#marina and the dialogisms

[incorrect-splatoon]

Pearl: You know, when i first told you "I love you" (in front of a live audience). I didn't meant to says you that.

Marina: [a bit worry] What do you mean ?

Pearl: I was having feeling for you for more than a years, but I was so scare to ruin us friendship. I was overwhelmed by emotion during the last splatfest and taken by joy, it came out naturally : "you know, I love you" It was so brief, so quick I though you would not notice.

Marina: I would those word it was...

Pearl: When I turned to look at you, you were crying of joy, you always wanted me to tell you that, don't ya ?

Marina : [start to cry] For so long pearlie... you waited for a long time too.

[cru5h-cascades]

Sometime after the Nintendo Live concert...

Pearl: Gee, that was a blast, huh 'Rina?

Marina: Yeah... anyways we should be heading over to Inkopolis Square right now. We have more gigs to do, you know?

[x] amount of time later...

Pearl: Uh... Marina...? What's going on with the Square?

Marina: No worries, Pearlie! It's just some... decor for our preformance later!

Pearl: Marina what are you doing MARINA-

ooc: considering that the live concerts are canon to Splatoon (I guess??), the live preformance implies that canonically Pearl hasn't been Pearl Drone'd yet and she still has no clue about the Order Sector. In other words, I think that canonically Side Order does happen sometime after this concert lmao

Dunno if the scenario I thought of will actually be the case for Side Order (we still don't know who actually is the villain of Side Order, but right now most signs point to Marina possibly having something to do with the creation of the Order Sector, especially considering the concert dialoge lol) but it'd be funny if it was.

[maddestmewmew]

on that note i think its odd i havent seen anyone point out how..detachedly violent Acht speaks. it stood out to me immediately, and i cant help thinking abt it in terms of their canon vs fanon characterization.

they tend to be very..brutal. in their dialog. in ways that so harshly contrast pearl and marinas. im not looking at their dialog rn, so forgive me that the quotes arent exact, but they tend to say stuff like “dont stop until its done”, and cut straight to describing the most efficient way to kill enemies. especially when you put it up against the other npcs more lighthearted tone..

it makes me wonder if this is a part of them being blunt or to the point in general, or, what it is in My head, a view into the mind of a soldier. so cold and detatched, memorizing the most efficient way to end a battle, refusing to let up, to put ones guard down, to be the one to lose, to die. but less of a badass kind if detachment, more of.. “its them or me” sentiment. a need to survive. a coping mechinism.

IDK i just gavent seen anyone talk abt this even tho its so prominent to me :p

[fullmoonfireball]

If I may, I saw one of your older posts where you mentioned translating Bernard's dialog to be a Whole Thing(TM). What about it makes it so difficult to translate? :O (sorry if you've said why before, I did try searching your blog first but you know how reliable Tumblr's search function is)

I don't think I've gone into the details before! but tumblr's search being garbo doesn't help with confirming that-

anyways, Bernard's dialogue has a lot of katakana mixed in. not to the extent that the Leaflings (including Olimar! no clue why she's exempt from the weird speech patterns in the English version) do, but yeah.

since katakana can be used for emphasis as well as suggesting a character is a foreigner (iirc, both Magolor from Kirby's Return to Dreamland and Marina from Splatoon both speak in katakana!), this ended up being localized as Bernard speaking like THIS, but in JAPAN, it's MEANT to convey how much he's travelled! he seasons his sentences with foreign terms n such!

In at least one comic (haven't looked into if this is also in-game), he uses "me" as a personal pronoun in a way that uh... doesn't translate easy! I believe I had to replace it with an emphasized "MY"... and hence the difficulty. often, the words that are in katakana are weirdly placed and so is a bit tricky to translate- a lot of particles in katakana and such. stuff's weird.

[splatoon-odf]

The relationship of DJ Octavio and Cap'n Craig Cuttlefish (Part 1)

This is something not as many people know the details of. Most people who played Splatoon 1 know the Octavio and Craig have some sort of history, but not as many people know the details of it. Today is the day I put everything we have from the games and put them out on the table for people to see.

Firstly we have Sunken Scroll 16. Those of you who read my posts about the Great Turf War are familiar with this one, but I'll type it out again for those who are new.

"Before the Great Turf War, there were amicable relations between the Inklings and the Octarians. They couldn't have dreamed that rising sea levels would force them to battle fiercely over the remaining territory." Accompanied by this photo.

