#-- there are a few songs that have titles that match the title/context of the songs that follow them and that was merely a coincidence

[chirpsythismorning]

The Bizarre Love Triangle playlist is finally here!

📝 ☎️ 🎨 🛼 🌈⏮️ 🫀 💡

I've been working on this playlist for almost a year now, sharing piece by piece slowly with gifs accompanied by lyrics, which are meant to encapsulate what I think each of these characters were feeling at the time. This playlist goes in order narratively, so if you want the full experience, be sure to click start below to see where it all begins!

START ▶️

Tracklist

You're the Inspiration

Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow

This Is the Day

The Great Pretender

You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'

Who Can It Be Now?

I Need You

Bizarre Love Triangle

You've Really Got a Hold of Me

I'm Not In Love

Words

Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word

Dust in the Wind

I've Been Losing You

I Want to Break Free

Enjoy the Silence

Secret

Always on My Mind

The Chain

It's Too Late

How Can I Be Sure?

Alone Again (Naturally)

Alone

Just the Two of Us

The Promise

Never My Love

At Your Best (You Are Love)

Landslide

Wouldn't It Be Nice

The Flame

Is This Love

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've?) - BONUS TRACK

I Know There's Something Going On

Slippin' Through My Fingers

More Than Words

If I Can't Have You

What You Won't Do for Love

Total Eclipse of the Heart

Time For Me To Fly

I Will Survive

Blue Moon

If You Leave

Somebody to Love

Don't Dream It's Over

[accio-victuuri]

February CPNs

hello! it’s that time of the month again that i compile the sweets brought to us by the boys! this month started out very quiet but in this fandom will mean that things will take a turn in the next week/s. you just never know what will happen next. i have added some commentary here on certain incidents that i didn’t talk about separately on my blog to have “bonus content” for this round-up.

• XZ’s GQ cover and collaboration sweets + additional ones connected to fake rumor

• not really cpn, but our boys continue to make it in the weibo hot search trend report - i still hate sina weibo but i understand how it’s relevant for them.

• XZ’s wedding suit from the AV festival. yes, this was made for him but we just had him wear that white backless wedding suit by jacquemus for GQ and now this? hmmmm. me thinks he has a preference? lol. he prefers white and that’s fine, but the choice of what looks like a wedding suit is 👀. i am on standby, let me see if this continues.

pair it off with WYB! and it’s perfect. tho i would prefer it if they are both in white. 🤍

• xzs has the same caption as a cpf

• yibo’s watch and gg’s GQ props connection the number 91 and 3.

• chinese new year candies - gg’s weibo post, wyb’s red envelope cover clues etc

• rufeng shares new thailand fm rehearsal footage

• tencent video posting their new year vcr so close together! they could have easily posted it one after the other but maybe they didn’t want some solo fan drama. i’m happy that bobo continues to collab with 10c, and ZZ is not exclusive to 10c anymore— so hopefully this means in the future they can work on a project together <3

• clowning over XZ’s song in spring festival gala as you wish + same composer as wyb’s singles and how wyb was listening to a song from this artist lately.

• this parallel between their looks. it’s not just their characters that match each other, but their outfits from certain events. so classy!

but i think this one is the best. seeing them get recognition for their acting in the past few months has been very rewarding. all the hard work and challenges are bearing fruit. remembering them talking about wanting to become professional actors and really take that path — studying and dreaming together. now here we are 🫶🏼

• a cute tidbit, but the cat xz is playing with is called xiao wang. that’s because on it’s back looks like the character for wang! what a coincidence!!!! 🥹

• Bottled Joy stirring the CPN pot again by posting this on 2/13. As You Wish. The context of the post is that, as you wish — fans can get these wallpapers and photos of Bobo. but it’s a coincidence cause it’s the english title of the song GG sang @ BRTV Spring Festival Gala. 👀 the colors too, white and silver which is the same color combination of GG’s outfit. This may be meh to some, but knowing Bottled Joy’s cpn history, you can’t blame us.

• Golden Hour and Eason Chan songs @ yibo’s playlist

• Small weekend roundup - includes mention of asian pop magazines where the boys are both mentioned, supplement to xz using tickets for his spring festival photos last year as support of bobo’s movie and the phone card case appears.

• Rumor of Wang Yibo being in Hengdian - one / two / three ( i feel like this one is up there with the leica camera and gg’s bday cpn but this one is more risky on their part. as i have said in my posts, what is important is they are safe and happy. it’s their personal life. their relationship is between the two of them. as cpfs, we should be protecting them and not be people they are wary of. if we are not careful, we are no different from ss and yxh. )

• On 2/20, Yuehua & YBO have posted about the slander recently going around related to WYB and that they have reported it to the police. This went really high on HS and was widely talked about, even Du Hua reposted and reacted to it. Hours later, XZS has posted their own reminder to fans in relation to people disturbing his drama filming. What made it more important is that XZ reposted it too and put in a very firm reminder to everyone.

to give some context, the horrible rumor regarding WYB was spread around by mostly XZ fans. There was a melon that said “X” has STD and then toxic people started saying it’s WYB ( cause toxic xz fans doesn’t want it linked to XZ because of the clue given so they throw it to WYB. i know it sounds stupid, but it’s actually a common tactic done by both sides ) and even fabricated some photos. another actor, xukai was also implicated and he also reported to the police.

so this can be read by so/os as XZ&XZS trying to cover up for the toxic solos and what they did. i get why other people will think that and i personally wanted them to address the bad things his solos do. however i also understand why xz and his team can’t “betray” the solo fans. that’s just how it goes. however, in cpf interpretation, this is XZ’s way of taking away the heat from wyb and a way of putting a stop to the conversations about that horrible lie. it worked in a way that it went on HS, but not as high as WYB’s. I was also surprised that XZ reposted it himself. i am aware that the leaks and everything else is a serious issue and XZ is someone who hates being a bother to the crew. but he usually doesn’t do this. he usually leaves it to XZS or the drama account. This tells me that he personally wants to lend his name and his weibo account, to get more of the heat. The last line he said can also be a message to his toxic so/os: respect others and respect yourself.

• On 2/20, there were tarot readings some BXGs have enjoyed. One is this that is a new year CP reading done on 2/4. What made fans 👀 are:

1. this card, where OP said it’s them being hand in hand and don’t get tired of each other. and in the background is a sacred building, which symbolizes them having a vow to each other.

more cpn was added into it when GG did MFW and people realized not to take this literally cause it could be representing the Duomo.

2. Here is the part that was v interesting to cpfs cause this person gave a prediction that followed what we cpn and happened in the next couple of days.

The two of them haven’t had many official activities recently. So from February 4th, there is a chance for the two of them to meet each other in the past few days. And as soon as the two of them meet, they won’t be going out. Yibo knows he is active but he will close up and be willing to hide at home for XZ.

this is so close to what we speculated! that they spent a quiet cny break together. 🥹🥹🥹

3. Next one is so on point it’s scary cause i have already discussed the bad rumor going around and was directed at WYB before this entry. OP was sort of right. tho i don’t know it this will be another hateful rumor, i hope not.

My prediction is that it will be in March 2024, around this time, I feel that WYB will have a a force of public opinion surrounding him. It's unfriendly to him. This power of public opinion including but not limited to WYB. If we use the 8 of Swords to understand the external environment, it is a relatively sharp. There is some public opinion about the two of them that may cause some trouble

If something happens to WYB, XZ will immediately rise up and have to rush out to protect him. XZ will work hard behind the scenes silently in his own way and are some practical actions.

I don’t think i need to further explain. It fits what happened in 2/20. 👁️👄👁️

4. WYB’s resources for 2024 will be very good. In the first quarter, the number of resources was not very large but the quality of the resources is very good. Then the Queen of Pentacles in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, the Queen of Cups.

For context: The Queen of Pentacles, therefore, depicts a certain level of success and prosperity. But the rabbit at the bottom cautions us that we should be careful of where we leap when we are chasing that success. Queen of Cups - Generally speaking, this is a positive card for both career and finances, suggesting you're "in tune with yourself, have a good work-life balance going on, and overall a positive job experience.

The reading is close to 1 hour long and I just can’t translate it all so i’m going off what CPFs are highlighting.

• XZ’s pre Milan flight Gucci & camcorder cpn

• Fake Rumors : getting caught kissing / spending time during CNY

• XZS first post in Milan is the invitation given to XZ by Tod’s for the show. Those who had the same time as Milan saw the actual time stamp which is 1823. A beloved kadian number!!!!!

• xz’s collar and whole look for GUCCI MFW gave us so many thoughts. lol. i know sexualization of the boys is a complicated issue in the fandom but when things like this happen — how can we stop? lol. no. but seriously. it is what it is.

• checking their fingernails + similar pose to HB

• a comment that implies xz went to zhuhai with wyb to ride a motorcycle

• their photos match so well. 🌅

from zz’s post in milan. it’s filled with the elements they love like the moon and a beautiful sunset background. gg was also showing off his re web shoes which is of course, because he is a gucci ambassador and all that but the “web” cpn is getting stronger. however, i am personally losing my mind over the implications in the caption he used.

• clues in zz’s mfw interviews, matching talismans on their phone cases and similar ads for shu uemura & loreal

• 8 fake rumors from CQL shoot/era that i posted about 📝

• A place CPFs landmark lol

• spotted same mannerism! twins ☺️☺️☺️☺️

see you all next month for another round up of sweetness! just continue to support the boys and ignore the toxic moves of irrelevant people. fandom is supposed to be fun and a safe space so i hope we all fight to keep that love & peace here 🫶🏼

[ririya-translates]

JJ Lyrics Part 1: Jack & Jeanne of Quartz

I've been asked by a few people about an English version of the opening theme since Ion doesn't give lyrics for it in-game. I do not trust myself to have the lyrical ability to translate it well rhythmically, but I've been thinking that perhaps if I put out a gist of the meaning then perhaps someone more musically inclined can work off of that to turn it into something usable. At the very least, I hope it's helpful to give a bit more context. I'll include the original lyrics as well for those who want to compare side by side. For all of these (assuming I get to more) I'll be using the full song version lyrics from the vocal collection. Translation notes are in brackets. Sorry the spacing is weird because Tumblr's formatting is honestly kinda garbage and won't let me change much.

Can listen along to the full version song on Youtube here. I also got the full character colour-coded lyrics here. Note: The lyrics in this game are quite dense with nuances and references so if there's any I seem to have missed, please do let me know! Please consider these simply rough drafts to get the gist of the full lyrics as I just did this in one sitting. Normally I check over things a few times before posting, but I kinda did this on a whim. Things like pronouns and prepositions are very much context-dependent here so a fair bit can be changed depending on interpretation. If there are clear mistakes, please let me know and I'll edit it.

Kai: こころにひそむ無色の願い

Suzu: かたちに出来ずうつむく

Colourless wishes hidden deep within one’s heart/

Unable to take form, looking downwards

(The word for colourless is often used in reference to Quartz particularly since they are the inexperienced class who have yet to develop their unique “colours” yet)

Kisa/Mitsuki: いつか見ていた夢のつづき

Neji: どこまで行けるか？

Kisa/Sou: たしかめようその器を

Fumi: からだ賭けて

Keeping alive that dream you once saw/

How far can you go for it?/

Let’s give it a shot with this vessel/

Risking our bodies on it

(Since it’s a group number I’m just assuming bodies here to be plural)

LIs: この胸で躍る

Kisa: 眼差しがとらえる

LIs: 可能性のリズム

Kisa: クォーツのペンデュラム

LIs: 踊れよジャック

Kisa: 映すポテンシャル

All: まだ行ける？

This dancing in our chests/

Capturing a glimpse/

The rhythm of possibility/

Pendulum of Quartz/

Dance, Jacks!/

Reflective potential/

Can you keep going?

(In these alternating LI/Kisa sections, assume that they are singing both sets of lines simultaneously, but whoever is listed first in the section is the more prominent one)

Kisa: さあ乙女たちも

LIs: 僕らを導く

Kisa: いま立ち上がる

LIs: クリスタルのパス

Kisa: 歌えよジャンヌ

LIs: 歩む未踏の地

All: まだ行ける？

And to all you girls too/

Guide us (masc)/

Stand up right now/

Path of crystal/

Sing, Jeannes!/ Walk the untread land/

Can you keep going?

