#Review And Download (12

[wafrn]

Tumblr will not die, but this post is Wafrn propaganda

I dont think tumblr will shut down. It may go the "twitter way", it may get worse service, worse moderation (EVEN WORSE YES), and worse support and worse performance.

But it wont suddenly shut down forever. Outages will be longer and more frequent but thats it.

Now, the wafrn propaganda I promised: if you care about a social media that doesn't overtarget the baning of trans people, you should give wafrn a try.

A website inspired by tumblr, that connects with mastodon and bluesky (ok mastodon, fedi etc but you get it)

It allows custom CSS themes, asks, and lots of stuff.

You can do more than like a post, you can EMOJIREACT to it!

An important bit, since it connects with mastodon and bluesky, you can follow other people you know from tumblr. I will keep this linked post updated

We also have a phone app in beta, both for iphone and android wich you can download here

Registrations are manualy reviewed by the small modteam. Depending on the timezone it can take a few minutes or 12 hours. For safety reasons we do not allow registrations with VPNs (they get abused for accounts dedicated to harrasment and other stuff that I will not disclose for your mental health).

You should give wafrn a try:

How do we plan to host everyone without money? THATS THE NEAT PART, WE DONT! If for any reason you dislike how we handle stuff, you can always host your own wafrn for you and your friends (we are working on the documentation, this is after all a hobby project atm). You can host your own wafrn and still connect with people at bluesky, mastodon and our wafrn server :D

[fuckyeahgoodomens]

Link 1, Link 2 :)

Digital Good Omens 2 Sountrack is coming out in 4 days! 🥳 CD version in October! :) ❤ Coming soon on vinyl…

Out to Stream/Download from 25th August. Out on CD 13th October. Coming soon on vinyl…

David Arnold’s ‘end of the world’ complex and multi-genre soundtrack.

From the Award-winning composer of Sherlock and Casino Royale comes a follow up to the hugely successful, Emmy nominated Good Omens soundtrack.

Good Omens series 2 premiered on Prime Video on 28th July. The series follows the odd couple, angel Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) and demon Crowley (David Tennant) in their quest to sabotage the end of the World. The six-episode sequel to the popular adaptation of the novel by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, concerns the Archangel Gabriel (Jon Hamm) arriving without his memories to Aziraphale’s bookshop. Aziraphale and Crowley attempt to find out what happened to Gabriel, whilst hiding him from Heaven and Hell, both eager to find him.

The Soundtrack

David Arnold’s soundtrack to Good Omens was first released in 2019 to favourable reviews, with BBC Music Magazine calling it “a rollicking trip to hell and back”. Blueprint Magazine described it as “a great listen” and Sci Fi Bulletin commented on “plenty of memorable themes” to conclude that “This is another work of art from Arnold”. At times nostalgic and eerie but always varied, beautiful and full of excitement, the Good Omens 2 soundtrack showcases Arnold’s every skill from his composer arsenal. Featured here are orchestral arrangements with sprinkling of Sugar Plum Fairy pizzicato and percussion, jaunty strings and mighty choral sweeps from Crouch End Festival Chorus. Added to the mix are rock guitar riffs, and psychedelic 70s sounds and all together they create a haunting otherworldly feel, complementing the fantasy and the quirky humour of the show. The spirited Waltz of the opening theme is also present in the second series and it wonderfully sets the scene for fantastical mayhem. In series 2, this robust, evocative, and funny music entity, becomes yet again another character in the story. Award-winning composer David Arnold is well known for his blockbuster scores, including Stargate, The Chronicles of Narnia: the Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Hot Fuzz, Paul, Independence Day, 2 Fast 2 Furious and Casino Royale as well as for his TV work such as Sherlock and Dracula. Also available: The original soundtrack to the first series of Good Omens >

Tracklist

– Disc 1 – Chapter 1: The Arrival 1. Before the Beginning 2. Good Omens 2 Opening Title 3. Into Soho 4. Something Terrible 5. To The Bookshop 6. Maggie and Nina 7. He’s Smoking 8. Tiny Miracle 9. Heavenly Alarm Bells Chapter 2: The Clue 10. Avaunt! 11. The Song is the Clue 12. It’s What God Wants 13. A Mighty Wind 14. Whales 15. Gabriel Returns 16. His New Children 17. Am I Awful Now? 18. Fallen Angel Chapter 3: I Know Where I’m Going 19. Police Arrive 20. Scotland 21. We’re Going to Hell 22. People Get a Choice 23. My Car is Not Yellow 24. Beelzebub in Hell 25. The Book 26. The Fly 27. Mr. Dalrymple 28. We Need to Cut 29. I’m Going to Save Her 30. Crowley Goes Large 31. Not Kind 32. Beelzebub Isn’t Happy – Disc 2 – Chapter 4: The Hitchhiker 33. Hell-O 34. Nazi Zombies 35. March of the Nazi Zombies 36. Crowley Pep Talk 37. The Magic Shop 38. Catch The Bullet 39. Zombies in the Dressing Room Chapter 5: The Ball 40. I’ll Let You Have It 41. We’re Storming a Book Shop 42. Monsieur Azirophale 43. The Candelabra 44. Here Comes Hell 45. Gabriel Gives Himself Up 46. Shax 47. The Circle Chapter 6: Every Day 48. Bin Through the Window 49. Gabriel Leaving Heaven 50. The Halo 51. Gabriel Revealed 52. Gabriel’s Love Story 53. Leaving The Bookshop 54. Gabriel and Beelzebub 55. Crowley and Muriel 56. I Forgive You 57. Don’t Bother 58. The Biggest Decision 59. The End?

[ascendance-bookworm]

Ascendance of a Bookworm Musical

Musical Ascendance of a Bookworm

本好きの下剋上 ～司書になるためには手段を選んでいられません～

The live-action stage musical at Tokyo and Osaka in Fall 2024.

Ascendance of a Bookworm Wiki

Ascendance of a Bookworm Musical Official Website

There were two versions, an A Team and B Team for the double roles for the kids in the play.

Adult Cast is the same for both versions.

Urano Motosu / Myne's inner voice (seiyuu): Yuka Iguchi

Gunther: Yuhi Tanaka, Effa: Yuka Ishibashi, Benno: Tōma Yano, Otto: Yusuke Anazawa

Bezewanst: Koichi Miura, Ferdinand: Kento Tsuji

Ensemble

Sora Fuji, Daiki Saitō, Dai Satō, Kento Tachibana, Chiaki Watanabe, Kana Sakurai, Sakura Nishio, Maisaki Ōkubo, Otowa Koyasu, Yuki Asano, Maho Takemura, Yuhei Iriuchijima

Children

Team A: Aoi Ikemura (Age 8) Matinée Show

Myne: Aoi Ikemura, Lutz: Ayumi Misaki, Tuuli: Sakura Mikami, Freida: Yurika Matsui

Ensemble (children): Otowa Koyasu, Yuki Asano, Mayuka Motoki, Hana Edamura

Team B: Akari Miura (Age 12) Soirée Show

Myne: Akari Miura, Lutz: Seiran Ina, Tuuli: Shimoriha Ikuta, Freida: Seizora Kusumi

Ensemble (children): Maho Takemura, Yuhei Iriuchijima, Kanano Isogawa, Mizuki Konishi

I finally watched both versions of the musical and I thought I would give a little mini-review of my thoughts on both performances. I downloaded the musicals from nyaa.si and I would recommend them to anyone interested, but take note that they clock in at about 3 hours and 15 minutes each, there are about 30 minutes before each play starts and a 15-20 minute intermission in the middle that are simple title markers (this was streamed online and I think that is where the copies were made), but still it is a long watch - and there are two of them! I do recommend both as the different performers brought something a little different to the roles and I think both teams did a great job.

