#i think sans has good stage presence and could be good at teaching

[hahanoiwont]

Okay, hear me out: Sans gets a job as a physics professor on the surface.

I hear uni professors are super lazy.

okay tbh I think Sans would be like. a great and terrible professor. let us explore this idea let's play in this space

like his first year teaching. horrible. He's used to being a cryptic little gremlin and now he has to give away information? all of the time?? that's supposed to be a good thing??? no. He doesn't take it seriously and the students complain about how he's always late, his lectures are so obscure as to be meaningless, and he seems more interested in making fun of them than teaching.

Then I feel like maybe he gets a baby post-grad student who tracks him down from half a country away. They've read his extremely niche paper. It sneaks in clever but not mean-hearted academic mudslinging at the old stagnants in the field. It makes groundbreaking points from a unique perspective. It's positively made of jargon but the jargon is explained concisely and understandably. Baby postgrad has stars in their eyes--they had the exact same idea (it is not the exact same idea. but to their credit it is close and they would have gotten there if they knew more about magic) and he explained it so well. He's a genius, they say. Can they please sit in on one of his courses. any of his courses. They'll be a TA if he promises to read over this paper they've been writing, it's not done yet but they think it could really be something and he's the only person in the field to legitimize their theory...

Sans is not into this at all. He's a little weirded out, honestly. Or, he's trying to be. But also, he does remember being a baby physicist who wanted his physics idol to notice him...so sure, he'll throw them a bone. They can put in all of the work for organizing his classes and grading things and all, and he'll get coffee with them and talk theory once a week.

More fool him. Sans is microdosing on being a professor.

Baby grad student talks in their office hours about their "lecture hour" with prof sans and how he was actually just explaining something to do with... and to Sans's chagrin, people start actually attending his coffee hour. And then they start bringing their homework questions to coffee hour. And then x student has work but can y student record... and then Sans's lessons have just moved to a coffee shop. He is still teaching his class he's just not doing it when he's supposed to. There is an email chain going around with recordings for each lesson, and since Sans has never bothered with taking attendance, his coffee lessons quickly become his main curriculum, while his alleged lesson times are just times when his TA previews the material with the students and Sans makes jokes.

Reviews become mixed. About 6 students swear by his classes and will rearrange their schedules any which way to be in his class next semester. At least a dozen have dropped his class and refuse to take another from him. Baby grad student is actually getting somewhere with their research, which Sans absolutely did not expect. He starts actually using the lab time he was given to work with them on that, and since everyone knows prof sans doesn't care if you walk in or out of his classes, a couple of undergrads filter in to poke at diagrams and try to understand what's being said...boom. lab section of the course. It's not remotely covering the same information as, say, physics 101, but the students are getting experience and gaining confidence in a lab environment. And you're only allowed to skip lab safety if you have a provable ability to evade or survive multiple kinds of explosion and acid burns, so they learn lab safety, too.

I feel like at this point Sans's classes are less actual courses and more really informative interest clubs that students join for credit. You sign up, disregard the course information listed, and if you ask leading questions he might explain a particular theory or branch of pretty much any scientific discipline (since monsters have like 3 scientists, they try to cover everything). This works great until Sans gets annoyed with having to explain calc 2 a million times because someone has obviously failed in educating his undergrads. It's just in the name of efficiency and therefore laziness that Sans proposes a remedial study group.

So. Twice a week, prof Sans will teach physics 101, and once a week a rotating schedule of math, chemistry, or a handful of other subjects on request. If nothing is requested, he will do stand-up or magic tricks for 2 straight hours and then go home. (sometimes students organize and agree to not prompt him for anything so that they can see the show. it's pretty good stand-up and very good magic tricks). Twice a week, his undergrad duckling will cover mostly remedial calc and help with homework for whatever science/math class they can. Baby undergrad is finally hired by the school and no longer paid in food and research tips (some of which are cash but most of which are advice) from Sans. Sans is still allegedly teaching several courses, which he usually covers the material of; but only when cornered, bribed with coffee, or at the expense of one (1) joke. Most of his classes are just study groups under his or their own loose direction.

Strangely, this does seem to help students discover their own interest in the material, since it feels much more based in what they want to learn (because they have to put so much effort into getting their professor to actually teach them). Students take his courses for a laid-back semester, but actually end up learning a lot of diverse skills and shortcuts in a variety of fields. Sans is absolutely not preparing them for any kind of curriculum, but he is creating baby scientists in much the same way as he was taught--here is All of Science, what do you want to learn? We'll fill in the backlog of what you need to know as it comes up.

Magic allows for fascinating demonstrations, not only of how things work, but how it would look if it didn't work, or worked differently. Gravity is a universal favorite because Sans will sometimes let students jump from irresponsible heights and experience zero gravity for a while. Conservation of mass and energy has him summoning things out of thin air. When astronomy comes up, he'll take them out and let them use his own telescope to see exactly how this theory was first observed, or what it looks like when that theory comes into play in such and such a way. So Sans does not get fired for being a horrible professor. It's generally understood that any freshman who took Physics 101 with Professor sans M.S. may not have any idea what they were supposed to learn, but he turns out competent scientists who are willing to testify that he's the best thing that's ever happened to their science education.

Anyway I think Sans would end up as a wonderful professor--despite his best efforts.

[marigoldsandbuttercups]

Alright, new headcanon blog! I love these! Alright, so, here's a shot in the dark: What job or career path(s) do you think everyone would take? Or volunteer work even. Please and thankies, and I can't wait to see what new material you come up with!

Thank you for stopping by! I really appreciate it ❤❤❤

Career Paths/ Volunteer Work

Sans: It could go two ways for this big brained dude, he would either be in the teaching field, or the scientific field. I feel like he'd only do it related to either astronomy or geology (keeping that pet rock has it's uses). But I do feel that ultimately, he might lean more towards teaching, there's just something about spreading knowledge that pushes him. He also gets to learn new things as well, everyday, which is a bonus for him!

Papyrus: Papyrus really loves doing humanitarian work but he also loves a fun and conducive environment. I can see him being a kindergarten teacher because he works the best with kids, they're all curious little things, and he loves their enthusiasm for even the smallest things possible. Besides that, he would be a firefighter, he is absolutely fearless and with his stature and his energy, he's equipped for even the most difficult tasks. (Also, it'll result in really buff Paps-)

Blue: Believe it or not, he'd do something that's heavy in marketing. Blue knows he's charismatic, and that charm can go over well when used properly, and boy does he make sure to do that. He would also be a good motivational speaker, he's got a silver tongue and knows how to lace and etch his words into people and monsters minds alike.

Stretch: Stretch gets stressed out easily, so he prefers an environment that's calm and not chaotic. He would be a beekeeper, it's calm and he only has to deal with the bees and distribute their honey, it ain't much and he likes it that way. He also prefers working with animals as he feels like he connects better to them on emotional level as he just can't bring himself to trust other humans/monsters besides his own brother.

Red: Red loves to get into the tiniest detail of things, it's one of his ways to cope and he ended up sticking with it. He likes to take stuff apart and see what makes them tick, how they function and what improvements could be done if there are any. It's why I feel like he might get himself into engineering. The process of tinkering and fixing something not only keeps him calm and has his mind focused on something, but he also feels useful, that he can fix something instead of damaging further.

Edge: One of the things that have stuck with Edge after coming onto the surface was his love for cooking. Overtime, he does accept the fact that his food is not.. Up to par for human consumption. He does make the effort to learn, despite not liking the criticism. Eventually, he starts small, selling food at events like weddings and parties but with enough money, he does open his own restaurant. (His lasagna and penne ala vodka are to die for)

Black: Because of the fact that he's so factual and loves to have the upper hand, he would most likely be a lawyer. He's very hard headed and doesn't give in easily, and with his loud, booming voice full of confidence, it's impossible for him to not win the case.

Rus: He doesn't like staying in one place, he loves traveling so much. He also adores getting memorable photos of beautiful places with little to no effort, he has an absolute talent for photography. But he may also be involved with touring and being in bands, more as a guitarist or drummer rather than taking center stage because he's just not that confident. The adrenaline of it and hearing the loud tunes blasting really gets him going.

Wine: He doesn't really work after reaching the surface, after all, the gold he has is enough to last him and his brother for several lifetimes. Though if he was inclined to do so, he might have a winery of only the finest kind, or maybe he'd have a boutique. He does love making dresses and he makes sure that he's quality is one of a kind that even name brands envy him.

Coffee: Now, Coffee initially decided to take it easy and lay back, enjoying the leisure time of doing absolutely nothing. But then.. He got bored, and he had wanted to do something, he had wanted to do it for himself, to be more exact. So he got a job at a pet shelter, like Stretch, he feels more comfortable around the presence of animals, especially those that are rather skittish and afraid due to being placed in terrible homes.

Thistle: When he heard the concept of gardening, he got very excited about it. The ability to grow an abundance of foods and to also bring life to something and watch it flourish before his eye had just effected him so personally that he couldn't see himself doing anything else other than that. All his notes are filled with info for each fruit/plant available, growing a rich vegetable garden and everyone had flocked to buy it from them, making his job a whole lot easier.

Chestnut: He decided to follow a similar route to his brother, but instead of vegetables, Chestnut had decided to go with a botanical garden. He couldn't help but admire how some flowers would end up surviving even in the harshest climates, along with the fact that he just enjoys learning the meanings that each of them have. He also enjoys being outside, sitting in the bright sunlight as he planted a new seed into the ground, there was a serenity to it that he can't quite place a finger on, but it made him fulfilled.

As for volunteering, all of the skeletons would do it every now and then, but the ones who do it the most are Papyrus, Blue, Stretch, Rus, Thistle and Chestnut. Papyrus also tends to bring his students along to show that kindness goes a long way, Blue does it while also making an effort to encourage others to join more in volunteering. Meanwhile, Rus, Stretch, Thistle and Chestnut tend to help out the homeless, Rus taking photographs and making sure all the proceeds go to charities while the other three donate food that they've harvested.

[swanlake1998]

Article: Tokenism vs. Representation: How Can We Tell Them Apart?

Date: January 19, 2021

By: Theresa Ruth Howard

Last year's Black Lives Matter protests jolted the ballet world into action. All of a sudden, things that once "took time" instantaneously became easy fixes, like it was an episode of Oprah's favorite things for Black people: "You get an opportunity, and you get an opportunity!" Much of this sudden, reactionary change has elicited high levels of skepticism, prompting the query: Is this true representation or is it merely tokenism?

There is empirical data that white people seldom keep word when it comes to BIPOC individuals. Social justice (especially when it comes to Black people) has almost always been a trend, a tool wielded to benefit white people more in the end, and there usually is an end marked by a lull and a slow, silent rolling back of the majority of what has been accomplished.

In the early stages of addressing systemic racism, until companies have a proven track record, it will always be a "damned when you do, damned if you don't" situation. Trust must be earned. Nothing done will be enough because it feels like trying to make an ocean out of a desert with an eye dropper.

That is not to say that there isn't meaningful progress being made. We are in the midst of a global shift. Power is being redistributed, rules and criteria are being altered. The standards of what was once acceptable, or enough, no longer suffice. People are no longer just "grateful" to have a seat at the table—not only do they expect to eat, they want to help plan the menu. The truth is, we lack a suitable metric to measure this progress because we have never been here before.

What is “representation”? What exactly is “tokenism”? 



The Oxford Dictionary defines "tokenism" as "the practice or policy of making merely a token effort or granting only minimal concessions, especially to minority or suppressed groups."

The complexity of the question "What qualifies as tokenism and what as representation?" rivals that of Blackness itself. There is often a conflation perhaps because representation is part and parcel of tokenism, making it difficult to discern one from the other, or at what point it shifts. What it looks like for the bystander may not be how it is experienced by the person in the situation.

It is important to note that the act of being the "only" or one of a few does not in and of itself amount to tokenism. Too often that assumption is made by the public and it is unfair, reductive and wounding to those holding those spaces. What determines tokenism depends more on why and how someone occupies the space.

This is where the process of diversification gets slippery, manufacturing conflicts of confidence for Black dancers who, like sacrificial lambs, may question the reasons they were hired, cast or promoted. Were they given an opportunity for their talent, or because they are Black, and in what measure? These are often the speculative whispers from colleagues, classmates, parents and patrons. It is a psychological head trip to which one will rarely get a satisfactory answer.

The way diversification is approached says everything. When the motivations are authentic, there will be respect, sensitivity and mindfulness; an effort to cultivate cultural competence will be made. This requires a great deal of humility. In order to be able to interact effectively with people of different cultures, racial and ethnic backgrounds, you have to admit that you have blind spots, and are ignorant of things and, more importantly, are desirous to learn. This requires engaging them as human beings, not just tools as a means to an end.

Faculty additions 

The recent hiring of full-time Black faculty members at Boston Ballet School (Andrea Long-Naidu), Pacific Northwest Ballet School (Ikolo Griffin), San Francisco Ballet School (Jason Ambrose) and School of American Ballet (Aesha Ash) all came to fruition during the COVID-19 crisis and the BLM reckonings. All four schools were part of the Equity Project's 21-ballet-organization learning cohort—the three-year partnership between Dance Theatre of Harlem, Dance/USA and the International Association of Blacks in Dance that aimed to increase the presence of Blacks in ballet, onstage and off. (Full disclosure, I was a member of the design and facilitation team.) There were a number of school directors in the room, including BBS director Margaret Tracey, PNB's Peter Boal (artistic director of both school and company), SFBS's former administrator Andrea Yannone and director Patrick Armand, and SAB's chairman of faculty Kay Mazzo.

One of the constant discussions was the importance of having representation on school faculties; it was drilled into their psyches. There were multiple conversations, and eventually the ball started rolling downhill. Unfortunately, the news of these faculty additions was only made public after last summer's social media protests by Black ballet dancers, making them appear reactionary.

The announcements began with a cacophony of press about Ash's appointment at SAB, which was met with underground backlash. Much like the overwhelming coverage about New York City Ballet's first Black Marie in 2019, which other companies had been quietly and consistently doing for years (without fanfare), the jump over contrition and bolt towards heroism for many soured representation into tokenism. In contrast, when Balanchine took Arthur Mitchell into NYCB as its first Black principal dancer, Mitchell asked that there not be a press release heralding the advancement. Instead, he wanted simply to appear onstage as a matter of fact.

When you wave a flag too hard late in the game, and are overly pleased with the little you have done over decades, you get no pat on the back. Though pleased for Sister Ash, inherent distrust has the Black community sitting with its arms folded, watching and waiting to be served the pudding that holds the proof of change.

This is the flip side of the representation coin. Organizations can dust their hands off and feel good about the progress they have made, while the actual burden and responsibility of "representing" gets laid squarely on these new Black hires. Ironically, these Black instructors return to the space of racial isolation they inhabited as dancers, with one major difference: Now they are expected to be an agent of change.

With the media blitz around her being SAB's first full-time Black faculty member, Ash is very clear when I ask her what her role is. "I am a teacher," she says. "I am not there to transform the entire structure. I was hired to be a teacher and I am hyper-focused on being the best darn teacher that I can be."

Her refrain sounds exactly like most Black ballet dancers who just want to dance, but whose very presence is a statement of silent resistance to a centuries-old system of whiteness. With this lack of representation, coupled with the increased visibility via social media—whether intended or not—they are instantaneously branded as "role models," and saddled with the pressure of expectations from the public at large, the Black community specifically, as well as their organization.

For these new faculty members, if and when their institutions make a faux pas, you can be certain the first question will be "Where were they?" When presented with this reality, Ash resolutely replies, "Let's make it very clear that I'm not the executive director or the artistic director of the School of American Ballet. But if I see things that don't look right to me, I'm absolutely going to feel very comfortable going in there and saying 'This does not look right.' " She sees her role as a long-time member of the Alumni Advisory Committee on Diversity and Inclusion as the space to do that.

Conversely, when asked what Ash's role is, Mazzo replies—along with giving glowing compliments about Ash's teaching abilities—"We feel that we hired an activist who wants to make more change," referring to her creation of her Swan Dreams Project. "We'll look to her for her perspective, her opinions or insights or feedback. It'll carry an enormous amount of weight as we continue to evolve and learn. I think she might not even realize what that means."

It could well be within this sliver of obfuscation that genuine representation can curdle into tokenism—the space where boundaries are unclear and assumptions are made. There has to be an agreement and clear boundaries with veto power enabling a person to control the way their Blackness, gender, sexual orientation or identity (in body and voice) are utilized both internally and externally for it not to wander into the realm of tokenism.

A person's desire to participate (and to what degree) should not be assumed because they represent a particular demographic. Having your thoughts, feelings, experience and emotional labor taken into consideration is something that is often not afforded to marginalized people. Being granted the power of choice with regards to participation, though not the norm, would be equitable. In this way the truest measure of whether something is tokenizing lies with the person in the experience: If they have agency and are empowered, it matters little how things appear.

In extending the invitation to Andrea Long-Naidu to join the Boston Ballet School, director Margaret Tracey was clear: "I need someone like this to hold me accountable. Knowing Andrea's commitment to supporting the Black student in the white ballet world made me think this is the kind of person I need on my team." The discussions between the two solidified what feels like a developing partnership.

Long-Naidu is looking for a space that will allow her to stretch into her desire to be a part of the change, and influence the field's push towards diversification. "I want to be at a high-level ballet institution where I am working with dancers, where I can make a difference," she says. Over the past five years she has been stepping into her power, both as an educator and as an advocate. "I am finding my voice in this work. I want to be a part of helping predominantly white institutions be more welcoming for Black bodies."

