#psychedelic aya

[i-am-sludgie]

DMT Trip Report #1

The Blessing Force

When people ask me why I moved to Oregon, I usually give a watered-down explanation. This is probably a form of masking, but the truth is pretty weird. So I usually just talk about how much I love the PNW, and how I had an opportunity to move in with my closest friend so we could have fun together and support each other. And that's all true.

But the REAL reason is because I felt like the universe was pulling me here, through unmistakable signs and personally meaningful coincidences. For the most part, everything has lined up perfectly. I experienced so many synchronicities leading up to the move that I can't even remember them all.

Since then, things have worked out better than I could have ever hoped for. I feel truly blessed. I'm still working on going with the flow and viewing the world through a lens of gratitude, but this has all been part of what I consider to be a spiritual awakening. I couldn't have done it without trusting my intuition and taking that leap of faith. It's clear to me that the universe has my back and that things are happening exactly as they're meant to.

And now that I've smoked DMT and had a breakthrough experience, I can put a name and a face to that universal force. It was Mother Aya calling me all along. It was always her.

Background

I've been researching and thinking about DMT and Ayahuasca for 10+ years. I remember my friend telling me about DMT: The Spirit Molecule by Rick Strassman years before. I discovered Terence McKenna on YouTube and listened to every single recording I could find. I started watching clips of Joe Rogan's podcast where he discussed his experiences with guests like Duncan Trussell. I read trip reports on reddit and watched hours of videos on YouTube. I talked to friends and family about it -- even as they stared back at me in disbelief that I would want to try such a strange, intense, psychedelic drug.

I knew I was destined to try it. And finally it happened. A friend was able to get a gram of N,N-DMT freebase powder. We had the perfect setting lined up. I would not be going on this adventure alone, but rather with a tight-knit group of the most amazing, kind, caring, and supportive friends I could ever ask for. I couldn't believe it was finally happening.

Prework

Before we began, I grabbed a pen and paper and jotted down some thoughts. This included:

5 things I'm grateful for

My intentions

Questions I might ask any entities I encounter

A list of "Show me" requests

I didn't know if I would actually have the chance to communicate with any entities, but I wanted to plan for the possibility.

Technique

I bought the Yocan Evolve Plus wax atomizer and a milligram scale to measure dosage. I looked up instructions on reddit and did my best to follow them.

We used the default quartz coil that came with the vaporizer, by placing the powder directly on the coil. Many trip reports warn that the coil can get too hot and burn the powder. This was never an issue for us. That allowed us to hold the button down and go full gas.

The only issue this caused was that some of the powder was getting sucked up into the mouthpiece. Maybe from sucking too hard (that's what she said). I think ideally we should have been holding the button for a few seconds before inhaling to give the powder time to melt. But the device worked as advertised -- one-hit breakthroughs on 50mg.

Dipping Our Toes In

We each tried small doses between 10-20mg to start with. I did 15mg. I cleared my lungs and inhaled the vapor in one long, full breath. I sat back in the couch and felt waves of energy emanating through and around me. I saw the very faintest hint of visuals with my eyes closed -- thin white lines of geometric patterns that only lasted a few moments and then faded without intensifying. I think I told my friends right afterwards that I didn't see anything, but that wasn't quite true.

I felt a full-body high similar to the peak of a marijuana edible. I wouldn't say it felt good or bad; just kind of neutral. When I opened my eyes, I was mesmerized by the warm glow of a nearby candle. All of this lasted only a few minutes.

I also experienced one unexpected side effect. On the left side of my face, my eye and cheek twitched uncontrollably throughout the whole thing. This faded with the high, but it still made me nervous about how my body would physically respond. I was able to sit with the feeling without overthinking it. It passed and I felt calm and relaxed.

Blasting Off

After waiting a while for my next turn, I was ready to crank up to 50mg and try to break through. Let's be clear. This is a powerful substance. The effects are fucking insane, and nothing will ever prepare you for the first time. But I was as ready as I would ever be.

I made myself comfortable in my friend's bed. I thanked my spirit guides for bringing me to this moment and I reminded myself that it's just a ride.

I took a deep breath in and out, completely clearing my lungs. I pressed play on the song I had queued up, laid back in the bed, and hit the vaporizer, holding the button down and inhaling for as long as I possibly could. I wanted to blast off in one big power hit. And boy did I. There was a visible cloud of vapor as I exhaled.

I had no time to wonder if I did it right. The ceiling light started to move and fractalize. Then everything started to shake and it felt like an airplane taking off. I closed my eyes and the craziest shit I've ever seen filled my vision.

I don't remember any kind of tunnel. It wasn't really like traveling from point A to point B through spacetime as people often report. Everything was just there instantly.

Hyperspace

I was suddenly in a place made of constantly moving white ribbons bejeweled with multi-colored, rounded-off squares and ovals. There were flashing lights and colors. It looked like the center of a Magic Eye -- those 3D images from the 90s -- with staggering layers of complexity. It's hard to remember any other specifics of what I was seeing because I had no frame of reference. I think this is what people mean when they say it's like a dream that quickly fades because, as you can see with the rest of the story, I remember everything else. I got the impression this was some kind of machine and I didn't see anything I would consider to be an entity -- but what does that even mean in this realm? It could've been alive with some kind of consciousness for all I know. I remember thinking "Is anyone there?" and I didn't get any sense of an answer.

Meanwhile, I felt like I was being zapped with electricity, and I melted into the bed.

The song I picked was Let's Go by Stuck In The Sound. I thought it would match the weirdness and intensity of blasting off into hyperspace. And it did.

The music was getting warped as the song played. Some of the lyrics would be clear as day, normal sounding, and then crescendo into high-pitched, shrill, metallic, electric noises. Sometimes the lyrics sounded like gibberish, as if it was being played backwards.

I was melted in awe. McKenna calls this death by astonishment. What I saw was so FUCKING insane that I couldn't do anything besides lay there stunned with my mouth wide open. And I mean wide open. At this point I thought I was holding the button down on the vaporizer or somehow still inhaling (I wasn't), and I managed to realize that and put it down beside me.

Many people report feeling like they leave their body when smoking DMT. Maybe those people are smoking 5-MeO instead. I didn't leave mine. I've had a bona fide out-of-body experience (OBE) and it was nothing like this. While I was certainly incapacitated overall, I could still form coherent thoughts and action them by moving my body. I could put the vape down. I could tell my mouth was open and close it.

And I could scream. At some point I screamed "Ahhhh" -- it was honestly meant as a joke for my friends waiting in the other room. I knew they were there on the other side of the wall and could hear me if I yelled loud enough. My voice sounded like a melodica. It was a long scream. I realized I felt as if I was stuck screaming and was able to stop. Afterwards I asked them all how long I was screaming for.

This also can't be classified as an ego death because I still had thoughts and I was still able to rationalize that I was a person, lying in a bed, in my friend's room, in my friend's house, on planet Earth. At this point I decided to open my eyes and confirm that.

Everything in the room was writhing and moving. I don't remember any other details about these visuals but it was fucking nuts. I closed my eyes again and was immediately back in hyperspace. I thought "Holy shit. What if I get stuck like this?" That was followed with an immediate feeling that I didn't care if I did. Maybe I belonged here. These thoughts felt faster than normal somehow.

And this was when I gave in. I stopped tensing up and relaxed. As soon as I did, what I felt was total, unconditional love, pure joy, and full-body euphoria. I began riding waves of pure energy.

All of this lasted for the length of the song, which is less than 4 minutes.

Meeting the Goddess of the Vine

When the song changed, so did my experience. I don't even remember what song it was specifically because I had my phone on shuffle within a short playlist. But hyperspace faded away. At this point of transition, I reached up and took my glasses off and put them on the bed next to me.

I still had my eyes closed. But now a face appeared against a black void. It was a woman. Her eyes were piercing, smokey, and mystique. I instantly knew this was Mother Ayahuasca, the goddess of the vine. I've seen similar artistic interpretations of many Ayahuasca experiences.

I don't know if she's THE god, or if there even is such a thing, but she's certainly a divine, all-powerful, cosmic entity. I saw her, and she saw me. We met face to face. And what I felt was pure love. Kindness, compassion, empathy. Continual waves of euphoria poured over me as we gazed at one another. I started writhing around on the bed, side to side, in pure bliss. I was told I used up the whole bed.

Vines grew out of her head and sprawled in every direction, continually growing outward. Then the vines changed into skulls. They were in the artistic style of Day of the Dead sugar skulls in Mexican culture. Then the skulls changed into skeletons.

None of this was scary or even starling. It was just matter of fact, as if she was saying "Look what I can do." This gave me the impression that she is the goddess of life and death, and also that death is nothing to be afraid of. She was showing me the natural cycle of creation and deconstruction.

It was almost making light of death. I know that Mother Aya has the ability to be deeply serious and show people some pretty horrific, heavy things, when they need to see it. That's not what she was doing here. I found humor in the message and when I was coming down I again screamed to my friends on the other side of the room. "Death isn't real you guys!!"

Back to the 3rd Dimension

The comedown was very gradual and gentle, lasting a couple more minutes. The goddess eventually faded away. I covered my face with my hands and that seemed to momentarily resolidify some of the closed-eyed visuals. But it was fleeting. I then opened my eyes as the 3D world started to rematerialize. I didn't have my glasses on anymore so I couldn't make out a lot of the movement I was seeing. I grabbed my glasses and put them on, but they didn't fit anymore. "What the fuck?" I said. This was very confusing. It took me a minute to realize I had rolled onto them and bent them up. I checked my face to make sure it was the same shape it always is. Yup.

I checked my body to make sure it was real and solid and working. Yup.

Everything eventually calmed down and stopped moving. I was so fucking geeked that it worked and lived up to the hype. I was pretty much instantly back to my normal self -- albeit shaking with excitement or adrenaline or whatever, which lasted another 5 minutes or so. I rejoined the group and tried to relay as much of this as I could, but words were difficult. How the fuck do you make sense of any of that just minutes later?

Anyway, I was me again -- nothing up there in the old noodle besides funny videos and an unhealthy obsession with Coca Cola Classic.

Integration

It wasn't until two days later that I realized how the beginning of this story ties in. Years and years of synchronicities and signals from the universe. I've been connecting with my spirit guides a lot more lately, so this sort of thing came as no surprise to me. But the realization that it's always been Mother Aya. Holy smokes. This was the ultimate validation of so many of my life experiences -- things that I just can't explain. And we're only getting started.

