#+ idk the game has entire voice lines in languages other than english so

[gender-euphowrya]

thinking about how i wish i could rescue lifeweaver from blizzard's stupid hands like a shelter dog saved from an abusive household

[goldentigerfestival]

Yuri's dialogue (JP) is so fascinating to study, like... the repetitive use of certain words/phrases that others use sparingly but he uses constantly. the way it feels like his vocabulary is more expansive than what he uses, but he defaults to a "comfort" level of speech. the way it mixes in with his sort of "street talk" words and the sheer level of informality. the way his "street talk" phrasing is contrasted by the tone of his voice (on that note, people I know who also know JP are also very endeared by these aspects of him so I KNOW IT'S NOT JUST ME!!!).

'cause the thing is, he uses phrases that yeah, other people do use, but he uses a handful over and over and over (contrast to other characters' sparing use of repetition). it's actually... really refreshing? it sounds more relatable and less "video game/anime/JRPG/RPG" writing or something, idk. like closer to how a real person would speak.

I do my best in my translations not to make things sound too stiff across the board, but Yuri makes it so easy. it's why I'm so interested in translating all his lines in Vesperia, like... the actual, original tone for him with his original wording because it's smth Eng only players don't get to experience ('cause even if you listen with JP audio, if you don't know the language, ofc you're gonna miss out on context. it's nobody's fault for not knowing, just... they unfortunately miss out). the thing is, there are a lot of times when the lines in and of themselves are not contextually incorrect in the English ver (usually the situation for smaller scenes, because they altered the text outright for more important stuff which was the stuff that originally set me off, but there were also plenty of cases of just vocal tone shifting with the correct context that still gave off the wrong impression), but Yuri's tone is shifted away from the original in Eng even though it's completely and perfectly translatable.

I am by no means about to translate the entire game because let's face it, I really don't care that much for Vesperia on the whole. I'm kinda stuck with it because Yuri's there lo and behold I actually am WAY more engaged in his stories in Rays, Link and Asteria because it's an amazing character put into circumstances where he actually gets to shine and feels more alive, which Vesperia did not provide nearly as well with its very disjointed story. also, Tales gachas have banger stories that are arguably better than the mainline games, and they regularly make Yuri a very central character to the gachas. Crestoria was also about to do it until they pulled the plug on that game and I'm pretty confident something interesting has been lost to the world. also I just generally don't have the energy or motivation to do that, so... I'll only be focusing on Yuri's lines, especially because his stuff is where the bulk of the messing around was. he's just insanely fun to translate for and I love burying myself head first into his speech.

will I actually finish this project? dunno. will I get around to posting it? whatever I get done (so all of it if I complete it), and if I decide to call it quits then I'll post what I have at the time I decide that. will it take a long time? probably, but I can always mention stuff along the way...

[aj28gaming]

Nagito's dementia and misuse of information

CAN PEOPLE STOP TRYING TO USE FRONTOTEMPORAL DEMENTIA SYMPTOMS TO EXPLAIN HIM?

.

What I mean is, yes he has dementia or is at least diagnosed with it

And I believe that he probably does actually have dementia (not saying he could've lied tho but he could've still been misdiagnosed)

But that doesn't mean he has all of the symptoms

.

I don't think we can confirm if he does or doesn't have dementia because he might just not have all of the symptoms

But I do know that using the symptoms to explain his character isn't a good idea especially since it usually undermines who he actually is

.

So stop using his dementia as a way to explain EVERYTHING HE DOES AND IS

He doesn't even have all the symptoms and is close to having almost none of them

Using a mental illness to explain a character's entire character is a bad idea and makes it seem like it's who they are entirely

Yes Nagito is diagnosed with dementia however that isn't who he is entirely

He is a complicated character with a lot of layers

And his illnesses definitely don't make up ALL OF HIS LAYERS AND CHARACTER

.

Okay now, let me explain

(These are a combination of all of the symptoms of Frontotemporal dementia that I have gathered)

.

(I AM NOT TRYING TO PROVE HE DOESN'T HAVE DEMENTIA BECAUSE HE MIGHT STILL HAVE IT, I'M JUST TRYING TO POINT OUT WHY USING THE SYMPTOMS TO EXPLAIN EVERYTHING HE DOES IS A BAD THING)

.

Now onto the symptoms:

.

Behavior and/or dramatic personality changes, such as swearing, stealing, increased interest in sex, or a deterioration in personal hygiene habits

- No, and no not even when the killing game started. Yeah sure he laughs now, but that's no different from how he is normally since laughing for him is what he does when he gets surprised or stressed. He doesn't change much in the killing game, he still believes in hope and everyone else, still respects boundaries, still have crazy high intellect and empathy, still pushes people away

.

Socially inappropriate, impulsive, or repetitive behaviors

- not really, again the guy is a freaking gentleman even during the killing game. He respects boundaries, reprimands Teruteru for sexual assault during chapter 1, pushes people away and distances himself from others, isn't at all impulsive (usually quite the opposite really), and is usually planning and tries to remain calm and composed throughout the killing game (struggling tho cuz yeah killing game)

.

Impaired judgment

- here, I kinda disagree. I wouldn't say that Nagito is entirely in the right with everything he does, but I understand his views. The guy knows that no one is truly a bad person in the killing game because everyone was forced into it. He knows that even the blackened escapes and everyone dies, it isn't fully a bad thing because that means someone escapes and goes back home to their loved ones while the killing game ends

If a blackened succeeds, the despair would be of course everyone else dying and the blackened going through a lot of trauma, but the hope would be the end of the killing game and the blackened going home or to their loved ones or to their goal in life or whatever

If the blackened dies, the despair would obviously be the blackened dying and the killing game still continuing, while the hope would be everyone else still alive

Nagito isn't exactly wrong in wanting to help the blackened as well, of course, Nagito would want him himself to be the victim so another person gets a chance at escape and no one else would be the victim

Sadly for Nagito, that time never comes

Nagito doesn't want others to be killed, he wants to sacrifice himself instead as the victim instead of everyone else

.

Apathy

- .....big no. Nonononono. The dude is anything but apathetic.

"Apathy is a lack of feeling, emotion, interest, or concern about something."

Seriously, being a dude who is constantly supportive of everyone and their hopes in life and how passionate this dude gets about hope and despair, and the fact that he is the most stressed 24/7 about something bad happening due to his luck, this guy is seriously anything but apathetic

.

Lack of empathy

- No. If the guy truly lack empathy he wouldn't need to use Hope desperately as a coping mechanism, wouldn't care about the ultimates and their hopes and despairs, wouldn't constantly be thinking about helping the ultimates and overcoming despair, wouldn't be the most stressed out of everyone, and definitely wouldn't be in love with Hajime or even act the way he did in chapter 1

.

Decreased self-awareness

- You don't actually understand why you act the way you do. A good indicator that you lack self-awareness deals with how well you understand your emotions, actions, and behavior. People who lack self-awareness often feel constantly off-kilter, anxious, or angry.

This is not Nagito at all. The guy understands his emotions and behaviors which is why he is able to do the things he does and is able to conduct plans based on how much he understands his own self and capabilities. The guy is actually the most self-aware out of everyone, he knows about how people don't understand him and constantly misunderstand him and his intentions, he is aware constantly of his inability sometimes to properly explain his goals to people.

The guy has a lot of self-awareness and isn't afraid to take responsibility for his actions. Actually, it's because of how self-aware he is of his own self and his destructive luck cycle that he constantly blames himself for anything bad that happens.

The guy is seriously self-aware as hell and it's scary sometimes

.

Loss of interest in normal daily activities

- Nope, he hasn't shown any sign of apathy towards anything and is usually pretty hyped about doing daily activities. He is paranoid though on the daily because he fears for what his luck cycle might do

.

Emotional withdrawal from others

- Emotional withdrawal involves bottling up your emotions. It involves cutting out the people who could help us, because we're so used to rejection that we've learned to anticipate it. Because we've learned to disconnect from others, we develop other unhealthy coping mechanisms

Emotional withdrawal is defined as pulling back emotionally or physically by bottling up your feelings or disconnecting from others. Emotional withdrawal can be far more complex at times. It is comparable to a breakup, in every way but physical.

Kind of? Yes, he pushes people away, but he is still willing to spend time with people, especially Hajime, when they really insist. He politely pushes people away, but he isn't opposed to hanging out with people either though it is sometimes rare

.

Loss of energy and motivation

- .... I already said it before, the guy is full of motivation and energy and passion that it is scary sometimes

.

Inability to use or understand language; this may include difficulty naming objects, expressing words, or understanding the meanings of words

-.....WHY IS THIS HERE? THE GUY IN THE JAPANESE DUB CONSTANTLY FLEXES HIS DAMN ENGLISH VOCABULARY DESPITE IT BEING A JAPANESE DUB

AND THE FUCKING ENGLISH WORDS HE USES ARE FANCY AND HIGH LEVEL AS FUCK THAT I FEEL SMART JUST READING THEM

.

Hesitation when speaking

- Definite no, the guy isn't afraid to voice his own opinions and never hesitates and can get very vocal about the things he is passionate about

.

Less frequent speech

- Again, definite hell no. I wouldn't be surprised if his voice lines are longer than the voice lines of everyone else combined

.