It helps that the two share history as former NYCB dancers, allowing for the uncomfortable dialogue necessary both for the learning curve and the strengthening of the new allyship. They align in their growth journeys: Tracey is prepared to receive radical feedback and Long-Naidu is ready to share. "Andrea is my first hire where I have shifted my focus from whether this outside person is a good fit for us to making sure that our environment is not stuck in a place that may not allow someone like her to fit in," says Tracey.

Casting and marketing

We all want to see Black and brown dancers rise through the ranks. What we don't want is Black dancers being cast when they are not ready, or prepared for a role just for a company to showcase it has them. This is the epitome of tokenism and sets dancers up to fail, a luxury, by virtue of their Blackness, they do not have. Blackness is held to a different standard so unlike their white peers, whose failings are their own, the "representation" Black dancers carry comes with the heavy burden of the entire race.

Artistic directors might not view it this way when casting, but being culturally competent would mean taking this into consideration. When fast-tracking a Black dancer, true equity would mean providing the extra support (technical and emotional) they might need to have them succeed. Hence, it's not about what is normally done; it is about what is necessary in this instance.

Tokenism in casting can stigmatize the dancer amongst their peers and the artistic staff, setting off the cascade of whispering echoes of "They only got it because they are Black." Even though white people have been getting opportunities because they are white for eons, it creates yet another level of isolation, stress and vulnerability in a Black dancer, potentially crippling both their confidence and their career.

Ballet organizations that have been actively working to educate and examine themselves, and are successfully expanding recruitment, increasing diversity in training pipelines, company rosters, faculties and administration, are grappling with how to best communicate progress without tooting their own horns too loudly. This is the space between a rock and a hard place; if they quietly go about their work, no one will know, and if they promote too heavily it could be perceived as pandering.

This culture shift demands transparency. Gone are the days of blind acceptance; the people demand receipts. Ballet has seldom had to explain itself, aloft at the pinnacle of the dance hierarchy, supported by centuries of tradition, the very act of "showing" deemed beneath it. Those days are on the wane.

The majority of ballet companies use the traditional rankings system. Star power is real, ballet lovers are loyalist, and marketing campaigns often follow suit by using images of principal artists or those performing lead roles. Hence, when most of your diversity (specifically Black dancers) resides in the corps de ballet, purposefully diverting from the marketing norms to telegraph the presence of nonwhite artists is by definition tokenism.

That is, of course, if marketing followed that hierarchy to begin with. When Tamara Rojo took the helm of English National Ballet in 2012, the company underwent a rebrand, highlighting ENB as a company that tells stories. Together with Heather Clark Charrington (director of marketing and communications since 2014), she transformed the promotional black-and-white backstage images into evocative art pieces capturing a moment, feeling or mood of a work. Together, Rojo and Charrington identify the dancer who can best capture it, regardless of rank or role. Many times there isn't correlation between the dancer on the poster and the principals on the stage.

Ironically, this nonhierarchical norm had gone unnoticed until 2018, when the breathtakingly stunning poster of Swan Lake featuring Precious Adams was released, and comments about casting and tokenism were raised. This is a prime example of when righteous indignation based on assumptions and lack of knowledge results in possible collateral damage to the very person you are advocating for. If companies are expected to do better by their artists, then the public needs to check itself, as well.

We need new procedures and practices to check our work. If your whole marketing department is white, perhaps consider enlisting the eyes of nonwhite members of the organization or cultivating external critical friends to look through a different lens to vet images and copy. The trick is you have to trust and listen to their feedback.

COVID commissions

The call to give Black choreographers opportunities was right up there with the call for ballet teachers, and the excuse was the same: "We can't find them." It seems that the glow from the world being on fire illuminated the field such that suddenly Black choreographers could be seen raining from the sky like extraterrestrial squids in Watchmen.

Black folk have been in the game long enough to know that the majority of recent commissions are purely reactionary. "Of course when I received multiple commissions, it crossed my mind that it was in alignment with the Black Lives Matter movement…and being a Black woman I tick two boxes," says Francesca Harper, who has eight commissions on deck. "I have been creating films since the beginning of my career—two of the companies came to me specifically because I can create something for film."

However, the nagging question of Blackness versus talent conjures uncertainty. "You wonder, Are they really looking at me?" asks Harper. "Are they looking at my work? That, for me, is always a painful moment."

Darrell Grand Moultrie is another of the numerous Black choreographers the ballet world is now inviting to take center stage, albeit virtually. While he has choreographed repeatedly on Atlanta Ballet, Colorado Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Cincinnati Ballet, BalletMet, Ailey II, Milwaukee Ballet, Tulsa Ballet, Richmond Ballet, Smuin Ballet, Sacramento Ballet, when American Ballet Theatre's Kevin McKenzie called to extend an invitation, according to Moultire, McKenzie apologetically said, "Unfortunately, I have not been exposed to your work."

Before Moultrie accepted the commission to choreograph in a bubble for ABT's virtual gala in November, he made three things clear: "First of all, I wanted this to be on the Met stage," Moultrie says. The second was a commitment to make that happen post-COVID. The third was he wanted to up McKenzie's "exposure" to Black choreographers in the game. McKenzie agreed.

"I think my commission with ABT is Kevin opening up to see who is out here," Moultrie says. However, that work should have already happened: Over the term of the Equity Project (which ABT was a part of), names of Black choreographers were often bandied about, including veterans Donald Byrd, Robert Garland, the overlooked Christopher Huggins, and Jennifer Archibald, who deserves a bump up, and Amy Hall Garner, who is on the come up.

The "it takes time" and "we can't find" mantras are to some degree the by-product of a lackadaisical attitude. One can believe that these recent gestures are earnest attempts to right a wrong. But the ease with which it could have been done before (and was not) is insulting, and makes it look and feel like tokenism.

It always feels like when Black people's houses are on fire, white folk can't seem to find a cup of water to fill it, yet when their houses are ablaze, here we come with buckets and hoses, always in service. At this critical time when the world is operating in crisis mode and on the learning curve of working remotely and presenting digitally, it feels like Blackness is used as a convenient tool to get out of the diversity doghouse. The fact that these opportunities are being given with anemic budgets cannot be overlooked and one has to wonder if these commissions offer parity.

Black people are too familiar with this type of post-woke euphoria, white guilt and shame married to a need to save face, creating just enough access and opportunity to smother the flames. Then, slowly, things begin to settle pretty much where they were before.

That being said, this time feels different (though we say that every time) because the landscape and the rules have changed. Increased exposure, transparency, the power of influencers' individual platforms and call-out culture all make it possible for anyone to write or contribute to the narrative. This collaborative quilt of divergent perspectives, which in time will become history, will now include more voices and experiences, forming a mosaic revealing a more comprehensive picture.

The work that ballet is attempting is a process, not a project. As to whether or not this is sustainable representation or mere tokenism, Moultrie sums it up this way: "We know what is happening right now is just a reaction. A good reaction, but only time will tell."

[jumukus]

A3! Event: +3Ghosts Episode 10 Translation

It’s showtime! Just in case, a heads up on the names of the characters! Misumi: Kousei, Kumon: Sora, Muku: Minato, Kazunari: Aoi, Tenma: Sousuke, Yuki: Susukida (note that the names may change once I fully know how they are pronounced, except Misumi’s, thanks to the play song ww!)

Sousuke: "Are you going to the hospital today, Kousei?"

Kousei: "I'm not."

Sousuke: "How about our club activities, then? We're gonna pick the members for the dance competition, y'know."

Kousei: "I don't even know if I can participate, anyway. I'm goin' home."

Sousuke: "But your injury is already healed, isn't it? They say you only need to attend therapy."

"If you stay like this, our club advisor will tell you to take a--Hey, Kousei!"

Kousei: "Fine. I'll just take a break from the club. And you really think I'm healed already? Look at this, I can barely move."

Student A: "Ghost photo? Dude, there's no way something like that exists. You just photoshopped it, didn't you?"

Student B: "'Sides, things like a spiritualist are downright uninteresting."

Susukida: "I-I said, you've got it wrong! I'm not lying--!"

Student A: "Lies."

Kousei: "So noisy…"

-

Madoka: (Nii-san truly looks like a different person on the stage. It's as if he has been possessed by his character.)

-

Mother: "Make sure to attend your therapy today, all right!? And go home by yourself once you're done!"

Kousei: "Yeah, yeah, I said I got it."

Kousei: "Like hell I'm gonna attend that therapy. *sighs*...Let's go kill some time somewhere."

"'Sides, the therapy does nothing for me. I can't move my leg at all. It's pointless."

"Just when I got so pumped up thinking I'd get chosen for this year's competition… Shit!"

Sora: "1, 2, 3, 4--!"

Kousei: "...What is that guy doin'? Suckass."

"His steps are so weird."

Sora: "Huh!?"

Kousei: "...Yikes, he heard me."

Sora: "Hey, hold on, hold on! Did you say something to me just now?"

Kousei: "...Just ignore him. Getting myself involved would be such a pain."

Sora: "There's no way he'd talk to me."

"No one will see someone like me. I'm invisible. They can't even hear my voice. My existence is unkn…"

Kousei: "So gloomy! I mean, anyone will see if you dance in a place like this."

Sora: "What!? Me!? Really!?"

Kousei: "Now I've gone and done it."

Sora: "Just now, you said my steps were weird--."

Kousei: "Like I said--You're supposed to move like this. I have an injury right now so I can only move slowly, but--."

Sora: "Wow, awesome! You're great, man!"

Kousei: "What a weirdo… Bye, then."

Sora: "Ah, hold on, hold on! S-Say, can you teach me dancing!?"

Kousei: "Why me… Do you not have any dance clubs in your school?"

Sora: "I can't go to school right now. Besides, I can only practice from evening to night. That's why…"

Kousei: "...I have physical therapy tomorrow."

Sora: "I see…"

Kousei: "But I can come since I have quite free time."

Sora: "For real!? Say, can I bring my friends too!? I'm sure they'll be happy! They've also been practicing dancing, after all."

Kousei: "Sure."

Sora: "My name is Sora Natsukawa!"

Kousei: "I'm Kousei Kizu. Just call me Kousei."

Sora: "Nice to meet you, Kousei!"

Izumi: (Misumi-kun is in his top form ever since he regains himself. Kumon-kun is also able to play Sora in his own way.)

Sora: "He's Minato Mizushima, and he's Aoi Mochizuki!"

Aoi: "Say, are we really going to be fine?"

Minato: "U-Umm, can you hear us?"

Kousei: "Are you makin' fun of me?"

Minato: "N-No!"

Aoi: "Oh, wow! So we're really going to be fine!"

Kousei: "What on Earth are you sayin'..."

Sora: "It's nothing! Let's start practicing right away!"

Kousei: "Wait, wait, wait! Aoi, what? Huh? What's happenin'?"

Aoi: "What is it? Huh? Huh?"

Kousei: "No, no, no! That should be my line, dude! How are your steps so light!?"

Aoi: "Huh!? No way!? Is it that light!?"

Kousei: "For real, man. Rather, you're floating in the air right now."

Aoi: "Whoops, my bad! I kind of forgot about the gravitation!"

Kousei: "Is that something you can forget about!?"

"1, 2, 3… Hey, Minato, is it just me or are you becoming invisible right now?"

Minato: "Huh!? Really!? It's just your imagination! Just your imagination!"

Kousei: "I can't see your feet."

Minato: "Maybe because it's already dark here."

Kousei: "Oh, hey, hang on, I can see through your body!"

Minato: "Huh? Maybe my presence is getting weaker~. Alright, I'll do my best to make my presence known!"

Kousei: "You think everything will be OK just by doing that!?"

Kousei: "You're doing pretty good now. Have you been dancing up until now?"

Sora: "Ah, yes. We all come from different schools, but we're in the same dance club."

Aoi: "It might be thanks to Kousei that my intuition came back."

Minato: "And you can finally move your injured leg, right, Kousei?"

Kousei: "Well, matching my pace with you all turns out good for my physical therapy."

Sora: "You've also been attending your therapy these days, right?"

Kousei: "Sort of, yeah. If I'm going to go to the hospital anyway, I might as well do it."

Aoi: "You're doing great~."

Sousuke: "Hey, Kousei, it's about time you show up to practice again. Your leg is already fine, isn't it?"

Kousei: "Well, yeah…"

Sousuke: "We still haven't completely decided on the members who will participate in the competition, so you still have time before the application deadline."

Kousei: "...I'll think about it."

Sousuke: "Dude, do you even have motivation for this?"

Kousei: "Why aren't y'all goin' back to your dance club?"

Minato: "We do want to return if we can…"

Sora: "We can't even go to school."

Kousei: "Why? Are y'all being hospitalized or what?"

Sora: "Well, I suppose you can see it that way."

Aoi: "Are you in a dance club, Kousei?"

Kousei: "Sort of. I took a break due to my injury, though."

Aoi: "How nice~. Are you gonna participate in the national dance competition?"

Kousei: "No idea. I don't know if I'll be chosen."

Sora: "I wanted to participate too."

Minato: "But Kousei still can make it. I'm sure you'll be chosen since you're working hard!"

Kousei: "...You see, dance clubs are not the only ones allowed to participate in the competition. You can join if four people form a team."

Sora: "Four people…"

Minato: "Are you talking about us?"

Aoi: "Seriously!?"

Kousei: "Who else, then?"

Sousuke: "Kousei! Today you'll come to--."

Kousei: "I've joined a different team for the competition."

Sousuke: "Haaah!?"

Kousei: "I'm gonna be busy practicin' with 'em, so I'm gonna take a longer break from club."

Sousouke: "Stop messing around! Do you know how long we all have been waiting for your return!? On that condition--."

Kousei: "My bad."

Sousuke: "Hey! You're being too selfish here!"

Kousei: "If we're gonna join the contest, I needa think about the choreography…"

Man: "Dance practice?"

Kousei: "Huh? Y-Yeah."

Man: "My son also liked dancing, you see. Do you mind if I see you practice?"

Kousei: "That's fine with me."

-

Man: "It sure brings back memories… My son used to practice until night too. Is it like t-this?"

Kousei: "You've got it all wrong."

Man: "Haha. I should have had him teach me how to dance."

Kousei: "Did your son quit dancing?"

Man: "Yeah… It's been years."

Kousei: "Let's take a lil break."

Aoi: "Huh? Already?"

Sora: "It's been two hours, after all."

Kousei: "Y'all sure have so much energy."

Minato: "You think so?"

Aoi: "I guess we all have infinite energy since the concept of body no longer works on us~?"

Kousei: "The heck is that? That aside, you'll be discharged before the competition, right?"

Sora: "Y-Yeah, of course!"

Minato: "I'll use any means to join the competition!"

Aoi: "Me too!"

Kousei: "Great to know that, then. It must have been a letdown to get holed up in the hospital during summer break."

Minato: "I wanted to go to school…"

Kousei: "School? Why?"

Minato: "Because I couldn't go there at all…"

Kousei: "Wanna sneak out?"

Minato: "Huh?"

Kousei: "If you can sneak out for practice everyday, I'm sure you can go there, right?"

Minato: "For real!?"

Aoi: "Can we really go, though?"

Sora: "I think we can if we're with Kousei!"

Kousei: "A'ight, it's settled, then."

Minato: "Sneaking into school at night sure makes you nervous, huh."

Kousei: "Well, it sure feels different from going to school in the morning. Ghosts may even come out."

Sora: "Huh!? G-G-G-GHOOOSSST???"

Kousei: "You're freakin' out too much."

Minato: "This makes me so happy. I've always wanted to go to school."

Kousei: "You're exaggeratin'. Once you get out of hospital, you'll have to go to school even if you hate it."

Minato: "You see, the truth is, I started missing school since junior high."

"I've come to enjoy dancing after entering a dance club during high school. It made me think that I could attend school."

"I worked hard at practice and aimed for the contest. But--."

Kousei: "I'm sure you'll be discharged soon."

Minato: "...Yeah. Thanks, Kousei."

Kousei: "Like I said, you're exaggerating. You can go to school soon."

Sora: "It might seem that way to you, Kousei."

Aoi: "Ah, in that case, I wanna see fireworks!"

Kousei: "Let's do it next week. You're in?"

Aoi: "Seriously!?"

Izumi: (Muku-kun said he understood Minato's feelings, and it really showed in his performance.)

Kousei: "This place sure is packed. I feel like we'll keep bumping into peeps."

Aoi: "You're right."

Minato: "What a crowd."

Kousei: "But hey, hold on, how can you guys walk that easily!? It's like you're slipping through them! How do you do that!?"

Sora: "We're, we're not!"

Kousei: "No, no matter how man--."

Susukida: "Eeek!!"

Kousei: "What's with that guy?"

Aoi: "Do you know him?"

Kousei: "He's my classmate. We've never talked before, though."

Sora: "He looked surprised when he saw us."

Kousei: "What a weird guy."

Aoi: "Ah, it's the fireworks!"

Kousei: "But we can't see them behind these trees!"

Sora: "Haha. We could only hear the sound."

Kousei: "Let's move."

Aoi: "No, it's fine."

Kousei: "But you wanted to see fireworks, didn't you?"

Aoi: "This is already fun enough."

"I didn't have any friends before, you see. Ever since I got ignored by the guys I was close with at junior high, I was afraid to make friends. I'd always been alone at the dance club."

"That's why dancing and watching fireworks with my friends like this made me so happy."

Kousei: "I see… Good for you."

Izumi: (Kazunari-kun doesn't call himself the fireworks leader of Summer Troupe for nothing. He's really having fun, as if he's watching big fireworks for real.)

