#bc they could use a ai generated image on the cover

[darkwood-sleddog]

been talking about it a lot on my personal blog, but the whole AI as a replacement for creative work makes me feel sick to my stomach and i just needed to share my feelings with the wider audience i have on this blog. like physically it makes me feel ill.

[hidingoutbackstage]

Still in shock that they took all the songs down BECAUSE??? IT JUST LEAVES US WITH MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS???

I KNOW?? Like okay here’s everything weird about the situation because it’s only 7 am I feel like I need lay it all out to process this. So, timeline time I guess! (I combined several images into one a few times bc of Tumblr’s 10 image per post limit but I hope everything still makes sense)

Starting January 5, the Ever After High Spotify (and Apple Music I guess although I was only checking the Spotify) began posting songs as singles. The first was called “Can’t Get Me Down” which had a screenshot of Raven from the episode “Rebel’s Got Talent” as the album cover.

Following that, two weeks later, on January 19, we get a song called “Unbreakable” which also has a screenshot of Raven from the show, from the “The Tale of Legacy Day” episode. At this point the songs are gaining attraction because what the heck, Ever After High content in 2024? Is it coming back?

People are also pointing out that Mattel renewed their licenses for some Ever After High stuff, but also companies do that all the time and I think they did it specifically for their webisodes so that they couldn’t be reposted/reuploaded to YouTube or whatever by a party that wasn’t them. It makes sense (Also I can’t actually verify which if any things they did actually renew because all I heard was people claiming that I never saw any proof)

Also at this point, both songs have given Allison Bloom composing credit, which fans thought made sense since Allison Bloom was also a composer on Ever After High content before

ONE week after “Unbreakable”, instead of two like last time, on January 26, we get the third song, Destiny, with a screenshot of promo art for the Epic Winter storyline of Briar, Crystal, Ashlynn, and Rosabella. Once again, composing credit to Allison Bloom. People are so confused, lots of people are reaching out to Mattel’s social media trying to make sense of it all. Also this song in particular had the trademark misspelled as “Ever Aftert High” which could be the reason for something happening later

Actually, before Destiny was released, someone on Reddit apparently got in contact with Bloom and asked if she had any insight as to what was up with the songs, and Bloom said, “I honestly don't know because I am not currently working on the project. Your note was the first I had heard of it. Wish I had more to tell you!” which led people to suspect Mattel was making AI generated songs but using Bloom’s name to release them, possibly because they still had a contract with her (though that is purely speculation)

Same Redditor also emailed Mattel customer support, who gave a very corporate response, but in their email used the phrase “AI-generated songs uploaded to the EAH Spotify list” blatantly calling the music AI generated in this email

One week after “Destiny”, on February 2, we get “Brand New Day” which is another single with another screenshot from the show as the cover, this time of Crystal Winter from the Epic Winter episodes

Three days after “Brand New Day”, on February 5, people realize that “Destiny” has been taken down, but ONLY Destiny. Some speculate this is due to the typo in the trademark upon release. The rest stay up

One week after “Brand New Day”, on February 9, the song “Forever Friends” with art of Raven and Apple as the cover is uploaded

Later that same day on February 9, “Forever Friends” and all the other remaining songs, “Brand New Day”, “Unbreakable”, and “Can’t Get Me Down” have all been taken off the Spotify (and Apple Music) list

[mikahorror]

so starry ai has a new feature that allows you to make styles public. here's mine made using my collages, just go to "styles"

i generally use words like ominous, foreboding, eldritch, dystopian, fantasy, (afro)futuristic if you're going for the same mood.

this is also the style i've been using for the recent CA concepts, mostly on instagram since we still can't make text posts & i already feel like i missed the boat on 🧵

song is on YT & the next upload is jan.1st

the 1st few tracks were made w/ the music maker jam app, but i've switched fully to bandlab bc they allow you to distribute songs. will still have to make an amuse.io or Soundrop account since BL only allows you to publish singles 😐 two tracks are public, but i am working on a 5 track ep for anyone who likes ambient music or just needs spooky songs for gaming/writing ambience.

