#i use subtitles and while i like some humour it does also annoy me when people put random jokes in

[the-moon-files]

Aaaaa, hi!! I'm the anon who sent in the fairly recent ask with the Guide!Reader ideas (martial artist mention, Dehydrated Ganon, strength possibilities, Ganon not being able to escape from Guide!Reader's voice, etc)! I'm really glad that you liked my ideas so much!! 😊 I was so pleasantly surprised to see you expand on my discombobulated thoughts, haha! Thank you so much! ^w^ I loved reading them!!

I said that I made memes for the Guide!Reader/Space Orc concept, and now I shall deliver them >:D Firstly, I'm super sorry that I took so long to share these with you!! Life decided to kick me in the shins for a hot second 😭 And secondly, I made a LOT of images for this one,, Fair warning, this is going to take up a lot of space 😭 orz

But anyway!! Here are the text memes first:

Guide!Reader: We’re playing Scrabble. It’s a nightmare.

Wars: Scrabble? Scrabble’s great.

Guide!Reader: Not when you’re playing with Zelda, it’s not. She’s out here putting in words like “ephemeral” while I’m putting in “dog.”

☆

Guide!Reader: *pointing out Magic Powder* Legend, look, it’s the good kush!

Legend: …This is the Rupee Store, how good can it be?

☆

Ravio: Hi, welcome! Are you part of our Super Savers Shoppers Club?

Guide!Reader: No, I’m not.

Ravio: :D :) :| Oh.

☆

Legend, looking into a banged-up Water Temple: …It’s trash.

☆

Time, whenever Guide!Reader uses modern slang: We need IRL subtitles. What are you even saying.

☆

Guide!Reader: My Furby died in my arms when I was a child.

Hyrule, has no clue what a Furby is: I’m so sorry for your loss.

Guide!Reader: It wasn’t a loss. I had never felt more like a god.

☆

The Chain: *getting told off by Time*

Guide!Reader in the back: …

Guide!Reader: *starts playing the ukulele* 👁👄👁 🎸

Time: 🧍

☆

Four, talking about Guide!Reader: So, I’m interested in someone…

Dot: :D Oooh! What do they look like?

Four: *slow realisation*

Four: I don’t know

Dot: Wh

Dot: What do you mean you don’t know?

☆

Guide!Reader/Ganon, about hearing Guide!Reader every dang game: The universe has a sense of humour, and I respect the commitment to the bit, but girl please.

☆

Guide!Reader, to Link once they reunite with the Chain: Now… *puts hand on his shoulder* We’re back on our bullsh*t.

☆

Guide!Reader and Wild, meeting Sidon for the first time:

Guide!Reader: …Would.

Wild: Would what?

Guide!Reader:

Wild: (Name)? Would what?

☆

Wind: When you become famous you’re called a legend because your leg ends.

Guide!Reader: What? 

Wind: Your leg. It ends.

Guide!Reader: I’m not a linguist, but I think you’ve got it wrong.

Wind: Are you saying your leg doesn’t end?

Guide!Reader: I mean, at some point it does, yes.

Wind: Then what’s the problem?

☆

The Chain, waking up at dawn to get ready:

Guide!Reader and Sky, just trying to process being alive:

☆

Guide!Reader/Time: You need to get out of bed faster than this.

Sky, struggling: I’m giving it all he’s got, boss

☆

Guide!Reader at Ganon: Your anger amuses me. Please don’t find inner peace. Please.

☆

Guide!Reader, playing through LoZ game: *at an annoying NPC* Let me ask you a very fair question. What do you do successfully? Quickly. :|

Link, trying not to laugh:

☆

Hyrule, probably: I hate it when a recipe tells me to add two cups of onions. They don’t come in cups. They come in onions.

Guide!Reader, head in hands: Please

☆

Hyrule/Twilight, looking at two NPCs: Are they lovers?

Guide!Reader, who knows the lore: Worse.

☆

The Chain, enjoying Guide!Reader’s affections:

Legend: 🚶‍♂️🚶‍♂️🚶‍♂️

☆

Legend, defending himself from the “You like him” allegations from Wind: 🤸🤸🏃‍♂️🏃‍♂️

And now, onto the images- I hope you don't think the sheer amount of these memes is too excessive or anything!! 😭 /gen

Aaa and that's all the memes I've got! I hope you like them,,! orz

I'm also still pretty new to Tumblr, so I'm sorry if the format looks a bit weird,,

Oh, but also?? That last point you mentioned in your most recent post about the cultural differences between humans and Hylians on physical affection/touch?? I am VERY excited to see that,, 👀 👉👈 

U HAVE NO IDEA HOW IN LOVE W/UR BRAIN I AM RN

IM SO FUCKING ECSTATIC TO SEE THESE >>> ANYTHING IVE EVER WRITTEN U MADE MEMES??? FOR MY BS?????? DAOHGHOAKJSALKGFS;NDFKNDNFKJBDBFLN;

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

BLESS YOU, BEHEAMOTH SCREAMOTH MY BELOVED <3333

HAVE THAT HYLIANS V. HUMANS AFFECTION CULTURE POST HERE, THE ONLY PAYMENT I CAN THINK OF FOR THIS 😩😩 🛐 🛐 🛐

I LIED ITS TOO LONG, ITS GONNA BE A SEPERATE POST COME BACK AND PLS READ IT AS PAYMENT (but dont read the nsft/w if ur a minor)

BRO u got all the energy, and the dynamics i was pushing ilysm 🥺🫶

like the Hyrule = beloved agenda ive been pushing, bc i need more underrep links content, the way u carried the ganon eternally getting haunted by guide reader voice?? 10/10 ahdsfkhadl

AND WIND’S CONSTANT ENERGY OF A YOUNGER BROTHER LOOKIN U DEAD IN THE EYE LIKE “u kiss the homie (singular not even plural) goodnight?? Brother, that’s GAEY.”

u have no idea what this means to me, the impact, the understanding u have to have of my bs to make these, and how many posts youve read of mine?? im so sorry for ur loss w/my rough writing lmao

thats how you know youve made it tbh is if someone makes memes of smth u made, anyway day brightened, complexion clear, depression medicated, by this post

I HOPE BOTH SIDES OF UR PILLOW ARE COLD, UR PETS CUDDLE U EXTRA, U GET ALL THE GRADES/GOOD WORK SHIFTS U NEED

Peace out my beloved <3,

🌙

[teacupsandcyanide]

hi everyone check out these funny shirts

As an Asian-Australian, one of the delights of my youth was being surrounded by Asian products with bad English on them. Personally I think it's fine to have a giggle at them as long as you don't call it "engrish" and you understand that Westerners are not immune to being similarly bad at other languages. People simply think "hey that other language looks cool, I'm gonna put it on a shirt" and they don't let not knowing a single word of that language stop them. I get really nostalgic whenever I see Asian products with bad English specifically, and I wanted to share a haul with you today, in order of most coherent to most absolutely bananas. I would encourage you to read the image descriptions.

[Image ID: A white t-shirt emblazoned with photos of broccoli and black text outlining the nutritional value of broccoli per 100g (3.5 oz). Text litters the design reading "CALORIE 36.0" and "CABBAGE FAMILY". The masterpiece is headed by the word "Broccoli". To the side of this shirt is another, smaller shirt, also white. The design of this shirt is much simpler, with just the word "Broccoli" in green, and a small picture of broccoli. /.End ID]

Specimen 1: Broccoli shirt. This fits into the popular category of fruit, vegetable, and drink-based attire. Common examples of this tend more towards strawberry, milk, avocado, citrus, and chocolate, though, so the broccoli is distinctly more left-field than the more favoured carrot or radish, typically considered cuter vegetables. I appreciate this diversity and the funducational approach, as well as the fact that there is a smaller, matching shirt, as if for a child or especially large dog. I like how the smaller shirt is tastefully simpler but still includes both a written and pictorial depiction of broccoli, so you get a clear idea of what the shirt's deal is. @redgoldblue when you're finally ready to let me dress you up like a smaller version of me and carry you around town telling people that I'm a vampire and you're a porcelain doll haunted by my human ghost, I think we should start here. Rating this a 6/10.

[Image ID: A black t-shirt cropped to a v-shape, with matching black arm bands/arm warmers. This shirt has a band of distorted pink texture placed exactly where the tits would be, were the wearer a tit owner. Over this texture is the picture of a tabby kitten with a blue ribbon around its neck and a pink rose tucked into said ribbon. The kitten is smiling a Mona Lisa smile and standing on some disembodied piano keys. The words "Here on earth, Joy iy youry" are written in warped pink comic sans. There is something in the upper right corner in tiny pink writing, which reads in part "joy/delight" and then devolves into inscrutable text. /.End ID]

Specimen 2: Sad girl kitten shirt with matching emo arm warmers. Obviously we've all felt when here on earth joy iy youry. Universal human experience. Love the tit highlighter. Shirt looks like the someone communed with Beezlebub to design it. 8/10

[Image ID: A grey t-shirt, slightly over-sized/loose fit. Design looks very American; it has a cartoon planet with a ring around it. Black text arching above the planet reads "INTERNATIONAL" and over the planet green block text continues "Pretty Girls Club". Underneath the planet is more black text reading "FOUNDED BY BINCH CITY". On one side of the shirt there's a slit that cuts up to approx just below the tiddy zone, or at least to the midriff. At the top of this slit are two clothing tags with mostly unreadable text on them, but one reads in all-caps "CHOOSE HAPY". /.End ID]

Specimen 3: Shirt for pretty girls who choose hapy. "Binch city" might say "beach city" but I'm choosing to believe that it says "binch", as "binch" is infinitely funnier. Slit is a wildly unexpected choice but doesn't do enough to alleviate the overall boringness. 4/10.

