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project-sekai-facts · 1 year ago

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Regarding your post about censorship: I'm like 90% sure most of this is not censorship (they left the entirety of buddy funny as it was. I refuse to believe "partner" is where they draw the line). I've played tons of Japanese video games in official English; the usual standard for translation is, in practice, that it shouldn't be obvious it wasn't originally written in English. Imo, this is the actual difference between "the miles i fell in love with is so cool!" (Not grammatically incorrect but not how actual people speak) and the official. As for it having romantic connotation to begin with, lol you said you got that from looking it up but Google the same thing in English and you will still get only romantic advice because it just assumes you're asking when the appropriate time to say I love you in a relationship is.... It could've been a joke, or a gay allegation, an anime way of speaking, or even nothing. How would you know which? I absolutely do not mean this in a rude way and I'm really sorry if it comes off like that but. I don't think you can comment on the connotations of words or level of casualness without speaking the language yourself.

Same with minoharu; it's (unfortunately) not canon. If she actually said "I love you!!" Regardless of dictionary definitions, it will be read as a romantic confession by most players, and you often say the game likes ambiguity so I take it that's a no. "I like you!" Is rather an awkward thing to yell in english, though. So "you're the best" is what they substitute.

(Please don't blame the translators for stuff this insignificant tbh. Some things in early game may sound clunky, but they've really smoothed out over time in terms of word choice sounding natural (...event names notwithstanding). I've done translations between my first language and English for fun; if you linger on every last word and it's connotations, you will go /insane/ reallyyy quickly. Imo no two words in different languages have the exact same meaning, connotation, use case etc. Ever. Differences of this level are utterly inevitable when games have so much text.)

Anyway. Thanks for all the effort you put into this blog, it's a fantastic one and it's not my intention to be harsh, if it comes off like that please just delete this ask. Don't feel bad about something some stranger on the internet said.

to be honest I don't think it's all censorship either, i just kinda went off on a tangent about things getting removed in translation and i did put in the post reasons why these translations actually are valid (aside from Toya woao because they did leave that one in the card name so it was a deliberate choice to remove it from the story, thereby also removing the reference in the card name). That Asahi post is old and I have done more research into it since, because my JP isn't good so I've gotta make up for it somehow, and literally every dictionary definition and anything I can find for that word frames it as romantic. For the extra mile I checked Japanese dictionaries for languages other than English. I found one thing saying it can be used for an idolisation, but even in that instance the way it's framed in the story is still done in a way that could be viewed as ship tease. In other words, it's probably romantic. Even if he's just talking about the character and not Tsukasa, it has a romantic reading and removing it was a deliberate choice. "The miles i fell in love with is so cool" might sound a bit rough, but it could have still been translated to keep the original context no problem. You could've just done something like "well of course it was cool. i fell in love with miles for a reason" or "it was so cool! as expected of the miles i love". the thing is with writing for a game like this is sometimes people need to say things that in real life you would probably just say in your head. the POV character for this event is Rui so we can't just take a look at the thoughts of the characters, which is why what they're feeling needs to be conveyed through text even if it sacrifices a bit of the realism. especially in a visual novel styled game like this because the characters are limited to a 2D model with limited movement and expression. if this was an anime you could probably get more leeway with what they say because you can convey the character's feelings through various other means (eg: the animated MVs that don't have any dialogue but could convey a story and emotion much better than looking at the in-game version of the scene with no dialogue). Don't worry I don't think you came off as rude and I know I shouldn't really talk about a language I don't speak but I hope the research can at least kind of make up for it.

Minoharu isn't canon I know but it's very obvious that what Minori feels for Haruka goes into romantic territory, whether you like the ship or not. And sure, if you put "I love you" most people would probably read it as romantic by default, but that hasn't stopped the translators before. "You're the best" honestly is a valid localisation that still conveys pretty much the same meaning I just find it odd that "I love you" is removed here, a flashback scene from a point in time where minori and haruka didn't know each other, but is translated with accuracy in multiple interactions between An and Kohane in present day. If Minori and Haruka don't know each other it's slightly less likely that people will interpret it as romantic and slightly more likely that people will interpret it as a simple idolisation but with An an Kohane actually knowing each other and having a close and affectionate relationship the go-to is probably gonna be romantic (which isn't wrong considering the events of BFST and Wishing for Your Happiness, but still sticks out that they left this in here but change it for another couple with heavy romantic subtext).

I'm not blaming this on the translators, they're just doing their job and obviously with localisation you've gotta lose stuff, it's just that some of these are very specific things to cut (eg: any indication of Asahi feeling romantically towards Tsukasa's character and ambiguously Tsukasa himself is completely absent in the official translation). I'm blaming this on the higher ups at sega who get the final say on what is and isn't included in the translation. You can't translate everything directly because languages don't all work exactly the same, especially english and japanese. obviously due to these differences, you're not going to be able to translate everything directly and localisation is necessary (regardless of language) to make it accessible and easy to read for an audience outside the country of origin. but there are gonna be questions raised when a scene is localised to keep the same meaning as the original text aside from one line that removes notable queer subtext. because if they can keep the rest of toya's speech in line with the original but they specifically remove the part about him wanting to stay side-by-side with akito forever and change it to wanting to perform side-by-side, despite the fact they left in the "now on and always" part in his card name, that was removed from the story intentionally. they kept what asahi says to tsukasa with the same meaning as well, but any indication of asahi feeling romantically towards the other is completely gone. the issue is that sega seems to be intentionally removing queer subtext from the game.

don't worry anon this wasn't harsh, and localisation is something that actually interests me and i've read into quite a bit, so i enjoy the opportunity to talk about it. and thank you as well!

#asks #mod talks

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five-nights-at-fujisakis · 2 months ago

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FAQ Time

(This is all OOC, obviously)

What's the premise of this blog? The idea is simple: Danganronpa's Chihiro Fujisaki (aka the Ultimate Programmer, aka Precious Hacker Child Who Has Never Done Anything Wrong) has moved to the United States and by a stroke of bad luck has ended up as the night guard for the newest Fazbear storefront, "Freddy Fazbear's Pizza and Playplace", located in Magna, Utah. What starts as the typical FNAF formula soon starts to escalate as more and more animatronics arrive to make Chihiro's job even more of a living hell.

When does this take place, in reference to canon? Chronologically, this story takes place as it is being posted, in real time (which as of this post is late 2024). This fits neatly with the original FNAF series canon timeline, to an extent. FNAF 1-4 and Sister Location all happened as they did in canon. FNAF 6, however, has NOT happened. It's theorized that FNAF 6 took place in late 2023/early 2024 in canon, so the events of this blog can essentially be viewed as taking that game's place in terms of its role in the overarching FNAF plot. Post-Pizzeria Simulator stuff like Security Breach is currently up in the air, I include elements from it and the movie as I so desire. As for the Danganronpa side of things, this Chihiro is currently 24 years old. He and most of the rest of Class 78 graduated from Hope's Peak Academy 5-6 years ago (I haven't yet figured out the exact math). There was no Tragedy, and none of the mainline series games occurred like they did in canon, but the characters all still exist and SOMETHING happened the year of Class 78's graduation that caused the school to close down permanently, with massive negative repercussions for the Main Course Students, including Chihiro. V3 characters are in the same boat as post-FNAF 6 stuff, I include it however I want.

Is this an askblog? How does the roleplaying in this blog work? I have no idea if this counts as an askblog, since the focus is on Chihiro's overarching story as he copes with his circumstances. But by all means keep asking Chihiro questions, they help me flesh out the story and worldbuilding more! Plus they're a great motivator! Bring on all the questions! The vast majority of asks will be responded to in-character as Chihiro. This includes stuff from other roleplay blogs, even if directly contradicts the stuff in this particular story. Chihiro does not necessarily believe anyone when they say they're from a different universe or whatever the framing device is, but he's too polite to not go along with it, if that makes sense. The guy is too nice for his own good, and chalks up most of the weirdness to "tumblr being tumblr" and doesn't ask questions (So he's not really breaking the fourth wall). And if your asks are roleplaying in ways that go along with this blog's canon, then I'll happily try to integrate them into the story as best as I can. (The tags are usually OOC though) While I'm going to TRY to have everything answered in-character, there are exceptions. If an ask tries to break the fourth wall and talk about the Danganronpa or FNAF video game serieses (or this blog's own fictional nature) they'll most likely go unanswered or be answered OOC. And if you're going to ask for donations or petition signatures or advertising, this ain't the place. Such asks will be deleted on sight. This is a roleplay blog only. Oh, and if you're being deliberately offensive or discriminatory in any way, it should go without saying that such behavior is NOT WELCOME HERE and will lead to being blocked IMMEDIATELY.

What other characters aside from Chihiro will appear? Due to the way the backstory has been set up, most of the other DR characters are largely restricted to Chihiro's text messages with them and comments in past-tense. Yes I'm aware that their texts should probably be in Japanese, but I don't trust Google Translate so like. Maybe they're all just trying to be supportive of Chihiro or something? The FNAF side obviously is getting considerably more representation. Vanessa is already present as Chihiro's boss, and most of the animatronics aside from the three ones original to this specific storefront are the same as from canon (Cody, Harper, and Dessa were created to spice things up a bit, but they're essentially just palette swaps of Foxy, Bonnie, and Chica respectively). Quite a few familiar faces are gonna be showing up as Chihiro's life gradually becomes less FNAF 6 and more Ultimate Custom Night. As for whether our favorite scooped Night Guard will also make an appearance... wait and see! Other major characters include OCs Kellen and Marta, the two Day Shift Security Guards for the place, who were created largely so that Chihiro could have a couple of coworkers to interact with, without having to come up with some more bizarrely improbable cameos. They're named after Glamrock Freddy's and Gregory's VAs respectively from Security Breach.

What's this blog's take on Chihiro's gender? I'm aware of how controversial this subject is, and am trying to not have it affect this blog too much. But considering how much of Chihiro's character revolves around his gender identity in official DR material it's kind of unavoidable, so let's just get this out of the way: this blog's version of Chihiro is a cis male and uses he/him pronouns. If you have different headcanons about the character and their gender identity then that's completely fine and valid (especially considering how messy the writing in the original games is when it comes to this subject) but this was the interpretation I felt best aligned with canon Chihiro as written. That being said, if you want to refer to Chihiro with other pronouns in your asks or comments then that's totally fine, the most you'll get from this blog is a polite in-character correction, if even that. As far as Chihiro's concerned, dealing with murderous animatronics is a much greater concern than being misgendered on the internet. Ultimately this blog's purpose is to have fun, not make a statement. (Incidentally, while we're on the subject, this blog's version of Mangle uses ALL the pronouns. Mangle stole all the pronouns and left none for Chihiro. How dare.)

Shouldn't Chihiro have logically died by now? Night Guards in FNAF usually don't last this long. Yeah, probably, but if that were to happen the story would just end sooooo that's probably not gonna happen. Either some of Makoto's Plot Armor Luck rubbed off on him, or Chihiro looks just enough like a minor that the animatronics are going slightly easier on him. IDK really. Just repeat the MST3K Mantra to yourself if you have to.

What's with the "all lowercase letters" thing going on in most of the posts? Mostly it's just a way to add flavor? It kind of felt right for Chihiro. Not only does it sort of reflect his timid nature, but it also makes a small amount of sense to me that a native Japanese speaker could type English this way. Japanese doesn't have uppercase and lowercase, so I feel like there's a logic to Chihiro sticking to only lowercase. (Obviously this doesn't mean native Japanese speakers can't use normal English capitalization. This Chihiro is obviously perfectly fluent in English and you'll see him using proper capitalization from time to time, especially when he's texting his boss and trying to seem professional. Again, this is mostly just a way to add some characterization to the medium of the blog.)

Any Trigger/Content Warnings? It's FNAF and Danganronpa, so if you're familiar with those then you know what to expect. Though since the story is contingent on Chihiro's survival, ironically all the blood and guts and murder is probably going to be a lot less prevalent than in the actual stories. Still got plenty of potential nightmare fuel, though! Additionally there could be a chance of religious themes since (like the Silver Eyes novels and FNAF 6) this story takes place in Utah and Latter-Day Saints infest that state like moles infest my parents' backyard lawn. Since part of this blog is Chihiro comparing and contrasting his former and current places of residence they're bound to come up once in a while. But that shouldn't be very often, especially since this Chihiro doesn't really care that much about religion.

How often does this blog update? Whenever. I'm trying to keep the posts coming pretty regularly to continue the idea that Chihiro is running this blog in real time, but I have a life, sooooooo...

Who made this blog's profile pic? The pfp is "Disappointed Chi" by @mishja, (admittedly slightly cropped so it could be properly centered) and it was NOT created or commissioned specifically for this blog. I just liked it, thought it fit the vibes of this blog's story, and asked the artist what their policy on using their art for pfp's. They said it was fine as long as they were credited in the description, which I have done so both in the blog description and here in this FAQ. All credit goes to them, and if they ever tell me to stop using it I will do so, no questions asked. Artists have a right to credit and authority over what is done with their art. Speaking of, you should go check out their art! It's pretty good! Go check it out now! (And mishja if you're reading this I'm really sorry for whatever notification you got due to me trying to tag you)

Who's running this circus of a roleplay blog, anyway? Me! Hi, I'm @maspers! I had a crazy idea and decided to bring it into reality. Do I have any idea what I'm doing? No :D If you have questions or concerns about this blog (or you want to add to the roleplay fun, like some askers already have), feel free to reach out to me either here or on my main blog. DMs are always OOC, and any of my other comments will usually be clearly indicated as OOC with parentheses or something else similar.

Thanks so much for giving this blog the time of day! It's a small project and I'm not expecting much to come of it, but I'm having fun and that's what's really important. Hope you all enjoy!

#roleplay blog #faq #faq post #chihiro fujisaki #fnaf #danganronpa #big post #sorry if yall were expecting more plot #but instead got this faq #ooc post

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madhogthymaster · 1 year ago

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Down The Cabbit Hole: The Weird World of Klonoa Literature - An Archive (Part 3)

[PART 1] [PART 2]

This is where our burrowing ends, in the most awkward crevices of pro-bono fandom work: the oxygen-depriving hole of amateurishly translated Japanese comics. The older among you might recall the days where the only way to read your favourite unpopular manga was to rely on some random fellow on the Internet to provide it through the incomparable medium of "scanlations." That is to say, poorly scanned pages from a physical copy they somehow owned subsequently localized through the power of Grit, Determination and Google Translate. Right about now, your bones should have begun turning to dust. Before you're gone from this world, however, please consider holding on for a while longer as I share my last archived tweets on the subject of Fluffy Boy Literature. As you might have guessed, the covered works belong within the domain of fan-translated scans and, as such, they occupy a very specific, very niche place in that befuddling collective unconscious we all know as The Web. In layman terms, stuff's about the get wacky.

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25 July 2022

It is now time to enter the (forbidden) world of Klonoa's physical literary media - as scanned and translated by community hero, powerstone05. Appropriately, I will start with the much lesser known, unofficial and self-published story by Mofusuke, Dream at Night.

I shall not rag too hard on the obviously unprofessional translation work here - it was done by a fan, after all. The awkward lettering and sentence repetition give it the distinct charm of something decisively made in the early days of "Scanlationns."

Which is a surprisingly good fit to the adorably simple art style that was also drawn by a fan. I do like the sibling dynamic between Klonoa and Huepow, whereas the latter acts as an impatient older brother to the former. Grandpa reprimanding them at the end is the icing on top of this fluff cake.

There isn't much else to say: it is a short, fifteen pages long doujinshi and it's pure slice-of-life. It is all it wanted and needed to be.

As an addendum: the existence of the Namco x Capcom anthology manga, based off the Japanese-exclusive gaming crossover of the same name, has been made known to me. I've read the only Klonoa centric comic from it and it's just one dumb, obnoxiously protracted joke. I don't care for this.

