#Odaiba Memorial day weekend

[bg12sofia]

So right now I'm at a DigiFest/Odaiba Memorial Day event here in Portugal with Portuguese fans and some of the voice actors who dubbed Kizuna in Portuguese – and I think we will be joined by VAs who dubbed the firsts seasons of Digimon when we were kids. One of the activities is drawing Digimon to win stickers which, in turn, shall win us a Kizuna poster. I haven't really drawn in years, since I was a kid, but I tried it for shits and giggles. I copied Koromon from Google Images and, all modesty aside... Not bad! Not bad at all! I'm so proud of my little drawing!

[alpaca-clouds]

Odaiba Memorial

Okay. It is August 1st and as such it is Odaiba Memorial Day. So, for once I give myself the chance to just ramble a bit about Digimon, which to this autistic dude was his longest hyperfixation.

You know, in 2000 Digimon got to the German TV station, that was basically airing all the anime over here. I still gotta say, that the ad campaign they did for it, was unwise and would most certainly fire up the entire "Digimon vs Pokémon" thing here in Germany.

It went like this: "Pokémon ist der Wahn! Digimon ist der MEGAWAHN!" (translated: "Pokémon is the craze! Digimon is the mega craze!") So, as a Pokémon fan I instantly went like: "It can never be better then Pokémon!" But... not soon after I got sick with the flu and spent the afternoon sitting in front of the TV and watched Digimon. It was the final episode of the Devimon arc, so episode 13 and I... was instantly hooked. And then went on to watch it religiously.

A year later I finally got access to the internet. More specifically I was allowed to use the computer rooms at the local university during the weekends. And while I used it to learn programming, I also used it to download all the anime. lol And guess what? Digimon Tamers was just out. And while I was hooked on Adventure, that was nothing compared to Digimon Tamers.

I always loved card games and the series incorporating the card game was a big plus. But also, there was Ruki. And Ruki to me back then was the kind of female character I needed in my life. A confident, stubborn girl, who was just so cool. Like so fucking cool. I mean, look at her.

And, yeah. Digimon to me was the thing that kinda kept me alive throughout my entire youth. I watched and rewatched and then rewatched again the series. Especially Digimon Tamers. Any Digimon news would make me super excited and obviously I learned all the Digimon names, levels and types, because that is what the autistic brains does when hyperfixating on something.

While no longer my biggest fanfic project, my biggest writing project at the time back then was Digimon Tamers Generations, a sequel to Digimon Tamers consisting of Digimon Alpha Generation (7 years post-canon) and Digimon Battle Generation (10 years post canon).

Like look at these little idiots. (They are the main characters from Digimon Battle Generation.)

So, yeah... Digimon really meant a lot to me for a very long time. Does, in fact, still mean a lot to me, even though I am not quite as obsessive about it as I was before. Mostly because I am now obsessing about Castlevania xD

But yeah, man. Digimon is great. And there are just so many great memories connected to it.

For the most part, I would never have started writing, if it was not for Digimon. So I will be forever thankful to it for this reason alone!

[crawlthesky]

odaiba memorial day screencap project clean-up progress, week 3

(before clean-up → after clean-up) current progress: 50/80 minutes (02: the beginning) done 40/54 episodes (adv 1999) done 30/67 episodes (adv 2020) done

movie and 1999 will probably be finished by next weekend's progress update. 2020…oof. it has massively kicked my ass, both in screencapping and in clean-up. will a miracle happen and i finish it in time as well? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ~who knows~ at any rate, i'm just gonna keep chipping away slowly for these last 11 days and see where that gets me

[gossipchii]

Drive to survive

FF.net: here / AO3: here

Characters: Ishida Yamato

Words: 5100+

Notes: I promised this on twitter, and here as well and well, it happened. A Digimon story on my latest obsession. the Formula 1.

It’s safe to say I got excited, this is my longest story in forever!

Anyway, hope you like it as much as I do. Enjoy!

He was making history; he could not let himself forget it. Not ever had there been a Japanese driver to win podiums, and so far, during that season only, he had five. He had been working towards where he was right now ever since he was 8, when his dad had taken him to a kid’s go-kart circuit in Tokyo and had found out his heart had never beaten quicker. His mom had gotten scared when he told her how much he had liked it, and that he wanted to go back.

The owner of the place, a former engineer for Formula 1, was impressed as soon as he placed his eyes on him.

“He’s got talent,” he had told his mother, she shrugged it off. It was only a hobby, it had to be.

When his grandparents had gone visiting from Paris, Yamato had insisted on them seeing him race, he was only ten at the time. His grandfather knew he raced go-karts from his calls with his mother, but since she had insisted it was just a hobby, he took it that way. Of course, as an old French man, he was a big afficionado of car races, and nevertheless he was impressed by how fast his young grandson was.

“He’s a natural Natsuko, you must understand this is not just a hobby.”

Yamato traveled back to France with his grandparents, after he had heard them discussed with his mother about him taking a shot at race teams in Europe, professional ones. He had never been a professional before, he was not even sure what that meant, since Formula 1 was not a popular sport between his classmates, it was all about soccer and baseball, he did not know people could get paid by racing.

Michel, his grandfather, had a friend, who knew a friend, who was a part of the recruiting team of Renault’s quarry, and as soon as they saw 10-year-old Yamato behind his tiny wheel, they knew he was a natural, good enough to start training as soon as possible with their team.

