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accirax · 1 year ago

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Charles Tawaki: a DRDT Crack Theory

(Spoilers through DRDT Chapter 2 Part 1. Also for Star Wars Episodes 4 and 5, somehow???)

So… I know this sounds crazy (it is), but hear me out, okay?

After rewatching all of DRDT for a second time (as you do), I was left puzzled by Teruko’s final conversation with Veronika before the Chapter 2 motive reveal/body discovery. Y’know, the one about prosopagnosia.

Because, under my current understanding of the case, Teruko’s possible face blindness is completely irrelevant.

Now, I know my comprehension of the crime is nowhere near perfect, and that many popular theories include a culprit either dressing up as or swapping places with Arei. The person who makes the most sense for this is obviously J. She’s the same height as Arei, they’re both girls, and they have similar eye and skin colors. Additionally, J has one extra advantage that no one else does: her talent. J is the Ultimate Effects Artist, specializing in practical theater effects as opposed to digital post production.

Out of everyone in this cast, if someone was going to disguise themselves as Arei, J would have the best chance at being able to use makeup to disguise her face. Maybe her history with actors would even give her a better shot at acting like Arei, if worse comes to worse.

However, there’s a major problem with this premise at its base: even if Teruko is face blind, not everyone in the cast is. If Veronika can see the similarities between Teruko and the actress, wouldn’t she also be able to tell the differences between J and Arei? Moot point, Veronika could notice and still choose to conceal that because it would make the trial more interesting. But, Whit is still a pretty observant guy when he wants to be. Arturo has a particular eye for people’s faces, and has spent a lot of time with J specifically. Rose has a photographic memory. While it’s possible that Teruko wouldn’t be able to see through a disguised killer, between the twelve-or-so other innocent students in the rest of the case, it feels like it would be impossible for the killer to actually get away with dressing up as Arei for any meaningful amount of time, or in front of a meaningful group of people.

But this conversation with Veronika is so suspicious!!! The fact that DRDT’s creator chose to give Teruko prosopagnosia, or at the very least to suggest it, means that it has to be relevant to the story in some way, right? That’s, like, mystery writing 101.

So, I have an alternate theory as to how it could come up: if Teruko has failed to notice that her long-lost missing brother is amongst this cast.

And, that that brother was someone who was present for this very conversation: Charles.

Sound unbelievable? Well then, let me start off with some of my best evidence to get you more on board. That being, their character designs.

Charles and Teruko have pretty similar faces, all things considered. Their eyes are both pretty narrow, and upturned at the end. They also have really similar hairstyles: two bang spikes in the middle, with two longer pieces framing the face. The side opposite their long ponytail has a tuft of hair overlapping the side of the hanging piece, while the other side is more plain. Charles and Teruko also have really similar skin tones, with Teruko’s skin only being slightly redder and darker than Charles’.

Obviously, the two of them have different eye and hair colors. However, as Veronika already pointed out, that doesn’t matter:

(Teruko brings up skin color too, but it’s treated as secondary to eye and hair color.)

Inadvertently, Veronika is telling us that if two people have different eye and hair colors, they can still look similar as long as they have other similarities. Thus, while having different coloration can throw us off the scent, Charles and Teruko can still look similar, and remind us of the other.

Speaking of which, the personality similarities between Charles and Teruko have been highlighted in the story multiple times before. The most obvious one in my memory occurs at the end of the scene where Charles entrusts Teruko with the secret he received, right before Teruko decides to use a Monocredit to get rid of him.

Here, he calls Teruko out for her hypocrisy, directly pointing out that Teruko holds the same apathetic attitude that he displayed in Chapter 1. Beyond that, I think it goes without saying that both Charles and Teruko have displayed some majorly antagonistic qualities throughout the story. Both are intelligent, guarded, and a little sassy. When they banter, they’re able to trade similar insults.

Also, they both have a particular fondness for cacti.

Obviously, siblings do not need to have the same personality, especially if they didn’t even grow up together. I bring this up more to say that these are ways in which the author is intentionally drawing parallels between Teruko and Charles, showing us that they are similar and connecting them in our minds.

Now, let’s take a look at what we know of their backstories. As previously shown, Teruko was an orphan who lived at an orphanage with her brother. When she was five, her brother was adopted, and she was not. She had a pretty rough life after that, with “no family to speak of” while sneaking into schools to get an education, forced to choose between food and rent. Very unlucky, but not particularly relevant to this theory.

Charles’ life, on the other hand, seemed a lot easier.

Charles claims that both of his parents are alive. Additionally, while I don’t think it’s been confirmed, the fact that Charles doesn’t know how to cook or do his own laundry implies that either his parents are very caring and attentive to his needs, or he comes from a rich enough family that they have some sort of housekeeper to take care of their chores. My money is on the latter based on Charles’ overall demeanor, but that’s just speculation.

However, anyone who’s read Charles’ secret knows that his past wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows.

While Charles believed he had no siblings, in truth, he actually had a brother who died when he was young. Many characters, including Charles himself, also connect his forgotten past to his fear of blood and dead bodies. That means that whatever happened to his brother, it wasn’t pretty.

So, that’s great, right? Another similarity between Charles and Teruko: both of them have a brother! Except, really that’s more of a problem than anything. If Charles and Teruko are siblings, then Teruko should remember having two brothers, and Charles should believe he has a sister. However, there is a way to get out of this.

Here’s my proposed theory for Charles and Teruko’s intertwined backstories. Charles and Teruko Tawaki are born to the same parents, likely as twins, given that they appear to be in the same year in school. While it’s a little odd that Teruko only said she had a brother as opposed to a twin brother, it’s possible she doesn’t remember the details herself, as she doesn’t cite the brother as older or younger, either. Anyways, at some point, their parents die, and the two of them are sent to the orphanage.

Then, when Charles and Teruko are five, Charles is adopted by the Cuevas family– a mom, a dad, and an older brother. I can’t speculate as to exactly why the family would adopt only Charles and not Teruko, but considering that Teruko getting left behind is a canonical plot point no matter who her brother is, clearly the author believes it’s possible. Once Charles is adopted into the family, tragedy strikes, and his new older brother dies in a terribly bloody accident. This event forges Charles’ phobia of blood and bodies. And, in a desperate attempt to save itself, his brain wipes his memory of his older brother… as well as his adoption and his twin sister, too.

Even if Teruko seeing a dead body happened after she left the orphanage, it’s clear that her past was pretty bleak. Having your parents die and being sent to an orphanage at such a young age must have been a traumatic event. So, if Charles was already in the process of developing childhood amnesia about the trauma of his brother’s death, I think it’s possible that his brain could have decided to shut out the trauma of being adopted, too. It’s childhood amnesia. Obviously he didn’t forget enough of his childhood to concern him or tip himself off that something was wrong, but who has super crisp memories from age 5 or prior anyways? And, if Mr. and Mrs. Cuevas simply hadn’t chosen to tell their son that he was actually adopted (possibly for fear of triggering him by reminding him of his adopted older brother), Charles could grow up thinking he had an exceptionally normal childhood.

Thus, while it requires a bit of creative interpretation, I think it’s possible for Charles and Teruko’s backstories to fit together. And, once you clear Charles’ brother dying, the two of them never saw each other again until the killing game began, so anything that happens afterward can still fit under the siblings theory.

This includes their secrets, as well. While we don’t know Teruko’s secret, I’ve gone on the record saying that I believe that hers is “How could I even select what secret to make your motive? Just about everything you’ve done in your life is worth killing for. The killing game is all your fault”. This secret isn’t specific to one event, so Charles being her secret brother would still totally fit. It’s a little weird for Charles that they wouldn’t roll the other half of his forgotten siblings into the secret. But if they wanted to limit it to one secret per person for the sake of fairness (for instance, not having Whit’s secret be that he omits the death of his mother AND that he’s bisexual), I could see them cutting it out.

And that’s not even operating under the theory that Teruko could be the mastermind. In that case, she could have A) chosen to not talk about that secret because it mentions herself and her past, or B) not known it herself, and therefore not have been able to make it Charles’ secret.

From a meta writing perspective, I don’t know how the creator would tell us that Teruko and Charles are twins now that the secrets motive has passed, but I believe they could come up with something.

So, have I convinced you at all that it’s possible yet? I would hope at least slightly, if you’ve gotten to this point in the theory. Sadly, however, that means it’s time to discuss some of the… large potential holes in this theory that almost prevented me from writing it in the first place. Here we go.

Let’s go back to Charles and Teruko’s similar appearances, my “strongest point.” Well, Google tells me that the last name “Tawaki” is most commonly found in Japan, while “Cuevas” is Spanish in origin. Thus I, as well as likely many others, have assumed that Teruko is Japanese, and Charles is Hispanic. If Teruko and Charles are twins, that would mean that Charles’ ethnicity is actually Japanese, and he only gained the Hispanic last name “Cuevas” after being adopted by the Cuevas family. Through the magic of anime stylization, Charles and Teruko might look the same to us. But, in reality, if Charles was the only Asian looking member of a Hispanic family, wouldn’t it be pretty easy for him to realize/remember he was adopted?

While it’s a bit of an uninformed cop out, I did come up with a solution. If Charles and Teruko are both mixed race, specifically Asian/Hispanic, it’s possible nobody could have remembered. Charles could have been born a Tawaki, taking his Japanese parent’s last name, but when he was adopted, his Hispanic heritage amongst his new fully Hispanic family caused him to forget his Japanese roots. Like any child, some mixed race people look more like one parent (or therefore, one parent’s race) than the other. For example, as a mixed race person, I believe this is true of myself. I also think this is true of Whit, who appears to be Asian and white, but passes more as a white person.

(Obviously, it’s a little hard to tell exactly how white passing Whit is when he dyes his hair and we live in multicolored anime land, but the point stands.) So, this theory could be especially viable if Charles happened to look more like his Hispanic parent, while Teruko looked more like her Japanese parent.

Additionally, this could be a bold (mis?)characterization of the Cuevas family, but it is an explanation of why Charles could have been adopted while Teruko was not. If the Cuevas family was Hispanic, they may have wanted a child that “looked more like them,” so they only took the more Hispanic looking kid of the pair. If true, that would also potentially be another reason why Charles’ parents wouldn’t tell him he’s adopted.

For what it’s worth, I also do think Teruko is an American. While she was initially wearing a Japanese school uniform, and MonoTV confirmed she’s been to Japan, the fact that she “hasn’t been in years” makes me think that she currently lives in the US, where it really seems like the series is based. It would make sense if she now resides in the country in which she was born, and she’s never mentioned being a foreigner. She also speaks perfect English with no accent, which implies that she grew up in an English speaking country. If Charles is Teruko’s twin, and Teruko was born as an American, it would make it much easier for Charles to wind up in the United States.

Again, I don’t love this point, as it is extremely speculatory (what about this theory isn’t), but it is an answer. If Mr. Ultimate Chemist could take a DNA test for me real quick, that would be extremely helpful.

Point of contention #2: the existence of Charuko.

Speaking of which, please please please do not let this stupid theory stop you from shipping Charuko. There’s a 99.9% chance it is not true.

Anyways, Charuko is a big problem for this theory, given that I doubt the creator wants to incorporate incest into their story. While it obviously isn’t canon, Charuko is a decently popular ship, and that’s likely because of how their relationship is presented in the story. What was previously cited as sibling-like banter could easily be read as flirtatious teasing, and their similarities could be showing how compatible they are. But obviously, it could be totally platonic as well!

…Okay this is kind of a problem.

Even as more of a CharWhit enjoyer myself, I can’t deny that this is a particularly shippy moment. If you don’t recall, in this part of this scene Charles details how he likes talking to Teruko because she’s never pitied him, blushing all the while. The biggest blow to the theory is the sprite choice in this particular scene.

He has a version of this sprite with no blush. And yet, the creator chose to use the blushing version.

Now it is true that blushing can just be a sign of being flustered, which Charles often is. He could be embarrassed by merely complimenting Teruko at all, especially to her face. However, as any Owl House fan could tell you, blushing is often used as a shorthand for one character experiencing attraction to another. And, if Charles and Teruko are secretly siblings, I can’t understand why the creator would decide to imply the possibility that Charles could be crushing on Teruko. If the creator is a fan of… well, anything, they could probably expect that two of their most relevant characters have a possibility of being shipped together. They wouldn’t need to add any fuel to that fire– if anything, they would need to be throwing the firewood into the trash.

To be honest, I don’t really have much of a defense for this one. More than anything, this is what convinces me that this theory couldn’t be true. Really, all I can come up with is another example of something like this happening before, point at it, and say “if it happened there, it could happen here too.”

Said example is found in Star Wars, with Luke and Leia. At the end of the first movie, they kiss, but in the second movie, they learn that they’re actually twins, and cease romantic relations. Especially if this theory is true, I doubt Teruko and Charles would get to the point of sharing a kiss, but it would be a similar plotline to Star Wars.

Of course, I’m not the biggest Star Wars fan, but I’m pretty sure that when George Lucas wrote the first movie (in which Luke and Leia kiss), he didn’t know at the time that the characters were siblings. Meanwhile, if Charles and Teruko are twins, I would have to assume that it was in the creator’s plans the whole time, similar to Charles’ phobia of blood.

On that note of confidence, the final issue I could come up with: so what?

You’ve just spent 2.8k words+ trying to convince me that Charles and Teruko are siblings. Who cares? What does that actually have to do for the story? How would it ever become relevant?

Good points. Truly, I struggled with this myself. Like many others, I fear that Charles will die in Chapter 3 (after all, he was already pronounced dead at that time). And, given all the other drama that’s already going on with the other characters, and all the additional drama that the end of the second trial may cause, I wasn’t sure that a Charles/Teruko sibling reveal could really fit in that time. Even if Charles makes it past Chapter 3, I wasn’t sure how or why it would make sense for the story. But I did come up with a couple of ideas.

First of all, it could give Teruko another character to trust.

Charles is probably already the character that Teruko trusts the most (yes, even despite the above knife), but if she learned that he was her brother, she might feel even more connected to him. Or, she could pull a classic Teruko, and back even farther away from him in fear that she would come to trust him. At the very least, it would give Teruko an interesting dilemma. It would be interesting for Charles, too– he just learned he had a sibling that he lost, so how would he feel if he had a second sibling who was trapped in this killing game with him?

If Charles dies as an innocent victim, too, Teruko would have to face the loss of another person who’s important to her, but in a situation where he did absolutely nothing to betray her. This could happen even if Charles isn’t her brother, too, but I digress.

Secondly, it could force Teruko to talk about her past.

Given this scene, we know that there are aspects of Teruko’s past that she’s hiding from us, the audience inside her head. And, if she’s not telling us, then she definitely doesn’t want to tell other people.

But if Charles somehow learns that Teruko is his twin sister from a past he has no recollection of, after just receiving his dead brother secret, he would almost certainly want to start pressing her for answers. Although Teruko puts up a tough front, she has had moments of breaking down and showing “weakness” in the face of things that catch her off guard. It’s possible that if Charles genuinely came to her seeking answers about his own life, she would feel obligated to at least tell him something. And in that something, we could find some info relevant to the plot at large.

That is, if she actually knows anything about the situation. If she doesn’t and, say, MonoTV is the one who had to tell them about their siblinghood, part of Teruko’s backstory could also be rolled into the way that MonoTV would tell them that fact. That could be interesting, too, if Charles alone is privy to extra information about Teruko’s life beyond what happened when she was 5.

And, that’s about all that I have to say. As I’ve hinted at throughout this theory, despite being the one who came up with it, I really have my doubts that this theory is true. However, with the apparent lack of face blindness in this case, I can’t help but speculate as to how it could apply to something in the story in later chapters. I feel like I might be onto something, even if “Charles and Teruko secret siblings” isn’t it.

I would love to hear what anyone has to say to bust or support this theory, or if it inspires any other similar crack theories in its stead. Despair Time is a crazy enough series as is, so I wouldn’t be surprised if one of our shots in the dark makes it close to a target.

#drdt #danganronpa despair time #charles cuevas #teruko tawaki #drdt spoilers #fanganronpa #please don't bully me for this one like i said i almost didn't write it #but what if i was correct. would that be wild or what #the fact that none of the character songs seem to have anything to do with this either does not fill me with confidence #but again!! part of the point is hopefully inspiring people to look at the prosopagnosia conversation from unconventional angles!!!!#so it is all worth it even if i become a slight laughingstock!!!!!!!#my theories #if I had a nickel for every time I connected drdt and Star Wars I would have two nickels #which isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it’s happened twice

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six-costume-refs · 1 year ago

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Time for n00b question #2! (If you remember my first one was about putins like six months ago)

What is, exactly, a half-up half-down hairstyle? Is it like just a bit of the hair styled and the rest left loose? Or is there something else I'm not understanding? And which queens is it associated with?

Thank you for putting up with me being an idiot

Hey! No worries about noob questions - I know it’s cliche but there really are no stupid questions. It's actually more helpful when anyone asks questions that they might feel are simple or basic, because it makes sure that I answer that for you and anyone else who might be wondering + gives me a better frame of reference for what I may need to explain more in the future!

A half-up, half-down style in the most literal sense just means that a section of the hair is styled “up”, either pulled back or in some sort of updo, while the rest of the hair is left “down,” aka usually loose. You also might hear it called a “half updo” - same thing, basic concept of some of the hair is “up” and some is “down.” Same thing. In the most classic sense, it often is referring to a longer hairstyle with the hair most left down with a section on either side of the face pulled back in some way. But, again, it can describe a lot. Here's a good article with some different examples, and here’s another.

As it pertains to Six, specifically: - It describes most Aragon hairstyles, because in most the hair is left loose while sections near the front are pulled back in varying styles (I typically just describe these as a "bob" because I feel like the length is one of the most significant/identifying details that set Aragon wigs apart) - It also describes most Boleyn hairstyles, because most of the hair is down/loose while some is up in the spacebuns (like with Aragon, I usually don't refer to this as half-up either because I find the spacebuns to be the most iconic part of the look even though it is technically half-up) - It describes all but one Seymour style. To me, Seymour styles are also the most quintessential half-up style - the majority of the hair left loose and rather long, with varying forms of the sides/top pulled back. And unlike Aragon and Boleyn, I don't feel like there's any other more definable feature of the typical style (bob/spacebuns respectively), so this is my go-to term for Seymour styles.

Here's a few examples of Aragon, Boleyn, and Seymour styles that fit the half-up half-down label:

And here are a few A/B/S styles that AREN’T half-up half-down (not comprehensive):

While a half-up hairstyle isn't standard for Cleves, Howard, or Parr, a few of those queens have had them at different points as well:

Cleves: Grace Mouat had a few different half-up styles for Cleves, including one that was a teased bouffant style (pictured). Jennifer Caldwell originally wore her hair with the front/top sections pulled back to the sides, more similar to Aragon bobs.

Howard: For a while there were some Howards with a half-up style. It was meant to look like a regular pony, but it generally left the back half of the style loose. It was most commonly used for queens who had shorter hair/too many layers for their hair to be put totally up, back when Six didn't make a ponytail for everyone. There's actually been six queens with this style, which I talked about here.

Parr: Grace Mouat and Jennifer Caldwell both wore their hair pulled back in a crown, similar to their Cleves styles (part of the time anyway; Jennifer's is pictured here). Gabriela Francesca Carrillo has had a variety of hairstyles as Parr, but her earlier styles often featured some of the hair pulled “up” into braids/ponytails along with some sections hanging “down”/loose (post here). And Taylor Iman Jones has a version of the iconic Parr side pony (the “up”) but has some hair left loose in the back as well. (post here)

-------------- Aragon/Boleyn/Seymour half-up: haileekaleemwright; sixthemusicalau, unsure of origin; arumsoooooul; Joan Marcus; baylie.carson; Michaelah Reynolds; leahvassell; nataliemayparis; ceciliaevelyne Aragon/Boleyn/Seymour not: sixthemusical; courtneyebowman; bridges1993 Cleves/Howard/Parr: gracemouat; unknown, from Wiki; courtneypmack; mallorymaedke; broadwayinchicago; Jennifer Broski

#six the musical #six wigs #Aragon wigs #boleyn wigs #seymour wigs #cleves wigs #howard wigs #parr wigs #grace mouat #jennifer caldwell #zara macintosh #courtney bowman #amy bridges

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morlock-holmes · 2 years ago

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I have a feeling you're still imagining "not rare" as in "up to 20-30% maybe" and not as in "99%, status quo in everyday arguments at all levels of discourse in every arena about every subject". Today, finding people anywhere who can argue _believably for more than ten seconds_ or even _at all, hypothetically, while hedging, without throwing a tantrum_ in support of their opponents' position is hard, let alone those doing it _well_.