The photo shows an Inkling, seemingly some sort of high ranking military officer of sorts based on the uniform and medals, and an Octoling, likely of some higher status based on the ornate headdress, having a pleasant conversation. Based on Sunken Scroll 15, which I'll get into in just a bit, we know the Inkling on the right is Craig Cuttlefish, leaving us with the question of who the Octoling on the left is. As most of you likely already assumed, it appears to be the human form of DJ Octavio.

You can tell based on the headdress, similar tentacle shape, and Wasabi stalks (which you can see in the lap of the human form Octoling if you look closely on the scroll).

So Sunken Scroll 16 shows Craig and Octavio being friendly towards each other before the war.

Next we have Sunken Scroll 15

"This is the only existing photograph of the legendary Squidbeak Splatoon. The young man folding his arms appears to be the leader. When this picture was taken, the Great Turf War had been raging on for over a year."

This, along with a piece a dialog from Cuttlefish in Octo Valley, stating "Back in the day, I was the best battler Inkopolis had ever seen!", and a later chat log from Marina show that the inkling in Suken Scroll 16 is in fact Cuttlefish himself. This also tells us that Cap'n Cuttlefish was one of many on the front lines during the Great Turf Wars.

Now for Marina's Chat Room Session 5

DJ_Hyperfresh > Battery's almost dead. I'm gonna go grab my charger.

MC.Princess > Word

■Webmaster■ > DJ_Hyperfresh has left the chatroom.

MC.Princess > Man, there's nuthin to do when it's just me and you here cap...

CraigCuttlefish > what do you mean

MC.Princess > Uuuuugh i'm booored

MC.Princess > But maybe I'll do a lil research on u. See whhat kinda dirt I can dig up.

CraigCuttlefish > i have nothing to hide

MC.Princess > We'll see

MC.Princess >

MC.Princess > The heck is this?

MC.Princess > "The Squidbeak Splatoon, led by Second Lieutenant Cuttlefish, visited grievous losses upon the forces of the enemy during the bitter siege of Arowana Castle."

CraigCuttlefish > that takes me back

MC.Princess > Dang cap. Guess ur the real deal.

As you can clearly see here, Pearl flat out states that the "young man" in the photo is none other than Cap'n Craig Cuttlefish himself, fighting the same Octarian as before, who we established to be DJ Octavio, during the Great Turf War.

To be Continued in Part 2

[coolpanda41]

SIDE ORDER THOUGHTS

I beat Side Order last night after 3-5 runs and after sleeping on it here are my thoughts (spoilers ahead)

The first ten floors (inital tower) is insane. Not only does it serve as a good tutorial but the dialog and tension is such a good hook

When I got to the first boss, I didn't look to closely and just thought "oh we're fighting Octavio again as the first boss? He's here? OK cool" it was infact NOT Octavio lol. I even took a screen shot before the boss fight and looking at it, yeah definitely not Octavio lol

Honestly so glad the Marina wasn't the main villain, and I'm glad she tags along in the elevator

Speaking of Marina, her and Pearl are so in love here. Like I shipped them before but now with their dialog, the dev diary, even Marina's computer screen being Pearl, they're so canon

Shipping aside, honestly think that the dialog is one of the strongest aspects of this mode as we learn more about the memverse and the character dynamics

I also love Acht, no need to further explain, they're just so cool

Person who's only rouge like experience is hades: man, this is just like hades! (This is a joke, I only said that on vending machine levels)

The levels themselves are fun, all be a bit repetitive at times. It is a rouge like but there 4 different level types (minus bosses) and limited floor design, then again, I've only played 3-5 runs and half of that was with Agent 4's pallet

A little disappointed that agent 4 didn't show up in the flesh but I'm a firm believer that Parallel Canon is supposed to be clones of them because of the matching hair styles with your own and with the completed pallet of 4, Order mentioned that Marina wanted 4 to be security for the memverse so I'm taking those crumbs

Also kinda disappointed that we didn't get more Off the Hook and Dedf1sh songs but the ones we got were good. I like how ebb and flow is kinda like Off the Hook's equivalent of Calimari Inkantation lol

Continuing with music, I like the music but felt like I didn't get to appreciate as much because I was so focused on the level (this is a me thing but still)

Order is a cool villian, bit generic but still cool, I like how his boss fight was foreshadowed as a locker item (it's an in universe Switch game, I forget what's it's called)

In the last phase of Order's boss fight, I got splatted a few times and luckily there wasn't life count so it just gave the option to continue or give up and every time I hit continue I thought "omori did not succumb, agent 8 did not succumb" lol

The credits were beautiful

This is probably the first splatoon story that I'll aim for 100% because there is still a lot to know and learn

Inkopolis Square as a reward was predicted but welcomed, it's really cool to see what has been built up since Splat2

ISO PADRE IS HERE, HE'S FREE, MY MAN IS FREEEEE!!!!!!!!!