Distractibility

- Nope. The guy is focused on his goals constantly. No matter what he does, you can always be sure that it is for a certain goal. He pisses of Fuyuhiko? It was to get a reaction from him to confirm his suspicions about the true culprit. He lied about the rope? It was to see how Mikan would react and how the trial would go to confirm his suspicions about Mikan being the culprit?

The guy is focused like a damn soldier

.

Trouble planning and organizing

-.....do I seriously need to explain? This is Nagito we are talking about

.

Frequent mood changes

- Not really. He usually acts or reacts a certain way because something happened like someone died or something. He is actually pretty normal with how he acts and reacts and doesn't really change his mood rapidly that much

.

Agitation

- Yes and no? Sure the guy gets paranoid 24/7, but is still somewhat more chill than agitated to an extent. He is easy going and is just paranoid about what his luck would do, he is vigilant but not necessarily agitated

.

Increasing dependence

- No. The guy is independent to a fault and only relies on others when his plans call for it. He also usually does things of his own accord and rarely with a partner unless he really needs to or his goal is to help that person specifically, which knowing him is a usual thing

.

Unwillingness to talk

- Again, no. The guy talks a lot and while he pushes others away, he wouldn't turn down a conversation if the other person wanted one

.

Lack of inhibition or lack of social tact

- Again, no. The guy is a gentleman and respects boundaries and definitely gets stressed especially in the killing game. The guy is also paranoid 24/7 on a normal day due to his luck cycle

.

Obsessive or repetitive behavior, such as compulsively shaving or collecting items

- No? Sure he clings to hope but that is more of a coping mechanism. If he isn't in a stressful situation like a killing game he doesn't get that obsessive as much about hope since he doesn't need to desperately cling to it as a coping mechanism

.

Unusual verbal, physical or sexual behavior

- No? He isn't at all like this. It isn't unusual to panic or use a coping mechanism desperately when in a situation like a killing game, and he doesn't do anything unusual like this when it's a normal day. Sure the guy gets paranoid, but that's it

.

Weight gain due to dramatic overeating

- No? Actually, I don't really know how much weight he gains to be honest so idk

.

.

.

My main point here is, yes there is a chance Nagito does actually have dementia, but using the symptoms as a way to explain his character undermines who he actually is and can cause a lot of misunderstandings of his character

Especially since I remember being told that they only added in dementia to his character backstory a little late during his character development and creation

It isn't a good idea to use his symptoms because it usually gets his character wrong and sometimes makes them excuse a lot of the things he has done

The guy is self-aware, isn't socially inept, is a gentleman, and socially intelligent as hell

.

And again

Stop using his dementia as a way to explain EVERYTHING HE DOES AND IS

He doesn't even have all the symptoms and is close to having almost none of them

Using a mental illness to explain a character's entire character is a bad idea and makes it seem like it's who they are entirely

Yes Nagito is diagnosed with dementia however that isn't who he is entirely

He is a complicated character with a lot of layers

And his illnesses definitely don't make up ALL OF HIS LAYERS AND CHARACTER

.

.

.

[thefairywithdrawings]

Ashley is the perfect representation of the average PMMM fan - someone who fetishises Japanese culture while being totally ignorant and disrespectful towards it. Except she's female.

I don’t know what you want from me, anon. I am a female. Not saying you assumed I was a man but one Redditor assumed I was once and I found that super amusing: I forget sometimes I’m not the assumed typical demographic for PMMM lol. I got into Madoka Magica when I was a teen, and I’ve met a girl younger than Madoka who called the cast - and I quote - “very very stupid”. (And I can’t entirely disagree with that little girl: the cast does make some dumb but heartwrenching decisions).

Ashley Taylor was designed by a Japanese person, voiced by a Japanese person, created in part by Japanese people, programmed in part by Japanese people, and she is supposed to be American to be consumed by strictly western American audiences. 

So, I suppose you’re suggesting they created a character purposefully disrespectful to their own culture - a character, mind you, that has multiple lines of dialogue that explain the culture and history of Kawaii, as well as enough appreciation for Japan to want to live for an entire semester in the country in addition to supporting local businesses like Riko’s family restaurant? A character who shows a genuine interest in learning more about the country by hearing directly from actual ordinary Japanese people, and even creates videos about her experiences so that her American friends can learn to enjoy and understand a different culture as much as she does? We mostly hear Ashley Taylor speak English, but canonically, she’s bilingual, meaning she went through the effort of educating herself in an entirely new language and its deeper meanings because she loved it so much. Are you sure “Ashley Taylor is consuming Japanese culture as a surface level commodity” is the hill you want to stand on, anon?

Idk. I really don’t know what you expected from me. (I’m assuming you sent this because I talked about how much I loved her design when my mutual asked and how I wanted to wear it?) On a related note, I don’t have any waifus per se in this game, or in any anime really lol. I have girls I like and can relate to, but none I’d like to... Fetishize? Not my thing, especially in an explicit context. I can’t speak for everybody in this fandom, and I am not about to start discourse about it. 

I’m just a girl playing a video game about other girls for fun, my dude. *shrugs*

TL;DR: I am Ashley Taylor, apparently lol. 

[yue-muffin]

wooohooo!! translation dump as promised. I translated this so fast this afternoon, not much thought was put into it beyond “I think this is 90% correct” lol. I did get a few interesting observations about translation and learned a few words and phrases, so I annotated it because why not. it’s already messy.

also, because i can’t bring myself to cry over the original story, i’m not really sure of the whole timeline, but there are scenes that seem pretty common across multiple adaptations so i’m taking a wild guess and assuming a similar Thing happened in the original. that being said, there’s at least one other adaptation where shino is being bullied because of his/her father being a deserter and she/him crossdressing. 

I once read some of the jpn wikipedia page, and the part I read up to gave the reason shino (who’s male in the original) crossdressed as a child. and has a name you’ll typically see on girls. supposedly, his parents had a hard time having a child. when they finally had shino, his mother wished to follow a tradition where you raise a child (or maybe just male children? idk the past was sexist) as the opposite gender until their coming of age ceremony so they would grow up strong. 

so, back to the game...? haha well the basic structure of the first scene is familiar but you have no idea how thrown off i am that hamaji is a dude. shino as a girl, that’s fine. but hamaji as a dude??? it should be an...interesting change to the story.

Anyways. Here we go, super bad translation ahead.

里見八犬伝：八珠之記 | Legend of the Eight Dogs of Satomi: Records of the Eight Beads

初めから | New Game 画廊 | Gallery

続きから | Continue シーン回想 | Recollections

設定一覧 | Options 用語集 | Glossary

> New Game

「私の名前は？」 苗字は「犬塚」固定です。 名前は各7文字までです

“What’s my name?” The surname “Inuzuka” is fixed. The first name can be up to 7 characters.

naturally, i chose the default name: shino

主人公は 「犬塚信乃」です。 よろしいですか？

The main character will be “Inuzuka Shino”. Is this correct?

はい | Yes いいえ | No

「署名完了」 「オプションを聞きたいときは、STARTボタン。 閉じたいときは、Xぼトンに、ね？」

“Signature complete.” “If you want to listen to options, press the START button. If you want to close the options, press the X button, ok?”

村の若者 「くっそ、男女（おとこおんな）のくせに…」

Village Youth “Damn you, you man-woman…”

this vn is voiced! all except shino, which sort of infuriates me. but it is what it is. anyways this is super helpful. 男女 is a poor example bc it’s obvious this is being used as an insult, and in the case of an insult おとこおんな is used. but the same characters can also be said だんじょ, which gives it a general meaning of “men and women” with no derogatory connotation. so, voiced just helps overall when you’re not fluent in the language.

「だから、何？ そっちこそ、男のくせに負け惜しみ言おうっていうのか」 「勝負を仕掛けてきたのはそっちだろう」

“And, so what? I was just about to say the same thing. For a man, you’re such a sore loser. You’re the one who picked a fight with me.”

this is shino, who doesn’t get a name tag or voiced lines. sad. she speaks super informally lol. though, they all do, even hamaji who appears later.

村の若者 「……」

Village Youth “...”

「それで負けたからってその言い草はないだろう。 …自分こそ、男らしくないんじゃないのか」

“You lost, so there should be no excuses, don’t you think? …Not very manly of you, huh.”

村の若者 「何だと…っ」

Village Youth “What did you just say…!”

「私は間違ったことは言っていないはずだ。 負け惜しみで、悪口を言う暇はあったら、刀の鍛錬をしたらどうだ」 「悔しかったら、かかって来い！ この犬塚信乃が相手になる！」

“I didn’t say anything wrong. If you have the time to badmouth people like a sore loser, why don’t you focus on sword training. If you’re pissed off, then come at me! I, Inuzuka Shino, will be your opponent!”

刀だけは自信があった。ちゃんばら程度の腕で、負けるわけもない。 The only thing I had confidence in was the sword. With my skill in sword fighting, I wouldn’t lose.

村の若者 「くそ…お前なんか卑怯者の娘のくせに。 偉そうにしてんじゃねえよ！」

Village Youth “Damn you, you’re just the daughter of a coward. Don’t think so highly of yourself!”

村の若者 「そうだ、そうだ…っ。 おまえは結城合戦から逃げた卑怯者の娘だろう！」

Village Youth “That’s right, that’s right. You’re the daughter of a coward who fled from the Siege of Yuuki!”

