#also listening in japanese helps me remember my very bad japanese

[springbreak-ibelieveinyou]

i love the constant changing of sophie’s posture and hair length in howl’s moving castle when certain things happen

he shows her the new bedroom that looks like her old hat making room and her braid gets the longest it’s been, then immediately gets shorter when she reminds herself that she’s the ‘cleaner’

then longer again in the field outside

[entertext]

HGSN 33-1

Chapter (Japanese)

(Please hit the green thumbs up at the end of the Japanese chapter to show support)

Rough translation by me

P1

(sign: Tenban Retreat)

(sign: Udekari Specialty: Mountain Forage Ice Cream - Take a break after a long hike!)

--

(sign: Are your eyes fatigued? - Takahashi Optometry)

Asako: So, our ancestors offered heads to that "hole"?

Tanaka: That's right.

P2

Asako: You're super suspicious, mister, but I guess you really are a researcher...

Tanaka: I'm no good at dealing with other people, sorry about that.

Tanaka: You've heard of the folktale, "The Farmer's Head", right? It's the hole from that story.

Asako: "The Farmer's Head"? I've heard it...The one everyone gets told?

Asako: (If I remember, the farmer was greedy and tried to hide the mushroom in the hole when his head came off...)

Asako: (...what was the reason the head came off again?)

Tanaka: Now listen

P3

Tanaka: To close the hole

Tanaka: There are two different methods

Tanaka: The first is what I said before, the method where a person crosses to the other side to close it.

Tanaka: But for that, you or I would have to die.

Tanaka: So we'll go with the second method: making a monster close it instead

P4

Asako: Make a monster close it... I see! Then that sounds like a plan!

Tanaka: No, we could still totally die, hahaha!

Tanaka: There's just a small chance we won't

Tanaka: That's why it helps that you're here. You can hear them but can't see them right?

Asako: Yes...Right now, its only my left ear, but I can basically only hear them...I can't do anything else...

Tanaka: That's actually better for us

P5

Asako: You're saying it's better not to see them...?

Tanaka: When you heard a voice from that house before, you thought it was a cat, right?

(??: i'm a cat i'm a cat i'm a cat)

Tanaka: Just like that time

Tanaka: Carelessly giving something a form is very bad

Asako: Giving something a form...

Tanaka: It's next to impossible for a human to accept something formless as is. So...

P6

Tanaka: We give it a name and for the first time recognize what it is.

(label: Circle)

Tanaka: This isn't a bad thing per se. It's what's necessary for humans.

Tanaka: But reality is complex and filled with things that can't be easily categorized

Tanaka: All the more so for the world of monsters

Tanaka: The moment you fit it into a human value system

(label: Cat)

Tanaka: You become unable to discern its true nature

P7

Asako: Um...In other words, it's important to think without deciding something is "definitely this!"?

Tanaka: Well, that's about right. That's why not being able to see them is an advantage in this world

Asako: ?

Tanaka: People only see what they want to see. The moment a person sees one, they'll always fit it into some form

Tanaka: And an impurity given form will also be able to look back at them

Tanaka: Like that, "eyes" create a connection between you and an impurity.

P8

Tanaka: That means that when people like us make contact with monsters, we have to look with eyes beyond that of a human

Tanaka: To earnestly look at only what's in front of us

Tanaka: If you don't try to know it one-to-one without fitting it into a human framework

Tanaka: That "connection" will rip the rug out from under you.

Asako: That sounds like it's really difficult...

Tanaka: ...well, if someone could really do that perfectly, they wouldn't be human anymore.

P9

Asako: I don't know anything about the thing inside 'Hikaru' either...

Tanaka: From what's been observed, there are tons of them, but... it's an unknown existance that very rarely appears in this world and grants people's wishes

Tanaka: ...that's all we know about them. Well, knowing that you don't know something is still the first step forwards

Tanaka: Anyway, you have the advantageous power to hear without seeing.

Tanaka: Using that...

P10

Tanaka: I'd like for you to be "interpreter" for our negotiations with the monsters.

(sfx: trembles)

==

Extras:

1 - (link)

2 - (link)

Asako: How come you only ever ea-...like sweets?

Tanaka: My taste buds are dead and I can't taste anything but sweetness!

Asako: Huh? Huh?? So do you just eat ice cream everyday??

Tanaka: Toothpaste tastes good too!

[bibibbon]

I made a huge mistake in going to the MHA subreddit. The braindead takes on 427 have me convinced I'm stuck in a parallel universe where we're reading a completely different story:

"It's great seeing Deku play therapist with the LOV, but all it seems to have done is make things worse!" A) Izuku shouldn't be having to play therapist to begin with, considering he's a 16 year old kid. B) most of the LOV don't see anything they did as wrong, so idk what the fuck Izuku can do about that. Also, WHY AREN'T PEOPLE HELPING IZUKU WITH HIS OWN GODDAMN FEELINGS?!

Apparently Bakugou killed Kurogiri, and there's absolutely ZERO reaction to it both in and out of universe. So of fucking course Izuku is a murderer, but not their precious Bakugou 🥱.

"I feel like Hori's really underrated as a writer!" Horikoshi doesn't know Show Don't Tell, how to actually develop characters, and how to craft actual stakes in the narrative from a hole in the ground. Also, MHA is one of the most popular mangas worldwide, so you're not even using underrated right.

"I feel like Horikoshi sees our discussions and then implements them in the story!" This I can kind of agree with, considering how much y'all hate Izuku and worship Bakugou. But on the other hand, I really doubt Horikoshi thinks the MHA subreddit is as important as you think it is.

"Bakugou's totally going to ask Izuku to start their own hero agency together at the end!" Jesus fucking Christ, just say you hate Izuku. How would that be a great ending for him? He not only has to see the source of his low self esteem and borderline suicidal feelings achieving the dream he'll now never have, but you want them to WORK together?!

@nutzgunray-lvt 👋

Well a lot of the time looking into Reddit is always a mistake unless you're asking a very niche question and you get an answer from 9 years ago or something.

I feel like a lot of people whether that be in universe or in fandom forget that izuku is a 16 year old child soldier. Izuku is more than a decade younger than a lot of the villains in the leauge. He is a child who has been exploited by the system and abused. We have seen in 425 izuku try and talk to someone but simply get brushed aside and while I don't blame shoto or ochako for doing that as they probably didn't mean it and are traumatised themselves it kinda of shows how much this has effected izuku. Also this doesn't help BECAUSE HORI GAVE US NO FLIPPING INTROPSECTION ON IZUKU'S BIT AGAIN!! Also Iam not sure if it's just me but Izuku's eye bags are heavily prominent in this chapter especially when he is talking to spinner.

The fandom especially the lov stans side of it love babayifying the actions of the leauge and hyper fixating on the humane soft side they may have while completely ignoring the horrible actions they commited. I talk about this better in one of @palesweetscherryblossom asks

I still can't believe that bk may of killed kurogiri. I don't even know when that happend and I checked the wiki but it says that kurogiris status is unconfirmed so I will be waiting until the last chapter to fully acknowledge if kurogiri is dead or not. However this brings up the point that the fandoms is being quite hypocritical if they're calling izuku a murder but not bakugo. They both killed people but for some reason it's izuku thats put into public light and bashing instead of all the other characters that have killed in the series including villains.

Yeah sometimes it feels like hori is looking at discussions of his series and implementing ideas but I think that goes more for his Japanese fans than us to be honest because after all they're his target demographic. I remember when I first joined Tumblr one of my earliest posts talked about how horikoshi's writing decisions were heavily influenced by his fans which may or may not be true.