27 July 2022

I have been postponing the inevitable for far too long. This is Shippuu Tengoku Kaze no Klonoa (2002-2003) by Hiroshi Katou as questionably, yet valiantly, scanslated by powerstone05. It is the most "renowned" official literature within the Klonoa community.

Ah, of course... puns. Bad puns. Bad Japanese puns localized into English. Those puns.

This manga is a fast-paced, madcap comedy - emphasis on fast-paced. It moves at a speed of a million kilometers per hour, constantly shooting visual gags at your face on almost every panel without any proper sense of pacing and with flimsily established setups.

The translation does not help but it's clear that this lack of focus and breathing time between jokes is an intrinsic issue. Frankly, I find this brand of "Machine Gun Humour" exhausting to read. I'd much prefer my comedy to be akin to a shotgun: powerful and deliberate.

On the other hand, I enjoy the artwork. Take a look at this delightfully detailed two page spread of pure wanton destruction, capped by Klonoa's comically traumatized features.

It must be pointed out that the entire premise of this manga is Klonoa being the biggest moron who ever lived. Your mileage with it may vary.

Right! This manga is turning into a "Looney Tunes" short and I'm starting to warm up to it. Katou has a clear penchant for slapstick humour. The propeller hat made me chuckle.

I finished reading the whole thing - well, skimming would be the appropriate term. It's a tiresome little deviation that could not quite distract me from its flaws. There isn't anything worth noting as all the over-the-top, frenetically paced gags tends to blend together.

With that, I have successfully covered all the major, currently available comic book media related to Klonoa: a thoroughly mixed bag, overall.

The fan-made web series Dream Crusaders sits atop the proverbial hill even with its troublesome connection to the insipid Sol Noctis storyline. Everything else is various degrees of forgettable or insubstantial.

'Tis an unsurprising result considering how hard to follow the games are - the first two games, that is. Regardless, this was an illuminating experience in its own right from the perspective of how malleable (or not at all) this franchise can be. Thanks for reading.

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As a posthumous note, there was a final piece of literature worth mentioning to you, an officially licensed short manga that served as promotional material, introduction and basic tutorial for the 2009's Nintendo Wii remake of the first game, Klonoa: Door to Phantomile. The comic is readily available online if you're curious about it.

With that, the excavation has been halted, the dream has ended, my terrible analogies have been put to rest, my archive has been shared. As I lack a romantic way to see us out of here, I shall simply bid you a fond farewell and a good night sleep. Stay wondrous, fellow Phantomilians.

#madhog thy master #fluffy boy literature #klonoa #down the cabbit hole #part 3 #scanlations #manga #comedy #namco x capcom #doujinshi #twitter

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telehxhtrash · 4 years ago

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A masterpost on Togashi’s gay subtext and why it’s intentional.

Hi ! After seeing so many posts about Togashi dropping subtext about Killua's possible romantic feelings for Gon, I thought it'd be a good idea to make a sort of "masterpost" with all the subtext that Togashi has included into his work.

I usually see a lot of people trying to say that HxH isn't about romance and that Togashi isn't interested in writing romance into the manga, but when you analyze all the subtext that's been going on the further Gon and Killua's relationship progresses, I think it's incorrect to say that Togashi has never hinted at the possibility of romance in HxH.

This is going to be a long post, enjoy your read!

Also, please note that I will only base this analysis on the manga, so there can be no mistake that "maybe this is just something the anime made gayer" : i want to prove that the subtext is 100% intentional on Togashi's part.

I'd also like to mention, although I will analyze it further after listing the subtext, that Togashi is a VERY smart man. There are always little details in the story and/or foreshadowing that are easily missed at first but when you notice them, it truly makes you understand how much attention and care Togashi puts into his work. There are countless details and symbolism that are analyzed daily through wonderful meta posts, from the main 4′s birthdays and their link to their character or the religious symbolism in Kurapika’s story arc.... Togashi loves to foreshadow and plant little details into his work, so when Togashi plants subtext, I'm sure he 100% knows that he's writing it, and it can't be seen as unintentional.

I'll also link all my references for this post at the end of it, so feel free to read all the additional textposts and content if you want to know more.

Well, let's get into it!

EDIT : i can’t believe this post is still being used as a reference it makes me so happy... thank you so much !!! i edited this to tweak it a bit because i wrote this a while ago and the phrasing seemed off to me, so if you’re reading or re-reading this post, hi, welcome to masterpost on gay subtext 2.0 !

GREED ISLAND ARC

Greed Island is to me the arc that lays down the nature of Killua and Gon's relationship. It's during this arc that we get to see a bit more of what Killua thinks, how he's lucky to have met Gon and that he feels really grateful. Gon’s behavior in this arc is also very affectionate, with him always reassuring Killua about his place next to him. While the scene where Killua thinks "You've got it backwards, Gon, I'm the one that's glad I met you." can't be considered as subtext, I think it's something that lets the reader know a bit more about how Killua feels towards Gon.

But other than this scene, which can clearly be dismissed as platonic, there are 2 more moments in the Greed Island arc that are layered in subtext.

• The Rainbow Diamond (chapter 151)

During their time in Dorias, Killua uses Risky Dice to gain cards from the slot machines. The first card that Killua gains is called "Rainbow Diamond", the description of the card being "A diamond that shines in a rainbow of colors. Propose with this diamond and she is guaranteed to say "yes"".

There are 3 different things we can take from this panel. First, the card is a marriage proposal card, so it's obviously romantic in nature. Second, the object is a RAINBOW diamond. And third, Killua, wanting to keep the card safe, gifts it to Gon.

In short, Togashi sat down at his desk, decided to draw Killua winning a MARRIAGE PROPOSAL CARD (it could've been any card, but Togashi CHOSE to make Killua win a marriage proposal card) that has a RAINBOW diamond on it and made Killua gift it to Gon.

While I personally don't think that subtext can be used to 100% ascert that Killua has romantic feelings for Gon, I think it's a funny little touch from Togashi, and I'm even gonna say a sort of hint towards how Killua's feelings for Gon are going to evolve in this arc and the next.

• “It has to be Killua” (chapter 166)

Now this is a scene that I've never seen anyone talk about, at least on Tumblr, but when I read a bit of analysis on it I was 100% convinced this was intentional subtext. I'm basically quoting here what this article explains, so if you want more detail, I recommend reading it.

As you probably recall, during their deadly dodgeball game against Razor, Killua decides to sacrifice his hands to ensure that Gon could use all his strength. When confronted about it, Killua insists that it's nothing, and Gon shocks him by saying that he knew all along that he was hurting himself for his sake.

Gon then says that it can only be Killua holding the ball, and that it has to be Killua, resulting in Killua being absolutely awestruck and embarassed. I'm also going to talk about the anime adaptation for this one, because it's perfectly executed and translates extremely well the nuance that the second sentence bears. If you want to rewatch it, this scene happens in episode 70. It's worth noting that in the anime, we see Killua not reacting to Gon's first sentence, but losing his composure entirely when Gon says the second sentence. But why ?

The reason was lost in translation. His exact words are "Booru wa Killua ga motte-kurenai to. Killua ja nakya dame nan da.". Both sentences basically say the same thing : It has to be Killua holding the ball. That second sentence can be translated literally as "If it's not Killua, that won't do." However, the second sentence, in a different context, can also be used to say a totally different thing.

While it's certain that Gon used this sentence in the context of the dodgeball match, the sentence "~ja nakya dame nan da" also serves as a confession of one's feelings in japanese. It's basically the equivalent to "you're the one for me". When you google the sentence, it turns up romantic songs, forum posts asking what it would translate to in English and posts on how to confess to someone.

The sentence basically drowns in romantic subtext. As mentioned before, Killua has no reaction to the first sentence "Booru wa Killua ga motte-kurenai to.", but loses his composure at the second one, and I think that was a very deliberate thing Togashi wanted to convey : this sentence has an additional layer, and clearly Killua is taking it to heart.

I will come back to this specific subtext in a bit, because we can parallel it with another subtext-y situation, so please keep it in mind for now.

CHIMERA ANT ARC

Now onto the sad gay arc! This arc is so RIDDLED in subtext and parallels that it's making me lose my mind.

• Gon, you are light. (chapter 199)

This scene is just... So romantic in nature. I’m not too objective on this, but I really do believe that this moment is the exact moment Killua fell in love with Gon and started to realize he felt a bit more than friendship towards him. It’s Killua respecting Gon for who he is, realizing that he’s light and he’s always been, he’s the one who saved him and who’s always been so bright and optimistic and always makes the best out of any situation. In this scene, Killua lets himself drown in Gon’s light, allows himself to feel this “wow” moment of pure admiration and love, and it’s absolutely beautiful.

It's extremely important to take the context of this scene into account. What happened is that Killua, who has been struggling mentally for the entire series with the fact that he's always running away, ran away once more, leaving Kite to die with Pitou. This ENTIRE chapter is literally adults absolutely DESTROYING Killua, first Kite's troupe bashing him for leaving Kite behind, and then Netero, Morel and Knov coming in like icing on the cake telling Killua that "After all, he's just a kid", and that he should hurry up to his mommy.

Killua is beating himself up for running away again, got destroyed by Kite's team and 3 extremely strong pro hunters. His morale is down in the drains right now. He expects Gon to be mad at him for betraying Kite, for running away once again, for leaving Kite to die alone and ripping Gon away from Kite : he expects that he'll lose Gon for his cowardice.

HOWEVER, the first thing that Gon says to Killua after having been passed out for god knows how many hours is "Thank you".

Gon woke up and instantly eased up all of Killua's fears : he wasn't a loser for running away, and Gon was actually thankful for him. Gon, at this moment, was the only one that showed kindness, understanding and gratefulness towards Killua. Gon even goes so far as saying that he knows that Kite isn't dead, and that they have to help him. At this instant, Gon is truly Killua's saving grace. He's the one that trusts him with his entire heart, and believes in his choices when even he can't believe in himself. Gon is truly Killua's light at this precise moment, because he was the only one who supported him, trusted him and reassured him in this awful situation.

How can someone shine so bright in such a terrible situation ? How can someone be so positive that nothing bad will happen ?

Gon asserting all of this makes Killua respect him a lot. Keep this word in mind, because it’s going to be important in the next piece of subtext I’m analyzing, because those two scenes canonically follow each other and are basically Togashi highlighting that something special happened when Killua called Gon his light, and that his feelings deepened.

• Introduction to Palm's character (chapter 200)

This piece of subtext is very very easy to miss but it's one of the most important subtext-y scene, because coupled with the “Gon, you are light” scene, it’s very clear that this dialogue is deliberately highlighting Killua’s feelings.

This chapter introduces Palm's character (which, imo, is a character introduced for the sole intent of being a catalyst to Killua's feelings towards Gon, but I'll talk about it in my post talking about the CAA parallels) - edit: i talked about this briefly here.

So, Killua having looked into Gon's eyes for like 10min straight and concluded that Gon was the light of his life a chapter ago, is now chilling with Gon as they meet Palm.

Palm takes them to a café and STRAIGHT OFF THE BAT harasses them about how much she's in love with Knov. Like when I say harassing, it's literally a whole page of her explaining her feelings towards Knov.

There are two interesting things that can be drawn from this interaction.

First, it's extremely easy to draw parallels between Palm's situation towards Knov and Killua's situation towards Gon. Palm starts by saying how amazing her master is, that she probably has special feelings for him but the most important thing is to respect the other person. Remember how I talked about how this last scene was Killua having a surge of deep, deep respect for Gon ? Palm makes sure to highlight that special word, that it’s important to respect someone when it comes to love.

She then goes on to say that she hasn't said anything to Knov, and never will. All of this adds nothing to the story, it's empty dialogue, Togashi could've introduced Palm in virtually any other way possible, but he chose to drag her and the gay duo to a café and make her have a monologue about love RIGHT after the extremely emotional panel of Killua declaring that Gon is his light just a chapter ago.

But there's more. Not only does Palm monologue for a while about love, but after finishing her monologue, this happens :

This panel features ONLY Palm and Killua, her looking at him like the psycho she is, and straight up telling him that "love can suddenly spark out of nowhere, don't you think so?".

What's so interesting about this is the fact that Togashi made the deliberate choice to have Palm say this to Killua and Killua ONLY, which after the gay existential crisis he had last chapter, can very much be applied to his situation. Love DID spark out of nowhere, and Togashi wants you to notice. Togashi could've made Palm say this to herself, with no distinct listener like the last panel, but he made the conscious choice to draw this panel with Palm adressing herself to Killua SPECIFICALLY.

Those two pieces of subtext, that fit perfectly together, make me believe 100% that Togashi knows what he's doing and he's not unintentionally planting gay subtext in his work. The fact that Togashi sat at his desk, drew Killua calling Gon his light, and then followed this scene with the introduction to a character who picks Killua apart to tell him that "love is something that just happens, don't you think?" is 100% proof that Togashi knows what he's doing.

• Date with Palm (chapters 217 and 218)

I think this situation has many layers, but many people still dismiss it as bro behavior so I'm gonna try my best to counter argue. First of all, and although that's not proof of anything, Killua looks EXTREMELY distressed by the prospect of Gon going on a date with Palm, but that can be counter-argued by saying that Killua is just worried because Palm is completely crazy.

What I want to talk about is the scene that happens right after, when Gon and Killua go to the gym (because theyre DUDES YEAH WE WORK OUT NO HOMO), and the conversation casually drifts to Killua asking Gon if he's ever been on a date before, valid question considering what just happened previously. There are multiple things here :

1) Killua seems distressed that Gon has been on dates before. While it can be argued that it's a normal reaction because Gon has and he hasn't, I believe that Killua - who is in no way a normal person who would get flustered about "not having been on dates before a certain age" - would not feel uncomfortable that his friend is more experienced than him - especially when literal seconds later, he monologues about how he doesn’t care about dates and just wants to stick with Gon.

2) Gon then proceeds to ask Killua if he's ever been on a date, to which Killua responds :

What I want to highlight is the panel where Killua says "And the truth is, I want to stay by your side... Always...". Basically, what Killua is saying, is that he doesn't care about dates, all he wants to do is be with Gon.

I don't think this can be counter-argued as bro behavior, but with all the subtext I've explained before, this right here is pretty gay. Togashi put this panel deliberately to show that Killua doesn't give a crap about dates when he can stay with Gon, and with the "gon you are light" scene and everything in mind, this is another intentional subtext.

There's also the fact that Killua stalks the date like a jealous girlfriend - but I'm not gonna count that as subtext because it can be argued that he's just worried about Gon because Palm is insane.

• Gon is my best friend ! (chapter 219)

Remember how I told you to keep the "It has to be Killua" subtext in mind because I was gonna come back to it later ? Well.

During Palm's date with Gon, Killua runs into Rammot, who would definitely have ran into Palm and nenless Gon. Killua is forced to confront his worst fear : this is the moment where he knows that if he runs away again, Gon WILL die. Killua is literally overcoming his "programming", the physical representation of years of abuse out of love and care for Gon. He's ripping out the needle from his forehead out of pure, genuine care for Gon, because if he doesn't, then he'll lose him forever.

Now, what I actually wanna talk about is this panel :

What we see is Killua thinking happy thoughts about all his adventures with Gon because he can't - won't - doesn't want to run away anymore, and all this for his sake. But what I wanna draw attention to is the dodgeball panel that's bigger than all the others, and the only one where you can actually clearly make out what's written : "Killua ja nakya dame nan da".

Now, isn't that interesting that the panel that takes a bigger place in the whole panel is the one with this particular sentence? Remember what I talked about a bit earlier, about how "~ ja nakya dame nan da" is a sentence with a lot of romantic connotations (would pretty much equal to "you're the one for me" in English). Clearly this particular sentence stuck with Killua.

I'm not completely objective on this matter since I firmly believe that at this point, Killua has romantic feelings for Gon, but I interpret this as another deliberate thing Togashi did : putting the panel bigger so we can see that it has a particularly significant importance to Killua, and Killua's state of mind right now (not wanting to lose Gon).

