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crasherfly · 4 years

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A Few of My Favorite Things

It’s been a while since I’ve had to take inventory of, like, WHO I am, and introduce myself. Feels weird AF.

But the best way to give folks who don’t know me a clue about what the flavor of this tumblr experience will be is to list out some of my hobby-related fav’s, yeah? I mean, if this space is gonna be for my hobbies, then that seems like a reasonable starting point.

Okay, lets do it. FAVS:

Anime:

Fairy Tail, Space Dandy, Re:ZERO, The Promised Neverland, Tower of God, Katekyo: Hitman Reborn!, Kaguya-sama: Love is War, Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, Zombieland Saga

I’ll watch pretty much any anime these days, and except for extreme cases I’ll usually finish at least one arc before passing judgement :)

Manga:

One Piece, Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service

I’m currently working through way more than just these, but these are the 2 I’ve consistently enjoyed the most.

Fiction Authors:

Raymond Chandler, Ross MacDonald, Dashiell Hammett, Philip K. Dick, Ray Bradbury

Once upon a time when I was a fancy-ass Art Guy, I would try to namedrop as many highbrow names as possible onto a list like this.

Now, I don’t give a fuck. I read crime novels. When I want to mix it up, I read novels about time travel and lasers and shit. Who cares. Read what you love.

Films:

RoboCop, Repo Man, Tokyo Drifter, Frankenweenie, The Life Aquatic, The Seventh Seal. Enthusiast of the Zatoichi and Bond film franchises, warts and all.

I dig anything from Seijun Suzuki, Paul Verhoeven, Wes Anderson, Tim Burton, Ingmar Bergman.

Again, fancy-ass Art Guy would have stretched the truth to namedrop a bunch of SERIOUS CINEMA up here. But now I watch like, one new movie a month (on a good month). I like what I like. Which is apparently campy sci-fi, indie movies I saw in college, and foreign arthouse shit from the 60s.

Television:

I don’t track with current film or television trends, so it’s pretty rare for me to catch any New Media. If I’m watching non-anime tv, it’s almost always The Simpsons or Star Trek, or watching a ballgame. Don’t even try to talk to me about New Media, it’s a lost cause. Even before the pandemic hit, it had been possibly years since I’d been to a theater or started a premier television show.

Now’s as good a time as any to say-

IDGAF about Star Wars, Marvel, DC, etc.

Which is wild, ‘cuz I know A LOT about them- I grew up reading golden/silver age Marvel religiously and kept up with current arcs while in college, and I’ve seen the first six Star Wars films like, a billion times, and know the EU in and out. I own so many Batman legos (for some reason Batman has some of the best intermediate level sets).

The fandoms just moved on without me, and that’s totally fine. No judgement if you’re into that, just know I don’t have much to add to that discourse.

Vidya Games:

I don’t have a rolling list of favs, so here’s what I’ve been playing lately-

Civilization 6, Call of Duty: Warzone, Overwatch, Minecraft, Tokyo Mirage, MLB The Show 20, Tomodachi Life, Golf With Your Friends

If you backed me into a corner at a bar and demanded my all-time favs, I’d probably rattle off a list including Persona 5, Fallout: New Vegas, Stronghold: Crusader, Tyrian, Donkey Kong Country, Mortal Kombat and others. Honestly, there’s too many games so I don’t bother trying to keep an organized list. They’re all great.

Music:

Again, I don’t bother with keeping an all-time favorites list. I listen to what fits my mood, and my mood shifts CONSTANTLY. So here’s what I’ve been into lately-

Aries Guardin Convolk Fat’se Whxami Shinigami 9Tails 93FEETOFSMOKE Stray Kids Set To Stun

And pretty much any anime OST that strikes my interest. Lately, I’ve been listening to the Re:ZERO OST and the Fairy Tail 2019 season soundtrack. The OP from God of High School has also got a lot of play from me.