At this point IAM convinced that izuku isn't getting a proper happy ending. Every time I think it can't get worse it does. Just by your comment of them starting an agency together haunts me just like the possibility that bk may become the number one hero

[fumifooms]

i know you aren't really into marcille/laios any longer, but since you went looking online for dungeon meshi doujins, did you happen to find any other marcille/laios ones? (funnily enough at the convention i was at a couple weeks back they had like five, but they were extremely over-exaggerated and personally i prefer my fan content relatively in character...)

Ok first of all: Yeah listen laimar doesn’t have a grip on me anymore but I still quite enjoy it! Just more passively… Altho I do have an analysis that focuses a lot on the importance they hold to each other in my early stage wips drafts, and listen in canon I do think they’re queerplatonic flavored, call me an ot3 qpr truther because Laios Marcille and Falin have a something going on and it transcends being put into a box. But hey hey I reblog laimar artworks I bought that recent doujin I put laimar fics in my -checks- 106 pages long to-read list… Also I have like 5 pages of fanfic prompts for them I may or may not get to writing. Though yeah I do feel bad whenever I notice people following after liking all my laimar posts haha

Sadly to get to the meat of the topic, not really… I don’t go to cons for lack of opportunity so whatever I find is through online. The one I got is The Fourth Basement Floor, it has an english ver and seems so so very in character I can’t wait to get it! Otherwise I’ve looked on Otakurepublic & Doujinrepublic since I use their services for merch from Japan, warning if you click on the link, there are 18+ ones and covers can be pretty explicit. I don’t remember any other laimar one except the one nsfw one I think, but on the plus side there are a lot of gen no ships doujins. I’m bothered because looking back I feel like the catalogue of doujins was wider when I looked all those months ago and it feels like I’m forgetting something hmm… I wish I could help more, but yeah 😔 Pixiv has many laimar comics up (in japanese) if that sates the hunger any

As consolation since I’m already here, why not show some of my laimar things laying around gathering dust I’m fond of. Don’t look if you don’t want to be spoiled for fics I may or may not write I guess? All down below is just laimar prompts

I spoke about some various ones and esp my timeline where she gets him into Daltian Clan here. "Laios… I was wondering, because you enjoy fantasy stories right? I was wondering if you’d like to give my favorite book series a go… It has monsters!" I love love love post-canon laimar where he gets the habit of chewing on her hair because he’s stimming and hungry. Like a goat.

Laios goes to Marcille for love advice.  "You like someone?! Do I know them?" She eagerly asked. "Erm… Yes…?" // Post-canon. He’s so nervous and puts his foot in his mouth n lets things slip out that he thought would give him away. (Comic) "You like someone??! What are they like? Who are they?" And he’s like "Well… She’s a half-elf." He’s like shit she’ll probably know right away. And she goes still. "I’ve never met another half-elf!! We’re so rare! You’re saying you met one and didn’t tell me???!" She’s shaking him. And then she goes still again, contempt drawing on her face. "Wait… Are you asking me for advice because I’m a half-elf?" Laios runs with it "Yes!! And because you’re so savvy with romance and what people like…? If, uh, if you were a half-elf, what would you like to get as a gift? What sort of confession would you want?" "… You saved it there. Okay so since I’m so knowledgeable on romance, tell me what is she like?" "-describes Marcille-" She nods, smug yet oblivious. "Aah I can already tell we’d be great friends. Good taste." (then Thinking bubble with him giving her flowers at a restaurant "Did you know roses are edible and used in recipes", candlelit dinner, or wait maybe the most romantic is cooking together alone at home, chocolate! It’s expensive though… Wait I’m king now!)

Lil comic, Laios wakes up snuggled against Marcille’s back then promptly falls off the bed. The noise makes Marcille wake up and she’s like omg are u ok?? Laios is so sweaty and panicked and in denial about her being special to him.  She explains, disgruntled at the memory "Izutsumi is bunking in with Chilchuck again, they’re taking the whole bedrolls." Pause. "Sorry, I should have told you, but you like sleeping with Izutsumi too so I figured…" She looked sheepish. "Between you and Senshi, I much prefer sleeping with you. It feels sort of nostalgic, like a sleepover, no?" He relaxes and gets in the bed again, smiling. "But… We’ve never had a sleepover?" She chuckles "I guess not. I must be getting that impression because of Falin…" And the air between them is warm yet bittersweet now, as she smiles like that and his eyes and smile cloud over. The earlier instinctive reluctance to touch is gone now. She snuggles into his arms and is like "Hug me?" "Okay." And he does, wraps his arms around her and tucks his chin over her head.

Post canon, marcille takes him to a squid restaurant. Cute lighthearted hehe. He sulks "If there are any parasites in this I will ban squid from this kingdom or so help me…"

Short post canon fluff marcille pov about laios gaining weight n becoming chubby. She used to dream of chiseled abs and angular elves, laios in every way, shape and form is so far from the beauty standards she idealized so. And yet… She loves how soft sleeping against him is, how much there’s more of him for her to hug and nuzzle her face in. She loves seeing him and seeing someone strong, who isn’t malnourished or underweight, someone healthy with color in their skin. An healthy appetite. He used to look more like a rectangle, severe and strict, but now he looked rounder, and seeing him smile at her always made her feel like that roundness suited him. She smiled back, and melted thinking about how her boyfriend was the sweetest in the world. ^I still wanna do this one really bad. Sometimes a fic premise comes from nowhere and puts you in a chokehold and you must finish it to obtain catharsis

Short oneshot about laios musing about Marcille’s smile, how important it is to him in subtle ways etc: Ends with Laios being like wait there’s something off (succubus). Then he grabbed her throat. Or smth

Laios seeing her dungeon like "this is so wrong Marcille you can’t run a dungeon for shit" and also "WHAT ARE THESE HORRORS OF MONSTERS NOO THEY CAN’T BE EFFECTIVE LIKE THAT"

Dinner for two: Very warm. Marcille and Laios are meeting up and cooking a dinner just for them both, no one else is there. They’re being so domestic and it’s light. Laios pauses at some point, doing the dishes, saying… I’ve always worried, thinking doing things like these would remind me of my parents.

Laios doesn’t know what to do when he realizes he actually *likes* likes Marcille, so he avoids her. Everyone notices and is disapproving of him.

Her mana acts up and she shares her dream with someone, kinda like with Izutsumi. Listen the premise could be smutty but I think it’d be more fun if they just hanged out n were silly, like the nightmares chapter without the nightmare

Laimar pining but from the view of Chilchuck, his love hatred sensing a storm brewing. The giggling, the looks. Ugh! It reminded him of himself and his wife when they were young and newly dating.

I love Laios and Izu being worsties so. Laios sees izutsumi rubbing her scent on marcille’s clothes and gets possessive. Maybe Golden Kingdom maybe something else I have no clue but Laios being ridiculous and cheek rubbing or something <3

I might want to do an AU where Laios gets into werebeast ring fighting, before canon and the split happens after he deserts the military. So he’s alone, has nothing going for him and stumbles into that sphere and gets werebeast tattoos done. It doesn’t make him happier at all and fighting sucks actually, but it brings money and he likes being a beast and being cheered by a crowd aka illusion of being liked, and money brings food and eating is the privilege of the living etc etc. So then when he goes to check on Falin at the academy it’s a big AU where he has a whole other reputation and look to him, and when he meets izutsumi their relationship is different and aaaaaa… He’s freeer in this au, lets himself be animalistic and weird, even though ofc the arc is him letting himself be more human as well and connecting with humans, through talking and infodumping n shit. Oh I went off but the laimar is because it’s inspired by cool laimar art here (warning tho it’s an art dump with toudencest also 😔) but werewolf Laios laimar AUs… A lotta fun stuff there idk idk

[asyastudieskorean]

05.17.2024 — 안녕하세요 여러분. 오늘 밤에 나는 한국어를 공부해요. 나는 너무 피곤해요, 하지만… 네.