It all happened too fast for him, he had to go back to Tokyo to pack up his life and leaving for good. He was not even certain if he were feeling sad or nostalgic, all he knew was school would turn into something he could do at home, and in French, and that he would be racing all the time. It all sounded like a dream, really.

“Don’t tell your grandma I’m telling you this but go kick those English kids’ butts!” had been the encouragement words coming from his grandpa before his first-ever professional race. He was 13 at the time, already gaining enough attention from the media, especially from his home country, despite only stepping foot in Japan once a year.

He tried not to read anything regarding himself, they tended to be mean, and underappreciating him. He knew after the first article he had read, he would never read it again, what was the point anyway?

“Next time I see anyone writing something mean they’ll be fired, even if they work elsewhere,” his dad had threatened.

“It’s okay, I don’t even care anymore. Let them talk, all I care about is getting podium, again.”

And so, he did, until he was old enough to jump to the bigger leagues. From Formula 3 to Formula 2, and finally, with only 21 years old, signing a five-year contract with the team Michel had always admired: Scuderia Ferrari.

Sadly enough, he had not had the chance to see him drive in red, because he had passed away due to a heart-attack, his grandmother passing away shortly after. People said she had died from heartbreak. Yamato only took it as another reason why he had to prove his best. His management team had told him media were already calling him the best Japanese driver in history, and that was nice, but only if he made it reality.

Yamato had helped Ferrari pound back to being the first-place team once again, after years of competing against Red-Bull and Mercedes. But he had only been the fifth best racer, not good enough if he wanted to make history.

That week he was back in his homeland, Japan greeting him as a hero for the Japanese Grand Prix. It was scary how much his face was everywhere he looked, even more so than pop-icons. He was glad his team respected his choice to remain mostly private, and when they wanted advertising, his team-mate, an Austrian dude who was six years older than him, was more than happy to do the interviewing.

It was safe to say he was not pleased when they asked him to do a photoshoot for a local fashion brand, up and coming worldwide, apparently. Yamato did not care much about fashion, despite him being called the best dressed racer a few years in a row. Not that he knew about it, plus he usually put on an all-black outfit and he was through.

“Why can’t Lechner do it?”

“They want you specifically, Ishida.” His manager said softly, “even the Japanese embassy is paying for this partnership. Aren’t you proud to be Japanese?”

“Of course, I am, asshole.” He smirked, rolling his eyes as he decided it was the perfect timing to visit his brother.

As expected, he was on a tight schedule, this could never count as a vacation visit to Japan, but he had asked his team to send him into Japan two days earlier to visit his family. It was a tradition he tended to do ever since he started racing world-wide.

He took his ever-loved motorbike and drove as fast as he could to Odaiba. Driving a motorbike had been what he could call his hobby, since karting had turned into his job, having built a couple of them while living in Italy.

“He better be home,” he stretched his arms as he opened the door in front of him, knowing damn well his brother always made the mistake to leave it unlocked. He heard him singing in his bathroom, which meant he was finishing taking a shower. He looked around to confirm his mother was not home and shrugged it off. He had drifted apart from her when he initially moved to France with his grandparents, and even more so when his parents (finally) got divorced.

“Don’t you dare opening that door if you’re naked.”

“YAMATO?” Takeru opened the door wearing nothing but his tiny white trousers.

“I truly do not feel like seeing you naked,” but of course his younger brother could not care less and ran to greet him with a hug. He was the only person on earth allowed to hug him.

“What a funny way of admitting how much you had missed me!!” He gifted him one of his traded white smiles, the warmest smile Yamato knew. “Nervous for this weekend?”

“As long as it doesn’t rain, I don’t see why I should be.”

“Even when it rains you succeed, you’re always making everyone proud!”

“Even you?” he served himself oolong tea. He was surprised to see beer in his mom’s fridge, forgetting for a second his younger brother was legally allowed to drink.

“You know I’m your number one fan, those old-rich men are nothing compared to the original Yamato Ishida stan!” Takeru walked into his room to get dressed, for Yamato’s relief. He had offered his mother if they wanted to move to a bigger apartment, considering he now had the money to provide her and Takeru with something better, but she had refused, and he gave up after the third time.

“Going out?”

“I was going to, with the good-old gang, but that was before I knew you would pay me a visit.”

“So Hikari and company, I’m guessing?”

“Yeah, even Taichi is coming, you should come, too!” Taichi was his oldest friend, the only one he missed when he moved to Europe.

“Nah, you know I don’t drink.” And it was not merely because of his strict diet, he was not a fan of what alcohol did with his mindset. “But you go and have fun, I must get back to my place, anyway, and be as early as possible in Suzuka tomorrow morning.” Takeru looked disappointed, Yamato felt a pinch of guilt for not being what a fun older brother was supposed to be. “But I’ll text Taichi! Remind everyone they’re invited this weekend, VIP seats and all!”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, brother.” Yamato smiled softly before playing with Takeru’s hair like he used to when they were kids, even if he was almost his height.

He took a chopper ride from Tokyo to Suzuka the morning after. He had much rather taken the train, but Ferrari strictly prohibited him from doing so.

“Are you insane? People would eat you alive, you’re pretty much as famous as Hello Kitty is in this place!” He ignored his comment, it was always annoying to Yamato when they were in Japan, because most of his team-mates were foreign to Japanese culture, and he did not have the patience to educate every single one of them.

