#i don't get it. when my friends express doubts in themselves i don't automatically stop thinking they're cool

[rubiatinctorum]

friendship advice is SO FRUSTRATING! show that you're interested in people's lives but be careful not to idolize them or else they'll think you think you're beneath them and then they'll start to think it too. provide some incentive for people being your friend but don't live in service of your friends because then you'll attract people only looking to use someone. do things worth admiring but don't talk about them to people or else you're asking for too much attention. be attentive but not too attentive or else you're creepy, take initiative but not too much or else you're clingy, and never ever ever ever ever hope for anything better than your lot.

[meimi-haneoka]

can i ask something random?

whenever the story is talking about kaito, what do you prefer the character talking refer him as? because i remember some of your reactions on the blogs hating it whenever they refer to kaito as "the man" or i completely misinterpreted the entire thing– if so please don't mind this question and i apologize in advance 😓

Hello anon!! No, you didn't misinterpret at all, in fact I hate when they call him that way in the ENG translation 😂 Aaaand as usual, when it comes to Kaito, I start talking and I never know when I'll stop, so I realized along the way that this reply will get longer than I expected....therefore, find the reply under the cut! 😂

You see, the fact is that Kaito is never called specifically "man" in the Japanese original, not even once, not even from the younger characters. Syaoran calls him "that person", which is even the same term he used with Yukito back in the old series, so it doesn't even suggest acrimony from him, despite being always so mad at him (lol). ���のひと ("that person") is a term that keeps things very generic, unspecified, from it you can only infer that he's older than Syaoran. Actually, there was this comment once, from a Japanese fan, that left a big impression on me: they pointed out how Syaoran's あのひと is written consistently in hiragana when he refers to Kaito, and denotes a certain degree of warmth. This person was saying "they're going to become friends in the end, right?" because apparently there's a difference if a character expresses that in hiragana or kanji (あの人, apparently more distant and formal). And surprisingly enough, I found confirmation of this POV in Kaito's own way to call people: あのひと for Lilie, and あの人達 for the Squids/Association. So it is a thing.

Momo and Lilie (even younger Lilie) notoriously & consistently call him "that boy" (あの子, also translatable as "that kid"). Although we could argue that everyone could be a kid for timeless powerful guardian lady Momo, it sounds different coming from Lilie. Maybe she calls him so because she will only ever know him as a little kid, after all.

Other characters who have mentioned him have either called him by his full name, Yuna D. Kaito, or "that butler" or "the magician". Never specifically "man".

Sometimes when characters used "that magician", the ENG translation forcefully changed it into "that man", and I just couldn't understand why. Hell, they even called him "man" during a flashback where he was clearly a child. Why this pressing need to get across the message that Kaito is "a man"? Maybe because it's more threatening? But that wasn't what the original japanese script was doing at all. We don't know his age, they shouldn't be pushing things that way.

Now, I don't want to affirm that Kaito is a child. Or, rather....he is, immature like a child (and there's noooo doubt about that, even the author themselves said so, therefore we're not gonna argue on this), but surely his supposed age doesn't make him one. It is clear by now that even if we don't know precisely his age (and probably never will!), he should be more or less Touya and Yukito's age, or even slightly younger. There are several elements suggesting that. My grievances with how the ENG keeps insisting that he's a "man" is that this kind of term automatically infers that Kaito is in a part of his life where he's fully aware of his actions, that he's reached full maturity, and therefore everything he's doing, he's doing it consciously, fully aware of all the implications and on purpose. Readers tend to not cut him any slack on his behavior because "he's a man". When he's actually acting like an emo late teenager who's throwing himself wholly into the first thing he ever wanted and he's completely blind in regards to knowing himself and his heart. Letting aside all the implications for a future with Akiho, which puts even more under a negative light an eventual future where they could become a couple (because you know, the age gap would be even bigger).

So how should they call him? Sticking to the Japanese text would already be a good start. If in JP they call him "that magician", call him that. If in JP they call him "that person" and doesn't sound natural enough in English? Call him "that guy", it's more vague. Hell, even "young man" could be okay. If in JP a character calls him "that boy", call him "that boy" (and they seem to have understood that! they're doing it, lately!). I hope that cleared it up, anon! Thanks for the ask! 😁

[frostythefelix]

Blessings Wait For You

Summary: When the Dragon Clan begins terrorizing the kingdom again, your life spirals out of control, somehow landing you a spot at the royal family’s dinner table and a spot in the prince’s heart.

