#Fast-track Japanese learning

[bhumi1066]

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[shownohajimarida]

In the Beginning...

In the beginning, God made phantoms and thieves.

If you're reading this in English, there's a 90% chance you first learned the word Kaitou from Kaito himself—and only slowly come to realize just how many corners of Japanese pop-culture it's really bled into, from Tezuka to Tuxedo Mask to Princess Peach. There's thieves, there's thieves with style, and then there's phantom thieves. A law unto themselves in their own worlds and ours, a breed of gentlemen who can magically stay gentlemen while doing the most ungentlemanly things known to society.

You'd need a book—probably a whole shelf—to properly explore all the ancestors of this proud archetype, never mind all the twists and turns it's taken in modern times. But we're a bunch of poors in money and time, so let's settle for just one tonight.

Fun fact, there's a doctor in Japan who runs a full-time clinic, lectures for one of the top med schools, and still finds room to blog about his fifty-odd niche interests. With him lighting the way, we tracked down this: the oldest book Japan's National Library has ever picked the word Kaitou out of.

Not a gentleman sort of book, you'd assume—and be absolutely right. Dated 1908 (just a little after Leblanc's Lupin, just a little before his first Japanese translation), Eishirō Suzuki's Strange Worlds is a loud, proud freakshow, trotting out ghost story after tall tale after Believe-It-Or-Not article about some wackos in America marrying in a lion cage. Our story of interest comes about halfway in: six pages and change, unmistakably headed 怪盗.

What lies within? A tragically forgotten ancestor to this great and greatly profitable archetype? Or a dead-end that happens to share the name and damn little else? Or, despite all odds, a combination of both?

Why don't you see for yourself?

Pull up a seat, grab a drink, and enjoy our exhaustive translation of history's first...

Phantom Thief

In the days of Jōkyō,¹ near Shitaya's Ikenohata-town, a pawn-shop called Yamaguchi Place² stood rich beyond imagining. Its master, with eleven vaults to his name, was a long and proud worshiper at the Benzaiten³ shrine on Shinobazu Pond. Now, it happened that this man heard the Shogun’s offices had recently surveyed the pond for land-filling, and grew troubled.

One evening, having closed early and settling the day's accounts, the boy tending the shop heard a tap at the front door, and opened to look. Lo and behold—there was a magnificent palanquin, inlaid four-square with silver, bound on every side by tens of fine, sentinel-eyed Samurai. Shocked, the boy ran to his master telling all. The master, no less shocked, came out with warm greetings, asking the company into his home.

Then from the palanquin emerged a most exquisite woman, so noble and divine of bearing that she might have been taken for a celestial maiden, with face sweeter than any peach or plum, and dress of the richest twill brocade. With hardly a sound this beauty sat, drew open her vermilion lips, and bade all listen—

“To begin, my being is not of flesh, but an envoy of Her Lady Benzaiten, in whom thou hast believed all thy life. The Shogun's men mean to bury Shinobazu Pond, and Her Ladyship suffers no small distress hearing this, for Her own power may well draw sanctuary from any ladle's-worth of water, but Her kith and kin—some hundreds upon thousands of scales—must wilt and suffer without mires to call home. “Deep ran Benzaiten's pity, and with it a divine will to bring salvation of some, of any kind. Mercifully, thy garden declares a most generous pond, and in behalf of those kith and kin I call upon thee to guarantee it as their new sanctum. If thy faith in Benzaiten be strong and true, take not these words in vain. Know only that Her Ladyship wills a night of storm and squall, fast approaching, to lay Her kin. Come that day, thou shouldst make fast the doors of thy home, withdraw to thine own room, and put no eye at door-slit, nor foot outside to enquire. Heed this, and Benzaiten will grow thy riches ten-fold in reward. Such is my message, in sum.”

Hearing this, the man grew ecstatic—rapturous, even. He spared nothing treating his guest, servants and all, to the very end of their departure.

In less than a fortnight came a dawn with greying skies, and by afternoon rain was falling, the wind slowly rising. On this day the man chose to fast, thinking it the day Benzaiten would descend, and so admonished his family and cohorts, warning them to keep the doors firmly shut and let no-one out after dark.

As the night crept toward second-watch,⁴ the wind grew wilder and wilder, until all the trees and bamboo in the garden could be heard thrashing, and all the water in the pond roiling. Now every breath was held, every head bowed, every heart thundering, thinking it time for She to come. Gradually the rain stopped and the wind ebbed, and the master, unable to wait for dawn, immediately threw open the door, eyes cast on the garden and its pond. There, he saw fish darting—more than the prior day—and thought, Benzaiten, your fellows are sown. Then, thinking of the promised reward, he rushed to check his stores. But as he swept up and down the row of vaults behind his shop, what did he find? Every lock undone, and every door open! Now uneasy, he entered, and found nothing left! Not the pawn-goods, nor the furniture, nor the thousand-ryō boxes. Floor to ceiling, everything was nigh-bare. He stood alone, dumbfounded and gaping.

Now, it happened that a shrine sat in the mountains on Kōshū-Kaidō Road, and before this shrine came men in packs, reeking of banditry, laying down their fresh and ill-gotten gains, eager for a proper portioning.

Onto this the shrine opened its doors, and who should be shocked to see the bandits' chief! No older than twenty-eight years she stood, with beauty to shame the sky and stars. A beauty that laughed aloud and said—

“My, what lovely work, boys!”

It was this very enchantress who had gulled the shop-master by claiming to be a goddess's envoy—and then, catching the slightest storm, sent all these men to his shop in dead of night. Some had hitched ropes to trees and bamboo all around his garden, and whipped them to bluff the sounds of a roaring wind, while others had beaten at the pond to affect waves. Under such clamor they had cunningly hidden any sounds of vault doors opening, of wares being moved.

A most unusual—most phantasmic—thief, no?

—Eishirō Suzuki, Strange Worlds: Tall Tales and Oddities (1908).

¹ Approx. 1684–1688 CE. ² No relation to Kappei. That we know of. ³ Wealth goddess strongly associated with rivers and lakes. One of Japan's Seven Lucky Gods. ⁴ Approx. 9—11pm. Adapted from Old China's gēng-diǎn system, each "watch" marking one-fifth of the time between sunset and dawn.

[shivayagojo]

JAPAN GP, hometown stint

masterlist

f1

And we're back. It's race weekend in Japan. Round 3 kicks off in Suzuka. Lando is leading, but it's Ava who's brought the consistency. Who will take it today?

see comments below

carloslover_27: Suzuka is always a vibe. Hopefully we'll see the hometown heroes do well.

> motorsportqueen: Let's manifest it! Ava for the W 🙌🙌

terriblysourdolla: No one's talking about Max tho? He's lowkey lurking in the background 👀

> f1guru99: He hasn't been in the background for a long time. But he always rocks in Suzuka.

> avafansworld: Ava's the one to watch today. Forget Lando and Max, she's taking the crown 👑

sportsbabe: Ava's been on fire in first two GPs. Can't wait to see how she handles the race today 👏🔥

> florence4ever: Mark my words, Ava's got that W locked down. Watch and learn. 💅

> delulu: Home town win!💥

avaflorence

Growing up in Belgium, my family always made it a point to visit the other half of my heritage at least once a year. And now with F1, I get paid to do it. Love you Japan. This weekend is for you.

see comments below

yukitsunoda0511: GO JAPAN 🇯🇵🇯🇵🇯🇵

> avaflorence: If you're not on that podium with me tomorrow, I'm going to kill you 🔪

> yukitsunoda0511: 😨

> toasted_melon: average conversation with your brother be like

max2themax: Love how connected you are to your roots. Representing both sides like a queen 👑🌸

> racingfreakz: Ava always knows how to make us feel special. Japan's got nothing but love for you! 🇯🇵💕

racefam_24: Spa and Suzuka?! You're winning in life 💯👑

> avafansworld: Two of the most beautiful tracks in the world.🌍💖

racevibes_only: You're the definition of goals, Ava 💖

porschef1

It's a special race for our girl which means a special livery too. Presenting the 2025 Suzuka Porsche livery.

see comments below

f1fanatic_92: That livery is INSANE 😍😍 Can't wait to see it on track!!

florence4ever: Porsche is always bringing the heat 🔥🔥 Ava's gonna look even better in that! 🙌👑

vcarb: We see you Porsche 👀

> porschef1: You don't get to talk to us

> drssupremacy: lmao they're defending Daniel. I love it!

missingkimi: Porsche is serving and I'm here for it 🙌🙌 Let's get that dub, Ava!! 🏆

> delulu: This is gonna be legendary. Ava + Seb + Porsche + Suzuka = magic 🔮✨

SUZUKA QUALIFYING — always a THRILL! Predictable? Perhaps — but never lacking excitement! The Red Bulls, as expected, rocketed to the top five in sector one. And who could ignore Aston Martin? Fernando Alonso surged forward, squeezing into Q2 — and then squeezing again into Q3! But the McLarens, despite a few struggles, retained the formidable pace they brought to Suzuka last year.