[Image ID: A blue shirt with one mismatched sleeve in slightly darker blue. Has two large starry cartoon eyes and blushed cheeks hovering, disembodied, on the lower right side, below which is a horizontal cut in the cloth that gapes open like a mouth. Dangling from the hem of the shirt below this face are two long strips of fabric with little chicken feet. The main body of the shirt has a speech bubble reading in large white text "Can you tie a bow for me?". /.End ID]

Specimen 4: Really can't get into this one, lads. Hopefully you too have the dreadful moment of realisation that "Can you tie a bow for me?" means that the cartoon face is inviting you to use its chicken legs to tie a bow through its open maw to hold its mouth wider open in a parody of a grin. This isn't speculation by the way, it's demonstrated in accompanying pictures. 10/10 for "oooh absolutely not."

[Image ID: A white t-shirt totally blank but for the photorealistic picture of a fat ginger cat taped to it with a thick strip of silver duct tape. Cat doesn't look mad about the arrangement. /.End ID]

Specimen 5: This Guy. 21/10, absolute mad lad.

[Image ID: A white t-shirt with some food and drink on the centre, drawn in a sketchy coloured art style. There is a small bowl of apples, and a bottle of milk labelled "milk". There is also a teapot made to look like a fridge, with its door slightly ajar and an even tinier bowl of fruit and a tinier carton of milk sitting on top. Next to this is a plate of either cheese or butter, with a breadknife lying on top and some remnants of unidentifiable food to the side. Words under this plate read "more parsley". There is no parsley on the plate. There are also larger words reading "Good enough to eat BUT DON'T!" with an arrow pointing towards the plate of cheese butter. /.End ID]

Specimen 6: Good enough to eat!!! BUT DON'T! I like that the milk is labelled "milk" so you know what it is. The teapot fridge situation raises more questions than it answers. I feel that the "more parsley" note gives a sense of philosophic allegory to the whole thing. There's no parsley on the plate, but is that why more parsley is needed? Can you ask for more when you have nothing, or do you simply ask for parsley? This design also reminds me of a lot of Korean stickers I've used. 10/10, classic.

[Image ID: A photo of a person wearing a shirt. The shirt is black and oversized, with a large pink toy rabbit dominating the centre of the design. Over this rabbit are all caps in pink and white, reading "MXCHN SAEAY". Beneath the rabbit in smaller white all caps are the words "JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE INVITED' DOESN'T MEAN YOU" then below that also in white all caps the words "FROM THE MIND' OF JORDAN PEELE". /.End ID]

Specimen 7: FROM THE MIND' OF JORDAN PEELE. Now we enter the ever popular gibberish category, crossing over slightly with the category of "selecting random things from Western culture to reference nonsensically", which happen to be two of my favourite categories. I once saw a collection of shirts with the disembodied heads of two of the kids from Stranger Things and text reading "EMILY + ME <3". I don't know enough about Jordan Peele's films to be sure that this isn't actually a coherent reference, but I know enough about Asian shirts to say with some confidence that it probably isn't one. Absolute delight, pleasure to have you here, 11/10.

[Image ID: A cream-coloured ringer t-shirt with navy blue edging at the sleeves and collar. It has a navy blue picture that at first glance looks like a cute cartoony drawing of two people at either a shop counter or having dinner. On closer inspection the picture doesn't actually make sense. There are two people sitting at a table with their backs turned to the viewer, their faces turned to talk to each other. But also the table seems to be two school desks, and at the same time be inside a coffee shop counter. The counter has what looks like a pitcher and coffee press, and two short stools in front of it. The table/desk situation merges into the top of the counter. There is also a light overhead and something that looks like an inkblot picture floating above the coffee press. Crowning this conglomeration of visual gibberish are letters spaced together like made-up words, arching over the whole drawing. These letters/words are "DNHELIE COST" then "1997", followed by "ENJOG DOPS COSRN SN". More words are on the front of the counter, "ene Lirenocs [unreadable] ENJOG Meanris". Somehow, next to all that are perfectly legible words saying "let's go!". /.End ID]

Specimen 8: HELLO? Truly in the total gibberish category now. Prime specimen of its genre. I took a psychic damage hit trying to describe the image. 9/10, point deducted because the design is clearly made up of stolen images merged together.

[Image ID: A white t-shirt with actually coherent design and English. Artwork of an cranky black cat over striped colours with vector art of a syringe above. Layered above and below the main image are the words "I GOT VACCINATED BUT I STILL WANT SOME OF YOU TO STAY AWAY FROM ME". /.End ID]

Specimen 9: Speaking of obviously stolen artwork, this is to a Westerner a totally normal shirt but I cannot describe to you how jarring it was to see this amongst my cutesy frog overalls and FROM THE MIND' OF JORDAN PEELE streetwear. I've tried to recreate the experience by saving this one until towards the end but I fear that unless as a child you also went to Morning Glory semi-religiously to look at journals with "lovely day girl" and bootlegged Disney princess chibis plastered all over them, you simply will not be able to experience the same emotion via the empty illusion of forced immersion. 2/10, clearly stolen, design is too coherent, this is an imposter in my lands.

[Image ID: A white cropped t-shirt printed with pink and blue pastel lettering. Lettering reads "Friendly Reminder, not being racist is not enough". There are pink hearts between the words "is not enough". Below this is a text bubble outlined in pink, which contains smaller black text that reads "Nothing will change unless we recognize and actively work against our own internalized biases, unless we are willing to risk our comfort for the sake of others". /.End ID]

Specimen 10: The only thing more jarring than the vaccinated cat shirt is this, also an obviously stolen design, but worse. This is the inverse of an imposter in my lands. I've seen artwork like this since 2011 on a thousand passive aggressive tumblrina blogs. Why is the DNI page of a white 23-year-old who does nothing but start fights over Steven Universe and have "soft baby pet" in their bio on a t-shirt sold alongside DNHELIE COST 1997. When I look at this I experience two emotions. The first emotion is a complicated inner conflict between knowing I agree with the basic principle of the artwork and not being able to separate it from some of the most unbearable people I've ever crossed paths with. The second emotion is this:

[Image ID: A screenshot of beloved fictional character Mike Wazowski standing in front of a door and screaming at his best friend, Monsters Inc employee and lauded foster parent James P. Sullivan, known to friends as Sulley. Foster child Boo, commonly referred to by Mike Wazowski as "that thing", stands in monster cosplay to Sulley's left. /.End ID]

Okay, I've saved the best for last.

[Image ID: A grey acid-wash t-shirt with a picture of a black skeleton floating with its arm spread out, glowing infra-red. Above its upturned hands are hovering a black star and a globe respectively, also both glowing. There are lightning strikes around the skeleton and poor definition red roses at its feet. Large hippy font words above the skeleton read in all-caps: "MENTAL ILLNESS". Below the skeleton similar all-caps read "SOCIAL MEDIA MAKE YOU BE A DIFFERENT PERSON". /.End ID]

Specimen 11: I believe that if you're a regular tumblr user you fall into one of 6 categories:

you are the kind of person who likes tea and libraries

you think this shirt is somehow problematic

there is some part of you that wants this shirt

you are the kind of person who likes tea and libraries and there is also some part of you that wants this shirt

you think this shirt is somehow problematic but there is some part of you that wants this shirt anyway

a complicated sexy lil mixture of all of the above

Please if you reblog this post put in the tags which category you fall under, for science. Also rate this shirt.

[nanami-says]

Part III (1/2): chapters 19-25

Vs. Mahito Arc

Chapter 19 (aka why this blog exists)

J:”Yeah, we know that. But we flatter her because she looks easy.”

⇒ ”And the three of them know it as well. But they flatter you exaggeratedly anyway because they think you’ll let them do you”

Actually Junpei’s lines.

J:”I can’t believe people like that go to my school.”

Not incorrect, I just want to point out that Junpei didn’t just say “people”, the word he used is “race” (人種）, which implies he doesn’t see them as the same kind of human he is.

J:”Was it that guy who did it? There’s no way a person could do that! If he did it, he must not be human.”

⇒ “Was it that person just now? No, would such a thing be even possible for a human being? And if it was, would they really be a ‘human being’?”

Overall correct but the flow was different. Mind you, 人 can be translated both as “person” and “human being” (among others) depending on the context. Imo this captures the nuance better but YMMV!

N:”I’m here to identify the truth and uphold the law. There was a time when I thought the society had the same goals”

⇒ ”Adapting to the facts [in front of you] and managing yourself accordingly. That’s who I am. There was a time where I mistakenly believed society operated on the same basis.”

This was really hard to translate, especially since the phrase Nanami uses here is rather formal language. I actually checked the official anime subtitles for this one and they went with “I adhere to the facts and judge on that basis”, which I guess is close enough? I’d probably go with it as well if not for the fact that he doesn’t just say 律する but 己を律する (己/onore = I/me in humble language).

Seems like the exact meaning of the phrase is difficult to understand even for Japanese people - there are whole articles out there breaking down the meaning and giving examples of how to implement it in life 8D Anyway, the simplest explanation is “to control yourself”, with further nuance of “enforcing rules on yourself in order to achieve a goal”, “restricting your desires and impulses by your own will” etc.