In my opinion, two things happened here: One, Killua remembers this specific interaction because he knows how much Gon trusts him and he doesn't want to betray his trust. But I also firmly believe that Killua remembered this specific interaction because of the romantic connotation the sentence "Killua ja nakya dame nan da" has. Those words clearly shocked him, and I think he remembers them in this life-threatening situation, after the "gon you are light" scene, Palm talking about "love just happens", the "i want to stay with you, always" because he realizes that he wishes Gon would say that sentence in a romantic context, and not in the context of the dodgeball match, thus leading him to surpass himself to prove his love and perhaps live to see the day where Gon could say those words in that romantic context.

Now, of course, all of this is my interpretation, so it's really up to debate, but I really wanna highlight the fact that Togashi deliberately CHOSE to highlight this particular interaction between Gon and Killua, this sentence with romantic subtext, to lead Killua to finally break his chains and be able to be protect Gon fully. It’s also interesting to note that the 2011 anime adaptation also makes it a point to emphasize how deep these words stuck to Killua by making it the last flashback that makes Killua effectively rip out the needle out of his head.

Also let's quickly mention the irony in the situation here : while Gon is on a romantic date, Killua fights to protect him, overcoming his weakness to prove his love. It’s not Palm who deserves that date, it’s Killua.

• A lovers’ suicide (chapter 286)

Now, onto the most important piece of subtext, that can not be counterargued as platonic in any way, shape or form. During the palace invasion, Killua leaves Gon's side, proceeds to go kick Youpi's butt only to have to fall back because he used up all his electricity nen. When Killua is charging up, he meets with Meleoron, and tells him that once he's done charging, he'll go back to Gon's side.

They briefly exchange information about the battle, and then Meleoron proceeds to ask Killua what's the plan for him and Gon. That's when Killua explains that "Once Gon is like this, he won't budge an inch. Worst case scenario, it'll be a double suicide.". At worst they both die, cool. They “go down in flames together”. It’s actually much, much more meaningful than that.

The specific word that Killua uses for double suicide is "心中" (shinjuu), which is a heavily romantically connotated word in japanese. Shinjuu, also translated as "lovers’ suicide", is when two people die out of love, by the same method, because there's a belief that this'll allow those two people to spend eternity together. Shinjuu is a major theme of Japanese literature, and it is always used romantically. It's a very uncommon word to use to refer to two people dying together, because of its heavy romantic connotation, and because it always refers to double suicide committed by people bound by love. In literature, it always refers to two lovers, in love. If you want to read more on shinjuu, i suggest this and this, those articles explain its historic roots and the definition, also emphasizing the feeling of "oneness" that characterizes shinjuu. If you’re interested, I also suggest reading the japanese article that defines shinjuu, and hitting the google translate button, it has some pretty interesting sentences like “Shinjuu is traditionally committed by men and women out of mutual love, in the hope that they will be connected in the afterlife because they can't be together in this world.”

So basically, what Killua is saying is that he wants to go back to Gon's side to die with him, committing a "lovers’ suicide" because he doesn't want to leave Gon to die alone, and wants to die with him.

I also want to emphasize how special this word is to Killua, and that he and everyone around him know the special meaning of this word - In chapter 300, Ikalgo literally says "We were... No, KILLUA was ready to commit shinjuu with Gon". Ikalgo is really highlighting the fact that this word holds special meaning, especially to Killua, and that it was HIM who was willing to commit shinjuu by staying with Gon. Ikalgo and company dying with Gon wouldn't be shinjuu, but Killua dying with Gon would be, and Togashi emphasizes this through Ikalgo's thoughts.

This is pretty much the gist of it, but I suggest reading the wonderful post I linked in the references below if you want to know more about this specific subtext.

(edit : i actually wrote a post going a bit more into detail on Killua’s shinjuu wish if you want to read it here ! :3)

• “The one that Gon needs the most is you” (chapter 294)

I will go into this subtext more in details when I write the post about parallels in CAA, but I still want to talk about it briefly here.

Like I said before, to me, Palm was introduced as a catalyst for Killua's feelings towards Gon. Togashi purposefully wrote Palm as having romantic feelings for Gon to foil Killua's feelings for Gon and make him show jealousy towards Palm.

To Killua, Palm is someone who stole Gon from him, he sees her as a threat because maybe she'll make Gon happier than he does ? (ofc we all know thats not true but Killua is baby) - Basically, Killua thinks Palm might be more important to Gon than Killua is, because he believes they are romantically involved. That's why when he sees her again later on, after Gon rejected his help, leaving Killua helpess as to how to save his dear friend, Killua sees Palm as a saving grace.

He knows that if Gon sees Palm as a chimera ant, he will spiral down even more, so he tries to reason with her to get her to be gentle to Gon, because if not her, then who could? Palm would clearly be able to comfort Gon, with whom Killua believes is romantically involved with, better than him, right ? If Gon rejected Killua, then clearly Palm could help, since she seems closer to Gon (BECAUSE HE BELIEVES THEYRE DATING), right?

This confrontation between Palm and Killua closely ressembles a situation like an ex confronting a new girlfriend - and I think this is exactly why Togashi wrote Palm this way. He wanted Killua to confront who he thought was a threat to their relationship, making him believe that this person who's """"dating"""” Gon is more important to him than himself, only to have her openly admit that she means nothing to Gon. The only one Gon needs is Killua.

And that, my friends, coming from someone you believe is romantically involved with your best friend (who you probably have a crush on), someone you're jealous of, the one you thought was the person most important to him, that's a pretty meaningful statement.

Basically, what's happening, is that Palm reaffirms that Gon holds Killua closer than a potential romantic partner. And that's why Killua is so, so happy to hear that. He was questioning his entire relationship, questioning if Gon even cared about him, because he rejected him a few minutes before, but then his "rival" comes in and reaffirms that even she knows that no one comes close to Killua to Gon.

I also want to mention that this act of pure love (Killua only thinking of saving Gon when in a life threatening situation) is what made Palm come back to her human senses. d'awwwwww

• Illumi and Hisoka’s parallel on lovers who die of Alluka’s requests. (chapter 323)

Now onto the final significant subtext - while I don't particularly think of it as subtext-y, I know a lot of people have so I still want to include it here.

When Illumi explains Alluka's powers to Hisoka, he explains that there are two different types of linked deaths when a request is failed : 1) the person who failed + the person they love the most 2) the person who failed + the people they spent most of their time with.

When applied to Killua, Hisoka naturally comes to the conclusion that no matter the outcome, Gon would always be the one dying with Killua, because he's spent so much time with him, and because he's the one that Killua loves the most. In the panel where Illumi explains this, we see a romantic, heterosexual couple demonstrating the effects of not completing one of Alluka's requests, and thus the "most important person dying".

While not making any true parallels, the fact that Hisoka, and the readers, are drawn to compare a heterosexual, romantic pairing to Killua dying with Gon because he's his "most important person" is an interesting piece of subtext.

_______

I want to finish by talking about Killua's birthday and how significant it is in my opinion. All the main 4 characters have birthdays that fall on specific dates, related to Japanese tradition, and often with events that can be associated to their character. Gon's is 5/5, which is Children's Day. Kurapika's is 4/4, the number 4 being considered an unlucky number, and this being an unlucky day to have a child. Leorio's is 3/3, Hinamatsuri (not really any main parallels here but still). But Killua's birthday is 7/7, and is the Japanese day to celebrate Tanabata.

If you are not familiar with Tanabata, the story is as follows : Orihime is a princess who works for her father, working hard and well, but she laments the fact that because of her hard work she can't meet someone and fall in love. Her father arranges for her to meet Hikoboshi, allowing Orihime to leave because he expects her to come back to work for him, but the two immediately fall in love and get married, and she never returns. I won't get into the rest of the story as it's this part that interests me the most, but if you want to read more about Killua and Tanabata I suggest reading the post I referenced below.

Does the story of Orihime remind you of anyone ? Killua also works for his father, but laments the fact that he can't go outside and meet someone. His father then lets him go, saying, and i quote: "he will come back, because he's my son". Doesn't this remind you of the tale of Tanabata ? Killua's story references the tale of Orihime perfectly, and I believe this is intentional : Killua's birthday isn't of any importance to the plot, so why make it Tanabata, a day that celebrates a love story that closely ressembles Killua's story ? The answer is simple : subtext.

With all this in mind, I think it's pretty clear that Togashi is writing intentional subtext to hint at Killua's feelings being romantic in nature. Togashi is a master writer, he has years of experience, and I strongly believe he knows what he's doing and not planting unintentional subtext. He's a very smart man, and knows how all of this can be interpreted.

I will finish by saying that Togashi is NOT an author that would deliberately queerbait his readers. So many people dismiss the possibility of having gay subtext leading onto an actual canon gay relationship because "it's not like the author would ever have gay main characters". While this holds true for a lot of manga authors, especially shonen manga authors, it does NOT apply to Togashi.

Togashi has always displayed interest in queer subjects and queer representation, putting trans characters in all of his major works (Miyuki in YYH, Mikihisa in Level E and Alluka in HxH). There were also canonically gay characters in his previous works : Itsuki in YYH, and a character named Kuramoto in Level E.

Togashi also always had interest in mangas having BL elements, citing Maya Mineo's "Patalliro!" as a manga he was attracted to during High School. If you're unfamiliar with Patalliro, the story focuses on the main character's love life as a gay man. He also admitted to basing Hiei's (YYH) design off a character from that manga.

Last but not least, Togashi mentioned in a note included in volume 1 of YYH that he wanted to write a sports manga, called The Trouble Quartet, where basically all the characters are gay. Togashi said he based it off his own interests as a writer, and that while it was refused by Shonen Jump, he got deeply attached to the project and that he would love to explore this project in a different shape once he made a name for himself. I suggest reading this post because the parallels between The Trouble Quartet and HxH are HILARIOUSLY accurate.

In short, Togashi has always had interest in queer matters, and was always interested in putting queer representation in his work. After YYH, which was a terrible experience for Togashi as a writer, he managed to snatch a contract that basically allows him to do whatever he wants with HxH. Having always held dear BL matters but never being able to explore it to his full intent, I believe Togashi is exploring queer identity further with HxH, because Shonen Jump basically lets him do anything.

To conclude, with Togashi's past experience and skill, his interest in queer representation, and the amount of subtext surrounding Killua, I honestly believe that Togashi is trying to explore further queer representation, and I wouldn't be surprised if HxH ends with Gon and Killua becoming a canon pairing, whether it be delivered in an ambiguous manner or not.

Edit : I actually wrote a post on why I believe it won’t be ambiguous, and that it’s truly never been ambiguous, just developing : here.

I hope you enjoyed the read, thank you for reading all of this, and feel free to show this to anyone who denies subtext in HxH !

REFERENCES

- "It has to be Killua" - Medium article, "Impossibilities in Translating Queerness : The Dodgeball Dilemma"

- Palm's Date Scene - Reddit post, "Togashi's love of Ambiguity: Chapters 217 and 218"

-A thematic analysis of Palm’s character : ”The Issue With Palm”

- Shinjuu - Tumblr post by hunterxhell, "A lovers' suicide, I guess." : + the post that mentions Ikalgo talking about shinjuu

- An analysis on different subtext-y situations

- Illumi and Hisoka’s parallel : here and here

- Killua’s birthday : "Killua, July 7th, and the significance of his birthdate”

- Togashi's interview mentioning Mineo's Patalliro

#hxh #hxh meta #hunter x hunter #killugon #meta #my posts #my meta

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entamesubs · 3 years ago

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Yu-Gi-Oh! SEVENS Blu-Ray: Episode 6

Google Drive ONLY (for now)

Support us on ko-fi

Blu-Ray episodes will come out... when they come out.

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Please use either MPV or MPC-HC to view the Blu-Ray episodes. I do NOT recommend using VLC.

Please check the post for episodes 1&2 to see why.

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!! This is NOT a final release !!

Nor are any of the files on Google Drive. They will be polished and edited one more time before being put up on Nyaa. Stuff I decide on changing halfway through these episodes will eventually be changed for Nyaa release.

Until that happens, the Google Drive folder is more like a “final draft” than a finished product. I will not be going back to change font, styling, or certain wording until I’m done with all the other episodes first.

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Extended Translation Notes

So, at this point, we have left the RoadRush sub era and come into tempsubs. I feel a little bad trying to do comparisons with tempsubs because they have clearly stated before that their subs were double-translated from Indonesian, so the “mistakes” made here aren’t necessarily mistakes, just quirks of having been translated through two different filters first (Japanese -> Indonesian -> English).

Most of the translation notes from now on will be much more like the regular notes you’d see on a weekly release. Unless something extremely weird comes up that needs to be clarified.

Under Siege: Luke Territory & The Lukeminator

During this section of the episode, Luke is just making references to old 80s-90s movies that were popular in Japan, like Under Siege: Dark Territory and The Terminator, of course.

Menzaburo’s way of speaking

You may have noticed his speech has been a lot more spiced up than it was previously.

This was a decision made after a lot of deliberation with others who also spoke and translated Japanese, some of whom are industry professionals. Menzaburo uses two things that warrant such a drastic translation / “localization”.

The speech tick でござる (de gozaru) and the pronoun 拙者 (sessha).

Both of these are meant to evoke an almost Shakespearian-era of speaking, but in Japanese (think moreso of feudal Japan). We could have kept his dialogue in plain English just for convenience’s sake, but Menzaburo’s style of speaking was done intentionally in Japanese and I wanted to mirror the feel they were going for with him.

He is dressed like a ninja and has a very old fashioned way of speech. He’s meant to feel like someone from a period drama, like a kid who’s watched too many hours of History Channel. You know, that kind of image.

For comparison, with the new PV drop for Go Rush, we know that Yuudias uses the speech tick である (de aru) and the pronoun 某 (soregashi), which are actually a little bit like “evolutions” of what Menzaburo used. This is also a weird way of speaking, but not so much as Menzaburo’s. Yuudias moreso comes off as someone who is extremely formal and like an old samurai.

And fun fact! Samurai existed up until the end of the 1800s! That’s around the time of the Civil War for Americans and the Victorian Era for those across the pond. They are a much more recent phenomenon than ninjas, who were active mainly around the Warring States (Sengoku) period of Japan (1500s).

Anyway, all this to say that we made the change so that Menzaburo was a lot more accurate to his portrayal in Japanese and would come across as someone extremely old-fashioned like he did in the original.

That said, Elizabethan English is not my strong suit, as really English isn’t even my native language at all. Please let me know if some parts sound weird.

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For people interested in the raw BDMV vs encoded final video comparisons, click here. (Click the image in the center to swap between “raw BD” and “encoded”).

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Credits

Translation, timing: entame Proofreading: angelthinktank (Yona) Encoding: PelvisBass

#yugioh #yugioh sevens spoilers #yugioh sevens #ygo sevens #entamesubs release #E006 #BD release

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courage-a-word-of-justice · 4 years ago

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HGPC 17 - 21 | Koi to Producer 2 - 6 | Appare 5 - 8 | Fugou Keiji 4 - 6

...only just realised I was missing some tags. They should be there now or soon.

HGPC 17

Why do I get the feeling the Sawaizumi family will be held hostage one day…? (Maybe I’m just being negative?)

The episode title mentions Chiyu by name, so I wonder why the translation didn’t…

Customer service! You can’t get away from it, even in COVID times…! (Impressive!)

Hmm…you can actually read part of the booking for the Smiths in the book if you know the kanji.

I thought the Smiths would speak in English, but they actually speak in fluent Japanese if the word “susume” was any indication.

Ah, Sukoyaka sweet buns! (from the other episode about the festival)

HGPC 18

Don’t burn down your house with scented candles, kids!

Also remember to use your knees when lifting heavy boxes! (<- says a charity store volunteer, who does this stuff on the regular)

These days the mascots usually have a human form. I wonder if this is implying that particular direction…? (I woke up today and was craving a certain oneshot I’d read during my scanlation days…if it is, it would fill that niche nicely.)

