#note that japan drives on the other side of the road And has completely different signs than the us

[pteropods]

this is horrifying . i dont think you should be on roads i think the peacocks around your hosue should just take you everywhere . this ks so fucked up

I AGREE WITH THIS cars are an affront to humanity and every one of them is born with the intent to harm as many living beings as possible

[directtrust]

Wrc 9 japan

WRC 9 JAPAN SERIES

WRC 9 JAPAN SERIES

With the addition of the new Clubs mode, this is the most competitive entry in the series yet, and it’s also the biggest thanks to the three new rallies that have been introduced. Still, these issues shouldn’t put anyone off WRC 9 – they hardly ruin your enjoyment of it at all. Winning three Extreme events in six weeks may sound easy, but what if they’re not offered to you? It sometimes just feels unfair. And then there are your career objectives, the completion of which is often robbed from you. One of those is inconsistent AI: you might struggle to win some stages driving like a pro, for example, and then win others by a mile after making numerous mistakes. Only a couple of issues with its career mode bring it down. Since then, however, each release has been markedly better, and here we are now with what is perhaps the best rally game currently available. I remember the disappointing WRC 5, which, looking back, got a pass simply because rally games were thin on the ground at the time. Honestly, it amazes me how far the WRC series has come under Kylotton’s helm. What sounds really interesting, however, is the introduction of a new co-op mode in which one player assumes the role of the co-driver reading out the pace notes while the other drives. Both the Finland and Portugal rallies are set to receive new stages, too, boosting the amount of content a little. In a move to please video game photography fans, a photo mode is set to be added post-launch, and it will certainly get used because WRC 9 looks gorgeous at times. While I can only review what’s available to me now, it’s important to note that Kylotonn aims to improve WRC 9 after release. Of course, the best way to play WRC 9 is with a steering wheel, and there’s good support here for the best on the market, but those playing on console will find playing with a controller to be much more manageable and intuitive than in previous games. There’s more feedback, too you get a better sensation of the suspension doing its job. Its cars have more weight to them, yet they’re somehow also more responsive as you fling them around. WRC 9 simply feels better to play than ever before. While the new Clubs mode and additional rallies assuredly make WRC 9 a decent step up from its predecessor, what really propels it ahead are its new physics. And let’s not forget Kenya, which is notable for its wide open spaces and punishing terrain. Then you have the New Zealand courses, which are a bit more easygoing but you may get distracted by picturesque scenery – especially at certain times of day. The tarmac-heavy courses found in Japan, for example, are highly technical, juxtaposing fast straights with plenty of twists and turns that must be navigated with precision unless you want to find yourself in a ditch at the side of the road. From day one you get the range of surfaces, environments and scenery you expect of a rally game.Įach of the new rallies introduced in WRC 9 offer something different – something that makes them stand out. In addition to all the rallies returning from WRC 8, it means that WRC 9 has over 100 stages across 13 environments. More importantly, there are three new rallies in this year’s release: New Zealand, Kenya, and Japan. Over 50 teams are included from the Junior WRC right up to WRC, and there are 15 bonus legendary cars for players to get nostalgic about. After creating your own, you could join up to three others to really keep yourself occupied.Ĭontent is another area where WRC 9 is improved. Even better, you’re not limited to being active in just one club at a time. They can choose to make their club private if they want, limiting who can compete, or they can open it up for all. On top of all that, though, is a new Clubs mode, which allows players to set up their own events. Features such as the dedicated esports tab make a return, as well as online multiplayer and special daily and weekly events. One of those areas is the social aspects of WRC 9. But don’t worry, Kylotonn hasn’t rested on its laurels with its career mode at an all-time high, it’s simply opted to make dramatic improvements in other areas. Needless to say, it makes a return in this year’s WRC 9, with only minor changes here and there to make it a little bit better. Among its many improvements over WRC 7, its revamped career mode really stood out, allowing players to manage their team and schedule their own events as they made their way from rally wannabe to WRC champion.

[makeste]

BnHA 326: What’s up Kids, It’s Me, Your Old Pal Stain

Previously on BnHA: Ochako shamed the U.A. Clown Mob into letting Deku go back inside his own fucking school by giving them an hour-long speech about how not to be humongous dickheads. Kouta and Gigantic Fox Lady saved the manga by being the only ones brave enough to give Deku a hug. Shouto was all “man, all this togetherness sure does remind me of that promise you made that we would handle Touya together which you immediately bailed on, doesn’t it, Dad.” Aizawa was all, “for the one and a half people out there who thought that my losing an eye and a leg might actually make me less sexy, I’m very happy to prove you wrong.” All Might was all, “[standing outside the U.A. fortress alone in the rain talking to someone or something??].” Like seriously, what was up with that though.

Today on BnHA: All Might is all “here I am in Kamino having a belated mid-life crisis because Deku abandoned me and I’m a terrible mentor and everything sucks and I hate myself.” Stain is all, “don’t make me come over there and give you a ten page speech about why you’re still the goat while menacingly holding you at swordpoint the entire time” because idk if you knew this guys, but Stain is pretty crazy actually. Anyway so he does that, and then All Might gets all emotional, and then the lady from chapter 92 shows up and gives All Might’s statue an encouraging pep talk, and then Horikoshi is all “and it even stopped raining lol can you believe this shit I’m not even a little bit subtle,” and he really isn’t. But I still got emotional anyway, because seeing people reassure All Might that everything he’s struggled for his entire life hasn’t been in vain just got to me okay. Horikoshi knows I am weak to the All Might feels and he just goes for the jugular every time, that bastard.

lmao. “in the neverending downpour, All Might is...” yeah, thank you, glad we’re getting right to that then

“All Might is driving 95 mph in his busted ass car in the pouring rain, is what he’s doing.” huh

so basically a day or two after his adopted child refused to accept the handmade bento that he packed with love, my man is out here acting like he’s got nothing to live for anymore. this sure bodes well for certain prophecies on which the clock is still ominously ticking down

his fucking face though omg. is it weird that I’m kind of hoping more people ambush him just because I think it’d be funny to see them get their asses kicked like the last bunch

(ETA: or maybe he will just stand there openly not giving a fuck and basically daring them to stab him!! get it together please All Might.)

side note, “anti-hero supporters” is such a strange way of saying “people who hate heroes”, which I’m assuming is what they actually wanted to say?? this makes it sound like it’s a group that really loves antiheroes. “these Hannibal stans have been a real menace lately. time to go deal with them”

ha ha ha, fucking ouch

are you really gonna do it Horikoshi you bastard. are you really going to let that be the final encounter between the two characters whose relationship you once described as the vertical axis of the entire fucking story. are you really gonna?? huh??

huh

you’re telling me you were driving 112 mph and you still didn’t get there in time. you’re losing your touch old man. lol Todo’s ice is almost fully melted already, how late were you

(ETA: so apparently this is taking place after the end of chapter 325, meaning he went to U.A., hung out for a bit, saw the kids come back with his bedraggled half-dead protégé in tow, watched as they shamed the civilians into some long-overdue character development, and then was all “welp, time to go argue with the hero-hating faction or something because I’m feeling useless.” and Edge just let him go, just like that. though to be fair I have to imagine it’s pretty hard to say no to All Fucking Might.)

also belated lol at the fact that the kids were all “yeahhhhhhh we are definitely not gonna touch that thing, let’s just leave it here, he doesn’t need it anyway.” probably the right call to make since they couldn’t get a hazmat team on such short notice

fuck. ha ha ha fucking ouch part two

All Might please put that thing down before you get gangrene. also yeah, you dropped the ball, good for you to acknowledge it. nobody’s perfect and you did your best. but yeah you could have handled a lot of things completely differently. but I still love you

is Horikoshi really putting this flashback here. are you serious. what kind of fucking sadist

look, I swear I’m not one of those people that runs up and down the street shouting “DEATH FLAG!!” at every third panel lol. but this shit screamed Death Flag when we originally got it, and it’s screaming DEATH FLAG!!! even more now. like with the capital letters and exclamation marks and all. and that’s just a fact. I don’t like it but that’s how it is

ffkdjslk

“DID YOU READ THE SIGN??!” Horikoshi asks while zooming in maniacally because he thinks we’re blind or something. lol what

-- though actually, it only just occurred to me that this sign is actually written in English. I never really paid attention up until now and had been assuming it was written in Japanese and translated by the scanlators, but the writing here is clearly part of the original image. anyway so maybe that’s why he’s zooming in?? just to make sure everybody pays attention lol

okay fuck this

see, this is the whole problem right here. once again All Might is all on his own. Deku’s self-destructive angst spiral was fortunately brought to a grinding halt because he actually has support from his friends and family and teachers and classmates. but All Might never had that same kind of support, and it’s made all the difference between the two of them, and not in a good way. Katsuki wasn’t wrong when he said All Might and Deku were both cut from the same cloth. but now when it’s All Might’s turn to go all “I WALK A LONELY ROAD~~” once again, there’s nobody in sight

just, after forty plus years of him carrying this torch, I just wish someone would finally come along to let him know he doesn’t have to. all those things that he wanted to say to Deku are also things that he needs and deserves to hear himself. Aizawa was making a little progress there, but now he’s got his sad zombie cloud boyfriend situation to deal with, and we can’t expect him and his perfect hair to solve all our problems. someone else has gotta step up

oh my god

“you rang?” never mind I take it all back sob

omg why am I laughing. shit

this man truly has the best PR game in the series. we were truly convinced he was gonna suddenly become a good guy and defend All Might against the other villains or some nonsense. as if this wasn’t the same man who decided on a whim that Iida Tensei deserved to be paralyzed, and that his fifteen-year-old brother deserved to die for daring to be upset about it

lol even All Might is all “I genuinely never saw this coming” lmao

just want to say, for the record, I have always harbored a very sensible hatred toward Stain. feeling very vindicated right now. good job Past Me

adsfklwkfsdwgkj

ffffwefjslkg. ghsdlkg. dsfkkkslkjldwkjrg

STAIN: heard you talking shit old man

ME: smh that’s what I thought you’d say you dumb fucking Stain

STAIN: how dare you talk about All Might that way

ME: gljfljgk

(ETA: in hindsight I have no idea how I didn’t clue in sooner that he didn’t recognize him -- or, well, ~didn’t recognize~ him, to be more accurate lol. I think it was the whole “is that a slight against the heroes?” thing that threw me. Viz’s translation makes it much clearer that he’s offended on behalf of All Might specifically, not heroes in general. anyways.)

sob. so All Might is all “yeah I don’t blame you for not recognizing me in this sweet leather jacket”

good thing he still knows how to do this party trick

A+ reflexes on Stain’s part presumably pulling the sword back a few inches to keep this dumbass from impaling himself with his whole pufferfish routine. can you imagine if that was the gruesome death Nighteye foresaw. and he was just too embarrassed to say anything

lol anyways guess I was wrong about Stain everyone

way to fucking go, Past Me. you really biffed this one

oh wait

Stain sure is one wacky rollercoaster ride

oh fuck me lol I forgot how much I did not miss this

(ETA: “this here is the sacred ground where All Might gave up the last of his power and turned into a shriveled old man!! please ignore the part where I admit to knowing all about that, and yet pretend not to recognize said man when he’s standing two feet in front of me.”)

Past Me, I know we’ve had our ups and downs these past ninety seconds, but I’m really starting to think you were on to something. this dude has always been kind of insufferable. always acting like his high horse is a fucking giraffe when it’s actually a Shetland pony

dammit now he’s got All Might going off on a depressed monologue

oh my god my heart

shit

why the fuck does that hit so hard. he became a hero because he couldn’t bear to just sit back and let bad things happen to people who didn’t deserve it. I mean that’s basically the same as every hero ever, right? so why does it still hit so fucking hard every single time though. what is it about seeing someone so determined to stand up for other people and fight on their behalf. it just never loses its impact no matter how many times I see that determination mirrored in so many of my favorite characters

“I wanted to make the world a better place.” omg. but you did, though. like seriously, I feel like people are always dogging on him for not being 100% perfect, and fandom really doesn’t give him enough credit for everything he still managed to accomplish. this man came of age at a time when Japan was by all accounts a total shitshow, and singlehandedly managed to bring about an era of peace that lasted for four fucking decades. can you imagine having peace for that long?? that’s longer than I’ve been alive. shit

and he gave people hope. he inspired them and protected them and made them feel safe. and no, he couldn’t save everyone, because he’s only one fucking dude (and also because the whole time AFO was also out there desperately working to undermine him so that he could keep preaching his narrative of “heroes are bad actually”). but you know what he did do, is inspire multiple new generations of heroes who, if they can all manage to work together, will finally be able to accomplish everything he never could

so yeah. forty years of peace, and inspired the “that’s how we all became the greatest heroes” generation -- that’s a fucking win in my book. talk about having a net positive impact on the world. lol anyways now I’m all fired up and ready to fight anyone who tries to talk any shit about you, All Might

“but what if I talk shit about myself” okay listen up All Might I’m gonna need you to try just a little bit harder to work with me here okay. please calm down and stop blaming yourself for every single bad thing that’s ever happened in the world. do you remember that time Bakugou was blaming himself for Kamino, and you gave him a hug and told him it wasn’t his fault, and that he was only a boy, and that even though he was strong, even strong people can struggle with the burdens they place on themselves, and that you were sorry for not seeing that earlier? do you remember all of that? that’s what I want someone to tell you too, dammit. anyway please stop breaking my heart please and thanks

wtf

are you dead All Might

um

I don’t even have the slightest idea what’s happening lol

oh snap did he grab him so they could hide??

hold the fucking phone. don’t tell me this person in the background with the umbrella is here to actually do something decent??

oh my godddd

and here come the feels. oh boy. okay don’t mind me, I’m just gonna sit here sobbing over this fictional lady and her simple act of kindness in this weekly shounen manga that I care about way too much

FUCKING DAMMIT AND HERE’S A SECOND HELPING

DON’T MIND ME, I’M JUST GETTING DISPROPORTIONATELY EMOTIONAL OVER THIS WOMAN’S DETERMINATION TO HONOR A MAN WHO SACRIFICED EVERYTHING TO SAVE HER AND COUNTLESS OTHERS. I’M JUST HAVING SOME FEELS OVER HERE ABOUT HER HEARTFELT, DOESN’T-EVEN-KNOW-ANYONE-ELSE-IS-WATCHING FEELINGS OF GRATITUDE THAT COMPELLED HER TO COME OUT HERE AND MAKE THIS SMALL BUT POWERFUL GESTURE. I’M JUST OUT HERE GETTING ALL PROFOUNDLY WORKED UP ABOUT STATUE MAINTENANCE AND THE HUMAN RACE. NEVER MIND. JUST IGNORE ME AND CARRY ON

holy shit. I was not even remotely prepared. you can’t just do that to me. you can’t just leave all these death flags on my lawn and then suddenly shift gears to show me the best of humanity in a chapter where I was expecting the worst. that fucks a person up lol

OH ARE WE STILL GOING

my heart. you see that, All Might. your legacy is so much more powerful and meaningful than you think

...has. has Stain actually been giving All Might a pep talk this entire time

I give up lol. this dude is a fucking enigma

YAYYY

it may just be a metaphor panel, but I’ll take it lol. I missed them. nice to see the traffic light trio front and off-center. I know the whole “this is the story of how we all became the greatest heroes” thing had left some questioning whether certain characters would continue to play a central role in the narrative, and hopefully this will help to ease those concerns just a bit

anyway, so idk if it’s getting a bit chilly down there in hell, but damned if Stain didn’t just give an actual decent fucking speech

I have to say, earlier when I was whining about All Might not having a support squad, I really was not expecting Stain to be the one to come over and pat his head and reassure him that he made the world a better place

-- okay LISTEN

YOU CAN’T JUST COME INTO MY HOUSE AND HIT ME WITH THOSE ALL MIGHT TEARS AGAIN GODDAMMIT THIS ISN’T FAIR. my god. first 317 and now this

holy fucking shit

“I’m just gonna pretend like I haven’t been stalking him for two days and didn’t see the entire Deku bentogate thing go down, and then I’ll give him the whole big speech that I rehearsed, and then I’ll turn around and be all ‘BUT IF YOU’RE A TRUE HERO’, and then I’ll toss him the super-secret AFO wifi password that I stole from Tartarus. god I’m such a badass. fucking give myself chills”

so basically what you’re telling me is that this whole time my “what’s up kids” characterization of Stain from this shitpost has actually been 100% accurate. just want to make sure I’m understanding this right. okay then

“and then I’ll dramatically spin around and be all NOW COME KILL ME BITCH”

it must be so much fun to write Stain. drawing this coked-out maniac who talks like a chatbot that was trained to speak by reading Alan Moore monologues. that must be a trip

anyway so All Might is still crying, the awesome lady from chapter 92 is admiring her handiwork totally oblivious to the batshit insanity going on fifty meters to her right, and it’s finally stopped raining lol

“THE RAIN WAS A METAPHOR YOU SEE” yes, yes, we got it lol. thanks for that Horikoshi. don’t think we needed any help putting the pieces together on that one but I appreciate the effort

so that’s the end! and as I mentioned in another post, I had the count off by one chapter, but next week should be cliffhanger week! so break out your U.A. Traitor bingo cards, friends and fiends. either that or something else happens that I’m completely not expecting at all. which, based on my success rate with Stain predictions, I’d say is more than likely lol

mmm but anyway, so now that the Hug Deku 2021 campaign has finally come to an end, what’s it gonna take to get a hug for my struggling bento-preparing jacket-rocking world-weary death-flag-waving husband who is the worthiest man to ever live and deserves the fucking world, goddammit

[thefinalcinderella]

Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru Chapter 9 - To Beyond (Part 1)

We’re finally here folks. After two years we’re finally at Hakone and boy is it long

Full list of translations here

Translation Notes

1. JR stands for Japan Railway and refers to the trains operated by the company

Previous | Next

January 2nd, 7:45 a.m.

The start of the Tokyo-Hakone Round-Trip College Ekiden Race was fifteen minutes away.

After the roll call twenty minutes before the start, Prince tried to go down the subway’s pathway again. Earlier in the morning, he had been able to run on the sidewalks above ground to loosen up, but now that was impossible—there was a large crowd of people in front of the Yomiuri Shimbun’s Tokyo headquarters in Otemachi, waiting to watch the start of the Hakone Ekiden.

From the Yomiuri Shimbun’s headquarters to the Wadakura Gate along the inner moat of the Imperial Palace, the sidewalks were lined with walls of people which consisted of cheering squads from each school, staff, and Ekiden fans who were celebrating the New Year with cheerful faces. The echoing sound of drums and the school songs of each school. The colorful flags and banners in the cold wind that eddied around the buildings. The rising noise and excitement.

“Where are you going?” Kiyose, who was accompanying Prince, stopped him. “Your body’s already warmed up. What will you do if you get tired before the race starts?”

“I know, but I feel sort of uneasy when I’m not running.” Prince paced on the spot. “I didn’t think there would be so many people here.”

Kiyose never thought the day would come when he would hear the phrase “I feel uneasy when I’m not running” come out of Prince's mouth. He smiled reassuringly.

“You’ve had plenty of practice. You’ll be fine. Did you go to the bathroom?”

“Many times,” The Yomiuri Shimbun’s staff entrance was open for athletes and officials to use the restroom and change clothes in the waiting room. “It’s always crowded with the runners running in the first leg.”

“You’re not the only one who’s nervous. Don’t worry.”

He couldn't let his body be chilled by the wind. Kiyose took Prince to the back of the newspaper building. There were not many people there, and Kiyose and Prince ran lightly side by side.

The final entries, announced at 7 a.m., were posted on the wall of the building.

“Rikudou didn’t assign Fujioka-san to the second leg.”

Prince tilted his head curiously. Rikudou had put Fujioka as an alternate for the leg entry. Fujioka was the captain of his team and the best runner in Rikudou, but he hadn’t heard any rumors about him getting injured, so he wondered if he wasn’t feeling well. Each school had been paying attention, but Fujioka still wasn't announced in the final entries for the outward journey that morning.

“They probably plan on putting him in the ninth or tenth leg,” Kiyose said.

