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lesbiancarat · 3 years

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PREACH IT!! SAY IT LOUDER FOR TH3 PEOPLE IN THE BACK!! *stands up and claps*

Just your comment, please I want to tattoo that entire response on my forehead so people could understand some stuff fjshdhsh. I very much agree with everything you have said, like I do think the bighit deal was more so with the help of say with western connections (which again does NOT mean pledis could have done this without bighit. They clearly could but I saw a theory on a YouTube comment where someone said they focused on the core fanbase aka in Korea which is their main market and it paid off imo) from helping with buisness side of things like we do have merch to buy directly (which I have my opinion on some merch ideas like why the fudge is bighit selling us water!? Bro you thought that worked with bts doesn't mean it will with seventeen) which wasn't common in the past or being able to film concerts with ease during the pandemic. Bighit clearly acknowledges that seventeen is a monster group in their own right I mean as you said, they break records and are 2nd behind bighits own group. They are EXTEMELY big in Japan. They are their own song makers, bang pd confirmed this when pleids was first announced in a press video so the fact people brush all of their achievements and statements because why, their streaming numbers are low?

And oohh such an interesting point as well! Very much i think the current mindset of kpop fans (or at least some) is that streaming is what equals success which to some degree, yes but as you said, many ignore the casual side of listening. People that find the song due to it being viral for whatever reason, a fancam getting popular like in the cass of hani from exid or whatever reason. Dwc is a great example and I saw those comments under their recent performance of that song and it makes me proud that the boys have a song like that. That it has its own "fanbase" quote on quote with how well loved that song simply is and well known. You don't have to have fans doing crazy streaming to be considered "popular", I mean I could give more examples but I don't wanna make this too long nor cause unwanted fandrama lol. Those casual listeners are extremely important and powerful I mean brave girls is a great recent example of that I think! It very much does seem like that when looking at the views, its mainly the core fanbase which isn't bad nor should we feel bad for not having crazy numbers. They seem more organic if that makes sense? Plus I agree, we can stream and can explain how it works, clearing up confusion about it like no emojis don't take down views and yes youtube does take away views but that is due to it making sure it isn't bots only viewing the video. Explaining that streaming should be done with a chill mindset and its ok if you don't stream. But hey, maybe we're too weird of fans to think like this fjajdjajs.

But some few updates! Seventeen is back on Instagram, fully everyone is posting away. Makes me happy hehe m, a bit funny it took so long for them to comeback but am happy nonetheless. The interactions that seungkwan does makes me super soft. Seventeen are also back with doing proper promotions so yay (also pledis is S Wording people over the mingyu issue finally so bless). As for me on the personal side of things. I have OFFICIALLY finished that video game ^_^ it took me a while but I have finished it, my last goodbye was completed and am at ease so to speak? Lowkey am planning on beating all the trophies in the game cx also may I ask about your thoughts on the album? Favorite songs, have you bought the physical cd?

ok finally getting around to this lol!!

and yeah that's absolutely true, pledis focused on kr promotions/fanbase first and foremost (and then expanded to Japan and is now looking toward the US/western promos in general). which i agree was a good thing. i think some companies get too greedy with wanting a group to be ~internationally famous~ that they ignore their Korean fanbase a bit too much and I've seen groups that have failed bc of it, so I'm glad that didn't happen w SVT

and yeah in terms of merch I'm genuinely grateful as an american that for this cb at least there was a US distributor which made things super convenient but wtf is going on w hybes merch those water bottles are not it TT it just sucks to see bc it's clear that at least as far as merch goes hybe doesn't have an interest in like. doing market research to figure out what carats want. which is funny bc they don't even have to start from scratch they could literally just ask pledis?? and tbh what's sad is i don't think hybe is like. purposefully trying to sabotage SVTs merch from my limited perspective i get the feeling they treat all their groups merch like that :( but since us carats have seen in the past what kind of merch we're capable of getting it's disappointing to see such a downgrade. and like tbf pledis's merch decisions were never perfect like that time they tried to sell replicas of the SVT rings and carats were rightfully pissed bc those are something the members earned, not something to be bought. and i also don't think hybe never has or never will make good merch, I'm sure they're fully capable of it. but it just seems obvious that they've put WAY less if any effort into understanding both the market (ie carats) and seventeens brand compared to pledis so like of course most carats aren't gonna like it :/ i really hope they step up their game and do better research or bring ppl onto the team who better understand svt's brand

and yeah i very much agree with everything u said about streaming! tbh i think this mindset isn't as uncommon as you might think, I've actually met a fair number of kpop fans who are critical of streaming culture but as u know there also are a lot of ppl who are really into it and those ppl tend to have the loudest voices. and unfortunately part of streaming culture is that if you question the methods or don't participate you must be a bad fan or secretly an anti or something ridiculous like that. so ppl who aren't into streaming culture end up learning to not be too vocal about it bc of how bad the backlash can be

yes! I'm glad to see insta line (+ now dk!!) active again. i still wonder why pledis made them stop using their ind instas, like I know all the theories people have as to why but honestly none that I've seen seem to fully make sense. it will probably be one of those things where we'll just never know the full story. but i digress!! regardless of the reason I'm just glad to have them back after all this time ^^

congrats on finishing the game! I'm glad it was able to help you work through your grief a bit and that you feel more at ease now ;-; and good luck with the rest of the trophies if you end up trying to get them!

as always I'm answering this a bit late so you may have seen already but i did get the physical album! it was a birthday gift so i only got it the other day, but according to my mom it arrived almost immediately after the album was released so as i said before, I'm very grateful for the US shop this time around ;-; as for the songs usually it's easy for me to pick one or two favorites but this time around it's genuinely a 4-way tie between heavens cloud and all the unit songs TT (i also love anyone and RTL, they're just slightly lower on the list in terms of preference if u get what i mean). i really hope some time in the future we get some kind of performance or special video or something for heavens cloud, since so many carats and the members themselves seem to really love it. i also think it's a song that brings up such beautiful imagery that it would be a shame if it never got any type of visual representation, you know? I'm also really curious to see a performance of wave, since iirc the members said the choreo is a lot more laid back/different from other perf unit choreos?? + that song also evokes such great imagery for me that like... makes feel like it needs some kind of movement so I'm just itching to see a performance. kind of like... even if i didn't know it was a perf unit song i would think it would be great to choreograph to if that makes any sense dhfkf. but yeah overall i think it's just a really solid album, as expected from summerteen ^^

#melia.ask #📖 anon #long post

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bow-wow-wark-wark · 3 years

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21. What characters get slept on? Who deserves more love?

I have no idea again.... lol I am not like in every corner of the fandom so I'll say mtc again. I feel like theres not that many mtc stans out there... where are you? Specifically rio and jyuto tho, I feel like most people like samatoki the most... understandable but I feel like all my boys deserve love... oh also the girls, tho I understand why not everyone is super into them lol they have like no content to their name.. it would be hilarious if they had like a chuoh girl hang out or something lol

22. Do you have any HypMic merch? What do you wanna get?

I have 2 posters!!! One is of the anime and the other of like all the charas and stuff.

What wouldnt I want to get lol? I would like to own a manga volume particularly from the tdd or bat/dh manga (or all of them 👀) I would also like to see one of the stage plays or own that live performance cd that came out. Also I'll find it hilarious to own one of their perfume bottles lol I would like to have anything I could get my hands on tbh.

23. About your favorite character -why do you love them?

Sjsjsisk this is going to be long balls again...

Ok so I'll do my favorites that I mentioned bc I dont have only one. So I love hifumi because I love his attitude, at the start i thought he was a little vain bc of the dont stop the party lyrics, and i like vain charas so I liked him on principle but then when it was a bit of a cover up it's like :0 i honestly adore bubbly, silly, loud characthers like him, I like how hes so efficient and positive and cute and like caring or when he gets carried away with things, i like that too, reminds me of myself in a sense. Hes just great and I admire his will power to fight over his fear of women.

Next jyushi, I love how hes like a huge cry baby and gets upset about small stuff, it makes me feel better about myself lol, besides its admirable how he also wants to fight and get stronger!!! How inspiring!! I love his vkey persona it's so cute!!! I love dramatic charas like him and I like how once in the presence of some one he know he just mellows down, its soooo cute!! I really love his normal voice, specially when hes like whining about something.

Next Otome, ok so I know i said jiro before and trust me i love him to death but ill do Otome 1st. Ok so i like how shes so short, and i like how distant she seems from everything, likes shes running the party and yet shes just like sitting... i feel like I like her more of in a story sense than in general characther wise, shes just surprisingly amusing to me like shes hilarious and shes also super pretty so yeah. Lol my love for her could be described by: girl hot and girl you're really weird. I see her under a stethoscope just like how she sees the people participating in the drb.

Ok last jiro!!! I also love his attitude, he's silly and passionate, friendly and a good brother. I like how he's a little "dumb" I find it nice. I like how despite how much he fights with saburo he cares so much for him!! All his songs slap and I really liked the bazillion ichiro references he dropped, I'm glad that his characther is moving on from idolizing him, good work to my boy!!

24. Drop a headcanon for your favorite character.

Hifumi: :0 gender fluid hiumi!! Gender fluid hifumi! He has adhd and ocd, I've also seen a post about how he could be autistic so why not? He likes watching asmr and made a channel himself that doppo watches religiously. He is a verbal stimmer. Less of a headcanon but a prayer but his sister is still alive (think of the wonders it could do for his chara)

Otome: shes a demi girl!! She and Rei fake dated for convenience and it was the worst period of their lifes (I know theres no chance where that would happen but I find it funny) I cant quite pick it but he feels weirdly neurodivergent to me so yeah.

Jyushi: nonbinary jyushi!! Hes also neurodivergent, I also think they're latine!! I think it would be funny if he wasnt that good at speaking spanish tho, lol rip to him.

Jiro: he has adhd, and is a a demiboy. I think it would be funny how now that he is getting over idolizing ichiro he had to come true and be like: ichi-nii I actually dont like this anime you like. Lol testing the BB bonds once more.

25. Do you like any of the side characters?

Mmmm yeah sort off. I like Urumi a bit, like shes an important person to Jiro and I appreciate her help in this recent drama cd, shes also really pretty. Ghhh it annoys me how much of a stereotype she is tho and how they treat her.... so mean.

I like Honobono a bit as well but she also does some things that irk me a bit.. Admittedly considering her crimes against hifumi I thought I would dislike her way more!! it's mainly bc I find her voice nice and her raps always pop off, the lyrics are always nice and she carries herself super well.

After that I dont think theres any other ones.. I havent seen the anime at all but those love alien bitches dont look that bad.

Cutting this again bc boy dont I talk to much, anyways, hopefully I'll be done soon ;)

#hopefully for the person reading this bc im having the blast of my life #ramble post

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hqvalentineexchange · 3 years

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Posting the gifts

You don’t know how to post the gift? Or just want to make sure how to do it? Are you curious if there is any official formating you should adhere to? This post is for you!

Before I get to the point though, a small reassurance that it's not too late to ask for beta! You can ask for beta till the end of the event! So if you finish your fic sometime during the posting week, you still can ask for beta as well!

Now to the revealing the gifts - so, since there are people who never participated in a fandom exchange before, as well as people who already did, I will do some explaining.

(a table of content of sorts:

1. How to reveal my gift?

2. Formating

3. AO3 collection

4. A few additional words to people who participate in an exchange for the first time

5. To summarize)

So, short explanation for exchanges veterans: you can reveal your gift however you want! There are no submissions (meaning - you don't have to send the gift to us first; you can submit your gift to this blog if you want your work posted on Tumblr but don't have an account, but there are no mandatory submissions)! The only important thing is making sure your giftee sees it (so you should @ them, send them the link etc., but well, you’re the veterans, it’s an obvious thing)! Of course you don’t have to @ them on every platform you post your gift on. You can also find a few words about proper tagging below in the "Formating" section ^^ Also there's AO3 collection if you want to add your work there! You can find more information about the collection below the "Formating" section.