(Not entirely sure about the meaning of パス here since it can be read as ‘path’ or ‘pass’ and it isn’t fully clear)

Fumi/Kai: からだに巣食ううつろな渇き

Kai/Neji: 満たせるものは

Neji: 自分だけ

This gnawing emptiness lodged in your body/

Can be filled by/

Only you yourself

Kisa/Sou: きみと見ていた淡い夢は

Neji: あえかに咲く花

Kisa/Suzu: うつくしいもの守れるなら

Fumi/Mitsuki: こころ捧ぐ

This faded dream I saw with you/

Fleeting flowers in bloom/

If it can protect these things of beauty/

We’ll devote our hearts to it

(The kanji for ‘fade’ here matches the kanji used in the song Faded Color, but the kanji for flower is different from the stage flower/vessel usage)

LIs: この願いだけが

Kisa: チャコールナイトグレー

LIs: くらやみ照らす

Kisa: クォーツのライトで

LIs: しるべのランプ

Kisa: 未来さえ照らして

All: まだ行ける

With this wish alone/

Charcoal grey/

Illuminating the darkness/

Through the light of Quartz/

The guidepost lamp/

Light us even into the future/

We can keep going

(Guidepost しるべ is similar although not exactly the same as 道しるべ used in the title of the moon novel)

Kisa: ただ終われない

LIs: はるかなビジョンは

Kisa: そう、想うだけじゃ

LIs: ロマンの見取り図

Kisa: 一度きりの幕

LIs: 二度は描けない

All: まだ行ける

It cannot simply end/

A far away vision/

Yes, this can’t be just an idea/

Outline for a tale/

Just once behind that curtain/

Never to be written twice/

We can keep going

Kisa: ときに迷おうとも

さきが見えずとも

Sou: 残した足跡　

Kisa/Neji/Sou: 信じて

Suzu: 遠回りしても

Kisa: ただ

Suzu: 足がもつれても

Kisa: 歩き続ける

Kisa/Mistuki: ことを

Even if you’re sometimes lost/

When you can’t see the way ahead/

The footprints left behind/

Trust in them/

Even if you go in circles/

Can only/

Even if you trip over your feet/

Keep walking forward/

This is the thing

(ことを at the end of the sentence is rather hard to translate into English since it’s so context-dependent so by all means feel free to find a better iteration of that last line)

Kai: ただただ重ねて　

Kisa: 人はみな育つ

Neji: まだまだ行けるさ

Mistuki: けして手放すな

Kisa: 今にも

Fumi: 原石が

Kisa: 光り

Suzu/Sou: かがやく

Just keeps building, building up/

All people grow up/

We keep going, going/

Never letting go/

On the verge of/

This rough gem’s/

Light/

Shining

(Tried to keep some of the word duplication but it can definitely be done better. The word for rough/unpolished gem/ore is akin to ‘diamond in the rough’ in English and is again used a lot in reference to Quartz being inexperienced but with great potential value)

(This part repeats the first LI/Kisa sections)

LIs: この胸で躍る

Kisa: 眼差しがとらえる

LIs: 可能性のリズム

Kisa: クォーツのペンデュラム

LIs: 踊れよジャック

Kisa: 映すポテンシャル

All: まだ行ける？

This dancing in our chests/

Capturing a glimpse/

The rhythm of possibility/

Pendulum of Quartz/

Dance, Jacks!/

Reflective potential/

Can you keep going?

Kisa: さあ乙女たちも

LIs: 僕らを導く

Kisa: いま立ち上がる

LIs: クリスタルのパス

Kisa: 歌えよジャンヌ

LIs: 歩む未踏の地

All: さあ行こう！ Oh

And to all you girls too/

Guide us (masc)/

Stand up right now/

Path of crystal/

Sing, Jeannes!/ Walk the untread land/

Well, let’s go! Oh!

—

Overall thoughts: I’m sure people can draw their own interpretations from this but you can see it’s a song about dreams and the hard-fought battles in pursuing said dreams with lots of Quartz-related phrasing. Quite interesting as well how Kisa is sometimes mixed in with various LI characters and sometimes singing in contrast to them.

I would recommend for those who haven’t read it to also check out the first chapter of the moon novel (translation here) as it emphasizes Kisa grappling between her dreams and her reality. 

Also I would like to plug this cover version by Saki Hazuki singing this song with both male and female parts which feels very Jack Jeanne.

[seth-shitposts]

Kanan & Dimal

CW// descriptions of dissociation, reference to the grand inquisitor’s suicide attempt, reference to order 66 & everything that followed. Portrayals of slight dermatillomania [i think that’s all the relevant pieces]

UNEDITED AND UNFORMATTED BECAUSE MY INTERNET IS A BITCH

——

Backstory+Context:

What I’m adding in is that he had become a temple guard almost immediately after his knighting, that he and the council had thought and agreed it to be a good idea. His connection to the force is atypical, much different from most Jedi. He doesn’t connect in the same way, and it’s far easier for him to be detached. The line of thought for putting him as a temple guard was that it would be highlighting his strength, since a key element of a guard is choosing to forego all attachment and dedicate to the title.

There was a single oversight on all sides, one that would lead to his obsession and therefore his fall. He hadn’t built a strong sense of self. [It’s one thing to have had a sense of self and then choose to let it go in favor of committing to something higher than yourself. It’s another thing entirely to have not had that foundation before hand.] Because he didn’t go through building that in a secure way, it left him liable for insecurities down the line. There’s a lot he didn’t know about himself and he didn’t know how to figure out, or even be aware of it. One of the major things having been why the force had chosen him, because he didn’t have the same innate empathy that Jedi have. It started as a curiosity to learn more about the force and how it works, to go deeper than the base line of understanding. The answer had to be somewhere. He attempted several times over the course of a few years to learn more about the sith as well, but he was declined from those deep dives.

Through his search, he found a series of journals written by one of the founders of the Jedi Order, but only random volumes. He really resonated with this author; they had written a description of their connection to the force that matched his own, and *that* is something he’s never found before. He thought that maybe this author would have written more not just about their struggles, but how they preserved through them, because he had access to the final volume, which painted an ending where they had worked through their struggles, and now would help build the future that their friends are envisioning to help everyone across the galaxy (thus, beginning what becomes The Jedi Order). All of the other volumes were restricted. The harder he tried to gain access, the more obsessed over it he became, which only led to a more firm decline, resulting in him beginning to have doubts.

(Long story short, Palpatine had planted thoughts similarly to as he had with Anakin and swayed his unsureness of himself to a full betrayal of the order)

———

+[Following the events of s1 finale]+

It draws him back to consciousness at a slow pull before thrusting him back in all at once- the sound of life that surrounds him. A breeze that ruffles through leaves and rustles grass, chirps and clicks of different species of insects, hums and songs of avians as their wings flap in time with a heart beat, constant trickling of water.

It’s all soft… no, it’s separated. Far away. Like his head is trapped in a bubble, but the moment the bubble pops, as does the separated gentleness.

And then it’s all so deafening to his sensitive ears, it reminds him not to allow himself to be so vulnerable and ill informed of unknown surroundings in such a vastly open space.

Alarmed and with lightning shooting through his veins, he rushes to sit up, trying to gather his bearings.

Surrounding him are thick forestry. A quick twist to peek behind him gives him two different pieces of information. One being the sight of some ruin, something older than his knowledge as the only thing that still stands is a stone arch of sorts with scribbled writings. The second vital detail is the fire that shoots halfway up his back.

Fire…

Wincing, he tries to shift his lower back away from the blazing pain. As he does, he realizes he’s moving farther into some pool of water his legs are soaking in. The water is the home of some type of strange colored algae that glows with unique flowering floating on it. It takes him a moment to look to his legs through the clearness of the water. Burns that… look like they had rapidly healed.

He withdraws his limbs from the water to inspect them, and the moment he does, the algae no longer glows.

Picking at the healed scarring gently, he tries to piece together…

The last thing I remember… Speaking to Kanan Jarrus, right before I…

Curling his lip, he glares at the flesh on his bones. I threw myself into an exploding… How in the entirely blasted galaxy did I survive that? How did I wind up on… this…

The last person he had seen before his vision was over taken by flames trying to swallow him whole, forcing him to succumb to the burning inferno of pain enveloping him.

Kanan Jarrus.

He shakes his head in disgust. Fucking nobility of a Jedi, their need to save and spare everyone. No matter the monster.

It had been the last choice that would have been my own. And now…

He can’t very well just return to the inquisitorius, not after the string of failures he’s just weaved for himself. That last one being just a beautiful ribbon to wrap it up. And not going back isn’t going to grant him any safety from what will begin to hunt him. He’s still blood in the water. He can’t wait for the sharks to find him.

It’s pathetic, having run to death with open arms and failing even a task as simple as that. Simple in comparison to what the alternative was. And now… And now there has to be another escape. There’s always…

Dragging his nails across his scalp, he rattles his recollection, but every thought is so, so far away.

Distance…

Separation.

Can’t be tracked with no trail to follow. He doesn’t like it, but it will buy him time until there’s something better; an opportunity.

Until then, a decision has been made. Throw distance between himself and the force.

——

+[Soon after Kallus agrees to help]+

Kallus holds out an indie commlink, “I’ll gather equipment and resources, and once I’m available to meet up with you, I will contact you through this. If you ever have an emergency, contact me. Just to be safe, don’t use-“

The spy halts suddenly, staring up at him, seemingly trying to think.

He can feels his brow twitch from being stared at. “What?”

“Forgive me, I just realized I have never learned your name.”

Growling, he snatches the commlink from Kallus’s open hand. ���You don’t need it.”

He can hear that Kallus has some kind of bite back on the tip of his tongue, but thinks better of it, and swallows the bitter words with a second thought. If he’s being honest, he would rather Kallus bite back at him than…

Straightening his shoulders, he places the commlink in one of his most secure pockets, tucking it close to his chest.

——

+[One of the first sessions; probably the first session, ngl.]+

“So,” Smirking, he levels with Kallus, about to enjoy when the moment when realization strikes this blond that he is in way over his head. “Tell me about how exactly you plan on helping me become a Jedi Knight again, Agent Kallus.”

Rolling his eyes, Kallus organizes stolen imperial equipment. “We’ll start with you telling me about the Jedi.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you were a Jedi Knight yourself, so wouldn’t you know the basic principles best?”

Tearing his gaze away from the rebel spy, he crosses his arms over his chest, suddenly finding the wall much more interesting.

“Look, I’m going to need you to be the least bit cooperative if I’m going to be of ay substan-“

“I don’t remember.”

“You don’t remember?” Kallus stops what he’s doing entirely. “What exactly?”

“The principles. Anything, really.” He masks his frustration with an amused smile, turning back to Kallus, hoping to irritate him, with the reality of the situation.

“How do you not remember? What do you mean? What, did you just eviscerate your understanding of your enemy when you decided to leave your station in the empire?”

He isn’t getting he satisfaction he thought he would from this, and he can’t tell if that’s more or less frustrating than the truth he’s having to swallow and now spill. “No,” the syllable is released through gritted teeth. “It’s not that I chose not to remember. It’s that I can’t remember.” Just another blaring fact of his own short comings.

“Elaborate.” Kallus is withholding his own frustration. Withholding it, but still choosing to patiently listen.

“Best I can explain is that after choosing to close myself off from the force, I also shut myself out from the dark side of it. It was shell shocking. For the first time I could breathe properly without having realized before that…” He takes in a sharp breath. “Long story short, my memories are a ‘mess’. Some are twisted versions of the truth and I have no way of figuring it out on my own. I have more gaps than I do recollection.”

He watches as Kallus turns away from him, slowly dragging his fingers through his hair as he tries to process this unexpected challenge. Still feeling bitter at his admission, he waits to see this man who had once not been able to apply the definition ‘quit’ throw in the towel. He had missed it the first go round. He wants to see it for himself.

“Change in steps,” Kallus swiftly strides back to the speeder, “we’re starting from scratch.”

Eyes narrowing as they follow the ex-imperial, he tries to grapple the words just given to him as if it’s a silly little errand. “What?”

“We are going to outline a series of expeditions to find the pieces we need to start with.” Grabbing the most tattered and slapped-together datapad to exist, Kallus begins to break through firewalls to cross reference imperial databanks with ones that existed before the empire itself, to find any trace of a location that may have been overlooked where they could find more information about the Jedi.

Trying to wrap his head around Kallus’s words, he’s reeling as irritation claws its way up his spine. “Would be great, but one of the first orders I had been given as grand inquisitor was to carry out and oversee the destruction of anything relating to the Jedi. There’s nothing-“

“There’s always something. There’s always ones that got away. Ones never found to begin with.” Kallus skims over the lines rapidly. “Don’t be so eager to give up. If you want to turn me in so bad, know that I won’t go down without a fight, but same applies here.” He pulls out an empty datapad and scribbles some locations on it. “I said I would help. Just because you chose to hide some details doesn’t mean I’m done here.”

He can’t tell if he’s more annoyed or further intrigued. Sliding a couple fingers across his jawline, he considers his options.

While he, personally, would see the value in handing over someone like Kallus, nestled so deep in the empire, he’s well aware that the spy wouldn’t get him nearly as far as he would need him to. Going back is still wildly out of the question. The middle ground action, leaving altogether, would just leave him back at where he had been. Aimless, unable to focus. Some could settle for that, and maybe he could too, but…

Maybe entertaining the notion a bit longer will be worth the effort. As the one who had been in charge of overseeing the destruction of the Jedi’s existence, he can remember that he hadn’t entirely agreed with the decision. He had thought the command was purely out of a place of emotion rather than reason. Even if the Jedi had been wrong and mislead, from a scholar standpoint, it would have been smarter to keep their archives, to teach why they thought how they did and show how it would have been misinformed.

But at the time… Had it been another moment where he was thinking through that false clarity? The lense of the dark, had it led him to choosing anger over reason? Or did that come later? Why had he gone through something he didn’t agree with? Or did he actually believe it to be a good idea at the time?

The face of the man who gave him the orders still escapes his memory. Why can’t he remember the face that he followed at the cost of everything? What was he looking to gain? What did he lose?

“Hey,” Kallus’s voice is soft, gentle. “You won’t have to go looking through these places by yourself. I’ll slip away when I have the chance. I’ll also try getting in touch with my informant again. They may have intel that could help.”

He blinks down at the human whose harsh features and guarded demeanor has momentarily shifted to make room for assurance.

“Seeing as how no other option is appealing, you’re still the most interesting choice.” He smirks teasingly, “Regardless of how annoying you get.”

Returning to his usual rigid posture, Kallus rolls his eyes, “I get that frequently, thank you.”

