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newx-menfan · 6 years

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(I wanted to do a Three Part post about Surge-Noriko Ashida; because much like Julian, Noriko is often heavily criticized by readers. Those two characters tend to be the ones that come under fire the most by fandom…)

Part One: Surge in DeFilippis and Weir

Out of all the New X-Men Surge is probably the most mysterious; because where we get a pretty clear picture of the other X-Kids lives BEFORE becoming a mutant, Nori doesn’t really talk much about her past life…

We know Noriko was born in Japan and was very close to her brother Keitaro. Her powers manifested when she was thirteen and she managed to immigrate on HER OWN from Japan to America, since her father rejected her.

That takes some pretty big balls in my opinion! To immigrate at thirteen, ALONE, to a country that’s both very different in culture and language. Yet, Noriko manages to survive on her own.

Noriko DOES accurately represent homelessness, in the fact that almost 34% of the homeless in the United States are under 24, according to HUD’s 2014 Point in Time Report. 80% of homeless youth (age 12 to 21) use drugs or alcohol as a means to self medicate. (Studies on homelessness CAN be really difficult to do, because homelessness tends to be a temporary circumstance, there’s less push for these kinds of studies in the psychological and sociological communities, and because of the stigma around this issue…) Noriko story also touches on the fact that MANY illegal immigrants come to the United States to escape circumstances such as abuse, poverty, political or economical upheaval in their home country, persecution for their identity, ect…

She ends up stealing and using pills (never specified what they were) to control her powers, by sedating her body enough to control the outbursts of electrical power.

The one attempt to reach out for help by going to Xavier’s goes horribly wrong, when she runs into Julian; who at the time has issues with classism and a prejudice around homelessness. (In Julian’s defense- American culture does cultivate this narrative that the poor are somehow at fault for their own poverty heavily. This ties back into the American Dream being represented as widely attainable and America being represented as ‘not having a class system’. We have essentially gaslit the poor into believing they are at fault for their own poverty, instead of admitting that our social systems are inadequate and structured in a way to promote some groups more than others. This ends up being a learning moment for Julian…).

This experience validates Nori’s beliefs that people will NOT provide any kind of help, that the only person she can rely on is herself; so she decides to do what she knows will work-steal and self medicate with drugs. (It also leads to Julian and Noriko having bad blood for a period of time until the Nimrod battle).

Nori accidentally hits ‘the Grind Stone’ coffee shop owner with an electric bolt when robbing the store, and fearing that if she reports it she will end up imprisoned, (keep in mind Noriko is homeless, most likely an illegal immigrant, a person of color, a drug addict, a mutant, and she was actively committing a crime- so she’s probably right in her assumption that she’s not going to get treated sympathetically at all by the justice system…) so she takes the money and runs.

Josh remembers seeing Noriko asking for help and hanging around the Grind Stone, and puts two and two together. Josh convinces the other students to track down Nori; and when they find her Noriko looses control over her abilities, and the students bring Noriko back to the mansion.

Even pre M-Day; the X-Men aren’t all that sympathetic to Noriko. Beast essentially tells her you can either wear the gauntlets I designed for you or get out, where you’ll essentially be put in jail. The only people Noriko really connects with are Cyclops and Dani Moonstar; I’ll come back to this when talking about Kyle/Yost’s run…

David is the other person who tries to connect with Noriko; and while David MEANS well, there are moments that he does come off a little condescending. While David has absolutely faced racism, David has also grown up in a middle to upper class caring family in Chicago; leaving him somewhat struggling to understand Noriko’s experience with homelessness.

While David IS a really great person, he does sometimes struggle with socialization, empathizing, and accepting that people MAKE MISTAKES . This makes sense, because David looks at things from a more logical than emotional place; David DOESN’T DO gut feelings. It’s why the dream around his powers scares him so much, because LOGICALLY it could happen and David knows he prioritizes knowledge. It’s also why Sofia ends up being co-leader of the New Mutants, because David just isn’t very good with understanding the emotional side of things and needs Sofia to handle that side of leadership.

Noriko chooses to stay at the school and takes responsibility of her actions by working at the Grind Stone. This is a common theme with Noriko; no matter what mistakes she makes, she always takes full responsibility for them. She also slowly becomes friends with her fellow teammates.

Noriko’s role on the team in this book was always secondary; in the fact that she had no interest in being leader. She’s perfectly fine with Wind Dancer and Prodigy taking up that responsibility. Noriko acknowledges that her personality ISN’T a good fit for leadership. (This will become important later).

This makes sense, since Noriko is very independent; she doesn’t like to feel like a burden to others and sees herself as ultimately the only person she can rely on. This is because for a long period of time, that WAS true: Noriko had to rely on herself for all care.The idea of working as a team and supporting each other is an extremely foreign concept for her, because her survival for years relied on focusing on the baser needs (food and shelter over emotional health and building emotional connections) and her being her own support system. Essentially, it’s Maslow’s hierarchy of needs; if you’re Physical needs are unmet or inconsistently there day to day, you’re not going to be as focused on needs around Social, Ego, or Self Actualization.

Noriko HAS a tendency to lash out at others; this is used as a defense mechanism-shun others before they shun you. This comes up every time Nori feels threatened or insecure; she’ll lash out or get defensive at the person SHE VIEWS as attacking her.

One of the big complaints people bring up with Noriko is her interaction with Dust; and yes, Noriko’s views ARE problematic.

But no one is born out of the womb a perfect feminist; because we live in a patriarchal society, we all subconsciously take in problematic views that we may need to deconstruct LATER.

This series was written in the 2000’s, when the Iraq war was in full swing and Islamophobic propaganda permeated the news; one of the favorite narratives was ‘their women are oppressed, our women are fine!’ The fact that DeFilippis and Weir subtly commented on the problems with this narrative, IS pretty DAMN impressive, in my opinion.

The truth is, is many teenagers when starting to learn about feminism, START OUT with problematic views. It’s only when they start to learn more about intersectional feminism, that they start seeing the problems with feminism fixating on western culture being the ‘correct way’ and essentially what’s been labeled as 'White Feminism’ (Feminism from the lens of White, Upper Class, Heterosexual, Cis Gendered Women- often times ignoring other POVs and avoidance in addressing the issues around white privilege). Noriko MAY have internalized a lot of these beliefs.

There’s also a possibility that Noriko had faced harassment while living on the streets on her own; 92% of homeless women reported severe physical and/or sexual violence at some point of their in their lives for example, in a 1997 study. In a survey of homeless youth between ages 13 and 21, 23% of women had experienced sexual victimization on at least one occasion since being on the street, in a 2004 study.

While Sooraya is simply trying to explain her side, this could be bringing up memories for Noriko and an internalized belief that IF something happened, it was somehow her fault. As previously stated; Noriko’s feminism has it’s problems, so internalized victim blaming COULD be part of that.

Nori does kind of apologize in her own way, and while still coming off as crass; does accept that her and Sooyara have different beliefs and that both are valid.

Another complaint lodged at Nori is her reaction to Jay’s suicide; and yes, suicide and mental illness is heavily stigmatized. Nori DOES react badly to his admission, which can have negative affects for the survivor of a suicide attempt.

Nori handled this BADLY, but you can understand why. From Noriko’s point of view- Jay comes from a loving family that accepts him mutation and supports him. While her opinion IS invalidating Jay’s experience around depression and that’s not okay; Jay has things Nori didn’t in her own life (Jay also kinds of invalidates Nori’s experiences as well, by saying things like “You wouldn’t understand”, when Nori herself comes from a background of trauma…). Essentially what is coming up is jealousy.

Noriko and Jay later talk it out, and understand that their reactions in this conversation came from trauma; Nori from being homeless and rejected by her family, and Jay from losing his girlfriend and not being able to cope, and from the stigma that comes from being a survivor of a suicide attempt.

They also notice things disappearing/moving on their own in the school. This turns out to be a dead X-student named Jeffery. Surge bonds with Jeffery, partially because he reminds her of her younger brother and partially because she can relate to the child’s anger at his situation. This is one of the examples that despite Noriko’s tough persona, lies someone deeply hurting inside.

Another example, is her reaction to David’s little sister, Kim. Noriko deeply wants Kim to like her, because Noriko likes David. It’s one of the few times Nori goes OUT OF HER WAY to get someone to like her, and is deeply hurt when she is rejected.

Throughout Noriko’s childhood she has been rejected by her parents and other people she turned to for help. David is the only person to genuinely show concern for her (this will be REALLY important later….)

So while Noriko does HAVE problematic views in this series, a lot of it traces back to Noriko’s history being homeless. Nori is in my opinion, a character who gets unfairly hated on for simply struggling to get close emotionally to others, because she’s been repeatedly hurt in the past…

(I’ll post my sources at the end together, like I did with the post around Julian and disability.)

Next is Part Two: Surge in Kyle and Yost, which will be posted either today or Wednesday!

#Surge #Noriko Ashida #Part One of 'Why Noriko is misunderstood'...#Noriko may look tough #but deep down is a mushy caring center #new x men #Nunzio DeFilippis #Christina Weir #Marvel #academy x #bring back the new x men

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marshmallowgoop · 4 years

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Doing yearly writing reviews isn’t really a thing. But once you start doing ‘em, it doesn’t feel right to stop, you know?

Seeing progress in other arts is of course a lot easier than seeing progress in writing, but I think there is some forward movement for me, especially when I also consider my compilations from 2017 and 2018.

In regards to 2019, I’ve selected various kinds of writing for this post: analytical essays, opinion pieces, news articles, creative fiction, and maybe some works that can’t be categorized so easily, too. It was a very difficult year on many fronts; I dealt with job struggles, financial insecurity, destroyed relationships, medical hardships, seemingly endless cyberstalking and online harassment.

But there were good things, too. New friendships. New passions. New outlooks. I feel like I’ve learned and grown a lot more in these past couple of months than I have in a long, long time.

The end of 2019 is more than just the end of one year. It’s also the end of a decade. But I think the best advice I’ve received all decade comes from this year:

✄ Sometimes, you have to say yes to saying no.

✄ If you can’t do something well, do something poorly!

✄ The best option may be to simply not engage.

✄ You don’t have to apologize for disappointing others.

✄ Your worth isn’t measured by how much you “accomplish.”

✄ You have rights: the right to have your needs and wants respected, the right to make mistakes, the right to determine your own priorities, the right to not be responsible for the actions or problems of others, the right to express yourself, the right to be human. It’s not selfish or narcissistic to stand up for your rights.

And, since it is the end of the decade and all, here’s also a comparison between one nerdy fandom essay from August 2010 and another from August 2019:

2010 (with added spaces because yes, this really was just a huge block of text originally):

Also, in my own opinion, nobody really gave a damn for Xion all that much save for Roxas. I mean, yeah, Axel cared a little, but in the end, he got totally mad at her, got mad any time she was mentioned, got mad whenever Roxas worried about her, got mad when she showed up at the clock tower. She was his friend, yeah, and he didn’t want her to go, but in the end, he would have chosen Roxas above her anytime.

The other “mean villains” didn’t really care. Luxord didn’t care, Demyx didn’t care, Xaldin got exasperated once at her, but overall didn’t care, Xigbar didn’t care, Xemnas outright said he didn’t care, Saix was rather cruel to her, but really, in the end, he didn’t give a damn for her. The others weren’t around long enough to have an impression on her. I think even Riku didn’t really care all that much for her, in all honesty. He just wanted his best friend back.

Also, you have to keep in mind that we played the game through Roxas’ perspective, and it’s in my personal belief that he fell in love with Xion. And if you’re in love with someone, when she gets into a coma, or goes missing, or ignores you, you’re gonna be upset, and talk about it. So Roxas did.

But you know, he doesn’t actually do a lot of it until the end of the game. Before that, it’s all about the THREE of them. He loves his friends (even if he doesn’t know it), and he wants them to be together forever, but when Xion goes missing or whatnot and they can’t ALL have ice cream together, he gets upset.

2019:

I’ve written more on the subject here, but to keep it short, Ryuko only tries to take Nui’s life when she’s convinced herself that she’s a monster, and her development is less about her becoming less okay with killing people and more about how she won’t let her anger and rage control her. What makes Ryuko’s attitude so different in the end isn’t that she’s reconsidered her thoughts on murder but that she’s composed. Come episode 22, Ryuko ain’t saying that she’s gonna kill anyone to sound tough or to intimidate. She keeps her cool even against her worst enemies.

But that’s just what I think! Maybe I’ve interpreted the character all wrong. But Ryuko’s freak-out after she goes berserk and hurts others in episode 12, her devotion to defending even people she’s just met… I just struggle to see her as someone who’s actually a-okay with killing. The fact that Ryuko’s perfect fantasy in episode 20 depicts her as a sweet girl without any of the violent tendencies that she has in reality also points this way; not to mention, Ryuko outright admits that her picking fights and causing trouble are bad things when remarking on her childhood in episode 8.

And Ryuko? She doesn’t want to be bad. All the poor girl’s ever wanted is love, and I can’t imagine she’d ever think that getting angry and killing people would get her a lot of that.

Progress may be slow, but it does happen.

At least, I think so.

Image Texts

January 2019

And personally? I find that sweetness just absolutely, utterly charming. When I understood what the rap was trying to communicate, I couldn’t imagine listening to the song without it. Heck, even before I understood, I found the “without rap” edits empty and barren. No matter how “silly” the lyrics might come off, the unabashed cheese is fantastic. The rap section that I was once “meh” about legitimately became my favorite part of the song.

Plus, I really can’t stress enough how sad the song is when it’s purely Ryuko. The official [nZk] remix replaces Senketsu’s rap with a reprise of Ryuko’s first verse, which recounts how she and Senketsu met. And it’s tragic! She says, “But I’m all alone,” and she is. Senketsu isn’t singing with her, no matter her claim that she can hear his voice. Considering what happens to Senketsu in the end, his absence in the song hits even harder.

Full post: https://marshmallowgoop.tumblr.com/post/182361051017/oomoj-marshmallowgoop-the-rap-is-good

February 2019

The focus then shifts away from Ragyo, but Kill la Kill ain’t at all done with building the audience up yet. As the scene moves to the following day, viewers are met with quick, close-up shots of Uzu’s note to Ryuko, timed right to the beat of “Blumenkranz.” Uzu wants to duel, and we soon get to see his full request in an engaging low-angle shot where Ryuko looks up to this sign looming over her. The weight and gravity of the situation is effectively conveyed: the smooth transition from Ragyo to here, as well as the music and shot composition, let us know in no indirect terms that this fight isn’t something to be brushed off. Uzu’s duel is a big deal, and it’s very much connected to Ragyo’s expansive empire.

And the tension just keeps growing. Ryuko’s reaction to Uzu’s note is presented with a dramatic canted, high-angle shot. The camera—which is just slightly tilted—peers down at both Ryuko and the sign, communicating a sense of danger and unease. Viewers already know that the upcoming battle is important, but here, we also understand that it’s not going to be easy.

Full post: https://marshmallowgoop.tumblr.com/post/182841724817/all-the-discussion-around-episode-6-of-kill-la

March 2019

Kill la Kill the Game: IF is currently being featured at the 2019 Game Developers Conference that runs until March 22nd in San Francisco, and a flurry of new gameplay videos are now available for viewing. Notably, these videos feature full English subtitles for the character dialogue for the first time since EVO 2018 last year and never-before-seen stages, such as what seems to be the Fiber Castle in the Kiryuin Manor.

Full post: https://marshmallowgoop.tumblr.com/post/183766224117/kill-la-kill-the-game-if-gameplay-footage-from

April 2019

I mean, Kill la Kill ended over five years ago now. There’s been fairly minimal new content ever since—an OVA in September of 2014, a few pieces of merchandise here and there, a small crossover with Grand Summoners last year. And then, not even 11 months ago, out of seemingly nowhere, there was confirmation for a full-blown Kill la Kill video game. That we now know will be released in just 14 weeks!

Lots of jokes were made about the announcement for a game so many years after the series finale, but, like, seriously, as a longtime Kill la Kill fan, it’s hard to wrap my head around. Ever since the show ended, I’ve dedicated over half a million words to writing about it, spent tens of thousands of yen on books and Blu-rays and CDs, devoted nearly 60 GB to my own GIFs and edits. I’ve loved this thing to death. I’ve always found more and more that I want to write and create from this series, but I never really imagined nor expected that we’d ever get much more official content from the original creators themselves. And now we are getting so much more, and???

Full post: https://marshmallowgoop.tumblr.com/post/184228103137/kill-la-kill-the-game-if-releases-on-july-25th-in

May 2019

Kiznaiver: Oh, I was so excited to love this show! I was lucky enough to see an advanced screening of the first two episodes, and I was totally hooked. It was drop-dead gorgeous—and probably the prettiest series Trigger has ever put out—and I was very intrigued by the plot and characters. I remember just coming back to my hotel room at like 3:00 am after the premiere, utterly filled with excitement. I mean, Kiznaiver was directed by Hiroshi Kobayashi, the episode director behind the two episodes that got me hooked on Kill la Kill (episodes 5 and 18)!