I later considered the possibility that besides life and growth and abundance, the vines also represented intertwining pathways that all lead back to her.

The second big takeaway is that these things are always here. This place, this higher dimensional realm. These beings. They don't go away. Just because we can't see them or hear them doesn't mean they aren't there. We can hardly fucking see anything. 0.0035% of the electromagnetic spectrum to be exact.

We've heard this all before, but it's top of mind as I unpack what I experienced. Consciousness is like a radio. 3D Earth exists on a certain station. Change the frequency, you tune into a different station. And just like on the radio when there are different songs playing on each station, there are different entities and spaces among different frequencies of vibration. But it's all happening here and now, all at once.

And lastly, our definition of what is and isn't real is completely fucked. There's some fucky shit going on here. We have no clue what it is or what it means. But the spirit molecule -- this sacred vine -- is our gateway. It gives us a chance to explore the infinite abyss of realms beyond 3D Earth, even if it's only for a few fleeting, electrifying moments.

I will return to this realm when I feel Mother Aya calling.

#dmt #dmt vape pen #psychedelia #trippy #dmtworld #ayahuasca #Youtube

[aeshnalacrymosa]

25, 33, 41 for the OC Ask please!

25. What inspired you to create them / how did you create them? Were they originally a fancharacter? What was their personality / design like when you first made them?

So I originally intended for "Aya la bruja" to be just a name. At the time, I was looking into psychedelics and watched documentaries about ayahuasca; that's where I got the name. When she was just a name, I envisioned an elderly hermit lady in the forest, like a stereotypical witch character like the witch in Brave. I originally intended for her to be an older friend for Julieta from whom she learns about non-magical (but seemingly magical) healing. But this whole new story came to me, and she became a "younger" woman about the same age as the triplets. But she is still (initially) closest to Julieta.

33. Would they ever kill someone? What would someone have to do to push them to kill someone? If they would kill someone, why? 

Okay, there's something I haven't considered before! If someone would ask her directly, she would likely say no. BUT, hypothetically, if she were to "go to the dark side" and have the capacity to do it, she will not show mercy. She would give them the King Joffrey treatment. (If anyone doesn't know what that means, search "purple wedding" on YouTube. But I warn you: It is not pretty.) What could possibly push her to do something like this? She has already gone through a tragedy in her youth, and she has persevered through it. Someone has to do something of that magnitude to her again, because she would not be able to take a second one. If someone were to definitively destroy the people she loves (specifically the Madrigal triplets), they are in for a painful death.

41. What does your character do when they’re angry? Why?

She strikes me as the type to throw things. If she's really angry, it would move up to messing up an orderly area (like a desk or a bed or whatever). It's almost like she wants her environment to look the way she feels. She tidies up once she calms down.

Thanks for the ask, @thecrazyashley-blog !

#encanto oc #encanto original character #oc ask game #oc asks #aya lombroso #aya la bruja

[xtruss]

Science: Psychedelic Brew Ayahuasca’s Profound Impact Revealed In Brain Scans

Study gives most advanced picture yet of DMT compound’s effect on advanced functions such as imagination

— Ian Sample, Science Editor | Monday 20 March 2023

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan of a brain shows regions of increased connectivity on DMT. Connectivity rises from yellow to orange to red. Photograph: Christopher Timmermann, Imperial College London

The brew is so potent that practitioners report not only powerful hallucinations, but near-death experiences, contact with higher-dimensional beings, and life-transforming voyages through alternative realities. Often before throwing up, or having trouble at the other end.

Now, scientists have gleaned deep insights of their own by monitoring the brain on DMT, or dimethyltryptamine, the psychedelic compound found in Psychotria viridis, the flowering shrub that is mashed up and boiled in the Amazonian drink, ayahuasca.

The recordings reveal a profound impact across the brain, particularly in areas that are highly evolved in humans and instrumental in planning, language, memory, complex decision-making and imagination. The regions from which we conjure reality become hyperconnected, with communication more chaotic, fluid and flexible.

“At the dose we use, it is incredibly potent,” said Robin Carhart-Harris, a professor of neurology and psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco. “People describe leaving this world and breaking through into another that is incredibly immersive and richly complex, sometimes being populated by other beings that they feel might hold special power over them, like gods.”

He added: “What we have seen is that DMT breaks down the basic networks of the brain, causing them to become less distinct from each other. We also see the major rhythms of the brain – that serve a largely inhibitory, constraining function – break down, and in concert, brain activity becomes more entropic or information-rich.”

Humans have sought the altered states brought on by ayahuasca for at least 1,000 years. In 2019, an archaeological dig at a Bolivian cave unearthed a leather pouch fashioned from three fox snouts. Analysis of the bag’s interior revealed traces of DMT, cocaine, probably from coca leaf, and other psychoactive substances. The bag, dating from AD900 to 1170, was wrapped in a bundle with little llama bone spatulas, wooden snuffing tablets and a brightly coloured headband.

The brew is typically made by boiling Banisteriopsis caapi, a giant vine, with leaves from the Psychotria viridis shrub. Its name comes from the Quechua language spoken by many Indigenous groups in the Andes, with aya meaning soul, ancestors or dead people, and wasca meaning vine or rope. Translations then vary from the spiritually enigmatic “vine of the soul” to the somewhat less inviting “rope of death”.

For the latest study, Chris Timmermann, head of the DMT research group at Imperial College London, recruited 20 healthy volunteers who received a 20mg injection of DMT and a placebo on separate visits to the lab. All were screened to ensure they were physically and mentally suitable for the study.

Using electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), the scientists recorded the participants’ brain activity before, during and after the drug took hold. The volunteers gave updates throughout on how intense the experience felt. None vomited as the emetic is another ingredient in ayahuasca.

Psychedelic drug DMT to be trialled in UK to treat depression! Exclusive: UK regulators give go-ahead for drug to be trialled ahead of possible treatment alongside psychotherapy. DMT is found in several plants and is one of the active ingredients in ayahuasca, pictured. Photograph: Michal Moravcik/Alamy. By Linda Geddes, Wednesday 9 December 2020 , The Guardian USA

The results, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, provide the most advanced picture yet of the human brain on psychedelics. The recordings show how the brain’s normal hierarchical organisation breaks down, electrical activity becomes anarchic, and connectivity between regions soars, particularly those handling “higher level” functions such as imagination, which evolved most recently in humans. “The stronger the intensity of the experience, the more hyperconnected were those brain areas,” said Timmermann.

This ability to make brain activity more fluid and flexible is thought to underpin not only the profound psychedelic experience but the promising results from early clinical trial patients who were given DMT in combination with psychotherapy to treat depression. “DMT is short-acting, so it’s a very flexible tool compared with psilocybin [the active ingredient in magic mushrooms] and LSD which can last for six to 10 hours,” said Timmermann.

But while the scans and EEGs provide an unprecedented view of the brain on DMT, the researchers believe there is more to learn. “We suspect that while the newer, more evolved aspects of the brain dysregulate under DMT, older systems in the brain may be disinhibited,” said Carhart-Harris. “A similar kind of thing happens in dreaming. This is just the beginning in cracking the question of how DMT works to alter consciousness so dramatically.”

— The Guardian

[stinerbros]

The Experiment at La Rosacita: Uncut File Footage from Rak Razam on Vimeo.

Raw footage of the "Experiment at La Rosacita" in Iquitos, Peru circa July, 2006. Experiential journalist Rak Razam was covering the boom in ayahuasca shamanism (ayahuasca is a hallucinogenic Amazonian medicine) for Australian Penthouse magazine, when he met the "Gringo Shaman" Ron Wheelock and his friend Dr. Juan. Juan trained at the University of Washington and conducted a QEEG (Quantitative Encephalography) scans using brainwave measuring equipment whilst shaman Ron supplied smokable 5-MeO-DMT, one of the most potent psychedelics in nature. This is the raw footage of the experiment, which is sampled in the new film Aya: Awakenings aya-awakenings.com and provides a stunning and powerful historical record of what the human body can experience on this psychedelic. 5-MeO-DMT was legal until 2011 in the USA and is still legal in most parts of the world. Filmed by John Bowman.

[don-lichterman]

Woman missing in Far North after attending music festival

Woman missing in Far North after attending music festival

##MP## A search is underway for a woman missing in bushland near Cooktown since the weekend. Juliana Castrillon, 36, was visiting the region to attend the Orin Aya festival at Home Rule, a rainforest property near Rossville. The event, from 2-5 September, was billed as a four-day psychedelic global gathering and celebration. ##BA## Juliana’s friend Alex said she went missing on Saturday. She…

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[hirayaea]

ikesen fic - here comes spring

Summary: An anthology of Mai living her best shoujo life.

—ieyasu/mc —yukimura/mc —told in shoujo manga tropes —warning: first guy wins.

[AO3]

trope 1: everyone is aware of their feelings, except, well, them

_

sometime during second year

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"Are you free this Saturday?" 

From his corner by the shoe lockers, Ieyasu could hear Masamune ask some poor girl about her schedule. He didn't particularly care who he dated, but if it caused him to be late for student council meetings again, Hideyoshi was going to have a fit. 

All of that was none of his business, of course. Ieyasu continued to change to his outside shoes.

That is, until he heard her voice.

"I've got club activities in the morning, but I'm pretty free after that." 

Ieyasu grumbled under his breath. Masamune flirting with other girls was one thing, but having Misuzaki Mai fall under his clutches was something he couldn't allow. Mai worked under his committee in the student council, the Health Committee, and there was no way any of his members were slacking off to go on dates with Masamune of all people.

At least, this is the reason Ieyasu told himself when he found himself stalking over to where Masamune and Mai stood.

"We have a committee meeting on Saturday," he said unceremoniously, not even bothering with pleasantries. 

Mai had the decency to looked ashamed. "You're right! I completely forgot!" She bowed towards Masamune. "I'm so sorry, Masamune-senpai! It seems I can't go with you to the poetry event after all."

Masamune didn't even look the least bit bothered; he spared a grin Ieyasu's way before shrugging. "Well, there's always next time. Or you could ditch Ieyasu's meeting and come with instea—"

"Mai, weren't we going to inventory the remaining medicines in the clinic today?" 

Ieyasu spoke over Masamune so quickly that Mai almost didn't hear him.

