#unique places in Hong Kong

[travelernight]

Hong Kong Secrets: Uncover The Top 10 Must-Visit Hidden Gems

[notbecauseofvictories]

Hi Sarah, I'm going to visit Chicago in a couple of weeks and when I think of Chicago I think of you. What would you recommend I visit/do?

Unfortunately, Chicago is not its best self for a couple months---while I maintain that the city is for all seasons, summer is undoubtedly when it's most alive. However, there are a couple things I will definitely recommend for the unseasonably warm spring traveler:

(1) Eat some food

A friendly word of warning: do not be tricked into eating Giordano's or Lou Malnotti's. Perhaps your companions might try to win you over with promises of Chicago-style hotdogs---do not be swayed! You must manfully resist! (Harold's Chicken is that good though, and if you're close to the one in Hyde Park, feel free to devour the three piece dinner of your choice. Cheap bottle of the too-sweet wine I preferred as an undergrad optional.)

A much better option is to find a place that serves whatever food you love, but does it really really well.

Do you like sophisticated twists on a brewpub menu? Try Moody Tongue in the South Loop

Or are you really more of a tapas person? Highly recommend mfk in Lincoln Park

Would you prefer something a little....meatier? My favorite steakhouse in Chicago is Tango Sur (though I would argue their empanadas are really the showstopper)

There's nowhere in the city that does Hong Kong-style barbecue like Sun Wah in Uptown---I just stopped by after the parade for the Lunar New Year, the duck is to die for.

Are you on the West Side? First of all, do not go to Big Star. I mean, it's fine, but....come on. I'd pick Forbidden Root instead, or head over to Pilsen for Rubi's if you can't survive without tacos.

There are so, so many different bars I would recommend. Chicago was the home of bootleggers for a reason, goddamn it. Still, if you can't get to Wang's (look, I like Violet Hour too, but sometimes you don't want to drink in near-darkness), Koval (the rare distillery in Chicago), or any of the many, many craft breweries we have in the city right now, you probably can stop by one of the many, many, many bars we have in Chicago, and get a drink anyway.

There are more---of course there are more!---but we don't have all day. So instead I will leave you with this bit of wisdom: don't eat at Navy Pier or anywhere too close to Lincoln Park Zoo. If you are at a bar, don't settle for a burger when sometimes, the chicken tenders are actually better. And if you absolutely must go somewhere for pizza, choose Pequod's.

(2) See a thing

Chicago has many things in it! So many things! A hundred thousand things! Unfortunately, I don't know what you're into, so I will just talk about them in general.

MUSEUMS: I am a devoted museum-goer, and Chicago has blessed me with an endless feast. There are the big ones, of course---the Field Museum of Natural History, the Adler Planetarium, the Shedd Aquarium, the Museum of Science and Industry, the Art Institute of Chicago. However, my favorites are smaller, more unique: the International Museum of Surgical Sciences, Intuit (though it's temporarily closed, more's the pity), the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures at UChicago, the Lincoln Park Conservatory. That's not even all the museums in Chicago! That's not even all the museums that I've been to. It's amazing.

EVENTS: I once joked that I was a person who needed to schedule her enrichment like a blue-haired senior, but the joke was on me---I am that person! Fortunately, Chicago supports me in this endeavor by publishing many, many different calendars of "what to do this week or weekend". Do you want to see something onstage? Well, here you go. How about some classical music? I have a trusty guide. What about non-classical music? Always go to the Chicago Reader for that. Are you thinking of catching a game? Well, we're still in spring training for the Cubs and Sox, but the Bulls are doing okay even if the Blackhawks aren't, and we've got soccer (male and female) now too!

(Unfortunately, the Chicago Sky aren't playing right now, they're my favorites.)

OTHER: Unless you are extremely efficient, coming here and eating good food, doing one other thing, is more than enough. I promise it is! However, if you have more time, I definitely recommend just---wandering around. The Loop in particular is great for this, because it's reasonably small and everyone there is busy doing things. Going places, talking on phones, getting into or out of ubers, protesting outside of the Daley center, etc. etc. It's amazing to watch, and the buildings are pretty neat too.

Or you could wait a couple months, and take the Chicago Architecture Boat Tour, which I think should be a requirement for all Chicagoans. Maybe even everyone alive in the world. Just saying.

(3) Walk along the lakeshore

Chicago offers many delights, but I really do believe that Lake Michigan and its vast expanse of water, sky and space, is a unique gift to the city. It is beautiful in winter, in spring, in storms, in sun. It is free. You can sit in the grass or the sand or amble along its broad paths for miles, looking at unexpected art installations and waving grasses and the way the beaches slope to the water; you can talk to a friend or watch bikers and joggers pass you by. In the summer, there are a dozen different stands offering warm elote or cold soda, and cheerful men on jingling bike carts that will sell you neon orange push pops. In the winter, there are still bikers and joggers but also Canada geese, and you can stare mournfully at the slate grey water and ponder existence.

It is the heart of Chicago. Nelson Algren called us an "October city, even in summer"; Carl Sandburg described us as a shirtless dude who gives great oral. Personally, I think of Montrose Beach in the setting sun of winter, the sand almost too cold to touch---and beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.

[casscainmainly]

Small question, does it have to be Gotham for Cass? There's charas like Dick that can go establish their identity in a different city. Then there's Bruce, Steph, Jason and Duke who are so intrinsically tied to Gotham that this has to be the city for them. Where does Cass lie on this spectrum? Tq!

EXCELLENT question. I think Cass' situation is somewhat unique because of the way her character was handled post-Batgirl (2000).

In favour of Cass not staying in Gotham, she doesn't have the same emotional connection to Gotham as the four people you listed. She wasn't raised there, and in Batgirl (2000), she has next to no ties to Gotham civilians. In fact, it's when she moves to Bludhaven in Gabrych's run that she gains her first civilian friend and civilian love interest. The iconic volving panel is from Bludhaven, too. It's undeniable that the distance from Gotham, from Bruce (and arguably Babs), helps her grow:

Batgirl (2000) #71

It can't be overstated how important ownership is to Cass. To own something means, necessarily, that you not an object. You are a person who something belongs to, and who belongs to something. By calling Bludhaven the "first place that's ever been... mine," she's explicitly saying that Gotham was not hers. Bludhaven was the first place that made her feel fully human.

But there are caveats to this. Cass goes to Bludhaven in the wake of Stephanie's death, a Gothamite through and through. It's probable that Steph's death colours her view of Gotham here, and her willingness to embrace Bludhaven is in response to the pain that Gotham now brings her. (This is also after Babs calls Cass stupid). Feeling like Gotham doesn't belong to her might stem from these specific circumstances, and not be applicable in current canon.

Still, if the story had ended there, I'd say Cass doesn't need to stay in Gotham. Unfortunately, it doesn't.

Red Robin (2009) #17

After Bruce's death, Cass goes to Hong Kong. Well, 'goes' is putting it nicely. She was written off to make Steph Batgirl, which resulted in Cass a) not appearing in most comics, b) being stripped of the bat symbol, and c) being isolated from everyone she cares about, besides Tim. It's a horrific and undeserved fate, reversing everything Cass' story once stood for (narrative agency; becoming a hero; finding a family).

Though Cass regains the symbol and becomes the Bat of Hong Kong, she is no longer part of the narrative; her distance from Gotham became a representation of her distance from narrative importance. That's the real danger of Cass leaving Gotham - unlike Dick, who is a big enough character to be guaranteed solos in Blud, Cass leaving Gotham will forever hold the threat of erasure.

I'm discussing this in a meta-textual sense, but textually Cass knows the danger too.

Gates of Gotham #5

Here, Cass rebuffs Dick's assertion that Gotham will never keep either of them because they don't belong. She says, "It's about how you choose to see the world. Everything else is just an excuse." She's repudiating multiple things: editorial's decision to boot her from Gotham; Bruce's decision to take Batgirl away; even, somewhat, Dick's ascension to the Bat mantle when she wasn't given a chance.

This is ultimately why, though Cass could work elsewhere, I think she should work in Gotham. It's the place she ran to after David Cain, the place she chose to stay in, and the place that gave her Batgirl. Most importantly, it's the place that rejected her. It's not about Gotham itself - It's about how she was ejected from it, and how she fought her way back, over and over again. Cass staying in Gotham ensures history doesn't repeat itself. It rewards Cass fans who survived OYL, Batman Inc, and New 52 with the light at the end of the tunnel.

This is just my opinion! I do love her stint in Bludhaven, so I understand other people preferring her elsewhere. Just for me, she may not belong to Gotham in the way Bruce, Steph, Duke, Jay, or Babs does, but she deserves to be there.