Long explanation for those, who aren’t sure what “you can share it however you want lmao” entails: there are a few different ways to post your gift, briefly explained in the FAQ (mobile friendly link). The most important thing is you don't have to send your gift to us first. How to reveal it then? There are a few ways you can do it:

1. You can submit your gift here and we will publish it when the time comes (you can find more in depth explanation about formating below). It's not a mandatory thing! The option is here if you want to have your gift posted on Tumblr, but don't have an account! The "submit" window is easy to use, although a bit limited - it only has the basic formating options and doesn't accept HTML, which means that whatever HTML code you'd use, it'll stay as a code (for example when you put text between the <i> marks to make it into italics, it will stay as "<i>word</i>" in the post, instead of becoming "word"). Just remember to @ your giftee!

2. You can post it on your own Tumblr blog/Twitter page/etc. (you can find more in depth explanation about formating below). Remember to @ your giftee!

3. You can post your gift on an outside platform (for example if you’re writing fanfiction, the outside platform would be AO3, FF.net or whatever platform you use), copy the link to it and paste it in a post you make on your Tumblr blog/Twitter page/etc. (you can find more in depth explanation about formating below). Remember to @ your giftee! Also if you're posting on AO3 - there's event's collection you're welcome to post to (more information about the collection below the "Formating" section)!

4. If you are in our event Discord server and your giftee is there as well, you can just post your gift in the right channel and @ them, no need for any public posts.

5. If you decide to post your work on an outside platform, you can also just copy the link and send it directly to your giftee on their social media in a private message. No need for any public posts. The only additional requirement here is to let us know you shared your gift!

Formating

Let’s be honest, a fanart doesn’t really need any specific formating (outside of 1 small thing), so this section will be mainly dedicated to fanfic writers. The said one small thing is a thing that everyone should do if they decide to post their gift on their social media, and it’s:

a) @ing our blog or Twitter page (depending on where you post)

and/or

b) using the #hqvalentineexchange or #hqvalex2021 tags (in the five first tags if you post on Tumblr)

so we can reblog/retweet it.

Now, to the actual formating part. Remember it’s only recommended formating! You can format it however you please. There are a few ways to do it tbh:

once you enter your work which you posted on AO3, there is a “Share” button right above the fic’s header, between “Comments” and “Subscribe” buttons. Once you click it, it will show you HTML code to copy and paste. There are also two buttons below the code (for Tumblr and for Twitter) that will create a post ready to publish when clicked, if you don't want to copy the HTML code or don't know what to do with it.

you can make your own text version of preview. You should include a pairing, rating and word count, then. If you post your work in its entirety on Tumblr, you should also consider putting the story under a read more for convenience of others. You also should include the things that can potentialy trigger others, even if your giftee is fine with such content (for example - the person you’re making the gift for asked for super angsty and dramatic zombie apocalypse au with a happy ending. You should warn others there’s violence and blood, and maybe gore, even if your giftee is absolutely fine with it).

you can make a screenshot of your AO3/FF.net preview and only put the link to your fic below it. Some writers decorate it in some way (putting the preview half-transparent on a pretty background for example), so you can play with it if you want something more special!

AO3 collection

You can find the collection here or by typing "hqvalentineexchange" in the collection field while posting your work. It has the same profile pic as the event blog and Twitter page, so it should be easy to find!

The collection is moderated, which means your work won't show up in the collection until we approve of it, so don't worry if it doesn't show right away! We will accept it in a matter of a few hours ;D

A few additional words for those, who participate in an exchange for the first time

There is no set etiquette of giving gifts in the exchanges, so don't worry about it! ;) Your message to your giftee can be as long or as short as you want. Some people compliment the prompts their giftee gave them, some say they enjoyed working on the gift, some wish their giftee a happy Valentine's Day (or holidays, speaking about exchanges more in general, since a lot of them are holiday themed/specifically Secret Santa events), and some are simply like "my gift for @giftees-name for @exchanges-page, hope you enjoy". Don't sweat it ;D

To summarize

there are 5 ways to reveal your gift (or maybe more if you came up with something else not on the list? Asks us first though, please! ;)), they are listed at the beginning of the post

you have to make sure your giftee will see your gift

you should put #hqvalentineexchange or #hqvalex2021 in the tags or @ this blog or the official event Twitter page; there's also an AO3 collection you're welcome to post to

all the formating suggested above is optional and presented here more as an inspiration - you're only limited by your creativity! ;)

If you have any questions/concerns/doubts, feel free to send us an ask or message us privately on our social media (mobile friendly link)! ;D

And have a nice day/night/whatever it is in your timezone! ❤️

#organizational matters #mod szeh

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sokkathebluewolf · 4 years

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I'm very curious about the Fire Nation Military Academy. Could you maybe explain that a little bit further? Is there just one? Can everyone just go there? How got our guards there? How's the training? With which age do you go to the FNMA? Do you really need to cut all ties to your past? How are you getting to the job of a Imperial Guard? I have many more questions but these are the only ones that came to my mind rn. Maybe you can explain a little bit more? That would be cool.

Well, for starters, the current branches of the Fire Nation Army, in Gladiator, are as follows:

Army: land troops deployed outside the Fire Nation’s mainland.

Navy: obviously, water-based troops, warships and the like.

Domestic Forces: troops stationed within the Fire Nation’s mainland.

Guards: special division of the Domestic Forces, tasked with the protection of the Fire Nation’s Palace directly, and the Fire Nation’s Royal Family.

Air Force: the second-newest branch, operating with airships and hot-air balloons.

Enforcers: the newest branch, tasked specifically to deal with all that pertains the enforcement of the new Slavery Laws.

The first five branches are all trained in Military Academies throughout the Fire Nation (they have more than one academy, the others are located in the bigger cities), the last branch is trained specifically at the Enforcers’ Headquarters (currently, only in the mainland).

There’s more than one Academy, like I said, and most anyone is encouraged to join it. While the Fire Nation is quite classist in many regards, and they tend to look down on anyone whose heritage isn’t perfectly Fire Nation, Fire Lord Ozai has been struggling for years with how thinly spread his army is. Hence, while enrolling in the Fire Nation Academy when you’re an Honorary Citizen is prooobably not the wisest thing since it means 1. you’ll be fighting against your people 2. you’ll have to endure a lot of Fire Nation snobbishness... they’re encouraged to join in anyhow. Therefore, social classes are overlooked in the Fire Nation military, but not out of any noble intentions: it’s merely for the Fire Lord’s convenience.

The training in the Academy starts the same for everyone, basic classes all across for all recruits. Within a matter of 2 months, all soldiers should have the grasp of basic combat training techniques (firebending training for firebenders, weapons training for non-benders, and the occasional earthbenders have their own bending training too).

After a period of refining their skills for about a year, the students at the Academy are either selected by their instructors to serve as Guards (only the students with top marks are eligible for this specialization, whether benders or firebenders), or they can choose their own future career path (Domestic Forces, Army, Navy and, nowadays, the Air Force too). Naturally, the duty of the Guards isn’t exactly easy but it’s a lot less taxing than that of a soldier in the frontlines... so being selected for the Guards is not only considered an honor, but a highly coveted one too: EVERYONE wants to be a Guard :’D still, not a lot of people can pull off top-marks, so you have to break your back in your first year if you really want to be a Guard.

Now, once the first year is done and all new recruits have “joined” a military branch, the students spend their next three years perfecting the skills required to perform their future duties. Back in the war’s heyday, often these three years of finalizing their studies were spent out in the field, outright assisting the troops since, like I said, the army was spread so thin that they needed quick soldier deployment ASAP. Nowadays, as the Earth Kingdom continent has been conquered successfully, the Academies are back to a slightly less hectic rhythm and can work with their students without sending them out to fight when they’re not finished with their education yet.

The Enforcers, new as they are, have a slightly different training regime that’s actually a tad bit more imposing than the one in the Military Academies, since they’re being trained and recruited ASAP. As shown in the story, they’re trained in non-bending combat even if they’re benders, so all of them are equipped with swords of their own. They still attend classes after their first raids begin, and they’re still recruiting, so their growth is ongoing... but as the laws needed to be enforced right away, the Enforcers have had to be prepared for their duties even more rashly than the recruits of the army I described up there. It’s going to get a little easier for Enforcers that get recruited later in the future, they might even get a few years of proper preparation for their roles... but they really can’t afford that for the time being.

Anyways! The training is divided, like I said, depending on the kind of duties each branch handles. Domestic Forces recruits, for instance, have to fully learn city layouts, prison guard protocols, learn about Fire Nation laws and infractions, since that’s the stuff they usually have to deal with. Navy officers are taught water-based strategic fighting, how to man catapults, everything to do with how to navigate... and the army learns strategies for land-based combat, how to mount the animals the army uses in battle, as well as geography of the general world, since they’ll likely need a better understanding of how to traverse diverse lands than any of the other branches will. All branches have further combat training (whether bending or weapons-based) throughout the next three years of specialized training, to hone their fighting skills further.

Now then, the Guards! These guys are the trickiest ones and probably the ones I should have explained further in-story, since their role is by far the most important one out of the six branches, but I never really had a chance.

There’s regular Guards in the Palace: these guys can be benders (exclusively fire, though) or non-benders, and they’re tasked with guarding the Palace walls and its infrastructure, above all else. On their final year of the Academy, the best firebenders within this group are marked as potential future Imperial or Royal Guards: they can undergo some slightly more challenging tests than the rest of the Guards and, if their results impress the Fire Lord enough, they may become Imperial Guards right away. If there’s a member of the Royal Family who is assembling their personal Royal Guards at the moment, they can choose their preferred Guards amongst that year’s graduating class + the top-level firebending regular Guards who haven’t been promoted into the Imperial Guards yet.

The General of the Guards is the absolute leader of the Guards and thus, he’s in charge of this entire branch of the armed forces. The person to occupy this role is typically chosen by a recently-crowned Fire Lord: Shaofeng wasn’t the General of the Guards until Ozai took the throne. Therefore, upon permanently ascending the throne, our potential Fire Lord Azula can easily dismiss Shaofeng and promote someone else in his place :’) this, as well, is one important reason why a royal who’s vying for a throne tries to see at least a few of their Royal Guards promoted to Imperial Guards before their time to serve as Fire Lord arrives. Makes the power switch much smoother :’D

And now I more or less gave you a large number of clues as to why General Shaofeng has been such a pissbaby since the festivals arc, woops... :’D

I think the Academy doesn’t have a set age of entrance, you can find people of different ages learning in it (because of the reasons above, the army is spread too thin to reject anyone just because they didn’t start at the right age). Still, people are expected to only join it only after their regular, basic school education is finished. So the youngest age to start would be 12, but older recruits can join too (I’d say the upper limit is probably around 30, despite a 30yo recruit isn’t very likely to spend a long time serving in the field, but the armed forces are in no position to reject anyone who enrolls, tbh).

The subject of cutting ties with everything else in your life is honestly very specific to Royal and Imperial Guards. Like it’s been portrayed in the story, it’s discouraged, rather than forbidden, to have family or romantic ties when you’re a Royal Guard. Rui Shi hasn’t really gotten in trouble for having a relationship with Song, but if any situation arose where he failed to protect the Royal Family because he was protecting Song instead...? Weeeell, he’d likely get executed, outright, for failing to uphold his vows as Royal and Imperial Guard, as he has to be ready to sacrifice anything and everything for the royals he serves.

It’s more implicit in the rest of the armed forces that they serve the Fire Lord above all else, it’s mainly the Royal and Imperial Guards who are told they shouldn’t have any important ties outside their charges. Everyone else can have families, get married, raise kids, without too much trouble. Rui Shi’s father was a military man just like Rui Shi, but he was in another branch (I think in the Domestic Forces, seeing as he lived with Rui Shi and his mother), Rui Shi was an overachiever and became eligible for Royal Guard status... and then Azula selected him as her captain! :D

So, as far as guards are concerned, the path to becoming an Imperial Guard is...:

Firebending Recruit (get top grades) ===> Guard Prospect (get top grades again) ===> Take an extra test before graduation to become eligible for Imperial Guard ===> Imperial Guard (if successful at impressing the Fire Lord)

OOOOOR...

Firebending Recruit (get top grades) ===> Guard Prospect (get top grades again) ===> Graduate with top marks and become a regular Guard ===> Be promoted into Royal Guard status by a member of the royal family ===> Be recommended for a promotion into Imperial Guard status by said member of the royal family ===> Imperial Guard (if successful at impressing the Fire Lord)

I hope things are a little bit clearer now xD most of this is stuff I had in my head but, like I’ve said, I really didn’t have much room to explore it. A full-blown spinoff of the school days of Rui Shi and his fellow Royal/Imperial Guards would be ripe territory in which I could explore all these details x’D it’d be a rather strange slice-of-life story, but it’d probably be the only way to address all these questions narratively.