The musical covers part one of the light novels, and the songs and voice overs are often used to speed thru the material and cover large segments of the story. There were no subtitles, but if you know the story it really isn't difficult to follow along, at least it wasn't for me. It was clearly made for kids and families, so the language is simple. I was actually pleased at how much of the story it covered, not all the characters get as much focus, but all the basics are covered pretty well.

This is typical of the anime to Japanese live-action musicals I've seen before, these are not big productions like a broadway show, they tend to stick to the story and try and adapt it pretty closely, but are definitely done on a budget ^_^

The play is structured with Ferdinand learning about Myne's life thru the mind-reading device as she (Adult Urano) tells him the story of her life as a commoner. I can't help but think that if this was the real Ferdinand, Urano choosing to tell her story thru song would be most annoying to him, lol

Yuka Iguchi, the voice actress for Myne in the anime, does the voice over work. I really like how they captured the various moments, and the voice over aspect really worked well, as so much of the time we are in Myne's head, so including it was a smart choice as her original self's feeling and thoughts are a major part of Urano/Myne's story. I also liked how they displayed the mana powers throughout the show.

Gunther and Effa were just as you would imagine, both well performed. I really liked Effa's voice, and Gunther fits the bold and brash Gunther to a tee.

Benno was fun, I think he was captured pretty well, his song is funny. Mark was appropriately Mark, I like how the actor committed to his closed eye look, lol. Otto was is his cheeky self, I missed Corrina though.

Gustav / Bezewanst is played by the same actor, and he really hammed it up, lol. I kinda like how they go all out on his less than scrupulous 'tastes' as the High Bishop, the actor clearly had fun with his dual roles and Ferdinand's frustration with him is funny.

Ferdinand was appropriately stern, didn't like the wig on him though, felt unflattering to the actor, I don't know the wig was a miss, maybe it was the hair behind the ears. The actor did fine, not much for Ferdinand to do in part one. He is basically used as a frame work to ask questions and receive exposition when needed. He has a few numbers at the end that were fine, but well he is Ferdinand, too subtle to be 'entertaining' at least in this part of the series.

The main difference between the two versions are of course the kid performers: Myne, Lutz, Tulli, and Frieda - everyone else is the same. I don't want to compare the kids too much, but I thought it I should give a few thoughts.

Team A was essentially the Matinée Show, or the one with the younger, less experienced kids. Team B was the Soirée Show, which would be the main show, all the kids in the Soirée show are lightly older and give more 'mature' performances. I feel both have their charms, the younger kids feel more like kids, and the older kids feel more seasoned and professional in their performances, definitely stronger, more confident singers all around too. If the quality of the singing is important to you, then you will prefer the Soirée for the singing.

The main character Myne is played by Aoi Ikemura (Team A, Age 8, perhaps 7 when it was filmed) and she is a real cutie! Honestly, she made for a perfect Myne in age and size, she is so tiny and yet full of gremlin energy that she captures Myne really well in her on stage performance. She did a really good job with the dramatic moments too, you could hear the emotion in her voice. I was really moved by her performance overall, she is obviously so happy to be there (on stage, probably her first lead performance) that it rubs off on you. She is very likable.

Aoi Ikemura feels more raw and natural in her performance, especially as a singer - she goes in and out of tune often, doesn't sound bad, but it is noticeable in that it sounds like a regular kid who hasn't mastered their singing voice. I don't mind her singing, but then again I don't mind a raw singer, especially if it fits the characterization, but if you prefer a more professional sound, Akari's voice is much stronger.

Akari Miura (Team B, Age 12) is also very good, she is a better, more consistent performer, and is the far better singer. She is older and it shows in her more seasoned performance overall. If they were to make a recording of this, her voice work and singing is already record quality. It feels like a CD worthy performance, imho. Honestly the only negative I can come up with is that she feels too old by comparison, but that is not really a knock on her or her performance, but just the reality of any child roles. I liked her performance, but I think I liked Aoi's Myne slightly better, simply because she fit my image of the role so perfectly (I also watched it first, so perhaps that's influenced me too). But hands down, Akari is the stronger performer, she never missed a note and is also likable in the role.

Of course Myne has to carry the entire show, there are few moments where she isn't on stage, but Lutz also plays a pretty big secondary role. Ayumi Misak (Team A) plays Lutz more like how I think of him, a kinda quiet, serious kid. Seira Ina (Team B) has a lot of charisma, the boy can't help letting his charming self shine through, he is a little too smilie, lol (Is that too harsh? he always has a smile on his face :) They both give good performances and handle the emotional parts well.

Tulli didn't get much to do, she didn't even get a solo song, or anything. She is mostly included in the group or family numbers. Both actresses are cute and perform their roles well.

Frieda gets a couple of song and scene highlights, I like the outfit they give her, and both actresses do a fine job.

Overall I really enjoyed watching the musical, even if it was a tad long, lol wish it was subtitled, but I know the story so well that I really didn't have any problems following along with the story. Will there be musicals for any of the other parts? I really can't see how they could pull off the other parts, part one is short and a simple and the easiest to adapt in this format.

It does make me wonder if we will ever get a live-action drama for AoB, would it work or would it eventually need too big a budget to pull off, at least for the later parts? Asking too much?

Anyone else watch these?

[jinnaizaemon]

Nintama Rantarou Movie 2: All of Ninjutsu Academy Ready for Action! cheat sheet

Our translation of the movie is finally available to download! whee! I had made a similar cheat sheet post for the first movie that you can find here. Movie 2 is longer and I have more to say about it, but hopefully it won't be too boring a read. I know I made a post about this same movie before, but since we finalized the subs I wanted another go at it. I'll be honest, I'll paste and reword some part of the older post into this one and then add new thoughts, observations, and comments about the finalized subs into it. Consider it a V2... Enjoy!

This time again, I'll try to follow the movie chronologically (though some back-and-forth can happen) and write about all my thoughts and comments about the movie itself and translation choices we made. Let’s begin under the read more! Beware of spoilers if you haven't watched it yet, and forgive my bad English.

A little background first of all: The first Nintama Rantarou movie came out in 1996. This one, Ninjutsu Gakuen Zenin Shutsudou! no Dan, came out 15 years later, in March 2011. We went with All of Ninjutsu Academy Ready for Action! for the English title. More precisely, this movie came out in theaters on March 12 2011, that is to say one day after the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami of March 11 2011 ; it resulted in promotional events related to the movie being cancelled, and in general theaters in Japan shortening screenings or closing entirely. As a consequence of this, the movie is a box-office failure, despite having extremely positive reviews.

Between the first two movies, the franchise grew and so did the cast of characters, so this movie was made with the intention of showcasing all of Ninjutsu Academy. It adapts the contents of volume 37 and 42 of the manga, which had already been animated in the 16th season of the anime series, making the movie a remake of sort with original scenes, and an adaptation of the plot so that it includes every member of Ninjutsu Academy.

Opening scene

Nintama plays a lot with historical accuracy and I always think it does so in a really clever way. The very first scene shows the circumstances in which the very unfair deal between Oomagatoki and Tasogaredoki Castles was made. Tasogaredoki's army looks threatening with its skull emblem, equipment and sheer numbers. It contrasts with Oomagatoki's blobby emblem... and the plastic chocolate and candy wrappers its lord dropped to the floor along with a war fan. To me that shot really is Nintama in a nutshell lol. War, but still funny!

It's interesting going back to this movie after watching the third movie, The Strongest Tactician. Both open with a scene displaying the horrors of war in a family-friendly, sensible way. In movie 2, torn flags lay on the ground as both armies are battling in the background. Cloth in general is a recurring motif in this movie: lords go to war with flags adorned with their family emblem on them, and they walk around in opulent silk fundoshi, while the people have to use and reuse every piece of cloth they can find to dress their wounds. I really like the symbolism in Isaku reusing war flags to use as bandage to treat the wounded. Also, if the movie starts with showcasing these flags, it also ends with Kisanta waving his own! He also turned a war lord's display of opulence into Ninjutsu Academy's own flag for peace and independence. Beautiful!