오늘은 “~지요” 배웠어요.

Here’s a quick overview.

Adjective/verb + 지요 is like saying this is the case, isn’t it? It’s this, right?

In English, it’s like Isn’t…?/Aren’t…? and Don’t…/Doesn’t…?

It’s basically a way to ask a question that isn’t a question. 네???

We both (those talking) know this is the case (or most likely is). In asking if this is the case, we aren’t really asking, it’s more like we’re confirming or just stating what is already known.

Here’s a specific example. 사과 씨 and 오이 씨 are walking outside in the snow (눈).

사과 씨: 오늘은 날씨가 춥지요? (FYI 지요 can be pronounced 죠 all the same)

Ms. Apple: The weather’s cold today, isn’t it?

오이 씨*: 네, 추워요.

Mr. Cucumber: Yes, it’s cold.

*Just realized “오이 씨,” “Mr. Cucumber,” also sounds like “(it’s) delicious” in Japanese, lol).

So yes. It’s snowing. It’s below 30 degrees. Of course it’s cold. Everyone knows this and agrees with this. So even why ask? Well.

This becomes clearer when you think about someone asking, Is it cold (outside)?

This is different because it’s a literal question. The person doesn’t know the weather outside.

Ergo, ~지요(?) isn’t really a question inquiring for info.

For nouns, you’d use ~이지요 for consonant endings (“받침”), or ~지요 for vowels. Both can, again, be shortened to ~이죠(C)/~죠(V).

We also learned about present progressive form, i.e. verb+ ~ing, but let’s discuss that another time (or never, I don’t know).

Here is where the tangent begins folks. Run now while you have the chance. 🚨

In rhetoric (sorry, my English major is showing), we’d often use this sort of sentence not for agreeance(?) but to make a point or convince someone of something. A rhetorical device, as it were.

A politician trying to convince people to join their cause may tap into the people's fears by saying, “Don’t you want to have a better future for your children?” Will that politician actually improve childcare and the education system? Did their whole prior speech have anything to do with children? Who knows, but odds are that line had an effect on the people.

You can think of being rhetorical as speaking with an intent different from what the thing you are saying is giving off. Anterior motives (good or bad). Sarcasm, sometimes. To a kid who’s a slacker and failing 3 classes, his mom might ask, “You’re not going to study?” She isn’t curious, she knows he won’t study. She’s actually saying, “Study right now, or else.” This is like a very basic concept of rhetoric. I don’t remember the serious stuff. I’m also an over-explainer because I have teen siblings who constantly ask for homework help. Bear with me.

Think about if you want your friend to go with you to a party, but they’re tired and have an essay to write. However, you know they’re a sucker for costume parties, and this so happens to be a costume party, so you ask, “You like wearing costumes, right?” You know she's passionate about costumes. Here, you’re trying to convince her to go in a slightly subliminal way. These are, of course, all context-based. Read that line without this context, and you'd think it’s a real question. This is a persuasive device because you aren’t badgering them to go for no reason; you’re pointing out the benefit it has for them without explicitly showing it’s actually all for you (you don’t want to go alone).

Now I am not 100% sure if it’d be used as a rhetorical device in Korean, though. This is what I’m wondering.

Basically, the lecture defined this grammar point as, “When the speaker wants to confirm with the listener to obtain the listeners agreement about something that’s already known.”

I think in English, these sorts of confirmations happen largely in meaningless or filler conversations without a purpose. Like when you talk about the weather. “It’s pretty hot today, isn’t it?” would get the answer “Yeah it is” or “I know right?” There’s not really any value or real communication happening here, it’s just like we are existing together and acknowledging that we are, lol. Or! Or maybe this too could be subliminally rhetorical, say, if you are purposefully creating this agreement situation so it is as if the two speaking have something in common or are like-minded (maybe you are on a first date and want to connect). Or maybe the conversation has gone stale, but for some reason, you want it to continue. Is this still rhetoric? Mmm. Anyways.

So this is a bit different from my lecture’s definition of this grammar point. My question is if this can be (or is in real life) used in cases like this, where it is meant to illicit a response that is not simply agreement, whether that’s convincing someone of something, obtaining information, etc.

Consider this:

Imagine you’ve stayed the night at your friends place and want coffee, but can’t quite remember where it is, but you’re pretty sure they have it, so you ask, 커피를 있지요? (Isn’t there coffee?) Here, there is intent beyond agreement. You don’t want to know if there is coffee, you don’t want them to rely “yep!,” you want to know WHERE the coffee is. On a subtext level, this might be a more polite way to ask for the coffee, too.

Or say you’ve walked into a 21+ bar and you see a classmate with their sister that’s only 19. You could then ask, “Aren’t you 19?” This is to, rhetorically, say, “You shouldn’t be here, so why are you?” You know their age, or at least you are almost certain they are under 21.

This is the definition of going down the rabbit hole and “it’s not that deep,” I know, lol. This is literally my stream of consciousness as I study at 12 AM. 🤡

Anyways, 오전 12시예요. 안녕~

[faraway-sunshine]

one of them has glasses :0

Meet Whoever's In My Head #3: Austin Shinsuke

I liked my drawing from the other dump too much, so I just made a copy, isolated him and finished it up.

(Sunday 17th September, 2000, 7:12 AM)

(More under the cut)

Backstory

I don't remember an exact moment where Austin became separate from me, but I know that there was always some part of me that acted a little extra grown-up than the others. And I guess after whatever led me to develop differently, it grew into him.

He's a caretaker, one of two significant ones. A lot about Austin came from traits I found grown-up and impressive, such as height and glasses. Most of the time, he's either in turtlenecks or a loose outfit with the big sleeves that's almost like a choirboy or some other church person. The scarf is also there almost all the time.

Although I think of him as older, it's a childish sense of older, like the things I'd note set Mari and Hero apart from my friends in the same grade. He doesn't actually know much more than me about things.

Austin always excelled in trying to fix my messes. He's very anxious and finds it hard to talk, especially as he largely wanted me to present as normal most of the time (though he was gentle with the rest of us and would tell us that if it hurts us to hide we should find a compromise). When he'd be in control, he'd do things like tidy up, check on my friends if I hadn't talked to them in a while, read, do homework, and ask for help if we needed it (like in math). He's kind of a team with another presence of mine, coming in after the big feelings (like tantrums or panic attacks) or just before them to try and mitigate them. He's also very much involved with engaging with Haru, and is to him a little like Mari was to me.

He was really helpful to me and important, especially when I'd feel helpless or disconnected, but I did find him a little annoying sometimes as he'd start listing everything I could have done to avoid a bad outcome or finding solutions when I just want comfort. But he's comfortable, and nice, and knows when he's gone too far or listens if I can't take it right now.

Austin also really likes puzzles and mystery books, and he's the best gamer. He keeps trying to get the rest of us to start a more private journal to keep myself oriented, though I rarely have blackouts during important times these days (right now Austin is telling me that therapy counts as "important times", hah).

Design

He's grown-up and black and white as the rest of us, but has soft edges. Most other design choices are in the above. His eyes and Haru's are also different from the others as I used to draw them differently and they're the older ones.

His name in English and Japanese is both new. I let him pick a name and he did a bit of reading and came back with it. Though Austin's mostly happy to present as Sunny to help not confuse people.