Her eyebrows shot up in confusion. “We were?" 

“You were the one who brought up the issue of expired medicines...”

“Yes, but that was my agenda for Saturday.” 

Ieyasu scoffed. “It’s a pressing issue. We should act on it quickly. If we wait ‘til then you’ll have numerous things to bring up on Saturday and it’ll take too long to listen to them all.” 

Mai seemed to be considering. “Well, I do have time today...”

Masamune seemed to be holding back a laugh. He placed his hand on Ieyasu's shoulder and nodded. Without any context, he said, "I see. So that's how it is."

Ieyasu scowled. "That's how what is?"

"Oh, nothing," and without any warning, Masamune suddenly brought his face closer to Mai's and winked. "You better go help Yasu, Mai-chan. He can be very impatient about things."

Mai turned a nice shade of red. She was about to back away, but Ieyasu quickly pulled her towards himself.

"Stop harassing my committee members," the blonde grumbled. He didn't let go of Mai's hand and hoped profusely that Masamune wouldn't say anything about it. Slowly, he pulled her towards the school corridor, presumably heading towards the health clinic. "Let's go, Misuzaki."

Mai was flushed until her ears. Her mouth was open, as if she wanted to say something; Ieyasu could hear her stutter—which he found odd, as she was usually very articulate and confident, but something was distracting her. 

"Tokugawa-san," she began, "My hand..."

Ieyasu looked like he got shot by lightning. He abruptly let go.

"Don't read into that," he started, and already regretted the words as he said them. He turned towards Mai and saw her face change from embarrassed to... sad? Why in the world would she make that face?

Still, it didn't make him stop.

"You're so clumsy I thought you would forget where the health office is, so I had to lead you there." 

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Masamune watched the scene, thinking that this would be a good moment for them to act cutely awkward with each other. Maybe Ieyasu would finally show an adorable side, after all. 

But of course, Ieyasu was Ieyasu, so instead he scoffed and said something dumb like "Don't read into that." 

Mai looked deflated. "Of course," she mumbled, withdrawing her hand and closing it tight. The flush on her face receded. "Thank you." 

Masamune wanted to hit Ieyasu on the head. The boy is hopeless.

"Oy, Yasu," he called out. Might was well distract the two so Mai could compose herself. "Do you know you're still wearing your outside shoes? Better change before Hideyoshi catches you!"

Ieyasu's momentary look of panic was priceless.

"How troublesome," he muttered, but proceeded to take off his sneakers. "You go ahead to the clinic, Misuzaki. I'll meet you there."

Mai, who, Masamune noticed, had her composure back, smiled brightly at him. "Sure! See you!"

As she was running off, Masamune looked at Ieyasu. His face was red as a tomato, and he pinched his nose in irritation. 

Masamune smirked. "Finally regretting your words, huh?" 

Ieyasu kept his head down.

"Shut up."

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Sasuke saw Mai running towards the clinic. Her face looked impassively neutral, and that's how he knew something was wrong.

He opened the door of the clinic and saw her beginning to re-arrange the boxes in the cabinets. Her face was still a blank page, and she didn't even notice him come in.

"Mai?" 

She startled. "Sasuke-kun!" It was only then she gave him a small smile. "What brings you here?"

"I was wondering if you needed help." 

"Well, I was just going to look for expired medicines and store them. We might send them back to the pharmacy for proper disposal."

Sasuke adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose. "I see. Is this health committee work?"

Mai nodded. "This was supposed to be my agenda for Saturday's meeting, but..." 

Whatever her reasons were for moving up the agenda, Sasuke did not hear. As Mai trailed off, the door to the clinic opened again, revealing a beaten up soccer player with a few scrapes on his face and legs.

Mai bristled. "Yukimura!" 

The said boy flinched. "Geez, you don't have to be so loud," he mumbled, but didn't argue when Mai ran over to him to check his wounds. "Woah there, slow down, boar woman. I don't need new injuries."

If looks could add to injury, Yukimura would definitely be knocked out cold by now. Mai rolled her eyes and dragged him to a seat. "What on earth happened to you?" 

Yukimura shrugged. "Sports accident. It happens all the time."

Mai put her hands on her hips. "You're telling me you got all of this cause of a soccer ball?"

"Not because of the ball per se, dummy. I fell while trying to protect the ball from Uesugi."

Sasuke heard Mai 'tsk' before she started moving around the room, gathering materials to patch the scrapes. When she set them all on the table, she took a forceps and clipped cotton on it before moving closer to Yukimura's face. 

Sasuke did not miss the moment when Yukimura flushed red at Mai's closeness. 

"What the— that stings!" 

"Hold still, you baby," Mai chided, meticulously patting the wounds with disinfectant. "If we don't clean this now, you'll have a huge abscess on your face, and it will rot your teeth."

The soccer player flinched. "That can't be true." He glanced at Sasuke for help. "Sasuke, tell me it's not true."

Sasuke shrugged. "I'm not health committee."

Yukimura looked like he was going to protest in panic, but his words were cut off by the sound of the door opening again. 

Ieyasu stood at the entrance, taking in the scene before him. Sasuke couldn't read him, but he could tell his expression was more stoic than usual. For a moment, however, some emotion flickered on his face when he glanced at Mai, but he couldn't be certain if it was just a play of the afternoon light. 

"I thought you were sorting out the medicines," the blonde said, walking towards them with a sharpness Sasuke could not fathom. It was like finding a sharp knife after it was ground against a whetstone. 

Mai, for the most part, seemed oblivious. "I'll just finish tending to my dummy of a patient," she said, half-smiling. "Yuki here got into a soccer accident."

This was usually Yukimura's cue to quip back, but surprisingly, the boy was just glaring at Ieyasu. 

"Why are you even here?" 

Ieyasu scoffed. "I'm head of the health committee."

"Didn't I see you heading out a while ago?"

"Didn't I see you get hopelessly crushed by a cage of soccer balls?"

Mai gasped. "So it was because of soccer balls?!"

Yukimura sputtered. "T-that's not the point!" 

Ieyasu sighed, and with the grace of someone used to handling medical instruments, took the forceps from Mai and sat on the chair next to Yukimura.

"Misuzaki, continue fixing the medicines. I'll take care of this idiot here." He then proceeded to put more disinfectant on the cotton, and without a word of warning, began to clean Yukimura's face.

This, of course, was faced with a lot of resistance by the other boy. "I don't want to be treated by you!"

"Stay put. If we don't clean this now, you'll have a huge abscess on your face, and it will rot your teeth." 

"So that was true?!" 

Sasuke watched the entire exchange with amusement. When Mai began to move back to sort out the expired medicines, he saw her glance at Ieyasu with uncertainty.

When she looked away, Ieyasu glanced back. The small moment of distraction caused him to poke Yukimura's nose. 

"Oy, watch it!"

"It's because you're an idiot." 

But after a while, Ieyasu glanced at Mai again.

Sasuke pushed up his glasses.

Interesting.

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。

While walking home, Yukimura fiddled with his bandages. He hated to say it, but Tokugawa was very meticulous when it came to wound cleaning. He'd be surprised if he grew an abscess or if his teeth started to rot after all that fuss.

Sasuke seemed to be in deep thought next to him, which was standard fare, so he did what he would usually do: talk about the first thing that came to his mind.

"Tokugawa's awfully overprotective of Mai, isn't he?" 

This seemed to catch Sasuke's attention.

"Why would you think that?" He asked, doing that habit of his where he adjusted his glasses to look smart. 

Yukimura put his bag over his shoulder and shrugged. "I don't know. He always seems to show up where she is." Looking up, he realized some things didn't make sense, however. "But he’s stiff around her. It's like he's pretending he doesn't have a soft spot for her, sometimes. But it kinda shows."

Sasuke nodded. "This analysis is unprecedented for someone like you."

"...Why do I feel like you just insulted me?"

The question was ignored. "It figures you would understand his feelings. Tokugawa-san is, after all, a tsundere, much like you, Yukimura."

Yukimura frowned. "I already told you, I don't understand pop culture references."

Sasuke once again let the comment pass by. Instead he asked, "Why do you think he's that way to Mai?" 

Surprisingly, Yukimura found he didn't need to think about it a lot. Casually, while fiddling again with the bandages on his face, he concluded, "He probably likes her."

He and Sasuke walked in silence for a while after that statement. 

Then, Yukimura stopped. His face contorted into a look of discomfort. Somehow, something coiled within him, a heat he could not name. "Y'know, it feels uncomfortable to know that."

Sasuke did a small nod. 

"As expected, your perceptiveness does not extend to yourself."

He then walked ahead, leaving Yukimura standing alone, as confused as ever.

"Oy! What's that supposed to mean?!"

。

。

。

つづく

[/trope 1]

#ikemen sengoku #ikemen sengoku fanfiction #fanfiction #tokugawa ieyasu #sanada yukimura #sarutobi sasuke #date masamune #ikesen ieyasu #ikesen yukimura #ikesen #cybird #ieyasu/mc #yukimura/mc #here comes spring #psychedelic aya #aya writes

[aeshnalacrymosa]

24 and 25 about your Encanto oc (her name escapes me right now, sorry)

24. What is their outlook on life? What is their philosophy / what do they think in general about living?

Aya is generally a positive sort of person with a strong inner stamina. If she has a motto, it would be "embrace the suck" or "if life throws you lemons, make lemonade."

25. What inspired you to create them / how did you create them? Were they originally a fancharacter? What was their personality / design like when you first made them?

So I originally intended for "Aya la bruja" to be just a name. At the time, I was looking into psychedelics and watched documentaries about ayahuasca; that's where I got the name. When she was just a name, I envisioned an elderly hermit lady in the forest, like a stereotypical witch character like the witch in Brave. I originally intended for her to be an older friend for Julieta from whom she learns about non-magical (but seemingly magical) healing. But this whole new story came to me, and she became a "younger" woman about the same age as the triplets. But she is still (initially) closest to Julieta.

Thanks for the ask, @immabethehero !

#aya lombroso #aya la bruja #encanto original character #encanto oc #oc ask game #oc asks #asked and answered

[hirayaea]

ikesen fic - the inevitable correction of treading through time (chapter 2)

Summary: You and Sasuke decide to make the timeline as close to your reality the only way you know how: by making sure the the Tokugawa Shogunate happens, no matter how many tries it takes.