Next, we get Zatto's fateful meeting with Isaku. It's a nice touch that while we're seeing through Zatto's eye, the bottom left corner of the screen is greyed, where the bandage covering his right eye would be.

Isaku is dressed as yamabushi, practicioners of shugendo, known for retreating to the mountains for ascetic practices, rituals, etc. In the context of nintama, the outfit helps Isaku hides any affiliation, making him an enemy of no one, and signify a knowledge of herbs and medicine giving him credibility to care for the wounded.

A lot of people were puzzled by Isaku's hair color in this scene, and I wondered about it too. It appears too dark if the goal was just to have the movie's usual color palette but more dulled. I really wonder if it's another attempt at increasing the realism for this scene, since it contrasts with the one just after with Rankirishin in present time. It's not like Nintama TV anime uses dull palettes at all, but except for the scenes with Tasogaredoki's army battling Oomagatoki, Tasogaredoki and Oomagatoki having dinner at camp, and later Tasogaredoki's army marching towards Sonoda Village, movie 2 picked especially bright and vivid colors, and I genuinely think it's a deliberate choice to have these contrast so much visually.

Ninjutsu Academy

Again, I love the sudden change in color palette compared to the scene just before. It's like the children get to live in a much more innocent world than the adults directly confronted with war, and how there's hope in the present and future. In Zatto's words, nintama are potential, aren't they?

The TV anime seems to go back and forth with this, sometimes showing background students in classrooms, sometimes showing very small classrooms (like how 1-i and 1-ro each have 4 known students, and they are sometimes the only ones in their classroom while sometimes there are more desks occupied by nameless mob characters), but the movie features a BUNCH of unknown, nameless students appearing in the back. It’s probably an effort to give the school a feeling of greatness to fit the grand scale of the story, but it’s a bit weird to see unfamiliar students especially in older years haha.

Tegata Kessai brought the Headmaster the local specialty of Sonoda Village. I like how much this little flower relates to Isaku. Like how Zatto never got Isaku's name throughout the movie, it remains unnamed. Obviously, it has a white color, like the yamabushi outfit he wore on the battlefield (plus, obviously, the green leaves like his uniform). It's unassuming ; despite showing up many times throughout the movie, no big attention is ever brought to it. But despite appearances, it's an efficient painkiller than can be toxic used at a wrong dose, mirroring Isaku's skills both in medicine and in ninjutsu. Its role is made obvious in the very end, though, when Zatto uses it to stop Dokutake army. Not in a lethal dose though, he can't make members of the Health Committee sad...

Tegata Kessai's name comes from 手形決済 tegata kessai, meaning to pay a bill or settle a debt.

Komatsuda was probably too busy thinking about his big brother, owner of a fan shop, to notice the pattern on the floor spelling へっぽこ heppoko, “useless”, “incompetent”.

When 1-ha is discussing the mixed-up homework, Chouji is shown growing asagao, Japanese morning glories. Because these flowers grow fast and easily, they are often used as teaching material in lower grades of elementary school where students have to care for them and report on their growth as homework.

In the same scene, while all of 1-ha is laughing, only Shouzaemon and Kingo stay serious, Shou-chan being Shou-chan and Kingo showing worry as Kisanta’s roommate!

Before the Headmaster enters, there’s a sheet of paper on the floor with every student’s name and the homework they received. If they got the right homework, it’s marked with a O. Flipping and zooming on this frame reveals whose students got the wrong homework, and what the assignment they got was. Sadly, since the text is blurry I couldn’t decipher everything. But I can tell you that apart from Kisanta, Monjirou, Chouji, and the Rescue Team… Heita, Kyuusaku, Shirobei, Sakubei, Kazuma, Takamaru, Heisuke and Hachizaemon got the wrong homework too. Sakubei had to make a map of Dokusasako Castle. Kazuma had some ninja code to decipher. Heisuke had to steal a rooftile in Naruto Castle. Hmm... familiar. I think Hachizaemon had to get Harumaki Gyouja's autograph.

…And Takamaru’s summer homework was “crossdressing”.

Kisanta Rescue Team’s introduction scene has a LOT of interesting details, so I already dedicated a post for it.

Talk with Tegata Kessai

Tegata Kessai explains how he wants to get a 庇いの制札 kabai no seisatsu from Tasogaredoki’s lord, which I translated as a “protection decree” for ease of reading, but it’s actually a little bit more specific. In the words of Doi-sensei: “Don’t burn, steal, and kill. Basically, a document prohibiting the army from committing violence.” kabai means protecting or sheltering, while seisatsu refers to an edict publicly displayed on a wooden board to make the public aware of a law in place in the area, a recent proclamation of the local lord or of the shogun, etc.

Danzou misunderstands kabai no seisatsu as kaba no keisatsu, literally “a hippo policeman” - I don’t know if the average Muromachi child would be knowledgeable of animals in Sub-saharan Africa, though! It became hipprotection in the subs.

I think the people behind him are Maasai people, but I’m not very knowledgeable so feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.

The movie has a lot of on screen text, so initially, the subtitles, the Japanese text, then the English captions made for really crowded shots... But isn't it nice and clear like this?! Azul even made the text zoom in and fade out, that's so cool!! I'm so happy with the end result. Everyone clap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In the English subs, Rantarou says "what does collecting intel means?", in the Japanese script, he asks what does 印をとるshirushi wo toru, literally "collecting marks", means. That might be either unique to Nintama or is some obscure military/ninjutsu expression... a recurring problem I have when researching ninjutsu stuff is that ninjutsu websites will often quote Amako Soubee/Nintama so it's hard to find actual sources sometimes. Anyways, as Shouzaemon explains, it's to scout an army to deduce its numbers, amount of supplies, etc.

In this post, under the read more, I wrote about the meaning of the words “Tasogaredoki” and “Oomagatoki”.

Kousaka makes his only appearance ever in civil clothes in the next scene. I have to point it out. It’s important, okay. Incidentally, he's dubbed by Wataru Takagi, Takiyashamaru's voice actor here... ugh.

By the way, badminton only became a thing in the 19th century. But feudal Japan already had a similar game called hanetsuki, which started as a game reserved for nobles, but grew in popularity during Muromachi and became a New Year tradition by Edo. He’s not being anachronistic… just a little bit avant-garde.

Opening theme and to Sonoda Village

The noodles they are eating is a dish called kuzukiri, a popular, refreshing summer dessert from Kyoto, so it’s a local snack for nintama. It’s made by mixing kudzu starch with water, and once thickened, cut in the shape of noodles with the tool seen above. It’s then served with black sugar syrup traditionally, and with a variety of others toppings in modern times.

Given Danzou, Isuke and Heidayuu’s reactions, it looks like there wasn’t enough for everyone.

Are the people walking on the path in the foreground on their way to the battlefield, too? Since the war between Tasogaredoki and Oomagatoki is on an apparent standstill, a large camp has been set for soldiers, so they are likely to be carrying supplies there. It's because those "stand-by camps" were so large and attracted so many peddlers and entertainers that it's possible for children to be there as young laborers or entertainers, making 1-ha sneaking in to "collect intel/marks" plausible.

What is translated as "page”, as in a manual worker, is 夫丸 bumaru in the original script, and is a word specific to Muromachi-Edo. The bu part means male and maru is a suffix for names used at the time for children (like Kirimaru!) or lower-class workers. Shinbei explains that they are “the people carrying supplies to the battlefield”, which is true, but it seems that the word refers to lower classes laborers in a more general way.

