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hexusproductions · 5 years ago

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Meeting With The Mentor

Summary: Melody Shepherd, my level 1 cleric, meets Nyx Murrain while out on an adventure for the first time in her life Author’s Note: I was meant to write part of a hero’s journey, and since Nyx is part of Melody’s story, I figured their meeting was a good fit.

Flickers of the overhanging sun broke through the forest onto the beaten path. Melody’s steel boots crunched through the dirt, kicking up dragged clumps. Her steady pace slowed to a stop, and she looked back the way she had come.

It had been almost a week since she had first left home. Her family had to have known that she was missing by now, must have figured out why. Would they care about her mission now, now that she had shown how badly she wanted to complete it?

The clouds that formed Melody’s hair turned a downcast grey.

Of course they cared about her, but would the shock and fear of their child running away convince them to care about what she had lost? She could easily just walk back and see for herself…

Melody shifted her weight from foot to foot and fiddled with her fingers, still looking down the path she had already travelled. Once upon a time, she would have hummed to help her think. But she couldn’t anymore. At that thought, Melody straightened and redirected her gaze to the path ahead, pushing herself forward at a march-like walk.

She had to do this.

She didn’t have a choice.

Through the thick interwoven canopy, a monstrous roar thundered. Upturned birds flew from their perches, and the sounds of a panicked crowd followed after. Melody spun and cut through the forest at a run, the air giving her stride strength. She dodged stray branches and wildlife until she broke into a clearing, the trees giving way to lush green grass. The source of the roar – a hulking beast, pale and bald with teeth and claws longer than her forearm – lay collapsed on its side, sickly green running from its mouth as if poisoned. It was clear that a battle had taken place, stray trees that had managed to break the fringes of the clearing now lay toppled as splintered stumps, and long marks had been sporadically clawed into the earth.

Melody skirted around a fallen tree trunk, watching the monster’s body before searching for the culprit. The panicked crowd she had heard earlier were gathered to one side, though none of them had their eyes on the fallen creature, instead focused inward and cheering. Melody hurried over to find what had captivated them so, weaving her way to the front. A slender ghost, dressed all in black, knelt down to apply aid to the injuries of a man sitting on one of the uneven stumps. The wide brim of their sunhat shadowed the beak of the mask covering their face. The members of the crowd were showering the figure with thank-yous and praise, and Melody stared as the realisation came that this doctor had been the one to slay the monster.

Melody stared, and slowly her slack jaw turned into a grin, eyes alight as her hair flared. She broke from the ring of the crowd, skating forward until she was an arm’s length from the stump.

“You defeated that thing? That’s amazing! I can’t believe you were able to do that by yourself! Was it difficult?? Did you have any help?!” In her haste she skipped any form of introduction and blurted out her excitement and questions, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Every word was silent, instead parts of her hair breaking off and floating in front of her, forming into letters. The doctor didn’t turn away from their patient, and it was impossible to see through the lenses of their mask to discern whether they were even looking at her or not.

“I didn’t have help.” Clipped, flat, like sitting through a long dusty novel, “It was dangerous, I couldn’t let it hurt these people.” Melody could feel the cold disposition hanging around the doctor like a fog, and she’d very rarely felt the words ‘go away’ in such a tangible air. But she was at least glancing at Melody’s words, so she continued.

“How did you do it? Can you use magic or did you use some kind of weapon?”

“Excuse me.” The doctor insisted, and waved through Melody’s sentences to disperse them. Melody faltered, and then frowned, hands on her hips in a way others had described on numerous occasions as childish. She watched the doctor weave medicine and healing words through the man’s broken leg. Melody’s frown deepened to a pout, and then she willed the full clouds of her hair forward, right in the doctor’s face. The doctor stopped, hands still raised. Slowly, she lowered them. Her head turned at the same weighted speed. Even through the mask, Melody could feel her intense gaze, so much so that she stopped herself from backing away. The doctor looked back to her patient for a moment-

“That should heal in a few days. Try to stay off of it.”

-and then stood. While she did so, the man thanked her once more and was helped by one of the townspeople to join the now dispersing crowd.

“You shouldn’t use your magic like that.” She advised, but that glee had spread across Melody’s entire being again, bouncing like before.

“I’m Melody! Melody Shepherd. I’m not very experienced in this whole thing but you must be if you were able to hunt down a whole monster by yourself!”

The doctor remained still.

“Nyx Murrain.” She introduced herself in kind, more polite than willing, and her beak turned down a degree, “I’m not a monster hunter. I only treat people if I can help it.” Melody nodded, her hair going fluffy with new blooming hope. Things could not have worked out more perfectly, no one could have been more perfectly suited than the person standing in front of her now.

“I want to learn how to heal people too. I don’t just want to fight.”

At this, Nyx looked down. Melody couldn’t tell whether she was taking in her blue dress with a puffy skirt and adorned with armour, or the weapons belted at her hips.

“…But I am prepared for one.” Melody added, hugging her arm in a shrug. Nyx shook her head, reaching down to adjust the fastening of the thick book attached to her belt.

“I can’t teach. I’m not a good fit for what you’re looking for.” Once again she insisted and refused. Melody used both arms to point to the giant creature lying on the grass. Nyx gave it a glance and simply gave a shrug.

“I didn’t even know if I’d be able to kill it or not. I just wanted to protect the townspeople.”

Melody hopped forward. Her haste sent her next words up close to Nyx’s beak as she clasped her hands together.

“That’s what I want to do. Protect people, help them.” Her eyes went wide with starlight as she looked at Nyx with a sweet and pleading smile, “I want to be like you.” Nyx shifted back a step. It may have been because of the forefront words made out of clouds that were beginning to dissipate, or to help her buy time for a pause. Melody continued to smile, and she didn’t even laugh when Nyx inclined her head in a very bird-like fashion matching her mask.

“You shouldn’t leave your sickle out in the open like that. It’ll make people nervous.” Nyx finally spoke. Melody straightened, her hand going to the handle of the blade, but she nodded obediently at the advice. Nyx continued to shift her weight and look Melody over, but Melody no longer shied away from what she now knew was appraisal.

“You need to slow down when you speak. Not everyone will be able to read fast enough to understand you.” Nyx took a step to the left and settled there, standing front-on to Melody as she gestured with her hand, “Don’t rely on magic to heal just because it’s easier. You need to be proficient with physical medicine as well. You seem like you might have a good bedside manner, but remember to prioritise treatment over being a people-pleaser-.”

“Would you be willing to take on an apprentice?” Melody interjected once she had the opportunity, focusing on slowing down her question.

“I wasn’t finished.” Nyx fixed her with that glare again, and Melody clammed up her mouth, using both hands to be extra quiet. Nyx disarmed the look, but a sigh then emanated through the mask.

“I don’t know how to be a teacher.” Nyx repeated. Melody took Nyx’s hand in her own, trying to be reassuring, and she suppressed her surprise at feeling a long scar, running diagonally across Nyx’s left palm and old by the feel of it.

“You’re already being helpful.” Movement behind her. The crunch of fallen branches. Melody ignored it, writing it off as a woodland creature, and continued.

“I really do value your advice, Miss Murrain.” Melody’s smile faded, clouds stilling as she looked downward at Nyx’s hand still in hers, “I don’t have anyone else to go to. No one else has helped me so far.”

Nyx stilled. Melody waited, uncertain about so many things but most of all about what Nyx’s reaction would be. Then she heard Nyx exhale. It sounded nothing like any of her irritated sighs earlier. In fact, Melody could have sworn there was a touch of grief that fluttered through it like a stale wind. Squeezing Nyx’s hand in comfort seemed like the appropriate thing to do, and while leaves crunched and growled behind her, Melody spoke again.

“Something very precious was stolen from me…” Her free hand drifted up to brush over her throat, and she lifted her gaze to see Nyx was looking just left of that area and her own body had stiffened, “I know that I can get it back, but no-one else has given me the chance. I know that if you would find it in your heart to—"

“Look out!” Nyx shoved Melody to the side, darting in front of her. The monster roared, one deadly limb still raised in the air. In the same motion that had thrust Melody out of the way, Nyx raised her arm. A skeletal hand, ghostly and bleeding blue mist, thrust from her own and clenched around the monster’s face, forcing it over its own unstable feet and crashing head-first with a shriek into the earth.

Melody once again was slack-jawed from where she had fallen on the grass as she looked at the monster’s chest rise and fall a final time, then stop completely. Her eyes flicked back and forth from the now certainly dead monster to Nyx and then back again. If it hadn’t been for Nyx, she would’ve been struck down where she stood.

“I thought you said you weren’t a monster hunter.” Melody finally spoke over her own racing heart.

“I’m experienced.” Nyx stated. The ghostly hand dissipated, and when Nyx adjusted her cloak back around her shoulders, Melody’s eyes caught on the knife strapped to her thigh. With shaking legs, Melody eased up to her feet.

“So then…” A moment’s hesitation until Nyx turned to look at her forming words, “Do you think teacher might also be something you’d dip your toes into?” Nyx hummed a grunt and turned, an invisible frown as she walked back to the stump she had sat her patient down on earlier. Melody faltered, fiddling with her fingers as she watched Nyx begin to assemble her supplies. She hadn’t looked too closely before but now, in a state of hyper-vigilance, Melody noticed the staff embedded in the dirt beside the stump, moulded from glass with a head wrapping elegantly around itself. Nyx stood, and her hand reached out and grasped the staff in such a way that it seemed like second nature. For a moment, Melody could swear she was a powerful vision, a statue a wizard had toiled over carving to honour a saint.

“Do you really not know what to do? Being alone?” Nyx looked back over her shoulder. Melody’s awe sobered, and her own shoulders sagged. She forced her arms to her sides instead of hugging herself as she met Nyx’s gaze.

“Yes.” She answered, honest and certain. She was no adventurer. She was afraid of what she might face. But she was more afraid of failure.

Nyx Murrain, this monster-slaying doctor, this ideal of what Melody wanted to become, looked at her boots and adjusted her grip on her belongings.

“Alright.” Nyx conceded, and with that one word Melody perked up like a cloudy summer’s day, “But please don’t do anything dangerous.” Melody nodded and shook her head and skipped in place. Nyx had already turned and begun to walk in the direction the townspeople had flocked through. With another grin, Melody hurried forward to catch up. She matched Nyx’s stride, repeatedly glancing towards Nyx even though the later kept her own gaze set forward. Melody’s grin widened and she puffed out her chest, walking side by side with her newfound teacher.

#original character #DnD #Dungeons and Dragons #my writing #Nyx Murrain #Melody Shepherd #disclaimer that the title is based on the stage of the journey #Melody is a baby I love her

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shynmighty · 2 years ago

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What's Chrysander's favorite activity with Lana? (Interpret that how you will!)

So sorry for the delay getting to this awesome question, I've been mulling it over all day because I enjoyed it so much! 🥰

You said to interpret that how I will, so... Of course the quick, dirty (and let's admit, fun) answer is 😈that😈 and I imagine it's one of Chrysander and Lana's favorite activities. But I also started thinking about shared interests beyond the bedroom, and for some reason my brain settled on... hiking. I got this cute little scenario in my head of the two of them adventuring together around Odessen in their spare time.

My kid's home from school today so getting time to draw anything halfway good was not really going to be an option... so I tried my hand at writing instead!

(Big disclaimer! I haven't written FF in about three years, so it might be hot garbage, and it's definitely very rough, but I hope it's somewhat enjoyable!)

Title: Shared Activities by Shynmighty Pairing: Chrysander (m!JK)/Lana Beniko

It was a reasonable hike through the forest of Odessen to reach a clearing atop one of the mountains. The air was somehow always cool and slightly bracing, subtly spiced with the scent of the forest. Tall trees formed a semicircle around the small expanse of grass, and at the center was a large stone, ideal for sitting upon and admiring the sprawling view of the Alliance base below.

Chrysander enjoyed traveling to this place when work was light… and sometimes when it wasn’t. He had found it by chance one early morning when the Alliance was in its fetal stages and had periodically charted the growth of the base from his serene, secret lookout spot ever since.

A contented sigh escaped him as a breeze swept through the trees. For now, the buzz of activity of the base was distant and his duties less pressing. On the ground nearby, his pet grophet had found a particularly soft patch of grass and decided to show his appreciation by rolling in it.

Less expected was the sound of footsteps crunching through the underbrush. Chrysander had never encountered anyone this far outside the perimeter, but his surprise was softened by the familiar presence accompanying the sound of intrusion. The Force surrounding the interloper was a warmth in the chill of the air, dark, but somehow comforting. It brought a smile to Chrysander’s face.

