domingo, 31 de marzo de 2019

¡QUÉ PAVOR (ESE MUÑECO DEL ARMARIO)!

Nunca he hecho un filk de Vampire Miyu antes - así que para todo hay una primera vez, ¿no?
O sea, este es el episodio 19, "Por el amor de un muñeco" (人形師の恋), desde el PdV de Yuki, la joven sirvienta. Sur l'air de Raffaella Carrà Una mujer en el armario, canción que seguro que has cantado bajo la influencia etílica

A ver si hago más filks desde el PdV de otras víctimas de shinma (el chico de la sirena, el chico de la gatita Ring, los dueños del gato negro Boy, la niña de las zapatillas rojas, Lily Sone y su padre, el escultor casado con la dama araña, el pensionista cinéfilo...). Hay varios casos que me inspiran para cantarlos...

Hay una artista,
hay una artista,
a la que admiro por sus obras tan realistas...
A su servicio,
con sacrificio,
me han reclutado, y por eso me desvivo...
Y lo hago todo,
y saco polvo
a sus muñecos, no entro en su cuarto prohibido...

Pero una tarde que se fue a duchar,
me encontré pronto franqueando ese umbral...

Y me encuentro un muñeco --¡qué pavor, qué pavor!
dentro de ese armario
Y me encuentro un muñeco --¡qué pavor, qué pavor!
de un dulce muchacho...
Y la señora me dice que no hay nada que explique,
no le ponga un meñique ni le abroche un botón...
Y va y después de atizarme, repitió esa advertencia,
aunque tengo la sospecha... ¡de que le doy calor!

Y así la artista 
está que trina;
desde ese día, se ha encerrado en su cuarto...
Lavo la ropa, 
me voy de compras,
y, a mediodía, le preparo un té o un caldo...
Entro en el cuarto,
pero la artista
regresa, en mano su cuchillo de tallado...

Desde esa tarde, no se pudo calmar,
y a su muñeco se ha puesto a atacar...

Porque era bien chungo el muñeco --¡qué pavor, qué pavor!
dentro de ese armario
Porque siniestro era el muñeco --¡qué pavor, qué pavor!
más feo que un batracio
Caras así nunca he visto, está todo hecho un Cristo,
parece un cascanueces que es de lord Voldemort...
Y ella no le corresponde, ya sé porqué le esconde,
aunque es su único hombre - ¡que no da calor!

Porque era bien chungo el muñeco --¡qué pavor, qué pavor!
dentro de ese armario
Porque siniestro era el muñeco --¡qué pavor, qué pavor!
más feo que un batracio
Y plantamos una falla, presentamos batalla,
aunque él da vida a los otros que hay en esta mansión...
y ella me ha dicho, sincera, que quiere a quien le quiera:
ahora hacemos muñecas - ¡y ni un varón!

Ay ay ay ay 
¡Qué pavor, qué pavor!
Ay ay ay ay 
Ese muñeco del armario
Ay ay ay ay 

¡Qué pavor, qué pavor!
Ay ay ay ay 
Era más feo que un batracio
Ay ay ay ay 

¡Qué pavor, qué pavor!
Ay ay ay ay 
Al fin salimos del armario
Ay ay ay ay 

Y plantamos una falla, presentamos batalla,
aunque él da vida a los otros que hay en esta mansión...
y ella me ha dicho, sincera, que quiere a quien le quiera:
ahora hacemos muñecas - ¡y ni un varón!



viernes, 29 de marzo de 2019

project outline - A MASQUE AT THE OPERA

Upcoming project
ANOTHER DERMARKISED VERDI LIBRETTO

A MASQUE AT THE OPERA
or,
THAT VERSION WHERE GUSTAVUS III
(AS STRAIGHT AS A RAINBOW IN REAL LIFE)
IS MADE BY VERDI --AND HIS FRENCH SOURCE--
TO BE SWEET ON FRU ANCKARSTRÖM
or
MAYBE IT WILL BE SET IN WESTEROS?
Source libretto by Antonio Somma
German libretto by Johann Christoph Grünbaum http://www.opera-guide.ch/opera.php?uilang=de&id=400#libretto

