#going off their eng novel appearances

[solshii]

a quick liushen sketch before i go to bef 😞🙏 maybe..maybe i will colour when i wake (no promises)

[mythicalartistx]

KH Japanese Translations Part 6

Part 5

Series where I discuss fantranslations and this time it's on Vanitas

Ever since seeing Vanitas backstory in the novels I became more interested in him, I already loved him as a character but the novels really increased that. So I'm going to look at some of the fantranslated kh3 scenes

Everyone knows how the translations can be off, now translations aren't perfect in general but its kinda odd when there are entirely new meanings or censored in the localization.

I'm glad I looked up translations for his death because it's so much more. It's more about freedom to choose and it's not even about darkness that much.

Sora: That face is—

Vanitas: I am Ventus' missing piece. You made up for the missing part of Ventus' heart. That's why my appearance came from you. I am made from you both, Ventus and Sora. We're brothers who make up for what the other lacks.

Sora: If you think that, why are you fighting us? We should be working together

Vanitas: It's my reason for being born. It is because I am darkness, that you both belong to the light, able to exist there. If that isn't 'working together' I don't know what is.

Sora: But I never—

Ventus: But I never asked for that.

Ventus: There's no need to divide which one is the light and which one is the darkness. I am me and you are you, just live freely the way we want.

Vanitas: Freedom? Ah, I am living freely... like this.

Ventus: Is living trapped in darkness freedom to you?

Vanitas: That's the way I chose to live

Ventus: I see

Sora: Is that really okay? Vanitas!

And it's just great, it's bittersweet. I like it a lot more. It shows that Vanitas decides to be trapped with darkness and is working with them so they could live and exist in the light. And it makes me wonder if he wasn't, would Sora and Ventus be unable to exist or live in the light. That's just something. All three of them affect the others. And these FT explains the appearance better and how they relate to the other.

I spent time looking at fan translations through various websites, people's comments, old posts, YouTube videos comments— and especially content relating to SR because those are the people who tend to care more.

Eng:

Sora: Your face!

Vanitas: I am the piece of Ventus that was taken away. And you're the piece Ventus needed to be whole again. So why shouldn't you and I look exactly the same? You define me Sora, the same way Ventus does. We are brothers who together, make a greater whole.

Sora: Then why don't you stand by our side instead with darkness?

Vanitas: Because I am darkness. And I do stand by your side. I'm the shadow that you cast. How much closer could I be?

Sora: But I didn't —

Ventus: But I didn't ask for this. To be sifted apart nice and neat. We should be free to choose. Not just light, not just darkness. We decide what we are.

Vanitas: But Ventus, I did decide who I am. You see?

Ventus: And what you are is darkness ?

Vanitas: What I am is darkness

Ventus: Okay

Sora: How is that okay? Vanitas?

And there's differences and it's honestly moreso the whole concept about freedom to choose is left out. The official translation focuses on darkness and him being darkness because that's what he is when it's honestly not just that. I feel like he's more than just darkness but that's my take. The JPN also explains how Vanitas appearance is better and the separation between Ven and Vanitas as well was stated better as well.

And I bring it up because I once was talking about how I thought the ships were odd because he calls them his brothers and someone mentioned that it was just an English translation thing, people can ship whatever they want I'm not here to stop that but does that mean the person say something incorrect?

Now I'm going through the monster's inc where Vanitas realizes where Ven is and he says this line.

JPN:

Vanitas: Ventus! So you were hiding in such a place all along, remnant of my heart.

ENG:

Vanitas: Ventus. What a strange place to slither off to... you insignificant speck

Now I want to point out how the phrasing in such a place is said as an insult. It is stated that somewhere like that is worthless as if Sora is worthless. Then he insults him by saying you are little of his heart. Like he isn't worth much. The changes here make sense and it kinda flows better. Like insignificant speck is an insult that clearly from the way the original statement was said.

Final Words:

As much as it would be interesting to have Roxas also there, it wouldn't really fit. The only relation he has to Vanitas is through Sora by looking the same as Ventus. Roxas is a great character but for that scene in particular it made sense that he wasn't present. Now it be cool if we got a reaction to seeing him in another scene.

Sora is the one that helped both Ven and Vanitas. He saved both of their hearts. Vanitas gained his form and appearance by Sora ability to connect with them. Sora saved Ven's heart from being destroyed and Vanitas—a being that was with Ven so long merged with his heart that when he was taken out it affected Ven. This is stated in re: mind, speaking of remind someone said something that I honestly think is interesting:

Post Notes:

I once heard that Vanitas referring to them as brothers was only a localization thing so I wanted to look into that, but I couldn't find anything through all the sources I used. I even listen to jpn audio and he still says kyōdai which means brother. Not sure why someone once said that

And I bring it up because It was about how I thought the ships were odd because he calls them his brothers and someone mentioned that it was just an English translation thing, and they aren't like that in the JPN version people can ship whatever they want I'm not here to stop that but it seems like they still do so why did that person say it?

Unless they're referring the the remind scene when Ven is like we're not brothers we're the same but Vanitas tells him you're naïve for believing that I've been with you for a long time and is another being entirely. But that's all the English version and I didn't really look at any translations for that scene... If anyone does know more about that scene....

Also Vanitas is my second favorite character now 😌

[justanotherfanfolks]

Twisted Wonderland Main Story Scattered Thoughts (Prologue Chapter 1-2)

Let's take it from the top, I need a refresher!

Okay first things first, uh, Grim? Buddy. Our beloved arsonist. How were you planning on getting the robes off of Yuu? How were you planning on WEARING human sized robes? Also, yes Grim, weasel. Reason 1: tiny gremlin. I think it was ferret in Japanese. Reason 2: I believe in Yuu choosing violence in the dialogue options. Peace was never an option. And again I ask, how is he planning to fit those robes? LOL the chase sequence, that’s one way to get a grand tour! GRIM, NO FIRE IN THE LIBRARY, THINK OF THE BOOKS! Omg, it’s Crowley! How- how did he know to come here? Did he just see the open coffin and go “...ooooooooo… I should check on what that is.” You know, people always think Grim is Yuu’s familiar, I want to know more about how familiars work in Twisted Wonderland. Wait, I just realized Grim doesn’t have his stone, NO, HE LOOKS WEIRD WITHOUT IT! TWST PUT IT BACK! I really want to see how the beginning of the ceremony looks when everyone gets out of the coffins, since they aren’t supposed to get out themselves. I wanna see the full orientation. Dang it Ramshackle Duo, I wanted to see that! Hope the anime shows us. Hm. So Crowley opens them himself. I imagine he does it with magic, but imagine this man opening 200 coffins by hand. Nah, Crowley would never. He doesn’t do anything. Well, except make me suspicious, but that’s a conversation for another day. Wait, hang on I think I should’ve picked the other dialogue option, that might answer some questions. I'll do that later. You know, when I first played the prologue, I tried reading it with a translation next to me (as everyone insisted it was superior), but I got a headache going back and forth so I bit the bullet and just read the ENG version. Ah, who dis be or where I be? Both logical questions. I’ll ask who dis be, I don’t remeber what I picked the first time. He’s truly shooketh at the idea of Yuu not knowing who he is. “My magnamity is boundless” ah here come the cracks! There’s the Crowley we know and… know. Hold on, there’s a CHAIRMAN!? I forgot about that, who is this chairman? And why pick Crowley? Magic or academy. Well, if it was me I’d be more interested in the magic aspect than the academy aspect. Like Yuu, we gotta ask the real questions here, why be shocked at the idea of school? I also want to know more about this carriage thing- I know in the manga and I’m pretty sure the novel too the Yuus get isekaied by Carriage-kun Truck-kun style, does Yuu get isekaied by Carriage-kun in the game? To me it sounds like you’re supposed to climb into a coffin in a carriage, I hope the others students were informed of how this works. Also, how the heck did this coffin appear in Not Twisted Wonderland, I have so many questions. “So this carriage dragged me here against my will?” yes, this is the Yuu I am here for! Okay that was the first Chapter of the Prologue, I forgot how much I liked that! I can’t wait for the novel to drop in English, I really want to read it in book form! I am holding that thing to the standard of Yuurei20’s translations, I expect nothing less!

Omg, hello Twistune! The whiplash I had of the first 3 Prologue twistunes with the fairy gala twistunes was crazy. RIDDLE! RIDDLE! THAT’S MY BOY, HI BUDDY! Oh no, the pre-character development whiplash is gonna hurt! Did Leona sleep through the whole orientation? Azul is boy with glasses, what an observation Yuu. Also, how close was Yuu to be able to notice Leona had ears? They’re under his hood? And that Vil is handsome, I know what you are, Yuu! Well, either Yuu is that or I’m just too ace to notice when someone is handsome. I mean it’s a literal fact about Vil… anyway! Crowley really just dipped in the middle of the ceremony! Wait, does that mean Grim was chasing Yuu that long? Yuu has stamina for days, Yuu should have joined the track club! Couldn’t be me, I would’ve died by the second location. Also does that mean they called Yuu’s name and Yuu not showing up tipped Crowley off? Oh, that explains it. Yuu last name reveal then? Anyone? Voice from tablet, heh. Hm, but no one else knew why he left… Oh gosh, he just barged in. Guess he doesn’t like being accused of a tummyache. Even he thinks he’s a weasel. Okay let’s settle this: Weasel, Cat, or Ferret, place your votes now! I don’t actually have a poll. Hello Dark Mirror! Oh that’s the mirror bgm! Well, I mean no duh it’s the bgm music, I guess I just never realized DM had a theme song. Can I call you DM? I’m calling you DM. “I’m Yuu…” Yuu WHAT, Yuu? You can’t hide that last name forever! The squint! “Unclear to me… soundless, colorless, shapeless, utterly vacant” POV, you have no soul! Honestly, if I got teleported to a school for mages only to find out I had no magic, I would be utterly devastated. I’d love to be magical! One century, is that saying the system has been around for 100 years or that the school has been around for 100 years? Yuu just showed up and broke the streak, good on Yuu! I really want to know Grim’s backstory, like what is his deal? He’s got magic, but he’s mistaken for a familiar and isn’t allowed to be a whole student? I wonder what would have happened if he went up to the DM? Being honest, he doesn’t seem like a fit anywhere, but I’m curious. Someone, give him a Buzzfeed quiz! HE SET KALIM ON FIRE, GRIM NOOOO! Save the arson for later! Leona: “Can I go now, orrrrr…” no but he was ready to lead, the Ramshackle Duo is interrupting his nap time. Azuuuul! Your smiles are sus! Chill out pal! He just breathes in manipulation, wild. Yes Idia, that is participation credit. When I’m participating, I’m the type to just look around to see if anyone else has their hand up before volunteering. HE’S STILL ON FIRE, HELP HIM! Where is Jamil, aren’t the vice housewardens here? Is it just me, or does Kalim sound a little different? Actually, good point Leona, this is Crowley’s first installment of his Not Doing Anything Helpful World Tour. The first of many. Yay, Riddle! Ooo, Twistune time! … gosh it’s so SLOW OMG! I have a question for the class. Apparently, the story within the twistune varies based on whether or not we reach the designated score threshold. Does anyone know what it looks like if you don’t get there? The perfectionist in me refuses to fail to find out.

[lisxdumbr]

did u know im writing another thing about rabits

anyways about the blonde guy his name is Lee Ruda !! he's from inso's law / my life as an internet novel (the first is the unofficial eng title and the second is the official eng title)

spoilerz for insos law tw for stabbing mention

so, basically, he starts off as a guy who sits next to dani (the main character) and starts flirting with her. there's some drama with him and her (dani's) overprotective friends until one day dani gets accused of creating an online hate club of her best friend and he helps her a little bit.

after the incident dani goes with jiho (one of her over protective friends who also has a crush on her) to this party for corporate heirs. (since her friends are... corporate heirs...) and she meets ruda dressed as a girl there and he says that he's running from his mother. at this point in time, dani thinks he's a girl whos crossdressing because he is so pretty and characters like that are common in internet novels (dani is convinced she is in an internet novel)

but then dani gets kidnapped by the girl who framed her for creating the online hate club and ruda steps in to save her. he ran away from home before but he promised that he'd come home if his mom helped him save dani

so he went back home and went into confinement. one day his friend who was an older brother figure to him appeared at dani's school and he met dani. dani and her best friend and their friend joo-in break into the place where ruda is held and they break him out and have a conversation

the conversation talks about:

ruda thinks that his older brother figure friend betrayed him and made him the corporate heir

so basically they were put into a competition for the heir to the corporation and one of the trials was basically being in a fight (since they are a body guard company). ruda was framed for stabbing his older brother figure friend but was instantly named heir because his mom liked that

but in actuality the older brother figure stabbed himself and blamed it on ruda so that ruda could be disqualified because ruda didn't want to become heir

but that kinda backfired and then they all talk it out and ruda is able to go back to school again

anyways so yeah hes a little. i like him a lot :)

I forgot to reply to this. Hi Qian. You have a type of character btw, I am looking at you.

Also I read your Ra*bits thing ! I think I forgot to rb,,, but it was good, I like your opinions

[violetdisasterzone]

Luo Binghe & Selflessness

There's a great post by @/jayktoralldaylong talking about how all the love interests in MXTX's novels prioritize the safety and well-being of the MCs rather than prioritizing - or even expecting - their love being returned. And image my surprise when the first reply I see is "Except Binghe. That bitch will sleep with your corpse," with others agreeing and calling him the "worst MXTX character" in the tags. I am yet again asking, did we read the same book? Luo Binghe is just as single-mindedly devoted to Shen Qingqiu as any of the others. Evidence of this is found at every turn during the main plot of Scum Villain: the plot during which he was actively possessed by a sentient evil sword. A sword which in a different timeline - a timeline without Shen Yuan - almost single-handedly turned Luo Bingge into a tyrant. He is under this influence for a majority of volumes 2 and 3 (of the Eng. transl.), which is also when he is accused of being "crazy" or "pushy" in regards to Shen Qingqiu.

Since the reply that inspired this post discussed the 5 years in which Shen Qingqiu was dead, that's what I'll address first. When Shen Qingqiu self-destructs, Luo Binghe is caught extremely off guard. It's easy, I think, to forget or disregard just how awful and confusing the entire novel's events have been for Binghe so far. Accepted to Qing Jing and subsequently horrifically abused for 4 years; a sudden, drastic, unexplained change in Shen Qingqiu and a blissful 3 years of peace; pushed into hell and utterly betrayed in an act of what appears to be very out of character hypocrisy. And when he returns (now in possession of the aforementioned sentient evil sword), he stays away from Cang Qiong and becomes a respectable cultivator in his own right, so that maybe, maybe Shen Qingqiu would accept him once again. And then he runs into Shen Qingqiu enjoying the company of someone who looks exactly like him; yet Shen Qingqiu runs from him, acting as though Binghe is the one who is dangerous, who is going to hurt him. Of course, Shen Qingqiu is justified in his fear, based on his own perceptions of the situation. But Luo Binghe does not know this.

Immediately following Shen Qingqiu's destruction is one of the only times we get a firsthand glimpse into Luo Binghe's perspective. This line is from the moments after he catches Shen Qingqiu's body: "Didn't Shizun hate his blood more than anything? Wasn't he unwilling to even be near him, to associate with him at all?" In the following pages is when he learns, for the first time that "Shizun too was...utterly heartbroken" during his time in the Abyss. When the chapter ends, Luo Binghe is still in utter shock, wiping the blood from Shen Qingqiu's face and trying, uselessly, to explain that he was just angry, that he just wanted to make him happy. We don't see the part of the scene where Luo Binghe leaves with the body, but it is not hard to infer that, in his complete state of denial and shock, his mind recently saved from an agonizing deviation, he was unwilling to part from his Shizun.

During the five years of Shen Qingqiu's absence, Luo Binghe kept his body in as perfect a state as possible. As we see in the Deep Dream extra, Luo Binghe brings Mu Qingfang (who he seems to respect, however minimally) to Huan Hua Pavilion some time after the events of Hua Yue City (which we know because Mu Qingfang expects Shen Qingqiu's body to "have long since festered and decayed"). We, as Shen Qingqiu, then get a glimpse into what Luo Binghe does with the body: he cooks countless meals that will go uneaten, and he transfers qi to prevent that decay. Skin to skin contact is the most direct way to transfer qi, as supported in many other scenes, including the flashback scene in this same extra. This type of qi transfer can also be carried out while sleeping, as evidenced in the Bing-mei vs. Bing-ge extra, providing a regulated stream of spiritual energy for an entire night. As Mu Qingfang said earlier, this uses up "an enormous amount of spiritual power" and is only enough to keep his body protected "for a single day" without reversing everything. Luo Binghe is immensely powerful, but even protagonists are not built to drain themselves every night for 5 years, while also fighting off Xin Mo, running Huan Hua, controlling the demon realm, and NOT giving up on everything. When Shen Qingqiu is thought to be dead in the minutes after Maigu Ridge, Luo Binge "almost tried to follow" him. And yet, when he believed there was even a chance he might return, he held on "for almost two thousand more of these days and nights."