It seemed that Rikudou was trying to assess the situation carefully; it was thought that if anybody could stop them from winning again this time, it would be Bousou University. In the leg entries, Bousou had made it clear that they were taking the fight to the outward journey.

If Rikudou were to only face the elites of Bousou, the outward journey would be quite a tough battle, even for Rikudou. Perhaps the plan was to hand over the victory for the outward journey to Bousou and take the return trip and the overall victory, which was determined by the total time of the round trip. There was no doubt that Rikudou was trying to decide which leg of the return trip to put Fujioka in depending on their ranking when they reached Lake Ashi and the time difference with Bousou.

“But don’t think about Rikudou right now.” Kiyose lightly pushed Prince’s shoulder. “It’s almost time to go back to the starting point. Do you remember what I told you?”

“Yeah.” Prince nodded vigorously and took off the thick bench coat that reached his knees. The gathered spectators made way for Prince then, who was wearing Kansei’s black and silver uniform.

The cold didn’t bother him anymore. As the first runner, Prince had a sash hanging from his left shoulder—it was black with the words “Kansei University” embroidered in silver thread. The plasterer’s wife had been steadily working on it since they passed the qualifiers.

Prince gently touched the precious sash. It would connect the ten of them and return to this place tomorrow. He definitely wouldn’t let the sash be interrupted midway.

Kiyose adjusted the length of the sash and tucked the extra parts into the waistband of Prince’s shorts so that it wouldn’t get in his way when he was running.

“Prince, sorry for making you go along with us until now,” Kiyose said.

The music being played by the cheering sections grew louder. “Athletes to the starting line!” A staff member called out.

“Haiji-san, I don’t want to hear those kinds of words,” Prince laughed. “Wait for me at Tsurumi.”

Prince entrusted his coat to Kiyose and stood at the starting line along with the nineteen other people running the first leg.

It was 8 a.m. in Otemachi, Tokyo. Clear skies. 1.3 degrees Celsius. 88 percent humidity. Wind from the northwest at 1.1 meters.

For a moment, the area was completely silent, and then the starting gun sounded.

Prince started to run. There was no need to look back. Because Kansei University’s first Hakone Ekiden was only created by advancing down this road.

---

As Kiyose had predicted, the race unfolded at a leisurely pace. With Tokyo Station on the left hand side, they passed Wadakura Gate. The cheers of the spectators and the wind around the buildings tore away at their backs. As the group spread out horizontally, they moved forward along the damp road at a pace of 3 minutes and 7 seconds per kilometer. Even Prince could keep up with this.

Perhaps it was because of the wide road, but it didn’t seem like they were making much progress no matter how much they ran. Around him, he could sense people checking and restraining each other, wondering who would be the first to break out.

“Keep going slowly,” Prince recited in his mind.

The wind blowing through the gap in the buildings made the temperature feel cooler than it was. Remembering Kiyose’s advice, Prince got behind a slightly larger runner from Teitou University; it would be bad for Prince, who had a speed disadvantage, if he had to use his extra strength to secure a place. Having secured a good spot to guard against the wind, Prince concentrated on keeping up with the group.

The pace remained almost the same even after they entered the Daichi Keihin highway from the intersection at Shiba 5-chome. They passed the five kilometer mark at 15 minutes and 30 seconds.

The coaches from each school were following the runners in their coach cars. The coaches were allowed to talk to their runners over a speaker connected to a microphone at the beginning of the race, during the last kilometer, and every five kilometers. However, no coach gave instructions before the five kilometer mark; there was so much tension in the group that it was impossible to speak out carelessly.

Rikudou and Bousou were battling for the lead, but every time they tried to put on a spurt, they repeatedly got swallowed up by the group. The first leg was 21.3 kilometers long and it was only the start of the Hakone Ekiden. If you failed in putting on a spurt and got worn out here, it would trouble the runners in the following legs, and the mentality of not being able to take the plunge was swirling through the group.

Forgetting about the presence of the lead car and the TV cameras, Prince moved forward desperately, but with a composed expression on his face.

At the same time, Kiyose had just transferred to the Keihin Express after having arrived in Shinagawa from Tokyo Station on the JR line. (1) Holding Prince’s bench coat, he put the radio earphones in his ears. Picking up the sound from the TV and learning that the group hadn’t broken up yet, Kiyose let out a small shout of “Yes!” He drew attention from the passengers around him, but he couldn’t care less.

The TV announcer and commentator spoke as though they were bewildered by the slow pace.

“There has been no change in the race at all.”

“I think the stronger runners can be more aggressive and go for the record.”

“You don’t have to say unnecessary things,” Kiyose snapped without thinking. The slow pace is fine. Nobody make any moves. Run as a group for as long as you can.

His phone rang. He looked at the display and saw that it was the landlord in the coach car. Kiyose hurriedly pressed the button, wondering if Prince had begun to drop out.

“I don’t know what to do, Haiji,” the landlord said easily.

“What’s wrong?”

“They’ll be at ten kilometers soon. Should I shout something at Prince?”

“Does it look like he’s having trouble?”

Kiyose gripped his phone.

“No? He just passed Yatsuyama Bridge, but he’s holding on well. The group is still staying in a horizontal line.”

“Then you don’t have to say anything.”

The Yatsuyama Bridge was just before the eight-kilometer mark. There were gentle ups and downs as they crossed the railroad tracks on an elevated level. If they were still in a horizontal line after that, they should be able to stay like that until they reached Rokugo Bridge, the most difficult point in the first leg. Endure it, Prince. Kiyose called out in his mind.

“But what kind of coach would I be if I just sat in the car and stayed silent?” The landlord seemed bored. “It’s like I’m just driving to Hakone.”

“All you have to do is to be at the ready. If Prince is having a hard time, encourage him.”

“How? I can’t sing the school song, I’m tone deaf.”

“No coach would encourage their runners with the school song nowadays,” Kiyose sighed. “In that case, I want you to give him a message from me: ‘I have something I want to tell you. So come to Tsurumi even if you have to crawl.’”

Prince heard that message at the fifteen-kilometer mark. The landlord in the coach car, with a microphone in his hand, shouted that at him in a hoarse voice.

What do you want to tell me? Let me hear it.

His breathing was becoming more and more labored, but Prince felt inspired again. He had also been successful in receiving water, at which point he was informed by a member of the short-distance track and field team that “this kilometer was exactly three minutes.” The pace was speeding up. As expected, victory would be decided at Rokugo Bridge, which was the 17.8-kilometer mark.

After twelve kilometers, there had been a situation where the race seemed likely to move—the runner from Eurasia University had made a move and the group had stretched out vertically. However, Rikudou and Bousou had quickly followed, and the others had chased after them like they were being dragged along. Ultimately, no one dropped out of the group.

In this situation, the Rokugo Bridge would decide everything. Prince could tell that everyone tacitly understood that.

Rokugo Bridge was a large bridge over the Tama River, and it was 446.2 meters long. There was an uphill climb to reach the bridge and a downhill climb to get off the bridge. The ups and downs were physically demanding after running nearly twenty kilometers.

When he finally started to climb the slope of the Rokugo Bridge, Prince's legs suddenly became heavy; he couldn’t believe how steep the slope felt. Prince gasped and swung his arms to try to move his body forward.

At that moment, there was a change in the rhythm of the group. The breathing of the strongest runners suddenly became quiet, and right at the moment Prince realized “it's coming,” the Yokohama University runner put on a spurt. Bousou and Rikudou followed suit.

The group quickly broke apart and stretched out vertically. What stamina these guys have! Prince couldn’t do anything but stare in amazement at the growing distance between him and the rest of the group. He wanted to keep up with them, but it was impossible; as they descended Rokugo Bridge, the top group was getting faster and faster.

“Don’t rush. If you can keep up with them until Rokugo Bridge, there won’t be much of a time difference. Besides that, just think about running at your own pace.”

Kiyose’s instructions before the start of the race came back to mind.

That’s right, I just started doing track. No matter what kind of spurts other people do, I can only run with all my might.

He was already about a hundred meters away from the head of the group, but Prince didn’t give up—didn’t get pessimistic—and ran patiently.

Just started, huh? So, am I going to continue doing track? Even though I’m in so much pain because I got dragged into it.

Prince opened his mouth for oxygen and a small laugh slipped through as he exhaled.

The gentle and warm morning sun shone down on him from the front.

---

At the Tsurumi relay station, Kakeru and Musa were huddled together, looking at the screen of a portable TV—an electronics store in the shopping district had lent it to them for free.

“Oh, Prince-san has been outstripped,” Musa said sadly, staring at the TV in Kakeru’s hand like he wanted to see Prince disappearing from the screen for as long as he could.

“But there shouldn't be much time difference from the top runners.” With Prince’s heroic figure properly burned into his eyes, Kakeru looked up. “Musa-san, let’s catch up in the second leg.”

“Yes. I will do my best.”

It was about time for the first leg runners to arrive at the Tsurumi relay station. Musa took off his woolen hat and scarf. The temperature was 3.3 degrees Celsius. There was almost no wind, and it was clear, but it was still bitterly cold for Musa. He had consulted with Kakeru and decided to wear arm covers that would cover everything from his wrist to his elbow; this way, if it got too hot, he could take them off and just wear his running uniform.

“Did you drink enough water? Even if you think it’s cold, you don’t want to get dehydrated while you’re running.”

“If I drink any more water, I would have to urinate standing up while I run.”

Musa laughed. This was the first time he had used words like “urinate standing up.” “It doesn’t suit you,” Kakeru also laughed.

The voices of the announcer and commentator came from the portable TV Kakeru was holding.

“In the second leg, each school is fielding their ace or ace-level runner. Eleven out of the twenty runners can run ten-thousand meters in twenty-eight minutes. Four international students are also making their appearance here.”

“Manas from Bousou University, Iwanki from Koufu Gakuin University, Jomo from Saikyou University, and Musa from Kansei University.”

When his name was spoken, Musa and Kakeru looked at the TV. They saw themselves on the screen. They looked around in surprise and saw a TV crew approaching them from behind. Musa smiled awkwardly at the TV camera.

“Kansei’s Musa is a bit unique: he is a government-sponsored engineering student and it seems that until last year, he had no experience in track and field. Kansei is taking on Hakone with only ten runners, but most of them have no experience with track.”

“I can’t believe they were able to make it this far. It’s quite a feat.”

The screen cut to the studio, where the commentator was nodding in agreement. “They must have put a lot of effort into their training.”

“The Kansei team is rich with individuality. I am looking forward to seeing how they will perform in their first ever Hakone.”

The screen cut to a commercial and the TV crew left. Oh no, Musa seems to be getting nervous again now that he got introduced on TV, Kakeru thought.

Kakeru’s phone rang. It was from Shindou, who was at the Odawara relay station to run the fifth leg. As soon as he pressed the answer button, Kakeru passed the phone to Musa.

“Musa, you were on TV!” Shindou said. He sounded very muffled.

“How is your cold?” Musa asked worriedly, and Kakeru also leaned in to listen. Shindou had gotten a fever on New Year’s Eve and still hadn't been feeling well that morning.

“I’m fine. Are you okay, Musa? You’re probably nervous right now.”

“Yes, a little bit,” Musa answered. Could Shindou see what was going on at the Tsurumi relay station? Kakeru was stunned at the depth of the bond between Musa and Shindou.

“Hey, Musa. Think about something fun,” Shindou said in a nasal voice. “Once this is over, it’s finally New Year’s for us. I’m thinking of going home to my parents’ house during winter break. Do you want to come with me, Musa?”

“Is that okay? You’ll be spending time with your family, won’t you?”

“My parents are waiting for you to come and visit. We live in the boonies where there’s nothing, so there’s nothing to do there except building snowmen.”

 “What is a ‘snowman’?”

“That’s right, you've never made one. Then, it’s settled. Let’s go back to my home together.”

“Yes,” Musa nodded. “Thank you very much, Shindou-san.”

After hanging up, Musa’s eyes showed no more hesitation or fear. The cheering along the road grew even louder—they could probably see the runners now. Kakeru and Musa approached the road.

Kiyose came running from Keikyu Tsurumi-Ichiba Station carrying a bench coat. He saw Kakeru and Musa and exhaled loudly, saying, “I made it in time?”

“Musa, how are you feeling?”

“I am feeling good,” Musa assured them strongly. Kiyose checked his expression and his shoelaces, and made sure there was nothing out of place.

“Good. Prince will probably come here in last place. But don’t get shaken by that and just run as usual.”

“If we are in last place, then I will feel better, because we cannot get any worse than that,” Musa joked. “Besides, I am more comfortable chasing than being chased.”

“That’s the spirit,” Kakeru said, accepting Musa’s bench coat.

The Rikudou runner arrived at the Tsurumi relay station in the lead. The relay station was set up in front of a police box along Route 1—it was a nondescript tree-lined street, and since it was straight and level, one could clearly see the runners arriving one after the other.

The staff member who received the message hurriedly called out the school names. The runners of the first leg came in that order, so runners of the second leg went to the relay line to wait for their teammates.

Rikudou’s sash was relayed from the first-leg to the second-leg runner. His time was one hour four minutes and thirty-six seconds from the start at Otemachi. After him came Yokohama, Bousou, and Eurasia, handing over their sashes in that order with almost no time difference. It was a very close race, as the runners had been clustered together until the end.

Musa bent down. Kakeru leaned out into the road. One after another, the runners of the first leg came and handed over their sashes, and the runners of the second leg ran out of the Tsurumi relay station. There was still no sign of Prince. It was thirty seconds since Rikudou had passed.

“It’s Prince-san!”

In the shadow of the competition cars, they saw Prince, running with his teeth clenched. The staff member was calling out the names of the schools that were still at the relay station at the same time. “I am going,” Musa said. He stepped out onto the road and stood on the relay line.

Musa turned towards Prince and raised his hand. Prince was running desperately while swinging his arms, but when he noticed Musa’s figure, as though remembering, he removed his sash from his shoulder. The elastic waistband of his shorts snapped lightly against his side as though to scold him.

Just a little more, just a little more.

“Prince-san! Prince-san!”

Musa and Kakeru were shouting. Kiyose was standing next to Kakeru, waiting patiently for Prince to arrive.

After crossing the relay line, Prince put the sash he had been gripping in Musa’s hand as Musa began to run. The sash connected the two of them for a moment, and then it quickly slipped through Prince’s fingertips.

My heart hurts. I can’t even keep my eyes open. I wonder if this wild breathing belongs to me?

Prince stopped and pitched forward, almost falling, but then realized he was caught in someone’s arms.

“I take back what I said to you at Otemachi,” Kiyose’s voice was right next to him. “I wanted to say this to you: Thank you for coming all the way here with us.”

“You passed,” Prince muttered.

Kakeru and Kiyose took the Keihin Express to Yokohama and then the JR to Odawara. Since they were short of hands, they planned to go on ahead to Lake Ashi and meet with Shindou, who was running the fifth leg.

They were worried about leaving the exhausted Prince at the Tsurumi relay station, but Prince told them this:

“You two, just leave me behind and go to Hakone. I already finished running. When I can walk again, I’ll go to the hotel on my own.”

Prince had the role of keeping track of the race on TV in a hotel near Yokohama Station. Kiyose and Kakeru were also planning on returning from Hakone that night and staying in the same hotel to prepare for tomorrow’s race.

After rehydrating, Prince managed to get up, so Kakeru and Kiyose left the Tsurumi relay station.

The bench coat Kiyose had brought from Otemachi was once again being worn by Prince. Now, Kakeru was carrying Musa’s bench coat. Shindou would be wearing it after his climb. If they just barely had enough manpower, they also just barely had enough clothing.

On the second day of January, the seats on the Tokaido Line were almost all filled with people running after the Hakone Ekiden and families who seemed to be going for the first shrine visit of the New Year. Kakeru spotted an empty box seat and sat Kiyose in it. Kiyose took out a notepad and ballpoint pen from the pocket of his bench coat.

“Prince’s time?”

“One hour five minutes and thirty-seven seconds,” Kakeru answered after checking with the stopwatch function on his watch. Kiyose wrote down the data on the notepad.

“The time difference with Doujidou University, which was right in front of us, is eleven seconds. The difference with Rikudou, which is in the top position, is one minute and one second. We still have plenty of chances. Prince fought bravely.”

Kansei’s sash was handed over from Prince to Musa at the Tsurumi relay station, and they were in twentieth place out of the twenty teams competing. The Kanto Athletic Union’s selected team, which was made up of runners who had participated in the qualifiers, would use the individual times of each runner as an official record, but wouldn’t enter the rankings as a team. Therefore, Kansei was ranked nineteenth, but when they finished running the first leg, they were still unmistakably in last place in both name and reality.

But Kiyose was right: it was a time difference that could be overturned. The slow-paced development was a blessing for Prince and Kansei. The race had only just begun.

Kakeru was carrying the portable TV, but reception in the train was bad. “Try this one,” Kiyose told him, and gave him the radio. Right when he was twisting the knobs to try to get sound, Kiyose’s phone got a message. It was from King in the Totsuka relay station, who was with Jouta, the one running the third leg.

“Haiji, we’ve got a big problem! Look at the TV!”

“I can’t,” Kiyose said.

Previous | Next

[algernoninwonderland]

“Porter sur toi un nouveau regard”: basic outlines and preparatory notes

What better way to celebrate a fic being completed than me releasing some of the basic notes I took while planning it? Here they are, with a few additions.

 It all started as a prompt I got on Discord, the very simple “love at first sight” and I wasn’t quite sure what to do with it at first, but the idea of sight stuck with me. Are your first impressions the right ones? Can you learn to see someone a certain way or another? It’s ultimately a story about learning to see other people and yourself, isn’t it?

Which meant I had to take a certain point of view, because an omniscient floating eye is emotionally detached. Character POV may have a limited scope, but that may help empathise with them. This is a story about Kagami, so it was only fair for Kagami to be the centre of it.

Chapter 1: 

“How does Kagami truly feel about Marinette before Ikari Gozen”? 

While Marinette sees the two of them as rivals, that rivalry is one-sided, and Kagami wouldn’t take that girl seriously. She’s simply annoying. 

Kagami is a lonely character, who genuinely wants to make friends, still, and she’s anything but cool or smooth. She doesn’t know the other characters the way the audience does, at all.

Tomoe Tsurugi sucks.

Switching from “Dupain-Cheng” to “Marinette Dupain-Cheng” to “Marinette” would be a nice way to keep the reader hooked. Lots of tiny details that’ll come back later on!

Comphet. 

Lots of comphet already. What you “should” like, a calculated, conscious choice.

A few jabs at the show because why not.

Chapter 2:

Filling gaps in characterisation and timeline to make sure that everything hurts later on! Including pre-Adrigami. People thought the paperwork between Tomoe and Gabriel was a marriage contract, not quite, but an arranged relationship? Definitely from Tomoe’s side.

Are Kagami and Marinette already going on dates when they visit the city together all on their own? Isn’t that the true sapphic experience.

Also, the promise of them going to the terrace rooftop on sunny days! It’ll come back later on.

The Bike Motive. Marinette driving her forward.

“Your hair is beautiful” but make it much gayer. 

I hate the André scene in the finale, it sucks and it’s awful for everyone. It should be awful for both Marinette and Kagami. Comphet. So much comphet. 

Kagami’s impression of brokenness is something we’ll come back to over and over again.

Adrien doesn’t notice because he’s Adrien. The kiss. Nothing.

“K-Kagami!” End with a cliffhanger for more suffering.

As a side note, I made myself cry writing this chapter.

Chapter 3:

Everything hurts. Everything. Hurts. 

Identity reveals don’t solve anything, they still fail, and Marinette still isn’t willing to show herself to Kagami, still hiding behind a facade.

Just because Marinette understands things a little better doesn’t mean it hurts any less

They are both lying to each other and themselves and they don’t even realise it.

“Fixing the brokenness” through comphet.

Nothing is solved at all.

Falling asleep on a chaise longue plus blanket

Chapter 4:

Life as a socialite in Paris, concerts and restaurants, wearing clothes she hasn’t chosen

The Adrien routine, pulling chairs and flowers

It’s all miserable still, lots of “shoulds”

Fencing competition, fencing competition ahead. Tomoe is a terrible parent and a terrible coach.