— ieyasu/mc — "Ieyasu-sama has always been so ambitious," Mitsunari's tone is praising, but there is a mettle in his voice you cannot recognise.

[AO3]

[Prologue] [Chapter 1] 

正しい時代

"There was a timeline where Nobunaga became Shogun," you tell Sasuke one night, after the adrenaline from the assassination attempt had passed. Ieyasu and Masamune had gone out to reassign guards, and you were left under Sasuke’s care.

The candlelight emphasized the dark circles under Sasuke’s eyes, but still they lit up in interest. “That would be quite a timeline. Nobunaga-sama was known not to respect the authority of the Imperial Court, and being Shogun would have meant he had to be at least civil with them.”

You laugh. “Oh, he still wasn’t.” You remember participating in meetings where the Imperial Adviser would be livid; half the time he would be storming out of Azuchi with smoke coming out of his ears. It was mildly funny until they attempted to burn down the castle.

“The court probably got tired of the power struggle and they poisoned him,” your chest tightens at this memory; Nobunaga was never easy to let go of, and you remember cradling his head on the night he took his last breath.

“It was the sake. From the Emperor himself. Although he probably didn’t have anything to do with it. Ieyasu didn’t sleep for a week, trying to make an antidote,” you pull the memory into color, trying to erase the hurt that overwhelms you as you feel Nobunaga’s touch cradling your face. “But not even Nobunaga is immortal. He told me to take care of Ieyasu because I’m, apparently, the most capable person in Azuchi.”

The purse of Sasuke’s lips are grim. “Nobunaga’s death seems to be a consistent event in all timelines.” He adjusts his glasses. “It is interesting how he always leaves his final will to you, the creator of the original time paradox. By accepting Nobunaga’s death, we bring closer this timeline to our original one.”

You’ve come to realize this truth ages ago, but that doesn’t mean you’ve accepted it. “Ieyasu will never become Shogun if Nobunaga is alive.”

“That is logical.” Sasuke tilts his head. “Will it happen with Hideyoshi still alive?”

You shake your head. “I’m not sure. I’ve never been to a timeline where Hideyoshi died.”

“Historically they both died before the events leading to the Tokugawa shogunate even happened.”

Of course you knew that; it was ingrained in you in every history class: stories about the Three Great Unifiers. The three rays of light of the Sengoku period, whose efforts paved the way to make Japan the country it was in your future. Nobunaga dreamed of peace, Hideyoshi fought for it, and Ieyasu attained it. The political intrigue of the period was the favorite subject of scholars and artists alike. Yet you’ve never heard of the events of your current timeline come to pass. “Did Hideyoshi ever try to have Ieyasu assassinated?”

“Not that I recall. There were rumors that the Tokugawa retainers wanted to assassinate Hideyoshi, not the other way around. But Ieyasu-san wouldn’t have it.”

“Of course he wouldn’t,” you say, because it is the truth. You know Ieyasu best, after all.

別の時代

It was almost winter, and yet Nobunaga has shown no sign of replying to the Emperor.

The Allied Azuchi Forces (a term Sasuke coined) are torn.

Hideyoshi, Mitsunari and surprisingly, Mitsuhide, seem to be all for the idea. Masamune, unsurprisingly, just said he didn’t mind no matter what happened as long as some action came out of it.

And Ieyasu? He was the only one vocally against it.

“It’s not right to go against the Ashikaga at this point,” he explains over dinner. “They’ve secured the seat of the shogunate and Nobunaga has endorsed them. Accepting the Imperial Court’s offer would be dishonourable.”

“Even if it’s the order of the Emperor?”

"They would just think we're making excuses." He pokes at the boiled fish on his plate, tasting a piece before making a face. "Besides, what is honourable is the same, no matter the circumstances or the situation."

You can't help but smile; that was such an Ieyasu thing to say. You open the small jar of spices and pinch some between your fingers.

"Teach me," you say, sprinkling the spice over his fish, "About honour."

Ieyasu scoffs, but you see the embarrassment he is masking. He spreads the spices on the fish using his chopsticks. "What needs to be taught? That's something even a young boy would know."

You glare at him. "In case you forgot, I didn't grow up here," and you make sure to emphasise the words, as if he would forget what they meant. "Besides, my honour and your honour might mean differently."

"That shouldn't be," he says before he takes a bite. You're sure he's content on how spicy it is because he doesn't even glance at the spice jar when you put it down.

You're not sure how to get your point across, so you start with the most uncomfortable thing you can think of: "People during my time don't kill themselves for honour, anymore."

That makes his chopsticks stop in mid-air.

"That just means," he begins, suddenly looking pensive, "That you come from a time where honor can be regained."

Ieyasu begins eating again, but his words have made you pause. “I...” you trail off with a tight feeling in your chest—then, with a burst of color, you recall 21st century Japan: modern, unique, full of opportunities. You think of your first job, fresh out of college, as a clerk in a department store, folding clothes, dreaming of cutting them up and creating something new. You think of your younger self, drawing clothes in the dark corner of a small apartment, knowing someday someone would recognize your work. You think of the day you got transported to the Sengoku, the day you felt your honor was restored because amidst all the discouragement and disbelief, you landed the job you always wanted.

That fateful day, your chest was white-hot with confidence. I'm becoming a fashion designer! But it was more than that.

That day, you felt like you could be anything.

People of the Sengoku had no opportunities to rise to the top. The chances they had in life were decided according to their social class, something unchangeable the moment they were born.

“I never thought of it that way,” you say honestly. "I feel a little silly for taking my Japan for granted."

To your surprise, Ieyasu brightens. "If yours is the future we are fighting for... then these wars are worth it. I would like to see my country have lasting peace, where people can grow and be honorable while being themselves."

The rare, soft smile on his face almost makes you cry.

You take his hand. Your throat is tight, but still you say, "We'll get there."

Ieyasu closes his eyes. His hand tightens around yours.

"Yeah."

正しい時代

Ever since you told them who the mastermind behind the assassinations were, you knew you entered uncharted waters again; a new timeline you have to live through for the first time. You stare at this new Ieyasu, the Ieyasu who proposed his intent make you his wife, and feel the fatigue of time traveling ebb away. All the moments together from this point on feel like accomplishments, and you wonder how much more you need to do in order for this to become your everyday.

Correction: now, you actually know what to do.

You present your ideas to Ieyasu, who, as always, takes working with other people with great reluctance.

"I don't understand," he tells you again, "Why we need ask help from them. They're practically the enemy."

There are many retorts you can say to this, but you choose: "They're not, in the greater scheme of things." You know choosing the high road will win an argument with Ieyasu; after all, he's always righteous... despite the thick sarcasm. "Besides, I don't know everything anymore. The more allies we have in this timeline, the better."

You squeeze his hand, trying to look casual as the two of you wander through the marketplace. Summer rains have made the ground damp and the air cold, but Azuchi is as lively as ever.

You see a familiar stall of women's accessories at the end of the merchant's row.

"Sasuke-kun! Yuki-san!"

As you approach, you see the two men turn towards your call. Sasuke does a small wave. Yukimura's eyes brighten when he sees you, but it all goes south when he spots Ieyasu.

"What the hell is he doing here?"

You hope Ieyasu won't take the bait, but he and Yukimura have always been able to get on each other's nerves even during peace negotiations. "I should be asking you that question. You're the one infiltrating Azuchi."

"Yeah, well, it's not that difficult to."

"Please. You only haven't been captured because you're not worth the time."

"What, you wanna go?"

You know you should break up the fight and tell them to behave, because there are more important things going on right now, but no anger swells in your chest. Instead, you look at Yuki’s scrunched eyebrows and at Ieyasu’s pursed frown and laugh out loud.

“I forgot how similar you two are,” is what you say first.

“W-what are you saying?!” and “Please, I’m not an idiot.” are the responses to your fond declaration. From the corner of your eye, you see Sasuke smile.

“Is this a constant?” He asks you, while Ieyasu and Yukimura bicker in the background.

You close your eyes.

Masamune. Sasuke. Yukimura.

In every repetition, you have determined who to trust.

Masamune would never betray Ieyasu.

Yukimura would never betray Sasuke.

Sasuke would never betray you.

It may be imperfect logic to determine your allies based on what the Sengoku period considers as loyalty, but you remember what Ieyasu taught you: what is honourable is the same, no matter what the situation.

You smile at Sasuke.

Maybe it works the same for a concept like friendship, too.

思い出

The clues that led you to discover Ieyasu's nemesis were scattered throughout the timelines.

In one of the your repititions, you decide to put more of an effort in understanding how Sengoku politics worked.

Perhaps, you thought, having a tactician's knowledge of how clans plotted against each other would give you an insight of who was trying to assassinate your most important person.

Mitsunari was the obvious option for a teacher. It was difficult to explain to him why you wanted such detailed backgrounds on every clan known to Japan, but when you visited him in the Azuchi library, he took the work with his usual academic enthusiasm.

"Ieyasu-sama's history is quite complicated," he begins, "He was sent by his family to become a member of the Imagawa. The Imagawa educated him, but didn't treat him as one of their own. In the end, he felt no loyalty to them, and became allied with Nobunaga-sama because when the Oda opposed the Imagawa."

You nod. You know this part by heart, thanks to Sasuke's occasional bursts of Sengoku 101 facts. Facts about Ieyasu were far by his—and, unashamedly, your—favorite. At the back of your mind, you wonder if you should have invited him when you approached Mitsunari.

"Ieyasu-sama has always been so ambitious," Mitsunari's tone is praising, but there is a mettle in his voice you cannot recognise. "His ideas and leadership prowess cannot be questioned. His strength, however, has always been his patience. He waits for the opportune moment to move. Waits for the right moment to create allies."

Mitsunari stills, and for a moment you think he will hesitate, but with the professionalism of a scholar he continues.

"He also waits for the right moment to betray them."

Every fibre in your body wants to argue, to be on the defensive. However, at this point you knew that any crack in your demeanor could work against you. Against Ieyasu. Instead of making a fit, you clench your hands and rise.

Mitsunari is not wrong.

You knew, of course, that like all clans in this era, the Tokugawa shifted through enemies and allies as fast as gamblers traded cards. Mitsunari was probably referring to the time Ieyasu had fought wars for the Imagawa before betraying them for Nobunaga.

