#Fuchi-class

[awesome-casuallyfamouscollector]

Chinese warships have been spotted off Australia's northeast coast: the Chinese vessels are the PLA-N Jiangkai-class frigate named Hengyang, the PLA-N Renhai cruiser named Zunyi and the PLA-N Fuchi-class replenishment vessel Weishanhu. 2025. Source: Daily Mail

P.S. The West (USA) betrayed Ukraine, now think very carefully whether you will not be cheated by the " best Ally" there in Asia as well... China's expansion in Asia is NOT a European problem. We have enough of our own troubles...!

European warships must stay in Europe and protect European shores!

[tamago-silly-thesis]

Sayonara end roll infodumping 🗣📢💥

basically just Tamago's every impressions about this song step by step

its longer than expected (hope its not too long) feel free to share your feelings and your impression about this song I'll be happy reading it :D

- First time hearing about it was underblue song list release, when I translated it it was "Goodbye end credit" lol.

We (with a friend on instagram) were way more curious about Byme because I miss-read it at "Buy me" and thought it was an Uron na shokutaku song 👀 (the song is very different from what I thought)

- I got hyped for the first time when "waiting for Underblue Album art collab" picture of this song was released.

Because first the art is AMAZING. The previous under blue arts were kinda basic or didn't seemed related to Eve (won't talk about this today lol), and this one actually was super intresesting and with Eve references on it (books with previous album name, kurukuru and hitotsume dolls/plushies) then, I see who did this amazing art, and omg omg omg

The art is made by Nagabe, "the girl from the other side" author, one of my favorite manga 😭🤌

Me and my friend got hyped 😩💥

Examples of Eve references in Nagabe's Sayonara end roll themed art~

- then UnderBlue teaser release on youtube, I DIED (you can see a "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA" on the comment section, its me 😎)

I remember I was in biology class, I listened to it and Sayonara end roll was the new release I was most hyped for, I KNEW it would be a banger.

- Listening to this song for the first time was CRAZY, ABSOLUTELY CRAZY.

It was 1 a.m (the album released at midnight on spotify and its 1h long), in the dark, no light, almost dying my body screaming to me I should sleep, texting my friend (cuz we were reacting together) the way the music flows, the voice omg omg omg and the part where it changes I was like "WHAT THE HELL" and it was so good and omg omg omg I was so happy because I always wanted Eve to do a song with unpredictable moments (guess I've been blessed by Hitostume).

After listening to the whole album, I talked a lot with my friend about the songs, then listened to Sayonara end roll, then at 2a.m I fell asleep.

I went to school with 4h of sleep, physics/chemistry lesson was something lmao (I was dying on my chair but I was happy cause the album was AAAA)

Tamago listening to underblue for the first time at 1 a.m, 27th of november (day of album release)~

- after the release of the album, it was my favorites among the seven new songs.

It took me time to realise that this song was an Eve song like, it was so different from usual, I was so happy to hear something really new and original, like a new Eve. This song is so cool I was vibing in the bus 🕺✨️.

- the small animation on spotify (with Fuchi in the train, and Ryuko and Tobi in the train station, the mv was not out yet). When I saw it I exploded💥. Also I had some cool theories :

when I interpret Eve's song I don't first think that lyrics are linked to characters but I think about the lyrics and music like it is Eve's feeling that he is sharing (I struggle with parasocial relationship btw🥲) and so when I saw Fuchi I linked the song to him, based on my previous theory that Eve's characters may not be only characters but but someway Eve's feelings, that Fuchi may represent Eve's "dark sides" lol (reminder that this is a theory who the hell knows what goes on in Eve's brain 👍)

- first time reading lyrics (some day after the album release)

I was in english class in a classroom with computers, the teacher was giving test grades (I got 17/20) I don't even remember what we where supposed to do but it was boring so I decided to search for lyrics of new songs (Yumeni aetara since I made a thesis about it, then sayonara end roll) when I read the lyrics (on lyrical nonsense) I was, "woaw" like, really, the lyrics are amazing and powerful like omg, this song was already powerful but knowing the lyrics made it way better and even way more powerfull and its so well-writted and omg I could talk about this for hours but i think I'll make a full analysis later lol

So after reading the lyrics I related it to Eve and not Fuchi and so I made a drawing (Eve) to express the feeling the lyrics were giving me (and Eve saw my drawing muahaha I'm so evil *explode*).

But yeah the lyrics are so good like I have no words to describe it 🕺 I'm silly.

Eve drawing I did based on lyrics~ (Eve saw it omg omg 💥💥💥)

Also about lyrics that can sound random but the line " Was I the one broken all this time" (from lyrical nonsense translation) made me think of a song called "Broken machine" by Nothing but thieves (yeah my brain links stuff together I'm so silly) and it was very cool I remember I made the two songs following eachothers in my playlist to vibe 🕺. Also by reading an Eve interview about the album, the way Eve talked about changing and time made me think of the line " My head goes forward and my heart goes back" from the same song (by brain creates links EVErywhere).

- then there is the little animation with the cats (don't remember the name of the artist). It was kinda cool I don't have much to say about it.

- some days before christmas we were making theories with my friend about what mv would be released on Xmas day, but we thought It would be Byme mv (the one in albums if you bought it). Its only one day before the release, when Eve shared a pic of tiny Fuchi that I knew, I knew it would be Sayonara end roll (because, animation on spotify with Fuchi on train). I texted my friend " LOOK" told my theory and in fact I was right 😎✨️.

Picture shared by Eve's team on Twitter one day before the mv release ~

- about the mv release,

It was amazing, the mv was really good and I think it is very different from Eve usual mvs, it was way more realistic and not in some parallele worlds with metaphors etc.. no it was the real life wich lead me to the main issue I had by watching this mv : TRIGGERS

like the mv is really good but it made me feel so wierd and bad like I cried, then I was shaking and feeling all wierd like EVE WHY DID YOU TRAUMATIZE US ON XMAS DAY AAAA.

I was with my family and they were "bro are u good" and I was like "Eve traumatized us for Xmas" (my family knows Eve very well since I talk about Eve every day of my life) he's so evil look at him and his nice " happy Xmas 😃🌲✨️" on Twitter.

I felt bad the whole night, and the day after (I wanted to cook an analysis so I watched it like, in ×0,25 speed, took screens etc... but it was making me anxious so I didn't post my analysis) then I decided to stop watching mv for two weeks.

But I am happy about the mv itself because it fit really well with what I was seeing when I was listening to the song.

The colors I was seeing were deep muddy brown and dark red and orange for the first part, dark gray and same brown and dark muddy yellow for second part and the high changing part was in really bright and clear/lightful colors. Also even before reading lyrics I knew this song talked about dying and I was seeing a character feeling worse and worse and then during high part where the melody changes suddently, the character was feeling so bad (and dying, like, committing suic1de) that everything was losing meaning, everything was meaning less and reality was like, blowing up ? Like instead of being on their bathroom the character was like floating above a city with a lot of colors flowing everywhere and stuff exploding but they survived and just continue to live their life 👍.

And so this mv somewhat really fit what I was seeing so I am happy (and traumatized 🕺)

- other thoughts :

I am a little sad because the official translation in the mv is not the same as the one I was reading and in the "official" translation they don't say "was I the one broken all this time" But something like "I was the crazy one all this time" and so this translation can't be liked with "Broken machine" by NBT 😭

And about the mv I was listening to a song called "Pourquoi la mort te fait peur?" (Could be translated by "why does death scares you") By a french singer called Pomme (its my fav song from her) and I had an animation and fanart idea (but unfortunately, I don't have enough skills to draw it). After changing part of sayonara end roll Tobi couldn't save Fuchi from drowning and so, instead of " sunday monday etc..", "Pourquoi la mort te fait peur" intro starts and Fuchi, not baby Fuchi but aldult Fuchi with the clothes he was drowning with, wakes up in the flower field, like its some kind of peaceful after life.

"Pourquoi la mort te fait peur" always gave me a feeling like, being on a wide warm windy afterlife field and here I thought "Dying in a flower field is such a beautiful way to die".

Tamago☆

[dertaglichedan]

Commercial Flights Diverted After CCP Warships Begin Surprise Live-Fire Exercise Near Australia

Chinese People's Liberation Army-Navy Jiangkai-class frigate, Hengyang, sailing within Australia's Exclusive Economic Zone, provided on Feb. 11, 2025. Courtesy of the Australian Department of Defence

Commercial flight paths between Australia and New Zealand have been disrupted after Chinese warships began preparing to fire live ammunition as part of an apparent military exercise.

The three People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) vessels have traversed the Australian coastline for the past week with no indication of their motives, and came within 150 nautical miles (277 kilometres on land) of Sydney on Feb. 19.

Several flight have been re-routed, including Qantas and Emirates aircraft, following advice that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) warships had been “live firing in international waters” on Feb. 21.

“As a precaution, we have advised airlines with flights planned in the area,” an Airservices Australia spokesperson said.

“We are also working together to coordinate advice to operators and pilots.”

Australian and New Zealand Defence Forces have been tracking the flotilla since last week.

The weapons firing is understood to be taking place 346 nautical miles (640 kilometres) off Eden, south of Sydney in New South Wales, according to a Defence Department spokesperson.

In a statement, Air New Zealand said it “has modified flight paths as needed to avoid the area, with no impact on our operations.”

Qantas and its subsidiary Jetstar told RNZ they are working with the Australian government to monitor the situation.

The small fleet called Task Group 107, includes the heavily armed Renhai-class cruiser (named Zunyi), a Jiangkai-class frigate (Hengyang), and the Fuchi-class replenishment vessel Weishanhu.

