#Hudson Bay Mountain

[rabbitcruiser]

Smithers, BC

Smithers is a town in northwestern British Columbia, approximately halfway between Prince George and Prince Rupert. With a population of 5,351 in 2016, Smithers provides service coverage for most of the Bulkley Valley.

Source: Wikipedia

Hudson Bay Mountain is an ultra prominent peak located above Smithers, British Columbia, Canada. It is the location of the Hudson Bay Mountain Resort (formerly Ski Smithers) ski resort. It was also used as a filming location for the movies The Grey and Eight Below. A well-established local name, it refers to the mountain's proximity to a ranch once owned by the Hudson's Bay Company at nearby Driftwood Creek. Hudson Bay Mountain Resort is known for the Rotary Community Trail to Town, an 8 km run down the mountain into the town of Smithers.

Source: Wikipedia

[digitdeer]

do yall ever just be so tired from it all? u ever feel the weight of existence shackling u to the ground n pullin u lower into darkness? :3c

[shirtlessfrank]

Guest - Bedroom

[northameicanblog]

Hudson River, New York, United States: The Hudson River is a 315-mile river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York, United States. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York at Henderson Lake in the town of Newcomb, and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between New York City and Jersey City, eventually draining into the Atlantic Ocean at Upper New York Bay. Wikipedia

[scotianostra]

12th July 1834 saw the death in Hawaii of Botanist, David Douglas.

As promised last month a more detailed account of this not so well known Scot.

David Douglas was born in the village of Scone on June 25, 1799, just north of Perth he is much better known in the US state of Oregon, where their state tree “The Douglas Fir” is named after him Douglas was the son of stonemason John Douglas and Jean Drummond. He attended local schools, and by the time he was eleven, he was working as a gardener for local landowners, the Earl of Mansfield and Sir Robert Preston.

While working at the Botanical Garden in Glasgow, he became acquainted with the garden’s curator, Stewart Murray, and British botanist Sir William Jackson Hooker. Douglas attended Hooker’s lectures and had access to private libraries. Hooker later described him as a person of “great activity, singular abstemiousness, and energetic zeal.”

In 1823, on Hooker’s recommendation, the Royal Horticultural Society chose Douglas as a botanical collector. The Society intended to send Douglas to China, but arrangements fell through so he ended up going to eastern North America. In 1824, he found passage on a Hudson’s Bay Company vessel, the William and Ann, and arrived in Fort Vancouver on the Columbia River on April 7, 1825. Among his duties were keeping a journal of his activities and collecting seeds and plant specimens that might be useful as horticultural plants in England. Douglas visited North America four times, three times to the Pacific Northwest and California to look for plants, particularly fruit trees, forest trees, and oaks.

On his 1826 trip to present-day Oregon, Douglas took careful notes on the local vegetation as he traveled up the Willamette Valley. On September 30, he recorded one of the earliest descriptions of the Indian use of fire: “Most parts of the country burned; only on little patches in the valleys and on the flats near low hills that verdure is to be seen. Some of the natives tell me it is done for the purpose of urging the deer to frequent certain parts, to feed, which they leave unburned, and of course they are easily killed. Others say it is done in order that they might the better find wild honey and grasshoppers, which both serve as articles of winter food.“

In October, he traveled farther south to near present-day Roseburg on the Umpqua River, primarily to collect the cones of the sugar pine . On October 26, he described an encounter with a local man who led him to the “long-wished-for pines.” While shooting the cones out of a tall tree, which Douglas described as hanging at the tips of branches “like small sugar-loaves in a grocer’s shop,” he attracted several Natives who seemed “anything but friendly.” After a tense standoff, one man indicated that they wanted tobacco, and Douglas responded that he would oblige them if they brought him more cones. The men went in one direction, and Douglas with three cones and a twig went in another.

Douglas was interested in all aspects of the landscape, including animals. Those named in his honour range from the pigmy short-horned lizard to the Douglas squirrel ( . He shipped a number of specimens home for examination by leading scientists. Some species, such as the mountain beaver , were new to science. Douglas also reported seeing—and shooting—California condors on the Columbia River.

In 1827, Douglas traveled through the Northern Rockies and then to York Factory on Hudson Bay before returning to London. He worked on his collections until October 1829, when he again traveled to Fort Vancouver. He spent time on the California coast in 1831-1832, collecting plants and animals and making geographic observations. In 1832, on his return to the Columbia River, he made his first visit to the Hawaiian Islands. He explored the Fraser River district in 1833 and left the Northwest on October 18, 1833, for a return trip to the Hawaiian Islands and a planned return to London.

Douglas had been intrigued by Hawaii and wanted to continue collecting. Unable to get prompt transportation to England, he spent extra time in the islands. It was there, on July 12, 1834, that he met his end,apparently trampled by a bullock in a deep pit designed to capture cattle, although foul play has been suspected.

Douglas introduced more than two hundred Pacific Northwest plants home, many of them important in our gardens today, including Oregon’s red-flowering currant.

At Scone Palace, near Douglas’s birthplace, stands a magnificent Douglas-fir, grown from seed that he sent back from western North America in 1826. His introduction of Sitka spruce to Britain forms the basis of that country’s modern conifer forestry.

Douglas was a tireless botanist and natural historian whose name is honoured in more than eighty species of plants and animals. David Douglas High School in Portland is named for him, a peak in the Rockies as well as numerous plants, are also named after him.

Pics are of Douglas, his memorials at Scone, in Hawaii and Vancouver.

Read more on his life and death here https://keolamagazine.com/.../the-mysterious-death-of.../

[princesssarisa]

"Faerie Tale Theatre" Posthumous Reunion: The Stars' Final Resting Places

Some people might think I'm obsessed with death. A minor hobby of mine is to research celebrities' final resting places, via the website Find a Grave and the YouTube channel Hollywood Graveyard. And I like perusing themed guides to famous graves. For example, Hollywood Graveyard's videos themed to Christmas, Halloween, the cast and crew of The Wizard of Oz, cast and crew members of The Twilight Zone, etc., or Find A Grave's "Posthumous Reunion" pages for famous movie and TV show casts, sports teams, etc.

I decided to create a similar guide for the cast of Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre. Sadly, all too many stars of that cult classic series are no longer with us. Here's a guide (with links to Find a Grave pages) to the various places where those stars are buried, in case anyone here might like to visit a few someday.

@ariel-seagull-wings, @thealmightyemprex

Aughaval Cemetery – Westport, Ireland

*Joseph Maher (Narrator, Cinderella/Sultan, Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp)

Blue Grass Memorial Gardens and Mausoleum – Nicholasville, Kentucky, USA

*Harry Dean Stanton (Rip van Winkle, Rip van Winkle)

Eternal Hills Memorial Park – Oceanside, California, USA

*Karen Black (The Sea Witch, The Little Mermaid)

Fairview Cemetery – Linden, Michigan, USA

*Max Wright (Prince Heinrick, The Dancing Princesses)

Fir Grove Cemetery – Ada, Oregon, USA

*Bridgette Andersen (Gretel, Hansel and Gretel)

Forest Cemetery – Circleville, Ohio, USA

*Conchata Ferrell (Mother, Thumbelina)

Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills – Los Angeles, California, USA

*Carrie Fisher (Thumbelina, Thumbelina)

*Fred Willard (Paul Pig, The Three Little Pigs)

*Brock Peters (The Ogre, Puss in Boots)

*Pat McCormick (King Fredrico, The Princess and the Pea)

Forest Park Lawndale Cemetery – Houston, Texas, USA

*Shelley Duvall (series creator and hostess/The Miller's Daughter, Rumpelstiltskin/Rapunzel, Rapunzel/voice of the Nightingale, The Nightingale/Snow White's Mother, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs)

Genola Rural Cemetery – Los Angeles, California, USA

John P. Ryan (Hendrick Hudson, Rip Van Winkle)

Green Hill Cemetery – Muskogee, Oklahoma, USA

*James Noble (King Rupert, Cinderella)

Hillside Memorial Park – Culver City, California, USA

*Leonard Nimoy (The Evil Magician, Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp)

*Dick Shawn (The Emperor, The Emperor’s New Clothes)

Hollywood Forever Cemetery – Los Angeles, California, USA

*Paul Reubens (Pinocchio, Pinocchio)

Holy Cross Cemetery – Culver City, California, USA

*Chris Penn (Will Tussenbrook, Rip Van Winkle)

Lake Lawn Park Cemetery and Mausoleum – New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

*Severn Darden (Farmer Silas, The Princess Who Had Never Laughed)

Lincoln Cemetery – Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, USA

*Jean Stapleton (The Giantess, Jack and the Beanstalk/The Fairy Godmother, Cinderella)

Mount Shasta Memorial Park – Mount Shasta, California, USA

*Brandis Kemp (Mama Bear, Goldilocks and the Three Bears/voice of Nadine Wolf, The Three Little Pigs)

Mount Sinai Memorial Park – Los Angeles, California, USA

*Frances Bay (Granny, Little Red Riding Hood)

*Georgia Brown (Maggie, The Emperor’s New Clothes)

