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Black Coffee & Donuts ☕ 🍩

~A Trigun fan comic~

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Next year marks twenty years since the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory film was released, and I'm wondering what a 2025 remake would look like.

The kids still have their gimmicks, but on social media. Augustus has a food blog. Veruca posts her shopping hauls on Tiktok. Violet has her own chewing gum line. Mike streams his gaming.

The Bucket family have two, maybe three ancient flip top phones between them on the cheapest prepaid plan available.

At the factory entrance Wonka demands all phones be handed in or turned off inside, no filming allowed. Maybe the factory has its own, very weird intranet system that does odd things to outside devices when you try to secretly film stuff? Could be a good modern update to the story so long as social media adds to the wackiness instead of taking over.

This has been a PSA.

OKAY, but based on the raws for daiya no b, the instruments they chose for the main characters so far, are REALLY fitting. I was in band in highschool, and and anyone else who else played instruments in a band would agree with me (hopefully)

Source: hyoubuqueen

Based on what i see so far:

Clarinets: (Tanba, Nori)  They are  the ones who are the base noise but they make a huge difference. They’re not sharp sounds BUT a good clarinet tone is hard to attain and takes many years of practice. They’re very mellow but they’re important to the underlying sound of the whole song. Hence Tanba and Nori’s humble/shy personalities yet they make all the difference to the team and often try the hardest.

Percussion: (Jun) Percussion encompasses all the rhythm instruments like drums, timpani etc as well as embellishments like cymbal/triangle. They’re extremely imperative because without percussion there is no mood or pace and the song sounds bare. Jun is the tempo of Seido, he sets the rhythm AND THAT’S EXTREMELY FITTING. They also have to have a good ear for tempo.

French Horns: (Zono, Nabe) They have to have a really large lung capacity. They’re the melody that is really deep but the sound resonates. They’re kind of like a mask, a huge layer that arcs throughout the song. There are often not too many french horns because they’re an instrument that isn’t as popular. But the sound is very unique.  They’re also an underlying layer, but they cut through all the other sounds as very profound parts of the music.

Flutes: (Ryo, etc.) HIGH PITCHED NOISES;  THEY’RE SUPPOSED TO BE REALLY ESSENTIAL  and are often the “topping”. They have fast riffs; if a flute makes a mistake IT’S REALLY OBVIOUS–also the flute section has a much harder time to stay together so some talent/practice is needed.  Because of this they have to be detailed and careful and really know their job. HENCE RYOSUKE. Along with the trumpets they have many solos and ALWAYS play. 

Saxophones: There are two types shown in Daiya no B– Alto or Tenor Saxophone: (Kuramochi) This is the saxophone that is higher in sound, and usually the one throughout the saxophone group that has solos. Baritone Saxophone: (Tetsu) The lower end of the saxophone, and the instrument itself is larger. Together, the saxophone sections blends together the harshness of brass sounds. Saxophones are huge in supporting the music and the brass section. They’re like caramel, and when they have a solo it adds flare to the song.They have to be reliable support HENCE MOCHI AND TETSU. 

Trumpets: (Eijun, Masuko, Chris) Oh my goodness the trumpets. They’re usually dubbed as the more hot headed of the band, the ambitious ones, the mood making ones. They are the more brash instruments in the band, yet they are the FIRE. Especially in fast paced, cool,  songs they really bring the blaze. They make the music exciting. HENCE EIJUN. They’re as important as flutes, because first there’s so many and hard to connect, and second, their sounds are quite evident. They also have a sense of pride because a piece often rests on their sound.  Basically, they’re entrusted with one of the most important jobs, and are usually the center of attention because you can ALWAYS hear them. They also have to have large lung capacity.

Trombones: (Furuya) Trombones require a lot of technique and are a leading instrument of the lower brass section. They can make the most resonating sound, so dynamics are this instruments forte. While having lots of single notes, this instrument needs consistency and determination because learning to breathe during the music is really difficult. SO STAMINA as well as strength and lung capacity. The instrument that isn’t dubbed cool at first but is essential to a song’s volume. The trombone sound reverberates and makes the rest of the band excited to keep pace. It’s perfect for Furuya.

In general, this post is nothing but my excitement for an official band au ( I hope im not missing anything or anybody) and my band history crying out. So i wanted to share lol BUT I AM SO EXCITED FOR THIS. 