[easternmind]

The weird and wonderful history of Kowloon as a digital interactive space - Part II

This article is the continuation of a previous post.

Any comprehensive history of 20th century Hong Kong is not complete without a chapter entirely dedicated to the architectural and urban planning puzzle that was Kowloon Walled City. Quite unlike any other slum in Asia or elsewhere in the world, the extreme conditions under which its inhabitants lived captured the attention of various international journalists and photographers whose reports of this accidental labyrinth, in turn, inspired some of the most remarkable artistic explorations of our time. In this regard, video games did not remain impervious to the powerfully stimulative imagery, as much a reference today as it was when its hardened concrete walls still stood tall.

Kowloon's Gate Suzaku VR - Jetman - 2017

Kowloon's Gate made a most unexpected comeback twenty years after the original episode via the crowdfunded VR project Suzaku developed by Jetman, a studio founded by and composed almost exclusively of ex-SME/Zeque staff. While it is not the remaster many had hoped for, essentially consisting of a walking simulation through some redesigned locations from the original, it does a commendable job in faithfully replicating its instantly recognizable, light-starved alleyways in competent high-definition. It is also the only VR-compatible entry from this list, granting it a degree of uniqueness over its counterparts.

Stranglehold - Midway/Tiger Hill Productions - 2007

Stranglehold is the result of a collaboration with Hong Kong movie director John Woo, developed as a direct sequel to his heroic bloodshed classic Hard Boiled, featuring Chow Yun-fat in the role of detective 'Tequilla' Yuen in his unending confrontations with organized crime. One of the game's most unforgettable levels, Slums of Kowloon, takes place during a particularly rainy day, seemingly in those last days when the zone had been emptied of residents and demolition work was well underway. The visual representation of the quarter is suitably evocative, its buildings in complete state of disrepair, the remnants of local businesses or places of prayer still discernible from under the piles of steel and cement rubble.

Resident Evil 6 - Capcom - 2012

For all its shortcomings, Resident Evil 6 partly succeeds in taking the first two episodes' concept of parallel storylines and realizing it to a much fuller extent. Its choice of different characters translates into entirely different campaigns, locations and playing styles. The very first scene in Chris/Piers' campaign occurs in the fictional Chinese city of Lanshiang, modelled after real-life Hong Kong. The mayhem in the main streets forces the player to take a detour into a location named Poisawan, which bears a striking resemblance to the Kowloon district. Though an unofficial representation, it is among the most skilled replications of the scenery we find in the vast photographic repository of the area. The degree of minutiae with which the district's haphazard electric installation is replicated, alone, suffices to demonstrate a true commitment to authenticity.

Paranormal HK - Ghostpie Studio - 2020

Few would dispute that Kowloon is, itself, naturally conducive to sentiments of dread and anxiety. Paranormal HK is a 2020 made in China production reviving the defunct neighbourhood in a gripping, blood-curdling contemporary ghost story. The player is the cameraman of a paranormal-themed TV show exploring the zone during the evening of the Zhongyuan festival, a scheme suspiciously akin to that of Akira Ueda's 2004 game, Michigan: Report From Hell. As a result of the thorough research work performed by its creators, as well as the impeccable usage of contemporary 3D graphics techniques to achieve accurate lighting conditions, players may momentarily experience the feeling of walking into a photo of the actual city as it existed in the mid eighties.

Sifu - Sloclap - 2022

Notwithstanding of its renaissance during the 128-Bit era, the beat 'em up genre is commonly associated with the arcade games of the late 80s and 90s, the period of time when it flourished and, arguably, reached its zenith. The simplicity of controls and ease of access sufficed to attract players to the arcade cabinet, while the frequently extreme levels of difficulty of advanced levels ensured a steady flow of cash for arcade room owners and game development companies alike. Nevertheless, the genre has but perished and, in many aspects, recent years have indeed elevated it to unforeseeable degrees of complexity. Sifu, by Sloclap, synthesizes the elation of digital hand to hand combat simulation with the real-life complexity of mastering a martial art.

As is the case of previous entries in this list, Sifu makes no admitted reference to Kowloon or Hong Kong. However, the designers left little to the imagination in what pertains to their inspirations when taking on the task of constructing the game's environments. Another notable coincidence stems from the fact that this production was made possibly with the support from a celebrated independent game funding group going by the name Kowloon Nights.

Stray - BlueTwelve Studio - 2022

Stray is one of the most revered independent video games in recent memory, and justifiably so. The long development process yielded many benefits, judging from the consistency and attention to detail that engrossed many an avid player. That the main character is singularly charming feline may have played an equally crucial role. The creators have made no effort to conceal the fact that the notorious Hong Kong district was a pivotal influence to the design of its nameless city. The first indication can be spotted in the game's earliest footage, in which a black cat traverses a street where a particularly conspicuous sign boasted the initials HK. Stray is less concerned with presenting a precise replica of Kowloon than it is about summoning the very essence of its atmosphere. Moreover, in an exquisitely poignant way, its ending lends an entirely new meaning to the term walled city. In the future, robots may well take the place of humans. Invariably, the Walled City is no more. Slitterhead - Bokeh Game Studio - Work in Progress

An sequence of unconscionable mistakes from the part of Sony Computer Entertainment's management galvanized Keiichiro Toyama to part ways with Japan Studio, as it once was, and establish his own game production label. Their debut title, Slitterhead, is described as a grotesque survival horror experience, a genre within which the author moves with matchless ease. Among the few certainties regarding this project is the fact that it will take place prominently - if not exclusively - within the Kowloon City province. A wide variety of aspects included in the preview footage leave the viewer optimistic as to this being one of the most accomplished portrayals of the district ever seen in a video game. Subtle yet telling signs already demonstrate the creator's in-depth knowledge of the quarter's architecture and history. Take, for instance, the suggestive image of the airplane flying mere meters above the top of the buildings. Although the growth of Kowloon was for the most part ungoverned, buildings did not rise above a certain height, even as inhabitants claimed for increased availability of space. This is due to the fact that airplanes landing at the nearby airport would be required to make their descent at relatively low altitude, performing a tight curve as they soared just above the enclave, thus preventing construction from expanding upwards. Another scene shows a child playing on the rooftops of the buildings, which once again is consistent with the documented habits of residents who, starved for sunlight and open space elsewhere within the city limits, had little alternative than to take the stairs all the way to the top.

Warehouse Kawasaki Arcade

I would be remiss not to make some form of allusion to Warehouse Kawasaki, an arcade built to replicate the Walled City with unthinkable detail. Though its ultimate purpose was for visitors to engage in digital entertainment, the venue was scrupulously put together. Point in fact, many of the objects used in the construction of the five floor amusement centre were imported directly from Hong Kong. Like so many other Japanese arcades, it closed its doors in 2019.

In recent years, a rather similar initiative was taken by the Chinese in their attempts to build unique mall spaces. The 文和友 malls in mainland China, found in Changsha, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, attempt to reproduce the walled city aesthetic. Local residents inform me that these are increasingly lacking in foot traffic, for which reason the majority of their stores are closed. Other digital replicas of Kowloon

A number of other videogames set in or deriving inspiration from Kowloon could not be featured in this article. A frequently cited reference in this context is the action/adventure game Fear Effect, one which I emphatically dispute. No doubt remains as to it being located in a futuristic version of Hong Kong, yet I could discern no parallels with the walled city, save for those scattered second-hand visual motifs that were no doubt imported from sci-fi classics such as Blade Runner or Ghost in the Shell.

The Utelek Complex stage of Deus Ex: Makind Divided presents a similar situation, where the overall atmosphere of the futuristic favela bears some resemblance to Kowloon, without meeting the specificity quota that would warrant a more comprehensive exploration.

The 2004 Shout! original Kowloon High-School Chronicle for the PS2 is a unique case, in that it borrows the city's name despite taking place in a massive, Tokyo underground dungeon that is later revealed to be a maze-like Egyptian pyramid. The odd choice of title remains unclear. Shadowrun: Hong Kong game (screenshot above) contains a very direct mention of Kowloon as the place in which an entire episode comes to pass. Another project still in development, Kowloon's Curse (screenshot below), is following the lead of many popular independent horror games in recent memory by using a visual design and structure that elicits memories of the late Playstation/early Dreamcast era. A short prequel episode was made available earlier this year, for free.

Additionally, I refrained from mentioning the Kowloon maps in Call of Duty: Black Ops or Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, as I perceive both games to be insufficiently relevant to merit study or contemplation.