I want to very strongly reject this kind of cynicism, and also kind of clarify for myself what I was talking about.

Because, first, I wasn't trying to create a comprehensive portrait of the entire conspiracy theorist mindset, but to identify what seems to me to be one aspect of what seems to me to be a certain mindset at work in the world.

My model here is based on models attempting to describe high control groups so I am absolutely not saying that the kind of thinking I was trying to describe there is all it takes to be a conspiracy theorist or that everyone who exhibits it exhibits it to the same extent.

If you look at the checklist at that link, it would be easy to pull one bullet point out and claim that lots of very benign groups do it. Not all groups that, say, control the hairstyle and clothing of their members are therefore high control groups comparable to Scientology; but that doesn't mean that control of your visual presentation isn't related to what makes a high control group.

I'm trying to talk out what I'm observing in the world, and in the process I'm probably reinventing the wheel; but if I knew who else talked about this kind of thing I'd just cite them.

What I was talking about was not just the process of attributing hidden motivations to your opponents, and it certainly wasn't just failing to understand what your opponents believe.

Rather, it's a kind of process, and I think by arguing with people I've clarified how it works.

First premise: your world-view is considered so self-evident that it is impossible for any person to doubt it. (I almost said "rational person" but that's not correct; the mindset I'm trying to identify explicitly rejects the idea of irrational behavior at odds with the obvious world-view).

Second premise: you believe that people act in accordance with their knowledge of this obvious world-view. Irrational behavior, or behavior based on alternative world-views are simply impossible given how obvious your world-view is.

Conclusion: Because your world-view and thinking are so obvious, the results of all actions are obvious as well. Therefore, any action which frightens or harms you must have been deliberately intended to harm or frighten you.

That "deliberately" is extremely important. This is a conflation of intention with result.

It is not merely the belief that your opponents have secret intentions that they won't disclose, nor is it the belief that, by doing things that have negative consequences your opponents demonstrate a reckless disregard for important consequences.

Rather, it is a process that replaces the question, "Why did you hurt me?" with the question of "Why did you want to hurt me?" because it is a world-view that cannot distinguish between those two.

This is related to conspiracy thought because if this conflation is strong enough it practically requires the creation of conspiracies.

Because in real life people do have differing world-views and do behave irrationally.

So, for example, in the link above Rod Dreher thinks that the actions of that Satanist group allow actual malevolent supernatural beings to increase their power on earth to harm godly humans.

The Satanic church claims that they just want to increase religious freedom and lobby for access to abortion.

The explanation given by the Satanists must be dismissed out of hand; that they are working to increase Satan's power is sufficient to demonstrate that they believe in Satan and want him to increase in earthly power.

So now Dreher has two questions that desperately need to be answered: Why do the Satanists want Satan's power to increase, and why do they feel the need to hide their real goals?

Nothing the Satanic church can say will possibly be sufficient to answer this, so Dreher is required to speculate and invent hidden motivations in order to be able to explain their actions while still attributing his world-view to them (Why it is so psychologically important to attribute his own world-view to them is its own whole thing I'm sure).

This process, this conflation of results with intentions, is to me one of the red flags that indicates you may be dealing with a crazy conspiracy theory rather than a real one, but it is certainly not sufficient to prove that's what you're dealing with.

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mahaksmakeoversalonandacademy · 2 years ago

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A Comprehensive Guide to the Best Nail Art & Hair Salons in Yamunanagar

Are you looking for the best nail art and hair salons in Yamunanagar? This guide is here to help you! Here we will explore the different nail art and hair salons in Yamunanagar, their services, and customer reviews.

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What is Nail Art and Where to Find The Best Salons in Yamunanagar?

For anyone looking for the best nail art and hair salons in Yamunanagar, we have got you covered. With a variety of options to choose from, you can find the perfect salon to get your nails done or even try out a new hairstyle.

We will discuss what nail art is, how to find the best salons in Yamunanagar, and what services they offer. So if you are looking for a reliable and stylish salon in Yamunanagar - look no further!

3 Types of Nail Art That Are Popular in Yamunanagar:

There is a growing trend of nail art in Yamunanagar, with more and more people turning to the beauty salons for creative nail designs. Whether it’s a classic French manicure or complicated tribal patterns, there are plenty of options available to choose from.

In this article, we’ll be discussing the three most popular types of nail art that are currently trending in Yamunanagar. From bold statement-making designs to subtle and sophisticated looks, there’s something for everyone! We will also highlight some of the top nail art salons in Yamunanagar that offer these services.

How to Choose the Right Hair Salon for Your Needs:

Choosing the right hair salon for your needs can be a daunting task. With so many options available, it's important to find one that offers quality services and hair care products.

Finding the best salon for you depends on several factors such as location, cost, services offered, and availability of professional stylists. Additionally, hair care tips and knowledge about how to maintain healthy hair can also help you decide which salon is right for you.

What are the Benefits of Visiting a Professional Hair Salon?

Going to a professional hair salon is a great way to get the perfect look you want. Professional hairdressers have the expertise, experience, and tools to provide quality haircuts and color treatments that you simply can't get from an ordinary barber or stylist. But aside from these obvious benefits, there are also many other advantages of visiting a professional hair salon.

From specialized services and products tailored for your individual needs to the convenience of having someone else do your styling for you, there are plenty of reasons why people choose to visit a professional hair salon. In this article, we'll take a look at some of the most common benefits of going to a salon.

Conclusion:

Mahak's Makeover Salon & Academy is a renowned beauty parlor in Yamunanagar, offering the best services in hair styling, makeup and nail art. Located in the heart of the city, Mahak's offers its customers with a wide range of services from waxing to hair colouring to manicures and pedicures.

With its team of highly trained professionals and modern salon equipment, Mahak’s Makeover Salon & Academy promises to give you the perfect makeover for any occasion. From basic haircuts to advanced nail art and makeup techniques, Mahak’s has it all. Visit us today for all your beauty needs!

#nail art in yamunanagar #best hair salon in yamunanagar #nail art #hair salon

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bifuriouswaterbender · 4 years ago

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Harry Potter Fanfic Recommendations about Trans Characters

I will not pretend to be an expert by any means when I am cis, but I’ve come across plenty of stories with trans characters in the past and wanted to not only re-find them but also discover more. Here is a far-from-comprehensive list of links sorted by which character is trans. Some of these stories have more than one, in which case I deferred to the protagonist.

I intend to keep adding to this as I discover more, so if anyone has specific recommendations, please send them my way! I only have ten listed thus far, but I wanted to get the list out there.

Harry Potter

the girl who lived (again) - Features Harry/Ginny. 10,330 words. Rated G.

Molly tried her best. When Harry had told them, Arthur had asked excitedly, "is this a Muggle thing?" Hermione had hurried out a "no!" and a frantic history of gender diversity in the wizarding world.

"It's just that I'm a girl," Harry had said, and Arthur had nodded and asked her about how telephone booths worked. He would call her by the right pronouns until the day he died at the respectable old age of one hundred and thirty three, and he would make it seem easy.

But Molly had to try. Hermione explained things faster and higher-pitched every time Molly messed up a pronoun. Molly frowned and muttered and put extra potatoes on Harry's plate at breakfast. Harry slept in Ron's room, which didn't bother either of them but which made Hermione scowl.

Harry got boxes of sweets and warm hugs, as Molly chewed things over. For her fifteenth Christmas, the Weasley sweater she would receive would be a bright, friendly, terrible pink.

The next time Harry visited, Molly put her on Ginny's floor to sleep-- for some definition of sleep that involved Hermione hissing threats at three in the morning if Harry and Ginny didn't "shut up about Wronski feints, do you know what time it is."

My note: This story is actually a re-imagining of her whole book story. Her name is considered at one point, but she decides to keep using Harry because she feels it fits her. It also includes references to other trans and gender fluid characters.

Draco Malfoy

The Only True Goal of the Universe - Features Harry/Draco and background Hermione/Ron, Seamus/Dean. 22,753 words. Rated E.

It comes up, as most juvenile things do, in a game of Truth or Dare.

Shenanigans - Features Harry/Draco and background Hermione/Ron. 4823 words. Rated E.

Of course Draco’s orgasm hits him right as Potter does the one thing he’s not supposed to do. Of fucking course.

Or, the blood curse lingering over the Malfoys has landed on Draco, and he’s doomed to get knocked up by the first cock that gets inside his cunt. Just his luck that cock ends up being Harry Potter’s.

Hand-in-Hand and Handkerchief - Features Draco/Astoria. 3008 words. Rated G

Draco Malfoy is not generally sympathetic to the sight of tears, but when he stumbles upon a second year Slytherin sniffling in the rose garden during the Yule Ball, for once he manages not to be a complete arse. Astoria is just glad that he had a handkerchief in his pocket because she forgot hers.

My Note: This includes three trans characters, including a happy adult example. It also has mention of a really cool magical potion idea for transition that the author has provided a free-for-use explanation of here.

Sirius Black

Discards - Features Remus/Sirius, James/Lily. 76,032 words. Rated M. Modern non-magical AU.

When 21-year-old assistant librarian Sirius spots a cute hipster college student at the Seattle Public Library, he just needs to figure out a subtle way of determining whether he's into guys. But Remus's life is more complicated than Sirius knows.

My note: Tons of diversity within this cast with no white main characters and many different sexualities mentioned. Also sex positive with great commentary about homelessness, HIV, sex work, classism, and more.

Live Like We’re Renegates - Remus/Sirius and background Lily/James. 24,378 words. Rated E.

Exuberant, proud, genderfluid, cheerleader, self-described narcissist. All things to describe Sirius Black. It's a stark contrast from the self-imposed loner, Journalist, and Gender Studies major Remus Lupin who is thrown into Sirius' world after accepting a project for a class. When the two worlds collide, both lives are changed for the better.

Sirius leant forward a bit, meeting Remus’ eyes. “Are you asking if I go for cute boys in beanies and jumpers, Remus Lupin?”

Remus’ face went hot. “Er. No. I mean…er…”

Sirius laughed. “Find your chill, love. I’m joking.” He winked at Remus and sat back again.

My note: Sirius is genderfluid and uses He/Him pronouns. Remus is deaf with a cochlear implant.

Lay Your Hands on Me -Features Remus/Sirius and background Lily/James. 8947 words. Rated E.

In which Sirius really likes trying out new hairstyles over the years and Remus really can't concentrate on much else, to be honest. This fic features reckless and impulsive teenage boys, classic Marauders-style banter, a low-key overdramatic Remus, and falling in love with close friends.

Or, alternatively: Three times Remus really wanted to touch Sirius' hair and one time he actually did.

Remus Lupin

TransFigured (and continued series) - Features Remus/Sirius. 57,170. Rated E.

“We thought you might be a werewolf," said Sirius. "What?" Remus almost laughed at the absurdity. "Last year. James and I thought — but the dates didn’t quite match up. With the full moons, I mean." "Well, I’m not." "I know. All I meant was, we thought you might be, and we still wanted to be friends. Whatever you’re not telling us — how much worse can it be?"

All Hail the Outlaws - Features Remus/Sirius and background Lily/James, Peter/Dorcas. 29,330 words. Rated E.

One of Remus Lupin's three jobs happens to be working maintenance for their flat building. He gets to meet all sorts, most of whom he would rather have nothing to do with. Until James Potter and Sirius Black move in across the hall. Engineering students and self-proclaimed geniuses, the pair set out to make their neighbours new best friends, and everyone's life is turned upside down, but in the best way possible.

My note: Sirius is blind, and the fic spends a lot of focus on each man’s experiences with bigotry and learning how to best be there for each other.

Succession of Halos - Features Remus/Sirius and background Lily/James. 7340 words. Rated E

When Remus gets talked into seeing his favourite author--Astronomy Professor S. Black--hold a stargazing lecture, he anticipates a stodgy old man in tweed. He does not expect the ripped jeans and rolling-stones t-shirt wearing, motor-bike riding Sirius Black with his wicked smile and passion for the stars. Remus is sure there's no chance between them, but little does he know, Sirius has a passion for many things in life, one of which being Remus Lupin.

My note: I have this listed under Remus, but Sirius is also genderfluid. Baby Harry is featured in the story, and is blind.

Child Characters

‘Twas Brillig - Features Harry/Draco with failed Harry/Ginny. 73,998 words. Rated E.

Harry reads a chapter of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland to his children before bed every night and through the story, he and his middle child find an ally in each other as they, along with Alice, discover a world that just doesn't seem to make sense when taken at face value. The more aware Harry becomes - embracing his child's reality - the more motivated he is to build a wizarding world that is fully inclusive, and by processing these life lessons finds he's able to connect with another person in ways that have always eluded him.

My Note: There are two trans characters in this story, one being Al (who begins using Alice with Al still as a nickname) and another being an adult I’ll leave unnamed because it comes up organically. This story is as much if not more so about Harry’s sexuality, and there is also strong representation of drag and crossdressing from a cis male character.

Miscellaneous

When The Letter Comes by Sara Fox - A published short story that seems definitely inspired by Harry Potter but also by other fantasy works.

Henry believes that someday, something awesome will happen–everything will turn out all right and all her problems will disappear once her letter arrives, welcoming her to magic school. So even though puberty is already here with changes (like her voice deepening and hair growing in places she does not want), she also knows it’s only a matter of time. After all, hundreds of books have said so.

But when the letter finally comes on Henry’s thirteenth birthday, it is not addressed to her, but to her sister.

When The Letter Comes is a short story with a YA trans protagonist that embraces the experience of those left behind, who must find their own way in the world–magic or not.

#harry potter #harry potter fanfiction #harry potter fandom #trans characters #genderfluid characters #harry potter fanfic #drarry #wolfstar #hinny #fuck jk rowling

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sansphilautia · 5 years ago

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Nic cage was high-key in shape by 1997 standards, he had the guns, the delts, there’s even beginnings of traps underneath the mane. Con air would have had a chance to be taken seriously, if he was just allowed to go bald. Sadly Die Hard 3 had come out 2 years prior and Bruce Willis was still trying to have hair with the same hairline. Balding white men's salvation would be put off another untold number of years. It wasn't fully OK to be fully bald yet. To these men, their image was-and remains- a part of their livelihood. Would their level of Fame allow them to be fully bald and still get the roles that they wanted? You might be scoffing at Ron Pearlman getting action roles well into his late 60′s but the whole premise of a 65 year old action hero would be a lot harder to sell if Pearlman didnt have all his (or someone else’s) hair.

Stigma around being a bald white man was one even millions of dollars couldn’t overcome. No one had done it successfully yet, no one had started with hair and continued to enjoy the same status after being bald. Elton John abused his scalp for years using primitive hair restoration procedures, Captain Kirk was famous for his hair piece, these were men with unimaginable financial means who had to suffer going bald in the limelight, and they fought every step. Being bald was associated with being older, weaker, perhaps sickly. The worst of it however was being a young, in-shape bald man, if you weren’t a skinhead what were you? Who else would willingly be all bald? Where was the white Michael Jordan, who could be all man and all bald? Who could finally normalize the bald white guy.

The late 90s and early 2000s were a dark time for bald white men, George Costanza did more damage to their cause than the 9/11 attacks did to my Turkish family’s permanent resident applications. He was funny sure, but he was also a failure, a boob, he had difficulty finding a mate, he was short, he was bald, and he was just so goddamn visible. Seinfeld is still one of the most iconic sitcoms of all time and widely regarded as the greatest sitcom. Everyone knew who George was, and subconsciously or not, we associated the rest of George’s failings with the way he looked. In one of Kramer’s most iconic scenes. where he drinks a beer while simultaneously smoking a cigarette, the actor opposite him in the scene has a long bald mullet. He looks absolutely ridiculous, he’s overweight but carries it well, with a different hairstyle he could have a powerful stocky look to him, but the hair just makes him look so....inferior. Just as he was an extra on Seinfeld you feel that he’s an extra in life just looking at him. All because of that ridiculous bald mullet, but what else could he do with a completely barren top, how could he fashion that into an acceptable hairstyle that made him look and feel good?

Contrary to popular belief, Bruce Willis was not the pioneer of the shaved white head. Willis was the most visible and successful star at rocking the full bald as a white guy early on, but he wasn’t the first one to make the full transition. Willis’ hairline had long thrown in the towel but his hair was still hanging on in Sin City. By the time he let it all go for Live free or die hard he was simply riding a trend that someone else had bravely started. That someone was Jason Statham

The transporter released in 2002 and we saw the first full white guy who could do non-corny martial arts, have muscles and sport that forehead, the one that says “I’ve made my peace with my hairline, and I’m man enough to still beat your ass and be a sex symbol” (the accent helped his image obviously, this is over a decade before brexit when Americans began finding out Brits aren’t actually smart). Statham continued his crusade with a series of transporter sequels and other action films well into the 2000s and now has a place on the Mount Rushmore of action stars that Stallone rounded up with his Expendables series.

There were other notable contributors to the cause, NBA hall of famer Jason Kidd was fully shaved in 2002 and got all the way to the finals to fall before the Lakers threepeat dynasty, but he wasn’t a star, he wasnt a physical man, he was quick, smart, slick even, but not dominant. Speaking of basketball even Kobe Bryant had to hold out till mid/late 2000s to finally embrace his fate and he was the most dominant man to ever touch a basketball since MJ (Shaq did nothing on his own, Wade carried him in Miami).

Men like Patrick Stewart had an air about them where we accepted them bald, but would we have accepted them going bald? If Jason Statham opened the door for bald white men, The Rock going full shaved head was the Kool-Aid man busting through the wall. The Rock is a hero to everyone, beloved by all, he has no faults, he makes wholesome movies and no one thinks he's corny, he seems like a genuinely good dude, you’re happy to see him succeed. He can be funny, he can be an action star, he can be intimidating, he can even wrestle! Also the rock isn’t in “entertainment” shape, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnsons is a big man who can generate kinetic force at a level that is beyond the comprehension of most people. His alpha status is lifelong, he can rest on his laurels for eternity. If he wanted to, he could bring back the Hitler mustache and play a villain in a Disney movie at the same time. That’s how bulletproof he is, so a hairline malfunction was nothing to him.

Finally white men could feel secure, if it happened to him it can happen to anyone, there was light at the end of this lifelong tunnel of flailing to stay relevant and sexy. The Rock, along with many names both mentioned and omitted from this piece, helped usher in an era of prosperity for the bald white men of the world.

#bald white baldmen

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underfade · 6 years ago

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♦ Hi! It’s been a little while, hasn’t it!

♦ TL:DR; I’d like to start things up on Underfade soon, ideally sometime during the very end of the year or within the beginning of next year! My other blogs, such as Fadedtale, Fuwaribi and similarly, will continue to be on hiatus.

♦ But while we’re not back in action quite yet, but I’d love to give you all a status report and ramble a bit, if you guys have the time to spare!:

-- UNDERFADE/FADEDTALE RELATED --

❥ What’s going on with your AUs? Are you going to be reviving them?

♦ I’d love to revive them, and I’m very much planning to do so!! I’m hoping I can get back to doing Sunday updates in very late December/early January, life permitting!

Of course, I need to add that I’ll be concentrating on Underfade first and foremost before doing anything else. Fadedtale, Fuwaribi and similar blogs of the past and future will be placed on hold until I’ve gotten far enough with Underfade. But with that said...

❥ What’s happening with Underfade?

♦ I’d like to get past the RUINS arc (finally, am I right?) before finally changing Underfade’s name.

That’s right: Underfade, as an AU name, is officially old news! It was a funny name at first, as my lack of English comprehension never knew that underfades were a hairstyle, but now I don’t think it quite translates what I want from this AU. Once the RUINS arc is over, I’d like to kick off things really going downhill for our main character by changing the title appropriately.

I’ll give you a hint on the new name it’ll have; it’s been the title of this blog all along!

