没有啊（？）只是脑补而已你想太多了←虫爹好像误会了www

Q: When you’re writing, do you listen to music or do other things at the same time? Like eating? 

A: I don’t eat while writing… listening to music, I… guess I try to focus on writing [transcriber note: “?”]

Q: Then when you’re writing battles, do you imagine it and then directly hit it out? 

A: You’re asking me if I – myself – fight out the battle? Of course not? I’m just imagining it, you’re thinking too much 

[transcriber note: “BB seems to have misunderstood”] 
[translator note: I think it’s a pun-misunderstanding of “to type” vs “to hit/fight”?]

提问：那想请问因为听说会拍成电影，那因为有很多游戏的战斗画面，虫爹有想过有怎么表现这一块吗？

虫爹：这个版权已经卖出去有点久了（？！）不过现在还没有到实际的创作阶段，游戏画面的表现的话就是用特效啊，大家看电影都会知道有一些场景实现不了就是用特效

[Q about potential movie, irrelevant now that it’s released]

提问：老师为什么你不会想要写那种、草根少年崛起之类的，就是为什么他是从大神再从头爬起，为什么没有想要写他原本就是默默无名的人

虫爹：因为我之前写的几个故事大体都是这样的，为了做出区别所以，呃比如说武侠小说，像金庸就是你说的这种嘛但我是比较喜欢古龙呵呵呵（嗯？）就这样出来就比较无敌啊哈哈哈

Q: Why didn’t you want to write a story about grassroots youth rising to the top? That is, why is he a god starting over again? Why didn’t you think about writing his origin as a nobody?

A: Because many of my previous stories were all like that, so I wanted to do something different. For example, wuxia stories like Jin Yong’s stories were like that, but I prefer Gu Long’s hehe, where they’re rather invincible from the start 

[T/N: both famous wuxia novelists]

提问：因为刚刚提到孙哲平所以我就想到魏琛，想问魏琛退役之后是真的没有跟黄少天连络吗？因为黄少天是他从网游带进去的，算是他的徒弟了，那他就完全不会想要联络吗？

虫爹：这个嘛，退役就好像退休一样嘛，就要换一种生活嘛哈哈哈，所以虽然他还是在玩荣耀，但网游跟职业圈两者还是不太一样的，所以就不太会再有交集 

提问：那黄少天没想过要跟他连络吗？

虫爹：如果他不见了要怎么联络哈哈哈

提问：但是叶修找到他了ＱＡＱ

虫爹：叶修只是偶然碰到而已哈哈哈，因为叶修有时间玩网游哈哈哈

Q: Since Sun Zheping was mentioned earlier, I thought of Wei Chen. After Wei Chen retired, did he really never contact Huang Shaotian? Because Huang Shaotian was the one he brought in from the game, he was like his apprentice. Did he really not want to contact him at all?

A: This… it’s retirement, you’re changing your way of life, haha. So even though he was still playing Glory, in-game is still quite different from the pro circle. There wouldn’t be much intersection anymore

Q: But wouldn’t Huang Shaotian want to contact him?

A: If he’s vanished, how is he supposed to contact him? Hahaha

Q: But Ye Xiu found him!

A: Ye Xiu just happened to run into him by chance, because Ye Xiu had time to play in-game haha

小编：那接下来还有同学要提问吗……噢有男生欸！

虫爹：噢终于有男生了！

提问：虫爹你好，我想请问《近战法师》的韩家公子和叶修喷啦叽话谁会赢呢？

虫爹：噢，只是言语啦，韩家公子应该会更胜一筹，噢呜，叶修是吧（惊讶脸）叶修哇，我刚刚当成顾飞了，这个不好讲啦哈哈哈哈，而且叶修可能会用键盘打字哈哈哈哈，这个就……回答不了哈哈哈，不好意思我刚刚当成顾飞了，顾飞的言语……他就是用行动的哈哈哈

[the host?]: Then are there any more questions… Oh, a guy!

A: Finally, a male! 

[Q about Close-Combat Mage] 

提问：虫爹想请问你创作的这十年来有什么特别印象深刻的吗？

虫爹：这个要追溯到最一开始的时候，我一开始是先看了一本网游小说，不过他到一半就没有了，当时我不懂说……那不是后面没有了，而是后面是要付费的哈哈哈，然后我就不看了，但是我想……就觉得很委屈嘛，然后我就看到他的第二篇文，就觉得……怎么不写个完呢？那时候我才刚要上大学，我的同学就常常去网吧玩嘛，我们就泡在网吧里，他在打游戏嘛，但我那时候就在旁边开始写小说，就同学就整晚不睡觉在打游戏看影剧，那我就在那边打小说嘛，然后他们就看我在那边努力写，像看白痴一样的看我，那时候比起辛苦我倒觉得写作是一件很高兴的事这样，也没有想到其他太多的东西，印象最深就是最初的这段。

小编：那原先启发你的那篇文你后来有去储币看完吗？

虫爹：噢那时候因为他写到一半就出道了，所以我也不知道他后面还有，那后来因为他是有付费嘛，那我想那我就不要看了哈哈哈哈哈（抓头）

Q: Bug Dad, over the course of these ten years that you’ve been writing, do you have any particularly deep impressions?

A: For this, you’d have to trace back to the very beginning. Back then, I was reading a gaming novel, but after reading half of it there was no more. At the time I didn’t realize, it wasn’t that there was no more, it was that the rest was paywalled hahaha. And so I didn’t read any more, but I was thinking… I felt wronged, you know? And then I saw his second work, but I felt… why not write a complete story? At that time I was just about to start university, my classmates were often going to play at internet cafés, and so we’d hang out in the internet café. They would play games, but I would stay off to the side and start to write novels. Similarly, while my classmates were playing games and watching movies late at night instead of sleeping, I would just be writing off to the side, and so they would watch me working hard at writing, as though I were a total idiot. At that time, it was very hard work, but I felt that writing was a very happy thing for me, and so I didn’t think too much about other things. This early period left the deepest impression on me. 

Q: Then did you ever go back to read that first story that inspired you?

A: Oh, back then it was because he made his real debut after writing half of it, so I didn’t even know that there was more. Later I realized that it existed but was paywalled, then I just figured I didn’t want to read it anymore hahahaha

提问：虫爹虽然这个问题很多人问过了���我就是想知道ＱＡＱ就是张佳乐能拿冠军吗ＱＡＱ

虫爹：这个在现有的情节里是没有拿到的，未来嘛因为我没有写所以也不好回答，就知道你们会这样问哈哈哈，所以大家就不要再问这种未来的，因为我没有写啦哈哈哈

Q: Bug Dad I know many people have asked this question before but I want to know – can Zhang Jiale win a championship QAQ 

A: In the story as it currently stands, he hasn’t won a championship. As for the future, I haven’t written it so I can’t answer either. I just know that you guys are like this haha so everyone please don’t ask me these kind of “future” questions because I haven’t written it haha

提问：那因为虫爹一直都很擅长写这种网游类的小说，那想请问虫爹有没有参考过什么网路游戏或玩过什么网路游戏？

虫爹：我是有玩过因为以前在上学的时候有玩DNF，那全职前面有一些职业都是从那个来的，那职业的设定有一些就是参考这个，因为那时候大陆最红的就是这个啦

Q: Because you’ve always been good at writing these kinds of gaming novels, have you referenced any online games or played any online games?