A space that refuses to be forgotten

(China rooftop stage from The King of Fighters 2003)

It would be a gross overstatement to claim that Kowloon is a recurring location or level design motif in videogames. The relationship between digital games and the real life ghetto has been one of sporadic references. What makes the subject so engrossing pertains to the quality of the relationship, particularly that of a small cadre from among the titles featured in this article. Kowloon's Gate was one of the most relevant game creations of the 32-Bit era, a game deserving of reverence and cult following inside and outside Japan. Likewise, Shenmue II is the second instalment of a truly ground-breaking and highly advertised series whose production costs alone were unmatched until quite recently.

Moreover, this is an affair that is far from concluded. The unexpectedly high number of allusions to Kowloon in videogames released or revealed just last yet demonstrates that its aesthetic is still very much present in the minds and hearts of artists and designers working in the field. The walled city lives on as a digital demarcation that is certain to resurface time and again in years to come.

[elbiotipo]

If you're from Argentina, you've probably heard about the Iberá wetlands, and you know the tourist pitch: a vast expanse of natural wonders in the middle of Corrientes, full of beautiful lapachos, cute carpinchos and yacarés, and now home to the fastest-growing wild yaguareté population, all with the unique Guaraní influenced culture of rural Corrientes.

Now, things aren't as shiny as they look, since the creation and management of the new national park is still a point of contention in many ways, but you will be suprised that this kind of thinking about the Iberá is very, very recent. Most people considered it an obstacle to progress, a big bunch of swamp in the middle of what could be a very productive ranching province. In a geography book from the 1910s (unfortunately I lost the screencap) it says something like "the biggest obstacle for the development of the province is this swamp, and it should be drained"

This took me to the other side of the world, to the Netherlands. They're known for land reclamation, from literally building their country from the sea. Especially when we're facing rising sea levels because of climate change, the Dutch seem like miracle workers, a look into our future. You will find no shortage of praise about how with some windmills and dams, the Dutch took land "from the sea", and turned it into quaint little polders, making a tiny country in Europe a food exporter and don't they look so nice? But when you look about it, you can barely find anything about what came before those polders. You have to dig and dig to find any mentions of not "sea", but of complex tidal marshes and wetlands, things I've learned are ecologically diverse and protected in many places, but you won't find people talking about that at all when talking about the Netherlands. It's all just polders now. What came before was useless swamp, or a sea to be triumphantly conquered. It's like they were erased from history

The use of that language reminded me of the failed vision of draining Iberá... and the triumphing vision in the Netherlands, and many other places. Maybe those wonderful places, those unique wetlands, would have been a footnote, you wouldn't find anything unless you were a bored ecologist who looked, and not even then. Now, far it be from me to accuse the medieval Dutch, who wanted to have more space to farm, of ecocide. And don't think this is going to be a rant against European ecological imperialism either, as the most anthropized places you can find are actually in China and India. But it does get me thinking.

I work with the concept of landscape, and landscape managing. (Not landscaping, those guys get better paid than me) The concept of landscape is somewhat similar to the concept of ecosystem you know from basic biology, but besides biotic and abiotic factors, you also have to involve cultural factors, that is, humans. There is not a single area of "pristine" untouched nature in the world, that is a myth. Humans have managed these landscapes for as long as they have lived in them. The Amazon, what many people think about when they think about "unspoilt" nature, has a high proportion of domesticated plants growing on it, which were and are still used by the people who live on it, and there once were great civilizations thriving on it. Forests and gardens leave their mark, so much that we can use them to find abandoned settlements. From hunter-gatherers tending and preserving the species vital to their survival in the tundra to engineers in Hong-Kong creating new islands for airports, every human culture has managed their natural resources, creating a landscape.

And this means these landscapes we enjoy are not natural creations. They are affected by natural enviroments; biomes do exist, species have a natural distribution. But they are created and managed by humans. Humans who decide what is valuable to them and what is not. The Dutch, seemingly, found the tidal marshes useless, and they created a new landscape, which changed the history of their nation forever. We here in modern Argentina changed our perception of Iberá, decided to take another approach, and now we made it a cherished part of our heritage, which will also speak about us in the future.

Ultimately, what is a useless swamp to be drained or a beautiful expanse of nature to be cherished depends in our culture, in us humans. We are the ones who manage and change ecosystems based in our economics, our culture, our society. This will become increasingly important, as climate change and ecological degradation becomes harsher and undeniable. We will have to decide what nature is worth to us. Think about what is it worth to you.

[plagueddead]

Technoverse - A guide for interaction roleplay and insert wise.

This was EXTREMELY requested

This blog exceeds to help newcomers to my AU environment. This blog will be updated over time if I see fit to change how this works interacts with itself. This blogs images will be updated over time if I find more suitable matches.

Photos have been found through Pinterest and art station. I will try and credit the source if I can.

This is an AU inspired by Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. This is a free to join au. Major canon characters are prohibited from being claimed. Villains are up to discussion.

This is a isn't the backstory post of the turtles but the world they live in.

THIS AU CONTAINS TOPICS OF RACISM, ILLEGAL SUBSTANCES AND ACTIONS, AND VIOLENCE. Though I've done my best to try and make it as friendly as possible. This AU is a 16+ story due to these warnings.

Current AU time

25 years after the ROTTMNT movie.

AU Theme

Cyberpunk dystopia

Fantasy

Dark fantasy

Major city settings within AU

New York, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Seoul, London

City Summary

After the integration of Yokai as independent civilians and free citizens world wide, and with the collaboration of their technology as well as krang salvage, a new system of buildings and interlinks have been created to accommodate citizens. Buildings stacked overhead that pierce the clouds, the old world was left to turn into slums and poor living areas on ground zero. Due to permanent clouds caused by pollution and overhead cities, these major empires are in a permanent state of darkness. Neon signs often light these cities to create a spectacular aroura of lights and designs. Though with a permanent overcast comes with a cost, as rain clouds mix with polluted smog to create a toxic like rain that causes many illnesses. It's common among every citizen to keep an oxygen mask at all times in case of rain.

City main inspiration and reference: Altered Carbon

Major cities as listed above are unique as floating SSC (Solar System Cosmopolis) Cities cover most of the dense populated area. These floating cities serve as purpose as secured homing for politicians, celebrities, and mostly the rich. Though they are also engineered mega labs founded by Barron Draxum and Donatello Hamato. They serve to bring back and study extinct species, cultivate cures for major diseases, and help improve on already futuristic technology. They spin very slowly and resemble that of a solar system. Hense the nickname.

These cities are held afloat by a self sustainable gravity generator that uses the gravity of a man made miniature star; created by Donatello Hamato (age 20).

Main inspiration from CMD Studios recent project!!!

Hidden cities

These main cities are focused world points for another reason. They rest above other hidden cities in which they have their own theme and setting.

New Yorks hidden city belongs to Big Mama, a spider Yokai who deals in illegal gambling and the distribution of illegal mystic items. NY Hidden city remains as a hub for traveling species of Yokai from all around the world.

Hong Kongs hidden city belongs to [REDACTED TBA]- A Dragon Yokai who deals in illegal sales of mystic items and krang salvage from the old battle.

This hidden city is less developed than the others, as most accomodation plans have been denied to preserve its pristine buildings and history. This hidden city resembles deep mountain caverns with buildings built into the sides. Common mystical creatures from Chinese mythology live within this city and rarely travel. Humans are not allowed.

Main inspiration by David Noren!

London's hidden city belongs to [REDACTED TBA] A plant like fairy Yokai who often helps with creating forged ID's to help Yokai find a better place to live. She also is known to sell potions that aren't approved by the hidden cities overlords and FDA.

This hidden city has developed slowly over time, but due to quick overgrowth of plants and trees. Most buildings have been built into large glowing trees that hang over the city in beautiful rainbow colors. The ground is a great hub for growing fruits and herbs for medicines. The Yokai in this hidden city are spirits from English folklore. They have spread over different cities over time.

Main inspiration found on Thin blue line on Pinterest!

Seouls hidden city belongs to [REDACTED] a Polar Bear Yokai who deals in illegal weapon distribution and species trafficking.

This hidden city is up to date and mostly in an indoor environment due to this hidden city being within a freezing temperature climate. More artic themed Yokai live within, but this hidden city is popular as a summar retreat by humans and other Yokai looking to stay cool for the summer. But this hidden city isn't as welcoming to humans as the others.

Main inspiration by Annabale Siconolfi!

Tokyos hidden city belongs to Yeosobai. A jellyfish Yokai who deals with handles most black markets and distribution of illegal substances.

