#not sure if i love the colouring or not but ehh

[strmbringer]

a chūya a day. 275/★

[ryuichirou]

How do you draw Idia’s hair so good?? I struggle with the basic shapes so much!

Sorry for the late reply! Your ask got us excited because Idia’s hair is such a pain to draw, but also such a fun detail, and I’m very happy that you like the way I draw it <3

Katsu suggested to me to record a speedpaint, and uhh, here it is. Please, don’t mind the wonky anatomy and me horsing around with zooming in and out randomly. As you can see, I struggle with Idia’s hair myself and constantly redraw it until I’m satisfied or at least tired enough to say “eh, that’ll do”. In case you’re wondering, it took me ~25-30 minutes to do the hair, and the original video was 59 min long lol I always spend a lot of time moving, reshaping and redrawing details when I draw Idia…

I’ll also list some tips and thoughts about it based on the way I draw it…

The shape of Idia’s hair is not at all consistent. Even in Toboso’s art it looks slightly different sometimes, which makes sense, because Idia has magical fire hair and technically you could do whatever you want with it.

But some rules tend to apply each time. For example, even though Idia’s hair is long and seems naturally “heavy” because of it, the individual strands tend to be turned upwards, like fire would. Not every single one, but the shorter ones and the ones closer to Idia’s head tend to do so. 

It’s wavy, but not too wavy. If the hair starts looking too “soft”, add sharp edges, random strands sticking out, rough shapes, etc.

Oh, and it’s important to remember that it floats. This means, it doesn’t just go straight down, it does this weird “S” shape. It’s also hella long, I always forget just how long Idia’s hair is. If the magic fire logic didn’t apply to it, it would reach the ground easily. The volume of his hair is much bigger than I tend to remember too: it's quite thick and luscious lol So please give him lots of hair!

Tiny little flames + “holes” in the main ehh body of hair (wow there must be a way to phrase it better) make everything look good and more believable. Have fun with it. You might’ve noticed, I draw and redraw and move them around a lot in my speedpaint.

Obviously, I am no expert, and every artist I know draws Idia’s hair a little bit differently. The speedpaint doesn’t show it, but I always have some of Toboso’s artworks of Idia open when I draw him, just to make sure his design is not too off. I would definitely recommend looking at refs while drawing Idia (or anyone), and maybe even trying to redraw the hair from Toboso’s artworks once or twice as a study, it’ll probably make it easier to understand how Idia’s hair works.

You haven’t asked about the colouring, but I love colouring Idia’s hair, so I’ll talk about it a little. Colouring Idia’s hair is simultaneously the most fun and the most tedious part of drawing him lol 15 minutes of my hour long video is just me filling Idia’s hair with the base blue colour with a lasso (I refuse to use a bucket tool…)

But once you’re done with the base, this is where the fun begins. Because at this stage you can be pretty rough, just add in darker and deeper blues near the middle/core(?) of the hair mass. It doesn’t have to be very even or pretty, add some smaller dark spots; we personally really love it when Idia has this round little blob on his bangs. In the video you can see that I added it later on because I forgot about it lol

After the dark part is done, erase the ends of it a little bit with a soft brush. Not too much, we should still be able to see the shapes.

Then, on a separate layer set on overlay mode, with the same soft brush add some additional brighter spots, to make the hair look glowy. I used the same light blue as the base colour, and the overlay gives it a pretty hue.

And finally, add some white highlights at the ends of the strands. This is the stage when everything stops looking wrong and weird and starts looking like Idia, at least to me.

Phew, I think this is everything I wanted to say… I hope it was at least somewhat helpful.

Sorry for the long post, I just love talking about the drawing process. And about Idia too!

Once again, thank you for your kind words; I’m very happy that you like my art.

Have a good day!

[velnna]

This might sound like an odd question but I’m planning on making my own comic at some point and I was wondering if you had any advice? Specifically in making the plot, deciding what each character does and maybe panel/page composition and how to make harmonious colour palettes?

Also one more question but when you were at the beginning of developing Stray Souls did you post little lore/plot snippets and character doodles/info or did you mainly wait until the comic was out?

(Sorry I know this is a lot but I was just wondering sort of what your process is because everything seems so seamless and well-put-together :> )

Ehh first of all the seamless and put-togetherness is an illusion 🫠

A lot of my work is built organically (fancy way of saying I just sorta wing it) and very dependent on what makes me excited at each given point. Generally, I come up with an idea for a character or a plot point and from there start branching out.

Say, I create character A. A needs a story so I create some beats for them, a beginning-middle-end type thing. While thinking of this, characters B, C, etc pop up as placeholders/devices for A's story, and the world gets shaped around it as well. Then suddenly something in the world gets decided that in turn changes A's story a little, and so on. Then I go into B, C, etc and do the same thing (build a story, let it bleed into the world and let the world bleed into it).

There's pros and cons to this sort of thing of course. Most of the time I over-develop characters or world bits that are completely unnecessary and clutter the narrative (especially when it's something like a comic, where things need to be explained visually and economically), and because of this sort of chaotic process I also tend to get entangled in my own concepts and lose track of my main threads. I don't dislike it entirely so it's just a matter of figuring out what works best for your own goals and processes.

Some general advice for comics that I've learned from trial and error: try stripping your story down to its bare bones and see what you absolutely need VS what's there for flavour or added context. Only add flavour once you're sure you can tackle the minimum, both in writing and artwise. Keep your character designs simple if you value your hands lol. It's fun to design complicated details but you WILL get tired of drawing them after a while. Sometimes it's ok to tell and not show 🤷‍♂️ if you're a one-man team sometimes you just gotta bite the bullet. Bear in mind that long stories will take YEARS to complete in comic format. Not an end all be all, but you do need to think about that. Also just go for it once you've got a structure you feel good about. I personally don't like over planning and don't even script things, so I don't think you need to have everything on paper before getting some chapters rolling. Most of what I've learned about comics has been making them, not thinking about making them. Oh, and readers tend to be more lenient than we give them credit for - if you're passionate enough about your world or characters, chances are at least some people will be interested regardless of whether you think art or writing are up to par

As for the other question, I spoiled the shit out of stray souls before launching it and still kinda do it for fun LMAO. Nothing too serious ofc but I've always loved giving people an insight into characters and world outside of the comic since the comic itself is a little peek into the whole thing. It also kinda serves to keep people interested imo

And I just can't keep my mouth shut about my stories lol

[mocosa-media]

9 people you'd like to get to know better

These tag games are pretty cool. Thanks so much @fabdante for tagging me, I really enjoyed learning more about you my friend. Now it's my turn.

last song you listened to: Naysayer by Architects (I feel this song tells much about the way I handle things. Angrily full of hope hehe. Also I'm trying to get concert tickets so I need to get into *Architects Mode*)

fav colour: Blue and Purple!! In that order. I tend to wear a lot of black and white but the only other color to take over my wardrobe is blue. (totally not on purpose ((but also a little on purpose)) I tend to find Vergil blue colors or ashy calm blue as a comfort)

currently watching: Fallout on Prime. I'm currently watching it with my brother in a very VERY slow fashion (we've only just finished ep. 2. But I take sibling bonding whenever I can). I am also watching Game Of Thrones on my own (also very slowly due to work and school) I've only just reached season 5.

sweet/savoury/spicy: Spicy all the way! I am Mexican, give me the spice in candy and foods.

relationship status: Ehh. In that "I'm not sure what we are" situationship phase, unfortunately.

current obsession: Mythology!! Listen, listen... I love God Of War nearly almost as much as I love Devil May Cry. They are battling for first, but DMC always wins by a hair. I love reading Greek Mythology retellings and WISH SO BADLY that there were good Norse Mythology retellings. **If anyone has any recommendations fanfic or original fiction, please let me know :))

last thing i googled: Atreus' neck tattoo and shops near me. The above answer sorta explains it. I have mainly gotten flower tatttoos, as I wish to become a garden (it was a romantic idea I had once and I'm stuck to it) and I love love LOVE flowers so so much BUT I also adore mythology and believe in all the runes and such in a spiritual aspect, as well as I just fucking adore GOW therefore I hope to get Atreus' neck tattoo (hopefully this week or the next).