But… my excitement quickly died. The story tried to develop way too many characters in way too little time, and I never enjoyed the romantic pairing of Katsuhira and Noriko, finding it shallow, undeveloped, and nonsensical (in a bad way), which… kind of ruins a lot of the series when that’s arguably the heart of the whole thing.

Kiznaiver is still super, super pretty, though. That last episode’s animation got me shook.

Full post: https://marshmallowgoop.tumblr.com/post/184700944732/so-have-you-watched-the-other-stuff-studio-trigger

June 2019

I do recognize that many, many matters do not warrant conversation. I do recognize that the phrase “I’m just trying to have a conversation” can be—and has been—utilized as a means of directing criticism away from inflammatory, unacceptable, inhumane remarks. I in no way feel that hateful, discriminatory comments should be promoted.

Simultaneously, however, “conversation” should not automatically be a dirty word in the field of analyzing and seriously engaging with fiction, and thoughtful reactions should be supported and striven for. Nothing in fiction is ever black and white. There are so many nuances and complexities to the storybook realities of our media. I want commentators and critics of fiction to be passionate about listening, considering, and rethinking those nuances and complexities. Isn’t that why we do this work at all? To share our own point of view and open ourselves up to others?

Full post: https://marshmallowgoop.tumblr.com/post/185289615202/we-need-to-change-the-way-we-seriously-discuss

July 2019

Initially, I was really bummed by this lack of development. But as I thought about things more, I… didn’t mind so much. If this dream or universe or whatever is something that Satsuki “experiences” before the events of the anime, of course she won’t grow as a character here. Maybe this game is kind of the Kill la Kill prequel I’ve been begging for for over half a decade.

And as much as I didn’t get anything, I thought the ending bits between Ryuko and Satsuki were so good.

Like, I suppose Ryuko’s absorbing the Life Fibers or something?? But wow, pretty.

And the part where they talk before Satsuki disappears? That’s my kinda anime bullshit. It’s the kinda anime bullshit I wanted from the OVA between Ryuko and Senketsu.

Full post: https://marshmallowgoop.tumblr.com/post/186648065467/goop-plays-kill-la-kill-the-game-if-satsuki

August 2019

That book, Log. 2, is a fan doujin from Kotaro Nakamori, who worked as an animator and animation director in Kill la Kill. There’s a bunch of assorted fanart in there, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Nakamori is a fan of Urusei Yatsura and wanted to make a little crossover between that series and Kill la Kill.

Personally, though, as someone not too familiar with Urusei Yatsura, I kinda just saw the image as oni-Satsuki (with oni being demon/ogre-like creatures in Japanese folklore). Oni are traditionally depicted wearing tiger skin loincloths, and Lum herself is definitely basically a space oni. So, I saw the cover and got super excited about oni-Satsuki because I love oni a lot, haha.

Fun fact: character designer Sushio has also drawn Kill la Kill characters as oni for setsubun, a celebration that’s held on the last day of winter (February 3rd). During setsubun, you might see folks dressed up like oni—who get beans thrown at them in an effort to bring in good luck and chase naughty demons away.

Full post: https://marshmallowgoop.tumblr.com/post/187228888187/do-i-see-satsuki-wearing-lums-outfit-in-your-last

September 2019

Though I don’t see it much anymore, I remember lots of comparisons between Ragyo and the villains of Saturday morning cartoons back in the day. She was described as a generic, two-dimensional “evilz for the sake of evilz” baddie and criticized for her simplicity.

And though I did admittedly agree to an extent—I craved a lot more depth and insight, particularly in regards to her haunting line about “still having something of a human heart” whilst brutally attacking her own daughter in the final episode—I also found Ragyo to be a remarkably compelling, powerful, and horrifying villain even without tons of backstory and explanation. Perhaps my write-up on her first scene in episode 6 best details why; this woman has such a presence, and the visual language of the series amplifies that presence spectacularly. Ragyo’s intimidating and scary without the audience even needing to know anything about her.

And… I’d say that’s a good villain. That’s exactly what a villain should do.

Full post: https://marshmallowgoop.tumblr.com/post/187987858537/on-ragyo-kiryuin

October 2019

And, though there are no visuals, so I can’t be sure if it’s an “Ocean of Light” or not, the fourth Drama CD also has the same kinda deal happening. In the CD—which takes place immediately after Ryuko learns the truth of her origins—Ryuko’s pain manifests as an explosion of light that knocks both her and Senketsu unconscious and pushes Senketsu away from her. The sound effect here is familiar, and I’m personally convinced that this is another “Ocean of Light” moment.

Which brings me to the “light” part of the terminology. Light is often associated with good, yes, but light is also associated with heat, and heat is associated with pain. In the Drama CD, Ryuko’s light is so hot that Nui even remarks that Senketsu “almost burned” from it, and when Mako embraces Ryuko after swimming through her “Ocean of Light” in episode 12, Ryuko’s touch scorches Mako’s skin.

I’ve already written an essay on the symbolic and narrative use of fire, warmth, and heat in Kill la Kill (that you should totally read because it’s actually maybe Kinda Good, Maybe), and relating to that, I see the “Ocean of Light” as a physical representation of Ryuko’s fiery spirit. That fire can be used for good, and that fire can also be painful, but no matter what, that fire is a part of Ryuko.

Full post: https://marshmallowgoop.tumblr.com/post/188247077227/i-always-wanted-some-explanation-you-are-smart

November 2019

She looks around her cottage. Her eyes find the walls and the furnishings. Her eyes find the scratched floors and stained wood. She does not voice it to the once-emperor, but she had never been able to remove the stains from the attack. Her son's blood has painted the brown wood red. It is a reminder of what she cannot remember. It is a reminder of the past she has forgotten.

“This home feels so desperately lonely,” she admits. “I do not know who is missing. But it is not complete.”

The man is quiet. He did not expect to find himself feeling sympathy for the woman's plight. Perhaps she is a fool, to have given her heart to a demon. But kindness ought not be punished, he thinks. Or has he grown so cold that he believes it should be?

December 2019

🏀 Michiru and Shirou’s relationship may be the focus, but Nakashima emphasizes that Michiru’s relationship with Nazuna is also involved in the story in a big way.

🏀 Nakashima stresses the importance of depicting teen girls realistically. Two women screenwriters are on board: Kimiko Ueno and Nanami Higuchi. Both wrote for Little Witch Academia. Ueno also wrote for Space Patrol Luluco, and Higuchi was behind the production reports in Trigger Magazine (and, interestingly, wrote the script for the anime adaptation of BEASTARS).

🏀In regards to Michiru and Nazuna’s relationship, producer Naoko Tsutsumi (also an animation producer for Kiznaiver and Little Witch Academia) provides input as well. Nakashima says that they greatly value and take to heart the opinions of the women creators.

Full post: https://marshmallowgoop.tumblr.com/post/189928986922/otomedia-winter-2020-bna-brand-new-animal

#shut up goop #goop makes a (kinda) personal post #ramblings #writing #on to 2020!#right before the new year in my time zone as per usual lol #image texts under the cut #kill la kill #kingdom hearts #brand new animal #kiznaiver

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lovemohamadus · 4 years

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Japanese Cat Names – 180 Awesome Ideas Inspired By Japan

What are the foremost popular Japanese cat names right now? we will assist you to find the right one to fit your pet!

These names come from the foremost recently released list of the foremost popular Japanese cat names supported owner surveys conducted by Isis Pet:

Koko – cocoa Hana – flower Kuro – black Momo – peach Chibi – tiny Mike – tortoiseshell Hime – princess Fuku – lucky Reo – Leo Rin – bell Mei or Mii – reliable sprout Tora – tiger Tama – ball Shiro – white Sora – sky Kai – ocean Chiro – bare (great for a hairless cat!) Mikan – mandarin orange Kotetsu – small iron Sakura – cherry blossom Maron – chestnut Azuki – sweet red beans Miruku – milk Maru – circle Moka – mocha Kinako – yellow flour Kurumi – walnut Chobi – small Haru – spring Minto – mint

Japanese Cat Names Are you checking out the simplest Japanese cat names for your new feline family member? you've got to come to the proper place!

Japanese cat names

In this article, you'll find carefully curated lists of a number of the simplest Japanese pet names for cats and kittens.

One of the foremost fun parts of selecting your kitty’s new name is learning more about the history of cats in Japan, which is both ancient and interesting!

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About Japanese Cat Breeds The Japanese Bobtail cat is widely considered to be an ancient purebred cat breed that hails from Japan.

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About Japanese Cat Names If you're not conversant in the Japanese language, it can feel a touch confusing to navigate initially.

This is because there are three different alphabets wont to write in Japanese: katakana, hiragana, and kanji.

Which alphabet is employed, and whether it's syllabic or symbolic, can affect the Japanese cat names meaning.

If you've got seen equivalent Japanese names meaning cat given different meanings, this is often likely the rationale why.

Short Names are Best Regardless of which alphabet you employ, you'll notice most Japanese cat names are short.

This will add your favor during training since a team of Japanese researchers recently revealed proof that cats can learn and recognize their names.

Picking a brief, percussive name that sounds unlike common commands or other loved one names (including other pets) will help your new kitty learn his or her name quickly.

How well does one know your cat? Discover the key world of cats.

The Happy Cat Handbook - a singular guide to understanding and enjoying your cat! the happy cat handbook Famous Japanese Cat Names If there's any doubt left in your mind that the entire country of Japan loves cats, inspect Maru.

Maru is that the official Guinness record holder for the “most-watched animal on YouTube.”

Also referred to as Mugumogu, Maru may be a Scottish Fold cat whose YouTube videos are watched quite 325 million times!

Other famous Japanese felines hail from anime series, feline J-pop idol spinoffs, popular product mascots (like the Min Min Daha catgirls) and more.

Maru – feline YouTube sensation Shironeko, aka “basket cat” – another feline YouTube sensation Meowth – Pokemon Luna – Sailor Moon anime feline Artemis – Sailor Moon anime feline Diana – Sailor Moon anime feline Mugumogu – Maru’s YouTube name Doraemon – popular Japanese robotic cat Kirara – Inuyasha Japanese anime Fusasa – Fiona (HarMEOWny leader) Raina (HarMEOWny member) Solana (HarMEOWny member) Topatopa (HarMEOWny member) Aria (HarMEOWny member) Yuria – Isabella (NKB48 member) Rena or Renacchi – Ariana (NKB48 member) Mako or Kojimako – Elena (NKB48 member) Rina or Rican – Rebecca (NKB48 member) Haruka or Paruru – Petunia (NKB48 member) Jurina – Julia (NKB48 member) Kirika – Twitter cat Gupitaro – Instagram cat Map U Chin – Twitter cat Rai – Instagram cat Ito-san – Instagram cat Hakusama – Twitter cat Jun – Twitter cat Naomiuno – Instagram cat Soramoon – Twitter cat Maruruna – Instagram cat Japanese Female Cat Names Japanese girl cat names are easier to identify if you recognize a number of the normal endings utilized in Japanese culture.

For example, names ending in ko, mi, ka, e, na, no and ri are more likely to be female names.

Emi – beautiful blessing Mimi – from Japanese manga “ChocoMimi” Ran – orchid Fuji – sort of flower Tenshi – angel Ren – love Cho – butterfly Minako – beautiful child Miki – beautiful princess Ayaka – colorful flower Ara – Japanese manga name Ina – Japanese manga name Fumiko – abundant beauty Ayame – iris flower Kimi – noble Browse through 250 more female cat names here.

Japanese Male Cat Names Japanese boy cat names are often relatively easy to identify by how they end.

For example, if you see a reputation that ends with kazu, dai, shi, ji, ro, ichi, o, kichi, hiko, nobu, or ta, this name is probably going a masculine name.

Kotarou or Kotaro – dreamer, smart Akira – bright boy Suzuki – bell tree Taro – big son Akio – hero Kameko – long life Akihiko – bright prince Michio – journeyman Rikuto – right down to earth Sho – to fly (great for a climbing or jumping cat) Tadao – loyal Yoshiro – righteous son Tamotsu – protector Kouta – peace Hitoshi – motivated Check out 250 more male cat names here.

Japanese fisher Names In many parts of the planet, a fisher is taken into account to be bad luck, but not so in Japan.

Not only are black cats considered good luck, but this effect is amplified for single women in search of suitors!

Choco – chocolate Sumi – black calligraphy ink Jiji – fisher companion to the witch Kiki in Japanese anime “Kiki’s delivery service” Kuroi – black Burakku – black Kuroba mu – black or blacken Kokukoku – black Kuron – black or dark-skinned Hei zhi – black mark Kuro neko – fisher Shirokuro – black and white Burakkupeppa – black pepper Yami – black Kage – shadow Kurai – dark

Did you recognize that thousands of research papers are published on cat behavior and health? No time to read them all? Don’t worry - we’ve done it for you! And picked out the simplest bits! The Happy Cat Handbook - a singular guide to understanding and enjoying your cat! the happy cat handbook Cute Japanese Cat Names Kawaisa, or Kawaii, is that the word describing the fashionable “culture of cuteness” that's so popular in Japan today.

Perhaps the foremost universally well-known icon of this culture of cuteness is Hello Kitty (Haro Kiti in Japanese), a hybrid human/Japanese Bobtail cat with wide eyes and a bow over one ear.

These cute Japanese kitten names and cat names could be perfect for the lovable kitty in your life.

For an additional dose of cuteness, add the honorific “Chan” to the front of the name you select.

Let’s Take a glance Ringo – apple Ichigo – strawberry Mikan – orange Yuzu – citrus Mochi – sticky rice Anko – red bean paste Ocha – Japanese tea Kawaii – cute Yoshiko – good child Hanako – hippie Mew – Pokemon Hoshi – star Kyoko – happy Haiku – short Japanese poem Hotaru – firefly Find even more cute cat names during this article.

Funny Japanese Cat Names Does your cat have you ever in stitches?

One of these funny Japanese cat names might just suit your feline’s laugh-worthy antics!

Pochi – spot Puss (in Boots) Pero – Japanese character supported Puss in Boots story Nyan Cat – famous Japanese meme Nyan Nyan – cat’s meow Waru Nyan – bad cat Kyapi Nyan – perky cat Genki Nyan – energetic cat Dame Nyan – not a good cat Bonito – fish flakes Skitty – Pokemon Shinx – Pokemon Purrloin – Pokemon Bento – Japanese box lunch Nintendo – leave luck to heaven Enjoy more funny cat names during this article.

Cool Japanese Cat Names If there's any cooler character than a cat, we've yet to get it!

These cool Japanese cat names are inspired by Japanese culture and history.

Mi-kay – tri-color cat Maneki-Neko – Japanese Bobtail cat statues in many Japanese restaurants Koneko – Japanese word for a kitten (“child cat”) Neko – Japanese word for cat Sensei – teacher Yamakawa Sutematsu (“Stematz”) – first Japanese woman to graduate from college Kounna – lucky Osamu – studious Kaneda – rich, wealthy Kimono – the traditional name for a cat with a black marking on its back Ryou – cool Hotoke – Buddha-nature, merciful Bishamon – Japanese god of war and happiness Haya-Ji – whirlwind Kami – a deity of the wildlife Find lots more cool cat names here.

Tough Japanese Cat Names These tough Japanese cat names evoke a number of the qualities of a brave, strong, loyal feline.

Ryu – dragon Katsuo – hero or victory Nekomata – supernatural forked cat from Yokai folklore Nekomata – similar sort of supernatural cat from Yokai folklore Kinnikou – muscle (strong) Tomoe – a Japanese warrior woman Takeko – Japanese warrior woman Musashi – Japanese samurai Kojiro – Japanese samurai Kenta – big, strong Kashi – oak Noriko – thunder Reiko – courageous Honcho – leader Isamu – courage Judo – fighter Daiki – great glory Makoto – true Mitsuo – shining man Sumo – wrestler Taiki – large Katashi – firm Ryuunosuke – noble, herald Shinobu – endurance Takumi – skillful Yuudai – a great hero Hiraku – support Daisuke – big help Daiki – great tree Haruki – bright just like the sun

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mazojo · 5 years

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Kiznaiver Review

I just finished the Kiznaiver anime and I am not okay, so I decided to do a review with my opinions and thoughts on it, so beware the spoilers and rants on different aspects of it ;w;

Spoiler Free Overview ~

Before actually going into the spoilers, I wanted to leave a little spoiler free plot overview for those interested but not convinced on watching it. Basically Kiznaiver is about 7 teenagers connected by an experiment to their wounds and pain, making the pain of one, that of the others. The anime follows the story of these teenagers and their friendship with the mystery of the experiment and the future of it in their city, making it emotional and addictive to watch.