Thanks a lot, Gege.

Btw, Ino, who respects Nanami greatly and considers him a mentor, actually uses the same phrase, word for word, in ch. 95! (事実に即し、己を律する) That’s how important it is. Also, continuity!

Y:”Let’s do it!”

N:”There’s no need to get excited”

⇒ Y:“Let’s go all out!!”

 N:”No, if moderate’s enough, let’s just do it moderately”

They both used descriptors for just what kind of intensity they should approach the mission with. Imo, an important distinction because after they learn the full extent of the situation, Nanami takes back his words from this moment and agrees with Yuuji, going as far as to use the same words Yuuji did here.

N:”I wonder what others would think hearing you say that”

⇒ “I’m sure the others wouldn’t want to hear that from you [of all people]”

So not so much “don’t be rude” as “dude, you’re the weirdest of them all”. Emphasis mine.

N:”What I learned at Jujutsu High is that jujutsu sorcerers are idiots” 

& “What I realized while at the office is that work is idiotic”

He actually says “shit” both times lol. If it was just the humour that suffered here, it still wouldn’t be too awful but unfortunately it’s not just that. The “sorcerers are shit” line gets recalled when Nanami’s facing death, trapped in Mahito’s domain, which makes it pretty damn important. It gets translated yet differently by the official release then, too, which further damages continuity I believe Gege intended for this.

”So I took the lesser of two evils. Nothing more, nothing less”

⇒ “If both are shit, then I just chose the one I’m more cut out for. That’s all as far as the reason for my coming back is concerned.”

I mean, if we realllllly insist on watering down everything that Nanami says (as JJK translators apparently did), then the basic meaning was conveyed but the original wording and nuance was closer to what I proposed.

N:”Prove to me that you can be useful in spite of the demon Sukuna inside of you”

⇒ “Give your best to prove that you’re useful despite carrying the bomb that Sukuna is.”

Considering how 2 pages later Nanami tells Yuuji that he’s not the one Yuuji should be proving himself to, it’d have been weird if this is actually what he’d said, wouldn’t it. But Nanami’s nothing if not reasonable, so that wasn’t the case.

Y:”I’m weak and useless. I’ve been hearing a lot of that these days”

⇒ “That I’m weak and useless... I’ve been realising that to a painful extent these days”

“I’ve been hearing it” would imply that someone was actually saying it either to Yuuji himself or to others which he was aware of. (I mean, other than Sukuna.) The original wording doesn’t really hold such connotation.

N:”If you think you’re in trouble, let me know”

Y:”Have some faith in me, will ya? Just a little.”

N:”It’s not about faith.(...)”

Y:”A child? I’d rather be underestimated”.

⇒ N:“If you decide you cannot win, please call me.”

Y:”Aren’t you underestimating me too much?”

N:”This is not about ‘underestimating’ or ‘not underestimating’.(...)

Y:”[Even] being underestimated would’ve been better over being treated like a kid.”

I guess the translators wanted to avoid saying “underestimate” 3 times in a row? Albeit that’s what the original does.

More importantly though!!

N:”I’m an adult and you’re a child. I have the obligation to look after you”

⇒ “(...) It’s my obligation to prioritise you over myself.”

Quite a different nuance, right. Not just “I have to look after you” but “your well-being [life] takes priority over my own”.

N:”Experiencing these little losses is what helps people grow into adults”

⇒ “It’s the accumulation of such small despairs that turns people into adults”

Not that wildly different but despairs (hopelessnesses) >>> losses, y/y. Also “helps” made it sound more positive when it’s both a poignant and at the same time dry statement.

Chapter 20

N:”There are techniques that aren’t affected if revealed to certain enemies”

Those two feel more like separate examples to me. I.e. that there are techniques that aren’t affected if revealed, and there are some enemies that you can afford to reveal your technique to. Could apply simultaneously but don’t necessarily have to, if that makes sense?

“There is a merit to revealing one’s hand and the rules it initiates. You can make your technique even more effective.”

⇒ “It has its merits too. The ‘binding’ of ‘revealing one’s hand’ amplifies the effectiveness of your technique.”

Wild lost “binding” appears! Like I indicated before, it’s the lack of consistency to translating terms that are consistent in the original, that has negatively affected the fans’ ability to understand the basics of jjk techniques and world-building.

[Explaining Yuuji’s divergent fist]

GJ:”But it’s a lot easier said than done for anyone else.”

⇒ “It’s not something that can be easily done on purpose”

N:”His physical strength is superhuman. The impact of his hit doesn’t have incredibly strong energy, but it’s still about 20% more than a normal sorcerer. That means his delayed hit comes from his main source of cursed energy. It must be quite annoying for those on the receiving end. Such potential. If he’s able to go out all and combine his full physical strength with a cursed technique…”

⇒ “(...) The initial impact contains little cursed energy but it still achieves 120% of an average sorcerer. And then the actual cursed energy hits with a delay. For those on the receiving end it must be more unpleasant than one could imagine. And he’s got potential for growth, too. If he becomes able to add 100% of cursed energy to a 100% body…”

Uhh, this was a tricky one because on the first read it doesn’t seem that terribly wrong but when you read the original carefully, you realise this and that got lost in translation. My version should be closer to the original meaning.

I:”We’re going to have to ask the murderer about the technique”

⇒ “That’s just something that you can’t know unless you ask the offender about their technique”

Obviously Ieiri wasn’t suggesting to literally ask the murderer.

“However there’s evidence the brain stems were modified. Their consciousness were also modified to create a state of confusion”

⇒ (...) This was probably done to create a disturbance of consciousness... a state of mental confusion”

Slightly different nuance for this one.

Y:”For me, the gravity of death is the same regardless. This isn’t right!”

First sentence is mostly correct but it should’ve been “the gravity of death of another person” (emphasis mine).

Second sentence sounds too mild for what is actually Yuuji being super mad specifically about the way those people were killed? The phrase he uses means something like "This is just in way too poor taste”, “way too vulgar” etc. I guess if you went for a less literal translation, you could say “just too disgusting”/”revolting”.

N:”This matter won’t be taken care of so easily. Let’s do it”

⇒ “Looks like ‘moderately’ won’t be enough here. Let’s go all out.”

This is the instance of Nanami retracting his words and backing Yuuji up by borrowing his own words that I mentioned earlier!

M:”Jujutsu sorcerers brand such entities as “special grade potential spirits” and fear them as much as powerful curses. The fact that they categorize them as such really shows their shallowness”

⇒ “Jujutsu sorcerers register them as “special grade potential apparitions” and remain on alert against them [on alert for their appearance]. The same applies to powerful unidentified curses. That they categorise them as ‘potential apparitions’ just shows how little they truly see.”

It’s not that sorcerers fear them per se but that they (most likely) monitor them and are on guard against them. When followed up by the “what people truly genuinely fear are natural disasters [forces of nature]” conversation, it becomes clear that what Mahito scorns sorcerers for is their short-sightedness for thinking all powerful curses must be born out of people’s imagination, ~urban legends~ etc.

[Junpei asking what Mahito was born from]

M:”Thanks to the hatred spewed between people I was born”

⇒ “I’m a curse born out of the fear and hatred people harbour towards [other] people"

or even

“I’m a curse born out of people hating and fearing people”

Again a quite different nuance. They really shouldn’t have edited “fear” out.

Chapter 21

J:’Don’t you think that whoever first said, ‘The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference’ must be rotting in hell? There’s no way hating people is better than feeling indifferent towards them.”

⇒ “(...) There’s no way that approaching others with evil intentions is better than not interacting [with them] at all”

The first sentence is mostly fine although the original doesn’t include the “is not hate” bit, it only says “the opposite of love is indifference”. The second part is quite different. After all, hating doesn’t necessarily imply there’s any action taken.

“Complicating simple things for the sake of meaning is such a Japanese thing to do”

⇒ “Japanese sure love it - complicating simple answers and gloating in it”

I didn’t like the “for the sake of meaning” bit, imo it’s over-interpreting.

J:”Indifference. That’s what humans should strive for.”

M:”Sounds more like revenge”

J:“Are you saying that I got it all mixed up?”

Junpei’s first line here is fine although interestingly enough he puts it as “a virtue humans should strive for”. Then it’s

⇒ M:“And yet you wish for revenge”

J:”Are you trying to say I’m contradicting myself?”

M:”In this world, only I understand the soul’s composition. I can even transmogrify living beings. Emotions come from the soul. It’s too simplistic to call it ‘heart’. People overthink the things they can’t see. (...)”

⇒ “In this world I’m the only one who understands the soul’s composition. After all, I change the shape of living beings by touching it. Emotions are products of the metabolism of the soul. It’s altogether too mechanical [of a process] to call it a heart. People assign too much value to things invisible to the eye.(...)”

Last one is literally “consider ‘special’ way too much”, simpler wording than what I went with but I tried to make it more legible.

The “metabolism of the soul” phrase is especially vital because Junpei throws it at Yuuji almost word for word when confronted by him at the school after his mother’s death.

More philosophy lessons from Mahito-sensei \o/

“Don’t limit yourself to just being indifferent. There’s no reason to live by such a restricting philosophy.”

⇒ “Don’t allow yourself to be shackled by the ideal called ‘indifference’. There’s no need for there to be consistency in one’s way of life.”

Mahito actually takes the “is ���consistency’ necessary” stance a few times in the manga, including when he and Getou squabble about the relationship between the body and the soul in Shibuya. A pity about the mistranslation here.

