&&this is the right turn, wrong universe--

There is an epic application on Facebook called Nations, and you play a leader who dictates policies and makes decisions about issues that arise within your nation. The issues vary from policies to social policies, to religious problems and general, random problems. All your decisions affect how the country grows, and statistics are included to show whether your country's growing positively or negatively in terms of social freedom, political freedom, education, technology, and other attributes.

It's fun, and doesn't take up more than five minutes per day. An example issue would be like the following:

An oil tanker has wrecked near the shoreline of your country, dumping thousands of tons of crude oil into the waters. Technically, however, the wreck did not happen within national waters, but it is almost certain that it will do damage to the country's environment. Do you:
- Start an initiative to clean up the spill and get people ready to clean the shoreline if the spill reaches the land?
- Initiate a cleanup effort only if the spilled crude oil reaches the beaches in Stella Cadente?
- Since it is not technically your problem until it reaches national waters, tell whoever spilled the oil that they are responsible to clean it up?

You make a choice, and a result is produced. You can receive up to a maximum of only two issues per day. Sometimes your choices will result in bad consequences for you or your nation, or turn out for the better.

Go play it today~!

Here's a short list of songs, since MediaFire's being cruel to me. Or rather, my internet speed.

1. Forever Yours by Sunrise Avenue
http://www.mediafire.com/?02zic6um5yl
2. Again & Again by The Bird And The Bee
http://www.mediafire.com/?oxikz1lx11n
3. Good Morning Sun by Andi
http://www.mediafire.com/?tjmlh3limys
4. Mad Sky by Pierrot
http://www.mediafire.com/?jua2mbflmtj
5. Eleanor by Low Millions
http://www.mediafire.com/?imwj52zz424
6. Mad World by Gary Jules
http://www.mediafire.com/?ommzmwzmgjm
7. High by The Lighthouse Family
http://www.mediafire.com/?odynngj5dhy
8. Arise (Hammer and Funabashi Remix) by Ashkan Fardost and Mike Shiver
http://www.mediafire.com/?wa2nldyw8y7

If any links are broken, be sure to inform me. I'll gladly replace them~

I looked up recommendations for similar manga to some of those I like - and I discovered Psychometrer Eiji. Similar to Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro, minus the sadistic main character and shounen humour, and armed with art that matches that of Tokyo Crazy Paradise and Hana Yori Dango, it's about a boy with the ability of psychometry who aids a female detective to track down criminals. It's quite lovely so far, and I expect good things from this manga.

Also, if you're a Shinsengumi fan like I am, you may like this one-shot about Okita Souji's last days. It's called Because Goodbyes Are Coming Soon and ends with his death. Quite a serious piece without distracting bishounen artwork.

On the other hand, if you're into something more fictional, but equally entertaining and more romance-themed, try Kaze Hikaru. It's about a girl who cross-dresses to get into the Shinsengumi. Great for the Okita fans, once more.

Here they are - my top twenty favourite manga of the moment. I've tried to rank them in order of 'most favourite to subtly cherished', but I believed I've failed at even that. If you haven't read them yet, do so now~! I promise you with all my soul that you won't regret it.

1. Monster by Urasawa Naoki
2. Fullmetal Alchemist by Arakawa Hiromu
3. Boys Next Door by Yuki Kaori
4. Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro by Matsuei Yuusei
5. Liar Game by Kaitani Shinobu
6. Rurouni Kenshin by Watsuki Nobuhiro
7. Peacemaker & Peacemaker Kurogane by Chrono Nanae
8. Pluto by Urasawa Naoki
9. Skip Beat! by Nakamura Yoshiki
10. Death Note by Ohba Tsugumi & Obata Takeshi
11. Dolls by Naked Ape
12. One Piece by Eiichiro Oda
13. Gintama by Hideaki Sorachi
14. Claymore by Yagi Norihiro
15. Earl Cain Series by Yuki Kaori
16. Vampire Knight by Hino Matsuri
17. Hana-Kimi by Nakajo Hisaya
18. Bakuman by Ohba Tsugumi & Obata Takeshi
19. Change123 by Sakaguchi Iku & Iwasawa Shiuri
20. Souten no Koumori by Arakawa Hiromu

By the way, if any of you know where I can find further scans of Dolls by Naked Ape and Peacemaker & Peacemaker Kurogane by Chrono Nanae, please do inform me!

I uploaded these babies on Facebook, so it's not available to everyone. Hence, why I'm posting them here too. I know that V-Day this year is long gone, but these are some of my favourite songs, which I believe fit the theme of love.