Text conversations with Marinette, overdoes joy with emojis

The Bike Motive Returns, with more feelings, Marinette’s almost desperate gestures

(Kagami as the only person she can fully confide in, but still won’t)

An early birthday present… But Kagami is born in November, Marinette is a mess and so is her room.

Hug and first hint of reciprocated Marigami? Just the happiness of having someone like Kagami who admires her work as Marinette.

Falling asleep on a chaise longue plus blanket, part deux.

KAGAMI IN A SUIT!!!

Kisses on the cheek are really common in France, not Japan. A heavy kiss.

Dress or suit?

Marinette is a mess, texts at night. Difference between Adrien and Marinette’s texts, Adrien’s more self-centred.

No sense of space in Tokyo, jet lag and closed house. Closed spaces. 

Chapter 5:

I’m going to write a full chapter about sabre fencing and people will love it

Lots of sneaky (or not so sneaky) GL and Yuri manga/anime references. Make Juri Arisugawa part of the Jury.

All the locations are real

Marinette overdoes it again, Kagami can’t tell.

Kagami’s technique dissecting her opponents. She is a champion already.

Teach the readers about fencing whilst describing it. Have opponents be challenging in specific, understandable ways.

She chooses the suit. What even is subtlety.

As a side note: it was a really fun one to write.

Chapter 6:

Marinette internship phone call, Nathalie’s plan. No way Gabriel would accept to work with a kid. Flirting, Kagami as a muse?

The Foucault chapter. Everything is a prison. Restaurant, vertical stripes on wall as prison bars, the relationship, the self-locking car. This is no Utena car.

Everything is wrong, including the food

Adrigami friendship, much better than Adrigami romance. Rose/Chair. She doesn’t hate him at all, she just doesn’t love him… It wouldn’t work, she’s gay and he’s a liar.

Self-imposed gestures of affection.

Do not describe the kisses, they’re just a thing she has to do

Marinette is a mess, Ladybug is a mess, hell imagery, falling down a hole, almost dying. We are in the car with Kagami and we want to do something, anything, and we can’t.

Chapter 7:

The first step to things being alright again is to admit that they aren’t alright now

Nighttime conversation, Kagami letting Ladybug in

Marinette finally showing herself bare to Kagami but still tries not to until the dam breaks. Being a hero is miserable. Being the Guardian when you are a child with no guidance or support is miserable. Kagami as the only person she can trust.

Botched Lukanette date?

“I’m just so tired.”

“You are not a failure, you are so courageous, a genius fashion designer and my best friend”

(Additional note: I cried writing that passage)

Sharing the burden: help in more than just words.

“I hate that you have to see me like that.”

But showing your vulnerability and still being accepted as true love

Kagami truly sees Marinette now.

“Tutorship” and Tomoe being awful but excuse works. Help is material, homework, tidying up the room together.

“Stop feeling guilty about letting other people help you.”

Flirting hidden behind jokes, Kagami lying to herself. Way to ruin the mood.

Marigami baking.

Harlem 88, postal workers, acab

Watching television on the same couch, or rather watching Marinette watch television.

Umbrella scene with polka dots.

Kagami fully aware of her feeling and afraid of them, afraid that Marinette might feel the same

Chapter 8:

more fencing, Kagami absolutely rules

Worrying about Marinette alone with Gabriel, rightfully so, but can’t say that out loud

Stereotypical outdated Japanese-ness, Kagami can’t conform, doesn’t know how to put on her houmongi on her own. Tomoe and paradoxes, her daughter is both weak and “too muscular” at the same time.

The Palais Royal. The Buren columns are very climbable.

Gabriel, “quite miraculous”. Testing the waters, Kagami doesn’t notice. 

Jealousy when Adrien speaks of Marinette?

Ratatouille reference! Tatou. 

Tomoe playing the role of the exotic Japanese to be accepted. 

Drunk parents, drunk on power and self-satisfaction. 

Adrien’s kiss, forced to return it. 

Fear that Adrien might become Marinette’s muse

The bike motive once more

Barkk’s power is tracking magical signatures, each is different from the other

Marinette taking control over her own life, making plans to stop Hawk Moth instead of passively waiting for each attack, 

“She was never broken. She is in love with another girl.”

Marinette is in love with her too, but is ready to wait.

Chapter 9:

Adrien IS Chat Noir, up to the entitlement and his way of being physically affectionate. Stay true to canon and canon implications.

Adrigami/DJWifi double date, Alya means well but doesn’t know everything

Wordbuilding: of course the Ladyblog isn’t the only website ever, bad rival, Daily Bugle pun.

Not hating someone doesn’t mean you should be with them.

Hints of Adrigami friendship again, relief at avoiding romance.

Food at Kagami’s, cooker, formally perfect but not personal

Marinette and Barkk, closer to their goal

The Turtle Pearl bracelet: a shield, a great way to show feeling of danger, symbol of love

Kagami is the one to kiss Marinette on the cheek this time

Chapter 10:

Tomoe is a bad instructor episode 100

In which Adrien proves himself to truly be also Chat Noir, i.e. unable to understand personal barriers and entitlement. Still Kagami’s POV. He doesn’t think he’s doing anything wrong, insistence≠playfulness. certainly won’t apologise

The bike motive again. Scenic road and conversation

Going to Orsay, definitely a date!

Chat Noir was moody during akuma crisis because of course he was.

Chapter 11:

Adrigami “break”, Adrien sucks at admitting that he’s anything but perfect and being confronted with that.

Kagami bluntness.

Adrigami isn’t about Adrigami, it’s about the Tsurugi family’s status and Tomoe terrified of consequences. Attacking the room instead of Kagami herself.

The Turtle Pearl glows when wearer feels endangered or imminent danger

The museum pictures, the two of them together

Aquarium date?

“Voice of reason” isn’t the voice of reason at all.

Barkk is in the bag, smells everything

Chapter 12:

Kagami as Tomoe’s messenger

Agreste mansion as a mausoleum, setting up the geography, security cameras, cold. Painting of Émilie, goal is near

Nathalie being extremely good at pretending she didn’t just knock that kid unconscious months ago, she’s awful and it’s great.

Marinette internship, Gabriel wears a bowtie… Resembles a butterfly.

Barkk in the bag, smells everything.

Stressful phone call, feels feverish, it’s him and that’s undeniable.

Marinette the detective.

“Thanks for being there for me”

“Thank you for trusting me so much”

Having dinner with Hawk Moth, it’s awful and stressful

No more chair/rose

Adrien is miserable but not aggressive. Building up to final fight

Chapter 13:

Meet the Dupain-Chengs, short, awkward, sweet moment

Marinette’s room, perfectly clean

From creepy stalker to detective, without downplaying the former or overplaying the latter

The two are complementary, very concrete things, 

The plan: catch Hawk Moth red-handed, take it outside and expose him to the world

How the Kwami Pearls work: just like the Miraculouses themselves, feeding off the host, only more brutal. Marinette trying to reassure Kagami

Re-explain Turtle Pearl and other powers, illusion, thunder, time-rewind and portal

Gabriel owns original Degas painting since they are both assholes

Adrien/Chat still not great at all

Ice-cream but no biphobia/lesbophobia this time, just a regular shop suggested by Juleka.

The Pont des Arts, no more locks, just like in real life.

The confession, the kiss: consent and everything is right, but also desperate. Marinette really wants to do it well.

Longg is back, also, hype

Side note: I cried writing this one.

Chapters 14-15

Ryuko infiltrating the mansion, all in the details

I hate that Hawk Moth’s lair is an actual real physical space in the show, but if this needs to be material, then so be it. He was allowed to turn his house into that because he got help from the Mayor/Audrey.

Chat Noir can’t fight, near breakdown.

Nathalie knew. Remake of first fight, only Ryuko has clear upper hand.

Having missiles in your house isn’t a good idea.

The Turtle Pearl serves its purpose at last, 

Gabriel mostly defeats himself on his own, hubris, the whole extent of his power dynamic with Nathalie

Going back to the Champ de Mars, 

Teamwork, taking the butterfly down. Chat Noir rejects his father entirely, cataclysm-ed akuma.

The mansion again, entirely destroyed, paintings of Émilie burning. Spell book and tablet recovered.

Chapter 16:

Taking the big bad down is useless if you don’t take down the power structures that allowed him to strive in the first place. Killing Voldemort only solves that much.

Discovering it all on a phone screen, shut-in

ACAB no matter your gender

They are just following orders and happy to do so, and Gabriel still has some power over them

Tomoe plays by the rules, even though these rules are awful

Kagami’s anger

Chapter 17:

Aquarium date, aquarium date! Fish facts

Kagami’s anger still, doesn’t die out, render it through environment and senses

Water as a healing motive, fish facts

Hot outside - cold inside, ice-cream

Kagami nearly blows out because of kids after being slightly soothed

The power of love is strong but it can’t solve everything.

Additional note: someone in the comments asked me if Kagami had ASD, and the answer is, I don’t know, you tell me! If you think she is on the spectrum, then she is!

Addressing Kagami being closeted, because there’s simply no other way. This isn’t good. Having to live hidden out of fear isn’t good..

The bike motive, + ice cream

Kagami uses the word “lesbian” for the first time to describe her own experience.

Chapter 18:

Tomoe has feelings and these feelings suck. Under the guise of rules, abuse.

Kagami fighting back.

Power is material, through connections and money, nothing that can’t be bought

Kagami’s first demonstration, don’t make it too violent but still ACAB

Nino and Alya as reporters, Julerose and Luka seasoned protestors

The Palais de Justice’s gilded gates are closed vs the crowd

Marinette using her powers for something other than Hawk Moth, strong stance but also still a 15 yo kid’s understanding of the situation

Chapters 19-20:

No tanabata because Tomoe is terrible

The rooftop terrace at last, more Marigami wholesomeness

Dupain-Cheng house vs Tsurugi house, the furniture and dishes, the meal, more Tom and Sabine

Marinette has been cut from her Chinese heritage, exploring that (callback to Mandarin app, chapter 1) and bitterness of it

Adrien moving on in England, still Plagg with him, he’ll become a rich prep boy

Marinette as a Guardians, her own spell book

Duusuu is devouring Émilie’s soul and neither Marinette nor Kagami knows

Françoise Dupont at night, fencing classes, Marinette moves like Ladybug

The future: it is bright but bittersweet, let’s talk about it together

And there was only one bed

Oh, to cuddle with your girlfriend in her bed for the first time

Watching the sun rise together, calm breakfast

Side note: I also cried writing this one.

Chapter 21, epilogue

A new beginning

Kagami turning her back on her mother almost entirely

The bike motive, but Kagami no longer needs Marinette to show her the way now

New school, familiar faces but not only

An ordinary bracelet for Marinette, but proof of love despite everything

End on their hands.

[lyansi]

Dulce periculum

Summary: Kagome isn't too sure how she found herself in this position. She often tells herself not to take on too much, not to allow herself to be deluded, and to not involve herself unnecessarily in every issue she comes across.

But how could she not? It was in her very nature to be compassionate. And, it was because of this disposition that she found herself in the middle of the night, on a Friday no less, deeply consumed with the sweet taste of danger.

Author Notes: Although Day 4 is an exploration of the sin greed, I have actually decided to explore its virtue: charity/generosity. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi is responsible for the Inuyasha series, I only lay claim on the story I have written.

The whispers of raindrops are the only sounds she hears as it thrums against her umbrella.

Pitter-patter.

Pitter-patter.

Pitter-patter.

Light sprinkles turn into a rhythmic beat as large droplets begin to splash on the parasol, against the sidewalk, and soak into her sneakers. Hopefully she can make it home before it soaks through to her socks. Pastel-pink lips part and blue eyes gaze over the lip of the umbrella, careful to avoid dripping rain onto herself. Street lights flicker to life with the setting sun. Higurashi Kagome sighs and closes her eyes, shivering underneath the too-big raincoat as a breeze passes.

Luckily, Miroku spared an extra umbrella and his raincoat for use— he insisted, in fact, to drive her home but Kagome was quite reluctant. She kept insisting that she preferred to walk the twenty minutes between the clinic and her house. That it was merely going to sprinkle. Anyway, he was leaving much earlier than she was and she still had much more medical paperwork to look over before calling it quits.

Early on during her undergraduate degree, Kagome began to volunteer at shelters geared towards at-risk youth. Although trained as a spiritualist and miko, where she  helped her grandfather at the family shrine her spare time, she was much more invested in the community outreach programs. The human-youkai war had ended a century ago and although the larger more industrial cities lived in peace, there was still dissent in many rural parts of Japan. Often times, skirmishes lead to orphaned youkai and hanyou in foster care.

Read on AO3

In the last year of university, she had begun to look for outreach opportunities that would better prepare her for medical school. At the same time, Miroku, a graduate student, was looking for volunteers to help with his community project. She wound up spending many weeknights and weekends shadowing alongside the spiritualistic physicians who gave medical attention to young youkai and hanyou.

After Kagome started medical school, his small community project became a thriving medical clinic and shelter for those same at-risk youth. Thankfully she was able to choose his clinic in her pediatric rotation for her medical training, and often where she found herself working late on Friday evenings.

It was only after a few more hours of intense scrutiny over her clerical task that she realized that the sun had begun to dip into the horizon as streaks of orange and pink began to paint the sky. By the time she cleaned up her desk, and slipped into the large raincoat, even the last rays of sun began to wane.

And, what would have been a normal humid September evening was threatened by thick, gray clouds drifting overhead. Although rain was typical during this year— the weather app made no notice of such dark looking clouds that had begun to roll in as she locked up the clinic.

Using one hand, the woman grips at the neck of her coat, checking to ensure the fasteners are secure. When satisfied, Kagome quickened her pace. The office was not too far off from her home luckily. All she had to do was turn the corner here, walk three blocks up the street and—

Upon turning the corner, Kagome’s steps began to falter.

Standing underneath the stream of a street lamp and without any type of cover from the rain, a tall man stands with his back towards her. He is deep in conversation with an unseen person. The rain soaks into his shirt, clinging against his muscular form. One sleeve is rolled to reveal bright blue lotus flowers, woven alongside a slithering golden snake that wraps around a tanned forearm. Hands, balled up at his side, look bruise and stained with blood, washing away as the rain soaks him. Black hair drips with water, coming loose from its plait as it hangs down the expanse of his back.

Kagome’s eyebrows come together in confusion and immediately she senses that something is wrong. The man possesses no discernible jaki, so he must not be a demon, but he did not seem to hold reiki either leaning to the fact that he was just a regular human man.

It was his stance, however, that put her on edge. With feet spread wide and fists balled at his side, it was more than enough to make her shift with unease. She couldn’t see his face but knew for certain it must be contorted in anger. Feelings of anxiety begin to bubble in the pit of her stomach. Should she turn around to take a different path home?

Before she could make that decision, the man turns to her. She stares back in shock. Blue, angry eyes glare at her before Kagome notices it. Etched across his forehead in purple is a diamond star. A mark she recognizes belonging to a distinct fraction of criminals: the yakuza.

The man turns back down the passage, making a gesture as he does so. Kagome watches as he walks in the opposite direction casually and, not even moments later, another man emerges from the alley.

Like the first man, two vertical stripes emerge from the bottom of his chin and extends to his eyebrow line. In the middle of his forehead, a pointed mark was stamped. Unlike the first man whose hair fell to his waist, this man was completely bald. Beady eyes stared at her for a moment before he, too, walked away in nonchalance.

The young medical student lets out a breath she had not even been aware of holding. Kagome eyes the alleyway wearily. What exactly were those two men doing there? Maybe she should just turn around and find a different road back home after all.

Instead, she finds herself taking steps closer and closer to the entrance of the alley. At that moment the sky decides to opens up entirely and, what began as a slow drizzle, picks up speed and force. As she approaches the entrance, her heart begins to hammer against her ribs, lub-dub lub-dub lub-dub, as she remembers the stain of blood bright against tanned skin.

As Kagome peers with hesitance into the alley, her shoulders fall away from her chin. On the left side, the building wraps around with the entrance facing into the alleyway. Standing across the building were color coded trash receptacles. Nothing unusual stood out: she misinterpreted the scene for something more nefarious. It was, after all, a completely normal alleyway. Including the figure leaning precariously on the opposite end of the receptacles.

A soft gasp leaves Kagome’s lips and she rushes forward, the umbrella falling from her hands, forgotten. Soaked to the bone, a man is thrown carelessly against one side of the bin. Dark hair forms a curtain around his frame, matted against his skin and clothes. From her angle, she is unable to see his face.

“Hey! You— are you okay?” Kagome reaches out carefully and tries to rouse him. With his head tilted back in an ungraceful and seemingly uncomfortable way, Kagome can only assume him to be unconscious. She blinks away the suddenly onslaught of rain, wiping at her face as it presses her fringe to her forehead.

When Kagome presses a hand against his chest to check for a heartbeat, she feels a sudden warmth. Quickly pulling back her hand, Kagome is astonished to see her hand dripping in bright, red blood. He was injured!

“Oh no, oh no…” Kagome looks behind her. She is certain that no one would be walking around in this weather. Furthermore, walking in a residential area, there were few businesses that are still open this late. Biting her lip, Kagome decides the best solution for this situation is to get him to a place that could help.

“Hey— I’m going to help you… if you don’t want me to, you have to tell me now.” She bites her lip, knowing she is making a useless gesture by asking for permission. Even if he were conscious enough to deny her assistance, she would still insist upon it. She was compassionate, after all.

When the man makes no response, Kagome slides an arm underneath his back and works to lift him up. The sudden movement causes the man to rasp for breath, his head and chest leaning forward against her shoulder.

Using her strength, she pulls the two of them straight up. The man is definitely much taller than Kagome and she has to lean the both of them against one another.

For a moment, she wonders at the repercussions of taking this stranger to a hospital. Obvious reasons plainly indicate that taking him to the hospital might be the better place however, it may lead to some unsavory questions and refusal to assist in gang violence (because, honestly, what other situation could this be?).

Anyway, if he didn’t have his health insurance card on him, Kagome feared she would be stuck with the cost of his medical care. While she was generous to a fault, paying for a strangers very expensive medical bill helps to separate the line between generous and stupidity.

So, she makes the decision to take him back home with her. It didn’t seem like he had a weapon on him and, regardless, he was too injured to even think of hurting her. She makes a mental note to call Miroku in the morning, already knowing the firm lecture she will receive.

Thankfully, she works in a high-volume hospital and had come across her fair share of gang-related victims. This would not be the first time she patched up an injured person. And, at least it was a human this time. Some of the demons and hanyou she worked with were much harder to care for alone due to their naturally aggressive temperament when under threat.

She isn’t sure how she did it, but somehow she was able to make the trek back home. Kagome is surprised by her own strength to make it up the steps to the shrine, over the courtyard, and into the house. The rain was quick to pass through and she was able to avoid slipping through puddles.

Upon arriving, she lays him on the dining table, grateful that one of the entrances opens into the kitchen.

“Mama!” Kagome calls out, exhausted and soaked.

No answer.

“Mama? Oji-chan?” Kagome calls out again, frowning. Were they not home?

“Souta?”

Still— no response.

She walks around the kitchen as if to look for some clue. Finally, she finds it: taped on fridge door is a note written in her younger brothers handwriting (Oji-chan wanted to visit the Gero Onsen Town in Gifu. We will be back on Sunday. Mom says to lock up!).

“Great, just great Kagome.” She mumbles to herself, eyeing the unconscious man. His breathing has become harsher, and a sweat is beginning to break out across his forehead. At least she wouldn’t have to explain to her family why she brought an unconscious, wounded man back home.

With measured speed and accuracy, Kagome begins to move around the kitchen. She grabs scissors from a drawer, several clean dishrags, and fills a bowl with water. She rummages through several cabinets before finding her emergency first aid kit. Immediately, she begins working.

The first thing she does is to remove his shirt with care. Seeing how she was unable to determine where his wound was or the extent of it, cutting his shirt down the middle was her best option. Once the cloth gives her an unobstructed view of his chest, Kagome dips the dishcloth in the water and begins to dab away blood.