  • Gustavus III (lyric tenor)
  • Captain Jan-Jakob Anckarström, royal guard (lyric baritone)
  • Elisa Anckarström, his wife (soprano or mezzo)
  • Oskar, Gustavus's personal valet (coloratura soprano, en travesti)
  • Ulrika, soothsayer (contralto)
  • Lieutenant Adolf Ribbing, anti-royalist officer and leader of the plotters (bass-baritone)
  • Lieutenant Horn, another anti-royalist officer and second-in-command of the plotters (bass-baritone)
  • Kristoffer, non-commissioned officer (bass-baritone)
  • The Lord High Magistrate (heroic tenor)
  • Fru Anckarström's handmaid (mezzo)
CHORUS OF:
Courtiers, scholars, artists, performers, dignitaries, townspeople, peasants, officers, ranker soldiers, royal household servants, household servants to the Anckarströms, professional ballet dancers at the masque, conspirators

ACT 1
Scene I - The Levée
Scene II - The Lair of the Oracle (tre lustri -> "two decades")

ACT 2
One Scene - Setting - Runestones on the Execution Grounds

ACT 3
Scene I - The Drawing-Room at the Anckarströms'
Scene II - The Foyer at the Opera (Anckarströms about to be shipped "off to Russia")
Scene III - The Ballroom at the Opera


***************************************************
ALTERNATE PREMISE - WESTEROSI VERSION - A MASQUED BALL? THE TRAGEDY OF KING AERYS THE SECOND?

  • Aerys II Targaryen (lyric tenor)
  • Lord Tywin Lannister, his right-hand man, advisor, former cupbearer (lyric baritone)
  • Lady Joanna Lannister, wife to Tywin (soprano or mezzo)
  • Varys, foreign eunuch, Aerys's personal valet (coloratura soprano, en travesti)
  • Lysandra, wise woman of the woods, mystic, soothsayer (contralto)
  • Lord Dennys Darklyn, anti-royalist officer and leader of the plotters (bass-baritone)
  • Lord Frey, anti-royalist officer, second-in-command of the plotters (bass-baritone)
  • Ser Andreas the Blue-Eyed, Stormlander bannerman, ie non-commissioned officer (bass-baritone)
  • The Lord High Magistrate (heroic tenor)
  • Enna, Joanna Lannister's handmaid (mezzo) --

CHORUS OF:
Courtiers, scholars, artists, performers, dignitaries, townspeople, peasants, officers, ranker soldiers, royal household servants, household servants to the Lannisters, professional springtime dancers at the masque, conspirators

ACT 1
Scene I - The Levée
Scene II - The Lair of the Oracle (tre lustri -> "two decades")

ACT 2
One Scene - Setting - Ruins of Harrenhall

ACT 3
Scene I - The Drawing-Room at the Lannisters', in the Tower of the Hand
Scene II - The Foyer to the Ballroom (Lannisters about to be shipped "to Volantis")
Scene III - The Ballroom





ÉCHANSON - AERWIN VOCALOID FILK

All right - this is a Cendrillon filk -- even though, if it's Aerwin, the title just has to be Échanson! -- A few enlightenments (never better said):
This is an eighteenth-century Westeros AU - the setting is the Red Keep we all know, but everything is baroque-rococo (interiors, landscaping, fashion): Aerys is still the crown prince, Tywin is still a cupbearer at court - just arrived in the capital fresh from the Westerlands. I thought of a setting more or less like Tywin being forced into an Anckarström role by conspirators in order to reinstate the Lannister family (plus, young Aerys does remind me of Gustavus III)... Only that, instead of a gun, Tywin has a phial of a blue almond-scented liquid that a certain Dornishwoman (Oberyn's and his siblings' mum - if anyone wonders - since her name is not given in canon, I have the headcanon that it's Nymeria!) amongst the conspirators has entrusted him to. However, when you fall in love or at least bromance with your victim, there are always sacrifices to make...
So it's a duet: the lines in the Lannister colours are Tywin's, those in the Targaryen colours are sung by His Grace, and those in usual black and white are sung by both of them at unison... 