This hidden city is completely underwater. Surrounded on a deep voided ocean under Japan, pod cities have been added to accommodate air breathing citizens, though most buildings were air tight even before. This hidden city is also a large hub for tourists due to its underwater appeal. This city distributes most seafood around the county. Known for its large amount of attractions and adult clubs, it's also a very crime ridden city.

This is also where Current Donatello resides.

Main inspiration creator unknown

Human and Yokai stances

With the sudden booming population of mutants and Yokai integrating into human society, of course tensions and protests by humans were bound to happen. A world they were so used to was building into something unknown before their very eyes after all. And so, tensions between species rose.

Humans with a deep dislike towards other species either hide their hate, or become extremists. Often getting tag as cultists as over years hate crimes toward Yokai and mutants became a world wide situation. Yokai were often kidnapped from their homes to be found barley recognizable by their attackers. Yokai would retaliate, and after much tension, civil wars broke out. Protests for safer living for both species were in demand, and so most governments integrated an artificial intelligence police force that contained mostly droids to prevent race picking. Most countries have adapted this form of law enforcement.

Cultists are still a major problem though their numbers have thinned.

The term Mutant has become a word to target Yokai and mutants in a hateful way, and this word soon became outdated. All non humans are now under the identification of Yokai. This includes mixed races between the two.

It's common for Yokai and humans relationships! Often by now the first generations of Yokai and humans hybrid children are born!

There are even schools for these rare breeds as they are still being studied as a new species.

It is illegal for most countries to have discrimination between species. No Yokai only or human only living spaces, restaurants, or shops.

Though within most slums there is a secret rule to separate the species as mostly disgrunted humans and Yokai live here.

And now we're here!

I want my character to join the au, but I don't know what's allowed!

This part of the blog aims to help you adapt your character into this new universe.

What should my character wear?!

It's really up to you! Most humans and Yokai wear mostly cyberpunk themed clothing! Often I find Pinterest as a source of inspiration. I think your character would fit better if it comes from a certain part of the world. Armor and glowing clothes are welcome and encouraged! Get creative!

I want my character to have cool robotic limbs and mods in their body! Is this allowed?

Yep! And encouraged! This is a futuristic setting! So modifications to the body aren't uncommon!

Can my characters have cool unique weapons?

Of course! And I'd love to see them!! 🔥🔥🔥

Do I have to ask before joining this AU?

Nope! But I'd love to see/read your creation! Or see that you're inspired to join!

Does my character have to be human?

Nope! Any species welcome!

Can my character already know personally main characters?

That's up for discussion. Current time Donatello isn't open to being known nor talkative to strangers. I'd like it if you didnt. He's playing dead unlike the rest of his brothers. Leo's up for discussion but with Mikey and Raph, they are more social and I can see them having multiple friends. Leo's treated more as a police officer and doesn't have a lot of friends due to his work.

Can my character work for the main boss Yokai of the hidden city.

Yes! I'd like you to stay close to what they do in terms of how they run things!

Can I claim ships with these characters?

NO.

Claiming ships with only your characters and main cast is prohibited. That's why Y/N is created as a medium for all 18+ participants that want to ship their characters with main cast. Ships are fun and welcome! But you cannot claim it as a you only ship.

Thank you for reading what I have for now! More to be added!

[txttletale]

shadowrun: hong kong is one of my favorite games! what do you like most about it?

oh thank you for asking me this there is so much to like about it! first of all i really really love how much the game accomodates for build diversity. for a game that is ultimately still very much focused on combat, they make every skill incredibly rewarding -- biotech unlocks some of the best and most interesting quest resolutions in the game. you really feel able to roleplay as a decker or an adept when making these character choices unlock not only the obvious combat advantages but also really cool dialogue options and ways to entirely circumvent problems. it just rewards you for building and playing a character in the way the best CRPGs do

oh, and the characters are incredible. each party member's arc is so easy to get invested in and their personal questline rule so much. racter is (in my opinion) a really wonderfully nuanced and careful depiction of someone with low empathy. i saw a lot of the ways i thought and felt in him, i like how the game really doesn't judge him for it but presents him on his own terms. gobbet and is0bel are so fucking cool and interesting and i love their dynamic--i love in CRPGs when you can tell that some party members have a long history together. they should have kissed. two of my favourite video game characters ever written. although gaichu unfortunately falls victim to the very overwhelming and specific weirdness that cyberpunk has about japan specifically in, like, his whole concept, he's still otherwise a really well-written and likeable character--he's charming, he's funny, he has a quiet melancholy to him that's really moving.

not to mention the side characters! jomo, auntie cheng, crafty, fucking. MAXIMUM LAW--all really memorable. duncan is there

the player character, too, gets to be interesting--i really like the way that the game threads the needle between having a prewritten plot to slot your character into while also still letting you decide who they are. the broad strokes of your backstory are painted for you but you get handed the brush to fill in all the details inside that--the flashback scene where you get different dialogue options to tell duncan why you're leaving and some of them are identical except for the indication that one is honest and the other is a lie is incredible storytelling work. it's a really really good compromise between the CRPG blank slate tradition and the desire to integrate the PC's past into the plot in a way that is Cool and not Dumb (i'm looking at you fnv dlcs).

i also find it really really refreshing for a piece of cyberpunk media to ditch the weird fetishised Yellow Peril 'oh what if the usa became more scary and asian' shit, cut the middleman, and just actually set itself in asia and be about asian characters. obviously i can't personally speak to whether or not it provides an accurate representation of hong kong, but it definitely feels like it's interested in engaging with hong kong as a setting and what makes it unique as a place and culture rather than just as set dressing.

and finally i like that you can go on the computer and read BBS posts. nice time on the computer simulator :)

[hetaliaimaginesin2022]

Imagine the Allies and Axis at a rave with a female partner?? Female partner invited them to a rave! Came back from edc and I miss it already!

I'm so jealous, I've wanted to go to one for a l o n g time, I'm glad you had fun! I'll be splitting this in two posts, one for the allies (this first one) and a second post for the axis :) I hope you enjoy

The Allies' Partner Taking Them To A Rave

TW// alcohol and drug use mentioned (past and present)

America • Alfred Jones

Alfred is looking forward to attending one with you the moment you start talking about your interest in them, as in his few hundred years of being alive, he's been to more than a few raves

He's really only been to some big ones in the US though, so he's not too knowledgeable of the rave customs overseas and he will not think to research them beforehand

Because of this, he definingly rocks up in a colorful outfit more belonging to the late night EDM scene regardless of the setting, and even if he sticks out like a sore thumb, he still has a blast

He just loves the loud music and the crowded environment, using his time to mingle with the other attendees, making sure to spend the majority of his focus on you

In fact, it does not matter your height or size, this boy is incredibly strong and he wants you to sit on his shoulders at least once

When the party ends and you two walk back to your little hotel room, he's talking energetically about it, already excited for the next one you two attend together

This is a side note, but he has done acid before and, if you two are close and he trusts you, he will do it again if you two talk it over beforehand

Canada • Matthew Williams

No no no no no

He will be more than happy to help you get ready or listen to you talk about it afterwards, but he's really not comfortable with the environment

He mainly likes to spend his time in nature out on hikes, surrounded by nothing but wilderness and the chilled northern air, raves however, are a loud, crowded, and hot environment, which is exactly the opposite of how he's like to spend his free time

His one issue, however, is that he has a very hard time saying no to his darling partner, so if you ask him, he'll try his best to go to one with you

At first he doesn't enjoy it in the slightest, but after some help from you (and probably smoking a bit of weed,) he relaxes a little

He absolutely stays away from the center of the warehouse and keeps mental track of where the speakers are, and honestly spends the most of his time outside (he could hear the music from the parking lot tbh)

The next morning, even though he's very burnt out, he admits he had fun, but kindly asks you to never invite him to one again

You both spend the afternoon relaxing and recharging together in a quiet calmness

China • Yao Wang

He's around 4,000 years old, he's lived a long, exciting life full of interesting and unique experiences

A rave, however, is (unsurprisingly) not one of them

In fact, he was mainly unaware of the entire subculture before you have told him about your interest

It was very hard to convince him to go to one in the first place, and he knew he wouldn't enjoy himself as soon as he heard the music from outside the building, but he decided to bite his tongue and let you enjoy your night

The entire evening, he just looked out of place

His long hair was tied back neatly, and he was wearing his regular clothing, he had a near constant expression that looked like something crossed between vague confusion and him having a headache

He ended up not particularly enjoying the night, but at least he got to experience something you would talk positively about (plus Hong Kong thinks he's a bit cooler, so it's something)

He doesn't want to go to another one, but doesn't stop you from attending anymore and will always let you talk about them