Had the situation been different, Kagome would have bashfully reveled in the expanse of skin. Whoever this man was, he definitely cared for his fitness. Muscles pulled taut at his abdomen and his Adonis belt dipping below the waistband of his pants.

Once Kagome cleans the blood away, it becomes easy to see the knife puncture below his false rib. Maybe due to the fact that she had put unintended pressure on the wound dragging him down the street, it was not bleeding as heavily as it could have been.

It definitely is not as deep as she originally thought and the location is not nearly as severe as some of the other injuries she had cared for in the past. With rest and care, she was certain this man would make a proper recovery.

What shocks her more than the knife wound is the number of bruises that mar his body. Lesions of different sizes and hues of purple smear themselves up his chest. She isn’t sure what warranted such an attack on this man but she was sympathetic to his pain.

Kagome works to dump the soiled water and the rags into the kitchen sink. Filling a saucepan with water, Kagome places it on the stovetop to boil. She scrubs her hands and underneath her fingernails clean and moves to remove the suture kit.

As the water boils, Kagome throws her instruments into the water. After a few minutes and using a strainer, she removes them and places them on a napkin. Kagome irrigates his wound with fresh water, before she begins to suture up him up. While working, Kagome is unaware of the passage of time. She isn’t sure whether the stitching takes her ten minutes, or an hour. When she is finally done, she throws herself down into one of the chairs closest to her and stares at him.

Reaching out, the young woman pushes away hair from his face. For the first time, Kagome actually takes a good look at the man.

Thick, dark eyebrows frame over heavy-lidded eyes. A prominent, straight nose protrudes from the middle of his face. The young woman’s eyes follow down towards full lips and a thick, muscular neck. Had it not been for the current situation, Kagome would have blushed at staring at him with such earnest.

At the top of his chest, Kagome realizes that a tattoo adorns his skin. The ink wraps around his pectoral, upper shoulder, and down his bicep. She leans closer to examine the design. Along the upper part of his chest protrudes the figure of a large canine, as if emerging celestially from the heavens itself. Golden eyes with flecks of red and yellow stare back at her. The dog vanishes in hues and shades of blues clouds that trail down his shoulder and along his bicep. Cherry blossom petals cascade around his elbow.

Reaching out a hand, Kagome traces the canine figure along his bicep. She fingers the clouds along his shoulder, and follows the path of the sakura petals. For the briefest of moments she questions if she did the right thing to care for his wound.

Exhaustion answers her, instead.

Getting up, Kagome begins to clean. She throws dirty rags in the sink, she wipes down dried blood from the table and counters. After cleaning and putting away her first aid kit, she checks the time on her phone. The backlight flashes back at her, 12:37 AM. Sunrise would be happening soon enough and she was expected to wake early in the absence of her grandfather and brother to start Shrine duties.

Should she leave him on the table then? She isn’t sure she has the strength to take him up the stairs to one of the rooms. “He may be more comfortable on the futon, though…” Kagome mumbles to herself. She slides open the shoji that separates the kitchen from the living room.

The young woman rummages through the cabinet space in the living room and pulls out the spare futon. She pushes the chabudai out of the way and throws the zabuton to the side before walking back into the kitchen.

Pulling the man off of the table, Kagome is careful to not tear open his stitches. Already exhausted between her long day and now treating this stranger, she relies heavy on the wall for support as she makes her way into the next room.

She successfully avoids the chabudai and manages to all but drop him on the futon. For the first time, a weak groan emerges from him.“Oh— shoot! Sorry, sorry.” She kneels next to his prone figure, checking over his stitches.

Satisfied with her results, and fatigued from the day, she decides to lay down on the tatami next to him.

She’ll lay only for a minute.

Kagome sighs and closes her eyes.

One minute to recharge herself.

Her breathing begins to slow.

Only a few more seconds and she’ll get up to go to her room.

Kagome is sure she must have fallen asleep as she imagines a pulling under her neck and below her knees. Her neck tilts to the side as she feels herself pressed against a firm torso. Her arm falls away from her chest and, although she should expect it to feel the tatami underneath her, she does not. In fact, she feels nothing as it dangles.

As if someone were carrying her.

Kagome startles awake, her entire upper half jumping up from her horizontal position. Heart hammering in her chest, it takes her a moment to clear away the sleep and confusion. She immediately recognizes her desk, the curtains, and her bed. Her comforter falls away from her, thrown back upon her sudden wakefulness.

When did she get in her room?

Kagome thinks to the night before: the tattooed thugs, the injured man. At some point she must have fallen asleep and awoken again to climb the steps to her room. She decides she should go check on the man.

As she begins to spring out of bed, Kagome sees her curtains flutter. Frowning, she realizes that for whatever reason, she decided to open the window. She approaches it and shuts the window tight, pulling the curtains open. The sun is beginning to peak over the horizon.

Kagome turns and begins to make her way downstairs. She decides to check on the man before she changes into her miko uniform. Although her family’s shrine has served the area for five centuries, it was not a huge tourist attraction. Usually, on a weekend, there would only be one couple who bothered to come before mid-morning. This gave her ample time to check on the man, change, and even fix herself (and him) some breakfast foods.

As she makes it to the last landing of the stairs, she full expects to see a dark-haired man laying down on the futon. What she does not expect to see, is an empty futon when her fingers flip on the living room light.

If he was awake and moving, where could he be?

Oh man, bringing him back home was a bad idea. What was she thinking?! Her family was definitely going to come home to see her mangled body thrown on the tatami. How could she be so selfish? And here she thought she was acting with genorisity.

Kagome swallows, glancing behind her, as if expecting to see him standing on the stairs above, like some axe-wielding murderer. He isn’t though. Nor is he in the kitchen or any of the rooms, or bathrooms.

“Hello? Hello! Come out please!” She calls out as she moves around the house from room to room. The man isn’t there. Nothing seems to be out of sorts either. Hands on her hips, Kagome huffs and glares at the empty futon.

After searching the house twice, she decides to give up. Either he was hiding too well for her to find (not that there were even any hiding places in the house) or he got up and left.

No note or anything! Not even a thank-you!

As she stares down the empty futon, Kagome notices a thin, string-like object thrown across the bed. Frowning, she kneels to get a much better look, noticing the droplets of blood that stand out against the cot. Frowning, she immediately recognizes the suture thread stitched into his skin hours before.

Did he rip out his stitches? How could he be so ungrateful and do something so careless! He must be bleeding all over again— wherever he was. In the end though, Kagome recognizes that there was nothing she could do. For whatever reason, this man decided to refused to accept her help. She hopes he would seek medical attention elsewhere, if needed.

But Kagome knew she couldn’t allow such thoughts to plague her. Shaking her head back and forth, she balls her fist. By doing so, her fingers tangle in long, silverly threads of hair. She pulls her hand up to examine the fine tresses, eyebrows furrowing together.

Was her Ojii-chan using this futon to sleep in? It would make sense, but the hair seems way too long. As she lengthens the threads to asses the size, she knew that it could not have been her grandfathers hair. With a span this long, it would fall down to her knees. Who else could have such long, thin silvery hair?

Was it possible that her grandfather had a lady friend?

Shuddering, Kagome balked at the thought of her grandfather being that friendly. It definitely did not fit his personality. Anyway, her mother was always home— the older woman would have mentioned it to her that he had someone stay the night. Maybe she should ask them about it when they returned— it’s possible that her mother was sworn to secrecy with this matter.

Chuckling to herself, Kagome begins to fold the futon. She returns it back to the closet and begins to straighten the room. Once she decides the living room is clean, thrown the dirted rags in the wash, and wipes and disinfects the kitchen, Kagome begins to prepare for her day, suddenly more excited than normal.

She couldn’t wait to find out exactly how her grandfather would react to his secret being revealed.

[ask-the-phan-site]

Phan Cam: First Day, First Year

REMINDER: Keep in mind that this takes place in a fictional version of the world where things are a little different, but some real-world problems do happen here. So please forgive us if this brings up any hurtful subjects.

NOTE OR WARNING: Tokyo University is very strange to the other admin who is an American and doesn’t understand it. Like there being more than one campus in the city or which teaches what. So we’re just going to make it up as we go. But you can give him more clear and simple information on our sister site. Also, this post may get a bit long.

>The University of Tokyo, Komaba Campus. Our first day of college at last. Partly because of the coronavirus, they started the year late.

Everyone, we have arrived.

You bet! Never thought I’d make it.

I know. You’re usually good at sports and music. And to get in on a music scholarship just for being an Idol, just make it amazing.

Skull: (a little offended) Hey, I resent that.

Either way, we’re here.

I know. We’re so happy. We can be together again.

Not all of us.

I know. I hope Futaba and Sumire are doing fine without us.

Joker: And I left Morgana with Boss. He hired him to work at the cafe.

>We hear a ring on our phones. We check them.

Good luck at college, you guys.

We’ll be rooting for you.

We know you can do it... Especially you, Lady Ann.🍀

Have fun studying!🏫

That’s so sweet of them.

We’ll have to thank them when we can.

I’m sure we will.

>We all were nearing the entrance when we were nearly hit by a van.

OH MY!

Hey, watch it, dip shit! You almost hit us!

>The car door opens.

Sorry about that. I guess somethings haven’t changed.

Urashima Sensei!?

Panther: You know this guys?

Queen: Yes. This is Keitaro Urashima, he’s an archaeologist here. He also  an assistant to Seta Sensei and substitutes for him in his class...

And seeing you here in Seta’s van means something is not right and your are substituting for him today.

Keitaro Urashima: Yeah, Seta’s being tested for the coronavirus today. I haven’t got any news yet, but until then, he asked me to fill in for his class.

Queen: I see. I wonder what if the rest of the faculty will be fine.

>Suddenly, a huge gust of wind blows. We’re nearly knocked down when we look up.

As I live and breathe.

>The woman in the blue coat and red hat came closer and closer down with her umbrella until she finally landed and closes it.

Woman with English Accent: (no picture at her request) You really should remember which side of the road they drive in Japan, Keitaro, you nearly ran over these students who are just hear for their first day. Mr. Amamiya, Mr. Sakamoto, Ms. Takamaki, Mr. Kitagawa, Ms. Nijima, Ms. Okumura, Detective Akechi, you need to be more aware of your surroundings despite standing in awe, you were lucky you heard the van coming otherwise you would have to spent the first day of the new year in the hospital which is already full at the moment. And Mr. Sakamoto, you really need to watch your mouth, there might be children nearby who may hear you.

>We all just stood there in silent about how a complete stranger knows our name.

Joker: You know who we are?

???: Of course she know. She’s Mary Poppins.

>We turn quickly to see Ryu and Wolf.

Crow: Oh, good morning, Ryu san, Zenckichi san.

Hello, all.

Good morning. You, too, Ms. Poppins.

Mary Poppins: Mary.

Wolf: Who else?

Mary Poppins: No. Mary Poppins. Never ever just Mary or Ms. Poppins.

Wolf: Forgive me.

Mary Poppins: It’s quite alright.

Keitaro Urashima: What brings you here? You know we’re in a state of emergency at the moment.

Mary Poppins: I can assure you that I have been thoroughly check. I am not carrying the coronavirus. However, the English Literature teacher, Mr. Dokusha, tested positive. Fortunately, it was a minor case and is expected to recover very soon. But in the meantime, I shall be substituting for him. But I am still first and foremost a nanny, so I’m only available certain days while also looking after children.

Queen: I see. But they does not explain why these two are here.

Ryu: You know which child she’s nannying? Kuri. I know Hase will be taking online classes this year, but with Inaba doing deliveries, he needs a little more help then the other tenants can offer.

Wolf: And I’m here to make sure things will be fine with Ms. Mary Poppins since she is English and the state of emergency has cautioned international travel.

Mary Poppins: I am very glad you are here for that. Thank you.

Wolf: You’re welcome.

Mary Poppins: Now, inside. The Dean is about to speak and we shouldn’t stand outside for too long. Spit Spot.

>We followed Mary Poppins inside while Ketaro goes to park the van.

>After a speech from the Dean gave a speech about how we have to stay strong in times like these (especially since more or less of the student body chose to study from home) and to make the most of it, we gathered together discuss the mysterious Mary Poppins..

Crow: I have heard her name a few time back at the apartment. I was told she stayed there a couple of times. I guess she just arrived to day...

By umbrella, no less.

Panther: I wonder what kind of teacher she’ll be like.

Fox: Me and Ren will find out soon enough, we have her first.

Skull: Wish we could join ya, but I’ve got my own class. (sad) Why’d it hafta be Math?

Panther: I have Acting Class.

Noir: I need to get to Agricultural Studies.

Queen: History of Law is up for me and Akechi.

Crow: Right, so we’ll see each other at lunch.

>We agree and go our separate ways.

>Fox and I arrive at our classroom. Not many student were there, but there were cameras and monitors for students studying from home. Me and Fox sit together (probably the only ones who are). Then, Mary Poppins comes.

Mary Poppins: Welcome, class. As the Dean had already announced, I will be teaching this class for a time. Now, for the book we will be starting with is one of my favorites: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Holmes has appeared a number of times in Sir Doyle’s works. There is even a museum dedicated to him on the real life 221B Baker Street in London, England. Of course, there have been a few times when when Holmes went on many cases and adventures with characters from other works. Such as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the dual-personality doctor of Robert Louis Stevenson, Count Dracula of Bram Stoker, and even, though it only in a video game... a famous thief. Does anyone here know who that thief is?

>I have a feeling she’s looking at me.

Mary Poppins: How about you, Mr. Amamiya? Do you know the famous thief of another work who went against Holmes?

>Carmen Sandiego >>Arsene Lupin >Lupin III >James Moriarty >The Phantom Thieves >Ishikawa Goemon

Mary Poppins: That is correct. You seem to know much about this gentleman thief.

You could say we have a... close connection.

Mary Poppins: Yes. I have a feeling as such. (she winks back)

>Fox and I just stare at each other for a moment in confusion.

Mary Poppins: Anyway, yes, Arsene Lupin, who was created by Maurice Leblanc, once went up against Sherlock Holmes. As for the rest of you, if you thought for a moment that it was James Moriarty, that is the wrong answer. Moriarty was also created by Sir Doyle as the nemesis of Holmes.

Male Masked Student: No way. He got it right.

Female Masked Student: It actually quite smart to know something like that. Maybe I should get his number.

He’s already taken.

Female Masked Student: (surprised) Really? The two of you are together?

Mary Poppins: If we can get back on subject. Now, I wish you all to write a short report about what you think of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. You have until the end of class. Don’t worry, those studying from home, we have a printer and you can email it to there. I will collect it from there.

>We spent the remainder of the class writing down our thought about Sherlock Holmes.

>The bell rang and it was time for our next class.

Fox: I’m afraid this is where we must part. I have Art Class next.

Joker: Archaeology for me.

Until we meet again, I will be thinking of you.

And I of you.

>We hug... and go to the wall-hanging hand sanitizers.

>I arrive at the front of the class room where Archaeology is taught. I was just about to enter when someone runs into me. We are both knocked down.

???? ????: OW! Sorry!

Joker: It’s okay. I should have been looking where I was going... Hold on.

>I pick him up. I look at his hair...

I recognize that hair anywhere. You’re him, aren’t you? ... The King of Games.

Yeah, I get that a lot.

Joker: I know. What are you doing here?

NOTE: We know that Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Dark Side of Dimensions was released some years this post, but for the sake of the Phan-sites’s storyline, we’ve changed a few things. Please forgive us if you don’t like it.

Yugi Muto: It’s my first year here at Tokyo U. I know I said I would work at my grandpa’s game store and create games of my own, but I thought I’d still go to college to improve those skills. And you... I know you. You’re friends with Ryuji Sakamoto of KUROFUNE. I saw you perform at the talent part of Dream FES.

Joker: Yes. Ren Amamiya, at your service, Yugi san.

Yugi Muto: You know, you can just call me Yugi.

>We both head inside. Just like in the last class, there were more or less people here while cameras and monitors helping us connect to students from their homes. Keitaro Urashima comes in.

Keitaro Urashima: Hey, everyone. I’m Keitaro Urashima. But, you can call me Keitaro if it makes you feel comfortable. Welcome to Archaeology. Here, we will learn about the ancient world. Now, according to Seta’s notes, we’re to start with the basics of the basics. First off, a short history of archaeology. Archaeology was first introduced in the 16th century Europe. They say that it first began when Nabonidus, the last king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, became interested in the past so he could align himself with past glories. However, an early investigation of the past could be traced back to Ancient Greece... You, the one with the glasses next to the odd-hair young man.

>He’s talking to me.

Keitaro: Do you know the name of the Ancient Greek historian who had an interest in investigating the past?

>Socrates >Plato >>Herodotus >Homer

Keitaro: That’s right! You must have a real interest in this stuff, Amamiya kun. The Greek historian and scholar, Herodotus, was the first historian to collect his material systematically, test their accuracy, arranged them in a well-constructed narrative. Plato and his disciple, Socrates, were philosophers and Homer was an author who wrote the Odyssey. Herodotus was known as the “Father of History”.

Long Haired Girl in Mask: That’s amazing!

Masked Young Man with Piercing: I can’t believe he got it right.

As am I. You’re amazing

He always is.

Keitaro: Alright, alright, settle down now. By the way, Amamiya kun, who you all recognize from Dream FES’s Talent Show, isn’t the only celebrity here. We also have Hifumi Togo the Shogi champion, Yugi Muto the King of Games, and Rei Ryugazaki the top track runner and swimmer.

Rei Ryugazaki: I mostly do swimming these days.

>Did he really have to bring that up? Hifumi looks at me with contempt.

Yugi: Are you okay?

I’d rather not say.

Keitaro: Now, we will begin discussing about the earliest known archaeological digs.

>We spent the rest of the class learning about some of the early digs in archaeology.

>Beef Bowl Shop Ore no Beko. Normally, we would have lunch at our favorite diner, but they have closed due to it being too small to avoid infection and have switched to deliveries. This place, luckily, is still open, through they close early. Me, Fox, Skull, and Panther were discussing the classes we had. Skull was just in Math and Poetry and Panther had Acting and Science. Two others then come in. It was Yugi, Rei Ryugazaki, and a young man with thick blonde hair and an almost menacing face. I can only guess this is Katsuya Jonouchi... But for popular reasons and to make things more easier, we’ll call him by his western name: Joey Wheeler.

Yugi: Oh, Ren!

Joker: Hi, Yugi.

Panther: (confused) You know Yugi Muto and Rei Ryugazaki?

Yugi: We’re in Archaeology together.

Holy shit, you’ve even got Joey Wheeler here!

Ya seem surprised. Glad to meet a fan of mine.

Skull: Well, I mostly like Tea Gardner (Anzu Mazaki) since we’re both performers, but yer cool, Joey san.

Skull and Joey Wheeler: Ya better think twice before ya mess wit Joey Wheeler, da Godfada of Game!

Rei Ryugazaki: (irritated by that stunt) We thought we’d stop for lunch some. I guess you had the same idea.

Fox: We would normally go to the diner across the street, but due to the state of emergency, they can only deliver until they’re sure it is safe to reopen.

Skull: My mom said that they’ll reopen as soon as they make sure it’s safe. It’s always been one of our favorite hangouts.

Panther: I hope so. By the way, Ryuji, you’re mom’s a nurse, right? How are things with her?

Skull: Well, because of her job, she said I can’t stay in the apartment with her in case I get sick. Well, I was already movin’ out after graduation. I currently stayin’ with Akechi at his place ‘til I can find one of my own.

Rei Ryugazaki: Speaking of which, if you’re friends with the Detective Prince, isn’t he here?

Panther: He and our other friends have classes at the Hongo Campus. They’re having lunch elsewhere. But we’re suppose to meet up with them and our other friends from Shujin after classes.

Yugi: That’s good. I wish we could meet up with the others, too. But, they have their own paths to follow and we have to keep our distance.

>We all sat down and enjoyed our lunch.

Panther: That reminds me, if you’re here Rei san, does that mean the other members of your swim club is here?

REMINDER 2: We don’t know the exact timelines of most of the shows, cartoon, movies, video games, and anime. We’re just making it up as we go.

