#there's a youtube channel i watch about emergency room cases and it's amazing how often people get their electrolytes out of whack

[tyrantofthefirmament]

Yeah, that was not a good time (well, the movie making was fun but not the heart palpitations). The students in charge of "craft services" only brought a few cases of Monster. That's it. No water, and no snacks, for an all night shoot in a very dusty and hot basement. We were thirsty af so we drank what they brought. DO NOT under any circumstances drink 3 Monsters in one night.

Caffeine is a diuretic, so it's not as efficient at hydrating as water, but it still gives you more water than it makes you lose. But it can't be in everything you drink.

Regarding drinking only water, that can actually be dangerous too, especially in really hot weather if you are sweating. You need to replace electrolytes. The second time I hiked the Grand Canyon (meaning rim to rim, 23 miles), they had a Ranger stationed at the trailhead basically trying to make sure hikers didn't kill themselves by being unprepared (this happens all the time in the Canyon, sadly). This was during the days when common health advice was to make sure your pee was clear. This is bad advice, and in extreme heat can be deadly advice. This ranger was not only telling hikers to bring enough water, but also enough salt. Water intoxication is an electrolyte imbalance that can kill you. We knew that and had powdered gatorade as well as salty trail mix and jerky, and of course a couple gallons of water per person. So the "primarily" in the original tweet really does need to emphasized for this reason as well.

If you lose water through sweat and only drink pure water to replace it, the inside of your cells have more salt than your blood. Osmosis causes water to flow towards the higher concentration of salt, swelling your tissues. It's part of why too much salt can make you puffy. Well, your brain can only swell so much before it runs out of room, which can cause seizures and death. Depending on the rate you eat/drink it, the same thing can happen with too much salt, so just.... be normal about food, I guess.

Tl;dr, drink water but if you can't drink water drink something, and if you're sweating a lot get some salt back into you as well

[minyoongleschimjoongles]

Preordained 10

Pairing(s):Poly!BTSxOC, Sub!BTSxOC,

Warnings: Implied sexual situations, Mentions of sexual situations, implications of Dom/sub relationships

Notes: I’ve been having so much trouble with Tumblr lately so I might end up posting on Ao3 from now on...

Masterlist

Jimin was the first to drop out.

The pressure of all his classes combined with the Idol training proved to be too much for him, and he found himself struggling to maintain a healthy mental outlook. Many of Zara’s nights were taken up with pulling Jimin out of his anxiety. When she gently brought up that maybe he should consider giving up either school or being an idol, he cried.

When he decided that he wanted to be an Idol full time, he cried.

When he came back from the enrollment office with his paperwork to drop, he cried.

And when he turned the papers in, called his parents and told them what he’d done, he cried.

The only thing that calmed him was Zara’s fingers running through his hair. 

Next was Yoongi. First he quit his job at the club, the hours and hours of practice and Idol classes making him even more tired than he usually was. Zara had lost count of how often he came home and just completely crashed on the couch.

Then he quit his job at the coffee shop, throwing himself into perfecting his rapping instead. He put in extra time with Hoseok and Jimin in an attempt to better his dancing.

And finally, he dropped his classes without even consulting anyone, secluding himself so that he could write song lyrics in peace. His mother was livid when she found out, but he ignored the anger, confiding in Zara one late night, “I just want to provide a good life for her, and this will be the way to do it. She just doesn't see it yet.”

After Yoongi, it was Jungkook, and he did so without any warning. Jungkook was good at everything he did, and that included balancing school and his duties as a trainee, so it really threw everyone for a loop when he came home way too early one day like it was nothing. He told them that while he didn’t have a problem maintaining the double life, he didn’t want it to get to the point where he couldn’t handle it anymore.

“It’s better for me to quit while I’m ahead, Noona,” he said, braiding a strand of her hair absently as she drew a picture of a sleeping Yoongi. “This way I can completely focus on becoming an Idol, and later, when I think I’m ready, I can go back.”

Then it was Hoseok, who had decided that learning the choreography and the songs had to take precedence over his studies. He had made the decision on his own, but the weight of it had forced him into Zara’s bed late one night for emergency cuddles. It had been a hard decision for him, knowing how badly dropping out would disappoint his parents, but he’d done what he’d thought was best at the moment.

Taehyung probably didn’t need to drop out but he did, claiming between Idol training and classes, he didn’t have any time for Zara. “I’m neglecting you,” he said, “and I don’t want to be the man that neglects his Soulmate.” It took Zara only two days to figure out he actually had been stressing over his workload, but he’d hidden it well so she wouldn’t notice. But when he no longer had to worry about school, Zara noticed a lot of tension had left his shoulders, and his smile started coming easily again.

