#just saw the adv on tv

[sayitaliano]

Sanremo 2023 - docu

On Monday April 10th, starting at 9:45 p.m. (GMT+2) on RAI1, Gianni Morandi will host a documentary called "Sanremo 2023 - Tra palco e realtà". It will last roughly 1 hour and a half, and if you won't be able to catch it live, I think you'll be able to watch it on Raiplay in the following days.

To watch it live (or not), you'll need an Italian Vpn. Click on the link I left above (for now you only find a short description of the documentary but on Monday you'll probably find a "watch" button as well) or click on the homepage (I think it will be the main program that night) or simply HERE (RAI1 streaming).

[writingdungeon-inactive]

A , I and X for Alex adv?

Boi (or Gorl).....The fact you got me thinking about Alex noodling.... NOODLING…… why you gotta make me show how bum fuck country I is. 🤣

A - Affection: Alex is sweet when you get to know him but comes across as a bit of a meathead when you don't. Despite his occasionally blunt attempts at conversation, his actions speak volumes about his character. He's the type of person who will cheer loudly for you at your smallest victories. When you share your thoughts and dreams, he listens intently, his brow furrowing in concentration, even if he doesn’t always fully understand the nuances. Alex has a heart of gold hidden behind his sometimes fuck boi exterior —-.

Walking into town, you sighed softly, having been trying to catch a catfish all week. Frustration gnawed at you as each day passed without success. Determined, you finally decided that you would get into the water and drag that sumofabitch out yourself.

As you neared the spot you last saw it, you cocked your head to the side, noticing someone already bent over in the water. Alex was waist-deep, his hands and forearms beneath the surface as he fumbled with something. His broad shoulders were tense with effort, and the muscles in his upper arms bulged as he struggled with the unseen creature.

Curiosity piqued, you stepped closer. Alex's determined grunts and splashes grew louder, and you realized he was wrestling with the catfish. You watched, intrigued, as he strained and heaved, muscles tensing under the strain. The water churned fast around him, showing the struggle beneath the surface. "Got it?"

Alex glanced up, sweat glistening on his forehead. "No," he panted, his grip tightening on the elusive catfish. "This one's a real fighter." Sliding into the water next to him, you reached down, feeling the large catfish thrashing against your hands. Its rough skin scraped against your fingers as it wriggled furiously, trying to break away from Alex’s hold.

"Hold on," you urged, with a firm grasp, you both pulled with all your strength. The catfish thrashed wildly, wanting to roll you both, but you were not about to let it slip away today. Inch by inch, you worked together, coaxing the stubborn fish from its hiding spot. 

Finally, with a triumphant shout, you and Alex hauled the massive catfish from the water. Throwing it far into the grass, watching as it flopped heavily, its scales glistening in the sunlight. You both stood there, panting and drenched, but victorious.

Laughing out of breath and nearly jumping from excitement, you hugged Alex tightly. "What you noodlin' for anyway?" you asked, glancing down at the bruise on his arm. "You said you couldn't catch it. I thought I would try for you," Alex replied his hands falling on your hips, his voice softer now, his eyes reflecting his genuine affection. He shrugged, looking a bit sheepish. "Figured it was worth a shot."

I - Intimacy: Alex understands the basics of intimacy, but his comfort zone ends there. Raised by his grandparents, discussions about romantic relationships and physical intimacy were rare. He's experienced holding hands and sharing hugs. However, when situations arose where someone wanted to kiss him or initiate something more, Alex would pull away, feeling unease and uncertainty. It wasn't until he started seeing you that he began to feel comfortable with the idea of being that close. — 

It was your first time being alone with Alex, the movie playing on your TV just as you had planned. You had imagined it unfolding like scenes from rom-coms: him sneakily slipping his arm around your shoulders, pulling you close in a tender embrace, leaning down to kiss you. Instead, Alex sat beside you, his gaze fixed on the screen, cheeks visibly flushed.

Carefully and shyly, you reached out, resting your hand on top of his. Alex's breath hitched slightly, his slightly flexing as it shifted under yours. "You... enjoying the movie?" you asked, your voice barely above a whisper, feeling the weight in the air between you.

He hesitated, glancing at your hand on his, before meeting your gaze with a shy smile. "Yeah, it's really good," he replied softly, his voice tinged with nervousness. His eyes flickered between your face and the TV screen, unsure of where to settle. As the movie played on, you kept stealing glances at Alex, noticing how he started to lean a little closer to you, his shy demeanor melting away.

Feeling Alex pull his hand away, you looked down, disappointment tugging at your heart. Had you misread the situation? Had Alex pulled away out of discomfort? But just as quickly, your thoughts were interrupted by a sudden warmth enveloping your shoulder. Startled, you glanced over to find Alex's hand gently resting there, his arm wrapped around you, pulling you close to his body. "Is… Is this alright?" he murmured, his voice soft and tinged with shyness, his face now turned away, cheeks holding a deeper hue.

X - XOXO: He genuinely loves the way you cling to him, your arms enveloping his neck as you lean into his embrace. Moments when his chin rested affectionately on your shoulder, whispering words of affection that only you could hear. Even playfully comparing the size of your thighs. —

Watching Alex focused on his workout, your eyes traced his movements up and down as he counted each burpee out loud. The rhythmic rise and fall of his chest, the strength in his arms as he pushed himself up, it all drew your attention to him. Sweat glistened on his brow as he completed a push-up, his muscles flexing with each movement, his eyes flicking up to catch yours, amusement flashing in them.

"Wanna join?" His voice was breathless yet inviting. "Oh no, I think you might just kill me," you replied with a playful laugh, leaning comfortably against his weight rack, your gaze lingering on the definition of his shoulders as he pushed up into a squat.

"Nah, Nah, just lay down," he quipped, holding the squat, gesturing to the mat in front of him with a grin. "Ah, so you want me to jump on you now?" You teased, a mischievous glint in your eyes as you bantered. Alex chuckled, his eyes crinkling at the corners in mock exasperation. “Come on, you know you want to,” he countered playfully, patting the mat with his hand.

“Fine, but first time you crush me you're gonna get it,” you warned with a smile, carefully lying down on the mat letting Alex adjust your position, his touch both reassuring and attentive as he manhandled you around.

“Just like that,” he murmured approvingly before standing up. You felt a tinge of anxiety as he dropped into a squat, your heart skipping a beat, your pulse quickening with nervous energy. Yet he smoothly kicked his legs out into a push-up, his face drawing closer to yours. “Didn't crush you,” he laughed softly, planting a quick kiss on your lips before springing back to his feet to continue his workout.

[mofffun]

«Rita of Gokkan» Ch.19

eng translation by me

ch: [tag] [2-3] [4-6] [7-9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18]

timeline: ep5 (Toufu ch1)

Rita and Kaguragi test each other on what the other knows.

contains TV SPOILERS past ep5, assumed reader is up-to-date at ep43

*If you are a newcomer and wanted to read the manga along with its corresponding episode, you will only get context for what's hinted in this chapter much later in the show.

t/n:

p4: This bugnarok is pronounced "by-EH-jim" not "bae-jim" ... based on a fly (ha-EH)

Kaguragi addresses everyone as "-dono" but sometimes Rita as "Sovereign Rita". I'm putting Rita-sama and Rita-dono both as "Justice Rita". Normally I'd be inclined to keep the honorifics but since I already used the English form before I should stick to that and subs group conventions. ("-tono/-dono" is an antiqudated suffix that is only used in official documents nowadays. In history, it meant respect for those above you but nowadays it's used by the higher-rank to address those lower politely. Genderless, lower than '-sama'.)

Something about Rita's speech pattern is they tend to use a lot of kanji, as part of their solemn personality and regular legal jargon. I lack the context to evaluate how advanced Rita's kanji are to the average Japanese but the general sense of Rita having a more archaic/complex vocabulary is evident.

holding my urge not to put a ! in every Kagu speech bubble

p14: Kagu's reation to hearing Rita saw Suzume's figure: ……はて？ -> long pause, [lit. 1. well; let me see; now​ (used before sentences expressing a doubt) 2. dear me/good gracious]

ch19:

t/n part 2:

p9: わざわざお出まし恐縮（きょうしゅく）です [lit. my apologies for making you come all this way.] -> What an honour to have your persence!

Here it is! the east/west cultural difference! Keigo is a big challenge for me as a learner already, let alone a translator. There's no direct dictionary substitution and it really depends on your intuition with usage in either langugaes. The keigo here is humble-type, while to make it sound natural in English, instead of reflecting your own incompetence, you are flattering the other party. In the next line, Kaguragi says because Rita came unannounced, they were inadequate in failing to preapre a welcoming committee. I think the scarcasm is there in English too, but I just feel it's more insulting to imply Rita is not exactly welcome while initiatively taking the "weaker" side (Kaguragi's gaslighting, what's new).

p13: learner's note: the royal kitchen is called 厨房(chuubou) while the word for kitchen I knew was 台所(daidokoro). Research shows 厨房 is a professional kitchen like in a restaurant and 台所 is the one at home. Katakana Kitchen is also in the vocabulary to mean a modern, western-style industrical kitchen. Chinese has lost the distinctioin and uses 廚房 (note!: an extra dot above 厨) for both home or workplace.

p16: I interpret Rita's first concern is in maintaining equality between the kingdoms. A duo alliance between ❤🖤 is only detrimental to a five-kingdom one they are working towards: small circle, and increased hostility from 💛💙 if they believe ❤🖤💜 is their small clique. Yet it is interesting Rita raised the question out of personal curiosity. Remember in the beginning there was this, feeling, ❤🖤💜 are seniors and they've known each other for longer? Now we know Kaguragi is actually Rita's junior in terms of order of sucession. Now they could've what he was like prior to taking the throne. Notice how they never describe him as a liar. Maybe Rita does find it odd a man of his capability feels the need to bootlick Racules.

Onomatopoeia words this week:

スッ(Suu) an action done suddenly without sound

ボコボコ(boko boko) 1. sound of hitting a hollow object 2. uneven (surface) 3. to cause damage with full force

バキバキ (baki baki) hard objects shattering/breaking/cracking ポカ(poka) 1. repeated hit with something heavy i.e. fist/bat 2. feeling of warmth

よろよろ (yoro yoro) (adv., not a sound) staggering

もがく (moga ku) (v.) struggle/wiggle impatient -> here means eating frantically (because food is too god)

ずいっ (zui) (adv.) straightforwardly, readily, without hesitation

alternate translations:

p9: No careless msitakes… -> Better keep my guard up… / Better stay alert…

p11: No way any of that is true. -> What a load of crap. (intuition lol)

Script:

p1 (18lp) p2 「バサッ　バサッ」 「ガクン」 すみません～… バエジーム お騒がせしております～ 「ゴゴゴ…」 くそ…　バグナラクめ… どこにでも湧（わ）いて来る… p4 うるさくてすみません～　そして… 「ブ　ブゥン」 死んでいただけると助かります～ 「ス…」 「タッ」 p5 「ガッ」 「ボコ　ボコ　ボコ」 待ち伏（ふ）せていたのか p6 「ドドド」 「ガガガ」く…つ 「バキ　ゴ　ポカ」 p7 ギヤ 「ズンッ」 トウフ国の黒子軍団…！ 今だ！ p8 撃（う）たせていただきます 「パ　パ」 「タ　ドッ　タ　ボッ　ボ」 「タッ」 ギャ 「よろ　よろ」「ブブブ」 てっ…　撤退（てったい）です～！　 p9 いやいや…　素晴らし腕前 さすがリタ国王 わざわざお出まし恐縮（きょうしゅく）です 前もって言っていただければ迎えの用意いたしましたのに カグラギ‧ディボウスキ… こいつはラクレスと通しているようだが… 油断（ゆだん）は禁物（きんもつ）だ… p10 p11 して　ギラという男 強盗団（ごうとうだん）の親玉（おやだま）という噂がありまして 毒虫（どくむし��食にしている化け物なんていう話も もういい そんなわけないだろ もしやそのご様子まさかギラの正体（しょうたい）をご存じで…！ 調査（ちょうさ）中だ たとえ王でも外部の者に話すわけないだろう p12 さすがは絶対中立の王　素晴らしい！ 察しますに最高厳罰（げんばつ）処分（しょぶん）ですね …ただ一つ言えるのは…… おお！？言えるのは！？ —いや 調査の結果は法廷（ほうてい）で明らかにする 危ない…どうもこいつの前でもしゃべりすぎる… ラクレスに感づかれては厄介（やっかい）だ うまい…　「もが」 はっはっは　そうでしょう！ このトウフには世界中のあらゆる食が揃っております p13 ただ… 聞いたことない食事は出ませんが … そういえば　リタ殿 以前（いぜん）コーカサス城の厨房（ちゅうぼう）で 調べごとをされていた…とか 調べもの見つかりましたか？ 個人的な調査だ　結果を話すつもりはない そういえば　あの時… p14 お前とよく似た着物を見たが ！ ……はて？ ラクレス殿にご挨拶にうかがったときでしょうか？ p15 いや…　もっと小柄（こがら）な… それはリタ殿の見間違いでしょう なにか　隠しているな… お前はなぜラクレスに付き従う（つきしたがう） ラクレス殿は素晴らしい志(こころざし)をお持ちの方 であれば協力するのは当然です それにしてはまるで主従(しゅうじゅう)のようだ p16 国同士は対等（たいとう）な関係のはず… それに前王イロキの悪政（あくせい）から解放したのはお前の独力（どくりょく）だ それは… リタ国王！ これは仕方がないのです…！