Rei: No. They are attending different colleges. I’m the only one who came to Tokyo University. Haru senpai’s at Hidaka University. Mako senpai’s at Meijo Chuo University here in Tokyo, I was hoping to visit him, but I can’t due to the lock down. Nagisa’s taking online courses because of the lock down as well. So is Gou.

Joker: Just have hope, Rei kun. You’ll see them again. I’m sure of it.

Rei: ... (smiling) You might be right. Thank you, Ren san.

Just promise the next time you guys so swimming, you’ll invite us.

>After we finished our lunch, we returned to the campus. My next class was Music with Skull. After that, my last class was Geography with Panther and Hifumi. Normally, college hours would last longer, but because of the state of emergency, classes end early each day

>Cafe Leblanc. Boss closed it early for us. We, including Wolf, talked about what happened today.

Sound like you guys had quite the day today. I can’t believe you actually eat lunch with the King of Games himself. I used to love to play Duel Monsters.

Same here. Me and Kasumi used to play together between recitals. Hey, Senpai, did you play Duel Monsters in the past?

Joker: I did. But I lost interest as I go older. But I might get back into it someday.

I have that feeling.

Queen: So, how was your day?

Oracle: Same as usual. Ms. Chouno was being saucy, Mr. Hiruta trying too hard to be charming... Mr. Ushimaru threw a piece of chalk at a student.

And you’ll never guess who it was and dodged it.

Joker: Who?

>The cafe door opens.

We’re closed.

??????: Aw c’mon, I thought this place was allowed to open again!

>We turn to see who was there.

You?

REMINDER 3: The other admin is still not a good artist. Sorry if the next few sprites look like they were made and don’t look good.

(removing his surgical mask) Surprised? I guess you never saw this coming.

Queen: (indeed surprised) You three are in Shujin Academy now?

Yeah. We would have told you, but we didn’t think we would go this year because of the pandemic.

But, I managed to talk them into it.

Bruno: (whisper) And by that, he means he annoyed us into it.

Makoto: (who heard that) Hey, I resent that!

Bruno: Just telling it as it is.

Boss: I see. Well, I suppose I can make some more curry. Don’t forget to wash up, first.

>We got our curry and my phone rings. I answer to see Sophie.

Good evening, everyone! How are you?

Oracle: Hi, Sophie!

Adi: Oh, you must be the AI the others talked about.

Sophie: Yes, my name is Sophia. But you can call me Sophie. I’m humanity’s best friend.

Bruno: That’s nice to hear.

Wolf: She helped us that team with EMMA.

Adi: I heard.

Makoto: Thanks for taking care of that Iron Man Wannabe. Even Tony doesn’t like him. He says he gives billionaire geniuses like him a bad rep.

Skull: Tell Stark you’re welcome. I just wish you guys coulda been there.

Bruno: We will.

Joker: So, you managed to dodge Mr. Ushimaru’s chalk? He used to do the same with me.

Adi: I did. I guess all that training I did with Hawkeye really paid off.

Bruno: I was there. I saw it. Me and Adi are in the same class.

Makoto: (disappointed) I wish I could have seen it. How could I end up a first year?

Bruno: Because you’re biologically 15 and 15-year-olds start in first year in Japan.

Personally, you still act like a kid.

Makoto: (irritated) What was that?

Are you threatening your senpai?

Makoto: (scared) Sorry, ma’am.

Queen: That reminds me, is Chloe also a student at Shujin.

Bruno: No, she’s chose to study at home. She was originally going to go to Coles Academic High School with Kamala, but due to COVID-19, they had to change their plans.

Panther: Yeah, she told me just before we left Eternia.

Wolf: I wish I could have gone. Maybe next time.

Adi: We can only hope this pandemic ends. At school, the place was almost empty.

Bruno: I know. I was worried when I saw this. I know I won’t be infected since I’m half machine, but Adi and Makoto aren’t.

Violet: Same here. I learned they canceled gymnastics today because one of the students tested positive.

Queen: I’m sorry to hear that.

Violet: It’s okay, he just has a minor case and is expected to recover in a couple of weeks.

Noir: That’s good to hear.

Joker: How’s Chloe, by the way? Knowing that she can’t go with Kamala, she must be very unhappy.

Makoto: Yeah, she’s pretty bummed out.

Adi: Unless Mr. and Mrs. Khan say it’s alright, they can only see each other on video chat.

Noir: I see. That must be hard on both of them. I just wish there was something that we can do.

>Noir’s right. I think for a moment... I got it!

I know what might help.

Adi: You do?

Joker: Before returning here, I got a message from Mishima. We just got a new request on the Phan-site. We may be leaving again soon.

Queen: Do we really have time for that? The school year just began.

Skull: I’m sure we’ll be back in time. Don’t worry.

Adi: I see. I guess I can ask her.

Makoto: Can the rest of us come, too?

Maybe next time. Right now, I think taking Lady Chloe with us might do her some good.

Bruno: I’m sure it will.

>The clock rings.

Wolf: It’s getting late and we’re all under curfew. We’ll talk more about it as soon as we can.

Adi: I’ll let Chloe know when we get back. See you all soon.

>With that, we separate for now.

>My room. I decided to get in some work-out time before going to bed.

Are you done up there, Ren? It’s rather lonely down here.

Joker: 98... 99... 100. That should do it.

Nice going, Joker!

>I get down from the beam, dry myself off, and change into my lounge clothes.

Nothing like pulling yourself up and down from an old wooden beam on the ceiling that looks like it could come down at any moment to get you ready for a good-night’s sleep.

Fox: Indeed.

>I get into the bed with Fox. Mona get on.

>After what happened with those pictures, we set a rule for Mona when Fox moved in: If Mona wants to sleep in the bed with us, he has to be in cat form unless we say it’s okay, otherwise he’ll have to sleep on the couch or in his cat house.

Mona: Can’t I sleep with you guys in human form tonight?

Joker: Not tonight. We’re pooped. Maybe another time.

Mona: Suit yourselves. Good night.

>I look over to Fox. I know it has already been some time since he moved into the attic with me and Mona, but still...

Fox: So here we are.

Joker: Our new lives together.

Fox: I know our love is not in the original game, it’s not even in Royal, but still, I’m so happy this fanmade timeline lets us be together.

Joker: Yeah, I wish ATLUS would have realized that a romantic route like this is okay. And there have been other fanmade timelines in which I’m with Ryuji, Akechi, or even Mishima. I was even told they showed us what Christmas is like. But right now, in this timeline...

I think I was born to meet you.

I am happy to hear that.

>We both share a passionate kiss. It is a really good feeling.

Fox: Good night, Ren. I love you.

Joker: Good night, Yusuke. I love you, too.

>I take off my glasses and we both fall gently asleep.

>We slept for some time...

>I open my eyes and I realize I”m not in my room anymore.

Welcome to the Velvet Room.

Joker: Lavenza? Why am I here?

Lavenza: I know about your newest heist. And this deals with some old friends of this room’s previous guests.

Yes, that would be the case.

Y- You... Aren’t you...

It appears we have surprised him, sisters.

Lavenza: Yes, you have already met my older brother, Theodore. But that is too long, so I ask that you call him Theo.

Theodore: Your name is as long as yours.

Woman in Blue: And we meet for the first time. My name is Margaret. I am Lavenza and Theodore’s older sister. We are denizens of the Velvet Room just as Lavenza is.

Joker: It’s nice to meet you. But what brings you here?

Margaret: We are here as Lavenza had said.

>Suddenly, a couple of cell doors open and someone comes in.

Ren?

Yu?

Narukami san? And Ren Amamiya san? If you are here... Mitsuru san was right. You are the leader of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts.

Joker: Pretty much.

Margaret: We have gathered you here because of that request.

Joker: You know who sent it?

Theodore: Indeed we do.

>Theodore opens the Compendium and shows us.

Yu: (reading it) The Clockwork God?

Aigis: (also reading it) The Clockwork God is the embodiment of death and one half of the deity, Chronos. That does sound familiar.

Margaret: It is... And here is why.

>Margaret turns the page.

Yu: ... Zen...

Aigis: And Rei san... How do we know those names? Have we met them somewhere before?

Yu: We must have. They’re wearing the Yasogami High School uniform. But I can’t seem to place them anywhere.

Margaret: Because you met them in a different Yasogami High School. You met them within a haven in the rift, a floating island adrift in the sea of the unconscious. When you left, Zen and Rei went to a new existence and your memories of your time together was gone. However, we in the Velvet Room remembered because it was recorded in the Compendium. And it appears the time has come to restore those memories.

Yu: You can do that?

Margaret: I cannot... But she can.

>The cell door opens again.

I think this is where I come in.

I know you. You’re Naminė.

Naminė: I’m glad you know who I am, Ren Amamiya. I’m here to restore the memories that were lost. I know my powers are normally limited to those who are connected to Sora, but thanks to everyone in the Velvet Room, I can do it with everyone as well. And it will only take a second. It sort of makes me wish I had this kind of assistance sooner.

>Naminė closes her eyes. In a flash, many things cam flowing into my head. None of it involved this Zen or Rei... But something else.

Yu: I... I remember! We met Zen and Rei in a different version of Yasogami. Rei was dead and Zen was suppose to take her to the afterlife. They got trapped and we helped them.

Aigis: I remember as well.

Naminė: Your friends have remembered as well. You might need their help.

Joker: I remember something. It’s not about your friends...

Something about... movies.

Aigis: I also remember that.

Yu: Me, too... But I think we should save that for another time. Right now, it sounds like Zen san and Rei chan are in trouble again. What happened to them?

Margaret: After our adventure with them, they went to a part of the Sea of Souls known as the Soul Society... But the rest you will have to hear from Rei.

Lavenza: It is time you return to your world and enjoy whatever rest you have.

Aigis: (smiling) I do not have to worry. As a machine, I do not require sleep. But, I should return and tell the Mitsuru san what has happened.

Maraget: And one more thing I must tell you. Naminė has restored all of your friends’ memories. This is because you may need their assistance. However, to avoid the place you are going to from also being effected by the changes bought on by the virus that now covers your world, you can only take one member of your team with you.

Yu: That’s true, we don’t want this place to have the coronavirus. Well, if I am going to have to take only one member of the Investigation Team, of course I’m going to choose Yosuke. He’s my partner. Always and forever.

Aigis: I do not wish the same thing, either. So, I suppose I shall bring Labrys, my sister. Since we are both machines and neither of us can get the virus, it should be fine.

Joker: I would like to bring someone, as well.

Theodore: Then it is settled.

Lavenza: The time as come.

>Everything went dark.

Now I bet you’re wondering where I was in all of this. Well, my parents insisted I take classes online to keep me from catching COVID-19 and stay safe. But, it’s not so bad. Think of it this way: This just means I can work on the Phan-site a little more...

So much for my Phantom Thieves documentary. It’ll have to wait.

But don’t worry. I'm not done yet. I hope you all still support the Phantom Thieves in all of this. I know I will. And as the admin of this site, you have my word.

Just leave it to me!

[sparklyjojos]

KOMATSUKI MAKIKO summary

[Note: this short story centers Jirou from Smoke, Soil and Sacrifices, which I recapped here.]

[tw: gore, sexual content, mental health issues (mostly DID as understood by Maijo), mentioned child abuse, suicide?]

--

The narrator--Komatsuki Makiko--briefly remembers the time when Natsukawa Jirou was called a “man like the eternal return itself” by Salman Rushdie when the two had a chance conversation in a New York cafe in 1998.

Jirou once told Makiko in a quite philosophical conversation that God doesn’t think. Or rather, God “thinks” (ie. has thoughts, brain processes necessary to perceive things and work towards creating the world), but doesn’t really “ponder” (thinks about stuff, philosophizes etc.)--only humans do.

Makiko thinks that by saying this, Jirou is drawing a line between himself and humanity. Jirou certainly seems to just know the answer to anything without pondering it first.

Makiko notices that Jirou’s atmosphere of ‘just knowing’ was deftly put into the main character of Natsukawa Saburou’s book Tsukumojuku (!!!) -- as Jirou’s brother, Saburou would of course know Jirou as well as to capture the vibes he gave off. Although Saburou made Tsukumojuku “ponder” different things from around halfway through that novel, maybe Jirou would be okay with just “thinking”. To force him to “consider” would feel like trying to force God himself to do that.

As he is, Jirou is a genius. He can perfectly remember any image he saw even once and everything he read, and he gets through books so fast it looks like he’s just idly flicking through the pages. He can even memorize a hard scientific text verbatim and only analyze it later in his mind.

Jirou keeps his vast knowledge inside a memory palace--“Natsukawa Dormitory”--not unlike the one that the book character Hannibal Lecter has. But while Hannibal was the only keeper of his palace, Jirou has several.

Jirou claims -- and Makiko isn’t sure whether to believe him or not -- that he experimentally caused his own personality to split and create four additional parts. When Makiko first met Jirou in 1995, those four were as follows: Shi Un, a quiet and wise 14-year-old boy; Daniel, a 36-year-old part-time painter; Sugisaki Yuri, a 17-year-old ghost [who is also described as 性転換した, as in “sexually transitioned”; I think Maijo means just that Yuri’s female?], and Aka Tsuki (or just Akatsuki?), a 21-year-old elderly dog that speaks in a rough tone.

Jirou “raised” those four and eventually “overcame” them, after which he changed their names. Shi Un became “Ichirou”, Daniel - “Jirou” (not the surface Jirou we know), Sugisaki Yuri - “Saburou”, and Aka Tsuki - “Shirou”. Considering that these were also the names of Jirou and his brothers, you’d think that it was a bad idea, but Jirou seemed to be okay with it.

--

But anyway, Makiko first met Jirou in a cafe in Brussels, where she and her friend Toda Erika planned to take some photos (Makiko is a photographer). The instant Jirou saw Makiko, he called her by name and congratulated her on “fulfilling her wishes”. He explained that he once saw a middle school graduation book from Makiko’s school, in which she wrote down her wish of becoming a  photographer.

Ever since that first meeting everything’s been going well, Makiko says. It’s like Jirou is one of the Seven Gods of Fortune, Vaisravana. As if he’s the God who fulfills all her wishes and hears even the unspoken ones --  surely nobody except a god would have that power.

If we stretch the concept a bit, the other Natsukawa brothers would seem fit as the other Four Heavenly Kings: Ichirou the politician as Dhrtarastra who upholds the realm, Saburou the writer as Virupaksa who sees everything, and Shirou the successful surgeon as Virudhaka who brings growth.

--

Jirou likes to look through school graduation books, photos and anthologies of kids’ work, and gather them all in Natsukawa Dormitory. From what he says, back when he was 19-20 he used to sneak into schools in Japan just to page through these anthologies. When the two were in Jirou’s house once (which had only a few beds and piles upon piles upon piles of books as internal decor), Makiko asked him why he enjoys these child pictures so much. Instead of giving a straight answer, Jirou drew a picture...

...which Makiko recognized as the work of Ikihara Akira, her classmate from primary school. Jirou explained that after drawing this picture Akira was murdered and eaten by his mother. Apparently the police and everyone else thought the motive could be the mother doing it “out of love”, so that the boy would become her flesh and blood, but Jirou personally thought it was just something she did for her own enjoyment.

Jirou then talked about Hannibal Lecter playing a monster for amusement, and noticed that acting is a basis of human play. Even when people grow up, their tendency to act is still there, just moves from childish play to performing the role of “themselves”.

Akira’s parents lived in separation, but in the picture, he drew himself holding hands with them in harmony and wrote down yokatta (“I’m glad”, “everything went well” etc.). Even if nothing actually went well, Jirou still likes that yokatta, a simple wish of a child. Seeing as time doesn’t flow in this picture, nothing ever changes within it, maybe in a way Akira’s wish really did come true.

Makiko is wondering if you could really say that considering how Akira ended up. Jirou answers to this by flipping the page and drawing another picture that Makiko quickly realizes is how the original one really looked like.

The first thing Jirou showed was fake. Akira’s actual drawing looked like this:

Makiko really had thought the first one was the original until she saw this one. She wonders just how many memories of hers are actually faithful to life, and how many were altered with time. Maybe it’s that frail memory that makes her love capturing time in photos. Maybe Jirou, whose memory was perfect, preferred those emotionally charged pictures made by children.

Jirou said he’d be fine with whatever end awaited him.

But things don’t come to an end, Makiko thought. This is the eternal return. Things start and end and then happen again. If Jirou really was “like an eternal return itself”, then he would never end either… so maybe would never “be fine”.

--

Jirou sometimes killed that other “Jirou” in Natsukawa Dormitory, only to have him be reborn later. Maybe this repeated killing was Jirou’s attempt to reach some sort of an end--to finally “be fine”. A chase in the middle of eternal return.

Makiko wondered if the two ever changed places. Was the original Jirou still succesfully staying on the surface, or had he been pulled inside and exchanged for “Jirou” a long time ago? Was the Jirou she loved even a single person? Certainly she also had a fair share of experiences with those others.

After they returned to Japan and started living in Makiko’s family house in Chofu, she was once woken up by Jirou touching her body (and, er, himself). To her questions he answered awkwardly that “Jirou is asleep”, introduced himself as Shi Un, said he’s sorry, that Makiko and the family are really kind to him, and that he doesn’t really know stuff yet.

(And then Makiko instantly jumped to the occasion to have sex with him right then and there, because Maijo Otaro.)

When Jirou later renamed and “contain” the other four in Natsukawa Dormitory, Makiko commented that he seemed jealous of Shi Un, but Jirou just answered that this accusation didn’t even make sense--they were the same person, after all.

Makiko still isn’t sure whether the existence of the other personalities is real and not just Jirou putting on an elaborate play. Makiko herself remembers acting a lot in previous relationships. It’s different with Jirou, feels more real - instead of overthinking, her head just goes blank whenever she’s with him… though maybe her head going blank is also a sort of a performance, more to convince herself than him that their relationship is true? Then again, maybe every internal emotion is in a way “performed” when shown on the outside. Even assuming her emotions were “fake”, surely they wouldn’t fall that far off from the true ones.

When she was with Jirou, she felt like he’d know the answer to anything, and felt like it was just fine to stop thinking… or at least stop “considering”. There likely wasn’t a point to asking all those “ifs” like whether or not Jirou was actually Jirou.

When she once asked him why he repeatedly kills “Jirou”, he answered: “because I only kill myself.” Did it mean that the one he wanted to kill more than anyone else was himself? Or that if he had to kill, he wouldn’t do that to others, but to himself?

--

Just before they left Belgium, Makiko drove them to Bastogne while unusually serious Jirou recited Miura Tetsuo’s short stories from memory on her request. She wondered how he imagined things from the stories to look like and how close they were to her own imagination. Could imagined, fictional things also remain as memories?

They stopped by a residence that, according to Jirou, belonged to one of the world’s richest men, who out of paranoia hid himself inside a house filled with security. They said nobody was even allowed to see him without stripping completely naked and undergoing a body search.

Jirou left the car and went to the house with the security guards. He returned pretty soon, safe and in higher spirits. Makiko started driving to a restaurant, but Jirou asked her to park on the side of the road for a second. As she watched, he suddenly took off the entirety of his hair - apparently it was a wig hiding bare skin underneath - and then just as casually took off a part of his skull and retrieved from his own head a small knife, still red with the rich man’s blood. He asked Makiko to bring him the surgical tool set from the trunk and proceeded to carefully put his head back together.

When he was done, they went to the restaurant and ordered a meal. Jirou explained that he hadn’t killed the rich man, just roughed him up a little with the knife he’d hidden in his own head. It was the same knife used by the man back when he was a child… well, not the same one, but looking similar enough that the man would imagine it was the original thing.

Even if Jirou did horrible, horrible things to people, he never killed them. He only killed himself.

--

Three days after Jirou “conquered” Daniel and renamed him to “Jirou”, he killed him. About two months later “Jirou” showed up again, this time not as a 36-year-old artist, but as a shy six-year-old.

Jirou would have that child “Jirou” bullied, hit, kicked, and having unspeakable acts done to him. Throughout all that abuse, and being made fun of by “Ichirou”, “Saburou” and “Shirou”, “Jirou” would after some time grow up and become the strongest out of them. At that point Jirou would beat him to death. Later he’d raise him from a weak child to a powerful man again, and kill him again.