「……！」 （卑怯、だと…？) 自分のことならまだいい。 だが、父上や母上のことを言われるとなると我��ならない。 「私のことならいいけど、父上の悪口を言うのは許せない！」

(A coward, they said…?) I didn’t care if they insulted me. But, when it came to things said about my mother and father, I couldn’t hold back. “I don’t care what you say about me, but I’ll never forgive anyone who insults my father!”

村の若者 「戦が怖くて逃げ出したおまえの親父は卑怯だ。 蟇六様はそうおっしゃっていた、間違いねえぞ」

Village Youth “Your father is a coward who ran from battle in fear. Hikiroku-sama said that, so there’s no mistaking it.”

do not have enough brain power to figure out what 様 should be in this case. Hikiroku is the village chieftan/head.

「……っ」 私が刀の代わりの木の棒を振りかぶり……。 勢いよく振り下ろそうとした瞬間だった。 I brandished a tree branch in place of a sword. The moment I swung it down with force...

？？？ 「はい、そこまで」

??? “Alright, that’s quite enough.”

涼やかな声とともに現れたのは、見慣れた姿。 それを見て、先刻まで威勢の良かった彼らは黙った。

A clear, refreshing voice appeared along with a familiar figure. I looked over at the two who were previously so high-spirited and now fell silent.

村の若者 「浜路…」

Village Youth “Hamaji…” 

浜路 「ちゃんばらもいいけど、ほどほどにしないとね。 それに、君たちも女の子に寄ってたかってっていうのは感心しない」

Hamaji “Sword fighting is good at all, but it should be done in moderation, right? Not to mention, ganging up on a girl isn’t exactly admirable of you two.”

at some point, i kind of had a re-realization that direct translation just is so subpar. like, there’s so much nuance that is conveyed in a phrase but if you were to translate it literally, it would lack that impact in english. there’s no choice but to elaborate a bit in english. that’s more important than making sure there’s a one-to-one match up.

it took me so. damn. long. to unlearn my habit of ‘as close to literal as possible. no embellishments. no elaboration.’ to be entirely fair, i didn’t realize until recently just how much an official translated text can differ from the original (see: haruki murakami’s novels. i was shocked to learn just how different some parts were.)

浜路は受け止めた木の棒を、優しく私に押し返す。 Hamaji gently forced me back with the tree branch he’d stopped earlier.

浜路 「さあ、今日はおしまいだよ。 俺と彼女は用がある、さっさと帰りなよ」 「それでも帰りたくないって言うのなら…。 俺にも考えがあるけど…？」

Hamaji “Now, that’s all for today. She and I have some business to take care of, so you hurry back home.” “But if you say you don’t want to go back… I can think of something else…?”

浜路のニッコリとした笑顔には、誰でも敵わない。 ものを言わずとも、迫力がある。

No one could rival Hamaji’s sweetly smiling face. It had such intensity, even without him saying anything.

村の若者 「い、行こうぜ…」

Village Youth “L, Let’s go…”

村の若者 「あ、ああ…」

Village Youth “Y, Yeah…”

浜路 「…さてと、信乃？ 喧嘩はするなって、俺、言っていなかったかな？」

Hamaji “…Now then, Shino?” What have I said about not getting into fights?”

「喧嘩っていうか、刀の鍛錬の一環で…」 （うう、怖いってば…)

“Fights are part of sword training…” (Uwah, how scary…)

浜路 「刀の鍛錬？ 男装をしているとはいえ、女の子の君が？」

Hamaji “Sword training? You do dress as a man, but as a girl, you…?”

i really hate it when sentences trail off or are cut off haha. i mean, i get the impression and i know what it means in my head. but without the rest of the sentence i sometimes get a little confused about how to translate it.

i didn’t know how to word that last sentence. i don’t think hamaji meant it in a bad way, he was just surprised since just because she dresses as a man all the time, doesn’t mean she’d like activities that are more male-oriented. but idk. this hamaji is kind of hard to read.

「…すみませんでした」 （だって、刀の鍛錬は趣味だし…）

“…Sorry.” (I mean, I like sword training…)

interestingly, shino got super formal here. so maybe she did feel as if she was being criticized for liking something traditionally for men.

だが浜路は怒らせると、恐ろしい。 微笑見ながら罵声を浴びせてきかねない。

But, angering Hamaji was a scary thing. He would yell at you while smiling.

（まあ、私の勝手な憶測だけど…。 笑いながら怒る印象はあるけど、実際にやられたことはないし…） 長い付き合いだが、甘やかされた経験しかない。 浜路はいつも笑顔だが、言うことは的確だ。 敵に回したら恐ろしいことになるとは常々思っている。

(Well, that’s just my own guess though… He seems like the type to smile while angry, but the reality is, it’s never really happened…) We knew each other for a long time, but he had only ever treated me indulgently. Hamaji was always smiling, but what he said was always exactly how he felt. I always thought it would be scary to become his enemy.

hamaji does have a “smiling” voice. it’s very pleasant and calm, even when he’s telling you off. she does imply that his appearance doesn’t match what he feels, but his words are always "on point” (的確). 

ALSO I HAD NO CLUE 実際 was actually JISSAI. well, I read the JI- part and looked it up, and...well 実際 is jissai. i’ve know this word for so long but i’ve never seen it written in kanji before lol.

[sujus-girl]

Disclaimer: This is just for fun, so please don’t take it too seriously. This is not an official profile or anything like that!

A GUIDE TO PENTAGON

I actually had a lot of fun making my guide to JBJ, so I was like?? What other group do I love that doesn’t get the attention they deserve? …. PENTAGON

Are y’all ready to cringe? To sigh? To question what is going on with these children? Then, without further ado, I present to you: Pentagon: My Shitty Guide to 10 Toddlers

Group Name: Pentagon

First appeared on a show called Pentagon Maker, which was called a survival show, but SPOILER ALERT: Cube decided to do the right thing and debuted all 10 members together

If I’m going to be 100% honest, I still dk where to find the full episodes, but there are a ton of clips on youtube, and, honestly, I was satisfied with just watching those

ALL OF THEM HAVE REALLY GOOD VISUALS? LIKE, I SAY THIS WITH EVERY GROUP, BUT SERIOUSLY, PENTAGON HAS SOME A+++ VISUALS

Beware because they’re very. Very. very. Loud

The fandom name is universe and i just think that’s so cute OKAY?

Ofiicial Music Videos: Gorilla, Can You Feel It, Critical Beauty, Pretty Pretty, Run Away, Like This, Violet

Personal Favorite Non-Title Tracks: Thank You, Beautiful, You Are, Spectacular, and Lose yourself

Aight, we have ten members to go through this time, so BUCKLE UP, MY FRIENDS

Members:

Jo Jinho

The oldest member of pentagon

Vvv smol baby. Is only 5’6”

Is scared very easily lmfao

May be smol but has A HELLA SET OF LUNGS

High note king that leaves almost everyone shook

Used to be in SM the Ballad, but left and became a trainee again under cube entertainment

Had trained for EIGHT FRICKIN YEARS, DO NOT SLEEP ON MY BOI

I guess he gave vocal lessons to cube trainees like Yoo Seonho (someone pls KINDLY let me know if i’m wrong)

Drops a bunch of covers and spoils Universe with his voice, thx boo

Usually gets paired with hongseok for stuff?? Idk

Has a room by himself in the dorms, lucky boi

ALSO A MUSICAL THEATER ACTOR?? ALL SHOOK UP REALLY HAD US ALL SHOOK UP

Videos to Watch: (1) (2) (3)

Lee HwiTaek (Hui)

The leader of this mess

Got pretty popular after the song Never was released, then continue to leave people quaking after Energetic was released

Is an A+ Singer and Producer, we love a talented man

Is vvvv scared of everything and also has a lot of tears (we love a man in touch with his emotions)

A former JYP trainee

Got7’s JB said that one time, Got7’s Mark got into a fight with him, Hui, and B.A.P.’s Youngjae and Day6’s Brian had to translate the argument LOL

Also in a subunit called Triple H that consists of him, E’Dawn and Hyuna

Also has a room to himself

HONEY SOCKS

Has a fanboy named Yoo Seonho that loves him vvv much, and they even went to vietnam together

also appeared on this variety show called hyena’s on the keys and flaunted his composing SKILZ

Videos to Watch: (1) (2) (3)

Yang Hongseok

A former YG trainee

Was on the show that created iKon, and it was…. Oof

He was new at the time, so it was kinda awkward and tense, but it got better

Is obsessed with working out, and has the abs of a greek god as a result

Reads books in his free time, and enjoys studying foreign languages

He moved around when he was younger, so he can speak Mandarin and English (we love an intelligent man)

Apparently the mom?? Cooks and cleans for the babies in the dorm

Shares a room with E’Dawn

Also really likes Iron Man… and Jinho

The members say he’s the worst at dancing in the group LOL

It’s okay though, cause he’s vvv talented in other aspects

Videos to Watch: (1) (2) (3)

Kim HyoJung (E’Dawn)

“I have no fear” not even two seconds later *HIGH PITCH SCREAMING*

Can reach an octave i didn’t think human possible

A little weird, but that’s okay!