I wonder if the kids will recognise this Ashita no Joe parody…?

HGPC 19

“…since you were young?”

Oh! Element of Wind again!

Koi to Producer 2

This almost feels like Victor is assigning a school project to Protag-chan…it’s a bit sad, really.

It’s nice they let Protag-chan have a personality.

It’s fine if you can’t read the katakana, but Gavin’s name is Haku in Japanese, so it throws out the immersion somewhat…also, I know I shouldn’t be complaining – I’m the target audience here – but do these guys look kinda similar or what…? (partially kidding)

High school sweethearts, huh? “Childhood friends” is my favourite angle of a romantic relationship, but it gets so overused by harems it comes around to being boring…!

I-Is this Stand My Heroes…?! (LOL…?)

Can we not with 1st person cam…?

As cute and dorky as this stuff gets…how does Gavin never get found?! Does nobody ever look up in this city?!? (I thought Evolvers were meant to be a secret…?)

GPS tracker? That’s no better than large corporations using your location data…Isn’t that creepy…?

Hold on, when did she get his phone number? You would assume it was before this entire chase after the boy happened, but still…?

LOL, the English on the board.

This anime is gonna cause me some frustration, but it gives the good stuff in roughly equal measure. It seems to omit the fact you interact via phone with your bois for intimacy (in the game).

Koi to Producer 3

LOL, that’s so clearly Gavin…

By googling, you find out Uptown and Queens are in New York.

Ohmygosh! Did the creators know I love the trope where only people with superpowers can move in certain circumstances?!

Uh…his name is Kira in Japanese? Did someone read the katakana wrong?

Pictured: Depressed bishonen eating bad pudding. (…That joke sounds better in my head. I forgot what meme I was meant to be parodying there, but I had a meme in mind.)

Lemme guess…this man (I dunno if it’s one of the previous bishies with an identical face or a new one) is looking for MC-chan. *sigh* Update: Yep, just Victor again. To be honest, I don’t like anyone who calls harsh words “their sign of love” – love should be honest and upfront. That’s how it becomes heartmelting.

Koi to Producer 4

Okay, in order, it seems to be hexadecimals, Javascript (you can tell from the “const”), some kind of profiles which are apparently for human lab rats (which seem to have some kind of nonsense filler text), a DNA model and DNA bases (ACGT).

The text on the screen says something along the lines of this being an official broadcast of this man’s arrest and this man was a genetic researcher. Obviously, if I wanted to put more attention into what it meant, I would, but I won’t sweat the details this time (because it doesn’t seem to impact the plot).

The guy’s name is Minor because minor key (geddit?)…that’s my guess.

I started playing the game due to this anime, if you didn’t know, and I unlocked an expert in ch. 2. I thought he was Minor, but turns out his name is Spine (an older man).

The diary, true to form, contains details about either one case or several cases, two involving children. The bottom of the 1st page says “if it’s fake, I’ll laugh”.

Hey, I once told Crunchyroll I wanted an anime about hacking (so is this a dream come true? I reveal all in the next sentence!). Hackers don’t congregate like this…they’d be too conspicuous, even with the secret hideout!

The code in the top left appears to be…C? I think? (Note they declare “unsigned int”.)

Kiro sometimes reminds me of Masayoshi (SamFlam)…it puts a derpy smile on my face.

*blah blah blah I’m Key* - Wuh…? F*** you, Kiro!!! (There is such a thing as piling too much cool stuff on to a character, y’know – I’m guilty of it in my own writing.)

3684 isn’t a very safe password (says someone who once aspired to be in cybersecurity).

What bugs me is that Simon is a perfectly fine name…it’s just a bit boring. Kiro/Kira I get (a bit), but Lucien/Simon…? *shrugs*

Ohh! Based MAPPA! Thank you for making this adaption look great!

Koi to Producer 5

Oh, I got an SR in the game recently and it has a line like, “Only a fool stays up all night to do others’ work. Victor talks like that a lot…

The sign so obviously says “Renka”, meaning “love flower”. “Loveland” really is a step down from that…

Where’s Gavin’s guest badge…?

“Happiness Noodle Store”…?

“…the end of our first year…”

If this weren’t a Chinese work by origin (or Japanese work by translation), I’m sure Protag-chan would have gone after Gavin, despite being told the contrary.

Kanya = Minor. I’ll take a note of that.

One of the books behind Minor says “Gale Start”…hmm…

That GPS tracker is still unintentionally creepy, IMHO.

Koi to Producer 6

…oh. (dejected) Probably a beach episode or something.

What the actual heck was going on with Lucien…? It’s like he was having a tiny stroke there…

Lucien’s power is listed as “???” in the game. I thought he was an aura-reader when he said “show me your colour”, but that shield thing he did means he might just have various psychic powers…? *shrugs* We’ll find out eventually.

Running in heels is hard…

LOL, that’s so clearly recreating a CG from one of the cards.

This is the 2nd time this has gone pseudo-isekai. As much as I like to joke about it…I fully expect someone to be sent to another world at this point.

I couldn’t possibly see Victor on any kind of game show, come to think of it.

Appare 5

This guy’s middle name is “Rich”! That’s silly!

A boombox from the 19th century…makes sense, somehow.

I only just (?) realised Al has a tiny tie on his usual outfit.

Back to the beginning already…just start!

Appare 6

…I just realised Appare mouths “I got it!” in the OP.

Al Lion (sic…?)

Isn’t Sofia in that train…? Update: She might have been, she might not. Hard to tell when they don’t confirm.

This series seriously could’ve done with a dub…Even with weird hokey Hetalia accents, it would be good stuff.

These bunches of people at designated points…reminds me of the book I was reading while in Japan. The Long Walk by Stephen King (part of a compilation). It still gives me shivers down my spine when I remember it.

This “leave in the middle of the night” thing reminds me of the Amazing Race.

“Valley of Despair” is made-up, but Death Valley exists. It’s one of the hottest places on earth, hence the name.

LOL, Kosame scores himself one (1) prarie dog and two (2) Hototos.

I thought Appare was being inconsiderate at first…but he’s being considerate, in his own way.

Oh! I didn’t realise, but Saito Soma is Al.

Appare 7

“It’s not one plus one, but one times one!” – LOL.

Hybrid engine? In the 1900s? Hmm…

LOL, I think Al just did a hadouken.

This stuff’s like an animated Galaxy Brain meme! It’s amazing!

I managed to successfully predict – without watching ahead – Appare would catch himself with his traps.

Kosame with his hair down…is rare. Not exactly attractive because we have to care about the racers rather than lust after them (and the artstyle actually prevents me from doing so, because it’s deliberately quite cartoony), but it’s rare.

Appare is surprisingly childish…that’s what makes him more than a Sheldon Cooper, I think.

The spelling of the place is actually “Ely”, if Google-sensei is any indication. C’mon, subbers! You’re American (most likely)! Can’t you put in the legwork (or the Google-fu) to discover what place in Nevada this is?!

Subbers make characters say “shit” a lot in this show, hmm? (contemplative)

Now this evil guy here *points to screen*…that’s hair I like.

Appare 8

I just love this OP…don’t you?

I like how the steam/gas boat/car has Chinese numerals on its dial.

Kosame means “small rain”, so “heavy rain” is obviously to contrast that.

The Hototo joke never gets old.

I thought I just saw someone leave the saloon…

Nice hair + terrible face = bad equation.

I can almost imagine the wee-oo-wee-oo-ooooooo…wah-wah-wahhh…(You know the one sound snippet, right? The one theme from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly - or whatever movie it is – that maybe involves a tumbleweed rolling across the screen, and then a huge shootout? If you don’t know it, play a sample on this Wikipedia page!) playing in the background.

It’s convenient the prarie dog didn’t appear when Hototo (old) had his revenge spree.

I noticed there’s a bit of a mark under Kosame’s left eye…it suggests that he’s been crying (or maybe it shows tiredness from the race…?), but it’s not that noticeable.

So that’s the real Gil…and tose were his henchmen that threatened to hang everyone bar Kosame. Got it.

(notes to self) So, for charting a course with Appare Ranman!, it’s Los Angeles -> Death Valley -> Ely -> Denver -> ??? -> New York. Got it.

Fugou Keiji 4

“Daisuke-sama” isn’t “Lord Daisuke”, it would be “Sir Daisuke”, I think…but “lord” has a proper translation in Japanese.

The truck has a Shinagawa licence plate. Anime really does like Shinagawa, huh? (Based on ID: INVADED and this.)

I think it’ll be interesting to see Kambe handle this without HEUSC.

The board for Sanchome (which is equivalent to a suburb…or a county, I guess?) has posters saying stuff like “take your dog poop home” and “let’s protect the environment!” (technically, it says “let’s protect the region/area!”, but that doesn’t translate right. There’s even a flea market. Still, those posters don’t have any big hints…not that I know of so far.

I kind of forgot that dude was the gardener for Kambe’s house…er, mansion.

I noticed a poster in the kouban says haru (spring) on it. That’s probably the same one that Haru’s name is signified by, assuming that’s not in combo with another character or few.

Oh great…the sister is an overbearing one.

Ahh…he doesn’t like natto. So that’s the problem. Daisuke is childish (like Appare)…Note I don’t like natto either, but I wouldn’t run away from home (or similar) because I was fed natto.

I noticed Kambe uses shinseki (which doesn’t refer to close family). “Relative” is a correct translation of that word, I just wanted to check that word was the right one for the context.

There’s a green tea bottle by the sink…I don’t think I’d mistake that shade of green for anything else.

LOL, I didn’t think we’d actually get to see Kambe with his hair “down”, so to speak. It’s…an interesting look, for sure.

Oh my gosh! It cost him (Haru) $15!!! (LOL, cheapskate…says the cheapskate…*suddenly droops and stops laughing*) Update: Sorry about the sudden downer there. I was having what the kids these days call a “woke moment”…at least, I think that’s how they use that term.

…I’d watch that crime drama. It’s funny.

Just realised Kato has an older model of phone than Kambe does.

This episode was kinda like a Tokyo Sonata kind of thing, huh? The sensational in the middle of the not-so-sensational…”sensational” for this show, anyway.

Those kids look like the ones from Erased.

*lightbulb goes off in brain* What if the dog went to Kambe’s…?

Can Suzue actually hear HEUSC while Kambe is using it…? $2.46 though…that is cheap, in comparison to the ham.

This was the cheapest episode so far (about $550)…probably because it was an insight into Kato’s life, more than Kambe’s.

Fugou Keiji 5

The flag seems to be based on Cameroon’s (which is in Africa, not America) and the “Arita Kinen” seems to refer to Arima Kinen, meaning this episode is set around Christmas-ish. Credit goes to Kambe Zaibatsu on this show.

I-It’s a Humvee!

Polyadoll (sic)…?

The Poliador guy speaks perfect Japanese…(?)

The star! It’s a key thingy!

I thought Kamei was the 1st Division dude with the reddish hair. Turns out it was the blonde…? Update: Redhead is Hoshino.

Ummmmmm…he was reading porn…? Uhhhhhhhhhhhhh…okayyyyyyyyyyyyy…

…oh, the costs for Kambe’s tuxedo are on there. So’s the cost for repairing the bike Suzue rode.

Fugou Keiji 6

I never knew there were so many money proverbs to be used as episode titles…

What is Kambe doing with his hands…? He’s not even using the computer.

Imura seems to use a Windows 10 with Cortana on the taskbar.

HGPC 20

What’s with all the Naruto running this episode…?

HGPC 21

(no notes, sorry!)

#simulcast commentary #healin' good precure #fugou keiji: balance unlimited #millionaire detective #Koi to Producer: EVOL x LOVE #mr love queen's choice #Appare Ranman!#Chesarka watches AR #Chesarka watches HGPC #Chesarka watches Koi to Producer #Chesarka watches Fugou Keiji

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delvalentine · 5 years ago

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🌟 2!

hmm it’s not one of my most popular pieces but i’ll talk about pieces next !

ba dum tss

i begun writing this in the high school library in my twelfth year i believe—we were reading the wars by findley (so canadian i know lol). it featured this non-linear type of story telling which gave us interview snippets about the main character’s life after he had passed. mixed media and non-linear storytelling blew. my. mind. to have a corner of the photograph and have to conjure the whole... i used the example of driving by a car crash. you see this wreckage for a split second before it’s in the rearview. you know something bad happened, but you don’t know the people like the people in the cars know it, and you don’t know how it happened... but something bad happened there.

my notes for this looked insane. so many motifs to keep track of. 3s, gold... if reading it was confusing, think about writing it, bro. ah, here’s a screencap:

a neat little side note is that kuroo picked up chie’s “pink sparkly pencil”. you can find it in his backpack and she kept mentioning how she couldn’t find it. just those little details, y’know? and speaking of, the songs were really only chosen bcs i liked them at the time haha. had to really stretch it to make it work.

i also spent ages trying to google translate a japanese university admission notice so that it’d be authentic that kuroo had gotten into a tokyo/japanese speaking university...... i speak and read no japanese and elementary chinese hanzi. that shit was hard. apologies if there were hiccups to any of my japanese readers. the english one R got was based off of my own lol. (go cougars!)

everybody’s dying to know what really happened. i think several years is enough for everybody to deliberate their own subjective answers, haha. the beauty of these kinds of open-ended endings is that there is no legitimate ending. it’s a multiverse! the point of it is that you’re the observer and you’ll never know the truth, no matter how much you dig, if you weren’t a part of it.

buttttt y’all were dying to know. as a refresher there were 4 routes of truth:

- kuroo could have cheated on R with yaeko jizaema (her first appearance in my fics!)

- R could have cheated on kuroo with kenma

- both could have cheated

- neither could have

2 years later i’ll tell you that nobody cheated. it was all a harmony of misunderstandings. shit tears you up if you don’t communicate. a relationship that can’t last through those hardships isn’t meant to... though i do feel bad that they’re all hurt. lesson learnt: talk about the hard stuff.

#chye time #asks #pieces.#chye chats

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douchebagbrainwaves · 3 years ago

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I'VE BEEN PONDERING PG

It's very common for startups to present to them. Do people live downtown, or have some sort of exit. There is less stress in total, but more as an exploration of gender and sexuality in an urban context, etc.1 I think the goal of this rule; if you can't explain your plans concisely, you don't worry that it might come out badly, or upset delicate social balances, or that can incorporate live data feeds, or that you won't be demoralized if they seem pointless.2 One YC founder told me that it wasn't worth investing in. The patent pledge doesn't fix every problem with patents.3 I can tell from the case. This site isn't lame. They wouldn't all grow as big. It will be easier in proportion to an estimate of your company's value that you'd both agreed upon.

Then you could, I don't care what he says, I'm going to name them: type A fundraising is when you can do, you don't see the opportunities all around us is that we get on average only about 5-7% of a much larger number.4 In most fields the great work is: very exacting taste, plus the ability to direct the course of adding some feature they were asking for.5 Most hackers are employees, and this trick merely forces you to clean up your apartment, writing something that you'll be able to say whether he should be classified as a friend or angel.6 Don't say anything unless you're fairly sure what you want to reach; from paragraph to paragraph I let the ideas take their course. Sometimes a competitor will deliberately threaten you with a business background, and he will automatically get paid proportionally more. Not all of them had never seen the Web before we came to tell them to stop.7 If you're free of a misconception that everyone else is crazy. Most startups that raise money and the kind of alarms you'd set off if you operate like Columbus and just head in a general westerly direction.

As we were in the old sense of managing the round. Technology is a lever. Modern literature is important, but I suspect that most of them a part time job. In the Bay Area would be the answer. But let someone else start those startups. They're not necessarily trying to mislead you. Like a lot of people will make them.

