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Understandable, I kind of figured money was at least a part of it. Do law studies incorporate a lot of math courses? It may not be the first career path to require a good skillset with numbers that I think of, but on second thought I suppose you do need math for being able to keep up with things like amounts of money and such. My little brother is also quite mathematics-oriented and he has said the same thing about feeling confident after solving complex problems, whereas I much prefer to speculate things with no correct answer. I hate to break it to you, but I'm absolutely in the same boat as you regarding perseverence. I must be instantly perfect at everything I do upon first attempt and I get easily discouraged by difficult tasks or setbacks. ( ´¬﹏¬`)

What's your current favorite Enstars song? If you've been listening to them regardless, how could you possibly have missed out on the masterpiece that is Thrill Addict? (⁠ʘ⁠ᗩ⁠ʘ⁠’⁠) The second round of solos has been quite underwhelming so far in my opinion except for Crazy:B and ALKALOID, but at least the newest units are serving us meals... or maybe that's just my bias.

Haha, riichi mahjong is actually traditionally perceived as more of an old men's gambling game, but I've heard it's sometimes played at family gatherings as well. I always simplify it for beginners as poker with tiles: you've got different numbered sets of tiles (manzu/pinzu/souzu + honors in mahjong are like hearts/spades/clubs/diamonds in poker) and your objective is to create a valid combination of 14 tiles (5 cards in poker) in order to win. However, in riichi mahjong your hand doesn't have to be the most valuable in order to win – the fastest valid winning hand wins the round. It's a strategy game that combines properly balancing offense and defense with a fairly large luck factor. Of course, it gets a lot more complicated and is tough to explain without anything to demonstrate, but that's the basic idea of it.

By the way, I participated in the MAL Valentine's Day event again. I almost sat out this year, but then inspiration barely struck the night before the deadline, so look forward to that! ( ͡º ꒳ ͡º)

Likewise!! I thought I'd never hear from you again after seeing when you were last online, what a positive surprise! But well, if you're still aiming to be a lawyer, I'd assume that does require a lot of studying. がんばって！And remember to take breaks too: they're equally important for absorbing information into long-term memory. (˵ •̀ ᴗ -)✧ What made you choose your career path?

Graduating from high school was actually a lot more impactful than I thought it would be: all of the celebrations were really fun, talking to all my favorite teachers was a total affirmation fest and getting my diploma made me feel like I had actually accomplished something. (⁠人⁠ ´▽`⁠) However, after that, I've pretty much been as idle as a rock. I have nothing to do and it's so cold I don't even want to leave the house. I did get three copies of the newest Rinne card with my fingers still in tact though! It's probably my favorite 4* card from him right after the Asobi Club one with the fox ears. (´♡`ʃƪ)

What a fun poem!! That reminds me, I wanted to thank you for all the compliments on my novel as well. As a writer I obviously appreciate it when someone takes the time to use their own words to compliment my works! And now, a brief word from our sponsor: a reply to your earlier message. I feel like Japanese is a lot easier to read if you know hiragana and katakana. I still need to look up a lot of kanji when reading Japanese, but romajizations make hardly any sense to me nowadays! (⁠☉_☉⁠) Also, I still haven't finished Yakuza 0... I'm thinking about starting over and getting back to it though. Since I finally checked off one of the easier things on my unofficial, very casual mental bucket list and learned riichi mahjong over the summer, I want to try playing the mahjong minigame for the achievements. ദ്ദി(￣ω￣⁠) And I just realized we haven't been in contact since the release of Crazy:B's newest album either!! ヾ(°ロ°)ﾉﾞHave you heard Thrill Addict already? It's easily my favorite Enstars solo. It's a fully biased answer, but what can a man do when his oshi is so amazing?? It's seriously the perfect representation of Rinne's character. It's exactly what I both expected and wanted it to be!! (∩˃o˂∩)♡ I'm so proud of his voice actor, Youhei Azakami, as well. He's been getting a lot more main roles recently (two mains and one side character just this season alone), and he even announced a marriage at the start of the year! (⁠人 •̀⁠ᴗ⁠-⁠)⁠✧

I don't really use social media anymore, so I can't think of any handles I could give you. MyAnimelist is genuinely the best place to go if you want to contact me fast or get to know me better, haha. By the way, as soon as I learned you can change nicknames on AMQ I did, so I'm now gyanburubii there as well.