A little disappointed that the grate the originally lead to Splat2's story mode is just covered a manhole cover unlike in the plaza but that's just a nickpick on my end

Shout out to that one octoling beside the claw machine saying they miss squid beats, we all do

Honestly still shocked at how fast I beat Side Order lol

Overall, I enjoyed Side Order. Personally, it was a bit underwhelming but I'm satisfied. Like I said, I'll probably be trying for 100% cause the dev diarys, pallets and collectables but for what's it's worth, it's good

[ravenirene]

Rating different sapphic ships for marvel women cause I'm bored. Some ships are mcu based most are comic based

First up Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff

1. Sharon carter - Widow13/Natsharon

9/10

they're adorable, friends to lovers. I love the way they are always complementing each other like sharons saying "but her speed still impress me" or mcu nat in tws saying she was nice, honestly mcu nat seemed more into sharon than mcu steve. Also they got 7th for a comic sapphic ship poll w over 6000 votes, so true of them

2. Bobbi Morse -bobbinat/mockingwidow

10/10

stealing clints wife, literally. There's panels of nat calling bobbi darling. They actually kissed in canon but it was just so nat could give bobbi medicine since she was under influence. After Bobbi gained control of herself again she told bucky to tell nat and I quote from bucky himself "she said to call her if you were still "curious", and clint got all defensive." Anyways they need to kiss again but for real this time.

3. Jessica drew - jessnat

7/10

Caroljess is my #1 but this is also cute. Spider x spider. They had rlly cute moments in secret avengers and avengers assemble(2013). Including this one where nat says jess is her soulmate and those panels of where they get a massage together. In one spiderwoman comic where jess was pregnant they almost had a movie night together until someone interrupts

4. Marina

6/10

Marina is natasha childhood best friend. They met in the red room and sometimes they escaped to watch ballerinas dance. When they got older(1960s?) they had a mission together but the handlers thought Marina was going to deflect from the red room so after the mission they had Natasha put k!ll Marina, nat almost doesn't do it but in the end...anyways they were adorable up until the end. Marina should be referenced again cause the only comic w her is Black Widow 2014

5. Maria hill - blackhill/marianat

9/10

Enemies to lovers to Enemies to lovers to Enemies to...Invincible iron man has major blackhill angst I swear ("but maria hooked up w tony in it" no) their relationship is confusing lowkey one minute they're protective of each other next minute they're bullying one another. But either way Invincible iron man and Black widow 2014 made some big blackhill points. Maria turning to nat cause she was the only one she could trust. Nat comforting maria when she had ptsd flashbacks. Maria saying that nat is the only one she can trust. Taskmaster 2021 where maria faked her death without telling anyone and the blame was put on taskmaster so u have natasha going after him to avenge her. U see taskmaster dialog "bullseye thinks that if u kill the heros girlfriend, their wife or partner or whatever, then you've got an edge on them. But all that does is get them.to come after you harder than ever. I've adopted a 'no wives, no girlfriends, no mothers' policy. Not just because it's gross. Though it is. No, it's because these heros, these guys...it always seems that all they are waiting for is one dead woman to motivate them" what's a hetero explanation for that?!? Nat is literally chasing this man down all throughout the comic and taskmaster is scared sh!t less, the only reason she doesn't kill him is because right before she does maria reveals herself to nat that she's alive. I only put it as 9/10 cause I'm not the biggest on Enemies to lovers plus there was those times where maria does make nat sheilds biggest enemy...

6. Elektra

6/10

They definitely hate f*cked once u can't convince me otherwise. Hate the whole "fighting over matt" thing though

7. Carol danvers - carolnat

5/10

I perfer them as friends but they do have some nice moments.

8. Janet van dyne(not hope)

5/10

I also perfer them as friends(not that ive rlly seen a lot of ppl ship them). They have a cute friendship in black widow and marvel girls

9. Wanda maximoff- wandanat

??/10

They have a total of 5 interactions mcu and comics combined. I see the vision but at the same time they both have better ships

10. Peggy carter - Peggynat

2/10

I see where you're coming from w the what if but I can't stand peggy for whatever reason. Like I won't go online and comment hate on her but I just choose to ignore her. If u ship tho go ahead tho it's legal and not toxic

I think I've covered all of natashas sapphic ships, or at least all the bigger ones. Some.of these probably sound rlly confusing...I'll probably do captain marvel or she hulk next