          AND THEN — a shocker! Yuki Tsunoda, for the Racing Bulls, unleashed a magical performance. P3! A staggering two-tenths clear of Max Verstappen! WOW! As if that wasn't enough, Sebastian Vettel — YES, in that Porsche — grabbed P2! A redemption arc after his misfortunes in China. Now perched on the front row for the Japanese Grand Prix.

          YET ALL EYES were on Eva Florence — the hometown hero. She dominated practice—Friday sessions one, two, and three. Can she extend her reign to qualifying?

"Here we are, ladies and gentlemen, riding on board with Ava Florence. She's been past all the sessions. Let's see what she makes it off it in this lap."

"Indeed, Crofty, as she comes down the main straight... and we begin her lap. Burst down the main straight. Power into the first curve — mid-corner deceleration. Navigate the tight right curve with finesse. Now into Turn 3 — a high-speed left kink — preparing for Suzuka's iconic S's."

"Turn4, Turn 5, Turn 6 — the S curves! Left, right, left — a dance for the brave, and Ava doesn't flinch once. Just look at the grip she gets in these corners."

"Absolutely crucial for this track. Into the Dunlop curve, that fast left bend—gathering speed. Then to the uphill portion, then a slow-speed right hand kink—careful with the gravel on exit! Through the Degner One and on to Degner Two—the track tightens, but she releases—gorgeous exit through Turn 9."

"She's done beautiful so far. Under the bridge now—flashing! Turn 10, flat out! Turn 11, hard on the brakes—a hairpin, delicate but executed with mastery.

"Swooping through Turn 12, a full-throttle right-hand bend—approaching the Spoon Curve, Turns 13 and 14. Brakes, drift: this double-left, a challenge! She skirts peril, just right."

"And TURN 13 — the ICONIC 130R — with the pedal to the metal! All sectors LIGHT UP PURPLE — SHE'S FLYING! Into the Casio Chicane — a deceleration dance: third gear, left, right, left, right!Relentless, furious — and now, across the LINE! AVA FLORENCE HAS JUST TAKEN HER FIRST POLE POSITION F1 HISTORY! — WHAT A LAP! What a moment for the rookie — the hometown hero writes her own legend at Suzuka!"

HENRY And that's pole for Sunday. What a lap.

FLORENCE HAH! YES! Unbelievable! Thank you so much!

f1

Porsche front-row lockout and two hometown heroes in the top 3. It's anyone's game in Suzuka on Sunday.

see comments below

marshedmellow: LET'S GO!!! Porsche locking it down 🔥 Suzuka's gonna be WILD 🔥🔥

> avafansworld: Ava's gonna show them how it's done from the front row 👑💪

f1fanatic_92: Porsche at the front and Ava showing up strong—this is gonna be EPIC. 🏎️💨

delulu: Manifesting a Ava-Yuki podium!

heturnedintome: Can we just have this as our podium?

JAPAN GRAND PRIX STARTING GRID

Ava Florence

Sebastian Vettel

Yuki Tsunoda

Max Verstappen

Lando Norris

Fernando Alonso

Oscar Piastri

Liam Lawson

Lewis Hamilton

George Russel

Charles Leclerc

Andrea Kimi Antonelli

Lance Stroll

Pierre Gasly

Nico Hulkenberg

Ollie Bearman

Isack Hadjar

Gabriel Bortoleto

Esteban Ocon

Carlos Sainz

Alexander Albon

Jack Doohan

IT'S SUNDAY. The adrenaline is high - the FORMULA 1 JAPAN GRAND PRIX is about to ignite. 22 drivers, engines roaring, lined up on the grid. The third round of the Championship calls! Ava Florence is comfortable in P2 in the championship, but she's even more comfortable knowing she's on pole and her main championship rival is down in P5.

PORSCHE ecstatic - a FRONT ROW LOCKOUT! They're hungry to convert this golden opportunity. Meanwhile, Red Bull aims to reclaim glory, propelled by the unexpected charge from Liam Lawson breaking into the top 10. A big ask from him, especially since Yuki Tsunoda, the man he took the Red Bull, shines brightly in P3!

"Ava, Ava."

"Martin! About damn time I get interviewed by you."

"It's a been some time. But it's here. How's it feel? On the verge of glory in your home country, second in the Championship, but so close to the crest? A win today could flip the standings for you."

"Oh, Martin, it's amazing! Belgium is the country in my heart, but I can't forget about Japan. I love every time I come here. I love the fans, I love the country. My first pole here...it's a dream. The Championship tables? Honestly, I didn't think too much about it until the engineers at Porsche told me. But Lando in P5? It's great. I've got my own script today."

"But Eva, the elation of a hometown victory, how will it feel to cross P1? Your second win, a jubilant homecoming?"

"Every win is amazing, Martin. But this one is a bit more so. To take this one, with my family watching, it'd be indescribable. Emotional? Yes. Tearful? No, maybe not today - but if there's a place for tears, it's Spa."

"Well, we'll certainly look forward to seeing this race. Good luck to you."

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the electrifying Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka! The SUN is SHINING, the sky's clear, and we've 53 laps of hard, gritty racing ahead of us. Let's dive into this iconic track... One DRS ZONE sets the stage on this 5.8-kilometer circuit. 307 kilometers in total length. And the lap record, set by Lewis Hamilton in 2019, 1:30.983. Alright, Martin, let's get this race started. It's five lights in Suzuka... AND IT'S LIGHTS OUT AND AWAY WE GO!!! AVA FLORENCE ROCKETS off the line—a perfect start. Vettel and Tsunoda give chase. Verstappen behind. Lando loses out on his position to Fernando Alonso. Alonso is breathing down Verstappen's neck."

"It's a battle royale behind. That was the perfect start by Florence. Just stick it and drive. No need to play defensive. You've got your teammate behind you acting as rear gunner. Just make it through the first corner."

"Eva Florence is FLYING, the gap stretched to three tenths. Sebastian Vettel is protecting her hard, holding off Yuki Tsunoda. Oh, there's Russell—taking on Hamilton! The former teammates. Side by side into Turn 11—Hamilton HOLDS! Russell backs out neededly, and now he's got Charles Leclerc in his mirror. Leclerc—after a poor qualifying—he's CLIMBING! We've seen his comebacks in Australia, in China—what can he do here?"

"Hard braking at the spoon curve. Russsell goes wide, Leclerc hits the apex. Russel just too much on the curbs and Leclerc gets the better exit. He's up to P10."

"Here we as the drivers begin the third sector. Ava Florence still far and away the leader, but the gap between Tsunoda and Vettel has lessened. Tsunoda showed great pace in qualifying and now he's staring down the back of the four time world champion. There go through 130R. There's Russell trying Leclerc. Both drivers flat-out. And the Mercedes has that speed on the fast corners. Russel back into P10."

LAP 3:

"It's the battle that people saw a portion of in 2023. Let's see if we get more this season. Fernando Alonso and Max Verstappen. Fernando makes the lunge into the first corner, tight on the inside line. They're side by side. Can Fernando squeeze ahead? Yes he can! Fernando is put to P4, but here's Verstappen, trying to regain the position on the outside. He does. Max remains P4."

"So already we're seeing some back and forth action here. No driver in this circuit wants to give up their position as here comes Sainz on Hadjar."

"Isack Hadjar has not been able to recreate the same magic as his teammate. That car is not the best for this track, but you would think he would get more out of it considering we're Tsunoda is at. And Jack Doohan, for the second race running, is towards the back of the grid."

"There have been rumors going around that Doohan's contract is potentially only for five races. No confirmation whatsoever, but if it is true, this is certainly not the results Alpine wants."

LAP 13:

HENRY Okay, Ava. This is where we're going to potentially see some drivers coming in. Let's try to extend this stint as much as possible.

"There is Ava Florence told to extend these tires as much as you can. She is on the C3 compounds here, so she could be running a one-stop strategy."

"That certainly seems like it. Especially since she doesn't seem to be losing any time. Perhaps Porsche is looking to get her out as long as possible on these soft tyres and then just run it through until everyone pits the second time."

"Yup. That seems to be the plan for that Porsche, but not for Sebastian Vettel. He comes into the pitstop. So now, Yuki Tsunoda is up to second place. And the Japanese fans go wild as they have two home town features leading the race. Ava Florence and Yuki Tsunoda."