[nataliesnews]

Yaakov Talya 15.10.2023

PLEASE DO NOT SEND ME THIS ARTICLE. I happen to have personally had the "pleasure" of meeting Yaakov Talia and being shot at by him and having urine and feces  thrown in the faces of myself and my friends. Some years ago we were asked to go and protect a young Palestinian who was ploughing his own lands and needed protection. The farm was on a hill and had already been provided with a road, electricity and water for the settlers and was high above us. Suddenly we saw that we were being fired on and moved closer to the tractor and the shooting continued. Then it stopped and down came a man whom if I had met him on the veld would have said, "More Oom"   as I was much younger. He was carrying a jar and said that he had brought us something to drink and we said no thank you and he threw the contents over our clothes and in our faces. Urine and feces. I was lucky. It was only on my clothes. My friend got it in her eyes and suffered for weeks afterwards. The police and soldiers arrived. They would not speak to the three of us but went and embraced Talya. We went to the police station but, even then when our details were being taken........and by the way nothing was done as it was not in the public interest......Talya was wandering round the police station quite at home while we were being told not to move from where we were sitting. Even when I was giving evidence. Just remember that this man was probably a member of the broederbond. At one time he probably hated the Jews as he did the black and coloured population. On  youtube he says how he still believes in apartheid.  His offspring are the same. They terrorize the Palestinians around them and children on the way to school are attacked by them. So this lady.....she lived by the sword and she died by the sword. Pity you did not keep them in South Africa. We have enough of them here

And by the way if they were still living in South Africa they would probably have called us bloody Jood.

Now for today:  We are evidently getting another lady of 95.  I don't know the exact details but she and her caretaker were attacked by Hamas. Evidently the caretaker has thousands of shekel which she had saved to buy a ticket home to visit the family. She offered it to the Hamas who took it and allowed them to live. They will be brought to Nofim. I will visit them and if I hear more I will tell you. But I think to myself...she could just have saved herself and not the old lad

lAST NIGHT

I am sending you two articles so that  you know what is happening on the West Bank. None of this appears in the news only on facebook and other such media. I know David personally. We no longer have hourly news broadcasts as we once did. It is only talk and rehashing. The commentators are beginning to sound like cows chewing the cud.  I think it would do much for morale if we had some semblance of normality.  We know nothing of what is going on in the world unless we turn to CNN, etc. It makes me almost wonder if this is deliberate to keep us "quiet" or in a state of tension. But it is all talk and talk. Now Netanyahu allows his staff to do the talking for him...or at least the staff of his wife. The woman who runs her 'office' , has put out a post that the demonstrators, the media, Ehud Barak are those who   are responsible for the terrible massacre and the war. "Protect the prime minister. Ask facebook to not allow them access"  Also to close down all the tv channels except for 14 which is Israel's Fox. And this announcement shows how Netanyahu is trying to keep only those who support him around.  Walle news reports that at the height of the war the guards of Netanyahu tried to prevent the entrance on Sunday of Galant and his entourage  on their way to him at the Ministry of security. Galant said to them, "If you delay me, I will bring the Golani ( a military brigade)to shove you out of the way."  Galant is the Minister of Defence. Difficult to imagine such a crazy move. I wonder who is advising him. He has not said one word about taking the blame. None of his cronies do. They say when the war ends we will make the accounting. 

This is just a picture from the lunch of yesterday. It is not a picture I would put on facebook because so many are in mourning. Actually we all are, but we were all glad to be together and people sat together more than three hours.  People said it was a relief not to be opposite the tv. It is like monkey nuts, once you start.... 

I will go to the shiva but how can I walk in there and see her pain...and how can I not.

One the frightening articles which appeared today.....I hope it will come out tomorrow in English...is the statement by the Minister of Communications...he is drafting a law by which anyone who who is considered an enemy of state can be exiled from their homes, have all their possessions taken from them, to censor the media.....I hope it will appear tomorrow but it is frightening. I once wrote and said that with a government which has so many fascists in it, we will still have to show if we have the courage to come out and demonstrate. I am already too scared to wear my shirts saying that Leibowitz was right, to look the occupation in the eyes, to say to Netanyahu go when I go on the bus or the train. BUT I am still going. I have friends who already say they are too scared and I cannot blame them.

A friend just said to me that if she had someone who had been kidnapped, she would rather know that the person was dead and I can understand that. Even if they come back....in what state they will be. Please God that I should be wrong. Families are asking that before any attack on Gaza their families should be brought back.  And I agree with them whatever the price afterwards. As it is every time we hear of another infiltration. There is shooting  from Lebanon. I feel as the plan of Hamas was to start with a bang but slowly and then, like the octopus, close in us from all sides.

Smotrich I must say has just said on the tv that he takes responsibility.  The first time that I have ever had respect for him.

Natalie

--

[legendheroes]

Hey Takato, have you ever shown taichi and daisuke digimon adventure and 02?

Takato: I... Don't think that is a good idea... (← Scared of changing the Original Adv-verse future)

Takuya: Relax, it's just anime, how wrong can it be?

Daisuke: Many wrongs tho...

Takuya: What? Are you and Taichi chickens? It's not like it's what happened to you two right?

Taichi: Fine, show us those Digimon Adventure and 02 and we will prove we're NOT scared!

Takato: I still don't think that's a good idea...

Daisuke: Takato, easy. We're witnessed so many things before that an anime version of us cannot ruin anything!!

Takato: You sure?

Taichi: Yup!

Daisuke: Bring it on!

Takato: Ok then, hold up for a second, I will ask the Watchmaker-san to bring my DVD discs.

Taichi and Daisuke spent the entire of the day marathoning this anime version of their lives -- Except Takato avoided the epilogue part immediately. What if I accidentally change the course of the events from their world!? He panicked.

Some Highlights:

Daisuke: Is it true, senpai? That you tried to strip Gabumon?

Taichi: L-Look, it was for a GOOD CAUSE!! 💦

※※※※※※※※※※

Daisuke: Yamato-san asked you to hold his hand tightly so he could run away!? Also those lights!? WHY WERE YOU AND YAMATO-SAN GLOWING!? Is this Spirit Evolution like Takki's!?

Taichi: Wait, what?

Daisuke: Aw, I wish you and Agumon had evolved together.

Takato: Like Biomerge evolution?

Daisuke: Yeah, like, Agumon-Taichi-JOGRESS-EVOLUTION!!

※※※※※※※※※※

Daisuke: Is this how I sound on TV!?

Takato: Yes?

Daisuke: Why do I have a very… seductive voice…??

※※※※※※※※※※

Taichi: You saw a digimon peeing happily.

Daisuke: …

Taichi: You begged it to wash its hands before killing you

Daisuke: I wish this wasn't broadcasted on TV! 💦

In the end they all were too shocked by the fact their whole life was broadcasted on TV in another universe in anime-format. The only good part of it was they managed to see their own stories from a different perspective. This could help them to understand each other and the rest of their own world.

[two-wheeled-therapy]

2022 OVERLAND EXPO EAST

How have I never heard of this wondrous event before?  Fortunately for me I noted the posting about it on advrider forums.  Upon checking it out, I signed up immediately for the full Overland Experience.  I am hooked! 

I loaded Jipci up for the ride down to Arrington, Virginia and pointed her south on Friday morning.  Arriving at the event, check in was a breeze as the staff of ever helpful volunteers showed me where to go.  Once there I knew I needed to set up my camp ASAP so I could get to the first event I had signed up for - The DART Level II rider training.  Once my weekend home was set up, I set off to find the training. 

It had warmed up considerably and was in the high 70′s as Bill Dragoo introduced his staff and started our training. I have about 12,000 miles experience riding dual sport motorcycles, about half of which was on dirt or gravel roads or trails, but I have never taken any training to teach me how to ride on these.  Let me tell you, there is no substitute for professional training.  Bill and his staff introduced each segment of the training and provided demonstrations of how they were supposed to look.  I, on the other hand, provided demonstrations of how they weren’t supposed to look. When seeing several of the obstacles they presented, I thought “there is no way in hell I’ll be able to do that!” My first attempt often reflected this negative mindset. But putting their patient guidance to use, I surprised myself and actually learned a lot, accomplished a lot, and overcame a lot.  I had originally tried to get in to the Level I course but was told it was full.  Bill told us all that regardless of what the scheduling app said, if we wanted to show up for any of his training while there, providing we paid for the full Overland Experience, we were welcome - Just show up with a proper gear and a positive mindset, and he would let you take the training.,

Knowing I needed more training, I toyed with the idea of making the Overland Expo an entire weekend of rider training.  But I had signed up for a lot of other training, and wanted to visit the vendors and get the full experience, so opted to keep my schedule and attend training on moto-camping, cooking, acro yoga and more.  Wait a second . . . did I say acro yoga?  Hell yeah!  And much like some of the obstacles in the DART training, when I first saw what they wanted me to do I thought “there is no way in hell I’ll be able to do that!” And once again my first attempt often reflected this negative mindset. But the patience and professionalism of Sam and Raquel of yogaslackers shone through and I was able to accomplish new things.  .

People.  That is what motorcycling is all about.  Yes we see amazing landscapes and remember them well.  But its the people that make each journey special.  People like Bill Dragoo, Adv Matt, Chef Corso, Sam and Raquel,and my new friends I met while camping, Steve and Rosita who have been living in their Chevy Colorado for months as they explore the country.  There were two people who really stood out to me on this journey.

The first is Dan of Cycle South.  This is the guy that posted the thread about this event on advrider.  He also is a guy who has ridden his little Suzuki throughout South America and has amazing stories to tell.  The other was Adv legend Sam Manicom.  Having heard about Sam Manicom through watching Adventure Bike TV on Amazon Prime, I had read some of his works and knew a bit of him.  So I signed up for two of his sessions.  The first was “Ask Sam anything”.  It was easy to get to this session as it literally was in the same site as the session I had immediately before that. So I wasn’t surprised when at first it was just Sam and me sitting there talking after we introduced ourselves.  But, not having looked at my watch, I didn’t realize that we had spent the first 10 - 15 minutes of the session with just the two of us talking about life and riding.  Sam was just as interested in my rides as I was in his.  Eventually about 4 others showed up and it really felt like a small group of guys sitting around the campfire after a day’s ride.  The only things that were missing was the campfire and the beers.  The second session I had with Sam was more widely attended as it dealt with moto-journalism.  How to get your story published.  Again Sam was just a down to earth guy sharing his knowledge and experience with other like minded individuals.  If you ever get the opportunity to talk with him - don’t pass it up - he has a wealth of knowledge and experience he is willing to share and also wants to learn from your experiences as well.

For the ride to the expo, I packed Jipci for much more than just a weekend.  I packed her for the 30 day Alaskan trip so I could see how she will do, and identify things I need to change.  I definitely need a bigger tent - the one man tent was just too small, and I don’t like my gear being outside, even if it was in a “vestibule”.  I am also thinking of soft bags for the big trip.  They will hold more which will allow me to carry less.  More on the reverse logic in another post. 

So I checked off my first two nights of moto-camping - One of which got damn cold, leaving frost and ice on Jipci.  But I survived.  The training, the experiences, the people made this all a wonderful event.  Oh and the fact that I was the big raffle winner on Friday night was a bonus too - which more than paid for the entire trip.  I came back with a few trinkets from the expo - One was Sam Manicom’s latest book, Moment Collectors, which is a collaborative book with chapters written by several different ADV riders (Dan wrote chapter 17).  I have read 4 chapters so far and it is a great read. Those who know me know I get stickers from places I have gone.  On the SAC Cycle these stickers adorn the inside of my top case.  This experience made me start another new thing - Stickers of people I have met along the way.  Jipci now has Sam Manicom and Cycle South stickers on her. These stickers evoke memories of great experiences as much as any “destination” sticker can. 

If you’ve never been to an Overland Expo - Go.If you have been - Go again!  I most definitely will be back.

[blazehedgehog]

As an Internet veteran and draw-person, I really need to ask: what anime influenced you and many online artists circa 2000s? There's a specific style from those early 2000s webcomics and fanart I'm looking for and trying to replicate, and your old art fit in that "style", in my opinion. Thank you!

It’s hard to narrow it down, but it’s also not that hard to narrow it down. Anime was a much, much smaller industry back then. The “boom” was just beginning thanks to efforts by the Scifi Channel and Cartoon Network to bring anime to television in timeslots that people would actually watch.