The only ones to finish out the year were Zara, Jin and Namjoon. Zara, because she was stubborn, and Jin and Namjoon because it was their last semester, and therefore foolish for them to drop out when they were already almost done.

It wasn’t until a week after Namjoon and Jin’s graduation ceremony that Zara stood in the small kitchen, hands clutching a piece of paper tightly. The boys were all eating breakfast and preparing themselves for their day of training.

Namjoon was the first to notice.

“Not you, too.” He took the fact that everyone had dropped out almost personally. He felt he was failing as a leader because he couldn’t help them maintain balanced schedules.

Zara’s eyes widened slightly, and she shook her head. “No, I’m not dropping out. Not really.”

“Zara, that doesn’t sound like a straightforward answer.”

Zara handed him the paper and watched his face change with his emotions. He held a paper that stated Zara’s dual-citizenship of the United States and South Korea.

“Holy shit!” He stood up and dragged her into a hug. “Congratulations!”

“What?” Taehyung asked, trying to look at the paper still in Namjoon’s hands. Namjoon responded by turning Zara to face the group.

“Boys,” he said, “You’re looking at a new citizen of South Korea.”

A cheer went up as the boys jumped from their seats, showering Zara with affection. When they had settled she held her hands out.

“And about the college thing, I know you guys are debuting soon, and I know that means you’ll start touring. We all know I’ll end up coming with you or we’ll all get a case of Separation Syndrome again,” she paused for the collective hiss as the boys remembered the way they’d reacted to the winter vacation debacle.

“So...?” Hoseok leaned forward, smiling at her.

“So,” Zara smiled back at him, “I decided that I’m going to sign up for online classes next semester.”

“Well,” Namjoon sighed, “At least you’re not dropping out.”

xXx

Taehyung sat in his seat, twisting his hands in his lap. Zara stood behind him, running her fingers through his hair. On the counter sat several foul smelling concoctions in bowls. Strands of hair littered the kitchen floor around him, the others having already gotten the hair makeovers that BigHit had requested they get before their debut. 

The boys had kicked up a fuss when they’d found out about the makeovers until BangPD had told them Zara would do it, her first job as their hair and makeup stylist. Which is why Zara had the reference photos taped to the wall so she wouldn’t screw up.

“Ready, Baby Boy?”

“No,” Tae admitted.

Aside from perhaps Namjoon, whose hair had been shaved on the sides and then quaffed into a perfect Mohawk, Taehyung was about to have the most drastic change to his hair. Already the sides had been dyed black. Zara had the clippers ready, a pair of scissors dangerously tucked into the front pocket of her jeans.

“Okay,” she said, “tell me what I can do to help?”

“Just— can you keep—“

Zara knew exactly what he needed without him being able to say it. She brought her fingers to the hair at the side of his head, and Tae closed his eyes and tried to memorize that feeling. He wanted to remember what it felt like to have her play with his long hair because he wouldn’t be able to feel it for a while.

“Okay,” he said and Zara tugged gently at his hair before taking the scissors to it.

Like she had with the others, Zara lamented the loss of Taehyung’s hair, but did her job diligently nonetheless. When she was done, she carefully took bleach to the top part of his hair to dye it blonde, leaving the newly shaved sides black. Standing in front of the mirror when his hair had been washed out, Tae frowned, playing with the damp blonde strands.

“Noona...” his voice was very near to a whine. “You did a good job but...” He paused as Zara stood on tiptoes and pressed a kiss to the nape of his neck, “Are people really going to care what we look like?”

“Unfortunately, that is all some people are going to see, but there will be others that will see you, Baby Boy. And you are someone worth loving.”

He tipped his head back and sighed deeply.

“Well...Why does Kookie not get a makeover?!”

Zara laughed loudly, prompting Tae to smile.

At least he knew that Zara loved him for him.

xXx

The waiting room was filled with chatter, although none of the boys were really contributing. There was a cameraman floating around filming them, but over the months since Jin’s YouTube channel was made private, they’d all forgotten how to act around cameras.

Zara had Jin sitting in a chair in front of a mirror, her knee on the edge of the chair as she leaned over him to painstakingly tightline his eyes in black. Outwardly, Jin didn’t appear as nervous as the younger ones did; he wasn’t hiding in a corner “practicing” like Namjoon (now nicknamed Rap Monster by BangPD), and he wasn’t pointlessly wandering the waiting room like Jungkook. He wasn’t nervously chattering to the camera like Jimin. He just sat in the chair and let Zara work.

But Zara had already picked up on the truth; he was probably most nervous of them all. He told himself he couldn’t dance as well as Hoseok and he couldn’t sing as well as Jungkook and he was starting to really freak himself out. His hand, which rested on Zara’s jean-clad knee to steady her as she leaned over him, was opening and closing in a fist in time with his pounding heart.