It was Thursday, which meant he could do strength exercises before the testing race the next day.

“How’s my superstar doing?” the mere voice of his manager irritated him, but he had another year signed up to him, afterwards he had decided to work by himself. After all, he still had another three-year contract with Ferrari.

“He’s extremely focused,” and he was strength training was the hardest to him.

“Don’t forget you have that photoshoot I had mentioned you in an hour, and I wouldn’t like you to go there all sweaty.”

“Do you think I would forget?” but in fact, he had forgotten it, his mind had probably erased the memory of that specific event.

“I’m glad we’re finally on the same track,” he winked at Yamato, before shutting the door of the hotel’s gym.

Yamato did not have much of a choice, so he took a cold shower before heading to one of the hotel’s meeting rooms. It had all been transformed for it to look like a Sakura garden. In reality, it was October and Sakura’s were far from blossoming. He would be lying if he did not admit it looked rather breathtaking.

He had heard about this up-and-coming brand. They had turned the Japanese typical attire and turned it into mainstream. He had to admit he was a fan.

He had also heard the brand had been started by a young student from Bunka Fashion College, under the wings of a bigger brand. He had heard, not that he cared, really, that the founder was around his age. Suddenly, he was curious.

“Ishida Yamato, what a pleasure to finally meet you!” a man around his thirties greeted him rather enthusiastic.

“You must be…?”

“Oh, you’re a funny one! Yoshio Fujiwara, of course!” And the Fujiwara branding was the bigger one who had taken the young designer under his wings, he wondered where she was.

“Of course, of course,” he bowed, always traying himself to remain close to his Japanese customs and traditions. “A pleasure to meet you, Fujiwara-san.”

“No need to be formal with me, I’m very used to western traditions, having spent most of your life in Europe, I would have killed for an opportunity like that!” Yamato tried his best not to roll his eyes, faking his best smile. “It is our biggest pleasure that you have accepted to be the face of our newest collection.” Yamato saw a petit figure running around the room with pieces of clothing covering her, he wondered if that was Fujiwara counterpart.

“It’s always delightful to put Japan’s name high, you know.” He cleared his voice, “so, am I also going to meet Takenouchi-san?”

“You absolutely will, she must be somewhere around… Sora!?” The fast-paced person finally stopped, uncovering her face from the piles of clothing she was carrying. “Don’t be rude and introduce yourself to Yamato.”

“Sure thing, just let me finish up the final touches and…”

“Now?!” Yamato noticed a subtle sigh coming from her lips. She surely seemed young, barely his own age. For the first time since the encounter started, he felt safe.

She ran right next to him, her attention still clearly on the mess she had left. He could immediately tell how passionate she was about what she was doing.

“It’s a pleasure, Ishida-san. I would love to lie and say I’m a fan, but truth is this is my first time having an encounter with races, or cars in general…”

“Sora! You’re being rude!”

“Sorry, I still take the subway and I never got a driver’s license!” Yamato snorted, in those five seconds he decided that redhead was his favorite person in the room.

“Well, I’m glad to admit this is not my first encounter with your brand, I’ve read so much.” Her eyes lit up; Yamato could have even sworn he spotted a subtle blush in her face.

He was rather awkward in front of the cameras, never quite a natural. Another reason why his team-mate was the one to do most of Ferrari’s advertisements. But Sora helped him feel in his element, somehow. He liked how much she got into her character, almost ignoring him by how much she cared on how her designs looked on him.

“I think we’re good, we shouldn’t take much more of your time.” By then, Fujiwara had left the room, Sora was certain he had slipped into the hotel bar.

“That must have been the less stressful photoshoot I’ve ever had, thank you, Takenouchi-san.”

“Oh, don’t call me that! I’m not older than you are.”

“Then you must accept to drop the formalities with me as well.” A grimaced appeared on her face, clearly unsure.

“But you’re a client, that would be completely unprofessional!”

“I promise I won’t tell anybody,” Sora liked that, a dirty-little-secret.

“Fine, but if Fujiwara is around, I’ll go back in character.”

“Deal,” Yamato grabbed a bottle of water and doubted if he should say what his mind was begging at him to do. “Are you staying for the race?”

“I wasn’t lying when I said I had no idea how this worked.” She shrugged, clearly embarrassed. “I don’t understand why it lasts so many days, it’s confusing. This whole sport is confusing.” Sora liked sports, for instance, sports where a ball had to go from one side of the court to the other, not cars and tires.

“It’s not that hard, you’ll see,” they took a seat on the fake grass Sora had built for the photoshoot. “The first day is merely for us to get familiar with the track, nothing formal. The second day the places for the actual race, which is on Sunday, get settled. And that’s pretty much it.”

“And you get to travel the world for that?”

“People can be very serious about their cars.”

“Incredible,” she locked eyes with Yamato, she was not familiar with his sport but she sure was with his face, and not only because it was everywhere she looked around the city’s billboards, but because she had studied it for the whole photoshoot, and even for the particular line she was about to launch.

“It would be fun if you stayed, some friends around our age are coming too, so it won’t be that weird for you.”

“Okay, but I’ll stay for fun, not as a part of my job schedule.”

“Great!” He said way too enthusiastic, regretting it right away. “I can get you great tickets, so don’t worry about that.” She chuckled, taking out her VIP pass.