Tagging: I'm sorry in advance!! Don't feel forced to participate but please know I love and respect you friends! @yatskari and @torahime

[balimode]

@trashsquatch brought it to my attention that Karl Lagerfeld hated pink, and there were quite a few people who wore that to the MET Gala... but the question became whether or not it was done on purpose or if they just didn't do their research! So, without further ado:

Did They Wear Pink As A Fuck-You to Karl Lagerfeld?

Alexandra Daddario - shaky, this is Greige

Viola Davis - THAT bright ass pink? Absolutely

Lily Aldridge - super subtle from the front, MASSIVE from the back, so maybe

Allison Williams - it's orange, so she might need a colour test if it was

Jennifer Lopez - really more of a pearl pink and I honestly doubt it

Dasha Zhukova - she knew him irl and she's done some iffy shit herself so definitely not

Donatella Versace - same case as Dasha, HOWEVER... she seems like the type to be petty so I can imagine yes

Gwendoline Christie - she's a big lady and Karl was a notorious asshole about body types, so possibly. I just wish she'd worn something with some shape to it

WAIT. GWENDOLINE AS LADY D. I SEE THE VISION

Ashley Graham - quite literally known in the industry as a plus size model so yes absolutely

Sydney Sweeney - ehh... this is edging on greige, and with the bow and embellishments, I think she just liked the colour

Precious Lee - another larger woman and it’s almost an accessory; with how bright it is, for sure yes

Song Hye Kyo - feels accidental more than anything

Grace Elizabeth - she worked with him, so she would probably know... and that's a LOT of pink, including her makeup. If it was, she probably has stories

Kate Moss - knew him irl but not smart enough to do it on purpose/probably liked him

Naomi Campbell - also knew him irl and.... it feels very deliberate, so probably

Karan Elson - even if it was, it was poorly done and she needs a new stylist regardless

Quannah Chasinghorse - with that context now in mind, and how careful Quannah has been about choosing her fits with purpose in the past, definitely yes and I have a new appreciation for the outfit

Quinta Brunson - hmm... maybe. She's not ~model skinny and she's very much of my generation so I can see yes

Nicole Kidman - nah, they hung out a bunch and seemed to like each other, this was just an awful decision

Mirka Federer - I think she just likes pink, she wears it a lot

Bee Carrozzini - OH SHE'S ANNA WINTOUR'S DAUGHTER. ...why can't anyone in this family dress themselves 😭 but with that in mind, no, just bad taste

Harvey Guillén - ABSOLUTELY 💯 AND WE LOVE HIM FOR IT

Chloe Fineman - she also had this little cat purse thing which was apparently a Lagerfeld ~staple... so this seems like a shady homage

HONORABLE MENTION to Lizzo, who did not wear pink but straight up got photos done of her eating fries in her MET Gala fit!

[the-himawari]

A3! Sakisaka Muku - Translation [SR] MANKAI ☆ New Year (2/2)

*Please read disclaimer on blog; default name set as Izumi

---

Tsuzuru: Sorry for asking you to come all of a sudden, Director.

Izumi: No worries at all. I’m guessing you want to discuss the New Year’s cards?

Tsuzuru: Yeah. It’s about the composition of the photo we’re taking. There’s surprisingly a lot to consider with 4 people, so I’m not sure how to proceed.

Izumi: I see. What kind of arrangement are you stuck on?

Tsuzuru: I thought it might be refreshing if we had some people sitting instead of all the members standing like last time.

Izumi: I like that idea. It’ll feel like a commemorative photo!

Tsuzuru: Thanks. It’s just, I’m not sure who to put in front… Considering my height, I think it’d be better for me to stand in the back.

Izumi: I see. I think placing two people side-by-side and having one person in the front would look nice.

Tsuzuru: Exactly. I was just considering doing something like that…

Muku: E-excuse me…

Tsuzuru: Oh, Muku? What’s up?

Izumi: Is this also about the New Year’s cards? We were just talking about them, so I’ll hear you out too.

Muku: Thank you! I’m asking everyone which colour they would like for their kimono… I’ve already asked Taichi-kun and Hisoka-san. I’d be happy if you could let me know too, Tsuzuru-san.

Tsuzuru: Oh, I see. Then… I’ll ask for a green one.

Muku: Noted!

Izumi: I can’t wait to see all of you in your kimonos.

Muku: Yes! Fufu, I can’t wait for the New Year’s cards to be completed. I want to send one to my sister as soon as possible.

Tsuzuru: … Yeah, that’ll be nice.

Muku: By the way, was Tsuzuru-san just saying there’s something he’s unsure about?

Tsuzuru: Yeah, I was stuck. But I solved it seeing you, Muku.

Muku: Eh?

Tsuzuru: I was going to arrange us in the front and back. But for the person in the front, I was going to ask them to sit in a chair. I’d like that person to be you, Muku.

Muku: Ehh! Me, front and center…!

Izumi: Great idea! I’m sure your sister will love to see it.

Tsuzuru: That’s right. Muku was the one who suggested doing the New Year’s cards this year anyways.

Muku: I-if you say so…! I’ll go for it!

Izumi: (Fufu. I can’t wait to see the finished cards.)

-pause-

Muku: Director-san, the New Year’s cards are done!

Izumi: …Wow, they look wonderful! All of you look amazing in your kimonos.

Muku: I narrowed the outfits down to a few based on the colours everyone requested, and then we all decided from those.

Izumi: The lettering Taichi-kun composed looks adorable too!

Taichi: Hehe. I’m glad I chose it together with you, Director-sensei!

Izumi: Thanks so much for your help too, Tsuzuru-kun, Hisoka-san.

Tsuzuru: I enjoyed putting lots of thought into the composition.

Hisoka: I had fun going shopping with you for marshmallows… and the postcards.

Izumi: Now you can give a card to your sister, right, Muku-kun?

Muku: Yes, I’m so happy!

Tsuzuru: I’m gonna need a lot to give to my brothers back home. I might as well send one to Mizuno while I’m at it, huh?

Izumi: Good call! I’m sure he’ll be overjoyed.

Tsuzuru: Ahaha. Well, as long as he’s happy.

Taichi: I’m gonna send one to someone I’m indebted to!

Izumi: And the person you’re indebted to is…

Taichi: Hehe. Lee-san!* They’ve been taking care of me both for my play rehearsals and personally~.

Izumi: We’ve received a lot of assistance as a theatre troupe too.

Hisoka: New Year’s cards… That reminds me, Guy said he’s going to hang one that he made himself up in his shop.

Izumi: I see. That sounds like a perfect way to greet both his regular and first-time customers.

Hisoka: Yeah. So I’m going to talk to Guy and ask him to display this New Year’s card in the bar too.

Izumi: Nice idea. That’ll be a good publicity for the troupe, so please do!

Tsuzuru: It’s just like our Director to think of advertising from that.

Muku: I mean, it’ll be delightful if lots of people can come watch our plays, right!

Taichi: Yep, yep! I’m counting on y’all next year so we can deliver more awesome plays together!

Hisoka: Yeah, same here.