A: I’ve played before, when I was in school I would sometimes play DNF (Dungeon Fighter Online), so a few classes in The King’s Avatar are from there. The design of the classes was influenced by this game because at that time it was the most popular game in the mainland 

提问：虫爹我想请问因为你是从台北吃到高雄那你最喜欢什么

虫爹：我没有一路吃下来（澄清）呃、每一顿都要叙述一下吗？因为我口味比较重一些喜欢吃辣，感觉台湾口味就是会混搭一些吧，但我个人的话其实我不太喜欢这样，混搭的时候我会觉得很奇怪，但吃习惯了之后其实也还好，那因为很精致，而且分量很小，所以一次可以吃很多种哈哈哈哈，我们家去吃饭你最多最多就是点两个菜，不然你就会吃剩下很多，但在台湾我可以点四五个都还没有问题，就分量会比较小，这点我觉得很好

Q:  Bug Dad you’ve eaten your way from Taipei to Kaohsiung, so what’s been your favorite food?

A: I didn’t spend all my time eating! Uh, do you want me to narrate every meal? I’ve always liked spicy foods, I feel like Taipei’s flavor is a mix of a lot of things, but personally I’m not a huge fan of that, I’d think it’s strange when you start mixing things together. But it’s still pretty good once you get used to it, it’s very refined, and the portions are small, so you can eat a lot of different things at once hahahaha. When my family goes out to eat we usually order two dishes max, because otherwise you wouldn’t finish and there’d be a lot left over, but in Taiwan I could order four or five without a problem. The portions tend to be smaller, which I think is very nice

提问：虫爹我想请问今天有没有更新

虫爹：啊、啊昨晚啊，昨晚昨晚昨晚因为我躺到床上就起不来了哈哈哈哈，今晚回去再写吧

Q: Bug Dad I’d like to ask, did you update today

A: Ah? Last night… last night last night last night… I was lying on my bed and couldn’t get up hahahaha, tonight I’ll go and write

提问：那个我想问跟同人创作有关，因为有满多是女性向的作品，那虫爹有什么想法吗？

虫爹：呃、呃呃，这是大家的脑补嘛，那我也只能说……耽美吧？你说的是耽美，那……大家就是喜欢这样脑补嘛，其实也没有办法说什么，大家喜欢，但其实我要强调原著没有那个属性啦哈哈哈哈

提问：那虫爹对这个有什么看法吗？

虫爹：这个……以我个人来看，写成这样的话其实就不太能算是这个角色了，因为他们就是没有这个属性啊哈哈哈哈

Q: I want to ask a question about fanworks, because most of them are targeted toward a female audience, Bug Dad do you have any thoughts on that?

A: It’s all everyone’s own ideas, right, so all I can say… Danmei, right? You’re talking about danmei? Then… People just like these kinds of ideas, I can’t really say anything, everyone likes it. But I want to emphasize that the original work doesn’t have any of these characteristics haha

Q: Then do you have any opinions on this?

A: This… my personal opinion is that, if you’re writing the characters like that, I don’t really think they can be considered the original characters anymore, because they just don’t have any of these characteristics hahahaha

提问：那那那我想问，叶修喜欢怎样的女生（全场暴动）

虫爹：我……叶修他现在还专注在工作上，还没有时间考虑这个问题哈哈哈，我觉得他应该不会太关心这个问题吧呵呵

Q: Then then then I want to ask, what kind of girls does Ye Xiu like? (audience goes wild)

A: I… Ye Xiu is still focused on his work, he hasn’t had the time to consider this question hahaha, I think he wouldn’t care about this question too much right haha

提问：虫爹你好我想请问一个假设性的问题可以吗？

虫爹：什么性？ ！

提问：假设性。

虫爹：噢噢假设性，那你问吧，问完再说哈哈哈

提问：如果苏沐秋还在，跟叶修组成搭档，他们会拿几个冠军？

虫爹：这个至少开始的三个是万无一失的啊，这个我觉得就不好说得太多，因为其他选手也很强，也不是说有什么人就……因为比赛是不可预期的嘛，可能当天晚上拉拉肚子啊隔天就……所以这种假设嘛我觉得不好回答，回答了也是对其他选手不尊重嘛

Q: I want to ask a hypothetical question is that okay? […] If Su Muqiu were still alive and partners with Ye Xiu, how many championships would they have received? 

A: Well, they at least wouldn’t lose the three at the beginning. But I feel that I can’t say too much about this, because the other competitors are also very strong. You can’t just say that “because they have this person then this would happen…” Because matches can’t be predicted, maybe someone had a stomachache the day before and then… So I can’t really answer these kinds of hypotheticals, and moreover, answering would be disrespectful to the other competitors.

提问：虫爹我想问在写作的时候会不会突然写不下去或遇到瓶颈什么的，如果有的话会用什么方式来解决这个困扰

虫爹：呃这个可能……经常会有啊，因为我每天都要写每天都……那写不下去的话这个就是……断更啊不然要怎么办哈哈哈哈哈，有时候就是花多一点时间啊，有的时候……写不出来就没有更新啊，这个没有什么技术上能够解决的

Q: Bug Dad, when you’re writing, do you ever suddenly find that you can’t write any more, or run into writer’s block or whatnot? If you have, how do you solve this struggle?

A: This… I often do, because I have to write every day, so every day… If I can’t write anymore then I just take a break from updating, otherwise what else can I do hahaha… Sometimes I spend a bit more time, sometimes… if I can’t write then there’s just no update. There isn’t really anything technique-wise that can solve this

提问：蓝雨假如喻文州和黄少天都退役之后是确定小卢会接队长吗？还是会选其他比较有经验的队员来当队长呢？

虫爹：队长的人选他们现在还没有开始做选择，因为小卢……就是卢瀚文，主要是培育来等黄少天退役了之后接手黄少天的夜雨声烦的角色，那队长还不一定是他，也许后面还会有更合适的人选，他还小，他还年轻呵呵

Q: In Blue Rain, after Yu Wenzhou and Huang Shaotian both retire, is it for sure that Little Lu will become captain? Or would they pick a more experienced team member to become captain?

A: They haven’t yet begun to choose a next captain, because Little Lu… that is, Lu Hanwen, he’s primarily being raised to take over Huang Shaotian’s account Troubling Rain after his retirement. So he wouldn’t necessarily become captain. Maybe later there’ll be an even more suitable choice. He’s still small, he’s still young haha

[will-of-this-heart]

So, I got my copy of Kerrang! today which has my favorite lad Rou Reynolds on the cover and first off, his story was a really good read! I admit, The Spark isn't my all time favorite from them, but after reading how emotionally charged and personal the album is, it hits hard and makes me appreciate it in a different light now. I could go on and on about the article, so in short, I definitely recommend giving it a read!

