#i think she released in Japan a while ago because I see some people have her

[peofun1]

if good smile doesn’t finally ship the Persona 3 Dancing Aigis I ordered a full calendar year ago I’m gonna find their headquarters and stage a heist to bring her home my dang self PLEASE she’s been delayed so much just let me have her

[leonawriter]

Okay apparently I'm going to do a study on this introduction, because going back to it? Especially knowing more about Hakuba via more recent Magic Kaito chapters? Fascinating stuff.

So. Hakuba's introducing himself, and he starts out by bringing up "My father spoke of you often" and "It seems you're a very sharp detective." Both of those are positive!

Hakuba is... high society, compared to Hattori simply hanging out around high ranking people and treating them like normal. Hattori argues with Kazuha in a very down to earth way, while Hakuba knows how to drink tea and probably how to set the table with a full set of cutlery (or at least how to use them).

So, Hakuba using their fathers to introduce himself is, to him, a normal enough way to say "I've heard good things about you, we're similar, I hope we can get along well."

What's more - Shinichi realises that, pretty quickly. Even if they hadn't met previously, he'd have been able to figure out by the words being used, that Saguru's father knows Heiji's father, or that they're in the same business.

If anything, I'd say that this slight culture clash is the second step of things going wrong between Hattori and Hakuba here, right after Hakuba being present at all, since Hattori had wanted Shinichi to take his rightful place where Hakuba is currently sitting.

Strike one, strike two.

Unfortunately, it gets worse from there, and I'm gonna go into it.

But then Hakuba brings up that he's not even fully based in Japan. To which, mostly Hattori is just "wait, what?" - but although I'm sure he means it simply to be as clear as possible, that could also be read as "I would say that, but I'm actually better." As in, being smug.

Strike three.

Still with "Kudo is the high school detective of the east, that's obvious, isn't it?" and rubbing salt into the insult to Hattori's bro with "they'd have liked me to represent the east in his place" but...

Oh boy.

This... this is also where I just stared and held my head in my hands because now? Because of something Hattori's said, and what he's going to continue saying/leaning into... we need to go back in time.

All the way back in Hakuba Saguru's first appearance, the papers say "just returned from London," suggesting (as I've seen someone say before) that he'd spent at least some, if not much, of his youth in Japan.

Certainly, he doesn't seem to speak with an accent in the present day, so he can't have grown up in the UK and only sometimes lived in Japan.

In Japan, however, he is referred to as...

In Nakamori's (uncouth) words at their first meeting, "Y-you're that bastard from London!"

No mention of how he has a fully Japanese name, partially Japanese features, a Japanese father, and no accent.

His introductory splash also frames him with the Union Jack behind him, showing off his Holmes cosplay and light hair. Almost all the major characters in the series have blue eyes, but here it's rather... plainly emphasising his Western features. His non-Japanese-ness.

Now, I do have to wonder if Gosho wrote that back in 1990 and hadn't given much thought to it. I certainly don't think it was intentionally cruel.

However, by volume 40, released in 2003, he's learned a bit more about social prejudice, and shows this with the Professor's First Love story:

This shows something that happened 40 years ago in-universe, with a girl of Japanese-American descent who has light, gingko colour hair, being very aware of how different she is, and not wanting her friend to see. She calls her hair "weird" and starts to cry.

Coming back to the present - content released in 2006 - let me go back to Hakuba Saguru.

Hattori "That's obvious, isn't it? And yer not even from this country to begin with."

Oh, Hattori. Only the previous case had you seeing how words can be as sharp as knives, and can hurt people.

Saguru doesn't seem too bothered at first, however...

First off, he points out that it isn't even his fault he's "taken Kudo's place" in the first place!

They contacted his housekeeper, who he's been shown to be very close with (I'd hazard a guess to say that, having not seen his mother at all, or seen her mentioned, Baaya is closer to him than his parents are), and when she heard that her charge would only be taking someone else's place since they weren't there, she got offended on his behalf.

Saguru, who loves this woman like she's literally his nanny, could hardly say no at that point.

More to the point: how he says "But it appears I am unfit to represent the East..."

So now we have Hattori having come in wanting his best friend to be represented and not sidelined just because of circumstances out of his control, and being in a bad mood immediately because of someone else having been called in. He also possibly inflates the number of cases he worked on or solved, by including childhood adventures, leading Saguru to point out that his count is only low if you only count the ones in one country. Saguru attempts to make friends with him regardless, and that doesn't work because Hattori is still stuck on how Saguru is "taking Kudo's place" and then focuses in on how Saguru "isn't even from this country" which... starts leaning into the uncomfortable territory of "Hattori I love you to pieces but are you being racist/xenophobic right now?"

I say that in the context of how Japan has a really big problem with seeing anyone who isn't fully Japanese as Not Japanese Enough, as I went into earlier. I don't think he's aware how he's coming across, by the way; he's simply got a big case of foot-in-mouth.

So now instead of having come to this conclusion organically and naturally, Saguru is offering to take the place of "Guest Participant from Overseas" to placate Hattori.

I'd imagine he won't be wanting to tell Baaya about that, for sure.

Saguru goes on to suggest that Conan (i.e, Shinichi himself) should represent the East instead.

I reiterate: they could well have come to this conclusion over a friendly conversation, because of how they have five detectives. But instead now Saguru has ceded his position to (as far as he knows) a child. A very clever child, but a child nonetheless.

The next time we're back at the island with Hattori and the others, he's already decided he doesn't like "that smug guy."

As said before, there are plenty of things that Hattori could have picked up on that'd suggest Saguru "looked down on people" and "had a prideful way of thinking" and he certainly could appear smug in his achievements.

Hattori himself says that Saguru was "was like a copy of [Kudo]." But he has decided he doesn't like Hakuba, therefore he won't like Hakuba.

A moment of Saguru bonding with Natsuki over their natural brown hair, a shared trait - we can see him smiling after saying "But... there aren't any tv cameras yet, so you could do what you want for tonight?"

In a way I feel like I'm making too much of a big deal out of this one thing, but I'm not the one bringing attention to it - Gosho is. Gosho's the one who reminds us that kids get into trouble for their natural brown hair, and Saguru got that too.

Those who've read Magic Kaito will know that he DOES have a Japanese school uniform - but as we saw at the start of the post, when he arrived, he arrived from his school in London.

This further emphasises how he's set apart from the others.

(An aside: it's entirely possible that his "school abroad" is more likely him going to sixth form, since our Secondary schools last (or did for me) up to the age of 16, and depending on the time of year he may have transferred over to the new school year already. Or he's just finishing his last year of Secondary. We don't know.)

Honestly... I'm going to leave this at that for now, because for one thing the post got away from me a bit, and became longer than I expected, and for another thing, I've covered the majority of the first meeting and both of them getting off on the wrong foot.

In short:

Hattori arrived with an idea of slipping Shinichi into the event, and was offended and upset when someone was already in his place. He, being the loyal friend he is, wasn't willing to simply let it lie.

Instead of backing down and accepting the situation and make friends with the new detective - who Shinichi knew and was acting friendly with, and who was willing to befriend him - he let his bad mood get the better of him and made offensive remarks of his own, most of which to the others would seem entirely unwarranted.

Because of that, Hattori still has a bad opinion of Saguru, and Saguru's opinion of Hattori has gone from "my father's spoken of you [positively]" to "rude asshole."

Neither of them are innocent, but when you look at them individually and fairly, neither of them are the only one in the wrong, either.

Like... no wonder they don't get along from here on? Wow.

I did not expect there to be so much in it, but there we go.

[weirdthoughtsandideas]

Hey, you posted a swedubbed Sailor Moon clip a while ago. I was wondering, did they ever dub Sailor Moon S (third season)? Cause I can only find clips from the first two.

Yes, they only dubbed and aired the first 2 seasons of Sailor Moon.

Now, this was not at all due to the third season having the lesbians, and if they aired it they would not have done weird censorships like making them cousins, nor that they thought the show was "too violent". The first two seasons were not censored at all and were translated correctly, so I am certain it would be the same if they dubbed more. Rather, they simply had some troubles buying the rights to the rest of the anime.

This is at least what the one who was responsible for buying the rights said. But many people think that the ones who did the dub simply didn't like the show personally and just didn't want to dub more. The show WAS very popular, I have read that when it originally aired, practically every child knew about it. But the channel didn't care because they personally didn't like the anime that much and thought it was weird.

So, we could trust the one actually responsible for buying the rights to dub, or we can trust the fans who speculate another reason. Maybe the ones who watched it when it originally aired just felt more betrayed that there weren't more seasons they could see, when other countries got more seasons.

And like... it could be that they simply had trouble with the licensing to dub more seasons, but considering the history of anime releases in Sweden... back in the 80s, another person tried to get television to air some animes, and their immediate reactions were "uuuhhh no thanks we don't really understand that japanese animated stuff it looks weird", which caused them to have to release all the animes on vhs, with a much smaller budget, around 5 people doing all the voices. And those animes released on vhs in the 80s, also got very popular among the kids that got their hands on them, and have gotten a cult following. It wasn't until the 90s that they started airing animes on tv, and the biggest one was the Moomins. And then, it wasn't because it was an anime, but because it was the moomins, so it was not even treated as an "anime" but simply just "this new animated show about the Moomins!!"

I do however know that, the reason they decided to air Sailor Moon is because they thought it was a lack of kids shows about powerful girls at the time. But, I have also heard of an interview with one of the swedish voice actresses in Sailor Moon (I think the woman dubbing Sailor Mercury), and she was like "I have heard a lot of people loving my work in that show, but tbh, most of us didn't understand anything that was happening, we thought it was really weird. So we met in the corridor in-between takes and were like "'what even is this'" (now, this voice actress was still very happy that people loved her dubbing work, she simply talked about how she felt about it at the time of dubbing Sailor Moon). I have also heard that, a lot of parents at the time did think the show was "odd" and were a bit judgmental about it simply because it was from Japan...

So what I've felt like is that, especially before the 2000s (by the 00s they started airing some more animes than before), the animes that came out in Sweden were very popular by the kids, while many adults were more judgmental and weirded out by it. And this is why many people can believe that the channel stopped buying the rights to dub more because they themselves didn't like it. But, we can also believe the one who actually was responsible who said that "we just had trouble getting the rights".

Maybe both of these are true at the same time! I don't know!

It should also be said that I was born in the 00s, and thus missed the original airing of Sailor Moon, and was way too young to remember it airing as re-runs in the 00s (my parents actually said my sister used to watch Sailor Moon on TV when she was like 1 though??? lmao) - and thus, someone who was born in a year to remember when it aired in Sweden may have some better info than me (I simply am a kids show guru who researches everything and anything people are nostalgic about, even when I didn't grow up with it myself)

The closest we got to a swedish dub of the later Sailor Moon seasons, is a parody dub series on youtube. There is a guy that has parody dubbed EVERY SINGLE SAILOR MOON EPISODE, and he's about to finish Super S right now. It's a TREAT, let me tell you. It's called "Sailor Muu", he does all the voices himself and he's renamed all the characters in funny ways. Usagi is named "Usacow" and thus Chibiusa is names "Usakalv" ("kalv" is calf in swedish). Rei is called "Rave" and everyone mistakes her for talking about an actual rave party. Etc etc. I think he's done english subtitles for some episodes, but not all. If you know swedish, definitely check it out, it's so goddamn funny.

[appears]

25th Anniversary

Ami Suzuki: SA (1999.03.25)

Like clockwork, as soon as Tetsuya Komuro got bored with his latest protege, he moved on to the next one. In 1998, he hopped from Tomomi Kahala to Ami Suzuki, who made her debut in July of that year with the single "love the island." She released five more singles after that until finally dropping her debut studio album SA in March of 1999.

Despite a public weary with his trademark style, now done to death with artists like hitomi, Tomomi, and Namie, not to mention his other projects like dos and globe, TK doubled down on his signature sound, particularly on the opening track "nothing without you": the keyboards, the synths, the funky rhythm and background vocals. Longtime collaborator Cozy Kubo's arrangement brings it all to a satisfying wistful lead-in to the second track. Anyone not already a fan can stop right there.

In terms of numbers, this album did really well for a debut, as expectations were high to for TK's next "It" girl, but in terms of quality, the music couldn't be a better representation of how dull, hackneyed, and by-the-numbers his music had become by then. The album still pulls out some solid songs that remind me how fun TK was at his best, songs like "alone in my room" and "white key" that do a great job of taking you back to J-pop circa 1996. But there are too many lazy melodies that don't get rounded out by the high-quality production we had come to expect. Mentally, I think TK was done with J-pop and ready to board the electric train right on out to Cyber TRANCE compilation town (you can especially hear this on the outlier "all night long," a sonic precursor to a song like "try this shoot," which he would write and release with globe two years later). He just couldn't compete with the rise in R&B and hip-pop that was beginning to sweep the charts with artists like Hikaru Utada and Mai Kuraki. It doesn't help that Ami Suzuki, like so many of the women he wrote music for, wasn't a good singer. Not as bad as Tomomi Kahala, and sufficient for the music we're dealing with, but noticeably patchy in places, and downright bad in others.

I sound really sour about this album, an album that for all my whining went #1 and ended up being the ninth best-selling album in Japan that year. To be honest, I still have a soft spot for this one, because it really sounds like TK is struggling to recapture a kind of magic that came so easily for him half a decade ago. There are parts of this that take you back to hitomi's early albums, and yet, the fight never stops being audible.