Anyways, if you have any further questions about this, let me know! :D

#ask #anon #... well damn that got longer than I thought it would #royal guards #imperial guards #fire nation armed forces

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cometcrystal · 4 years

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lykensen replied to your post “lykensen replied to your post “youve heard of “addison is ½ fairy”...”

addison has so much faith in cheers influence... cheerleading means so much to seabrook in general and at times it does strike me as having some magical properties involved even if addy doesn't know that herself so this spin on it is magnificent ur brain big. initially i would've seen these kinda hcs as reachy but z2 blew me away with just how scifi it became so i wouldn't put it past the writers to have cheer be so much more than it is in human terms!

RIGHT RIGHT i can’t even remember where i got the idea for the fairy thing from but after i watched the first movie at some point i was like damn this shit kinda makes sense... and everything kinda kept lining up. and the siren thing came from my friend while i was watching it w her, and i realized THAT connects to bucky too, and its just like. it makes WAY too much sense

i was kinda dreading z2 because i expected them to make addison a werewolf and i was so invested in my own hc at that point i was like NOOOO and i also don’t have much faith in disney channel because of descendants JFLKADSJFKLAS but they pulled through!!!!!! and z2 was even better than the first!!!

tbh i’d be totally fine w alien addison if that’s what ends up happening. i mainly just don’t want her to be 1. a zombie 2. a werewolf, or 3. maybe like... a vampire or something because those are all WAY too convenient and have no creativity to them at all

#lykensen #zombie lore

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atopearth · 4 years

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The Men of Yoshiwara: Kikuya Part 6 - Hayabusa (Hayato) Route

Oh no, I love big brother types! Hayato might be the death of me🤣 Honestly though, Misao and Hayato reminiscing their childhood memories of the time before he suddenly “disappeared” was sweet and nice. It felt like they really shared a bond that they both looked back on fondly and still remember to this day. I always find it heartwarming when two people cherish the same memories. As expected, their childhood separation seemed like a sad one since she was so attached to Hayato as a kid, but I guess Hayato adored her too, so it was painful for both. It also seems like he’s working hard in hope that he can leave Yoshiwara in a few years and properly confess to her at that time. He probably didn’t want to meet her under these circumstances, but I think it’s a good thing, since they’ll get to see whether they are both still the person that they liked so much in their childhood imo.

I was glad Hayato sent that letter to tell her to come to Kikuya. I mean, despite how he wants himself to feel, I doubt many people could resist seeing the person they love when they’ve just reunited haha. Lol at him asking questions to see if she had been visiting Yoshiwara frequently, but it was nice of him to apologise for probing to see if she was still “pure”. More than the fact of whether she was pure or not, I think Hayato just wanted to believe that Misao is still just as innocent and sweet as she was when they were children, and confirming that she hasn’t changed probably made him happy, since it was inevitable for him to have changed considering his circumstances, but seeing the same Misao must make him feel that things can go back to how they used to be? Hayato seems so dejected about himself being a courtesan and not being worthy to be someone important to Misao, so his rejections can kinda hurt. But I can see why he wouldn’t take those valuable belongings from her though, it’s worth so much, how could he just take it like that lol. Lmao though, Hayato feeding her candy felt more like he was feeding a kid rather than it being something romantic. To be fair though, Misao is pretty childish lol, especially since he had to convince her in such a cute way that she should keep the valuables to herself just in case she needs money in the future. I knew he cheated in the game for her sake (so that she would take the valuables home), but that’s understandable since Misao is stubborn.

I don’t like the name Hayabusa so I’m going to keep calling him Hayato haha. Hearing him speak about his childhood memories with Misao, you can really see how much he cherished them, and how much he’s been wanting to see Misao all this time. It’s kinda saddening though, because whilst Misao pretty much just went on with her life after he left, it feels like for Hayato, Misao has always been his motivation to leave Yoshiwara asap so he can properly meet her as another man rather than as a courtesan. Ohh wow, I’m kinda glad the story is focusing a bit on the idea of Misao possibly getting caught for letting the couple elope. It was always just an excuse for Misao to have the money to go to Kikuya so I’m kind of happy that they’re actually exploring the consequences in this route. On the other hand, Hayato really can’t keep his cool when it comes to Misao huh? He loses most of his judgement and rationality that you can really tell how much she means to him. It’s a good and bad thing though, since he needs to keep calm to help her better, but it’s heartwarming to see that he’s not completely jaded by the world of Yoshiwara. It’s so sweet how Hayato used his allowance ever since he was a kid to buy those comfit candies all the time hoping to give it to Misao someday. Her existence really kept him going… I think Iroha’s proposal to keep the valuables at Kikuya as payment to see Hayato is a good idea. Iroha obviously doesn’t seem to care about where the money came from as long as it’s money, and Misao needs to hide them from the people checking up on her, and she wants to keep seeing Hayato, so really, it’s mostly a win win situation.

I kinda like how Hayato finally decided to express his feelings and kiss Misao. He’s afraid that she might find another courtesan before he’s able to leave Kikuya and I think that’s understandable lol. But I’m glad he’s finally being honest with himself, since even though Misao would wait for him, I don’t find there being any reason to force themselves to not see each other until he’s free from Kikuya. Misao and Iroha were really careless to talk a bit about their deal at the entrance to Kikuya, and lol right when I was thinking how careless they were, the patrol supervisor busted in trying to arrest Misao since they already investigated that it’s impossible for her to have such valuables. It was pretty crazy but expected that Hayato would admit to their crimes in her place. I find it crazy that the police or whatever would torture Hayato and possibly execute him… I love how nice and caring all the guys are in this route though. I wonder if it’s because Hayato is such a sweet and honest guy hahaha. You can really see why Hayato admires Takao, not only is he a great courtesan, he’s also a really reliable and kind guy. It was touching to see how far Hayato was willing to go to protect Misao tbh.

Well, Misao’s mother knowing the patrol supervisor was certainly convenient! And it was because Misao’s mother stopped the patrol supervisor from eloping back then that she ended up being able to live an honest life here, so she owes Misao’s mother lol. It’s kinda interesting though, makes me wonder whether the patrol supervisor did this job because she wanted to stop people from risking their lives going to the mainland and wants them to instead work hard and hope for a future here instead, or does she just think they’re stupid now lol? But not everyone is a top courtesan so not everyone gets to pay off their debts… Maybe I’m just thinking too much haha. Anyway, it was nice to see Misao and Hayato reunited. Oh btw, not sure but I feel like from Kagura onwards, the story really doesn’t delve much into the sex, it’s just kinda like, they did it, yay! Whereas, in Tokiwa and Takao’s routes, they actually sounded pretty steamy! I personally don’t really care, but it just felt kinda weird to be lacking in that part when it’s a story about courtesans hahaha. I also kinda like how in this route, instead of wasting her money all on meeting the guy or whatever, the valuables do end up contributing to allowing Hayato to retire early and being able to marry Misao. It’s kinda nice that it shows how Hayato really did work hard all these years, but at the same time, it was a blessing that these valuables ended up bringing happiness to another couple, which is what the eloped couple hoped for Misao to have due to her kindness, so I liked that it showed how what goes around comes around haha.

I think it’s nice that in the sequel it shows how Misao and Hayato are both helping out with their family businesses. I guess it’s just nice to see how they both have families and are both working hard taking care of their parents and their own married life. I love the trope where they share a candy together through kissing, it sounds nice and sweet hahaha! The happy ending was interesting, since the both of them decided to go to the mainland and look for the eloped couple to tell them about how the girl’s parents have been looking for them etc, and it was nice to know that they were thinking of writing a letter back. Not sure if that’s a great idea since they eloped but I guess the game doesn’t really care about that hahaha.

Overall, I liked Hayato, but I feel like I mainly liked him because he’s a big brother type rather than for himself. Like, Hayato is sweet, he’s kind and very self sacrificing and stuff, but I feel like their romance lacked a spark. I feel like maybe it’s because a lot of their feelings relied on you understanding how much they loved and cared for each other back when they were kids rather than seeking to show how much they loved each other in the present. It was still nice though, because it was quite saddening to see how much Hayato thought about Misao and how much he wanted to see her once he could leave, and I really liked the change in perspective/story where they focused on the consequences of eloping and how it can affect others. And Hayato is super cute so it’s all good haha.

Overall Review I feel like Kikuya gets a lot of mixed reviews so I was a bit scared that I wasted my money, but I think it was better than I thought! Honestly thought the courtesan setting was going to be pretty trashy but it was actually pretty pure lol. It doesn’t delve a lot into the darkness of Yoshiwara and stuff, but it definitely establishes that the life of the LIs aren’t one to be envied, until they meet Misao anyway, because that brings happiness into their lives lol. Although most of the routes were pretty average, I did really enjoy the Takao, Tokiwa and Hayabusa (Hayato) routes. The game definitely doesn’t have a great plot, especially with how ridiculous some things can be, but it’s mainly a game for the romance anyway, so that’s fine haha. At times, I do have to admit even the romance isn’t the greatest either though, and I think only Takao really appealed to me, but it still has its merits with the variety I guess haha. I’d say if the game is on special and you’re bored, I’d recommend it, otherwise, there’s really nothing special about it lol. It’s pretty typical, pretty cliche but it was still kinda enjoyable. It’s not too long either (around 20 hours according to my Switch), so that’s good I guess? I’d say it’s easy to read since you can kinda turn off your brain and enjoy it, but at the same time you can’t when you’re faced with some ridiculous situations hahaha. Overall though, it’s not bad, I’d give it like a 6/10 probably.

#the men of yoshiwara #the men of yoshiwara kikuya

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so-shiny-so-chrome · 5 years

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Witness: KirkyPet

Creator name (AO3): KirkyPet

Creator name (Tumblr): kirkypet

Link to creator works: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KirkyPet/works

Q: Why the Mad Max Fandom?

A: I was actually quite fixated on Fury Road after watching it on DVD. I didn’t expect to particularly like it - I’d never seen the previous Mad Max movies (I finally have!) - but I was transfixed. And I didn’t particularly ship Furiosa and Max until the haemothorax/transfusion scene (although then I very much did). There were just so many layers of detail and backstory there waiting to be explored, because so little was actually said or explained. It’s like a neutron star of fic-fodder. And I didn’t discover ao3 til summer 2016 so I spent a full year wandering around like a lost soul. So, yeah. Quite a huge deal for me really.

Q: What do you think are some defining aspects of your work? Do you have a style? Recurrent themes?

A: Music. Minor characters looking on and commenting on the protagonists (big fan of Thomas Hardy’s more comedic efforts, where this happens a lot). Reasonably happy endings.

Q: Which of your works was the most fun to create? The most difficult? Which is your most popular? Most successful? Your favourite overall?

A: Maybe the small town modern AU (Ordinary People), because it was a nice change from the Wasteland setting. I’m not very Wasteland-minded at all. But the Bladerunner AU (Do Androids Dream etc) and the new Firefly AU are lots of fun because the two sets of movie worlds mesh together way better than I’d expected.

The most difficult? - My Wasteland headcanon stuff. It’s too fluffy and not remotely violent which doesn’t really ring true. I’m very aware that my Furiosa is hardly ever violent, or my Max particularly mad. But that’s the great thing about fanfiction - the infinite versions of characters and scenarios. Surprisingly the Blues Brothers AU is quite tricky. I can’t quite make Jake Blues and Furiosa the same person. But it’s an excuse to listen to great tunes. And Jessie will make a comeback in that one though (she’s not dead, I should make that clear).

On the old kudos-to-hits ratio, the Firefly AU is taking off surprisingly well, but it’s quite smut-focused so that might well account for it ;) early days yet. Bladerunner AU is doing well for a multi-chapter. Up Around The Bend (an oldie, the escape from the Citadel) is hanging in there.

Most successful? I’m happy enough with all of them, except maybe I Kissed A Girl. Please don’t read that. Favourite overall - It’s a toss-up between Ordinary People (a chance to explore my headcanon in a modern small town setting) and the Bladerunner AU (it makes me weep).