So here’s your crash course in casual anime history, I guess, from someone who definitely isn’t like... obsessed with anime. Or isn’t anymore, but was back then.

For me, it all kind of started with, like... Dragon Ball, and this was a show that struggled to gain any traction at first. Where I lived, it aired at 5am on Sunday mornings. If you knew a kid that watched Dragon Ball, there was a solidarity there like, “Yup, you get it.”

Then DiC got the license to Sailor Moon and started airing it in the weekday morning slot I would typically describe as “right before you catch the bus.” You’d wake up around 6am, maybe 6:15, and watch whatever was on at 6:30 while you ate breakfast. As the credits were rolling, you’d head out to catch the school bus. Sailor Moon was what I remember doing that with the most. That combined with Dragon Ball formed my foundational interest in anime.

Around this time (1995, 1996) you were starting to see anime start to seep in to the mainstream elsewhere. There was a commercial I remember for, like, an anthology of anime classics like Akira...

And, y’know, when you’re like, 14 or 15 and you see a commercial like this -- cartoons! With blood! And nudity! It’s like, holy crap. Most of the classics we know today (Akira, Ghost in the Shell) were only really available via mail order like this back then.

More shows started getting localized for TV, too, like Ronin Warriors was one a lot of my friends got in to. It was considered “The Manly Sailor Moon.” And then there was, of course, Samurai Pizza Cats. Eventually Saban stopped dubbing Dragon Ball altogether and moved straight over to Dragon Ball Z, and that gained enough popularity that I think it eventually shook it out of its Sunday Morning time slot to somewhere a little more visible by general audiences.

Coming in to 1997 and 1998, anime was really starting to gain some momentum. The Scifi Channel had begin doing their “Saturday Anime” show, which aired at 3am every Friday Night/Saturday Morning. They probably figured it was one of the only ways they could get away with showing violent cartoons.

For me, this was where I got my first “real” taste of anime. They had a stable of about 5 or 10 movies and OVAs they’d run. Venus Wars, Vampire Hunter D, Project A-KO, Robot Carnival, Tenchi Muyo In Love (my favorite), Project L.I.L.Y. Cat, Beautiful Dreamer, Galaxy Express 999, Fatal Fury The Motion Picture, Record of Lodoss War, Dominion Tank Police, Roujin-Z, Demon City Shinjiku, Gall Force...

That felt like the bandaid got ripped off. Suddenly we were all buzzing about anime. Hey, have you heard about this movie called Ninja Scroll? There’s hardcore sex in it! No American movie, live action or not, could ever match the body horror of Akira! Hey, does anyone remember Robotech from the 80′s? That was actually anime, too! Wow!

Cartoon Network was smart enough to take notice and snatched up the rights to air Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball Z at reasonable, non-morning hours, and they dug out Voltron and put together a simple block of anime. I don’t even think it necessarily had a name, it was just an hour or maybe 90 minutes of anime a day, and it exploded. Right place, right time. So Cartoon Network expanded.

They added more classic anime, and some shows that were similar in tone, and called it Toonami. Robotech, Ronin Warriors, The Real Adventures of Johnny Quest, Reboot, Thundercats...

And this became the place to watch anime. Which is when we enter the era you’re asking about, the early 2000′s. This is where it starts to feel like a little too much to cover, because it came hot, heavy, and fast. There was a thirst for anime that was hard to quench because production companies were small and choosy about what they’d dub, but at the same time, a sort of gold rush was starting.

When I think of peak, classic-era Toonami, the stuff that really influenced me artistically, it was shows like Outlaw Star, Ruroni Kenshi, and Gundam Wing. I’m sure I’d also have friends speak highly of Big-O, G-Gundam, and Yu Yu Hakusho, three shows I never really got in to.

Eventually, Cartoon Network (and Williams Street, then called Ghost Planet Industries) began to realize that there was a growing library of anime they couldn’t show in the afternoon because it was too intense for the kids. There was also an undoubtedly vocal contingent of anime fans who were frustrated when their favorite shows had to be edited for broadcast. This gave birth to Toonami: The Midnight Run, the precursor to what would eventually become Adult Swim. The Midnight Run became home to uncut (or simply less-cut) episodes of afternoon shows that restored blood, alcoholic references, and the few cases of more extreme violence.

Midnight Run started getting exclusive shows, too. When I think about what Midnight Run (and later Adult Swim) was known for, it was shows like Cowboy Bebop, FLCL, and again, though it wasn’t really something I saw a ton of, Paranoia Agent.

Other networks did try to cash in on the anime craze. I think Tech TV/G4 tried to get in on things with Serial Experiments Lain and a few other shows, but to be honest, it never hit as hard as Toonami did. Then there was obviously the work of guys like 4KIDS, with the Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh and Digimon shows on Saturday Morning, but those felt noticeably different in vibe and in tone (something that only got more pronounced when Kids WB started a Saturday Morning Toonami block that was even more aggressively sanitized than what could be shown on Cartoon Network).

Beyond broadcast TV, the stuff I remember being popular among my circle of friends were things like Tenchi Universe, Ranma 1/2, Slayers, Saber Marionette, and.... like, Di Gi Charat and Chobits? This was probably right around the era of Azumanga Daioh, too.

Unfortunately, much past 2003 or 2004 is where I started falling off of anime. The feeling of it being “new” and “special” was starting to wear off, and there was enough coming out that the standard of quality was beginning to drop. Whereas small studios like ADV and Manga Corps. could only afford to bring out the best of the best, we were starting to get junk like Duel Masters, Rozen Maiden and Tenchi Muyo GXP.

I remember friends speaking highly of shows like Bleach (heh), .hack, Full Metal Panic, Midori Days, Tenjo Tenge, Yakitate Japan, Eureka Seven, and Air Gear, but I can’t tell you anything about them, personally.

Either way, I’m sure I’ve given you more than enough to chew on.

[medea10]

My Review of Trigun

How did I get into this anime? Let’s just say this was one of those animes that used to air on Saturday nights back in the day that I would every now and then come across while waiting for either Full Metal Alchemist, InuYasha, or Cowboy Bebop to air. But I never did watch a full episode or know a damn thing about this anime. So I’m just jumping into this anime blindfolded. All I know is that this was Johnny Yong Bosch’s first anime role.

Who is Vash the Stampede?

A frequent question that comes up throughout the series! Rumor has it that he wears a long, red trench coat and sports a Mohawk hairstyle. Some say he’s a notorious lecher. Many recount him shooting up their villages to a pile of rubble just for the heck of it. He has quite the reputation as he has a $$60,000,000,000 bounty on his head and is often known as the “Humanoid Typhoon”.

In reality, Vash the Stampede is…a bit of a dingus. He just happens to be at the wrong place at the wrong time and things kinda get out of hand. But that doesn’t stop two insurance agents (Milly Thompson and Meryl Stryfe) from following him around to confirm Vash’s identity and keep his actions to a minimum. At first, it’s hard to tell if he’s a stupid-genius or just flighty and gets lucky one too many times. But when shit goes down, don’t be surprised when you see this doofus get serious.

BETWEEN THE SUB AND THE DUB: Okay, what sad company did this use to belong to, Geneon, Bandai, or ADV Films? Oh, Geneon! That means good voice actors from L.A. put in really shitty roles. On the contrary, this was a fairly decent English dub. And on a severely positive note, this was indeed Johnny Yong Bosch’s very first anime role (and a main role at that). This was like fresh off his time as a Power Ranger! And I gotta give props for giving this guy a chance at voice acting. This role was the launching point to what has been a very successful career for Bosch. As for the sub, let’s just say I’m happy any time I get to hear Hiromi Tsuru in something besides Dragon Ball. Here’s what you might recognize these folks from.

JAPANESE CAST: *Vash is played by Masaya Onosaka (known for Bill on Pokemon, Isaac on Baccano, Jadeite on Sailor Moon, Kero on Cardcaptor Sakura, Leeron on Gurren Lagann, France on Hetalia, and Spandam on One Piece)

*Meryl is played by Hiromi Tsuru (known for Bulma on DBZ, Ukyo on Ranma ½, Yubel on YGO GX, and Mika on Gravitation) [R.I.P.]

*Milly is played by Satsuki Yukino (known for Kagome on InuYasha, Mion/Shion on Higurashi, Tae on Gintama, Amakata on Free!, Hiiragi on Natsume Yuujinchou, Mutsumi on Love Hina, and Yoruichi on Bleach)

ENGLISH CAST: *Vash is played by Johnny Yong Bosch (known for Ichigo on Bleach, Lelouch on Code Geass, Makoto on Free!, Izaya on Durarara, Artemis on Sailor Moon redub, Koizumi on Haruhi Suzumiya, and Yukio on Blue Exorcist)

*Meryl is played by Dorothy Elias-Fahn (known for Kaoru on Rurouni Kenshin, Naru on Love Hina, Tomoe on Rozen Maiden, Hakuei on Magi, Houki on Fushigi Yugi, and Amane on Tenchi Muyo GXP)

*Milly is played by Lia Sargent (known for Dorothy on The Big O and Judy on Cowboy Bebop)

FAVORITE CHARACTER: Milly! I don’t need a reason, it’s Milly!

SHIPPING: I didn’t really start thinking about shipping until more than halfway into this series. I thought there might be something between Vash and Meryl, but then again maybe not! Then I saw the backstory of Vash’s “younger days” and falling for the one woman who showed him compassion.

Yes, this is the same woman we consistently see in Vash’s flashbacks, Rem. Ooh boy, it’s one of those stories! So yeah, never mind my thinking with Vash x Meryl ever happening. I feel like Vash will mourn Rem’s death for a long time that I don’t think the whole thing with Meryl will ever work.

And as for Wolfwood x Milly…

FUUUUUUUCK! WHY DID YOU RUIN THIS CUTE COUPLE?!

MILLY WAS HEART-BROKEN!

…At least she got to have one night of passion with Wolfy-boy before the unthinkable happened.

THAT DARN CAT: If you watched this series, you might have noticed a little black cat spotted in nearly every episode. It’s there in the opening theme. It’s there in random places throughout the series. It’s there in the ending theme. What’s up with this cat? Well, there are a lot of theories surrounding this particular cat (or Kuroneko). Some say it’s really Rem inside that cat since you see it in literally every episode around Vash. Others say it’s because the creator of Trigun wanted to just mess with your minds with the kitty walking around in random places and towns. Seriously, it will always appear in every new town Vash and the gang comes across! As an avid cat enthusiast, I’m fine with whatever the result. Just as long as no harm comes to the little Kuroneko.

HALFWAY POINT: Halfway into the series we notice something more when it comes to Mr. Vash the Stampede. First of all, those horrifying scars all over his body! Second, that mysterious girl he often thinks about. I mean, we see flashes of her in the opening sequence. And third, the reason why he never kills. Vash has the ability of causing so much damage when pushed to a breaking point. One of the many reasons why he’s known as the “humanoid typhoon”! And that was perfectly shown when Vash chases the residents out of a town (so there would be no casualties), totally demolished the town during a fight, and made an indent on the moon!

But the story takes a sharp-left turn into WTF territory when we learn about WHAT exactly Vash is. Vash is a plant. Vash also has a brother named Knives. And while Vash has a mentality that all beings have a right to live, Knives has a “kill them all and let God sort them out” point of view. Now the existence of Vash and Knives came with a lot of controversy, especially in the ship that they were on. But that girl who Vash cares for, Rem cared for them regardless of what they were. Rem had high hopes for a peaceful world with coexistence. Too bad Knives had other motives and killed her.

ENDING TO TV SERIES: Vash has tried so hard to keep Milly, Meryl, and Wolfwood out of harm’s way. He knows there are some pretty bad people after him, including his polar-opposite brother, Knives. Vash hates death and wants to save as many people as humanly possible. He doesn’t want to see any more needless death. Probably from his flashbacks and losing Rem! Unfortunately, this doesn’t go so well.

I can see how iconic this death was now after witnessing it. Wolfwood, the priest who would hook up with Vash every now and then when they’re up against some ruffians, now finds himself in a crucial decision. He gets orders that he must eliminate Vash. And Wolfwood ends up dying instead in a very dramatic death scene. God-damn! And just that scene where Milly is sobbing freakin’ eats you up inside.

At least she had one night of passion before the unfortunate happened!

Vash hates the thought of having to kill anyone. But he might not have a choice if Knives is coming after him and even hires a powerful foe from a previous episode and the guy that killed Wolfwood to take you out. Once Vash met up with Knives, he winds up having some pretty sick flashbacks of Knives. But our homeboy was able to take out Knives, the desert area gets water, and…

I’m gonna have to read the fucking manga for more, right?

Tap dancing fuck!

BADLANDS RUMBLE: 12 years after the series ended, Japan decides to release a side-story in the form of a movie, bringing back our favorite characters like Vash, Wolfwood, Milly, and Meryl. And yes, reuniting the cast…in Japan.