Izumi: Ahaha. It’s a bit early for that, isn’t it? But I’m also looking forward to working together next year! (I hope all of us can deliver all sorts of different plays and spend an enjoyable time next year as well.)

---

*Lee-san is featured in the Mantou Fist and Midnight Chinatown event stories

previous |

[originemesis]

@voxistem from xxx

TV TROPES DOT ORG, GIVE ME THE RUN DOWN. UH OH, LOOKS LIKE A CLASSIC CASE OF IMMORTAL IMMATURITY. but never you mind, dear audience! your host lives with velvette and valentino, he can handle a tantrum or two. this one comes with the added bonus of a holy, angelic soul. well, not so holy anymore but angelic nonetheless. you don't just throw away this kind of opportunity. angel souls are a hefty sum of power, like a briefcase stuffed with wads of cash, requiring transfers in intervals. a little wining and dining, some added expenses — boom, contract signed. and hey, the feathered menace is steadily growing on him. if nothing else, vox has always been fond of rock. ( not necessarily when it's blasting through the tower at three in the morning, but he's adjusting. ) vox makes a show of looking him up and down appreciatively, LED grin flashing across his display as he taps a claw against adam's mask, a static-laced chuckle sounding from his speakers. the fuckboy look suits him. ❝ the prettiest. ❞ the overlord drawls, snaking a clawed grip around the fallen angel's waist, mostly just to hold him in place and steer him down the corridor, in the direction of the elevator, with no more fuss. they have reservations after all. ❝ purple's a good colour on you, birdy. might have to get you more of this. what'dya think, huh? i'm sure vel would love to have you model for her. ❞ out front, there's a limo awaiting them.

Well, it wasn't like he could say this was his preferential placement and all, but it did beat lying in a puddle of blood and used condoms that weren't even his outside of that fucking Lucifer's place...even with cunt^3'd over there vamping on his soul. If it looked like a leech, latched like a leech, and smiled like a leech- it was probably just a TV. In this case, one with legs and enough influence in hell to keep him from getting bulldozed by all the sinners he'd tortured over the years- or worse yet: bored. That was one thing he didn't do very well at all with that attention span of his.

Neck craned down fairly far as if to acknowledge his company, but eyes swiveled elsewhere in a non-committal toss and subsequent roll, he would have his attention brought back to the center of his mask jarringly with the tapping of a claw and the surge of static that came with it and scrambled his face display a brief moment. Oh...? Equalizer bars slanted diagonally shot up and down a quavering moment across the bridge of his visor in the regular golden shade of his features mimicking the stain that was likely dusted across his face underneath at the relenting of a confirmation he didn't expect, but nonetheless packed onto the pile of his steadily stacking Jenga tower of an ego. He'd opened his mouth to pitch whatever saucy thought scuttled out from the knocked over leaf hiding his inner lizard of a mindset, but a side of squawk only emerges once he's yanked over by the hip and ushered towards the doors with a firm, but final say. They were late, and the walking microwave wasn't going to stand for it...or leave him to his Fortnite quests.

"Ehh- mid on most normies. I can elevate it though. Not sure Pinkie-Pie would appreciate the extra work with that hate boner she's got for me." He mused while fussing with a golden stud at the end of his horn, tugging like one might an earring when their hands had little else to do. The 'birdy' doesn't fly under his radar, but he merely huffs a challenge of sorts at the branding.

Challenge accepted.

"Y'know, TV-Din-Dins ~ " The angel mused once he'd been bolstered over to the opening of the ride, talons digging in to the top of the vehicle and scratching his mark in with a firm screech. A sly grin slipped over his shoulder at the one looking to boot him in. "You keep playing the right channel, and I just might let you Netflix and chill a little more soul out of me later." Not that he would. Sometimes it was just cathartic to be simped over for no damned reason other than personal profit. Maybe women did have a cheat code.

[goth-boots]

✨ Baki OCs x Reader Scenarios ✨

Yeah, I want to post it >:3

I'm not sure if I'll write for Baki, Hanayama and other characters but who knows? Maybe someday🤔

I'm new to all this writing stuff so I hope it seems fine? ;:D

.

.

.

HOW YOU MET

Namiko

- Probably in a mall;

- You were whispering to yourself deciding which shirt fits you more;

- You didn't notice her at first (F to your poor soul 😔🖐🏽);

- "Mmm, this one is better";

- "Ehh, did I scare you?";

- Will talk to you about colour theory and tell you which colour and style is gonna suit you;

- "I like your nail polish. What's the name? No, I mean your name, silly ;)"

- Will ask you what you think about her current outfit (she really enjoys attention ;-;)

- "Maybe we can hang out sometimes. Would you like to give me your number?"

- She's not a person to fall in love from the first sight, so you're lucky(?) that you seemed nice and cool to her 😬.

Raizo

- Was chilling on a bench in an amusement park waiting for his daughter;

- You were just walking all alone, enjoying autumn after a hard day, when a kid spilled hot tea on your leg;

- "Goodness! For God's sake this kid! Hey!";

- The man was too loud. Even you who were in pain wasn't screaming that much 😭

- He sat you on a bench and asked the kid to stay there with you when he'll go and buy some cold water;

- "Oh, wait, the kid is mine..."

- Dozens of sorries were heard that day :')

- He offered you money to apologize but you refused(?);

- "Uh, oh, wow.. So how can I... Oh, I know! How about a free dinner? Whenever and wherever you want, you are to choose! Uh, here's my number, so tell me when you want to meet! Again, sorry..";

- Then you walked away with a bottle on your leg and when you were already far away Raizo finally got a chance to skold his daughter (F to Namiko).

Riamu

- Let's say you found him after a fight;

- Man was covered in scratches, bruises, had a couple of fractures. Classic;

- U approached him and decided to take care of him in your place;

- No, you didn't drag him all the way up to your house 😭;

- He still was kind of conscious and you weren't that far away from home;

- After setting him down on your couch you started taking care of his injuries;

- On the other day you woke him up and insisted going to the hospital;

- He was silent but after a couple of minutes nodded in agreement;

- 🏥🚑;

- You visited him from time to time;

- "Why this person is still here? Do they want something from me?";

- Tolerated you for as long as he could but gave up and finally softened;

- Was actually happy to see you (admits it but prefers not to show it);

- Remembered your address so there's no need to search for you;

- Planned to apologize, after the recovery, for problems he may've caused and to thank you for your care.

[bangchanbabygurl]

HOME (S. CHANGBIN)

Member: Changbin

Request: No

Genre: Fluff, Angst, Boyfriend Changbin AU, non idol,

WARNINGS: Mommy & Daddy Issues, insomnia, depression, anxiety, insecurities, explicit language, heavy dark themes, self-harm, mentions of SA, abusive household, & abuse of alcohol.

A small sigh left my lips as I waved bye to my sisters as they walked into the school building; I huffed out a breath before turning on my heels. Sending the text message as I cross the street with strangers, why do I feel so empty? Why do I feel afraid? Entering the bookshop, I felt my phone buzz. A faint smile spread across my lips; I ordered two strawberry grapes with extra whip. “Thank you,” I muttered, walking back out into the cold breeze; I continued to walk down the sidewalk, passing by strangers that seemed tired and drained from colour.

Ringing the doorbell, I could hear muffled voices through the door. I exhaled softly, “You’re here; Changbin’s getting dressed. Come in; Felix and I were leaving.” Chan said with a smile. I smiled as I slipped out of the black Vans, “Bibble, how are you?” Felix asked. I nodded, “Ehh, alright.” I said. “We’ll see you in a bit,” Chan said, leaving the house. I entered the living room, placing the drinks on the coffee table. I sat on the couch with a shaky breath; I looked around, trying to avoid slipping into my dark thoughts. My face buried into my hands as I tried to control my breathing, “One...two...three,” I mumbled. Changbin has always told me to count whenever I felt like I couldn't breathe. It does help, for two minutes.