Mountain View Cemetery – Oakland, California, USA

*Jack Fletcher (The Wizard, Rumpelstiltskin)

Queen of Heaven Catholic Cemetery – Hillside, Illinois, USA

*George Kirby (The King, Puss in Boots)

Polizzi Generosa Cemetery – Palermo, Sicily, Italy

*Vincent Sciavelli (The Priest, Pinocchio)

Riverside Cemetery – Old Saybrook, Connecticut, USA

*Art Carney (Morty, The Emperor’s New Clothes)

Riverview Cemetery – Hamilton, Montana, USA

*Hoyt Axton (The Ranger, Goldilocks and the Three Bears)

Rose Hills Memorial Park – Whittier, California, USA

*Keye Luke (Imperial Doctor, The Nightingale)

Saint Charles Cemetery – East Farmingdale, New York, USA

*Ray Sharkey (Grand Vizier, Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp)

Saint Peter Churchyard – Blackland, Wiltshire, England

*David Hemmings (Narrator, Thumbelina/The Reindeer, The Snow Queen)

Saint Voldoldymyr Ukrainian Cemetery – Oakville, Ontario, Canada

*Gregory Hines (Edgar, Puss in Boots)

Valley Oaks Memorial Park – Los Angeles, California, USA

*Stephen Furst (Peter Pig, The Three Little Pigs)

Westwood Village Memorial Park – Los Angeles, California, USA

*Eve Arden (The Stepmother, Cinderella)

*James Coburn (The G**sy, Pinocchio)

*Doris Roberts (Mother Pig, The Three Little Pigs)

*Tim Conway (The Mayoral Candidate, Rip Van Winkle)

*Frank Zappa (Attila, The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers)

*Lu Leonard (Mrs. Toad, Thumbelina)

*Gena Rowlands (The Witch, Rapunzel)

William Henry Lee Memorial Cemetery – Los Angeles, California, USA

*Beatrice Straight (Queen Veronica, The Princess and the Pea)

Cremated, Ashes Held Privately or Scattered

*Robin Williams (Prince Robin, The Tale of the Frog Prince)

*Hervé Villechaize (Rumpelstiltskin, Rumpelstiltskin)

*Christopher Reeve (The Prince, Sleeping Beauty)

*Treat Williams (Prince Andrew, The Little Mermaid)

*Brian Dennehy (King Neptune, The Little Mermaid)

*Klaus Kinski (The Beast, Beauty and the Beast)

*Roddy McDowell (Narrator, Rapunzel)

*Christopher Lee (King Vladimir, The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers)

*Dana Hill (Princess Amanda, The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers)

*Vincent Price (The Magic Mirror, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs/Narrator, The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers)

*David Warner (The Innkeeper, The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers)

*Jeff Corey (Father, The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers)

*Jack Riley (Sexton, The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers)

*Ned Beatty (The King, Rumpelstiltskin)

*Roy Dotrice (Peter Vanderdonk, Rip Van Winkle/The King, The Dancing Princesses)

*Zelda Rubinstein (Old Woman, The Dancing Princesses)

*Burgess Meredith (Mr. Mole, Thumbelina)

*Lee Remick (The Snow Queen, The Snow Queen)

*Lance Kerwin (Kai, The Snow Queen)

*Linda Manz (The Robber Girl, The Snow Queen)

*René Auberjonois (King Ulrich, The Tale of the Frog Prince/King Boris, Sleeping Beauty)

*Sally Kellerman (Queen Natasha, Sleeping Beauty)

*Barrie Ingham (Finance Minister, The Emperor’s New Clothes/Tutor, The Princess Who Had Never Laughed)

*Richard Libertini (King Murray, Sleeping Beauty)

*Alex Karras (Papa Bear, Goldilocks and the Three Bears)

*Katherine Helmond (Jack’s Mother, Jack and the Beanstalk)

*John Vernon (Father, Little Red Riding Hood)

*Mako (Gardener/Minister, The Nightingale)

*Billy Curtis (Barnaby, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs)

*Rae Allen (Aladdin’s Mother, Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp)

*Howard Hesseman (The King, The Princess Who Had Never Laughed)

*Jackie Vernon (Phlegmatic Jack, The Princess Who Had Never Laughed)

*Albert Hague (Nicholas Vedder, Rip Van Winkle)

Donated to Medical Science

*Ian Abercrombie (The Royal Cobbler, The Dancing Princesses)

Unknown (Not Publicly Revealed or No Information Online)

*Carl Reiner (Geppetto, Pinocchio)

*Alan Arkin (Bo, The Emperor’s New Clothes)

*Peter Risch (Bruno, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs/Herald, Puss in Boots)

*Lou Carry (Bertram, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs)

*Stephen Elliott (Father, Beauty and the Beast)

[shadecrux]

On The Wing - Chapter 1

https://open.spotify.com/track/0RLwgks1gHQzXeIkaJIpHr

Next Chapter ┃

˚ * •̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙* ˚＊------💜 💚 💜------＊* •̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙ *

°•★Pairing: Bucky Barnes x femaleartist!reader

°•★Rating: NSFW (this chapter is SFW future ones won’t be)

°•★Tags: strangers to lovers, fluff, angst, first meetings, romantic tension, flirting, pet names (doll, sweetheart), brief homophobia mentions, bisexual reader

°•★ Words: 1755

°•★ Notes: It’s me, ya girl back with some more x y/n fanfic!! This is gonna be 6 chapters altogether, already written, all based on a song I haven’t been able to get out of my head for weeks now.  I hope you enjoy!! I had a lot of fun with this AU.   No beta, literally just finished writing it, all mistakes are mine. 

//CW FOR THIS CHAPTER// There is a brief mention of y/n being disowned by her family for being bisexual. 

~All writing unless otherwise noted is my own. Please do not post or reupload my work to other websites without my express consent. I do not consent for my fics to be used in AI creations. I do not own any of the characters featured in my works unless they are stated to be OCs.~

All of my fanworks are intended for adults aged 18 and up only! Minors please DNI. ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/48744160

˚ * •̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙* ˚＊------💜 💚 💜------＊* •̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙ *

 Breathe and ill carry you away

Into the velvet sky 

And we’ll stir the stars around

And watch them fall away 

Into the Hudson Bay 

And plummet out of sight and sound 

The open summer breeze 

Will sweep you through the hills 

Where I live in the alpine heights 

Below the northern lights 

I spend my coldest nights 

Alone awake and thinking of 

The weekend we were in love

—------------------------------------------------

Unpacking. You always hated unpacking, hated everything to do with moving into a place, for that matter. You never intended on staying for long, and it felt like such a chore. Often, you would choose to simply live out of suitcases, but you had always had somewhere else to go, some next destination in mind. But not this time.  Things had been going well when you arrived in Calgary. Your paintings were selling, your busking was lucrative enough to afford you a nice little studio apartment in the city. You didn’t need much after all. A place to stay, food in your belly, and your art supplies - you would rather save your money for experiences, and for getting you to that next destination.  For years, you were living your dream, traveling the world, making art. You got by mostly via selling your wares at fairs and on streetcorners - paintings, jewelry, pottery when you could access a studio to use.  Sometimes you did custom work on commission. It was amazing how many people wanted portraits of their cats and dogs, you always thought. Then the recession hit. Unemployment spiked, wages stagnated, and layoffs were sweeping their way through the Americas, leaving many struggling just to make ends meet. People weren’t buying luxury goods the way they used to, and before you knew it, you were struggling too.  There was nothing else for it, so you found whatever jobs you could - which, as a person who had spent the last seven years of their life as a transient artist, traveling the world with no real work history or credentials, relegated you mostly to minimum wage work, or labor jobs that weren’t as picky about the people they hired. 

You had to move out of the city and found a small town up in the mountains and an even smaller one-bedroom house that was being rented out at a ridiculously low price due to it being relatively isolated - a 20-minute drive from the town proper, surrounded by deep forests.  Dirt road, no cell service, satellite TV, and internet - for most it would be undesirable at best. For you, it was a respite from a world that no longer seemed to have a place for you.  

It never really felt like it did - you grew up as a military brat, constantly moving from place to place, never setting down roots, never making lasting friendships. You were the black sheep - of your family as well as every school you had ever gone to. The weird girl, the one nobody really understood.  But you had your art, and you had your dreams - you wanted to see the world, to drink in life and put it on a canvas. You were counting the days until you turned 18 and could leave, but you didn’t get that far. 

Your family had kicked you out, disowned you at the age of 17, after catching you and your at-the-time girlfriend, holding hands and smooching on the back porch when you thought no one was home. Her family would have done the same to her if they had found out - so with nowhere else to go, you struck out on your own. And it had gone well - until the financial crash sent the world into a tailspin, that is.

There wasn’t much to unpack, all told. Three suitcases and an oversized canvas bag into which you stuffed your entire life - clothes, art supplies, rolled-up canvases pulled from their frames to make it easy to travel. Some sparse camping supplies for those nights you couldn’t find a better place to sleep. You had been doing this long enough that you had it down to a science, and you were very efficient.  