also i'll be working on a CA short story, maybe novella for nanowrimo & here's a mock cover. i was very tired 😫

could not get a relevant result w/ starry ai so had to use nightcafe to get the woman image & it still wasn't right 🫠 so i threw together a collage in procreate. ⁣

used the donjon planet generator but it's basically invisible (the bright spot on the upper half) in the final pic.

font is the octin spray paint font from ⁣1001fonts.com⁣ then edited in procreate

if there's ever an official ebook/web novel of this wip, it'll need a new cover⁣

[marvelmando]

the first breath [p.parker x reader]

notes: hi! i... actually love this. i’m a sucker for soulmate! au’s, so naturally this was somewhat easy to write. this is just a small break from my tempest series, ill continue posting tomorrow (bc it’s my birthday!). tomorrow as in the eleventh, just in case it’s already daytime wherever you’re reading this!

contains: soulmate! au, some swearing

pairing: peter parker + reader

word count: 3.6k

“Hey!”

Peter’s heart thumped hard in his chest. Looking around for the person, he saw a girl greeting a friend, and Peter sighed, unconsciously massaging the band covering his left wrist.

No matter how many times Peter had heard the word, it never failed to send a spike of panic in him. It was just a word, an unfairly common greeting phrase in America, but to Peter, it meant infinitely more.

“Stupid Soulmark,” Peter grumbled to himself as he walked the halls of Midtown High. 

For as long as humans could tell, each individual was born with a word or phrase inked into the skin of their nondominant forearm. The Marks could say anything, but they belonged to the first words spoken to you by your soulmate.

Soulmarks were considered sacred by most of the world, and like most sacred things, they were hidden from public view. Soulbands were a staple in almost every culture, meant to only be taken off in front of your soulmate. Although modern times saw the general acceptance of most controversial topics that were shunned in the past, Soulbands seemed to never grow out of popularity. It was also a sense of security, to make sure that they couldn’t be said by the wrong person.

Some had easily-identifiable Marks. Where there was little room for doubt that the words spoken belonged to your soulmate. Others, like Peter, had simple, one-word Marks.

For as long as he could remember, Peter lived in a near-constant state of anxiety over the word. What would normally be an off-hand remark or a polite greeting made Peter’s heart skip and his knees grow weak.

Whenever greeted with the word, Peter would tense, and respond with a stiff, “Um, hi?” and watch as the person gave him a weird or blank look in return. There had been several instances - none of which he was particularly proud of - where Peter ran away rather than face the sting of false hope.

Most religions viewed Soulmarks as divine intervention, a sign that humans were blessed by the gods. A lot of the time, Peter wanted to curse whatever gods forced them into the arranged couplings.

Failing at keeping the scowl at bay, Peter stopped at his locker, twisting the lock and opening it to return his books.

“Hey, Peter,” a voice said from behind, and he instantly recognized it as Ned Leeds, his best (and only, really) friend. Peter turned only his head, unsurprised to find Betty Brant, Ned’s soulmate, at his side.

Like most matched individuals, Ned seemed to glow with happiness in the presence of their soulmate. Sometimes the dopey smile on Ned’s face was too much for Peter. Whether it was from envy or discomfort, feeling the never-ending, unadulterated joy exuding from him made Peter’s stomach turn and twist uncomfortably.

“Hey, Ned. Betty,” Peter nodded as a greeting, stacking his textbooks in his locker. 

“Are you planning on going to the... internship, today?” Ned whispered, his inability for subtly flaring to life. Though Betty had been Ned’s match long enough to know Peter’s secret, it was a good thing the halls had pretty much been deserted at that point, as the school day had been over for more than ten minutes.

“Yeah,” Peter shut his locker, heaving his significantly lighter backpack over his shoulder. “Just neighborhood stuff, though.”

Ned nodded enthusiastically. Despite how preoccupied he was with Betty, Ned had always been Peter’s go-to Spider-Man guy. Ned called himself “The Guy in The Chair”, but Peter refused to say it out loud unless absolutely necessary.

They parted ways at the train station, where Peter went to find a secluded alley to change into his suit.

-

You had no idea what possessed your parents to up and move the family to New York.

You’d lived your entire life in a small, cozy town in the middle of nowhere. You’d enjoyed that life. Then suddenly, your father called you down one day earlier that summer to announce that in a few months, you’d be packing and moving to the heart of Queens.