PassingAvery's V-Day 2009 Soundtrack
1. "Heavy Starry Chain" by Tommy heavenly6 http://www.mediafire.com/?2qnnz1z1ajn
2. "Pure Shores" by All Saints http://www.mediafire.com/?2dmnwvwmkgm
3. "Wish" by Olivia Lufkin http://www.mediafire.com/?3jtwzfynwmp
4. "Danger" by Etro Anime http://www.mediafire.com/?mwp3e2z5in9
5. "Starless Night" by Olivia Lufkin http://www.mediafire.com/?fgw50duzdq0
6. "Must Be Dreaming" by Frou Frou http://www.mediafire.com/?4o9ngjmmfwn
7. "I'd Rather Be In Love" by Michelle Branch http://www.mediafire.com/?drdazanod5z
8. "Love Today" by Mika http://www.mediafire.com/?dxbyuzretoy
9. "Shh..." by Frou Frou http://www.mediafire.com/?tkobdkd4mfx
10. "You Look So Fine" by Garbage http://www.mediafire.com/?zotijhgmyno
11. "Promises" by Lillix http://www.mediafire.com/?6zzw1itj4tx
12. "#1 Crush" by Garbage http://www.mediafire.com/?lthyg0qwxka
13. "What I Like About You" by Lillix http://www.mediafire.com/?xnvj3jqmnqd
14. "Built To Last" by Melee http://www.mediafire.com/?i2gijdzlojm
15. "Starlight" by Muse http://www.mediafire.com/?yt2wduiztnt
16. "Be With You" by Enrique Iglesias http://www.mediafire.com/?gxnuynjyfqu
17. "Gravity of Love" by Enigma http://www.mediafire.com/?dnklyotbl2e
18. "Close To You" by The Carpenters http://www.mediafire.com/?hjj45dawimz
19. "Tian Xia Wu Shuang" by Jane Zhang Liang Ying http://www.mediafire.com/?lnnxa2gtyji

Have fun. <3 Hope you enjoy them~!

In a previous post or two, I mentioned one of the online manga reading sites called MangaFox. Well, I'd like to bring to attention its upcoming GFX Team - members will be decided through their portfolios (tag walls). It'll be thoroughly based on skill alone, so if you think you're up for it and have the time to commit to MF and our forum graphics, feel free to join.

The application detail threads can be found here and here.

Due Date: 6th April 2009
Members To Be Admitted: 2 [max, for now]

--

Also, on further note, a MangaFox Editorial Team will be started soon. The application information threads will be posted soon.

Yeah, the ones where you click on pages to turn them. Not really for download, unless you right click --> save each page (which is such a hassle, really). For downloads, one of the best sources is probably #lurk on IRC (Google it for details).

I'm loyal to two of them --

The first being OneManga.com - one of the first of its kind. Or rather, probably the most famous online manga reading site to this day. Its updates are very quick, and people flood their servers whenever the Weekly Shounen Jump chapters come out (and this usually results in an immediate server strain).

The second one is MangaFox.com - well known for its immense manga collection (almost everything is there, all freely uploaded by members of the site). It's amazing, especially if you're searching for a manga that OneManga doesn't have. MangaFox is actually the newer sister site of the old time famous animeEDEN.com anime download site. I highly recommend both of these sites. They're run well, have amazing layouts, and have great, lively communities.

Go check them out today~!

I've started rereading some old manga from old times (such as FMA, even though it's still ongoing), and I'd like to recommend some of them that stand out to be (or once did, anyway). Probably the one that really lured me into the world of anime and manga was Rurouni Kenshin. Some of you know it better as the anime series called Samurai X - the one about the legendary Hitokiri Battousai who's currently living in the Meiji Era. I'd say that this one truly left its impression on me, initially, because of the way I could just relate to the characters, and the way they interacted with each other. The fight scenes were interesting too - I remember being so addicted that I couldn't even bear missing an episode! The one thing that the anime failed to bring to life, however, was the final arc of the manga, the Jinchuu Arc, which included Kenshin's past and Enishi's revenge. The OVAs don't even come close to covering it. Then again, the ending to the OVAs really differed from the manga - Kenshin, the main character, did not die from a disease. Not at all. There was a happy ending (though as a fan, I was upset - I didn't want it to ever end).

Another hit manga from those days also included Black Cat. I must say, the concepts did remind me of Rurouni Kenshin though. But can you blame the mangaka, really? His mentor was none other than Obata Takeshi, the legendary mangaka of Death Note, Hikaru no Go, and Bakuman fame - who also mentored Watsuki Nobuhiro of Rurouni Kenshin. See a link there?

Speaking of which - Death Note was a very good manga. One of the best psychological thrillers in the world of manga to this day. I would not recommend Hikaru no Go, however, despite its good beginning and middle. The ending will disappoint you. Go read it if you wish, but remember - you were warned!