Second, I wanted to take a moment to appreciate this blurb here:

"This guy was effectively telling me that our music was a gift from God and we should be thankful and praise him for that. On a selfish level it annoyed me because I thought, 'you dont understand the time and effort that we've put into this.' God has been no part of it, and if he had been a part of it I'd have told him to fuck off and help people in Africa. I don't need his help."

What Rou said here really hit close to home for me cause I have family that tell me that all the time my art is a "God given talent" and it's like UHhHH N O. I did not spend 4 hours crying my fukcinf eyes out over trying to figure out how to draw a hand for y'all to think I just whipped this 'talent' out my goddam ass... whew, anyway

THEY'RE RE-RELEASING COMMON DREADS ON VINYL FINALLYSHDHDKSISUSHDBDJJDJ

"It was the 10 year anniversary of this album this year. We didn't do anything big with it but we tried to put a lot of songs from it into our sets during festival season. We're about to do a re-release of the vinyl because it's been out of stock forever. I really like the album because it's so bold, tries so many different sound palettes and lyrically I took a step into being more assertive with things."

-Rou on ranking Enter Shikari's discography

AND LASTLY

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[allaboutfoodgwu]

Soy Sauce: Salty Misconceptions

As an Asian American woman, I have grown to connect with and appreciate my heritage through food. While I enjoy fried chicken and steak, I also enjoy having a nice bowl of 牛肉面  (niu rou mian=beef noodle soup) and 米粥 (mi zhou= rice congee). Despite indulging in both American and Chinese cuisines, I was brought up with the notion that to have real Chinese food, one had to go to Asian grocery markets and Chinese restaurants. Simply put, going to Panda Express or Walmart was a sin in my house. For my anthropological fieldwork grocery project, I chose to investigate how soy sauce, a preconceived international food by Western consumers, is marketed on American shelves.  

Soy sauce (shoyu in Japanese) originated in China roughly 2,200 years ago and is believed to have been introduced to Japan by a Buddhist monk in the mid-13th century (Stein and Shibata). It is made from soybeans, wheat, salt, and water that is fermented in a four year process. The ingredients are not the make it or break it of a good soy sauce, but rather its production environment. Traditional Japanese brewers use koike or specially crafted wooden vessels to ferment the soybeans. The grains of the wood enrich the millions of microbes that deepen the fermentation to produce a savory umami flavor.

However, most modern-day soy sauces are produced within stainless steel vats that shorten the multi-year fermenting process to just three months. Because the bacteria produced in koikes cannot survive in steel tanks, many commercial companies pump their soy sauces with additives like monosodium glutamate or MSG in order to keep up with the demand and production of soy sauce--something I would discover to be true during my project.

During the spring of 2019, I examined soy sauce brands across 4 grocery stores in the Washington, D.C. area. My research was conducted through participant observation, which involves walking around the store as a potential customer and observing the ambiance of the store and its customers, while taking note of the location and sensory details of the soy sauce options offered. I conducted optical research as I observed my surroundings without personal interviews. Over the course of a semester, I learn that soy sauce, in its labeling and aisle surroundings, has been modified to fit into Western perceptions of Asian cuisine--revealing deeper connotations behind its ingredients and authenticity.

My first store visit was at the Whole Foods Market in the Foggy Bottom campus of the George Washington University. I paid close attention to the logos of each brand, nitpicking the logos for its embodiment of Asian culture through symbols like bamboo shoots and cranes. I later observed the design was not the most striking element, but rather the emphasis on reduced sodium and non-GMO ingredients. 

Every bottle addressed it through writing, logos, or both. Health reasons aside, I came into this project with a preconceived notion that buying soy sauce from an American grocery store equated to not only buying from a market that addressed negative connotations of an Asian cuisine but also one that implied Chinese manufacturers were careless for placing MSG in their products.

Talk of Asian cuisine being too salty or not healthy for consumers was rarely discussed in my family nor did Asian food markets I went to as a child address it in the labelling. Seeing this language on American-brand soy sauce bottles made me feel culturally isolated as someone who had Chinese food almost every day of her life.

I visited Hana Japanese Market to see if the same language of reduced sodium appeared on its bottles. Hana Market is on the first floor of a quaint gray townhouse in a quiet neighborhood on U Street. I not only found Japanese-imported soy sauce on the bottom shelf, but also the American brands with reduced sodium and non-GMO stickers were on the shelf above. I was shocked to see the overall bottom placement of a renowned Japanese seasoning staple.

I wondered if it was because Hana’s store owners tailored their products towards the perceptions of Western customers--fully aware that MSG was a health concern and they had made efforts to address it. They even printed out English labels that said reduced sodium for the bottles written in Japanese. On an eye-level shelf, Hana offered ponzu or citrus “seasoned” (not flavored) soy sauce. I had never heard of ponzu until this site visit. To see traditional and authentic Japanese products at Hana made me feel more part of the Japanese culture and where we were borrowing this Asian cuisine from.

Visiting Safeway and Streets Market was a pivotal point in my research. The Safeway I visited in Georgetown was a superstore that focused on convenience and value. However, I was quickly appalled by the selection of soy sauces at Safeway. The soy sauces at Safeway were found in the “Asian/International” section.  In the collage below, Safeway had big jugs of soy sauce that reminded me of gallons of gasoline. All options had cheap prices of $2-4.  While the prices were tempting, La Choy proved that the quality was not worth it. 

The bottle said “Inspired by Traditional Asian Cuisine”, yet its ingredients of hydrolyzed soy protein, corn syrup, caramel coloring, and potassium sorbate (a preservative) were quite the contrary. Might I add it was also produced in Omaha, Nebraska. After seeing the natural and traditionally brewed bottles that Whole Foods and Hana offered, La Choy was an insult to the traditional Japanese soy sauce brewers and the Asian culture itself.

Streets Market revealed a different connotation to how soy sauce was marketed. The store was located in a busy part of D.C., near the border of the Northeast sector. Prices at Streets were sky-high, yet the instant ramen noodles and ready-made “Asian” meals surrounding the soy tiny bottles of soy sauce did not portray Asian food as appealing. Streets perceived Asian food as an on-the-go and quick bite rather than a cuisine to be appreciated.

Perhaps this perception was why it took me 3 stores to locate a place with more than one type of soy sauce. Prior to Streets, I visited Trader Joe’s, Dean & DeLuca, and GWU’s Gallery Market only to discover they had one option. A bottle of soy sauce is not something to be consumed in a day, but I expected more variety. After my visit at Streets, with its array of plastic bowled and preservative-filled instant noodles, perhaps the purpose of soy sauce to Western consumers was nothing more than just a condiment that was put on things to make them saltier.

I went back to the Foggy Bottom Whole Foods for my final site report and was glad to see the wide selection of soy sauces with no worries of added preservatives.  It gave me a greater appreciation for the store’s strides towards lower prices and high quality standards.

Above all, the Asian culinary identity was present in its surroundings and labelling. The International aisle lived up to its name as the soy sauce was next to Asian ingredients rather than instant bowls of ramen. Offering actual ingredients encouraged customers to make Asian dishes themselves, allowing for a greater appreciation of the Asian culture they are consuming.  The labelling of bottles like San-J educated customers on the usage and meaning behind soy sauce.