“Don’t worry, I have that part settled.”

“Of course, you do,” he felt stupid, all sponsors got the best tickets, even better than he could even get most times.

“So, I’ll see you around? Do you say break a leg for this?”

“Absolutely not! But I appreciate your luck wishes.”

He was glad on Friday’s there was never much of a crowd, that way he could stay focused on what mattered: getting comfortable enough with the track. Whenever he raced, he felt an almost out of body experience, where he could disconnect from his current reality and be one with his car. Ferrari had nicknamed him the racing samurai, for how dramatic his recovering could be whenever he was behind on the race.

Japan had never particularly been the biggest crowd when it came to Formula 1, but ever since he had started getting podiums, and making a name out of himself, it had a 180 degrees change. Ferrari could not be happier with the now 23-yeard-old racer, he was smart, analytic, and cold headed.

When he got back to the Pits, he was greeted by his family, not expecting to see them until the day after.

“You were pretty fast out there!” his dad said, as awkward as he usually was.

“This was merely the boring race, we were just testing the track,” he smiled widely, greeting him by what could be considered a hug, or sort of one.

“But Hiroaki is right, you were extremely fast. That car you’re racing, is a beauty,” seeing his mother was always an adventure for Yamato. Ever since he left home, at such a young age, they had drifted apart. Naturally, she was worried for her older son, racing and putting his life at risk every time he did so. Yamato had heard her fighting with his grandpa countless times, until she finally gave in. She was never going to win, Yamato loved karting the same way she loved writing.

“You were tremendous there, superstar!” his manager came to greet him, as much as he annoyed him, he was not a bad person, he just clearly loved the money Yamato made him gain. “You better keep up the pace the rest of the weekend.”

“That’s the plan,” Yamato served himself a cup of tea, while he took a seat in front of the screen that was studying his track performance. He was nearly obsessed with improving, never not paying attention at even the slightest mistake.

“Before I forget,” his manager was French, and spoke a very heavily accented English. His family, apart from Takeru, barely spoke any English at all, hence why they did not communicate with one another. Yamato despised that, considering he could speak four languages. “Young Takenouchi asked me to give you her number, Romeo.” Yamato’s cheeks flushed, as he took with both hands the business card he was being given.

“I’ll quickly go to my room,” he excused himself with his family, promising he would meet them for a quick dinner.

He wrote and re-wrote his text message towards Sora, not wanting to appear desperate. Formula 1 drivers, at least some of them, had the reputation of being more than successful with the opposite sex, however Yamato was rather unlucky. He put so much effort into his performance inside the track, he tended to neglect everything else. Hence why it felt nice to have a close to normal conversation with someone his age, a woman his age.

“This is Yamato, I heard the rumor you wanted to have my number,” he finally sent, wanting to throw his phone over the window right after.

“How come we spent so much time talking yesterday and I had to ask your manager for your number?” she replied right after, Yamato felt relieved.

“I guess we lost track of time.”

“Hey, I had to come back to Tokyo, business matters. But I’m not one to break any promises, so I hope you still save a seat for me for the big race on Sunday. Did I say that correctly?”

Yamato immediately felt disappointment, but he had to understand he was not dealing with someone unoccupied; this was a young entrepreneur with a worldwide successful fashion brand.

“Are you sure you want to make a four-hour trip to see some car racing?”

“As I said, I’m not a promise breaker. Plus, is not Formula 1 supposed to be the best car racing in the world? I won’t miss it, and I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t worry, and your spot on Scuderia Ferrari will remain untouched.”

“Great, I’m actually pretty excited! You have turned it into such a big deal for the country, I’ve never seen such a media coverage on the sport before. How was the tracking test?”

Yamato’s stomach made a turn. He did not want to focus on the pressure it meant to be in his home country, he just wanted to do what he always did, which meant to give his 100% performance, and get better every time. He just really hoped it would not rain on Sunday…

Him and Sora kept texting for the rest of the day, and the morning after as he got ready for the weekend’s second race. His goal was to qualify on the front row, that was always a determining factor for the final race. His mom had been right when she mentioned his car was a beauty, because it may not be the fastest car, that would still go to Mercedes, but if Ferrari had something no other team could fight with, was beauty.

He was not one to make many friends, but he was always amicable with the rest of the drivers. He saw them more than he saw his family, and even grew up with a big amount of them, but he always tried to focus on what they really were: his competition.

The weather so far had looked hopeful, a rainy race was one of his biggest fears, he had already had more than one rainy accident, and they had been hard to get over. He tried not to put too much thought into it, how he put his life at risk every time he got into the car, because there was no point in doing so, considering he was not going to stop, racing was the most important part of his life.

He got behind his wheel and his team assured his car was ready to go for the last time, and he got into driving mode, forgetting everything else, the pressure, the people, the weather, his friends. He almost disassociated from everything, but the track, and his team speaking whenever there was something to say, like which place he was on at the moment.

He had gotten so used to Ferrari, after being over two years on the team, that he could go as far as to describe its motor as a part of him. The first few laps were always the most stressful ones, and were most of the accidents happened, everyone tried to gain that valuable P1 as fast as possible, but Yamato thought of it as a waste of energy, he would rather stay behind for the first few laps and give it all in after. It had worked for him so far, avoiding the turmoil behind it.

