Some More Japanese Puns and Where is Soothing? (Patreon)

First, I'll share some more Japanese pun sculptures from Iwasaki-san. Then, if you're interested in an update, I'll post that below.

1) Any guesses to what the play on words is on that cover photo? 

Ready?

It's an akarui miira/明るいミイラ, a bright, cheerful mummy. But the play comes from the phrase akarui mirai/明るい未来　a bright, cheerful future. 

Cute!

2) What is Ultraman doing?

He's not just Ultraman. Urutoraman can be a homonym for uru tora man/売るとらマン, uru being to sell, tora meaning tiger, and man being man. Ultraman, a man who sells tigers. 500 yen! 

3) This one made me laugh when I figured it out. What is going on here? 

Looks like Sadako from the movie Ring, right? Well, it's Sadako, or Sa~, dakou/さ〜、抱こう。Or something like, "Well, let me hug you!"

*snort*

Anyway, I thought those were adorable. I know there are quite a few Japanese language learners and even translators here so I thought I'd share.

Update on things: 

Holy cow. Are we knackered. Richard is non stop on a video for the Patreon page that introduces me and both podcasts. I thought it would be like slapping some photos up on iMovie, but dude's got chops and making it fun and fancy and serious woah for the earbuds in Buster Keaton's ear (you'll understand when you see it). So that's one of the many, many things he's working on.

All three stories for the launch of Soothing Stories are recorded, edited, got intros and outros and one has music/sound bed. Poor Julyan is working six days a week, sometimes 15-hour days for an abborhent boss and trying to get out of that situation. We're trying to help, but raging pandemic and all of our financial situations being what they are isn't making that easy. First, I want to make sure he's okay. He really wants to be able to spend more time working on the music and atmosphere for the stories. Hoping for some good change on the work from for him. 

I'm rewriting all the copy for all the websites, going to retell a legend about Mount Fuji for this month's Bedtime Story, going to start sketching postcards soon, and filling envelopes, too. I did hear at least one arrived safely and can't tell you how happy that made me. Oh, I have also been spending a lot of time working on a story for a haunted places anthology I was invited to be a part of. It's been awhile since I've written a top to bottom all my own story (not riffing off a folktale), so I had to stretch those writer muscles some.

But all that aside, we're so close to getting the new podcast launched...so close. 

Thank you, All, XO,

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