My fieldwork has lead me to draw two conclusions on the implications surrounding the culture of Asian food in America.  First, Asian cuisine is modified to fit the tastes of the” average American consumer”.  Dishes like Kung Pao or General Tso’s chicken would never be found in China. When Panda Express was established in 1983, the Cherng family knew it would be difficult to for mainstream American customers, especially outside of metropolitan areas, to accept a Chinese dish in its original form and flavor (Liu, 138). Although its original flavor was salty and spicy, Andrew Cherng invented a new sweet and spicy orange sauce for chicken which allegedly came from Hunan cuisine in South China. 

In addition, the famous P.F. Chang’s restaurant chain was named after restaurateurs Peter Flemming (PF) and Philip Chiang.  However, “Chiang” was purposely changed into “Chang” in order to make the brand less foreign to the American public (Liu, 130). For many years, authentic Chinese food has had no market in America--pointing to a dangerous conception among many Americans that Chinese product owners are not in control of their own culture in the American food market.  At the same time, food is both a culture and commodity.  When food becomes a commodity, it is no longer an inherited culture as corporate America can easily appropriate it from the Chinese community (Liu 135).

Second, the use of MSG instead of soybeans in soy sauce points to a loss of authenticity in Japanese culture.  The health dangers of replacing soybeans with artificial flavoring first occurred in the mid 20th century when Chairman Mao seized control of China in 1949.  Perceptions of the Chinese changed as they were seen as threatening to US democracy.  The association between Chinese food and health problems was an easy connection for Americans to adopt the Chinese Restaurant Syndrome or CRS (Germain, 2).  People complained of having numbness in the back of the neck that gradually carried through the arms and back, leading to overall weakness.

CRS confirmed a pre-existing unease regarding the Chinese people during that time.  Although MSG is also commonly used by manufacturers of processed foods like Doritos and KFC, it is inextricably tied to Chinese food.  The consequences of CRS remain today, as demonstrated in my research, virtually almost all soy sauce bottles in the US have some sort of reduced sodium or no-MSG identification.

This project has taught me to appreciate the authenticity rather than the convenience of an international food. Culinary culture is a public domain in where everyone has the right to access or own it. Yet grocery stores need to remember that culture cannot be separated from tradition. It has to be respected. From the item’s placement in a store and on shelves, to its surroundings and design, more stores need to pay tribute to the culture from which their products migrate. Essentially, mixing caramel coloring, preservatives, and water is not Asian cuisine. And on that salty note, I sign off.

  -- Caitlyn Phung

References

Liu, H. (n.d.). Who Owns Culture? In From Canton Restaurant to Panda Express: A History of Chinese

   Food in the United States (pp. 128-145). Rutgers University Press.

Germain, Thomas. A Racist Little Hat: The MSG Debate and American Culture. Columbia Undergraduate Research Journal. 2017; 2:1. doi: 10.7916/D8MG7VVN

Stein, E., & Shibata, M. (2019, February 26). Is Japan losing its umami? Retrieved April 20, 2019,

   from http://www.bbc.com/travel/gallery/20190225-a-750-year-old-japanese-secret

[sortamalicioussummaries]

Summary 9

Summary of:  March 23rd. 2017(Hitman)

———————————————————-

“No one is allowed to die this stream, got it?!“ -nissa1782, 2017

Ryan appeared in the chat to announce he was going to be late.  We were stunned by this news.  Really.

“Look, kid-down o'clock is a moving target when I'm here alone!" -SortaMaliciousGaming, 2017 

“Are we talking typical Ryan late or epic game of Uno late?” -Me, 2017  

“We have to make sure to inform all the newcomers that Ryan will be late-please hold your shocked gasps. : P” -Me, 2017  

SageBailey:  @Allison0128 Yeah, he just lurks in the chat.                 

Allison0128:  @SageBailey He just wants to know all of the terrible things we say about him.

Me:  We only say terrible things about him when he's playing games.: P

Tired Ryan is, according to him, as close to drunk as he will ever get.

Ryan is telling us how many things we will be feeling about the upcoming Heroes & Halfwits.

“Albus Cumberbatch, who did you kill?”  -nissa1782, 2017

The cots are back.

Ryan can barely talk.XD

“We are going places my verbal ineptitude has never gone before.” -Ryan Haywood, 2017

GUNSHOT!

Ryan starts talking about his trip to Japan, and he just goes on and on about the food on the plane.XD

Aaaaaaand he’s already died in-game.

A family apparently just left their child next to him on the plane.

"Were they just like, 'We bet this man is a father. Put the child here.'” -vivaciousWordsmith, 2017                 

“He's mad like Hamlet, though when the wind blows southernly, he knows a hawk from a handsaw.” -rivertamsong, 2017

“Yes, the chat is amazing.  I’ve cultivated a pretty incredible community, and I think that owes as much to all of you folks-more to all of you folks-than it does to me, so you thank you all for being so inter-supportive and helping eachother out.  I’m really proud of everybody.” -Ryan Haywood, 2017 

Someone asked Ryan who he’d Fuck/Marry/Kill out of Gavin, Geoff, and Barney The Dinosaur.  Ryan doesn’t see why he has to limit himself to just one kill.

I firmly believe Ryan actually uses the chat donations to buy his exotic cheeses.  Everyone else does too, but they support this.

Ryan keeps failing and restarting before he can get killed.  I fully intend to count all these restarts as deaths.

"Can't make an omelet without murdering a few innocent bystanders or whatever.” -rosinna18, 2017

Ryan played football in high school.  He was a cornerback in defense and a receiver in offense.  He makes sure to explain he played AMERICAN football, because he’s not very good at running, which you totally don’t have to do in American football.

CHAIR STREAM!

Chat got bored waiting for Ryan to return and named his chair “Cher”.

When Ryan found out, he commented that he needs to get a new chair, and chat went nuts.

#SaveCher2017

I hope everything works out, Xixius!

Me:  If I worked at AH, you know the first thing I would do?   Write "Uno" on a ping pong ball and slip it into the Rou-Let's Play thing. 

nissa1782:  @SyberiaWinx You monster.   

Ryan is becoming increasingly less coherent as the stream goes on.  It’s a little funny. 

In an effort to draw out the target, Ryan tampered with the sinks, then had a meltdown when no one came to investigate.  He ended up killing the guard in a fit of rage.  

Ryan said my real name in the stream. : D  I think someone cheered it to him?  Thanks to whoever that was!  Can someone give me a timestamp if there was a cheer?

He ended up killing everyone BUT the target and died horribly.

...and then he learned he was doing the whole thing wrong.

Ryan is exhausted and barely coherent, but he refuses to go to bed, despite chat telling him he should.  He wants to accomplish something after streaming for three hours(Actually more like two hours).

The chat is so cute.  We’re all trying to convince Ryan to just go to bed, with efforts including threatening to take away his Xbox or turn off the stream.  He childishly pouted and refused at first, saying we couldn’t make him.  Then someone pointed out we felt like how he feels when he’s trying to get Eli to bed, and he finally relented.

Goodnight, Ryan.

