#and then the monks in japan clapped back by showing off what they could do while still being beacons of asceticism

[akkivee]

I have to know who pitched kuukou like 'yeah so its this monk, but he dresses like a punk and also is a REALLY GOOD MONK like genius but also is a gremlin who torments his friends but loves them all very much and would do anything for then' like GIVE THEM A RAISE

like they just took everything nagoya’s known for and pasted it all together in this gremlin of a guy lmao

nagoya’s got a famous temple known to have been home to conquerors in japan??? well he’s a battle monk!!!!!

nagoya’s known for all around boldness???? he’s got it in personality, appearance and tastes himself!!!!!

nagoya’s said to be home to one of the most freedom of expression music movements ever??? he embodies the spirit of freedom!!!!!!!

and it somehow worked!!!! and here we are!!!!!! here we are!!!!!!!!

[fnlrndcllctv]

Tekken

In our Soundtrack Sunday series, we take a look at the music of fighting games, track by track!

For the fifth instalment, Shaun Eddleston takes a look at the music of 1994’s Tekken…

(For the purpose of this article, only the Arcade version of the game’s soundtrack is being covered).

In 1994, 3D fighting games were still in their infancy. SEGA’s first fighting game experiment in the form of Dark Edge and the boundary-pushing Virtua Fighter had barely been out for a year, and games such as Battle Arena Toshinden were still just around the corner for the next generation of home consoles such as the Sony PlayStation and SEGA Saturn.

Namco wanted in on the action, so enlisted the talents of Virtua Racing & Virtua Fighter game designer Seiichi Ishii to help develop 3D fighting game of their own, based on a hardware demo that was initially developed to show off some fancy new graphics off to investors. What started off as a game called “RAVE WAR” would eventually go on to become not only one of the most successful and longest-running fighting game franchises, but one of the biggest selling video game series of all time; Tekken.

As the technology was still somewhat limited at the time, Tekken’s stages were a simple affair. A seemingly infinite scrolling plane placed in front of some parallax backgrounds to give the impression of depth, each of these fighting arenas required a little bit more oomph to push forward and create a suitable, varied atmosphere in which players could beat each other up.

That’s where the music comes in. As Tekken was such an early entry in the realm of 3D fighters, the soundtrack played a considerably larger role in establishing how the game felt than in later entries.

So, how does the original soundtrack holdup today?

Let’s find out…

The game’s introduction is fairly non-eventful in its 20-second runtime, but it does make good use of the game’s stereo mix by panning left and right to create a more immersive effect, and reminds me a little bit of elements found in the PlayStation startup jingle.

Tekken’s character select music is a loop of what initially appears to be a fuzzy, overdriven funk bassline over a simple drumbeat, but to me personally, there was always something about this version that didn’t sit right with me. Upon listening closer, I think I’ve figured out what it is.

Behind the upbeat bass that is designed to get players pumped up before a fight, there’s two droning chords being played in the background that elicit a very serious, uneasy tone. Its a strange sensation that’s also present in the PlayStation version of the soundtrack (although it’s not as strong, thanks to better quality remixing!)

“Marine Stadium, Japan” is where the soundtrack has the most fun with the stereo mix, creating a dizzying effect by throwing samples at the listener from all directions in the left and right speaker. Once the track gets moving, there’s a call & response going on between many of the tracks separate elements, running a fine line between being a disjointed mess and a brilliantly cohesive piece.

Luckily the rhythm section and background pads do a great job of keeping things in check.

Definitely one of my favourites in the game.

“Chicago, USA” is probably the grittiest track of the OST, and is probably closer to what a lot of the game’s music sounds like in the modern era than the rest of the tracklist.

The fuzzy bass tone of the character select screen makes yet another appearance here, and immediately starts to make each of the “verse” sections feel incredibly busy and muddies the entire mix straight away.

The chorus, although very brief, saves the song in a big way. The soaring keys, accompanied by some fun percussive claps, make this one of the most enjoyable songs that still holds up really well today.

On a related note, the arrange version found in the PlayStation port is flawless.

The most immediate thing I noticed about this track is just how loud and distracting the bass is. It rumbles throughout the majority of the runtime, and almost ruins the whole experience for me, that is until the bass drops out and allows listeners to focus in a bit more on the tracks other elements.

Once you get past the overpowering synth bass, this is actually a really fun track. Utilising samples of traditional Chinese stringed instruments and gong hits, it’s a high energy track that perks up the players fighting in the mountainous stage.

Imagine a hard-hitting techno remix of Chun-Li from Street Fighter II’s music and you’ve got the right idea.

“Angkor Watt, Cambodia” is probably the closest that the game comes to an industrial sound, and I mean that in a literal sense. The drums and bass is accentuated with what sounds like stylised machinery interspersed with synth leads for the whole track. This robotic selection is an odd choice to use for a stage that’s based on the real life Angkor Watt (i.e. a complex of ancient temples in Cambodia, NOT a factory filled with heavy machinery).

The track also ends before it has the chance to build up into anything really interesting, and remains as a bit of a teaser for me.

“Fiji” is unlike anything else in the Tekken soundtrack, and is arguably one of the series’ most iconic pieces of music (it gets revisited a handful of times throughout the franchise’s long history). The track dials things up into party mode, with steel drums and a catchy salsa beat that really makes you feel like you are on holiday on a tropical island, with a bassline that you’d expect to hear in a bustling nightclub.

A true highlight of the soundtrack, and most definitely the biggest earworm of the whole tracklist.

With “Acropolis, Greece”, we steer into something with a much more dramatic mood.

While the drums and bass for most of the song leave a lot to be desired in terms of differentiating themselves from damn near every other song in the soundtrack, its the the chorus that saves the whole composition. Backed up by some choir keys that remind me of Angel Dust-era Faith No More (the best era, by the way!) and some military-style drumming that’s sprinkled throughout, it builds up to something pleasant, even though it doesn’t quite reach the majesty of the location’s namesake.

“Kyoto, Japan” follows in the footsteps of “Sichuan, China”, in that it utilises samples of traditional instruments from the location’s culture.

This is another track that makes great use of the stereo mix, with the instruments constantly in flux from the left to right speaker (and vice versa). The song does feel a little choppier than the rest of the soundtrack in places though, and the constant “un-tiss-un-tiss-un-tiss” drumbeat mixed together with the percussion samples of blocks being hit makes the song sound like something from the Samurai Shodown games if they were all on ecstasy.

“King George Island, Antarctica” is one of the more interesting items on this fighting game menu, as the song is driven forward by something outside of the simple drumbeat and funk bassline. Instead, it’s powered by an ongoing drone sound hidden in the background. While not quite in Sunn O))) territory, it’s something that makes the track feel unique to its peers, even though it largely contains a lot of the same elements as them.

This one took me by surprise.

Most of the runtime of “Venezia, Italy” sees the music simmering away comfortably, then once the chorus hits, it erupts into a slightly operatic, adventurous display of strings and choirs. Not only that, but for the latter half of the brief chorus, the drum beat instantly shifts into a jazzy offbeat section that definitely threw me off in terms of where I was expecting the music to go.

It’s a gamble that ultimately pays off, and it’s one that results in one of the more underrated tracks in the collection.

“Windermere, U.K.” is where the quality of the game’s music takes a hard hit.

Everything in the song sounds like you’re listening to it through a wall, with the individual instruments being drowned out by the overblown bass and frankly dull drum loops, and even then, the synthetic saxophone sections of the song don’t sound very interesting either. It’s a couple of minutes that holds the entire OST back.

