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easternmind · 7 months

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A compendium of references to Portugal in Japanese video games

The beginning of the historical relations between Portugal and Japan dates to the year 1541, when a Portuguese ship washed ashore at Jingujiura. Nearly sixty Japanese words are of Portuguese origin. A variety of Japanese traditions and culinary delights were introduced by Portuguese traders, sailors and missionaries. But in what way has this cultural exchange extended to the more recent phenomenon of Japanese digital games? As a portuguese devotee of Japanese culture, the topic seemed relevant enough to merit some additional exploration.

To my knowledge, the first significant reference to Portugal in Japanese video game is found in Koei's The Age of Discovery from 1990, a game published in the west under the title Uncharted Waters. The main character is a disgraced Portuguese nobleman named Leon Ferrero who resorts to maritime exploration, trade and naval warfare to restore his family's good name and prestige.

Its 1993 sequel, known in the west as New Horizons, diversifies the base game structure of the original by including multiple characters to select from, each with their own story and mission. Among them is the tale of João Franco, the son of the original episode's protagonist Leon, who sets out to discover the mysterious location of the fabled Atlantis, no less.

Another meaningful reference can be found a year later in ArtDink's 1991 strategy game The Atlas, in which the player takes on the role of a 15th century explorer with a five year contract with the King of Portugal to discover and chart lands around the Iberian Peninsula.

In 1998, ArtDink recreated the game for contemporary systems and published as Neo Atlas. The protagonist is a Portuguese trading company owner seeking business expansion opportunities in remote territories, as well as discover and chart hitherto unknown parts of the globe. A similar premise is found in a later sequel, Neo Atlas III.

Apart from nautical strategy games, a few other titles exist where mentions to the Portuguese territory, language and culture can be traced.

Atlus' futuristic vision of Earth in Maken X includes a most unexpected tour of Europe, with a mandatory stop in Lisbon. Inexplicably, the developers got its geographic location wrong and moved to all the way to the northern Spanish region of Léon. The level, itself, boasts a reasonably accurate depiction of one of the city's oldest quarters, Alfama, and the architectural styles found therein.

Although I could not discern any actual references in the game itself, the Grandia II soundtrack by the veteran composer Noriyuki Iwadare contains two themes whose lyrics are written in Portuguese: A Deus, a double-entendre that can be translated to both farewell and to God; and Canção do Povo, meaning People's Song. Also, the name of the official soundtrack is named Melodia, which translates to Melody as you'd expect. Both themes were performed by guest singer Kaori Kawasumi, who took on the composer's challenge to sing them despite her not knowing the language.

She was coached and assisted by José Álvarez and Motoi Sato from the Portuguese Arts and Culture Center in Japan, whom she thanks in the acknowledgement section. The Grandia II Special Package edition booklet contains a page with two photos of Portugal, one for the Jéronimos Monastery in Lisbon and the other, seemingly, for the Moorish Castle in the nearby town of Sintra.

The last Pomping World (a.ka. Buster Bros/Pang) that Mitchell Corporation ever produced before shutting down was the 2010 DS European exclusive Magical Michael. It includes two levels set in Portugal, one in Lisbon by the Belém tower, a nautical landmark, and the other in the Sintra National Palace. Their representation is at once pleasingly stylized and true to life.

This final reference is found in Spike Chunsoft's third installment of their successful visual novel series, Nyūdanganronpa V3 Minna No Koroshiai Shin Gakki. Among the dozens of MonoMono machine items that can be acquired, one is a weathercock styled after a traditional Portuguese folktale hero, the Galo de Barcelos, meaning the rooster of Barcelos, a town in Northern Portugal.

As per the description, this animal became famous through an age-old tale involving a man wrongly sentenced to death who seconds before his execution remarked he was as certain to be innocent as it was certain that a nearby rooster would sing. Because the bird did crow, much to everyone's amazement, he was exonerated. Thus, the black rooster became a symbol for truth.

I would like to thank @diogojira and @DanielOlimac for their assistance in making this article possible.