“This brings back memories, huh?” Zara mused, trying to lighten the tension. Jin sighed contentedly.

“Do you think if I fail at this Idol thing I’ll be able to get a decent job or do you think I’ll never be able to show my face anywhere?”

Zara paused.

Not if we fail, but if I fail. 

“Zara-ssi?”

She looked down at Jin and tilted his chin up to get at his upper waterline.

“You won’t fail at this Idol thing, oppa.”

“How do you know?”

“A Soulmate knows these things.” She gently rubbed the frown lines out of his cheeks. “It’s all going to be okay.”

“What if I mess up?”

“If you mess up, it just means you’re human, Seokjinnie, and nobody will love you any less.”

Jin didn’t reply, as Zara finished lining his eyes. Behind them, they could hear Jungkook, Hoseok and Jimin teasing Namjoon about his warm up. Zara heaved a sigh and made to go scold them, but Jin’s hand came around her wrist, tugging her back.

“Thank you, Zara-ssi.”

Zara’s lips curved into a smile, and she did a quick glance of the room to make sure the cameras weren’t pointing at them. Then she leaned over him again, pressing a long kiss to his plump lips. She pulled away when his shoulders relaxed, his breath leaving him in a soft moan.

“You’re amazing, Seokjin. Just as amazing as the rest, please don’t ever forget that.”

Jin smiled at her, his cheeks tinting pink.

“Okay,” he agreed, “Now go, before Jungkook bullies Namjoon any more.”

Zara gave him another kiss before practically skipping away.

The pre-recording of the Boys’ debut, from Zara’s point of view, went off without a hitch. Jimin made a point of lifting his shirt to show off his abs to the camera (but especially Zara), Jungkook lifted Jimin without any issues, and Jin did an amazing job with both his singing and his dancing.

Jin, of course, didn’t think so. Zara only had to spend 5 minutes drying his tears and touching up his makeup. BangPD, lingering around in the background and simply observing, had to admit that Zara Underhill was excellent at talking these Boys off the ledge.

He watched as she gathered the Boys in a circle around her. She put her hand in the center of them and they all followed suit, placing hands on top of hers.

“You’ve only got We Are Bulletproof Pt. 2 left, and then the pre-recording is over. Seokjin oppa is feeling down right now, so I want you all to lend him your strength, and I’ll lend you my strength too. You’re a unit, my loves, and tomorrow you show the world how strong of a unit you really are. You just have to get through today, first. So, on the count of three, we say BangtanBangtan, okay? 1...2...3!”

“BangtanBangtan!”

They broke the circle, and when they went back onto the recording stage, their performance was beyond amazing, possibly the best they had ever performed. They made no mistakes, and BangPD realized, when Namjoon came off the stage and gathered Zara into a huge hug, how important the American girl really was to the Boys, and how important she would become to his company.

xXx

The next day, on the official debut, Zara once again painstakingly lined each boys with black liner and covered any blemishes on their face. Everyone that sat in her chair was nervous this time. They had already gone through a dry run of the performance, and nobody seemed pleased. Jimin had messed up on a small portion of the dance and he was spending the time until the debut practicing the part. Yoongi too, ran through the dance step by step, as well as Tae, who had done it in its entirety three times already. 

Jungkook showed his nerves through bugging the older members, spraying Namjoon’s throat spray and playing with Zara’s makeup kit as she worked on Hoseok. When he finally got into the seat himself, he immediately started dozing off as Zara played with his hair.

The camera caught a glimpse of her lightly tapping under his chin, which had him waking up with a smile and an adorable laugh.

“Noonaaaaa!”

Zara smiled, squeezing his shoulder lightly.

It wasn’t long before the director was calling them to perform, and Zara quickly made her way into the audience. She’d been informed already that the next time she’d be seeing her boys would be late that night. 

Ji-yoo was in the audience, practically bouncing in her seat. When Zara slid into the seat next to her, her best friend grabbed her arm with both hands.

“I can’t believe this! Kim Taehyung, an Idol. Where did I go wrong?”

Zara snorted, gripping Ji-yoo’s hand tightly.

“They’re so amazing, Ji-yoo, wait until you see them.”

Ji-yoo kept a tight grip on Zara throughout the entire performance, and whenever abs were revealed, screaming would fill the audience, Ji-yoo the loudest of them all. Zara’s face began to hurt from how long and how wide she was grinning. Her beautiful boys were dominating the stage and already stealing hearts.

Ji-yoo was shaking Zara with force by the time the boys were bowing and thanking the audience. Their eyes found Zara one by one, and they bowed again.

“Thank you all for being here,” Namjoon said, though his eyes were on Zara alone, “we will try our hardest. For you.”

