Drive-By Post Before I Vanish To Do Laundry

[redbrunja]

Someone online mentioned a Beauty & The Beast Castle that I need to go see while I'm in France. Is this ringing anyone's bells?

Also...

-What does Gojyo's shampoo smell like? I assume, with his hair, he probably using something fairly quality, but I can't think of what. I'm tempted to go with Tea Tree Oil Shampoo, which smells minty and green and tingles pleasantly, but since that's what I use, I'm not sure it's allowed.

-During the summer pzb, my mother, possibly renegadekitsuneand I had a conversation about the ikkou's musical taste, which is notable for the way every single person said immediately, 'Gojyo listens to rock.' Which is kind of a gimme, but still, aren't we sympathico? So my question is, what are the ikkou's musical guilty pleasures? What is the music that Gojyo plays that Hakkai actually likes? For Gojyo himself, I think he wouldn't admit to liking Ray Lamontagne, but would because that artist  has this wonderful sense of romance combined with the doubt that love even exists. (Go listen to "Jolene" - it's gorgeous and totally on my 'Forget Me Not' playlist, and only smillaraaqis going to know what that means.) 

Also, I went to Giverny today, which is where Monet painted and it was utterly gorgeous and so, so peaceful, I just wanted to stay there listening to music and looking at the flowers, in this lovely, hazy misty morning, with a truly lovely dove-gray sky and the birds chirping.

What was less fun was that while I was walking to Monet's house I had my head turned and walked straight into the lamp post that was for some unfathomable reason in the middle of the sidewalk. Seriously, it was a total slap-stick moment; I expected to see Charlie Chaplan hanging around. Almost as painful as it was embarrassing.

Comments

[mzminola.livejournal.com]

I figured Gojyo just used the little complimentary bottles of shampoo in the hotels.

Ow. Hope you didn't bruise anything.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

That is highly possible. Expect they suck for your hair over long periods of time, and frankly, I think Gojyo is vain enough that prior/post traveling, he bought at the very least decent shampoo.

I'm less worried about bruising and more worried that this is going to be the straw that will force me to need to get a chiropractic adjustement here, and I don't even want to think about what that will cost.

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

See, I've known enough guys with really pretty long hair that they took really horrible care of, that I can sort of see Gojyo just grabbing whatever stuff was the cheapest, or the first thing he saw on the shelf, and maybe not being so fussy about what it smells like since he does smoke a lot. If he were to be fussy about shampoo I can see it maybe being after he notices that the scent of a particular brand really gets him a lot of compliments from the bargirls -- but at the same time, I can sort of see him being a little conflicted about that sort of attention, given all of his ISSUES about his hair?

Along with really loud, crunchy rock, I can almost see Gojyo being a bit into dance music -- maybe not collecting it or listening to it outside of the clubs, but he's so graceful and confident in movement that it seems like he'd be a natural on the dancefloor...ESPECIALLY once he figured out how much women tend to like a man who's a good dancer!

Goku, I'm not so sure about. Sanzo, I think I can mostly tell what he WOULDN'T like -- anything that annoys him, which would probably be anything too loud, or too catchy, or too popular so it's hard to avoid (that goes double for anything Gojyo likes.) I have a feeling that getting earworms would make him really, really grumpy, and he hardly needs any assistance there!

Hakkai strikes me as the classical sort, maybe even an opera lover: all those heightened over-the-top passions and doomed lovers might strike a chord with him, it's a way of wallowing in those intense emotions he doesn't generally let show.

(Oh hey, speaking of music, did you already get the last batch of stuff I uploaded for you last week?)

[fantomfantasy.livejournal.com]

Hi! I miss hanging out with you. How is France? Are your classes going well? School just started here.

The castle they are mentioning is in the middle of france. I think they mean Neuschwanstein castle, but that is in Germany. I have always wanted to go there. Looking on the internet I found The Castle of Sleeping Beauty (Chateau d'Usse). I believe it is in the Loir Valley.

Miss you,
Kristina

[mzminola.livejournal.com]

Maybe he just steals Hakkai's. Or Sanzo's when he's in a pissy mood.

[renegadekitsune.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I said the stuff about Usse! It's totally the Sleeping Beauty castle. Go check it out.

And I think Gojyo and Queen go hand in hand...PZB and I had a chat about this.....As it were, I think Gojyo's guilty pleasure would be Jazz.

[pzb.livejournal.com]

I think Hakkai would generally listen to classical too, but I think he'd also have a secret love for heavy metal and techno (although I doubt he'd include it in his personal list of favorites. XD)

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

Ooooh, maybe really operatic artsy metal like Nightwish and Onmyou-za!

(...of course, now my inner 585 shipper will NEVER be able to listen to "Kappa Odori" with a straight face ever again!)

[droiche.livejournal.com]

Herm. I imagine Gojyo would prefer better quality shampoo, but he's probably forced to go with whatever he can afford. I'm not sure what brands are available in China and Japan. Anywho, I've had a great deal of success with Fructis Long & Strong - around 5 bucks a bottle and it does the job. As for scents, I think he'd go for vanilla or coconut which can be had in most affordable brands. I can see him getting Suave in a pinch.

