OLD FRIENDS

Monday, August 11. 2008

It was with unmitigated delight that I read the response from Ki Oshiro to last week’s blog. I’ll admit that part of the impetus for constructing this receiver into the human world was to possibly make contact with the two friends that Fenton and I had made from that side. (From the reactions of others, it appears that our meeting was depicted in the webcomic that everyone keeps mentioning.)
One of the things Ki said before she and Nick left was to watch for the code name ‘pookel.’ That would identity any message as positively being from her. I’m not sure about the significance of the word, but she mentioned it after I told her that Dad and Kell had met online without knowing their identities.
So, Ki! (Sorry about addressing you in a public forum but so far I’m not able to conduct private communications through the portals.) You refer to Nick as your husband, so you’re married! Congratulations! Sorry to hear about the wedding not going smoothly; I guess every wedding has its own drama. The important thing is the end result.
There’s drama aplently here. Coney’s protective instincts have come to be quite powerful, to the point of saving her distracted grandmother from a deadly predator. Gran professes having had a change of heart about Coney’s omnivorous diet, but I know from experience we’ll have to see about that. Gran is very set in her ways. Still, her best friend now is the wolf Elanor, so she can change. (Of course, Gran probably doesn’t admit to herself that they’re friends.)
We just returned from the big anime convention, where we had a blast. We went in costume: I was Kiki the witch from “Kiki’s Delivery Service” and Fenton was her cat Jiji. Fenton was able to make it appear that our broom was doing the actual flying,

Do you have that movie over there?

Posted by Lindesfarne at 13:07 | Comments (39) | Trackbacks (0)

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I haven't seen that movie myself, but I do know we've got it here. And thanks to the famous webcomic, I know you have "My Neighbor Totoro". Both our worlds are lucky to have Hayao Miyazaki.

#1 Tim Tylor (Link) on 2008-08-11 13:39 (Reply)

Wow, I'm a Miyazaki fan myself, what species is Hayao Miyazaki in your world? I'd like to see some of his movies with all animal casts, do you think it's possible to send DVDs from your world through the portal? (just kidding, probably way too complicated at this point)

#2 Bijan on 2008-08-11 13:54 (Reply)

Mr. Miyazaki is a kitsune over here, although I assumed he'd be an airborne species after seeing all the references to flying in his work. But then, even land-based species can be fascinated by flight...hedgehogs, for example.

And yes, simply getting text through the portal is challenging enough. Dad compares this to the Internet in the early 1980s.
Totoro rocks!

#3 Lindesfarne Dewclaw on 2008-08-11 14:15 (Reply)

Heh, it's probably similar to the 'net back then (I'm a tech geek from back then - if you can believe this, back then it was uncool to be a geek and tech-savvy! Imagine that!) Those early nerds were pioneers, and I consider you a pioneer too!

If there's one thing we have the humans to thank for is that your curiosity of them (well, originally being one and all) got you to read our postings and got us contact with you more than just on blog-day!

#3.1 Ken D. Lion on 2008-08-11 15:22 (Reply)

So, if Mr. Miyazaki is a kitsune, was a kitsune still one of the minor antagonists in the movie Pom Poko?

...Wait a minute, the major antagonists in Pom Poko were humans...do you even have the movie Pom Poko over there? It was a movie about tanuki ("raccoon dogs") trying to protect their natural habitat from the encroaching human urban areas.

Rob in Japan

#3.2 Robaato on 2008-08-11 15:53 (Reply)

I am really happy that the portal is finally working! I havent had much time to get on because, like you, I am doing work for my colleges science department. Of course im not as smart as you but still my work makes me happy. Also I was wondering what types of books do you read? Like Harry Potter or do you lean more towards the philosohpical books like Blink or Aristotle and a platapus walk into a bar.

As my girlfriend calls me her 'crazy little fox-bat'

Jak

#4 Jak Trina on 2008-08-11 14:27 (Reply)

Actually, it's "Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar...." And yes, it matters for the punchline: The bartender gives them a funny look, and Plato says, "What can I say? She looked better in the cave."

#4.1 Classic Steve (Link) on 2008-08-12 10:37 (Reply)

Nice to see that there are anime fans (and anime) over there. That does seem to be a constant across the multiverse though. I have a question, since Domain bears a few similarities to the city of Atlanta/Terminus, do you have the local anime convention Momocon in your world?

#5 Nifar on 2008-08-11 15:33 (Reply)

Yes, there are a number of cons in the area, and the one you mentioned on the Tech campus is included. The next local con, of course, is in a few weeks: Enormous-Reptile-Con on Labor Day.
I read all sorts of books; my tastes are wide ranging. I'm currently reading Breaking Dawn, about another nocturnal species.