Chapter 3

A nervous sigh leaves your lips as you smooth out the skirt of your pink dress, your right leg shaking with anticipation. Isabelle woke you up at exactly six o’clock that morning with your breakfast. She actually ate with you and spoke to you almost casually. You smiled, happy that she was treating you like a friend rather than a superior. You had always felt strange and awkward about class differences, especially when that person was about the same age as you. After you finished eating, Isabelle then helped you get ready for the day, insisting you have to look your best for your meeting with the king. She pulled a lovely day dress from your room’s closet-- you definitely did not bring that with you. You had brought several formal dresses, skirts and gowns (and even snuck your favorite pair of riding pants) but you had never owned something this bright and silky. She helped you slip into the dress and even did a bit of your makeup, choosing to leave your hair alone for the most part.

You zone back to the present. Now, you are sitting in the king’s personal office, alone with the exception of a guard by the door. You are mildly disappointed he isn't the curly haired guard from your first meeting. The king is running late. You guess since he’s the king, that means he’s still on time. The clock ticks, doing nothing but increasing the feeling of anxiety that is building up inside. The king is the most intimidating man you have ever met, reasonably so, and you are not excited for this meeting whatsoever. You try to distract yourself from your nerves, passing the time by thinking about your new friend and the dress you are wearing that hopefully isn't stolen from someone else’s wardrobe.

Finally, twenty-three minutes after you were told to be there, the king walks in. He does not acknowledge your presence, taking his seat behind his desk. He fiddles with some scrolls, picking them up and dropping them back onto the desk a couple times before folding his hands in front of him and making direct eye contact with you.

“Do you know why you are here?” He asks, voice monotone. Startled at his directness, you open your mouth to respond only to close it again when you can’t find your voice. Your eyebrows furrow.

“The Dragon Clan want to kill me,” you reply, sounding like you are asking a question more than answering his. He chuckles darkly, shaking his head.

“You have information that we need. We will need you to answer some questions later today and describe the man you saw to a sketch artist.” You nod at his words. This isn't a surprise to you, you knew you would have to do it at some point. To catch the Clan, you need more than just your vivid memory, but it is the best lead the palace has right now.

“I know you probably know who the men are. You have seen them in your town before, but I want to go into more detail so that you comprehend why this is such a serious matter.” You frown, but nod anyway to show him you are listening.

The king continues explaining. “The Dragon Clan have been around since before I was born. They have come into power and gone back into the shadows several times, each time returning with the same goal: to overthrow my family and put one of their own men on the throne.” He laughs, a sound you infer isn't full of joy. “You saw one of their faces. If we can identify him that will bring us a few steps closer to ending them for good.”

When you don't respond, he clears his throat. “You will be treated as a guest during your stay here with us. Until we know you are safe and that everything in the investigation is under control, you will remain here and provide assistance to the investigative guards as necessary. For your security, there will be certain guidelines to follow. You have already met your personal handmaid; she will inform you more of those rules. I hope the castle is fit to your liking.” You almost let a laugh out at that, if the castle does not meet your standards, you are truly out of luck, but you stifle it with a cough.

The king bids you farewell, and you take leave of his office. You take that time to explore. You have no clue where anything in this palace is, so you figure you should discover them sooner than later. Who knows how long an investigation into a decades-old rebel group would take; you could be here for years! And even if your stay is only for a couple days, you doubt you will get another chance to freely explore a palace in your lifetime. You aimlessly wander corridors, admiring the intricate artwork lining the seemingly endless hallways. On your fifth corridor, you hear grunts coming down the hall to your left. You debate turning around and picking another hall but then you hear a familiar shout. You smile to yourself, recognizing your best friend’s voice and following it. The room you come to is all wood, a striking contrast to the rock walls of the castle. You can see wooden swords on a shelf from where you stand at the door, real ones displayed above them. You hear another grunt and poke your head in the open doorway to see who is inside.

Minho is there, just as you suspected, kneeling on the ground in a tank top and shorts, an attire you are too used to seeing him in. Prince Felix and another boy, assumably the Hyunjin Felix spoke of, are doing push ups on the wood floor. For an instant you freeze, in your excitement to see your friend again you totally forgot what Minho’s job at the palace was. You don't know why, but seeing the boys-- the prince!-- in their tank tops and shorts feels like a sin, like something you are never allowed to see. You let out a squeak, turning to run, but Minho sees you lurking, a laugh bubbling from his mouth.