Clothes were stuffed into drawers, toiletries into the bathroom, and the metal cups and plates and cutlery you traveled with barely taking up any space in the kitchen. You had little in the ways of personal effects, save for the photographs you took and the small handful of trinkets you had collected in your journeys. Stones, little sculptures, silly magnets and keychains, and shot glasses documenting all the cities and countries you had been to. 

You laid them out on top of the dresser in the bedroom and, with a wistful sigh, flopped down onto the bed with your back against the headboard, stacks of little plastic envelopes, and started flipping through the pictures you had taken, reminiscing on those better, brighter days.  It was a pleasant enough way to pass the time, and it brought a small smile to your face, gave you a way to forget your current circumstances - for a while at least. Until you landed on the album that you usually avoided looking at - New York City. The place where you had met, and lost, the only man you had ever loved. 

—------------------------------------------------

You were at Coney Island one bright and beautiful day - it had been a lucrative few days so you decided to reward yourself.  It was early, and Luna Park was just beginning to fill up with guests, shouts and laughter, and excitement buzzing in the air around you. As you walked along the midway, only some of the game stands were up and running, while others had workers bustling around them, still setting up.  As you passed nearby one of those, a group of children rushed past, knocking into you, the nearest employee, and one of the legs of the awning that the employee had been about to secure.  It buckled at one of the joints as he fell, and the entire metal sheet came crashing down. You screamed and tried to scramble away when a strong set of arms wrapped around your waist and yanked you, forcefully out of the path of the falling awning just in time.  Whoever it was had grabbed you from behind, setting you down gently on your feet and taking hold of your forearms as he did so to make sure you were steady before letting you go.  “That was a close one… you alright there, doll?” Something about the gentleness of that voice and the soft, gravelly undertone struck you, and your stomach did a little jump as you turned around to face your rescuer only to be left momentarily speechless at the sight of him. He was tall, handsome, with bright blue eyes that seemed to pierce right through yours. “... I- I think so.” You stammered, your mouth suddenly feeling very dry. You saw over his shoulder the employees now battling with the awning, which had bent badly in its impact against the side of the building, and the building itself now bearing deep dents in the surface where the edges had collided with it.  “God, if you hadn’t been here…” You looked up at him in shock, a shudder running through your body. Adrenaline still flooded your system as you realized just how much danger you had been in moments before. “That thing might have killed me…” “Right place, right time I guess.” He grinned, the smile slipping from his face as he noticed the way you were shivering as shock set in. “Oh hey…sweetheart, you’re shaking. Here… let’s find a place to sit down.” You mutely nodded and took his offered arm, letting the man lead you over to a nearby outdoor dining area and guide you to one of the unoccupied tables.  “Here - can I get you anything? Maybe some water?” he asked gently. Chewing on your lip for a moment of indecision, you eventually nodded sheepishly. “Yes, please…” “Say no more.” 

Before you could formulate any words of protest he was off, leaving you with a few moments to catch your breath and reorient yourself while he waited in line. By the time he returned your heart rate had calmed at least slightly, and he slid the little plastic cup across the table to you to drink. Your hands were still shaking as you raised the cup to your lips - the water certainly helped with your dry throat, though you still weren’t sure if that was the fault of the scare or the absolutely gorgeous man sitting across from you at the small metal table. “I don’t think I got a chance to properly introduce myself back there.” The man said with a crooked grin, extending a hand across the table to shake yours. Calloused fingertips slid over your knuckles as you clasped his hand, sending a spark of electricity up your arm. “James Buchanan Barnes, at your service. You can call me Bucky, though. All my friends do.”  Giving him your name in turn you raised a brow at him, managing to not sound like a babbling idiot. “Are we friends now, then? We have only just met…”  “Well, I saved your life back there.” He flashed you a charming smile in return. “I think that makes us something. Dunno what quite yet.” 

That smile. You thought your knees might actually buckle, the way he smiled at you, the way his hand lingered a bit too long on yours before he dropped it back onto the table. Here you were, in the most glamorous city in the United States, surrounded by beautiful, successful people… and the most gorgeous man you had ever met was making eyes at you. Was this real life? 

“So, are you here with anyone?” you hedged. “I don’t want to be holding you hostage here. I think I’ll be alright.” “Nah, my buddy was supposed to join me but he couldn’t make it. So it’s just me. I’m all yours, for as long as you want to tolerate me.” He grinned. A shy smile split your lips then, and you replied, “I think I’d like to tolerate you for a while longer… if you want to stick around, that is.” The way his eyes lit up made you feel slightly faint, a fluttering in your chest that heated your cheeks and warmed you from the inside.  

Soon the two of you were walking together, side by side through the park. And if you kept straying a little too close to him, brushing your arm against his, it was only to make sure you stayed close to your personal guardian angel.

And if he took your hand a bit too often, helping you up and down some stairs, maneuvering you out of the way of crowds, well… he was looking out for you, after all. The carnival structures had already proven themselves to be dangerous, and he took his duty guarding you very seriously. 

[lachonk]

Pokemon region themed after Canada with areas based on the territories, Hudson Bay, the Rockies, and the east coast provinces, canonically north of Unova

Red sands shore-style beach. CN Tower-like building. Skiing in the snowy mountains. Montreal-based city with older, more European looking buildings.

New pokemon based on caribou, inukshuk (think stonjourner), beaver (yes I know bibarel exists but MORE!), maple tree, totem pole, Canadian goose, loon...

If Galar hadn't already done legendary wolves I'd say that would be a perfect idea. Instead, the box legends could be bears with inspiration from indigenous people's art and stories (assuming it's done respectfully).

Canada has a lot of beautiful landscapes to draw inspiration from, not to mention iconic animals for new pokemon :]

[fancyshooting]

Interview with Hideo Kojima [From MGS3: The Countdown]

A Tale of Fighting the Illusion of "The Times"

I wanted to create a world full of contradictions, where lives are exchanged in the great outdoors.

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (MGS3) has the theme of survival in the wilderness. Why did you choose this theme?

Kojima: When we started working on this film, we trained in the mountains near Sagami Lake with a team led by Mr. Mōri (Motosada, military advisor for this work) 【*1】 We trained in the mountains near Sagami Lake, carrying the same equipment as the army, for two days and one night. We incorporated the tension of that time into the game. You are in the middle of nature and people are on top of each other, but if you look to the side, there are all kinds of creatures right there. If you hold a gun and keep your breath down, you can see frogs hopping around in the grass. In the midst of battle, if you listen carefully, you can hear birds singing and the buzzing of insect wings... The contradictory feeling of trying to take the life of an enemy in the midst of a forest, in the midst of nature, where life springs forth. The feeling of giving and taking life and death. I wanted to somehow incorporate that feeling into the game. Survival in the mountains is a strange story to begin with. In the midst of nature, where life is being created, it is impossible for living things to cease. Only modern people with guns die. In essence, we have to eat other lives to survive.

【*1】 Mr. Mōri (former military advisor to Sadamoto)

He was born in Hiroshima Prefecture in 1964. He has been traveling around the world since he was 19 years old, and after having experienced combat in conflict zones, he has trained and guided the SWAT, a special police anti-terrorist unit, and assisted the 14th Dalai Lama, the Nobel Peace Prize winner, in his personal security measures. He was a military advisor for the "Metal Gear Solid" series. He supervised the CQC in this work.

By setting the battlefield in the jungle, which is full of life, you have expanded the possibilities for the game.

Kojima: It has been a dream of mine to set the game in a jungle since "Metal Gear" 【*2】 on the MSX2. A real undercover mission doesn't start right next to the target building, but hundreds of kilometers away from it. You have to cross the jungle on foot to reach your destination. The first thing I wanted to do was to depict the survival part of the game. This time, instead of Alaska in "MGS" or New York in "MGS2" 【*3】, we started by illegally entering a country with which we had no diplomatic relations. We must go in under false identities and return without leaving a trace. No helicopter or plane is provided for the return trip. Even if we complete the mission, we must return safely from the Soviet Union's territory.

【*2】"Metal Gear" for MSX2

Game for MSX2 released in 1987. Director Kojima's debut work. The main character is Solid Snake. The game has now been completely reissued for mobile phones.

【*3】 Alaska in "MGS" and New York in "MGS2"

"MGS" takes place at a training base on the isolated Shadow Mosses island in Alaska. The setting of "MGS2" is an offshore decontamination facility in Hudson Bay, New York.

In many games, the last enemy to be defeated blows up the stage, or the enemies disappear. This time, you have to survive your way back home!

Kojima: Yes. The return journey is the greatest survival. That's the real thrill of adventure novels. The mission is to return to everyday reality. If the mission is all about infiltration, it is like a suicide bombing, but the real mission is to come back alive. Just as game players return to reality after being immersed in a virtual space, Snake will also come back to everyday life.

So, the hard-boiled world of adventure fiction is the motif.

Kojima: I like hard-boiled adventure novels. The hard-boiled characters move forward with only their willpower, even if their bodies are injured or they have a fever. After a good night's sleep, a hot shower, and a cup of coffee, he would be back on his feet in no time. I wanted to express that kind of hard-boiled, bottomless spirit through the game. In "MGS3," the main character, Snake, gets injured when he is attacked. Bullet holes are left in his body, and bones are broken. He can heal after eating and passing time, but he can also sew up gunshot wounds, remove bullets from his body, and heal himself. The whole body is left with wounds and if they are not treated, it will be covered with scars. If you treat them properly, they heal quickly and regain their strength. This is the "CURE" system.