Otherwise; I have to be honest. I’m not happy with how I’ve paced the story at the start, but I have no intentions on changing what I’ve established. I enjoy having Frisk react to and obtain knowledge and capabilities thanks to the things anons suggest, so I will not be taking that away!: however, Underfade has always had a goal in mind, so I’ll try my best to write and pace things better with that goal as a focus.

Whether that goal continues to stay the same, or whether that changes due to others’ suggestions... we’ll see how that goes with this upcoming revival! Nonetheless, I look forward to working with everyone in the future! o9

❥ What’s happening with Fadedtale?

♦ Fadedtale will be running on a longer hiatus than Underfade.

I’d like to establish a few more things in Underfade before being able to, essentially, tell two stories at once. Additionally, there are aspects of Fadedtale that I’m deeply unhappy with and would love to change as soon as possible -- so if anything? Fadedtale will be undergoing an extended hiatus, followed by less-than-gentle tinkering-slash-arc for good measure, and then the blog would be open for RPs and asks of all sorts.

To be clear: Fadedtale will be undergoing an arc, in a similar format to the way Underfade is formatted, before being reopened to interactions. If people were around for the event I had with Fadedtale’s Chara reveal, it will be similar to that. I hope people will be able to have fun with it when it happens!

-- UNDERTALE RELATED --

❥ CIN, CIN, CIN, MAD MEW MEW

♦ ohmygod Mad Mew Mew

-- I, I don’t own a Switch, so I haven’t been able to see anything regarding Mad Mew Mew beyond social media. But I was VERY EXCITED about her as she was making her debut on Tumblr!

❥ CIN, CIN, CIN, DELTARUNE

♦ OH MY GOD 𝔻 𝔼 𝕃 𝕋 𝔸 ℝ 𝕌 ℕ 𝔼

-- In all seriousness!

(A.) While I’ve never stopped working on Underfade and Fadedtale things, Deltarune has absolutely revived my drive to roll my sleeves up and get things done on here.

(B.) While many headcanons regarding the Undertale universe for my AUs have changed in response to Deltarune, I’ve every intention on respecting what I’ve revealed prior to my hiatus and what these AUs have had determined for them. Essentially, Deltarune’s revelations changes nothing about what’s to come and why things are that way.

(B.2.) -- However, as Fadedtale actively works with alternative universes much more openly than Underfade, I may make an exception on those grounds to switch stuff around. The abovementioned changes must take place before this, however.

(C.) Kris Deltarune is a huge favorite. Please talk to me about them on my personal Tumblr or, if already in possession of it, on Discord.

(C.2.) While I’d love to kick up a Deltarune blog (coughKrisblogcough), I will be holding off until I get a lot of Underfade and Fadedtale content out before indulging appropriately. Unless people are okay with a very lazily run and sketchy blog that barely updates, then by all means.

-- GENERAL NEWS --

❥ How’ve things been?

♦ Admittedly, pretty up and down. 2018 has had some incredible highs, namely my college graduation and the completion of my thesis film, as well as some heavy lows -- which I will not go into detail. This year’s very much felt like a step back for each step forward in many regards, but some things don’t change at least!

❥ What have you been up to lately?

♦ deviantART, mostly! Tumblr queueing, secondly. Writing stories, both Underfade/Fadedtale related and original whenever I’m not drawing. And, looking for work in real life and keeping my head above water, whenever I’m not online, ah ha :’D

I’m semi-active on Discord, usually!! This year hasn’t been the kindest on my mental health, so I’m sorry if I ended up ignoring a lot of messages between now and the past year. I’ll do my best to answer any messages in the future.

❥ I want to talk to you! How do I do that?

♦ Discord’s your best bet!! but if we don’t share a Discord server or if we haven’t RP’d prior to my hiatus, I’m afraid that option’s unavailable. My personal tumblr, skybluescarf, your next best bet!

-- That should be all for now! Thank you all for your time and patience.

I’ll see you all later!

#OoC

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converginglives · 6 years ago

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Emere

Full Name: Emere Tereiti

Nickname: Em

Meaning: her first name means ‘rival’ and I was looking at a list of common Maori last names when I spotted Tereiti, it seemed to just click, so I kept it for her.

Pet name: Ema, Emusha

Gender: female

Orientation: demi-pan

Age: 24 when introduced

Birthday: June 21, 1978

Birthplace: Tauranga, New Zealand

Astrological sign: Cancer, Earth Horse, Oak, Sagittarius

Immediate Family: parents, several siblings, and grandparents, most of which are alive.

Distant Family: lots of family, though still working on fleshing them out, those who are currently named can be found on the IPE Family Page

Parenting: she’d be alright with having children but not until both her partners are ready or desiring them.

Upbringing: joyous and full of action, her family always had things going on

Coming of age: 18 legally, 19 when she got her Tā moko

Evolution: she starts as a wanderlust riddled tutor and part time teacher, who likes to travel place to place, to settling down with her soulmates and becoming a full time teacher, she’s always been serious but she lightens up a bit over the years

Species: human

Ethnicity: Maori

Facial type: oval

Eye color: dark brown, nearly black

Hair color: black

Hairstyle: long and wavy, often kept in braids, buns, or ponytails.

Skin tone: tawny pink

Complexion: more terra-cotta toned in the summer, and soft tan in the winter

Makeup: occasionally, though not an every day thing.

Build: solid

Height: 5′5

Birthmarks/scars: no

Distinguishing features: Tā moko

Health: rarely sick, tends to stay fine even when everyone else is coming down with stuff

Energy: pretty stable, not the highest, but lasting throughout her day

Memory: decent, more of a visual then audio for her strong points

Senses: average

Allergies: not that she’s mentioned

Phobias: none

Style: sweaters, jeans or slacks, exercise clothes

Mode of dress: nice and durable

Grooming: careful and quick, she makes sure she stays clean.

Posture: mostly proper, except when sitting at her desk to grade papers or relaxing on her sofa

Gait: midfoot while walking, forefoot while running

Habits and mannerisms: tends to observe rather than interact when not teaching, quiet, firm, doesn’t back down, gentle with children

Scent: sandalwood, grapefruit, and honey

Mood: thoughtful, reflective, curious, and caring

Attitude: quiet and easy going

Stability: she’s the most stable of her triad

Expressiveness: mostly with her family and soulmates, the rest of the time she’s pretty neutral expressionless

When Happy: despite her blank expression, she’s often in a good mood, and rather happy to spend to

Current residence: Balakhnov Building, Moscow, Russia

Community: the Balakhnov Building and the people in the surrounding area in Moscow

Family:

(triad) Iov Lvovich Asmik, Pavel Myroslavavych Zherdev

(adoptive aunt) most the Balakhnov children and several of the neighborhood children

Friends: plenty, she’s sure, as she’s on good terms with most the teachers but she has a few good friends including:

Sitara Misra

Lumbika Bahia

Enemies: Fetis Asmik

Pets/familiars: none

Collections: books and cooking dishes

Prized possession: many things, including her necklace her soulmates give her and things from her family

Religion: Maori Traditional Faith

Motivation: desire to share her knowledge,

Priorities: her family, soulmates, and students

Philosophy: “Life is vital, to live one must learn and share that learning in a honest and compassionate manner”

Etiquette: what

Culture: Maori

Influences: her family, faith, soulmates,

Traditions: mainly Maori, though she’s adopted some of Pavel’s Pagan traditions and Russian ones since she lives there

Superstitions: some

Main Goal: build a successful life with my soulmates

Minor Goals/Ambitions:

Teach Iov how to cook quick and easy things

Help with the care of the household plants

Collect new books

Career: teacher

Biggest Failure: Ailan

Secrets: not really, I see no reason to keep them, though Pavel and I did spend six years living with

Worries: that something will happen to her soulmates, primarily Iov

Best dream: having a happy and cheerful life with her soulmates

Hobbies/interests: reading, gardening, swimming, jogging, cooking

Skills/talents: reading comprehension, teaching, and patient

Likes: nature, spending time with her soulmates, reading, cooking for those she cares for

Dislikes: she doesn’t want to share but she is glaring towards the window, so there is something there.

Pet peeves: people being rude for no reason

Quirks: she rarely smiles, but is happy more often then not

Savvy: teaching

Can’t understand: how people harm their own family

Strengths: good runner, understanding, passionate

Flaws: fury, workaholic, blunt

Tagging: OC Celebration Week August 2018 Day 1

#writerblr #OC Celebration Week August 2018 #OC Celebration Week #writeblr #WIP Share #oc celebration #occelebration #Emere Tereiti #long post

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perfectirishgifts · 4 years ago

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Boston Superspreader Conference Led To Over 300,000 Covid-19 Coronavirus Cases

New Post has been published on https://perfectirishgifts.com/boston-superspreader-conference-led-to-over-300000-covid-19-coronavirus-cases/

Boston Superspreader Conference Led To Over 300,000 Covid-19 Coronavirus Cases

Seventy of Massachusetts’ first 92 confirmed Covid-19 coronavirus cases were linked to a meeting of … [] Biogen executives that was held at the hotel in late February. (Photo by Stan Grossfeld/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Typically, you may want a biotech conference to have an impact. But leading to over 300,000 Covid-19 coronavirus cases may not be what you have in mind.

A study just published in the journal Science showed how what happened in Boston, MA, didn’t stay in Boston. An international biotechnology conference that took place in Beantown on February 26-27 soon became a “superspreader” event. Or rather a “superduperspreader” event. Or perhaps even a “superduperpooperOMGWTHspreader” event.

Keep in mind that late February was when things in the U.S. were still pretty much business as usual. By that time, political leaders were undoubtedly aware of the threat that the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) posed. After all, the World Health Organization (WHO) had already declared the SARS-CoV2 a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on January 30. That should have gotten countries like the U.S. to say, “what the PHEIC,” and launch some kind of response. It’s not as if the WHO declares a PHEIC for just anything such as a Nutella shortage, latke recipe gone wrong, or Kim throwing something at Khloe on the reality TV show Keeping Up with Kardashians. Since 2009, there have been only six such PHEIC declarations. By late February, a number of other countries had already sprung into action.

Nevertheless, President Donald Trump’s administration hadn’t yet implemented broader response measures or uniformly warned the public about the threat. An NBC News headline on February 26 blared “Americans should prepare for coronavirus crisis in U.S., CDC says.” That was a bit like saying, “you really should pull up your pants during a job interview.” That week U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar had said: “The immediate risk to the general American public remains low. But, as we have warned, that has the potential to change quickly.”

That meant Americans weren’t really putting precautions into place yet. Many people weren’t staying six feet or one Denzel (since Denzel Washington is about six feet tall) apart from each other. They could still sing Ariana Grande’s, “Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored” in close proximity to each other. Life was relatively “normal.” Toilet paper was still in stock. Restaurants, bars, and barbershops were still operating with few limitations. The number of mullets, manbuns, and Rapunzel hairstyles was not nearly as high as they are today.

Pictured here is Biogen headquarters on Binney Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (Photo by … [] Nicolaus Czarnecki/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images)

Therefore, the biotechnology conference went ahead as planned. Among the attendees were executives from the biotechnology company Biogen, who had unknowingly been infected with SARS-CoV2 just days prior at the company’s annual leadership meeting. Therefore, they carried secrets that even they didn’t know, sort of the opposite of being sexy and knowing it. Articles in the Boston Globe and the New York Times described the resulting sequence of events. And here is a what a WCVB Channel 5 Boston news report around that time said:

Basically, a bunch of interactions occurred at the meeting and voilà the virus spread in the conference like beard oil in a hipster beard. Ah, but this beard ended up being a lot larger than anticipated.

At the time, contact tracing performed by public health officials had identified 99 Covid-19 coronavirus cases resulting from this conference. They may have gotten 99 problems back then, but the spread of the virus certainly didn’t stop there, which brings us to the Science study.

For the study, a team of researchers used NP samples collected in March from 28 of the 99 Covid-19 coronavirus positive cases. In this case, NP doesn’t stand for “no problem” or “nice pizza.” In fact, quite the contrary. NP stands for nasopharyngeal, as in push a cotton swab all the way up your nose until you feel like your brain is twerking.

Sequencing the genomes of viruses obtained from the NP samples revealed viruses with a particular mutation: the C2416T mutation. This name may sound like a moderately strong password for a website but instead is the designation for a mutation that had never been seen before in the U.S. prior to the biotech conference. The precursors of this C2416T variant had already become fairly widespread in Europe in January and February. The team also found viruses with a G26233T mutation, which hadn’t been apparent in the U.S. before the conference either.

So it looks like the Boston biotech conference was the debut of two new SARS-CoV2 variants in America. And what happens when conference goers travel back home after a big meeting? They bring stuff back with them such as swag bags, business cards, misty water colored memories, and viruses.

The researchers then checked the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID) database to find out where else in the U.S. the C2416T and G26233T variants had been subsequently detected over time. Indeed, these two new variants seemed to really get around after the conference. At least, that’s what GISAID said.

As of November 1, there was a cumulative total of at least 51,718 reported cases of the C2416T variant in the four counties that comprise the Boston area. In fact, by then, the C2416T variant had already appeared in 29 states with an estimated total of 245,000 cases. At the same time, an estimated 88,000 cases of the G26233T variant had collectively occurred in the U.S. Adding these two totals together meant that the Boston biotech conference could have been responsible for well over 300,000 Covid-19 coronavirus cases. Yikes.

In fact, the 300,000 number may have been an underestimate. The study relied on non-random samples and what GISAID said. As you probably have realized by now, not everyone in the U.S. has been tested for the Covid-19 coronavirus. Even when testing has occurred, the testing may not have always identified whether the specific variants of interest were present. And not all test results are necessarily entered into GISAID.

Regardless, pinpointing the exact number of cases generated by the conference would be like quibbling over whether there are 300,000 or 320,000 marmots currently in your apartment right now. When you can’t use the toilet without asking several hundred marmots to stand back and stand by or have more than a hundred thousand Covid-19 coronavirus cases attached to an event, you know that something went wrong, terribly wrong. The Science study showed that with little doubt the Boston biotech conference was indeed a superspreader event.

An organized, coordinated, and scientifically-driven response to the pandemic has helped Taiwan … [] contain outbreaks and “retunr-to-normal” much sooner than the U.S. (Photo by Ceng Shou Yi/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

This is yet another example of how earlier and more aggressive intervention could have changed the course of the pandemic in the U.S. Other countries such as Taiwan, New Zealand, South Korea, and Australia have had clear, organized national responses to the virus. By comparison, many political leaders in the U.S. have treated the spread of SARS-Cov2 like a pimple or a bunny rabbit carrying a T-shirt launcher: ignore it and it will go away.

Rather than organize a coordinated national response, the federal government left much of the response to states and municipalities. That would have been akin to directing the movie Avengers: End Game and telling all of the characters to enter the scenes whenever they’d like and do whatever they please. That would have been pretty darn chaotic. Similarly, lack of national coordination kept states from mounting effective responses. For example, how were states supposed to conduct comprehensive test-trace-isolate efforts for an outbreak at an event when attendees crossed state lines and returned back their home states after the event?

Think about how things may have been different in 2020 in the U.S. had an effective national test-trace-isolate response been in place prior to, during and after the Boston conference outbreak. Outbreak responses need to be done as quickly as possible to box in the virus and prevent its further spread. As quickly as possible means within days and not within eight months. After all, telling your date that you will return from the bathroom as quickly as possible and then returning eight months later could kind of ruin the evening.

Speed, coordination, and open communication across state lines are essential in stopping any outbreak, especially when the pathogen is as contagious as the SARS-CoV2. Otherwise, a hundred cases can soon become several hundred. Or several thousand. Or even over 300,000.

Full coverage and live updates on the Coronavirus

From Healthcare in Perfectirishgifts

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mdwatchestv · 7 years ago

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The Magicians 3x01: The Best Episode of Buffy

Abra Cadbra Bishes! It is Magicians time once again! What, did you think I had abandoned recaps all together? Probably a safe assumption honestly due to the way I completely abandoned Dirk Gently Season 2 (now cancelled btdubs) AND parted ways with The Walking Dead. But I could never leave my beautiful Magicians behind. This show is a balm for the troubled mind, a crutch for the broken spirit, a festival of hotties for the thirsty eye.

There is not a “previously on” long enough to fully remind me of all the plot developments that happened last season. But the glory of the Magicians is that full and comprehensive understanding of the plot is not necessary for enjoyment of the show. In fact the writers themselves seem to acknowledge this in the speedy construction and subsequent introduction of this season’s main arc. But we’ll get to all of that in a moment - first what DID happen last season? Well most notably the Magicians killed Ember/Umber creators of Fillory, in order to save the magical land. However the big gods frowned upon the culling of the little ones and punished the universe by turning off the magic pipes. Major buzzkill.

As for our heroes, One-Eyed Bambi and High King Best Character are attempting to a rule a magic-less kingdom, while at the same time dealing with a full-scale fairy invasion. The Fairy Force is ruthless, demanding, and trickiest of all: invisible to most. Usually I try to start slow and then ramp up to the real highlights or lowlights in an episode, but this time I just can’t wait. I know we are only 13 days into this new baby year, but I am ready to call Margo and Eliot’s subtitled nerd-code forest summit the most joyous thing I will see on TV this year. I like to imagine the writers of The Magicians just sitting around together, perhaps on toadstools, drinking novelty cocktails and saying, “Hey, you know what would be cool to do?” (See also last season’s Les Mis musical break for further proof of this). What’s more is it’s proof that The Magicians really understands its audience. How SEEN did you guys feel during this?

This scene, and Margo and Eliot’s storyline (I’m not even gonna TOUCH the Great Cock), is exemplary of why I keep coming back. In a world of dour must-see dramas, and existentially-fraught comedies, The Magicians is unrepentant in its irreverence. Also Margo’s outfits continue to be ON POINT, work it my one-eyed, spy traitor, earth-worm fetching, power pony Queen.

Other things are also happening elsewhere, so let’s talk about everyone else too I guess. On Earth the magic shortage has made prospects pretty grim for everyone. Brakebills might have to shut down, magical knowledge could be lost forever, and parties just aren’t as good. The only person with any sort of spark left is Julia, who after not-killing Reynard last season, is finally getting her groove back. Sensing a righteous quest, Quentin immediately enlists himself as her sidekick. At least he knows his place.

In order to work their way up the god food chain in an attempt to get more magical intel, the fearless duo first crash a party thrown by the OG party-god, Bacchus. I don’t know if this is a sign I am getting old, but his eight day rave looked totally exhausting to me. I felt dehydrated just seeing those purple mystery shots. Jokes about his social media ‘following’ will have to sustain me in the post-American Gods television wasteland. Drugs, black lights, booze, and bouts of mental torment are had by all.

Meanwhile Penny still has his ability to teleport, was the Library exempt from magic-loss? I know they are all sinking into a wormhole and Penny is dying of poison-cancer, isn’t that enough? Luckily Marlee Matlin is BACK to save the day! Her limited interaction with Kady is enough to suggest she will return in the future, which is very excellent news! Magicians always has an A+ guest cast, and with the cavalcade of returning recurs in the opener I am assured this season will be no different.

So what’s going on now? This episode largely served as a status report for all our favs: Eliot and Margo are in trouble, Q and Julia are friends again, Kady and Penny are the ultimate literal star-crossed lovers, and oh fuck I totally forgot Alice existed. Alice has fallen in with a bad crowd, her new interests are bacon and moody staring. Aside from that check-in this episode launched a new quest/plot-line for season 3, set to our heroes by the sexiest creature in all of Fillory - The Great Cock. Their mission, should they have to accept it to restore all magic, is to find seven keys! Great! I really appreciate how little the show bothers with backstory or slow set up, they understand this not what we are here for. We are here to forget all of our troubles and find new hairstyles to compliment our eyepatch.

Cheers to you Magicians, now lets go get some keys.

XO MD (The Destroyer)

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luverofsupernatural · 4 years ago

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I saw a text post here a couple weeks back on Tumblr that said something along the lines of “if you don’t believe the phrase ‘Things will get better’ that means that you’re still going through the dark times.”

Now, I’m not gonna debate if things do in fact ‘get better,’ but I can vehemently say that I detest hearing that phrase. Why? Because to me, it reads as “wait a little while, and things will magically get better with time.” I know that this is not the intended meaning, that it intends to give you hope, but to me, it’s vague enough that it seems like disingenuous optimism.