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artistttjr · 11 months

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Spin off ideas for the live action little mermaid 🧜🏾‍♀️

Eric and Ariel uncharted waters🌊 -it could about them traveling and exploring around the sea and running into new villains and friends

Ariel sisters adventures🏝️-a series about Ariel sisters going on land like she did and exploring new things about themselves and on surface

Sea friends🦀🐠🦢-a series about funny adventures with Sebastian,scuttle,and flounder

Origin of triton and Ursula🐙🧜‍♂️-basically a prequel series about triton and Ursula sibling bond and how triton became sea king and how Ursula became her evil self

These are animated btw😊

#the little mermaid #halle is ariel #ursula #flounder #scuttle #king triton #princess ariel #prince eric #ariel sisters #disney movies #under the sea #part of that world #poor unfortunate souls #uncharted waters #for the first time

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midnitedraws · 2 years

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day 4 - mermaid cuddles ft. ash (they/them) and eiji 💞 (fanart for my fic)

#banana fish #bfishtober2022 #asheiji #ash x eiji #mermaid au #uncharted waters #uncharted waters art #midnite art #midnite bfish #they're everything to me #EVERYTHIIIIIIING!!!

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sixteen-bit · 11 months

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youtube

Yoko Kanno — Uncharted Waters — Southern Twilight ~ Dance on the Cape of...

#yoko kanno #uncharted waters #vgm

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my-shields-are-down · 2 years

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That other shoe dropped.. I figured we’d pay a toll for all the great content. Now we know why they were feeding us all the Chenford content from the official account.

Lucy will spin out apparently, Tim more than likely will shut down again after this.

It’s obvious Chris lives and that Lucy will stay with him. Tim and Ashley I think will be done though soon. Question is, since Lucy stays with Chris, will Tim do something dumb to mess the Chenford dynamic up even more??

Eric did say messy and complicated, but how the hell will they get out of this mess? This seems beyond messy and complicated now in my opinion.

I’m thinking Lucy takes Sacramento to distance herself since in her mind, people are getting hurt because of her.

This is one steep hole 😬. Holy moly. Do you have any thoughts?

Hello hello. Yesterday all I was seeing a hole too deep to climb out of - I don’t know how they’ll find their way back to each other. But because the episode was so heavily Chenford - and clearly with ABC’s hype machine involved - the network will make sure that there is plenty of hope for them to move forward again throughout the season. Catnip, Eric called it at one point.

I stick by my earlier statements about seasonal story arcs. What happens in the first episode? That tells you the themes of the season. Chenford, Rosalind, Nyla being a detective, Nolan being stupid, Bailey doing the impossible, and Angela being an awesome and brilliant detective. Family, passion, danger, love and all the sex that Tim and Lucy wanted with each other. Oh and Fakeford showing up late and messing up everything. Heh heh.

I think it’s going to be brutal for a bit. Lucy needs to grow up. She needs to get promoted. She needs confidence in herself. She’s going to go through the wringer this season - much like Tim did 8n Season 1 (nice parallel eh?). She’s not yet fully formed. I’m excited to see this training I hope she takes. That’ll help. Tim will support her no matter how much it hurts - because she did for him.

But Lucy will spiral. She’ll stay with Chris out of guilt. She’ll run from Tim when she needs him the most . She’ll probably run to Nolan (gag). Big head Nolan has to be involved somehow. She won’t live in that apartment any more. Where will she and Tamara go? I expect things to get worse with her parents. Because of the vulnerable situation all of these changes will put Lucy in, if I’m Rosalind I want someone there, by her side messing with her mind. Creating doubt, fear, panic. Making her think she’s losing her mind, ghosting her, terrorizing her.

And who is sitting in a prime position to do all that? CHRIS. What if the end of that episode, was the plan all along? To ingratiate Chris more deeply into Lucy’s life? To wreak havoc on her mind and psyche? To make the most of her guilt? The longer they are together, the more he can fuck with her - ultimately making her less likely to turn to her friends and face Rosalind alone. Rosalind from a position of strength, and Lucy not.

Tim on the other hand- has fallen off the deep end for Lucy and it’s going to drive him crazy. Voldie is history thank god. And him walking into Lucy’s apartment with the intention to hook up? I mean…. That’s going to be hard for him to reconcile with his professionalism. He’ll probably be triggered by Lucy’s suffering like Isabel suffered. Maybe he’ll be triggered to reevaluate what it is to be a man with honor - and we’ll see him finally deal with his military stuff. I dunno. Obviously, he and Lucy get to a somewhat better place by episode 8 if they are riding together again. It’d be great if Tim was the one who figured out what Chris was up to and then did not blame himself for what came next.