"Now that Tsunoda has that free air, I wonder if he'll be able to catch up to that Porsche or if she's too far away for this stint. Vettel comes out of the pits. Not a bad stop. He's in P6."

LAP 15:

"And it's a battle in the pitsotps between Verstappen and Hamilton. Hamilton gets out a bit earlier, but it's anybody's game who's gonna make the jump into Turn 1. Is Verstappen feeling ambitious? No, he remains cautious."

LAP 19:

"There's Leclerc in the pits. He'll change for a fresh set of hard tires. Comes out P8."

"Yes, that's interesting, but Ava Florence has still not pitted. Yuki Tsunoda has. He came out in P6 earlier. But Florence looks she's committed to the one stop. And he'll be a mighty one stop if she can make it work."

LAP 25:

"Ava Florence finally comes in for her pit stop. She's made these soft tires run for a long while and now she'll put on a new pair of hard compounds. Oh, but what's this?"

"The right here wheel had trouble being put on! The gun just got stuck there. And that's a bad pitstop for Florence. They were expecting to come ahead of Verstappen, but instead they're going to behind Hamilton."

FLORENCE How are we behind Hamilton?

HENRY Keep calm, Ava. We're still the only one on the one-stop.

"It's going to be a game of patience for Ava Florence as she's gonna wait for all these drivers in front of her to make their second pitstop. In the lead, Yuki Tsunoda a second ahead of Verstappen. What a race he's having!"

LAP 29:

"And there comes Lewis Hamilton jumping at Lawson on the Casio chicane. He'll get the inside line and it's Hamilton ahead on the main straight! That Red Bull was faster than Ferrari on this track, but Hamilton has the experience to pull away from Lawson."

LAP 32:

"Verstappen is the first of the top ten into the pits for this second stint. He'll give up that position to Fernando Alonso, who now, will be attacking his former rival, Sebastian Vettel."

"A great many battles these two have shared. Let's see if Fernando can close that gap and we can see some overtaking."

"Ava Florence. It's going smoothly for her. She passes Lawson on the straight. The DRS gave her a nice boost to get into P5."

HENRY You're doing great. Hamilton ahead has not pitted.

FLORENCE Should I try to overtake?

HENRY Negative.

FLORENCE But I'm loosing time.

HENRY Tsunoda is within pit window. No need to rush.

"It seems you were right, Martin. Porsche is playing a very patient game here."

LAP 35:

"And here comes Hamilton into the pits. So, now, Ava moves up another position. She'll be right behind Piastri, who's going for a longer second stint. And then she'll have to wait for Vettel and Tsunoda to make their pits too."

HENRY Okay, Ava. You can push.

"Very interesting to see what she'll make of it."

LAP 37:

"Oscar Piastri into to the pits. So it's another easy move up for Ava Florence. Now she's chasing Sebastian Vettel. He's been dragging these tires longer, hasn't he?"

"He has. So we're expecting if he does stop, he'll probably go on the soft compounds at the end of the race. For now, let's see how much Ava catches up."

LAP 39:

"Ava Florence has caught up to a second behind her teammate. She will be in that DRS zone as we come down the straight. She's picking up speed, but Vettel has a comfortable gap not be overtaken yet. Through the S's it's Vettel and Florence, the two Porsche inches apart. When will Florence make the move? It's now — she's gonna emerge on the outside of Turn 7. They're side by side, but Vettel forces her back. She switches over, dives down the inside of Turn 8 and MAKES IT STICK! Ava Florence with a beautiful move passes her teammate."

"That was a good read by Florence. She knew the outside wasn't going to work in Degner 1, just wasn't fast enough. So she moved over to the inside to get the apex before Vettel. Superb driving."

"Certainly she's been on fire all weekend and now she's going to have good, comfortable gaze at Yuki Tsunoda who has to pit."

LAP 42:

"Yuki Tsunoda can just about see Florence in his rea-view mirrors and what must he be thinking? He's leading his home Grand Prix, but his Japanese counterpart is looking to snatch that home victory for herself. Down the main straight, Florence has DRS. She's closing in that gap."

"Tsunoda has to be careful here. I'm sure his engineers have warned him about Sector 2, just how flying she is on this middle portion of the track."

"Down the inside of Turn 8 she goes once again, but from too far back on the grid. Doesn't get it. Tsunoda skids on the entry to Turn 8. Florence closes in further. She knows she can get on the hairpin, just has to get there.

HENRY Okay, Ava. No need to overtake Tsunoda. He has yet to pit.

FLORENCE Yeah, but satisfaction.

"As they head past 10, Tsunoda is early on the breaks and that's just enough time for Florence to SQUEEZE THROUGH! Round the hairpin, smooth exit. And Ava Florence is leading the Grand Prix."

"She said she wanted that satisfaction of passing Tsunoda and boy how satisfying must that move be? That corner is very easy to get wrong but she just slides on in there."

LAP 53:

"And it is a masterclass for the Japanese hero. From start to finish, there was nothing that stood a threat in the face of this woman and now she'll see the checkered flag fall for her home race. AVA FLORENCE WINS THE JAPANESE GRAND PRIX!"

HENRY And that is win Ava!

FLORENCE HAHA!!! WOHOO!! YES! What does Seb say? RING-DINGA-DING-DING!!

f1

SATISFACTION INDEED! Ava Florence wins the Japanese Grand Prix!

tagged: avaflorence

see comments below

burnttoast: WTF WAS GRAND PRIX?? 2025 is insane!!

> orangedelusions: A young driver fighting for the championship, new team, old f1 legends. Welcome back 2012!

adoptmycat: Yuki on the podium baby less go!

> vettel4life: SEB ON THE PODIUM 💪

> capybara: this podium is making me cry 🥹

el_plan: Ava Florence went to the Fernando Alonso school of celebrations.

cassettes: I've seen enough. Give her the companionship!

porschef1

It's a double podium for this team in Japan. What a race!

tagged: avaflorence, sebastianvettel

see comments below

madmax: Words cannot describe how beautiful it was to see Vettel on the podium again 🥹

> balencia: Vettel on the podium out retirement feels like when Schumi got it in 2012.

> chrome: SO DO I LOOK LIKE HIIIM?

florence4ever: What a race from both Porsche! One stop on both of them!

motorsport: Whoever allowed Porsche strategist cook, tell them to keep cooking 🧑‍🍳

JAPAN GRAND PRIX RESULTS

1. AVA FLORENCE (+25)

2. YUKI TSUNODA (+18)

3. SEBASTIAN VETTEL (+15)

4. MAX VERSTAPPEN (+12)

5. FERNANDO ALONSO (+10)

6. LANDO NORRIS (+8)

7. OSCAR PIASTRI (+6)

8. LEWIS HAMILTON (+4)

9. LIAM LAWSON (+2)

10. GEORGE RUSSELL (+1)

11. CHARLES LECLERC

12. ANDREA KIMI ANTONELLI

13. PIERRE GASLY

14. LANCE STROLL

15. NICO HULKENBERG

16. OLLIE BEARMAN

17. CARLOS SAINZ

18. GABRIEL BORTOLETO

19. ISACK HADJAR

20. ALEXANDER ALBON

21. ESTEBAN OCON

22. JACK DOOHAN

JAPAN GRAND PRIX POST-RACE INTERVIEW

Interviewer: Ava, what a spectacular win this for you. You drove amazingly well. How are the feelings win this race?

Ava: Now, look who's flirting? But, yes, it's a great feeling. I think we did great from start to finish. The team did a great job with the strategy. So, super proud of this moment —

Vettel taps her shoulder from behind. When she turns around, he wraps in a hug and pats her back.

Seb: Unbelievable race.

Ava: It was good, no?

Seb: You were crying on the podium.

Ava: No, no—

Seb: You couldn't see it, but I looked over at her on the podium. I saw a tear drop her cheek. She was crying.

Ava: Okay, a little. But it wasn't as much as you in Abu Dabhi. I controlled myself there.

Interviewer: Yuki that a brilliant race here today. Your highest finish at the Japanese Grand Prix. What are you feeling?

Yuki: It's amazing. Super amazing. In front of all the fans, to win like this, it's incredible. And I am super happy with how everything turned out. The team did a great job. And it was a fantastic race.

Interviewer: Sebastian, your third Grand Prix back from retirement and you're sitting on the podium. Is this a sign you're getting back into form?