The only other time we see Luo Binghe's interactions with the corpse is when Shen Qingqiu, undiscovered in the plant body, witnesses Liu Qingge's infiltration. In this, it is said that "Luo Binghe was unwilling to harm the corpse, so he could only release it." It's worth mentioning that, if Liu Qingge had managed to take the body back to Cang Qiong - or, what sequence is initiated when he does - it will be given burial rights, it will decay, and Shen Qingqiu will never again have a possibility of inhabiting it. Luo Binghe cannot let this happen; it's not merely about possession or attachment. And yet, he would sooner allow this possibility that allowing even the potential of harm to come to him.

When all is said and done, after Luo Binghe has been broken out of Xin Mo's control and Shen Qingqiu does not die - the first thing he does is return him to Cang Qiong Mountain. When Shen Qingqiu suggests that they leave, together, Luo Binghe is "dumbfounded." He fully expected to be left, for Shen Qingqiu to be unwilling. He would have done anything for Shen Qingqiu and expected nothing in return.

At his core, even under influence and in emotional turmoil, Luo Binghe's love is unfalteringly selfless. There are so many examples of this, both in the main plot and in the post-canon extras, but I think this post is long enough already. Suffice it to say that nothing is more important that Shen Qingqiu to Luo Binghe - least of all himself.

[lgbtqmanga]

New Releases Sep. 27, 2022

Cats and Sugar Bowls by Yukiko

A beautiful collection of sweet and provocative yuri romances!

Want a little spice with your sugar? Cats and Sugar Bowls delivers with nine bite-sized stories about love between women. Rena and Sanae are like a pair of naughty kitties who act far more innocent than they really are. Touka, while looking for a lover willing to indulge her more extreme BDSM fantasies, runs into her boss at a bondage club. All these delights and more await!

Crossplay Love: Otaku x Punk vol. 1 by Toru

In this LGBT+ high school romantic comedy, a nerd and a delinquent find themselves attracted to each other, but only when they’re crossdressing at a maid cafe!

Shuumei has a problem: he’s in love with Hana, a girl who works in a maid café. Unfortunately, he’s too embarrassed to go in and talk to her…until he puts on girl’s clothes and transforms himself into Mei. What Shuumei doesn’t realize is that Hana is actually Hanae, an otaku boy who’s more comfortable with people when he’s dressed as a girl! What’s more, neither of them are aware that they both go to the same school. Appearances can be deceiving in this wacky cross-dressing love comedy!

FANGS vol. 2 by Billy Balibally 

"What kind of guy is unlucky enough to get bitten... and survive?" 

 As the sole survivor of a vampire attack, En wakes up to find that his hair has gone white as snow... and, worse, that he's developed a craving of his own for blood. Since then, he's been living with Ichii, his handsome guardian and mentor, who works with the vampire health and welfare organization FANGS. Life is good... except En can't quite figure out what to make of his relationship with Ichii. There's certainly mutual attraction, devotion, playful teasing, and yet — he can't shake the sense that Ichii is hiding something from him. 

 The more the naïve and outgoing En learns about the lonely reality of his new existence, the more isolated he feels among his fellow jaded vampires. Without knowing the secrets of Ichii's dark past, can En trust in him enough for the two of them to become paired partners? This book contains sexual content and is intended for an audience aged 18 years and up.

Heaven Official’s Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu vol. 4 (Novel) by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

FATES ALIGNED, BODIES INTERTWINED

The Reverend of Empty Words, a monster that feeds off the fears of the fortunate, is hunting Xie Lian’s friend, the Wind Master Shi Qingxuan. Knowing that his abysmal luck inoculates him from the creature’s power, Xie Lian doesn’t hesitate to throw himself into harm’s way—to Hua Cheng’s horror and panic. But another one of the Four Calamities may be closer than anyone knows, and even a ghost as powerful as Hua Cheng can lose control under the right circumstances. With his inhibitions gone, will desire overtake him?

I’m in Love with the Villainess (Manga) vol. 3 by AONOSHIMO, Inori, Hanagata

YOU GOTTA FIGHT FOR YOUR KNIGHT(HOOD)

Rae and Claire are about to face off in a heated battle to join the Academy Knights! The selection test will see Rae, a dual-caster with knowledge from her previous life, try to hold her own against Claire, a preeminent fire user. Who will come out on top?

Love is an Illusion! vol. 1 by Fargo

The hit Boys’ Love omegaverse webtoon from Lezhin is now in print! In this Mature-rated romcom, a man who thinks he’s an Alpha finds out that he isn’t…when he gets up close and personal with an Alpha who sees through him.

Hye-sung spent his entire life believing he was an alpha, the jackpot of the genetic lottery. His world is flipped upside down when he learns that he isn’t a dominating alpha, but a submissive omega instead! His frustration redlines whenever he crosses paths with the handsome Dojin, a true alpha. Supposedly, Dojin can’t stand omegas, but sparks fly when he butts heads with Hye-sung, and their explosive arguments set off an unexpectedly spicy relationship. Is their sizzling chemistry truly just pheromones?!

This global digital hit is coming to print at last in deluxe English-language paperbacks, featuring the black-and-white comic with beautiful color inserts.

On or Off vol. 1 by A1 

 After joining his friend's startup, university student Ahn Yiyoung never imagined he'd end up presenting their work directly to SJ Corporation, a major company headed by one of the most sought-after talents in the country: Kang Daehyung. It certainly doesn't help that, on top of being a bigshot executive, strikingly handsome Director Kang is his ideal type! When his presentation fails to go as planned, Yiyoung's desire to impress Director Kang leads him to take desperate measures... and lands him in a whole new mess, tangled up between his personal and professional relationships. How far is Yiyoung willing to go to achieve success in both his love life and his career?

[plan-d-to-i]

As someone who enjoys all the adaptations for mdzs, I’ve discovered for all the stuff I can put up with in fics, I will instantly back out the second I catch an author mixing them together. If I’m read a fic for the novel, I don’t want CQL mixed in there. If I’m reading for CQL, I don’t want the animation stuff in there. Do you know how off putting it was I was reading a fic that was all based on the novel and suddenly there was a reference to WWX saving rabbits from the donghua? If people are going to mix adaptations can’t they at least tag it?

They can't tag it apparently, and they'll get mad at you if you even dare sugest it (in the Eng. speaking fandom). They can't understand that novel is canon, and everything else is an adaptation. That maybe ppl don't want a *Chief Cultivator LWJ suddenly appears * moment with no warning. To say nothing of the characterization, but then they’d have to see the difference in the first place 🙃🥲.

[nikadoesanart]

My predictions on BSD getting animated going forward

I’ll be taking a look at the novel page counts (Japanese and English) and comparing them to the screen time they’ve gotten so far and then using this to predict how long the remaining light novel adaptations will be (approximately). At the end will also be my rough prediction/hopes for the order of some of these being adapted. I say some because I have yet to read what there is so far of the gaiden novel translations, the main story manga has essentially still been on the DOA arc almost since where the anime left off, and I personally think that it’s currently too soon for Storm Bringer (aside from money purposes).

Note, most of this was written well before the anime 5th anniversary livestream but the announcements wound up not affecting it. I then of course made adjustments as needed account for the novel content we do have so far, both in Japanese and in English (officially).

Page to Episode Count

Not counting the afterward, ads, etc for the English/US copy, Japanese is including it

Also all eng page counts are using the Yen Press release and jp page counts are taken from the fandom wiki

*148 is purely counting the Untold Origins portion of the novel. If we also count the A Day at the Agency short story that’s included before it (56 pages), then we get the full 203

Also the English page count for BEAST was noted before the English release date but after page counts have been posted by affiliated retailers, so subtract a couple pages from the written count of 176 for the time being to account for the afterward and possible character sheets being included

Now that we have our page to episode counts (as of April 5th, 2021), let’s find the actual content run time of what we do have animated so far.

Seasons 1-3 and the OVA all have the same episode length/duration. Each episode is 23 minutes, and we can subtract 3 minutes on average from that to account for the OP and ED being played. This leaves us with an average of 20 minutes of BSD story content per episode. So on average, each of the first 3 seasons contain 240 minutes, or 4 hours, worth of story content.

Dead Apple’s total run time is 91 minutes, with the OP and ED making up 9 of those minutes. However, we do have a bit of the story content being played while the ED is playing (as sometimes happens in the anime as well). To keep the math simple, I’ll be approximating story content time at 82 minutes.

Apply these numbers to the novels that have been animated so far and this is (approximately) what we get:

Now let’s use these numbers to predict the screen time needed for the other novels

Note that we can’t really use Entrance Exam as a fair measure because of how much got cut out (just compare the run time of it to Dark Era and it speaks for itself). However, the numbers for Dark Era and Dead Apple are the best ones to use, as they both have minimal changes between anime and novel and both have official English translations currently available. Take out the approximate time taken up by OP/ED and and the numbers pretty much match up.

So with that being said, we can estimate Untold Origins (only) at approximately 3 eps/60 min and 55 Minutes at 1h 40-55min/100-115 min or 5-6 eps if it doesn’t get a movie. We can also estimate the A Day at the Detective Agency short story at the beginning of Untold Origins to take up about 1 ep, probably even a bit less.

1+ 3 + 5-6 = 9-10 episodes which isn’t enough for a full single cour season unless they all get put into one big OVA season, but also 10-11 eps (or less) seasons are a thing (ie. Fugou Keiji: Balance Unlimited, Blood Lad, Black Butler: Book of Circus, The Seven Deadly Sins: Signs of a Holy War, FLCL)

My personal predictions/hopes for the anime adaptation timeline going forward

This is considering the manga content, current “pausing/stopping points” what wouldn’t be too awkward, each of the novels relevancy/necessity to the main story manga, and assuming we continue with single cour (12-13 ep) seasons

Hopefully/ideally a 55 Minutes movie

S4: ch 54-70

Early S5 (preferably) or end of S4: Untold Origins or A Day at the Agency

S5: ch 71-88/around where we are now?

A Day at the Agency can, in my opinion at least, be chucked in at any point either as a single episode OVA or as the light novel content for s4 (maybe not even taking a full episode and then starting ch 54 in the last few minutes for example). Keep in mind that the current DOA arc is a long one and has plenty to it, so personally I think it may even be better to not include a novel adaptation in a future S4, as it would likely already be a right squeeze content wise. Remember, we also have a few XX.5 chapters that are continuations of the chapter directly before them.

I still need to read what’s currently available of the gaiden novel fan translations but it can probably be adapted at any point as well. I’m estimating approximately 5-6 eps as an OVA series. I don’t really think it would get a movie, partially because you can make it only so long, especially since it’s an anime movie and unlike Storm Bringer, it doesn’t have Chuuya to practically guarantee the profit.

BEAST also doesn’t directly impact the main story and can be adapted at virtually any point. However, seeing as we do have a live action confirmed for it and it’s page count lines up very closely with Dark Era, it can be either 4 eps or (more likely in my opinion) a movie, as it can be considered almost stand alone content.

Personally, I believe it is currently way too soon to animate Storm Bringer as it came out only a little over a month ago (as of writing this) and has minimal plot necessity as of ch 91, but I do believe it should be either split into 2 movies (a part 1 and part 2) or it would need 8 episodes, likely as an OVA season. If it were to get animated sooner than 55 Minutes or Untold Origins, which I believe to be very unlikely, I feel that it would almost certainly be driven by the financial gains of Chuuya being included, and his popularity alone. Reminder, SB is about Chuuya and not SKK. Dazai’s appearance in SB is proportionally a very small percentage and he’s not even mentioned in the official plot summary.

However, you can argue that SB is starting to have some relevance now, with the recent mention of the Order of the Clock Tower in ch 90 and the increased relevance of sealed ability weapons in ch 91. However, I really do believe that you can’t adapt Storm Bringer before 55 Minutes because of Standard Island and its treaty, it also talks about sealed ability weapons, knowing who Wells is, and 55 Minutes canonically takes place during the “downtime” portion of S3. In fact, here’s Asagiri’s words directly from the Afterward (translation by Yen Press):

“this volume didn’t take place in the past, but rather sometime after the tenth volume of the manga. In other words, it’s a tale about the ‘usual’ detective agency in novel format.” (55 minutes, p 237)

Untold Origins also should be adapted sooner rather than later (at least compared to SB in my opinion) because it’s about Ranpo and Fukuzawa’s shared past, which becomes increasingly relevant ch 70 onwards, as well as the need for the ADA being founded (which ties in with Yosano’s backstory in ch 65-66).

In regards to whether I think each of these would be better suited to a movie adaptation or as multiple regular length anime episodes, it’s mainly due to page count and partly due to the budget difference between the two, as well as how difficult I think it would be to animate each of these based on what needs to be drawn. The anime industry isn’t the fastest to switch to newer technology, hence why we see issues with 3D blending sometimes. I really do think that at the very least, 55 Minutes deserves the movie budget because of how detailed and complex the architecture of Standard Island is described as, as well all the mechanical parts needed for the final battle of the novel. Hate the lizard mouths introduced in Dead Apple all you want, but you can’t deny that the 3D cgi was blended very smoothly. For any of the other novels to be movies, it’s more so because gaiden and BEAST can be considered their own stand alone stories that don’t rely too heavily on the main story in terms of when they take place and get adapted. I feel that SB is more likely to get its own season or an OVA season more so due to its length, but multiple part anime movies have also been done before (ie. the Fate/Stay Night: Heaven’s Feel movies), so it’s not entirely impossible. Especially considering that merely having any Chuuya screen time means that you can expect the profit and popularity to really go up, especially with SKK being on screen together (regardless of whether you love or hate how the fandom tends to push a shipping POV on them).

These are all of course just my hopes and predictions and estimates based on information currently available, so take them with some salt. I’d love to hear opinions on how, when, and why each of the currently non animated novels should be adapted going forward. Also please stop begging the relevant BSD official Twitter pages for SB to be animated next and go read the other light novels you Chuuya simp

[yuexuan]

Fiction recommendation 21

Time for some more fic recs because its been awhile since I did them!

1. 幻想农场 (Fantasy Farm)

Author: 西子绪

Farming/slice of life, food fic, supernatural, mythology

Summary [taken from novel updates]:

After being fired, Lu Qingjiu finally decided to return to his hometown to farm.

At first, he started raising a pig, and then he found that the pig could solve more high-level math questions than he could.

After that, he started raising a flock of chickens, and then he found that his own fighting ability was one-tenth of that of a single chicken.

Finally, Lu Qingjiu finally realised that this old home wasn’t quite right… Especially a certain person by his side who constantly stared at him day in and day out.

Lu Qingjiu: “Are you drooling because of the spicy stir-fry I’m holding or because of me?”

Bai Yuehu pointed at the stir-fry.

Lu Qingjiu: “Then can you let go??”

Bai Yuehu reluctantly glanced at Lu Qingjiu’s arm, before loosening his teeth.

Comments:

My first thought is: don’t read this fic when you’re hungry. Every chapter is filled with delicious descriptions of food that’ll make one’s mouth water. The novel makes a lot of references to creatures from the Classics of the Mountains and Seas, which is a delight to learn about. An easy-to-read, fun novel. 

Novel | Novel [Eng] Translation 

2. 全球高考 (Global Examination)

Author: 木苏里

Infinite flow, suspense, action

Summary [taken from novel updates]:

One day, You Huo and his famiIy was puIIed into an exam caIIed the GIobaI University Entrance Examination. Going through exams together with other unfortunate examinees, their Iives are put at stake and they can only Iive by passing each exam. However, something about these exams and the system controIIing it didn’t seem right — lt seemed to be trying to trap the examinees with ridiculous ruIes and strange questions…

There, You Huo meets lnvigiIator 001 who seems to hoId a key to the past he no Ionger remembered and, together, they go through the exam, unravelling the mysteries behind their past and the system.

Tldr: A pair of chaotic madmen work together to go against the examination system while feeding the readers dogfood.

Comments:

I admit that I didn’t like the story when I first started reading it. But as the story progresses, the rules of the examination fall into place and the different examinations got very challenging and interesting. The whole power couple and stranger-to-lover tropes are an added highlight. 

Novel | Novel [Eng] Translation | Audio drama | Manhua

3. 全球上线 (Earth Online)

Author: 莫晨欢

Infinite flow, suspense, survival, action

Summary:

Six months ago, tens of thousands of huge towers appeared all over the world, floating over cities. No one could do anything about them.

Half a year later, people are used to the towers and learned to ignore them.

One day Tang Mo saw a bug fly towards one of the towers and hit it.