Zara nodded to him, her heart soaring for her Boys.

It was particularly gratifying, after all the anxiety and nerves and sacrifices, seeing this dream come to fruition.

It was Ji-yoo, grabbing Zara by the shoulders and shaking her, that pulled her from her thoughts.

“Jungkookie has abs!”

The Boys could hear Zara’s replying laughter from backstage.

@snowythellama @babyboytae1 @stskpop @bewitch3dforivar @peachy---bangtan

[goochills]

World’s Smallest Projector Gets Better Reviews Than LED TVs

Quarantine has made us rethink everything about our homes. We think about having a bigger TV, more screens, tablets, video games and consoles, even home theaters; but maybe the best solution we will ever find is in a small device.

As quarantine lengthens, the good weather starts to show up and the never-ending desire for an accessible cinema increases hopelessly. We would all like to be able to go to one of these rooms, but due to the absence of knowing when, and under what conditions we can do it, it could be the perfect time to set one up at home.

At a time when we use screens for everything we can, to the point where we take advantage of our walls to improve the experience and give a twist to confinement. Since we have to stay at home, better do it with all possible comforts we can access to.

If you are tired of watching any content on TV as usual and those Netflix series and movies are not entertaining anymore, or would like to try new experiences, it is time for you to try a new gadget that could come as a ring to your finger; we are talking about an actual low cost portable projector.

This is one of the new inventions that have been among us for a short period of time and at the same time are becoming very popular, although they do not give the same quality as a television, the experience can be excellent not only to watch movies but to play or even watch sports or having classes online.

Those are just a few of the reasons these projectors have been getting better reviews than some TVs which are having a very hard period trying to cope with the consumer demands and also the versatility the new products out there are offering.

Nevertheless, do the experts recommend it? George Meadow, engineer, technology expert, director of The Futuristic Labyrinth and partner of many YouTube channels stated on a recent interview that “In our center, these kinds of products always defended the importance of combining small and modest ideas with a new look and features that adapt to each person and provide good family time, not to mention care at home to obtain the best experience possible (especially in these difficult times). The PIQO projector can be a good complement to our daily routine, or be very useful at times when we get tired of doing the same over and over again, although it will probably never replace TVs, it could represent a more than valid alternative for people of all ages”.

Some of the unique features this projector offers are Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connection since it can cast from any device and onto any surface. A Built-in Speaker, which makes it easy to watch movies or listen to music on-the-go. A Strong Battery with 50 hours of music playback and 5 hours of video playtime, the PIQO puts in a hard competition against its rivals in terms of battery life.

Not to mention it is compatible with more than 3 million apps and counting on the Google Play Store. It also allows you to stream or download your favorite shows from either Netflix or YouTube, play Candy Crush, Clash Royale, manage your calendar and more, all in 240-inch widescreen.

Experts like Swarun Kumar, the leader of the Emerging Technology Lab at Carnegie Mellon University, agree that it is hard to get things right when it comes to try and compete against the TVs enterprises. Five years ago, Kumar’s PhD thesis involved research on new wireless and innovative alternatives for the next decades. “This is a big challenge for any company trying to assemble home projectors like the ones we build,” he said at MIT’s ImPACT 2020, a recent conference on new domestic devices.

Not only the PIQO, but projectors in general register more than 2,300,000 reviews from users of the Amazon online platform who have rated it with an average rating of 4.5 stars out of 5. The most common comments are related to the quality of image and sound, how easy it is to start it up, which is very comfortable to carry, and which features are suitable for domestic use.

Some famous actors also recommend the practical and innovative alternative represented by the PIQO, this is the case of Alexander Ludwig, who said in a personal interview for FOX “I like to enjoy movies, series and video games on the big screen, and often rather to use this small projector than a large format television. I think it has interesting advantages and take things to the next level’’.

The world of projectors has always been a little confusing for us all. The idea we have always had about them is that they require a complicated installation and a lot of knowledge in order to use them properly and get the most out of them. When we think of them we always remember the classic days at high school where some teachers used old models to try and give the students a better explanation, installed in the middle of the room hanging from the ceiling.

That exact vision is what has led some people to avoid them and generate the wrong ideas. When it comes to watching movies, people have always preferred a large screen over a projector, as we mentioned before. But to be honest, this new mini projector we have been talking about has completely changed the perspective and established itself as a true alternative to TVs, laptops, mobile devices, and tablets.

GET THIS NEW MINI PROJECTOR PIQO OFFER -50% OFF-

Its practicality and mobility are also important features that makes it shine brightly among the others since it is perfectly fit for small places and you can move it wherever you want. The possibility to choose between a small wall in your room or a big flat ceiling located in the living room is amazing, with no drama, no difficult and boring installation process. All you have to do is connect it to a device, tap Play and sit back to enjoy your favorite movie, TV show, game or whatever you want to see without any problem at all.