Seb; Maybe. Obviously, I'm not going to be as good or fast as I was before, but I still love racing and I will continue to love racing. So, just an incredible day for me, the team, and for Ava for winning that race.

avaflorence

Japan gave me three things in life: a mother, ramen, and a dream win. Love you with all my heart. ❤️

see comments below

ovenisonfire: Oh she's an icon ✨

florence4ever: GO MAMA GO!! STUNT ON THESE POSERS!

burnt_orange: No, Ava. Save some of the poses for El Padre to do when he wins!

> avaflorence: Don't worry Nando. I'll carry on your legacy once you retire

> fernando_alonso_official: I am not retiring anytime soon (but you have my full permission 👍)

> burnt_orange: Oh she got the thumbs-up of approval. El Madre is full swing!

porschef1: Show them, queen!

> avaflorence: Luv ya, please come hang out with me for dinner 😘

> delulu: Not Ava flirting with the Porsche admin 🤣

WORLD DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP

WORLD CONSTRUCTORS CHAMPIONSHIP

(lemme know if wanna be included)

taglist: @freyathehuntress

[hazelira]

of henna and hakama

𝐤𝐢 ⋆ ｡ · ° ʚ 🐆 ɞ ° ‧ ｡ ⋆ 𝐤𝐢

The garden smelled of cherry blossoms and jasmine. The soft wind whispered between the trees—some native to the coast of Tunisia, others carefully flown in from Japan. The setting sun kissed everything gold, and beneath it stood Y/N, draped in a rich red and gold lebsa tounsia, delicate henna curling across her hands like lace.

She stared at the arch where she and Riki would soon be wed. Two worlds tied in silk and spirit.

“You're doing that thing again,” came a familiar voice, calm and grounding. Riki appeared at her side, dressed in a formal black montsuki haori hakama, embroidered with his family crest. His hair was tied neatly, and his expression showed boyish nervousness despite his quiet poise.

“What thing?” she asked, brushing her fingers against his.

“That thing where you worry if everything’s going to go wrong when it’s already perfect.”

Y/N sighed. “I just don’t want either side to feel out of place.”

Riki gently pulled her aside, leading her down the olive tree path toward a small grove—half planted with sakura trees, half with jasmine and palm fronds. He pulled a paper from his sleeve and knelt.

“I was saving this for tonight,” he said in accented but clear Arabic, unfolding a handwritten letter. “But I want you to hear it now.”

He read slowly, reverently, pausing between each line:

"I was born on an island surrounded by quiet. You were born in a land where joy echoes like drums through the street. I used to think silence meant peace. Now, your laughter is what peace sounds like."

Y/N blinked fast. She laughed softly, covering her mouth.

“I memorized it too,” he added, switching to Japanese, this time reading the same lines in his native tongue. “Just in case your family needs translation.”

She kissed his forehead. “You’re ridiculous.”

“I’m yours,” he corrected with a smile. “Also… I learned dabke.”

“You what? You're so silly!” she laughed.

“I practiced with your cousin over video. I’m still bad. But I’ll try.”

of henna and blessings

The henna party was filled with colour, drums, women ululating, and incense swirling. Y/N sat with her hands outstretched, fingers adorned in darkening dye. She was surrounded by cousins and aunties, laughter flowing like honey.

Then, gasps rose. Riki stepped in.

It was not customary for the groom to attend, but he held a letter, not a grand gesture. He bowed slightly, carefully kneeling beside her and having a cloth so he didn’t ruin her wet henna. His presence hushed the room in curiosity.

“I just wanted to read something.”

Another note. This one is shorter.

"You’re beautiful when you speak your language and dance with your feet bare. When you call my name like it belongs in your mouth. I will learn every word, drumbeat, and step if it means standing beside you all my life."

Even the aunties were wiping their eyes now.

of kimonos and kaftans

The morning sun broke over a ksar in the Tunisian desert, its ancient arches now lined with sakura garlands. Guests arrived dressed in bright foutas, kaftans, and kimono. Riki’s family wore traditional Japanese wedding garments. Your father wore a jebba, and your mother and sisters draped in silk.

The ceremony began with a Shinto ritual, the san-san-kudo. Three cups, three sips each, sharing sake beneath the carved olivewood gate.

Then, the drums began. Tunisian mezuoed music echoed as the couple wore traditional Tunisian attire. Riki looked regal in his embroidered vest and sash, slightly unsure but smiling. Y/N's hand never left his.

Dancers spun. Family ululated. The air smelled of incense and jasmine water.

They exchanged vows in both languages—her in Arabic, him in Japanese, both soft-spoken but unshakably sure.

of two moons, one dance

The stars watched their first dance from high above.

The music began: a carefully mixed track of soft strings woven into the upbeat rhythm of Tunisian drums. They twirled, laughed, and stepped wrong and right. Riki tried a dabke step, and everyone cheered—especially when he stumbled and laughed through it.

“Let’s call it dabke-onna,” he joked, mixing the word with onna-odori, a Japanese dance. Y/N threw her head back, laughing.

Later, under a canopy of cherry blossoms and jasmine garlands, they stole away.

Riki pulled a box from beneath their table. Inside were dozens of tiny notes—some on rice paper, others in folded Arabic calligraphy.

“What’s this?” you asked.

“Letters I wrote every week since we started planning. Every time I learned something new about your culture—or about you.”

You read the first:

"I tried kaak warka today. I thought it was too sweet. Then I had a second one. You win."

Another:

"Your mother calls me waldi now. It means 'my son,' right? I cried after I left your house that night."

Tears brimmed in her eyes. She looked at him, overcome.

She kissed his hand.

Then she pulled a letter from her sleeve and handed it to him.

On it, in hiragana and elegant Arabic calligraphy, was one phrase:

“My heart is your home.”

of the end.

Two traditions. One love. Forever woven in jasmine and cherry blossom.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY @shxhdsstuff!! I did my best researching both cultures of Tunisian and Japanese. I tried my best. This is my birthday gift to you, I hope we'll meet each other soon! If it doesn't make sense I'll fix it up afterwards!!

[bikefuckersoftheworldunite]

Valentino Rossi on watching Norifumi Abe at Suzuka 1994

[x]

From Valentino’s autobiography:

One day I had gotten up at dawn to watch the Japanese Grand Prix, live from Suzuka. And I was struck immediately by this wild card named Norifumi Abe (also known as Norick Abe). He was eighteen and raced the official Honda NSR 500. She was beautiful: all fluorescent orange, with green rings and numbers. They were the sponsor's colours. Abe had long straight hair and even when he was standing still, he looked like a great character. But most of all, he rode like a madman. He was absolutely fearless. I think that day was the fastest race of his life.

Suzuka is an unusual track. It's a gorgeous for a start, extremely technical, and it's full of secrets. It's not one of those computer- designed tracks. You can really only go fast there if you know your way around, if you've logged a fair few kilometres there already. But you need to know the asphalt inch by inch, learning every turn, every braking point, every little hole. It's a bit like Philip Island, except Suzuka is even tougher. Abe obviously knew that track very well, because he was very fast, despite being a wild card. He was up against the likes of Schwantz, Doohan and Itoh. His racing style made me think that he was an absolute nutter. He took turns with his steering locked, and often had to keep himself up with his knee. His suit was usually smoking, and he overtook in the most outrageous spots. He gave me the impression that he was racing in his last ever race. Instead, it was his very first race! Three laps from the end, his steering finally gave out and he fell. You could see it coming, to be fair. He was going so fast that, when he fell, his bike rolled off into the distance, smashing into an advertising hoarding on the other side of the track. But to me, Abe was a hero.

That year, from April to June, I got up every morning at 7 a.m. to watch the replays of that race in Suzuka. Every single morning, for two whole months. First I watched the race and then I went to school. That was the genesis of my great and undying admiration for Japanese racers.

[ladyoftheflowers-witch]

⚡Origins of Reiki ⚡

The history of traditional Reiki begins in the XIX Century, the sistem already had a venerable antiquity before tho. Many people with the power of channeling claim that Reiki was introduced to the planet through ancient civilizations such as Antartica and Lemuria. Others say that our civilization could have been planted on Earth by ancient extraterrestrials from the Pleiades star group and the constellations of Sirius and Orion.

It is believed that Reiki was born in pre-patriarchal India and the Hindu divinity Shiva, who was originally feminine, was responsible for bringing us Reiki and wishes to be remembered for that gift. It is said that Reiki was incorporated into the genetic code and is therefore an innate right of all humans. Reiki then reached the continent of Mu, and when representatives of this root culture left their continent to populate what are now India and Tibet, they took Reiki with them, and thus survived the disappearance of Mu. The telluric changes that first destroyed Mu and then Atlantis produced a serious cultural disorganization, the healing system was saved because it was preserved by a select minority.