[thelovebudllc]

Commercial flights diverted as Chinese warships undertake apparent live-fire drill in sea between Australia and New Zealand | Australia news

Chinese warships have undertaken an apparent live-fire drill in the seas between Australia and New Zealand, diverting commercial flights in the skies above. The Chinese navy notified the Australian defence department shortly before the drill on Friday. Three People’s Liberation Army-Navy vessels – the Jiangkai-class frigate Hengyang, the Renhai-class cruiser Zunyi and the Fuchi-class…

[andronetalks]

Three Chinese warships sailing east of Sydney being monitored, Australian Defence Force says

RNZ 10:15 am on 20 February 2025By East Asia correspondent Kathleen Calderwood, ABC The Australian Defence Force is monitoring three Chinese navy ships which are understood to be sailing east of Sydney. According to a Defence Department spokesperson, the Jiangkai-class frigate Hengyang, the Renhai-class Cruiser named Zunyi and the Fuchi-class replenishment vessel Weishanhu have continued sailing…

[odnewsin]

Australian Navy monitors Chinese ships off East coast closely

Sydney: Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles said Thursday that his country will “watch every move” of the three Chinese navy warships detected off the country’s east coast. Three vessels – the Jiangkai-class frigate Hengyang, the Renhai-class cruiser Zunyi and the Fuchi-class replenishment vessel Weishanhu – were detected off north-east Queensland last week and have been under surveillance…

[genkinahito]

Amalock, Kiri no Fuchi   /   Beyond the Fog, Blue Lock: EPISODE Nagi, Onmyoji Zero, YOKOHAMA, Japanese Film Trailers

Welcome to the first of two trailer posts of the week. The second trailer post arrives tomorrow. I’m coming to the final couple of boss battles in Bravely Default on the 3Ds and I’m eager to end the game. I’ve maxed out every class and got end-game weaponry and a nice class configuration for my characters. All that is left to do is a final dungeon and four boss battles. After that, Fire Emblem:…

[sengokuconversations]

Armor Glossary

Below the “Keep Reading” line is a list of terms relevant to medieval Japanese armor. They can also be read here .

Source:  Art of Armor: Samurai Armor from the Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Collection . Yale University Press, 2012. (Remember, you can hit “J” to skip to the next post on your dashboard if needed!)

Armor Glossary

Abumi - a stirrup

Agemaki - ornamental tassel, usually with a large bow and decorative knotting, often of silk

Agemaki no kan - a ring designed to hold an agemaki, often of gilded bronze or silver

Aikuchi - knife style (dagger), in which the blade is slightly curved and has a single cutting edge

Akodanari kabuto - helmet style, literally “melon-shaped helmet”

Aoi - hollyhock, the stylized emblem of which was used by the Tokugawa family

Aori - saddle component, a large rectangular leather panel, which hangs from a kura to protect the horse from the heavy abumi

Asagi iro - braiding of a pale blue color

Asenagashi no ana - mask component, a hole on the bottom side of the chin of a mask, which is designed to funnel away sweat

Ashigaru - company of lightly armed infantry, often armed with basic weapons such as yari or, in later times, firearms such as teppo

Baba - long prepared track, about 260 yards (240 m) in length, used for yabusame

Bagai - horse armor often worn by the horse of samurai on the battlefield as well as in ceremonial processions

Bagu - horse tack, a set of accessories for harnessing a horse to a kura

Bakin - a fabric cover for the back of a horse (similar to a horse blanket)

Bakufu - military government of shogun, literally “tent government”

Bamen - horse armor component, a mask for a horse (chamfron), which is used to protect the front portion of the head

Basen - a saddle pad, used in tandem with a kura 

Buke-warrior class

Bun - poetry and the arts of learning

Bushi - warrior, specifically a professional warrior as opposed to a peasant script, palace guard, or imperial military official; samurai

Bushidou - Way of the Warrior, a philosophy and line of conduct for a samurai

Byoubu - folding screen, often decorative in nature and used in the interior of a home

Chikishi odochi - armor lacing style, in which individual plates are laced in parallel sets of three, often found on a dou

Chirimen - silk fabric (crepe), often used to embellish armor

Chouji midare - literally “clove shapes,” in which the tempering patterns on the surface of a blade resembles clove-shaped waves

Chuusode - medium-sized shoulder guards

Daienzan sujibachi kabuto - helmet style, literally “hemispherical ridged helmet,” in which the bowl takes a hemispherical form with prominent ridges

Daikyuu - how style, specifically a Japanese longbow used by a mounted samurai as a primary weapon; see also yumi

Daimyo - regional warlord, literally “great name,” who comprised the ruling military class of Japan

Daishou - sword grouping, literally “long short,” a pair comprised of a katana and a wakizashi that is traditionally worn by a samurai

Dangaedo - armor style, in which the dou has two different types of lacing

Dansonjohi - a principal tenet of bushidou, in which a woman was expected to obey and make sacrifices for her samurai husband

Dao - sword style (Chinese term), imported to Japan from mainland Asia, in which the blade is straight and has a single cutting edge

Dou - cuirass (chest armor)

Doumaru - armor style, literally “body-wrapping,” in which the dou is made of a single piece and closes with lacing on the right side

Ebira - quiver style, and open box-like type with a simple frame at the back and is worn suspended from the shoulder and attached to a belt

Eboshi - tall cap, worn at the imperial court, often made of lacquered cloth or paper and curving backwards

Eboshi kabuto - helmet style, literally “eboshi helmet,” in which the bowl takes the form of an eboshi

Ebonshinari kabuto - see “eboshi kabuto”

Fuchi kashira - sword component (cap and ferrule), a pair of ornamental fittings located at either end of the hilt

Fukigaeshi - helmet component, a turned-back deflector on either side of the visor

Fukurin - decorative edging (rim), often in gilded bronze

Fukurokuju - Daoist god, one of the seven gods of fortune and longevity, often depicted with an abnormally long forehead that, according to Japanese legend, measures more than half his height

Gattari - cuirass component, the top part of a battle-standard holder, which is located on the upper back section of a dou

Gunbai uchiwa - nonfolding war fan

Gunsen - folding war fan

Guruwa - circular neck guard attached to a mask which offers secondary protection for the back of the neck

Gusoku - complete suit of armor, literally “equipment”

Gusoku bitsu - armor box, a storage container for a complete suit of armor, often of wood of lacquered wood

Gyouyou - cuirass component, a protective flap located atop the shoulder straps (fasteners) of the dou to guard the supporting cords underneath

Hachi - helmet component, the helmet bowl itself

Hachimaki - headband, a strip of fabric ties around the head to absorb sweat, which was thought to increase courage and strength

Haidate - thigh protection, often apron-like in appearance

Hakama - pants, designed to be worn independently or under a suit of armor

Hamon - the tempering pattern(s) found along the cutting edge of a blade

Happuri - face protection, popular from the eleventh to fourteenth centuries, which covers the foreheads and sides (cheeks)

Haraate - armor style, the most basic form worn by low-class warriors, in which the dou is made the protect the chest and abdomen alone

Haramaki - armor style, literally “belly wrapping,” one of the first light body armors for early Japanese infantry, in which the dou closes with lacing up the back

Harikake - decorative process, similar to papier-maché, in which paper or leather is combined with lacquer to create a light decorative system

Hasami bako - robe box, a storage container for a robe, often of wood or lacquered wood

Hibiki no ana - helmet component, the four holes in the lower portion of the bowl of a helmet (one in each quadrant), which at one time were used to attach the helmet cord

Hikiawase - the opening edge of a dou

Hineno jikoro - helmet component, a close-fitting neck guard that is shorter on the sides than in the back

Hirazukuri - weapon style, in which a blade has a very straight shape without a ridge

Hitatare - jacket, a special type designed to be worn under a suit of armor in tandem with hakama

Houate - a type of mask protecting the cheeks and chin

Houju no Tama - the Flaming Jewel, a symbol of Buddhist doctrine

Hoko - lance head (spear point)

Honjou - central castle of a daimyo, acting as the principal administrative and defensive stronghold for the entire territory

Honkozane - armor plate style, in which true, individually articulated scales are laced together

Hoshi - protruding nail (rivet), used to secure plates to create the bowl of a helmet

Hoshi kabuto - helmet style, literally “riveted helmet,” in which the bowl displays significant-sized hoshi

Hoshi sujibachi kabuto - helmet style, literally “riveted ridged-bowl helmet,” in which the bowl incorporates significant hoshi and prominent ridges

Hotokedou - armor style, often of heavy construction with riveted plates

Ichimai kabuto - helmet style, literally “single-plate helmet,” in which the bowl is crafted out of one plate of iron

Ichimonji jingasa - helmet style, literally “straight-line war hat,” in which the bowl is shallow with a wide, flaring brim

Igaki - helmet component, the ornamental decoration on the lower edges of the bowl of a helmet

Igi - contoured side bands of a saddletree

Inome - pierced-heart shape, literally “boar's eye,” a motif representative of the eye of a boar and symbolic of the goddess Marishiten

Itamono - solid, flat armor plates

Iyo haidate - apron-like thigh protection made of overlapping scales affixed to a fabric backing

Jinbaori - sleeveless surcoat, literally “war jacket,” offering extra protection from the elements

Jindaiko - war drum, used to signal orders to troops on the battlefield

Jingasa - military hat (helmet), literally “war hat,” simpler than a kabuto in which the bowl is shallow with a wide, flaring brim

Junshi - “suicide by fidelity;” ritual suicide (seppuku) proceeded by a samurai retainer upon the death of his lord

Kabuto - helmet

Kaen kabuto - helmet style, literally “flame helmet,” in which the bowl takes the form of a flame

Kagami - literally “mirror,” the cheek piece of a harness, which is often shapes like a pierced disk or trefoil shape

Kagami shihote - saddle component, the loop on the front of a kura, which is designed to attach to a horse harness

Kaji kabuto - helmet style, literally “fire helmet,” worn by a fireman, in which the bowl takes the form similar to a kabuto

Kaji shouzoku - fire cape, literally “fire garment,” a special cloak worn for protection against fires

Kamikaze - divine intervention, literally “divine wind,” often associated with the storms that destroyed the Mongol invasion fleets off the coast of Japan in 1274 and 1281

Kanamono - decorative element on armor, often of gilded bronze

Kanmuri ita - upper plate of a sode

Kaou - stylized signature (monogram, maker's mark, or seal)

Kasa jikoro - helmet component, a wide-spreading neck guard which flares out horizontally

Kashira - sword component, a cap, the decorative element that secures the end of the hilt

Katakiri - chiseling technique resulting in incised grooves resembling brush strokes

Katana - sword style, in which the blade is more than 24 inches (60 cm) in length, is slightly curved, and has a single cutting edge, which is designed to be thrust through a sash with the edge upward, often in tandem with a wakizashi as a daishou

Kawara haidate - style of haidate made with S-shaped pieces that overlap for protection

Kawari kabuto - helmet style, literally “transformed helmet” or “unusual helmet”

Kebiki odoshi - tight and continuous lacing

Keikou - armor style, one of the first body armors that was introduced from mainland Asia, in which the dou is made in separate pieces for the front, back, and sides (each with a short, flaring skirt), constructed of small oblong plates (lamellae) that are laced together with leather or cord