[splatoon-edits]

i really want sheldon in side order and i want him to go fucking nuts. like. batshit insane. and i know that this makes no fucking sense but hear me out. since in rotm we had callie marie and octavio, that is three fifths of the characters in octo canyon. since they will most likely not be an to join the journey, assuming 4 is involved, than that just leaves one person. that person being sheldon. as for why i want to see him be unhinged, we know he was neutral for chaos vs order, and we've already seen a little bit of him being fucking deranged peaking through in some of his dialoge relating to certain weapons. what i want is to see more of that. show us sheldon going absolutely apeshit Nintendo. please. i need this. also it would be funny to see pearl and sheldon's dynamic yknow. like. the idea of them interacting would be so fucking funny. like. scrappy, chaotic gal whose voice could deafen the ears of many meets autistic weapon nerd who is, unbeknownst to us, more unhinged than she could ever be. also also that post about the sheldon marina autism-to-autism communication event. sorry for the long ask by the way.

YESSSS GO OFF!!!!!! I COULD NOT AGREE MORE!!! SHELDON MY BELOVED!!! THE AUTISTIC CHARACTER OF ALL TIME!!!!!

No but fr he spends so much time around weapons i wanna see him actually USE one. I need to see him be insane. Let 8 and Pearl be in a bad spot and then he swoops in to save them.

ALSO HIS DYNAMIC WITH PEARL WOULD BE SO GOOD!!! I know for a fact she would compare his ramblings about weaponry to Marina's ramblings about engineering/heavy machinery. I want to see them bicker but also be friends. I want both of them to be guiding 8 and for Pearl to make a suggestion about going all in with no plan and for Sheldon to be like "um actually you should do xyz" and for them to bicker. OR even funnier possibility i want Pearl to suggest something insane and then Sheldon agrees with her and shes like "i thought you were a nerd????" and they start to get along. Anyway i just think they would have a funny dynamic. Cuz like in splat 2 we get to see Marie kinda poke fun at Sheldon but we don't really get to see Sheldon annoy anybody back. So imagine him and Pearl just dissing each other constantly but also somehow understanding each other. Like at first Pearl thinks he's a nerd who talks too much but then she realizes he's actually just as deadly if not more so than her. And at first Sheldon thinks she's just some loud, abrasive, and childish inkling. But actually he realizes she is fun to be around and smarter than she looks.

Anyway point is YES I LOVE SHELDON AND I THINK HE DESERVES TO BE UNHINGED IF HE APPEARS IN SIDE ORDER!!!

[incorrect-splatoon]

@judas-isariot : I am genually struck by the fact Pearl was scare of the Marina boss. Usually Pearl is the kind to take thing lightely, mocking the boss never scare. Still during the Marina boss she is weirdly barely commenting.

Then there is the elevator dialog where she mention that's she is not scare of [any] boss compare to "Order Marina". She was scare she stayed like that.

If there is one time where Pearl was shock to her core and scare. It was when Marina was being control and it give me this idea.

[rintezukas]

whenever i get the ability to open and play sploon 3 again the ability to return to inkopolis square will probably keep me there for a long fucking time, especially if we get actual dialog from pearl and marina. im not getting my hopes up for like. different news reports from each area but can you imagine

[lightoutage]

this is my favourite dialog from pearl and marina

[cru5h-cascades]

New dedf1sh headcanons ahoy! Also, like I said in my last post, I'd change my headcanon for Acht's pronouns if we got more proof that this wasn't a slip up from NoA ('cause of their track record w/ translations) so yeah from now on I'm gonna exclusively use they/them when referring to Acht now :D

Anyways here's those new headcanons:

Aroace

Used to main sloshing machine before getting sucked into the Memverse, now wants to try maining Undercover Brella after talking about weapons with OtH

Used to have a crush on Marina when she was still around in Octopia

Is a bit jealous of Pearl for being as confident as she is, especially around Marina

Is a glowing sucker octopus-type octoling (Acht is seen with 4 visable tentacles in their letters before they got their new haircut and their in-game model doesn't have like a secret 4th tentacle under their hat so I don't really think they're a seven armed octopus anymore. How do they have only 7 tentacles now? Maybe something happened to the 8th one? Who knows?)

Wanted to get sanitized because they thought it'd just make them more focused on making music but didn't know that they'd have their free will taken away from them because of the procedure (this is basically my way of tryna make sense of the whole "forced to DJ" dialoge Acht gives us in Side Order contradicting what we knew about Acht's story)

And finally...