The post World’s Smallest Projector Gets Better Reviews Than LED TVs appeared first on HUNDRED GADGETS.

source https://hundredgadgets.com/worlds-smallest-projector-gets-better-reviews-than-led-tvs/

[laurencharman-personalstudy-blog]

How emotions & the human mind expressed in experimental film?

I have chosen to look at the topic of “how emotions/the human mind is shown in experimental film” i will be looking at Bill Viola who is a contemporary experimental film artist. He looks at the human mind and emotions key themes being life/death, light/dark and stress/calm; this is interesting as it really expresses each one of our emotions and the opposites that come with it. I will also have non-artist research to back up my case, who is Pj Liguori and Sophie Newton the reason why I chose to use these artists are because of their film making styles. Pj looks at expressing emotions and his imagination itself, when looking carefully at his work you can really feel a lot of emotion coming from his videos so visually wise his videos aren’t aimed at looking at emotions and the human mind but instead his videos really make you feel emotional. With Sophie on the other hand I chose to look at her because of the visual aspects of her work; she is known for using smoke, lighting and just simple little things to make videos where it is visible that there is a lot of emotion being put into what’s being made.

Firstly looking at Bill Viola I learnt that his work is very much like mine; I find it really interesting that he uses the human mind as a focus point in his work. He has a strong impact on the establishment of film as a visual form of contemporary art and because of this he has been able to use a wide range of technology to improve his work as a whole. He’s film installations are known for submerging the audiences and public into his work; his single channel videotapes have been widely broadcast and presented cinematically all over the world. Viola uses video to explore the idea of sense perception as an idea to self-knowledge. A good thing about his work is that he doesn’t just look at life experiences but also spiritual things such as religion and beliefs.

Secondly we have Pj Liguori who is a small online contemporary film maker, I decided to look at him to include his work and ideas in my attempt of answering my question because his style is very original and really draws my attention to what his films are about but also the emotional side of things which is good. Pj has been making films for 7 years now but perused it as a career after graduating from university back in 2013. He is well known on YouTube and has accumulated over 1,000,000 subscriptions which isn’t a big detail which is important for this but I do feel like as time has gone on he has clearly managed to express what he wants to express, his work is very surreal but strangely enough he manages to set across this emotional side of his films that really fits into what I’m looking at with answering this question.

Finally we have Sophie Newton who is another short experimental film maker who I found online, her work has been a massive influence on my own work too which is why I decided that she would really help answer my question. Yet again she works with using YouTube as her main production area, this is because she isn’t big enough to be able to get the chance to have her stuff shown at galleries and in indie cinemas but that hasn’t stopped her from creating beautiful experimental films that show how you only need a few simple things like lighting, smoke machines and an idea. A lot of her videos that really stick out to me as looking at human emotions and how we act as people are the performance ones which range from just dancing in a low light front room to having a dancer dance with sheets to express how she’s feeling.

When looking online at a BBC arts article called “How do film makers manipulate our emotions with music?” I found this to be really interesting as I really understood where they were coming from with how if we were watching a noir film the music really is a key thing in making us feel how the characters are feeling and this is the same for my chosen artists, when for example Pj creates a new short experimental film the music is clearly well thought about. Also when you take into consideration things like music videos and I do mean really well directed and produced video such as Radiohead’s fade out video, where even though the music came first the video has such a well thought out feel to it. When you watch it you’ll either feel at peace or kind of sad in a way; this is just based of how other people I’ve asked feel but also how I feel when I watch it. This is done in experimental film making because sometimes you do need that extra little thing that really does express how you want people to feel

When creating experimental films it’s an entirely different world than professional film production, this is because there are less people working on it at a time Most of the time you have experimental film makers working on their own just because from a creative point of view you don’t want people meddling and changing things that to you don’t need changing. This is often something that occurs yet my three chosen film makers all work with a mix of on their own and with help from others just because they may be working on something that requires a lot of help.

Looking at Pj’s short experimental film “colour bandits” as this is to me the best example of how he uses lighting, powder paint and his own music/poem in the background. The thing that really expresses my point with answering my question is how he could have just left the video with a little music or nothing at all playing but he really thought about how he could express his emotions but also make us the audience feel for this film. To me this is a beautiful film which takes small things like colour into consideration; the colours indicate in our minds what to feel which happens because of chemicals within our brains. The poem that he’s written for this film is really interesting and has more of an influence on how we feel and the way we see the film. The poem is about the main antagonist and is meant to be in first person, this all together really makes me feel a mix between mesmerised, intrigued and overall it made me feel inspired by what I could manage to create myself.