Although there is a lot more to say, if you don’t want to be spoiled on the anime do not click on read more but if you don’t mind, go ahead <33

Plot

So as mentioned above, the anime consists on the union of 7 characters (representing the 7 sins) through the Kizna system/experiment which bonds them through their pain so if one gets hurt, the other six will feel the pain too. Each of the teenagers choose represents one of the deadly sins, which I will go into further in my description of each character, and they all have to work together throughout the summer in order to free themselves from their Kizna. Everything is running smoothly and they all become friends until some of them begin falling in love with others and it all kind of crumbles. In the final episodes we discover that the experiments have been running for a while and in the past, they were done to kids but it failed miserably as some gathered too much pain from the others while others didn’t, making them feel numb and emotionless. Our main character, Katsuhira was originally connected to the first kizna experiment but became numb to any sort of pain due to another kid (now leading the project?) named Noriko taking all the pain. In the end, Katsuhira is able to convince Noriko to give back his pain and those from the other kids involved in the experiment through a f r i e n d s h i p speech and the whole group ends up becoming much closer, with Katsuhira and Noriko confessing their feelings to each other.

Characters

okay, so I will admit I kind of may have fallen in love with some of the characters from this anime and I am going to list them in order of which I liked the most explaining a bit on who they are and what I believe they must be protected. I also decided to place a song that reminds me of them in order for you to gather a feel of who they are in my opinion.

Katsuhira Agata (Kacchon)

Rise - Ashes Remain

So this gif pretty much describes his attitude and face throughout the whole series (except the two times he actually cries). His sin is “sloth” but referred in the anime as “the imbecile”. This is due to his apathetic behavior to everything happening around him due to the lack of emotions he has. He is precious and even as a kid he has always been looking for those around him (even in his kind of oblivious way) and I love how even after going through everythingg he went through, he is able to forgive Noriko and even loves her with all her faults and imperfections <33.

Nico Niiyama

Hello Kitty - Avril Lavigne

She is one of those characters you either love or hate, and I absolutely looove Nico! She represents the sin of greed I believe due to her wanting of attention and reassurance. I don't know if its because I see myself in her craziness or just her whole attitude throughout the series but Nico is in top place with Kacchon for my favorite characters. She is much more than the I-am-cute-love-me character as we advance through the series we began seeing her need to find friends in those surrounding her and how desperate she tries to fit into this “eccentric girl” stereotype to fit in (if that makes any sense). I also loved how she was one of the first to come back and unite the group after their Kiznas were released even though she was hurting over Tenga, which I thought was really brave and a bit underrated, thanks for coming to my ted talk.

Yoshiharu Hisomu

Highway to Hell - AC/DC

So hear me out, Hisomu is a bit of a weirdo but through the small things he did and said he was able to win me over. Hisomu represents the sin of lust as he is a masochist and finds pleasure over the pain inflicted upon himself. I was a bit skeptical over his character as he appeared on the third episode unlike the others but he grew on me. Not only do I l o v e his character design but I think he has a personal growth over acquiring friends. He is close to Kacchon and never “abandons” him or leaves after all the others decide to part their own ways. Yeah, he may be a bit apathetic and unconscious towards the situations surrounding the others but I think in his heart he is actually a really good friend and sappy as it sounds, he cares deeply about the others and their suffering ;w;

Chidori Takashiro

Camouflage - Selena Gomez

Chidori is our tsundere-ish character. She represents the sin of envy as she is always second best when it comes to her unrequited love towards Kacchon. I really like her character and I feel bad for her as she often throughout the anime feels things very deeply and through Kacchon’s apathetic attitude, she mostly ends up hurt.I enjoyed her reactions as I know in the situations they face, I would definitely react similarly and she is very lovable overall.

Tsuguhito Yuta

Someone you Like - The Girl and the Dreamcatcher

Yuta is a classical popular kid with a soft side character. He represents the sin of gluttony as when he was little he used to eat a lot thus was seen as the fat kid and becomes kind of obsessed with his appearance after the fact. He may seem superficial at first but he is very caring and notices a lot of things others take for granted (like being able to be there for Maki even though she is a tough nut to crack). Also being a fellow cancer according to the wikia he went up my list :3. That being said I felt his character was all about Maki and he never really shined if there wasn’t any Maki story line involve which was kind of sad as I thought he had a lot of potential, but I still love him <33

Noriko Sonozaki

Never Enough - Loren Allred

Noriko is a weird character to me, as in some moments I really like her while in others I don’t really understand her. She has undergone a lot through her childhood due to experiencing the pain of her friends altogether and the constant fear of being left alone and not being understood even though Kacchon often reassures her of this but whatever. She may seem kind of like a psychopath and cold at the beginning but as we learn about her past I guess her behavior is kind of understandable but honestly I prefer the kid Sonozaki version which is adorableee. I like her relationship with Kacchon however and how they are able to grow from each other through their connection.

Honoka Maki

I Found - Amber Run

Maki and Tenga are my least favorite from the group but I don’t totally dislike them, I just don’t connect with he way they act most of the time. Maki represents the sin of pride as she often acts as if she is above everyone and everything going on around her placing a barrier between her and the other Kiznaivers. She has a rough past as she wrote a manga with her best friend Ruru and through their friendship feelings began developing. Ruru had a terminal illness and as Maki was afraid of getting hurt decided to cut all ties with her, which brings her to be the coldhearted person she is. Throughout the series she often rejects the other Kiznaivers refusing to call them friends inserts dramatic eye-roll until at the end she realizes its inevitable and accepts letting people in slowly.

Hajime Tenga

Counting Stars - One Republic

Honestly Tenga is pretty neutral to me and I don’t have much an opinion on his character. He represents the sin of Wrath as he often acts impulsively and resolves his issues through rage and anger acting with his fist rather than his head. He is quite loud and a bit obnoxious at times with his tough guy act but he means good. We don’t get much backstory on him other than he is afraid of dogs? which isn’t mentioned again after the second episode sooo… I mean he is a good character and has good intentions but I more often than not don’t understand his reactions and think he goes a bit over the top in most of them.

Ships

Although I know Kiznaiver isn’t an anime focused completely on the romance but rather a science-fiction/mystery kind of anime, I still had to mention the ships through the series starting from the one I like the most. Also note that some of them are non cannon so keep that in mind and note that this are my personal opinions ;w;

NicoxHisomu (non-cannon)

You can’t even understand HOW MUCH I WANTED THIS TO BE A THING. From the moment Hisomu appeared and had the first interaction with the group I wanted him and Nico to end together sooo badly. I don’t know if its because of their eccentric ways or how they are often looked upon as the weird ones from the group, but I always thought they would make such a cute couple! Even at the end when Nico is ranting on about Tenga, Hisomu is attentive to her and I honestly think their friendship is so pure and perfect ;w; I will be crying in the corner until this becomes a thing.

NorikoxKatsuhira (cannon)

Although I will forever be frustrated that NicoxHisomu didn’t end up together trigger please consider making a second season, I am actually really glad these two did! It was pretty obvious the two wouldd en up being cannon as the whole show premise basically concentrates in their relationship, and I am glad they did. I feel like both complement each other very well and stabilize one another through their feelings (or in this case, the lack of). I feel like both Katsuhira and Nori are very mature and overall I love their pairing as they both deserve all the happiness <33

ChidorixTenga (Cannon-ish?)

I really like this two together and I feel like through the finale we can kind of maybe say its cannon? I mean they never actually confessed their love to one another like Sonozaki and Kacchon (well, Tenga did), but Chidori kinda implied that she was starting to develop feelings? I totally feel like they work together as they level each other out by their protective mama bear attitude of Chidori and Tenga’s impulses leading to him being defensive of those he cares about. Also can we take a moment to appreciate their red aesthetic, like common they are adorable together.

MakixYuta (Cannon?)

This is also an odd pairing, as we see Yuta’s clear interest on Maki since episode 1 and where she only corresponds his feelings at the end of episode 12. Although they never truly became a couple I believe they both like each other so its kind of cannon? I like how they both have rough pasts and they help each other grow from them (cue to Yuta’s scene at the beach were he runs in the water although he may look like a fool) and they level the other out.

ChidorixKatsuhira (non-cannon)

The following two ships are ones I don’t like but I found important to mention as many people do ship them. I honestly can’t see this pair due to Katsuhira’s strong feelings towards Nori. I feel like he sees Chidori as her best friend and will never be able to see her as more than that. Chidori’s often explosive and overprotective character just doesn’t mash well with Kacchon’s laid back apathetic vibe, which is why I wouldn’t see this pairing working at all.

NicoxTenga (non-cannon)

I do not approve of this. I honestly can’t see this working and lets be honest Nico and Hisomu deserve each other so I am too blinded by that. I think their personalities wouldn’t work as Tenga is too aggressive and Nico much softer. I feel like Tenga is most of the times confused by her behavior or just doesn’t understand her eccentric behaviors which would definitely cause a problem if this were to be cannon. I can’t with this ship and if there is a season 2 I really hope this doesn’t become cannon otherwise ill just go cry myself in a corner.

To finish off this review on Kiznaiver, I would like to point out the things I like and the things I didn't like so much.

Liked…

- The characters is one of the things to really highlight from Kiznaiver. They are all so different but so lovable in their own ways and with their own faults which makes everything 10 times better.

- I haven’t been able to mention this before but I really liked the intro and outdo songs, I think they are catchy and represent quite well the anime.

- I adooored the character designs, specially Nico, Hisomu, Sonozaki and Katsuhira’s. I feel like the tones and designs of the characters with their little quirks really lets the audience gather who they are and why they are the way they are.

- I think the concept of the experiment and the characters being connected by their wounds and pain is very interesting! I dint know what to expect at first but as the story developed It really got me thinking what the Kizna system would look like in the real world.

Disliked…

- I feel like the character development could have been a little better for some of them? Specially Yuta, Tenga and Hisomu which even though we got to know, never really learned much about their past other than some random facts.

- The fact that Hisomu and Nico weren’t cannon

- Sometimes due to the small amount of time the creators had to create the episode, I feel like some things weren’t explained very clearly (like Sonozaki’s reasons to try committing suicide when she was young) but maybe its just me being dumb idkk

All in all, I really liked the anime and would definitely recommended to those who enjoy good characters and a little of science fiction as well as troublesome pasts. Remember this are just my opinions and feel free to ask me my opinions on anything related as well as I would love to hear all of yours :33

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yukieutsumi · 5 years

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Personality type

Quiz: Here

Tagging: @izumi-kanai, @harutanizawa, @mitsuko-souma69, @yamamotokazuhiko, @ryusasagawa, @keitaiijima, @yuka-nakagawa, @noriko--nakagawa, @kyoichimotobuchi

Results:

Personality type: “The Protagonist” (ENFJ-T) Individual traits: Extraverted – 99%, Intuitive – 65%, Feeling – 93%, Judging – 100%, Turbulent – 69% Role: Diplomat Strategy: Social Engagement

Protagonists are natural-born leaders, full of passion and charisma. Forming around two percent of the population, they are oftentimes our politicians, our coaches and our teachers, reaching out and inspiring others to achieve and to do good in the world. With a natural confidence that begets influence, Protagonists take a great deal of pride and joy in guiding others to work together to improve themselves and their community.

The interest Protagonists have in others is genuine, almost to a fault – when they believe in someone, they can become too involved in the other person’s problems, place too much trust in them. Luckily, this trust tends to be a self-fulfilling prophecy, as Protagonists’ altruism and authenticity inspire those they care about to become better themselves. But if they aren’t careful, they can overextend their optimism, sometimes pushing others further than they’re ready or willing to go.

PROTAGONIST PERSONALITY (ENFJ, -A/-T)

Everything you do right now ripples outward and affects everyone. Your posture can shine your heart or transmit anxiety. Your breath can radiate love or muddy the room in depression. Your glance can awaken joy. Your words can inspire freedom. Your every act can open hearts and minds.

Firm Believers in the People

People are drawn to strong personalities, and Protagonists radiate concern and altruism, unafraid to stand up and speak when they feel something needs to be said. They find it natural and easy to communicate with others, especially in person, and their Intuitive (N) trait helps people with the Protagonist personality type to reach every mind, be it through facts and logic or raw emotion. Protagonists easily see people’s motivations and seemingly disconnected events, and are able to bring these ideas together and communicate them as a common goal with an eloquence that is nothing short of mesmerizing.

Protagonists are vulnerable to another snare as well: they have a tremendous capacity for reflecting on and analyzing their own feelings, but if they get too caught up in another person’s plight, they can develop a sort of emotional hypochondria, seeing other people’s problems in themselves, trying to fix something in themselves that isn’t wrong. If they get to a point where they are held back by limitations someone else is experiencing, it can hinder Protagonists’ ability to see past the dilemma and be of any help at all. When this happens, it’s important for Protagonists to pull back and use that self-reflection to distinguish between what they really feel, and what is a separate issue that needs to be looked at from another perspective.

...The Struggle Ought Not to Deter Us From the Support of a Cause We Believe to Be Just

Protagonists are genuine, caring people who talk the talk and walk the walk, and nothing makes them happier than leading the charge, uniting and motivating their team with infectious enthusiasm.

People with the Protagonist personality type are passionate altruists, sometimes even to a fault, and they are unlikely to be afraid to take the slings and arrows while standing up for the people and ideas they believe in. It is no wonder that many famous Protagonists are cultural or political icons – this personality type wants to lead the way to a brighter future, whether it’s by leading a nation to prosperity, or leading their little league softball team to a hard-fought victory.

PROTAGONIST STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

Protagonist Strengths

Reliable – The one thing that galls Protagonists the most is the idea of letting down a person or cause they believe in. If it’s possible, Protagonists can always be counted on to see it through.

Charismatic – Charm and popularity are qualities Protagonists have in spades. They instinctively know how to capture an audience, and pick up on mood and motivation in ways that allow them to communicate with reason, emotion, passion, restraint – whatever the situation calls for. Talented imitators, Protagonists are able to shift their tone and manner to reflect the needs of the audience, while still maintaining their own voice.

Altruistic – Uniting these qualities is Protagonists’ unyielding desire to do good in and for their communities, be it in their own home or the global stage. Warm and selfless, Protagonists genuinely believe that if they can just bring people together, they can do a world of good.

Natural Leaders – More than seeking authority themselves, Protagonists often end up in leadership roles at the request of others, cheered on by the many admirers of their strong personality and positive vision.

Protagonist Weaknesses

Overly Idealistic – People with the Protagonist personality type can be caught off guard as they find that, through circumstance or nature, or simple misunderstanding, people fight against them and defy the principles they’ve adopted, however well-intentioned they may be. They can be quite rigid and inflexible when people don’t share their idealism.

Too Selfless – Protagonists can bury themselves in their hopeful promises, feeling others’ problems as their own and striving hard to meet their word. If they aren’t careful, they can spread themselves too thin, and be left unable to help anyone.

Too Sensitive – While receptive to criticism, seeing it as a tool for leading a better team, it’s easy for Protagonists to take it a little too much to heart. Their sensitivity to others means that Protagonists sometimes feel problems that aren’t their own and try to fix things they can’t fix, worrying if they are doing enough.

Fluctuating Self-Esteem – Protagonists define their self-esteem by whether they are able to live up to their ideals, and sometimes ask for criticism more out of insecurity than out of confidence, always wondering what they could do better. If they fail to meet a goal or to help someone they said they’d help, their self-confidence will undoubtedly plummet.

Struggle to Make Tough Decisions – If caught between a rock and a hard place, Protagonists can be stricken with paralysis, imagining all the consequences of their actions, especially if those consequences are humanitarian.

#Quiz #Quite fitting!

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aki-chan2014 · 6 years

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The SHSL Survivors’ Society-second generation headcanons

As promised, here it is! Shizuka is included in this list too, but she is of course not my creation. All the other kids mentioned are though, but not all of them have information about them beyond name and date of birth, because there’s a lot of kids here and coming up with that much info is...tricky.

Anyway, enjoy!:

Survivors’

Chieko Akamine and Koutarou Ueda

Shizuka Akamine (surname later changes to Kita), DOB 3rd December 2010. Appears prominently over the course of the story as a six-year-old and has a POV in the final epilogue as a 16-year-old. Shizuka is the first of the second generation, and also has the distinction of being the only one who has a parent who died in the game as well, and because of that tends to feel a greater responsibility for remembering the events that happened and preserving those memories for future generations. She is shy as a small child, but mostly grows out of that over the course of her life-though she remains a quiet sort of person. She is kind, sweet and thoughtful, and adores animals to the point of becoming a vet in her adulthood (as well as helping out at the Towa City Memorial Garden). She takes to calling her little sister ‘Mushi’ (bug) as an affectionate sort of nickname in the same sort of way Koutarou used to call Chieko ‘Moyashi’, and when she eventually has a child of her own, she names him Koutarou.