At least the Arrange version in the following year’s PlayStation port was an improvement.

From the game’s weakest track, we head straight into one of the best moments in the entire OST.

“Monument Valley, USA” is one of the most ominous, evil-sounding stage themes that you’re likely to encounter in any fighting game. Just over a minute of harsh windy soundscapes, thunderous gongs, grandiose strings and monk chants that feel more like a summoning of an ancient demon than an actual song. It’s such a deviation from the rest of the music in Tekken, almost to the point where it could be from a totally different game altogether.

The PlayStation version of this song is rightfully in my top 10 favourite fighting game tracks of all time.

Tekken’s final credits music is an absolute pleasure to listen to. In just a couple of minutes, it effectively melds together all of the different vibes of each stage in the game without resorting to just clipping them together as a cheap montage.

Besides, it’s just a relief to have something relatively soothing after dealing with the horrid AI of Heihachi as a final boss.

Overall, the soundtrack to the very first Tekken game is pretty far away from people may be used to from the high intensity of the modern entries in the franchise.

Instead of punishing dubstep and songs you’d expect to hear from a harder-edged Dance Dance Revolution game soundtracks (is that even a thing?), the music selection here is much simpler and way more subdued.

Tasked with trying to represent the various locations from around the world, Namco Sounds did an admirable job getting the vibe right for each stage. From the absolute party of “Fiji” and the sports broadcast jingle of “Marine Stadium, Japan” to the gritty club beats of “Chicago, USA” and the windy soundscapes of “Monument Valley, USA”, the Tekken soundtrack is a varied, interesting mix that not only gives each landmark and setting more personality, but also attempts to set the bar for a series that has since become known for its great music.

Now, time to try and get “Fiji” out of my head until Tekken 2’s edition of Soundtrack Sunday…

The soundtrack is available on vinyl here.

Are you a fan of the original Tekken’s music? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

[shesquiinnsane-ar]

UPDATED BIOS;

As a precursor to this I just thought to add that both Arkham Origins and A Matter of Family have also been edited and updated. Whilst writing new bios I'm also working on editing older bios as some are probably a couple years old and full of typos I never checked. So that's happening too. All new bios will have my new icon form. I'll try and posted whenever I so update bios though so people know. And now, onto the new bio!

BATMAN NINJA;

This verse will typically be used for any anime/manga characters that Harley may interact with as well as those who simply just wish to explore it. Please note that Batman Ninja is a mash of ideas from the Japan studios. There are lots of anime tropes and plot points that need to be simply taken for granted. 

Gorilla Grodd used a Quake Engine in Arkham Asylum to send everyone back to Feudal Japan, causing a small distraction that landed Batman in that world two years later.. Two years in the making and Gotham’s villains were taking over as Feudal Lords; Two-Face, Penguin, Poison Ivy, Deathstroke, and the Joker with Harley alongside, where all the Lord’s of their state. The Joker and Harley were considered to be the closest to uniting the kingdom to be the one true King of Japan, the Joker was known to be labeling himself as the Demon King. 

The pair first bump into Batman, using Harley disguised as the Joker to tease him as they realize he is now in Feudal Japan. This distraction allowed Joker to engage Batman in a fight, asking Batman to call him Lord Joker as he was believed to be the most powerful man in Japan. After changing into her outfit she met up with the Joker and the Batman after he finished throwing razor-edged fans. To keep the Joker occupied, she poured him a drink so they could instead watch Batman against seven of the Joker’s samurai warriors. As Batman and the warriors fought, Harley asked if they should follow, to which the Joker just sighed with his drink, asking her to simply enjoy the moonlight as they had all the time in the world.

Batman subsequently joined forces with Catwoman as he learned that the secret to going home was in Grodd’s time machine, currently owned by the Joker in his temple. He then learned Catwoman was lucky enough to find Alfred, who was in the Batmobile, and had been maintaining it as best he could for the occasion when Batman was to return. The loud motor roared down the street straight to the temple which Harley overheard, rushing to the Joker to inform him. Pushing open the doors of the temple she shouted at the top of her lungs that Batman was coming. She dropped her knees in front of Joker as she told Joker that Batman was coming in the Batmobile. Trying to demonstrate her point, using a puppet show she told Joker that the Batmobile had passed their gunmen and the canons that were in place to try and hold him back. Then Batman was always so clever with his technology, but Joker believed he was nothing without the Batmobile. Joker demanded Harley activated ‘Arkham Castle’. At first, she protested, after all the castle wasn’t even finished yet, but it had been made for Batman so there wasn’t any time like now to use it. She agreed, and after licking her lips, she clapped with a giggle. Behind the doors that had opened to her command was a piece of the Quake Engine that had been lost to Gorilla Grodd. 

With the castle activated, the temple started to rise out of the ground, as Batman was seen approaching the building. It seemed to transform into a mechanically charged robot in the form of the temple. Batman labeled it a form of madness as the left arm of the mech readied a set of giant throwing stars. Each one was thrown at the road in an attempt to stop Batman from reaching them. The three throwing stars narrowly missed the Batmobile as Batman blew up the gate with a rocket launcher extension to the Batmobile. He was storming the gates and the mech tried to squish Batman in the Batmobile as it plucked it from the ground. The Batman escaped, dropping from the wreckage with part of the car that converted into the Batjet. To Joker though, it was a persistent yet predictable move. With Batman locked on the top floor of Arkham Castle, he was trapped by two prongs, the wings severed on the Batjet, leaving Batman in mid-air. That wasn’t the only trick Batman could pull, however, as dropping the wings converted the Batjet into a Batcycle, a motorbike he used to drive along the arm of the fortress straight into the top room. 

Harley had fled from the floor to drop a trap on Batman. As the right hand of the fortress came crashing down to the ground Batman had to choose; save a woman and child down below, or finally get the Joker. Batman used the cycle to try and crash to the ground ahead of the hand and managed to fight off Bane to save the poor woman. The woman, however, was no more than Harley Quinn and her mallet. With Batman narrowly escaping being crushed to death she had time to perfectly line up her shot before her mallet hit in straight in the face and sent him flying across the floor. Using a giant slide to get out from the tower, the Joker joined Harley on the ground as they were both laughing. Harley noted that it was typical Bats, as he always fell for the same tricks. Joker continued to taunt Batman, as Harley and a few of his armed guards surrounded the Batman. Joker could only wonder what Batman had in store for a second act as he’d destroyed all of his toys now and there were no friends here to save him. A short and worried shout from Harley seemed to change the tides, however, as she pointed behind the Joker and tried to get his attention. Behind him, a huge colony of Bats seemed to fly toward them. During the flurry, Harley tried her best to swat them away with her mallet but it didn’t seem to do anything. The bats aided the arrival of what Harley could only describe as Ninja Batmen. As quickly as they appeared, they disappeared, taking the Batman with them, and leaving Harley and Joker confused.

On a handmade ship, made in the vision of the Joker, Harley and Joker met with Gorilla Grodd. They stood within the bird’s nest to see as far as they could in case anyone should sneak upon them. Joker told Grodd that he wouldn’t kill him if he handed over the Batman and wanted to see where he was. He quickly made himself known as floatation devices were set up in the water which from the Joker’s viewpoint looked like people. Batman told him he was surrounded but this wasn’t going to over that quickly. With a laugh, Joker admitted that he was surrounded as his samurai warriors appeared firing at sticks of bamboo in the water. Harley came tumbling, laughing as she was firing her gun at whatever she could, hoping to hit a few people on the way down. Then she opted to throw a bomb into the waters, which she knew would cause more damage. Batman seemed to shout out ‘no’ but as Harley hit the deck she laughed, what else was he expecting? They knew he’d have men hiding in the water. As she joined Joker, who opened fire on Batman, Batman told them that maybe he would another time, but right now he had a trick up his sleeve. The tiny boat that Batman and Grodd had arrived on rose up to expose a huge underground deck. Despite looking confused at first, the pair still laughed and Joker claimed they were still doomed, opening firing on them again. 