[mysmorgasbordoffantabulosa]

Some questions. I’m not an anti, but a Taekooker who’s just trying to add things up…

- 2019 Taekook confuses me. Everything seems fine in non-company content, but then Taehyung goes on vacation with Wooga. Do you ever think the tattoo artist thing was JK acting out in retaliation for Taehyung choosing to spend time with Wooga? I saw some speculating that Jungkook and Taehyung spent time on that vacation together, but that doesn’t seem to add up to the way Jungkook was intently listening to Taehyung in the van during the first ep of BV 4. I know the speculation about the Jungkook stuff being to cover other stuff - and feel that Jungkook was being authentic during his final BV 4 interview when he said that he won’t let ARMY down, but let’s be honest he has to hide everything in his life, including his real personality and relationships. You’ve speculated that Taekook could have an open relationship-while I think that would be very tricky and they seem so enmeshed and possessive-part of me still wonders if they do. I am honestly not trying to make Jungkook look bad or make others question Taekook. I just can’t wrap my head around this.

- Thinking of the future, Taehyung and JK will get even more famous. I think it will be harder, not easier for them to be seen spending time together in public. Taehyung posted himself in Itaewon this weekend - where Jungkook is building his house, which I find intriguing. I’m not sure a landmark mansion like that in that part of Seoul lends itself to more privacy for their comings and goings. While I do think they’ll always be in a glass closet, I also feel they’ll have less to lose after military service so maybe they could be more free. I honestly hope they have other property together someplace where they can be themselves and have some anonymity.

- I’ve thought long and hard about what Jungkook and Taehyung have said about their lives and what they wanted when they were slightly younger. Jungkook has always been pretty clear about living alone. He says it during one of their photoshoots where he also says he’s going to have white curtains just like the ones in the studio they are taking pictures at in his apartment. Taehyung has alluded to “his son” many times. He’s not talking about Tannie because he said he was Yeontan’s father but became his brother when Yeontan went to live with his parents due to his schedule. Anyway, adopting as a single man is impossible in SK or from Japan….I remember the Japanese orphanage Taehyung visited. If he does want children with Kookie they will most likely need to figure that out in another country.

Anyway, seriously, I read your blog and hope you answer these questions in the spirit I’ve asked them. Again, not an anti, but someone who’s invested in Taekook and trying to think logically and critically about the questions I have. Thanks.

Hi there,

I'll try to help as best I can...

"Do you ever think the tattoo artist thing was JK acting out in retaliation for Taehyung choosing to spend time with Wooga?"

No, I think in 2019 Tae was dealing with a lot of stuff (possible depression and exhustion from the Love Yourself tour) and the time off was used to help reset that so spending time with friends was part of dealing with that.

"Jungkook and Taehyung spent time on that vacation together"

You have to remember, Tae's parents live/have a home in Geoje Island (the place JK was alleged to be caught with that tattooist), and Busan (where JK's parents live) is literally next to the island. It's not a stretch to assume that JK and Tae might have spent time there before Tae went to Jeju with Wooga.

"... doesn’t seem to add up to the way Jungkook was intently listening to Taehyung in the van during the first ep of BV 4."

Perhaps he simply wanted to know what and how much Tae would say.

"I know the speculation about the Jungkook stuff being to cover other stuff - and feel that Jungkook was being authentic during his final BV 4 interview when he said that he won’t let ARMY down"

I think a lot of that was the tattoos rather than the dating scandal, considering how quickly BH shot down the rumour

"You’ve speculated that Taekook could have an open relationship"

Never said that but think, if it were the case, it's no big deal.

"Taehyung and JK will get even more famous. I think it will be harder, not easier for them to be seen spending time together in public."

Janet Jackson (at the height of her fame) was able to high her marriage for 8 years. Similarly, Jodie foster was able to keep her relationship secret for several years. Point is celebrities, if they truly want to, will be able to find a way to keep things secret from the public. I feel, there are some older celebs (particularly still active Gen 2) out their that have been in long term relationships.

"Taehyung posted himself in Itaewon this weekend - where Jungkook is building his house, which I find intriguing. I’m not sure a landmark mansion like that in that part of Seoul lends itself to more privacy for their comings and goings."

The things to remember about Itaewon is who already lives there…

Most Chaebols, Foriegn diplomats and businessmen, and some of the most high profile Korean celebs, politicians who wish to remain private in their personal lives.

People who choose to live in Itaewon do so because it has some the highest security in Seoul and the ability to keep their private lives extremely private. Yes, you can walk round the streets of Itaewon, but literally on every major intersection are security stations. JK's house is next to two foreign Ambassador residences and a Chaebol. I think JK's privacy will be greater there than his current house.

"Jungkook has always been pretty clear about living alone."

Well he's a typical introvert, so yeah.

"Taehyung has alluded to “his son” many times… adopting as a single man is impossible in SK or from Japan….I remember the Japanese orphanage Taehyung visited. If he does want children with Kookie they will most likely need to figure that out in another country."

Well, since 2022, single people have the right to adopt so long as they meet certain requirements, and in the eyes of SK law Tae and JK are single people, so I think anything is possible.

I hope this helps.

[sonicjustbecause]

Sonic - English, Japanese version - my impression as somebody who doesn't speak any of the two languages.

First - my experience with the two languages, to explain how I perceived thing as a total foreigner.

English - I truly can't speak English. My written English sucks. I don't know if you can read/understand my posts. I can read English, both British and American (I usually use British English but I use American when I want to be more concise), overall I can read all kind of topics, but I don't like slangs. My listenings skills are bad, it depends who is speaking. I could listen and understand enough Sonic Prime without subtitles, but in other occasion the language is too different from Italian and I need the subs.

Japanese - Mostly I watch anime in Japanese. I don't speak the language at all and I can count all the japanese words I know in one hand. The sound of the language is sillabic so is as clear as Italian. As for Sonic, I watched Sonic X in Japanese version (Italian and English version long ago, I don't even remember a lot), the two adventure in English, Unleashed in both version, Frontiers in Italian and Japanese.

Sonic Force is boring, I was unable to pay attention. I saw it not long ago and I quickly forgot everything. The only good thing was Infinite's Italian voice, is very beautiful.

OK, my impression of the character from English version was not like it was describled there. I perceived it more how is perceived in the Japanese version. Many times I said our personal experience make us perceive a character in a certain way, maybe the language I speak is part of it. Italian is more contextual than English, or maybe is how character act (that does't change whathever language they speak), I don't know... I remember perceiving Sonic as a aloof, slightly grumpy but kind hearted and happy character before watching the Japanese version (that just confirmed that). Current Sonic - even in Japanese, is more outgoing and sullen.

Flanderization happened in the Japanese version too and is undeniable (I said i watched the Japanese versions too).

Indeed...

this remember a old cartoon I used to see in early '90s...

"Cecil, help me!"

Knuckles still does his duty, but I saw him more and more relaxed lately. Like: 'A bit of absence won't hurt!'. The describled flanderization sounds more like the one we saw in Sonic Boom.

Yes, this.

Sonic X is Japanese and she is clearly different from videogames (Right, I've said I watched the Japanese version). In the two adventure Amy was energetic yet gentle. I remember her kind attitude toward Gamma and Shadow. in Sonic X she made me laugh, but yes, she looks also dangerous. Sonic is right to avoid her.

Magical girl Amy. Well - Eggman deserve that.

This poor guy had it the worst. I remember Shadow being overall gloomy but still playful. Is like they just took away all the facets that made Shadow likeable and left only the flaws (inflating them to 'fill' emty spaces) . The Shadow we had during last decade (except for Lance Shadow) is the perfect edgy character that only 15 years old kids like. At 15 I also lingered on edgelords and I though they were the best because they were 'oh, pure serious' and didn't lingered in 'foolish cheerfulness'. I even characterized some of my own characters as edgelords (I'm glad I'm out from it since late teen). My mum made me understand why they suck, calling them 'arm candy' (belle statuine). That was a great and helpful criticism.