Mikao Usui

In the 19th century, a Japanese man, having set out to find out how Jesus and Buddha healed, rediscovered it in the ancestral fragments of the ancient Shivaite culture, in the esoteric teachings of India. Thus, the history of traditional Reiki begins in the mid-19th century with Mikao Usui, a dean of Doshisha University in Kyoto and a Christian priest. Usui undertook a ten-year investigation on his own, allowing him to rediscover and learn this technique.

Mikao Usui entered the Zen Buddhist monastery in Japan, where he had found the texts describing the therapeutic formula. To do so, he had to learn Sanskrit to reveal part of the technique. He understood that he had to undergo a test, which consisted of three weeks of meditation, fasting, and prayer on Mount Koriyama.

After choosing the place for meditation, he piled twenty-one pebbles in front of him, one for each day, which he threw away at the end of each day so as not to lose track of the time elapsed. At the end of his ordeal, in the darkest hour of dawn, Usui saw a kind of projectile heading towards him.

A Thunderbolt fell on him, striking his third eye. He lost consciousness for a few moments. Then, the Reiki symbols appeared before his eyes. As he visualized each symbol, he received information on how to use each to activate healing energy. Thus, the first Reiki attunement was produced through the psychic rediscovery of the ancient method. Mikao Usui descended Mount Koriyama, knowing how Buddha and Jesus healed.

What is Reiki?

The act of laying hands on a human or animal body to comfort or relieve pain is as old as instinct. When faced with a painful sensation, the first thing we do is bring our hands to the painful area. Living bodies, human or animal, radiate heat and energy; this energy is the life force itself.

The Polynesians Huna called this healing force Mana, and the Iroquois Indians of North America knew it as Orenda. It was also known as Prana among the Hindus, Ruach among the Hebrews, Baraka in Islamic countries, and Ch'i among the Chinese. Some individual healers believed they had discovered an orgone energy (Wilhelm Reich), animal magnetism (Mesmer), or an archaeus (Paracelsus). The Japanese called it Ki, and it is the root that appears in the word Reiki.

Mantack Chia, a Ch'i Kung instructor, defines ch'i (equivalent to ki in Chinese) as energy, air, breath, wind, vital breath, the essential vital essence of the earth, the planets, the stars, and the heavens; all of these sources of energy influence the ki of the living body. Everything that lives contains ki and radiates it; it is the biomagnetic energy of the aura.

Reiki is not a religion, nor does it obey the postulates of any religion. This vital force or energy is the source of life itself and predates, as a reality and as a concept, any religious or philosophical system. With Reiki attunements, which lead to becoming a master of this technique, the recipient becomes a channel for this universal healing energy. By placing the person in direct contact with the source of ki, the attunement increases the person's vital energy, provides healing, and grants the person the power to heal others without depleting their own reserves. In fact, with each Reiki attunement, the positive power of their ability to channel Reiki is accentuated.

How Reiki works

Reiki is a non invasive technique to promote healing by releasing blockages from the energy centers to enable a good flow of energy in the body. It is administrated by "laying on hands" on major energy centers (chakras) of the body and is based on the idea of channeling universal energy and light through a practitioner to a patient. It also can be administrated through distance with the aid of the Reiki symbols.

Reiki benefits

A Reiki session can be programed for infinite purposes, you can set an intention and Reiki goes directly to that point, it can be used to manifest desired realities, awaken psychic habilities or heal an expecific area of the human body. Reiki it's also compatible for pets, animals in general and nature.

Images used are from Wikipedia and Pinterest, if you claim to be the owner of some of the pictures used, please contact me for giving the proper credit.

Dividers are from the genius @uzmacchiato

I promise I'm going to make my own dividers soon, meanwhile I'm gonna continue to be in love with the ones that you have made ☺️ But not without giving credits, always be nice and grateful to those who share their knowledge and skills to you.

Kep being safe, sending lots of love and light to this lovely community 💓

Yan💫

[corgitation]

resources I'm using for studying japanese

vocab/kanji:

wanikani: I use daily reviews to learn kanji and vocabulary using the kanji. This resource isn't free, but this has really helped me stay consistent. I like the UI and find the content helpful

renshuu: this is my favorite mobile app, I use this to learn JLPT-specific vocab and kanji. I use the free version

mochi srs: the best flashcard app! The UI is super easy to use and has lots of shortcuts for making and reviewing cards fast. You can easily create and edit templates for cards, and have cards reference other cards. I have a deck for kanji and one for vocab, and my vocab template references any kanji that are used in the vocab tab. There's also super easy furigana, lots of features for japanese.

grammar:

bunpro: really good for grammar, this has lessons for each grammar rule and divides them into groups through popular textbooks and their own groupings for jlpt grammar

genki textbooks: pretty standard textbook for learning vocab, grammar, and kanji

genki study resources: great site with activities for all the genki lessons

tokini andy genki reviews: extra practice for genki lessons, explains some grammar more clearly, introduces new dialogue.

reading:

japanese folktales for language learners and japanese stories for language learners: folktales are a really great way to learn, because these references come up a lot. I've seen references to urashimo taro in evangelion, and the new pokemon dlc is a reference to momotaro. This book has the japanese on one page and english on the other, with vocabulary after the chapter. (here and here on natively)

animal crossing new leaf tobimori: I've recently started playing this and it's so much fun. I'm already really familiar with the game so I don't depend on any of the text for playing, and it's good for more common expressions, differences in speech between polite/casual/male/female etc. I have a post describing how I'm able to play this here. (here on lingotrack)

listening:

japanese with shun: big fan of this podcast, it's free on spotify and youtube, which scripts on patreon. Each podcast is about a short subject, and they're all in japanese. (here on lingotrack)

learn japanese pod: some free podcasts on spotify with more paid content, this one is both about japanese and in japanese. It will teach phrases for specific scenarios, like ordering sushi or refusing situations.

tracking:

lingotrack: I started time tracking a couple of months ago and it's been so helpful! This site is great for quickly logging study activities and seeing how the time stacks up. It helps me identify which areas I'm spending enough time in and which ones are lacking. I also use the library section for keeping track of my japanese native content

toggl: I use this online stopwatch for tracking the time for different study activities so I can log them in lingotrack. It also has a browser extension which I usually use

finding native content:

natively: excellent site for finding comprehensible input content and tracking days read. This site has a lot of reviews for books so it makes it easy to find books that are on level. You can follow me here

lingotrack: collections in lingotrack provides user generated groups of content so that you can create an see groupings of native material content. There aren't as many reviews for material here as there are for natively though, so I find material there and then add them here. You can follow me here

other:

tofugu: this blog has everything. Use it for finding reviews on japanese language resources, learning grammar rules, etc.

jisho: dictionary app, I use it as my source of truth for vocab and kanji meanings

heisig's remembering the kanji: a different approach to learning kanji, this focuses on first teaching the simplest kanji and building from ones you already know. This is different from wanikani, which will make sure you know (its own) particles before introducing the kanji that uses them, but focuses on learning kanji and vocab in priority order. I'm listing it here because I don't use it much anymore

deepl: ai translator, works much better than google translate. You can also put sentences in chatgpt and ask it for broken down explanations. Take any translations from ai with a grain of salt - they are great tools but do not ensure accuracy

edit 3/10/2024: added tracking and native content sections, added links to lingotrack and natively for media

[stellariusstasis]

{ Database Entry : ANRI SHIMONO

"penetrate” == typeof !.access(!.Rqst = -1) accessRoot ( ARASAKA );       disable.Verif ( "ValerieNakahara" ); breachAccess( TRUE ); //  Initializing dossier. . .

▸ Basic Profile Name: Anri Shimono (下野 安莉) Year of Birth: 2043 Sex: Female Pronouns: She / Her Height: 5'7" Place of Birth: Kyoto, Japan Nationality & Ethnicity: Japanese Sexuality: Bisexual Affiliation: Arasaka (formerly) Alias: V / Valerie Nakahara Vehicle: Yaiba Kusanagi CT-3X Weapons: Silenced Pistols, Silenced Sniper Rifles, Submachine Guns Cyberware: Militech "Apogee", Optical Camo, Electrifying Monowire

▸ Background: (further expanded, long text)

Anri’s parents were high-level counterintelligence operatives. After a mission gone sideways, an Arasaka hit squad was sent to their house to eliminate them. Despite having a close and loving relationship with her parents, Anri was sold to Arasaka as collateral for their lives only to be killed by the soldiers regardless. Anri, only 13 at the time, was conscripted into the Arasaka military shortly after. On top of being equipped with her parents’ covert expertise, the rage and betrayal she felt were key drivers in her training, and Anri proved to be an effective and cunning child soldier.