Chieko Akamine and Masashi Kita

Haruka Kita, DOB March 13th 2023. Definitely the more extrovert sibling of the two, Haruka is sunny-natured and a little bit of a tomboy, preferring to keep her hair shorter and avoid dresses where possible (much to the despair of her aunt Misa). Though there’s a slightly more parental aspect to their relationship owing to the age gap, Haruka is close to her big sister (even if she gets annoyed at the nickname). She’s also particularly close to her cousin Hayate (see below) as they’re the same age separated by a few months. She becomes interested in gardening at a young age, and though for her it’s little more than a hobby/pastime, Haruka’s gardening helps Chieko to feel like she’s got that aspect of her life back in some respect and so though she doesn’t directly help out, the mother and daughter bond a lot over gardening.

Tyson De Guerre and Wakana Abe

Felix Shouta De Guerre, DOB May 26th 2025. As a child, Felix’s speech is delayed and he struggles in school, resulting in him becoming generally unconfident and shy. He looks up to Tyson a lot, and visiting and helping to maintain the Towa City Memorial Garden does boost his confidence, and as an adult he goes to live in Japan, becoming the main gardener/groundskeeper for the garden.

Oliver “Olly” Kanato De Guerre, DOB August 1st 2028. A dreamy, absent-minded sort of person, Olly is always getting into scrapes due to not paying attention to his surroundings or just losing track of time. But he’s so good natured and amiable that it’s really difficult for anyone to ever get angry with him.

Verity “Vivi” Suzune De Guerre, DOB January 14th, 2031. The adored youngest child, Vivi is basically a ray of sunshine in the way her mother was pre-game, though she tends to be more honest with her feelings. She’s pretty proud of her mixed-race ancestry, and always introduces herself by her full name. Though she is musically and artistically adept, she doesn’t ever pursue either of these things beyond the hobby level.

Akira Kazama

Nanako Kazama (former surname Sawatori), DOB October 31st 2008, fostered January 2020, adopted end of that year. She is streetwise and hot-tempered, and doesn’t trust many people outside of her adoptive family, and the Survivors and their families.

Yuichi Kazama (former surname Ishi), DOB November 12th 2010, fostered April 2021, adopted March 2022. When he got fostered by Akira he ended up in the same elementary school as Tsubaki Higuchi, and as a result is fairly close friends with both her and Shizuka. He is a bit grouchy and puts on a tough-guy act a lot, but he looks up to Akira in a big way and follows in his footsteps to become a very popular Student Council President in his high school.

Kai Kazama (former surname Takamura), DOB April 5th, 2013, fostered June 2021, adopted same time as Yuichi. A sporty and determined person, Kai eventually becomes a skilled and successful baseball player with a huge fanbase.

Siblings/Friends etc.

Kazuki Kita (Masashi’s older brother) and Orihime Nanto (Hokuto’s little sister)

(Note: yes, this means that Chieko’s, Masashi’s and Hokuto’s families are all related by marriage)

Daigo Kita, DOB October 9th 2020. Level-headed, sensible and a bit of an old soul, Daigo takes an interest in Café Tanabata from a young age and helps out there a lot even before he decides that he’ll take it over as an adult with the help of his little brother. Given to talking in riddles, especially when he’s annoyed or tired.

Hayate Kita, DOB October 9th 2023. A combination of being impulsive and forever salty about the fact his birthday falls on the same day as his older brother’s, Hayate is more often arguing with Daigo. Luckily, despite this they get on inexplicably well, which is a good thing considering they eventually take over Café Tanabata from their mother and aunt. He’s an extroverted joker type of person.

Hikari Kita (Masashi’s younger sister)

Kyohei Matsushita, DOB October 12th 2019. Fairly calm, amiable boy who is rather introverted and can end up overwhelmed by his extended family, all of whom he loves dearly. Ends up in the same elementary and middle schools as Athena and Lexie Cain (see below), and the same high school as Lexie, and thus is friends with them.

Benjamin ‘Ben’ Cain (Erica’s sister)

Athena Cain, DOB October 17th 2017. Cheerful and outgoing like her late aunt, but less intense and generally more thoughtful. Though she takes an interest in mythology due to her name, she isn’t actually all that interested in history (sure, her family’s past interests her, but she hasn’t got the history obsession her late aunt did). She becomes a storywriter and artist instead.

Alexandria ‘Lexie’ Cain, DOB February 21st 2019. A charismatic, attractive girl, Lexie is enigmatic and slightly manipulative but in spite of this (or possibly because of this) she is very popular. She can be a bit prissy sometimes as well, but would put her life on the line for anyone she actually cares about (which is a very few people). She has a crush on Kyohei in high school, but is far too stubborn to admit it because he’s not her usual ‘type’ and she knows too well that he only sees her as a friend.

Yasu Kazama (Akira’s older sister)

Akiko ‘Kiko’ Shimada, DOB April 25th 2020. The eldest twin by nine minutes, Kiko is academic and driven, but despite this is compelled to become a voice actor like her late aunt. Though never as popular as Hibiki was, she does do quite well for herself, and after a while decides to become a coach for voice-actors.

Akemi ‘Emi’ Shimada, DOB April 25th 2020. Though identical to Kiko, Emi is quieter and struggles academically, and often feels like she is just a pale imitation of her sister and that she doesn’t fit in with her family, despite the fact they do clearly love and value her just as much. She takes an interest in the Towa City Memorial Garden, and as an adult is one of the people in charge of the funds that help to maintain and organise it, as well as the employment of people who do the actual maintaining and organising.

Sadao Taneda and Ayame Edano (Noriko’s childhood friend and little sister, respectively)

Airi Taneda, DOB September 30th 2024. Born with albinism, Airi’s birth is what helps her mother and her aunt have a closer relationship, as Ayame often seeks advice from Noriko about how to help her. Unlike Noriko, Airi is never embarrassed by her white hair and indeed likes to learn elaborate hairstyles to show it off, something which eventually leads to her becoming a hairdresser.

Toshio Taneda, DOB June 14th 2026. Quiet, slightly socially awkward, and very intelligent, Toshio basically spends his whole life in education-from being a complete swot in school to pursuing an academic career relating to maths and physics.

Yuuji Taneda, DOB July 7th 2030. Between Airi’s outspokenness and Toshio’s nerdiness, Yuuji finds himself embarrassed by his elder siblings constantly, and tries to distance himself from them in public, but he does love them really, and if anyone else teases them he will be on them like a shot. Indeed, he gets into a lot of fights in school because of defending people from bullies.

Hitoshi Edano (Noriko’s younger brother)

Isamu Edano, DOB December 9th 2026

Yura Edano, DOB May 24th 2029

Chikako Ueno (Daisuke’s older sister)

Daisuke ‘Isuke’ Hiraoka (surname later changes to Ikeda with Chikako’s second marriage), DOB February 26th, 2024. Eccentric and slightly flamboyant, this Daisuke actually can play musical instruments, and eventually becomes a professional clarinet player. Isuke is also the classic slightly over-protective brother who scares his siblings’ boyfriends/girlfriends. Also, nobody knows where his nickname came from or why-nobody admits to giving it to him.

Souta Hiraoka (surname later changes to Ikeda with Chikako’s second marriage), DOB August 21st 2026

Rie Ikeda, DOB July 18th 2032

Yumi Ikeda, DOB January 31st 2035

Shouta Kobayashi (Oshiro’s friend)

Hiroto Kobayashi, DOB May 1st, 2031

Mio Fujioka (Oshiro’s friend)

Masahiro Fujioka, DOB April 18th, 2032. A devilish, charming prankster, Masahiro is the type of person who just sails through life. He looks for every opportunity to pull off a prank or some sort of joke, and the twin-switch one used to be one of his favourites as a kid-or rather, it was until he decided to pull it on their mother and she freaked out when she realised. Though he’s well aware of the Killing Game and the Despair cult and all that, and that she knew someone who had died there, he’s never probed too deeply into why she had this reaction, as he feels vaguely uncomfortable thinking about all this.

Takeo Fujioka, DOB April 18th, 2032. A little more calm and straight-laced, Takeo is nonetheless a very fun-loving guy who generally enjoys taking part in Masahiro’s pranks, but naturally refuses the twin-switch ones after the reaction their mother had. He takes more of an interest in the past than Masahiro, so he knows more about what lay behind their mother’s reaction, and as it happens, he does pursue becoming a historian as a career because of this.

Atsushi and Kanade Arata (Kimihiro’s parents)

Hisae Arata, DOB April 6th, 2018. Though very much unexpected and unplanned, she ends up being the thing that puts back together her parents’ marriage, which had been slowly disintegrating under the grief for the older brother she never knew. With a name written with the characters for ‘long time’ and ‘blessing’, her parents have heaped a lot of love on her and are very protective of her, meaning she grows up living a sheltered life. As a result, she is a very sweet, very shy and soft type of person who ends up heavily dependent on others to look after her.

Tetsuya Yamaguchi (Kimihiro’s friend)

Taro Yamaguchi, DOB February 10th, 2025. He is slightly spoiled because he was the only child his parents were able to have, so sometimes he comes across a little entitled and haughty and coddled. But really, deep down, he’s a good guy, and does well in life. Not stunning or outstanding, but well. He also inherits his father’s whimsical approach to acquiring hobbies, and thus he tends to be interesting company in parties with all sorts of tricks and anecdotes to pull out.

Ichiro Usami (Shiro’s brother)

Shiro Usami, DOB March 5th, 2022

Akane Usami, DOB April 26th, 2024

Midori Usami, DOB May 30th, 2027

Gin Usami, DOB June 17th 2030

Yujiko Usami (Shiro’s sister)

Nanae Aikawa, DOB June 18th 2021

Namika Aikawa, DOB September 3rd 2023

Natsumi Aikawa, DOB January 14th 2030

Zenzo Usami (Shiro’s brother)

Aiki Usami, DOB February 2nd 2023

Goromi Usami (Shiro’s sister)

Kanon Tajima, DOB August 25th 2025

Kanade Tajima, DOB November 3rd 2030

Hotaru Mori (Hideki’s accquaintance)

Shiki Mori, DOB March 31st 2032. Reclusive as her mother, but probably a bit more practical and assertive, generally speaking.

#fanfiction #The SHSL Survivors' Society #second generation #second gen #headcanons #danganronpa #my fanfiction

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agirlinjapan · 4 years

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Red Data Girl: Ice Shoes, Glass Shoes (Story 2- Week 2)

Red Data Girl: Ice Shoes, Glass Shoes By Noriko Ogiwara A Translation

Read Part 1

Here’s part two of the second Ice Shoes, Glass Shoes story!

Red Data Girl: Ice Shoes, Glass Shoes By Noriko Ogiwara Story Two: September Transfer Student- Miyuki Sagara- Third Year of Middle School- Fall Part 2

“Ah. Miyuki Sagara. I’m glad you’re here. If you hadn’t arrived today, I was just thinking I would have to contact your family. I’m the homeroom teacher for class 3-C, Ms. Minamita.”

School staff rooms always had the same feeling to them, no matter if they were in a private or public school, were new or old, or were big or small.

The staff in them were always the same sort of people as well. Ms. Minamita was a middle-aged woman although she wore a hairclip intended for a younger person. This gave her an unexpected air of unpredictability.

“I’m sorry for worrying you, Ms. Minamita. My circumstances changed since we were last in contact with the school and my health wasn’t good enough to travel until now. My fever’s down finally, though.”

Ms. Minamita seemed to take Miyuki’s casually stated words to heart. She readjusted her glasses with a hand and moved her attention to the transfer paperwork.

“Miyuki, you received a perfect score on your entrance exam. That’s what you get with a student who’s been attending a school ranked top in the country though, right? Oh, but I see you left Keibun Academy for a time. From May to July you attended a middle school in a town named Sotosogawa in Nara Prefecture.”

“That was my father’s idea.”

“That must have been tough for you.” Ms. Minamita looked at the pale transfer student with pity. “Are you alright? Are you up for going to the classroom?”

“I can go to the classroom.”

Miyuki stood in front of the entire student body of Class 3-C. For a time, he forgot how he was feeling and put his best face on. He knew, after all, that this time around, the impression he made in these first few minutes would have an effect on what student activities he would be invited to join.

Ms. Minamita wrote Miyuki’s full name on the board.

“This is Miyuki Sagara. Starting today, he’ll be joining our class. He was supposed to join our class right after summer vacation, but he just arrived in the city today. Please help Miyuki settle into the school quickly.”

When Ms. Minamita mentioned what school he had previously been enrolled in, the students looked at Miyuki in surprise.

“From his first year of middle school to the start of his third year, Miyuki went to Keibun Academy,” the teacher added quickly. I’m sure there’s plenty he can teach you.”

Miyuki looked around at the students’ faces in curiosity. He could tell that there had already been a rumor going around that there was a Keibun student joining the school. The students in front of him mostly looked to be from wealthy families from other parts of the country.

Houjou Academy was a relatively new school that had only been open for three years. As a result, there wasn’t much prestige in being admitted into the school. With that said, Miyuki could tell that the students here were very aware of their class rankings.

We’re in Tokyo after all, I guess…

This year, the students would be automatically registered into the school’s high school without any of them having to go through the pains of exams and waiting for high school acceptances like most students in the country would be forced through. This class didn’t give off the relaxed feel that usually came with schools like that, though.

No nosy questions came after Miyuki introduced himself. These students were polite. He got a sense that this sort of behavior was something unique to this school, but it wasn’t enough to pique Miyuki’s curiosity.

…I’m not getting a bad feeling here. This is fine. Miyuki thought.

During break time, his new classmates unsurprisingly came over to talk with him, but Miyuki didn’t try to seriously engage any of them due to how badly he was feeling. Seeing as any responses he gave were tired-sounding and short, his classmates’ expressions eventually all turned to looks of pity. They all had to be thinking that he was sickly.

However, Miyuki was tall and tanned from the time he had spent as a member of Awatani’s track team, so he didn’t particularly give off the appearance of a person who was often ill. Seeing as he was coming into the school in the second term of their third year, no one had any evidence to support his general state of health one way or the other. The contradicting evidence only seemed to heighten the mystery for his classmates. It was a reasonable possibility that he had spent a semester at a school in the mountains to get some sort of medical treatment.

They’re not really wrong about me getting medical treatment in the mountains though…

He thought of how his right arm had been broken. He couldn’t deny that much. He supposed it had also been a different world in a way where he could recover while hiding how good of a student he really was.

After his experience on Mt. Tamakura, something in Miyuki had changed. Going back to Mt. Haguro to train again had also been far too short in his opinion.

“Miyuki, are you going to the cafeteria? Let’s go together. I’ll show you where it is,” the student in the seat next to him said at noon.

Miyuki still didn’t have much of an appetite. All he wanted to do was make it through the day.

“No. I have to go to the dorm and take care of my bags and stuff. I haven’t seen my room yet.”

“Oh, so you’re one of the students boarding here. Let’s go talk to the dorm head, then.”

The student, Maebayashi, said that he was also living on campus and brought Miyuki over to the middle school boy’s dorm. About half the middle school students lived in the dorms. The other half commuted from their homes each day.

“There are students in this school from all over the country. They board, but it’s unusual for someone to show up on their own. Your parents didn’t come?”

“He came. He dropped me off at the gate.”

Maebayashi gave an awkward laugh at this. “I’m glad. I had heard you came by yourself. I thought that would be a shame.”

“Things are what they are.”

“In our dorm, we’re broken up by grade and there are four people to a room. Some people have transferred out this year, so there are two rooms with three people in them, but there used to be four in both. Now that you’re here, I wonder if they’ll put you in one of those rooms or if they’ll put you in an empty one by yourself.”

Miyuki weighed the merits of both options.

“It would be nice to have my own room.”

“Yeah, right? It would be really tough to start living with three people who’ve been together for a while already.”

“That wouldn’t really bother me, though,” Miyuki said with a short laugh. He would get along fine as long as he had somewhere to sleep and people to spend time with. He didn’t worry about how he would get along with the other boys in the grade. Miyuki had just been living with people much older than himself, after all.

“But if the school can give me a big room, that would be awesome.”

Maebayashi gave him a strange look.

“You’re not the sort of person who gets into a lot of fights, are you? I heard you’ve been sick, but I don’t really see that on you.”

“I don’t get into lots of fights, no,” Miyuki said. “It seems like there’s some sort of story going around about me. They’re saying I came from a sanitarium or something, right? It’s an interesting theory, so I don’t care if they’re talking about me.”