By 2010, Geneon was as good as dead and FUNimation licensed Trigun. In short, they managed to get Johnny Young Bosch to reprise his role as Vash the Stampede. But everyone else was replaced. And surprisingly, the people they got to do Wolfwood and Milly were pretty freakin’ close to their original voices. Meryl’s voice, come on I know Luci Christian any-damn-where! Vash helps a young lady take out a big-bad guy (who turns out to be his father). And it has the feel of the original series where it’s set in a western town with lots of booze and shoot-em-ups! It’s an interesting side-story to the Trigun trilogy.

Trigun was a pretty good anime. I mean, not one of my favorites, but I can definitely see a lot of people sticking by this classic. Maybe you can chalk up my blah attitude to the fact that I’m not fond of westerns and I kinda took it out on Trigun. Or the fact that there was so much more that the anime could have covered before the end and the ending kinda felt off to me! Like I thought I was expecting more. But I suppose that’s what mangas are for. To be honest, the stories that really grabbed my attention were the back-stories with Vash and Knives and Wolfwood’s final episode.

*sniffles* At least Milly got one night of passion before he died!

If you would like to check out Trigun, all the episodes are available through FUNimation and Hulu (in both Japanese and English). And if you really like the anime, why not purchase the hard copies? Both the series and movie are available for home video.

Okay, that took me a while, but I’m glad to finish Trigun. What’s next on the FUNimation list?

EEHHHHHEEEHHHE

Fuck is that supposed to mean? What is that? Is that even in English?

YOU WILL BE HORRIBLY MUTILATED: The Isekai

Do you mean Re:Zero? That’s great…but that review’s not ready yet. And it probably won’t be until after April 2021! So let’s cast caution to the wind and pick another FUNimation licensed anime.

You’re watching Sarazanmai next. It’s best if you don’t ask questions.

Sarazanmai? The fuck does that even mean?!

OH. MY. GOD.

[periodicreviews]

Some key differences between Netflix’s and ADV’s release of Neon Genesis Evangelion

Last night I watched 5 episodes (1,2,8,23,24) of Evangelion on Netflix with the new English dub. As someone who has seen the entire series at least 10 times with the original ADV dub, the small incremental changes build up enough to discourage me from watching the rest of the episodes.

I realize that currently everyone is hating on the new dub but I felt like I needed to write something as a way to organize my thoughts and pin down exactly what bothers me about it. I don’t blame the voice actors, who do just fine with what they’re given in the script. I dealt with the cast changes before between TV to End of Evangleion to the new Rebuild movies. Some worked for me and some didn’t.

But at the same time, I’m very attached to that original cast and the emotional response I had to their performances. So I’ve tried to focus on things besides line delivery or how well I think a new voice matches my idea of a character.

I understand as well the difficulty in not just translating Japanese, but adapting a show as difficult as Evangelion. But in some cases, the changes to the script affect how a joke plays or break the viewer’s (or at least my) immersion.

“Big boy”

In episode 1 and 8, the word “big boy” is used and it seems like a strange word choice. In episode 1, after Shinji breathes in LCL for the first time, here are the lines:

Netflix English subtitles:

Shinji: This is so gross

Misato: Deal with it! You’re a big boy!

Netflix English audio:

Shinji: This is so gross

Misato: Just deal with it! Come on, be a big boy!

ADV Platinum DVD audio:

Shinji: “I’m gonna be sick”

Misato: “Stop complaining! You’re a boy you know?!”

 Just for reference, the Japanese word used here according to the Netflix Japanese subtitles is 男の子 (Otoko no ko). jisho.org defines this as boy; male child; baby boy​.

To be honest, until I looked it up, I remembered this line being “You’re a man, aren’t you?” in the original dub. They may say that at some other point in the show. But I think there’s still room for criticism even if the difference is just “boy” vs “big boy”.

When I hear “big boy”, it seems like something that would be directed at someone much younger than Shinji at 14 years old. It’s the kind of phrase you typically hear, contrasted with the word “baby”. Like if a 6 year old boy was crying and their mother is trying to get them to stop, saying “You’re not a baby anymore, you’re a big boy, so you need to stop.” The word “big” implies there is a “little” version of boy that you don’t want to be associated with and in my mind that “little boy” is a baby. “Big boy pants” can also be used to imply a male who has recently moved beyond diapers to regular underwear.

“Boy” just by itself lets you focus more on that Misato is implying he’s whining like a girl.

Personally, I find the dilemma between behavior that is associated with boy vs girls a lot more interesting than just Shinji being scolded because he’s acting too young. Of course, as I say that, I hear Gendo’s line from the Rebuild movies “Shinji, you need to grow up.” So the two aren’t mutually exclusive. But there’s still a lot in Evangelion that focuses on gender roles and characters that don’t necessarily fit into one spot easily.

Even if “big boy” is a more accurate translation, I think it would’ve made more sense to English speakers or at least Americans if they had just used “boy” in that particular situation.

 Kaji and Shinji

After watching episode 1 and 2, I skipped to episode 8 Asuka Strikes. A little into the episode, there’s a scene with Misato, Kaji, Shinji, and everyone else at a table. Kaji tries to play footsie under the table with Misato but is rebuffed. Kaji then turns to Shinji and asks how Shinji likes living with Misato.

Netflix English subtitles:

Kaji: She used to flop around in her sleep. She still do that?

Netflix English audio:

Kaji: Does she still make a fool of herself, when she’s sleeping?

ADV Platinum DVD audio:

Kaji: “Tell me something, is she still so, wild in bed?”

ADV Platinum Subtitle:

Kaji: So, does she still toss and turn in bed?

 Given that the subtitles from Netflix and ADV match up, it appears that this would be the more “accurate” way of saying this line. The way those are written, the joke is still implied that Shinji and Misato are sleeping together and having sex, but it’s somewhat subtle.

The Netflix English audio comes out not as clear and leads to everyone’s dramatic “WHATTTT??!!” after Kaji’s line becoming slightly confusing. This first time I heard it, I didn’t really get what Kaji was saying. There’s just something about the delivery or that pause where the comma is throws it off just enough. The phrase “make a fool of herself” also isn’t something I hear often or ever when referring to sleeping.

I can definitely understand Netflix not wanting to change this line as much as ADV did.

However, I think this deadpan line followed by the huge reaction from the others in the room works best when you take it to the extreme like the ADV audio. The shock from the others is driven not just from Kaji’s implication, but how overt he is with it.

 Other little things

On Screen Text

One of the first things I noticed is that the English subtitles do not translate all text that appears on screen. In 2019, it’s unfortunately rare that you get everything translated like you did with the ADV release of Evangelion. Misato’s letter to Shinji, the bottle of toothpicks hiding Shinji’s penis, and even the Japanese episode titles go untranslated. There are a few that appear like Shinji’s transfer application and Gendo’s “COME” on the letter to Shinji. So it’s hard to tell if this was a stylistic choice or just coming down to lines per dollar it would cost.

Fly Me To The Moon

I know everyone else has already complained about this, but I haven’t seen a lot of why it’s important. Obviously there’s the connection between Rei and the moon and because it’s part of the original work of art. But more than that, it’s that extra unique twist to differentiate it from other anime. You watch the cliffhanger in Episode 1 and it just ends with a song most people associate with Frank Sinatra.

I don’t remember how I felt when I first heard it, but I do remember how I felt when I heard “Roundabout” by Yes in Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. The contrast really caught my attention and got my mind thinking, “Wow they are really using this song right now. I’m more curious about where this show is going to lead.” In part, that reaction was probably driven by my mind first connecting it to Evangelion’s ending.

This time around, maybe people would’ve associated it with Jojo and it might’ve kept a few more people watching. In the end, those few extra viewers clearly weren’t worth it to Netflix especially when the next episode is triggered right as the credits role.

Lines that cut off

I don’t remember exactly where in the episodes these lines are. But there were several times where a line someone was saying would abruptly end. I think one time was when Shinji said “K”, as in like “Okay”, but it sounded like the audio had been cut too closely and didn’t fade out like it naturally would as someone was saying it.

Pronunciations

The way characters pronounce things has changed dramatically in some cases. It’s hard to tell if this is directing or actors saying it this way. Given its consistency, it seems more like how they were directed. SEELE, usually say-lay in ADV is now Zee-la for Netflix. Fuyutsuki’s name is weirdly broken up as Fu-Yu-Tsuki, with more of a pause between fu, yu, and tsuki, which makes it feel less like one word that flows. I can live with all that, but I really can’t stand Lance of Longinus.

In ADV, it was typically, lon-juh-nus. In Netflix, it’s lon-jai-nus. If I’m reading the pronunciation correctly from Wikipedia, Netflix is saying the word correctly in English, while the ADV pronunciation is closer to the Japanese pronunciation. The problem is I couldn’t stop thinking about how much it sounded like vagina, which sounds like more of a personal problem.

Longinus /ˌlɒnˈdʒaɪnəs/

Vagina /vəˈdʒaɪnə/

  At the end of the day, I think it’s great that more people have access to Evangelion. I hope that people enjoy it as much as I have and can get something out of it. But at the same time, I feel like Netflix aiming for more of a middle ground approach, in terms of script and emotional intensity, might cause the show to stick out less than it could’ve.

Sure the content is all the same, but it doesn’t feel like it flows as well. People get mad when you don’t match the Japanese exactly. But if you try to match it exactly, it can become unintelligible to English speakers. So maybe this was always a no win scenario.

I hate to come off as one of those butt-hurt fans who hates anything new and only wants more of the same. Personally, I enjoy the new path that the Rebuild movies are taking. I don’t think the original show needs to be remade like Sailor Moon Crystal. It’s only because of that deep connection with the original dub that I’m worried people watching the new dub won’t connect as deeply with the show.

From now on there will always be that question when I ask someone if they’ve seen Evangelion. They will more than likely say “Yes I saw it on Netflix.” Then if they say “it was okay,” I’ll always be thinking, “Would they have liked it more with the ADV dub?”

[sayaka19fan]

An old fanfic from five years ago

I am not a prolific writer but today I was reminded of that summer when I signed up on fanfiction.net to submit my only fanfic in english. Maybe sharing it on tumblr too isn’t bad after all.

Fandom: Rurouni Kenshin

Disclaimer: Watsuki-sensei (along with Sony, Viz, Shonen Jump, Shueisha, Media Blasters ADV and Fuji TV etc…) owns Kenshin/Shinta. I’m just borrowing, not profiting.

A/N: Shinta’s family: Oldest brother, Sotohiro - 15, Middle brother, Benjiro - 12, Shinta – 9.

beta reader: wynteralchemyst

To everyone: enjoy! English is not my native language so, please, go easy on me!

Prevention

1858

He went to the window and peered out. No shoji were sliding out before he could. It was just a gap in the wooden hut where his mother has been cooking until a moment ago. It was meant to clear the steam away the room, the plugged pipe got broken, then removed last week, thus allowing Shinta to pry his big brothers through. His mother had allowed him not to hang around nor to help out in the fields, even a hollow rise up to a window rank in those conditions. In his loose hand-me-downs, Shinta looked smaller than he was. Perhaps his parents chose his name wishing he could grow big, but somehow they changed their minds in the process and changed his first kanji from “lengthen/develop” into “heart/soul” as well, betting on his kindness, leaving the “large” one unvaried. Besides there wasn’t much hope for him to fulfill such an achievement since he had to skip meals more often than he should In the past years the famine had spared no one, but his family managed to survive nevertheless.

Shinta squinted off in the distance, watching his older brothers , their back to the poppy red sun as they returned from the fields. Benjiro was holding his circular straw hat like it was a cradle, while Sotohiro quickened his pace, still addressing his brother. Shinta listened to his brothers’ words carefully, hoping for clues concerning their father’s whereabouts. He couldn’t bear the secretive looks they gave him whenever he asked, and part of him suspected they only talked about it outside his presence. To Shinta’s disappointment, a stream of complaints about the weather was the only thing he could catch before jerking.

“What do you think you’re doing, Shinta?” his mother hissed behind him.

“Okaasan! Etto…”

“Hurry up!”

He was told to set the table while she was carrying out an inspection of the supplies. There were so few of them that it didn’t take her long to make sure everything was in its proper place.

“Tadaima!” a boyish voice rang like bells in unison.

“Okaeri” replied their mother.

“A mole attacked the daikon again and this is the result” Benjiro said, proudly showing her a mass of blood and bristles in the hollow of his hat.

The woman looked away in disgust. Benjiro felt Shinta’s attention and unexpectedly approached him and dangled the carcass close to his nose.

“Shouldn’t we taste its meat, Shin-chan?”

He expected Shinta’s eyes to widen in shock at the proposal, but they blazed with fury instead. Benjiro drew back his prey just in time, and Shinta barely missed grabbing the mole.

