Hi! I would like to ask for some fashion advice regarding what I should wear for prom next week since I'm not really good at picking fits for myself :'> The theme is Red Wine Gala, so the colors should primarily focus on red, black, and white.
I really want to achieve an androgynous look. My friend suggested the acubi style, so I was thinking of purchasing low-waisted pants. However, I also want to wear a dress and still maintain that androgynous vibe, but I'm unsure about what type of dress would suit me.
Anyway, I just want to wear something that complements my features. Here are some details about me:
Height: 5'2" Weight: 42kg Body shape: Inverted triangle Face shape: Square Hair: Neck-length hair
Also, if you could suggest accessories, hairstyles, and footwear to go with your recommended outfit, that would be really helpful.
Thank you vv much!!^{^}

Warning this will be a long post, it has everything I've learnt in the past couple of years from hair growth, to styling, to weightloss, to nervous system regulation and more.
I'm in my early 30s, I have 3B hair, tall, two years ago I was obese, prediabetic, I had anxiety problems, now I'm just a tall [seemingly ;) ] effortlessly pretty black girl and I want all my beauties on here to have my beauty secrets.
Topics discussed:

• Haircare
• Style
• Makeup
• Teeth
• Skincare
• Weight loss vs Fat loss
• Healthy Fat loss
• Body Recomposition
• Inflammation
• Gut Health
• How to lower androgen/testosterone levels
• Nervous System Regulation/Stress Management
• Tea Cycling
• Seed Cycling

Hair

I have PCOS so it affects my hair growth and causes hirsutism, basically male patterened facial hair and male patterned baldness.
Hair Growth: Here is the true secret sauce to hair growth, stimulating your scalp. I do daily scalp massages with a bamboo brush (even the bristles are made of rounded bamboo) very gentle. This is the one I use: Golab Beauty I do short strokes which prevents any tangles. Morning and Night. I then go in with a scalp serum, I use The Oui scalp serum but it costs a pretty penny. In the first yearish I used (The 'Ordinary' Haircare Growth Set Multi-Peptide Serum For Hair Density) which worked wonders and was cost effective. At nights I seal with any scalp oil that has rosemary oil. Sadly Mielle's formula no longer works for me, but As I Am rosemary oil has been working, I also like the Camille Rose Rosemary Oil Strengthening Hair and Scalp Drops. For Washing my hair I suffer from sebaceous dermatitis which causes scaliness. Paradoxically my scalp is so oily which is what triggers the ezcema and develops the dry patches. Reversing my PCOS symptoms fixed this but what also helped was the Nizoral shampoo with 1% Ketoconazole. It's harsh so I do it once to twice a month at most and I always follow up with a moisturizing shampoo, and of course finish with a wash out conditioner & leave in conditioner.
Hair Retention: This is the info we all know about preventing breakage but I'll include just in case. Hair growth happens in the scalp like said before but to retain that growth it's important to wear protective hairstyles (especially while asleep), a silk/satin bonnet or wrap, silk/satin pillowcase, do not let your hair air dry at night. There is debate about this but I've seen hair specialists and scientists say our hair is especially fragile when wet (especially curly/kinky hair). Therefore, we are much more prone to snags and breakage while our hair is wet. So going to bed make sure your hair is dried. If you're air drying your hair during the day try not to touch it too much - as little manipulation as possible. Personally choose to diffuse/blow dry my hair and this has prevented most of the breakage I was previously experiencing. Lastly, moisturize and oil your ends. I won't pretend like I know which order is best or even if it's important but I've found that using hair moisturizediluted leave in conditioner then hair oil works best for me.
Hirsutism/Facial Hair: Spearmint essential oil. I add 1-2 drops of the oil to my moisturizer each time I put on my moisturizer and it helped A LOT with reducing my facial hair. I also drink a lot of spearmint tea. Spearmint specifically has been proven to lower androgen/testosterone levels which is why it helps. I also took supplements which I'll include at the end because they served multiple purposes. Be sure not to add the oil to the entire bottle because that will ruin your moisturizer's formula. Just add the drops in your palm/finger tips and mix in your face cream each time you moisturize your jawline, chin, underneck. Also, do this after moisturizing the upper part of your face without the oil because it's harsh and the scent can be irritating to your eye area.
Body hair: Personally I sugar wax my arms and legs, the hair has grown back so thin now. I make it myself and follow tutorials from abetweene on youtube.
Hair colouHairstyle: This will depend on your face shape and color season. I'm a dark winter colour season and I have a heart face shape. I used the Dressika app to discover my color season before I could afford to get myself professionally assessed and I got the same results. Just be sure to use natural lighting, like by a window. Once you have your colour season you can choose hair colours that work best for you (although natural almost always works best). For my hairstyle I try to choose styles that compliment my heart shaped face. I used the youtube channel Dear Peachie to help me with figuring this out.

Style

I think most of us know about Kibbe and colour seasons. This was how I upgraded my wardrobe. I'm a soft dramatic so I wear things that work for my tall height and accentuate my waist.
This was the game changer with colour seasons. Most of us know about our true seasons, but it can get restrictive. Sister seasons and colour dissonance is also helpful to know.
My colour season is dark winter, so my sister seasons would be dark autumn and true winter. Thid gives me more wiggle room to style myself.
Dissonance are colours that are outside your true season and your sister seasons, you sprinke this in to add interest. Think of an outfit that is extremely matchy and cohesive but has that one accessory or item that stands out and adds interest. It's really fun in art and in fashion.
For my shoes I've started wearing dancing heels which help my flat feet lol and look stylish. Heel insoles help too, as well as the product Shoe Gummi. I still can't last more than 2, 3 hours at most but it's definitely bearable compared to before.
Matching pajamas and loungewear. You just feel so luxurious dressing up at home and they can (should) be comfy :)
Accessories:

• I wear glasses that work with my heart shaped face.
• I have a neutral leaning warm undertone so I wear gold jewelry, if I wear pearls or other gem stones I mix in gold to provide more harmony with my skin.
• Perfume, wear what works with your body chemistry. Some smell delictable on people I know and icky on me, and vice versa. Wear what works for you.
• Nails, press ons. So convenient, so cheap.
• Hair accessories, bows, barretes, clips, scrunchies, a ribbon, you could be wearing jeans and a t shirt but a simple hair accessory upgrades the look automatically.

Makeup

I used the youtube channel Dear Peachie to help me with finding eye looks, brows, blush placement for my face shape
I have a low visual weight face and I am a romantic ingenue, because of this I go for more subtle looks that emphasis two facial features maximum at a time (eyes, lips, cheeks).
Don't get me wrong I love glam bold makeup but soft and subtle makes me glow, I turn heads when my makeup is done like this.

Teeth

• Wax free floss (Cocofloss $10 expensive but I love it 😅, Burst black floss, Moon graphite floss, Twice floss, Dr. Jen’s silk floss)
• Oil pulling (coconut oil with clove & tea tree oil, or Guru Nanda oil pulling product)
• Brush teeth
• Tongue scraper (not everyday, couple of times a week and not too hard)
• Alcohol free mouthwash (TheraBreath)
• More so related to my lip area but I try to use wrinkle preventing straws or when I do use regular straws, I place it on the side of my mouth. The reason this works is because puckering the lips excessively causes smokers lines/wrinkles around the mouth.

Skin

Skincare. This was something that took me a while to work on because of my PCOS, age, weight and etc.
Facial Care: The basics includes chemical exfoliation, retinol, moisturizerecover. I cycle my nightly skincare routine with this in mind and always keep the same morning routine. Mornings look like this (Jojoba oil to help while I use my gua sha, Water based cleanser, eye cream, vitamin c/peptide serum, moisturizer with a drop or two of glycerin, spearmint oil mixed with face cream on the jawline & neck area, finish with sunscreen).
My nights I alternate these routines in this order
Night 1 - Chemical Exfoliation (Oil cleanser to help while I use my gua sha, Water based cleanser, eye cream, glycolic/lactic acid, moisturizer with a drop or two of glycerin, spearmint oil mixed with face cream on the jawline & neck area, castor oil on lashes and brows)
Night 2 - Retinol (Oil cleanser to help while I use my gua sha, Water based cleanser, eye cream, retinol, moisturizer, spearmint oil mixed with face cream on the jawline & neck area, castor oil on lashes and brows)
Night 3 - MoisturizeRecovery (Oil cleanser to help while I use my gua sha, Water based cleanser, eye cream, retinol, moisturizer with a drop or two of glycerin, rosehip oil as sealant on entire face, spearmint oil mixed with face cream on the jawline & neck area, castor oil on lashes and brows)
Repeat Night 1 - 3 (sometimes I need more days to recover if my skin is sensitive or acting up, do what works for you personally)
Other things that I've done/used to help: red light therapy (helps with both hair growth, so I use it on my scalp, and with stretch marks so I use it on my face and body), Microcurrent device (helps with collagen production and stretchmarks) - I use the brand NuFace & NuBody, Volufiline (a skin serum I mix with eye cream that helps with hollowness under the eyes, Kigelia Africana Skin Cream (I use the brand Maelys B-Perky which contains this ingredient and helped to tighten my chest area and my loose skin on the area), face yoga and myo fascia face massage, these help with the tautness of my face (basically everything else helps with wrinkles, these exercises and the microcurrent helps and prevents, sagging especially jowls). I follow tutorials I search for from youtube.
Body Care: Similar to facial care body care includes exfoliation, retinol, moisturizerecover
Night 1 - Physical Exfoliation (Dry brush/Body Scrub, Hydrating lotion with a few drops of glycerin, rosehip oil as sealant on entire body)
Night 2 - Retinol (Jojoba oil to help while I use my gua sha, retinol body wash, retinol body lotion)
Night 3 - MoisturizeRecovery (Jojoba oil to help while I use my gua sha, Hydrating lotion with a few drops of glycerin, rosehip oil as sealant on entire body)
Again, repeat Night 1 - 3 use more days for recovery if needed
Stretch marks/loose skin: Whether due to weight gain, pregnancy, etc. we can't ever truly get rid of loose skin or stretch marks but moisturizing the skin and derma rolling can help with the appearance. Especially derma rolling. Do NOT derma roll while pregnant but you can do so after when you’ve recovered and talk to your doctor (if you've had a c section you have to wait before derma rolling). I used this video as motivation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChG8aSvEU6A
For the body I never went beyond 1.5mm it worked for my deepest stretch marks. If this is too aggressive 1.0mm still works just as well. Make sure you use 70% alcohol as this is what experts say is better at disinfecting. It has more water, which helps it to dissolve more slowly, penetrate cells, and kill bacteria. The disinfecting power of rubbing alcohol drops at concentrations higher than 80%-85%. Make sure you disinfect the derma roller before and after use, and make sure you disinfect your area of contact before rolling as well. Do not do heavy workouts workout or sweat inducing activities for at least 3 days after and avoid harsh products.
I started derma rolling while working on losing weight (at the beginning of my journey while still obese) and continued a year after losing 130lbs. Derma rolling works by causing micro tears, the skin heals the area and in the process of doing so develops more collagen - leading to thicker skin, lighter stretch marks and tighter skin. Since I did this before losing the weight it helped my skin adapt a lot. I won't pretend like I have 0 loose skin or stretch marks but it's barely visible. Someone has to be intimately close to notice. Obviously genetics, how slowly you lose the weight, diet, and moisturizing the skin helps but my PCOS contributed to low collagen (thin skin) and so the derma rolling really helped.