“So, this is where you wander off to,” Lana’s voice issued through the clearing a moment before she appeared. Bright yellow eyes surveyed the scene with their usual shrewdness, eventually landing on Chrysander. His smile broadened as she approached the rock where he sat and availed herself of the spot beside him.

“Like it?” Chrysander asked, having completely forgotten the scenic view, his gaze trained on the woman at his side.

Lana allowed the corner of her mouth to tilt upwards as she turned to him. “I do. Enough that next time I might even accompany you next time instead of covering for your absence at the base.”

“It’s a bit of a journey getting here. You don’t mind?” Chrysander lifted a brow.

“I’ve followed you through far worse.”

Truer statements were seldom uttered. His fingers trailed over the delicate curve of her jaw, and she tilted her head into his touch before leaning forward to place a soft kiss on his lips. It was broken reluctantly when Chrysander pulled back just far enough to speak.

“And who’s going to cover for us while we’re off hiking in the woods?” he asked, to which Lana simply laughed lightly as though it were the most evident thing in the galaxy.

“Theron, obviously.”

#swtor #swtor oc #lana beniko #shy writes #ask shy #shy's oc

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aadhiskanmani · 6 years ago

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I am back with Part 2 as promised earlier also because it was bugging me that i have left it incomplete the other day. The formatting is going to remain exactly the same way.. am just saving myself some extra text clutter , time and typing/copy paste this time round LOL.

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS COMPLETELY MY OPINION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING FEATURES. I feel the need to say this again because last time too i got a message but x,y,z film has x,y,z issues . I've said it before and i will say it again It is all a mixed Bag, Mixed Genres, Mixed reasons to suggest them right from the quality to acting to cinematography to story to critical acclaim to some just for PURE ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES. I makes these lists because I feel these features deserve love and appreciation and because some made me feel Proud and some just for pure entertainment factor . Sidenote.. all titles are actual links where you can watch the features with subs and most of these are On prime video or netflix as well

K.G.F: Chapter 1 |Kannada| *Yash | alt Link A young man's promise to his dying mother leads him on a dangerous quest for power and wealth. If I may say so this One pretty much did the same thing in terms of opening doors to kannada film industry like Baahubali did to tollywood. This one followed the formula and dubbed it in multiple languages and gave it a wide release worldwide which raised eyeballs and got me curious too esp caz this one has a similar plot with the rise of a hero and the hunger for power just set in a completely different world and era. Now the Strength here is the screenplay and the non-linear pattern which keeps you engaged, with the growth of Rocky being shown steadily. The film is set between 1951 to 2018 and maintains a sense of curiosity as each character is unveiled. Yash is Phenomenal in it as rocky. I said it back then when i watched it and i will say it again He exuded the same kind of charisma say like a 70′s 80′s hero e.g Mr Bachchan from his blockbuster hits where he Played similar roles or salman khan in his typical masala characters basically Larger than life even if he has this arc of being a nobody to Rocky Bhai to Rocky the messiah. One word of Caution... This one gets a lil confusing in Kannada and with subs as there are too many characters and each one has his/her own agenda. i was confused at many parts but then i watched the hindi dubbed version and it made a world of difference. this one is fairly well dubbed too just like baahubali and what i mean is the voices didn’t sound robotic. Also i personally felt they went a little too far with the dukhi junta in prison in 2nd half and the violence as in it got very tedious but thank God that got over soon with the rise of this hero but it is worth watching and rest of it is really good, esp the last 15 mins WOWWWWW I cannot wait for part 2. Also my only sandalwood entry.

p.s all dubbed versions are available on prime including Hindi but i have linked the kannada originals

Fidaa | tel |*Varun Tej, Sai Pallavi (on Prime as well) Two young people embark on a winding and rocky path to love after meeting at a wedding. First of all supercute romantic, comedy/ family drama but what is refreshing about it is that it is Mainly from the Heroine’s POV and we have a VERY STRONG heroine who has her opinions, her say ,her own thought process and who is just so real. On the surface it looks like just another tollywood rom com but it’s Not. the music is really Good too and Sai Pallavi is A bundle of joy as Bhanu who calls the shots mostly here. Needless to say it is one of my Feel good films when i want to see something that makes me smile and gives me that comfort vibe i go to this one mostly.

Tumbbad|hin|*soham shah . A man and his son encounter a legendary demon while searching for hidden treasure in 19th-century India.

This one will come as a surprise to many as it is a hindi title but This one a rare gem that is Underrated af and i haven’t seen a finer hindi film in the last year because of how rich it’s content is and how thought provoking it is. The makers have invested years in getting to final result and it shows. this one gave me goosebumps, sacred me, left me mesmerized and make me go WHAT too. This is also on this list because you may not have heard about it at all just like myself who had no idea and jumped into it out of supreme boredom and was left in complete awwwwww and then did my reading and research. This one is a well thought out psychological horror film with strong visuals and metaphors and makes you question as it plays with your mind. Tumbbad is a perfect example of a film that creates a surreal illusion.

Imaikkaa Nodigal| Tam| Nayanthara,Atharvaa, Anurag kashyap: alt link A suave CBI officer (Nayanthara), is in search of a serial killer who kidnaps and kills the children of important people. The killer, however, is targeting his nemesis next. a revenge thriller with a strong Plot unpredictable and amazing twists.Each character has an important role and Nayan As a Bad ass cop who freaking sets the bar too high for female officers in desi films. THis one is one of the finest Thrillers in recent years which actually gives you thrills and Shocks and most of them one can’t guess. Let me be honest i gave upon this seeing anurag kasyap as the antagonist as i was unable to bear rudra and just his Ottness on top of that atharvaa’s lovestory as the parallel track mad me go ehhh as i initially clicked on it for nayan and there was so little of her in the beginning but then i gave it another try and couldn’t stop & was WOWEDDD by the Film and Nayan as anjali and yeah she is the MAIN CHARACTER so we get a lot of her later. She is at her FINEST as anjali. this is the film one wants to watch to get a high of sorts. WATCH IT FOR NAYAAAN FOR A STRONG FEMALE ACTOR/CHARACTER Taking the center stage and BEING FANTASTIC. This one is so just so entertaining in so many ways and the film one can watch on any given day despite knowing the plot twist. Beware Nayan and Vijay’s little arc is heartbreaking and i cried a lot tooooooooo... i was shattered at that part..... it is so hauntingly shot too. TW: Graphic violence In that scene

Mahanati|Tel|* Dulquer Salmaan, keerthy suresh, samantha, vijay D |alt link Biopic based on The life story of South Indian actress Savitri, who took the film industry by storm in the late '50s and '60s Mahanati is a film about the rise of the first female south Indian superstar – Savitri. Her story one of the most heart wrenching romantic tragedies of our times.This film tells a story of the Mahanati; her life, her journey to fame, and the dramatic downfall. Keerthy Suresh, elegantly brought Savitri to life, and Gemini Ganesan, played by Dulquer Salman, makes this film a true pleasure to watch. I had no idea who Savitri was i went into it because DQ and Again was BLOWN AWAY by How well made this film is and how it is made with so much sensitivity and rawness. it keeps the real journey part intact as in doesn’t sugarcoats or overly glamorizes things to show Savitri as some mahaan hasti. They make this film the Grand celebration of her life with all her struggles and tragedies and makes you connect with her in a very real manner and All this Makes this film so much more than a film. this one becomes that Larger than life Grand,SHE IS A HERO More because she truly is rather than OH because she had this sob story IYKWIM like hindi Biopics do. They have made savitri Grand By her resilience by her courage by her will power and invested in the character and plot rather than all taam jhaam. This one is By far the best Biopic i’ve seen from desi industries and Not One and i mean it NOT one Hindi biopic even comes close to this one in terms of presentation. Keerthy suresh is a joy to watch as savitri. i am not gonna lie i broke down at few points and that is because of her acting and laughed too i connected so strongly to an actress’s story (who i had no idea about as in savitri i had 0 knowledge about savitri or in general about south industries retro eras ) only because of keerthy’s presentation.Also dulquer is a Joy as gemini ganeshan. he really slipped into it with ease and lived upto the part. they have achieved finesse in showcasing a life story and recreating old songs from black & white era. If nothing else on this list watch this and imaikaa nodigal and you won’t regret it

Rangasthalam |tel| *Ramcharan, Samantha : Chitti Babu, a hearing impaired boat skipper, becomes caught in the middle of a political feud in the village of Rangasthalam. Watch this one for Ram charan’s performance He is a delight to watch as chitti babua and this easily is his Best WORK till date this character have so much to play with and He ACES IT . The strong and intriguing story line is also a Plus . The film is not just set in the 80s; it also picks a story template from that era and narrates the tale in a refreshingly raw manner but the characters are so well fleshed out they don’t look caricatures by any means. the songs are grand and super fun to watch too.

Maari 2 |tam|* dhanush, sai pallavi : Maari, a gangster with a heart of gold, tangles with a new nemesis who is determined to bring about his downfall. First things first this one is mileas ahead of the previous version in everything. A much stronger film in every way. Otherwise it is a pure masala entertainer with all the masala elements and dhanush and sai make a BOMB pair and their lil story is ahh sooo full of feelz.

Sudani from Nigeria |Mal|* soubin shahir: When a soccer club manager brings one of his injured foreign players home to recuperate, they form an unlikely bond despite their cultural differences.. A refreshing sports drama that touches your heart. explores the cultural differences so beautifully. the characters stay with you much longer after the film is over. The film effortlessly explores iissues in the neighborhood and much bigger political issues too. overall SImply an underrated film and one should watch it for it’s warmth and sincerity.

Koode|Mal|*prithviraj,nazriya nazim, paravthy A family tragedy causes a young man to reflect on his childhood and reassess his future.Anjali Menon and that brilliant cast should eb your reason to watch. i don’t think i need to say another word to convince you but still anyway. it takes you on and emotional roller coaster ride. it is a flawless film with an extraordinary cast. also Naz is as charming as ever in her comeback film. there are very few films who actually jump into exploring the bond between a brother and sister and this one aces it with reflecting upon various issues and things they had to go throughasa family as well as their individual struggles. AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING. Also Paro and prithvi yeah. .. simply OUTSTANDING film

Varathan |mal|* fahadh faasil,Aishwariya lekshmi: After losing his job, Abin and his wife, Priya, move from Dubai to Priya's family estate in Kerala, but peace eludes the couple. It takes it’s time in the first half but in second it comes all guns blazing and turns into a worth watching survival thriller. it does makes one uneasy at times with the contsant stalker guys lurking around but it is all worth the wait at the end. trust me..

Chekka Chivantha Vaanam |tam| *vijay sethupathi,arinswami,jyothika,simbu; An attempt is made on the life of a reigning don, and it sets in motion a succession battle between his three sons. In other words Godfather with Mani ratnam twists A delicious film to devour it si an out and out maniratnam film with massy fan moments and smart filmmaking techniques. watch it for performances esp. i wish jyo had more to do but she is good at what she does in her supporting role. . this one is a true blue multi starrer ,family drama.

Merku Thodarchi Malai |tam| Antony, Gayatri Krishnan, Abu Valayamkulam : it revolves around the life and times of a group of people living along the foothills of the Western Ghats. basically we travel along with Rangu ( teh pratagonist) who is a daily wage worker and his struggles in bringing that load upto the city and his one dream to own a piece of land someday. this oen is almost like a documentary. this makes you thank and count your blessings. feel every bit of pain and effort and struggle that these daily wage workers have to go through in their daily lives. i broke down at so many points and i just wanted to do something to help makes lives a bit easier. IDK it hit me so hard at places and made me thankful for all the things i have.

Mayanaadhi |Mal|*tovino thomas,aishwariya lekshmi : A mule driver in a gang and an aspiring actress try to navigate their way through an unexpected romance. Mayaanadhi is a beautiful tale of love. The emotions it conveys needs to be experienced and the movie gives us a taste of life. Aashiq Abu really knocked it out of the park once again with this one. this one. It is a simple enough tale with a plot that is real to life and familiar.It is perhaps the most Soulful Romantic film i’ve seen in last year or so.