“You really don’t give up, do you? Is chasing ghosts something you’ve just always done?”

“Seems so. We’ll leave for the nearest location in half an hour.”

———

+[After much training and progression and work put into slowly dedicating to this task.]+

+Context for this next part:

Through [redacted], an informant, Kallus is told he has to make the decision to either continue missions with the former grand inquisitor on their own, attempting to gather an understanding of the Jedi that is doomed to be lacking and incomplete, or make contact with Kanan Jarrus and gain his trust when Kallus has yet to have much experience or credibility as fulcrum, having only been given the mantle shortly ago.

Initially, Kanan (rightfully) believes that they have lured him out as a trap and that they are both still loyal to the empire. Only after a lot of convincing is it that Kanan is willing to even hear them out.

-I am still working the timeline out and locking it down, but this would take place not long after the season 2 finale, Kanan being more on edge and untrusting than ever.

Kallus had believed it wise to bring peace offerings a an attempt to be heard out. Kallus instructed the former inquisitor to retrieve and bring a Jedi artifact while Kallus brought intel.

The former inquisitor had still been undecided on whether he would want or even ask for help from the Jedi knight. It wasn’t until Kanan addressed him directly, asking what his intentions are to be. A bitter response sat on the tip of his tongue, but he caught a glance of Kallus, who’s eyes were still on the Jedi.

Thinking on how far Kallus has put himself out for him, how the spy time and time again met him where he was to figure things out with him, and now how Kallus has chosen to pursue the superior aid directly from the knight at the expense of his own plans and compromising his own position- all because he has faith in him.

He resists the urge to lash his tongue at Kanan and admits to wanting to understand the full picture, learn and preserve the truth.

Eventually, Kallus has to leave and it is just him and Kanan. Kanan is still untrusting. (Again, rightfully)

+++

“I have no reason to trust you. Either of you. Not after everything.”

Pulse still racing, Kanan keeps distance from him, facing harshly in his direction.

Curious. If he’s so against me surviving as a perceived threat, why would he have gone through the effort of keeping me alive? He decides to view this as a trial, a test. Prove himself. Show that he’s taking this seriously, that the sacrifices Kallus chose to make won’t be wasted, that he won’t be left back where he began.

“You’re right. You have no reason to take either of us at our word. Nothing I do or say will take back what has been done. It does not make what I’m pursuing any less true. It’s taken a lot for me to get where I am as I am here today.” He makes sure to keep the distance between them Kanan holds, hands clasped behind his back. “I will be honest, at first I had no intent on taking this seriously, but then Kallus took the time to show me that what I had previously thought to be true were only lies to get me to side my loyalty to the empire. I’m still unsure of many things. I desire nothing more than to stand by the truth. Kallus started me back on that devotion. The only thing I am asking of you is to remind me of who the Jedi were and what they stood for.”

“Why?” The tension in Kanan… shifts. Still present, but different. “You were there, weren’t you?”

Taking a deep breath, he tries to find the right words to string together. This doesn’t get easier for him to digest each time he explains it. He runs the tip of his tongue along his sharpened teeth before he speaks, the slight motion reminding him of his body. “My recollection of the Jedi, my perception of them, had become… twisted as I fell. Overtime, memories shredded until there were few left. As an inquisitor, as a servant of the dark side, I had been under a false belief that I had a clear mind. It wasn’t until I finally distanced myself from the force entirely that I realized that not to be true. And now most days I cannot differentiate between what memories are real, what’s true, or not.”

“Still, why should I help you?” It feels as though the Jedi knight is cutting his eyes at him, holding what is a more than reasonable grudge and distrust towards him.

“Because I am asking for it.” Despite trying to appear calm, he can feel his ire rising like a heat traveling up his spine, setting every cell of skin on fire on its way up. This would be simpler if he just out right says he does not wish to help me. Instead, we’re playing this game.

“What gives you the right to ask? After how many of our people fell at your hands? After the betrayal you committed?” Kanan’s voice slowly rises in volume, adding fuel to the flames in the former inquisitor’s body. “And you just forgot? You forgot?!”

“My inability to remember detail does not negate the damage I’ve done, do not confuse my desire to understand what happened and inability to remember as a cowardly attempt to evade accountability for everything I’ve done, Kanan Jarrus,” he meets Kanan’s spit of fire with the same level of heat. “If you were to be so against rising above and helping me understand where I went wrong and would rather I have died, then why in this blasted galaxy didn’t you let me?!” He can no longer smother the sneer on his lips, a growl almost becoming audible from his vocal cords.

“What in the hell are you talking about?”

“Don’t play ignorant with me! You know what I’m talking about! Back on that star destroyer, when you had bested me in a fight and I made my choice! My way out! When I succumbed to the flames, you and your crew dragged me off that ship and abandoned me on an uninhabited planet!” He glares, the scab of it being ripped open raw right when he had thought it was finally healed.

“I don’t know what you are imaging,” Kanan seethes, the words hissing out from gritting teeth, “I had other priorities than making a futile attempt to save someone who had very clearly made their choice!”

The words wash over his body as though he had been thrown into a lake of ice. His voice loses its rage, “What?” There is no lie, no deceit in the knight’s features. “Then… How did- that doesn’t make- That’s impossible, I shouldn’t have survived- Much less unharmed- healed even-“ Dragging his nail along the ridges on his skull, he can feel his back hit a wall. The walls spin and blur in the background. The foundation that he had scrapped together since waking up in that algae filled pool shatters beneath his very feet. Not because Kanan hadn’t chosen to save him, that what he would have expected- hell, it’s what he would have done himself; but its the fact that now, no he doesn’t have any iota of a clue.

As improbable as it was, Kanan being the one to have pulled him from the fire, it was the only answer that had been viably possible; so much so that he latched onto it. Believed it. Been convinced.

But now? His thoughts are spiraling every which way, wrecking his brain for anything, but there’s no feasible way he should have survived, especially nearly unscathed aside from scarring of the burns he had endured that should have been much more detrimental.

Boots step into his line of vision, dragging him out of his mind slowly. “You’re… serious. About all of this?”

Realizing not until now, he had slid to the ground against the wall.

It’s a fight, trying to get back into his body enough to meet the Jedi’s face. He has to force his eyes to focus on the other’s features. Guarded, but curious, almost open. Something distinctively empathetic. Despite who it is Kanan is talking to.

“Jarrus, I’m always serious.” He screws his eyes shut after pain washes over them from the force he had behind them to manually focus them. His vision blurs in and out when he opens them once more. “I need to see the full picture. I’m sick of only having pieces. I want the truth, nothing more. Nothing less. So I can make informed decisions about what is just.”

Through the blurred vision, he’s able to make out that Kanan offers out a hand.

He only stares at it for a long moment. Not sure if he’s waiting for it to come into focus, if it’s his turn to be distrustful, or if he just isn’t able to get his body to cooperate.

“If you’re willing to be receptive, then I might be willing to help.”

He finds his hand setting into Kanan’s offer. Not without immense effort from himself.

———

+[The second meetup between Kanan and Him?]+

+Contextual notes for this scene: Kanan and the former inquisitor are in a Jedi temple, thus far they have pulled against the grain and become lost in the temple. At this moment, they are in the middle of an argument.

“I may have said that I could help, but you still have yet to prove that you are trustworthy,” the Jedi Knight pushes the words out through gritted teeth, body tense and on edge.

It’s been taking everything in him not to inflame and agitate this man’s every blaring fault and flaw; physical and psychological.

Remember why you’re committing to this. Remember the balance. Let go of that which is fleeting. Return to the pursuit of unbiased truth. Let go of that whic-

“Hey! Don’t ignore me just because I can’t see you!”

Whatever happened to Kanan Jarrus has no just changed his physical abilities, but also his mentality. “You’re lashing out, I am trying to ground myself. It is not a easy process for me. Whatever happened to having nothing to fear? You are currently laying out all this fear in open and it’s the worst temptation.” Remember what Kallus taught you.

“That right there does not make me any more enthused to help you.”

“Then don’t. I will find my way out of this temple. And I’ll find my own way to the light.” His own words are just as guarded and defensive as Kanan’s.

“You’re well aware that’s not an option, you cannot leave on your own-“

A painfully wide grin cuts across his face with a breathless chuckle, “Actually, Kanan Jarrus, I don’t. I told you already, my memory is as about as reliable as your sight. And what’s better is when I cut myself off from the dark, it’s false sense of clarity is not the only thing that left me. My patience has warn thin. I always had an extraordinarily high amount of that, if I remember even that much. But you are cutting it shorter.” He pauses, breath halting in his lungs before he releases after a moment. “You have no reason to trust me, I do not belittle that nor whatever it is you are personally dealing with. I would give you my honesty, but you do not trust it.”

“I don’t know your intentions, I don’t know your allegiances, and I don’t know your values. And you expect me to be willing to trust you? After everything? That you suddenly grew a conscious?” Shaking his head, Kanan sneers. “I shouldn’t even be here.”

He brings his palms up, open hands, open mind, willing mind. “You’re right, I haven’t ‘suddenly grown’ what you would call a conscious. I never had one- even before my fall, and being honest with you, I probably never will.” He uses every bit of will power he can muster to relax the tension within him then turns to face Kanan.

“Figures,” Kanan scoffs, shaking his head as he turns away from him. “Why did I even-“

Taking the extra effort to humble his own tone, he tries to will out every bit of gentleness he’s capable of producing. “If I may continue. Please.” He keeps his voice calm and even.

The knight still looks displeased, but holds his tongue as he turns back to face him.

“I’m not sure why I never had that innate ability, the one to be empathetic, but that doesn’t mean I’m disqualified from the light. I can built skills. I can dedicate myself. More than anything, I want to pursue the truth. It’s been a rough pill for me to swallow that for too long I have confused my perception for it. My perception is but a limited lense of the full picture. What I believe to be truth may not be what is real or what is true. I think, I have been lied to and misled. But I have nothing else to compare to. It’s a battle just for me to stay grounded at all.” He sighs, cutting himself off. “I find that I don’t know…”

A darker hand slides on top of one of his pale palms. He blinks rapidly, trying to force his eyesight to focus back in. He can make out the notable details of Kanan’s face. He’s noticeably calmer.

“I make no promises, nor obligations. But as long as you are making progress, I’ll see what I can help with. You’re right, you’ve lost patience and you’re fighting for real clarity, but you’re willing to be open, to relearn. If you really are after the truth, I will give that to you.” Sighing, Kanan steps back. “I myself have… been more on edge. I’m more guarded than ever now.”

“It’s hard for you to tell if you’re being reasonably cautious or cynically guarded?” He studies Kanan.

“Yeah.”

He watches as the tension Kanan holds does not lessen. He tries to think of someway he could lessen that stress of distrust from the Jedi, maybe finally make some headway. It’s very appearing that the man worries that he is only using this exchange as a way to get the knight to lower his gaurd, get him closer to his crew before springing a trap.

“I have a deal to offer you, something to set your mind at ease?”

Scoffing, Kanan shakes his head, “What could you possibly-“

“You’ll have my word. No harm will befall you or your crew. As long as you tell not a soul about Kallus’s change in allegiance. You will pretend you know nothing.”

Kanan looks taken aback, almost skeptic. “Tell me why.”

He rolls his eyes, “You know full and well that you need to be very clear about your questions while i lack my proximity to the force, Jarrus.”

“Why should I trust that Kallus’s position as a rebel spy- whether he really is or not- holds any importance to you?”

“Because Kallus has risked much more than a shiny little status to help me, to reveal himself to you. I also don’t like owing people, regardless of whether I consider them a friend or not. And at this moment, everything I am working on, everything I’m cultivating to be is owed to him. If it’s a future I owe him, it’s a future I will secure for him.”

———

+[This either will take place at the end of them in the Jedi temple, or during a third or final meet.]+

+The two have just finished a session where the former inquisitor spoke of what events he thinks he can remember before becoming The Grand Inquisitor. It will be snippets from the first set of notes on this post.

+Kanan pieces together that he needs to carve out an identity for himself. That before he can commit himself, he has to at least know himself, or the cycle will only repeat.

“Figure out who I am?” He has been avoiding dwelling on that line of thoughts. It’s visceral, the reaction to not allow himself to. The very thought makes him sick to his stomach and threatens for the planet to swallow him whole. “How- I can’t-“

“You can, but you don’t have too all at once. One piece at a time.”

“Where would I even begin?”

“A name is a start.” Kanan smiles genuinely, almost as a light hearted tease.

“I can’t remember my-“

“It doesn’t have to be what your name once was. You can chose anything.” Kanan rubs his chin after a short pause, “To make it easier to narrow options down, is there anyone in your past that resonated with you? Or something that holds meaning to you?”

He pauses, pieces of the journal series floating in his thoughts. “Maybe, but I cannot remember their full name. Just a couple syllables.”

“That would be as good a start as any. It can be yours, unique to you, inn that light.”

He nods slow, chewing on his lower lip for a moment. He takes a deep breath, Kanan listening intently and patiently.

“My name will be Dimal.”