“Bibble?” Changbin's voice made me flinch as I looked at him; he looked worried. “Are you alright?” He asked, sitting down on the couch. I bit my lip and nodded, “Yeah, I'm fine.” I said. He wasn't convinced, but he didn't bug me with further questions. Instead, he embraced me into his arms; my favorite thing about being with him was being able to feel home and safe in his arms. I exhaled quietly, “So were you able to work out today, or did you go have breakfast with your mom?” I asked with a small smile. He chuckles, “I had breakfast with my mom; you know she misses you.” Changbin said. I looked at him. “Really? Well, I miss going over to and chatting, but classes have been hectic. I'll try to make time,” I said; he caressed my arm softly. “I’ll let her know,” He said with a smile. 

“Are you sure you're okay?” Changbin asked as he got comfortable on the couch; I lay down next to him. “Yeah, I'll be okay,” I said with a smile; he sighed. “Because it doesn't sound like you are,” He said, his fingers playing with my hair softly. I let out a shaky breath, “My dad’s leaving,” I muttered. Changbin him closer to him, “But it's not like it's the first time; he's done this like four times.” I said with a chuckle. Changbin stayed quiet, “It hurts knowing that I don't matter to him. I could care less honestly; no, what hurts me is that my sisters won't have a father in their life.” I said, feeling myself getting emotional. “Do you know what's fucked up?” I asked, looking at Changbin. His thumb wiped away the tear that escaped, “That whenever I'm around him, I get scared, I become uncomfortable. I'm afraid of what he might do to my sisters or me; it's like being near a total stranger. Changbin, I don't know who my dad is anymore; it terrifies me.” I whispered. I cried, feeling Changbin pull me into his chest.

“Last night, my dad lashed out on my mom,” I said; Changbin became tensed. “Lashed out? As in?” he asked. I sighed, “As he grabbed her by the throat had he pinned up the wall and yelled, he told her that she was going to rot alone and that it's her fault that my sisters won't have a father anymore.” I whispered. I felt afraid as I spoke about it; Changbin sat up. “Love, that's not...” He paused; I sit up, pulling my knees to my chest. “Right? I know, what can I do? I'm a woman,” I said; Changbin inhaled sharply as he crossed his arms. “But that hasn't stopped you from anything, has it?” he asked; I let a small smile form on my lips. “No, you’re a woman, yes, but I know that you're capable of many things. If you had to protect your mother or sisters by getting physical with a man, then don't let anything stop you.” He said. I ran my fingers down my arms, “Is your mom okay?” He asked. I nodded and let a sigh leave my lips, “Yeah, we're worried about my sisters the most. What am I going to tell them? That dad left them because things between him and mom didn't work out? Or because dad prefers to fuck around and act like a teenage boy? It's ugh,” I let out a groan of frustration.

Changbin pulls me onto his lap, “I’m sure you'll know what to say them; besides, you have a way with words.” He said with a smile as he kissed my temple. I let myself relax, “What would I do without you?” I asked with a smile. He chuckles, “You would be locked up in your room reading books,” He teased. I chuckled and nudged his chest; Changbin held me close. “You’re my home; you know that, right?” I whispered, his hand rubbing soothing circles on my back. “Always,” He said; I smiled pecked his lips: my home, my sweet home.

[coffee-in-veins]

New player anon again, thank you for your fantastic reply!! I'll admit there were a couple od things that I disagree with but I'm sure that stems more from my lack of enough research to these character's backstories

Someone in your replies had also said that it's better to consider the DD1 and DD2 characters as seperate entities and I can't help but agree. After all, the jump in premise from "exploring the cursed dungeon and driving back nasty monsters" to "literally saving the world from a bigger eldritch horror than last time" is a bit much in terms of upping the stakes. After all, while in DD1 it seemed believeable that warriors would come to the hamlet to be hired and were there for their own selfish reasons...what sort of reason is there for the DD cast to want to take on the apocalypse itself? The way I see it, most of the cast saw the dungeon crawling as a job, but I cannot see them tackling the DD2 big bad from the virtue of their hearts. Perhaps the Protege hired them but ehh...less believable than the Heir hiring them idk

Also DD1's main color palette being red is cooler than DD2's main color palette being blue lol

sorry for the late reply, irl just keeps getting to me and i have just enough energy for silly reports but nothing too serious

i'd love to hear things you disagree with, personally, because discussing characters is my passion, and even if i disagree with someone's take, it's always interesting to see how they justify it - if they justify it, and it's not, well, just a preference

starting with something easy - i would disagree that DD2 is "blue". Sure, the Ingress is blueish-black, but I guess it's more of a continuation of the "cosmic" theme. Blue/cyan/green are usually the colours of the "celestial" in the DD as far as I can see - take The Colour of Madness, for example - it's cyan, blue and grey, mostly, and those are the colours we somewhat see in Tangle and Shroud, locations "infected" by something cosmic/celestial. Meanwhile, red/black/purple are the colours of the Darkest Dungeon, The Heart, Crimson Curse (mixed with white), Cultists and whatever comes "from below", and they can be seen in Foetor and its assumed connection to Flesh and Sluice/Warrens to a lesser degree. besides, new location of Sprawl is definitely not blue, so i'm not sure what are you about here... the infodumps before each run? i'd call them grey. the Altar of Hope? it's always purple it's also grey. could you point what you mean by "being blue" here?

and regarding the other point you bring up... that's the issue i have! those are NOT different characters, this is NOT a different world, and we have quotes, items and characters to prove that. Baldwin says that he used to be religious when he interacts with Holy Beads in an inn. we meet Caretaker as Hoarder and at least some of the characters note that he is familiar to them. the one who teaches your heroes upped skills is none other than Guild Lady. we get Ethereal Dust and Otherwordly Fragment from The Sleeper. we get The Blood and The Wine from Crimson Court. hell, we see fully grown Willbur and Wilbur's Flag, much like we get those in DD1.

Damian is the most obvious and the latest living (?) proof of DD2 being a direct sequel of DD1, if Protege's story wasn't screaming it loud enough, since he and his Professor narrowly escaped (or Professor didn't quite manage to) being turned into the Necromancer from DD1.

frankly, if those were separate bubbles, separate branches of reality, i'd have a lot less gripe with DD2 lore- and character-wise, but (unfortunately?) RH go out of their way to prove how it IS a continuation of DD1, story-wise. that this is the same Dismas, that this Para is the same Para, and that Baldwin still somehow can get double leprosy.

also: the reason why they want to take a fight to an apocalypse can be, quite literally, a desire to survive or die trying; if they don't fight the apocalypse they'll die 100%. if they do fight the apocalypse... well, realistically, they still die 100% but they feel better about themselves. but this is not what happens in the game.

speaking of which.

my biggest gripe with DD2 is that it feels... "hollywood-y", for lack of a better term. a pack of socially undesirable underdogs, stopping the end of the world they have literally no way/no means/not enough understanding to stop by the power of drugs and friendship and maybe a gun they found along the way. let me explain.

in DD1 it was a war of attrition, either you mismanage your town (and yes, you have a whole town bending to your will and serving you, providing for you and implementing whatever you want and can afford), or whittle down cultists and horrors and breach in to... not win, no and this is an extremely important distinction, here! - but to return things to the status quo. the Heir(ess) cannot win against the Heart. they simply cannot. it's not a thing a human, cursed or not, can do. they can only perpetuate the cycle and return things to the start by stockpiling corpses of their mercs high as the sky in an attempt to do so. again, you have a whole town at your disposal and you can't win, you can only win more time which, in the end, is futile since it's a continuation of the cycle. notice you can't do anything about The Heart just as you can't do much about the Sleeper but return them to the start of the sleeping cycle, unlike more "corporeal" beings like Countess, Flesh, etc.