The boat nudged forward, rocking Harley and Joker off balance as the hull of Batman’s ship opened as the Batman Ninja Clan and members of the Batman Family started to attack. Harley was confused, as they’d already killed them all, but the people in the waters were simple decoys to distract them from this new attack. As Harley put the pieces together Catwoman reached out to attack her and the pair started to fight. When swinging her mallet failed to land a hit, Harley took out her gun trying to aim for the Cat, who seemingly didn’t want to be put down. As she continued to fire, Harley was recklessly splintering the boat’s woodwork. She laughed until her bullets ran out which was when Catwoman proceeded to fight back, backflipping over Harley to kick her across her face. 

Soon enough the fight was over, and Gorilla Grodd siding with Batman in the hopes of gaining an advantage. Harley and Joker were subsequently tied together around the mast of one of their sails. Batman was happy to disappoint Joker by stooping ‘that low’ and siding with Grodd. But if Grodd had turned on the Joker, then Grodd would also turn against Batman. Joker didn’t have a chance to say anymore as he had been gagged alongside Harley. In Feudal Japan, trust meant nothing as Grodd used his mind control in an attempt to control everyone on board the ship. Or at least he tried to as the Bat Clan had mastered their bodies and their minds and could not be under the influence of Grodd’s mind control. Now everyone had to prepare to be annihilated by Two-Face as bombs destroyed the Joker’s ship. With the boat in flames, they had the chance to escape from their chains and climb back up to the bird’s nest with a barrel containing explosives. The pair laughed, as Joker told Batman he’d see him in hell before Harley lit the fuse and sent the explosive to the deck. After all only Joker could kill the Batman, he couldn’t forgive himself if anyone else had done it. The explosion destroyed the boat and bats left the flaming embers. Supposedly ending the battle.

There were no signs of Joker or Harley after the explosion. Some believed them to be dead or simply gone. In the fields away from the villages a couple had been found. The male donned green hair, the female, blonde. They had seemingly spent years on a field that didn’t seem to grow any crops. A male in a red helmet, Red Hood, was taken for a monk who was traveling through the region and he asked the couple for a glass of water. The green-haired man happily agreed as the blonde woman walked past him to sort out this water. She commented that the traveler must be exhausted as it was a rather hot day after all. As she leaned over the pot to fill his bowl with water the traveler grabbed the blonde, causing her to cry out, telling her to ‘break it’. Helpless, her man told him to stop, as he genuinely had no idea what was going on and why someone would go out of their way to attack his wife. He was threatening for the blonde to show her true face, or else he’d break her arm.

This traveling monk knew the Joker was alive when everyone else had said he was dead but there was a confusion to his face no one could fake. He questioned why the man was insistent on calling him Joker. Kicking the blonde to the floor Red Hood grew more irritated. The green-haired man ran over to his darling feeling threatened and scared. He even questioned the male’s sanity, as none of the situations made any sense. Supposedly that insinuated the man in the red helmet was stupid, as he was expected to believe that the Joker had taken up farming. Harley covered her eyes whimpering as the pair received a beating from the visiting male. They didn’t understand, their confusion was genuine. As he was assaulted the male continued to deny the allegations, and he dropped to his knees as a bamboo barrel was pointed at his head. Gunfire went off but just scraped past the male’s head as they were rescued by a man in a Bat costume. Supposedly they were both here for the same reason, as reports of foreign farmers in the area matched the descriptions of Harley and the Joker had been found but the couple genuinely didn’t remember anything of their past. They had come to Japan to live a peaceful life and had spent time plowing the fields. 

As the danger seemed to pass the blonde woman had gotten straight back to work when a miracle appeared before her eyes. It seemed like the pair had waited forever for this moment. She shouted for her honey to come and join her, her voice filled with excitement as there was finally a sprout in their fields. They laughed and embraced as finally, they had gotten somewhere, the blonde calling the green male her puddin’ as they toppled to the floor. Batman had concluded that the couple had at one point been Joker and Harley Quinn but had lost their memories to a point where they were no longer a threat. He promised to keep an eye on them and to take them back when the Quake Engine was fully operational but for now, they were harmless and they just had to let the couple be. Things were not quite so simple, however, as the travelers left the couple laughing their euphoria. The sprout that had finally grown was blowing pollen across the field, and over the couple kneeling next to it. This pollen had been created as a trigger to the couple’s memories. The seemingly harmless duo would now once again become the Joker and Harley Quinn as their memories were restored.

A month later, the Joker and Harley Quinn were ready to make their come back. The Feudal Lords; Two-Face, Penguin, Poison Ivy, and Deathstroke were all manipulated by Gorilla Grodd to develop a mechanical structure each which was far beyond the technologies of Japan at the time. Grodd had been setting up the battlefield to take over and become the one Lord of Japan. As the mechs joined together to become one, the party-crashers made their entrance. No one had known that Joker and Harley had regained their status and now they were ready to make a comeback. Throwing a laughing bomb into the hub of Grodd’s machine, a form of knock out gas was sprayed around the room affecting Grodd and Catwoman who was in the hold at the time. Other identical bombs seemed to explode through the mech as floating above in a hot air balloon donning the Joker’s smile was Harley Quinn and the Joker laughing hysterically and spinning around as they declared themselves back! It was out with the old and in with the new as more bombs were dropped on the battlefield as Harley made sure they knew that there were no exchanges or returns. The color bombs covered the mech as Batgliders identified the couple. Batman couldn’t believe it to be true but Joker greeted him as there was no way you could keep a crazy man down. 

The hot balloon crashed through the roof of Grodd’s castle, the same one that had previously been owned by Joker and Harley themselves. he didn’t want to be too late to the party but it seemed he had come at exactly the right time. As Catwoman glared Joker down, she was pushed to the floor as Harley stood on her, whilst wearing a jester hat that mimicked her modern-day attire. She grinned and waved at the pretty kitty. Grodd had taken them by surprise back at the lake in which their ship sank but now it was time for payback. The flower that had triggered their memories, wasn’t too potent yet but Harley admitted that they were thinking of increasing the dosage. The plant had been one Harley had previously taken from Ivy who had the best plants. As the plant seemingly paralyzed Grodd, Harley kicked Catwoman over to join Grodd on the floor before wielding her mallet and taking her place at the Joker’s side with a giggle. Now it was a turn of events Joker intended to take over Grodd’s plan and ejected Grodd and Catwoman from the castle as they were pushed down the slide and sent falling downwards. They were caught by the Bat Clan and carried carefully to the ground as Joker took the central seat and Grodd’s tools to play a few mind games using the mech he had developed.

Activating the full transition, the mechs assembled again. This time, however, the transition seemed more fluid as each of the villains controlled a part of the mech, with Joker’s hot air balloon forming the structure's head. Now they were all serving Lord Joker to take over, and the contraption was better than anything the Joker himself could have created. Chaos ensued as the Bat Clan struggled to withstand the force of the mech and the power it had. He had attacked Gorilla Grodd, injuring him badly. Despite being saved from death, however, there was no telling of his injuries. In return for the said Grodd gave Batman his commanding flute which summoned many monkeys to help the Bat Clan defeat the fortress the Joker was in control of. The monkeys formed a giant structure, a samurai monkey to take down the mechs. In one punch the mech was sent to his needs, which was unexpected but the structure did pick itself back up. 