I still get nostalgic hearing TK's brand of 90s J-pop, and while there are still some good songs on here, I can objectively see that this was the last feeble roar of a dying dinosaur. It also really tells you nothing about Ami Suzuki as a person or performer, as she had both the good luck and misfortune to work with a producer so big, that it would take several more years for her to develop a light outside of his shadow. In many ways, she never did, as she always seemed to be at her best working under names as big as Yasutaka Nakata, RAM RIDER, and the others who featured on her best albums to date. In a really sad twist, the only way people got to know her as a person outside of music was during the scandal that followed her lawsuit against her management company. But that was years later. In 1999, while it may not have been fresh for any one else, it must have all still been new and exciting for her to get the chance to debut with a legend in the industry, and that hope and enthusiasm still shines through, albeit not easily, on SA.

Catalog Number: AICT-1050

[aoyama-division]

Tomi's Thoughts on Katsushika Division

Akihisa Mashiro

"Grr... this despicable piece of human flesh!" Tomi growled, looking at the photo of the assassin. "This wretch is the reason why my family lost some of its influence three years ago. How exactly? He had managed to slip through our security (which we sued the company that we had hired the guards from) and assassinated the heir to one of the noble houses here in Aoyama! My family lost a lot of face because of this insufferable rogue! But we wouldn't take this lying down. He chose to strike at us, so we reciprocated."

"My father got in touch with Luis's father, Teika Kōkyū. And with a little planning and ingenuity, we got this sorry excuse for a scoundrel locked up behind bars where he belonged! Oh, if only I could have seen the look on his face as he was ambushed by the police and Chuohku officials! It must have surely been priceless!"

"I heard that the Prime Minister, however, allowed his release from prison. My mother tried to argue against it, but her words fell short. Not really much of a surprise; the Prime Minister has never been one for good counsel. So now this rogue is walking around free along with his team of sorry miscreants. Well, that is fine. Because I promise you this now Mashiro, you'll suffer dearly for the shame you have cost me and my family, you reprobate."

Touya Kisaragi

"Ah, the little boy that the press named, "The Sweetheart Killer". Tell me, you little imp, do you even remember the names of those you bothered to kill? Do you even remember their faces? No, you probably don't. Well, let me remind you of one of them." Tomi then shows a picture of a rich Japanese woman wearing a green dress.

"This is Nellie, a friend of mine whom I met in high school, and whom I was happy to include in my circle. Do you know what became of her? You murdered her. Killed her while she was walking home from her piano recital, you unruly brat! And you probably enjoyed seeing the look of horror on her face as you did it too. ...I warn you now brat, if you dare to venture in Aoyama, do not be surprised if you find yourself in handcuffs faster than you can blink. Because everyone here has your face engraved in their mind, and being a remorseless serial killer won't save you from escaping punishment."

Rintaro Himura

Tomi's face glares at the photo of the pyromaniac. "And here, we have, perhaps, the most despicable of these three wretches. This debased rogue is responsible for more than half of the arson deaths here in Japan. His love of fire makes Luis's seem pale in comparison. If he had just bothered to burn buildings outside of Aoyama, I wouldn't have paid him any attention. But..." Tomi growls, trying to control himself before looking up.

"...This varlet set fire to more than four city blocks here in Aoyama! So many homes destroyed, lives ruined, and people killed, all to satisfy this wretch's love for fire!" Tomi growls, before he downs a cup of whiskey to calm himself.

"He may have thought he got the last laugh, but he failed to learn that messing with Aoyama has dire repercussions. My family spread rumors of a Chuohku building that we knew we reach this wretch's ear. And just like the fool he is, he fell for it. He failed to take notice that the "Chuohku" building wasn't owned by Chuohku at all! It was an abandoned warehouse simply made to look important! The fool must have felt silly when he suddenly stepped outside and found himself surrounded by police and officials!"

"But like his miscreant leader, he is now walking around free. But that is fine because like his leader, I will teach him a painful lesson that he is not soon to forget."

Death Row Block

"I question Chuohku's reasoning for letting these villainous rogues go free. If Otome honestly thinks that a couple of nooses placed around their necks are going to make them subservient, then she is an even bigger simpleton than I had previously thought. But... now that I think about it, perhaps she has done something right for once. With these three walking free, that means there is nothing protecting or saving them from the punishment that I plan to exact on them. You three may regret accepting Otome's offer. Because I promise you all this, when my cohorts and I are done with you, you will wish that you were back in those confined spaces you call cells."

[combatfaerie]

Ficlet: Control the Cage

Title: Control the Cage

Word count: 730

Rating: Gen

Characters: Bayley, Iyo Sky (Io Shirai), Dakota Kai

Warning: Timeline AU.

Prompt: A proposal on the beach.

Tagged: @wrestleprompts

"Io?" Dakota's soft voice is nearly lost to the waves crashing on the beach. "What are you doing here?"

Io gives a small shrug. Since her default expression is somewhere between bored and indifferent, it's hard for Dakota to read much in her face. "I got a call," she says slowly, turning slightly so the wind blows her hair out of her face.

"So did I."

"I called both of you." Both women turn to see someone walking towards them, face mostly in shadow until she pulls her hood down. The waning sunlight makes the new red tones in Bayley's hair look like blood. "What are you doing at the end of the month? Say... July 30th?" She stops between them and looks from Dakota to Io with hope and something darker in her gaze.

It's the darker element that makes Dakota curious. WWE released her almost three months ago and while she's been looking at offers from around the world, nothing's felt right. Nothing's fit. "July 30th is SummerSlam," Dakota says flatly.

Bayley's smirk feels like an invitation. "It is. I'm going to be there. And I want you to be there too. Both of you."

Io narrows her eyes. She knows the rumours that have been going around, saying that she was going back to Japan after her contract runs out. "Why?" she asks, watching Bayley's expression. She knows it will say more than her voice ever can.

"Both of you have been injured and fought your way back. Both of you know what it's like to be overlooked and underutilized. I want to change that—for you, for me, for us... and every woman who comes after us." Bayley's voice is quiet yet more powerful than the waves in the distance. "Remember when I told people that what I want doesn't exist yet? Well, this is the first step."

Dakota gazes out to sea. The view should remind her of home, but she's never felt more lost, more adrift. To have another chance at her WWE dream would be amazing, but that particular wound is still fresh. "They released me," she points out. "They've given Io practically nothing. Why do they want us back now? What's changed?"

"Hunter's in charge. He wants to make some changes." Bayley's dark eyes gleam in the sunset like burning embers, just waiting for enough fuel to blaze. "And I want to change things too. I've talked with him already, and I told him I want to work with you two. He's on board. You just need to call him and figure out details."

Io still doesn't look convinced. "Hunter may be in charge now, but a cage is still a cage," she points out.

Bayley grins as she reaches into her hoodie's pockets and pulls out a business card for each of them. "Everything's a cage," she replies as she gives them the cards. "What matters is who controls the cage. And if we can work together, that's gonna be us." Then she straightens up a bit. "Hunter obviously needs to know soon, so... think about it. Call him. Call me. Discuss it with each other. But I hope you say yes. Working together—I think the three of us could do amazing things." Then she flips her hood back up. "No one else knows right now, and I'd like to keep it that way."

Dakota nods slowly, breathing in time with the waves. Every time the water laps at her feet, she thinks of another injustice, another lost opportunity. Looking at Bayley and Io, she can finally start to see a way back, a way past the false starts to a new beginning. "To maximize the impact." It's so obvious that it didn't need to be said, but each of them deserves to hear it. Their returns will matter. Things will change because of them. In such a long-running business, that's a huge accomplishment.

"Exactly." Bayley zips up her hoodie and stuffs her hands in her pockets. "I hope I hear from you soon." Then she takes off at a jog up the beach, stopping briefly to talk to someone walking a dog.

Io looks out at the ocean for a long moment before turning to Dakota. "What are you going to do?"

The answer is obvious. Dakota doesn't need time to think or wait to call Hunter. "Take control."

[celepom]

Accomplishments of The Duke’s Daughter

By Reia

(Iris - Book 1-5)

Iris Armelia, the daughter of a powerful duke, is arrested and forced to her knees in front of her fiancée. Her betrothed, Prince Edward, is rejecting her for another woman! As Iris's life flashes before her eyes, she suddenly realizes she knows exactly what's coming next--because she has been reincarnated into her favorite otome game as its villainess. Quick thinking saves her from exile, but Iris can't rest yet. If she wants to survive this world that sees her as wicked, she'll have to change the world itself.

---

This is one of my favourite currently-reading Isekai series. There’s a lot of interesting characters, world building and political intrigue. You have a protagonist who uses her skills as an accountant in her past life and her position of power within the kingdom to try and better the lives of people around her. There’s also some tragic overlap where you want to see this very driven woman take a step back and take care of herself for once. You see her overworking herself and remember she died young from overwork last time (a common isekai trope because it’s...sadly common in Japan that work/life balance sucks), but her companions find it difficult to talk her out of it because she feels like this time she has a purpose outside of corporate grind.

She also was dealt a bad hand in romance and has resolved to spend her life “alone” (ie, unmarried). She’s surrounded by friends and family, and loves spending time incognito amongst her people and taking care of the orphans. So when she starts catching feelings for a man who can meet her at her level intellectually and in drive she starts to despair because she doesn’t want this. She doesn’t want to be hurt again. He’s also much the same about her; due to his position he declares that “the woman I love, I shall never marry” because he doesn’t want to see her stifled under the weight of his responsibilities. He wants to see her continue to grow and flourish in her freedom.

And in the background there’s what you could call a cold war going on. 30 years ago the countries of Tasmeria & Tweil signed and armistice to end the fighting, but it didn’t end the war. Tensions are rising from within and without and there are spies pulling the strings on both sides.

It’s kind of amazing ho much happens in these books? Like, I’ve only read 3 books in the series (4th came out in English last week, but my copy hasn’t arrived yet) and so many things have happened. Each book has it’s own focus, yes, but it’s very much an ongoing narrative. There’s no “hard stop” between books, it’s more like a “Life continues” sort of feel.

And by the way, there’s a manga adaptation that is pretty well done! It has lovely art and manages to capture the characters well. But, as I said, since SO MUCH HAPPENS IN THE LIGHT NOVELS the pace is much slower because there’s so many events to adapt. As such, it takes 3 volumes of manga just to get through the first book. So, while I prefer the novels, the manga is good too! It has very pretty art.

----

UPDATE July 4, 2022

With the final volume being released in regards to Iris’ story and arc I will now proceed to continue to shout and cry about how this is my absolute favourite Isesai series!

Seeing her change the world for the better and for herself was a very satisfying read. Especially because these changed were not made through force, but intellect and a sense of community! She inexplicably and unintentionally challenged the conventional gender norms of her world with her accomplishments and success. And up until this point, she had been ready to step down when it was expected, and continue doing good elsewhere, through her company and her own means. But, in the end, she’s able to keep the position she’s earned.

Love love love this story, and how it kept me enthralled with the accounting/economic through-line of the plot. Also Iris & Dean being two math nerds in love is just *chef’s kiss*

IN THIS HOUSE WE LOVE POWERFUL LADIES! WHETHER THEIR POWER LIES IN THEIR PHYSICAL, MENTAL, OR CREATIVE PROWESS!!

I’m excited to read the following volumes which will be about Iris’ mother’s childhood. Merellis was already a compelling character in the first arc and discovering in this 5th volume just how much she does behind the scenes makes me excited to know all the details of her youth.

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐  5/5 STARS!

LOVE IT! READ IT! SO YOU CAN LOVE IT TOO!!

[recurring-polynya]

today i randomly watched the live action bleach movie. bleach was my first thing i was into like 10 years ago and well that was 10 years ago but now i am reading some posts to catch up (this is how i got to this blog) so i was wondering... is there anything, big or small, canon or fandom thing that is a must to know lately? :D l

Hey, welcome! The live-action Bleach movie is not, like, a masterpiece by any means, but what it does have going for it is a love of the source material, and I can definitely see it reigniting an old interest.

Hkrnnngh, what is there to know? Well, it's kind of an exciting time to be a Bleach fan, actually?

The manga finished in 2016. The ending was a little rushed (Kubo was having health issues and it was dropping in popularity), but it did end conclusively.

There are a number of light novels, including two that take place post-canon. Can't Fear Your Own World, which takes place 6mo post-canon, has a ton of lore and tells the story of Hisagi getting bankai. We Do (Knot) Always Love You is 3 years post canon and is (nominally) about Rukia and Renji's wedding but it keeps going off on these weird tangents about werewolf puppies or the Soul Society Interlibrary Loan System. Some people really enjoy these, but they are not required reading. You can buy Viz translations of CFYOW. I think WDKALY is harder to find, but there is a nice fan translation here by @missstormcaller. She translated part of CFYOW, too, but I think it was only the first few chapters. (I have not read CFYOW and am not the best person to ask about it). There are older light novels, too, I particularly like Honey Dish Rhapsody.

There's a mobile gatcha game called Bleach Brave Souls, which causes pain and anguish in all who play it. It often has very cool AU-style character designs and cute, character-driven storylines. It is very possible to enjoy BBS content without ever actually playing BBS. I strongly recommend this course of action. I have personally forbidden myself from playing BBS. There are numerous other Bleach games and I do not know anyone who plays them.

Kubo did a new short series called Burn the Witch, which was subsequently animated. It's hinted that it takes place in the same universe as Bleach, but in England/Reverse London instead of Japan/Soul Society. It is supposed to be continued, but there hasn't been much news lately (there are a lot of issues in the anime industry right now because of the pandemic and other labor concerns)

There was a new manga one-shot, No Breaths from Hell, that came out in August. We all thought it was going to be some li'l Shinigami's Cup, slice-of-life type thing, and then it turned out to be (what looks like) a set up for a new, post-epilogue arc. Kubo has cheekily denied that there will be more, but he also put out new designs for all the captains and lieutenants and designed two new lieutenants, so most people are pretty sure that was a joke. The one shot been on-and-off available on Viz's website.