Alcohol:

Disclosure: I like to drink. I’m trying to be more mindful of it. Quarantine has been a tale of extremes- I’m either not drinking at all, or drinking way too much, so I’m trying to find a happy medium that is both enjoyable but kind to my body. I feel good about where I’m at right now- as I told a friend earlier this week, I think pizza might actually be a more pressing health risk to me, at this point. Heh.

Before I cut back on beer, I was a big Double IPA guy. Love Steel Toe Brewery, Summit Brewing, Fulton- mostly local companies. When I was on my light beer kick I got in deep with Michelob Ultra. Then I woke up, realized that wasn’t the kind of life I wanted for myself, and dropped that hard and fast.

Now I’m trying to do sake. I have a new order coming in from Tippsy, so I’ll let y’all know how that goes. My electric sake warmer arrived today :)

What else?

Um...

I’m a Capricorn Sun AND Moon. Rising in Cancer.

I’m Bipolar 1 with panic disorder, unmedicated, getting more comfortable with being open about that.

Not willing to state a religion here, but I do get down with meditation and divination on a regular basis.

I’m on a fitness journey. Some days it goes well, other days it goes to hell. I’m proud of my progress, regardless.

Definitely a dog person. Mine will make appearances in this space.

I’m working on a feature script. No, you probably can’t read it yet. Someday, though, I’d like for it to be in a place where I could hold a streamed reading of it.

I will watch just about any West Coast baseball/basketball you put in front of me. My fam’ hails from California, raised me in Iowa ‘cuz, economics and shit, so my sports loyalties have always been displaced..

I watch A LOT of 90s era wrestling. I apologize in advance for how much you’re going to hear about it.

I own a Fatal Fury hat, and I regularly wear it.

And...that covers most of the basics.

#introducing myself

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blueeyedshuichi · 6 years

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Questions

Tagged by @legendarybitch (thanks for the ask)

Rules:

1. always post the rules

2. answer the questions given by the person who tagged you

3. write 11 questions of your own

4. tag 11 people you want to get to know better (or however many you want)

1. If you could change one thing about fandoms, what would it be and why?

The entitlement mentality of the obsessive portion of fanbases that believe their own ill-conceived and delusional headcanons must be catered to by the creators or else. It’s asinine and makes fandoms utterly toxic.

2. Has your Tumblr experience improved throughout the years?

My experience was actually quite fun in the beginning, as I followed only a few blogs that held my interest but the obsessiveness and toxic behavior of certain fandoms that shall not be named really put a damper on things. I tend to stick to reddit mostly now, though I still visit this hellsite daily.

3. What is your ultimate, above all else, OTP?

Easy. Kurama and Botan from Yu Yu Hakusho. All one has to do is go to my ff.net profile page to see the amount of stories I’ve written on that pair (split in half between very naughty writings and T rated, plot driven works). It became my ultimate OTP for many reasons. For example, at the end of the dark tournament arc when Botan cried for Kurama and was extremely emotional at the thought of him dying. So much so she argued with her friends that he had to live because she had already lost one person she loved, she was not going to lose another.

Though they come from different worlds (Botan from Reikai and Kurama from Makai) they have similar long life spans. They remain single at the end of the show while all the other mains are paired off. Their relationship would be one that is forbidden (if the ending part of the manga holds true about...er... differences in opinions between the races of youkai, ningens, and reikai citizens.) And of course they look damn good together (the whole blue and red aesthetic.)

The funny thing is, KB is the only pairing I love that is non canon. Every other OTP of mine is canon.

4. Books, Internet, or TV/Movies?

Books. Definitely books. It seems to be a dying hobby or interest for many who claim they don’t have the attention span to read or that reading bores them but for me, give me a good book with a solid plot, great character development, a heady mix of genres and I’m in heaven. I find reading also helps for understanding context on a visual platform, be it manga, western comic, or film.

5. What do you think is the most important personality trait a person should have?

This is an interesting question and one in which many traits could be listed as important. Personally, I believe taking responsibility for one’s actions instead of blaming others is the most important trait, though it is one I don’t witness very often.