As the Joker controlled the head of the structure, Harley was left to control the main body. Joker suggested cutting down on the monkey business by greeting the guests with a warm kiss. Pushing down on one of her levers, activated a huge central flame thrower but the monkeys seemingly withstood the heat as only their armor was damaged. The flurry of bats at the Bat Clan’s disposal doused the flames as the bats now enclosed the monkey samurai to take on the form of a giant Batman. Harley pushed down on the lever again, at the command of the Joker, as he told the Batman figure to feast on the fire of hell. The flames had no effect on Batman and with a single punch pushed straight through into the head, destroying the Joker's hub and freezing the machine. Batman opted to take Joker alone as each hero took on their villain to destroy the mech section by section. For Harley, this meant facing Catwoman who had in her opinion, chosen the wrong side to play with. In Catwoman’s mind, Harley needed a good ass-kicking after their previous encounter. 

As Harley intended to go and help Joker, Catwoman almost whipped her mallet straight out of her hands but Harley bashed it out of the way just in time with a little giggle. Catwoman declared it was time for some girl on girl action as the two began to fight. Harley laughed her way through the hits even jumping with intentions of smashing the cat to the floor. As she looked, Catwoman had disappeared but she smirked, throwing her mallet to her left and striking the feline. Trapping her in her grip, using the mallet to help, Harley told the pretty kitty to take her medicine and say goodnight, before licking the woman’s cheek. 

It all seemed to be going well but the monkey army had split, tackling the structure individually to slowly tear it apart piece by piece. As Harley held her grip on Catwoman a shudder throughout the building had caused her to slip, and Catwoman freed herself taking advantage by kicking the jester squarely in the face as she crashed into the wall. Resting her back against the wall Harley tried to catch her breath as she’d been winded by the motions as Catwoman tightly gripped her costume, pulling Harley up by her collar. Catwoman told Harley to keep her tongue to herself as she threw the Jester into the main system causing it to explode and completely crash which was where the Jester remained. Out cold, and hopefully not burnt.

After the fight, the Quake Engine was restored, presumably returning all of the Gotham residents to the present day. 

[korinsu-t-blog]

May 27 // Kabuki

Oh man oh man oh man. To start off, watching kabuki in real life was honestly a ton of fun. It’s like the Japanese analogue to shakespearean plays: very culturally rooted, lots of deep motifs, and the stories are typically history-based. The particulars of how the plays go aren’t at all like what oldern western style productions tend to do, but I think that’s part of the appeal. It’s a uniquely Japanese take on stage productions.

Overall, we got to see three different kabuki shows back-to-back, with short intermissions. The seats were awfully cramped; I kid you not when I was sitting perfectly straight and upright my knees were flush with the seat in front of me. Supremely uncomfortable in the moment, but I think that looking back on this day in the future will entail a lot more appreciation of what I did get to see. Kabuki performance was, somewhat unironically, a lot like real life Jojo’s: there were a lot of random poses being struck, there was a lot of shouting, and a lot of actors menacingly approaching eachother. Asides from the last play (which was not a historical reenactment, but rather a historical slice of life) the actors spoke veeeeeeeeerryyyyyyyy sloooooooooooowwwwwww. There was almost always a shamisen (3-string banjo), drum, or tap-stick playing to accentuate the lines and actions of the actors, so they didn’t have to deliver everything flatly. Lastly, to reinforce the dynamicness of running and to symbolize the actor striking someone else (such as with a weapon), a single attendant on the side of the stage would slap wooden blocks into the stage to make a really loud clapping noise. This person also used the wood slap to mimic footsteps when actors would enter/leave via the runway going into the crowd- yet another unique feature of Japanese theater.

The first kabuki play was a tale of two brothers who, after being orphaned when their father was killed by one of his allies, spent the next eighteen years tracking down said ally so they could kill him. They were invited into the daimyo’s court by the court jester (sympathetic to their cause), and were about to introduce themselves when the daimyo immediately recognized them as the sons of the guy he had killed eighteen years ago. Deciding that the ruse was indeed up, the sons moved to kill him before the daimyo declared that they couldn’t kill him because “the ancient sacred sword of our people’s is still missing after hundreds of years”. This is very reasonable, of course, so the boys sheathe their swords and are about to sit down again when a runner comes in declaring that they’re found the legendary sacred sword. This ignites the fury of the younger brother once again, but before he can move to kill the daimyo for a second time, the daimyo declares that “I was put in charge of a hunt on mount Fuji for the Shogun in a few months, so you can’t kill me yet!”

This, too, was very reasonable. Taking some tickets to the great hunt as a consolation prize and vowing to meet the daimyo on that fated day, the brothers leave the palace and prepare to... fade to black, ‘cause that’s where the play ends with a little blurb on the text screen that says “they got revenge but died in the attempt.” No ending or anything.

The second play was one of the most popular kabuki productions of all time: Kanjinchou, aka “The Subscription Scroll”. It’s honestly the most well written of the bunch we saw, and tells the tale of an adventuring party consisting of the outcast prince Yoshitsune, the strongest monk in the land Benkei, and their three loyal samurai as they journey away from the lands where Yoshitsune is being hunted by his elder brother. To escape further to the north, they must first sneak through a gatehouse guarded by servants of the elder brother- and to do that, they have to disguise themselves as priests, with Benkei taking the lead and Yoshitsune donning the garb and straw hat of a packman. The gate is on the lookout for priests though, and what ensues is a battle of question and improvisation starting with the leader of the gate guards asking Benkei to read the list of people who are donating money to the stated goal of the monks. No such list exists of course, so Benkei draws out a blank scroll (all while concealing it from the gaze of the commander) and proceeds to improvise a long and grandiose speech using his monk upbringing- basically rolling a Nat 20. The commander knows the scroll is blank, but eventually becomes so enamored with Benkei’s improvisation and constant answers to his deeper and deeper philosophical questions that in the end he resigns himself to an early death and passes Yoshitsune’s party through without letting them know he knows- not before Benkei is forced to beat his own master though. When the party is through the gates, the most touching and emotional part of the play occurs in the form of a conversation between the weeping Benkei- an all-powerful warrior who can lift the mightiest weights yet still faltered when lifting a hand against his own master- and Yoshitsune, who forgives him with a kindness begetting the Buddha.

The last play was, quite simply, Firefighters vs. Sumo in a slow burning drama that eventually ends in a thirty man all-out brawl between the two forces. Well over an hour long, it was entirely worth for the amazing fight scenes at the end which struck the perfect balance of flow, comedy, and drama. Much more a contemporary play, people talked at a normal speed and interacted with much less formality- quite a relief after having to sit through the first two. Not much else needs to be said about it besides that opening sentence.

[The kabuki theater from the exterior. Very nice, one of the largest kabuki-only theaters in Japan.]

[Interior, high up on the third floor balcony.]

[I swear half of these scripts are real life Jojo’s.]

[A painting inside the theater, I thought it was pretty dope.]

[The kabuki theater also happened to be in the supercar district, I saw so many expensive ones rolling around the city.]

[Yes, that is indeed James Bowlingsan.]

[Today’s candid: Ian! He’s a pretty quiet dude but every time he talks it’s absolutely hilarious. His hair is nice, too. 100% a good roommate to have on our floor, I wouldn’t want it any other way- he adds a lot to our day-to-day group.]