now, in DD2, you canonically have: a guy who nearly became the Necromancer's right shinbone, two horses, a wooden box with wheels and four traumatized people who had already seen some shite. no planning, no whittling, no attrition, no army, self-made as it was in DD1. and you do the biggest sin of the cosmic horror genre - you WIN. not survive. not escape with a few scars, a forever shattered sanity and a grey head. not return things to the feeble status quo by a MacGuffin and a connection to some cosmic entity (or being a larva of one). win. if you count the inn stops, the game is four days long. think about it. you WIN against an apocalyptic calamity which fucks up the entire WORLD (not some province, not even a country or a continent, not some lost backwater estate, the WHOLE WORLD) in four days. twenty if you want to be pedantic and include all five chapters. twenty five in we're being generous and adding sluice. twenty five days to win the unwinnable. i think the quickest i've seen DD1 finished was 16 weeks...? and again, that wasn't a win, narrative-wise even if the player won against the final boss. it was a draw, a reboot because you shouldn't be able to win against the cosmic horror. it's not how cosmic horror works...

please note, i'm not trying to diminish your love for DD2. go for it, enjoy what i have issues with, i'll be happy to see the fandom having new people and new takes. if you can explain or maybe just not care about it all, i genuinely envy you and wish i could, too. alas, here i am, overthinking the rule of cool and why RH does what they do.

[succulent-mud]

Hello there~. Shooting you an ask out of the blue; I hope I don't come off as a creep. But! I'm curious about the following: #9, #23, #31, and #44. If it's not a bother to you, of course.

But well hello there too! :D

Of course not, I love people leaving me ask/request on my inbox, it is quite enjoyable interacting, really thank you for the ask!.

(Also sorry sorry for the late response!).

9-HOT, hot coffee always and always be like that, besides the fact it makes me very sleepy, I really like drinking coffee. Makes me feel fancy sometimes. And for some reason can't stand when it's cold, tastes and feels weird. Almost like drinking battery acid, but that would actually make me a Queen.

23-Ohhh they are so lovely! The best!. Chilly or rainy weathers are my favorites above everything. They're very calm and those days the houses and streets are in silence while having small puddles of water (if rainy) or the icy breeze you needed to stay inside, one that chills you to the bone. Chilly/rainy weathers gives some sort of security and a vaguely familiar feeling. Maybe I live in a place where hot weather/season are the same as being a raw frozen Turkey in Thanksgiving just about to be thrown into a deep frying pot but ehh… We even have long long weeks in were you can barely step out of your room, if you do good luck you'll meet God.

31-I'm not very very sure of the genre I listen to, but somewhat sure it's electro pop and alternative rock...maybe. One thing sure is I'm forgetting about other bands and songs I have and can't find either.

In complete honestly, just listen what sounds good to me and helps me smooth my brain more than it already is.

Usually Cuarteto de Nos, Mother Mother, Will Wood and the Tapeworms, Lady Gaga, Penelope Scott, Cavetown, and other things like that are what I hear in my day. Making a little emphasis on Cuarteto de Nos since it's my favorite of literally everything, amazing lyrics, good background on the letters, rhythm...muack, cheff kiss.

44-Uncle Granpa. I hated him, I'm hating him and I'll keep hating him for the rest of my life.

This man made me violent everytime his theme was on the TV, more angry because I remember how that show was on air almost all day. I remember getting sick when looking at it and if I throw salt, sugar, anything from a sewer, colours and part of a microwave core I am so sure this is what is coming out.

[thevampirearchive]

Rules: answer the questions and tag fifteen mutuals

I was tagged by @sofipitch thank you <3

1. Are you named after anyone?

Oh boy this could get long but let me make it shot! As a West African I have a very long name, some are names not meant for the public (spiritual names) while others are! My actually first name (spiritual name so I cannot share but the nickname is Juju) is after my paternal great grandmother who died at age 106 & when I met her she told me to live a long life, and now I am on the hunt to become a vampire so I do not disappoint that sweet badass lady! Then my government first name is after one of my favorite perfume (Anaïs) which was one of the only smells that didn't make her want to punch air & yak when pregnant! My middle name (Soraya) is after Queen Soraya whom my mothers lover admired & wanted to name his daughter, so despite them not making it she loved the name/still named me it. W ex boyfriend, bet my father is shaking screaming throwing up!

2. When was the last time you cried?

As a cancer this question is ehh offensive to my people (3 business days ago I think)

3. Do you have kids?

Thank the heavens & earth no, I am a 24 year old child, what would I do with kids?

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

Nahh, on for special occasions

5. What’s the first thing you notice about people?

Eyes and how they react to certain things (like in conversations etc)

6. What’s your eye colour?

The type of brown that looks black, aka the most beautiful ihh

7. Scary movies or happy endings?

Scary movies with happy endings, but in a 'good for her' for the final girl type of way!

8. Any special talents?

I can draw, good at guessing peoples zodiac sign after short interactions and this gorrially gripping pwus********---...

9. Where were you born?

Cameroon

10. What are your hobbies?

I love to read, write, sleep (yes it counts) draw, play sims & make playlist/pinterest boreds!

11. Have you any pets?

No but I want a cat!

12. What sports do you play/have played?

I have done ballet, Equestrianism, swimming and I wanted to get into basket but a ball landed weirdly on my finger and sprained it - I knew then that I better bow out before I was further hmbled!

13. How tall are you?

58-178

14. Favorite subject in school?

English, Social Studies, History & Ancient Greek Art

15. Dream job?

As a multifacided babes, I would love to be payed to create art (writing, drawing etc) but I do not dream of labor so I don't have one. Used to be princess, and after learning how much it pays I should have stuck to it!

Not sure who to tag, so if you would like to do it feel free to tag me as tagger!

[sweetstarling]

Octavinelle x Reader First Dates ~ The Sky Line

The second half of a lovely wish from @kawaiidreamerarbiter , I hope you enjoy lovelies!

————————————————————————

~𝕯𝖔𝖜𝖓 𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕽𝖆𝖇𝖇𝖎𝖙 𝕳𝖔𝖑𝖊 𝖂𝖊 𝕲𝖔~

Azul:

🐙He tries to keep a calm demeanour through and through, Azul plans everything to the last step even quietly rehearsing some lines to break any awkward moments.

🐙The first date will most likely be away from any curious eyes, in other words the tweels; He plans a glorious picnic next to a beautiful lake. Having made both your favourite foods alongside some snacks he learnt from his kind mother in the sea of corals.

🐙The picnic would last some time, one conversation after another until it starts reach evening, Azul holds out his hand and leads you towards a boat on the lake. The last bit of your date spent on the calm waters, closest to his element he’s calmest.

🐙Closing his eyes he’ll start to sing lightly, emotions spilling out of him for you, He wants nothing more but to be close to you and he’ll make sure to make it known.

🐙Beware, The eyes of two faithful friends glow gold in the dark, the willow trees spilled over the lake covering their intentions ever so slightly. The laughter of the taller eel going almost unnoticed, Isn’t Koebi-chan so cute with Azul?

————————————————————————

The glow of the sun raged over the lake, a mirage of colours danced around the boat made for two. Azuls eyes glowed nostalgia mixed with butterflies of love, a light smile on his lips as he glanced at you, whispers of cherish leaving his faded lips, You look more radiant then the sun on a summers.