When Kirimaru explains how he traded his lunchbox for a bunch of things until he got the Oomagatoki hands’ uniform, Rantarou tells him it’s just like Warashibe chouja, or the Straw Millionaire story. It’s a folktale that became popular during the Muromachi period, about a poor man who starts by trading a piece of straw, and after a series of trades, meets with a rich man who offers him his daughter in marriage, making the poor man a millionaire.

Rantarou misreads the tag as “Size rerere” because the roman letter L looks like the katakana character レ, which is read re. So レレレ is read rerere. Became lelele in the subs.

When Kirimaru first tries to carry Shinbei on his shoulders, they both talk in a very theatrical, over the top way, and wear red make-up. You can also hear a nohkan flute, hyoushigi wood clappers and tsuzumi drum in the background. This is all typical of Kabuki theater.

Zatto gesturing at a subordinate off screen to go after the 1-ha kids with finger gestures, Oomagatoki not being able to see him, is really cool to me haha.

It's so cute how Rikichi carried Shouzaemon on his back. You can only see his ponytail peeking from over Rikichi's shoulder when he lands.

Rikichi has some stag-gering news! Hahaha!!! Because he's holding a deer!... Right?! Right... We really wanted this release to not have any translation notes on screen, so it was important to find another pun for this scene. It took a while and after long, long brainstorming Azul found something... I'm so grateful.... In the original script he says 斯く斯く然々kakukaku shikajika, which simply means “this and that”, “such and such”… while holding a puppet of the bishop shogi piece, called kakugyou or kaku for short, and a puppet of a deer, or shika in japanese. So the joke is that as he says kakukaku shikajika, he shows a kaku and a shika… hm…

I really really love Yamada-sensei blushing and coughing at his son's embarassing attempt at joke.

Hinata mentions that Oomagatoki doesn't have enough power to spy for intel, but to be more precise they employ no ninja at all. Well... in the TV anime, Oomagatoki orders Iba Tooru and Kaibara Tarou, originally two foot soldiers, to become ninja despite them having 0 knowledge of ninjutsu, because "having no ninja at all is kind of a bad look".

惣 sou is an historical term referring to rural local self-governments. As Shouzaemon explains, because Oomagatoki lacks power as a lord, the villages in his domain are organizing towards self-governments, or becoming sou, hence why he needs Tasogaredoki's strength to oppress them back into obedience. If all his villages were to become independent, they wouldn't pay him taxes anymore, he wouldn't be able to hire them for his army, etc. It's because he feared losing his power and wealth that he agreed to that "9 for me, 1 for you" deal with Tasogaredoki.

Lord Oomagatoki, in hiding, wears a raccoon dog mask to conceal his face. Raccoon dogs with the ability to shapeshift to conceal their true identity and play tricks on others are a common motif in japanese folktales and they are known as bakedanuki. They are usually portrayed as goofy and fun characters, with um, large testicles reminiscent of Oomagatoki’s chin under the mask lol. If Oomagatoki is the short, plump, funny bakedanuki, I guess it makes the taller, slender, cooler Tasogare Jinbei a bakekitsune, a shapeshifting fox.

"9 for me, and 1 for Magatoki-dono..." I really, really love this scene. While Tasogare Jinbei has a young boy pouring him alcohol in a large, lacquered dish, Oomagatoki Magatoki isn't even invited at his side, and has to pour himself drinks in a small cup. Tasogare eats red sea bream, madai in Japanese, a luxury food typically served for special occasions like New Year, and is also a symbol of wealth, abundance and good fortune. Magatoki gets a very thin piece of said sea bream, two grilled small fish (I think smelt?) and some pieces of takuan, pickled radish. He specifically got the end part of the radish, which is the driest and most bitter part! Usually, in Nintama, they usually aren't too specific with food, and the Cafeteria lady typicall serves anachronistic dishes like hamburg steak or curry rice. Here, they specifically depicted brown rice on Tasogare's plate as back then, polished white rice was not common at all. Back to my point between the varying degrees of realism between "the world of adults" and "the world of children" Nintama depicts: later on, Shinbei eats the Equipment Committee's packed lunch, which consisted of... white rice balls.

Zatto turns his head to listen to lord Tasogare from his right side, since he’s deaf in his left ear.

It seems the owl symbolizes Tasogaredoki spying on Ninjutsu Academy, using hooting sounds as 矢羽音 yabane, their secret code. It's made more explicit in the third movie, where a similar motif is used.

Sonoda Village

Everyone is here! This is the part where you point in excitement at your fave getting two seconds of screentime.

(insightful commentary) Everyone's different sleeping position is so cute. Heidayuu is like a cat...

Chouji is shown with the 震天雷 shintenrai, or thunder crash bomb, which will play a big role later in the story. The thunder crash bomb, or heaven-shaking thunder bomb (cool name!) originates from 13th century China. It's already an old weapon by the time Nintama takes place. More modern, specialized, and of course safer cannon balls and hand grenades have been developped since then, but hey, if it's just what they needed, why not? Personally I find it so funny that while they point out how dangerous that bomb is, there's no adult to supervise the nintama during that whole scene. Oh, Ninjutsu Academy...

There are a few words used related to Ninjutsu Academy’s whole defense tactic that are a bit specific, either to warfare or to the period, which I swapped for ease of reading. For example, 逆茂木 sakamogi is “abatis”, as in a fortification made from stacking wood. I left it as simply “barrier”.

The rabbit design of the telescope is explained in the manga and TV anime, but not in the movie. According to Shousei, it’s a common motif on telescopes, but when I tried to find pictures of real telescopes with a similar design I only found Nintama Rantarou related webpages. So. Okay stay with me this is a little look into how tricky nintama can be to translate sometimes hahaha… (Actually I'm so glad they didn't explain it in the movie. I wonder if we'll translate the TV anime version of this arc eventually...) The design is a pun based on the 12 animals of the zodiac, ordered like this: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig. If you count ten animals starting from the rabbit, you end up with rat. Rat in japanese is nezumi, or “ne” for short. “tenth is rat” is 10番目がね juubanme ga ne, which you can also read as 十目がね toome ga ne, which is itself an homonym of 遠眼鏡 toomegane, “telescope”. …Phew!!!

In Japanese, Heidayuu says 弱点を逆転 jyakuten wo gyakuten, literally "to reverse the weak spot" of the barrier. Because of the -kuten syllables being repeated twice, Shinbei mixes up the two words, so we changed it to "strenghten and weaken".

It's interesting that that Tasogaredoki soldier specifically aimed at Torawaka with his matchlock. Tora noticed him before the shot too, but had kind of a deer in headlights reaction? Or is it his own interest in firearms that made him stop and think? Anyways what matters is that he gets saved by Shousei, and I love the composition of that shot. Just before, he's guarded by his classmates, but Tora lifts his head to look up at Shousei, and there's that panning shot with Shousei looking really cool, front and center of the screen, and almost god-like with his head and matchlock surrounded by blinding light... While poor Torapapa is in the background, his face not visible, almost swallowed by Shousei's radiant light... I love seeing Tora's adoration for Shousei conveyed with such striking visuals.... gudaguda.. gudaguda... gudaguda...

Interestingly, Shousei arrived to Sonoda Village without his usual black horse. Where is it.....

Shousei addresses Torawaka as 若太夫 wakatayuu, which I initially translated as "Young Master". The issue is that Seihachi addresses Danzou as 若旦那 wakadanna, which I had also translated as "Young Master", so the distinction was lost... Lizzie, who edits my ESL messes of translations, changed it so that wakatayuu became Young Sire, and I love it sooooo much. Genius, genius, genius. If they're both "young master" in English, what's the difference? The 若 waka part is the same, and means young. 旦那 danna refers to the person in charge of a house or a business, so depending on context it can be translated as "husband" Not yet, Seihachi, not yet., "boss", "master"... Since Danzou is the son of the Katou horse carriers' boss, it makes him the young master. 太夫 tayuu, or taifu by itself, is a title associated with the fifth court rank from the ritsuryou, Japan's historical legal system. It's not the highest nor most illustrious rank, but it's the lowest rank to get a honorary title, so it felt prestigious for samurai to be called tayuu. The word came to mean a distinguished person in the more general sense, so tayuu also refers to a kabuki actor in the leading female role, among more example. So because of its association with nobility, something like "lord" or "sire" works better than the more general "master". And so we got young sire! Young Sire...!!!