Maebayashi let out a sigh. “It’s not true, then. The rumor was that you had been released from a hospital later than expected. Someone overheard them say it in the staff room. So you’re not transferring in now after being sick?”

This must be Yukimasa’s handiwork. It’s practically more harassment on his part…

“Well, if the story about you being sick keeps spreading, it’ll become fact sooner or later,” Maebayashi said, suddenly interested in the situation. “If you say you’re still recovering from being sick, you could totally request a private room. The dorm head probably heard the story. Then, as long as you don’t mind, you could use all that extra space for people to come and hang out in. What do you think? There aren’t many places in the dorm where students can have secret meetings.”

“Secret meetings? Who do you hang out with, Maebayashi?”

“September is the time of year when we start preparing for the school festival. I’m part of the committee running it. We have to make sure our plans for the middle school beauty contest stay confidential.”

“Huh…”

For the first time since he had arrived, Miyuki started to think that maybe Houjou Academy could be an interesting place. He smiled and nodded.

“Sure. You can use my room.”

___

With Maebayashi’s help, Miyuki was able to acquire a whole room to himself without any trouble.

The room had bunkbeds on opposite walls and enough floor space to comfortably fit four people. With only one person in the room, it felt quite open.

Miyuki didn’t feel lonely without anyone else in the room. Seeing as the point of taking the space had been to let his friends gather in it, he decided that dorm life here wouldn’t be bad at all.

However, seeing as he was playing the part of a person convalescing, he acted as if he was growing weary early that first evening. In truth though, his headache had disappeared like a bad joke and he had become surprisingly hungry.

Maebayashi, who Miyuki had clearly hit off well with, invited him to eat at the cafeteria with him.

But after they had eaten, he warned in a quiet voice, “Miyuki, don’t go back for seconds. You’re recuperating.”

“Huh? But this isn’t enough.”

“Everyone notices new students here. Mr. Yamayan, the dorm head, will be checking in about you.”

Miyuki looked down at his empty rice bowl. Only then did he realize the disadvantage to the show he was putting on.

“Are you saying that I can’t eat enough to feel full ever again while I’m here?”

“There’s a school store. You can buy stuff there and bring it back to your room.”

Well, I guess that’s okay then…

Miyuki knew he would attract attention as a new student and the fact bothered him. It was a lesson he had learned at his previous schools. Up until now, Miyuki had always been healthy and the things he did showed that. Now though, he supposed that he should try to be a little more restrained in his behavior.

Suddenly, Miyuki thought of Satoru Wamiya.

Wamiya had been a student at Awatani Middle School, but he had always gone unnoticed as if he were empty air. Miyuki considered how he had never noticed whether or not Wamiya had been in class on a particular day. But then again, he really had been empty air. He hadn’t actually existed. In reality, he had been a spirit living on Mt. Tamakura. After transferring to Awatani, it had taken Miyuki a long time to even notice that he and the other students had a classmate named Wamiya.

I didn’t even see Wamiya until near the end of my time there. There really is stuff like that in the world. Stuff you can’t see even when you know it’s there…

On the other hand, he thought, the boys at Awatani Middle School hadn’t really paid Wamiya much attention. He supposed that hadn’t hurt the spirit’s intentions of being unnoticeable either.

I wonder if there are students here too that aren’t human and I need to avoid pissing off…

Thinking about this, Miyuki got up from his seat and was about to leave the cafeteria when his eyes caught on another student who was entering. He froze.

It was Satoru Wamiya.

…This can’t be happening. Why is he here?...

The pale face with the narrow eyes and nose… The wide bangs that covered his forehead… His small stature… Miyuki was definitely looking at Wamiya. He seemed a little different from the other students around them. There was an old-fashioned air to him.

As Miyuki stood there, holding his breath, the other boy turned to look at him. He narrowed his eyes and made his way over to Miyuki.

“What do you want?”

Miyuki was sweating now.

“Nothing. You just look like someone I know.”

“In Kyoto?”

“Oh. No.”

“Huh. If it was a relative of mine, they’d be in Kyoto. You’re that exchange student in Class C that came late, aren’t you?” The student from Kyoto looked Miyuki up and down as he spoke. “You’re awfully tall. Is it true that you spent the last few days sleeping because you’ve been sick?”

“Sleep is good for you. It’s medically proven,” Miyuki said, dodging the question.

The boy only gave him a suspicious look. No one would have dared call it friendly in the least.

“Don’t be petty. I can see right through you,” he said quietly.

Miyuki looked at him in disbelief. He wanted to ask him what he meant, but while he was still reeling over the shock of how similar to Wamiya this boy looked, the boy walked away.

Maebayashi tapped Miyuki on the shoulder while he was still staring into space, mulling over what had just happened.

“Do you know Takayanagi?”

“No, I don’t know him. You said that guy’s name is Takayanagi?”

“He’s Ichijo Takayanagi from class 3-A. You shouldn’t talk to him.”

“Why not?”

Miyuki turned to look at Takayanagi’s retreating figure.

Maebayashi shrugged. “Something bad will happen to you. We don’t know why, but most of the students Takayanagi’s hung around with have left the school. They get injured all of a sudden or really sick.”

“Do you think it’s some kind of retaliation or something?”

“Takayanagi doesn’t do anything. It all just happens out of the blue. Maybe that’s why he gives off such a creepy vibe.”

Could there be a chance that Ichijo Takayanagi isn’t human either? Like Wamiya’s not human?...

Miyuki couldn’t help but think that the expression on the boy’s face had reminded him an awful lot of a divine spirit.

Keep reading!

#rdg #red data girl #rdg ice shoes glass shoes #isgs story 2 week 2 #translation

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newstfionline · 6 years

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In Japan, Deadly Heat Wave Tests Endurance of Even the Most Stoic

By Motoko Rich, Hisako Ueno and Makiko Inoue, NY Times, July 25, 2018

TOKYO--Triple-digit temperatures have hospitalized 23,000 people just in the past week, nearly double the previous record. Some outdoor pools are too hot for swimming. Construction workers wear battery-powered fans to avoid heatstroke, which has killed 86 people since May.

Even for the stoic Japanese, known for tolerating all manner of discomfort, the summer of 2018 has pushed their limits.

The temperature reached a record of almost 106 degrees Fahrenheit at a city outside Tokyo, part of a heat wave described by an official from the Japan Meteorological Agency as “unprecedented” and a “disaster,” and forecast to continue for at least two more weeks.

About half the people taken to the hospital this week are older than 65. In Japan--which has a word, “gaman,” that denotes a sense of bearing with it--the elderly are perhaps more susceptible than anyone to feeling they should simply put up with the heat.

Elderly people grew up without air-conditioning, and now that they live on pensions, many are also cost-conscious.

“They think energy conservation is a good thing, especially after the 3-11 disaster,” said Kazuyo Oyamada, the chief consultant at Mizuho Information & Research Institute. She was referring to the Fukushima earthquake and tsunami disaster of March 2011, which led to a shutdown of the nuclear plants that had provided almost a third of Japan’s electricity.

Nevertheless, sales of air-conditioners at Bic Camera, one of the largest electronics chains, jumped close to 70 percent last week compared to the same period a year ago, and not all of those sales can be to the younger generation.

Tokuhiro Shimomura, 76, a retired factory worker who was headed to a hospital in Tokyo on Wednesday for a routine appointment, said he kept the air-conditioning on at home, though he worried about the expense.

“Last year I would feel cool in my apartment,” he said. “But this year it is just too hot.”

The pool at the Toshimaen Amusement Park in Tokyo was crowded on Wednesday with families seeking refuge during the first week of the school summer vacation. Scattered across the deck, visitors set up small tents to shield from the sun.

Noriko Hosoda, 43, sat in the shade wearing a light yellow jacket to protect herself from ultraviolet rays. She was with her two sons and her sister, Kumiko Niizato, 35, who was celebrating her birthday along with Ms. Hosoda’s younger son, Yuzuki, 8.

Ms. Hosoda said this was the first summer her family had kept the air conditioning on all night.

“We can’t sleep without it,” she said. To save money on electricity, the whole family sleeps in one air-conditioned room.

At an elementary school in Sumoto, a city in western Japan, officials closed the pool because the water temperature had reached 95 degrees. “This never happened before in my life as a teacher,” said Harufumi Ishibashi, 47, a vice principal.

Because of the heat, the 2,000 or so construction workers at the site of the new National Stadium--the central venue for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo--are getting an extra half-hour for their lunch breaks, and free bottles of water, sports drinks and shaved ice.

Koichi Kuromaru, 56, who finished his shift around noon on Wednesday, looked more like he was dressed to hit the ski slopes than to battle the heat. But he opened his jacket to reveal a battery-powered fan stitched into a side pocket, which keeps his upper body cool. Many workers have them.

Mr. Kuromaru also wore a sweat-wicking shirt and carried a thick cloth he could soak with water and wear under his hard hat.

“Whenever workers feel tired they are told to take breaks,” said Mr. Kuromaru, wiping sweat from his brow with a handkerchief.

The heat has raised concerns about how athletes and spectators will cope during the 2020 Olympics. Average temperatures are likely to continue rising, according to Masahide Kimoto, a professor at the Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute of the University of Tokyo. “It’s wrong to think that such intense heat that we’ve never seen before will never happen again,” he said.

For office workers required to wear suits, the extreme heat is something they must simply endure.

“Sometimes clients urge me to take off my necktie,” said Hiroyuki Shigemori, 54, a pharmaceuticals salesman walking into Shimbashi station in Tokyo, his black suit jacket folded over his arm. “I am grateful for that.” (His tie was still on.)

When he was a child, Mr. Shigemori recalled, coaches would not let him or his teammates drink water during baseball practice. “We were told it would just make us tired,” he said.

Now, having heard news reports about children collapsing at sports events--a 6-year-old died after a school insect-hunting expedition--he said he worried that children were still being told to “put up with” the heat.

In fact, coaches are making accommodations.

At Hino High School in Tokyo, Masayuki Shimada, the baseball coach, said he had decided to switch the morning warm-up from a long run to laps in the pool. On the first day of summer training, he said, some students had felt sick from the heat.

“It’s time for the team to tone up, but I don’t want to expose them to excessively tough training and invite injury,” Mr. Shimada said. It was the first time in his career he had changed the routine because of extreme heat.

Walking down a Tokyo street on a clear summer day, you often see a sea of parasols, carried (mostly by women) to block out the sun. Because of the heat this summer, a consortium of local municipalities has set up stalls at zoos, parks and a racetrack where visitors can borrow parasols at no charge.

In the prefecture of Saitama, where the heat record was set this week, local officials have launched a social media campaign to encourage men to carry parasols. “It’s an effective tool for heat and heatstroke,” reads the campaign’s official Twitter account.

#Japan #Japan heat wave

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newx-menfan · 6 years

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Part Two: Surge in Kyle and Yost

In Part One, I talked about Noriko’s background of being homeless and immigrating to America, and how her behaviors tie into that experience.

In particular, in DeFilippis and Weir we see Noriko becoming close the New Mutants, particularly with David before entering into a relationship with him. This is probably the first time Noriko’s opened up to someone, after running away from home.

…And then M-Day happens…

Several mutants lose their abilities;including Prodigy, Wind Dancer, and her mentor Dani Moonstar.

As much as Surge hates her abilities and wearing the gauntlets to control her abilities, (something she has so far never been able to find control for at Xavier’s…) she isn’t one of the students depowered.

* As much as Surge is blamed for the nasty break up between her and David; in her defense, David DID send mixed signals.

David shortly after does apply to Harvard (you absolutely CANNOT blame him). It’s revealed to Noriko by Julian; leaving Noriko to question if David wants to leave and is only staying there for HER benefit. It also opens up insecurities around Noriko being a burden to David or that she’s holding him back; something I stated previously in Part One is an issue with Noriko.

There’s also probably the fear that David may eventually resent her for staying; in many ways, I think a big part of Noriko being attracted to David was his initial kindness to her. While I DO also think she liked him for his intelligence and matching dry humor; I think David being one of the few people to express concern for her also contributed to it. So she may lose the one person who showed her kindness…

Emma orders the depowered students and staff to leave the institute; effectively removing one of the two adults that was reliably there for Noriko.

The depowered students are put on a bus, that is bombed by the Purifiers, killing all on board.

While David WASN’T onboard- he could have very easily been… So on top of Noriko’s fears around losing David or holding him back; she is also now been reminded that David is very clearly at risk. This would probably create EVEN MORE GUILT, because she sees David’s choice to stay being because OF HER. So if David DIES- in Noriko’s mind it will be all her fault.

* Noriko is then chosen by Emma Frost to be leader for the X-Men-in training team; she is chosen after Julian disobeys Emma’s direct orders to take out X-23.

This…. Is pretty dang terrible, in my opinion. Emma is essentially putting teens in danger by choosing an inexperienced leader all because she’s having a temper fit over Julian refusing to unfairly target another student. While Emma DOES give more reasoning to her choice of Surge as leader later: that she knew Noriko would ‘protect them’, it’s still pretty awful…

As I stated in Part One- Noriko had ZERO INTEREST in ever leading the New Mutants. For someone who struggles to open up or connect to others; leadership is REALLY difficult. She has neither the pragmatic tactile planning David has, the social skills Sofia has, or the ability to read opponents and teammates and manipulate the situation accordingly that Julian has.

Surge’s strength relies on personal responsibility and her strength as an individual. At this period in time, she’s probably the WORST CHOICE as team leader; since this kind of situation RELYS on the X-Men being able to work together to survive and closing ranks.

Surge’s responsibility is a bit of a hinderance; because everything that goes wrong, she will take too much to heart. While Emma justifies her choice as Nori will protect them because of her responsibleness; while Noriko DOES DO just that, it becomes a serious detriment to her own mental health. Through this series and afterwards, we slowly see Noriko breaking down as more and more students die; caving under the impossible responsibility given to her…

There’s more than likely also guilt there for feeling like she’s taking Sofia’s place. Through the beginning of this book we watch as Wind Dancer is essentially pushed away from her friends and the school. Noriko loses a the majority of her friends in a single swoop; more than likely Surge feels like she’s contributing to Sofia being removed and forgotten…

Julian of course doesn’t take this well; but in Julian’s defense- he is objectively the most qualified of the remaining students. Being asked to follow someone who doesn’t really KNOW what their doing; after you essentially HAVE been trained for this is HARD to swallow.

Noriko’s way of handling people initially is lashing out or giving orders, which really ISN’T going to work with the majority of people on this team. While she does eventually learn to work with people’s personalities and skill sets, and how to unite this team; in the beginning…they are a mess. Half the team is turning to Julian for leadership, Julian is heavily supporting that situation, and Josh (really the only ally Noriko has on this team) is lashing out at everyone at this period of time. Laura has NO real social skills and while she has been trained to take orders no questions asked by the facility; she’s also been heavily trained for solo missions and limited to gaining any attachment towards anyone around her- so Laura’s not all that reliable a teammate either.

Even after Noriko kind of gets the team together- you still have people doing their own thing; the biggest example is ‘Mercury Falling’- Cessily and Laura go get coffee despite restrictions and without telling Surge. Then when Cessily is kidnapped, Hellion and Laura go to search for her without telling Surge. At this kind of time period, the WORST thing to have is people acting like individuals; this isn’t Noriko’s fault since A LOT of people on this team are individualistic but you need a team leader who will tackle this issue head on immediately. A great example for this is Social Identity in the Military: for the beginning individuality is stripped away to instead foster functionality, discipline, and uniformity. This is done because one wrong decision can put everyone in danger and because community is detriment to survival in extreme situations. Noriko, who is very individualistic herself and fights against uniformity-struggles to understand that. Similar to Wind Dancer; Noriko is at times also reliant on David’s more tactical based leadership. This can be a positive, in the fact that David’s decision making comes more from logic than emotions, with David usually better at detaching himself from him own emotions when making decisions (the only exception being Nori sacrificing herself to bring down Nimrod). This is a detriment, because Noriko is essentially stifling her from developing her own style of leadership. It also is perpetuating EVEN more reliance on her relationship with David and causing her more guilt around David staying at Xavier’s; this will eventually become a major problem during ‘The Quest for Magik’.

The moment that really ends up bonding this team together is the battle with Nimrod. It’s essentially the first time when everyone is in agreement to go to protect Forge. Noriko is forced to utilize everyone (Julian’s TK to get the plane out, David’s knowledge of the Mansion and to somewhat fly the plane, X-23’s healing factor, Mercury’s imperviousness towards electricity, ect…); and while rough around the edges, they succeed because everyone is watching the others backs.

it also marks Surge’s slow decline in her trust in Cyclops; someone we saw she could open up to in Academy X about her roommate problem and usage of her gauntlets. This will continue to deteriorate more and more through this series until Messiah Complex, where Surge is shown having zero trust in Cyclops as a leader or confidant.