There was a big Bleach Expo in Japan in December. Kubo made a ton of new drawings and there was new merch and it looked like a fun time!

They announced a while ago that the final arc of the manga, the Thousand Year Blood War was going to be animated. There was a superstage at December's Jump Festa where they announced it would be coming out in October of 2022, and released a trailer.

I am not that up on things like DVDs and manga releases, but it seems like Viz is always dropping new editions of stuff, including Blu-Rays of the original series.

Fandom stuff!

The Bleach fandom is not really what I would call coherent. There are a lot of subfractions that do not get along with each other, so wherever you go, it is important to curate your experience. I find Tumblr a pretty nice place to be, and its tagging function works very well for seeing only what you want, but it's also pretty quiet here. Twitter is much more active, but someone has an absolute ice cold take about every thirty seconds, and people will say extremely mean stuff, and Twitter's algorithm will actively show you stuff you hate to incite drama, so block liberally, it's nicer for everyone actually! If you're interested in more of the industry news, you should probably be on Twitter, but it does filter over here eventually.

Mostly, people tend to cluster around particular characters/groups of characters/ships and make friends that way. Some groups have more private Discord servers or group chats. It's a pretty quiet fandom overall, so sometimes you get bizarre alliances between devotees of various characters/ships. People always talk about how vitriolic shippers are, but I avoid getting dragged into debates and no one has ever tried to start shit with me (knock on wood).

There are a lot of incredibly talented fanartists, but people are also very welcoming to newbie artists. I don't feel like fanfic is as big a part as the fandom (like there are a lot fewer writers, and a lot of people don't read it at all), but there is some incredibly good fanfic out there, and new fanficcers are always welcome.

I hope that helps! It's a bit of a dead (lol) fandom at the moment, but it has been a pleasant and reliable source of serotonin my life for the last three years, and with the anime coming back, I am optimistic that it may pick up in the next year. If you would like any more specific recommendations, let me know what sort of stuff you're interested in and I'll do my best!

[waywardtakami]

- don't leave me

✦pairing: hawks x gn!reader

✦c/w: language, slight mha manga spoilers, 16+ only , angst

✦a/n: hello!! I'm very excited about this fic, it's my first gn one! It's been sitting in my wips for so long and I'm finally happy with it. hopefully people will still read this without there being smut. thank you! <3

✦summary: hawks gets hurt during a mission...

✦w/c: 2k

Keigo had left you again to fight in another mission. He had only been gone for a few days, but you wished he was with you instead. You missed him so much. He hadn't been physically by your side in so long, causing your heart to ache again. Times like these were practically torture. Waking up without him by your side was agonizing, but you were used to it.

His job was all-consuming and you knew him being away for large amounts of time would affect you when you committed yourself to this relationship. There was a constant worry for his life and maybe a little for your own. 

You and Kei decided to keep your relationship as private as possible so no one would go after you. He didn't want anyone to kidnap or hurt you. 

Even though his musk scent was flooded throughout your shared home, you still tried distracting yourself the best you could.

After making your favorite food, you plopped onto the couch and turned on the TV to try and take your mind off him. 

As the TV flickered on, your boyfriend's face flashed across the screen. A gruff voice played over what was being shown. You assumed it was just something about his stats or a recent interview per usual. It didn't help the feeling in your heart subside by seeing him.

You changed the channel, again and again. But every channel had been taken over by the same broadcast. You eventually fixated and listened.

Your heart dropped.

Hawks had been accused of murder. 

"Murder...?" you mumbled to yourself. "No..he...what?" Your heart was beating so fast it felt like it was about to thump out of your chest. You were stuck in a pool of emotions of confusion and immense shock, it was like your head was on fire. 

Dabi...one of the League of Villain members was behind this. All the information you received was from Keigo's colleagues and the media. 

Keigo had been hurt bad...real bad.

The fact that you couldn't do anything about it had you overwhelmed and panicked. When you finally found out which hospital he was brought to through FatGum, you drove yourself there.

Of course he was brought to one one of the furthest ones from where you guys lived. On top of that, traffic was horrendous. With everything that had gone down, the citizens of the city were frantic and trying to get home to their families.

Your hands and entire body practically trembled while driving. Your eyes pricked with tears at the thought of Keigo's wounded state. "He's fine he's fine he's FINE!" You kept telling yourself over and over. 

When you made it to the hospital, there was a large number of people in the waiting room. The sounds of people clamoring in and trying to get a room were deafening. You hurried over to the front desk. 

"Hello Ma'am I need to see Hawks, he should be here." She wouldn't let you in his room. You wanted to see him, no you needed to see him. You started crying, pleading, begging for her to let you go in his room. But the front desk lady apologized and insisted he needed to rest and isn't accepting visitors. 

You knew it was really because she probably thought you were just some fan of his. Or maybe even a reporter trying to sneak in photos. But no, you were his baby, his life, and they weren't going to let you in.

"I'M HIS DAMN PARTNER FOR GOD SAKES!" You yell while slamming your fist against the counter. You didn't realize how much impact you put into your fist until you felt pain in your hand. The waiting room goes almost quiet and heads turn to look at you. You glance back to see all the faces turned to you. 

Your voice softens from embarrassment. "Please...just let me see him." Your fist still against the counter looking at the nurse with tears streaming down your face. 

She stands up and moves closer, "I'm so sorry, I believe you…" She slides a clip board with a few papers attached. "...but we can't let you in just yet he's still recovering from his injuries, he needs to rest right now. Please fill these out while you wait." She looks back up with you with a faint smile. She really does believe you. She can see it in your eyes, the pain, she understood.

You release your hand, and pick up the clipboard. Looking at her on the other side of the counter you give her a face flustered nod and mouth a quick "thank you."

You go sit down comfortably in one of the empty chairs to wait for keigo to wake up...

The news of your wounded boyfriend was already half across Japan. After filling out the forms you scroll through your phone to calm yourself down. You kept seeing post after post about him. Almost all news headlines had his name. 

You think to yourself about how much of it is all bullshit and that he's fine. Deep down you weren't sure if the words your brain kept telling you were true. You click on one of the posts about him that reads: 

"THE NUMBER TWO PRO HERO DEAD" 

Your heart skips a beat, but quickly you realize it's just a fake. You scroll through, lightly skimming the bullcrap you were reading. You scroll and see a photo taken of him the night he was brought to the hospital. You wonder how the press even got a photo of him. You focus on the photo, he does look dead. It only showed his upper body, completely covered in burns. More tears forming at the corners of your eyes just seeing him in the photo. Oh and his wings, his big bright vermilion wings...gone.

You were a complete mess at this point but your sniffles and choked sobs were interrupted by the front desk lady waving to you. "He's awake." 

Quickly following her into the room you see him. As you stand in the doorway for a moment, your heart sinks. You hurry to him. He had bandages wrapped around his head. His hair was short and mostly singed off. And his wings...they really were gone. "I'll leave you two alone," the nurse walks out and closes the door behind her.

You turn back to him.

"Kei?" you whimpered out.

His half lidded eyes look at you. His formerly bright, charming and yellow pupils have become dark and filled with anguish. He was wearing a mask over his nose and mouth with two tubes coming from the sides of it. He couldn't speak or breath himself, due to his throat being burned. 

Of course he knew it was you. Tears welled up deep inside and coursed down his cheeks. Seeing him like this had your body nauseas. You move to cup your hand on his face, feeling the material of his mask rather than his soft subtle skin. You graze your thumb against his cheekbone to wipe away his tears.

You pick up one of his hands to hold it in yours. "Kei….I'm so glad you're okay." You were sniffling through each word. He slowly raises his arm to point to the phone sitting on the table near his hospital bed. Handing it to him, you watch as his calloused fingers type out what he wants to say. 

"Angel, I've missed you so much, please never leave my side." You faintly smile at him, wishing you could hear those words come from his mouth and not the AI voice. 

"I won't leave you Keigo, I'm here, I won't go anywhere."

He types again. "I'm pretty beat up, but I think I'll make it."

Your ears focus on "think" for a moment. "Yes Kei you'll be fine, everything's gonna be okay. You felt a bit better being in his presence but you still couldn't bear the sight of him. Your eyes began to prick with tears once again and this time Kei was the one who bought his hand up to brush your tears away just like you did moments ago. 

You try your best to wrap your arms around him without causing him anymore pain. You could feel him wince when you laid your head against his chest. "Sorry Kei I didn't mean to hur-" He waves his hand and shakes his head, signaling that it's okay.

Your body looked calm despite how tangled your mind was.There were many questions that flooded your mind. So many things you wanted to say. But you could worry about the details later. Right now you were finally with him again, there was no way you were letting him leave you ever again.

You were bent over, upper body on top of him at an awkward position. You didn't want to hurt him, so this had to work.

Despite the position, you took in the moment with your boyfriend. Feeling his chest slowly rise up and down. You close your eyes and imagine you were back home with him in bed. Just snuggling on a weekend afternoon, light shining in on him making his wings light up beautifully against the sun. His golden locks and glowing skin, his scent washing over your senses. Your warm bodies practically glued together. You wanted that again, you wanted everything back to normal.

He moved one of his scarred hands to your back, slowly rubbing up and down. He knew he wasn't going to make it. He was fighting so hard on the inside. So damn hard...for you. He didn't want to leave you, he couldn't. His mind wandered about the life he had planned to have with you.

He faintly smiled under the mask when he imagined you walking down the aisle...holding your first child...sitting in little rocking chairs growing old together. That's all he wanted.

Both of your tears never stopped. You were both silent. The only sounds to be heard were each other's quiet sniffles and the monitor Keigo was attached to, making a faint beep to his heart beat. Still laying on his chest, his breathing started to slow and so did the beeping, being lost in the moment you didn't notice really but he knew.

He waved his hand signaling for you to stand up and brought his hand to take off his mask. He couldn't hold on much longer. Every aching pain inside him felt like knives stabbing his insides and with each stab more time from his life was taken.

"Kei, you need to keep it on to breath, please." He shakes his head and takes it off anyways. The beeping still started to slow. The mask hung off the side of his face. His honeyed voice now husk from the burns. 

"Baby...I love you so...so.." He coughs making him hiss at the pain.

"No..fuck..Kei stop, you're going to be okay just put the damn mask on." 

"I'm too..far..gone, I have no more fight left." 

Holding his jaw in your hands,your face inches from him. "No you have to stay strong for me, please don't leave me again, I can't do this without you." 

"Kid...please...when I'm gone...find someone else and-

"NO- I ONLY WANT YOU!" You cry out, holding his head to your chest. Long-lasting sobs leaving your mouth.

"I love...you" His breathing is heavy from trying to speak. He needed to tell you this. He needed you to understand how much he loves you.

Moving his head from your chest. "I love you too...kiego." You manage to say through your choked sobs. 

You move to have your lips brush his, softly, delicately, like butterfly wings, just long enough that he could inhale your breath, feel the warmth of your skin. He closes his eyes and connects his lips to yours. It was deep and passionate, like you were kissing him for the first time. You held one side of his face with one hand, and held his hand with the other. 

But when you pull away, his eyes don't open. It's like that's all he wanted, no needed. One last kiss, one last touch. To feel you. 

His breathing completely slows, and you're left with the prolonged beep of the monitor. He was gone. The man who was always too fast for his own good, had left you and the world too fast.

✶tag list: @levithestripper @sleepysnk @conniesspringersgf @regretfulfairies @miyanom @sashatotie @romeoandjuliet96 @strawberry-pp @megvmi-s @cinnamonnn-roll @gooddayzarerare @kkodzvken

[popculturebuffet]

Animal Crossing: The Movie aka Gekijoban Dobutsu No Mori: Digging up a Lost Treasure  (Comissioned by Emma Fici)

Hello all you happy villagers and islanders out there! We’re almost at the end of the year. For those of you just joining the blog, i’m Jake I review comics and animation. And as we approach the new year, I have a special treat for all of ya’s to commemorate one year of me playing new horizons and finally discovering the magic of Animal Crossing.  (A few days off but I had christmas stuff to finish). Since I had an open comission slot, my friend Emma decided to have me take a look at one of the franchises’ only adaptations and to date one of the only major non nintendo pokemon movies: Gekijoban Dobtusu No Mori, known as Animal Crossing the Movie by translators. 

And I say translators because weirdly this movie has NEVER been dubbed. You’d think Nintendo would smell the license to print money or, with the film being reaired on tv in japan to celebrate New Horizons, see that a blu ray would be a big money maker, especially with New Horizons having only ratched up the series popularity to new heights. But so far the movie hasn’t gone past a dvd release over a decade ago. Still it’s fairly easy to find subbed online, so we all can still enjoy it till Nintendo gets their head out of their ass... and since that happens like once a year it’s probably the only way we’re going to get this flim for some time. So what kind of movie magic results when one of Nintendo’s Premiere franchises hits the big screen? Find out under the cut!

Unlike most films I review, I won’t be going through the whole plot beat by beat as the film, like the games, is a relaxed slice of life of piece. As such there’s some ongoing plot threads, running gags with the villagers and mayor, but the stakes are fairly low as they are in the games. And that.. is easily the film’s charm. By not trying to shoehorn some plot about say , Redd trying to close down the local rec center or beat Tortimer for mayor and turn it from Animal Villiage to Animal Condominiums or something, the film NAILS the feeling of the games perfectly: just a peaceful stroll through life, hanging with certain villagers if you want, barely knowing others if you want, and doing what you feel like.  Things sure do happen but they happen slowly, over weeks and certain days, starting around spring or fall and ending in Winter, with the credits filling in the gaps till the epilogue one year after the story began. It nails things perfectly down to having the same number of villagers you can in Wild World, 8, with a boy and girl human to fill in for the player characters since this was back when people thought “Gender really is binary!”. There are touches here and there from the games with the bugs being lifted and what liberties are taken are purely for the sake of making a good narrative, i.e. having a giant underwater cavern our heroes explore in two scenes and the local pengy fisherman pulling out various sight gags over the film. Things like the villagers changing costumes for events, the villagers changing close period, the little star’s over buired objects, i’ts all there man it’s great. 