The next day, a child's voice announced to the entire world: Ding dong! 15th November, 2017, the earth went online.

   The three iron rules of the towers:    (1) The towers shall explain everything.    (2) The game time starts from 6:00 - 18:00.    (3) All players please try their best to attack and defeat the towers.

Comments:

Another suspenseful infinite flow stories. I love the smart power couple dynamic, how the two of them become powerful when they collaborate, but are also equally capable of defeating the towers’ levels by themselves. Moreover, all the characters don’t have your typical “oh let me be a hero and save everyone” complex. They all weighed the benefits and costs at each turn and are capable of making decisions that best maximize their chances of survival - whether that is ruthlessly killing other players or extending a saving hand. All the powers and items that the players received and the world-building are very unique (especially Tang Mo’s and his book haha). This one is gonna challenge your brain a bit, but definitely worth a read. 

Novel | Novel [Eng] Translation 

4. 不要在垃圾桶里捡男朋友 (Don’t pick up boyfriends from the trash bin)

Author: 骑鲸南去

Infinite flow, transmigration

Summary [from novel updates]:

Chi Xiaochi: fourth-rate citizen at birth, three-time award-winning film emperor, second-rate temper, first-class looks. He crawled his way out of hell on hard mode to become a winner at life.

Then, he was smashed into a vegetative state by a chandelier.

061: Hello, here’s a brief rundown on the scum gong reconditioning system. This system measures the regret level of the scum gong. Every time their regret level reaches one hundred points, you will be able to leave the current world. A friendly tip, usually, through dedication and self-sacrifice, our employees slowly foster a sense of dependency in the scum gongs, gradually making it so the scum gongs can’t live without them.

Chi Xiaochi: How many regret points is a complete loss of reputation and standing worth? How about a fall from grace? Or wanting something but never being able to obtain it?

061: ……

Comment:

Don’t let the title fool you. I entered the novel thinking it’s some meet-cute modern-day slice-of-life comedy, but it turns out to have some really good angst and adventure moments in there. Heck, it’s been awhile since I cried for a novel. :’) 

There are ten arcs (i.e. worlds) that the protagonist enters, each with its own backstory, so this novel might feel longer than the usual danmei. Nevertheless, I enjoyed all the details placed into each world and all the side characters. I also like that the protagonist is very smart and cunning and he grows throughout the different worlds. The only con I’ll say to this is that everything proceeds a bit too smoothly, especially with the golden finger of 061, so the protagonist can come off as being too OP. Nevertheless, the ending and last world are just huge tear-jerkers. 

Novel | Novel [Eng] Translation

5. 迪奥先生 (Mr. Dior)

Author: 绿野千鹤

Comedy, fluff, romance 

Summary [from novel updates]:

One day, Zhang Chenfei met a car accident. Fortunately, he didn’t suffer any serious physical injuries. However, due to the impact of the car crash, his brain’s perception of the real world had turned into that of the novel that he was reading prior to the accident. The thing that horrified his wife, Jiao Qi, was… the Smart Brain, Louis XIII downloaded a series of books which meant that his husband would turn into a different character each time!

How will our adorable little wife deal with this kind of husband who seemed to suddenly suffer from multiple personalities?

This novel’s plot focuses on Zhang Chenfei’s changing personality based from the characters in the books, and how his wife, Jiao Qi, deal with every character as he will have to act in sync with whoever his husband’s character is. This is per the advise of the private doctor since treatment of this special condition was still under research.

As they act out their roles, they will gradually discover and learn more about the other, which they’ve never known in their seven years of living together.

Comment:

The amount of second-hand embarrassment and cringe I got from this novel is huge and I love it lol. If you are curious about how cheesy and cliche Chinese romance can get, please do try reading this. It includes some of the worst and most dog blood tropes in a comedic and satirical way, while advancing the main pairing’s relationship at the same time. Truly a fun read!

Novel | Novel [Eng] Translation | Manhua

Other quick links:

Fic tag guide

My previous recommendations (mostly danmei + fanfics)

List of novels/fics that I have already read

[link4eva]

Kiro’s Work Visit Date (探班之约) Translation [CN]

Hi! Just a couple of notes before you begin reading...

This fluffy and wholesome date was just released (March 11, 2021) in the CN server and will eventually be released in the ENG server sometime next year.

I also don’t know any Chinese myself so all of this translation was done through the power of Google Translate and with help from the lovely @keliosyfan​ .

You can read his Couch Potato call that comes with this date here!

Hope you enjoy!~

*Spoilers ahead for future content!*

[First Part]

MC: So now the question is….

Kiro: Wait a minute! I didn’t seem to understand too much of what was said. Let me take a look!

During the video call, Kiro suddenly moved his face close to the screen with excitement.

Kiro: Miss Chips, do you mean that….you’re going to go in person and be a host on the show?

MC: Pretty much….

Some time ago, I did a variety show about a certain European town called “Cloud Tourism”.

The reason it’s called “Cloud Tourism” is because I’ve never been to this small town before. I only got a preliminary understanding of the traditional customs there through a novel.

Out of an abundance of interest, I consulted a lot of relevant sources and finally released a program with the concept of “seeing words as faces”.

Originally it was just an experiment inspired by an idea that didn’t really make any big splashes in China.

Unexpectedly, an internet celebrity from the small town recommended this program on his personal blog which led to it becoming popular very quickly.

Kiro: Oh….slowly but surely, I figured it out.  Not only has this show received great praise, the local TV station also sincerely invited you to come and do some interviews. Even in the form of a reality show, I must say that Miss Chips is amazing!

MC: ......

MC: I think you understand it pretty clearly but some parts are exaggerated….

Kiro: Congratulations, MC!~

Kiro: If I wasn’t shooting abroad, I would definitely take you there to celebrate! But we can celebrate like we did before….

MC: Wait! Wait a minute! I haven’t decided whether to go or not yet….

Kiro: This is a great opportunity to promote the company. Why are you so hesitant?

MC: Although I have previous experience, this would be my first time shooting as the host….

MC: What if I’m too nervous in front of the camera? It’ll affect the shoot.

Kiro: Miss Chips.

On the screen, Kiro sat upright and pushed his glasses up that were nonexistent.

Kiro: It seems that you’ve forgotten that there’s an experienced acting teacher right in front of you.

MC: Pff….I would like to ask Mr. Kiro how I can act natural in front of the camera. 

Kiro: It is very simple. Step one is to do the warm-up exercises in advance. Your shoulders should also be really relaxed. Then imagine the camera as a friend who can’t speak and has big eyes….

A few minutes later, Kiro was still “teaching” very professional acting techniques on the phone screen.

Kiro: Hello, MC, are you still listening?

MC: Um….I don’t think I can do this.

His bright eyes suddenly crinkled upwards, hiding a triumphant smile.

Kiro: I’m just teasing you. In fact, you only need to remember the first few steps.

MC: But I’m worried that if I get nervous, I’ll forget those first few steps. I hope that I can become Kiro that day!

Kiro curled his lips up again when he heard those words.

Kiro: Then close your eyes and hypnotize yourself….

Kiro: “I am the superstar Kiro!” 

[Second Part]

At five o’clock in the morning in the dressing room at the local TV station.

I tilted my head to face the makeup artist and held back yet another yawn.

The makeup artist whispered a few words to the accompanying translator and then left the dressing room.

Translator: Miss MC, the makeup artist has finished your makeup. The director will be here shortly. You can rest for a while.

I nodded gratefully. This country’s language is one that I’m not familiar with so the TV station specifically hired an interpreter.

As soon as I closed my eyes, I felt my phone vibrate.

Kiro: MC, are you still in makeup?

MC: Just finished. Are you ready to start work too?

Kiro: I’ve already been working for an hour.

MC: Why so early? It’s only five o’clock where you are!

Kiro: Don’t worry, I’m used to this kind of shooting routine.

Although I’ve known before that Kiro started almost every filming session in the morning, this was the first time experiencing it for myself. It’s hard work getting up early and putting on makeup.

What’s more, he often works overtime to catch up on his other stuff and rarely has enough time to rest.

MC: Then you must take time to rest!

Kiro: It’s okay. If I’m tired, I just close my eyes and think of Miss Chips’ smile. 

Kiro seemed to take a deep breath on the other end.

Kiro: Hmm~ Charging is complete!

I seemed to see him being content and I couldn’t help being amused by him. 

Kiro: By the way, what is your shooting schedule today?

MC: It’s sightseeing shooting. The director arranged to take me to several local attractions and I can also choose places of interest. 

MC: The first stop on the agenda is to explore the shop on the pedestrian street.

Kiro: Great! I heard from the crew that there is a famous cake shop on the pedestrian street of that small town. I will send you the address.

Kiro: Only by filling up your stomach and replenishing your energy can you be in the best state!

(Cut to the street)

MC: Well….

I watched my stiff expression and rigid body in the video replay. I couldn’t help but curl my toes and pick at the ground.

Director: Take it easy, alright?

I nodded slowly.

The director looked at me with sympathy and discussed some things with the translator for a while.

Translator: The director wants to know if you have anything you want to do. He suggested that if we start with one of your interests first, you’ll get into the right state of mind faster.

MC: Well, there is one place….

I almost immediately thought of the cake shop that Kiro had mentioned.

(Cut to cake shop)

Because of how early it was in the morning when we arrived at this cake shop called “Flipped”, the first batch of pastries had just come out of the oven. 

I was standing in front of the shop window outside the store while the director was preparing for shooting and I made adjustments for myself. 

Shoulders down, jaw relaxed, a smile appeared on my face. I recalled the formula Kiro taught me.

Close your eyes. Look into your heart.

“I’m the “not afraid of anything” Kiro!”

A burst of mellow sweetness lingered wantonly in the air. I opened my eyes and focused on the window again.

A pair of bright and familiar smiling eyes appeared in the window. The owner of these smiling eyes waved to me.

I felt my heart jump out of my chest.

Kiro: Hello, Miss Chips~ 

Looking at the two intersecting faces on the window glass, I finally couldn’t help but smile.

Oops, I really did become Kiro.

[Third Part]

I didn’t expect Kiro to have secretly been planning to see me on set. I was pleasantly surprised and realized that I was deceived by him during the morning call.

I made a “follow me” gesture to him through the glass.

(Cut to alleyway)

In the alleyway next to the cake shop, I wiped away the shock in my heart and checked, again and again, to make sure that no one else had followed us.

Kiro: Don’t worry, MC. Almost all the folks in this small town will have no idea who I am. And….

He pointed proudly to the sunglasses on his nose.

Kiro: I also came prepared.

I looked around and around and deliberately put on a face of worry.

MC: Why are you here? Weren’t you filming in another country?

Kiro: Actually, I don’t have any shooting arrangements today. It only takes an hour and a half to fly to this country from the shooting location. And it only takes two hours to take the train from the town’s airport.

MC: No matter how easy you make it sound, that was no easy journey….

MC: And with this time off, you should be resting in the hotel.

He pulled down his sunglasses aggrievedly. 

Kiro: But I really wanted to visit you at work for once, and give you encouragement at your side, just like what you did for me last time.

Kiro: And more importantly, I really missed you…. 

(Here’s a cute little clip of this dialogue uploaded by @cheri-translates​  !)

MC: Kiro….

All of my pretentious arrogance dissipated in an instant and I was about to reach out and hug him. But, he crossed his arms in front of him.

Kiro: But speaking of shooting, I just observed it secretly and your performance does have some small flaws.

Kiro: Your expressions are small and stiff, your movements are rigid and tiny, and your eye contact flutters from time to time….

Kiro: Also, you can walk without looking at the camera…. If I look at the camera while walking, [robot noises] don’t I look like a robot?

The more he talked about it, the more he assumed the coach position. He made a great show of it too.

I was so embarrassed that I nodded my head to accept the criticism with shame.

Kiro: Hahahaha--I’ll stop teasing you. 

He leaned over and squished my cheek and curled his lips again.

Kiro: Although, I can see that you are a bit nervous. I’m used to seeing your confident working style as a producer on set….

Kiro: It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you this nervous. You can do it, love! *Did my own interpretation of what he said here cause I had no clue what Google was trying to say lol.*

He opened his arms and the morning sun fell on his shoulders.

Kiro: Come on, Miss Chips.

Kiro: Thank you for your hard work. For that, you get a rechargeable hug from Kiro.

I nodded my head hard and as soon as I took a step of joy, the director poked his head out of the alley. 

Director: Stand by, sweety!

I slammed the brakes and took out my phone, pretending to take a call. I shook my head slightly at Kiro.

He immediately showed me an aggrieved expression and I gave him a wink.

MC: It’s okay, I’ve already learned a recharging trick from Teacher Kiro.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, sketching a picture of bright, smiling eyes on the pitch-black canvas.

When I opened my eyes, those smiling eyes gradually merged with Kiro’s in front of me.

MC: Charging is complete~

(Cut to inside cake shop)

Under the guidance of Kiro, “the super professional”, I calmed down and tried to get into the shooting state.

However, in order to not affect my shooting state, Kiro pretended to be a stranger and waited silently near the shooting location.

When I don’t know which dessert to choose, he would raise his voice and give me a hint.

With pastry crumbs hanging on the corner of my mouth, he pointed at the corner of his mouth and winked at me until I understood what he meant.

During the filming, there were children running around noisily, so he used the tablecloth on the table to do some tricks to attract their attention.

Perhaps because of his “invisible” companionship, I really became more natural before I knew it.

Translator: The shooting in the store is OK! The director said that we are going to shoot some scenes on the pedestrian street next. Miss MC just needs to walk around the street casually.

After checking the route with the director in the cake shop, I realized that the table where Kiro was sitting was empty.

(Cut to the street)

I walked out of the cake shop and looked around but did not find him.

Without giving me too much time to think, the director shouted to start behind the camera.

I tried to walk the streets with peace of mind but my eyes subconsciously looked for Kiro.

Although the sun is shining in the early spring, there is still a bit of a chill in the air that has just warmed up.

Inexplicably, my heart is a little empty.

There was hustle and bustle on the other side of the street and my gaze followed the prestige in the center surrounded by a group of local children. The familiar blonde hair was dazzling and shining.

Kiro was holding a few yellow balloons in his hand with the children cheering around him as if he had helped them stop the balloons from flying away.

He squatted down and handed them the balloons one by one.

As if he could feel my gaze, he turned around and gave me an unreserved smile.

The empty part of my heart instantly filled up at this moment.

I retracted my gaze and found that the director was gesturing at me to continue walking. I quickly continued to walk.

When I pretended to spontaneously look to the other side of the road, I found Kiro with his hands in his pockets walking at the same pace as me.

Although separated by the road, he walked with me in such a special way.

The approaching noon sunshine finally had the temperature as spring.

[Fourth Part]

The shooting had finally come to an end before dusk came.

But Kiro disappeared when I was filming the last scenic spot.

As soon as I had finished work, I took out my phone to check it and found that Kiro had sent me two text messages half an hour ago.

Kiro: MC, I will have filming tomorrow so I have to rush to take the last train.

Kiro: Also, you performed well. I know my MC is the best.

I hurriedly called Kiro but the call informed me that his phone was turned off.

I took a look at the time and it was about 20 minutes away from the shooting location to the train station in town.

Maybe Kiro has boarded the return train and even arrived at the airport….

However, before I could think rationally, I didn’t hesitate to reach out and stop a taxi.

(Cut to the train station)

Due to the small population of the town, the train station at dusk is deserted.

I couldn’t understand the local language on the big screen at the station so I stood on tiptoe and looking into the waiting area in the hall.

Benches in the waiting area, a window for manual ticket purchases, on both sides of the platform, beside the vending machine.

Kiro wasn’t there.

My shoulders drooped in disappointment and I walked slowly towards the station gate.

The setting sun gives off the last bit of its light and the half-curved dome clouds shroud half the station hall in the shadows.

A slender figure stepped out of the shadow and looked at the phone in his hand, his face was as disappointed and lonely as mine.

The sunset gradually kept coming down for another minute but it just happened to pass through the windows around the station, covering the entire lobby with a layer of gold.

I looked at the young man illuminated by the golden light and couldn’t help but shout.

MC: Kiro!!!

He raised his head with a surprised expression.

Kiro: MC?

I waved at him frantically and ran in his direction.

He regained his senses after a brief moment of disbelief and then opened his arms wide like everytime he hugs me.

The moment his breath came to my face, my heart was filled with contentment.

Kiro put a hand around my waist tightly, lowered his head, and rubbed my forehead.

Kiro: Why are you here?

MC: I remembered that I borrowed something from you today, so I ran to pay you back.

Kiro: What’s that?

I tightened my arms around his neck.

MC: Isn’t this for you?

His breathing seemed to be slightly stagnant. He slid his hand on my waist to my hair.

