fangs for the visit

Listen to the album here (THANK YOU FOR MAKING IT AVAILABLE!!!!).

L2-07:

Flashback: little Toki is crying about being afraid to be alone, and little Haruta is comforting him. Telling Toki he's not alone, that he and the teddy plushie will always be with him, and also that Toki is lucky to be adopted by a rich family who can pay for surgery to so he's able to walk. Oh.

Present: Loulou*di are shooting the PV for Empty Dream and Ageha is micromanaging every damn aspect of the filming, making sure that all. is. perfect. The staff is annoyed on the one hand, but on the other hand it's noted, as if we hadn't already noticed, that Ageha is just intense as fuck, like, charisma over the roof, the house down boots. (As we'd seen before, basically that's why he's able to get people to do whatever he wants most of the time, everyday mortals are apparently helpless sheep in his presence.)

Toki goes to sleep that night telling his teddy about how awesome he is, and how great it feels to be so awesome, and how he's willing to do anything for Ageha and Loulou*di, oh and also fuck that person who now we know is Haruta. Toki's insecurities grudge runs deep and strong.

Rui and Ageha also talk, or however we should call that thing they do when they're in a room together... basically Ageha is being self-destructive and insulting, and Rui is being controlling, reminding Ageha that it's basically just the drugs his willpower that keeps him going and perhaps he should let Rui take care of him... by manhandling Ageha to carry him off to his bed. When Ageha resists Rui is like "Ageha, I only do what you really want me to do. Do you want me to be gentle with you?" At which Ageha grinds his teeth and doesn't answer, and oh god, these two are so twisted and dysfunctionally codependent, it's amazing. If only it was only this.

Also, we learn that Rui has a vial of water that is to be used on Ageha if he goes into a seizure again.

L2-08:

Later that week Loulou*di continue their promo campaign at a TV music talkshow. Mahiro and Haruta are also there representing Anthos*, and they're really excited to finally meet Loulou*di! (oh, my sweet sweet children) Their excitement is dampened by the whole Chise situation though - Haruta wonders just who could be behind the incident, while Mahiro is like "what if nobody? it's not like anyone has anything to gain by destroying us, I mean if we were huge like Loulou*di I'd understand someone being intimidated by us, but we're not, hahaha" (hitting that nail right on the head, haha)

Loulou*di shows up and it's not quite the bloodbath I'd hoped for, but Ageha is oozing venom, showing a great example of how to be impeccably polite and infinitely condescending at the same time. Still, it all goes relatively well, until Toki blows up.

See, Toki loathing Anthos* (and I mean he loathes Anthos*) is one thing. Toki facing Haruta who of course recognizes him... is another thing entirely. Toki denies being the same person of course, but he doesn't even put a whole lot of effort into it, he just goes off, and continues going on and on and on, increasingly hysteric, tearing into Haruta and Anthos* in such a terrible and savage manner that in the end Ageha has to tell him to back off. (Holy shit, what the hell was this, how long did it take to record to get it so right, give Yamashita Daiki all the awards.)

L2-09:

The TV show's shooting is underway. Loulou*di has just finished performing, and they're shooting a segment with Mahiro and Haruta, but Haruta is still too shaken so he fucks up. They take a break, and Mahiro and Haruta talk about Toki.

So yes, they used to be in the same orphanage, and used to be very close. Toki was also disabled, he couldn't walk. But one day Toki was taken in by "a very rich family" who insisted on having him (............don't fucking tell me...) and after that Haruta lost contact with him. It's strange though, Toki had changed a lot and he can now walk, huh, maybe that "very rich family" got him the surgery, or perhaps it was the flower (.......Jesus, of course it was the flower, oh my god Amagiri is getting more terrible with each episode).

Meanwhile, Loulou*di is leaving unexpectedly, Ageha clearly being in a foul mood. Haruta tries to talk to Toki but he gets a "DON'T TOUCH ME, YOU FILTH" for his effort - still, he tells Toki that he was very happy to see him again.

Toki's emotions are spiraling out of control, in the car he tears up his teddy while spitting venom about Anthos*... until Ageha opens his mouth, and everything comes crashing down. See, during shooting Toki was too distracted to perform well, and so Ageha had to decide to cut the shooting short and pull out before Toki embarrasses Loulou*di. It's now Ageha's turn to go off and just go on and on, each word a scalpel methodically cutting to the bone, and by the time he gets to "if this is all you've got you're out" Toki is a sobbing mess. And what nobody expected (not me, definitely): he's so agitated that he actually goes into a seizure. Rui immediately reroutes to the Amagiri medical center, while Ageha looks on, murmuring "So this is what it looks like. Truly... revolting."

ffffffuuuu---

L2-10:

Rui is in the med center, talking to the head doc about Toki. The doc asks him about what brought the seizure on, etc. We learn the following:

Rui either lies without batting an eyelash (something Ageha has noted previously) or his perception of the world is really this twisted. Like, "We met two Anthos* members and made small talk"... well that's one way to put it. Also according to him Ageha verbally eviscerating Toki in the car was just Ageha "giving him the necessary talk as the leader".