Despite having been in the bustling city for weeks now, you still hadn’t gotten used to walking through the crowded streets. People were rude here; though, with the craziness of the city, you weren’t really sure you could blame them. Still, it filled you with frustration when you tried to weave through the streets, only to be knocked roughly in the shoulder and subsequently cursed out for no damn reason.

On the bright side - the only bright side, if you were being honest - was the exponential increase in the possibility that you would finally meet your soulmate.

Your hometown was lovely and quaint, but the general teenage population left a lot to be desired. It didn’t help that there were only fifty other people in your graduating class, or that you’d met and exchanged first words with every single of them already.

That being said, of all the people you’d met at Midtown so far, none of them had said the words branded on your right wrist. But to be fair, there weren’t many opportunities where someone had to yell, “I swear I wasn’t aiming at you!”

You didn’t have to worry about the possibility of danger in your old town, but in New York, you were vaguely concerned that the words would be uttered during a mugging.

Unfortunately, you were quite right to be concerned.

-

“All right, Karen, what do we got?”

Peter watched as the screen flashed, images of satellite footage and recordings of police radio calls popping up and disappearing again as Karen flipped through potential threats. 

“The city is quiet today,” Karen’s robotic voice remarked. Distantly, Peter wondered how the voice was created, and if it was recorded, who the person was behind the voice. It was distinctly human, after all, without the awkward pauses and emphases that Siri usually had. “There have been no reports of any robberies or shootings.”

Peter sighed, bored and disappointed. He’d long gotten over the guilt of wanting some danger in the city. 

Suddenly, before Karen could notify him, he heard a voice cry, “Stop that guy!”

Immediately swinging into action, Peter noticed a man in his mid-twenties sprinting down the sidewalk, shoving himself through the crowd. The woman who’d yelled for help was young, in her thirties, but still wasn’t fast enough to keep up.

Peter swung overhead, gaining distance and landing directly in the guy’s path. The thief skidded to a halt, his eyes widening in obvious fear at the sight of Spider-Man. He clutched a purse to his chest.

“It’s not nice to steal!” Peter yelled, moving to shoot a web at the purse. But the thief was quick, and he ducked under his web, making a run for it.

Peter was faster though and lunged to bodyslam him, sending him into the wall of a nearby building. The impact knocked the purse from his grasp, and it spilled to the ground as the man struggled to get back up. Peter webbed him to the wall and notified Karen to call the police. 

Satisfied with his handiwork, Peter was about to leap onto the roof when an aggravated noise caught his attention instead.

He turned to see you growling, your splayed hand webbed to a streetlamp. The web the thief dodged must’ve hit you instead. Catching sight of him noticing you, you yelled out, “Hey!”

For once in his life, the word didn’t seem to register. He was, for lack of a better word, enchanted by you. Even with furious indignation twisting your face, he couldn’t stop staring at the depth of your eyes and the slope of your nose. Blinking, he said without thinking, “I swear I wasn’t aiming for you!”

It was a stupid response, admittedly. Of course, he wasn’t aiming for you. You’d probably noticed the thief and could probably make the connection.

However, Peter didn’t have time to think about the pointlessness of the protest, because he was too busy registering what you’d said. The word. His word.

Cheeks flaming under his mask, Peter braced himself for the rejection. But it never came.

Your eyes went impossibly wide, and you immediately stopped yanking against the web. Peter watched as you gaped at him, and thanks to the mechanics of the suit, he noticed that your heart rate increased significantly.

Almost in a trance, Peter stepped toward you. “It’s you, isn’t it?”

Your mouth closed, and you visibly swallowed. “Depends,” your voice was tight, anxious. “How often do you accidentally shoot your webs at innocent bystanders?”

You flushed as you registered the double meaning behind the words. Peter watched in amusement as your cheeks flushed and you stammered to correct yourself.

“I-I just mean that -”

“It’s okay, I -”

Peter started to placate you, feeling the blood rushing through his veins like soda, popping and fizzing under his skin. But he was cut off by the sound of Karen’s voice, though distant, but urgent enough to draw his attention away from you.

“Peter, there’s a hostage situation that was just called in happening thirteen blocks away,” the AI announced, causing Peter to falter in his steps.