Takeoff|Mal|*parvathy,fahadh : A young Muslim woman (Parvathy) struggles to find love and happiness in midst of the ongoing civil war in Iraq. It an ode to the Indian spirit. This is a riveting survival saga, made by a team gifted with acute political and social awareness. It is, in one word, stunning. Paro Simply have slayed. A bit like airlift as in the basic setting and premise is similar but poles apart. it is one hell of a film( in a good way) PARO,PARO,PARO. this is all i have to say to explain the brilliance of it.

and with that this comes to an end.. again please feel free to share your thoughts and opinions with me i would love to see you guys actually taking the use of this list and sharing your thoughts. Bye and Have a Wonderful Summer binge watching these hehe. i hope you love them as much as i do. looking forward to your thoughts

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skriak · 5 years ago

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TOP 10 NINTENDO SWITCH GAMES 2019 - my arbitrary list!

Sometimes it's good to be proven wrong. I was pretty sceptical when the Switch was first announced, as it didn't seem too different from the Wii U's gamepad. Then I spent two years watching Nintendo enjoy a complete reversal of fortune, to the point of potentially amassing a more compelling library than Sony's or Microsoft's consoles. So that's how I quite suddenly found myself buying a Switch in October 2019, after having resisted the PS4 and Xbone for five whole years, and my free time has since been dominated by this little machine that defied the odds.

Some of Nintendo's business decisions can still seem inexplicable, but releasing a powerful handheld console that can also be docked with a TV at a moment's notice has proved to be an inspired idea, rather than the gimmick the Wii U's gamepad mostly turned out to be. And along with Nintendo's dependable series of top-notch exclusives, the Switch has enjoyed much better third-party support, which is how I ended up buying Dark Souls for the fourth bloody time just because the option to play it portably was too tempting to resist.

The Switch is the first console I've bought since the PS3 and for all Nintendo's quirks, there's a reason the Switch has dominated Christmas wishlists for three years running. Games like Super Mario Odyssey feel like full-size adventures that just happen to have a portable option, as opposed to handheld games you can also play on the big screen. This is the first year in a long while that I've actually played enough topical titles to justify a "games of the year" list, even if my recent Nintendo bias is pretty blatant.

So with that caveat in mind, and in no particular order, here's my entirely subjective list of the best Nintendo Switch games of 2019.

Luigi's Mansion 3

This is a franchise I'd always been curious about and can finally have an opinion on. The process of going from floor to floor of the hotel hoovering up ghosts and solving puzzles is pretty straightforward, but Luigi's Mansion 3 has so much polish and personality crammed into the cartridge. Luigi is immediately lovable as a determined coward, and each level has a wildly different theme that's realised with extravagant audio and visual flair, so progress always feels rewarding. Though this isn't true horror by any means, there can be an unsettling atmosphere and some of the bosses are pretty freaky. I officially love this oddball franchise and am desperate for a chance to play the story again in co-op. Unquestionably a first-class exclusive.

Doom (Switch port)

Not to be confused with the impressive Switch version of Doom 2016, this is the iconic Doom made cheap and accessible. While purists may take issue with some minor technical deviations, this is the first time I've got most of the way through Doom because the portability and *glorious* true dual-stick control makes this easily my favourite version. There's even a cheat menu for when I just want to mindlessly punch hell beasts. The main thing that ages Doom is its maze-like structure, but playing it casually experience alleviates that frustration somewhat. At a grand total of four pounds, this is a BFB (big fucking bargain).

Untitled Goose Game

You know a game is good when the only asterisk I put on my recommendation is that it *may* be overpriced. Untitled Goose Game took the internet by storm this year because it's the quintessential indie game: cute, simple and with anti-authoritarian undertones. As a horrible goose, it's your mission to cause havoc in an unsuspecting English village, interacting with people and objects to cause chain reactions of chaos. Some of the puzzle solutions are maybe a bit obscure, but 90% of the time just messing around with everything in the area will lead to a solution. Untitled Goose Game makes up for its brevity with sheer comedic charm, feeling much better-designed than a "lul so random" affair like Goat Simulator. A honking good time.

Terraria (Switch port)

I have spent literally hundreds of hours on the PC version of Terraria, so when I was broke after buying my Switch the new Terraria port was an obvious cost-effective choice. While the controls aren't as precise, the amount of time spent mining and sorting through loot makes this a great handheld experience. I can't comment on the multiplayer options but few games represent such a sheer value for money, as there's always a new cave to explore or a new boss to overcome. Time has been kind to this 2011 classic, grind notwithstanding.

Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair

While I personally enjoyed the original Yooka-Laylee, it was definitely flawed and I never seriously expected to see a sequel. But Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair launched quite abruptly and did a pretty spectacular job of upstaging its predecessor. All the previous game's half-baked feel has been replaced with clever design touches, like the equippable tonics which grant helpful abilities at the cost of a currency penalty. The titular Lair is actually the final level and available to throw yourself at right from the beginning, but beating it without first obtaining more hitpoints by completing other stages is incredibly hard, which is a great way to incentivize progress without denying more confident players the option of beating the game earlier if they can meet the challenge. Impossible Lair might be this year's biggest surprise, and despite a modest budget I think it's worthy of comparison to excellent 2D platformers like Rayman Legends. Just don't expect to defeat Capital B on your first attempt.

A Hat In Time (Switch port)

I recently reviewed A Hat In Time but at the risk of repeating myself, it's one of the most charming games of the last few years and an incredibly impressive crowdfunded achievement. Mario's offerings may be a grander technical feat, but A Hat In Time is a fast and fabulous journey through a series of weird and wonderful worlds that all feel distinct in content and tone. It's very openly inspired by GameCube-era platformers like Mario Sunshine and Psychonauts and it easily scratches that itch. Simply one of the best original platformers of this generation, and I defy you not to love Hat Kid's cheeky antics.

Spyro Reignited Trilogy (Switch port)

As someone who thinks the original Spyro trilogy holds up better than most early 3D games, I'd have actually preferred a simple port rather than a full remake, but The Reignited Trilogy is honestly impeccable. The updated visuals are gorgeous while maintaining the general style of those old, jaggy models, and very little of the gameplay or content has changed except for sensible updates like the ability to immediately warp between every level you've visited. Having full dual-analogue control is also an absolute godsend even for a PS1 veteran like me. Though Spyro may seem a bit basic these days when faced with modern platformer marvels, the Reignited Trilogy makes these old favourites accessible again at a generous price point.

Ring Fit Adventure

Yes, I have a Wii kicking around in a box somewhere. No, Wii Fit never held my attention as anything more than a curiosity. Ring Fit Adventure, meanwhile, is limited only by my cholesterol-encrusted heart and dislike of excessive showering. This is an honest-to-goodness attempt at making an RPG out of a workout toy, and the amount of polish put into the game's presentation and hardware implementation is pretty remarkable. Levels involve jogging on the spot and squeezing the ring accessory to collect goodies and overcome obstacles, and periodically you'll engage in turn-based combat where you use a custom selection of exercise moves to deal damage. It's a fantastic idea pulled off much more elegantly than it sounds. The ring accessory unfortunately makes this quite an expensive game, so it'll take a lot of regular use to get your money's worth, but I can honestly (and surprisingly) say that exercise suddenly becomes more compelling when it's presented as a light RPG adventure with anthropomorphic gym equipment encouraging you to take breaks and drink plenty of water.

Pokémon Sword/Shield

Disclaimer: I can only give my impressions from 25 hours of playing Pokémon Shield, so this is DEFINITELY not a full review. That being said, this is still an easy recommendation to existing Pokemaniacs and a good starting point for any new acolytes. While the core formula hasn't evolved (har har) much since the very first Pokemon, Sword and Shield still has a number of modern quality of life improvements that make previous generations show their age. I've had so much fun building a core crew of cute and/or badass 'mons in a weird Nintendo version of Britain, and the online features combine with a VASTLY improved random encounter system to make grinding far less of a concern. The wild area takes some getting used to, but it's satisfying to come back and capture the huge Onyx you had to run away from a few hours before. Even if Pokémon Sword/Shield has some technical blemishes and could have pushed the series further in some regards, it's still easy to see why this franchise has maintained such a beloved status for so long.

Red Faction: Guerrilla Re-mars-tered (Switch port)

Along with Dark Souls, Red Faction was a game I never even knew I needed on the go, but now I've got it I can't imagine ever going back. A cult classic due to its amazing destruction physics, Red Faction sees you leading a proletariat revolution on Mars, literally tearing down corporate monuments to free the working class from systematic oppression. The open world is a bit claustrophobic and the shooting isn't exactly mind-blowing, but there's a reason I've beaten Red Faction every couple of years ever since its original 2009 release. The Switch port does the game justice and if you set the difficulty to easy then this is one of the best rage-venting experiences money can buy. So yes, I recommend getting your ass to Mars.

#gaming #nintendo #goty #2019 #switch #nintendo Switch #game review #review

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kuuxkat · 6 years ago

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[EN]Interview with Director Sakai Kazuo - LoveLive!Sunshine!! TV Anime Official BOOK2

Original CN TL and Pictures: here

CN TL: by nyamazing / kyon_zegao

Disclaimer: This is a Chinese to EN TL, there would be things that would be lost in translation between the languages.

I’m not posting the image of the TL, sorry about that. Stealing images aren’t cool.

Please refer to my policies for more details and do not use the translations for commercial use.

Since there’s no QC - pardon my bad engrish.

The contents are under the cut.

Director: Sakai Kazuo

Born in Kumamoto. An independent anime director and performer. In charge of various storyboards in TV Anime “LoveLive!” He took on the role of overall director in TV anime “LoveLive! Sunshine!!” His wife “Sakai Kasumi” took part in this project as an animator.

Sakai Kazuo, being appointed the director was at the very front directing the TV anime “LoveLive! Sunshine!!” Inheriting the 1st seasons and this project’s heavy emphasis on the “Feel of a concert” and “Belonging to that very instant, what further leaps forward is he pursuing?

It’s akin to how after a long night, the sun is finally shining again.

Every day would be a day of contemplating: “What does it mean to shine”, which is something without an answer, while still charging ahead.

Q: First of all, please do share with us your thoughts on how you felt after successfully completing the production work for the 2nd season of the TV anime.

Sakai Kazuo: I feel that myself, and all the other staff, the most important emotions that we felt was a sense of relief. For all the staff who took part in the production of the anime, the greatest reward is to have all the episodes broadcasted safely.

In the 2nd season we had scenes of Hakodate, and with Saint Snow in the center stage, along with other very active members as well. Although the production process was tough, but it was fun.

We accumulated scenes one by one in front of us till finally we reached the (promised) future….

I feel that this is exactly “LoveLive!”. Although next up in the movie I would continue to be the director while feeling the pressure, but I am very thankful that I am given the chance to produce it. Although any anime production would encounter problems, but “LoveLive! Sunshine!!” is in the end special – as they have to sing.

Besides having a story, we’ll have to produce songs as well. We have to do so in a limited production schedule, and we choose a task with high difficulty - making it into a TV anime series.

The 2nd season’s production workflow was the same as the 1st season. First we had to finish the script, and afterwards begin the storyboarding process, and asking Aki Hata-san to write the lyrics for the insert songs. …The production this time around focuses heavily on their mental journey as they face the reality of their school combining and closing down.

What left the biggest impression on me was that, the production team themselves understood (that) long before and didn’t need further elaboration. Thus we were able to finish the production while heading towards that end goal. It’s the same for Hata-san’s lyrics too, and the same for the series coordinator Hanada Juuki-san as well. We are truly blessed to be able to work hand in hand professionally with so many people.

Q: Next up I’ll ask some questions about the way the story progressed in season 2. For this round, was it made by having Hanada Juuki-sensei create the script, and afterwards using it as a base to craft the story?

Sakai Kazuo: That’s right. Including Hanada-sensei, the production team used it as the original draft of the story as the blueprint, and after discussing through, made the final product.

Q: How did all of you decide on how to describe the essence of the “shine” that Chika was searching for, along with the mental state for everyone facing Uranohoshi having to close down and be combined?

Sakai Kazuo: It’s not just me, but each staff member did contemplate “what was (this) shine” as well. But I feel that, the best method to express the style of “LoveLive!” is for it to be gradually become clear as the story develops. As “not knowing what’s waiting ahead” is truly youth, right? They are just at their teens, so I felt it’ll be fine to just have this particular feeling be recorded in film.

Thus, at the very beginning I decide to not give an opinion on whether the end result of the school having to merge and close down is good or bad. The fact that one’s alma mater is disappearing is naturally saddening, but the one to make that particular judgement is the 9 of them, along with the audiences that had been looking over their struggles.

Originally I had my doubts on the mindset of “that’s how the world is”, I felt that there won’t be just a single answer. Looking at it from another angle, one’s view would also change. As for whether the final ending is good or bad, I feel that this could be left to everyone to make their own judgement.