6. If you could live in the world of a movie, which movie would it be and why?

The realm of Arda (Earth) in Tolkien’s World (Lord of the Rings) because of the lore and the danger. Yes, I’m a Tolkien fanboy that wishes he were Legolas. Cause I like bows! And shooting arrows! And keeping score against a certain dwarf...

Ahem... I like medieval stuff okay?

7. Do you think people can change, or do they ultimately stay the same person they’ve always been? Why or why not?

People do change and yet they are still themselves. You grow older, you gain experience, you attain knowledge, you learn from mistakes, and yet you may also continue to make mistakes. Your tastes will change, your views on any topic can and will change. Things you thought of as important or earth shattering as a teenager will be of no consequence as you grow up and begin the long track of adulthood. You will not always be as you are now and that is both a scary and fascinating thing.

8. Heroes or Villains?

I am a goody two shoes for the most part, so I would side with heroes, yet my Hogwarts house preference is and always has been Slytherin. Go figure, eh?

9. Dogs or Cats?

I like dogs but I love cats. I’m a cat person. Always have been.

10. Would you rather live in a world without music, or a world without stories? (Like no books or tv or anything)

That is a difficult choice but I will say I could not live in a world without stories. And yet... music is also a story told in lyrical format. Music can take you places in your mind just as stories do. Hmm...

11. Ocean, forest, desert, or mountains?

I am surrounded by pines and am a child of nature in many ways, so definitely the forest.

Questions of my own:

1. Have you ever had a recurring dream or nightmare? If so, what was it about?

2. If you could master any martial art, which one would it be and why?

3. Do you have some kind of musical aptitude? If so, is it of the vocal variety? Or instrument based?

4. What is your favorite genre of story telling in either the visual or written medium?

5. What did you want be when you grew up? If you are still a teen, what would you like to see yourself doing job wise when you step into the arena of adulthood?

6. What is your greatest fear?

7. What song defines your heart or mind best?

8. What aspect of nature fits your personality best: The raging storm, the blue calm sea, the torrential downpour, the gentle breeze, the babbling brook, the frozen tundra, or the starlit sky?

9. If you could have one superpower what would it be and why?

10. Have you ever broken a bone?

11. What is your favorite instrumental OST?

I tag: @queen0fgames; @pikarosie; @accioyarn; @theannoyingfangirl; @the-vegetarian-artist; @tomodachi-to-koibito; @ddpkallura; @yougavewotyugot; @spaklyheartsdiana; @shimmeringdarkness097; @banana-con-baliw

#question thingy #holy hell I have an 11 hour shift that starts in 6 hours. I need to go to bed!

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lazylacadaemon · 7 years

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Studying in Toronto Week 4: September 23-29

There’s not a terrible lot to say about this week other than I spent it most of it being absolutely miserable. My homesickness intensified with the temperature- I’ve rarely had to deal with heat warnings of 40 C with humidity during September (We’ll just ignore the 5 years I spent living in the States because although my mind hasn’t forgotten, my body has), and it’s currently been a mix of frost, rain and snow back home that I desperately miss.

It doesn’t help that I didn’t pack appropriate summer wear since, y’know, I somehow assumed that I was going to arrive in the cold and rainy season since I had granted Toronto weather the benefit of the doubt (and everyone was giving me mixed signals about winter jackets I didn’t even think to consider things like sunscreen). One of my favourite local E-town songs has the lyrics “You remember seeing your breath / in August just before bed” and I keep thinking about it and crying a lot.

But it got to the point that I could barely sleep- the AC doesn’t seem to work at all in my room and opening the window made a great increase in noise and no decrease in temperature. The AC in the rest of the apartment was shut off by the building as they repaired it, which meant I had to spend more time at school doing f--k all (read: sitting in study pods pretending I was on Star Trek while waiting for a solution to all my steam games malfunctioning). My tarot card of the week was of course The Sun, which I only find amusing in retrospect now that it’s cloudy and about to rain and I feel most like myself again.