Anyway, here are a few manga you should all go and look up and check out (which started a long time ago, even if they're not finished yet):
Dragonball
Elfen Lied
Absolute Boyfriend - The j-drama can be found here.
Imadoki!
Hana-Kimi - The j-drama can be found here.
Hana Yori Dango - The j-drama can be found here.
Tokyo Crazy Paradise
Monster
Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles
Cardcaptor Sakura
Naruto
Bleach
One Piece
Hunter x Hunter
Air Gear
Claymore
Fullmetal Alchemist

I found another Facebook application just a few days ago, called Ghost Trappers. It's a little like MouseHunt and Fish Wrangler, though it's based in Scotland, and the goal is to hunt for ghosts with whiskey! And we aren't exterminating the ghosts here; we're just snapping photos of them as evidence. It's quite cute, really, and the concept is really epic. It's still quite a new application, so we'll have to give it time to grow and become better.

For an hour after midnight every night, everyone is given the opportunity to snap up to three photos of rare "Midnight Ghosts". In other words, it opens up to a rare variety of even more ghosts you can capture!

So go sign up, be an agent, and start hunting for adorable ghosts with whiskey!

Extra Links:
GT Wiki

For those of you who have Facebook, this is an application you might want to add (if you don't mind another addiction): MouseHunt. It's quite different from the norm, actually, and the only other application that seems to be like it is Fish Wrangler. MouseHunt has really amazing graphics, a never-ending goal (since it's still in development and more areas and features are being added each time).

Upon joining, you earn the title of a Novice Hunter, and your primary location is the Town of Gnawnia. (You're given the choice of choosing the High Tension Spring or the Tacky Glue Trap to begin with. I recommend the High Tension Spring for sheer power). Your goal is to click the trumpet/horn that appears at the top of your page to start a hunt. A hunt is held every 15 minutes, and it allows you to check your trap to see if you catch any mice. Your goal in the game is to go on as many hunts as possible, restock your cheese (always arm your trap with at least 15 pieces at all times), and upgrade your traps when you reach a certain amount of points/gold.

The more active you are, the more quickly your activity bar (the percentage thing under your rank) will rise. When you reach a new rank, you can move on to other places to hunt in. Your goal is to discover more places, hunt for new mice, and simply rising to become the best hunter you can be!

I've found that the higher up you go, the more there is to look forward to, and cooler mice to catch! There are vampire mice, lycan mice, mobster mice, diamond mice, kung fu mice, assassin mice, elf mice, and so much more~! Go check it out today. You honestly won't regret it.

More MouseHunt links (that might help in gameplay):
MH Wiki
MH Forums/Boards
MH Travel Planner
MH News - "The Nibbler"

Here are some other interesting applications you might want to check out:
Pet Society
Geo Challenge
Word Challenge
Fish Wrangler
Nations
Crusades
Robot Builder

Allow me to introduce y'all to a brand I find very unique. And expensive - but probably worth its money, as it's quite rare. It's called Momiji and it can be found online here. They're hard to find (in limited countries only, as shown here), but you can order/buy them online~! And yes, yes, I actually do own some Momiji merchandise. I was lucky enough to find a mini-store that sold them (though they swore they'd be gone by new year's and... well, it's new year's already).

I own Hurray (a Momiji 'Celebrations' doll) as well as a sheet of pretty stickers. Mine actually look a tad bit different from those displayed there, but they're about the same. I bought the Momiji doll in the pretty zip-locked plastic bag (it came with a themed mini badge and three stickers too). I can't bear to use the stickers at all. They're absolutely adorably precious~

Their main features are the Momiji dolls - sold in a variety of wrappings (chinese boxes or plastic bags which are adorable), and at their bases, they contain a slip of paper where you can write messages/dedications on). They're pretty heavy as well, so they'd make great paper-weights, if you're not just collecting them for the sake of keeping them as collector's items.

Go check them out, and buy them if you want. Or order them for a loved one!

A Time of Change

Original: Rurouni Kenshin by Watsuki Nobuhiro. Standard disclaimers apply.
Summary: For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven... An AoshixMisao one-shot addressing the changes that they experience during the Meiji Era.
Any Pairings: Shinomori Aoshi & Makimachi Misao. Not really a romance piece - more like a realistic portrayal of what happened to them as time passed by.
Extra Notes: The attire and appearances that I used all derive from Kenshin Kaden, the finale of the manga. There was once a fan (I've forgotten the source! Eek!) who made the observation (after research) that Misao's clothing in Kenshin Kaden was actually that of a university student during the era, so I've used that in my short story.