[upslapmeal]

Space Babies

Ok so I've been hopeless at doing my usual Episode Thoughts during s14 but if I don't get them posted before the finale then I never will. SO. the next few days will be a trip down memory lane to a whole 6 weeks ago before I'm off to the cinema on friday night!

here we goooo

no cold open we’re going straight in babes (heh)

I know we had it last ep but I do love a good seeing-the-tardis-for-the-first-time face

‘I’m the doctor’ yes you are!!

man I wasn’t a huge fan of 15's theme just hearing on its own in the concert but hearing it in context with him it works SO well

‘kinda posh’

‘they used titles’ and then i kidnapped a couple of teachers, told one to drop the 'Foreman' and the rest is history

ngl I've totally lost track of the gallifrey sitch

the master was going to blow it up then he didn't then the Doctor was going to then some guy stayed behind instead and then flux??

whatever we're back to last-of-my-kind square one

this is gallifrey theme my beloved how I have missed you

Martha and Bill yelling I told you so in the distance about the butterfly

‘Rubathon Blue of the 57th hemisphere hatchlings’ good to know I've got my Ruby tag sorted early doors!

anyway alien companion when

ooh they're going for a flying tardis

love fifteens energy!!

‘most of the universe is knackered babes’

‘the question is why did I run’ Doctor running is a key part of your whole deal. you know this right

‘yet again push the button’………when was the first time

(I have since learned there was meant to be a song on the jukebox that tied to this...would have been nice to see the jukebox being used. and also would have made these comments make sense)

…..baby looms?

‘food????? they’re not tomatoes!!’ lmao Fifteen is SO outraged

oh Ruby’s getting an End of the World moment <3

‘no boss or rent or taxes’ yeah forget time and space travel, NOW Ruby's thinking she's gotta get in on this

oh that baby is unsettling

oh no that baby mouth does not match that voice 

‘mummy and daddy are here!’ Ruby and Fifteen: 😬

it's so weird having fairly confident small child voices paired with very vacant baby faces

.....do these babies have nappies? that they change??

aww you can really see Ruby is used to kids, lifetime as a foster sister <3

ok Captain Poppy is the only voice so far that kinda works

‘oh popsicle’ naww Fifteen is so sweet with them

Fifteen and Poppy are so cute!!

also lol I love RTD going hard with the timeless child at every opportunity

‘nappies are changed at 1800h’ ok well that explains that

Ruby: ‘I didn’t mean to scare you 💞’ Fifteen: 'hey kids it's the BOGEYMAN!!!!!!' Ruby: 😠

ok listen. I know this is not it. but the boots and the length of the trousers.......Ruby's mum kinda looks like Thirteen

oh that's very much a hug-is-a-way-to-hide-your-face hug there

‘that’s the fate of every refugee, you have to physically turn up on someone’s shore’

Eric and the world’s most tiny and useless sword

‘a crock of waste product'

‘nice plan but what now' Ruby hon. this was your plan

you can really tell Ruby is used to looking after kids

‘don’t you touch them you illegitimate person’

FLAMETHROWER BABIES

oh Fifteen knows Ruby’s a keeper

‘oh babes…space babes’ lol Fifteen's just here to have fun (space) baby

‘it’s snot’ ‘it’s not’ the beauty of the english langauge

‘it is one of your children!!’ :(

even the (space) babies think that death by airlock disintegration a bit much

awooooooo!

I guess seeing the doctor save the bogey monster made them less scared??

appreciate RTD's commitment to getting some good fart work in both his first series of this show lol

but what will happen to the monster on the new planet??

like sure it's their sibling but.....does it know that?

‘I’m very very happy’ says the baby with the most sorrowful eyes I’ve ever seen

tardis key!!

Ruby letting 15 into the tardis <3

RIP Carla Sunday's kitchen ceiling 

first a crack and now this......at least the Doctor's giving the local plasterer good work

‘what the blinking flip’ Cherry Sunday's got a nanny filter on her

‘tell your mum not to slap me’ Thirteen got off light with Yaz’s mum

now when are we meeting the timelord called The Saggy Sheet??

the Doc's just going around giving their name willy nilly now lmao

as it should be I never enjoyed their name being a Big Mystery

kinda wish we got to see Ruby's family react to learning more about the Doctor!

hmmmm the dna scan is giving me v s6 vibes (derogatory)

Well that was a weird one, but since when hasn't DW been weird! Ngl it took me watching a second time to enjoy it a bit more because I was just SO thrown off by the baby voices lmao, but it was just generally a fun time, nothing too serious and just a chance to see a bit more of Fifteen and Ruby's dynamic! And it did tie in nicely to the ideas of Ruby and the Doctor both being abandoned, Ruby being a foster sister and the Doctor being the last of their kind. Two baby episodes in a row is enough for me though, glad it looks like next ep is baby-free, space or otherwise 😅

[thisaintascenereviews]

Coldplay - Moon Music

When Coldplay released their latest album, Moon Music, vocalist Chris Martin said that they were going to release 12 albums and then retire. Moon Music is album 10, so people have a couple more albums to wait, but a lot of music fans will probably rejoice when one of rock’s least liked bands calls it a day. Well, least liked now, because Coldplay used to be huge, at least from 2000 to 2010, but since 2011’s Mylo Xyloto, they’ve taken a dive. I reviewed their last album, 2021’s Music Of The Spheres, and I didn’t like that album very much. It wasn’t outright awful, but it was too bland, uninspired, and boring. They went for a huge pop sound that had themes of coming together, unity, and things like that, which was good for the time, but they didn’t do anything with those themes, and it just felt like it was a little pretentious, or at least halfbaked.

When Coldplay is good, they’re really good, especially some of their early records, but I did enjoy 2019’s Everyday Life, where they went into some eclectic directions. Music Of The Spheres was a generic pop album that tried to bite off way too much than it could chew, so I was skeptical for whatever they did next. Moon Music worried me from its first couple of singles, because they were more or less what we’ve had before, but in context of the whole album, they work quite well. This album returns Coldplay to their late 00s run with some huge, anthemic, and over the top songs, but they continue with the ambient sounds they attempted to interweave into their sound with Music Of The Spheres.

At 44 minutes, one could argue that Moon Music is a little too long, but there are only a couple of longer songs that show up at the beginning, middle, and end. Despite the few issues this album has, which I’ll talk about later, I happen to really enjoy this thing. Moon Music is the best Coldplay album since Mylo Xyloto, even though that album doesn’t have a great reputation, either. The bombast is here, and on songs like “feelslikeimfallinginlove,” “Jupiter,” and,” “iAMM,” and “Good Feelings” are really catchy, fun, and huge sounding. The title track, “One Love,” and “🌈” (I hate to type that out, but we’re at a time in history where emojis can be song titles) are longer and more ambient. The latter is a very ambient cut that’s interspliced with a speech from the late Maya Angelou, and it sounds great, despite going on a little too long in spots.

The album has its peaks and valleys, but the valleys aren’t bad, they’re just not as high energy and let the album breathe a bit. Some of the album ends up running a bit too long for its own good, but the highs are worth it, honestly. Chris Martin sounds great, and even his lyrics are a bit better here, although still being extremely cheesy in a lot of spots, too. The difference here, however, is that it’s the right amount of cheese, and you really feel what he’s saying and how he’s saying it. There’s also less of a fake positive exterior that the band exudes sometimes, too, and the lyrics are still hopeful, but there is a hint of darkness there. It’s an interesting touch, compared to their overly positive stuff.

In terms of their body of work, the jury’s still out on whether or not this matches up with their other material, because I’ve seen a lot of mixed reactions on the album. Some have been positive, but the rest have been middling, versus outright bad. This is a step up compared to Music Of The Spheres, and it’s the most I’ve enjoyed a Coldplay album in years, at least out of what I’ve actively listened to. I’m curious to see how fans are reacting to it, but as someone that’s a casual fan, I really like this. I don’t know if it’s an album of the year contender, but even then, I’ve been coming back to this thing quite a lot, warts and all.

[jakesuit0]

Morituri Te Salutamus Review

“Morituri Te Salutamus” is one of two episode titles with non-English speaking words in it, and the only episode title with no English words in it. The Latin terminology translates to “We who are about to die, salute you”. Adventure Time season 3 episode 2: We Who Are About to Die, Salute You. That’d be quite the mouthful. The Latin translation fits the Roman theming in this one much better. There’s lots of bits of Latin throughout the episode, such as “eludere” (evasion) and “non pugnant, Flamma” (be not repugnant to him). I like when Adventure Time incorporates different cultures, such as Korean, to expand the world. I don’t think any episode commits to playing with a particular culture as much as this one.

Finn and Jake enter a Roman colosseum. It's up for debate if the arena is a few hundred years old and was merely inspired by ancient Rome, or if this is literally remnants of a colosseum from 3,000ish years ago. The gladiator ghosts are gay, and there is evidence suggesting homosexuality was more socially accepted in ancient Rome. Their names are even taken from Roman warriors from history and fiction. The magical element to the arena was definitely added post-Mushroom War, and the implication at the end is the ghosts had a similar story to Finn and Jake, meaning they weren’t humans from Rome (plus one of them has two heads).

I like how Finn and Jake are smart enough to immediately realize the place is a trap, but are confident enough to still take it on. They’ve clearly earned that confidence (with a strong helping of plot armor) as they succeed where all the gladiator ghosts failed. I like the Fight King, he has a cool design that adds to the episode’s atmosphere. He’s missing an arm, of course his right one. We can piece together the backstory of this place, but Fight King’s role and purpose remains pretty mysterious. It’s the second episode in a row with a king character, and it’s pretty consistent that rulers in Ooo are titled princess or king, rather than prince.

Finn and Jake fight the first pair of gladiator ghosts. The fights throughout this one are pretty fun and dynamic. Finn is strangely not using the Root Sword, but the Steel Sword for the first time. It’s a cool design, even with it weirdly resembling the Night Sword. I love the easy to miss detail that the injuries on each ghost matches the weapon used by the other. One of them refers to the other as their love. The crew were able to sneak in same-sex romance under Cartoon Network’s radar (confirmed canon by Andy Ristanio) and I don’t think it's a coincidence that Rebecca Sugar co-boarded this episode. Along with the Roman theming, my favorite part of the episode is all the hints given to the gladiators’ backstory (like them constantly apologizing to each other and begging for forgiveness). There’s enough pieces to figure out the history, the episode doesn’t need to make it explicit.

Finn and Jake have been quibbling over Jake’s non commitment to following through with Finn’s plans. Jake just wants to have fun, he doesn’t take the adventures as seriously as Finn. Jake lets Finn do all the work, so he can stay underground singing songs and execute his nonsensical plan of forming a molten hula hoop for morale. I like how passive their conflict is, they never actually get mad at each other, even with Finn’s deceit later on. Jake sings “On a Tropical Island”, another highlight of the episode. It’s hard to truly enjoy the song in the episode itself, as it's broken into four different scenes. But, it's great listening to the entire thing outside the context of the episode. It still stands as the best Jake song of the series. This is the song that people should be asking John DiMaggio to sing at every panel, not “Bacon Pancakes” every fucking time.

Finn is seemingly mind controlled by Fight King. Fight King has Finn fight Jake to the death, like he forced onto the gladiator couples. Add Finn stabbing the dummy Jake and trying to kill the real Jake onto the pile of Jake death foreshadowing. Jake’s confused reaction to his brother trying to kill him, in contrast to how easy going Finn was in his conflict with Jake, is heartbreaking. Finn tricks Fight King into giving him his sword, which seems to contain his soul. The sword’s rune reads “to fight is to live”, and apparently Fight King literally can’t live without it. Finn smashes it, killing Fight King and his power over the arena. Finn was faking being mind controlled. We saw Fight King’s sword magically alter Finn, so he must have just had the willpower to resist it. We’ll see another type of magic overcome Finn for real and cause him to act in a similar manner in Elements. The Gladiator Ghosts are a really tragic element of the story, so it’s nice to see them freed at the end, presumably going to a dead world. Missed opportunity to not have them cameo in “Together Again”. 

This one’s story isn’t anything special, but the Roman theming, backstory, and song elevates it up from just a solid entry to a really good one.