England • Arthur Kirkland

He would never admit it, but back in the 1980's when warehouse parties started gaining popularity in the UK, he attended a few raves now and then

He much more preferred the underground rock or punk scene opposed to EDM, but a loud fun illegal event is a loud fun illegal event, so who is he to complain

He was pleasantly surprised when you asked him to accompany you to one though, and he readily agreed (he didn't necessarily express his excitement)

When he gets there, he parties

The kind of music that's playing is a bit out of his norm, but he integrates into the environment surprisingly well, dancing (or an approximant of it) along with the music with you

He doesn't tell you in full, but he's very touched that you invited him and because you felt comfortable enough to do so, he offers to bring you to an underground punk/grunge concert

Attending these kinds of events sort of becomes your guys' thing

France • François Bonnefoy

When you asked him if he wanted to go to one with you, he didn't know what to expect, though he went in excited for the new experience

He's kind of enamored with the flashy and colorful rave fashion in the US raves, and while he wouldn't dress up himself, he loves seeing any special costume, makeup, or accessories you have on for it, and he'll try his best to take any pictures for you if you ask

As for the night itself, while it was very loud and cramped, he still had a lot of fun, dancing and spending time with you

At the end of the night, he's pretty exhausted and ready to go to sleep, but he immediately takes a shower when he gets to your shared hotel room before borderline passing out

He sleeps in quite late the next morning

Later he tells you that he wouldn't want to make it a too frequent of an occurrence, but he wouldn't mind going to another one with you

Russia • Ivan Braginsky

He had never considered attending a rave a single day in his life before you asked him

Much like China, he knew they were a thing, but he didn't really know any specifics

However, seeing as you were the one who asked him, he immediately agreed as soon as the words left your lips

While he had heard you talk about raves before, he didn't really know what to expect, but as it would turn out, he's a very useful person to have around in a rave

He's fun and agreeable, and incredibly tall and intimidating, so there's automatically a bubble of air around the two of you, the other people trying their best not to bump into you or the man you're with

Plus? You'll literally never lose him!!

He's so tall that, on the chance you do get separated, he's like a beacon sticking out of the crowd

As the night closes and fades to sunrise, he walks you two home safely, talking about how much fun it was

He'd go to another one with you, though that's not saying much, considering he'd do anything just to spend time with you

[sissa-arrows]

Have you ever encountered any PoC who were defensive of or “both sides” colonialism before? I remember one such conversation a friend had with a somewhat privileged classmate who complained that people harp on too much about colonialism and he argued it brought some benefits to the world. He said that his family was able to build their fortunes in that time and that places in East Asia (Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore) prove his point. He believed anti-colonial critics were too one-sided. What usually is your response to these mind-boggling takes to “see the whole picture”?

I did meet PoC like that. Mostly Moroccans who support Moroccan colonialism in Western Sahara in my case because of how French society is built (I’m more likely to cross path with a Moroccan than with a Korean for example) but I don’t think it’s unique to them. That being said I do think PoC who currently benefit from colonialism in their “home country” are more likely to dismiss the horrors of colonialism. People from Morocco, Türkiye, China… to name only these three, are more likely to try and justify colonialism because their countries are colonizing other people right now so they can’t just outright say colonialism is horrible and then support what their countries are doing.

First thing first if his family built their fortune during colonialism I have some news for him… they very likely were a bunch of spineless traitors who worked with the colonizers so honestly his opinion on colonialism is worthless.

Personally when people start with their both side I either just call them a piece of shit and leave, or if I can’t leave and can’t really argue I tell them “Look you’re full of bullshit so unless you want to eventually get punched in the face you need to stop right there and shut up” or when I can argue “You’re so right they built so many buildings, after destroying the ancestral buildings that were there. And all the schools they built as well! After destroying the existing school and after making sure the indigenous people wouldn’t have access to these new schools. Or wait maybe you’re talking about how good the colonizers were at training dogs? Very obedient dogs they even trained them to rape the indigenous men in some countries (to my knowledge only the French did it on Algerian men and now the “Israeli” are doing it to Palestinians but still) ! Please which one of these things is the most positive aspect of colonialism I really wanna know?”

So basically to answer your question I think the best options are

- If they just randomly both side it without listing some of the so called positive aspects: listing the horrors of colonialism and asking them which one of these things is so positive.

- If they do list some of the so called positive aspects: listing the horrors of colonialism and asking them if that minimal “positive thing” was worth these horrors. Switzerland got richer from WW2 so are we just going to say that WW2 had some positive aspects and that we insist too much on the negative? No. Nobody in their right mind would do that. So why would that be okay to do that with colonialism which made so much more victims all over the world?

- Sometimes it’s honestly not worth it and you just need to tell them to shut the fuck up already and leave the conversation. I know it seems counter productive to not argue and I have a hard time respecting that advice myself but sometimes arguing with a racist (because those who think colonialism had some good stuff are racist no question asked) only gives them more power. At the end of the day you’ll have used your energy to argue about your own humanity to prove that you are human and the other side still gets to ignore your humanity.

P.S: There’s a conversation to be had on privileged PoC in the Global North who behave like white people when other PoC in the Global North and in the Global South tell them they have privileges. But that’s only loosely related to the topic of this ask so I will refrain unless someone wants my opinion on the subject.

[y2klostandfound]

Preview - Deluxe Jet Set Radio (aka De La Jet Set Radio) on Game Players DC Vol.2 (Video Game Magazine) (Hong Kong, 2000)

Translation in English:

Publisher/Manufacturer: SEGA

Game Type: ACT

Release Date: January 1st (2001)

Price:  5800 Yen

Capacity: GD-ROM

Memory: Undecided

Excellent grades, promoted to the international stage

For the first time in game history, JET SET RADIO combines 3D background and 2D animation to create a fantasy 3D world that is both real and imaginative. The game is still highly praised since it was launched, and the game production is extremely good. Unfortunately, the large capacity of JET SET RADIO is only exchanged for a few game stages. This time, the enhanced release increases the number of versions and modes, improves the game's durability, and also retains the original stage, making the game fresher and more playable.

Two new foreign stages have been added to the game. The new story takes place in the bustling foreign metropolises "BATAM STREET" and "GRIND CITY".

"BATAM STREET" is a smoky street with overhead trams, grocery stores connected to every household, dilapidated and towering old buildings, and parks where street children gather, etc. The structure of the city street is complex and very three-dimensional.

BATAM STREET Map

GRIND CITY Map

JET SET RADIO with the feeling of a new type of 3D game is back. The New Year’s Day in the Western calendar is dressed up to celebrate the early years with everyone. The shape has been carefully remodeled and re-dressed to surprise everyone again. The game has been greatly enhanced, the new stage has entered foreign countries, and you can meet like-minded "confidantes".

Puppies are crazy too! Let's JET SET RADIO!!

Simultaneously with the original story, while the Japanese police and JET SET RADIO members of the two factions of good and evil are intriguing, the United States is also experiencing horrific terrorist assassinations. JET SET RADIO continues the last episode of Japan's righteous men, and American fanatics also come to maintain justice, while expressing their own music style and smashing the evil organization "Golden Rhinos".

In the new stage, players can use the new character "Bozi (Pots)" to make trouble on the streets and graffiti everywhere. Bozi (Pots) was originally the pet dog of the character GG in the last episode, an ordinary puppy, but unfortunately he was transformed by the character NOISE TANK in the last episode, and became a part of JET SET RADIO by accident. Undisclosed role.

New character "Bozi (Pots)"

New Year's Gift Giveaway

Unfortunately DELUXE JET SET RADIO is another set of D-DIRECT exclusive game, interested readers may have to work hard to buy such an excellent game, but it is definitely worth the money. The game comes with a precious shirt worn by the character "GG", which is unique and only one of its kind. Work hard, everyone! If you want to be the first to see the game, you may want to go to SEGA's official web site to download the game's highlights, the web site is as follows:http://jet.dricas.ne.jp/dx_jet_image/mpg/de_la.mpg

[pwlanier]

An Extraordinary Wristwatch Belonging to the Last Emperor of China Just Sold for $6.2 Million, Setting Multiple Auction Records

Aisin-Giro Puyi wore the rare Patek Philippe timepiece while detained in Siberia.

After much fanfare, Phillips netted $6.6 million in its Imperial Patek Philippe live sale in Hong Kong, the bulk of which derived from the star lot, a historic Patek Philippe reference 96 Quantieme Lune wristwatch that once belonged to Aisin-Gioro Puyi, the last emperor of the Qing dynasty in China.