( A Time of Change )

I've found a good manga to read recently, entitled Pluto. It's done by two mangaka - Urasawa Naoki and Tezuka Osamu. Some of you may recognize the name Urasawa Naoki from his 20th Century Boys and 21st Century Boys fame, or even his spectacular Monster fame. An awesome mangaka who specializes in psychological thrillers and mysteries, Pluto is not a manga to be missed. In my opinion, it's just about as good as Monster, though this one's set in the future (or so it seems). No child-Hitler-breeding this time, though it's quite international once more with settings all over Europe, including Turkey and England, just as Monster was set in Germany. Pluto's set in a world where robots and humans co-exist (robots even have equal rights to humans, though they still suffer some degree of discrimination - kind of like the typical racial discrimination we see in society today), and the manga begins with the murder of a world famous role model/hero, who's a robot, and once again - each chapter introduces more characters, murders (serial killings once more, all linked mysteriously), mostly from the view of a detective (who, yes, is a robot too, though he looks exactly like a human). I highly recommend it, though the series hasn't concluded yet, so you'll probably have to wait for more (the scans come out irregularly, it seems, so we might have to wait months) if you read through it too quickly.

If you're into psychological thrillers, Urasawa Naoki's definitely your god-on-earth for this genre, but Liar Game by Kaitani Shinobu is pretty good too. There's even a j-drama for it (through I think the plotline deviates quite a little from canon, since the manga is far from finished and still ongoing. The drama has quite a few famous actors and actresses including Toda Erika from Death Note fame, Matsuda Shota from Hana Yori Dango (he played Soujiro of the F4), and the very attractive Kichise Michiko who's also in Bloody Monday.

Another few good manga that have caught my eye include Change123 (possibly the only manga other than MPD Psycho that contained a main character with a split personality disorder), Bakuman, and Takeru. Change123 is a little ecchi though, so if you don't like random partial nudity and sexual innuendos, avoid it. (I like Fu, by the way. Go read to find out what I mean. Hehe~) Bakuman, on the other hand, is another awesome manga done by the collaboration genius of Obata Takeshi and Ohba Tsugumi from Death Note fame. It's about two young boys who want to take on the world of manga (kind of like the authors themselves, really) and become uber famous. It's quite cute. There are some romantic elements too, including a girl who wants to become a popular seiyuu (voice actor). It comes out weekly, since it's a feature in the Weekly Shounen Jump, alongside One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach. Thirdly, Takeru - Opera Susanoh Sword of the Devil (yeah, long name) is a lesser known manga, but an interesting one based on a legendary sword. Lots of traditional shounen elements (though not so dominant), and the setting is really nice (very amazonian-like too) too. You might this one fun to read in your spare time - it's ongoing, and the chapters come really slowly. But check it out anyway~!

Now onto one-shots! Remember Hiromu Arakawa? The mangaka of the currently ongoing FMA? It turns out that she had a few published one-shots too! I read two of them (if there are more, I haven't seen/found them yet) - Souten no Koumori and Stray Dog. As usual, Arakawa-sensei manages to play on the reader's emotions, though it's hardly as intense as FMA, if you've read that (of course you have, go read it if you haven't, it's genius). Stray Dog contains elements of unethical experimentation (kind of like FMA, in a way, though no alchemy). It didn't really stand out to be though, unlike Souten no Koumori - this one was really good. It's about a girl who's actually an ex-assassin during a civil war of some sort, and she ends up having to protect the people safeguarding her. It ends quite sadly, in a beautiful sort of way. Oh, yeah. She has a bat-shaped birthmark on her face too. That was cool~

Anyway, that's all for today. Here are some extra links to some famous manga that I keep up to date with (for simply being awesome/unique/well done for its genre): One Piece, Vampire Knight, Skip Beat! Have fun!

The World Forgetting, By The World Forgot

Original: Rurouni Kenshin by Watsuki Nobuhiro. Standard disclaimers apply.
Summary: [Post Jinchuu Arc] Megumi thought that only hope lay ahead of her as she prepared to depart for Aizu, but a new frightening reality unraveled before her in the form of a man she buried long ago in her past: Takeda Kanryuu. 
Any Pairings: Undetermined. I’m hoping to work on various pairings between characters (if possible), rather than focusing on just one.
The Origin of the Title: Extracted from the lovely poem ‘Eloisa to Abelard’ by Alexander Pope. “The world forgetting" means that the world, or more precisely - the people of the world, are losing the memory of something. "By the world forgot" means that they have already forgotten it. The phrase basically means that if nobody makes an effort to remember something or an event, it will fade from existence as though it never existed in the first place or occurred.

( Chapter One: Dreaming Without Colour )