Is also in Triple H with Hui and Hyuna

Hongseok’s roommate

Is really good at dancing, wow

Kinda looks tired 24/7, but we’re pretty sure that’s just his face. Like you know how some people have resting bitch face? E’Dawn has resting tired face.

TATTOOS!

Sry, i just really like tattoos, lol

But yeah! E’Dawn has multiple tattoos! Since it’s like 1 in the morning and I’m kinda tired, I’m not gonna try and think of all of them, but they should all show up if you just google e’dawn tattoos lol sorry

Videos to Watch: (1) (2) (3)

Go Shinwon

Has trouble keeping his clothes on apparently

Like for real, just casually pulled his pants down and took his shirt off multiple times in pentagon maker

Is scared of animals because one time because… um…. let’s just say that there was an unfortunate incident with his pet hamster when he was in like middle school... yeah

Was eliminated during Pentagon maker, but four remaining members broke into cube late at night and put up posters saying they wanted pentagon to debut as ten

Gets mad real easily

Has broad shoulders… Like real broad. Edawn and yanan fell asleep on his shoulders and they were comfortable

Shares a room with Kino

Also really likes Mcdonalds?? Like, this boy put on a burger hat and ate a mcdonalds burger.

Really hates bugs LOL

Videos to Watch: (1) (2) (3)

Yeo Changgu (Yeo One)

Has a visual that a lot of foreigners seem to really like? That’s just something I noticed, I know it’s not the general consensus

Is also an actor, he appeared in a webdrama called Spark and was the main actor for a historical drama not too long ago

Shares a room with yanan

Is yanan’s biggest fan

Has a laugh that can revive wilting flowers tbh

Talks a lot too

Sucks at table tennis

He and hui put ducktape on their legs and ripped it off

GIVE HIM MORE LINES PLS

Videos to Watch: (1) (2) (3)

Yan An

“MADE IN CHINA!”

“Annyeong chingudel”

He’s from Shanghai

Hella model vibes, amirite or amirite

He injured himself when preparing for the Ceremony album, and he had to sit out and everyone was vvv sad and vvv worried

Got better and is back, and more random than ever

Sometimes says things that are real funny, even if he doesn’t intend for it to be

“What are you talking about, this is plastic”

“You… You’re in big trouble!”

“Korean name is Yanan. Chinese name is Yanan. English Name? Yanan.”

Also once called Jinho a foreigner, even tho Jinho is Korean and they were in Korea?

May be tol and handsome, but he’s really just a big toddler

Scared of roller coasters

Roommates with yeo one who loves him v much (yeo one has the right idea, y’all)

Videos to Watch: (1) (2) (3)

Adachi Yuto

“YUTODA”

A japanese prince

AN ATHLETE! Played baseball and used to do soccer

A former JYP trainee

Good friends with Yuto (U) from ONF because they both used to be JYP trainees and also NCT’s Yuta

Shares a room with Wooseok and will laugh at anything he says

Milk couple

Can’t eat spicy food for shit

Hella tall

Also appeared predebut at ISAC 2015 for futsall

A bby that is afraid of many things. Especially the dark. On pentagon maker, the crew turned off the lights and he real cutely went “pd-nim~” and i almost cried it was so cute

“What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?” “Ice cream.”

Says he can’t do aegyo, but he hella cute already, so it’s okay

Also once danced shirtless and i almost sued, you a child Boi (i say as I am younger than him)

Videos to Watch: (1) (2) (3)

Kang Hyunggu (Kino)

A whole cutie

I legit that he was my age or younger cause he was just so adorable

Only 4 days younger than yuto and 4 days older than wooseok, but he a whole baby

They did a vlive for wooseok, yuto, and kino’s birthdays and when they were getting into teams, hongseok was chosen to be in kino’s team but he said it so emotionlessly that kino got all pouty LOL

A dancing king

“I was going to go easy on you, but you called me Hyunggu”

Has a lot of friends in k-pop, he vvv popular

Shares a room with shinwon

A laugh that motivates me to be a better person

Saved the entire world by eating watermelon in front of cameras BLESS

“Get it Kino Beauty”

Proceeded to destroy yanan’s face with makeup RIP

Makes funny faces that i sometimes screenshot and send to my friends at 2 in the morning

ALSOALSOALSO, he had this little dance solo in Critical Beauty and I was LIVING for it

Videos to Watch: (1) (2) (3)

Jung Wooseok

The baby of the group

HELLA TOL??? LIKE WTF, IF YOU LOOK AT PHOTOS OF JINHO AND WOOSEOK STANDING NEXT TO EACH OTHER HE LOOKS LIKE A FREAKING GIRAFFE

He was sleeping backstage once and yuto put a chocopie in front of his mouth and he sleepily tried to eat it and i was :((((( he was so cute

Really likes yuto, they’re usually paired together for stuff. Like dorms

Really likes anime, legend has it that if you play samurai heart at exactly 1:23 AM, wooseok will appear behind you and sing along

Imitates an opera singer and achieves an octave that i would imagine isn’t humanly possible for someone with a voice as deep as his

Has a fanboy names Lai Guanlin from wanna one, and he will not let anyone forget about his precious Wooseok

Once did an eating broadcast with super spicy food and accidentally got some in his eye and the rest of pentagon thought it was the funniest thing ever RIP

Videos to Watch: (1) (2) (3)

That was a journey! We’re almost done, though!

Videos Of Pentagon to Watch! Weekly Idol with Victon and Momoland! (X) This crack (?) series that I live for (X) The VLive that was all sorts of mess (X) Triple H Weekly Idol (only Hui and E’Dawn) (X) This clip from Pentagon Maker that was all sorts of mess, even with only 4 members (X) Hui, Wooseok, and E’Dawn trying to cook (X) This other VLive that was all sorts of mess (X) Pentagon Heyo TV (Mafia Game Cut) (X)

AND THERE YOU HAVE IT! A VERY SHORT, SHITTY GUIDE TO PENTAGON! I hope this helps anyone wanting to get into Pentagon, or even just makes an Universe smile! Now go and bask in the glory that is Pentagon’s craziness! Bye!

[daffodilon]

Hey!! So I just hit a really exciting follower milestone and since this blog is pretty new I’m extra excited about it. @jikooktemple​ tagged me in this “game of tag” get-to-know-me meme and now that there are a few of you here, it seems like a good time to do it! 

don’t come for me for doing this when i could be working on my wips ahahahaha

Rules:

tag the person who tagged you

answer the 30 questions

tag 10 people

Questions under the cut:

How tall are you? 177cm! and before you ask, yes it is breezy up here

What color and style is your hair? it’s red/orange and i grew it out from a really short pixie, and now it falls past my collarbones. it’s pretty straight and manageable other than a little damage to the ends from me bleaching it :)

What color are your eyes? blue!

Do you wear glasses? i do! could you tell from the plot of cafune pt 2 centering around being nearsighted af 🙄

Do you wear braces? i wore braces for like five years and thankfully i have had them off for many years now

What’s your fashion sense? Today I’m wearing a cute denim romper. I wear a lot of big sweaters and skinny jeans, or shorts over tights with a graphic tee tucked in and a flannel over, or random pieces i find online or in thrift stores. cute socks are my favorite accents and accessories, and i like to pair them with pretty shoes. i wear whatever i think is cute and flatters my body type! sometimes people tell me i dress like i’m “not ‘from here,’” whatever that means, but they tell me that wherever i go, so hmm. lol

Full Name: for the purposes of this blog you can call me Dilon! :)

When were you born? 950920

Where are you from and where do you live now? I am from the east coast (US) and now i live on the west coast (US) 

What school do you go to? I’m not currently a student

What kind of student are you? I’m the worst bc I’m the kind of kid who rarely does homework except like sitting on the floor in the hallway right outside the class five minutes beforehand. but I’m good at test taking so my grades were always good except in classes where homework is weighted more than quizzes. I raise my hand a lot and i don’t cause trouble, so teachers tend to like me, and i used get away with a lot of crap because of it. that’s what i mean by the worst lmao 

Do you like school?  I like school and learning in general a lot! i do a lot of self-study, especially languages

Favorite Subject: Oops i kind of answered it above, but I really like languages, any language. I was always pretty good in english, and for most other subjects my experience depends entirely on the kind of teacher i have. I have never been good at science, i’m not really good at math either but i’ve enjoyed a lot of math classes taught by great teachers. Oh, art. I love art and I’m good at it. Music as well. 

Favorite TV shows. Right now I don’t have cable or any streaming subscriptions so I’m watching very little TV but I just finished watching Guren Lagann today and I cried. Come talk to me about it if you’ve seen it lol. I’m also almost all the way through Sky Castle. holy shit bro that show

Favorite Movie? Not to be a fucking basic bitch but I love a ghibli movie man. I watch those when I’m having a shit day. I like the princess bride and certain avengers movies, but, like, don’t talk to me about the new ones bc yikes. what else. uhh i’ll rewatch harry potter any damn day call me i’m there. how the grinch stole christmas w jim carrey: a masterpiece. *seokjin voice* it’s a 명작 you know 명작? don’t ever watch it with me, i will be so insufferable the whole time. i’ll quote every line and in between dialogue i’ll monologue at you about rick baker and sfx makeup until you shove a sock in my mouth and throttle me

Favorite Books? my recent favorite is brandon sanderson’s stormlight archive series. I’ve loved all his books that i’ve read, i’m a fantasy fan and his affinity for worldbuilding is spectacular. i’m also obsessed with nora sakavic’s all for the game series. she’s everything i aspire to be as a writer, fuck

Favorite Past time? I like writing! I also like singing, listening to music, pretending I can play piano... 