The unique timepiece—which was thought to be lost until it resurfaced recently—sold for $6.2 million to an unidentified Asian collector based in Hong Kong. The buyer placed the winning bid on the phone after “six minutes of spirited bidding,” according to a Phillips spokesperson.

The watch was a feat of horological engineering when it was crafted by the Swiss watchmaker in 1937, packing an ébauche movement mechanism, moon-phase indicator, and triple-date calendar into a single ultra-thin “Roulette” configuration.

[philosophicalparadox]

How would Mephisto seduce or Court a woman in this modern day and age?

Since he is archaic I imagine that he is suffering nowadays since the old ways don’t work on Gen Z Generation anymore.

Archaic, but flexible. And for that reason Japan is the absolute best place he could be for sexy times.

THIS IS A MONSTEROUSLY LONG POST I AM SORRY FOR BEING SUCH A NERRRRRD. ALSO SOME PRETTY DARK MATERIAL AHEAD! Can’t talk about a lawless, libertine devil doing courtship in Japan and not reveal some of the darker aspects of the culture as relates to that subject or how he would probably handle it, given his ancientness.

TL;DR: Mephisto is a lecherous creep in the absolute perfect country to be a lecherous creep in and you bet your bottom he takes full advantage of that; that being said, he would rather stay out of troublesome trouble with legal authorities and such, thank you. Too many people would have to die. :)

Honestly I think it really would depend on where he was or where the woman he us seducing is from

If he is seducing women in True Cross then has gonna have a whole other kind of time trying lol, cause of all the cultural mixing in it. I imagine the city culture of True Cross is pretty similar to someplace like Seoul, Singapore, or Hong Kong, those having much more diversity than city Tokyo. Parts of it might even resemble San Francisco's Japan Town, which is a mixed cultural oddball of...unique, nature. Given that that is the case, and that there's so much diverse religiosity there, I would wager Mephisto has to be damn careful of what he does with whom in order to not get in trouble culturally; offending one or two women wouldn't be so bad, but get enough of them talking and his reputability would tank..

He might be a God, but trouble with the law is no fun for anyone either, even if all he has to do is offer a great tip and send them on their merry way. It's still inconvenient and brings him into a realm of the public sphere he would rather not be in if he gets caught at it too many times. (Let that imply what it will). What's more he does rely somewhat on his reputation, and is very careful to groom that public image into one which makes him attractive and repulsive at the same time, to differing people.

All that said, I personally HC that Mephisto is the one saying no more often than the other way around; he is, after all, rich and influential, and a foreigner of sorts, (more on why those are specifically relevant later) and to those who know it a demon, and those who know more still, a God. Humans are a competitive species, and lord knows the lengths lesser men and women have gone to in search of the yoke that is Power. He may be flirtatious with his staff, (and students) but I doubt he would go out of his way to sleep with too many of them, since they might take that to presume he is their ladder to the top and try to step on him accordingly. Such arrogance would only be invited if it was for the sake of watching them fall from a great height while he cackled all the while at their misery.

- but for the sake of argument I'll assume he's trying to catch some tail in Japan from a Japanese woman first cause i get the feeling he's there for those reasons too.

This is gonna get LONG. I grew up with exchange students and I really wanted to live in Japan once upon a time, so have done massive cultural research for years. I promise it's relevant to your hypothetical question...mostly. More under the cut so this doesn’t overtake the dashboard:

Now, Meph is doubtlessly on top of modern courting methods; he needs to be, for a variety of reasons, among them keeping tabs on Rin and Yukio since he is their guardian. Which is particularly important, because compared to western ideas of Courtship (Formal Dating) or just "Dating", Japan's cultural expectations are...well kinda outdated, to be honest. "Traditional" is a word I would use. This works out great for Mephisto in some respects, but not in others. You'll see what I mean.

For the sake of context, "Courtship" in either formal or informal form in Japan between two individuals is extremely private, and therefore quite variable, actually, once you get to the bedrooms - but you have to actually get to the bedrooms first. The basic steps to this for most people, even in modern day Japan, are "guy asks girl to hang out in public a few times, girl asks guy to hang out at her house with parents chaperoning, girl goes to guys house with his parents chaperoning, if parents of girl approve of guy they're allowed to be alone sometimes and if parents of guy approve of girl they miiiiight let her stay the night." Of course young couples don't always follow this guideline, especially in more diversified areas of Tokyo, but it's the culturally expected one. (And there's a ton more nuance to it that I'm not even gonna cover. I am aware this model is still especially prevalent in most of Asia but it feels....different, in Japan. Its hard to describe why it feels different, but it does. Its the little things.)

But when it comes to seduction, you can't really go wrong with the classics, and him being an out and out foreigner means A) he is pretty much never going to win the (formal) courtship game unless he outright pays off the parents, who can stay involved in this process for their most their daughters life, and B) he gets special privileges when it comes to seducing women and men alike. :)

Why? Because Japanese people don't outright expect foreigners to know "the rules" and sometimes actively count on them being broken. For instance, it's technically against "the rules" to jump right to Guy Invites Girl to His Mansion...but he's not Japanese, so this wouldn't be regarded as sleazy the same way as if he was. :) bet your ass he uses his Gaijin status to its fullest benefit with that kind of shit.

What's more, Meph has Power and Money and that warrants some rule breaking in its own right. ;]

Now, to the part of this discussion i was avoiding: Mephisto would have literally the easiest time ever " "seducing" " a typical japanese woman, because, and I quote, Japanese women "don't say no" - in quotes because obviously they do, but they're conditioned not to, (and men are conditioned not to listen) culturally, and though that's changing, (thank god) the change has been slow and only really seen in upscale urban areas where there's more population power and the court of public opinion has the ability to punch well above its weight, for good or ill. Rape is one of the most commonly committed , most commonly under- addressed crime in Japan for a reason. With that in mind, and acknowledging that our dear clown man has no fixated moral compass to speak of, I leave the definition of his "Seduction" up to your interpretation there.

I also want to point out that Women especially "dont say no" to men with money and power who their parents " really like" - though they might have more bargaining power against a foreigner, traditionally, all that becomes rather moot in the face of Principle and Profit. It is nowhere NEAR as common as it used to be, but there are still men out there who are willing to "sell" their daughters to wealthy men in the hopes they can get a quick buck from it, or use it as extorsion by working the public opinion against the guy (in this case Meph) to defame him. Sex and politics; and no doubt dear Meph gets caught up in the sway of all of that, being a businessman and a "gentleman" with a bad habit of swooning the ladies.

He's a "traditionalist" all right. And why wouldn't he be? This is how it's worked for most of human history, why stop now? Humans are, after all, more like playthings to him, animals, than autonomous beings. They want to play medieval politics? Pffft, he's been doing this for millennia, and he knows how to rig the game in his favor - so what if she isn't the most willing participant? Just means he has to up his Game and get her to change her mind...or not, either way, the deal has to happen, and the Devil will always take what he is owed, one way or another. The fact it is not necessarily something he will be directly implicated for if it does go pear shaped is just a bonus of where he has set up camp; reports against high ranking officials or very wealthy men are vanishingly rare, in a country where reports are themselves uncommon.

So getting into bed with a Japanese woman would be a piece of cake for him. Maybe too much of a piece of cake sometimes...

However, moving away from such a dark subject for the moment, one of the benefits of the fact intimacy is so insanely private is that Japan, culturally, doesn't have a lot of sexual taboos, with the exception of anything exhibition-y, because again, sex and intimacy are supposed to be private things. Sex shops are freaking everywhere in (urban) Japan, hiding in some of the most unexpected places. You want kinky? You can find a place in the Tokyo area for sure that sells it in every conceivable flavor, including many that westerners consider outright wrong or strange. The sky is the limit, so on the off chance he should encounter someone with more exacting tastes, there's nothing cultural-taboo wise to really be stopping them from having a good time. :)

Of course personal opinions vary, but (somewhat ironically) the general Japanese view is that if you aren't bothering anyone else with it, then it's fine/ alright. If, however, you are disturbing your neighbor or otherwise making it a public problem, you can be in some cases fined or even arrested for causing a disturbance.