So since there’s only a handful of ongoing plots i’m going to tackle each one by one: Starting off we have our main plot thread, the one which our main character Ai’s character arc rests on. 

As for who Ai is she’s a little girl who for some reason is moving to a village of what seems to be grown adults and a few children alone. That’d be weird if this weren’t animal crossing where anyone from 5 to 100 can move to a new town or island and start over and stuff their island with alligators. Well three isn’t quite stuffed but it is notable you gotta give me that. 

Ai has two arcs in fact. The smaller one is that while on deliveres for Tom Nook, who sold her her house then put her to work because he has no concept of child labor laws. Then again the fact the general store is taken over in later games by his young wards should’ve been a tipoff there. Anyways while at her forced labor, Ai accidently falls in some roses and after getting shouted at by a mole...

Finds out their the roses of the Neighbor she was delivering to who wasn’t home, Apollo, who the devs clearly love as he was not only in this film but on the offical poster for New Horizons. Why? I have no idea, there are far better old men style villagers. I’d say “cranky” but their less cranky and more “lovable old coot”. Just call them Coot’s nintendo. You’ve added an entire pokemon type and banished Donkey Kong Jr to the void between worlds you can change one word. 

The resolution to this.. is she feels awkard around him, it’s abrubtly brought up after the climax. What a waste of loveable old man. Should’ve gone with Rasher. I know he wasn’t in Wild World but he also would’ve had a better subplot. Maybe he motorcyle jumps over the mayor’s house I don’t know.

The main plot though is Ai’s friendship with Margie, an adorable elephant. Another point of accuracy: All these villagers come directly from the games and aside from one champ, all have carried over to New Horizons. I even sold one of them a vacation home and saw Margie at the resort in the DLC! So you can still get most of them right now if your lucky enough. I was not but i’m familiar enough with the types. Like my faviorite villager Gale, Margie is a normal type, becoming a big sister to Ai. They also have a third friend in their group, an excitable cat named Rosie, who Emma once had as a villager. Lucky.  They spend the first half of the film hanging out, having fun shenanigans such as a beach visit, a picnic and visting the fireworks festival, which was a weekly thing in the original game and wild world but somehow NOT new horizons. 

Margie soon finds she has a talent and dream to be a designer, inspiring Ai to find her own. She does so by planting Cherry Trees, thinking about making a pie and planting pine trees because aliens asked her too.

We’ll crop circle back to that. Point is the two have an adorable sister-sister relationship. But given Margie has other ambitions and Villagers can say, LEAVE if they choose to.. you probably see where this goes. And since his is pre new horizons, instead of running into Margie with a squiggle over her head and begging her not to leave Ai wakes up one morning to find Margie left, even had a good bye party and didn’t say goodbye. It’s a devistating scene, not helped by Rosie blaming the poor girl for it. We also get a great bit where the poor child just walks into a pit and isn’t phased by it. It’s good stuff.  The best part of it though is her going into the Roost afterword, at her lowest and most depressed and getting comforted by Whitney, aka the only villager here i’ve interacted with as I built her a vacation home. Earlier standoffish and a bit teasy thanks to being a snooty villager here she consoles the girl by asking her to think if Margie is hearing the same song they are right now. It’s a great scene, as Ai thinks of that and slowly gets better. It’s good stuff. She also reconciles with the cat because of course she does. 

The Margie thing ends up cleared up twice over: Margie didn’t tell Ai not out of callousness but because she couldn’t stand hurting the girl and knew if she did tell her, she might not go through with leaving, which Margie needed to for her career. It’s a great way to use how villagers leave for storytelling and easily the highlight of the film. I was puzzled as to why a new villager didn’t move in after that.. until the climax where Margie returns. HORAY LESSON UNLEARNED!  Still it’s the core of the movie and for good reason, taking the more melancholy possibliteis of animal crosisng and using them to great effect. 

The other major running characters in the piece are are comic relief duo: Yu, a boy who wears various full costume sets, a fun way to show those off, and his sidekick and best friend Alfonso. Alfonso is an alligator and as I have three of those, he’s easily my second faviorite part of the film despite just sorta being there. It helps his catchphrase is itsame. And the subs, and presumibly the film itself, did keep that trait from the games. 

And the itsame is 100% intentional as Alphonso wore a mario tee for most of the games, only switching to a red hoodie in new horizons for some reason. Sadly he was not given the mario costume when that update dropped

The two mostly just get into antics and wear silly costumes for the entire film. I’d also like to take this moment to say the Human Deisgns.. don’t work for me. I get they wanted the kids to come off smaller, so they’d be telegraphed as children since the regular villager is specifically designed so it can be projected to be whatever age the player is. But the resulting designs just.. don’t fit with the animal crossing art style that well. Look i’ll show you here’s Ai, our heroine

And here’s Margie

I really don’t get why they didn’t just shrink the villager designs for these characters instead of slapping a kawaii polly pocket in there and hopping it’d work.  Otherwise Yu is just kind of there with most of his bits not being all that funny. The one exception is him and Al digging a bunch of holes for fossils.  The funny part is that, like in the games, buried things have that star shape to tell you there’s something there. I checked with Emma as I didn’t know if this wasn’t a thing at first or not. It always has been. So it makes the gag into a nice subtle one as their just digging with abandon despite it being horribly obvious when there’s a fossil. Also Ressetti yells at them because apparently all he can do is yell at children...and is RIGHT to yell at Children in this case as seriously they could just fill those holes behind them, it’s not that hard. Good job child yellin Mr. R. 

Their main goal is to get a fossil for blathers. They nearly find one in an awesome underground cave while wearing pirate costumes, because of course, finding an in tact skeleton, but cause a cave in. Can relate given I just finished Radiant Pearl on Christmas Eve. They later find it again in the climax and Yu nearly dies. Which brings me to the drawback of the costume thing: it kinda.. kills the drama in most of his scnees. Even when the kids being sincere, he’s always wearing some sort of goofy costume wether it’s a ninja, a pirate or for the climax rabbit pajamas that make him look like Ralphie Parker, just you know without looking like he’s dying inside every minute. It wrecks the drama when his best friend is shouting for him to come back while also wearing a bunny suit because reasons. Yu overall feels like an uncessary part of the thing, like one of the other villagers could’ve had his roll. 

So with the main plots out of the way, i’ll be saving said climax for last don’t you worry, let’s talk about the rest of the villagers we haven’t gotten to yet. The other four are far less relevant and just there more for running gags or what not but there probably someone’s faviorite so first we have those two guys, Cyrano, an ant eater pretty standard though I like AC ant eaters fluffy peacock like tails, their cute, and ... Ceaser. Dear god Ceaser. Okay brace yourself if you’ve never seen this villager before. 

I don’t know WHY the character designers chose to make this

Look like Waluigi and Donkey Kong’s long lost son they handed to Tom Nook and said “it’s your problem now bitch” and then drove off, but it’s certainly.. A Choice. 

The two of them mostly bicker and get stuck in pits. That’s the result of their characters.

Next we have Champ who WEIRDLY is NOT in New Horizons and is in fact the ONLY villager in this film who never made the jump. The reason that baffles me is simple: there are 413 villagers avaliable in game, not counting the sanrio ones, out of 486 over all of them. For Champ whose merley an adorable tiny chimp to get removed just.. boggles the mind. You have so many characters, why didn’t you add this one? he’s a chimp! Who dosent love chimps?! LOOK AT HIM YOU HEARTLESS BASTARDS

LOOK AT HIMMMMM

Anyways he’s a jock who runs around a lot. He doesn’t do much in this movie but still when you have THIS MANY VILLAGERS, not programming yet another one whose this simple boggles the mind. I ask you. 

Finally we have my boy Hopper. Hopper is a penguin who looks like this

And spends the whole flim fishing and pulling out hliarious thngs that aren’t fish from a bike to a moai. Naturally the payoff is he gets a runt. Being a fat fellow who also fishes all the time in animal crossing and who already loves penguins, I love this fucking guy. 

So that wraps up the villagers but what about the NPC’s what about them? Out of them only Tortimer really gets a sizeable roll, along with his assitant Pelly, a pretty pelican lady I have no prior experince with because her and her sister Phyllis are not in New Horizons in any way shape or form that I have avaliable to me. Still she’s nice, the isabelle before isabelle as it were. Tortimer’s gag is he’s running for mayor.. and he DOES have a bitching poster that sadly isn’t anywhere on the internet.  He’s running for relection against no one with everyone forgetting to vote

It’s harmless though. 

The rest of the NPC”s though.. get about a major scene a piece and feel kinda wasted. Tom Nook especially is jarring for me as he goes from the driving force of the game I played, New Horizons.. to a guy who does one thing very early on and mostly shows up to help lead crowds after that. I get he wasn’t basically mayor in all but name yet but still. It feels off given he’s the series mascot. It’s like if they had a pokemon movie where Pikachu just waved in the background while ash and his other pokemon did stuff. 

But yes yes, most of the cast are reduced to just one scene. My beloved able sisters get no devleopment, a shame given Sable has an arc that’s in every game: being shy at first btu slowly opening up to the player as they talk to her. it was one of my faviorite parts of new horizon and it seems weird to omit here.  It would’ve been nice to give HER Whitney’s roll instead or have her also comfort AI instead of just.. smilling and stuff. It’s a waste of one of my faviorite characters. 

The other ones who get at least one scene though do make something of it: Kappn’s his usual charming self as he drives Ai to the villager and Pascal gets one of the funniest scnes of the movie as he randomly shows up, says some things while clearly on something and then dives back into the sea from wence he came, aka what he always does but funnier here because it confuses the hell out of tortimer. Redd also gets a scene ripping of Yu. There’s also a walrus character i’d never heard of before who just.. shows up. I thought he was a new villager at first. He apparently sold patterns. LIke most phased out characters he’s sadly just.. vanished. Hopefully he gets a cameo in a future game or something. God bless you Wendell. Why he’s not in New Horizons selling something else.. I have no idea. The staff really needs to get better at repurposing older characters, even with the update only a handful returned. 

Blathers gets a decent amount of time at least, my boy. Though he weridly sounds like he’s.. 20. He strikes me as 40 or 50 like his coffee boyfriend. Otherwise his personaities in tact though weirdly not only does Celeste hang around the museum (as she was apparently part of it in wild world, go fig) but hse’s drawn and va’d as a child. Despite being heavily implied to be an adult, simply a younger one than her brother. It’s werid and throws me off a lot. And it’s not like her design’s changed or anything. She’s always been drawn to be youthful but like, still an adult. And she runs a part of a buisness. This is all just.. werid to me. I don’t get this decision at all but let’s be fair here: if the weirdest a movie gets in adapting a game is just “this character’s suddenly younger”... it’s clear this adaptatoin dosen’t have THAT MANY problems. 

Then there’s KK. He’s used well, singing a song which hilarously has to be subtitled because it’s still sung like he always does.. and had to be DOUBLE subtitlted since those subtitles were in japanese. There’s also the fact he looks like this. 

I don’t know who decided “distractingly handsome with a chisled jaw” was the right call for re-designing guitar snoopy but I can’t say I mind. 

So we have one more.. who just so happens to bring us our climax. At the Winter Festival, where someone wins a trophy for.. some reason, Guillver crashes out of the sky in his UFO. 

Yeah for those less familiar with Guillver Pre-New Horizons for some reason, for Wild World and the next few games... he was an astronaut instead of a sailor.. though he still wore the hat underneath his helmet. I knew this going in so it wasn’t too suprising for me but still. And they use him well, having the search for his parts so he can go back up be the climax, as our main friend group find them in the cave and Yu nearly died. The saddest part of that is the nearly. Margie returns and slides on ice it all works, being dramatic, but not too overdrmatic> Also Ai finds Yu cute once she finally see shis face without a mask or something on it. 

So then we get..... the finale. In which a cgi alien descends from AN ENTIRE STARSHIP FLEET WORTH OF SHIPS THAT ARRIVED THANKS TO AI’S STAR PATTERN TREES GULLIVER HAD HER PLANT AND THE ALIEN TAKES THE SHAPE OF HER FACE. Then they fly off, leave some stars in tehs hape of her face and that’s the end of the main plot.. oh and the roses thing. Can’t forget the roses thing after an INTERSTELLAR FLEET SHOWS UP NO SIREEE BOB.  I swear to god i’m half convinced I halluicnated the whole thing. We also get an ending montage and Ai sending a letter to her mom.. with some of those nice “your island or village is super cool now bro” flowers growing. 

Overall ACTM is pretty damn good. While it’s nothing groundbreaking or truly amazing, it’s still a fun, beauitfully animated, wonderfull to watch adaptaion. With the bad rap Video Game Movies get, if not unearned, it’s easy to forget just how many gems are out there like this one. A film that gets the tone of a game, only changes things for good reason (aside from the aliens thing seriously what the actual fuck was that. Send me an ask if you can answer that. ), and clearly loves and respects the source material. Hopefully nintendo will open their hearts and let some other people make some movies. 

I said people not Satan on the orders of some exec at illumination. That said still want to see this oddly enough, if nothing else than for Charlie Day as Luigi. Same reason I want to see Sing 2. Weird coincidence.