*****Bonus: THE CONDUCTOR AKA MIYUKI KAZUYA (idk if he’s staying as a student conductor or the actual conductor). I’m sure that ones pretty self-explanatory–the conductor has to have all eyes throughout the band. He has to know and hear all the parts as well as anticipate what comes next and predict potential difficulties in music. He has to be the expert and gauge everyone’s level to make them work with the rest of the team. Also, he has to be able to mend the bald spots and some lack of skill in order to connect all different parts in the music as well as the people. He’s in control, cues everyone into their jobs, and in the end, if he hiccups then the whole thing falls apart. He  has  to be crazy and passionate about his job. He’s pivotal, and that’s Miyuki Kazuya for you.

I’m pretty sure no one’s going to read this.

Imagine if the timeline in Runeweaver happened a bit differently so that Zaine's ability to read the rune book stayed the same but the king died later instead.

The runeweavers banish Zaine to the Circle of Dreams, assuming he'll disappear soon enough. Several months later, the king dies, competition for the crown begins. To everyone watching's horror, Zaine can be seen in the circle. His greatest fear is being trapped alone in the circle, therefore he hasn't been turned into a rock or rune book. He is living his greatest fear there every day.

Seeing other people for the first time in months breaks through the dull fear, loneliness and apathy - but now there is something to lose. As familiar faces are struck down, Zaine is angry and desperate enough to tear the Circle of Dreams apart.

On the outside, some runeweavers think Zaine's survival must be a fluke, but most of them are now terrified of him for not only surviving in the Circle for several months but destroying it too. And he's had plenty of time to learn more runes and spells.

I wonder what would happen if Victor Nikivorof ate a pork cutlet bowl cooked by someone from Shokugeki no Soma? Would he take a bite and suddenly picture Yuri skating?

Rewatching Trigun's 98anime (subs this time, being used to the eng dub) since I was curious to note the characters' shifting pronoun usage.

For reference, Stampede Vash always uses the softer, more humble, modest, boyish 'boku' - as expected (like Trimax Vash), even after his glow up in ep12, he still regards himself the same way. While Knives (Nai) exclusively uses the harder, more assertive, masculine 'ore'...ever since he was a little baby, which immediately differentiates them apart, but is...extremely (lmao) edgy of him.

But in the 98anime? Oh my god, it's all flipped around and completely different! Which quite interestingly reveals a lot of contextual nuances to many characters, and quite frankly rewatching in Japanese trying to catch all these things only thoroughly kicked my ass throwing in so many difficult-to-understand, unexpected curveballs; I'm both shook and humbled by what I've heard!

Because 98 Knives refers to himself as 'boku' O____O;; even during his most 'villainous' lines yelling at Vash too. Him having that casual but 'polite' poised dissonance in his voice comes off extremely unnerving;;; when he speaks of horrible things thru such an 'innocent' self-perception like that. (Even Legato uses 'boku' like him! Same in Stampede.) Damn I'm disturbed. He and Vash notably both used 'boku' when they were kids, but Knives in particular never really stopped saying that from their childhoods, so that says a lot about him. (His "did you just shoot me [boku]!?" comes off very uncannily childlike. No wonder Vash freaked out in guilt.)

But 98 Vash? Whoa, he requires a whole damn essay flips around ALL the time, interchangeably using BOTH! :O Often switching pronouns between 'ore' & 'boku' within the same episode, or even as quickly as every other sentence, even towards the same person. Depending on the immediate context/topic of what he's saying and the emphasis on how he's saying it. Via all his posturing, which 'persona' he switches into, his familiarity/humbleness/honesty/trust--even hostility towards certain people, and his mood's silly vs seriousness levels. Often reflective of how determined/confrontational/casual he is vs being walled off (masking) to openly repentant, lost or distressed too - but not always! It's Extremely inconsistent fascinating but confusing!!! Because there's no....fixed 'rules' to his usage. For ex he'll often use 'ore' casually within his own internal monologues to his more bombastic public self-introductions, or even when he's at his most serious in private moments about grave matters, like settling his past during his scar scene with Meryl. Even Eriks!Vash still uses 'ore' when confessing his guilt to Wolfwood about the Fifth Moon! So there feels to be a general preference for using 'ore' when he (internally and externally, both in casual and serious contexts) needs to show his 'determination' - aka being the man (the ideal 'Vash'?) he wants to become.