See you around, Echo! (๑'ᵕ'๑)⸝*

Surprise...! How's life been treating you? I assume you've gotten better by now? It's been slowly but surely getting warmer over here in the North even if the nights are still cold. Apologies for having taken a while. I promise I haven't forgotten you, I just haven't caught a good while to write back... (⁠っ⁠ Ó ∆ Ò)⁠っ And after you were so nice to me too!! I'm really grateful for any positive feedback especially when it's directed towards my creations: I'm a simple person who fuels on recognition. (⁠￣▽￣⁠)

I've got a surprisingly clear path in mind but it's not a thoroughly laid out map I'm set on following – I'll take wherever life takes me. I'm planning to go all the way to a master's degree (for literally no other reason than the fact that being a "master of arts" sounds cool as hell, haha) in some kind of linguistics, probably major in English and try making buck as a professional translator or maybe even an interpreter as I've got a big appreciation for languages and prefer trying to preserve messages rather than replicate texts word-by-word for a more accurate translation and increased creative freedom! Right now I mostly do fan translations of songs on LyricsTranslate at https://lyricstranslate.com/en/translator/shadowsoldier, feel free to take a look if you're interested. ⊂⁠(⁠・⁠▽⁠・⁠⊂⁠) Have you got any plans for the near future? Papa's Freezeria is the best Papa's game for real!! I played it a lot too. It's the perfect difficulty, not too hard but not too easy either.

Yeah! There's just something about the power of music in general that can really bring people together and idols are just the pinnacle of everything that makes performers so entertaining. They combine catchy songs, dancing and stunning visuals with a social sense of belonging that utilizes the human capability of forming parasocial relationships to the max and the unpredictability of a real-time performance!! (ʃ⁠ƪ˵ᵕ̴᷄ ᗜ ᵕ̴᷅˵)✧⁠*⁠。 There's nothing like the absolute feeling of unity between a musician on stage and the fans in the audience who've all come for the same experience. I really adore that mutually beneficial exchange of energy between a fan and an idol: it really shows that positive emotions are a cycle.
(˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)♡*.ﾟJPstars is currently celebrating their 8th anniversary with a campaign that is all about that symbiosis actually!! The new anniversary song has unique SPPs for every idol from an audience member's POV. Speaking of Enstars, I also have to bring up that Crazy:B members are FINALLY getting their own SOLO SONGS in July on their upcoming album and my brain has been a busy burrow of bustling bees ever since the announcement!!! I can't believe it's finally happening – I'm so excited to finally hear a song that's catered just for Rinne as an idol!! I just know he's gonna knock it out of the park and bless us all with a party banger made of pure dopamine. (ﾉ ≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠)ﾉ ♡♡

I haven't played Yakuza since early March and the hurdle to continue only grows bigger each day: I'm stuck in a tough boss fight and the longer I'm not playing, the worse my skills get... (⁠~⁠_⁠~⁠;⁠) I literally have more playtime than it takes to get through the main story even though I've merely scratched the surface of it because I've spent so much time with side quests and mini games – average JRPG moment, haha. I would add you, but you can only send friend requests on AMQ to people that are online at the time: I've been on the lookout for your name but I have yet to see you around. (⁠｡⁠•́⁠︿⁠•̀⁠｡⁠) My account is shadowsoldier, hope to catch each other soon!

SAME!! I'm a chronic perfectionist and get easily discouraged when something doesn't go the way I want it to. (⁠￣⁠ヘ⁠￣) Winning and enjoying tend to go hand in hand for me when it comes to competitive games which is why I usually steer clear to preserve my nerves, haha.

Sorry for the wait once more, have a flower as a token of my appreciation! ( –▿–)⊃✿⊂(´ω`⊂)

Thank you, be sure to keep me updated on your thoughts once you get started on it! (⁠人⁠  ⁠•͈▽•͈⁠) Well, given how you just talked about how you start projects more than finish them, I'd say INFP sounds quite accurate. INFP-type people are typically introverted, idealistic dreamers who like to spend time inside the world in their own head. They're in-touch with their emotional side and make decisions prioritizing what they personally value the most. Does that sound like you?