Weight loss vs Fat loss

Tons of info here but I promise if you read through it helps to know this stuff.
Weightloss comes down to calories in versus calories out. I know that's rudely simpliflied and not that easy, but it truly is the answer to weightloss (which may be fat, water, or muscle). This is why people can eat barely nothing, lose weight but their shape stays the same (basically skinny fat). It's also why fasting or going low carb works so fast (water weight is the first to go).
Fatloss on the other hand is more complicated. This involves our TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure).
TDEE includes: Resting/Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), Metabolic Equivalent of Task or Exercise activity thermogenesis (EAT), Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT), Thermic Effect of Food (TEF), and Adaptive Thermogenesis (AT).
BMR (~70% daily energy) the energy taken to exist, so tasks like breathing. Your sex, body composition (muscle to fat ratio), age, and genetics play a role in this EAT (~5% daily energy) the energy taken for exercise weight lifting, swimming, high intensity walks, etc. NEAT (~15% daily energy) the energy taken for non exercise movements like walking, fidgeting, showering, standing, etc TEF (~10% daily energy depending on the macronutrients of your meal) the energy taken to digest, protein has the highest TEF of all the macronutrients, Carbs have a TEF of around 5-10%, while Fats have the lowest TEF, around 0-3%.
Adaptive Thermogenesis (AT) is the changes in energy expenditure (energy used) that occur in response to changes in energy balance. For example when you eat more food than you need, your body may increase energy expenditure to prevent weight gain eg. move more, eat less the next day, etc.. On the other hand, when you eat less food than you need, your body may decrease energy expenditure to conserve energy and prevent weight loss eg. less movement, eat more the next day.
Other things that affect AT include diet composition (eg high/low protein, high/low carb, calorie dense foods, etc), physical activity (eg. weights vs. cardio), and environmental factors such as temperature and altitude.
Things that influence AT can make weight management challenging, as it can lead to plateaus or rebounds in weight loss efforts. This is why lack of sleep, hormonal issues, aging, etc. makes weightloss harder.
Here is a clearer example of this
Things that affect calories in:

• 8-9 Hours of sleep (Maintains metabolic homeostasis, insulin sensitivity, hormonal processes). Compromised sleep lead to:
  • Increased Gherlin (hunger hormone - feeling hungrier & therefor eating more)
  • Decreased Leptin (sensation of satiety - needing to eat more to feel full)
• Insulin resistance: This is when the cells in your muscles, fat, and liver don't respond well to insulin and can't easily take up glucose from your blood. This results in excessive sugar in the blood & as a result the body produces more insulin in order to try to help the cells obtain the energy from glucose. This leads to weight gain as the insulin increases hunger. Also, since the body is insulin resistant, the excess glucose is converted to fat for long-term storage.
  • Things that can cause insulin resistance: PCOS, Inactivity/sedentary lifestyle, family history of diabetes, gestational diabetes, hypertension, alcohol abuse, poor sleep habits, high cholesterol levels, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, high bodyweight, acromegaly

Things that affect calories out:

• Body Composition (Fat to muscle ratio)
• Gut health
• Compromised sleep affects our energy levels which leads to
  • Decreased NEAT (Non exercise activity thermogenesis)
• Hypothyroidism (lowered levels of T3 and T4)
  • Thyroid hormones T3 and T4 affects every cell and all the organs in your body by regulating the rate at which your body uses calories/energy which is known as our bmr, meaning this affects your metabolic rate.
• Too few calories lowers daily NEAT
  • By eating below your BMI (calories needed to perform basic biological processes), your body makes up for this through energy conservation by lowering your NEAT (non exercise activity thermogenesis). Basically you lack the energy to perform your normal daily activities. This also affects your body composition and cardio health as you become sedentary (stop moving as much).

Healthy Fat loss

So to lose fat in a healthy way you need to:

1. Get enough sleep (8-9 hours per night)
2. Manage your stress levels/nervous system regulation
3. Look after your gut health
4. Manage inflammation
5. Increase your daily steps (8-10k per day)
6. Weight lift
7. Eat high protein (protein takes the most amount of energy to digest).
8. Manage your insulin resistence
9. Eat in a caloric deficit (make sure your calories in do not exceed calories out).

Futher information about the bold items in the list is included below. Also, I know this all seems overwhelming but keep in mind you are creating a lifestyle change. This is not a quick fix.
To manage your insulin resistance (info from the book Glucose Goddess by Jessie Inchauspé):

• Eat within an hour of waking up
• Protein with breakfast
• Tablespoon of apple cider vinegar before each meal (diluted in a glass of water)
• Eat foods in this order, veggies -> protein -> fat -> starches -> carbs -> sugar
• Never eat sweets/dessert/carbs on an empty stomach (dessert after dinner)
• Keep refined carbs and added sugar at a minimum.
• Minimize alcohol intake
• Try to minimize sodas, fruit juice and sweet drinks (this is because there is no fiber to help with the glucose spike or at least try to have these drinks after eating something fiberous)
• Only eat fruit whole, not transformed eg. eat the orange instead of having the orange juice, again fiber makes a world of a difference
• Put clothing on your carbs. Eg. have protein/fats/fiber with your carbs
• A short walk after carb heavy meals
• Fasting - this is controversial and I should add a disclaimer, if you in any way shape or form have or had an eating disorder, especially restrictive eating, I highly recommend against fasting. Intermittent fasting has a lot of studies out there that were done on men. The book Fast Like a Girl by Dr. Mindy Pelz includes a nuanced view of fasting that takes into account our hormones and our monthly cycle. She also has a free app 'Fast like a girl', you log your period and it tells you how long to fast. However, bioindividuality is key here, genetics, etc. Please if you are considering fasting make sure you get bloodwork done first. Manage your electrolyte levels, do not neglect iron and protein levels. Personally, I prefer using the other methods since fasting can also inadvertently worsens insulin resistence due to increased stress/cortisol which cause higher hunger cues. Some with insulin resistence found fasting to be helpful. So make sure you do what works for you and always consult your doctor.
• Supplements:
  • Vitamin D paired with Vitamin K1 & K2
  • Magnesium Biglycinate (I take this before bed)
  • Omega-3 Fatty Acids
  • Turmeric
  • Coenzyme 10 (Take with Clomid & Vitamin E)
  • N-Acetylcysteine (NAC)
  • Inositol
  • Zinc (Important to Note: It works inversely with testosterone - raises testosterone if your levels are low and lowers it if your levels are high)

To eat in a caloric deficit, calculate your TDEE and subtract 200-500 calories from that number. I like using this calculator. https://tdeecalculator.net
Eg. If it's calculated to be 2000 calories, you subtract 200, so 1800 should be your daily calorie intake. For the activity levels make sure you do not oversell yourself. Here is a general guide:

• Sedentary: Office job sat all day or less than 3000 steps per day
• Lightly Active: Exercise 1-3 times per week or 3-10k steps daily (up to 3-4 miles daily)
• Moderately Active: Exercise 3-5 times per week or 10-15k steps daily (up to 4-7 miles daily)
• Highly Active: Hard exercise 6-7 training days per week or 15-20k steps daily (up to 7-10 miles daily)
• Extremely Active: Intense daily exercise/hard physical labour 7 days a week or 25k+ steps daily (up to 10 miles daily)

As you lose weight your body adapts so after a while you may need to recalculate your TDEE and deficit. Once you are at your ideal weight, you no longer subtract the 200-500, you simply eat the TDEE amount to maintain but you do this gradually. After I lost the weight I came out of the deficit by adding 50 calories to my daily intake per week, till I was at maintenance/my TDEE. This prevented me from gaining fat or water weight.
Lastly, muscle mass (increase in muscle raises your metabolic level, meaning you burn more calories at rest). This is ideal and is also how you'll see someone who is short, seemingly small but weigh more than you imagined. Muscle density weighs more than fat. Think of a 50 pound dumbbell versus 50 pounds of feathers, you would need a whole lot of feathers to match the weight. Same difference, you need a larger volume of fat to equal to the same amount of muscle. Therefore, lifting weights is ideal because you will become more toned, burn more calories at rest, be able to eat more even when you've lost the weight to maintain your phisique, you'll be more insulin sensitive, and you will have stronger and higher bone density (really important for women, we lose up to 5% of muscle mass per decade after the age of 30).

Body Recompositon: Weightlifting for health (and aesthetics), lose fat & gain muscle

It is possible to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time. I followed Huskular Goddess and and LexiiGettingFit for inspiration and they were really the ones that opened my eyes to the concept of body recomposition (gain musle while losing fat).
The benefits of this is as you're getting smaller your TDEE is increasing. This means by the time you lose the weight you'll still be eating an adequate amount. The other benefits include insulin sensitivity versus insulin resistence, higher metabolism, and a improved body composition like I mentioned before in the dummbell versus feather example. The downside is the number on the scale won't have a dramatic shift while your clothes will be fitting looser. Again, weight density plays tricks on us and it's easy to get caught up in body dismorphia but I promise it works.
In order to sustain and build muscle while losing fat, you need to be consuming enough protein while remaining in a caloric deficit. So 60-80g of protein per day minimum to lose 1-2lbs per week. Ideally it should be 0.8-1g of per pound of lean body mass. Eg, someone is 300lbs and they want to get down to 150lbs. They would eat 120-150g of protein per day. If this is too much, try to get at least 60-80g like I mentioned before. Remember even though 1-2lbs per week sounds small, the changes are significant because of the muscle gained. You will look and feel smaller.
Weightlifting for a rounder booty (I reshaped my glutes by weightlifting. Hormones can actually affect the shape and my PCOS did a number on me. I developed a V shape over the years. Round, square, heart, A shapes are all based on your bone structure and fat placement. Some of us just have those stubborn fat deposits in certain areas that are genetic, even when we lose the weight, it's a smaller version but the same shape. V shape on the other hand is largely seen in older women post menopause and in younger women with hormonal disorders. This is becuase the hormonal imbalances also causes muscle imbalances. Regulating your hormones helps but it won't grow the muscles for you, so I used Fit With Emely's glute guide based on your glute shape (completely free, I watched all her videos to get this info and it took me two years to go from a V shape to a round shape.
Here is the guideline for each shape:
Glute Maximus - Everyone should be working on glute maximus. It builds the shelf and overall size. Step ups (all variations), hip thrusts (all variations), lunges, rdl, leg press, all squat variations Glute Minimus - (V and Square shapes), this muscle fills in the middle between the top and lower glute. Hip abduction, single leg bridge, Standing hip abduction/cable raises Gute Medius - (Heart, Round, and A-shaped) this muscles builds a longer hip for top portion of the glutes. Eg. Single leg squat, Single leg deadlift, Cable clamshells, Reverse lung, step ups Underbutt - Everyone should be working on underbutt but this is especially useful for V shaped folks. It works the hamstrings and lower portion of glutes. Good mornings, single leg rdl (also works minimus), single leg hip thrust (also works maximus), hip abductors (also works minimus)
How to structure workout:

• Warm up/Dynamic Stretches (specific to the muscle group you're working eg. lower body warm up or upper body warm up, etc.)
• Compound exercises (2-3 exercises eg. single leg rdl, good mornings, leg press - for each exercise you do 3-4 sets, 8-12 reps, with 3-4 minute rest between sets). That probably sounds like a foreign language to some, so for instance:
  • Start excercise 1
  • Set 1 (repeat exercise 1 - rdl 8 times)
  • 3 minute rest
  • Set 2 (repeat exercise 1 - rdl 8 times)
  • 3 minute rest
  • Set 3 (repeat exercise 1 - rdl 8 times)
  • Move on to exercise 2
  • Set 1 (repeat exercise 2 - leg press 8 times)
  • 3 minute rest
  • Set 2 (repeat exercise 2 - leg press 8 times)
  • 3 minute rest
  • Set 3 (repeat exercise 2 - leg press 8 times)
  • Move on to exercise 3
  • Set 1 (repeat exercise 3 - good mornings 8 times)
  • 3 minute rest
  • Set 2 (repeat exercise 3 - good mornings 8 times)
  • 3 minute rest
  • Set 3 (repeat exercise 3 - good mornings 8 times)
• Secondary Workouts (2-3 exercises eg. step ups, bulgarian split squats, lunges - for each exercise you do 3-4 sets, 8-12 reps, with 3-4 minute rest between sets)
• Isolated/Accessory Movements: these exercises work one part of the muscle more than others, for example an overbias on the underbutt/hamstring like I mentioned before to help with the V shape ( eg. hip abductors, kickbacks, glute bridge, lying leg raises, etc. (1-2 exercises high repetitions, low weight 2-3 sets, 15-20 reps, 1-2 minute rest between sets)
• Static stretch/cool down (specific to the muscle group you're working eg. lower body cool down or upper body cool down, etc.)

Keep in mind that you only need to work on a muscle group 2-3 times a week. So I only do glutes Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Also keep in mind while I work the lower body I am also working my upper body (eg. while doing rdls I am lifting the weight with my upper body), which is why I don't have tailered upper body days, this is for aesthetic reasons, and because weightlifting more than 3 days per week is not feasible with my PCOS.
My full routine is:

• Monday- lower body
• Tuesday - Pilates/core
• Wednesday - Rest (I still go for walks on these days)
• Thursday - lower body
• Friday - Pilates/core
• Saturday - lower body
• Sunday - Rest (I still go for walks on these days)

I also used primarily resistance bands in the beginning because gym equipment intimidated me (not anymore :) ). I started with 25lb resistance and went up to 125lbs. I use the product BandBar which allowed me to use the resistance bands like a barbell at home. This isn’t the only option and you can definitely buy resistance bands and do it without the bar. BandBar
For the ab separation from being obese, I did this workout 3 times a week (also helpful post pregnancy): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smiGsW-mQX0
For my chest to help with getting perkier boobs (the derma rolling was what made the biggest difference, but this exercise helped as well though it took 6+ months for the changes to be significant. Women tend to take longer to grow chest muscles): https://youtu.be/hg7_R29jGIE?feature=shared
I also did workouts to help with my posture and mobility 3 times a week (any I could find online)
The last thing I will say is be mindful that you may gain weight initially when you start lifting weights. This is due to slight inflammation/water gain from foreign tension, which will last about a month or two before you adapt BUT your body will adapt, I promise. Keep in mind if it's days before your period or if you are on your period. It's not if, but when, our weight fluctuates. As long as you are in a deficit and doing everything right, the number will go down. Do not get discouraged!!!
Here is the edit to this post which includes my supplements, how I managed my inflammation, and how I improved my gut health. I also edited the information I shared prior to include a few more tips and lifestyle changes I made, and included a few more details. I also rearranged things so there is a separation between style/haiskin and health information. The post is getting really long so I may create a separate post for personal development/mindset tips.