Grade: A-

[chorusfm]

Smallpools – Ghost Town Road

There comes a time in all band’s musical trajectory when they realize when things were lacking a bit of the magic they found early on in their career. That feeling of being “locked in” when the band is firing on all creative cylinders can provide the spark they need to carry on. Smallpools found early success with their debut self-titled EP that had a legendary single called “Dreaming” that was as infectious as it was refreshing. “I feel like our debut EP was a definitive body of work…we were dialed in,” vocalist Sean Scanlon muses. “With this project , we’re dialed back in.” Guitarist Michael Kamerman views it less like a sequel and more like a franchise reboot as he mentioned, “The other music exists and you’re free to revisit it. But we’re back and we mean it.” Ghost Town Road was preceded by an EP and while the original songs that were released from the EP are still here, and remain strong material, the other tracks that round out the vision that Smallpools were going for define a band completely locked in creatively. The band appear re-energized and poised for the next big leap in their musical career. Besides the previously released material, new songs like “Amelia” are well-crafted and have a vibe similar to other Alt-Rock bands, like Foster The People, while still remaining authentic to the music that Smallpools have been known for. It features some well-placed trumpet throughout the track to keep interest high in the music. One of the newest singles released from the set, “Socio-Empath” takes the listener on a journey with heavy synths paired with picturesque vocals from Scanlon, while Kamerman and drummer Beau Luther provide the right landscape of sound to complement the lyrics. The band does a nice job of matching the aesthetic of the cover art on smoky sounding songs like this that are perfect for that night drive into the city. ”Make Like A Dream & Die” offers a bright and shiny reprieve from the brooding synths with an intro that features the band singing mostly acapella before they gradually add in more instruments to round out their approach. The latter half of the song gets back into that comfortable groove of moody, synth rock to bring further context to the style they were attacking here. “Be Kind, Rewind” revisits the simpler times of the 80’s with a vibrant piano-laced introduction before launching into the shimmering chorus of, “Oh hey, are we out of time? / Can we go back to the title screen / Say what we mean and be kind rewind / So stay for another night / When the credits roll, our younger souls / They always know to be kind rewind (be kind rewind).” The metaphors found in the lyrics are well-crafted and showcase a band willing to embrace nostalgia with a blend of nuance to them to keep their sound feeling new and refreshing. The penultimate song of “Paperweight” is a solid reminder of the beauty of well-crafted pop songs that feature a great tempo to them to keep the audience engaged. The vivid lyrical imagery in the bridge of, “Like shattered glass / Bottled up and fractured / Broken past, beautiful disaster /One more wasted song / Washed out conversation / My head twisted off / No more desperation,” is well thought out and makes sense in the overall context of the song. Smallpools were brave to admit that they needed a bit of re-charge or a reboot from the songs they were releasing leading up to what I consider their best work to date on Ghost Town Road. When you realize things aren’t working the way you had hoped, the bravest thing you can do is take a few steps back, zoom out, and see exactly where the shortcomings were originating from in order to source out the issue. Smallpools have their mojo back and it’s a beautiful thing. --- Please consider becoming a member so we can keep bringing you stories like this one. ◎ https://chorus.fm/reviews/smallpools-ghost-town-road/

[all-the-fun-of-the-cirkus]

had to prove i could listen to artists other than neil young, so tonight's first-time listen is let it bleed by the rolling stones. which is... alright

i must admit, i've never really liked the stones, and i'm not sure why. if you like sixties british rock, you're pretty much obliged to like the beatles, the who and the stones. the who aren't my favourite band of all time any more but i'm still a fan of them more than i am pretty much any band, i don't quite love the beatles but i respect them hugely and enjoy them a lot, but i've just never cracked the stones. and i think sticky fingers is one of the greatest albums of all time! and they have plenty of banger songs! i just... don't know what it is that bothers me! i'm even drunk as i write this bc i figured that was about the headspace you're supposed to be in to listen to them, and i still don't get it

part of it, i think, is mick jagger. he's decent enough. he's usually more-or-less in tune, he has decent power to his voice, but i just don't buy him. every time he tries to be sensitive it sounds like he's mocking the song, bar a few songs in the early 70s; i mean listen to lady jane and then borrowed tune by neil young, it's the same melody but neil sounds sincere as anything, while mick sounds like he's taking the piss. and i don't ask that a singer believe everything they sing, but if they want me to think they do they better convince me

the lyrics play into that too, i think. they're so... much. salacious is the word that always comes to mind. the overt misogyny is just ridiculous when it pops up, and a lot of the time it feels like he's just going for shock value. the comparison that comes to mind is lou reed; he also writes "shocking" lyrics about various taboo subjects, but he always feels honest. not sincere (i very much doubt he'd ever been privy to, say, a trans woman getting lobotomised for instance), but honest. reed is the weird guy who sits in the corner of the pub, has clearly Seen Some Shit and tells you stories with a straight face you aren't quite sure what to believe, whereas jagger is the town gossip who looks dramatically over his shoulder to see if anyone's listening before leaning forward and giving you the latest rumours in a stage whisper, and as such it always feels like he's trying so hard it comes off as silly. i can't even work up the investment to be offended

as such, stuff like midnight rambler is... okay. it's fine. the lyrics are just trying way too hard to scare me. the music sort of pulls it off? the last minute or so manages to be fairly spooky with the dramatic blasts, and bless charlie watts, a superb drummer with a subtlety and intelligence lacking in 99% or rock drummers; his shift to double time about three-ish minutes in gives the song a real boost. but it's just a blues song. it's so obviously trying to scare me it doesn't

the songs on here are all okay. you got the silver and the title track are blatant filler but they're still listenable. plus they're kind enough to start with one of the greatest songs of all time; gimme shelter is an absolute thunderstorm of a song, one of the few times the atmosphere matches the lyrics in an ominous maelstrom of guitar, crashing drums and that amazing performance from merry clayton. you can't always get what you want is also a great song, but it doesn't work in context. it's a joyous epilogue, not a finale, a party song for the end credits, and it feels unearned after the rest of the album. reshuffle sticky fingers and stick it after sister morphine and you've got something mindblowing, but as is it's just good

beyond that, the only standouts are monkey man (cool riff) and live with me, with slide guitar from richards that's so good i legit assumed it had to be mick taylor before looking it up just to be sure. the stones are capable of some gorgeous ballads, even if jagger sometimes undermines them, and this is a fine addition to that. otherwise, this is just a collection of songs i'd happily listen to if they came up on shuffle but i'm not sure how much i'll be seeking them out

[sinceileftyoublog]

Patty Griffin & Parker Millsap Live Show Review: 1/27, Old Town School of Folk Music, Chicago

Patty Griffin

BY JORDAN MAINZER

Patty Griffin’s songs are true folk songs, in the sense that their studio arrangements can be pared down to befit any number of instruments, and that their stories are ever-present. Performing Friday night at the Old Town School of Folk Music, Griffin told these stories, sometimes their context, too, other times letting the words do the talking. Accompanied by virtuosic guitarist David Pulkingham (whose flamenco licks on set opener “Mama’s Worried” recaptured the magic of hearing it for the first time) and percussionist Michael Longoria, Griffin rejected the pattern of touring off of an album release cycle and delivered a set of her most beloved back catalog highlights. Sure, a concert based off of songs from Tape, last year’s self-described “home recordings & rarities” collection, would have been a tad esoteric. But that Griffin chose to mostly play the heavy hitters from Children Running Through, Servant of Love, and 2019′s self-titled LP (perhaps her best) made Friday night’s set one for the ages.

Griffin and David Pulkingham

A song like “250,000 Miles” encapsulated what Griffin and her band did best. Introducing it as being inspired by a story of immigrants moving from Nepal to Dubai to build skyscrapers, Griffin’s framing and performance shone universal themes of homesickness and alienation atop shaky, dual percussion to match the song’s nerves. The PJ Harvey-esque blues stomp of “Flaming Red”, Griffin on acoustic, Pulkingham on blistering electric, Longoria on thumping snares, mirrored the physical strength of the circumstances under which the song was written, Griffin training for a marathon, wanting to get in shape after snatching a record deal. She deftly balanced humor and terror on “Coins”, one of the “weirder” songs she left off of setlists when opening for The Chicks last summer. Inspired by her experience waiting on creepy, cheap Harvard Business School bros at a Pizzeria Uno, the song was funny until it wasn’t; the descriptions of a “young man with all the answers” leaning into the side of himself “hungry for power” foreshadowed the dire consequences of toxic masculinity we witness every day.

Almost eerie in its prescience was “The Wheel”, particularly in its references to Eric Garner. “Here’s a song about a man / About a man I never met / Here’s a song about a man / About a man I can’t forget,” sung Griffin. “Can’t” carried dual meaning: she’s unable to forget the tragedy of his murder, and she’s also not allowing herself to forget his story because similar ones keep happening. A few hours prior to the start of the show, the body cam footage of Tyre Nichols’ murder at the hands of the Memphis police was released. That Griffin performed “The Wheel” on Friday was, in all likelihood, coincidental, but it nonetheless reminded the crowd of the power of music to make us remember.

Parker MIllsap

Opening for Griffin was Parker Millsap in a solo acoustic set, which allowed him to continue his transformation from boisterous, clean-cut pop rocker to bearded, beanie-laden singer-songwriter. It wasn’t just his look: Millsap performed mostly new songs from an album coming out later this year, and even the older songs he did sing, like “Your Water” and “It Was You”, transformed into languid blues ditties. “Front Porchin’”, Millsap’s “Keep on Chooglin’”, was an undeterred ode to weed haze and chillin’ out, while “Before the Curtain Closes” allowed him to show off his always impressive vocal chops, increasingly sounding like a mix of Roy Orbison, Jeff Buckley, and Hamilton Leithauser. At one point during his set, Millsap joked, “I should apologize for tuning so much, but if there’s any place to put on a capo and tune, it’s here.” Judging by the new songs, he’ll be tuning a lot more in the near future.

[damienthepious]

Soft content. soft content. soft content. here’s the thing: soft sleepy content.

Maybe Sprout Wings

[ao3]

Fandom: The Penumbra Podcast

Relationship: Lord Arum/Sir Damien/Rilla, Lord Arum/Rilla

Characters: Rilla, Lord Arum

Additional Tags: Second Citadel, Sleepy Cuddles, Cuddling & Snuggling, Scars, Canon Backstory, Mild Hurt/Comfort, (damien is here in spirit but does not actually feature), Lizard Kissin' Tuesday (Penumbra Podcast), Trust, Vulnerability

Summary: Rilla discovers the remnants of some old wounds.

Notes: Been obsessed with this idea since A Child With Wings dropped. That was... i think the last canonical piece that i've consumed, lmao. Some spoilers for that, but only with regard to Arum in particular, and i think it works fine even without that context. Enjoy, I hope? I am very sleepy. Title blatantly from the mountain goats song of the same name, because i started my day with Get Lonely and it just worked.

~

Arum doesn't have nearly the number of scars to match the ridiculous collection that Damien carries with him, but that doesn't mean that the monster is untouched.

It's just habit, with Rilla, noticing that sort of thing. The habit of cataloging, the habit of keeping an eye on injury in all states of healing, the habit of keeping an eye on old scars, watching for twinges and sore spots and stiffness when it rains.

There's the mark on Arum's arm, of course, matching the similar stripe Damien has on his, souvenirs from back when their duels were malicious instead of just playful. There are a few scattered interruptions in the scales on his upper pair of hands, evidence of the same sort of cuts and burns that Rilla has from various experiments, and the lizard has one or two more faded injuries that are clearly the result of some combat.

Then, there's his back.

She feels the scars before she sees them, her arms wrapped around him, noting a subtle change of texture between his upper and lower scapula. She assumes, briefly, that it's just some strange cosmetic difference in his scales, another anomalous reptilian or floral trait she'll need to puzzle out in her spare time, but- when they curl up in bed together a day or so later, Arum stretches and rolls onto his side, facing away from her and without his cape for once, and-

"Oh," she says faintly. "Saints."

Arum hums over his shoulder, accompanied by a curious, wordless chuffing noise, apparently too sleepy already to be worried about her tone, but when she raises one of her hands, delicately placing her palm over the mark, he stills. She can see his expression go blank, his jaw tightening slightly, and then he swallows.

She draws her fingertips over his scales, and her entire hand doesn't quite cover half the mark. It's clearly old, very old, healed enough to be subtle, a splash of darker, duller scales shaped like- well, kind of like a butterfly, long enough to stain all four of his scapula though it narrows in the middle, across his spine.

"Arum," she says softly. "What..."

"Nothing to be concerned about, Amaryllis," he murmurs, his tone muted as the tension in his shoulders slowly softens beneath her touch. "It is far too old to be of any pain to me now."

She imagines that's probably true. Still.

She leans closer, raising her other hand to brush her thumbs symmetrically along the edges of the scar on either side. "A burn?" she asks, keeping her tone low and calm, and Arum sighs again.

"Of a sort," he mumbles. "An acid derived from the venom of a certain type of ant." He pauses for a moment, his shoulders sinking, and then she sees the corner of his lip curl, a sarcastic sort of smile. "My own creation."

"How did it wind up on your back?" she says, unable to bury her concern, and the monster chuckles under his breath.

"The folly of youth?" he tries, tilting his head enough to show her a flash of a grin, but his eyes soften when they meet her own. "Carelessness, in honesty," he says, more gently. "And stubbornness. If I had let the Keep treat it... it likely would not have scarred as it did."

Rilla opens her mouth, then shifts up on an elbow so she can glare down properly at the lizard. "Why would you not let it treat you? That's just- Saints that's stupid, Arum-"

"I know that now," he grumbles, shifting slightly and rolling his eyes. "But I was even more stubborn as a hatchling than I currently am." He pauses as Rilla snorts a laugh, but he continues anyway. "The Keep and I were fighting, at the time, and... I believed I needed some... distance, more than I needed to worry about my injury."

Rilla turns that over in her head, lowering herself back to the bed behind him and tracing the shape of the scar slowly with the tips of her fingers. "I didn't know that you and the Keep fought," she says, quiet and steady. "Really fought, I mean. Not just bickering. I thought you always know what it feels, and that seems like the sort of insight that would make an argument difficult."

"Perhaps," he murmurs, laying his own head back down on the pillow and breathing his next words into the fabric. "Perhaps in the case of more superficial irritations, but- knowing how it felt did not help, in that case. We disagreed rather fundamentally." He pauses, long enough that Rilla starts to worry that she might have pushed too far, and then the monster exhales. "It wanted me to stay here. Safe. Cloistered." A little edge of irritation, still, on that last word. "And I wanted... I wanted more. The world seemed enormous from the cradle of this swamp, and... I wanted to see it. I wanted to know what was beyond the borders. I wanted to know."

Rilla considers that, her fingers still gently stroking his shoulders, his back.

"Well... I'm glad that you were curious," she offers. "We never would have met if you never stuck your snout out of the swamp, would we?"

Arum hums. "In a very, very oblique way, I suppose. That was ages ago, of course. Between that little excursion and my meeting Damien there were many, many years, many mistakes. Eventually I did decide that the Keep might have a point." He pauses to whir a breathy noise, leaning into the pressure of her hands for a moment. "Safer in my own home, of course. Never would have gotten wrapped up in the nonsense of the Senate and their stupid war if I hadn't been so... well. It is... fair to say that the Senate's interfering did lead me to the pair of you, eventually. I still despise them, but they did at least have a little bit of use."