There were 53 laps in the Japanese track, not that he counted them, but he always studied the tracks of wherever he was at. He just focused on staying in track, passing the rest of the drivers and being fast, and his team made sure he did not forget where his position was at the moment, which was a P5, his teammate was currently second. Fifth was not a bad position, it was still second row, but it was not his goal, he truly wanted first row. In the end he had managed to end up fourth, which his team congratulated him for, he still was not happy.

Back in Ferrari’s box, he had a bigger crowd greeting him, not only his parents and brother, but some of his closest childhood friends.

“Man, how does it feel to be able to fly!” Taichi said before giving him a big hug, which Yamato did not mind, he guessed he was also allowed to hug him.

“What I wonder is what that amount of speed can do with your body, I read you lose up to 3 liters every time you race,” Joe patted his shoulder, the soon-to-be-doctor never missed to drop a random anatomy fact on him. “And sorry, but it seems to Koushiro your car’s machinery is way more impressive than you.”

His third friend, a genius redhead, had been talking non-stop with his team’s engineers, asking questions Yamato could possibly never answer.

He spent the next few hours doing interviews, as much as he hated them, it was on his contract to do them before and after every Grand Prix. He also took more time studying his career, and where he could improve. He wanted to get podium on his home country more than he had ever wanted before.

But of course, he also took the chance to spend some time with his loved ones, catching up about their crazy adult lives.

“Koushiro could soon enough buy one of these teams, you know? He’s getting so rich!” Taichi had a big mouth, but they had gotten used to it. And to be fair with his brunette friend, he was not wrong, considering Koushiro’s software startup had gotten public, and the dude was only 22.

“And Jou’s about to be a doctor, and you, well, you didn’t get kicked out of Uni!” They all laughed, Taichi rolled his eyes. Yamato had gotten so comfortable with their conversation, he got scared when his phone began ringing.

“Yes?”

“Guess who’s just landed in Suzuka!” it was Sora, his heart skipped a beat. “I’m glad I made it a few hours before I had promised, I truly didn’t want to miss tomorrow’s race.”

“Where are you exactly? You should come join us! I’m at Ferrari’s tent with some childhood friends, I mean, if you’re not too tired.” His friends started yelling embarrassing things to him, as friends did whenever you spoke on the phone with someone, even if that someone was your own mother. Except, of course, it was not his mother.

“Great! I’ll ask the driver to drop me off.”

They spent the next few hours chatting, and laughing, and making fun of Yamato with embarrassing stories Sora was rather intrigued to keep on listening. Of course, Sora had hit it off with his friends, she was a great talker, they all had liked her, he could tell, especially with Koushiro, considering the man was the clearest book when it came to first impressions. He felt disappointed once he checked his watch to confirm it was time for him to go to bed, the big day was closer than ever.

Suzuka was one of the last races on Formula 1’s schedule, which meant every single point counted even more. He was disappointed when he checked the weather, there was a rain forecast, but there was nothing he could do, he still was willing to give the best race he had given in his career span. His friends and family wished him the best of luck, just as he dressed up in the famous red suit.

He had never felt this overwhelmed before, as soon as he stepped a foot outside of Scuderia Ferrari’s box, the crowd chanting his name was like nothing he ever heard before. He bowed shyly, turning the shouts even louder. Fame had never been something he had been looking for once he started racing in Formula 1, but he thought at the end of the day it was only inevitable. He really wanted to make his co-nationals proud.

P4 was not a bad place to start racing, yet he could hear his heart beating up to his ears. A rainy race was always messy, and there was always a bigger risk for accidents, not just for him, but for the other racers as well. He had to drive smartly; speed was not all that mattered in that moment.

His eyes were fixated on the checkered flag, as soon as it went down, his feet went all in. Suzuka’s Grand Prix finally starting.

As it was expected, some cars lost control on the very first curve, him being noticed by his team on the other side of the microphone. He hoped nothing bad had happened to them. On a rainy race it was important to have extra control while reaching a curve, and absolutely never trying to overpass another racer while on them.

By lap 30 he had improved to P3, the engine of the previous third place had had some issues, which pushed him into the pits. The Ferrari engine had significantly been improved for the current season, and it showed. It had been a while since the red team had had both of their cars in podium position, and he was doing quicker laps than the last year’s race.

Everything appeared to be going according to plan, Yamato wanted to win, of course, but he was not unhappy with the third place. Yet, the unthinkable happened on lap 49, when his teammate lost control of the steering wheel. It all happened so quickly, Yamato could barely avoid the inevitable crash, which was bad enough for them to call a red flag, every racer had been sent back into pits.

His teammate had been fine, he could even walk by himself; however, his car could have been confused with garbage. A shame, really, everything had been better than what they could have imagined. Now every podium expectation fell on his shoulders, and he could hear the public screaming his name even louder, as if he was some sort of rock star.

“Only 4 laps left, you can do it,” and he was now put in second place, a bittersweet feeling inside his gut.

The final lap felt like the longest he had driven, all he truly wanted was for it to end. He was less than two seconds away from the first place, which his team kept repeating. He knew he could do it, if he tried and overtake him near the end, right after the final curve… And so, he did, winning a podium for the first time in his short Formula 1 life career. He had not done it for himself only, but for Lechner as well. It felt insane, he was no longer feeling the ground, he was still flying somehow.