“Y/N, are you spying?” he teases. Blood rushes to your face, eyes wide. Prince Felix and Hyunjin lift themselves from the ground, goofy smiles on their faces as they stretch.

“No!” You protest. “I heard you and came to say hi, but I did not realize you were busy. I was going to come back later,” you explain, hoping you don't come off as a creep to the prince.

“You can stay,” the prince calls out, directing your attention to him. Your face reddens as your eyes automatically trace his sweaty, exposed collarbones and then travel down his arms. This is wrong, you should not be interacting so casually, you remind yourself.

“Oh, I cannot-”

“Yes, you can!” He argues playfully, sharing a look with your best friend that you don’t catch.

“Okay,” You reply awkwardly, not wanting to upset the prince. Hyunjin plops down on the floor, Prince Felix following suit. You hesitantly take a seat as well, searching Minho’s eyes for confirmation that you are not overstepping your boundaries, at least any more than you already are by interrupting their practice. You can tell your discomfort is amusing to your friend and you desperately want to punch him for it.

“So, what were you guys doing?” You ask, paving the way for an easy, comfortable conversation between the four of you. It takes you awhile to warm up. There is a prince right in front of you and the other two are acting as if he were just a normal guy. You don't understand how they are so casual around each other.

“You can relax, Y/N. Felix isn’t going to bite.” Minho chuckles. You glare at him, softening your expression with the help of a flaming blush when you catch the prince’s gaze. He gives you a toothless grin, a smile that shows genuine kindness.

“I’m sorry,” you mumble, letting your eyes fall to the floor. “It’s just that you are the prince. It’s kind of intimidating, even if you are so nice.” The three boys laugh at your response as you flush even more.

“I understand. I prefer to be friends with my staff, though. It is a lot more fun working with your friends than it is strangers,” Prince Felix says. You smile, understanding exactly what he means. After all, you did say the same thing to Isabelle last night. “So, please, treat me like your friend, not like I am the prince. And call me Felix. Prince Felix is way too formal.” You smile and nod, if Prince Felix-- no, Felix-- was ok with you acting casually, and told you specifically to do so, then you have nothing to worry about.

Hyunjin eases the group back into a less tense conversation, telling stories of his adventures with Felix in the castle. He’d been there since he was seven when his father was given the job of Head Guard. He and Felix became friends immediately, playing together and with the other staff’s kids, whenever they could. To you, growing up in the castle sounds like a dream. There was always someone to play with so they’d never get bored. As an only child, you had only ever had Minho to play with. You can’t stop the flicker of hope in your chest that maybe you could find friends within the palace just like Hyunjin and Felix did.

“Let’s play a game,” Felix suggests about an hour later when the conversation begins to lull.

“Absolutely not,” you respond. You are sure the guards are coming to find you soon to work on that sketch, and you think it would be best if they found you alone in your room, not in the workout room with two sweaty boys and the prince. You don't even realize that you basically just told the crown prince to shut up.

“You can’t say no to the prince, Y/N,” Minho sarcastically shouts.

“Stop telling people that!” Felix gasps, laughing as he hits his friend. You roll your eyes. Minho is always so dramatic. And after teasing you so much earlier you feel like this is just his karma.

“Fine.” Minho sighs. You wonder if he uses that excuse to manipulate people a lot. Probably. You agree to play the game, though you are not really sure what you are getting yourself into. Thankfully, Hyunjin explains the rules for a game they call “Charades”.

“You have never played before? It isn't really that difficult, you just have to act out a scene in complete silence. Your teammate has to guess what it is, and whichever team gets the most scenes correct, wins!” You doubt you will really “win” anything other than bragging rights, but Hyunjin’s energy is still contagious and you find yourself smiling. You go to grab Minho’s arm and pull him in to be your teammate, but Hyunjin karate-chops Minho’s arm. Minho shrieks, pulls from your grasp and glares at Hyunjin. You are both shocked and puzzled, is this a part of the game Hyunjin forgot to explain or something?

“Nice try, but you two definitely cannot be teammates.” You go to protest, but Hyunjin cuts you off. “You have literally known Minho all your life, you know each other too well, it would not be fair to the other team.” You and Minho share twin pouts, but you accept the fact that it would be too easy for you to win. Over a decade of inside jokes between you is perfect material for this game, too bad you will have to wait to try it out.

“So who’s team am I on then?” Minho asks, still bitter about being hit.

“Mine, and Y/N is with Felix.”