In the jungle, you cut your own body and endure the pain of healing. In a world where there is no anesthesia or anything else, you have to cut yourself to save your life. It is a game of enduring pain.

Kojima: There is a sense of unity with the player. You can see the Survival Viewer screen, where you perform CURE, and it's a mirror of yourself. Seeing Snake covered in blood, you can be masochistically intoxicated by the harshness of your situation and say, "Cool!"

Previous MGS games have never used a so-called menu screen, such as the survival viewer, have they?

Kojima: Yes, in the past, we didn't dare to use this feature because it would cause a time lag in the gameplay. But this time, the theme was "the player and Snake become one," so we took on the challenge. This time Snake is hit, tortured, and beaten up quite a bit. Seeing Snake in the Survival Viewer is pretty painful 【*4】, but he never changes his convictions. He never ignores what he really believes. That's hard boiled.

【*4】 Seeing Snake in the survival viewer is quite painful

When he is poisoned, Snake bends his body in pain. You can also check the history of the food he has eaten and the history of what you have done to the body.

So the Survival Viewer is a system that allows you to see Snake, who you are controlling, and get emotionally involved.

Kojima: Also, when you save and exit the game, your energy is restored the next time you play. The time between when you quit and when you resume play is measured. So, if you saved the game the day before, when you come home from work the next day and restart the game, Snake will be fine. This system allows you to think "I wonder if Snake is doing well" when you are working at the office. It is truly as if you and Snake are one.

When not playing the game, Snake also takes a break.

Kojima: So, if you give him medicine and food before saving, he will recover a lot.

Wow! Truly one with Snake.

Kojima: When Snake gets hungry, his stomach growls. Then, strangely enough, I, the player, get hungry too (laughs). Just as a person's "yawn" is transmitted to the player, the game character's hunger seems to be transmitted to me. That's the kind of game it is.

Speaking of survival, what is the meaning behind the subtitle this time, "Snake Eater"?

Kojima: The name "Snake Eater" has many meanings. After the release of Metal Gear Solid, there were a lot of stealth games that came out. To defeat them, in "MGS2" we symbolically released the Metal Gear RAY (a mass-produced Metal Gear weapon), and now in "MGS3" we want to eat Snake himself! It means that. Also, in the slang of the Special Forces Green Berets, the army and people who look barbaric are called "snake eaters".

As a game, it is unusual for it to be set in the jungle.

Kojima: Both "MGS" and "MGS2" were set inside man-made structures, but by changing the game console from PlayStation to the high-performance PlayStation 2, we were able to depict a different world. However, "MGS3" is set on the same PlayStation 2 as "MGS2". I wanted to change the graphics fundamentally. So, I dared to use natural environment

Isn't depicting nature the most difficult aspect of computer graphics?

Kojima: It's hard to draw, and it's difficult 【*5】 because you need hit detection for all the undulating terrain and vegetation. In addition, you have to move not only the background, but also the plants and animals.

【*5】 It's hard because you need hit detection for all the undulating terrain and vegetation

The key to creating images for games is hit detection. How do CG objects react when they collide with each other? Will they bounce, turn or stop? By determining all of these reactions, a sense of reality is created.

You are daring to take on a difficult challenge. It's a challenge that is typical of the Kojima group. The place called Tselinoyarsk, where the Virtuous Mission 【*8】 takes place, is that name fictitious?

Infiltrate the fictional world where reality and lies are mixed.

Kojima: The name of the place Tselinoyarsk is fictitious. I made it up after researching the meaning of Russian words 【*6】. In a game, the first stage is ice, the second stage is magma and so on, but in a real forest there is not much difference. Once you enter a forest, it is a forest until the end. There is no such thing as a land rich in flora and fauna, with limestone caves and lakes along the way. That's why we dared to create a fictional land for the game.

【*6】 I looked up the meaning of the Russian word and made it up

Tselina = virgin land, uncultivated land. Yar = precipice. Sk = suffix.

【*8】 Virtuous Mission

Operation Virtuous. The name given to the debut mission of the covert unit, FOX. Also known as the VR mission.

In "MGS3," the mixing of reality and fiction is very well done. For example, there is the line "the first HALO drop in history", but didn't that happen much later in real history? Wasn't the incident in "MGS3" recorded in history? Or is it all fictitious...?

Kojima: There are both lies and true stories too. The CQC, for example, is still cutting edge today. I don't think the average person would understand it, but there are a lot of things in it that even military enthusiasts wouldn't understand, and that only real professionals would understand. I would love to have an audio commentary of the demo scenes 【*7】. Otherwise, there are things that would never be understood.

【*7】 I'd love to have an audio commentary on it

The booklet that will come with the limited edition of "MGS3" will include a full polygon demo commentary by director Hideo Kojima and other key staff members.

Are the fighter aircraft and armaments built like in real life?

Kojima: In our team (Kojima-gumi), there are some particular members. The members are very knowledgeable about military affairs and weapons. And since Mr. Mōri is supervising the project, so the work should be very faithful to reality.

You have a fact-checking group for military knowledge.

Kojima: The "Metal Gear Solid" series seems to have a lot of fans among real military personnel. I have personal correspondence with people who were in Afghanistan and former parachutists. I have heard from them that they played "MGS" on the front line. Well, when they come to me, they salute me and say, "I'm looking forward to Metal Gear", which is a bit of a problem (laughs).

However, even in a fictional setting, it is better to know about historical topics such as the Cuban Missile Crisis in order to enjoy "MGS3".

Kojima: Cuban Missile Crisis, Kennedy Assassination... The most important keyword is the Cuban Missile Crisis 【*9】. The Virtuous Mission is the prologue and will play a major role in the main story that follows. At the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis, President JFK (Kennedy) and First Secretary Khrushchev made a secret agreement 【*10】. The content of this agreement is relevant. There are many movies depicting the secret Cuban agreement, such as "13 Days" 【*11】, and it has been speculated that the agreement was based on the closing of a missile base in Turkey, but this is not true. Of course, it's fiction. That is the core of the story of "MGS3". What is the weapon that Dr. Sokolov is said to have been working on? And why did he defect from the Soviet Union to the United States? This is the story of the events that led to the assassination of Kennedy and the hardliners' pursuit of Khrushchev.

【*9】 Cuban Missile Crisis

On October 16, 1962, a US Air Force spy reconnaissance plane discovered a Soviet medium-range missile base in Cuba. The world was plunged into a state of tension, fearing the outbreak of war.

【*10】 President JFK (Kennedy) and First Secretary Khrushchev

First Secretary Khrushchev, who advocated a policy of peaceful coexistence with the West, held a dialogue with American President John Fitzgerald Kennedy (JFK). JFK was famous for being America's most beloved president, but he was shot dead in 1963.

【*11】 The movie "13 Days"

Released in 2000. Directed by Roger Donaldson. Starring Kevin Costner. The film depicts the 13 days from October 16 to October 28, 1962, when the Cuban Missile Crisis occurred.

Indeed, the point of contact between reality and fiction. This is where Snake's sneaking mission comes in. A history that no one has ever heard is pieced together.

Kojima: Actually, there used to be an adventure game called "Snatcher", set in a world where the Soviet Union is gone 【*12】. The story is about a weapon left behind by the Soviet Union, which plunges the world into crisis. But at the time I didn't think the Soviet Union would disappear, and I thought the Cold War would go on forever. Without a hypothetical enemy, adventure stories don't really get off the ground. That's why adventure fiction changed after the collapse of the Soviet Union. With "MGS3", we created a thrilling world by bringing real conflict back to life.

【*12】It's set in a world where the Soviet Union is gone

"Snatcher" is a science fiction adventure game directed by Kojima that was released in 1988 on the PC8801. Unfortunately, the PC8801 version of the game was incomplete, with only "ACT 2" completed. The PC Engine version of "Snatcher" was the first to complete "ACT 3". In the near future, 80% of the Eurasian continent has been wiped out by a biohazard in Moscow. The negative legacy of the Soviet Union threatens the world. At the time, of course, the collapse of the Soviet Union was unthinkable in real life.

What is the identity of the most powerful enemy in history, the Cobra Unit, full of monsters?

Kojima's games are always based on the "father-killer" motif. In "MGS," he fought a man who inherited his father's genes, and in "MGS2," he defeated his foster father 【*13】. What will Snake overcome this time?

【*13】 Solid Snake fights a man who inherited his father's genes in "MGS" and defeats his foster father in "MGS2

Solid Snake, the hero of "MGS", and his nemesis, Liquid Snake, are clones descended from the legendary hero Big Boss. Raiden, the protagonist of "MGS2", is an artificially created warrior who fights against the entity that raised him.