As far as the insurmountable odds we find ourselves facing at the moment, I think we need to take a moment and be grateful for where we are and how far we’ve come.

We wouldn’t be having this conversation if someone else had been hired to play Tim and/or Lucy. EW+ MO and massive fan support of them and their performances of Tim and Lucy got us here.

Not only are we in uncharted waters, but unlike previous seasons, we now have significant support from ABC. full support of a fan created relationship. Alexi never would have done the full court press content release for Chenford. That was ABC. They are invested in that storyline and yes making as much money off of it as possible. That aside, literally anything can happen at this point. Our course has not yet been charted.

And for now, I am perfectly content to anchor here and sunbathe in the excitement created from that truly amazing episode.

I know at some point Lucy and a Tim will ride together again - so all hope is not lost. There’s a path forward, we just don’t see it yet.

Our map is incomplete.

#askandrea #chenford #tim bradford #lucy chen #tim x lucy #the rookie #i love them #uncharted waters #our path is unclear #incomplete map #boating metaphors #too soon to call it

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martinsfrancisco · 2 years

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Adventurer of the great beyond.

www.instagram.com/francisco.dollportraits

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mystical-flute · 1 year

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Deck the Halls - an Uncharted Waters one-shot

Also on AO3

With Seto out of town, Mokuba and Noah know this is the only time they have to do the craziest thing they've ever done: Decorate the manor for Christmas, with the help of Seto's girlfriend, Reika.

“That’s the big emergency?”

Reika raised a brow at the two teens standing in front of her, proud smiles on their faces. Mokuba had called her seemingly in a panic, saying something about there being trouble at the manor, and that she’d needed to get there right away.

When she had arrived, feeling adrenaline running through her veins at the multitude of things that could possibly be wrong, she had been stunned to find no one hurt, nothing broken, and large boxes of decorations in front of her.

“Yup! We need your help decorating the manor before Seto gets home!” Mokuba said. “We’ve got the ground crew covering the outside, so we’re gonna focus on the inside!”

“How did you even… where did you guys even get this stuff?” Probably a stupid question given they were Kaibas and therefore, some of the wealthiest people on the planet, but still, this stuff hadn’t been here a few days ago when she’d visited before Seto left for his business trip.

“Reika, I thought you knew better than to ask a question like that when it comes to the Kaibas,” Noah said with a frown. “After all, you’ve been tied to this family - ”

She rolled her eyes. “My whole life. I know.”

“Ryou told us what we should buy, so we went out while Seto had locked himself in his office. We hid it in the security house. Pretty sneaky, huh?” Mokuba explained.

Her lips twitched in amusement. “Incredibly.”

There was at least an 80% chance Seto already knew what was going on.

The fact that neither boy seemed to realize that - or, if they did, they certainly didn’t care - amused her greatly, but she was here, and she really didn’t want to drive all the way back to the game shop with nothing to show for it, so she sighed and nodded in agreement.

“Alright, fine. What did you want to start with?”

She’d seen Christmas displays before, but the holiday had never been a huge deal in their family. They would decorate for winter, sure, but the red and green garland and the multitude of lights was enough to make her head spin.

“We’re trying to decorate like this!” Mokuba said, pointing out a photo of a lavish Christmas display in an American home. “So I think they started with the garland on the stair railing, then wrapped the lights around it!”

She glanced from the bundles of garland and tangle of lights over to the staircase, trying to picture how it would look. “And… where are you plugging those lights in?”

“Nowhere. Noah rigged them to work on batteries. All we have to do is remember to flip the switch. Come on, Reika! Christmas is the perfect holiday for our group of friends! How does that song go - ‘faithful friends who are dear to us gather near to us once more’? Téa will be back from America in two weeks for her break! We can have a big Christmas party and everything, so we have to make the manor look good! You won’t regret this, I swear!”

They were nothing if not determined, so Reika threw her hands up in defeat. Clearly, she was outnumbered by the two young Kaiba geniuses. “Give me the garland, I’ll start wrapping it on the railing. Noah can follow behind me with the lights.”

“We’re putting the switch on the table next to the staircase,” Noah said as they looped the decorations along the railing. “I measured everything out. It’ll fit perfectly.”

“Can I ask what exactly got you two so riled up about decorating for a holiday none of us celebrate?” she questioned. Granted, exchanging gifts and spending time with family and friends did sound like the perfect holiday for the group they’d been dragged into thanks to Yugi, but even so, none of them had been too concerned about it in the past.