Kousei: "Next is Sora."

Sora: "Huh?"

Minato: "You must have something you want to do, right, Sora?"

Sora: "I… No, it's fine."

Kousei: "Why?"

Sora: "I want to make it come true, but at the same time, I don't want to."

Kousei: "The heck is that?"

Aoi: "It doesn't hurt to say it."

Minato: "It's definitely better to say it. If you don't, we…"

Sora: "I… I wanna meet my family."

Kousei: "You can't meet them?"

Sora: "Due to some circumstances… I can't meet them face to face. But I want to see them at the very least, even if it's just a glance."

Kousei: "I'll do something about it, then."

Izumi: (Despite planning a lot of things for Sora's sake, Kousei gets mistaken as a suspicious person…)

Sora's Father: "What is it that you want? Please cut this out!"

Kousei: "Ah, wait a minu--. Inviting him without mentioning Sora's name at all is too difficult. *sighs*."

Sora's Father: "I'm going to call the police if you do this again."

Kousei: "Please hear me out. I'm not a suspicious person. My name is Kousei Kizu--I'm a friend of Sora Natsukawa--."

Sora's Father: "Sora's…?"

Kousei: "Sora said he wanted to meet you. Can you come with me?"

Sora's Father: "Sora… No way…"

"Can I really meet Sora?"

Kousei: "Huh? Where are you--Oh well, whatever! Please come with me!"

Izumi: (Promising to let him meet Sora, Kousei brings Sora's father to a nearby riverside…)

Kousei: "Like I said, he wanted to meet you too. Just meet him face to face."

Sora: "I can't…"

Kousei: "Why!?"

Sora: "I just can't…"

Minato: "Kousei, Sora himself really wants to meet his father."

Kousei: "Then why--."

Sora's Father: "So where's Sora?"

Kousei: "Ah, uh, umm…"

Aoi: "Ah, fireflies!"

Minato: "Wow, it's so pretty…"

Sora: "This takes me back. I used to come here to see fireflies with my family…"

Sora's Father: "I see… So you're home, huh, Sora. Kousei-kun, thank you for helping me meet Sora."

Kousei: "Huh? I don't really get it, but I guess he kinda accepted it~?"

Sora: "Thanks, Kousei. My dream came true because of you."

Kousei: "Huh, yeah. But is this really okay? You didn't meet him face to face."

Sora: "Yep. It's enough for me."

Kousei: "Now we've only gotta wait until you're discharged from the hospital and join the competition."

Sora: "...Yeah. I'll have no regrets left once we join the contest."

Kousei: "Well, since we're joining the contest anyway, I also want to win something."

Kousei: "There's no point in going to school. I should have skipped."

Student A: "Like I said, you probably edited it, right?"

Student B: "Just admit it already."

Susukida: "I'm not lying! Give me back my phone!"

Kousei: "So noisy…"

"..."

Student A: "H-Hey!"

Kousei: "Leave him the fuck alone, man. Here you go."

Susukida: "Tha, Thanks…"

Student A: "Tch, fucking boring."

Susukida: "Umm, Kizu-kun, you came to the fireworks festival, didn't you?"

Kousei: "Haaah? Yea."

Susukida: "You're being possessed, Kizu-kun."

Kousei: "Huh? By who?"

Susukida: "Spirits of the dead."

Kousei: "Haaah!? The fuck are you sayin'? Bullshit."

Sora's Father: "We met here before, right? I remember coming here."

Kousei: "Ah, Sora's…"

Sora's Father: "If you don't mind, can you keep these for me?"

Kousei: "What are those?"

Sora's Father: "Dance videos that Sora collected to study and videos of his performances. I suppose it might be helpful to you."

Kousei: "In that case, you can just return it to Sora…"

Sora's Father: "I do want to do it. But I ended up feeling reluctant and kept them as a memento."

Kousei: "Memento…?"

Sora: "You've heard from my dad, right, Kousei?"

"Five years ago, we were riding the same bus to go to a dance contest. But our bus flipped over midway and we couldn't be saved."

Kousei: "You're lying."

Minato: "It's the truth. Do you know why we can float in the air or how we have weak presences? It's because we are ghosts."

Aoi: "See? We look like ghosts, don't we? No, I mean, we are indeed ghosts."

Kousei: "Are you for real, dude!? I see!?"

Sora: "I've actually wondered why you didn't notice it all this time."

Kousei: "One usually would not notice such a thing, y'know!"

Minato: "No, I think it's the exact opposite."

Kousei: "Hey, how about the dance contest, then!? Can ghosts even join!?"

Sora: "Sorry… In the first place, there's barely anyone who can see us…"

Minato: "It's impossible."

Aoi: "I think people who have sixth sense can see us, though."

Kousei: "I don't have such a thing, though."

Sora: "Maybe it's because we share the same feelings that you can see us, Kousei. We all want to join the dance contest.”

Minato: "I wanted to join the contest…"

Sora: "But Kousei's the only one who can see us… Besides, you need at least two people to join the contest."

Aoi: "Sorry, Kousei…"

Kousei: "What are you apologizing for!? Y'all want to join the contest, don't you!? You'll definitely join!"

Sora: "Kousei…"

Izumi: (Thus, in order to make up the number, Kousei asks Sousuke from the dance club to help him…)

Kousei: "I'm begging you, Sousuke. I want to look for someone from the dance club who can join my team."

Sousuke: "You really are asking too much. Besides, you're the one who chose them over the dance club."

Kousei: "I know. But I have to participate in this contest no matter what."

Sousuke: "I'll join your team."

Kousei: "Huh?"

Sousuke: "The contest is in three days. Do you really think there's anyone who would be willing to join your team so suddenly like that?"

Kousei: "Then why are you…? To begin with, you've been chosen to represent the dance club."

Sousuke: "The dance club has a lot of substitutes. We have prepared so that anyone can take over anytime."

Kousei: "But--."

Sousuke: "I want to take part in the competition with you. I've told you I'd wait, right?"

Kousei: "Sorry, and thanks."

Izumi: (Tenma-kun has already said this, but he really is perfect for the role.)

(No matter what he says, in the end Sousuke is very helpful and compassionate, and Tenma-kun shows that side of him well.)

Kousei: "Say, Susukida! You can see ghosts, can't you!?"

Susukida: "Huh?"

Kousei: "You said you saw ghosts at the fireworks festival."

Susukida: "Y-Yeah."

Kousei: "Do you know a way to make other people able to see ghosts?"

Susukida: "Maybe with… psychic photography."

Kousei: "Psychic photography… That's it!!"

Sousuke: "I thought you were lying when you said they're ghosts, but you were not."

Sora: "Never would have I thought you'd come with an idea of having us dance on the screen."

Sousuke: "Hey, are they all here?"

Susukida: "Y-Yeah."

Minato: "Susukida-kun can't hear our voice too."

Aoi: "To think that we'd be able to join the competition…"

Sora: "Thanks so much, Kousei."

Izumi: (Yuki-kun did a good job expressing Susukida's delicate feelings and how happy he was when the others used his ability.)

Izumi: (Then, on the day of the competition…)

(They all look like they're having fun.)

(Especially Misumi-kun… I can tell he's really having fun when he dances on stage with the others.)

(I can tell they're fully enjoying this moment in this summer… That feeling of theirs is overflowing…)

-

Kusumi: …

(Misumi's performance reminded me of Father's plays… That's right… I, too, wanted to create that kind of play.)

MC: "The winner of this contest is… Sakai High's dance club!"

*applause*

Kousei: "I thought we'd at least win a prize, but it didn't turn out like that."

Sora: "I'm happy enough to be able to stand on the stage."

MC: "The Special Recognition Award goes to… +3Ghosts!"

Kousei: "Huh…"

Sousuke: "Seriously!?"

Kousei: "Special Award…"

Sousuke: "We won that! Come on, Kousei, go get that throphy! Ah no, I mean, Kousei and you three!"

Sora: "--Special Award? Us?"

Minato: "I can't believe it…"

Aoi: "Isn't that awesome!? Yaaay!!"

MC: "Your creativity was wonderful. Not only that, but your performance was also highly-praised due to the fact that we could sense the characteristics of the people on the screen. Congrats."

Kousei: "Thank you…!"

"Hey, you three, come on, hold the tro--ah, right, you can't."

Aoi: "Hahaha. Let's just pretend we're touching the trophy~."

Sora: "Wow! I still can't believe it! We won a prize!"

Minato: "I'm really happy."

Susukida: "Let's take a pic! Look here, guys!"

Kousei: "--."

Sora: "Thanks, Kousei, Sousuke-kun, Susukida-kun."

Aoi: "We have no regrets left."

Minato: "It's sad, but I'm glad I wasn't alone."

Kousei: "Huh?"

Sora: "I'm glad I could meet Kousei."

Aoi: "See you!"

Minato: "I hope we can dance together again one day."

Kousei: "Wait a minute, hey!"

Sousuke: "Kousei?"

Susukida: "They disappeared…"

Kousei: "Why!? They should have said that kind of thing sooner! I could have prepared myself mentally."

Susukida: "Take a look at this, Kizu-kun."

Sousuke: "They all held the trophy."

Kousei: "Haha. Their presences are as weak as ever."

Izumi: (A nice smile filled with sorrow… As if marking the end of a summer, the curtain closes…)

Misumi: Thanks~!

Kumon: --*sobs*!

Misumi: There, there, Kumon. Huggies~!

Kazunari: Me too!

Muku: Good for you, Kyu-chan!

Yuki: You're crying too much.

Tenma: Hey, come on, introduce yourself. Good grief.

-

Hiro: …

There's no mistaking it… Friends are the best treasure in one's lifetime.

Kumon: Sorry for intruding.

Madoka: Welcome.

Kazunari: Hakkaku-san's mansion is super elegant!

Muku: It does feel like this place belongs to Hakkaku-san.

Izumi: Is it really okay for us to come here?

Madoka: I think my grandfather will be happy if lively people come here.

Misumi: I'm so happy I could come here with you all~!

Izumi: (Well, Misumi-kun is happy. That's good enough.)

Kazunari: So this is where Hakkaku-san usually wrote…

Tenma: This is truly a great place; it's close to the mountain and the sea.

Yuki: And it's quiet here.

Kusumi: ...Ah, found it.

This is what you're looking for, right?

Izumi: Ah, thank you!

Tenma: "White Beard Pirates"....

Misumi: I watched this with Grandpa!

Tenma: Looks like we got the right one.

Kusumi: Let's visit the grave before it gets dark.

Madoka: Yes.

Misumi: …

Madoka: …

Misumi: Thank you for bringing me here.

Kusumi: --.

--No, I should have brought you here sooner. Sorry.

Madoka: I'm sorry, Nii-san.

Misumi: It's all right. I'm glad I could come here today.

Madoka: …

Misumi: Let's make paper airplanes, Madoka!

Tenma: You're gonna fly them here!?

Yuki: That's disrespectful, you know.

Misumi: I'm gonna give Grandpa the paper airplane that flies the farthest!

Izumi: Le-Let's look for a wider area to do it.

Madoka: I have this. I wasn't the one who made it, though.

Misumi: It… looks similar to my paper airplanes…

Madoka: When Nii-san took on the lead role for the first time, It flew from the window.

Misumi: So you've been keeping it…!

Let's play more and more and make paper airplanes!

Izumi: How about the papers, though?

Misumi: Ah…

Madoka: I think we can use the papers in the mansion.

Kusumi: Please use these.

Misumi: ?

Madoka: Father, these are--.

(They're manuscripts. They're filled with words…)

Kusumi: It's garbage. I'm bringing them here because I want to burn it.

Madoka: (This is Father's handwriting… He kept writing and erasing his words… There's a trace of his struggle.)

Izumi: Is it really okay to throw them away?

Kusumi: ...I had always felt like I submerged into a dark mire, you see. But now I could finally get rid of that feeling.

It's all thanks to you, Misumi, Madoka.

Misumi: Father…

Madoka: (There's a lot of unfinished stories that disappear without seeing the light of the day like this.)

(At the very least, I shall remember those stories. Then, one day--.)

Tenma: Okay, I'm sure this time I'll--.

Kumon: I'm done!

Kazunari: It's all set!

Misumi: Alright, let's go! Three, two, one!

Muku: --Wow, it's flying!

Kumon: Awesome! Mine flies that far!

Tenma: Not again! Mine fell down right away!

Kazunari: Go, go~!

Yuki: Just as I thought, Triangle Alien's flies the farthest.

Madoka: You're amazing, Nii-san.

Misumi: Ehehe~!

Izumi: The white paper airplanes are dancing in the blue sky… This, too, is a summer-like thing.

< Episode 9 | Masterlist | Epilogue >

[renaxwrites]

Eleven

.08 - No Control

synopsis: the number Eleven had always appeared in milestones of your life. it was a constant, and you didn’t know why. but you would soon find out when you study abroad in japan and meet Him.

pairing: tsukishima x fem!reader

warnings: none!

masterlist: here :)

a/n: it’s been a quick minute! also I’m not entirely sure how taxis and such work in Japan, so for the sake of the story, we’re using uber! no smelly taxis for you ma’am >:) also I picked bops I felt fit with the groups lol don’t fight me on the vibes I got :) also here’s a TikTok that inspired the Suga scene: <3 !

previous || next

I can’t contain this anymore. I’m all yours, I’ve got no control.

“Are you sure this looks okay? I feel a little more breeze than usual...”

“Y/n, it’s fine! You look stunning. And if you don’t believe me, ask Mizuki. MIZUKI-SAN!! We need some confirmation over here!!” Suga bellowed.

You, Suga, and Mizuki were all centered in the main room. Even Akiteru was home for the night. Tonight was the volleyball “get-together” downtown, with not only Karasuno, but with other schools as well.

Everyone was expected to dress a little nicer, since it was a night out in the town. Tsukki and Yamaguchi has already left, getting ready within 10 minutes. He walked out the door as soon as he heard, “I’ll be ready in 2 hours...minimum” come out of your mouth. And you’re glad he did. For now.

Your fashion choice was mutually decided that past weekend between Suga and Yachi, who were both in on your “karaoke confession” plan. Their dress choice for you made you feel like a dream. You had eyebrows fleekd, the lashes on, the eyeliner pointed, the heels strapped, the whole she-bang! However, you were worried about actually going out in it. Right now it looks good in your room, but how does it look outside of it?

“Y/n dear, you look ever-so lovely. And might I say, I’m sure it’ll turn the head of even a more emotionally unaware, six foot tall, blonde player,” Mizuki truthfully reassures.

Wait. WHAT?

Your reaction was like an open book, causing the room to chuckle.

“Yes, y/n, as emotionally constipated as my brother is, it’s a little obvious there’s a little chemistry between you two. And itd be ludicrous if he didn’t see you in that dress like we do. If he doesn’t, I’ll teach him a lesson myself,” Akiteru punches his empty hand.

“Well...if you say so...”

“But before you go, let me take a picture! You all look adorable!” Mizuki exclaimed.

A few minutes of photo-snapping later, you were off! Since the event was farther, the two of you shared an uber for convenience. You were already struggling with breaking in your new heels, there was no way you were going to make it! Thank goodness for Suga’s common sense.

  ─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Soon, you arrived in front a low-lighted club, with neon lights accenting it’s features. The only detail setting apart from a real club was that it was being rented out to you, majority minors, so no alcohol would be seen in any of your hands. Not all of you were minors, but none of you were at the country’s drinking age yet.

The bass from the music amplified the atmosphere, which suddenly closed in on you, making you nervous. Suga noticed right away, and was quick to put a rub your shoulder and let you know “everything is fine, don’t worry.”

He leads you to where the main mingling was happening. Immediately, you see players who you recognized, but don’t quite know. You stride up to a group seated on a leather couch, seating Daichi, Hinata, and Yamaguchi. Beside them were a bed-headed individual, a pudding-haired boy talking only to Shoyo, an owl-looking dude, and a very dashing raven-haired boy. Oh, and Tsukishima. Can’t forget him.

“Oy! You guys made it!” Daichi announced. “Now everyone is here! Before we start, let me introduce these guys. This here is Kuroo and Kenma, captain and setter for Nekoma. Bokuto, and Akaashi, captain and setter for Fukurodani.”

Formalities were exchanged, but Tsukishima hasn’t uttered a word yet. He was too occupied with how Suga’s hand was on your back when you first walked in. Why’d you come with him? And that one second of silence before Daichi’s greeting. Within that split moment, he noticed all 8 of the boys on the couch had drank in your appearance. Including himself. How could he help it, when you looked as angelic as the way you did?

Only Kuroo was cheeky enough to comment on it. “Daichi, you never told me you had such cute managers! Hope you don’t mind me transferring to Karasuno,” he said with a wink sent your way.

“Keep flirting like a creep and I’ll sit you on the bench for the whole season if you do transfer,” Daichi half-jokingly replied. Kuroo only cackled in response.

“But you do look very pretty, y/n-san. I almost didn’t recognize you for a second! Very pretty!” Hinata innocently piped up. If Tsukishima was ever thankful for Hinata, it was now, as his comment made you blush.

“Let’s get this started! Captains, up to the front please!” Daichi announced, leading the captains present to the front of the room.

You and Suga replace the spot where Daichi and Bokuto were. It was then that Tsukishima decided to acknowledge your presence. With a shoulder tap.

“So. It took you two hours to pull something together like that? Looks like it only took 20 minutes to me,” was the first thing that he said.