Jade:

🐚A man of preparation just like his dear childhood friend, Azul, much more calmer then him though. Jade is not phased at all as his skills of observation are immaculate, taking the time to learn everything he needs to know about you and more.

🐚The original consideration of taking you for a hike was left to the dust when he considered a much more relaxed date idea for the both of you, a walk in a forest alongside scavenging for mushrooms to add to his collection.

🐚The darkness of the forest contrasting the golden lights beaming through the parts of the leafless sky; the dark allowing for all kinds of emotions to flow through as he took this to learn more about you.

🐚Laughter is a much more common as he watched you glide from mushroom to mushroom, allowing himself to let some facts of each specimen of mushroom leave him.

🐚The day is calm, spent in the company of both of you besides a message or two from Floyd, mischievous texts leaving the curious boy as he made sure to humour the both of you. Ehh, a date on mushrooms? You’ll bore Koebi-chan to deathhh.

————————————————————————

Fresh summer leaves danced in the light breeze, rays of sunlight spilling in washing over the gliding couple, Jade walked around with a basket, the mushrooms piling up keeping you away from any that could be poisonous. A light smile keeping on his lips as a few words leaving him danced around you, You’re so smart, my starfish.

Floyd:

🦈Floyd is unpredictable, and has probably changed his mind multiple times on what the first date should be. But, he’s far from dumb as he realizes the best choice for the both of you would to make use of the pool only accessed by Octa-trio in their dorm.

🦈The pool is the safest way to get you closest in his element, in his true form, that he’s always wanted to show you, leaving the beach for another day.

🦈The coolness of the water colliding with your skin, as those calm waters form into small waves as Floyd turned into eel mer-form, beautiful smooth scales patterned across his skin, a feeling of euphoria entering his once more.

🦈The new energy fuelling him to swim up to you in a new kind of speed colliding into you and wrapping his damp arms around you,his scales left free to touch for your hands even encouraging it. A content sigh leaving him every once in a while.

🦈The both of you spend as much time as you can, play fights and and more intimate touches being the main game but the sky soon starts to get dark and you both have to leave soon, Floyds energy not leaving him yet as he continues to tease you even outside the pool.

————————————————————————

The noise of wet skin clasping against the cool stone ground echoed in the room, a laughing yet slightly out of breath eel slowly followed behind as he tried to chase you cheekily. Stopping when he almost slipped now that he had his human limbs back, the towel you picked up being thrown at him leaving your laughter to echo instead, Ne Koebi-chan is so cheeky.

[kanataka-san]

Owen Grady X Male Reader

9:25am

I've been looking for (Y/N) all morning. You probably think why.... Well when I woke up he was gone- It was weird since I always woke up first, then after breakfast we're driving together to his lab - yea he wasn't there either- next stop was little cafeteria when he makes his morning coffe- still nothing - I also asked some people that works with him- They didn't saw him today...

I could call him but it'll be pointles 'cause he left his phone at home.

I'm sure I'll find him sooner or later, right now I need to see my girls.

Little time skip *paddock* 11:16am

"I bet they're hungry." I quietly said to myself taking bucket with meat in it and went on a catwalk.

While I was going up the stairs most of the guards- or rather idiots with guns- were standing frozen with wide eyes. My brows furrowed. As soon as I was all the way up I looked down and saw my lover.....

In the paddock....

With four raptors...

Cuddled up to him leting out sound like cats purring. "Well you don't see it everyday." I got down and made my way to first door of the paddock -opening them and closing after I was in and put down the bucket.

"I see you're comfortable." on my voice (Y/N) turned his head to look at me "Yea, I am." he then tried to get up but Blue had other plans.

She took a bit of (Y/N)s (F/C) shirt and bite it to pull him down again. Echo and Charlie came up neer him as Delta pickes up his book and places it on his lap. Blue sat down behind him acting as his personal pillow so (Y/N) wouldn't touch the ground with his back.

To be honest this made me jelous -will i admint it? - nah-"Your gonna stand there or come to me?" (Y/N) said looking- annoyed- going through pages where i asummed he finished reading. "Ok, ok, im comming in." I opened the second door and Blue made sound that I took as warning "Blue drop it." she didn't listen as others started to do the same 'oh so now youre agains your Alpha'. "Easy girls hes your Alpha and my mate. Be good." they went quiet. "So now they are listening to you?" My brows rose- I won't hide I was proud of my lover tho-.

"Well im glad they do 'cause by now, I'll be dead. You know I like colour red but I do like my body in one piece and organs inside- the same with my blood, not other way around." I saw smirk comming up at his handsome face.

(Y/N) let out a sigh and got up, girls wanted too but he told them to stay.

"Lets go." I looked down and saw

(Y/N)s hand in mine.

Going out we closed the paddock.

"Don't you have work to do?"

"Took a day off." I nooded- 'well that make sense-'-

"But why you were with my raptors?" "They needed my asist too check on them. I didn't woke you up 'cause you was really tired when you came home yesterday and when I was about to go out Blue and the girls hold me back and wouldn't let me go." "Yea. That ansvers my other questions."

After we returned home (Y/N) went to the kitchen and began to cook, I went to the livingroom to sit on a couch. Today'll be spaghetti - I love his cooking as much as i love him-.

"Dino-dad! earth to you!" "what-?" I asked confused. "ehh.... Can you take out the plates?" "Sure." I made my way to the kitchen and since plates were on upper shelf where (Y/N) stood I came up behind him kissing his neck a couple of times lighty "O-Owen not now." I hummed into his skin.

"Please, I don't want to burn myself." singhing defeated. "Ok." As I was about to take the plates out (Y/N)s hand occupied my cheek "Don't pout you big baby."

Before he let me go I got a kiss on the lips that was a little heated taking me by suprise - but i wasn't complaining.

"Now took them out and put them on the table. Im starving." Chuckling I did as I was told "You know I love you." "Yup. Well I love you too" (Y/N) said looking at me smiling making me smile back, earning a chuckle- and soon deliciouse meal.

"I really love your cooking." "I know thats why im doing it." "Yea but you always come home tired-" "It make me happy seeing you eat food i cook. I can say it makes my day better."

All I heard after that was silence.

"That was cheesy." He looked annoyed "Oh shut up... I was trying to be romantic mr. Owen Ruin-the-mood Grady." "Speaking of which. I don't like your last name." (Y/N) furrowed his brows.

"Wha-?" I got up "How about we change it?" I got on one knee and smile "Owen I swear if your joking I won't hesitate to-"

"(Y/N)(L/N)" He went silent. "You are the love of my life. I love seeing your sleeping face, adorible bedhead, your shining eyes when your happy, that annoyed look when I do something stupid-" (Y/N) roled his eyes making me chuckle taking out the ring. "- when you rool your (E/C) eyes when i ramble to much and many more. Will you make me the happiest men on this planet and marry me?"

Just now i noticed tears running down his cheeks.

"You idiot..."

He got up.

"Of course i will!!"

I put the ring on his finger and got pulled to the ground with (Y/N) on top of me 'crying mess... But my crying mess'.

Kissing his head I rubbed his back

"I love you so much Owen."

"I love you to, but honey, please stop weating my shirt." I heard him laugh and slightly pulled away. His hands on both sides of my head, legs straddling my hips. His face all red not only from crying but from blushing too with small smile. "oh- kiss me." I haven't waist any more time and obeyed, pulling him closer to my chest kissing his lips.

Words:1073

[the-himawari]

A3! Sakisaka Muku - Translation [SR] Like a mirror (2/2)

*Please read disclaimer on blog; default name set as Izumi

---

Izumi: Mmm… (Mosaic art where you arrange stones of all sorts of different colours… The tool is different from when you paint. Using coloured stones to draw is harder than I imagined.) (Muku-kun is…)

Muku: Next up… maybe this colour.