==========

Literature review:

Today’s literature was on kabuki. Some fun facts about it:

-Women weren’t allowed to act in kabuki, so men acted as women. These men were so good at acting as women that they actually set fashion trends for women who traveled to see popular kabuki performances. Generally speaking, they were akin to modern day drag-queens? Only the male actors who played female characters tho.

-Kabuki actors were extremely wealthy celebrities that technically occupied the commoner class, making them socially lower than samurai but far more influential.

-Kabuki was originally a thing of the common folk and very unsuited for high courts. It was only over time and extended cultivation through a specific effort to enhance Japanese-specific culture to compete with Western plays and opera that it rose to being honorable enough for even the emperor to view. Nowadays, it’s analogous to Shakespearean plays... not so much when it first came out.

-Kabuki scripts often had to go to great lengths to mock the samurai while still maintaining social order, as it was originally an outlet for expressing dissatisfaction with and rebellion against the samurai class. These methods often included a protagonist who was secretly a high-ranking samurai but who dressed as a commoner for some unusual reason, allowing him (a commoner) to outwit and defeat the samurai without having an actual commoner doing it. I swear officer, he’s really a 500 year old demon samurai, not a commoner.

[nightly-uwus]

T.Y.O.M. Chapter 13: He Felt Alive

Pairing: Miroku x Kagome

Kagome was never one for photos. With an old disposable camera at home, developing the photos or even buying extra cameras were a hassle that she didn’t want to indulge. Why take pictures when you can just enjoy the moment as it is? Maybe it was her naivety that was fueling her irrational irritation but she just didn’t find the use of a camera very useful.

She looked at the cursed camera in her hand and sighed. Out of all the places, it was  stuffed at the bottom of her yellow backpack. She didn’t bother asking how it survived everything that bag went through as memories of her bag being dropped in the river, tumbling over a cliff, and being thrown off her bike in the fields of Japan emerged in her head. It was a miracle of its own.

“When did you even get in there?”

“When did what get in where, Kagome-sama?”

Miroku settled down next to her, the shade providing good reason for their interaction. She welcomed the single clap of a paper fan in his hand as it blew soft, cool air over the two. His movements were relaxed and his hand was busy with the fan so she didn’t feel the need to move.

“I’m talking about this.”

She plopped the instant film camera into his lap and dropped herself back onto the grass. What was I looking for again, she thought as the soft sunlight bleeding through the leaves of the tree distracted her. It was a warm, sunny day. No shards, no stress. Inuyasha’ forest, left alone, looked the same the day she met the hanyou himself and she admired its tenacity. Without air pollution, the air was more bearable. It was humid but it was also all the more delightful. It caused a healthy tint in her deprived skin and she relished the calm that followed the smallest of breezes that teased the greenery around her. Various small blades of grass tickled her ear, the breeze tingling on her partially exposed skin, and she wiggled her toes in her sandals. Her eyelids closed to bask in the warmth.

“...I would be willing to praise an ordinary box if you were any ordinary woman. Anything given to me by a woman is bound to be fascinating enough, of course, but I have a feeling this is more than your average box, Kagome-sama.”

Kagome’s lips didn’t move at first. She stretched lightly, like an indoor cat under the sun, and his eyes followed her small movements without a word. With a small peek at the man beside her, she said, “It’s a specific type of camera. It captures still, beautiful moments and keeps them forever in photographs if you save them. Like a painting but more detailed than that, if that makes sense. Instead of taking hours, days or even months to finish, it takes only a second and you have an instant copy of what you can see with your eyes. It’s very accurate, some cameras need people to develop the actual photo because it doesn’t store it in the camera itself, but mine sort of copies it as soon as the picture is taken. It’s rather finicky with sun exposure so I’m not a huge fan myself but it’s a nice thing to have for memories.”

By the end of her spiel, she had scooched next to the monk with her legs tucked under her. He had a pretty funny expression on his face and she couldn’t resist pulling herself closer to admire it for a good laugh. It was a mixture of disbelief and childlike wonder. She’d like to imagine smoke escaping his ears from the heat of overstimulated curiosity but there was something about the way his eyes shimmered at the future artifact that made her warm up considerably.

“That IS fascinating! Think about all of the women I could capture with this handy little device!”

She smacked his arm playfully. The light quirk of his brow showed none of the ill will described in his words and he carefully placed the camera back into her hands. Any questions he had were stowed away for future sleepless nights.

“I’ll bring some books for you to read later, Miroku-sama. They might explain them a lot better.”

He hummed but internally disagreed. He liked the way she skipped over the details and bounced on the exciting bits. It was just like her to focus on the big picture, especially with such a gap in functionality and innovation in their time periods. Right, time periods. Did the world really change this fast?

“Thank you for sharing this with me, Kagome-sama.”

The way he froze earned him a wary glance from Kagome, who in turn tried to lighten the air.

“No worries, I can’t hog all the comforts of the Future to myself.”

“If you insist, but the things we are capable of--- It’s incredible! I mean, a tool that captures moments before your very eyes and provides living proof of the existence of that specific memory. I couldn’t imagine anything better than that.”

There was a wistful glint in his eyes, hands forming grand gestures as to enhance his wonder and underlying desolation. She swallowed the list of examples that she knew would deepen his overwhelming display of fascination at the subtle hints of bitterness in his voice and reached out her hand to squeeze his. With a soft breath, he collected himself smoothly, the transition between his frenzied erect pose to a cooler laze in his posture practically invisible as though his spiel hadn’t just happened merely moments before.

“Your world…”, he offered a small twitch on the corner of his lip,” It sounds wonderful.”

“It’s your world too, Miroku-sama.”

He blew a small breath from his nose, amused, at her words and the air cooled over her cheeks. She felt the ridiculousness of her words and felt her heart twist. The thought of a future, her Future especially, was something Miroku didn’t have the luxury of exploring. He was chained to this time, to a mortal body and a curse that threatened to pull him under with each growing day, and the well only opened for her and Inuyasha… She could feel her slipping never ending void of depression, one she was sure she could see Miroku delving into before her, but quickly collected herself---though not as smoothly as her well-seasoned friend. Willing herself to think like Kagome, she felt a burst of renewed love for her camera and her Future luxuries, as well as her Kagome-brand positivity, and squeezed her hand over Miroku again, the fan in their grip crinkling softly.

“I would love to show you sometime.”

Breaking out of his ever growing and dark trance, he simply quirked a brow at her words, no doubt questioning her line of thought. They both knew their limits. With a soft smile, she shook her head as to assure confidence in her claim and scooched closer to the man beside her.

“Well, we know I can’t promise immortality, Kami knows we haven’t reached that answer in my time nor can I promise passage to my time…”

He just nodded, resigned to their conclusion, but she wasn’t finished.

“...I think we can start with this.”

She held out her camera for him to see, the smallest glimmer of wonder returned to his eyes and she grinned.

“And I do remember promising a certain monk with books? There’s an endless stock of them just waiting for you---”

Fiddling with the knobs, she continued listing the many ways she could provide the feudal-tweaked tour of the Future, quickly placed a practiced arm around Miroku’s shoulders and brought him close. Quietly thanking her friends’ recent obsession with polaroids and instant film cameras and months of selfie practice, she gave the bewildered monk a quirked brow of her own.

“Just look at the circle here,” she pointed at the lens, “try not to blink---it can get brighter than my flashlight, and… Smile?”

He only tilted his head at her as she redirected her gaze into the open lens. With a giggle, she bumped his shoulder and smiled into the camera.