Ken - sword style, in which the blade has a double cutting edge

Keyaki - Japanese zelkova sword

Kiku-chrysanthemum

Kinpaku oshi - Gilding

Kintoki - Japanese folkloric figure, a small child with abnormal strength who performs remarkable feats with a giant axe, which is always shown in equal proportion to him

Kiri - paulownia-leaf heraldic crest

Kirin - Japanese folkloric figure, a powerful mythical creature that is part dragon, part deer, and part horse

Kiseru-smoking pipe

Kittsuke kozane - armor plate style, in which plates are cut at the edge to give the illusion of many small individual scales (sane) laced together

Kiwame fuda - attribution certificate, provided by specialists who authenticate and evaluate art objects, often found with swords and suits of armor

Kofun - ancient chambered mound third tomb, dating from approximately the to seventh centuries

Kougai kanamono - armor component, a horizontal plate with a ring, which is located on the back edge of a sode and used to hold a cord that fastens it to the back of a dou, often in gilded bronze

Koku - standard weight measurement, approximately 330 pounds (150 kg) and estimated to be the amount of rice sufficient to sustain a person for a year, by which the wealth of a daimyo and the stipend of a samurai were calculated

Komanjou jikoro - a slightly curving neck guard

Kon ito - blue braiding

Koshimaki - helmet component, the lowest plate of the hachi to which the neck guard is attached

Koushouzan sujibachi kabuto - helmet style, literally "high-sided ridged helmet," in which the bowl takes a form with high sides with prominent ridges

Kosode - small shoulder guard

Kote-sleeve of armor

Kozane - small scale of armor plate (sane)

Kura-saddle

Kusari - chain mail

Kusari haidate - thigh protection with kusari

Kusazuri - the protective skirt (tassets), comprised of armor plates that hang from the bottom of dou, which is designed to protect the thighs and allow for ease of movement when on foot or horseback

Kutsu-shoes

Kutsuwa - horse bit (snaffle)

Kuwagata - helmet component, frontal ornaments often in the shape of stylized horns

Kuwagata dai - helmet component, supports kuwagata, often ornate

Kyuubi no ita - a plate of armor which guards the gap between the breastplate and the sode and protects the toggle clasp and supporting cord beneath

Lamella - scale of armor (Latin term), a sane, usually of leather or iron

Mabizashi - helmet component, the visor

Machiuke - cuirass component, the bottom part of a battle-standard holder, which is located on the lower back section of a dou

Maedate - helmet component, a frontal crest

Maewa - saddle component, the pommel, which is a flat, inverted, and U-shaped piece at the front of the kura

Makiwari - wood-chopping ax

Makiwarinari kawari kabuto - helmet style, literally “axe-shaped transformed helmet,” in which the bowl takes the form of an elaborately shaped ax for chopping wood

Manji - Buddhist symbol of universal harmony, often used in mon

Manjuu Jikoro - helmet component, a wide, rounded neck guard

Marishiten - Buddhist goddess of light and patron of archers, she is associated with the fearlessness of a warrior and often depicted riding a boar

Masakari - war axe

Mei - a swordsmith's signature inscribed on the outside of a nakago

Mekugiana - sword component, a hole in the nakago of a blade, which is drilled by a swordsmith to secure a peg that holds the hilt assembly together

Mengu - face protection

Menpou - half mask (face guard)

Menuki - sword component, ornamental finding on either side of the hilt

Midare hamon - an irregular tempering pattern on the surface of the blade

Mimiito - thick silk braid, often used to lace the out edges of armor plates

Mizunomi no o - literally “water drinking cord,” a strap designed to keep sode in place

Mogami sode - medium-sized shoulder guard

Mogamidou - armor style, in which the dou is made of horizontal plates

Momonari kabuto - helmet style, literally “peach-shaped helmet,” in which the bowl takes the form of a peach

Mon - heraldic family crest

Motodori - hairstyle, in which the front part is pulled back and tied into a topknot

Muneita - cuirass component, the top plate of a dou (breastplate)

Murasaki - purple colored lacing

Myouken - Buddhist bodhisattva, guardian of horses and master of the gods inhabiting the seven brightest star of Ursa Major (the Big Dipper)

Nagamaki - pole weapon (glaive), in which a small-size pole arm is combined with a blade that is curved and has a single cutting edge

Nagase - sword component, the side of the blade that is the opposite of the cutting edge

Naginata - pole weapon (glaive), in which a medium-size pole arm is combined with a blade that is curved with a single cutting edge

Nakago - sword component, the tang of the blade that is inserted in the handle

Nanako - chiseling technique, in which small indentations (or bumps) are made with a chisel

Nanban - literally “southern barbarians,” a term used to describe the Westerners who arrived in Japan from the south, or a Japanese object that has been created with foreign influence, especially one inspired by Western art

Naruto kawari kabuto - helmet style, literally “wave-shaped transformed helmet,” in which the bowl takes the form of an elaborately shaped wave

Nashiji - lacquering technique, traditionally bearing resemblance to the skin of a pear, in which particles of gold are mixed into the lacquer

Nasuabinari kabuto - helmet style, literally “eggplant-shaped helmet,” in which the bowl takes the form of an eggplant

Nihoujiro - double arrow motif

Nimaitachidou - armor style, in which the dou is made of two parts and curves slightly near the waist

Nodowa - secondary throat protection (bib), worn below the primary throat guard of a mask

Nodachi - sword style, in which the blade is so long that is requires the user to carry it slung at the back

Nuinobedou - armor style, in which the dou is made in two parts, hinges together under the left arm, and closes with lacing on the right side

Nunome - metal inlay or damascening, often of gold and silver or alloys thereof

Ouboshi - helmet style, in which the bowl is low and rounded; or a protruding nail (rivet), in which the head is large

Ouboshi hoshibachi kabuto - helmet style, literally “ouboshi riveted helmet,” in which the ouboshi bowl is low and rounded and adorned with protruding rivets (hoshi)

Ouboshi sujibachi kabuto - helmet style, literally “rivet ridged helmet,” in which the bowl takes a form adorned with large rivets (ouboshi) and prominent ridges

Obukuro - the protective cover for a horse's tail, which prevents it from becoming dirty Oda gote - sleeve of armor, in which gourd-shaped plates are attached to the upper and lower arm, often using kusari

Odoshi - lacing, often used in the construction of armor to connect armor plates to one another

Odoshige - cord, often flat silk braid or leather, used in the construction of armor to lace plates together

Oharaidate - helmet component, the frontal crest holder, which is located above the visor

Ouitaragainari kawari kabuto - helmet style, literally “shell-shipped transformed helmet”

Okegawadou - armor style, in which the dou is made in two parts of riveted horizontal plates, hinges under the left arm, and closes with ties on the right side. Resulting in a tube-like shape

Oki tenugui - helmet style, literally “placed towel,” in which the vertical sides and central plates of a kabuto extend backward past the bowl in the manner of a folded towel Oumanjou Jikoro - helmet component, a large, wide, and rounded neck guard

Omodaka - water plantain plant

Omogai - a bridle

Oni - demon, regarded in Japanese folklore as a mischievous and protective force, often depicted as a menacing creature with horns and long wild hair

Orekugi - hooked nail, often applied to each cheekbone of a mask to fasten it to a helmet with a thick cord

Ousode - large shoulder guard

Outateage - large plate to protect the knee, attached to a shin guard

Outateage suneate - shin guard (greave), which also has an oversized plate to protect the knee

Otayori - helmet component, a helmet cord, which is used to secure a mask

Otayori no kugi - mask component, a hook on either side of the chin of a menpou, used as an anchor to an otayori

Ouyoroi - armor style, literally “great armor,” in which the dou is made in two parts out of lamellar sane (laced together with either leather or silk cords), hinges on the left side, closes on the right side

Rasha - dense woolen textile, introduced to Japan by the Portuguese and imported by the Dutch and English

Renjaku - cuirass component, and internal support cord for a dou added to lighten the armor

Ressei - fierce expression

Rinbou - wheel of law, a Buddhist symbol, with the spokes symbolizing the eight objectives that lead to Nirvana (enlightenment)

Rounin - samurai without a lord or master

Sabiji - lacquered surface which mimics the appearance of iron grain

Sabinuri - lacquered surface that imitates the appearance of russet iron, or the application of a lacquer of a russet color

Saburau - literally “to serve the nobility,” and the origin of the word from which samurai is derived

Saihai - military command baton, used to signal troops, composed of multiple strips of paper or leather attached to a wooden handle

Saku - frontier fort, a traditional type constructed by a daimyo to secure a border

Samurai - member of the warrior class, military elite of Japan

Sane - scales or lamellae made of leather or iron from which armor is constructed

Saneita - group of laced sane, often a variable-sized sheet of armor Sanjakugawa - a strap for the bridle (martingale), often covered in leather, which allows for better control of the horse's head by preventing the bridle from slipping over the ears

Sankin koutai - shogunate system, literally “alternate attendance,” in which all daimyo were required to attend the court of the shogun in Edo in alternate years, thereby requiring a daimyo to maintain a residence in the city in addition to his provincial estate

Sashimono - an sometimes element worn on the back of a suit of armor, designed to readily identify individuals, which is often a flag, individual banner, or ornament

Saya - scabbard or sheath

Sendan no ita - cuirass component, the plate of armor located in the right armpit of the dou, which guards the gap between the breastplate and the sode and protects the toggle clasp and supporting cord located there

Sengoku jidai - Warring States period, literally “the age of the country at war,” a period of near-constant local warfare between provincial military leaders in Japan that began in 1467 and lasted nearly a century

Sensei - teacher

Sentoku-copper

Seppuku - suicide, often ritual in nature, achieved by disembowelment

Shakudou - alloy of gold and copper, dark blue or purple in color

Shakudou nanako - application of shakudou over a nanako surface

Shikoro - helmet component, a neck guard

Shingane - sword component, the steel core of a blade

Shino gote - sleeves of armor, style in which strips of armor (splints) are connected with kusari and run down the forearm for extra protection

Shino haidate - thigh protection, style in which plates of armor (splints) are connected with kusari to protect the upper leg

Shino suneate - shin guard (greave), style in which stripes of armor (splints) are connected with kusari and run down the shin to protect the lower leg

Shinogi - sword component, the longitudinal ridge running the length of a blade, which has been hardened by repeated folding

Shinogi zukuri - sword style, in which the blade is long with a longitudinal ridge, is curved, and has a single cutting edge

Shintou - sword style, literally “new sword,” denoting a blade made from the late sixteenth to the late eighteenth century