Do you have any regrets? like a million hahaaaa 

Dream Job I’d love to do music, I’d love to do writing, I’d love to be involved in translating/interpreting/diplomacy, idk i have a lot of varied interests

Would ever like to be married? lets just say it is very low on my list of life goals n priorities. 

Would you like to have kids? someday? who knows, man. am i currently in any way equipped to be tasked with raising a real live human and do it without fucking them up for life? fuck no bro

How many? bruh i have no plans in this area whatsoever

Do you like shopping? sure, when i can afford to. otherwise the experience is stressful and nothing else 

What countries have you visited? just canada unfortunately. not that canada isn’t nice, i just mean i’d like to go to more places

Scariest nightmare you’ve ever had? probably one of the ones where i’m having a bad dream and i’m trying to wake up and i, like, kind of wake up? like, my eyes open but i don’t wake up all the way, so now i think i’m awake but the dream is still going on? my dream just changes so i’m in my own room and i’m “up” but whatever i was scared of before is still there like it followed me into the real world. sometimes this happens like twice or three times and i keep trying to wake up and i can’t until over and over until i’m not sure if i’m awake or not and i’m just terrified. like inception and it’s awful. it’s like almost-sleep paralysis but not quite

Any enemies? idk who has actual enemies in real life but i definitely have people i don’t have good relationships with anymore because i fucked up with them and don’t know how to fix it

Any significant other?  no ma’am

Do you get along with your family? some yes, some no

Do you believe in miracles? i believe that things with a shockingly low statistical chance of happening, happen, all the time 

How are you? I’m warm, I’m sitting in bed, it’s a really nice day. The windows are open, I can smell the ocean, and my guitar and dogs are within reach. There’s always anxiety in the back of my mind but right now in the front there is peace :)

[mightbedamian]