Q: How do you like your wasteland? Gritty? Hopeful? Campy? Soft? Why?

A: Hopeful and silly and everyone has access to a record player somehow. This is why I stick to writing AUs these days. But I’ll happily read all of the above!!! And entirely intend to!

Q: Walk us through your creative process from idea to finished product. What's your prefered environment for creating? How do you get through rough patches?

A: Watch a film, browse tumblr, listen to music, get an idea. Have a good think about it, think about it some more, find a starting point, write it down, go from there. Maybe stick a draft on tumblr if I’m not sure if it’s going to fly. Write it anyway.

For OCs, figure out what someone looks like. That’s weirdly essential for me. Zal (Furiosa’s Dad) is Ed Harris, Young Val (Furiosa and Max’s grownup daughter) is Alicia Vikander and Toots (rescued-kid-turned-Wasteland-son-in-law) is Didier Drogba (bit of a blast from the past but hey). I was getting nowhere with Blues Mothers Jessie until I recast her as Sofia Boutella (because if Max is getting a generational update, she needs one too). And Firefly AU’s Mister Jobassa is Jakob Oftebro. All very pretty people, but what are you gonna do? But they’re only these people in MY head - they can be whoever the reader wants them to be. Oh, and Pin from Ordinary People was 100% an actual real tour guide I met on holiday once.

Preferred environment? Usually while half asleep in bed, or walking, or In the gym, or watching tv - world building seems to be something that happens away from the keyboard. Writing itself is exclusively on my phone so can and does happen anywhere at all. Rough patches are usually caused by guilt that I’m not spending enough time on the day job :P

Q: What (if any) music do you listen to for help getting those creative juices flowing?

A: I listen to music all the time anyway, mainly upbeat pre-90s tunes. Disco, funk, ska, motown, anything like that. And it always find its way into the writing. Sometimes artificially (where I’m on a song-lyrics-as-title theme - it took ages for some of the Wasteland fics) but most times it can help shape the story in a BIG way. I can’t listen to certain songs now without reliving a chapter or a whole fic - Dionne Warwick’s Do You Know The Way To San José is Bladerunner!Furiosa’s Green Place song, and Ash’s Angel Interceptor is StarTrek!Max’s flying music - it’s noisy enough but also speaks to me about a longing to not be alone in the universe. Concrete and Clay is smalltown!Max’s bittersweet lament for Jessie and Twistin’ The Night Away is the final party scene in Cheedo’s update of The Rivals. Some fics wouldn’t have been written at all if it wasn’t for a particular song. The Black Keys’ Heavy Soul was my original Wasteland Furiosa/Max ship theme back in 2015, before I’d even heard of ao3 - that’s the closest I’ve come to a song fic. Caleb was only Caleb because of a line in Symarip’s Skinhead Moonstomp, and I was so desperate to write a fic with Leo Sayer’s You Make Me Feel Like Dancing In it that it was the final excuse for a whole modern mirrorverse to my Wasteland headcanon series. Bet you’re sorry you asked now. But I’ll have to go and put together a Kirkyverse OST list.

Q: What is your biggest challenge as a creator?

A: To put the damn thing down and walk away. To not assume it’s awful if I don’t get a kudos in the first thirty hits. Thumb cramp from phone-typing.

Q: How have you grown as a creator through your participation in the Mad Max Fandom? How has your work changed? Have you learned anything about yourself?

A: I didn’t write at all before the Mad Max fandom. Apart from a ghost story when I was about seven (it did win a prize tbh) and a truly god awful Stephen King rip-off when I was fourteen (which makes me nauseous from embarrassment when I think of it). So a fair bit, it’d probably be fair to say. It would be impossible not to, you know, from zero :) My work has changed from spinoffs of inspirational fics (thanks Squid!) to ‘well, I suppose I’ve got a head canon, let’s see if I can make this work’ to ‘goddammit I’ll finish this if it kills me’. Then I missed my exit on the Roundabout of Fic Endings and had to go round again in a modern AU mirror verse. Now it’s all movie mashups, which is lots of fun and probably never-ending. During which time I have learned that crossovers are my favourite to write. And that writing fanfic is probably not a temporary fad :)

Q: Which character do you relate to the most, and how does that affect your approach to that character? Is someone else your favourite to portray? How has your understanding of these characters grown through portraying them?

A: I don’t really have a favourite tbh. They’re all their own people and do their own thing. Writing them is very dependent on their environment, and it’s often surprising how they behave and where they end up. It feels a bit like they’re on Whose Line Is It Anyway?

Q: Do you ever self-insert, even accidentally?

A: Hah yes. The first one was Zephyr the annoying visitor in Witches and Ogres. Young Val’s social awkwardness in As was very much on loan from me.

Q: Do you have any favourite relationships to portray? What interests you about them?Furiosa and Max are pretty much always there - sometimes it’s probably platonic, and sometimes there’s a third person involved (nothing posted yet but but but). It depends on the fic.

Q: Do you prefer to create in one defined chronology or do your works stand alone? Why or why not?

A: One big long chronology for the headcanon series (childhood to old age), then a whole bunch of little universes for everything else.

Q: To break or not to break canon? Why?

A: Not to break, as much as I can. But it depends.

Q: Share some headcanons.

A: Furiosa was never actually a wife - she was captured but dodged the whole Vault experience. Max is the original Max, of Jessie and Sprog fame. Toecutter was Joe’s younger self - he scooted around on motorbikes and raised hell before deciding to settle down and take the Citadel. AU Toast and Dag are twins (from a shady mob family). Furiosa’s Dad is a friendly Wasteland bandit.

Q: If you work with OCs walk us through your process for creating them. Who are some of your favourites?

A: They’re supplementary characters who make the plots fit together, and sources of conflict or humour (usually both). I think I like Ordinary People’s Alexa and Mallory best. Although the Irish War Boy crew in Beyond the Pale were fun to write. Ace’s trio of love interests (Brick, Big Dave and Caleb/Pin) are a consistent theme. Sometimes I steal characters from other sources (stand up Christopher Brookmyre) when it’s convenient.

Q: What sparks your many wonderful AUs?

A: Movies, tv, gifs, tumblr prompts and general chitchat (thankyou btw!!!)

Q: A lot of your fics are light-hearted and hopeful, which is great to see for the apocalyptic Mad Max world. Your thoughts on that? What is it about the characters that inspires you to reframe them?

A: I just really like comedy and am committed to winkling it into every fictional scenario whether it’s appropriate or not. Glad people don’t hate it!

Q: Who are some works by other creators inside and outside of the fandom that have influenced your work?

A: Well, it was Squid’s ( @sacrificethemtothesquid )Length and Breadth of Fury Road that got me out of the starting blocks! Christopher Brookmyre’s The Sacred Art of Stealing was a big influence on my headcanon series, as was a particular Coronation Street storyline from some years back :)

Q: Tell us about a current WIP or planned project.

A: Blues Brothers AU series (Sweet Home Chicago) -Wasteland Star Trek First Contact AU (Angel Interceptor) -Firefly AU (Our Mister Jobassa) -His Dark Materials AU (unnamed as yet, just brewing in my head, hope it just stays there for the meantime) -Will combine all the headcanon works into one long fic sometime. That’s everything from Witches and Ogres through to Ordinary People. Probably be called ‘All the Things that I’ve Done’ (basically the two lives of Furiosa: Wasteland and mirrorverse).

Thank you @kirkypet

#Mad Max Fandom Creator Spotlight #Mad Max Fandom Spotlight #mad max fanfic #mad max fanfic author spotlight #fury road fandom #fury road fanfic #kirkypet

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harvard-and-stuff · 5 years

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What’s in my School Bag

To the anon that asked for this, here you go 💖

1. Backpack

The backpack that I use is the Heritage Herschel one. I mainly bought it because my laptop is really big and it can’t fit in normal small backpacks. This one though has proved to be so good. I’m not one to change backpacks according to season. I’ll only switch if it gets ruined and i’ve had it for over 3 years now and it works perfectly!

2. Inside the backpack

I usually go to the library after class so I pack my bag accordingly.

(a) Laptop: I use my laptop for almost everything. I don’t take notes by hand either, so this is essential.

(b) Books/Notebooks:

- School related

I’m currently taking International Relations and Trades and Finance, so I will take the books for that course with me. Mind you each of these is around 500 pages, so my bag is pretty full by this point. Also my agenda is always with me. Sometimes I’ll bring my journal (if I feel like I might write in it, or if I have an important day ahead and I know I won’t write about it when I go home).

If it’s during one of the days that I will study some elective course online, or if i’m self-studying a foreign language i’ll bring the respective notebooks and study books with me.

- Non school related

I’ll usually bring my Kindle with me (on here I’m currently reading “The Snow Child” by Ewoyn Ivey), or whatever book I am reading. Currently it’s “The Railway” by Hamid Ismailov (it’s such a good book).

(c) Pencil case: I don’t have a lot of stuff here that’s why I can get away with a smaller pencil case. Usually what I will have is a USB drive, three of these pens (these are the absolute best pens I’ve ever used - have been using this particular brand for more than 4 years now), a pencil, a sharpener, ruler, eraser, post it notes, tissues and this pen for underlining things in my agenda.

(d) Makeup case:

I’m a big advocate of you never know when the occasion arises where you need to be a little more dressed up. Always keep a make-up case with you.

In mine I have: lip balm, dark lipstick (in the colour “Pirate”), light lipstick (in the colour “Discreet”), lip gloss (in the colour “Eccentric Flower”), cushion foundation, face mist (I have super dry skin), cream blush, roll up perfume, mascara. On hot days I’ll usually bring a deodorant too (the small travel sized ones) because I sweat like a dude haha

Also, tbh I don’t wear makeup on normal school days. I’ll usually stick to mascara, the light lipstick, lip gloss and face mist.

(e) Water bottle: During summer I’ll use a 500ml one and infuse the water with herbs, yuzu (it’s so so good, btw you can find cheaper versions of this in your local asian grocery store) or a mint-lemon-cardamom blend. During winter I’ll usually get a thermos and use to keep tea or coffee warm. Especially during exam season when I only want to focus on work and not take coffee breaks! I usually keep a zip log bag full of different tea blends and the library has warm water so I’ll make tea in the library or bring coffee from home.

(f) Food: I usually pack my own lunch and this is the thermos I use. I really love it! It keeps the food warm for a long time, and it’s been really convenient for me especially when places don’t have microwaves. However, I don’t always have space to put this in my bag so I just hold it in my hand and it has a strap of its own so it’s quite convenient.

(g) Accessories:

- Wallet: i don’t actually remember the brand. It’s a super old wallet. Again I don’t really throw things away unless they get ruined or I see no purpose for them anymore.

- Sunglasses: I couldn’t find the exact style, so this is just something similar to mine.

- Headphones

This was super long, but I had a lot of fun writing it so here you go!! xx

#this was a lot of fun to write haha #ask #for the anon #tadaaa #i probably forgot smth as per usual but i can't think of what now #whats in my backpack

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dragimal · 6 years

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thoughts on Voltron s7

this is prolly old hat by now, but I still wanna throw my two cents to the wind. this is gonna get very rambly, and I’m gonna derail A LOT to air out other grievances I have w/ the show/fandom. a rant like this has been a long time coming-- the reception to s7 only pushed me to write this now. so beware, I guess. also I’m not rly tryin to Start Shit, so I’m slottin’ this under the cut

I think I should start at the beginning: I didn’t like Voltron for the first 3 seasons.

it was perfectly passable, but not.... exactly the kinda thrilling saga Tumblr made it out to be. all the hype put me under the impression that VLD was a deeply emotional/character-driven story much like ATLA-- I was sorely disappointed to find this wasn’t the case. instead, I found a typical space-mecha plot populated by pretty tropey characters-- certainly not bad, but not all that emotionally gripping either

I actually grew p bitter over Voltron’s particular brand of popularity-- mainly the comparisons to ATLA, as if VLD was anywhere as deep and clever. I wasn’t mad that it was popular so much as it seemed popular for the wrong reasons

now I’m not saying that enjoying VLD is “childish” or whatever, I’m just saying that comparing VLD to ATLA is p damn insulting, imo. ATLA has a level of depth in plot, worldbuilding, themes, character arcs/interactions, etc. that’s incredibly impressive-- esp for a kid’s show. u just don’t get that depth from VLD-- and honestly, that’s just fine! I know I’m singing ATLA’s praises to the heavens here, but I’m also kinda sick of Tumblr trying to compare every damn thing to ATLA, as if every piece of media HAS to be another ATLA to be worthy of praise (like the whole “Zuko redemption arc” thing has been taken wayyyyy too far when critiquing villains...)