Wow, I didn't see that coming! It's crazy y'all had to resort to measures as extreme as threatening a lawsuit. How does that even happen? (⁠‘⁠◉⁠⌓⁠◉⁠’⁠) Matriculation exams are indeed kind of like a mix between finals and college entrance exams: the minimum requirement for graduating upper secondary high school is a passing grade in at least 5 subjects, so they're mandatory if you want a diploma. However, if you do especially well, you may get into a college or university with solely your matriculation exam grades in which case you don't have to take the entrance exam for the program you were accepted into. I'm graduating from the Finnish equivalent of high school in December. I've been using the internet from quite a young age (pretty much since I learned how to read and write at 4 years old), so I'm used to being the younger one. (⁠*⁠´ v｀⁠*⁠)

Yeah, idols are hardly treated as human beings?! The culture around idols is a lot less forgiving than with many other celebrities: here in Finland for example, there's a disturbing amount of popular actors who've faced sexual assault charges yet had their careers pretty much unaffected... A thing that should actually raise huge red flags is being completely disregarded while idols, voice actresses etc. are having their entire lives torn apart because of having eaten a strawberry in a non-cute way in a variety show or something equally ridiculous. I love the concept of idols but given how fucked up the industry can get, I think I'll stick to them in 2D.    ( ;^_^ ) It's nearly the same experience without indirectly hurting anyone in the process.

Wow, I feel you!! I'm so bad at learning controls and my coordination skills suck, ahaha. I can also relate to liking to explore the side quests: The Yakuza games have a ton of side stories and minigames you can play between the main story segments and I'm trying my best to find them all! I've spent way too much time playing the karaoke rhythm minigame. When it comes to the combat, I'm pretty much a button smasher but it's really satisfying whenever I occassionally nail a really clean fight or combo. (⌐■ᴗ■)b I play Anime Music Quiz too! What's your username there?

Don't worry about it, open voice chat is a nightmare and it's a wise decision to stay away from those kinds of games! I have never played games like that and probably never will: aside from the toxic players, shooter games are exactly the kind of games that get me feeling sour and frustrated. I'm a competitive yet impatient person, so when I'm not doing well, I get practically negative enjoyment out of gaming. (; ¬ ɜ ¬)

Thanks, you stay healthy too! ʕ⁠ノ⁠•⁠ᴥ⁠•⁠ʔ⁠ノ✧⁠*⁠。

Of course! It's hyperlinked in my profile as well but you can read it from here: https://www.honeyfeed.fm/novels/8426. I relate to having a short attention span when it comes to interests but usually I just don't do anything if I feel like I won't have the dedication to stick with it until the end. ╮⁠( ´⁠ー⁠｀)⁠╭ A lot of projects are doomed to die on the idea-level with me: I'm more of a brainstormer who needs someone to help follow through with the execution ENTP moment. Do you know your MBTI type?

Ah, I guess you graduated around the pandemic peak then? My condolences go out to all of those who missed big, once-in-a-lifetime events due to the lockdowns and restrictions, it's so unfair. (⁠╯⁠︵⁠╰⁠,⁠) Good luck with your studies! What kind of license are you aiming for? I wasn't aware of what a board exam was until now but I checked and it seems to be quite similar to the matriculation exams taken by high school seniors in Finland. I'm currently in the process of taking mine and the next ones will be in the latter half of March.

I agree. I'm on-board with anything that makes living more convenient – although I don't think AI artforms belong in that category because just as you said, it causes problems for others. Art theft is a big enough issue as is but now programmers are out there creating these algorithms that are basically untraceable meaning that the artists themselves are likely not even aware their art is being used as part of such a purpose and even if they were, there's nothing they can do about it. And of course, there's the question of cybersafety as well that people seem to have forgotten completely: no one is considering the consequences of giving a clear picture of yourself to one of those systems that'll turn you into a disturbingly warped anime girl...

Honestly though! Actual Japanese idol culture is hauntingly surveillant. The pressure to keep up an illusion of perfection and deal with all kinds of deranged shit with a smile on your face is insane. Although I've gotten the impression male idols have it slightly easier when it comes to the strictness of both the fans and the industry, if Enstars characters were idols in modern day Japan, I reckon there wouldn't be many who'd still have their career intact, ahaha.

Great taste! ୧(｡•̀ڡ-)☆ I don't think you have to be good at something to admit you enjoy it; call yourself a gamer if you feel like it's a label that suits you, haha. Although, I don't really consider myself one either – in fact, I often get very little enjoyment out of games if they're not the correct kind. I prefer games with a good balance of fun gameplay and an interesting story so that I don't lose sight of what I'm working towards. Games with no narrative objective often make me feel like I'm wasting time rather than enjoying myself in the long run. (⁠ ⁠･ั⁠﹏⁠･ั⁠) Playing with friends used to be an exception, but I haven't done that since middle school. Back when I got my hands on Minecraft as a kid, I loved hopping on a Skype call with other random Finnish people on multiplayer servers (e.g. HiveMC, Mineplex, Hypixel) and playing those minigames together, haha. What kind of games do you like to play? ( •͈ ꒡ •͈ )

Thanks for the wishes, I hope so too! (⁠ ⁠≧⁠Д⁠≦⁠) It's so lame being bedridden when I'm not the one initiating it, lol.