#TMIishTuesday #61 - Laune der Natur

Hey,  First off: 64 % turnout in the election in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Well done, Northerns! Also: Shame that the AfD made it into parliament, but at least they "only" got 5.9 %. Second: Well done, France, too! Even though Emmanuel Macron has his questionable thoughts, I 100 % prefer him over Ms. LePen. Let's see what France will look like with him in the driving seat. On my personal life: I don't remember, if I told you that I am doing an English language exam to get written proof of my skills. It's on level C1 of the European CERT framework. Well, for the written part that I did in April, I scored… erm… 93 %!? I still don't get how, but you know… Not gonna complain… :D Oral exam this Thursday. Technically I have passed the entire thing already, but I'll try to keep the total score over the 90 % mark. Just for fun. :D On my internet life: I discovered more of the wonderful work of German YouTuber skate702. I had watched his Minecraft Sky and vlogging videos already - and really liked it. And in the last week of April I gave his Watch Dogs 2 videos a chance, too. Didn't have a clue about the game, but digging the story! The main character is a hacker, trying to help humankind in rather dubious ways. It's really fun to watch - especially when you have an IT graduate like skate playing and commenting. Apparently, the story is not too far off the reality. Anyway, if you want to check his videos, click right here. On with what we are here for: Music. Dropped last Friday. Bibi's new song. Hahaha. No! I haven't even listened to it. I've read two trillion comments about it. Not a single one was positive. That told me I didn't need to listen to it. Especially, when my favorite band dropped their new album the same day (and the Drama Help Line aka. DHL actually delivered it on time for once). Hey there mighty people of the internet! And welcome to issue #61 of #TMIishTuesday - my weekly Tumblr post about what goes through my weird mind and on what you guys want to know more about. It can be something very personal, it can be something political, it can be completely pointless - but in 99.9 % of the cases, it involves opinions. And mine as well. // Last week I discussed why it is important to make use your voting power. How it helps the democracy we live in. And what might happen, if we don't use it. Check it out, if you haven't. Especially, if you are among those, who may vote in the election in North Rhine-Westphalia upcoming Sunday. // Okay, I still haven't told you what exactly you can expect from this post. A little bit of an review of the new album of Die Toten Hosen, Laune der Natur. And I will try to not make any comments on the Bibi song that was released the same day. I promise. I'll go one by one - song by song - and then give an overall rating for the album, okay? 1. Urknall ("Big Bang") Very strong beginning. First thing of the first song of the album: counting 1-2-3-4 and a piece with loads of rock-y guitar riffs and drums. Me gusta! The song starts by saying "the manager is dead" - which is true. The guy who discovered the band back in 1982 and became their manager, Jochen Hülder, died of stomach cancer two years ago. For the rest the song describes the clash between what band life was like in the beginning and what it could be like now they are famous: They want to go back to the big bang, the beginning. Sound: 8/10 Lyrics: 8/10 Total: 8/10 2. Alles mit nach Hause ("Everything home with me") A softer song to follow the bang-y beginning. Dominant drum beat - rather soft guitars. To be honest: Not the most special beat, quite pop, not too much rock - despite a little reluctant guitar solo. Content: Reflecting on where his career has brought lead singer Campino: Rome, Ibiza, Paris, Mexico, Buenos Aires, Liverpool - but it still feels like he is not satisfied. He takes everything home with him, but it still sounds not too happy when he talks about his "prey". It's a dilemma. Sound: 7/10 Lyrics: 6/10 Total: 6/10 3. Wannsee ("Wannsee") A song I don't know what to think of. Really, really, REALLY catchy chorus ("Wannsee, Wannsee, wann seh ich dich endlich wieder?"), but the music really doesn't convince me… Little too slow, little too much of a "let's make this sound strange". Little too… idk! The music is not my thing. Plus I've never been a fan of the Wannsee. The song describes the life in the Wannsee area, a rather rich suburb of Berlin and how they want to go there again - but at the same time miss their hometown, Dusseldorf. This might also be considered a homage to another German band, Die Ärzte. They wrote a song called Westerland which starts by "Jeden Tag sitz ich am Wannsee". While the Berlin band wishes to be at the North Sea coast (the island of Sylt), the one from Dusseldorf wants to be in Berlin - at the Wannsee. Sound: 3/10 Lyrics: 5/10 Total: 4/10 4. Unter den Wolken ("Below the clouds") The single released a few weeks before the album. Was not too excited about it when I first heard it in April. But the more I listen to it, the more I like it. Soft rock, if you want so. Lead guitar quite melodic, strong drum beat, louder chorus. Lyrics: Very cool! A homage to Reinhard Mey's Über den Wolken ("Above the clouds"). Mey sang about how cool it must be to fly over above the clouds and how that should be the goal of everyone: Reaching for freedom. Now Die Toten Hosen turn it around: They still strive for freedom, but you can't get on any planes cause they are grounded by the weather. Instead, we should try to build our own freedom down here. Fight for it. Really thought through, I like! Sound: 7/10 Lyrics: 9/10 Total: 8/10 5. Pop & Politik ("Pop & Politics") "Do you really think it's good to mix those things? Your naïve thoughts to pop and politics" - the first two lines of the song say what the song is about: People have told the band (and other punk bands,  too) that they shouldn't comment on the topics of pop and politics. The song is kind of a throwback to the 80s and 90s when the punk scene (including Die Toten Hosen) went for a totally different approach than their parents and the politicians in power. Everything described in this song ("shut your mouths!", "who needs your embarrassing songs?") actually was what the situation looked like. But the band - and the punk scene - kept going and told them off. Awesome lyrics! Music: The drum beat is ace, the background "oh-oh-oh"s are great, the guitars are on point. This is what perfection looks like! Sound: 10/10 Lyrics: 10/10 Total: 10/10 6. Laune der Natur ("Nature's Mood") A beat resembling folk songs. Very slow again. Not really my kinda beat. The lyrics are good though. About how both nature and other people are steered by a few who think they are God - and beyond. The album is named after this song. Not much more to say about it. Sound: 4/10 Lyrics: 8/10 Total: 6/10 7. Energie ("Energy") The beginning of the song resembles Bibi's song for once. "Papapapapapa" and so on. But the difference is: With "Energie", you get a guitar riff that can compete with any other rock song. With Bibi's song… Okay, let's keep that out of here… Like that beat of Energie a lot! And you get that tiny bit of a guitar solo at the end. Lyrics: Very simple, very short. "Where does all this energy come from all of a sudden?" Sound: 9/10 Lyrics: 5/10 Total: 7/10 8. Alles passiert ("Everything happens") Very thoughtful sound. Acoustic guitar, calm voice. Drum later on, but on a small scale. Lyrics: A typical relationship drama - break-up mood - the understanding that "everything happens like it has to" - love is gone - staying friends wouldn't work - sadness about the break-up. Sound: 7/10 Lyrics: 6/10 Total: 6/10 9. Die Schöne und das Biest ("Beauty and the Beast") The setting: Guy laying on bed, bleeding out of the belly. Lady laying next to him, holding a gun. While he's passing away, he reflects on their relationship - and his failure. Music-wise: Good one. Guitar intro that reminds me of the old Western-themed movies. Drums, some thoughtful piano jingling along at the important parts. A clear cut towards the chorus. Nice. Sound: 8/10 Lyrics: 8/10 Total: 8/10 10. Eine Handvoll Erde ("A handful of dirt") Very thoughtful intro. Just a guitar being picked. Sounds like time is running out. Then the singing starts in low volume. For the chorus the full band joins in: Second guitar, bass, drums. Then back to only picking for the second verse. Then a piano filled musical sequence, then silence. Awesome sound design! And fitting the lyrics as well: The song describes the funeral of someone close and how their coffin is carried towards their grave. Thoughts about what should have been said before the passing-away and life after. The band dedicated this song to their manager, who passed away (the one mentioned in the first song: Urknall). What can I say? If there ever is a right way to say goodbye, this feels really right to me. Love this song! Sound: 10/10 Lyrics: 10/10 Total: 10/10 11. Wie viele Jahre (Hasta la muerte) ("How many years - to death") Big change from the last song! Rocking guitar riff to start with, heavy drum joining in, lyrics sang with a rather loud voice. Great composition! The song describes the changes the band has been through over the more than 30 years of their existence. It satirically compares three birthdays of their guitarist, Breiti: His 20th, his 40th and one of his recent ones. From very limited money to more money and the thrive to make the most of it and the realisation that exaggeration is not the way to go. This is illustrated by the setting of the parties and the gifts Breiti receives from his fellow band members: - location: from the band's run-down rehearsal room to a rather noble hotel room - gifts: two crates of the regional beer and a tiny bottle of liquor; two crates of champagne and a tiny bottle of liquor; and finally for his last one: two crates of organic snack bars - Breiti's body doesn't tolerate anything else! Really, really fun way of telling the story of the changes that have happened over the years! And probably 100 % true as well. Sound: 10/10 Lyrics: 15/10 Total: 13/10 Oops. 12. ICE nach Düsseldorf ("Intercity Express to Dusseldorf") Drum beat and a clanging guitar open that seems to not be 100 % on the beat. Cool! Lyrics: Wow! Who thought of this? :D They are rather pointless, but they 100 % fit the vibe the band sets: Everything Dusseldorf! It's their hometown and most of them still live there and love the city to pieces. The last concert of every tour they do, HAS to be "at home". And 30 years after their first concert - played beneath a bridge - they fill the giant Esprit Arena, to play in front of a mere 20k people. Anyway, back to the lyrics: The last wish of the singer is quite simple: Send his coffin with the Intercity Express - the fastest train in Germany - to Dusseldorf. But please give him his well-deserved window seat! Oh, and the last line tells us: He wants you to dodge his fare - again. Sound: 10/10 Lyrics: 10/10 Total: 10/10 13. Geisterhaus ("Haunted House") The picking guitar guy is back! And so is the soft voice of Campino. Description of the empty, abandoned house. The beat picks up for the chorus: How the house used to be. Explained very quickly, in just two lines. Back to soft sound for the next verse, then slowly picking up for a more extended chorus, describing how there once was hope for a love story. But it's gone. Break. Music picks up drastically for little instrumental intermezzo, before a last chorus gives us hope again - and leaves us with it. Great composition! Sound: 8/10 Lyrics: 8/10 Total: 9/10 14. Lass los ("Let go") Fast guitar sound, fast vocals, fast drums. Sound picking up more and more towards the chorus. Lyrics: Letting go. Wow, who would have expected, right? A story of a broken love. And how both of them can't let go. A theme that Campino likes a lot, it seems. It is present on pretty much every album of the band with one or a few songs. Promise in this case: Let us love each other one last time, before we end this in friendship. Even though we know it won't work. Sound: 9/10 Lyrics: 6/10 Total: 8/10 15. Kein Grund zur Traurigkeit ("No reason to be sad") Very interesting song. Cause it was not written by any of the band members. It's former drummer Wölli, who composed it. Wölli passed away from kidney cancer a year ago. He sings the song as well. The band retrieved his voice track from the original song and put their own instrumentals in it, along with Campino singing the chorus. The song is about desire and that it should be the reason for sadness. Sung by Wölli with his rough voice over the gentle sounds of an accompanying guitar, it makes for a great composition and is an awesome way for the band to say goodbye to Wölli who played the drums in the band from 1986 to 1999. He was part of the composition of songs such as Hier kommt Alex, Sascha… ein aufrechter Deutscher, Wünsch dir was, Nichts bleibt für die Ewigkeit, Paradies, Bonnie & Clyde, 10 kleine Jägermeister. Sound: 5/10 Lyrics: 6/10 Total: 5/10 How do I end this now? With an overall rating? Hard to do! But I'll try anyway. A solid album with a lot of serious songs. The we-only-care-about-fun songs from the 80s and the first half of the 90s are long gone, more thoughtful songs is the way to go for the band. And it works. Ageing, politics, dealing with the passing-away of two loved ones (manager and former drummer) - difficult topics. Still, there's enough room for the fun songs. Musically, the rock parts are there. However, compared to earlier albums (also the last album, Ballast der Republik, released 2012), it's not as present. It sounds much softer, going towards mainstream pop for some songs even. Look at Unter den Wolken, which was released as a single already, look at Wannsee, look at Laune der Natur. That's your perfect WDR2 radio song. And that's something I don't quite like. Yes, I LOVE it when my favorite artists are played on the radio. But there's just too much of a turn-around to fit in more. To be more mainstream-successful. That's my impression, at least. I miss the early 2000s when there still was mainly rock on the band's albums (Auswärtsspiel and Zurück zum Glück). Nonetheless, there are a lot of songs, I really like. Especially the funny ones toward the end of the album (Wie viele Jahre, ICE nach Düsseldorf), but also the more thoughtful Eine Handvoll Erde and Pop & Politik. Three favorite songs, you say? Difficult! But, okay, I'll try: 1. Wie viele Jahre (Hasta la muerte) 2. Pop & Politik 3. Handvoll Erde TL;DR: Sorry, I can't summarise this! You have to read it all! :P If you're interested in getting the album, click this. Oh, and remember to vote on Sunday! Now let me know what you think of Die Toten Hosen? Do you know the band? And if so, what do you think about the album (or the Unter den Wolken single, if you don't have the album)? Place a comment, tweet me, dm me, or do anything else you can think of to get to me. Queer Shoutout you say? It's time for a simple tweet again. A tweet which is basically a little piece of a newspaper, a birth announcement. And it's the single cutest and most beautiful thing I've ever seen! The parents of this guy are ACE! I'm not gonna spoil anything. It's too good to spoil. But that much: It's queer. Check it! As always: Next #TMIishTuesday next Tuesday. If you have any questions in the meantime, just ask away. Whatever you’re curious about - I don’t bite. :) Until then: Stay mighty! Linkage: - skate702: youtube.com/skate702 - Philipp Oehmke: Zum Tod Jochen Hülders: Der Mann, der die Hosen groß machte: http://www.spiegel.de/kultur/musik/die-toten-hosen-manager-jochen-huelder-gestorben-a-1013276.html - Get the album: https://smile.amazon.de/dp/B06XJ85SZJ - Queer Shoutout: https://twitter.com/Lamptopus/status/859870117626347520

Oh, and here’s some self-promo: - Last #TMIishTuesday: http://mightbedamian.tumblr.com/post/160235699317/tmiishtuesday-60-make-a-democracy-a-democracy - All #TMIishTuesdays: mightbedamian.tumblr.com/tagged/tmi - More #TMIishTuesdays on music topics: http://mightbedamian.tumblr.com/tagged/music  - More very cool stuff: www.twitter.com/mightbedamian - Even more very cool stuff: mightbedamian.tumblr.com 

[cupkayke]

Cupkayke Rewatches/Liveblogs Boueibu!

Season 1, Episode 6

I have no explanation for the stupidly long wait for this one other than the fact that I am a lazy motherfucker. BUT. CHALLENGE TIME- I’m in the midst of a mini vacation from work so when I’m not working on cosplay I WILL BE WRITING. Er, analyzing. Er, plotting. Er, SOMETHING.

Anyway! Onto the episode where Io pissed me the fuck off but still managed to be a loveable asshole in the end, anyway! Also LOTS OF UNDER THE SURFACE SHIT! YAYYYYY. 

I also apologize if I miss responding to some comments on these; with as sporadic as my time on tumblr is these days (90% is on mobile) I can’t fucking remember what replies I’ve reblogged or not OTL

Firstly I haven’t really thought much about it but what’s up with the title for this episode? “Love is something you wear on your back?” Is that a reference to the “so generous he’d give you the shirt off his back�� phrase? If that’s meant to apply to Io in this episode for his “loyalty” I think they missed the mark there...

Yumoto eats a lot apparently- damn son stop growing!

Was that a sex joke?

THAT WAS DEFINITELY A SEX JOKE BOUEIBU NOT 2 MINUTES IN I AM SURPRISED AT YOU alsolololololololololololololforever

FANCY STUDENT COUNCIL IS FANCY omg they’re so fucking rich why do they even have this setup it’s so ridiculous

I sometimes get the feeling that this is a wealthy private school, similar to Ouran academy, with scholarships for low-income students (IE Yumoto). The parallels are there- but as established later in the episode, why the fuck would Yumoto be given a scholarship because it’s definitely not academics.