“Maa, maa”

It was Sotohiro’s voice this time. Reluctantly Benjiro handed over the dead mole to his elder brother. He didn’t never get used to the fact that his brother was in charge in their father’s absence. He sighed and knelt at his place at the table.

“Let’s bury it, Shinta, before the sunset!” Sotohiro said softly.

Shinta made a dart for the door and followed Sotohiro outside before their mother could ever raise an eyebrow. Shinta’s ponytail brushed against Benjiro’s eyes in passing far before his elder brother realized.

“Then, there’ll be more soup for me"Benjiro said shrugging and he helped himself.

"Itadakimasu!” ‘he said, clasping his hands together.

The table was set, other dishes apart from Benjiro’s were empty but he didn’t care about it. Before Benjiro could begin eating, the ladle dipped into his bowl again and transferred some of the soup to Shinta’s bowl. He lift his look slowly like hoping the ladle were stirring by itself, then he was taken back to reality: he saw his mother’s face smirking at him.

“Eat slowly, son”

Benjiro waited for his mother to accuse him of being selfish, but it never came. Instead of feeling elated, guilt and displeasure settled at the base of his stomach.

“She pitied me”

“Eating slowly won’t solve the problem”

Those few words of his mother and the shapeless substance floating, or better drowning, in that dishwater, like shrunken wool would in hot water, were too much. He lost his good mood as he couldn’t lose his appetite.

“Where’s Otou-san?” Shinta asked.

The words fluttered out of his mouth, the unwilling teeth couldn’t trap them. The twitter of a lark was soften in the air while dark shadows were lengthened over them. In the twilight Shinta’s bangs hid what could have been seen of his eyes. Sotohiro was stamping on the ground, playing for time. Only when the silence had fallen did he speak:

“Rest in peace” Sotohiro murmured to the mole, a fitting end to the mole’s life.

“If I tell you, you must promise me that you’ll pretend not to know a thing, all right?” Sotohiro said gently but with no room for bargaining.

Shinta nodded.

“Rumor said that beyond the mountains, an undetected disease decimated the population. Our daimyo ordered to each village committee to gather at Sumi-e camp. Doctors were supposed to give the instructions against the infection and so on. Otou-san should have been back by now” Sotohiro came closer to his little brother, his lips lightly curled “You care too much about everyone, bro, even a mole. This is why okaasan won’t tell you stuff’ unless it comes to the worst and…

"But I don’t!” Shinta cut in.

“You do. The moles destroyed our crops! Benjiro was just joking, but you still…”

“But dead moles do no harm! There’s no use in…"the child was at a loss for words and obviously heating, his stance was trunk-like still but the trembling lips betrayed him "… no use at all.” he uttered the last two words resolutely.

Sotohiro sought for an answer but it was difficult and blamed the darkness. At least, he admitted, it made sense after all. He cast an inquiring look toward Shinta. He reminded to himself.

“I am the elder one. Should I prevent him from crying?”

He was wondering if that eventuality was coming. He asked to turn his little brother away from his deepening thoughts:

“Otousan will come back in no time. Do you agree?”

“Hai!”

Shinta answered aloud.

“That’s the spirit! Let’s come in, it’s raining.”

When some drops hit his cheeks, Shinta felt as his brother’s words concealed some power in them - so that even his father’s return sounded certain.

Shinta heard the thump early in the morning and thought of an earthquake tremor at first. He turned over, hoping to fall back asleep, but then some snips followed and when it continued he frowned and sprang to his feet only to find his middle brother grinning back at him.

“Okaasan is up to some measures of prevention, I guess.”

That explained things, but it was more a riddle than an enlightening sentence. While his mother’s fussy activities were going on not far away Shinta ruminated on those words: they tasted bad. He thought back to his recent memories.

Since the conversation she had had with the oba-san, she had been acting strangely, eying Shinta’s face while pulling up his chin and nodding, or praising his hair out of the blue, or calling kokori daemons names in an almost imperceptible whisper. Just a couple of days ago, the oba-san burst into the hut with news late in the evening, when Shinta was already asleep. Sotohiro made it short: he wasn’t certain their mother would approve of him sharing such information and said, when she wasn’t around, that kokori daemons were responsible for the disease. They envied the strength of human men and were pleased to send as many people as they could to the other world. Unfortunately Sotohiro joined the conversation much too late and he didn’t hear about their father, nor he could ask their mother, who had been busy like a swallow building its nest since then.

What Sotohiro was doing out of bed that late was another mystery to the child, but he couldn’t know that it wasn’t worth investigating. He heard the embarrassment in Sotohiro’s voice as he said he was watering, but he couldn’t read through it. Shinta thought that he lied, older people would had simply smiled.

“It seems you’ll be allowed outside the same moment they’re ready.” Benjiro added.

Shinta sighed. Instinct told him that he won’t like his mother’s point of view about prevention. But when it came to that moment, curiosity won easily and he rushed into his mother. She went ahead of him and threw him a yellowish bundle.

“Wear it, quick.” she said kindly as it landed on his knees.

He unfolded that piece of fabric, still kneeling on the floor.

“Ori?”

“Not ori, my child, but o-ro.” she intimated articulating properly.

“O-ro?” he echoed unsure.

“This will fool the kokori daemons for good!”

She cried out with satisfaction for the way it sounded. There were tears at the corner of her eyes and, overwhelmed by the emotions, she hugged him. Then she helped him untie his ponytail and brushed his glittering hair. Shinta hoped that she wouldn’t start whistling a tune.

“Let’s see…for the time being your name is …”

A bit later a child was walking down the hill, the scurry of tiny chalky feet in their waraji barely audible, a bucket in the hand, an indigo ribbon on the hair suddenly whipped by a gust of wind. At the bottom of that dusty twisty path someone else wiped the sweat from her forehead in need for distraction.

“Anata!”

“What?”

“I didn’t know the neighbors have a daughter. Did you?”

“Nope.” the man answered, showing no interest.

“And a pretty one, I dare say."she pondered. – Look! –

She prodded her husband in watching as it was clear he wouldn’t turn his back.

"Couldn’t she be a perfect match for our elder son?"she asked.

"Uhmm…”

Likely the woman found that answer revealing enough because she smirked. Under his heart Shinta wished he couldn’t had heard them. Disguising him like a girl was his mother’s plan against the daemons, but he doubted it would work. He would rather think they could spare him as a reward for making them split their sides with laughter. Definitely he hated his mother’s point of view about prevention.

- OWARI -

[englishstorytelling]

Katie’s Life

B2 LEVEL 

divorce n., v./ dominant adj./ donation n./ dot n./ downtown n., adj., adv./ dramatically adv./ drought n./ dull adj./ dump v./ duration n./ dynamic adj./ economics n.

Source:  Oxford University Press 

   Katie’s mother was the most dominant member of the family. That was the real reason why his father used to feel a bit nervous from time to time. She was almost a pro to control everything that would affect Katie as much as his father. That’s how they started to argue about almost every single thing. 

   Things started to be bothering for every member of the family. Her parents were aware of the fact that an urgent decision should have been made by now. There was no need to wait for the problems to be solved on their own. Because that was not possible after all. So, Katie’s mother; Elizabeth called his father one evening while he was sitting on the sofa and relaxing after a very busy day. She said, “I need to talk to you because I will be going to my mom’s house at this time tomorrow. I can’t take it anymore. Otherwise, it really would be so hard for both of us to maintain this relationship. I have done everything I could do so far. And I don’t think that there is anything left to say except the problems growing more and more each day.” Her father couldn’t know what to say. He didn’t seem so surprised like he was expecting this conversation for so long. He had to accept the fact that it was time to divorce and he made no discussion about it. Because he had already known that it was the best solution for their problems to come to an end. Elizabeth who had heard these words from his mouth didn’t seem surprised either. 

   There had never been dynamic energy between them. And since the day they got married, the problems had begun dramatically. Their marriage had been a real nightmare, but still, they had a sweet baby girl. When Katie was born, the problems started to reduce. Katie changed the situation in the family in a positive way, but still, it was not enough. There had been some other issues that affected their marriage such as the economics in the country. Katie’s father was almost losing his job. It was not so difficult to understand for Elizabeth that the things happening were going so badly by looking at his dull face every single evening when he came home from work. 

   This situation also began to affect Katie’s health. She wasn’t feeling good for some time, but deep down she had a belief that everything would be just fine one day after all the bad experiences she had been through for quite some time. It didn’t happen exactly the way she wanted in the end, but at least she started to feel fine and didn’t care much. After Katie’s parents had divorced, the only thing bothering her was that she had to the one who had to dump the trash every day. Because it was her father’s errand. 

   Inside of the house was quite calm and she saw her mother smiling for the first time after many years. Elizabeth and Katie finally found a way to spend time together. They used to go downtown often when Katie was a child. They regained their old habits and both of them were feeling so happy together. There had been a duration when they didn’t share many things before. There was a dark bridge which made them a bit far away from each other more and more each day, but the divorce changed everything in their lives positively. And, they gained a different perspective on life. 

   Dark sides have a silver lining, the only thing they had to do was realizing it no matter how hard it was. Sometimes, it was really difficult to manage it though. When they were in a hopeless situation, they just couldn’t see the positive things happening around them. 

   A couple of days passed, Katie and Elizabeth sat in front of the tv to watch the news. The presenter was talking about the drought in the country. They felt a bit hopeless at that moment, but they were quite sure that it would be over soon. They tried to think positively as they used to do when they were spending time together. 

   An idea suddenly came to Elizabeth’s mind. She decided to make some positive changes in other people’s lives. She always believed in karma; the idea that everything goes around comes around. So, if she touches people’s lives to make them better, it could affect her daughter and her life as well. Hence, she made a huge donation for a charity where is located close to their house. And since the day she made a real attempt to turn into their lives a whole different direction, she could easily feel the positive energy starting to appear in their lives.

    For the weekend, Elizabeth made a plan to visit some museums with her daughter. It was time for a long and enjoyable road trip! Katie wore a beautiful blue dress with white dots on it. They spent a great time and felt all the joy and happiness deeply. Mother and daughter time was the most luxurious thing for them. It was time to move on and begin a whole new journey together... (871 words)

[medea10]

My Review of Dirty Pair

Now that I think about it…if you look at Dawn and Zoey from Diamond & Pearl…they could pull this off. I’m starting to have some questions for Pokemon’s animators in the mid-2000s. Next factor is that every time I attended Kraken Con in Oakland, they would usually play the first 4 episodes of this anime. And I would catch a few minutes or a random episode (most of the time it was episode 3). And finally, it’s an anime that came out in the 1980s. Let’s face it, what other anime have I watched came out before 1986 that’s not named Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball, or Ranma ½? Thought so! If you're in big trouble, call the World Welfare Work Association or 3WA. They will send out a team of highly trained capable agents (also known as Trouble Consultants) who can solve your problems. But if the team they send you is the infamously named Dirty Pair, there will be a lot of collateral damage aside from solving your problems. The Dirty Pair (or Lovely Angels as the girls would like to be refered to) consists of Kei and Yuri, two ladies who are well equipped to help whoever, wherever, and whenever…for the right price. Win these ladies over with handsome men, bonuses, and luxurious items and they’ll help you with whatever the problem is. BETWEEN THE SUB AND THE DUB: I do face the same kind of dilemma watching this as I did with Rose of Versailles because I’m going to experience hearing people I’ve never really listened to until now (with the exception of Yuri’s seiyuu because she was in a lot of the Rumiko Takahashi animes I’ve watched). Licensing wise, last checked, Nozomi Entertainment has all the Dirty Pair animes (including the TV series, specials, OVA series, the spin-off series, and the movie). And if memory serves, I believe ADV once had claims over some if not all of this series. However, not everything got a dub. Pretty much, everything except for the original TV series got a dub. I got a chance to listen to the English dub and thought it was okay for the most part. It’s not ear-gratingly horrifying if that’s what you want me to say. With the dub, I noticed Yuri’s voice was different in some specials and I do have a theory on that. Apparently Jessica Calvello voiced Yuri during the OVA series, while Allison Sumrall did the specials and movies. My guess for that was when they were dubbing this, it was around that time when Calvello blew out her vocal chords…Yeah, that happened. But no complaints from me here either! Here’s what you might recognize these folks from. JAPANESE CAST: *Kei is played by Kyouko Tonguu *Yuri is played by Saeko Shimazu (known for Kodachi on Ranma ½, Princess Abi on InuYasha, and Shinobu on Urusei Yatsura) ENGLISH CAST: *Kei is played by Pamela Lauer *Yuri [in the OVA series] is played by Jessica Calvello (known for Prima on Pokemon, Hange on Attack on Titan, Excel on Excel Saga, Aika on Aria, Kanako on Maria Holic, and Suigintou on Rozen Maiden: Zurückspulen) *Yuri [in the movie] is played by Allison Sumrall (known for Kagura on Azumanga Daioh, Miia on Monster Musume, Shinichi’s mother on Parasyte, and Sasasegawa on Little Busters)

SHIPPING: These ladies are quite promiscuous. So it’s pretty easy to say they flirt with a different sort of men each episode. But there was one episode during the television run where Yuri really had something for a boy that deserves a mention. In the 8th episode of the original TV series, Yuri gets word of a childhood love (named Billy) reaching out to her. She was ready to leave her life and job as a Lovely Angel to be with him. Unfortunately, Kei comes across the unfortunate truth about Yuri’s long-lost love, Billy. He died while trying to complete his project. But Kei decided to keep this fact away from Yuri and instead told her it’ll take Billy a lot longer to complete his work. And Yuri will wait for him.