He was called a traitor to Mikawa by many. But you knew the truth. Ieyasu loved Mikawa. His eyes were calmer when he saw the soft light of the eastern sun hit the farmlands. His eyes lit up when he saw the glittering of Aichi's sea.

Out of all his conquests, Ieyasu fought against the Imagawa because he was loyal to the people of Mikawa.

Once Ieyasu decided he would be loyal to something, you knew it in your heart—he would probably be loyal to it forever.

Turning away from Mitsunari, this certainty is what makes you finally say, "Ieyasu would never do that to the Oda."

The silence is thick until you hear him close his book. He settles it atop of the table you both used. When you glance at him, you could see the lines of a general on his face, deep wrinkles of knowledge that were not there before. When was the last time you saw his sweet angel smile, you absently think, as you watch him remove his glasses and stand.

You realise the conversation had turned dark. You decide to change the topic, hoping Mitsunari would accompany you for some afternoon sweets.

The invitation never leaves your lips.

"I believe you," he finally replies, looking you straight in the eyes, "but don't expect everyone to."

正しい時代

"Teach me," You say again, like a lifetime before, "About honour."

This time, Ieyasu's cheeks turn red. You sense his urge to brush you off, but you suppose after his proposal he realises that it would be futile to try and push you away. He lies on his back on the futon you two share and takes your hand from under the sheets.

"Right now, you're chatelaine of Azuchi," he begins, "and Nobunaga has entrusted you with not just the castle, but also the town."

"Well, that would be stretching it a bit," you reply, "He entrusted me to take care of you and the others, whom he entrusted the castle and the town to."

Ieyasu shakes his head. "He sent his will to you, and no one else. Among all of us, that makes you the bearer of his ambitions."

The weight of your role has not been put in words this clearly before, and you realise it is probably because this is the first time you've had this conversation.

Then, he continues, "You, the bearer of his will, and I, the one tasked to accomplished it... we're, well," he looks away, covers his mouth with a hand, and coughs, "involved."

You laugh. "I believe you called me your future wife."

The flush is still on his cheeks. "What? I'm not taking it back."

“And I'm not going anywhere until it happens."

He looks at you as if he didn't expect you to say that, but instead he says, "I know that." Then, still red-faced, he continues, "Anyway. The point is, we both have power in Azuchi."

"Also we're lovers."

Ieyasu sputters, but agrees. "And right now, we're probably the two most influential people in the castle."

You nod; that much was true. With everyone except Masamune back in their own domains, you and Ieyasu made all the major decisions—based on Nobunaga's will, of course.

Ieyasu was getting somewhere with this exposition. "Now, Azuchi has a farm to feed it, an army to protect it, and people to live in it. If you were to give up two of those and only leave one remaining, which one would you choose?"

"That's easy: the people, of course."

"You'd be surprised how it's not so easy for others to make that answer." Ieyasu pursed his lips. "Alright, you've chosen to protect the people. As a leader, that's honourable. What if someone you respected decided otherwise?"

"Well, that depends."

"Depends on what?"

"On who it is."

You can sense his frustration with your tangential answers, but his patience with you does not falter. Pinching his nose, Ieyasu clarifies, "What if it was Masamune? He wants to prioritise the farm."

You scoff, "I don't think he'd want to do that..." but the look on Ieyasu's face reminds you to stay on topic. "Well, I'd fight him on it."

"Good. What if it was Hideyoshi?"

"I'd still fight him on it."

"What if it was Mitsuhide?"

"I'd be scared, but I'd still fight for the people to be the most important."

Ieyasu looked pleased. From his lying position, he turns to you and curls his fingers by your cheek. Your breath hitches as he leans in. You expect intimacy, but instead, in quiet voice he continues,

"What if it was me?"

別の時代

"Run, Princess!"

Masamune's voice is shrill throughout the gunfire. Heat from the flames burn your skin and your senses are overwhelmed by desperation.

"Ieyasu," you're able to shout, "Where's Ieyasu?"

It's not the first time you've been in the heart of a battlefield, but the fatigue is catching up to you. The hands that hold your bow and arrow are shaking, and your lungs feel like they're grating against your ribcage.

Your eyes dart around the area quickly. The smoke is so thick, you can barely see past what your hand can reach.

Panic slowly fills up in your chest.

You're not ready to give up this timeline, you think. You don't want to go through Ieyasu dying again.

"Are you okay?"

Sasuke suddenly appears next to you, kunai at the ready. He casually throws a knife to an enemy soldier five feet away; the knife lodges in the man's forehead, and he drops dead. "Did you get separated from Ieyasu?"

You nod. "When the first gunshot blew up the carriage, he pushed me out of the way. I was with Masamune for a while, but..."

You don't need to say anything more. Sasuke takes your hand and pulls you from the battlefield, into a small clearing covered by trees.

"The next wormhole will appear in Rinzaiji Temple in three days," he says matter-of-factly. As if you were conversing in a safe place, Sasuke cautiously removes his glasses and wipes them against his gi. "If you leave now, you will make it in time."

The suggestion is logical, but you instinctively rebel against it. "We're not even sure if Ieyasu is dead yet," you grit out. "We're so close, Sasuke. Just a little more, and I think I can find out who—"

Several gunshots interrupt your thought, and your head snaps back to the carnage.

You will forever remember that moment. How, with lightning clarity, you saw him. The smoke and the flames parted, and by some god's will there was a straight path from you to Ieyasu. Everything else was white noise. Suddenly nothing else mattered.

You take in his outline: his arm is bent in an odd angle and there is blood spilling from his shoulder. His hands are empty and his sword is nowhere to be found.

He got shot, is what you first think, and your knees automatically brace for a run.

"Princess," Sasuke holds you back, "This timeline may be a lost cause."

You rip your arm away from his grip. "Even if that may be true, I can't just leave Ieyasu."

"The statistical chances of saving him right now are close to zero. However, if we proceed to Rinzaiji and you time jump, we start on a clean slate."

A part of you is angry you are wasting time conversing with Sasuke, but the experienced time traveler in you rationalises the idea.

Before you are able to process any decision, however, you notice there has been a change in the background noise of the battle. A part of the field has gone quiet, and you see three samurai on horses approach Ieyasu.

You feel yourself go cold. "Who... who is that?"

They carried Nobunaga's flag and wore armour so black they would blend in with the night. Their kabuto helmets were the color of a dark void. Their outlines would have been unfamiliar, but you lived long enough in Azuchi to recognise mannerisms and movements.

Your heart cannot believe who they are, but your mind acknowledges it to be true.

You can see Ieyasu's lips moving, can see the proud tilt of his chin stay firm as he speaks to his enemy. His opposite hand is attempting to compress the wound on his shoulder, but the blood gushes out of its own accord, dripping down to the soil. Despite this, he stands up with all the regality and grace you have come to know him for.

Sasuke senses the danger that you refuse to acknowledge. "I do not advise we stay around to watch," his voice is soft as he takes your hand. He attempts to guide you away, but it lacks his actual strength. You imagine he also cannot tear his eyes away.

As the next events unfold, you think of a million things.

Maybe it would be different if you listened to your heart minutes earlier.

Maybe this timeline was the one you shouldn't have given up on.

Maybe you could've saved him.

Maybe this time, Ieyasu could've lived.

You wish you could say you ran to him. You wish you could say you broke through the bushes and tried to stop what was about to happen.

But you did nothing.

One of the samurai drew his sword.

正しい時代

"What if it was me?"

You're not sure if this is a trick question. You and Ieyasu have always been similar-minded when it came to policies, and it was rare you disagreed with each other in a war council.

"I would convince you to see my point," you answer finally.

He shook his head. "Negotiations are noble, but often fruitless. And if I stood my ground?"

You lean into his touch. You're not sure what he wants to prove, but your answer is set.

"I am your future wife. If you go astray, it is my duty to protect the integrity of your ambitions."

If Ieyasu is shocked by your answer, he doesn't show it. Instead he smiles, and it is gentle and true, so much like when he brought you on the flower field and admitted he loved you.

He kisses your forehead.

"Good."

思い出

Everything was a blur after, when you ran towards Rinzaiji, towards the wormhole.

Still, you remember screaming when Hideyoshi took Ieyasu's head.

[/Chapter 2]

[Prologue] [Chapter 1] 

#ikemen sengoku #ikemen sengoku fanfiction #fanfiction #tokugawa ieyasu #sarutobi sasuke #date masamune #ishida mitsunari #sanada yukimura #toyotomi hideyoshi #ikesen #cybird #the inevitable correction of treading through time #psychedelic aya #aya writes

[hirayaea]

ikesen fic - mission accomplished

“Masamune, listen to me for a moment. I’m stuck in an elevator.” 

— ieyasu/mc — prompt: stuck in the elevator with your crush

[AO3]

He wondered if she knew that he was actively avoiding her.