Kojima: Yes, that's right. My games have always depicted paternity and never motherhood. This time, however, I am going to depict "motherhood". This time, there will be many strong women. The Boss is one of them. The Boss is a legendary soldier that all men fear. When you get close to her, she will disassemble your weapons and blow you away with her CQC. She is an invincible soldier.

This time around, a number of special forces units appear. The Boss, who supports Snake, belongs to the Cobra Unit.

Kojima: The Cobra Unit is the original Special Forces unit, a covert unit that was very active during the Second World War. The members of the Cobra Unit are inspired by the emotions that arise on the battlefield. The Fear, The Sorrow, The Pain... When Colonel Kurtz dies in "Apocalypse Now" he says: "The horror... The horror..." 【*14】. That emotion! So, in my mind, the Cobra Unit is the image of a Kamen Rider monster 【*15】.

【*14】 When Colonel Kurtz dies in "Apocalypse Now", he says, "The horror... the horror..."

This film, directed by Francis F. Coppola, was released in 1979 and depicts the madness of the Vietnam War. Colonel Kurtz, played by Marlon Brando, establishes his own kingdom deep in the heart of Vietnam. The story is about Captain Willard, played by Martin Sheen, who is trying to eliminate Colonel Kurtz.

【*15】 Image of the Kamen Rider monster

A transformable hero aired on TV in 1971. The enemy was an evil modified human created by the evil secret society, Shocker. Many of them, such as the Spider Man, were converted humans who had been given the power of plants and animals.

The "Metal Gear" series has seen the appearance of monster armies such as the FOXHOUND and Dead Cell in the past.

Kojima: This time it's even more impressive. The End especially is the most intense one!

"The End" is a song by "The Doors" 【*16】!

【*16】 The End is a song by The Doors

The Doors, a band led by Jim Morrison, released the song "The End" in 1967. The song features a snake as a metaphor for the apocalypse.

Kojima: Haha! I can sing that song all the way through. Do you have karaoke? No, no, no, The End is amazing. He is a sniper who is over 100 years old.

What's that!?

Kojima: Normally, he sleeps all the time and does photosynthesis.

Awesome! I don't get it! (Laughs)

Kojima: Only when he fights does he gain the power of the forest and come back to life. It will be a sniper battle that will go down in gaming history.

A sniper in a state of hibernation! It's a formidable opponent...

Kojima: The camouflage is perfect, and even with thermal goggles on, he is undetectable. Even if you think it is an enemy and aim at it, it could still be mushrooms (laughs). That's why he's The End. If you meet him on the battlefield, you'll be killed. "It's the end!"

A true Snake vs. Cobra fight to the death!

Kojima: In "Tiger Mask" 【*17】, the last opponent the hero fights is a tiger. So, Snake's enemy is a cobra (snake). It is the strongest enemy in the series so far.

【*17】"Tiger Mask"

Animated wrestling series based on the original story by Kajiwara Ikki and Tsuji Naoki, broadcast for two years from 1969. A masterpiece that exploded with Kajiwara-ism, with a dark development and appearances by real wrestlers such as Giant Baba and Antonio Inoki. The final enemy is Tiger the Great (anime version).

I see. Then what about Snake's organization, FOX?

Kojima: "Force Operation X". Special forces. The parent organisation of the later Foxhound. After the Second World War, an Englishman, Major Zero, wanted to form an organisation that would bring together the best people regardless of race. But it was difficult to form because there was still racial discrimination at the time. So he asked The Boss, who was his colleague in the SAS 【*18】, to help him form an organisation that would combine military and intelligence activities. A small number of elites would infiltrate deep into enemy bases to conduct subversive and intelligence activities. That's why it belongs to the CIA 【*19】. The Virtuous Mission (VR mission) on which Snake was assigned was its debut.

【*18】SAS

Special Air Service of the British Army.

【*19】 CIA

Central Intelligence Agency of the United States

Wow. Snake was the first elite of FOX.

Kojima: Speaking of special forces, Ocelot 【*20】, of the Soviet Union's special forces, makes an appearance. He is a really funny guy. He chases Snake around.

【*20】 Ocelot

Ocelot is a master marksman and torturer who appears in "MGS" and "MGS2". His true identity is hidden, as he is active in various organizations as a multiple spy. In this work, his youth is depicted.

Ah, young Ocelot.

【*21】 Snake's advice was to switch pistols, and he did so

Kojima: Ocelot is a very elite man, a major at the age of 19. There is a reason for that, he has a very good pedigree. He has his own unit. But when he meets Snake, Ocelot has his first setback. So he goes after Snake and is charmed by him. He follows the advice of his enemy, Snake, and switches pistols, 【*21】 and he has a cute personality.

In his first appearance in this film, he uses an automatic pistol, but it jammed and he was defeated by Snake. However, in his second appearance, he follows the advice of his enemy Snake and appears with a revolver.

What kind of character is The Boss? Snake seems to have a fondness for her.

Kojima: She's about 50 years old.

An older woman. And she is more than a year older.

Kojima: Snake's mentor, mother figure and lover. But you see, Snake can never win against The Boss. She's so strong that she's known as the mother of special forces. She can throw you off in an instant.

The most powerful enemy ever! The Boss!

Kojima: I liked Charlotte Rampling 【*22】. That image.

【*22】Charlotte Rampling

Actress born in 1946. Her father was a soldier and an Olympic medalist. As a child, she used to play at the NATO military base where her father worked. She became popular for her decadent performance in the films "The Brave and the Damned" [Released in English as "The Damned"] (1969) and "The Storm of Love" ["The Night Porter"] (1973). She was married to musician Jean-Michelle Jarre, but they are now divorced.

"No kung fu" "no wire" "no high-speed" of adventure novels.

What books and movies did you look at when you were thinking about "MGS3"?

Kojima: I read mystery novels in elementary school, and in junior high school I read a lot of science fiction novels as an escape from reality. Then, when I was in high school, I started reading a little more realistic adventure novels. "MGS3" is filled with that trend. Alistair MacLean and Desmond Bagley... 【*23】 All of them were translations. At the time, people who had no experience with the special forces were imagining and writing, so now there are more and more novels featuring soldiers and military personnel as the main characters, but also intelligence agents (spies) and complete amateurs were being given a mission and fighting. It was a world where you didn't know if it was real or not. It was a mess at the time. There were agents escaping from enemy bases with pistols in their hands, and with their girlfriends (laughs). But that kind of "007" 【*24】 world is the base of Metal Gear.

【*23】 Alistair MacLean and Desmond Bagley

Alistair MacLean and Desmond Bagley are British adventure novelists, respectively. McLean's best-known work is "The Guns of Navarone," and Bagley's best-known work is "The Golden Keel".

【*24】"007"

The most popular spy action movie series in the world is the 007 series, More than 20 have been made since 1962's "007 Is The Number of a Killer" ("Dr. No"). This is the root of the "Metal Gear" series.

What kind of novels do you like best?

Kojima: If you are looking for an adventure novel, I would say Bagley's "The High Citadel" 【*25】. I bought a reprint of it from Hayakawa recently, but I haven't reread it yet. I wonder how it would be if I read it now. I don't remember much of the story... I think it was about a plane crash and fighting on a high winter mountain.

【*25】 Bagley's "The High Citadel"

A masterpiece of adventure fiction published by Desmond Bagley in 1965. A plane crash-lands in the Andes Mountains and is attacked by a mysterious armed group. The surviving passengers create weapons out of scrap wood and fight back.

What about recent adventure or military fiction?

Kojima: I love J.C. Pollock's "The Frontier of Trees" 【*26】. However, most of the recent novels are realistic military stories, often written by ex-special forces personnel, you know. Tom Clancy 【*27】 and the image of a spy plus a soldier. No, "MGS3" is a much older image. The "Man of the Sea" series by Ken Follett and MacLean 【*28】, Hayakawa novels with Noriyoshi Orai 【*29】 as the cover character. A.J. Quinnell's "Man On Fire" and the "Creasy" series. "The Guns of Navarone" and "Operation Blitz Flint GO! GO" 【*30】.

【*26】 J.C. Pollock's "The Frontier of Trees" [Japanese title. Released in English as "Centrifuge".]

A military novel by Pollock, a former Green Beret, published in 2000. Two Green Berets, pursued by 12 KGB members, flee into the woods to fight back.

【*27】Tom Clancy

Military novelist born in 1947. His best-known work is "The Hunt for Red October".

【*28】Ken Follett and

MacLean's "Man of the Sea" [Japanese title. Released in English as "The Lonely Sea"] series

Both are British adventure novelists. Follett's best-known work is "The Eye of the Needle". MacLean's "Man of the Sea" is a series of maritime stories set in the Arctic Ocean and other places.

【*29】 Noriyoshi Orai

Born in 1935, Noriyoshi Orai is one of Japan's leading illustrators. His international poster for "Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back" brought him international recognition. He has also contributed wonderful illustrations to the limited edition books of the "Metal Gear Solid" series.

【*30】 A.J Quinnell's "Man on Fire" and the Creasy series. "The Guns of Navarone" and "Operation Blitz FlintGO!GO" ["Our Man Flint"]

A.J Quinnell is a anonymous author. His debut novel, "Man on Fire", brought him international recognition. The movie "The Guns of Navarone" was released in 1961. Operation Dengeki Blitz GO!GO is a spy movie released in 1966.