Thanks for Reading

If you enjoyed this review and want to see more, follow me, and if you want to help out a ton join my patreon. Even a buck a month helps keep me going and keep this blog as my job, and every dollar helps hit stretch goals. And with just one dollar a month you get access to my patreon exclusive reviews, to pick one of the options when I do a poll, and a FREE REVIEW of anything you want that’s half an hour or less on signup! And if you really want to spice it up 5 buck patreons get a guaranteed review every month. If you don’t want to commit longterm though you can simply comission anything you want me to review in my ask box. 

PATREON IS HERE THOUGH IF YOU WANT IT

[rosecoloredbi-writes]

Settle

Summary: After the death of your best friend and their spouse, you went from Godparent to Parent overnight. Now, Mio is your world. Because of this new role, you move back to Tokyo, Japan in order to keep Mio with her friends and her school, even if it means you might run into *him*.

Warnings: Mentions of stalking. Swearing probably. Cannon violence. Single parenthood. barely mentions Mio's parents passing.

Gender Neutral!Reader x Shouta Aizawa (Eventual)

Mentions of past GN!Reader x Dabi

A/N: Okay here is my first fic for My Hero Academia! I got the idea for it earlier today and figured I'd just post this first part I just finished and see if I should keep uploading. This is the first thing I've written in a while and I'm so excited to be writing again :)

It took him a moment to reorient himself, but he knew where he was going. A few more buildings and finally to his perch, he looked in to see you, and to his surprise, a child- no older than five, maybe 6, snuggled into your chest, your arms protectively around them. He stayed in his hiding spot for a while as you slept with your child. He hadn’t been informed there would be a child.

About an hour later, he noticed another person watching you in the shadows, just like he was. He would have to stay all night to make sure no one harmed you.

You controlled your breathing, not wanting the two sets of eyes to know you were awake, to know that you knew they were there. This way you had the advantage. You didn’t know what they wanted, but either way, you had a bad feeling about it.

She began to stir as the sun shone through the open window, stretching her small arms and legs before turning back to face you.

“Good morning my sunshine,” you said softly. “Did you sleep well?”

She nodded her head before sitting up and rubbing her eyes.

“Guess it’s time to get up, huh Mio,” you stood up and picked your girl up, giving her a squeeze as your eyes glanced around. Only one set of eyes, you realized making you shiver.

You did your best to keep to your usual routine and soon enough you were out the door, Mio's hand in yours.

The school Mio attended was used to having students whose parents were pro heroes, so you gave her teacher the signal and they knew something was up and knew not to release even to the people you had given the school the okay to. After a kiss goodbye, you headed to the market, now with your headphones on, music off.

You hummed as you looked through the isles of food, picking up the few things you needed and setting them in your basket. The bakery you worked at was out of a special type of flour you needed to bake a client’s cake with. Once everything was paid for and in tow, you noticed a red feather settled amongst the items.

Why is Hawks following me? What does he need from me and why?

You carried on with your day, hoping he hadn’t noticed that you had noticed.

That is until he came into the bakery. You ducked just in time and took a deep breath, coming back out to the front after he dinged the bell.

He was about to say something, a dumb smirk on his face, but you cut him off.

“Why are you following me?” You asked, trying your best to sound confident and brave.

His features dropped and his eyes narrowed before quickly going back to a leisurely look. “You’re better than they told me you’d be,” He finally said.

You rolled your eyes as you walked over to the little door and opened it for him, gesturing for him to follow you to the back. Once you were settled you told him to start talking.

“I really shouldn’t be telling you any of this bu-”

“I know someone else is following me,” you said, cutting him off again. “I need to know who, why, and if my daughter is in danger.”

“Straight to the point. I like a person who knows what they want,” he commented, eyebrow raised. This had you rolling your eyes again. “We don’t know why or if your daughter is going to be targeted, but we are pretty sure the League of Villains is watching you.”

You took in a sharp inhale. There was only one person who you could think of that would have joined up with them and you knew why he was watching you. You should have recognized the bright blue of his eyes. “Dabi.”

You were very quickly taken into hiding with a man you didn’t know, cause that made you feel safe and protected. But, you pulled some information out of him. For example, his name was Aizawa Shouta and he was an underground hero. His quirk allowed him to erase other people’s quirks, thus the name Eraser Head. He also had a cool capture weapon he wore as a scarf. You tried to mess with it once and it didn’t end well.

You were allowed to go pick Mio up, but you were discreetly escorted by Aizawa who was now in street clothes, hair tied up, looking like he could fall asleep at any moment.

Mio was confused as to who the man was and gave you a questioning look. “Don’t worry, he’s a friend,” you told her softly as the three of you began back to the safe house. Once there, you introduced the two.

She was tense but eventually got comfortable when she saw that you were okay.

“She’s cute,” you turn to Aizawa who is watching Mio with a soft smile on his face.

“She’s the best kid a parent could ask for,” you replied. “Her quirk,” you started slowly after a moment had gone by, “we don’t know a lot about it, but it has to do with her voice. I don’t know who it came from either. I’m not her biological parent, I was her godparent. And then her parents died and here we are. She’s only said a few words out loud and whatever happened, it scared her into staying silent.”

He nodded. “So Y/N, what is your quirk? Does it have to do with your increased senses?”

“That’s mostly learned, but I’ve always had the extra sense of knowing when I’m being watched, which has come in handy more times than you’d think.” You began rolling up your long sleeves, showing tattoos covering almost all the skin on your arms. “Creation is my main ability, but it has its drawbacks. If it’s not illustrated on my skin already, it’s painful and it drains me, which is why I’m covered in tattoos. I have weapons, items I need handy, and a few odds and ends. Now, with the tattoos, it’s almost as easy as breathing.”

Aizawa began to reach out, pausing before he made contact with your skin, looking up to you for permission. When you nodded, the pads of his fingers lightly traced several of them, following a vine up your arm to a butterfly. He looked at you inquisitively and you gently focused on it until a butterfly appeared, gently fluttering.

“Its… it’s real. You can create living things?” He asked in awe, “But how?”

You shrugged and watched as Mio noticed the flittering and watched with wonder as the butterfly landed on the sofa.

“They don’t last forever, that’s the drawback. The bigger the creation and the longer I will it, the more it takes from me. Inanimate objects are the easiest.” You reached your arm around your back and under your shirt, pulling back with it a sword.

Aizawa gently traced the ornate handle, only to jump back as Hawks entered.

“Don’t let me interrupt,” he says with a sly smile. “You figure out what their quirk is yet?” He asks Aizawa.

You turn to him with a frown. Of course, he didn’t actually care about you. You just met! Not to mention you were a part of his mission.

He has the sense to look slightly ashamed before nodding to Hawks.

“Good, now,” he says turning back to you. “Why is Dabi following you? You know more than you are letting on.” He spoke as he walked closer and closer, wings growing larger. You suppose it’s supposed to intimidate you.

You roll your eyes at him for like, the fifth time that day and brush past him. You walk over to Mio who had fallen asleep watching your butterfly. You smooth the hair out of her face before turning back to the men, giving them a warning look and asking them to keep their voices down.

“Fine,” you huffed, tired of them just staring at you, doing nothing. “I dated Dabi for a little while. Back when I was younger and foolish and my morals were… well, flexible.”

“What did you do to make him want to follow you?” Hawks was growing impatient.

“We fought, I won, he told him if I ever came back I better watch my back. I reckon he’s making good on that promise. I broke his heart, but that was so long ago. But, I mean,” you paused and looked back up at the two men who were looking at you incredulously, “he is really good at holding grudges.”

Hawks looked like he was going to have an aneurysm and Aizawa… well his face was unreadable. Except, there was a touch of something else in his eyes.

"Well you aren't going anywhere for a while," Hawks state with all the authority he could muster, still going over everything in his mind. "Better get comfy."

"No," you state clearly. Stopping everyone in their tracks.

"Excuse me?" Hawks says, stepping forward, extending his wings.

"You heard me," you reply, stepping forward yourself, fingers itching to create one of your many weapons. "If Dabi gets even a hint that y'all know and are protecting me, a whole lot more people are going to get hurt. So no, we aren't staying here. We are going to go home. If I have to have someone to guard us we are going to make it look as natural as possible. If you don't agree to my terms I'm just gonna take Mio and we are going back on the run."

Hawks looks like he wants to scream and Aizawa looks amused. You turn to pick Mio up, then you head to the door.

"Aizawa, you've been seen in public with me. You can be our guard. You'll come over at 6 tonight where we will have a meal, then you'll stay late because we drank maybe a little to much sake, then you'll sleep on the couch. Got it?"

Aizawa nods, completely amused by Hawks' bewilderment, and pats him on the back once before walking out himself.

[btzone]

Commonality of Buck-Tick member names

I was thinking that if you’re not Japanese, you might not know how common or rare the various Japanese names are. For Buck-Tick, the names of the band members are fairly common first names and surnames, not really anything unusual happening there. No native speaker should have trouble reading their names. However, the most interesting thing to note is that Hisashi’s kanji is not usually how one would think to read that name, which is how it ended up that on their very first release on an independent label, his name was typo-ed as Kotobuki instead of Hisashi. (To keep that kanji and reading, it is likely to add one more kanji to make Hisashi, much like how Atsushi’s name is 2 kanji.) Our Hisashi Imai is not the only one with that kanji and name reading, but it’s not the default way to read it. This is why when you fill out forms in Japan, you not only write your name’s kanji but you also write down how to read it because you never know what combos a parent came up with.

Some basic info about their surnames, such as how common it is and where in Japan is it most common. Excluding Hokkaido and Tokyo as the majority of people who live in those two places are “immigrants”, so to speak, and not native for several generations. (If you meet someone from those 2 places, ask them where their grandparents are from.) I need you to be able to track your family history in that general area for at least 150-200 years in Japan to call you a native of that region, sorry. (If you can’t claim that you’re the 19th generation descendant of so-and-so, what is your worth?) This sort of tracking is quite easy to do in Japan because we have family registry books that note the genealogy (patriarchal because who needs to remember the names of women) and also serves as a way of establishing citizenship. It’s also fairly common IMHO for the history of a surname to be like, well 1000 years ago this person did something good for the emperor/king so they were granted a gift and the gift was this name and some land. But, I digress. (Trust me, this whole paragraph is hilarious if you’re Japanese with a sense of humor because it’s true.)

Focusing on family names here. No info on their first names as I looked up what were the most common names given to boys in the years the members were born and though their names are common enough, only one of the members have a name in the top 10 most popular boys names for the year they were born. Takashi (same kanji as B-T member; real first name of Toll) was the 9th most common name given to a boy in 1962 (same year as Takashi the drummer). Yutaka gets an honorable mention. Yutaka (same kanji as B-T member) was the 3rd most common name given to a boy in 1962 and 1963; the 6th most common name given to a boy in 1964; the 7th most common name given to a boy in 1965 (Yutaka the bassist was born in 1967). Minor note: though the kanji is different, Atsushi was the 10th most common name given to a boy in 1968 (Atsushi the singer was born in 1966). To the rest of the band members, don’t feel so bad as my name isn’t in the top 10 either! And who can even read child names today. It’s crazy, right? (mic check, um, can I get a chuckle?)

What is not so commonly shared and do not expect to ever know this stuff is the family crest. The family crest is VERY specific to the son that you descended from. Japan be like, “We can’t have each of George Foreman’s kids named George AND have the same family crest!” This ain’t no google search thing. This ain’t no ask a librarian. This is in the family genealogical book and the only people who get to see that is family. Sure, there’s crests online. But don’t think that’s your crest or your favorite celebrity crest. That’s just some common crest that made it’s way to a scanner. Also, if you study a craft, it could be that craft is from a “school” that passes on a pseudonym once you’ve mastered the craft, complete with kanji and crest so unless you know the master’s birth name, you’re not even looking in the right direction. Example, one year someone with the same family name and kanji as mine got really famous in Japan and even made international headlines. Like, you’ve probably heard of this person famous. My mom was curious if we’re related (internet says there’s only 5400 of us so maybe) and while she was visiting relatives, happened to find out that we have different family crests, thus she gave up the search and declared we are not related. (She did not want to bother to go back 19 generations or so to the story of the king who passed out names.., see paragraph 2 above.)

On to the names! For reference, all Buck-Tick members are from Gunma prefecture. Japan has a population of 126,476,461 people. The most common surnames are Satō, Suzuki, Takahashi, Tanaka, Itō, Watanabe, Yamamoto, Nakamura, and Kobayashi. Each of those surnames have over 1,000,000 people with that name residing in Japan. What’s a rare surname? Something with either 1 or 4+ kanji. (Except Hayashi.) They exist but. Really rare surnames? Well, those would be the names the Japanese government declared cannot exist anymore so those names tend to exist only outside of Japan. (Happened to one part of my family so I know this shit exists. Only 460 left. How did they get away with it? And how can I get hanko with this?)

Name info source: https://myoji-yurai.net/

桜井 (sakurai) literal meaning: cherry blossom-well (like a water well) This kanji for Sakurai is ranked #106 for most common surnames in Japan. This is the most common kanji for Sakurai. It is commonly found in Kanagawa, Saitama, and Chiba prefectures. (Kanto region) For cities, Takasaki, Gunma and Uonuma, Niigata have the most people named Sakurai. Roughly 172,000 people in the entire nation are named 桜井. In Gunma, almost 5% of Kanna town has this surname. Other famous Sakurais? Argh, someone in The Alfee. Better than that, Ao from Cali≠Gari.

櫻井 (sakurai) Same name as above, just different cherry blossom kanji (older version). This kanji for Sakurai is ranked #813 for most common surnames in Japan. It is commonly found in Kanagawa, Aichi, and Chiba prefectures (Kanto and Chubu regions) For cities, Takasaki, Gunma and Akashi, Hyogo have the most people named Sakurai. Roughly 23,600 people in the entire nation are named 櫻井. (The people who couldn’t be sussed to simplify their kanji.) 