... (ticking)


ÉCHANSON
*an aerwin tale*


After waking from a dream, where we danced all night it seemed,
knowing that the spell will break at midnight's chime...
why do you lead me away, showing to the door the way?
I storm down the flight of stairs, descend steps three by three...

That cabin below deck must have been ice-cold...
Dance in these clothes within this ballroom tonight,
and be yourself by the dawn!!

In the crowd, I follow instructions:
"Find a young man with long platinum hair..."
I ready my phial at hand, brace myself to wrest
everything that he owns from him...

Royal ballrooms where orphans gather,
each of their smiles concealed, or gone, or fake,
will ne'er know sincere love, and never the answers hold,
for they will not help you know the truth!

... (csárdás + sound of footsteps to the rhythm)

The powdered wig... that the cupbearer wore...
and left upon the stairs... burns bright in greenish flames...

Right now I must take my leave - I am trembling like a leaf...
Every now and then you glance to check the time...
Thus, without my wig, I dance - to confess I've not a chance...
I seize your neck and tighten my grasp around your throat...

My lips dry up your tears with soothing kisses...
Ah-ah... the shiver that I felt deep inside 
course down my spine... was too much!!

Please don't let the bells peal for midnight!
I find that before you I have to bow so low...
Although I resisted the urge, ah, my right hand slips,
seals your destiny forever...

You who have the air of a lordling,
wearing the scent of almonds on your eyes...
My frozen façade was no match 'gainst your inner fire,
I felt your gaze shattering the ice...

... (minuet, strained breathing)

I feel your warmth upon my skin as we lie breathing out;
everything feels like a dream fading...

Silvered by the light of the full moon, your fair hair makes a veil;
your smile shines like the brightest stars...

... (strained breathing + pounding heartbeats, clanking bayonets)

My tailcoat is torn at the waist height,
everyone's feet will tread on my cravat...
Sparks flame between eyes that lock, green with amethyst,
for what I have just done to you...

Thus, two lonely souls bind together,
wildfires kindled by death's bitter draught;
Yet, if I am not the one who will stop your tears,
there is no satisfaction on my own...

Stop the time at this very instant;
I am completely drawn into you...
I wish I could store away this sound for evermore,
as I count your every heartbeat...

Overwhelmed by rushing emotions,
left to drown within this spreading warmth...
From this moment on, my body will move no more...
Just like in a fairytale!!


And here are some cues to help you visualize:
  • Steffon and Cassana may be among the guests; ditto Olenna.
  • At "three by three," Tywin drops his powdered wig (part of the livery) as he descends the stairs in haste. One of the plotters burns the wig with wildfire to create a distraction for the kingsguards.
  • At "seals your destiny forever" - Tywin has already laced Aerys' drink (right hand slipped), and the prince has already downed at least three sips or a deep draught, whatever you prefer.
  • The effect kicks in for real, with respiratory symptoms, at the second interlude, after "shattering the ice." At this point, Tywin loosens Aerys' coat and waistcoat and takes off his cravat to help him breathe, cradling the poisoned royal...
  • When Tywin says that his tailcoat is torn at the waist height - the kingsguards on duty came to him with drawn bayonets as he ran away (cradling a dying Aerys), and the bayonets cut off the coattails of his gold-brocaded servant's livery; he also casts off his cravat.
  • The ending is open... maybe Aerys survives and Tywin is pardoned, maybe one dies in a canopy bed and the other on a chopping block before the Great Sept. I leave it to you, dear readers.





lunes, 25 de marzo de 2019

EN QUE RINDEN CULTO AL PEN DE LIBRA

Star*Twinkle Pretty Cure - Episode 8
My Own Review
EN QUE RINDEN CULTO AL PEN DE LIBRA


The eighth episode of Star  Twinkle sees the eponymous group travel to a bone-shaped planet called Kennel, in the Sirius star system, in order to track down the Libra Princess Star Colour Pen.