But then he'll flip around using 'boku' for some of his most exasperatingly fake ✨playful✨ bits when he's kidding and messing around in mock courtesy (bonus: he even uses 'watashi' as a joke for his ridiculously long 'formal' name introduction to Wolfwood).....AND 'boku' will be used for his most sincere humble (polite) conversations back with family members he knows at Home, and when he connects back to his childhood with Rem in his dreams. The Diablo ep is a good example: he uses 'ore' throughout the ep until he reverts to 'boku' after speaking to Rem deciding not to kill, and that humbling shift, like to that of a lost younger boy, makes so much sense. The shift happens again when Eriks!Vash thinks about Rem feeling just as lost: "what should I [boku] do?" And after the tragic incident at Home when he's depressed and masking himself behind his glasses, while quietly reflecting to Wolfwood with a reproachful, "Everyone who touches me [boku] dies." ...Before immediately changing back to 'ore' in the next sentence firming his resolve to face Knives.

But in general it really depends and you have to listen hard (pay close attention) to hear how much contextual teasing, sincerity, irony, genuine respect, or...humbling self-reproach and self-depreciation he uses. Indicative towards how much (or how poorly) he internally regards himself and how he externally presents himself to others, because it changes. All the time. His personal pronouns aren't fixed! ...Basically, I'm just as confused as Meryl (and it really makes narrative sense why she's so confused by him), not knowing which 'persona' is the real him! x'D

...Oh but a really good moment, in ep24 when Meryl pleads at him to be honest with her for once about all the tragedies, he uses 'boku' explaining everything to her about Knives. That's....really good. :O Like umm...him using 'ore' before with her (in the scar scene) kind of erected a subtle barrier when he refused to elaborate further, but using 'boku' so sincerely for her request.....like it..extends her the same humble level of courtesy/trust he'd use towards the 'family' he loves back at Home (+Rem)....but it's so loaded, cause he's being honest but still...distant telling her why he's better off alone. :')) Man...(the aaangst) Oooooh, but then ep25 is very telling too, cause he's mentally lost for the whole ep, always using 'boku' so anguished and self-deprecatingly....until Meryl saves him and he gives her his softest genuine 'boku' yet, after he recovers back to himself donning the red coat again, thanking and assuring her he'll be alright. :'D (Hooray~) Before internally switching back to 'ore' on his final quest setting out alone for Knives. Ep26: he still keeps that distinct assertive 'ore' in front of Knives "I [ore] will survive!" and 'boku' for Rem: "I [boku] will continue to believe in you, but will look to my own [jibun] words for guidance." :')) (Bonus: 'jibun' is added when he philosophically thinks in terms of 'oneself'/'myself' from now on.)

Bonus nuance: while younger Vash may have dependently followed Knives' lead around--back when they both used 'boku' together, older (current) Vash--using 'ore' with him, feels like he's grown to assume the role as the more independent, responsible older brother now, when he finally understands how to put Rem's last words to 'take care of Knives' into practice. :'))

So tl;dr: Vash tends to have a casual leaning preference for using 'ore' in most situations both private and public, but especially for whenever he asserts his determination involving Knives with a confrontational edge. 'Boku' is used exclusively (politely, with genuine deference & care) towards extended family members he loves (like Rem, Brad, Doc, and eventually.....Meryl; using the softest 'boku' towards her I've ever heard. ;.;) And for whenever he humbles himself in distress, feeling lost in turmoil or self-reproach. But it's not set in stone! Since both pronouns can be used sincerely or ironically in jest, for whenever he's feeling silly or playing a bit (donning a mask), easily switching depending on presentation or context too. 98 Vash simply does what he wants! While Meryl screams in confused exasperation!

As for 98 Meryl, she often uses the book-standard, more formal/professional 'watashi' when introducing herself (Stampede Meryl too), and her speech patterns are typically very polite and pleasant to listen to (with many lovely 'desu-wa' sentence finishers.) ...Until she changes to the informal, more feminine 'atashi.' Ex: when screaming at Milly to let her go (to Vash) as the city blew up during the Fifth Moon incident. The raw sincerity in her voice for that change is so...🥺 of her. Note, cause most other girls - from Rem, Milly, younger kids like Lina, to older (but youthful) grandma characters all informally use 'atashi.' So for Meryl to drop her usual formalities when her honest feelings come out ("I [atashi] need to go there!" - to the epicenter where Vash is) means a lot. :')) ...Ah! Cause she slips to 'atashi' again in ep25, in front of Vash (while he uses 'boku' at his most mentally lost and openly wounded state) at his bedside. o///o Oh my... Using 'atashi' again while crying to Milly in regret that she couldn't confess anything yet to Vash on his sendoff. So yes, Meryl's feminine 'atashi' side shows whenever she expresses her honest feelings. :'3