Maybe the Hakone family is actually wealthy but they just live modestly because their parents are gone and Gora wants to make the fortune last?

I MADE MYSELF SAD.

Finger bowls????

Apparently I’m an unultured swine because I had to look it up. You dip your fingers in the bowl to clean your hands between courses really???

Can’t we just... y’know... use hand santizier? This is like... 2015 for you guys right?

However it’s hilarious that Kinshiro decides that FINGER BOWLS of all things are important enough to have for the three of them at lunch so he wants to see if they can afford it.

ALSO I JUST REALIZED THE FORESHADOWING HERE WITH IO HOLY SHIT-

I SMELL RIVALRY

Kinshiro is a grumpy butt. Look at his face. Eat a snickers, Kinchan. You get micro-managey when you’re hungry.

So we’re halfway through the season and Wombat is seemingly trying to point our boys in a particular direction. HMMMMMM. 

Seriously I would love to know just how much of this is Wombat talking out his ass for the sake of the reality show and how much of it is shit he actually believes and he actually wants the boys to do a good job and ‘protect the earth’

I for one am on Wombat’s side because he’s fucking adorable but I do love the conspiracy/manipulation theory~

Ryuu and foreshadowing in 3...2...1.. WRITERS I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE

Dat dead body smell

Even disgusted Akoya STILL manages to be gorgeous like whoah

Someone get this boy a modeling contract

PINKS THROWIN’ SHADE

I feel like this is the most lines that Akoya has had the entire show

I also realized during his little speech here that EVEN COVERING HIS NOSE his VOICE is still GORGEOUS.

Modeling contract AND record deal, PLZ 

So smug

Who knew pretty could be so evil~

I mostly just laughed at the cap of the DC all like ‘SHIT HE’S ONTO US’

So smug x2

Also this is where I started PINKSHIPPING

Like seriously I will go down with this ship even tho IoRyuu is OTP PINKSHIPPING MAKES SO MUCH SENSE

Just the rivalry and the pettiness sign me the fuck up for some angsty, angry making out in the SC bathroom

Whoops I just wrote a mini fanfic

Anyway this is why Cupkayke can’t decide on OTPs for this series because multishipping is fun

Wombat looks fluffier this episode

Too many Yumoto cuddles?

Pink kohai and dad-senapis!

Seriously I love the idea of these three hanging out together it’s adorable

And En is apparently really fucking smart

The entire conversation about Yumoto’s academic abilities is really interesting-

Apparently he has very good spatial awareness (child show me your ways I cannot directions for the life of me) but poor language skills

I don’t know if I am qualified to speculate about his cognitive state but perhaps it wouldn’t be so far-fetched to say that from that tidbit, Yumoto perhaps has a learning disability?

But then again, here it’s played for laughs/Yumoto’s just lazy and doesn’t see the value in school

Perhaps though he’s not motivated because he’s never really been able to get an instruction style that jives with him? So on certain subjects he’s over being discouraged and just accepts that typical academic instruction just isn’t for him?

This entire scene is fascinating from the lens of a future educator (albeit I haven’t taken any development or learning courses yet) but as someone who likes school Yumoto is the type of person (if he doesn’t have a learning disability, that is) who would confuse me IRL lolololol

“What? You don’t like the rigorous structure and inherent validation system of grading that even though it causes me undue anxiety and stress it gives me a sense of self-worth and purpose and without people giving me deadlines I cannot function?”

Well that got too deep oops I apologize for the too much in-depth taste of Cupkayke’s psyche

Someone more qualified than I am feel free to analyze this scene

Now back to your regularly scheduled magical boy blogging

Lolololol Gora wanting better for Yumoto - such a good big brother

“DON’T BE USELESS LIKE ME” - wait a second

IS THIS A LOWKEY REFERENCE TO GORA’S MAGICAL BOY PAST? Considering Maximum Gorar’s weapon is an axe and he has lots of chopping attacks.... hmmmmmmm did I just discover another layer?

Obviously Gora doesn’t know about the Battle Lovers just yet (or does he?) but still- interesting.

En trying to make them feel better haha such a sweetiepie

Atsushi get out of here with your logic

SWEATS NERVOUSLY

SCREW MONSTER FORESHADOWING

En and his ragging on Yumoto. I wonder when he goes from finding Yumoto annoying/exasperating to actually being that caring senpai? I mean, he could just be trying to be playful, but with his face here especially it comes across as he’s annoyed

Idk it’s kind of fascinating tho how he did not care for Yumoto at first

YUMOTO I HAVE NO WORDS

T________T

Revelation; Io is popular

Somehow I didn’t get that until this point in the series, but then again Io isn’t the type to care about his popularity unless it makes him money

So I guess he’s just admired from afar like this lololol

Io has a stalker- complete with creepy monologuing!

More screw foreshadowing!

Yellow phone for Io! They’re actually really heavy-handed with the color coding but most of the time it’s in ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ moments. It’s like a fun game of I spy!

I can see where the headcanon that Akoya has a crush on Io started- the fact he goes out of his way to compliment Io is a bit telling.

Buuuut I still ship the Pinks over IoAko; but with the caveat of the Pinks both pining over Io and having their feelings unrequited! Oooooh the angst!

The cute evil is scheming

IO HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT SO EASILY

THEY WEREN’T EXPECTING YOU TO SAY YES EITHER LOOK AT THEIR FACES

...maybe you do get along with the SC Io you seem just about as evil and scheming as Akoya here-

WAIT WHAT AM I SAYING

WOMBAT IS SO CUTE IN HIS TITLE CARD AWW

I love how Ryuu is trying so hard look at him

Io what’s with that face! How can you betray them all so easily???

It makes no sense!

Creepy glowing Hedgehog

I still don’t know how Yumoto can get a ZERO in Japanese. Is it his grammar? Conjugation? Is Japanese like English is in the US where they go over literature and like Atsushi said he makes logic leaps that no one else does so he misinterprets the text? I AM CONFUSED. Wouldn’t he at least get some points? 

Look at this adorable fucker thanking his boyfriend friend in English!

En is really fucking smart, though I doubt he guesses ‘everything’

This could play into En’s self-consciousness on how he’s percieved (see his panic about looking ‘old’) and perhaps he also only wants to be percieved as ‘lazily intelligent’. 

It wouldn’t surprise me though if En did study a little bit, just to brush up on some things, or took school seriously but didn’t need to study because he’s really good at regurgitating info on tests

Either way, it seems like he doesn’t want people to know whether he actually cares about school or not so he just says he ‘guesses’ and gets 100s

Idk maybe I’m looking at the wrong angle but that’s not that far fetched I guess?

….Io… I am a very disappoint

Like this entire episode is out of character for him or at least my understanding of his character

Like, it’s not like he’s particularly very close to any of the DC except for Ryuu, but he doesn’t seem like the type to just up and ‘fuck you guys and everything we’ve been through’

Like it’s no secret he finds the Battle Lover thing bothersome but it’s likely he’s well aware of the fact that if he quits the DC he’s not going to stop having to wear the loveracelet and he’s still going to have to do all the embarrassing superhero things until he stops getting shocked by the thing

And like even if he’s really only in the DC because their ‘meetings’ give him enough downtime to invest in his business ventures I find it highly unlikely that the Student Council would pay him enough to make up for the loss he’d suffer because of his free time getting cut. And Io probably knew that outright.

Unless he is actually a teenage boy liable to acting without thinking! GASP.

Look, Io, you pissed off the Pink.

Really pissed him off! Ryuu sees through your bullshit.

Okay. Unpacking here- Io’s face in that cap says to me that he is well aware of how he’s being percieved. He’s well aware that he’s betraying the DC and the person who he would consider his best friend is calling him out on it. That look screams guilt.

However, what he says here- and here is where I am pissed the writers didn’t give us more context- he says ‘money is important/money doesn’t betray’. 

Which if you take him saying this to its most logical conclusion, he’s saying that he feels the DC will betray him at some point. Being involved with the DC, which doesn’t directly make him any money, will hurt him in the long run to the point where he would feel betrayed.

He’s said this before; money doesn’t betray. I can’t remember which episode (which is sad because I just did a write up on it) but I know the context of the conversation was when they were talking about the concept of ‘Love’ with Wombat. Everything Io does is for money. Relationships seem to do jack shit for him. 

But it appears here that this move is premptive. You have to do some inferring but it’s not so far fetched to say that Io has found himself caring for the DC (and potentially the Battle Lover thing) a lot more than he originally thought he would. And perhaps, based on previous experiences (what, we don’t know) he is afraid that they will betray him. Whether in terms of finances, emotions, or both, isn’t clear.

I feel like in the snow episode of s2 there’s a throwaway line about Io making Igloos that might have had some more under the surface about his past- for some reason I inferred he was often lonely as a child. I can’t remember why, though.

But I guess what I’m trying to say here is that this scene would be a whole lot more poignant if we had the entire narrative. Io is making this move, on the surface, because of money. But that’s foolish, especially for someone as smart as him, for the reasons I mentioned above. Even as rich as the SC are collectively, they probably wouldn’t be able to pay Io enough for his treasurer services to make it more lucrative than investing in his downtime with the DC. 