Hikaru spies PreCures' next destination
We begin with Lala’s crew (Captain: Lala Hagoromo; First Officer: Madoka Kaguya; Quartermaster: Elena Amamiya; Lookout: Hikaru Hoshina) travelling through the Starscape, which is a little bit different from what you might expect when compared to space. Soon enough, the planet with the Libra Star Colour Pen comes into view: the bone-shaped Kennel, a world in the Sirius star system (it's not "ruff" to find out what the locals resemble, eh?).


The girls discover lots of bones on the bone-shaped planet
When they land on the planet, Hikaru wants to go first so she can put the first human footprint on the planet. Things don’t go quite as she plans, but she does get to make her mark. 


One faceprint for humanity!

As the girls explore and seek out the Pen, they find themselves approached by some of the natives. It was also quite of surprised that the 3 visible natives of Planet Kennel-Doggy, Maggy, and Neggy took pride of who they were and commented that Earthlings are nothing special. (Actually I felt that they were prejudiced against Hikaru and company since they are not covered in fur like the natives)
From left to right: Neggy, Doggy, and Maggy

They meet some furry locals, or Pompomeranians, who are very proud of their fur. The aliens find it weird that the girls only have fur on their heads, though they are impressed by Fuwa. They just feel sorry for the hairless Purunce, though. The locals insist on a proper greeting, leading to a funny moment with Hikaru.




That’s not what the Pompomeranians had in mind, though, and they show them what their greeting looks like.

Just like this - fluffing their fur and sparkling...

Elena tries to befriend the locals
Elena decides to show the pup-like aliens (from an Earthly POV: the earthlings + Lala and Co are the aliens from the Pompomeranians' perspective) an Earth greeting from her own Hispanic culture, and shakes their hands whilst smiling at them.

¿Esos cinco?

She tells them that they are friends now, but the locals are not quite enthusiastic about it.

Elena is the nice one in this episode and she offered her friendship to Doggy. They will later learn that the Libra Princess Star Pen is being worshipped by them claiming it was a "Gift" from the sky. From the heavens above.
It rains bones on the bone-shaped planet
It starts raining, but it is not water that falls from the sky. Rather, it is raining bones (amen). The locals with their fur have adapted to the environment. They offer a hair tonic to the humans and Purunce so they can grow fur to protect them from the solid rain. Hikaru is all too willing to try it, but Elena decides she will keep hold of it for the time being.


Ya que una servidora es la más responsable, confiadme el crecepelo.



Doggy takes everyone to a statue of the locals’ ancestor, which has the Libra Star Colour Pen on top of it. Doggy calls it a ‘sacred bone’ that fell from the heavens, as a gift bestowed onto the world of Kennel, and utterly refuses to hand it over when asked about it. Just like the Hattifnattar and the barometer they worshipped because it predicted storms for these electric ghosts to recharge and thus feed! (Tove Jansson - Moomins reference, if no one got it - moreover, the Pompomeranians look just like Hattifnattar-Wookiee hybrids!)

The sacred bone is actually a Star Colour Princess Pen









Purunce tries to get Elena to take it anyway, but she refuses. (Given that she is from a Catholic family, the concept of sacrilege is not a stranger to her!)
Kappard arrives to claim the Libra Star Colour Princess Pen
As they argue about the sacred bone, Kappard shows up to try and steal it for himself.
Prunce insisted of getting the Pen out of their god's scalp... and when Kappard also arrived to steal it, Doggy immediately accused them of being thieves. 
 Of course, that means it is time for PreCures to transform. Soleil fights Kappard directly, whilst the other three hold off his soldiers.





The Pompomeranians also do their part in the combat by their allies' side.
Purunce uses the hair tonic
It seems as if Kappard has the upper hand over Cure Soleil, so Purunce begs the locals to let them borrow the power of the Libra Star Colour Princess Pen. 