I loved funny and evil Eggman. I don't like what Eggman is lately, more than a villain, he seems a mignon.

Though Japanese dialogue might be better and more meaningful (when different from English ones), this doesn't mean Japanese version of Sonic is free of issues. We need to accept that Sonic franchise is flawed, that the fandom is not perfect. The good thing is that all the material we have around can satisfy all palates. Let's enjoy what we like and hope for the better, whathever will be.

[pridewishes]

i wanna try to get into enstars bc i like pjsk (even tho i am so bad at it) and also am gay but i find it overwhelming and confusing can u give me some tips or something

Absolutely, I will do my best to help! It's very, very overwhelming and a lot so I don't blame you at all! I'll put everything under a cut because I'm autistic and very excited and have a Lot of links and things!

First, absolutely watch the Enstars anime. This will go over the main points / ideas of the Main Story of the first game (aka ! era). Strongly recommend watching in sub because the dub isn't very good.

Then, watch Element. This goes over the Element Arc of ! Era Main Story. They cover this in the main anime but not as good.

There's also a movie, which I have but I don't have a link for it. If you'd like the download + subtitle file for it, just shoot me an ask or dm me at @shinobukawajiri and I can help out! But it's not super lore important or anything so don't worry.

Alright! So you've seen the anime! Now you can get into the music. You could also listen to songs before the anime, really whatever you want! For this, I'd suggest going to the wiki and picking a Unit! Check out their discography, which you can view from their wiki page and give the songs a listen. You can find all of them on YT! I'd definitely listen to a couple songs from all units to get a feel because they all have very different sounds! If there's a music genre you like let me know, and I can recommend some songs / units! There's also some Temporary Units + Shuffle Units, which have music as well that you can listen to! If you'd like some recommendations, lmk!

Now, after viewing the anime, and listening to songs, pick a Unit or some characters you like and focus on stories for them! Since there's a lot of stories it's better to just pick some favorites and go from there. Crazy:B and Alkaloid were introduced in !! era / the second game, so you won't see them in the anime, if they're of interest to you. Here is a guide for important stories from the first game for the characters in that.

To access stories for the first game / ! Era, you'll have to use the wayback machine, or you can just look up (story name) tl / translation on Google, and you should usually be able to find what you need, since they were forced to take down any tls on the wiki.

Now, there's two games as I've established. The first game is completely in Japanese, and I'd rely on Story translations from the wayback machine wiki. As for the new game, you can play in English! It's accessible from the appstore, but remember, this takes place AFTER the other game! You absolutely do not have to know all the lore / read all the stories or anything to play! I'm just mega autistic so lmao. But the English version of Enstars Music doesn't have the best translations, but it is more accessible. Though, if you become super invested like me and my partner, you can absolutely download the Japanese version of the game!

There's lots of people on Twitter who translate and things for the stories + general game things and id be happy to direct to them if you find yourself super enjoying the Series!

Basically it is VERY difficult bc there's also drama cds, stageplays, manga, but finding things translated or just finding them can take work but ofc all that isn't required. In general just have fun!!! Don't be deterred and like I said I'm more than happy to help find things or whatever anyone needs! Since my partner has been more invested for longer than me, we both can do our best to help!!

Also a note from said partner ;

to my wife’s autism anon: i am also autistic . enstars has been my favorite thing in the entire world since the ripe and beautiful year of 2019. this source is beautiful , fun , indulgent , deep as all hell , and So So So much to unpack . there is no such thing as a background character in enstars . there are 50 characters who are all so deeply fleshed out and have so much content and backstory to them so i am absolutely certain you will find somebody that appeals to you . enstars can have some pretty heavy topics at times it’s not your run of the mill happy idol franchise, but if you like project sekai (which i also LOVE) you will Love enstars . the game is so much fun , the characters are so deep and interesting and real , the stories are engaging and silly and wonderful, you will love it. you Have to. for me . stan knights

[marclef]

hello there.

today's post is a very special one. and, despite this being the Official Funny Heeheehaha Day, this post is only SEMI-jokey. but i have put it underneath a readmore anyways, as it is both pretty long and to save the eyes of anyone who couldn't care less. thank you.

and now, without further ado:

Why I Believe a Goddamn Hatsune Miku Mod for Sonic Mania Helped Inspire The Noise (that fucker from Pizza Tower).

so. let's begin.

the year is 2018. about a year after the release of Sonic Mania, Sega's love letter to classic Sonic fans, one very special mod for this game emerges from the depths.

this is Sonic Mania & Hatsune Miku, a mod which does.... probably exactly what you're imagining. but it's a surprisingly deep and well-crafted mod, changing the games titular character into our beloved Vocaloid singer while also changing sprites around and generally turning the mod into an anime/meme-filled mess. but, that's not the main reason we're here.

this is the mod's answer to Stardust Speedway, a classic Sonic zone from Sonic CD.

most of Act 1 is fairly standard affair, some light references to other stuff hidden throughout the backgrounds, and a couple suspiciously Domino's Pizza-themed sprite edits here and there. but, come Act 2, the references sudden creep in more and more. ..... as well as, a suspiciously familiar face.

those who know about Hatsune Miku and Domino's might be getting where this is about to go.

now, for standard Sonic Mania fare, the main boss of this zone's Act 2 is Metal Sonic, fittingly guarding the very zone he was battled in from Sonic CD. but of course, this is our beloved Hatsune Miku mod. we can't have that.

instead, we have Him.

Domino's beloved (?) mascot of the 1980's, The Noid himself. now, probably seems like a random reference, unless you remember the Hatsune Miku collaboration that Domino's did years ago. but i'm not here to argue about Domino's mascots. i'm here, to spread the truth.

now, the music most associated with Metal Sonic, the boss replaced here, is Stardust Speedway Act 2's theme, specifically the Japanese Bad Future version, given here for reference.

we're getting back to Pizza Tower i swear.

but anyways, the very opening bits of this song, specifically the siren-like sounds. might sound a bit familiar to avid Pizza Tower fans now, doesn't it?

take a good listen to the opening of The Noise's battle theme, Pumpin' Hot Stuff.

hear those same sounds?

now, it might just be coincidence. perhaps i'm simply assuming that, given Peppino and Noise's rivalry, a simple little reference to Sonic was put in here to hammer that point in. there's no way this little Hatsune Miku-themes mod could've had any impact on that!

UNTIL!!!

some of you may know, that in a 2019 interview with McPig, creator of Pizza Tower, the man himself dropped a crucial piece of info that ties my entire theory together:

.... Hatsune Miku bootleg, you say? and, given that the mod for Sonic Mania came out in 2018, it certainly could've been an inspiration, given that Snick exists as well...

so perhaps, my little theory here is a bit-farfetched. maybe, i'm just overblowing things a bit just because that's the way my brain is. but i implore you, fellow Pizza fans, to hear me out here.

Thank Hatsune Miku today for giving us this disgusting little man here.

(artwork courtesy of my friend @abbyroseflame24)

thank you.

[rolloollor]

I'd like to hear more of your relationship with Hunchback of Notre dame, since you mentioned you wanted Frollo character since getting into game

There's not too much to tell.

As a kid, naturally, I watched a lot of Disney movies. My dad even had Disney song cassette tapes we'd listen to in his car. I watched the film as a kid and I really liked the music. I also thought Esmerelda was very pretty, her and Jasmine were my favorites as a kid. But also, something about the movie is just kind off compared to other Disney movies. It's darker and for merch and stuff it's kind of ignored in comparison to other Renaissance films.