“I’m so sorry, Tokugawa-san!” Funny, in his memories, he always imagined her voice to be more shrill. “I swear I didn’t press anything out of the ordinary.” He supposed it was just a defense mechanism on his end, so he wouldn’t obsess over how adorable and rich her actual alto tones were. He remembered hearing her sing with the school choir, remembered Masamune nudging him when she handled a solo piece during one of the school’s commemorative events. He also remembered ducking out of the hall to pretend to use the bathroom, but in reality he ran to the library, trying to forget her pleasant voice pleasant face pleasant smile and ugh, maybe if he stuck his nose in his anatomy book he could cool his burning ears. “I guess I’ll call security,” he heard her say meekly, and inwardly he berated himself for not acknowledging her earlier apology. “It’s fine, I’ll do it,” he muttered, but it was too late. As he reached out to press the emergency call button, she had done so as well, causing their fingers to touch and almost-entwine because she was just so clumsy like that. Ieyasu felt his neck heat up. “S-sorry!” She squeaked — squeaked! — and withdrew her hand like she was burned. Ieyasu glanced at her and saw that she looked almost scared. She settled at the corner of the small space they were in and wrung her hands together, as if in fear that he would be upset at her every move. It wasn’t a lie, but not for the reasons she probably made up. Ieyasu sighed. “Calm down,” he tried to sound reassuring, “And stop apologizing. It’s not your fault we’re in this mess.” “I thought you blamed me, since I touched the button last,” she said, then bit her lip, as if considering something. “Like that last time, during pathology class — I touched the microscope slides last, and you seemed really mad when they fell from their container after I stored them.” Ieyasu blinked; it was such an odd time to bring that up, but he remembered just how candid this girl could be. “I’m not annoyed,” he said, while finally pressing the emergency call button. “Also, I wasn’t mad that time.” Of course he wasn’t mad. He was worried — when the slides fell from the high cabinet, she was right there, and everything shattered in front of her. What if a glass shard hit her? What a careless girl. Ieyasu huffed at the memory. He pressed the red call button again, but no one was picking up from the security office. “Maybe they’re on dinner break,” she murmured from behind him. He frowned. “It’s too late for dinner. It’s 11 in the evening.” She gave him a small smile. “Well, have you had dinner?” “No.” “My point exactly.” Ieyasu glared at her. “I don’t understand you,” he grumbled, “One minute it’s like you’re scared of me, then now you’re as annoying as ever.” She looked amused. “I’m not scared of you, Tokugawa-san,” she stepped forward, invading his personal space, reaching beyond to try and press the call button on her own. “You could just say I’m cautious.” Against his better judgement, Ieyasu asked, ”Cautious?” “Well, I didn’t want you to be mad at me.” “I said already — I was never mad.” They listened to the call push through, ringing and ringing and ringing. “Also, I thought I told you to stop calling me that.” She tilted her heads towards him. “Tokugawa-san?”   Ieyasu looked away. He grumbled, “You’re not like that to the others.” “Like what?” Did she want him to spell it out? “You know what I mean.” She laughed. “I’m polite to you now, you mean. Like I said, it’s because I want to be cautious.” “Why?” She seemed to consider her answer. She did that habit of hers where she licked her lip when she was nervous, and the action made Ieyasu’s attention zoom in to her lips. It was a bad idea. Finally she decided on, “Well, how you view me matters to me.” Ieyasu coughed to hide his embarrassment. “How you address me won’t change how I view you.” He pressed the infuriating red button again. “Besides, you know me best among those idiots. It just doesn’t make sense we’re still on a last-name basis.” She seemed shocked he made this admission, but the smile that spread on her face was so bright that Ieyasu wanted to mash all the buttons at once if it meant getting out of there. He didn’t know how to process how she made him feel, so he dealt with it the best way he knew how — by escaping from it. The ringing in the background stopped. “No one’s answering,” she said thoughtfully. “That’s odd.” Ieyasu had to agree. The security personnel of their school were quite reliable. It was unlikely they would leave the office for as long as five calls. In this case ‘odd’ definitely equated to ‘suspicious’. Angrily, he pulled out his phone. “I’ll call for help,” he punched in the number of one of the people he knew would be awake and available at this time of the night. Within three rings, someone picked up. “Ieyasu my boy, what’s up?” The voice sounded amused. She looked at him inquisitively and mouthed, “Masamune-san?” Ieyasu barely had time to nod towards her before he bit out, “Oi, Masamune. I need help.” He didn’t know if Masamune knew that he was in such a small space, and that every word of his could be heard despite not being on speakerphone, but instead of asking what he needed help with like a normal friend would, Masamune instead said, “Is this finally about the girl you’ve been pining over for forever?” Unable to stop himself, Ieyasu glanced at her, red-faced, before looking away and sputtering, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She seemed unaffected by Masamune’s statement, but Ieyasu didn’t know if she was just doing it for his sake. She started looking interestedly at the buttons in front of her. “O-ho,” Masamune said from the other line, “And I thought for sure this would be the time. I mean, why else would you call me at eleven in the evening if not for advice regarding night activities?” If he wasn’t desperate for the help, Ieyasu would have cursed at him. “First of all, I would never ask for advice regarding that, especially from you,” he tried to make his voice level, but he was sure he sounded as exasperated as ever. “Listen to me for a moment. I’m stuck in an elevator.” This seemed to make Masamune go quiet. But only for a few seconds. “Alone?” Ieyasu glanced at his companion. He couldn’t lie; he was sure she’d heard the question. “No, I’m with Mai.” As if on cue, Mai moved closer to his phone receiver and said, “Hello, Masamune-san!” Ieyasu instinctively moved away, because she had gone just too close to his face. His heart felt like it would jump out of his rib cage, and really, he needed to get out of here. “You heard her. We’ve called the security office several times. No one is picking up.” There was some shuffling at the other end of the line, and Ieyasu thought he heard other voices muttering, but then it returned to being ambient noise. Masamune’s tone indicated he was extremely entertained, and Ieyasu didn’t like it. “What were you doing so late at school, Ieyasu-chan?” “Shut up, you know I volunteered to catalogue the library books.” “And Mai-chan?” She didn’t even need to be prompted. “I had student council work!” Masamune seemed thoughtful. “I’m very busy right now, you know.” Ieyasu grit his teeth. “Doing what? Your coursework?” “Bold of you to assume I even know when there is coursework. No. I’m busy enjoying my bachelor life in a bar, with some select friends.” “You mean Nobunaga and Shingen.” “And a few others. I was about to invite you, actually.” “I’ll pass,” Ieyasu rolled his eyes. “Besides, I can’t go anywhere when we’re still. Stuck. Here .” “I suppose I could find it in my good heart to try and contact the security office...” Ieyasu glared at his phone, hoping Masamune could sense that he didn’t want to put up with his games. “Don’t play innocent with me, I know your family owns the security firm the school hired.” From somewhere beyond the line, there was some monotone static and clicking noises, but it was drowned out by Masamune’s confident drawl of, “Oh? Is that your way of making an accusation?” By this point, Ieyasu was just tired. “I’m not accusing you of anything. Just,” and he stared at Mai, who was innocently looking up at the only fluorescent light inside their small metal cage. The bags under her eyes seemed more prominent under white light, and he sighed. “It’s late. We have class tomorrow. Mai has a student council meeting and choir practice in the morning. I want to sleep.” The way he made his statements didn’t go over Masamune’s head, he knew, but he chanted shut up shut up don’t say anything about how I know her schedule, in his head, hoping his angry telepathy would finally be effective. Masamune didn’t disappoint — “You’re quite knowledgeable about Mai-chan’s schedule,” he pointed out as smugly as he could, and Ieyasu regretted every moment of the conversation right then and there.

Why hadn’t he called Hideyoshi instead? He would have gotten a scolding but at least he would probably had some real help. “That’s it, I’m calling someone else.”

“Mitsunari would run to help you,” Masamune said last, maybe to spite him, but Ieyasu had already jammed his finger on the ‘end call’ button. He scowled at his phone. He was in the middle of vowing never to help Masamune with any subject again and who cares if he begged? when he heard a soft giggle from his side. Mai looked giddily amused. The smile on her face matched the brightness in her eyes, and she looked so lovely — so naturally, it made Ieyasu even more frustrated. “He could have just called the main office and gotten it over with,” he mumbled, wiping a hand through his face. Then, he ran through the contacts on his phone. “I’ll try someone else.” Mai shook her head. “We could just wait for the security office to notice our calls,” she said, and for some reason her ears were tinted with a dusty shade of pink. “I don’t mind.” Ieyasu didn’t understand why she would prefer such an ineffective option. “For all we know, they’re out for the night and we’ll be stuck here until morning.” He opened Hideyoshi’s number on his phone book and contemplated. “Besides, you should really get some rest.” “I’m fine —“ “You’ve been going home late again the past week because of whatever the stupid council is making you do. You should really learn when to say no.” He thought she’d be offended at his callous statement, but instead her grin grew wider. Boldly, she drew closer to him, going as far as to grip his arm while saying, “You really do know my schedule!” Ieyasu felt mortified. He hoped the scowl on his face countered the flush on his cheeks. “I just happened to notice. Don’t start reading into it.” This seemed to trigger something in her. When Ieyasu braved to gaze at her face, her eyes had a determined set to them that weren’t there before. “Is that why you started avoiding me? Because I was reading into it?” Ieyasu wished the elevator doors would open. Now. Or that the ground would swallow him whole. This was not a conversation he wanted to have at the moment. He was not prepared. But Mai wasn’t done. “When you gave me those earrings after our paper won during the conference — it made me really, really happy.” She gripped his arm tighter for a moment, then slowly let go. “I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable after, when I wore it to school. I didn’t think it would be a big deal.” Ieyasu could think of a million things to say — it was never a big deal, he was happy when she wore it, when Masamune asked if it was really from him he felt stupidly embarrassed that there was a bit of pride when he answered yes. He remembered that day, a week after he gave her what he said was a ‘thank you for being a decent partner gift’ : he was in the classroom, reviewing a scientific paper Sarutobi wrote, when she came in, wearing a pretty smile like usual, her aura full of color. She waved to him from across the room, and he immediately noticed the dangling flowers by her ears. She looked positively radiant with them on, and seeing her wear something he gave awakened something primal in him, a possessiveness he couldn’t name. He remembered his chest being tight and his stomach doing flips and everything that followed— the rush of heat and discomfort — all of it frustrated him, so he grabbed all his papers and walked out from the classroom, not returning her greeting. He successfully avoided her ever since. Ieyasu stared at her, at this girl who he watched from afar, whom he let get close then almost let slip away. Finally he said, “That’s not why I was avoiding you.” Mai made sure they were face to face. “Then...” She looked unsure as she chewed on her lower lip again, which made Ieyasu quick to interrupt her. “It would be annoying to explain it,” he rushed to say, because he really did not want to delve into his untapped emotions now, not when they were midway the second and ground floor, stuck in an elevator where he could not help but notice all her small mannerisms especially the ones that drew attention to her lips.  He distracted himself by glancing at her ears, which, to his frustrating dismay, were empty of earrings. “But, it’s fine if you wear them everyday.” Ieyasu wanted to slap himself. The ‘everyday’ in his statement was unnecessary, and he didn’t know why it slipped from his mouth. He counted the ways this entire evening where he sounded like a total creep. Mai did not seem to find anything wrong with what he said, however; in fact, she seemed to glow brighter. “I’ll wear them right now!” She began sifting through her bag. “I bring them everyday, you know.” Ieyasu didn’t want to turn red anymore, but this girl was just too much. “Why would you do that?” She didn’t reply; she focused on unclasping the earrings and then wearing them, brushing her hair back so that the golden flowers were visible, resting against her ear perfectly, just like how he imagined it would be when he first bought them on a whim. Then, she looked at him like a woman with a mission. Her eyes were alight with hope, and he couldn’t help but feel that this was how she always looked at him. That day in the classroom was probably only when he figured out how exactly she made him feel. He ran because he was in a vulnerable position, and he hated feeling weak. But then again — was this really being weak? She seemed to have an infinite amount of strength, to be vulnerable in front of him and yet still be able to speak her mind. She said she was cautious, but the way she stared at him was closer to someone ready to throw caution to the wind. Ieyasu considered his options. She had him where she wanted him; he could fight back and delay this push and pull for longer. Or, he could give in and maybe allow her to be brave. He breathed in. Mai licked her lips. Maybe he was done running. He didn’t interrupt her anymore when she began to speak. “I kept them close to me everyday, Ieyasu, because I lik—“ Her statement got cut off as the elevator suddenly jolted downwards, causing both of them to lean forward towards each other. Ieyasu didn’t know when he had grabbed her shoulders, but he held her still against him until the elevator chimed and the doors grated open. Sarutobi Sasuke appeared from the other side of the metal, looking at them with his ever impassive demeanor. True to form, he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose before speaking. “I’m sorry I took so long, Mai, Ieyasu-san.” Ieyasu glanced at Mai’s face; her bravery had disappeared, and now she was just a nice shade of embarrassed. “S-Sasuke-kun!” Her exclamation was a mix of shock and something that sounded like more petulant. She seemed to be at a loss as to what to say but somehow settled with, “It’s alright. Thank you for coming for us.” She looked down and bit her lip again. Ieyasu was filled with a sudden urge to keep that expression for himself. “Come on,” he said, gruffly, releasing her. He acknowledged Sasuke with a nod but walked past him. Then, he asked, “You haven’t had dinner, right?” He wasn’t looking at her, but he felt her get excited. “Yes! Where do you want to eat, Ieyasu?” He didn’t want to look at her yet, because he was contemplating if this could be considered as a — “Is this a date?” Sasuke went straight for the kill. “Because if it is not, well, I am quite hungry too.” Ieyasu wasn’t sure what compelled him to turn around so swiftly, but he thought he saw Mai kick Sasuke’s shin. He couldn’t be too sure, however, because she smiled sweetly as always after. “Don’t place words in our mouths,” she berated, but she looked strangely disappointed. “It’s not a date,” Ieyasu said with finality. When Mai froze, he found himself rushing to explain, “Besides, it’s too late for a first date. Nothing good is open.” He felt like Masamune would be proud of what he said. But he also knew that wasn’t enough for someone as honest as Mai.