It’s been a lot like the first year of my undergrad, scary and overwhelming and not looking forward to anything, but I look back on my undergrad so fondly that I’m hoping things will start to turn around as they did then. That’s what The Sun is supposed to promise (though it does sometimes literally mean sunshine and warmth which I am Sick of, this from a person who’s from one of the few cities in Canada that provides UV lamps in the libraries so you don’t get depressed from lack of it.)

I have actually been sort of enjoying my classes, or at least I’ve been enjoying the material while struggling to balance readings and to teach myself to take good notes (again). I’m a bit frustrated with some of the communication styles of my profs and feel like a lot of it is either common sense or Never Properly Explained, but I’m sure once I get on top of things and we start progressing I will understand enough to feel more confident about my assignments.

Also: I went to get some cheese foam tea with my tomodachis (it was sweet and delicious but not the salty green cap milk tea I crave), I got a delicious brunch with my roomies, and I showed up for cupcakes and crafts at a school event to pretend I have a social life- all were fun and tasty. Quatsch has been doing her best to deal with my extreme moodiness and I’m forever indebted to her patience with me (and for feeding me). We’re going to get some groceries today and do our monthly shopping before we’re both sadly lying on the floor being homesick pms-ing lumps (well, more).

I’ve also started drawing more again- still too afraid to use my new sketchbook but I got this Awesome little brush pen on sale that’s really brightened me up. I’ve been doing croquis cafe practice on the backs of the pages in my old sketchbook in the free ballpoint pens from orientation and it makes me feel like I’m at least doing Something, even when I’m sad and blocked and feel like I’m incapable. I’m feeling more confident about doing another 30-day streak for Inktober this year, even if I don’t follow all the prompts I have been having some ideas I want to flesh out.

Now if you’ll excuse me, it’s time to get my second cup of tea and open the window to enjoy this delightful 13 C weather that I should have had for ages now.

#hapo's gradventures #this is how we rock it in the tdot #studyblr #gradblr #travelblr #oh look it's me

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idolisnotdead · 7 years

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Seiko Oomori - kitixxxgaia - Review

If you’ve read this blog before, you probably have a pretty good idea of my completely unbiased admiration for Seiko Oomori and everything she does. “Unbiased”.

So let’s just get to it. Less than a year, by about two weeks maybe to be precise, Seiko Oomori follows up her critically acclaimed major sophomore album (fourth overall) TOKYO BLACK HOLE with something even bigger, even more political, even more honest, and even more ambitious. I’m going to start off by changing my previous opinion. TOKYO BLACK HOLE is like an 8.5 now. Stay with me, here now and buckle up; we’re going for a ride, my friends.

The same week the United States got unleashed with the marvel of Drake’s More Life – a notably emotional return to form that also doesn’t shy away too far from the newer territory Toronto’s first celebratory hero has been invading – Japan was hit with something similarly parallel. Seiko Oomori gave us her fifth album kitixxxgaia on March 15th. Just like Drizzy, Seiko has given us an equally emotional experience, that still covers her recent sounds while almost giving us a slight return to her punk roots save for the general lack of an obvious acoustic guitar in most of the mixes (though it’s worth noting that it’s still there, just buried in the mix; I’ll get to why such a jam-packed mix actually works in a minute).

It’s amazing to see that the west and the east were both delivered promising projects by two of their biggest masters of music and emotion. It’s amazing to see just how far some shitty kid from Koenji has come in just five years since her official debut PINK in 2012. It’s amazing to think that that’s six albums if you count PINK, seven if you count the mostly self-covering Pink Tokarev album of 2015, which was otherwise an off-year for everyone’s favorite singer to imitate.