Champagne soaked him as soon as he stepped out of the car, being hugged by everyone on the famous red car team. He was not easily to make cry, but he could not help the tears coming out, and he wished, if he were ever going to cry again, it better be as good of a feeling as he finally lifted the trophy for Suzuka’s Grand Prix.

[earlgreymon]

digitrip pt 2

so actually... i went to digifes 2016.

but not really.

well, i came back to tokyo in 2016 for summer school, but i didn’t realize there was a thing called odaiba memorial day. fortunately, my clever fingers stumbled upon a digimon fanpage on facebook, saying that there’s gonna be a digimon festival on the last weekend of july.

i sent a message to the admin, he could only give me the location: a convention hall inside a mall besides hachioji station, but he wasn’t sure about what was going on in this event as he's not a japanese too.

i took my chance. i went to hachioji, which turned out was more than 2 hours by train from the center of tokyo (and i didn’t realize there was a rapid train ugh). it was a costly journey as i didn’t have any rail pass, so i was worried if i found nothing later on. the only thing that cheered me up was when i found out there was a station called tachikawa along the way lol.

when i arrived, there was really nothing.

...well, there was a line-up in front of the building, but i’m not sure what was that. fyi, there were two parts basically in digifes: a stage show, and a merchandise exhibition. i knew for sure that a stage show required extra tickets, and 1) i didn’t know where to buy it, 2) it must had been sold out already, 3) i couldn’t understand japanese anyway...

but i needed to get a hand on merchandise. i didn’t want to come back to tokyo empty-handed!!

i saw a guy walking out of the building with a digimon stuff, so i shamelessly ran to him and asked him where he got those things. he couldn’t speak english, i could only speak unqualified n5 japanese, so thank god for google translate. i typed what i wanted to ask, then he replied using the same app on my phone. he said, “i lined up.” he dragged me to the queue that i saw earlier in front of the building.

i really wanted to ask, “isn’t this for the stage shows?” but he was in a hurry, so i surrendered and joined the queue with no idea where the line would carry me.

(a staff then showed up raising this sign, but i didn’t understand what it meant and google translate didn’t have the scan-and-translate option back then. i asked the staff, she couldn’t speak english at all.)

i was in the line for another 1 or 2 hours, but i saw a light of hope when i finally entered the building and a staff gave me a paper that listed all the merchandise we could buy. i was in the right place! yay!!

(so after you filled the paper with the things you want, you would arrive at the register by the end of the line, where you should give your paper and the staffs would help you to get the things.)

as i was broke, i initially wanted to buy only one key chain, but i managed to call my parents while in the line and thank god they want to lend me some money lol.

so i bought: 1 agumon-gabumon pouch, 1 random key chain (i got crest of courage smh), 1 impmon keychain (for my brother), 1 clear file (also for my brother), and... a big agumon plushie.

...which i put in my lap as i made my way back to tokyo, where everyone in the train was staring weirdly at me lol I HAVE NO REGRETS.

and oh yes, there was a small exhibition!

you can read part 1 here. have a great day for everyone’s watching digifes tomorrow!

[ai-da-ice]

Yudai instagram update:

Yesterday during the super hot weather we had THE ODAIBA 2019 LIVE at My Navi Stage! ! ! ^ ^

We members of Da-iCE were happy because there were so many people who came to see us in the hot weather! ! ! Thanks to all of you who supported us. And this weekend, we will continue to make summer memories such as the BEST TOUR’s 2 days in Chiba and a-nation Osaka, so everyone, let’s take care of our physical condition together and enjoy this summer! ! ! ^ ^

[seditious46]

Higuchi Hina Blog 567 - translation

大草原の小さなお部屋567*ひなちま A little room on the prairie 567 * Hinachima 21st July 2017

こんばんは＊ 今日も1日お疲れ様です。

Good evening. ＊ Thank you for today.

前回のブログたくさんのコメント、 ありがとうございます。 皆さんの言葉を一言一言噛み締めながら読みました。

Thank you for the many comments on my previous blog. I read all your words and reflected upon them one by one.

コメントし���下さった皆さんの優しい気持ちを考えながら... そして様々な考え方、捉え方 色々な角度からの物事の見方を教えて頂きました。

While I considered the kind feelings of all the commenters… and thinking about the different ways of thinking and understanding, I learned how to view things from various angles.

いつもいつも、一喜一憂してしまう自分がいます。 挫けそうになる気持ちや、 自分なんてって諦めそうになる気持ちも常に持ってしまいます。

I always will be someone that wavers between happiness and sadness. Feelings of discouragement and giving up are always a part of me.

揺るぎない自信を着けたい。 全てを楽しめる様にもなりたい。 人として強く有りたい。 そんな風に...思いました。

I want to have a firm self-confidence. I also want to be able to enjoy everything. I want to be a strong person. I was thinking such things.

沢山の方とブログを通して繋がり、 いつもみなさんに支えてもらっています。 弱い気持ちを奮い立たせてくれます。

I am connected with a lot of people through my blog, and I always gain a lot of support from everyone. It cheers up my fragile feelings.

コメントを読んでいる時、とても幸せを感じています。

When I am reading the comments, I feel very happy.

本当にありがとうございますm(_ _)m

Thank you truly. m(_ _)m

これからも努力は惜しみません。 自分なりの高みを目指していきます。 頑張ります。 宜しくお願いします(  ._.  )

I will continue to spare no effort. I will aim for greater heights in my own way. I will give my all. Please treat me well.