So, why am I bringing this up? Because I want to suggest some things that may be better than saying “things get better”

**note, these are all based on my experiences and will not apply to everyone. Additionally, these are simply things I have learned, not something someone told me. Lastly, even if this may be helpful to a situation, someone may still not believe, especially if you’re not a closely trusted person.

*also, I will be referring to a “bad place” This could be emotional turmoil, physical turmoil, or something else (turmoil includes anything problematic). And in general, I do not mean financial turmoil as there are a lot of external factors you likely cannot control.

1. First, you have to decide that you want out of this situation.

Here’s the thing, most people recognize they’re in a bad spot without anyone telling them so. The rational part of you is probably thinking “Well, if they know it’s a bad place, shouldn’t they be fighting to get out of it?” Well, here’s where it can get a bit tricky.

Even if someone recognizes they’re in a bad place, sometimes a person may feel as if they deserve to be there (a punishment of sorts). Or, it may feel comfortable and familiar because they’ve been in it for so long. Or, it may be easier to accept it rather than fight to change things. And these are only three reasons that I have personally experienced. Every person can have their own personal reason for not wanting things to get better.

But, I don’t have to tell you that being in a ‘bad place’ can be very damaging emotionally and isolating. After all, humans crave social interaction and to be loved. So, the first step to anything is getting the person to decide that they want to start moving out of the bad place. This could be something like “I want to fight to be able to feel love again,” or “I want to start feeling happy more often” or “I want to get out of X relationship.” Each person’s goal will be different, but it has to be something they want. They need a positive, internal motivator to even think about wanting to get better.

2. Identify and explain that your environment does partially contribute to your mindset.

I mean a couple things when I say environment.

Social: who you hang out with and what you all talk about.

Physical: the objects that surround you at home. What you choose to wear (clothing, makeup, hairstyle, etc.). Music you listen to.

Mental/Emotional: your feelings towards yourself, how you think others feel towards you, what is said by others about you, what you say to yourself.

(This is not comprehensive. I list a bit for each so you get the gist)

Your environment does affect your mindset. So, for example, if you are generally tidy person and living in a messy room, that’s going to stress you out (we are not getting into semantics as to why it is and remains messy).

Part of your environment is how you listen to others around you. For example, if your friends just complain all the time, you are more likely to see the world in a negative way because you are always hearing about negative things.

Now, the cure is not to try and go complete opposite. Your room is messy, clean it so that it no longer bothers you. Your friends complain too much, don’t talk to them anymore.

Your friends should be people who care about you and your well-being. Instead, you can simply set boundaries. In continuing with the example, set a boundary to be like “Hey, I know there is a lot you have to get off your chest, but I feel crummy after hearing you complain all the time.” (Notice the ‘I feel’ statements connected to a direct action. This puts this emphasis on your well-being and not on blame). Now, this should open up an honest discussion you can have with your friend, and they will hopefully change their behavior to help you.

Now, I know that this is a simple example and I’ve only shown two cases where you already know what’s causing the trouble. So, I’m going to suggest something more broad you can do.

You can (and should) tell people you trust that you are not in a “good place” right now. If you can’t think of anyone off-hand, there are also helplines you can call (I really recommend Crisis Text Line). Try to explain what you are feeling (I know, this can be hard). I promise that they will listen to you. Most people if you ask them for help will help you.

Now, I know that you cannot change everything about your environment (maybe you have a crappy roommate, or an obnoxious coworker, or you live in a run-down building), but any small changes may still help.

3. Take action to actively change how you are think.

This is extremely hard to do. And you will have relapses. Do not feel bad about this. Actively working to change thought patterns and habits is very very hard. But, that’s where your internal motivator comes in. You are working so hard because you have that one goal (be happy more often, get to a safe space). I suggest you keep reminding yourself of that goal when you want to give up.

One of the big things here: small steps. Rome was not built in a day and you cannot completely change how you think in an afternoon.

As an example, if you’re working on body positivity, it can feel very false to say “you love your body” every day. So, instead, try these two steps.

1. Stop saying “I hate my body.” Whenever you think of that, think of something else, or shake the thought out of your head, or say, “No.” Your brain can lie to you, and it is your job to catch these lies.

2. Try body neutrality. When you think “I hate my fat stomach,” stop, think “no, I don’t hate my stomach,” and add on, “it digests food and gives me energy to move my limbs.” It’s not that you like your body, it’s that your body is essential -- it has a purpose.

Re-training your brain will take time, months maybe, but remember that we’re working to change and move you away from the “bad place.” Any step forward is still a step forward. Steps backward do not erase the progress you made because you now know how to “get back to where you were”

I also encourage having an accountability buddy. Someone you tell your progress and relapses too. The main purpose of this is to have someone that will actively cheer you on an reassure you that you are doing good. They may also help you see and the small victories you accomplished in this mountain of a journey you are on.

Whew, okay, that’s a lot. I know I simplified a lot of things, but this is basically what I think can help someone move from a bad place to a better place. It’s not just “things will get better,” but rather, here are steps that may help you feel better.

I also will have a cut here in case there are any things I want to add on or “patch notes”

empty for now

#long post #self help #emotional advice #positivity #self care #self love #recovery #healing #self improvement #well-being

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taehyungiestummy · 7 years ago

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Blood, Sweat, and Tears -- Chapter Four

Masterlist Previous Next Warnings: Cursing, blood, injury Word Count: 5405

“Hello everyone,” I skip into my father’s office, seeing about ten people that must have just returned from a mission scattered around the room. “Bambi,” Yoongi scolds from behind me. I shake my head, just barely rolling my eyes, walking over to take a seat next to Sooyoung on the loveseat. “Someone’s attitude has changed drastically,” Sooyoung gives me a quick fist bump, sinking back into the loveseat. “Jin’s famous hot chocolate,” I pull a folder out of my backpack, taking out the syllabus to see what assignment I need to do. “That can cure anything.” “Well, now that everyone is here,” Yoongi’s voice fills up the room, stopping any talking that was previously going on. “We can get started on recapping the latest mission. Jungkook, if you would.” Sooyoung gives me a nudge, her voice barely audible as she leans into me, “That’s him. Stop doing your damn homework and look at the boy.” I roll my eyes, twirling my pencil into a resting position, and lifting my head to spot the one that has stolen my best friend’s heart. “Early this morning, we spotted a co-leader of the Red Wolves entering one of our small convenience stores,” Jungkook speaks up. His voice smooth with every word that leaves his lips. “He’s been doing this for months now, and every time we find threats written out in the restroom, and even wiretaps. He was trying to get information for some reason, but our hackers were on it. Having cameras in every place imaginable is helpful beyond comprehension.” I grin as the assassin tells the tale with such ease. “If you failed to kill him, Kookie, then I lost a bet, and I can’t have that.” Jungkook turns his head to look right at me, a smirk tugging at his lips. “The only time I have failed to kill, was my very first job. You won your bet, Bambi. Don’t worry about it.” Even for as young as he is, Jungkook Jeon is the most skilled and decorated assassin in the country. With a fail rate at less than one percent, it was a no brainer to make sure Bangtan got a hold of him before anyone else could. He’s been with the mafia for a few years now, and has taken out more enemies than any other member. The coldblooded assassin just turned twenty-two mere days ago, as every birthday is celebrated with a small cake from Seokjin. Over the past few years, he grew from a shy teen into a handsome, confident man. His baby fat left his face, and left behind a sharp jawline face. He’s quite taller than me at 178 centimeters, and is just as fit as Jimin. His brown eyes can never give away what he’s thinking, as he’s been trained to throw away emotions. There are times when Jungkook is able to let his walls down and act like he hasn’t killed his fair share of people. His smile can pull anyone in; his top two teeth like a bunny’s, causing him to be adorable. There’s not a time when his hair isn’t shaggy or a shade of brown. It’s also not terribly rare to see his hair styled to show his forehead. He likes to scrunch up his slender nose when disgusted, and his pout is perfect with his full bottom lip. His ears are a bit bigger, but it helps with being able to hear every little noise when on a mission. At least that’s what he always says. He has a perfect tan from all the time he spends outside. I’m not the least bit surprised that Sooyoung fell for him. “Jungkook, please, continue with your account,” Yoongi throws a disapproving look my way. I stick my tongue out at my brother before looking back down at my homework. “Yes, of course,” Jungkook clears his throat. “I was set up on the roof of a building across the street, waiting for the bastard to exit. Our best hacker calculated that he would spend anywhere between seven and twelve minutes inside the store, so I was ready for his exit.” Sooyoung leans into me again, her voice but a whisper. “Isn’t he just perfect?” “Talk to him afterwards, so you can get it off your chest, please,” I breath out, trying to translate the Korean to Japanese. “The bullet was dipped in poison, in the off chance the headshot didn’t kill him in an instant,” Jungkook continues. “About ten seconds after he exited the shop, I sent the bullet speeding right for his head. It entered at the temple, and he was a bloodied corpse on the ground in the blink of an eye. He was cleaned up before I even started down the building.” “A success then,” Yoongi nods, not even a flicker of emotion crosses his face. “Maybe now the Red Wolves will learn their lesson.” “I highly doubt it,” I look up from the homework in my lap. “They never seem to understand that even being the biggest gang in Seoul doesn’t mean they can mess with the biggest mafia organization in the nation. They are beyond cocky, and I don’t think they get just how bulletproof we are.” “Just send her to them, Suga,” Hoseok speaks up. “She’ll set them straight.” “No, let them continue to be idiots,” I notice myself absentmindedly twirling my pencil in my hand. “It doesn’t matter to me if they keep losing men. I’m only concerned about the people living in this mansion.” “Priorities in check,” Jimin flashes a smile at me. “That’s very thoughtful and sweet of you, Bambi.” “Moving on,” Yoongi snaps to get the meeting back on track. “Taemin, if you could please tell us about the bar, and the recent activity from a certain somebody.” Taemin messes with his papers and clears his throat, “Of course. Well, the bar has been doing the best it has even been. School is back in session, so the kids are coming in for a little relaxing, and we will see another spike soon. It helps being the most popular bar in the city, and all the press that we get because of the people we work with.” “What about money not coming from the bar? How are we doing then?” I set my pencil down, looking up to see Taemin looking back at me. “Go on, tell me about the drug side of all of this.” Taemin Lee is more than a bartender for the mafia, he also handles all drug interactions and is basically an accountant. There’s not an expense that gets past his eyes. With all the money the group has, it shouldn’t be a huge deal, but he makes sure no one ever buys anything outrageous. Unless they have a good excuse to get away with the purchase. “The drug side has been doing good,” Taemin answers me. “We have been able to keep up with the demand from anyone wanting whatever. We also have enough for the mansion to take a hit as often as they’d like. Maybe you’d like to come down and try something one day.” I let a chuckle escape my lips, “If only Yoongi would let me. The only drugs I’ll be taking are prescribed.” “If you even thought about taking a hit of anything, you’d be locked in your room for the rest of your life,” Yoongi glares at me. “That is not the path for you.” “Taemin, please continue on your money talk, please,” I ignore my brother, nodding at the man to continue. Taemin curtly nods before diving back into accounting talk that I can’t follow. Taemin Lee comes from a very prestigious background. His father is the owner of one of the biggest accounting firms in Seoul, and it is only time before he takes over the business. For now, he takes care of us, and we let him live out his dream of mixing drinks in one of the best bars in the area. He’s a very cute boy; older than me by three years, and taller than me by the same amount as Jungkook. He stays fit by having to rush around at the bar when he works, and I know he gets some lessons from Jimin when he can. His wide, dark brown eyes hold a shyness that he tries to overcome, and a past that he wishes wasn’t so out to the public. His hair is naturally black and straight, but I have seen him bleach it and try different hairstyles. He has high cheekbones with chubbier cheeks, full lips, a slightly defined jaw, and an adorable squished down nose. His naturally tan skin just makes him that much more handsome. Rumor is, he has a crush on a nurse, so he’s not on my radar at all. “I have noticed something in the recent weeks,” Taemin drags me back into the conversation with those simple words. I look up to see the boy chewing on his bottom lip. “What is it?” Yoongi leans forward in his seat. “There’s a man, late twenties I would say, that keeps coming in,” Taemin runs a hand through his hair. “He seems to be looking for something, or waiting for someone. Same time every night he comes in. I didn’t start noticing him until one of the hackers sent me a message. Now, I make sure that we have eyes on him the entire time he’s in the building.” “But, he hasn’t done anything yet?” I speak up. “Right now, all you know is he’s being weird?” “I don’t trust it,” Jungkook speaks up. “He has to be working for a rival gang. It wouldn’t surprise me if it’s the Red Wolves.” “We have to do something about it,” Sooyoung speaks up for the first time the entire meeting. “The bar isn’t just a place for the mafia to go have some fun. Innocent people go there every day. We can’t put their lives in danger.” “We can’t just kill the man, either,” I add in. “There’s not enough information at this time,” Yoongi takes charge of the meeting before it can get out of control. “We just need to keep watching him until we can determine who his is, and who he is working for. Only then will we take any kind of action.” “How are we going to figure those things out, though?” Jimin questions. Before anyone can answer, my phone starts playing “Cats in the Cradle” that I have set for my father’s ringtone. “Bambi, are you being serious?” Yoongi groans. “You couldn’t turn your fucking phone off for one meeting.” “It’s dad, asshole,” I snatch my phone out of my bookbag. “Now, if you’ll all excuse me, I’m going to take the call from your boss,” I annoyingly smirk, accepting the call as I stand up off the loveseat. “Hello daddy,” I chirp as I begin making me way out of his office. “Hello pumpkin,” Father replies, his voice deep from tiredness. “You sound happy today. Did you have a good day?” “After some amazing hot chocolate,” I open the office door, stepping out into the hallway. “Yoongi and I were just holding a meeting recapping a mission from early today.” The door shuts behind me, and I lean back against it. “Oh, I’m sorry I took you from that. Should I call you back later.” “No, don’t worry about it. I was doing homework at the same time, so it’s not like I was being that big of a help.” “Look at you. Being such a good student, leader, and daughter.” I smile, feeling my heart fill with pride. “Now, I know there’s a reason you called me. So, spill. How was your day?” He lets out a deep breath, “Busy, boring, and tiring. I wish I was home with you and Yoongi.” I giggle, “Well, of course. We are the best.” “Yes, you are,” he chuckles me with. “Yes, you two are.”

********

“So, how was your day, Bambi?” Yoongi asks as he sets up the target. “You didn’t come in with a scowl on your face, so I can only guess you didn’t see the bitches today.” I chuckle, picking up a knife from the table next to me. “I only caught sight of them as they made their way into the cafeteria. I was able to rush into the library before they could even think to call out to me. It’s nice to have Seokjin make me a packed lunch, and then know I don’t have to worry about eating with those fakes.” “I’ll never understand why dad thinks it’s such a big deal that you get along with them,” Yoongi begins making his way back over to me. “I mean, does it really matter to their fathers if their daughters get along with the daughter of the man they are doing business with. That shouldn’t affect business.” “It’s a social status thing, brother,” I let out an exasperated breath. “If those men that dad deals with found out that I was being a bitch to their daughters, it rubs off bad on him. I have to behave so they know he’s a good man. That he can teach his kid some simple manners.” “Thank god the only people I have to deal with are the ones in the mansion. I could never go around acting the way you do,” he gently pinches my cheek. I smile, stepping up to be directly in front of the target. “It’s a gift, really. I’m not sure why I don’t join the drama club, or try out for plays.” I send the knife in my hand flying down at the target, digging into the wooden target. “I can tell you why, you hate people,” Yoongi steps up next to me, sending a knife at the target without a second thought. “There’s no way you could be the center of attention like that. You like to be alone, without the worries of having to interact with other people.” “That’s very true,” I giggle, grabbing the knife that my brother is holding out to me. “I would rather be in my room, or out on my balcony, reading a book than acting on a stage. People judge way to easily, and way to fast.” “That’s why I just don’t give a shit about what people think about me,” Yoongi shrugs, sending two knifes barreling down at the target. “If people don’t like me for who I am, then fuck ‘em.” “You aren’t in a role that needs tons of people to like you for your personality, because they already like you for your looks,” I tease, pinching my brother’s cheek. “How could anyone hate you with a face like that?” “You have the same face,” Yoongi tickles my side to get me jumping away in an instant. “How can anyone love you with a face like that?” “Asshole,” I sneer at him. “Brat,” he cocks his eyebrow as he looks curiously at me. “Everyone at school loves you,” I sigh, looking down at the target full of knives. “I mean, they love both of us, but they love you for your looks, and I guess knowing you’ll be leader of the cover-up company. They love me for the money they think they can get from me by going shopping, or something.” “Too bad I hate all of them for being insensitive to my baby sister,” Yoongi coos, pressing a kiss to my cheek. “Have you had any boys come up to you asking for a date?” “I think they are all intimidated for some reason,” I shrug. “The only boys that talk to me are the ones here.” “Jimin really loves to talk to you,” he grumbles. “I would never date Chim. He’s your best friend. I would hope that he would know better than to do that.” “He would be dead before your first date.” I roll my eyes, “There’s no one on my radar, so stop being the over protective big brother. You have nothing to worry about.” “Just go get those knives, and then we can talk about something else,” Yoongi gives me a shove in the direction of the target. “I’m going,” I wave him off as I begin walking. “I’m going, geez.” It doesn’t take long for me to make it to the target and begin to wiggle the knives out of the wood and toss them onto the floor. I’ve been working with knives ever since I learned about the mafia, and it is probably my favorite weapon to use. You can throw them from a good distance, and if you just want to get someone in pain to get your point across, it is easy to do so with knives. I also love coming down into the basement to train with my brother. No matter what it is he wants to do. Yoongi and I are closer than any other siblings I know, and I intend to keep it that way. “Can you please hurry up?” Yoongi playfully groans. “Shut up,” I call back, deciding to try and pull two close knives out at once, and regretting it the second metal slices across my skin. “Fucking hell!” I hiss out. “What’s wrong?” Yoongi asks, a bit of concern dripping from his words. “I’ll be okay,” I choke out, looking to see the long, deep cut on my right forearm pouring out blood. “Areum, is that blood?” Yoongi’s voice is full of panic as he rushes up to me. “How did that happen? Why weren’t you being careful? Does it hurt?” “It is a deep cut, Yoongi,” I push out through clenched teeth. “Of course, it fucking hurts. I thought I could get two knives out at once, but one slipped, and got me.” “You are so stupid sometimes. You can’t hurt yourself like this. You have to stay safe.” “I need a damn doctor,” I make a fist to try and get my mind off the pain. “Yes, we need to get you to Minho, or Boram,” Yoongi is rushing around, looking for something to try and stop my bleeding, probably. “That is going to need stitches, and that’s going to hurt, but I’ll be right by your side to hold your hand, and talk to you to keep your mind off it.” He comes back with a few towels, quickly tying one tightly around my upper arm. “You’re usually so good with knives, how could you slip up like this?” “Can you please take a deep breath and shut up?” I groan as he presses a towel directly on the cut. “Sorry,” he grimaces as my face contorts in pain. “Come on, we need to get down to the hospital wing now.” “Lead the way, if you will, please,” I try my best to give my brother a smile. The only thing on my mind as we rush through the halls to the hospital wing is pain. Black dots flicker across my vision as I do my best to power through the intense burning in my arm. Memories of another time where someone else was cut flashes in my mind, but it’s been so repressed that I can’t make heads or tails of what I am seeing. “I need a doctor right now!” Yoongi shouts as we burst into the doctor’s office area. “This is an emergency!” “What’s going on?!” A higher pitched girl’s voice shockingly calls out as she bursts out of her office. “Areum, are you bleeding?!” “Hi Boram,” I weakly smile, giving her a small wave with my uninjured arm. “Just had a little slip up when training.” “It was a huge slip up,” Yoongi scolds. “You should have taken your time.” “You said to hurry up,” I glare at my brother. “Follow me, I need to get to work on that right away,” Boram grabs her lab coat off a rack before rushing down the hallway. Boram Choi is the head nurse of Bangtan, and the younger sister of the head doctor. As one of the only girls I enjoy interacting with, it’s makes me feel a bit better that she is the one who is going to be fixing me up. It’s usually hard to find doctors and nurses to work for a group of organized crime, but the Choi siblings didn’t seem to care about that fact. They accepted the job knowing that they would be able to use their skills to help people almost every day. It also helped others want to work for Bangtan because of how well known the two are. “Up onto the table,” Boram pats the examination table, rushing over to wash her hands in the sink. “Yoongi, please pull the towel off the wound, gently.” Yoongi helps me up onto the examination table, my legs beginning to go weak from the blood loss. “Everything is going to be okay, little one. Just trust your brother on this one.” I tenderly smile at the use of the nickname he only uses when he’s super nervous. “I know, Yoongi. I trust Boo will fix me up. No problem.” Boram gathers up all she’ll need to stitch me up, a soft smile on her face. “Of course, that is my job.” I wince as Yoongi pulls the blood-soaked towel off my arm, and then a wet cloth begins cleaning up the area. “Try to think of something else while I stitch you up,” Boram sterilizes the needle she’s going to use on my arm. “Don’t let the pain overpower you. Have Yoongi talk to you if you need to.” “Just get on with it,” I choke out, just wanting to have the wound fixed up as soon as possible. “I am going to be right here the entire time,” Yoongi grabs my free hand. “Don’t worry about anything.” As Boram begins the stitching process, I somehow withdraw into my thoughts and feel only a pinching in my arm. The Choi siblings joined Bangtan just a few years ago now. Both already famous in the medical field thanks to their parents; even if they were both right out of university. They transformed our ragtag medical area into a proper hospital wing with true order. For as little as Boram is, standing at 157 centimeters, she can be a very commanding figure when she needs to be, and knows her way around a hospital like no other. Her height helps her stand out, but not as much as her long, pink hair. She’s like a healing fairy, with her hair pulled up onto the top of her head in two buns. Her eyes are purple today, thanks to her colored contacts. The only time you can see her natural grey eyes are right when she wakes up. She has a sort of squished circle for a face shape; high cheek bones with chubby cheeks make her adorable beyond words. A button nose fits perfectly on her face, full lips, perfect eyebrows, a jaw that gives her round face a bit of a square look, and a big smile to show off her beautiful teeth. Sometimes I forget she’s older than me by two years because of her looks. “Done,” Boram’s voice rings throughout my thoughts, bringing me back to reality. “Thank goodness I was born with small, nimble hands,” “Great work,” Yoongi lets go of my hand, taking a step away from the examination table. “That was way quicker than I thought it would be.” “Now you can chill out,” I speak up, noticing how dry my throat is. “I was never in any real danger.” “You never know. Next time, be more careful.” “Whatever,” I look down at my stitched-up arm just as Boram wraps some gauze around it. “Thanks for caring so much.” “That’s what brothers are supposed to do,” a different male’s voice than my brothers speak up. “Protect their little sisters.” I look up to see the other half of the Choi sibling that has been missing: Minho. “Hey Doc,” Yoongi crosses his arms over his chest. “Yoongi,” Minho smiles that heartwarming smile of his. “What did Areum do this time?” “Come on, I don’t hurt myself that much,” I whine. “She cut herself with a knife while we were training,” Yoongi explains. “Boram just finished stitching her up.” “Areum is the best patient, and didn’t seem to be in any pain once I started stitching up the wound,” Boram adds in. I sigh, “That’s because you are the best nurse I could ask for. Can you prescribe some painkillers, though?” “Good thing it isn’t on your dominate arm,” Minho comments. “There’s always a bright side in these kinds of situations.” Minho is two years older than his sister, and a bit taller than her at 180 centimeters. He has a boxy oval face, and a squarer jawline than his sister. His eyes are a warm brown, and he’s one of the only guys that doesn’t dye his hair a different color, keeping with his naturally wavy, dark brown hair. His lips are full like his sisters, a slightly pushed down nose, smooth cheeks, and thick eyelashes. Just because he’s a doctor doesn’t mean he neglects being in the best shape he can be in; he’s on par with Jimin and Hoseok. “Well, Bambi, I think we should get you to your room to rest,” Yoongi holds his hand out for me. I place my hand in my brother’s, using it to maneuver off the examination table. “That sounds lovely.” “Next time I see you, Areum, I hope I don’t have to fix you up,” Boram hands me a bottle of painkillers. “I make no promises,” I smirk. “I do,” Yoongi pulls me close. “Ah, protective older brother,” Minho chuckles. “Such a heartwarming sight to see.” I try to keep the smile off my face, but fail, deciding to keep my thoughts of my sweet brother inside my head this time.