“I support everything you represent, Junpei”

⇒ “I’ll affirm your everything, Junpei”

Imo the act of supporting and the act of affirming while similar aren’t one and the same, hence the change.

N:”Either come alone, or risk bringing Itadori with me. I chose the former, nothing more. He’s still a child, after all.”

⇒ “The risk of venturing [into the enemy’s territory] alone, or the risk of bringing Itadori-kun with me. I simply chose the former. He’s still a child, after all.”

Idk, I feel like cutting out “the risk” from the first option makes Nanami sound more callous? Like Yuuji’s a liability and going by himself is a sounder option. Whereas, it was actually him weighing two risks against each other and deciding that potentially endangering Yuuji is the one he can afford less.

[After Yuuji asks why he doesn’t know important jujutsu related stuff.]

I:”Because Gojou’s your mentor.” ⇒ “it’s because Gojou’s ...”

He actually uses a lovely adjective to describe Gojou, which can mean a plethora of things, including: irresponsible, sloppy, lazy, unreliable, careless, perfunctory etc. etc.

Ichiji? Not a member of Gojou Satoru Fanclub.

Y:”This feels like a bad plan”

⇒ “This feels so staged, I don’t like it.”

Lit. “play [perform, read] one's own work”. I think what Yuuji might’ve meant here was that the plan felt dishonest? Second sentence could also be “I don’t feel up for it.”

Chapter 22

M:”Was that some kind of cursed technique?”

N:”What do you mean by ‘some kind’? I don’t appreciate questions that are left open to interpretation”

⇒ “(...) I hate abstract questions that put the whole burden on the other person”

Lit. “that leave it to others”. Other than Nanami being more straightforward with “hate”/”dislike”, I think this was him expressing he doesn’t like people who don’t even try to think for themselves and immediately demand answers from others instead.

“It would be silly to not assume a connection(...)”

⇒ “It would be more unnatural not to assume a connection(...)”

Different wording (unnatural instead of silly), which imo affects Nanami’s characterisation.

M:”The shape of the body will always be dependent on the shape of the soul”

This sounds a bit too passive and generic? Closer to “The shape of the body gets pulled along by the shape of the soul”, which is literally what Mahito’s technique does.

I’m heavily paraphrasing but!

magazine raw scans: ”it's 6:30 PM now and I started working at 11 AM, so I'm going to finish by 7PM no matter what”

official English release:”it's 5:30 PM now and I started at 10, gotta finish by 6”

The time change is so random, I wonder if Gege simply changed it themselves for the volume release. Maybe to bring it closer to the common office job times? Typical Japanese work day at the office begins at 9AM and lasts 8h + 1h break (completely unpaid but compulsory). I guess if Nanami skipped the break then working 10AM-6PM would make it exactly 8h?

The biggest mystery of jjk.

Chapter 23

M:”Even if sorcerers can protect their bodies using cursed energy, they can’t protect their souls”

⇒ “Even if sorcerers can protect their bodies using cursed energy, they [just] aren’t used to protecting their souls”.

So it’s not that they “can’t” as in “are incapable of” and more that there’s never been the need, so they never learned how and aren’t used to doing it. As proven by Yuuji later it’s not impossible.

M:”Overtime? He restricts himself based on time! He was limiting his power until now!”

⇒ “Overtime work? A ‘biding’ based on time! He was suppressing his power by himself until now!”

Another instance where “binding” as a term makes its appearance (it even uses quotation marks) but wasn’t properly denoted by the translators.

M:”A large-scale attack, and he doesn’t care if he gets hit while doing it!”

⇒ “A large-scale attack [done] with the resolve of [potentially] getting killed along with me!”.

The phrase Mahito uses here is 相打ち, lit. “killing [hitting] each other at the same time”. Also, “doesn’t care” and “is prepared/has the resolve” are quite different, aren’t they.

Chapter 24

J:”The way a perfectionist is willing to lay everything out there is beautifully portrayed”

⇒ ”The change in emotions [leading up] to a perfectionist abandoning everything is properly portrayed here”

I’m including this because knowing Gege, it’s not just simple movie talk, and it’s actually foreshadowing Yuuji’s future fate or something 8D

I can’t decide if it’s “abandon” (also “throw out of the window”) or “sacrifice” because the word used can mean either. I’m leaving that to everyone’s interpretation.

“Like I thought, that sorcerer’s nuts!”

⇒ “He doesn’t look it but he sure does reckless things, that sorcerer”

How does "he doesn't look it but (...)" even become "like I thought (...)"? He was laughing at and enjoying the contrast between Nanami's appearance/attitude and his actions/fighting.

M:”My cursed energy is also controlled by my will”

⇒ “The spending of cursed energy too is among things I can supply by myself.”

I’m not entirely sure because it’s a tricky one, so take this one with a grain of salt. But the official release is definitely missing “spending/expenditure” and Mahito isn’t talking about using/manipulating his cursed energy in general but “the amount of cursed energy spent”.

“Mr. Irresponsible Gojou” ⇒  “Devil-may-care Gojou-san”

“Mr. Mature Nanami” ⇒ “The adult of [all] adults Nanami-san”/”the adult above all adults”

I just really enjoy Ichiji and his little epithets, I guess.

J:”Have you ever killed anyone?”

⇒ “Have you ever killed a human being/another human?”

Just putting it out there because imo there's a distinction between “anyone” and “a human being”. Especially considering how much of this arc was questioning what being a human means.

Y:”Um… I mean, the choice to kill will definitely find its way to me”

⇒ "How to put it... once I've killed someone, "killing" would become one of the possible options [to take] in my life".

Maybe the nuance was there in the official release too and I just didn't pick up on it but to me the former makes it sound more like he’s saying "I may still have to kill one day". Whereas the original seems to hold the connotation that if you do something once - even if it’s something as horrible as killing another human being - it becomes easier to do it again in the future because it's a choice you've made before, it's not untouchable anymore.

Chapter 25

[Yuuji expressing his regret over Nanami choosing to go fight Mahito alone.]

"Am I in your way, Nanamin?”

⇒ “Am I a burden [to you], Nanamin?”

A different nuance for this line.

“’My friend died but I wasn’t there because I’m a child.’ I wouldn't do that to you. That said"

⇒ "’My comrade died. But I wasn’t there. Why? Because I am a child.’ I would hate something like that" [to be put in such a position]

And this is just pure mistranslation. The whole “my comrade died but I wasn’t there because I’m a child” line is actually Yuuji painting a possible scenario (he does it with short sentences but the speech is overall polite). What they translated as “that said” was actually a follow-up to that scenario and could be translated as “something like that”.

N:”Being a child is not a bad thing”

⇒ “Being a child is in no way a crime”

I wanted to point this out since the original word’s most common meaning is actually “sin”, which is significantly heavier than just “not a bad thing”. Could also go with a milder “is not something to feel guilty about” here I guess.

G:”How’s the curtain coming along?”

M:”Can’t get in, can get out. This only applies to humans with weak cursed energy.”

⇒ G:”What’s the effect of the ‘curtain’?”

M:“Can't get out from the inside, can get in from the outside. (...)”

Literally the opposite for the curtain’s effect. Emphasis is Gege’s, too! Also Getou’s question was actually about how exactly the curtain in question would work, and not just how it was coming along.

M:”We’ll make them fight and force Yuji Itadori to make a binding vow in Sukuna’s favor”

Just to reiterate, whenever “binding vow” appears, it’s actually just “binding”.

[to part iii (2/2)]

[to part iii (2/2)]

[mrsgreenworld]

Sen Çal Kapımı Episode 15 aka Soulmates

I know it's never taken me this long to gather my thoughts on a new SCK episode. But as I mentioned in my previous post Mike Flanagan's shows happened to me 😭😩😱

However, I also think it's because I had some mixed feelings regarding the episode. I guess while I was trying to watch it live (trying being the operative word here) the problems with the live stream influenced my overall first impression. I wasn't able to watch a good chunk of the episode and, of course, it got me annoyed and that, I guess, mixed up with my feelings about the episode. But after having rewatched it with subtitles I have a full and clear picture.

All in all it was a nice episode, very light compared to a much heavier angst of earlier episodes. I liked that light-hearted moments and humour were back. It was also a shorter episode which served it well. However, it felt a lot like a filler episode which, in my opinion, did nothing to move the story forward.