Today’s Mission...............Sorta Successful?

Ryan tried to stop the stream with him falling out of his chair like he’d fallen asleep, but it didn’t work.XD  He’s such a dork.

[believe-that-you-can-my-friend]

This is a tad long but music is the air I breathe so yeah I got excited and couldn’t contain myself haha! Also I hope you don’t mind that I combined these two asks, I thought it was interesting for them to feel neglected and threatened by Archie and Veronica at the same time!! Hope you both like it and thank you so so much for your amazing words and compliments!! It really means the world to me!! Enjoy!! <333

“You’ve seen Radiohead at Madison Square Garden?!” the raven haired boy’s eyes became perfect round balls of genuine admiration and his lips parted in a disbelieving gasp.

“Yep!” the brunette girl across him pointed the ‘p’ proudly, smiling fondly at the memory. “Listening to Creep in a sea full of people that was chanting along, with phone screens like twinkle lights swaying in the darkness above us is something that still gives me chills.” She admitted with a shine of excitement on her chocolate eyes.

“Man!” he huffed in defeat. “That band and in that iconic venue, I’m telling you Ronnie, I’m forever envious of you now.” He admitted with a shake of his head and a smirk, the girl smirking back.

“The next year I was going to see Depeche Mode there too but” her face formed an unladylike flinch “all those things went down with my dad and, well, the rest is history.” She shrugged and sighed, taking a rich sip of her chocolate milkshake.

With a dreamy expression, he dropped back on his seat. “I’m betting Sinner In Me would sound amazing live.” He nearly gasped.

She widened her eyes. “Right?! God, I love this song so much!” she groaned in delight.

“It’s one of my favorites too.” He agreed with a nod and drumming fingers, lightly imitating the tune.

And just like that, another day in the exclusive world of Jughead Jones and Veronica Lodge was slowly passing by. Betty Cooper, who was sitting next to the tall boy all this time, the Betty Cooper that chatted and babbled away for days when she was with friends, hadn’t even formed a single word since Veronica came to join the newly formed couple. No, scratch that. Betty hadn’t formed a word this whole week now, the week that the three of them seemed to be inseparable. She just seemed to just sit there and observe, like she was the third wheel to a closed group of longtime friends.

Don’t get her wrong; Betty wanted Jughead and Veronica to get along. Veronica was the female version of a best friend she never got to have and Jughead was the boy that made her heart race, like the most speedy rally car. It was only logical for the blonde girl to want her two most favorite people to get to know each other and start sharing common ground, if that was possible. Nothing had warned her for such type of bond though.

They agreed on everything; from food to drinks, literature, TV shows, music. Well, yes, Veronica was a lot more of a people’s person and chose other forms of entertainment than sit inside all day and write or brood or both, but still it seemed that when it came to cultural interests those two were made for each other. Their previous barely there communication that consisted of subtle greetings and the awkward here and there teasing of him from Veronica was now replaced by animated conversations with themes foreign to Betty’s ears, making the girl feel like she was invisible next to Veronica’s obvious multicultural background.

Today’s topic was music and Betty couldn’t be more bored or fuming. She was just sitting there crossing and uncrossing her legs, strawberry milkshake untouched apart from the random swipes of her index finger over the whipped- cream, while hearing them chat in excitement about genres and artists that she was clueless about. Sure, Betty had heard of The Doors, Nirvana, The Smiths, or even Sex Pistols but her knowledge over their style or type of songs was zero to none, the girl that had been raised with the sounds of classical music, with the exception of Leonard Cohen or Frank Sinatra at certain situations, finding herself at a loss of words regarding the music preferences of the other two people on the table.

“You like Nick Cave too? So cool!” Veronica exclaimed and brought Betty out of her thoughts, the blonde girl rolling her doe eyes at that, while sucking some whipped cream off her index finger with a sigh. “My mom knows one of the social assistants of his team; she can hook us up with some tickets for sure, if he comes for a concert at a town somewhere near us.” The girl shared with excitement evident in her voice, Jughead’s whole face lightening up at the offer. “Or even New York, if you’re up for a road trip, pal!” she went to offer with a huge smile and Betty’s eyes rose at that, feeling that maybe now it was time for some line to be drawn.

She turned to look at Jughead and she caught him giving Veronica a glance under his eyelashes along with a curt nod and a charming smirk. “Oh, definitely count me in on that.” He agreed in delight and let a deep chuckle, Veronica giggling along with him.

Betty dragged her eyes from him to her and vice versa, narrowing them gradually at the process. Her intention was for them to be a little more civilized and friendlier with each other, not to exclude her from their lives like that. Not to even mention that this whole smirks and smiles and giggles thing really set her mind to dark places and left her there not knowing what to think about it.

“Well, are you two in trip-planning base now?” Betty let a hesitant chuckle, trying to appear cool and easy-going, as always.

“You got yourself a handsome boy with some serious taste in music, Betty girl.” Veronica mused, sending another smile to Jughead, who looked shyly at the small space between him and Betty and smiled too. “All the males in East Village talked too much, did too little and blasted horrendous dubstep through speedy cars that compensated for their lack of brain or size.” The brunette stated boldly with the confidence that was always radiating from her, making Betty feel a tad more jealous at that moment because of her own lack of such attitude and because of her words. Yes, she knew Jughead was one of a kind and she appreciated the fact that her best friend believed so too but something in her tone made Betty turn defensive.

“You know, I’m starting to feel a rather bad headache coming.” She announced after licking her lips to wash away the disappointment and bitterness in her voice. “Walk me home?” she turned to her boy and gave him one of the smiles he loved, feeling her heart flutter once he curled his lips in her favorite boyish smile.

“Yeah, sure.” Jughead nodded and stood up, popping the strawberry of Betty’s half-finished milkshake in his mouth. “You coming, V?” he stopped waiting for the other girl and Betty frowned to the ground, fingers and nerves getting tangled in a knot of annoyance.

Thankfully, her friend had the sense to live the couple be. “No, go ahead. I’m in the mood of pestering Cheryl bombshell a little.” She gave them a foxy smirk and titled her head back, where the redhead was sitting with her besties.

Jughead shook his head in amusement. “Take it easy, will you?” he teased her and Betty wanted to smile but it came out more as a sad grimace, gradually feeling herself growing angry at him and his sudden infatuation with Veronica Lodge. “See you tomorrow at school. I’ll bring you the mixtape I told you about.” He offered her a wink and a wave, Veronica saluting him in a funny manor, and the boy dropped an arm over Betty’s shoulders, the girl grimacing a smile again once he left a peck on her cheek. She didn’t know what was happening but she had a very bad feeling about it.

The next day was all chatting and bunter again for the two friends, Betty half-heartedly walking next to them to and from class, eyes focused on her books or her tan flats. Thank God that Jughead had the good sense to hold her hand and spare her a glance or a smile from time to time or Betty would be even more infuriated at him than she already was.

The breaking point came at lunch when the three of them along with Kevin and Archie sat down at their usual table, Jughead and Veronica sharing headphones and listening to the mixtape he had promised to bring over yesterday. Needless to say that Betty was borderline upset, poking her salad around and shooting daggers to the duo next to her, Kevin lightly knocking her knee under the table, silently asking to be filled in about the obvious drama. Betty just offered him an annoyed “laters” nod of her head.