A time when special forces were the heroes.

Kojima: There was a time when the words "special forces" and "espionage" had a pleasant sound. It was not called "Mission Impossible" but "Operation Spy" 【*31】. In those days, a spy had a lot of secret weapons and would sneak into the enemy's headquarters by himself. I had read such novels for knowledge, so I was able to write the scenario in no time at all.

【*31】 When it was called "Operation Spy" instead of "Mission: Impossible"

A spy drama broadcast in the US in 1966. In Japan, it was broadcast as "Operation Spy". The 1996 film version was released under the title "Mission: Impossible". The movie version was not well received by fans of the TV version, as Jim Phelps, who was supposed to be a major character in the movie, was turned into the enemy.

Director Kojima, do you listen to music when you write your scripts?

Kojima: I listen to a lot of music. Especially when I write dialogue, I often listen to movie soundtracks. I write while crying. I cry easily in my fantasies. I don't need entertainment. Just thinking about it makes me cry. Whenever I come up with a sad theme, the drama spreads in my mind and I end up crying. It would be nice to have a soundtrack playing at such times.

What did you listen to during the production of "MGS3"?

Kojima: I listened to a variety of music this time. Especially Hans Zimmer and the usual Tangerine Dream 【*32】. During the original "MGS", I was listening to John Wetton 【*33】 only. I also listen to songs with vocals, but I can't write scenarios with songs in Japanese. The soundtrack is perfect. I can't get enough of it when the music happens to match the scene I'm writing about. Also... Harry (Gregson-Williams)'s 【*34】 music is good, too. For "MGS3", I listened to the songs that Harry had written.

【*32】 Especially Hans Zimmer and his usual Tangerine Dream type of music

Hans Zimmer is one of Hollywood's greatest musicians. He has composed music for blockbusters such as "The Crimson Tide," "Gladiator," and "The Last Samurai. Tangerine Dream is a German synthesizer rock band active in the 1970s. They have also composed music for films such as "Fear's Reward" ["Sorcerer"].

【*33】John Wetton

Famous bassist who has worked with bands from King Crimson to Roxy Music to Uriah Heep to Wishbone Ash to Asia. A living witness to British rock.

【*34】 Harry (Gregson-Williams)

Born in 1961, he made his film music debut as an arranger for composer Stanley Myers and has been in charge of scores for various films, including "The Rock" and "Armageddon". He is also a well-known staff member of the "Metal Gear Solid" series.

What kind of work is done after Director Kojima writes the scenario?

Kojima: We write the script into a scriptment, which is a script for the game. Then we make a dialogue script for the polygonal demo recording, and ask the staff to make storyboards for the capture design. Well, the storyboards are only for the demos. For "Snatcher" and "Policenauts", I also wrote the storyboards.

From there, you move on to video recording and audio recording.

Kojima: They would draw the storyboards and I would check them. Once we had a rough idea of what scenes to shoot and what was needed, we would record the motion capture. But you see, when I actually capture the motion capture, I almost completely disregard the storyboards. The storyboards are just for cost calculation (workload and budget calculation) and can be changed considerably when the final CG is created. With CG, depending on the model, you can turn it around and change the angle.

The video is also a pleasure.

Kojima: Director Ryuhei Kitamura created amazing visuals in the previous title, "Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes" 【*35】. This time, I'm trying to create something that exceeds those visuals. I've been told that I can no longer win in the same direction, so I'm going for a low-key approach with "no wires", "no kung fu"' and "no high speed".

【*35】 Director Ryuhei Kitamura created amazing visuals for the previous title, "Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes"

The polygon demos for the GameCube version of "Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes," released in 2003, were directed by film director Ryuhei Kitamura. The ultimate in passionate production, it featured wire action and slow motion to show off the superheroic nature of the characters to an excessive degree.

It's like the movie "Mach!!!!!!!!" 【*36】 It's just like that (laughs).

【*36】 The movie, "Mach!!!!!!!!!" [Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior]

A Thai movie released in 2004. This is a crazy movie that pursues pure physical super-action with the advertising claims of "no CG," "no wires," "no stunts," and "no rapid-fire.

Kojima: Well, I did kung fu kicks once. I used it where necessary, but it was not kung fu; it was boxing and wrestling in the 1960s 【*37】. That became CQC. The rest of the action is pretty simple. We don't do any fancy actions like somersaults with wires.

【*37】 Boxing and wrestling in the 1960s

The 1960s was a physical era. Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) became a hero as the heavyweight boxing world champion, and wrestling attracted much attention at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics

What is the true enemy, as depicted by the illusion of the times?

"MGS" is full of tricks that betray the player's imagination, such as reading the package and performing unbelievable operations with the controller 【*38】, and this time... are there things like that?

【*38】 "MGS" was a game where the player had to read the package and use the controller perform unbelievable operations

In "MGS", there was a radio number on the package and a scene in which the controller massaged the player's shoulders. It was shocking to see that the tricks were not limited to the game screen

Kojima: I can't say that. Hmmm... Well, at least from the very first opening demo, I have a trick up my sleeve. At least from the very first opening demo, we have at least three out of ten people who will knock the controller to the ground.

What is it!? That!

Kojima: The first trap. Well, this trap is amazing. It's the best trap ever, even better than the psychic Psycho Mantis 【*39】 in "MGS". Only open-minded players will be able to enjoy it (laughs).

【*39】Psycho Mantis, the psychic of "MGS"

The most shocking enemy in "MGS". He reads the data on the PlayStation's memory card, guesses the player's preferences, blacks out the screen to display "Hideo," and torments the player with his unlimited attack patterns. A simple strategy was to play the game with the controller on the 2P side, which was also a shocking method.

The mystery of "it's written on the back of the package" was also amazing...

Kojima: It's even more amazing. The phone lines at the customer service center were jammed. Is that an exaggeration? If I had not made "MGS," there would be no mysteries at all. There are quite a lot of them. I don't know if everything I have in mind at the moment will fit into the game, but we're working at the last minute, so it's a grand joke. The player can't help but laugh. "Ha ha ha, you did it." It's like that. But the initial shock must have been quite great. I think European players will be delighted. People overseas are more tolerant of jokes, and they think that Kojima's games must have some kind of joke in them. For Japanese players, at least, I think it's safe to say that it doesn't have the last big 【*40】 plot point of "MGS2". For those who love "MGS", there are many points to enjoy.

【*40】 The big plot point at the end of "MGS2"

At the end of "MGS2", it is revealed that all the stories (adventures) that the protagonist, Raiden, has been through have all been artificially created. This horrifying twist, which plunges the player into an emotional abyss, was met with mixed reviews

I saw in the trailer movie that Colonel Volgin grabs a young man's crotch while saying, "Kuwabara, kuwabara." The man's face... Raiden? 【*41】

【*41】Raiden?

In the trailer shown at the 2004 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in the US, a character that looked exactly like Raiden appeared. Apparently, he plays an important role in the game...

Kojima: That hasn't been talked about much, has it? Ha ha ha.

Also, this time Snake vomits 【*42】.

【*42】 Snake vomits

If you rotate Snake on the Survival Viewer screen, when you return to the game, he will get nauseous and vomit.

Kojima: Kyle Cooper 【*43】 is a big fan of vomit. "I thought Hideo was going to make a vomit game!" He said. "Of course!" He said.

【*43】 Kyle Cooper

Born in 1963. Formed the group Imaginary Forces. He is in charge of producing movie titles. He has produced many internationally acclaimed masterpieces, including "Seven" and "Mission: Impossible". He is also an important staple in the "Metal Gear Solid" series.

What a conversation!

Kojima: Kyle Cooper is an old man like that. Ryuhei Kitamura went home very angry. He was like, "Damn! I've been beaten!"

It's a joke war.

Kojima: Defecation was not an option.

...The infiltration of the Virtuous Mission in "MGS3" began on August 24, 1964. This date is... by any chance?

Kojima: Haha. It's my birthday. I was born in 1963, so it is my first birthday. I was busy, so I wrote it down as I went along and it was accepted. I really wanted to set it in 1963, but after President Kennedy was shot, it was more important for the story.

The assassination of President Kennedy. It was one of the most memorable events in the history of the world. "MGS3" begins with that incident.

Kojima: The US will go astray after that incident. "Metal Gear" is a story about nuclear weapons. When the Enola Gay atomic bombs fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Americans thought the war was over. But that was the start of the Cold War, which divided East and West. What happened then was a state of tension, and what took place was espionage. Spies were born, and they worked in the dark between East and West. This is the main theme of "MGS3".

A story that was covered up during the Cold War.

Kojima: It is set in 1964, but I hope young people can play it without worrying about that. However, when I was living in the 1960s, there was a great deal of espionage activity. Just the mention of the term "KGB" made me stand up straight.

The KGB was also said to be monitoring Japan at the time.