"Very generous of you," Rilla says warmly, and then she leans forward, just enough to press her lips to the scar, gentle beside his spine. He hisses, arching slightly away from the touch in surprise before he dissolves into a more obvious purr, relaxing again when she trails a few more kisses across his scapula.

"An... an interesting treatment regimen, doctor," he breathes, half-laughing as her lips tickle at his scales. "I suppose I have seen you treat our poet's scars quite the same way..."

She closes her eyes, nuzzling her face against Arum's back with a soft exhale. "Can't exactly do anything else for it now, can I?" she half-grumbles, and then, "You wear the cape to hide it?"

"I wear the cape because I want to," he says mildly. "If it prevented enemies from seeing how I had been hurt in the past, prevented them from getting any ideas, all the better."

Rilla's throat feels a little funny, at that. Because-

Bared scales at her fingertips, relaxing into her kiss, and- a monster so, so afraid of showing weakness, so afraid of showing-

His back towards her as he breathes into the pillow, his eyes slipping closed again. "That feels..."

"Good, I hope?" she whispers, not quite trusting her own voice, and Arum laughs very gently.

"Too soothing, perhaps. Might prove to be an effective sedative, my little doctor."

She buries her own laugh, grinning against the subtle texture of his scales, and then she presses her hands against his shoulders again, massaging more pointedly. "Go to sleep, then," she whispers between kisses. "I can't help what happened way back when, but I can help with that, at least. Go to sleep."

He huffs, leaning into her touch and curling his tail around her legs, pulling her subtly closer. "As if you do not help with everything. Stubborn, ridiculous little..."

He mutters off into his rumbling purr, his breaths slowing already, and Rilla focuses on matching the natural rhythm of his lungs, her touch drawing slower alongside his breath until his body feels entirely slack.

She doesn't sleep for a while, after Arum slips off. She traces the shape of his scar again, feather-soft, her stomach twisting and her throat clenching hard as she thinks-

A little kid so curious and so lonely that he'd risk everything for the chance to see- to know-

A little bird, so determined to leave the nest, so desperate that he would tear his own back open to pull out a pair of wings.

She swallows. If she holds him as tightly as she really wants to, if she pulls him into her arms and squeezes like she wants, she'll only wake him up. She kisses the mark again instead.

Damien would know the right thing to say, she thinks. He'd know how to take all of it - a swamp that's a cage and a cradle and a home, wounds and wings and capes, flight and crashing falls, the little kid monster Rilla wishes so hard she could have known - and turn it on his tongue into the right words to make Arum feel loved.

Rilla is better with action, which... isn't helpful when the injury in question is already long, long healed.

She squeezes her eyes shut, her forehead pressed to Arum's spine, and sighs.

She'll still be holding him when he wakes up. She can't do anything to fix the past, but- she can do that. She can fix tomorrow morning. She can hold him, and kiss every scar he feels safe enough to share with her.

[heloisedaphnebrightmore]

Got no shame [Oliver Wood x Reader] - Challenge

Title: Got no shame Pairing: Oliver Wood x Female!Reader Word count: 2.5k Published: 27 May, 2021 Author: Heloise Daphne Brightmore Summary: [x] Being the daughter of the coach of Puddlemere United gives you the opportunity to get close to the players, some even more than others. When Oliver gets injured, you don’t even care about being friends or less or more, you just need to know if he is okay. Challenge: [x] [x] This is part of @iliveiloveiwrite 's writing challenge

Song inspiration: No shame by 5 Seconds of Summer

Bingo: [x] [x] This is part of my Band--Psychos 1.5k Followers Bingo Card by @band--psycho and my Make me feel Bingo Card by @girl-next-door-writes​​

Square filled: Rain [ @band--psycho ]

Square filled: Temporary amnesia [ @girl-next-door-writes ]

Harry Potter Characters Masterlist | Masterlists

Band--Psychos 1.5k Followers Bingo Masterlist

Make me feel Bingo Masterlist

If you enjoy my stories, please consider donating and supporting me on Ko-fi. Of course, it’s completely your choice, I will continue updating for free anyway :) Thank you <3

You have always been a big fan of quidditch, but unfortunately your abilities were never enough to become a professional. Luckily however, your father was the coach of the Puddlemere quidditch team. It was a daily occurrence for you to appear on their practice, overtime even becoming friends with some of the team members.

Benjy, the seeker of the team and Jocelind, one of the chasers quickly grew fond of you. Although your friendship started off on a rocky road. The two of them had a mission to tease you about their keeper, Oliver Wood’s crush on you. They thought his tries to catch your attention would be obvious to everyone, but it seemed you were the only one who couldn’t see it. Benjy and Jo made it their duty to remind you every single day how badly Oliver had fallen for you. Just like on that particular day, before one of their most important matches.

“Can you just stop?” You exhaled, pleading with the pair, the same subject repeating itself daily. Falling back onto one of the benches of the changing room, you heaved a heavy sigh, tired of their constant nagging.

“Sure, will you accept that Wood has a crush on you?” Benjy asked, teasingly wiggling his brows as he took a seat beside you, nudging your shoulder playfully.

“No! I will not! When he joined the team, he was this shy little boy, trying to adjust. He always talked to me, he always came to me for advice. If back then you said he had a crush on me, I might have believed you. But since then, he has become popular, girls and boys falling on their knees in front of him. I just can’t see it and I doubt out of all his choices I would be a contender,” you explained, sighing deeply.

“For Merlin’s sake,” Jo exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air, “each time he gives an autograph he is looking for your eyes, hoping for you to notice him. When the papers are taking photos of us, he looks like a meerkat trying to get your attention. How dumb can you be, woman?” She groaned as she folded her arms in front of her chest, shaking her head disapprovingly.

“You have had a crush on him for years, do something already,” Benjy added quickly before you could have replied. “Wood is my friend and I know him, he is mad for you.”

“Guys, please,” you pleaded, wanting to close the subject finally. “I would like nothing more than to believe you, but there’s no way Wood—,” before you could have continued, the entrance door of the changing room opened, a tall figure entering, his head covered under a hoodie, his clothes soaked, raindrops dripping to the floor.

“Oh, hi,” he lifted his head, revealing his identity. Pushing back his hoodie, you caught his dark eyes as he ran his hand across his short-cut, brown hair, his mere presence causing your cheeks to warm up. “You are early,” he added as none of you replied.

“Yeah, wanted to beat some sense into this woman,” Jo replied with a groan, clearly still annoyed by your blindness for Oliver’s feelings.

“Maybe I should beat some into you,” huffing, you crossed your arms in front of your chest, turning away from your friend’s gaze.

“Okay, why don’t we just take a deep breath and calm down?” Benjy interrupted.

“You clearly have something to discuss, should I leave?” Oliver asked as he looked around the three of you with a confused expression painted across his handsome face.

“Yes,” Jo replied, but you couldn’t handle another lecture.

“No,” you added, wanting to just stop them from nagging you any further.

“Well, that was helpful,” Oliver scoffed, trying to stop the little smirk from appearing in the corner of his lips. “So, which is it then?”

“No, because if you stay, it means they will quiet down finally and I need them to stop nagging me,” you replied as you stood up from the bench and headed towards the door. “Instead of getting on my nerves, you should start getting ready for the match,” you huffed in annoyance.

“As far as I’m concerned your father is our coach, not you,” Jo replied with gritted teeth.

“Indeed. But guess what, he would say the same,” you offered her a smug grin as you stepped out of the changing room, loudly shutting the door behind yourself.

As you headed to your father’s office, you heard loud footsteps following you. Turning around, you saw Oliver run after you, his clothes still drenched in water, but it didn’t stop him from coming after you. A soft smile appeared on your face as you patiently waited for him.

“Are you doing ground exercises?” You asked playfully as the boy finally halted beside you, trying to adjust his breathing.

“Very funny,” he scoffed, but you caught a tiny smile appearing in the corner of his lips. “I couldn’t stand the mood in the changing room. I have no idea what you have done, but Jo is quite pissed off,” he added, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck.

“Did they tell you what we argued about?” You asked, panic settling deep inside you as you realised Oliver might just know of your crush on him.

“Nah, they didn’t say anything, other than that you are being stubborn and blind for whatever reason,” he furrowed, the words without context making no sense to him.

“So, I’ve heard,” you grimaced as you started walking towards your father’s office once again.

“Wait, can I ask you what the argument was about?” He reached for your arm, wrapping his long fingers around your wrist. You turned back to look at him over your shoulder, his eyes holding curiosity.

“The person I like,” you replied, hoping for some sort of reaction from him.

“O— oh,” he breathed, somewhat disappointed as he let go of your wrist. The way he acted was certainly not what you expected and for a mere second you could see what Jo and Benjy were talking about. But a reasonable part of your brain quickly adjusted and decided to send you signals that reassured you it was probably just an involuntary reaction with no meaning behind it.

“Anyways, I will go and see my father. Maybe you should get ready,” you offered him a soft smile as you patted his shoulder and wished him good luck for the game.

As the match started, the rain was still pouring heavily, a batch of lightning struck on the ground, the players barely able to avoid them in time. You hid under your soaked hoodie as you cheered for the team, but deep down your stomach was in a knot, hoping for everyone to leave the game unscraped.

“Come on, Wood!” You shouted as the opponent flew towards his hoops, but luckily, he kicked the quaffle out of the way. His eyes looked for you for a good few seconds, before he caught sight of you and offered you a cheerful grin that you couldn’t stop from mirroring.

The match was rather aggressive, and the weather didn’t help the situation. Whilst you watched your friends fly around the pitch, their blue and yellow cloak following them in their route, a nervous feeling settled in you as a heavy rumble shook the area.

You stood up from the spectator stand and started heading down the stairs, wanting to feel closer to your friends. However, as you looked up, the next thing you saw was a blinding lighting that struck straight into the ground, sending none other than Oliver Wood off his position straight into the wall of the spectator stand across the pitch. A loud scream left your lungs, your heart beating in a dangerous pace as you watched his unconscious body fall towards the ground before someone slowed him down mid-air. Looking down at the benches, you saw your father with his wand in his hand pointing towards Oliver’s limp body, slowly placing him down on the fake grass.

As you started running down the stairs, you never felt more determined. You needed to see him, feel his pulse, check his body for injuries. It was driving you crazy how slowly your body moved before you finally caught sight of him surrounded by a couple of healers as they placed him on a stretcher. Almost feeling him in your grasp, you started running towards the injured boy, but before you could have caught up with the healers, two arms wrapped around you, pulling you back against a strong chest.

“He is going to be okay,” you heard your father’s voice, trying to sooth your worries away.

“Let me see him. Please, dad,” you replied, your voice weak and shaky. He turned you around and pulled you into a fatherly hug, just like the ones you received when you were little. As you finally started calming down, he leaned back and cupped your cheeks, removing the tear stains from your face that you didn’t even realise you had under the heavy rain.

“The healers will help him, but they will not let you in just yet, so take a deep breath, sit down with me on the bench and as soon as they signal for me, I will let you go. Sounds like a good plan?” He asked, hoping you would be able to think reasonably. After a heavy sigh you nodded, knowing that you couldn’t possibly do anything for him. You headed back towards the benches with your father and as they blew the whistle again, you listened to the game, but your mind was somewhere else, to be exact on the boy that the healers rushed away from you before you could even check on him.

It felt like eternity before your father placed a hand on your shoulder and nodded towards the exit of the pitch. Without a word or a thankful look, you started running after the healer that stood at the gate. When you arrived you greeted him and followed him diligently to the medical wing. The path felt like you’ve been walking for hours, even though it was only a couple of minutes. You were impatient, you wanted to see Oliver for yourself, making sure he was okay.

As you reached the medical wing and the large wooden doors opened, your eyes frantically searching for Oliver. As you caught his figure at the back of the room, you rushed up to him and sat down on the small stool beside his bed and took his hand in yours, squeezing it reassuringly. Although it was you who needed to be reassured that he was alright. His eyes started slowly flattering before he finally opened them, looking around the room in confusion, groaning as he turned his head.

“Stay put, Wood,” you instructed him as you pulled your stool closer. “How are you feeling? Are you in a lot of pain?” You bombarded him with questions.

“I’m fine. My head and my back hurts, but I’m okay,” a small smile spread across his face as he squeezed your hand.

“You scared me,” you scolded him as you slapped the back of his hand gently, making him chuckle lightly.

“I didn’t mean to,” he replied with an innocent expression, but a hidden smile in the corner of his lips. “What happened exactly? I’m kind of blurry on the details.”

“A lightning struck beside you and it sent you straight into one of the spectator walls. When you started falling dad slowed you down to stop you from getting any further injuries,” you explained with a deep frown across your brows and concern lacing your eyes. “It was horrible,” you added with a shaky breath as you played with his hand in yours.

“Hey,” he called out to you in a soft tone, lifting his other hand to cup your cheek. “I’m perfectly fine, just a few little bruises,” he tried to reassure you, but your worry was still clear across your face. “Hey, did I ever tell you that I love the way you're screaming my name?” He chuckled softly as you felt your face burn under his intense gaze. He knew he needed to avert your attention, wanting to sooth your worries.

“What?” You asked, stunned.

“The last thing I remember is your loud cheer as you screamed my name,” he smirked proudly, enjoying as you played with his hand in your embarrassed state.