The things I loved / liked:

☑️ Eda: she was a true star ⭐ (ahah, pun intended) and the main highlight of the episode for me;

as a woman I was so proud to see her handle this situation with such strength, dignity and self-respect;

unfortunately, despite the old gender stereotypes slowly dying out, despite the fact that women are becoming more and more independent and aware of their value, we are still often portrayed as a weaker sex; I am not talking about physical strength, of course;

we are the ones left, we are the ones who suffer, we are made to love men with everything we have, we build our whole lives around them, we let our world revolve around them... so, when they leave or we lose them for any other reason - it's the end, everything falls apart, we fall apart; I am so sick of still seeing it on screen; that's why I freaking LOVED seeing Eda not fall apart, or at least she didn't fall apart for long;

I loved that she allowed herself to grieve, to cry, to be angry and to express this anger straight to Serkan's face; I think we saw Eda go through her own 5 stages of grief; but she didn't let depression take away more than one night of her life;

I love that Eda found out that Ayfer had contacted the grandma and, while her reaction might have been a bit too emotional (which is actually normal and understandable given she's still hurting after having had her heart broken and stamped on), I really enjoyed Eda protecting her personal boundaries and basically saying to stay the *uck out of her life - you go, girl!👏💪😎

I enjoyed the way Eda handled herself at the office and how she behaved around Serkan; she wasn't stealing lovesick glances at him or just brooding, she wasn't overly hostile, she wasn't running away;

oh, and when Seyfi brought that box, how she handled that - a standing ovation👏👏👏, everyone bow down to my Queen! 👑👸

speaking of that box where Serkan asked Seyfi to gather all of Eda's things, how he ordered to put away all her gifts - as Eda put it "he's trying to get rid of any trace of me"; in a way she's right; Serkan is trying to get rid of everything that could remind him of her and their shared moments but we know it's not because he doesn't love her (like Eda thinks), it's because he does and it's too much for him; and it's such a contrast to Eda who actually said to the girls that she wouldn't throw away or burn or whatever any of Serkan's gifts or other things that remind her of him and them, she openly said that she's not the one to run away from the memories; and it was so powerful - seeing the writers make a woman so undeniably stronger than a man👌👏

I also liked Eda around Efe, there wasn't anything romantic, I think it was completely professional and it didn't feel or look (at least to me) like Eda was trying to use Efe for petty reasons like make Serkan jealous (but of course our boy was jelly nonetheless 👽😁)

the little moment with Aydan: it was nice to see Aydan trying to comfort Eda (I guess she earned a few points for that) and I really liked the message she was trying to deliver - you can find love and happiness again;

I loved seeing Eda take that in, accept the message, agree that she will be ok one day; and I also liked seeing her not accept Aydan's support which felt a little bit like pity; Eda didn't want to be pitied and she said what she thought to Aydan's face; was it a little harsh? maybe, yes; but I understand where it came from and, given how insensitive, hostile, rude Aydan had been towards Eda in the past, Eda not really buying this whole support thing is pretty understandable;

☑️ Edser: whatever state these two are in - deliriously in love, flirty, pissed off, annoyed, lovesick, heartbroken - if they're together on screen it's always glorious;

do I like seeing them angsty and heartbroken? of course NOT! but the longing between them is SO GOOD!😍🤩

I loved that they introduced this soulmate theme; it wasn't there front and center but rather woven subtly through the episode: first, of course, pretty openly stated at the very beginning of the episode, in the parallel conversations Eda / the girls and Serkan / Engin; then symmetrically at the very end of the episode - the papers with the names of the drivers for the race, then Serkan being the one to notice Eda's absence, him just feeling her and being led by his heart until he found her - not bad for an emotionless robot, huh?😏😉

THE RINGS!😍😍 glad that they brought Eda's💍ring back into the picture; she demonstratively put it on the middle finger of her right hand; obviously she did it on purpose, she even explained the reason behind this decision - from now on it will serve as a reminder what kind of person Serkan Bolat is; but of course I think there's something deeper at play here; Eda could have easily put the ring on her left hand but she went with her right hand instead, with the middle finger which is so close to where it used to be, where an engagement ring should be - on her ring finger; so I think it's also a way for Eda to be closer to Serkan, it's almost like a phantom of what they used to have as well as of all the things they won't have... I am also 99% sure I am overthinking here and the intentions of writers were much simpler 🙈😆

anyway, I loved that Eda and Serkan both noticed and pointed out aloud that the other was wearing their ring; also Serkan's reasoning "to keep other women away" - why don't you tattoo "I am the property of Eda Yıldız" on your forehead, mister?👀🙈😆 could he be any more obvious?

the coffee scene was priceless 🤣🤣🤣 Serkan was so damn confident that Eda poured that cup for him and then him mumbling "for Efe" under his breath... like an offended child 🙈😆

them fighting looked a lot like flirting and the electricity⚡generated during their arguments could easily power their whole office building - I am sure;

the car ride to the presentation and that presentation itself - while I didn't entirely enjoy it and how controlling Serkan was I cannot help but admire the way his mind works; I also think he was doing it for Eda, it was his way of supporting and looking out for her without being too obvious; this way they also get to work together and even if it's just for work he will be closer to her;

Serkan showing up at that sport motivation thing like a boss 😎 and shamelessly checking Eda out 😏 I mean, was he aware there were other people around? and how is it possible that Eda was still buying the emotionless robot crap? the emotions the guy was looking at her with were enough to melt the glaciers 🔥🥵

and finally - that moment at the sea when Eda told Serkan that he wouldn't have apologized if he hadn't feared for his life; his immediate response was that it wasn't about that, "what if something had happened to you?"; when Eda answered with "Does it matter?" I swear I thought Serkan was gonna take her by the shoulders and shake her;

that jaw tick? man, he was pissed 😤

at Eda - for saying something like that, for being so careless with her life;

at himself - for allowing her to think that it wouldn't absolutely destroy him if something were to happen to her;

but the moment Eda left all anger left him and Serkan just looked... defeated;

☑️ Eda and Efe: might be an unpopular opinion but I actually liked their dynamic in episode 15; as I have already mentioned I didn't see or feel anything romantic and while I still don't trust Efe (him being from Mardin - a coincidence? nope, don't think so🧐) I liked how supportive he was with Eda; I think she needed that push to get back to work; okay, there is very likely some ulterior motive here but at least in this episode he seemed pretty genuine and it didn't look like he was using Eda; he wasn't provoking Serkan that much either;

☑️ Selin and Serkan: a short scene with the two of them in Serkan's office and Selin's reaction to Serkan and Eda's breakup; maybe to someone it may seem too strong but I actually liked Selin calling Serkan out on it like that; honestly I half expected her to find excuses for his behaviour;

☑️ Engin: keeps being a loyal friend who doesn't just offer silent support; I like how he always tries to reason with Serkan, doesn't shy away from telling him unpleasant truth;

glad he was there for Serkan at the very beginning of the episode;

loved how he checked on Serkan at the office and then tried to convince our RoBo that it's ok to not be ok and maybe take a vacation;

then the exchange:

Engin: "So, out of sight, out of mind?"

Serkan: "Exactly"

Engin (spotting Eda coming into the office with Efe): "Interesting how that's gonna work out for you" - interesting indeed 🙈😆;

Things I didn't like / was annoyed with:

❎ Serkan: yes, my baby boy made it into this category - there's first time for everything 🙈😆

just to be clear - he is still my cupcake and I love him dearly but here's the thing: we don't always like those we love;

I think in episode 15 Serkan was controlling and childish; and I completely understand where these tendencies come from but it doesn't mean I am gonna turn a blind eye on this or try to justify his behaviour;

that "Efe left but Serkan is here" scene was intented to be funny and endearing I guess but it was highly manipulative; and when during the car ride Serkan commented on Eda behaving like a teenager I was like "excuse me?! have you met yourself, mister?!" because that manipulation to make Eda go with him was worthy of a 12-year-old 🤨;

❎ Selin: when is she not annoying?🤔 while I liked that she didn't take Serkan's side and called him out on his change of heart, unfortunately, she still managed to make it about herself; it never fails to amaze me how selfish and self-centred this character is;

❎ Alptekin: what a poor excuse of a father and a man he is... almost feel sorry for him;

don't apologize on behalf of your son - he's a grown ass man who is capable of speaking for himself;

apologize for yourself, your mistakes and if you're not ready - then don't go to Ayfer just to make yourself feel better 😤😡;

❎ that almost copy-paste from Erkenci Kuş at the end:

getting lost and falling down into a pit in the forest? been there, done that in EK episode 19;

okay, we had beautiful sea views and they placed it at the end to add more suspense but all in all it was awfully similar and also kinda came out of nowhere;

after that emotional scene between Eda and Serkan we were whooshed into "Eda is not here, let's go find her"; I have no problem with the absence of the moment where she actually fell into that pit - wasn't that necessary - but a scene that could have served as a building block to this would have been good - show Eda going for that walk.

And... that's pretty much it.

Gonna get down to episode 16 now

[wreath-of-laurels]

Summary: In U.A., there’s a bit of a problem with people being related to Villains. In fact, they are having even more of a problem finding people who aren't.

---

As some of you may have noticed, I have been posting links for my AO3 stuff over here. I figure that I should throw in some random thoughts on the writing process here so this post isn’t just a retred for those who already know the work. For those who haven’t read it, I would recommend checking it out if you’re so inclined then come back if you feel like it.

The Problem With Skywalkers is arguably one of the easiest and most popular things that I have ever written which makes it both a wonderful thing and a tiny bit of a frustration. Quite simply it is primarily crack and with the exception of a few bits doesn’t really pretend to be anything else.

As far as I can tell, the idea formed during a discussion about the Dad for One theory at @tsukithewolf​‘s Discord. I made a comment about how it would be a bit awkward if the Dabi is Touya and the Dad for One were both true:

Me: I'm somewhat skeptical of the Dad for One theory, if only because I'm pretty sure Dabi is Touya, and pulling the same trope twice might be a bit much.

Then along comes this annoying/wonderful collaborator who plants a crazy idea in my head.  

Anonymous_Nerb:  lmao all the league just spontaneously adopting family members outa nowhere

bakugou: ...ok, so both deku and icyhot APPARENTLY have villain family members. whos next, fucking round cheeks?? 

uraraka: well, actually...

I make a joke along those lines and then the bastard eggs me on.

Me: The Iidas turn out to be a mob family going back through the generations. Tenya's villainous persona from the training exercise is his normal self. Momo is a resurrected Shimura Hana. Neito is AFO's other long lost son.