“So Archie!” Betty exclaimed a tad louder than necessary, making the people around her jump, and she faked a smile at her boyfriend and so called brunette best friend. “How are things going with you?” she crossed her arms over her chest and rested her elbows on the table, leaning closer to the redhead across her.

Archie raised an eyebrow, eyes seeking assistant from the teens around him. “Good.” He hesitated, Betty’s behavior seeming a little peculiar. “Rehearsals with Val, football practice, you know the usual.” He said somehow unsure because Betty already knew what was going on with his life.

She hummed with a cheerful nod, munching on some lettuce. “Any big plans for tonight?”  She asked, this time drawing Jughead’s attention, who stopped mid-chewing and raised a brow.

The redhead went back to his grilled cheese sandwich. “Nothing really. There’s this movie that I wanted to see but nobody feels like joining me so I guess I’ll stay in.” the boy shrugged.

“We should go together.” Betty offered cheerfully, bouncy ponytail and all, and Jughead’s eyes got panicky at that, going between her and his best friend, sizing the situation.

“It’s an action movie…” Archie said hesitantly, frowning a little at her overly excited behavior.

“Oh, it’s fine!” she waved a hand to brush it off, Jughead chewing some chips with venom now because, seriously, Betty hated action movies and movie nights were always their thing. Archie had the first place in Betty’s entire childhood; Jughead wouldn’t let him take his only childhood routine with her too. “Plus, it’s been ages since the two of us hang out together.” The blonde girl went on, with a genuine smile this time, before she turned to her boyfriend and added. “Like before.”

Kevin shot a sly little glance at the raven haired boy next to him, noticing the low blow Betty attempted. Jughead gulped, a mix of emotions erupting inside his chest; confusion, hurt, fear, but mostly anger, fuming anger.

“Uh, Betty, I thought Friday nights were our thing.” He spoke in apathy but he had turned defensive and cold, his girlfriend knowing him by now and knowing very well what he was doing; he was trying not to lose it in front of everyone, fidgeting with the plastic bag of his chips. Betty knew he was turning more irritated by the second and she was pleased.

“Oh, is it Friday today? I totally spaced out.” She pouted, pretending obliviousness and fooling no one but Archie. “Well, I just made plans with Archie now. Next Friday, Juggie.” She shrugged matter-of-factly, her use of his nickname not holding the sweetness it always did but colored with sarcasm and irritation, the two of them quarrelling, but doing it subtly and without making a scene.

“Betty, are you serious now?”

“It’s cool if you guys have plans…”

Jughead and Archie said in unison, both guys turning to look at each other, the first frowning in annoyance and the latter sporting an uneasy expression, not wanting to be in the middle of the couple.

“Oh don’t be silly; Jughead and I see each other every day!” Betty scoffed, gathering her stuff because, if she stayed, she knew Jughead would want confrontation and a public one wasn’t really her style. “I’ll see you tonight. It’s a date.” She threw the words and turned to leave, catching Jughead’s mouth parting in shock and the guy shot up from his seat to object but she had already her back at him, walking away with her stupid stubbornness and a heavy heart.

She was applying her beloved red lipstick when Jughead strolled into her room later than evening. He was confused to no extend and still a tad worked up from their previous word battle at lunch break but he had commanded himself to stay calm because he didn’t wanna fight with her; he just wanted to know what the hell had gotten into her. However, all his calmness was thrown out the window upon seeing his favorite shade of red being applied on her lips for a night out with Archie Andrews.

“You’re seriously going? And with that lipstick?” he accused her like she had done a crime, long forgotten any greeting or peck.

“Yes, I am.” Betty smacked her lips once, examining the result on her vanity mirror. “And it’s just some lipstick, whatever.” she went on to add some volume on her ponytail. She wasn’t going to spare him a glance; she was angry and incredibly stubborn.

Jughead sighed, rubbing a palm down his face to collect himself. “Betty, seriously now, what’s going on?”

“The fact that you ask me really confirms my feeling that you don’t pay any attention to me all week now.” She replied curtly, fixing the white lacey collar of her short-sleeved, royal blue sweater.

“What?” he frowned. “Why do you even think that?” he was lost; they were together every day and, as far as he was concerned, his behavior towards her hadn’t changed, unlike hers.

“Maybe, I don’t know, because you’re way too preoccupied having conversations with other people rather than with me?” Betty shrugged, annoyed, her perfect ponytail bouncing with every furious shake of her head. She stood up to throw her phone and some money inside a small, brown cross-body bag that laid on her bed along with her denim jacket, again avoiding any and all eye contact with the boy that stood across her, drowned in confusion, and strongly disapproving of the dark blue, white stripped mini skirt she had on but not for him.

The wheels in his clever mind turned quickly. “Please, don’t tell me this is about Veronica.”

Betty scoffed a humorless laugh. “Why shouldn’t it be about Veronica? I mean you two are practically best bubbies by now!” she raised her arms in exasperation. “You don’t need me around; you’re perfectly fine on your own!”

“You were the one that wanted us to interact more! So we did, and we found that we have some things in common. What’s the big deal?” Jughead’s voice went an octave higher, eyes blinking rapidly in confusion and arms opening to his sides with the same amount of exasperation she was sporting.

“Some things?” the blonde narrowed her eyes, first time coming face to face with him. “You’re practically finding new common material every five seconds!” Jughead flinched and mouthed a ridiculous ‘what’ at that. “And yesterday at Pop’s, you didn’t even think to include me in your on and on chit-chat!”

“Yes because we share the same taste in music and you’re not into that stuff, Betty!” he pointed the obvious because he knew his girl wasn’t into his type of music and the ear-bleeding volume he preferred. He was absolutely cool with that though and he hadn’t mention it to hurt her, he didn’t even think that she would take it that way, until she saw her nodding vigorously to the ground, chin wobbly and bottom lip caught between her teeth. “Bets, baby…” he took a step to correct his statement and explain himself, his arms opening immediately to hug her, but she took a step back, shaking her head and raising her chin high.

“You know what? It’s fine!” Betty sniffed, holding back her angry tears. “You go spend time with Veronica and I will spend time with Archie. Simple as that.” she spat with a bitter tone of voice.

Jughead’s face fell, along with his arms defeated to his sides. “Are you really going out with him?” he gasped in disbelief and anger.

“Of course I will.” She scoffed, hanging her bag on her shoulder and grabbing her jacket. “He’s the friend” she out air-quotes at the word “who shares the same interests as me. What’s wrong with that?” she shoot him a cold, challenging glare and flew passed him and out the door, having the pleasure of seeing him bawling his hands in fists angrily with the corner of her watery eyes.

The night had spread its veil over Riverdale for good when Betty was walking back home, dragging her white sneakers with heavy steps and a heavy heart. Archie was hanging out with Valerie and some other jocks downtown and he had asked for her to join them but the blonde girl wasn’t in the mood. After spending two hours of her life watching two overly buffed guys chasing each other in speedy cars, amongst loud gunshots and hissing sounds of tires against asphalt, Betty really had enough for the evening. Archie had a great time though and she got to have a bucket of popcorn all to herself, the only highlights of their movie, exclusively friendly, date.