Kiro: Then I’ll gladly take it.

MC: I….

He bowed his head slightly, and put the words that I was eager to confide in between his lips.

.

.

.

Trains in foreign towns are always prone to delays. Thanks to this, Kiro has been at the station until now so we now have the opportunity to be alone outside of our schedules.

As soon as the setting sun fell, the stars scrambled to fill the sky.

We were dressed in starlight, sitting side-by-side on the benches outside of the station, waiting for the late train. 

Kiro: How was the last scenic shoot? Did it go well? 

MC: OK! But when I was eating a snack, I poured all the ingredients inside by accident.

MC: But in fact, you’re just supposed to pick a flavour and eat it as a dip. The director laughed and shouted “CUT”....

Kiro: Pff….hahahahaha! Fortunately, I wasn’t there or I would’ve been laughing even louder!

MC: And there was….

I counted all the interesting things about today’s shooting, and laughed happily with Kiro.

Kiro: I’m glad I was able to come to the shoot today. Otherwise, I would have missed so many interesting things about MC.

MC: Kiro, do you feel that our current conversations seem to have the roles reversed?

MC: I used to visit you at your shoots, and you talked with me about all the interesting things that happened during them.

MC: Today, we “swapped” identities, and I feel a little delicate.

Kiro: Can I interview the delicate mood of Miss Chips?

He held his hand out to me as if he were holding a microphone and placed it in front of my mouth.

MC: Well, when I was shooting before, I could always feel your gaze. I felt it a lot today.

MC: It turned out to be difficult to stop myself from gazing back.

MC: Obviously, I saw you all day, but I had to hold back from looking at you.

MC: Obviously, you are by my side, but I have to resist the urge to hug you….

My cheeks were slightly hot and I avoided Kiro’s gaze. I lifted my head to look at the stars in the sky when I heard a “click”.

I turned my head and found that Kiro was taking pictures of me with his phone, the power bank that I had given him was still hanging from it.

MC: !

I took a look at the phone in his hand and saw the picture.

MC: It’s ugly! Delete it quickly!

Kiro: How is it ugly? The most natural MC is obviously the most lovely MC!

MC: I’m not letting you keep the power bank to charge your phone as revenge. Delete it quickly!

I struggled to snatch the phone from him, only to find that all the pictures he had taken today were of me.

I randomly clicked on a picture Kiro had taken of me eating a grilled sausage with an exaggerated expression, with me nervously facing the table in the background.

MC: You little….!

I glared at him angrily then clicked on other photos.

I frowned and watched the replay. I was stubbornly asking for another shot and I looked at him in the distance.

Kiro: Miss Chips….

He prolonged the ending, slowly coming closer to me.

Kiro: Don’t delete them. They’re all my precious memories of you. I want to keep them.

MC: No wonder your phone is out of power. You took too many photos!

He heard the relaxation in my tone and happily took the phone from me.

Kiro: Is this really too much? Compared to all of the photos of me on your phone, this is nothing out of the ordinary.

I blushed and tried to retort.

MC: Well, that’s because you are Kiro!

Kiro: But to me, you are MC.

He said this in a sincere tone.

Kiro: Just like you said, I also felt MC’s unusual mood today.

Kiro: I was worried whether you would be thirsty after talking for so long. And worried that you’d be tired after shooting for so long.

Kiro: You did well. I'm proud of you.

Kiro: The most important is….

He slowly came closer to me. I was the only thing in the reflection of his eyes.

Kiro: Although the scenery of this small town is beautiful, your shooting content is also very rich.

Kiro: But just like this moment….

Kiro: Under the starry sky, I can only see you.

Kiro: You are the unique star in my world. 

[END]

[cheri-translates]

[CN] Lucien’s R&S - Since that rainy night (Eng Translation)

🍒This R&S (之自雨夜来) was part of the Dream Heart Lake event which will unlikely come to EN🍒

More Lucien R&S from this event:

> regarding what books don’t say

> my love rival older brother

> the missing victim

> since that rainy night ♡

[ Chapter One ]

“Boss, why hasn't Professor Lucien been around lately?”

“It just means you haven’t been coming at the right time.”

For some reason, ever since Lucien appeared on “Miracle Finder”, the shop has become a place where his female enthusiasts check in.

The more introverted ones would order a glass of juice and wait in a corner, their eyes flitting between their phone screens and the entrance of the bar. The more straightforward ones would be like the one before me - the moment they arrive, they go straight to the question, asking about “Professor Lucien” this, and “Professor Lucien” that.

In consideration of the privacy of my customers, I wouldn’t give them a clear answer.

Moreover, even though we’ve known each other for close to two years, my understanding of him still remains at “young and promising neuroscientist”, “Guest Professor at Loveland University”, and other superficial levels.

His entire being is akin to a dense fog, drawing people near, yet never letting one see it clearly. The ladies who have developed an interest in him all say that he’s scholarly, refined, and gentle - a man who is family-oriented, considerate and protective. But to me, that may not be his genuine self. 

-

[ Chapter Two ]

The first time he visited was a rainy working day. At the dead of night, the shop only had a few customers who had been trapped in by the rain.

Everyone had long since lost the passion they had at midnight, laying on the tables listlessly and waiting for the rain to stop. I’d long since changed the background music to jazz, which was more appropriate for a rainy day. The melodious saxophone further elongated the dark night.

That was when Lucien came in, his entire body drenched. For a moment, I even thought the droplets pelting onto his white coloured lapel would dye his shirt the inky colour of night.

“‘A Foggy Day’ - what a suitable song for a rainy day.” I originally thought he was simply here to avoid the rain. But he appeared to be a music enthusiast who came here after being led by the music. “May I know if it’s still business hours?”

“We’re open for business till 5am in the morning.”

He lifted his hand and glanced at his watch. His eyes seemed to hold scattered moonlight. “Thank you. In that case, I still have 17 minutes to listen to his album.”

Not in the least reserved, he took off his jacket in front of me, removed his tie, his drenched shirt sticking to his young body. He looked sturdier than before, slightly different from the impression I got from people who wore white coats.

This contrast was basically my ideal type. Unfortunately, from a glance, it was clear that he wasn’t from around here. I could only settle my emotions, controlling my restless heart.

Because the bartender had already knocked off, I could only provide him with a glass of warm lemon water and a dry towel. “Give yourself a wipe first. You can stay here till the rain stops.”

“Thank you.” He looked so alert that he didn’t seem at all like an unlucky person who just got off work and was caught in the rain. He even chatted with me until the sky gradually turned bright. 

During the idle conversation we shared over these few hours, I talked about things related to myself from time to time, while he would take small sips from that glass of lemon water and listen quietly. Occasionally, he would give me a few replies which didn’t come off as merely being polite.

Without doubt, he was a very good listener. To me, the feeling of being listened to was a little novel.

Usually, people who visit the shop are those with worries weighing on their minds, and I would be their “tree hole”, responsible for absorbing all sorts of emotions from them. Very few people cared about my opinions and what sort of a person I was. And the mysterious man who arrived on this rainy day spent a large part of the night listening to me talking.

By the time the rain finally stopped, I was on the verge of dozing off. But he was still radiating with vigour, and so alert that it was as though he could continue with work right after getting a change of clothes.

“Thank you. This has been a wonderful rainy night.”

When he left through the door that day, I never thought that this man, akin to a hallucination, would ever visit again.

-

[ Chapter Three ]

He didn’t come at regular intervals.

Sometimes, he’d visit consecutively over two or three nights. Sometimes, he’d appear once after a week or half a month.

But no matter when he visited, he’d always sit at the most inconspicuous corner of the bar, order a non-alcoholic cup of mojito and sit quietly.

He was gentle to everyone, and could maintain a somewhat nonchalant distance with anyone. But this didn’t mean that he wouldn’t take the initiative. In contrast, he often left his “designated seat”, and with some unknown conditions, selected and walked towards a “lucky individual”.

They could be lawyers experiencing disappointment at work, or they could be small celebrities who thought highly of themselves. They could be cross-dressing hobbyists whose genders were difficult to distinguish, or they could be a normal youth who was perplexed about the future...

The troubles these people held in their hearts and only dared to meld into music and glasses of beer were completely revealed to Lucien.

Countless times, I’d seen him learning a person’s entire story in the span of a glass of beer. As for things pertaining to himself, he had never revealed much.

The more mysterious this person was, the more it hooked certain people’s desire to conquer. There were always a few ill-intentioned customers who would try using alcohol to numb his consciousness, or attempt to remove that unassailable outer shell of his. But each time, they would stop.

He was naturally not self-indulgent. Even if it was with someone he’d accompanied for two drinks, he wouldn’t overdo it. The moment he entered a slightly drunken state, he would use all sorts of ingenious ways to extricate himself. With a drink in hand, he would calmly return to his seat.

During these moments, his tender features would seem to be covered with a thin layer of ice, revealing a hint of coldness.

Those eyes, which held boundless constellations, would also dim. In them, there would be unreadable emotions. It gave off the sense of a well-made robot suddenly having its electricity cut off, stopping it from interacting with the outside world entirely.

I’d tried making conversation with him during such moments, but he seemed to be even quieter when drunk. As such, he didn’t respond much.

-

[ Chapter Four ]

Watching him get along well with everyone, I teased him. “Professor Lucien, could there be a scientific method to making friends? Why does it seem as though you can integrate yourself with anyone?” 

“As long as you have a mentality of ‘making friends’, you can easily integrate with everyone.” He maintained a gentle smile, saying somewhat cruel words.

Probably because the confusion was too obvious on my face, he couldn’t help but chuckle. “From your expression, I’m afraid you might have misunderstood what I meant.” Even before I could express my doubts, he had already guessed it.

He’s always been this way, easily understanding the inner hearts of others. 

“Everyone is too used to ‘friendship’. But actually, no matter what relationships are shared between people, they’re formed with fetters. As such, if I were to use a ‘passer-by’ method of idle talk, the other party wouldn’t feel an overly heavy responsibility from me. This would create a more unrestrained atmosphere where he can open his heart freely.”

This left me speechless for a while, but I didn’t dare to agree blindly. The only thing I could say was that his way of thinking was indeed different from normal people. As such, one couldn’t use use a normal standard to gauge whether he was right or wrong.

“In that case, have you never considered being friends with anyone?”

“It depends on what the other person thinks.” He met my eyes for several seconds, with a gaze which left one unable to turn him down, once again ambiguously evading the core of the question.

Past experiences have sounded an alarm bell for me:

The more watertight a person seems, the more undisclosed secrets he has.

If they say that a woman’s heart is elusive, then that man’s heart was likely a balloon.

Expanding at will, and contracting at will.

Ever since the ladies in the bar kept talking about “Professor Lucien” this and “Professor Lucien” that, the male customers who came here to flirt with girls were enraged beyond compare. They started playing student-like tricks on Lucien.

I had always closed an eye to such small-scale antics which didn’t affect the business. One, I could treat it as a tiny interlude to hype up the place. Two, I trusted that in the end, Lucien would skilfully and easily resolve such clumsy and cheap tricks.

After one or two occurrences, Lucien didn’t lose his fans. He even relied on these “simpletons” to serve as a foil, adding another wave of favourable opinions. Finally sensing the differences between them, those guys could only leave angrily while stomping their feet in the dark, and eventually stopped showing their faces in the shop.

With a dip in such entertainment, the shop returned to its original peace and tranquility.

“Sigh. It’s so boring since no one has dared to bully you recently.”

“If someone comes next time... I’ll try my best not to scare them away.”

The way he said this dead seriously amused me. Back then, I hadn’t realised that hiding beneath that peacefulness, darkness had already started stirring.

The person who had entered first that night returned alone to the bar. We were even secretly anticipating what kind of childish game he’d be bringing this time. Unexpectedly, he was calm. Even till late at night, he was alone, drinking beer at a corner by himself.

After the alcohol went to his head, that person stumbled over red-faced, muttering to himself, “Scoun... scoundrel Lucien... get rid of your condescending look. Today, I’m going to...!”

-

[ Chapter Five ]

He wore a long-sleeved shirt, completely inappropriate for the day’s weather. It was only when he lunged towards Lucien that I saw a silver light flashing from his sleeve.

“Lucien! He has a knife!”

In a moment, the crowd dispersed in alarm. Lucien, who originally had his back towards the man, turned around, a hand clutching his wrist, and another hand knocking the fruit knife out of his hand.

With an unusual air of calm, he bent down to pick up the knife, handing its handle to me. “I’ll have to trouble the boss to keep the knife properly.”

The person who had the knife taken from him looked at his empty hand in a daze. Customers who had returned to their senses burst into applause at Lucien’s ability to be adaptive in handling such a situation.

The person who attempted to stir trouble fled with his tail between his legs. He even tripped when leaving through the door.

“Looks like you’ve completely scared him away this time.”

It’s as though Lucien had just settled an issue no different from the small pranks from earlier. From start to end, his face didn’t reveal any surprise. 

Everyone seemed to accept that Professor Lucien was just well versed in both the pen and the sword. But I didn’t think a normal person should have such skills.

Being able to react with lightning speed in such a dim place made me deeply think that this enigmatic man had an additional colour that one couldn’t make out. 

To tell you the truth, the ladies who were chasing Lucien in the dark or outwardly had grown to such a large number that I could barely count them. But he hadn’t expressed anything about it clearly.

By the request from a customer, I was appointed to take an indirect approach in delving into his love life. Beating around the bush wasn’t my style, so all I could do was send a straight ball to him amidst the ladies present. “Professor Lucien, there are so many ladies who like you in the shop, but you aren’t going to consider them at all?”

The moment the question was asked, I felt the ladies straightening up their ears to listen, holding their breaths and waiting for his response. 

“I just want to ask, on behalf of the numerous ladies here, whether there’s a type you like?”

“This question has stumped me.” He pretended to look serious while considering this for a moment. In the end, he tossed out an answer which had little reference value. “’Like’ should be an emotion generated by a special individual, not characterised into a general type.”

We originally thought that was just a tactful way of saying he was devoting his entire life to science. But we didn’t expect the “special individual” to appear in just a few days.

A woman I had never seen before followed Lucien gingerly into the bar. At a glance, it was obvious that she wasn’t the type who’d usually appear in such places, so she stuck out exceptionally amongst the crowd.

I initially thought she was just another one of Lucien’s female enthusiasts, and announced his presence jokingly. He remained unmoved, continuing to chat with the person next to him who had struck a conversation with him. Yet, when the woman left the bar, he made an excuse to follow her out too.

That night, he didn’t return. Even the money for the drinks was transferred later via phone.

After that, the man named Lucien, along with that forthright lady, left from our view.

[besanii]

I've just started getting into period c-dramas and I see you reblogging about a few of them. And I was wondering if you had some recs? Thanks, I love SM and DH. it's okay if you don't answers this I know this may not be the purpose of your blog.

Hi nonny!

Period cdramas are my jam!!! I love period cdramas (and fantasy/wuxia/xianxia), although I used to watch primarily HK ones and only in recent years started to watch mainland ones. I’m going to assume you’ve watched The Untamed (陈情令) since you came to me and my blog is like...90% CQL lol, so I’ll leave that off this list XD

I’ll be providing YouTube links where I can, but please note that the subs on YouTube are not...the greatest. I don’t usually watch cdramas with subs, so I’m not sure which places to recommend. Sorry in advance!

Nirvana In Fire (琅琊榜)

I think everyone recs this at some point, but it’s just THAT GOOD. It’s set around the Northern and Southern Dynasties era and is primarily a political drama, but also has elements of wuxia (martial arts) mixed in. My favourite part of this drama was the intricate plot and also the wealth of interesting side characters that give the whole drama extra depth. There’s not much romance, but the individual characters and the plot is gripping enough without it.

(I tried to watch the sequel Nirvana in Fire II: The Wind Blows in Changlin (琅琊榜之风起长林), but I never really got into it? I should really try again, but at that point I was still really attached to the first one and wasn’t ready to let go lol. I’ve heard it’s good too!)

Legend of Ruyi (如懿传)

Okay I just finished watching this the other day and I really enjoyed it. It’s set in the Qing dynasty, during the rule of the Qianlong Emperor, and is about the life of Ulanara the Step Empress. I loved the strong female friendships in this (it’s rare in a Palace drama), and the complex dynamics between concubines of different ranks. The progression of Ruyi and Qianlong’s relationship feels very organic and (if you’re familiar with the history) is like a reverse-slowburn where you’re just really rooting for her to get out and when she finally stands up for herself it’s like \o/

(also cameo by everyone’s favourite shijie, Xuan Lu!)