********

I gently run a finger over my bandaged, slightly over three inches, stitch. The craftmanship of Boram not only will ensure a speedy recovery, but it also means I barely have any pain. The latter means a lot to me when I have to rush around the university campus, and people don’t give two shits about bumping into one another. As they almost always do, the fakes found me before I could escape to the library, and I was forced to sit with them in the cafeteria. It’s one thing to lie to their faces by pretending I am a cheerful girl that loves their company, but having to lie about how I have a bandage on the entirety of my right forearm was a trick. I couldn’t say I cut myself while training for mafia fights, as the mafia is a secret and they can’t know I have skill with knives. They also would never believe that I know how to fight. I’m always dressing up to fit into their preppy cliché. In the end, I decided to tell them that I was trying to help an injured cat, and it panicked and scratched up my arm. The fakes didn’t doubt me for a second, and praised me for trying to help an animal in need. Even though, that’s more a thing that Boram would do than I ever would. Snow is the only animal I need to worry about in my life. Today isn’t too bad of a day, however, as father is coming home either late tonight or tomorrow morning. Then Yoongi and I can take a step back from leading, and go back to focusing on our personal ventures. It’s been a bit stressful balancing school, personal time, and leading over Bangtan. I like being leader with my brother, though. Even if it makes me go a bit crazy because I am still in school. Bossing people around, being in meetings to hear of missions, and knowing that my father trusts his kids enough to take over the family business makes me feel like my life is finally going in the right direction. “Now, if anyone can give me some examples from the text to defend the question I have written on the board,” the literature professor pulls me out of my thoughts. “You don’t have to give me a page number if you just-” A loud knock on the door cuts the professor off, and shuts down the few people whispering. The professor walks over to the door, opening it so the person on the other side can come in. “Oh, Nurse Jenny, what brings you to our classroom?” Nurse Jenny, a middle-aged woman that is beyond sweet every time I pass her in the halls, gives a small smile. “I just need to talk to you for a moment, sir.” “Students, start answering the question on the board while I talk to Nurse Jenny,” the professor waves at us to get to work. I sigh, picking up my pencil and reading the question written on the board. It’s not uncommon for a nurse to come into a classroom unannounced. They are the information bearers of the school, knowing every little thing that is going on in the city. If a building caught fire, or an elementary school is being let out early, or the subway is down for some reason, they will come inform classes so people can plan the rest of their days. It annoys me a smidge, because now I have to pay attention to what the professor is teaching. Having to answer lecture questions pisses me off because kids don’t even have to have read the book to put in an opinion on a broad question. “Areum Min,” Nurse Jenny’s voice breaks me from writing out a response. I slowly look up, feeling my stomach plummet to my toes at the sadness breaking through the nurse’s bad façade. “Am I doing something wrong?” I widen my eyes to give off an innocent aura. “If you could please gather up your things, and come out into the hallway with me,” the nurse steps over to be at the door. All eyes are trained on me as I do my best to calmly put away my school items. People seem to be whispering all around me, but I can’t hear anything they are say. My brain going into overdrive at what this nurse could possibly need to tell me. Did Yoongi get hurt somehow? Is Namjoon not able to pick me up today? Did a fire break out at the mansion? Does the school know about my arm and want to check the bandages? The list of possibilities is endless, and most of them make my heart stop. Somehow, I get all my school items into my backpack, and the next thing I know I am making my way down the classroom. It doesn’t feel like I am in control of my legs. The news that the nurse holds for me makes it feel like I am having an out-of-body experience. “It’s nice to see you, dear,” Nurse Jenny gives a tight-lipped smile, opening the door for me. “Thank you, sir, and sorry for interrupting class,” she directs at the professor. “No worries,” the professor waves her off. “Areum, don’t worry about the questions, just keep reading the book.” I nod, finding myself unable to talk. Nurse Jenny nudges me out the door, following me a few meters down from the classroom. She takes a deep breath, letting the door close so we can have some privacy. “It’s not often I have to come give news to a single student.” “Is my brother okay?” I blurt out before I can think of stopping myself. The nurse tenderly smiles, “You brother is fine. It’s another family member that I am here to tell you about. Someone should be here soon to take you to the hospital.” I feel my heart clench, legs wobble, and throat close in fear. “Areum, your father has been in a terrible car accident. Sweetheart, I am so sorry.” I crumple onto the floor as a sob rips through me. My backpack sliding away from me as I can’t seem to control my arms. The worst scenario I could think of has just slipped past the lips of an innocent woman.

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This is the chapter I have been waiting for to get out to you guys. I really hope you all like it! Please let me know what you think of this, turning point, of sorts. Relationships of all kinds being developed. The plot is finally coming together, and I hope you are all ready for what is to come! (And just wanting to let @jungk0oksthighs know that her character is gushing over Jungkook in this chapter. Hope you like it!)

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jgfiles · 7 years ago

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Re-watching Joker Game: Ep 9 Double Joker (Part 2)

So, as I proposed a re-watching, here I go continuing on doing the re-watching. Hopefully someone else will join! ^_-

Also, hopefully there’s someone out there that read all this stuff… as I know it’s pretty long… shame on me for analyzing things too in deep…

Mind you, what follows are my ramblings over Ep 9, comprehensive of my impression on how the frames were structured and so on with some occasional reference to the other Joker Game media.

Also, for personal comfort, I’ll use the characters’ names even if the anime hasn’t stated them yet. In short, as this is a re-watching and not a first watching, you’ll also get a telling that’s mixed with my knowledge of the future. Consider yourself warned.

And now, let’s start.

So yes, like in the previous episode I starts with the preview for this episode that was in Ep 8.

Now, we’re again in whatever place the previews take place.

And the new guy, which by now we know is Gamō Jirō a member of Wind Agency, is playing chess with Odagiri.

Why Odagiri and not Jitsui, one might wonder? Of course maybe it’s at random but, more likely, it’s because they’re both Army men and Joker Game is trying to subtly tell us that. Our Odagiri, like Gamō, is from the Army.

…and this reminds me how Joker Game likes to make a point of how Army men (as in people who were raised to become soldier and went through a military school after the other) aren’t fit to be spies even when they’ve the potential. Yūki felt Sakuma could have done it but Sakuma refused as he doesn’t feel he’s cut for the job. Odagiri, who underwent all the training and technically also passed it (he solved his graduation case after all) still felt he wasn’t cut for it and retired. Gamō and Kazato (who likely are even more Army men than Sakuma and Odagiri) think they can do it… and fail spectacularly.

No, Joker Game doesn’t think Army men can do it. But back to the preview where it’s clearly shown that D Agency Odagiri has the black pieces while Wind Agency Gamō has the white ones.

Odagiri is deep in thought and he’s not moving his pieces so Gamō asks him what’s wrong. Odagiri finally moves claiming that ‘you’ve to destroy your opponent’s composure to win’. I’m not into chess that much so I won’t discuss this one, Odagiri… though considering how in the episode Yūki trashed Kazato so much the guy ended up committing suicide… well, Odagiri, your words are taking a dark note.

Or maybe, on a tamer note, this is a hint that Yūki wanted to force Kazato’s hand so he would betray himself? I mean, it’s because Kazato decided to hurry and get rid of Jitsui that the maid at the inn ended up on warning Shirahata…

Back to the preview, Gamō reports what he’d been taught at Wind Agency and in the Army. ‘Chess isn’t about winning or losing. It’s about living or dying,’ and saying so he knocks down Odagiri’s Rock with his Horse.

Now… remember early, really early on when Sakuma felt the D Agency boys were taking matters too lightly, that for them this was all a game played to prove they’re smarter than everyone? Gamō’s sentence reminds me of this. It’s as if Gamō is saying he’s taking this much more seriously than Odagiri.

It’s not going to help him but well… he tried.

And now let’s dig into the episode.

‘Sakudō’ [策動 Planning] begins playing and we can see that the first scenes are… well, nothing else but scenes we saw in the previous episode, fundamentally Mutō introducing us to who Shirahata is, how Shirahata is suspected to have stolen ‘Grand Strategy’, how Gamō investigated on Graham and proved he’s guilty, how he killed Chou, Wind Agency’s motto, Akutsu pinning Kazato against Yūki, and Kazato’s report to Akutsu at the end of the previous episode.

It’s 1:15 minutes of summary and, as far as I’m involved, it’s pointless as we’ll see scenes of the past episode also when we’ll be explained AGAIN what D Agency is as it happens in all the episodes. Okay, okay, it’s probably there for who couldn’t see the previous episode and therefore needs a recap to get into this one but still…

Anyway now we see Gamō and Kazato in front of a building…

…but this one isn’t the Sanbō Honbu (参謀本部 General Staff Headquarters) even if it resembles it.

It’s the Rikugunshō (陸軍省 Army Ministry or Ministry of War).

Why are they there? No idea, maybe this time Kazato and Akutsu’s meeting took place there (even though Akutsu and Mutō always met at the General Staff Headquarters…). Or maybe they’re looking at it because although both Wind Angecy and D Agency depends on the General Staff Headquarters for orders, their survival depends on the Ministry of War (which was also the one who allowed the founding of D Agency… and possibly of Wind Agency?).

The two building were on the same square, so it’s entirely possible that Kazato met Akutsu at the General Staff Headquarters and then, getting out of it, looked at the Ministry of War.

Anyway, as they look at it, Kazato comments that the mission will decide everything, everything being if Kazato’s Wind Agency can win D Agency and… he trails off and claims that they will be the winner. As he does so he touches his chest.

No, not the place where his heart is it’s the place in which he keeps the Tenposen, the proof he was a War College, hidden. In a way, that is his heart and his pride and a sign he view this battle as a battle between Yūki and the War College graduates whom he represents.

‘Kikan’ [機関 Agency] starts and we gets Jitsui telling us the usual shortened version of the explanation of what D Agency is.

Then this ends and we get…

…the opening. Which is the same as usual. Jitsui is the sixth spy who appears, and he’s reading a book, a nod to how in this episode he’ll play the role of a student… but a drama cd hinted also how Jitsui deeply loves book so maybe it’s a subtle way to give us info about him.

Also note how the wind raises his hair. Maybe it’s coincidental, but it sort of makes me think to how in this episode he’ll have a different hairstyle.

Jitsui is also seen at the end tossing something. LOL, no, it’s not tossing Gamō over his shoulder.

Anyway the opening ends and we resume with Joker Game.

It’s night and we’re watching what the novel label the Yamadashi inn (山出し旅館 Yamadashi Ryokan) but that in the anime seems to have a different name, Arai inn (新井旅館 Arai Ryokan).

No idea why they felt the need to change the name of the inn… maybe because the Arai inn is a real inn and they draw this episode inn using it as a model?

Anyway we hear Kazato’s voice singing something, which should be ‘Makkuroke bushi’ (まっくろけ節 “Black as pitch tune” though on Youtube you find it also written as マックロ節) which was popular during that time. It’s an interesting choice as the bit he sings talks of a man dreaming as he travels and then ending up in a tunnel that gets pitch black due to the smoke. It’s sort of a hint of his state, who’s dreaming success and who’s about to see all black due to the failure he’s going to face.

Anyway at first we don’t see Kazato but the women working at the inn and serving the Mist room where Kazato is staying. It’s interesting how, when the maid and Kazato crosses paths, she gives him an odd look, follows him with her gaze and then raises her gaze up at the sky. No, she’s not exasperated because he’s singing, she figured out that he’s actually an Army guy pretending to be a businessman. I can feel her thinking ‘oh my God, is this moron thinking his disguise is tricking someone?’

And yes, Kazato comes out as even more of a moron as he hadn’t noticed at all and, to show us even better how much of a mess he is, he opens the wrong door and, instead than his happy team of Wind spies he finds himself facing an old man being served sake by a maid.

Instead than realizing his mistake, Kazato is just surprised (was he drinking too? Had he drank too much?) and stares at the scene.

The maid turns to him and redirect him toward where his room is.

He apologizes for the interruption and the old man with his face flushed and to whom was being served Sake assures him he shouldn’t worry about it.

Now… admire Yūki’s disguising ability. I know the old man is Yūki but, each time I see him, I still can’t believe they’re the same person. Kazato, you should take notes.

Anyway Kazato leaves but pauses into the corridor so as to eavesdrop the conversation between the maid and the old man and now his gaze his attentive and sharp, nothing like the one he wore when he entered in the wrong room.

Now… this gives me hope. Maybe he did enter in the wrong room on purpose, maybe he only wanted an excuse to check who was in it, so he pretended he got the wrong room. Maybe. This would make him much more smarter than Mutō who tattled out everything to a maid while Yūki was in the next room and didn’t even realize how things went. Still, in the anime it’s hard to say, our only clue seems to be him stopping outside to eavesdrop the conversation, but it seems that in the novel this is the case so if this applies to the anime as well kudos for him. Still Kazato hadn’t noticed the odd glance of the maid he crossed and this isn’t good.

Anyway Kazato hears the old man asking the maid who was the guy who entered in their room and the maid told him he was merely the one using the next room over, someone who works for a company in Tokyo and is training there. The old man seems to lose interest and well, he points out he’s still young, basically hinting at how he would like to spend the night with the maid. She laughs and tells him to stop. At this Kazato decides to walk away.

‘Senzai’ [潜在 Potential] begins playing.

We see that Graham is leaving his home. He looks around suspiciously before getting in his car. As the car leaves the place we see that there’s a man in a dark corner, spying it. No, it’s not Gamō although he’s dressed up as Gamō was in his spying missions. He’s still another member of Wind Agency though.

As soon as Graham’s car leaves, he leaves as well.

Back to the inn and to the mist room a maid mentioned in the beginning. We see inside it they’re serving rather good food (Wind Agency definitely has a better budget than D Agency) which is probably based on the one they really serve there…

…and that the ones inside are Wind Agency members who’re talking in ‘code’ language.

Fundamentally they’re saying what they’re meaning to say but they’re switching the names of the people involved with codenames. Shirahata is now called Huxley, while a certain Morishima is renamed as ‘flower arrangement’.

I guess this worked better in the novel but I fear it couldn’t helped, anyway, each time a codename is mentioned, we see superimposed below the ‘translation’. Of course since we barely know Shirahata and we didn’t see Morishima yet nor heard about him, even if they hadn’t translated the codenames we would have had troubles to understand the discussion just the same. But well, let’s go on.

A side note here. There’s people who don’t like how the Wind Agency members look as they aren’t as cool as our boys at D Agency. Well, since Wind Agency boys are meant to be accomplished soldiers or military policemen who likely went to the Army College I can guess they also were meant to be older (D Agency recruits were university students or, at best, from the Army Academy which, it helps to remember, is not the same as the Army College as you need to attend to Army Academy PRIOR to going to the Army College). What’s however even more relevant is that they weren’t created by Miwa Shiro like our D Agency boys but by Yahagi Toshiyuki using as a model the staff members that were present in that moment… and I guess the staff members weren’t chosen for their good looks… :P

We see that Kazato is seated among them, smoking and, from his position, although they aren’t seated around a single table, we can get he’s the toastmaster and everyone’s boss.

Gamō gets in the room and informs Kazato that ‘the cutomer’, a codename for Graham, has just left. Evidently the guy who was spying on Graham just made his report… still it’s a bit confusing because, since he was dressed as Gamō had previously, one can think the person we saw only for a brief moment is Gamō. Kazato seems satisfied. In that moment a maid interrupts them claiming another person from their party is there and that he’s not going to say his name as they would know who he is without needing to hear it. She adds that person is there to see the manager, Kazato in short.

Kazato orders her to let him in. The one who enters is what looks like a boy in a student uniform.