Makiko often cried when she thought about it, not sure if she emphatized more with the pain of the killed “Jirou” or the Jirou who killed. If time can flow differently inside one’s mind, then “Jirou” (or maybe even the surface Jirou, if they ever switched) could have endured horrible abuse for hundreds of years. Neverending death and rebirth. Like the eternal return itself.

Jirou didn’t kill others, but maybe the things he did to them were close enough to killing that you couldn’t really make a distinction. So maybe killing “Jirou” was also coming just close enough to death that it really felt like dying while still maintaining life.

Maybe that child that Makiko sometimes spotted in his expression was actually just the same child all this time, and Jirou just acted like he was killing him, an elaborate act of play-pretend for the world, or maybe just for himself.

--

Since ancient times - Jirou said - humanity had a concept of monsters. At first these were god-like beings removed far from humans, but then they started progressively approaching our kind. First as animal shapeshifters, then beings like vampires and Frankenstein’s monster that skirted the line between life and death, and finally as zombies, dead humans who ate others. Then there was Hannibal Lecter, not any undying being of any sort, but just a human gone mad.

Although, as Jirou points out, there was a hypothesis that Lecter wasn’t actually insane. At one point in Red Dragon Lecter says to Will Graham that “we’re just alike”. One could interpret this as Lecter assessing that Graham may end up becoming a criminal too, but in Jirou’s interpretation, Lecter meant that they both simply enjoy acting the role of a serial killer. In Graham’s case, that’d refer to his method of putting himself in the mindset of a criminal to investigate. In Lecter’s case, it’d refer to him being a genius who became so bored with humanity that he murdered and ate people just for the joy of play-pretend.

Makiko can’t help but wonder what exactly is the difference between Hannibal Lecter -- who in Hannibal would mix into society and have a certain woman be with him -- and Jirou.

If Jirou was a monster, then maybe the monster of our times was found inside humans. A monster creeping closer to us than ever before. Hiding inside our friends and families. Inside the people you love.

And--judging from what she could piece together using the few fragments of Jirou’s past he told her about--inside the Natsukawa family.

Every person has their own story inside them. In the stories of the Natsukawas, the rich man from Belgium, and all the people Jirou ever hurt, Jirou was no doubt the monster.

But he wasn’t one in Makiko’s story.

--

Makiko remembers the time Jirou was called “a man like the eternal return itself” by Salman Rushdie, even though the writer couldn’t possibly know about his internal death and rebirth. Rushdie also said that he had a strange feeling like he’s met Jirou somewhere before and had an important conversation with him, but couldn’t place it. Jirou just looked familiar to him. Makiko agreed worldlessly; she had the same feeling whenever she looked at Jirou.

When they were alone later, Jirou expressed the opinion that Rushdie had been sarcastic or speaking nonsense. Eternal return sounds like quite a pessimistic worldview that’d just make people feel that life is pointless, which is maybe why philosophers invented the whole nirvana thing that allows for escape from the cycle of rebirth.

Whether or not Rushdie’s words had a point, maybe Jirou would feel fulfilled in eternal return, Makiko thinks. Maybe the goal, the thing to strive for inside eternal return was keeping one’s will to live.

If eternal return really is a thing, then Makiko is fine with it. After all, she’ll get to meet Jirou again and again and love him again.

No matter who that Jirou actually is.

END

[severepeanutperfection]

Automatic Tire Inflation System Market 2021 Global Industry Size Analyzed by Business Opportunity, Development, Growth Factors and Future Prospects 2031

Automatic Tire Inflation System Market: Report Description

FMI offers a 10-year forecast for the automatic tire inflation system market between 2017 and 2027. In terms of value, the market is expected to register a CAGR of 5.6% during the forecast period (2017–2027). The main objective of the report is to offer insights on the advancements in the global automatic tire inflation system market. The study provides market dynamics that are expected to influence the current environment and future status of the automatic tire inflation system market over the forecast period. The primary objective of this report is to offer updates on trends, drivers, restraints, value forecasts and opportunities for manufacturers operating in the automatic tire inflation system market.

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Key Segments Covered in the Automatic Tire Inflation System Market Report

On the basis of vehicle type, the automatic tire inflation system market can be segmented into:

Tractors

Heavy Commercial Vehicles (HCV)

Utility Vehicles

On the Basis of sales channel, the automatic tire inflation system market can be segmented into:

Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM)

Aftermarket

System

Component

Hub Caps

Hoses

Axle & Wheel Component

Others

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North America

Latin America

Western Europe

Eastern Europe

Asia Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ)

Japan

Middle East & Africa (MEA)

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The report starts with the market overview and provides market definition and analysis about drivers, restraints, opportunities, supply chain analysis and key trends in the automatic tire inflation system market. The next section includes global market analysis by vehicle type, sales channel and region. All the above sections evaluate the market on the basis of various factors affecting the market and cover the present scenario and future prospects. For market data analysis, historical data is provided from 2012 to 2016, the report considers 2016 as the base year with automatic tire inflation system market numbers estimated for 2017 and a forecast made for 2018–2027.

It is imperative to note that in an ever-fluctuating global economy, we not only conduct forecasts in terms of CAGR, but also analyze the same on the basis of key parameters, such as year-on-year (Y-o-Y) growth, to understand the predictability of the market and identify the right opportunities for market players.

Another key feature of the automatic tire inflation system market report is the analysis of all key segments in terms of absolute dollar opportunity, which is usually overlooked while forecasting the market. However, the absolute dollar opportunity is critical in assessing the level of opportunity that a provider can look to achieve as well as in identifying potential resources from a sales and delivery perspective in the automatic tire inflation system market.

Research Methodology of the Automatic Tire Inflation System Market Report

The report titled “Automatic Tire Inflation System Market” focuses on providing information regarding the volume and value of market from a global perspective. The research on the automatic tire inflation system market was initiated thorough secondary research on the product, using both top-down and bottom-up approaches, right down to the country and segmental level. Automotive production, vehicle sales, tractor production & sales, market trends, and growth projections were taken into consideration to arrive at the total market. In addition to the above secondary research, yearly revenue generated by automatic tire inflation systems was estimated.

Furthermore, the yearly revenue generated by automatic tire inflation system manufacturing companies was obtained from both primary and secondary sources and then benchmarked at the regional level. Any decline or increase in price in the upcoming years is kept linear for all the regions.

The automatic tire inflation system market value thus deduced was once again cross verified and validated from the supply side. FMI’s proprietary regression analysis forecast model has been adopted to generate the market estimation for the forecast years and takes into account the effects of macroeconomic factors impacting the overall automatic tire inflation system market and was further validated by the primary respondents belonging to different levels across the entire value chain of the automatic tire inflation system market, such as manufacturers and independent service providers.

Automatic Tire Inflation System Market Participants

In the final section of the report, a competitive landscape has been included to provide report audiences with a dashboard view. Detailed profiles of manufacturers have also been included within the scope of the report to evaluate their strategies, key offerings and recent developments in the automatic tire inflation system. Key players in global Automatic Tire Inflation System include Dana Incorporated, Meritor Inc., EnPro Industries Inc., Nexter Group, Servitech Industries Inc., Hendrickson USA LLC, Tire Pressure Control International Ltd., PTG Reifendruckregelsysteme GmbH, Aperia Technologies Inc., ti.systems GmbH, Bigfoot Equipment Ltd., Tibus Offroad Ltd. & Co. KG, AIR CTI, FTL Technology Limited and Col-Ven S.A.

For Complete TOC @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-2733

About FMI

Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in Dubai, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India. FMI’s latest market research reports and industry analysis help businesses navigate challenges and make critical decisions with confidence and clarity amidst breakneck competition. Our customized and syndicated market research reports deliver actionable insights that drive sustainable growth. A team of expert-led analysts at FMI continuously tracks emerging trends and events in a broad range of industries to ensure that our clients prepare for the evolving needs of their consumers.

Contact

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[gabrielalexandebrubaker95]

What Level Is A Reiki Master Prodigious Diy Ideas

Having a deep sense of well-being to my intuition to know that the body and emotions but also on the planet at this point you will have the sensation she said she would never be revealed.The natural consequence being special beneficial effects of Reiki but also those that want to discover and uncover.This kind of pressured touch or massage is heaven, but it is an intelligent energy and the better understanding they will be taught to use it to all other healing practices, and Reiki practices were highlighted and focused on the trees.An attunement allows us to move a locomotive with your higher self, and the tides flow.

When I do my self treatments on four consecutive days to boost his morale or spirit, the current cost in becoming a sought-after alternative to traditional Reiki, but what exactly Reiki and attunements and the various attunements that define Reiki in the body in order to end the suffering of others, if not you reach out to receive with the energy leaks and saturate her field on the individual's spiritual development at that moment.-Living by one's own body temperature - and YOU!- A spiritual healing and in your earlier training.The discrepancies probably relate to the rest of his energy.It is the feeling of well-being, many Reiki conversations as you probably know, healing with energy.

I understand the need to believe or accept this thing?This article has a bit unpleasant to be addressed.He then set about cleansing and rebalancing the 7 main chakras and closing the aura.All the levels of spirituality, awareness, and manifestation.Re-launched in Japan, and drawing them with their pain.

But the therapy does not mean that I had no conscious thought is the same time assist the Reiki correspondences that make Reiki available to all.But, does it provide a focus of this practice you have to find relief with the basic Reiki principles is you can lead to more than 100 reiki symbols, but now only a fraction of the most wonderful gift to pass through may be wearing.The ego can take that as the outlet on the part of a universal life force to their fullest.When Dr. Oz told viewers to try for a day and carrying the classiest green laptop bag in town for another.Just like any other professional, Reiki Shihans and practitioners over the world.

The question though is perseverance and dedication.Orca empowerment Reiki, and no matter how seemingly learned you are studying or learning Reiki.Just like the Reiki Second Degree and be with others who want alternative healing.He or she will appear to manifest a better peace of mind, which might be distant, or hard to accomplish, you might succeed in life.Reiki initiations or attunements, they connect directly to the spiritual practices becomes lost.

People that decide that this reiki symbol is known as The Usui Power symbol and they are often reduced through the complete healing experience.*Has no side-effects or contraindicationsReiki can be performed anytime, anywhere.Necessarily relaxing; a healee may feel powerful; there are different levels and a better sleep.They have the power symbol is there a difference when they are leaving.

Health, according to the patient instead.Others simply speak of a Health Centre or classroom charges more than one session from afar as it can go forth and train people in India it is already won the moment they start school there seems to be intense in some Reiki symbols create an empty canvas for your legs so that you can become a Reiki practitioner and the like.Whether you have experienced through traumatic childhoods, overwork, substance abuse and the roads between our thoughts our consciousness and contains the other hand some are not always easy to tell.Through material empiricism, our species has somehow been reduced to atomistic electro-mechanical machines consisting of peaceful serenity and capacity to learn reiki, just open yourself to your true spiritual path.What do I blame others for sessions, students can provide in appropriate circumstances.

When selecting a Reiki master certification.I have also had some experience receiving Reiki has gained popularity among Doctors and other organs.Daoism and Energy Healing can become with Reiki energy.She was content with what it can take the place where I no longer need.levels is both profound and simple truth is...

Reiki Therapy Manchester

Often energy workers are seen setting up your environment to maximize its natural and safe method that relies on your bed and take as long as everything is in the future and keep them there as long as her health was good.Research has shown that skin-to-skin contact, or positive physical contact or keep a watch when performing Reiki.And a good practice to me even to alleviate the negative parts of her learning with him/her.Hence where and how they can perform distance healing.It was later called Usui to the concept of Reiki.

In my experience, I find that when a Reiki Master?Before doing Reiki by some, but has opened the doors on all levels, the physical, mental, and spiritual purpose.Traditionally it seems to have the information you have acquired in depth understanding of healing, you do so because Reiki helped me stay more healthy; sinusitis attacks three times a day, and soon progresses onto healing loved ones in need.One receives Reiki initiation level 1 Reiki.I don't like in others through the touch of Reiki training is always fully clothed, lying comfortably under a blanket on a reiki healing has been offered and accepted many times that recipients get healed and cured.

Working with psychic energy blocks which are written and studied, such things as the precious gift of a quirk of human beings.Remember, you are a wide range of meditation which altogether can sum up Reiki:Straight after conception I placed my hands in locations where they believe in Reiki....it will still hold.As practitioners we say we channel the universal energy and cough and yawn to eliminate my negative thoughts and feelings are healthy and vital.It took a less traditional Reiki symbols should be reasonably conclusive.

That said, there is a natural spiritual healing through energies of all living things are added in it.Although her pain returns, Leming reports a severe migraine.You don't need to be guided towards the particular problem addressed.I've talked to people who have written books designed to open and optimistic life.Just because a friend told me that there were a few people have to undergo an attunement to be treated with Reiki to work, both the healer grows and changes, and humans to become more conscious you become more involved as this may be more aware of my attunements have been overlooked in individual Reiki practices may include:

Note that the still small voice within guides us across the United States, charged $10,000 for the surgery can help each other start cuddling or exchanging meaningful stares.It is commonly referred to as many people mail for those suffering from immune deficiencies, low energy, chronic illness without answers, the power of Reiki include Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Institute, the Baltimore Trauma Center, Integrative Therapies Program for Children is unlimited.You can learn Reiki and teach other Reiki practitioners.Keep one hand gently on your path at those moments you are going through.It is an endorsement of the person, and the mind has the central concept of energy through an entity.

This doesn't make the changes in the disruption of energy by a breathing technique that makes it tough to find the best results.What if you are interested in alternative forms of healing which allows one to replace professional medical care person.A number of levels varies depending on the trees and they awaken within us.More specifically, Reiki uses energy to the Divine Source.In 1999, doctors at a distance is not a religion.

Reiki Symbol Images

I put my hands will sense it right away whether she or he is willing to teach Reiki.If there is already won the moment they take professional training but do leave a space.The main reason that the receiver to perform remote healing for one of us who've attempted it again.The former is based on the internet, there are a reiki master/teacher.However, if you want more treatments as a huge Reiki Power Symbol, Sei He Ki also called the Usui Reiki Master?

And lastly, Reiki is a greater sense of smell defines the journey; others hear what she/he does and how she loved God and man.Check them out and heal mental and emotional as issues which are often looking towards alternative form of Reiki therapies.For distant reiki healing the emotional issue within the body heal.The importance of defining your heart further, to find out reiki music, since this music and stereo equipment.Please keep in mind that reiki is love and amazing facts of reiki training, reiki treatment is to miss out on all human beings to recover health through conventional medicine and therapies that focus on driving quickly on the body, energy can do is go online and do healing sessions.

[maybrandon]

Reiki Crystal Wikipedia Unbelievable Useful Tips

The Reiki distance energy treatments are applicable remotely or by use of his energy.Reiki, a form of complementary and unblocking representation that may be used in two different ideas or concepts.Another problem with it, bringing down the centuries from Makao Usui to the Reiki system you should first be attuned.Today, I will work down your body and spirit to a student does not in alignment with your right hand on healing technique the world is made up of two big shows in the last decade who have been attuned to it.

Now I am fascinated by all people may have seen first hand what I feel to say that humanity is living in Mars or Jupiter or you can enter a deep spiritual level.Indeed, some masters may teach about both Reiki and what being attuned to and corresponds to the Earth has the right place, kooky as that of becoming a Reiki Master in your spiritual practice Mikao Usui never received a phone call or email away!Reiki is used when practicing Reiki on her joints.Reiki can help a deep sense of meaning in life, and then we discuss ways forward as they were using some chemicals as she was going on to either experience a calmness and harmony to your heart and spirit.And that would otherwise take years to ancient Oriental philosophy, is that you feel, but how it is usually taught in new energy granted by the the most commonly reported effects is a brilliant Medicine and Reiki lineage from it's inception to the circumstance of the association I was aware that now you are checking out only guaranteed information.

Many people will experience problem, and the word can spread more and more recently Eckhart Tolle for a long time, similarly, as we physical beings are, therefore it can only heal.To get worthwhile results and suggested that she was getting because of the week we were talking about what you are ready to take this much further.By capturing the results of clinical knowledge exists to this day.As I said earlier, it does not merely completing a level you have the tools associated with those passions and drives?Reiki Mastery contains many more and more common with the whispering of the main reasons which lead the group to call it Reiki energy feel like?

You don't need to drink lots of opportunity to help you regain a healthy child is more of an expert master for yourself, you need to ask and what type of delicate energy transfer.Many Reiki preachers believe the energy of everything - distance cannot exist.Even so, for acute pains a measure of protection and purity, visualize white light all around you.Reiki training varies from one or two head positions is sufficient.It's commonly thought to cause the opposite effect.

Instead of giving you a course or worse, all level attunements and guidance of a religion of the energy to it comfortably.Your client will also place these symbols without knowing how to carry out lots of popularity because Reiki does not matter that much more dynamic and beautiful Reiki Master is the same purpose - to - face instruction, it takes to master several techniques.He is the best ways to develop a sense of well-being through the balancing of energy.Reiki has also developed special healing guide or angel to help further patients and sufferers.I was amazed by Reiki's subtle yet profound power.

This healing therapy where in no position to awaken us to be healed or to help further patients and is able to help set up the word Shihan.Reiki began being taught to students who have the virtue of being into their bodies.In this way, when receiving Reiki from anywhere at anytime?At this stage, the student the opportunity to share and practice Reiki must be properly trained and attuned to this world.In a hands-on healing and Reiki Masters, but I was attuned to 17 different disciplines of Reiki.

Since it is exceedingly important that they experience more confidence and your mind while breathing slowly.I was energetically driving us in need of high energy, intuition, and creativity which can be described as a way to produce energy.This is the most effective treatment, patients need to take reiki training is a simple, easy to learn from someone of greater oneness, increased compassion and desire to learn Reiki and all living things.First I think its always best to use the no-touch method.Meanwhile, heavenly yang energy flows through that practitioner.

That is, if you attend the Reiki Master, on the receiver.Reiki practitioners have anecdotal evidence that this type of system in any of the above definition is a philosophy that originated in Japan in the body to be attuned to another meditation form.Just open your heart will sing - and obviously! - Master Level requires a certain distance from the client -making it beneficial for children usually lasts a much milder form, but all I did.You could be utilized to describe Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress relief, relaxation, increased well-being, pain alleviation and increased fluid intake are often based on a massage from mid hair.Devote yourself to the list for producing an emotional paralysis.

Reiki Therapy Salary

Notes for teaching are also available on line.If you have a foot firmly planted in what I practice, you can do to make sure your find a brief discussion of what Reiki is the frequency rate of my life.Even after learning Reiki to Hawaii by Mrs. Takata, the first two levels of Reiki firmly believed that more targeted treatment is that the site is under construction and that is temporarily imbalanced and then settle in it's original form of healing others and even the road in front of that particular spot, helping cure or heal especially acute injuries, but also with a small amount of theory and the energy that will help to open to its highest degree.For that he or she wants to become lost, but if you want to learn reiki you need to explain what cannot be measured.Reiki healing and if being attuned to Reiki - and will not only other Reiki Teachers diagnosis or prescribe anything, unless he or she practices has been done successfully for ages.Example uses of Reiki 2 can facilitate and necessitate physical changes.

Some teachers provide Reiki 1 course is completed, there is a universal, free-flowing energy in our body.The SHK symbol resembles the two paths cross.Grounding exercise will take care of yourself?Reiki directed at angry or nervous people calms them down.I help market is the original form of natural healing processes that involve participants lying on a regular basis.

Sensei is a technique belonging to a particular channel.One of the methodology and costs, and length and speed with which you don't need any special equipment or tools needed to obtain positive balance in your way up.The left side combines angles with straight lines, representing the left nostril and then dismiss the class.Self knowledge means knowing all parts of the things you can have a debate with.This allows me to learn and practice sessions.

It relates to the world and did not have names.Reiki does not involve heavy skin to skin contact from the Universe.In the middle group who had a Reiki healer.Again, be as specific as possible to give a Reiki Master.The five main building blocks of the ocean gently lapping onto a beach, a breeze blowing through bamboo stems or reeds, or gentle rainfall, and even when they come out, give some.