Izumi: (I was worried, but he’s placing the stones just fine.) (…Ah, a shape is slowly forming.) Is that a cat?

Muku: You got it!

Izumi: Wow, you’ve got a knack for this, Muku-kun! It’s looks adorable. Even though it’s stone, it feels it conveys your warmth and softness.

Muku: Wah, thank you very much…!

Option 1: “It’s hard but fun.”

Izumi: Mosaic art is hard but fun.

Muku: Yeah! I’m getting more and more absorbed into it. I mentioned this earlier, but it caught my interest when Kazu-kun was showing me a bunch of different exhibition flyers. Experiencing it myself, I felt the charm of mosaic art even more, and I want to visit a solo exhibit now! Director-san, if you don’t mind, won’t you come with me to an exhibit next time?

Izumi: Sure! I’d love to.

Muku: Thank you! Fufu, I can’t wait.

Option 2: “What colour would work here?”

Izumi: I was thinking of making a flower. What colour would work here?

Muku: Let me see… what do you think about this colour?

Izumi: I see. That looks cute. Yeah, I guess I’ll go with that. Thanks, Muku-kun.

Muku: Not at all! I’m happy that I get to create this art with you too.

Instructor: Oh my, this is… Why, this is just stellar. It came out really well.

Muku: ! Thank you very much…!

Instructor: Is this your first time? You might have talent for this.

Muku: Ehh!

Izumi: That’s great, Muku-kun!

Muku: Ehehe, does this bring me a little closer to my role?

-pause-

Muku: I was able to learn so much from the mosaic art experience.

Izumi: Yeah, same here.

Student: There’s gonna be a lecture held in this hall later on.

Muku: A lecture?

Izumi: Ah, there’s a poster over here. The lecturer is…

Muku: Woah! It’s Yumeka-sensei! They’re the author of a shoujo manga that I love!

Izumi: I know them too! They’re a famous writer, aren’t they?

Muku: I knew they were an alumni of Amabi university, but I never imagined they’d be here to hold a lecture... I’d love to attend it too!

Student: Those who have a numbered ticket, please enter through that entrance.

Muku: Eh…

Izumi: It looks like you need a numbered ticket to go in…

Muku: O-oh, you’re right… It’s too bad, but there’s nothing we can do about that.

Banri: Oh, ain’t it Muku and Director-chan? Did you guys go to a workshop?

Kazunari: How’d it go?

Izumi: Banri-kun, Kazunari-kun.

Muku: …

Banri: ?

Kazunari: Mukkun? You look like someone rained on your parade. Did something happen?

Izumi: The truth is…

-pause-

Banri: I see. Oi, Muku.

Muku: Y-yes.

Banri: Take this. It’s a numbered ticket for the lecture.

Muku: EHH!?

Banri: I was assigned to help take care of a guest at another lecture this time. I got that as thanks for that. I think that’s actually a staff seat ticket? They said two people can enter with 1 of ‘em.

Muku: Eh, but…

Banri: I’m gonna be stationed somewhere else so I originally couldn’t go anyways. I’ll let you have ‘em, Muku. Aight then, I’m heading out. See ya.

Kazunari: Catch you later, Settzer!

Muku: Thank you so much, Banri-san…!

Izumi: Good luck, Banri!

Kazunari: Good for you, huh? Now you can go to the lecture!

Muku: Yeah…!

Kazunari: You know the writer too, don’tcha, Director-chan? You two should go together.

Izumi: Ehh, are you sure?

Kazunari: No give backsies! Have a blast, ‘kay ♪

-pause-

Yumeka: When I draw coloured illustrations, I…

Muku: …

Izumi: (Muku-kun is listening really intently. He’s even taking notes… I’m glad we were able to come.)

-pause-

*applause*

Muku: *Sigh*, that felt like a dream.

Izumi: That was interesting. We got to hear all sorts of different stories. Ah! They’re selling books to be signed by the author after this! It looks like they’ll be signing them in person.

Muku: ! U-um, I’d love to buy one! Is that okay?

Izumi: Yeah, of course! Let’s go!

-pause-

Yumeka: Hi there.

Muku: H-hello! I really love your works, Yumeka-sensei. They always make my heart flutter!

Yumeka: Wow, I’m happy to hear that.

Muku: Can I have your autograph…!

Yumeka: Yes!

Muku: U-um… can I ask you a few questions?

Yumeka: I don’t mind. What would you like?

Muku: You works are so bittersweet and they’re full of lovely plotlines and heart-skipping scenes…! Among them, the scene in "Thunder Love" where Rai-kun and Sora-chan try to convey their feelings for each other—. Did you already come up with that at the beginning of the story? And how did you draw the scene in “Draw a Heart” where Spica-chan summons her magic? A-and also, for the manga being serialized right now…

Izumi: (Woah, Muku’s flooding them with questions…!)

-pause-

Kazunari; Ah, they’re back!

Misumi: Welcome back, Muku, Director-san~.

Yuki: I heard you went to the lecture of a manga author. How was it?

Muku: It was the best thing ever…! I asked them for an autograph too.

Kumon: Seriously! That’s awesome!

Tenma: Good for you, Muku.

Muku: Yeah!

Izumi: (Muku-kun looks satisfied.) (That being said… I wonder if that barrage of questions was helpful for his role study?)

Muku: Yumeka-sensei was such a nice person! Their stories were so interesting, and…

Izumi: (Oh well. He looks really happy, so it’s fine.)

---

previous |

[argumentl]

The Freedom of Expression Ep 67 - Putting up ads in the train without permission, and talking about past flyers.

K: Hi, this is Dir en grey's Kaoru, with this week's episode of the Freedom of Expression...Uh, can I just...uh, I was asked by Joe recently, and I made these *holds up 'Kimi ni tou' stickers*

J: Thank you

K: Kimi ni tou stickers.

T: Its the project that you are doing, Joe?

J: Thats right. We started it in August last year, its a new form of media. We did publish an interview with Kaoru too, but I asked him to design these original stickers for us.

T: Ehh? You are shameless!

J, K: Hahaha

J: No, no, well..yeh, maybe I am, haha. Well, what do we have on here? Kaoru has given it a lot of thought. He has included my icons...

T: Its cool.

J:...The hat I always wear, and my glasses.

T: *To K* What was your initial concept for these?

K: Well, it was Joe's image with a little bit of my own influence.

J: Thank you! And also, black, I always wear red socks...so black, red, and white are like my three colours. They are all used here.

T: Ahh, brilliant.

J: Thank you so much for these.

K: Where can people get them?

J: Well, currently you can get them at the venues of the events im doing now, but I think we are gonna start selling them on the Kimi no tou page too, so if you check our social media, you'll see us posting the details of when and where to buy them.

T: This design is ears and eyes, right? I like the concept.

J: Yeh

T: You have no shame, Joe.

J: Haha..I did it! Thanks a lot.

K: Ok, well, this week's topic...who is gonna read it for us?

J: Well, shall I...?

T: Yeh, Joe who has no shame can read it.

J: Uh, 'Using train ad space to install ads onboard without permission...Removal by JR crew member sparks fury'. Uh, so someone made an ad and put it up in the train-car at will. Then afterwards, a JR employee became aware, and removed it. This problem arose on the JR East Ashikaga Ofuji Matsuri Rapid train.　The pre-prepared fake ad was inserted in the ad space next to the train door, as if it was a real ad. Because the design was simple, and unoriginal, resembling a real ad, it was able to go undetected for some time, despite not being professional quality. According to the person who put the ad up unlawfully, it was still there on his way home. Well ????