Rui doesn't give a flying fuck about anything other than Ageha, and by extension, Loulou*di. Everything else is merely an inconsequential detail in his world that is not worth his attention as long as it is not directly affecting Loulou*di and/or Ageha.

The meeting between Toki and Haruta was indeed set up by the company, probably to see how it would affect them physically/mentally. (I expect to see Haruta being still shaken in the new Anthos* episode...)

Apparently it's the same with the disturbing relationship between Rui and Ageha - at least that's what the the doctor implies as he's watching Rui leave.

Back in the dorm, Rui finds Ageha in his own room, sleeping in his bed. Ageha had been apparently looking for his drugs the water vial in Rui's room, but alas, Rui is smart enough to carry it on himself. Aaaand. Holy shit, this scene. Who ordered an entire menu of "drug addict and twisted enabler" and "toxic codependent relationship" tropes?

So basically Ageha is suffering and he wants the vial to be able to function on the level he wants to. Rui is not giving it to him. (Rui is also not giving it to Toki - when Ageha asks why he didn't use it to help Toki in the car when he was having a seizure, Rui is like "huh, it didn't even occur to me, but I wouldn't have given it to him anyway. This one is for you.") Ageha lashes out, Rui wrestles him down on the bed, and we find out that Rui actually keeps Ageha in such a mentally and emotionally unstable state because...

"The flower blooms by feeding on our emotions - it doesn't care about the whys and wherefores."

HOLY FUCKING SHIT, SERIOUSLY NOW

let's just have Rui explain it:

"Ageha, every time I look at you I'm overcome with emotions. To see how painful it is to be alive... it's more radiant than anything I've ever known. As you desperately chase the ideal, struggling to stand tall and proud while coughing up blood, barely clinging on to life… the more I see you like that, the more I feel alive."

.

.

..

...

Just so we understand what's going on, basically Rui's flower blooms due to the emotional high/rush he gets from Ageha being "Ageha", and so he strives to make Ageha's flower bloom even more by essentially making him suffer, and Ageha lets him because he's too obsessed with reaching an ideal he has no chance to reach otherwise. Jesus Christ, this is sick--

(and at this point we can safely assume that it's by Amagiri's own design.)

Holy shit.

Fuck.

In the end it's implied that Rui gives Ageha the vial, and what is not implied but one can't be blamed for assuming at this point is that something sexual also takes place, because come on.

L2-11:

And so next day Ageha marches into the med center, with Rui in tow (now being his seemingly submissive self), to see Toki. Toki is barely conscious, trying to sort out his mess of emotions, having an internal monologue about how he always felt inferior due to Haruta innocently doing all the things (dancing, running, singing...) that Toki also wanted to do but couldn't due to his disability - and how this made Toki feel like he was being mocked and condescended to, which resulted in him overcompensating and becoming the Toki we know.

Ageha offers Toki a chance: they're reshooting their part in the TV show - today. If Toki has the resolve to stay in Loulou*di, he can come and prove himself. If he doesn't feel like it, well, they'll just get him replaced. Toki, who, remember, has just had a huge seizure, starts pleading with Ageha, but Ageha is not budging - if Toki can't pull himself together right then and there it's over. Can't he stand? Come on, says Ageha, you have legs to stand on, don't you, and he starts pulling Toki by his hair, HOLY SHIT WHAT THE FUCK AGEHA JESUS!

Finally the poor kid manages to stand up, and then Ageha is like "see, that's more like it" and proceeds to give him the carrot after the stick, reassuring Toki that he, Ageha, chose him because he saw his talent and potential, and as long as Toki is committed to make a 1100% effort for Loulou*di Ageha will never push him away.

Jesus. Jesus.

All my respect to the scenario writer and the seiyuu - It made me genuinely uncomfortable to listen to this segment.