Over the years, her consistently-outstanding performance fast tracked her career, where she was then handpicked to join Arasaka’s black operations unit. She specialized in long-range marksmanship, covert infiltration, and intelligence extraction.

Ambition and years of exceptional service in black ops eventually promoted her to the rank of lieutenant commander in 2068, and then to commander in 2070. This merited her Arasaka’s signature neck circuitry. Her neuralware extends inward with cybernetic tendrils locked onto her entire spinal column.

In 2072, Anri lost one of her soldiers and secret partner, Valerie “V” Nakahara, during a marginally-successful undercover operation. As punishment (and in some ways a form of humiliation) for her subpar execution and leadership, Anri was transferred to Arasaka in Night City to work in counterintelligence. She was promised she would return to Japan after she proved herself abroad. (spoiler: she never got to go back home, cue Corpo V's storyline)

After moving to Night City that same year, Anri kept her real name a well-guarded secret and started operating under the alias of “V”, in honor of her beloved Valerie. She’s learned to cover her birth name under thick layers of self-ICE as a result of finessing her netrunning skills for corporate espionage. 'Anri Shimono' was now practically inaccessible in NCPD’s civilian and criminal databases; ‘Valerie Nakahara’ naturally took center stage in regular optics. Only Jackie, her closest and only friend in the last 5 years, knows her birth name.

} template by @fiangrey;

[cutepresea]

After taking a break last month so materials for volume 6 could be made, Shirabe Meshi is back with the first half of its 39th chapter

It starts with Maria, Shirabe, and Kirika being called to SONG headquarters. Shirabe comments that it's rare to do stuff with Maria lately because of how busy she's been with secret investigations and such. (Meanwhile Genjuro apologizes to Kirika who has been eating the whole time because even though it's lunchtime, she needs to set down the chopsticks for a moment)

Ogawa explains that the reason they've been gathered is because early that morning, an unidentified object came hurtling across the Pacific, entered Japan's waters, then they lost track of it so the government has requested for them to confirm whether or not it's a new type of Noise

Genjuro says it's strangely fast for a ship, but too slow to be a helicopter or plane

Kirika: "Could it be...a cricket?!"*

Fujitaka: "You mean a cryptid"

*I had to take some liberties with the joke here. Kirika says "Could it be...a horse?!" in Japanese, with horse being "uma" and Fujitaka corrects her with "UMA" (Unidentified Mysterious Animal)

Maria says that if it's a Noise, then they'd need to be sent out but if it's some sort of giant monster, then they'd have to pass the job over to the Commander

Tomosato pulls up some footage taken by one of the Japanese Coast Guard's ships and...

It's Nastassja zooming across the water on her wheelchair (as a reminder, in the bonus pages Nastassja has been in Hawaii trying to recover this whole time)

So they think Nastassja is probably on land in Japan by now and they should probably find her but they have no idea where to look. At that exact moment, they get a call from Hibiki frantically telling them Nastassja is at Flower eating all the okonomiyaki.

Maria, Shirabe, and Kirika rush in and just as they do Nastassja spews a geyser of blood from her mouth. Uh...Naturally Maria, Shirabe, and Kirika are freaking out

Poor Chris comes in afterward to meet up with Hibiki and Miku and thinks something horrible happened

Maria scolds Nastassja for eating too much, but she says that isn't what's wrong, claiming instead that crossing the Pacific put a strain on her body. The seat on her chair is hard and there's no warming function so she was more affected by the elements

Shirabe points out that she was supposed to have certain dietary restrictions. Natassja recalls that after she had her surgery, she was on a liquid diet for a while. When she was finally able to eat solid food again, she learned they were giving her "meat" made from soy.

She drowned it in some soy sauce that Kirika had given her and immediately had to be rushed to the ICU.

......And then she escaped

Nastassja: "I missed the taste of Japan and before I knew it, I was rushing across the waves"

Maria: "I wish you'd at least say you missed us"

Shirabe reminds Nastassja that that no matter how good it tastes, eating like this all the time will make her sick. Nastassja answers back with "meat and carbs build up your body"

Maria decides they should go back to SONG (meanwhile Flower still looks like a crime scene)

At SONG HQ, they start discussing what to do next. Obviously Nastassja loves meat but she can't really handle it at the moment and she doesn't like soy replacements so Kirika excitedly says it's time for Shirabe to cook up something.

Nastassja says that they can't fool her with meat substitutes because her carnivorous views are far too strong so Shirabe takes it as a challenge and declares she'll make something that will convince her otherwise

[goldammerchen]

Hima bullying his OC (Hetalia Prussia)

...Or "Forever Alone" jokes made over the years (2007 - 2014)

(It's possible I still missed something).

2007 Christmas – Original Story part 5 (Explicit/Mature! No kids!)

(And the post it's already long! Fuck!) In the next page, Fran helps with a revenge, this backfires, and... He is given away to a fan?!

設定資料で何故かオーストリアだけ貧乳とか書かれてる

Old Blog: 2008/04 (in Japanese). "Not rewarded"

Nonlinear – Valentino – Final Chapter

Dejected collection (2008)

The whole way he behaves towards Ita during 2009 April's Fools Event (also Rode and Erzsi), mentioning this here because is so one-sided lmao (at the same time RusPru is also very one-sided loool)

From the event adaptation: Hetalia Drama CD Interval Vol 1: The CD Of The Awesome Me – Track 05 “What’s up with that guy”

Prussia: “Italy-chan! Let’s go on a date at the river Danube today!” Italy: “Ah~ a photo of the bird!” Prussia: “Danube! Danube!” Italy: “I really like drawing pictures of birds like that. They are so small and cute~” Prussia: “Date! Date!”

From that CD song, Track 8 or "My Song That Is Written By Me, For Me" (yup)

Being alone is too much fun! (Too much fun too much fun…)

Requests (2010)

Philhellenism (2011), or why it is he fucking alone down there lmao (the sleepy series has groups! In this post EGY, GRE and TUR are away from PRU)

2011 Halloween Overflow – Page 2. Not exactly on topic but kitawiki highlights how he gets quiet after India tells him he has many friends

...

Overflowing Passion (2012), BTT/BFT song from Hetalia Digital Single The Best Plus α

Prussia: So much fun alone!

France: Let’s talk about love Prussia: Solitary passion is the best, too!

2013/2014 Halloween Comic – Page 5 (backup on blog)

Extra, from Some guys I doodled (2014)

【Bierßen】 (Beer + Prussia) You’ll find him in festivals. He likes to make people drink beer that he’s already taken a sip from.

No comments about that, I have mentioned this before enough times.

Conclusion: there is plenty of reasons why Hetalia Prussia has fame of loser/pathetic and why he is that, at least in interpersonal sense(?). After all, we are talking about the same character that threw away a book about how to socialize with people, concluding that after... sneezing? (he also became fed up with a how to draw manga book after sneezing). He is well educated and skilled and can learn shit fast, but that is something different! He is someone capable, and there is multiple references about him being bored "out of his mind" because his brother does everything (or talking about wanting to be remembered), the type of info that adds to his pathetic image, in the literal sense of the word, or pitiful, to sound less harsh.

[nihongonotabi]

Hi! I really want to learn japanese but i dont know what to start with, what should i do?

Hi, dear anon!

Thank you for this question. I will try to answer, but please keep in mind that I'm not a professional in teaching languages (nor in learning them), so I can only speak from my own personal experience.

Before talking about methods, I think it’s important to consider why you’re learning the language: what’s your medium/long-term goal? For example, I wanted to be able to understand movies, anime and song lyrics, and I also wanted to be able to have basic conversations with native speakers. I'm not a fan of doing things solely for utilitarian reasons, but I believe that setting goals helps keep your motivation up and gives you a way to track your progress.

That said, I would suggest starting with three things: learning the hiragana and katakana alphabets, learning the basics of Japanese grammar, and building a small vocabulary of basic everyday words. To do this, you can use a variety of tools: useful apps (there are plenty of them - personally, I used Duolingo, though I know there are better options out there), online learning material, textbooks like Genki. Here on Tumblr, you can find many posts dedicated to the best resources for starting to learn Japanese. You can also take lessons from someone who knows the language, which has been the most useful thing for me. By the way, my Japanese really improved when I started doing all these things together. As for lessons, I didn’t have much time or money, but I found online platforms like Preply and Italki worked well for me. However, I think you should experiment and find the best mix for yourself.

Lastly, it’s important to bear in mind that, especially at the beginning of the learning process (and even after you've learned the basics), things won’t be easy - or at least, they won’t be fast. You have to be very patient and consistent because you’re tackling a new alphabet, a new grammar, a new vocabulary. But I’m sure of this: every step you'll take on this path will bring you a lot of joy and satisfaction.