梅雨明けが発表され、 街ではセミの鳴き声が聴こえてきました！ 夏本番...。

The end of the rainy season was announced, and I heard the chirp of cicadas in the neighborhood! We’re in the middle of summer...

今年の夏はどんな夏になるだろうか。 ワクワクと少しの緊張...。 不安が胸に巡りました。 季節はすぐに過ぎていくから、のんびりしてはいられない。 行動しなきゃ！

I wonder what kind of summer this year’s summer will become. I am a bit nervous… There is an uneasy feeling going around in my chest. Because this season is almost over, I can’t afford to relax. I have to keep going!

もう夏休みに入っている方もいらっしゃるようですね*\(^o^)/* 素敵な夏にして下さい☆

It seems that some people alreadu have summer vacation. *\(^o^)/* Please have a wonderful summer. ☆

学生のみなさん！ 宿題、課題、たっぷりだと思いますが...ひな応援していますよ！ ひなも学生の頃、課題を終わらせるのにとても苦労しました(>_<) 当時は凄く辛かったけれど、社会人になった今振り返ると、頑張ってたな～って良い思い出になってます。 懐かしいです。

Students! Homework, subjects, there are plenty I think, but… I am supporting you! When I was a student, I had a lot of trouble finishing my assignments. (>_<) Back then, it was very difficult, but now that I am a working member of society, I look back with good memories of doing my best.

夏休みなく、お仕事されてる皆さん、部活を頑張ってる皆さん、 忙しい日々を過ごしているみなさん！ 身体に気をつけて、 一緒に頑張りましょうね！

Those without summer holiday, working people, people with club activities, people who are busy day after day! Please watch your health, and let’s do our best together!

みなさんにとって 最高の夏になりますように(#^.^#)

I hope it’s going to be the best summer for everyone. (#^.^#)

今日はお話したいことたくさん！☆ 7月15日、 フジテレビ お台場みんなの夢大陸生中継「めざましライブ」 若様の代わりに出演させて頂きました。

I want to talk about a lot of things today! ☆ On 15th July, I had the pleasure of replacing Wakasama on the live broadcast of Fuji TV’s Odaiba Minna no Yume Tairuku “Alarm Clock Live”.

暑い中来て下さったみなさん、 ありがとうございました！！！

Everyone that came in this hot weather, thank you very much!!!

夢大陸テーマソングの、 「ひと夏の長さより・・・」 “Hito Natsu no Nagasa Yori…” was the Yume Tairiku theme song.

初披露でした♪ 切なくて...でも夏らしくて... ひなはこの曲が大好きです(#^.^#)

We performed it for the first time. ♪ It’s painful... but also summer-like… I love this song. (#^.^#)

めざましライブでは、18th表題曲「逃げ水」も披露しました。 センターの与田ちゃん、ももちゃん、 お疲れさま♡

We also performed the title song of our 18th single “Nigemizu” at the Alarm Clock Live. Centers Yoda-chan and Momo-chan, thank you for your hard work. ♡

↑ライブ前は2人とも凄く緊張していたけれど、終わった後のこの表情^_^ 素敵な笑顔♡ 与田ちゃんも、ももちゃんも、かわいいなぁ♡

↑Before the live show, those two were very nervous, but their facial expressions afterwards. ^_^ Wonderful smiles. ♡ Yoda-chan and Momo-chan are both cute, aren’t they? ♡

ひなも若様のポジションを務めるということで...凄く緊張していたよ(>_<)笑

For filling Wakasama’s position...I was also very nervous. (>_<)lol

「逃げ水」今までにない感じ、 初センターの2人のように何もかも新鮮で良いなぁって思いました☆ MVも公開されましたね。 ひなも見たけれど、不思議な世界観で面白かったです！

I was impressed by “Nigemizu” like never before, and just like the two new centers,I thought everything was fresh and nice. ☆ The msuic video has also been released. I also watched it, the mysterious world was very interesting!

そしてその日の夜は、TBS 音楽の日！

And that evening, there was TBS’s Ongaku no Hi!

「太陽ノック」では、ななみんポジション。 「逃げ水」では、若様ポジション。

I took Nanamin’s position on “Taiyou Knock”. On “Nigemizu”, it was Wakasama’s position.

観てくださったみなさん、 ありがとうございました！！！

Everyone that watched it, thank you very much!!!

家族もテレビを観ながら喜んでくれて、嬉しかった！楽しかった(^O^)☆

My family also watched and enjoyed it, and it made me happy! It was fun! (^O^)☆

今度はオリジナルポジションで出演できるように...頑張るね*\(^o^)/*

To be able to perform in the original positions the next time… do your best. *\(^o^)/*

そしてそして、7月16日は京都個別握手会。 暑い中会いに来て下さったみなさん、 ありがとうございます！

Also, on 16th July, there was the individual handshake event in Kyoto. Everyone that came to meet me in the hot weather, thank you very much!

途中ゲリラ豪雨で、雷も鳴っていましたが、 みなさん大丈夫だったかなぁ... 心配でした(>_<)

On the way, there was a downpour, and the thunder was crashing. I wondered if everyone was alright…. I was worried. (>_<)

1部はサヨナラの意味MV衣装。 2部はサヨナラの意味歌衣装。 3部はシークレットグラフィティー。 4部は裸足でSummer。 5部は風船は生きている。

During round 1, I wore the Sayonara no Imi music video outfit. During round 2, I wore the Sayonara no Imi song outfit. During round 3, I wore the Secret Graffiti outfit. During round 4, I wore the Hadashi de Summer outfit. During round 5, I wore the Fuuzen wa Ikiteiru outfit.