今井 (imai) literal meaning: now-well (like a water well) This kanji for Imai is ranked #75 for most common surname in Japan. This is the most common kanji for Imai. It is commonly found in Kanagawa, Saitama, and Aichi prefectures. (Kanto region) For cities, Gero, Gifu and Ichinomiya, Aichi have the most people named Imai. Roughly 212,000 people in the entire nation are named 今井. In Gunma, 20% of Ueno village has this surname. Other famous Imais? Miki Imai, singer, wife to Tomoyasu Hotei. 星野 (hoshino) literal meaning: star-field This kanji for Hoshino is ranked #147 for most common surnames in Japan. This is the most common kanji for Hoshino. It is commonly found in Gunma, Saitama, and Kanagawa prefectures (Kanto region). For cities, Kiryu, Gunma and Nagaoka, Niigata have the most people named Hoshino. Roughly 137,000 people in the entire nation are named 星野. In Gunma, almost 36% of Katashina village has this surname. Other famous Hoshinos? Gen Hoshino wrote a song during the pandemic that got very popular and even Hisashi Imai posted a video of him playing along to that song.

樋口 (higuchi) literal meaning: gutter-mouth This kanji for Higuchi is ranked #132 for most common surnames in Japan. This is the most common kanji for Higuchi. It is commonly found in Fukuoka, Osaka, Niigata, and Kanagawa prefectures (Kansai to Chubu regions) but it’s safe to say it is common throughout all of Japan except for Okinawa. Roughly 146,000 people in the entire nation are named 樋口. In Gunma, there’s roughly 1,000 people named Higuchi in Takasaki and guess where our bassist is from. Other famous Higuchis? How about Yutaka Higuchi the figure skater.

Yagami...the stage name of the drummer. He never writes this in kanji but I imagined that if he did, he would write it as 八神. Or did he write it like that once so that’s why I imagine it that way? Anyway, there’s many possible kanji variations and I was surprised that the most common way to write it is actually 谷上. (For me, I’m like is that Tanuye? Taniue? because I’m Okinawan and we have weird place names.)

[shinonometrash]

💕🍄The 12 Days of Ayumu 🍄💕

July 16th, Day 11 of Ayumu’s Birthday Celebration Countdown!!

On the 11th day of Ayumu my mushroom gave to me~🎶 One ruby ring~🎶 (no I totally didn’t choose the title of this celebration to make that joke why would I do that 😅) Ahhhhhhhh, okay this is one of the things I’ve been most excited to post!! I started working on this weeks ago, it’s what gave me the idea of doing the countdown for his birthday. I was rereading it after it’d been A While since I last read it and I was like “omg now I can actually understand what it’s sayi-AHHHH ITS SO CUTE!!!” so I had planned on just releasing this on his birthday, but then I decided to do way way more work for some reason by translating wayyy more than just this story...😓 But please enjoy this super super cute special story!!!

Ayumu Shinonome: Necklace Story

“Giving this kind of gift...it’s cause you’re the first person I’ve ever done this for.” You can preorder Ayumu Shinonome’s, the first place winner in the 2019 100Koi+ election, original ring necklace in the shop (until 11/22/2020)! Read Shinonome’s special story about him selecting the necklace for free♡ Check out the necklace in the Voltage shop!

TV announcer: Buy a ring for your lovely girlfriend! Today’s feature is on popular rings for women~!!

Ayumu: …

I hear the bright cheery voice of the female announcer coming from the TV.

(…so dumb.)

(Ahh, but that does seem like something my girl would like, though)

(Not that I have any plans of getting her a gift right now.)

TV Announcer: Yes, I’m talking to you, the one over there who can’t be honest about their feelings!

Ayumu: ?!?!

TV announcer: If you don’t express your love for her once in a while, she might just run right into the arms of another man~! There’s a lot of people out there, especially men, who automatically assume that they’ll have their girlfriend’s unconditional love forever, no matter what! But that’s just not true, haha!

Ayumu: …

(I’m offended.)

The person on the TV managed to hit me right where it hurts.

Despite my usual confidence, I feel a little bit of uncertainty starting to creep in.

(Ugh, this sucks.)

The old me never would’ve even considered doing something like this.

Getting caught up in something like that? Totally not like me.

And yet…for some reason, I find myself actually considering it.

If I gave her a present, I wonder what kind of expressions she would make?

Would she laugh? Cry? Either way, it’d definitely be a face she only shows me.

…Seeing her face like that? Well, it doesn’t sound too bad.

Ayumu: Haa…

After doing way too much worrying, doubt, and questioning, I find myself at a jewelry shop.

Honestly, it’s a little uncomfortable. This place is full of women.

(They didn’t mention this part in the special feature.)

(But I just thought it’d be a little nice to surprise my over excitable girl and make her speechless, that’s all.)

Convincing myself that’s really all it is, I make my way up to the counter where all the rings are displayed.

Ayumu: …

Rows of rings with sophisticated, elegant designs sparkle under the display lighting, as if to say “pick me!”

(There’s so many…this…might take longer than I expected.)

The aesthetic sense within me won’t allow me to compromise on this decision.

I peer at the different rings and scrutinize each design as carefully as if I was looking at code on my computer.

(My girl would probably be happy no matter what I give her, though.)

(Surely she doesn’t know the difference between the different rings.)

Salesperson: Welcome! Are you perhaps looking for a gift for your girlfriend?

Ayumu: …!

Ayumu: Uh, something like that

Salesperson: Ahh, that’s wonderful~!

Salesperson: If you’d like, I can help you pick something out~!

This person is a professional. It’s always important to take a professional’s opinion into consideration.

Ayumu: Yes, please.

Salesperson: You got it, leave it up to me!

Salesperson: Your girlfriend, what kind of person is she?

Ayumu: Ah, yes…

Ayumu: She’s a stubborn snapping turtle, stupid, noisy

Salesperson: Hm, I see

Ayumu: Stupidly honest and straightforward, obstinate…

Ayumu: Oh, and stupid

Salesperson: Hehe, you said “stupid” three times already~

Salesperson: Sounds like somebody’s completely smitten~

(Not really…I wouldn’t go that far…)

Salesperson: Well then, how about choosing based on gemstone symbolism?

Ayumu: Gemstone symbolism…?

Salesperson: Yes! You see, each ring here is decorated with different gemstones

Salesperson: And, just like how flowers symbolize different meanings, so do gemstones!

Ayumu: …interesting.

Salesperson: For example, the ever-so-famous diamond represents a vow or commitment

Salesperson: Sapphires represent trust and faithfulness 

Pointing at various rings in the display cabinet, the salesperson lists off the meanings for each and every gemstone.

(Hmm…symbolic meaning, huh)

Honestly, I’m sure my girl has no idea about the meanings between different gemstones.

I would feel dumb explaining it to her.

(But…it might be good, choosing based on symbolism rather than choosing based solely on design.)

I scan over the different options while listening to the salesperson’s explanations.

A simple ring with a sparkling red jewel catches my eye.

(Ah, isn’t this…?)

(It’s my birthstone.)

I remember, my girl told me about it once.

Ayumu: A ruby…

Salesperson: Ahh, yes, I think that’d be perfect, haha~

Ayumu: Huh?

Salesperson: Yes, you see, so a ruby symbolizes …..

Salesperson: Thank you for your purchase!

Salesperson: I hope it makes your girlfriend very happy!

Ayumu: Yeah…

Ayumu: Thank you.

After making my purchase I walk out of the store.

The ring I ended up choosing was the ruby ring that had caught my eye.

Since she wouldn’t be able to wear it openly at work, I also bought her a necklace chain to go with it.

(I had hoped the ring would work as a pest repellant, but…)

(Ah, I suppose it can’t be helped with the office dating ban and all)

The image of how all the others act around her comes to mind.

If she came in wearing a ring, they definitely wouldn’t be able to stay silent.

(…Ah, well, shall I head home now?)

She had contacted me today to say that she was coming over.

By now, she’s probably waiting eagerly for me.

“Gross” and “annoying” are the only things that ever come out of my mouth.

It can’t be helped if things actually are annoying, though.

But...maybe it’d be good to try and be more honest sometimes.

(I still plan on giving her the ring first, though…)

Imagining how she’ll react when I give her the ring, I head home to my beloved with an extra spring in my step.

Oh yeah. The sparking red ruby.

It symbolizes “passion”, “life”, and “love”.

Why does this suit her so perfectly?

“Passion” represents all the passion she has for, more than anything else, her job.

“Life” represents how she works to protect the life of all the citizens in this country.

And then…”Love” represents all the love she has for me.

-The End-

I’m honestly literally so sad I couldn’t buy that necklace ring TT it was really good quality and cost $120, but they only shipped to Japan, boooo...at the time though I think I would’ve hesitated regardless because it was $120, but now...uh...yeah. I think the Japanese fandom has been a bad influence on me 😓 They’ll drop a hundred or hundreds of dollars on otome stuff without even blinking...

But we’re almost at the end!!! How is everyone feeling so far? I hope you’ve been enjoying everything!! Tomorrow is the big day!!!!!!!! This was originally supposed to be the content I was going to post on his birthday, but I was able to get something even better for tomorrow. So excited for everyone to see!!!

Stay tuned for more Ayumu content in the upcoming days! You’ll find links to all the posted content here!

[cutegirlmayra]

Hiiiiii, I rly like your writing X3 I was wondering if you’d answer this question: What is your interpretation of what SEGA is doing with SonAmy as of right now? Seems like it’s becoming more and more canon. I know you’ve done similar question before, but could you maybe just answer this for 2021? Thanks!💖💙

No problem! And thank you, lovely Anon~<3 I love writing for the feels~ But also for the accuracy to be as close as possible if I can manage it! First of all, they’ve always been canon? Maybe not ‘in-world dating’ canon but canon in the sense that they are a official SEGA advertised couple since the get-go.

Amy was created to literally be in the slot of ‘Sonic’s Girlfriend’ where she had feelings for Sonic and always a fun mystery as to decipher Sonic’s subtle ‘returned caring’ for her.

As for 2021 we are so FREAKIN’ HAPPY to hear that SEGA is FINALLY marketing the two and VISUALLY SEEING the sales of their ‘couple shirts’ and the like make some profit. Furthermore, we have long-time fans and professionals in the careers within SEGA also vocalizing that they don’t mind the couple and even support it. With less emphasis on the ‘fandom fanatics’ of the raging past and more so on the fantastic marketability and popularity the couple brings to SEGA’s exposing their main IP, it’s become almost common ground to expect more and more people liking romantic and suggested romantic couples in all ranging medias.

We need also mention the alarming rate of the worrisome numbers in Japan recently. Conducted studies have shown that most of Japan’s population is elderly, and in the very near future (About 5 years or so) a good chuck of Japan’s population will die. This means the Japanese Government is promoting more and more companies within both entertainment, advertising, etc. to be more ‘promoting family’ in their media. Japan needs more babies! And guess what?

Mario Odyssey comes out with a completely ‘Wedding themed’ video game.

Dramatic romantic underlying's in Zelda’s new game.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake’s focus on romantic underlying’s along with Cloud willingly saying (English version) “Do I have any say in this?” As though to fight the idea that romance can’t happen and-

Kingdom Hearts 3′s romantic underlying that literally has a song (Japanese) talking about rings and getting married called “Chikai” or also ‘Oath’ that in English is rewritten to a romantic song about going deeper into love called “Don’t Think Twice” but literally has the two ‘making their fates intertwined’ in a symbol of ‘romantic intentions’ such as marriage or even just fidelity in a relationship.

So? How does all this influence the latest Sonamy supersonic boom we’ve seen in the media recently?

Although Sonic is his own character, he’s also only 15 (But as many of you have seen in Anime, Japanese ages of appropriateness are different then our own cultures and societies) we see faint glimpses. In the mostly American-made Sonic Boom t.v series, the comedic moments of Sonic and Amy are very much to a genre of American audiences and how we view ‘funny love’ should normally be marketed as. (I don’t always agree with what they say, but that’s how they’re trained and believe the ‘trends’ go... so ... can’t argue with professionals? Eh? -I personally think they’re outdated *cough cough*)

Sonic is not one to express feelings in overly dramatic ways which is common place in American television and media, but he’s also got a ‘boy’s heart’ which means we won’t see a lot of things from him BESIDES ‘romantic underlyings’ that are probably going to be initiated and themed mostly and primarily in Amy Rose’s character (If at all shown or expressed.)

For these reasons, I believe SEGA is just hopping on the bandwagon and doing what they’re told, while also following the latest trends that the other big fellow companies are making a significant profit on. I know we wish and want SEGA to be ‘special’ in how they think, but they really are just a company that is trying to survive and outlast the competition.

It’s sad to think that way, especially when SEGA used to be so creative and always influencing the next best thing but that was YEARS ago and they’ve learned to tread water since then...

(Goku being a grandfather emphasizes family in this particular scene where they take his granddaughter before a big tournament fight to a fair/festival. We see Goku with his family too, or at least, a successful son with his wife and daughter, spending time with his Father-In-Law, and the like.)

We see it in Dragon Ball emphasizing family, we see it in more romance-themed animes (and those that have only recently done romance, when they--for the longest part--never indulged in such things before or previously) and we now see more japanese games and media centralized around that.

What does that mean for Sonamy? Hopefully good things! Because if you buy the merch, they’ll produce more content. It’s a basic ‘supply and demand’ formula. If the demand (meaning how much you spend and want Sonic and Amy couple merch) goes up, then they have to supply to keep their business afloat. If they don’t they sink, but that DOES NOT MEAN TO BE AGRESSIVE. It means just support when they do something you like, and positively, kindly mention what you liked and wish to see more of if the future allows. No one reads aggressive writing unless, they too--wish to be aggressive back.