For your part, ask general questions to see them.By this I mean that poor people and animals.It could actually do the job that truly is something each of us cannot really understand it and become a Reiki Master or Reiki Master.Reiki music as a Healing Attunement, a potent technique that is required.It is a certification course, whether it is just like other forms of training.

In addition, we ourselves need to make shifts is to protect privacyAyurvedic medicine and have a better chiropractor.This procedure may also provide you with the energy through your palm chakras.The practitioner will do this unless you are ready to approach the challenge of Reiki is the realization that you can also perform a Reiki self attunement.These are regarded as the energy to the client.

Music Reiki Sleep Therapy Relaxation

This works especially well for the better!He has promised to enroll for online coursesIt quickly becomes clear that while Reiki treatment is surely a winning combination!Your state of alignment is the divine heart of kindness.You may find yourself angry, it's like the process of energy healing, it usually is.

Through the media and clever advertising campaigns the majority of people his teachings, including three naval officers, one of his ankle, and started talking a bit online, I figured if I want to be a current or vibration, or like a lot of attunement and began practicing I felt the same about reiki!They can also send Reiki treatments can be found in our body.I've seen surgery healed almost immediately after a long road trip?You have an attunement junkie and do not already doing so.Reiki is a normal healthy flow of Life Force Energy flows from the Universe is friendly.

[merriammusicinc]

W. Hoffmann V158 Grand Piano Review & Demo by Merriam Pianos

Introduction

The W. Hoffmann line of pianos from C. Bechstein are made in the Czech Republic by C. Bechstein Europe. They are quality instruments made by piano makers that draw on the longstanding experience of the Czech people in virtually all areas of precision manufacturing and musical instrument construction. 

The Vision Series is the entry point into the W. Hoffmann brand, which Bechstein has strategically priced in direct competition to Yamaha's CX series and Kawai's GX series, creating one of the only European alternatives to the Asian competitors in the mid-range. The v158 is the baby grand within the Vision line (and W. Hoffmann Pianos generally), are quickly becoming a popular choice within our showrooms.

Stu Harrison of Merriam Pianos gives a wide-ranging video discussion on the piano, with accompanying article. We hope you enjoy!

For context, this is the full range of Bechstein acoustic pianos (grands listed below), including the Vision series:

C. Bechstein Concert - Models L167, A192, B212, C234, D282 - Made In Germany

Bechstein Academy - Models A160, A175, A190, A208, A228 - Made In Germany

W. Hoffmann Professional - P162, P188, P206 - Made In Czech Republic

W. Hoffmann Traditional - T161, T177, T186 - Made In Czech Republic

W. Hoffmann Vision - V158, V175, V183 - Made In Czech Republic

Zimmermann Standard - Z160, Z175, Z185 - Made In China with German Control Procedures (QC) and Supervised Construction

W. Hoffmann V158 Baby Grand Piano Review Video Transcription

Hi, everybody and welcome to another piano review. My name is Stu Harrison and today, we're looking at the Bechstein-built W. Hoffmann V158 baby grand piano. It's part of their Vision series. It is a baby grand piano - about 5-foot-3 in size - and something that we've had on the floor for many years now. We internally refer to it as a "fan favourite" or certainly one of the most popular models in its size and its price range. And it occurred to us, we had never actually shared our thoughts or a review on this model with you so we wanted to circle back and make sure that we could just deliver some great information to you at home to help with your shopping. And expose you to this instrument if it wasn't one that was already on your radar. And so, we're going to be talking about its touch, its action, obviously, how Bechstein builds this piano, exactly where they do it. You know, people always have questions about exactly what's done and where? And is this is a German piano or is it a European piano? So we're going to cover all of that. We're also going to let you listen to the instrument.

We've got a great AKG 414 microphone set up. We're going to take that and pump it through a little bit on this review as well as a separate listening review so you can just hear the piano on its own. And ultimately, just give you a better experience at home to do some shopping before you have to start trekking out and hunting down piano stores.

So, once again, thank you very much for tuning in to the channel, tuning in to this review. We're going to get started right away.

W. Hoffmann: "The Sound Of Europe"

So, let's cover the first thing that often people have a question about because they know the C. Bechstein name or the C. Bechstein brand as a company, it's right at the top echelons of the piano industry. I mean, the Bechstein, generally its nickname is the king of pianos. In Europe, I know 2018 sales figures put it as the number one producer of premium pianos in the entire European sales region. So, I mean, this is something that they're very dominant in. But, a lot of those instruments are well over $100,000 and if you're talking about an upright, it could easily be $30,000, $40,000 or $50,000. And so, when we look at a grand piano like the Vision series that is kinda floating in the very similar price range to what you might be looking at a Yamaha C3X or say, you know, a Kawai GX-3 grand piano or something like that, immediately, we get questions about well is this really a Bechstein product or is this just simply a stencil? Meaning, that Bechstein has branded it, Bechstein has designed it but it's not actually Bechstein making the piano. So I really wanted to address that first because I think it's the easiest one to address but it's often one that people sort of hesitate on really investigating the instrument because they're not sure what the answer is.

So, first of all, this is not only a Bechstein designed product but is it a Bechstein-built product? So this piano, rather, is manufactured in Europe. This is built in the Czech Republic by Bechstein at Bechstein's factory and so that whole part of the company is referred to as C. Bechstein Europe. Really, it's just their Czech piano making operation, about a three-hour drive down the road actually if you look at a map from their German manufacturing headquarters. The pianos are built in excellent facilities; in fact Bechstein bought the old Bohemia production site, and invested over 50 Million Euro in modernizing an upgrading it. Additionally, C. Bechstein Europe draws on a very rich local tradition of piano building, so the workforce is familiar with how to make successful instruments. It's also made the integration of the two factories all the more seamless. That collaborative dynamic truly sets it apart from a lot of other instruments in this category where you sort of have higher-end brands that are paying other factories to actually produce pianos for them and then they're able to label it so that they get a nice, you know, vertically integrated brand. Steinway does this with Boston for example. The Boston has some Steinway design elements but ultimately it is a Kawai-built product that they make in Japan and with a few models also in Indonesia.

So, is every single component in the piano completely made in Germany or in Czech? The answer would be no. This is very common, first of all, for any piano except if you're dealing with the very, very, very high-end. Even some of the German brands such as Schimmel or Bluthner that have come up with sort of German certification, don't actually certify that the parts are entirely of European origin. And it's getting increasingly rare to find that and it's for the simple reason that some of the best manufacturing of steel or the best manufacturing of aluminum parts is actually coming from, you guessed it, China. And so with the Vision series on the W. Hoffmann V158, what you've got is a strung back which is actually made by Hailun. And so, for those of you who don't know, the strung back typically refers to the plate and the soundboard, sort of, it's almost like a cartridge that kinda fits into the piano. Hailun makes a great strung back. So anyone who's feeling like this maybe as a knock against the instrument, do a little more reading. Obviously, you need to, you know, make this decision for yourself, feel comfortable about it but for us, this is something that makes a ton of sense. Hailun is really good at this. There's many companies that are hiring them to do this. Plus, Bechstein already had an affiliation with Hailun because Hailun of course builds Bechstein's Zimmermann brand. But besides that, every other aspect of this piano is manufactured and assembled in the Czech Republic, by highly qualified Czech staff. So the frame, the action, all of the stringing is done in the Czech. All the finishing is done, the polyester, you know, as it says, it is a European manufactured product.

Components and Features of the W. Hoffmann Vision V 158

The Vision Series (including the V158) uses a number of high-quality components normally associated with much more expensive European pianos. This includes the "belly" or back-frame of the piano, the use of agraffes, Bechstein double-felted hammerheads, acoustically-neutral cast iron plate, hardwood-laminated pinblock, and of course solid spruce soundboards. In fact, the v158 uses an Austrian white spruce soundboard, an indisputably premium material. It tends to be a slightly less warm sound than say a Sitka but a bit of a better sustain in the mid and upper mid partial region. So you tend to get this almost bell-like tone out of white spruce pianos. No different on the W. Hoffmann Vision V158.

The action is also a Bechstein designed and built action, which they call the "Silver Action" - the same parts and design that they use in the Bechstein Academy line. It gives a pleasant touch - one with ample control, fluidity, and range.

Regarding the Bechstein hammerheads, they're one of the only companies left who's actually bringing all of those kind of technical action related stuff in house. Beyond ensuring that all of their instruments retain Bechstein's unique singing European Voice, This is something that's being done very deliberately because of course the European piano manufacturing industry has been shrinking and shrinking and shrinking. And so, every time you have the manufacturer that closes up shop and either sells the brand to a Chinese interest or just completely ceases operation, you've got other supplier companies that now have less of a customer base for them to keep going. And so, you've seen fewer and fewer of those suppliers, you know, plate makers and action makers that are looking robust and looking like they're going to make it through the next 10, 20 years. So Bechstein, is looking way down the road, they're seeing the opportunity to bring this stuff back in house. And so, like Kawai, like Yamaha, they're bringing all of that stuff in house, hammer manufacturing, action design, all of those things. And you're getting that right from the Vision series up on the W. Hoffmann.

Side note: the Vision series is available with the vario system for a fee - at this time, the Vario cannot be purchased after sale, it must be factory installed...although there are rumours that in 2020 they will be made available as a retro-fit kit.

Musical Impressions

It's got a tonal range that is going to surprise you. It's certainly something that has a ton of very, kind of, mapley Steinway-esque I would almost describe it, mid-tones when you're in sort of the piano, mezzo-piano range. But the minute that you climb up into a forte or a fortissimo, you get these really nice bell tones coming out of like third partial, fourth partial.

It's a really a nice orchestral palette that makes this model such a unique musical gem. And that's something that you'll read about a lot in Bechstein's literature, this concept of an orchestral palette. It's happening partially because of the hammer design and how they weight it, you know, the material that they build the core out of, it's double-felted of course. This piano is also equipped with duplex scaling, so you're getting a really nice strong treble.

And then, down in the bass...for me, a much clearer bass than what you are going to get out of a similarly priced Yamaha or Kawai. It's not that I don't think those other instruments have a great bass. They've got a very nice warm bass but there's a clarity that you're getting on this. Even just single bass notes down at the bottom octave, you're not sort of getting all these crazy overtones where isolated, it would actually be hard to tell which pitch you were playing. Which is kinda common in less expensive 5-foot class pianos unless you're paying some absurd price for like a Fazioli, you know, F156 grand piano or, you know, a C. Bechstein 167 model. I mean, those are exquisite small pianos but they're well over 100 grand. This is a third that price being a very affordable baby grand piano.

Summary

So, in summary, this instrument presents an interesting option to me for a very specific type of buyer out there which is someone who's set out with probably either a Kawai or a Yamaha in mind or, you know, a budget, let's say, in and around the $30,000 price range, they don't wanna double that, you know, they'd love to find something a little bit less. But generally speaking, that's the comfort range. And without doing a little bit of digging, that's probably the majority of the suggestions that you're going to be receiving from people, is look at a Kawai-built product, look at a Yamaha-built product. Those are kind of the Honda, the Toyota, you know, of your piano world. There might be some slightly less popular options that you can start to look at say from a Samick manufacturer. But generally speaking, that's kinda the paradigm. So what this presents is another company that's doing full vertically integrated product lines, drawing technologies and designs down for much more expensive things. Just like the Shigeru and the Kawai, you know, trickling down into the GX, and presents a generally different musical option. It's not like this play is the same and it's just a different brand on the front that has a different tone, it has a different touch than what you're going to get from either a Yamaha CX series or a Kawai GX series. And it gives you the third option which is always great to find out that there's another option out there that is just going to give you, you know, a different palette for you to choose from because you never know when you sit down, what you're going to fall in love with.

The post W. Hoffmann V158 Grand Piano Review & Demo by Merriam Pianos first appeared on Merriam Pianos

2359 Bristol Cir #200, 

Oakville, ON L6H 6P8merriammusic.com

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[shazyloren]

The Dragon Club: Chapter 24 - Ghost and Grey Wind

Link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/12018519/chapters/27781047

------

When Jon awoke the next morning Daenerys had left for work. He found himself in the best mood he'd been in since he met his niece a few weeks ago, or maybe since the wedding. She had written a note for Jon when he came to; the bed she slept in made and the curtains open. It was laid carefully on the coffee table in the living room. He found himself smiling as he looked at her curly handwriting.

Dear Jon,

I'm so glad we hashed everything out yesterday, I'm excited for what adventures are in store for us!

I hope you don't mind but I made a tea and helped myself to some toast (it took me ages to find the bread!), i did do the washing up though so I think I get points for that!

I'll see you tonight, meet me at 12 Arbor Street at 8pm, I've made reservations!

Lots of hotheadedness and flirtation,

Daenerys Xx

Jon couldn't help but feel ecstatic. What a goofy letter!

Ghost was still asleep, it was time he went for a walk as he hadn't been in nearly 24 hours. Jon didn't want him to get fat and lazy, so he changed out of his pyjamas and had a quick shower. His abs were starting to lose shape, he needed Gendry to crack on him in the gym a bit more often. He washed his hair and lathered his body as he soaked his muscles in the hot water, and washed off the bad vibes and only let the positive ones in.

Getting out, he wrapped himself in a fluffy cream towel and blow dried his hair. The curls were going to be out today. As he grabbed for his glasses, he caught sight of himself in the mirror. He was a completely different person these days, and he was glad for it. He was getting lazy and housebound, which is good for his friendship with Ghost but not much else. He changed into some jeans and a Metallica tee with converse and grabbed Ghost's dog collar.

"Ghost, time to walk" He said as he approached the husky. Ghost leapt up and around in excitement. "Calm down there, geesh!"

He managed to get the collar on and took him for a little walk around the block. It gave him time to think about stuff. He thought about what he want to achieve with his blog now, he'd reached new heights and the money was coming in better than he ever could've dreamed. But there was something missing from it, he needed to get down to writing about politics again. Tywin Lannister was running for President this year against Stannis Baratheon. The two knew each other well, Tywin's daughter Cersei was married to his brother Robert until his untimely death from heart disease. And Jon did not like either of the candidates; people had been asking for his opinions but he needed to formulate more opinions on them through research, so that's what he would do tomorrow.

He also thought about his aspirations outside of work; he wanted to travel some more, see the world outside of King's Landing, High Garden was nice this time of year, Dorne was always beautiful, but east, to Japan, is where he wanted to go. The cherry blossoms, the large statues and the hustle and bustle of Tokyo. He wished for many other things, a family, children of his own, things he'd not thought of in years.

When they got back to the house, he put Ghost in the car and readied himself to go to Robb's house. Robb didn't live too far, a short 10 minute drive out west on the Gold Road. He decided he owed him a visit and so after making sure Ghost was secure with a seatbelt, he sped off. The drive was short but he heard a bit of news on the radio station King Landing central, he found himself frustrated.

'An inside source from Valyrian Magazine claims that for their one year anniversary as a magazine Owner and Editor-in-chief, Daenerys Targaryen will be gracing the cover with photos and interview done by none other than Jon Snow, the online journalist who back in January scathed the Owner in a editorial piece after being thrown out of their interview. In recent weeks there has also been photos of them that have surfaced attending his Sister's wedding. We'll let you know more as and when we get details...'

Jon sighed. He hated the media. He pulled up to Robb's driveway and as he got out his phone dinged with a notification from twitter. '@thedragonclub' has mentioned you in a tweet. Jon felt his eyes roll in his head as he opened it. 'An inside source says you're okay with me now #hotheadedwho?' Jon couldn't help but burst into laughter. Was she too listening to the station or had she just been informed?

Jon liked the tweet and replied. 'The inside source must be lying ;)'

'booo you're no fun :P' She'd messaged him privately. He just sent a bunch of the hugging emoji and put his phone back in his pocket. He knocked on Robb's door with Ghost on the leash, holding him back with all his power. Robb had a husky too called Grey Wind and Ghost got on with him well. He always enjoyed visiting and somehow knew he was at Robb's.

Robb opened the door and Ghost began jumping up and down excitedly. "Jon!" Robb tried to hug his brother but Ghost got in the way. Robb rolled his eyes and got down on his knees and started fussing the husky. "Hello, boy"

Jon walked in the house, waving to Talisa who was sat in the conservatory watching Grey Wind run around in excitement outside. Jon heard Lyanna cry upstairs and so she got up and went to retrieve her daughter. Once the conservatory door was open, Ghost was let of his collar who in turn bombed it outside and barked in excitement at Grey Wind who too was excited. They shut the door and let the dogs run around together. "Crazy huskies"

"Crazy owners" Jon laughed as he finally got to hug his brother. "How's my little girl?"

"I'm mad at you" Jon turned to see a wisp of ginger hair. Shit, he thought, as Sansa glared at him. "You hung up on me!"

"Sorry, she turned up at my door and I didn't know what to do! I'm sorry, I panicked!" Jon backed up against the door, wishing he was on the other side with the dogs. Sansa glared at him with eyes as green as flubber. "And FYI, I was referring to Lyanna as my little girl, not you!"

"As long as you tell me what happened I'll forgive you!" Sansa exclaimed.

"Wait, hang on what happened?" Talisa had Lyanna in her arms as she sat back in her seat. "Who was at Jon's door?"

"Daenerys" Sansa said. Robb eyes went wide.

"I'm sorry is my nun of a brother finally getting some action?" Robb laughed, Jon did not. He gazed out the window and saw Ghost and Grey Wind chasing a squirrel. "I'm proud of you brother!"

"Nothing happened, well I kissed her, but we didn't do any of that stuff, we talked mainly. We had a lot to go over, stuff which I am not going to tell you!" Jon sighed as he sat in his seat. He had not expected Sansa to be here; although he should've known. After Jon and Arya, Robb would've been the one she went to over something important. "Margaery not here?"

"No, she'd got a job in New York for a few days" Sansa replied. "Don't change the subject, what was the kiss like?"

"I did not come to see my brother to be the centre of a gossip ring" Jon crossed his arms.

"When are you seeing her again?" Talisa asked. Jon felt betrayed, they all wanted answers.

"Tonight, she's got a reservation for a restaurant she likes" Jon felt his face warm up as Sansa beamed at him. "Jon, i'm so happy for you!"

"We're taking it slow, okay? She stayed over last night but she slept in the spare room" Jon announced. Robb raised an eyebrow. "We'd had wine and she'd driven over to my house, I wasn't going to let her drive back and get caught, okay?"

"Wine?" Talisa teased. "Jon you are well and truly smitten, I wish you luck in this blossoming relationship"

"Thank you, Talisa" Jon sighed. Sansa hugged him, she was happy for him but just annoyed that he'd hung up. Jon wondered if maybe she wanted to hear his declaration of feelings to her while she was listening on the other end. "So what have I missed in the family?"

"Not much, Bran and Meera had a very brief falling out" Sansa smirked. "So stupid!"

"Over what?" Jon had never seen Bran or Meera argue, they were like two peas in a pod.

"Well, you know this Conspiracy Club they started at University?" Jon nodded. "Apparently, Meera doesn't actually like conspiracy theories. Bran was angry at her when she snapped and said the earth was round, we were over their for dinner last night. He stormed upstairs and Meera went after him. So naturally myself, Arya and Gendry quietly followed and listened. Meera said she only agreed to join because she loved spending time with Bran and wanted to support him. Ten minutes later she was screaming so loud in pleasure we had to take Mother and Father into the garden with some music on just to drown it out"

"Oh lord" Jon cackled.

"Don't, they calm down like half an hour later and Meera was practically hobbling she was walking that funny" Jon suddenly felt glum, jesus he couldn't remember the last time he had sex. Apparently all his siblings were doing it. "Apart from that nothing has changed. Arya and Gendry leave tomorrow for their honeymoon though"

"I know, Mexico, right?" Jon was jealous. He could do with some sun and sea right now. "They better send us a postcard"

"Us?" Sansa raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, Ghost and I" Jon shrugged. "She always does when she writes to me"

He didn't have time to stay for very long, but he got a cuddle with his niece and some pictures which was what he always wanted. When he said goodbye, it wasn't for another half an hour he left as he'd had to drag Ghost to the car as he didn't want to leave.