The Story of Yanxi Palace ( 延禧攻略)

This is also set in the reign of the Qianlong Emperor, but the story is completely different. It’s about the Imperial Noble Consort Weigiya and her rise from a palace maid to the Emperor’s favourite consort. It’s funnier and more light-hearted than Ruyi, but it still has its fair share of dramas. The main character is a ‘non-traditional’ woman in that she’s outspoken, brazen and can be quite cruel when dealing with her opponents, but she’s still fundamentally a good person so you really root for her throughout the show.

I personally wouldn’t recommend watching this and Ruyi together or back-to-back because you’ll probably get whiplash from how different the characters are portrayed and how differently the history is interpreted, but it really highlights how much we don’t know about the palace women throughout Chinese history.

The Story of Ming Lan (知否知否应是绿肥红瘦)

NOT a palace drama this time! But it still explores the very complex family dynamics in China between wives and concubines and their respective children, about marriage and social hierarchy and how an unfavoured, illegitimate daughter of a low-ranking imperial official rises to become the wife of a powerful Marquis in the Song Dynasty. I’m a massive fan of Zhao Liying, the main actress, and her husband on the show is her husband IRL and they are the CUTEST HECKING COUPLE I swear to god. Their chemistry is OFF THE CHARTS.

Three Lives, Three Worlds, Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms (三生三世十里桃花)

Xianxia (fantasy/martial arts) drama about an immortal Fox Spirit and her love story with the Crown Prince of the Nine Heavens that spans over three “lives”. There’s magic, sword fighting, questionable CGI and a lot of typical romance drama stuff like pining, misunderstandings, miscommunication and jealousy etc. I found this drama more compelling than its sequel Three Lives, Three Worlds, The Pillow Book (三生三世枕上书) because the characters were better fleshed out (although a lot of the same characters appear in both), and it was easier to get emotionally invested in them. Also I find Bai Qian a lot less...annoying than Fengjiu (who is so cute, but oh my god can be quite irritating sometimes).

Love and Destiny (三生三世宸汐缘)

Apparently this is meant to be set in a similar universe to Peach Blossoms, but it’s quite different. This is the love story between a young bird spirit and the God of War, which also spans over three lives. I found it a lot darker than Peach Blossoms, and a lot more tragic, but I enjoyed it a lot more than I had expected to when I first heard about it. I really liked the main character (Lingxi) here (she’s a good mix of Bai Qian and Fengjiu), and although I wasn’t quite sold on the development of her relationship with Jiu Chen at first, they won me over with some really heart-wrenching story lines.

(I don’t know if the playlist above is Eng subbed though, sorry!)

Other dramas that I liked are:

Empresses in the Palace (甄嬛传) - it got really messy in the end, but I really like Li Sun so I kept watching. It’s meant to be a prequel to Legend of Ruyi (above), set in the reign of the Yongzheng Emperor (Qianlong Emperor’s father). Don’t watch it on Netflix though, they really messed it up by trying to condense the story and it doesn’t work.

Legend of Fuyao (扶摇) - xianxia drama about a slave girl who was cursed as a child and sets off to collect magical artifacts to lift it. I got up to about Episode 20 and then life got in the way, so I didn’t finish it, but I’ve been meaning to get back to it one of these days. It stars Yang Mi, who plays Bai Qian in Peach Blossoms.

Princess Agents (特工皇妃楚乔传) - I really liked this drama, but it gets really dark and touches on some darker themes like rape, murder and torture, and the story gets quite messy and it ends on a cliffhanger (there was talk of a sequel a couple of years ago, but nothing’s come of it). Stars Zhao Liying (from Story of Ming Lan), who is so badass in action roles.

Noble Aspirations: The Legend of Chusen (青云志) - another xianxia drama about an orphan boy Zhang Xiaofan who joins the Qingyun Sect after the massacre of his village and falls in love with the daughter of the leader of the Ghost King (an enemy of the “righteous” sects). It starts off quite slow, took me about 5 eps to really get into it, but I enjoyed it for the most part. There’s a season 2 that kind of ends on a cliffhanger, and there’s been rumours of season 3 for years but nothing has ever come of it so it was quite disappointing. Stars Zhao Liying (again, I’m a massive fan haha), and is based on the same novel as Xiao Zhan’s movie Jade Dynasty (which I haven’t watched yet).

[fckyeahdaisukekambe]

[ROUGH ENG TRANS] FUGOU KEIJI NOVEL: THE MILLIONAIRE DETECTIVE’S DECOY (Part 3)

this translation is shorter sorry =,= damn Animal Crossing lol

"So, that's what happened", Daisuke who looked down at the table and spoke in a muffled voice, drank a cup of coffee after having dinner and turned to his father on a wheelchair. "First of all, I have to get close to the invention fanatic. I think it's best to talk to him in the patent attorney's office, but I have to bring something of an invention, or a blueprint. Its only purpose is to have something to talk about so it's okay to be childish but I cannot think of anything childish. I'm in trouble now."

Kambe Kikuemon, who turned his back to Daisuke and was looking through the glass door to the deep forest of their garden illuminated by lights across the veranda, turned back with his wheelchair. He further distorted his wrinkled face, reddening his old eyes, and tearing his pale brown cheeks. Looking and thinking, Daisuke is somewhat disheartened.

"Didn't you say that you're finally doing such an important task?" Kikuemon sniffs then began talking in a angry voice. "I used to do bad things to make money at my young age. I was a ruthless person that will do anything for money. It afflicts to a lot of people, makes them cry or sometimes kill them. I'm hurt by my outrage when when your mother died, I was still fine. Only until this age, for the first time I realized that not money or anything else will give you peace of mind. But it was too late. If you have more than a certain amount of money, it will be useless, and even if you spend money on something, it will come back with extra interest. When my fortunes is getting bigger, my guilt get much worst." He sobs convulsively. "You are a good son. You've become a detective and you're fighting for justice. I am happy. Fight big. You can spend all my property for that. That would be my way to atone.  Use up all the money." He started crying. "You cleanse my sins, like an angel God sent to this world to spend all my money." He weeps.

Worrying that he might have seizure again, Daisuke looked at his father, Kikuemon's throat is clogged by phlegm, choking into tears, his eyes widened.

"It's a seizure," Daisuke stood up and shouted out loud. "Suzue. Suzue."

Suzue, Kikuemon's secretary who was waiting in the next room, come to the dining, struck the old man's back and made him drink water.

"You said something that made him cry again." Her big, dark eyes gazed at Daisuke.

"He cried by himself," said Daisuke. "I'm just talking about work."

"He's having more and more seizures lately." Suzue worriedly shook her head while looking after Daisuke's father. "From now on, you should eat with me."

"Whenever i'm hurt, you'll always be there for me."

"When I don't come, then who'll take care of you?"

"Even though we're together, I don't know how to look after you." In Daisuke's words, Suzue glanced and looked away and muttered "This is an uworthy punishment, being treated as part of this family."

"You are already like family.", Daisuke showed a suspicious look, "or are you still holding a grudge against my father?"

"That's ridiculous," Suzue shook her head violently. "My parent's died because of illness. It's not because of the bankruptcy that Mr. Kikuemon thinks so. Nonetheless, he sent me to a women's university in Tokyo and send support monthly including the cost of boarding the dorms and other expenses, and after graduation, I became his secretary."

"Ah, I'm okay. I'm okay," Kikuemon patted Suzue's hand while "Thank you. I will not cry anymore. Even if, after this talk. " The old man said to his son. "I remembered this while I was having a seizure. About 20 years ago, I built a research institute somewhere to develop products then just let it go. It should still be in place even after a long time so I'd like you to ask Suzue to call the director there. In the first place, the research institute had a lot of documents of patents and utility models brought by inventors who said they couldn't get a patent, let alone commercialization because they don't have funds. These documents has been piled up and the research institute brought all the rights for the inventions to conduct research on commercialization. Various things should have been brought in since then, but no application has been made yet. You may take an official bulletin you see fit to be used."

(TL: "Official bulletin" = the research material)

"This is helpful," Daisuke's eyes shined, "I don't need much fancy things so let's have a couple of rather frustrating inventions. And then I'd like to remodel one of our rooms in the house into a laboratory."

"The largest room in the basement could be that," The old man seemed a little tired and he is already weak. "For some time, as a hobby, I bred two 2-meter phytons there. Why am I breeding 2 snakes? If I remember correctly, I just kept feeding them. I think they are dead already so there is no way to breed now. Certainly, a snake can have 100 eggs on its stomach."

Suzue fainted.

------------------------------

"Uhm, can you tell me a little about this?" Daisuke whispered to Tetsuya Hatano, who is sitting right next to him in the sofa in the waiting room of the patent attorney's office. "There is something that I couldn't understand."

"What?" Hatano is holding a paper that appears to be a blueprint, stood up in a slight disgust. "Ah, that was rude." Daisuke, while stroking the wrapping of a paper box that seems to be an invention, shyly looked around at the few people who are sitting around and listening. "Actually I don't know if my invention is for patent or a utility model."

Hatano smiled with a stern expression as if he had come here without knowing such a thing. "Well, it depends on what you have invented."

"Now that you mentioned it, it's like this."

Hatano looked at Daisuke, who was trying to open a package, with his eyes rounded. "Wait, you. That contains your invention."

"Yes, it is."

"Is this you first time to come to the patent office?"

"Understand me?" Daisuke scratched his head. "because I'm a new inventor. I don't really know what I'm doing."

"I see.", After looking at Daisuke for a while with an amazed look, Hatano get closer to Daisuke's ear, "If you do that, there are other people. It's common for anyone to try to hide the inventions they haven't filed yet from human eyes. and by all means, why are you trying to show off your invention as if you let your ideas be stolen by other invention enthusiasts?"

"If you say so, that seems true." Daisuke then rounded his eyes. "The people here looks like they have hawk eyes."

"Shhhh." Hatano looked on Daisuke's direction because of his loud voice. "Well, it's better to ask a patent attorney whether it will be a patent or utility model. There is a patent attorney to do such consultation."

"But I asked you because you look like someone I can trust."

With a serious look, Hatano doesn't know what to do with Daisuke so he stood up. "I'm not saying you shouldn't trust me. You're in trouble because you're here. Let's go out. I'll teach you outside. There's a coffee shop here so let's have coffee."

"I'm very sorry."

"Thanks, I'm like you so I can't leave you alone."

[iilovemusic12us]

hi! your ships are so good and i HAD to ask for one ! im a 5’2 chubby lil asian girl with short blond hair and brown eyes. im insecure and anxious but really good at hiding it. i have 8 lil tattoos & swear a lot. i blush VERY easily and im extremely ticklish. i dont have a license yet but i love to drive and i adore roadtrips. i love all kinds of movies except romcoms. i study eng lit in uni. i am very observant and practical but secretly a hopeless romantic. thank you so much!

Awe thank you so much ☺️ ! I am so happy you like my ships. 🥺Okay I kinda went on a full tangent, so I am sorry.

I ship you with Malarkey!!

You both grew up together and you were the first person Don told he was signing up for the Airborne. To say you were shocked was an understatement. Without saying anything back, you just wrapped your arms around him. Knowing these moments with him were numbered, you just hoped he would come back to you.

The day he left you were shaking with nerves. He was your ray of sunshine and you did not want to lose it. As you stood at the train station with him, he could not stand the sight of leaving you with tears in your eyes. So being the firecracker he is, he started tickling you. Your laugh cutting through the cloud of sadness hovering over the both of you. The sound of a whistle blew and you both stopped dead in your tracks, reality kicking back in. Don quickly wrapped his arms around you. Not letting go, you reached up to grab his face and pull him closer. You counted all his freckles, trying to calm your anxiety. Taking in everything you could. Without a word, he kissed your forehead. His lips lingering in place for a little longer than it should. A blush slowly made its way up your neck and to your cheeks, bringing a ghost of a smile to your face. He stepped back and looked at you one more time and boarded the train. You watched his movements as much as you could till the crowd of people came forward and blocked your view. Running back toward a bench you stood on top of it and waved, looking around till you found his auburn hair. You plastered a bright smile on your lips, knowing this might be the last time he will be able to see that smile. Although you had complete faith in that man you worried about him.

As the war raged on he would send you letters. There was not many, but just hearing from him gave you hope and relief from this dark cloud of worry. You would always write about the latest novel you were reading hoping to take his mind off everything. You just wanted him wrapped around you, keeping you warm and safe. Little did you know he wanted the exact same thing, feeling your soft touch on his sides or cheeks.

The day he came back let me tell you, ultimate waterworks!! Don never told you exactly when he would be home. As you walked home from the cinema you saw a man standing at your door. At first you weren’t sure who it was till you saw that auburn hair of his. You froze for a second taking in his form. His arms were HUGE and prominent from under his brown Ike jacket. His freckles were also making appearance on his ivory skin. Without another second passing you ran to him. He heard the sound of small heels hitting the pavement, which made him look up toward the noise. Before he could understand what was happening you were in his arms. The warmth returning to you after years of being gone. Your sunshine was back. You smiled up at him and he swung you around in a quick circle, before placing you back down. Both of your eyes locking and he smashed his lips to yours.

Your relationship after that was pure bliss. Your personalities contradicted each others, but it was what balanced both of you out. Most days everything was so simple and easy, rarely did you guys have a tough day. You cooked with him, watched movies, and loved to go on road trips. Usually the only time the relationship was hard was when Don had nightmares or his mind wandered back to the war. But you were his anchor. If it was a tough day, you dragged him outside to your favorite tree. Pulled out a book and read to him with his head resting in your lap. As you read allowed you played with that red hair you adored. You both could get through anything together. He was your rock and you were his anchor and not even a war could change that.

I hope you enjoyed! ❤️

[shijiujun]

[ENG] History3: Trapped Novel - Chapter Four

~5,700 words (proofread by @weilongfu​)

Translation Masterpost can be found here

Disclaimer: Translations are entirely mine - these are not official translations and some phrases have been changed for better English interpretation so you’ll definitely see better/different translations elsewhere. Also keeping in mind when we translated this we aren’t exactly thinking about the style of writing and this translation is as close to the novel as we can make it XD So yes, some parts may be a little awkward to read. And yes some teeny weeny details and words may not turn up in the translation because the Chi to Eng mind acrobatics didn’t work out. If you see asterisks, scroll all the way to the bottom for notes!

Full chapter below the cut

Chapter Four

The music festival period is upon them and this is also usually when drug dealing becomes more rampant, and the drug dealer nicknamed Big K will be proceeding with a huge transaction in a well-known bar. Team 3 is in charge of this case, and under Captain Shi’s orders, all of Team 3’s members are undercover as bartenders, customers and janitors in the bar, waiting for the opportunity to arrest Big K.

Inside the bar, the dance floor is filled with many men and women dancing and moving their bodies to the heavy EDM beats, and some of them are even intimately dancing in each other’s space, gyrating their bodies against one another. Shao Fei, forced to wear a couple shirt with a frog printed on it by Yu Qi, dances with uncoordinated with movements, his attention preoccupied with supervising the bar’s every corner.

Suddenly, Shao Fei pauses in all his movements, glaring at the darts area next to the dance floor.

“Did you find our target?” Captain Shi, in charge of today’s operation, asks Shao Fei through their communication ear-pieces, thinking that his team member found something.

“No,” Shao Fei responds, his eyes trained on Xing Tian Meng’s leader, who’s currently playing darts at the machines with a beautiful man.

At the darts area, both men are chatting and laughing, their actions overly intimate.

“I want to know who’s the person who attacked me.”

“You’re asking me to work the moment you get here. We haven’t seen each other in so long, don’t you miss me?” pouts Andy with his hands locked around the back of Tang Yi’s neck, wearing a black lace shirt that leaves his muscles and skin visible and which exposes most of his chest.

“You sure you want me to visit often?” Tang Yi asks.

Andy hits at Tang Yi’s chest lightly and whines, “Forget it. Every time you visit, trouble follows.”

The music in the bar suddenly switches from EDM to a slow tempo-ed jazz piece, and the sound of the saxophone, filled with an air of temptation and also turning the atmosphere on the dance floor into something more flirty.

Yu Qi, pressed against Shao Fei’s front, seizes the opportunity to hug the senior she has had a crush on for several years now, and smiles to herself, delighted. Just as she is about to take advantage of the sensual atmosphere to ask Shao Fei if he has anyone he likes right now, she sees a familiar someone standing on the other side of the dance floor.

Yu Qi watches the two men slow-dancing with their hands circling each other’s waists, and stunned, she opens her mouth, “It’s actually Tang Yi? Looks like that gossip is real.”

“What gossip?”

“The one that says Tang Yi has many lovers and is very popular, and…” Yu Qi moves to the tips of her toes until she’s right next to Shao Fei’s ear, and enunciates, “He doesn’t discriminate between men and women!”

On the dance floor, Andy suddenly remembers something and so he presses himself against Tang Yi’s chest and says quietly, “Oh right… Chen Wen Hao just met with a broker.”

“I know.”

“You know? Who told you?”