“I-I gotta go,” he told you, hurrying to free your trapped hand from the lamppost, and backing away reluctantly. “I’ll find you, I promise!”

He could see the disappointment on your face as you watched him scuttle off, and every cell in his body protested the distance he forced between him and his soulmate, but he knew he had to go.

“If you were anyone else, that’d be super creepy!” You yelled as Peter swung away. He smiled widely under his mask.

-

Your skin was still tingling and your cheeks were sore from smiling so much when you finally reached your apartment.

All you had to do was look at your mother for her to tell that you had met your soulmate. After spending an hour at the kitchen table being interrogated by your parents, you were finally released to your room to process.

You closed the door gently behind you and slid your back against the wood until your bottom rested on the ground. You tilted your head back, barely feeling the thunk as it collided with the door. Every time you tried to relax your face into a neutral expression, you remembered the way Spider-Man’s eyes widened as he took in the sight of you, and how your heart skipped several beats as he said the words you knew so well, and your lips crawled back into a giddy smile once more.

Even in your hometown in the middle of nowhere, you had known about Spider-Man. The superhero wasn’t nearly as popular as he seemed to be in the city he protected, but you still remembered the passing of phones and newspapers whenever Spider-Man saved another day or stopped another robbery. Even your high school had a day dedicated to him after a particularly miraculous defeat of the notorious Green Goblin, who’d terrorized the borough for weeks before he was stopped.

Spider-Man was a national - if not global - phenomenon. And he just so happened to be your soulmate.

You’d just reached for your phone to call your best friend from home when a knock on your window startled you.

You jumped, scrambling to your feet. Your apartment was on the eighth story, there was no way a burglar would have climbed all this way to rob you. A burglar wouldn’t knock either, you scoffed internally.

Tiptoeing to the window, you peered through the glass. Even under the dark cover of the late hour, you could distinctly make out the identity of the figure. You hurried to unlatch and open the pane, stepping back nervously when the figure climbed through, rather clumsily for how graceful he normally was.

Spider-Man was polite enough to close the window behind him, cutting off the brisk gust of wind that caused goosebumps to appear on your arms. You crossed them, rubbing them to warm yourself up.

When he straightened and faced you once more, you couldn’t help but stare back. You bit your lip anxiously, suddenly very aware of how messy your room was. You had, after all, just moved in, and most of your stuff was either still in boxes or strewn haphazardly about the room.

“I’m sorry for the mess,” you blurted, unable to help yourself. “We just moved here a couple weeks ago, and... well, y’know.” You gestured unhelpfully around the room.

Every cell in your body seemed as though they were vibrating. The muscles in your chest twitched and your bones ached to close the distance between the two of you. It was as though you and your soulmate were opposite ends of a magnet, and the field around you was pulling your bodies together.

“It-It’s okay,” Spider-Man stuttered, and you realized that he’d turned off his voice modulator. You hadn’t even realized earlier that he was using one, but you now recognized the difference. His voice was higher than before, not as robotic and crackly. “I don’t mind.”

You nodded awkwardly. Spider-Man shifted his balance between his feet, as if he too was fighting the urge to get closer. 

“Uh, how did you find me, anyway?” You couldn’t help but ask.

“Well, there’s this intelligence system installed in my suit, and I had her look up your address,” the eyes of his suit narrowed sharply as if he was wincing, probably at how creepy it sounded. “I hope that’s not too creepy, because it sounds pretty creepy. I didn’t - I mean, I wasn’t stalking you or anything.”

You smiled. Spider-Man rambled adorably, and though the thought of him looking up your address should have been terrifying, you found that you didn’t mind at all. You weren’t sure if it was because he was your soulmate, or if it was because he was a superhero. Either way, you placated him. “It’s alright, I don’t mind.”

Despite your insistence that it was fine, Spider-Man still held himself back, hesitant to move forward with the conversation. To cut through the awkward tension, you said the first thing that came to mind.

“I like your suit,” you said, cringing immediately after. While true, that wasn’t exactly what you meant to say.

With the mask, you couldn’t decipher Spider-Man’s reaction. Though, after a brief moment, he chuckled.

“Thanks,” he giggled. You felt yourself relax. “I like your shirt.”