Bakugou gets grumpy because his villainous relative was defeated during the USJ arc and isn't suitably badass. 

The Bastard:  i wanna see a fic of this so bad now

aizawa: i would expel you all for the pure bullshittery of your family trees, but giran is my cousin so screw this

And then when I was trying to write my deep and meaningful Hero!Dabi fic, my brain gets hijacked and I can’t stop coming up with crackier and crackier ideas. Many of them just showed up with no prompting whatsoever and others where based on vague connections. Honestly, I think the fic wrote itself.

Giran and Aizawa: All the Bastard’s fault. Thankfully she(?) gave her blessing.

Inasa and Kurogiri: Oboro had a weather Quirk and Inasa sort of does. Also their personalities don’t fit at all so that will be fun.

Koda: I wonder if I how I can throw Nedzu into the mix. Oh yeah, Koda can talk to animals. 

Shigaraki and Momo: Hmmm... Didn’t I read a fic with that a while back?

Seiji and Mr. Compress: They make ball-like things. Why not?

Midnight and Moonfish: They both have kinky dress sense.

Vlad and Toga: Gotta do that one!!!

Also the whole bonding experience between Dabi and Shouto is completely @gentrychild​‘s fault for her hilarious and well-worth the read How to murder your father fic. 

That being said, since this is me and I am physically incapable of writing humour without drama and drama without humour (seriously, my ‘meaningful’ Dabi fic has him whining about phallic grafitti and being bossed around by his younger siblings), I end up throwing in a few serious sections with Uraraka and Eri bits. 

As I came close, I noticed a problem with the fic: the Dabi is Touya theory is much too plausible to blend in with the rest. So I naturally, I couldn’t let that stand. 

As for why Dabi didn’t say anything when Shouto showed up and tried to bond with him? I figure Dabi is used to hanging out with nutty people (himself included) so a kid insisting on calling him Niisan is pretty much a Tuesday for him. Besides the kid wants to kill Endeavor? He’s cool with that.

Honestly, I was rather weirded (but thrilled) out by how well people responded to the story. It was my first attempt at writing full-on crack, I wrote it in under fifteen hours, and didn’t expect it to be arguably the most popular thing that I’ve written. 

As for the frustration I mentioned, some of it is the common writer thought process of ‘I worker five zillion hours on this other fic and two on this one. Why the hell is the two hour one so popular?!!!!’

Yeah, I know: it’s a dumb reason to complain. This from me who genuinely likes the fic and thinks it turned out way better than I was expected. Go figure. I’ll go cry myself a river now.

The other bit is that my crazy inspiration disappeared after I finished it and I kind of needed it for my other projects... *sigh* That’s the life.

For those who are curious to the various cultural references used in this fic, they are:

The super intelligent mice are from Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.

‘Please note all of the former relations include in-laws, step-family, adopted family, family of choice, pets and father’s brother’s nephew’s cousin’s former roommates.‘ is a reference to Mel Brooks’ Star Wars parody Space Balls.

Pretty much the all the subtitles are inspired by Terry Prachett’s (RIP) Discworld. Prachett is arguable the authors who has influenced me the most both in my writing style and my way of looking at the world.

Well, Star Wars of course.

[jazy3]

Thoughts on Grey’s Anatomy Episode: 14X16

At the beginning of this episode I was cringing because I really don’t like Amelia and Owen together because they never seem happy. They have these brief moments of happiness and then everything else is just, as Owen described it, a plane crash. So I was really glad when Owen put his foot in his mouth (idiot) and then Amelia called him on it (woo) and all of this crap (FINALLY) and made it clear that their marriage never stood a chance, he is still, always will be, in love with Teddy, and she (Amelia) is better off without him. I thought it was really romantic when he went off to find her at the end of the episode. I hope Amelia finds someone else, not Koracick, that makes her happy and wants the same things she does and doesn’t want the same things that she doesn’t want (ie. Kids). Also a good example of why friends with benefits never works. 

I loved the Sofia cameo! It’s great when you get to see child actors blossom. I’m still really annoyed that we haven’t gotten a Sofia and Zola playdate or even a mention. It’s such a continuance error. I also feel there’s a lot to explore her and with the relationship between Arizona and Meredith. They showed a lot of the friendship between Callie and Meredith and Sofia and Zola’s friendship alongside it. I understand that they are not as close, but I’d like to see more of it. I’m also puzzled by this because Krista Vernoff said she wanted to focus more on Arizona being a Mom this season and this would be an ideal way to do it. Every time Sofia is on screen she talks about missing New York, but nothing about her friends and school here in Seattle. I do think she’s going to make a great surgeon someday just like her parents that’s obvious from this episode for sure! I’m picturing her and Zola going to med school together and all of their family being at their White Coat Ceremony. Awwww.

I still can’t get into Maggie and Jackson. I don’t them, I just don’t care. One part of this storyline I did really love this episode was the reactions of Catherine and Richard and the scenes between them and Jackson. Really superb acting by Debbie Allen and James Pickens Jr. Webber is one of my favourite characters and this is one of the reasons why. Pickens Jr. brings so much to the character in the way he plays him. He also gave me my favourite line of the episode. “It’s like reading Hemingway Dear.” Awwwww. I’m so glad he’s finally found love and is being truthful to that. You can see how hard he is trying to be a better man. The man he should have been for Ellis, Adele, and Meredith.

I liked the storyline with Meredith and Jo and the polymer this week. I really liked how they handled Jo and Alex’s engagement especially. Jo walks in to find Meredith upset and giving up on their project. Jo says she has big news and Meredith congratulates her on her engagement to which she replies, “No. No, no, no, It’s … I mean, yes. Thank you. But …” and shows Meredith the polymer research she has done. Her response is so very Grey’s. Yes thank you now let’s get back to the medicine. I like this. Marriage is an important part of a person’s life, but it’s not everything and it doesn’t define you. The ground-breaking work Jo and Meredith are doing is what defines them because they create themselves with their brains and their hands. 

I really felt for April in this episode. She was trying so hard while spiralling out of control. As usual Owen was no help as he’s too wrapped up in his own personal (relationship) problems that as usual he created himself. I’m glad Jackson is looking out for her and why heart broke for both of them in the supply closet scene. As Jackson said, “You can’t fix what you can’t face.” Very true.

As a side note to this Parker the Intern is quickly becoming one of my favourite interns. He’s sharp, a smooth talking, good looking, good at his job, and he’s got a sense of humour. DeLuca pretending to be in pain was hilarious. This is hands down the first decent scene he’s had in ages! I liked his character to begin with, then he lost all of his appeal by being a complete and utter jackass, and now he’s just boring for the most part. This scene was great. The Intern Trauma Certification Scene also gave me my second favourite line of the episode, “The party is now the world’s worst hangover.” Haha. 

The [Indiscrete French] subtitle was fantastic! I laughed so hard! Where my Francophone’s at? I love how they are using other languages more on the show. It really adds value and an extra layer to all the whole thing. The Astronaut storyline was good. I liked seeing Bailey in action and I like the way they have transitioned into Jo being part of the team and not just an annoyance who sticks her foot in her mouth all the time.

Fashion Alert! I loved the transgender doctor/patient’s floral robe! So fabulous! The patient ordering Catherine and Jackson to hug it out so can they perform her surgery was also one of my favourite things. I liked the more mature Maggie we got to see in this episode. I’ll never like her as a character after her several year parade of completely immature tantrum throwing selfishness, but this new version of Maggie is at least tolerable. I laughed so hard at her line, “Space folds like a taco!”. 

Alex’s had some great scenes and lines in this episode. I love how Alex is so protective over his patients and gets to the bottom of things his own way. Everyone around him typically assumes he’s goofing off and not taking things seriously, but it always turns out that he’s on top of it or has something else up his sleeve like in the MRI scene. I liked the running gag of naming Bailey’s device!

I really connected strongly with the Mom Arizona and Sofia treated. My heart broke for her at several points. She is so strong. The episode had a nice wrap up too. April is finally being forced to face her issues. Arizona is realizing she needs to spend more time with Sofia. I think this will lead to her and Carina moving to New York to maybe work on their maternal mortality project/study so that Sofia can be close to all of her Moms. 

Meredith and Jo are restarting their project which I’m happy to see. I think it’s possible that this storyline will continue until the end of the season or shortly before. And speaking of Meredith … Oh Boy! That Promo! Wow. Love is in the air! A new love interest arrives in the shape of Scott Speedman. Hopefully for good this time! I want Mer to find love so badly! While she definitely doesn’t need a man to be happy, in fact no woman does, she deserves to get laid! There I said it! Very excited for next week’s episode!

[ineverhadmyinternetphase]

A Day in the QPR of Dan and Phil

AO3 Link

Genre: Chaptered/Oneshot, Queerplatonic established relationship, fluff and cuddles and very little plot

Summary: Fiction. A day in the life of Dan and Phil, but as if they were in a QPR. So basically lots of fluff and cuddles, and a little bit of discussion about difficulties with coming out and why they're still in the closet

Warnings: Extreme lack of plot, some discussions of difficulties surrounding being in a QPR

Word Count: 3k

A/N: I wrote this because I wanted to explore how being in a QPR can be just as valid as being in any other type of relationship. It may be a bit disjointed, and there is literally no plot. I apologise ^_^

Reminder that I don’t know Dan or Phil at all and I’m not suggesting this in any way reflects reality. This is a work of fiction

…

They wake up in the morning and it’s warm, always warm. Phil is always the first to wake (because he doesn’t stay up until 4am on Wikipedia odysseys, Dan) and he’ll flop onto his side, squirm his way out of whatever blanket cocoon he’s built for himself in the night, and grope out blindly for Dan.