Sometime early on in university, I couldn't tell you exactly how old I was since I read a lot of random lit for funsies, I read Notre Dame. I remember going, "Hm! Frollo's not that bad of a guy!" at first, since he loved his little brother and did try and help Quasimodo as best as he could. He was a decent guy, more human. But... you know... his tragedy in the novel is his descent into not being a cool guy. And in the novel, a lot of... bad things happen, I mean, it's so not part of Disney's image.

After I finished reading it, I was like, "Who had the fucking gall to stand up in a Disney meeting and say, "I think we should adapt The Hunchback of Notre Dame?"" What an inspiration... Can you imagine the type of person who would say that shit? I'm floored by the fact that someone would suggest it and the fact that the company went through with it. If someone had said, "Let's adapt The Brothers Karamazov" that day, would they have gone with that instead? It's similarly fucked up, so if one is okay, why not the other? The fact that the Hunchback movie exists is so baffling to me. Why? Literally why? They got away with it, but... it's so weird.

I guess that's ultimately why I wanted Frollo. His existence in the Disney canon is so bizarre. Hunchback's not full on ignored like The Black Cauldron, but it's not often in the limelight in terms of what the company does. I almost want to rub their faces in Hunchback like, "Remember what you did! You made that, you cowards!" ...That's a weird impulse to be honest.

Also, learning about the villain assistants or whatever they're called in the Japanese parks made my desire for a twst Frollo even stronger. Veil is very cute. I mildly ship her with the Hook lady... so if Hook ever gets a twst design, maybe I'll ship 'em with Rollo a bit.

[nakediconoclast]

I love this Doctor

Q: Doctor, I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life; is this true?

A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it... don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.

Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?

A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable).. And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.

Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?

A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine, that means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way.. Beer is also made out of grain. Bottoms up!

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?

A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc. Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?

A: Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain...Good!

Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?

A: YOU'RE NOT LISTENING!!! .... Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they're permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?

Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?

A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach. Q: Is chocolate bad for me?

A: Are you crazy? HELLO Cocoa beans! Another vegetable!!! It's the best feel-good food around!

Q: Is swimming good for your figure?

A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.

Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?

A: Hey! 'Round' is a shape! Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets. And remember: 'Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Chardonnay in one hand - chocolate in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming 'WOO HOO, What a Ride' AND...... For those of you who watch what you eat, here's the final word on nutrition and health. It's a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting nutritional studies. 1. The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans. 2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans. 3. The Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans. 4.. The Italians drink a lot of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans. 5. The Germans drink a lot of beers and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans. CONCLUSION Eat and drink what you like.

Speaking English is apparently what kills you

[alinktoana]

local elderly girl sells stickers at a japanese food festival

not gonna lie, the entire experience is very emotional to me and it's been a month but moon channel's vid essay about cool japan, and the release of smt5 vengeance (lol) inspired me

tldr: i made some stickers, got real existential about it, will keep making more c: if youd like to check them out, here's a link

ive always wanted to draw, i used to say i was gonna become a painter or a fashion designer when i grew up. none of that happened, but i did go to film school. my final project was a script for an animated short highly inspired by nbc hannibal, majora's mask (i know, it was 2016, it makes sense to me lol) and a huge loss in my life from which i havent fully recovered, 10 years later.

the point is, ive always been art adjacent but i never really drew, until i got inspired by_hannibal itself_, noel fielding, kylux (LOL) and a roommate who was who was really inspired by art youtubers like frannerd and drew around the house, so i picked up a pencil and started drawing hannigram fanart bc i was so insanely in love with that show lol i remember who i was before i drew. i spent my days reading and watching tv, bc i love stories and stuff, but i was a consumer. and once i got a job after college i felt so incredibly isolated and directionless. do i have a direction now, as i work as a """"designer""" for a company that sells a mental health app? no. but like demifiend was force fed a magatama and got demon powers (LMAO BEAR WITH ME I JUST BOUGHT SMT3 HD REMASTER), i caught the art demon (like steven zapata says). and i caught it bad. i spend my day to day rushing through my work and chores and everything so i can have enough time to draw in the evening, to do whatever, and sometimes the need is so immense i cant do anything bc im not good enough, my skills are fading, im worthless, what's the meaning of all this? so i took a chance and showed my work at an arts alley on a japanese food festival i was helping organize. mind you, i was juggling that with my 9/5, promoting the event, finishing drawings from years ago. and when i got there, nobody got it. people looked at the stickers and didnt recognize the characters, and went on to buy the stickers my friends had that were more current. it was all japanese fanart. we were there with the single purpose of baiting weebs like us lol

ive always dealt with clients, im used to this. but im used to business to business, bc sigh i am a corporate girly. and im a beginner in the demon arts of arting. i felt so ashamed people were preferring other people, that i had the audacity to think i was worth anything. but i stood there, standing still with my brain boucing off my skull wanting to leave but also enjoying the experience and hoping someone, anyone would get it. and some people did. to my surprise, jack frost was my best selling sticker, lol. jack frost, from the smt franchise, a franchise im so new to but i love so dearly. im 100% a poser, ive never finished a megaten game. but… it just speaks to me. and thats where my cool japan feelings come from bc, like i said, i was selling at a japanese food festival. people my age, from the country i come from, were exposed to dragon ball and cardcaptor sakura from birth. and learning about history and the atrocities of the japanese empire is just. who can you trust. but ive aways resonated with one thing from japan, and it's the way they portray sadness in their works. it's become a ritual since last year that i will listen to smtv's ost when im on my period bc it literally brings me back to life. no one but i know how many times ive drawn goro majima and taiga saejima bc their mere existance and their sorrow resonates with me so immensily and i dont wanna see them being sad, nor do i wanna see me being sad. it's. it's really difficult to be to admit that im from brazil, bc our country sells happiness as an export but for many, many years the most popular genre is butthurt country music, and it makes sense, you know? people dont wanna admit they're sad. and i can only imagine what it's like for regular japanese people, bc we (i) get to see their big exports of bittersweetness… i dont know, maybe other people get to see that from brazil too, i dont know. the arts in brazil, or specially where i live, it's just isnt in the cards for us. but ill keep trying, you know. and i know fanart is a hack. but im trying. despite everything and everyone wanting us (me) to work for mining/metal/oil companies, make the most money, have the least health, drink all the alcohol (but call an uber), consume, reproduce and die, i. i just wanna draw tiny people, you know. it's. not that big a deal. all this to say that yes im gonna keep drawing and making stickers and, who knows, you know. these are stickers that i wont ever find near me, or that im too broke to get them from artists/official stores, so if youre like me, here's some pdfs in case you wanna print them and stick them wherever c: ty if you got this far, this is a big ramble… but it's been years in the making and despite everything im happy about it c:

[mecachrome]

Hello, I was reading your about me post and it's very impressive that you've studied six languages! Did you learn them at school? Do you have any tips / resources for language practice (I have a goal of reaching german B2 by next March but I'm really struggling lol). Have a nice day!

hey anon!!! tbh i don't really consider myself an inherently good language learner but it's a mix of heritage + upbringing + personal interest hlksdjfh, if you asked me for a composite fluency score with everything rated out of 1 it'd be more like...... 3.4 languages though 😔 also without constant practice it's been atrophying a lot lately </3 but the reason is basically that i attended several multilingual schools growing up and by middle school was formally studying 4 languages (+ weekly latin that i remember absolutely nothing of LMFAO) and at home i also already speak 3 of those languages with my parents.