SEGA’s had issues with aggressiveness before, please let them see that couples in the sonic world won’t have a negative impact on their branding with irrational and bad-media frenzies. (Now, after saying this, I know people will start to do just that, don’t feed fire with fire, just let the fire burn till it has nothing left to consume, and carry on happily posting fanart or fanstories of what you love. Ignore to extinguish, which is what SEGA will do to Sonic shipping fans if we don’t act somewhat reasonably, okay?)

My predictions are such: 1. Amy’s crush will sadly lessen in impact and become more of a novelty, something that is treasured when moments arise to reveal her crush on Sonic, which in my opinion, is not her personality, but due to the heavy influence of women’s portrayal (Especially in America) being overemphasized and not done well, this is how they will try and combat it... (No one does this right and you shouldn’t base a characters solely on political reasonings...) 2. Sonic will have moments of caring for Amy or doing something sweet that can and probably will be interpreted as ‘a couple moment’ but he’ll remain mostly about other things, and the ‘underlying romance’ will have to come through Amy Rose’s character. 3. SEGA will loosen some rules after seeing more and more of the productivity and trend associated with marketing romance, and to keep up with demand and growing times, will finally let small moments emerge between the two, but the fandom will not be satisficed since we will now be desensitized to overly avert demure and oblivious stereotropes that will date their characters. and won’t allow them to proceed smoothly into the new area of customers and audiences.

Children are becoming extremely observant and aware. They are clever, and they always have been. It’s time to market to Children and Young Adults, not babies.

My ways to avoid this, predictions 1: New employees will surface that will start to get a name and reputation in the Sonic Fandom, along with youtube and internet stars who will influence certain marketing schemes (as is starting to appear now, and I feel will be just like ‘star marketing’ or ‘influencers’ that will be popularized in fandoms that companies will slightly make use of.) that will encourage new ideas and bring about a sudden ‘boom’ not expected. (Especially after the lull of the pandemic, I feel there will be an abundance of things happening in the upcoming years... but nothing right now, unfortunately, but at least they’re forced to focus on working on things instead of just releasing to keep up with other companies.)--In other words, they will incorporate new blood with the old, and they will lead Sonic’s IP into a ton of nostalgia and new beginnings that will actually stick and become Sonic’s new brand identity. (This will resonate with fans old and new, but still be a fresh leap into the future for the franchise and fandom.) 2. Sonic’s negative popularity will start to decrease, leading and paving the way for fame and possible adjustments such as more romantic themes to keep up with trends and Japanese Government demands (especially when the population starts to wither and it becomes an emergency situation to start encouraging family ties). Other than sonamy or romantic things, I believe new characters will pop up to ‘test the waters’ and see if we like romance intertwined adventures. 3. Villains will become more sentimental and caring, less comedically, they will be redeemable entities so that the company can market them more. This can also lead into funny romances that help other romances develop and have more meaning. (In other words, they’ll dig into their vault of familiar and new faces, go off the trend of ‘redeeming the villain’ and have more heart-to-heart moments that may inspire more canonical couples... especially if a newer villain were to have a crush that ended up helping two canon characters get together and leave the audience sympathizing more with the villain. This is an actual trend starting where Villains have more character and roles other than just being evil and staying that way till death. I suspect this will be popularized in American and possibly foreign media as time goes on.)

(I actually have a lot of the sonamy shirts lol But here’s an example of the villain actually helping the canon couple have more ‘romantic underlying’ moments together <3)

Those are my current predictions, though I admit that some don’t sound all that hopeful. But hey! All my hopeful and positive predictions have already come true XD Sonamy is being marketed, the new media (Sonic Boom at the time) had subtle but more forward comedic hinting (that I don’t feel went all that well? But eh, that’s just me!), and SEGA continues to try and reface Sonic which his brand doesn’t need. I believe they will still try and rebrand Sonic continually until something sticks for them that they like. Sonamy may go through many iterations, as they are still hesitant with it, and we see that by only marketing their ‘younger selves’ as in Classic Sonamy, and are too ‘shy and uncertain’ if backlash would happen if they advertised a more mature-looking Sonic and Amy marketing. Again, I don’t know if they’ll fully grow out of this, so I predict they won’t.

(I have this one but in black <3 <3 <3)

That’s it for now! My positive last comments would be the more we buy/purchase Sonamy merch, the more we’ll start seeing it in their media and entertainment products. Until then, do your best and write, draw, and review -kindly- to keep those articles of enchantment alive with the sweet sound of--”When will Sonic and Amy finally have a love song AMV moment for us?” lol

[rosieroxy117]

All seven dorms x Fem!Reader | The beginning...

This is a series that will be divided into different parts because of how long it is, and because it will be based of what happens in Twisted Wonderland. (Events not included)

But I will not be making chapters about chapter 6 and 7 until they are released, so I know what happens for the overblots :>

I’ll be adding my OC’s, I will most probably make art of them and add the pictures of them in the story as it progresses.

I'll also be adding in my AU where there are a few female students in NRC that arrive the same year as Yuu and there is two dorm leaders of each dorm. One female, one male.

I originally posted this on Wattpad because of a request but it was more like an OC x All seven dorms. So I decided to upload the reader insert on tumblr.

But I will keep that part that stipulates that

(Y/n) is very tall- taller then Malleaus even-

I don’t think there is anything more to say so have fun reading!~

_______________________________

(Y/n) sighed dreamily as she stared at her screen filled with the twisted wonderland cast.

"Oh how I wish you's were real... Or how magic actually existed! That would be so cool!" (Y/n) giggled as her (h/c) hair shimmered in the light.

(Y/n)’s eyes suddenly became droopy as a sudden drowsiness overcome her.

'Why am I....... Feeling tired all of a sudden....' Were her last thoughts before falling unconscious.

Welcome (Y/n) (L/n)..

To the villains world....

(Y/n) opened her eyes slowly, hearing nothing but static, feeling pain in her head as well.

She slowly blinked noticing how the atmosphere had changed.

'Where am I?' (Y/n) thought as she looked around, she was in a hall, somewhere that looked oddly familiar.

To her side was a big brown door, the door was probably twice the size of herself.

'I wonder if I'll be able to find anyone in there- wait...' (Y/n) thought as she furrowed her brows.

'Is this some sort of isekai!?- COOL! IVEALWAYSWANTEDTOBEINONE!' She thought as she stood up from the ground with stars in her eyes.

'Wait- back on to the subject at hand... I don't actually know where I am...' She sweat dropped as she looked around.

She shrugged then decided to open the big ass door.

A few heads turned her way as she took in the appearance of the new room.

There was a fountain right in the back with people behind it. And there was a large mirror above the fountain.

There were also a bunch of chairs before the fountain, a vast majority of cloaked humanoid figures sat on them.

But what caught her attention the most was a male in a school uniform and a familiar raccoon cat like monster in the center of the room.

"(Y/n)?" The male asked dumbfoundedly as he let go of the cat.

"Yuu? What are you doing here?" (Y/n) asked but then finally processed the whole situation.

The mirror...

The cloaks...

The raccoon cat like monster....

This was Twisted Wonderland, and she had seemed to be in it along with one of her childhood friends Yuu.

Her eyes then glistened as she then ran towards Yuu.

"O MY GOSH THIS IS SO COOL!" She jumped up and down with a happy grin.

Her hoodie had fallen down because of her jumping revealing her (e/c) eyes and (h/c) hair.

"Wait.. Do you know where we are?" Yuu asked hopefully.

"Yeah! It's that game I was talking about long ago!" (Y/n) huffed as she stopped jumping up and down.

"Fngaaah, this girl is so tal- WAIT HOW IS THERE A GIRL HERE!?" Grims jaw dropped.

"MAGIK!" (Y/n) cheered with jazz hands while Yuu sweat dropped.

"Sorry to ruin this little reunion you's seem to be having... Can we get along with the ceremony?.." The headmaster asked as he eyed them suspiciously.

"Um... I don't even know what we are supposed to be doing..." Yuu said while rubbing the back of his head nervously.

"Youstandinfrontofthemirrorandthenit'llaskyouforyournameandyoutellityournameIt'sprettysimpleyaknow." (Y/n) said making Yuu confused.

"wha?- I want to go home, I have an important match tomorrow...” Yuu said.

"Huh.... You do.... Oh well!~" (Y/n) cheered.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN OH WELL!?" Yuu shouted back making (Y/n) giggle.

"We are in a world of magiiiiiic~~~~ So that means this place is so much cooler then our world!" (Y/n) whispered with stars in her eyes.

"Nope, I'm going home." Yuu said as he held his kendo stick(sword?) beginning to walk out.

Grim then used his flames to creat a scene so all eyes were on him, which was quite successful as Yuu stopped moving to turn around.

"Then I could take his place!" Grim cheered. The students began to whisper and laugh at Grim.

"What do you think your doing!?" Crowley shouted.

"Unlike that dumb human, I can actually use magic! So let me in the school instead!" Grim grinned.

"Dumb!?" Yuu growled angrily at Grim who waved him off.

"I can show more proof that I'm very capable at magic as well!" Grim said as he began to use more of his flames to ignite the room.

The students were all yelling from how their cloaks were burning or how the fire hurt.

"What the!" Yuu shouted as he watched Grim use his flames.

While (Y/n) was just watching in innocent delight.

From what (Y/n) knew, Riddle was supposed to come over and stop Grim. Just a few seconds after she thought of that Riddle stood up and began walking towards the cat.

(Y/n) just watched in awe as he made his way over to the cat, glared at Grim as he shot fire at Riddle.

Unexpectedly, Yuu ran over to Riddle and tackled him to the ground.

(Y/n) snorted before starting to laugh at Yuu, making him look back at (Y/n) with a dumbfounded look.

Yuu just shook his head then looked back at Riddle.

"Are you okay?" Yuu asked as Riddle just blinked a few times before turning angry.

"JUST WHO DO YOU THINK YOUR TALKING TO!?" Riddle shouted before pushing Yuu off of him.

Riddle then stood up but just stared in slight surprise as the cat was now eating tuna.

(Y/n) giggled as she was crouched beside Grim while petting him.

Yuu got up and just stared at her with an angry look.

"You could've done that long ago!" Yuu shouted as (Y/n) just looked up at the with a blank face.

"But that would've been boring... Plus I knew you were going to tackle Riddle so I didn't do anything." (Y/n) giggled.

"WAIT SO YOU KNEW THAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN!?" Riddle asked furiously as (Y/n) stood up and dusted her cloak off.

"Ye- oh my gosh your shorter then I imagined." (Y/n) said as she stared down at Riddle who just stared up at her with a red face. (From anger)

"Awe! So cute! Your always so angry but your still cute!" (Y/n)’s eyes glistened.

Riddle blushed (but it wasn't noticeable).

"I AM NOT CUT- WAIT! Who's that cat!? Because Laws of the Queen of Hearts : number-"

"Number 23 'One shall never bring a cat into festivals'." (Y/n) cut Riddle off with a mocking tone.

Everyone just stared at her with a dumbfounded expression.

"Your such a weirdo- how do you even know that?" Yuu asked.

"Who do you think I am! Even a idiot would know that rule-" (Y/n) gasped dramatically.

Riddle scoffed as they continued to bicker, he made his way towards Grim who was now sleeping and pulled his pen out.

"OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!-"

"OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!" (Y/n) and Riddle said at the same time, a collar appeared around Grims neck as everyone stared at (Y/n) with a weird look.

"Don't even ask! I know everything and anything!- well not really but I do at the same time!" (Y/n) cheered as Yuu sweat dropped.

"Wha-" "Can you at least not say what I'm going to say every single minute?.." Riddle squinted his eyes at (Y/n).

Riddle then walked towards Yuu and pointed his pen at Yuu.

"And you! The audacity of the likes of you to insult me! That is the same as insulting the Queen of Hearts herself! I shall have your head if you ever were to insult me again!" Riddle glared at Yuu making him gulp.

"Understood?.." Riddle said, Yuu nodded frantically.

Riddle then walked back to his spot by the Dorm leaders while Yuu slowly made his way behind (Y/n).

"Why didn't you get in trouble?" Yuu sulked.

"Because I'm just cool that way." (Y/n) stated proudly.....

"Sir, you mentioned before that you had no magic. But does your fiend have magic?.." Crowley asked.

"Nope, at least I don't think I have em. Unless this is a isekai and i now have powers- that would be so cool!" (Y/n) gleamed as Crowley sweat dropped.

"Then I'm afraid the both of you will be sent back home. Come to the mirror and picture your homes." Crowley said as the two of them walked towards the mirror.

(Y/n) walked confidently since she already knew that they wouldn't be able to return.

They stopped in front of the mirror and pictured their home......

"O mirror of darkness... Guide these ones back to where they belong!" Crowley said.

.

.

"Hmmm... Nothing happened." (Y/n) said.

"Because it is nowhere to be found young one." The mirror replied.

"Huh?" Crowley asked dumbfoundedly.

"That can't be true! We were both picturing it!- why isn't it working (Y/n)!?" Yuu asked in disbelief.

"Erm, no one actually knows at the moment." Yuri said nonchalantly.

"And where exactly are you two from?..." Crowley asked inquisitively.

"From Japan!" The both of them said.

"Japan? Ive never heard of a place such as Japan... I am of course well aware that come from every corners of this world. You two aren't lying are you two?" Crowley asked.

"If no one knows about Japan then we'll go back by oursel-"

"It's helpless... We can't return." (Y/n) said, Yuu froze in place when he heard (Y/n) say that.

"What do you mean!?" Yuu asked with wide eyes.