There have been a few notable men as well that made a dent in Kei and Yuri’s love life. Hell, there was even an episode where Yuri almost tied the knot with a man in the OVA series that almost got me to second guess Yuri’s angle. When it comes to Kei…yeah, there were a few guys on her radar but none that really stood out. Except I couldn’t help but wonder if there would ever be something between Kei and Carson from the movie! Regardless, Kei and Yuri are just too promiscuous and wild to just settle down with one guy (unless he was a handsome sugar daddy). ENDING TO TV SERIES: I don’t want to call it much of an ending because all the episodes follow the same pattern and that’s the girls work on a case they’re given and they finish their mission (more or less). If you ask me, the television series should have ended on the two-parter episode where Kei and Yuri are helping a family find a plane that has 463 missing passangers.

The final episode consisted of the girls in an apartment with three salesmen and a policeman in game of who’s the killer. Because of recent murders in the area involving women, Kei and Yuri were placed in an apartment to be on lookout. And for some reason, those four men wound up in the apartment together. Thanks to some clever intuition on Yuri’s part, she was able to figure out who the killer was and the reason behind the killer’s message. A year after the television series ended, they released two special episodes that follow suit to the series. Meaning the girls have to solve their mission. And the final one involved trying to save their chief from some kidnappers. PROJECT EDEN: Oh my God, could this movie be any more 1980s?! Half the movie has no dialogue and all those parts feel like a long-ass music video. I’m not knocking it, I just find it amusing. I want to call it a side-story from the original series. Basically, Kei and Yuri are working together with a smuggler (named Carson D. Carson…this name is literally too funny to comment on) from a previous mission to stop a crazy doctor from unleashing aliens upon the world. Seriously, just watch this! It’s a trip! OVA SERIES: Two years after the original television series finished (1987), Dirty Pair was given 10 more episodes in an OVA series. I guess you can call it a sequel as the stories all seem to follow the same premise as Yuri and Kei are on a different mission in each episode. There were only a few key differences here. First of all, unlike the television series, this set got an English dub. Again, I still don’t know why they neglected to dub the original TV series and dub this, the movie, and spin-off. Whatever! Secondly, in this series we got to see a few more people who work in the 3WA (besides Chief Gooley). The 3WA is a big organization and we really knew nothing about anyone else aside from Kei and Yuri (and to a lesser extent Chief Gooley). But there were characters like Madam Beryl and Dr. Q who seem to show up in more than just one episode here to help the girls. It's a shame we never saw more of these OVA's. And then we have Dirty Pair Flash!

What the shit?! What is this hot mess? This is not Yuri and Kei! I know their names are Yuri and Kei, but they’re not the ones I’ve been watching for the past year. As you can see, this is a definite product of the 1990s. Take something from the 70s and 80s and bastardize it with wonky animation, flashy colors, and every kooky sound effect you heard during 1990’s animes! Give me one good reason why I should even look at this!

Holy crap, is that Rica freakin’ Matsumoto in that fucking main cast?! And this was BEFORE she played Satoshi?! Fine…Imma watch it!

This is Kei and Yuri. No, they’re not the Kei and Yuri from the original series. This Kei and Yuri are different. This series is sort of an alternate setting to the original Dirty Pair. It’s not the same universe where the 3WA gives the names “Kei” and “Yuri” to new recruits. There won’t be an episode where both Kei’s and Yuri’s meet. This is something completely different! Now aside from their “radical” new look, Kei and Yuri here kinda differ from the Kei and Yuri from the 1980’s anime? Just a smidge. Kei is way more tomboyish than the original one. I know the original Kei was a tomboy too, but she also seemed promiscuous when it came to men unlike the newer one. This Kei didn’t really feel too interested in men all that much. Both Yuri’s seem the same as they can both be promiscuous, flighty, and hopelessly romantic when it comes to men. But the one thing that stays the same is that these girls always find a way to botch-up the missions. The cast of course has changed and with many more recognizable voice actors in the sub (to me). Here’s what you might recognize these folks from. JAPANESE CAST: *Kei is played by Rica Matsumoto (known for Ash on Pokemon, Yami/Bakura on YGO, Rumi on Perfect Blue, Choromatsu on Osomatsu-kun, and Sis on Now and Then Here and There) *Yuri is played by Mariko Kouda (known for Sakura on Pokemon, Nayuki on Kanon, Kaya on One Piece, and Juri on Vampire Knight) ENGLISH CAST: *Kei is played by Sue Ulu (known for Ritsuko on Neon Genesis Evangelion and Ayako on Golden Boy) *Yuri is played by Kim Sevier (known for Yui on Neon Genesis Evangelion and Noriko on Golden Boy) Dirty Pair Flash had something I kinda wished to see with the original series. Continuity! At least it was the case of the first set of OVA’s as it does show how this Kei and Yuri got paired up and their hardships of having to work together as the “Lovely Angels” of the 3WA. While with the original, we already jump into Kei and Yuri’s line of work where they already have a reputation as the infamous “Dirty Pair”, here we actually see this Kei and Yuri first get paired up. Kei was a delinquent and on probation and Yuri was one of the lowest in her class, let’s pair them up! What could possibly go wrong?

The first set of OVA’s had Kei on a literal manhunt for someone only to later find out it was a former member of the 3WA who has been causing mischief. Hell, she was one of the original Lovely Angel duo. The second set of OVA’s Kei and Yuri had to spend 5 episodes with a computer geek named Touma. The episodes here weren’t as continuous as they were in the previous set (as they don’t follow a strict storyline). And the finale to the second set felt very rushed to take out one bad guy. Seriously, all that build-up for such a sorry payoff!

The final set of OVA’s, five more stories that don’t connect whatsoever. And that’s a shame since you got an episode where Kei is taking care of a (now) orphaned baby and an episode where Yuri is a literal object of a little boy’s desire. I will give it this, the final episode where there’s a terrorist on the loose trying to kill the chief of the 3WA was pretty intense. All in all, Dirty Pair Flash was okay. I think I was more of a fan of the original Dirty Pair, but that’s just me. There were some things I liked from Flash too, don’t get me wrong. This series however gets extra points having Rica Matsumoto sing several songs on here. As for old school Dirty Pair…I can honestly say I jumped into this series blind-folded. One of the types of animes I don’t normally touch are sci-fi and mecha. It was never really my thing but every few years or so I would pick up titles with those specific genres. But I enjoyed watching the episodes of Dirty Pair. I almost want to compare this to any cop show you see on TV. Mostly for the aspect of two cops working together! It’s easy to say that Kei and Yuri do get the job done, but sometimes they fuck up. And that’s a common trope in many cop shows/movies (the entertaining ones). Plus I always found myself chuckling at the witty/catty banter between Kei and Yuri. How often do you see two female cops in this situation? In most of the shows I’ve seen it’s always between two guys! Sure it gives off a stereotype of if you put two girls in a room, all they’ll do is bitch and scratch each other’s eyes out. Yes, this does happen from time to time. But Kei and Yuri have always gotten along for the most part.

…Oh yeah…I suppose I should talk about the sex appeal. Even for the time this aired, I’m surprised they got away with these girls wearing butt-hugging shorts in literally every episode. Then again, it’s Japan. I can’t imagine what they’d be wearing nowadays. But for what it’s worth, I say give it a watch. If you’re a fan of police shows, mecha, or both, this might be right up your alley. And if you want to give Dirty Pair Flash a try, go for it too. I just suggest watching the original first, but that’s just my opinion. Through Nozomi Entertainment, you can purchase just about anything of Dirty Pair for home video. Nozomi Entertainment also put up a few of the specials, the movie Project Eden, and the entire set of Dirty Pair Flash on their Youtube page. Okay, now that’s over with. What’s the next Discotek license/older anime am I watching next?

Bludgeoning Angel Dokuro-Chan? 2019 sure loves to torture me.

[gamerszone2019-blog]

Erica Review - Grab The Popcorn

New Post has been published on https://gamerszone.tn/erica-review-grab-the-popcorn/

Erica Review - Grab The Popcorn

Erica never lets you feel at ease for long. In one scene, a character teaches Erica how to play a song on the piano–you’re encouraged to memorize the cute little melody and try to perform the correct timing. But just when you start playing along, somebody suddenly starts coughing up blood everywhere, it’s messy and gross, everyone starts screaming, and the vibe is killed. In Erica you have to treasure those sweet breaks before they’re swiftly swiped from your hands and replaced with a solid helping of worry, stress, and a side of confusion.

A fully filmed playable thriller in which the titular character is on a mission to help solve a murder case that she has strange family ties to, Erica utilizes some subtle yet effective film-inspired techniques–like match on action and screen wipes triggered by touchpad interactions–to tell its enigmatic tale. To progress each scene, you choose dialogue options and make various adventure game-like actions. The game bounces back and forth in time between Erica’s childhood with her father to the mess that is modern-day life, in which she has to move to a strange hospital her late parents helped create for her own safety.

Erica, played by real-life actor Holly Earl, is a relatable, if malleable, protagonist. Earl regularly looks like she’s bewildered or uncomfortable, exactly how you feel as a viewer in most of the situations. She seems thoughtful and patient, but other than that there isn’t too much of a set personality for her. You decide through your in-game choices if she’s more passive or aggressive or unhelpful during the case, and because of the high stakes murder circumstances, switching her attitude and approach never feels abrupt nor out of character. Even if you spend most of the game being rude, you can be friendly to someone and it doesn’t feel weird. Your reactions, and in turn Erica’s, are likely to change frequently during a playthrough every time new information pops up, objectives change, and new, incredibly peculiar characters enter the picture.

Somehow, every new character you meet is more suspicious than the last. Everyone talks to you like they just poisoned the food you’re eating. There’s a sequence in the courtyard where you can choose a girl to hang out with and get to know better, and right after you pick a possible pal to spend the afternoon with, the head of the hospital says, “Just remember that some of the girls here… Uh… They can be quite manipulative,” and just walks away. The guy is nowhere to be found after that, and you’re left sitting there wondering why would he say that–and before you know it, you’re overthinking every interaction because you don’t know which person he was insinuating was going to manipulate you. All of the secrets, ulterior motives, and Erica’s own faulty memory cause for some very intriguing “Trust nobody, not even yourself” gameplay.

Perpetual disorientation is the central feeling of Erica, and it’s what keeps you searching for the truth no matter how many crooked obstacles stand in your way. The plot is ever-changing and chaotic; you’re attempting to solve a crime by talking to a plethora of weirdos in an unfamiliar, creepy place while having stifling flashbacks of your messed-up childhood. There’s so many forces clashing and intense situations going on that you find yourself yearning to make sense of even the smallest mystery just to feel grounded. There was a time where Erica was being gaslit by a character and I ended up shaking my fist and yelling “She’s not crazy, you’re just lying!” at my TV–but even though that character annoyed me I kept listening to them in case they accidentally dropped a small hint to steer me in the right direction, and they did. Erica is a striking example of a whodunit that’s heightened by its enthralling characters, shady occult science, and recollections of previous trauma.

From the overall murder case to smaller questions like what kind of hospital you’re staying at, there are a number of mysteries weaving together concurrently throughout Erica. It’s easy to miss context that’s vital to understanding the full picture. You might get an answer to a question that’s been burning in your mind for the last half hour, but that answer could be a truth that presents new pathways to choose from or a lie that leads you astray. That mystery management is exciting and makes every experience with the game its own curious, isolated thriller molded by whatever answers and stories you care about at the time.

You can use either a DualShock 4 controller or a companion phone app to play Erica; the latter is smooth and seamless for the most part, while the former is bogged down by a clunky implementation of touchpad controls and is the far less preferable option. As you move through the narrative, you alternate between selecting which areas to explore, choosing dialogue options like “contempt” or “desperation,” and performing no-stakes everyday actions like cleaning the fog from a mirror or turning on the sink. Potential actions are shown as silhouettes on-screen, and there’s also a mock trajectory of where to swipe your hand on your phone if you’re using the app. The inputs are all done by small, comfortable hand swipes, not extending to the full horizontal or vertical reach of the screen.