But if you make something they like. 05 PM subject: Re: Revenge of the Nerds on the LL1 mailing list.8 American universities currently seem to be a media company to throw Microsoft off their scent. Java white paper, Gosling explicitly says Java was designed to be a missile aimed right at what makes America successful.9 Different users have different requirements, but I don't think that's the right way to do it. But this is merely an artifact of the rule of law.10 All you'll learn is the words kids are allowed to use. That's the way to the close.11 It did serve some purposes: reading a talk out loud can expose awkward parts. What investors still don't get is what insanely great translates to in a larval startup.

When I talk about humans being meant or designed to live a certain way out of habit or politeness. Hackers & Painters that hadn't been online. Incidentally, the switch in the 1920s to financing growth with retained earnings till the 1920s.12 And the programmers liked it because they don't like to have it. What counts as property depends on what works to treat as property. But this is wrong. What's a prostitute?13 Everyone by now presumably knows about the danger of premature optimization. Essentially, they lead you on. That will change the way they treat the music they sell through iTunes.14

So tablet makers should be thinking: what else can we give developers access to? White said, good writing is rewriting, wrote E. Almost four decades later, fragmentation is still increasing. The more people you have to do it than literally making a mark on the world. Investors looked at Yahoo's earnings and said to one of the principles they teach you is to align the car not by lining up the hood with the stripes painted on the road, but by trying to use mass lawsuits against randomly chosen people as a form of evolutionary pressure. People think that what you want. In principle anyone there ought to have multiple founders who were already friends before they decided to build recipe sites, or aggregators for local events.

Better Bayesian Filtering. They may play some behind the scenes as adults spin the world for a while, can make visual perception flow in through his eye and out through his hand as automatically as someone tapping his foot to a beat. If you looked in people's heads. They are all fundamentally subversive for this reason. I sat down and calculated what I thought was hard, the groups all turned out ok. Election forecasters are proud when they can get it, at this stage.15 The danger of symmetry, and repetition especially, is where the richest buyers are, but figure out precisely where you lose them. If they didn't know what language our software was so complex. 2:21 AM subject: Re: meet the airbeds PG, Thanks for the lead Fred to: Fred Wilson date: Mon, Feb 9,2009 at 11:42 AM subject: Re: airbnb There's a lot to start a startup. And yet they can hold their own with any work of art ever made.

Leonardo?16 It is, as far as possible prevent them from having fun. Doesn't that show people will pay most for?17 After thinking about it than most, but almost everywhere the trend is in that direction. Till then they had to ask permission to release software: the last thing you changed. But fortunately in the US are more conservative than Boston ones.18 People are all you need is to be battered by circumstances—to let the days rush by. But that's something you can fix later, but you can't evade the fundamental conservation law. And yet Apple's overall market share is still small. Though the Web has been around for a millennium is finished just because of its prestige, but because they were ambivalent about threatening their cash cow, mainframe computing. I mean efforts to protect against cosmic rays.19

Notes

Even as late as 1984. Incidentally, Google may appear to be at a large company? Plus one can have escaped alive, or to be good?

To do this all the poorer countries. Ed. But it was the least correlation between the Daddy Model may be a sufficient condition.

And in World War II to the rise of big companies can afford that. And while this is to try to be a win to include in your classes as a result a lot more frightening in those days, but I call it procrastination when someone gets drunk instead of happy. I'm talking mainly about software startups are now the first digital computer game, you can probably write a subroutine to do would be better at opening it than people who might be a good problem to fit your solution. Look at those goddamn fleas, jabbering about some disease they'll see once in China, during the war on drugs show, bans often do better, and instead of the world of the most famous example.

Plus one can ever say it again. When I catch egregiously linkjacked posts I replace the actual amount of damage to the founders' advantage if it was 94% 33 of 35 companies that can't reasonably expect to make a fortune in the case, not because Delicious users are stupid.

But you're not allowed to discriminate on any basis you want to get going, and oversupply of educated ones come up with elaborate rationalizations. I also skipped San Jose is a meaningful idea for human audiences. Though in fact had its own mind about whether a suit would violate the patent pledge, it's not enough to defend their interests in political and legal disputes.

What Is an Asset Price Bubble? This doesn't mean easy, of the river among the bear gardens and whorehouses. They act as if you'd just thought of them could as accurately be called acting Japanese. Many more than 20 years.

It's hard for us!

2%. If a prestigious VC makes a small proportion of the things you're taught.

Doing things that don't scale.

Now the misunderstood artist is not limited to startups. There's not much use, because few founders are willing to provide when it's done as conspicuously as this place was a false positive rate is 10%, moving to Monaco would only give you more than the previous round. Cascading menus would also be good startup founders tend to get going, e.

Emmett Shear writes: True, Gore won the popular vote he would presumably have got more of the flock, or at least, the government and construction companies. People only tend to damp this effect, at least guesses by pros about where that money comes from ads on other investors doing so because otherwise competitors would take forever in the case of heirs, professors, politicians, and everyone's used to place orders.

His critical invention was a kid that you'd want to sell them technology. I'm not dissing these people make the people working for startups, because it aggregates data from so many trade publications nominally have a lot of reasons American car companies have little to bring corporate bonds to market faster; the point where things start with consumer electronics and to run on the firm's site, they're nice to you. Not only do they decide on the young Henry VIII and was troubled by debts all his life. Distribution of potentially good startups, who've already made the decision.

Maybe that isn't really working bad unit economics, typically and then scale it up because they couldn't afford it. An investor who's seriously interested will already be working to help a society generally is to let yourself feel it mid-sentence, but you get an intro to a clueless audience like that.

But it is dishonest of the country turned its back on industrialization at the start, e.

The need has to be employees, or editions with the buyer's picture on the back of Yahoo, we actively sought out people who'd failed out of the things attributed to Confucius and Socrates resemble their actual opinions. The speed at which point it suddenly stops. And when a startup to engage with slow-moving organizations is to write every component yourself, but also very informative essay about why something isn't the last step in this essay I'm talking here about everyday tagging. If not, greater accessibility.

In 1525 he was made a bet: if you hadn't written it? I saw this I used thresholds of.

Especially if they were to work your way up. I managed to find a broad range of topics, comparable in scope to our scholarship though without the spur of poverty are only locally accurate, because those are probably the last step in this respect.

So how do you use that instead of Windows NT? How did individuals accumulate large fortunes in an absolute sense, if you make something hackers use. On the face of it.

But it's telling that it would be to say that it had no idea what's happening as merely not-doing-work. But they've been trained. So far, I preferred to call them whitelists because it depends on a weekend and sit alone and think.

#automatically generated text #Markov chains #Paul Graham #Python #Patrick Mooney #people #sup #editions #airbnb #back #trick #work #stress

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hikariobsessions · 7 years ago

Text

Kenshin Uesugi - Hug Me Tight, Sweetheart Winter Story (Japanese Story Translation) <3

DISCLAIMER:

- As with most translations that I do, I take the liberty to rephrase sentences/add in words/use synonyms to try and communicate the same meaning behind each sentence and dialogue between the characters.

- These are more direct translations from the Japanese App, compared to what we see in the English App’s “Hug me tight, sweetheart” Event.

- I put in the actual Japanese writing in case people were wanting to check the validity of these translations themselves (if you do check, please use more than just Google Translate, otherwise I won’t be impressed).

- My own impressions of the story, without a doubt, influenced my translations and I was trying my best to get that “feeling” across without completely reinterpreting the material.

- Critical Feedback is always welcome; hateful feedback or just plain toxic comments will be ignored and I, most certainly, will block you without a second thought.

- All characters and original writing belong to Cybird. This is non-paid content but will be taken down if so requested. DO NOT take/repost/use this translation under any circumstances. Reblogging or linking is fine.

Hopefully, we can move on from all the drama and keep on loving these characters for who they are~ Thanks for taking the time to read this post and I hope you enjoy the story as it is translated below!

(Translation by @hikariobsessions )

二人の恋心『特別ストーリー』(A couple’s love [Special Story]) ***English counterpart “Hug me tight, sweetheart” Event***

上杉謙信 - 二人の恋心を温めて Uesugi Kenshin – Warm up your love together

~Story Begins~

雪が降りる冬の夜。It was a cold winter’s night. Snow was descending heavily outside.

MC:（とんでもないことになっちゃった……！） (This is bad……!)

私は謙信様にさらわれ、春日山城の部屋まで連れ込まれていた。Here I was in Kasugayama Castle, after having been unceremoniously carried off by Kenshin himself and brought into his room.

Kenshin:「そんな隅におらず火鉢のそばへ来い」 [Stop dawdling by the corner, and come closer to the brazier]

MC:「ええっと、それは…」 [Er, about that…]

Kenshin:「お前が『寒くて敵わない』と言うから、寒さをしのげる場所へ連れて来てやったのだろう」 [It was you who was saying how “unbearably cold” it was; and so, I brought you to a place where you can be protected from it.]

MC:（だからって、自分の城の部屋まで連れて来なくても……！）(Even so, you really didn’t need to bring me all the way to your palace chambers….!)

下手に身動きも取れず、部屋の入口で謙信様の様子をうかがう。Standing awkwardly near the entrance of the room, I snuck a glance towards Kenshin.

Kenshin:「何か文句でもあるのか」 [Do you have a problem?]

MC:「文句というか、疑問だらけというか……。とにかく、私はここで十分ですから…」[Whether it’s a problem I have or just doubts, probably isn’t the point…. In any case, I’m fine standing right here…]

とは言ったものの― Even as I say it though—

MC:（火鉢が遠いと、部屋の中にいても全然温まらない……）(The brazier is way too far at the back of the room. Even if I enter, I probably won’t feel its warmth….)

身を寄せる柱すら氷のように冷たくて、身体が小刻みに震えてしまう。My body leaned against the doorframe. It was cold to the touch and I shivered.

Kenshin:「やはり震えているな。―面倒な女」 [Look at you, your trembling. –What a troublesome woman.]

ため息をつき、謙信様が私のそばへと歩み寄る。Sighing, Kenshin walked towards me.

Kenshin:「俺が温めてやる。来い」 [I’ll warm you up. Follow me.]

MC:（え…） (Eh…)

低く透き通った声が耳元で響く。He said it in a low but clear voice, that resounded in my ears.

妖しく光る眼差しにとらわれ、体中が凍り付いたように動かない。Caught by his striking gaze, my body seemed to freeze on the spot.

MC:「あたためるって、いったい、どうやって……っ」[Warm me up? How exactly…?]

Kenshin:「それは…」[That’s, well…]

謙信様はおもむろに足を進めると、外につながる部屋の襖を開け放った。Kenshin strode deliberately towards a door leading to the outside and slid it open.

Kenshin:「……集合だ、お前達」 [……Assemble, you lot]

MC:（え？）(What?)

謙信が呼びかけた途端、真っ白なウサギ達がたくさん部屋のなかへ跳ねてきた。As soon as Kenshin’s voice called out; one by one, snow-white rabbits began hopping into the room.

MC:「っ、ウサギ…！？なんでっ？」 [Ra-Rabbits!? Wait, why?]

Kenshin:「こや��らがおれば火鉢など必要ない」[Now that we have them, there’s no need for the brazier]

MC:（この子たち、謙信様のペット…？いったい何羽いるの！？） (Are these his pets…? Just how many are there!?)

Kenshin:「お前達、この者を温めてやれ」 (You lot, warm this person up)

MC:「え？あ、ちょ……わっ！わぁ……」[What? Ah, wai…. Waa! Woah…]

私は驚く間もなくたくさんのウサギに埋もれ呆然と謙信様のを見上げた。Without a moment’s notice, the army of rabbits obediently surrounded me. I looked up at Kenshin in awe, from where I sat in the middle of the bunny pile.

MC:「謙信の命令が、わかるんですね、この子たち……。飼ってるんですか？」 [They…sure know how to follow your orders…… Are you keeping them as pets?]

Kenshin:「そうではない。勝手に棲みついたのだ。」 [Not at all. They decided to live here on their own accord.]

Kenshin:「気付けば、俺のあとをついて回るようになっていた」 [Before I knew it, they multiplied and began following me everywhere.]

MC:「そ、そうなんですか……」 [I- I see….]

MC:（ウサギ対してカリスマ性を発揮するなんて…） (To think that even against bunnies, his charisma would work its charm….)

驚きとウサギのおかげで、寒さがだんだん和らいでいく。Thanks to the bunnies and my surprise, the cold I felt was beginning to subside.

MC:（もこもこして、気持ちいい………。しかも、本当にあったかい） (They’re so fluffy, it feels so nice……. And it’s really warm)

寒さが遠のいた時、一羽の子ウサギがぴくりと耳をそばだてて、謙信様の元へ跳ねていった。As the cold began to recede, one of the baby rabbits’ ears perked up, and it hopped over to where Kenshin was standing.

Kenshin:「俺はいいから、あの者を温めよ」 [I’m fine, so just go and warm up that woman.]

けれど、子ウサギは謙信様の足元にくっついて離れようとしない。The bunny, however, refused to move from where it sat, cuddling next to Kenshin’s feet.

それにつられてか、他のうさぎたちも次々に謙信様の元へ跳ねていく。As if on cue, more bunnies began to hop over to join in on the action.

MC:（ふふ、謙信さまのこと、大好きなんだな） (Aww, they really love him)

MC:「その子たちは、謙信様のそばにいたいみたいですね」 [I think they want to be with you]

Kenshin:「…物好きなやつらだ」 […They’re a whimsy bunch.]

MC:「ウサギたちはとても幸せそうですね」 [They look really happy though]

（なんだかちょっと可愛いな……）(This is quite cute, actually….)

微笑ましげ光景に自然と笑みがこぼれていく。A smile gradually escaped my lips, as I watched the pleasant scene unfold.

すると、謙信様がこちらに目を向けた。It was then that Kenshin redirected his eyes towards me.

Kenshin:「お前は、もう良いのか？」[Are you okay now?]

MC:「はい、私はもう十分です」[Yes, I’m feeling fine now.]

MC:（まだ少し寒いけど、温めてもらったし…） (Although I am still feeling a little bit cold, he did help me warm up. I owe him that much….)

そう思うものの、だんだん寒気が戻ってくる。But, even as the thought crossed my mind, I could feel the soft chill sneaking its way back.

Kenshin:「強がらなくていい、来い」 [There’s no need to act strong. Come here.]

MC:「え…？」 [What…?]

謙信様は私すぐ後ろに座ると、背中からぎゅっと抱き締めた。Kenshin sat directly behind me and proceeded to wrap his arms tightly around my waist.

突然のこと驚いて、謙信様を振り返る。Surprised at the sudden gesture, I looked back at him.

MC:「あの、なにを…」 [Uh…What are you…]

MC:（あ…）(Oh…)

ひんやりとした指先で頬を撫でられ、触れられそこがほのかに熱を帯びた。Cool fingertips gently brushed my cheek, and my skin warmed up with a lingering heat where they touched.

息遣いがすぐそばまで迫って、顔中が真っ赤になっていくのがわかる。The closeness of his breath began to feel all too real, and I knew right then just how flushed I’d become.

Kenshin:「…急に大人しくなったな」 […You’ve suddenly gone quiet]

MC:「謙信様が、急に変なことをするからでしょう…っ？」 [Don’t you think it’s because you’re doing something very odd….?]

Kenshin:「変なこと、ではない。お前が凍えないようにしているだけだ」 [It’s not odd. I’m just keeping you from freezing.]

Kenshin:「まったく、青白くなったり赤くなったり、忙しい女だ」 [Honestly. You go from pale to flushed in a matter of seconds. You’re quite the busy woman.]

MC:「それは…」 [Well, that’s…]

MC:（あなたの、せいです） (That’s entirely your fault.)

声が掠れてしまいそうで、反論を呑みこんだ。I bit down my reply out of fear that my voice might break.

鼓動が静かに速度を上げて、このままじゃ謙信様に��こえそうだ。My heartbeat was silently increasing its tempo. If this keeps up, Kenshin might be able to hear it.