Speaking of, even though we don't see him in the movie, Seihachi is working with Satake at this point of the story. I wish we could have seen him in action...

When the Explosives Committee destroys the bridges leading to the village, Takamaru and Saburouji, being newer additions to the committee, have to cover their ears while Doi and Heisuke are okay. Cute detail.

While most soldiers in the Tasogaredoki army simply wear the skull kamon (emblem) of their lord, higher ranking members wear kabuto helmets with… interesting designs, like a crab, squid, or a banana design. In the Muromachi period, when the tanegashima matchlocks were introduced, armors had to be redesigned to become thicker and bulletproof ; as their design evolved, so did the datemono, or crests on helmets. Initially U shaped, these crests got a number of designs, usually one’s kamon or fortuitous animals like rabbits, dragonflies, etc. Yes, samurai walked around with cute rabbit ears. The country of moe, truly.

When Mikiemon goes "What are those disappointed faces for, you 1st years brat?!" he pushes Tora off screen, and we can't see his expression... I really wanted to see it lol.

And just after, Tora says this line. In Japanese, he asks Shousei to be his 薬込役 kusurigomeyaku. This word is brought up in Nintama TV anime and the original manga, and in context is the person bringing new, loaded matchlocks to the person in charge of firing. Looking up the word outside of the context of Nintama brings up results relating to spies of the Edo period... it's another case of me not knowing if it's an historical fact so obscure it only brings up Nintama related results, or if it's just a word the author used to sound historical, specific, and cool. Ahhh, sigh. Anyways, I wanted something equally specific in English but that would remain understandable in context, so it became powder boy. Powder monkey, or powder boy (no way I'm calling our Young Sire a powder monkey!!!!!!!!) is actually a naval term and refers to young sailors tasked with loading cannons with gunpowder. Not exactly the same, but I guess it works! If Sensei does it, so can I.

Here, Isuke and Shouzaemon call Hieta Happousai 冷えた 発泡酒 Hieta Happoushu, hieta meaning cold and happoushu is an alcoholic drink similar to beer. It became Happoucider in English to keep the "sai" sound.

They used the firefly jutsu on Dokutake. It's a technique used multiple times throughout the franchise, and it consists in diverting the enemy's attention by spreading a (possibly false) rumor.

In English, the secret message is "wrapped around a 3 centimeters wide stick", but in Japanese he says a 1 sun wide stick. The unit of measure was swapped for clarity. 1 sun is 一寸 issun, which might sound familiar if you played a certain Capcom RPG.

I had already written about it in my post about the first movie, but Takiyashamaru is holding a 水中すいり suichu suiri, a ninja tool for crossing water discreetly and safely.

"They're keeping my slugs as hostages! Ah, but they're slugs, so maybe I should say slugages." Hostage in Japanese is 人質 hitojichi, the first character, 人 hito, means person, so Kisanta comes up with the word ナメ質 namejichi, slugage, swapping the "hito/person" part for the first syllables of ナメクジ namekuji, slug.

Kisanta being diligent enough to try and complete homework that is absurdly too hard for a student his age is so cute and touching. And he planned to stay here until he rescued his slugs... I also find Kisanta's reaction when seeing that Senzou is here to rescue him so cute. It's heart-warming how much they love each other (…despite everything).

Look at how cute Hikoshirou dozing off is. Yes, that’s all.

Monjirou mentions that Zatto used the 逃止の術 toushi no jutsu, halted escape jutsu. It involves shaking the enemy off and infiltrate the place once the enemy thinks you've fled.

This scene puts a lot of focus on the two tins containing the leaves from Sonoda’s local flower ; it can be used both as a painkiller or a poison depending on the dose. When Zatto enters the room, Fushikizou throws a bunch of stuff at him, including one of the tins. Just after, Fushikizou notices that Zatto took one of the tin with him… but doesn’t seem to have told anyone about it. I guess that makes the first time Zatto and Fushikizou work together!

Speaking of, I guess Zatto didn't care enough to move, but it's impressive that Isaku managed to aim right at Zatto's forehead when he threw the bandage.

For someone like Zatto who only knows allegiance to his own folks, Isaku is a complete mystery. Treating anyone without discrimination, risking your life and wasting precious supplies on potential enemies makes 0 sense to him, and I love that it bothered him enough that he went out of his way to meet with Isaku again in private to ask him about it directly. The thought of this grown man being tormented all summer remembering his kind, anonymous benefactor is so much lol. But it goes to show how much of an outlier Isaku is not just as a ninja, but also as a person.

Despite everything, Kazuma is a great ninja. He reacted quick seeing Zatto and quickly shielded Sakon with his own body. Too bad about the Health Committee's bad luck though... In the spin-off of the 14th musical, he earns a lot of praise from Zatto for his skills.

Remember how the first movie had wolfholes? Well, time to introduce foxholes. A foxhole is a small hole dug to fit one or two person with a role similar to a trench, where the person inside can fire from it while also covering themselves if needed. As Monjirou said, if you're going to dig foxholes, do it on the frontlines! In Japanese, foxhole is タコ壺 takotsubo, literally "octopus pot". Kihachirou named them respectively Taako-chan (feminine name) and Tawaemon (masculine name), keeping the "ta" part from tako, octopus. So if our octopus pots became foxholes, I guess it's logical that they are now named Miss Foxy and Mister Fox. It's convenient that both languages evoke animals...

"Senpai, thank you for always taking care of us..." "Always?" Apparently Rantarou is oblivious to the all the misery Shinbei and Kisanta inflict on Senzou lol.

Tasogaredoki’s assault

2011 is written on the telescope Tomesaburou is holding! It's the year the movie came out.

I LOVE Mikiemon's lack of actual combat experience showing in this arc. He claims the cannonball won't reach and is visibly in shock realizing he might be wrong. Everyone gets down when ordered to, and Shousei, well aware of Mikiemon's lack of experience, jumps to make him get down. It's like one frame but he does hold Miki down by the shoulders... All in all the events at Sonoda Village must have been a very humbling experience for Mikiemon.

1-i and 1-ro dodging the cannon ball are so cute lol. Ayakashimaru almost passes out.

Meet Lucy, Lucy the mortar. She's Lucy because she looks up in the sky.....!!!! Yes there is a Beatles fan among Tasogaredokijou. It's another joke that had to be swapped if we wanted to avoid TL notes on screen. The original dialogue literally goes like this:

臼砲のきゅうちゃんだ。 kyuuhou no kyuuchan da. It's Kyuu-chan the mortar. きゅうちゃん? kyuuchan? Kyuu-chan? きゅうちゃん。 kyuuchan. Kyuu-chan. なるほど、　上を向いている。 naruhodo, ue wo muiteiru. I see, it's looking up.

Mortar in Japanese is kyuuhou, so we've got our Kyuu, but why does Heidayuu say it's looking up? Because singer Sakamoto Kyuu sang "Ue wo Muite Arukou", "I Look Up As I Walk", in 1961. Now I don't think this is a joke that the average Japanese kid would get, and it's anachronistic given Nintama's setting lol. So hey, a Beatles reference makes a good swap for an English speaking audience, I think! And that's how Sakamoto Kyuu became Lucy in the sky with diamonds. By the way, here's a cover of Ue wo Muite Arukou by Kanemaru Junichi, Raizou's voice actor.