#6 Lindesfarne Dewclaw on 2008-08-11 15:42 (Reply)

Right, I'd almost forgot about that one! I did it once a while back, and found the aisles in the art show to be a little too tight (as a predator, I like to have some space; I admit to getting a little jumpy when I don't have quite enough room to pounce).

Will you be going to PhilCon? I'll be there, and if you're going to be there I'll look for you, if that's okay. Like Ken D. Lion, I wouldn't want to intrude.

Great costuming by the way!

#6.1 Terri the Tiger on 2008-08-12 10:58 (Reply)

Hi! In a previous thread, one of your correspondents mentioned a theory that some writers seem to be able to psychically tap into other realities to inspire their work. This theory has been advanced by many folks over here, but the one I'm most familiar with is a famous writer of science-fiction and super-hero comic books named Gardner Fox (despite the name, he was human!) who was active from the 1940's through the 1960's. He is probably most famous for writing the "Justice League of America" comics, in which the heroes had a number of adventures in which they visited alternate universes.

Since you have "Batman" movies in your world, I'm guessing that you probably also have "JLA" comic books. Was there a "Gardner Fox" in your world, too?

Speaking of comic books, the same publisher who employed Mr. Fox also published a series of comics by one Scott Shaw! (and, yes, he spells his name with an exclamation point) which tapped into a different alternate universe...a multi-species world much like your own, but with a group of super-heroes called "The Zoo Crew", led by one "Captain Carrot", a super-powered rabbit. Any of this have analogues in your world?

Best wishes!

#7 cfhuber on 2008-08-11 15:43 (Reply)

I am glad your grandmas are getting along. Mothers-in-law are a standard joke here, there was even a song by Ernie K. Doe about it (and I date myself here). Look up the Lyrics on your internet...if our worlds are as parallel as I think they are you should find it. Yes, I saw Kiki's Delivery Service. Do you really have kitsunes over there, or are they mythical?
I wonder if you have our "furry" animation there. A famous hedgehog here in fantasy is named Sonic. He cannot fly, although he can run at Mach 1. And his sidekick Tails is a kitsune!. If you have him, what species is Robotnik/Eggman?

#8 Thomas Mazanec (Link) on 2008-08-11 15:47 (Reply)

Yes, I'm well aware of Sonic.

Very well aware. As for the other comics questions, that would be Rudy's area of expertise. I'm a fan, but not as deeply into it as he is. Rudy would know who Garner Fox is.
Kitsunes do exist here, but they are rare.
I did see Pom Poko, but the encroaching species were canines who claimed territory by...well, the way canines claim territory.

#9 Lindesfarne Dewclaw on 2008-08-11 18:21 (Reply)

Robotnik/Eggman, here, is of course a human (usually ridiculously obese, although some of the more recent games show him as having lost a considerable amount of weight). Some storylines such as from licensed comic books, have him as completely human, cyborg, or android (Most of the animated series have black eyes with red irises, suggesting cybernetic optics, and at least one comic book arc shows Robotnik constructed several different robot versions of himself, one of which took over after the human Robotnik's defeat).

Anyway, what species is Eggman in your world?

#9.1 Matthew Carpenter (Link) on 2008-08-12 01:59 (Reply)

Glad to know you enjoyed the convention on your side of the portal, Lindesfarne. Ya know, part of me wonders if you and Fenton go to any other conventions. We know from a sort of outside perspective that your brother and his girlfriend enjoy going to cons and cosplaying... have the four of you ever concidered actually preforming in a convention's Masquerade?

#10 Sean on 2008-08-11 19:17 (Reply)

Glad you had fun at the anime convention. I used to go to them, and yes they were fun. Lots of funny costumes, and some talented artists.

A girl I dated got me into anime for a while. Currently her big favorite is Naturo.

#11 Bixyl Shuftan (Link) on 2008-08-11 20:08 (Reply)

"Currently her big favorite is Naturo."

Naruto. (Not a huge fan, but I like the Action-Adventure/Comedy aspects; and it's a neat way to spend a Saturday night.)

#11.1 Reynard on 2008-08-12 21:27 (Reply)

It would be hard for Fenton and I to do a performance with Rudy and Fiona. While I like Fiona, Rudy and I really have two different perspectives on the world.

#12 Lindesfarne Dewclaw on 2008-08-11 20:12 (Reply)

In answer to your top question,

I have seen Kiki's Delivery service, and it is interesting to see that you have such a wonderful animator as Miyazaki.