Shirigai - a strap used to prevent a saddle from shifting on the horse which is designed to be crossed over itself and is sewn into a loop to be slipped under the tail of the horse

Shishi - lion, a protective Shinto and Buddhist figure, and a Japanese symbol of imperial authority

Shitatoji - preliminary leather lacing, which fastens sane scales into a row

Shiten no byou - vestigial rivets, often applied as decoration to the four sides of the bowl of a helmet

Shizuwa - saddle component, the cantle, a flat, inverted, and U-shaped piece at the rear of a kura, which is similar in shape to the maewa, but with the legs curving forward under the rider's thighs

Shogun - military ruler of Japan (dictator), appointed by the emperor

Shouji no ita - cuirass component, an armor piece located in the middle of the shoulders above the watagami of an ouyoroi dou, often of iron and in the shape of a Japanese comb

Sode-shoulder guards

Soumen - full-face mask (face guard)

Sugake odoshi - lacing style using vertical pairs of laces in parallel and crossed positions

Suguha - tempering pattern on the surface of a blade that is straight and wide

Suhama - sandbar, the stylized motif of which is occasionally included in mon

Suji - ridge (flange) along the edge of connected iron plates, as found in a helmet

Suji kabuto - helmet style, literally “ridge helmet,” with prominent iron suji

Sujibachi - helmet component, literally “ridged-bowl,” in which the bowl is ridged with flanges 

Sujibachi kabuto - helmet style, literally “ridged-bowl helmet,” fashioned in the same manner as a suji kabuto

Suneate-shin guard (greeve)

Tachi - sword style, a large type primarily for use on horseback, in which the blade is more than 24 inches (60 cm), is curved, and has a single cutting edge, which is designed to be slung at the side in a sword belt and suspended with the edge downward

Tachidou - armor style, literally “standing cuirass,” a rigid type in which the dou is made in two parts, hinged together under the left arm, and fastens on the right side with a cord

Takenari kabuto - helmet style, literally “bamboo-shaped helmet,” in which the bowl takes the form of bamboo

Tameshi - trial test for armor to measure its resistance to impact

Tameshigiri - trial test for new blades, especially those crafted by important sword smiths, in which experts were required to test the cleanness and perfect angle of a sword's cut on materials of varying density

Tankou - armor style, one of the first body armors for early Japanese infantry and linked to Chinese liang-dang armor, in which the dou is constructed of iron bands and triangular plates that are laced together with leather or cord

Tantou - knife style (dagger), in which the blade is less than 12 inches (30 cm) in length, is slightly curved, and has a single cutting edge, often carried ba samurai in tandem with a tachi before the advent of the daishou

Tate eri - cuirass component, a small collar on a dou, often lined with chirimen

Tatehagidou - armor style, in which the dou is made of five parts, each a vertical plate of armor

Tazuna - reins that attach to the kura and are usually made of fabric

Tehen - helmet component, the crown of the bowl (apex)

Tehen ana - helmet component, the opening at the crown of the bowl, through which hair can protrude

Tehen kanamono - helmet component, a decorative ornament at the crown of a helmet

Tekkou - hand protection, a plate over the back of the hand

Tengu - Japanese folkloric figure (with ties to Buddhism), a mischievous creature and protective force, which is depicted with human and birdlike features with a long or beak-like nose

Teppou - matchlock gun, an early firearm used in Japan from the sixteenth century through the Edo period (1603-1868), which has a design based off of imported prototypes

Tokin - headdress, specifically a type worn by the Yamabushi warrior-monks

Tousei gusoku - complete suit of armor, literally “present-day-equipment,” a reference to the newer ouyoroi style which became popular during the sixteenth century

Tsuba - sword component, a sword guard

Tsuboita - cuirass component, a small removable panel of armor which is often oblong in shape and closes the right side of a cuirass

Tsuinari kabuto - helmet style, literally “acorn-shaped helmet,” in which the bowl takes the form of an acorn

Tsujigiri - trial test for a blade, literally “cutting at the crossroads,” in which rounin or samurai tested the cutting properties of a sword on an innocent passerby

Tsuka - sword component, the hilt, which includes the grip and its fitting

Tsurubashiri - protective sheet, literally “bowstring path,” characteristic of ouyoroi armor, made of leather and stretched across the front of a dou to ensure that a bowstring does not catch any of the armored plated below, often decorated with the stenciled designs

Tsurumaki - circular attachment for a quiver which is used to hold a supply of bowstring

Tsutsu gote - sleeves (kote) made with plates that are hinged over the forearm and connected with kusari

Uchidashi - embossing, specifically a technique that results in a sturdy, high-relief surface

Uchimayu - helmet decoration, stylized eyebrows, which are located above the mabizashi

Ura - sword component, the side of the blade that is worn against the body

Ushirodate - a rear crest, designed to readily identify commanders on the battlefield

Utsubo - quiver style, worn sideways across the back

Waidate - cuirass component, the armor for the right side of an ouyoroi dou, which is made of a solid plate of iron and secured with cords to the left side of the body

Wakidate - helmet component, a side crest

Wakizashi - sword style, in which the blade is between 12 and 24 inches (30 and 60 cm) in length, is slightly curved, and has a single cutting edge, which is designed to be thrust through a sash with the edge upward

Warabe tousei gusoku - suit of armor for a boy

Waraji - footwear, often made of woven hemp and included with a suit of armor

Washi-Japanese paper

Watagami - cuirass component, shoulder strap

Ya - bamboo arrow

Yabusame - mounted archery demonstration, ancient in origin and performed in the precincts of shrines as entertainment for the gods, in which a series of riders gallop at full speed with a longbow (yumi or daikyuu) along a track (baba) and attempt to hit three targets with arrows

Yadome - sanding flanges on the cheeks of a mask that protect chin cords

Yamabushi - warrior-monk of the Shugendou sect of Buddhism, often an ascetic hermit dwelling in the mountains

Yanone

Yari - spear, the principal weapon of the infantry that was also often carried in ceremonial processions and used as a standard

Yarisaya - spearhead cover, literally “spear scabbard,” sometimes used as decorative finials

Yasurime - Grooving of Fine, Subtle Parallel Lines

Yawa eboshi - cap, often of soft fabric, used to wrap the hair of a warrior, which protrudes through the hole on the top of a kabuto (tehen ana), simultaneously acts as a cushion beneath it, and keeps the head cool

Yodarekake - throat guard

Yokohagidou - armor style, in which dou is made of flat and wide horizontal plates

Yoroi - literally “armor,” great armor used by mounted archers

Yoroi bitsu - armor box, a storage container for yoroi, often of wood or lacquered wood

Yugake - special leather glove with a reinforced thrush piece, worn by archers on the right hand and only covering the thumb and first two fingers

Yumi - bow, specifically a Japanese longbow made so that the two unequal arms exerted an even pull on the arrow; see also daikyuu

Yumidai-bow holder

Yumitori - archer, literally “bowman,” often synonymous with a warrior

Zaboshi - rivet (protruding nail), often with an ornamental base resembling a chrysanthemum flower 

Zunari - helmet style whose shape conforms to the head

Art of Armor: Samurai Armor from the Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Collection . Yale University Press, 2012.tho

[hellsparadiseessays]

Final Chapter

As you may be aware, today was released the last chapter of Jigokuraku. It’s available on mangaplus, and I strongly recommend you check it because of its content. 

And while the final chapter means the end of the story, it’s not going to be the end of that blog, as I still have much to post about, and that last chapter gave me new points to ramble about. So while I uh certainly lost my hand with all of that pestilence business since last Spring, don’t worry, you’ll still get to enjoy some JGK related content! 

And now, for some post-fresh reading comment, under the read more for spoiler!

THE AZA CRIME SYNDICATE SEQUEL I DIDN’T KNOW I NEEDED (initially I was in favour of Yuzuriha’s Comedic Antics). PLEASE I WANNA SEE IT.

It’s also very touching to see Blind Dad and Wild Girl running around, especially considering all of the red flags Shion carried throughout the story. I’m still amazed he didn’t kick the bucket. Touching as well, Tetsunosuke Gantetsusai carrying Fuchi’s legacy by dealing with medicine, that little dude’s impact was quite the thing!

And of course, the story ending on our very modern times of pestilence with Gui Fa leading a Zoom class and living with Mei felt suprisingly touching.... Though it also means the cycle will happen again, a theme much fitting with the concept of Tao! 

[semicielo]

Iwaizumi Hajime x Reader ; Oikawa hate club.

⇢A/N: my mind is peaceful again, this was the other idea I was talking about.

Pairing: Iwaizumi Hajime x Reader.

Genre: fluff - comedy

Summary: it’s easy, if someone’s dare to hurt your friend, they will gain your hate, and Oikawa Tooru deserves to be hated.

Source: [Gusari] Tōasa no fuchi.

You were pissed, after having a long FaceTime call with your best friend, that was basically her crying and telling you how she thought her relationship with Oikawa Tooru was fine, the volleyball captain “broke up” with her, in quotes because that trash told your best friend “oh but I never asked you be my girlfriend”.

Back to reality and the day after the call you were ready to give Oikawa a lesson, you were a third year too, but he wasn’t your classmate, and sometimes you saw him in the cafeteria with Iwaizumi Hajime, while every, most likely almost, girl at school was crazy for Oikawa you thought that Iwaizumi was more like an ideal type of boyfriend, he was a nice guy, intelligent, know how to solve things with useful solutions and the bonus, he was handsome.

“Iwaizumi is more interesting than Oikawa but you’re not ready for his conversation”

“Aaawww no (y/n) you are just sleeping at Oikawa’s b-“

“Ew”

Now you and your group of friends were outside the gym, were Oikawa fans were waiting for him, you were in front of your friends, and to be fair with them, they thought you were only to diss Oikawa, everything verbal, but the thing you did was more.

With Oikawa arriving next to a pissed Iwaizumi, and all because of the setter actitud of staying with his fans, they needed to go to practice and “trashykawa” was “busy”.

With no control about your actions you start walking, “(y/n) your handbag it’s open!” But you didn’t stop, saying a lot of “excuse me” to all the girls finally you were in front of the Oikawa Tooru, he looked at you.

“Mmm hi? You want a pict- AH”

You kicked Oikawa Tooru.

In the balls.

In front of his fans.

One of your friends rushed to grab your arm dragging you out of that place, some fans were worried about Oikawa safety, but Iwaizumi looked at the floor, there was a history book with the name “(l/n) (y/n) 3rd class 4”, he grabbed it and put it in his backpack.