I hope this answer gives you some ideas to begin your journey, and I hope you'll enjoy it :)

頑張って! (read as "ganbatte", which means "Do your best!")!

[cptn-m]

One Piece chapter 1140 review and analysis

Oda is such a tease. Let there be no fear that the series is wrapping up anytime soon. Despite a hugely memorable entrance Shamrock seems to be ducking out to save his boss status for later, and even Scopper hints that he plans to sit things out and not reveal anything he has to say to Luffy until after things with Loki wrap up. Although, it seems reasonably likely the abduction of his son will pull him into the mix anyway. And Shamrock hasn't actually left yet, so maybe I'm jumping the gun on character departures.

I guess the cover story is going to lead to some kind of Ulti and Page One redemption. Sure, why not. Maybe the Beast Pirates officers who were endearingly evil rather than wholly, cruelly evil are going to end up as Yamato's crew. Although, 26 installments in, there's not going to be a lot of time to go track down Sasaki and whoever else. And what happened between Ulti and Who's Who that he's happy to just torture her anyway?

I'm not surprised the Scopper fight turned out to be a low stakes test rather than a proper showdown, but I'm pleased to see him using the key to fight at least for a little while. It stands out a lot more visually than the axes (though the spread where he cuts up the tower is a banger), and gives us some fun physical comedy when he jams it in Luffy's mouth. I'm searching desperately for subtext in the dialogue about the straw hat, some hint about its relevance or purpose that Scopper knows from the old days, but there's not really much to see besides Scops trying to wind Luffy up.

Two new villains make a great entrance this week with fascinating designs and a great comedic bit when they're summoned in the process of receiving their orders. I'm going to headcanon that being pulled through without getting fully dressed yet is what happened to Gunko. Also Sommers has medals all the way down to his boots after he's dressed. It's a fun detail.

But the real interest here is the new summoning circle lore. People can't go without a "mark," but some inanimate objects can be pulled in. It makes this mysterious mark a double-edged sword - giving the freedom of fast travel, but but also vulnerability of being pulled in against your will any moment after you've been branded. Hey, I wonder if we'll see the good guys exploit that at some point to eject a particularly dangerous WG enemy? And what would have happened if the guys Brook went to for the timeskip had actually stumbled onto the number for a Holy Knight or even an Elder?

We also learn a little bit about the structure of the Holy Knights. Shamrock sends a request up the chain for backup, it gets relayed by his superiors to the other Knights, evidenced by Sommers and Killingham arriving while in conversation with someone else, and with new orders for Shamrock. It's an opaque system for the Knights, and must put some frustrating limits on their autonomy that the plan can be changed so suddenly. Curious about the summoning circle being called an Abyss too. Does the word they use for that in Japanese reveal any connection to the "void" or "emptiness" that come up in the Harley text?

One more time it's hinted that Harald wasn't as good as he seemed. I can't think of a single good reason it would even be on the cards for Shamrock to visit his grave if he wasn't in cahoots with some of the world's worst people.

Shamrock suggesting a game before he departs is curious. The hunting game from God Valley is the first thing that comes to mind, but how does that work for an abduction mission? Or a nation you plan to subjugate rather than exterminate. Hunting giants for sport will not result in an army of giants for the WG. Hunting giant children for sport will make the adults only marginally more cooperative than if they were dead. There must be something else on the cards.

As setup chapters go, this was a fun one. Looking forward to seeing where Oda's taking it all next week.

[smash-64]

2024 Game of the Year Countdown #4: Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War Sony PlayStation 2, 2004

AC5 is almost certainly the fan favorite of the franchise. It has a very complex story that focuses on characters and politics more so than just destroying targets. In a lot of ways, it’s a very “anime” story and game. 

The game starts out with a lot of Big Events™, tossing you into the role of squadron leader. You can’t even change the garbage plane you get for the first four levels, which definitely makes getting an S rank more difficult, but also works well with the story since your base and squadron are struggling and being overrun as well. I think three missions occur on the same in-game date!

With the addition of Dolby Pro Logic II, the game also has an option for surround sound and it’s amazing. The music has a depth to it that wasn’t apparent just coming out of the regular TV speakers, or even stereo, and sounds are dynamic. Firing a missile to destroy a jet in front of you, and then flying past the subsequent explosion creates a very real feel that makes me wish I had surround sound years ago. It also makes me wonder what AC7’s VR gameplay would be like on the PS4…. Even if DPLII isn’t true surround sound, as it merely interprets certain music and sound cues, it does a really good job to make the music and sound effects stand out prominently. This is a 10/10 experience in the sound department.

Ace Combat is well known for having great music, and AC5’s soundtrack was so big, it took up 4 CDs. Some favorites include the remixed “Free Flight,” the super chill “Four Horsemen,” the first track performed by an actual orchestra for an Ace Combat game, “Razgriz” by the Warsaw Philharmonic, the grand finale and titular track of “The Unsung War,” and lastly, the licensed rock tune used in the trailer and end credits, “Blurry” by Puddle of Mudd. This would be the best soundtrack by far for an Ace Combat game, had it not been for a little prequel released less than two years later.

After playing dozens of JPRGs since the last time I played AC5, I see heavy influence from the genre. Ace Combat 3, the Japanese version at least, leaned heavily into the sorts of storytelling methods and plot twists that are more common in RPGs or story-focused games, and it’s obvious that they learned what worked there and combined it with what worked from a gameplay standpoint in AC04, combining them perfectly for The Unsung War. My replay has honestly been eye-opening as I was really getting a lot more out of it than I had in the past. While the big twist to the story comes a bit late in the story and makes some of the earlier levels feel a bit like “what’s the point?,” it also really thrusts us into a prominent position within the plot. Once that twist happens, everything we do feels just so much more significant and impactful, whereas stuff before felt like we were just a part of the machinery. 

The only real critique I have of the story, aside from how the twist felt a bit late in the game to be able to enjoy it as much as possible, is that a few levels stand out as really uneventful. AC04 had one objectively boring mission, with another one I’d consider borderline. AC5 has a number of boring missions that feel like filler in both importance to the plot and in actual gameplay. However, the highs are so high, these boring missions are forgiven and nearly forgotten as well.

One small thing that has always bothered me about AC5 involves the superweapons. There were only two superweapons and one superplane in AC04. The superplane there doesn’t have any special weaponry or features; it’s just highly maneuverable and fast. The superweapons also are integral to the story, with Stonehenge being of utmost importance to the politics, timeline of the conflict, and gameplay in numerous levels. Megalith might feel tacked-on to some, but it is at least rumored in debriefings earlier in the story, and serves as a great climax to the game.

The superweapons in AC5, however, often spring out of nowhere. There are two submarines with devastating anti-aircraft weapons that show up out of nowhere with no fanfare and no lead-up, and then are dispatched immediately without causing any significant turning point in the story or the conflict. Then, we get two space-based superweapons. At least one of those has a bit of lore surrounding it, but in the level where we shoot it down, it feels much more like a boss fight from the game 1943 than it does an Ace Combat enemy. It also has magical lasers that one-shot you and an unending stream of UAVs that are unreasonably maneuverable and quick. The superplane also looks like it was made for a space arcade game, with the laser and overall design looking very sci-fi. These don’t exactly follow the general mood of AC games, imho.

One somewhat controversial choice by developers, something that has since been almost lost to time, was the inclusion of novice controls. Normal controls on AC games require you to roll your aircraft before pulling up in order to turn. This is how an aircraft would execute a turn in real life, and AC5 added an option to change the controls to allow for pushing left to make the plane roll to the left AND pull up at the same time. So instead of handling like an aircraft, it handled more like an Arwing in Starfox. A lot of people saw this as the game going soft and being made too easy for people who couldn’t take “real” controls. I was relatively indifferent to the inclusion of such an option, although I would never use it. There was a true downside, though, in that the novice controls wouldn’t roll the aircraft completely upside down. Who doesn’t want to fly upside down?? Anyway, this has been a standard option ever since and I can’t recall anyone being upset about it in years. It’s nice that people can have this barrier to entry removed, so overall, I think it was a good choice.

Rant on superweapons aside, AC5 is THE fan favorite Ace Combat game and I have a new appreciation for it after giving it a replay after so many years. Truly a masterpiece on the PS2 and in the franchise.

[puddingvalkyrie]

Reading massively improved my mental health and I want to talk about it in case it can help others!

Y'all, I think we all need to read more books.