I agree. Anyone can make a startling jumpscare, but it takes real talent to be able to play on the very principles our minds work on – it's that kind of genius that leaves a lasting impact.

I wrote a web novel last summer, it was a really cool experience! If I ever get another consistent idea like that, I'd definitely love to write more longer things. Honestly, I've just kind of picked some of the language up from keeping up with all kinds of Japanese media! ヽ⁠(⁠｡⁠◕⁠o⁠◕⁠｡⁠)⁠ﾉ I learned hiragana and katakana with Duolingo but aside from familiarizing myself with the writing system I can't say it would've been of much use. I follow some YouTube channels aimed at Japanese learners (eg. NihongoDekita with Sayaka, StudyIn Daily Japanese) and having Enstars in Japanese has unironically been a big help as well, especially as reading & kanji/vocabulary practice! The best way to get past passive knowledge with a language is to both consume and use it regularly. (⁠｡⁠•̀⁠ᴗ⁠-⁠)⁠✧ Are you good at math then? I've heard that people tend to be naturally either more number-brained or more letter-brained and I'm definitely proof of that as the latter – I haven't understood math since like 7th grade lol.

Rainbow hair sounds awesome!! Did you know that there are also filters for trying out hair colors nowadays? Artificial intelligence is convenient but also a little scary. Especially as a creative person I can't help but wonder if my works have a future in a world of AI-generated things... (⁠;⁠ŏ⁠﹏⁠ŏ⁠)

So true! I actually really like that rowdiness in him as well: Rinne grew up shouldering huge expectations from the people around him, so I think it's admirable how the present him has been able to let most of that pressure go and isn't afraid to live life at his own pace by his own rules. Still, there are moments where you can see those ingrained expectations and insecurities weighing him down even when he isn't the type to allow himself to be visibly vulnerable. AAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaa I just want him to be happy and content as he carries out his childhood dream of having fun and making people smile as an idol because it's what he deserves!!! he's such a darling (⁠づ⁠ ㄒoㄒ)⁠づ ♡

Lmao same, I never played any specifically hard beatmaps either – all this reminiscencing is lowkey making me wanna redownload it though. (⁠눈ᴗ눈⁠) Wow, really?! What a coincidence. I like it when anime characters have nerdy interests such as video games or manga, it's so meta! And it's easy to imagine I'd get along with them because of having things in common to talk about, haha. I've thought about it quite often, but a lot of the things I adore in Itaru's character are very similar to the things that made me love Rinne: they're both capable, charismatic adults with vices, a sharp mind and an even sharper tongue! Maybe that's just my type, hehe~ (⁠ ⁠ꈍ⁠ᴗ⁠ꈍ⁠)

Oh, I see! Do you happen to have ever played any of the games in the Yakuza series? I bought Yakuza 0 about a month ago from a Steam sale at –75% off and it's my latest obsession on the video game front. I haven't been able to progress in a couple days due to being a bit sick but I'm looking forward to getting back to it!

I hate jumpscares too, they're such a cheap way to create horror and tension! I'm not too keen on scary stuff in the first place, but I much prefer psychological shock value rather than visual. There's nothing like an unexpected plot twist to make your jaw dislocate from sheer astonishment!

True, writing on a phone is convenient – I do most of my shorter stuff on mobile once inspiration strikes. Still, a laptop has that professional feel to it that motivates me to write! ( ｡•̀ ᵕ •́｡ )૭ It's helpful when writing things that are on the longer side. My native language is Finnish! I also speak fairly good Swedish and a bit of Japanese.

Oh no! Is this the first time you've dyed your hair or have you had it another color before? I've heard – and witnessed – that dying your hair can be quite addictive.