ATLA and VLD aren’t trying to accomplish the same things, so it’s kinda shitty to place those kinda expectations on the creators of VLD when they’re trying to do their own thing? like, I don’t expect Osomatsu-san-- a very stupid show I deeply adore-- to be the next FMA just b/c both shows have a focus on brotherly bonds; they’re clearly two separate things that I can enjoy for different reasons

anyways, to cut that ramble short, VLD just wasn’t my thing when I first started it. I’m not big on mechas, and I typically prefer pointed storylines over ‘adventure-of-the-week’ setups. not that VLD doesn’t have some underlying plot for the first couple seasons, but it takes a while to get past random villain fights and/or adventures every ep and condense it into a continuous plot thread. some ppl like that kinda thing, I just don’t. the reason I continued to watch it-- despite my misgivings-- is b/c I like watching things with friends. my bf has always liked VLD and wanted me to see it, so I enjoyed watching it with our audience of two

I’m glad this setup forced me to continue watching, or else I would have never reached the turning point-- episode 33 (s3): “The Legend Begins”

this was the point at which my feelings switched from “eh” to “oh... OH. OH SHIT.” I’d finally started to get INVESTED. I finally began to develop real attachments to the characters! I was finally eager to learn what happened next; finally perched at the edge of my seat in anticipation! VLD had finally found its footing and solidified its unique voice, and I couldn’t have been more proud!

yet, what did I hear from the fandom as this narrative transition began?

“the show has gone downhill, and it’s only getting worse!″, "[x] characters aren’t developing anymore” and/or “the showrunners HATE [x] character!”, etc. etc.

though I suppose it’s a bit simplistic to say the fandom as a whole thought this way; in reality, just a vocal subset of the fandom thought-- and continues to think-- this way

yes, patient reader, this is one of those conversations. because we really can’t have a proper fandom discussion anymore w/o getting into those topics, can we? god, if only

so I’ll stop beating around the bush: antis fucking hate the new seasons, mainly because:

1) a lot of antis love Lance for some reason? antis don’t like the fact that Lance isn’t, like, the entire damn focus of the show (calls for “black paladin Lance” galore....), so they don’t like the fact that other main characters play significant roles in the show. this has devolved into unfounded critique of Lance’s character development in the last few seasons, when in reality Lance has gotten SIGNIFICANT development from s4 onward (just like most every other character..). he’s gotten more confidant in his abilities and is less defensive of his character, he’s more cooperative w/ his teammates, and he’s learned to (usually) recognize when a situation requires a serious approach rather than nonchalance. like, as someone who doesn’t much like Lance, I think it says something that my feelings have advanced from, “jesus I can’t stand this guy, can he shut up for one goddamn second,” to, “nice, Lance is mostly bearable and sometimes charming, now.” this point bleeds into the next point--

2) a lot of antis LOVE klance-- or the ship Keith/Lance, for any random readers that don’t know the Voltron fandom. klantis-- as these particular antis have been dubbed-- hate ANY semblance of connection either of these characters have w/ other characters, b/c it threatens klance. Keith and Lance both canonically have strong connections to other specific characters (Keith to Shiro, and Lance to Allura), so these ships are the most threatening to klance

now, all stans/shippers have fans that are a bit too defensive, sure. I’m not saying that sheiths (Shiro/Keith shippers) or any other stans/shippers in VLD aren’t ever at fault. but antis always ALWAYS bring an insidious dimension to fandom wank in the form of-- for lack of a better term-- “social justice posturing”

I’m not claiming that discussions abt representation and sj issues in fandom aren’t important, but antis always take these sensitive issues and simply use them as ammo in what are typically giant ship wars. there’s no nuance, no room for different interpretations-- only black/white divisions of what is “valid”/”canon”/”acceptable”, which are then strategically warped in favor of what the antis of that particular fandom favor (which, in the case of VLD, is Lance/klance)

of course, not ALL VLD antis are specifically out to discredit just one ship, as evidenced by the proliferation anti-shaladins (those against shippers of Shiro w/ ANY of the paladins). BUT this is exactly where anti tactics are utilized in full-force, and where this petty ship war further devolves:

antis fucking HATE Shiro.

Shiro poses the biggest threat to klance (at least in terms of fandom, b/c Allura canonically poses a much bigger threat tbh), thus antis have steadily built a “case” against Shiro not only as a bad partner to Keith, but as a bad character in general. the more “reasonable” antis claim things like, “Shiro’s too mentally ‘broken’ to be with anyone!” “Shiro’s too old to be with anyone, he’s practically a grandpa!” and, “Shiro’s too much of a parental/guardian figure to consider any paladins as potential partners,” while more extreme antis have claimed that Shiro literally IS a pedophile, or straight-up dangerous due to his mental hang-ups

there is clearly a lot wrong here both canon-wise (Shiro has shown 0% confirmable attraction to any character in canon; everyone’s actual ages are vague at best, thus there are no exact age gaps to measure, etc.) and in terms of plain ethics (callin a guy w/ ptsd “too broken” fuckin WHAT). but this is what antis have devolved to-- dismissing Shiro’s mutual connections to his fellow paladins at best, then accusing him of straight-up horrific shit at worst. all in the name of protecting a ship. boy howdy.

(*SIDENOTE* I hypothesize that Allura doesn’t get nearly the same level of hate b/c mlm ships are favored in fandom, thus there are more sheith shippers than allurance (Allura/Lance) shippers to oppose klance. she may also be protected by Tumblr’s over-the-top glamorizing of any and every female character, but that’s a rlyyyy weird discussion that’s hard to quickly/accurately dissect, so I’ll just leave that particular hypothesis to the side..)

anyways, patient reader, let us return this tangent back to the original point: the general criticisms directed at s4 and onward. how do antis relate to this?

well, it’s real fuckin convenient that ppl suddenly started recognizing VLD’s writing/plot/etc. flaws when the show wasn’t catering quite AS much to Lance, or Lance/Keith interactions. real fuckin convenient ppl suddenly started criticizing Shiro as a character when said character’s relationship w/ Keith began to gain more focus and development. real fuckin convenient that ppl are finally recognizing that VLD isn’t as great as ATLA, when the last few seasons have gotten PRETTY DAMN CLOSE to ATLA’s level of emotional depth

so I’m bitter abt Voltron again. but rather than being bitter abt VLD being popular for the wrong reasons, I’m bitter that VLD’s flaws are finally being recognized for the wrong fucking reasons

and this is where it gets real fucking dangerous, b/c antis are dangerously persuasive to the general fandom public

since antis use sj language as ammunition for petty-ass shit, they can easily gain the attention of... god, I hate that I have to unironically use this term, but Tumblr “normies”. I literally have no better, simple term to describe somebody on Tumblr who hasn’t watched VLD (or simply hasn’t engaged in the fandom in a significant way), so please just roll w/ me here, for my own sanity. so Tumblr normies-- as those on Tumblr are prone to-- are vigilant in keeping up w/ sj issues across the board. this is good! it’s good to be aware of and critical of the content we consume..... until it’s. not.

I’m not the first to say that Tumblr has a very warped, very dangerous approach to sj activism. much like full-on antis, there is so much black/white thinking, lack of nuance, swift and unforgiving retribution for even slightly differing opinions, etc etc. it’s why so many ppl on Tumblr even ARE antis, b/c it’s rly just the fandom-offshoot of this mentality

but even beyond the most extreme “activists” of tumblr, anti’s sj language is dangerously appealing to even the chill normies-- nobody WANTS to support dangerous relationships or bad representation, after all! so they latch onto that rhetoric too, b/c when normies see antis' (usually unfounded) criticisms thrown around, they don’t know the show/fandom well enough to be able to verify those criticisms. and like, I get the appeal of it-- I’ve def made similar mistakes w/ unfamiliar fandoms as well, b/c I want to support a cause that seems just. it’s p natural to want to align w/ what we perceive as a just cause, esp when convinced by a persuasive speaker

thus, antis have gained a significant following of normies due to the simple fact that Tumblr normies DO care abt sj issues, but they DON’T care enough to research the show themselves to see what’s what

so, let me quickly recap the stage I’ve set for you here:

1) the fandom in general has given Voltron more credit than is due, and has subsequently placed ridiculous expectations on it. this has given Tumblr normies a false impression of VLD and its standards

2) antis are SUPREMELY protective of klance (and Lance in general), and have thrown around WILD accusations at any ships that threaten it, leading to--

3) antis throwing Shiro under the bus time and fucking time again.

4) by abusing sj language/tactics, antis appeal to Tumblr normies’ sense of duty, thus gain their approval in ganging up on whatever antis deem unjust in VLD-- whether it’s actually valid or not

so fuckin forgive me for being a bit skeptical when I heard rumors of “bury your gays” in Voltron from antis/normies, when these same ppl are actively throwing around accusations of pedophilia in the name of goddamn shipping

but I’ll fully admit, I passed judgement on this criticism a bit too quick, considering I hadn’t even seen the new season yet. it’s never good to blindly accept opinions purely on the basis that they bolster ur own assumptions, and I’m not immune to that charming trap (tho thankfully I’m not typically a vocal member fandom, so I was mostly just nodding along w/ my fellow shieths asdfg)

so finally, dear reader, we reach the actual point of this post: after seeing s7 for myself, what even ARE my opinions on it?

well. the handling of Adam and his relationship to Shiro............... wasn’t great. it was pretty fuckin terrible, actually. despite all I’ve said against antis, I agree w/ their general view that Adam’s relationship w/ Shiro (and his subsequent death) was shoddy, underdeveloped, and disrespectful to some degree. I’m personally not sure it’s worth the title of “bury your gays” for several different reasons, but I wouldn’t fault someone for calling it that, b/c there are definitely several other reasons that reinforce that trope. it’s worth discussing, and definitely worth voicing criticisms towards, esp in terms of Dreamworks’ “lgbt rep” advertising before s7′s release (which was absolutely scummy, there’s just no other word for it)

so if I agree w/ antis’ basal complaints in this instance, then why the hell am I even talking abt this? why am I putting so much effort into dissecting the fandom, only to essentially reach the same conclusion as those I fundamentally disagree with?

well, I suppose it’s all abt the framing.

I’m not gonna link the post b/c, again, I Don’t Wanna Start Shit, but most of y’all have prolly seen that one post that breaks down the history of the “bury your gays” trope, and how it was possibly utilized in VLD. it’s a p good argument in that respect-- I think it hits the main points of how/why Adam and his relationship w/ Shiro was just plain Bad

and to the untrained “normie” eye, that’s all it is. however, there is a cryptic framing present that reinforces anti talking points, which only someone involved in the fandom would recognize.