Next day, your friends keep you safe as they were your armor, Kicking Oikawa in front of his fans wasn’t the best idea, and with Iwaizumi there, maybe he thought you were a creepy stalker, you sighed, your friends leave you in the door of your classmate, told you to be safe and don’t do anything stupid, about to enter you heard some deep voice calling your name.

“(l/n) (y/n)”

It was Iwaizumi, you were confused, is he there to attack you because you attacked his friend? Should run or...

“You dropped this” he shows you your book.

Walking to his direction he handled you the book.

“Thank you so much Iwaizumi-San!”

“No need”

“Uhm I’m sorry to kicked your friend I was acting irresponsible” apologizing so maybe your chances with him would increase from zero to maybe a 0.1%, but then he laugh.

“He deserves it, I recognize your friend yesterday, so he kinda was looking to be punched”

You giggle and then stay in silence, you were so nervous of having your crush in front of you that you didn’t know what to say.

“Well, maybe I should go to my class” he mumbled at the same time he was scratching his neck.

It’s was now of never (y/n) you are having this chance in the future, Iwaizumi was already backing you, but still you called him.

“Yes?”

“Do you uh, do you want to, I don’t know maybe” you blushed “hanging out with me after practice?”

Iwaizimi stare at you, and kinda you were preparing for being rejected...

“Sure, uh maybe you can wait for me in the yard? I don’t think it would be a good idea of having you near to the gym, you know? The crazy fans that will be there, oh and I will walk you home too”

The bell rings, you saw the boy leaving waving at you.

Hugging your book and waking into the class you were mumbling some “thank you for falling, thank you gods, thank you Oikawa for being a trash”

[buswilligan]

How did you come up with Kiois outfit? It's really cool, I love the green!

Thank you!! Honestly I designed her outfit a looooong time ago during my stat class instead of paying attention so I don’t think I used any references or based it off of anything. For the most part I just thought abt how there didn’t seem to be any limits when it comes to the ninja outfits and went wild lol. The burst of creativity you get when you are doing everything in your power to avoid paying attention in math class is like no other. 

The color is newer and I think I was inspired partially by two things. First being that her familiar is a whistling green pigeon and her eyes are green so I wanted to pull it together, ALSO the teal color of @botan-shirabuki‘s ninja mc, Fuchi’s ninja outfit. I prob would have just made her outfit various shades of gray or smth but the bright colors of her outfit made me want to try something else!! The first time I actually colored Kioi’s outfit was in the drawing I did of Fuchi and her together so that’s probably why it was so easy for me to decide on the colors there.

[shadowron]

Shadows of Las Vegas: Sin City in the Sixth World for Shadowrun

[This comes our way courtesy of professional decker turned professional gambler, Lotus.  Born in Seattle, he now lives in Vegas, and he gives us his particular viewpoint on his new city. – Captain Chaos]

Shadows of Las Vegas

by Lotus

Get it?  Get it?

Anyone who’s been to Vegas knows that it’s so bright, everywhere, that there are no shadows.  The same goes for our Shadows -- for a city more or less openly run by the Mob (or rather, three Mobs, more on that later), there’s no reasons for criminals to hide. That tells you most of what you need to know about Vegas.  The following saying tells you the rest:

“To call Las Vegas ‘Sin City’ is an insult.  Not to the City, but to Sin.”

Yes, yes, there’s gambling. There’s gambling everywhere -- the kind you find in the bright lights of the Core is just the meatspace version of the countless Matrix sites. But in Vegas you can gamble on *anything*.  Your smoky OTB down the street is nothing compared to the intestine-inverting stench of the underground troll on dwarf death-matches that happen at derelict warehouses in North Las Vegas.  

Yes, yes, there’s prostitution, which is the fancy Anglo word for “whores”.  It’s been legal here so long it’s blase -- but remember that Vegas gets regular visitors from all around the world, and everybody has a different itch that can be scratched for a price.  Like blondes?  Come on, too easy.  Blonde teenage ork teens?  A dozen geriatric troll men?  A cockatrice? Anything for a price.

50 ¥, Grandpa. For 75 ¥, the wife can watch.     

Which is the real reason people like you and me come to Vegas -- anything can be bought and sold for a price.  The desert around Vegas is a prime stopover on smuggling routes between Los Angeles (and the rest of the California Free State) up through Ute to Denver, and from there to the rest of North America.  Chips, drugs, guns, slaves, telesma -- you can always find something if you know the right people.  Right now the commodity of choice?  Water.  The Ute’s a desert, folks.

A lot of people (who skipped history in high school) think Vegas is like Seattle or Denver -- an independent or UCAS enclave that was carved out after the Great Ghost Dance.  It’s actually full-on Ute territory, it’s just that the Indians knew that Vegas was never going to change and didn’t even try to eject the Anglos and take over.  So, the Ute security force keeps a wide perimeter around the city, and basically allows it to keep rotting from within.  Poisoned land, some of their shamans say -- best to let the infection run its course, then come back later and rebuild on the scab.

The real reason is much simpler -- money.  

Both legal and illegal business account for a majority of the Ute’s tax base.  When you next buy your ticket to Vegas (or if you’re feeling adventurous, buying a permit to drive in), zoom in on the various extra fees that get slapped on it -- one of them will be for a temporary tourist visa that lets you stay in the country.  Every time you slot your credstick to get another drink, sales tax makes its way back up to Provo, and odds are every roll of the loaded dice can put the last of your nuyen into the fur-lined pockets of the Comanche Mob.  

Crime

So, let’s talk about crime.  

There’s the Mob, the Triclops, the three “I”s -- the Italians (Verontesse family), the Irish (Wynne family) and the Indians (Comanche tribe) -- who are the biggest players: they control the Strip and every activity, legitimate or otherwise, contained within.  They work hard to keep their cash cow bright, clean, and tourist friendly -- any settling of vendettas must be done *quietly* or risk bringing down the wrath of all families (an excellent source of shadow work, by the way).  I know some of you runners try to avoid mob runs, to avoid the risk of getting caught under the thumb of the local capo, but in Vegas, it is impossible to avoid their influence.  Any bit of shadow biz involves the Mob in some way, so you might as well calm down and accept it.

The Yakuza are a solid, yet distant, second place when it comes to organized crime in Vegas, despite their best efforts to drive a wedge between the mob families.  Other than the large casinos, the yaks dabble in everything, and it’s not too hard to find a discrete agent working any given block of the Strip.

Beyond that, it’s a smorgasbord of everyone else: the Triads (Chinese), Seoulpa Rings (Korean), and every type of gang and low-life you can imagine.  Which reminds me...

Corps

The smarmy side of me is complaining that, in covering criminals, I have yet to cover the megacorps in Vegas.  

Har har har.  

More true than usual in Vegas, though -- the largest corps in terms of gross earnings and personnel run the casinos: The Flamingo Casino Group (owned by the Verontesse Mafia), the Wynne Conglomerate (Wynne family) and the Wind Speaker Corporation (owned by the Comanche Mob).  None of them are multi-national (and are thus unranked by the Corporate Court), but since they only operate in Ute (Vegas and Reno), they can throw down with any other megacorp in town.  

The only big boys (AAA ranked) in town with an auspicious presence are Aztechnology and Renraku.  The Azzies are rumored to own the Luxor pyramid casino (along with rumors of blood sacrifices on the roof) and have their Ute HQ downtown (unique among the megas, who if they are allowed to do business in Ute, have to stay in Provo). Renraku performs a critical function in Vegas -- they are the primary supplier of gambling machine hardware and software.  Yes, the mob runs the casinos, but they must buy their machines from Renraku.  

A summary of the rest of the Mega’s presence within Vegas:

Ares: Ford, Weapons World, Knight Errant (private security)

Fuchi: Virtual Meetings Inc. (telepresence), Fuchi Simsense Studios

Mitsuhama: Sakura Studios (simsense), Black Lotus (software)

Saeder-Krupp: BMW

Shiawase: Shiawase Atomics Southwest (nuclear power)

A summary of the rest of the worst, along with their ranking and primary area of business:

Buce Talent (unranked, entertainment) – who helps book of those acts? They do.

ESP Systems (A, simsense) – based in Chicago, solid presence in Vegas

Istus International (A, real estate) – an up and comer, recently constructed HQ in Vegas

Lone Star (AA, private security) – they’re not the “cops” though, more on that later

UNLV (unranked, education) – they incorporated back in the 20s as a for-profit university

The above is by no means complete – but if you’re hired for some local shadow biz, and it isn’t through the syndicates, it’s likely through one of them.  If not, it’s likely through the…

Las Vegas City Government

Spend a day in Vegas and it’s easy to forget that you’re technically a temporary visitor to the Ute Nation – remember the Ute is basically defined by their anti-Anglo sentiment – but if you look closely at the logos on the Strip Panicbuttons, you’ll see the LVCG.  Depending on your viewpoint, the LVCG is either the token gesture to Ute Nation membership or just another branch of the Comanche Mob.  Either way, no one gets elected to a LVCG position without approval from Provo.  

The only respectable aspect (IMHO) of the LVCG is that they resisted corporate takeover of their law enforcement (Lone Star and Knight Errant stand poised to take over, should something change), so the other sign of the LVCG you’ll see is the Metropolitan Police (MetroPol for short, MP for shorter, the latter also a dig at their somewhat militant response in some cases). The MetroPol do a good job at keeping law & order on the Strip (anything else would be bad business), in exchange for that the mobs let the MPs make a token bust to show to the public that the casinos are “clean”.  

Beyond the Strip

That said, MetroPol really only cares about keeping clean the pieces of Vegas that bring in money.  While technically having jurisdiction over the entire city, you’ll see Halley’s Comet before you see an MP on patrol north of the city.  Highway Patrol is the roughest division, as they form the front-line troops keeping the rabble from encroaching in the city. When they do venture off the interstate, it is only in armored vehicles and full riot gear.  

It’s not really as bad as you might think, it only seems that way compared to the sterile streets of the Strip only a few miles away.  Some areas of interest:

Chinatown (Spring Mountain & Red Rock) – center of Triad activity (natch) in Vegas.

Koreatown (Spring Valley & Rainbow) -- center of Seoulpa Ring activity in Vegas.  Also borders Chinatown, meaning that border is a Triad/Ring battleground.

Henderson – corp burb, has experienced huge expansion in the past five years.  All shades of high class, so dress like you belong.  Middle to high class residential.

North Las Vegas Barrens – ‘nuff said.  Most of you probably live here, so I won’t say more.