Now 98 Wolfwood is a special case, cause he speaks primarily in Kansai dialect, which is extremely hard for me to understand what he's saying in modified/shortened slang all the time. (Compared to say, Meryl who speaks very cleanly and polite.) I've heard him use 'ore' when offering kids food, the more rural/casual form 'oira' when confessing his turmoil to Milly at his most vulnerable, 'uchi' when talking about 'our orphanage,' 'washi' (the 'old man' form of watashi) when speaking in more formal/aged terms of 'God', to the slang form 'wai' (he casually prefers this one a lot, and Stampede Wolfwood uses 'wai' too, esp when introducing himself to new people, for most of the few eps he's even in, and it makes him sound like...way older than he actually is?) to even 'jibun' when talking about himself with distance in flashbacks. The impression he gives off is like that of someone who's come from a rural/street kid (orphan) background...but who speaks like a chill elder now?? who's aged far too soon for his years. That's my best interpretation of what's happening. (His slang 'wai' even slurs to sound like 'oira,' almost like 'wai-ra' sometimes; gah it's really hard for me to discern, I'm sorry.) Bonus: he teasingly calls Milly 'my honey' in english, while she playfully answers him back with the pronounced 'a-na-ta' (dear), so they def have an inside thing going on. Bottom line, he's very complicated *bangs head on desk* and his accent is too unfamiliar/beyond my meager course level to fully grasp! :'D

To sum up (to the best of my hearing comprehension):

Stampede Vash: always boku, modest and unassuming towards everyone 98 Vash: BOTH ore & boku; not fixed. Casual preference for ore vs more humble courtesy using boku, but it's extremely context/mood/persona dependent, since he can mask & switch for jokes. Has a serious confrontational/determined edge using ore vs Knives--as if Vash becomes the older brother here, but always reserves the softer boku towards Rem and the found family he loves Stampede Knives: always ore, ever since he was a baby; so much edge 98 Knives: boku, coming off unnervingly childlike vs Vash's ore Meryl (both): watashi, but changes to atashi (98) when her honest feelings towards Vash show Wolfwood (both, Kansai dialect): primarily wai, but can use many other forms Legato (both): boku Roberto: ore Milly: atashi, but can mask using watashi when she's not fine Rem: atashi (98) & watashi (Stampede) Stampede Luida: watashi, but atashi when casual with teen Vash Brad (both): ore Dr. Conrad: watashi Stampede Elendira: watashi Stampede Zazie: boku

Now besides the animes, since Trimax is a whole other overwhelming complicated beast, and since I don't have access to check (nor would I even be able to easily read/understand) the Japanese raws, I'd be VERY interested in someone's investigation and breakdown into the manga's pronouns, especially for Trimax Vash, since I've heard that beyond 'boku,' he shifts and evolves throughout his journey too, possibly ending on a very soft wizened, matured 'watashi' that I'd love to hear more!

Aw, all their symbols are there.

GOD THEY’RE SO GAY I—

In the spirit of encouraging people to comment on fanfics while also making it easier to do so, I feel obliged to share a browser extension for ao3 that has quite literally revolutionized the comment game for me.

I present to you: the floating ao3 comment box!

From what I've seen, a big problem for many people is that once you reach the comments at the bottom of a fic, your memory of it miraculously disappears. Anything you wanted to say is stuck ten paragraphs ago, and you barely remember what you thought while reading. This fixes that!

I'll give a little explanation on the features and how it works, but if you want to skip all that, here's the link.

The extension is visible as a small blue box in the upper left corner.

(Side note: The green colouring is not from the extension, that's me.)

If you click on it, you open a comment box window at the bottom of your screen but not at the bottom of the fic. I opened my own fic for demonstrative purposes.

The website also gives explanations on how exactly it functions, but I'll summarize regardless.

insert selection -> if you highlight a sentence in the fic it will be added in italics to the comment box

add to comment box -> once you're done writing your comment, you click this button and the entire thing will automatically copied to the ao3 comment box

delete -> self explanatory

on mulitchapter fics, you will be given the option to either add the comment to just the current chapter or the entire fic

The best part? You can simply close the window the same way you opened it and your progress will automatically be saved. So you can open it, comment on a paragraph, and then close it and keep reading without having the box in your face.

Comments are what keep writers going, and as both a writer and a reader, I think it's such an easy way of showing support and enthusiasm.