Q: I remember Director Kazuo mentioning that when trying to gather materials for season 1, you once mentioned that in reality, the number of students in schools located Uchiura were small as well. Then with this situation happening in the real Uchiura, did it affect the story as well?

Sakai Kazuo: Not just Uchiura, to all the students who are in schools in the rural areas, closing and combining schools is something that has become commonplace. Thus, this is a real world problem, and you can’t just ignore it. Although in the future it might not be the same, but unless Uchiura experiences a change like an increase in population or etc, it is not something easy to avoid.

So thinking about that, meeting head on the reality of the closure and the school combining, was destined to be the challenge of the 9 individuals--- It is my opinion that, one major plot point of “LoveLive! Sunshine!!” would lie on the point of: “Searching for the shine while in this environment”.

Being unable to accept the results, to struggle, to struggle, and after the struggling – what should they do. This problem could explain how they themselves, simple 10 year olds, and where they shine. Thus I feel that if we are able to depict this, it’ll already be fine.

Q: What made left a deep impression for me was, although having to combine school is saddening, but it wasn’t depicted like it was a bad thing. Just like in episode 11 where it is represented by Ruby’s line of: “Not knowing what tomorrow will bring does make one look forward to it”. Among that, we can also feel the brand new possibilities of the future.

Sakai Kazuo: These are my thoughts: “After the confirmation of their school having to close and be combined, would Chika and the rest spend their days being depressed? Thinking about - they won’t right?

Rather, they should face the reality on one end, and in the other continue their school life looking forward while being uneasy about the future.

They would of course be saddened, but on the next day when the sun rises, it might be the birth of a different kind of hope/aspiration. This awkward but realistic incident does also contain hope within it- I feel that should be “LoveLive! Sunshine!!”. This project’s title is also “Sunshine!!”, it does contain the sun with it.

Q: Next up I’ll like to ask some questions about the members of Aqours. I feel that one of the special part of 2nd season was that it prominently depicted the bonds of the various members among the school years. What was your intent for each of those interactions?

Sakai Kazuo: The 9 members of Aqours lived in a world where School Idols are popularized, so it has a strong sense resonance with reality. School and School Idols have an inseparable relationship, thus I hope to be able to properly express that. In addition, if we are talking about the various school years, among the 2nd years, Chika and Riko both has an inferiority complex, and wish to change themselves. This resonance pulled You in to be among them too, and together lit up a fiery relationship.

At times won’t there be people who in one glance have their character and maturity being totally opposite, but would still be very similar. Through the meeting of Riko and Chika, You found a brand new aspect and possibility of herself too.

The charm of the 1st years would naturally still be their unique feel of going at their own pace. The 3 of them are the types that would decide what to do with their intuition, if we have to list it out, it’ll be that they are talented geniuses. I feel that, Yoshiko, Hanamaru and Ruby all of them has very strong personalities, and they do have traits of artistes, so it should end up being very entertaining for everyone to hear them chatting among themselves even at the sidelines.

And actually the 3 of them are good kids, telling them to “wait”, they would obediently follow. And their weaknesses are feeling negative due to being too mindful of others, or being too hung up on other’s moods. Through the story developments in season 1 and 2, they were able to gradually voice their own opinions. The biggest accomplishment of this, can be found in episode 8 and 9 (season 2).

Q: Then what about the three 3rd years? Mari, Kanan and Dia. Previously they did retire from being School Idols before, right? I feel that their mental state is the most complicated.

Sakai Kazuo: The current 3rd years knew about how μ's and A-RISE ended, they would naturally know how after School Idols graduate, it’ll be drawing the curtains on their activities. So, for the 3 of them who wanted to save the school from the circumstances of being merged and closed down, they were at a loss of whether they wanted to be School idols, or did they wish to save the school.

So when this confusion were dispelled, what kind of choice would they make then? The unclear mindset of the 3 of them gradually converged into one, and we were able to express this through images in every moment of this entire process. To increase the realism, in some parts we used the thoughts of the performers for the 3rd years as reference, and incorporated them in the story.

The initial concept for the project was a story where one gets excited about what they were searching for,

Q: In the 2nd season it depicts the answer of “shining” that Aqours was searching for. This theme “shining”, was it the director yourself that suggested it?

Sakai Kazuo: No, everyone decided on it. In the April 2015 issue of Dengeki G’s magazine, what was serialized was an advertisement titled: “Help, LoveLive!”, the catchphrase for the TV anime CM was “We all wish to shine!!”, it was a theme that has always existed even before the start of the 1st TV anime. Although we wish to shine, but “here” isn’t Akihabara, but it’s a small town which didn’t have much.

So, they can’t shine - but everyone who had blamed the environment as the cause, took the initiative to actively try and change the current environment, and got to stand at a brand new perspective to observe the world.

This theme of: “a story of rousing oneself to start searching” has existed right from the very beginning. Although I myself might not be able to deliver something concrete/accurate, but the girls are indeed searching for things to drive themselves (forward)….

Q: That is to say, what is termed “shining” is actually an overall theme that everyone individually agreed on in general?

Sakai Kazuo: That’s right. What I imagined the story to be like, was a youthful trendy drama/drama serials where when 2nd year student Chika wanted to shine, a group of girls who are sympathetic to her cause joins her.

Q: In episode 13, Chika finally found the answer of the question “what is shining” that she has been chasing after all this time. She could have let everyone be aware of it through a performance as well, but Chika instead choose to make her thoughts into words, this part shocked me deeply.

Sakai Kazuo: That particular line was suggested around halfway through the production of the script. If we continued production with the initial plan, it is highly possible that we would not have shaped the answer in that way.

During the production process, the image of Chika seems to have been infused with the elements of Inami (Anju)-san. So I thought that, Inami-san would definitely have found the answer. This is also included in the lyrics of “WONDERFUL STORIES”, Hata-san added “we finally found it!/やっとみつけた！/yatto mitsuketa!”. Thus, I felt that the script should follow the same route as well.

Q: Indeed so, in my impression I feel that as compared to season 1, the members are more able to use their words to express their feelings in season 2.

Sakai Kazuo: That was intentional. When we are doing storyboarding, we are interested to let everyone express their feelings. But in actual practise, to express using words their own “shine” is very difficult. Honestly speaking, I feel that “I don’t know” would what the majority of people would answer. If someone asked me: “What is your shine”, I would answer truthfully that I don’t know.

As the shine could be a particular aspect, or it could be something that oneself wouldn’t know of… for Chika, although she saw the shine of μ's, and wishes to approach that, but in season 1 episode 13, she reached out with her hands but didn’t grasp it. She originally thought that chasing the shine with all of her might and working hard would make the entire situation better, including the school merging and closing down. But reality isn’t that simple.

“And so that is to say, we didn’t have any shine worth mention at all?” She asked herself this while recounting all the activities that Aqours had done, and subsequently denied this train of thought. The way everyone worked hard all the way, bumping into things left and right, is exactly where the shine of the 9 individual lies.

Because they bore the shine of Mutsu and everyone else in Uranohoshi Girls Academy, they were able to showcase their shine. Not just depending on their own strength, but it is because of everyone could they shine brightly - this is Chika’s answer. It is my opinion that, understanding that: “It is everyone who gave their shine to me” is the greatest aspect of their growth.

Q: Although this project is about the 9 individuals in Aqours, but after watching to the end of season 2, I genuinely feel that the main character is indeed Chika.

Sakai Kazuo: It naturally developed into this (outcome). Of course, undoubtedly this is a story about everyone.

Q: At the final part of episode 13, there’s a scene where everyone was singing together at the gymnasium right? The image of 8 people stretching their hands towards Chika, it does feel kind of déjà vu.

Sakai Kazuo: What’s unbelievable was, that scene just resonates nicely with the OP of TV anime season 1.

When creating the 1st season’s OP, although there any special intent behind it, but wasn’t there a scene where Chika is chasing and running towards figures standing and shrouded by light by herself?

From the very beginning, that entire momentum were their own shadows. And this perfectly ties into and resonated together with the lead up to season 2’s episode 13 “WONDERFUL STORIES”.

Similar to how people are unaware of darkness under light*, Chika became aware that, the shine that she herself was searching for, could it have existed at that moment she saw that illusion in the streets of Akihabara? And this to her, could be the biggest discovery….

But, this is just my own thoughts, and just one way of explaining it, and isn’t the definite answer. I hope everyone would not pay attention to this, and freely see and freely feel what you wish to.

*TL Note: A chinese saying, that basically draws reference to how people wouldn’t realize that they are shadows below a lamp, and is fixated only with the light. You won’t notice something is there even when it really is present.

Trying to express the true emotions, using the method of a documentary to bring realism to a conversation

Q: In the production process of the 2nd season, what was the most difficult hurdle?

Sakai Kazuo: It’ll be in episode 12, the section in part B where we had to draw the “LoveLive!” finals was especially difficult. As it’s depicting feelings that had always been there, so I did not hope to copy it wholesale, but rather draw it out conversational style…especially so for the latter half.

I did not wish to have them simply only conversing, so I made some amendments matching to each individuals and their circumstances. Thus it changed to modes like visiting Kanda Shrine, looking over the sea etc.

According to the theory of a documentary, those (scenes) should be focused on Chika’s view point. As it’s in Chika’s perspective, so the imagery shouldn’t have Chika in it, but we bravely and purposely added it in.

So the audiences could take a step back and in that distance look at Chika and the rest. In adding another perspective like this, we’ll have the feel of scrutinizing the two’s conversations.

Q: I understand the reason why Chika appeared in the footage then, and I’m much happier about it as well. Then, besides episode 12, are there any other episodes which are harder to produce too?

Sakai Kazuo: Episode 9 I guess? Adding Saint Snow, and “Awaken the power” where 11 of them are performing together was very difficult.

Firstly, as the stage became Hakodate, which was a brand new area, the production of this anime - including the storyboard and scripts - took a long time.

And beyond that, we had to have the song with the most number of people dancing too.

Q: Then was Director Sakai doing the storyboarding for the songs in the 2nd season too?

Sakai Kazuo: That’s right. I draw them this time too. The dance itself would also reflect in reality the link between characters and their feelings, so only this I won’t leave it to anyone else. Each episodes’ performance we would have new members (at work) joining in, so it’ll be very very tough for someone who is working on this project for the first time.

As for me myself, there would be times when I can draw the storyboard in one go, but I would also have times when I would hit a bottleneck. As every character making an appearance are all important, so at times to ensure fairness, the movement of my hands would unconsciously slow down too.

And at the very end, it’s still because the 9 members of Aqours are too important. So I have to consider situations where I have to rest my pen a bit more.

In fact, my daughter’s birth coincide with the time when we were finishing work on the PV for “Koi ni Naritai AQUARIUM”. And it’s due to this experience, I have very strong feelings towards the 9 girls. When I am drawing, I would like to craft them to living, breathing individuals.

The usage of 3DCGI technology and how love of the project supported the creation of the song sections

CN TL note: 3DCGI: Three dimensional computer generated imagery. In simple terms it is the application of computer graphics to create or contribute to images in art and printed media. This technique is used primarily in the song segments in TV anime “LoveLive! Sunshine!!”. Director Kyogoku Takahiko-san who was in charge of TV anime “LoveLive!” specializes in mixing 3DCGI with hand drawn art and mixing both effects. In comparison, Director Sakai had always challenged the production team to raise the bar on special effects, to achieve beautiful dance sequences that aren’t doable by 3DCGI.

Q: Speaking of which, in the Live performance portions, the quality of the members that were drawn by 3DCGI has noticeably increased as compared to season 1. This greatly surprised me. Thus will close ups of facial features be introduced more readily now?

Sakai Kazuo: Thank you for your compliments. The company that took on the creation of the Live sections is “Sublimation”, they could be said to be beyond professionals and an organization filled with weirdos - this description is made totally out of respect (laughs).

When it is time for Lives(events), everyone in the production studio would go on site, and give their full burning enthusiastic support to the performers.

Most importantly they really love this project. Their feelings would definitely show themselves in the 3DCGI that they create, right?

Q: The 3DCGI seems to have gotten lots of changes and is more adorable now, could you raise examples that was changed has changed?

Sakai Kazuo: It mainly was due to the way we handled “shapes” as well as the work we did at the post-production stage? As for how much changes could be made on sections filled with CG… after stepping into this territory, the time spent on it is immense.