You looked down. It was an old band shirt that you bought at a thrift store a few years ago and was well-worn, the ink faded and several holes stretching the neck out. “Uh, thanks.” You smiled nonetheless because it seemed that Spider-Man was just as nervous as you were, which inexplicably made you feel much better.

“My name’s Y/N, by the way,” you smiled, holding out your hand. “But if you know my address, you probably know my name, too.”

You thought you could see Spider-Man smiling under the mask. It shifted over his face as he accepted the handshake, wrapping his hand around yours. Even through the fabric of his suit, his skin burned like a furnace. From anyone else, it may have been stifling. But from him, the warmth was cozy, a calming heat rushing through your hand and up your arm, wrapping around your heart like a security blanket.

“I do,” he said, and you could hear the smile in his voice. It took you a second to connect what he meant.

The seconds passed and your hands were no longer shaking, but neither of you dropped the hold. You found yourself drifting closer toward Spider-Man, and it took all of your energy not to fall into his chest and wrap your arms around his waist.

“I’m guessing that your real name’s not Spider-Man,” you cocked your head. “And I feel like it’s only fair that I know my soulmate’s name, too.”

Your breath hitched. You heard him inhale sharply, too. It was the first time you’d directly acknowledged to each other what you were, and it suddenly was too real for you.

You jerked your hand back, embarrassed. Your hand was startlingly cold now, suddenly bereft of Spider-Man’s touch. You flexed it subconsciously, yearning to reach out and grab his hand again.

“I - I...” you tried to explain yourself, but the wide, questioning eyes of his suit made you falter. You averted your eyes as you took an anxious step back, fighting against an overwhelming urge to flee.

“No, wait -” Spider-Man said, and reached up and yanked his mask off in one swift motion.

Your eyes immediately found his, as if they were pulled instinctively to each other. His soft almond-shaped eyes were filled with worry and caution, the warm brown irises gleaming in the darkness of your room. The lights of the ever-glowing city were the only light filtering in your room, and the shadows cut angles against Spider-Man’s cheekbones, carving his jowls and accentuating his slim mouth. Even in the darkness, you could make out the light smattering of freckles across the slightly crooked bridge of his nose, and the endearing flick of his left eyebrow, emphasized by their worried arch.

The chestnut curls piled on top of his head were tousled from the mask and flipped haphazardly over his forehead. His ears stuck out from his head, but instead of looking awkward, they fit his face nicely, softening the sharp edges of his high cheekbones. They were what made his already stunning face heartbreakingly adorable, and you fought the need to run your fingers over the shell of them.

Though the shadowy bags under his eyes conveyed a sense of exhaustion too severe for his apparent age, Spider-Man was younger than you thought. If you were to hazard a guess, Spider-Man was about your age, give or take a couple years.

“My name’s Peter,” he breathed, looking slightly panicked as you studied him. “Peter Parker.”

“Peter Parker,” you whispered, testing out the name on your tongue. The words were gentle but the pounding in your chest was overwhelming. The tension that grew since being in his presence while pulling yourself away made you feel as if you were drowning, gasping for breath. There was a bursting sensation in your stomach, then a warm, satisfying weight that spoke of absolute certainty that Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man, was your soulmate.

You felt your body inch toward his, and the relief flooding his face was palpable. You stepped closer to him, relishing in the way your body hummed in delight at the closeness. 

Peter looked down at you, his gaze sweet and caring as he searched your face. There was a moment of content examination spent in comfortable silence as you both memorized every little detail of each other’s faces. 

It should have been awkward, looking and saying nothing, but the longer you spent staring into each other’s eyes, the farther you seemed to fall. It was completely ridiculous and entirely premature, but you were certain that Peter was someone you could fall madly in love with.

“Hi,” you whispered, grinning shyly.

“Hi,” Peter responded just as softly, a mirroring smile stretching his lips. 

Suddenly realizing something, you moved back just enough to bring your hand up. Peter backed away slightly, though it seemed to pain him.

You grabbed at the band covering your forearm, watching Peter’s expression as you unwound it. His eyes went wide, shifting from your arm to your eyes, then back to your arm as the band fell away and exposed your Mark.