Kojima: At that time, the Soviet Union and the United States were accumulating nuclear weapons and were in conflict as two superpowers. But now there is no Soviet Union and war is going on in Iraq. Five years ago, I had no idea that the world would be like this. And it is hard to predict what will happen five years from now. There was a time when Japan boycotted the Moscow Olympics and hated the Soviet Union, but was that really hatred? It was just the times that made it so. In truth, I don't really hate anyone. It was "the times". That is the theme of "MGS3".

Values that transcend good and evil.

Kojima: With the first "MGS", I wanted to talk about the theme of "what is the information that is engraved in our genes?" The theme of "MGS2" was "What is the information that is not engraved in our genes, such as ideas and culture? And what do we pass on and leave behind for future generations?" That should have been the end of the story, but when I thought about it, I realised something strange. Even genetic characteristics, ideology, and culture are valued differently in different periods of time. For example, women in the Heian period were considered beautiful if they had a round face. In modern times, however, a woman with a face like a flatfish is considered beautiful. The evaluation changes with the times. What is this all about? If even genetic values are influenced by the times, and their evaluation changes, then what are the times? In "MGS3", there are people fighting for the state and politics, but they are only fighting according to the values of the times, not because they really hate the other side. In different times, they can be allies or enemies. They are neither good nor evil.

So it takes place after World War II.

Kojima: During World War II, Japan hated the US. But when I watch WWII movies now, I wonder why they are fighting. The "Americans are the enemy" mentality of those days was an illusion created by the times. Even the US was influenced by the times, and after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, just mentioning the term "anti-war" was met with bashing. When Richard Gere spoke out against the war, he was stoned 【*44】. But now, there is a strong mood of pessimism, and movies like "Fahrenheit 911," made by Michael Moore, have become a hit 【*45】. Values are changing with the times. What is it that is creating this illusion? Isn't it "The Patriots" 【*46】 that "MGS2" talked about?

【*44】 When Richard Gere spoke out against the war

In February 2003, as the US was about to deploy troops to Iraq, Richard Gere said: "The animosity between Bush and Hussein is like that between Captain Ahab and the whale in "White Whale" [Moby Dick]. Bush's words on behalf of the Iraqi people are out of line."

【*45】 Films like "Fahrenheit 911" by Michael Moore have been made and are a hit

Filmmaker Michael Moore has released a film, "Fahrenheit 911", which criticises and thoroughly criticises President George W. Bush's Iraq campaign. He aims to unseat Bush in the presidential election.

【*46】 "The Patriots"

The greatest mystery of the Metal Gear Solid series. It is said that wars and conflicts are being waged in various parts of the world at their will.

"The Patriots". The huge, dark entity that appears at the end of "MGS2", controls all information, and shapes the state. Will it appear in "MGS3"?

Kojima: "The Patriots" is a metaphor for "the times". It is a skeleton, without any substance. And in "MGS3", the organisation that was the predecessor of "The Patriots" appears.

So "MGS3" is also the story of the creation of "The Patriots".

Kojima: Yes, that's right. We have built a bridge from "MGS3" to "MGS". Please enjoy it as much as you can.

[nightimecoyote]

Is vulture culture mean to animals?

More people need to understand the difference between overconsumption and recycling when it comes to animal products. I am a bone collector and a furs collector but I refuse to buy from a fur farm-as should everybody-yet some people just don't understand how I could collect animal byproducts without doing that.

Pretty much I live in a mountain woods town and there is roadkill everywhere so it isn't hard to find bones. I only get bones from the ground (meaning already decomposed bodies with no flesh left and they are usually already pretty sun-bleached) and I would consider getting them from ethical hunters if I had the need (meaning hunters who kill animals to feed their family and never take more than they need, they usually use all of the animals and have no problem selling the carcass or the bones and fur if they have the time and energy to skin it themselves).

All of the furs (mostly tails) I have are from ethical farmers or roadkill, I only buy from trusted people who I know didn't get them from a fur farm or aren't a fur farm themself. Most of them are taxidermists (who by the way can be ethical about this too) who found roadkill or had to kill a fox that was eating their chickens or something and decided to use most of the body to honour the dead animal. Admittedly some things do go to waste though like the meat and guts, but in my experience, people usually leave them in the woods for the crows and vultures to eat (or small mammals sometimes).

This is how most vulture culture esc people I know do this and the majority of us do not give in to overconsumption of animal products.

It's actually better in my opinion to use all of the animals like our ancestors did rather than throw it out. Soooo next time you see someone wearing a tail on their backpack or who collects bones or something. Please don't just assume they are anti-vegans and hate animals or something because most of us actually love animals. For me, that's why I do this, to honour the poor dear or possum who fell victim to someone's car. And also remember that not everyone who is not a vegan or vegetarian is eating store-bought animal products, even if most of them are.

PS: I also think everyone should educate themselves on the overconsumption of animal products and think about their actions. I live in Canada so most of what I have learned pertains to that and the Hudson's Bay Company. But even just looking up the type of farm that beef you bought from the store came from is a good idea. If you are uncomfortable eating meat from a place like that, you should think about what you buy. This modern human world is full of overconsumption and disrespect for other animals, 'we' justify it by thinking humans are superior. But how can a species be so cruel and superior? The truth is they can't, we are animals just like the rest of them.

[wttt-dirus-work]

British Columbia (Headcanon)

British Columbia, the “chill province”. Biggest province of the west, she’s the third most populous of the country with a population estimated to 5,368,266 (2022). She’s the second most expensive place to live in, after Ontario.

When in the east coast, with New France and the thirteen colonies, it was the French fighting the British to get more land, BC was disputed between Spain in Russia, in the 1700s. It’s when James Cook, an English man who was the first to chart the land (this is not considering the many Natives communities who lived there first), came in that Britain settled the conflict. Before the 1850s, it was mainly used as fur post, with the Vancouver island managed by the Hudson bay company. Then, in 1857, it was the gold rush, and the colony of British Columbia was made, which the Vancouver colony joined after the rush in the 1860s. BC, who was separated by the rocky mountains from the rest of the British colonies, was made a province in the 1871 (country was made in 1867) when MacDonald promised there would a rail link from the east cost to them. (Note: this is generic reshearch I did. BC is the province of the West coast and I'm from the Québec on the East coast, so I don't really know their whole history)

British Columbia is friendly, but not kind (think of the West coast states like when Washington joins the Table). She keep to herself, but is nice enough to be friend with Alaska, Washington, and Yukon. She can relate to them with the earthquakes and wildfire season, but she’s kind of cynical. She understand many languages (Spanish and Russian from the conflict, and remember but can`t really speak her Natives' languages anymore), but mostly speak English; she’ll speak French either to annoy Alberta, or to mock Québec. Like most of the provinces, she’s a loner, and will annoy the others when she can. She’s chill, kind of "don’t really care for work" (she hates it) and still share some hippie vibes to anyone who don't know her. She also a good actress, making you believe she cares about it when she can't wait to never see you again.

As for temperature, she’s fairly stable, staying around 20°C/70°F in the summer to 0°C/32°F to 5°C/41°F in the winter. Concerning her relationships with other provinces, as said before she mostly keep to herself, so not close to them at all. She will banter time and time again with Alberta, who wants a pipeline to cross the Rocky mountains to sell oil in Asia, but BC is pro-environment, therefore she obviously refused, thus the banter environment vs economy is common between those two, but if you insult the west? The west twins and Yukon are suddenly her bests friends.

Physically, she (6’4) is taller than Texas (6’3), and got that smile where you’re not sure if she’s honest or fucking with you. She has golden skin, mid-back curly, bleached blond hair with and dark green eyes. She has an eternal pacific dogwood flower crown on her head, a white cropped tank top with a Canucks pin and she wears her flag as a boho skirt with black doc martens. She always got a join on her, even if she already smoking one (she’s meaner when she’s not high, so the other provinces don’t mention it to Cana).

Here she is, polite, visibly chill. She’s probably savouring the fact that she made Alberta angry again.

Masterpost here

[rabbitcruiser]

Clouds (No. 1110)

Telkwa, BC (two pics)

Glacier View Rest Area, BC (eight pics)

Witset, BC (two pics)

[strangebiology]

Can AI Replace Journalists?

I've tried AI with art and AI with journalism, and their results seem to be the same:

Beautiful, but wrong.

I put in "Mount Diablo in the summer with golden grass in the style of the Hudson River Artists." I get a beautiful image of a mountain that is not Mount Diablo.

Someone at the NorCal Science Writers Association got an AI to write about the NorCal Science Writers Association. The AI produced some lovely paragraphs that make perfect sense but half the facts are wrong.

So...is AI at least on the path to replacing journalists?

My opinion: It depends on what kind of journalism you mean.

TLDR:

Short articles with no original reporting: Maybe partially.

Real journalism: No.

Here's what my job was at N*wsweek:

Be forced to move so I could work in Manhattan for insultingly low pay

Pitch ideas

Editor says no, actually, she has a much better idea: the idea is something I had pitched yesterday so now we're a day late to the party

Find what is doing well online already

Read what others have written and regurgitate it into my article

Find the source and cite them (not sure whether the boss wanted me to do this but I did)

Find the author of the study, schedule a phone interview that is very inconvenient for both of us, and get a quote that is literally the same as what the press release said.