Dan will usually make some kind of grumble sound and flap at him, but Phil takes it for the endearing show of love it really is.

Phil will find a way to cling to Dan. It might be an arm slung over his waist (he wishes Dan would wear more clothes, but Dan complains it’s hot enough already with Phil warm and crushingly close), or a simple nestling against his back or chest, and Dan will grumble through a smile and rearrange himself to better cuddle Phil back. They’ll lie there in a tangle of limbs, safe under their covers, and wait for the day to start without really wishing to move ever again.

Eventually, the need for coffee will force Phil out of bed, or Dan will shove at him and whine about being hungry until Phil feels too guilty and gets up. He’ll usually throw a shirt at Dan’s head on his way to the door, and Dan will squawk.

“You’re wearing that before you come into my kitchen,” Phil explains with his best impression of snootiness, and Dan will peer out of the mess of fringe and cotton and make a face at him.

“Our kitchen, you spork.”

“Our kitchen,” Phil amends with a smile. He leans against the doorframe, just looks at Dan for a moment. Dan’s cheeks are rosy and his eyes are warm and some form of his dimple will usually make an appearance, just a faint mark on his cheek. Phil’s eyes zero there, flicking across his freckles. He knows Dan’s face better than he knows his own.

“Breakfast,” Dan will remind him in the gentlest of voices, and Phil comes back to himself with a little shake of his head and nods.

“Breakfast.”

He’ll shuffle his way down to the kitchen, flick on the kettle, search for bread to shove in the toaster and forget that he put it in the fridge just like his mum always did. Dan appears a few moments later, wearing boxers and the shirt Phil threw at him, just enough clothes to make Phil feel comfortable. He’s never been as comfortable with nudity as Dan, and Dan respects that. It’s one of the many things that Phil loves about him.

Breakfast is eaten in front of the newest anime. Dan gets this serious look on his face, his eyes intent and zeroed in on the subtitles (of course, he’d made a noise of utter distress when Phil confessed to watching Fullmetal Alchemist dubbed the first time). Phil is watching too, but he’s also watching Dan, his eyes sometimes sliding over to this other person who is somehow so completely right for him. Dan’s legs are slung over Phil’s lap. Phil nudges at Dan’s knee, a tiny touch, but Dan looks over at him and smiles and Phil knows he gets it.

Phil doesn’t think he’ll ever actually be able to say out loud how much Dan means to him.

---

It’s a day full of meetings. They both have to bundle out of the house into the freezing February wind, and it isn’t raining but it’s damp, that kind of awkward drizzle that just hangs in a mist until its infested their coats and condensation drips on Phil’s glasses and Dan’s hair is starting to curl.

“Don’t,” he warns Phil with a glare, but Phil grins and ruffles it anyway as they stand dripping in the front of the office. Dan shakes his head and steps back, saying “Phil,” in that way that is at once fond and exasperated.

Phil’s grin just widens. “You’re cute.”

“Shush.” Dan flicks a quick glance around the almost-empty office, and Phil catches a couple of stares from the receptionist. They’re used to it. Everyone is always presuming things about their relationship, and while they’re not exactly wrong, they’re also never quite right.

The meetings drag out for a long time. The better part of three hours is spent wandering from one room to another, or sitting in weird plush chairs in different waiting rooms, and Phil starts to get impatient. Dan can see it in the way his leg jostles Dan’s when they sit just a little too close together, in the way Phil keeps pushing his glasses up his nose or ruffling up his own fringe.

On the fifth ruffle, Dan catches his elbow. “Stop.”

Phil flicks him an almost-desperate look.

“Not much longer, I promise,” Dan answers softly.

“There aren’t any windows.” Phil’s tone is heavy, weighed down with more than usual. There is a crease-frown-line in his forehead. Dan wants to rub it away with his thumb.

Instead, he snorts. “You don’t want too many windows. Sunlight will make you burn into a crisp.”

“Dan, your hair is still wet with drizzle,” Phil points out, which makes Dan instantly duck and mumble something unintelligible, swiping at his fringe. “Besides, I’m not that bad. I’m wearing factor 50.”

“Are you actually,” Dan deadpans, and rolls his eyes a little when Phil huffs out something like a laugh. “Oh my God, you are. It’s February. Why are you a monster.”

“You love me,” Phil insists, shooting another quick look around the office before shuffling a little closer, until his thigh is pressed to Dan’s. Dan shifts under it, sends Phil this little warm dark look, and nudges his leg back. It’s not quite an answer, but it’s all Dan will dare when they’re out of their flat.

Phil knows what he means, anyway.

---

Dan doesn’t like Sarah Hargrove.

They’re in a meeting with her and Catherine Philips, talking about promoting the book. There’s an interview to be done and times to arrange and Sarah just keep peering at the two of them closely with something eager in her eyes.

“Lots of domestic questions,” she says after a moment. “You know, what irritates you most about living with the other, what’s the other’s best feature. Things like that.”

Dan tenses. Phil grips his knee beneath the desk, smiles widely. “Yeah, we can do that. As long as it’s nothing invasive.”

“Oh, of course not,” Sarah gushes, “All completely proper. But, you know. The close-to-home stuff is always the best.”

Dan clenches his hand so hard his nails scrape awkwardly across the plastic of the desk. All eyes spring to him. He flushes, looks away quickly and mumbles, “Yeah, sure, just – keep it surface-level, you know, we like talking about our daily lives but that’s it, but, like. Yeah. I could rant about how much Phil steals my cereal for hours.”

It’s a poor attempt at humour, but it makes Catherine snort and Sarah titters nervously. Dan flicks a quick glance up and sees Phil’s profile, not looking at him, but the hand on his knee gives a gentle pat.

Dan breathes out, forces himself to relax, and sits up a little bit straighter. He doesn’t quite manage a smile, but Phil does enough of that for both of them, so it’s probably ok.

When they’re on the tube home, Dan lets out his frustration in a soft little groan. “It’s not that I don’t like talking about it.”

Phil nods. His shoulder is brushing Dan’s, they’re squashed in on all sides by silent commuters. It’s probably not the best place to have this conversation, but Dan is still tense and Phil hates to see that, so he reaches out to brush one carefully-placed hand on Dan’s shoulder.

Dan just tenses more, though, so Phil draws away again quickly. “I know,” he answers lowly, still not sure how to tiptoe around this conversation even after seven years. “Wait until we get home?”

Dan blows out an annoyed breath, his fringe rustling with it. He doesn’t meet Phil’s eyes when he mumbles, frustrated, “Yeah, of course. It’s fine though, like, I’m fine.”

Phil doesn’t bother to correct him, but he does slide out his phone and text Dan a picture of a bedraggled shibe. When Dan’s phone buzzes, he doesn’t quite manage to hide his smile.

They get home in a tangle of wet limbs and shopping bags. Dan sets about packing things away immediately (not before Phil manages to steal a packet of biscuits and run into the living room before Dan can chase him), but it doesn’t take long for him to be done and then he follows Phil and just kind of… flops onto the sofa next to him.

Phil offers him a biscuit.

“It’s not that I don’t want to talk about it,” Dan reiterates, continuing the tube conversation effortlessly. He takes the biscuit, crunches on it for a moment or two, and continues, “I just don’t like the way everyone is always reading into it.”

“I know,” Phil offers slightly unhelpfully. He knows what Dan’s getting at, but sometimes it’s hard for Phil to know exactly what to say. The world always has and always will read into relationships like theirs, will assume they’re not explicit about the nature of their companionship because they’re private people. Which isn’t exactly false, but, well. Things would be easier if they could just say we’re in a QPR and have people know what they meant.

Dan makes a face, waving a hand at Phil. Phil passes him another biscuit.

“It’s just like,” Dan continues, “Like, I can tease you about stealing my cereal and moan about you leaving socks everywhere until we turn blue in the face, and people still aren’t going to care about what’s really going on.”

Phil thumbs a crumb away from the side of Dan’s mouth. Dan makes a face at him and moves away.

“We’ll know,” Phil points out.

Dan sighs. “Yeah, we’ll know. I just. I don’t even know. Sometimes I look at everyone else’s coming out videos and I think, I wish we could have that. Just. I wish it could be that easy. Not that it’s easy for them, fuck, that’s not what I meant—”

“I know, Dan,” Phil reassures him quickly. He grabs his hand, gives it a squeeze, and Dan sighs and leans into his side.

���I just remember how you were when we first met,” Dan mumbles into Phil’s shoulder, so he doesn’t have to meet Phil’s eyes. Phil smiles. Dan still gets embarrassed about this, even so many years later, and it’s adorable in Phil’s eyes but he has a feeling that would be the wrong word to tell Dan right then.

“Like,” Dan adds, “You used to look so nervous when we talked about visiting, and I said, you know, I said I didn’t have to visit if you didn’t want, and you looked so terrified—”

“I was,” Phil admits softly. This isn’t something he likes looking back on, not really, unless it’s to acknowledge the moment the sunshine of Dan entered his life. He can still remember gathering his courage up, holding it in a tight ball so it wouldn’t completely dissipate the moment Dan’s webcam blinked to life. He’d promised himself he was going to tell Dan the truth, what little of it Phil knew, and he’d ended up blurting it out as soon as Dan grinned and said hi.

“I don’t want to have sex with you.”