“Say cheese.”

It came out softer than she expected but she heard him mirror her words and pressed the shutter button. With a small flinch, she untangled herself from him, suddenly warmer at the contact and the barest flash of summer’s heat, and waved the camera around, urging it to develop faster. She chuckled at the laser focus he projected onto the offending camera, unanimated once the picture popped out of the bottom slit.

“Eyes over here, Miroku-sama!”

She thrusted the film into his hands and leaned over to watch the magic happen. As if his gradually shaking hand were any sign of his impression, she took in his sharp inhale as a positive and grinned when their faces emerged from a sea of white.

“What…?”

She quickly became bursting with excitement at his awe and shook his shoulders.

“That’s us!”

Eyes flickering between her bouncing form to the developing photo in his hands, he shook his head vigorously in disbelief.

“I--- How? This isn’t some late joke that I wasn’t privy to, is it? Kagome-sama?”

“Nope, call it Future magic, if you want, but that is the real deal! You couldn’t fake that famous Miroku-rat-tail anywhere!”

With a slowly growing upturn of his lips, he looked down at her and let out a semi-splintered laugh. It was like time froze, a picture developed before her and she wished her camera had the ability to capture the view before her. The way the light bounced off the curves of his face and the smallest smile to grace his face, with soft wind-tousled hair, and a relaxed but truly juvenile admiration air that surrounded Miroku. It was something she didn’t realize she needed from this very broken, lonely man and she willed the memory to dig itself into her most conscious of memory banks.

“It’s yours.”

As soon as it came, the picture in front of her shifted as he glanced back at the photo, barely pinching the edges as if it were a fragile, precious child.

“I couldn’t possibly…”

She could feel his hesitation and patted his shoulder once more. “I insist. Plus…”

She stilled as to fix her gaze on the man. He quickly returned it at her pause and her smile turned cheeky, replicating a familiar smirk that came after a successful fondle.

“It’ll be the first of many! I intend to follow through with my promises.”

With a resigned shake of his head, one of weathered joy, he leaned back onto the grass, as if drained from his child-like behavior and new found discoveries and delicately inserted the polaroid into the folds of his robes, the empty hand then traveling up to cover his face.

“I’ll hold you to that, Kagome-sama.”

At the slightest tremor in his rather smooth voice, she leaned down next to him and looked up to the sky.

“I’ll expect no less with your persistent disposition! I just don’t know where to start! I have some of my school textbooks back at Kaede’s, there are a lot of developmental topics, general and theoretical, or even philosophical, content and intros to some of the basic stuff that I can go over with you. Anything you find interesting, I can swing by the library to pick up too. I find that other cultures from around the world to be particularly enlightening, maybe you would like to browse the religious impacts and ideology first? Of course, I can tickle your fossilized taste buds with the luxuries of Future fine-dining for cheap at the convenience store---”

She rambled on and on, things reminding her of even more things, as a loose plan formed. She wasn’t aware it quickly became a one-woman speech but he didn’t have the energy to reply. He basked in the bubble that Kagome created, almost seeing everything she described in front of his eyes, breath slowing, speeding, and tensing at every turn. He felt alive.

Intro | Chapter 12 | Chapter 14

[tancong]

The Delightful Date

What will two couples make of their day together, a once in a lifetime chance as they finally manage to bring Angela away from her endless pile of work?

Romance.

Summer was a time of the year that was always full of festivities and fun. There wasn’t any major festivals or romantic events during this time of the year as with the other seasons. However, it was definitely one with festivities and fun. The nights were always filled with chatter and people, whether they were simply walking by the stylish stores that lined the streets or the stalls that were set up at the city’s center where festivals were often held.

Though the level of excitement and celebration of the nightlife in the city center could hardly compare to that during the lunar new year and the mid-autumn festival, they were quite lively nevertheless. Such was the way of life in the now peaceful Japan.

It was on one of such rather ordinary summer day that Genji had chosen to bring Angela on a date. Well, ‘bring’ was probably not the proper way to describe it. Perhaps coerced would be better. He had to practically pull her from her works, carrying her in his arms while she pouted and protested just so he could sit her down on the bed and talk about the plans.

Then it took Hana coming along to actually convince her to take a day off for herself. As much as he admired and respected how much she worked, she really neglected to take care of herself at times. He can’t remember the last time that she had taken a vacation, actually did she ever take a vacation? At best, he had been able to drag her out a few days in a month on dates and things of the such. He never complained about it, of course, it was her work and he had plenty of his own.

However, there had to be some sort of moderation in all things. As such, he was absolutely determined to convince her. He knew not whether she realized that and agreed, or whether it was because Hana also came. Either way, he was glad that she finally agreed.

The pair soon found themselves in Japan. Their day began at noon, dining at a modest traditional restaurant. It wasn’t overly fancy nor memorable, but definitely an important part of their day. After all, that was when he finally saw Angela unwind, smiling and laughing as she allowed herself to relax and move her mind away from her thoughts about work.

He knew that it rarely, if ever, happened. Even in the middle of a combat situation or dinner at the base, she was doubtlessly thinking about the possible things that might happen and the things that she would need to do once she finished whatever task she was doing. As such, he was quite pleased to see that she was actually enjoying herself rather than still working in her mind. That was the point of the day after all.

As they exited the restaurant, Genji smoothly slid his hand into hers, a hand which she grasped lovingly and rather willingly. To his amusement, it was not until they had walked a few blocks down the street when she finally finished chatting with Hana about shopping and noticed the fact that they were holding hands. Met by an innocent smile on the face of her lover, all she could do is cover up her giggle with her free hand before leaning in toward him.

“A sly ninja as always aren’t you. You could just offer your hand to me like a normal person.”

Genji raised an eyebrow and very calmly responded with, “Well if I were to do that, you would say no to tease me, saying that I should work harder to get to hold your hand or something of the sort. I would say sneaking my hand into yours was pretty hard work.”

Angela considered this for a moment before smiling brightly and rewarding him with a kiss on his cheek for his rather clever reply. Their hands swung between them gently, rhythmic to the pace of each step. They passed many shops, pausing here and there to gaze at the items they offered. They eventually found themselves visiting one, yet another modest place with cute items.

It was a joy for him to watch Angela and Hana chat as they picked out clothes they think would fit the other or would like the other’s opinion on. As well-versed as he may be with girls, he was not going to interfere with their choosing. He knew there would come a time for him to give his input. As such, he simply leaned against a wall with a convenient view.

As for Lucio, however, he stuck by Hana’s side. There was a young man who was much more well-versed in the young lady's and overall modern fashion. Being of similar profession and popularity, he supposed that as a couple they were quite a pair. Soon enough, both Angela and Hana had found themselves a small stack of clothes that they wanted to try on.

Their eyes met even as Genji got up from his leaning position, making Angela smile at the sight of her cute cyborg ninja. It may come with experience but it was definitely amusing to see how he knew exactly when to start moving to accommodate with her wish. After all, who else could give her better feedback on whether her outfit would please her lover other than Genji himself?

In the end though, it was not as if he wouldn’t think that everything looks lovely on his Angela. Well, there was a low cut dress that she presented to him with a graceful pull of the curtain and a flirtatious smirk. That made his jaw drop even as a flash came from Hana’s phone. As his vent popped open to release a gentle mist of steam, Angela giggled and dropped her act.

“Good reaction. So? What about this one, Genji?”

Genji coughed once before looking her over once more before hesitantly speaking, “Well, you look extremely sexy in it but I don’t think it’s exactly … your style for wearing outside.”