This is another moment which makes me really glad to do these subs with Lizzie because she made the lyrics for the song so fun. It really makes me think how lucky I am to be part of a group where we can brainstorm ideas and work together like this to put out something we wouldn't have been able to pull as a solo work. Also, sometimes I find myself humming Yuuki 100% but I go "hai hai, sore wa boku ni yarasete kudasaiii!" before going Uhhh wait wrong lyrics lol.

The tactic used by Ninjutsu Academy to defend the village against Tasogaredoki is very reminiscent of the battle of Waterloo, 1815, where Wellington’s army was posted on a slope made muddy by bad weather, slowing down French troops.

Tasogaredoki's army is stopped, and the Satake folks raise their flag! The Satake emblem is a centipede. Mukade, the Japanese centipede, is a rather big specimen, venomous, known to be aggressive and said to never retreat. This, plus their link with Bishamonten, god of war and bringer of justice, made them a popular family emblem for samurai.

We talked about kusurigomeyaku / powder boys earlier, and we can see Saburouji and Heisuke of the Explosives Committee fulfilling the role here. Mikiemon also got to help Shousei, good for him!

"Gotta go back home and tend to the rice fields..." A good chunk of the army wasn't employed full time as trained soldiers, but were common folks hired for the duration of campaigns. Typically there would be more people to hire during agricultural off season, but a lord could requisition them if a big battle is coming.

火矢 hiya is literally fire arrow, but it's also rocket. Which I guess Heidayuu kind of invented just now.

I love this scene so much… even though he’s the titular character, Rantarou rarely gets the chance to shine like this, doesn’t he? After this line, you can hear hyoushigi wood clappers again, as Kirimaru and Shinbei cheer for Rantarou. This evokes Japanese theater again ; what they are doing is called kakegoe, shouts from the audience to encourage performers. When a kabuki play reaches its climax, when an actor does something really impressive, he will often strikes a pose and the story will stop for a moment just for the audience to shout such kakegoe.

I don’t know if it’s intentional, but there’s that scene earlier in the movie where Tasogare Jinbei repeats multiple times “Nine for me, and one for Magatoki-dono”, referring to their respective share at dinner but obviously to the taxes taken from Sonoda Village, too. Yuki wasn’t here to witness it, I think, but I find it ironic that she specifically goes “One for my lord” here as he hasn’t realized yet his scheme has been found out.

This isn't the first time Takamaru makes a fool of Tasogare with a stupid haircut, it happens at the end of the Double survival orienteering arc in season 19.

It's funny Tasogare says that Oomagatoki has strange tastes for being into Denko. In the 6th musical, he has a whole song number about courting her and he gifts her a rose. Even after Denzou tells him "I'm actually a man", Tasogare replies that he doesn't mind and tries to kiss him. Also in season 20 he acknowledges Denko as a woman... and Sonnamon even gets hit for not agreeing with his lord. Character development!

The word Komatsuda uses for "secretary" here is 右筆 yuuhitsu, and is another specific, historical word. It refers to the private secretary of a noble or castle lord, tasked with writing and stamping official documents, records, decrees, etc. The profession came to be because initially, not every samurai knew how to properly write and format official documents. Then it became common for the most important ones to have a designated secretary to handle their paperwork! So it's a different word from the usual "secretary" found mostly in Komatsuda-related episodes of the TV anime, which is the more common 事務員 jimuin, clerk, office worker. It ended up being the same word in English, spoken by our usual secretary, so I wanted to point it out! They do different things!

Again, I love how this movie plays with realism. The ominous Tasogaredoki army marching at the beginning of the movie was reduced to a cartoony dust cloud by the end. It's the Ninjutsu Academy effect!

When the kunoichi watch Oomagatoki get undressed they all make disgusted expressions while the Cafeteria lady behind them is just "?" LOL I guess she has seen worse...

The war flags from the beginning of the movie are cut and turned into bandages. We've come full circle!

I guess it's something we never really captioned, but Dokutake's war flags spell どく doku.

...And Tasogaredoki ninja corps used the leaves taken from the Health Committee earlier to stop Dokutake. They aren't getting involved in the battle of Sonoda Village, but Zatto can't have anyone go against his lord... while still respecting Isaku's ideals. So cool~

Credits

It’s more explicit in the manga but Monjirou is bonking his head because he’s frustrated he didn’t get to fight haha.

And Kisanta isn’t the only one who completed his summer homework in the end, Isaku got to bring back a Tasogaredoki war flag back to school!

Finishing with one last pic because Doi crying for Kisanta is just way too cute.

And now I'm done with the Second Version of this post lol. It sure is longer... this time I hope I didn't forget anything. It's funny, when I was done writing the first post I concluded saying that I hope I didn't forget anything. Well I did! I forgot a lot of things! And also after rewatching the movie since them I kept noticing and thinking about new things... This movie is full of little details and it makes it a treat to rewatch every time, isn't it? I hope it wasn't too boring a read! Thank you for reading this far.

[madamlaydebug]

CRITICAL WARNING!!!! Radio talk show hostess, Kim Komando, did some digging about TEMU and this is what she found!

Seemingly overnight, everyone’s talking about Temu (pronounced “tee-moo”), an online shopping app that boasts deals that seem too good to be true, like $17 wireless earbuds, $1 “gold” necklaces and $23 wedding dresses.

Over 50 million Americans have downloaded Temu since it launched state-side in September 2022, after it gained traction with expensive Super Bowl ads promising to let you “shop like a billionaire.”

Today, Temu is the most popular shopping app in the U.S. behind Amazon. But most of us don’t know much about the app’s true origins. Reader Daniel Mayer asked an important question, “Is [Temu] something we should be concerned about?”

So, I did some digging. And as it turns out, yes, you absolutely should be. Here’s what I found:

Where did Temu come from?

This isn’t some fly-by-night operation. Temu is based in Boston, Massachusetts, by PDD Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: PDD). PDD is headquartered in Shanghai, China.

PDD also owns the e-commerce platform Pinduoduo headquartered in — you guessed it — China. So, Temu is a Communist China-based app and site.

What you need to know before using Temu

First, you’re buying goods directly from manufacturers in China and other parts of the world. That’s why shipping times are often 12 days or longer. The prices are low because the goods are cheap. The pictures of what you see advertised may not be what you actually get.

Temu’s BBB rating is 2.21/5. Reviews at TrustPilot are interesting, with 38% 5-star reviews and 41% 1-star reviews.

But that’s not the worst of it.

Temu is downright dangerous.

The app is a clever, pervasive digital stalker. As you shop, Temu monitors your activity on other apps, tracks your notifications and location and changes settings.

🛑 It gets worse. Temu gains full access to all your contacts, calendars and photo albums, plus all your social media accounts, chats and texts. In other words, literally everything on your phone. This is scary

No shopping app needs this much control, especially one tied to Communist China. If you’re using Temu, delete the app from your phone ASAP.

On iPhone, Long-press an app, then tap Remove App > Delete App. Tap Delete to confirm.

On Android, touch and hold an app, then tap Remove App > Delete App > Delete.

Pro tip: If you downloaded Temu, to be safe from Chinese spies, you really need to do a full factory reset.

But wait, there’s more! Temu’s sister app was removed from Google Play because of malware.

Do not buy from this company, or use their app!

COPY AND PASTE PLEASE

[d-criss-news]

‘Maybe Happy Ending’ Makes Top 5 Debut on Billboard’s Cast Albums Chart

The original Broadway cast recording of Maybe Happy Ending – led by Emmy Award and Golden Globe-winner Darren Criss and Helen J Shen – scores the year’s highest debut on Billboard’s Cast Albums chart, as the set enters at No. 5 on the list dated March 29.