Though I have a question,

Do you have an anime called "The Cat Returns"? I have seen that one, and frankly I have found it to be one of my favorites from Miyazaki,

So, I am wondering, do you have this movie? Or how about Spirited Away?

Also, How big is Science Fiction over there? Do you have Star Trek? How do they protray it?

Here in the Human world it shows a future of no more wars, famines, or racial prejudice... where all of the Earth is united in the exploration of the space frontier.

Just a few questions of my own that I am wondering.

#13 Smith on 2008-08-11 22:44 (Reply)

Although "The Cat Returns" came from Studio Ghibli, Miyazaki did not direct it. He was too busy with "Spirited Away" at that time.

#13.1 Classic Steve (Link) on 2008-08-12 10:45 (Reply)

Yes, we have Star Trek. Once I went to a Star Trek convention with Dad and Rudy. Dad went as James T. Kirk (who, in the series, was portrayed by a very active bunny rabbit). I went in street clothes but I won the costume contest anyway because from the back I looked like a tribble.
I haven't seen The Cat Returns, but Spirited Away is one of my all-time favorites.

#14 Lindesfarne Dewclaw on 2008-08-11 22:55 (Reply)

Capt Kirk is a Rabbit??? Is Picard a Bald Eagle??? lol

#14.1 Dierna on 2008-08-13 03:23 (Reply)

Yes he is, and one of our best actors to boot. He's so awesome, whenever I see a Next Gen rerun I stop chasing birds for at least two days afterward. blush

#14.1.1 Terri the Tiger on 2008-08-14 10:57 (Reply)

A Tribble?

LOL

That is funny, so, what are Klingons? Some kind of canine I am guessing? and James Kirk as a Bunny Rabbit? That is a surprise.

Ah, Yes, Spirited Away, that is what got me hooked on Miyazaki to be honest, a very touching story in my opinion. I really enjoyed it.

#15 Smith on 2008-08-11 23:44 (Reply)

Klingons are aliens, so there's a bit of make-up involved. They're usually played by rather powerful-looking canines, but I think the dying emperor in the Next Generation was played by a rhino (and a fine job of it he did too!).

#15.1 Terri the Tiger on 2008-08-12 23:52 (Reply)

That was amazing, how lil' Coney took on the beast by herself! I cannot wait until we see her grown up a little bit more.

#16 Jumanji (Link) on 2008-08-12 01:26 (Reply)

Glad you had some fun! It is so cool to read the blogs and get response!
Since we are on the topic of movies. One that has been in my head is this...is there westerns over there? They were very popular here in the old days. If so...what was John Wayne? As a history buff just trying to figure it out. If you did what did the cowboys do?
Another thing that has perked my intrest about the portals. Am curious if some of the effigy mounds that are found here in america are from your world. For instance. Serpent mound and there are some that are bears. As a scientist am curious about your take on this. I know it is not your expertiece but am curious! Is there mounds like that in your world? I keep wondering about certain artifacts that has been unearthed and just thinking outside the box like a bad archeologist! lol!
Have a great week Lindesfarne!

#17 Ghost Rider on 2008-08-12 01:29 (Reply)

Ugh. Westerns...the violent gene. Seems like each and every one of them had the same core plot. The heroes were always...and I do mean always...long horned bulls. The longer the horn, the more screen time they had. They always...yea, always...came into these dusty, small towns to gather up cows to herd. And, always...always, there was some gang of K-9's causing trouble for the townfolks and/or the bulls, whom were always identified as cowboys. The K-9's were darn near always doberman pinschers whom played henchmen. Only the bravest of westerns denied the stereotype of always having the leader be a bad cowboy. Two out of every three always had the bails of hay in transit being stolen and placed in hiding by the dobbie gang. There was always a claw on claw fight scene at the tavern. And, at the end, there always was a showdown in the dusty street between the lead cowboy and the gang's cowboy leader. They would always take a counted number of paces, turn around, exchange insults and charge each other, inducing multiple horn blows until the bad bull's blood stained the street and the undertaker ran up to pull the dead body off the street. Stereotypes ran so rampant in westerns, that plot was usually the only defining difference between the lot. Though, there was this one director who insisted that everyone had to use guns over teeth, claws and horns. But, seriously...who wants to see the two sides dropping each other from loud, distant noises when the camera can capture thirty minute scenes of violent gore at a time?

#17.1 jup-reindeer on 2008-08-12 07:47 (Reply)

sounds like ours jup...never figured bulls..i imagend the good guys being horses and the bad guys being bulls...guess i was wrong. thanks Jup!
the really nitty gritty question is the arky questions..