When Kappard launches an attack at the locals who are trying to remove the pen (in a rather Arthurian fashion), Purunce protects them with a little help from the hair tonic - and some improptu wookiee cosplay ensues!

Sword-in-the-stone moment!!

Elena tried to explain why they need the Star Pen however was shunned off by Doggy. It was only after Cure Soleil/Elena protected it from Kappard that Doggy & Co. pulled out the Star Pen and Cure Soleil used it to defeat Kappard.

Cure Soleil with the Libra Star Colour Princess Pen
The aliens throw the Libra Star Colour Princess Pen over to Cure Soleil, who uses it to power up her Soleil Shoot attack (so, the power of Libra is ... ). She uses it to send Kappard and the mooks flying, bringing the battle to an end.





Libra Fuwa (Scalewa)
Once the battle has ended, the girls use the pen to return the Princess of Libra to the Star Palace.



Princess of Libra
The Princess of Libra thanks PreCures for their efforts, and makes a comment about how much Fuwa has grown. She doesn’t recognise Purunce though, as he is still covered in fur.
The episode ends with Purunce returning to normal as the effect wears off, though Elena has another bottle of hair tonic ready for any time he wants to use it.



Of course, the Libra Star Princess was revived and she even play dumb to Prunce who was covered in fur. (After using a bottle of instant hair growth earlier)




In the end, everything went well and Doggy and Elena formed a new friendship...
A good episode. Cure Soleil was the main star here, though Hikaru got some excellent funny moments in the earlier parts of the episode. Leaving her mark on the planet and her introduction in particular made me laugh.
The girls are up to three Princess Star Colour Pens now; a quarter of the way to collecting all twelve. I suspect they will have all of them by the halfway point of this season if the pace continues on like this.

Overall, the plot is moving forward since the girls found the Libra Princess Star Pen and hopefully we get to see more interesting planets. I like how Prunce causally commented that there is a planet that rained diamonds (Take me to that Planet) after they were taking shelter from a bone shower. 

But the fighting is still one-sided and hopefully that is not the case in every episode since Aiwan is the only one so far that can corrupt the Star Pens. But we have not reached the end of the first quarter (springtime cour) of the series since that is reserved for major storylines so it is still too early to tell.
Next time is a Madoka episode.

Episode 8: The girls traveled to Planet Kennel, in search for the Libra Pen. When they arrive, the find the world to be completely made out of bones, and encountered the furry race that lives there. After somewhat awkward first encounter, they are brought to the temple to shelter from the “rain” where they discover the Libra Pen. It was perceived to be a (temporary) replacement for the head-tail that had broke and was currently under repairs.
Although this week’s episode was cute and had some good comedic moments, despite this episode focusing on Elena,  I felt it was really shallow. The only thing we got out of her is her understanding and kind nature, both we are already aware of, and how she has the strength to not be pressured in going against her morales— regardless of what is at stake. This was highlighted when Prunce was pressuring Elena to grab the pen and go instead of actually trying to communicate to the aliens why they needed it. I liked that they did this because it shows us how because of his desperation, Prunce can be a hypocrite when he is fuelled by his own selfish desires.
But Prunce wasn’t the only one who caused problems, Hikaru did as well— and much to my dismay, nobody called her out on it! But in all seriousness, dear gosh, someone get a hold of this child! She has no sense of danger whatsoever. If this were a horror series, she would be the first to go down because of her boundless curiosity. But what I also didn’t like was how disrespectful she was at the shrine. Sure, she was wondering if the “Sacred Bone” was the pen or not, but to have the nerve to climb the statue of their ancestor and guardian spirit? The other girls were a lot more sensible in realizing how they needed to be diplomatic about the approach given the situation at hand. It makes me wonder if they will ever properly address this glaring flaw of hers.