Sooooooooo with that I hope I’ve nerded you out enough. :)

[gumasantan]

i'm reviewing for my exams tomorrow...but i've been thinking a lot about 1000xRESIST lately.

it's a game, not a film or a show or a book. 1000xRESIST is a game about...many things: surviving an alien invasion, living underground, clones of human beings, stubborn parents, angst of a teenage girl, generational trauma, and a lot of things. i don't exaggerate when i say the title describes just how much themes the game dives into. since i finished the game a week ago, a feeling of longing has grown and grown inside me that can only probably be helped by replaying the game, but i can't anymore. i want to restart my memory just so i can play it again without any prior knowledge. we all feel like that sometimes, right? when we deeply resonate with a piece of media we now consider a transcendent level of art form we just wanna keep replaying it and have our minds reset, so that we may able to uniquely experience them again and again, forever, even.

i attached a pretty landscape of hong kong to not only help reel you and others in reading this, but also to remind myself how this game made me long for a memory i never had. it connected with me so much that everytime i try to recall parts of the game, it's difficult for me to dissociate myself from them, and so, i end up with a mess of thoughts, unable to properly communicate what i'm trying to say; the memories of watcher, iris, (two of the game's main characters) and i seemingly fused together into one. heck, it is not explicitly a "self-insert" type of game where the devs intend you to project yourself into it so that the story makes sense.

so, why do i reminisce about hong kong when i haven't even visited the place? for context, the troubles during the 2019 hong kong protests are ultimately what sets off the events in the game, even though the game takes place around 3047 onwards. it is one of the few games where i actually see and feel the emotional impact that such a historic moment had on the lived experiences of fictional video game characters. fictional, in name only, but they are very much real in our world: expatriates who had to flee persecution as a result of resistance. one could say that this game is dedicated to these courageous people. not only to them, but to their children who are yet to exist.

i mention this because iris was born from these people. walked on earth away from hong kong, and as she grew up, came to realize how homesick she was about that place she was a stranger to. iris and i—we are as different as we can be. i was born and am living in my native country, doing my best to live since birth. i shouldn't ever feel homesick, but weirdly, touching this game and seeing iris' life through watcher's eyes, i can't help but go back and revisit the life i swear i lived in hong kong.

i'm not the only one who feels like this, however. watcher feels the same way. of course, watcher was cloned from a clone that was cloned from iris. it's only natural that watcher retains some of that "irisness" two generations down. though she is aware that she is reliving an amalgamation of hers and iris' memories, i relate to her struggle to separate her own consciousness from iris'. this is my belief: when you keep confusing someone's memories with your own, that just proves that you two are more alike than you would think.

i said before that iris and i were as different as we can be, but by my own words, that shouldn't be true. am i hypocritical? delusional? i'm contradicting myself, but not intentionally. i would 100% disagree with myself here had i not played this game and this predicament came up in another situation, but after playing the game, i don't know. the more i think about it, the more i get convinced that iris, though raised in very different circumstances, ended up sharing some of the same traits as i do. i would argue that there are just human characteristics that we all just happen to share, kindness for example, but no, these ones—they're too personal for and very understood by me to say "no, we're different."

at the end, the game rewards you for sticking to the end: a future of your own choosing. this may be a part of the game where some people would get stuck in for more than an hour, or as short as a minute, depending how much the player sticks to their own convictions. for me, i don't know how to build a future i want because i don't know what i want out of it; i don't know what's right. the game slapped me in my face with my own hypocrisies and dared me to stick with these foolish principles. eventually, i did reach the epilogue, but it didn't feel like i actually crossed the bridge.

i'm still trying to understand just as much as i'm trying to examine every minute detail in the game. the game's mechanics are mainly built around memories and the more i keep playing the game and watch multiple playthroughs of it, i realize just how important each memory is to conveying a message that's ultimately different for all of us. a thousand different lessons for anyone to learn; it is THAT complex.

if you stuck around this long, thank you. please, please, PLEASE play 1000xRESIST. there's something here for us to learn, a thing or more. these things about hong kong and memories are part of a bigger whole that i will want to talk about once i know how to express it. especially to my fellow asians, this game will speak to your heart. i've never felt a surge of emotions this strong since i finished signalis, another masterpiece which i may get around to talking about later! (play that too!)

[unseemingowl]

I know that Wong Kar Wai has a reputation as a quintessential Hong Kong film maker, but having previously only watched In The Mood for Love and its sister film 2046, neither of which is actually filmed in Hong Kong as far as I know, I’ve mostly just admired his command of mood and longing.

Having the opportunity to watch Chungking Express and Fallen Angels yesterday, I see what people mean.

Watching both films back to back I was struck by an almost violent sense of nostalgia for the city that I called home for a brief time several years ago.

When Wong Kar Wai films Hong Kong in those films, I can feel the bruised linoleum of the student housing under my feet, remember how poetic the reflection of the neon lights on rain slick streets looked, the humidity in the air when I bought a kebab at two in the morning, the sharp overhead lights in the dim sum place I used to go to and the look of the mountains rising over the city all over again.

And yes, even the unique melancholia of moving through the city at night, by yourself, but never alone in a city that busy.

I’ve never had a reaction quite that visceral in terms of recognising a sense of place and ambience in a film before.

It kind of floored me since he shot the films twenty or so years before I ever got to the city. So yeah, I get it now.

[nightpool]

One of the members of the Hugo Awards subcommittee has come forward with emails and work products detailing the censorship and eligibility decisions that took place at the Chengdu Worldcon. The decisions seem to break down into a few main categories, only one of which she had a direct hand in:

First, several Chinese works were disqualified due to suspected "collusion" reported by the administrators. Very few details about this are known, it was handled directly by the Hugo administrators (Dave McCarty and Shi Chen) and did not involve any of the researchers or associate administrators like Diane Lacey. The allegation seems to be some sort of pay-to-play slate publishing, however, the act of disqualifying ballots of fans who submitted their votes just because they happened to agree with a slate published by a zine that the administrators disagree with is completely out of the norm for the Hugo Awards, which have already debated on and adopted a unique voting mechanism to alleviate the impact of slate voting, and has previously rejected the idea of disqualifying ballots when it was proposed as a constitutional amendment. This elimination only affected Chinese authors (unlike the Western authors in the next bullet that Lacey had more direct involvement with). To my mind, this is the most direct example of corruption associated with the WorldCon, and I think it explains a lot of the weibo chatter we've been seeing from Chinese SF fans about the owners of one group of publishers (the ones sponsoring the Worldcon) using their power inappropriately against other publishers (presumably the ones that did not agree to sponsor the Worldcon)

English-language Hugo committee members, such as Diane Lacey, are normally responsible for investigating each nominated work to determine its eligibility. Last year, they were also instructed by Dave to research the book and authors for "any mentions of Taiwan, Tibet, Hong Kong, or any negative mentions of China", based on the instructions given to Dave by "his Chinese counterpart" (presumably Shi Chen). At this stage, several concerns were raised about R.F. Kuang, Xiran Jay Zhao and Paul Weimer (for having participated in a discussion about Hong Kong on Twitter and sharing negatives about the Chinese government in a patreon post that was otherwise positively celebrating the Chengdu Worldcon announcement), among others.

With the raw data compiled by the western administrative team, Dave McCarty and Shi Chen made final eligibility decisions in person. It is at this stage that The Sound Of Her Wings was eliminated, despite no issues being flagged by the researchers.

Additionally, there is an unauthenticated copy of a press release from the Sichuan Province Publicity Department claiming that they had successfully overseen the review of 1,512 works that were to be exhibited at the Worldcon, and "Works under suspicion of containing content involving politics or ethnic religions were strictly controlled. Corrective measures were proposed for 12 works that involve LGBT and other controversial content." This probably refers primarily to the books offered for sale / exhibition at the Worldcon rather than the awards themselves, but it's possible that this process was also used by the event organizers to determine Hugo eligibility. In either case, the post has been removed from the department website, so although archived copies remain it's hard to say for certain whether they're authentic.

Regardless, I think it's clear from the evidence given that works were eliminated from the Hugo Awards process for political reasons, at the direction of the Chengdu Worldcon committee, to both comply with the political climate enforced by the Chinese government and to support the business interests of the consortium that sponsored and ran the Chengdu Worldcon. Political censorship affected primarily, but not entirely, Western works and authors, and corruption affected primarily Chinese works and authors.

[popomocco]

deSPIRIA's staff interview

Interview given by the creators of deSPIRIA, published by the Dreamcast magazine in 2000-06-09. The interview is located at pages 44 and 45 in this pdf.

Many thanks for the person who archived this issue! You can see other deSPIRIA articles in here, but this is the only entry that has an interview, the other JPN ones are game guides.

Translation done by rio 🧬🦠🧬

Title in page 42: STAFF INTERVIEW　The up-and-coming

Text on the first photo: How was 「deSPIRIA」 unique system and setting made? We will now chat with the staff of Dennou Eizou Seisakusho and a producer from Atlus to better understand the development of this piece of work.