(*SIDENOTE* I don’t mean to pick on SPECIFICALLY this post, I just think it’s a nice rundown of a few of the main rhetorical tactics used by antis. it’s certainly not a unique post in the fandom, but merely a good example of this brand of posts)

for one, this post forces an emotional distance between Shiro and the paladins. this post INSISTS that Shiro can ONLY be interpreted as a guardian character that can’t relate to the other paladins in any significant way due to age gaps and traumatic experience. THUS, according to antis, Adam was the only person that Shiro could have intimately discussed his problems w/ b/c they’re the same age and have a history. Adam's death removed this potential confidante, thus leaving Shiro to sort out his issues alone

while I agree that it would have been nice to see Shiro chat w/ a new character he has a history with (esp considering we rly haven’t gotten much backstory on Shiro yet), so much of this argument is simply false

I’ve already mentioned the bullshit that is the vague age gaps, but even if we were to take them into account, there ARE characters who are assumedly at or over Shiro’s age: Coran and Allura. and yeah, Coran is prolly not the best choice in terms of real emotional connection, but Allura? she could prolly fuckin relate. Shiro’s had his body and autonomy violently violated by the Galra, to the point that his original body is now destroyed; Allura has had her culture and people violently violated by the Galra, to the point the her original planet/culture is now destroyed. Shiro is/was a leader to the paladins, and takes their collective failures to heart as his personal failures to his team; Allura is a literal princess to her people, and takes their downfall as a personal reflection of her lack of ability to protect them. their situations obviously shouldn’t be 1:1 conflated, but to say they have no points of relation here is fuckin insulting

but since age gaps like this mean JACK SHIT when it comes simply developing emotional connections and mutual respect, we don’t even need to go so far as to match ages! this is evidenced by actual intimate interactions Shiro has had with the paladins!

the first one that comes to mind even involves antis’ favorite-- Lance! episode 45 (s5): “The White Lion” involved a moment where Shiro approached Lance on his own and opened up abt his mental health, saying he, “didn’t feel like himself.” now it could be argued that this was Shiro’s clone-- not Actual Shiro-- approaching Lance for help. tho I firmly believe that are still true parts of Shiro present in his clone, even if he’s not fully there. the clone is still protective of his team (before his mind is COMPLETELY hijacked, of course), and I believe any connections/loyalty/trust Shiro has towards the paladins is still true for the clone (even if this can, once again, be forcibly overridden). this moment is Shiro-- the part of Actual Shiro that’s present in his clone-- approaching a fellow teammate for help. of course, Lance doesn’t know exactly what to do in this situation, but he at least stays w/ Shiro for support

and then of course there are all the great moments Shiro has w/ Keith that antis want to forget abt. moments where Keith has laid down his health and safety for Shiro, moments where Keith has barred his soul to Shiro, moments where Keith has done everything in his power to reach out to a hurt and struggling Shiro. moments where Keith has made it ABUNDANTLY fucking clear that he’s here to the bitter end, that he’ll NEVER give up on Shiro. it literally doesn’t fucking matter if u interpret these scenes as platonic or romantic, b/c the fact of the matter is that Shiro and Keith care DEEPLY abt each other in some shape or form. disregarding that is forcibly ignorant. also, we've now confirmed that Keith and Shiro do have a HISTORY back at the Garrison together before all this Voltron nonsense started (even if it isn’t necessarily a romantic history), so Keith also has that leg up

the subtle framing of Shiro as STRICTLY a “guardian” character is also a classic anti tactic, as it implies a sort of pseudo-pedophilic undertone to any Shiro/paladin ships, which is just.... gross and dishonest. yes, he’s canonically a leader to the paladins, and oftentimes takes on a guardian-type role, but once again, he also canonically opens up to other paladins on a mutually respectful/intimate level. there’s nothing in canon that would strictly suggest he’s ONLY a guardian figure-- “space dad” is a fandom interpretation in the same way that framing him as Keith’s lover is a fandom interpretation. neither is more or less 'canon', and it's petty to suggest otherwise

another weird point in that post is the insistence that Shiro is a “tragic gay character”, which is just..... not fucking true, first of all. he’s definitely suffered the most out of any main character, I agree, but he’s GETTING THROUGH IT. he’s been pulled through it by the paladins, and he’s learning to use his own strength to pull through as well. he’s so incredibly fuckin strong and it’s a fuckin shame that ppl don’t see how inspirational he is to those that may be struggling emotionally. plus, he's never suffered BECAUSE he's gay, nor has he ever had a damn HINT of queer-coding until Adam was shoehorned in (which is its own separate problem w/ the show, but it's not a "tragic gay" problem)

but beyond all that is an even more subtle insistence that Shiro has always been a beloved character to ALL in the fandom. antis’ underlying implication that, “hey normies, Shiro-- our beloved Space Dad-- has been given the shit end of the stick, and u should be mad abt it too!”

as if antis haven’t spent the last several years shitting on Shiro at every turn, saying he’s got “scrambled egg brains” b/c of his ptsd, and other horrific shit. the fact that they can turn around to “defend Shiro’s honor” now that he’s *confirmed queer* (and, initially, confirmed less of a threat to klance due to Adam) and STILL be taken seriously is goddamn terrifying

like I am literally seeing posts like this-- IN 20FUCKIN18-- that normies are taking at face value and reinforcing:

to any normies reading this: SHIRO AND KEITH AREN'T FUCKING RELATED!! racist antis insist that they have to be related b/c they're both Asian and the second half of their last names (Shirogane and Kogane, respectively) are similar. I'm literally so baffled over how this tactic is ever taken seriously, but who fuckin knows I guess. and if antis are trying to make a case for adoptive siblings, Keith canonically met Shiro by at LEAST his early/mid teens-- LONGGGG past the developmental age of youth where he might latch onto another person as a strictly non-romanceable relative, so. No. fandom is free to interpret Keith and Shiro’s relationship as brotherly, but to say that that is the STRICT and true 'canon' interpretation of their relationship is, once again, fuckin petty and dishonest

just. how fuckin DARE antis act like they give a SINGLE goddamn shit abt Shiro’s emotional needs and trauma after pullin this shit. how fuckin DARE antis misuse real sj issues to appeal to the lowest common denominator in normies, looking for fodder to fuel the flames of hate

so, if I may be so bold as to utilize one of antis' many battlecrys: this discussion does not exist in a vacuum. Adam's shoehorned relationship w/ Shiro is shitty and worth criticism, absolutely. but brushing aside the fandom history driving the resulting uproar-- as if ship wars aren't HUGELY influencing this backlash-- is SUPREMELY fuckin ignorant

antis latched onto Adam HARD when he was first announced, despite all the signs he'd be a side character at best, that he was stated clearly to be Shiro's ex, and having no context for his personality. Adam was antis' newest shield to their ship-- somebody to take Shiro's romantic potential away from Keith, thus leaving Keith open to Lance. Adam's death eliminated that shield, leaving antis reeling-- they couldn't just jump right back into hating Shiro after having showered his newly-christened gay ass w/ praise for all of the Tumblr normies to see. so, their anger was tactically redirected towards Adam's development

there is nothing shocking abt any of this tbh. all antis is the same, and they're all bitter assholes that are completely willing to abuse real sj issues for their own goals. plain and simple.

I don't rly have a proper ending for this. I'll just say that I like s7 a helluva lot, and Adam’s shitty development doesn’t rly phase me? not everyone feels that way, which is valid, I just don’t particularly give a shit abt Adam. I have hope for s8-- esp in terms of potential development for Shiro. since Shiro got such heavy focus in s6, it makes sense that he was pushed to the sidelines a bit this season to leave room for the other characters (Keith, Lance, Commander Holt + Earth stuff in general, etc.) to develop and shine. I've heard rumors that Adam did in fact have more development that was cut, which I'm honestly willing to believe b/c the development we got felt cut short, rather than simply planned that sparsely in the first place. my hope is that s8 will return some focus to Shiro, and possibly slot in some of these cut scenes to bolster a better backstory to their relationship? pure speculation tho, and it doesn't rly excuse Adam's treatment in s7, but it's worth considering

before I completely end off here, I just want to go on one last FINAL tangent: I'm so damn disappointed that everyone is sleeping on kexa (Keith/Acxa)??? if anything it poses MUCH more canon threat to BOTH klance and sheith purely b/c it's 'safely hetero' and b/c the show itself has hinted at potential feelings there (“She’s always been sweet on that one with the flippity hair,” and “Oh look Acxa, it’s your favorite paladin~”). like I haven't seen antis OR sheiths even mention this, it's baffling. the fact that it'll prolly be canon is bittersweet for me: bitter b/c DAMN I love sheith, and sweet b/c damn.... I'm rly diggin kexa....

so the moral of this post is: blease appreciate Keith's beautiful goth gf, she deserves love

thank u and goodbye

#shut up ashley #voltron #voltron: legendary defender

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aja154ever · 6 years

Text

GRANRODEO LIVE 2018 e-ZUKA Tokamachi Gaisen Rodeo Gottaku - 05/20/2018

Just a quick very personal write-up about this Sunday’s live because I’ve been sent to paradise again. I need to let my feelings out.

Set List

SEED BLASTER

SUPERNOVA

Pierrot Dancin’

Can Do

move on! イバラミチ

Y.W.F.

マジカルストーリー

Urban Sweet

Snow Pallet

HAPPY LIFE

少年の果て (Acoustic)

Deadly Drive

メモリーズ

NO PLACE LIKE A STAGE

カナリヤ

modern strange cowboy

delight song

Infinite Love (Acoustic)

The Other self

バラライ

Go For It!

And ofc special tag @ikiyou Congratulations on overcoming the culture shock of a GRANRODEO live! How about the muscle pain the day after? 😂😂

So first of all, wow. I really went all the way to Niigata prefecture this time, which took like two and a half hours by bullet train + local train + walking, just to see GRANRODEO live. Is this the start of my “I’ll follow you wherever you go, Kiiyan” love story? (But hey, Niigata is actually e-zuka-san’s home lol)

It was my first time going out of Kanto region, and thus my first time to ride a bullet train. Luckily, ikiyou was able to go with me yayyy though we both were clueless most of the time during the whole trip lol.

When we got off at Tokamachi station, we were like, “Oh.” We were literally sent in the middle of the mountains and the rice fields, “Where the hell are we?” It was nevertheless very refreshing and calming to see Mother Nature for a long time.

Tokamachi is supposedly the nearest station to the concert venue but it was still more than a kilometer away so we had to walk our way there. Because of the tight schedule, unfortunately we didn’t actually have the time to go around the town for sight-seeing or smth. So the walk from the station turned out to be our only chance to see the place. It was kind of shocking as the place looks very rural, far, far from the metropolitan that Tokyo is. There was not a single convenience store in the area (which is really weird because hey we’re in Japan) and for some reason we do not know, almost all the stores were closed. Aside from fellow Rodeo girls/boys heading to the venue, there were almost no people walking on the streets. But anyway, speaking of the streets, oh my gosh. They were playing GRANRODEO music on the town streets’ speakers. 😭😭😭

It was a wonder that a concert venue actually exists in that rural place. When we arrived at the venue, finally we got food yey. They were selling some GRANRODEO-themed food like the curry which recipe is made by e-zuka-san’s mom, crepe, and even bottled water.

So we went inside and apparently the venue was smaller than I expected so our seats which are on the far right in the 7th row turned out to be closer to the stage than I imagined.

I’ve heard most of the songs in previous live concerts, so I’m not gonna talk about each song here.

SEED BLASTER - I am still wondering why they chose this song as the entrance for the two days. I’m not complaining but I was just not expecting it. 😊

Y.W.F - e-zuka-san made us dance the YMCA steps. Takita-san and Shin-kun also joined.

マジカルストーリー - This is magical. Kiiyan was so cute the whole time I don’t even know why

Urban Sweet - Just wanna say that I always like Kiiyan’s vocals for this song

Snow Pallet - OH MY GOSH. My inner self was crying. This is one of my favorite GR songs and finally, I heard it live! And we got to dance the cute steps with them. Gosh. I didn’t really expect this dream to come true this night. Me looking at Kiiyan’s big smile and biceps as I dance along with him while listening to him singing it. “Back-up dancers” in cow kigurumi costumes came out on stage to dance with us.

HAPPY LIFE, delight song - They are indeed happy songs. Also my first time hearing them live and they do sound better live!

少年の果て - Acoustic. Tbh I’m not a fan of this song but hey, it’s acoustic. Kiiyan was definitely shimmering akin to the flicker in my eyes as I looked at the source of the most beautiful sound in the world.

Deadly Drive - Oh my oh my oh my. It’s right there. My life. Bungou Stray dogs and GRANRODEO. I’ve been blessed.

NO PLACE LIKE A STAGE, カナリヤ, modern strange cowboy - Classic favorites for live performances. Always. Also, the main cause of post-live muscle pain 😂

Infinite Love - Acoustic played and sang by e-zuka-san as requested from his birthday last February. I really like this song in acoustic but I doubt if I’d ever have the chance to hear Kiiyan sing this live, so it’s actually remarkable that I heard it instead from e-zuka-san. And wow, it was definitely good! He was shining huhuhu and he even hit the high notes yeyy

Go For It! - IGPX will always be fun. Takita-san called out the Rodeo girls, Shin-kun the Rodeo boys, Kiiyan the swimsuit girls, and e-zuka-san playing around with Tokamachi locals and people not from Tokamachi which occurred for God knows how many times. And finally, IGPX 10 times with everyone!