Kenshin:「…お前が動かないなら、このままだ」 […If you’re not going to move, then we’re just going to stay like this.]

MC:（あ…） (Ah…)

囁きが耳をくすぐるのと同時に、腕の力を少しだけ強められた。As the whispered words tickled my ear, I could feel his strong arms tightening their grip.

Kenshin:「今宵は、お前を俺の腕に閉じ込めておく」 [Tonight, I’ll keep you locked in these arms]

ふっと口端を上げて、謙信様が告げる。The announcement that came from his lips was all too sudden to ignore.

MC:（わけが、わからないよ……っ） (I don’t understand this……)

MC:（でも……あったかい） (But somehow, it feels....warm)

回された腕は解けず、触れ合う背中と胸板が、くっついて離れない。His arms stayed wrapped around me, the touch unrelenting. I could feel my back gluing itself onto his hard chest.

MC:（どうしてこの腕を払えないんだろう…） (How come I can’t seem to push his arms away….)

MC:（それどころか…） (Instead, I….)

鳴り止まない鼓動が、まだ寄り添っていたいと叫んでいるみたいだ。The incessant ringing in my heart seemed to be screaming as if it wanted more; as if it wanted to be closer to him.

身動きもできないまま、私の胸の奥で、淡い熱がくすぶっていた―… A light ember simmered inside me, as I sat there unmoving, firmly yet comfortably wrapped in his embrace—

“This is for you lot. Take it as you see fit.” - With lots of intense-yet-problematic love from Kenshin

@rizosrojizos

@phantomchou

@daeva-agas

@himawarihime0998

@mischievouslymasamune

@lemonicebar et. al,

Thanks for commenting on my rant and being such awesome people! You all raise many valid points and I love just how dedicated you all are as fans of the characters. I hope you enjoy this translation~ Have a nice day and stay kind ^^

- Hikari <3

#ikemen sengoku #ikesen #translation #uesugi kenshin #イケメン戦国

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wolfnanaki · 2 years ago

Note

Yup! All of their arguments have been falling apart like dominoes and they’re scraping the bottom of the barrel.

“It’s only in one of the endings, and it was the bad ending! The good ending has him saying he’s a boy!” - In Strive, all of the arcade mode endings are canon and all overlap for a full story. Therefore, there has never been a “bad ending”. No one ever even entertained the idea of a “bad ending” until Bridget’s DLC was added. And none of the endings - including the perfect no-damage ending - end with Bridget asserting to be male. The story is very explicitly a trans coming out story; it’s about Bridget coming to terms with her gender identity separate from her upbringing and going down the path that feels right to her.

“This was probably added by the localization team!” - Nope, it’s in the original Japanese. The line in English is “I’m a girl!”, while the line in Japanese is “Onnanoko desu!”, which translates directly to “I’m a girl!”. The word they’re thinking of is “Otokonoko“, which translates to “male girl” or “male daughter”, a term for men who have a culturally feminine gender expression but still identify as men. This may have been an appropriate description of Bridget in XX, but not here.

“But the official English site doesn’t use pronouns, and the Japanese site uses male pronouns!” - Japan doesn’t have pronouns in the same way that English does. Because of this, machine translation (such as Google Translate) will add male pronouns by default. And more importantly. The English site’s lack of pronouns is deliberate as to not spoil the story. Plus, Bridget’s description in GG World - a glossary of the characters of the game - uses female pronouns.

“It’s a fictional character! He/she/they/it can be whatever gender the fans want!” - Then why are you getting angry at people saying she’s a trans woman?

And that’s not even going over other things: the symbol Bridget wears on the headband portion of her hoodie, and the lyrics to her song.

And now it seems the angle of Bridget being a minor - which, I must reiterate, she is not - is going to be the next point of attack.

Bridget was the origin point of the “tr*p” slur - the joke being “you think it’s a girl until you look between the legs” - and that became a hurtful word often thrown at trans women. And now, twenty years after her debut, she’s been handcrafted a genuine, sincere queer narrative that completely shatters that angle of her and makes her find sincere happiness as an out and proud trans woman.

They make it a point to ditch the infamous reveal joke; after her fight with Goldlewis, Bridget hesitates to say “I’m a boy” to him, and Goldlewis isn’t grossed out or judgmental in the slightest. And by relating his own life experiences with hers, he gently encourages her to stand up for herself and live as her most true self.

In a sense, Bridget’s transition feels like a reclamation, and the transphobes in the audience are absolutely livid. We found something we can celebrate, and they want to take it away from us, no matter how little it makes sense to do so.

bridget is a child, kill yourself

Bridget is 18-19 by the time of Strive, which canonically takes place six years after XX.

#Guilty Gear #Bridget #discourse #transgender #trans

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stilinski-jpeg · 8 years ago

Text

The Void Inside Me (NSFW 18+)

A/N: This idea was sprouted by one of those ads we’re the two people are texting about something really agnsty or suspenseful and you have to download the app to see the whole story. I loved the idea so much and thought no one would be more suited for it than Void. I want to thank @writing-obrien for seriously helping me out with this when I was completely stumped. Also @celestial-writing because this fic would not be finished if it weren’t for her motivating me to push through up until the very end. And @sarcasticallystilinski too for all her feedback. I think they all edited this at some point too so thank you beautiful babes, I love you all more than most. Lastly, Koneko is Japanese for kitten so says google translater. I’m sorry if I got that wrong.

Warnings: Smut; choking.

Word Count: 6860

|Masterlist|

Remember when you were little and someone, whether it be your parents or your teacher, asked you what you wanted to be when you grew up? It was always a riveting question that shattered all boundaries of insightful questions. Well people would say things like: A doctor, a ballerina, or a pop star. Because when you're that young you don't grasp the reality of life and that more than likely you'd be in high school not doing any of the things you thought you’d be doing and working at failing clothing boutique or lame record shops that no one went too. Or like me you could be working at a local grocery store.

Being new to Beacon Hills, a lot of cooler jobs were taken. So I was landed with the only job available that would accommodate me with my school hours. So cashier girl is what I was formerly know as at school. Frustrating as it was, no one bother to learn my name properly. Different variations of the unprecedented nickname surfaced anywhere from girl to cashier. But not for Stiles.

No, Stiles Stilinski noticed me the second I walked into Beacon Hills High School. The halls were empty except from him when I pulled open the doors that morning. He was standing at his locker, staring aimlessly into it, when the sudden rush of outside light caught his attention. He squinted, his head tilting slightly, as he tried to make out the newcomer only to find it was me. His expression changed from confused to surprised, his eyebrows raised and his mouth hung open slightly.

I blushed as I passed him, clinging on to my books as I tried to force my smile to withdraw. Since that moment, I had a thing for Stiles. And I liked to think that he had a thing for me too. But Stiles and I’s relationship, platonic or otherwise, felt like one that could never make it off the ground. Like something always stopped us from connecting. Like fate was trying to tell us something. But I didn't want to listen to old lady fate. It was hard to ignore the intense feeling I had when he was around and I didn't want that feeling to go away.

For a while his crush on Lydia, made it difficult for him to have an eye for anyone else. I became his venting buddy when we were paired up together one day in Biology. The only thing worse about having to listen to your crush talk about another person was dissecting a frog while doing it.

“I just don't know how, no matter how hard I try, that she just rejects my feelings for her.” He whined as I slide the scalpel down the frog's stomach, cringing the entire time.

“Mhmm.” I responded absentmindedly.

“It just so frustrating you know? Like why doesn't she love me back?”

“OH MY GOD!” I covered my nose with the back of my hand as all of the innards of the amphibian could be seen.

“I know, right!” Stiles agreed, his mind clearly away from the task at hand.

Stomach turning, I set down the tool and faced him. His words just now hitting me as I processed them. He was still talking when interrupted him in the middle of telling me for the umpteenth time how he'd loved her since grade school and there was no one like that strawberry blonde and that Aiden was just a minor setback but he'd end up on top.

“Stiles.” I said, holding a hand up to halt his rambling. “You say you've loved Lydia forever right?”

He nodded his attention fully on me now, making me kind of nervous.

“Well,” I swallowed thickly forcing myself to continue. “How come after forever and all the ‘bonding’ you say you've done, she's still going after the bad boys?”

He mulled this over, thinking intently about the question. If I'd learned anything about Stiles is that this was the sign of a boy making a case to support his argument. But I was tired of him lusting after the popular girl who didn't care about him.

“Before you say anything, think about this.” I said, tucking my hair behind my ear. “If she does end up with you, whenever that may be, will she ever love you as much as you love her?”

His eyes widened with understanding as my question loomed between us. His eyes scanned over my face, but I could tell he was really considering the question. Before he could respond however, Scott McCall flung open the door. He was obviously winded as he tried to explain to the teacher that he needed Stiles urgently for a lacrosse meeting with Coach. That was all the persuading the teacher needed to dismiss Stiles from class. The only thing was, that if it were a meeting for the lacrosse team, why were they headed the opposite way of the locker rooms?

That was most of my encounters with him. Constantly just on the cusp of breaking through the wall of friendship to something more, when he was ripped away by his friends for one bad excuse or another. At first, I thought he didn't like me and his friend (at his request) were saving him from me. But that proved not to be true after one instance where he deliberately kissed my cheek, promising to text me later before running off to meet his friends who were anxiously waiting for him at his jeep.

It seemed like every meeting Stiles and I had was always interrupted by some big emergency that had him scrambling out of the nearest door. This was true even on the day that I would remember for the rest of my life. The day that changed me as a normal everyday girl.

On this day, I sat in the courtyard on my free period. I was reviewing some physics notes, preparing for the test that was later that day. He sat next me, plopping dramatically in the picnic like table and wait led for me to notice him.

“Hi Stiles.” I droned, flipping the page of my notebook and doing my best to avoid those perfectly golden orbs.

He sighed again in response, begging for my attention in the way only Stiles did. I bit the inside of my cheek trying to subside my smile. After another overly dramatic sigh, I looked at him with a pointed glare that quickly grew to a smile.

“Yes Stiles. How can I help you today?”

He smiled back, the corners of his lips turning up just so and making my heart flutter.

“How would you like to accompany me on a secret mission?” He said seriously, but if you knew anything about Stiles you'd know he was rarely serious.

“Secret mission, huh?” I mused, turning slightly so I was facing him better.

“Mhmm.” He hummed. “Top secret. Highly classified. No one can know.”

“Sounds like it.” I smirked, “And what is this oh so secret-”

“Top secret!” He interrupted.

“Top secret, mission that you're embarking on?” I corrected myself as I continued.

Stiles looked around us, checking to see if the coast was clear, before ducking his head and leaning in towards me until his lips were inches from my ear. I felt a pleasurable chill run down my spine as he began speaking, his words expelling warm washes of breath when they hit my ear.

“Frozen yogurt. My treat.”

He pulled away, checking again to make sure no one heard his super secret message to me. I smiled at him, bigger than I probably should have. It was happening. Stiles and I were finally going to be alone just the two of us. Away from distractions or friends that could steal us away. I should have known better than that, though. As soon as I opened my mouth to say yes, someone in the distance called his name out making us both jump. We looked in the direction of the voice to find Scott standing with fellow lacrosse teammate, Isaac Lahey. They waved him over emphatically, looking like they had something urgent to tell him.

He dropped his head, clearly as disappointed as I felt that our timing was never right. They called his name again and he yell from them to hold on, a tinge of anger in his voice.

“I'm sorry-” he started but for fear of crying I stopped him.

“It's fine. You're a busy guy, I get it.” I shrugged, choosing to find the hem of my skirt more interesting than looking at him.

He lifted my chin though, forcing our eyes to meet. It's like he knew that his eyes were my kryptonite. He leaned in a fraction, so we were both breathing the same air. “I'll make this up to you, I promise.”

I was nodding in agreement before I knew what I was agreeing too. He leaned in, pressing his lips to my cheek and his kiss seared on my skin even after he pulled away. He was gone before I could get a word in and I was left alone once again.

The high I was on from Stiles kissing me, was gone before I hit last period. I spent my whole test thinking about him. At first I thought about how much I liked him and cute we would be together. But then that changed when I really thought about how little time we'd actually spent together. The universe was clearly trying to tell me something, but I would not listen.

As class went on though, the realisation that maybe Stiles really didn't like me set in. Yes, he had kiss me twice but it was only on the cheek. Maybe he was being polite? Then there was the mild flirting whenever we're together. We gravitated to each other like magnets and in those moments I felt free, invincible.

I guess I was being dramatic when I said that every time Stiles and I had time together it was interrupted. There were times that in class or at lunch that we spent that whole hour together. Talking about school, joking around, and my favourite flirting. But those were easily forgotten in the shadow of the ones where he did leave. The next day when I saw him after those times, he would always make up some weird excuse like Scott’s cat died or Lydia lost her phone or Allison needed help with her archery. But Scott didn't seem to upset for someone who just lost his cat and was ‘forcing’ his friend to come console him, Lydia was usually using her phone while he was telling me she’d lost it, and Allison was like a master archer (I'd seen her at the archery club shooting one day, she's fantastic) so she really didn't need Stiles, who could barely hold a pencil without dropping it, to help her with archery.

As I walked home, the only thing I could come up with was maybe he's ashamed of me. I was the new girl and I wasn't sure of people's opinions of me yet. Maybe they were all bad and maybe Stiles did like me but didn't want to get made fun of. I sighed loudly, adjusting my backpack on my shoulders. It was a depressing thought but it was the only one I could come up with that made sense. My mood had dropped significantly and I felt like nothing could change it.

But then, my phone started buzzing from inside of my pocket. I was going to ignore it before the thought accrued to me that it could be Stiles! He had said that he would talk me later and now that school was over, it /had/ to be him, right? I smashed the green button as soon as I pulled it out, producing an over excited and rather shaky hello.

“Honey?” My mom’s voice called out from the other side of the receiver.

“Oh hi mom.” I responded, my tone dropping significantly.

“Hi honey, listen the dog got into the bread again. Do you mind picking some up on your way home from school?”

I rolled my eyes annoyedly knowing she couldn't see me. “Sure, mom. Just expect me a little later than usual, then.”

She gushed some thanks and I love yous before getting off the phone, leaving my thoroughly disappointed and greatly annoyed.

I grabbed a basket once inside the store and rushed over to the bread aisle. I just wanted to be home, in my bed with a tub of ice cream and my phone close by just in case ‘someone’ decided to text me. I frown when I realised it had been several hours since I'd last talked to Stiles and he still hadn't called or even texted. That boy was sending me mixed signals and I couldn't be more confused as to what he wanted.

The bread was easy enough to find since I worked at the grocery store and usually got landed the job of stocking it when new shipments arrived. I walked right to the spot I knew the bread would be and grabbed a loaf. I was halted though by another hand reaching for the same loaf of bread. I glared at the hand that had at least a hundred other breads to choose from and was now playing tug of war for the one that was clearly mine. My eyes roamed up to the owner of the hand as I prepared a long winded rant I would surely unleash upon the person.

I didn't realise it was him at first. When my eyes met his, they were different than I had remembered. They were dark and cold and looked upon me with an intensity I could not read. He looked worn, like the day had taken more of a toll on him then he would have liked. His hair was slightly more disheveled than usual, but I'd never seen Stiles Stilinski outside of school so I didn't know what to expect when I finally did. He'd changed clothes since school, once clad in dark blue pants and matching plaid shirt, he was now wearing a maroon t-shirt and khaki pants. He's worn this outfit before and it was still my favourite one.

“Stiles!” My voice was too high of a pitch to sound normal, but I hoped he overlooked it.

“Hey there, gorgeous.”

My stomach did at least four backflips and an aerial. Stiles and I had talked many times, but I couldn't remember a time that he'd ever called me gorgeous. I was starting to think that I liked after school Stiles more. I smiled as a response, not really trusting myself to say something intelligent.

“Sorry about earlier today. I forgot I promised to help Scott with a pest problem.” He said, his voice like silk as he talked.