Inflammation

In my case my inflammation was caused by my PCOS, insulin resistence and my obesity, but it can be caused by chronic stress, other autoimmune disorders like IBS, Crohn's disease, etc, smoking/alcohol, age related diseases, environmental toxins, diets high in processed foods, sugars, trans fats & high omega-6 fatty acids.
In my case the inflammation from the PCOS led to gut inflammation due to the high levels of coritsal (stress hormones) in reaction to the high testosterone and insulin resistence. I also experienced metabolic inflammation (non alcoholic fatty liver disease), skin inflammation (as I mentioned earlier the ezcema on my scalp, alopecia, and hirsutism), adipose tissue inflammation, chronic low grade inflammation (this led to edema or fuid retention -> insulin resistance and my high testosteron/androgen levels also exacerbated this).
To fix this these were the thin I added to my life:

• Dry brushing 2-3 times a week
• Body Gua sha
• Face Gua Sha or Face Yoga or Myofascial Massage
• Jump Rope
• Trampoline/Rebounder
• Vibration Plate (very useful for after a workout or while sitting down)
• Acupressure mat
• Arvigo (Mayan Abdominal massage) & Lymphatic drainage massage
• Leg elevation, I sleep with a pillow under my knees. In the evenings I keep my legs up.
• Massages
• Sweat more (exercise/sauna/steam room)
• Portable Infrared Sauna (reduce cortisol by 25%)
• Microcurrent
• Compression socks
• Castor oil pack 3-4x per week
• Eliminate inflammatory triggers (mine were gluten & dairy)
  • Switch to sourdough
  • Eliminate seed oils
  • Avoid alcohol & smoking
• Supplements
  • Vitamin D paired with Vitamin K1 & K2
  • Magnesium Biglycinate (I take this before bed)
  • Omega-3 Fatty Acids
  • Turmeric
  • Coenzyme 10 (Take with Clomid & Vitamin E)
  • N-Acetylcysteine (NAC)
• Teas that helped
  • Turmeric
  • Red Rasberru Leaf Tea
  • Fennel
  • Chamomile

Gut Health

Your microbiota needs the right bacteria in the right amount to perform its hormone regulating functions properly. When the type or number of bacteria gets disturbed by events such as stress, or poor diet, or your gut can no longer accomplish its job meaning you'll have inflammation, increased risk of chronic disease, skin conditions, mental health issues, weakened immune system, nutrient absorprion problems, and weight management challenges.
For weight loss issues, gut microbiomes influence hormones in producing and signaling leptin and ghrelin (these hormones regulate hunger and fullness signals). Inflammation and insulin resistence is also associated with gut health problems as mentioned before. Energy extraction from foods, certain gut bacteria are more efficient at extracting energy from food, particularly carbohydrates. When there is an imbalance, more calories can be absorbed from food leading to difficulties gaining or losing weight.
Things I did to improve gut health/intestinal permeability:

• Ate foods rich in digestive enzymes (mangoes, pineapple, etc.)
• Pre and probiotics (incorporate bifidobacterium and lactobacillus)
  • Favorite brand: Seed Heath Probiotics
• Pickles (without vinegar): Great source of prebiotics
• Apple Cider VinegaKimchi/Kombucha/Sauerkraut
  • Beware of certain types of vinegar contain chemicals which kill bacteria, “the good bacteria”, and leave the yeast Candida albicans alone.
  • Raw apple cider vinegar contains: Natural probiotics (friendly bacteria), which may help with your immune system and gut health.
    • Tablespoon of apple cider vinegar (diluted in a glass of water) before each meal
  • Balsamic vinegar: Acetic acid is the active compound in balsamic vinegar. This acid contains strains of probiotics that aid digestion. The probiotics found in acetic acid can help promote good gut health and digestion while supporting overall immune function.
• Raw Carrots (has the type of fiber that binds and flushes out toxins in gut, good to have as daily hormone & digestion support)
• Limit Processed foods and Sugar
• No drinking or smoking
• Stress managment (which I'll expand on just below)
• Increase fiber intake
• Regularly exercise
• Supplements
  • Ginger
  • L-Glutamine
  • Olive leaf extract (especially helpful if you have candida overgrowth)
  • Turmereric
• Teas
  • Ginger
  • Lemon Balm

Lower androgens/testosterone

• Teas
  • Nettle Tea
  • Spearmint tea
• Spearmint oil topically for hirsutism
• Supplements
  • Schisandra (adaptogen - stress management & hormone balance)
  • Saffron (Also helps reduce testosterone, lower blood pressure and prevents bad cholesterol)
  • Inositol
  • Holy Basil
  • Magnesium Biglycinate (I take this before bed)
  • Omega-3 Fatty Acids
  • Coenzyme 10 (Take with Clomid & Vitamin E)
  • Zinc (Important to Note: It works inversely with testosterone - raises testosterone if your levels are low and lowers it if your levels are high)

Nervous System Regulation/ Stress Management

Stress is one of the things that age us the most, and people with PCOS already have higher levels of cortisol so these are the things I do to manage my stress levels:

• Regulate circadian rhythm, direct sunlight upon waking up. I use a sunrise alarm clock lamp for this
• Same bedtime everynight (pre midnight)
• Invert screen colors at bedtime (red filter on screens)
• Pillow under knees
• No loud alarms
• Magnesium biglycinate supplement before bed
• Regulate circadian rhythm, view the sunset before bed. I use a sunrise alarm clock lamp for this
• Spend a few minutes breathing through left nostril only
• Epsom salt foot soak
• Journal
• Get back to using my coloring books (I even invested in alcohol based markers it's so fun). Regulates me and gets me in touch with my inner child
• Time with friends, my puppy, and my family
• Supplements
  • Holy Basil (adaptogen - stress management & hormonal balance)
  • L-Theanine
  • Magnesium biglycinate
• Teas
  • Red raspberry leaf (adaptogen - stress management, also good for menstrual cramps)
  • Reishi Mushroom
  • Lemon Balm
• Night time mocktail (have after dinner and not on an empty stomach due to the sugar levels in the tart cherry)
  • Teaspoon of tart cherry (high levels of melatonin)
  • Magnesium biglycinate powder
  • Probiotic soda (good for gut health)

Tea cycling

• On your period
  • Nettle leaf: Increase iron levels
  • Moringa: Increase iron levels
  • Red Raspberry leaf: Helps with period cramps (best to drink throughout the month, especially at the end of the luteal phase
  • Chamomile: Helps with wellness wind down routine when you're feeling extra tired
• Follicular phase
  • Focus teas: Peppermint, Spearmint
  • Adaptogens: Lion's mane, Adaptogen latte, and Chaga mushroom
  • Detox: Dandelion Root
• Ovulation phase
  • Detox: Dandelion root tea
  • Bloating: turmeric tea latte/golden latte
  • Estrogen dominance - symptoms (bad hormonal migraines, hot flashes, nausea): Schisandra berry, Lemon balm
• Luteal phase
  • PMS symptoms: Raspberry leaf, Schisandra berry, Ginger root (powder or tea)

The best teas for PCOS

• Spearmint
  • For reducing androgens & lowering hirsutism (facial hair)
• Cinnamon tea (improves insulin sensitivity)
• Chamomile tea (Adaptogen)
• Nettle Tea (reduce androgens)
• Red raspberry leaf (adaptogen/stress relief, also good for menstrual cramps)
• Schisandra (adaptogen/stress relief & hormone balance)
• Saffron (Also helps reduce testosterone, lower blood pressure and prevents bad cholesterol)
• Ginger (ginger offers anti-inflammatory, fertility and hormone-balancing benefits, aides digestion )

Seed Cycling

What is seed cycling? Seed cycling refers to the consumption of specific seeds at different times of the month in order to improve the production and levels of sex hormones, specifically estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.
Seed cycling divides the female menstrual cycle into two parts:

1. During the first half of the menstrual cycle, or days 1 through 14, seed cycling encourages daily consumption of flax and pumpkin seeds.
2. During the second half of the menstrual cycle, or days 15 through 28, seed cycling encourages daily consumption of sunflower and sesame seeds

Results from seed cycling will not happen overnight. Normally women observe improvements after approximately three months of seed cycling adherence. It took me about 4ish months.
The Benefits of Seed Cycling: Support hormonal balance, alleviate PMS symptoms, decrease hormonal acne, alter irregularity of menstrual cycles, and fight stomach bloating and fatigue.

Feb 4th to March 2nd. I tried my best to do this unbiased with the same posture, hairstyle, and making the side by side the same height.
Always have had trouble growing my hair, guess its genetics, and recently have gotten back into to taking really good care of it and putting in extra effort to make it grow. What makes a noticeable different for me is taking omega 3’s, doing peppermint massages ( I put a few drops of peppermint essential oil in the Not Your Mothers Way to Grow conditioner and do an inverted scalp massage in the shower for about three minutes, then shampoo and condition as normal), and more recently, drinking stinging nettle tea. It has tons of vitamins and nutrients and I’ve had it almost every day for a month, maybe 4-5 times a week. I honestly didn’t know if it would do anything, but it’s good for me either way, so I decided to experiment for a month and see if I notice a difference.

This project is discontinued because my custom mode keeps getting overridden by the randomized students, along with other shit such as Ranvision, a male rival, stealing other people's names and having inverted boobs & the game automatically changing the students' animations and skin tones. I had my original students' JSON copied twice before so i could paste it when it happens, but unfortunately the new update was a step ahead of me this time. if you didn't know, messing with the custom mode JSON can fuck up your whole custom mode, even if you didn't randomize students on the actual screen. if you would like to continue the flopdere simulator legacy, here are the students' JSONs.
Protag & Senpai:

{"Name":"Dill Doe","RealName":null,"Gender":0,"Class":21,"Seat":13,"Club":0,"Persona":0,"Crush":1,"BreastSize":1.5,"Strength":0,"Hairstyle":"203","Color":"Default","Eyes":"Default","EyeType":"Ryoba","Stockings":"Black","Accessory":"0","Info":"My parents are the infamous John Doe and Jxne Doe. I lived in Floptropica until I got into Japan's first prestegious Floptropican-Japanese School.","ScheduleBlocks":null,"Success":false},{"Name":"Paoki Pitei","RealName":"Papi","Gender":1,"Class":32,"Seat":15,"Club":0,"Persona":1,"Crush":0,"BreastSize":0.0,"Strength":0,"Hairstyle":"65","Color":"Default","Eyes":"Default","EyeType":"Male","Stockings":"None","Accessory":"0","Info":"He's so hunky... So cute and so sexy at the same time... All the boys and girls go crazy for him, but only I can have his heart!","ScheduleBlocks":[{"time":7.0,"destination":"Spawn","action":"Stand"},{"time":7.0,"destination":"Locker","action":"Stand"},{"time":8.0,"destination":"Patrol","action":"Patrol"},{"time":13.01,"destination":"Seat","action":"Sit"},{"time":13.375,"destination":"LunchSpot","action":"Eat"},{"time":15.51,"destination":"Seat","action":"Sit"},{"time":16.0,"destination":"Clean","action":"Clean"},{"time":17.25,"destination":"Patrol","action":"Patrol"},{"time":99.0,"destination":"Locker","action":"Shoes"},{"time":99.0,"destination":"Exit","action":"Stand"}],"Success":false} 

Rivals:

{"Name":"Raini Rodriguez","RealName":"","Gender":0,"Class":21,"Seat":11,"Club":1,"Persona":7,"Crush":1,"BreastSize":1.1,"Strength":1,"Hairstyle":"53","Color":"Default","Eyes":"Brown","EyeType":"Eighties2","Stockings":"Rival5","Accessory":"10","Info":"A shy and timid girl, but can be one of the most hyperactive and fun people ever when she gets to know you. Enjoys making fiestas and salsas for everyone in the school as she sees this as a way to get to know her schoolmates. She also enjoys quinceaneras and bailas.","ScheduleBlocks":[{"time":7.0,"destination":"Spawn","action":"Stand"},{"time":7.0,"destination":"Locker","action":"Stand"},{"time":8.0,"destination":"Hangout","action":"Socialize"},{"time":13.0013,"destination":"Seat","action":"Sit"},{"time":13.376,"destination":"LunchSpot","action":"Eat"},{"time":15.51,"destination":"Seat","action":"Sit"},{"time":16.0,"destination":"Clean","action":"Clean"},{"time":17.25,"destination":"Hangout","action":"Socialize"},{"time":99.0,"destination":"Locker","action":"Shoes"},{"time":99.0,"destination":"Exit","action":"Exit"}],"Success":false},{"Name":"Wakana Williams","RealName":"Wanda Williams","Gender":0,"Class":22,"Seat":1,"Club":2,"Persona":7,"Crush":1,"BreastSize":2.0,"Strength":1,"Hairstyle":"43","Color":"Orange","Eyes":"Black","EyeType":"Ryoba","Stockings":"Dafuni","Accessory":"8","Info":"An intelligent girl who has high grades and honors in every class. Unfortunately, she also gossips a lot. She's the niece of Wendy Williams, a TV host, who gossips about everyone she knows. Maybe that's where she gets her ''intelligence'' from. ","ScheduleBlocks":[{"time":7.0,"destination":"Spawn","action":"Stand"},{"time":7.0,"destination":"Locker","action":"Stand"},{"time":8.0,"destination":"Hangout","action":"Socialize"},{"time":13.0,"destination":"Seat","action":"Sit"},{"time":13.376,"destination":"LunchSpot","action":"Eat"},{"time":15.5,"destination":"Seat","action":"Sit"},{"time":16.0,"destination":"Clean","action":"Clean"},{"time":17.25,"destination":"Hangout","action":"Socialize"},{"time":99.0,"destination":"Locker","action":"Shoes"},{"time":99.0,"destination":"Exit","action":"Exit"}],"Success":false},{"Name":"Daka Ali-Williams","RealName":"Denise Ali-Williams","Gender":0,"Class":22,"Seat":2,"Club":3,"Persona":7,"Crush":1,"BreastSize":1.05,"Strength":1,"Hairstyle":"71","Color":"Brown","Eyes":"Brown","EyeType":"Eighties10","Stockings":"Inkyu","Accessory":"12","Info":"A cheery and fun young girl, fun to be around. Ironically, she's also the daughter of a funeral director, Deborah Ali-Williams. Invests in lots of time in the occult, especially Onmyodo, because of her mother's job. Wishes to be an Onmyoji when she grows up.","ScheduleBlocks":[{"time":7.0,"destination":"Spawn","action":"Stand"},{"time":7.0,"destination":"Locker","action":"Stand"},{"time":8.0,"destination":"Patrol","action":"Patrol"},{"time":13.0,"destination":"Seat","action":"Sit"},{"time":13.376,"destination":"LunchSpot","action":"Eat"},{"time":15.5,"destination":"Seat","action":"Sit"},{"time":16.0,"destination":"Clean","action":"Clean"},{"time":17.25,"destination":"Patrol","action":"Patrol"},{"time":99.0,"destination":"Locker","action":"Shoes"},{"time":99.0,"destination":"Exit","action":"Exit"}],"Success":false},{"Name":"Ran Vision","RealName":"William","Gender":1,"Class":22,"Seat":3,"Club":0,"Persona":7,"Crush":1,"BreastSize":0.0,"Strength":5,"Hairstyle":"9","Color":"Brown","Eyes":"Black","EyeType":"Eighties4","Stockings":"Rival","Accessory":"17","Info":"A fit and attractive man, but he's also not the smartest. Some people may call him a ''himbo'', and that seems like the type of boy my senpai would go for.","ScheduleBlocks":[{"time":7.0,"destination":"Spawn","action":"Stand"},{"time":7.0,"destination":"Locker","action":"Stand"},{"time":8.0,"destination":"Sunbathe","action":"Jog"},{"time":13.0,"destination":"Seat","action":"Sit"},{"time":13.376,"destination":"EightiesSpot","action":"PrepareFood"},{"time":15.5,"destination":"Seat","action":"Sit"},{"time":16.0,"destination":"Clean","action":"Clean"},{"time":17.25,"destination":"EightiesStretchSpot","action":"Stretch"},{"time":99.0,"destination":"Locker","action":"Shoes"},{"time":99.0,"destination":"Exit","action":"Exit"}],"Success":false},{"Name":"Krap Jenner","RealName":"","Gender":0,"Class":22,"Seat":9,"Club":0,"Persona":7,"Crush":1,"BreastSize":1.4,"Strength":1,"Hairstyle":"23","Color":"Black","Eyes":"Brown","EyeType":"Ryoba","Stockings":"Kizana","Accessory":"4","Info":"A smart and charismatic international student with 5 famous cousins, known as the Kardashian-Jenners. She's acting as senpai's private tutor for both academics and dancing. The dance she teaches senpai is inspired by her aunt, Kris Jenner, called the ''Krissed''. ","ScheduleBlocks":[{"time":7.0,"destination":"Spawn","action":"Stand"},{"time":7.0,"destination":"Locker","action":"Stand"},{"time":8.0,"destination":"Sunbathe","action":"Sunbathe"},{"time":13.0,"destination":"Seat","action":"Sit"},{"time":13.376,"destination":"LunchSpot","action":"Eat"},{"time":15.5,"destination":"Seat","action":"Sit"},{"time":16.0,"destination":"Clean","action":"Clean"},{"time":17.25,"destination":"Sunbathe","action":"Sunbathe"},{"time":99.0,"destination":"Locker","action":"Shoes"},{"time":99.0,"destination":"Exit","action":"Stand"}],"Success":false},{"Name":"Misaki Minaj","RealName":"Maya Minaj","Gender":0,"Class":22,"Seat":4,"Club":5,"Persona":7,"Crush":1,"BreastSize":1.3,"Strength":0,"Hairstyle":"29","Color":"Default","Eyes":"Black","EyeType":"Smug","Stockings":"Osana","Accessory":"9","Info":"A fashionable young girl who wishes to become a celebrity like her mother. Spends all day performing rap and pop songs in the gym with unique outfits, hoping to become the school's next trendsetter.","ScheduleBlocks":[{"time":7.0,"destination":"Spawn","action":"Stand"},{"time":7.0,"destination":"Locker","action":"Stand"},{"time":8.0,"destination":"Perform","action":"Perform"},{"time":13.0,"destination":"Seat","action":"Sit"},{"time":13.376,"destination":"LunchSpot","action":"Eat"},{"time":15.5,"destination":"Seat","action":"Sit"},{"time":16.0,"destination":"Clean","action":"Clean"},{"time":17.25,"destination":"Perform","action":"Perform"},{"time":99.0,"destination":"Locker","action":"Shoes"},{"time":99.0,"destination":"Exit","action":"Exit"}],"Success":false},{"Name":"Tsuhiko Paytas","RealName":"Trisha Paytas","Gender":0,"Class":22,"Seat":5,"Club":0,"Persona":7,"Crush":1,"BreastSize":1.7,"Strength":1,"Hairstyle":"72","Color":"Yellow","Eyes":"Brown","EyeType":"Ryoba","Stockings":"Socks","Accessory":"5","Info":"She's my senpai's middle school bestfriend. An eccentric young woman, nobody except my senpai can understand her intentions. She's also extremely emotional and open to my senpai.","ScheduleBlocks":[{"time":7.0,"destination":"Spawn","action":"Stand"},{"time":7.0,"destination":"Locker","action":"Stand"},{"time":8.0,"destination":"Hangout","action":"HelpTeacher"},{"time":13.0,"destination":"Seat","action":"Sit"},{"time":13.376,"destination":"LunchSpot","action":"Eat"},{"time":15.5,"destination":"Seat","action":"Sit"},{"time":16.0,"destination":"Clean","action":"Clean"},{"time":17.25,"destination":"Hangout","action":"HelpTeacher"},{"time":99.0,"destination":"Locker","action":"Shoes"},{"time":99.0,"destination":"Exit","action":"Exit"}],"Success":false},{"Name":"Lovely Mangoes","RealName":"Cora Miracle Johnson","Gender":0,"Class":22,"Seat":12,"Club":0,"Persona":7,"Crush":1,"BreastSize":1.35,"Strength":1,"Hairstyle":"70","Color":"Default","Eyes":"Cyan","EyeType":"Eighties8","Stockings":"Music4","Accessory":"15","Info":"An extremely kind and loved girl. Her mother, Lovely Peaches, lost custody of her a long time ago for mistreatment. She lives with her grandparents now. She vows to never become like her mother, so she cares about nothing else but the happiness of others.","ScheduleBlocks":[{"time":7.0,"destination":"Spawn","action":"Stand"},{"time":7.0,"destination":"Locker","action":"Stand"},{"time":8.0,"destination":"Patrol","action":"Patrol"},{"time":13.0,"destination":"Seat","action":"Sit"},{"time":13.376,"destination":"LunchSpot","action":"Eat"},{"time":15.5,"destination":"Seat","action":"Sit"},{"time":16.0,"destination":"Clean","action":"Clean"},{"time":17.25,"destination":"Patrol","action":"Patrol"},{"time":99.0,"destination":"Locker","action":"Shoes"},{"time":99.0,"destination":"Exit","action":"Exit"}],"Success":false},{"Name":"Jiafei","RealName":"Daidai","Gender":0,"Class":12,"Seat":13,"Club":0,"Persona":7,"Crush":1,"BreastSize":1.5,"Strength":1,"Hairstyle":"98","Color":"Rival","Eyes":"Brown","EyeType":"Thin","Stockings":"Council3","Accessory":"14","Info":"An extremely attractive transfer student from China, already scouted by talent groups and modelling agencies. She's also an extremely wealthy businesswoman at only 16. She's known for selling ''sexy products''. ","ScheduleBlocks":[{"time":7.0,"destination":"Spawn","action":"Stand"},{"time":7.0,"destination":"Locker","action":"Stand"},{"time":8.0,"destination":"Sunbathe","action":"GravurePose"},{"time":13.0,"destination":"Seat","action":"Sit"},{"time":13.376,"destination":"LunchSpot","action":"Eat"},{"time":15.5,"destination":"Seat","action":"Sit"},{"time":16.0,"destination":"Clean","action":"Clean"},{"time":17.25,"destination":"Sunbathe","action":"GravurePose"},{"time":99.0,"destination":"Locker","action":"Shoes"},{"time":99.0,"destination":"Exit","action":"Exit"}],"Success":false},{"Name":"CupcakKe","RealName":"Elizabeth Eden Harris","Gender":0,"Class":22,"Seat":14,"Club":5,"Persona":7,"Crush":1,"BreastSize":1.8,"Strength":4,"Hairstyle":"13","Color":"Purple","Eyes":"Brown","EyeType":"Rival1","Stockings":"Inkyu","Accessory":"4","Info":"The one and only heirress of Floptropica. Currently, she's the next in line for the Floptropican crown. She's also Floptropica's most known artist. Has gained lots of fans in the school with her new hit singles ''Vuhjaynaor'' and ''Squidward Nose''. Determined to balance both royalty and her music career.","ScheduleBlocks":[{"time":7.0,"destination":"Spawn","action":"Stand"},{"time":7.0,"destination":"Locker","action":"Stand"},{"time":8.0,"destination":"Guard","action":"Guard"},{"time":13.0,"destination":"Seat","action":"Sit"},{"time":13.375,"destination":"LunchSpot","action":"Eat"},{"time":15.5,"destination":"Seat","action":"Sit"},{"time":16.0,"destination":"Guard","action":"Guard"},{"time":17.25,"destination":"Guard","action":"Guard"},{"time":99.0,"destination":"Locker","action":"Shoes"},{"time":99.0,"destination":"Exit","action":"Exit"}],"Success":false} 

I have been playing with the new generative fill function in Photoshop. I have photos of a model in a variety of poses shot against a plain gray backdrop. I have been using generative fill to change the backgrounds to other colors, other lighting effects, and adding background designs (locations, lights, artistic designs, etc.). Before applying generative fill, I am selecting the subject, inverting the selection, and very carefully adjusting the mask around the edges of the subject.
Sometimes generative fill does an amazing job of creating backgrounds. However, other times it modifies the subject in bizarre ways. More specifically, generative fill sometimes adds or lengthens fingers or toes, and sometimes adds or changes hairstyles.
Does anyone know why generative fill does this? How do I get it to leave the subject completely alone? Is this caused by generative fill, or is it something I am doing wrong? I am just a beginnenovice with Photoshop. Help!