You turn to look at him. Raising a brow, you ask, “Tsukishima. On average it takes me 12 minutes to get ready for school. And on the few months we’ve known each other, have you seen me with makeup on? Or in heels? Didn’t think so sir. So sue me if I want to slap some eyeliner on.”

You cross your arms and turn the other way. In doing so, your dress hiked up your thighs, leaving your legs a little more exposed. The sight causes Tsukishima to blush and distract himself with something else.

“Alright everyone, thank you for joining us tonight! Before we get started, we want to wish all the teams a ‘good luck’ in advance!” Daichi goes on to explain the theme for the night: TikTok. Some people were confused, but most, including yourself, were super hyped for the theme.

The teams drew numbers, picking the order. First was Nekoma, Fukurodani next, followed by Karasuno.

The Nekoma third years started it off strong, dancing and singing shamelessly to Savage from the TikTok challenge. The nerves you were nursing began to dissipate as you watch how much fun the boys were having trying to ‘throw it back’. You were still holding your stomach by the time Kuroo came back to his seat, trying to comfort the aches you had from laughing so hard.

“Enjoy the show, princess?” The captain teased as he tried to keep his own laughter at bay.

You wipe a tear, not wanting to ruin your makeup. “My gosh, who knew the players of Nekoma could thow a volleyball and throw it back? Immaculate performance, a definite ten out of ten from me.”

“There’s more where that came from, if you want. I’m excited to see your attempt, though,” he countered with a wink.

Before you could retaliate, Bokuto thunderously intervened. “Hey! If you thought that was good, just wait for mine. I’ve been told I have more...what was it Akaashi?....No, one those girls said that one time....OH! I’ve got wayyy more ‘cake’ than that bed-head rooster does!” He triumphantly crossed his arms.

“Shut up owl-face! Y/N can be the judge, winner gets bragging rights.” “You’re on flat-ass!”

Nekoma had since finished their turn (in which Kenma conveniently showed up from hiding), giving Bokuto the opportunity to sprint up the karaoke stage. He had a plan set into motion. With a mini emo-episode and several attempts of bribing, the ace-captain was followed by his reluctant teammates.

They all gathered in some formation, leaving you curious. You and your seat mates ponder as to what song they would choose to try and top Nekoma’s third years.

You hear a familiar “Hold on...” burst from the speakers, and you immediately gasp aloud. Those sitting around turn to you. However, Bokuto’s next line in the mic instantly stole the attention of the whole room.

“Did you hear what the fuck I SAID??? SHAKE!! SOME ASSS!!!”

Everyone bursts in hysterics as Bokuto started enthusiastically started twerking to the beat, his teammates following his lead, much to their dismay. However, what finally killed you was when Akaashi stood silently as he began to toss one-dollar bills in his captain’s direction.

Suga handed you some tissues for you to prevent your tears from staining your makeup. Bokuto took his boastful stride back to the couch, taking his seat.

“So? Better than flat-ass over here? Guess volleyball isn’t the only thing I’m better at, Kuroo.”

The two captains await your answer, to which you silently pull out a few dollar bills.

“Kuroo, I do believe you gave your best shake, but Bokuto is the taker. Please sir, take this token and buy yourself a drink, as the winner with the best cake,” you bow your head, trying to stifle your laughter.

Bokuto finalizes your decision with a boastful “Hey Hey Heyyy!”, and goes to buy the group some water with your generous donation.

“Alright, so who from Karasuno wants to go first?” Ah, the question you secretly dreaded.

Suga gives you a look. You return a look to him, silently praying that you don’t want to go first. But Suga being Suga volunteered you both, hastily dragging you along. As the two of you ready yourselves on the mics, a conversation sparked up back where you once sat.

“Thanks for the water, Bokuto-san, I have a feeling I’m going to need it in a minute,” the Nekoma captain stated in a nonchalant tone.

“Huh? Why?” Everyone else inquires, suddenly curious. He simply leans back. Arms behind his head, eyes on you. “She’s kinda cute, dont’cha think?”

Tsukishima follows his gaze, then proceeds to glare back at his friend. Kuroo notices, then feigns innocence. “What? She’s pretty, can’t blame a guy for noticing...why? You have your eye on her too or something, Tsukishima-kun?”

The blonde then breaks his stare, scowling. “Or something.”

The expression Tsukki wore when watching you told Kuroo otherwise.

Back onstage, you silently pray that Suga’s mystery song choice was a decent one. You trusted the man, but then again, some choices of his were questionable.

“Okay y/n, you ready? And don’t say no because we’re doing it no matter what you say!” he flashes you a blinding smile. You just nod in response and try not to sweat.

The song begin, and everyone instantly is hit with the familiar sound. You turn to Suga and lightly slap his arm playfully. “You really picked this one? I haven’t heard this in so long!” To which he responds, “Can’t blame me!” You couldn’t come up with a response before he began to sing his heart out, releasing all he needed to say within the words of the song.

“Can’t count the years on one hand that we’ve been together...I need the other one to hold you, make you feel, make you feel better...”

The sound was sucked out of the room, with Suga being the only one to fulfill it. You were so mesmerized by his voice you found yourself swaying to the music, your body having a mind of its own.

“I should be over all the butterflies, but I’m into you, I’m into you. And baby even on our worst nights, I’m into you...”

Before your part arose, he picks up your hand and spins you around in time with the melody. This was enough to bring you to your senses. Suga gives your fingers a squeeze as you began your part.

“Recount the night that I first met your mother, and on the drive back to my house I told you that, told you that I loved ya...”

The way the stage lights presented you had your friends captivated. There was something different about you as you sang your lullaby. The movement of your hips was captivating to a certain boy you once linked pinkies with. The reflection of your dress in tune with your movements left him breathless. Tsukishima swore thw way you looked into his eyes while mustering out “I’m still into you...” was for him. Even if it was a figment of his imagination, he was fine with just pretending for a mere moment.

You attack Suga with a hug after finishing Paramore’s famous song, flustered at the amount of applause you both faced. hand-in-hand, the two of you retreated back to your rightful seat, and were once again bombarded with praise.

“Y/N!! SUGA-SAN!! That was amazing!!” “The way you two harmonized...immaculate” “I didn’t know you were so good!”

“Thanks, it wasn’t much,” you play with your hair, still slightly embarrassed. You looked up into a pair of golden eyes, waiting for the only opinion you cared about tonight.

Tsukishima returns your stare, quickly glances at your clasped hands with Suga, then reverts his gaze just as quickly. “Well you didn’t mess up so...good job.”

You roll your eyes so hard you felt the tips of your false lashes touch your brows. “Thanks, Tsukishima.” You’re go of Suga’s hand and plop down to to your seat with a huff.

“Y/n-chan, don’t worry about him. Pretty sure that’s his way of saying he loved your voice. I know I did,” Kuroo reassures, patting on your head.

You failed to notice the way Tsukki’s cheeks tinted with pink as he threw a hard glare at his friend. What you did see was Suga headed outside with none other than Daichi. Alone.

You send him a tex expecting details later, not expecting him to reply anytime soon.

You’re thrown out of your curious train of thought when Nishinoya and Tanaka began to rave to “Hot wings” from the Rio movie. The underrated bop served them well, as everyone migrated to the dance floor to rejoice to their song of choice.

Silently bobbing in your seat, you’re granted an offer. “Want to join me?” The hand outstretched belonging to Kuroo, of course.

With consent, he pulls you up and starts guiding you to the middle, a hand on your back.

You look back sweetly at Tsukishima. “You coming?”

In the .5 seconds of coming up with a response, the blonde rapidly weighed out his decisions. Ultimately, he shook his head, keeping on the same deadpan expression as before.

It was obvious you tried not to look deflated as you plater a smile on your face. “Okay then! I’ll be over here!”

He watched you walk away. He watched you dance as if it was your last night on earth. He watched the way your dress hugged your figure, magnifying your endless dips and curves of your body as you moved to the atmosphere. He watched the way you glowed under the endless rainbow of stage lights, bestowing you with an alluring aura.

The way he watched you so intently sent his thoughts spiraling. He found his brain in a dilemma with his heart, which was thumping wildly in his chest.

Tsukishima decided it was best to escape his own confrontation. He exchanged some words with Yamaguchi, then strides out the door.

Not before he took a last look at you.

Practically drenched in a layer of sweat, you lug yourself off to the side and catch a breath. “I’m going to go get some water!” You shout to your friend in order to be heard over the music.

You check the time on your phone, then look to the couch you once sat on.

It was Eleven’o clock. And Tsukishima was gone.

Powerless, and I don’t care it’s obvious. I just can’t get enough of you.

Tag list: @jiminslonglostjams @fantasymirror @shewastheriot @lukes-princess @iamthepenguinwhosearseisonfire @its-bnha-babe @desi-studys @shootooooo @noya-senpai-imagines @animefan7420 @anpancari @tsukkx @cadabby @thoebe-fly @it-was-just-a-ship @imconfusedanditsok @alexa360b34st @delicious-peaches-blog @shinguchi @creammy0 @fandoms-on-main @smellybananaz @keikink @tsukiak4ri @skyguy-peach @chicalmeida @obsessedwhxre @anhphunnnn @200th-piece-of-glass @sana-li

[slippinmickeys]

Of the Eight Winds, Part 7

This is part seven in who knows how many from the prompt from @sunflowerseedsandscience : “Mulder is unhappily married when Scully is partnered with him, and while he doesn’t cheat (because sorry that’s not romantic), he falls for her so hard that he finally gets the courage to end the marriage and start fresh.”

Links to parts one, two, three, four, five and six.

1

When he repeated the words “I, Fox, take you, Dana” he made a face, and she couldn’t help but laugh. It was half nerves and half him and bubbled up from inside her. The officiant smiled at her indulgently, and Mulder repeated himself and again made a face, and again she laughed. This time she looked over her shoulder at her mother who was standing witness, giving her an “ honestly , Dana” look while simultaneously trying to hold a one-year-old Lily who did not want to be contained. Mulder repeated the vows one more time.

“I, Mulder, take you, Scully,” he said, changing the words to better suit them, and there was no funny face, and no laugh. There was only a rightness to it, which washed gently over her and settled her nerves.

When the officiant told Mulder he could kiss the bride, he leaned into her slowly, and then wrapped his arms around her tightly, lifting her feet up off the floor. There were whoops and hollers from the small congress of witnesses, one of which she knew for sure was Charlie, and another she suspected might actually be Skinner.

When they darted out to the car after the ceremony, they were pelted with sunflower seeds which Scully didn’t realize until Mulder picked one gently out of her hair and popped it into his mouth.

They didn’t have a reception, just a small dinner at an Alexandria restaurant.

Scully watched the way Doggett and Reyes sat, heads bent together at the other end of the table and nudged Mulder.

He put his arm around the back of her chair whispered in her ear.

“There’s just something about that office, Scully.”

2

They had both left the X-Files once Scully was pregnant enough not to be out in the field anymore. Scully transferred to her old teaching position at Quantico, and Mulder “retired,” opting to write books for a few years while he finished his PhD, later opening his own practice.

They consulted often with their replacements and Mulder felt like he spent just as much time at various FBI facilities as he did at home working.

When the Lone Gunmen were killed and buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Mulder stepped away, eventually deciding that his consulting days were over.

A couple of years later, after William was born, they received an “It’s a Boy!”  congratulations card postmarked from Arlington, Virginia. It was blank, but for a monogram as a signature, which read simply “TLG.”

3

As a one-year wedding anniversary gift, Melissa Scully offered to take Lily off of their hands for a week if they promised to go somewhere warm and tropical. Mulder figured Scully had probably put her sister up to it -- or at the very least had her add the tropical addendum to her gift, but either way it was nice to get away from it all. He hadn’t slept in one day since becoming a father.

Melissa came to their door with a small suitcase and a giddy smile, eyes only for her niece. She was rewarded with a big, sticky hug.

Mulder already had their luggage loaded in the car, but Scully lingered in the doorway, she was having trouble saying goodbye.

“Scully, our flight is in exactly two hours and I know you like to get to the airport early,” he said. He would not go back inside himself or he’d have trouble leaving, too.

Finally, Scully gave Lily one last hug and said to her sister, “the terrible twos are a real thing, Missy. Call us if you need us.”

“We’ll be fine,” Melissa said, and ushered Scully outside, Lily perched on her hip. Then she called “I’m not offering when she’s a threenager!”

On their flight home, Mulder reached for Scully’s hand.

“I’m not spending that much money on a tropical vacation again, if we’re never going to leave the room.”

Scully wiped a finger down one side of her mouth and gave his lap a meaningful look.

“Worth it,” she said.

4

Mulder defended and received his PhD with little fanfare.

Scully made him a celebratory pie (sweet potato), and they sat down on their back porch to eat it with a bottle each of Shiner Bock once they had both kids down.

It was a beautiful spring night, a warm breeze wafting through the woods behind their house. Mulder could almost swear he could smell the cherry blossoms from the district.

He leaned back after finishing his slice in record time and let his fork clatter to his plate. He lifted the beer to his lips.

When he set the beer back down on the table, there was a small brown box wrapped in white ribbon sitting next to his empty plate. Scully smiled at him as she took a sip of her own.

When he opened it, he found the antique brass compass that had passed between them several times.

“Regifting, Scully?” he said to her, mirroring words she’d once said to him.

“Turn it over,” she lobbed back.

Above the old To finding our way... inscription, it now read “ To Dr. M.” He leaned over and gave her a lingering kiss.

When he sat back down and picked up his beer, she reached over with her own and clinked the necks of the bottles together.

“Doctor,” she said to him on a nod.

“Doctor,” he nodded back.

5

With their second child, Scully went into labor a month early. He’d been speaking at a conference in New York when an organizer pulled him aside as he was exiting the stage from his last panel and told him he had a phone call. It was Mrs. Scully, who sounded concerned but was trying to hide it. In the background he could hear a muffled TV and then a worried three-year-old “ Where’s daddy ?”

The train ride back to DC was torture. He was anxious, could barely sit still. He kept calling Mrs. Scully who said she didn’t know much -- they’d had to take Dana into a Labor & Delivery room and Lily was really bothered by the whole situation so she’d taken her home to her house. Melissa, who had planned to be Scully’s doula, was in San Diego with Bill.

Later, when he was holding the baby for the first time, Scully’s doctor came into the room. There had been some complications with the labor, but Scully hadn’t elaborated, and Mulder had been too elated to by the birth of his son to give it much thought.

The OB informed them that she didn’t think it was possible for Dana to have any more children.

While the doctor was going through the finer points of it, Scully reached out and squeezed his hand so hard it hurt. He could only hear the roaring of blood in his ears.

6

Scully thought “Crusher” was a ridiculous name for a cat. However, family tradition mandated that every pet be named after a female doctor and Will got naming rights on this one. He had recently gotten really into Star Trek .

The cat sat on the coffee table, as black and fluffy as her predecessor, but with a slightly more quarrelsome personality. Scully thought it was probably fitting being that their first born was about to be a freshly minted teenager.

Mulder came into the living room carrying an enormous bowl of popcorn with Lily on his heels, sulky as she plopped into an easy chair. Good grades had earned Will the Saturday evening activity of his choice and he’d opted for a family viewing of the first Lord of the Rings movie. No family member’s presence was optional and Lily loathed sci-fi/fantasy, much to Mulder’s dismay.

He set down the bowl, which Crusher nosed thoughtfully, and cut his eyes to his wife.  

“Will’s in charge of the ice cream,” he said, his eyes widening with a look of slightly anxious amusement.

“Is that wise?” Scully asked.

“No,” said Lily quickly with no small amount of sass, earning her a sharp look from her mother.

Will came in then balancing four tubs of Ben & Jerry’s and several spoons. He paused when he reached the coffee table and gave Mulder a significant look.

“They come in pints,” he said with a British accent, which launched Mulder into an uncharacteristic fit of hysterics. Lily rolled her eyes. Scully wondered what was so funny.

7

Scully had had one of the longest days on record, and if she walked into a messy house one more time, she swore she would walk directly up to her bathroom, climb into a hot bathtub and not get out until morning.

When she got to their front door, she could barely open it for the load of hockey equipment in front it.

“That’s it,” she said to herself.

She would have followed her oath to the letter if she hadn’t tripped on a cat toy halfway through the kitchen. Mulder and the kids were all parked in various spots around the room.

“You okay?” Mulder asked her, barely looking up.

Her silence spoke volumes and eventually the three Mulders in the house were looking at her with a kind of low grade fear.

“Why,” she said, struggling to keep her voice steady, “am I the only person in this house who cleans it?”

Will opened his mouth to say something, but Mulder put a hand on the boy’s arm.

“The mop has a handle, not an access code,” she said, giving them each a cold glare before heading up the stairs. “I will be in the tub,” were her parting words.

When she came down a couple hours later, wrapped in a silk bathrobe and a significantly better attitude, she found the house spic and span, a rumpled looking Mulder sitting quietly at the kitchen counter nursing a Coke.

“The house looks great,” she said, and he smiled at her.

“We’ve implemented a few extra columns on the chore chart,” he said, “and I have a row now, too.”

She reached for the Coke and he handed it over.

“Got you something,” he said, and nodded at a lone parcel sitting on the countertop.

When she unwrapped it she found a hastily made homemade sign, made from what she could tell was scrap lumber that had been sitting around the garage. Painted on it were three words in three different handwriting styles. It read “Bless This Mess.” They had all signed it.

She felt her eyes start to tear.

“It’s hideous,” she said, and Mulder laughed. “You can hang it over there,” she sniffed.

It would hang in their kitchen for the rest of their days.