The adorable shape of the jaws, a facial model that’s filled with charm, that instant of adorableness when they look back… all of these didn’t happen by chance, rather it’s done by hand; frame by frame by those responsible for the 3DCGI to display the charm points.

And as it is a visual thing, so they did adjustments on every single frame on the portions that they needed to use.

Q: I didn’t know this at all!! I thought that after making a cute base model through CG, it’ll just be simply making it dance….

Sakai Kazuo: Although I do wish to say that to make 3DCGI cute does indeed need technique, but there isn’t any universally accepted single way to do so.

Using the things that were created as the base, adjusting it degree by degree frame by frame to make it even more charming - it is my belief that this is the special technique that was born from Sublimation and their perseverance.

It didn’t come from upgrading of the performance of computers or the version of the production software, all of them came from the “energy” of the creators.

Q: As expected it’s the strength of people right??

Sakai Kazuo: That’s right, it is completely due to the strength of people. The hard work as well as craftsmanship born out of actual experience, finally culminated in this technique. I feel that this really is amazing.

To produce anime in the past, with regards to the facial close-ups or to capture the motion of grabbing something with one’s hands, people would often say that the accuracy of drawing by hand is higher, so we shouldn’t use 3D.

But, this project we intentionally asked the other party to: “Please do the entire portions, including these parts as well!” To this request, the other party didn’t try to shirk away and say: “it’s too hard, we can’t do it…”, but rather responded by saying: “Let’s do some research and take up the challenge then.”

To have a production team like this, I really can’t think of another besides studio “Sublimation”. In my impression, through season 1 and 2 of the TV anime, the departments within “Sublimation” accumulated experience continuously, as if being worked on by an anvil.

And at the end it feels like we manage to forge out a legendary blade. And the sharpness of the blade increases as the days went by, until today…

Actually in episode 12’s “WATER BLUE NEW WORLD” was full of challenges too. If we are speaking of normal circumstances, within the limitations of animated 3D. Firstly: We can’t have long skirts. Secondly: Costumes and the hair style can't have changes.

But, in order to shock everyone, we did all of these in season 2. Due to this, we are still considering what we are going to do in the movie version.

To create beautiful costumes we have the filming department paste patterns and sequins on them.*

*TL Warning - There’s LOTs of technical terms in this portion of the TL, I’m honestly not very confident in them. But if you have suggestions on how to improve them, please advise me. Thanks!

Q: For μ's, at the time they change the 3D (model’s) hair only in the theatre version, right?

Sakai Kazuo: That’s right. One of the difficult parts of producing “LoveLive! Sunshine!!” was that, regardless of the design or the performance, all of them had been done by μ's.

We can’t win fans with just novelty, this part is the hadest to manage.

So that is to say, I declared: “what was done before, we must still do it again”!

In terms of technique wise, the PV for “WATER NEW BLUE WORLD” is one of the biggest accomplishments that we had a hand in creating.

Q: The imagery for episode 13 of the 2nd season “WONDERFUL STORIES” was great too!

Sakai Kazuo: That song was a challenge too. I remember production team discussing: “Are we really doing this? Can we make the broadcast?!” while still managing to create it.

At the very beginning our plan was to make all the challenging scenes that use 3DCGI be shoved to episode 12, and in episode 13 have them dance strictly in their school uniforms.

But when we were drawing the storyboard, as it’s the final, I decided to make all the costumes that we had created before be added into it, so for the production team in charge of the song, I’m really sorry for that time!!

Q: Speaking of the portions of the songs, the costumes of Aqours is full of charm too. Was Director Sakai-san in charge of the designs too?

Sakai Kazuo: Basically it’s I who make proposals to the animators, but the contents wise are decided in discussion with the production team.

As at the start we already did lots of costumes, so there might not be any attractive or creative creations left… Although that was my thoughts, but it’s really true that by sitting down and discussing with everyone we would still manage to find a new direction forward.

Thinking back, that really is something incredible. I have a question here. In your opinion when it comes to the costumes during the song portions, where would the biggest bottleneck found?

Q: This is a difficult question…. The production cost?

Sakai Kazuo: That is a portion which can’t be mentioned (laughs).

The correct answer is the drawings, that is to say the portion where we draw the art. The reason for that, in the illustrations, the line count* along with the scale (size) of the costumes*, isn’t something to be done by one’s own whim.

As the scaling and quantity has to be set within the limit of people’s ability to draw. On the other hand when filming with real people, there’s a much larger range of clothes that can be made….

But on the flip side, 3D might seem to have no limits, but having the production team churn out many costumes does take lots of time and effort too. Among them, the patterns were especially hard. Even so, we still managed to stick the patterns of the costumes for “MY Mai☆TONIGHT” one by one onto the screens.

So for example if you have 150 different drawings, calculating them simply you’ll need 150 pieces. In addition. “WATER BLUE NEW WORLD” has a costume that was intentionally made with sequins, so the parts which are shiny would also require texture work- so we hope that this focus on detail would make everyone feel happy that: “This is the first time I’m seeing this!!”.

To ensure the beauty of the details, we obtained lots of assistance from many creators from many companies.

*TL Note: I was informed that the term “line count” refers to: The number of lines an animator has to draw per frame for a given character design, with higher line count taking longer and costing more. Thank you: redditor “csihar”.

Q: T-This is the power of people too?

Sakai Kazuo: That’s right. “Asahi Production” which was responsible for filming put in lots of effort. If the portions with the songs have 9 individuals, we’ll correspondingly need to map the textures of the 9 individual’s patterns piece by piece.

Q: The film department applied the patterns onto the costumes… that is to say that are very skilled in drawing by hand, this part is rather surprising.

Sakai Kazuo: Considering the time (needed) and workload, this is something that is very difficult to accomplish in the schedule of a TV anime series.

There’s many methods to apply patterns, for example masking all of them using chroma keying*, ignoring dimensions and sticking them piece by piece, or just sticking them on sleeves or the collars etc.

If you really wish to go into finer details when it comes to applying textures there’s always even more detailed/finer methods, if you really want to get technical, there’s really no end to it.

*TL Note - Green Screen tech in layman’s term.

Q: Then all of these have to be done with the original creator directing the textures of the scenes, and working on them one by one…. Is that right?

Sakai Kazuo: That’s right. For the portions with the songs it’s due to the highly technical support from “Asahi Production” and “Sublimation” that we were able to ensure its quality.

I really am very grateful to them. The production team members could imagine the happy expressions of the fans who would be watching, and put in their all in the production.

Thank you, Kato Tatsuya-san who was on hand to do the mixing on site along with creation of the background music

Q: Next up let’s talk about the background music work that uses “sound” to showcase the story. The person in charge of music in “LoveLive! Sunshine!!” is Kato Tatsuya-sensei. Please share with us a story with your work together with Tatsuya-san that left a deeper impression than most.

Sakai Kazuo: In my heart Kato-san is a very special individual. During the production of the anime, there’s a work process near the very end called “mixed recording” where one adds the BGM and sound effects into the finalized footage.

Once, I suggested that: “For this project, let’s have all the staff members working on it together!”, and afterwards Kato-san, no matter how busy he is, would take some time to join in, and it seems that he was present for all (the sessions)!

He made precise adjustments that non-music creators wouldn’t be able to identify, and matched the music to the footage, thus it’s definitely worth listening to it closely.

Q: Regarding the mixed recording process, who would usually be on site?

Sakai Kazuo: I guess its each episodes’ performers*, the director, the sound director, and the BGM/Sound effect mixer?

In a normal project, the mixed recording assignment would be helmed by the sound director, with the assistance of the production crew along with the base music score/source from the composers, to do the mixed recording assignment with the footage.

If the music’s original creator themselves would participate too, we could then consider the work site to be very luxurious and special.

*TL Note: The cast for each episode I believe.

Q: For the scores that Kato-san creates himself, if there are some incompatibility with the scene, would he do some arranging of the scores on site…

Sakai Kazuo: Indeed it did happen before. He even created a tune on the spot once to match the setting.

And he’ll also do adjustment work when the sounds of unneeded instruments are too loud, or when needed sounds are too soft, or when there are scenes when the sounds didn’t match the tone of the emotions.

In a normal mixed recording assignment it wouldn’t be possible to make such detailed adjustments. But because the composer, Kato-san himself was on hand thus we are able to make the proper changes immediately, so I would tell him specifically what the impression would be like, and asked for his help directly.

Q: That is to say, that the music that was played in the TV anime, would have portions which are different from the soundtracks that are available commercially??

Sakai Kazuo: We mentioned our requests and submitted our feedback to Kato-san on the music he created, and the other party would use it as the blueprint and make the deliberate amendments.

Afterwards he would deliberate on the site of the mixed recording itself. As the tunes would be created through repeated deliberation, the BGM in the footage itself would almost never come directly from commercial sources.

So from this angle, the creation methodology of this project could be said to be extremely luxurious. As the sound director Nagasaki Yukio-sensei is also in control, the degree of completeness of all the creations are very high. So when I am listening, I’ll feel that each scene’s music would match the scenario seamlessly, I can’t help but feel: “As expected of professionals huh?”

Q: Then this really is a special experience. So, what was the process did you commission for the 2nd season’s background music?

Sakai Kazuo: For the second season itself, after I had completed the script to a certain level, I left it in the hands of Nagasaki Yukio-sensei.

In the production of a normal TV anime, they’ll list/order tunes that would have higher versatility. For example, “Normal Days 1”, “Normal Days 2” are excited and calm respectively, “Normal Days 3” would be soft or by stringed instruments, or jazz etc… but Nagasaki-sensei wouldn’t do that.

He has his own unique method: Firstly he’ll read through the script, and from there filter through it and choose what background music are needed for the scenes. And afterwards have “Chika’s rising emotions”, “Riko’s entanglement”, “The two’s relationships”, he’ll pinpoint and match the music with existing scenes.

That is the reason why the music matches the story extremely well. Speaking of which, he’ll summarize the scenes that require music and summarize them in a sheet to hand it to Kato-sensei, for the two of them to collaborate. This is the perseverance of Nagasaki-sensei.

Due to the production process fitting the scenes, and the feelings of the characters starring in it very well, it’ll sound very comfortable.

(TL Note: Nagasaki Yukio, assigned as the sound director since 2013 on the TV anime “LoveLive!”. He is responsible for confirming the style of the background music, choosing the BGM to be played in each scene, with other assignments like post-recording the lines of the seiyuu etc. The person in charge of the category of “music” in the production of the anime.)

Thoughts towards the 9 performers who were able to individually express the charm points of the members.

Q: Next up, I would like to discuss with you the feelings of the performers who have supported this project. As the director, you’ve taken care of the various seiyuus. In which instance did you feel their growth?

Sakai Kazuo: I am the one that had grown. The work put in by the 9 of them would always give me courage and new discoveries.

Having the just resolve to take on the work on stage, that half-assed resolution isn’t enough.

They were able to make a name for themselves, they accepted criticism and judgment, and all along the way sincerely faced this project head on.

This filled me with respect as well. All along, compared to the things that the staff members had taught them, what they themselves taught me would number even more.

As, in all the hearts of the performers of “LoveLive! Sunshine!!” – the girls truly exists and lives (in this world), and they even helped us by expressing the individual charm points of all the members.

I feel that at the time when they participated in the auditions, they already had this power hidden among them.

Q: The way the performers for Aqours as well as the members synchronized, that is one of the charm points of this project, right?

Sakai Kazuo: That’s right. In my heart, the members and the performers could be said to be equal - for example Chika is Inami-san, Inami-san is Chika.

In a previous recording, when Inami-san was reading the lines her eyes started swelling with tears. I felt that in this scene, Chika would naturally cry too, and thus reflected that in the drawings. Of course, for the other 8 performers, the same feelings apply.

Being Aqours, there would definitely be lots that the 9 members would carry with them. But I feel that, the fans did indeed took note of them working hard selflessly.

The goal of the theatre version is to take on the challenge of finding the epitome of the Aqours style.

Q: As of now the TV anime has it’s curtains drawn midst resounding reviews. The fans should all be looking for the totally brand new theatre version. As the director, are there any announcements or things that you wish to challenge?

Sakai Kazuo: It is thanks to the support from everyone, that we could smoothly made it all the way to the current stage of having a theatre version, I thank everyone from the bottom of my heart.

What we are going to do now, is to put in our all to make an end product that that all the audiences would enjoy.

At the moment, we, the production team members are brainstorming with lots of enthusiasm while progressing with the production, in the hopes of making something that would capture the hearts of people. There isn’t a definite correct answer for the project.