If we were to look at Sophie on the other hand then you can instantly tell that her style when making experimental films is very different from pj but is a little more like bill, this is good though as it is easy to see that from looking at her video called “intimate” this is an example of how you don’t need much to make a beautiful and interesting film she only uses a sheet, lighting and then edited the footage and added soft music. The whole idea for this film to me is being intimate but without the physical touching of another person which is good as it uses another thing that is very moveable and can be seen though especially with shadows. I really like the way that when watching this you feel calm, like the whole world has stopped for a moment but you also can’t help but feel like there’s a sadness behind it all that maybe we don’t realise especially when the lighting gets darker or there’s a colour that we identify with negativity this is because the music also has a tendency to change with the lighting which was defiantly don’t for a reason. The girl dancing with the sheets also gives me vibes of sadness but also feeling alone, trying to hold onto something that she may not be able to hold onto anymore this also has a massive influence with how we feel while watching this.

Yet when you look at bill and his work there is a strong and obviously more professionally refined feel to it this is due to the fact that he’s been very lucky and has his work critically looked at by millions, he has been able to improve his work with how others believe he could change it and really think about other ways to express what he wants. He focuses on the human mind especially which unlike pj and sophie is really explored though out his work this isn’t an entirely fair comparison though as both sophie and pj are technically much more unexperienced compared to bill. I really like the idea of how he experiments with a range of emotions but also their polar opposites these include the likes of happiness & sadness, anxiousness & confidence, light & dark and there are many more which just goes to show how he really looks for ways to make his work a lot more refined.

To me when watching a few of my film makers films all together there is a recognisable similarity and this is how they film and the idea of most of the time keeping everything small and low key; they all try to keep the simple things like lighting, music and even the occasional use of smoke in use as you don’t need to have lots of money to make a really good and thought provoking film. Emotional response is often what you want when creating any type of film whether it’s a big blockbuster or a small experimental short film; this is because you want whoever is watching to really feel emerged within what is going on. The idea that you can show emotion though film is interesting but the idea of being able to make someone physically feel something but with just the simpleness of an experimental film.

The article I found online about how music in film is used to make us react and feel different emotions really comes to key with my film makers this is interesting as it means that it is very true, when you look at pj especially his idea of using a poem as well as music and amazing visuals is really smart and original as its easy to find a good piece of music to over lay on a video but creating a poem that really does a good job of making its audience feel for the character but also makes you feel emotional about things, as I said for me it made me feel happy but it also made me feel like there was maybe a hidden meaning behind it all. You can tell that it was meant to be about change and feeling new things instead of being heartless in a way which is clear to see at the beginning but as the bright vibrant colours, beautiful calming ukulele music and the heart-warming poem start to appear you yourself really do manage to get drawn into the whole film as it unravels in front of you, this is because it really messes with your mind strangely.

With bills work you really don’t feel this as much but this is due to it feeling really messed with and even though this is obviously due to the fact of how with the bigger the project then the bigger the crew and help needed. Though pj did have help with creating his experimental film he didn’t stray far from what he wanted to create which is good, you can tell that there really is a lot of passion put into every film that I’ve looked at for this work but there really is that nagging feeling occasionally that doesn’t let me feel much for bills work but this might mean that maybe you aren’t ment to feel anything but the film is entirely about human emotions and that alone.

[recentanimenews]

Life Under State of Emergency: Tokyo and Rural Areas

Shibuya Crossing (Photo: Daryl Harding)

  Previously, we looked at how the state of emergency was affecting the lives of anime fans in Japan, focusing on the areas of Kyoto and Sendai. Today in part two, we speak with two people who live in Tokyo and a rural area outside of the main cities to get their perspective and feelings on how the “lockdown” is affecting them. We asked them all the same questions to get their differing points of view.

  (Note: all answers have been edited down for clarity.)

  Inside The Capital of Japan

  An empty and close Tokyu Plaza in Harajuku, one of the most Instagram'd places in Japan (Photo: Daryl Harding)

  I spoke to cosplayer, writer, and Tokyo native, Kaho Shibuya, who in her past has been a newspaper reporter, a TV, radio and YouTube channel host, and a teacher among a vast array of other colorful professions. She lives in the heart of Tokyo.

  Firstly, how are you doing in the “lockdown,” even though it’s not technically a lockdown?

  Under our current law, the Japanese government can’t force us to stay at home, so there are some people not behaving the way we’re advised to. Yet things have definitely changed when the prime minister declared a state of emergency: In major cities like Tokyo and Osaka, a great number of shops have closed, so you don’t have destinations for just hanging out anymore.

  The transportation system, however, hasn’t been affected so people can still commute. With how punctual and on-time our train system is, people are still heading to school/work. The extremely crowded train ride in Persona 5 isn’t exaggerated at all and is still happening.