Write furiously, no time for fact-checking!

Find a picture and video that we have the license to go with the article. Most of the time they were completely unrelated.

Negotiate with my editor so the headline was technically true, even if it was grossly misleading. Most people took some terrible hit to their reputation for writing under a headline they didn't choose.

Check which potential words in the headline had the most google results, in a completely counterintuitive and made-up SEO idea

Not tweet the article or tell the sources about it, nor expect the outlet to tweet it

These are mostly things that not only could be done by an AI, but maybe should be, if the AI is advanced enough and was checked by a human. All the young journalists who had their reputations tarnished are real human beings who were burned out and broken by their time at N*wsweek. The robot doesn't care.

Alternatively, I'd consider discontinuing this type of content entirely. If you don't have anything new to say, or a new way to frame it, don't say it at all, you'll just introduce error, whether you're a human or a robot. Just get a content-exchange license and post the original article you're aggregating. This wasn't just make-work, this was actively damaging to all the writers and the readers.

On the other hand, here was my job at Bay Nature:

Find a topic by cultivating relationships with real humans, reading, exploring nature etc.

Discuss in a meeting whether the article is a good idea: Is it original? Is it important? Is there an ethical issue with reporting it? A lot of the ethical issues we considered were super niche: you probably wouldn't think they're issues at all unless you knew a lot about the bay area, nature, and journalism.

Consider interviews carefully: who is a stakeholder? Who has a significant bias? Whose voice needs to be represented?

Ask: What kind of questions are readers going to ask? Who is this for?

Interview people in real life. Include details that wouldn't have been in an email. Use your human brain to determine what is interesting and important. Sometimes things that seem irrelevant turn out to be relevant and engaging.

Cite all sources. A different staff member checks each fact.

I do not believe this type of journalism could ever be done by an AI. Go ahead, find me an AI that can meet up with a trail runner, learn her life story, and select the facts that relate back to the topic of dandelions in a way that engages readers. I don't think AI's can really get any information that doesn't already exist in text, although I know it can synthesize information and come up with new ways to say it.

And, I think this speaks to what the value of journalism really is. So many people think "I learned how to write an essay in high school, and my spelling and grammar are fine, so I'm basically a journalist, right?" No. That's like saying "I can put paint on a canvas, therefore I'm basically a professional fine artist." Yes, most people can do most jobs, but the value isn't in having something technically done, it's in putting your skills to work and doing something new, important, useful, and ethical.

That's just my experience and someone who knows AI better, and also knows journalism, would probably give you a better answer.

[deep-dive]

2022

albums: Alex G - God Save the Animals Alex G - We're All Going to the World's Fair Anthony Naples + DJ Python - Air Texture VIII Big Thief - Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You Björk - Fossora Bladee & Ecco2k - Crest Broadcast - Maida Vale Sessions Carla dal Forno - Come Around Carly Rae Jepsen - The Loneliest Time Cass McCombs - Heartmind Charli XCX - Crash Daphni - Cherry Dawn Richard & Spencer Zahn - Pigments Hikaru Utada - Bad Mode Huerco S. - Plonk Isabella Lovestory - Amor Hardcore Junior Boys - Waiting Game Kali Malone - Living Torch Malibu - Palaces of Pity Marina Herlop - Pripyat Oren Ambarchi - Shebang Oren Ambarchi, Johan Berthling & Andreas Werliin - Ghosted Organ Tapes - 唱着那无人问津的歌谣 / Chang Zhe Na Wu Ren Wen Jin De Ge Yao Phoenix - Alpha Zulu Physical Therapy - Teardrops on My Garage PPJ - Trindade Rachika Nayar - Heaven Come Crashing Raum - Daughter Sally Shapiro - Sad Cities Sam Prekop - The Sparrow Sam Prekop & John McEntire - Sons Of Shinichi Atobe - Love of Plastic Shygirl - Nymph The Soft Pink Truth - Is It Going to Get Any Deeper Than This? Torus & DJ Lostboi - The Flash Two Shell - Icons The Weeknd - Dawn FM William Basinski & Janek Schaefer - “ . . . On Reflection “

songs: Alex G - JLB's Drawing Bibio - Off Goes the Light Björk - Ancestress (ft. Sindri Eldon) Bladee & Ecco2k - Faust Bladee & Ecco2k - The Flag is Raised Call Super - Swallow Me Carla dal Forno - Side by Side Carly Rae Jepsen - Anxious Carly Rae Jepsen - Talking to Yourself Cass McCombs - Belong to Heaven CFCF - After the After (Bodysync Remix) Charli XCX - Sorry If I Hurt You Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul - Haha Coco & Clair Clair - Bad Lil Vibe Cole Pulice - City in a City Daphni - Take Two Dawn Richard & Spencer Zahn - Sandstone Demi Lovato - Substance DJ Heartstring - Can't Stop the Night Doss - Look (All Night Mix) Doss - Strawberry (Singin' Club Mix) Double Virgo - Kicked Out by Seven Ecco2k & Bladee - Amygdala Ela Minus & DJ Python - Pájaros En Verano Embaci - Tiniest Whisper Hikaru Utada - Somewhere Near Marseilles Hudson Mohawke - Bicstan Isabella Lovestory - Exibisionista Job - Lore Junior Boys - Thinking About You Calms Me Down Kelela - On the Run Luis - Jack Anderson Malibu - Iliad Marina Herlop - Abans Abans Merely - The Killing Sun Mr Twin Sister - Resort Mura Masa & Erika de Casier - e-motions Objekt - Ballast Oren Ambarchi - I Organ Tapes - Burnout Organ Tapes - heaven can wait Physical Therapy - Chain Reaction PinkPantheress - Boy's a liar PPJ - Dar Um (Lauer Remix) Purelink - Butterfly Jam Rachika Nayar - Gayatri Raum - Walk together Sally Shapiro - Sad City SG Lewis & Tove Lo - Call on Me (SG's Dub Edit) Shinichi Atobe - Love of Plastic 1 Shygirl - Firefly Two Shell - Unrequited Yasmine - Doce Atração Yung Lean - Lips Yves Tumor - God Is a Circle

games: Elden Ring Kirby and the Forgotten Land Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak Signalis Sonic Frontiers Squaredle Tactics Ogre: Reborn

film: Aftersun (Charlotte Wells) Ambulance (Michael Bay) Avatar: The Way of Water (James Cameron) Crimes of the Future (David Cronenberg) Decision to Leave (Park Chan-wook) I Thought the World of You (Kurt Walker) Jackass Forever (Jeff Tremaine) Kimi (Steven Soderbergh) Nope (Jordan Peele) Orphan: First Kill (William Brent Bell) Pacifiction (Albert Serra) Sharp Stick (Lena Dunham) Stars at Noon (Claire Denis) Tár (Todd Field) Three Thousand Years of Longing (George Miller)

[hom3landr]

Thank you for tagging me @venus-haze and @sehtoast 🖤

Rules: shuffle your ‘on repeat’ playlist and post the first ten tracks, then tag ten people

Waffle House - Jonas Brothers

I Want You Back - The Jackson 5

No Children- The Mountain Goats

Peanut Butter Jelly - Galantis

The Ride of the Witcher - Joey Batey from The Witcher Season 3 Soundtrack

Foreigner’s God - Hozier

I Melt With You - Modern English

Anti-Hero - Taylor Swift

Dog Days are Over - Florence + The Machine

The Gambler - Kenny Rogers

I tag @flaggermuser @jethrowest @sigurdthedane @digitalbath2008 @hudson-bay-girl and whoever else wants to do this (please make a new post, don’t reblog)

[scotianostra]

The Botanist David Douglas was born on 25th June 1799 at Scone, Perthshire.

Another little known Scot, but many of you will no doubt go ”Oh right” when I tell you the majestic Douglas fir is named after the man.

David Douglas is quite famous in the US, and especially in Oregon, in fact, no other botanical explorer in western North America is more famous than David Douglas. His name is associated with hundreds of western plants, and may also be found on mountains, rivers, counties, schools and even modern-day streets. He was a remarkable adventurer even though the fates were mostly unkind to him.

Douglas was affiliated with the University of Glasgow and served as botanical collector for the Horticultural Society of London. He was hired by the Hudson's Bay Company to do a botanical survey of the Oregon region, and travelled there in 1824. For 4 years he travelled approximately 8,000 miles of the Northwest, cataloguing and collecting samples.

He returned to home in 1827 and achieved fame in Europe for his collection, and has been referred to as "one of the founding fathers of the British foresty industry as it exists today" by one biographer.

He returned to North America in 1829 hoping to convince the Hudson's Bay Company to finance a trip to Alaska and beyond. They refused, so David Douglas sailed to Hawaii in 1833. On July 12th 1833 he was exploring the Island when he either fell (or there are theories he was pushed) into a large pit that had been dug to trap wild bulls. His body was found apparently trampled by an animal.

A plaque on the wall of Kawaiahao Church, and a stone marker at Kaluakauka (near where the pit was located) commemorates his death. His body was buried at the Church Cemetery, but the location is lost to history.

I’ll revisit David Douglas in a couple of weeks on the anniversary of his death.