the only 2 languages i started properly studying as an adult are korean and german for similar reasons really (i've been into k-pop for half my life so i took a few semesters in undergrad for fun, with german i got into german media, was really enamored with its grammatical complexity, and then self-studied a few notebooks before taking it in university)... as for how to study and practice, i'd say it definitely depends on the language & language family, how much you're able to or willing to immerse yourself, what your specific goals are in terms of proficiency, and ofc what your existing weaknesses are!!! for ex spanish is a lot easier with a french background and japanese is a lot easier with a korean background compared to, say, the other way around, so personally when i was learning korean vocabulary a lot of times i'd check the root to see if it had a sino-korean origin and that helped a lot with memorization. also with languages like korean and german that have many unintuitive grammar rules for native english speakers, i'd argue that it's super super important to spend a lot more time learning those rules and practicing complex sentence construction than with a romance language for example; french has a lot of weird pronunciation and conjugation rules but overall it's not... really that hard. one thing you can do to practice is to start with a very simple sentence (my name is x / the apple is red / etc.) and then keep building clauses on top of it one-by-one to force yourself to use complex structures without overwhelming yourself trying to write the end product all at once, and then slowly build up confidence that way...

then of course i'd say that it's important to balance different kinds of media and study materials if you want to stretch your language-learning muscles and have a more "comprehensive" understanding. so for german this was during the pandemic and what i'd do was find example texts/stories/children's books/fairy tales and record myself reading them so i could listen back on my pronunciation, then for grammar i self-studied 2 textbooks by myself every single day, and for vocabulary + some other grammar tips i did basically the full duolingo tree but i always tried to treat it as a supplemental resource that wasn't crucial to the learning experience (imo it's pretty bad for non-latin scripts though c__c but i thought german was decent). i also did a lot of random a2/b1 online preparation exams for fun shdklfh but i think b2 is a much higher jump so it's probably not that helpful... i also liked to translate song lyrics and another thing i did was watch a show i liked without subtitles and i'd take a whole scene and transcribe what the characters were saying + translate them line-by-line and then double check with the subtitles afterward. but again to me a lot of this was kind of for Fun so i learned a lot of things in isolation and less with the intention of "i'm going to move to this country and that's why i need to learn the language ASAP," so ofc in that case the best way is really to immerse yourself in an environment where you're forced to speak it or to converse with native speakers (if you can find a buddy who speaks german to converse with regularly that'd be a massive boost) you'll almost always learn fastest that way.

like even though i took university courses and learned proper grammar a lot of the korean vocabulary i've learned is kind of like... hsdflhdf internet/fandom-specific, because i'd "immerse" myself by reading fan forums and follow fan accounts and stuff that use a lot of slang and practice my listening by subtitling vlive videos or watching unsubbed idol videos and a lot of that lingo isn't really useful in everyday contexts LOL—which i was fine with and doing on purpose because i don't intend to move to korea and that's the context i had the most use for. but some other languages i know i find more important to be able to speak rather than read because i do need to use them in conversation with relatives and acquaintances around me. so basically the important thing is really being able to pinpoint both your needs and weaknesses — for ex do i need to be better at listening or reading or speaking, is there a certain verb tense or irregular case that i always mess up (if so, note them down and then dedicate a day to just practicing THAT specific concept or until you're confident with it), do i have the basics down but my vocabulary is lacking, do i just not have enough confidence in speaking and get overwhelmed trying to converse with native speakers? — then you can determine the best course of action from there i think... it's basic but just having a consistent practice routine is important even if you're just doing a little bit, like you definitely shouldn't burn yourself out but incorporating some reading every day or continuously reviewing vocabulary can help to stay immersed. and don't be afraid to consume children's media and also don't be afraid to consume more complex media and Not Understand Everything, you have to be comfortable with being confused before it starts making sense you know... idk if that's much help but good luck!!!

[wheeboo]

RANIA IS MY WIFE GUYS BACK OFF 👊👊 stopp seungkwan and jeonghan are literally so adorable i don't blame uu, what are ur fav eras of theirss? ur daily dose of seungkwan here for uu https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGeSGmeqC/

its now also my duty to remind u 🫡🫡 remember to take care of urselflflf ml also a haircut omgggmgm??? I can already tell you're gonna look amazijgngn, let us know how it goess and as a thick haired girly i understand ur pain 😭

IT DOESS OMG just cuddling them helps u relax i swear :(( mochi is adorable, i imagine a ragdollnwith that name 😭 SAKE?? THATS SO ?? im gonna wither that's gen so cutee and they have the prettiest furr

WE DO WE DOO, me and rania are gonna go to a red panda cafe someday and steal one of the cuties 🤞

i just did and they look so cuddlyllt i wanna gey one now 😭 kpop concerts are fr so expensive and i hope u go to onenen and omg rania u listen to w2e??? aren't they having like a world tourrr omg u should go if u can and ive never been to one sadly </3 every kpop idol avoids europe atp 😭 but laufey performed in my city this weekk i really shouldve wentnnt </3 also rania do u play an sports?? i see u as a yoga girly for some reason 😭

THEY ARE SO ADORABLE 🥹 also here is ur daily dose of jeonghan <3

omg fav eras... tHATS SO HARD PLS okay for seungkwan i would say left & right, ready to love, oh my, world, and home;era for me!! for jeonghan def fear, pretty u, ready to love, super, rock with you <33 i love all of their japanese eras equally fr. hbu ??? any fav eras for u ? <3

i will let everyone know how it goes hehe n i may take some pics n post if possible !! no srsly why can't my hair just be a tINY bit thinner enough where i don't sTRUGGLE trying to style it fml

MOCHI FOR A RAGDOLL YES i love ragdolls too :(( YES I LOVE SAKE SM i miss her </3 her fur is soo soft n she has the prettiest blue eyes too !!

still in shock that red panda cafes exist LASJDSA but yes lets venture the world together and find all the red panda cafes we can find 🫡🫡

YES I LISTEN TO W2E RAHHH 😭😭😭 sorry i love them sm omg UGH my fav song from them is love <3 HELP IW OULDVE GONE IF THE TICKETS DIDNT GET SOLD OUT JUST LIKE THAT 🤌🤌 do u have a fav song from them ?? <33 no i feel bad for european stans u guys do get avoided a lot 😭 (lowkey same as canada oof lmao, but u guys get it the moST) LAUFEY PERFORMED IN UR CITY WHASTDSTASA omg ur so lucky i would lOVEE to go to a laufey concert so badlyy 😭

mmm i don't play any sports!! i did used to do taekwondo/martial arts when i was younger if that still counts LMAO. i also did ballet n jazz dance as well !! YOGA PLS i would love to get into yoga i am very Out of Shape 😭😭 i'm mainly a music girly 💔 hbu lovely??

[kurayami-no-ko]

Translation of Sannan’s short story from Tsukikage no Sho booklet

Notes: The Japanese version of this short story was provided to me by @kumoriyami-xiuzhen​.

The name of the booklet in Japanese is　薄桜鬼　真改　月影ノ抄　限定版特典　小冊子, which is Hakuouki Shinkai Tsukikage no Shou Genteiban Tokuten Shousasshi. Sannan’s short story is included in the booklet.

I want to thank some friends who have helped me with this short story’s translation. 

Sannan’s short story

The secretary-general of the Shinsengumi, Sannan Keisuke.

The time that I had been called that had been very short.

After I had die as a human, I took on the new responsibility of being the captain of the Rasetsu corps.

So, for my current self, how should I properly call myself?

“Keisuke-san.”

“…Ah, I am sorry. Did I wake you up?”