Angela pretended to think for a moment before smiling. “Good~ You passed the test. But you got one thing wrong.”

Genji blinked before tilting his head in curiosity. Angela then winked at him before turning to go back into the changing room, glancing over her shoulder as she spoke.

“This is not for anyone else to see but you. ”

The curtains closed, prompting Genji to look at the couple standing nearby on his right. Lucio had an impressed expression on his face and made a clapping motion with his hands while Hana was covering her signature smirk with one hand before giving him a thumbs-up.

The couples left with a bag full of new clothes, each bag held by the male despite any protest that any of the ladies may have voiced. This was rather evident by how the way both clung to their lover’s arm as if in thanks for the service they were performing. Well, it was a small price to pay for being clung to by a pretty girl. Both of the men that day could agree on that fact at the very least.

They found themselves in front of a large center, where Hana’s eyes lit up. She gazed toward Genji with eagerness in her eyes, which made the other two feel rather left out and confused. Genji simply sighed and responded with a smirk before beginning to walk toward the door.

“I hope I don’t ruin your day, Ms. Song.”

Hana simply stuck out her tongue at him before responding coolly, “No Ms. Song business here. You better not go easy on me Genji.”

The opened doors revealed a large arcade, filled with music, voices, sounds, and lights. By the others had absorbed everything, Hana had already found the game she wanted to play. She pointed at it and eagerly skipped toward the machine as Genji nodded, leaving Lucio to look between the two before sighing as he trailed after the girl who suddenly abandoned him.

Genji suddenly seemed to remember something and looked over at Angela sheepishly, only to be met with a pout before she broke into a soft smile and pushing him toward the machine that in front of Hana.

“Go on now. Impress me.”

Genji saw down and laid his hands on the controls. It had been many years since he last played at an arcade, though he had recently picked up a few games back at the base. As busy as he was, Angela was much busier and there were times when even he had nothing else to occupy himself. As exciting as meditation and reading was, the draw of video games drew him back now and then. Besides, it was rather interesting to see how his experience with Overwatch and real life combat changed his perception and video gaming abilities.

The coin slid smoothly into the slot of the machine, allowing him to look through the familiar characters. He smiled to himself as he spotted his old favorite, the one that he had always played and had practiced on the most in the recent times. However, this was not the one he picked. Instead, he picked a monk. One with an honorable and pacifist background who only fought when he truly needed to.

Much like someone else he knew. Though comparing him to this video game character would not do him justice. After all, Zenyatta was far stronger.

The pair loaded onto the 2D stage, facing each other with their life bar and other information loading onto the screen promptly. As the music picked up its rhythm, Genji found himself cornered to some degree. As good as he was, Hana definitely seemed to have the upper hand. The cyborg frowned a bit as he failed to predict an attack, allowing her to lock him into a finishing combo that he could not stop as she unleashed her power bar on him.

They agreed on a best of 5 prior to the match, which was fortunate considering that it wasn’t an impressive show at all for Angela. His bar was at zero and Hana’s was tapped down to only 70% at best.

“Eo? Yogeo in-gongjineung?”

Genji rolled his eyes as he heard Hana taunting him from the other side, hearing her giggle afterward as she most likely got punched on the arm by Lucio. With that, the second match began.

The second match ended with an upset as Genji won the round much to Angela’s delight. He was rewarded with a kiss on the cheek as Hana peeked from the side of the machine to frown at him and stick out her tongue tauntingly. They wasted no time beginning the third match though.

The timer ticked down to nearly zero despite both of them fighting rather than stalling or hiding. Blows after blows were exchanged as they seemed to be more evenly matched this time around.

However, Genji misread a single attack, the one that ticked his life down to zero even as Hana’s character stood with only a sliver of her own health bar remaining. A small “Kuso ...” could be heard as he gazed at the final score screen. The name “D.VA” popped up once more, albeit second place to her own score from the first round, as she proudly placed her score onto the leaderboard.

“Mō issen negaou ne,” the young cyborg said to himself, though Angela nodded with a smile as he met her gaze. Well, she did know that phrase after all.

And apparently, so did Hana as she leaned over the side once more to smugly smirk at him. “Geim-eul hamyeon igyeoyaji.”

Genji nodded as he loaded up once more. However, this time his selection cursor changed off the monk. Instead, it went to another man.

A middle-aged ninja infamous for his ability to confuse the opponent with his speed. Creating and closing distance between himself and his opponent is a vital part, though not many people liked him too much. As fancy as he seemed, some complained that he was too hard to play for the low damage value that he put out.

For Genji however, he was the perfect pick. Even from his youth, he recalled connecting with the man. More than the physical description and profession, there was something about his style and personality that made him quite likable. A soothing and calm voice even amidst the battle, along with the smooth flow of his blade when he chooses to brandish it. That was a man that he looked up to, despite being fictional.

“D.va-san, honki o misete miro.”

Her smirk quickly turned into an expression of surprise as she saw the change of character on the stage. As confident as she was in winning, as a gamer she was still wary. After all, why would Genji not pick this character until now? Was he just trying to mix things up to try and get her off guard? Either way, she was not going to let him have a chance. She was going to get her third point.

The results definitely surprised everyone other than Genji himself. Despite losing the first few trades, he steadily evened the health bars and eventually ticked Hana’s own health down to zero. He did not bother to put his name on the leaderboard despite making it to third place. Not that anyone really noticed.

“Jjajeungna.”

Genji chuckled and coyly replied, “Eh? Sono teido ka?” only to receive a frown from Angela. He smiled apologetically before she broke into a sigh as she hid her smile behind her hand. She had never seen him so competitively and lively before, there was no way she could be mad at him for the banter the two were having.

“You better beat her now. Otherwise, you lose your honor forever,” Angela poked at him.

The comment caught him off guard for a moment, his mouth open slightly before he changed his expression to one of mock thoughtfulness. He nodded wisely and said calmly, “You’re right, I might end up having to consider committing honorable sudoku.”

Angela opened her mouth to chastise him for teasing her, only to pause for a moment as his words registered. Her mind went blank in confusion for a moment, just a bit too long for her to reply before the beginning of the next round.

In their last round, Genji did not seem to hesitate any longer. His character moved across the screen, attacking at Hana’s from multiple different angles. Just when Hana thought she had an opening and moved to attack, a victorious smirk accompanied by a glint of Genji’s eyes told Angela otherwise. Hana quickly realized her mistake, as if having seen the look in Genji’s eyes as well. But by then, it was much too late.

“Owarida.”

Hana’s character met an onslaught of attacks, knocking her into the air and allowing Genji to land hit after hit. Even using her power bar to break from the combo did not save her, as Genji predicted it in his backward dash to prevent the short hit-stun, only to dash forward with great precision to strike just as he character became vulnerable once more. With that, the fight was over.

Genji let out a soft sigh as Angela hugged him happily and Lucio patted the pouty ex-champion on the head. As Hana gazed at the screen, she saw a score that pushed her down by one rank, to second place. Her eyes widened at the familiar tag, standing up suddenly to the point of almost hitting Lucio’s chin with her head. By then though, Genji had already stood up with a knowing smile and linked his arm with Angela’s, getting ready to leave.

As Lucio tugged on her arm to do the same, Hana began to follow him. She cast one last glance at the screen behind her, the screen that the young cyborg had been using just moments ago. After all, he had just used a tag she had not seen for many years. For so long, she had been hoping to face the one person whose score she could never beat, the legendary Demon Fighter of Hanamura.

The previously unknown player by the tag of G.N.G.