Eyes meeting yours for permission, he tenderly took your proffered arm. His eyes roved over the Mark, before he brought his own hand to his mouth, grabbing the middle finger of his glove and yanking it off.

With his bared hand, he reverently ghosted his fingers over the inked letters. The look on his face was pure awe. “I really wasn’t aiming for you.”

He winced as though the words weren’t meant to escape. You chuckled. “I know.”

The light caressing of his fingertips against the sacred Mark shot spikes of pleasure through your body. It was a heady feeling, seeing your life partner touching the place meant for only the two of you.

When he looked back up at you, his face was split in an achingly loving smile. He pulled away, and yanked on the sleeve, revealing his own band.

It was simpler than yours, designed to fit slimly to the skin under his suit. It only took a simple click of his finger for it to release. On the dip of the inside of his wrist was the word, “hey!” written in your handwriting. With gentle movements, you traced the lines with your fingers. Peter visibly shuddered, watching you soak in the Mark.

Though you could’ve stared at it forever, you finally tore your eyes away. You met Peter’s gaze, finding the weight of it easier to handle than you thought.

With your thumb pressed to the Mark, and his hand wrapped around yours, the universe nudged you together. You and Peter fell into each other, lips meeting and melding as your bodies and souls collided like two exploding stars; fate and gravity and destiny crashing into each other and settling happily between you and your soulmate.

Your Mark burned and your lips ached with the pressure of your shared kisses. Reality forced your bodies apart, foreheads resting against one another as you caught your breath, but all at once, your soul felt grounded - you hadn’t even realized how empty it was until it found Peter’s. 

In the safety of his arms, you breached the surface and took your first full breath.

[karonbill]

BCS Artificial intelligence (AI) AIF Exam Questions

Top quality BCS Foundation Certificate in Artificial Intelligence (AIF) Exam Questions presented by PassQuestion are a leading way for the preparation of the BCS Foundation Certificate in Artificial Intelligence exam. With the help of these BCS Foundation Certificate in Artificial Intelligence (AIF) Exam Questions, you will be able to clear your concepts and improve your preparation level so you can make things easier for yourself. It includes authentic AIF questions and answers which are really helpful in covering the all-important subjects and you can earn the BCS Foundation Certificate in Artificial Intelligence certification with good grades.  

BCS Foundation Certificate in Artificial Intelligence

The BCS Foundation Certificate in Artificial Intelligence tests a candidate's knowledge and understanding of the terminology and general principles of AI. This syllabus covers the potential benefits and challenges of Ethical and Sustainable Robust Artificial Intelligence; the basic process of Machine Learning (ML) – Building a Machine Learning Toolkit; the challenges and risks associated with an AI project, and the future of AI and Humans in work. The Foundation Certificate includes and expands on the knowledge taught in the BCS Essentials Certificate in AI.

The Artificial Intelligence Foundation Certificate is focused on individuals with an interest in, (or need to implement) AI in an organisation, especially those working in areas such as science, engineering, knowledge engineering, finance, education or IT services.

Exam Information

Type: 40 Multiple choice questions

Duration: 60 Minutes

Pre-requisites: None, but accredited training is highly recommended

Supervised: Yes

Open Book: No (no materials can be taken into the examination room)

Pass Mark: 26/40

Calculators: No

Delivery Digital: only

Exam Objectives

Ethical and Sustainable Human and Artificial Intelligence    20%

Artificial Intelligence and Robotics  20%

Applying the benefits of AI - challenges and risks 15%

Starting AI how to build a Machine Learning Toolbox - Theory and Practice 30%

The Management, Roles and Responsibilities of humans and machines   15%

View Online BCS Foundation Certificate in Artificial Intelligence (AIF) Free Questions

What does TRL stand for? A.Technical Robotic Level. B.Transform Reinforced Learning C.Technology Readiness Level. D.Transport Ready Level. Answer: C

Healthcare can benefit from Al, and in particular Machine Learning, an example of which is? A.Autonomous wheelchairs. B.Automated blood sampling. C.Autonomous vehicles. D.Diagnostic image analysis Answer: D

What does Prof David Chalmers describe the hard consciousness problem to be as comples as? A.Psychology. B.Turbulence. C.Quantum mechanics. D.The universe. Answer: A