“I cheer for everyone,” you added in a silent tone, trying to avert his suspicions.

“I wish you would cheer only for me,” he sighed as he looked away from you, his gaze now fixed on the ceiling. A confused expression sat across your face as you lifted your gaze and looked at him.

“What do you mean?” You asked, completely baffled by his reply. For a single moment you believed he meant more than he let on, but a reasonable part of your brain quickly shooed those thoughts away.

“I meant what I said,” he replied nonchalantly.

“I can’t just cheer for you. I have to cheer for the whole team so we can all win,” you explained with a confused frown across your brows.

“I know. And I know it’s wrong of me, but it makes me jealous,” he spoke with a soft grimace, earning a surprised gasp from you. “I honestly don’t know what else to do to get your attention. At this point I just got no shame. I shamelessly try to catch your eyes, but every time I feel like you are looking at me, you go and distance yourself,” he scoffed. Heaving a heavy sigh, he turned back to you. “Do you think you could ever look at me like a man and not someone who is part of your father’s quidditch team or a simple friend? Do you think you would be able to like me at one point?” He asked, his eyes desperately searching for confirmation, starting your heart off in a quick pace.

A tiny smile started spreading across your face before it grew into a large grin and a loud laughter erupted from your lungs, throwing your head back in the process. Oliver sat beside you, having mixed feelings about your reaction. “You fool,” you chuckled as your laughter started dying down. “You dumb man” you continued shaking your head as you stood up from your stool and leaned above his bed, cupping his face. “How could I not look at you as a man when I already do?” You giggled happily as you closed the gap between the two of you, capturing his lips with yours. For a moment both of you forgot where you were, you just enjoyed being closer to each other, before a healer appeared and loudly scolded you for your behaviour, forcing you to part as though you were still children.

“Well, that’s certainly not what I expected,” he chuckled playfully. “A couple more of these and I will feel brand new,” he grinned.

“I guess you will have to wait for that otherwise the healers will kick me out,” you giggled in content.

“Not happening,” he shook his head as he grabbed your arm and pulled you back to him, attaching his lips to yours halfway, earning a shaky moan from you. Luckily this time the healers didn’t catch you and within a couple of hours you were helping Oliver getting back to his flat.

Notes: If you enjoyed reading this little piece, please don’t forget to leave a like, comment and/or reblog. Your opinion matters and gives us motivation. Thank you ^^

If you enjoy my stories, please consider donating and supporting me on Ko-fi. Of course, it’s completely your choice, I will continue updating for free anyway :) Thank you <3

Taglists are in reblog from now on

[leek-inherent]

More of the Ball Park Music Dear Evan Hansen series! I don’t have the motivation to make good art right now but I realised that I can just make mediocre art instead. So I produced these.

This is Jared as Everything Is Shit Except My Friendship With You, a top tier bpm song. I’m going to include a really vague rambly explanation.

The title of the song is pretty much explains what it’s about. (Everything is shit,, except his friendship with [person]) ((the person is Evan)). The literal story of the song (the part where the guy comes home from a party drunk and his friend is there to help him when he’s just falling apart) is something I’ve seen in quite a few kleinsen fan fics, and I’m not against this idea but I feel like the song matches most on a more conceptual level. Jared isn’t an honest person, he has a very carefully controlled way with which he interacts with others, not revealing much of his true feelings. He’s still a teenager figuring out who he is, which is really hard when he never lets himself be himself. So he feels like everything he’s doing is unnatural and pointless. He feels like he’s not achieving anything or enjoying himself. Except his friendship with Evan which is something he knows he wants to maintain. He likes hanging out with Evan.  The lines “fruit falls on my head and I don’t discover anything” are - to my understanding - saying that good things are coming to him and he just sits there letting the world happen, not working to make things better for himself. In the context of Jared, Evan is coming to him but he keeps fucking it up. Evan texts him many times but Jared doesn’t get to achieve what he wants because he can’t stop being an asshole. When he tries to contribute something towards their relationship (e.g. “heyyy so uh my parents are out of town this weekend-”) it doesn’t accomplish anything. 

Recap: a) Jared values his friendship with Evan, and it’s the only tangible thing he knows he cares about. He doesn’t put effort into anything outside of this relationship, and is unable to achieve anything within the relationship, despite trying. b) Everything Is Shit Except My Friendship With You by Ball Park Music is a really good song.

This is a bit harsh on Jared but know that I love him with my whole heart.

[edens-pen]

When scrolling through the tags, as one does, I stumbled across “you want a good girl (who does bad things),” and oh my god? I am eternally grateful I did. I mean, when I say it was an immediate follow, I mean instantaneous

I will give you the abbreviated version of my ramble because I could truly go on for way too long, lol, but here are a few of my personal highlights but again, make no mistake, there are soooo many

First off, using freak like me for the title? Brilliant, amazing, show-stopping. The double entendre of the word “freak” is just so good especially given the context of Eddie’s character plus, it just matches the overall vibes of the song.

And speaking of Eddie’s character, your characterization of him was soooooo good. I feel like sometimes, when writing for Eddie, it’s hard not to get too trope-y? If that makes sense? But you balanced his humor and personality just right. And admittedly, usually, I don’t go for the whole “good girl super innocent and inexperienced” reader vibe, but I’m so glad I gave this a chance. Because despite being inexperienced, the reader isn’t completely clueless or annoying, which again is a difficult balance, so brilliant job.

Then, of course, there’s the fact the reader is black, which there is not nearly enough of on this hellsite. It was such a relief knowing that I wasn’t gonna run into a “she blushed bright red” and be completely thrown out of the experience. It was also just a really fun fic. I loved the flirting and the back and forth and would love to see them interact in person (absolutely no pressure or anything, though, if you weren’t planning on this to be multiple parts, truly this was a dream in and of itself)

Overall, just muah, chefs kiss. Thank you for sharing this gift with us, and from the bottom of my black femme heart, you are amazing! -🧚🏽‍♀️

first ! thank you so much for loving my writing and letting me know that you liked :) i really appreciate it.

black reader is something that is so personal to me because i literally have never blushed red or had a stray strand of hair be tucked behind my ear, unless i had a 40 inch brazilian buss down middle part, and if you try to spank my ass red, we're gonna be waiting a long time.

but i'm so glad you caught the freak/freak because i thought it fit so well and it's so fun!

eddie munson is definitely hard to capture properly, but i'm really happy to hear that you enjoyed how i wrote him.

and i while i do enjoy an innocent/good girl reader, i like when they have some sense. she's inexperienced, but she wasn't raised in a convent. she's a little clunky when it comes to language and actions (i.e. her not entirely sure how she should masturbate), but she knows what sex is, and she's eager to find out what she likes.

i really do want to write more concepts (mostly their firsts that wouldn't fit in a fic like: dry fucking, oral, etc.) and do a deeper dive into their relationship and their first time in another fic.

kind of wanna do something with that purity ring that eddie was eyeing !!

thank you so much for the feedback, i really really appreciate it :)

[rocketmuse]

I thought I'd share my playlist for the anniversary of the boathouse kiss. :)

Song translations, MANY thoughts, and timeline under the break.

Noise warning for song 19, Hinahanap-Hanap Kita. 4:23 to the end. Loud high pitched beeps.

YouTube music version to be made soon.

Translations for foreign songs:

Ewan [Dunno] — Apo Hiking Society — Filipino/Tagalog

Amour plastique [Plastic love] — Videoclub — French

Panalangin [Prayer] — Apo Hiking Society/Moonstar88 — Filipino/Tagalog

Hinahanap-Hanap Kita [I'm Looking For You] — Rivermaya — Filipino/Tagalog

This is a collaborative playlist made with my friend.

Thought Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy would be a good starter song. Something about the music. Represents a good start of Alec persuing Maurice, like, hey, I can be yours... Whatcha doin'?

I added Puppy Princess because of the chorus but I know some people don't like that song so... You can skip if you'd like. KISS MEEEEE KIISS ME WITH YIIR EYESSS CLOSED . ALL I WANT IS YOU YEAH YOU. TELL ME I'M NOT FUNNY TELL ME I'M LEGIIIIT

Ewan. OH MY GOD this song is so them. Alec cares for Maurice, and doesn't like not being taken seriously or being treated badly and brushed off.

"I don't know why you're like that, you're difficult to talk to and you're a snob" COME ON IS THAT NOT THEM — Just a smile from you, and I'll be in heaven. Please give me a response, anything but "No idea"... What a perfect representation of Alec's continuous persuit of Maurice, always talking, always trying...

I could go on with every lyric.

Edit: I just realised this song fits so well for Alec's letters and meeting at the museum. Must resist the urge to add the same exact track twice.

So about Touch Me... Some of the lyrics apply better in other versions. Spotify just has this version tho. Touch me, just like that.

All I've Ever Known. Maurice discovered so much that night about touch and sharing and being with someone. He wants to be with Alec. "All I've ever known is how to hold my own, but now I want to hold you too. [Hold you close, I don't wanna ever have to let you go. Hold you tight, I don't wanna to back to the lonely life.]" Alec opened up his eyes and he'll never be the same.

Can't Help Falling in Love With You. 'Did you ever dream you'd a friend, Alec? ... Someone to last your whole life...' 'Alec, you're a dear fellow and we've been very happy.'

I'd Like To Walk Around In Your Mind was added from Maurice's perspective. Perhaps it fits Alec too...

I think Love At First Sight has the double meaning of the literal title, as well as "wouldn't you like to kiss her" perhaps being... Something Maurice would hear.

I Don't Dance. Based on this post/edit. Please watch this video oh my God.

Pink in the Night. Alec yearns for Maurice in the boathouse. He hasn't come. He hears his heart breaking tonight.

Every lyric is perhaps pulled straight from Alec's brain, to be honest. I remember seeing a post with this song in other contexts with them too. So yes, a few meanings.

Amour plastique. Alec reminiscences on the night in the Russet room. Why hasn't he come?

In my mind, everything goes wild. I lose myself in your eyes. I drown myself in the vagueness of your loving gaze.

And at night I cry tears that stream down my cheeks. I think of you only when the days ends, only when my sad demons descend upon my mind, into the bottomless abyss.

Waiting in the boathouse at night, when the day ends.

I ring out in kisses all down your chest. Lost in the avalanche of my heart astray. Who are you? Where are you?

The moments of then repeat in his mind. Where is Maurice?

I suppose Hopelessly Devoted To You and I'm A Fool To Want You are self explanatory. Maurice should really come... Alec really toughed it out, 2 days he spent in the boathouse, really wanted to see Maurice, really knew they had something, and doesn't want to be treated like a dog. Generally, his 1st letter.

Moon Song. My friend said they added it as a general love song. — Why do you treat me like this? Why didn't you come to the boathouse? — Alec's 2nd letter as a whole. Plus bits of 1st.

And you pushed me in, and now my feet can't touch the bottom of you. ... So I will wait for the next time you want me, like a dog with a bird at your door.

Ewan would fit here tbh.

Panalangin. My only prayer in this lifetime: to be beside you, to be together with you, that's my prayer.

"I since cricket match do long to ... place both arms round you and share with you, the above now seems sweeter than words can say."

And this heart won't allow if you will be away from me, my love, please listen.

It also fits the end of museum.

I Want You. Maurice, can you come to the boathouse already? Alec has no power to teleport you there. I hold one card that I can't use.

I found you. I found the door, but when I stepped through, there was no floor. He found Maurice, bit he's not being here for Alec.

You're coming back And it's the end of the world We're starting over And I love you, darling And I am done, dear

Alec wishes this would happen. Also, he does come back later and they love again over, and "it is finished".

Credit for suggesting the next two songs goes to @beatle-capaldi!!! He also wrote was in quotations!

English Summer Rain

The Most Radical Thing To Do

Hinahanap-Hanap Kita. 1st letter, he's looking for Maurice. Thinking about them together.

In my thoughts and dreams, in every turn of destiny, I look for you. Also applies to that hotel/post-hotel feeling. I look for you, even if I try to forget you, saying goodbye, looking back...

Wildest Dreams. They think a lot of each other. They share once more. But they must say goodbye. Alec saw this coming. Maurice hopes that Alec will remember him like this.

I Hear a Symphony. Alec truly opened up Maurice's eyes. Maurice was meant to be with him. He helped Maurice, changed his life. But now Alec is leaving on ship... Or is he? The symphony leads into...

An orchestral sountrack. The Boathouse. Unfortunately the Maurice soundtrack is not on spotify. It's on my personal YouTube music version. I added it because it just captures the boathouse the only way the sountrack itself can.

The Word of Your Body (Reprise). MLM people have moment of romantic tension, which culminates in confessions of love. Just had to add it. "Haven't you heard the word of your body?" perfectly describes Alec gifting and showing Maurice the wonder of truest physical affection and love. He lets Maurice be okay with himself, and again, changes everything. Every lyric is perfect.

Also, sorry JBW, I like other versions more... Too bad Spotify is mean.

I See The Light. Yeah. Every lyric. Maurice is Rapunzel. Movie Blond too. Both the morning at Russet room and the museum. And the world has somehow shifted. All at once everything is different, now that I see you. "By now they were in love with each other consciously."...

Suddenly Seymour. Suddenly see more, yeah? Clive = ass and someone gives him affection for once, wow! Sidenote, I want to sing this with them and their accents... Suddenly SCUDDER...

Helpless. Musical theatre songs seem to be good retellings of their love story. It's why they belong in post boathouse. Summaries and retellings. They're also good at conveying love they'd feel for each other in general, all times ever. Like loving men, retelling a story.