Maybe Happy Ending was released on March 14 via streaming services and to purchase as a digital download album, while its CD release is slated for May 16 and a vinyl release is due on June 13. Will Aronson and Hue Park wrote the show’s book, music and lyrics, while the album was produced by Deborah Abramson, Ian Kagey and Aronson. Maybe Happy Ending began its life on stage in Seoul, South Korea in 2016 and was later produced in Japan and China as well. It opened on Broadway at New York’s Belasco Theatre on Nov. 12, 2024, starring Criss and Shen as obsolete Helperbot robots who meet cute and fall in love. The show has drawn rave reviews, with The New York Times calling it “supersmart” and “astonishing,” Entertainment Weekly said the musical “dazzles with its love story and astounds with its visual accomplishments,” and USA Today said it was “wildly inventive and profoundly moving.” Shen makes their Broadway debut in Maybe Happy Ending, while this is the fourth Broadway show for Criss – but his first originating a role in a musical production. He previously appeared on Broadway in the revival of the play American Buffalo (in 2022) and as a replacement in the revivals of the musicals Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2015) and How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying (2012). Billboard’s Cast Albums chart ranks the most popular cast recordings of the week in the United States, based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. The March 29 chart reflects the tracking week ending March 20. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album.

[readsofawe]

It's that time again! Announcing the #readsofawe Readathon 2024!

FAQ

When is it? Sunset 10/2 to sunset 10/12, from the beginning of Rosh HaShanah to the end of Yom Kippur, also called the Days of Awe (hence the name)

Who can participate? Anyone! Jews, non-Jews, big readers, one-book-a-year types, and anyone in between.

How do I participate?

🍎 Read Jewish books! You don't even have to tell anyone about it :) 📚 Follow the prompts on the bingo card, and post how many squares you fill 🍎 Share your TBR, reviews, and book photos on Instagram, Tumblr, Facebook, and/or Twitter with the hashtag #readsofawe

What’s the deal with the bingo board? It’s a fun challenge to encourage people to read widely within Jewish literature! Download or screenshot the board and mark off squares when you get them. Feel free to use one book per square OR mark as many squares as apply to each book! Go for a single square, a bingo, a blackout, or just a random pattern! And don’t forget to post your marked-up board when the readathon is over.

[valgeristik]

sorry for a big post but i just found those again recently

huge throwback to these little things i did while bored out of my mind between calls on my tech support job i had in 2017 🌞 the phrases are whatever i could think of at the moment, from phrases i heard on calls to what i saw in google search to personal observations...

i did these with a mouse!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i have not been able to replicate this style since. it will forever stay there, on that imac with that weird apple mouse and a random art app i downloaded that they later locked me out of bcs u know ur not supposed to download third party apps on work computers but i was also not allowed to have paper like what are yououuuu expecting me to do GOD i hated that place they made me work for 6 days in a row then ONE (1) ☝ day off and then SIX MORE DAYS AGAIN with sometimes less than 12 hours between shifts but i was young and stupid and didnt complain. this went on longer than i thought it would.

I was also (unsurprisingly) sososososososo depressed and this song was a big comfort (and hey, its an english one for once!)

Vetted Gaza Evacuation Fundraiser List

E-sims donation

bonus thing i like but it didnt fit in with the rest of them

not. translating everything but if u really really want to know feel free to shoot me an ask i suppose. russian knowers will find some of these funny tho. esp the всё понял, иду нахуй (it was a positive customer review on one of the calls our trainer told us abt LMAO)

[recklesssimsstuff]

Carier

"Once just a collection of barracks for the workers of a nearby quarry, Carier has now transformed into a small community of individuals who made the bold decision to trade the hustle and bustle of big city suburbs for the serene tranquility of a town in the middle of nowhere. However, it appears that the newcomers have also brought along some unnecessary drama, causing slight concern among those who still remember when this place was nothing more than a pile of bricks on the sandy banks of the local river. Despite its peaceful nature, one can't help but wonder if this calm is merely the calm before the storm. Only time can tell..."

Since I promised to talk more about my neighborhoods, let's start with the very first one I created for public use - Carier. The name comes from the word "карьер," which means quarry. The reason for this name is that the town was based on a village my friends and I built on a pile of sand in my backyard when we were kids:

All 12 families in this neighborhood are based on the ones we used to roleplay as. Overall, there isn't much of a plot going on since this was my first attempt at creating a decent neighborhood (I've made a few before for personal use, but I didn't really put much effort into them) So, this time, I just focused on building relationships, writing dramatic backstories, and then called it a day.

There are 15 residential lots and 3 community ones, all created by me, including the map itself.

Now, of course since I was a newbie in this stuff (not like I'm a pro now, but I've definitely learned a thing or two since I started), there are a few issues with Carier that might turn some people off:

All the premade bin families and default Pleasantview NPCs are included because I didn't know about clean templates existence;

This neighborhood is CC free, but since I forgot to remove my DRs before taking screenshots, things might get a little bit confusing because of course everything will look different in your game. It's not a huge deal, but something to keep in mind;

What is a big deal, though, is that since my game isn't in English, you might run into NPCs with names in a different language. Based on the feedback I got, only a few players have had this issue, but if it happens to you, SimPE or SimBlender can help fix it.

Downloadable here at my MTS page.

You can also find a few more details about Carier there since I don't want to make this post into an essay lol.

P.S. I've made a couple extra lots for this 'hood, which can be found here and here.

P.P.S. Creusa Sims made a review of Carier, which I'm very thankful for <3

[clockwork-puppets]

Admittedly I forgot I can post things here

I've been making video games, and you should go play them! They're free!

This is Poltersprite! It's an arcade-style ghost investigation game for the original Game Boy (DMG!) 👻

Featuring 7 ghost types, 5 evidence types, 2 completely original and hand-drawn maps with 5 and 8 rooms respectively, a final score system, and looking at cat photos as a sanity mechanic 🐈‍⬛

It was made in roughly 12 days for GitHub Game Off 2024, and was just recently (May 5th) expanded on with a huge update including a new haunted carnival map, new ghost types and equipment, a complete rework of the inventory and journal, and some added accessibility features!

The game is entirely free to play and download, including a Game Boy ROM, a 3DS .cia, and a printable 1-page foldable instruction manual! The game's source code and project files are also available on GitHub for modding or tinkering, feel free to make use of it!

I am hoping to make physical cartridges by this summer, you can help make it happen by supporting the game! Leave a comment, review, and if you can, a tip to help me fund the first batch!

[creations-by-chaosfay]

Download these now! They're free until May 2025.

[felassan]

Game Informer:

"The Dragon Age: The Veilguard Digital Issue Is Now Live! by Kyle Hilliard on Jun 18, 2024 at 12:30 PM If you subscribe to the digital edition of Game Informer, you can now learn all about our trip to BioWare for Dragon Age: The Veilguard! Following the cover reveal our digital issue is now live on web browsers, iPad/iPhone, and Android devices. Alongside our 12-page Dragon Age: The Veilguard cover story, you will also find big features on our trip to Warsaw, Poland to play The Alters, a deep dive on SFB Games the creators of Snipperclips and Crow Country, a look back at Silent Hill with with the developers it has inspired, a feature about how Sony and Microsoft created its specialty accessible controllers, reporting from Summer Game Fest, and lots more! We've also got previews for Assassin's Creed Shadows, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Black Myth Wukong, Star Wars Outlaws, Undermine 2, Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail, and reviews for Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2, XDefiant, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Crow Country, Minishoot' Adventures, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, and much more! If you love print as much as we do, you can subscribe to the physical magazine: SUBSCRIBE NOW You get 10 issues for $19.91, or two years and 20 issues for $34.99. Individual issues are also now available for purchase at this link or in any GameStop store. You can download the apps to read the issue by following this link."

[source]

[consanguinitatum]

David as Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing (the first time he did it, that is!)