If Al undertakes routine and monotonous tasks and takes these away from humans, what will humans do? A.Higher value work. B.Leisure activities C.Change jobs. D.Sabotage the Al. Answer: A

An intelligent robot uses Al to do what? A.Sense, plan and act B.Plan, act and speak. C.Perceive, plan and act. D.Sense, plan and move. Answer: A

How could machine learning make a robot autonomous? A.Use OCR, optical character recognition, to read documents B.Use NLP (Natural Language Processing) to listen C.Use actuators to modify its environment D.Learn from sensor data and plan to carry out a task. Answer: B

[recentanimenews]

Anime vs. Real Life: ZOMBIE LAND SAGA’s Zombie Secret Revealed!

Street performances in Karatsu, rap battles in Saga, hotel gigs in Ureshino, and commercials in Imari; with only one final ZOMBIE LAND SAGA episode to go, we’ll soon find out whether or not all of Franchouchou’s relentless efforts will have paid off, and if they’ll actually accomplish their noble goal of saving Saga. However, it’s already apparent after these eleven episodes, that the group of undead idols managed to increase the tucked-away prefecture’s profile tenfold in these few months, not only in Japan, but worldwide!

  After a certain popular figure-skating anime, and their own "Animation Around Saga Prefecture" project, ZOMBIE LAND SAGA is now the Saga's latest attempt to make itself more appealing for anime fans, and it sure seems to be paying off. Just about everyone keeping up with currently airing anime, even if only casually, has heard about the wacky group of zombie idols trying to revitalize Saga Prefecture, generating a lot of publicity for the often overlooked prefecture in the north-west of Kyushu. The girls visiting every nook and cranny of Saga helps fans fill their future travel itineraries, and as usual, we’ll go through all of the show’s real-world locations in a second, but paying attention to the anime’s locations has also revealed some interesting secrets behind the supernatural zombie elements going on in ZOMBIE LAND SAGA.

  Here’s Part 1, focusing on all of ZOMBIE LAND SAGA’s real-world locations from episodes one through three.

  Image: Saga Travel Suppoort

  After eleven episodes, we’re still pretty much left in the dark about how these girls turned into zombies in the first place; however, last week’s episode finally gave us a small clue as to where the show’s supernatural zombie elements might be coming from.

  In the episode, we see Kotaro catching up with an old acquaintance (and by old I mean old enough to be owning Yugiri some favors) in a bar called “New Yofuku”. Referred to in Japan as Yofuku or Jofuku, the Chinese Xu Fu was a medical scholar serving the first Emperor of the unified China, Qin Shi Huang, founder of the Qin Dynasty and mind behind the Great Wall of China. Seeking immortality, the Emperor sent out Xu Fu in search of the elixir of life, specifically investigating a tale about herbs able to grant perennial youth. Xu Fu set out on two myth-enshrouded expeditions between 219 BC and 210 BC, and, according to legend, brought over 3000 virgin boys and girls along with him (although that number was probably closer to a slightly more realistic 500). However, Xu Fu never returned from his second voyage, allegedly settling down in Japan. Theories range as far as from Xu Fu never even reaching Japan to him being the catalyst for Japanese civilization, crediting him with many agricultural and cultural developments.

  Image: Saga Travel Suppoort

  Judging by last week’s episode of ZOMBIE LAND SAGA, Xu Fu actually found the eternal youth granting herbs, and now runs a small bar somewhere in Saga. But it’s not only the bar’s name that’s pointing to the show’s bar keeper actually being the 2200-year-old Chinese scholar, since the two pictures hanging inside the bar both show the Jofuku Long Life Center (Xu Fu Choju Kan), which is located at the outskirts of Saga City. The center includes a museum dedicated to the many tales surrounding Xu Fu and his possible link to Saga (pictured above), a statue of Xu Fu (first picture), and a large herb garden with over 500 different herbs. Could one of these herbs possibly be the reason for the girls turning into zombies?

  *All further images were taken with Google Street View (pictures I shot myself will be marked WD)

Imari:

  And now, let’s continue with the coverage of ZOMBIE LAND SAGA’s real-world locations. Located at the outskirts of Imari is Drive-In Tori’s flagship restaurant, which was also the model for the Drive-In Tori used in the anime. And as you probably could have guessed from the jingle, yakitori is their number one dish, followed closely by their popular chicken rice.