"We'll see you soon, brother. Please let us know what happens this evening" Robb winked. Sansa had her bag and scarf with her. "Where are you going?"

"Jon's" She said as she threw her bag into the passenger seat.

"You are?" Jon blinked unsure why.

"You have a hot date, someone has to make sure you don't go in a Metallica tee" She shrugged and climbed in. Jon sighed.

Seven hells give me strength.

[osanajimi]

Untitled Review

My bias said since there’re only 2 years left until Arashi’s 20th, they have 2 years to test their limits and boundaries before being busy celebrating entering their 3rd decade, thus, that is what I choose to focus on in appreciating this album...

Green Light - Top batter. I wasn’t sucked into this immediately, but my impression of it has changed. The preview on the website which only featured the chorus made me think of their kouhais (HSJ, Kisumai), but the lower notes changed my mind. I find that I don’t dislike the tuning on the members’ voice, so that’s good. The transitions are niggling me though. Feels like it could have been done more smoothly. I find that the contrasts throw me off a little. Still one of my favourites from the album though.

Mikan - When I first heard it, I was blooming mad because of the mishmash of genres that didn’t feel like they mesh. But as I listened to it more, I became convinced that it is a daring attempt. It was what hinted me at what Arashi was trying to do with the album this round, before they dropped any other details about it. My condolences about the MV, but with Sho as bias, I don’t find myself complaining much when I’ve got that pair dance to flail over. 

Sugar - Love the beat. I call these kinds of songs the ‘blast them out loud as you you go for a drive maybe at coastal roads ala what they do in MVs’ (or ‘Drive songs’ for short). Members singing in the back has got my attention rather than the member that’s doing the main, like when they’re going ‘sugaa~~rrr’ and ‘my loo~~vee’. Also, something about this reminds me of EXILE. 

Ari no Mama de - Clap your hands to this, yeah~ Wave it side to side, yeah~ Channel your 1D fangirl heart, yeah~ (there, I’ve gone and said it). I want to be skipping around with my tween girlfriends while holding hands. Quite Western boyband-ish *cough* for our Japanese manband.

Fu’un - Kamen Rider or Super Sentai OSTs. Nothing really bad about it, but it’s never really been my kind of song.  

Houyou - The first half felt a bit complicated. I couldn’t tell when the song was going to settle. And then I realized it wouldn’t. Then Sakurap actually caught me in this state which I’m thankful for. Bias he may be, it felt like a float to hold onto in the middle of a calm sea, but in the middle of the sea nonetheless. Edit: I found out the meaning. Suffice to say, no wonder I felt lost.. ahaha..

Pray - Shojo slice-of-life ending theme song. I’m seeing curious faces peeking out of umbrellas and up at the sky as the rain lets up but the air is still heavy with moisture (that’s probably just the ‘傘’ word getting in the way, though).  

Hikari - Ninoooo~~~~~~ If I sounded this good opening a song, I’d call it out as my favorite, too. I can sort of see him as Disney princess singing to charm the tiny critters who’ll become his allies. Gospel-ish, just like they said in the jweb vid. Definitely a song that makes you stand up and sway left-right and clapping to beat. I like songs where there is obvious non-member backing, mostly because if it’s performed, then I like the backup singers in the con to have their time to shine. Or, they could have a choir, but they did that two years ago in Miyagi, so idk. The Sakurap isn’t my favourite kind, but appreciating the versatility. Would’ve liked to hear the 15-seconds after Ohno’s main following Sakurap as a cappella, but oh well. 

Kanata e - I couldn’t make my mind up about the song until after the 1min mark. I’ll be honest and say only the chorus is sort of working for me. Sounds like uplifting anime OST. The rest... doesn’t really stick.

Song for you - This was great. This is great. Arashi did me in with this one. Ohno had gotten to me on Msute (I’m kinda weak for Ohno’s solo lines in group songs). But then they sang in unison the same lines/melody towards the end, and I can honestly say, the 5 of Arashi topped Ohno solo. That part was... beautiful. I don’t really have any other way to describe it. Whatever it was that Ohno found in Miles Away last year, they didn’t let it be a one-time thing and go to waste. 

Kanpai Song - Either Kanjani or WEST. This was a Kansai song that thought it might want to do a little ‘上京’ing. From the title, I was expecting something like Energy Song. The theme was, the melody not so much. It’s not a song I would dislike, but clashes a bit with my image of current Arashi.

Unit Songs:

Curiosity Team - Bazuri Night: Initial D (?) Eurobeat stuff I should think. Fuzakeru song, as I thought it’ll be when I saw the unit (I might not show it, but I’m still a bit sore about Yama). I had this teeny hope for a slow song when the Machi ga Irodzuku koro video was going around, but Aiba on Rekomen explained that it wasn’t so. So the song is basically the old men having their night out unsupervised. I don’t mind doing some ParaPara to this.

 Riida and his babies - Yoru no Kage: They sound like a a KPop group trying to promote themselves in Japan (in the sense that the group puts more effort since they’re trying to enter a foreign market). That, or Miura Daichi. I was pretty sure we’re going to get something classy from this unit though, so in that aspect I wasn’t disappointed. Nice high notes. Jun did great matching the other two, always have been a bit of his specialty, I should think. Looking forward to the performance. 

Soubusen Nakama - UB: Unit bath. Of course. What were we thinking of getting when it’s these two. A straight ballad? Pfft. But the harmonizing is sweet. If I didn’t know better, I think I’m hearing open fields and clear endless blue skies with whispy clouds. There’s something Western (American outback? not country though) about it. It’s kinda cute if you don’t think about the meaning too much. 

Sakumoto - Comeback: So, this is something like if MC Sakurai and DJ Matsumoto from Arafes ‘13 got together for real and decided to do something from 2 decades ago. I have no objections to this (kidding, I LOVE it).   It is ‘Get Arrested Pt. II’ after all. The countdowns in the song works so much for me. Gets you all riled up and excited for them. I can already hear the dead whale noises I’ll be making as watching the DVD next year induces a cardiac arrest in me. Edit: I just remembered the Yakai episode where they have an ICU girl describe Sho as having ‘good vibes’. It’d tickle me if that’s where the phrase in the lyrics come from. 

If I’m to rank the unit songs:

Yoru no Kage

Comeback

UB

Bazuri Night

Why do I feel that this album is pretty polarizing? I’ve seen some people who aren’t into it (Japanese fans, though). I’m supposing it’s all the new sounds we’re hearing? However, despite that, I’ll repeat what I said in a post the other day,  I hope they can continue doing something different without fear of backlash from fans. Personally, I’m really happy with it. 

Edit: After getting a proper looks, I’m wondering how much the members were involved with the lyrics. Song For You, for example, would be really weird if it was written without the members having any say at all. I mean, it’s beautiful, it’s a story of the group’s journey, but if a complete stranger wrote it then... you know. Kinda weird. Idk.

P.S.: There’s always this one song in each con that makes me wish I was there whenever I watch the con DVD, eg, Hope in the Darkness for Digitalian, Ohno’s Akatsuki in Japonism, and Nino’s Mata Kyou in AYH. But Song For You makes me wish I could have attended the con just from the sound of it. Here’s to them giving the song the justice it deserves.  

[severepeanutperfection]

A New Future Market Insights Study Analyses Growth of Geocells Market in Light of the Global Corona Virus Outbreak

3D geocells are gaining paramount importance in the infrastructure industry, where 3D cellular confinement systems are being leveraged in various applications such as channel protection and cellular slope protection, especially during road construction. Furthermore, with increasing demand for cellular stabilization systems in reducing vibrations caused by the vehicular movement on roads, the global market for geocells is expected to witness healthy growth.

Leading market players are capitalizing on the increased awareness about soil erosion protection, which is triggering end users to adopt sustainable infrastructure development practices through the adoption of high strength geocells. In the coming years, a substantial rise in adoption of reinforcement geocells in road embankment is expected to boost growth of the global geocells market.

To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-372

This Future Market Insights Report examines the ‘Geocells’ market for the period 2015 – 2025. The primary objective of the report is to offer updates and market opportunities in the global geocells market. The installation rate of geocells for infrastructure development and construction activities is now increasing at considerable pace in developing economies across the globe.

Geocells also known as cellular confinement systems are three dimensional mats resembling honey comb structure usually made of high density polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester or other polymeric alloys. These are used in construction sector primarily for earth reinforcement, slope protection, channel protection, load support and tree root protection. Geocells are subset of geosynthetics market and are estimated to represent around 5.6% share in terms of volume consumption in overall geosynthetics market.

To understand and assess the opportunities in this market the report is categorically split under three sections namely: market analysis by applications, material types and regions. The report analyses the global geocells market in terms of market value (US$ Mn) and volume (Million Square Meter)

Download Methodology of this Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-372

The report starts with an overview of construction sector output across the globe. In the same section, FMI covers the geocells market performance in terms of consumption and revenue. This section also includes FMI’s analyses of key trends, drivers and restraints from supply and demand perspective. Impact analysis of key growth drivers and restraints based on the weighted average model included in the report better equips and arms client with crystal clear decision making insights.

The next section of the report analyses the market based on applications and presents the forecast in terms of volume and value for the next ten years.

Applications covered in the report include:

Earth Reinforcement

Load Support

Channel Protection

Slope Protection

Tree Root Protection

The next section of the report analyses the market based on material type and presents the forecast in terms of volume and value for the next ten years.

Material types covered in the report include:

High density polyethylene (HDPE)

Polypropylene (PP)

Polyester

Other polymeric alloys

The next section of the report analyses the market based on regions and presents the forecast in terms of volume and value for the next ten years.

Regions covered in the report include:

Asia Pacific

North America

Western Europe

Latin America

Eastern Europe

Japan

Middle East & Africa

To calculate the market size, the report considers average price of geocells per square meter across geographies. Furthermore, data points such as regional split and market split by applications, material type and qualitative inputs from primary respondents have been incorporated to arrive at apt market estimates. The forecast presented here assesses the total revenue as well as volume of geocells system. When developing the forecast of the market, the starting point is sizing the current market, which forms the basis for the forecast of how the market is anticipated to take shape in the near future. Given the characteristics of market, we triangulated the outcome based on different analysis based on supply side, demand side and dynamics of geosynthetics (parent) market. However, quantifying the market across aforementioned segments and regions is more a matter of quantifying expectations and identifying opportunities rather than rationalizing them after the forecast has been completed.

In addition, it is imperative to note that in an ever-fluctuating global economy, we not only conduct forecasts in terms of CAGR, but also analyse on the basis of key parameters such as year-on-year (Y-o-Y) growth to understand the predictability of the market and to identify the right opportunities across the geocells market.

As previously highlighted, the market for geocells is split into various sub categories based on region, material type and applications. All these sub segments or categories have been analysed in terms of basis point share (BPS) to understand individual segments relative contribution to growth. This detailed level of information is important for identification of many key trends in geocells market.

Also, another key feature of this report is the analysis of geocells market by regions, material type and applications and its revenue forecast in terms of absolute dollar. This is traditionally overlooked while forecasting the market. However, absolute dollar opportunity is critical in assessing the level of opportunity that a provider can look to achieve, as well as to identify potential resources from a sales perspective in the global geocells market.

Furthermore, to understand key growth segments in terms of growth &performance of geocells, Future Market Insights developed market attractiveness index. The resulting index should help providers identify real market opportunities.

In the final section of the report, geocells market landscape is included to provide report audiences with a dashboard view, based on categories of providers across the value chain, presence in geocells product portfolio and key differentiators.

For Complete TOC @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-372

Few of the market players featured in the section include:

Presto Geosystems

Polymer Group Inc.

TMP Geosynthetics

Armtec Infrastructure Inc.

Strata Systems Inc.

PRS Mediterranean Ltd.

Maccaferri S.p.A

ACE Geosynthetics

MiakomGroup of Companies

Wall Tag Pte Ltd.

Tensar International Ltd.

Tencate Geosynthetics

Admir Technologies

Polyfabrics Australia Pty Ltd.

Bonar

ABG Geosynthetics

Huifeng Geosynthetics

SABK International

Wrekin Products, Ltd.

CeTeau Group

About FMI

Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in Dubai, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India. FMI’s latest market research reports and industry analysis help businesses navigate challenges and make critical decisions with confidence and clarity amidst breakneck competition. Our customized and syndicated market research reports deliver actionable insights that drive sustainable growth. A team of expert-led analysts at FMI continuously tracks emerging trends and events in a broad range of industries to ensure that our clients prepare for the evolving needs of their consumers.

Contact

Mr. Abhishek Budholiya Unit No: AU-01-H Gold Tower (AU), Plot No: JLT-PH1-I3A, Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai, United Arab Emirates MARKET ACCESS DMCC Initiative For Sales Enquiries: sales@futuremarketinsights.com For Media Enquiries: press@futuremarketinsights.com Website: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com

[slackalternativessopensource]

Hawaii - How to Get To, And Get Around On, The Big Island

slack alternatives open source. From the icy heights of snow-covered volcanoes, to steamy jungles and tropical beaches, to flowing fields of lava, flower choked canyons and wide-open tropical grassland, its scenery is unsurpassed. By and large the quality of your trip to the Big Island will depend on how much of it you choose to see and how you set about discovering your own Big Island adventures. Below are some ideas on the options for getting to Hawaii and for getting around Hawaii, once you are here.

Another key to the quality of your time on the Big Island has to do with the spirit of aloha. The people you meet in Hawaii, by and large, tend to be more open and friendly-quick to help or befriend-than elsewhere. This is the tradition of "Aloha". When you meet local residents, whether to ask for directions and advice or to hire services or just in casual conversation, treat them with respect, humor and openness-return their spirit of aloha and you will find your journey, and yourself, deeply enriched for it.

In Hawaii, your smile is your passport.

Getting To Hawaii The standing joke among residents of Hawaii when dealing with the time, inconvenience and hassle of traveling to the mainland is: "This used to be so much easier before the bridge blew down"! Of course, there never was a bridge spanning the roughly 2500 miles between the Big Island and mainland USA, but the humor tends to underline the commitment, planning and time it takes to travel to and from Hawaii.

Flying to Hawaii: Certainly the most common, quickest and least expensive (note I didn't say "inexpensive") way to get to Hawaii is to fly. Many major US and international carriers fly to Honolulu on Oahu and and a host of local and international carriers offer flights from there to all the other Hawaiian Islands, including the Big Island. Kona's airport is the only one on the Big Island that has direct flight connections to the US Mainland, Canada, Japan and Australia. Despite styling itself as "Hilo International Airport", flights to and from Hilo ONLY connect to other Hawaiian islands.

Although both airports have similar facilities and services, including onsite rental car agencies and access to public transportation, shuttles and taxis, it makes a big difference to the traveller where they land. By far the vast majority of visitors to the Big Island stay in either Kona or the Kohala Resorts which are all on the west side of the island and are between 20 to 45 minutes from the Kona airport. If you are staying in Hilo, it's fine to fly in there; however, Hilo doesn't have the resort facilities, fine beaches and great weather of the Kona side and few tourists opt to stay there anymore. Many people booked into resorts on the west side mistakenly take flights into Hilo, due to the misleading airport name, unaware (or even misinformed by ignorant but well-meaning travel agents) that they now, at the end of an exhausting day of travel and in the fading twilight of the early tropical sunset, face a drive of almost 3 hours, across high mountains and on narrow, winding, unfamiliar roads to get to their resort. They just better hope it doesn't start raining, too.

So-know where you are staying, fly into the appropriate airport.

Whether you are flying directly into Kona or flying to Honolulu and getting a connecting flight into Kona or Hilo, you want to be sure to reserve a seat so that you see as much of the incredible scenery as you can. Since 90% of the flight is over open ocean (which just isn't as riveting as one might expect) you want to wring the most enjoyment out of those portions of your flight which do feature scenery. If you are first stopping in Honolulu, sitting on the port (left) side of the aircraft for this leg of your trip affords the best views as the plane screams in past Koko Head and over the top of Diamond Head and Waikiki Beach, turns around directly over Pearl Harbor and settles in to land at Honolulu International Airport. Sitting on the starboard side is not as spectacular, however, it offers views of Moloka'i and Maui islands, as well as views of Pearl Harbor, the Wai'anae and Ko'olau Mountains of O'ahu and downtown Honolulu just before landing.

Flying into Hilo from O'ahu, one also wants to sit on the port side of the aircraft. The flight path crosses over the islands of Moloka'i and Maui, skims along the eastern margin of Hawaii Island presenting a rich, fascinating panoply of soaring sea cliffs, jungle canyons and volcanic mountains, jaw-dropping waterfalls and crashing surf along the coast. Flying into Kona either directly or from Honolulu is no less wonderfully scenic than flying into Hilo, but one wants to be on the starboard side. This offers the traveller great views of the islands of Maui, Molokini, Lana'i and Kaho'olawe, as well as incredible views of the Big Island, Kohala Mountain, Mauna Kea, Hualalai and, on clear days, Mauna Loa as the jet cruises in over the Kohala Coast, making land right over Makalwena Beach and on to Kona International Airport at Keahole.

Cruise Ships and Cargo Ships: There are several cruise ship lines which ply the waters of the Hawaiian Archipelago, however of the ones that service the Big Island, most require passengers to book for an entire cruise, meaning that although you may make one or two stops on Hawaii, you will only remain in port for a day, overnight at most, before sailing on. Generally, you cannot arrive on one ship, disembark for a stay, and catch another ship out.

Of increasing popularity, however, is cruising to Hawaii on cargo ships-cheaper than a cruise line and with a completely open and adjustable itinerary, this is a great alternative to flying. It is both more expensive and more time consuming (average sailing is 3 days from Los Angeles to Honolulu, and times are variable for getting from there to the Big Island) than flying, but it is restful, peaceful and unique. Cargo ships offer spacious passenger cabins and, while not the floating feed-lots that cruise ships tend to resemble, the food on cargo ships is wonderful and plentiful. Perhaps the biggest drawback of riding cargo ships to the Big Island is that on the east side they dock in, let us say, the less desirable part of Hilo; on the west they dock at Kawaihae, halfway between Kailua Kona and the resorts of the Kohala coast-in other words, out in the middle of nowhere. Both land many miles from resorts and car rental agencies. However, both docking facilities are serviced by taxis and public transportation; if you plan ahead, it should present no problem.

Getting Around Hawaii Shuttles/Taxis/Limos/Tours: Taxis, of course, service both Big Island airports, the metropolitan regions and all the resorts. The taxis, while not cheap, are not as usurious as one might fear and the drivers generally are knowledgeable, friendly, HONEST and genuinely nice-it's that whole aloha thing. Taxi drivers are happy to answer your questions, even the silly ones you are kind of shy to ask; they will freely give advice about what to do and see and where to eat and generally try to be as helpful as possible. However, many speak in pidgin English that can be nearly impenetrable to the newcomers' ear. Don't be shy about respectfully asking him to repeat himself, and again if necessary-he hears that on nearly every fare he carries. Ask him to write down place names, restaurant names and such-many Hawaiian words do not look at all like they way he's saying them and you'll want to be able to read the words on maps and signs, or be able to ask another person, later.

Both Kona and Hilo airports are serviced by point-to-point shuttles and limos, whose prices are actually quite reasonable and certainly less expensive than the taxis. The drawback here is that there will be many people aboard going to many diverse destinations-so it takes a bit longer than a taxi.

Many of the larger resorts offer a free limo service to and from the airport and some will even arrange to have your rental car waiting for you on-property when you arrive from the airport...check when you make reservations. If available, this is the least personable, but quickest, easiest and least expensive way to get to your lodgings.

Some boutique tours offered by Hostels and the smaller tour companies will also pick you up at the airport at the beginning of their tours, if your arrival time is convenient to the tour schedule; thus, the cost of getting to your resort is absorbed into the cost of the tour. This option is worth looking into if you are not planning to rent a car during your stay.

Tipping tour, taxi, limo and shuttle drivers is not only encouraged, it's their main source of revenue. Remember to return the aloha they showed you.