The almost-naked man is actually approximately 190cm tall, but he’s more attractive than most women and looking at Tang Yi, who’s smiling before him, Andy bites at his right ear, pretending to be angry.

“You playboy! Who is it this time? Is he better than I am?”

“No, he absolutely cannot compare to you,” his seductive gaze moves past Andy’s shoulder, and he looks toward Shao Fei who’s holding another girl against him, but staring straight at him. “That person is impulsive, stubborn and destructive, but…. He’s okay.”

Shao Fei, who’s been staring at the corner of the dance floor from the beginning, only feels anger rushing to head as he watches Tang Yi’s fingers caress at the man’s waist. Not wanting to look weak in front of the man, he hugs Yu Qi even closer and sends a challenging glare Tang Yi’s way - the Xing Tian Meng leader who’s currently being all intimate with another man.

“Do me a favour.”

Tang Yi is sharp enough to sense Shao Fei’s emotions. He smirks, and after asking for his favour, immediately grabs at Andy’s neck and presses his lips against the other man’s. Although Andy was caught off-guard by this move, he can more or less guess why Tang Yi is doing this, so not only does he cooperate with Tang Yi, but even deepens the kiss with passion, pulling Tang Yi closer by the back of his head.

“Bastard!”

Shao Fei shakes Yu Qi’s hand off, about to rush over to separate the two men who are still kissing hotly, but he’s held back by Yu Qi, who thinks Shao Fei is going over to cause a scene.

“Senior, you can’t!” she says, and drags him back to the bar counter.

After enjoying the surprise kiss, Andy is the first one to pull away from Tang Yi. Licking at his lips, he asks, “You’re suddenly being really passionate to me, something is definitely amiss. Talk! What are you scheming this time, huh?”

Tang Yi walks over to the round tables and picks up his beer, using the mouth of the bottle to point towards a table where trouble seems to be brewing. Changing the topic, he continues, “There’s trouble!”

“Fuck,” Andy looks in the direction Tang Yi pointed out, then glares at the Xing Tian Meng leader standing right next to him, “The moment you visit, something always happens over at my place.”

The tall man twists his head and starts moving through the corridors, until he comes to a room filled with surveillance equipment. Tang Yi, putting down his beer, follows the man to this restricted area as well.

“Look!” Andy points at a screen on the bottom left corner.

On the screen, Shao Fei and other members of Team 3 disguised as guests and the bartender converge on one of the private tables. The man inside, who was speaking with several other men, find the situation a little alarming. Just as he’s about to knock a few tables over to escape, Shao Fei and another short police officer restrain him easily, and slam the handcuffs over his hands. They then move to each of his sides to secure him between them, and it looks as if they’re just helping a drunk friend home. Without alarming any of the other guests, the team leaves the bar with their target.

“Not bad! Subtly arresting a drug dealer, I like this little cop,” Andy touches his lips and smiles lightly.

As he looks at the drug dealer that the police arrested, he sharply changes the topic and says, voice icy, “These people dared to sell drugs on my territory? Do they want to die? But, how did you know that something was going to happen? You have a cop you know?”

“I know him really well.”

Andy grasps Tang Yi’s tie, pulling the man to stand right in front of him. With a laugh, he threatens, “No wonder you were so passionate towards me earlier. You better come clean and tell me who that man is right now, otherwise tonight don’t think of leaving!”

“If my answer is… I was impulsive in that moment?”

“Tch, those words truly should be used on someone like you.”

Seeing that he probably won’t get an answer no matter how much he prods, Andy side-eyes Tang Yi and releases his hold on the man’s tie. Tang Yi’s lips curves, and he adjusts his wrinkled tie and shirt from the mess Andy made.

The next day

Ah De has been waiting all morning at the stairs. Once he sees Tang Yi coming down the stairs, Ah De immediately follows his footsteps and says, “Boss, let me accompany you.”

“No need.”

Every time there’s something Tang Yi wants to think seriously about, he will always get up early and do a morning jog. Wearing tight navy blue jogging gear, Tang Yi refuses Ah De’s suggestion and heads for the door himself. However, Ah De moves in front of him with quick steps and stops him with a hand, and with a face filled with worry, he persists, “Boss, it’s too dangerous for you to go alone, let me accompany you!”

Tang Yi pauses in his footsteps, and asks, “Have you found out who it was that attacked me?”

“Not yet…”

“Then what you need to do right now is to find out who attacked me.”

“Boss, if you get hurt again, I-”

“Li Zhi De, you do what you’re supposed to do, and don’t have any unnecessary expectations.”

The stammering man is interrupted by Tang Yi, unable to finish his sentence. Tang Yi’s eyes are sharp, and he seems to have seen clearly through Ah De.

“I understand…” he says bitterly.

As if a cold bucket of water is poured over his head, Ah De swallows Tang Yi’s painful reply with difficulty and suppresses the feelings he shouldn’t have for Tang Yi. Dropping his arms which are stopping Tang Yi right now, he moves back to the position that a ‘subordinate’ should have.

===

Next to the river, a cool breeze blows past a well-defined face*.

“Yo! You’re up so early?”

The man focused on running quickly senses the approach of someone else. Clenching his fists, he is immediately on guard, ready to return any attack coming. When he hears the familiar voice of the person, however, he relaxes and releases all tension. Joking, he asks, “Skipping work?”

Matching his pace, Shao Fei runs by Tang Yi’s right side and unceremoniously scoffs, “Who’s skipping work? I’m on field duty today.”

“What do you want to ask this time?”

These four years, Tang Yi has become used to Shao Fei appearing anytime, anywhere but ever since the kidnapping incident previously, Tang Yi now has other feelings for the man, feelings that are not dislike and thinking about how to make use of him.

“Who was the guy in the bar yesterday?”

“A friend.”

“A friend? Who’re you trying to fool? If it was just a friend, would you have hugged and touched him like that?” asks Shao Fei, his tone of voice going higher with every word unconsciously, even touching his own waist and re-enacting Tang Yi’s movements with the other man from yesterday.

Tang Yi stops running, looking at the young police officer who quickly stops in his footsteps as well.

With both arms open, he teases, “Do you want me to hug you as well?”

Shao Fei’s cheeks grow hot. Looking away quickly, he says, “Who- Who wants to be hugged by you?!”

“So what is it exactly you’re trying to say?”

Just as Hong Ye said, with all these years, Shao Fei indeed does understand him very well, but the other way holds true as well. Tang Yi knows Shao Fei very well too, so Shao Fei is definitely not here just to ask about Andy.

As expected, hesitation flashes across Shao Fei’s eyes for a moment. He swallows and begins, “Let’s forget about the first four years, recently you and I have been through so many things together, you saved me, and I saved you. The both of us… we’re counted as friends, right?”

“Nnn,” Tang Yi affirms lightly, then starts to jog again.

“What does ‘nnn’ mean?! Hey! Tang Yi! Tang Yi!” Shao Fei persists, catching up to Tang Yi.

“Let’s run a lap?”

“Who’s scared of you? I can even do two!”

Confidently putting up two fingers, Shao Fei makes Tang Yi’s smile grows wider, more radiant.

The morning sunlight illuminates the man’s angular features. From his forehead, his perspiration follows the lines of his face to his jaw, then landing on the ground as he runs past. The tight-fitting exercise gear he’s wearing sticks to him like a second skin, drenched with his sweat and revealing a well-sculpted body to be envied**.

Shao Fei can’t help but sneak glances at Tang Yi’s face from the side as he runs, but he doesn’t realise that the moment he looks away, the man running at his side turns his own heated gaze onto Shao Fei.

Not wanting to lose to the other, what began as a simple jog turns into a challenge for both men, and gradually they start to focus on running forward. As they pick up the pace, they concentrate on adjusting their breathing pace. The competition between them only stops when Shao Fei, panting, notices Tang Yi’s loosened shoelaces and points it out.

“You… you really…. You really can run.”

Shao Fei, with both hands on his hips, tries to catch his breath as he watches Tang Yi bend down to tie his shoelaces. Suddenly, a flash of light crosses his eyes. Alarmed, he looks towards the light source and finds that at the road on the top of the slope, a person wearing a dark blue baseball cap and holding onto a brown backpack is standing there, looking suspicious by the railings.

He doesn’t even have time to warn Tang Yi before the sound of a bullet being fired whizzes past them - Shao Fei pushes Tang Yi down onto the grass and whips out his own gun from his back. Just as the shooter readies for a second attack, he is interrupted by another jogger running in his direction from afar, and so the man aborts his plans. Shouldering his bag, he retreats.

Shao Fei moves to chase him, but Tang Yi stops him, pressing at his left arm, “Don’t chase him.”

“How many people did you actually offend? There are so many people looking to kill you?”

“It all just takes getting used to.”

Shao Fei keeps his own gun and walks over to Tang Yi’s side, only to see the man’s arm bleeding profusely. He breathes in sharply, “You’re hurt!”

“It’s alright. Let’s leave first,” Tang Yi replies calmly, still pressing at his bleeding wound.

“I’ll protect you.”

Tang Yi stares, stunned, at Shao Fei, who deliberately walks over on his left side and begins to survey their surroundings with a sharp eye.

For the first time, Tang Yi experiences the feeling of being protected by someone else.

Two days later

“Boss, I have a request.”

“No problem. Just tell me what request you have, I’ll treat it as your reward.”

Due to the successful arrest of drug dealer Big K, Captain Shi generously treated the whole team to fried chicken and pizza. It’s rare for him to do that, and what’s even more rare is Captain Shi agreeing to Shao Fei’s request so readily, without even scolding him.

“I want to protect a witness, I hope Boss will agree.”

“A work thing? No problem! Which case needs it? Who are you protecting?”

“Tang Yi!”

“You want to protect me?” Tang Yi asks incredulously, looking at Shao Fei, who is here with his luggage and bags directly after he received permission for this.

“Yes. Citizens can apply for protection from a civil servant***, which is the police, in the event of possible threat, danger or harm to oneself. That’s me, applying for protection.”

Tang Yi’s gaze slides downwards. He picks up his tea cup and tastes it, then says, “But I didn’t apply.”

“I know you wouldn’t apply, so I did it for you,” Shao Fei responds without faltering, with an expression that says ‘I knew you were going to say that’.

Ah De, standing at the side, looks at this man, this man who treats this house as his own backyard, who always intrudes whenever he likes and snaps.

“Meng Shao Fei, do you fucking think we are gangsters for nothing?! Our boss doesn’t need police to protect him.”

“I’m not just protecting your boss, I’m also protecting myself!”

“What are you talking about?”

“The other time we were trapped on the mountain, I was there. This time the attack, what a coincidence! I was there as well. I thought of course the target was Tang Yi, but with these two consecutive attacks I can’t help but wonder, maybe the target was me all along.”

“Bullshit!”

Shao Fei raises his brows and pushes his face towards Ah De. He smiles, “You gangsters offend people, but the people I have offended number as many, especially from Xing Tian Meng, am I right?”

Tang Yi places the cup back on the table, coldly replying, “I will not have a police officer stay at my side.”

“You can’t reject. We’re ‘half friends’, aren’t we? If we’re friends, we should help each other out.”

Seeing his boss quiet at Shao Fei’s reply, Ah De says anxiously, “Boss, if news of us getting involved with a cop gets out, how will people in the underworld see us?”

“I don’t think so,” Jack, who was standing away at the entrance with his arms crossed for a while now, cuts in suddenly.

“Since we still can’t find the person who attacked Boss, and with Officer Meng claiming that the target is him, why not we just put them both together? Firstly, Officer Meng will stop bringing us trouble… and secondly, Officer Meng is skilled at fighting. Isn’t it more advantageous to have one more person protecting Boss?”

“You!” Ah De points at Jack who has been at odds with him, so angry, his hands shaking in rage.

Tang Yi nods, looking at Jack. “Bring Officer Meng to the guest room upstairs.”

“Yes Boss.”

“Boss!”

“Sorry, excuse me,” Shao Fei gloats, picking up his luggage and bag.

He walks over to Ah De’s side and deliberately knocks Ah De , who’s stunned that Tang Yi would allow this, out of his way with his shoulder and follow Jack upstairs to a room on the second floor.

“Thanks for what you did earlier!” says Shao Fei to Jack in the guest room, after dumping his bags at the side and unceremoniously jumping onto the bed.

“You’re welcome. I also have a favour to ask.”

Jack, all smiles, walks over the side of the bed and makes a request that only Shao Fei can fulfil for him.

At Zhao Zi’s House

“You didn’t have to pick me up from the police station, I would have made my way there myself.”

After getting a call from Shao Fei, Zhao Zi agreed to help improve the security systems in Tang Yi’s house - he barely took a step out of the police station’s doors, prepared to have Thai food for lunch with his colleagues, when Jack turned up with a bag of groceries insisting that he return Zhao Zi that bowl of instant noodles from the previous time, and then dragging him back home.

“This is for a girl, right?” Jack asks standing in the kitchen, curious as he picks up the red apron with grey bears sewn onto it from next to the fridge.

Holding onto a carton of eggs and looking at the apron on Jack, Zhao Zi replies wistfully, “Nnn. It was left behind by my grandma. She passed away a long time ago.”

“If it was what she left you, why don’t you store it somewhere and keep it?”

“Grandma said that things are meant to be used, and if I don’t use it’s such a waste too.”

Jack nods, agreeing with that logic. So he secures the apron around him, then turns the gas stove on and begins boiling water for the noodles. On the other hand, Zhao Zi is standing on the side at the counter, naturally rolling up his sleeves and helping to prepare the ingredients they need for later.

“Actually you don’t have to return me the instant noodles. It’s not like you knocked it out of my hands.

“If I said it, I will do it. That’s my principle. Since I said I’d make it up to you the next time, I’ll definitely make it up to you,” smiles Jack, as he cracks open an egg into a bowl and starts to beat the eggs swiftly, looking at Zhao Zi from the side.

“Are you always such a stickler for rules when you do things? Grandma said before that doing things like that will be very tiring, so you better not not do things by the book like this, and you can live longer!”

Chopsticks in his right hand, Jack stops all movement, staring almost incredulously at this person who Jack thought was kind of crazy, but is now seeing through Jack so easily. Once again, he cannot help but think that Zhao Zi is a mysterious creature he cannot understand, and this only fuels the desire to get closer to Zhao Zi, to know more about him.

A few minutes later, a bowl of instant noodles looking exactly like the previous one is settled onto the short wooden table by the window. Zhao Zi sits at the table with his legs crossed, and he breaks out into a wide smile. Zhao Zi praises, “Wow! It’s really the same as the previous time!”

“As long as it’s something i want to remember, I can remember it all,” Jack’s lips follow in an answering smile. “How is it? Comparing to Thai food, which is more delicious?”

“Thai food.”

Jack harrumphs, angrily snatching away the bowl of instant noodles. The next second, Zhao Zi snatches it right back, looking like a little animal fiercely defending his food.

“Ah… compared to Thai food, Thai food is really more delicious! Instant noodles, no matter how you well you cook it there’s a limit to how delicious it is, don’t make things difficult for the instant noodles already.”

“Then…” Jack squints at Zhao Zi, and does something he rarely does - giving in.

He asks again, “Then if we don’t compare it to Thai food, is this delicious?”

Zhao Zi looks at the other man, fervently nodding and his smile so radiant. “Delicious.”

A smile has a contagious, magical affect. When one sees it, they would very naturally respond to it. Even for a man like Jack, who is used to standing far away observing everything, he cannot help but move closer to the shorty who’s eating his lunch so seriously. Jack smiles too, unconscious of it.

Looking around, Jack notices that other than the items and photographs that belonged to Grandma, everything else clearly belongs to a male. Curious, Jack runs up to the second floor.

“Don’t go up, it’s really messy upstairs! Hey, Jack!” shouts the homeowner who hasn’t had time to clean out his house in a few weeks.

Making a round and ensuring that there is no sign of another person living in this house, Jack returns to the first floor. With his hand on the wall next to the staircase, he asks, “You stay alone?”

“Nnn.”

“You love to eat?”

“Nnn nnn.”

“Girlfriend?”

“Nope,” Zhao Zi replies after drinking from the glass of milk.

“Virgin?”

“Yeah!” answers Zhao Zi with his mouth full of noodles, confused now.

“Damn!” exclaims Jack, his eyes widened and entirely surprised.

Zhao Zi puts down his chopsticks and walks to Jack until he’s standing right in front of him. Rolling his eyes and irritated, he says, “We’re police officers, if we’re not doing an investigative report then we’re out catching the bad guys. We’re short on manpower on the team, and basically one person is doing three persons’ worth of work. I’m so busy protecting the citizens of this country, where do I get the time to find a girlfriend?”

“So…” Jack squints again, smirking, and then continues, “So you’re really a virgin?”