There is mutiple studies that have shown groups who collectively experience trauma tend to form stronger social bonds and become more cohesive. In many ways, this is 100% part of the New X-Men’s story.

No matter how much Noriko and Julian hated each other- they weirdly become friends and heavily support one another after because of this experience. In many ways I’d argue Julian develops a respect towards Surge and her tackling leadership in a very extreme time; which is why Julian for the most part after accepts Noriko as leader and supports her decisions. A huge example of this is in X-Force vol. 3- when Julian funnels Noriko’s blast after being injected with the legacy virus, and both Julian and Noriko protecting Josh when he was injured.

after Cessily’s rescue; All the X-Kids minus Surge and Hellion are transported to Limbo. Just before we see Nori yelling at Julian; her fear that Laura or him could have died coming up. We see just how much leadership is starting to take a toll on Nori. That fear becomes worse when Trance informs her what happened.

Surge is also informed that David is dead; HER WORST FEAR. She ends up threatening O*N*E* troopers and using her electric abilities essentially as a defibrillator on Amanda Sefton to find a way to Limbo.

*It’s strange to me how people DON’T take ‘the Quest For Magik’ in account for Surge’s actions in her break up with David. Here you have someone who went under numerous trauma, even BEFORE M-Day; essentially COMING extremely close to losing the only person she is close to.

Surge ISN’T just reliant on him as a romantic partner either; she has also essentially made him co-leader and only confidant. While Julian weirdly becomes a little bit of an ally as well; it’s mainly David that Surge opens up to.

Prodigy is really Surge’s only friend on the team, since Josh has been going through his own trauma; while that again changes mid way as she become closer to Julian- it’s still David who she relies on.

While fighting her way through Limbo, we see Nori becoming emotional and increasingly more and more erratic.

Surge finds out what happened to David after escaping out of Limbo from X-23, who doesn’t have the social skills to know telling Noriko the nitty gritty details of David’s ALMOST death…probably isn’t a good idea… Keep in mind, David got his HEART ripped out, so hearing the details of that would be traumatic or triggering…

In Noriko’s mind this IS HER FAULT. David stayed because of HER, in her mind, despite being human and she subtly encouraged it for her own needs.

*Again from Part One, Noriko lashes out as a coping mechanism to avoid being hurt. Instead of having to down the road of eventually watching David horribly die: she chooses to hurt him so bad to get him to leave.

She does this by kissing Julian; someone who heavily bullied David and who David hates.

Noriko’s choice of Julian is also REALLY interesting, because in many ways Julian has slowly been replacing David as her co-leader/confidant. Essentially both her relationships with David and Julian are used as Noriko’s way to cope with the stress and responsibility, along with her own trauma. While she did choose Julian because she knew he was the person who’d hurt David THE MOST, it also seems like Noriko is replacing one reliant relationship for another.

It also opens the question if Noriko was ever attracted to Julian; which has been heavily debated by fans, and opens up an interesting interpretation of her appearance in Liu’s X-23 solo…

David starts to pack up before deciding to confront Surge; with Noriko continuing to insist she doesn’t love him and begging him to leave the institute. Julian then chooses that moment to go check on Noriko; leading to a physical altercation between him and David. It’s then revealed that David has decided to stay at the mansion and regained previous knowledge he lost with help from the Cuckoos.

Obviously, Noriko and David break up.

*During the Messiah Complex, we see Prodigy and Surge still in an awkward place; with David and her disagreeing over whether or not to go after the Purifiers.

We also see Noriko done with both Cyclops and Xavier’s leadership; essentially lashing out at the adults. Noriko is back to feeling like she cannot rely on the adults around her, similar to her father and when she first came to the institute.

The choice to go after the Purifiers ALSO goes badly, with Julian getting mortally wounded right in front of Surge because of HER push to go after the Purifiers. So besides David almost dying and their bad breakup, she now almost lost the person she’s somewhat using as David’s replacement as co-leader.

Unsurprisingly, Noriko isn’t doing well after the dissolution of the X-Men; which I will get into in Part Three…

While I fully agree Surge treated David badly; it’s understandable why she did what she did. For someone WHO already had issues getting close to people, limited coping mechanisms, and inability to emotionally open up; the build up of circumstances around David losing his abilities and then almost dying in a horrible way- it makes sense Noriko would lash out this way. Add the responsibility of leadership that Surge NEVER WANTED IN THE FIRST PLACE, at the WORST POSSIBLE EVENT that has probably happened to the X-Men; and it’s kind of amazing Surge avoided having a breakdown sooner…

As for Surge’s leadership, which is oftentimes criticized; the important thing to remember is Noriko NEVER WANTED TO LEAD IN THE FIRST PLACE. Nor did she have as much training for it as the others. Emma essentially drops her in the role of leader, and then leaves her to sink or swim; providing her NO HELP. Noriko did the best she could despite not being a personality skilled for leadership and having her own trauma affecting her ability TO lead. Noriko learns through it, effectively becoming a decent leader at the end, despite taking everything that happens as her fault.

(Part Three will include all sources and go into Surge written under other writers- it will be released sometime next week: More than likely next Tuesday!…)

#Surge #Noriko Ashida #Part Two of 'Why Noriko is misunderstood'...#Noriko may look tough #but deep down is a mushy caring center #new xmen #new x men #Craig Kyle #Christopher Yost #Marvel #new x men academy x #academy x #bring back the new x men

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panzerkrieg · 7 years

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Chapter 6: The Long Run

Kadotani sat down between Kawashima and Koyama, setting down her tray and looking over her food. "Excellent! Looks like we have meat chunks, plant chunks, and possibly wheat chunks."

"President, how long are we to endure this?"

"Endure it?" Kadotani laughed. "We're here to stay, Momo. We're not leaving. And I'm not the president anymore."

Yuzu looked down at her breakfast, a horrified look on her face. "Six months of this… why does she have it out for me?"

Maho sat two tables away, as close to the back corner as she could. She had hoped to be alone for a moment while they ate breakfast, but Yukari and Mako quickly found their way to her. They sat on either side of her, both contentedly eating the aforementioned food chunks.

Yukari held one up on the end of her fork, inspecting it. "It's a cube… of bean?"

"It's asparagus." Mako wrinkled her nose at it. "I think."

"Why are you two here?" Maho pushed her untouched meal away from her.

"The Sergeant still has Saori and Suzuki out there, as well as two other girls." Yukari pointed to Hana just as she walked into the mess hall. "And she's been sending anyone whose hair isn't short enough over to get it cut."

After standing in line to get something to eat, Hana made her way to the rest of them and dropped into the seat across from Yukari. Her hair was now the shortest among the four of them, and her eyes looked like the life had been drained out of them. She looked to her friends, as if pleading them for help. "Somebody tell me this is just a bad dream."

"Are we not accommodating enough, Private?" Suddenly, Sergeant Dodger was right beside her. She was without her megaphone, but it sounded like she didn't actually need it. "Do you need a pillow? Maybe some cotton blankets? How about a teddy bear? I can lend you mine if you need it!"

Hana shot up out of her seat. "No ma'am! I'm fine, ma'am!"

"Sit the fuck down, Private! You're still in my morning routine, and that means you finish your damn breakfast! I can't have you collapsing from malnourishment on your first day! I need this to last a long time! It's not fun unless you suffer for days on end!"

She sat down, looking across the table at her friends pleadingly. They looked away, not willing to put themselves in the line of fire. Shakily, she started to eat. It wasn't easy, and not because the food was repulsive. If she ignored the taste, the smell, and the texture, then it wasn't all so bad. The Sergeant breathing down her neck was the problem.

"Hurry up, Private Butterball! You need to be all fed and ready to throw up for this morning's run!" This news carried across the mess hall as fast as Sergeant Dodger's voice. There was a low murmur about the prospect of going on a run immediately after eating. The Sergeant shouted across the room. "And you're all experts at war, are you? The enemy won't attack right after you've eaten on account of you might get cramps! That's right! We're fighting a considerate foe who lets you digest instead of hitting you whenever they damn well please or, fucking shocker, when you're at any disadvantage they can exploit! Chow down and I want to see all of you outside in ten minutes! If you're late, we'll have a boxing lesson instead! Is that understood?"

All the girls tried their best to answer together. "Yes ma'am!" She didn't really care, as she knew half of them had their mouths full. Possibly less than half, considering the food. But it wasn't there to water their mouths and whet their appetites. It was there to get them used to eating military rations. One day, they would learn to look at the raw meat from some animal they caught in the field as a lucky break. She wanted them used to tough living.

Yukari waited for the Sergeant to march out of the mess hall before turning to Maho. "What do you think about her? Sergeant Dodger, I mean."

Maho sighed. She really had wanted to be alone right now. "Private Akiyama. Or is it Private Oddball? I suggest you focus on being not worth her time. Do well, but not well enough to be outstanding. That way she'll have no reason to look at you for more than a second or two."

Mako spat out a plant cube. "Yeah… that's nasty."

Maho shook her head and continued. "I would prefer the three of you kept your distance from me. I don't want to group together, I don't want to make friends, and I certainly don't want to delve into the Sergeant's history. Eat up, and don't sit next to me again."

Mako spat out a meat cube and looked up at Maho. "Wouldn't sitting alone make you a prime target for her?"

"Shut up and eat, Slug. I'll manage."

None of them wanted to even guess what the temperature was. They ran together through the blazing desert. Though it was hardly together, considering the whole group of them stretched out for half a kilometer from Noriko, who was far ahead, and several girls who were barely able to stagger along at the back. Sergeant Dodger rode around in a jeep, shouting at them all through her megaphone. She was pretty well ignoring the frontrunners for now.

They'd been ordered to stop and wait for everyone else once they reached the flagpole at the halfway point of their run. Maho ran up to the flagpole and stopped. Noriko and Erwin were the only Ooarai girls that had beat her there. Katyusha was there, along with Nonna and Klara. There was also a girl she recognized from Anzio, and one from Koala Forest, but she didn't know either of their names. Coming along behind her, she could see the redhead from Saint Gloriana's, as well as Erika, and Kay and Naomi from Saunders. Saemonza and Hoshino from Ooarai weren't far behind them. The bulk of the girls were in a large group after that, and she could see Yukari at the head of the group.

Dodger's jeep pulled up beside the ones who had reached the checkpoint, and she started yelling at the vast majority that hadn't arrived yet. "Move your fucking asses! I know quadriplegics that could have made it here by now! If you're not all here and standing in formation in a minute and a half, I'm feeding you to the dingoes!"

Sure enough, in the next minute and a half, nearly everyone made it to the flagpole. Saori and Momo were the last two to reach them before the time was up. Dodger turned on the last girl with a fury. She shouted unrepeatable things at Nozomi as she staggered into formation after the time limit. Midoriko shook her head in disappointment, even though she had just barely made it in time herself.

Dodger called Nozomi out of the formation. "Private Konparu! You're disqualified! Go over there and give me two hundred pushups!" She waited for the targeted girl to begin her punishment, then turned back to the others. Ninety-eight remained, waiting for her word. "Alright, you fucking cunts! You have two minutes break! You get a little drink of water and a chance for a ride back to base!"

The male NCO driving the jeep got out and walked around to the back. He stood up on top of the container they had been hauling around and grabbed the hose that was attached to it. The container was full of water. He casually aimed the hose at the girls in formation and turned on the hose, spraying water through the air at their faces. This was met with almost unanimous protest and complaint. Once he was sure he'd hit all of them, totally apathetic to whether or not they actually managed to drink any or if it just went up their noses and messes up their glasses, as was certainly Momo's case, he turned it off and jumped down from the jeep.

Dodger pointed to the NCO standing at attention. "Now that you've all met Corporal Dex, you'll all have a chance to take out your frustrations on him! The first person to land a hit on the Corporal gets a free ride back to base! Any takers?" She looked immediately disappointed that no one was jumping at the opportunity.

It was Rosehip who stepped up first. "I'll give it a shot, ma'am!" Somewhere behind her, Darjeeling facepalmed.

Rosehip readied herself, holding her fists up in front of her like she was boxing. The Corporal just stood there, his hands clasped behind him, unmoving. She stepped forward, aiming a punch straight at the center of his chest. Suddenly, just as her punch was about to connect, he wasn't there anymore. His elbow struck the back of her head, and she fell face-first into the dirt.

Pepperoni, Kay, and Saemonza stepped forward and attacked. None of them were even sure how they suddenly ended up on the ground. Erika tried next, but he sidestepped and sent her flying into the side of the jeep. A few others charged from the formation. He kicked them aside one after the other, finishing off with a roundhouse kick. Turning back to the girls, he found himself staring down at Nonna.

The dark-haired girl seemed much more calm than she should have been. She nodded to him. "Zdravstvuy."

She delivered a punch straight at his chest, just like Rosehip had done. He caught her fist. She tried to hit him with her other hand, but he caught it as well. She struggled for a brief moment, and then he flipped her over onto the ground. The Corporal never said a word. He stood up and turned back to the formation again.

Katyusha shot out of the formation head first, ramming into the Corporal's stomach. He collapsed to his knees, holding his stomach, then keeled over onto his side. Katyusha casually walked away and climbed up onto the jeep.

Dodger glared down at her. "You're going to be a lot of trouble, aren't you."

Katyusha sat in the passenger seat. It was vacant, as Sergeant Dodger was standing on the hood now. She looked up at the Sergeant. "Katyusha will wait here."

Dodger just clicked on the megaphone, aiming it at the girls that were on the ground. "Get up, you lazy pieces of shit! You may have nothing else to do today, but I also run a lemonade stand, cause God knows I don't get paid enough for this bullshit! Get off the ground!"

The Corporal got up and, painfully, sat back down in the driver seat of the jeep. Leaning over the windshield, Dodger nodded to him. He grunted in acknowledgment and drove away, leaving the girls behind.

Once it genuinely didn't look like they were going to head back for the others, Katyusha finally spoke up. "Katyusha is wondering how much trouble you will be in if any of them die."

"Private Polyp, I can't let you idiots die on the first day. I want this to last a long time." She glared back at Katyusha. "Listen, Private. We can get along just fine if you do what I tell you to do and stop showing off. You're not interesting enough, and I got a hundred of you morons to work with. I'll be dividing you up into squads soon enough, and I want to put all the ones I don't have to pay attention to in the same squad. Play along, and you'll be in command of that squad."

Katyusha nodded. "Yes ma'am."

"And not a word of this to any of the others, or you'll be doing pushups all day, every day, for weeks." She turned around, falling silent until the base was in sight again. "Oh yeah, Private Suzuki is still doing pushups. Well, I can't sit down just yet. I have to make sure the obstacle course is ready."

#Panzerkrieg #Girls und Panzer #GuP #Maho Nishizumi #Yukari Akiyama #Hana Isuzu #Mako Reizei #Anzu Kadotani #Momo Kawashima #Yuzu Koyama #Katyusha #Anglerfish Team #Turtle Team

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sayreambrosio · 7 years

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I was able to sit down with Noriko Maxwell, owner of ninety6nine, this past week and ask her some questions about ninety6nine. The transcript of the interview is below.

August 1, 2017 – Interview with Noriko Maxwell of ninety6nine.com

Q: Why are you in business? How did you get started?

A: I’m in business to follow a passion. My husband and I owned a business previously in Ohio and I enjoyed being my own boss. When we moved here I was a stay at home mom and started crafting realtor gifts for Steve’s clients and soon thereafter I was getting orders from his colleagues to make gifts for their clients. As for getting started, I have always had a love for art and being able to express your creativity. Ninety6nine allows me to do just that. Both my kids are out of the house now which means I can spend 100% of my time building my business and providing amazing items to my customers.

Q: What are the start-up costs for a business like yours?

A: Oh boy. Start-up costs are huge, just like any other business. You have the costs to become a legal business entity with the State of Arizona which run about $300 per year. Things like insurance, licenses, et cetera. When it comes to tools you have a plotter ($500), vinyl ($100), a sublimation printer ($700), heat press ($1800), things like mugs which come in cases, so the total there was about $200 for 24 cases. The paint I use ran about $1000 for the initial stock. That’s just a glimpse into what is needed and the cost. There are so many different items that if I were to list them all we could write a small novel. Some of these like the printer are one time purchases (at least until the machine wears out) and some of them are things that rotate in and out according to the season and need.

Q: What is your background? Education/Work Experience?

A: My educational background is in nursing. Prior to moving to Arizona, I was a nurse for 10 years. I worked third shift, and to be honest I just got burnt out. Working that shift is hard on you and when you throw in the child-birth classes that I did over those 10 years, it was just time for a change.

Q: Can you provide me with a description of your business?

A: Ninety6nine is all about high-quality homemade/hand-crafted home decor. I pride myself in producing quality pieces that are environmentally friendly.

Q: How long have you been in business?