“We’ll go somewhere better next time,” he conceded, then tried to save his contrarian ego by adding, “Besides, we still have something to talk about. Right?” Mai lit up in the dark corridor. “Right!” Ieyasu nodded resolutely and turned around again. As he walked ahead, he thought heard the sound of a high-five from behind him. .

.

.

.

. “Wait. Sarutobi, how did you know we were in the elevator?” “I was with Masamune-san when you called.” “Come to think of it. I never mentioned we were stuck in the elevator in school .“ “Well, that is —“ .

.

.

.

. Masamune sipped iced tea from his position in the security office. His phone rung with an alert. The message read: “He asked me out on a date, Masamune-san! Mission accomplished! ♡(๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)”

FIN - 020719

#ikemen sengoku #ikemen sengoku fanfiction #ikesen #fanfiction #tokugawa ieyasu #sarutobi sasuke #date masamune #mission accomplished #psychedelic aya #aya writes #cybird

[armsdealing]

▌real name: daniel “dante” arcelio salazar espinosa ▌single or taken: single ▌abilities or powers: [IMMA ADD THIS LATER] ▌eye colour: brown ▌hair colour: dark brown ▌family members: rené and pilar -- parents. ramón salazar -- older brother (37). mariana salazar -- younger sister (23). jason villalobos espinosa -- maternal cousin (39) ▌pets: he has none of his right now. but he used to have a dog, a mutt named patsy that he had his mother babysat once while he went on tour and they pretty much latched onto each other. he can’t say he’s mad, his mother could use the company.  ▌something they don’t like: he thinks stan culture needs to die. also, he feels like there’s something worthwhile in nearly every genre of music in the world, except one -- he doesn’t like the commercial country music of today. he does sure enjoy some dolly parton now and then but he can’t stand the kind of country that’s about trucks and cold beer and being a “patriot” and loving america, he can’t think of a more irredeemable music genre than that. it’s soulless and full of pandering to a demographic he’s not got friendly feelings for.  ▌hobbies/activities: playing guitar + piano (practicing), jogging, listening to music, boxing, playing poker/gambling, going to bars / music clubs around the city to drink and catch local artists/bands, dancing, collecting vinyls and guitars and guitar picks, riding his motorcycle. ▌ever hurt anyone before: yes. ▌ever killed anyone before: no. ▌animal that represents them: red lynx ▌worst habits: he eats while he’s cooking and by the time he’s done he’s usually not as hungry -- he has the worst patience. if he’s not fully thinking about it he will snap his fingers (sometimes more than once) to get someone’s attention. if he’s angry, you need to wait until he’s cooled off to get any words in, otherwise he’s not gonna listen to you. seldom will back down from a fight if you provoke him.  ▌role models: he has creative inspirations in the form of musicians like hendrix and santana and steve jones and t-bone walker and so forth, he listens to a lot of old blues and psychedelic rock and that’s the kind of guitar he likes playing most when he’s not going wild with his usual style of playing -- which is punk music. ▌sexual orientation: bisexual. ▌thoughts on marriage/kids: if it comes down to that, maybe, sure.  ▌fears: he’s not really afraid of much when it comes to himself, but he’s afraid of anything happening to his mother or sister.  ▌style preferences: relatively grunge. he’s all about worn, ripped band t-shirts and jeans and leather boots, layered with flannel shirts, leather jackets or shearling coats. black, gray, and overall dark colors.  ▌someone they love: he loves his mother and his sister unequivocally, whereas his feelings for his father or his brother are a lot more complex.  ▌approach to friendships: there’s an elusive air to dante that often keeps people from approaching him, thinking he’s mean or just largely above interacting with most people. this mostly because of his quiet demeanor and his talent. in truth, although he’s indeed blunt and a little crass, he’s very easy going, quick to joke and smile and invite you a drink. becoming friendly with him is easy, but turning into a friend is hard. he’s private and keeps his circle small. those friends he does have, he would go at great lengths for.  ▌thoughts on pie: he likes key lime pie.  ▌favourite drink: cognac, horchata, water. ▌favourite place to spend time at: he thrives around night life and that’s where he’s most comfortable, especially in bars and punk clubs, where he’s well known.  ▌swim in the lake or in the ocean: ocean.  ▌their type: he likes people that share his interest in music, even if they don’t go as deep as he does that’s okay. and he likes people that are more expressive than he is and that are passionate about their interests period, that are independent, and that are capable of having clear, straight forward conversations about difficult things and aren’t afraid of conflict.  ▌camping or indoors: camping -- voluntarily exposing yourself to the elements -- sounds like the dumbest thing in the world in his eyes, but he might be a little biased as a city slicker. 

tagged: no one. tagging: @neotropical​​ (amara) @undones​ (jay), @streetsofsecrets​ (ri + nick), @qipaos​​, @tribeof​​ (aya), @exmateria​​ (whomever u want), @chxoticmuses​​ (your pick!)

#* dante. #misc.

[jorge5000]

A simple Colombia itinerary in two weeks

This is a short description of my trip to Colombia with a friend of mine in late February 2018. While it doesn't include any spectacular treks or adventures, it might include some technicalities you will find useful for your own trip to Colombia after the 23rd COVID-19 wave or some information that will help our AI overlord create fun virtual adventures for humans in 2034.

Nice views in Guatape.

Key info:

Colombia? For some reason, flight tickets to Colombia/Bogota are cheaper that most surrounding countries, so it might be cheaper to fly to Bogota if planning to explore more of South America. While your idea of questionable safety in Colombia might be right, Colombia has plenty good things to offer as well.

Trekking in Tyrona national park. Trekking on your own, without a local, is probably not the best idea in Colombia, but Tyrona seemed a good option and was in deed, even with the occasional jaguar and crocodile warnings. Exit at the smaller entrance, the first one when heading there by bus from Santa Marta. There are regular bus connections from the marketplace. Start exploring more distant parts first, and later continue to the main entrance. Pueblito was/is no longer not accessible. Get more info here.

Cocaine for the price of a pizza cut. Not really, but for as little as few (few as in five) bucks a gram offered to a gringo. Every gram funds addiction, paramilitary, guns, murders, and incentivizes new actors on that scene. It's cheap, available everywhere, and if you ask for el vicio, it will soon find it’s way to you, especially combined with las chicas. Make your choice, plenty of reasons against. While the possession of a small quantity is legal, you should probably be wondering about how exactly will the police determine when and where will they be done with searching you.

The Amazon. Catch a flight for Leticia and explore the Amazon. You will probably want to use an organized tour. English-speaking guides are available, but more difficult to find and even more difficult to understand. Definitely amazing, wild. Be prepared to be soaked in rain if you choose a sleepover tour.

Park Arvi in Medellin. I missed this opportunity, but just passing through it quickly seemed like it wold be fun and safe staying/mountainbiking there.

Psychedelic adventures? Reportedly, psychedelic mushrooms can be found around Guatape. Ayahuasca is not very common outside the jungle around Leticia. There are trustful providers near Medellin/Park Arvi and Santo Daime has its roots there. As for the jungle experiences around Leticia, some say the aya there doesn't have an ingredient responsible for the colorful trip, just those that makes you sick and reflective of your life. Reportedly, some tribes around Leticia use kambo medicine, but I wasn’t successful in finding any more info about that.

Safety. Trouble will stay away from you if you don’t ask for it. As simple as that.

Big ass ants and fire ants. I was unsuccessful in pursuing my goal of finding a fire ant and get bitten by it.

My personal research results indicated that it would be better to skip swimming in the Amazon.

Day by day

Day 0: Fly in to Bogota and stay overnight to catch continuing flight to Medellin next morning. Even though there is plenty of accommodation around the airport, it doesn't look like a place where you'll want to wonder on foot after the sunset. Or before. Hosts are friendly but use Google translate for English and communication is difficult unless you speak a few words of Spanish.

Day 1: Fly to Medellin and settle in. Free city tour, not easy to find the meeting point. Rejected after, because the guide doesn't want to have too many people on tour due to security concerns.