Although not mentioned in Side Order, ACHT IS PAUL'S OLDER SIBLING >:D

[mossible]

MOSSIBLE YOUR INSANE I LOVE YOU BUT YOU ARE INSANE!!!!!!!

That. Was so far the angriest I've ever seen these old men in any of the fics I've read featuring them.

The way the entire conversation/argument with pearl and marina started extremely one sided from marinas pov, because Octavio has heard this moral dillema about the octarians' authority over their lives multiple times before, he's become bored and numb of it.

Completely unfazed. He completely believes he understands this problem the most.

But only when Craig arrives did the conversation became so much more angry and petty and relentless. Because they lived through what caused this entire argument, the great turf war.

THEIR DIALOG AND JABS AT ONE ANOTHER WERE SO PERSONAL AND REAL IT HURTS.

You describing it as "an old language the audience don't understand" Is EXACTLY what it is.

God I hate it when old people have history /j

WHY ARE THEY LIKE THAT?

Just. The way this entire conversation escalated was . Just. UGH PERFECTION I LOVE THAT ANGST.

I'm so glad that this entire chapter was conversation heavy. It was so especially well written and captivated me the entire time. I couldn't imagine how long the brainstorming sessions for this chapter were!!! You chose all the right words and the characterization for pearl, marina, callie, all of the characters, agent 8!!!!- were so, so, good.

You knocked it out of the park, man!!!!!!

Holy shit!!!!

I find it suitable that callie was the one to let Octavio out.

She is objectively the most genuinely good person in the room. She is also the only one who truly sympathizes with Octavio, without any conditions or ill intent. Being the only one who actually lived along side octarians for a while. To fight for them the most.

She's also the only one in a while to befriend Octavio. And understand him.

Which is why she without falter let him go so willingly, cause she completely trusts despite everything, he loves and prioritizes his people above all else and what the best for them.

Speaking of empathizing with Octavio, I was so happy seeing someone point out the fact that Octavio took it upon himself to take care of and keep hundreds of thousands of people alive, UNDERGROUND. FOR DECADES.

DO YOU UNDERSTAND HOW BIG OF A RESPONSIBILITY THAT IS?

He had to clean up the mess left behind after the great turf war, and then get ready to take control of how little him and his people have.

I'm honestly surprised Octavio hasn't snapped completely under all this pressure. Hardy old man. Fighting for his life every waking hour.

People so often throw away that aspect of him! How much he cares for his people, despite how much trouble that gives him! And this chapter did a really good job at presenting that part of him in his dialog!

I might be rambling a lot, but this chapter is just- so goddamn impressive!!! Oh my god mossible!!!

Keep up the good work!!!! Me and my sister are cheering you on!!!!

P. S... Hint for next chapter? Once again any form of hint will be fine

i am well aware that i am insane dont worry <3 the inner machinations of my mind are an enigma that nobody understands (ok nobody but like my gf and my longtime besties but still. twisted freacking cycle path over here)

thank you so much for the ask again omg!! along with putting this. long ass response under a readmore, i'll also requote everything i address here bc there is a Lot. if i don't address anything, assume that me not commenting either means that you nailed it right on the head, or that i would be spoiling y'all if i did say anything ;)

…because Octavio has heard this moral dillema about the octarians' authority over their lives multiple times before, he's become bored and numb of it. [ ] Completely unfazed. He completely believes he understands this problem the most.

this certainly will neither be the first nor last time i do this, but i am always tapping the silly little tag on ao3 that says 'unreliable narrator.' esp when it comes to how octavio acts in regards to things that he may seem familiar with to the reader! this man has been alive for over 130 (slutty, slutty) years, and has governed his people for only a little less than that. things that very obviously pose problems and challenges for those under his rule may often go entirely overlooked, both from his own prideful nature, as well as simply from an unwillingness to change his formula that has already worked for a century now. after all, if these so-called 'flaws' had been in his system since the beginning, why did nothing as detrimental as the inkantation happen BEFORE now? huh? what does marina know that octavio doesn't? (a lot. she knows a lot, for the record.)