I know I'm an author so I WOULD say that and in fact, I DO say that to children at every opportunity (my dyslexia would be a LOT worse if I hadn't read so much as a kid) but hear me out.

So back in ...March/April I was pretty miserable and it was partly because Norwegian winter will do that to an unprepared foreigner but also because it was the anniversary of The Bad Thing so I felt miserable and alone.

I had no way to really remedy the situation.

But one thing I did do was... Finally crack. See, I'd been DYING to reread my Discworld books, but they are in a different country and I can't afford to go get them or have them sent to me. I have a few paper books here though - I mainly took my fairytale collections, because what did you expect? Actually I guess hardly anyone on Tumblr knows me - Alicia does two things. Vampires. And Fairytales. Didn't bring my vampire encyclopedia, too big and heavy. Anyway.

I have a part time job with an hour on the train each way. I started taking my paper books, my fairytale collections. They were full of short things I could finish easily in a train journey.

Some info. I had managed to sour reading for myself some years previously... I mainly read for research purposes, hardly picking up anything just for the fun of it. PSA: Don't do this. Do not do this. Don't. Do NOT.

And then I reread one of the few paper fiction books I had with me. I enjoy fairytales but they do still fall under 'sort of work' for me. This did not. This was a book I am eagerly awaiting the finale to.

Anyway, I finished it quickly, reading it both on and off the train. You know. For fun. Not just fill time I was stuck somewhere.

Finishing it annoyed me. I wanted more stories. I wanted more than fairytales. And so I cracked. I bought Equal Rites as an ebook. See, I'd previously decided I would not buy anything I already owned in paperback as an ebook because... Well, waste of money, something I don't have enough of. To buy my entire discworld collection in ebook format would cost as much as getting on a plane and bringing my paper ones back.

But just ONE book would be alright, wouldn't it?

So anyway I finished the book.

Of course I'm not going to read just ONE discworld book.

So I carefully ration myself ebooks, making a condition for myself that they are mainly for the train, but I am allowed to read them at home too.

And gradually... The fog lifted. Nothing much has changed besides that I'm reading books regularly again. I still have the same problems that were upsetting me in March. I was also HORRIBLY BURNED OUT until last week. But my mood is MASSIVELY improved. Like, hugely improved. And yeah, yeah, it's summer now, so the weather will have helped also. But I can pinpoint my recovery to when I started reading regularly again. And that is to say that while I was burned out, I wasn't ALSO sad.

So from now on I will be making an effort to keep reading books for fun.

It's kind of crazy that I had stopped for so long. I mean. I write books people are supposed to read for fun. Kinda hypocritical of me to like.. not do that.

I think maybe I have created this problem for myself with many of my hobbies. I tried to make drawing into a business, tried to do too much too fast, and since then I've barely drawn. I love cartoons so I watch them in Norwegian to help me learn - means I was never just relaxing while watching a cartoon for a few years. Recently started just watching cartoons in English/Japanese if I darn well feel like it.

...enough tangent, back to Why Reading Is Good.

Don't quote me on this, I am just scribbling down thoughts I've been meaning to write down for a month, therefore, am too lazy to track down any sources, but I'm pretty sure reading books is actually scientifically proven to help your brain?? I seem to remember reading your hippocampus shrinks if you don't exercise your brain enough and reading long stories does that. And a shrinking hippocampus causes depression?? I don't know anything much about brains and psychology so I must have read that somewhere.

I think a hippocampus is also like... A horse mermaid.

Again, no source, might be thinking of something from Mermaid Melody.

I'mma go read more of my current book now. It's a history book this time.

Yay books!

[almightyhamslice]

Stage 2-5, Pitch Mama's stage!

Pitch has gotten lost again, swept away by strong underwater currents after a mishap with some Squishys. He nearly drowned! Fortunately for him, Kine is adept at swimming against currents and has come to his rescue with Kirby and Gooey in tow.

Kine helps Gooey and Kirby navigate through the stage's underwater caves, but he must eventually leave them so they can free Pitch (cuz you can only have one animal friend at once). Before they separate, Kine seals Pitch in a bubble so he can breathe underwater (he's just a little guy! He can't hold his breath that long). The currents are strong and there are so many Gordos in the sea! Gooey swims ahead, pulling Kirby along with him with his tongue. It's very dicey, Kirby's afraid Pitch's bubble will pop!

In the end, Pitch is finally reunited with his mom! And she's so glad to see him again. Her canon name is Pitch Mama but I call her Picchi because it has a similar feel (it's just the Japanese name for Pitch) but its more of a proper name since her canon name is more of a descriptor. She and Pitch are very close, but she initially lost him after he learned to fly-- he's such a fast flier on his own and he's so tiny! She lost track of him! Picchi is a harpy just like he is, but she can transform into a human sized bird rather than a. bird sized. bird. you know what I mean LOL.

Regarding Gooey, you may wonder why he's fine sitting with his head underwater in the fourth image. His biology is... very strange. Because Dark Matter is a primarily space dwelling species, Gooey doesn't actually breathe. That's also why he has no inhale and merely uses his tongue to grab enemies. So when underwater, Gooey isn't really concerned about himself, but he is worried about Kirby and Pitch and wants to get them out as soon as possible. I guess this is a real character development moment for Gooey! They'd be screwed without him I think?

Fun fact, I almost died in this level when I played it! Which would've been terrible and it would've meant I would have to start aaaalllll over again since I would've lost Pitch! I also played it singleplayer, and that's why there's a Stone Kine drawing. I'm sure I've mentioned that I play this game in singleplayer before-- Gooey isn't REALLY there but I want him to be in these illustrations because he is very important to the story!! and to me. Gooey Is The Key To All Of This.

[zerokrox-blog]

Lol I remember my old "My Hero" days XD fun fact i used to run a mha fan page on insta when i was 12 lol its loooong gone now but lets go for that.

Let's say they gang is a little older. Today is yearly checkup day. And what the gang doesn't know is that Bakugo is 100% deaf in his right ear and about 50% in his left. They all just figured he was being his moody self and ignoring them. Todoroki has a plan and with his language tutor decides he's gonna teach the class his knowledge of sign language for Bakugo's up coming birthday.

Happy b day baku 04/20 🎉💥

I am so sorry about how late this is!!! I thought I had posted it but I actually saved it to my drafts!!! I hope you enjoy this!!!

Katsuki knew he was going to be deaf before his twenties because of his quirk. He had learned American and Japanese sign language just in case, he also knew that Izuku Midoriya had learned Japanese sign langauge but nobody else did, he was sure of that.

His friends noticed that Katsuki had started to pull away from them all. Mina was hurt, Denki and Sero worried and Kirishima but they were all adults and busy with their lives outside of school. So really, he could use that excuse. But today he couldn't, they had their usual meeting at their shared Doctor's office. Katsuki was settled in waiting for his name to be called, his friends sat around him joking and teasing each other.

He couldn't hear much as the noise from around him was louder than any other noise in the medical clinic.

Doctor Yamaguchi walked into the waiting room and called out, "Bakugou-san?"

Bakugou hummed to himself, he was sure he heard something but it was probably nothing.

Dr Yamaguchi called him again, and Kirishima shifted to lightly hit Katsuki's arm, "hey you've been called."

Kirishima and Sero were watching him in concern, he had been called several times and it seemed that he really hadn't heard. Katsuki stood up and walked to where Dr Yamaguchi waited for him.

Dr Yamaguchi immediately started to sign to him and Katsuki's face softened out of its usual scowl. He signed back, Kirishima's voice stopped them in their tracks though.

"What are two doing?"

Dr Yamaguchi, a kind man, looked at his patient before looking at his friends, "Bakugou-san is deaf, he is fully deaf in his right ear and 50% deaf in his left ear due to his quirk. But we use Japanese and American sign language."

His friends all turned to look at him. But Katsuki refused to turn though. Dr Yamaguchi however simply signed at him his friends questions and gave the responses that Katsuki gave him.

Once all their questions had been answered, and Katsuki finally looked at them, Kirishima moved as close as he could towards his friend and stated loudly and clearly, "Katsuki, you're my friend. I want to know these things so we can communicate. You're important to me."

Once Dr Yamaguchi and Katsuki vanished into a room to begin their appointment. Once the two of them were gone, Kirishima looked at his friends, they all made a small pact, they would learn Japanese Sign Language to help their friend.

Todoroki Shouto, when he found out, he made it a point to practice and learn as much and as fast as he could. He wanted to ask Katsuki out on a date and he'd do it in sign so Katsuki could see the question and respond.

When he did sign the question to Katsuki, Shouto got the joy of seeing his angry scowl soften and his face turn bright red and a brief, shy smile slip out as he nodded.