#17.1.1 Ghost Rider on 2008-08-12 15:41 (Reply)

Horses were always good guys getting in great shots. Mail carriers. They could always get that vital message through, just in time. Unless the native buffalo or the K-9 gang were trying to interfere. Then, we'd always get this dust raising scene of a great chase going. Equally impressive were the mid-gallop transfers of mail bags that is only rivaled by an Olympic sport race.

The elderly horses had a role to play, too. Piano player.

#17.1.1.1 jup-reindeer on 2008-08-13 06:30 (Reply)

I have another interesting question, do you think it's possible that animal characters that exist as fiction in our world are real in your world and human characters that exist as fiction in your world are real in our world? Or is fiction the same on both sides?

#18 Bijan on 2008-08-12 01:57 (Reply)

Lindesfarne, I noticed that you said you can't access our internet in one of your responses. I have another theory concerning this.

If our worlds are, in fact, more or less identical, then it stands to reason that there would be identical IP addresses and domain names, although the content of a site may be different.

As such, you can't access our internet because most human sites have equivalents in your world, and your computer defaults to sites from your world.

The reason we can interact here is because this site has no human equivalent, and therefore is visible on both sides of the portal. I'm sure there are some obscure human sites that show up on your side as well, which again balances the "Dimensional Equation", as it were.

And yes, I have seen many of Miyazaki's works. my personal favorite is one called Princess Mononoke.

#19 Tsukos on 2008-08-12 02:20 (Reply)

Pretty cool with Fenton pulling the flying broom trick.
We've got an upcoming convention this month, Dragon*Con. I'm going to be attending it, and doing a Doctor Who costume, the 7th Doctor.

Do they have Doctor Who over on your side, Lindesfarne? If so, I'm curious if the actors have been all different species, or if his name is kind of a pun and he's an owl.

#20 Trey (Link) on 2008-08-12 03:05 (Reply)

This is my last post until Sunday; it seems I can have one day's worth of human contact before instinct loss becomes a factor. Yes, we have Dr. Who over here, and he's been a number of species although never an owl.

Tsukos's theory of why we can't access each other's Internet is intriguing.
I don't know about the fiction vs. real question. All I know is that I'm real on both sides of the portal.
See you next week! I'll have news about Dad's appointment to the Rabbit Council!

#21 Lindesfarne Dewclaw on 2008-08-12 03:17 (Reply)

Hello, Lindesferne:

All this chatter about anime, comics and movie parallels is turning my brain into swiss cheese. Let's see if we can't raise the intellectual bar a bit, eh?

From our reading, we've learned quite a bit about your world, mainly through the context of your family and friends. One aspect of your world I find interesting is your societys' disdain for using personal firearms, as they give the appearance of weakness on the user's part. I'm curious as to far this extends. We know that guns do exists there, but at what point, if any, are they considered acceptable? Do your military forces employ them?

I'm sorry to say that here, weapons are used far too often, and not just by the military. As dangerous as your world can be, I've no doubt ours is even more so.

#22 Mortar on 2008-08-12 12:38 (Reply)

"...weapons are used far too often, and not just by the military. As dangerous as your world can be, I've no doubt ours is even more so."

Well, I have yet to see a gun used in anger. Outside the movies and TV, I've only personally seen them used in target shooting and hunting ... unless one counts the ones firing blanks in historical battle reenactments.

Besides conventions, I've gone to a few reenactments as well, the ones with the most participants being Civil War ones. Quite a sight seeing hundreds of replica muskets fired, as well as the occasional cannon (all blanks of course).

#22.1 Bixyl Shuftan (Link) on 2008-08-13 19:10 (Reply)

What world do you live in?(Ironically this phrase could actually have real meaning in this blog) Of course weapons are used in anger, and mostly by civilians who have obtained them in questionable means, mostly gang members and people who have elected themselves as border patrol. Most murder cases are acts of anger; regular people are not willing to kill unless they get really angry.

#22.1.1 Bijan on 2008-08-14 13:49 (Reply)

I didn't say they were never used in anger. I stated I had never seen them used in anger near me outside movies or shows & news reports on TV. Some earlier messages seemed to give the impression humans as a group were in constant worry about their lives.

#22.1.1.1 Bixyl Shuftan (Link) on 2008-08-14 18:46 (Reply)

A, comics and movies... that's what i hear from the young crowd a lot theses days. Not easy for a 39 year old Komodo Dragon to keep up with this stuff.

Amazing how different two places on the globe can be isn't it. Domain and Djakarta are both wonderful places to live. They may not be as big as Singapore. But I love all 3 just the same.

#23 Reptileus Concarna on 2008-08-13 21:17 (Reply)

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