  This means unless you can work at home or you work for a company where they care about your health your job puts you at a higher risk of infection.

  How has the quarantine affected you personally?

  Actually, I hardly go out to socialize other than work. As a non-drinker, I would be happy only going out to attend business meetings or networking gatherings. All my friends are business-related so when we naturally come together, we work together.

  My hobbies are reading manga and watching anime, evidentially, alone. My favorite genre is RPGs, which doesn’t require another player. I live very close to my parents. Quarantine thus far hasn’t affected my personal life at all.

  My work gives me an excuse to talk to people and be an extrovert, so I cherish it very much. Otherwise, I’m an indoor otaku detached from society.

  What about professionally?

  I have many deadlines to meet: weekly, biweekly, and monthly columns, plus my upcoming book. There is still a lot on my plate, though I usually visit a café or somewhere not my room to work. Staying at home makes it absolutely difficult to concentrate.

  Usually, my favorite workplaces have been the worst locations to go to due to during the coronavirus crisis because of their confined spaces, like karaoke and manga cafés to name a few. Japanese people often use karaoke places for business talks because you don’t have to worry about others listening to your conversations and waiters won’t bother you. Manga cafés give you access to almost every popular show and magazines in print. You appreciate the sanctuary if you’re a classic physical book lover like myself.

  Was there anything you were looking forward to that has now been canceled?

  I’ve had the luxury of visiting quite a few conventions overseas as a guest and was looking forward to going more this year before you-know-what happened. My last con was Anime Los Angeles back in January, and I miss the geeky energy there.

  I was going to voice the main role in a new anime show and was really looking forward to it, then the production was delayed due to COVID-19. In fact, a lot of TV series and movies I’ve been waiting for have been postponed such as Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- and Case Closed.

    Is there anything you’ve started to do because of the lockdown?

  I’ve actually joined Twitch and started streaming in April. With everyone experiencing isolation, I thought it’s important now more than ever to stay connected and share the same moments together live.

  I don’t show much of my private side on social media, almost always posting pictures from professional photo shoots plus simple puns and messages, so streaming for hours from my room is definitely something new. It’s not only a good way to tell people how I’m doing through webcam, but what kind of person I really am beneath all those smug model pictures. Some might want nothing other than sexy from me, for sure, while others might relate more because I relate a lot to the topics Twitch users talk about.

  Streaming on Twitch, I can practice speaking English since there are way more English-speakers on the platform than Japanese, and I get to talk passionately about manga/anime/light novels/games in the chat room with people who are really into those things and want to genuinely know about Japan. Especially with cons getting canceled where I get to weeb out together with my international fans whom I cannot see often because of the obvious long-distance in between, interacting with them and staying passionate about our favorite things is what I crave. Like talking about the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba stamp-rally I went to in Kyoto, or other Japanese-related anime events.

  Although, if it weren’t for lockdown, I wouldn’t consider making my own account since I’m so not a tech nerd (just a nerd, period). But my friends offered to help out and I’m truly lucky that I have them. I’m in good hands and now thinking of setting up for game streaming and more!

  What are you using to cope with being forced to stay inside?

  Now that new episodes of seasonal anime have been suspended, I take this time to go back to older shows, like Bleach, Gintama, Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day, Angel Beats, and Steins;Gate, all from 2004 to 2011 when I only have a vague memory of following every single episode because we didn’t have anime streaming sites to catch up. While the first two are very long to binge-watch, the middle two series have only 12 episodes, then the last one is somewhere in between plus its extra season Steins;Gate 0.

  Currently, I’m watching Mob Psycho 100 in English, all thanks to Crunchyroll by the way! I want to digest amazing shows in English too so that I get to talk with more people about them.

  Kaho actually put the A Certain Scientific Railgun puzzle together during the “lockdown.”

  How has your neighborhood/town changed?

  Considering it’s central Tokyo, the number of people I see on the street is now surprisingly low, especially on weekends and late at night. Some shops and offices have either closed or shorten their business hours, so it’s very quiet in the evening.

  What are you looking forward to once everything is over?

  Once this pandemic is subdued, I’m planning to have my first gig as an Anisong DJ! I’ve been practicing and was going to debut in April, so now I have to make my performance worth the wait!

  I’d been to some clubs that played mainly anime songs in Japan, but when I attended Kawaii Kon in Hawaii, I made friends with AniParty members from NY at the LUMICA booth, and their energy and audiences were great. I wanted to be a part of that, bringing smiles and music to dance to, letting everyone know about stunning OPs and EDs.

  In addition to signing, paneling, cosplaying, and emceeing, I’ve been eager to contribute more to events. Some other projects are going on too which I can reveal at my next con, whenever that is. This stay-at-home time is for me to grow, and after that, it’s time to show!