I'll Cover You. Cute love song feat. gays. I like to imagine them dancing around, declaring their love and devotion for each other. Walking and dancing around like in the original scene, sometime post canon. In my own imagination, I thought of Alec as Angel and Maurice (Christopher) as Collins.

Video Games. They must love spending time together. I thought this to be Maurice POV. Only worth living if somebody is loving you I mean, come on.

It's you, it's you, it's all for you. Everything I do. I tell you all the time, heaven is a place on Earth with you.

Un sospiro. I headcanon that Maurice picks up the piano and plays for Alec. Perhaps he picked it up bc of/after Clive, but now can play it for someone who gives a shit.

Something about the melody reminds me of them. And then it gets more intense... A bit like the passions of love, showing up in sharing and touch and more, too.

Liebestraum. I mean, it means love dream/dream of love. I just had to. Also I just like Liszt.

Take Me Up With You, Dearie. This song is just so sweet... So soft... Edwardian to boot... I love how quintessentially 1909 it is. Discovered it in a YT video. The thought of them getting married makes me cry. This song in general makes me want to cry, it's so romantic, tender, and exudes my favourite era...

Let us float, float, float through the clouds, and just have a lot of fun. We'll go up, up, up as two and then come down as one.

Put Your Head on My Shoulder. We Belong Together. I always imagine Maurice and Alec slowdancing to songs that come on the radio together, when the 1950s hits... Alec probably rests his head on his shoulder as this plays and they dance...

I'm using a lot of ellipses, am I secretly Rupert Graves?

Welcome to the 70s and 80s. They love dancing together and being with each other. Now, Panalangin can be a happy song. My only prayer for this lifetime ... To be together with you. And this heart won't allow if you will be away from me.

Just the Two of Us. What a nice, vibey song. Great title, great scenario of them dancing to this...

Tiny Dancer. Your Song. MLM people in the 70s + Radio, being happy and in love with each other. — I just thought I should add some Elton. A different friend, and I, like him. Maurice sings to Alec, "And you can tell everybody this is your song." That I put down in words how wonderful life is with you in the world.

Electric Love. Fun fact: this song got me to share the playlist. Got me thinking about them and their anniversary again. The funky busy instrumental describes well their passionate love. The highs of electric LOOOOOOVE describe the intensity of them.

Alt text continued: themselves together under and the love. And the love. The song has its own tension and it perfectly pictures their own tension. So yeah, this is THEIR song quite literally.

Sorry if my music taste is perhaps basic. I just made it for when I hear songs that are Them.

Falling for Ya. Alec falls for Maurice. "I saw you when you first drove up, Mr Hall..." Something about Maurice, right? Plus really nice vintage vibes with the music. The bit about Into your arms and it's a secure sure sounds like Maurice. Awh, they're falling for *each other*...

Rainbow Connections. Gay and bi people. Marriage. Everything that Maurice and Alec went through to get here, where they were meant to be. Clive. Working for Clive. Leading up to now.

All the things that had to go right, all the things that had to go wrong, that lead us to the place where we were going all along.

On the YT version there's a soft/jazzy cover of Panalangin here. Because they're old and spending time together and being happy. What a throwback, a defined meaning in their lives over time.

Still Into You. After all these decades... Old and grown, together... True soulmates... Two men can defy the world... Maurice and Alec still roam the greenwood. Imagine Maurice meeting Alec's mom in this context. If only.

Postmodern Jukebox cover, because they are a quintessentially 20th century couple. They exude vintage.

Some piano playing for Alec. Soft, tender, romantic, emotional, true. Feels like nighttime. Feels like Maurice and Alec. And a throwback to the pre 1914 world as well. Claire de Lune feels like... A credits of life piece. Time spent in the early 1980s. Nocturne feels like that too, but more romantic. Smidge less nighttime. Ah yes, Gymnopédies. The truest credits feel of them all. None of these actually are credits for Maurice and Alec, but I struggle to find the word for this feeling. But yeah. These all have Them vibes to me. Piano of the time just does I suppose. Glad to be reminded of them at any time.

What a long playlist. Like going through almost their whole lives together. 1:52 hrs. Almost like a movie. Imagine that. A full movie of THEIR lives... But leaving to the imagination was a good thing. Led to this such action. Thank you E.M. Forster.

Timeline:

1. Pendersleigh

4. & 5. Russet Room. Night, then Morning

9. Cricket

10. Boathouse Nights

18. The Museum

20. The Hotel

21. After

23. The Boathouse

24. They Still Roam the Greenwood

I just like to imagine them dancing to songs on the radio, for decades to come...

[kaialone]

Kirby Planet Robobot Translation Comparison: Facing Mecha Knight

This will be a comparison of the original Japanese version and the US English localized version.

Specifically, this will cover the cutscene where Kirby encounters Susie for the second time, and ends up battling Mecha Knight.

You can also watch this cutscene for yourself in English and Japanese.

For the comparison, the usual points apply:

Bolded is the original Japanese text, for the reference.

Bolded and italicized is my translation.

Italicized is the official NOA translation.

A (number) indicates that I have a specific comment to make on that part in the translation notes.

As you read this, please keep in mind that with translations like these, it’s important not to focus on the exact literal wordings, since there is no single “correct answer” when it comes to translations.

Rather than that, consider the actual information that is being conveyed, in which way, and why.

--

Meeting Susie Again:

Secretary Susie:

おーお〜 いーだいな ハールトマン〜

Oh, great Haltmann~  (1)

Noble Haltmann, we adore him

Secretary Susie:

おーお〜 いーだいな ハールトマン〜

Oh, great Haltmann~

Noble Haltmann, we adore him!

Secretary Susie:

永遠にー 果てなくー 栄えよ〜

May you prosper, unending, for all eternity~

Every day we wish him glory!

Secretary Susie:

……おっと、 たいへん しつれい いたしました。

...Oh dear, how terribly rude of me.

Oh! Pardon me.

Secretary Susie:

われらが カンパニーの すばらしい社歌、

「銀河に名立たるハルトマン」。

That was our company's marvelous theme song,

"Haltmann, Famed Across the Galaxy".

That was our company's wonderful theme song, "The Noble Haltmann."

Secretary Susie:

ついつい 口ずさんで しまいましたわ。

I was just overcome with the urge to sing it to myself.

Sometimes I just find myself singing it out loud. It's so catchy!

Secretary Susie:

さて… また、お会いしましたね。

Now then... It appears we meet again.

At any rate, I must say, how nice to see you again.

Secretary Susie:

秘書スージーでございます。

It is I, Secretary Susie.

I'm Susie, but I'm sure you remember me.

Secretary Susie:

そうそう、 ワタクシ 最近…

Oh yes, just recently...

Let me tell you a story.

Secretary Susie:

とーっても ステキな 方に お会いしましたわ。

I met with the most wonderful person.

Not long ago, I met someone who impressed me very much.

Secretary Susie:

いさましくて クールで、 ハイレベルな剣士様…

Valiant and cool, a truly high-class swordfighter...

He was strong and full of confidence... A knight of the highest order.

Secretary Susie:

で、せっかく お会いできたの ですから、

And, since I was fortunate enough to meet him,

I was so impressed...

Secretary Susie:

ちょっぴり全身カイゾウして…

I have subjected him to just a tiny full-body reconstruction...

I gave him a complete remodel!

Secretary Susie:

わが社の セキュリティマシンと させて いただきました。

And given him the privilege of being a security machine for our company.

And I hired him as a company security guard.

Secretary Susie:

ウフフ…

Uhuhu...

Heehee! I wonder what you'll make of him?

Secretary Susie:

お気に めして いただける かしら？

I wonder if he will be to your liking?

Please allow me to present...

Secretary Susie:

プロダクトNo. M-７１１０、 「メタナイトボーグ」よ…

Now, Product #M-7110,  (2) "Meta Knight Borg"...

Model #M-7110. Mecha Knight...

Secretary Susie:

おゆきなさい！

Get to it, please!

ENGAGE!

Translation Notes:

I translated the lyrics that Susie is singing here directly, so they don’t go exactly with the melody in my translation, but they do in the original Japanese.

There’s actually a Japanese pun in Mecha Knight’s product number. The number “7″ can be read as “na”, the number “1″ can be read as “i”, and the number “10″ can be read as “to”. When put together, this spells out “naito”, which is a Japanese transliteration of the English word “knight”.

--

Comparisons & Thoughts:

This cutscene is another one without many differences.

If you were to really pick it apart it’s arguably a bit looser than the previous cutscene, like having Susie add a few extra comments, but nothing big.

We do get the first mention of the Haltmann Work Company’s theme song, and there is a lot to say about that.

-

Now, the company’s theme song is hard to talk about without directly addressing details that will come up later in the game, so keep that in mind.

First of all, in English, the song is simply titled “The Noble Haltmann”, whereas in Japanese it’s called 銀河に名立たるハルトマン/Ginga ni Nadataru Harutoman.

I choose to translate the Japanese title as “Haltmann, Famed Across the Galaxy”, but it could also be translated as “The Galaxy-Famous Haltmann” or the like.

So, there’s a bit of a difference between the titles here, with the English version feeling a bit more grounded and reserved in its worship of Haltmann, but that’s not all there is to it.

The Japanese title of this song is a subtle reference to the Japanese title of the “Milky Way Wishes” mode from Kirby Super Star, where it’s known as 銀河に願いを/Ginga ni Negai o, which roughly translates to ”A Wish Upon the Galaxy”.

The reference is definitely intentional, considering how Planet Robobot features several important callbacks to Milky Way Wishes.

The English version lacks such a reference, but it might have been difficult to come up with one, even if the localizers noticed this detail.

Next up, there’s the song’s actual lyrics, and that’s where things get a bit muddy in English.

Basically, in the Japanese version of this cutscene here, Susie is singing the first line of the song. In the next cutscene, she will sing the second line.

Then, the pause screen during Haltmann’s battle will show the full lyrics of the entire first strophe. And lastly, the final unlock of the game is the music video that features a previously unseen second strophe.

Because of that, in the Japanese version, the player ends up slowly being shown more and more of the song as they play through the game, culminating with the music video.

It’s clearly supposed to be an important build up, considering it’s also the main theme of the game that was specifically written to represent it and its story.

The English version is a lot less consistent with the song and its lyrics.

Here in this scene, Susie is singing “Noble Haltmann, we adore him! Every day we wish him glory!”.

This doesn’t match with Haltmann’s pause screen and the music video later on, where the first line is given as “Noble Haltmann, we adore him, kingly lord of time and space!“, instead.

To make matters more confusing, the former actually goes better with the melody of the song, it seems.

The English version of Haltmann’s pause screen description also only features part of the first strophe, rather than all of the first, and the lyrics that Susie will sing in the next cutscene are taken from the second strophe, which isn’t supposed to come up until the music video.

It’s kinda messy, honestly.

I can only assume this is a result of how game translations usually work.

Things like the text from in-game dialogue, the text from in-game menu screens, and the text from additional extras like the music video are normally internally stored in different places, and often you end up with different people having to translate them, with very little context.

Note that I wouldn’t blame the translator(s) and localizer(s) involved here, because they can’t really help their working conditions.

But whatever the case may be, as a result the English version lacks the neat progression of slowly getting to know the song, the way it’s presented in the Japanese version.

-

With all that general stuff out of the way, let’s have a closer look at the lines Susie sings in this specific cutscene.

In Japanese, she sings “Oh, great Haltmann~ May you prosper, unending, for all eternity~”, while in English she sings “Noble Haltmann, we adore him! Every day we wish him glory!”.

Just like with the song’s title, the English version of this line is a bit more reserved when it comes to practically worshipping Haltmann.

It’s not even like it’s not revering him, it’s just that the Japanese version goes even further with it.

But translating lyrics like this is also something that’s especially difficult, since you need to match the melody of the song, so more differences are to be expected with those.

-

Really a minor thing, but I want to point out this section:

And, since I was fortunate enough to meet him,

I was so impressed…

I have subjected him to just a tiny full-body reconstruction…

I gave him a complete remodel!

And given him the privilege of being a security machine for our company.

And I hired him as a company security guard.

In the Japanese version, the way Susie says that she gave Meta Knight a “tiny full-body reconstruction” is of course a bit of a joke, talking about something so drastic like it’s just a small little thing.

The English version doesn’t retain this directly, but it gives Susie’s dialogue a similar energy here, having her declare that she gave him a complete remodel like it’s something to be excited about.

A bit of a stronger difference is the fact that Susie says she made Meta Knight a “security machine” in Japanese, rather than a “security guard” like in English.

In the Japanese version, there is a stronger impression of Meta Knight being literally turned into an object or product as far as Susie is concerned, and that that’s a good thing in her eyes too.

In English it’s more like she makes him an employee against his will.

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Finally, Mecha Knight’s product number “#M-7110” is a pun in Japanese, as I explained in the translation notes above.

I think it makes sense that the English version didn’t try to adapt it and just kept it the same, because in English you just have a lot less to work with as far as number puns go.

I can’t help but wonder what might’ve worked though, perhaps something like “#M-98”?

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And that’s it for this cutscene.

Not a whole lot of differences here again, but more subtle differences are starting to crop up and will continue to add up over time, and we will get to that later.

I want to say that I do really like the localization in this one though, particularly the way Susie’s “swooning” over Meta Knight is written.

It stays close to the original without sounding awkward in English, and captures the basic mood the original version was getting at.

All in all, pretty good.

And with that, feel free to check out the next part!

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