T: Well, when I had a look online about this, it was actually an ad for that exact train. For example, it wasn't advertising food or anything like that. The person had made an ad for that train, and stuck it up themselves inside the train.

J: An ad for the Ashikaga Ofuji Matsuri train?

T: Yeh

K: What for?

T: Well, it might be an expression of love by someone who loves trains and wanted to see their own creation inside.

J: That would be a nice story if that was the case.

T: Haha, no but there was already an ad there to begin with, right?

K: So they took that out...?

T: They put theirs in.

J: Well, normally, if you want to advertise like that it probably costs serious money. Im not sure what its like on the Ashikaga Ofuji Matsuri train, but if you wanted to advertise in the Yamanote line or something it must cost loads of money, right?

T: Oh yeh, I think so.

K: Yeh, cause its big companies only, isn't it?

J: Yeah. Don't Tokyo Sports advertise in trains?

T: No no, we don't have that kind of money.

J, K: Haha

K: But you see that kind of thing, don't you?

J: Yeah. But recently, there are quite a lot of video ads on trains, instead of paper ones.

K: Yeah, there are.

J: I bet they cost a lot too. Thats the first thing I think, haha.

T: Have Dir en grey even done this? Advertised within the train?

K: We have in the train station.

J: Like a really big ????

K: We have done that kind of thing, but also smaller ones in members' hometown area stations.

T: Ahh, that seems like it would be effective.

K: Well, I don't know how effective it is.

J: But it makes you happy, right?

K: Yeh, I feel happy to see it in the station I used to use a lot.

J: Right?! I feel like there are fewer posters in trains since corona started.

T: Hmm, yeh.

J: There are more empty spaces.

K: Well, in stations too. There used to be a lot of posters just stuck up anywhere on the wall, but these days they are only inserted into specific places.

J: Ah yeh, recently they are often inserted behind a window. Ah, it feels like technology is advancing...Kami is quiet today.

K: Yeh.

Kami: But ads behind windows didn't exist in the past, so there was quite a lot of grafitti, wasn't there? Drawing thick eyebrows on, or nosehair etc.

J, T: Haha

K: There was, yeh.

J: Yeah, when I was young, if you saw a poster it always had nose hair drawn on it.

K: It was difficult to find one which wasn't drawn on!

J, T: Haha

K: They always had grafitti.

T: Yeh, true, haha.

K: And pins stuck right in the eyes.

J: In the eyes, yeh?

T: Haha, yeh, in the eyes.

J: What kind of other stuff was there?

T: There was that thing where, if it was a man, they would draw a woman's body and features on it, you know, in a kind of pervy way.

K: Ah, right.

J: Yeah, like adding on extra stuff.

Kami: Thats all there was in Nishinari.

T: Haha, all?

K: The whole town? haha.

T: Nishinari people are taking a beating.

J: By the way, what type of things were posters in Nishinari advertising?

Kami: Ah, well, it was quite a long time ago, I don't really remember. But election posters were certainly vandalised.

K: Election posters?

T: You'll be arrested if you vandalise election posters.

Kami: Will you?

J: Yes, its illegal, you can't do it. 

T: Yeah, you are not allowed to mess with election posters.

J: Right. Ah, but they still used to do that, didn't they? I even saw that kind of thing.

K: Everything used to be a lot dirtier back then.

J: Towns did used to be a lot dirter, didn't they? People would smoke throw cigarette ends away in the stations.

T: Yeh, yeh. Its really somethIng else when you watch footage from back then.

J: Yeah, it was like the floor was an ashtray.

T: There were spaces in the stations just to spit, and stuff.

J: Im wondering when it was that people actually stopped vandalising posters and stuff?

T: You don't see graffiti in toilets either now, do you?

K: There used to be phone numbers written on toilet walls.

T: Yeh, yeh yeh.

J: There was, thats right. Didn't you ever feel tempted to call them?

K: Haha, yeh.

J: What would you do if you called it and a really scary person answered? I used to think about that a lot.

K: Haha

T: Im not sure about the womens' toilets, but in the mens', it would always be womens' phone numbers, with a side note saying you'll have a good time if you call...that kind of thing..

J: Did you ever call them?

T: Haha, no I didn't. Its too scary, right?

J: Imagine if they answered the phone really scary on purpose, like *deep voice* 'What?!'...You'd be like, 'Aghhh!'

T: Haha, but mens' toilets were like that, weren't they?　

J: They were, yeh. Don't know about womens' toilets though.

T: Yeh, I wonder if there used to be graffiti in the womens' toilets too?

J: Surely Kami would know that type of thing? Kami?

Kami: Ah, no, even I have my morals in this respect.

J: Haha, ah, I see.

T: Kami, you are quite serious sometimes.

J: Haha, yeh, almost timid.

Kami: These are the times we live in, right?

J: Well, yes, thats right. I mean, I am thankful for the safe society that we have now, but it is a bit sad to see this kind of prank, or harmless fun disappearing. It does get a bit contradictory. Like, in New York, it became far too structured, which made artists want to live there less. They moved further and further out to where its more grity. I mean, safety and security is important, but is that the only way a city thrives?

K: Hm, yeh.

T: Kaoru, have you ever stuck up Dir en grey posters anywhere?

K: Not without permission, no. But, actually, just after out debut, we used various contacts our staff had throughout the country, and asked them to stick our poster in record stores. So we did that.

J: Ah, like door to door?

K: Yeh, it was like a spree of contacting them, going to stores, asking them to put up posters etc.

So it wasn't without permission, it was actually going to stores and asking. And we didn't just leave it to the record company to do it, we made it happen ourselves using our own contacts.

J: You feel kind of reassured if you know the store owner likes this kind of music, right? Like they are on your side? If they like the hardcore stuff. I think thats really important. Just by asking them to stick up a poster, you get to talk with them a bit, its really good.

T: Its not just music stores, you do see artist posters in restaurants and stuff too, and it makes you think, 'Oh, the owner of this place likes this kind of music'.

K: Absolutely. Also, in this news story, it seems like this guy really loves trains, yeh?

J: I think so, yeh.

K: He wanted to show everyone what he'd made. When I see this, it reminds me that we used to make flyers for our lives, and have them put up in venues, or cd shops, clothes shops, or restaurants etc.

T: Did you make them with the other members? How did you make them?

K: Yeh, we made them ourselves.

T: Oh, cool.

K: Well, I like doing that kind of thing anyway, hence I did Joe's stickers.

T: Joe, shameless!

J: Haha, no no. Hey, how about we make TFOE flyers to hand out?

K: Where?

T: Yeh, haha.

J: I don't know, door to door!

K: Haha

J: Well, also, Kami would deface them, haha.

T: Ah, yeh.

K: Like sticking pins in Joe's eyes?

T: Stick them in from the start.

J: Everyone would be drawn to this show with a flyer like that, right? With loads of pins in my face.

T: Its like a pre-planned prank.

J: But I did hand out flyers for InterFM with Peter Barakan at Shinagawa station once. Im not sure how effective it was, but it was fun, I enjoyed doing it. Asking people if they listen... now and then we would come across someone who knew us, like, 'Oh, I listen to InterFM!'. It was a great feeling.

T: Did they ever point at your face and say, 'Oh, its Joe!'

J: Well, some people did. So we could do a TFOE flyer and hand it out, or stick it up in shops we know. We could put a qr code for this channel on it or something, and people could find us. What do you think?

T: I think its worth a try.

J: Kaoru will do the design, of course.

K: Isn't it a bit old fashioned?

J: Haha, oh right. You've suddenly gone off the idea.

K: Haha, ok lets finish here this time. Thank you

Kami: Thank you.