  How do you feel about Japan’s response to the pandemic?

  It was quite a long time before our government took things seriously. I mean, they should’ve regulated if not banned traveling, they were very reluctant to make that decision.

  If such action was made earlier, I believe we could’ve been in a much better situation. Given that we have a bigger personal space in social interaction; we rarely hug or even handshake, and we’re used to wearing masks because of hay fever in the spring. And more than everything, our biggest city, Tokyo, is incredibly clean and safe compared to other big cities in the world. I hope you all get to visit when this international fear is gone …

  Any other stories you’d like to tell?

  A lot of my friends from overseas reached out to me to make sure I was okay, which was incredibly nice. In these hard times, you realize the importance of people around you, you discover who is really precious to you and who feels the same way about you in return. Without the quarantine, we are usually too busy living our own lives every day to ever think about things like that.

  The Rounds in Rural Japan

    Finally, I spoke to Ernest Lin, an American who has lived in Japan for the last three years and currently quite a way out of Tokyo — outside of the four main prefectures. He’s a senior editor at the video game website PlayStation Universe and works as a consultant in Japan in various fields.

  Firstly, how are you doing in the “lockdown,” even though it’s not technically a lockdown?

  Surviving so far — things for me could be worse but could be better.

  How has the quarantine affected you personally?

  There's an overall sense of anxiety that I feel has been cast over everyday life. There are days where my mood has been pretty gloomy. Obviously, not going out as much and being separated from friends and others has played a part in that. I follow the news of the COVID-19 situation in Japan and America a lot, so I'm especially worried about my friends and family around the world.

  What about professionally?

  Ah, unfortunately, it has affected me in that regard. I missed out on some work — there are a few of my on-going projects on indefinite hold until the situation quells. Additionally, it's been hard to get some other things off the ground.

  Was there anything you were looking forward to that has now been canceled?

  Oh, at this point it feels like countless things — anime and gaming industry events, other festivals here in Japan, various movies, and series releases. With everything else going on bringing perspective, the cancellations and delays are only slightly disappointments. I completely understand and support them if it means keeping more people out of harm.

  Is there anything you’ve started to do because of the lockdown?

  I started cooking more. The situation has given me time to work on bigger personal projects. Also, I've been able to catch up with loved ones, especially back in America, via voice and video calls.

  What are you using to cope with being forced to stay inside?

  I use some of the time to study more Japanese and organize my living space. Games have been a nice temporary escape (Final Fantasy VII Remake has been perfect for that!) and multiplayer ones like Fortnite have served as digital hang-out spaces to replace meeting up in real life.

  Ernest traveling to Midgar in Final Fantasy VII Remake

  Before the "lockdown," I hadn't binged many shows in a while since my job and other life stuff usually kept me really busy. Like everyone and their mom, I watched through Netflix's Tiger King. I've tried catching up on some anime shows I missed in the past. I recently finished Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai plus its sequel film and was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved them.

  How has your neighborhood/town changed?

  Places, in general, are a little less crowded and various public spaces and businesses are temporarily closed or at reduced hours. Almost everyone is wearing masks.

  What are you looking forward to once everything is over?

  Karaoke for sure.

  How do you feel about Japan’s response to the pandemic?

  Frankly, I do not believe the measures that have been taken have not been swift or adequate enough. It's one of the reasons I'm constantly concerned about the situation spiraling into something worse ... I hope it doesn't, but I'm always afraid it will.

  Any other stories you’d like to tell?

  A month or so ago, I was attending a meeting to check out a property for a project. I showed up at the entrance without a mask, and before we could proceed with the meeting, one of the staff made a remark about how I didn't have a mask. Embarrassed, I realized I had forgotten to wear one (I was born and raised in America, so I sometimes forget). Fortunately, I had extras in the car, so I ran back and came back with one on.

  Around that time, I had a dinner meeting where the food was self-serve, buffet-style, but we were given gloves to wear while using the tongs and such. That was a first for me.

    Thank you so much to both Kaho and Ernest for sharing their stories of isolation with us. Kaho Shibuya can be found in multiple places all over the web with most of her social media found on her website (NSFW warning), or you can find her streaming on Twitch. Ernest can be found on Twitter @erniichan.

  If you have your own story about life in Japan you’d like to share, feel free to share it with me at any of the links in my bio below.

  If you or someone who know is living in Japan, coronavirus-based English resources are available at NHK World Japan. 

  Daryl Harding is a Japan Correspondent for Crunchyroll News. He also runs the YouTube channel about Japan stuff called TheDoctorDazza, tweets at @DoctorDazza, and posts photos of his travels on Instagram. 

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com