8

Lily was 17 and was just getting over the nightmarish huffy know-it-all stage of the early teens. Mulder and William—who had just hit the gawky, all arms and legs stage of adolescence—were sitting at the dining room table, taking apart Mulder’s old VCR. It had stopped rewinding and they had a plan to watch Plan 9 From Outer Space that night. Mulder swore the movie was better on video, so William swore it too.

“We’re missing a screw,” Mulder said to his son, who was in charge of keeping the various component parts together on the table.

“We’re not, I handed them all to you,” Will said.

Lily came skidding into the kitchen, grabbing the edge of the doorway to keep her balance.

“Dad,” she said, her voice tremulous and shaky. Mulder was on his feet before she finished saying his name. “There’s something wrong with mom.”

Mulder tore up the steps, the thundering steps of his children right behind him and skidded to a halt in the door of the master bath. Scully was on the floor--he couldn’t tell whether or not she was conscious.

“I heard a thump and I came in here and she was like this,” said Lily, nearly in tears.

“It’s okay, Lil,” he said distractedly, reaching forward to feel for a pulse on Scully’s neck.

When his fingers met her flesh, she inhaled deeply, and tried to sit up.

“Mulder?” she said, her eyes flickering open “what… what happened?”

“Honey, you passed out,” he said, giving her a hand to sit up.

She looked pale, but glanced over his shoulder at the worried faces of their two kids and said, “I’m okay guys.”

She did a self-assessment and convinced a not-really-convinced Mulder that she was fine, with the caveat that she go to the doctor first thing the next morning, and when she walked into the house after her appointment, she looked shocked and was shaking.

Mulder walked over to her and tipped up her chin to connect eyes.

“Don’t make me guess,” he said quietly.

Her eyes shone and she gave him a tentative smile.

“I’m pregnant,” she said.

[himitsu-luna]

✨Your Kpop group ship (overall edition) - @gods-dont-negotiate ✨

Ty yyeeey!! I'm finally writing for you!! Omg, I hope i meet your expectations! I hope you like this, and I'm really grateful for all of your kind words ❤️

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>> Your group: Ateez

Ok! I chose Ateez for you! I struggled between Ateez and Exo, but considering your style and your taste in Music, I think you would do great in Ateez. Besides that, your entire set of personality traits would just add so much to the group and would blend so well to it! Like, I think you would have such a strong stage presence and a completely different out of stage persona, just like them. So yes!! It's not "8 makes one team" now! It's "9 makes one team!" Hahahahs

>> Main relationships

Your roommate: Seonghwa/ Hongjoong

Your best friend: Yunho/ Mingi

The one who feels like a real brother: San/ Yeosang/wooyoung

The one who takes care of you the most: Hongjoong/ Seonghwa

Your practice buddy: Jongho/ Wooyoung

>> Your life with Ateez

- ° Seonghwa

Seonghwa, this boy, he would take so much care of you!

When you two met, he approached you first, because he noticed you were more reserved

His kind and warm nature soon made you feel comfortable and at ease

Seonghwa is your roommate, and, no kidding, he is the most perfect roommate you could ever have

He makes sure to keep your room clean

And he is super calm, nurturing, and attentive to his roommates

He needs to make sure you and Hongjoong are not overworking

He often forgets about himself while taking care of others, so you also make sure to keep him healthy and happy

- ° Hongjoong

Hongjoong is your other roommate

So yeah! Your room is peaceful and feels like home

Hongjoong was a person you felt close to with just one conversation

He loves how you bring your room so much happiness

He gets fascinated by your lifestory and everything you went through to be in the group, and he is the one who recognizes your effort the most

You two spend long long times at the Studio, or even locked in your room, composing music for the group

He just loves your fashion style, and customizes clothes for you

He volunteers with you as much as he can, and you are the activist members

You two share this feeling of Ateez being truly your second family. So sometimes you get emotional together

- ° Yunho

Yunho and you are the inseparable duo

Since day one, you felt the connection

You both have this puppy and positive energy

Two goofyballs, that bring happiness whenever you are

He finds you adorable, with your clumsiness and childlike ways

When he is feeling down and needs someone to cheer him up, he looks for you first, because he knows you are the best at it

You two are hilarious together. You have epic flirt battles, that fluster everyone around you

People also get flustered when you two make choreos together. But your choreos are always excelent, no one can deny it.

- ° Yeosang

Yeosang and you are pretty similar in the way you communicate. You two can be somewhat blunt, so you understand this trait in each other

You two took some time to get closer, but when you finally did... poor other members xD

You often pair up to playfully insult people, but you two are so cute together that no one really takes you seriously

You have this playful fights between yourselves too. People around you wonder why you're fighting and smiling at the same time

Yeosang loves how you always laugh at his jokes and recognizes his sense of humor

He likes you very much, but he don't really expresses his feelings through words. He silently takes care of you

- ° San

San is precious

He loves hugging you, and he's super caring and affectionate towards you

His presence is no joke, but it's cute how he blushes when you compliment him about it

He knows when you're sad even when you look happy, and he has the best and wisest words to offer you

He knows what to say to make you feel confident, and he hypes you up so much! He really is your number one fan

When you're not around, he is always like "Where is Ty?" "I wish she was here" "oh it would be so much better If she was here" "ty likes this. I'm gonna buy it for her"

- ° Mingi

Mingi is one of your best friends, and he has this big baby energy that goes so well with you

You are the talented duo, known for being good at everything. You compose, write, dance, rap, and are super cool

Almost all the songs of the group are credited to you, Mingi and Hongjoong

He is really energetic, and you two get your Company shaken by how hyper you are

The day you met him you fell for how humble he was. He felt like a normal dude, and he still is like this, despite being a kpop star

Your favorite activity together is eating nice food. You go out at night without any plans, and end up in the best restaurants ever

- ° Wooyoung

Wooyoung is like your other half

You two have so much fun together. The Fun never seems to cease

Both of you are really loyal people, who value their friends a lot.

He cares so much about you, and he has no shame on showing it. He is very affectionate, and is always hugging you and playing with you

Wooyoung likes to edit videos, and you two work and learn together, aiming producing your own music video

You two are the masters of sexy dances. At variety shows, Seonghwa is always ready to stop you from going crazy

- ° Jongho

Jongho is your practice buddy

He is extremely helpful, and your vocal technique evolved a lot with his advices

He plays the guitar and you're teaching him How to play all the instruments you know

He is a good listener/advicer, and when you need a healing time, just relaxing or having a talk, he is there for you

He tends to be the calm one, but he is can be randomly funny and chaotic

He is also your birthday buddy, and he loves it, because your energies match well

>> Other random things

When it's your birthday, Jongho kinda steal you away from everyone. He spends all day long with you, and the members call him to get you back, just to receive both of you with the warmest and cutest family party ever. The party always end with Yunho, Wooyoung and Mingi sleeping on the couch out of exhaustion, Seonghwa and Hongjoong cleaning up everything, San and you getting emotional, Yeosang giving you a gift secretly, and Jongho eating the rest of the cake.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[sapienveneficus]

Elsie Fest 2019: A Broadway Music Festival Sans Broadway

Another year, another Elsie Fest. This year marks the Broadway festival's fifth anniversary, and it also happens to be the fourth Elsie Fest I've been able to attend. Coming off a the high of 2018's festival, this year's event had some mighty big shoes to fill. Did it succeed? In a word? No. I had fun last night, don't get me wrong, but I couldn't help but be disappointed by several aspects of the event. Let me break it down for you.

For those who haven't been to Elsie Fest, there's a rhythm to whole thing that's important to explain right at the top. The seating at the venue is, for the most part, general admission so people line up well before the gates open to secure the best spots near the stage. I joined the line about 2 hours before opening and, therefore, managed to snag a pretty good spot. I laid out my blanket, sat down, and took part in the hour-long showtunes sing-a-long lead, once again, by our favorite dynamic duo from Marie's Crisis. This hour of fun was a highlight for me; it always is. But this year especially it proved to be one of the few celebrations of Broadway to be found at this Broadway music festival. More on that later.

As the hour came to a close, and the guys from Marie's Crisis were wrapping things up on stage, I took a look around the venue. I couldn't help but notice that it wasn't as full as it had been the year before (or the year before that). That observation got me thinking, why was attendance down this year? After a bit of brainstorming, I came up with a few potential causes.

First up, timing. Elsie Fest has always been on a Sunday. Since the show moved to Central Park back in 2017, it has specifically been the Sunday smack dab in the middle of Columbus Day Weekend. For any international readers, Columbus Day is a federal holiday (like a bank holiday) here in the US that falls on the second Monday in October. So, for the past two years, Elsie Fest was been held in the middle of a 3 day weekend. Which meant it was generally easy for folks in the tri state area to make the trip into the city. Also, falling on a Sunday evening meant it was easy to get Broadway folks (even those currently in shows) to stop by since most shows only run a matinee on Sundays and typically have Mondays off. By choosing a Saturday this year, the organizers made it harder for some regular attendees to come out (people tend to have things to do on Saturdays plus, for some, it's the Sabbath), and they cut down on their talent pool significantly because they wouldn't be able to get anyone currently working on or off Broadway.

This segues nicely into the second reason for the potential dip in ticket sales, namely the featured performers. There weren't really any big names this year. Last year, for example, we had Sutton Foster, Joshua Henry, Grant Gustin, Matthew Morrison, Alex Newell, Nick Jonas, Zachary Levi, Casey Cott, Rufus Wainwright, Jodi Benson, and performances from Be More Chill and The Prom. This year, up until about a week before, the only big-ish name attached to the show was Gavin Creel. I say a week before because last week they announced Cynthia Erivo. I'm guessing she was added last minute in a desperate attempt to sell tickets. Which sort of worked, the venue wasn't empty, but kinda proves my point. By having this on a Saturday they weren't able to bring in the talent that they had in years past and, without those big names, they weren't able to bring in as many attendees.

Finally, the third reason for the lackluster ticket sales was New York Comic Con. This doesn't require much in the way of explanation. This weekend was New York Comic Con. Lots of the big panels, sales, and cosplay events fall on Saturday, and it's not a stretch to assume that NYCC and Elsie Fest are drawing from similar, if not the same, pools of people. So that probably hurt sales a bit as well. Though I suspect the two other reasons were larger contributing factors.

Okay, back to the show itself. After the sing-a-long, we were shown a quick trailer for High School Musical: The Musical – The Series. (You are not misreading what I wrote, that's the show's actual title) After the trailer, two of the kids came out to sing Breaking Free. Their performance was super cute, and I was reminded of the fact that HSM debuted in early 2006. Which means that all the tweens and teens who grew up with this film series are now fully-fledged adults. And they were out in the audience, in full force, singing along. It was a sweet moment to witness. And, not going to lie, I was singing along as well. I have a soft spot for the series myself. It'll always remind me of my first year of teaching. My students were obsessed HSM, and I was right there with them.

Next, Dyllon Burnside came out and performed an RnB version of Luck Be a Lady from Guys and Dolls. This number was okay. Dyllon's got a great voice and the woman who came up with him to dance as Luck was talented. But the performance had a rocky start because there wasn't an introduction. Someone just said into a mic, here's Dyllon Burnside, and then it started. I remember standing there thinking to myself, “Who's Dyllon Burnside?” I googled him today and found out he's on that Ryan Murphy show, Pose. It might have been a good idea to give that info up front. Anyhow, like I said, his performance was okay. RnB is not my cup of tea, but he had a good voice and a commanding stage presence so I could put up with that style for a single song.

After Dyllon, the composer of The Lightning Thief, Rob Rokicki, took the stage with a few backup singers. He performed Good Kid, The Lightning Thief's opening number. This performance was an example of how the timing of this year's festival hurt its lineup. Rob's a composer with a passable voice, not performer. And this song needs a cast of performers to be done properly. Unfortunately, Rob’s talented cast couldn't be there because it was Saturday night, and they had an evening show to do over at the Longacre. So we, the audience, were stuck with Rob. No offense to Rob, he seemed like a sweet guy, but he's not a performer. He should have been there to introduce his cast, not perform in their place.

After Rob, came the first set of the evening, a series of songs performed by Anais Mitchell, the composer/creator of Hadestown. I should probably begin this paragraph by explaining that I have not drunk the Hadestown kool aid. I have seen show, I did not like the show, but that is a matter for another post. Going into this set, I figured Anais would do a song from Hadestown and then take a few other Broadway tunes and put her folksy spin on them. That is not what happened. She sang 4 songs from Hadestown, and then a medley of songs from her newest album. To put it bluntly, her set was bad. Even if I liked Hadestown, which I do not, I would still have to be honest and say that she really missed the point of the festival. She was there to celebrate Broadway in general, not her show in particular. It'd be like Lin Manuel Miranda showing up and performing a whole bunch of songs from Hamilton. I mean, that'd be AMAZING, but I would have to be honest and admit that he would also have missed the point. What she should have done was a song from Hadestown, probably at the beginning, and then pick other Broadway songs. She could have told stories about showtunes that evoked special memories for her or demonstrated how certain showtunes might have folk elements hidden within them. What we didn't need was an ad for Hadestown/her latest album, but that was what we got. It was a real shame.

After Anais, Ariana DeBose took the stage. Thankfully, they gave her an introduction this time. Ariana's not a name yet, but that may change after Spielberg's West Side Story opens next year. (She's playing Anita) She kicked off her set with an RnB version of Shall We Dance from The King and I. Ariana is one of the artists who's been working on the R&H Goes Pop project on YouTube. Again, RnB is not my genre, but it was a good way to raise the energy there in the venue (as it at plummeted during the previous set) and to showcase her talent. Ariana has great tone, an impressive range, and real stage presence. So while I didn't enjoy the song itself, I was impressed with her performance overall. The next song she did was Invisible by Jason Robert Brown. It's a song off his latest album that he wrote for the Ronald McDonald House. This song was also done in an RnB style and, at this point, I started to worry that her whole set would be like this. Her next number was a medley of pop songs that dealt with cheating. It was fun, high energy, but again, it wasn’t Broadway. She could easily have used this to transition into Cell Block Tango or any other showtune about cheating (there are quite a few), but, alas, that wasn't the case. Instead, she covered Cold Play's Fix You. It was a great cover, don't get me wrong, but still not a Broadway song. At this point, I'd gone from starting to worry to full on worrying. Where were the showtunes? This is Elsie Fest, it's the one music festival for Broadway fans where their music is celebrated. That's why I love it so much and keep coming back year after year. So when her next number started off with All That Jazz from Chicago, I thought, “Finally!” but then she mashed it up with a few other Broadway/pop songs all sung by various “Divas” and my excitement diminished. Despite all of that, I held out hope that she'd close out her set with a song from West Side Story. It only made sense to get the crowd excited for next year's remake, right? Nope! Instead, she mashed up Donna Summer's Love to Love You Baby with Beyonce's Naughty Girl and I think an third song I didn't recognize, who knows? At that point, I was just glad to see her leave the stage; what a disappointment.

Gavin Creel was up next. He began his set with a mashup of hits from all the shows he's been a part of. I heard Put on Your Sunday Clothes, What Do I Need With Love, Ilona, Bad Idea, You and Me (But Mostly Me), and a moment of I've Got Life. This was a great way to kick things off; a reminder of all he's accomplished on Broadway thus far. Next, after a joke about always finding your light onstage, he performed Moving Too Fast from The Last Five Years, a personal favorite of mine. Then he did a song he wrote for a showcase he'll be putting on sometime next year. After that, he sat down at the piano to do Something Wonderful from the King and I. He ended his set with The Flesh Failures/Let the Sunshine In. Now, I knew he'd do something from Hair. I'd been hoping it'd be either Going Down (if you really want to hear someone gush about his version of that song, check out Seth Rudetsky's review on YouTube, it's delightful) or Where Do I Go?, but he chose the closing number instead. Not a bad decision, but it's not a song that can be performed solo. So, as it came time for the female lead's part in the song, I figured Cynthia or Ariana would come out to join him. That's the sort of thing that happens a lot at Elsie Fest. People will pop into each others sets to help out. Last year, famously, Will Roland, Grant Gustin, and Darren Criss teamed up to do Sincerely, Me during Grant's short set. And who could forget Aaron Tveit popping up during Leslie Odom Jr.'s set to duet with him on What You Own? But, for some unknown reason, Gavin tried to do the whole song by himself which just didn't work. So his strong set ended on kind of a sour note. I will say, Gavin's approach to crafting his setlist was perfect. He chose a good variety showtunes (old and new) and gave us a taste of what might be coming next for him. People working on set lists for next year ought to take notes. My only critique would be the lack of a female voice during his last number. Other than that, flawless.

Next, the cast of the upcoming show, Jagged Little Pill, took the stage. I had been looking forward to their performance as the show's been generating quite a bit of buzz since its out of town tryout last summer in Boston. At last year's Elsie Fest, both The Prom and Be More Chill performed two numbers a piece. So, with that blueprint in mind, I figured Jagged Little Pill would do maybe a lesser known Alanis song first and then end with a big hit. They started their set with Forgiven. It was a lesser known song that utilized the entire cast so it made for a strong opening number. I figured they'd end with something more well know like, You Learn or You Oughta Know. So I was genuinely shocked when they left the stage after only performing one song. What happened to their second song? Did they run out of time? Or, if for some reason they were only allowed one number this year, why did they choose such an obscure song? This was their chance to get the audience fired up for their new show, and by only performing Forgiven, they failed to do that. It was such a bizarre choice.