A: Ninety6nine has been in existence for about two years now.

Q: What type of business entity do you have? Sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation?

A: It’s a sole proprietorship currently and will be evolving into a LLC soon. Probably in September of this year.

Q: What are the advantages of this form of business ownership?

A: The biggest advantage is working for yourself. You get to make your own schedule that fits into your lifestyle. As an entrepreneur, you must think out of the box for your business to thrive. There’s no marketing team or another group of people who you can go to when the season is slow or business is down. You must step up and figure out why things have changed on your own and figure out a way to fix it. It’s all up to you. It’s both scary and invigorating at the same time.

Q: How do the social, economic, environmental, technological, legal and political environments impact your business?

A: Running a small business from home is extremely reliant on the social aspect. You must get your name out there for people to see. That can be anything from word of mouth like when I was doing realtor gifts (which I still do and are available on my website), to a weekend full of craft fairs/markets where it’s all about meeting people and showing them what you have to offer; both as a business owner and when it comes to your product.

As for economic and environmental those are both very important too. When the economy is down people tend to buy less non-essential items like home decor no matter where it comes from. Environmental factors play a big role in my business as I try to keep all my supplies and finished products as environmentally friendly as I possibly can. I use shipping and packing materials that have less of an impact on the environment and reuse them when I can, scrap wood, environmentally friendly paints, stains, and fabrics. I’m also always on the lookout for ways to be eco-friendlier in everything that I do with the business.

Legal and political environments aren’t things that really play into my business as much as they do other small business segments out there. Just your basic keeping up with local tax laws, city ordinances, things like that.

The two things that I would be lost without in my business are social media and technology. Both of those things are super important to making and keeping ninety6nine successful. The internet is everywhere these days. We can shop just about anywhere and since a lot of my sales are from online orders that’s important. Technology plays a big role in the distribution side as well as the marketing side of the business. I couldn’t run my business without it in this day and age. Having a presence on social media channels like Instagram and Facebook allows me to get my name and product out there without having to spend money on gas and expensive physical marketing supplies (which ties back into being eco-friendly). Quite a few of my tools are also technology based like my Cricut machine which has a hard drive can take my digital designs and bring them into the physical world.

Q: Do you know who your competitors are locally?

A: The home decor market is saturated when it comes to things like wood signs, mugs, pillows. Things like that are very easy to find these days. It’s just a matter of if the artists’ design speaks to you and the quality of the product they are putting out. Some are very, very good and others not so much.

Now, when it comes to the paper cut items that we will be introducing to the store soon, there is only one other person that I know of in the state that uses the same techniques that my daughter uses to produce such an amazing and unique product. I’m very excited to see how they do.

Q: How do you market your business? How are people aware of your business?

A: Being social! Ninety6nine has a presence on Instagram, Facebook (page and group), and Pinterest. There also the website of course which is where I also house a blog about the industry/business. I also attend multiple craft fairs/markets every season. Those are a big help in building the business. It does make a difference when people can physically touch and handle the products. There’s just no substitute for that when someone is trying to determine the quality of an item.

Q: Where do you see your business in the next year? In the next five years? The next ten years?

A: In the next year, I see the business continuing to grow locally as well as growing to customers out of the state and even out of the country. The sky is the limit since we can be found online where ever there is an internet connection.

In five years, I would like to have a store front in addition to the online business that I have currently.

In ten years, I see my business fully established and being something that I continue to enjoy doing.

Q: Do you plan to compete in the larger market place? Globally? If yes, how? If no, why not?

A: I kind of touched on it in an earlier question, but yes, I see my product being available globally. I have had some orders from the UK already and I hope that they continue to come in. It’s kind of neat to know that something that you made with your own two hands is being enjoyed in a home overseas.

Q: Whom do you seek advice from for your business?

A: That’s a good question. I have a business mentor and belong to networking groups. Not only do I get to meet some amazing people in the groups, but my mentor and I have monthly conference calls that allow us to hold each other accountable. It’s nice being able to set a goal and have a cheering section that helps to keep you on track. It’s also nice (although tough to hear sometimes) when they call you on your goals that you haven’t quite gotten to.

Q: What do you do with your profits? Reinvesting in business? Saving for that special something?

A: Right now, because the business is so new, most of the profits I receive from sales are going right back into the business. There are still tools that I would like to purchase in order to offer new things and like all tools, the ones that I started with will have to be replaced at some point. A big thing that I would like to bring into the fold is a look book for realtors. I feel that it’s something that would be extremely beneficial to the business but it’s not cheap. Putting together a look book and keeping it updated and in the hands of realtors is an ongoing expense of about $50 a month.

Q: Do you have employees? If so, how many?

A: Currently it’s just myself and my daughter (who does the paper cut items).

Q: What are the biggest issues for running this type of business?

A: Going into the future (should I eventually have a need for employees) it will be the taxes and all that good stuff. Thank goodness for CPA’s, right? Right now, the biggest issue is that time management is harder. Small business owners like myself are not only running their businesses, they are also balancing that with having a family/normal life outside of whatever their business may be. I think I’m doing a good job with balancing and now that both my children are in college it does make it a bit easier to handle business stuff when it pops up.

And finally…

Q: Does your business have a stated mission statement, the reason that this business exists?

A: Ninety6nine’s mission statement is to provide environmentally friendly, high-quality, handmade pieces that will withstand the test of time and can be handed down through generations.

Q: That is an awesome mission and from what I can see you are doing just that. Thank you for taking time to sit down with me and allowing me to share your story with the community.

Noriko does amazing work and so does her daughter Keiko. You can find her at the social coordinates listed below. Be sure to check out her website as well. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Find ninety6nine on:

Instagram

Facebook Page

Facebook Group

Website

ninety6nine – Shop Local Feature I was able to sit down with Noriko Maxwell, owner of ninety6nine, this past week and ask her some questions about ninety6nine.

#arizona #Florence #Gifts #handmade #home decor #mugs #Ninety6nine #noriko maxwell #paper cut #pillow #realtor

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agirlinjapan · 7 years

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Red Data Girl: World Heritage Girl (Week 30)

Red Data Girl: World Heritage Girl By Noriko Ogiwara A Translation

Miss the last piece? Read it here!

Check out the RDG Translation twitter!

It’s official! We’ve made it to the end of Red Data Girl 4, World Heritage Girl! Thank you so much for reading this far in my translation project! I hope you enjoy the story as much as I do! I can’t believe I’ve translated two thirds of a six book series already! When I began this project, I knew I wanted to aim for translating the entire series but it was hard to imagine finishing all six books. Now, the finish line is almost in sight! It’s an incredible feeling. I feel so accomplished! I’m even beginning to think about what I want to translate after RDG… although I’m probably getting a little ahead of myself. I still haven’t begun translating the last RDG book. (Haha.)

Some of you may know that I’ve been hard at work on RDG 5 for a while now. (At the moment, I’m about a third of the way through.) I’ll begin posting the next book in two weeks on June 18th and will continue posting RDG on a biweekly schedule. I’m looking forward to posting the next book for everyone!

Translation Notes:

There are two books mentioned in this week’s RDG. The first is Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes. The second is The Pillow Book by Sei Shonagon.

Red Data Girl: World Heritage Girl By Noriko Ogiwara Chapter 4: Boundary Part 3 (2 of 2)

The first day of the school festival was approaching before their eyes.

At first, Class 1-C had been working with a front line battle rations idea for their food stand. The menu they had come up with was comprised of onigiri wrapped in bamboo skins, grilled mochi, red bean soup, and so on.

And then something happened.

Furuta, one of the boys in the cooking group, said one word and the plan began to shift into something different. He mentioned that he had made cotton candy at a festival booth before and that he could borrow a cotton candy machine from his family’s home. When the members of 1-C heard this, they began discussing sugar colors and setups and then all anyone could talk about was doing a cotton candy booth.

In the end, this became their main attraction. They decided to call it “winds of change cotton candy” and sell at the stand.

Seeing as they were now selling cotton candy, they decided they might as well sell yakisoba too. Following the new concept for their stand, they called it, “coup d’état yakisoba.” They were steadily forgetting the reason behind what they were doing.

While talking with Karin Hasegawa about this and that, Izumiko learned that the girl was taking chemistry. She was also a casual member of the chemistry club and stopped in for a meeting here and there when she could.

“What’s Mr. Morozumi like?” she asked, the question unplanned.

“Mr. Moro? His classes are pretty interesting. His lab reports are tough though,” Karin said. Her voice was straight forward and to the point. She sounded just like the judo player that she was.

“Will the chemistry club be presenting anything during the school festival?”

“Yeah, they will. They said they’ll be launching a hot air balloon.”

This surprised Izumiko a little.

“Huh? Did they run that by the student government? I didn’t hear that going around the organization’s room.”

“That’s because they decided to do it last minute. They’re all over the place. Up until now, their plans have been pretty disorganized.”

Karin let out a loud laugh and then continued.

“But that’s the way school festivals are. There’s really only three or four students in the chemistry club but because Mr. Moro is their advisor I think they can get everything together in time.”

…I should probably assume they’re up to something, Izumiko thought.

“Takayanagi in 1-A’s in the chemistry club, right?”

“He is, he is. He’s leading our rival food stand as well. He’s definitely not going to let anything about 1-A’s plan slip out so I’m keeping our secrets too.”

After saying this, Karin looked worried all of a sudden. She began to search her desk in agitation.

“Oh no. I left the file in the cooking classroom. This is bad. The yakisoba recipe’s in there. I need to get that right away.”

Without thinking, Izumiko followed after Karin as she rushed out of the room. This was a good chance for her to go into the cooking classroom for a reason, she thought.

“Wait! I’ll come with you.”

The cooking classroom was on the second floor at the end of the hallway in the special classrooms wing. Karin did not use the building’s main staircase. Instead, she walked to the breezeway on the first floor and went up the north staircase. It wasn’t a route Izumiko usually took.

The north wing of the school building, not usually trafficked by many people, was less of a passageway and more of a temporary closet for festival related items. Even the north staircase itself was covered with props and scenery for class plays.

The students were scattered across campus, doing their afterschool work. Plenty of voices could be heard from outside the windows. The hallway was the opposite of that—there was no one to be seen walking by. However, as there was still evening light visible, it didn’t make the hallway feel too unsettling.

Karin looked behind her at Izumiko in amusement.

“So what is it? Are you interested in the chemistry club’s balloon?”

“No, not really.”

“Then you’re interested in Takayanagi.”

“You’re wrong.”

Izumiko decided not to answer further. Strictly speaking, Karin’s statement was correct but not in the way she had meant it. Izumiko knew that much.

“He’s not really my type. Pale, weak boys don’t hold much charm for me,” powerful looking Karin stated bluntly. “But there are definitely a lot of girls interested in him. He’s popular with the exchange students for some reason, too. I was surprised when that popular girl, Angelica came to say hi to him. She’s that French girl who looks like a porcelain doll.”

The two of them had come to the cooking classroom’s door. There was a relatively big cooking prep room next to it.

Karin opened the sliding door to the prep room. The inside was dim.

“Are you coming in? It’ll just take me a second to find where I left the folder.”

Of course Izumiko followed after her. She stepped over the threshold.

In that instant, Izumiko felt as if she was being bathed in a flash of light. However, there was no light. She couldn’t sense anything for a second. All she could think was that she had been cut off from something. She was left blinking for a few moments.

Huh?

Izumiko looked around. She had stepped into a bright, open classroom with large windows making up one of the walls. The desks had been pushed to the side. Wooden chairs and easels were arranged haphazardly around the space and there were canvases lined up against the well-lit window sill. The group of students who had worked so hard to paint the art stood by them. The room was full of the unique smell that came with oil paintings and even though Izumiko had entered the room, none of the students turned towards her.

Did I come to the art room for some reason?...

Izumiko vaguely considered that there could be another group participating in the school festival that the student government didn’t know about. That must have been the reason why she had come here. Still…

Somehow, she didn’t think whatever was going on had to do with art. A forgotten part of herself was shocked by the situation at hand. She shook her head as she turned around to exit the door and try again.

No sooner had she taken a step towards the door when everything went white around her.

Izumiko might have had made the sudden decision to go back but now even the door she had stepped through was gone. There was nothing to the left or right of her, nor was there anything above or below. She couldn’t see anything, almost as if her eyes were covered by white mist.

Her first thought was that she was suffering from anemia again. She recalled the dream she had seen in the nurse’s office. An invisible spiral of wind had raged around her and she had felt it against her body. That time had carried the same feeling as where she was now although there was no wind this time.

As this was her second experience, she had an idea of what would happen. Soon, she would hear the sound of women’s voices—They would go around and around in the wind.

“My lady…”

No, I’m wrong. This isn’t anemia…

Izumiko bit her lip. She couldn’t stand the way she was being led on. She was sure there was something she was supposed to remember.

She couldn’t see her hands but she raised the pointer and middle fingers on both of them and put them together in the way that would call up the protective seal. Her heart would calm as long as she could do this. Once her hands were in position, she began the lattice shaped movements and recited the chant Miyuki had taught her.

When Izumiko made the last resolute line through the air, her sight instantly cleared. She saw that she was standing in the hallway and was almost relieved. But then she realized that didn’t make sense either.

This… How?…

“Huh. You’ve gotten a lot better,” came a voice from behind her.

Izumiko turned around to see Ichijo Takayanagi standing in the hallway behind her.

So he’s showed himself, Izumiko thought.

Her suspicions hadn’t led her astray. Half of her was confused by what was happening right now but her other half wasn’t surprised by what he had done.

Takayanagi wasn’t particularly tall. His narrow eyes grew narrower as he smiled, standing there. His nose was also small and fine. His features were very traditionally Japanese.

“Izumiko, you’ve become very different in these past few months compared to who you were when you had just entered this school. I’ve never seen such a person who could change so quickly. The way you’ve improved so dramatically somehow reminds me of Algernon. Do you know him? Algernon?”

“I don’t.”

“Flowers for Algernon. It’s my favorite novel.”

She had never heard of it. Refusing to comment on something unnecessary, Izumiko ignored the topic. He had spoken of who she had been right after arriving at the school and this made her angry. Right now, she didn’t want to think of the time where she had been so frightened of Takayanagi that she hadn’t even been able to step into his presence.

“What is this?” she asked. “It’s got to be magic. Is there something you don’t want people to see in the cooking prep room?”

“It’s not hidden from the normal students. It’s only a problem if one of Mayura Souda’s posse sees it.”

“So you’re using dangerous magic again,” Izumiko said, glaring at his pale face. If there was one thing that made her angry about him, it was that he looked like her former familiar, Wamiya. Even now that Wamiya had changed, it was still something she could easily admit to.

“Why are you calling spirits to the school? What do you get out of showing people ghosts? I don’t understand you at all, Takayanagi.”

Takayanagi listened to Izumiko’s criticism calmly.

“That’s because I don’t want you to understand me,” he said. “It’s nothing dangerous. It only becomes so if you interfere with and try to counteract it. I don’t understand you either. What is the point of you working with Mayura even though I clearly invited you to join me? I don’t want to see you go through anything painful. I’ll let you join me even now.”

“Before, did you mean that it would be alright if Mayura saw what you’re hiding?”

“She isn’t very perceptive.”

Takayanagi’s manner suddenly became spiteful. “I knew from the beginning that she and I would be incompatible. She’s come so far but I guess I have to let those two brothers of hers ruin her. I think humans who are smart but still can’t see what’s in front of them are truly pitiful. But I suppose it was inevitable.”

Izumiko did feel the urge to shrink away. She didn’t care what he said about her but she couldn’t forgive him for speaking ill of Mayura.

“Takayanagi, I don’t think you’re in a position to pity her. There’s almost nothing stronger than Masumi. Even I know that for sure. He’s the one who’s dangerous to interfere with. You realized that before, didn’t you?”

“Izumiko, you’ve lost your chance,” he responded coldly. It sounded as if he had already made up his mind long before this. “Even if you throw yourself at me and beg, it’s too late.”

“I’m not going to beg.”

“Hey, how are Mayura and I so different? The magic we use is awfully similar to each other’s. Are you really under the impression that Mayura alone remains guiltless?”

His tone changed as he asked his questions. He sounded amused but also genuinely curious. Izumiko was lost for the right words but all the same, she opened her mouth to respond.

“You really did kill your pets to make shikigami, didn’t you? Mayura says that’s unforgivable. I think so too.”

Takayanagi’s eyes narrowed into threadlike slits. Now he truly wasn’t laughing.

“I’ve always loved animals. But I wonder how you and your friends will interpret that fact to your benefit. Algernon was the mouse’s name in the book. No matter how many times I read it, it’s still a good story.”

His voice did not waver even a little. However, Izumiko took this as an indication of what Takayanagi had done. It would not have been strange for him to have started something already.