“So what? I can’t be a virgin? I haven’t even had my first kiss! I’m great, aren’t I?”

Jack looks at the fuming shorty and immediately tries to soothe him, putting both thumbs up. “Great, great. You’re the greatest.”

“Hmph!”

Having recovered a little bit of his dignity, Zhao Zi turns around and walks back to the short table. Just as he’s about to pick up his chopsticks and continue enjoying his unfinished bowl of noodles, he hears someone calling him.

“Shorty!”

“What?”

“Some other day, I’ll introduce you to a very good looking person, how about that?”

Not yet seated, Zhao Zi rushes back to Jack, grabbing onto Jack’s arm excitedly. He says, “You’ll really introduce a girl to me? You’re not lying to me, are you?”

“Really really, I swear,” Jack swears, putting up three of his fingers on his right hand.

“Then let’s exchange our LINE. If there’s any girl you want to introduce to me just LINE me!”****

Zhao Zi, who has been teased by Shao Fei for being single all his life, immediately takes out his phone from his pockets and slides open the screen, tapping on the app he uses most often.

“Okay!” Jack takes out his phone from his back pocket too, and taps on the app’s QR code so Zhao Zi can scan it.

“Hehe, thanks!”

Having just gotten Jack’s number and walking back to the table feeling entirely satisfied, Zhao Zi receives a notification from the app. Tapping into the conversation between the both of them, he sees the sticker that Jack sent, which says ‘wow~ you’re really great!’.

“Are you an idiot!” Zhao ZI scolds, laughing.

As the man returns to eating his noodles, he doesn’t notice that Jack, who previously put up three fingers in a swear, is now moving his left hand behind his back. He secretly crosses his second and middle finger…

I swear- that the swear I just made, doesn’t count!

Gelato Ice Cream Store

Just a little past seven in the evening, Hong Ye - who just got into an argument with Tang Yi about Shao Fei moving into the house Tang Ye left him - is bent low in front of a gelato ice cream store’s freezer. Just as she points at a flavour of ice cream, the person next to her is a step ahead and says to the staff, “Chocolate mint. And the passion fruit sorbet.”

Hong Ye glares at the old-antique wearing black-rimmed glasses next to her. Irritated, she stands, saying, “Am I that angry? Why did you pick those two flavours?”

Dao Yi, dressed in a grey suit, patiently replies, “I’ve been at your side for so long, of course I know what mood you are in right now, and what flavour you’ll want to eat?”

“That’s true. No matter what happens, good or bad, you will always bring me here.”

They take the two glass bowls filled with ice cream scoops, then push open the glass door to the wooden eating area outside.

Dao Yi scoops a spoonful of his organic ice cream, then says, “Don’t forget our rules. After we finish these two scoops there will be no third scoop, so eat slowly.”

“I’ll eat as many as I want, you can’t control me.”

The 27 year old CEO of Shi Hai Corporations is just as she was when she was younger, willfully taking a scoop out of the other person’s ice cream.

“Are you done being angry?”

“No, didn’t you say Ah Yi will call me? Why have I not gotten his call yet?”

It’s all because of that bastard cop clinging onto Tang Yi that caused him to get hurt, but he actually still agreed to the suggestion of Meng Shao Fei staying at his side to be his bodyguard? The worse thing was that guy actually claiming that he and Tang Yi were… ‘half friends’...

Friends?

Who the fuck are they kidding?

One of them is from the mob and the is a cop, how can they ever be friends? In any case, whenever Ah Yi meets Meng Shao Fei, his attitude towards the man becomes really strange, especially recently. Yes, that’s right, ever since they went missing on the mountains for two days, everything started to become different.

“Boss is probably still busy with other things, so…” Dao Yi tries to explain on the young master’s behalf, but immediately offends Hong Ye as well.

“He’s busy? Am I not busy? Just Shi Hai’s things alone I’m already exhausted, and now there’s another Meng Shao Fei? And Ah Yi actually admits that they are… what, half friends? What even is that?! And he promised me that he wouldn’t do anything to make me worry!”

“Boss of course understands that Miss is worried about him, it’s just like the way he worries about you.”

“The both of you will only treat me as kid who needs to be protected.”

“No, we all think that you’ve grown up, enough to be independent.”

Hong Ye looks at the man who’s exactly 14 years older than she is. Holding out the spoon, she laments, “The person who has no right to say that is you.”

Dao Yi sighs, “I promised Boss Tang that I will take good care of Miss.”

“Miss, miss. So what Boss Tang said to you is always worth more than the things I say to you?”

Not willing to continue the conversation, Dao Yi turns his back to Hong Ye’s accusations literally, but the woman grabs his shoulder and turns him back, even forcing him to eat a scoop of her passion fruit sorbet.

“This is the flavour you eat when you’re angry, eat!”

Dao Yi looks at the Zuo Hong Ye who’s no longer a child, and without another word, eats the spoonful of ice cream. After, he personally drives the woman who’s most important to him, back to Tang Yi’s house.

The Tang Household

“You better get out tomorrow.”

Standing at the sink washing his cup clean, Shao Fei is startled by a voice behind him. Turning around, he sees Hong Ye standing at the entrance to the kitchen with her arms crossed.

“Hey, don’t scare people in the middle of the night, okay? Don’t you have your own place to live at? Why haven’t you gone back?”

“I just really don’t understand what the grudge is between Xing Tian Meng and the police? With you now, or the woman who died four years ago.”

Successfully stepping right where it hurts for Shao Fei, Hong Ye looks at the silent and still Shao Fei and continues to poke at him.

“That’s right. You can really get a lot of benefits being in the pockets of Xing Tian Meng. I wonder how much Lee Li Zhen took that year?”

“Zuo Hong Ye, I’ll not allow you to speak of Li Zhen Jie that way.”

Whenever Li Zhen Jie is mentioned, Shao Fei becomes serious. With a sharp look, he glares at Hong Ye, dressed in a white shirt.*****

“Did I say anything wrong? You’re definitely Lee Li Zhen’s protege. No wonder you’re using the identity of ‘half a friend’ to force Ah Yi to tell you what happened four years ago. What, do you want to be just like her, to side with Xing Tian Meng?”

“Li Zhen Jie didn’t side with Xing Tian Meng, it’s impossible for her to have been on your side.”

These four years, he’s heard too many, too many accusations, but he refuses to believe that the Li Zhen Jie who hated drugs, who taught him so strictly, would have any illegal dealings with the mob.

“Then why did she die with Boss Tang at the exact same place?”

The sharp tone of voice pierces through Shao Fei’s eardrums - and no matter how much he believes in Li Zhen, he has no way of refuting what Hong Ye is saying. This is exactly what has been bothering him all these years. He can’t understand why, and he can’t find any evidence to prove otherwise either.

“Of course! How much does a cop earn a month? To be greedy, that’s normal.”

“Zuo. Hong. Ye!”

Angrily moving past a Hong Ye who’s testing his patience, intending to head outside to calm his head, Shao Fei is instead shoved backwards by Tang Yi after seeing Shao Fei’s actions at this moment. Shao Fei falls, striking the chair on the side.

“Meng Shao Fei, I might have let you stay here, but this doesn’t mean you have any right to touch my people.”

“You!”

Only intending to move her aside but now being seen as an asshole who would hit a woman, Shao Fei’s eyes widen as he stares at Tang Yi, still in disbelief that the man would think him capable of such.

“Do you know what she just said?”

“I don’t care what she said, don’t you dare touch her!”

Shao Fei looks at both people standing before him, and it’s almost as if they’ve gone back to when they first met, those days full of hateful confrontations. His heart throbs painfully, and with reddened eyes Shao Fei pushes Tang Yi aside and rushes out.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m good,” Hong Ye shakes her head, leaning into Tang Yi’s embrace and revealing a victorious smile.

Notes:

*The placement of this sentence even in Chinese is a little strange to me - I think the author is trying to kind of… describe the feeling of the wind caressing someone’s face as Tang Yi or Shao Fei runs - it’s not really specified in the sentence whose face is it, but I’d go with Tang Yi’s face, and the author describes the face as having ‘clear lines’ - Like I said, this is a little weird for me to read even in Chinese

**LOL WHAT IS THIS ENTIRE PARA DEDICATED TO TANG YI’S SWEAT-SOAKED BODY THE AUTHOR IS THIRSTY (Wei: We’re all thirsty for Tang Yi. Feed our fantasies, Author.)

*** literally translated Shao Fei refers to ‘the citizen’s nanny’ which I think i may have mentioned in previous chapters like i think the first chapter - but as Wei pointed out calling him a nanny is a tad bit weird, so we changed it to civil servant

**** LINE is a chat messaging app from Japan I think, works like whatsapp but with better stickers hahaha (Wei: LINE, LET ME BUY THE HISTORY3 STICKERS DAMN IT)

***** what is with this fixation of describing what every character is wearing

[keepyourpantsongohan]

Ayesha Liveblogs Naruto Shippuden S21

What a tender intro omg also why is this filler so well animated

The introduction of modern technology will never not be funny to me. Kakashi on a laptop. Gaara sending emails. What has the ninja world come to 

I know it’s just superfluous background motion but that angry little cat design was amazing. Takes me tf out 

Hello again New English Iruka Voice time to feel slightly uncomfortable 

Doesn’t Inuyasha have a monopoly on this baby with a red ball imagery

Why! Is! No one! Making sure! Naruto is fed! He’s a baby!!!!!!

Naruto and Sasuke were such adorable children my heart

SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN THE FAMILY WHERE ONE OF THE CHILDREN IS JUST A FROG? WHO IS DOING THESE BACKGROUND ANIMATIONS?????

In case you thought I wasn’t being literal:

[Accompanying dialogue to this image: “Did you hear the rumours that Lord Fourth died because of him?” WHO IS THIS FROG CHILD WITH A VENDETTA AGAINST MINATO]

This ninja cowboy music seems slightly misplaced but okay

Hiruzen. U r the literal ninja president. Naruto is foraging in the forest for food bc no one is taking care of him! How r u like ‘Hahah I’m hungry too :D’ 

“The things that we inconsequential humans worry about are often very petty indeed” “You’re right” It’s Philosophy Hours ft. Pre-Schoolers 

“Are you sure these mushrooms are safe to eat? “Won’t know ‘til we eat ‘em” HIRUZEN PICK UP THE PHONE 

SCREAMS FIVE YEAR OLD NARUTO JUST JUMPED OFF THE HOKAGE MONUMENT AHHHHHH

I miss Neji :((((((((((((((((

“Please make sure that you look after Neji” show us Neji’s mum you cowards!!!

“You have to be more positive, and confident!” Nejiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii my boy

“I wish that I could switch places with you, big brother” There’s a lot to unpack here and I’m wildly concerned about all of it. This episode ought to be titled Konoha Desperately Requires Child Welfare Programs

Making an mini-episode which largely depicts Neji’s tragic backstory and centring its ending on Hinata seems like an odd angle to take

 “I’m alone. I don’t have anyone, but I never cry” NARUTOOOOO

KJHFKJHG THIS NINJA BASEBALL OUTRO I LOVE IT 

SASUKE USING HIS SHARINGAN TO CHEAT AT BASEBALL I WHEEZE

Also not that I don’t like Genma but why is he a central figure in this ending. Has he had more than a single conversation with Naruto in his life

Lmao @ Sasuke and Itachi’s child versions going back to having their adult voices. Pick a lane SP!!!

“Things in season are always cheap and tasty” “Oh, is that so, Sasuke? Hahaha” Sasuke learning about the ninja economy

“We’re going to visit your mother’s family” Two questions: 1) Aren’t your families the same family (eep) and 2) Don’t they all live in the same part of the village

90% of this dialogue is recycled from prior episodes except delivered more slowly and it’s a little confusing 

Itachi sure knows a lot about cooking for an eleven-year-old 

Sasuke being a clumsy child is such a cute character detail ahhhh I love him so much 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

“[Confused laughter] You want to be like me?” What a Mood Itachi

Sakura’s hideout in the woods is so sweet yes 2 semi-normal childhoods

Poor little Sakura already concerned about her appearance they never let girls live do they

“You’re really cute Sakura, don’t hide it” Ino and Sakura are the most adorable children in the WORLD I love their relationship 4ever

“If she’s cute like you say, then I would love to meet her” who will stop all men

“But Ino, aren’t you good friends with Sakura?” “No, not really” Okay not to project but. I have a lot of thoughts on this narrative 

GASP Inner Sakura’s first appearance!!

Tiny Team 7 is all I need in the world honestly I would watch a whole show that was just those three growing up

I have only just now noticed Suigetsu as third baseman. This ninja baseball game and season in general raise so many questions

Noooo Gaara don’t cry you are gonna be so loved in the future

Rasa, can I just say, from the bottom of my heart, I’m going to yeet you into the sun

“When I look up at the sky, the pain inside my heart feels a little bit better” He’s like 4!!!!!!! >:(

“Instead of a mother, you get to have me, Lord Gaara” Yashamaru: Self-Diagnosed Mumncle 

Ngl baby Gaara’s recollection of Karura is nothing like she looked like

I really don’t care for this new Iruka voice I just keep listening to him like ‘that’s not the sound of Naruto’s dad!!’

I will admit him spooking the sleeping children was cute I don’t know why I always find that so funny kjhgkjhg

“Let me buy into this fight” who taught seven-year-old Naruto to gamble

Christ alive the implication that Naruto has been doing the sexy jutsu since he was seven who will put this boy in ninja therapy

If Orochimaru had just continued to be Jiraiya’s long-suffering friend he might be half-endearing but alas he is fecal matter personified 

“Come on out, I made plenty, so you might as well stay and eat” Hjgjfjgfgffg I’m not sure what’s funnier about this scene the implication that Obito and Rin both independently followed Kakashi home without noticing each other, or that Kakashi did notice and rather than question this turn of events was just like “Guess I should make more fish”

“When you’re older, do you think you’ll become a chef” I would pay to see the AU where Kakashi becomes a professional chef why couldn’t that have been his Road to Ninja persona 

Ngl I spent the first half of Kakashi’s minisode wondering if Sakumo was dead or simply too depressed to take care of Kakashi and I think dead is the less upsetting outcome 

“It’s no fun when you’re not around, Kakashi” Obitooooooooooooooo

I’m not saying it’s suspicious that Sakumo is given two different depictions of his grave site in the anime but Sakumo fucked an alien and I stand by that statement 

All I remember from Sasuke Shinden is that a character called Sasuke “Sassy” as a nickname and if they do that in the Eng dub I won’t survive

“[Deep sigh] Alright Sakura, what is it?” Fhfjhfkjh what’s your damage Kakashi can’t your kids come to visit when people start exploding

God Sakura and Ino’s relationship is the realest.... she went to the Hokage bc her gal was worried abt her family friend and then comforted her from her loss... the looooooooove

Hinata not to devalue your work in any way but why did u collapse after poking one (1) man in the chakra point isn’t gentle fist based in taijutsu

Fhjfhkjhf I’ve seen that gif before of Kakashi knowing that Sakura was thinking about Sasuke but it’s still funny

Sasuke just hanging in the woods with kittycats what kinda redemption journey is this lmao

Ehehehe I’m still not over the fact that Sasuke recognizes Sai’s jutsu and Kakashi uses it to communicate like there are six members of team 7 and this arc PROVES IT HELL YEAH

I can’t believe I forgot the circus ninja oh my god 

“There’s good money to be found for performers like us” MOVE OVER EXPLODING HUMANS WHERE’S MY EPISODE ABOUT THE NINJA CIRCUS 

Everyone always commenting on the pupils and sclera of the Hyuga and Uchiha but nobody caring about Old Man Demon Eyes from the Bamboo Village:

You’d think at this point no amount of genjutsu could traumatize Sasuke 

They’re leaning wholeheartedly into the ninja cowboy music

That is not how I thought they would pronounce “Sassy” this show is full of twists and turns

“What about reviving the Uchiha clan? You’re the lone survivor right?” said Chino, inquiring about when Sasuke was planning to have vaginal sex

“You really think you’re going to find him inside that seriously scary looking cave?” GASP IT’S TENZO TIME

AIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIE IT’S MY BOYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

“You’re Sasuke, right?” asked Yamato, as if Sasuke had not provided the memorable introduction of stabbing a seasoned ANBU in the shoulder as a sixteen-year-old during a dramatic reunion with his team

“It would be easier for us to keep things coordinated, if you sent us progress reports as you went...” Okay not to be that gal but I love that Tenzo and Kakashi are an “us” in this mini-lecture about how Sasuke should call his father (Kakashi) more often

P sure that’s Yamato’s last speaking role goodbye sweet man we knew ye well

“So does this mean that you trust me?” GO TO JAIL OROCHIMARU

Every time that Orochimaru touches Sasuke I want to leap through the screen you leave that boy alone!!! Go! To! Jail!