For the audiences of this theatre version, I think they’ll have different thoughts, and what I am looking forward to is exactly that: a product that would be filled with many different possibilities.

In addition, as a theatre version would mean a movie, so we had thoughts like: “Isn’t this 10 times tougher than a TV anime series?” “Can we really do this?”, so we are both nervous and expectant, we spend everyday energetically like Chika and rest.

Although we have our concerns, we feel we can’t be as adventurous like the TV anime series, but having something “new” is the nature of “LoveLive!” - it’ll be that way regardless of whether it’s a TV anime or a theatre version.

Thus, I wish to epitome the “Aqours style”, and declare a challenge towards this. I have to remember firmly the theme of creating something brand new with 3D and the drawings; to work hard and create something for everyone who passionately love “LoveLive! Sunshine!!”

And this would be a new calling in my heart. Actually before this interview, I just had a meeting about the theatre version,we said that we would have Mt Fuji and the Sun as the background for a trio song, and next up would be having them sing among the footage of a fighting game.

I’m just kidding (laughs). In any case, we’re refining our ideas while joking with each other just like this, so everyone please do look forward to it.

Q: Can you reveal in simple terms what is Director Sakai, your own impression of the “Aqours style”?

Sakai Kazuo: “When one sings, and jumps, your stomach will start to be hungry!” I guess that’ll be it? I wish to pursue a pure kind of joy.

Q: Can we put it as a kind of following your instincts vibe? (laughs) I’m beginning to look even more forward towards the theatre version. And our time is almost up. Please do say something to the fans who had supported this project.

Sakai Kazuo: To everyone who tuned in to watch the TV anime each week for season 1 and 2, all I can express is my gratitude.

Among the audiences, there might be people who feel that: “this project is hard to understand”. And without discussing whether it’s good or bad, in this project there would be places where the answers are vague or unclear.

Some of the places we did so intentionally, and some aren’t so, but I feel that these (elements) and the style of “LoveLive! Sunshine!!” and very much linked together.

There was a period of time before where I worried over that too: “Scenes where we rely on reading the emotions and not on the dialogue, would that give pressure on the audience?”

But in the 1st season I realized that the nature of “LoveLive!” is to: “Don’t lie about your feelings”, so perhaps this is a type of methodology that could express it thoroughly. This project in some sense is an experimental thing, in another sense it’s quite sentimental…

In that way you could imagine there’ll be places where it’ll be obscure and difficult to understand.

And to everyone who, even with these elements, still love this project, from the bottom of my heart I am unable to express how grateful I am.

The 1st season who did it’s best to break from it’s shell, to the 2nd season in it’s search of something brand new - and there are times where I was lost too. With the songs from Aqours as my landmark, chasing the “shine” of the 9 individuals who gave carved out the future.

Where would the 9 individuals who had reached episode 13 go from now on?

One of the charm points of “LoveLive! Sunshine!!” is to have changes every day, so I would like to ask everyone to continue to look forward to the activities of Aqours and the release of the theatre version, and to continue to run along with us.

Q: Our final question. When Director Sakai feels uncertain, what song would you listen to to guide your way?

Sakai Kazuo: I guess it’s the 1st Single “Kimi no Kokoro wa Kagayaiteru kai?”?

I feel that all of the answers are found in that PV where I myself had first started off, so when I am feeling lost I’ll listen to that song first.

And among the lyrics it’ll include the feelings that I had when I first asked Aki Hata-san (about this project), it can be said to be the starting point of “LoveLive! Sunshine!!”, so at the end it’ll still return there.

When I was asked to take on this popular franchise, I felt tremendously pressured, and the result of my endless worries, was that song. That is something I’ve carved in my heart, and I will never forget that.

#articles #lovelivesunshine #chinese to english #nyamazing #non seiyuu

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team-adults-blog · 8 years ago

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4.02 Heavy Lies the Crown

More reactionary that the last one. Long. Buckle Up, Kids.

Poor Ilian. But what a great origin story amiright? Tragic. Also appreciating the simple face tattoos that seem to be done by family? His brother had the same ones. It could be clan, but Mr. Ambassador later in the episode has dumb eyebrow arc ones (Octavia should stab him for that alone. Plus he’s talkin shit the whole episode). So those are my thoughts. If you reallllllyyyy want to think about it, it might be a familial tattoo passed down through the mother’s lineage because Ilian’s mom has the same ones too- more woman leaders and power on The 100. Digging it.

aaaahhhhhhhHHHHHHHHHHHaaaaaaOOOOoooo. And repeat.

KABBY SEX. HOLY BAJOBIEE. I was NOT emotionally prepared for this immediately after a commercial break. It makes sense, staging wise, but Look at him there in bed with heart eyes. Here I am sitting all heart eyed. Hot damn.

“You… are a terrible influence” Ok. So this is NOT their first time folks. Waaayyyy to casual. It screams we’ve done this before and we’re going to do it again >>I’m late to go see Roan.

One side of me is yelling FINALLY. The other side is glaring at the writers for this scene. Like COME ONNNN. After 3 seasons (maybe not intended so much in S1) of hurt and comfort, character growth, and angst, you give me this???? I’m down with the slow burn but you don’t get to (here’s my not great metaphor) roll the boulder down the cliff and let me catch a glimpse of the cliff it’s going towards (aka chipped Abby jumps Kane’s bones), but still have it be a mile away. And then BAM. The boulder is now gently rolling through some green meadow at the bottom of the cliff. I DON’T THINK SO. What I wanted: to see the boulder go airborne. Emotions have built to the breaking point. [cut to commercial] Boom.The aftermath. This scene following the break. A BEFORE AND AFTER THE EXPLOSION. THE FALLING OFF THE CLIFF. I’M NOT ASKING TO SEE THE ENTIRE JOURNEY FROM THE TOP OF THE CLIFF TO THE BOTTOM (this is still the CW, after all). I’m asking for pretty typical TV sex scenes. Where was the missing lead in?

At the same time, it is nice to see them comfortable and happy with each other. It doesn’t mean I don’t feel a little cheated...

THE RINGS. This is so so so so so soooo important. There was not a single scene in S3 where Abby was not wearing her and Jake’s rings on that chain around her neck. They’ve been setting up this symbol for a while in anticipation of THIS SCENE!!!!!! Kabby definitely needed to talk about Jake at some point, and this is how a lot of the fandom saw that going down:

a) Marcus sees the rings and feels guilty, and says something to the degree of “I’d never ask you to take them off” because. Respect. Or (this is more of the guilt part) because he doesn’t think he’s as good of a man as Jake was. Abby says he’s a good guy too. He’s changed. He’s grown. A sexy beard. But actually he’s a better person too.

b) Abby feels guilty that she’s betraying Jake’s memory, or pressure to take the rings off.

c) A Combo.

And the Winner is: C

Abby with a wave of emotion as she picks up the rings. Good ‘ol perceptive Kane reading her and knowing what/why she’s feeling this way, saying, “Jake’s a part of who you are.” AND PUTTING THEM BACK ON FOR HER. THE BEST GUY RIGHT HERE. THE ABSOLUTE BEST. BRYAN CAN SUCK IT.

Beard stroke. Kiss from the season 4 promo. A+ writing. Covering all the emotional bases. This should be 50% of the show in my humble opinion.

[later]

Dad!Kane and Octavia to save the dayyyy warn Roan about the dumb ambassador from Trishanakru. Dad!Kane needs save this boy from bad-tattoo-faced ambassador. What’s one more kid?

[End of they day] Kabby reunites. “One simple task and I’m failing you.” You’re breaking my lil’ heartttt. Diplomacy is hard lil’ marco but you’re good at it. Give it more than once conversation. You have a great deal of experience dealing with stubbornness, remember?

The difference in their faces when Abby tells Kane she can’t help Roan. Kane, mr. perceptive, in the flesh is sad, but gets it. She needs to be useful, so she has to leave Polis and him, to go back to Arkadia. “to Clarke” THIS GUY. The best. He knows. He gets it. A keeper. Okokokokok. So Abby has clearly been staring out the window mentally preparing herself for this conversation and has shut down some of her emotions in preparation. Hence open but distant body language and face. Kane is sad. Ian is very good at that expression. and all of them, honesty. complexity is important.

He looks down. One last glimpse of the boobs, no doubt. Just kiddingggg. Who knows? He notices THE RINGS are missing and swipes her hair thinking they’re covered. NOPE. THEY NOT HIDING. THEY GONE. “Your necklace…” AH QUESTIONING. IS THIS WHAT I THINK IT IS? Yes, yes it is. Abby decided to take them off while she was alone. That to me is key. She’s taking them off for her. Because she’s ready. Not for any other reason. She can’t say it. But he understands. REALLY NICE HUG. I want a hug that nice. From anyone really. Canon: Marcus Kane is an understanding mind reader which makes him a GREAT diplomat. Pass it on.

[Octavia kills bad-tattoo-faced ambassador from Trishanakru, I know his name is Rafael, but his nickname is more fun for me] Dad!kane knows his kids. Last season it was Boris hurting his heart. Now Octavia. Also kudos to him for knowing what’s up. Kane INSTANTLY is wary and looks at Octavia when bad-tattoo-faced ambassador is missing. The ways she killed him was really smart. He should be proud she’s becoming such a good assassin. She gives herself away though- she’s got zero remorse or chill. Dad sigh. Ilian knows. Echo knows. Rumors gon fly.

I like that everyone is doing what they do best this episode:

Dr. Abby

Problem solver Raven

Ambassador Kane being diplomatic

Badass Octavia

Clarke lying (lol what a drag) and also being a leader. Eliza has one pouty face so far this season and is it bad that it makes me laugh? I’m sorry….

Jasper calling Clarke OUT! and singing

Bellamy having to make the tough call. Officially back to Bellamy from Boris. Also being big bro to some random child 10/10.

Jaha giving speeches

When the pacing is at a nice speed, and everyone is acting in ways that make sense for their characters to act. The episode turns out really well.

Other Thoughts

Who the fuckkkk is Riley?

Um. Bryan has a cool back scar and should listen to Nate more. His morals are iffy. Where’s Miller senior? What does he think about this boy? Why does Bryan try to get Monty to kill the grounder. Monty is better than revenge and you should know that by now if you think you know Miller so well. Don’t be fucking rude. #Minty

I wish my hair looked as good as Harper’s side braid and crown. Chelsey is a babe.

Poor Lindsey is fit AF and never gets to go run around with the adventure squad because Murphy shot Raven. Yay Raven being a reluctant leader and missing Sinclair. And being savage to Jaha. His ass suddenly became an engineer so he cout be plot relevant this season, smh. He was one before being chancellor. He’s smart, sure, and I can’t see him being in the guard or anything so it fits well enough.

I dislike Jaha. Disclaimer: I dislike Isaiah Washington as a person. However, the speech he gave Clarke was solid advice. Isaiah’s good at playing pious/arrogant/condescending characters. This season, I would like Jaha to make himself useful and not run over everyone else’s opinions. It’s also important to point out that Jaha was chipped the longest, and while he did go looking for the CoL and probably thought taking the chip was a great idea, ALL of his actions while chipped should be seen as a chipped Jaha’s actions. We don’t know his character background as well as we know others. Because we know so much about other characters who were chipped and that they’d never do the things that they did, we have no problem going back to the way we saw them before. Jaha is an exception to this because 1) we don’t really know what he would do, so we have a hard time separating his actions. I personally think Abby is the best example of the separation. As a doctor, she’s against hurting people. Chipped she ends up causing physical harm to the two people she cares the most about on Earth (I like to think of Raven and Jackson as her adopted kiddos and the next two on the list, who also happen to be the reason she takes the chip in the first place #poorabbs) AND 2) lots of people dislike the character to begin with, so it’s easy to keep blaming him, as Raven does. If Jaha were to humble himself and offer good guidance, I could see his character making a comeback.

The episode title is a misquote of Shakespeare and I find it so satisfying that Thelonious frickin Jaha, mr. pretentious, fucks that up. (He’s the one who actually says the line- to Clarke)

4.01: Lexa laid to rest. Respectfully.

4.02: Jake laid to rest. Respectfully. I hope Abby gives Clarke the necklace when she gets back to Arkadia.

4.03: Wells? I think it’s still too fresh and early for Octavia to lay Lincoln to rest. Redemption path Jaha needs to talk about his son?

Next week: Dr. Abby goes to save luna and the boat people!