Noah paused and glanced over at Mokuba, who was on a ladder with a very nervous maid below him, hanging decorative snowflakes above the archway leading to the music room. “Mokuba was watching videos on TikTok. Apparently Christmas TikToks are starting to make the rounds. People were talking about all of their traditions, and we both really liked all of them… so we thought we’d try some of them for ourselves. But you know how Seto is sometimes. He’s more like Father than he wants to be. So we thought we’d do it while he’s gone.”

“Because you didn’t want him to tell you guys no.”

“Right. We’re hoping that if he sees how beautiful the decorations are - and not gaudy, because we have taste - he’d be amenable to them next year and we won’t have to sneak around. Not that I expect him to do any of the decorating. And besides, Mokuba is right in the fact of Christmas being the perfect holiday for the gang.” Noah paused and leaned closer, lowering his voice. “Though I will admit I did have to tell him to slow down. He wanted to do a gift exchange but I’ve heard two weeks' notice to buy a gift is too little time for most people. Not that we’re most people.”

“Oh trust me, Noah. I know you’re not.”

The amount of manpower it took to decorate the manor was far more than Reika had thought it would be. Sure, she knew it was much, much larger than the apartment above the game shop - or really, most other homes in Japan, if not the world, but even so, it took five hours - and the help of the housekeepers and chef - before the manor was decorated in the way Mokuba and Noah had deemed satisfactory.

And, while the manor didn’t look like something out of a magazine, perfectly staged by professional decorators, it was still stunning. Lights twinkled on the grand staircase’s railing, a large, artificial Christmas tree stood in the living room, and stockings hung from the fireplace’s mantle - four of them, despite Reika’s protests.

“You’ll be living here soon enough, Reika!” Mokuba teased, to her bewilderment, because that was a conversation she and Seto hadn’t had yet.

The dining room table had a garland- wrapped candle holder on it, alongside a table runner that was decorated with poinsettia flowers. Snowflakes hung from the ceiling.

Outside, along the manicured front lawn of the manor, was a Christmas tree made of lights, and Santa’s sleigh, complete with lights so it could be seen at night. The reindeer hung carefully in midair, an engineering feat done by Noah.

“Well, you were right, Mokuba. I’m glad I came over to help you with this,” Reika said, standing in the foyer and glancing around at the work they’d done. “It’s beautiful.”

“It looks awesome in here!” Mokuba cheered, punching the air. “Just the way I wanted.”

“Yes, it’s warm, bright, cheery, inviting… everything our father hated,” Noah agreed. “A job well done, I’d say.”

“Well, as long as Gozaburo would hate it, I suppose I won’t ask you to take it all down.”

The trio jumped in surprise at Seto’s voice.

“You’re back early. Did Zigfried or Pegasus show up and run you out of France?” Reika questioned with a raised brow as she turned to face him. He’d kicked off his shoes, but still wore his dramatic trench coat while carrying his briefcase.

“No. Negotiations just took less time than I thought they were going to,” Seto replied, stepping closer and looking at the handiwork. “I suppose you encouraged this, Reika?”

She blinked, putting on her most innocent face. “I didn’t encourage it. I just didn’t stop it.”

“Hmph,” Seto scoffed. “I suppose I’m just happy that the decorations don’t look like something out of a child’s sugar-induced dream.”

“There you go. Way to look at the bright side of things, Seto,” Noah said flatly, rolling his eyes. “Come on Mokuba, let’s go re-wire Seto’s office so his speakers only play ‘Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer’.”

“You do that and I’m putting you back in whatever black hole is left of the virtual world!” Seto threatened.

Noah, though, just waved him off and wandered up the stairs, Mokuba following behind.

Seto rolled his eyes and turned back to Reika. “How long did this take?”

“Five or six hours, I think? They were working on the outside when I got here, so that probably took even longer.”

He glanced outside, then back around at the decorations in the foyer. “I… admire the work ethic it took to get this all up. And I have a feeling Mokuba wants to have a Christmas party.”

“How’d you guess?”

“He’s not exactly subtle when he watches things he wants to do. His phone speaker was turned up so loudly the kitchen staff could hear it whenever he was on the staircase,” Seto explained with a sigh and turned to head into the living room.