Enterprise/Spring Valley/Summerlin – if not in the Barrens, that means you’re a moderately successful runner/mobster and live here.  Middle to low class residential.  Boring.

Paradise – Just east of The Strip and just north of the airport, this area is home to UNLV, some up and coming nightclubs, and a good chunk of the Vegas magical community.  Home to the only Vegas Wiz-Kid gang.  

Boulder City – a Ute city, gambling free, meaning this is the effective southern border of the Vegas sprawl.  Ute military patrols out of here, so watch your step folks.

Ute Air Station (formerly Nellis Air Force Base) -- the effective northern border of the Vegas sprawl.  Ute military patrols out of here too, though UAS duty isn’t the most sought after (most injun flyboys prefer the former Hill AF Base near Salt Lake), and as a result have a permanent bad attitude.  And by “bad attitude”, we mean would rather geek you than talk to you, given any excuse.

Getting in and out…

…by Air:

99% of visitors to Vegas come through McCarren International Airport. Nominally owned by the Ute government, its day to day operations are governed by a consortium of local corps (the mob, the megas, etc.).  Security is typical for a North American airport, which is lower than you might expect. There are a few other places to land a plane in Vegas – there is a private airport in Henderson that caters exclusively to corp traffic (really, anyone with enough money can use the facilities).  There is a similarly sized airfield in North Las Vegas, though regular air traffic left it years ago as the area degraded into the hellhole it is today.  However, you still find the occasional black market panzer or VSTOL sneaking in at night.

And, of course, there’s the UAS, which keeps a pretty tight radar net around the area (one thing they actually can do fairly well).  You can sneak in some unscheduled chopper flights within the city without a flight plan (or a bogus one) – what is Vegas without some spontaneity? – but try to make a break to the Hoover Dam and you might end up as target practice for the UAS SAM batteries.

…by Sea:  

Don’t be an asshole.  (still a desert, folks) 

…by Land:

Since the rest of the Ute nation uniformly despises the people of Vegas, and Vegas is surrounded on all sides by Ute territory, road traffic is discouraged, to say the least. Few locals stop, but some drive through.  You get a few more visitors that come from Cal Free through Ute, though they better be tribal or rich enough to bribe your way through.  I-15 is the major thoroughfare in this regard – north to Provo, Salt Lake, and points beyond, south to Cal Free.  Route 93 is the other road that cuts through the city, though not quite as active (who wants to go to Reno anyway?).  The bulk of traffic heading in and out of the city are freight vehicles (and most unmanned and remotely controlled, which has led to some interesting encounters from bands of North Las Vegas ruffians); this includes the heavy rail lines running through town.

…Illegitimately:

Which is, honestly, probably what you were interested in in the first place, and, natch, is going to depend upon your resources and level of desperation.  

What not to try – being a stowaway.  

Ute is paranoid about Anglos sneaking in and retaking over the territory, so they’ve wised up to neo-hobos breaking into open train cars or sneaking into the back of semi cabs. Companies must file manifests for every train and truck passing in and out of Vegas, listing content delivered, content picked up, delivery times, and so on.  These are verified by layers of drone sensor systems, both fixed and mobile, at the city boundaries.  And for every camera the Utes have on your cargo, there are two guns aimed in case something is up.  If you want to smuggle something in by land, make a mob contact with the myriad of trucking companies they control.

What to try – use the airport.

Seriously, the flimsiest of fake identities if usually enough to get you in and out of McCarren; Vegas makes it money through tourism, so as long as you’re not on the UCAS Ten Most Wanted List, expect an easy trip into Vegas (and if you are on the list, you’ll only get an extra pat-down).  Somewhat harder to get out (people don’t spend money once they leave), but not that much harder.

Away from the strip and the highways, there is a small and tight-knit panzer community operating out of North Las Vegas, using the surrounding mountains as camouflage in and out.  High risk, high reward, and high prices if you want to tag along.  That is, if you can find someone willing to talk to you.

Finally, in a worst case-scenario, you can just walk in and out of Vegas – the Ute sensor net, while probably locating you, has bigger problems than a drunk Anglo wandering into the desert and dying of heat stroke. And there are enough hiding places within the mountains that you could make it to Cal Free undetected if you had enough water…

[tigerintokyo]

Stella by Fling Posse (En, romaji, kanji)

English translation, romaji, and Japanese after the cut.

English translation:

(Gentaro) Somewhere, a star shoots across the sky As though being pulled, it traced the edge of the night A king of the planet of the burned sword, A thief from the planet of crystal on the right and sand on the left, And a scientist from the star that lost its light in the far off corner of the universe… By chance, they looked up at the same shooting star A ship loaded with fragments of their story Took off in the blink of an eye

(Dice) The rest of the countries are destroyed, a gate to the undone rule of might I left but I’m still surrounded by smoke and the leftover scent of defeat The tragically ignorant people said they believed in something like a miracle A fugitive chased from the planet while burning in remorse and regrets A monochrome window to a distant throne Is sticking to ideals a fatal poison? If that’s the way it is, then it’s like playing to a crowd The lifeboat is set down, headed towards an unfamiliar planet Venez m'aider (come and help) [1] Meditate the meaning of why I was left alive, and dream of the day I can rebuild

A played back verse I reached out to the shooting star The universe that extends to the beginning Connects to the future with the ending in mind That one unwavering star, deep inside, And repeat again and again Step out into orbit Eternal reincarnation A true shooting star Dancing across space “Stella by Starlight” Its distorted path is luminous

(Gentaro) Strangely, it seems a visitor crashed here, tonight He’s fallen here, but it’s like the moon has also fallen A former king? You don’t know anything, but know that a thief has to live as a thief I can’t have my head dancing around in space The world is a jigsaw puzzle created by sadistic priests, wherein Without reason, history has been hypnotized to look like people live and die with their social status (i.e. social class based on wealth) [2] Ah, because I want to kill this boredom that is creeping up my throat Take me with you, Messiah

A played back verse I reached out to the shooting star The universe that extends to the beginning Connects to the future with the ending in mind That one unwavering star, deep inside, And repeat again and again Step out into orbit Eternal reincarnation A true shooting star Dancing across space “Stella by Starlight” Its distorted path is luminous

(Ramuda) It’s quite a story of a lot of hardships from far away This place is covered with ice, and I’m the only thing living To attend to my research, I separated myself from a moral life (way of people) [3] Like paper scraps of a love letter, but the recipient is forgotten Like material left at the end of a labyrinth Like a white camellia that blooms forever [4] In the face of truth, things like ethics weigh you down In my pursuit, I stopped aging For a fragment of the life that I desired, but it was all a daydream I lament in a nocturne that I am already too late

Noise from between the stars Steal the night sky Like a ephemeral collage, starlight starlight

Ramuda: Why do you bother with me? Dice: You seem to be similar to us. Gentaro: Something like “birds of a feather”? [5] Dice: Maybe. Ramuda: It doesn’t matter. [6] Dice: You’re a slave to a wish. Ramuda: How can you tell? Gentaro: You can tell by looking. It’s like you lost something Gentaro, Dice: Like a glass bead. Ramuda: If I could, someday I would want to see my homeland. Dice: Then it’s decided. Ramuda: I don’t know if it’s even there. Gentaro: If you stay in this place, nothing will change. Dice: Then, about where this empty ship will end up… Dice, Gentaro: Why don’t we place a bet?

The universe is blocked off Shut in darkness The feint light of a falling star Lights up this strange connection Only the will to try again is firmly expressed Adding heat to the fire Emerging from the cocoon

Keep your feet facing forward Don’t make a mistake even if you pause on your next step Keep your feet facing forward With only a single focus, let’s cherish the mistakes we make sometimes Step out as far as possible So that your own shadow can’t catch you when you look back Keep your feet facing forward Asking at the end of dawn This is a story of stumbling as a means to fly

A played back verse I reached out to the shooting star The universe that extends to the beginning Connects to the future with the ending in mind That one unwavering star, deep inside, And repeat again and again Step out into orbit Eternal reincarnation A true shooting star Dancing across space “Stella by Starlight” Its distorted path is luminous

-

Romaji:

(Gentaro) Dokoka de hoshi ga nagareta Sore wa tagurare you ni yoru no fuchi o nazotta Yakeochi ta tsurugi no hoshi de ousama ga Migi gawa ga suishou, hidari gawa ga suna no hoshi de sanzoku ga Hikari kata o wasureta sumikko no hoshi de kagakusha ga Futo onaji ryuusei o aoida Monogatari no kirehashi o noseta fune wa Mabataki no sukima no nutte tobisatta

(Dice) Yo no kuni wa horobita, hokorobi ta hadou e no tobira Tachinoku mi wo naomo torimaku shouen to haisen no nokorika Kiseki no tourai nado wo shinji ta higeki no moumai to tami wa iita Jiseki to koukai ni yakare nagara hoshi o owareru toubousha Monokuro na mado no mukou toonoku ouza Shi ni itaru moudoku to wa risou no shuchou ka Naraba koso, hito wo toku you da Koukashi dasu kyuumei tei mishiranu hoshi ni mukeru Venez m'aider Ikasareta imi o meditate, saiken no hi wo yumemite

Saisei no Verse Ryuusei ni te wo nobasu Hajimari ga tsuranaru universe Tsunai de iku mirai with the ending in mind Yuruginai hitotsu no hoshi ga deep inside Nan do datte kurikaesu Kidou ni sotte fumidasu Itsu made mo reincarnation Utsuwari no nai shooting star Chuu ni mau “Stella by Starlight” Kiseki wa ibitsu na hou ga Luminous

(Gentaro) Myou ni shareta nari no kyakujin da na konya wa Ochita saki ga koko jya tsuki mo ochi ta you da na Moto ousama ka nanka shiranga touzoku ni wa touzoku no ryuugi ga aru to shire Kubi ga chuu ni mau to ike nee Sekai wa sadisuto na Priest tachi ga egaku jigsaw puzzle Riyuu mo naku hinpu no sa de shinu you na Hypnotize sareta Histoire Naa nodo moto o haizuru kono taikutsu wo koroshitain da Ore mo ubaisatte kure messiah

Saisei no Verse Ryuusei ni te wo nobasu Hajimari ga tsuranaru universe Tsunai de iku mirai with the ending in mind Yuruginai hitotsu no hoshi ga deep inside Nan do datte kurikaesu Kidou ni sotte fumidasu Itsu made mo reincarnation Utsuwari no nai shooting star Chuu ni mau “Stella by Starlight” Kiseki wa ibitsu na hou ga Luminous