#I have thoughts #not all of them are good ones #ok? ok #S4 #the 100 #4.02

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yume-arunda · 7 years ago

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ONE OK ROCK AMBITIONS ASIA TOUR LIVE IN MANILA 2018

How do I begin? How do I put to words the emotions I have felt one Monday night? My head still screams ONE OK ROCK but not a single word can describe my January 29th.

Everything went fast but at the same time, everything was slow. It is like time stopped only to leave me question myself where my two hours went. It makes no sense. I know. Nothing makes sense right now. And it has been a week since the live happened.

ONE OK ROCK knows how to make you reconnect with your inner self – with the person you are desperately hiding inside. Through their music they recreate you. They pull out the sleeping person there is in you. The person you are supposed to be. The person waiting to be discovered. ONE OK ROCK helps you to call out for your other self; they help you become better.

When you look at them on stage, you just don’t see a rock band, you see four brilliant men terribly in love with their music. The passion they show while performing makes them deserving of the title “Japan’s no. 1 rock band”. It’s not just because they have the best songs or that their vocalist has such an amazing voice. It is more than that. With every word there is in their music, there etched a mixture of emotions and the certainty that listeners will understand even if it is written in Japanese. Because before the mind can process their songs, it always connects first with the heart.

And luckily, the Filipino fans once again witnessed ONE OK ROCK’s brilliance, live on stage.

I don’t actually remember when it was announced that they are going to have an Asian Tour but I do remember how I reacted when I heard about it. Well, I was happy, glad, thankful that they are coming back but at the same time, I was scared, sad, and a bit of regret made through my stream of emotions that one night. Because I was in the middle of planning my death and I actually thought I will be killing myself on the first day of January. I had to think everything thoroughly. I had to talk to myself countless times, forcing me to come along, enlightening me, telling me that just one more compensation shouldn’t break my will to die. Although I know I do not deserve another enjoyment in my life, I settled with going to the live. I decided to watch them one more time.

I flew to the capital, on a Sunday and arrived at around noon. I had to go to NAIA Terminal 1 since I landed on Terminal 3. The people I decided to tag along with were there, waiting for ONE OK ROCK’s arrival. I didn’t want to be left behind so I followed them. They waited for me at the arrival section of the terminal but it was so funny because for minutes, maybe it reached thirty, I was lost. No, I wasn’t on the wrong terminal nor was I lost in a way that I don’t know where I am. I was just simply unable to locate them. But eventually I was able to and ONE OK ROCK still hasn’t arrived. It was already one in the afternoon and we were all starving. So we decided not to continue the wait and go straight to the condominium we are to stay for three days. There, we met with other fellow fans and immediately check ourselves in because, as you all know, we are all starving. We took four rooms and they had to share the three rooms while I get the other room all for myself. Because I have anxiety and social issues I do not want to be triggered on such a special day.

We ate at Dohtonbori, at SM Mall of Asia. I was able to sit on a tatami on a konkatsu-like set up and it was fun. It was the first time I ate with people I barely talk with but not a single attack happened. It went smooth and I realized, sometimes, people really aren’t that scary after all.

Fast forward, January 29th came, it was a Monday. The night before, as I was on another room on my own, Kirst posted on our group chat that breakfast will be served at 7 in the morning. Since I didn’t want to become a burden, I decided to get up early and help with the preparations. I went to their room at around six and to my surprise, I became their alarm clock. They were still sleeping. Alex opened the door for me. I felt embarrassed. And although I came to their room early with the thought of helping with the preparations for the breakfast, I ended up not helping at all. But in compensation, I helped with the cleaning.

We went to the concert venue, SM Mall of Asia Arena at 11 in the morning since we had to get our tickets and freebies at around 12 noon. Some of the people I was with bought the concert’s most expensive ticket. In total, there were maybe 200 PR ticket holders. Then, after we ate lunch we went back to our rented rooms to freshen up and prepare for the concert. The line started at 4 in the afternoon and gates opened at 6. Unlike before where I had to line up early in the morning, this time, the organizers prepared a line sequence basing on the date and time we bought our tickets. I was sequence 122. Yes, I was too far but luckily, I was still able to stand behind the barricade. Although I wanted to be on the center barricade, I couldn’t because people were already gathered there. So I settled on the left side barricade as the people I was with were standing there.

Two hours of wait and they came out. ONE OK ROCK revealed themselves! Taka, Toru, Ryota and Tomoya greeted us with big smiles. And Taka, as he went on the center of the stage looking at the sea of yellow and red lights brought by us fans using our phones’ flashes said, “You guys came prepared.” And on that point I already knew, the band are ecstatic for coming back, and it will be an amazing night.

They sang eighteen songs. It was too few, I tell you. Although it felt like there was no end to it, it still has to. I have to say ONE OK ROCK is the best band ever! They will be the best artists in the entire world. And they had an MC part were all the members spoke in Tagalog. We were in so much awe. My admiration for them deepen. My love for them grew stronger. ONE OK ROCK rocked Manila!

The concert was magic. It was the best concert I was ever been to. The best so far, if I don’t end my worthless existence, that is. It really is such a wonder how people who know nothing of you, become the reason of your joy. People who you only see on your laptop screen, who you only see from afar, are the cause of your change of mind, the cause of your genuine smile. I wanted to die before the concert, but after, I wanted to try living, again, for one more time.

I pray that ONE OK ROCK will continue their journey. After all, Taka did say they will continue touring the world because it has become their life. Music has become an irreplaceable member of their ever growing family. And may they become the best band in the world.

I saw passion in ONE OK ROCK that I have never seen in anybody before. And during the concert, though it was heavy with rock, I felt peace. ONE OK ROCK encourages me to take the needed resolve and courage to step a foot forward my dreams, and meet the people that will help bring out the best in me. Because they are like that with each other and the love they have for everyone is visible as clear as crystal water. ONE OK ROCK makes me want to try becoming a photographer again.

PHOTOS BY JULENPHOTO

I want to thank my parents for always letting me go to concerts and for helping me with the funds. From the bottom of my heart, I am forever grateful. Thank you, thank you, thank you so much. And to the people I was with and met, thank you for making it extra fun and memorable. You guys rock! \m/

ONE OK ROCK 最高！

DISCLAIMER: SOME OF THE PHOTOS ARE NOT MINE

Zaneでした

ONE OK ROCK RETURNS TO MANILA ONE OK ROCK AMBITIONS ASIA TOUR LIVE IN MANILA 2018 How do I begin? How do I put to words the emotions I have felt one Monday night?

#concert #emotions #音楽 #japan #jrock #life #live #music #rock #日本

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101percentindia · 8 years ago

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George Michael, You Were More Than A Musician To Me. You Were A Father Figure

Here's to you, George.

I grew up in 80s Mumbai. In the, then quieter, suburb of Bandra. Quiet enough for me to hear, listen, appreciate the music that played in the cars zooming down Carter Road. Whichever song played the most in these cars, I knew, was the next big thing. There was then a mad rush to get more details about the song, and find myself a copy.

It was somewhere in the summer of '85, with 'Wake Me Up Before You Go Go' playing everywhere, that I learned about the group 'Wham!' (Yes, with the exclamation mark). Their album, ‘Make it Big’ had released , of course, a year earlier in the UK, but, back then hit records had their own way of coming to India (kind relatives living abroad would record the top 10 in cassettes and send it down). We were always about a year behind.

George Michael's inspiration for the song was a scribbled note left by his Wham! partner Andrew Ridgeley. Image source: mastermp3.net

George Michael's golden-honey-coated, smooth voice could change tones from a soft whisper to a wailing high falsetto. I was hooked…

Soon posters of Wham! (From Hill Road, obviously) adorned my room and thanks to a friend, Royce Dsouza, I could also lay my hands on their first album ‘Fantastic’.

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It was fantastic.

I was mesmerised by the funkiness and rawness of `Wham rap,’ `Bad Boys” and ‘Young guns’. This was also my introduction to the world of rap.

The famous Wham! poster on my bedroom wall. Image source: pinterest.com

By 1986, Wham! had disbanded. But there was no time to grieve. Remember, at that time news travelled slowly, so when I learned about this George Michael was already back with 'Faith', his debut studio solo album. It was brilliant. The look even more so… designer stubble with his iconic 'the cross' earrings… It spawned a whole lot of George Michael clones. In India , Anil Kapoor emerged with the same look about the same time... that's another story.

George Michael’s stubble in ‘Faith’ found a bunch of clones including Anil Kapoor. Image source: pinterest.com

I still remember the excitement of watching the video for ‘Father Figure’ somewhere around 1987 when Doordarshan had aired a special on the Grammy-nominated songs of the year. The black and white video with its French noir inspired images was the hottest topic of discussion the next couple of weeks in school.

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I was inspired. I got into music. I began to sing along to all his songs. Scouting for his lyrics on Hill Road became my after-school hobby. (Archie's used to publish the lyric books of all the top 40 hits).

Me belting out 'faith, faith…faithuh' with my band

In 1990, I performed for the first time at The St. Andrew's fete. The songs were 'Faith' and 'Careless Whisper'. Faith is one of those classics that stands out even today. The song features this long break, just before the last chorus. After which is the big comeback - "Coz you gotta have faith... faith... faith-uh..." I remember how the MC thought the song was over during that long pause, and he came in to announce the next act. It led to a fist fight back stage. Typical Bandra stuff, men.

I also went on to join my first band 'Chaos' (which soon become 'Vedic Chant') with my school friend Siddhartth who knew the chords to Father Figure. One of the first original songs we wrote was Broken Dreams which sadly, like the title, remained unreleased. Looking back now, it was our tribute to 'Father Figure'.

The supermodel brigade in George Michael's Freedom '90. Image source: thestar.com

While I was finding my footing with music, George Michael, had grown disenchanted with his record label (a problem he would face throughout his career). He refused to appear in music videos. Thankfully, it did give us the great 'Freedom 90' with... super models! (Don't judge, we didn't have internet).

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I remember his mind blowing performance at the Freddie Mercury tribute (which many said was the highlight of the concert). George Michael was always on a quest to find himself as an artist. With every subsequent album, he completed the transformation from teen idol to a profound musician.

George Michael at the Freddy Mercury tribute concert. Image source: pinterest.com

While he remained in the news for other reasons like getting busted for soliciting, and drugs, none of it affected his loyal fan base. He remained relevant in the ever-changing cut throat music world. It seemed, his life, his choices, him simply doing his own thing, was a way of flipping the bird at the world. His albums and live shows became fewer and fewer but the output was always the expected - pure brilliance.

Towards the end of the 90s he claimed to be suffering from writer’s block. He released the hugely underrated cover album 'Songs from the last century'. His jazz inspired version of 'Roxanne' with its video shot in the red-light area of Amsterdam created quite a stir.

Our band Vedic Chant's tribute to George Michael included Faith in our medley

Our band Chaos, continued the George Michael tribute by including 'Faith' in a medley we used to perform (along with Sa Ni Dha Pa by The Colonial Cousins and Roop Tera Mastana…Sacrilege??... Who cares...)

We also changed the band's name to Vedic Chant. We had released two albums. After a high-energy electro rock oriented first album, we decided to go back to a softer more 'back to basics' sound for the second. I still remember Siddharth prodding me to sing in the 'George Michael husk' in the sessions for the song 'Dooriyan'. This song became our first single for which we shot an exotic looking video (smartly produced at a very low cost by Shivraj Shantakumar, a genius) at a friend's farmhouse in Karjat.

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I continued my journey producing music for films and commercials. Traces of George Michael's music somehow always found its way in everything I produced.

I woke up on the 26th of December to the news of his untimely death, and I, along with most people around the world, knew that 2016 had claimed another icon from our childhoods. The artist may be gone, but the art... lives forever.

We just gotta have faith.

Thank You, Mr. George Michael, for putting the boom boom into our hearts. Rest easy.

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'Dooriyan' by Vedic Chant

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are independent views solely of the author(s) expressed in their private capacity and do not in any way represent or reflect the views of 101India.com.

By Suhaas Shetty

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brajeshupadhyay · 5 years ago

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Jio Platforms attracting funds from Facebook, Silver Lake, Vista Equity, highlight Mukesh Ambani's digital-era venture capitalist avatar

In a mystery titled Silver Blaze, Sherlock Holmes finds an important clue in "the dog that did not bark at night". We may invoke a parallel with the famed detective to see how Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) is changing colours in the 21st century. Look hard at the fact that Jio Platforms Ltd, officially a subsidiary of RIL, no longer contains the word "Reliance" that has been associated with the Ambanis for five decades now.