I'm so glad that this entire chapter was conversation heavy. It was so especially well written and captivated me the entire time. I couldn't imagine how long the brainstorming sessions for this chapter were!!!

again!!! tysm for your kind words omg!! i'm glad i was able to get my points across soundly and that the change in structure paid off. was very very worried about that for a while before i ended up biting the bullet and just final-checking and posting it without more agony LOL

would it surprise you if i admitted that… not very much brainstorming was needed? i mean, obviously yes i brainstormed for this chapter a ton! but, i wasn't exactly in very much need of thinking of new ideas when it came to writing everyone interacting. when stuff like that (as in dialogue and interactions and the like,) comes into play, i often find myself getting carried away with both writing it and simply stringing the cohesion of the scene along, without even really realizing it ?? tbf, i'm one of those people who thinks at like a mile a minute, so by the time my body catches up to my brain to express what thoughts i have going on, i usually miss a few crucial words or phrases in my hurry to share said thought as quickly as possible. when i write without a concrete deadline, like i am now with cracked snowglobes, i'm able to elaborate WAYYY more on my process and be much more thorough with it all. …at the cost of chapters topping 10k words on occasion. another thing i will say about the brainstorming bit, less about the process and more about my inspiration for chapter 4, is that uh. ok the origin of it is kinda funny so, dissonant melody, right? i'd assume most people reading this ask answering questions about my cuttletavio fic of all things have probably read it? (if not, go give it a read here and follow the author here!) i adore dissonant melody! it's genuinely what got me back into brainrotting over these two little old awful men and inspired me to write this fic! hell, i've even referenced some bits from it here and there in cracked snowglobes and. sort of followed a lot of what it established! but. i always felt that marina had a lot more she could have dug into when it came to her seeing octavio again. we know that she worked very closely under him while back in the domes, to the point of "earning multiple commendations," assumedly from the man himself! however, i absolutely do not blame DM's author for not digging more into their dynamic, as it was intended to be an octavio and cap'n origins comic, rather than a solely octavio-centric origins comic. that, and around 2018 when the comic was first posted online, the fandom had… a bit of an issue when it came to incorrect details about the nature of octarian society running rampant in our collective knowledge. (a whole lot of us were under the impression that all of the octarians were mind controlled, and that marina had a much less… positive, we'll say, opinion of her former ruler.) so, what better opportunity to write what i'd like to see of that reaction than in my fic? it sure helps what development octavio's gonna have to go through before some of the stuff i have planned can come to fruition, after all ;)

I find it suitable that callie was the one to let Octavio out. [ ] She is objectively the most genuinely good person in the room. She is also the only one who truly sympathizes with Octavio, without any conditions or ill intent. Being the only one who actually lived along side octarians for a while. To fight for them the most. [ ] She's also the only one in a while to befriend Octavio. And understand him. [ ] Which is why she without falter let him go so willingly, cause she completely trusts despite everything, he loves and prioritizes his people above all else and what the best for them.

i won't pick apart this bit too much, because most of it is absolutely spot on! but i will point out a couple things, just to give you some food for thought. while, yes, callie did spend a lot of time with the octarians, by no means does she have as much experience with the conditions of the domes as marina and eight, who were both born and lived most of their lives there. think back to when octavio brought up who was currently in control of the domes in his absence; the council. while callie was present long enough to empathize with the people she met while on tour, by no means could she have fully undertaken the magnitude of troubles that they faced down there, let alone understood octavio's own defiance when it came to all of marina's gripes with how he governed the place. similarly, think back to when freeing octavio even got brought up in the first place! who was the first person to openly admit that she was on the side of letting him out? who was the first one to state her hesitation? callie and octavio are friends, the latter said so himself in his internal dialogue, but they do still have some core differences that put them at odds with one another. as much as callie may trust him, she struggles to fully commit to her stance until she receives support from marie. she's on octavio's side, but only under certain conditions. at least, that's the case for now. who knows what could happen the next time they meet!

ok ive written you like 1k words alone just for these responses, so i'll end this here. but ! thank you again for the ask, and for your next chapter hint; you're going to be seeing some familiar AND new faces next chapter! which ones? i'll leave that up to your imagination :)

[burpenterprisejournal]

FULL SIXTY CIRCLES

2024/05/25 Full Sixty Circles FRANK / DIZZY MOON ICNISP JD ZAZIE Orange Ear Berlin - DE

Frank is completing his 60th orbit around the sun. In this full swing he is ready for his stage debut. On this special day he invited Dizzy Moon, the duo ICNISP and JD Zazie to accompany the evening with their music. FRANK / DIZZY MOON FRANK: Last autumn Frank started to develop his set-up for improvised music. Starting with the old familiar guitar, he quickly added a no-input mixer. To dive even deeper into noise music he started to shape the sounds digitally. A multitude of analogue sound samples expanded the spectrum and opened up a wide range of options for his hints of melodies, sporadic rhythms and sonic structures. After some private sessions with the "Päfgens", "Dizzy Moon", beltership and Marina Cyrino / Matthias Koole (ICNISP) it is now time to go on stage. He is looking forward to give his stage debut together with Dizzy Moon https://soundcloud.com/too-slow-to-sadden