Woo music. I would guess they would like whatever matches their overall personalities.

Genjyo: jazz, classical, ambient, folk, rhythm & blues, blues, rock & pop (nothing overwhelmingly popular of course)

Gojyo: hard rock, bluegrass, country & western, glam metal

Hakkai: jazz, classical, opera, showtunes

Goku: pop, rap, death metal, maybe goth, any contemporary music you can dance to.


Yeah. I think they would like some of the same genres, but would differ about which musicians and sub-genres they prefer.

[nimblnymph.livejournal.com]

Oooo... what a fun question! Okay, here's kinda what I think:

Gojyo~ Music, obviously rock. Probably something classic or leaning toward metal. Guilty pleasure... techno. With heavy bass lines and lots of dark, sensual undertones. Think a little along the lines of Aphix Twins.

Hakkai~ Music, something soothing, like Nora Jones or Pete Yash. As a guilty pleasure, hard core, borderline emo punk. I'm thinking My Chemical Romance on this one, and maybe even The Used.

Goku~ Happy punk, aka Fallout Boy and Panic! At the disco. Guilty pleasure: I could see Goku liking classical music, if only because it's so beautiful that it allows you to imagine things. *nods* Light classical though, like maybe Mozart... or, if we were going a little more contemporary, maybe include Cirque du Soleil in this category. Not that he would EVER go and get it himself. Gojyo would tease him horribly for it. That's why he begs Hakkai to, pretty pleeeeeease, go get it for him?

Sanzo~ Doesn't listen to music. Why would he want to? His guilty pleasure... he's got a collection of music hidden inside the temple that's insane and covers everything from AC/DC to Tchaikovsky. The three talking heads keep cutting off the Best Buy card that mysteriously was assigned to the temple... and somehow it keeps opening back up again. Does Sanzo care? No. He wants the new Maroon 5 cd, damn it!


*grins* Of course, that's all mostly just playing around. Ahhh... fun!

The Beauty and the Beast castle... Are you talking about the one used in the original black and white movie, La Belle et le Bete? Or are you referring to a historical place for the REAL story? And I'm sorry about your slapstick moment! I swear to God I wasn't laughing. Not at all. Are you okay though?

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

I don't know the Chinese brands, but in Japan Shiseido would be a good option for higher-end department-store type shampoos, and Kanebo seems really popular for more of an everyday drugstore-type brand (I can usually find a couple of different "flavors" of Kanebo Naive on the shelves at the bigger Asian markets in the region, and if it's popular enough that folks are demanding it in exports you know it's got to be a big thing.)

And judging by this post (http://smt.blogs.com/mari_diary/2005/07/asian_conscious.html), it looks like some of the big Western brands like Pantene are also readily available in the Japanese market. So, considering that Gojyo smokes Japanese Hi-Lites and Sanzo smokes American Marlboro reds (*shudder*), if you really want to have the boy using some particular brand, you can probably handwave it if it's something from a reasonably big company. :)

[droiche.livejournal.com]

Aye. Given that he gambles for a living, I doubt he can afford to be so picky that he'd buy only posh stuff. ^_^

I've read that the average Chinese entrepreneur is rather gung ho about getting popular American merchandise to sell. It digits that Gojyo would find working class to middle class priced American shampoo in China. (He'd get it cheaper than tourists would too, and for less than the price here in the US.) If not, there's still the locally made stuff.

Go figure Genjyo and the Marlboro Reds. They're a tad expensive, but they aren't exactly top of the line. Of course, cigarettes in China are phenomenally cheaper than they are in the United States. They'd have to be if 99% of all adult Chinese men smoke. Ha ha.

I'm a Camel Turkish Jades 100s person myself. Ten dollars cheaper than Marlboros and they taste far better, IMO. X-D

[droiche.livejournal.com]

I totally agree with you about Genjyo's musical guilty pleasures. I imagine his secret music collection would be as eclectic as mine. I've got everything from DMX to JS Bach, but I'm picky about exactly which artists and songs I listen to.

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

Aye. Given that he gambles for a living, I doubt he can afford to be so picky that he'd buy only posh stuff.

Yes, yes, that's money he could just as easily be spending on something IMPORTANT, like more booze and smokes! :)

I'm not entirely convinced Gojyo's quite as vain about his appearance as he likes to put on; he's certainly not terribly careful about how he dresses, so I can very easily see him being less than picky about haircare. His mom really beat in the message that he was ugly, and for all his talk of being handsome the way he reacts to the girls praising his hair makes me think he has internalized some of that, even if he tries not to show it.

The one thing Reds have going for them is that they're really heavy and strong, right? (I don't smoke, but the ex favored Marlboro Lights, which were heavy enough to make me gag even as second-hand smoke, because Reds were "too strong".) That seems a very Sanzo thing, somehow, no delicate coffin-nails for that boy!

Plus, aren't a lot of Chinese cigs super-cheap because so many of the supposed "Western" brands are actually locally-produced counterfeits? Apparently the price difference is soooo huge that there's even a thriving black market importing the fakes to the US...