(I know this is a catty subreddit but I’m trying to write more and want to feel like I’m sharing it with someone besides my girlfriend )
Actual writing follows.
I’m not so much interested in this film as a film as I am what it’s a microcosm of the culture war. To be honest I think that this is more brain droppings than any cohesive, ironed out thoughts. It’s more opinions than thoughts, which are pretty different.
When I started in the cinema it was the same week the second black panther film came out. The clientele were groups of black teenagers and balding, big tit funko pop collectors. I felt that I should feel guilty and like I held some kind of prejudice or at least premature judgement when I knew what the black kids were here to see, but not the geeks, never for the geeks. I wonder why? Sincerely, being that critically ill in the context of taste is no less a choice than being black. In fact, there are white people who willingly pretend to be black because being black is cool, it’s popular now. Need shit like marvel is profitable, yet it is profoundly uncool. The only people willing to culturally appropriate comic book culture are those who can make profit off of the “parasocial relationships” that their audience is quick to project. “Hey, this girl with big tits and makeup done like a Japanese baby likes the hulk…she’d definitely fuck me if we hung out.” A nonsense idea that’s true because the nonsense internet has made the world nonsense in an incredibly dull way. What should concern you about all this is the way we’ve personalised everything into a brand or a friend or something to pay for. Sound of freedom is no different.
The film ran at times that only those who are terminally unemployed are around. You can recognise them immediately as they approach/shuffle/waddle/stumble the ticket desk. They’re either wide eyed or dead eyed, no in between. When you watch them for a second you’ll notice that they all dress out of different time periods and look like they’re trying to get into some kind of inverted eyes wide shut costume party (at least what they think the party is). They aren’t going to fuck kids, but rather to find those who fuck kids through surface level sleuthing on Facebook. One day there was a five four version of Travis Bickle only this guy had his taxi driver hairstyle inverted into no hair on top, only fuzz on the sides. who bought a ticket off me. Five minutes later a woman who towered over me and had the misted over eyes of someone under a chemical lobotomy stumbled her way through buying a ticket before she stood next to the til for ten minutes on the phone with a stranger asking them what cinema food they did and didn’t recommend.
The film was definitely attracting a market and I didn’t like it one bit. It was icky and it made me uncomfortable. This is Ireland, like. Why are these people around here? We used to just have skinheads that we could point at and be like “he’s a cunt, he’s scared of black and brown people. What a gimp.” Now I’m caught in a situation where all these people make me nervous for them in a way that seeing a three legged dog or an older person who wobbles as they walk does, but I know that if I spoke to them I’d hate them.
In my mind they see their attending a film as a blend of the two things most important for someone who’s both rightwing and who’s online. Consumption of a product and the spreading of “the message”. The film is aware of it, as the end credits feature a speech made by the main actor in which he panders to the audience, thanking and congratulating them for watching and telling them that they too could be as proactive and efficient in the fight against child trafficking as his character so long as they donate to the website that appears next to the credits by means of a QR code.
Honestly, a sizeable part of me feels ashamed at my smugness and sniggering at these people. It feels very liberal, very neoliberal to do an ole “tee-hee” at what are essentially a group of feckless, well intentioned (?) fools. Ones who are arguably more proactive and more sympathetic than leftists who just post even if the sound of freedom crowd are proactive in the most western way possible, passive watching.
I wish there wasn’t a culture war. I’m not so ignorant nor am I anywhere near optimistic enough to come out with some centrist, middle of the road, “there’s right on both sides” shite. I’m unfortunately more concerned with how I can empathise with wrongs on my opposing sides. A lot of rhetoric online supposes that the right are either princes or paupers and because of that it’s why they’re so afraid of the same things.
I can’t imagine seeing a liberal as anything more than ideologically and morally lazy. Based on their politics, conservatives are not your friends and realistically if you spend any time listening to them, you’ll see liberals are the same except they’re the ones who’ve somehow managed to create a superficial sense that they are.
Pre internet, a big mantra was that the revolution will not be televised. He told us “the revolution will not go better with Coke.” But when you’re in a cinema or you’re scrolling on your phone? It does. You’re allowed to feel like you’re a good person so long as you sit through an ad at the start of your movie or before the next video essay or every fifth TikTok, it’s praxis!
I’m gonna sound like an old man, but it concerns me that now it is. It’s TikTok’d and tweeted and then you might get a movie like this. Really, what you’re supposed to take from this films existence is that they’re going to stream the revolution and if you’re interested in being part of any movement you better buy the right ticket and I fucking hate that.

Ughh I feel like I'm back in highschool typing this and I'm honestly embarrassed I'm even in this situation.
My best friend of 7 years has recently quite literally taken my entire style. To the point I'm actually embarrassed to be in public with her because it's like she's trying to act like twins ..
I do a distinct hairstyle and have always had scrunchie and headband duo with bangs since forever. I tuck my bangs into my headband to show off my large hoops which has been my style for over 4 years now. (We are both 23) this suits my face as I have an oblong head and it makes it appear rounder. I receive many compliments and fashion means a lot to me, so I've worked hard to find a wardrobe that compliments my inverted triangle shape as well.
My friend started copying me maybe 4 months ago, I went to pick her up and she had the EXACT same hair style, even going as far as to buy the same hoops for swavorski.. I was a bit peeved to say the least but I decided to be kind and offer her some advice, I told her since her face shape is more square, a dangle earring would suit it more as hoop earrings make the face appear larger. She noted what I said but continues to wear my style. I also explained that my curtain bangs don't suit her face shape due to the squareness of her jaw, I understand how this can be taken as offensive, but I assumed since she clearly found me pretty enough to copy, I could help her bring out her own beauty since she can replicate mine.
My boyfriend noticed last time she came over she copied my look, even starting to wear mini skirts as I do and he made a comment after she left saying "She has always been jealous of you, kinda looks like it's going too far."
I didn't ask about him saying that because I knew what he meant, and we had a fallout about a year ago where she screamed that I was very lucky and she was incredibly jealous of me.. I forgave her for that but to see this coming up to a head like this I am at a loss. I really don't want to lose my bestfriend, but she is stealing my personality to try and attract men as well and it's starting to give me a really gross feeling. I no longer share my personality with her, and I am a lot more reserved in attempt to nip this behaviour in the butt. She has even taken my favourite clothing colour (brown) and incorporated it as hers which means everytime we hang out she is matching me completely... It's cringey and makes me upset.
Has anyone had experience with this and is there a way to discuss which won't nuke our friendship?

Braided hairstyles have been a timeless trend that continues to captivate people of all ages. These intricate and versatile hair creations not only offer a stunning visual appeal but also provide a canvas for creativity and personal expression. In this blog post, we'll delve into the enchanting world of braided hairstyles, exploring their history, versatility, and the endless possibilities they offer.
Braids have a rich and diverse history that spans across cultures and centuries. They have been worn by people from different backgrounds for various reasons, including cultural significance, practicality, and fashion. Here are a few highlights of their historical journey:
Ancient Civilizations: Braids have been traced back to ancient civilizations like Egypt, where they were not only a fashionable choice but also symbolized social status and identity.
Cultural Significance: In many cultures, braids are more than just a hairstyle; they hold deep cultural and spiritual significance. For example, in some Native American tribes, braids are associated with wisdom and strength.
Functional and Fashionable: Throughout history, braided hairstyles have often been chosen for their practicality. They keep hair neat and protected, making them ideal for active lifestyles.
Modern Resurgence: Braids have seen a resurgence in popularity in recent years, with celebrities and fashionistas embracing them on red carpets and runways. They are now celebrated for their artistic and creative potential.
Versatility Beyond Imagination
One of the most remarkable aspects of braided hairstyles is their versatility. From simple three-strand braids to intricate and elaborate designs, there's a braid for every occasion and personal style. Let's explore a few popular braided styles:
Three-Strand Braid: The classic three-strand braid is the foundation for many other styles. It's simple, elegant, and perfect for everyday wear.
French Braid: French braids are known for their refined appearance. They start at the crown of the head and gradually incorporate new sections of hair as you progress, creating a beautiful woven effect.
Dutch Braid: Similar to the French braid, the Dutch braid is an inverted version where sections are woven underneath rather than over the middle strand. It offers a unique texture and is great for making your braid stand out.
Fishtail Braid: Fishtail braids are more intricate and offer a textured, "fish-scale" appearance. They are perfect for achieving a Bohemian or beachy look.
Box Braids: Box braids are characterized by their neat, square-shaped sections. They are popular among individuals with natural hair and provide a stylish and protective option.
Embrace Your Creativity
What makes braided hairstyles truly captivating is the endless potential for creativity. You can experiment with different braiding techniques, combine multiple styles, or add accessories like beads and ribbons to create a unique look that reflects your personality and style.
Whether you're preparing for a special occasion or simply want to express your creativity, braided hairstyles offer an artistic outlet that enhances your beauty and leaves a lasting impression. So, next time you're considering a new hairstyle, why not weave a little elegance and creativity into your look with a stunning braided hairstyle?
Read more related articles:
What Are The Most Popular Braided Hairstyles For Fall?
3 Top Benefits of Braided Wigs
Steps To Care For Braided Wigs

Hello and welcome again! I'm sorry I took so long to post Part 2 of these posts. I was cooking something special for the next posts and got a little bit lost in the sauce. Look forward to them! Here's Part 1 in case you missed it.
So, as you all know, without Artifacts or Enhancement Materials we can't upgrade the skills of our beloved students, but did you know those items are based on real artifacts and relics from the past? To understand what they are and where they came from we first need to understand what their real world counterpart are:
What are OOparts?
An out-of-place artifact (OOPArt or oopart) is an artifact of historical, archaeological, or paleontological interest found in an unusual context, which challenges conventional historical chronology by its presence in that context. The majority of the enhancements items are actually OOparts while the rest are real relics and controversial cursed objects.

• Antikythera Device / アンティキティラ装置

The Antikythera mechanism is an Ancient Greek hand-powered orrery (model of the Solar System), described as the oldest known example of an analogue computer used to predict astronomical positions and eclipses decades in advance. It could also be used to track the four-year cycle of athletic games which was similar to an Olympiad, the cycle of the ancient Olympic Games. Captain Dimitrios Kontos and a crew of sponge divers from Symi island discovered the Antikythera wreck in early 1900, and recovered artefacts during the first expedition with the Hellenic Royal Navy, in 1900–01. In 2022, researchers proposed the mechanism's initial calibration date, not construction date, could have been 23 December 178 BC. Other experts propose 204 BC as a more likely calibration date.
Several reconstructions have surfaced along the years and the game offered his own for the Intact version.

• Voynich Manuscript / ヴォイニッチ手稿のコピー

The most famous of all the OOparts, the Voynich manuscript is an illustrated codex, hand-written in an unknown script referred to as 'Voynichese'. The vellum on which it is written has been carbon-dated to the early 15th century (1404–1438). Stylistic analysis has indicated the manuscript may have been composed in Italy during the Italian Renaissance. The manuscript has never been demonstrably deciphered, and none of the proposed hypotheses have been independently verified. If you think you can decipher it: On 2020 Yale University published the manuscript online in its entirety — 225 pages in total — in their digital library

• Crystal Haniwa / 水晶埴輪

Haniwa are terracotta clay figures that were made for ritual use and buried with the dead as funerary objects during the Kofun period (3rd to 6th centuries AD) of the history of Japan. Haniwa were created according to the wazumi technique, in which mounds of coiled clay were built up to shape the figure, layer by layer. Haniwa can also refer to offering cylinders, not the clay sculptures on top of them as well as the "wooden haniwa" found in Kofun tumuli. Because these haniwa display the contemporary clothing, hairstyle, farming tools, and architecture, these sculptures are important as a historical archive of the Kofun Period.
They are a bit sus shaped if you ask me... But maybe I'm imagining things...

• Ancient Battery / 古代の電池

The Ancient Battery reffers to a set of three artifacts which were found together: a ceramic pot, a tube of copper, and a rod of iron. It was discovered in present-day Khujut Rabu, Iraq in 1936, close to the metropolis of Ctesiphon, the capital of the Parthian (150 BC – 223 AD) and Sasanian (224–650 AD) empires, and it is believed to date from either of these periods. Similar artifacts have been found at nearby sites. Its origin and purpose remain unclear. It was hypothesized by Wilhelm König, at the time director of the National Museum of Iraq, that the object functioned as a galvanic cell, possibly used for electroplating, or some kind of electrotherapy, but there is no electroplated object known from this period, and the claims are near-universally rejected by archaeologists. An alternative explanation is that it functioned as a storage vessel for sacred scrolls.
Unfortunately, during the United States’ invasion of Iraq in April 2003, the Iraq Museum was utterly ransacked. Somewhere between 14,000 and 15,000 ancient artifacts in the museum’s collection—about half of the museum’s total collection—were stolen, including the original Baghdad Battery. Eventually, after years of searching, roughly 7,000 artifacts were eventually recovered and returned to the Iraq Museum. The “Baghdad battery,” however, was not one of these objects. To date, no one has the faintest clue where it might be. Perhaps we should start looking in Kivotos!

• Totem Pole / トーテムポール

Totem poles are monumental carvings found in western Canada and the northwestern United States. They are a type of Northwest Coast art, consisting of poles, posts or pillars, carved with symbols or figures. They can symbolize the characters and events in mythology, or convey the experiences of recent ancestors and living people. Some of these characters may appear as stylistic representations of objects in nature, while others are more realistically carved. Pole carvings may include animals, fish, plants, insects, and humans, or they may represent supernatural beings such as the Thunderbird. Some symbolize beings that can transform themselves into another form, appearing as combinations of animals or part-animal/part-human forms.