    Nice bird! The anime perfectly copied everything from the restaurant’s exterior down to its commercials, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the real president of Drive-In Tori looks like the one in the anime.

    Opened over 40 years ago, the restaurant now gets around 150,000 customers each year, and thanks to the anime, I reckon it’s going to be a couple more than that from now on.

    Needless to say, also the interior of their main store looks just like it does in the anime. And yes, even the commercial is the same!

        Ureshino:

    Moving on from Imari in the west of Saga to Ureshino in the prefecture’s south-west. Our favorite undead idols spent the night in the touristy hot spring town to perform for a local pharmaceutical company. The gig took place in the Kasuien Hotel.

    Ureshino is a quiet hot spring town in Saga, popular for its skin-smoothening bath water (does not seem to work on zombies). The town’s most famous public bath is the Siebold-no-Yu (Siebold’s Hot Spring), named after the famous 19th century German doctor and botanist, Philipp Franz von Siebold. He allegedly enjoyed bathing in Ureshino during his time working for the Dutch trading mission on the island of Dejima in nearby Nagasaki.

    The bridge right behind the Siebold Hot Springs leads to the Ureshino Hot Springs Park.

    People usually visit the Toyotama Shrine to pray for beautiful skin or to cure skin diseases, but I’m afraid it’s a tad too late for that for our seven zombie girls. The white catfish located among the shrine grounds, which was also in the anime, is another symbol for smooth skin.

    Café Moka is where Kotaro tried to strike a deal with the representative of the pharmaceutical company.

    Located along Ureshino’s main road are several free public foot baths. The one the girls are using in the picture above even includes foot steamers.

    Saga City:

  Moving on to Saga City, where live houses must be getting a lot of new visitors. Pictured above is the live house Rag-G. 

    The one that probably gets the most attention at the moment is the Live House Geils near Saga Station, where the first episode’s head-banging performance, as well as Saki’s biker gig took place.

    Lily’s heartwarming concert took place at the Gofukumachi Community Spot Plaza 656 near Saga Castle.

    We also learned in last week’s episode that Sakura tried to get into a good high school in Saga Prefecure, and therefore stayed at the APA Hotel Sagaeki-Minamiguchi while taking her entrance exams.

    The two railroad bridges, where Saki beat up a whole rival gang back in her golden days, is close to where the famous Saga International Balloon Fiesta takes place every year.  

  Karatsu:

    And finally, Karatsu, ZOMBIE LAND SAGA’s main location, which I already covered in the first part.

  WD

  I actually planned to head out to Takeshima Island (picture above), which is another Japanese cat island, during my visit to Karatsu, but unfortunately didn’t have enough time to do so at the end.  

    I already covered the old Karatsu City Historical Folk Museum (and former Mitsubishi Joint Stock Company Karatsu Branch main building), which serves as the zombie girls’ main base of operations in the first part, but the building made some headlines since then. The eerie building, which has been closed to the general public since 2003, opened its doors for a special two-day event last month, and managed to attract over 1000 visitors. 

    The place where Saki’s tragic final moment took place was the parking lot in front of Mt. Kagamiya’s Inari Shrine, however; the cliff doesn’t look nearly as steep as it did in the anime.

    Mt. Kagamiya’s West Obersavtion Deck is also where we ended last week’s episode, which finally gave us a nice view of Karatsu’s long-stretching pine grove.

    And finally, Karatsu’s Furusato Exhibition Hall (Arpino) has been hyped up for the past two episodes, as it’s been closely connected to Sakura’s and Ai’s pasts, and will certainly be the stage for the show’s final performance this Thursday. Be sure not to miss it! 

    Want to learn more about Saga? We've got you covered:

Anime vs. Real Life – Zombie Land Saga’s Plot to Save Saga Is Ingenious Franchouchou Presents: Legendary Facts About Saga!

  What do you think is the reason behind the girl’s zombification? And does Saga seem like a place you’d like to visit someday? Sound off in the comments below!

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Wilhelm is an anime tourist, who loves to search for and uncover the real-world spots he sees in anime. You can talk with him on Twitter @Surwill. 

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com