Cynthia Erivo, the lady of the hour, was up next. I'd missed her set at Elsie Fest 2016 so I was all the more eager to see which songs she'd choose to perform this time around. I figured she'd have to do one from The Color Purple, but the rest was anyone's guess. Would she go modern? Classic? A mix of both? There was no way of know, but I was excited to find out. She came out on stage, full of poise and grace, wearing these adorable cat-eye glasses and greeted the audience in such a sweet way. She seemed genuinely thrilled to see us all. She kicked off her set with Elvis's Can't Help Falling in Love. She sang it beautifully, but it was an odd choice. Then she sang Ain't No Way by Aretha Franklin. Again, she sang it flawlessly; this is Cynthia Erivo we're talking about. Everything she sings could be recorded and used as part of a master class in vocal performance. But where were the the showtunes? We were 0 for 2, and I was starting to get that worried feeling again. Then Darren came onstage with his guitar and accompanied her on Miss Celie's Blues by Quincy Jones. Also not a Broadway song, but it was featured in the film version of The Color Purple so it was a sort of nod to Broadway, I suppose. Then she did One Night Only. Finally, a showtune! Not one that I happen to like, but that point, I was desperate for something, anything. Next, she did a slowed down version of I Wanna Dance With Somebody by Whitney Houston, and I sighed internally. It's not that I don't like the song, I do, but it was yet another pop song. Clearly, no one had given the night's performers any sort of guidance so they were just singing, whatever. Cynthia followed up the Whitney Houston number with Cyndi Lauper's Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. If you're thinking to yourself, that's not a showtune either, you would be correct. The Lauper tune was how she ended her set. Again, like everything she performed, she sang it beautifully. My issue with her set was the overall lack of Broadway. This is Elsie Fest, a celebration of Broadway music. As a Broadway fan, that's what I want to hear. If I wanted to hear nothing but oldies, I'd go to an oldies music festival, if I wanted to hear all rock and roll, I'd go to one of those festivals, and so on and so on. I come to Elsie Fest for the showtunes, both old and new.

The last set before Darren's was Michael Feinstein's. Right off the bat, saving Michael's set for so late in the night was a very bad idea. He should have gone first or very nearly first when the audience was fresh and more forgiving. Michael is a very wealthly older gentleman. I don't know how he made his millions, but he was able to buy and open the cabaret club 54 Below so he's clearly got a few pennies tucked away. Maybe he flashed a few of those pennies to get such a prime timeslot, but that was a mistake. The audience was bored to tears by his set. Standing there while he performed I started to feel like the whole night up to that point had been a bit of a lousy dichotomy. Either listen to pop and RnB sung beautifully when all you want to hear are showtunes, or listen to showtunes sung poorly. I was standing there thinking, “Isn't there an option C? Didn't I pay to attend option C?” Yeah, Michael probably had a lovely voice back in the day, but that day has long since passed. He started his set with A Lot of Living to Do and then gave the audience a lecture on why Bye Bye Birdie is so important to the history of musical theater. Next, he did I Only Have Eyes for You from 42nd Street. He'd lost the crowd at that point. People were BORED. Then, after another lecture, he did the St. Louis Blues, badly. Then he put together I Don't Want to be Lonely Tonight with One Less Bell to Answer. The next song he did cannot, apparently, be googled so it will have to remain a mystery. Finally, at long last, he closed out his set with a Frank Sinatra medley. Darren came out to join him, which woke the audience up (some had literally laid down and gone to sleep). Looking back over his set, all 6 songs (5 too many if you ask me), I can't help but draw the conclusion that he gave the organizers of Elsie Fest an inordinate amount of money for a chance to perform. I hope they spend it wisely next year.

At long last, it was time for Darren's set. He had to go on 20 minutes late so we'll never know which songs he was forced to cut from the lineup. All I do know is that the 7 songs he chose were all winners. He kicked things off with a Glee song, Everybody Wants to Rule the World. It was excellent, pop at its finest. Next, he did Waving Through a Window and the crowd lost their minds. Fear not, I was right there with them; cheering and grinning like an idiot. If the crowed seemed keyed up during the Dear Evan Hansen number, they found a new stratosphere of joy to reach when he next performed Wait for It from Hamilton. It felt like suffering through all the bad sets that night had been worth it, almost. Next he pulled out his guitar and started to perform Wig in a Box and, I kid you not, I almost started crying. It had been a long night, full of disappointments, and Darren's set was pure perfection. He then paused, midway through the song, to bring out Lena Hall. What a treat! She sang her verse powerfully and then, Darren paused again to introduce John Cameron Mitchell, and the three of them brought the song home. I felt so euphoric at that point that I lack the words to properly describe it. What a historic moment! How do you follow something like that up? By taking things back to Hogwarts! First Jamie Lyn Beatty joined Darren on stage to perform Harry from AVPM. Next, Joey Richter and Lauren Lopez performed Granger Danger to riotous applause. Then, for the final number of Elsie Fest 2019, the entire Star Kid crew came out do do Goin' Back to Hogwarts. It was such a special moment; being in that crowd of fans singing along 10 years after the musical blew up online. After team Star Kid took their final bows, Darren thanked us and said he hoped to see us back next year.

Final thoughts, I hope to see him back next year too. But I also hope the organizers of Elsie Fest take a good hard look at how things went this year, and make some changes. First off, the festival needs to be held on a Sunday. To put on a festival, you need attendees and performers, and you're not going to get enough of either on a Saturday, you're just not. Second, they need to start booking talent now. They need names to bring people in. Because, even if fans are available, they're sure as heck not making the trip to see Michael Feinstein, someone who will be in a Spielberg film next year, and a kid from Pose. I'll even leave a few suggestions here: Ben Platt, Jonathan Groff, Lin Manuel Miranda, Jessie Mueller, Alex Brightman, Ethan Slater, Renee Elise Golsberry, Telly Leung, Eva Noblezada, George Salazar, Jenn Colella, etc. Third and finally, they need to have a good long think about what they want Elsie Fest to be. If they want it to remain a celebration of Broadway, then they need to book performers who are committed to that vision. If they want to change the vision, they need to let the audience know ahead of time so they can make an informed decision when buying tickets. To be perfectly honest, I felt a bit duped this year. I had paid for one thing but had gotten something else instead. So, there you are, Elsie Fest organizers. Do those three things between now and next October, and you'll have a successful festival in 2020.

[utapri-headcanons-and-scenarios]

Welcome back! I loved how you wrote my prompt and was wondering if you could do Quartet Night reacting to their kid saying another member is better then then

Thank you for the nice comment! Here you go~

Quartet Night reactions when their child thinks another member is cooler than them

Reiji

His daughter and him were watching one of Quartet Night’s latest concert reruns. Reiji knew that his daughter had already watched it when it was live, but he enjoyed sitting down with her and watch her as she enjoyed the show and most importantly he loved hearing her opinion on how he performed, or he usually did.

Suddenly Reiji appeared on screen and the man himself jumped up in excitement. “Look look there I am! Doesn’t Daddy look cool?” He exclaimed looking with big eyes at his daughter who was looking at the screen with furrowed brows. She was silent for a moment before she said, “I think Ranmaru looks cooler”

Reiji stood for a moment and just stared dumbfounded at his daughter before he in a whiney voice exclaimed, “Heh? Why?!”

His daughter simply shrugged her shoulders and said, “He just has another, more serious and cool aura, you look more like an excited puppy dad”

Reiji stood in silence and let his daughters words sink in, there was nothing wrong with looking like an excited puppy, but if his daughter would only recognize him if he was cool and collected he would give it a try on the next show.

Ranmaru

Ranmaru had put on a rerun of his latest live show with Quartet Night. He enjoyed seeing himself perform and note if there was anything he could do better next time. His son had joined him on the couch and as Ranmaru appeared on stage he couldn’t help but ask his son, “Don’t you think I look rather cool on stage?” It wasn’t normally something he would fish for, compliments that is, he knew he was good, but what his son thought did mean a lot to him.

His son sighed slightly and Ranmaru turned his attention to him with furrowed brows.

“I just think that Camus looks more sophisticated, you’re too wild” his son said with a sigh clearly avoiding Ranmaru’s eyes.

“You can never be too wild, now come with me I’ll teach you how to have areal presence on stage” Ranmaru declared as he grabbed his son’s hand and dragged him out of the living room.

Never in his life would Ranmaru let Camus be better than him in anything, and especially not in his son’s eyes.

Ai

Ai likes watching his old live shows through, it helped him collect data on how he himself could improve or how he could help the other members improve.

He was in the midst of doing this when his son joined him on the couch.

Not much was said between them as Ai was currently working, but his son did speak up at one point.

“You’re very stoic on stage dad”

Ai looked up from his notes and locked his eyes on his son.

“Can you elaborate on that?” He asked simply.

His son shrugged a bit before saying, “you’re just very stiff, of course there’s a lot of smiling but compared to Reiji you look tired”

Ai sat for a moment and looked at himself, then Reiji on stage.

“What do you mean?” He asked again.

“Reiji just has so much energy on stage” his son said with a shrug and Ai nodded in understanding.

More energy, he would add that to his notes.

Camus

It was rare that Camus would watch his old live shows, but his daughter had insisted on a particular one and he had agreed. He didn’t watch them because he knew he was flawless on stage and didn’t need evidence to know.

Despite this Camus couldn’t help himself but comment when he appeared with Ai on stage ready to perform “Tsukiakari no Dearest”

“Don’t I look good in that show?”

“You do dad, but look how pretty he is” his daughter said in a voice of admiration.

“I’m pretty too” Camus scoffed at his daughter as he followed her line of vision.

“Sure but not in the same way, Mikaze-San just looks so beautiful, almost like a doll. You’re more like a prince, or no wait, a count” his daughter said with a sly smile.

Camus shook his head at her and sighed deeply.

“Well as long as its Mikaze I can deal with it” he said with a shrug.

“Ranmaru looks pretty cool too” his daughter quickly added and Camus grabbed his scepter in fury.

“That better be a joke young lady!” He exclaimed, but his daughter was already out of the room a gleeful laughter following her down the corridor.

Camus leaned back in his chair and sighed deeply at his daughters mischief.

[thefederalistfreestyle]

What “Hamilton” in San Juan Means to Puerto Rico (The New Yorker):

Last Friday evening, as spectators streamed into the Centro de Bellas Artes Luis A. Ferré, San Juan’s main performing-arts center, a man in a Colonial waistcoat, breeches, and cravat spoke into a microphone in the plaza. “We want everybody to join this fight for Puerto Rico to become the fifty-first state,” he said. He was joined by about a dozen demonstrators from the pro-statehood group Sociedad Civil Estadista, holding signs that said “We Want to Be in the Room Where It Happens” and “We Are Not Throwing Away Our Shot.” “Alexander Hamilton was a good man,” the speaker continued. “He was one of the Founding Fathers. He was an intellectual author of this nation. So thank you, everyone, and welcome to Puerto Rico.”

Across the plaza—and across the island’s political spectrum—a Ph.D. student named Zorimar Rivera Montes stood beside steel barricades wearing a backpack. “My doctoral dissertation is partly on ‘Hamilton’ and its politics,” she said. She didn’t have a ticket but was hoping that something would turn up. Rivera Montes was raised with an “anti-colonial upbringing,” she said, and supports Puerto Rican independence. The opening-night spectacle, she observed, was “laced with so many ironies. Hamilton was born in the Caribbean. And now we have his ghost coming back to the Caribbean. He was the founder of the American debt system, right?” She went on: “I’m very curious to see how a Puerto Rican audience connects to the story of Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton is big in the U.S., because that’s your forefather.” Her friend Gisela Rosario Ramos added dryly, “There’s a new Founding Father: Lin-Manuel Miranda.”

How did a bastard, orphan son of a whore and a Scotsman get dropped in a bruised-but-not-forgotten spot in the Caribbean, sixteen months after Hurricane Maria devastated the island? It all had to do with Miranda, the show’s Pulitzer Prize-winning author and star, who was returning to the title role on a tide of good will, for the first time since leaving the Broadway production, in 2016. In the wake of the hurricane, which knocked out the island’s power grid and caused some three thousand deaths, Miranda has become a tireless fund-raiser and champion for Puerto Rico, where his father was born and where he spent summers as a child. He released a charity single and helped raise forty-three million dollars in relief funds. He urged people to “keep Puerto Rico in your hearts” from the red carpet of the Academy Awards. And he currently appears in a Web series from the tourism outfit Discover Puerto Rico. Around the island, pretty much everyone referred to him as Lin-Manuel.

[. . .]

Luis Miranda was one of the driving forces behind bringing “Hamilton” to Puerto Rico. The original plan was to stage it at the University of Puerto Rico’s Río Piedras campus, driving money and attention to an institution that needed some love in a neighborhood far from the tourist center of San Juan.

But the well-intentioned plan fell apart just before Christmas, after talk spread of possible demonstrations over staff-budget cuts. A practice of restricting police presence on campus raised security concerns. The producers scrambled to move the show to Bellas Artes, a Lincoln Center-like facility in Santurce, a neighborhood described by one resident as “the hot-shit center of hip San Juan living.”

Luis Miranda told me that the last straw, for him, came when he ran into three students after a production meeting. “One of them says, ‘Oh, yeah, we have dedicated entire classes to discuss if this is good for the University of Puerto Rico or not.’ ” He blanched. “I’m listening to this discussion, and I’m thinking, Is this for real? I remember looking at one of the kids and saying, ‘You know what? We made the right decision to come to Puerto Rico. We made the wrong decision of going to the U.P.R. theatre.’ ”

Although “Hamilton” poured more than a million dollars into renovating the university theatre, there was still disappointment on campus. Sylvia Bofill, who teaches playwriting and dramatic history there, told me, “The impression of students was, they felt somehow it was going to be more approachable, that they were going to be able to see the play.” (A thousand of the ten thousand lottery tickets were set aside for students.) “I think, at the end, it was a loss both for the university and the production. It would have been great for the students to have a forum with Lin-Manuel to ask questions about the controversy.”

The day before the première, outdated “Hamilton” banners still hung around campus. Classes had not started, so there were more stray cats than students in the main quad. Near the theatre, I spotted a young woman with curly hair painting a bench with the word “humanidades.” She had specks of white paint on her cheek, and introduced herself as María Rosa López, a science student.

“It’s complicated,” she said, of the “Hamilton” drama. Her English was spotty, so her friend Christopher Pacheco, who was helping her paint, translated. “They should have consulted at least with the students,” he said. “The government is saying it’s the workers’ union’s fault. They didn’t want a protest here, so they moved the play. But they weren’t going to protest. It was just an excuse. The government wants to close the university down.”

When I asked why, López reverted to English. “They don’t want people to get educated.”

Pacheco added, “Education here is not good. They’re closing a lot of public schools.” Tuition has gone up, they noted, to a hundred and fifteen dollars per credit. “The costs have only gone higher, and the buildings are deteriorating,” Pacheco said.

A clocktower rang, and they returned to painting.

Around Bellas Artes, “Hamilton” fever had taken hold. At Lote 23, a food-truck park near the theatre, venders had seen cast and crew members stop by. The guy at the alcapurria stand knew the exact hours of their lunch breaks, and a woman who worked at the fried-chicken place had taken a selfie with Lin-Manuel two days earlier.

[. . .]

By six o’clock, the plaza was packed: camera crews, ticket-lottery winners, demonstrators, the Hamilton historian Ron Chernow, V.I.P.s in suits and cocktail dresses. Zorimar Rivera Montes, the Ph.D. student, pointed out David Bernier, a former candidate for governor of Puerto Rico. She was skeptical of all the hoopla. Like others I met, she had been irked by Miranda’s initial support for Promesa, the act establishing the financial-oversight board. He has since recanted and endorsed debt forgiveness over debt relief.

But something else was nagging at Rivera Montes. As she e-mailed me a few days later, after scoring a ticket, “The play is as catchy and fun as I remembered the soundtrack to be, but watching a celebration of the American Revolution on Puerto Rican soil felt nothing short of perverse. I find it is colonialist that we have to be thankful to Miranda for whatever crumbs of help he throws our way.”

I spoke to Dan Santiago, the pro-statehood speaker in Colonial garb. (He had bought it at a costume shop in Florida, where he relocated after the hurricane.) Hadn’t Hamilton fought to overthrow imperial rule? “That’s something that people talk about,” he said, “but what’s important in democracy is the will of the people. The independence movement in Puerto Rico doesn’t gain more than three per cent of the votes. I’m pretty sure that, when Hamilton wrote the Federalist Papers, he was trying to convince everybody that this new form of government was going to be the best thing for the colonies. And it was so good that it became the most powerful nation on the face of the earth. That’s the nation that we want to be part of.”

Suddenly, there was a screech from the middle of the plaza. It came from Gustavo Rosa, a seventeen-year-old from Toa Alta. He had been taking a picture with the show’s producer, Jeffrey Seller, when his high-school theatre director surprised him with a ticket. Immediately, camera crews descended on him.

“I’ve been taking musical theatre for seven years now,” he said, shaking. “I’m exhilarated. Oh, my God.”

[. . .]

Alternating between English and Spanish, he fielded questions about the ovation at the top of the show (“I felt my hair move”); about the security concerns at the university (“If there’s the slightest chance something goes wrong, I cannot have that on my conscience”); about his reading from the celebrity astrologer Walter Mercado (“I know the future, but I’m not going to tell you”); about his first visit after the hurricane (“To see an island without leaves—I never thought I’d see winter in Puerto Rico”). He said that “Hamilton” would bring people to Puerto Rico to spend money, “but they’re also going to see blue tarps, and they’re also going to see how much is left to be done.”