After this Ageha fucks off and leaves Rui to supervise Toki's further treatment. Rui is very gentle and sweet with Toki, he gives him his teddy that he'd fixed(! he actually sew it back together!) and the band-aid Toki gave him in the previous episode. And then when Toki has calmed down and is unsuspecting - he calls in the medical staff to do whatever it is that they do to make him fit for duty (likely whatever is regularly done to Ageha too?). We also learn that, as we had suspected, Toki's seizure was induced by the rush of emotions that resulted from meeting Haruta affecting his flower.

As Toki loses consciousness while, I assume, getting pumped full of drugs and whatnot, Rui whispers to him:

"You and I, we are so blessed. We get to go to a beautiful world that we had only dreamed about... by Ageha's side."

Some hours later Loulou*di are wrapping up another breathtaking performance, and proceed with the shooting without even taking a break. Toki is his old self again, and he is praised by Ageha - thanks to his efforts, Loulou*di is another step closer to reaching the ideal set by Chihiro. Title drop!

~Fin~

review continues after the cut...

PLEASE SUPPORT BLACK OWNED HAIR BRANDS. THE PRODUCTS ARE USUALLY NATURAL, ORGANIC, FAIR TRADE, SULFATE FREE, AND PROVIDE WORKING OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN IN AFRICA.

YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE BLACK TO BENEFIT FROM THESE PRODUCTS. YOU WANT BEAUTIFUL CURLS??? BLACK PEOPLE GOT THAT. YOU GOT DANDRUFF? BLACK PEOPLE FIGURED THAT OUT.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.allure.com/gallery/black-owned-hair-care-brands/amp

my birthday is in 2 weeks can i get a promo 🥺 my name is Niya i draw anime fanart and vtubers, i also sometimes stream process on youtube

These particular ones are from h&m and romwe, tho you can find them all over the place, but the thing is that these designs are pretty blatantly lifted from eastern european traditional clothing designs (but poorly made & without a penny going to those eastern european communities). So, if you like these types of designs but hate fast fashion, I’ve decided to compile a list of some alternative places where you can buy them from actual eastern european artisans. Just as a side note, you are more than welcome to wear these designs even if you do not belong to the culture the design is from, the only issue here is with big corporations profiting by ripping off our culture and then doing nothing for our communities.

Also, a heads up that while the fast fashion version of these shirts are generally really cheap, the traditionally made ones are usually start at around US$50 or more, depending on the complexity of the designs & some other factors (but they also last much longer than the cheap ones & are pretty much always made of natural fibers, like cotton or linen). You’ll notice that many of these places make garments to order, so you can often contact them to request a custom size or color.

So, without further ado:

BRS - Here you’ll find a lot of items that are made in the romanian tradition but feel fresh & updated. Gorgeous & ethically made but kind of pricey (with most blouses in the $150-250 range)

De Toujours - This brand is collaborating with romanian artisans on a traditionally made blouse that costs €200

Folklorica - A poland-based etsy shop with some blouses embroidered in the Polish tradition, along with other traditional and tradition-inspired garments (most items are in the $30-50 range)

EtnoSoul - A ukraine-based etsy shop, traditional & tradition-inspired fashion. They have embroidered blouses along with other things, such as dresses & children’s clothing. They also have wedding dresses & men’s embroidered shirts, which both look sick as hell (price range: $90-270)

SvitVyshyvanok - Another Ukraine-based etsy shop, really pretty embroidered dresses!! (price range: $60-200 for most items)

Veze - the High Fashion of the bunch, if you’re feeling fancy. They do tailored dresses and shirts.

Vezba - a wonderfully diverse website with quality material. Not too expensive, particularly by Western standards - about $25 for a t-shirt, more for a hoodie.

Bulgarka - They have several categories you can look through with traditional motifs - be it dresses, scraves or t-shirts.

Rose&Pepper - my personal favourite. Some of the beautiful scraves they have/make are less than 10 euros and worth every penny. Unfortunately, they only have a Facebook store, not a separate website, but they do deliver abroad, too.

Charshia-handmade -  how about a legit old-timey technique used to make whatever you’re shopping for?

Babina Rakla - Literally meaning grandma’s old chest, they offer traditional items and clothing, as well as modern ones with a traditional twist.

in 2018 dior launched a collection which clearly copied designs that have been traditional in villages in bihor county for hundreds of years. of course there was no mention of where the design came from. local artisans were never consulted, asked to collaborate or given any remuneration for designs that were quite simply stolen. you can read more about it here.

siti-kroju.cz & kroje.cz for czech folks

More 【-Panda Maid-】 #QiLolita OP Dress and Apron Sets Are Available Now

@secondlina : "Do you need wizard references? Google orchestra conductors."

See THREAD for many more great examples.

*hands you sea friends*