(Ramuda) Harubaru gokurou na koto taisou na hanashi da ne Kouri ni oowareta koko de seimei wa watashi dake Kenkyuu wa ki ga tsuke ba hito no michi wo hazureta Dare ga tame ka mo wasure ta kamikuzu no you na love letter Meikyuu no hate ni aru material Eikyuu no kate ni saku shiroi camellia Shinri no mae ni wa rinri no sakebi nado kase ni naru Oi moto metakute oi wo tometa Koi kogareta inochi no kakera, subete wa haku chuumu Mou osoin dayo to doukoku suru Nocturne

Hoshi no aima kara Noise Yozora o sarai Utsusemi no collage mitai na starlight starlight

Naze watashi ni kamaun da Niteiru ki ga shitan da Onaji ana no muji natte ka Sate na Kudaranai Negai ni torawareteiru Naze wakaru? Me de wakaru sa. Nani ka o ushinatte glass dama no you da

Kanau nara itsuka furusato ga mitai na Nara kimarida Aru no ka mo wakaranai Kono ni ite mo kawaranai Dewa utsuro na kono fune ga doko e yuku no ka Kakete minai ka

Sora wa fusagari Tojikomotta kuragai Hoshi ga otosu usu akari Terashi dasu fushigi na tsunagari Futatabi wo nagau kokoro dake ga jitto tsutawari Netsu wo kuberu kagari Uka shite iku sanagi

Tsuma saki wa mae ni mukete oku Tachi domatta tsugi no ippo me demo machigaenai you ni Tsuma saki wa mae ni mukete oku Tada ichizuna me de itsuka ayamachi sura me de you Tsuma saki wa dekiru kagiri tooku fumikomu Furi kaeru toki jibun no kage ga oitsuke nai you ni Tsuma saki wa mae ni mukete oku Akatsui no hate ni tou Kore wa tsumazuki wo kate ni tobu story

Saisei no Verse Ryuusei ni te wo nobasu Hajimari ga tsuranaru universe Tsunai de iku mirai with the ending in mind Yuruginai hitotsu no hoshi ga deep inside Nan do datte kurikaesu Kidou ni sotte fumidasu Itsu made mo reincarnation Utsuwari no nai shooting star Chuu ni mau “Stella by Starlight” Kiseki wa ibitsu na hou ga Luminous

-

Japanese (kanji):

どこかで星が流れた それは手繰られるように夜の縁をなぞった 焼け落ちた剣の星で王様が 右側が水晶、左側が砂の星で山賊が 光り方を忘れた隅っこの星で科学者が ふと同じ流星を仰いだ 物語の切れ端を乗せた船は 瞬きの隙間を縫って飛び去った

余の国は滅びた　綻びた覇道への扉 立ち退く身を尚も取り巻く硝煙と敗戦の残り香 奇跡の到来などを信じた悲劇の蒙昧と民は云った 自責と後悔に灼かれながら星を追われる逃亡者 モノクロな窓の向こう遠のく王座 死に至る猛毒とは理想の主張か なればこそ人を説くようだ 降下し出す救命艇　見知らぬ星に向ける Venez m’aider 生かされた意味を meditate　再建の日を夢見て

再生の Verse 流星に手を伸ばす 始まりが連なるユニバース 繋いでいく未来 with the ending in mind 揺るぎない一つの星が deep inside 何度だって繰り返す 軌道に沿って踏み出す いつまでも reincarnation 偽りの無い shooting star 宙に舞う“Stella by Starlight” 軌跡は歪な方が Luminous

妙に洒落たナリの客人だな今夜は 堕ちた先がここじゃツキも落ちたようだな 元王様か何か知らんが盗賊には盗賊の流儀があると知れ 首が宙に舞うといけねえ 世界はサディストな Priest 達が描くジグソーパズル 理由も無く貧富の差で死ぬような Hypnotize された Histoire なぁ喉元を這いずるこの退屈を殺したいんだ 俺も奪い去ってくれメサイア

再生の Verse 流星に手を伸ばす 始まりが連なるユニバース 繋いでいく未来 with the ending in mind 揺るぎない一つの星が deep inside 何度だって繰り返す 軌道に沿って踏み出す いつまでも reincarnation 偽りの無い shooting star 宙に舞う“Stella by Starlight” 軌跡は歪な方が Luminous

Ramuda 遥々ご苦労なこと大層な話だね 氷に覆われたここで生命は私だけ 研究は気が付けば人の道を外れた 誰が為かも忘れた紙屑のようなラブレター 迷宮の果てにあるマテリアル 永久を糧に咲く白いカメリア 真理の前には倫理の叫びなど枷(かせ)になる 追い求めたくて老いを止めた 恋い焦がれた命の欠片　全ては白昼夢 もう遅いんだよと慟哭する Nocturne

星の合間からノイズ 夜空を攫(さら)い 空蝉のコラージュみたいな starlight starlight

「何故私に構うんだ。」 「似ている気がしたんだ。」 「同じ穴のムジナってか。」 「さてな。」 「くだらない。」 「願いに囚われている。」 「何故わかる？」 「目でわかるさ。何かを失ってガラス玉のようだ。」

「叶うならいつか故郷が見たいな。」 「なら決まりだ。」 「あるのかもわからない。」 「此処にいても変わらない。」 「では虚ろなこの船が何処へ着(ゆ)くのか賭けてみないか。」

宇宙は塞がり 閉じ篭った暗がり 星が落とす薄明かり 照らし出す不思議な繋がり 再びを願う心だけがじっと伝わり 熱をくべる篝 羽化していく蛹

爪先は前に向けておく 立ち止まった次の一歩目でも間違えないように 爪先は前に向けておく ただ一途な目でいつか過ちすら愛でよう 爪先はできる限り遠く踏み込む 振り返る時自���の影が追い付けないように 爪先は前に向けておく 暁の果てに問う これは躓きを糧に飛ぶ story

再生の Verse 流星に手を伸ばす 始まりが連なるユニバース 繋いでいく未来 with the ending in mind 揺るぎない一つの星が deep inside 何度だって繰り返す 軌道に沿って踏み出す いつまでも reincarnation 偽りの無い shooting star 宙に舞う“Stella by Starlight” 軌跡は歪な方が Luminous

—

T/N:

“Venez m'aider” is French for “come and help,” but also the distress signal “mayday” is a shortening of this phrase.

The nuance is that people are stuck in their financial or social status, more lit. “and die with the difference in wealth”.

Lit. “way of people,” but the meaning is meant to be a life led by morals.

I interpreted these three examples as related to Ramuda’s “pursuit” as metaphors. (paper scraps -> have to be gathered, but recipient is forgotten; material in labyrinth -> as in a game, you have to journey to find it; a white camelia that blooms forever -> a certain kind of “scientific” pursuit, parallels that Ramuda “stopped aging”).

Lit. “Badgers from the same hole,” an idiom for same type of people, usually applied to “bad guys,” but since Gentaro is saying it about himself, he’s using it in a self-deprecating way.

More lit. “How worthless,” but based on his character in this song, it seems Ramuda would find anything outside of his personal pursuit worthless.

The song often uses the structure “you ni” which is a common structure used at the end of making a wish (to a star, at a shrine, etc.). I like how the lyrics use this structure continuously throughout the song as well as the similar structure “you da.” 

–> The bridge part with it’s “you ni” is kind of playing on this structure as well, but with “keep your feet forward” as a way to make the wish come true.

There are a lot of interesting lines in which homonyms are used though they have different meaning, so I think it’s interesting to see the pronunciation and the kanji as well.

—

Extra analysis (subjective, updating):

French lyrics point to two references with French sources –>

A Trip to the Moon (silent film) by Georges Méliès: a science fiction film about finding new horizons. Also, Dice’s line *monochrome window* as this film is in black in white as well as the film rollng sound at the beginning of the song. (Note: in Gentaro’s verse, “moon” is actually written in katagana, and by nature left open to interpretation.)

The Little Prince, a picture book by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: the planet hopping as well how the planets are described in general, as well as finding “ridiculousness” at each planet. The prince also longs to return home. (Additionally, a flower, in this case a camellia, at does not age, i.e. does not die –> In The Little Prince, the prince wants to protect a rose he has fallen in love with. I think there are more meta connections in general to the Little Prince/Saint-Exupéry, but I’m going to stop here.)

Other references

Peter Pan: Ramuda’s “stopped aging” as well as stepping far enough out so that your shadow can’t catch you.

“Stella by Starlight” most famously known as a jazz standard by Victor Young (Lyrics by Ned Washington) and featured in the film The Uninvited (1944), a horror film, but I think the reference is more to the standard itself which was revived in the 1960′s, performed by many famous jazz musicians, and sung by many famous singers. The lyrics are about a woman who is the object of affection of the songwriter. More recently, “Stella by Starlight” was also referenced in Hozier’s song “Almost (Sweet Music)” earlier this year.

Stella by Starlight: 

The song a robin sings Through years of endless springs The murmur of a brook at evening tides That ripples through a nook where two lovers hide That great symphonic theme That’s Stella by starlight And not a dream My heart and I agree She’s everything on this earth to me That great symphonic theme That’s Stella by starlight And not a dream My heart and I agree She’s everything on this earth to me

(Please do not use copy and paste my song translations. Do not use them in ways in which you can gain monetary value. Thank you.)

[teababe27]

Notes From the 2019 Myanimelist.net Challenges - Part 2: Manga

This post will be talking about the Manga Reading Challenge. As with Part 1, this post will be talking about some of my favorite manga I read for this challenge, as well as some others I had thoughts about.

Let’s do this.

Honorable Mentions/Other Notables:

My Girlfriend’s a Geek - completed for the task “Read a comedy or Slice of Life manga”

College student Taiga mainly wants two things: money and a hot older girlfriend. When Taiga applies for a part-time job, he falls right away for his senpai, Yuiko. They eventually get to know each other. When Taiga asks Yuiko to be his girlfriend, she has a confession: she’s a fujoshi. Not knowing what that means, Taiga says he doesn’t care what she is and they get into a relationship.

I thought this was heartwarming and funny at times (reminded me of when I had to tell my mom what yaoi meant - don’t ask), but I feel like the premise kinda wore thin after a while and some of the jokes fell flat near the end.

If I had to pick, this would be the Worst of the Challenge this year.