MY OWN HUMBLE OPINION:
Siriusly, did you take out a page from Tove Jansson's books? (Hattifnattar-Wookiee hybrid locals - and the barometer worship parallel)
The Libra Pen: 3 Star Colour pens down (our first air sign, and first fixed sign, to break the pattern!) - still nine more to go! That's a quarter down and three quarters to go, right?
The Power-Up:
First, let us see what the Libra Pen does to the Soleil Shot, shall we?



The Fuwa Form (Scalewa): Given that this is the only star sign not to be animal- or humanoid-themed in the western zodiac, the form needed a lot of fantasy to create-- and we got an adoooorable uniformed schoolgirl, whose earrings+hairpins formed the scales!


The Libra Star Princess: That hairstyle - symmetry in her choice of attire - the bare shoulders  - star-shaped pupils



IN NExT EPISODE (9):

We are back on Earth --so that the Cures will commute between worlds, leaving for other star systems whenever a Star Colour Pen rears its head!

Next episode is about Madoka and her conflicts with her father and probably herself. The answer to her problem? Donuts!? ¿Y qué pinta la floristería Sonrisa? Until then, see you in the next post!  

jueves, 21 de marzo de 2019

MUKASHIBANASHI 11: THE SNOW BRIDE

To commemorate the springtime equinox for this year, here is another mukashibanashi -- particularly widespread in Kanto (ie eastern Honshu, the Tokyo area), where the snow often reaches a height of three metres and remains on the ground up to half of the year.

Mukashi mukashi, once upon a time long ago, there was a young man who had not yet found any maiden who would like to tie the knot with him, and thus, being an orphan and an only child, as well as friendless, he lived all alone on his own. On a stormy winter night, during a raging blizzard, he heard a knock on the door. And, when he opened, he found a young lady with unusual silver hair, her whole self too lovely to be human, clad in a mourning-white kimono, lying unconscious on the threshold floor. So he carried her indoors, and soon she began to recover, even though her face remained as pale and cold as newly-fallen snow, and her eyes were an icy blue, so piercing that they burned through. And she was so beautiful that he asked Oyuki, for that was her name, for her hand in marriage.
The two of them lived together, as happily as only young newlyweds can live, for all winter long, and she even encouraged him to go more often down to the village and open up and make friends... but when springtime came and the sun began to shine warmly once more, the young wife began to gradually lose her strength. For each day, she grew weaker and weaker, and lost more and more weight, just like a consumptive would.
Her young husband thought that perchance Oyuki was wasting away for want of company, so he invited their mutual friends over to a fête held to celebrate the springtime equinox at their place. In the middle of the soirée, the young host called for his wife into the kitchen. Since there was no reply, he entered to find her. But there was no Oyuki to be found; only a silken wisteria kimono (which he had given her as a gift), soaking wet, in the middle of a large puddle of freshwater by the fireside.


The bride in this tale is obviously a yuki-onna (雪女), ie a Snow Lady: a female ice elemental, commonly portrayed as a femme fatale who cajoles young males and leads them to a frozen grave in cold water or a snowdrift. Then she preys on their body warmth...
They're typically depicted as pale women with long, black or (particularly in modern depictions) icy blue hair that wear mourning-white (for white is the Asian colour of mourning, just as black is here in European cultures), icy white kimonos (however, some traditional depictions also show them being nude). Yuki-onna are the spirits of young women who died of hypothermia.
Whether Yuki-onna simply like cold climates, are cursed to live in cold climates, or literally can't survive outside of cold climates depends on the incarnation. Some incarnations sleep with lone travelers to steal valuable body warmth, others will simply make them get lost during their travels in order to freeze to death, yet others will kill travelers by tricking them into touching them. More benevolent Yuki-onna will either lead the victims to safety and then sleep with them (or just lead them to safety), or simply leave them alone; the more wicked ones will lead them astray to begin with, kill them with the methods described above, or use them. Some evil Yuki-onna have been described as letting their victims go if they are too young and-or too attractive. Such might have been the case of this Oyuki's husband in today's mukashibanashi! (But I personally see this Oyuki as being far more kind-hearted, don't I?)