I know right, you totally get it!!! I agree with everything you said! ⁽⁠⁽⁠◝⁠(⁠ ⁠✧♡✧)⁠◜⁠⁾⁠⁾ I love the way he's a big brother not only in the literal sense of being Hiiro's older sibling but also by being a little mischievous yet a caring and generous guy in general. He's like the kind of big brother that'll get you in trouble but also knows how to get you both away with it, haha. (◍´ ⁠ᵕ⁠ `◍)

Did we have the same past?! I too tried osu! back in middle school but never got that good at it. I've also played A3! but I honestly couldn't get into the game itself because the gameplay is so boring. Still, Itaru and his permanent gap moe have my whole heart. Did you have a favorite in A3? I have a couple mutuals that are into Project Sekai, but I've been purposefully trying to avoid getting addicted to any more gacha games – got my hands full with Enstars already... (ﾉ ¬ヮ¬)ﾉ: ･°

If you've enjoyed Trigger stuff before, I reckon you'd be a fan of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners as well! It has a lot more gore than most of the other stuff they make but since you liked Golden Kamuy, I'm going to take the liberty of assuming you don't mind, haha.

Well, I'm not that consistent with it either – I'm very on-and-off with most of my hobbies. Also, writing on phone is the superior way: it's so comfortable! What's your native language if you don't mind me asking? I'm not a native English speaker either ^^

That's cool! I've heard all kinds of origin stories for the ways people have gotten into the game, haha. Pinterest is indeed a goldmine for fanart as long as one manages to ignore the uncomfortable amount of incest ship art on there. I couldn't, so I rarely use it nowadays... I wish the site had a better way to regulate what kind of content you see instead of just lumping all anime art into the same category. (ಥ⁠__⁠ಥ)

Oh wow, Keito is my 2nd favourite! And understandable, Ayumu Murase is super talented. His range is just insane!! I actually had the urge to go redheaded because of Rinne as well but for now I haven't had the guts to do it: my hair is naturally a fairly dark brown and never been dyed before, so I'm worried about ruining the quality with bleach. </3

Speaking of Crazy:B... that's an attentive guess – and an absolutely correct one! (⁠๑⁠¯▽¯⁠๑⁠) It would be impossible to put it in words strong enough to actually make it come across properly, but yeah, Rinne is very dear to me and I love him both as a character and as an idol. Besides me adoring his wits, looks and confidence, his story and the amount of depth in his personality really resonate with me: he's simultaneously an amusing, thrill-seeking and seemingly carefree entertainer who wants to enjoy life at all costs, but also an intelligent, thoughtful adult with a surprisingly cool head under it all. And as a cherry on top, Youhei Azakami does an absolutely amazing job in bringing him to life!! I melt any time I hear Rinne speak or sing – his vocals are literal honey. (ʃ⁠ƪ ｡♡⁠◡⁠♡｡) Thanks for coming to my ted talk, I tried to spare you from a ramble, haha. Do you play any other idol games?

I'm not usually a fan of Trigger shows, so I wasn't actually expecting to enjoy Cyberpunk: Edgerunners as much as I did in the end. The cast was tropey and the disorganized plot full of time skips had very little substance to it but it was entertaining nonetheless! The thrilling, hedonistic yet melancholic atmosphere of the show was like no other. Would you say writing is your hobby or is poetry just something you dabble in every once in a while?

Haha, I'm glad you did! It's always a pleasure getting to know other idol hell residents. (⁠๑⁠￣▽￣⁠)づ I figured you were into the game after seeing Tori on your profile without having the anime on your list. I honestly can't even recommend it: it's so run-of-the-mill and does quite a poor job in adapting the story, especially the characters plus it doesn't have the best boy in it. It's an issue with a lot of multimedia franchises: the anime is just an advertisement to get more people to play and spend money on the game... Which server do you play on? I'm a JP only player since 2017 myself – I tried the English server at launch for like a couple hours before getting too uncomfortable and overwhelmed by the gameplay differences and everything that was lost in translation. (⁠*⁠﹏⁠*⁠;⁠) Who are your favorite characters (besides Tori) and units? (⁠人⁠ ⁠•͈▽•͈⁠)♡

I'm glad to hear that you found it readable!! I wanted to make the poem as distinctive as possible because I'm slowly trying to get more comfortable bringing my original works out there for people to read and this was a good opportunity. ( ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ) It was actually not written specifically for this event, it's an older work of mine which I decided to combine with Cyberpunk: Edgerunners because the anime has cool visuals and I felt like the poem itself worked well for David & Lucy.

Hi, nice to meet you! You have some great things in your favorites. (⁠◠⁠‿⁠・⁠)⁠—⁠☆

Thank you!! I had fun editing it even if it was a bit of a challenge to try and balance out the amount of text and give the viewer enough time to read while still keeping the transitions smooth and aesthetic, haha.