Sasuke having to explain his social life to Taka is a dynamic I never knew I needed. What more do I want from Naruto than frames like this:

"By showing everyone that Sasuke isn’t in the Hidden Leaf Village and that he’s still out journeying around the world, it reduces the possibility that the village will be harmed” “So are you saying that Sasuke has to keep travelling forever” “That might be so” I can’t believe the entirety of Taka came up with a better explanation for Sasuke staying outside Konoha than Kishimoto himself

“Compared to me, the likelihood that Kabuto will return to evil is extremely low”

He still helped kill......... 40,000 people????? Okay dude

I CAN’T BELIEVE OROCHIMARU IS ACKNOWLEDGING HE IS STILL EVIL!!!! GO TO JAIL!!

I’m gonna pretend I don’t see Tenzo following Stranger Danger and he’s on vacation on a beach where he belongs

Fhjkhfkjhfkj what’s the meaning of this Orochimaru you’ve looked the same since you were 25:

Sasuke: No. She’s older than I am

Orochimaru: [Soft gasp] What?

Man I remember vaguely Sasuke being involved in this fight based on the Tenzo novel scene later on but hoo boy I do not like this

SCREAMMMM TENZO TRYING TO PROTECT PPL IN THE AREA HE’S HELPING

“I can’t make direct contact with him, so I better go now” I hope it is because you filed a restraining order, Yamato

“To increase the rarity, what I’ve even done is, had all but one person in a clan killed” at this point En Oyashiro is just trying to bait Sasuke

God I love how righteous Sasuke is being rn like this is the kind of dismantling of oppression I wanted for him instead of sad murder times

This battle is bonkers:

Villain: Looks like you brought a sword to a dodgeball fight

Sasuke: Looks like you brought a dodgeball to a magic eyes fight!!

Well I certainly breezed past this part of Sasuke Shinden hello Fushin

I find it hard to believe that anyone but Naruto could best Sasuke rn 

I keep joking that those eyes in the sky look like Tenzo but I’m right and I should say it

What a long, drawn-out and slightly suspicious backstory for Chino (looking at you, Fushin of two personality types)

“But now you’re still able to travel freely... and that is all because you have people who love and protect you” Team 7 cutaway with closeups of Sakura and Naruto, Narusasusaku game strong

“For the Leaf’s nourishment, your entire clan was absorbed by your village’s Roots” wow what a shitty time for such an excellent pun

Unbelievable kkhkjhfk and by this I mean completely believable:  

Chino: Please explain your change of heart re: village corruption

Sasuke: I got a boyfriend

Unbelievable x2:

Chino: KILL ME 

Sasuke: Consider this.... you have.... boy who is friend. Good enough

Chino: Wow Sasuke, you’re right

Lmao @ Kakashi proudly announcing that Sasuke is about to enter an unsanctioned jutsu fight in a bet to free enslaved people how did this letter go “Dear Hokage-dad-Kakashi, I am writing to inform you...”

Even funnier: If Tenzo wrote the letter bc Sasuke is shite at contacting people: “Dear Kakashi-senpai, Brace yourself to be worried and proud—”

“Are you Sasuke’s...” yes Chino, whatever the end of that sentence is, you’re correct

Huh I could’ve sworn at least a good chunk of these freed people go to the Leaf. I didn’t make that conversation up. I have discussed it many times!!! My poor Tenzo cut out for more logical story lines I guess 

Omggggggg the Raikage is telling Sasuke about Naruto’s most vulnerable Sasuke moment..... the love!!! Is this the only reason they invited A lmao

En Oyashiro joining Rasa and Hiashi in the Bad Dad Club

I’ve said this before but Naruto and Sakura going on a date to talk about Sasuke is the most legit representation for their relationship I’ve ever seen that’s it that’s what them dating would be like 

“You’re just like a one man police force” lol @ them cutting out the fact that Sakura said this bc Sakura’s not allowed to have individual connections to Sasuke and also just like....... how much Sasuke still wants to be a cop kjhgkjhgk baby stop

I’ve belatedly realized that Kakashi types to the beat of the intro music and it makes me giggle

“The adult world can be complicated” is that ur way of saying ‘nepotism’ Kakashi

“I’m startin’ to get a belly” “I don’t want to hear about all that” PLS

“You two are really the only ones who are special to me” aw Shikamaru

That slap was A  Lot, Temari, surely there are better ways to tell Shikamaru you want him to be your boyfriend

“You don’t really think that Sai has—” “Well, he is very innocent.” 

Kakashi about Sai: He’s the baby of the family

Sai: I’m the oldest and most experienced of all the youth???

Kakashi: I mark ur ages by when I got you xoxo ur legal age is 3

I’m not sure that that’s the intonation I expected for Hinoko but I guess that’s on me for stereotyping teen girls hahah

“That’s my ninja way” “Our ninja way” I feel like this is shinobi flirtation

The outro with Little Team 7 fading to Big Team 7... I have but one heart

Also the implication that they took a photo immediately post war jhgkjhgkj. Kakashi still has a barely healed stab wound and twenty years of trauma. Sasuke and Naruto both just lost an arm. Also who brought a camera to the battlefield. Who took this picture. (Tenzo waking up from a 224 episode coma: We gotta take a family photo)

“You might consider yourself a member of Team 7, but I wonder if they think the same of you” [Naruto voice] Believe it!!!!!!

“If we just kill the lookouts, it’ll be like easy to get past the checkpoint” okay calm down Soku

Lmao Shikamaru struggling to deal with rebellious teens jhghjkg why are the anime episodes I watch so fitting to my own life

Man not to get 2 real it’s fucked up that Soku fears peace wyd militarism 

I don’t really believe that Soku is deserting the village but it’s a good tactic

[Panning to the bird scene at the beginning of this arc] We call that foreshadowing

Komori’s judgement seems to be clouded by his lowkey crush on Soku

“I’ve just been having these really bizarre dreams lately” that’s PTSD Shikamaru

“Feudal lords are always [tyrants] no matter where you go” then why.... do you have.... feudalism.......... [Tobirama screams in the afterlife]

Not to judge these guys so much but like.... ur ANBU and a veteran ninja surely you should have a disguise after faking your death??????? Kakashi, Iruka, what shinobi standards are you teaching exactly?? U didn’t even change ur hairstyles???

“Something similar happened to me as well” what are you... are you talking about when you pretended to be asleep during the Chunin exams because that’s not the same thing as sleeping under a pile of corpses Shikamaru 

NOOOOOOOOOO SAI WHY ARE THEY HANGING MY ANGEL FROM A CRUCIFIX 

AHHHHHHH I don’t like seeing Sai like this, Kakashi’s right he’s a baby!!

“Let’s just say I’ve found the place where I belong” Fhdjskhfksjhf this is definitely Root Code for something because Kakashi uses this line on Tenzo in his Tsukuyomi dream

“Then why didn’t Naruto come to get me? You and I have never been particularly close, so why were you the one who came here?” LMAO SAI ‘you’re not on my list of eligible rescuers Shikamaru 😒😒😒😒’ 

“Fret not, to me this is but a trifle” said Ro, lying prostrate on the ground in between groans of pain (same)

I mean... Gengo makes some pretty compelling arguments abt the shinobi system

“The alliance of nations that the Leaf is currently a part of... is only going to maintain a dark, tenuous peace” I mean... Gengo’s right even if he is a dick

“Lord Hokage told me everything... and I had a hell of a time getting it out of him too” “I don’t want to know what you did... I don’t even want to imagine it” JHGKJHGKJHG I WANNA SEE TEMARI INTERROGATING A FORMER ANBU, KAGE-LEVEL NINJA I LOVE IT

Wait are these last twelve outros dedicated to each of the rookie teams + Team Guy bc that would be adorable

JHGJHGGHGJHG DO WE ACTUALLY GET TO SEE TEMARI YELL AT KAKASHI

Update from 3 seconds later: We don’t but Kakashi’s “Euh?” sound as she knocks down his door is still very funny

“Friendship is useless” “If that’s true, then why are you crying right now” he’s been taking Sasuke lessons in his spare time

“Do you know of a man named ‘Zabuza Momochi’” !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“These are my only friends” said Sai, about two giant cartoon lions 

Sai’s genjutsu scene was actually much sweeter in the book bc Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi and Yamato’s chakra were all protecting him inside his own mind but I don’t mind my boy getting a hug

HAHAHAHAHA WHAT IS THIS CUTAWAY TO NARUTO BATHED IN GOLDEN LIGHT ANNOUNCING “RAMEN” LIKE IT’S A WHOLE SENTENCE OKAY STUDIO PIERROT U NEED A BREAK I GET IT

“What in the hell was that?” that was also my question Shikamaru

Shikamaru with full conviction: To be lazy.... that is my dream 

Hahahaha it’s Ninja Teen Romance Hours I guess

“Oh, you don’t want to [go out on a date]?” No that’s not what I’m saying” [walks away] TEMARI PLS

“Going on a date without a strategy, would be like trying to fight a tailed beast unarmed” [Nodding] “You have zero chance of winning, that way” I suddenly understand Kakashi’s dating life a lot more

They really rely on you being aware of Naruto the Last huh gjkhgkjhgk there’s been no mention in any of this filler of Naruto and Hinata even being in a relationship to this point as far as I remember

Fhjkfhkjhfkfh poor Iruka none of the kids know he’s President of the Naruto’s Dad Society

“I know I’m supposed to be striving to get ahead in my career, but there’s also a part of me that really wants to just continue teaching kids, one on one” Irukaaaaa <3333333

Looool even as Hokage, Kakashi just drops out of nowhere to give cryptic life advice and then leaves

Smash the statue, Tsukune, don’t let the establishment tell u what to do!!

“Eating ramen everyday isn’t healthy you know” am I to believe that Kakashi, the man who told Naruto, ‘if you're going to be a ninja, you need to eat your vegetables’ is on a ramen-only diet?? Falsehoods

“And it’s all thanks to you Iruka” khjhgkjhgjhg alright.... you win this round KKIR shippers

WHO IS ANIMATING THIS SCENE IT IS BUCKWILD??? There is no character model to speak of, most of the kids don’t have noses, everyone’s upside down or spinning around, and Iruka is... hiding in a frog sign???

There is no English translation of this caption???? EXPLAIN JAPAN. TELL ME YOUR FROG SECRETS YOU KNOW I LOVE FROGS [INSERT PICTURE OF TENZO HERE]

(Update I looked it up in the sub and the caption offers no more insight. “IRUKA UMINO, AROUND 30 YEARS OLD. STEALTHILY”)

“This is for Hinata, so let’s all try our hardest” Kiba loves Hinata MOST

You know how if you pause in the middle of an animated action, you sometimes linger on an in-between image that looks goofy because it was meant to add to the motion rather than be focused on? This whole episode is animated like one of those images

It’s okay Lee the only dumbbell Naruto is fixated on is Sasuke Uchiha

I know don’t usually post so many images in these liveblogs, but I really need anyone reading this to see the Leaf Village’s semi-canonical Unofficial Mascot Konorin:

He is??? The love of my life???

“I don’t even have a boyfriend and train every day from morning til night” yes you do. His name is Neji Hyuga and he’s very alive and he’s a jonin sensei and he will buy you all the knives you want after he takes all of Hiashi’s money and redistributes it. In this essay I will—

You see what I mean??? Neji wants to be there for Tenten (and Lee)!!!

Tenten: What would Neji do if he were here now

Neji: [starts manifesting]

“It’s you since you’re a taijutsu specialist, but Naruto and Hinata aren’t” yes????? Hinata is???? She doesn’t use weapons but Gentle Fist is entirely taijutsu??? Why does everyone keep forgetting

KHKGJHKJHGKFHKJHFKJ I CAN’T GET OVER NEJI JUST. MANIFESTING ABOVE LEE’S BED TO GIVE HIM SHITTY WEDDING GIFT IDEAS 

“And don’t forget: Hyuga” Neji........ what.... does this mean!!!!!!!!

Why say “Neji” like that Orochimaru and in fact why say anything at all [Konan voice] I’m the Hokage now, the entire criminal justice system is on its way you are going to jail!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I really can’t believe that the Naruto writers looked at Tenzo’s role in Naruto SD and decided “let’s do that.... but worse” 

They animated?????????? A smaller Lee??????????? Into Lee’s mouth???????????? As if the animation style wasn’t enough. I need a minute

They are really going full Naruto SD huh??? Cut away skit like a ‘genjutsu’ scne. Lee and Guy playing a married couple and Tenten a baby. Neji in drag. This is a choice

“How can you misunderstand Neji so much” “Even if it’s only as a ghost, I’m sure that Neji would appear” I need. Several minutes

Fhjkhfkjfh Shikamaru’s vision of Gaara, Bee, Kakashi and Tsunade hanging out at this fancy restaurant. Is this who he thinks Kakashi’s social circle is these days (he might be right)

“Okay, I’ll hear you out!” Is this implication of this scene that Temari thinks Shikamaru’s idea of a first date is marriage... and she’s WILLING TO GO ALONG WITH THAT. TEMARI PLS

“Hey Ino, why would you go out of your way to make something I love? Bc she looooves you Sakura

“Sakura, I thought the same thing” GOD JUST GET MARRIED

“It’ll be too late once we go in, I could get all caught up in the mood or something like that” wait........ does Temari think Shikamaru wants to get married or fuck???? Or both??? OH MY GOD

Gaara: Naruto’s getting married.... without meeeeeeeeeee

God I love Gaara’s Blank Period hair it is truly careless and happy hair

“His ramen’s extravagent?” JKGHKHKJH everyone in the Leaf Village trying to convince Gaara that Naruto’s taste is incredibly obnoxious which is true but not in the way being described 

Kankuro what’s your damage let Gaara buy a nice and personal present for the love of his life 

Every time I think this arc can’t get more ridiculous it exceeds my expectations:

[Vaguely horrified accompanying dialogue: “The Raikage—” “—Will do the Hidden Cloud Dance?”]

“Well then, Gaara is just going to have to do the Hidden Sand Samba” Ah. Of course. The Hidden Sand Samba. Why didn’t anyone think of this plan before

Gaara is blushing because his new dream is just to samba dance with Naruto into the night

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh Teuchi giving Naruto an “all you can eat forever” coupon that’s cute our sweet boy is so loved 

Gaara: My wedding gift to you, Naruto... is me :)

“I’m just disappointed that we aren’t going to get to see you dance, Gaara” you know what that’s fair Kankuro me too 

Hahahaha Shino dissing Kiba’s plight for becoming Hokage to these random kids

I can’t pay attention to anything this ninja cat is saying because they’ve got Naruto’s voice and it is very distracting

There’s something to be curious about how it would be if Kiba married into a family that has a contract with the Uchiha lmao

Literally the girl who Kiba is supposed to be in love with is given Hinata’s voice #kibahinarights

“Oh, just take it. Money means nothing to me” the Beekeeper is truly one of the strangest characters in the Naruto universe just conceptually. Why are they wearing a giant bee stinger on their butt?

LMAO @ Kiba having absolutely no self-doubt whatsoever. Goals!!

Shino becoming a teacher after the war is actually one of the post-699 futures I like, good for him!

Iruka sweet man Naruto has compared you to a father like 1500 times have you not overheard him one (1) time

Kakashi is such a dumb stubborn bitch trying to find a way for Naruto to have a happy wedding... I love him

“This is my fault, I never taught him how to treat women! Not that I even really know about that kind of thing of course” Iruka Umino confirmed canonically gay

“I just have to bow my head a little” KKIR: 2; Me: 0

I love this tradition of Hokage boys bowing their heads for cooperation between villages yesssssssssssss

Outro for the whole OG Team 7.... I’m fine everything’s fine I’m good cool cool cool cool cool

The implication that they just sell Kakashi wigs in the village... amazing

I know this is about to be an emotionally poignant moment but what Naruto’s presence is reminding is that the only word he has said in the past 6 episodes is “ramen” LMAO

“I’m going to have to apologize to her for raising you as a such a thoughtless, inconsiderate man” raising you... RAISING YOU..................... TRULY PRESIDENT OF THE NARUTO’S DAD SOCIETY GOD BLESS IRUKA UMINO

LOOK AT THIS CRYBABY NINJA THIS IS WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT ONE OF MY FAVOURITE PARTS OF KONOHA HIDEN WAS HOW IRUKA KEPT BURSTING INTO TEARS OVER NARUTO EVERY OTHER MINUTE THIS IS WHAT BONDS LOOK LIKE

God..................... the Team 7 lover in me just despairs of this final episode bc they’re all separated and also Tenzo needs justice 4 being Kakashi’s co-wedding planner it’s in the book I read it!!!!

I will set aside my feelings to recognize that Kakashi looks very handsome

Goodbye Naruto you were certainly an experience and I mean that in every possible intonation