Other notes:

Is it just me but Kiiyan’s biceps look bigger this time?? Or maybe I just missed them wait what are you saying I was not staring that much okay don’t judge me asdfghjkl but we can talk about it all day Anyway Kiiyan appeared in a hot red coat the first time aaaaahhhhh but ofc he had to take them off after two songs because he’s it’s hot

e-zuka-san talked a lot during the MC parts. I mean, A LOT. I didn’t understand most of them because he was speaking so fast (in Japanese ofc) and at times he even forgot what was he mainly talking about since new topics continued to branch out. One of the main talks was him talking about people he knew who came from Tokamachi who also got successful in music. It got too long he even suggested for Kiiyan to go take a rest backstage for a while lol

In the morning, Kiiyan and e-zuka-san walked around the town. Kiiyan found the place to be really beautiful (as seen in the photos he uploaded on Twitter). The first time he went to Niigata was last winter for Odorodeo, so back then it seemed like everything was pretty much covered in snow. Moreover, yesterday was raining and so it was only today that the weather turned out to be the best. He was like, “Ah so there are also other colors here aside from white.”

Meanwhile, Shin-kun and Takita-san shared that they really liked the food in Tokamachi like the soba, e-zuka-san’s mom’s curry, and the fresh vegetables.

In one of the songs (om I don't remember which), e-zuka-san went around the audience area on the first floor, from left all the way to the back then to the right 😭😭😭

Kiiyan gave us a special bonus when he walked all the way on both sides of the extended stage during Go For It!. On our side, he stopped in front of the farthest right seat on the sixth row so he was almost in front of us. I couldn’t handle it, I slapped ikiyou’s back a bit too strong and maybe I was squealing way too much. 😂 I really hope he saw us because hey it’s easy to spot foreigners in the crowd. Anyway two other blessed girls got to high-five him OMGeeeeeeeeeeeee

While Kiiyan always does the last jump at the end of every live, he made e-zuka-san jump this time. Our ojisan was so cute! He was definitely the star in this live!

Photos/Posts from Official Accounts:

Oh my, I missed writing fan reports here! I did go to other events but I haven’t been feeling of writing them on tumblr. But this event is totally special being my first live outside Kanto, and also as GRANRODEO’s first full live this year. I definitely missed this feeling!! (Oh yeah including the muscle pain the morning after lol) Furthermore, venues with seats really provide a good space for a lot of movement. I am given the freedom to move and groove as much as I want compared to all-standing venues where we all squeeze and smh hurt one another, though that kind of fun is also special in its own way. But the good elevation of seat rows really gave us a good view of the stage the whole time.

Now, what’s next? Kiiyan’s birthday celebration in Yamaguchi? I absolutely want to but I still don’t know if I can afford to go there! Argh, it pains me to think about it. Actually, it’s kinda sad that GR doesn’t seem to have a national tour this year. Anyway, no matter what, there’s still G13 in December! Time to go to Osaka yeyyy!

#granrodeo #taniyama kishou #iizuka masaaki #kishow #kiiyan #e-zuka #niigata #japan #music #my original content

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chorusnihili · 3 years

Note

Backstory Ask meme, numbers 1-6?

BACKSTORY ASK MEME

1. How did you first come up with your muse’s backstory, if you did at all?

I'm going to put this answer at the end because it's going to get long.

2. If your muse is from a particular show/movie/comic/etc. , how did you first react when you first found out about your muse’s backstory?

Haaa, I honestly wish I remember. I honestly can't even explain why I find Gaster fascinating or even why I chose to write him. I just do. I literally don't have an explanation and... it's kinda weird, tbh.

3. Is your muse’s backstory relatable to you?

Honestly? Not really! I mean, I can find bits and pieces that are similar but, honestly? He's had a rough life. To put it mildly. He experiences and has been through a lot that I haven't. I can sympathize, but it's honestly not something that's relatable to me, as I've thankfully had a fairly good life.

4. Would you rewrite your muse’s backstory? If so, how?

There's been a few parts that I've considered rewriting, mainly because I feel Inferior to other portrayals of Gaster, but as it stands I've held my ground and there's nothing I'm particularly dying to change.

5. What song reminds you of your muse’s backstory?

Echo, probably. It's cliché as fuck but I'm really terrible at associating music to things. Or associating anything, really.

6. Does anything fit your muse’s backstory aesthetically?

I usually use a lot of black vs white vs grey to represent Gaster. Not only because it's his own color scheme, but Symbolically of the good he wants to do, the evil he ends up doing, plus the battle of Determination vs Void, etc. What Gaster used to be, what he wants to be, what he's becoming, what he currently is.

1. How did you first come up with your muse’s backstory, if you did at all?

Hold onto your butts.

The thing with Dr. Gaster is that we get a few key points in canon, and that's about it. We know he was the Royal Scientist before Alphys, that he was incredibly intelligent, that he was destroyed by his own creation, that he created the CORE, and that he's 'scattered through space and time,' whatever that's supposed to mean.

I think as far as canon goes, that's all we get. Entry No. 17 is in Wingdings and assumed to be related to Dr. Gaster, because his initials are W.D. and people assume it stands for Wingdings, due to the precedence of Sans and Papyrus. Plus the MysteryMan, who most people assume is Dr. Gaster, but there's no real evidence either way.

The portrayals I were really interested in were the ones that portrayed this being as some eldritch creature beyond understanding, outside reality, that can toy with the world; sometimes appearing against Genocide Frisk / Chara, sometimes maliciously attacking whatever else in sight.

Restoring Dr. Gaster from his predicament is common in a lot of different fanon, so that was actually the starting point for development of this version.

In the original roleplay where I developed this character, Gaster had isolated some superpowered humans, tricking them into thinking the world was ending so he could nab their souls, steal their Determination, ???, profit.

It was a pretty natural extension of what we see from Flowey that something that’s Soulless, or in Gaster’s case, missing most of his Soul, doesn’t exactly act... friendly. He’s acting irrationally, acting in his own self interest, and not really caring about the impacts of his actions so long as he gets what he wants. This remains the foundation of Unbound Form.

In this original RP, he also tricked one of the human protagonists into absorbing his soul and merging their minds. Upon doing so, he regained most of his clarity and I got a much better first look at who Dr. Gaster actually was. The first thing that stood out to me was a lot of fear.

It’s a pretty common headcanon that Gaster was among those who was on the surface originally. And given that he’s a scientist, the idea of him being a fighter--at least back then, didn’t really want to fight, didn’t really understand what was happening--why are they killing us? why can’t we live in peace? why is this happening to me?

We see most monsters desperately wanting to return to the surface, but then you think about what Sans talks about to the human--good food, good friends, good laughs; is leaving really worth it?

So I started to think about a monster that didn’t want to leave the Underground. Who so desperately just wanted to be safe, who wanted to build a paradise for monsters without humanity being involved.

Someone who was so deeply terrified of humans, so deeply terrified of the war.

This proved to be convenient, too--as it allowed Alphys’s discoveries to be her own, and allowed Gaster’s to be his own. I’m all for reinserting Gaster into the timeline, but that doesn’t mean he needs to take credit for things other characters did.

The exact details for this would come later.

For now I was working on his fall and shattering. I know a lot of people portray the CORE as a really dangerous place, where one wrong step will send you careening over the edge, but it never made sense to me. Gaster is smart, Gaster knows the power of his own inventions. I couldn’t imagine him ever exposing something that dangerous.

So then I added in this idea that the CORE shifts around on its own. Of course, it’s meant to just be another puzzle. But the idea that it could double as a means to reduce stress from the intense heat of the CORE gave me a unique opening: It meant that there was a brief time when the CORE’s... core was exposed and Gaster could fall.

Gaster may be meticulous and careful, but he can also be distracted and impatient, which lead to the accident of him disregarding the safety features and falling anyways.

As for his survival, the obvious culprit is Determination. In fact, it was so obvious that my roleplay partner figured it out before I even revealed it. The very thing that Gaster was trying to get in the roleplay all along, ... he already had!

Rather than make up some reason why Gaster would have Determination, either naturally or through experimentation, I chose to take inspiration from the Undyne fight and essentially say that Monsters are capable of producing Determination through willpower if their soul is falling apart but they’re managing to live on.

...

Of course, Monsters and Determination don’t get along. So that implied to me that something ... was missing.

The answer then was the Void.

Despite being an almost universal concept in the Undertale fandom, I’ve never really seen an explanation for what it is. Since the Void is so commonly associated with nothingness, emptiness, darkness, etc., I made the decision to make it the counter-force of Determination. Where Determination is the force that allows a soul to live past its demise, Void is the force that tries to push a soul to death.

And I decided to push it bigger.

We know that enough Determination allows one to alter fate and time. Obviously. It’s the entire premise of Undertale. But... why?

So I decided that Determination is not only the force that pushes Souls to exist, but the very force that pushes time forward. Ergo, when a soul possesses more Determination than the timeline itself, they become capable of seizing control of the flow of time and can manipulate time itself to their will.

In that case, Void would then become the force that seeks to end timelines, the controlling force, the force that prevents timelines from growing indefinitely and colliding into one another. It’s a buffer, the space that exists ambiently between timelines. The junkyard where anything that doesn’t belong to time gets yeeted.

And suddenly it sounded a lot like the general fandom’s interpretation.

Now, it’s easy to think, oh, the Void wants to destroy everything, it’s bad and Determination is good. But, just as the Genocide route shows us the evil power of Determination, the Void does good as well. As any gardener or oncologist knows, things growing indefinitely is not good.

And if a timeline remains stable by the ongoing push and pull of Determination and Void, I had my solution for how Gaster remains stable. Each piece of him produces Determination that’s kept in chack by Void that’s integrated into his soul.

So I had that explanation.

But how did his soul end up in pieces?

...Is anyone actually reading this? It’s ... pretty long. I’m going to cut it off here. If anyone wants to hear the rest of it send in an ask and I’ll finish typing it up lmao.

#let type = out of character #let type = answer #multiverseoflove

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questionairesforme · 3 years

Text

Are you bothered by your cosmic insignificance? i'm terribly aware of it, sometimes that can make it difficult to find the point in staying alive. i can hardly imagine anyone who's not bothered by this tbh, doesn't it make everything we do sort of pointless?

Do you mourn for a place or person you’ve never known? i definitely do. i long for something more.

Do you really think there is somebody for everybody? honestly, i don't know. i certainly dont think there is one specific person for everyone but i guess it only makes sense that everybody's got several peopple they feel comfortable with and are a perfect fit. the question is, will they ever meet one of them?

Do you place any value in gender roles? no

Do you have to be related to be family? no, family is so much more than that.

Are your platonic relationships just as valuable as romantic or family ones? definitely. some even more so.

Are you in love? Do you want to be? i am. i'm not sure if i want to be.

Do you think you can put love into categories (family, platonic, romantic, etc.) or is it just one general sensation? i find it difficult to see differences between platonic and romantic love, especially when a romantic relationship went on for a while. ig the feelings are mostly the same, you just choose to express them in different ways.

Would you be happy with a life without romance? idk i guess i'd start longing for it eventually.

Are you always going to be a little in love with somebody? yea

Would you change your appearance if you could? hell yes

Do you have the feeling you’ve lost something you might have had in another life - whether it be a person, a place, a world, a language, etc.? i have never thought of it that way but it makes total sense to me

Do you think you’re special, or just another person amongst billions? Can you be both? just another person

Did you have imaginary friends? Do you still have them? i dont think i ever had any

Are you religious? Do you think your religion is ‘correct’? no

If you aren’t religious, do you wish you were? Why? i sometimes do. i imagine its quite reassuring to believe in some greater power and it might make life seem more meaningful

Do you want a grand adventure? yes please but also i'm scared to leave the house

Do you have somebody, whether it be a friend or stranger, who you think you could have loved if the circumstances were different? yes

Is love about convenience or something more? Can it be about both? I DONT KNOW why would u ask that. ig it is mainly about convenience in the end

Do you think you really understand your gender and sexuality? nah. does anyone ever really understand?