Most actions are intuitive, and you feel like you know where to swipe and what you can do before the game even tells you. There’s a moment where you and a detective walk up to an empty reception desk that has a bell sitting on it, for example. I lit up when I saw it and I started tapping on the screen a bunch–Erica didn’t hesitate to mimic my actions in her world and ding away, so much so that the detective swatted her hand off of it because he got annoyed. The straightforward motions make navigating trouble-free, and being able to quickly deduce what moves you can make adds a connection to the moment-to-moment gameplay. It keeps your focus on the important things, like figuring out what the heck is going on in the story.

Choices and quick-time events happen every 30 seconds or so, which may sound overwhelming, but it isn’t so in practice. Most of the time, they aren’t high pressure actions; they’re a chain of a few choices, and those chunks are separated by longer cutscenes every so often. They do eventually get mundane and feel unnecessary, especially if you choose to use the DualShock 4, though. The game is controlled entirely with touch, and while the swipes are supposed to be a convenience for your hands, it’s difficult to perform them on the small DualShock touchpad without your fingers slipping off or hitting the joysticks. There were also a few occasions where the companion app was slightly unresponsive, which is something that can have game-changing consequences if it happens at a critical moment. It takes a second to get back into the game’s rhythm after there’s a blip in the controls. They’re small things, but those shortcomings pull you out of what is otherwise a really engrossing experience.

In general, the filmic elements are integrated so carefully that it’s a genuine and mostly calculated mix of two mediums. Erica is in the middle of game and movie, and a lot of small mechanics add up to show that. For example, the character Erica is an artist, and there’s a scene fairly early on where you can flip through the pages of her artbook. Looking through a character’s personal items is a common feature in interactive adventure games, but the detail that went into shooting the natural angles of each flip makes it an even more intimate way of gaining insight into who the character is. Outside of the footage itself, all of the trophy pop-ups are paused until you complete the game, which goes a long way to keep you from getting distracted. It’s a small, fitting touch for a game that values story so much.

Perpetual disorientation is the central feeling of Erica, and it’s what keeps you searching for the truth no matter how many crooked obstacles stand in your way.

There are also some sneaking situations that are made better by the film aspect. There are always conversations happening behind closed doors, and because you have so many questions that you need answered, sometimes you have to be a weirdo and eavesdrop on people. If you peek out for too long or open the door too fast, they’ll see you, stop their conversation, and share an awkward glance with you. Because it’s footage of actual peoples’ facial expressions, it makes you cringe a little more–and that is one of the most high-tension fail states I can imagine.

The whole time, the game marinates you in a constant anxious energy that fuels a curiosity for the dodgy, mysterious world that you’re influencing. Some scenes you’re just holding a book or a photo and staring at it for details, but since it’s paired with an insidious sting it transforms what would be a normal occasion into bitter dread. There are flashbacks, dreams, and abnormal things happening frequently; oftentimes you’re forced to decide on the one secret you want to uncover the most and drop the others. Should you pick up the phone that’s been ringing in the lobby or check out that weird ghost thing in the hallway? There are some decisions that are straight-up difficult–high-stakes ones where, in the bottom of your heart, you don’t know what the right thing to do is, but you know you have to do something. Those times will have you wishing that this game was just a movie, but Erica is more than that.

Erica has a strong, fleshed-out narrative full of twists and turns that each bring their own unique piece to the story. Its cryptic tone is carried through the audio, visuals, and writing; it never lets you relax. Sometimes weird controls jolt you out, but there is an abundance of enticing threads to follow, and it’s a treat to be able to mold your own adventure out of it. Using a combination of crisp cinematography and FMV-specific game mechanics, Erica never fails to hook you into its haunting, mysterious world.

Source : Gamesport

[fkyeahsuga]

Daegu genius Min yoongi pt.1

Yoongi is born in Daegu, the third largest city in South Korea, and has always been there before he came to Seoul. Young Yoongi is a boy who likes playing pranks.

Yoongi loves sports, he likes playing basketball, and is good at running too. He has always been chosen as an athlete for relay races since elementary until high school, and his grades are also slightly higher than average.

“When I was still in school, I’ve won a good amount of basketball competitions, and I still took out Sunday’s free time to play basketball when I was still trainee. My position is usually Point Guard or Shooting Guard, my speed is quick, and I do attack better than defense.” -Suga, ize Magazine interview, 2014.

(This is an incredibly long post, please click keep reading if you would like to read the rest.)

During fifth grade, Yoongi saw a performance of South Korean artist duo ‘Stony Skunk’ on TV. It sparked his interest in music, later on he also learned about Hip-hop and reggae music. During sixth grade, Yoongi started writing lyrics. By that time he already wrote lyrics similar to “Tomorrow”.

It was also during sixth grade when he discovered Epik High’s “Fly”, since then he made his decision to focus on rap. 

Yoongi’s elementary school graduation quote ©️yoongilogy “Sixth grade was fun I love you 3rd class Lastly peace -Yoongi- 

During his middle school days, Yoongi started learning classical music, and started trying to compose his own music. Second year in middle school, Yoongi stood on stage for the first time, performing Dynamic Duo’s "Go Back” with his friends.

Birth of Gloss

After getting in high school, Yoongi joined an underground Hip-hop group called “D-Town”, and started participating in Daegu underground hiphop scenes, his stage name was Gloss. This thumbnail shows his track “518-062” back from 2010 when Yoongi was under his stage name Gloss, the lyrics talk about The Gwangju Uprising.

link to Gloss’s NATE post. (You can find the video there) translation of the track’s lyrics.

During 2010, Gloss posted in forums, and the content was two tracks about D-town. (Source: 闵允其魅力观察所)

Posted on 2010.07.20 20:08 ID: Gloss Views:319 Favorites:0 Title: D-town philosophy of life Beat by: each other Lyrics by: Gloss, Lucid.p, the smile Rap/Vocal by (ft.): Gloss, Lucid.p, the smile Mixing by: Gloss

Posted on 2010.07.30 00:58 ID: Gloss Views:613 Favorites:0 Title: D-Town Baby under thunderbolt-like group Beat by: Eminem beat Lyrics by: Gloss, 낙션, Lucid.p, the smile Rap/Vocal by (ft.): Gloss, 낙션, Lucid.p, the smile Mixing by: Gloss

Yoongi’s self introduction during his second year of high school

I am Kangbuk High school’s second year student Min Yoongi.

I am a lyricist, composer and MIDI composer in a group called D-Town, I also participate as a producer and rapper. My speciality is writing lyrics, composing and making MIDIs. I like to play basketball, read and study MIDI equipments. Although I am still learning, I’ve already worked with a couple rappers active in Daegu to create mixtapes, and did several semi-professional performances.

I still have imperfections, but I have enough confidence, I’ll be more hardworking than anyone else.

Yoongi participated in making of ADV Reflow’s mixtape [REPRESENT] (published in 2011.09.14). As you can see, Yoongi already has quite the reputation and skills while he was in D-Town.

Making music underground is really tough. Yoongi of that time who was active as a producer went through a lot of hardships to save money for equipments. During performances, it would be considered miracle to have more than a hundred audiences.

“I had this thought before, when I succeed, can I build a bridge between mainstream music and underground music? I met a lot of talented people who make good music when I was underground, so I thought, when the day that I’m successful comes, I want to help them create a better environment, I want the world to listen their music.”

Yoongi’s turning point in life

2010, Yoongi joined Bighit’s audition in Daegu, the title is ’So fresh boy G’s in the building’.  

[Bighit audition candidate (Candidate no.2- Min Yoongi) | SUGA of Bangtan Sonyeondan] 

Rough lyrics trans:

So fresh boy G’s in the building

We are D-Town

Last year 17 years old I’m still young

Dream and reality have too much difference

But I still have big dreams

But I don’t care I’m OK I can’t turn back

Every night I leave school at 11

Why do people force me to attend university

I write my beats from dawn to 4 and a half o'clock

Few couple months my parents fought over different opinions

But I’m OK I’m blessed

I’m content with my life now

Even though I don’t have money to make music

I will still drive on my dreams

I will soar to a higher place

Thinking of these makes me bite my teeth and hang in there

I believe I can fly I will soar high enough touch the sky

Countless nights of losing in between studies and music

But I still don’t gain anything

Is there anyone who understands those days I’ve experienced

You people won’t even understand me

Entrance exam deadly choked my neck

Three years of high school life is like a neck-strangling Polo t-shirt

It defeated me, made me unable to breath

Also brought me a lot of frustrations on my path of following my dreams

It’s just bullshit

I believe I can fly I will soar high enough touch the sky

Whatever I don’t care

Just like this I’m OK

I believe I can fly I will soar high enough touch the sky

Whatever I don’t care

Just like this I’m OK

After that, Yoongi joined Bighit’s Rap battle with his track “Swagger” (original: Over by Drack). Yoongi was the first runner-up.

Yoongi in the house

Yoongi’s original intention of joining the company wasn’t as a rapper, but as a producer. At the time, the company wanted to build a group of all rappers (changes were made later on), and Yoongi became a trainee.

(Yoongi from trainee era)

Pdogg PD described Bangtan’s story from preparation to debut on “Idol maker” interview, July 2013.

“ First of all, we went through about 30 trainees. Also, although it’ll never be released, there are a lot of things that we worked on together. We worked on songs and did recordings and saw each other’s reactions that way. That period lasted for about 3 years, and the ones who remained afterwards were Suga, Rap Monster, and J-Hope. I have all the things these three made still on my computer. The kids made an average of at least one song per week, and there were also times when they had assignments. When there were a lot of people we’d split them into teams and have some of them work with foreign pop and some of them work with hip hop. Like, reinterpreting things in a hip hop manner. And when we felt that the number of people was good, we’d re-organize the members. “

We’d also split up the kids who were good at performance and the ones who weren’t. Through that process, they took a direction in earnest for more than a year, and I thought a lot as well. We also had a ton of meetings. After checking everything from the kids’ fashion to their condition, their rap, their singing level, we started working in earnest from November or December of last year. From that time a lot of talk came up. They operated their own blog, and the kids found a direction by choosing the songs or cover songs to upload there, but for me, the thing that was most difficult was having to make music that would be accepted by the general public. In the Korean major music scene, hip hop is just telling love stories through rap.

Read the whole interview here, snippets © bangtanbase

2011, Bighit company wanted to audition more candidates for BTS, hence the Hit It open audition. Yoongi and his fellow trainees Namjoon and Hoseok composed a track called “Paldo Gangsan” as the audition’s propaganda song. Yoongi used Gyeongsangdo satoori for his rap, this track also received a lot of attention from the public.

Also 2011, Bang PD went on MBC’s Star Audition, and in the background there was a chart for trainee’s monthly evaluations.

“December Monthly evaluation, 4th-Min Yoongi”

2012, Yoongi had a guest appearance in Jo Kwon sunbaenim’s MV “I’m Da One”.

(Bonus: Can you believe this happened) 

2013, Yoongi uploaded “SUGA’s Maschine mk2 Review”, in the video he used an OST from movie “The Man from Nowhere” for a mixing demo. The beat used inside was used in Yoongi’s track “The Last (마지막)” from his mixtape released in 2016.

March 5th 2013, Yoongi’s first solo log was published, he talked about the starting point of his music dream.

“The music played now is Epik High sunbaenim’s Fly, it is the song that lead me to hip-hop music, which I am grateful for. Listening to Epik High’s fly, I’ll have the idea of 'It’s time to compose rap’ this kind of thoughts. When I graduated in 2006, I heard this song and I thought, 'Yeah, I want to rap too’, it became my dream, my everything, my life, and it made me into who I am today. It’s the best healing music, Epik High’s fly, like recently I’m abit frustrated so if I listen to it, I will feel energized and motivated to make better music." 

March 9th 2013, Yoongi recorded a long on his birthday. 2chainz’s "Birthday song” was played inside the small working room, at that time he could only pass his birthday with his members.

April 10th 2013’s log showed Yoongi was diligently making preparations for their debut title track.

“Apparently today is also spent on creating the title track, this whole week was dedicated to composing it. I feel my patience is going to hit it’s limit, I had to make alot of fixes to it, and it disrupted my sleeping schedule so I have to sleep in the morning now. Everyone it must be your first time seeing my hair like this, when composing I won’t wear my cap so I’d feel comfortable, this whole week was used to write and compose and rewrite again. Instead of having thoughts like very tired, the idea of using my lyrics and my music to stand on the stage gave me more motivation, I hope I can quickly meet everyone with good music.”

April 30th 2013, Yoongi’s last log before debut.

“It’s now 12AM , dance practice is everyday from 1PM to 8PM, and after that I’ll start writing songs. Now it’s close to finishing the song. While writing it is quite tiring, even though I learn alot from this. Now it’s meeting an end, I’m happy but also reluctant. Actually, I’m wuite happy, I changed my hairstyle, its now shorter and I look more energetic. It will be May really soon, and our debut date is close. I hope everyone will be anticipated, and support us alot.”

Debut

May 24th 2013, BTS’ debut trailer was published.

4th June 2013, Yoongi’s teaser pictures were published.