DIZZY MOON: One cello & one voice. Dizzy Moon is a singular project that proposes an extremely sensitive combination, where the richness of the cello sounds mingle with Maryse's limpid and ethereal voice and bring a beautiful and intimate music. With songs mostly in English—sometimes in French—one lets oneself get carried away by the smooth and airy unity with folk and indie influences. A rooted blues also tinkles & reveals our own feelings. "About improvisation, …in interaction with nature, landscapes, and musical landscapes creating by others musicians, dancers, so many things can get me inspired and letting me express completely free. improvising with others is also a dialog, a discussion." https://dizzymoon.bandcamp.com/album/secrets-under-the-banyan-tree

ICNISP: Institute for Certified Nomadic Illicit Sonic Practices is the Berlin-based duo of Brazilian musicians Marina Cyrino (flute) and Matthias Koole (el. guitar), formed in 2018. With a mixture of electronic and acoustic sound sources, objects and preparations, internal amplification and no-input mixing, the duo presents a lively and highly imaginative approach to their instruments. The amplified piccolo can function as a noise generator and a percussion instrument; the alto flute can be played by an external balloon that moans; the guitar quickly switches between sound worlds in chaotic mutations of instrumental techniques and no-input mixing. The duo works across improvisation and multidisciplinary projects. In 2023 they released their first album Calisthenics on the Brazilian label Seminal Records. https://seminalrecords.bandcamp.com/album/calisthenics

JD ZAZIE: is an experimental DJ, avant-turntablist, sound artist and curator. Coming from a DJ and a radiophonic background JD Zazie has explored different approaches to real-time manipulation of fixed recorded sound. In her work she redefines DJ and electroacoustic activities. As a solo performer, in small groups, and in large ensembles, she works in an area which is constantly stretching the borders of what could be defined as DJ mixing, free improvisation and composed music. https://carapax1.bandcamp.com/album/memory-loss

Orange Ear Doors 19:30 | Concert 20:00 sharp! Scharnweberstr. 47 10247 Berlin

[amirthefashion]

What it’s really like to live in Macao

I only go to casinos once a year, on Chinese New Year,” says Vivian Lai, a second-generation Macao resident who is training as a nurse. The tradition of gambling is said to bring good luck for the year to come, whether you win or lose.

Macao, the Chinese special administrative region (SAR) often twinned with Hong Kong, is known as the Las Vegas of Asia. As the only place in greater China where gambling is legal, the city’s skyline is a who’s-who of the biggest names in the gaming industry.

Home to just 600,000 residents – compared to seven million in Hong Kong – visitors to Macao might feel like the rest of the city lost in the shadow of the towering hotels and casinos. But travelers who are willing to dig in a little deeper can explore Macanese culture, which mixes Portuguese, Chinese and Southeast Asian heritages.

Macao is comprised of two islands – the north one, Macao itself, and its southern neighbor Taipa. For a long time, Taipa was relatively rural, and people had to travel between the two islands by boat. The first bridge connecting the two was completed in 1972. Now, there are three, with a fourth in construction.

RELATED ARTICLENot just casinos: Macao reimagines tourism post-pandemic

A world in 40 square kilometers

While the rest of the world may associate Macao with gambling, its citizens don’t necessarily feel the same way.

“In Asia, [people] think that Macao is full of casinos, and I think they do not understand the other parts of Macao,” says Lai. “When I go to Europe, when I say I come from Macao, actually they don’t know where it is, so I have to say it’s a small city next to Hong Kong.”

Marina Fernandes agrees. She is an eighth generation Macanese, from one of the oldest families on the island.

In this photo from the mid-1800s, Macao was a busy Portuguese colony. Michael Maslan/Corbis/Getty Images

“The locals seldom go to the casinos,” she says. “It’s a very small number of people who really go to the casino to gamble. We don’t gamble. We do other things. And actually the civil servants, they are forbidden to enter [casinos]. The gambling is more for the tourists, it’s not for the locals.”

Due to rising costs of living in Macao, many employees of the casinos and luxury shops are increasingly likely to commute to work from Zhuhai, the less expensive mainland Chinese city just across the water from Macao, and to speak Mandarin Chinese instead of Cantonese.

Though Macao’s special status as an SAR means that people traveling between Zhuhai and Macao still have to go through border control, the process is speedier for permanent residents and citizens with Chinese national ID cards thanks to express lanes.