Day 2: A day trip to Guatape, a nice place. Eat some fish in a restaurant where the bus leaves you. It's ok to walk to the town from there, there's a trail next to the road.

Day 3: Medellin. Roam around town. You'll find plenty of stuff to do there on other web sources.

Day 4-6 Santa Marta. Take a swim at the beach, eat something tasty, get offered to buy new sunglasses at the beach with a gram of cocaine included in the box. Sunglasses are not a part of the offer. The center should be safe for getting around on foot say the locals. Food is delicious, sun is strong. Tyrona park is the main attraction. Spend two days, enter through the smaller entrance where the bus will make a stop. Walking trails are well marked. Lodging, camping and hammocks are available at the main entrance, but also at end of the second main walking path.

One of the Tyrona beaches (San Martin?).

Day 7-10 Leticia. Plenty of tourist agencies in the center with very similar prices and places they visit. Some have English-speaking guides, but they mostly don't speak good English, if they do at all. Some tourists I met decided to spend the night in the jungle, but later reported that heavy rain filled their hammocks with water even though there was a wooden roof above their heads. Walk across the border to Tabatinga, stay safe, and return back to Leticia. Contemplate people living in the jungle for thousands of years.

Day 11-12 Bogota. Many streets in the center are closed in the evening/night, which can make getting around with Uber complicated. Monserrate is a nice day trip.

And that's it. Stay safe

#Colombia #theamazon #Leticia Tyrona

[superfreakbaba]

ayahuasca                                             Dizzy Mr T  – it’s not me :-)

🎤  The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Purple Haze > youtube.com/watch?v=cJunCsrhJjg

Purple haze all in my brain Lately things they don't seem the same Actin' funny but I don't know why 'scuse me while I kiss the sky

Purple haze, all around Don't know if I'm comin' up or down Am I happy or in misery? What ever it is, that girl put a spell on me

Purple haze all in my eyes Don't know if it's day or night You got me blowin', blowin' my mind Is it tomorrow, or just the end of time?

➳ Terence McKenna - You Must Have A Plan > youtube.com/watch?v=APAuhoWawH0

“If you want a teacher - try a waterfall”⤵

➳ Terence McKenna - Trust Yourself > youtube.com/watch?v=GN-vMMpja30

“You lose yourself, you reappear You suddenly find you got nothing to fear” ⤵

                                                 🎧  Bob Dylan

#aya art #full moon #spirits & colors #dreamy drawing #superfreakbaba #artists on tumblr #psychedelic vision #created in Photoshop #🎤 Jimi Hendrix #☯ Terence McKenna #🎧 Bob Dylan

[middleeyt]

Coachella 2020 Top Artists To Watch

It’s that time of year again fam, Coachella is rolling around in about 4 months and it’s time to get the total lowdown on what artists to keep a close eye on. 

Anyone who knows the trend with Coachella, knows that you can almost guarantee the artists in the lineup to become heavy hitters in the months to come. As soon as Coachella 2019 was over, Golden Voice got to contacting booking agencies, probing for what talent will be available, agencies began to submit lists of artists on their rosters that will be interested, and the contracts began to roll out. Now in January 2020, we have the full list of artists: 

This year marks the (technical) 20th anniversary for the festival since it’s emergence in 1999. Every year the festival aims to highlight a solid pool of artists in different genres, and give stage to an older rock band/ performer in homage to how the festival started. I have to say that this year, I am quite pleased with lineup as a good set of R&B and Hip Hop artists take center stage on the list. But besides the popular headliners on the billing, there are a number of (tiny name) performers that I think you absolutely have to see. Here are my picks for top artists to watch at this years Coachella fest: 

Doja Cat- Amalaratna Zandile Dlamini, known professionally as Doja Cat is a 24 year old rapper unlocks a sweetly coated rap sound with a mix of R&B and Pop. Favorite song: Juicy 

Princess Nokia- American rapper of Puerto Rican descent Destiny Nicole Frasqueri, better known by her stage name Princess Nokia, brings an educated blend of activism and authenticity to her sound. Favorite song: Sugar Honey Iced Tea (S.H.I.T) 

Joji- Japanese singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, one-time author…oh and former internet personality and comedian George Kusunoki Miller, better known by his stage name Joji, is what I consider a total Coachella artist. His blend of Indie Pop, Hip-Hop, and Alternative R&B have garnered some major hype. Favorite song: YEAH RIGHT

Lost Kings- American DJ duo (one of the few) consisting of Robert Abisi and Nick Shanholtz gives us a dope mix of catchy lyricism, EDM, and pop. They got a ton of fun bops, making them a definite act to watch this year. Favorite song: First Love 

NIKI- Indonesian R&B artist Nicole Zefanya, better known as NIKI gained popularity with her covers and original songs on YouTube, gaining more than 40,000 subscribers. Her mission is simple: create dope music and empower Asian artists through representation. Favorite song: Indigo 

Matoma- Norwegian DJ and record producer Tom Stræte Lagergren, known by his stage name Matoma, gives us a solid dance formulated tropical house sound and even has a dedicated song to the Coachella scene “Girl At Coachella”... which is pretty much about a rave bae. Favorite song: False Alarm

Masego- Micah Davis, known professionally as Masego, is a Jamaican born, international musician who gives us R&B vibes at their finest. Having grown up with both parents as pastors, while simultaneously having friends giving him hard hitting drums and trap music influences, Masego has referred to his own musical style as "TrapHouseJazz". Favorite song: Tadow 

Jessie Reyez- Jessie Reyez is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and co-writer of the absolute bop “One Kiss” by Calvin Harris. Her unique voice and permeable blend of Urban Contemporary and R&B has gotten her nominated for a number of awards. Her debut album is set to come out this year! Favorite song:  FIGURES (I also fuck with Broken by THEY in which she is featured) 

Ari Lenox- Courtney Shanade Salter, known professionally as Ari Lennox, is the first woman to be signed to J. Cole's record label, Dreamville Records. I got the chance to see her at Lights On Fest this past year, her incredibly unique voice and clever lyrics made her one of my favorite performers. Favorite song: Shea Butter Baby

Summer Walker- By now if you haven’t hopped on the Summer Walker hype you’re definitely missing out. Her raw and soulful energy combined with some nostalgic R&B production have made her an absolute heavy hitter. On November 17, 2019 Summer won her first BET Soul Train Music Award for Best New Artist. Favorite song: Come Thru (Potential is also a favorite)

Omar Apollo- The Mexican psychedelically soulful singer-songwriter Omar Velasco better known as Omar Apollo, combines his airy and soulful vocals with a solid R&B and soft Rock sound. Favorite song: Erase 

Pink Sweat$- David Bowden, known professionally as Pink Sweats, is an American singer and songwriter best known for his song "Honesty", which reached #23 on Spotify's Global Viral Chart and #10 on Spotify's US Viral Chart. Pink Sweat$ strips everything down with his songs, preferring R&B ballads left to only his voice and guitar. Favorite song: Coke & Henny Pt. 2

Aya Nakamura- Aya Danioko, known by her stage name Aya Nakamura, is a French-Malian pop singer who uses a dope blend of R&B and Afrobeats guaranteed to have you moving. Favorite song: Djadja 

Emotional Oranges-  Oddly enough the American R&B–pop group name perfectly describes their music. The funky bass and jazzy guitar used in most of their songs complement the male and female vocals that narrate their music. Favorite song: Built That Way 

Hands down my favorite part about Coachella is getting to watch a ton of amazing artistry and witness their rise in the industry. Whether you fuck with one or all these artists, take some time this Coachella to catch their acts, I can almost guarantee that you’ll see these names pop up more often as the year progresses. 

Take a listen to these songs and a ton more bops by other Coachella 2020 artists with my Coachella 2020 Collaborative Playlist! 

#Coachella music festival #coachella2020 #coachellavalley #Coachella #music playlist #musicfestival #Spotify #coachella music and arts festival

[kpopotd2]

September 15th, 2011, Aya released her first album: 곡예

Yaya (야야 (夜夜)) was a indie duo who made their debut in 2011. The group was made up of Aya (아야) and Siya ((시야(前)). Aya is a singer-sonwriter who makes more psychedelic music, while Siya is a drummer who worked on composition. Though today Aya is the sole member of the group and has taken the name Yaya as her stage name. Yaya still makes music as well as producing art and photography.

Honorable Mentions: 2014 - Jun DdanDdan (윤딴딴) - 우산이 두갠데         A single release for: ‘’우산이 두갠데’’

#kpop of the day #yaya #야야 #夜夜 #indie #k-indie #korean music #2011 #2010s #gg #solo #band #duo #윤딴딴 #jun ddan ddan

[positivecreations]

Wow, I had such a deep n potent Aya ceremony last night! Certainly there’s always more work to be done and mental viruses to wipe out my system. One of the issues I was working with was my personal frustration about how little amount of art I do, compared to the fountain of inspiration living in my heart. Especially after such a galactic journey as last night, I feel I have 100 totally different paintings I want to do, yet my process of painting is very slow and I can only accomplish a proper painting after a month of work... Other than finding patience with my human limitations, I had to make time to give big Gratitude to my fellow artists that are doing such great work painting things that I myself wish I could of painted! They help me express myself through their work. Here I wanted to share 3 artist’s work that has really touched my heart these days. The first painting is by an artist I just learned about @sydwoxone who’s painting of the tree of life is so on point! I’ve definitely been in a similar place and eaten from its fruit, which I then energetically share with the people on my path. The next 2 artists are personal friends who’ve been crushing it for years, but continue to grow and paint amazing visions. So the second painting is by Mexican visionary @curiotli . His new works really helped me envision better the vibration of the Bufo toad I recently experienced (though I ignore if it’s about that or not). And then the third painting is by @theartofskinner who is a master of the darker, yet very real, psychedelic realms. I was floored by his new book that is packed with so many crazy imaginative situations. Big thanks to these artist friends and to every other artist bringing forth to our physical eyes these visions from inside our infinite universe of being. I honour you all! 🙏💚 #gratitude #artists #ayahuasca #visions #visionaryart #psychedelicart #love #appreciation #sydwoxone #curiotli #artofskinner #interdimensional #art (at Princeton, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu1cnwwgyzX/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=na2svu5yrgyl

#gratitude #artists #ayahuasca #visions #visionaryart #psychedelicart #love #appreciation #sydwoxone #curiotli #artofskinner #interdimensional #art