It’s actually a university student uniform so think at someone in between 19 and 22 but well, he looks younger and we’re so used to high school students in anime we could mistake him for one of them. Anyway… even though we should be expecting Jitsui, since he’s the one who made the D Agency introduction, they gave him glasses (like they did with Hatano) and changed his hairstyle. Add to this that we’re at episode 9 and Jitsui had no speaking role on Ep 1 and 2, that yes, we saw him on a preview but it wasn’t the one for this episode but the one for the episode prior to this (and this is genius as we might be mislead to think that, if there’s a D Agency spy that’s going to show up, that one is Odagiri who was playing chess against Gamō) so we totally might not think that this scared looking boy is a D Agency spy.

A sidenote here. I mean… Kazato and Co are supposedly playing the role of someone who works for a company in Tokyo and is training there. How are they going to think that the visit of a student that works at Shirahata’s villa isn’t going to stand out? Are they thinking it’ll look like they’re recruiting him? And it’ll turn out they didn’t even do their homework well as, apart from what Morishima was ‘trying to hide’ they’ve no idea he’s popular and which are his habits. Really guys, no wonder Yūki makes fun of you.

Anyway so far we’ve no idea who the boy is as we weren’t told yet his name. So more time is gone between the time the Wind Agency boys talked of a ‘flower arrangement’ (codename for Morishima) and the time in which we’ll learn this boy is Morishima. True, Joker Game tells us to pay attentions to details and to remember things, and the fact that ‘the flower arrangement (Morishima) was delivered’ might hint at how they meant Morishima was carried there or something like that but the whole dialogue between Wind Agency members wasn’t really relevant and it’s in a risk to remain unconnected so… I don’t know I would have focused on other matters (the deleted scene on how Shirahata got ‘Grand strategy’ for example would have been more interesting).

Change of scene. We see a house and then a dog sleeping in his doghouse.

The name written on said doghouse is ‘Churchill’.

Are we at Graham’s?, No, the next shot shows us we’re at Shirahata’s house…

…and the dog’s name is a clear hint of how Shirahata is an English sympathizer.

Shirahata is talking with one of the maids of his villa, telling her she can go to sleep and won’t need to wake him up next morning. She bows declaring she’ll comply with his wishes and then… Shirahata turns around and asks her if… she contacted Churchill. The woman replied she did so before Morishima left. Shirahata claims Morishima should have gone to the inn to see a certain waitress again.

This is also pure genius because you can be mislead to think that’s an excuse Morishima gave to justify his going to the inn when no, there’s really a waitress that knows him well.

Now… if you’re wondering how could the maid contact Churchill… that’s actually a mistranslation. What Shirahata is asking is if Churchill, the dog, had been chained, not if the maid had phoned to Winston Churchill. In fact 繋ぐ can mean ‘to transfer a phone call’… but it also means ‘to tie’, ‘to fasten’. Evidently who subbed this episode didn’t notice the dog’s name written on the doghouse and, due to this, went on and assumed they were talking of the much more famous Churchill… so, since the maid couldn’t tie Winston Churchill somewhere, the only option left was that she contacted him.

Back to our story. The maid claims she envies how close Morishima and the maid are which, I guess, it’s a hint that whatever relationship Morishima has with the maid, the whole Shirahata house approves of it. Later we’ll hear that the waitress had a doting look when Morishima was involved so I’ve the feeling they’re so supportive because it’s not romantic but more family like? I don’t know, maybe it’s just me.

Anyway, really Kazato, Morishima really had strong ties with a waitress at the inn and everyone knew. Why did you miss such detail?

Shirahata’s maid wishes him good night and leaves him. As she does so, please pay attention to the door near Shirahata as it’s relevant and Joker Game helped you to remember it by drawing birds on it.

Shirahata’s expression switches into a serious one and then he goes to his study.

The clock shows it’s 10:13 PM.

Shirahata nods to himself (evidently he’s waiting for a specific hour), then goes to his desk, opens up a secret drawer in which we can see there’s a document…

…and watches it smiling. It’s not so difficult to figure out it’s the ‘Grand Strategy’.

Back to the inn we go. The boy, who’s still standing with an uncomfortable and shy look on his face, raises his head. Close up of Kazato’s eyes, then…

The scene switches and we’re shown a window of the Wind Agency training center (風機関訓練所 Kaze kikan kunrensho).

We should recognize it immediately as it’s definitely not your ordinary window. It’s the middle of the day and what start now is clearly meant to be a flashback.

The boy we saw entering in the inn, which from now on I’ll call Morishima, is backing away with a scared expression, asking where he is.

Hum… did they carry him there after drugging him? And why carrying him there? I mean… Shirahata’s villa is in Izu, the Wind Agency training center should be in Tokyo… in short at around 100 Km of distance. Going from one destination to another in present day with a local train takes around one hour and a half. Not the fastest way to question him.

Unless Morishima actually studied at Tokyo university? No idea.

Gamō is standing in front of Morishima and, although he’s just standing, he looks threatening somehow.

Really, it looks as if he’s sort of Kazato’s right hand man in this episode not mentioning that, although it’ll turn out that the other Wind Agency members actually had names, the anime decided to erase them in the end.

We hear Kazato’s voice saying ‘Morishima Kunio’. At this Morishima turns his head toward Kazato, as if startled, while Gamō only turns his eyes, which makes him look rather cold and impassible.

We see… what at first seems to be a photo album as it has 6 photos of Morishima, though it’s actually Morishima’s file.

Anyway Kazato goes on saying Morishima is a student living in Shirahata’s villa since last year, serving as his houseboy and that had birth in Tokyo in 1918 (meaning despite how young Morishima looks he’s actually 22).

Then Kazato goes on revealing the ‘big secret’. Morishima was actually formerly named Ikeda Kunio. Morishima’s eyes widen even more in terror. Look at Morishima’s posture all curled on himself even if he’s standing. He really looks like a pathetic and scared boy.

Kazato goes on saying that after the Morishima family adopted him they paid off an army doctor so as to sent Morishima back home after his physical exam. In short Morishima draft-dodged the obligatory military conscription with falsified medical record, a crime that would get him three years.

A side note here. In the novel the ‘truth’ about Morishima was that he was half Korean. If this had turned out Morishima would have faced discrimination. The anime preferred to switch this with Morishima draft-dodging the obligatory military conscription. Note that back then it was already pretty hard to do so much as to postpone it for study reasons in peace time. By now we know we aren’t in peace time anymore (Japan was at war with China), deferment was cancelled for all students except those in mainly technical or scientific studies as they could end up on contributing to the war with their knowledge (note that Morishima was meant to be a literature student) so this was a big deal.

Kazato goes on claiming that if Morishima is drafted and sent to the frontlines he’ll likely only live a few months. Well, Morishima actually looks frail and weak so I can understand why Kazato would think so, but as for me, knowing about who Morishima truly is… well, I would worry more about the surviving rate of his opponents…

Anyway Morishima tosses himself on his knees and begs Kazato to overlook this as it was all his parents’ doing.

Now I’ve the feeling that shifting the blame on them would cause them as well to go into jail… in short Morishima is doing his best to present himself as a coward who’s easily manipulated. Really, Jitsui, it’s a gold star performance. You and Fukumoto are really the best actors!

Gamō looks at him in a manner that seems to imply he’s disgusted.

Kazato instead, thinking they’ve scared him to death and broken him, claims they suspects Shirahata is a spy. Morishima raises his head in surprise and Kazato is grinning as he tells him if he can picture what he’s going to ask him. In short Kazato wants to make an exchange. He’ll give Morishima a chance to prove his loyalty to Japan. Here it’s not said what he wants Morishima to do but it’ll become clear soon. He wants Morishima to spy on Shirahata. Remember the operative Kazato bragged he had at Shirahata’s villa? Well, he was talking about Morishima.

On a personal note I think the whole idea of giving him a chance to prove his loyalty to Japan worked better with a half Korean Morishima than just with a Morishima who skipped Military Conscription… even if, to be honest, whose were times in which this would be taken as a betrayal to Japan so I get where Joker Game is going.

The flashback ends and we’re back to the inn where, apart from Gamō, the Wind Agency members seem not to be paying any attention to what’s going on between Kazato and Morishima.

Hum… probably it would have been a good idea to develop them more. I get they aren’t really relevant as the story is mostly about Kazato and they used Gamō as the representative for all the Wind Agency members just to flesh Wind Agency out a bit… but still… it’s 6 characters they created and that fundamentally are there to be background. It’s a pity.

Well, Kazato asks Morishima if there are news at the villa… and Morishima replies that Shirahata usually leaves the dog (Churchill, remember?) out the night but that this evening he had him put in the shed (remember, that’s what Shirahata and the maid were talking about…)

This, of course, it’s a hint Shirahata is expecting a visit and doesn’t want the dog to cause troubles… which also meant if the Wind Agency boys were to pay Shirahata a visit the dog wouldn’t cause troubles to them…

Morishima reports also that Shirahata said there was no need to make breakfast for him the day after… so, since Shirahata’s conversation with the maid took place AFTER Morishima left, I guess Shirahata mentioned it early as well.

Close up of Kazato’s eyes who were first looking downcast and then raised themselves.

Now… I generally praise Joker Game use for shots but this time I think they made poor use of what is called the Italian shot (due to Sergio Leone using it A LOT in his western movies) or extreme close-up.

Kazato’s eyes aren’t expressive at all and we saw in the previous hot which expression his mouth is viewing so it’s not like they wanted to hid it… because it’s not going to be a big secret. In the next sentence Morishima is going to tell Kazato what he mostly wanted to know and, from Kazato’s voice, we’ll clearly figure he’s satisfied. If he started smiling there was no need to hide it. Maybe the idea is just to put emphasis to how thoughtful and focused he’s being but… well, there were better ways.

But well, maybe it’s just me. Back with the story.

Kazato asks him ‘about the thing they’ve discussed’ (which is likely ‘Grand Strategy’) and Morishima replies ‘the desk in the study’ (remember? We saw Shirahata watching something that was hidden in the desk in his study).

Kazato sounds delighted as he says ‘I see’, he’s basically dripping satisfaction even if we can’t see his face. When we can see it, after he picked up his bottle of sake, we can see he’s looking at Morishima in a not threatening, not angry manner. He might almost seem smiling and he will smile soon.

Anyway he praises Morishima claiming he has done an excellent work so Morishima dares to ask him for ‘that other matter’ the other matter being him draft-dodging and if Kazato is going to let him off the hook. Now we can see that Kazato is openly smiling…

…as he picks up a sake cup, fills it and replies ‘of course’ claiming Morishima has more than met their expectations and that he thanks him.

Morishima breathes in relief, smiling and accepting Kazato’s cup of sake and then drinking from it.

Well, this in itself was a nice move from Kazato as, considering the setting, not only Morishima wouldn’t have dared to refuse drinking, but the offering came out as natural (a way to reward him with good sake for his good work) and a normal person would feel inclined to accept as a way to unwind the stress they piled up.

Another Italian shot for Kazato’s eyes as he watches Morishima drink that really doesn’t tell me much apart maybe that he was observing him carefully… which might hint at how he has hidden, dark interests in Morishima drinking that drink.

Not that it’ll do him any good as he won’t realize Morishima is actually not drinking his drink. Anyway Morishima hands back the now empty cup and Kazato, always smiling, gives the order that someone of the others should go call a car to take Morishima home. Note that although he said someone he’s looking at Gamō.

Gamō stands up saying he’ll do it (why am I not surprised?) while Morishima waves his hands and says there’s no need and he can go back by himself. Kazato is smiling as he says there’s no need for that. I guess the smile is meant to be gentle but it doesn’t quite work with me but maybe it’s because I know what he has in mind… though look at his eyebrows… they’re actually frowning which isn’t something that happens when you’re smiling gently. Kazato, you should work harder on your fake smile.

Then Kazato, still smiling, claims something that in hindsight is REALLY creepy. He says he won’t see Morishima much after this (yeah, as he plans to kill him) and they (the guys at Shirahata’s house, I guess) might be getting worried about you back home (not that Kazato’s care but it’s a good cover up excuse).

Morishima and Gamō are now standing at the door, Morishima bowing to Kazato gratefully a small smile to his lips (even if it’s clear he’s not exactly happy). Morishima is the first to walk away, Gamō follows but pauses a moment to nod at Kazato, a hint he figured out he has to dispose of Morishima.

It’s rather meaningful that at this point ‘Kinan’ [危難 Danger] starts playing as Gamō is plotting to kill Morishima but also ironic as Kazato is going to fall in Yūki’s trap and therefore he’s also the one in danger.

Hum… close up of Kazato’s frowning face, before Gamō too leaves and the door is closed behind him.

Again, that close up didn’t really tell me much. Personally I think that this scene at the inn is possibly one of Joker Game less clever scenes in terms of shoots but maybe it’s just me.

Now we see some drops falling on the table before the sake cup is placed on it face down. Kazato pulls up his sleeve to reveal there’s a thin tube running up his arm (and from this is easy to figure out he used it to secretly pour something in Morishima’s cup). He removes it, showing us better how the contraption was…

…and demands a new sake cup, so yes, even to who hasn’t figure it out just by seeing the tube, now it should be obvious that Kazato put poison in that cup.

Kazato serves himself some sake from a new cup and then repeats Wind Agency motto ‘Kill without hesitation. Die with honour’ just to make very, very obvious he wants Morishima dead.

At this point we see Morishima walking after Gamō but his head is lolling and, at a certain point, he can’t stand any longer.

(Also please notice how the place in which this took place is also a real place in Arai inn)

Gamō gently asks him if he’s all right and Morishima replies he’s just a bit tipsy as he usually don’t drink.

A maid comes and rather worriedly asks if there’s something wrong.

Now… not only all the maids had figured out Gamō and Co were soldiers but they also knew Morishima usually didn’t drink hence the scene was EXTREMELY suspicious to them. Gamō tries to wave it out by claiming Morishima drank a little too much… which only helps making the situation more suspicious. Really guys, that’s why you should do your homework and listen to people. In addition to the fact you should have already known Morishima doesn’t drink, Morishima JUST TOLD YOU he doesn’t do it.

Gamō then helps Morishima to stands and leads him outside under the maid’s worried glance.

Back to Kazato we go. He’s speaking to his little Army of unnamed Wind Agency men who were sadly so poorly characterized in this episode.

He tells them that their training excursion ends today, that they all did well (what? What did they do?) and that only one final task remains and then they will be done. He remarks he expects their training to pay off. They nods wordlessly.

Now yes, we know what Kazato is meaning but well, it can completely sound as something innocent as they’re playing the role of someone who works for a company in Tokyo and is training there. Well, they tried looking inconspicuous… they just failed big time.

Kazato then watches his watch and… it’s 10:07 PM.

Remember? When we saw the clock at Shirahata’s villa it was showing 10:13 PM… meaning that the scene we saw previously actually happened AFTER this one we just saw.

Gold star to you if you noticed it.

Kazato goes on and says the exchange is meant to happen at 3:00 AM (which I’ve no idea how he has discovered as Morishima didn’t tell him so but well, let’s let this slide). At this point all the Wind Agency boys check their watches simultaneously…

…and then one of them says they’ll be on their way then. Kazato recommend them to take care not to bother ‘Huxley-san’.

In case you don’t remember (at my first watching I didn’t and so I know I’m in for a scolding by Yūki) Huxley is Shirahata.

As the boys leave we see Kazato is still seated and he’s thinking he hopes to see Yūki in person if he can (a clear demonstration we should be careful what we wish for) then the camera moves to make a close up of the right side of Kazato’s vest and, as it does so, Kazato thinks ‘and when you do…’ and rests his hand on that point of the vest.

It helps to remember that no, he’s not resting his hand on his heart, though likely for him is equally important. Under there he’s probably keeping his own Tenposen, the proof he was a War Academy student, something of which he’s likely proud about.

We see a black car running on the street. Said black car is carrying Graham.

We see waves crashing against a cliffed coast. The camera moves higher on the cliff and we see a light appearing, a sign a car is moving closer.

It’s Gamō’s car. Seated next to him Morishima is sleeping, his face flushed (how Morishima managed to fake such a huge flush is something only D Agency boys know).

Morishima is rather cute as he sleeps but Gamō looks at him coldly.

We already saw him killing Chou so we should know what’s going on in his mind. Another wave crashes on the coast and…

… and we switch scene and here things get confusing because the scenes are too dark to follow so at a first watch you might have gone lost.

‘Tōryaku’ [韜略 River] is playing in the background.

A car is driving in what looks like a wood. It reaches Shirahata’s gate. Is it Graham? Nope, we’ll later discover it’s Yūki. A door is opened, someone peeks outside then goes back in. It’s a D Agency boys but we’ll know this only through the Twitters on the official Joker Game Twitter or by watching the Joker Game manga. The gate is opened and the car gets inside.

Next we see Kazato with two Wind Agency boys.

They’re still OUTSIDE the gates of the villa and peck inside by a window in the gate. They see the car is parked inside the gate and in front of Shirahata’s house (well, see is a big word as due to the scene being dark and the view being partially covered we can hardly see the car, it’s more like we guess its presence).

Kazato turns to his men and claims that their customer is there (remember? Curtomer= Graham). Kazato looks at his watch as he asks for a status report. All he’s told is that they’re in position. The watch now says it’s 2:37 AM.

Quite a long time had gone from when they met Morishima (remember? It was only 10:07 PM) and that they had gone there when they thought the exchange would take place (Remember? Kazato told us they assumed the exchange would take place at 3:00 AM).

Kazato is still thinking at Yūki and how he thinks Yūki couldn’t nail down the location and how much of a fool Yūki was. Hell, there need to be one sided Yūki/Kazato fanfics… Yūki is all Kazato can think about and in the end he even got screwed by him… even if only in a metaphorical sense… but I guess neither of them is pretty enough to attract authors. Anyway good job, Akutsu. I’m not sure if Kazato ever met up with Yūki before (Yūki is famous for being on the hate list of all the Army higher up who met him) but you surely managed to fire up Kazato well. He can’t think at no one else but him, now.

Kazato then notices something and tells the other to go with him then starts running. He tries opening the door of the gate and he’s surprised when he realizes it’s open. He gets in, look around and then starts running. The others follow. Kazato keeps on looking around but now we can see he’s starting to get anxious. We can now see that the dog isn’t in the dog house tied to his chain any longer.

Maybe that’s what he saw that made him nervous since Morishima’s report said the opposite.

He’s sweating as he opens the door of the house. His men are behind him. He tells them they’ll wait there until 3:00 AM. The others are surprised.

Kazato orders them to detain anyone who shows up and to kill them if they resist… because killing someone is the best method to interrogate him so as to see if he knows something. Kazato, really… -_-;

Now… I’ve the feeling actually he said to his men to wait him till 3:00 AM, and not that they’ll wait there as he gets inside the house while they remain outside. It would explain the others’ surprise as this would mean they would have to part ways.

Shirahata’s house is empty. Kazato is the only one inside it, and he is checking the rooms to find no one. He’s starting to get worried on what’s going on and why no one is there. In the end Kazato reaches the door to Shirahata’s study. We can recognize it from the draws on it.

Well, sort of, as if the scene is rather dark so it’s more like we guess it’s there but anyway if you’re curious…

…yes, it’s there.

When he gets in though, we hear Yūki’s voice telling him ‘he’s late’. Kazato’s face reveals all his surprise…

…as he sees a man seated on a chair giving him his back. The man turns and this time the Italian shoot on Yūki’s eyes works really well to deliver us what he’s thinking and the atmosphere of the scene.

Kazato figures out he’s facing his nemesis and spats out Yūki’s name with rage.

It’ll be interesting to know if Kazato knew Yūki personally or you just figured out that person in front of him HAD to be Yūki. Oh, well, we’ll never know.

Yūki turns on the light so as to smack in Kazato’s face that he’s been deliberately waiting him in the dark so as to surprise him and that he didn’t actually need to stay in the dark. Really, when Yūki feels the need to smack down an adversary he needs to totally destroy him.

‘Yūki’ [結城 Yūki] begins playing.

Kazato rages. He demands to know how Yūki did it (= manage to anticipate him) but he doesn’t even manage to end the sentence. Yūki finishes it for him.