The only word I can describe how kitixxxgaia sounds with is “big”. And several other adjectives. Maybe “gigantic”. Maybe “colossal”. It’s a fucking huge album, pardon my French. This is potentially Seiko’s first Ringo Sheena-level album (let’s just forget that SUNNY happened for a minute). There’s a lot of religious imagery and a heavy aesthetic. I’d highly suggest on your first listen, you watch the music videos for every song that has one. So start with the “Dogma Magma” video, then the “Hikokuminteki Hero” video, listen to “IDOL SONG” normally, then when “Gutto Kuru Summer” comes along, watch that video too. And so on.

kitixxxgaia is heavy in its use of a very specific aesthetic, which takes influence from Christianity (and a hint of Mexican-style Christianity at that), weddings, quite a bit of Dadaism, and it’s all absolutely drenched in shades of pink and lighter blues. It’s the kind of album that’s best to be experienced both by listening and watching, as I said before. There are heaps of promotional images that came along with the album and the original “holy trinity” singles that lead up to its release, and I’d suggest maybe even just looking through those around Twitter and wherever else you can find them (maybe I’ll compile what I can find and make a post later this week) while you listen to the songs that aren’t accompanied by music videos. It’s the kind of multi-media work that could induce a sensory-overload in someone with synesthesia, like myself.

Now before I even get into the music of it, I want to point out the name of the album itself. Just the name kitixxxgaia (say it in English how you want, I generally say “Kitty Gaia”), much like her lyrics, takes some wordplay. In Japanese, the word “kichigai” - short for “[anta no] ki ga chigaimasu”, though nobody would ever say it that formally - is essentially the closest the Japanese language can get to the level of offense that words like (cover your children’s eyes) “fuck” or “cunt”. It doesn’t mean the same thing, but it’s that sort of level of offense, though deeper seeing as Japan is culturally much more introverted than we are over here.

Kichigai could loosely be translated to “you’re fucking crazy, man; you’re out of your goddamn mind.” Not in like a “woah dude that’s a fucking siiiick tattoo of a wolf” kind of way, though. It’s an insult, not a term of endearment. Adding the “a” to the end, Seiko turns it into “kichigaia” (キチガイア). After a day or two, she officially changed the name to romaji, now calling it “kitixxxgaia”, censoring it (possibly for management, cultural, and radio airplay reasons, but we don’t know specifically) by making it English and with three x’s in the middle. This name, to me, holds two simultaneous meanings, again, much like her signature style of lyricism.

The “kiti” could be interpreted as “kitschy”, a word referring to style in poor taste, much like our girl Seiko’s aesthetic. The word “gaia” is the personification of our planet Earth in ancient Greek texts. So it’s a “Kitschy World”.

“kitixxxgaia” in its original meaning, “Crazy Fucking World”.

Now to the music: Seiko has never let us down with a strong opener, and this might be the most in-your-face, unexpected opener, titled “Dogma Magma”. “Come on up to the emotional stage!” she blurts out before a gong bangs in your face; the remainder of the measure in silence before another hits with a choir on top, just underneath a piano playing downward arpeggios, and below that, some intricate string work, each instrument holding its breath. After the four bar intro, we crescendo up to the main song. Enter a not-quite shibuya-kei type beat – syncopated and staccato-like drums underneath a jittery, major piano progression. Behind it all is Seiko’s voice distorted, seemingly having a conversation with God.

As the filter cuts off, Seiko enters with some of her most provoking, forward lyrics ever written: (rough translation by yours truly): "Once upon a time there was something other than [just] male and female. Once upon a time there was something other than [just] white, black, and yellow [people]. Once upon a time there was something other than [just] yes and no. These things had always always existed, but it was then instead decided that they didn’t [exist].” she sings, touching on the recently hot topics of gender, race, and consent.

She continues “When I opened my eyes I was Japanese. I’m a goddess but I’m too uncomfortable in this inconvenient body to go outside without makeup on.”, a clear reference to body positivity clashing with self-esteem issues, and likely even cultural pressure in Japanese society. “Dogma Magma” has cuts into a more punk style chorus, reminiscent of “Magic Mirror”. “What will you do during the revolution? Just one heart? Fuck you, fuck [you] all, because this is war!” There she is. That’s the Seiko we know and love.

Track three is of note because it sort of takes me back to when she used to advertise herself as an idol during the Zettai Shoujo era for extra shock value. A clever parody on idol music and culture, “IDOL SONG” could almost pass off as a generic denpa song à la Band Ja Naimon!.