Mysterious and majestic Shirahime (白姫), the White Princess, CLAMP's yuki-onna, was my introduction to this species of youkai, both in her titular standalone volume Snow Goddess Tales (a triptych of stories tied together by the wintry rural landscape settings and the presence of the titular character) as well as her appearances in other CLAMP series, such as Angelic Layer, where she was revamped as an albino in a shorter kimono and thigh-high boots:
 






A far cry from the CLAMP winter royal, and my favourite yuki-onna in fiction, is the eccentric and socially awkward, adorable Mizore Shirayuki. Like Luna Lovegood, she resonated with me due to similarities in personality, down to the oral fixation (she is never seen without a mint lollipop, to keep herself cool even in the hottest temperatures). In the past, she confessed her love to her kraken swimming teacher, Octo Kotsubo, until he began taking advantage of her, freezing him as a result. With the incident and rumors spreading about her, Mizore made it hard for herself to trust anyone. She eventually regains her sense of trust after Octo returns to kill her, putting Mizore in literal hot water...

  • Anime Hair: Not so much now, but when she was first introduced her hair was much more messy and longer, and despite only having her hair like that in her intro eps in the anime, it's still popular with her fans. She doesn't wear her hair like that anymore because to her it was a Important Hair Cut to symbolize the lessening of her burdens (or something along those lines), which was followed by her becoming a member of the leading cast of nakama.
  • Arranged Marriage: Is rescued from it by her friends and mother.
  • Doppelgänger Spin: Her "ice clone" technique, which allows her to make somewhat-independent clones merely out of the humidity in the air. She's shown to be quite adept, as she can not only make clones of others, but have two acting at the same time.
  • Icy Blue Eyes: Notably more in the anime, as it borders to Technicolour Eyes, iridescent like northern lights.
  • Logical Weakness: As a yuki-onna, she's vulnerable to fire and heat.
  • Loners Are Freaks: Even after joining the group, it was quite a while before she joined the Newspaper Club proper, instead of just hanging around in the club room. And she's definitely an oddball.
  • Me's a Crowd: Can create "ice clones". Not only of herself.
  • My Biological Clock Is Ticking: She gets an entire arc focusing on this.
  • Only You Can Repopulate My Race: Yuki-Onna have a limited window of fertility (teens to early-to-mid twenties), which poses a problem. A problem that's exacerbated by her fixations.
  • Oral Fixation: Her minty lollipop, which is used to keep herself cool. According to an Omake, it's got a super-chilly frost core. So much so, she provides the Trope Image.
  • Stealth Hi/Bye: Often appears out of ridiculous hiding places, like trash cans, second story windows, dropped ceilings, the bathtub...




In the usual femme fatale portrayal of the yuki-onna, there are stark similarities to Andersen's sinisterly alluring, abducting, fierce Snow Queen. Such stark similarities that it does not seem to be purely coincidental that the same motifs pop up clustered in the same pattern in both the eastern and western versions...

However, in tales like these where a bachelor marries a yuki-onna and subsequently loses her to higher temperatures, there is much less resonance of Andersen and much more of the Slavic Snegurotchka (Снегурочка), a snow-girl, made as a snowman shaped like a lifesized girl child by a childless couple, and subsequently adopted by her makers as she comes to life; a character who, just like the Snow Queen, is held up as a Christmas icon in Russia and the rest of Eastern Europe. The story of Snegurotchka ends in springtime with the same coda as this mukashibanashi, only that the skazka ends on a more bittersweet, hopeful note: with the parents deciding to make another snow girl, or Snegurotchka, the next winter, and do so as a tradition for each and every winter of their lives (besides, stories like those of Kaguya, Snegurotchka, the Pacific Northwest Sunchild, and Timothy Green, can all be regarded as tales of comfort and reassurance for empty-nesters who miss their estranged children).
The Pokémon Froslass and Glaceon are also based upon the yuki-onna, as is the Yo-Kai Blizzaria.