A side note here. Kazato uses ‘kisama’ and ‘kisama’, back then, wasn’t as rude as it is now. It was just a rough way to say ‘you’ VERY popular among the Army (I wonder if they’re to blame for how ‘kisama’, who started as a polite way to say ‘you’ ended up on becoming an insult) and officers used it to talk with underlings. However using ‘you’ was still rude and I guess this is even more true considering Kazato and Yūki’s relation or lack thereof and the fact they’re both Lieutenant Colonels. So although Kazato isn’t exactly using rude language he’s actually still being rude. Do with this info what you prefer.

Back to Yūki he tells Kazato he drove in through the front gate. Remember the car we saw that was meant to look as if it was Graham’s car? Yes, it was Yūki’s car, we learn it here.

Kazato is even angrier and claims that Yūki tipped off Graham and Shirahata. Then he worries about ‘Grand Strategy’’s whereabouts.

And here things get hilarious.

Yūki repeats ‘Grand Strategy?’ with a rather mocking tone. Then claims nothing like that was there to begin with and that’s not because ‘Grand Strategy’ wasn’t there but because, after reading it, he could see it didn’t live up to its name but was just absolute nonsense. So you see, the thing whose Military men were so very worried would fall in English hands and at which they gave such an important name like ‘Grand Strategy’, something each watcher who was unaware of Japanese history wondered about with awe, well… it was actually nonsense. All this fuss for some nonsense documents. I can’t get why they didn’t want them to fall into English hands… they wouldn’t surely improve English poor opinion of Japanese people…

Of course defining ‘Grand Strategy’ nonsense is a crime in Kazato’s eyes as he seethes even more as it’s the Imperial Army greatest secret! Something that contains high command’s most fundamental strategies!

Now Kazato, I really wish I could tell you that, although ‘Grand Strategy’ was a nonsense, this happened either because:

a) it was decoy. They didn’t have a greatest secret but they would look cooler if they had one.

b) it’s a matter of reputation. With time they figured out it was nonsense but admitting it would make them look bad so they kept it secret so that no one would realize it’s nonsense.

Tragically that’s not the case as back then there were people in the Army who believed ‘Grand Strategy’ was the coolest thing ever. Yūki wasn’t among them though.

Anyway, as Kazato speaks we see the drawer that Shirahata watched previously and that now is empty, a sign that yes ‘Grand Strategy’ was there and now… it isn’t there anymore.

Yūki tells Kazato that ‘Grand Strategy’, high command’s most fundamental strategies is nothing more than general theories and principle related to strategy… hum… from the way he speak I’ve the feeling he would have found more useful if the higher up had saved a copy of Sun-Tzu's ‘The Art of War’ or Karl Von Clausewitz's ‘On War’ than ‘Grand Strategy’ but well, maybe it’s just me.

Anyway Yūki claims it does no good to treat it as some kind of secret, legendary treatise on the military arts. Well… psychologically speaking I think it looks cool to think you’ve such thing on your side. Practically speaking instead… not much. But you can’t have everything.

Yūki claims this shows the limits of Army War College graduates. Now… I get Yūki found them dumb but here it sounds as if he’s almost taking this personally. Was it an Army War College graduate the one who betrayed him? Or was he discriminated because he didn’t attend to it? No idea but surely Akutsu pinned the two right people one against others. Kazato who is an Army College graduate and worship the whole idea of Army College graduates… Yūki who likely isn’t and despises Army College graduate.

Kazato has to point out that Yūki too is an Army Lieutenant Colonel… and at this I wonder. No, don’t take me wrong, I know Yūki is a Lieutenant Colonel, I wonder if Kazato is saying this because he doesn’t think a Lieutenant Colonel should say as such or because he thinks that since Yūki is a Lieutenant Colonel, he should also have been an Army War College graduate? It can be as back then it was really hard to rise that much in ranking if you hadn’t been one of its students, so is possible to assume that Kazato, as Price did, assumed Yūki went to the Army College.

Kazato moves closer to Yūki, as if to physically harms him and, in a second, Yūki is pointing his cane at Kazato’s head. Kazato is surprised as he clearly didn’t see it coming. Yūki didn’t harm him but the message is clear. If he hadn’t wanted he could have struck him down with ease.

The clock starts ringing as it’s 3:00 AM.

Kazato who has remained frozen, Yūki’s cane pointed on him, manages to swallow his anger as he thinks at how to turn tables.

He moves back, away from Yūki’s cane and tells Yūki if he knows what’s the difference between their agencies. If you’re expecting something impressive don’t. The difference is just their motto.

It’s sort of fun because Kazato says that his Wind Agency ‘believes in killing when necessary’. He’s sugar coating things because, for them, it’s always necessary unless proven otherwise… but despite D Agency’s motto D Agency isn’t in truth above killing. It’s just that they think that doing it is unnecessary unless proven otherwise. But well, the anime skipped this part so I guess they wanted to make D Agency look even better.

‘Sakudō’ [策動 Planning] starts playing.

Kazato admits then that D Agency beat them in speed but ‘Grand Strategy’ is definitely there so they’ll get it even if they had to kill Shirahata so this will be Kazato’s win. Now… I guess that Kazato thinks to blackmail Yūki by threatening Shirahata because it’s clear that if ‘Grand Strategy’ is there and was in the desk whose drawer is now opened, Yūki should have it.

I’m not sure how he thinks to threaten Shirahata as he saw before that no one is there but well… let’s let him dream for the next… 5 seconds? In fact just after he finished speaking, someone comes behind him. Kazato realizes it and he’s surprised.

Now… a tiny jump back. Actually it seems in the novel Kazato wanted to threaten Yūki. Basically he believed Yūki took ‘Grand Strategy’ and therefore he wanted to capture him and force him to give it back to him. Well, honestly this proves he’s quite a jerk as they’re basically in the same Army but he wants to attack Yūki because he can’t stand losing, but it makes more sense than him trying to blackmail Yūki by using the currently missing Shirahata.

Another flashback starts only we aren’t warned beforehand it’s one. Hum… this episode is a bit jumpy due to flashback and flashforward…

Anyway we’re back to the cliffed coast and to Morishima and Gamō. Gamō is pulling out Morishima from the car, clearly planning to toss him off the cliff and into the sea.

‘Hichō’ [飛鳥 Flying bird] begins playing.

We see that Morishima is actually not unconscious and manages to send Gamō on the ground then, as Gamō stands, he wrap himself around him from behind him…

…making him fall again…

…and tighten his hold around Gamō’s neck. Gamō struggles a bit but he can’t stand and he can’t free himself.

Sidenote here. They fully took advantage of Morishima’s glasses to make him look even more awesome. As they completely whitened the lenses, hiding his eyes, he really seemed an expressionless robot set to kill.

Morishima… well, I think by now we can call him Jitsui, is slowly suffocating Gamō as he claims that they had such a great bait (he’s talking about himself and… well, modesty is evidently not his thing) and all they caught were shrimps like Gamō and Co.

Gamō understands that he is from D Agency. Jitsui confirms by telling him his past was a fake half-hidden story used to draw people that were interested into using someone as a spy inside Shirahata’s house. It’s a bit what Yūki did with Satomura… and it’s so very clever because Price’s episode will be transmitted after this one and yet no one will stop considering the story Satomura is telling to Price is a mere bait.

Since they made Morishima into a person that would be easy to blackmail… it would make obvious whoever were to try to search for an accomplice would try to go for Morishima. Gamō points out that Jitsui played the role of Morishima, and therefore of Shirahata’s houseboy, for over a year before fainting. Jitsui smiles…

…and everything turns dark as Gamō loses consciousness and the flashback ends.

The whole thing is a hint that D Agency didn’t have Jitsui to go undercover as Shirahata’s houseboy because they were competing with Wind Agency, they had anticipated that it would be useful to have someone working there and sent Jitsui there. That’s also why Jitsui complains. D Agency did it in hope to catch some important spy agency at work, not to find themselves involved in a squabble with a not so good Japanese spy Agency.

We’re back to Shirahata’s house and to Kazato staring at Morishima… well, at Jitsui, asking him how’s possible he’s still standing. Jitsui replies he had the same tool as Kazato. While Kazato used it to pour poison in his drink, Jitsui used it to basically suck away the drink before swallowing it so that he didn’t end up drugged or poisoned (no idea if it was meant to be just a sleeping drug or if it was meant to kill him slowly… it doesn’t really make a difference as Gamō was planning to toss him off a cliff… anyway in the novel is a sleeping drug so I guess the anime also went with it).

Jitsui then informs us that Kaminaga and Hatano have detained everyone hidden around the villa’s ground. It’s a pity we don’t see the scene animated but the manga shows us that ‘anyone’ actually meant the two who came with Kazato. No idea what the rest of Wind Agency is doing. Maybe they’re still partying at the inn… only no, we saw them leaving so… no idea.

Then Jitsui reports that Shirahata also informed Graham of the army’s movements so, remember when we saw Graham in a car? Now we get a better picture of the whole thing and we see that Graham’s wife is also on the car, resting her hand on Graham’s hand.

Graham for once doesn’t seem a pompous jerk as he turn to watch his wife who’s smiling at him (remember how hard it was to see her smiling in the previous episode?)…

…while we’re told that, since he feared to be arrested, he escaped with his wife to catch a boat to Shangai. Again Graham’s expression seems nice and makes him likable as the whole previous episode never made him look.

Now… I get he might have looked like that because he was seen from Gamō’s point of view but still, in the anime he was using his wife, involving her in a risky business. Personally I think that, since they decided to change Graham’s characterization in the previous episode, they should have stick with him being unlikable and his wife being highly uncomfortable with him than her suddenly being supportive despite probably having just learnt that her husband involved himself in spying Japan despite complaining how rude it was from Japan to spy them and even used her for something that could get her too being arrested.

Kazato is surprised at the news.

Yūki, standing up, spells out for him what we could have figured out already, that D Agency was keeping under surveillance Shirahata way sooner than this whole business started as Shirahata is one of the very few channels to England that have remained and that if he was kept under tight surveillance he could still be plenty useful.

Yūki talks in present form in the subs… but since the house is empty, a sign that Shirahata has escaped, I wonder if he actually should talk in past form. No, maybe not, as he tells Kazato do not lay a finger on Shirahata over such a silly thing… so what does this mean? That Shirahata will go back home and pretend nothing has happened? Or that Yūki knows where it has escaped and will keep on overlooking him despite Shirahata now being in hiding?

As Yūki says so, he moves to walk away but pauses and, as he wears a satisfied smirk, informs Kazato that, if he were to try and arrest Shirahata, he would have no evidence.

Kazato thinks they’ve no evidence merely because Yūki disposed of it… which seems to hint at how Kazato thinks Yūki destroyed ‘Grand Strategy’ or something like that.

And here I wonder how will Yūki report things to Akutsu. Akutsu told Kazato D Agency was informed about the whole ‘Grand Strategy’ thing and it’s likely they too were tasked with retrieving it. Yūki wants to play it as if Shirahata never had it, which, not only means to lie to Akutsu, but also to claim Akutsu’s source claiming Shirahata got it, lied or, at best, that he was wrong. This after Wind Agency got him evidence Shirahata had it and Graham escaped because he was obviously involved and so on.

If it was just Mutō, Yūki could report as he would see fit as he can blackmail Mutō… but, unless we’re missing something, Akutsu is another matter.

It seems that in the novel matters were easier, as it was Kazato who accused Shirahata of having stolen ‘Grand Strategy’ so all Yūki would need to do was saying that Kazato was wrong… but here Akutsu knew about it beforehand.

So how is Yūki going to explain himself? As there’s so little said about Akutsu we can even assume that the whole thing was a ploy to get rid of whoever complained against D Agency at which Akutsu agreed to take part. Since Wind Agency, the spy agency the Army wanted, fails so spectacularly, no one would be able to raise his voice against D Agency anymore. Mind you, I don’t think that’s the case, but it’s interesting to speculate.

In truth I guess Yūki was forced to admit Shirahata had ‘Grand Strategy’ but they took it from him and now could they please let Shirahata be and pretend he never had it as he’s more useful like that?... Only since Shirahata escaped I’m not really sure how much useful he is now.

Anyway Kazato literally blows up and tries to shoot at Yūki. Jitsui is faster and shoots at his gun causing it to fly away from Kazato’s hand. Kazato falls on his knee.

Yūki rants on how killing is the worst decision a spy can make as all it does is to spur outside investigations, therefore a foolish act and the proof Kazato isn’t qualified to be a spy.

Kazato is holding his hand, as if it got hurt but no blood is on it so… I don’t know. Maybe it’s just the pain from having the bullet rip the gun from his hand.

Anyway angrily Kazato claims Yūki’s reasons don’t matter as he accuses Yūki of leaking their plan to Shirahata and that he hopes that Yūki is ready to be court-martialled because, remember Ep 2 in which Mutō leaked details to a geisha? Well, if you hadn’t got it back then, now you know how serious of a crime this is.

Yūki, sarcastically tells him that unfortunately (for Kazato) they aren’t the one who warned Shirahata.

Then he asks Kazato if he remembers the waitress that served him at the inn, the same that lead Morishima to Kazato. Kazato asks Yūki how he knows about her and then realizes Yūki was staying in that same inn as well.

Since Yūki likes to rub their failures to Army guys’ noses he pretends to be surprised Kazato didn’t notice and informs him they even met at the inn. Kazato connects the dots and from his surprised face he is at risk of having a heart attack but no, he’s stronger than that.

Next we’ve a flashback in which the maid joins Yūki (in his old man disguise) back in the room…

(Again admire how this is close to the real place)

… and Yūki informing her that the customer (Morishima) who just left, was unsteady on his feet. The maid explains who that customer was, a student earning his keep working as a houseboy for Shirahata who’s apparently not used to alcohol.

Yūki, the snide bastard, points out she had a doting look on her face as she spoke about the boy. This is likely meant to hint to us she’s the maid Shirahata was talking about, the one Morishima usually visit.

The maid blushes further and Yūki goes on claiming that, if the boy gets back to the villa while he’s so drunk he can’t stand on his feet, he’ll be scolded. This pushes the maid to go phone Shirahata’s villa to tell them that it’s not Morishima’s fault he got drunk as they goaded him into drinking a lot.

Yūki, the jerk, praises her idea… because in this way she’s so going to screw Kazato’s plan…

We skip to the scene in which Shirahata was looking at the inside of his desk. We hear Yūki claiming that Shirahata figured out the situation from the waitress’ call and escaped. So really, we’ve confirmation he escaped, how could Kazato hope to torture him to make him speak?

Note how Yūki says ‘that’s all’ as if it weren’t a big deal. He orchestrated the whole thing here, by leading the maid to call Shirahata’s villa but he’s making it sound as if he did nothing really and it was all Kazato’s fault he screwed up.

Anyway the gist of it is that if Kazato tries to have Yūki court-martialled, it will only cause Kazato further humiliation as it’ll turn out it’s Kazato who ended up on messing up.

And since Yūki thinks he hasn’t destroyed Kazato enough, he informs him he has to tell him a last things.

‘Kikan’ [機関 Agency] starts playing and, for once, it does it without the scene being a intro.

All the women in the inn knew Kazato and Co were soldiers because… their disguise plan suck since it was unlikely that, since due to the war they keep on calling to battle young men, Kazato and his group, who’re fit and young enough, were left at home… unless they were soldiers serving on the mainland. In short Kazato chooses for himself and his men and extremely suspicious disguise. And, in case you’ve missed it, as Yūki speaks we see the flashback of the maid giving an odd look to Kazato.

Yūki claims that if they decided to play the role of students they would still draw suspicions (as said before almost all the students were forced into conscription… though not all of them… and probably the maids had though Morishima had been exempt because he’s so frail looking) but a group of young and fit business men? They were way too suspicious for anyone to miss it.

And now, since Yūki thinks he hasn’t crushed Kazato’s pride enough, he even goes and tell him if he knows the meaning of the War College emblem War College students are so proud of.

Now… we slid in a translation problem here.

The War College emblem is called Tenposen, so in truth Yūki is asking him if Kazato knows the meaning of the Tenposen… but as western viewers would have no idea what a Tenposen is, they translated it with ‘War College emblem’.

Why is this troublesome?

The Tenposen was called as such due to its shape resembling the Tenposen, a currency of Edo era which was worth eight rin. However the subs make it look as if the War College emblem WAS a currency of Edo era, when, instead, it only shared with it a similar shape and the name.

Now… let’s go on with Yūki’s rant. Yūki is still talking about the coin when he claims that despite being so large it’s not even worth one sen and therefore it’s worthless. In short what Yūki is saying is that, due to this, the word Tenposen, when used in the real world, takes the meaning of worthless.

And now Yūki slams in the irony of the situation. In the Army, since the word Tenposen is connected to the War College emblem as it shares the same name with the worthless coin, the Tenposen (=War College emblem) is extremely valuable because it represents how someone managed to go to the War College… which was the pinnacle of the Army educational system.

So fundamentally for the Army the Tenposen (=War College emblem) is precious while for the rest of the world the Tenposen (=currency of Edo) is worthless.

…I guess you can say the Army has a very poor naming sense but even this helps to drive in how Yūki thinks low of the War College and its students.

So, to finish Yūki goes on saying that’s why a LOWLY inn waitress could see through Kazato’s disguise and compares Kazato and Co to emperors without clothes running around playing spies. I guess the emperors without clothes is a reference to ‘The Emperor's New Clothes’, a short tale written by Hans Christian Andersen (as in Japan that tale was also titled ‘The king is naked’ [裸の王さま Hadaka no ōsama], which is exactly the same wording Yūki used), so Yūki is telling them they’re just snob hypocrite with no real brain to speak of as they’re easily tricked.

A side note here. I think/hope that Yūki’s speech is driven by beliefs of that time because it’s downright rude to call a waitress lowly but well, I guess that, back then, they didn’t really held them in high consideration.

Anyway Yūki then leaves and Jitsui follows him.

Kazato bows his head in defeat…

…then he sounds like he’s crying (but then we’ll see there are no tears in his eyes which maybe it’s a pity), then he reaches out under the right side of his vest (remember? The point he was shown patting more than once) rips away the Tenposen he was proudly wearing and tosses it on the ground.

The scene of the Tenposen lying discharged on the ground is symbolically meaningful.

The next shot though shows Kazato still crouched down… and the gun behind him. The scene moves from first having Kazato very clear in the picture and the gun blurred, to have Kazato blurred and the gun clearly visible. Can you see where this is leading?

Yūki is on the car on which he came at Shirahata’s villa. I bet it’s Gamō’s. Jitsui drives him away. Miwa Shiro will point out the fun part of the scene, which is that Hatano and Kaminaga will have to go back by foot. From Izu to Tokyo is a long trip…

As the car is getting far a shoot echoes then everything turns dark.

Note that there was no shoot in the novel and, hearing a shoot at this point after the previous scene, clearly imply Kazato shoot himself. And this opens up a HUGE can of worms.

Now… you can think that Kazato was stupid at shooting himself and mind you, in the western world of present day he would be… I’m not so sure the same would apply to Japan of that time as, after such incident his career would likely be ruined but well, that’s not the relevant part.

Remember Wind Agency’s motto? ‘Kill without hesitation. Die with honour.’ What Kazato did was an attempt at dying with honour, the same way Sakuma was willing to commit suicide to pay up for his failure in finding the ciphers. In this perspective Kazato’s suicide partially redeems him as he, at least, was willing to follow his beliefs till the end, he didn’t try to escape to them, he accepted he had to die and killed himself. He didn’t try to escape to it.

Kazato is rather ‘unlikable’ (no, I don’t mean you can’t like him, I mean he’s depicted in a certain way to make him unlikable to most as a person… as a character he’s a very interesting one) yet he lives according to his beliefs even when those demands him to kill himself. He’s not an hypocrite, like the people in "The Emperor's New Clothes" were. He wrote his own motto and he terminated himself due to it. What’s fair is fair, Kazato, in his own peculiar way, is still a man with a certain honour.

This attempt at ‘redeeming’ Kazato however turns extremely problematic for Yūki. Why is that?

So far Yūki was always a step ahead of everyone. He would always anticipate other people’s moves. If we are to believe this remained true through all the episode, it means that Yūki knew Kazato would end up to commit suicide, or, even worse, that his nagging had the purpose to goad him into doing it. In short Yūki has indirectly killed Kazato and left at Shirahata’s villa a corpse that will produce the unwanted questions Yūki always claimed he wanted to avoid.