Truth be told, she didn’t share that many interests with Archie as well. Yes, they were more compatible character wise but that didn’t mean that they were the perfect match, as she thought they would be in the past. If anything that was the first thing that made her understand that Archie wasn’t the guy for her. So, by now, she knew that her whole lashing up at her boyfriend was irrational, just an outburst of insecurities which were so Betty Cooper and she could never be able to erase them from her character.

Finally reaching the block with the Andrews’ and Coopers’ residences, Betty hesitated between the two houses for a moment. Honestly, she was so tired of her little shenanigans and wanted to be done with that ridiculous argument once and for all, hating that she and Jughead weren’t in speaking terms just because she was acting out of spite. Noticing the faint yellow light that illuminated from the small crack of the entrance of the Andrews’ garage, meaning that he was indeed there and hopefully wasn’t asleep, she took a deep breath and, mentally preparing her much needed apology, made her way to the door with steady, determined steps. A small push was all it took for her to walk into his now tiny residence and she saw him stiffening his posture in a defensive manner upon sensing her arrival, sending her a side look without stopping his task of rearranging some books over his desk slash table slash nightstand.  

“I’m back.” Betty began with a small voice, after some minutes of awkward silence with her standing there fidgeting with the buttons of her denim jacket and him continuing with tidying or whatever.

“Great.” Jughead replied nonchalantly, a hint of a groan in his voice. “How was your night out?” he asked with bitterness and mean sarcasm, Betty knowing that he was still angry with her and that he had every right to be. The blonde’s eyes darted around, searching the words, stopping once they noticed his laptop being abandoned on the small black couch, the cursor blinking on an empty white page. She instantly felt even worse for fighting with him.

“It was ok. The movie was not my cup of tea though.” She let him now briefly.

“Too bad.” He wasn’t backing out with the sarcasm. “In case you’re wondering, no, I wasn’t with Veronica, as you seem to expect, I was here worrying sick out of my mind and fuming with anger because my girlfriend chose my best friend over me in our date night!” his voice was getting more frustrated as he spoke and he let a loud huff at the end, closing his eyes and trying to calm down. He wasn’t really angry at her; well, yes, he was but he was more insecure that what happened tonight was gonna be the norm from now on, that Betty was going to take Archie’s side once again.

Betty nodded to the ground; okay, she deserved that. Without wasting any more time, she sighed and searched for something inside her bag, hoping her apology was enough to mend things between them. Taking hold of the plastic item, she walked to him, leaving it on the wooden surface of his desk. Jughead just knitted his eyebrows, catching a glimpse of the item with the corner of his eyes.

“That’s the only thing that I have rescued from Polly’s stuff before my mom hid them away or, in the case she suspected it was Jason’s gifts, destroyed them. I want you to have it.” Betty spoke softly, sliding the said item over to him and he turned fully around at the declaration, taking it in his hands. It was an old CD, Jughead recognizing immediately the black and white cover of The Killers’ Sam’s Town album. He used to have a copy of that too but he had sold it ages ago to the record store along with many others when he had started living alone and a job was not in the picture. If he was in a better mood, he’d smile; The Killers always held a special place in his heart.

“Betty, if we’re going down that road again…” Jughead sighed in a tiring matter. He didn’t want to fight with her anymore and especially because of something that pointless. She didn’t need to prove anything to him regarding music or really anything else. He liked his stuff; she liked hers, end of story. He was in love with Betty Cooper because of everything she was and he didn’t want to change her in any way.

Betty shook her head and went on to explain. “Polly loved that band. I, on the other hand, loathed it with everything in me.” She groaned a laugh before she became serious again. “Thinking back at it now, it wasn’t the electric guitar filled sound that disturbed me so much; it was just the fights that followed every time their songs were echoing from her room, my mom never approving of anything close to rock music, or the faint bass that lingered at nights when Polly secretly was listening to them, letting me get no sleep.” Betty smiled at the memory, Jughead having his solemn attention to her, intrigued as to why she was giving him something she seemed to hate.

“There’s this song though that always got stuck in my head, that stroke a cord in me for some reason that I didn’t understand up until recently.” She turned the disk inside his hands, pointing at number three that held the title When You Were Young. Jughead knew the song, it was probably one of the band’s most popular ones, but his eyebrows where knitted in confusion, not really knowing where she was going with it.

“It talks about this girl that is filled with heartbreak and waits for some perfect guy to come and drag her out of her misery.” Betty sighed, fingers dancing lightly over his, faces inches apart as he watched her. “And then in the chorus this guy does come but the song says, ‘he doesn’t look a thing like Jesus but he talks like a gentleman, like you imagined when you were young” she quoted the lyrics and her eyes finally looked up to connect with his soft ones, both of them getting a little lost in each other “meaning that he might not be the perfect knight in shiny armor or the most conventional guy in people’s eyes but he is brilliant in her own eyes and perfect for her, with the honorable character qualities she always dreamed about, a true gentleman to swipe her off her feet.” Betty concluded and her lips trembled with a sigh under the tender and head over hills look of his blue eyes, Jughead getting the connection and feeling his chest heaving from how crazy he was for this girl and the way he was making him feel. He might not have been someone most girls would choose over a jock or a popular rich guy, but she had chosen him and that’s all that mattered.

Jughead couldn’t do anything else but lean down and kiss her, fiercely and with a desperation that took her breath away, Betty clinging to his neck for dear life and him closing a strong arm around her waist, desiring no space between them. Their heads titled to different sides and she whined into the kiss, having missed him terribly and cursing herself for doubting him even for a second, letting a hand caress up his neck and his raven waves, tugging them lightly when his tongue came to battle with hers sensually.

“Thank you for this but, really, I can’t keep it.” Jughead whispered breathlessly once they hesitantly pulled back for much needed oxygen. As much as he loved that CD and the reason she was giving it to him, it was the last thing reminding her of her sister; he couldn’t deprive her of that.

Betty shushed him, her full pink lips finding his in a loving peck. “I would have given it to you anyway.” The girl had stumbled upon it a couple of weeks ago and got hit with realization, planning to share all this with him way before their fight. Now, it was just a perfect moment. “It means something to me and who’s better at keeping it than someone who I know appreciates it more than I do?” she smiled sweetly at him, knowing that he liked the band too, the boy giving her a big, heartwarming smile back.

“Am I really that good of a guy for you?” he asked in an expectant whisper.

“You are much more perfect than that.” She assured him back in a whisper too, joining their foreheads affectionately. Betty was so crazy for that guy in front of her, sometimes she thought her heart would burst out of her chest. “I’m sorry that I was so unfair to you.” She apologized for doubting him and Veronica.

Jughead shook her head, forehead still rubbing against forehead. “It’s fine. I got the feeling when I was sitting here alone thinking of you spending time with Archie.” He sighed, subconsciously tightening his hold on her waist.