Thereby hangs the tale of how Ambani is morphing from a manufacturing-era industrialist to a digital-era venture capitalist in a new phase of career growth and entrepreneurship. It might be wise to shed the "oil-to-telecom" tag for RIL and increasingly more apt to describe it as an investment powerhouse.

What is fascinating in this journey is that a significant amount of the traditional Ambani expertise is still at work, especially RIL's propensity to engage millions of Indians, customers, and shareholders alike. But the billionaire is increasingly embracing a chaotic business universe in which engaging the unknown and the positive possibilities it contains is dramatically different from the relatively controllable landscape in which RIL made its mark to emerge eventually as an Indian textile-to-technology giant.

Over the past month even as most of the world grappled with the uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, Jio Platforms has been inducting new investors in a marked departure of style from the old-world Reliance, for which the approach was to induct (if at all) "joint venture" partners before taking the IPO (initial public offer) route.

After social networking Facebook Inc became a marquee investor in Jio Platforms with a $5.7 billion (Rs 43,574 crore) investment, Silicon Valley-based Silver Lake Partners stepped in to announce a Rs 5,655 crore round of funding at a 12.5 percent higher valuation of Rs 515,000 crore. Now we have Texas-based Vista Equity announcing an investment of Rs 11,367 crore in Jio Platforms for a 2.32 percent stake.

Early indications about how Jio will serve shopkeepers and small businesses across India through digital initiatives show a tremendous capacity for scaling. We are yet to see a big roll-out but Jio Mart can be described as an arranged marriage of convenience between old-world shops and new world supply chains with procurement muscle, blessed by community technologies such as the Facebook-owned WhatsApp that bring in high-speed information and digital cash. Data nationalism might also help Jio take on giants such as Amazon in India as a technological hypermarket.

In the new normal for RIL, the new investors in Jio are more like knowledge and network partners. It would be misleading just to look only at the financial numbers of their deals. What it means is that Silver Lake and Vista will bring their expertise in building partnerships and teams to create digital-age value and also open doors for powerful linkages in the US and possibly, rest of the world, in a manner under which India's software army and the American penchant for creating intellectual property come together for common goals.

What is possible in such a scheme of things is not necessarily the growth of Jio Platforms as a single entity with a future IPO but also as one under whose roof new giants could be incubated or spun off.

Consider this: the $52 billion Vista Equity fund specialises in technology and software whose arms stretch into equity, credit and other forms of capital deployment. Its investee companies include cloud-based information management specialist Tibco, digital security specialist Inflobox and digital identity leader Solera. Now, just imagine the possibilities from IP investments and services by these three companies into Jio.

Similarly, Silver Lake's investee companies include Airbnb (a cloud hotel chain of sorts), Dell (cloud storage and PCs) and Twitter (community building) and Alibaba (e-commerce).

What Jio Platforms potentially gains from new partnerships is the muscle to mix the five big Cs to serenade the biggest C of them all -- Convergence. By bringing in Connectivity, Commerce, Community, Content and Cloud strung up together by the familiar old C -- Capital -- what Ambani is mixing is a new-age cocktail. This admixture, on the one hand, builds a digital age behemoth for India and on the other the distant but real possibility of IP-based companies.

So what does RIL itself bring to the table? Apart from the 387-million-connections strong Jio network, it has already built and the potential synergies shopkeepers and small businesses may have with giant Reliance Retail, the Ambani touch brings in its traditional hands-on approach to project management. Add to this the corporate folklore that Reliance group founder Dhirubhai Ambani told his son Mukesh to engage 20 percent of Indians in his future businesses, and we have a demographic approach to entrepreneurship that complements the IP-based approach its new partners bring in.

Nobel laureate VS Naipaul once wrote about how Dhirubhai brought in a polyester revolution to India when clothing was not easily affordable. We could say digital platforms are the new polyester to similarly engage a fifth of India's population in the aspirational part of the country's social pyramid.

Now, look back at Reliance as a corporate phenomenon. In the 1970s it was mostly a textile trader. In the 1980s, it became a polyester manufacturer, in the 1990s a vertically integrated petrochemical titan and in the first decade of the new millennium, a diversified conglomeration with an interest in telecoms. As the second decade of the new century ends, the arms are stretched into digital technologies. But what is significant is that unlike the controllable integration of the old world, the new era is less of an industry and more of a loose ecosystem in which business-to-business customers are better seen as partners.

In such a universe, Mukesh Ambani, alongside Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg and investors Silver Lake and Vista, is more like a co-creator and co-investor. However, there are important technologies that these private equity players will bring in that resemble the kind of expertise that Bechtel Corp brought to RIL when it was expanding in the oil-and-petrochemicals sphere. As one author wrote then, "RIL has parlayed the unique aspects of the local context to its advantage". You may also call it traditional Gujarati business acumen, something Mukesh himself talks of sometimes as he employs the old approach in a new industry.

It is equally true that Ambani, who turned 63 last month, is getting older and the conglomeration he rules over is more complex than ever before. It pays to remember that RIL has also invested in a clutch of startups and Mukesh Ambani in his personal capacity holds 50 percent in Tally Solutions, an early leader in small business accounting software for Indian firms.

I had written last year on how new-age RIL might become more like Tata Sons, the holding company of a diversified conglomeration with several listed companies. Or Jio Platforms may resemble an Amazon or a Microsoft lording over an ecosystem of millions of small businesses hanging by its coattails (hence the name Platforms) and paying monthly fees for a bouquet of software apps and accompanying services.

As things become big, we may well see RIL and/or Mukesh Ambani staging a VC-style "exit" with a huge cash pile as Jio Platforms becomes an independent company.

The writer is a senior journalist and commentator. He tweets as @madversity

Disclaimer: Reliance Industries Ltd. is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd which publishes Firstpost.

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seowriters-ca · 6 years ago

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How to optimize your content for voice search for Google, Siri, Alexa (VSO)

2019 will be the year that VSO makes a giant leap in search traffic, as voice search is taking over the search engines on many platforms including Google, Apple Siri, Amazon Alexa, etc..., how are you or your clients tuning or rewriting or tuning your content to fit with the new narrative?

We invited experts Bethanie, Kent, Mike and Gary to share their tips and tricks.

Bethanie Nonami from Bethanie Nonami, Tampa, FL writes

*Think beyond demographics *

When optimizing for voice, you have to think well beyond demographics. Avatars and demographics have served us marketers well for many years, but it is time to move on. We need to make a shift to thinking about our website visitors in terms of intent. What is the problem they are trying to solve ? If you are the answer to solving that problem, think about how the question would be phrased in a natural (speakable) way. This is similar to long tail keywords. 10 years ago, we would search for dry cleaners. Today, one may search for dry cleaners that doesn't use chemicals. My neighbor may search for dry cleaners near me open at 8pm. Two people have the same problem of needing to find a dry cleaner but their intent and preferences vary. Some of your knowledge of your avatar may come in handy when narrowing in on intent. Consumer behavior is rapidly changing in search so that they receive the right answer faster, without having to click on multiple blue links on page 1. Intent appears differently based on, not only the consumers preferences, but also their level of awareness of the problem and potential solutions. Using your content to fulfill intent is a powerful advantage, when properly understood, in the online and voice search realm.

*Understand the buying journey is complex*

The customer's buying journey is far from a linear path. Customer journey's today may have multiple or even hundreds of touchpoints. Google has talked about micro-moments for a couple of years. Google wants the content to be there, be useful, and be quick. (Google guide on micromoments) To make your content effective, it will serve the right insight at the right moment. In order to do that well, you must validate the major touchpoints in the customer journey. Making assumptions about this process is risky. Any assumptions you have about your customer's journey should be validated with real people. You can validate this process with existing customers, new customers, or better yet, people that didn't buy your products. Validate what content do your prospects need to see or hear before they know your brand is right for them. Do you have the content? Is it appearing on the channel in the medium, they expect to see it on? Voice search is going to be a critical channel for all stages of the customer journey. To harness the power of voice is understanding when one would speak a question and knowing what that question would be so you can deliver the right answer at the perfect moment so that their experience with your brand is more like a natural conversation between two friends, opposed to just a search result.

*Create a Schema Markup strategy*

One of the most powerful hidden secrets is Schema Markup. Many websites online have implemented some form of schema markup to their site but many aren't using the methodology to maximize its full potential. Google has a wealth of information on how to leverage Schema Markup classes for the semantic layer of the web. This is a foundational step in your voice search success. Schema Markup is not often done well by SEO professionals or content writers. It is somewhat technical in nature but there are software programs out there to assist in the implementation of Schema Markup. Schema Markup is the global vocabulary for the largest search engines around the world and is the secondary answer engine beyond the native answer engines built within the platforms (ie Alexa, Siri, OK Google, etc). There are over 800 Schema Markup classes and each website should have at least 5 different classes across various pages such as Events, Organization, Local Business, Person, Product, or Service. Schema Markup creates a stronger relationship between your website content and the search engines.

Kent Lewis from Anvil Media, Inc., Portland, OR writes

Why does position 0/voice search matter?

According to a Stone Temple study, 30% of searches generate a position 0 result, which means plenty of opportunities for ecommerce sites to generate additional awareness and authority. Need additional motivation? In 2016, 20% of Google searches and 25% of Bing searches originated from voice. ComScore/ Campaign predict voice search will constitute half of all searches by 2020.. Echo alone will account for $7 billion in voice transactions-or vcommerce.. March 2017 study by eMarketer, 33% US internet users are somewhat or very likely to make a purchase via voice-enable speakers. Voice searches on Google are 30 times more likely to be action-oriented than text-based searches..

How do you optimize for P0 & voice search?

The first step in optimizing for voice search is to structure your content to answer common search queries on the target topic. One way to identify which pages on your site are best candidates for position zero is to look at your high-performing pages in analytics. For those that generate an Answer Box, you can reverse-engineer the current position zero snippet to gain insights into why and how they are ranking. Beyond restating and answering the question succinctly on the target page, be sure to incorporate the most relevant keywords in the page URL, title and H1 tag. STAT found that featured snippet URLs included an exact match query in the tag 21% more often than regular results. Both voice search and position zero provide significant opportunities for brands not only to own competitive terms as an expert but to double visibility in highly desirable organic search results. Read my related article: Best Practices for Voice Search and Position Zero Optimization Strategies for more information: https://www.onlinemarketinginstitute.org/blog/2018/02/voice-search-best-practices-position-zero-optimization/

Mike Khorev from I Know SEO, Canada writes

Voice search and voice search optimization is a fast expanding area of search engine optimization (SEO) that many companies tend to put in a separate category than mobile search. A big mistake a lot of companies make is focusing on a sole keyword that is made to be a single head term. Instead, what we do is expand the range of keywords that are already in use for mobile search. By adding in contextual words and keywords that would respond to a query asked via voice, our clients’ searchability and discoverability surges upward. The main thing that we keep in mind here is that many people use voice when they are on the move. In these situations, it’s more likely that a person uses contextual words and phrases like “what,” “how”, “where”, and “near me ” to find what they’re looking for faster and get accurate search results from the get-go. Building around these keywords can ensure that a client ranks up in Google when voice search is in use. On top of this, taking on the endeavor of beefing up your voice search optimization also allows for better results across the board, mobile search included. At the end of the day, voice search optimization is the same as SEO, the only difference is the need for context to provide better search results that benefit the client.

Gary Nicholson from Designory writes

We work with automotive clients (Nissan, Subaru, Audi, Infiniti) here at my agency. One thing we have done to date is write FAQ content around each vehicle. The content is data driven. We obtain this data by scraping forums, social media and search engine results to give us insights into what questions people are asking around the vehicles. We then take that data and create questions. We categorize the questions into categories (ownership, maintenance, features, specs, etc.). Each FAQ question has a short explicit (straight to the point) answer and below that is an extended answer. The short answer is geared for voice search queries with a word limit(between 29-35 words) This is so the Alexa, Google, Siri, etc. can then scan the short answer which for us typically shows up in Google answer boxes. So far this has worked well for us and helps answer searchers questions who are in market to buy vehicles. Another thing we have done is take the quick answer type format and create it for each vehicle's overview page with quick answer information (MPG, cargo space, towing capacity, etc.) which in turn gets picked up by Google's answer boxes as well as voice search devices. This has also worked well for our clients.

Thank you Bethanie, Kent, Mike and Gary for your input. We hope you can put these pointers into action and boost your traffic! Feel free to ask any questions in the comments section below and we'll send you to the right direction. Mon Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of BlogSimplified SEOWriters

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