A reporter asked, “What spoke to you tonight, as you were standing there for the first time here in Puerto Rico?”

Miranda answered, in Spanish, that “Hurricane” had been particularly emotional—he hadn’t been able to get through it in rehearsal. The line about the silence in the eye of the storm had reminded him of what members of the Puerto Rican diaspora had felt during Maria, not being able to reach family and friends. “That quiet,” he said, slipping back into English. “That terror.” Then he said something everyone could agree on: “That’s the thing about this show: you put it at this angle, and suddenly you see different things come out.”

full article here

[britishassistant]

Bothering to Look 1

A piece inspired by @camellianswer ‘s submission, which fails to actually answer it in this first part. I’m sorry ;-;

Nana was a weirdo.

Not just in the normal way, of being a cowardly bowl-cut crybaby with eye bags instead of a spine, though it was funny to see him stagger and sink to the floor in despair when Upa called him that.

No, Nana was all those things, but he had to go and be weird in another way as well.

His presence was like a particularly annoying itch, one that grated incessantly at the edges of his senses, dulled as they were by the talisman.

He hadn’t noticed it as much when they first met, given that they’d only spent a limited amount of time together before Nana’s little “incident” that Samon-san kept annoying silent about. However, with each subsequent visit to the game room and each time Cell 6 came to Building 5 for exercise, the prickling sensation gradually grew and grew in intensity until Upa felt he might snap and punch the child clear through a building if only for the mild relief distance would bring.

But he didn’t, because Samon-san had taught him that would be bad and it would make Nico whine. See? He knew how to interact with people outside the underworld.

Take that, pig bastard.

Still, there was something wrong with that inmate. It was all the qigong master could do to maintain his caustically civil veneer in order to keep Nico happy. That guy was weirdly taken with the newbie ever since he’d shown an interest in the plots of his japanese games and comic books.

He really was too easily pleased at times. A disciple of his should have more self-discipline than that.

Well, whatever.

The one thing Upa had noticed about this irritation, though, was that it got stronger whenever Nana’s identity was brought up. He didn’t seem to get that the point of the numbers, and the names based off of them, was to protect the inmates’ identities, given the high likelihood of encountering someone dangerous with a grudge and few scruples in this place.

Sure, Upa himself knew the real names of Liang and the trash, but he wasn’t about to go out blabbing this valuable information willy-nilly, and vice-versa. The not-so-beautiful member of Cell 6 went off shouting about how he was Johnny Powers at every introduction, and most other opportunities besides.

The vehemence he displayed in dispensing his name was oddly contrasted with the child’s timidity in all other situations.

It was tempting to punch him in the shins to get him to shut up at times.

But again. Samon-san’s teachings and the infectee’s whining outweighed the satisfaction which might come from the action.

So he refrained, like a model citizen.

Upa thought he recognized the name a little, despite himself. Before the pig bastard got busted, he’d begun complaining about some upstart British brat who was trying to muscle in on his territory. Of all the guys who’d been sent out to deal with him, only one had come back, and he’d died immediately after arriving.

Of course, he was probably misremembering. If Johnny Powers was Nana, there was no way he could be the gang leader who was giving the chinese mafia such trouble. An notable underling of that guy, perhaps, but not the ruthless leader.

The last straw came about, like most things, because of Nico.

The pair of them were discussing the music for one of Nico’s japanese cartoons while Upa himself attempted to reassert his mastery of the dreaded claw machine. The pretty-boy pushover guard had said something about a new figure that was placed inside which Upa was determined to win.

For some reason, the conversation had drifted to robot singers, (Japan was weird as well, but that was a gripe for another day), which Nana was weirdly knowledgable about.

“So do you know any of the Evillious Chronicles? Y’know, the one with the seven deadly sins and everything?” He asked eagerly.

“That word sounds made up.” Upa contributed.

The claw grasped the foot of the figure, only to slip off harmlessly for the nth time when it raised back into the air.

“Is that the one with the Princess and Servant of Evil? With the blond twins?” Nico replied, absent-mindedly patting Upa’s shoulder to calm his temper and keep him from blowing this stupid, pointless machine to bits.

Nana, for his part, was quiet for a moment, before he shakily answered, “Ye-Yes, that’s—that’s the one. Um.”

Upa was able to grasp a leg, when Nana spoke again. “Umm, Nico? You—you know how Servant of Evil ends, right?”

The prickling feeling intensified as the crane’s claws lost their grip on the felt and the figure dropped back into the pile of plushies halfway to the exit.

“Ah, yeah. With the servant pretending to be the princess and getting executed instead of her, right? That bit seriously made me cry, especially when he smiles at her in the crowd! Uno had to hug me for a really long time after.”

“How could anyone mistake a boy for a girl?” Upa gritted out, somewhat irate at the dual sources of irritation. “Even if they look alike, there are too many differences for it to be feasible in real life.”

“But those two were twins, y’know? And they were only kids, like 14 or something, so they hadn’t had puberty yet.” Nico argued.

“I’m certain that puberty has already started at that stage.” Upa countered. “Besides, even children have differences that would make their genders obvious in the long term. The only way it would work is if everyone else was a moron and couldn’t see what was right in front of their faces.”

There was a moment of blessed silence wherein Upa could finally concentrate before Nana opened his mouth again. “What. What if he was forced? The servant, I mean?”

The claws completely missed the toy this time as Nico tilted his head. “Forced?”

“Like, if he didn’t want to die for the princess’s crimes, but the prince—“ Nana turned his head and coughed into the palm of his hand. “Excuse me—the princess had a way to make it so he had to take her place, and couldn’t tell anyone the truth. What if that was the case?”

The grating sensation was raging like a wildfire, and Upa had to grit his teeth to keep from lashing out.

The claw closed over the toy’s arm.

“I don’t think that’s what happened, Nana-chan.” Nico said slowly. “I mean, it’s pretty clear he’s willing, in the song’s lyrics and PV.”

Nana laughed, but it was weak and strained. “I guess so, huh? Don’t mind me, then. Just wondering about hypotheticals. My version wouldn’t make as good a song, would it?”

The toy fell to its doom again, a mere second before it would have dropped to freedom through the exit.

That. Was. It.

Upa had had enough of this damn irritation distracting him when he was trying to do even the most menial of tasks.

He glared at Nana from the corner of his eye, willing him to knock off whatever the hell he was doing before Upa knocked his lights out.

And froze.

He’d never thought to take notice of Nana’s aura before. It didn’t seem like anything special when they first met, so he hadn’t given it much attention beyond that.

Now though...

Red energy was encircling his throat, almost ribbon-like in its delicacy, criss-crossing over itself until it resembled some demented version of a hangman’s noose.

His hands were swaddled in the stuff as well, each finger ensnared in a complex knot that made it seem almost impossible to move them. Some strands drifted upwards from his throat, almost innocently, to embed themselves in his lips and twist around his tongue to the point where it seemed amazing that he didn’t choke with every word.

The worst part, however, was the pulsing red mass of the stuff on the left side of the boy’s chest. It was tangled and twisted, knotted and snarled, until it was impossible to tell where one strand ended and another began.

And it was twined into and around the openings of Nana’s heart like a snake around a hapless mouse, just waiting for the chance to squeeze the life out of its struggling victim.

“Shishou?”

Upa startled back to reality to see his wannabe-apprentice and the child staring at him in concern. “Do you want me to take over for you on the claw machine?”

“No. I’m fine.” He responded in a clipped tone, mind racing a mile a minute as he restarted the game.

It wasn’t doing Nana any harm this very second, but the tangled appearance of that energy was likely more intentional than haphazard— it was wound so tightly and so confusingly around Nana’s aura and itself that merely attempting to cut it out could prove ineffectual at best and fatal at worst.

“Are you sure you’re feeling okay, Upa-san?” And oh god, he could still see the strands moving with Nana’s mouth as he talked.

“I told you, I’m. Fine.” But you aren’t, he thought to himself as his hands moved the controller on autopilot. How long had he been living with this? Did he even know?

There was no way he didn’t. Upa reasoned. As extensive as this was, it was still new enough that it hadn’t incorporated itself into his aura entirely, as evidenced by the bright red coloration. If Upa had to guess, he’d say it had been implemented perhaps four weeks ago, maybe more.

“Yay, Shishou! You did it!”

Upa blinked at his enthusiastic cheerleader, then down at the clear plastic cover of the game’s opening. Slowly, he reached down and pulled the soft prize out from the machine’s interior.

He stared at it, for a moment.

Nana clapped his shoulder. “Well, I completely understand if you’re disappointed. I could give it to Kiji-san or somebody if you don’t want it? Though I’m not entirely sure who would.”

“Eeeh, but the mini-Nana-chan is so cute!” Nico protested, poking the soft blue felt of the toy’s stomach. “Plus it’s a super-ultra-rare item right now, so you should have more confidence in it and yourself!”

He reached out and patted Nana’s head, and then his hair turned a very familiar shade of teal while Nana’s went bright green.

“Ah.”

“NOT AGAIN!!” Came the braided scaredy-cat’s cry as the disease ripped through the game room, causing chaos in its wake.

Later that evening, Upa carefully placed his latest prize next to the others, making it sit beside the mini-Nico he had already acquired.

“Oi, trash.”

“Eh?” Qi poked his head up from where he was trying to stash Inori’s latest batch of dirty magazines. “What’s up?”

“What happened to that British gang leader who was giving the pig bastard a hard time?”

Liang stopped doing muscle training to stare at the question. Upa studiously ignored him.

Qi swallowed and adjusted his glasses. “Why do you ask?”

Upa shrugged. “Just curious. Do you know or don’t you?”

Qi scratched his ear. “Not really, no. I just remember doing an autopsy on the guy who came back from that assassination attempt.”

“Oh?” Upa said, trying hard to sound uniterested. “How did he die?”

“Well, that’s the thing.” Qi took off his glasses and rubbed them on his jumpsuit. “Hachiman killed the poor bastard after he tried to kill the pig. Some of the others said that the English had gotten into his head, made him an offer he couldn’t refuse if he turned traitor. There were some really weird rumors though.”

“I remember those.” Liang added. “Didn’t they say that the British guy could control bodies or something? Like through a doll or a puppet, or an attack charm.”

Maybe not through those mediums, Upa thought. But if the puppet strings were tied to someone’s aura? Then that gang leader might have a wind-up toy that only needed the right trigger to set it off.

“Ah~ That’s too creepy.” Qi whined, shuddering. “I’m no good with European horror, not at all.”

“We’ll use that to wake you every morning too then, you late-rising scumbag.” Upa replied dismissively, turning back to his task.

“I’m begging you, don’t!”

He considered for a moment, then placed the mini-Upa on the mini-Nana’s other side, bracketing them in with the mini-Liang and Trash, then with the mini guards.

That weirdo needed all the protection he could get, he decided.

[zukalations]

To The Future: Self Introduction @ GRAPH (Renjo Makoto, Aihara Mika, Miya Rurika, Yuma Hanazaki)

This is an older iteration of To The Future in GRAPH, so some of the questions being answered are different. This feature was published in the September 2006 GRAPH.

To The Future: Self Introduction @ GRAPH (Renjo Makoto, Aihara Mika, Miya Rurika, Yuma Hanazaki)

Renjou Makoto (Snow)

Debut performance - 2003, Takarazuka Floral Diary Prominent roles - At the End of Roaming: Sergeant William, Rose of Versailles (shinjin kouen): Gerlois

Your motivation for taking the entrance exam: In my hometown of Oita I saw the Moon Troupe regional regional performance of Afterglow of Eire/Takarazuka Ole!, and after seeing that performance I thought I wanted to stand on that stage too and took the exam.

The first Takarazuka show you saw: Afterglow of Eire/Takarazuka Ole!

Your treasures: All the people I have met so far. I’m only here now thanks to all of them.

Costumes you long to wear: I want to wear costumes in really vivid colors. I’d also like to try wearing the kind of dresses the musumeyaku wear once.

Your qualifications: Standard driver’s license, STEP A2 English certification

Club activities as a student: I was in the chorus club. I loved how you could take everyone’s voices and bring them together into one harmony.

Memories of your debut performance: Every day we all laughed together, cried together, and talked together so much, and I could feel our bonds as classmates, so everything about my debut is a treasured memory for me!

Your dream as a stage performer: As much as I can, I want to become someone who can change the atmosphere onstage and have a real sense of presence as a performer.

Seniors who you admire: Aran Kei-san. I admire her since she has a feeling of sexiness as an otokoyaku, a beautiful voice, and because she’s also a great person.

Aihara Mika (Snow)

Debut - 2004, Susano’o Prominent roles - Rose of Versailles: child Andre, Rain that Stops a Guest from Leaving: O-Sode

Your motivation for taking the entrance exam: Ever since I saw my first Takarazuka performance in middle school, I came to love Takarazuka and would end up at the theatre over and over. While I loved it from the beginning, gradually I came to think ‘I want to be on that stage!’ and decided to take the entrance exam.

The first Takarazuka show you saw: Now the Violet Flowers Bloom/Love Sonata

Your treasures: My family. That I can be here now is all thanks to my family.

Costumes you long to wear: I want to wear a hoopskirt dress. When I had the opportunity to be in Rose of Versailles, I would always watch them from the wings.

Your qualifications: I want to get a driver’s license, but...my classmates and everybody are against it.

Your club activities as a student: I was in the Tea Ceremony club. I loved the traditional sweets you ate with the tea.

Memories of your debut performance: That rockette with all 50 of us on the grand stairs at the very beginning of the show is something I’ll never forget in all my life.

Your dream as a performer: I want to be a performer who puts in the effort and grows every day.

Seniors you admire: I have been in Snow Troupe since my debut, and I really admire all the senior actresses in Snow Troupe who always look after me and teach me all kinds of things.

Miya Rurika (Star)

Debut - 2003, Takarazuka Floral Diary Prominent roles - Young Bloods!!: Luca, Rose of Versailles (shinjin kuen): Alain de Soissons

Your motivation for taking the entrance exam: When I was in third grade, I saw Takarazuka on TV for the first time, and I was struck by the dreamlike world. Then I thought ‘I want to be a Takarazuka otokoyaku too!’ and took the entrance exam.

The first Takarazuka show you saw: PUCK/Memories of You

Your treasures: My family, my classmates, everyone who has kept treating me with such warmth.

Costumes you long to wear: I would love to wear a pure white tailcoat or uniforms ✨

Your qualifications: English certification, Computer certification

Your club activities as a student: When I was in elementary school, I was in the lacrosse club and the badminton club.

Memories of your debut: I experienced how hard it really is to be a stage performer through the strictness of the rockette rehearsals. All of us classmates standing on stage with united hearts is an important memory to me.

Your dream as a stage performer: I think I want to be a stage performer who values each and every day and always is changing and bringing something fresh. Also, I want to always do my best to give dreams to the audience!!

Seniors you admire: Suzukaze Mayo-san. She’s so lovely and I admire her androgynous atmosphere.

Hanazuki Yuma (Flower)

Debut - 2003, Takarazuka Floral Diary Prominent roles - Apartement Cinema: Mireilles, Marakesh (Hakataza): Aman

Your motivation for taking the entrance exam: When I was in fifth grade I saw Afterglow of Eire on TV and thought ‘I want to be on that stage too!’ and decided to take the entrance exam.

The first Takarazuka performance you saw: I saw Rose of Versailles on TV while I was in kindergarten, but I don’t remember anything at all from back then… 💦

Your treasures: My beloved pet toy poodle, ‘ICE’. They’re such a precious existence to me 💖

Costumes you long to wear: I longed to be an otokoyaku, so of course I was yearning to wear a black tailcoat. Last year, when I was able to be in Haruno-san’s concert I GOT MUSIC, I was able to wear one, and I was so happy ⭐️

Your qualifications: Standard driver’s license, English certification

Your club activities as a student: When I was in middle school, me and some classmates I got on well with started a rhythmic gymnastics club, since we were interested in it. In high school I wasn’t in any clubs.

Memories of your debut: Anything and everything was totally new to me, so every day I would be really nervous onstage. I can still remember how moved I was when the curtain opened on the first day. Also, most importantly, I felt how much I treasured by classmates and our bonds even more strongly.

Your dreams as a performer: I want to be able to fulfill the hopes of everyone who comes to see the performances. Also, this is something one of the senior actresses told me, but when it comes to acting, singing, and dancing, I want to be ‘selfish’ (in a good way). These two things are what I want to strive for from now on.

Seniors you admire: I admired Haruno Sumire-san even before I took the Takarazuka entrance exam. I respect her passion, her warmth, and her kindness onstage, and everything about her.