• Disco Colgante /ハンギングディスク

The Disco Colgante refers to an ancient Peruvian artifact created approximately 2,000 years ago. It has been suggested the Moche culture made the artifact. The Moche flourished and ruled the northern coast of Peru before the Incas between the first and eighth centuries; at the same time, the Mayas thrived in Mexico and Central America. They dominated the desert through a complex irrigation system, built adobe pyramids, and, like many ancient cultures, used religion to unify society. Archaeologists have unearthed many fascinating Moche artifacts, but nothing that reminds us of this peculiar disc.
If you look closer at the disc, you’ll see the number of arms does not correspond to our galaxy’s arms. The Milky Way has four primary spiral arms: the Norma and Cygnus, Sagittarius, Scutum-Crux, and Perseus. If the ancient Peruvian disc represents a spiral galaxy, it’s not the Milky Way. On the other hand, the small dot does indeed remind us of our Sun.

• Mystery Stone / ミステリーストーン

The Lake Winnipesaukee mystery stone is an alleged OOpart found in a town near Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. The stone's age, purpose and origin are unknown. The stone is about 4 inches (100 mm) long and 2.5 inches (64 mm) thick, dark and egg-shaped, bearing a variety of carved symbols. Carvings on one side of the stone show an ear of corn and several other figures. The other side is more abstract, featuring inverted arrows, a moon shape, some dots and a spiral. A hole goes through the stone from top to bottom, seemingly bored from both ends with different size bits (1⁄8 inch (3.2 mm) at the top and 3⁄8 inch (9.5 mm) at the bottom).
The stone was reportedly found in 1872 in Meredith, New Hampshire, by workers digging a hole for a fence post. Seneca Ladd, a Meredith businessman who hired the workers, was given credit for the discovery. In 1892, upon Ladd's death, the stone passed to Frances Ladd Coe of Center Harbor, one of his daughters. In 1927, she donated the stone to the New Hampshire Historical Society. The most prevalent explanation has been that the Mystery Stone is a prehistoric Native American artifact. The discovery of an unusual Indian relic was not unprecedented at the time, encouraged by a highly romanticized view of America’s native heritage developed in the mid-19th century, especially in the East where fears of Anglo-Indian conflict were generations in the past.
However some dispute it's authenticity and call it a hoax perpetrated possibly by Seneca Ladd himself. Since Ladd never made any money off the stone and garnered little fame for his association with it, the motivation for concocting such a hoax remains unclear.

• Golden Fleece / 金羊毛

The Golden Fleece is the fleece of a flying, winged ram named Crius Chrysomallos or 'Golden-fleeced Ram', in Greek mythology. According to the Roman poet Ovid (43 BCE to 17 CE) in his Metamorphoses, Chrysomallos, the golden-fleeced ram, was the son of Poseidon, the god of the sea, and Theophane, the daughter of Bisaltes, a son of Helios and Gaia.
Theophane was a beautiful woman, which meant she was often inundated with men. Poseidon carried her away to the island of Crumissa, where he transformed her into a ewe and himself into a ram. After laying with each other in ewe and ram form, Chrysomallos the golden-fleeced ram was born. The ram was sent by Nephele, a cloud nymph to save her children Helle and Phrixos from being sacrificed. He carried Phrixos all the way from Orchomenos in Boeotia to Colchis, but Helle fell off off the ram's back on the journey and plunged into the sea. When they reached Colchis, Phrixos sacrificed the Ram and laid its golden fleece in a sacred grove to Ares. This golden fleece would then become the object Jason and his Argonauts were sent to retrieve. In the story of Jason and the Argonauts, Jason arrives in Colchis to claim the fleece. The king agrees to give it to him if he can complete several dangerous tasks. In the end, Jason is able to get the fleece by using a magic potion that puts the dragon to sleep.
In the game it looks very fluffy and the ram tag on it proof it was made from quality wool. Swimsuit Ui is the only one so far that is able to wear use the Golden Fleece. As a matter of fact, her splash features the base of a Greek column and some ruins. Coincidence?

• Okiku Doll / 髪伸び人形

I think most people who are into the curious and probably scary stuff know the story. If not here it is:
The doll was bought in Sapporo by a 17-year-old Eikichi Suzuki in 1918, for his 2-year-old sister called Okiku. He was touring the region for a maritime exhibition, and the doll instantly drew his eyes. The perfect little thing sat on a shop window enticing him. Suzuki didn’t think twice, he went in and instantly purchased the figurine for his sister; used the last of his money for it.
At about 40cms (15,7 in) tall and dressed in a traditional kimono, the doll was exquisite. Its hair was raven black and cut to roughly shoulder-length, in a traditional ‘okappa’ hairstyle. Her eyes were piercing coals that seem to swallow everything up in their gaze. The thing was mesmerizing and enchanting, something to take your breath away.
Suzuki went back home and gave the doll to his little sister. The tyke fell in love with the doll immediately. It transformed into Okiku’s favorite toy and, more importantly, her best friend. Okiku played every day with the doll, took it everywhere, and treated the figurine like a little sister. She would talk, and prattle with the thing. Feed it. Sleep with it. She decided to call the doll ‘Okiku’; a mirror duplicate of herself. The doll never left Okiku’s sight.
Then, a year later, tragedy struck. In 1919, Okiku died. Yellow Fever had descended on the land and rubbed the family of the little girl. Okiku died gasping for air, in pain and afraid… the doll held firmly in her grasp. She was only three years old. The family wanted to bury the doll along with Okiku, but circumstances and governmental oversight prevented this last act of kindness on their part. The doll was never laid to rest with Okiku. Okiku (the doll) was alternatively located in the family’s altar – a common practice in certain Japanse households to commemorate the dead. The small shrine celebrated their daughter and marked her passing into the afterlife.
That’s when the weirdness started to occur.
One day, the family started to notice that the doll’s hair was getting longer. Once a traditional shoulder-length cut with neat ends, now a mangled mess of split-ends reaching down past her waist. It was scruffy, different colors, and felt different. At night, they started to dream of Okiku, and sometimes the doll would appear by their side come morning. The chillings events intensified and grew into full-blown acts of spiritual infestation – lights flicking on and off, bangings in the house, noises, and strange voices – the closer the year got to certain key dates; Okiku’s birthday and the day of her death. Over time, they were certain and town shamans/spiritual leaders concurred that their daughter’s soul was in fact trapped within the doll. In 1938, the family relocated to a different district. They had by now become accustomed to Okiku and had even grown fond of their daughter’s restless spirit; to them, it was a magical and a unique opportunity to interact with the dead. Not desiring to take Okiku with them – fearing that what fueled her magic was the proximity to their daughter’s grave – the family approached the local temple and asked them to take care of the doll.
The Temple by now had heard countless stories of the amazing doll – the haunted doll whose hair grew every year. They were fascinated – skipping like schoolgirls – with the prospect. The priests gleefully accepted the charge and started taking care of Okiku. Over time, they’ve managed to confirm the veracity of some of the claims… particularly that the hair does indeed grow. The priests have sent out cut samples of the hair for scientific analysis… scientific examination of Okiku proved that the hair was that of a human child. Regularly the hair gets a trim and the doll stays happy and content.
As the years passed on, the doll’s fame grew and her powers further developed. She’s bolder now, invading the dreams of the priest and those that come to visit her. She’s stronger, her hair growing faster and wilder. And, she’s even spookier. The lasted event driving tourists mad is the frightening claim is that the mouth of Okiku is slowly opening and that if you dare to peer inside you may be able to glimpse something like baby teeth spouting like weeds from porcelain gums. Okiku is located in her private shrine, on display in a little wooden box, in the Mannen-ji Temple in the town of Iwamizawa, Hokkaido, Japan. It's not an easy task to get there since there's practically no trains and no buses around the area, but if you feel brave enough she’s sitll there waiting. In silence.
It makes sense that NY Haruka is so drawn to it but Mina? What the...

• Atlantis Medal / 古代文明のメダル

I'll be real honest here: It is hard to pinpoint an exact origin to this artifact since the reality of Atlantis is still disputed to this very day. Every once in a while a new discovery is made but since there's no solid evidence aside from stories told by poets and philosophers, there's simply no way to tell what the truth is. But don't worry fellow sensei, Saki is all geared up and ready to find it. I wonder if Kayoko has any interest on it though...

• Roman Dodecahedron / 中空十二面体

The last Artifact is a very curious one. I wonder why Hinata would bring such a thing to the beach though...
A Roman dodecahedron or Gallo-Roman dodecahedron is a small hollow object made of copper alloy which has been cast into a regular dodecahedral shape: twelve flat pentagonal faces, each face having a circular hole of varying diameter in the middle, the holes connecting to the hollow center.) They date from the 2nd to 4th centuries AD and their purpose remains unknown. They rarely show signs of wear, and do not have any inscribed numbers or letters. The first dodecahedron was found in 1739. Since then, at least 116 similar objects have been found in Italy, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Instances range in size from 4 to 11 cm (1.6 to 4.3 in).
A Roman icosahedron has also been discovered after having long been misclassified as a dodecahedron. This icosahedron was excavated near Arloff in Germany and is currently on display in the Rheinisches Landesmuseum in Bonn.
There are multiple theories as to what they were used: Some say it's a mathematic tool, others that it's a spool device for knitting gloves or perhaps as part of a portfolio for a blacksmith. What do you think?
And that concludes our study on the artifacts! Himari and Eimi would be proud of us for doing such a long investigation. Next post will take while since I'm still doing some research and I believe it will please a certain group inside this lovely community. See ya next time!
Edit: Fixed the links for the characters I mentioned since Fandom Wiki is doodoo.

Please, GIVE ME ADVICE
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Basically, I've been experimenting with my hair for the past 3 years. I was rocking a "nerd" side part, that looked awful on me, so I decided to go forward. I'm currently rocking a fringe, which kind suit me, but it's boring. Since I don't use shampoo at all, I have quite textured hair and I'm using salt spray. I can't rock a short fade because my head looks like mf Mastermind. I'm built like a cartoon character - I have a big ass forehead with big ears and a weird head.
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I'm thinking of getting either a buzz cut, that "TikTok" fringe or a mullet, but idk if it would suit me.
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Here are my face measurements:
Forehead to Jaw - 22cm, 8.66in
Forehead 16cm,6.2in
Cheekbones 15cm,5.9in
Jawline 28cm,11in (both sides combined)
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Redditors, I'm asking for your help.
​