“P-pest problem?” I stuttered, and I mentally berated myself for doing so.

“Yeah. Apparently there's a bunch of wolves running around Beacon Hills.” He said without missing a beat.

His tone was so casual for such a bold statement. He talked like he actually believed there were wolves in California. Which was impossible because there hadn't been wolves here in years. I raised an eyebrow at him, studying his face a little further than I had before. It was strange for Stiles of all people to get such a basic fact wrong. He smirked at me, eyeing me over and I blushed in response. Was he checking me out?

“Right, wolves.” I dismissed the inaccuracy as a fluke. I couldn't risk scaring him off. “So, what brings you in today?”

He grabbed the loaf of bread we both were after from my grasp and held it up, his smirk returning. “I was hungry for some grilled cheese and we were out of bread. You?”

“Grilled cheese, huh? With what kind of cheese?” I challenged, knowing the only correct answer was not American cheese.

“Anything but American.” He answered correctly.

I smiled brightly at him, grabbing my own loaf of bread and tossing it into my basket. “I knew I liked you for a reason, Stilinski.”

A glint of something flashed behind his dark eyes. It was so quick if I hadn't already been looking I might have missed it. My smiled faded as I tried to assess what it was that I'd seen. There was something there, I knew it but I was distracted as Stiles placed his hand on my lower back, guiding me towards the registers.

“So you're telling me that you slept with a baby blanket until like last year?” I laughed.

Stiles had graciously offered to walk me home, and what kind of girl would I be if I declined? A dumb one that's what kind. Now we were playing a very innocent game of truth or dare, which had really been a game of truth or truth because neither one of us had picked anything else.

“If you tell anyone I will deny it.” He said almost seriously, but he's smile gave him away.

I laughed out loud again, harder than before. Whatever had gotten into Stiles tonight, I liked it. Maybe without the pressure of his obviously overbearing friends, he could finally be himself. Or maybe this was just Stiles after hours? Either way I was enjoying him.

“Okay, so truth or dare?” He asked, continuing our game.

I knew what he expected me to do. He knew I'd play it safe and say truth, because that's the kind of girl someone would expect me to be: the safe girl. But safe can also mean boring and I didn't want the only boy that was paying this amount of attention to be bored. Beside, we were steadily approaching my house so what's the worst he could do if I just picked…

“Dare.”

I stopped walking and turn to face him. I was hoping to see a look of surprise on his face when he stopped too, but if anything he looked indifferent.

“You sure you want to do that?”

His voice was different from anything I'd ever heard from him before. It was deep and gruffly, with a harshness to it. I search his face for any ounce of humour, but found none. I got this sickening feeling in my stomach that something was off here, but that feeling was overpowered by the feeling pooling in my lower abdomen.

“Y-yes.” I muttered.

He chuckled darkly, taking a step towards me. “Dare means you have to do anything I say.”

“Do your worst.” I said breathily trying to sound more confident then I felt.

One more step and we were so close that I could feel his breath fanning over my face. My own breathing was shallow and slightly stuttered as I waited for Stiles to make his move. His eyes were darker than ever and the ghost of a deadly smile was playing on his lips. This boy was dangerous to my panties and to my heart. Was it even healthy for your heart to skip that many beats?

“Close your eyes.” He demanded and I obeyed without forethought.

Nothing happened for several minutes, I could feel his breath still over me like he hadn't moved from in front of me. Just as I was about ask what he was doing, his lips connected with mine. They were rough and slightly chapped but they made me melt all the same. This is the thing I'd been wanting from Stiles since the day I'd met him. This exact moment was everything I'd ever wanted.

I pulled away, my eyes still closed not wanting forget the way his lips blended with mine. But when I finally did open them, he was gone. Like the wind, there one second and gone the next, he was gone. I had half a mind to call out for him, but I knew he was gone. I smiled to myself, wondering idly as I walked to my house, unlocked my door, set the groceries on the counter and headed up to my room if he'd planned this the entire time.

As I closed my door, I giggled thinking to myself how I must have ruined his plan to kiss me by never picking dare. I could remember everything he told me that night like it was a movie on replay. He was melted into my brain and there was no way of getting him out.

It only took me three minutes after I finished brushing my teeth to decide that I was going to text him. He didn't say goodnight or even goodbye after all. Plus I wanted to ensure that tomorrow at school would be just as casual as tonight was, so I had to text him right?

Me: Thank for tonight. It will go down in history as my favourite night. :)

I sent it. Knowing that Stiles was already contemplating a witty comeback. It took a little longer than I would have like but eventually I felt my phone buzz in my hand.

Stiles: what??

Not his best witty retort, but I couldn't expect him to be completely normal after we just kissed right.

Me: haha. Very funny. Where did you run off to anyways? We could've watched a movie or something.

Stiles: Seriously, what are you talking about? I've been with Scott all day.

I reread the words several times. He's been with Scott all day? Was this another joke? Because I was one hundred and ten percent sure that he kissed me a half an hour ago. Before I had a chance to write back, my phone rang. It was Stiles. I relaxed a little, surely he was calling me to tell me he was joking and that he had a good time time too. I answered it barely getting my bright and cheery hello out before Stiles interrupted me.

“What was I wearing?” He almost hollered from the other side of the phone. His voice was lower than usual, his words running into each other like did when he was upset.

“What?” I questioned, frowning.

“You said we were hanging out tonight, what was I wearing?”

I began pacing the room, biting my lip nervously. What the hell was going on? This wasn't the boy I was walking home with less than an hour ago. No this boy was scared, worried even.

“Uhhh, red - no, maroon shirt with khaki pants.”

The line was silent for a moment and I was worried he'd hang up before I could ask what was happening.

“My eyes!” He urged. “Did you notice anything about my eyes?”

I frown at this question, mostly because I had but I was sure it was just my imagination. Was this some sort of prank?

“Stiles I don't-”

“Listen,” he interjected,”Meet me and Scott at the preserves in ten minutes. We’ll be there in five. I'll be wearing a blue baseball hat. If it's not blue, do not talk to me. Understand?”

I tried to listen intently to his instructions but they weren't making sense. Why would he tell me he's wearing a blue hat if he might not wear one? I scrambled around my room nevertheless, pulling shorts, slipping on shoes and grabbing my keys before I was halted by something outside of window. I could barely hear Stiles voice as I peer down at the person standing in my driveway.

It was him, it was Stiles.

“Stiles, I thought you said you were 5 minutes away from the woods?” I said, as the Stiles out my window looked up at me and smiled.

“What? I am? Wait is he there? Listen, whatever you do don't-” I barely caught the last of his words as I ended the call.

I tiptoed down the stairs, cringing as the deadbolt on my front door made a loud clicking noise when I unlocked it. Stiles was already there, dressed like before, with a beautiful smile lazily draped across his face. It was odd though. Maybe it was the dim light that only came from the moon or maybe it was the lack of it, but he looked even more tired, worn even. There were shades of dark circle eclipsing his eyes. His skin was pale, which I hadn't noticed earlier. Something about his overall presence made my stomach twist into knots, but I wasn't sure if that was from fear or excitement.

He took a step toward me, inviting himself into my house. I stepped back allowing him in, captivated by the hunger at which he gaze upon me with. I grabbed his hand, guiding him up my stairs and into my bedroom silently.

Once the door was shut, I pressed my back into it, watching as he moved about my room. I couldn't believe Stiles Stilinski was actually here. He walked past my bed, his fingers trailing across its surface. I half promised myself that I'd never wash the comforter.

“Where'd you run off to earlier?” I asked, finally breaking the silence.

He glanced over his shoulder, his feature dark and almost menacing but that didn't stop the water park in my panties.

“He's always thought about being in your room.” I heard him vaguely mumble.

The phrase was foreign to me, I wasn't sure who the ‘he’ that he was referring to was. Maybe he just misspoke? There was no doubt in my mind that he was any less nervous than I was. And this was Stiles we were talking about, it's wasn’t unlike him to say outlandish things.

“Well he's here now. So what's he going to do?”

I felt the sultry tone coarse through my words, but I wasn't sure where it came from. Stiles turned to face me. His expression unreadable, but he seemed intrigued by the way he tilted his head. Another unholy and almost sinful smile appeared on his face. If this was any other situation, or person of that matter, I would have been frightened but I was only criminally turned on.

He was in front of me before I'd even realised that he'd moved. His eyes were dark like they had been all night but now I was sure it was because his hands were on my hips slowly trailing up the side of my body. I didn't move or make a sound as they did, rejoicing in the feeling of his hands on me. He didn't stop moving upwards until both hands were around my neck, giving the slightest amount of pressure to it. He leaned his head forward just enough that our lips were barely touching, his eyes flickered to them and back.

“I'm going to fuck you.” He growled, before smashing his lips against mine.

His body pressed into mine, pushing me further into the door. I groaned as his rough lips tore against mine. The feel of them were unlike anything else. His grip on my neck tightened slightly more as I felt his hard cock pushing into my thigh and I moaned again. Suddenly something came over me, the want for him was insatiable and I clawed at his clothes trying to rid him body of them.

He stopped me before I could even pop a button, pinning my hands to the door. His lips trailed along my jawline, all the way to my ear.

“Don't. Fucking. Move.” He growled and it resonated through my whole body.

I obeyed as his coarse lips ran along my neck, sucking hard, making me hiss in pain. One of his hands played with the band of my pajama shorts, dipping his fingers in them and playing with the lace of my panties. My stomach tensed at his touch and I closed my eyes taking in the way his callused fingers danced along my skin.

He relented on the attack he was casting on my neck to look at me. I kept my eyes shut, knowing if our lust filled eyes met I may just come right there. I could feel him watching me as he dipped his whole hand down my pants, past my panties and connected with me clit causing a filthy moan to spewed out of my mouth.

“You like that?” He asked menacingly, rubbing slow deliberately circles into my bundle of nerves.

“Fuck!” Was all I could manage as a response. He sped up, changing up his patterns and I could feel an orgasm steadily approaching.

With his other hand he kneaded my breast over my shirt adding to the pleasure. My peaks harden under his touch protruding from beneath my shirt. I couldn't stop the sounds protruding from my mouth as he ripped my shirt upwards. The bra that I hadn't put on after I changed into my night clothes, left my chest bare and exposed to him. I wrenched my eyes open, watching as he ducked down latching on to breast.

“God Stiles.” I mewled, tangling my fingers into his hair and pushing him into me.

A sharp pain on the sensitive skin of my breast made me cry out. The tormenting motion of his fingers stopped too as he lifted his head to meet mine.

“I thought I told you not move.” The dangerous look in his eyes had me swallowing thickly.

“I uhh- I'm sorry.” I tried to apologise.

He wrapped his hands around my wrist roughly then pinned them back against the door. The menacing look in his eyes was warning enough to not move again. I could feel the wetness pooling in my panties because even though he was kind of intimidating; this other side to Stiles that was aggressive and demanding turned me on like no other. He maintained eye contact as he removed his hand from my wrists and began tugging my shorts and panties down my legs. I stepped out of them when they hit the floor and he kicked them aside to somewhere unknown.

“Remember what I said.” He warned as he nudged his leg in between mine, spreading them apart. I felt the most pleasurable of twinges in my core as he did. I wanted to lunge at him, not caring if the consequences, and kiss him until he was begging for air. But I did care about the consequences because Stiles had shown another side of himself tonight and who knew what he was capable of.

In my idle thoughts, he'd unzipped his pants letting his aching erection fall through the slit. “Now Koneko, sit still and let me fuck you.”

His cock slipped between the narrow gap of my thighs that were slick with from my own wetness. His tip rubbed against my clit making my hiss upon contact. He passed over it a few more times teasingly. I almost begged him for more when he grabbed my hips and plunged inside of me, filling me to the hilt with his member. I didn't have time to against to his size before he began moving and I relied solely on gravity and the door for support as he slammed into me relentlessly. His hands gripped my waist with such a force that I was sure I could feel the bruises forming.

“You feel so fucking good around my dick.” He said through gritted teeth.

It became increasingly harder to containing my moans. My bottom lip was raw from my teeth wearing into it for so long. I could feel the burning ball of desire intensifying as my orgasm steadily approached.

“Stiles, I'm gonna, gonna-”

“Not yet.” He growled, pulling out of me causing me to almost cry out.

“No, please. I was so close.” I whined as he peeled me off the door he'd just banged me into and guided me over to the bed.

“Don't worry, gorgeous. I will make sure you come.” He smirked as he basically threw me on the bed.

I landed on my back, bouncing lightly. Stiles stood at the edge of the bed, staring over my half naked body with a hunger in his eyes.

“Come here.” He rolled me over to my stomach before grabbing me by the waist and forcing my ass in the air. His cock was hard against my pussy and he played teasingly with my entrance. He roamed over my ass with his hand, touching the soft skin there. He dragged his hand down to my clit swirling his fingers over the sensitive bundle.

“Please Stiles.” I begged, pushing back into him. “I need you.”

He didn't respond, just rubbed soft slow patterns. The pressure was just enough to make my body spark but not enough to make me come. I pushed back into him again, eager for him to bring me some relief. Satisfied that I was, he eased his cock back into my dripping pussy while still working over my clit. We both sighed, the new angle allowing him to sink deeper. He wrapped his arm around my waist forcing me to sit up and started up a rhythm, moving hard and deliberately inside of me.

My back hit his chest and the hand attached to the arm skidding along my skin, palming roughly over one of my breasts and his fingers tweaked harshly at my nipple. His teeth moved over my neck, biting, lips sucking and bringing dozens of red marks to the surface, all of which would be purple by tomorrow.

“Fuck, Stiles, please.” I begged, hips shaking as my climax built, and I wasn't sure how much longer I could hold on. His hand left my chest and his lips left my shoulder, fingers pushing my head around and his lips slanted hotly over mine. It was all tongue and teeth, moans being shared between us and he pulled back to pant breathlessly.

He picked up his pace, slamming into me quickly and roughly, fingers rubbing harsh curled on my clit as the other hand wrapped tightly in my hair, holding my head in place so he could watch as I came. My eyes rolled back, sounds near screams leaving my lips and it wasn't long until he was throbbing between my clenched walls, cumming so hard he groaned almost as loud as me.

He fell forwards, pinning me beneath him before rolling over to the side and pulling out, an arm over his head and his mouth hung slack. The room smelt of sweat and sex, and I grinned lazily, turning to curl into his side.

My phone vibrated rapidly from the floor, the device being momentarily forgotten about in all the chaos. I lifted my head to glare at my phone with intent to get up and not so nicely tell the person on the other line to call me in the morning. As I moved, Stiles stopped me turning his body towards mine and capturing my lips with his. I moaned sweetly into the kiss, pulling my arms around him in attempt to get as close as possible to him.

I was startled when my door was slammed opened, thumping against the wall loudly. I dragging my lips away from Stiles so I could see who had made the intrusion. Much to my surprise standing in my doorway was Scott, mouth hanging open.

“What the hell Scott?” I yelled, scrambling off the bed and searching the floor for my shorts.

I expected Scott to realise his mistake and back out of the room covering his eyes. But he didn't, in fact his eyes never left Stiles who was now sitting on the bed with a smirk on his face. I pulled on my shorts just as Scott called over his shoulder, without taking his eyes off Stiles, down the hall.

“He's in here.”

I frown at him, placing my hands on my hips. “Scott, you can't just barge into my house and- what the fuck?”

I had to blink a few times to makes sure that what I was seeing was real. Stiles, different from the one sitting on my bed, was standing in my door way with Scott looking from the Stiles on my bed to me. His expression was hard, almost angry as one last time he looked me over then turned to the Stiles on my bed.

The difference between the two were obvious now with the addition of the new Stiles. The one on my bed was sickly pale, with shadows under his eyes that were just as dark as his irises. His hair, upon further investigation, was improperly disheveled compared to the other Stiles.