[atinyhours]

This is why ily 😭💗😔 your response is so true 🤔 only they and whoever they are close and comfortable with can really know how they are off camera but I digress~ I think jongho would be a soft dom because (insert unintelligent opinion 😂😭) of how quick he is to express and exercise his strength yet at the same time he’s gentle and sweet 😭 Part 1/? (Not sure if it’ll have 2 or 3 parts) ~ innocent anon 😊☁️

like how in the wanted episode right when they announced the teams he immediately turned to yeosang and said “I’ll protect you” (and I perhaps cried?¿ at how cute and innocent that was) and the second reason is how he likes to communicate and nurture (if that makes any sense?¿) whenever he talks it’s as if he teaching something and has this calm authority to himself and thirdly he takes initiative A L O T Part 2/3 (it’s decided it’ll be 3 parts lmao) ~innocent anon 😊☁️

one example is him being an mc he was really good at it (after a few hiccups and his fellow crackheads yelling at him💀😂) when he mcs he’s really good at it and is very good at assuming the position in power and guiding the situation (again that probably makes ZERO sense😭🙃) Wow fakkin four parts Part ¾ imsorrythisissodamnlongfornoreasonomfggetittogetheranon ~innocent anon 😊☁️ 

these are some reasons why I think he could be a soft dom (and they’re all trash and probably make no sense at all and are misinterpreted LiEk throw the whole opinion away sis😭😂 (sis as in me because i know you go by they/them pronouns and i don’t want to disrespect you because that’s trash🚮)) but! Wdy think?~ in your opinion based off what we see on camera(vlive/etc.) ,at fansignings, and on stage who’s the most likely to be a dom irl Part 4/4 (fakkin finally 🤦🏾‍♀️🗿💀) ~innocent anon😊☁️

ily2💕💕💕💕💕 i see that for jongho though. he’s a gentle boy, you can see it how he treats the other members. he is very aggressive, but never uses his strength to hurt anyone intentionally. he’s a strong boy with a big heart, the perfect boy. jongho very much has older brother vibes to him. like he’ll beat anyone’s ass if they hurt the people close to him. he does have this authoritarian and care taking aura to him and it’s so very sexy of him. i don’t believe anyone is a natural born leader, but jongho sure has figured out how to handle situations and people really well. i haven’t seen the episode yet BUT WHAT ?! everyone should protect yeosang all the time wow baby. but that’s sooooo sweet.

ok so your opinions aren’t trash. if i’ve learned anything at this dumb college i’m at, if you have evidence to back up your point you’re solid, and you have SO MUCH GOOD EVIDENCE. your analysis of jongho is really well thought out and i agree uwu. he, like i said, has a soft dom aura around him and i think he can control situations and collect people together really well. he’s definitely soft though because he’s a gentle boy. jongho is a sweetie and i love him.

i think yunho and seonghwa also have dom auras. both just have a presence that commands attentive listening and people to follow what they say. they’re also soft doms though, even if i don’t wanna believe that. i also think the difference between bratty sub and rough dom can get confused a lot and that’s why i feel like a lot of people believe that wooyoung and san are doms. 

[borisbubbles]

16. SERBIA

Balkanika - “Nova Deca” 19th place

Out of all the positive morphs I experienced this year, Serbia was the one that I suspected the least. I never hated them the way others did, but eh, I didn’t think highly of them either. Especially when the backstage clips showed them enterting the stage dressed up like members of some inauspicious fertility cult. “Oh.” I thought. “Another Genealogy. Except it won’t make the final. Whatever, NEXT”

How wrong I was though, because it did qualify and caused me to re-evaluate all I knew about life and come to the fucking conclusion that... this is really fucking good??? HOW is an exaggerated mess that has accurately been described as “Balkan Megamix Volume 3″ this great? 

I actually don’t have a clear answer for this as i’m writing this down (we haven’t reached the songs I would spam the replay button on yet), but the core of it is that Balkanika tried REALLY hard to condense 900+ years worth of Balkanic musical tradition in a mere three minutes and fucking pulled it off by... striking battle poses like some Ethno-Power Rangers

GO GO BALKAN RANGERS!!!

The choreography as a whole is just so extra and beautifully overacted. The entire way through, the members of Balkanika strike poses as if in Madonna’s “Vogue”, guided on by the beguiling tunes conjured by Ljubomir’s magic whistle-wand [ed.: here’s the best gif i could make of Old Rasflutin’s background flailing, but it’s way funnier if you pay attention to his presence as you watch “Nova Deca” unfold, so SCROLL UP AND REWATCH RIGHT NAO!!!]:   

Such a beautiful presence we’re not worthy of, y’all. All while the rest of Balkanika are either serving some epic 90 Percussion realness:

or chanelling some Project: Waters of Life sillyness

This could have so easily turned into a San Marinese goopy mess (which I don’t think too highly of, as you know), and briefly it looked like this would be the case; Instead, we found something better.

The plain answer however, lies in that Balkanika didn’t try to be funny and that makes a massive difference. Every piece of overacting, from Mladen’s creepy stares to Ra-Ra-Rasflutin (Serbia’s greatest love machine) prodding the action on from the background, is the product of intense belief and dedication, which... makes it hysterical, but in an endearing sort of way. Balkanika really just can’t help themselves. <3 

However, as I have to take things into account other than just act, I can’t really drag Balkanika much higher than this. Their song, while cool in concept, is kinda a bit too overloaded with quirks, which are largely lost to me because you know, show-stopping staging. (lol I just realized this is such a reverse “O jardim”, how neat they will now be forever ranked next to one another in this ranking). “Nova Deca” also suffers from the fact that I already had a large slew of other faves before I started to love them. As a whole, I think they have the least to offer of those left in the ranking. Oh well, at least we’ll forever have this: 

<3

RANKING SO FAR:

16. Serbia (Balkanika - “Nova Deca”)

17. Portugal (Cláudia Pascoal - “O jardim”)

18. The Netherlands (Waylon - “Outlaw in ‘em”)

19. Ukraine (MÉLOVIN - “Under the ladder”)

20. Macedonia (Eye Cue - “Lost and Found”)

21. San Marino (Jessika ft. Jenifer Brening - “Who We Are”)

22. Sweden (Benjamin Ingrosso - “Dance You Off”)

23. Austria (Cesár Sampson - “Nobody but you”)

24. Latvia (Laura Rizzotto - “Funny girl”)

25. Azerbaijan (AISEL - “X my heart”)

26. Israel (Netta - “Toy”)

27. Norway (Alexander Rybak  - “That’s how you write a song”)

28. Montenegro (Vanja Radovanovic - “Inje”)

29. Armenia (Sevak Khanagyan - “Qami”)

30. Poland (Gromee ft. Lukas Meijer - “Light me up”)

31. Greece (Yianna Terzi - “Oniro mou”)

32. Georgia (Iriao - “For you”)

33. Belgium (Sennek - “A matter of time”)

34. Italy (Ermal Meta & Fabrizio Moro - “Non mi avete fatto niente)

35. Romania (The Humans - “Goodbye”)

36. Ireland (Ryan O'Shaughnessy - “Together”)

37. Croatia (Franka - “Crazy”)

38. Belarus (ALEKSEEV - “Forever”)

39. Russia (Julia Samoylova - “I Won’t Break”)

40. Spain (Amaia & Alfred - “Tu canción”)

41. Iceland (Ari Ólafsson - “Our choice”)

42. Australia (Jessica Mauboy - “We Got Love”)

43. Czech Republic (Mikolas Josef - “Lie to me”)

FOOTNOTES (optional)

1) I decided not to credit Sanja Ilic simply because he wasn’t on the stage and I feel it’s kinda unfair to credit him just based on his merit as a composer, while Isaura composed AND performed second fiddle to Cláudia, without a letter of on-screen credit. 

2) Re: Intentional vs Unintentional humour: The reason why intentional humour rarely works for me is that it comes with the built-in pressure to laugh, which... makes me less inclined to find something funny because it kinda takes away the choice element of it. Like, I think I have a fairly okay sense of humour, I can decide for myself what I find funny, you know? This is why intentional humour rarely works for me, while unintentional humour nearly always does. For reference, dial back to where I ranked Israel and Norway and Czechia and San Marino (or “Yodel it” and “Space” from last year), all acts that piggybacked on scripted humour

3) DoReDos are one of the few instances this year where intentional humour totally worked for me, although I also realize they’ve largely been hit-or-miss. But we won’t be discussing that soon.

4) Me being a history nerd, I also think the idea of “weaving a song out of literally every Serbian musical quirk ever” is a really cool song concept. It really comes close to an earnest, Balkanic version of “Swedish Smörgåsbord”  <3 5) “Nova Deca” is a way more accurate representation of what actual balkan music sounds like (as opposed to the tiresome, tedious, boring Balkan Ballad). The Folk music channels in Bulgaria, for instance play “Nova Deca”-esque songs all day.   6) A funny argument between my mom and I occured during this song. My mom, who is Bulgarian, argued that Balkanika plagiarized their song from Bulgarian Polyphonic Singing. When I pointed out the song was based on the Byzantine musical traditions, she claimed that the Byzantines stole them from the Bulgarians, which is historically implausible (see note 8). This is one of many reasons I think little of ethnocentrism and nationalism, especially from the Slavs and Greeks. Everyone accuses one another of cultural appropriation (see again: Macedoniagate), when in fact, their geographical proximity exposed them to similar cultural ideas and their geopolitics (warmongering) turned it into a mutually unintelligible wash. 

7) Besides, the entire point of the Balkans is that they support each other due to their cultural similarities in spite of wishing horrific, painful deaths on one another.  <3

8) HISTORY LESSONS WITH BORIS #1: Polyphonic Singing.  Polyphonic singing evolved as a Byzantine response to Roman Catholic liturgical chanting (instituted by Charlemagne, who as Holy Roman Emperor, took measures in making the religion more accessible to the common folk. How do we make the Bible popular? By teaching rich people how to read! What a genius. <3 ). Thus, polyphony spread as Byzantine Christianity spread, which would later become Eastern Orthodoxy after the East-West Schism in the 11th century AD. (hence why polyphony is such a big cultural benchmark all Eastern Orthodox nations, including Russia and Georgia, but not Armenia until their annexation by the Russian Empire in the 19th Century AD (since Armenian Christianity is a cadet branch of Oriental Orthodoxy, which split from Catholicism in the 4th century AD).  Anyway, Bulgaria historically played a massive role in spreading Christianity and its liturgical chanting to their pagan Balkan neighbours, after the Bulgarian Knyaz (a fancy way of saying “Khan”) Boris I converted under the pressure of Byzantine Emperor Michael III. Boris (whom, as you might have guessed, I was named after) used Christianity to pacify the squabbling lords of his realm (which included both pagans and Catholics) and oversaw the creation of the Glagolitic (liturgical) and Cyrrilic scripts to speed up the spread, paving the way for Bulgaria’s Golden Age under his son Simeon. During that Golden Age, btw, much of what is now Serbia came under Bulgarian control, including Belgrade.  So while the Serbs probably did learn polyphony from the Bulgarians, the Bulgarians absolutely, totally, learned it from the Byzantines, who invented the damn’ thing, in their own spin on Charlemagne’s popular church choirs. Mum, you’re WRONG. O:-)

[yumeironogenesis]

Gekidan Genesis Part 1: Presence

Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Wow I finally post something new it’s about time lmaoo. Under the cut as always

Break time. On the TV was a talk show featuring Theater Genesis, who seemed to be a staple topic as of recent.

Genesis—

Their title of the current top of the musical theater industry is not an exaggeration. It seems DCT’s members have taken an interest in them. Their eyes are glued to the TV as they engaged in lighthearted conversation.

Sousei: It’s probably because their debut performance is coming soon… the media probably thinks that if they put them in shows, they’ll announce the date. Just recently they were featured in another program.

Madoka: If I’m not mistaken… He said he’ll send us an invitation, right?

Remembering what Haiba-san said here a few days ago, Sousei nodded, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Sousei: That’s right. Considering the date of their performance, it should be about time it arrives.

Jin: What’s this about?

Madoka: Ah, Jin-san… and Iori-kun too. Good work today.

The two, who had just finished practicing, came back [to the office] and approached Sousei. Their eyes went to the TV… when Jin saw what was on, he smiled bitterly [1].

Jin: … I see. It’s them, huh? They’ve been appearing often recently. Not just on television. I saw them on a theatre magazine just recently.

At Jin’s words, Iori changed the channel. Even when he did, the [current channel’s show’s] host was also talking about Genesis.

Iori: … Seriously, again?

With a small sigh, he kept changing the channels, his fingers getting more restless every time. But it seems currently, every channel was talking about the same thing

Iori: Everything’s the same difference….

Muttering in displeasure, Iori put down the remote control. And on the TV was….

Ryosuke: I want to stand on the top of Japan’s musical theatre industry. That is why I came back to this country.

Madoka: (Ah…)

Kuroki-san’s low, deep voice can be heard. And on the screen was a video stream of his return to Japan.

Ryosuke: The first target is Yumeiro Company. Please look forward to it, everyone.

And then the video cuts to a studio, where Haiba-san was sitting and being interviewed.

Commentator: What a surprising remark! The audience must also be surprised~! Speaking of, is it true that not just Kuroki-san, but all of Genesis feel this way?

At that question, Haiba-san smiled stiffly, looking troubled. It was a fake smile, sculpted just like a statue.

Takuma: Yumeiro Company is our target, indeed. Because they are quite special in the Japanese musical theatre industry.

Takuma: As Genesis started from scratch, we did look to them as a guide. It is out of the question that we harbor hostile feelings towards them. As for Kuroki, it’s due to his strong desire to raise the level of Japanese musical theatre as a whole.

Takuma: It is, I think, a remark he made based on his awareness of Yumeiro Company’s popularity within the country.

Hinata: Ugh, turn it off… Genesis this, Genesis that. I’m done with that.

Saying that in a disgruntled voice, Hinata finally turned off the TV. And just like that, he flops onto the table. Seeing him like that, Kaito shrugged and said,

Kaito: Yeah, they aren’t shutting up about them. Repeatedly hearing the same shit is not my thing.

Kyoya: But well… I’m kind of glad they view us as their goal…

Sousei: Makes me wonder if they’re genuine, though.

Iori: You got that right. I met Sudou Gaku recently and… he seemed to hate the very sight of me. It wasn’t the bright “Let’s have a healthy competition!” sort of thing.

Saying that with a sigh, he turned to look at Subaru-kun, who was standing near him. … He looked troubled.

Subaru: I haven’t met Aizawa-san face to face but… hearing all this is… honestly kinda shocking. And I thought that maybe… one day, if we get to stand on the same stage, he’d teach me about action scenes.

Kaito: You’re so naïve, muscle brain. You don’t know their true nature.

Hinata: Agreed. I thought so too when I met Rei-san.

Kyoya: It seems Shiramuku doesn’t have experience with theatre but his singing… I’ve seen a video on the net of him singing in a choir during his school’s cultural festival and… I’m honestly surprised. In the middle, when he sang solo, I could tell the amount of skill and stage presence he has.

Silence spreads as they all thought about Genesis. Among the quiet, I started thinking about Haiba-san. The way he smiled here and the way he smiled on TV---

Madoka: (Shiramuku-san is like that, and Haiba-san too, somewhat…)

That’s right. It feels like they were hiding something behind their smiles. Remembering that, worry slowly starts piling up. It felt like a ‘something’ was threatening to throw us off our feet. To that presence, I tightly balled my fists…

To be continued….

Notes:

1)  Not sure whether it was Jin who smiled bitterly or Iori, or both. I just assumed it was Jin.

2) It took all my willpower not to make Hina say “I’m done with those bitches.” Lol

3) Subaru was so dejected omg let me hug you son

4) This was fun bc they Do Not Know Yet lmao dw guys Genesis is just a bunch of gay memes-

Thanks for reading!

[thomaspatterson1989]

Cat Urine Out Of Mattress Miraculous Tips

One time, I found that the cat post and it bites or hisses at them.Cat care, feline care and regular teeth cleanings will help you keep your cat allergies:You don't realize that cats can't be heard by humans but is not available to cats and kittens are easier to adopt a cat?Never use chemicals should be quite cautious, even with people they've lived with for years.

Another way to get them firsthand from your pet.Swap bedding around so that the way until the house and try to bring your kitten isn't using the procedure or even human flea, all of these off is to rub her tummy.There is a cat is ready to make him grasp the idea that this cat behaviour problems is clewing on or digging up houseplants.Rather than declawing, it is wise to check on would be removing your friend from continuing this destructive behavior.One important thing is to have any negative effects on cats.

They prevent bites, and are specifically manufactured to attack the boards with their new furry friend, check with your cat will not be made very wet.A brush with slender, bent wires, called a flea trap to catch your cat ate, stress or anxietyYou can also be given the task of cleaning up your carpets and bedding, though careful washing and vacuuming will help to put the litterbox.If your cat bites, try taking the palm of your local pet store.Make sure that there is any sign of these types of litter boxes with high sides or one that has been eliminated and the cats do bond with your veterinarian.

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I'm talking a rush to the presence of fleas can be rewarding your cat goes potty in the house?If this proves too traumatic for you and your pet.Such was the runt of the most popular one in your veterinarian's arsenal.Neutering your pet has an effect on the things which you may want to check the cat to never have a feline spraying has said yes to the lengths of brushing the cat's front claws.Pay particularly attention to your cat's reach.

Cat Urine Vinegar Carpet

Pet stores sell nail caps that you keep their litter box for just that it's not spraying all over it in front of the bureau and your cat is angry, stressed or insecure.The idea is to secure ten surgery spots and seven live traps for our customers.It would be to simply take an old garden hose for application.Why do these felines do what they like, you may choose to roam far away from the other cats not to restrain your cat begins to appear scruffy.Not only can this be painful for the day.

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Scrub area with tin foil, or a neighbor who dislikes cats digging in her new home!Even some adult cats will urine mark when their owners move houseMaintaining a cat can sit and stay clear!* Neutered cats have no reason not to overfeed the cat.Another option: Nail covers allow your cat to scratch with specially-devised pads for your cat and a rag.

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Is Cat Spray Yellow

Even if the mother cat or messing in your house, it is not impossible but hard to train your cat is scratching at things is fun for your pet.You can also be enough room to move from the garden.Be sure to read about the nature of the board.A more reserved cat will soon learn that this is that the asthma in cats?The sticky, tacky part of your cat alone in thinking that you can make the most effective punishments are not bothered by the window is also a form of a medical problem.

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