In short, while Kazato follower his motto, Yūki just stepped on his own.

The other option is, of course, that Yūki couldn’t figure that Kazato would commit suicide after he totally and utterly trashed him and ripped his pride into tiny, tiny bits.

While this makes Kazato’s death an ‘unfortunate accident’ in Yūki’s plans, it greatly lowers Yūki’s level of coolness. For once someone did something Yūki couldn’t anticipate, something that ‘damages’ Yūki as it creates a situation that Yūki wanted to avoid, having corpses around.

Yūki won his war but Kazato has the last laugh, as bitter as it was, making him the only man who manages to sign a point against Yūki tracing a way darker comparison with what happened between Sakuma and Miyoshi, when Miyoshi goaded Sakuma into Harakiri not thinking Sakuma would have the guts to do it and the situation ended up with Sakuma not only showing him he would do it, but even managing to figure things out before doing it.

In this episode’s case we would have to assume that Yūki, despite all his taunting, didn’t think Kazato would have the guts to kill himself but Kazato did and, by doing it, he managed to cause troubles for Yūki as well as to cause Yūki to indirectly break his ‘don’t kill’ motto… which is interesting but also pretty dark.

Said all this… I’ve the feeling anime authors didn’t realize the full brunt of the consequences that shoot would have for Yūki and that, to them, I am merely over thinking things.

And with this the episode ends.

Ending theme.

Hum… this episode had potential and kept well up the mystery but…. It wasn’t as good as the others in terms of shoots, some things weren’t clear and the changes from the original plot didn’t really help it.

What I’m sorry about the most is how they made Wind Agency members just random side characters. Generally I defend Joker Game characterizations. They DO characterize the spies, it’s just not so in full view and stereotypical as in other series. However the Wind Agency boys have basically no role but stand there and eat… where in the previous episode they just stood there and listened to Kazato. The most they do is having one keeping under surveillance Graham and two other following Kazato… but it’s so passive it’s hard to say they’re really there. I think that, if they weren’t interesting in characterizing them, they could have made less of them but give them the chance to stand out more.

At this point isn’t Wind Agency against D Agency, it’s Kazato versus D Agency. Even Gamō is noteworthy only because he had a role previously, otherwise all he did was stand there and try to kill Jitsui.

In hindsight, if they realized/decided right from the beginning Wind Agency members would have no role, I understand why they decided to make Gamō one of them so to have at least one of them known to us.

Mind you, there are also a lot of cool parts in this episode, for example how they tricked us into believing things were going a certain way when actually it was the opposite. Maybe this episode is the one which contains the highest amount of deception and this makes it rather interesting.

I’ve ranted already though of how, ending it with a shot ended up ‘damaging’ Yūki’s reputation as he’s either cruel enough to drive Kazato to suicide or not as good as it looked at predicting other people’s actions as he couldn’t guess Kazato would commit suicide… which is a pity because the idea in itself was interesting in regards to Kazato’s characters… but end up involving Yūki as well and not in a good way.

And this was Joker Game Ep 9. Thank you to everyone who was brave and patient enough to sit through my long, long ramblings for the whole episode. I hope other people will feel like sharing what they had observed while watching it!

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chamomilehoneytea · 7 years ago

Text

Kimi ni Todoke Chapter 119 Translation

Hey!

I wanted to share Chapter 119 and provide a translation for those who are curious about the latest developments in Kimi ni Todoke.

If you’ve read my translations before, you’ll know I’m not fluent in Japanese (or pretending to be) - I took a few courses at my university but am largely self-taught. I’d like to think I’m getting a little better, but these are not anywhere near professional translator quality. There are probably several mistakes. I’ve tried to make the dialogue sound natural, but I’m limited by my own level of comprehension. If you don’t understand / read Japanese and want to know what’s happening, I hope this at least gives you the gist of what’s going on - basically, I’m giving you what I gleaned from the chapter (right or wrong)! I’ve also included a few “notes” on certain pages where I thought some explanation might be beneficial. Thank you for your patience! :)

This chapter should be the last one in Volume 29, which will be released on July 25th. Kimi ni Todoke is currently on a one month hiatus, so we won’t see Chapter 120 until July (August Issue). There is an author’s note in this chapter that I didn’t translate, but in it Shiina-sensei says there’s still a bit of the story left. I’m guessing we’ll get about 4 more chapters (maybe 5) so that the series ends with 30 volumes.

Finally, if you enjoy Kimi ni Todoke, I would strongly encourage you to purchase Bessatsu Margaret, if you’re able to. I started buying them this year (to collect the final chapters of Kimi ni Todoke), and they’re amazing (and massive!!). So much fun, and the images are bigger than what’s published in the manga volumes so you can see finer details!

Well, now that I’ve scared you away from actually reading this thing, put on your best clothes and grab a box of tissues, because you’re going to Kitahoro High School’s graduation ceremony!

*sniffle sniffle*

Kazehaya: “Kuronuma, this is from Takahashi (Chigusa).”

Kento: “Ahaha, is this me~? Sadako-chan is skilled!!”*

??? (might be Kento still): “Ah – Kazehaya, show me yours, show me yours!”

Kazehaya: “No way.”

??? (Kento?): “You’re as stingy as ever!!”

Kazehaya: “What do you mean by ‘as ever’?!”

Pin: “All right, take your seats!”

Student(s): “Whoa!! Pin, what is that hairstyle?”

Pin: “Isn’t it a side part!??”

Pin: “W-What is this?! A face?!”**

Student(s): “Sadako made it by hand~~~”

Pin: “Is it a charm to ward off evil spirits?!”

* In Chapter 118 Sawako gives her classmates these little fabric faces she made herself. They’re supposed to resemble each person in the class, but because her art skills are a little…different…they’re sweetly deformed haha!

** Even Pin gets one!

Pin: “Okay, boys and girls line up one at a time!”

Kazehaya: “Ahaha! You’re nervous! Is it because of the formal address*?”

Sawako: “Y-You’re right…!!”

Kazehaya: “Expressing yourself as you usually do, you’ll definitely be fine!”

* The literal translation is “formal reply” – from what I can tell, she’s delivering a formal speech on behalf of the class (like a valedictorian’s closing statement).

“Graduates”

“Entering”

Old Teacher: “Only Class D students have those face…-like things fixed to their chests. What are they exactly?”

Pin: “It is a charm to ward off evil spirits.”*

Old Teacher: “Oh! Arai-sensei, you’re wearing one too…!”

Kento: “Yeah!”

Kento Fan (?): “Nice work, Kento~”

Kento: “I did it~”

Old Teacher: “…he’s certainly cheerful…”

Pin: “He’s an idiot! An idiot!!”

Sawako: [As expected of Master!!!]

Kento: “Hiii~ Sadako-chan.”

Sawako: “Oh!! You did well!!”

* Pin usually speaks in a very rude way, but here he uses polite speech (he’s trying to be on his best behavior today haha).

Kento: “It’s your turn next, Sadako-chan.”

Kento: “You’re stiff, scary and stiff!!”*

Sawako: [Wow, I’m so nervous!!]

Sawako: “Somehow…I’ll perform my job well…I-I’ll do my best…!!”

Classmates (Flashback): [“Everyone has known for a long time that you can’t sense ghosts!! Sadako!!”]

* A throwback to Kento coaching Sawako earlier in the series.

Sawako: [I wonder…is it also okay if I don’t do it well…?]

Kazehaya (Flashback): [“Expressing yourself as you usually do, you’ll definitely be fine!”]

Sawako: […always…]

Sawako: [I wonder if I was able to communicate with my own words…]

Announcer: “The formal address will now be given by the graduating students’ representative, Sawako Kuronuma.”*

Sawako: “…yes!”

* I’m filling in here – the original text says, “The formal address. Graduates’ representative. Sawako Kuronuma.”

The banner behind Sawako reads, “The 44th Diploma Awarding Ceremony”

Sawako: “L-Little by little, the snow begins to m…”

Jou: “HEY! WE CAN’T HEAR YOU! WHAT’S THE PROBLEM? YOU SHOULD DO WELL, YOU KNOW IT~~!!”

Old Teacher: “…he’s quite lively…”

Sawako: “Little by little the snow begins to melt, and this northern land’s long winter is coming to an end. All teachers, guests, parents, current students, and to all those involved, thank you very much for your support and encouraging words!”

Sawako: “Three years ago we entered this school. That year, the sakura trees bloomed very early. We were anxious, but more than that, we had hope in our hearts. Passing through the gate at Kitahoro High School feels like yesterday.”

Sawako (Flashback): “There’s a hair on your shoulder…”

Student (Flashback): “AAAAHHH!!”

Sawako: “We experienced many mistakes, failures, and foolish things, but…”

Sawako: “…the exciting and dream-like moments we can’t think of as ordinary, are like the sakura blossoms of that early season. It’s almost unbelievable. There were many…many happy events.”

Sawako: “Step by step, little by little, we were finally able to arrive here.”

Sawako: “As a class, we worked together to contribute ideas and try our hardest for the school festival. We practiced a lot and faced the athletic festival with all our strength. We were nervous and excited at the North Hokkaidou Baseball Tournament Semifinal. Now too, so many memories are…”

Chizu: “What’s wrong?!”

Chizu: “Did she lose her place?!”

Ayane: “No, no one’s better than Sawako at that…”*

Students: “What?” / “What’s up with Sadako?” / “Is it over?” / “No, it should be right in the middle.” / “Is she crying??” / “She’s not speaking??”

* Not sure about this, but it’s my best guess…

Sawako: “My nickname is Sadako. Since entering school, my goal was always to be called by my real name.”

Teacher: “Arai-sensei!”

Teacher: “I-Is it bullying*?!”

Sawako: “But now, it doesn’t matter which name I’m called!”

* Not sure about this – the word can mean bullying or teasing. It could be bullying because the teacher seems concerned and the parents are there (the school might look bad). It might be teasing as in “Is that girl trying to be funny?” Or it could be something else – I went with bullying given the context.

Sawako: “It doesn’t matter whether I can sense ghosts or not!”

Sawako: “At this school, everyone made me believe that!”

Sawako: “I’ll think proudly of the days I spent as Sadako. It was fun. Thank you.”

The Legend of Sadako: […once upon a time, there was a girl called Sawako Kuronuma.]

The Legend of Sadako: [The girl’s appearance was somewhat striking, so it was rumored that she had incredible psychic power. People called the girl “Sadako” and trembled with fear. Some people blamed the girl for a bone fracture*, and still others said that even changes in their physical condition were caused by locking eyes with her.]

* This isn’t quite what the line says – I can’t figure out how to translate this, but just know they’re attributing “mysterious” incidents like broken bones to Sawako’s dark powers.

The Legend of Sadako: [They are absurd stories, but at first people jokingly laughed too. Suddenly their recollections piled up and everyone followed the precedent. Eventually, no one approached her.]

The Legend of Sadako: [However, there was just one boy who was the exception. The girl was not a discouraged child. She was a girl of extraordinary good will.]

The Legend of Sadako: [Only the boy noticed that the girl’s true power wasn’t an ability to sense the supernatural.]

Announcer: “Sing the graduation song in unison.”*

* Again, I’m filling things in here. The original is “Ceremony song” and “Singing in unison”…

The Legend of Sadako: [While becoming close to him, the girl acquired smiles and happy tears. She was able to make friends, too.]

The Legend of Sadako: [She was able to become part of a group.* She was able to make a rival, too. Before he knew it, the boy had become her dream-like boyfriend. Her surroundings gradually changed.]

* This is not what is said. The word used in the original line is “nakama” – it means friend as well, but since it’s not quite the same as “tomodachi” I wanted to create a distinction.

The Legend of Sadako: [Time passed, and before she knew it, the girl…]

Announcer: “The graduates are exiting. Please send them off with a round of applause.”

Student: “Sadako! Here, take this!”

Sawako: “H-Huh?”

Student: “You didn’t get one because you came late!”

Sawako: “A party cracker??”

Student: “We’re going to pop them before we exit!!”

Announcer: “Class D’s exit.”

Kazehaya: “Here we go! Three, two, one!!”*

* This isn’t a literal translation – it’s an English language equivalent to the Japanese expression.

The Legend of Sadako: [Time passed, and before she knew it, the girl had become an ordinary member of the class…]

Pin: “You all did it*!! I got completely chewed out!! Even though my hair is in a side part!!”

Pin: “It’s because those old guys are so picky!!”

Students: “Pin, don’t you have anything to say to us, as our homeroom teacher??”

Pin: “I’ve got nothing to say to you!! Get lost!!”

Students: “HUH??”

Pin: “Whatever I say won’t change anything! You’ll get by on your own somehow!!”

Students: “Huh?? What are you saying??”

Pin: “Even if you guys become criminals, I’ll probably be your ally**!! Well!! Take care of yourselves!!”

* I have tried to translate this but I’m struggling so this sentence is overly simple. Basically Pin is saying that because of Class D’s party cracker stunt, he was reprimanded by the older teachers / PTA.

** Pin uses the word [味方], which means friend / ally / supporter. Ally seemed best for this context, but I wanted you to know the other meanings for a scene later…

**I’m honestly not sure who is talking here. The first two lines are making a pun on Pin’s last name. “Arai” [荒い] means rude or rough, and Pin’s surname [荒井] is pronounced exactly the same way (it’s no coincidence that Shiina chose the kanji for “rough / rude” to be in his name, haha). So I think a student says Pin’s words to the class were rude (arai), and I think Pin is saying they’re being crude for not using honorifics because he thinks they’re just shouting his last name (Arai). Sorry, even though I can’t translate these lines well I wanted to try to explain the joke (as I understood it – I might be wrong on this too…lol). I feel sorry for the official translator – I don’t know how they’ll tackle this one…

Student: “It’s rude!!”

Pin (???): “Only Arai?! That’s crude!!!”

Student (???): “What? Criminals??”

Student (???): “Probably, he says!!”

Student (???): “Don’t jinx us!!”**

Jou: “Kazehaya!! Give me your tie~!”

Kazehaya: “Huh? What are you going to use it for?? Stop it!!”

Student: “For the memories, for the memories!!”

Student: “Kazehaya!!”

Student: “Wait – Kazehaya!!”

Sawako: [Wow, popular people seem so busy!! Just as I thought!!]

Sawako: “Now then, I’ll go too…”

Ayane: “Huh? Sawako, where are you going? Though Chizu slipped out somehow too…”

Sawako: “I have to go take care of a few things here and there…I’m off!!”

Pin: “Right. Your speech wasn’t anything like a top student’s.”*

Sawako: “I’m sorry!! It didn’t go as I planned…”

Pin: “That’s good, isn’t it? Your speech was like you.”

Sawako: “T-Takahashi-san!”

* Sawako gave the speech because she was at the top of her class.

Takahashi: “Hey Sadako! Did you see my masterpiece?! It’s the result of all my secret photography. That face is great~!!”

Sawako: “T-T-Thank you!! It must have been difficult, right? Such a long book…!!”

Takahashi: “Weren’t the episodes very detailed too?!

Sawako: “Yes!! You even know that I pick up trash around the river!!!”

Takahashi: “I know a lot of things~!!”

Sawako: “Thinking that way…!! Thank you, thank you!!”

Takahashi: “Since I’ll also be in Sapporo shall we keep in touch~?”

Sawako: “Yes! Yes!!”

Sawako: “Um…Takahashi-san…if you’d like this…!”

Sawako: “It’s you.”

Takahashi: “…it’s pretty avant-garde…!! I’ll add it to my collection, if it’s okay with you…!!”

Sawako: “Wow!! That makes me happy!!”

Sawako: “Oh, Kurumi-chan!!”

Student: “I only wanted to speak my mind…really, don’t worry about it…take care…”

Kurumi: “Sawako-chan!”

Sawako: “Um, I want you to have this, Kurumi-chan…!!!”

Kurumi: “…really…”

Kurumi: “So this is how you see me…”

Sawako: “D-Does it really resemble you??!”

Kurumi’s Mother (???): “Ume! We’re leaving soon!”

Kurumi: “Ok! Well then, see you when the exam results come out!!”

Sawako: “Yes!”

Kurumi’s Mother: “Oh! Is she your friend?”

Sawako: “…that’s right!”

Kurumi: “…not really…”

Kurumi: “…she’s just…my close friend!”

Ryu: “…any time now…”

Ryu: “When you stop crying…”

Chizu: “Waah they’re coming out!!”

Chizu: “Yano-chin, and Sawako, and you too…soon you won’t be around anymore!!”

Chizu: “No, but I’ll be able to get in touch with you! I will keep in touch!! I’ll be totally fine-!”

[Kiss!!]

Ryu: “Yeah. You feel lonely, huh?”

Chizu: “My tears have gone back inside!!!”

Student: “K-Kazehaya-senpai!!”

Student: “Umm…would you mind taking a photo together to commemorate the day?”

Student: “Um, me too…”

Student: “Ah! Me too!!”

Student: “Would you sign my book?”

Student: “Me too.”

Student: “About your tie…”

Kazehaya: “Oh!! Sorry, but I’m not giving it to anyone!!”

Student: “Ah!! Okay!! I’m sorry!!”

Student: “What about that…?”

Kazehaya: “Oh…this? Everyone’s wearing their own faces.”

Student: “That’s nice!! I thought everyone in just your class was wearing them!!”

Student: “We’d also like to do that when we graduate!!”

Student: “Were they hand made by Kuronuma-senpai?!”

Kazehaya: “…yeah!!”

Student: “Walking together with Kuronuma-senpai, just the two of you…was our aspiration!!”*

Kazehaya: “…thank you!!”

* Oh boy…not sure what this line is saying. This was the best I could do haha…

Student: “All right, let’s take a commemorative photo all together!!”

Student: “Is everyone here?”

Student: “Sadako isn’t here!!”

Student: “Neither is Pin!!”

Ayane: “I’ll go get Pin!”

Student: “Ok then, so Sadako – ”

Chizu: “Didn’t Sawako already go home?!”

Student: “Huh??”

Student: “No, her bag is here!!”

Kazehaya: “I’ll go get her.”

Kazehaya: “Somehow, I’ll guess what she’s doing!”

Ayane: “Hurry up!!”

Pin: “In any case Kuronuma isn’t back yet either, right?!”

Ayane: “She might have come back already!!”

Ayane: “…hey…”

Pin: “Hm?”

Ayane: “…th…this is the end, isn’t it?”

Ayane: “…we won’t be able to see each other, right…?”

Pin: “I told you…I’ll always be your ally.”

Pin: “No matter what.”

Ayane: “Pin, for the next ten years you should continue wearing your hair up after all!! It’s fine like that!!”

Pin: “Huh? Won’t I put it up without you telling me to?? Why??”

Ayane: “…because you look handsome with your hair down!!”

Teacher (to Sawako): “Okay. Thank you for your time.”

[The book reads, “Flower Bed Notes: Effects * Method of Raising”]

Sawako: “Not at all. I’m sorry for steadily planting.”

Teacher: “It’ll be lonely without you…Thanks to you, the flower bed is excellent. You’ve been a tremendous help.”

Sawako: “Thank you very much…!”

Sawako: “Kazehaya-kun!”

Kazehaya: “Everyone is waiting for you.”

Kazehaya: “They say they can’t take the picture without all members of the class!”

Sawako: “I’m sorry! Let’s go at once!!”

Kazehaya: “Ah…! Only you don’t have a mascot…”*

Sawako: “Oh…that’s right…I should have made one…”

* He means the faces they’re wearing.

Sawako: “I didn’t think everyone would wear them…”

Kazehaya: “Wear this instead.”

[“Congratulations on your graduation.”]

“Oh, they’re here, they’re here!!”

“Now our class is complete!!”

“Let’s take the picture!!”

Kazehaya: “Yeah!!”

Student: “Oh – Kazehaya, your tie…!!”

[“Congratulations on your graduation.”]

CONTINUES IN THE AUGUST 2017 ISSUE (JULY)!

#kimi ni todoke #kimi ni todoke spoilers #sawako x kazehaya #ayapin #ryu x chizu #manga #translation #sorry for taking so long to get this out #i broke a sweat on some of these translations lol #but please feel free to message me if you have any questions or just want to geek out about this #i'll try to post my thoughts on this chapter soon

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