The prologue here:
https://www.reddit.com/gantz/comments/11rki2e/gantz_minus_prologue_chapter_zero_book_jacket/
was chapter -0005.
Machine Translation. Sorry for my bad English. Tell me any mistakes and I will fix. This is the next chapter. Chapter -0003 coming Christmas 2023.
Gantz Minus -0004
EVERYDAY LIFE INVERTS THE MARCH
The setting sun painted the western sky a somber red. Ooki walked down an almost deserted street, skirting the shadows that stretched from the surrounding buildings. Idle thoughts kept chasing each other through his mind, interspersed with a long series of sighs. Another of his classmates had died that day. A suicide, they said. Or rather, an apparent suicide, since the reasons had not yet been clarified. But judging from the way the body had been found, it couldn't have been otherwise. Yet they had found no farewell message. The cell phone vibrated, massaging his thigh pleasantly. He slipped his hand into his pocket and grabbed it. They had just sent him an email with the day and place of the wake. He realized it was the same one that had come to him a few days before. They had simply taken the trouble to change the date and address. "And to think the term ends tomorrow..." He closed his phone and continued muttering to himself. How could one choose death superficially, perhaps because of a mere passing impulse? Recently Ooki had sensed a strange atmosphere hovering in his school. It was the second suicide in the last month, the fifth since the beginning of the year. As far as he knew, there had never been a year like it. "They should realise they're being a pain in the ass..." he muttered in an annoyed tone. The suicides didn't involve close friends, but the obligation to attend the funeral imposed on the entire class by the school's top management sent him over the edge. Although he tried to put himself in their shoes, he could not understand how anyone could force someone to attend the funeral of a classmate with whom he had never even exchanged a word. And he was convinced, in his heart, that even the person who comitted suicide would have understood and approved of this feeling of discomfort. Nevertheless, he had decided to go anyway. An unjustified absence, in fact, would immediately jump to the eyes of teachers and classmates, and that was something he absolutely wanted to avoid. He didn't get a good reputation and often ended up attracting people's inquisitive stares. Ooki was six feet tall, a boy neither fat nor puny, average really. His facial features were neither too handsome nor too ugly. Generally speaking, if one had to judge him, one would have described him as nice and affable enough. Nothing would have incited a hypothetical observer to point out anything particular in his appearance or attitude. Despite this, from a young age, Ooki had often endured bullying from his classmates. The reason why this happened was not clear to him until he entered middle school. Ooki was endowed with a devious, out-of-the-ordinary shrewdness, a talent that helped him evade responsibility, anything he considered a nuisance. He was very good at disappearing when the situation became too "suffocating". While the others devoted themselves to it with effort and sacrifice, he always found a stratagem not to get involved and get away without too many problems. If you wanted to attribute to him an uncommon talent, and if you necessarily wanted to consider it a talent, you couldn't help but recognize that innate ability. And though he often managed to complete his tasks more effectively than the general average, unfortunately for him, people didn't care. Whether he rebelled against certain prejudices or not, he was still left with a bitter taste in his mouth. That was why he would go out of his way to not give his comrades a chance to blame him. Ooki had specialized in getting away with following a certain line of behavior: he acted without exposing himself too much, obviously without too much effort, giving his work a moderate level of imperfection useful to not antagonize the group. The effort he put into it was intense. An example of this was the end-of-term class assignment: having discarded the possibility of obtaining the maximum score, which he wasn't even too interested in, he was left with the uncertainty of being able to obtain a decent grade without breaking his heart. He needed to prepare specifically to achieve an average score, beyond the floating zone, while avoiding the hassle of having to go over the entire syllabus. Since he felt he knew the temperament and preferences of the teachers, it was not only possible for him to guess the topics they would choose for the exam, but with any luck he could even isolate the content and guess the questions. The result had been that even the previous night he had ended up staying up late, mulling over the various possibilities. In the morning he had struggled to stay awake during the lesson and the yawns had begun to follow one another without interruption: there had been no way to contain them. "If I don't get a good night's sleep tonight, I'll never make it through the exam tomorrow..." Sometimes he wondered about the pros and cons of his behavior. The tempting idea of spending his days in tranquillity and, more importantly, of passing the exam without fuss or praise, was not a cheap bargain. The flip side of that forced him to make genuine sacrifices. His decision to quit the soccer club, a sport he had played all the way through middle school, was also part of that line of thinking. He loved soccer. He loved coming up with subterfuges of the game, often genuine breaches of the rules, that would screw up the opponent's movements. When he succeeded, it was something priceless for him, unfortunately this attitude aroused the ire of his teammates, especially the older ones, who considered it nothing more than a snatching of the honest efforts of others. They didn't care about the fact that without Ooki's lacklustre cue, the team would probably never have that chance at a goal. Nor did they care that without that other cue, their team probably would have conceded a goal. He had noticed that his attitude was generating discontent, so he had even tried to align himself with the environment by changing his style of play. But it was also true that certain vices cemented over the years had become so engrained in his mentality that they were irresistible. It happened every time Ooki sensed the possibility of exploiting certain situations. It came naturally to him now, and he didn't even realize it. Devising a ruse relying on a clever reading of the game actually cost him a lot more effort than concentrating classically on the tactics to follow. Thinking constantly about how to slip in front of an obstacle without facing it, analyzing the various useful shortcuts, stubbornly using the levers of cunning, forced him, in fact, to a greater effort. It was for this reason that he considered it a sensible thing to quit the soccer club. "What a pain in the ass..." he sighed again, running his hand through his hair. The days all the same, punctuated with constant annoyances, one after another. With a life full of nothing and no landing place visible on the horizon, the thought of throwing himself off the top of the nearest building had flashed through his mind at least a few times. Who knows if the suicidal man on duty had also brooded in that way before choosing death. It came to him spontaneously to make comparisons, but then he agreed that, in reality, the stories were completely different. "No, it's not for me... and besides, I still have a lot of things to do in life." He lowered his head, dejected, staring at an indistinct spot on the pavement. Suddenly, a scream broke the surrounding stillness. Ooki raised his head instinctively. He realized it was no ordinary scream. He scanned his surroundings for the source of the voice until his eyes focused on something above his head. He saw a little boy hanging from the balcony of the apartment across the street. Another little boy, leaning over the edge, was holding him by the arm in an attempt to keep him from falling. However, his face was distorted in an installment. He could clearly see that he had reached the edge. Judging by the height it might have been a sixth, maybe seventh floor. Ooki calculated that he didn't have enough time to make it up the stairs to the apartment. "Somebody call the fire department! There's a child in danger!" Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a busy employee about to type a number into his phone. He decided to take action and ran under the balcony from which the child was hanging. The boy's grip on the railing loosened due to too much effort and he let the little one slide down. The movement, which at first seemed a gentle glide, gradually gained speed and turned into an inexorable fall. Ooki tightened his lips and emitted a faint groan of disappointment. His heart pounding, he sped up and reached the area below. It was then that he realized... "What the hell am I doing..." In that handful of seconds, thoughts overlapped furiously on each other. "I don't know how high the seventh floor is, but it doesn't matter.... Assuming each floor is at least 10 feet high... A reasonable estimate? At least 20 meters total... What about speed? How fast does an object fall from a height of 20 meters? Let's say 20 meters per second? Suppose the child weighs 30 kilos... Thirty kilos dropped at twenty meters per second... It would hit the ground as if it weighed seventy and..." A volcano overflowing with numbers scrambled his mind. It took him barely two seconds to reach the point before impact with the child's body. The last image that flashed through his mind was of the frontal impact test of a car he had seen on a television program. And his body was no sturdier than the metal hood of a car. The impact was smaller than he had imagined. The body crashed into Ooki's outstretched arms, but instead of breaking them, it forced them to deform their bone structure beyond the limits of normal elasticity. He had received a blow equivalent to a tremendous thrashing in the chest and was unable to control his balance. Propelled inexorably by kinetic energy, Ooki bounced forward, crashing face first into the ground. As luck would have it, there was a sidewalk below. Wanting to add insult to injury, he hit his head right on the blunt edge. The impact with the concrete was enough to smash his skull into a thousand pieces. He thought he heard a succession of distant sounds, perhaps coming from some corner of his mind. The sounds gradually became screams, shouts, curses, rants, overlapping each other in a deafening cacophony. He thought he glimpsed a flicker of light and focused on a few figures. They were the last images that reached his brain before his consciousness faded into darkness. A shock he had never experienced before coursed through him, until even that glimmer dissipated into nothingness. Ooki realized that his time had come. Death had come, and it had come all too suddenly. Death, after all, was proving to be a more unusual experience than he had anticipated. Particularly where his body was concerned. He was certain that his wounds were fatal. Yet consciousness seemed strangely clear. He could focus the images, even remembered the flashes that had preceded total darkness. He was puzzled, bewildered by the sensation. Yet there was no doubt, he must be dead. The last image he had seen was of an evening sky crossed by clouds tinged a deep crimson red. Moreover, he was almost certain that he was not far from his home. Now, however, what lay before him was the pale ceiling of an anonymous room. The dim warmth of the lights, the pattern of the wallpaper, none of it seemed familiar. He rose from the floor and glanced around. It gave the idea of being a bleak and dreary place, fit for his funeral. The wallpaper was plain white, and all around the room offered very little in the way of furnishings. Yet the room was packed with people. "Toh... another one has arrived" someone spoke at the same time Ooki decided to get up. But he was so dazed that he didn't realize that phrase was addressed to him. "But... Where... what?" he murmured, feeling his hands feel the floor. He had never thought about what the afterlife might look like, but he certainly didn't imagine it that way. What jarred, or rather, what was too ordinary not to appear paradoxically strange, was the outline of Tokyo Tower glimpsed through the window. It was relatively dark outside, but the purple hues of the sky were still visible, highlighting the tower's small lights. "But that... is the Tokyo Tower..." he said in utter confusion. "That's right!" a firm voice answered him. Although his was not a question but an uncertain mutter, the short-haired girl who had taken the trouble to answer him was staring him down. Leaving aside for a moment the thousand thoughts buzzing in his head, Ooki wondered what on earth he could have done to her. The girl was looking at him in a detached way, with the typical attitude of someone who feels contempt. And yet, despite that superficial coldness, he could clearly see how beautiful she was. He was reminded of Reika, the idol he'd glimpsed in Shibuya at one of the locations used for the exterior shots. Not that she looked much like her, but he thought she was worthy of being in the top ten most beautiful girls he'd ever met. Among other things, she matched his type of woman. The unruly hair, dyed a light brown, almost faded, added a touch of personality to the girl's mature air. "There... actually, I..." he mumbled in a sincerely puzzled tone. The girl looked away and gave a small sigh before continuing. "Well, I suppose it's only natural." "Natural... what...?" "The initial disorientation. I'm saying it's understandable..." Ooki had heard her correctly, but was unable to understand. He struggled to rise and stood staring at her with a contrite expression, desperately searching for answers. Did you happen to figure out where we are? I... I mean, I'm supposed to be dead, unless... something weird happened in my head..." Yet another question waiting to be answered. "Your head is fine, trust me..." he cut in against her, "meanwhile accept the fact that you're dead." The girl had interrupted their conversation slyly. She turned away from him, increasingly confused and puzzled, and turned to the other people crowding the room. "Now pay attention to me, everyone!" More than advice, it had the air of a peremptory order, which allowed no reply. "I'm sure most of you don't understand what's going on, so open your ears wide and listen to me." "Cut it out..." The young man dressed as a clerk could not contain his irritation and stared at her sideways.... "Who are you to tell us what we should or shouldn't do?" "In that case, bon voyage to hell." The sharp reply sewed his mouth shut. The man stared at her petrified for a few seconds before finding the words to reply. "What you're saying doesn't make sense! None of this makes sense!" "It doesn't matter whether it makes sense to you or not. The only thing that matters now is that if you don't listen to me, you will all die! And that I can guarantee you for sure!" "Sorry... "Ooki interjected into the conversation. "Just a moment ago you told me to accept the fact that I'm dead... does that mean I've been resurrected?" The gazes of all the occupants of the room shifted anxiously to the girl, waiting for her answer. It was evident that everyone was facing their situation with bewilderment and uneasiness, like a leap in the dark. "Akari, don't waste your time with these idiots, we already know they'll never make it out alive anyway." The voice, accompanied by a guttural laugh that seemed to come from different directions, echoed throughout the room. That ambiguous remark was, for everyone, a real cold shower. In an attempt to find out where it came from, Ooki's gaze focused on a strange black sphere, at least a meter in diameter. As well as being peculiar, it was a rather sinister object. Only then did he notice the people crouching behind it, each of them wearing a curious, tight-fitting black wetsuit, similar to those worn by divers. The man who had spoken was probably sitting between them. "How would you like to mind your own business..." replied the short haired girl, "I certainly didn't ask you or your thugs to help me." The man conveyed a feeling of impudence. Ooki sensed it more from his long, matted hair, left to grow without care. A situation made worse by the sparse greyish strands that could be seen falling down to his shoulders. Not to mention the greasy, unkempt beard that surrounded a mouth full of yellowish and, in many cases, broken teeth. A disgusting set that had materialized into an obscene smirk. The man cashed in on the rebuke and shrugged. "Do whatever you want, as long as you don't bust my balls and make a mess." That condescending attitude convinced no one, as his was a blank, reptilian stare, the kind that made your skin crawl. The girl who had called Akari chose to ignore him and turned to Ooki again. "The answer to your question earlier is.... yes! And the same goes for everyone else, are you satisfied?" He turned away with a flash of irritation. "I am in the same condition as you, but that is not important. What is important is that if you want to survive, you must follow my instructions. Otherwise you will die and this time it will be for good. I don't think you'd like that since you've been given another chance, am I right?" The clerk with the thick lenses decided to step in. "But what exactly are we supposed to do...?" His hands were sweaty and his legs were now devoid of the ability to hold his body up. He felt the tone of his own voice diminish because of the difficulty of breathing, which dragged him into a state of anguished breathlessness. He was forced to look away immediately, as if he felt guilty with himself. Akari stared at him with hostility, almost arrogantly, and then pointed at the black sphere. "Soon you will hear strange music coming out of that thing. You will need to equip yourself with what it makes available to you. Do it! I recommend that you at least wear the power suit." "The suit that...?" Ooki mentally mulled over those words. He understood that things were getting complicated and that something bad could happen to him at any moment. The moment he stared at the black sphere, it suddenly activated. The distorted sound of a powerful drumbeat swept through the room. Moments later an electric guitar attacked, immediately followed by a series of high-pitched shrieks, like a novice musician's clumsy attempt at hard rock. Ooki had the impression that he'd already heard the melody hinted at in that din. "Is this by any chance the gymnastic exercises broadcast on the radio?" This time, Akari shrugged. She realized she knew the melody. It was a horribly arranged version of the theme song from the morning radio show broadcast by NHK, the national broadcasting network, encouraging people to get healthier through exercise. Yet the vocal parts were not sung in Japanese, so there was no certainty that the lyrics were true to the original. In the next moment, glowing characters appeared on the surface of the sphere, a strange phosphorescent mixture of Japanese and English words. They looked like the clumsy scribbles of a child or a semi-illiterate.