Preparing to defend herself again, Izumiko felt somewhat bad about what she had said. She could sense that she had hurt his feelings. She had said everything she had because he was so arrogant, but maybe she had said a little too much.

Takayanagi lowered his arms which had been crossed tightly over his chest until now. The fingers of his dominant hand were moving ever so slightly. Izumiko’s breath caught for an instant and then a third voice broke through the silence.

“Hello! I’m trying get by here.”

Karin Hasegawa was standing in the hallway. She brought the retrieved folder up to her mouth and said to Izumiko, “I’m going to go back to the classroom. Don’t forget to keep our secrets. Remember, what we were talking about before.”

Izumiko was surprised but Takayanagi seemed to be even more so. His expression was disbelieving. His narrow eyes widened. Judging from her behavior, Karin had not seen what was going on in the hallway. Izumiko guessed that there was some sort of magic involved.

Karin had already turned around and was hurrying to the stairs. Izumiko didn’t even have the time to tell her to wait.

At the edge of the stairs, the girl disappeared in an instant, revealing Miyuki in her place. He leisurely made his way back down the hallway. His expression was calm and suggested that he wouldn’t even hurt a fly.

As Izumiko responded in shock, Takayanagi let out a frustrated sigh. “What was the point of that?” he asked Miyuki. “Did you get yourself confused with some random girl?”

“Even if I had joined the fight, you wouldn’t have stopped. It’s possible that my actual appearance could have stirred things up more than necessary.”

Miyuki’s tone was composed. He stopped and gazed at Takayanagi. “Now that there are three of us, don’t you think your bad temper will be a disadvantage for you?”

Takayanagi paused for a moment but then his manner relaxed. It seemed as if it took a great effort for him to act in such a way.

“I didn’t know you could do something like that, Sagara. I see now. You two are steadily increasing your powers.” After regaining his composure enough to smile, he said, “Thank you for informing me of this before the game begins. In a way, you are allowing me to make preparations. I know that the two of you aren’t normal students but I think you should be a little smarter about what you do.”

Without waiting for a response, Takayanagi walked away from the cooking preparation room.

Izumiko and Miyuki watched him walk down the main staircase, presumably to return to Class 1-A. They did not move until he was out of sight.

After a moment, Izumiko asked Miyuki, “...How did you know I was here?”

“I don’t really want to talk about it but it felt like Wamiya could sense what was going on,” Miyuki answered somewhat grudgingly.

So that’s why he didn’t want to talk about it, Izumiko thought.

She took this as a statement saying that he was still unwilling to accept his connection with Wamiya. Because of this, she felt as if she couldn’t say she was happy he had come. And she knew it would have been out of character for Miyuki to say he was glad she was safe. Unlike when it came to talking with Yukimasa, Izumiko had an idea of what his son likely wouldn’t say.

Far from looking concerned, Miyuki currently looked annoyed.

“Hey, Izumiko. Don’t be so easy to take advantage of. His last threat was definitely real.”

Admittedly, Izumiko thought she had been reckless as well. The last thing she had said to Takayanagi had definitely been unnecessary.

“We didn’t know this but the chemistry club is planning to launch a hot air balloon. When I went to check it out, I went through a door and I think I triggered some sort of spell…”

“Takayanagi was pretty surprised too, wasn’t he? But he’s been doing a good job keeping a low profile all this time while he’s been working,” Miyuki said. There was no optimism in his voice. “Now that this has happened, let’s make a plan. We can’t be unsure of where we stand in all of this. I think it’s safe to say that he’s declared war on us. On top of that, we can’t disguise ourselves as powerless anymore.”

Izumiko couldn’t say anything. Instead, she asked, “Do you know the book, Flowers for Algernon? Takayanagi said it’s his favorite book.”

“So he’s the kind of person who’d read that book, huh,” Miyuki said. His voice sounded strange. Izumiko automatically raised her gaze to his face at his quick reaction.

“Have you read it too, Sagara?”

“It’s a pretty old scifi story. I think it’s by Daniel Keyes.”

Izumiko absently wondered if the two boys had more in common than she and Miyuki did. It was an odd feeling. She wanted to say that she would try reading the book but she couldn’t bring herself to put together the words. Miyuki would probably misunderstand the sentiment after what had just happened.

“…We haven’t talked about what sort of books we like before now.”

“Are you saying it’s an important topic?”

“I found out what Takayanagi’s favorite book is today. But I still don’t know what your favorite book is.”

“You’ve never said what your favorite book is,” Miyuki quickly countered. “What’s your favorite book?”

After pausing to consider this, Izumiko replied, “Um… The Pillow Book maybe, I guess.”

Miyuki was silent. He remained quiet.

He might have been almighty when it came to exams but it was becoming increasingly clear to Izumiko that he didn’t read the classics.

Giving up, Izumiko sighed and said, “I think I understand a little why Takayanagi and the people working with him summoned the spirits to the academy.”

Miyuki looked at her, his gaze sharp. He might not have been able to comment on Sei Shonagon but he could understand what she was saying now.

“Tell me.”

“I think they’re trying to make an alternate reality like in Togakushi. If they managed to do it, wouldn’t there be some overlap between realities after they made one?”

Continuing to gaze at her, Miyuki summed up what she had been trying to put together. “In other words you’re saying that they brought the deceased spirits from the Hachioji Castle ruins here to act as summoning objects in creating the alternate dimension?”

Izumiko only nodded. Even she felt overwhelmed by the clarity created by Miyuki’s words. Still, it was most likely the truth.

“This definitely seems to be turning into a Warring States event where anything’s possible,” Miyuki whispered, his voice quiet.

The two of them were keenly beginning to sense that things could never return to the way they had been before. Regardless of what was planned, Houjou Academy’s school festival would not be uneventful.

Continued in Red Data Girl 5: My Longest Day of School

#rdg #red data girl #rdg world heritage girl #translation #rdg 4 #rdg 4 week 30

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newx-menfan · 6 years

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Part Three: Surge and Other Writers

In Part Two I talked about Noriko in Kyle and Yost, and how her breakup fits with a lot of her previous trauma while being homeless and the numerous trauma she experienced after M-Day…

As cruel as Noriko’s handling of the breakup, it makes sense when you consider the fact that Noriko is afraid of losing people after experiencing extreme amounts of loss.

*After the dissolution of the X-Men, we see Surge in Colorado with Dani Moonstar in ‘Divided We Stand’. (Even de-powered, Dani is probably the only consistently caring mentor of the X-Men.)

Noriko…isn’t doing well. Finally crumbling under the weight of leadership, her breakup with David, unresolved trauma from her past, more than likely untreated PTSD, struggling with current experiences with trauma, survivors guilt, and the immense responsibility placed upon her as a TEENAGER-Noriko is falling apart.

Survivors guilt is something people experience when they’ve survived a life threatening situation that others might not have. It can also be a symptom of PTSD.&lt

Symptoms include-having flashbacks, feeling irritable, difficulty sleeping, feeling immobilized or disconnected, decreased motivation, feelings of helplessness, intense sense of fear, headaches, stomach aches, palpitations, and suicidal feelings.

Surge showcases many of these symptoms in this one shot, along with voicing feelings of regret for surviving when others didn’t.

While I talked about symptoms of PTSD with Julian, I will list them again here: persistent sadness, suicidal thoughts, explosive or inhibited anger. Forgetting events, reliving traumatic events, disassociation, feeling of helplessness, shame, guilt, stigma, feeling different from other human beings, distorted perceptions of the perpetrator, isolating oneself, distrust of others, repeated search of a rescuer, loss of faith, sense of hopelessness of despair.

Noriko showcased these symptoms BEFORE M-Day in DeFilippis/Weir ; especially distrust of others, feeling different from her peers, isolation, shame, stigmatization, and disassociation through drug abuse. Noriko also received little to no counseling for possible trauma that had occurred from neglect and homelessness.

Another big sign showcased- repeated search of a rescuer. In many ways, Noriko’s basis for getting in a relationship with David was because of his initial kindness towards her. This becomes especially apparent in Kyle and Yost, when Noriko uses her relationship to cope with the responsibility thrust upon her and the constant bombardment of trauma the students are experiencing. This leads to guilt, because David is seemingly staying at the school FOR Noriko’s benefit…

At the end of this story, Noriko realizes that her recent choices and actions have been compromised by her emotions and fear of being hurt.

We later see Noriko have a small role in X-Force; where she’s kidnapped by the Leper Queen and later seen watching over Josh while he’s on bed rest (with Dr. Nemesis commenting on Julian and Noriko’s protectiveness of the X-Kids).

*After that…Noriko’s representation takes a nosedive.

In Nation X, we see Noriko berating the fact that de-powered Jubilee is visiting Utopia. While you can argue Noriko might be jealous that she WASN’T one of the de-powered mutants and is still required to use her gauntlets, OR that Noriko is simply reacting this way because she’s transferring her fear over David staying at the mansion onto Jubilee and the danger non-powered individuals are in at the mansion; this felt like the writer was representing Noriko as ‘the Mean Girl’ to give Jubilee conflict.

This happens A LOT to Noriko anymore; she is regularly utilized in a way to give cheap conflict for another character. Instead of it being about character growth, like her interaction with Dust in Academy X; she is simply used as a prop to create sympathy for another character.

This is problematic: because writers are essentially using a woman of color with a history of possible mental illness and homelessness in a stereotypical role of ‘High School Mean Girl’- a trope that perpetuates the idea of girls being incapable of getting along because they view themselves as competitors of male attention. It is stripping Noriko of complex character development to make her fit a one dimensional character archetype, so other characters can be propped up as good and deserving of sympathy.

I also feel there is also an element of slut shaming subtly being hinted at; because Noriko tends to dress more revealingly and engaged in sexual relations with Prodigy when they were together- I personally don’t think it was by accident that Noriko was chosen by many writers to be the X-Men’s 'Mean Girl’.

This pops up again in Liu’s X-23 solo series.

I will say, in Liu’s defense, Surge and Laura don’t seem to really get along much in Kyle and Yost. Laura is shown really only spending time with Sooraya and Cessily. When David is injured, while Noriko purposely asks Laura since she knows Laura will tell her the truth; yet Noriko also seems a little angry towards Laura FOR giving her exactly what she wanted. When Noriko kisses Julian, it does cause Laura to run out of the room upset because Laura had developed feelings for Julian. Noriko is shown making fun of Laura for her crush on Julian in David’s version of the Danger Room. Noriko is also heavily shocked when seeing Laura kill the Purifiers, probably causing her to become slightly afraid of Laura.

Noriko’s reaction to Laura bring on X-Force does make sense, in the fact that Laura was placed in the school to work PAST her violent brainwashing by the Facility. Noriko was afraid of Laura when they first met and even while working on a team together. She currently views the adults as essentially using the students for their own means; so she would be angry at Cyclops for using Laura as a weapon and not caring about Laura’s own mental health. Laura WAS on her team, which for Noriko’s extreme sense of responsibility, means Laura’s safety is HER responsibility.

There’s also the element of jealousy; when Noriko first came to the school, she was responsible for herself. There were very few people other than David, Cyclops, Dani, and later Forge helping her. Laura is consistently provided help from others (Jubilee, Gambit, Ororo, Julian, ect…). While part of this stems from Laura’s immense trauma and ties to Logan, to Noriko this is something she’s rarely provided. Cyclops ends up disappointing her, most of her friends are killed or de-powered, her mentor is de-powered and is no longer in the position to provide much support to her, and she ends up lashing out at David because of her own fears. Despite having VERY similar backgrounds (homelessness, neglect, trauma, struggling to cope with their own emotions), one is treated very differently than the other by the adults.

In many ways the New X-Men develop a 'them vs. us’ mentality with the adults. This is understandable considering pretty much all the students have been let down or deprived of adequate care. In many ways, the adults BECOME the antagonists of this series despite that more than likely not being the writers intent. In Noriko’s eyes, Laura has sided with the adults by joining X-Force. And in Noriko’s defense, that is accurate to Laura’s character motivation of this series; Laura has grown past all of her previous friendships and the school. This is also true for ANW and Avengers Academy-Laura has chosen the adults 'side’.

There’s also the possibility of jealousy around Laura and Julian.

Noriko’s relationship is steadily caving in on itself, as Noriko becomes more and more afraid for David’s safety and feeling more and more guilty for her role in David choosing to stay. It’s more than likely Noriko would be jealous of Julian and Laura’s budding relationship, that from Noriko’s viewpoint, has very little conflict since both Julian and Laura are powerful mutants. The only complication to their relationship is Laura’s history of trauma and Julian’s ability to provide support for Laura.

As I stated in Part Two- Julian also starts to fill in for David as Noriko’s second in command and main ally on the team. He essentially replaces the void David left as role of rescuer for Noriko a bit; which is why she reacts badly when Julian is almost killed by Lady Deathstrike, besides her own guilt of pushing the team to attack the Purifiers. In many ways, this is why I think Noriko CHOSE to kiss Julian, besides the fact that David was regularly bullied by him in the past-She’s transferring David’s role onto Julian. Laura is a threat to that, because Noriko might lose the person she has designated as 'rescuer’ to Laura.

Noriko repeatedly is shown to look for other ways to cope and avoidance of her emotions- it’s shown through her drug use in DeFillipis/Weir and her relationship with David in Kyle/Yost. While she is afraid of getting close to others; Noriko is also afraid of being alone with her own emotions. If Julian leaves; Noriko will truly be somewhat on her own, both in terms of leadership and emotional support. She will essentially lose every person who previously grounded her.

There’s also the question of whether or not Noriko developed romantic feelings FOR Julian… While I personally DON’T think that was the case; that Noriko’s relationship is more emotional dependence and mutual traumatic experiences than physical attraction, I do think other readers could make an argument for it.

The problem with Liu, is Noriko’s reasoning isn’t really explored in these pages; Noriko’s role in this series is solely to make Laura seem sympathetic and bullied. Much like Julian is in this series, Noriko is a tool to showcase Laura’s growth. Again, this series has mismatched representation of trauma and mental illness; the chronic message being that only some people are deserving of help: Noriko nor Julian deserve Ororo’s or Gambit’s concern despite showcasing signs of mental illness and PTSD as well as Laura.

This continues in Gage’s Avenger’s Academy, with Surge being 'the Mean Girl’ again for Laura when the X-students are being held against their will during AvX.

Never mind the fact that Noriko IS RIGHT . Never mind the fact that Laura is ALLOWING her old friends and teammates to be held against their will for something they MIGHT DO. Never mind the fact that the Avenger’s have a shotty history with mutant affairs (where the HELL were they during Genosha?! That was a WAY bigger tragedy than the town that caused 'Civil War’, yet NO AVENGER IN SIGHT).

Sure, Laura DOES change her opinion-LATER . But you can’t really blame a lot of them for being angry or feeling like Laura is siding AGAINST mutants.

Again, this whole story is structured as Noriko being a plot device for Laura’s character development and Noriko being framed unsympathetically.

When looking at her past in DeFilippis and Weir, Kyle and Yost, and other writers; I think she often times gets unfair hate from fans. What I enjoy about Noriko, is getting to see her flaws and struggle to move past her trauma. Say what you want about Noriko; but she always rises up to the responsibility given to her, even if she never wanted it in the first place.

Where I said Julian was a story about falling through the cracks; Noriko’s is a story much like Laura’s, in the fact that it’s someone trying to move past large amounts of trauma and having previous trauma affecting current choices. It’s about someone with a gigantic amount of responsibility thrown on their shoulders at a young age.

Sadly, making Noriko 'the Mean Girl’ has stuck in her character development. Where DeFilippis and Weir showcased her as a girl working through her own problematic opinions and learning to trust again, and Kyle and Yost showcased Noriko as a untrained leader thrust into a world of responsibility in one of the greatest disasters and crumbling under the stress and fear; modern writers have instead turned Noriko into a device for other characters, ignoring Noriko’s own history with neglect, mental illness, drug abuse, and homelessness.

Sources:

Homelessness:

*https://www.dosomething.org/us.facts/11-facts-about-homeless-teens

*https://endsexualviolence.org/resources/get-the-facts/homelessness/

*https://vawnet.org/material/no-safe-place-sexual-assault-lives-homeless-women

Psychology:

*https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/hide-and-seek/201205/our-hieraechy-needs

Feminism and Intersectionality:

*https://terraincognitamedia.com/features/what-is-white-feminism2018

Military and Trauma:

* https://sites.psu.edu/aspsy/2015/02/27/social-identity-in-the-military/

* https://www.ted.com/talks/sebastian_junger_why_veterans_miss_war/details

Survivors Guilt:

*https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-empowerment-diary/201801/what-everybody-should-know-about-survivors-guilt

PTSD:

*https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/ptsd-overview/complex-ptsd.asp

( I also used other sources and TV tropes to analyze different tropes in media)

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