What’s the most life-changing choice you’ve made so far? idk

Are you afraid of growing old? yea. i don't wanna do that, man

Would you want to live forever? How about for a billion years, a million, a millennium, a century? NO

Do you believe in some form of god/s? no

Are your choices fated or of your own free will? free will. however, i really cant shake the feeling that there is some greater scheme behind all of it

Do you have a hunch about how you’re going to die? oh yes

Do you believe in star signs? nah

How old do you have to be to be considered an adult? id sure like to know

Was your childhood happy? i wouldn't say i was a happy child. too much trauma to deal with.

What are you missing from your life? happiness, purpose.

Have you ever met someone who had a very similar personality to your own? Did you get along? yes. we did get along until she stopped talking to me for no apparent reason.

Do opposites attract? thats a tough one.

Is your life what you expected it would be five years ago? dude i never planned this far ahead

Do you know what you want out of life? no. to be happy, i suppose

What makes a person ‘good’? Are you a ‘good person’? caring for others, having their best interest in mind, being honest

What fundamentally matters do you? honesty, trust, friendship, family, relationships

Is freewill an illusion? dude idk

Do you create art? How do you define art? art is anything you want it to be. i used to create art but i don't anymore

How often do you lie? Is all lying inherently bad? Are you generally truthful? id say im generally truthful as i consider lying to be bad. however, i do lie to protect others (or myself in rather irrelevant situations)

Do you want to be remembered after your death? What for? of course i don't want everyone to immediately forget me, i'd love it if sometimes they thought of me when a certain song comes on

Is true world peace ever possible? not as long as humans exists

Are you free? Will you ever be? Can anyone be truly free? No. I am bound by financial, time and space constraints.

Do you hold yourself to higher standards than you hold others? yes, sometimes i do

What do you expect from a friend or partner? honesty, loyalty, communication, being on equal footing, trust

What question could you ask to find out the most about a person? people are not truthful enough for this

Do you justify all your beliefs or have you just inherited/absorbed some? i mean... i do like to have some sort of truth and facts to back up my believes?

Which beliefs do you have that is most likely to be wrong? human beings are inherently good

Can human really understand the complete nature of the universe, space and time? no, under no circumstance

Do you thinks humans are obsessed with escapism (books, video games, movies, etc.)? Are you looking for an escape? Do you think that’s a bad thing? definitely. why wouldnt we be? what else is there to distract us from our cosmic insignificance and how pointless this life actually is? if we didnt try to escape we would have all committed suicide by now lol. that wouldnt be such a bad thing tho i guess

Are we eventually going to ‘run out’ of new combinations for music, art, language, etc.? Is there a limit to human creativity? no, there will always be partially new elements

Do we live in tumultuous times, or do they just seem so strange because we’re living in them? are times ever not strange and tumultuous

Would you want to meet a clone of yourself? Would you like them? hell nah. i even hate seeing only parts of myself in others lol

How confident are you, really? idk not very confident id say

How consistent is your perception of time? dude dont get me started

What age should people be allowed to vote? Should children and teenagers be allowed to vote? i feel like for teenagers age shouldnt matter, it would be more useful to quiz them to assess whether they understand the power they are given by voting

How do you feel about monogamy? i prefer monogamous relationships.

Can you be in love with someone and still fall in love with someone else? yes

What’s the tragedy of your life? i have been given so much but my mind wont let me appreciate any of it

Would your life make a good play? nah

Would you fight for your country? Do you feel a sense of loyalty to your nation? no

Do you believe in gender equality in every aspect? uh, of course i do?

Do we have a moral obligation to care for others? To what extent? i think we do.

Do you crave approval and/or praise? i guess i do to an extent

Are you ever going to be satisfied? dont think so

When you are sad, do you listen to music that conveys your emotions or music that makes you happy? i usually listen to aggressive music to change my mood lol

Is your music organised by mood or sensation or do you just listen to everything at any time? by mood

Would you marry a friend if they needed you to (e.g. for citizenship)? yes

Are you a deep person? i'm shallow even though i don't mean to be

Given the chance to live your life on Mars, with no hope of returning to Earth but with the promise of scientific discovery and glory, would you take it? no

Are you who people think you are? no but i am even a mystery onto myself lmao

Do you think you would be happier if you had been born a different gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, nationality or religion? no

What’s your toxic trait? Are you trying to improve yourself and fix it? i can be controlling, i'm trying to be better

Do you anger easily? yes

Are you a jealous person? yea tho usually in non-romantic relationships

If you lost all your memories, would you have the same personality? no?

Given the chance to reset your life (with none of the knowledge you currently have), would you take it? whats the point

Is hate as strong as love? Who do you hate? i guess it can be. i have never felt hate like that. only towards ppl i have never met

Do you speak multiple languages? Which do you dream in? What language would you want to learn? i speak english and german. i dream in german, during my time abroad i did start to dream in english occasionally tho lol. if it didnt take any time or effort i would love to learn alll the languages. especially spanish and russian i guess

Do you draw meaning from your dreams, or do you disregard them? usually i overthink them lol

How would you describe yourself when you love? Do you love forcefully, unconditionally, gently, quietly, desperately? unconditionally

Is unrequited love real love? sure? feelings do not become real only if they're reciprocated? lol. of course it probably cannot be as profound as the love you feel for someone you've been with for some time

Is your perception of yourself similar or the same to how others perceive you? no

Are you overly analytical? no

Do you ever feel that you are really a terrible person, and only act good out of societal or some other obligation? not really, no

Do you believe in magic? Are you superstitious? i don't believe in magic. i am a little stitious.

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eucliffesting · 7 years

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anti gr*via

I’ve been meaning to get this off of my chest for a while:

Gr*via doesn’t rlly have much chemistry. like yeah I know they have their big emotional shippy moments and overtime Gray did accept her into his life and that they’re ‘canon’ now but that’s only because she kinda forced herself into his life?? her stalking him and him rejecting her romantic/sexual advances has been a running gag throughout the majority of the series, and I don’t think that should be counted as ship moments or “Gray is just being tsundere!!1!1” because it made Gray uncomfortable most of the time?? the only reason they live together is because she forced herself into his house and refused to leave. she even tried to sleep with him, which he rejected. she fucking knows Gray isn’t interested in her so she acquired a love potion to make him like her (which backfired) but seriously no means no?? does she not understand that?? also that scene where she takes a shower and her whole room is covered in Gray merch and she uses a sponge with his face on to wash her boobs and vagina…. that’s so creepy and gross. if it was a man doing it with a woman people would not be okay with it. I like Juvia but Gr*via just kinda,, ruins her character. like Lucy was the first friend she made and the first girl to accept her, yet she was willing to hurt Lucy because she was a ‘love rival’ in terms of gray even though Juvia and Gray weren’t even dating and she doesn’t fucking own him??? that seems unrealistic seeing as Juvia’s been alone all her life and had depression, surely she’d want to keep her friends close rather than make enemies of them? there are certain moments where her “love for Gray” makes her stronger in fights, but then again it’s also very inconvenient to have an s class mage who will only take a fight seriously if her crush is involved.

also I feel like when it comes to Gr*via, the shippers mainly focus on Juvia and her feelings more than Gray’s. for example, whenever Gray doesn’t return her feelings everyones like “Gray omg stop being an asshole you need to give Juvia an answer!!!”. even Erza said this to him, which disappointed me since she’s my favourite and she knows Gray really well. why would she put pressure on him like that? Gray doesn’t owe her ANYTHING. not a single thing. whenever she got hurt or chose to sacrifice herself, that’s all on her. gray never asked her to do that or forced her to do that. stop making gray apologise for things he shouldn’t have to. just because she likes him he isn’t obligated to automatically return those feelings??? if it was a girl rejecting a boy several times people would be defending her, but because it’s the other way round it’s okay and counts as valid shipping moments?? I 100% understand him caring for her as a fellow guild mate, but it kinda feels like gray only likes her romantically because he feels guilty for the stuff they’ve been through (like when he points out her scar. and the “I’ll take your feelings more seriously from now on” he only felt obligated to do that bc he felt guilty for her ‘death’). I’d prefer Gr*via to be platonic tbh. if Juvia just had a casual crush on Gray where she never stalked him or acted possessive then I would probably quite like the ship too

personality wise, I honestly think there’s not much chemistry there. tbh gray had better romantic chemistry with Lucy, Erza and even Natsu and Lyon. like with Lucy they’re basically salt buddies and have sarcastic banter with each other on missions, they naturally get along well and he cares about her a lot. with Erza, they both have a mutual respect for each other and admire each other’s strength and greatly trust each other, and they have history together from when Erza first joined the guild and Gray kinda had a crush on her. he even said she was pretty during the galuna island arc and was flustered when she asked about it. he even has better chemistry with Natsu than with Juvia. like yeah they argue and fight a lot but that’s based from a mutual respect of each other’s strength, which is why they consider the other person to be a worthy rival. and past all that, they are good friends!!!! they’ve been there for each other multiple times (e.g. Natsu stopping Gray from using iced shell) and do have fun together and hang out and they have a mutual trust in each other!!! with Lyon, they both learned magic from the same master and recognised each other’s strengths, which therefore led to them being rivals. however they do have great chemistry and fight extremely well together. they’re able to strategise and work in sync when it’s required. in missions and during arcs we do get Gr*via moments where gray saves her and stuff but their daily casual interactions are kinda bland and their personalities don’t mix as well as they do with other characters. they don’t have inside jokes or common interests or a budding rivalry or a mature understanding of each other. Juvia has better natural chemistry with Lucy and Cana than with Gray tbh. people love to say that the gruvia union raids proves that they’re ‘soulmates’ and have a ‘deep connection’. but y'all are forgetting, who did Juvia perform a union raid with first??? Lucy Heartfilia!!! this was when they hardly knew each other yet they were able to use high level magic like that which requires a strong bond. if that doesn’t scream soulmates and deep connections then idk what does.

also gray would risk his life for ANY of his guild mates, yet it conveniently has to be juvia most of the time. mashima kept ship pandering for popularity so like 90% of Juvia’s character revolves around Gray (which is unfair to both him and her) and he just HAD to associate juvia within all of Gray’s close relationships. for example, Gray mourning his father’s death is a major gruvia moment, and the Gray/Juvia/Lyon love triangle became a thing, and Juvia just had to pick up his stripping habit that he got from ur. it actually really bothers me that she picked up this habit because it’s Gray and Lyon’s thing from their master, it’s been their thing since they were kids. Juvia also having it just makes it lose its meaning.

also the ending feels kinda ooc because Gray has rejected her romantic advances the entire time yet all of a sudden he’s blushing over Juvia and says that she’s his? not even a “yeah I like you back”, he just says that she is his, which sounds kinda possessive and non gray-like. also why are Gr*via fans ignoring the fact that Gray went on a 100 year quest the next day without Juvia, who he is apparently dating now lmao relationship goals right there.

another thing I hate is that I’ve seen lots of people say that “Gr*via taught me to never give up when it comes to love!!” uhhhhh fuck no miss me with that bullshit. if someone’s not into you and rejects you time after time LEAVE THEM ALONE. it’s not cute or romantic to stalk and obsess over someone who’s not interested!!! if the roles were reversed and Juvia was a guy and Gray was a girl, more people would have an issue with it. yes I understand that currently the ship isn’t as bad as it was but the foundation of their relationship is terrible lol.

it would’ve made more sense for Juvia to get over her obsession with Gray and move on. notice how most of the time she fantasies about Gray, he’s usually ooc? that’s because she’s in love with the IDEA of him and his appearance, and doesn’t take the time to actually get to know him as a person. Sherry and Lyon are good examples of what Juvia should’ve done. Sherry had a huge crush on Lyon. she realised Lyon wasn’t interested. what did she do? she respected his feelings, moved on and now she has a hot husband who genuinely loves her. Lyon was in love with Juvia. he realised she was in love with Gray instead. what did he do? he respected her feelings and stopped pursuing her. tbh I prefer Lyvia since Lyon was actually interested in her yet didn’t stalk or harass her like she did to Gray. also I love Lyon and I felt rlly bad for him.

I’m not trying to say that all Gr*via shippers are shitty people, everyone’s entitled to their own opinions. I used to really like Gr*via at one point until I realised I just liked it because everyone else did. I just don’t think it should’ve been canon it’s just not a great relationship.

#juvia lockser #gray fullbuster #anti gruvia

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