Your life is gone.
Your new life I can use freely as I see fit.
It's logical, my darlings.
"What kind of..." He hadn't even had time to close his mouth before an uncontrolled buzz, not of one but of many, rose up, mixed with groans of astonishment. Akari anticipated him dryly, "You understand what that means, right?" "Understood? I don't know what to say..." Ooki turned and looked at her, smiling wryly. She didn't flinch and continued to stare at the orb without betraying emotion. "Read what it says carefully. It's about the opponent we'll be facing, though I don't know how useful that information will be to us." Ooki stared at the sphere again and noticed that a strange image had just appeared flanked by a new string of phosphorescent characters. "Alien... Shōtoku," he murmured uncertainly. Judging by the appearance of the person portrayed on the surface of the sphere, it unquestionably belonged to the Asuka period, historically considered to be the transitional period between the ancient and classical Japanese eras. Yet the curious three-dimensionality of the image made one think of a real photograph rather than a portrait or the reproduction of a painting. In addition, the clothes he wore, the kanmuri, a taffeta headdress reserved for princes and emperors, and the peculiar shaku he held in his hand, led to a rather famous personage. The plump lady who was squatting next to Ooki, presumably an employee, squinted her eyes to focus on the image and spoke in an incredulous tone... "But is that Prince Shōtoku?" The photo next to the name Alien Shōtoku disappeared and was replaced by a set of data.
Special features: There's a lot of them resemble prince shotoku. Watch out for the shaku, it's dangerous. Likes: Prince Shōtoku Favorite phrases: Don't call me Umayade! I promulgate the Constitution of 17 articles Uah wah wah
"Sounds like a joke, doesn't it? But I assure you there's nothing funny about the sphere." Akari's expression had become particularly hard. Ooki frowned and shrugged, trying to reduce the confusion caused by the total lack of clarity of the situation. On the surface of the sphere, which until then had been perfectly smooth and homogeneous, a few perpendicular lines shone. The sudden snap was rather noisy and was accompanied by an unpleasant metallic echo: the sides and back of the sphere broke away from the base, hurtling outward. On the metal shelves inside them dangled objects that looked like weapons. Also resting on them were a few squat containers with handles, very much like thin briefcases. The lost gazes of the onlookers crossed, adding to the uneasiness of the moment. The girl approached the sphere and began to speak to everyone, with a calmness that was surprising to say the least. "On the back rack you will find metal briefcases. On one of them is marked your name... take the corresponding one." As she finished her explanation, Akari removed her overcoat and made to lift the hem of her sweater. Much to her surprise, Ooki saw that she was wearing the strange black wetsuit, identical to the one he had seen on the grumpy group. "We don't have much time left. Inside the briefcases you will find the suits. Put them on quickly!" she added hastily. "He's right... this has my name on it..." A middle-aged man, with a ridiculous carryover framing his head, had grabbed a briefcase and was looking at his name printed on the metal tag. "Is there by any chance someone named Ooki-kun?" The man had lifted the one in which Ooki's name was engraved. The handwriting was rather childish and ungainly. "Yes... it's me..." In Ooki's voice now the desperation was obvious, as he sensed that something big was going on. Akari gave him a scowling look that played easy on his puzzlement. That was enough to send a shiver down his spine. The girl's gaze was more than eloquent, and Ooki felt the urge to get up and escape the pressure. He forced himself to move a step as he tried desperately to think over the images of that evening, which chased themselves haphazardly through his mind and from which he could perceive nothing but negative forebodings. Finally he approached the briefcase. He grabbed it and judged it to be much lighter than he had thought. He even doubted that it contained a suit. His doubts vanished the moment he opened it. Inside was in fact, meticulously folded, what at first glance appeared to be the same diving suit worn by some of those in the room. He brushed his fingers over it and had the unpleasant sensation that it was terribly thin, a fabric of extreme fragility. He had expected a more substantial garment. He found it difficult to conceive of any real use for such a garment. Moreover, he thought, with a touch of embarrassment, of the extreme snugness it would have once worn. "But that's ridiculous!" A heavily made-up girl threw away her suit in annoyance. She was clearly feeling the same shame as Ooki. He, meanwhile, continued to stare at the garment with deep revulsion but, as soon as he looked up, he saw Akari snorting in impatience and that was enough to appease him. He began nervously searching for the buttons on his school uniform to free them from the buttonhole. The unbelievable happened just then. The body of the girl who had thrown off the suit began to disappear. It was as if an invisible laser had begun to dissect her orthogonally, proceeding steadily from the top of her head downwards. A strange light was making her gradually disappear, line by line, with invisible surgical cuts, but without dispersing a single drop of blood. The girl stood motionless, unresponsive, a terrified and passive spectator of her disappearance. Once the head was dissolved, the light passed to her neck and shoulders, then lower and lower, to her chest, until it reached the extremities of her hands. Then it went down, obliterating her belly and legs. Within seconds the girl had completely vanished. "But... what are you...?" Ooki was paralyzed. He started babbling nonsense words. He couldn't believe his eyes. It was yet another paradoxical situation he had to endure since he had woken up in that room. He looked hesitantly at himself in an attempt to intercept any look of solidarity to his bewilderment. But what he met were only the irritated eyes of Akari. "And the transfer," he said in a barely audible voice. Then he resumed his hasty tone.... "People, open your ears! We are about to appear in an authentic battlefield. There's no point in you racking your brains about how you're going to get us down there. Put on the suit. Don't get distracted, don't get lost in useless reasoning, because otherwise even the suit won't be enough to get you home safely." "This...?" Ooki stared for the umpteenth time at the tight black dress he was clutching. Once the made-up girl had vanished, it was the turn of the disgusting snake-eyed man who had had that bitter conversation with Akari a few minutes earlier. Although the light was blotting him out from the environment, he gave no sign of impatience. He vanished into thin air holding one of the weapons he had taken from the side rack of the sphere. 3. The transfers continued unabated. Only Akari and Ooki remained in the room, the latter in an obvious state of confusion. Without realizing it, he had donned the suit and held one of the weapons from the rack. It was a squat pistol, with three short, aligned barrels, equally spaced from a center of symmetry, their vertices forming a sort of "Y". He looked up for the umpteenth time and saw that Akari had begun to dissolve. The last image that remained in his mind were her eyes, stern and resentful at the same time. He didn't have the time to reason, to try to ask her the umpteenth question, that the girl disappeared definitively in front of his eyes. His breathing became shorter. He tried desperately to remain calm, but panic assailed him as his arms and legs began to shake uncontrollably. What the hell was going to happen to him? The instinct of self-defense compelled him to grip the handle of the strange gun so tightly that his knuckles whitened. The landscape before him suddenly changed. He seemed to distinguish a disorderly crowd of people hurrying back and forth. Not far away, he heard the clucking voice of a salesgirl inviting customers into her shop. Then he heard more and more voices overlapping each other, until the diffuse buzz of the crowd covered every other noise. It came to him spontaneously to look at the street sign that hung on the lamppost, two steps away from him. "Taito shopping district entrance...?" The name was unmistakable. He stood in front of a long, narrow street dotted with small shops on both sides. He looked up and noticed the arcade of glass that covered the main street along its entire length. What does that mean? How is it possible that... Hey!" A busy housewife, her arms laden with bags, moving swiftly in his direction, was about to slam into him. When she came within a few inches of him she suddenly stopped. The woman looked around with a puzzled air, then resumed her walk. That moment of pause had been just enough for Ooki to turn away and give her the way, but in doing so he had ended up in the path of the other pedestrian who was coming from the opposite direction and with whom he couldn't avoid the impact. The man, apparently an office worker who was hurrying home from work, was shaken by the impact. Evidently he thought he had been touched by another passeryby, for he stopped a man who was passing just a few feet away and complained to him. The latter opened his eyes wide, claiming his innocence. After a few moments of bewilderment, the atmosphere became dangerously heated. Ooki saw fit to intervene to clear up the misunderstanding and opened his mouth. But it only took him a moment to realize that, with his condition, he shouldn't have interfered. "They couldn't hear you anyway." Akari's voice caught him off guard and it was enough to make his hair stand on end. "Miss Akari..." he said with a sudden gasp. "Once the mission begins, only the enemy is able to see us. Likewise, the only ones able to see the enemy are us," he said checking the gun he held in his hand. "Yes... all right..." Ooki nodded unconvinced. His initial involvement in that situation had left him completely drained, in body and mind, in senses and reason, as if he was hit by a tremendous electroshock. Yet now he had found himself catapulted into a recognizable scenario, apparently devoid of contradictions, but no less ambiguous for that. All this did not give him the idea of danger, at least not as he had anticipated while he had been in the anonymous room. Maybe it was one of those hidden-camera TV deceptions. Maybe Akari had unleashed all that scares to keep them on edge, to keep the excitement high. Maybe, at that moment, somewhere on the globe, there was an amused audience watching them and laughing their heads off. The very attitude of the girl, so quiet and relaxed, reinforced that hypothesis in him. That was why there was no reason to show nervousness. Ooki felt as if he had finally identified a satisfactory answer that justified en bloc that paradoxical excursus. He realized that he was recovering his emotional state and imposed on his mind not to overstep the boundaries of cold rationality. He stared at the girl, anxious to discover the rest. He convinced himself that Akari was too beautiful, too attractive and too slender, to be a stranger to the world of show business, an environment where appearance was everything and physical prowess was a prerequisite for getting ahead. "What's your name?" she asked him, anticipating him with her usual blunt, monotone tone. This time he felt prepared. The qualms of still not being able to express himself as he wanted had faded, but they hadn't disappeared entirely. "My name is Ooki Kashihara... what's yours? What's your name? The real one, I mean..." She had opted to start over, starting with her name. She felt the need to ascertain whether Akari was her real name, or perhaps her surname, or a stage name used for the occasion. Once he had clarified the name, he thought he could easily link it to that of an actress or some other well-known character. And if Akari really was an actress, then the chances of being in the middle of a movie set would go up exponentially. "My name is Akari Jingu, but you can call me Akari. Let's drop the Miss and other honorifics, shall we? Rather, would you mind finding a good hiding place? Even if you wear the suit the best way to survive missions is to not get caught by the enemy." She had reverted to her cold, detached tone that allowed no reply, typical of one who fears nothing. "Well... I can agree with that... I'm certainly not going to be the one to get in your way." That blatantly rude attitude towards her had ended up irritating him. However, Ooki decided that the best course of action for the moment was not to contradict her. He made up his mind of all the names of actresses he knew. "No..." he mumbled to himself, "Akari Jingu I've never heard that before." The problem was that he didn't understand how much he wanted to put himself on the line, how much he'd risk, because that scene, at times surreal and grotesque, frightened him. One thing he thought he sensed: it didn't seem too dangerous. Apparently, he had no reason to back down. He'd never had the chance to experience something like this, and in a way it appealed to him. Especially since the best he could do was go home and spend the night on his books in preparation for the end-of-term exam. He decided to stay. He sent his already prepared mind to flee the counterorder, nodded again, and turned around. However, the girl grabbed him by the shoulder, as if she had just remembered something important. "Don't stray too far. If you happen to hear a jingle similar to a music box starting to rumble in your head, turn on your heels and change direction." That was all she told him before she loosened her grip and stomped off in the opposite direction. Caught off guard again, Ooki took off after her, trying to catch up. Finally, impatient, he called out to her. "Hey, wait a minute!" She stopped short and turned around. "What do you want?" Did you say a music box in your head? What does that even mean?" Don't make too much trouble. Just do as you're told..." she cut her words short. "But why?" he insisted. Akari shook her fringe impatiently. "Would you trust me? We don't have much time! Just try to survive and then I'll explain everything to you calmly, understand?" Suddenly, a flash. Instinctively she raised her gun and fired a shot at half-height in the boy's direction. Ooki's muscles twitched. A curious breeze swept across his face as two gusts of wind whipped through his arms, slipping out from under his armpits. He turned just in time to see the curious figure caught in the beams of light from Akari's weapon. From his build he judged him to be little more than a child. The strange individual struggled and turned over and over in an attempt to free himself from those glowing cables. He wore a simple t-shirt that fell over a pair of jeans. But what immediately caught Ooki's attention was the strange hairstyle: the child wore braids gathered in bunches and secured by an ornamental brooch just above his ears. It reminded him of characters and images from classical fiction: the tiny, expressionless, almond-cut eyes like two thin slits. It really looked like one of the subjects of the great scrolls on the shelves of the National Museum of Japan. "Don't call me Umayado!" The plaintive cry, accompanied by wailing words, distracted him from the image of the child who continued to struggle. Ooki's surprises weren't over yet. He looked around to determine where the voice had come from. He intercepted a posed figure standing a few feet away from him. It was the Prince Shōtoku himself, and he wielded the shaku. His facial features and hairstyle gave no cause for doubt. Yet, viewed as a whole, it was obvious that something was jarring. First of all, the shirt he was wearing, embossed with the phrase Born in USA, not to mention the Denim jeans. But what made him wince the most was the look of hatred she was staring at him with, and it planted itself deep in her heart. It was then that Ooki realized. The child imprisoned in the luminous net was identical to one of the two little princes flanking Shōtoku in the most famous woodcut depicting him, an eighth-century image he had seen in elementary school history books. "Don't call me Umayado!"