Of course you don’t mind being on Felix’s team. You want to get to know him more since you are going to be spending a lot of time in his home. It’s just that you literally have known him for a few days. Your team is definitely going to lose. You smile at Felix, jokingly reaching out to shake his hand.

“I am sorry in advance,” you say in a mock apology. Felix is a good sport and matches your fake despair in seconds, returning the handshake with a cute pout. Maybe you will be better teammates than you first thought.

Your team is up first since Felix suggested the game. Hyunjin whispers a task in your ear and you try to act it out for Felix to guess. You feel like an idiot acting out doing laundry. Has Felix ever even seen it done before? He has apparently, because he guesses it right within seconds, to the dismay of the other two. You guess they thought Felix didn’t know how laundry was done just like you had assumed.

Hyunjin is up next. Felix whispers something in his ear and Hyunjin begins to act it out. You have no idea what he’s doing, but you don't get to find out. Chan walks in while Minho is shouting incorrect answers at his younger friend, who is growing increasingly frustrated with each wrong guess. He smiles in amusement, coming over to where you are standing with Felix.

“Having fun?” He asks. You chuckle, glancing at your crazy best friend.

“If that’s what you want to call it,” you reply. Felix laughs next to you, diverting your attention to him again before Chan speaks up.

“They need you now. I’m sorry to take you away from--” he cocks his head to the side as Hyunjin begins furiously hopping up and down-- “this.”

“Good luck!” Felix shouts as you begin to follow Chan. You smile, waving back at him. Your heart hammers in your chest. You aren’t sure why you’re so nervous. There isn’t a reason for you to be. All you are doing is telling your side of the story. Chan places a comforting hand on your shoulder, assuring you that you’ll be fine once you stop in front of the door.

“Ready?” He questions. You nod thrice, breathing in deep and letting it out.

“Ready.”

[roominthecastle]

I find it interesting that even though we are supposed to believe Liz, Tom and Agnes is now a happy family, there has hardly been any true loving scene between them since... I don't even remember. Not even when they reunited after fake death did they seem that happy. Either TPTB didn't think to add that or it's on purpose. Thoughts?

I think the k/2 relationship has been sanitized, anon. One good visual example is what you also mentioned, their “big” reunion scene in 323 where everything is. So. Ridiculously. White. I think this is why their togetherness feels off and muted and - once again - fake. Nothing that went down between them has truly been dealt with yet they are already playing house again. They look like something out of a magazine - an attractively arranged but emotionally shallow image manufactured to sell some cheap crap you don’t even need. *cough*thespinoff*cough*

They def don’t act like two people deeply in love who are finally together as they were always meant to be. Their dynamic is lacking for a tv couple, I completely agree, and I’m not talking about the lack of sex scenes here (if I never see one btw these 2 it will still be too soon). They are more like roommates than soul mates. It’s not passion-affection keeping them together but “format and convenience”, so to speak. They are two people who fell back into a pattern and settled for it bc it is familiar - a lukewarm faux-marriage which remained their only frame of reference and which they can squeeze back into again but only if they can delude themselves and each other to their reality. Tim has to deny his own psychopathic nature and Liz has to pretend he is not the same selfish creep who used the same setup to violate her in every way imaginable. These are interdependent conditions, so if one wobbles, it pulls the other with it.

ok, more behind the cut but fair warning: I will wander off-topic bc k/2 interests me only to the extent it comments on Red & Liz’s relationship. which it does. imo + i am finally all caught up and have a lot of swirling thoughts, so again, beware of the ramblings:

Liz and Tim are back together almost as if nothing we witnessed in S1/S2b actually happened the way we *saw* it happen. Past transgressions are briefly touched upon but never with the intention of exploration. If they are brought up, it is done either to quickly wave them away or to put a revisionist spin on them. And so the authenticity of the dynamic suffers bc it is not an honest portrayal of a real reconciliation (which could never have been this fast and so complete) but a “quick-fix” for both, and if one of them strays from the script, the other is instantly doubtful. It’s just another fantasy. The only difference is that now Liz is complicit in maintaining it too bc poor woman thinks this is her only shot at having a Normal Life™. It doesn’t make the dynamic any healthier and it also warps her relationship with Red into something mostly ugly and irrational because he refuses to play along. His reluctance is perceived as a threat. But just like the fantasy, their distorted bond is also pierced by bouts of clarity (those are my favorite moments) and maybe someday this clarity will prevail.