"Well- it's not that we can't actually leave it's just that I don't know how to leave yet. Hell we could be stuck here forever because of that." (Y/n) said.

"Why you seem a little happy about that don't you.." Crowley said.

"It's because where we are from it's quite boring. Although I'm going to miss my figurines and games.." (Y/n) cried.

(Y/n) sighed then looked to the side to see that Yuu had left.

"Wait- where is Yuu?.." (Y/n) asked with a dumbfounded look, she then looked back at the big ass doors to see them slightly open.

(Y/n) began rushing towards where she had thought Yuu would've gone to. She didn't have to go too far as he had came back.

"Did you find your way home?." Crowley asked as he walked over.

"No..." Yuu said as he dropped his sword (His kendo stick, thing-)

"Have you tried contacting a friend?" Yuus eyes lit up at that and he hurriedly tried to call someone.

"I have no signal..." Yuu grumbled.

"Have we truly transported worlds?..." Yuu said as he looked down.

"Yea, duhhh. That's what I've been TRYING to tell you this whole time!" (Y/n) said.

"But your a bit too calm.." Crowley said inquisitively.

"It's because I know what's happening, I know what's going to happen as well." (Y/n) said.

"Are you telling the truth?.." Crowley asked.

"Yeah, just can't tell you what does happen because that would cause the butterfly effect." (Y/n) cheered.

Crowley nodded then put his hand up to his chin in thought.

"There is a vacant building that was once used for a dormitory! I could lend it to the two of you if you two want!" Crowley said.

"Oh how gracious I am!" Crowley laughed.

"It's the best place we have for the moment Yuu. Gonna have to say yes." (Y/n) said.

Yuu only nodded with a sigh.

.

"Honestly! How did the opening ceremony end up like that!" Riddle said as he walked with Cater and Trey on his sides.

"Now now, everything was settled in the right?" Trey answered.

"Well it could've been settled if that girl had done something sooner as well!" Riddle huffed making Trey chuckle.

"She was pretty cute yeah? She looked really nice too!" Cater cheered with a grin.

"We should hurry! All the first years are at the welcome party!" Cater said again.

"Thank you, but is everything ready? Is the venue prepared according the Queens of Hearts rules? Are the roses painted sequently in red and white?" Riddle asked.

"Natura-" Cater had been cut off by a student hopping towards their way, they wore a very large top hat while gold fluffy bunny ears sticked out of it.

They just eye the figure for a little while as they passed them seemingly going the same way as them.

"Okaaaay.... As I was saying! Everything is ready!" Cater said with a raised brow.

"Very well, let us head to the dorm. If any trouble occurs, you'll be losing your heads as well. Got it?" Riddle said.

"Yes prefect!" Cater and Trey said in unison.....

"What a charming.... building?..." Yuu said as he stared at the rundown building.

"It is isn't!" Crowley said, the three then entered the building.

"Could use a little lady's touch..." (Y/n) sweat dropped as she looked around at all the old paintings, spiderwebs, and broken furniture in the hall....

Don’t worry- there will be more parts sooner or later ;))))))

PEACE OUT!-

[natromanxoff]

An Exclusive Interview With Queen!

Music Life September 1975 issue

By Kaoruko Togo and Keiko Miyasaka

[Original text in Japanese, translation by deathtoming]

Around noon on July 14th, we left the hotel by car, and around two hours later we arrived at the beautiful Ridge Farm, surrounded by trees. We were blessed with clear skies on this day, and the blue sky and the greenery of the farm were almost blindingly beautiful. It was a bit past 2 o’clock. When we arrived in the main building, we were first greeted by a large dog, followed by a familiar voice from a room in the back. It was a large food hall, with Freddie, Brian, Roger, and John present.

When they see us, the four of them say, “Hello! You’re from Music Life, right? Welcome!” and greet us with handshakes. The four of them rented this Ridge Farm to focus solely on rehearsing for their next album. “We’re about to have lunch. Want to join us?” We knew we couldn’t work while hungry, so we accepted their offer with thanks. When the meal finished, we could begin our interview at last….

Music Life (ML): Are you in the middle of recording now?

Roger: No, we’re not recording yet. We’re all practising our new songs together. Once we practise them, we get an idea of how we should record them, I think.

ML: When do you think you’ll start recording?

Roger Maybe in about 3 weeks…

John: We might use Rockfield Studios in Wales.

ML: Do you always record there?

Roger: No, not really, although we did a bit of recording there for our third album, Sheer Heart Attack.

Freddie. We used around five studios to record that one. We’ll probably use several studios this time around, too.

ML: You’ll do a bit of recording in London, too, right?

Roger: Probably a little bit, yeah. We usually do our mixing in London.

Brian: But when we first record the backing track, it’s better to do it somewhere where we’re nice and settled, so it’s good to do it while we’re holed out in the studio. By doing that, we’re able to relax and do the recording.

ML: Can you tell us something about your upcoming album?

Freddie: Yeah, well we only have the rough framework at this point, but I think it will be our best work so far. We’re in the middle of creating the songs now.

Roger: Nothing has really come together yet, so it’s difficult to explain.

John: When we first came here we presented what songs we had written so far to each other, and we had about two albums’ worth, haha.

ML: I hear you’re heading to the US on tour soon.

John: Probably. Our manager is in the US now, and he’s apparently in talks with a bunch of people.

Freddie: We have to decide whether to record the album or go on tour in the US like we had decided during our previous tour.

ML: How long have you been working with your producer?

Freddie: His name is Roy Thomas Baker, and he’s been with us since our debut album.

Roger: We’re co-producing the album with him. Our next album will be with him, too.

ML: This Ridge Farm is such a beautiful place. How did you find it?

Roger: Our mixer, John Harris, found it. The owner often rents out this place to rock groups, apparently.

<At this point, an airplane flies overhead, making an extremely loud noise! Everyone shouts “Quiet!”>

ML: When you write your songs, do you do it individually?

Freddie: Yes, that’s right. Everyone writes their own songs in their own homes, and then brings it to places like this and we all work on it.

ML: How many songs will be on this album?

Freddie: I don’t know yet. Maybe around 12.

ML: When will it be released?

Freddie: That depends on a lot of things. But I want it out some time this year. It will probably be by the end of this year.

ML: What have you been up to since you came back from Japan?

Freddie: For several weeks, we kept on talking about our time in Japan, haha. We’d unwrap the presents we got from Japan. Please pass along our thanks to our fans in Japan, because we were really treated so kindly.

<An airplane makes another appearance. The four look up and protest again.>

ML: Is there anything that stands out in particular from your time in Japan?

Roger: Aside from the people we met, probably our final show in Tokyo. Something felt special. It was also our final show in Japan. The atmosphere was wonderful.

John: I also remember appearing in a kimono on stage for the first time in that concert.

ML: What about Japanese food?

Freddie: Like, tempura, haha. We went to a Japanese restaurant with our bodyguards in Japan. Oh that’s right, please send our regards to those bodyguards; we owe them a lot.

ML: What do you want to do the most the next time you’re in Japan?

Roger: I’m going to go shopping for sure, haha! Things like tape recorders and other things. Last time, Freddie bought lots of ceramics, and Brian and John bought cameras.

ML: Brian, you like cameras, don’t you?

Brian: Yeah, I do photography sometimes, and I have lots of other hobbies. Right now I’m really into audio.

ML: Since when have you been taking pictures?

Brian: Since quite a long time ago. But I only recently got a good camera. In England, cameras are so expensive.

ML: This is especially the case in Japan, but you have a lot of young girls for fans. What do you think about that?

Roger: It’s outstanding, haha! Japanese fans in particular give us lots of presents. We don’t get too many gifts from other countries, but it seems to be a part of the Japanese tradition.

ML: Among your young, female Japanese fans, there are some who say that Queen is their first encounter with rock music.

Roger: Great!

Freddie: That’s a good thing. It was really exciting when we were in Japan, and I think it was probably the same kind of atmosphere as it was for the Beatles in the ‘60s.

<The others chime in with comments like, “That’s really good!”>

ML: Were there any interesting gifts from Japan?

Brian: I received a lot of birthday gifts, so thank you very much to all of you for those presents. I received many works of art, and also things like dolls and traditional balls wrapped with beautiful string. We got lots of toys, too.

Roger: That ball with the string was hand-made, right? I got one, too.

<The plane flies by again, distressing the band.>

ML: In your free time, what kind of music do you listen to?

Roger: I’ve been listening to Led Zeppelin's first album.

Freddie: Lately, classical. Like, Chopin. Also things like Led Zeppelin and John Lennon.

ML: Freddie, you have a broad range of interests.

Freddie: Of course. I’ll listen to anything that I like. That said, there’s no artist whose album I’d buy as soon as it was released.

ML: Brian, what about you?

Brian: Pretty much the same as everyone else. I often listen to Led Zeppelin.

ML: There’s a place called “Rhye” in the lyrics for Lily of the Valley, but is that a real place in England?

Freddie: No, it’s a land from my imagination. It’s also mentioned in Seven Seas of Rhye, and I guess it’s like a fairy tale.

Roger: There is a place called “Rye” in England, although the spelling is different.

ML: Your songs’ lyrics seem to be influenced by classical poets.

Freddie: You’re referring to lyric poetry. I don’t think we’re influenced by that too much. Truthfully, I don’t have time to read. I just like expressing myself in that way. Those kinds of expressions are easier.

ML: Do the really passionate lyrics for love songs come from your personal experiences?

Roger: Ahhhh--!! Haha, yeah right! But I guess there’s, uh, a little bit of something in there.<Grinning> But Brian sometimes writes really passionate ones.

ML: She Makes Me is quite the song, isn’t it?

Brian: No, it’s not like that at all. <Acting quite bashfully> Although there are times when my personal experiences are expressed in song lyrics.

<The rest of the band hoot and holler at this!>

ML: The band does a good job recreating the sound from your records live on stage, don’t you?

Roger: We’re not trying to reproduce what you hear on the record exactly, though. Of course we want to produce a good sound, but on stage we also need to add an exciting mood to the quality of the sound. So that’s why it needs to be a little different from the album.

ML: Which do you like better, recording or performing live?

Freddie: I like both. They’re both interesting in their own ways.

ML: Do you use any special equipment on stage?

Roger: No, although Brian uses echo machines and such.

ML: Do you have a lighting technician?

Freddie: We do have one, but the band comes up with the idea, and our lighting guy -- his name is James Dann -- takes care of the rest. We’ve already come up with our next stage design and it’s going to be interesting.

<The plane flies by again. Everyone looks defeated.>

ML: Killer Queen was a big hit single; are hit singles important to you?

Roger: It’s not absolutely necessary. But we’ll keep on releasing singles. Of course we’ll only release ones we like, though.

ML: Which do you like better, singles or albums?

Freddie: Definitely albums! I think our music is geared more towards albums rather than singles.

Roger: Rather than releasing single after single, it’s better if there happens to be a song in the album that works well as a single, and we release it if the timing is right. It’s not good if we start thinking we need to release a single every 3 months.

John: On this upcoming album as well, we will record everything first, and then release something if it works well as a single. But we don’t particularly record only songs that would work as singles.

ML: Does it seem like you’ll have another song like Killer Queen?

Freddie: No, when Seven Seas of Rhye became a hit in England, the people at the record company wanted our next song to be like that, but we couldn’t do it. We go in the studio and record what we’re feeling at that time, and only after everything is finished do we decide as a group what to release as a single.

ML: So, you’re always looking for a new sound?

Freddie: It’s more interesting that way.

Roger: That’s why we come to places like this, and while we’re rehearsing we make a bunch of noise and form songs from that.

ML: Did someone serve as an inspiration for Killer Queen?

Roger: Freddie’s mom.

<Everyone bursts out laughing>

ML: Do you have plans for a British tour?

Roger: Yeah. Probably by the end of this year.

John: But first we need to record our album, and we don’t know what will come after.

ML: Which country’s fans do you like?

John: Japan’s, of course, haha!

Brian: <Speaking seriously> We were really surprised by the reaction of our Japanese fans. Honestly speaking, we didn’t realize it was at that level.

Roger: We thought there would be difficulties because of the language difference, but rock fans are the same around the world, in the end.

ML: Did you have a break after you came back from Japan?

John: Just a little. But we had lots of preparation to do, so it’s like we didn’t have a break.

ML: And uhh… now I’d like to ask about things outside of the music. It’s something Japanese fans want to know: when did you fall in love for the first time? What kind of person were they?

<Everyone reacts in horror, and they point at each other, with no one answering the question. Finally, Freddie speaks for the group.>

Freddie: Err… our first love is, of course, music, haha.

ML: Do you have any memories from when you were going to school?

Roger: I haaaaated school!

ML: What about you, Brian?

Brian: I went to an all boys school. I had no idea what girls were like, right up to when I graduated when I was 18. It was really a shock when I first got to know girls. But that’s the British school system for you. I was raised away from girls for so long that I was afraid to meet them.

Freddie: You’re still afraid of them, aren’t you? Haha. <This was a tough joke>

ML: Freddie, what subjects did you like in school?

Roger Oh, I know! ”Needlework”! <Everyone bursts out laughing>

Freddie: Art. I studied graphics and illustration at an art school for 3 years.

ML: What about sports?

Freddie: I did everything. Cricket, tennis…

ML: Do you still meet up with your friends from school?

Freddie: I often meet with around two of them.

ML: And, finally, are you married?

Roger: Japanese fans often want to know things like that, but I won’t say. <Roger winks mischievously.>

Freddie: We’re all single! But the Japanese girls have to find that out for themselves.

ML: Let’s get a message from each one of you to our readers…

And with that, the friendly interview came to an end. We were fortunate that the band talked to us in a relaxed mood while bathing in the bright sun.