いつもは私服での個別握手会ですが... みなさんと近い距離で衣装を着ることって、 制服以外あまりなかったりするので、 何だかお互い新鮮な気持ちで握手できるなぁって思います♪

I always wear my own clothes on individual handshake events but… everyone around me said they would wear outfits, but since there aren’t many besides uniforms, I think I somewhat managed to shake hands with a fresh sense. ♪

「次は何の衣装にしようかな～」 って考えるのが楽しい*\(^o^)/*

It was fun to think “I wonder what outfit to wear next~”. \(^o^)/*

翌日7月17日は名古屋個別握手会。 こちらも暑い中会いに来て下さったみなさん、 ありがとうございました！

The next day, 17th July, was the individual handshake event in Nagoya. Also there, everyone that came to meet me in the hot weather, thank you very much!

京都に引き続き来て下さった方もいらっしゃって... 本当にありがとうございました。

There were also people that came to Kyoto… Thank you truly.

インフルエンサー、ブランコ、 裸足でSummer、シークレットグラフィティー、サヨナラの意味。

Influencer, Buranko, Hadashi de Summer, Secret Graffiti, Sayonara no Imi.

京都とは、色違いの衣装だったり、形が違う衣装を着ていたよん☆

I was wearing different colored and different shaped outfits than in Kyoto. ☆

握手会では、 18thのこと、舞台のこと、ライブのこと、髪型のこと... たくさんお話しました( ´ ▽ ` )

During the handshake event, the 18th single, stage performances, live performances, hair styles… I talked about a lot of things. ( ´ ▽ ` )

パワーをもらったよ♡ ありがとうございます。

I received power. ♡ Thank you.

美美子の撮影はもう終わったので、 エクステを10センチほど切ってもらいました！

Because the Mimiko photoshoot is already over, I had the extensions cut by about 10 centimeters!

まだ長い髪のままだよん♡

I still have long hair. ♡

今週末の握手会までもつかなぁ... 期間限定ヘア♡ 存分に楽しんでいます( ≧∇≦ )

I wonder if I should keep it until this weekends handshake event… Limited time hair. ♡ I am totally enjoying it. ( ≧∇≦ )

7月は少し時間ができたら、舞台を観たり、 本を読んだり、映画を観たり...

Because I had some time in July, I went to see stage performances, read books and watched movies...

舞台は、 帝一で共演させて頂いた木村了さん出演の 『MOJO』

The stage performance I saw where “MOJO”, with an appearance of Teiichi co-star Kimura Ryo-san,

ドラえもんでお世話になった鴻上さん演出 松井玲奈さんの出演されている 『ベターハーフ』

and “Better Half” with appearances of Kokami Shouji-san who played Doraemon, and Matsui Rena-san.

そして今日は、ドラえもんで共演させて頂いた陳内将さん出演の 『遠い夏のゴッホ』を観劇。 とても感動して、涙が出てきました。 帰りの電車も余韻に浸っていたよ。

And today, I went to “Tooi Natsu no Gogh” with an appearance of Doraemon co-star Jinnai Sho-san. I was very moved, and I cried. In the train on the way to home, I was still basking in the afterglow.

ふぁみりーさんへ(^O^)

To my fans (^O^)

◎7/24発売 【STREET JACK+】 ゆったんとあみと、まあやとひなの4人！

release on 24th July “STREET JACK+” Yuttan, Ami, Maaya and I, the four of us!

◎8月1日発売 【月刊オーディション】 真夏と2人で取材して頂きました！

Release on 1st August “Audition” monthly edition Manatsu and I were interviewed!

◎本日！！！ のぎ天2

Today!!! Nogiten 2

◎テレビアニメ 「無責任ギャラクシー☆タイラー」の 放送が始まりました＊

TV animation “The irresponsible Galaxy Tylor” broadcast has begun ＊

もう一度... 放送局は、AT-X、テレ玉、tvk、KBS京都、 サンテレビ。 ※ニコニコ動画、バンダイチャンネル他でも配信されます。 各放送局で、放送日が異なって順次放送されているので、詳しくは、 http://dreamcreation.co.jp/musekinin/ ↑こちらをご覧下さい！！！

Once more… Broadcasted by AT-X, Teletama, tvk, KBS Kyoto, Sun TV. ※Also distributed to Niconico Douga and Banzai Channel. Every broadcasting office has a different day of broadcasting, and because it is broadcasted sequentially, here are the details: http://dreamcreation.co.jp/musekinin/ ↑Please take a look here!!!

よろしくお願いします♡

Thank you in advance ♡

[List of birthdays I didn’t translate]

☆HAPPY BIRTHDAY☆

素敵な1年になりますように...＊

I hope that this will be a wonderful year for you… ＊

災害に遭われた地域の皆様には早く平常の日々が戻ります事お祈りしています。

I am praying that the lives of everyone in the area suffering from calamities will return to normal as soon as possible.

明日もみなさんにとって、 幸せでありますように...

I wish you all a happy day tomorrow...

おやすみなさい

Good night.

大好き ひな

Love, Hina