* * * * * * * *

Alas, their double date in Japan came to an end. While they wanted to stay out longer, they did end up compromising with Angela to return early. She had protested that she didn’t want to stay out too late, hence not bringing any fancy dress for dinner or a kimono for the festive stalls at night. Though she regretted it now, they were still heading back.

Even if their wonderful day came to an end a bit earlier than they realized that they would have wanted, it was a wonderful day nevertheless. Their dinner was filled with joy as everyone found time to eat together once more, listening to the recount of the two couple’s days, with Hana pouting at Genji and demanding a rematch every other sentence.

After dinner, Hana approached Genji to ask him about his tag, only to hesitate before sighing with a smile. As curious and excited as she was to finally having a chance to fight against him, he did defeat her in the end. Probing at her habits and skills with a character that wasn’t even his main, learning about her tricks and techniques before showing his true skill to defeat her. She couldn’t ask for a better rival.

Well, she supposed that it would be nice if he had told her earlier. And not always so busy with his girlfriend. Not that she minded of course. Seeing as how happy they were together that night, she didn’t have the heart to steal him from Angela over video games.

Her rematch against him can wait for another day.

With that, their wonderful day together came to an end. Yet in their memories, there will always be the vivid image of their smiling faces, the competitive tension in the air, the gentle breeze of air conditioning that starkly contrasted with the warm and humid air outside of the arcade, and the most importantly, the warm touches of love.

The gentle touches against the gamers’ arms, the soft kisses exchange clandestinely, the warmth of their linked arms, and the countless other small gestures that they all exchanged. A day full of memories together as friends, yet also between two separate pairs of couples.

A date full of delight.

[japaneseeggplant]

26/10/17

It is with a weary head and very achey feet that I type this. However, I’ve had a great day, and I am tucked in bed surrounded by donuts and candy. Despite it being 52 degrees out, I’ve got the balcony windows open and the fan on. I just finished taking a shower, and the showers here have unbelievable water heaters. I took a wonderful steam shower after the longest day ever, and wow did I need it. I love the bustle of fast-paced Japan life; it makes leisure so much more precious, sleep much more quality, and eating much more nourishing. Today I tried many things map-less; riding the trains and getting to and from places from the trains. For the most part, about 85%, I did fantastic, and I’m very proud of myself. I also used a few new words today, and spoke with many more people! I can order a “negitoro soshite tamago! (fatty tuna and omelette!), ask for someone’s patience with “chottomatte (wait a moment [please]), and I’m doing WAY better at understanding verbal/physical cues with Japanese storekeepers, and can respond with an enthusiastic “hai!”, which they absolutely love. I am learning that the more effort I make to understand them and communicate, the happier they are to have served me. For example, I went shopping in Tachikawa today (just $8 at a thrift store for a beanie and jeans) and the storekeeper’s card reader prompted me for a pin. I didn’t enter it quickly enough, so when she told me to try again, I understood, even though she said it all in Japanese. It went very smoothly. Also, the tag had fallen off of the beanie, so she indicated that she would charge me the same price as the jeans, and I agreed, so that was seamless, as well. Then, when I was buying donuts, I had pulled out my debit card and she informed me it was cash only. I instantly went beet red with panic (even though later I would discover I had enough yen in my coin purse) but when she saw me go to put my debit card away, she saw my Suica card. (This is the card comparable to a debit used to pay for trains instantly). Suica card can also be used to purchase items just like a credit/debit card at any Japan Railway affiliate/sister company. Her eyes lit up and she said “Ah! Suica can be used!” (but in Japanese). I understood this because of her gestures toward it, the word Suica, and her gestures toward the scanning machine. I replied “oh... hai! sumimasen...arigatogozimasu!!”... this is the equivalent to “oh gosh... okay, sorry about that thank you so much!” Then I thanked her again and bowed, and she returned an even deeper one. THEN, there was more! I didn’t have enough yen (I was only a couple cents short) to pay for my ramen later that evening. Luckily I hadn’t ordered it yet- it was a ticket system, where you order it via an electronic kiosk, pay, receive a ticket, then hand that ticket to a waitress and wait for your food. I asked her if there was an atm nearby, and she asked the cook. She did her best to describe the way to a 7/11 to me, but I didn’t understand much. I told her “chottomatte...gomen’nasai...I will return... arigatogozaimasu!” or “please wait... i’m so sorry, but i’ll be back, and thank you very much for the directions!” I did indeed return, as I said I would, especially because I had walked into the restaurant unable to pay, which was very embarrassing for me! I returned later, and they gave me a coupon for my next ramen free! They were all so kind and very excited to serve me. Of course, Japanese people are kind and helpful by nature, but I am learning that a foreigner willing to adapt and learn the language/culture will receive much more respect and enthusiasm from Japanese nationals!

I also had the opportunity to say hello to many people today, which I was very nervous to do. See, in America we generally tend to say hello when crossing people no matter what. In Japan, there is somewhat of a great divide. The smaller the town, the further away from the biggest city, and the older the other person is, the more likely you are to either receive a greeting back, or a cold stare. The bigger the town, the closer to the biggest city, and the younger the people are, the more likely you are to receive a greeting no matter what. So, being in the former, with the former, this was a challenge, but I’m very proud of myself. I had all good luck. I said “ohayogozimasu! (good morning!)” to an older gentleman on my walk and he returned it with earnest surprise. This was on my walk to the train station. On my walk back, in the afternoon, I said “kon’nichiwa!” (good afternoon!) to a small girl on her back to kindergarten, and she returned it, although with a hint of caution as I am visibly a foreigner, and I could tell she knew that. And last, I was able to say “konbanwa” (good evening) to a few people, including a train conductor, who gladly returned it. 

With the small progress I have made, and the more Kanji I am starting to be able to read, I am really having much more confidence in myself. Even when I listen to conversations now, I can pick up a very tinge of a gist, by listening to tone, pace, and signal words, like “that is, this it, it was, I am, oh, I see, see you later, then, I agree,” etc...

Sylvia told me there is a website where I can go an post listings for English tutoring for Japanese nationals. She said it’s very common, and you can set your prices and hours. I’m going to look into it, because it’s very exciting and something I would just love doing, but I am curious about visa status as you are receiving Japanese wages for work.

I’m exhausted, and am going to watch some Japanese news before I go to sleep. I read that scientific studies were done showing that those who listened to a language they were learning/played it while they slept showed 3x as much proficiency against those who did not. I am pursuing the dream! What a dream day this has been. 

It’s funny... sometimes I feel myself getting lazy, and getting comfortable with where I’m at with my integration into the culture/my language skills... and then the thought disappears immediately when I remember that I’m in Japan. This happened when I was first leaving the house today. I was turning the corner to go home and stumbled upon stairs leading up to an ancient shrine. See, I had accidentally turned the wrong corner because I was attempting to go without my gps to learn, so I was a little lost for a moment. I decided to walk up the stairs to the shrine, and instantly all of my silly hubris and discontent evaporated. It was a real Spirited Away moment. I could hear the holy chanting of a nearby monk through the huge forest, and the shrine was covered in moss and felt ancient; it was beaten down and covered in moss, like it had been forgotten. My heart instantly became calm with a sense of wonderment and reverence, and I clapped three times and bowed (this is done to honor the gods of the forest and what the shrine is dedicated to). 

To think that I could be walking home, thinking I have it all right, and there’s nothing more to see or do, and I come across a shrine right in my own backyard. That is what Japan is. How could I ever leave this place? How could it ever leave my heart?

Amanda