Arisa - completed for the task “Read a manga with less than 10,000 completed members”

Tsubasa and Arisa are twin sisters who haven’t seen each other in a while. Tsubasa has a reputation of being a fighter and has mainly guy friends. Arisa is more of a girly girl and is the popular girl in her class. Tsubasa just wants to be more like Arisa. When they reconnect one day, Arisa suggests, for fun, that Tsubasa take her place at school for one day. Tsubasa later learns some dark serets about Arisa’s school life and plans to get to the bottom of things.

This may look shoujo-y, but is more of a psychological mystery/thriller, which I like. Generic at times, but fun. I feel like the ending had some problems, though.

Othello - completed for the task “Read a manga ranked below #1000 in the database”

Yaya is shy, naive, trusting, and afraid to speak up for herself, which makes her an easy target. Her “friends” are huge dicks, call her names like “Yaya the cry-ya”, and take advantage of her and play pranks on her. She has a crush on a classmate, she dreams of being a singer, she cosplays occasionally; pretty average things.

Little does anyone - including Yaya herself - know, she has a split personality who is Yaya’s opposite in every way. Nana is loud, bold, brash, fashionable, and not afraid to speak up and dispense justice against Yaya’s “friends.”

This manga was actually pretty fun. I was worried it would be kinda repetitive from the first volume or two (Yaya gets tricked --> Nana comes out and dispenses justice --> Yaya’s crush is curious, etc.), but it got a little deeper into some of Yaya’s psyche. Seeing Nana dispense justice was also pretty fun, even though it could be a little unrealistic at times.

Hana and Hina After School - completed for the task “Read a manga with a cast consisting of mostly one gender”

Hana and Hina are two girls working a part-time job at a toy store. Hana is small and shy. Hina is tall, fashionable, and secretly a model on the side. They get off on the wrong foot at first, but they eventually become friends. Since their school doesn’t allow part-time jobs, they help each other keep their secret and their feelings eventually grow past friendship.

This manga was ADORABLE!!!

I find it good to read yuri/shoujo ai written by a woman rather than a man. The progression of their relationship, while seeming a little fast, was so nice to see. So pure, cinnamon rolls too good for this world. Especially when the manga shows each girl laying in bed thinking about how cute the other one is. A heartwarming ending as well.

Beach Stars - completed for the task “Read a Sports or Games manga”

Nanase Iruka is a short tomboy who loves volleyball. When her school’s volleyball club is shut down, Iruka is pretty upset. When her club-mates try to cheer her up, Iruka discovers beach volleyball. She forms a beach volleyball club at her school with a goal of winning against the local volleyball champion.

A bit fanservice-y at times, but I had fun with this one. It was fun to see Iruka and her friends compete and succeed. I also liked the growing friendship of a couple freshmen who come into the story several chapters in.

Favorites from the Challenge:

Koi Dano Ai Dano - completed for the task “Read a prequel/sequel to a manga that you’ve already read”

The cast from The Secret Notes of Lady Kanoko is back, and now they’re in high school!

Kanoko and Tsubaki are now attending the same high school. They end up getting recruited into their school’s newspaper club by one of their senpais. Kanoko becomes the Chief Strategist and helps the club out in their rivalry against other clubs, including the Broadcasting Club. Also, Kanoko is oblivious to Tsubaki’s growing crush on her.

Pretty much everything I liked about Lady Kanoko makes an appearance here. I still love Kanoko. She has a good head on her shoulders. These characters are not typical shoujo characters. I also love Tsubaki and Kanoko’s chemistry together. Comedy, romance, and a little suspense. Good mix.

The Embalmer - completed for the task “Read a manga serialized in a josei magazine”

Mamiya is an embalmer, a profession treated with disdain in Japan. He seems okay with being an outcast, though. Throughout the manga, we learn why he chose his career, what goes through his mind, and stories from his job.

This manga really made me think. I did not know until now that embalming wasn’t really appreciated everywhere as it is in the US. I honestly did not expect this (pretty sad at times) meditation on love, loss, and grief, but I appreciate it all the same.

Annarasumanara - completed for the task “Read a manhua or manhwa”

There are rumors in town of a magician at a tent in the abandoned theme park. He always starts his show by asking “Do you believe in magic?”

Yoon Ah-ee, a student who is living in poverty, has a chance encounter with this magician that changes her life forever.

The art in this one is pretty unique and cool. The plot was very interesting and the characters had some depth. This is another manga from the challenge that made me think. Thumbs up.

Alice 19th - completed for the task “Read a manga by a female author/artist”

Alice has always been jealous of her older sister, Mayura. Mayura is good at everything she does and is popular at school. Alice is bullied at school and is afraid to stand up for herself. She also has a crush on Kyo, who starts dating Mayura.

One day, Alice encounters a bunny, who turns out to be a magical girl named Nyozeka. Nyozeka tells Alice that she is destined to learn the Lotis Words and become a Lotis Master. When Mayura disappears during an argument with Alice, Alice becomes determined to learn the Lotis Words and get her sister back.

This manga was great. I feel like this should get an anime adaptation. The art is great. The story is pretty cool, with magic focusing on words being something I hadn’t read before, or at least in a while. It’s pretty shoujo-y, but not too cliche.

Kasane - completed for the task “Read a manga that started serialization before 2015″

Kasane Fuchi has inherited her actress mother’s talent, but not her good looks. No one will give her a chance because she is so ugly. Fortunately for her, she has something her mother left her: a lipstick that allows her to swap faces with whoever she kisses for 12 hours.

One day, a talent agent who knew her mother ropes her into being the body double for Nina Tanazawa, a struggling actress. Things go downhill from there.

This wins Best of the Challenge this year on the manga side for me. This manga blew my mind a few times while I was reading it. The story is interesting and unpredictable with plenty of twists and turns. Everyone basically crosses the Moral Event Horizon at some point. An interesting psychological manga. Highly recommended.

[nicopengin]

If Your Life Were a Role Playing Game Series #1

I am a gamer. I love to play video games. In the beginning, I never really had a specific set of video games that I loved over the others. Simply because I was a child, I was thrilled at anything innovative and new. Especially games that always intrigued the focused attention that I lacked on more serious matters. Being allowed to play with other people made me even more grateful for video games and electronics as a whole. I'm not knocking down the single-player games, because somebody will misinterpret. I'm simply saying I prefer playing with other people. Other people make the games much more fun and life much more fun. Plus, I love last-hitting monsters to get the most experience and taking loot they earned since we are partied up. Yes, I am that type of party member, lol.

My Favorite Genre

One of my favorite genres is the MMORPG genre. This stands for a massively multiplayer online role-playing game. And it's honestly one of the best ways that I've connected with my closest friends for so many years. As well as games that enabled me to have a deep bond with some friends. I've played Order and Chaos with my sister, Imcompletelyme And FredinProgress. I remember at the time. Reading articles that stated your personality type is the kind of person you should play in an MMORPG. In general, I was almost always an impulsive young man, plus I loved to run without a game plan in everything I did in life, so, in these game modes., I always decided to go with the berserker, tank, or warrior. Fred was always the calculative kind that would like to shoot from afar. So that way, if the danger was too much, he could easily sneak off, AKA the Ranger. My sister, always liked to play when she had nothing else to do and didn’t really care about her race or class. So, she would be the healer. This was my main party. Usually, NicoPengin and FredinProgress, because my sister would only play once every blue moon.

Attributes of Videogames in Real Life

As a person who plays almost 10 hours a week to video games (League of Legends has entered the chat). I think that sometimes some people consider video games as something negative, but during the last years, I have visualized how much similarity their concepts have with real life and that, despite knowing how to differentiate them, I like to explore those concepts and relate them to my day to day life. They have come to entertain, teach and fuel my passions, such as science fiction. So, I'd like to show you a little bit about my vision of this. Now, one of the most important attributes, if not the most important, in an MMORPG, is your health. Even though my sister was a healer and didn't really know how to play the game. Her number one priority was to keep us alive. In most MMORPG games, health is a red bar. Typically, you start with a low level and as you level up, it goes up. Health is the most indispensable attribute in any game and in life. Essentially, it is the amount of damage you or a character can take before dying or being knocked out.

Health in Real Life If you think about it, both in real life and in games, when you have very low health, then you are essentially weak and fragile, and even a breeze or a bee sting can kill you. But if you strive to develop yourself and become much healthier, progressing through the various levels of your day to day life, as well as growing with each experience you gain, then you will be very healthy and vigorous. And only if we talk about the game, a bullet won't even hurt you, when you are around level 100! So as long as you know that red is health and that it is the most important attribute in this game called life, then you and I can focus on becoming the healthiest players possible.

The Balance in the Scales

Let's be honest, since we were little more than once some of us have broken our sleep schedule, skipped a meal of the day, or even gone a couple of days without taking a bath (Fuchi, but yes, admit it). These types of situations can happen in our lives, the important thing is to find the balance and understand that everything we do generates reactions in our bodies. So, yes, playing video games is a great thing and like any other great thing we do, it requires moderation and not neglecting our other issues. In case you're wondering what that looks like, by the way. I'd like to point you to some examples of our common hobby (video games) to make this a little more dynamic. So, in games, apart from our distinguished health bar, we can also encounter a set of stats that are what define our characters. If we think about the "stamina" statistic we will visualize that it is very common the way it acts in the game as in our real life.

Endurance in real life and video games It turns out that in the video games in which this statistic exists, normally our character can feel fatigued after a series of actions, such as running, attacking, and even doing some work. So we need to eat, drink water and rest to recover from these states of fatigue, so you see, a feature as common as it is resistance, can be found not only in video games but also in our real life. By the way, did you know that in some video games you can eat something, and instead of making you well, your character gets sick, in fact, I have seen some of my characters vomit, from eating raw food or some kind of "Extravagant" food, yes, murlocs, those little amphibious creatures, are not so tasty. So, just like video game characters, you too must be sure not to overload yourself. Relax once in a while, and exercise for 1 hour a day. Use eye drops if your eyes feel dry and you spend a lot of time in front of the computer. You may want to consider getting orange glasses that filter out blue light. I am not a druid healer, but these are just a few examples in case you are thinking about what a healthy gamer might look like.

Finally

Remember that the healthier you are, the less you can complain about your lag in real life, as well as your lag on the Internet, and blame it on your skills. Keep striving to improve! After all, we are human beings, and regardless of whether you are playing a lot of video games or not, the essence of our health lies in the care we take for our body and mind. If you liked this. Stay tuned for the other eleven articles in the "If your life were a role-playing game" series as I will be bringing you much more dynamic content for you to enjoy and join me in the passion that unites us. Be sure to give a "like", comment, and subscribe to my newsletter for more. As always, any feedback is greatly appreciated. Read the full article

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January 3

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