“You and I are perfect for each other. End of story, end of this ridiculous discussion.” Betty announced with a firm nod, hands cupping his cheeks. He just smiled big and kissed her, relishing in the feeling of her soft lips on his, a feeling he got to miss terribly this whole day they were fighting.

Betty placed a palm on his chest, pulling back a tad with now swollen lips decorated with a foxy smile. “If we are going to make out, should we do it somewhere comfier and with maybe, I don’t know, some Killers on?” she wiggled her eyebrows in a funny manor and bit her lip, Jughead shaking his head with a chuckle, totally in love with this girl.

“Get your cute self on the couch, you dork.” He commanded her with his usual teasing voice and that sideways smile, Betty squealing in delight and jumping on the small piece of furniture, kicking off her sneakers. The first notes of When We Were Young started playing from an old cd-player and Jughead came to join her with an intense look and a charming smile, Betty melting under his gaze and bringing him close by fisting the material of his sweater, their smiley lips joining in a heated dance over the music that lasted until the CD stopped turning and the only sound remaining was their heavy sighs of love against each other’s lips.

[beliefisabeautifullarmour]

Life

As the day draws to a close, I’m feeling pretty good. I guess this is a good version of reality. Something that you can accept going forward. After all, what awaits is probably 40 more years of this.

The breakdown: today I was abruptly awoken at 630am. Had to drive my elder brother to a 50km marathon which he had signed up for with his Hong Kong friend. Definitely lmao worthy. Went back to sleep and then to Ikea for lunch.

The highly of Ikea were their chicken wings. Probably the best ones I’ve had in Singapore thus far? Or at least to the best of my memory. After feasting with Ced, went to queensway to buy new soccer boots. So pumped to use them tomorrow. I guess this counts as the more normal activities that people normally do with friends. Going out, having a meal and going shopping. I haven’t done much of that with my other friends because our main activity usually comes in the form of food lol.

After Queensway, got home, played dota and had dinner. If I had to pick, dinner was the most downer of the lot. We ordered from this Taiwanese restaurant via Deliveroo, and I ordered 2 mains for myself.... a Lu Rou Fan as well as the crispy chicken with Kare rice. WHAT HAPPENED TO CUTTING DOWN CARBS?!?!?!?!?!!!!!

After dinner I napped (unintentionally) while waiting for my brother to get back home so that I could use the car to get to the gym. I’m glad that I managed to step out of the house, overcome the inertia and put some effort to get into shape. As I have said many times, slippery slope. Don’t start slipping now.

Gymming is like... one of those things yknow. Love hate relationship. At the end you’ll never regret going. You just need to convince yourself of that fact when you’re deciding whether to go or not in the first place. Did a comprehensive upper torso workout and ended with a short cardio sesh. It really would appear that I’m more motivated with other people than when I’m alone. Can’t say I’m surprised though. I’ve been known to have shitty self-discipline.

Anyway, there’s not much more that you can expect from a normal working-life Saturday. A well balance of family, friends and personal. Good stuff, good stuff.

[latestnews2018-blog]

Azarenka breezes into the second round

New Post has been published on https://latestnews2018.com/azarenka-breezes-into-the-second-round/

Azarenka breezes into the second round

AFPVictoria Azarenka will next face British No 1 Johanna Konta after sweeping aside Kristina Mladenovic yesterday.

Los Angeles: Former world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka, who was playing for first time since retiring in the San Jose quarter-finals, kicked off her WTA Montreal tournament on Tuesday by dismissing Kristina Mladenovic in straight sets.

Azarenka punched her ticket to the second round with a dominating 6-0, 6-1 victory in just 55 minutes over the former world number 10.

“I feel better,” she said. “It was definitely pretty bad in San Jose to have such a sudden thing with my back.

“I was hoping it would be nothing serious, but sometimes when you’re in the moment and get a really bad spasm, there’s nothing you can do.

“I didn’t really practice much after. I’ve only had one practice session this week.”

Azarenka, who needed a wildcard to get into the Montreal draw, moves on to the second round where she will face British No.1 Johanna Konta.

Azarenka stormed through the first nine games of the match before France’s Mladenovic got on the board.

The two-time Australian Open champion Azarenka eventually rolled through the final three games to get the victory in her first Montreal appearance since 2014.

Elsewhere, Maria Sharapova made quick work of Bulgarian qualifier Sesil Karatantcheva, easily winning 6-1, 6-2 in a renewal of their former teenage rivalry.

“No matter what tournament or who you’re playing against, you have to figure things out as you go. I think I did a good job of that today,” Sharapova said.

Sharapova, a finalist in 2009, performed solidly, defeating Karatantcheva for the fifth time in their five career meetings.

“I was aggressive, I served well throughout the match,” Sharapova said. “I think I did everything a little bit better, especially towards the end of the match.”

The pair were facing each other for the first time in eight years. They played their first three career matches as teenagers, including a fiery affair on the outer courts at the 2004 Indian Wells tournament.

World No.229 Karatantcheva was competing in her first WTA Tour main draw of the season.

Sharapova next faces another Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia, who is ranked sixth in the world. Garcia came from behind to defeat Magdalena Rybarikova in three sets 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 on Tuesday.

First round (x denotes seeded player): Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) bt Christina McHale (USA) 6-3, 6-2; Sorana Cirstea (ROU) bt Monica Niculescu (ROU) 3-6, 6-4, 6-4; Maria Sharapova (RUS) bt Sesil Karatantcheva (BUL) 6-1, 6-2; Alize Cornet (FRA) bt Tatjana Maria (GER) 4-6, 6-1, 6-3; Alison Van Uytvanck (BEL) bt Sofya Zhuk (RUS) 6-1, 6-2; Ashleigh Barty (AUS x15) bt Irina Begu (ROU) 6-3, 1-6, 7-5; Kiki Bertens (NED) bt Carol Zhao (CAN) 6-1, 6-2; Carla Suarez (ESP) bt Naomi Osaka (JPN x16) 7-6 (7/2), 6-2; Mihaela Buzarnescu (ROU) bt Wang Qiang (CHN) 6-2, 7-5; Johanna Konta (GBR) bt Jelena Ostapenko (LAT x11) 6-7 (6/8), 6-1, 6-2; Elise Mertens (BEL x14) bt Euginie Bouchard (CAN) 6-2, 6-4; Aryna Sabalenka (BLR) bt Ana Bogdan (ROU) 6-4, 4-6, 6-3; Darya Kasatkina (RUS x12) bt Maria Sakkari (GRE) 6-4, 4-6, 6-1; Frangoise Abanda (CAN) bt Kirsten Flipkens (BEL) 6-3, 6-2; Victoria Azarenka (BLR) bt Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) 6-0, 6-1; Zhang Shuai (CHN) bt Barbora Krejcmkova (CZE) 7-5, 7-5; Second round: Caroline Garcia (FRA x6) bt Magdalina Rybarikova (SVK) 4-6, 6-1, 6-3; Petra Kvitova (CZE x8) bt Anett Kontaveit (EST) 6-3, 6-4; Julia Gvrges (GER x10) bt Lucie Safarova (CZE) 2-6, 6-4, 6-3.