“No, that is fine but what are you…?”

“I am just writing something. I am writing something like a memorandum…”

I had neglected to have proper sleep. She frowned her eyebrows and gazed at me worriedly, so I avoided that look by putting away the notebook and the fountain pen nearby.

“I am fine. I am already done so I will rest immediately.”

“Yesterday, you also said so.”

“…Yes, I did.”

Leaving the motherland far behind, they had been travelling in Europe for a long time.

Travelling in Europe where the languages and the cultures were both different was not in the least a pleasant business and securing a place to rest their bodies was something that they struggled over daily. Frequently, they had to sleep outdoors in the forest.

Tonight, luckily, they were able to borrow the stable of a house. They hadn’t had a roof over their head and a bed for a long time…

“A while ago, Keisuke-san was the one who told me that if something happens and makes me wake up, I should not be bothered about it and continue on resting as long as I can.”

…Which meant that no matter how I thought about it, it was obvious that I was the one that brought this on myself.

“Though it isn’t bad to listen to your scolding, this is a rare night that we can pass the time peacefully. I am now about to rest, Chizuru, so please, don’t be worried and sleep,”

“…If Keisuke-san sleep next to me, I can sleep immediately.”

Good grief, she was truly not letting me go.

She waited for me without wavering and as a response to that, I smiled bitterly and took off my glasses.

Only until I had restfully lied down on the top of the prepared straw did she finally breath out a sigh of relief.

“Are you finally satisfied?”

“Yes… I am sorry for only saying stuffs that are not cute to you.”

“I do not mind. If the words are said out of thoughts for my own sake, whatever you say will be cute to me.”

“Is, is that so…”

Because I had the eyesight of a rasetsu, even when I had taken off my glasses, I could still see clearly her reddening cheeks.

In order to make those lovely cheeks relax, I stroked her hair a few times.

“It is fine. Until morning come, I will keep on staying by your side. Tomorrow, we will also have to walk, so you should make sure you recover your strength sufficiently.”

“Okay… Sleep tight.”

When she closed her eyes peacefully, it did not take long for her breaths to settle down into those of one who was asleep.

“She must be tired…”

Even though that she had tried very hard, until now she still had not been able to speak the language of this place fluently.

Even so, in order to understand, she tried to focus all her mental power during their travel, and because of that, she became mentally exhausted beyond imagination.

“…Nonetheless, at this point, I cannot imagine letting go of you. I really have changed a lot.”

It was not that I did not understand the feelings of love but I felt nostalgic remembering the time when I pretended to be ignorant, acting as if love was something completely unrelated to myself.

To accompany comrades to strive towards the same aspiration and chase after a dream they built, back then I thought that I could not desert those gentle feelings…

Now, when I thought back, after turning into a demon, I could not have imaged that what was supposed to be good for myself could cause so much pain, and the tether that held me down in the human world had been her.

Back during those days, when I became a rasetsu and was able to hold a sword and fight again, I was glad but along with that, facing the fact that I was losing myself and becoming a monster, I was suffering from both confusion and distress. 

She had held this hand and said. 

“Sannan-san’s hand is warm. There is still blood flowing normally inside you.”

Somehow, hearing it said like that, there was something changing inside me and I understood that life was still life. Those earnest eyes were saying those things. 

…I thought it was a temporary consolation.

Even though that I knew that she was once more distressed over her demon heritage, inside, she was just a truly normal girl. 

I, who had chosen the path of a rasetsu without understanding my resolution entirely, found those gratingly positive words that she said at length to be foolish and let myself be overcome by misery. However, it felt like that foolishness brought light to me and the warmth from those hands on top of my own was transferred to me. 

I am still alive.

I can still do something.

Back then, I did not know it but in truth, back then, her words had lit up a small light for me.

And that light had shaken the heart of me back then and had made me determined to pursue my unfulfilled dream. So, I now understood how that had reverberated in my heart though only for a little bit.

(Even though I am an intelligent person, ultimately, am I not a foolish person yearning for my dream?)

In the attempt to become a shining light by myself, my nature proved a hindrance. I soon saw that there was I lacked the ability to accomplish it. However, for the sake of making that light shine brighter, I believed that by becoming a phantom, I could work towards it better than anyone else.

To stand with Kondou Isami and also Hijikata Toshizo.

To support those men who chased after that dream, I became a phantom. I thought that it was a suitable role for me to take.

However, it was true that it was a very harsh path in order to pursue that dream. Many times the light had beguiled me, I started feel my wavering.

To take on the form of a corpse would be to suffer, but even then, I began to see that I was still looking back at the past.

I, once again, waver.

Even when I kept on wavering, I could not pause my struggling footsteps, I clung on, even deciding on my own death as a human.

It was probable that everyone vaguely knew that to follow this dream was to follow their own destruction. Nevertheless, they could not stop in this path, simply so that they could live… It was simply just that.

In that place, not one of those who gathered there did not have their own past to bury and in order to shout out that they themselves were in this place, they were absolutely desperate.

Even if they did not turn into a rasetsu, they were undeniably turning mad. However, the fact that a leader such as myself being the first to turn into a rasetsu and then losing my sanity calmed my impulses. 

I started to ponder about how hiding in the shadows, I would struggle to follow after the light, unable to leave the darkness.

I burned my life away, became a rasetsu without a future in order to earn the power to keep fighting.

I would not have time to look at the result of my dream.

So, at least this would be the proof.

Even when I would be reduced to a disgusting monster and get shunned, even when I might turn into ash, becoming nothing but mere dust, it would be fine. I wanted to do something for those men which I could take pride in my life.

My own self again sought for that.

Even when she was shaking from worry, she did not avert her eyes from my form.

So, when she was facing my bloodstained form, it seemed like she could question me normally and honestly.

That blood was for a good reason.

Furthermore,

(Because of that, until the end, I did not go mad.)

Even when I was covered in blood, I did not indulge myself at all and control myself.

I absolutely would not betray the woman who foolishly, earnestly believed in me even when she was shaking from worry, whose eyes held such light.

It was likely that it was the last remnants of the dignity that I had lost.

“Chizuru…”

As the sleeping woman did not open her eyes, I whispered very quietly,

“You are my light, my dream. Because of that, I will absolutely not give up. If something happens…”

One time, I tried to throw away my dream.

When I recognized the change in her gazes towards me, no, it was exactly because of having recognized it that I decided I had to sever our ties. The burden was too great of a baggage.

“Living people should not love those who are dead… That is the rule of this world.”

The words that I said to her sleeping form were also the words I said to myself. The dream had ended.

Like a dead person, when I left, I departed without making a mistake.

However, she once again ruin my determination and resignation.

“Sannan-san, please bring me along with you in the path that you plan on walking.”

“Please don’t leave me a second time.”

“…Please don’t be alone.”

Now, I thought about that it would be better for me not to reach out my hand. However, I could not do such thing as resisting it.

I was still living.

I was still dreaming.

Because of this, no matter foolish or fleeting this might seem, as long as she was still walking by my side, there was still value in continuing on chasing the dream.

“Chizuru.”

This woman who had accompanied me on this harsh and difficult path, knowing what it could entail, could only appear dear to me.

“…I love you.”

This gentle kiss on the forehead was a secret engraving ritual of mine.

The secretary-general of the Shinsengumi.

The captain of the Rasetsu Corps.

And now, the companion of this dear person.

As an ordinary man, I was now living.

I did not know when the end would come but I engraved the resolution that until that day, I would live protect this beloved person.

This time, I would do it until the very last of moment.

I would absolutely not give up.

As she was breathing softly in her sleep and her eyes were closed, I made that vow to myself.

The end.