But for now it just boggles the mind how much Liz is willing to either overlook, “reinterpret”, or “understand“ when it comes to her honey, while she holds Red to a completely different and extreme standard he will never be able to measure up to. It seems that all her frustrations are taken out on him lately. Red must be the root of all evil and the scapegoat at the same time, so Tim’s good guy status - and Liz’s fucked up choice to be with him bc he is “changed” - can be automatically validated no matter what Tim does. Again, it’s like we are back in S1. Red is not a Good Guy, don’t get me wrong. And I would welcome a healthy resistance, worry, and commentary on this from Liz if she didn’t choose to forgive everything and shack up with another criminal who has done precisely nothing remotely significant to make up for his 100% selfish and vile crimes. His grand gesture of “goodness” is that he is considering another way of living but since he changes his mind 10 times/hour, that’s hardly a solid sign + w/ the spinoff launching we know he is back to his old ways already, inviting the kind of danger Liz keeps complaining about but only with regards to Red’s presence. But according to her, it is only natural for Tim to behave this way and his lies are now an expression of “hope”. Oh lorde. I still remember when she claimed Tim was a changed man who had already reformed himself and thus became suitable marriage/father material, but it seems she just has to keep lowering the bar on that one since Tim apparently isn’t even ready to give up his fake identities yet.

The fake passports symbolize every covert and overtly aggressive, remorseless violation honey committed against Liz for years by repeatedly choosing to safeguard his own life and his mission at the expense of her mental/physical/emotional well-being, yet when she sees him still hoarding them, she just… acts like it’s no big deal. Their entire current relationship is built on strategically selective denial that only makes it look like they are dealing with things when in fact they are just brushing them off. Tim is now framed as a sexy spy boy struggling to settle down and his actual past with her is being scrubbed to support this fake (but much more marketable) image. Red is the only one left who refuses to accept/digest this obvious yet invisible lie, and Liz knows it too. And she is hostile to him, she keeps him away, she doesn’t allow him to enter the “dream home”, and this is where things get interesting.

The episode (410) where they move to their apartment is the same one where Red becomes obsessed with another apartment where everything is so white, it makes your eyes bleed. It is unnatural, sterile, sanitized (just like the big k/2 reunion scene in 323 we mentioned at the beginning). And he is down on his hands and knees with a little blacklight, looking for traces of a very personal atrocity that he knows has happened there even though there aren’t any overt signs of it now. And he keeps wondering how that is even possible. How can something so atrocious happen and leave everything looking normal and the same as it was before? How can even the memory of it disappear? He wants to avenge the murder of his friend and hire the murderer’s done-did-do cleaning crew, I know. That’s the surface agenda that acts as a conduit to much deeper issues he has been struggling with, including the k/3 fantasy unit. This gets confirmed when Dembe shows up on Liz’s doorstep saying that Red is spiraling again (he also acted out like this right after Liz told him the baby was Tim’s) and his only remaining anchors are her and her baby. If this ep with the two apartments is not a symbolic commentary on k/2′s unnatural sanitization of past transgressions and Red’s refusal to accept it, I don’t know what is, but I honestly cannot tell if it is done on purpose or not. TPTB probably thought it was ~quirky~ to have an all white apartment and that’s it. Fortunately, that’s not at all how it comes across in context of the entire show.

Red does to k/2 what he does to the “sanitized apartment”. He keeps crawling and poking around, he keeps trying to look behind loose parts to expose just one trace of the atrocity he knows happened there and what Liz is so busy suppressing, i.e. reality in favor of appearances (another topic Red dedicates a short speech to). This is why he later hires Tim for a mission that could have been given to any low level associate - he wanted to show Liz how unchanged and unfit her non-husband was (bc apparently it is still not obvious), and it did send the fantasy wobbling. Liz immediately flip-flopped on just how understanding she really was and Tim immediately questioned her love for him. Apply some pressure and this happens bc this is still a dishonest relationship. Also look at the way Red arranges this “reality check”. He enters the “dream home” uninvited when its current primary maintainer - Liz - is away, then sits opposite of Tim and close to Agnes, framing Tim as the intruder/outsider. He hates him and while I don’t think he will kill him, I also don’t think he will stop trying to pry him out of Liz’s life because Tim is a) a useless sack of shit and b) the rival. Every scene they share, they either stand/sit across from each other or Tim is forced to stand to the side or even leave the room entirely. He does not belong as far as Red is concerned and hopefully he continues to demonstrate it.