According to Macao’s 2021 census, about five-sixths of Macao’s population is ethnically Chinese. Only a few thousand are Portuguese. While Portuguese is still an official language of the city and must be used on signage and in government literature, many locals opted to learn English or Mandarin Chinese instead, especially ahead of the handover – when Macao was returned to Chinese rule – in 1999.

Getting around

Macao’s airport, located on eastern Taipa, is small but modern and easy to navigate. Home to a single terminal, most of its flights are from around the region, with regular connections to places like Singapore, Jakarta, Hanoi, Bangkok and Beijing. However, for longer-haul routes to North America and Europe, locals will have to head to nearby Hong Kong, Shenzhen or Guangzhou.

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The mammoth Hong Kong-Macao-Zhuhai Bridge, the world’s longest sea-crossing bridge, was completed in 2018. It is just one of many Chinese projects intended to connect and promote the “Greater Bay Area” region.

Despite the $20 billion bridge, infrastructure within Macao is a different story. Locals who don’t have cars rely mostly on public buses. While Hong Kong has an efficient, well-organized metro system, Macao’s LRT (light rapid transit) system started in 2019 and only has one line so far. Uber suspended its services in Macao in 2017, and taxis only accept cash.

Cultural power

Fernandes spent several years living in Portugal, but says she felt alienated there and decided to return to Macao.

“We learned the Portuguese history. We know every city of Portugal. We sang proudly the Portuguese anthem,” says Fernandes. “Especially after the handover, they do not know us. They do not understand us, that we feel Portuguese.”

She says that the stereotypes she encountered about Macao involved gambling, triad gangs, and prostitution, as well as old cliches about Chinese people like that women still wore traditional qipao dresses and that men had the single braid or ponytail hairstyle.

A Portuguese-style tram in Taipa, the southern of Macao's two islands. Eduardo Leal/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Due to its small size, Macao is strict about working policies for foreigners.

Ricardo Balocas, a Lisbon native who moved to Macao in 2013, has held a variety of jobs since relocating from Europe, including management roles at the Macao International Airport and at St. Joseph’s University, the only Catholic four-year university in Asia.

Most foreigners – like Balocas – who move to Macao are eligible for permanent residency after seven years of living, working and paying taxes. That means that they can live in Macao without a work visa and do not need a company sponsoring them.

Residents with local ID cards are also able to use the city’s socialized health care. Macao citizens and permanent residents get an annual perk in the form of 10,000 patacas ($1,240) a year from the government.

However, the rules are different for many of the workers who come from poorer parts of the world, namely the Philippines. Many Filipinos come to Macao to work as domestic helpers or as security guards in casinos and luxury shops, but they cannot qualify for permanent residency or citizenship – unless they get married to a local.

According to the annual Henley Passport Index, which ranks passports by how many destinations their holders can visit visa-free, Macao has the 33rd most powerful passport in the world, and Portugal is tied for the fifth best. Meanwhile, the Philippines’ passport is ranked 75th.

RELATED ARTICLE‘Like the tart, I never change’: The secret behind Macao’s most famous dessert

Life in ‘Little Lisbon’

Balocas estimates that about half of Macao’s expat Portuguese population left during the pandemic, as Macao had some of the strictest requirements in the world, including a 21-day quarantine.

That’s why he counts on places like Albergue 1601, a restaurant housed in a heritage building from the colonial eral, to keep the city’s Portuguese heritage alive.

“This neighborhood has the lamps in the street exactly the same as in Lisbon,” he says. “So if you walk around, you almost feel that you are in Lisbon. Sometimes I even joke that you can come here and take some pictures and say that you are in Lisbon without being in Lisbon.”

However, Balocas says that whether you love or hate casinos, it is impossible to ignore them. He sometimes joins a poker game on his day off: “I like to play against people, not machines.”

He cites a recent government program that “pairs” casinos with specific local streets and shops and encourages their guests to go there and spend money, as a positive move forward. In his opinion, getting hotel guests to venture outside into Macao – which is densely packed and easy to navigate on foot – helps the whole community.

“What I want people to explore when they come to Macao, it’s to get out from the casinos, honestly,” says Balocas. “There is a lot to explore. We have beautiful museums, beautiful neighborhoods.”

These days, Balocas is working at a hospitality group, managing Albergue 1601.

When he has friends or family in town, he says, the first stop is the Macao Tower observation deck, so they can see just how small and compact the city is.

“Even nowadays that I’m 11 years here, sometimes I like to get lost. Don’t just explore the center, explore the alleys.”

[plague-vulture]

marina has a line of dialog when you start a run where she says "goooooiing up!" and everytime I see her say that I just think of the sonic fandub clip where eggman says going up before jumping off the ledge ajjabsksb