Dan had actually fallen out of his bed. Phil remembers it with a soft smile, the startled exclamation and the thud and the mess of blankets and Dan’s curls when he’d peeked over the side of the bed to stare at Phil with wide eyes again.

“What on earth gave you the idea I wanted to have sex with you?” Dan had asked, but Phil hadn’t been fooled. Dan had been nervous about it, back then, still was occasionally. He hadn’t had the confidence to not do what was expected, so when they’d defined themselves as more than friends (whatever that meant) in the days before Dan’s first scheduled visit, Dan had started to suggest… things. Out of panic, Phil knows now, but back then it had terrified him.

They’d ironed it out. They’d fumbled around something neither of them knew the word for, realised they actually had the same boundaries, and Dan had come to visit and it had been everything. They’d kissed, once, just to try it, but otherwise it had been a weekend of cuddles and films and learning Dan’s smell and warmth and eyes that sparkled more in real life than on camera.

“It would have been so much easier if there’d been a word for it,” Dan continues now, softly, still speaking into Phil’s shoulder. “It would be so much easier now.”

“There is a word for it,” Phil reminds him, but Dan makes a frustrated noise. Phil gets it. They have a word, sure, but no one knows what it means.

“No one knows what it means,” Dan repeats Phil’s thoughts out loud, and grabs another biscuit. “Instead, we have everyone assuming all that other stuff, and we have fucking Sarah Hargrove trying to get us to be more open and domestic and I can see it, like, she thinks it and so does Catherine, probably, and—”

“Catherine’s lovely,” Phil reminds him.

“I know,” Dan huffs. “But she just – and – and I still have to film in the other fucking bedroom because if everyone knew we were sharing a bed they’d assume—”

“I know what they’d assume,” Phil interrupts quickly, and Dan flashes him an apologetic smile.

“I wouldn’t have said it. I’m sorry.” He reaches out to brush a thumb across Phil’s cheek, tenderly, and Phil feels like a warm streak of sunshine just lit up his skin.

“Don’t be sorry,” Phil reprimands him. “I get it. I agree, I just… don’t know what to say. How to make it better.”

Dan smiles at him, bright again, almost enough to crease up his eyes. “You don’t have to solve everything.”

“Well, yeah, but if you come to me with a problem then I like being able to solve it,” Phil admits, “But about all I can do here is say, uh huh, yeah, I know right, without actually being very helpful.”

Dan laughs at him. “You could also give me another biscuit.”

“And you accuse me of secret eating.” Phil does, though, because he can’t say no when Dan’s whiny and soft and seeking cuddles. Dan grins at him through biscuity crumbs and its gross but Phil also feels better about, well, everything, because Dan is still here and still his and that’s all that really matters.

---

They spend the rest of the evening snuggled up on the couch together, both with their laptops out. Dan manages to squidge his head on Phil’s lap along with the laptop, and sits sideways with his feet up on the sofa cushions, laptop propped open on his knees. Phil ends up looking at him there more than he looks at his own laptop screen.

It’s just, sometimes Phil can’t quite get over how lucky he is. To have another person who’s boundaries match his so exactly, someone who will watch anime with him and force him to listen to questionable music and hug him endlessly but never kiss him too much, and grow old with him without some of the more awkward connotations that usually brings. Dan comes on family holidays with him and looks away with him when his brother kisses his girlfriend, he holds Phil’s hand on the beach and kisses his forehead every night before they go to sleep.

Dan is also heavy. Phil’s legs are falling asleep. He nudges at Dan’s head with his knee, but Dan makes the most heartbreaking whine and peeks up at Phil through his fringe.

Phil groans back at him. “No.”

“Please,” Dan whines. “I’m so comfortable, Phil, you don’t understand.”

“I’m not spending the entire night on the sofa again.”

“But I’m so comfortable,” Dan enthuses, making a show of stretching out. He has one headphone in his ear; Phil watches the way the wire hangs past his dimple.

“You might be comfortable,” Phil grumbles, but he’s smiling. Dan catches the look, returns it widely, and refuses to budge from his place on Phil’s lap.

Phil lets out a defeated sigh. “Fine, but just another hour or so.”

Dan interrupts him with a whoop, but it’s the cutest little sound so Phil doesn’t tell him off for it. Instead he just kind of sags down until his back isn’t hitting the hard edge of their sofa and his now-numb legs can stretch out a bit.

He’s been watching reruns of property shows, seeing all these pretty couples or families hunt out their dream property, and it’s got him thinking. Soon, he knows. He hasn’t properly talked about it with Dan yet, but he’s heard Dan’s pointed remarks about storage, knows enough to see that Dan is starting to subtly hint about it. Phil isn’t stupid. Soon.

But for now, his legs really are completely numb and his head is sore and he’s tired. He wants to go to bed.

Dan groans the minute he feels Phil moving, and shoots him a betrayed glare. “That wasn’t another hour.”

“I know, but I’m so tired,” Phil confesses, and it makes Dan give him a more serious look and then melt a little bit.

He shifts without another word, hoisting himself upright with a grumbly sigh, but Dan closes both their laptops and then takes Phil’s hands in his own and tugs. “C’mon then, old man. Bedtime.”

“Thanks, my son,” Phil says, weirdly, but Dan just shakes his head and grins.

They curl up together in bed, like always, even if Dan is on his phone when Phil is trying to sleep. The light is bright behind Phil’s closed eyelids but he’s used to it, and eternally thankful that Dan came to bed with him rather than staying out in the lounge on his own. Neither of them do too well on their own, but for Phil in particular the loudness of an empty room rattles inside his skull until he starts feeling panicky.

Dan is always there to calm him with a touch, though.

Phil’s head is pillowed against Dan’s shoulder – Dan still refuses to wear a shirt in bed, which means Phil is only really safe on his shoulder, but he doesn’t mind that much. Dan’s skin is warm and he smells nice, and this feels more like being at home than anywhere else has in a long time.

Phil closes his eyes and falls asleep with the tapping of Dan’s fingers against his phone as his soundtrack, and thinks, it’s not so bad really, is it. They’ve carved out their own way of being, and it works for them, and really, he doesn’t think he could be any happier.

[fatpie42-blog]

Review of Blair Witch (2016)

Best thing: There's a neat twist on the original film's ending which makes good use of the found footage format. I like that this film builds on the original film's mythos.

Worst thing: The original Blair Witch Project had less characters and felt much more personal as a result. As much as Wingard is trying to copy the original Blair Witch Project's style (and setting himself a pretty tough challenge as a result)

Okay so admittedly this is Adam Wingard's worst film. (Well at least the worst of his films longer than 80 minutes. I haven't seen his shorter early films because they seem to be practically impossible to acquire.) However, I have pretty much loved all Wingard's films, especially his previous film "The Guest".

Adam Wingard has tried to recreate the original style of The Blair Witch Project and he has also made some clear attempts to change things up a bit. But it turns out that The Blair Witch Project provides a pretty limited template. It surprises me to see people criticising the introduction of a drone camera. Surely a new type of camera footage is a sensible extension from the original concept. (And while you'd expect it to help them find their way out of the woods, the fact that it fails to help them is another spooky element to the story.

When this was being released I suddenly saw a huge number of people reminiscing about Blair Witch Project as an untouchable classic. I feel like history must be being re-written somewhat. Here in the UK I distinctly remember my first time watching Blair Witch Project and, as someone enjoying himself, I felt somewhat out of place.

I initially saw Blair Witch Project on a bootlegged videotape with Korean subtitles that had been taken into school. It was the end of term and our A Level Religious Education group were allowed to watch the video. But we didn't finish the film in one school period. So this ended up being one of the few times I have ever gone to the cinema alone. I was very keen to see the end of this film.

I found myself sat next to a whole group of horror fans all wearing black t-shirts. I got the distinct feeling that I was being glared at during the film. I don't know if it was because I was laughing and the guy next to me didn't see the humour, or whether it  was because they were just annoyed that I was enjoying myself. Either way, it made me disinclined to identify myself as a horror fan for many years.

When we left the negative vibe from the audience continued. And that's generally how I thought most audiences felt about The Blair Witch Project: negative. The internet was not a big thing in the UK (internet access is still not free in the UK and back then it really didn't look worth the money for your average Joe). And certainly by the time Blair Witch Project reached the UK nobody was about to believe it was real. I don't really know of anyone who was massively blown away by Blair Witch Project. It was fun, but even speaking as someone who enjoyed it (and I really ought to rewatch it to make this judgement) I'd be hard pressed to say the original was superior to this sequel.

I still maintain that there's a sadistic pleasure and dark humour in watching the Blair Witch Project protagonists become ever moreterrified and lose all hope. While I don't think our protagonists in this new sequel have the same level of despair, the film certainly has the same sense of fun (which horror movies are generally better off having).

We don't really get a lot of depth to the characters in either movie, but I found myself caring for the characters in both cases.

This sequel definitely expands on the mythology of the original. How does footage get found without also finding the bodies? What powers do those stick man charms hold? Why do victims stand in the corner? This film points us a little closer to answers, while keeping the mystery. I guess we all hoped Adam Wingard had something a little more impressive up his sleeve when he announced this project. It certainly must to have been amazing for the film festival patrons to see a film called "The Woods" only for it to be revealed - out of nowhere - to be a Blair Witch Project sequel. That surprise would have been something really special.

For the rest of us? Yeah sure, it's a Blair Witch Project sequel. Well done Adam, but I think there are better projects you could be working on.

B+