Text under the second photo: Dennou Eizou Seisakusho, a company based in Osaka, situated right next to Higashiyodogawa. It has approximately 20 staff members, the game 「deSPIRIA」 has been developed in a garage modded into a production room. The scenery in this room is very different when compared to most game companies.

Profiles:

行澤星人　・　seito YUKUZAWA

Dennou Eizou Seisakusho (limited). Managing director

President and CEO of Dennou Eizou Seisakusho and deSpiria's art director. His most prevalent work is the PS game 「Dark messiah」  [Hellnight] (published by Atlus).

[Please get lost in the peculiar setting os this game]

藤本裕　・　Yutaka FUJIMOTO

Dennou Eizou Seisakusho (limited). Planner

DeSPIRIA's director. He was responsible for the script, setting and such. His body of work includes RPG computer games and 「Dark messiah」 [Hellnight].

[Please have fun in this peculiar cybernetic world]

上田清隆　・　Kiyotaka UEDA

Dennou Eizou Seisakusho (limited). Planner

DeSPIRIA's director.  He has been involved in works such as 「Last bible」and 「ぐるぐるガラクターズ」(published by Atlus).

[Please pay attention to this dark script]

田中裕之　・　Hiroyuki TANAKA

Atlus (incorporated). Producer

DeSPIRIA's producer. His body of works include 「Princess crown」 and 「Growlanser」.

[Please get absolutely hooked on this game's world]

- I want to know how did Dennou Eizou Seisakusho and Atlus get involved with each other.

Tanaka We have been associated with them since the release of the PS title 「Dark messiah」. Yukuzawa went to study CG in america, we started talking to each other about how I knew that there are people like this out there but how I had never met any one them. We talked a lot and as a result I got interested in this company Dennou Eizou Seisakusho that Yukuzawa and company created  and asked them to proceed with the development of 「Dark messiah」.

- What is the reason for the company to be established in Osaka?

Yukuzawa Three years ago when we made 「Dark messiah」 and whatever location was fine for us really, but I was born and raised in Osaka and by pure coincidence the garage of a company building happened to be vacant. We didn't have any money we could borrow for the company, "so let's set it here" and that was it.

-What occasion caused the creation of deSPIRIA?

Yuzuzawa  When we finished working on 「Dark messiah」 and we started talking about what we should make next, and made 「Dark messiah」 is also like this but, our scenario planner Fujimoto said he wanted to create a setting with an even stronger appeal and that is what kickstarted this project.

Ueda And then while thinking about the components in this dark world, we were shaping to this idea of making it a traditional RPG but then we thought "what if we make a system where we are able to read the opponent's true feeling without speaking to them" and then we fleshed it out.

Fujimoto 「Dark messiah」 is a horror adventure game set in Tokyo, but this time we wanted to produce a chaotic city based in Osaka, Hong Kong and such other places. But at that time we didn't plan for it to be a dark work. But then we incorporated the idea that Ueda mentioned and it resulted in a darkly cool Osakan setting that you can see in its visuals, script and such.

-Is there any building that was used as reference?

Ueda While talking with Fujimoto about creating a fictitious city based in Osaka, we talked about things like Naniwa and joked around about a tsūtenkaku robot, takoyaki missiles and making a game with an image like that, but we wanted to try creating a more serious game. We wanted to make a motif with a significance similar to the image of 「Black rain」 but not overly so. This is Fujimoto's own unique setting.

-What does this reinstated Osaka look like?

Yukuzawa Setting wise rather than a parallel world, it is like a possible future. It has the feel of a place that has the remains of the once destroyed city, but also has things that are completely different. It has areas that feel incredibly realistic with a setting that is completely different. It has many things that will make a resident of Osaka go "Ah, it is that thing".

-What is the theme of this piece of work?

Fujimoto The theme is "dread".  This expression also means fear, but it is a type of fear that originates from internalized feelings, like desolation. Many other horror games have things like monsters and other things that are scary to look at, but we wanted to express through the dialogue a type of internalized fear that stems from the ambience and such.

-To express such a theme, the team also had to represent things that are taboo in the game industry though

Tanaka We worked on the game while being conscious of those restrictions, but once the game was finished, we looked back and saw that at some point it became a half-assed effort. It was something we wanted to avoid the most, but while trying to create this new setting while imposing those restrictions, that world ended up disintegrating mid-air. So we decided to adopt a creation style where we create whatever we wanted to create and fix any portions that were troublesome later.

Title in page 43: The staff's goal is...?

-How did the MIND system come to be?

Fujimoto As we mentioned before, the general idea stemmed from being able to read people's minds. To create a game in the RPG genre means you can't leave battles out, right. The MIND system was created by applying our concept into the battle format. That system has 3 functions: listening, absorbing and peeping into people's minds. The materialized shape of these beings is similar to that of a monster. Since they aren't proper living beings nor monsters, they were shaped in such a way that their function can be easily understood. Since there is no way for them to actually have a body we actually didn't want them to be shown.

-So MIND battles became a sort of combat that happens in the mind, is that right?

Fujimoto Yes. But, it is not a fight that happens completely inside the mind, or the subspace so to speak. It is simply the protagonist's point of view which changes. There are enemies who aren't MIND users after all.

-Was there anything referenced for the creation of MINDs?

Yukuzawa We didn't reference anything in particular. The designers came with a bunch of ideas and then we decided amongst those ideas. Rather than looking like a monster, an animal or anything of the sorts, we wanted something with the impression of something that lives inside a human, so we set on this depiction of a parasitic insectoid.

-How many MINDs are in the game?

Ueda We have planned more than 60 of them.

-Are the battles planned encounters or random encounters?

Ueda There are both event battles and encounter battles.

-Is there a set amount for the number of MINDs the protagonist is able to release?

Ueda In the battle field it is 2, 3 if you include her. But there is an outer layer of consciousness where she can hold the 2 MIND previously mentioned plus 4 others, making it 6 in total. There is also a deeper level of consciousness, if you go to a special facility you can access those MINDs in the deeper recesses of the mind and interchange their places.

-How did the explorational spheric system come to be?

Yukuzawa There was a feature in QuickTime movie where you could see a static image with a 360 degree view, right. I think it came around 7 or 8 years ago, but it gives the images such an incredibly realistic feel to them and since it is basically a flat image it can look incredibly pretty even without any rendering. Thanks to it we were able to display the environments seamlessly.

-The idea for the messages in the mind diving sequences to be displayed in movement is really innovative.

Ueda From the start we wanted it to be a type of expression method that was done through a message rather than something graphic. We reached the feel of it by wanting to show a message in a representational manner, so the emotions can be felt around through how they are displayed. Actually, it would have been fine to present the information all at once using something graphic, but we set out from the place of wanting to show that by seeing how the words are displayed in the other party's consciousness the feeling they are experiencing can be understood. By the way they move I believe it is possible to form an image of how they are feeling.

-How many patterns are of this display?

Ueda It changes according to the other party's condition, circumstances and such. If it is a peaceful moment, if it is a violent moment. Since there are also cases in which the main point is hidden in between the text, in such times the sentence stops and forms in a way in which it can be readen. There is no standardization at all. The movement of the messages are manually created.

-What are the circumstances surrounding the conception of Allure, the protagonist?

Fujimoto It started with this image of her being raised by the sisters in the church. In the process of incorporation of the MIND user setting, she became this character who was born without a heart, who was raised in the sterile environment of the church, she kills those who interfere with the church, heretic leaders and such. She doesn't speak to other people and is solely focused on her duty. She herself does so without questioning the morality of it and behaves only according to the success or failure of her mission.

Since she is this emotionless human being who gradually acquires these emotions through the choices she makes, one of the reasons why we chose a girl protagonist was so this change could be easily understood.

-What is the origin of this work's title?

Fujimoto It is a made up word, but in this game's world 「SPIRIA」 while mainly referred to as a memory solution, it is also the name of the process of the materialization of a human's memory, so we wanted to name the game by expanding upon this word. We thought that 「SPIRIA」 by itself felt weak, so we added 「デス」 [read as desu, but it also reads as death] so it would have more of an impact.

-Lastly, please pitch this work to us.

Ueda I want the players to see this profound setting, with a world that is a little off. It is a bit text heavy, so please take your time and play it without haste.

Yukuzawa I want the players who play this game to get lost in this peculiar world that cannot be found in any other game. I want them to have a first hand experience of wandering in this world through the eyes of the protagonist.

Ueda I want people to play through the dark scenario in the game while deliberately reflecting upon its contents. I also think that the cyberpunk setting is another point of interest.

Fujimoto I think that an unprecedented setting has been made. I want people to enjoy this peculiar cybernetic world.

-Thank you very much