3d illusion arts: Oddity Central

Oddity Central

Man Brings Virtual Girlfriend to His Real-Life Wedding, Bride Retaliates
Strange Wedding Customs – The Crying Ritual of the Tujia People
Fearing a 2012 Apocalypse, Man Tries to Build His Own Ark

Man Brings Virtual Girlfriend to His Real-Life Wedding, Bride Retaliates

Posted: 27 Nov 2012 02:42 AM PST

Talk about pushing your luck, right? As if having his future wife put up with a virtual girlfriend wasn’t enough, a Japanese geek actually had the nerve to invite his video-game lady and two of her friends to their wedding and even reserved seats for them. But the bride had some plans of her own…

For obvious reasons, the real names of the protagonists in this story were not revealed, but photos from their wedding were posted online by guests surprised to see three Nintendo DS handheld video-game consoles seated as guests. Their screens showed three different anime-like girls, one of which was revealed to be the groom’s girlfriend. Nene Anegasaki, Manaka Takane and Rinko Kobayakawa are characters from the hugely popular Konami video game, Love Plus. The addictive open-ended dating simulator has reportedly sold in over 250,000 copies in Japan, and stories of men caught by their girlfriends and wives while tending to their virtual partner’s needs began surfacing online a while ago. In 2010, we posted photos of gamers celebrating Nene’s birthday with cakes and candles and presents, just to show how popular the Love Plus character was. But this is probably the first time Nene attended a real-life wedding, as a guest.

As RocketNews24 points out, it’s obvious the bride new what she was getting into, when she agreed to marry an obvious geek who works as staff for Comic Market, Japan's largest comic book convention, but why would she let him embarrass her by bringing his virtual love interest and her friends at the wedding. Obviously, she had something up her sleeve. During the wedding that took place on November 24, instead of the traditional cake-cutting ceremony, the memory card was removed from the groom’s Nintendo and placed on a bed of napkins. Then it was announced that the newlyweds will use a wooden mallet to physically destroy the game cartridge and all vestiges of the groom's relationship with Nene Anegasaki. According to eyewitnesses, the man clearly wasn’t expecting such a turn of events, and despite being on the verge of tears and the mallet dropped, he couldn’t bring himself to stop it.

That would have probably never happened if the groom had met his bride at one of those geek-only matchmaking events.

Source: Hachima Kikou

Man Brings Virtual Girlfriend to His Real-Life Wedding, Bride Retaliates was originally posted at OddityCentral.com

Strange Wedding Customs – The Crying Ritual of the Tujia People

Posted: 27 Nov 2012 01:38 AM PST

Throughout history, various cultures have had strange requirements of their women. But none perhaps as strange as the custom of crying before marriage, as followed in Southwest China's Sichuan Province. According to the custom, it is mandatory for a bride to cry at her own wedding, whether she likes it or not.

The crying marriage ritual was at its peak during the early 17^th century and remained so until the end of the Qing dynasty in 1911. It is said to have originated during the Warring States Period (475 to 221 BC), when historical records reveal that the princess of the Zhao State was to be married into the Yan State. At the moment of the princess' departure, her mother is said to have cried at her feet, asking her to return home as soon as possible. This is said to be the first crying marriage ever. Although the custom is not as popular now as it used to be, there are still a large number of families that practice it with gusto. In fact, it is a necessary procedure for marriage among the Tujia people, in China's Sichuan Province. The ritual itself is pretty simple – the bride has got to shed tears. If she doesn't or is unable to, her neighbors will look down upon her as one of poor breeding. Worse still, she could even become the laughing stock of her village. In one extreme case, the bride was beaten by her mother for not crying at the wedding. Perhaps the girl was too happy to be free from her mother?

Photo: Explore Zhangjiajie

The ritual is practiced differently in various regions of the Sichuan Province. In the west, for example, the custom is called 'Zuo Tang' (sitting in the hall). Literally, this means that the bride is required to sit in a hall and cry. For a whole month before the big day, the girl walks into a large hall each night and weeps for about an hour. After about 10 days, her mother joins her and the two cry together. Another 10 days later, the grandmother joins the party. A few days later, the bride's sisters and aunts join in too, in what can only be called a cry-fest. But then the crying isn't just a random shedding of tears. There's a song involved as well. Aptly named the 'Crying Marriage Song', the exaggerated singing of the verses is said to set the wedding atmosphere quite nicely. Some of the other songs are centered on themes of diligence, etiquette and filial piety.

If you think this is bizarre, well there's more. Some enthusiastic brides do not limit themselves to just crying. They even swear at the matchmaker. Since women of the olden days had no say in their marriage and were at the mercy of matchmakers, they had full liberty to give the matchmakers a sound piece of their mind. But this isn't practiced as often as it used to be. The whole point behind the crying marriage ritual is to set off a mood of happiness by using sorrowful words that are false. However, so many brides are unhappy with their lives and choice of husband that they are said to cry for real.

A bunch of women crying at a wedding, the bride included, does sound a tad melodramatic. However, when you come to think of it, it does let all the boohoos out, so the bride can probably let go of the pains of her life up until that point. Perhaps it helps in making a fresh start in life. But then I do feel sorry for all those brides who are unable to cry. I can sympathize with them. If asked to cry, I would probably only laugh harder.

Strange Wedding Customs – The Crying Ritual of the Tujia People was originally posted at OddityCentral.com

Fearing a 2012 Apocalypse, Man Tries to Build His Own Ark

Posted: 27 Nov 2012 12:39 AM PST

No, God didn’t reveal himself to Lu Zhenghai in a vision. The man from Urumqi, China was simply afraid the rumors about the apocalypse happening in December of 2012 might be true, so he decided to follow Noah’s example and build an ark.

Scientists and researchers are going out of their way to assure people that December 21, 2012, the so-called Mayan end-date, will be just an ordinary date but many of them are simply not buying it. While some are travelling to the French village of Bugarach, said to be the only place that will survive the impending apocalypse, others are building their own survival equipment. Take Lu Zhenghai, from Urumqi, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, who spent all his life savings of 1 million yuan ($160,500) on building his own ark, capable of keeping him safe in case of a disastrous flood. The vessel, designed by Lu himself, is 21.2 meters long, 15.5 meters wide, 5.6 meters high and displaces about 140 tons of water. It’s not much to look at, but Lu claims that once it’s finished, it will fulfill its purpose.

Photo: AFP

Lu Zhenghai started working on his DIY ark in 2010, but after two years of constant spending, he has exhausted all his financial resources. With less than a month to go before the dreaded deadline, the boat still needs about a million yuan in equipment to be ready. Lu, who holds a bachelor’s degree in science, did all the work on the ark himself, but there are some things that need to be bought, not built. Still, getting $160,500 in such a short time seems almost impossible. Truth be told, I think he would have been better off buying an Atlantis apocalypse survival pod from fellow doomsday entrepreneur Yang Zongfu.

Photo: AFP

Just in case the 2012 apocalypse doesn’t happen, Lu plans to use his boat to offer sightseeing tours on the Tarim River, combat floods and provide ferry services. Who knows, his investment may even prove lucrative, in the long run.