David Tennant fans are aware of 2011's brilliant Much Ado About Nothing, in which DT starred as Benedick, alongside Catherine Tate as Beatrice. Filmed at the Wyndham's Theatre in London and directed by Josie Rourke, the production was recorded and offered on Digital Theatre.

But did you know David had played Benedick before?

Yep - he sure has!

It was in 2001, a full decade before his production with Catherine.

Beginning in 1999, BBC Radio 3 launched Shakespeare For The Millennium, an ambitious project to dramatize seventeen Shakespeare productions in four years.

The project was done in collaboration with BBC Worldwide, which emphasized it wanted to take a contemporary, innovative approach to the Bard. It launched on 12 September 1999 with a Shakespeare discussion panel, and a new production of Hamlet -- starring none other than Michael Sheen as the Dane!

On 23 September 2001, BBC Radio 3 broadcast a new production of Much Ado About Nothing as the Sunday Play, with David in the lead role as Benedick and Samantha Spiro as Beatrice. Adapted by Sally Avens, it featured an introduction (as had all the previous productions in the Shakespeare For The Millennium series) by Richard Eyre, the former Director of the Royal National Theatre.

The production also starred a few other recognizable names. There was Chiwetel Ejiofor as Claudio, Emilia Fox as Hero, David Swift as Leonato, Julian Rhind-Tutt as Don John, and David Haig as Dogberry.

All original music was composed and performed by Simon Oakes and Adam Wolters.

Radio listings and announcements, and promo photos of David and Samantha Spiro

Here's a review of the prodcuction!

Much Ado About Nothing was commercially released by BBC Worldwide as part of the BBC Radio collection series in 2001.

The sleeve notes of cassettes and CDs of the production include a scene-by-scene synopsis, a full character analysis, and an essay on interpretation from the director Sally Avens.

Almost four years later, in November 2005, BBC One broadcast a television series called ShakespeaRe-Told, a set of four adaptations of Shakespeare's plays. Each play was adapted by a different writer, and all were relocated to the present day.

The first to be broadcast - on 7 November 2005 - was a modern-day version of Much Ado About Nothing starring Sarah Parrish and Damien Lewis...and Billie Piper and Nina Sosanya and Olivia Colman!

You can watch it here:

Six days after this television broadcast - on 13 November 2005 at 7:15 pm - BBC Radio 3 re-broadcast the audio version starring David and Samantha in its 'Drama On 3' slot.

Fast forward to August 2020.

The BBC released a set of four BBC Radio Shakespeare collections: Histories, Comedies, Tragedies, and Roman Plays. Much Ado About Nothing was included in the collection of Comedies, and became available as an Audible digital download.

If you want to listen, you can find this collection a lot of places. It might be at your local library or on Overdrive, on Google Play, or as an Amazon Audible book.

Or, ya know, just go here:

[alexandra-emerson]

Some Thoughts

(For readers horrified by what’s been going on in fandom who want to help)

Twats

I’m sad that some authors have been pulling their works from AO3, though I totally get it. But I’m not going to add to the “don’t sell fanfics” commentary much. I’m working with a lawyer to get mine taken down from Etsy, and it sucks, but I think this is an opportunity to talk about the fandom community as a whole. Specifically, what you can do to keep it alive and healthy.

I think it’s easy to sit at home, read about this illegal fanbinding drama with interest, run to AO3 to mass download your favorite fics, pat yourself on the back for not buying or selling fics illegally or not adding them to Goodreads, then move on with your life. But I would argue this passive attitude is just as harmful to the community, in some ways.

The Criticism Ratio

You all have probably heard that you’re supposed to deliver compliments and criticism with a ratio of 5:1. This is because negative comments stick in our heads more, so even if you were balancing the good and bad, or giving twice as many good comments as bad ones, the bad ones carry so much weight, they still seem to be winning.

With writing, I would argue this ratio is probably more like 10:1. Because it’s so personal. And most of us are so new to it. And it’s so much freaking work. I timed it once, and one chapter typically takes me 12 hours to write. That doesn’t include editing, or the hours my beta puts into editing. Then, to float all that work out into the world and get negativity back … oof, it makes embarking on the next 12 hours, and the next and the next VERY difficult.

My Experience

I’ve been an author of some popular fics in both the Harmony and Dramione spaces. On the Harmony side, I’ve dealt with personalized attacks, not just against my stories but against me as a person. And when that was going down, there weren’t a ton of fans speaking up on my behalf. I got a lot of DMs telling me those bullies were just the “loud minority” but from my point of view, with my supporters sounding like crickets, they felt like a majority. 

(Quick note to my Harmony readers: No I’m never writing Harmony again, get over it, and stop following me to every work I write next to ask me when I’m writing Harmony again. You had your chance to support me, and you fucking missed the boat.)

On the Dramione side, the public spaces are more moderated (thank God) so I’m less likely to stumble upon downright bullying. But this space is overwhelming in how BIG it is and how much conversation goes on about my fics. I always feel like the last to know when there’s some big Tik-Tok boom happening with one of my stories, when a story gets added to Goodreads, when there’s a reddit thread discussing the flaws in ‘Timeless’, when it gets posted for sale on Etsy, when someone popular binds it. It’s very hard to keep up with this giant fandom and it’s too much to handle at times. Which means if people don't send us things directly, we don't see it.

I also get this thing in Dramione that I didn’t get as much in Harmony where people act afraid or embarrassed to reach out to me. They’ll say things like, “I’m so sorry to bother you…” or “I’m sure you hear this all the time, and I know you don’t need to hear it from me too, but your works are great…” I think in Dramione people assume because it’s so big, other people are taking care of things, but that’s not the case. There is a lot of activity, for sure, but not much of that is making it back to the author.

My Ask

So anyway, think about the role you play in fandom. Are you contributing to the compliment bank, or the criticism one? (Remember, abstentions go with the majority. And in this case, every negative experience holds x10 weight).

Good things can be as simple as sending a quick note like, “Just letting you know I thought about your story today” or “Here’s another kudos because I just reread this gem!” It can be correcting a negative comment or review you see out in the wild, so that if the author ever stumbles across it, they see that their people are out there, sticking up for them. Ten people can instantly negate a bad comment with ten positive ones. Then if the author ever finds it, no harm done.

We all know the bad things that harm fandom, so there’s no need for me to rehash them here. But don’t forget that the passive things can be just as harmful. Things like: Rating a fanfic on Goodreads, because it’s already there, and you really want it to count towards your goal. Downloading a story, loving it, and never letting the author know. Reading rude comments online, complimenting yourself for not being that mean, then scrolling to the next thing.

My challenge to fandom is this: Let’s fill that compliment and support bucket so full that when an author does encounter a negative experience with one of their fanfics, they have a giant, fluffy pillow of endless love to fall back on. Let’s make those rare moments of nastiness truly feel like a minority to our creators. It’s not a ton of work. Our fandom is so flipping large, it just takes a tiny comment from each person to keep our community feeling like a fun, positive place to play.

[mostlyinthemorning]

A couple of years ago, I wrote a fic where David was a witch who runs a bakery. The elements of that story would become my first original novel, This Sweet Magic, which will be released on February 12.

I'm very excited for everyone to meet the characters and world I've created, which is filled with baking, magic, found family, and one opinionated cat. David and Patrick may not be in this story, but echoes of them are, and it wouldn't exist without them.

If you are willing to leave a review and would like receive a free Advance Reader Copy of This Sweet Magic, please sign up here. ARCs will be emailed the week of January 22.

Meanwhile, signing up for the newsletter on my website will let you download This Wicked Rivalry, a free Rosewood short story and will ensure that you're the first to know when This Sweet Magic is loose in the wild.

I want to say a huge thank you to everyone in the Schitt's Creek fandom and to anyone who left kudos or comments on my fics - you're the reason This Sweet Magic is a reality. Thank you!