[droiche.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure about there being that many Chinese made counterfeits, but I wouldn't put it past them to do that. The handful of autobiographies I read, written by Americans living in China in the last 10-15 years, indicated that the American products were the real thing. I can totally believe in a thriving black market for the fakes if they're as good as the genuine article. ;-)

Yes. Gojyo has a lot of pride on the surface, but he's also extremely insecure because of his stepmother's abuse. *nods* He's no fashion plate, but he doesn't have to be because the ladies love him in spite of himself. X-D


Yerp. I found the Reds to be way too strong. I have a few theories about Genjyo and the Reds. First, they were the first brand he'd ever smoked. It took me a while to try different brands when I started too. But I did eventually experiment which brings me to the second theory: Genjyo is allergic to change. Having been cast adrift too many times in his life, he'll cling to whatever constants he can get. Also, there's a concept in Shaolin Buddhism called "eating bitter". Basically, the idea is to suffer in order to make yourself better. Thus Genjyo likes his cigarettes the same way he likes his coffee: harsh and bitter.

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

Let me see if I can find the story -- ah, here it is (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/18/nyregion/18smokes.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss), NYT from last month, I *think* that RSS link should avoid the usual registration-hassle? Apparently the illegally imported cigs (both legit Chinese brands and knockoffs) have been a growing trend for the last few years at least...and funnily enough, it seems like fake Marlboros are the overwhelming favorite. I wouldn't know from as good as the real thing or not, but at about half the price of legal, heavily-taxed domestic product, the wallet-appeal is pretty obvious. ;)

[droiche.livejournal.com]

Thanks. You are right that there is a lively trade in counterfeit smokes from China. Hoo yeah. With the tobacco tax being raised frequently, smoking is one of the most expensive habit you can have. I'm grateful I live near a Smoker Friendly store where I can get my TJs for about 7 dollars less than any other store. (I'm talking about price/carton, btw. 1 pack is still between $4 and $5.)

Yup. From what I understand, Marlboro is the most overwhelmingly popular brand out there. Betcha part of that is due to those old Marlboro Man ads.

[nimblnymph.livejournal.com]

Hehehe, I can just imagine him shoving all the temple treasure into a broom closet somewhere in favor of storing his precious cds in a secured vault!

And yes, his taste would be eclectic but picky. Mine's the same, too. I think I've got music from every genre that's been created... And last I counted I think I'd JUST passed the 500 mark. Sooo... yeah.

And naturally, he'd criticize Gojyo's taste in music. White Snake over Def Leopard? Damned stupid kappa!

[droiche.livejournal.com]

Yup yup. You have 500 CDs? Woah. I'd have that many if I could afford to actually buy them. I've got well over 2,000 music files on my jump drive now. >_>

Haha. Anything Gojyo says he likes would automatically be negatively criticized - even though Genjyo would secretly like some of it. He shoot himself before he'd admit it though. X-D

Def Leppard rocks. Whoot! ^_^

[nimblnymph.livejournal.com]

Oh, I never said I could afford it! *shakes head* Nope... My love affair with music is gonna be the death of my income, I swear. But WOW! 2,000?! That's a helluva lot! Can you recommend a few for me?

*headbangs for next five minutes* Aaaand... now that the blood is rushing through my head again, I'll have to agree with you on that. Def Leopard is the shit! Oh, and the song Paradise City by Guns 'n' Roses? Sooooo Gojyo!

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

I'm afraid to count my collection -- it's definitely in the hundreds, and that's just going by the jewelboxes without making any allowances for double/triple CD sets or the multi-disc boxed sets that are shelved with books instead of normal CDs. Add in stuff that I only have electronically, discs that I burned and left with the ex, etc., and it gets even crazier.

And eclecticism is a GOOD thing, she types while listening to sexy Turkish disco. ;)

[nimblnymph.livejournal.com]

*groans* I hear you completely on that! I was just counting what I've purchased, not any double discs or burned ones. Don't have anything on my computer though, since it's such a piece of crap, so you very well may have me beat out.

Hehehe, Turkish disco, eh? Very cool! *currently rocking out to Germanic Opera/metal*

Oh, and that icon? Sooo true!

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

Tarkan (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lYc33_hRTE) -- ridiculously catchy stuff, and I've managed to drive soo many friends to distraction just by introducing them to his videos. Mmmmmm, green eyes, bellydancing abs, yum. ;)

And operatic metal, you say? Having recently fallen in love with Nightwish and Onmyou-za, I'm always eager to hear more recs in that vein!

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Who doesn't love the Marlboro Man? Although, I must admit, my favorite anti-smoking ad ever was about five years ago, there were two cowboys sitting by a fire, looking all rugged and manly, and the text read, 'Bob, I've got emphesimia' (sic).

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Oh, Sanzo is SO allergic to change it's not even funny. Cause to enjoy change, you have to a.) expect that life is going to get better and b.) be comfortable not being totally in control, both of which... Gojyo is not good at those.

And you have a really good point about Gojyo having internalized his mothers ideas about him being ugly. Like, that scene that multiple authors have written about rubbing mud into his hair as a kid to make it not red is totally canon in my head.

And "eating bitter" is the perfect way to describe Sanzo.