“JI・MO・TO no Kao Kawaii Tomodachi” (roughly “JI・MO・TO’s Cute-Faced Friend”) is certainly one of her most out-there songs, with a catchy, sugary hook, an almost rap verse not too different from what she did with “Zettai Kanojo”. It’s light, it’s bouncy, and it’s really good. This whole album is really good. Good. Good. Good. Good. It’s good music (Cruel Winter, when? I need answers, Kanye!).

Speaking of rapping, two songs later, Seiko gives us the ultimate collab for this generation of J-pop. Much like Ringo Sheena and Utada Hikaru’s “Nijikan Dake no Vacation” (roughly “A Vacation For Just The Two Of Us”), “Chikyuu Saigo no Futari” (roughly: “The Last Two People on Earth”) opens up eerily, with a huge texture and an oozing sub bass that launches into this groovy, dark, rhythmic masterpiece. Seiko begins “Dora-chan, warmest welcome to the 21st century, where mass production has made humans more like robots. Justice is brought by violence, the death penalty is given immediately unless you’re cute.” Seiko is soon interrupted: “I’m being forced to be stupid, these frames in front of me are out of my league. Fuck you, guidance! In my head, I’m punk.” Is that voice DAOKO? You bet your ass it is, and she is spitting that truth all over this track.

God there’s so much more to cover for this album but I really don’t want to ruin too much of it by blabbing on. Up next, continuing with the album’s religious themes “Pink Methuselah” brings a familiar sound with a twist – once it kicks in, it’s very clearly Kenta Sakurai (ex. Izukoneko, current Maison Book Girl, TOKYO BLACK HOLE’s “SHINPIN” producer) behind the producer’s chair on this one, but unlike “SHINPIN” from Seiko’s previous album, it’s not just another Sakurai song. It’s very clear how much Seiko added on top of what he did, and it’s like the perfect blend of both of their signature styles.

The album also features a menacing, full-piano self-cover of °C-ute’s “Mugen Climax”, a song that Seiko wrote for the extremely popular Hello! Project group. Now, she’ll never avoid Ringo Sheena comparisons – after all, Oomori’s debut album Mahou Ga…’s artwork pays direct tribute to Sheena’s legendary 2000 album Shouso Strip’s artwork - but what hearing this self-cover (which makes °C-ute’s version almost unlistenable) makes me want is a self-cover album from Seiko once she garners enough writing credits, much like Ringo Sheena’s Utaite Myouri.

The thing here about kitixxxgaia is that the album finishes off differently depending on the version you have. There are three versions: Dogma, Karma, and Gaia. Every version comes with a second “disc” that’s a DVD/Blu Ray; Dogma comes with a live Blu Ray of ZEPP Tokyo stop of the Tokyo Black Hole Tour, Gaia comes with live audio of that same show as well as a DVD of all of the album’s music videos, and Karma comes with a live DVD of a few different shows from last year. Each version also has a key difference to the main album – the final track is different.

As my personal recommendation, Dogma is the ideal version. Karma and Gaia finish off with new songs, but Dogma closes out with an acoustic re-recording of the Zettai Shoujo single “Kimi to Eiga” (literally: “Movie With You”). Since the closest thing we get to ‘acoustic’ on kitixxxgaia is “Mugen Climax” and “Orion Za”, this is a necessity to the album’s closure and really puts into perspective just how far Seiko has come since her humble beginnings.

The Karma song is called “Ramen no Hanashi” (literally “Ramen Conversation”) and the Gaia song is called “M”. “M” is another piano song, cutting in at just over 6 minutes. “Ramen no Hanashi” also does a similar job to “Kimi to Eiga”, being a full-acoustic track, and it’s a bonus that it’s a new song as well, so if you’re looking for a fully new experience or you’re not familiar with the Zettai Shoujo classic, maybe the Karma version is more for you. Either way, it’s a really nice way to end the album with some retrospect.

IDOL iS NOT DEAD gives kitixxxgaia a perfect 10/10. 11/10. Screw it. Whatever. It’s so goddamn good, just stop reading and go listen oh my god

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