So it seems like he is trading his relationship with the DC- a personal relationship with feelings involved- for a relationship with the SC, one that is primarily business-focused. From their outer appearances, Io definitely knows that ‘rich kids’ like himself don’t tend to focus on friendship, so he’d be relatively safe to keep things strictly business.

Which means Io finds the idea of a business-only relationship more appealing/safer than a relationship based on friendship.

And supposedly, by extension, even if he did have to keep being a Battle Lover, he could keep that relationship strictly business too, by simply showing up and helping fight monsters without actually spending any time with the DC.

But without the context, this is speculation. Is there anything in the novels/comics/games that add to this???

Ryuu is rightfully pissed off! But the look Io gives here says again ‘I know what I am doing is hurtful, but I made my decision in my/everyone’s best interests’. Supposedly.

GAHH I NEED MORE CONTEXT.

Supporting my theory that Io is simply being a stupid teenager! Which I suppose could also play into the slightly deeper motivations I speculated about. Buuuuut still... a bit of a cop out.

Monster that makes its own sound effects! Or one that’s attempting to be a Pokemon!

I love when the boys other than Yumoto get into the fight! Yay!

I guess they have time for full transformations since they’re missing one! (or they need to pad the episode runtime, MAGICAL BOY STYLE)

Such an empty yellow spot

Ryuu… you ran right into it... it’s like you weren’t even trying.

Well that sounds suggestive

THIS MONSTER IS RIDICULOUS I LOVE IT

EVEN THE OTHERS REALIZE IT

Poor Ryuu- I’d cry if I was tickled that much, too. I probably would have also pissed myself.

Io jfc you can’t just stop being ticklish because an enemy decides to tickle you!

Nonetheless, boyfriend is pissed

Oh wait- Io transformation by himself. More screentime padding!

In other words- “GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY MAN”

DAYUM IO- punch the monster through a fucking WALL. Somebody’s been working out.

Also idk why the color is so off in this action scene- it’s so daaaaark

“I’m so humilated and my pants are probably ruined”

“It’s about time you got your head out of your ass and saved my ass or I was gonna kick your ass!”

Yayyyyyy they made up!

Why is the monster adorable?

Sassing Yumoto, a DC pastime

PFFFT YUMOTO MY SMOL PRECIOUS CHILD NEVER CHANGE

Seriously why is a screw monster so cute

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before but it so looks like the CA’s pants are actually leeggings

Maybe that’s why Kinshiro wears a cape he’s self conscious about showing off his ass ffffft

DUN DUN DUN SPOTTED

Pssssssssssh you all are cosplayers at heart

Oh… is this why Yumoto’s bad at Japanese???

DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNN (x2)

I love this conversation- even without the underlying context it basically supports my theorizing (except for the implication that the SC would have potentially been more profitable)

Ryuu is right; he knows Io should have been able to calculate which was financially a better deal in three seconds. He probably knows that Io was struggling with something emotionally.

Io’s ‘I can’t tell you that’ is cheeky but I can take it 2 ways actually. Potentially, the SC was more profitable money wise, but the DC is more profitable for Io emotionally. So it could mean both of those things. Or like I thought earlier, the DC could be both emotionally and financially profitable and Io is just being a little shit because he second-guessed everything but doesn’t want to admit why.

Buhhhhh these boys.

Pshhhh En YOU DID NOTHING AND YOU’RE TIRED

OHHHH YOU GUYS AGAIN - interesting implications fufufufufufufufufu

You look like a cat Kinosaki

And lastly.. Dat face

Kinshiro has the evil villain glare/’stare into the camera like you’re on the office’ look down PAT

Well then! I don’t know if my ramblings about Io’s motivations made much sense but that’s like, the ONLY thing I can think of that justifies his willingness to leave other than he was just being a little shit and following the yen for no reason. Again, if there’s any other canonical evidence from other media that explains this episode please point me in that direction because I am confused! This explanation makes sense but... I don’t understand how the writers wanted the audience to take this episode. Reminds me of Tokyo Mew Mew where Zakuro repeatedly threatened to leave/actually almost did leave the Mew Mews, sometimes because of her own insecurities and sometimes because Mint was being a little shit and Zakuro wanted to kick her ass into gear. I don’t get that Io was playing with the DC to make them realize anything- this was he was working through something that we just weren’t privy to. 

[chekhovsraygun]

1. Language: that imperfect, fucked-up miracle

Today at work I was connected with a caller who was particularly distressed about submitting forms to our company in order to avoid paying more money for her insurance. The Insurance Lady who transferred the caller over to me spoke with that sort of genteel quality typical of call center representatives—I probably spoke and responded in kind. But as she recapped the situation of the caller to me there was this hint of nerve and fatigue in her voice, almost warning me about what kind of person I was going to be getting on the other line. It was clear that the Insurance Lady was eager to wash her hands clean of the whole thing, and after a little bit of mental preparation I told her that she could send the caller over if she’d like. I may or may not have heard a sigh of relief in her voice when she told me to “have a nice day;” and after a brief white-noise silence, the soft-spoken youth of the Insurance Lady’s voice was replaced with a somewhat grating, smokier voice when I asked if it was indeed Barbara [not her real name] I was speaking to.

Spoken to me in what could only be aptly described by David Foster Wallace as the “the absolute voice of death,” I really didn’t expect to hear the words ��Yeeeeees baby, it’s me, Barbara” when I woke up this morning. But half of the shift had already passed and so I had already begun to numb considerably to just about anything strange that graces my ears right about now, right on schedule. Barbara was very frustrated with the fact that she needed to use the computer in order to submit these physical forms; she was very frustrated with the fact that she needed to use the computer at all, actually. And she certainly didn’t let me forget it. She spoke with that acidic, pointedly snide voice that easily starts to seep into your head and brings you into the terrible day she’s been having—she didn’t let me forget that either. She was certainly a volatile person when she spoke with me; occasionally letting out these bursts of raw irritation in between sentences, phrases, words. UUGGGGH’s and AAARGGGH’s and all that.

To put it lightly, she was very difficult to deal with, and it must’ve been pretty obvious to everyone around me as my boss messaged me asking if I needed any help from the opposite end of the office. As with most of the callers I talk to on the phone for my job, I wanted to help her, I really did. I understood her predicament; I genuinely didn’t want her to have to pay more for her insurance. But as you could probably imagine by how I spent two paragraphs describing not the call itself but the preamble of our exchange, there was going to be a failure to communicate even before we started talking. And I expected and knew that it was going to be that way; it comes with the territory after all. As I anxiously stumbled and trembled through what barely qualified as a conversation, talking over our own and each other’s words and cutting off more sentences than heads at an execution in 18th century France; the call eventually did end with an armistice of sorts where Barbara groaned and sighed her way to a cursory apology for getting upset and we proceeded to engage in that quintessential human sport of seeing who could apologize the most. A genuine laugh or two here and there between parties. An anecdote to humanize, reveal flesh behind draconic, reptile-monster scales. Truly, no hard feelings. Barbara even managed to one-up the genteel Insurance Lady, telling me to “have a blessèd day.” I wished her a great day as well, smiling when I spoke so she could hear it (it does make a difference).

But by the time I ended the call I still found myself shaking, seething with an anger that never really did dissolve for the rest of the shift; immediately after my call I texted one of my best friends with an eloquent summary of the entire experience: “idk just some lady fucking doesn’t know how to use computers so she takes it out on me and doesn’t let me help her basically” [sic]. I didn’t stay angry all night, but it quickly morphed into other negative emotions. I hated how easy it was for the toxicity in her voice to really get to me, how contagious it was. I became angry about other things, not necessarily related to work: about how hard to it is to communicate with my family, about not being able to communicate with people I want to know better or I thought I knew very well. About how I immediately get frustrated on the job when I have to speak to someone who doesn’t speak English well and how shameful that is. About my genuine belief that the source of most if not all of our human problems stem from this universal failure to communicate, spawned from an unclassifiable and unquantifiable multitude of very specific failures that happen to everyone, between every person in their lives.

It’s times like these when I have to remind myself just how amazing the ability to communicate really is. How much of a privilege it is to be able to do something like express what goes on in my head to another human being among other (living or non-living) things. If I’ve learned anything from the little that I’ve gotten through of the Wittgenstein I’m reading right now between calls, it’s that language is complicated. It’s something that’s very fluid and doesn’t want to be placed in containers or rigid categories. Wittgenstein spends most of what I’ve read so far of Philosophical Investigations (it doesn’t seem like he’s going to let up any time soon) laying out these particular scenarios of language in what he calls “language-games,” which really in a nutshell serve to prove nothing other than just how batshit crazy complicated language gets, the myriad ways in which language is “not something fixed, given once for all” but made new and given new life for each particular situation of life. It doesn’t surprise me that he has a tendency to call language “a form of life,” not in the sense of it being an aspect or quality of life but as a kind of lifeform.

Lately with the job and my personal relationships, it’s been really easy for me to just wallow in how bleak the failure or lack of communication is—just imagine how many language-games we play daily with each other and misunderstand each other. But however flawed, imperfect and complex language is as a concept, as a reality; the fact that language in all its fluid and organic forms allows us to express our very own subjectivities, our inclinations and opinions and insecurities like how I’m sharing mine to you now is nothing short of incredible—it’s a fucking miracle.

 (…)