12th June 2013, on their debut showcase, Yoongi stood in front of fans as BTS member SUGA.

[Timeline sorted according to Japan Official Fanclub’s magazine Vol.2 SUGA’s Biography/ Ize Magazine(130718)/ Ize Magazine(2014)/ Ceci August issue (2013)]

Yoongi the hardworking musical genius

2014, Yoongi’s replies to fans’ question on Twitter.

Q: Usually where do you write your lurics? Living room? Practice room?…..Toilet? Please…!!!!!! kek SG: As for this album, I wrote them in the working room and on AHL’s shooting spots! My part in cypher is written on the plane ride from Brazil to Korea, I’ll write no matter where I am

Other interviews

Q: Please share your moments while writing songs in the work room.

SG: If i post pictures on SNS, it means I’m working smoothly. Usually I update when I feel good writing. I always sleep on my chair in the work room. (JM: He’s always in the work room, as if he made it his house)

[Haru Hana vol.29 ©️kimmyyang]

Q:If you have a short break, what would you like to do most?

SG: If time allows me, I would like to stay in my work room and write songs sleeplessly. Actually today I worked for 2 hours too, the work room is where I feel most relaxed, writing songs in the room is also what I enjoy the most. So if there is a break, I suppose I would still keep on working.

[Haru Hana vol.22 ©️yoogamin]

[VOL.29 Publish #BTS Secret talk.4]

Because of the magazine’s layout, these are conversations that couldn’t be added into the publications. Looking at Yoongi who works hard every night, Jimin always thinks “Should be sleeping all the time~” Yoongi replies, “I almost don’t sleep every night, sometimes I even burn the midnight oil to finish my job, so I would grab every opportunity to rest even during backstage." 

"I think someone who wants to accomplish something cannot loaf on the job, so if I don’t have schedules I will stay in the work room. I’m the type of of person to make alot of tracks and compile them together, it’s my wealthiest possession, like this I can improve my skills, so I’m always trying.” ©️K-Day

“During overseas schedules, being able to soak in baths in the hotel is the best feeling ever, but if I’m in Korea, I would keep myself in the working room and write songs. When I realize, all my tiredness is gone.”

[Cancam magazine ©️ kimmyyang]

Q: Where does your inspirations come from? What kind of environment do you like to work under?

SG: Usually I write better when I’m on plane rides, half of the tracks in my mixtape 'Agust D’ were written on plane rides.

[fans Magazine 2016 November issue, scan ©️ @玧其a]

Elder hyung pair is gentle JIN and cool SUGA. When SUGA stays in his working room, JIN can take over the room of two for himself. The elder hyung room is probably a no-talk, only seldomly cough noises, a really quiet room.

[Kpop Top Idol ©️Baidu_闵玧其Suga吧]

Give it to me lyrics snippet ©Joyce & Vicky @ bts-trans

Cypher pt.4 SUGA’s lyrics snippet © Jessie, Emily, Hyeeun @ bts-trans

Music’s biggest disciple

150615 Yoongi’s twitter update “If there’s any music that can satisfy me, I won’t be where I am today. To make songs that will satisfy everyone is really hard, I really am getting a clearer idea, but also I’m also getting more confused.Actually I would’ve released my mixtape earlier along with Namjoon, but because it got more and more under my expectations so I delayed it. I’m working on both album and mixtape, however it still couldn’t make me feel pleased. Instead of just simply finishing it, I’d rather not do it”

Q: Things that you want to challenge? SG: I’m not particularly interested in anything besides music, however if I have to say, I’d like to try photography, and also stage preparation and MV PD’s job.

Q: So that means you’d love to challenge anything related to music? SG: Yes, my goal is to make comphrehensive content.

[Oricon Style Vol.15 /chansol]

Q: What changes do you think has applied to the current you compared to when you debuted? SG: Nothing changed, no matter when the music and the stage is my top priority. Members are starting to try out different things, but still everyone would prioritize the group for the future and goals of the group, we all strongly share the same idea of it.

[170131 Women’s weekly]

“I began music at the age of 13, but through BTS promotions I seriously thought about what the identity of an idol and musician should be. However I no longer think of that way. Good music will get recognition no matter what. It doesn’t matter if an album is released by an idol or a musician. I am just a person who makes music, making good songs is my top priority. Gaining popularity as an idol or getting recognition as a musician, these thoughts come latter. Lately, it has been enjoyable to be able to work on music with the members. At first, our rap style sounds similar, however now our individual styles are getting more clearer. By having discussions we are able to make better music, and this progress is also a really fun stress? It would be impossible to not feel stressed at all, but I think what suits us now is 'responsibility’ as we want to bring better music to everyone. It might seem arrogant, but this is our swag. Arrogance and swag are different.

[Singles 2017 Jan issue]

"Just using my personality as an example, if I got scolded, I’ll have two reactions: "Ah is it so? I won’t do it again” and “Ok then, I’ll prove it to you”. But towards music, I only have the second attitude, of course in the past I’ve gotten mean comments and questions, such as “You can’t make it” “Making rap brings you nowhere”. But now I no longer feel intensely towards these kind of comments, I’ve left behind these negativity and move on, making me who I am today, I prove that I can make it, and it’s better than expected. In the future I will still keep on showing them my power, and one day they’ll change their idea of me. If I gave up because of the negative comments, thinking “Sigh I no longer can do it”, then I would’ve not held on making my own music for so long. I think my unyielding attitude is an important part in my path to follow my music dreams.“

[10+ Asia Magazine]

"It is actually quite hard to describe our music genre now, we do not want to have our music solely as one genre. Our music is not like Kendrick Lamar, people could tell what genre it is after listening to it. We like Hip-hop, but we do not cling onto it, we would mix EDM, pop or rock genre with it as the base.”

“I believe if it’s what I like, then it’s going to be good.”

“Music was never meant to be judged by producers, but the audience instead. If the music does not suit the audience’s liking, then people wouldn’t like it. Everything will be decided according to the audience’s liking, I guess we don’t have to explain to everyone that 'music should be like this’.”

“I think people’s thoughts will always change, in the current era, rather than searching for music just because people want to listen to music, nowadays people would rather listen to what they have listened to before. And if the music is highly praised, then it would be great music. Our job here is to be persistent on bringing great music to everyone, after getting feedback from the public we would make changes and make our music even better. Judgment power will be completely passed to the audience.”

“Recently I did not think around 'rap should be unique’ or 'it must be hiphop’ thoughts like this, I’d rather focus around my attitude towards music. I would no longer let myself get restricted by thoughts like those. If I like it then it’s going to be good, not because it’s hiphop, but because it’s good music. In the past I have always felt puzzled by it, thinking 'why would it be like this…’ and would also question what people think of us. But now I just want to fully give my all to making music that will touch people’s hearts, so thoughts like 'it should be like this’ has drastically decreased.”

“No matter what, because I’m a person who makes music, so I hope i can satisfy my values of life through music. No matter it’s rap, rhythm beat or composing, we still hope to get everyone’s recognition. I definitely do not want my path on music to end like this, a short 1-2 years of making music. My persistence towards music will always keep on, I want to keep on making music so even if I don’t get what I expected from feedbacks, I still won’t give up that easily. I am very clear that we are unable to make everyone like us, but I believe more and more people will hear our music.”

[Meeting Hiphop SUGA interview]

“We are hiphop idols however in most people’s eyes we’re still commercial idols, and would not be treated as hiphop idols. There are so many doubts. Am I doing the music I always wanted to do? Or is it the music I am supposed to do? It circled around my mind for abit, am I someone who wants to express himself, or someone who wants to make music? Thinking back and forth, I hope I can have a more philosophical view on music.”

[American Hustle Life]

Q: Is it easier to make music under stressful conditions for you?

SG: Indeed it is easier to write more music when I am having emotional times, but it’s not because I’m sad or happy or having any kind of emotions while I write them. It would be ideal to be able to squeeze creative juices for song writing under any kind of situation.

[Haru Hana vol.22]

ASTA TV: It is undeniable that among k-idol groups, BTS’ sharp dance moves are really dazzling. But I have a question for Min PD, when you have tough times when making music, do you have tips to overcome them?

SG: Actually no matter what problem it is, I can only think of that I should just get over with it. Same goes to music, as everything on the world would have their own tough times too, it could be short term or long term. But i believe if I just don’t give up, it would all become better.

[ASTA TV ©️adre95xx]

Compilation ©Yunyiya  Translation ©Admin Sera

Part two

[watchigtbj]

On Tuesday 24th December 2019, a special Christmas Service at the Manger Square in Bethlehem – the historic birthplace of Jesus Christ – was broadcast live on Emmanuel TV, the popular television channel belonging to Nigerian Pastor TB Joshua. 

Representatives of TB Joshua were received personally by the Mayor of Bethlehem, Adv. Anton Salman, who sent a greeting to the Nigerian cleric and said the message of Bethlehem to the world would “always be a message of peace, love and justice”.

Mayor Salman then gave the Emmanuel TV Choir unprecedented access to celebrate Christmas in the world-famous Grotto at the Church of the Nativity, historically regarded as the site where Jesus was born and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Joined by US Gospel Artist VaShawn Mitchell, the choir recorded and sang a song composed specially by TB Joshua in honour of the season.

According to the lyrics: “Christmas is not only about Christ of history. Christmas is not only about Christ of story. Christmas is not only about baby Jesus. Christmas is about Christ the Spirit reveals to us.”

Moving to the Manger Square, thousands of local residents in Bethlehem and tourists who travelled from across the globe to celebrate Christmas at Jesus’ birthplace, gathered to celebrate with the Emmanuel TV choir.

“This season reminds us of the message on the Cross – ‘Father, forgive them’,”TB Joshua said in a message delivered by one of his evangelists to the throngs in attendance.

“This means that whether you are a victim or a perpetrator, we all stand in helpless need of God’s Divine forgiveness,”he continued.

“This season, make it a point of duty to love others just as you would want God to love you, to bless others just as you would want God to bless you and to forgive others just as you would want God to forgive you.”

After singing two new songs composed by TB Joshua titled ‘Who On Earth’ and ‘Jesus Is The Reason’, VaShawn treated the crowd to a rendition of his hit song ‘Joy’.

It is not Joshua’s first involved with the ‘Holy Land’. When the cleric visited Bethlehem in 2017, he saw an “urgent need” in the kidney division of the Beit Jala hospital and bought six new dialysis machines to help the patients.

He also held a two-day crusade at the Amphitheatre of Mount Precipice in Nazareth, Israel in June 2019 which attracted thousands from around the world.

VIDEO –

Ihechukwu Njoku is a freelance Nigerian journalist…

TB Joshua’s Emmanuel TV Celebrates Christmas in Bethlehem! On Tuesday 24th December 2019, a special Christmas Service at the Manger Square in Bethlehem – the historic birthplace of Jesus Christ – was broadcast live on Emmanuel TV, the popular television channel belonging to Nigerian Pastor TB Joshua. 

[courteliza]

solo adv. #1: digital media city

I spent about two hours early last week making a bucket list of places to go around Seoul. Since I have a gap from 10:30-5pm Tuesdays and Thursdays, and no class Friday, I decided to try and use this time to visit some unique areas. It took me about a week to actually just get up and go somewhere, as some unforeseen assignments and a couple orientation things took up some time. 

(entrance to main area)

I took Line 6 to the DMC station, and then was supposed to take the bus for a couple stops but ended up getting on the wrong one and going the opposite direction. I didn’t realize this until the bus driver got to the bus changing terminal and asked me to get off the bus. I ended up walking back around an area that clearly wasn’t for pedestrians, and eventually got on another bus. 

Digital Media City was the first place I chose to go to, since I had wanted to go for a while and it seemed appropriate considering my major. The DMC is basically an area full of, you guessed it, digital media. Several big tv companies have their bases here, CJ & EM, KBS & MBC. You have to pay to get into any of these places, so I walked by the buildings and looked out for any celebrities (Unfortunately I saw none).

I spent about an hour in the Korean Film Museum. It was free, and had alot of things translated into English so I read pretty much everything. There was hardly anyone there since it was mid-day, and I was able to take my time with everything. 

(no one was there)

After this I went to check out the Digital Pavilion which has a lot of virtual reality exhibits, but I wasn’t aware that you had to make a reservation beforehand, so I got kicked out (or rather, was followed out of the building).

I walked around for a while and decided to head back since KU was about an hour away. On my way back on the metro, an elderly lady started talking to me all in Korean and I struggled through telling her where I was from and where I was studying with the very limited Korean I know at this point. Despite being somewhat embarrassed, I was really appreciative of her desire to talk to me even though she couldn’t understand me, it really made me feel welcome. (Thank you, ahjumma! 

I discovered that I really enjoy going on trips alone, despite my friends’ criticism and shock over my lack of caution for myself. It was really satisfying to be able to navigate by myself, and I felt much more free to do whatever I wanted, unlike when I am with a group. Here’s to many more solo adventures.