She giggled, which turned into a gasp when he suddenly pulled her close as they stood in the doorway. “Seto, what -”

Her question was cut off by a kiss, and when Seto pulled back, he smirked down at her. “Aren’t I supposed to kiss you when we walk under the mistletoe?”

“Mm? Seto Kaiba, following a Western holiday tradition? My my, what will the world surprise us with next?” she teased, following him into the living room and dropping onto the couch next to him, the fire cracking and popping. Shadows filled the room with each inch of the setting sun.

For the first time in many years, Kaiba Manor was full of light and love, and a promise of a brighter future.

#uncharted waters #yugioh #seto kaiba #mokuba kaiba #noah kaiba #fanfiction

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rebfile · 4 months

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In the realm of Azura Isle, where the sea's embrace met the land, there lived a spirited soul named Violette. Her hair, a cascade of twilight hues, was the isle's whispering legend, each strand a tale of the dusk and dawn entwined.

Violette's days were spent beneath the sun, where the sky met the horizon in an endless kiss. Her bikini, the color of blooming orchids, was adorned with the golden kisses of the island's famed crocus flowers. A single hibiscus flower perched behind her ear, a vibrant contrast to her whimsical locks.

She had a charm that danced with the breeze, and eyes that spoke of a thousand uncharted waters. With a smile that could coax the shyest creature from its shell, Violette was known to all as the isle's heart, the rhythm to which the waves themselves swayed.

Today, she stood at the edge of the water, a symphony of movement, the embodiment of Azura's spirit. With every gaze into the distance, she wove a dream of sails unfurling and adventures untold, her heart a compass to the unknown.

A scene of the beach on Azura Isle.

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the-badger-mole · 2 months

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Uncharted Waters: To Wake and Dream

“What are you thinking about?” he asked quietly. Katara curled up on her cot, her fists tucked beneath her chin, and her legs drawn up to her chest.

“Do you think we’ll run into anymore spirits before we leave?’ she asked him.

“I don’t know,” Zuko said. “But Huu and the others said they’d take us out. They know the Swamp pretty well, and they don’t seem super worried about it.”

“Hm.” Zuko waited for Katara to say something else, but she didn’t speak again. He would’ve thought she’d fallen asleep, except her breathing wasn’t slow enough.

“Did you see…something?” Zuko asked after moment. He heard Katara shift, probably to look directly at him. “It’s just…you were running like something was chasing you. And I saw…some really weird stuff. I…I guess I just…It would be completely understandable if you were…uncomfortable going back into the woods.”

There was another long moment of silence from Katara. This time it stretched on longer than the first one, and Zuko thought she really had fallen asleep this time. He was drifting off to sleep himself when Katara sat up and drew her knees up.

“I saw…” she whispered haltingly. “I saw the man who murdered my mother.” That woke Zuko up. He pushed himself up and faced Katara’s silhouette.

“What?” he gasped. Katara hugged her knees tight and took several gasping breaths.

“I saw him.” Her voice sounded brittle. She let out several huffs through her nose and buried her face in her knees for a moment. Zuko reached out tentatively, letting his fingers brush her shoulder before settling somewhere along her midback.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “Are you alright?” Katara’s breathing got heavier, and Zuko could feel her shuddering beneath his hand. With a strangled gasp she launched herself into his arms and sobbed into his shoulder. It was just like when they’d found each other in the woods, and Zuko suspected that for her it felt as fresh.

“I’m sorry,” Katara said after a moment.

“For what?” Zuko asked.

“I don’t want to make you uncomfortable,” Katara sniffled. “I’ll get off of you. I just need-“

“Hey, it’s alright,” Zuko murmured soothingly. “You’re not bothering me.”

“It’s just…he looked exactly like he did that night,” Katara choked out. “And I saw my mother, too. And I heard Sokka and Aang and…” She clung tighter to Zuko and he felt the fabric of his shirt growing damp. Still, he let her cry on him.

“I saw my mother, too,” he said quietly. Katara froze and pulled back a bit. “I think it was my mother. I saw my father, too.” At that Katara gasped. Zuko felt her hand move towards his scar. She didn’t quite make it. Instead her hand fell to his shoulder and Katara pulled him in for a hug.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“Me, too,” Zuko sighed.

“This place sucks.” Zuko let out a short, bitter chuckle.

“Yeah,” he said. “It does.”

Read the rest of the chapter here

#atla #zutara #uncharted waters

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