“You son of a bitch.” The Stiles standing with Scott roared taking a step toward the Stiles on my bed. Scott put his arm out to stop him. The Stiles on my bed just smiled moving to a standing position.

“Will someone please tell me what the fuck is going on?” I yelled sending all three boys attention my way.

“You see, Stiles, shielding the girl you love from your life does have its disadvantages.” There was a twinge of excitement in his tone, that made me stomach turn. “How are you going to explain to her that the person that just fucked her wasn't her sweet precious Stiles? It was a thousand year old fox, a nogitsune.”

I couldn't understand the other Stiles’s words. What the hell was he talking about? What was Stiles supposedly shielding me from?

“You're nothing. You're void, a useless, bare, version of me!” Stiles growled trying again to go towards, but Scott held him back again.

A void Stiles? My head started to hurt and I leaned against the wall in case I fainted, which was a good possibility.

“Useless, huh? I'm sure that toy over that wouldn't say so.” He thumbed at me over his shoulder, sending a devilish grin with it.

“I’m going to fucking kill you.” Stiles shouted running at the Void Stiles so fast that Scott didn't have a chance to stop him. Stiles cocked back his fist, heading full speed when the Void Stiles stopped him by his neck, squeezing it tightly.

What happened next was unbelievable, incrediblely impossible. But impossibly true. Scott's eyes changed from their usual brown to a bright red. This hands resembled claws now that long dark nails shot out from the tips of his fingers. When I blinked again, hair began sprouting out at an alarming rate around his face and down his neck. His ears and teeth both grew out into a point, making him look like a wolf.

A werewolf.

Just thinking the words made me feel crazy. But how could I ever believe I wasn't? In front of me was Stiles choking someone that looked identical to him while Scott pounced looking like something out of a teen movie and I was caught in the crossfires. So I did the only logical thing to do, I ran. Out of my room, out of my back door, and straight into the woods behind my house. I ran and ran, the woods too dark and thick to see more than a few feet in front of me. I heard shouting behind me and looked over my shoulder to see what or whom it might be. Almost instantly tripping over something and I landed chest first on a very large, very old stump. I could feel a bruise already forming around my rib cage, as I struggled to stand again.

“Hey!” I turned quickly in the direction of the voice, not really knowing who I'd find. From in the general direction of which I just came, Stiles appeared. In the darkness, it was hard to make out much of his features but he was wearing a plaid shirt for sure. I relaxed knowing that this wasn't the void Stiles or wolf Scott, just human Stiles.

“Stiles.” I breathed, rushing over to him as he held his arms open to embrace me. We collided a little harder than expected, hitting the newfound soreness on my ribs.

“Are you alright?” He asked, noticing the tenseness when we met.

“I am now.” I muttered into his shoulder.

“I’m here Koneko and I won't let anyone hurt you.” I moved my head to smile up at him. He smile back, ducking down to place a soft kiss on my lips. I was home in his arms now and I'd never felt safer.

“Will you tell me what's going on? What's really going on Stiles?” I asked, trying to search his eyes but the darkness loomed to heavy and I could barely make them out.

“I will but let's get you back, Koneko.” His warm voice soothing me instantly. I nodded, curling into him as he wrapped his arms around me and we headed back to my house.

My mind raced, replaying the night over in my head as we walked. Stiles held me so close to him, his knuckles were turning white. But out of all the things that happened that night, the only thing that stood out to me in that moment was that I couldn't remember a time before tonight that Stiles had ever called me Koneko.

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paulisweeabootrash · 6 years ago

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Book Review: The Tale of Genji (well, part of it)

So the "weeaboo" part of the name of this blog is obvious. But the "trash" part? I'm going to say this is an example of that, since, while writing this, I felt something I’ve felt many times before: like I’m not capable of Serious Analysis because I don't really understand Serious Literature. In my reading habits, I gravitate much more towards speculative fiction — sci-fi and dystopias — that is not often filed under "literature" in stores or libraries, or even by cultural commentators. But I feel like writing another review this month, and I'm running low on month, so today for your enjoyment(?), I'm tackling a book for the second time, and it's quite different from the previous book I reviewed in just about every way.

It's Japanese, it's very old, and it's "serious literature": The Tale of Genji (original c. 1021, this translation 1929). Or the first 9 chapters, anyway, since I did not realize that’s all this version included when I bought it.

I seem to have a habit of just serendipitously stumbling into interesting things. I first heard about The Tale of Genji by Lady Murasaki Shikibu from, of all things, the 1997 Windows edition of "Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego?". I knew very little about it other than it being considered one of the earliest novels, so when I recently found, for an absurdly cheap price, a paperback of the Dover Thrift Edition, I bought it. Turns out this edition contains only the first 9 chapters — "Kiritsubo" through "Aoi" — out of the full 54, as translated by Arthur Waley in 1929. So that's all I'll talk about here.

Genji, our main character, is a son of the Emperor of Japan, but not the heir to the throne (in fact, as a member of the Minamoto Clan, he is not part of the line of succession at all), so he seems to enjoy wealth and an entourage but very little actual responsibility for governing. He is granted a couple of military offices, but they do not seem to entail much beyond his initial training. He spends his teens paying unsolicited visits and sending unsolicited letters to women he's attracted to in the hopes of getting some of them to respond well to his advances, sort of a high-class equivalent of Straight White Boys Texting. But he's actually pretty good at it, since his main traits are being (1) very handsome and (2) good at poetry. The plot of the chapters discussed in this review is largely concerned with his secret sexual exploits as a teenager, which range from genuine romantic relationships to behavior we'd now recognize as horridly entitled abuses of power.

The first chapter, which reads a bit differently than the others because it was a standalone work in a deliberately archaic folkloric writing style rather than the literary style of the time, briefly describes Genji's childhood, heaping nauseating praise on his intrinsic good looks, and ending with his political marriage at age 12 to his 16-year-old cousin Princess Aoi, an arrangement which neither has any interest in. Jumping forward an unspecified amount of time, but still clearly sometime in Genji's teens, the next episode we see in his life is a lengthy discussion with Aoi's brother, To no Chujo (or, rather, Tō no Chūjō, 頭中将, which Google Translate renders as “Head General" — most characters in the book are referred to by either a title or a nickname, not their given names) and a couple of other aristocrats comparing the behaviors and virtues of various types of women, involving discussions of both personality and social class. This provides a little bit of insight to the modern reader into the class system and attitudes on gender of the place and time, and narratively sets up Genji's behavior for the rest of the story.

Some of Genji's affairs are one-night stands, wherein he seduces or uses his status to impose himself upon relatives or servants of noblemen he is visiting. Others are ongoing relationships, and declarations of belief in destined meetings and the exchange of flirty poems of varying quality are often involved. These "relationships" such as they are end badly. One successful one-night stand with a married woman leads Genji to hire the woman's 13-year-old brother as a messenger to try to arrange future encounters with her unsuspiciously, then because she is repeatedly not available, he decides the brother looks enough like her to be "no bad substitute for his ungracious sister". Another, Genji neglects to the point of nearly ghosting her, although he seems at first to genuinely love her — once no longer feeling the "spark" of being in love, Genji stays in contact with her but rarely visits her. Another is killed by a ghost, or possibly by fright at the belief that there is a ghost. He is nearly caught multiple times, including by To no Chujo, and there is implicitly a looming threat of terrible damage to the reputations of Genji and his lovers and/or victims if he is ever exposed, but the whole series of events is merely suspected by acquaintances, never conclusively discovered.

All the while, in the background, Genji has been pining for Fujitsubo, his father's concubine. This infatuation has been going on since his childhood, and plays itself out in an extraordinarily creepy way throughout the remaining chapters. Genji, having fallen sick, travels to a monastery where Fujitsubo's mother is a nun, seeking healing. Several orphans are being raised at the monastery, and one of them, Murasaki, looks strikingly familiar. Genji discovers that she is the daughter of Fujitsubo's brother, born out of wedlock to a woman who since died, hence her presence at the orphanage. He offers to adopt and tutor her, and there is a bit of miscommunication (that's actually kind of funny) in which he repeatedly tries to assure people that he knows she's a child and really is attempting to adopt her, not marry her. He is turned away until he learns that Murasaki is to be sent off to live with her father, whom she does not know, at which point Genji returns to kidnap her and her nurse and bring them back to his palace to live with him. Yeah. He does tutor Murasaki and treat her in a parental sort of way, and his feelings are portrayed as initially innocent, but... it's clear he does actually intend to eventually marry her, which is horrifying, and the nurse is surprisingly in favor of this. And within the confines of the story, the whole thing is "justified" by Genji's belief that they must have been lovers in a past life.

While Genji, by now I'm pretty sure somewhere in his late teens although I lost track of exactly how old, is grooming tutoring Murasaki (making her too outspoken and forward to be properly ladylike, it is mentioned, highlighting again the strict gender roles involved here), he also manages to finally hook up with Fujitsubo, fathering a child which, much to their relief, the Emperor unquestioningly accepts as his own. Fujitsubo is then elevated from concubine to Empress, although she is not the mother of the Heir Apparent, and they cannot continue the affair. The Heir is arranged to marry Oborozukiyo, who is his aunt, whom Genji of course also pursues, and then we skip ahead again to see that the Heir has ascended the throne and Genji's secret son by Fujitsubo is the new Heir Apparent.

Rokujo (the woman Genji seemed to love, then neglected) makes public their on-and-off relationship, and Genji, now 22, is reprimanded by his father, not for having the affair but for treating Rokujo so thoughtlessly and indiscreetly, risking both of their reputations. After a confrontation at a religious ceremony that Rokujo takes as a personal insult, Genji and Aoi (hey, remember her? Genji’s wife?) finally start to spend time together, and Aoi gets pregnant but also terribly sick. Rokujo believes she has inadvertently cursed her with the power of her jealousy — and is apparently proven right when she somehow possesses Aoi while the latter is in labor. Aoi lingers for a while, but dies. Genji mourns and regrets dramatically, and in the midst of his grief, just when he looks like he'll reform into not-a-creep, gets engaged to Murasaki (who is at this point, what, 14 or something?). I'll just let this quote from the last chapter explain itself: "In Murasaki none of his hopes had been disappointed; she had indeed grown up into as handsome a girl as you could wish to see, nor was she any longer at an age when it was impossible for him to become her lover. He constantly hinted at this, but she did not seem to understand what he meant." Ew. And so this book ends with sorting out Aoi’s estate and preparing for Genji and Murasaki’s wedding.

So... that's the beginning of the Tale of Genji. There’s a lot more to it than that, and a lot worth talking about about, such as the frequency with which the real cause of events is left ambiguous, reporting only different people’s assumptions about them, or the depictions of Genji genuinely enjoying spending time with women in non-sexual contexts, neither of which is something a naïve reader, especially one with as dim a view of humanity as I usually have, would probably assume is contained in a thousand-year-old book. But I’ve highlighted the things I have above because I'm left with one overarching question/feeling by all this. I find the story interesting, but Genji himself usually repulsive. I'm wondering whether he would've come off unsympathetically to the audience at the time or whether this is severe values dissonance. I suspect the latter, but I'm not sure.

On the one hand, in the last chapter of this section, there is the reprimand about his behavior and a sort of demonstration through Rokujo of the havoc caused by Genji's behavior, and he shows apparently genuine sadness if not actual remorse throughout when the affairs that seem to involve actual romantic feelings fall apart. Earlier on, we the audience do see the women’s feelings explored a bit, and they make Genji look like he doesn’t understand what he’s doing. In the part of the story not contained in this book, there is a later exposed affair that he actually suffers some kind of social consequences for. But on the other hand, I suspect that Genji's behavior would've been recognized as something like "boys will be boys" — the narrator certainly describes his behavior as if it’s inevitably how men are... And maybe the raw feeling of entitlement to sex and the grooming of Murasaki (not to mention, if you chart out character relationships, a lot of incest) would be taken as acceptable or at least unavoidable behavior for aristocrats. (At least, that's what I gather from what I've read of how European nobility behaved — I don't know if that translates for sure to other places and times, but it seems in line with modern research on power leading to disregard for others.)

This was written in Heian-era Japan, about which I admittedly know almost nothing except that it was when "the palace turned into such a dreamworld of art that they really didn't give a shit about running the country". The class system is discussed explicitly in some places in the book, with characters making matter-of-fact assumptions and statements about what men and women of various classes are like. If not necessarily the beliefs of the author, they probably reflect beliefs real people held. This book would've been a subversive condemnation of a predatory ruling class if published in, say, France in the 1700s, but the Shogunate was still almost 200 years in the future for Lady Murasaki and her target audience. This is contemporary, not historical, for her, and Genji as a person probably looks much worse in retrospect and through the eyes of modern audiences who don't believe in different behaviors being appropriate for people's "stations".

I'm curious to see whether other English translations are also written in such a convoluted and indirect style, and whether maybe they have more extensive translator's notes beyond citations to some of the quoted poems, explanations of characters' nicknames, and the occasional reminder who a rarely-mentioned character is... I'm convinced that this is an interesting story, because I can enjoy an unsympathetic protagonist, but I'm not convinced that this is a great rendition of it.

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Revised W/A/S Scores: 15 / 2? / 3? / yuck

Weeb: The original definition of a score of 10 on the weeb scale was that the work "assumes the audience possesses a PhD in Japanese cultural studies". Even by that standard, I'm fairly sure that the book goes far beyond the intended top of the scale — not only resting deeply on Japanese cultural tropes and assumptions, but written in the court culture of the Heian-era aristocracy, which contains footnotes noting that even the translator is unsure of the sources of some of the quotes that appear to be from poems or songs of the time. The past is definitely a foreign country, especially when you're separated by a millennium and reverence for a different regional power's traditions (at the time, Japan deeply romanticized China, and in fact many of the poetry quotes that are sourced are from influential Chinese poets).

Ass: For the amount of sex that happens in this book, there is certainly very very little actual sexual content. But, like, maybe be an adult who is reading this.

Shit (writing): The vast majority of character interactions are believable, but it sort of falls flat with the barely-explained reconciliation between Genji and Aoi, and Genji's engagement to Murasaki seems to happen just because he and Murasaki's nurse expect it to more than because of any real romantic feelings or even political considerations. I'm unsure whether this is a product of the original text or of the particular translation, but the writing style is stilted and convoluted even by my standards — and I like H.P. Lovecraft, not an author exactly known for being concise or unpretentious. Other than just plain difficulty of understanding certain passages, I feel unqualified to judge the quality of writing at all. Despite being characterized as a novel by modern audiences, it also feels much more episodic than you'd normally think for the word "novel", like a compilation of short stories about the same character, which I suspect based on the translator's introduction is how the book was actually written. I was surprised and delighted to see some metacommentary in here — Murasaki goes off on asides several times, breaking character as the narrator, including to comment on how other authors would describe something but she doesn't want to, which was shockingly modern of her and reminded me a bit of the asides in the original novel of The Princess Bride about removing tedious sections.

Shit (other): not applicable, I'm pretty sure?

Content: Genji is a creep.

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Stray observations:

- "Minamoto" and "Genji" have the same kanji, according to the Wikipedia article linked above for the Minamoto Clan, which would make the implication that he was excluded from the line of succession immediately obvious to readers at the time, but I had to go look it up.

- This book also includes an interesting foreword giving some biographical information about Lady Murasaki, and I am intrigued by quoted excerpts from her diary, in which she talks at length about the beauty of her "great friend" Lady Saisho (to whom, says the translator, "she was evidently very strongly attached") in very similar terms to those quoted on the previous page in her description of Fujiwara no Michinaga, secretary to Emperor Ichijō, with whom she apparently had an ongoing sexual, if not necessarily romantic, relationship. Is this a cultural misunderstanding on my part about how it was acceptable for people to describe each other's appearance in different times and places, or was Murasaki possibly bi?

- Possession by ghosts is a broadly cross-cultural idea, but I don't think I've ever heard of possession by a living person before!

#weeaboo trash #first impression review #book review #the tale of genji

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